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Sorry to hear that. If you get plenty of mileage in per year, the undercarriage should be tough enough for a 200 if all else is sorted. Undercarriage toughness is quick to disappear after periods of little riding though. Is it problems on one side or both? 1 sided problems point to fit issues. I had issues last year that required a lower saddle height and a cleat spacer on one side which cleared everything up. I've found problems more likely when I am extra heavy too. If the problem is unsolvable, and you want to do randonneuring, consider a recumbent. They are great machines for ultra distance riding. I'll hopefully get a few videos on them made in the winter or next year.

Surprisingly similar weight, components, and geometry actually. Trek will probably have better build quality, 160mm rotors, and dealer support. Polygon uses standard seatpost and 3rd party headset system which are preferable. Where I live, Polygon is 30% less expensive.

It lasted over a year and never got loose. Just changed it earlier this month.

I agree stuff is too expensive, but many enfranchised cyclists are happy to spend $4-6000 on their bikes. I don't bother with any top spec halo bikes though. Personally, I like to hover around the Tiagra/105 component level, but have had somewhat expensive bikes in the past and likely will in the future. A main point of my video though is that companies need to start allowing fit changes at the point of purchase. A good value bike become a bad value when you need to swap the one piece handlebar or the crankset for fit reasons. Factoring that in, some premium brands that offer customization of fit components like Lynksey and Litespeed/Obed suddenly become reasonable values. Pricing is very region dependent too. Giants are very cheap here in Korea, and Specialized has some good deals too. The Arenberg is currently $3500 with 105 mechanical, which is a fine choice if you are in the USA. If you have a tighter budget, check out Polygon. Their updated 105 12 speed Strattos is mostly good to go, unlike the 11 speed version I got a few years ago that needed many components swapped.

@tomcruz3774 usually the cheap countryside hotels offer some unsecured storage indoors near the lobby. They rarely allow the bike in the room. For slow tours I bring a lock, but skip out when doing randonneuring events.

@@b2yes my channel here is focused on ultra distance cycling, so tools we use will not match the aesthetic of a crit bike or pro tour bike. A comfy bum is much more valuable than aesthetics after 16 hours in the saddle.

Funny you mention that, I was looking for color inspiration for the skin suit design while traveling. At an antique mall last week I stumbled across a lovely coffee cup whose palette should result in a pleasant but interesting skin suit that isn't too dark. I'll keep you posted.

@labibmuttaqin4103 2.1kg, round spokes, entry level hubs, slowish tires. Typical for low cost bikes, but upgrading the wheels, tires, and tubes completely changes the character and performance of the bike. The low up front cost of the Polygon gives budget room for the upgrade compared to similar spec bikes from mainstream brands.

@ericwade7124 in theory it could be added. The result would be a spring-in-series situation. The lower pivot of the thudbuster may be exposed to higher lateral forces than it was intended to see due to the extra leverage of the Air Seat added height. Unsure if it would be enough to cause problems though

@@overbikedrandonneuring Ok. I might give it a go. Thanks.

@nl3712 thanks! Each of those models will have slightly different character, but can all act as a quiver killer with a tie swap as long as actual racing isn't in the cards. They each have short seat tubes that are great for us long torsoed riders.

@@overbikedrandonneuring thanks very much for the response. My racing days (road & mtb) are over, so i would like to use the new bike for base miles (on- and off-road), and the occasional gravel race or multi-day bikepacking adventure.

Thanks! I couldn't find where I said that in the video, so I don't know the answer, haha. What time in the video is your question about?

@@utama yes, I'm quite happy with it after customizing it to my needs. I'll do an update video on it soon. Approaching 11000km

@@overbikedrandonneuring wow my country product, happy to see em go international!!

@@SS-qk8oc 🤣🤣

@gregsullivan7408 cheers! I've been running 11-40 on the bike that replaced this for about a year and a half with great success. Merida updated the Silex this year, and the new one is pretty similar to the Headlands. Slack angles, big tire clearance, short stem, lots of mounts. The Silex 700 is aluminum, the 7000 is carbon like the headlands. I'd lean towards the Silex personally

The aero bar is a Pro Missile from Shimano, but a bit older model. I'm testing some carbon ones that support more of the arm and they are nice. Hopefully they last, since they are from AliExpress.

@addisonpartida-vasquez8275 Thanks! BMC are minimally supported where I live and tend to have egregious pricing everywhere, so I didn't bother. The road machine has good tire clearance, nearly perfect geometry, and good choice of mounts and downtube storage. Propriety stem and seatpost are a downside on an off-the-shelf bike with no options for component swaps to aid fit.

@ardaonen260 if that's a recent change, then I wouldn't be up to date on it. Last time I was moderately invested in MTBs, the Grim Donut was just a joke. I'll add this to the list of things that make me feel old.

Thanks for tuning in and for your thoughtful comment. It sounds like we have a lot of agreement on pacing strategy, actually. I strongly discourage hammering up the climbs, and hope that hammering climbs was not the takeaway viewers got. As you might see in my video on gearing, I think extra low gearing is invaluable to be able to self select a modest intensity for climbs. My low gear is 30t up front and 40t cassette cog. I try to stay under 3w/kg if possible on climbs, but it's rather steep around here so its often impossible. Rather, the little chart just shows the return on investment of extra effort and can inform how to spend our limited energy. Due to gearing limitations, an extra 50-100 watts over a sustainable pace is unavoidable on climbs, but is also the best time to spend that match. Other conditions don't give a good return on that investment, so just maintaining a normal pace makes sense. But the calculations do show effort during headwinds give a better return than tailwinds, though neither condition justify extra effort above BTP. We don't need to freewheel every descent, but any effort given to go over 45kph is an incredibly inefficient use of a kilojoule as it is just eaten by aero resistance. Minimizing the amount of time above BTP as well as staying as close to it as possible when it is exceeded should benefit fueling, reduce physical recovery time needed during rest, and help with mental acuity when riding at night. It sounds like you are a beastly rider, so combining good pacing with experience, fueling, and physical prowess explains your stellar performance. Keep up the good work!

