Seriously. I got no less than 2 bees in my leg hair today
Randonneurs (randos), use metric for distances; it'll make them feel like a longer ride: rando chat‽
I rode an overnight 400 last weekend that had no shortage of stories.
Today I pre-rode RUSA’s 20th anniversary 200k.
It was really hot today and I’m beat. I’ll follow up later
Next weekend is my first 300k. Anything obvious I’m missing here?
Bike Stuff
- multi-tool w/4, 5, 6mm hex keys
- 10mm wrench (fork/rack bolt)
- mini-pump
- schraeder/presta adapter
- chain tool
- tubeless “worm” patch kit (never had to use this before?)
- extra tube
- chain quick link
Gear
- 3 @ Water Bottles
- Reflective Vest
- Rain Jacket (pending forecast)
- Helmet
- Gloves
- Battery powered headlamp
- USB powerbank for GPS
Extra Socks- Long sleeve outer layer
- Baby Wipes
- Band aides / ointment
- Cash
- ID
- Phone
- Bonk Food (snickers)
It’s good to be prepared but that looks like overkill to me.
Mini tool
2 tubes and patch kit
Frame pump
Snickers
Fair point.
Think i’m nervous because it isn’t on my home turf - I need to travel to it so have no idea of the route.
I think it only seems like a lot because it’s in a bulleted list. Seems normal to me.
300k time limit is 18 hours
Basic tools or anything you need to fix your bike
3 bottles? Look on the map, if temps are below 80freedom you should be able to cover 50+km on 2 bottles.
First aid kit? Idk I have a couple Advils, a couple alcohol wipes and a fat cbd joint in a small baggie.
You do not need extra socks. It’s 18 hours. Is it going to be shitty rain? Like, cold? Sure. It’s summer time and (you’re in GER right?) the weather should be predictable enough that you’ll either need a jacket or won’t - kind of a day-of decision.
Add a swipe or two of chamois butter.
You might be over thinking it. It’s just 300kms. You can do it. It’s easy it’s just riding a bike.
I keep a pair of nitrile gloves in my kit so if I have to do chain work or other shitty job, my hands aren’t going to ruin everything they touch for the rest of the ride.
two extra grams for the gloves? NO THANK YOU
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What kind of bougie fuck bullshit is that? Real dirt bag bikers just get gungy.
(Srs that’s a great idea: I carry some baby wipes for hand cleaning and buttmergencies as well).
On leg shaving…
I don’t have much but a friend I ride with has thick fur. When the route goes through tall grass I sometimes pick up a tick but not often. Furry friend on the same ride will pick up 20+
I shave my legs because I have thick fur and pick up an extreme amount of dirt and bugs. It also blows in the wind and irritates my skin on long rides.
Yeah, but one time I spent 15 minutes fucking with someone else’s broken shit and that’s not cool. You don’t know how many times I’m the roving bike mechanic for others.
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Oh I bet it’s quite a bit. Maybe you need a little gojo squeeze bottle too.
I’m going to nitpick the least important thing but my ‘bonked out 7-11 respite’ snack is peanut m&ms. Bit of protein, lots of sugar, doesn’t melt and get all gross, super easy to eat while riding.
Probably my most pro bit of advice honestly. Everything else I’ve learned from cycling isn’t applicable to 95% of other cycling disciplines. That though, I’m golden.
This is definitely a major motivator in my case. And on really cold rides they seem to feel warmer just because I can’t feel the wind.
Used to shave, but anymore I just take the trimmers over the legs once a year, usually late spring or early summer. Probably wouldn’t even do that if putting sunscreen on hairy legs wasn’t so annoying to me.
First official brevet (300k) was a success!
Took the train down to Gießen, Germany the day before and AirBnB’d a place near the start. The next morning rode over to the cafe and it was basically all crabon space bike with skinny tires.
Our crü of 3 were definitely the odd ones out. Most of us were wearing regular shorts and Vans and rolled in on:
- my DayRuiner with a basket and 47mm Byways
- ToutTerrain flat-bar Rohloff with 26" Marathon Supremes
- a 250EUR Decathlon 7-speed bike (he just moved from PNW and still waiting on his bike to arrive)
Few funny looks and comments, but everyone was pretty chill.
Quick downpour right before the start but ended quickly and was 80 degrees and sunny for the rest of the day.
As it got dark the temperature dropped to ~50 and I wished for leg warmers and thicker outer layer for the descents.
The distance felt surprisingly good, but the climbing was much harder than I expected. The route included 3950m with 5? gradients > 10%.
We got to a point where we’d just 
it up the hill once speed got below 7 kph.
My randobagsket worked surprisingly well, but it wasn’t really fast access because of net and cue sheet, and in rain it would have been terrible
Control spacing was a bit strange to me (10, 35, 112, 155, 183, 215) and I was happy to have the 3rd bottle of water for those 80km gaps.
We rode together the entire course and finished with ~35 minutes to spare. Average pace on the bike was 19kph but we spent ~4 hours at controls somehow. Not fast, but super happy we finished.
9 Likes
Would have been fun to watch reactions had you shown up with the cardboard box instead of the basket.
hah - totally forgot about v1! That certainly would have ruined some days