3 ms·

Yes it is harder when no one else is working for you, not sure though if he did a time trial (short days) or had rest days. He also doesn't have any SAG, which

Yes it is harder when no one else is working for you, not sure though if he did a time trial (short days) or had rest days. He also doesn't have any SAG, which makes it much harder as he found out with his di2.

boringg 5y ago
He rode it with a di2? Why would you do that - batteries based is the worst for a long ride.
- Cyclone_ 5y ago
  They last quite a while, I've used di2 and SRAM red. If I were riding this I would only need to charge it 2 or 3 times to get me through it.
- lonelyasacloud 5y ago
  Not so much in this case. So as long as it's not off-road and it's properly charged, then electronic shifting is very, very reliable and standard kit for many ultra-distance riders, see, e.g. https://www.redbull.com/nz-en/trans-continental-race-kit-guide https://www.redbull.com/nz-en/trans-continental-race-kit-gui... and the late, great Mike Hall's bike https://road.cc/content/tech-news/219030-bike-check-mike-halls-kinesis-gf-ti-ready-5300km-india-pacific-wheel-race https://road.cc/content/tech-news/219030-bike-check-mike-hal... Benefits from an ultra-distance pov include quicker/cleaner shifting holds momentum better. Reduced chain rub and gear maintenance requirements. Less force is required to change gear which decreases the risk of repetitive strain injury. And the ability to add satellite shifters (aka "blips") to aero bars and the tops, which makes it easier to hold a riding position. Oh, and they can also be set up to be more intuitive to use than trying to remember how to juggle front and the rear mech's when completely and utterly spent :-) All incremental at normal scale, but I can definitely see why it'd worth it to him at the scale of Lachlan's rides.
  - boringg 5y ago
    Keyword - properly charged. Thats the risk - the rest of it makes a lot of sense -- but the charging component is the issue. And if it goes dead your locked in. Surprising choice for a long race based on durability thats all. A guess it is a trade off decision -- work vs reliability.

boringg 5y ago

He rode it with a di2? Why would you do that - batteries based is the worst for a long ride.

Cyclone_ 5y ago
They last quite a while, I've used di2 and SRAM red. If I were riding this I would only need to charge it 2 or 3 times to get me through it.
lonelyasacloud 5y ago
Not so much in this case. So as long as it's not off-road and it's properly charged, then electronic shifting is very, very reliable and standard kit for many ultra-distance riders, see, e.g. https://www.redbull.com/nz-en/trans-continental-race-kit-guide https://www.redbull.com/nz-en/trans-continental-race-kit-gui... and the late, great Mike Hall's bike https://road.cc/content/tech-news/219030-bike-check-mike-halls-kinesis-gf-ti-ready-5300km-india-pacific-wheel-race https://road.cc/content/tech-news/219030-bike-check-mike-hal... Benefits from an ultra-distance pov include quicker/cleaner shifting holds momentum better. Reduced chain rub and gear maintenance requirements. Less force is required to change gear which decreases the risk of repetitive strain injury. And the ability to add satellite shifters (aka "blips") to aero bars and the tops, which makes it easier to hold a riding position. Oh, and they can also be set up to be more intuitive to use than trying to remember how to juggle front and the rear mech's when completely and utterly spent :-) All incremental at normal scale, but I can definitely see why it'd worth it to him at the scale of Lachlan's rides.
- boringg 5y ago
  Keyword - properly charged. Thats the risk - the rest of it makes a lot of sense -- but the charging component is the issue. And if it goes dead your locked in. Surprising choice for a long race based on durability thats all. A guess it is a trade off decision -- work vs reliability.