Going on my first long distance ride

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Well, I should say that it is long for me. 70 miles is going to be interesting to me. I am physically fit now. I'm not worried about my body, I'm worried about the road bike I'm using.
What I know:
Dad's old early 90s Peugeot(so the labels say) road bike.
Last used about 5 years ago. Kept in doors since
Needs new tires and tubes, wheels ok
Probably needs new brake pads
Chain needs some TLC.
Needs a new seat

I don't want to spend too much money on this bike because I don't know when I would ride it again.

http://www.atlasride.com/index.php
 
I apologize in advance if this insults your intelligence as I don't know your skill level.

If you want some "repair" advice, try this:

Dust the thing off. A cleaning with dishsoap may be a good idea. Don't use a high pressure hose, just a bucket and sponge. Rinse with a stream away from the BB and hubs (cassette side). Dawn dish detergent used full strength on the chain is an excellent degreaser for standard lubes. A wax lube is much more difficult to remove. Towel dry or air dry really well.

Personally, I would pull the tires and tubes and trash them. The tubes "may" be ok but you don't want to chance that on a 70 mile trip. Are the wheels 700c? If so, some of the online bike stores have REALLY good deals on tires (and tubes). Buy both and save on shipping. Average bike store tire costs are $20-30. Tubes run $4-6. Cheaper on-line. You can buy a 3 pack of tubes to keep a spare w/you. I would suggest buying a CO2 inflator as they are small and relatively cheap. IMHO, better than a small frame pump. When installing the tubes, put a little baby powder on it to help prevent it from sticking to the tire. Makes changing it easier if necessary. Make sure the rim strip is in good shape.

Using a small piece of 000 steel wool or scotch brite pad, clean the braking surface of the rim (easier done without tires installed). Using a piece of fine sandpaper (after removing the brake pads from the calipers), clean all the glazing off the pad and refresh the surface. Unless the pads are completely shot, this can extend their life some and save you some cash. You can adjust the cables and such to get the feel you want.

Not much you can do for a rusted chain but replace. If the chain is worn, you will be able to measure more than 12 inches pin to pin. If the measurement exceeds like 1/8 in, replace the chain. If this is the only time you really plan to ride, you may be ok but may suffer shifting issues and excessive wear on the cassette. You should replace the cassette when you replace the chain but you want the cheaper route. Once you have all this figured out, use a good lube (Triflow is a good wet lube). Spray on then wipe off the excess. The point is really to get the lube into the chain, not on it.

Check with your local bike dealer on a "used" seat. Some people upgrade when buying new bikes and they may have a slightly used one for cheap. Nothing out there is gonna help the pain after 70 miles though. We did 103 on Saturday (third century this year already!) and I'm still feeling it some.

AFTER you do the repairs, unless you know what you're doing, take the bike to a shop and have it checked out. They can adjust cables and shifting and such to make sure you're not going to get stuck in one gear!


Tires - 2 for $20
Tubes - 3 for $10
Chain Lube - $7
Seat - $35
Inflator - $20
Tune-up - $25

You may be able to bundle all the parts from the on-line stores and save even more than buying from a shop. Nutrition on the bike is important. Hydrate and EAT. I don't know what kind of average you're looking to put down but you have to eat. Even at 15 mph, you're gonna be on that seat for almost 5 hours. GU gel works well for me as do Clif Bars during the stops. I eat a banana halfway through longer rides for the potassium.


And MOST importantly,

ENJOY the ride!
 
"I am physically fit now. I'm not worried about my body, I'm worried about the road bike I'm using."

Are you "bike" fit? Better start chalking up some miles now if you aren't! You'll find out fast if you aren't.
How many speeds is the bike and what kind of terrain?
If you have an old 10 speed, you may want more gears. Even on a "flat" ride, varying head/tail winds can make you want more gears. The gaps between gears are too wide.
 
Bill is quite right. Biking is a whole different ball game. I can go out and ride 100 @ 18 mph but I can't run 3 @ an 8 min/mile pace.
 
I'll add two words, drink schedule. That was the key for survival for me when I rode century's on the weekends. I had one of those trip/cadence computer things that I could set to beep every ten minute. At every beep I'd reach for the water bottle and only wet my mouth, no big swallow. After doing this for awhile it was easy to figure out how many bottles I needed to bring based on the miles of the event.
 
I got a semi-rude awakening about being "bike fit".
I was working in a gas station a few years back, so I was doing a lot of "sprint walking" short distances ALL shift, 7 days a week.
I got a bike and did about 5 miles. The next day, the backs of my thighs were unbelievably sore!.
Now I did push hard, instead of spin free, but what a wake up call-
 
It's an organized ride. There should be supports along the route. I don't think he will need anything else other than a sound bike, fluid (for Texas heat) and food.

