DreamRider85

I’m not quite ready but I would like to go on one, one day. I saw a video of 2 people going from SF to San Diego.

If you get a flat and repair it, do you go to a bike shop later on to get the full pump or do you just bring a full pump? You don’t want to overpack I’m thinking.

Also, do you use a bike lock for when you go in and out of a store? I’ve heard about people getting their bike stolen.

I don’t know how it works if you’re doing it with a club. What if someone is slower than the group? Do they just get left behind?

As far as century rides, I’m in the San Mateo area. I started half century rides and 40 milers. I start from Millbrae or San Bruno and ride the Tom Sawyer Trail. Then I take Canada Rd and go to Alpine Rd in Portola and back.

I wish that there was more after Alpine Rd, so I could extend the ride. Now it’s a matter of figuring out what the safest roads to add to San Mateo to make it a century. I have heard highway 84 is too dangerous.

shelbyfv

1)You should always get the full pump. Riding with a partial pump could be problematic. 2) Yes, a club may leave you behind if they find you obnoxious or too much drama to deal with. If you ride on a tour you have paid for, then someone may be obliged to look after you.

fietsbob

You would probably have competitive minded riders in a group ride , there , rather than a social enjoy the ride and the day together ..

years ago there was a ride like the former, here, 3rd time I went , on a route passing by 1/2 block from my apartment
being dropped off the back was the point. of that group,

Id recently returned from a long solo tour of the western coast of Ireland and Scotland ... wasn't in bad shape just not a racing pace..

In a previous trip I met up with a Northern English group, their club rides were not competitive... destination a lunch stop..





...

Miele Man

1. No, I don't go to a bike shop. I carry a pump that will pump my tires up to the pressure I need.

2. Yes, I carry a small easily coiled cable lock in my seat bag for those quick stops. It'll stop a snatch and go theft. I do not leave my bike unattended for long. If using a washroom attached to the side of a gas bar, I take the bike inside with me. Nothing will spoil a long ride or a tour quite as much as coming out of a store and seeing that your bike and all your gear is gone. Lock it or lose it.

3. A lot of clubs have what is known as a "No Drop Ride". That means no one is left behind on that ride. If you go one such a ride and decide to go elsewhere or drop out early, you let the ride leader(s) know so they don't spend a lot of time looking for you.

It's always a good idea, in my opinion, to ask a group what speed they hope to ride. Then you can join the group that best matches you. Be aware though, that sometimes a group will ride faster than planned. that's where the "No Drop" rule really comes into play.

Cheers

MattTheHat 

Why would you assume the OP would be obnoxious or too much drama? Wow, tough room!

badger1

Not an unwarranted assumption by shelbyfv ; a reasonable extrapolation from a multitude of threads/posts, ancient and modern.

indyfabz

See post #6 .

Troul 

I do long solo rides that can be a little as 70 miles or as long as 100+ miles.
For those rides, I plan out what I will take to conduct on the spot repairs based on the bicycle I'm riding.
I prepack items just incase I need first aid, cleaning up ones self, & stuff for refueling that will not go rancid & is unlikely to cause illness.

Always have a pump on hand that you can achieve the PSI to which you ride at after a flat situation.

indyfabz

Been there, done that. I have led groups on many different editions of our club’s annual New Hope, PA, to Brooklyn century. A very complicated ride that is time-consuming if you don’t keep moving.

One year a guy got two flats in a relatively short period of time. After the second one I looked at his tire. The rubber was worn away in many places. The detailed ride instructions given to every rider expressly tell people to make sure their bikes, especially tires, are in good shape. Dude was in a safe place so I cut him loose to fix his flat and wait for another group or the SAG wagon to come along. I saw him at the finish. He told me he had gotten a third flat and finally got sagged.

Don’t be that guy.

wolfchild

This question has already been answered by several experienced riders in your previous thread about what to do when you get a flat during your ride. Did you even read their replys ??

cyccommute 

I always carry a pump and at least one extra tube on a tour. Often I carry 2 or more tubes. I don’t carry a floor pump but I do carry a pump that is capable of pumping up my tires. My preference is Topeak Morphs, either the Road or Mountain Morph depending on the bike. You can see the pump in this picture

2020-01-26 16:51:13 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

I also carry a cable lock and make sure I park the bike in as well trafficked area as I can when I have to lock it outside a store. Don’t park it around the corner, back behind the dumpsters. An out of the way bike is easier to steal.

Other equipment you might want to carry will depend on your needs and tastes. Do some short tours to see what you feel like you need to carry.

For club century rides, I made it clear to anyone at the start of the ride that they were mostly on their own if no SAG vehicle is available. A century is tough enough for each individual rider and they shouldn’t have to ride at the pace of the slowest person. Any rider doing a century should have trained beforehand and shouldn’t need handholding during the ride. If they need constant handholding, they shouldn’t be on the ride.

