2011 London to Paris / London to Brighton.....
Discussion
I recently saw the (Big Issue) 2010 London to Paris ride advertised In the Metro paper, and thought this might be an interesting challenge for a mate and I to prepare for in 2011, possibly using the London to Brighton event 2011 as a useful warm-up.
Although I do own a bike, it is a very cheap mountain bike given to me by my father-in-law, and it appears to weigh roughly the same amount as a Toyota Landcruiser (long wheelbase version).
I therefore suspect that in order to make a serious attempt at either of the above events, I will need to purchase a new bike suitable for the purpose. Before I embark on the weird and wonderful investigation into carbon frames, headsets, chainsets and groupsets etc, can anyone comment on the London to Paris ride (I think there are a number of versions organised by the Big Issue, Heart Foundation, etc), and what to look for / what to avoid?!
Also, can anyone advise the level of training that I should be considering for this – for the record I am not hugely fit by any means, but do Karate training 3 times a week so have some basic level of fitness.
I’m tempted to start the training this year on my current bike and see how I get on, before spending any hard cash. Assuming all goes well, I would then be looking to spend around £1k on a road bike, ideally getting a 2009/2010 model at the point these are discounted when the 2011 bikes are released (October??). FWIW, a colleague at work has recommended a Chris Boardman bike which seems to be pretty attractive at the price range.
Any advice on this would be much appreciated – although I see there is another similar thread currently in progress. It would also be helpful to understand how much I need to budget for additional equipment beyond just the bike – surprisingly (to a novice) it appears that many bikes don’t come with pedals, which to my mind is a bit like buying a car and then finding there is no accelerator or brake pedal, but I digress…….
Any top tips gratefully received!!
Sidicks
Although I do own a bike, it is a very cheap mountain bike given to me by my father-in-law, and it appears to weigh roughly the same amount as a Toyota Landcruiser (long wheelbase version).
I therefore suspect that in order to make a serious attempt at either of the above events, I will need to purchase a new bike suitable for the purpose. Before I embark on the weird and wonderful investigation into carbon frames, headsets, chainsets and groupsets etc, can anyone comment on the London to Paris ride (I think there are a number of versions organised by the Big Issue, Heart Foundation, etc), and what to look for / what to avoid?!
Also, can anyone advise the level of training that I should be considering for this – for the record I am not hugely fit by any means, but do Karate training 3 times a week so have some basic level of fitness.
I’m tempted to start the training this year on my current bike and see how I get on, before spending any hard cash. Assuming all goes well, I would then be looking to spend around £1k on a road bike, ideally getting a 2009/2010 model at the point these are discounted when the 2011 bikes are released (October??). FWIW, a colleague at work has recommended a Chris Boardman bike which seems to be pretty attractive at the price range.
Any advice on this would be much appreciated – although I see there is another similar thread currently in progress. It would also be helpful to understand how much I need to budget for additional equipment beyond just the bike – surprisingly (to a novice) it appears that many bikes don’t come with pedals, which to my mind is a bit like buying a car and then finding there is no accelerator or brake pedal, but I digress…….
Any top tips gratefully received!!
Sidicks
Edited by sidicks on Thursday 27th May 14:41
I did Greenwich to Newhaven on the Saturday then Dieppe to Paris on the Sunday a couple of years ago.
You need a road bike, or at least a good tourer. By the time you go, I would have thought you'd want to enjoy rides of about 45 miles in the evenings, and 70 on the weekends. (The second day was about 110 miles I think.) Adrenaline and the team spirit make up the rest!
Getting a bike that fits you is paramount, then miles in the saddle to make the ride. You can play with the rooutes on Google Maps, I can have a look sometime see if I can dig ours out. (Although it wasn't ideal.)
It's a bit of a way to ride, but absolutely achieveable for you next year, and if you're London based, there are plenty of PHers who like a ride, and will give you a tow round Richmond Park. (Or let you tow us!)
We're a friendly bunch, ask away!
You need a road bike, or at least a good tourer. By the time you go, I would have thought you'd want to enjoy rides of about 45 miles in the evenings, and 70 on the weekends. (The second day was about 110 miles I think.) Adrenaline and the team spirit make up the rest!
Getting a bike that fits you is paramount, then miles in the saddle to make the ride. You can play with the rooutes on Google Maps, I can have a look sometime see if I can dig ours out. (Although it wasn't ideal.)
It's a bit of a way to ride, but absolutely achieveable for you next year, and if you're London based, there are plenty of PHers who like a ride, and will give you a tow round Richmond Park. (Or let you tow us!)
We're a friendly bunch, ask away!
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