bark_eater 

I know that its a bike to ride Audax rides, just as a Randonneuring bike is one to ride Brevets, but at least in the Bikeforums world, most can visualize a French fit, fendered, fat 650b tires, low trail fork, planeing frame, boxy handlbar bag, swoopy handlebar machine.

So what makes an Audax bike? Britishness? A Carradice saddle bag, 700c wheels and fenders?

I've seen the term thrown around as well as "Sportive" and assume there's some history there.

Anyone here in the know?

nlerner

Based upon Mercian’s ad copy for its Audax Special, seems to fit the sport-touring category on this side of the Atlantic:

https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/frames/audax-special/

shelbyfv

Yep.

Kilroy1988 

The form of riding is essentially the same as randonneuring - the actual clubs that govern randonnée rides as well as traditional audax group rides both have the word "audax" in their titles (Unions des Audax and Audax Club Parisian). In French the terms randonnée and audax are practically interchangeable for the sake of the cycling events as far as I understand it.

From the perspective of utilizing a British bicycle for either audax or randonnée rides, the current setup on my 1979 Mercian Campionissimo seems to fit the bill rather well, in my opinion. I went out on a 95-mile ride like this last weekend and plan to do 130-miles on Monday. I'll re-attach the second water bottle cage to the handlebars for that outing! I would want a bigger saddle bag with more stuff in it for a self-supported ride like most of the sponsored audax events.

-Gregory

ThermionicScott 

Absolutely none of this is essential for a "randonneuring bike."

Whether the marketers call it "randonneuring", "audax", "sport-touring", or whatever, you're looking at a bike that exists somewhere in being a traditional road bike and a full touring bike. The goal is to be a little more equipped for long distances but without stopping to camp along the way. I'd say a little bit more clearance for tires and fenders, perhaps some braze-ons to attach a bag or two, are what I'd expect in an "audax bike."

It's funny -- the French themselves have largely moved on to fenderless skinny-tire carbon fiber road bikes for long-distance riding.

Kilroy1988 

But it was classified as such by period French manufacturers.

3alarmer 

ThermionicScott 

If the period is 75+ years ago, sure.

The 1946 (or 1947) Rene Herse catalog showed an example of a "randonneuse" with 700C wheels and Maes bend handlebars, illustrating where things were trending.

3alarmer 

Kilroy1988 

I didn't say anything about the term being exclusive to those kinds of bicycles. I just meant to say that the basic way that barkeater described a randonneuse was something that would have been recognized as such by French manufacturers and riders throughout the mid-20th century.

The image I shared is from an Alex Singer catalog from the 1950s, by the way.

-Gregory

ThermionicScott 

I guess there are parallel discussions going on in here. “What *is* an audax bike?” leads me to think broadly as to what works well regardless of place and time period. If the question was really “What’s the stereotypical ‘audax’ bike?” I guess I’m less helpful but your Mercians and Woodrups and Jack Taylors are probably it.

GhostRider62

There are two forms of randonneuring, Allure libre and Audax. Both are randonneuring. Both are now mostly done on modern carbon framed bikes. Audax is the term Brits use for randonneuring and they mostly ride old steel bikes because Brits are cheap. True Audax style randonneuring is rarely done outside of France although there are a couple such events in the USA, mostly in Central Florida.

https://rusa.org/newsletter/03-01-05.html

bikemig 

I think of an audax bike as a road bike suitable for long distances and ridden by someone who is not racing. It's loose category somewhere between a racing and a touring bike which is why the term sports touring bike was used as a marketing term in the 80s for this style of bike. Treks and Cannondales both used the term and so did other manufacturers. Typically the bike has eyelets and room for a little larger volume tire (28-32c) if running 700c wheels and more generous gearing than a typical racing bike.

The Raleigh Record Ace I recently restored is an audax bike. It was built around 27 x 1 and 1/4 tires and was originally sold with fenders as well. I built an early 70s Fuji Finest a few years ago. It clearly works as an audax bike with ample room for 700 x 32c tires. My 1979 Trek 510 fits the bill as well. And then there is my 1985 Cannondale Sports Tourer which is also a very capable long distance machine.

nlerner

I can definitely see a form vs. function distinction:

Form: a frame with relatively relaxed angles, low to medium trail, relatively high stack to allow for bars to be level with the saddle, allowance for wider tires and fenders, and braze-ons for racks and bottles.

Function: Any bike you might ride in a longer distance (100k plus miles), unsupported timed ride (whether audax, brevet, populaire, flech, arrow, or the like).

Charles Wahl

Except that it's not really form vs. function, but form follows (or in service of intended) function.

nlerner

I hear the architect’s perspective there, but is that true in the case of someone who tours on a racing bike with steep angles and skinny tubulars?!

Charles Wahl

They're just trading comfort for bike-culture predispositions, and (supposed) racing performance. From what I've read above, an Audax is not a race. PBP is a race, but that's not why most people enter, it seems to me; and maybe it's not an Audax either. But maybe I've misunderstood.