JOGLE For a Newbie

adkirk123

Hi all!
After some disappointing news this year, me and a group of friends are going to do John O'Groats to Lands End in order to raise some money for Muscular Dystrophy charity. None of us ride as such, the odd few mountain bike rides but thats it. We are going to do it on road as i think it would be a much better choice, and i was just wondering if you could give me some pointers as to where to start, bearing in mind its predominantly a charity ride, ill have around £500 max to spend, and don't mind the likes of second hand bikes either. Also how much training should I look at putting in, I;m relatively fit, play rugby, but obviously not bike fit?
Thanks for any help!
Adam

daveski12

Can't offer any advice on the bike or training I'm afraid, just posting to say good luck

adkirk123

Thanks ha, not doing it for another 8 months but starting the training now, bit of a daunting thought to be honest but thoroughly looking forward to it!

MichaelW

Get a bike suitable for training through the winter. Will it need to carry your luggage as well: consider an Audax style long distance road bike, pref used because there are no cheap ones.
Budget for all your accessories: lock, helmet, lights, clothing, footwear, luggage.
Ride lots. Ride to work, ride to the shops, ride to the pub, chippy, pie shop ,ride with your significant other. If she/he doesn't ride, consider upgrading to one who does.
After about 3 months of just riding, you will be conditioned to being on the bike for several hours. You can then start your training, extending distances till you can happily ride 60-70 miles.

adkirk123

Thanks for that, around how much would one of them bikes set me back? And we're considering a support vehicle depending on costs really. If not carrying luggage with us, is that bike suitable for that? Sorry about the vagueness, totally a newbie at this

edhornby

as michael said, concentrate on spending time riding your bike, if you can, get some training rides with the all the group at the same time because you'll get an idea for the relative pace of the group and the faster/slower riders in it. it will help to stop you from going too fast at the start of the ride which isn't a good thing especially on longer rides

don't worry too much about clothing but get good quality shorts and gloves

MichaelW

Edinburgh Cycles do a value Audax bike. Ribble do a similar "winter training" style.
If it has mudguard threaded eyelets and rear rack eyelets, you will be able to train through the winter and carry B&B luggage. If the bike lacks these eyelets, there are always hacks to attach them, but bolt on is more reliable.

Gizmo_

Best of luck.

Lots of good hills for you to practice on up your way: climb the steepest and longest ones you can find once you get into the habit. Because if you can do it on a training run, it won't hurt so much on Day 12 when your barse is aching and it's raining and you come across a big one.

For long distances fit is important to avoid injuries. Better a slightly heavier bike that's comfortable than a lighter one that gives you pain... a few makes do a 'sportive' geometry that's similar to their road bike but with a taller headtube and (usually) a 'softer' rear end - e.g. Cannondale's Synapse vs CAAD8/10, Specialized Secteur vs Allez - although I've not seen many s/h Synapses/Secteurs. And above all get a saddle that fits you properly over long distances and is stiff enough to stay 'the right shape' over long distances.

adkirk123

Thanks guys, looking into the bikes now hoping to buy it asap then training begins! Looking forward to entering the world of road biking, and even moreso JOGLE next year! thanks again for the tips

sparkins1972

A friend of mine is in a similar position to you - he is aiming for next August so has a bit of time to get ready. My advice to him is to get a triple rather than a compact. When you are grinding out the miles day after day, I have found that I have never been crying out for higher gears to thrash, but I have often found myself wishing I had a couple more lower gears as I am grinding up the umpteenth climb of the day.

However, I know this probably wont appeal to the purists some of whom view triples as a sign of weakness (just for the record, I only have a triple on my old hybrid and not on my road bike but if I were considering LEJOG, I would probably kook to use one)

blackhands

Don't start at John o G as, if the weather is 'normal' (ie a SW Wind) you'll have a headwind all the way - start at Lands End and get the wind to help you. Even if its raining the rain should be at your back, not in your face.