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View Full Version : Re: racing 400km on dirt roads (aka Rural Bike) - Road or MTB?


Boyd Speerschneider
July 18th 03, 04:38 PM
(Mariano) wrote in
m:

> Hi, I live in Argentina. There is a type of bike racing here called
> "rural bike" which are raced in rural dirt roads. Don't know what it
> is called elsewhere.
> The course I will be riding is completely flat and 400km long. Most
> people ride it on MTBs but I was wandering if a road bike would be
> better over such a flat and long course.
> Last year I raced in the same place but only one lap (207km) and
> finished 16 out of 120. I rode it on my MTB, chro-moly frame, no
> suspension, 1.5 slicks at 60psi, road saddle (ouch!), Alivio/Deore
> group. There where many 30+ km sections which LOTS of dirt. On those
> sections It was very hard to keep up with others, most riding 1.95
> semi-slicks.
> As I see it, a road bike would be lighter and faster in general but
> will I be forced to walk the dirt sections?
> (It's pretty clear I have no experience at all with road bikes.)
> People wining this type of races ride no suspension and slicks or semi
> slicks.
> All comments appreciated.
>
> Mariano
>

Mariano,
Try a cyclocross bike.
It has the best of both worlds:
Knobby tires and cantelever brakes from MTBs and the 700cc wheels,
handlebars, and either bar end or STI shifters from road bikes.
The shifting cables are run along the top tube so they won't be damaged
running underneath the downtube. Some even have MTB style brake levers
installed on the top of the handlebars.

You can get a very nice setup just to your liking.

- Boyd S.

MrBob
July 18th 03, 06:24 PM
In article >,
(Mariano) wrote:

> Hi, I live in Argentina. There is a type of bike racing here called
> "rural bike" which are raced in rural dirt roads. Don't know what it
> is called elsewhere.
> The course I will be riding is completely flat and 400km long. Most
> people ride it on MTBs but I was wandering if a road bike would be
> better over such a flat and long course.
> Last year I raced in the same place but only one lap (207km) and
> finished 16 out of 120. I rode it on my MTB, chro-moly frame, no
> suspension, 1.5 slicks at 60psi, road saddle (ouch!), Alivio/Deore
> group. There where many 30+ km sections which LOTS of dirt. On those
> sections It was very hard to keep up with others, most riding 1.95
> semi-slicks.
> As I see it, a road bike would be lighter and faster in general but
> will I be forced to walk the dirt sections?
> (It's pretty clear I have no experience at all with road bikes.)
> People wining this type of races ride no suspension and slicks or semi
> slicks.
> All comments appreciated.
>
> Mariano

One possibility if allowed - Trek Y-Foil road frame (Y66 or Y77) with a
Rock Shox Ruby fork and the fattest tires that will fit the frame. While
a hardtail, the geometry of the frame gives about a 8-10mm of travel,
and the fork was designed for the Paris-Roubaix race. I've ridden the
above setup with 27c Armadillos on hardpack trails and only had problems
when I hit a sandy patch or exposed roots on a downhill.

For a race this long you'll want as many different hand positions as
possible - drops with aero bars attached offer this.

If the dirt sections have loose dirt, this setup will probably not work,
as the tires fattest possible tires will be too thin.

If there are any technical sections, this setup will probably not work,
as the wheelbase is too short and the road bars are not wide enough.

If there is any chance of a wet day, don't even think of the above setup
- short wheelbase bikes' handling sucks in a low traction environment.

Hope this helps, though I suspect that the cyclocross suggestion is a
better fit.

Bob

vintage
July 18th 03, 07:07 PM
(Mariano) wrote in message >...
> Hi, I live in Argentina. There is a type of bike racing here called
> "rural bike" which are raced in rural dirt roads. Don't know what it
> is called elsewhere.
> The course I will be riding is completely flat and 400km long. Most
> people ride it on MTBs but I was wandering if a road bike would be
> better over such a flat and long course.
> Last year I raced in the same place but only one lap (207km) and
> finished 16 out of 120. I rode it on my MTB, chro-moly frame, no
> suspension, 1.5 slicks at 60psi, road saddle (ouch!), Alivio/Deore
> group. There where many 30+ km sections which LOTS of dirt. On those
> sections It was very hard to keep up with others, most riding 1.95
> semi-slicks.
> As I see it, a road bike would be lighter and faster in general but
> will I be forced to walk the dirt sections?
> (It's pretty clear I have no experience at all with road bikes.)
> People wining this type of races ride no suspension and slicks or semi
> slicks.
> All comments appreciated.
>
> Mariano

