Leading of from my dnf’d 220km audax (dnf on time not riding a bloody long way) I want to do it again, well ride that is not fail! So the bike prob needs some adjustments, partly postition, partly gears and def rolling resistance as the min avg speed was too close to my starting avg speed! Some of the improvments are free (position, fitness and time in saddle) others are a larger outlay.
That’s pretty much how she looks right now only with aero bars on the day.
11-46 and 40t front gearing
40mm rear Gravelking SS and 45mm front Gravelking SK
I’ve got some ideas but looking to bounce of people as my normal clubs isn’t as technically obessesed with performance as here.
Gears - research shows that a new GRX 12 speed mech has the same pull as 11 speed and can then allow me to use a Deore 11 - 51 11x casstte. Combined with a 42t front ring I have better climbing when shattered plus with the 42 a bit more flat/downhill speed.
Gears could be full 12x GRX but that’s a lot more that a mech, casste and chain.
Zero setback post, I was getting numbness after a while and feel a bit stretched so have just fitted this.
The big point where ideas diverge is rolling resistance:
Tyres - stay off road capable but a more road/light off road suitable with semi slicks in 35mm
Swap to 32-35mm pure road tyres
Get some extra wheels and run pure road there
Obvisouly, the best most performance optamised option is wheels and tyres but that’s most expensive especially as I’d want the option to run microspline/XDR freehub when/if I do go 12 speed.
So in the interests of not spending everything tyres seems a good choice (once current ones are worn) but not sure how far to lean into road. It’s getting winter so it’s going to be doing a lot more road stuff since 60mm rim brakes in Devon winters is a no no so if be honest if doesn’t really do masses of off road and if so it’s not extreme like the stats gravel, mostly fireroad tye stuff.
One Idea wheel wise was to move the 700c wheels to fast road setup and find secondhand 27.5 gravel for 650b option. This is quite cheap as it’s not such a popular size now.
I used my French friend (Claude) to get some tyre data and options to help compare the options:
I can get up most hills in my area on a 46 easiest gear even if grinding so that feels ok for now, at least until the cassette is worn and the tyres have life left so plenty of time to save/buy parts piecemeal.
If this was your bike and you had goals to ride stupid distances where would you throw your cash? Especially if the bank account isn’t bottomless so no going for £1.5k wheelsets or new bikes!
Definitely tubeless is good around the farm lanes if I’m far from home on a time limit, it’s sometimes pretty broken. I will end up on the back roads on 25mm tubed but it is rattly!
So it should have been 220km plus about 20km extra getting there/back from my house. I missed a checkpoint cos I wasn’t paying attention so about half or ⅔ through I took the direct way and did 237km in 14 hours moving. Was AVG 17kph, iirc 14 hours was the cutoff point so essentially as discussed on the randonner thread I came in with zero time buffer from the start. I was probably 30 minutes away from the end when the cutoff time was hit.
Honestly, I had/have a lil medical issue stopping the hours getting in and I was going to pull out, then said reassess halfway but I’m a idiot and pushed on.
I probably had the fitness to scrape in if the bike had just a bit more speed. Be it easier climbing gears or bit faster rolling on the flat.
Changing tyres will get you up to 3 km/h on that average. That should be enough to get you under the time limit.
Be a bit careful with the change of seat post. The saddle should be set for optimal pedalling. Any reach issues should be addressed through stem and bar changes.
Just working out which path to follow; making the bike a broken/crappy tarmic road bike, a fast light gravel or a two wheel set (my better half might have something say about more wheels in the house!).
Here’s my . 02
I have done 100 plus mile events on 21 , 23, 25, 28, 40, 45mm tires. The skinnier you go the more you sacrifice in comfort. Skinnier, you gain speed up to a point depending on road conditions. My current Tarmac and Gravel bike are close to the same weight. 28mm-5000 vs 45mm-Terra Speed. The Tarmac is faster for sure on pavement. If I was to ride a long event without much need to place I would ride my gravel bike. The comfort level is so much better. If riding questionable roads for speed I would throw some 32’s on the tarmac along with a rear spoiler and fly.
I’d say you are looking at all the right things. Bike fit, and tire width, pressure and compliance are the biggest hitters imo. Another thing you can do is some gym/strength work. For me that is the best thing I can do to hold the right position for longer periods of time. Finally the right mindset for the long ride is key.
Lower gearing is usually favourable. You want something you can use when climbing a hill exhausted after days straight on the bike. You’re not trying to win a sprint so high gears are less relevant.
Not clear where you were having numbness. Crotch is usually due to bad bike fit/saddle position. Hands is usually due to needing a stronger core.
If this was your bike and you had goals to ride stupid distances where would you throw your cash
I would ditch the wider tires. Stick with tubeless 28-32c slicks. Any tread is going to both slow you down and worsen traction on asphalt. More than enough for fireroads and you can run them at like 60psi so they’re comfy.
The rolling resistance numbers you have in Claude are meaningless as they don’t quote the tire pressure the value is from. Remember, wider tires only have lower rolling resistance if they’re inflated to the same pressure as narrow tires (ex: 80+psi), which people usually aren’t doing.
Numbness was hands, if only my sit bones were numb! I was a bit forward on the saddle, there was a fair bit of rolling standing at the end to relieve pressure.
Core and general strength is well in hand with plenty of kettlebell action, well it will be again once I’ve had my unmentionable camera appointment!
Um, there isn’t a perfect tyre for everything. Your tyre choice should depend on the route.
That said, if it’s a road route, pick a road tyre. If the tarmac is bad (greetings from the north west), pick a wider tyre. 32 - 35mm, if your bike allows. I would even ride a road tyre on hardpack dirt /light gravel when it’s dry. Knobs are mostly needed for mud.
Bike runs up to 45mm (50 if using 650b) and although there’s no one tyre to do everything brilliantly but there might be a happy medium. Hoping to have a discussion on where folks would go on the road to off-road sliding scale or throw pennies at it and run two wheel sets.
I’m not enthusiastic about swapping tyres with latex it’s always messy and I get latex everywhere! Plus it’s a cost to use for a day.
I think happy the medium is 35mm semi slicks but not sure how much faster they’d be. Still a lot comfier than the 25mm on the Bianchi!
I ride GP 5000 in 30mm on my road bike, and I somehow always end up on little dirt tracks… If the bike had more space, I’d go up to 35mm for comfort, but not wider. I have Schwalbe g-one rs in 45 on the gravel bike, semi-slicks with some corner knobs, and they’re good on dry gravel and sand (and tarmac), and my favourite tyre to ride, but definitively slower than the gp 5000s.
Honestly, don’t overthink it. Buy a good road tyre, run it tubeless, and remember that you can adjust the pressure for the conditions. Nice tarmac (hah), higher pressure, bad tarmac, or wet, lower pressure. Resist the temptation to run a bomb-proof do-everything tyre just in case there might be a bit of gravel. If the surface is so bad you start to worry about punctures, slow down and focus on picking a good line.
Might seem a bit niche but for long distances with aero bars you can pry this product out of my cold dead hands.
The aero position - with the seat up and forward - also makes long climbs much much more manageable. I don’t just use this seat for long aero bar rides. Its on my bike all the time. If I have to settle into a really long climb, especially if I’m fatigued already, I’ll pop the seat up and forward and I’m way more out and over the pedals and it feels so good to climb in that position.
Highly highly recommend. One of the best upgrades I’ve made. It also give you some variation in body position which I find to be super important for hours on the bike.
