Recommended Equipment

It is difficult to give specific advice for brevet riding. A wide variety of equipment is used by different people, depending on riding style and individual preference. Long brevets have been ridden on racing, touring and mountain bikes, recumbents, tandems, triplets, even tricycles and tandem trikes (those British are a funny lot!). Below are a few equipment recommendations for a regular solo road bike, based on personal experience. These may or may not work as well for you. Most of the comments are geared towards Grand Randonnées such as Paris-Brest-Paris, and will matter less on shorter brevets:

Bike: The two critical aspects of a bike set up for riding long distances unsupported, are comfort and reliability. A bike that is also light and aerodynamic can help the long miles pass a little quicker, but these are really secondary issues. Consider that the average rider might complete a 600km brevet at an average road speed around 15mph, well below the 25mph average speed of a 3 hour road race. At this speed, aero equipment offers very little benefit. Here are some ways that a standard road bike can be optimized for dedicated brevet use:

· If buying a custom frame, specify more relaxed geometry, longer wheelbase, and more upright position than for a road bike. Specify clearance and eyes for fenders if you expect ever to ride brevets where these are a requirement. If you already have your bike, or are buying off-the-peg, experiment with seatpost and handlebar stem to get the best position for long distance comfort.

· Use conventional spoked wheels, with adequate spoke count for your weight (including luggage). Apart from greater reliability, in a pinch these can be repaired more easily at the roadside or at a small town bike store (or PBP control).

· Use wider road tires, around 25mm, and pump to no more than 100-115psi. Avoid tires narrower than 23mm – they tend to suffer from impact punctures, they are less comfortable, and testing has shown that they actually have higher rolling resistance.

· Aero bars are useful, not so much to go faster, but to provide an alternative riding position, and a way to relieve the pressure points on the hands. A design with flip-up elbow rests will keep them out of the way when climbing. Bear in mind though, that aero bars are prohibited at PBP and possibly some other events too.

· Unless all your brevets are ridden in a flat area (or you are a USCF Cat 1 superman), fit a triple crankset (a compact double can also work well). The lowest gear should allow climbing the steepest hills when tired late in the ride. The highest gear can be significantly lower than the typical 53/11 of a modern road bike. Chances are, in the later stages of a long ride, you will be happy to freewheel if a descent or tailwind takes you over 25mph. A setup that works well for this writer is 3X9 gearing, with 30/39/48 rings and 12-23 cassette. This setup has the added advantage that it can be used with a standard short arm rear derailleur, instead of a long arm triple. A 13-26 cassette can be substituted on extremely hilly events.

· Fit pedals that use a cleat recessed into the sole of the shoe (e.g. most MTB types). This will make for more comfortable and safer walking at the controls. Use good quality shoes with soles stiff enough to prevent the cleat from causing a pressure point.

Lighting: It is not many years since a dynamo system was the only way to have reliable lighting capable of going through the night. Dynamo systems still have quite a following, and there are some excellent hub dynamos now available. However, the advent of the LED, and more recently high power white LEDs, has made battery lighting an extremely viable option for night riding. This technology is still developing fast, and new and better models of LED headlight are constantly being introduced:

· Use a minimum of two red 3- or 5-LED lights at the rear, one of which should run in steady (non-flashing) mode. Units using AA batteries are preferred, as a single battery type can then be used in both front and rear lights. The newest red LED lights are now considerably brighter than older models.

· Use one or two high power white LED lights as the main headlight. These are still fairly new, but are so superior as to make halogen bulbs obsolete overnight. These lights will last through a full night on a single set of 4 AA batteries. The light produced is of a slightly bluish hue, good for night vision. There is, of course, no bulb to blow. (I had a pair of these fall off my bike and skid along the road when a bracket broke. Both stayed lit, and are still in use today.) Use a secondary flashing LED, any color other than red, on the front of the bike for visibility.

· For side visibility, stick red reflective tape to the seatstays of your frame. Stick yellow or white reflective tape to the front forks and elsewhere.

Accessories: These can be make-or-break items for a successful long distance unsupported ride:

· Spare tubes (at least 2) and tire levers are obvious enough. Also useful are glue-less patches on a particularly unlucky day.

· A full size pump works a lot better than a mini-pump, especially if you are tired.

· Tire pressure gauge.

· A spare folding tire is good insurance against cuts, and a better solution than booting with a dollar bill on a long ride.

· A multi-tool and a spoke key. For maximum insurance, tape a spare spoke or two to frame or rack.

· Two large water bottles and/or a hydration pack. You can now buy bottles as big as 34oz, and hydration packs up to 100oz. It is almost impossible to carry too much fluid in the Midwest in July!

· A crocodile clip or map holder on the bars or stem can make a cue sheet easier to access and read.

· To carry the luggage you will need on longer brevets, use an expandable wedge bag or rack pack. Bags that present a large profile to the wind, such as saddlebags or panniers, should be avoided. These can make it very tough to ride into an Iowa headwind!

· Use eye shields with multiple color lenses, including clear lenses for night riding.

· Protect the skin in the (ahem!) saddle area with a suitable lubricant. Replenish it frequently. A number of products are available, but the one apparently preferred by (male) riders in RAAM is plain old petroleum jelly. Ladies, I am told that udder balm works well (seriously!).

· Use a sunscreen of at least SPF30 on any remotely sunny day. You can really fry during those long hours in the saddle.

· Use an energy drink based on maltodextrin, not sugar. Types which include protein, a good electrolyte balance and no added sugar are best for the longest rides.

Please contact the Regional Brevet Administrator if you have any comments, additional suggestions or alternative views, and we will be happy to add them to this page.