He might be fit , but if he can't ride at least 200 total miles between now and June 2, I suggested he take the 40 miles ride instead.

According the info the route looks flat, it is Texas.
http://www.atlasride.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=33#course
 
I start biking 40 miles daily starting tomorrow. It should put my limits into perspective. Thanks for alll the advice. I'm not offended at all. The bike has actually been used by my little brother so its not as rough of condition but new tires and tubes, cleaning wheels and proper lubing will all be done tomorrow. I would of ordered the tires and tubes but I did not know what tires size was on the bike. I just moved back home for the summer yesterday.

Thanks for everything! and yes, it is an organized ride. There is support the whole way. I will bring extra tubes and a bike pump as well though.
 
"I start biking 40 miles daily starting tomorrow."
IF you haven't been doing ANY riding, you better keep it under 10 the first day and see how you feel the next. If you "overdo" it, that'll set you back much more than if you "underdo" it. IF you handle 10 with no problems, go ahead and try 20 the next day.
You still haven't mentioned the number of speeds your bike has, but I'll assume it's 10-12. For flat riding, you won't use the lower 1/2, so that limits you to 5-6. Hopefully 6 (or more).
One rule of the thumb I've found is- IF you aren't sure if you should shift up, DON'T! Trying to push too steep of a gear saps your energy reserves BIG TIME. You won't recover from THAT for the rest of your ride. You can basically "spin fast & easy" all day, but you can "push hard" for only a short time.

IF the ride is "supported, you may pass on a tire pump. With the pressure you need, the cheap pumps won't do the job. I'd probably just carry 1 spare tube. Maybe you don't have to carry anything if somebody else carries it for you in the support vehicle. Maybe just 1 water bottle that you can refill for in between stops.

One thing I can't stress enough is make sure the seat is adjusted to the proper height. You basically should FULLY extend your legs with your HEELS on the pedals. Since you use the BALL of your foot to pedal, this results in most efficient extension of your leg when delivering the power stroke. It also is easier on the knee joints. This is the kind of thing where an inch off is a LOT!
 
I held up well today. We went 25 miles because it was getting dark. I did really well. I believe the bike has 12 speeds but I could be wrong. I never had a problem. I didn't realize that the tires were flat when I started riding because it was easier than a mountain bike. I fixed it at our halfway point, my friend's house. We'll only have time to do 25 miles until the weekend. I'm proud of myself. I could have gone a lot longer. Like I said, I wasn't worried about my body, I was worried about the bike.

I need to order tires and tubes soon... any suggestion on where to get 27x1.25 online and what brand? I found some continentals for 14 each but I don't know if the sites are legit.

On the way back, we did 3 minutes of push hard, 1 minute of easy riding the whole time. We did the whole run, including the stop in 2 hours.
 
You can get 27x1-1/4" tires at any xmart type stores for $6-10. They'll be totally suitable for your use.
If they don't have "genuine" 27" tubes, you can use 700C tubes. Probably something that fits a 700x28-32C tire. In fact the 700C tube box may even say it also fits 27"
You have to sometimes be careful how you designate a tire size. You don't mix decimels and fractions.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html

IF you find that the rim tape is deteriorated and can't find a replacement in time, 4 layers of duct tape works well.
 
I ended up going to Sun and Ski Sports here in Houston and bought two Continental Sport tires and tubes. It made today's ride MUCH easier. I actually had control. The tires were 16 bucks each! Not bad considering Bell tires were like 10. I also purchased my LSU bike jersey.... the funny thing is... the jersey costs more than what I spent on repairs/tune up parts for this bike...
 
That the tire! 16 bucks! I'm very pleased. We are planning on going on a 40-50 mile ride on Sunday. I'm excited! We just don't have time as my friend gets off work at 5pm and we don't have that much daylight once she gets to meet up with me.
 
Tell us how excited you are when you get back from your ride Sunday! 25 miles in the evening is a good start. My buddies and I usually ride about that a couple times a week.

If you don't use some now, get some Butt Butter ($15 a tube) and apply it to the inside of your bike shorts. Vasoline works but isn't as wash friendly. A well lubed seating area helps tremendously! And no wise cracks (no pun intended)!
smile.gif


Shorter rides are great but you REALLY have to get used to sitting on a bike seat for 5 hours. It HURTS the first time. Even with rest stops, you're going to be in some pain. It helps to stand up every few miles and get the blood flowing again.
 
Quote:


That the tire! 16 bucks! I'm very pleased. We are planning on going on a 40-50 mile ride on Sunday. I'm excited! We just don't have time as my friend gets off work at 5pm and we don't have that much daylight once she gets to meet up with me.



Well, you could go out and do a pre ride to make up the extra miles
ooo.gif
 
I have to make up for today because due to a series of unfortunate events, I couldn't make the ride today. I was very angry.
 
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