cycling questions/ bike set-up...

DoubleT

DoubleT

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,318
Name
Matt
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey guys,

a random question really for a photography forum but theres a huge wealth of knowledge on here so why post anywhere else!

ok..

im looking at doing a bike ride from london to paris next year ( just me and a friend) not one of the large organised events as i just want to do it for a personal acheivement.
thing is at the moment i have a mountain bike which i use alot and ride 80% of the time off road and with my son on the back on a child carrier.

im thinking i may be better off with a road bike for the ride from london to paris but outside of training and the ride i dont think ill actually use it that much to warrent spending £5-600 for a bike.as i rarely get to go out on my own ( without my boy) and prefure off road cycling

can you lend me any advice with what i should do?

should i modify my MTB for the occasion with lighter wheels and slick tyres ...anything else needed?? ( its a hardtail with front suspension that do not lock out)

or do you think it would be vital for me to have a road bike to travel that distance?

what should i do?

cheers

Matt
 
Last edited:
The geometry on a road bike is completely different from a mountain bike. To be comfortable over long periods you need a different position than an mtb, on which the tendency is to move around a lot. You most certainly can ride to Paris on an mtb with slicks, but it will be hard work. If at all possible get a proper road bike, and don't ever ride on the bottom of the handlebar drops - that's for Cavendish and his ilk in a bunch sprint. Ride with your hands on the brake hoods covering the levers. Thin tyres - 23mm -pumped up to 110psi.

But if it's a one off either beg borrow or steal a road bike, or go on the mtb, but change them tyres for full slicks, and be prepared to be shaken about. Your front suspension is going to make life a real pain.
 
If you're doing a long ride such as this then I'd say get a road bike soon and start riding it to get used to the position. If you've not ridden one before then it can take a while to get used to.

mickledore said:
don't ever ride on the bottom of the handlebar drops
Click to expand...

I don't see why you shouldn't ride in the drops; I find that position quite comfortable.
 
What is the distance and how much time will you have? When I was young I used to do 50-60 miles a day on a sit-up-and-beg with a 3-speed Sturmey Archer. You would be more comfortable and more efficient on a road bike but the MTB with slicks will get you there. (I have no experience of suspension so don't know how it would affect the ride).

What does your friend ride? If he is on a road bike you will find it hard to keep up.

FYI in the early 1900s my grandfather regularly used to cycle from London to Brighton and back on his day off work - he occasionally rode a penny-farthing but preferred a 'safety bicycle'.
 
lol, nice reply tracer.. really puts technology into perspective!

the ride is "roughly" 90miles from my house ( london ish! ) to dover then 125 miles from calais to paris.

but i may go from starting piont to portsmouth then boat over to le havre as the boat takes about 12 hours to get over so we can get a good rest for the night before we start the next day.

my friend has a bike with the same set up as mine but he too is contemplating another perchase too , but hes saving for a wedding at the moment and i know money is tight for him too so advice for alternatives would be welcome also.

the problem with suspension is you use alot of energy just pumping up and down the shocks, but you can get suspension forks that "lock out" so they are solid. and you can just turn them on and off...
 
I used to do a lot of touring cycling and would recommend a road bike over a mountain bike as mentioned above. You could get away with converting your mountain bike but it's not ideal. A road bike is a much more comfortable riding position and offers a variety of positions on the dropped bars. My preference was always with hands over the brake lever hoods.

Here's me on a two month tour around Europe with camping gear and drying washing...

cycletour.jpg


(I'm about five stone heavier now!)
 
get yourself a set of rigid front forks for your mountain bike http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=611, the distance your travelling your gonna need all your energy pushing you forward, even when you lock suspension forks your gonna ge a certain degree of play in them depending on road surface

slick tyres, chain reaction will do the job again

and butterfly handlebars, http://www.thebikefactory.co.uk/productdetails.asp?productid=19198, they look insane but they will give you extra grips to alternate between on your bike ride, like drop bars would on a road bike, just to let you ease your back a little

but ultimately youd be better on a road bike, and £600 will get you a bike thats up for the job, but if you only plan this one jaunt then the money could be better spent elsewhere.

also padded cycling shorts and chamois cream.

most importantly, enjoy!!
 
Can you not hire a decent one, or buy a good used bike with a view to sell it on when you return. Just like a used lens, you shouldn't lose much, if anything.
 
thanks for your replys guys, some good info there,

i think ive come to the conclusion that i cant justify spending on a road bike as they seem damn expensive, so . goingto upgrade my suspension forks, get a pair or aero extension bars for another posistion and change tyres for slicks... but that would probably cost me the same as this bike on ebay.. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2010-COYOTE-B...43657?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&var=&hash=item800f2820cc

can someone have a look at it for me and share there thoughts on it please...


many thanks

Matt
 
Just a thought..... many years ago when I was racing and a lot fitter (and slimmer) than I am now, a charity asked our cycling club to help in a similar event (Paris to the Isle of Wight, where I was born). It was the era of "The Mountain Bike" - they were new and all the rage!

A long story short - as there were to be around 50 people we donated/loaned a few spare road machines as back-ups (it was highly organised) in case of mechanical emergencies or repairs. Come the event we had had one guy who's mountain bike broke down so he got his hands on one of the road machines. It was so different he didn't want to give it back..... he told others of this new found comfort and tireless energy - these others then, too, "broke down". :)

So, yes, a road machine -as you have discovered- is the way to go; and come back!

Most have all, have fun doing it. I know I did.

Me, 3 years before the charity event.

saint_baz.jpg
 
buy used and sell is what I'd do, am looking at used bikes atm to start adding some distance (+ my sister wants her bike back and mines an mtb with a 22" tyre)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top