I love pushing my body to the brink and doing long rides. That’s not the only reason I do it though. Every time I head out to see if I can manage the latest crazy distance, it’s also a chance to put the gear I recommend to the ultimate test. With everything on the line, every success, or failure, lets me make better long distance gear recommendations in the future.
Sure, I do my best to test gear for every review but there’s nothing quite like the pressure of an event. At home I might choose to test on a different day if the weather isn’t quite ideal. I can also always change my mind and endlessly optimize. When there’s an event, I have to commit to my gear and see what happens.
This was the longest ride I’d ever attempted and it didn’t go according to plan. You can check out the video up above to watch that descent into craziness but I don’t talk much about long distance gear in the video. If you want to know what I learned and what gear I’d recommend for your next big ride — whether that’s 50 miles, 100 miles, or something longer — this is my post event analysis.
Long distance gear that worked
More details below but food, water, and the bike were perfect. I don’t think there will be a lot of surprise when it comes to the bike but nutrition is something I’ve gotten a lot better at this year and I nailed it for this event. I’ve also got some new flat repair advice and some of my clothing choices were wins too.
Enve MOG with SRAM RED XPLR 1×13 and Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels
In some ways this is the most obvious piece of the puzzle. So obvious that I already wrote a whole separate article on it. I learned a bit more about the SRAM RED XPLR 1×13 setup, but I was a fan of the choice. I’d already built a Salsa Warbird with a Classified system specifically for events like this. Then I didn’t use it because the Enve MOG was so good. Jump over to “What I learned about SRAM RED XPLR 1×13 after a 500k DNF” if you want to see all the details on the bike, the groupset, the wheels, and the tires.
As good as it is, this bike setup isn’t my automatic long-distance gear recommendation for every situation. It’s probably not a bad one though. In many cases it’ll be overkill but if you want something that can be your only bike and handle every ride no matter the length, this is a good place to start looking.
Apidura Hydration Pack
Riding with a pack is one of the biggest improvements I’ve made this year. In this case I needed to cover 100 miles without a refuel and there’s no other way I would have wanted to do it. In terms of the specifics, that’s maybe less dialed.
At the Traka 360, I used the USWE Race 2.0 and I was a big fan of it — I wanted more pockets. I’d say for a straight 100 mile race, where you are actually racing, that pack is probably the way to go. For longer situations, or less intense racing, I’ve switched to the recently updated Apidura Racing Hydration vest.
The Apidura Racing Hydration vest has lots of usable pockets. I put an emergency jacket in one of the front pockets and started using the other one for garbage. In the rear I had gloves. Even when fully loaded it stays put and it’s always comfortable. I’m in love with the pack.
I’m not in love with the hydration pack that goes into it. It’s slow to fill and difficult to close after. It leaks if you leave the valve open and it always seems like the best way to close it is to use your teeth, which I don’t love. I also managed to pull the end off once and spray sugar water all over my bike. Thankfully that was during testing but it wasn’t fun. I’ve gotten better at it with practice so I suggest you do the same. You might also just consider biting the bullet and swapping it for a Hydrapak reservoir right off the bat.
Polar Breakaway 30 oz Bottle
This was another big win I discovered this year. A 2L hydration pack only lasts me 50 miles. That means I need about double the capacity for 100 miles. For that I turned to a new bottle from Polar (mine is actually branded Hydrapak but it’s the same company) called the Breakaway. As you can see, the Breakaway bottles look mostly like a normal bottle. They also fit in all my bikes standard cages and really the only difference is a 30oz capacity. I generally take the bottles and dump them into the pack when I empty it but there’s no reason you can’t just use them as bottles. This is a great low-cost long-distance gear trick.
Nutrition
As I said above, I have found much more success with drinking my calories. Like the bike setup, I am very happy with how this all worked out and I feel solid recommending the products I used.
For this event I used a sweat sensor to create a custom drink mix. If you want to read all about that, jump over to this article. If you aren’t into getting a sweat sensor though, you could also mix something up without it. I feel pretty confident it would be nearly as good. My other favorites are SIS Beta Fuel 80 if you can actually find it somewhere, Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel, and Carbs Fuel drink mix. After the earlier article though, Infinit did point out that they include a bit of protein to stave off hunger pains for really long events. I did feel like that was a successful part of the equation.
