question on audax cycling please.

feck sake lads

Audax riders are there many of you lads /lassies doing the louth audax end of july 200km.i'm seriously thinking of doing this event first audax, if i can sort out my raleight with lighter wheels and try and fit mudguards everything else i have except maybe the legs
the more i read about audax the more i like it ,i really do not like sportives cycling always turns into a race but each to there own, yeah cycling at my own pace i like that maybe even hooking up with a guy thats as slow as me just to see how its done .
anyway lads whos doing it sounds like a great challange and a good event:cool:

G rock

Why not consider the around down at the end of june?

Just up the road from you, I think it's fairly flat. Judging from the name alone, the "rock savage" in louth might be a toughie-i think this is the first year it's on?

marketty

Hope to make it to the rock savage. Have done 2 200km audax so far, thoroughly enjoyed both. My kind of cycling and cheap as chips! Looking forward to seeing the route for this. Hope to do a 300 this year so want to get another 200 done first

feck sake lads

Cheers lads i have to get my bike sorted first new hub going on rear wheel new tyres about to be ordered schwalble ultremo/ mudguards to be bought and fitted any ideas whats best on these i have no eyelets onframe so need to but add ons for that job must look god no crap :D

G Rock i'm gonna wait until the july one i need to get my head around this distance, im a very experience cyclist but its years since i done a century plus most of my cycling these times are between 30 to50 miles at 13mph average i know i'm sad there was a time i could average 18 mph but long gone i'm happy where i'm at these days.
anyway lads thanks for the replys if you see a auld fella on a vintage rally with shiney new wheels and mudguards come and say hello i'm to small to fight.;)

Inquitus

To be honest anyone can do a 200km Audax on any race bike, I have done a number just with stuffed pockets on my plastic race bike. Its when you venture onwards to 300 and beyond and need to cycle at night, carry warm clothes for changeable weather, have spare parts etc. that having an Audax specific bike becomes a necessity imo. The miles and hills slowly take their toll and when you have done 200km of Wicklow and have 200km to go having that super generous triple comes into its own!

TinyExplosions

Inquitus wrote: »

To be honest anyone can do a 200km Audax on any race bike, I have done a number just with stuffed pockets on my plastic race bike. Its when you venture onwards to 300 and beyond and need to cycle at night, carry warm clothes for changeable weather, have spare parts etc. that having an Audax specific bike becomes a necessity imo. The miles and hills slowly take their toll and when you have done 200km of Wicklow and have 200km to go having that super generous triple comes into its own!

I've done the Virginia 300 on my Plastic bike, with nothing special other than a few quid in my jersey, so I'd say it's really 400+ where you want to be thinking about specific gear...

vigorelli

Don't think about it too much. On an audax, there is always someone going at your pace and there is always someone with a heavier bike I wouldn't worry too much about mudguards on a midsummer 200. Just turn up and give it a go!

the Around Down 200 is a lovely route. I did it in 2011, the first year it was on. There was a good turnout and all the controls were manned and well stocked with water and food. It's not hilly, there's a leg tester or two (Rathfriland) early on and then a nice jaunt along the coast for the second half. Highly recommended

The Rock Savage is a new event, but doesn't look as tough as the name might suggest. The biggest hill is Lough an Lea near Bailieborough, not exactly a monster.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2483252

I'll probably do the Rock Savage as it's local. Given that location and the time of year I'd say there will be a good few doing it

feck sake lads

yeah i'm sussing out a new triple chainset as well the stronglight impact looks perfect great range of rings, also SKS race long race blades look good.
yeah the louth one is local to me as well i'm in drogheda so i know a fair bit of the route.
oh man i'm slowly talking myself into this.

Inquitus

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I've done the Virginia 300 on my Plastic bike, with nothing special other than a few quid in my jersey, so I'd say it's really 400+ where you want to be thinking about specific gear...

I am weak, but after 200km of the MB and 3300m of climbing my ability to turn a 34/28 satisfactorily on the hills is gone and I start getting knee pain from grinding away instead of spinning, so for a hilly 300/400 I'd like some more generous gearing. Agree a flattish 300 in summer would be no bother on a plastic bike.

cdaly_

feck sake lads wrote: »

yeah i'm sussing out a new triple chainset as well the stronglight impact looks perfect great range of rings, also SKS race long race blades look good.

I had race blades for a while but I found they'd need regular fiddling with to avoid rubbing (or maybe I never managed to set them up properly). I'm using crud racers these days which don't need eyelets but are a more permanent fix and don't go out of adjustment.