Troul 

of the group/organized long rides I've been asked to be a part in, the time to complete was always based on a mph no higher than 10mph averaged.

y2zipper

There is some backpacking logic where anything you want to take on a long ride, you have to carry (unless you have a SAG vehicle).
​​​​​On any ride you should take stuff for repairs. For a century i take 2 tubes, tire levers, a multitool, inflator and CO2 in the saddle bag. I'm essentially prepared for 1 flat per 50 miles or so, which works for me solo or organized. More flats than that and the wife is picking me up.

Food and drink are different in that in an organized century ride with SAG stops mean I can plan refills that I can't on a solo ride. Part of where prior training comes in is training your nutrition strategy to sustain your performance and know what you need.

MattTheHat 

Understood.

Cougrrcj

Even on my commute (12.5 mi each way ) I carry a pump that will allow full riding pressure, a spare tube AND a patch kit (along with tire levers). I distrust the CO2 chargers, so i carry a pump. In my tool bag at this level is a bike multi-tool. On longer rides, that tool kit is augmented with screwdrivers, chain tool, wrenches and lithium grease, to take the bike 90% apart and rebuild. Multi-day tours will include a chain whip, spoke wrench and freewheel removal tool (all of my rides still have freeweheels - you got a problem with that ? ). Headest and BB specific wrenches are not carried unless they are on a combo-wrench.

First aid - superglue, band-aids, 12" of duct tape wrapped around some wrenches (also serving as a tire boot if necessary). Disposable latex gloves are nice, along with a restaurant foil pack of Wet-Ones. One-dose foil packs of Aspirin or Tylenol for aches... If you are allergic to bee venom like me, I also carry a couple of Benedryl.

DreamRider85

but what I’m thinking is getting a flat on one ride and returning home later is different than being on a tour. Because you don’t have a regular pump. With co2 it’s a one time deal and you have to deflate the bike after you use it.

njkayaker

You must be new here!

(What he said didn't actually assume the OP would be any if those things.)

njkayaker

A century is not a tour.

2 tubes, a pump that can get to your operating pressure, a patch kit, and a boot. Add CO2 as an option (if your ride is time-constrained).

A multitool that has a chain breaker.

That should be enough for a century, a 600k, or a multi-day tour.

You can usually buy tubes on a tour.

Keep in mind that you won't be able to deal with everything.

MattTheHat 

(Yeah he actually kinda did.) Notice he didn’t deny that in his reply. After reading a few posts from the OP...I do now understand the assumption.

njkayaker

It was indirect and what was said applies regardless of the particular attributes of the OP (who you now know more about).

DreamRider85

That's true. I guess I was making this post about both a century and a tour. If I'm gonna be gone for a week, I would think that just pumping it up with a CO2 won't be enough.

Drew Eckhardt 

You use a full size frame pump which will inflate a 700x25mm road tire to full pressure in 90-100 strokes.

You bring two spare tubes which will usually work plus a patch kit with a sealed tube of fluid in case that's not enough. A spare folding tire will save you if you can't find a tiny piece of debris that punctures your replacement tube.

250 g for a spare tire does slow a 70 kg rider + bike combination 0.35% in the mountains which is 12 seconds an hour although that's not enough to matter.

You take your bike in with you. I've only run into one store (Walmart) which objected, noting I favor super markets that are easy to roll through and am only stopping for water + restroom use. I also have a TiGR lock which stows along my top tube.

Alpine crosses Skyline Blvd (Highway 35) then runs into Pescadaro Creek Rd which is a nice descent to Highway 1. There are lots of other roads which will get you back from Highway 1 to Skyline Blvd or vice versa. You could also ride up Highway 1, detour around the long tunnels with Devil's Slide Trail, after Pacifica Beach go right on Sharp Park Rd, go right on Skyline Blvd, and return to San Mateo from the north.

La Honda Rd (Highway 84) is fine between Skyline Blvd and Highway 1 in both directions. It's good for descending from Skyline Blvd to Portolla Valley Rd. I might take a different route like Alpine Rd or Old La Honda Rd ascending from Portolla Valley Rd.

Finding routes and planning rides is not difficult. Per
https://www.quora.com/As-a-novice-bi.../Drew-Eckhardt
where I specifically address the San Francisco Bay Area and a person wanting to ride from San Jose to San Francisco:
"Use

1. ridewithgps.com to plan, create GPS courses/cue sheets, and search for routes
2. Randonneurs USA ride search for enjoyable 100km and longer routes
3. Krebs South San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay Areas Bicycle Touring Map (Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Jose, Big Sur, California Coast) to see designated bike routes, traffic, and grades over that entire chunk of the Bay Area.
4. Roads to Ride, South: A Bicyclist's Topographic Guide to San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties to identify enjoyable climbs on the peninsula.
5. Roads to Ride: A Bicyclist's Topographic Guide to Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties to choose East Bay climbs
6. sf2g.com for the three bike commuting routes between SF and Google Headquarters, but use Ride with GPS to find or create corresponding GPS courses."