I also avoided hunger pains by eating something I had to chew. This time what I used for that was Skratch Labs Energy Bar Sport Fuel. In terms of straight calories, this was mostly unnecessary but there’s also a psychological part of the equation. Sometimes you need a different mouth feel and a break from liquid. When that happened to me I ate a bar and it was always enough to let me go back to drinking calories.
Not everyone can drink calories but I think a lot of people not only can but probably should. My nutrition was a win for me. I was able to eat and drink throughout the 330 or so kilometers I covered. Next time I do a big ride, I’ll follow a similar strategy.
If you are riding less than 100 miles with/or without refuel opportunities, you can carry a bit less. In my experience it’s better to prioritize the hydration pack so I’d start cutting down the amount of water you carry in bottles. The pack means easy access and more likelihood that you will keep up with your water and calorie needs. The bottles are a lot of weight on the bike so if you don’t need them, ditch them or at least downsize them.
Apidura Race Top Tube Bag
For better or worse, I don’t carry much with me. I generally dislike the feeling of riding with bags and prefer to stay light and fast. The aero drag of a bar bag is pretty crazy plus it’s in the way of everything. I might be able to make a frame bag work but I’ve always found it difficult to manage water with a frame bag so I haven’t explored it much. Saddle bags are okay, the Apidura racing saddle pack in the 5L size is a piece I’ve used in the past, but they make rear lights harder so I avoid them if possible.
That leaves top tube bags which I use because I can’t manage without something. My favorite of the bunch is the Apidura Race Top Tube bag mostly because the type of riding I do is what Apidura designs for. There’s a version with straps but I’m able to use the bolt-on version these days. Either way, it stays put. It’s also easy to open and close with a magnetic buckle and it’s waterproof even in a downpour. The last feature it has is a pass through cable port that leads forward.
Batteries, phones, and headphones
The main reason I use any bag is for batteries. As your rides stretch out, you need to start thinking about this also.
What I used to do, and what is worth considering for shorter rides, is just a simple magsafe style wireless battery. When I used to do it, magsafe was less widespread and even just keeping it next to my phone in my jersey pocket worked really well. These days you can easily find something with a magnetic connection.
For the longest rides, there’s more to it as there’s more to charge. What I’m now using is the Anker 537 power bank. It’s sized at 24k mAh but more important to me is that it outputs at 65 watts. I can charge a laptop with it when I’m not on my bike but I can also fast charge USB-C devices while riding.
Which brings me quite nicely into a discussion about phones. As you start to push your distances longer you need to think about how much battery power you have available. I’ve been on long rides and had a phone die. In 2024, it’s not a good feeling. I use it for keeping my wife up to date on where I am (Garmin tracking link) and for this particular event I also shared the link with the event organizer. Beyond that, these days my phone is also my wallet and, of course, my emergency helpline.
My personal choice for phones is the latest big battery choice from Google. Right now that means the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Obvious I have a pink one to match my socks but, questionable color choice aside, it has a number of features that I love. In daily life I prefer the “vanilla” Android experience and fast software updates. The camera is also a big win both in daily life and in less competitive situations. New to the Pixel 9 series there’s a satellite SOS feature that seems comforting as well. I haven’t played with it much yet but it’s nice to have.
All that said, the Pixel is a balance that I choose because of non-bike specific features I like. For the purpose of making long distance gear recommendations, it’s all about the battery life. Apple and Samsung also have great phones with long battery life as does Motorola and a variety of smaller companies. Whatever you decide works for you, what’s important is that you recognize it can become an issue and you need to consider it. Battery life is especially worth considering when you add in headphones and music.
Most people like to have music or podcasts on long rides and that means headphones. Since they’ve come out, the headphones I use are the Suunto Wing bone conduction headphones. Bone conduction is far and away my favorite option when riding but there are other options out there. I like the Suunto Wing because it comes with a battery pack.
Like other Suunto headphones, or Shokz, you can charge them directly if you prefer. What’s different is that I lost the cable almost immediately and instead just toss them on the included battery pack. That matters because it’s small enough you can take it with you. When you burn through the 10-hour battery life, it only takes a few minutes on the charger to go for hours longer. The pack has an IP-55 water resistance rating (the headphones are IP-65) so sweat won’t hurt it and it fits in a jersey pocket or top tube bag.
