Anyone who has seen me on this year’s brevets has probably noticed my bike of choice is a carbon Fuji. The fact is I’ve done two 1200Ks, including PBP03, on a steel bike made here in North Carolina.
I thought it might be instructive for those heading to Paris this year to describe the set-up I used in 2003. There were some things I really liked about the set-up. Other things proved to be annoying.
* The frame. I acquired a Silk Hope frame in early 2003 from a collector in Connecticut. The frame was made by McLean Fonvielle, a North Carolina native who studied framebuilding in England before setting up a one-man shop in the Piedmont. For more information about McLean, click here.
Although the frame was really too small for me, I decided to honor McLean’s memory by being the first person (to my knowledge) to ride PBP on one of his bikes. I made it fit using a tall quill stem.
The frame was a model that McLean called “Perfect Pleasure.” I quickly surmised that it had geometry similar to English 3-speeds. It was a very comfortable bike, built with Reynolds 531 tubing. Like many 3-speeds, the bike had a tendency to steer itself. Its relaxed geometry and weight made it a bit sluggish; I don’t think I’ve won a single county line sprint while riding it.
The rear triangle, originally spaced at 125 mm, had been stretched to 130 mm.
* Drive train. I got a 172.5 TA triple crank from Jan Heine. For no particular reason, I opted for rings of 50/40/30. I later learned Campy sells a triple with those exact sizes. In reality, the 30 didn’t get used much -- until day 3, when it became the ring of choice on the uphills. (My opinion now is that a compact crank of 50/34 probably is a low enough gear for PBP.) In the rear I used an 8-speed freewheel of 27/14. The front derailleur was some oddball Huret alpine with a flat cage. The rear was a Shimano long-cage. The set-up was never perfect because of odd chain angles. I could not really use the very lowest (14-tooth) rear cog because of chain scrape on the front derailleur cage.
* Shifters. I used mismatched bar end shifters. Odd-looking but really an ideal set-up. The rear derailleur was controlled by an indexed Shimano shifter. I used an old Suntour friction shifter for the front. These gave me zero issues and the constant changing of hand positions prevented finger numbness.
* Handlebars. I used a wide (45s?) front handlebar with a shallow drop. I double-wrapped the bars with cork tape for lots of cushion. Another good move.
* Brakes. I had Campy NR brakes and levers. A classy choice on this bike.
* Seatpost. With a 27.2 seat-tube, the easy answer was an old Campy NR post.
* Seat. The seat does not have a name, but I think it’s a Terry with a prostate cut-out. I wish I’d bought five of them; it’s a good fit and I’ve never been able to find another like it.
* Water bottle. This was a poor choice. The Silk Hope only had braze-ons for one bottle holder, so I put on a bottle holder that held a monster 1.5 liter bottle. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was really hard to get it in and out of the holder. I used the Camelbak water as my primary source. The drawback there was having so much weight on my back.
* Pedals. I used Shimano SPDs. No issues.
* Wheels. Back in 2003, I decided to learn how to build wheels, and I ended up riding a set in PBP that I’d built. This was a real leap of faith, as they were only the fifth set of wheels I’d ever built, but they stayed true and round and performed flawlessly. Building wheels gave me confidence that I could make any necessary roadside repairs if I broke a spoke. I built the front wheel with a Schmidt hub and the rear with a Phil sealed hub. Rims were Mavic Open Pros with 36 holes.
* Lights. As noted, a Schmidt hub with an E6 light. The picture shows two lights, but one was not hooked up during the ride. I carried it as a spare and later sold it to Rich. I also had a handlebar light to check the cue sheet and as a backup.
* Tires. I used Michelin Pro Race 23s. I’ve since learned 25s would have been a better choice.
* Fenders. We didn’t see a drop of rain, but I had full Planet Ultra fenders. The rear had a battery light on it.
* Bags. I used the Berthoud front bag. I carried tools, tubes, spare parts, extra clothing (hat, arm warmers) as well as my camera. I used a frame triangle for storing goos. I also had a small rear bag, and I think I put a rain jacket in it. I ended up wearing it one night when the temperature dropped into the 40s.
* Mirror. I always ride with a mirror and have two different types I use that attach to the brake hood.
Clothing Choices
* Arm warmers/leg warmers. Carried both. They weigh nothing and are great insurance.
* Gloves. Besides regular riding gloves, I also carried full-fingered glove liners in case my hands got cold at night.
* Glasses. I had a pair of Smith sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. I used the clear lens at night, alternated between the other two colors during the day, depending on cloud cover.
* Wool wear. I get cold, even during the day, on these long rides, so I carried a longsleeve Smartwool undershirt in 03. In the picture, I have the sleeves pushed up.
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