Men!

[Veronica]

Thanks Leslie. I know I want to do the 200 and the 300. It's after that - 400 600 1200 And you know here in the Bay Area, they will not be flat rides. And yeah doing PBP would be so cool! Especially if MP and I did together in the same year.

So what bikes are you looking at MP?

V.

[Bad JuJu]

Speaking of men and their irritating habits, DH dogs me all the time about the $$$ I spend on biking, yet HE owns two cars, one motorcycle, plus a bike of his own. Jeez!

But like Veronica's guy, he's just teasing--we keep our discretionary income separate so my biking hasn't cost him a dollar and neither has his collection of vehicles cost me anything.

[maillotpois]

Well, actually DH happened upon this frame at Gary Hobbs' store (where I got all my bikes, gvhbikes.com - Gary died of leukemia last year and Tom's running the shop now. Amazing how many TNT rides I coached on Gary's bikes and then he goes and dies of the stuff.) I can't get a picture in here that is not HUGE. It's a Jeff Lyon rogue frame, bright blue.

"This is a handmade, fillet brazed frameset with sport/touring geometry, fender braze-ons, and clearance for larger tires."

I am hesitant to do steel here, at the coast, given my clumsiness, etc. But I really can't get a brevet bike with the right geometry in a different frame material that I can afford/justify. The frame's not too heavy - under 4 lbs and the fork is light. So we could probably bring it in around 24 - 25 pounds. The Schmidt hub will add some weight. But it's just the best set up for lights I have seen for long distance riding. The Moab on the helmet was fine for the 600k, but I could see it getting to be dicey at longer distances.

So we're looking at maybe getting Tom to build it up for us. I would put a schmidt hub on it. It's so weird to be looking at buying a bike when I can't even ride for 5 more months. Surreal.

On the brevets -

Everyone tells me the Davis brevet series is the one to do. I would like to throw in an extra 600k, maybe SF's. PBP is out because we will probably do a family trip to France next year and I couldn't go back 3 - 4 weeks later. I heard some amazing stuff this weekend about PBP, and will definitely do it one day. Probably in 2011.

[snapdragen]

2011 - there's your goal date Veronica......

[Lise]

5 months seems like an eternity, but it will pass, soon, MP.

So, tell me, what qualities does a bike need to be a "brevet bike"?

[SadieKate]

I'm trying to talk MP into a Mercian. She started it by sending me this link.

Now I want it in Flamboyant Red.

http://www.merciancycles.com/frame_velocita.asp

[maillotpois]

You are flamboyant.

I'm thinking a little more cost-conscious:

http://www.merciancycles.com/frame_i...x_complete.jpg

Super nice. Probably available in flamboyant red. But would that clash with my red bar bag? Hmm...

So it's probably a good thing I am not in a hurry to get a bike. Have some time to shop around.....

[Veronica]

So, tell me, what qualities does a bike need to be a "brevet bike"?

Well... it needs to be comfortable. So more of a touring geometry, rather than a race geometry.

Some examples...



The Madonne has more of a racing geometry



The Pilot is more upright, so more of a touring geometry.

You should be able to put fenders on it and maybe even racks. A lot of brevet riders have generator hubs too.

There's probably other stuff that I don't know about.
V.

[maillotpois]

But you don't really "need" a special bike to do brevets. I did the 600 on the race geometry bike, and I don't know that Nanci's Lava is a "brevet" or touring bike - it looked fairly standard but I don't remember thinking about geometry last time I looked at a picture of her bike. (Lava Napping, I believe was the picture!)

I just noticed after a couple hundred miles, I start spending all my time with my hands on the tops of the bars. So I believe that a brevet bike would be better. A bit more upright, maybe cushier.

My bikes have no clearance for fenders, which would be nice to have. At a bit under 20 pounds each, both my bikes are a heck of a lot lighter than a brevet bike, but I am hoping to ultimately keep the weight down on the bike as much as possible. The Schmidt hub will add weight and some drag, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

[SadieKate]

MP, you think the Davis ultra group will have their act back together next year?

[Trekhawk]

A lot of brevet riders have generator hubs too.
There's probably other stuff that I don't know about.
V.

Ok showing my ignorance here. What is a generator hub??

[mimitabby]

It's a gizmo you get put on your hub that generates electricity (for a headlight, for example) by the energy made by your pedalling and on downhills and stuff.