Mad As Fruitcake....Me...

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Was due out today so yesterday dusted off the tourer (first ride in over six months this bike) tweaked and put some air in tyres
Thought I would do the local Sportive course (not on yet), I don't really know what I was thinking.
Took out some of my spare gear like gloves, longs, top, ballast
Had to cycle to the course and then cycle home so gona be 100 miles.
Started ok but used my regular training course to get there, tracks gravel cycle paths.
Slower than my training ride to the course
Later it dawned on me that just shoving 4.4 litres of fluid on board and not ditching spare lights headlight etc was not clever.
Up over Dartmoor, and normally coming back off you get a good ride dropping 1400' or so, so pedalling down hill after several miles of gut wrenching up hill headwind (better to watch paint dry at home in the garden) I was struggling to get above 15mph downhill where 40 - 50 would be normal.
Got lost several times and finally ended up on a dual carriageway going the wrong way and found a road / lane I never knew existed
Abandoned and went down to the chemist, 80 miles never used the granny but just plain hard work.
Legs OK and energy too, best laid plans or rubbish plan.
Thought the bike probably weighs about 1/2 cwt (56lbs), when I got home I weighed it and calculated it was somewhere near 59lbs

Never again, I want a summer bike

[MikeF]

Hi,

Thought the bike probably weighs about 1/2 cwt (56lbs), when I got home I weighed it and calculated it was somewhere near 59lbs

Never again, I want a summer bike

59 lbs! Even allowing for the 10lbs of water that still leaves 49lbs for the bike. What's making up all the weight?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Thought the bike probably weighs about 1/2 cwt (56lbs), when I got home I weighed it and calculated it was somewhere near 59lbs

Never again, I want a summer bike

59 lbs! Even allowing for the 10lbs of water that still leaves 49lbs for the bike. What's making up all the weight?

Self supporting food, and all that junk I did not leave behind, bike is 33lbs dry, I was planning 100 miles so did not eat all the food but I prefer to be prepared.
Rucksack was 5.5lbs, so that's 38.5lbs, bananas tool kit lights spare clothes.
Ate 60 odd % of food, not the miles but the climbing 1100' in 3.6 miles in 30.5 minutes and that was an easy climb with a tail wind.

Made the same mistake years ago with walking solo, in 82 I walked the west highland way with a rucksack weighing 53lbs dry, you would not need that much even back then and today it would be about 35lbs say.

[pwa]

Hi,

Thought the bike probably weighs about 1/2 cwt (56lbs), when I got home I weighed it and calculated it was somewhere near 59lbs

Never again, I want a summer bike

59 lbs! Even allowing for the 10lbs of water that still leaves 49lbs for the bike. What's making up all the weight?

Self supporting food, and all that junk I did not leave behind, bike is 33lbs dry, I was planning 100 miles so did not eat all the food but I prefer to be prepared.
Rucksack was 5.5lbs, so that's 38.5lbs, bananas tool kit lights spare clothes.
Ate 60 odd % of food, not the miles but the climbing 1100' in 3.6 miles in 30.5 minutes and that was an easy climb with a tail wind.

Made the same mistake years ago with walking solo, in 82 I walked the west highland way with a rucksack weighing 53lbs dry, you would not need that much even back then and today it would be about 35lbs say.

Why a rucksack on a tourer? Surely the point of a tourer is that it saves you having to carry stuff on your shoulders. Still, sounds like a tough ride, so I envy your fitness and guts.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I wasn't unhappy getting lost 20 miles short of my finish, in the cold light of day typing now I was no more tired than a normal training ride
That's what comes from packing panniers since 2009, looking forward to doing some normal road riding with a normal weight bike, I am happy with my fitness today, just need to sort whether my endurance will hold up.

[CyberKnight]

Sounds like my current commuter, rigid MTB i did a drop bar conversion on with slicks but by the tim i add panniers, lights , clothes, sarnies etc its got to be the same ball park.
Into the wind going to work i was doing 10 -11 mph .

[pwa]

A tourer normally weighs something just north of 30lbs, with rack, pedals and guards. For a 100 mile ride I'd take baggage weighing no more than 10lbs, so 40lbs total. Including water.

