I'm thinking of testing a sleep kit without sleeping bag for ultras with warm nights.
The idea would be to carry a bivy bag, a sleeping mat and my down jacket to sleep in. Perhaps some kind of pants as well.
I am comfortable down to around 10°C in the jacket when sitting around, so I'm thinking it should be enough for a night where the temperatures dont drop below 15°C.
What are your thoughts? Have you tried similar sleepkits?
Basically what the title says. I do mostly MTB ultraraces. Total weight including myself, bike, gear, food and water,... is about 96kg. I could save about 1kg with some gear upgrades and maybe 2kg with bike upgrades.
There are some online tools that calculate how much time you need for a given distance and elevation. The results for ultraraces in the range of 800-1200km with around 25.000m elevation gain are, that you would only be about 1-1,5h faster with 3kg less weight (in a race that takes multiple days).
Looking at the finisher times of recent races, 1,5h could get you 1-2 positions in the middle of the field.
What are your thoughts about weight? Did you optimize your setup to be as light as possible? Did you feel any real world differences?
I'm looking to ride a FKT attempt next weekend and was debating on wearing my skinsuit for this 230 mile ride. This is a road route so aero is everything. I'll be wearing a hydration vest so I'm not sure if the skinsuit is worth it. The bibs are definetly more comfortable than the skinsuit in terms of chamois. Is the skinsuit worth the trouble for this long ride?
I just bought the new Apidura Expedition saddle bag, that has a GoPro mount for a rear light. This seemed to me like a smart solution to carry a light that would not be partially hidden by the bag, but now I am struggling to find models that will fit.
Before buying, I wrote to Apidura customer support who said: " I believe Cateye, Lezyne and Moon lights do GoPro adapters." However I can only find Exposure lights that has such an adapter, as all other brands focus on front lights only.
Does anyone know of rear lights with a long battery life that have a GoPro adapter (after market or not) ? Or am I stuck with Exposure lights?
One thing that kept annoying me during long rides was how useless normal weather forecasts become once your route is 100–300 km long.
The weather at the start point tells you almost nothing about:
- the climb 3 hours later
- the descent after sunset
- headwinds halfway through the ride
- rain arriving in the mountains
So I built a small web app for cyclists that maps weather directly onto a GPX or route.
You upload a route (or paste a link), choose your start time and average speed, and it shows:
- temperature changes
- wind direction/speed
- rain probability
- conditions hour by hour along the ride
I originally built it for long-distance rides and mountain routes, but people have started using it for ultras, bikepacking and training rides too.
Would love feedback from people here who do long rides or care too much about weather planning 🙂
een building a sports nutrition app called M0VE Nutrition and just shipped a feature I've been wanting for a while: a race day fuel planner built specifically for long events like gravel ultras, bikepacking races, and multi-day rides.
The idea came from personal frustration. Planning nutrition for something like a 1000k self-supported race is a mess. Spreadsheets, guesswork, forgetting to account for heat or elevation. So I built something that actually does the thinking for you. I also get some just like to do there own thing and I total respect that too.
You put in your race details, split it into segments if you want, and it calculates carb, fluid, and sodium targets for each leg based on conditions and your own sweat data if you have it. Then you build your kit from real sports nutrition products and real food, assign them to segments, and it tells you where you're short before race day.
It also handles self-supported vs crew-supported differently (I added crew because it supports not just ultra but all formats) so you know exactly what's going in your pockets vs what's at the feedzone.
Still early days and IOS only right now. I'd love feedback from people who would use this, If you're planning anything this season and want to give it a go, drop a comment or DM me.
Hallo zusammen,
ich plane eine 400-km-Tour in 20 Stunden, habe aber bisher einfach nicht den richtigen Sattel gefunden. Getestet habe ich bereits den Ryet Ultra, ein weiteres Modell von Ryet sowie – nach einer Sitzknochenvermessung – den Selle Italia SLR.
Mein Hauptproblem ist der Druck an der Sattelspitze in der Aero-Position. Ich ziehe aktuell den ISM PS 2.0 oder den PR 2.0 in Erwägung.
Hat jemand Erfahrungen mit diesen Modellen oder andere Tipps für extreme Langstrecken?
This might sound like a silly question, but I'm very much not part of any cycling communities, and so I only really have my own experiences and youtube videos to go off a lot of the time, so I think it's good to sensor check my conclusions from time to time with actual people.
A quick background of me, I cycle commute daily, 50miles per week, and have done for a couple of years now, but I really enjoy pushing my endurance limits, and doing much longer rides when I'm able to, I like to have little goals each year to try out just to see how they go. My current goal is a roughly 250mile ride across Britain from where I live to London.
In doing this, I keep running up against issues of saddle comfort. I've tried a handful of different saddles, and have had a professional bike fit which improves many aspects of my bike comfort, but I still suffer with saddle discomfort on long rides (current setup is 5hours+, and I'll be changing soon, but even previous setups have been 10-15hours + before becoming an issue).
I never get saddle sores, or chaffing, just dull aches that appear in my sit bones, and just grow steadily worse, and are most prominent when just cycling doing a flat section of road at 25-30kph.
I mostly accept this as an inevitability of riding for so long in 1 chunk, but I also don't like this conclusion and wonder if this is something others find, or if it's something that I should keep working on improving
I’m looking for a pretty specific type of road bike and I’m starting to wonder if it even exists 😅
My goal is ultra-distance road events / fast endurance riding, so I still want:
- a genuinely high-performance bike
- a dynamic geometry
- something efficient and exciting to ride
But at the same time, I’m obsessed with integration and practical features.
