I didn't ride it this year, but PBP 2015 taught me a couple things that I incorporated into my bike shortly thereafter.
- Battery lights can be great, but not having to worry about how much charge I have left is even better. I get "charge anxiety" with battery lights, and it was a source of stress I didn't need when my headlight started to die going into Dreux. And then I found out that I had packed the wrong type of USB cable to connect to my portable charger.
- Don't make the bike heavier or harder to ride than necessary. My fully-loaded bike weighed at least 35 lbs, and the tires I chose may have added hours to the time it took to complete the ride, according to Bicycle Quarterly.
When I got home, I built a lighter wheelset including a dynohub. That, along with much faster tires and sensible weight reductions elsewhere, have made this bike a joy to ride.
If there's anything I wish I had done from the start, it's that I had had generator lighting!
PBP 2015 was such a mixed bag of good fortune, and head-slapping bad choices. Thankfully, I was too stupid to quit, and that's what got me through the whole thing.
I'd like to think that I can do a lot of things better in 2023, and I'm looking at the 84-hour group next time.