Riding on my own

mdhurley

Sorry to be anti-social, but I quite like riding on my own with my own thoughts and not having to wait or (more likely) catch up; but I was hoping for a bit of advice.

I want to go further, as I am limited to about 55-60 miles with what I can carry on my bike or in my pockets. I find bags are a PITA, but similarly I don't to carry a heavy bike lock around to stop where I need to. Could also do a figure of 8 around house/car. What would you do in my position, or do you do anything else?

Thanks

Martin

cougie

I've never carried a bike lock for leisure rides. Choose your stops well and you'll be fine.

What do you need ? You can do triple figure rides easily with what you can carry on the bike. You might need to pop into a garage for a drink in the summer though.

Bike tools and spares under the saddle. Two bottles. Leaves three pockets on the Jersey.

And if you're not stopping for cake I'm not sure if you're even cycling. ;-)

trivial_poursuivant

cougie wrote:

I've never carried a bike lock for leisure rides. Choose your stops well and you'll be fine.

What do you need ? You can do triple figure rides easily with what you can carry on the bike. You might need to pop into a garage for a drink in the summer though.

Bike tools and spares under the saddle. Two bottles. Leaves three pockets on the Jersey.

And if you're not stopping for cake I'm not sure if you're even cycling. ;-)

Pretty much what I do. I ride almost always alone. I prefer it that way, as so can go where I please and how I feel effects that. No sticking to routes etc or waiting on others. I can quite happily do a 100km plus ride with 2 bottles. All my kit goes in pockets and if I need to stop I find a petrol station etc where I am only inside for a minute or so and bike is always in view. I do miss Germany where so could find a nice pavement cafe where I could order a coffee and ice sundae on long summer rides.

pblakeney

cougie wrote:

I've never carried a bike lock for leisure rides. Choose your stops well and you'll be fine.

What do you need ? You can do triple figure rides easily with what you can carry on the bike. You might need to pop into a garage for a drink in the summer though.

Bike tools and spares under the saddle. Two bottles. Leaves three pockets on the Jersey.

And if you're not stopping for cake I'm not sure if you're even cycling. ;-)

This, and a pocket lock to deter/slow down opportunists but that event has never happened.
The lock is mostly for piece of mind and cafe seat with a view of the bike out in the sticks helps.

Edit - Most guys I know don't even bother with a lock but I get paranoid.

cgfw201

Just stop at sensible places. You can go out for 10 hours, stop at a couple of cafes and/or petrol stations and at no point do you really need a lock. Just don't stop at a supermarket or somewhere where you can't keep an eye on your bike.

Also love solo rides. Stick a few podcasts on, or the radio, or an audiobook (left ear only) and i can ride all day quite happily with my thoughts.

Hiltaldo

PBlakeney wrote:

cougie wrote:

I've never carried a bike lock for leisure rides. Choose your stops well and you'll be fine.

What do you need ? You can do triple figure rides easily with what you can carry on the bike. You might need to pop into a garage for a drink in the summer though.

Bike tools and spares under the saddle. Two bottles. Leaves three pockets on the Jersey.

And if you're not stopping for cake I'm not sure if you're even cycling. ;-)

This, and a pocket lock to deter/slow down opportunists but that event has never happened.
The lock is mostly for piece of mind and cafe seat with a view of the bike out in the sticks helps.

Edit - Most guys I know don't even bother with a lock but I get paranoid.

Agree with all the above posters. Two bottles, 2 tubes and if you plan it right you can find a cafe with a covering and have you bike within minipump strike range of any interested parties.

Matthewfalle

I never carry a lock - all places are cool if you poke your head in, ask politely for a coffee and just explain that you are keeping an eye on your bike.

Do it with a smile and it’s cool.

Then sit outside with eyes on bike and girls/boys/both/neither depending on persuasion.

briantrumpet

cougie wrote:

What do you need ? You can do triple figure rides easily with what you can carry on the bike. You might need to pop into a garage for a drink in the summer though.

It's quite good fun spotting nice people in their gardens in the summer and asking them if they'd mind filling up your water bottles... I've never had a refusal, most of them are interested in/amazed by how far you've been, and the berst one asked me if I wanted to stay and go to their barbecue, and they'd run me home later. Sadly I had to get home to go off to work.

Re lock - sometimes I have a small, cheap lock with me wedged under the saddle, but most of the time I don't bother to use it.

