Bike Maintenance🔗
Long-distance bike rides wear out bikes. Your bike will require maintenance; if not by you, then by your LBS (local bike shop). Expect (optimistically) to get 7,000 km from a chain and 5,000 km from tyres, but this depends very much on the type of your tyres and the riding conditions.
At a minimum, before a ride, you should be prepared to:
- Chain: Keep your drive chain clean. Wipe it down and lubricate. Dirty grease is an abrasive that wears out your expensive components.
- Tyres: Scrutinise your tyres for embedded glass. Many punctures are preventable by identifying these problems.
- Brakes: Cable adjustment and pad wear. It is quick to check and too easy to take for granted.
- Batteries: Di2, GPS, lights… they all work great when they are charged.
Carry essential spares and tools
Recommended:
- A good pump capable of achieving 100 psi
- 2 spare inner tubes
- Puncture repair kit
- 2 tyre levers
- a multi-tool
- a selection of cable ties
Clean your bike before any ride
When cleaning the bike, check for damage or wear and replace any item before it expires in the middle of nowhere.
Riding in Comfort🔗
For endurance riding, one of the keys to success is making the rider as comfortable as possible on the bike.
Bike Fit
There are three contact points between the rider and the bike. These are the saddle, the handlebars and the pedals. All of the riders weight is born on these points. The bike fit is successful when the weight is born appropriately by each of the pedals, saddle and handlebars.
There are many telltale signs that a bike fit may be needed:
| Problem | Symptoms | Fix | How |
| Shoulder and Neck Pain | Aching in shoulders and neck after a certain distance | Alter reach, usually reduce it | flip stem to raise bars, fit shorter stem, move saddle forward |
| Saddle pain | pain in buttocks/sit bones | shift some weight to bars/pedals. | Raise saddle or lower bars or saddle is too narrow, use wider saddle raise saddle and/or raise stem |
| Leg rubbing | pain in upper thigh | reduce friction | Shave Upper thigh, wear better shorts, use narrower saddle |
| Saddle pain | pain in frontal/perineum | move weight to sitbones | Drop nose of saddle, use saddle with cut out hole, use Adamo saddle |
| Wrist pain | ache in wrists | Reduce weight on hands | raise bars, use gel bar padding, use bars with an oval profile, use padded mitts |
| Numbness in fingers | lack of sensation in one or more fingers | Less pressure on hands | raise bars, use gel bar padding, use padded mitts |
| Knee pain | pain in front of knee, persists and gets worse with distance | Less stretching movement in knee | saddle too high, lower saddle |
| Knee pain | pain in back of knee, persists and gets worse with distance | Ensure knee moves over full comfortable range | saddle too low, raise saddle |
| Knee pain | pain in the side of the knee (lateral and medial) | Ensure cleats are correctly aligned | cleats may require left or right rotation |
| Achilles tendon pain | pain in Achillies tendon immediately on cycling | Do not over stretch tendon | saddle too high, lower saddle |
| Hot foot | burning sensation in ball of foot | reduce pressure on ball of foot | ensure shoes are not too tight. Wear appropriate socks. Move cleats towards rear of shoe |
Table based on: long-distance-ride-bike-fit-tips
Hand Numbness
Hand numbness is commonly associated with endurance riding. It is typically due to excessive pressure on a nerve in the hand and possibly vibration damaging the nerve. Nerves regrow at a very slow rate hence recovery can take some time. The following suggestions were made for avoiding hand numbness:
- Pad the bars Use thick tape, gel inserts can be installed, or apply two layers of tape.
- Wear gloves with lots of padding
- Use a bike that is inherently comfortable Bikes using a stiff aluminium frame with thin high-pressure tyres are of their nature less comfortable than bikes made from steel, titanium and carbon fibre with larger tyres at a lower pressure. Part of this comfort factor is the transmission of vibrations to the hands
- Use a bike that fits
- Use bars that allow many hand positions Having many different hand positions allows the rider to move their weight around onto different parts of the hand.
