Which bike: Ring of Kerry 180k

secretgarden

A first post so apologies if not in the correct location.

I decided to get a road bike courtesy of the bike2work scheme, two months ago to combat middle age spread and as work was one of the nominated charities for the Ring of Kerry (didnt fancy being a volunteer sandwich maker)

Not being sure if I would take to it, as not ridden a Raleigh racer in over 20 plus years and had grown fond of MTB I went for the Carrera Virtuoso 54 inch frame courtesy of Halfords.

Took to it like a duck to water and already had bike envy, so when I saw a Boardman Road Race 54 inch frame for sale in perfect condition with less than 10 miles use for €300 I could not resist.

The Carrera has been upgraded with SPD SL pedals and Continental Ultra Gatorskins and fits perfectly although the rural roads leave you feeling every bit of the bumps and cow muck that is thrown at you. The Boardman is a much smoother ride and the only upgrade is the pedals as per the Carrera. The only thing I dont like is that the head tube is 135mm compared to 180mm and the handlebars are narrower 400mm compared to 440mm. So I will be looking to visit the LBS to see what options are available to raise the handlebars.

Any views on the two bikes as to the pros and cons of their suitability aside from what I experienced so far? My head says Carrera, derrier and joints say Boardman!

All comments appreciated (I think )

ai_1

Are you asking which bike to keep or which you should use for the Ring of Kerry?
If one or other of the bikes is a bad fit than it's a poor choice for a 180km ride. However you may be able to correct the fit before the event (you've got about 6 weeks!).

If you find the bars too low on the Boardman you can probably raise them a little as below. Since you're only riding a little while you may get used to a lower position but a 135mm headtube is fairly low and you may decide it's just never going to be comfortable without lots of spacers and a flipped stem in which case it's just not the ideal frame for you.
You can raise the bars on the Boardman by flipping the stem. A typical stem is not perpendicular to the steerer. Typically they have something like 8 degrees angle and are installed angled downwards. As the steerer is usually at around 73 degrees, an 8 degree stem as normally installed ends up at about 9 degrees above level. However if you flip the stem over so it's angled upwards it'll give you about 25 degrees. This should get you about 26mm extra bar height with a 100mm stem. You could also buy a new stem with a greater angle to get even more height but if you need to resort to this it really means the bike geometry is just not suited to you.
The difference between a 400mm and 440mm bar width is pretty big. At least one of them is likely to be uncomfortable! Basic alloy bars are not hugely expensive and are pretty easy to change (just switch the STI levers over and put on bar tape). Some bike shops will have handlebars lying around that they've taken off new bikes to install something specific for a customer. If they have a suitable one they may sell it to you much cheaper than you'd get a similar quality packaged one.

Anyway, to answer you're original question - do the Ring of Kerry on whichever bike you find most comfortable for a long ride. Especially if this is your first long distance sportive. How far do you typically ride? What's your longest ride to date?

secretgarden

Hi Ai_1 for a quick, helpful and comprehensive reply.

It is which bike to ride, and next year will probably sell both and go for just one bike. In terms of the handlebars the 440mm is better suited to my frame, and I may look at your suggestion of an alternative wider handlebar for the Boardman. The Boardman with the carbon fork provides a much smoother ride and the bike feels a better quality but take on your point re the bike being a good fit.

Will definitely try out your suggestions.

Have been cycling/training for the last two months, and have done a 50k ride with an average of 130k per week at present. I aim to do a couple of ride between 80-100k prior to this as well as build up the weekly rides.

kajjal

Very nice round the ring of Kerry but the roads vary in condition and make sure you are waterproof

secretgarden

Kajjal wrote:

Very nice round the ring of Kerry but the roads vary in condition and make sure you are waterproof

Sure is Kajjal, lucky enough to cover that area for work and know what you mean about the road conditions, hence preference for the Boardman . This will be the first time on a bike and hopefully without rain.

ai_1

There are two aspects to comfort. The ride and the fit. Unfortunately you've got this split between two bikes with a better ride quality on one and better fit on the other! Ideally correct the fit on the Boardman but if you can't then a set of higher volume good quality tyres run at lower pressure on the Carerra should help improve the ride.
A bad position on the Boardman could become excrutiating on a very long ride. You'll probably be able to tell as you up the ride distance.
I'm doing the Tour de Connemara myself this Saturday. I've just got a new bike and haven't quite got it sorted yet so I'm still debating whether to use it or my old bike. Don't think I can resist using the new toy though!