Only time I carried anything else (other than in pockets & small saddle bag for multitool & inner tubes) was on my solo 740-mile 7-day ride to the Alps. I had a larger saddlebag, and a decent budget for stopping and buying things as necessary and enjoying French cuisine en route.

Unless you're travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra, only take what you can't find en route.

pblakeney

briantrumpet wrote:

Unless you're travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra, only take what you can't find en route.

Equally applicable to travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra.

briantrumpet

PBlakeney wrote:

briantrumpet wrote:

Unless you're travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra, only take what you can't find en route.

Equally applicable to travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra.

True. I wasted a chunk of my Letraset sheet there.

awavey

Im not as trusting of people, so if Im going on a long ride that involves a cafe/pub stop somewhere, I always carry a lock, its a fairly lightweight cable lock I can wrap around the top tube so its not a pain to carry, sure it wouldnt stand up much to a determined thief, but its just for my piece of mind.

Matthewfalle

awavey wrote:

Im not as trusting of people, so if Im going on a long ride that involves a cafe/pub stop somewhere, I always carry a lock, its a fairly lightweight cable lock I can wrap around the top tube so its not a pain to carry, sure it wouldnt stand up much to a determined thief, but its just for my piece of mind.

just use a fat cable tie.

jrich

briantrumpet wrote:

cougie wrote:

What do you need ? You can do triple figure rides easily with what you can carry on the bike. You might need to pop into a garage for a drink in the summer though.

It's quite good fun spotting nice people in their gardens in the summer and asking them if they'd mind filling up your water bottles... I've never had a refusal, most of them are interested in/amazed by how far you've been, and the berst one asked me if I wanted to stay and go to their barbecue, and they'd run me home later. Sadly I had to get home to go off to work.

Re lock - sometimes I have a small, cheap lock with me wedged under the saddle, but most of the time I don't bother to use it.

Only time I carried anything else (other than in pockets & small saddle bag for multitool & inner tubes) was on my solo 740-mile 7-day ride to the Alps. I had a larger saddlebag, and a decent budget for stopping and buying things as necessary and enjoying French cuisine en route.

Unless you're travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra, only take what you can't find en route.

I do the very same!

I just can't bear the thought of carrying an extra unnecessary half kilo.

keef66

awavey wrote:

Im not as trusting of people, so if Im going on a long ride that involves a cafe/pub stop somewhere, I always carry a lock, its a fairly lightweight cable lock I can wrap around the top tube so its not a pain to carry, sure it wouldnt stand up much to a determined thief, but its just for my piece of mind.

Me too. I trust nobody. If I'm going to be nipping into a pub / cafe / shop / garage I take a medium weight cable lock. It's obvious enough to deter a casual thief and thick enough to slow down the more determined for a minute or so. And I'd never leave the bike out of sight for any length of time.

Another solo rider here; it's therapy for mind and body. Can rarely be @rsed with the hassle of organised rides with other people who turn up late, go too fast or too slow, fail to maintain their bikes, constantly stop to take phone calls, ride like complete dickheads etc.

If I'm going to be out all day I have a Carradice Barley saddle bag, and take a few more spares, bits of clothing, food etc. Just a couple of hours and it's all in the jersey pockets.

mrfpb

I take a 2 litre Carradice zipped roll with the straps slightly loosened to fit a D lock through. I tend to go for a wander if I stop somewhere nice, so I like to lock the bike up.

The zipped roll has the advantage of being wide rather than deep, so everything is in view and accessible when you open it. It also has a button down flap that a lightweight gilet will fit under.

mdhurley

Thanks for the replies. Just have to plan my routes a bit better, as the way I sweat and drink, I can only to about 50k with 2 bidons.

One follow up question: I take Science in Sport drinks around with me, but obviously can't get that at a shop/garage en route, so does anyone take any powder with them, or is it just straight water and a bit of food?

Thanks again
M

Rigga

mdhurley wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Just have to plan my routes a bit better, as the way I sweat and drink, I can only to about 50k with 2 bidons.

One follow up question: I take Science in Sport drinks around with me, but obviously can't get that at a shop/garage en route, so does anyone take any powder with them, or is it just straight water and a bit of food?

Thanks again
M

You can get sachets of powder to take out with you and put in your water bottle.

cougie

50k is what 30 miles or so ? And you need two bottles ? You can't be riding in the UK I guess ?