- Improve core fitness A person with strong core muscles can effectively “move” their weight into a better position. This will take their weight off the hands and onto the backside and pedals
- Use bars with an oval profile to distribute the load over a larger area, thus reducing the pressure on a specific point.
Hot-foot
Hot-foot, a known cycling issue, can occur on long rides, on rides undertaken on warm days, or on rides which demand prolonged foot pressure, such as rides which includes steep hills. These rides compress the nerves between the heads of the foot’s five metatarsal bones. Hot-foot can be really debilitating, as it is excruciatingly painful, and can turn a long ride into a miserable experience.
- Remedies off the bike include bike fit, changing shoes to a wider fit, moving the cleat position further back, or changing the inner sole.
- If it occurs while riding, lifting the foot on the upstroke and holding it while wiggling the toes can relieve the pressure and allow airflow under the foot.
- Ice or cold water can sometimes reduce the inflammation of the foot, reducing the compression on the metatarsal bones.
Chamois Cream
Chamois Cream
The saddle is one of the well-known contact points. One can spend a lot of time trialling different chamois creams, different saddles and different knicks. If you spend enough time on this quest for saddle comfort, one often finds that the just problem disappears. The body adapts.
Repair Cream
Another popular post-ride (or overnight on a big ride) saddle application is the soothing emollient “Sudocrem”. Widely available in Australian pharmacies/supermarkets, it is a zinc oxide/benzoate concoction for treating nappy rash/pressure sores. It undoubtedly goes under various other names worldwide. It should be at the bottom of every drop-bag. Clean, apply and sleep.
Crème Randonneur
Of course if you want to cover all bases, Crème Randonneur is the multi-purpose cream of choice. 🙂
What to Carry on the Bike🔗
There are many “philosophies” here. Some people like to go light (“what can I get away with?”). Some people like to have every eventuality covered (“sure I have a spare bottom bracket, it’s going to cost you”). In general it is a case of personal risk management, you will have to weigh up many factors.
- How long is the ride?
- How important is the ride to you? (is it the last PBP qualifier?)
- What are the conditions going to be like? (are you in Tassie or FNQ?)
- What condition is your bike in? (how thin is the tread on those tyres?)
Clothing
If it is a long ride (into/over-night) you will need reflective vest, lights (see Safety Recommendations) plus potentially warm weather gear, arm/leg-warmers, rain/wind-proof, gloves, clear glasses. Met-Eye is a very useful resource from the Bureau of Meteorology for accurately predicting overnight conditions.
Stuff
A power pack for recharging your phone/GPS. Spare lights, batteries.
Tools
A typical minimum set of tools may include:
- two spare tubes
- tube repair kit (glue and patches)
- tyre levers
- pump
- multi-tool with a chain breaker
- spare chain link
Additional tools to consider include:
- a tyre boot (or use a $5 note)
- spare spokes or a fibre spoke
- a spare (foldable) tyre
- spare brake and gear cables
- spare brake pads
- spare rear derailleur hanger
- wrap some electrical or gorilla tape around your pump
- cable ties
Food
Gels, figs, banana bread, peanut butter & honey sandwiches? yes, yes, yes and yes. Audax is all about eating. If there is an issue with water or the distance between bakeries on a ride, the RO will likely have pointed this out and you would be wise to take notice. Sometimes in hot weather, two bidons are not enough.
Brevet
Don’t forget your brevet card. A zip-lock bag and a pen also can be useful.
Overnight Stays🔗
On 600+ km rides you will be stopping to sleep during the ride. How long you sleep for is entirely up to you, but in general riders will try to leave the sleep control no later than the closing time of the control. Even if this means only 2-4 hrs sleep, you will be amazed at how this little sleep can refresh you during a ride.
It is worth noting that fatigue through sleep deprivation can impair your riding ability. Reaction times are slowed, judgement can be compromised. Riding past mid-night when the body is normally asleep carries additional risks to the normal risks of cycling and is a time for extra caution. It is a time when motorists may not expected to see cyclists.
