EdLon - Task 1.

Task 1.

The Genesis.  Get it pimped then find out how much does it hurt?

For riding long distances, I'm thinking of using the Genesis.  I'm thinking this for two reasons.

1)  The Genesis is the go to bike for all weather, rear round, day or night riding.  This year I've had to upgrade the bike with a dynamo hub and E3 LED front light for riding through the winter while commuting.  I've worn out Gaterskins and added GP GT's which are a bit more performance whilst still being robust.  It would make sense to use the bike with a dynamo and lights to ride through the night section and as I ride it everyday, I'm used to it.

2)  It looks sexy.

I don't want to use the Genesis for two reasons.

1)  It's heavy and the resistance is higher.  To do the distance I'll burn more energy than I need to as it'll be less efficient than the Concorde which is lighter, faster and is the Concorde.

2)  I like the Concorde.

So far, I've always have the following logic;

If I'm doing functional riding (usually shorter distance) the Genesis is a good bike.  It has a hub gear, it's steel for longevity, there are mudguards to keep you dry and it's British.  But if it's going to be more serious (and dry(ish) weather) than the Concorde is the tool for the job.  It's light weight road racing bike.  With a number of upgrades it's had over the years, it's lighter, more comforatable, more aerodynamic and by far the fastest bike I own.

For the past few years, my riding has taken in two major objectives - the Fred Whitton and Ride London.  Both are light weight, hard or fast rides. The Fred needs a light, low geared bike to climb mountain passes while Ride London needs a stripped down speed bike to get high speeds.  Both have involved riding with minimal kit in day light with the longest expected ride being 8 hours.  In 2015 I wanted to break the 300km mark which was close to the 200 mile mark, so on the Concorde I peaked at 203 miles at a high average speed.  By the end, I felt good.

To take on Eds-Lon or LEL, I'll need a different approach - more super audax than fake Tour de France rider.  I'll need a bike i can ride for looooonnnnng time periods over longer distances but without looking for the higher speeds.  

So one of the first tasks is to see if I can stick longer distances on the Genesis.