Absolutely. That reminds me I should do a little spotlight on my Magicshine 1700 EVO. Light tech has come a long way in the last 10 years.

For sure. When I had an M5 low racer for a short time, the sensation of being near to the ground dominated the experience. I didn't keep it long enough to experience that heat radiation effect though. Not to my tastes at all.

Thanks, Russ! Good luck staying cool in Spain. Quite the change in climate from Montana, I'm sure.

No presence where I live, and the Avant isn't part of their custom program. It seems like a fine low-mid priced endurance bike, depending on local pricing and support.

​​@@overbikedrandonneuringI got one with 105 the only downfall where the wheels and tyres that are rubish and were imediatly replaced. Also changed the seatpost for the split Ergon for extra comfort. Good for all day riding. Misses more modern features like bento box mount

100% agree! My video here goes over that exact problem and has a little worksheet for planning drink mix. th-cam.com/video/Av3o1Cw_iOQ/w-d-xo.html Sodium citrate has been a game changer. It is so easy to drink and doesn't ruin the taste of flavoring.

Bike shops and other retailers here in Korea compete hard for sales and want to win customers. ODVelo's freebie pack is the best I've had from a bike store. Cosmetics are another market where they go all out for samples and freebies here.

Thanks for sharing. I don't have long term mileage on mine yet. How was the after-sale service? Were the conditions in which it broke abnormal in any way, or just typical use?

Basically soaking a clean chain in a jar of emulsive drip wax, shaking it around, letting it drip-dry a bit, then wiping it off. It has been reported that some emulsion waxes like Smoove/Squirt/Grax have initial penetration issues. ZFC Describes the process on page 13, and mentions it as an option in a few reviews of emulsion waxes: zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/How-to-apply-Wax-or-Wet-Drip-lubricants-v2.pdf

@@overbikedrandonneuring Ok thanks for your answer but I dont see why this method should help with the penetration issues. First I question if ithere really is a valid proof of these issue? But anyhow. The problem would be that the wax particals are to big or the drip isnt liquid enough. So obviously by heating up wax it become totally fluid and solve this problem. With drip wax you also have only a small amount like 100-120ml what isnt much to soak a chain in it. The much better solution would be to apply the drip wax just as usual. Let it dry and then go over the chain with a heat gun. With a heat gun (not hair dryer) it only takes a few seconds and the wax become liquid. For the whole chain this take only 1-2 Minutes.

@@Gieszkanne For sure, warming the wax and the chain is mentioned in the ZFC PDF I linked too as an advanced application technique. I would suppose a full immersion ensures penetration just by sheer volume of wax used, but it sounds like the biggest pain. I've been quite happy with immersive hot melt since I published this video. I think I'll just be sending a fresh chain in drop bags for events long enough to need a rewax. A recumbent chain wax application lasts about twice as long, so it can handle pretty big event.

Cheers Stephan. I noticed my heart rate was very high for low watts the other day and it matched rather well with the +1 BPM per 1*C over 24* noted in research. The biggest problem was that heart rate didn't align with perceived effort. I was approaching my HR max even though I wasn't pedaling very hard. I would have continued at that intensity or even increased effort had I not been monitoring my heart rate, which could have been dangerous.

Good call! I have a little USWE backpack clone for that. It's really important to keep it iced up, otherwise it gets even more hot.

Thanks! This video was valuable to research and fun to write up. First aid for cycling is a topic that deserves more exploration. I've taken various first aid courses and certifications in the context of outdoor adventures since 2005, but the topic falls too far outside of my realm of expertise to attempt a video. I might do more harm than good! Instead, I do recommend in-person learning and hands-on courses.

Ooph, that sounds like a frustrating experiment.

Thanks for that! I did 24 hour baths with the clean spirits but it left residue which several baths of alcohol somewhat cleaned up. In the end, I figured the wax could just absorb whatever was left anyway. I'll switch to white spirits for the next chain prep, as the specialized chain stripping products are not readily available where I live.

@@overbikedrandonneuring It's best to clean outdoors with white spirit, especially if you heat it in the ultrasonic. It will dissolve in body fat. Although It's much safer than many chemicals, you don't want to be inhaling it on a regular basis. If you have any propan-2-ol , also known as isopropanol that would be better as a finishing agent than methylated sprits ( methanol / ethanol mixture ). Isopropanol is used for degreasing electronics and the 99.9% grade is readily available. It is more expensive than methylated spirits. Be careful if trying to heat it in the ultrasonic due to the vapour / fire / autoignition risk. ZFC's 2 pot system is probably the best long term solution as it removes the toxicity and fire issues but you have to be truly committed to wax and have space for the equipment.

You might be surprised! Since shins hit the air first, shaving legs or aero socks probably still have a measurable advantage. You can see James Coxon's recent record setting ride photos on his trike and he has used full aero overshoes.

That's really odd and sound quite uncomfortable. Which model did you get and from where? I am between 92-94kg and have never had that problem with the original Pro seatpost. It doesn't have adjustment or swapable springs/elastomers though.

It's the Pro Endurance. Its got both springs in with both red elastomers and dailed up to max preload. When I put my weight on it (no shoes, no gear), it compresses all the way to the bottom, which doesn't stop any shocks. Disappointing. Thanks for replying.