I would definitely recommend a cyclocross bike (a roadbike with 700C
wheelsize and drop bar, but with cantilever brakes and knobby tires).
Sometimes they call it cross bike (don't get mixed up with hybrid
bike). It's a rocket!!!!!
Iman

bobqzzi
July 18th 03, 07:55 PM
On 18 Jul 2003 07:48:05 -0700, (Mariano)
wrote:

>Hi, I live in Argentina. There is a type of bike racing here called
>"rural bike" which are raced in rural dirt roads. Don't know what it
>is called elsewhere.
>The course I will be riding is completely flat and 400km long. Most
>people ride it on MTBs but I was wandering if a road bike would be
>better over such a flat and long course.
>Last year I raced in the same place but only one lap (207km) and
>finished 16 out of 120. I rode it on my MTB, chro-moly frame, no
>suspension, 1.5 slicks at 60psi, road saddle (ouch!), Alivio/Deore
>group. There where many 30+ km sections which LOTS of dirt. On those
>sections It was very hard to keep up with others, most riding 1.95
>semi-slicks.
>As I see it, a road bike would be lighter and faster in general but
>will I be forced to walk the dirt sections?
>(It's pretty clear I have no experience at all with road bikes.)
>People wining this type of races ride no suspension and slicks or semi
>slicks.
>All comments appreciated.
>
>Mariano


I would suggest a Softride road bike..I think the Solo would be
best..it has a carbon beam and suspension stem. Any slight weight
penalty will be more that offset by the reduced fatigue and increased
efficiency the suspension supplies. You can use 30mm cyclocross
tires, although I've found the road has to get pretty soft before my
28mm tires dig in to much.

Sounds like fun. Good luck

Bob

Mariano
July 18th 03, 11:21 PM
MrBob > wrote in message >...

...
> If the dirt sections have loose dirt, this setup will probably not work,
> as the tires fattest possible tires will be too thin.

When I wrote dirt I meant very loose dirt. That's why my 1.5 slicks
where too thin. I mean, it was like thin loose dirt, like riding on
sand roads.
Maybe I am not explaining it very well because my mother tongue is
spanish.
Anyway, using higher presssure tires with suspension seems like a good
way to gain speed. The reason most don't use suspension forks is
weight and that you loos some acceleration. This guys rode the 415 km
in 19hs last year. I'm training to try and get a top 10% position (I
guess if I just finish I'll be top 10, since only 15 of 120 finished
the two laps last year)

MrBob
July 18th 03, 11:57 PM
In article >,
(Mariano) wrote:

> MrBob > wrote in message
> >...
>
> ..
> > If the dirt sections have loose dirt, this setup will probably not work,
> > as the tires fattest possible tires will be too thin.
>
> When I wrote dirt I meant very loose dirt. That's why my 1.5 slicks
> where too thin. I mean, it was like thin loose dirt, like riding on
> sand roads.
> Maybe I am not explaining it very well because my mother tongue is
> spanish.
> Anyway, using higher presssure tires with suspension seems like a good
> way to gain speed. The reason most don't use suspension forks is
> weight and that you loos some acceleration. This guys rode the 415 km
> in 19hs last year. I'm training to try and get a top 10% position (I
> guess if I just finish I'll be top 10, since only 15 of 120 finished
> the two laps last year)

The RockShox Ruby has a nice lockout feature, though many units are
defective and don't lock well. It becomes a tradeoff between an extra
kilo or so, plus some slop during acceleration, with not having your
body as badly beaten over the 19 hours. In all but the first few hours
you'll probably be willing to trade some acceleration for comfort. A
good part of the 90% that didn't finish probably stopped because their
bodies had been badly beaten.

I loved the ride with the Ruby, but I went back to my original fork when
I started to do a lot of road climbing - there was too much lateral slop
in the fork for high speed corners on descents.

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