More Lessons Learned on the 300k
Last week I adjusted the cockpit of the Casseroll. With my experience from the 2 previous brevets, I thought I had a good idea of what I wanted for this 300k. I was a little off though. I had to make a couple adjustments, and they didn’t work too well.
First, I’m running a Garmin 705 on the bars. I use this for many things. Bike Computer, Heart rate monitor, Cadence Monitor, course guide and the geeky share it later stuff. From my research, the battery is only good for about 15 hours, depending on how it’s used. So I had to carry along a Brunton Solo 3.4 battery. In order to use the battery though, the 705 had to be tilted in such a way that it was tough to see. I need to move it out in front of the bars, taking it off the stem, for a better spot to read it. This is also the case for the headlight. I was using my Dinotte lights, and it was blocked by the Acorn bag hanging off the bars. It was almost useless.
This brings me to the next problem. The handlebar bag. Admittedly I carry too much stuff. Since the Casseroll has no provisions for a front rack, the bags hang off the bike where they can. However, the placement of the bag is too close to the bars, so I cannot use the flats of the bars to rest my hands on. On shorter training rides this isn’t that big of a deal, but after 10 hours, it gets to be frustrating. I need to be able to move my hands to different positions throughout the day/night. This helps with minimizing the numbness that I’ve been experiencing.
Here you can see how little room there is for my hands.
I’ve also come to the realization that bikes that are called “Rando” bikes, aren’t necessarily popular on Brevets. While they have braze-ons-a-plenty and are strong enough to carry everything you need, they are heavy. Or at least heavier than most of the fields choice of bikes. There is usually a fine assortment of lightweight frames, being ridden by “Randonneurs” with only the bare minimum needed to get through the event. No cool looking fenders and no big boxy Rando bags. The Casseroll is a great bike, but it’s not a great bike for brevets. Without having better options to carry a bag up front, you are limited to carrying stuff on the rear. I bummed to say this, but I think I’m learning it’s limitations. On a brevet, it’s nice to have your stuff available to you in the front. This way you can minimize your time off the bike and fumbling in a tail bag of some sort.
A good example of too much stuff was my headlights. I had one on the bike, and one on my helmet, plus batteries for each. Since my pace allowed me to finish in daylight, none of them were needed. Of course, had I encountered any mechanical or fatigue issues, I would have needed them, but 2? Probably not.
I carried both Heed and Perpetuem. I did notice that I was only filling up one bottle of Perpetuem for every bottle of Heed. I had enough Perpetuem to make a new bottle every time I stopped, so I ended up with a lot left over when I was done. The bummer of that is that Perpetuem is much heavier than Heed. Next time I’ll cut the amount in half, and then add one extra pack for safety.
I had some chafing from my B-17. It felt wider on this ride. Once I got it home and looked at it, and compared it to another B-17 I have, I think I figured it out. It looks like the leather has stretched, and the skirts are being pushed wider than they were previously. I’ll tighten it up a little and keep my fingers crossed that it’s all I need. I’m still suffering a little “down there” due to the seat. Another option will just be trying out a thinner saddle, but I’m hoping that it just needs some tension.
So for the next few training rides, I’m going to ditch the big front bag, and carry as much as I can in my jersey and in a rear bag. I’m also going to add some sort of handlebar extender, similar to what I run on the LHT. I need to free up the bars for what they were intended, MY HANDS! I will probably look for another way to carry the cue sheet. Right now, it too sits on the bars, but I’d like it to sit farther out. I found myself looking directly down at the stem too much. It would be nicer to keep my eyes higher, thus on the road, more often.
Oh well, live and learn right. Or is it pedal and learn? Yeah, I’ll go with that one, “Pedal and learn!”.
I’ve had my eye on a tank bag for some time like this one from what used to be Epic Designs:
http://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.catalog&CategoryID=2&ProductID=3
I tried a much cheaper one earlier this year but I kept scraping it with my legs on steep climbs. Also, some of the Fargos picts I’ve seen setup for the Continental Divide trail have their cue sheets mounted on areo bars which looks very handy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drogpatravel/3860894294/in/set-72157622033926186/
I had a set of aerobars on my Casseroll for a while and would definately remount them for any ride over 3-4 hours.
