New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour company?

Specific board for this popular undertaking.
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bikes4two
Posts: 1306
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by bikes4two »

My first thoughts on reading what your local bike shop said on 'what bike advice' is to find another bike shop as the first one is only trying to sell you what he's go rather than what you probably need. Visit SJS & pick there brains.
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
tim_f
Posts: 251
Joined: 12 Oct 2009, 10:37pm

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by tim_f »

You need a bike that you will be comfortable to ride all day and then the next day for 2 weeks.

I suggest you find a shop that has demo bikes so you can go for an all day test ride and find out what sort of bike is best for you.

For this sort of riding having a wide range of gears is useful so you can 'spin up' a hill at the end of the day when you might be tired. Most off the peg road bikes from the big manufactures are lacking in this respect. The more expensive the bike is the more likely is it will have a narrow range of gears. Most of the big makes have sensibly geared road bikes at the bottom end of their ranges - e.g. with a Sora triple set up.

Get you bike well in advance so you can train on it and leave some budget so you can change bits if necessary - e.g. saddles, peddles, handlebars etc. if what comes with bike does not work for you.

When I listen to people talking in bike shops it is clear that many of the staff have no idea about long distance touring.

If you are heavy you probably want some strong wheels made for your weight and usage. living in the south SJS cycles is probably a good place to go. If you are prepared to travel then Paul Hewitt's in Leyland, Spa cycles in Harrogate or Ghylside Cycles in Ambleside in the Lakes all have a good reputation for building up bikes from frames for long distance riding.
JCroxton
Posts: 19
Joined: 25 Nov 2014, 3:57pm

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by JCroxton »

JonB, I'm unsure if you've found your bike yet. But I'm in a similar position. I'm close to buying a Dawes from the Bike Shed in Exeter. just waiting for them to get them in from their warehouse so I can test ride a couple.

Here's a link to their Dawes offers at the moment, some bargains imo.

http://www.bikesheduk.com/Dawes-Touring-Bike-Sale
Ron
Posts: 1385
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by Ron »

The choice of bike would depend on what you want to do with the bike afterwards. I used a hybrid and the LEJOG miles make up only a small percentage of the miles the bike has covered before and since LEJOG.
greg1984
Posts: 8
Joined: 20 Feb 2014, 9:10am

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by greg1984 »

Good point!

I was in a similar situation but used an old trek mountain track mountain bike that I was given by a friend. After being serviced and putting slick city jet tyres on it, it worked well. Still use it now. The best thing was the easy gears!!

I returned and bought a racer and use both for different reasons.

I think it's worth finding a type of bike you like before investing.

Enjoy lejog brilliant ride and you will meet some interesting people along the way!!
tojjer
Posts: 12
Joined: 6 Apr 2013, 8:59pm

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by tojjer »

jonb,

I did JOGLE back in September 2013.
We had a support vehicle so no need for panniers or anything, and I planned our route around staying in either Travelodges or Youth Hostels.
I was 48 and 17st 10 when I did it. Personally, I don't think the weight issue is a problem.
We did train prior to the Jogle, but nothing ridiculous. We would go out and do a 40-60 mile ride a couple of times a week, and then a few smaller rides to and from work or around the local area. We did do a 103 mile ride once just to see if we could.
Some days we would only do hill reps, boring but good training. We rode in all weathers, rain, wind and cold and it was a good job too cos we had all of that on our ride.

Going up hill for me, consists of selecting my granny gear and spinning all the way up at the same cadence. Downhill is the opposite, the heavier you are, the more it helps. Even on the flat, if you're heavier and you can get it moving at a decent pace, for me the weight keeps me moving on. In fact, out of the three of us, I was the heaviest and coped with not dropping my energy levels better than the others.

Due to my weight, I always find going up the hills a slow process, even slight hills. I have a 2011 Specialized Tricross with a triple set up, I tried a compact set up on a carbon bike I bought, but I struggled with the hills and felt every bump going. There wasn't one hill I didn't ride up on that triple on the JOGLE, even an absolute nightmare of one around the Crediton area, majorly in ya face.

The thing to remember is it's not a race. You will be spending a lot of hours in that saddle so make sure it's a good one. I changed mine for a Brooks leather one and once worn in, for me there is no better. I think the best thing you can do, is no matter what bike you go for, have it set up properly for you. Your bum, neck, knees, thighs, shoulders, feet and everything else you can think of will ache at some stage of the trip, and having a poor riding position will aggravate that.

If there was one thing I wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't be without on a LEJOG / JOGLE..........mudguards!!! Worth every penny and they're so light these days that they make no difference weight wise to the bike. At my weight it doesn't matter anyway!!! :D

Have a safe trip whenever you do it, but most of all enjoy it.

PS: I see you mentioned Bournemouth. If you haven't bought one yet, try Primera Sports in Bournemouth. I went up from Weymouth and they fitted the bike to me at no extra cost

Here's our trip if you're interested: https://www.facebook.com/2013twomenandalittlelady

tojj
ukdodger
Posts: 2992
Joined: 18 Aug 2007, 5:32pm
Location: Sunny Surrey

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by ukdodger »

I'd do the CTC one. You get a mixed bunch of people and many if not most doing it for the first time. Some young and fast others old(er) and slow. The tour leader is excellent with a vehicle back up. I've done it twice and will do it again.
Nickeveson
Posts: 215
Joined: 25 Nov 2014, 5:15pm

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by Nickeveson »

Hi, I am planning Jogle in May/June and plan on doing it unsupported.....camping as I go and hopefully completing in 14 days. I am riding from Jog as psychologically will be heading south towards home. I would be interested in buddying up if you fancy it
JCroxton
Posts: 19
Joined: 25 Nov 2014, 3:57pm

Re: New to cycling, LEJOG next year, what bike and tour comp

Post by JCroxton »

With regards to what bike, I recently purchased my Dawes Galaxy from my local bike shop as they've got a touring section set up in their stores with some great sale prices at the moment.

Have a look at this page from their website, all of which are well in budget. Personal opinion of the shop & staff is great, very attentive and helpful. I can only assume the online service follows a similar precedent.

http://www.bikesheduk.com/Dawes-Touring-Bike-Sale
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