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Bike Set Up For Audax Riding?

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  • January 7, 2015 at 11:44 am #22969
    craig749

    I’m hoping to do some Audax events later in the year and was looking for some advice on bike set up? I can currently ride about 70-100 miles on my current set up without any issues but as some of the distances will be further should i be looking to make my fit more comfy?

    I currently ride a custom build, steel framed bike with a 100mm stem (-6 degree rise). Ive been fitted to the bike by a very reputable fitter so I’m more than happy with the fit.

    Would it be beneficial to flip the stem for a more ‘upright’ riding position or is it just a matter of upping my mileage over time and getting used to being in that position for longer periods of time.

    If any of you have experience with long distance riding it would be great to get your thoughts/advice.

    Many thanks

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  • January 8, 2015 at 12:48 pm #825391
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    mtm_01

    alotronic wrote:
    However this

    alotronic wrote:

    However this year I am going to switch out to a carbon ‘sportive’ bike just to see what’s that like. Add raceblade longs, a cadmium 17 and a carradice saddlebag and I am done.

    I rode a 200km Audax last month on my carbon bike with no issues, the only change I’ve done for the longer distances is fit a more substantial saddle bag (the Ortlieb big sort) to hold more tools that I would normally take on a training ride. This was partly down to wanting to do as much as possible before it got dark too.

    Some people will swear by steel but whatever’s comfortable is best!

    January 7, 2015 at 4:49 pm #825389
    0
    craig749

    Thank you all for the
    Thank you all for the feedback. Ill probably flip the stem to see how that feels and like Simon E said its only a 5 minute job to change it back again. Saddle position is fine so theres no need for me to mess about with that. Getting some more century rides in and seeing how I feel will be the best option I think 😉

    Ive also dropped the bike fit guy an email to get his thoughts.

    Looking forward to getting my first Audax booked now 🙂

    January 7, 2015 at 4:37 pm #825387
    0
    alotronic

    You’ll only ever know by
    You’ll only ever know by going out and riding those distances! You’ll find out all sort of interesting things. Here’s what I have found…

    I don’t like steel frames. They may be comfy but I find 18 hours feeling that I am wasting energy – I don’t like that much!

    Against all fashion and good sense I ride an alloy frame with a steel fork – all my ‘power’ gets to the back and the steel fork softens up the front (I suffer from numb hands). On a really long ride (400+) I reverse the stem tilt the bars up a little.

    However this year I am going to switch out to a carbon ‘sportive’ bike just to see what’s that like. Add raceblade longs, a cadmium 17 and a carradice saddlebag and I am done.

    I did once carry a whole spare saddle when trying out a new one, just in case the new one didn’t work out.

    The only thing I would say is that as you are generally riding slower a race position is uncomfortable. However there are Audax riders on Cannondale Super 6s, flat backed and all.

    See? All trial and error. Get out, it’s good fun. And when it’s not good fun at least you have good company. See you out there.

    A

    January 7, 2015 at 4:32 pm #825385
    0
    massspike

    If you can ride a century
    If you can ride a century with no issues, then why would you mess with the setup of your bike including your saddle? You are already well beyond casual riding range. I ride more upright than I probably need to but like you I have no issues on long rides so I don’t “fix” what isn’t broken.

    I would invest in my shorts, shoes, and gloves — the soft points of contact — though.

    January 7, 2015 at 4:18 pm #825383
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    Simon E

    Saddle and shorts are
    Saddle and shorts are important choices.

    Yes, flip your stem and see if you like it, it’s a 5minute job to put it back. Have you asked the bikefit person who set it up? You might be tensing your back and shoulders for some reason without realising.

    Lots of excellent info at https://audaxing.wordpress.com/

    January 7, 2015 at 1:37 pm #825381
    0
    sihall34

    I would say if you can do 100
    I would say if you can do 100 miles with your current setup, you should be fine on longer rides if you build up. 100 miles up to a 200k isn’t a big jump, maybe another couple of hours so you should be fine, I wouldn’t try anything specific unless you actually find your position uncomfortable.

    I find that my shoulders start to hurt when starting longer distances but you get more used to it. My feet gave me the most problem, wearing SPDs, I changed to my normal road cleats and shoes and found it much better. The other thing I have done is adding a gel pad under the bar tape and wrapping the bar to cushion your hands in the place you normally rest them (the tops for me).

    Other than that, comfy saddle and shorts can make a difference too although their pretty subjective so it’s hard to say what would work.

    Good luck!

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