Tips
Things to carry on brevets:
The following is a list of items that I have found to be necessary to carry on brevets or other long rides. At one time or another I have had to use every item on this list during a brevet.
2 tubes
Patch kit
Tire boot cut from an old tire
Foldable tire
Frame pump
Tool kit with correct tools for your bike including chain tool
Innovations FiberFix spoke or spare spokes
Brake cable and derailleur cable cut to length for rear brake and derailleur
Pill container of miscellaneous nuts & bolts and spare chain links with duct tape wrapped around container
Small bottle of oil
Zip ties
Spare bulbs and spare batteries for lights
Ziploc bag (my wallet) with sleeve containing driver’s license, health insurance card, emergency information, ATM/MC bank card and $20 for every 100 miles.
Sunscreen/insect repellent
Film can of Bag Balm
Ibuprofen or aspirin and any required medicine
First aid kit
Rain coat, arm warmers, leg warmers, glove liners and headband
Reflective garments
Cleat covers
Cell phone
I came across these pictures for mounting fenders on bikes with limited clearance. I received an email from Mark Meininger, who is the owner of the bike, giving me permission to keep the pictures up. The work was done by River City Bicycles in Portland Oregon.
Lights
Although there are as many opinions as randonneurs on lighting systems, these are my thoughts on lights. Head lights can be either battery or generator powered and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Batteries can get expensive over time and you need to carry spare batteries to ride through the night. P-B-P could easily use 32 batteries for the whole ride. Generators last through the night but create drag and bottle type generators can wear the tire and slip in the rain. The best generator is the Schmidt dynohub although it is expensive and I would only recommend it for someone serious about P-B-P and night riding.
My personal system is the Schmidt dynohub with a Supernova E3 LED headlight. I carry a second battery powered headlight as a spare for the lamp and batteries. I mount the lights under the handlebars on an extension, which frees up handlebar space and lowers the lights. It helps to have two independent lighting systems in case one fails the other will back it up. From what I have read, it is not as bright as the micro and is best as a backup light. In the rear, I use a LED tail light set on steady for any group ride since flashing can bother riders behind you. PBP requires a steady burning tail light.
I have found mounting a headlamp on my helmet helps at night to read maps and road signs as well a fixing flats at night. I have used a LED headlamp which I attached to my helmet by threading a Velcro strap through the lamp and the vent holes in my helmet. It allowed me to read my map and computer as well as read road signs at intersections but it is not sufficient for illuminating the road.
For more information on lights, check out Peter White Cycles at: https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/. Also check out Pamela’s blog (The Blayleys) for a lot of useful information on all aspects of randonneuring.