[Samuel D]

NATURAL ANKLING, I think you’d be amazed at what a 10 kg bicycle with 23–28 mm fast tyres (£30 each) feels like. Have you ridden anything like that recently? You’ve obviously got some serious riding ability but it seems to me you’re needlessly handicapping yourself with your “skip trainers” (now legendary around these parts!).

[david7591]

Why take a tourer on a day ride? A lightweight carbon framed bike would be better. And carry less stuff. If you want to do weight lifting go to the gym, If you want to do cycling, ditch the weight. You could easily half the weight you're dragging around the local lanes. Mad as a Fruitcake.....absolutely.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

NATURAL ANKLING, I think you’d be amazed at what a 10 kg bicycle with 23–28 mm fast tyres (£30 each) feels like. Have you ridden anything like that recently? You’ve obviously got some serious riding ability but it seems to me you’re needlessly handicapping yourself with your “skip trainers” (now legendary around these parts!).

Skip trainers are just for training They are cheap hacks from recycled parts.
Next Friday I am going to go for a ride with nothing but a bike, bottles, no spare gear, no lights..well maybe one red and white.
My chum has a full carbon, I will just duck behind him, not told him yet

I would say about 38 years ago I had to cycle once a week to tech and I would do the 25 miles in the dark in 1h 15 mins.
Last time I rode a road bike was in 93, the tourer is not quite it but in 2014 I did 167 miles in 12.5 hrs and 10 hrs 47 minutes in the saddle solo unsupported, currently trying to get back there, that's the plan.
The trouble with long distance is that if you are unsupported and the weather changes and you don't have what you need it becomes unbearable, even with gear with nowhere to shelter its uncomfortable, overnight the temp drops and you need to lie down at times.
Water still remains the biggest problem, there is no help at 2 Oclock in the morning twenty or so miles from a small town with no shops open, you need food and water to carry on cycling through the night, so after leaving home its river water.

With a different bike and some different carrying bags I could probably shave some 2.5-3 kgs off, going carbon is not really me.

Ride on Friday was a spur of the moment thing, which probably made me think that I need to start trimming down gear.
I have a road bike which just need assembling and I now need to do it before I get much older (58) have to convert it to carry some gear which will have to include camping as well Two weeks and I plan to ride it, just the bike not the whole plan, I said it now so now I got to do it
Thanks for the words on encouragement, Samual D, david7591 absolutely

I keep going by keeping the idea alive in my mind.

[mjr]

I'm surprised to see the bike weight cult on here. I can't usually feel the difference when I ride one of the lighter bikes with a rack-top bag with full kit compared to a heavier bike. It might make a measurable difference if I'm doing miles and miles at top speed. What makes a big difference to feel is if I have full-width panniers instead of only a rack-top. However, the sturdier bike does make it tempting to carry more rather than keep it lightweight and I can feel the differences from gearing and height and so on.

[Samuel D]

Come now, I’m not a member of the bike-weight cult. The merit of the wheel is precisely that weight can be carried nearly effortlessly. All the same, halving the weight of the machine (which I initially thought possible here) and using genuinely fast-rolling tyres will make an agreeable difference on a long-distance ride.

[bogmyrtle]

You paint your garden?
I agree. You are mad as a fruitcake. Maybe madder.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
An eye opener on Friday, my first ride with another in at least 12 years
17kgs was my total tare, rider is younger by nine years, so I struggled when we hit the hills
I am going to swap the mad wide ratio cassette (don't need 18.5" if I sill have 21"), leave one bottle behind, leave the camera (have one on mobile) loose some weight (dropped 4kg since xmas), tempted to take the rack off
Felt ok on ride but I lack my old zip.

I also think that going back to 170's from 175 might help, the 175 cranks and wide block are ok for mountain work, but not for a training ride with your carbon mate

The road bike is on the work stand (other bike), but I know the 1980' gearing will crucify me.....................

[landsurfer]

As you get older the weight of the bike becomes very important.
Not for riding, for lifting it onto the bike rack on the roof of the car