Transcontinental Race (London - Istanbul) - #TCRNo4

I'll certainly take something. Mainly because I'll feel better being a lot more visible at night anywhere on the route. Also it's the law in both France and Italy. I don't expect it's enforced rigorously but, if they realise that a couple of hundred people steaming through on an organised event, they might just take it more seriously than normal. And Mike has said that he is planning on tightening up compliance with legal stuff.

I'll either take the one that they gave us on PBP - which was a useful extra layer when the temps dropped at night - or get something smaller and lighter for balmy Balkan nights!

Short trailer for the film of last year's event
https://vimeo.com/170160375

@skinny - contains a little cameo of you fitting neck bandages!

I would strongly advise wearing a highly reflective gilet. It is amazing how well they stand out in car head lights in the pitch darkness.

Do we have a list of forum riders and their user names/race names?

Here's the full story on gilets - from a thread in the run-up to PBP last year
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=89863.msg1844686#msg1844686

This.

I also put 3m tape on the rear stays of my bike, makes a big difference.

Plus it's in the rules. So adhere to the rules, for nothing but; you risk getting DQ'd.
thought I would say, it seems very hard to find a complying gilet in the UK. So something in a a silly colour and with reflective tape on, is good enough.

Edit: Which fuck bought that reflex jersey?

Own up.

I know it wasn't hippy. He's not a medium.

Found one of these: will update when (if) it arrives.

Ha.

I wasn't even reading the thread and I already own three high-viz vests.

My hi vis wanker thing turned up today. It's brilliant.

Velco adjusters on the side, for the waist and a small stuff stack pocket, scrunches down to my fits.

I'd recommend it. It's En471 compliant, got it in the label.

http://www.behindthebikeshed.co.uk/6411/products/sportful_reflex_bretelle.aspx

That's far too sexy for me...

So the 11spd road freehub body doesn't work on the hub I have. Time to unbuild the rear wheel and send the hub back so they can send me the one I actually asked for. Much yay. Such joy.

Anyone want a DT Swiss 11spd road freehub? Brand new.

how much? #probuyer

£40

which hub?

No hub, just freehub: http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/DT-Swiss/11-Speed-Freehub-Conversion-Kit/2F38?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=base&co=GBR&cu=GBP&gclid=CKm3xZ2Rqs0CFcsp0wod3mIL6Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

That's a bit like those boxers who pull up their belt as high as they can. :)

Ha! It's really good though. I shall use it training when out at night. And for the race obvs.

Had a useful night on Friday, packing all my kit and doing an overnight ride. May make a few changes as a result. Something has to change as when I'd got everything packed, all my bags and pockets were full, so I was struggling to find somewhere to put leg warmers if I took them off, never mind food to carry with me!

May also change water bottles and luggage around as it would be very handy to be able to mount a phone on the bars. I hadn't realised how much harder it is to use from my pocket.

Bivvy kit was just ok for a reasonably chilly Saturday morning, about 8 degrees when I was trying to sleep. Only problem was that my feet had got wet riding through the night and they hadn't fully warmed up when I had to get up. But I normally wouldn't bivvy with cold, wet feet.

I'd forgotten how much I hated the Apidura saddle bag. I'd not used it since PBP, but it all came back to me. There were times when I wanted something, knew that I had it in there, but didn't bother to get it as it's too much hassle to open it up and re-pack it again. I've also got an Alpkit Possum frame bag, which is ok, but it is (a) very small and (b) a pain to access things that are not close to where the zip opens, so not perfect either!

I may end up going back to having a rack and a rack-pack. Will experiment a bit today.

Agree with you on the saddlebag, it's good for reserve stuff or you sleeping kit but nothing handy. Got rid of mine this year in favour of a frame bag although I get a bit of knee rubbing

So with some down time on the ferry I took a photo of my kit for this year. A few minor changes to go:

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Looks good.
How do you mount those bottles under your aerobars? Any ejection problems?

Took your advice and went for cheap aluminium, gonna add a strap though despite none falling out this weekend.

About the searching problem, at least in the spanish version, you can find a search input on the header of the facebook group (see image where I was searching for "apidura" to reply someone's question). Not perfect but it helps avoiding infinite scrolling to find that old post :)

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