As demonstrated in the first of our bike check galleries from the TransAtlanticWay bike packing race, any bike is an ultra-endurance bike. From dedicated bike packing rigs to aero race machines, any bike will get you there. Another example of the versatility of modern bikes…
Another example of the versatility of modern bikes or is it a case of each rider making do with what they have available? Perhaps a bit of both?
Here’s a look at another selection of the least expected bikes making their way down the west coast of Ireland.
Omar Di Felice pictured here moments before the start has already reached the finish line in County Cork first after just over six days on the road. Di Felice was travelling incredibly light and set off on a Wilier Zero SLR, a lightweight road racing bike equipped with R9270 Dura Ace Di2 and a selection of small bags. The least expected bike on the start line, until the next one. The next least expected was a Team United Healthcare Boardman Air 9.8T Elite from circa 2011. This Ritchey Outback with a mechanical groupset, flared bars, mudguards, and a spare tyre, is closer to what I was expecting to see even if the pannier racks are missing. Bonus points for the excellent use of a Dura Ace 7800 crankset and Wolf Tooth 1x chainring. An S-Works Aethos scored highly on the “wow, I wasn’t expecting to see one of these” charts. While obviously any bike is an ultra-endurance bike and I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, the mix of lightweight non-touring road bikes with geometries on the more aggressive side of the comfort scale certaily caught me off guard. Favero Assioma Duo pedals are known to be amongst the most reliable power meters on the market. Reliability is invaluable for a ride already into its seventh day. Those Tailfin racks we mentioned in the first gallery feature this nifty quick release mount for bikes without dedicated rack mounts. Another Canyon, another Dynamo hub. Marina Sonzogni has this Katusha-Alpecin team editon Endurance well loaded with a bar, top tube, frame, and saddle bags from Apidura. Yet another Canyon on the start line, this time a Grail with the CP07 double decker handlebar. I’m not sure if Canyon had forseen the added benefit of the two-tier handlebar for bike packers, with substantially more real-estate riders can fit even more bags and mounts and light and snacks and bells while still keeping the tops free for hands and forearms. Designed for the taming the cobbles of Northern France, the S-Works Roubaix seems like a good choice for the sometimes rougher roads along the West of Ireland.Phone, wallet, keys – check. Food, tools, first aid pack – check. While we didn’t have time to start delving into the bags to see what each rider was carrying, some of the contents strapped to the outside were already interesting enough. Off the bike footwear is a funny one. Riders want to minimise their time off the bike yet footwear, one of the bulkiest items they’ll carry while on the bike, is only there for those short rest periods. Ideally, riders want to limit their time in whatever “normal” footwear they carry, yet carrying any footwear might limit space for more useful items. Most shoes are too bulky and heavy so riders opt for sandles. Christophe Peger is a French man, living in London, cycling the west coast of Ireland, who relies on Crocs to get about off the bike. A well worn pair of flip flops provide the neatest solution on show at the start. Some riders now opt for grippy sock-shoes from the likes of Skinners which can easily fold away as small as a pair of socks for stuffing away out of sight.There’s a lot to unpack in this huge saddle pack with cup and first aid kit within handy reach.I didn’t see many locks on show but this was one hard to miss. One way to ensure your bike is still where you left it when you wake up from a roadside nap.You’ll want a dry saddle when you wake up from said nap, a simple saddle cover to fend off the rain can make a world of difference to your morale when the time comes to set off again.There are only 12 rules on the TransAtlanticWay, the twelfth of which states “riders must display some form of hi-viz during the day and reflective gear at night”, that explains those leg warmers then.And off they went, over the Peace Bridge and onto another 2,599 km or thereabouts.