...
"Ride with GPS integrates Google satellite images and street view so you can filter out roads with narrow shoulders, lumpy surfaces, and high traffic. It includes the Open Street Map cycle map identifying bike routes, water sources, and restrooms. Zoom in to see water and bathrooms. It has the USGS topographical survey maps illustrating how flat or hilly roads are. It generates GPS courses/cue sheets where you can delete superfluous instructions and add entries for food/water sources. You can search for other users’ routes like sf2g. It can trace previous rides and generate a route for turn-by-turn directions. It reverses courses. It will export .fit or .tcx files for your Garmin GPS. You’ll need a paid subscription for some of those essential features. "Pre ride" your route with street view to avoid unpleasant surprises, like a smooth climb in Monterey County becoming a lunar landscape descent in San Benito County.

Other web sites export .gpx files without cue sheet entries which you’ll want to highlight potential food and water stops while riding and don’t have maps with useful metadata like water source location.

I include cues for most food/water/restroom locations where they’re scarce and every 20 miles otherwise in case I miss one or need an extra, although I plan on stopping less frequently. The icons show up in the “Distance to next course point” field on my Garmin navigation page with an appropriate icon. I split my routes into approximately 60 mile chunks since being forced to figure out how to hard reboot my Garmin 60–70 miles from home after sunset. GPS bugs handling routes over 100 miles are common."
...
"Pair those sources with a Garmin GPS bike computer including maps and navigation. Others don’t display custom cue sheet entries, don’t do turn guidance illustrating which of several options to take, aren’t aware of street names, don’t display street names on maps, don’t allow map scrolling when you have to plan a change, etc. I installed the Open Street Map derived cycle maps from OpenFietsMap on my Edge 800 which allow it to route to the nearest water source or bike shop as Points Of Interest and have road weights changed from the stock OSM maps to favor bicycle routes.

I like how visible Wahoo’s black and white screens are, but their product management people are optimizing interfacing with social cycling sites like Strava and neglecting features for long rides. Do not use a cellular phone - you get 4 hours of screen time on a new battery, they’re not readable in sunlight, and the capacitive touch screens don’t work with gloves or rain.

For rides over ten hours run your GPS with an external battery or dynamo plus USB power supply. I plug my GPS into a Busch und Mueller USB Werk powered by the SON28 dynamo hub running my lights, all imported directly from Germany for half the US price."

There are _LOTS_ of great 100-200+ mile rides in the San Francisco Bay Area. I started and ended the following rides in Sunnyvale where I lived at the time, although San Mateo would be fine too.

Riding 200 miles isn't much harder than 100, you just have more logistics to worry about like warm layers, reflective gear, and lights for riding in the dark.

E.g.
100 miles and 10,000 feet Sunnyvale - Davenport - Sunnyvale
Routes: https://ridewithgps.com/events/21853...685070/preview
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/622571337
RWGPS ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/9794198
Ride summary: https://www.bikeforums.net/18889345-post28.html

200 km Sunnyvale - Santa Cruz - Pescadero - Sunnyvale
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14006664
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/594684650
RWGPS ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/9241256
Ride summary: https://www.bikeforums.net/18812021-post19.html

200 miles Sunnyvale - Mt Hamilton - Mt. Diablo - Sunnyvale
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13314629
ridewithgps ride first 20.4 miles
ridewithgps ride last 40.9 miles
Ride summary: https://www.bikeforums.net/18717640-post17.html

Pro tip: some Garmins crash when you record much over 100 miles and can forget most of your ride. Follow shorter routes and join the files afterwards.

Sunnyvale - Santa Cruz - Pescadero - Sunnyvale. A typical pleasant ride in the Santa Cruz mountains. Right on Highway 1 onto Pescardero Creek Rd at the rest rooms, right on Alpine Rd at the water in La Honda. Note Skyline Blvd (Highway 35) running along the Santa Cruz mountain ridge line - many climbs from the coast end there. AFAIK all of the roads ascending to it from the coast are nice. Some people find Kings Mountain Rd (connecting to Tunitas Creek Rd on the west) a bit busy climbing up from Portolla Valley Rd and ascend Old La Honda Rd instead.



Sunnvale - San Francisco - Sunnyvale.
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12162124
RWGPS ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/7846837
Strava ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/492979426
Ride summary: https://www.bikeforums.net/18534991-post7.html

Go right on Skyline Blvd from Sharp Park Rd not left to return to San Mateo instead of proceeding to San Francisco.



Note frame pump, TiGR lock, dynamo lights, backup battery lights, B&M USB-Werk USB converter for all-day Garmin use, and top case with room for tools/spare tubes/spare tire/clothes/reflective gear/food/another liter of water/tp. Everything you need for an all day unsupported solo 200 mile ride except for a second 750ml water bottle. Arkel makes a saddle rail rack for that top bag, and you could also use a bike packing saddle bag. Regardless it will be in your draft and not slow you down like panniers.

Atlas Shrugged

The OP is over 400 posts in on this forum alone and is asking if he should bring a pump on a long ride? Not sure what is going on but there seems to be an every increasing amount of these kind of baiting threads throughout. Getting to the point of moving on sadly.

shelbyfv

It's just how he rolls. He's made a BF life of feigning clueless and helpless. Nobody knows if he actually has a bike! He seems to enjoy getting abused so folks try to accommodate him. All in fun

Phil_gretz

...which to bite? Okay, I'll take door #4.

[drumroll] Do it twice. [mic drop]