Outbound Lighting Detour Bike Light
The other big reason I generally need to think about batteries on a really big ride is because of lighting. The Anker battery pack inside the Apidura top tube bag is a perfect solution for fast charging a USB-C light. The one I’ve come to rely on over and over is the Outbound Lighting Detour.
Sticking with the power side of it, the built in battery is 5000mah with a burn time of 8.5hrs on low. The pattern of the reflector means low is no problem for road riding so that’s fine on its own for a lot of situations. When I do want more burn time, as I did for this race, the 24k Anker pack will give me a little over 40hrs. I ended the night with a full battery.
I also love the Detour mounting system. It sits under a bike computer on a GoPro mount and works perfectly with a K-Edge Max XL mount or the Enve specific K-Edge on the MOG. It does come with its own mount for a round bar but I’ve never had reason to use it.
Rear lights
While we are talking about lights, rear lights are something you’ll also need to consider. The Garmin Varia RTL515 radar rear light is what I use on every single ride and big rides are no different. Knowing when a car is coming without thinking is incredible and with a 16-hour battery life, you can cover a lot of ground. Generally speaking this would be my long distance gear recommendation but sometimes it’s not enough.
When I want to go farther, I turn to the Exposure Boost R rear light. The Boost R is actually outdated now. Updated models have extra features but for my purposes, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. The basic contract is that in the lowest power mode you get 48-hours of flashing red light. For this race I used the Garmin Varia with the light off and the Boost R to flash. I probably would have run out of battery in the Garmin if I’d made it to the end but only by a few hours.
Garmin Edge 1040 Solar
Hands down my long distance gear recommendation for a bike computer is Garmin. The maps have enough detail that you can figure out where you are and where to go without phone service. It’s really the battery that makes me say that though. The Garmin Edge 540 and 840 both offer 26-hours of battery life. That would have been enough for me to finish 500k but I wasn’t using either of those.
Instead I was using a Garmin Edge 1040 Solar. It’s a computer that feels absolutely made for ultra-endurance events. It’s also nice in normal life to rarely need to worry about charging. It’s worth mentioning that I’m also testing the Garmin Edge 1050 but that’s not the computer I brought this time. With a 20-hour battery it’s still better than Wahoo or Hammerhead options but wouldn’t have been enough for this event and might not be enough for something like Unbound 200. You can always charge your computer along the way if you need but the 1040 Solar does the job for me on my longest rides.
Trek RSL Mountain Bike shoes
As with my discussion of the bike setup, this is a bit situation dependant. If your event is completely on-road, you might prefer road shoes. That said, there are very few events anymore that are long distance road only. Most are at least considered mixed surface and many people, although not me, prefer 2-bolt gravel shoes even for road events.
For this event I had the opportunity to try the new Trek RSL Mountain Bike Shoe and they are my new favorites. Like the road version, Trek uses triangular cutouts near the first and fifth metatarsal to create stretch and movement in an area that sometimes hurts on long rides. I’m a fan and I’m also a fan of the ultra-stiff carbon sole that’s protected from damage. I’ve cracked carbon soles on other shoes that lack protection. With RSL, I can walk when needed without concern.
If the Trek RSL hadn’t come in, I would have instead used and recommended the Specialized Recon 3.0 gravel shoe. It’s a slightly heavier shoe with a less flexible outer that’s significantly cheaper and otherwise just as good as the Trek. Specialized updated the design this year and what it does is take the same carbon sole as the S-Works Recon but adds protection then changes the upper. Not only do I want the protection for the sole but I’d argue the BOA Li2 dials are an upgrade from the Specialized specific BOA dials on the S-Work that don’t have a pop to release function.
Gloves
If you want to look below you’ll see that I didn’t correctly manage jackets or warmers but my hands were perfect. At the Traka I used two pairs of gloves but not because I planned it that way. I just used what I had. This time I planned layers.
The first layer was the MAAP Alt_Road gloves. These have become my favorite pair of summer gloves for long and short distances. They are long finger gloves and while that’s not something you typically see roadies use, that’s my preference. You don’t need padding, just good bar tape and quality gloves. The Alt_road gloves fit perfectly and let plenty of air through in the sun. I don’t burn the back of my hands anymore and my palms never get blisters. I love these gloves.