I have a one of those tank bags, a smaller size than the one in the link. Once it’s filled with stuff, it tends to flop around a bit though. Also, the shape limits what you can use it for. I should use it to carry my brevet card and wallet, it’s perfect for little items like that.
Have you tried loosening the straps on the handlebar bag just enough so you can slip your fingers around the bar? I think if you loosen the top straps, the bag may hang lower and swing around more, but will still be stable.
I had that same problem, but once I loosened my straps I’m now able to use the tops of the bars. It works out even better on cold mornings because the bag will shield your fingertips from the wind.
I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s worth a try. Thanks! Sometimes the most simple things are overlooked.
I am a fan of handlebar bags too. I was going to suggest the same thing Darren suggested. I keep my Acorn handlebar bag pretty tight but there is still room for my fingers behind it. A little cramped, maybe, but it’s doable. I also replaced the side stability cords that came with it with a couple of leather straps, this helps keep things stable. On the Bianchi I have been using a much cheaper Banjo Brothers handlebar bag and it doesn’t look nearly as nice, but it works OK.
If you need a front rack, you could probably install one with P-clamps, or get a new fork.
I’m dealing with the same issues with my B17. Let me know if you find a solution. I tensioned and drilled and laced, but I’m still not sure yet. Then again my Bianchi, which I intend to use for distance rides, has a more typical plastic saddle (Selle Italia) for now and I was skeptical, but it actually worked great on one hilly century ride. I recently signed up for the Ride Across INdiana (RAIN) — 160 miles. I will be curious to see how my setup fares for that.
It’s inspiring, and helpful, reading about what you’re learning as you do more and more distance riding. I’m going through the same thing, more or less, although I’m a couple of steps behind. Thanks for posting the details about how you tweak your ride, it gives me a lot of ideas.
Errin, congratulations on all your riding and I enjoy reading the ride reports. You might also consider something like this for getting more room on the bars: http://thedailyrandonneur.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/6th-day-of-randonneurmas-nitto-lamp-holder/
By the way, I love the top photo of the Salsa… nice!
Thanks for that link. I actually have the Nitto Lamp Mount 2 on my LHT. I didn’t know there was a smaller one. That may be the ticket. I also saw the Paul Components Stem Cap mount. That’s an interesting idea too. Although, I need room for 2 things, GPS and Light, so it wouldn’t work in my case.
Errin -
Don’t get confused about riding a ‘randonneur’ bike. Most of the speedy randos I know change their approach for rides of 400km and up. Below that and many are just out for a fast double century. Above, and you’re talking about night riding, clothing changes and (lots) more calories. That’s precisely where an event-specific bike comes in handy. Just my 2c.
On the handlebar issue there are several ways you can go, some mentioned above. Another alternative — although I’m not usually in favor of more gear — is to look at some of the Jandd handlebar bags. The ‘capo’ attachment moves the bag away from the bars allowing you to use the full width. Many sizes depending on your needs.
Good luck,
Dodger
http://www.1200km.com
Thanks for the comment. That’s been exactly what I’ve been thinking about the last couple of days. Keep checking back here as that’s what I’m doing, building a Rando specific bike. I’m going to put a link to your blog on my front page. Are planning on PBP?
PBP has definitely been on my mind. In fact the “early registration” process was a big part of my motivation for riding this year. Unfortunately I broke my collarbone on the RMCC 400km a couple weeks ago. Now I’m trying to figure out how to recover and possibly get in a 600km by the end of September. It’s too early to tell, and I’m not sure if I’m cautiously optimistic or just plain delusional at this point. I hope to make it work, though, because PBP ‘07 was probably the most fun I’ve had on a bike since I was a teenager.
One other thing: there are few reasons to have more than one brevet bike. I think the most important thing is to find a bike that fits you and is mechanically sound — the rest sorts itself out. You might check the download over at Bicycle Quarterly, “What Makes a Good Randoneur Bike”: http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/samples.html
Sorry to hear about your collarbone. I hope it heels up in time for your 600k. I’m glad you describe PBP ‘07 that way, because I’ve heard it was pretty bad, with the rain right?