To me, the future is:
- internal frame storage
- integrated frame bags
- top tube bolts
- clean cockpit integration
- easy aero bar compatibility
- smart ultra-distance details without turning the bike into a “gravel mule”
And that’s where I’m struggling.
For example:
- bikes like the Pinarello new Grevil F (or similar gravel-oriented platforms) have amazing integration and storage solutions, but the geometry and overall philosophy are too gravel-focused for what I want.
- endurance bikes like the Cannondale Synapse, Trek Domane, Scott Addict, Canyon Endurace, etc. are close, but often a bit too “progressive”, comfort-oriented or not aggressive enough.
- what I’d LOVE is something with the vibe of an Endurace CFR, but with:
- true internal storage
- top tube mounts
- clean aero bar compatibility
- modern all-road practicality
Basically:
a fast road bike designed by someone who actually rides ultra-distance events.
Am I missing some niche brands or lesser-known models here?
Thanks!
I made a tool to visualize ultra routes in 3D (helps with “dead zones”)
I’ve been playing around with GPX visualizations and built a small tool that turns routes into 3D animations.
What I found interesting:
For long rides (500km+), there are always sections where:
This makes it possible to “fill the gaps” and still tell the full story.
Example from a longer route:
It’s still early and a bit rough, but I’d love feedback from people actually doing ultra rides.
I currently only support Europe.
Would this be useful for:
(link in comments if anyone wants to try it)
I have my SPD pedals and gravel-shoes for a while now and I installed them on my new roadbike because I am fine with them and I really like the ability to walk normal with my gravel shoes.
Now, I have to look for new shoes and for a while now I am thinking about getting SPD-SL cleats for summer.
So the optical things aside - how much more efficient is a spd-sl pedal? I know that it has bigger contact surface - but is the gain really measurable in watts? Is it really worth it? Is there some scientifical standpoint for this where someone tried to measure it?
I mean, on some side is has to be, right? Otherwise I would not understand why everyone is using shoes with cleats you can not really walk on. :-)
And yes, I just choose what I am happy with and I dont feel preasure to buy something just because others have it. I am just curious and I like to test different things to gain experience.
I’m in the market for some new pedals, having happily ridden Look X-Tracks for a number of years. I’m strongly considering the Wolf Tooth CTRL pedals due to the larger platform even though it’ll be for a road/gravel bike. I like my X-tracks over Shimano pedals precisely because they have a bit more contact area, and the weight of the CTRL pedals is actually less than my X-tracks. I’ve got good shoes, so the added stiffness from a larger platform isn’t really the concern, it’s more about comfort over long/multiple days.
Anyone have hands-on (foot-on?) experience with these, or similar experience going to a larger platform?
Also: yes I know the ALT pedals are more comparable to X-track, my question is really about the possible additional benefit of an even larger platform than I have now.
Hi all, I had my Lab71 built up in 2024, all good apart from my chainring being to close to my chainstay.
The bike shop haven’t really got an answer apart from a spacer to resolve the issue until I discovered that the Dub spindle was a normal road with not a wide which is specified for the Frameset.
So I swapped it for a wide which moved the chainring out satisfactorily. However I now have a jaunty angle to my chainline which may be visible in the pictures. I have a mullet setup Eagle rear mech on xdr hub 10-52 cassette with 40t front force charging.
The chain comes off the top pulley wheel and so extra strain is put on the chain wear. It generally shifts ok but I need a solution as I do long miles training for an ultra in July.
Any advice solutions welcome please.
I have just been diagnosed with gallstones (ouch), possibly triggered by a diet change & 10kg weight loss in prep for my first ultra. I have been increasing my intake of high protein food (dairy, nuts, meat) during training days to aid recovery, but this off course also increased fat intake.
Now that needs to change, which is a bit of a challenge. What easily available low fat foods should I consider to keep my energy levels sufficient in rides, without triggering another gallstone attack.
Hi all,
I've already passed road racing and triathlon, but after several injuries caused by running I started to think about ultra cycling racing. At the beginning something "shorter", no more than 300 km.
So far, I've got Tarmac SL7 Pro with aero handlebars and Canyon Speedmax which is not an option here.
What would be the best to start with ultra cycling? To change the handlebars in my Tarmac, so I can put there aero bars (with aero handlebars there is no option to do so, and Specialized aero bars designed for SL7 has no adjustments at all) or buy Pinarello Grevil which I like the most from all gravel bikes?
Thank you in advance for all tips!
I'm planning on doing the Setanta route of the Transatlantic Way event next year, 1,700km around most of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. I'm looking some advice on bike & kit choice.
My plan is to sleep outdoors every other night and got a proper bed and shower for the others (hostel / B&B), estimating it is going to take me around 6 to 7 days to complete, although not too hung up on speed or placing in the top 10 etc, more complete than compete. I've done some bike touring previously and am a well-trained multisport endurance athlete so not too concerned about the preparation as I will be fully focused on training in the 6 months leading up to the event.
I have a couple of bikes to choose from:
Plan to have a frame bag, bar bag, a small-ish saddle bag, bivvy bag, trying to keep it as light as possible.
Opinions on bike choice would be welcome considering the charging of batteries etc....I'm not that bothered about potential frame damage / rub on the 'good bike' as I am probably going to get it repainted at some stage and it has a few minor scratches already.
And would also be interested in feedback from anyone who has cycled the event in the past. Experience, preparation etc....
Hey all,
Can anyone recommend a good minimal/emergency sleeping setup for a road Ultra in Europe during summer? I am planning to sleep in hotels/AirBnBs everytime and I therefore want so save as much space/weight as possible on any possible sleeping gear. What can you recommend?
E.g just a sleeping bag? Or just a small bivy?
Glad for any suggestions!