To beef those summer gloves up at night, I brought the Sportful Lobster Gloves. These are just a shell so they are easy to pack but they completely stop the wind and, when paired with only summer gloves, are ideal for the temperatures I experienced. These are also worth consideration for serious winter weather.
Sportful claims these lobster gloves are waterproof but they aren’t. The fabric is waterproof but the seams will leak. What I do is pair them with neoprene gloves and the combination can handle all day in constant rain just above freezing. Nothing else I’ve tested comes even close. The packable nature is just a nice bonus.
Jersey
I can be pretty particular about jerseys. It has to be the right style, I want the zipper to look just right, and I need the pockets to be just right. They can’t be so high you can get into them and they have to fit tons of gear. Matching all of those criteria is tough but I’ve found a few.
When on shorter and more aero rides I’ve enjoyed the Assos Equipe RS Jersey S11 this year. I’ve set personal records with it and while I worry the style is falling behind, it still looks good. Plus, even on an aero jersey, Assos manages quality pockets.
In terms of long distance gear recommendations, where I’m not trying to be aero, what I’ve settled on are Q36.5 and Pedal Mafia. I wear the Q36.5 Dottore Pro far more and last year’s color is actually sun faded in the back. I can’t only wear one jersey though and I gave the Pedal Mafia PMCC a shot at this race. The pockets are ideal and there’s a ton of sizes with stylish colors. The fabric feels a little more substantial than most jerseys and I think it will hold up well even when wearing a hydration vest. If you aren’t familiar with the brand, the gear is worth a look.
Smith Bobcat glasses
I’m calling out these specific glasses because I’ve tried a bunch and these work for me. At the Traka I used a set of Adidas glasses and would happily recommend them but you can’t buy them. I even got a second pair to test and recommend only to have Adidas discontinue all performance glasses.
What I need are comfortable glasses that are photochromic and go fully clear. I don’t want to deal with stashing glasses but not all glasses are clear enough to ride in the dark. The Smith Bobcat glasses work with my smaller face, have Chromapop for better contrast, and with 12-67% VLT they work under both the sun and the moon. Smith leans into a mountain bike, or gravel aesthetic, but this was a mixed surface ride so that was fine for me. If you are doing a road ride, you’ll have to see if you think they work for your style. Whatever you choose though, I recommend photochromic as part of your long distance gear collection.
Flat repair pack
Remember I said I don’t like to carry things on the bike? I still have to carry flat repair supplies. I carry extra tubes, tools, and Dynaplugs and I do it all in my jersey next to a Topeak Roadie 2stage mini pump. For years I used a Rapha essentials case to do that but lately, I’ve got a new solution. Waterfield Designs makes what the brand calls a Magnetic Cycling iPhone Case and I’m not going back despite not using it for an iPhone.
You already know I’ve got an Android phone but the size of the Waterfield Designs case is just enough bigger than the Rapha piece that I can fit everything with ease. It’s not so big that it takes up noticeably more space in my jersey but I don’t have to shove everything in and there’s even a little extra room. For this ride I added a third, completely unnecessary, Schwalbe Aerothan tube and it still closed easily. I doubt it’s completely waterproof given the magnetic closure but it stays closed and the fabric is waterproof, I’d call that enough. I also love the handle that helps get it out of my jersey.
In terms of long distance gear choices, I prefer this type of case because I know I’ll never forget it. The question is only which one. Rapha makes great gear but this Waterfield Designs piece is a little better.
Long distance gear that didn’t work
My job is to always be trying new things and telling you if they work. One of the effects of that is that I am almost always trying new things on every big ride. I always prefer my headlines to be something along the lines of I used this thing for some super long distance and now I’m recommending it to you. Generally that works. I do tons of testing ahead of time and I try not to surprise myself. It still happens though and this time there were a couple of things that fall under the didn’t work banner.
Lightweight jackets
I looked at the forecast and diligently figured out what I’d be dealing with then made the wrong decision. I grabbed the same POC Supreme rain jacket I had at the Traka 360 and once again made a very similar mistake. I saw that at the Traka 360 it got down to 37° F (2.8° C) and that I survived with arm warmers, a vest, and the Supreme jacket. That should mean only the jacket would be good at 60° F (15.6° C), right?
