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It's not the bike.

Siddall

Warming-Up
Jan 12, 2011
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If you are riding several hundred km, a carbon rocket with few spokes or a steel bike with more makes little difference, according to Bicycle Quarterly's research on Paris-Brest. What will kill you is no fenders in hours of rain, a bad saddle, or tires with much more or much less than 25mm.

http://www.bikequarterly.com/BQPBPEquipsurvey.pdf

Of course, that's a specific type of riding and doesn't apply for some other.
 
One thing that totally sways the survey is that 4 years ago carbon was very, very expensive and I bet you anything if they did the survey again the results would be very different.

Another factor is how many veteran riders completed the 2007 P-B-P and was the weather a factor in the choice of bike they rode for the event?

A nonsense page filler survey that I will file under "W for waffle****"
 
Well, take it or leave it, of course. The source has a retrogrouch outlook, clearly. They explain their methodology within, which seems reasonably fair, but I'm not an actuary or statistician. Never hurts to give information a look. What does anybody have to lose but their preconceptions? I certainly found surprises about the durability of low spoke wheels over the distance, and don't know what to make about the liability of both very thin and fairly wide tires.
 
If you are riding several hundred km, a carbon rocket with few spokes or a steel bike with more makes little difference, according to Bicycle Quarterly's research on Paris-Brest.QUOTE]

I had a short read but got bored. The only way you could make such a sweeping statement is if you got the riders to repeat the ride using bikes from the other types of frame material they compare. And even then, you would need a power meter to ensure wattage was the same, same rider position, same air resistance (wind) factor, same wheels/componentry, tires, tire pressure etc. Given that overcoming air resistance is the biggest hindrance when cycling, then only equipment that reduces this are of any real importance anyway.

Sorry to correct you, but it does say this:
`Also, the more bags riders used and the more spokes their wheels had, the longer it took 90-hour riders to complete PBP (not shown in charts).`

This bit for me is the key: `Considering this, it makes sense to use the bike that is most comfortable, most reliable, and that best protects the rider from rain and road spray.`

When you are riding any length of time the most important thing is a bike that fits you, is comfortable, and you can trust not to break down, without that you will not be able to ride at your optimum level and that will have far more effect on your overall performance than any other factor.
 
I certainly found surprises about the durability of low spoke wheels over the distance, and don't know what to make about the liability of both very thin and fairly wide tires.

With low spoke count you also have to factor in rider weight which they don`t appear to do, so it`s impossible to make a judgement. Tires: yes, the range of widths seems surprising. Over 1228 km I would focus more on the rolling resistance (25`s always score highly) so I wouldn`t want to be in the 1% riding on 21mm or less or 5% riding on greater than 28mm.
 
Half on leather saddles, more than I might've guessed/expected.
 
Well, take it or leave it, of course. The source has a retrogrouch outlook, clearly. They explain their methodology within, which seems reasonably fair, but I'm not an actuary or statistician. Never hurts to give information a look. What does anybody have to lose but their preconceptions? I certainly found surprises about the durability of low spoke wheels over the distance, and don't know what to make about the liability of both very thin and fairly wide tires.

Agree you can take it or leave but like i said there are way too many factors to make any sweeping statements regarding what frame or spoke count ect. ect. is better.

If such statements were true then we would see this reflected in races like Milan -San Remo or Race Across America, lonng distance covered over short periods of time.
 
Speed counts

The faster you ride on your wheels the longer they last!
When you roll slow there is more weight in a given area. Just a silly idea I heard from Jobst.
Just a reason to ride faster on your expensive wheelset!
 
Sigh, I wish the humans surprised me more. A bunch of roadies need to close their minds to anything but the plastic sleds they've paid for:
- "Half on leather saddles, more than I might've guessed/expected." Have you considered it's because they work? Nah, must be mass delusion keeping them comfortable.
- "you would need a power meter..." Wow, now I'm bored. I think a 1200km ride is a better test for a 1200km ride than a wind tunnel. Silly me.
- "races like Milan -San Remo or Race Across America..." are considerably different events than PBP.

Guess I'm in the wrong place. Enjoy yourselves.
 
Sigh, I wish the humans surprised me more. A bunch of roadies need to close their minds to anything but the plastic sleds they've paid for:
- "Half on leather saddles, more than I might've guessed/expected." Have you considered it's because they work? Nah, must be mass delusion keeping them comfortable.
- "you would need a power meter..." Wow, now I'm bored. I think a 1200km ride is a better test for a 1200km ride than a wind tunnel. Silly me.
- "races like Milan -San Remo or Race Across America..." are considerably different events than PBP.

Guess I'm in the wrong place. Enjoy yourselves.

Im sorry did you excpect everyone to agree with you or the posts you made? If so then yes you are in the wrong place.... stay off the internet... you might get offended.
 
- "Half on leather saddles, more than I might've guessed/expected." Have you considered it's because they work? Nah, must be mass delusion keeping them comfortable.

Oops--you misunderstood how I felt about that stat: all warm and tingly, even self-affirmated. ;)

I got a B17 last summer (for my tourer), and liked it so much that I asked for, and got, a Swift/titanium for my road bike for xmas. Brooks leather is all I'll be riding on for the foreseeable future.
 
"you would need a power meter..." Wow, now I'm bored. I think a 1200km ride is a better test for a 1200km ride than a wind tunnel. Silly me.

I`m happy to plead `guilty as charged`, but this is a misrepresentation of what I wrote. Btw, I don`t have a power meter.
 
Paris-Brest eqpuipment

Thanks Siddall for that introducing that article; I enjoyed the "due diligence" :) style in which it was written. Paris-Brest is a class apart obviously!
 
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