For long rides I'll set out with 1.5l of energy drink and then if I need anything else I'll get a bottle of own brand sports drink or similar from the local shop. I sweat a lot too but not as much as you I guess.

pblakeney

Rigga wrote:

mdhurley wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Just have to plan my routes a bit better, as the way I sweat and drink, I can only to about 50k with 2 bidons.

One follow up question: I take Science in Sport drinks around with me, but obviously can't get that at a shop/garage en route, so does anyone take any powder with them, or is it just straight water and a bit of food?

Thanks again
M

You can get sachets of powder to take out with you and put in your water bottle.

Tablet form too.

cgfw201

I used to drink a lot of electrolyte/powder based drinks on rides because I assumed I needed to, and one day just rode with water and now think it makes pretty much zero difference.

Unless you're out in 40C heat and losing salt at a rate of knots I'm not sure there's really any pyhsiological need to be constantly consuming sugars and electrolytes other than marketing from sports nutrition companies which tells you that you do.

pblakeney

cgfw201 wrote:

I used to drink a lot of electrolyte/powder based drinks on rides because I assumed I needed to, and one day just rode with water and now think it makes pretty much zero difference.

Unless you're out in 40C heat and losing salt at a rate of knots I'm not sure there's really any pyhsiological need to be constantly consuming sugars and electrolytes other than marketing from sports nutrition companies which tells you that you do.

There is that. Apparently I need a support vehicle just to carry the amount of fluid and energy bars/gels that are needed for a six hour, 100 mile ride. Either that or a pit stop to reload every hour.

awavey

cgfw201 wrote:

I used to drink a lot of electrolyte/powder based drinks on rides because I assumed I needed to, and one day just rode with water and now think it makes pretty much zero difference.

Unless you're out in 40C heat and losing salt at a rate of knots I'm not sure there's really any pyhsiological need to be constantly consuming sugars and electrolytes other than marketing from sports nutrition companies which tells you that you do.

maybe, but I do know if you get cramp in your legs when you are on a bike, because I was following turn-by-turn navigation and completely lost track of time/distance and wasnt drinking at all on a hot summers day, it hurts like hell, and it becomes very painful to keep pedalling,which isnt what you want when youve still got about another 30miles to ride, and drinking water at that stage doesnt help calm it down..

if I was doing that route thesdays, in summer, Id be taking two water bottles, one with just water, the other pre-mixed with a hydro tab in it, but on every ride I do no matter the distance/weather/time of year, I always carry a full water bottle.

briantrumpet

PBlakeney wrote:

cgfw201 wrote:

I used to drink a lot of electrolyte/powder based drinks on rides because I assumed I needed to, and one day just rode with water and now think it makes pretty much zero difference.

Unless you're out in 40C heat and losing salt at a rate of knots I'm not sure there's really any pyhsiological need to be constantly consuming sugars and electrolytes other than marketing from sports nutrition companies which tells you that you do.

There is that. Apparently I need a support vehicle just to carry the amount of fluid and energy bars/gels that are needed for a six hour, 100 mile ride. Either that or a pit stop to reload every hour.

Even on my longest hottest days on the bike, I don't bother with electrolytes etc. I think the most water I've got through was about 5 litres over the course of the day. Eating real food, on the other hand, on such a day, is de rigueur - my current favourite diet on my French rides is a baguette stuffed with plenty of bleu d'Auvergne, followed by my dense almond slices (full of butter, sugar, eggs, milk powder and, er, almonds). It's what jersey pockets were designed for.

I'm not going to pretend that my Devon rides are often in 40C conditions...

milemuncher1

mdhurley wrote:

Sorry to be anti-social, but I quite like riding on my own with my own thoughts and not having to wait or (more likely) catch up; but I was hoping for a bit of advice.

I want to go further, as I am limited to about 55-60 miles with what I can carry on my bike or in my pockets. I find bags are a PITA, but similarly I don't to carry a heavy bike lock around to stop where I need to. Could also do a figure of 8 around house/car. What would you do in my position, or do you do anything else?

Thanks

Martin

I prefer to ride alone. A jersey with pockets is enough for a short ride ( sub 100 miles ). For a long one ( over 150 miles) I pack a bar bag with food, and carry any tools in my jersey. Anything approaching 300 Kms / up to 200 miles, and I’ll probably ride with a backpack as well. Anything over 200 miles in one go, and I wouldn’t do it solo / unsupported. If I’m riding with a group, it’s totally different. It’s usual to find that amongst the group, all bases are covered, with no one rider bogged down like a Himalayan pack horse. Solo rides have their pluses and minuses, group rides have their pluses and minuses. You have to decide what you want from the ride. Then Improvise, adapt and overcome.

simon_e

mdhurley wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Just have to plan my routes a bit better, as the way I sweat and drink, I can only to about 50k with 2 bidons.

