steve-in-kville 

My Windsor Tourist has played various roles over the six years I've had it. Rear racks, front racks, pulls a BOB trailer, etc. This bike has been my do all, end all bike. I commute on it daily and haul stuff with the trailer as needed.

I am planning some long rides, looking at doing a 200k rando at some point this year. The bike is currently dressed with fenders, and front rack & panniers. I have a Banjo Brothers frame bag somewhere I could swap out the front panniers and live. The panniers are an overkill for commuting, but they are nice.

I plan to add clip-on aerobars, and I would like to do away with the front panniers and go with either a handlebar bag or a rear seat bag (Dill Pickle??). I could loose the fenders but I really like 'em for commuting in the rain. I do have a clip-on rear "blade" fender that would help, but I would limit myself to the handlebar bag only.

Any thoughts on how to set this bike up? I know many here have dedicated rando bikes but I am not afforded that luxury right now.

bikemig 

A touring bike is a long distance bike. Personally I'm no fan of aerobars in group rides but I don't know offhand whether they are legal for RUSA events or not. The one change I might consider would be a second set of more performance oriented wheels and tires. This need not cost an arm and a leg.

steve-in-kville 

Upgrading wheels was on my mind as well. Areo's are legal in the US for rando's, but as I understand it, not elsewhere. Reason for the areobars is for extra hand positions. I am on the hoods 80% of the time, flats the rest. Never liked the drops too much.

kingston 

Rear rack with a trunk bag so you have someplace to put your jacket when it warms up. Bring lights in case it gets dark. I would leave the fenders on in case it's wet. Aero bars on a touring bike look ridiculous IMO.

dual650c

2 cents from a former WT rider...

Before I switched to recumbents, I rode my WT on a couple century rides and a single brevet, along with the related training rides. I tried a clip-on aerobar setup and a rear rack similar to this:

Never found a way to efficiently&comfortably use a handlebar bag with the aerobars - others have tho', it seems. Otoh, the rear rack was augmented with an Arkel Tailrider Bag

I wound up sticking my 100oz water bladder in the bag and running a drinking tube from it over my shoulder/under my right arm and clipping it to my jersey's collar. The bag was large enough to carry all the extras (snacks, clothes, tools, etc.) I ever needed on my rides in addition to the completely filled water bladder. I did use one of my jersey's back pockets for accessing snacks/gum without stopping then resupplied them from the Tailrider at rest stops. The other two pockets carried my camera, phone(sometimes carried in the TailRider instead) and arm sleeves(coolers/warmers).

One other consideration is/was mirrors. Using aerobars pretty much necessitated using a helmet/eyeglass-mounted mirror. I just never really got 100% comfortable with any of the ones I tried - and I tried 4 different models - because of the riding position when using the aerobars and the "strain" on my neck. At best, I was only 80% comfortable using them. Without aerobars, I ran a pair of handlebar-mounted mirrors and was much more comfortable - except when in the drops, which wasn't often for me.

I'd have stuck with this setup for the long haul had my back issues not led me to recumbents.

Hope this was useful for you.

steve-in-kville 

I'm good in the light department. I commute at 5am so I'm well equipped there.

Drew Eckhardt 

I like my Arkel Tailrider trunk bag on a rear rack. It expands to hold _a lot_, is easier to get into than a big saddle bag, and should be more aerodynamic than a handlebar bag since it has less frontal area and is in the dirty air behind the saddle.

You don't want panniers. I estimated 20% more frontal area from the single pannier I use commuting, and speed differences at the same power seem to back that up.

Aero wheels won't do much for you. Assuming you stay away from box-section wheels, you're looking at about 4W out of 200 to go 20 MPH, and 1.5 out of 100-120 for 15 MPH. Over 75% of your drag comes from the rider, and you'll gain more with an aero jersey.

OTOH, more supple tires like the GP4000SII can net 15-20W at those speeds. Those have good flat protection for tires rolling that well - outside the rainy season I don't flat more than riding Gatorskins. They come in 700C widths to 28mm.

steve-in-kville 

Thanks for the replies. I think I may install my rear rack and somewhere I have a trunk bag.... give that a whirl commuting for a few weeks to see how I like it.


(That was my 900th post here on BF!)

unterhausen

I used a single pannier for randonneuring a couple of years ago, mostly out of inertia and laziness. I really didn't notice it until there was a quartering headwind on a very hot day, and the combination just wiped me out and led to a DNF. The drag was really obvious, and the capacity of the bag wasn't that great anyway. So I would definitely recommend against panniers. If you are going to buy a bag, I strongly recommend considering a bikepacking seat bag. Those bags are a very good start to ultralight touring as well as being useful on a long day where you need to shed a lot of clothes. I haven't seen many rack top bags that have any more capacity than that, and the bikepacking bags shrink to a much smaller size as the load shrinks. There are rack top bags that have small panniers that deploy from the sides. Then you are back to the potential for drag.

I am happier without a rack on my randonneuse.

steve-in-kville 

unter, thanks for the reply. My Tourist has been through a few transformations over the years I've owned it. Accessorized, switched up stuff, etc (I'm like a 16 y/o with a car!). I've ran rear rack with trunk bags, rear panniers, front rack & panniers, handle bar bag.... I've tried it all. I even have a small-ish frame bag from Banjo Brothers somewhere.

