Quote Originally Posted by Trek420
People complete centuries on mountain bikes, recumbents, "comfort bikes"...ride what you like. This sounds kinda exclusive to me.
I don't think it is the Race Director's intention to be exclusive.... (I've seen this before on hilly century rides.) I think that the RD is trying to emphasize that the course very difficult (hilly) and that people won't be able to complete the ride with any "harder" gearing than 54/39 front and 12/27 rear. Mountain bikes and comfort bikes generally have an "easier" gearing ratio than 54/39-12/27, so it would be much more reasonable to climb massive hills on them.


I'm a relatively strong rider/racer. My road bike has a double up front (54/39) and a 12/27 in back. I've been on some pretty hilly rides and I've had to grind up some super steep hills in my 39-27 gear (easiest). Could I do that for 100 miles and 11,000 vertical feet? Probably not with that gearing ratio.