JayP

Endurance Cyclist Jay Petervary, Jackson, WY


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Sunday, 07 Sep 08

Finishing Touches

The last few weeks has had me dialing in my road bike.
I have lots of MTB gear and extras that I can get ready for any ride any time but when it comes to the road thing I just never really payed much attention to it. Probably because I never raced one either.

Here is my Orbea Opal with my modifications and add ons for the ADK 540.
Opal - ADK 540

I knew those aero bars would come in handy after running them on my mountain bike for the GDR. My intention of aero bars in an endurance type effort is more a comfort versitlity thing.
Notice the WTB Rocket V saddle, yep, thats my MTB saddle of choice. I have literally spent days, weeks, and many thousands of miles on this seat, so I figured throwing one on for this ride might be wise.

Reynolds Rims
My biggest roadie upgrade.

The Reynolds DV46T was the choice for me on wheels. Like I said I don't own any extras in the road department so I thought I would invest in the most beneficial item, the wheels. Tubulars ride like all the roadies I asked for on advice - silky, smooth, fast, and comfy even at 160 psi. Filling the tires with a bit of Slime's tubeless sealant will give me a bit of insurance. I will still be bringing my everyday American Classic 350's as back ups and with a cassette geared slightly easier.

Safety LED's
Princeton Tech safety LED's.

Safety is serious in a road ride throughout the night so I rigged my bike up accordingly. I tend to be a minimalist with these things but also want to follow the rules and be safe so this is what I came up with after going through my Princeton Tech gear. 2 red LED's, one flashing and one steady fills the bill on the rear. The front will have just one small LED as well since I will have a follow car for the real riding light. One more on the helmet to see my odometer/speed.Helmet LED

Another nervous part of me is how my feet will handle the road shoes/pedals for that long. So I will be bringing my MTB shoes and pedals as back ups.

A quick lesson learned:
Last week I had my rig all packed up in my smaller bike box ready to be shipped UPS to the east coast.Opal packed up I have always flown with my bike but I've heard from others if you have the time and the correct box try shipping it, it is easier and cheaper. NOT. I showed up to UPS and ground shipping to the east coast was $112.00 with no garantee. "well it should be there tuesday but it could be wendsday and if there is weather maybe thursday". Too iffy for me. The lady went on to tell me it will be on lots of conveyors and going through several hubs with all machine handeling."Must be able to dropped 4'." As far as insurance goes she mentioned if something happened to my bike I would lose the claim because there insurance only covers things in corragated cardboard with 3" of foam surrounding. So my plastic bike box would'nt be covered. After scratching my head and being surprised the lady finally said you will be much better off and probably cheaper taking it on the plane, so thats what I will be doing Wendsday.

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