I am leaning toward a seat bag myself. Honestly, if I really need more capacity, I'd pull my BOB.

Cyril 

If you need a BOB for a 200,300, 400, or even 600k brevet, you are way over packing and over thinking.
Steve, srsly, just do it. You have it in you, Just do it.

steve-in-kville 

Trailer is for hauling stuff. And maybe touring. That would be way over packed for a rando!

bikemig 

Plus by going with a bikepacking seat bag, you save the not inconsiderable weight of a rear rack.

steve-in-kville 

Does anyone rando with a hydration pack? I own a few, made by Osprey.

kingston 

I'm sure someone does. I suppose it depends on the how hot it is, how far apart the controls are and what's in between.

unterhausen

I use a hydration pack on randonnees if it's hot. I have been using it without the bladder because I am too lazy to pack my seat bag to its max. I'll probably start using it for water in 2 weeks for the 400k. Nick Bull says that he sees a lot of people DNF when they use a hydration pack. There are a couple of Eastern PA routes where I used to run out of water without the hydration pack. I hate running out of water. I'm thinking about putting a third water bottle cage on my bike, I don't know if that would keep me from running out of water or not

guidoStow

I use a 3L hydration pack because I drink more effectively with that than traditional bottles which i somehow always forget to drink from. I have been playing with just using a drink mix for fueling and my stomach is a lot happier than normal brevet food. If there are long distances between controls, I can bring extra bottle(s) as well as insurance. But if the controls are the usual distance apart and I'm good and make sure I refill at every stop I'm fine just using the pack.

StephenH

Adjust luggage space to the luggage you need to take, won't matter much where it goes. But note, for example, that here in Texas in the summertime, you need zero extra layers or clothing, so all you need is food/water/bike repair stuff. And in that case, you don't need panniers, etc.
If you have the aerobars and think you'll use them, put them on. Maybe half the people I ride with have them, they're not uncommon, not universal. They make more sense if you have long barren stretches into the wind.
If fenders are easy to put on and off, then adjust for the weather the day of the ride. If they're a pain, then just ride it how it is on that day.

steve-in-kville 

Thanks for the replies. I plan to experiment with some different set-ups on a commuter/casual basis. I removed the front rack and panniers and most likely will ebay 'em. I installed my Banjo Bro's. frame bag to keep my pump and spare tube in. For the moment I will use a small hydration pack to be able to carry my lunch to work, carry my phone, rain shell, etc.

I am taking a serious look at a medium/large seat bag. Or maybe I'll break down and go with a rear rack and trunk bag again (ran that combo alone for years!).

As for aero's, still on the fence on that. If they don't work, there is ebay!

thebulls

Hmm, I don't recall saying that I've seen people DNF with a hydration pack. I can't think of anyone who I would say has DNF'd because of one. I know a half dozen or so people who regularly carry them. I don't like carrying one, myself, because it adds weight to my hands and butt, and it is hot in the summer. I have 3 water bottles and almost never run out but for long stretches where I know there's no resupply I will buy a bottle or two of water at a convenience store.

Nick

thebulls

My advice: Don't ebay anything for now, particularly not a front rack. My handlebar bag is the most useful piece of rando equipment that I own!

Go with what you already own, to start with. Just use the rear rack and trunk bag. It's pretty aero and only adds about a pound versus using a saddlebag alone. It's not likely to cause you to be over the time limit. If the time limit's a constraint on a 200km, then the problem is more likely with the motor than with the equipment.

After you have done a bunch of brevets then you'll start learning for yourself what works well and what doesn't. Then you can go buy stuff to optimize for rando.

Nick

unterhausen

If you have a trunk bag, definitely go with that. That's a very common rando setup, and it works for a lot of people. I have even ridden with some people that put the bladder for their hydration pack in a trunk bag. For a summer 200k, there is very little bike storage needed other than a place to put a tube/repair kit. I frame mount my pump.

I swear you told me that. I have wondered about it because it adds one more complication on a hot day. I'm not sure that I don't cramp more because of the hydration pack. I don't like having a lot of water in a hydration pack because it does end up causing abrasions and shoulder soreness, but that's just minor discomfort. My pack is not hot, the mesh back and ventilation is very effective.

Definitely going to look at adding another water bottle cage to my bike, I think 3 is the most that I've needed on the east coast. In Utah on a summer day, I ran through 5 bottles on a 30 mile ride, so I don't see how to avoid a hydration pack.

intransit1217

This is what I'm planning when I get to rando time. Strip. It. Down.

I'm going to lose the racks and fenders, keep the trunk, empty it to bare minimum, flatten the dashboard as much as possible, drop in better wheelset with slightly narrower tires. I'm running 40's on my Masi Giramondo currently.

That is what I suggest.

steve-in-kville 

Thanks for all the great replies! Lots to think about. I keep looking at the rigs featured in the Trans Am race and marvel. And then I am brought back to reality.... longest ride I will do this year will be done in a day, don't need to pack for a week!

Richard Cranium

In general, the "good endurance" riders know to to do more with less. The two most obvious areas for engineering improvements are rolling resistance concerns, aerodynamic drag.

Find out what tires and tubes other good riders are using on the rides you intend to complete. Carry the same gear, the same way they do.

I wouldn't entertain "aero bars" - but hey - nothing quite like a "new" setup among other riders on rides you've nver done...... have fun.