walkerr Posted April 4, 2019 Share Back in 2011 - when I was young & stupid - I completed a 300km and 400km Audax in the short space of 4 weeks, nogal on my HT MTB. Wanted to built my endurance!!!!!! Buddy joined us for his first (and I think only) Audax some time back on a MTB - have a feeling it may even have been a full sus one too. It was a 600 .... and he def took some strain judging by the abuse we got at a garage in Bredasdorp at 3am. Underachiever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted April 4, 2019 Share Well done NSBB. A great achievement!!! Back in 2011 - when I was young & stupid - I completed a 300km and 400km Audax in the short space of 4 weeks, nogal on my HT MTB. Wanted to built my endurance!!!!!! Whilst it was a comfy ride, it took me a good deal of 2 months to fully recover. After that I only stick to the 200km efforts!!I used my MonsterCross gravel bike .... Did the job! Underachiever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted April 5, 2019 Share Well done NSBB. Longest for me is 231km, which is probably close to my “want to/need to” distance. Not sure I’d like to ride further than 250km without good reasons.Longest I've done is CTCT and then about another 15km afterwards trying to find where we parked. I have thoughts of building up to the 200s, but nothing is going to happen without a proper bike fit first, my neck and shoulders take way to much strain, by 40km I'm starting to feel it, by 100km all I want to do is lie down and get a good massage.Right now that is my weakest point, whilst the legs do feel tired at that point, I feel if I could divert my energy from my aching shoulders I could push the legs to atleast 150 at this point. Frosty and walkerr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkerr Posted April 5, 2019 Share Longest I've done is CTCT and then about another 15km afterwards trying to find where we parked. I have thoughts of building up to the 200s, but nothing is going to happen without a proper bike fit first, my neck and shoulders take way to much strain, by 40km I'm starting to feel it, by 100km all I want to do is lie down and get a good massage.Right now that is my weakest point, whilst the legs do feel tired at that point, I feel if I could divert my energy from my aching shoulders I could push the legs to atleast 150 at this point. Aching shoulders and neck definitely a solid indication of needing a bike fit. For me, when I suffered that, it was my bars being way too low, or stretching forward to reach them because stem is too long. OK, that is how racers ride, and modern bikes come setup because of it. And sure, it makes you aero. But plenty of people it doesn't work for - especially older guys like me or those who are not that flexible or haven't been racing for years. I gave up some aero and some speed for a higher bar, and can ride all day now with relative comfort. It won't win any races, and if I had any notion to compete I'd probably need a different rig or setup that I could survive just long enough for the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted April 5, 2019 Share Aching shoulders and neck definitely a solid indication of needing a bike fit. For me, when I suffered that, it was my bars being way too low, or stretching forward to reach them because stem is too long. OK, that is how racers ride, and modern bikes come setup because of it. And sure, it makes you aero. But plenty of people it doesn't work for - especially older guys like me or those who are not that flexible or haven't been racing for years. I gave up some aero and some speed for a higher bar, and can ride all day now with relative comfort. It won't win any races, and if I had any notion to compete I'd probably need a different rig or setup that I could survive just long enough for the event.The way I see it is I'll never be at the sharp end of the field, so if I'm more comfortable on the bike I can probably ride for longer. I could also then not be losing energy on aches and pains and will probably land up riding faster. Just need to put some money aside for the bike fit and probably a few bits and bobs that will be needed to make the adjustments (stems etc.) walkerr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkerr Posted April 5, 2019 Share The way I see it is I'll never be at the sharp end of the field, so if I'm more comfortable on the bike I can probably ride for longer. I could also then not be losing energy on aches and pains and will probably land up riding faster. Just need to put some money aside for the bike fit and probably a few bits and bobs that will be needed to make the adjustments (stems etc.) Yup. If your basic frame is right size, then it's usually not a lot of parts - as you say, stem perhaps. Bit more expensive is if bar width is wrong, but that is less common IME. Of course it depends what else the fitter wants to tempt you into changing - cranks, pedals, seatpost can all get thrown into the mix. A good fitter shouldn't try and convince you of more than is needed and will explain what is optional but can help (albeit at greater expense). Best bit is you haven't mentioned bum/saddle issues - that can be a whole complex area in itself to find a good fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 5, 2019 Share Longest I've done is CTCT and then about another 15km afterwards trying to find where we parked. I have thoughts of building up to the 200s, but nothing is going to happen without a proper bike fit first, my neck and shoulders take way to much strain, by 40km I'm starting to feel it, by 100km all I want to do is lie down and get a good massage.Right now that is my weakest point, whilst the legs do feel tired at that point, I feel if I could divert my energy from my aching shoulders I could push the legs to atleast 150 at this point.even if you don’t ever do a 200, the correct bike fit is crucial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIPEOUT 1000 Posted April 5, 2019 Share Aching shoulders and neck definitely a solid indication of needing a bike fit. For me, when I suffered that, it was my bars being way too low, or stretching forward to reach them because stem is too long. OK, that is how racers ride, and modern bikes come setup because of it. And sure, it makes you aero. But plenty of people it doesn't work for - especially older guys like me or those who are not that flexible or haven't been racing for years. I gave up some aero and some speed for a higher bar, and can ride all day now with relative comfort. It won't win any races, and if I had any notion to compete I'd probably need a different rig or setup that I could survive just long enough for the event. I can only add that riding a fatter tyre makes a very big difference especially over large distances. There is a lot of literature out (e.g. Jan Heine) that show that if you're not going very fast (and Audax's are limited to 30km/h anyway) there is no performance loss when going wider. I recently bought a gravel bike because wanted to try it out and although I used 32mm GP5000 TL's for CTCT, I'm back on my 38mm TLC Panaracer GravelKings (which despite the name, is basically a normal road slick) because the larger tyres frankly ride much nicer. Edited April 5, 2019 by WIPEOUT 1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted April 5, 2019 Share Yup. If your basic frame is right size, then it's usually not a lot of parts - as you say, stem perhaps. Bit more expensive is if bar width is wrong, but that is less common IME. Of course it depends what else the fitter wants to tempt you into changing - cranks, pedals, seatpost can all get thrown into the mix. A good fitter shouldn't try and convince you of more than is needed and will explain what is optional but can help (albeit at greater expense). Best bit is you haven't mentioned bum/saddle issues - that can be a whole complex area in itself to find a good fit.Well I'd like to get measured for saddle fit anyway. My Fizik Arione is probably around 12 years old now, there is some discomfort at times, but I suspect a proper bike fit will lessen the discomfort. So getting measured whilst I'm getting a fit done can at least point to wether I need to start looking at a different size saddle or just replace with the same going forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted April 5, 2019 Share even if you don’t ever do a 200, the correct bike fit is crucial.Agreed I had a basic one done where the stem length was shortened, just could never afford to do a proper fit. Frosty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 6, 2019 Share Agreed I had a basic one done where the stem length was shortened, just could never afford to do a proper fit.I went from a 110mm to a 90mm stem, and also short reach bars. Amazing what difference it made, especially ones with the aero/flatter section on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veebee Posted April 15, 2019 Share Respect. Well done. NotSoBigBen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now