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Most I've ridden on fixed in one day is 140 miles. Choice/adjustment of saddle becomes very important ;) as does proper bike set-up. Don't try it on a frame that doesn't quite fit you but does for the odd commute. Depending on which bike I use, the gear ratio will either be 50:19 or 48:19.
Can't stress this enough - 90 miles was on a lo pro. With Risers. It did hurt after a while - especially my lower back. Will be doing dunwich fixed, but with a much more trad set up - drops with hoods, regular track frame.
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The flask of sausage and beans is a winner, can't tell you how re-spiriting a bit of hot food is, especially having a few mouthfuls left at the end before queuing for a proper plate of food.
Is the support vehicle going to be available to take a nosebag to the halfway point and crate of beer for the finish?
If we chuck in between us im sure I can arrange a pick up a crate on the way to dunwich somewhere. Ill also be letting people know the points ill be stopping at so they can take give me their bags and meet me for food en route. Ill let you know using the mailing list further up the thread so dont forget to sign up!
45 confirmed and paid.
Though it creates the problem of requiring a 2nd truck too, but in theory could be done.
I'd wait though... some people inevitably won't turn up to the start or will drop in the days before... and those seats will either be re-sold the day or two before, or far more likely will be empty and available for purchase at Dunwich.
Feels risky I know, but seriously... a 1/3 of people who sign up to rides never turn up to do them even though they intend to right up until the last moment.
David, if i remembered correctly Katie-coo sweet talked the truck people to send a 13 tonne truck for the night. easily enough for a coach and a small minibus, but I think you are right to err on the side of caution with that and if it goes ahead it will be a last minute/next week thing to look at. at the moment the reserve list isnt big enough.
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I did a 70-odd miler ten days ago that was almost spoiled by having the saddle set up slightly wrong; riding fixed does seem to make saddle set-up more critical.
But +1 for doing this fixed - you get the really exciting nerdy opportunity to work out how many times your legs have gone round by dividing 113 miles by pi and then again by your gear inches. But remember to convert those miles into inches first otherwise you'll find you've only done half a turn of the cranks, in which case you'll have difficulty working out why your legs are tired.
And riding fixed is delightfully compatible with sleep-deprivation.
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Ok, fixed it is! Boom!
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If we chuck in between us im sure I can arrange a pick up a crate on the way to dunwich somewhere.
A note of caution, I brought beer along on a previous DD much to the delight of forumengers. However, when it was proffered on the beach, there was much declining. I think I was the only one to have a beer, it was lovely and refreshing. However, don't be surprised if many enthusiasts of the idea find they are more inclined to coffee and cocoa instead. 120 miles has a way of making people a lot less hardcore.
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Does anyone have any opinions on the Ortlieb waterproof saddle bags?
Seems like a very decent size for day rides/ up to 300k audax.
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/ortlieb-saddle-bag-item127540.html
I'm tempted to buy one for the DD as my current saddle bag/ jersey pocket combination is just a tad on the small size.
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wondering if there are any other hope vision fans out there and if so, how many spare sets of batteries am I likely to need? Light says 3 hours burn time on max power which I guess I should plan for, so was going to take two spare sets and leave with new batteries....
My Hope ran on low power throughout the DD last year (I was planning to switch it up to full power later but never felt the need and forgot to do so). It lasted fine and even made it through the next week of late night commutes!
In fact, the Smart light and a Blackburn I also had didn't run out either and all of the spare batteries I had with me went unused. You certainly won't need anything more than you are planning to take IMHO...
On night rides I've had more issues with the light's themselves than the batteries recently (front lights flying off into the road and smashing - rear lights getting soaked by water spray, none of which has ever happened to me on a commute). As a result, I'll be carrying less spare batteries and more spare lights!
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Had a PM saying that one of the recently bought spaces is now not needed, so I'm potentially back in the game. Win.
It's still needed, I'm just doing the right thing ;)
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Does anyone have any opinions on the Ortlieb waterproof saddle bags?
I've got one of those, a large, and I think it's top. It'd do you a day ride in style, absolutely. In fact, I've done three days with one, (albeit in "scant mode"), and when packed with all the stuff necessary to reassure a neurotic it still had enough room for a spare change of clothes.
One thing though, bag attaches to bike using a small clasp that fits to the saddle rails (you'll have to buy extra straps if you sport a spiral-spring saddle). This is safe enough, but it leaves the bag hanging, and this makes it swing around a bit. For a little extra you could splash out on the extra straps, which will hold the bag tight to the underside of your saddle, or you could just use string.
But, basically, I reckon it's jolly good.
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I've used/own a large and a medium version of that ortlieb saddle bag, they work good. Personally, for a single ride I wouldn't take more than the medium sized one but I like to pack light - if you want to pack lunchboxes, spares, and clothes and other miscellaneous crap a la fakenger style then the large one is your best bet. The waterproofing has worked well in my limited experience of using it in the wet - depends if you do it up properly.
I've never had any problems with it swinging though, since there is also the little velcro clasp which secures it to the seatpost, in addition to the plastic bracket which attaches to the saddle rails.
If you don't have a brooks, you needn't worry about extra straps. If you do I can't help you....but you can probably buy them online somewhere...or improvise. In a nutshell:
basically, I reckon it's jolly good.
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Spybot's done a fair job of cleaning up after me. Cheers dude. This PDF is also good. These straps are optional extras.
The bottom line is, buy an Ortlieb bag. If you don't like it, I accept full responsibility, and I'm very sorry.
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BTW, I'm not sure if anyone else used it much, but a few of us used google latitude last year. I found it quite handy to see whether I needed to speed up/slow down to stand a chance of meeting up. Not exactly foolproof - but could save fumbling around trying to describe what ditch you've fallen into via text message. ;)
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About
2011-07-16/17 Sat/Sun - Dunwich Dynamo DD19
Posted by
@Sparky
I'd be worried about not being able to take my legs off the pedals and shake/stretch etc. I also use the pedal at its lowest point to stretch my calf on.
Plus, I only have one bike at the moment, and its geared.