Bikes
The cycling discipline can easily be the most time-consuming part of the race as it covers the most ground. There are many different methods to approach the biking section and even more ways to approach biking in general.
Mountain Bikes- You’ll want a good mountain. Plain and simple. Most Adventure races include single track trail and a good mountain bike will help you navigate those trails. Mountain bikes are also road and gravel capable, which makes them the best universal choice to ensure a complete and safe race.Getting fitted for your bike will make the experience all that more pleasurable. Be sure to practice riding your mountain bike prior to the race to work out all the kinks, preferably on some single track.
Gravel bikes- We are also going to include cyclocross bikes in this category as both gravel and cyclocross are eerie similar. In most of the adventures you do, the majority of the biking sections will be on the road, or gravel. A gravel/cyclocross bike will absolutely dominate a mountain bike on the road. In the hands of a good rider, a gravel bike can be just as good as a mountain bike off road. You’ll find that a gravel bike is more than sufficient to complete the race and you’ll complete the race just that much faster and be less tired. A lot of races have caught on to the strategy of using gravel bikes and have instituted step penalties or have outlawed them altogether. Be sure to check with your race director before going out and purchasing a gravel/cyclocross bike for your next race.
Bicycles tools- At the bare minimum you are going to want to carry three tire levers, a patch kit, a mini bicycle pump or c02 kit and bike multi-tool. Depending on the length of your race, we recommend expanding your kit to include a solid chain tool, a set of pilers, a screwdriver, and a pro set of allen keys.
Red tail lights- All adventure races make it mandatory to have a display a red light on the back of your bike. It’s a good safety measure to make sure drivers see you while you’re on the road. You don’t need to break the bank to get a flashing red bike light. Many box stores will have them regularly in stock for less than $10.
Gloves- A good set of riding gloves is highly recommended. You can easily be on your bike for many hours and gloves will help prevent blisters that can arise from continuous rubbing of the handle bars.They will protect your skin from UV rays and bug bites, help prevent prolonged fatigue and in the worst case scenario, protect your hands in case of a wipeout.
Pads- If you are unexperienced in single track and/or are timid, you may want to research and invest in a good set of pads. The last thing you want to do is fall off your bike, but if it does happen, you want to be protected. Knee pads will be most important, followed by wrist pads, then hip and elbow pads.Obviously, you don’t want to give the impression that you’re walking into battle, but for some an adventure race is a battle and pads are their armor. Better safe than sorry.
Bottle cage holders- The bike is a prime way to carry beverages for hydration during the race. Water bottles can be very heavy and carry them in your backpack during the trek can be uncomfortable, physically fatiguing, distracting as they will bounce around like crazy and sometimes unnecessary. Many bikes have the ability to carry two bottle cages on their frame, some even three. There are kits you can
buy, that we recommend, that extend the bikes ability to carry more. The most popular example are the ones that install to the bike post and give you two extra bottle holders. Let the bike do the work and find intricate ways to hold your bottles during the bike.
Bike bags – Bike bags, saddle bags, are a tremendously good way to carry gear as you go through your adventure race. There are dozens of different installation techniques and kits you can buy to increase capacity. As we just talked about bottle cages, and single rear saddle bag can increase your number of potential bottle capacity from three to 12! And still carry food, tool kits, change of socks and more. Be a bit careful before going all out packing your bag as this will add a lot of weight, which will be more difficult to propel and the bike will be unbalanced. Do some research before purchasing saddle bags, because you’ll need the correct kit to fit your bike.
Tire inflation- One of the most important aspects, many times overlooked, is your tire pressure. Bike tires have a range of pressure that can be pumped into them. Knowing the perfect pressure to run is vital and can seriously make a world of difference. For example: if you are on freshly paved flat road, you will want tire pressure that is on the high side of the range, but if you are doing single track that is riddled with stumps, rocks, roots, stones, etc. you will run on the low side of the tire pressure range. Knowing what you will run into and experimenting with different tire pressures before races is highly recommended. You don’t need to stop to adjust tire pressure during every transition of road, to dirt either. You will probably find that having your rear tire pressure slightly higher than your front is probably the way to go. To everyone, their own, so go on some rides and try out different pressures and combinations of different pressures.