It is typically on these rides, that there will be a designated sleep control and you will have an overnight “drop bag” at the control. The ride could be a loop back to the start, or the RO may transport your drop bag between the sleep control(s). Your “drop bag” should contain a change of cycling kit, and spare tubes/batteries to replace anything used on the ride.
Ride Navigation🔗
In the past, the “cue sheet” was the definition of an Audax ride route. Turn-by-turn directions were meticulously curated over the years in hand-written notes or spreadsheets. These days the cue sheets are mostly automatically generated from the route that is stored in the club’s “RideWithGPS” account. In a sense, the cue sheets are now derived from the more definitive stored GPS route. While 95+% of riders rely on GPS bike computers, a paper cue sheet can be a comforting “back-up”.
GPS Cycling Computers
There used to be only one option for a GPS computer and that was those offered by Garmin. Now there are many other brands Wahoo, Bryton, Lezyne, etc that also offer good options. All these brands offer computers with different software, and even different models of the same brand can be significantly different in their operation.
Navigation that can go wrong with these devices, many can be traced back to “user error”. Each computer has its own individual quirks and issues you need to be aware of. You should not go on an important ride with a new GPS computer without first becoming familiar with it. This can take weeks/months to become fully familiar with your GPS computer.
Join the RideWithGPS Audax Club Account
RideWithGPS has been selected as Audax Australia’s Cycle Route Planning Service.
A Club Account has been subscribed to by Audax Australia.
- All Audax Australia members should:
- create a (free or paid) RideWithGPS account and then
- click here to automatically join the Audax RWGPS Club.
- Ride Organisers should retain the master copy of all their Calendar and Permanent rides in Audax Australia’s RideWithGPS Route Library.
Using the RideWithGPS Smartphone App
RideWithGPS includes a mobile app for Android and iPhone. Refer to: https://ridewithgps.com/help/mobile/
This mobile app can be used for route navigation. Refer to: https://ridewithgps.com/help/offline-maps-in-the-mobile-app, (with limitations)
Please note, there are limitations:
- Audax is about long-distance cycling, and using your phone for route navigation may drain the phone battery
- Using offline maps in the mobile app only works for routes from within the Club Account, or if you are a premium subscriber
Audax members often use:
- a GPS device as their primary navigation device
- the RideWithGPS mobile app as a backup navigation device
Printing Maps and Cue Sheets in RideWithGPS
The following instructions allow riders to print a Route Map and/or Cue Sheet from RideWithGPS:
- Sign into RideWithGPS
- Sign in to the Audax Australia Cycling Club account (top menu background becomes yellow)
- Select the route from within the Audax Australia’s RideWithGPS Route Library
- Select More > Print Map and Cue PDF
Brevet Cards and Homologation🔗
Brevet translates to “patent” in Google, but perhaps a better word is “certificate” in an official sense. Homologation is more ephemeral. “Validation”, “officially ratified” or “blessing from Paris” would give you the gist. In any case, homologated is what you want your brevet to eventually be after you have completed a ride.
As stated in the Audax Australia Ride Rules, you must carry your brevet card with you on the ride. No one else can do it for you. It needs to be signed at every checkpoint with the time, as stated in the rules, by “a shopkeeper, local resident, passer-by or another disinterested person.” Or, if unavailable, by “another rider taking part in the ride”.
That is the mission.
Brevet Card
Prior to the ride:
- For calendar rides, a brevet card is provided to riders by the Ride Organiser, typically just prior to commencing the ride.
- For permanent rides, the brevet card is emailed to you, and it is your responsibility to print a copy of it before the ride.
During the ride, ensure the time and a signature or stamp are completed at each checkpoint.
Upon completion of a calendar or permanent ride:
- Preferably, upload a scanned copy of the brevet to Rides > My Rides.
- Or, the Ride Organiser may permit you to hand-deliver or mail it to them.
Homologation
Upon completion of the ride, the Ride Organiser will arrange for the rides to be Homologated, i.e. officially ratified.