marin century on a singlespeed?
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There's a guy named Kevin who wears a mohawked or spiked helmet that goes everywhere on a fixie. He did Henry Coe in the Tierra Bella and has done some other centuries as well. I rode with him for awhile and was really impressed by his ability to do this, especially on descents. Seriously high cadence.
He had two gears, one on each side of the rear wheel, he switches to his "climbing" gear on anything over 12%. Figures if he can do it others will be inspired to try it as well.
He had two gears, one on each side of the rear wheel, he switches to his "climbing" gear on anything over 12%. Figures if he can do it others will be inspired to try it as well.
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Marin was really well organized this year btw. Good cloud cover to keep out the heat, good support, great food. Marshall Wall was painful, but at least it's short. I hadn't ridden it since 2005'ish and I don't recall them closing down the lanes on the climbs like they did today. Police barricaded each point of entry and gave us the lane - STAY CLASSY MARIN!
Riding solo is painful. Finding a group that's not too slow or too fast is always a challenge.
Riding solo is painful. Finding a group that's not too slow or too fast is always a challenge.
i did it.
i rode the marin century (100M) ss. i won't say it was easy. it was challenging for sure, and the part that hurt the most for me, both mentally and physically was miles 50-75. once i got to 75 i knew i could do it.
i ran a 39x17 gearing which is what i'm used to for riding in these parts. it's also what i use for ss cross racing. i figured that i should probably leave well enough alone and just stick with that gearing. i learned very quickly to try and conserve as much energy and momentum as possible (which i'm used to from riding ss cross, but that's a bit different). i obviously spun out on most of the descents so i pretty much tucked all of them, and rode them out as long as possible until i could get traction with my gearing again.
for the first time ever i suffered from leg cramping which started at about mile 50. man it was so bad. it forced me to stop more often than i wanted to to stretch and shake them out. i was drinking a ton and getting enough electrolytes, so i dont know what the deal was. i ride a LOT and have never had this problem.
anyway, thanks to the guy who spared 2 of his advil for me. i think that helped to break up the cramps and luckily there was more ibuprofien at mile 75 rest stop. once that kicked in i definitely felt better.
a few things about this ride:
i never walked a step of it.
i never got off my bike on the climbs -- or at all, unless it was to stretch or pee.
i descended much faster and perhaps more risky than if on a geared bike.
it was generally hard to keep pace with anyone consistently, so i was out in the wind pretty much the entire time.
i spent most of the ride in my drops.
i found it so frustrating that people would draft off me, however. in general i signaled for these unwanted drafters to pass me, or i dropped them. i dont know,maybe its just me, but it seems pretty lame to draft off the guy with no gears.
i was the guy on the green IF and the MASH kit.
i finished in 8.5 hours.
i rode the marin century (100M) ss. i won't say it was easy. it was challenging for sure, and the part that hurt the most for me, both mentally and physically was miles 50-75. once i got to 75 i knew i could do it.
i ran a 39x17 gearing which is what i'm used to for riding in these parts. it's also what i use for ss cross racing. i figured that i should probably leave well enough alone and just stick with that gearing. i learned very quickly to try and conserve as much energy and momentum as possible (which i'm used to from riding ss cross, but that's a bit different). i obviously spun out on most of the descents so i pretty much tucked all of them, and rode them out as long as possible until i could get traction with my gearing again.
for the first time ever i suffered from leg cramping which started at about mile 50. man it was so bad. it forced me to stop more often than i wanted to to stretch and shake them out. i was drinking a ton and getting enough electrolytes, so i dont know what the deal was. i ride a LOT and have never had this problem.
anyway, thanks to the guy who spared 2 of his advil for me. i think that helped to break up the cramps and luckily there was more ibuprofien at mile 75 rest stop. once that kicked in i definitely felt better.
a few things about this ride:
i never walked a step of it.
i never got off my bike on the climbs -- or at all, unless it was to stretch or pee.
i descended much faster and perhaps more risky than if on a geared bike.
it was generally hard to keep pace with anyone consistently, so i was out in the wind pretty much the entire time.
i spent most of the ride in my drops.
i found it so frustrating that people would draft off me, however. in general i signaled for these unwanted drafters to pass me, or i dropped them. i dont know,maybe its just me, but it seems pretty lame to draft off the guy with no gears.
i was the guy on the green IF and the MASH kit.
i finished in 8.5 hours.
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2,140 Posts
Nice work!!! I did the double and it took my group about 15 hours, finished at 8pm last night and was fully wrecked. Still managed 2 beers and a few slices before getting a ride home. As I was climbing to East Peak of Tam, I saw a guy coming down on a fixed gear, straining to keep his rpms down. No matter how crazy you think you are for doing something, there's always someone a bit crazier than you. It took me another 80 miles to catch him, heading north on hwy 1 just before the pain cave that is Coleman Valley Rd. As I was struggling up it in a 38/28, gasping for air and cursing the road, I realized I had a new hero. I can only imagine what it would take to push a fixed up that climb after 140 miles.xccx said:
Congrats on your ride! That's a tremendous effort, one you should be proud of and brag about.
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137 Posts
Fogdweller said:
Love the reference to Coleman Valley Rd. as the "pain cave". That has to be one of the hardest climbs out there. I suffered like a dog on it with my 39X25 low gear. Every year I swear the next time I will put a compact on before doing it again, but the memory of the pain subsides and my frugality stops me from doing it.
PS I also saw the fixie at the Santos Meadows rest stop (just after Muir Woods). Lost track of him after that. Congrats to him and xccx for pushing their limits.
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2,140 Posts
cotocalicyclist and vontress, I was on a blue Pinarello Prince and wearing a Sunshine Bicycles kit. Did we meet up at anytime during the day? I was in a lot of pacelines Saturday and met a ton of folks.
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137 Posts
Unfortunately, I don't think I remember you. I was on a blue Colnago C50 with a yellow Cal. Triple Crown vest on. We should have been pretty darn close though since I finished with two other guys at 7:32. We also blew past the last rest stop and made good time at the end.
It is always nice to do a ride on "home turf". I met a lot of nice people as well. Even a guy who lives on my street in SF who I was in a paceline with the year before. I ran into him at the Coleman checkpoint. Nothing gets people socializing better than mutual suffering on a tough climb.
It is always nice to do a ride on "home turf". I met a lot of nice people as well. Even a guy who lives on my street in SF who I was in a paceline with the year before. I ran into him at the Coleman checkpoint. Nothing gets people socializing better than mutual suffering on a tough climb.
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137 Posts
I guess we hang out in this one... You could always post a new topic either in the NorCal forum or the Components section. MTB riders are also pretty knowledgeable about lights.
In brief, almost any rear light will work and it isn't a bad idea to throw a reflective ankle strap on as well. As for the front, I would say the majority of people use a single bar mounted light like the Niterider MiNewt 200. I have seen some helmet mounted systems, but that isn't really necessary since road turns aren't as sharp as MTB trail turns. You should definitely have a high quality light and not just a dinky little commuting front light. You will need something substantial when you are on country roads where there are few other light sources.
In brief, almost any rear light will work and it isn't a bad idea to throw a reflective ankle strap on as well. As for the front, I would say the majority of people use a single bar mounted light like the Niterider MiNewt 200. I have seen some helmet mounted systems, but that isn't really necessary since road turns aren't as sharp as MTB trail turns. You should definitely have a high quality light and not just a dinky little commuting front light. You will need something substantial when you are on country roads where there are few other light sources.
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