Mini Solo Tour - Advice gratefully accepted

segster

Folks - New to this so any advice greatly accepted.
Last year I bought a Treck ticket 10 - Yes I know its not a road bike but hang on before you tell me to ask in the MTB section!
I thought I would start getting out onto trails etc. But I haven't! I have done more and more road cycling to the point that I have set myself a new year challenge of cycling from my parents near to Dumfries back to my house between Wigan and Warrington. I am doing this solo and will be staying in travelodges on route. I am raising money for Help for Heroes. The route is 160 miles and being my first solo mini tour and not having a road bike I have split it over 3 days doing between 50 and 55 miles per day. (going on 4th April) Im in no hurry and I am taking breaks, having lunch etc. My training is slowly building up and I am currently doing 2 days to work (21 miles round trip) 15 to 20 miles one evening, football on a Friday and then Sunday rides - now up to just over 40 miles. my average speed is around 13 miles per hour on each run, sometimes up to 15 but never lower than 12 mph.
my bike is heavy in comparison to road bikes. I have replaced the original 2.25 tyres but only down to 2.0 - hardcase slick bontrager tyres - still a bit wide I know. Replaced the original pedals with SPD ones and bought SPD MTB shoes - not the lightest but so far so good. Need advice on anything you feel would help in preparing for this.

Butterd2

Some decent shorts and some chamois cream will make the experience considerably more pleasant. Make sure you carry and drink plenty of water and an emergency energy gel in the back pocket is always useful towards the end of the day.
Otherwise, that's a good cause, enjoy.

simon_e

As long as your MTB SPDs are comfortable then they should be fine. I'd recommend:
- a saddle you like sitting on and at least 2 pairs of padded shorts, decent mitts/gloves and appropriate clothing for whatever weather you may encounter.
- basic maintenance skills, mini pump and essential toolkit plus zipties and toe straps for emergency repairs. Some people like taking a small first aid kit.
- making sure you eat and drink, emergency rations (gels/bars) in case you bonk.

If you don't mind a tyre change I'd go for Schwalbe City Jets for < £20 and four 26 x 1-1.5" inner tubes e.g. Schwalbe AV12 (Schraeder) or SV12A (Presta), so you have two spare tubes. Some people like bar ends to help provide more hand positions. Is there a suspension lockout on the forks? If so, leave it locked.

segster

Thanks for your responses, and advice. The MTB SPDs are a bit heavy but seem OK to be honest. The saddle that came with the bike is reasonable, had toyed with idea of a wider more padded one but think I will invest that money in some decent shorts instead. Bought a couple of pair of karrimor shorts from sports direct but they seem to bunch up at the front, not sure this is normal? Need to sort out my food - any advice there? I am planning to stop for breaks and to have a lunch break so will probably have sandwiches, fruit, muesli bar fo rthat but what else would you advise for on the bike?

Re tyres, bought Bontrager H4 Eco Hardcase Plus Reflex Urban Tyre. bike came with 2.25 tyres on and after speaking with Trek they advised putting 1.95 or 2.0 on so currently got the above tyres in 2.0 size. They should be puncture proof - will I still need tubes? When I changed from the 2.25 to 2.0 I left the original tubes in, done several hundred miles trianing since then and no problems but should I have changed the tubes?

Bike has no lock out so currently got the forks screwed to their stiffest setting.

Will bar ends help me much? Will they help when I am slogging my way over Shap in cumbria?

simon_e

segster wrote:

Bought a couple of pair of karrimor shorts from sports direct but they seem to bunch up at the front, not sure this is normal?

No. Get some proper cycling shorts. If you don't mind lycra Lusso's standard 6 or 8 panel are good value, I'm afraid I don't know anything about baggies but believe Endura and Altura make good ones.

segster wrote:

Need to sort out my food - any advice there? I am planning to stop for breaks and to have a lunch break so will probably have sandwiches, fruit, muesli bar fo rthat but what else would you advise for on the bike?

Yep, normal food. Banana, muesli bar/Geobar, fruit bar, whatever you fancy (in moderation). Try to stick to things that doesn't have too much fat as it's slow to digest... though some days a Snickers just hits the spot . Look out for cheap cafes and tuck into egg/beans on toast or similar.

Drink plenty, especially in warm weather. Energy drinks are convenient but not essential. The ones that contain electrolytes help replace lost salts & minerals if you perspire a lot (which can happen easily if it's both warm and breezy) though I've not had a problem with fruit squash or juice. As with food, a can of coke can work wonders if you're really struggling, though watch for a corresponding 'low' after the sugar rush subsides. I avoid anything with artificial sweeteners, they're pure junk.

Your Bontrager tyres should be OK but no tyre is puncture proof. I'd say you should carry one or two spare inner tubes, a pump and tyre levers unless you prefer trying to mend a punctured inner tube on the side of the road in the rain (Sod's Law applies here). Your original tubes should be fine otherwise.

Bar ends are personal preference. Some can't live without them, others can't abide them.

Hope you have a great ride. Go prepared and you should be fine.