Nope, I was wrong. The POC Supreme jacket is an incredible jacket that I think can handle 65° F (18.3° C) with only a summer kit underneath. It can also handle a whole lot more if you add a midlayer. What it can’t do is manage 57° F (13.9° C) comfortably without some insulation. I know I should always dress warmer than I think and yet, I did it again. In the future I’ll plan for something heavier.
Although what jackets to use at what temperatures is a whole other article, I will say that for this ride the Pearl Izumi Attack WxB would have been perfect. It’s warm enough for that temperature but packs small enough I could have carried it. I also like it because it feels decent against bare skin. If I’d wanted to test something for the sake of seeing if it worked, the Pactimo Torrent seems worth a shot also. It’s stretchier and packs smaller but it’s also lighter and doesn’t seem as warm. I’ll have to do more testing to see where the cross over is.
Leg warmers
Like the POC jacket, the leg warmers I used were incredible but not right for this situation. I wasn’t worried about being truly cold so I grabbed a light pair from Assos just as an afterthought. What I should have grabbed instead are the Castelli Nano flex leg warmers. In general, I prefer not to use leg warmers but these are the warmest and most versatile I know of. I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve thought my leg warmers were too warm. If you need the flexibility of warmers, these are what I suggest.
Another option, instead of warmers, are hardshell rain paints. I have Q36.5 Rain Overpants and Pearl Izumi Monsoon WxB pants and they are both good options. The Q36.5 are more comfortable and make less noise but they do cost a lot more. The Pearl Izumi option works too and in both cases you get far more warmth than warmers without taking much more space. I recommend rain paints for any long distance wet weather situation but they are also worth considering when you need a lot of warmth that’s easy to carry.
Helmet
For this ride I used the POC Cytal Carbon helmet that I reviewed not long ago. I loved it in the review but this is one of the rare times when something is amazing for 100 miles and not so amazing for 200+ miles. I know that won’t apply to a whole lot of people but it might be worth consideration anyway.
The Cytal helmet has strips of padding on the forehead and I loved that it stays put when riding. Turns out that those two features eventually become a problem. After riding through the night my forehead hurt and I had deep indentations from the padding. POC actually supplies a second set of pads for the front of the helmet that should address this but I didn’t know I needed to think about it.
In the future I’ll stick to the Trek Velocis helmet I used at the Traka 360. It does move around more than the POC, and it’s slightly less breezy, but it stays comfortable even when worn for 20+ hours. I also love the Trek Ballista MIPS when on a road bike.
Bib shorts
One of my favorite pairs of bib shorts are the Castelly Free Aero RC bib shorts. I love the chamois with its tiny bit of gel, I love the high compression, and I’m a huge fan of the lack of grip material on the legs. When I found out that Castelli made the same bib shorts with pockets, I was sold. Turns out they aren’t quite the same though.
The Castelli Free Unlimited bib short takes the Free aero RC and adds pockets but also adds Dyneema side panels. I noticed when I first got them that the Dyneema limited stretch and made them tighter but no big deal right? Actually it’s a very big deal and I was very chafed. I might have solved the issue by going up a size but I didn’t expect to have a problem.
I have a ton of road specific bib shorts I love but when it comes to bibs with pockets, I’ve been less lucky. The pair I’ve worn the most are the Sportful Supergiarra bib shorts. They only have one pocket but I like the fit and they’ve always done well for me over long distances. This is where I’ll start looking and Alvin Holbrook also has a number of bibs with pockets I haven’t yet tried in his Best Cycling Bib Shorts Reviewed article.
Why I didn’t finish
If you looked through the few things that didn’t work and none of it seemed like a deal breaker, that’s true. I talk about this in the video above but I didn’t finish primarily because of sleep deprivation. When I decided I was done I’d been awake for more than 24 hours and I think it would have taken 36 hours awake to finish. I didn’t realize how hard that would be. That’s not quite the whole story either though.
It wasn’t gear that was an issue and it wasn’t truly sleep deprivation, it was a lack of experience. You could also say it was hubris. My best long-distance gear recommendation is to plan for a change of plans and use the opportunities available. The route took me past my car, I could have had a change of clothes there. I also could have slept there for an hour then finished. I didn’t think about any of that because I didn’t expect to have an issue. Lesson learned.
Next time you have a big ride planned, try to think through some of the plan B ideas so you are prepared if you have an issue.