| Long distance cycling is growing in popularity.Whether | | | | under your bar tape. Double wrapping is wrapping a |
| it's a charity century ride or one of the long distance | | | | second layer of padded tape over your existing bar |
| races that are available, people are looking to increase | | | | tape. Over the course of many hours in the saddle the |
| performance in longer events. Many factors will affect | | | | hands get beaten up pretty bad on rough roads. A little |
| you long distance performance but bike fit and set-up | | | | more cushion will save your hands and reduce the |
| is one of the easiest to make improvements quickly. | | | | jarring on the shoulders as well. |
| When the rides and races get longer than 5 hours, you | | | | Tires |
| need to look at things a little different. You want your | | | | You want your bike to be fast but flat tires will slow |
| bike to be fast but it needs to be comfortable for the | | | | you down. A fast rolling race tire with puncture |
| full event, not just the first couple of hours. It's often the | | | | protection like the Kenda C2C or Schwalbe Ultremo |
| rider who isn't distracted by discomfort who will out | | | | are great options for smoother roads. If you expect to |
| perform athletes that are faster. It doesn't matter how | | | | get into rougher roads up size your tires a few |
| fast your are if you can't go the distance. Part of this | | | | millimeters. If you run 23 mm tires swap out to a set of |
| is training but equipment set-up plays a big role as well. | | | | 25 mm. The slightly wider tire will give more cushion |
| Many of the bike fit issues are pretty common sense | | | | and grip better in the corners. |
| but are worth going over in depth so you get it right | | | | Saddle |
| with less trial and error. | | | | The saddle that is comfortable for 2 hours can be |
| Handle Bars | | | | torture for rides that are much longer. You will usually |
| Under this heading will be bar height, stem length and | | | | need a little more support and padding for endurance |
| bar width. If you have a position that is comfortable for | | | | riding. If you have a shape of saddle that you like, you |
| a couple of hours then you may want to raise your | | | | can often find a version of that shape that is more |
| handlebar 5-10 mm for events longer than 4-5 hours. If | | | | cushy. I like the shape of the Selle Italia SLR saddle but |
| you are doing anything over 100 miles, a slightly more | | | | as I've gotten into endurance riding I've swapped to the |
| relaxed position will add to comfort without increasing | | | | SLR XC as it has the same shape with more padding. |
| aerodynamic drag too much. The same goes for | | | | Overview |
| handlebar width. A bar one size wider than your | | | | A good bike fit is a good fit but depending on the |
| shoulder width will be easier on your shoulders and let | | | | distance you ride you can get a little more comfort |
| you breathe better. If you experience tightness or pain | | | | and performance by tweaking your fit for the |
| in the back or between the shoulder blades on longer | | | | distances you are looking to ride and compete at. And |
| rides consider swapping out to a stem a size shorter. | | | | ignore what the pros do as most of us don't have the |
| Bar tape | | | | option of living on our bikes. |
| Consider double wrapping your bar or adding gel pads | | | | |