Your 13mph average is fine. Minimum required average speed for an audax is 10mph...

smacl

cdaly_ wrote: »

Your 13mph average is fine. Minimum required average speed for an audax is 10mph...

Worth remembering that in audax, we're talking about elapsed time from start to finish as opposed to rolling time which people often use. 13mph (20.8kph) would see you finishing a 200k event in slightly under 10 hours, which is pretty close to the pace I'd be at on hillier courses at that distance.

Only got one audax in last year (the dying cow) and loved it. Far prefer this format and scale of event to sportives.

MB Lacey

I also have those sks raceblades FSL and although they're great/light/ easy to put on take off - they do leave marks on the forks...
stones and grit seem to lodge behind the fasteners and scrape away at the paint work.
Anyhow - raceblades are the last thing you need to be worrying about.
Cycling all those kms on the one day is a very respectable challenge you're setting yourself.

feck sake lads

MB Lacey wrote: »

I also have those sks raceblades FSL and although they're great/light/ easy to put on take off - they do leave marks on the forks...
stones and grit seem to lodge behind the fasteners and scrape away at the paint work.
Anyhow - raceblades are the last thing you need to be worrying about.
Cycling all those kms on the one day is a very respectable challenge you're setting yourself.

you hit the nail on the head there :D

feck sake lads

well looks like i'm gonna have a go at this and i talked too of my cycling buddys to do it as well might even be a few more.

ok lads need a bit of mechanical advice .
gonna put new stronglight triple impact on my raleigh 753 but anyone got an idea what width bottom bracket i should get i'llput a link up here in a sec .http://www.xxcycle.com/bottom-bracket-stronglight-jp-400-al-bsc,,en.php
http://www.xxcycle.com/crankset-stronglight-impact-triple,,en.php
the width of my bottom bracket shell is 68m looking at a utube video one guy recommends 122 mm b/b totally confusing.
i'm hoping to order tomorrow.

smacl

Looking at replacing my own triple BB at the moment, 68x118 seems to be the most common. Check out Sheldon's BB chart, http://sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html

feck sake lads

smacl wrote: »

Looking at replacing my own triple BB at the moment, 68x118 seems to be the most common. Check out Sheldon's BB chart, http://sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html

jeez old sheldon lost me on this one :eek:
maybe i should play safe and go with 118.
he was some genius was sheldon rip.

vigorelli

feck sake lads wrote: »

jeez old sheldon lost me on this one :eek:
maybe i should play safe and go with 118.
he was some genius was sheldon rip.

going BT that chart, it looks like an impact triple Square taper needs a 115.

feck sake lads

vigorelli wrote: »

going BT that chart, it looks like an impact triple Square taper needs a 115.

thanks for that now i'm totally confused :D

feck sake lads

Ok new chainset and bottom bracket ordered from SJS cycles hopefully i'll have it during the week get some miles in.
i changed my computer from mph to km for this morning spin 65 km average 22km hour sounds good but i think i'll go back to mph at least that way i know how slow i'm going.:D
so new wheels new crankset with bigger range of gears now to lighted my barley saddle bag and that average should pop up by 1 mph.

stupid question does audax riders take breaks on the road if theres a group staying together.

Inquitus

feck sake lads wrote: »

Ok new chainset and bottom bracket ordered from SJS cycles hopefully i'll have it during the week get some miles in.
i changed my computer from mph to km for this morning spin 65 km average 22km hour sounds good but i think i'll go back to mph at least that way i know how slow i'm going.:D
so new wheels new crankset with bigger range of gears now to lighted my barley saddle bag and that average should pop up by 1 mph.

stupid question does audax riders take breaks on the road if theres a group staying together.

In the one's I have done, groups have stopped at each control together and moved on together.

feck sake lads

thanks for that i have 2 friends doing it as well hopefully, but there very strong cyclists so i cant see me doing the full 200 k with them and to be honest i want to enjoy the event no glory gears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG7oDiNUveE.this is great but looks fast to my eyes.

feck sake lads

was there an audax ride today, i met 2 lads heading into castlebelligham heading north , there bikes seem to be well set up bar bags and large saddle bags.
i didn't make the 200km audax rock savage hadn't enough miles in me legs but i'm sure hoping to join up next year;)

The Ging and I

No audax event on to day. Next one is" The 3 provinces 300k"
Details on Audax Ireland site