Lands end to John O'Groats - advice sought!!

simon.lee
simon.lee Posts: 2
edited March 2008 in Tour & expedition
I am taking part in a charity ride from lands end to john o' groats at the end of april and need some advice on the best wheels, tyres and inner tubes to use and take as spares.

I'd also like to know if there are any tyres that will give me better resistance on tracks and off road.

Will my specialized allez take more than a 23 profile tyre with tread?

Any help would be graciously recieved!! Thanks

Comments

  • yer gran
    yer gran Posts: 186
    Looks like this may be the only reply you get. (apologies on behalf of the rest of the forum, but I have a sneaky suspicion that any post with 'LeJog' in the title is sub-consciously filtered out of the brain by many, in much the same way as '65 dead in Baghdad suicide bombing', seems to be the case for the population at large).
    But I digress....
    .....sounds like a supported ride. Fit decent tyres at the start and go. I fitted Specialised S-works to my road bike 700 miles ago and haven't punctured so far. Maybe a tyre-boot patch or 2 from Park tool would help allay any fears over tyres.
    I'd suggest 2 spare tubes for peace of mind. More likely to be replacing a tube due to valve damage when inflating tyres. So be carefull with that pump, Eugene!
    Wheels? Dont know what the Allez is equipped with, (1000 miles-they will probably do the job if they are relatively new/unworn. I build my own. Currently running 105 hubs on Mavic 32 hole Open Pro. These stand up to self-supported touring, i.e. carrying lightweight camping equipment so something a lot lighter and zingier wouldn't be amiss if your ride is baggage free.
    Hope this helps, and have fun.
  • vernonlevy
    vernonlevy Posts: 969
    simon.lee wrote:
    I am taking part in a charity ride from lands end to john o' groats at the end of april and need some advice on the best wheels, tyres and inner tubes to use and take as spares.

    I'd also like to know if there are any tyres that will give me better resistance on tracks and off road.

    Will my specialized allez take more than a 23 profile tyre with tread?

    Any help would be graciously recieved!! Thanks

    There's no such thing as best - there's too many variable to take into account.

    Your wheels should do as they don't have a LEJOG sensor and spontaneously collapse at the thought of the trip. The roads are no different to the ones that you cerrently ride on so there's no need to change your wheels.

    Tyres - something with a higher degree of puncture resistance - I use Pamnaracer Pasela Tourguard tyres for touring (JOGLE, LEJOG, Channel to Med) plus Audaxing. They are available in 25mm width. Check with your local bike shop for fit.

    Your innertubes will be none the wiser about tyre widths ior road surfaces so theres no need to change them though I do recommend carrying two spares.

    Start the ride with fresh tyres then youu'll have max tread available for the entire ride.

    There's a LEJOG specific forum over on the CTC website if you want further info.

    www.ctc.org.uk
  • Pekka
    Pekka Posts: 119
    Just an update. My guy in Wales just let me know that the outbound tickets and places for bikes from Heathrow to Penzance have been booked at 30 quid. Not possible to book the return tickets yet but I am half way there. Thanks again for all the soothing advice.
  • wallabyhunter
    wallabyhunter Posts: 61
    Found this:-
    1883 Jun 2, Four gentlemen departed London on velocipedes and spent the next 2 weeks bicycling 800 miles to John O’Grouts in Scotland.
    (ON, 1/00, p.5)
    Here:-
    http://timelines.ws/1883_1884.HTML

    Thought some one would be interested.

    gb
    http://www.letourgb.com

Categories