Bike conversion [back from Paris now]

Kiblams

Good evening guys, with my charity road ride to paris looming next weekend I have converted the Pinnacle into a hybrid after deciding that my heavy SS commuter wasn't the best idea. So after a while tinkering I have the following result:

Before:


After:


Has anyone else made changes like this for a single weekend? beginning to think I may be a little odd... :?

Finally, any suggestions on improving the bike for the ride are very welcome (they will have to be very cheap so no road bike suggestions guys )

snig

get some slick tyres £25-£30 will be well spent and get your tyres pumped up!

p.s maybe you have got some as its hard to tell from pic but it looks like if you have they are not total slick which would be better.

RealMan

Changed your chainset? Why?

And couldn't you've just locked your fork out?

supersonic

The rigid will save 2lbs in weight.

snig

any weight save is good on such a long ride! I would say after wheels your fork would be the next big weight saver so good move there!

O and good luck mate,have a croissant for me!

Harry182

bar ends

water bottle cage(s) even it you're using a camel back - you can keep water in one and energy drink in the other

clipless pedals (or pedals with toe clips)

snig

yeah bars ends is a good one that will be cheap.

RealMan

How long is the ride..?

Kiblams

Thanks for the well wishes guys will try to respond to all comments above:

The tyres areVittoria Randonneur from my daily commuter so should do the job.

I changed the chainset as my current one was mashed from using it as a 1x9 set-up and I needed a new big chainring anyway as that had been turned into a chainguide/bashguard. I am keeping the new one on after I convert it back to a MTB so no loss there

I will have a camelback on for hydration and we will have a support van so hoping to keep food/energy drinks in there.

I have bar ends, but unsure if I will need them as I am keeping the riser bar on.

The ride is 280miles over 3 days (so a relaxed pace thank god! ) and is essentially a relay, though we are all hoping to do most if not all of the distance.

A major factor in going rigid and putting the V-brake back on was to make the bike look less apealing to theives (Just being a Pinnacle may not be enough )

If anything here is a 'school-boy error' please let me know as apart from my short commute into work I don't do roads. :?

Cheers guys.

RealMan

I'd probably take the lock off, unless you really need it.

94 miles a day for 3 days, that's going to be pretty tough. Confident you're comfortable with that saddle?

Good luck, and have fun

noodleman

Beg, steal or borrow some clipless pedals. They will make a massive difference to your stamina. I did a 120 mile ride when i first started riding. It was on my rockhopper with off road tires and flat pedals. It was really hard work keeping up with my mate on his hybrid with slicks on, even though i'm way fitter than him. The second ride on my cannondale rush with suspension locked out and clipless pedals and slicks was a breeze in comparison.

Now bought a roadbike for such trips, which is better still but as you said is out of the question for you. Get the pedals. I promise you you'll be glad you did.

snig

yeah sorry those tryes are great,pic didnt show them up that well,and as for the bar ends,have a think about it, as you can get some for less than £10 and they will give you an extra hand position which would be a good thing,you related to Lance Armstrong? 280miles over 3 days! I wouldnt be calling that easy but good you have a better frame of mind than me!

Kiblams

snig wrote:

I wouldnt becalling that easy but good you have a better frame of mind then me!

Positive mental attitude my friend!

I will look into the toe clips, not sure a long ride like this is the best time to go clipped in. Can see the confused french faces as a fat english man falls onto thier pavement with a bike rolling onto him

Oh and RealMan, the lock is there for my commute this week (can't ride the commuter without it's tyres) and me and my saddle have done some miles and are very comfortable with each other

Cheers for the ideas guys, keep 'em comming. reckon I have time to stick some bar ends on before bed.

noodleman

Best time to get used to them on a long ride. You wont believe the difference they make on hills. You'll never want to go back to flats. Good luck.

Kiblams

Hey guys,

Anyone got any last minute advice before I go to the supermarket this evening? Will be heading down to london straight after work and then we start the cycling at 8am Saturday morning.

The nerves are setting in now! :shock:

Thanks guys.

skullthaw

good luck

ashfanman

Kiblams wrote:

Anyone got any last minute advice before I go to the supermarket this evening?

Lock your front door.

And don't worry - you'll be fine! Just keep it slow and steady.

Let us know how you get on!

Furbes

Best of luck with the ride !

Kiblams

Hey guys, back from Paris now, thanks for the wellwishes by the way

Well it was certainly a good experience, and for a good cause! I wasn't sure of my stamina as my only "training" for this was a day at Llandegla, so with it being a relay event I took it easy and only did 40miles of the first day (60miles total) and again 40miles the second day (85miles total) and the last day sat out the first 25-30 miles before deciding to ride the rest of the day, which was 55miles. My total was 135miles over three days and to be honest I feel good, in retrospect I would have liked to do the full miles yesterday.

I have learnt some odd/unexpected things in the process:

1. UK drivers are the most disrespectful c*nts towards cyclists! I am not keen on the french race, but they really know how to make a cyclist feel safe on the roads
2. 135miles over 3 days on the road is far less tiring than a single run at Llandegla (with all the black bits thrown in)
3. The Pinnacle with rigid forks and slicks is a mean road machine! It was more than capable at keeping up with road bikes on the descents (wore the brakes down a fair bit trying to stay wit my team) and was much more adept at tackling the more crazy french hills (gear ratio was awesome)
4. When deciding to ride through the french countryside; stop to think about how much you will be thinking 'my god I wish I was in that wood' before agreeing to it

Right, so I have been on the road for 11hours today and recovering from sunstroke/dehydration all day, so I am bound to have left some details out. In summary; good times, good company, good cause, should have tried harder

Chaz.Harding

Nice one mate, hope you finshed with a smile on your face though, and eventually want to do it again.

Thats how I judge something as being worthwhile or not - whether (in a couple of days) I'd do it again or not. If yes, then it's been a good trip!

Next time, make it a bit longer

You'll truely fall in love with cycling longer, multi-day distances. Even cycle touring - nothing else like it!

RealMan

Kiblams wrote:

1. UK drivers are the most disrespectful c*nts towards cyclists! I am not keen on the french race, but they really know how to make a cyclist feel safe on the roads

+1. Its amazing the comparison. I saw a sign on a French road instructing drivers to stay 1.5 meters away from cyclists at all times. Completely useless of course, it was probably aimed at British tourists. Considered nicking the sign and taking it home.

Congrats on finishing, hope you and everyone else had a good time. If you really enjoyed it that much, maybe its time to invest in a road bike? Got my first road bike for £100, and I've put 5000 miles on it so far.


If you do it next year, don't just aim to ride it all, aim to ride it all, and in a good time. Will really give you the motivation to train, and to put the effort down when you get there. And you will feel even better if you succeed.