One follow up question: I take Science in Sport drinks around with me, but obviously can't get that at a shop/garage en route, so does anyone take any powder with them, or is it just straight water and a bit of food?

I don't bother with food or drink at all if it's under 2 hours. Otherwise water, banana and a couple of bars - snickers, flapjack or pop into a shop on longer rides (I carry a cheap combination lock).

2 bottles in 30 miles? Blimey! :shock: You don't need energy drinks, IMHO you'd be better off eating normal food. And your dentist won't thank you for drinking that stuff, it's proper tooth rot.

If you sweat a lot why not wear fewer layers? Better to be chilly for the first couple of miles than soggy after 15. I sometimes put a 5p carrier bag under my windproof first thing, I can stuff it in a pocket once I've warmed up.

bianchimoon

briantrumpet wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

briantrumpet wrote:

Unless you're travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra, only take what you can't find en route.

Equally applicable to travelling unsupported across the Siberian tundra.

True. I wasted a chunk of my Letraset sheet there.

Letraset, that’s a blast from the past

surfercyclist

Milemuncher1 wrote:

mdhurley wrote:

Sorry to be anti-social, but I quite like riding on my own with my own thoughts and not having to wait or (more likely) catch up; but I was hoping for a bit of advice.

I want to go further, as I am limited to about 55-60 miles with what I can carry on my bike or in my pockets. I find bags are a PITA, but similarly I don't to carry a heavy bike lock around to stop where I need to. Could also do a figure of 8 around house/car. What would you do in my position, or do you do anything else?

Thanks

Martin

I prefer to ride alone. A jersey with pockets is enough for a short ride ( sub 100 miles ). For a long one ( over 150 miles) I pack a bar bag with food, and carry any tools in my jersey. Anything approaching 300 Kms / up to 200 miles, and I’ll probably ride with a backpack as well. Anything over 200 miles in one go, and I wouldn’t do it solo / unsupported. If I’m riding with a group, it’s totally different. It’s usual to find that amongst the group, all bases are covered, with no one rider bogged down like a Himalayan pack horse. Solo rides have their pluses and minuses, group rides have their pluses and minuses. You have to decide what you want from the ride. Then Improvise, adapt and overcome.

So you class a sub 100 mile ride as short? Guess I need to recalibrate my expectations then....

cougie

Milemuncher are you the dude that does the really low cadence thing all the time ?

milemuncher1

SurferCyclist wrote:

So you class a sub 100 mile ride as short? Guess I need to recalibrate my expectations then....

That’s ( kind of ) the way I’ve become conditioned to look at rides. There’s nothing wrong with any distance, my system has become attuned to longer stints, so I have a different perspective to a lot of others. Different strokes for different folks and all that

Brakeless

SurferCyclist wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

mdhurley wrote:

Sorry to be anti-social, but I quite like riding on my own with my own thoughts and not having to wait or (more likely) catch up; but I was hoping for a bit of advice.

I want to go further, as I am limited to about 55-60 miles with what I can carry on my bike or in my pockets. I find bags are a PITA, but similarly I don't to carry a heavy bike lock around to stop where I need to. Could also do a figure of 8 around house/car. What would you do in my position, or do you do anything else?

Thanks

Martin

I prefer to ride alone. A jersey with pockets is enough for a short ride ( sub 100 miles ). For a long one ( over 150 miles) I pack a bar bag with food, and carry any tools in my jersey. Anything approaching 300 Kms / up to 200 miles, and I’ll probably ride with a backpack as well. Anything over 200 miles in one go, and I wouldn’t do it solo / unsupported. If I’m riding with a group, it’s totally different. It’s usual to find that amongst the group, all bases are covered, with no one rider bogged down like a Himalayan pack horse. Solo rides have their pluses and minuses, group rides have their pluses and minuses. You have to decide what you want from the ride. Then Improvise, adapt and overcome.

So you class a sub 100 mile ride as short? Guess I need to recalibrate my expectations then....

Don't believe a word this bloke types. 100 miles is a long way in any language.

milemuncher1

cougie wrote:

Milemuncher are you the dude that does the really low cadence thing all the time ?

It’s relatively low yes.