Le Jog clothes, some TLS please

[Asposium]

Deciding on my Le Jog clothes.
Would appreciate some opinions.
Going in May, so could be mild to warm, calm to windy, and even dry to wet. Got to love the UK.
Number in brackets is quantity
??? means unsure whether should take.
Even if not completely TLS the windproof trousers are damn useful. Wear when travelling on the train (so don't look a complete idiot), and in the evening after cycling.

Cycle • Buff
Cycle • Gloves
Cycle • Gloves, Waterproof Cover ???
Cycle • Goretex Jacket
Cycle • Goretex Trousers
Cycle • Helmet
Cycle • Jersey
Cycle • Overshoes ???
Cycle • Shoes
Cycle • Shorts (2)
Cycle • Socks (2)
Cycle • Windproof Jacket ???
Cycle • Windproof Trousers
Non-cycle • Buff
Non-cycle • Down Jacket ???
Non-cycle • Underwear (2)
Sleep • Leggings
Sleep • Socks
Sleep • T-shirt

[Pirahna]

I'm a big fan of making stuff do two jobs. For example, if you've got a pair of pants why take leggings to sleep in when you could wear leg warmers? Based on that, if that was me I'd probably wouldn't take any spare cycle clothing, I would take arm and leg warmers (can be used to sleep in) and a gillet. I'd swap the waterproof longs for shorts. I'd take one merino T for riding and sleeping and one pair of merino pants (I like merino, you can wear it every day for a month and it won't stink). One pair of socks for riding and one for sleeping/casual. For going to a pub in the evening I'd pack a pair of shorts and a shirt.

Plan B could be to ditch the cycle specific shorts and jersey and take a couple of short sleeved shirts that could be used for riding and casual. One pair of shorts for everything and one pair of cycling underwear. I'd pack a lightweight down jacket for evenings.

Once you get used to living like a tramp it becomes second nature.

[Asposium]

Once you get used to living like a tramp it becomes second nature.

[whitestone]

Being able to get out of cycling shorts whilst sleeping has advantages in that you can let the shorts and yourself "air" - see Ian Fitz's description of what happened when he was too tired to do so

I wouldn't bother with waterproof glove covers, just one set of underwear - you should be able to wash them at some point. Just one buff - again wash at some point. Goretex trousers? Does depend how cold or otherwise your legs get but you've got the windproof ones. If you find somewhere to shower/clean up then one pair of cycling shorts: wash and rinse in shower, wring out in towel and they'll be near enough dry, certainly drier than after an hour's cycling in the rain.

[sean_iow]

If you take leg warmers you can leave out the windproof trousers. If it get's really windy/cold then wear the goretex trousers over these as well.

When I sleep in my leg warmers and arm warmers I turn the tops down so the silicon gripper isn't on my skin otherwise I sometimes get a rash from it. It has only happened when sleeping though, I've worn the leg warmers for 24+ riding and not had an issue

[Bearbonesnorm]

Cycle • Buff
Cycle • Gloves
Cycle • Gloves, Waterproof Cover ??? Just take waterproof gloves to begin with. Marigolds make great wet weather riding gloves.
Cycle • Goretex Jacket
Cycle • Goretex Trousers
Cycle • Helmet
Cycle • Jersey
Cycle • Overshoes ??? No, they're generally rubbish.
Cycle • Shoes
Cycle • Shorts (2) Just the one pair.
Cycle • Socks (2) Again, just the one pair. Maybe make them waterproof, you can get bamboo waterproof socks which look good.
Cycle • Windproof Jacket ??? You've got a waterproof which is also windproof.
Cycle • Windproof Trousers There's really no need - see above.
Non-cycle • Buff Two buffs, why?
Non-cycle • Down Jacket ???
Non-cycle • Underwear (2) Embrace your inner commando
Sleep • Leggings Substitute for merino / bamboo boxers
Sleep • Socks
Sleep • T-shirt Make it merino / bamboo and you could wear it while riding too if the need arises.

[ScotRoutes]

It really does depend on whether your LEJOG is a mad dash for the finish or a more leisurely meander. I've dropped off passengers at Inverness Airport wearing only their cycle kit as they had nothing else with them (including their SPD shoes) and I've had folk with loads of gear (including one with a mobile printing press). FWIW, you original list looks fine to me - maybe other than the windproof trousers. If you have shorts and leg-warmers, that should do almost ever situation. Waterproof trousers are, however, a good backup if things get particularly nasty or you have a mechanical that stops you riding for a while. I'd also drop the windproof jacket and take a windproof gilet.

[BigdummySteve]

My footwear choice consisted of shimano spd sandals and sealskin socks + another pair of merino socks. Although they may not be the height of fashion they cover all bases, hot? Sandals, early morning dry and cold? Sandals+socks, wet? sandals+sealskins.
The added bonus is that sandals dry out very quickly and are easily adjusted if your feet swell after multiple days on the bike. 3 items to cover all your foot needs

[ianfitz]

see Ian Fitz's description of what happened when he was too tired to do so

Happy to oblige...

I wrote this version for the Edinburgh festival of cycling appearance last year.



It’s always darkest just before the dawn.

Highland Trail 550. 1st June 2016. Banks of Loch Lochy, The Great Glen.

I’ve ridden right through the night and now it’s early on the fourth day, dawn has broken and another stunning sunrise has erupted over my shoulder. Chased me down the Great Glen. Yesterday’s ride began 225km ago at Sheneval bothy in the heart of the wilds of Fisherfield. So far ‘yesterday’s’ ride has lasted for 27 hours.

Riding a bike is still ok. Surprisingly I still feel strong. But staying awake at the same time is now impossible. I have tried everything I can think of - talking to myself, in my head and out loud, singing (badly), music, slapping myself. Really hard too. I have a word with myself. Still only 3 days and 20 hours on the race clock with 100km to go. So far ahead of where I’d even dreamed I might be at this stage. It’s stupid to risk that.

So a timed one hour sleep is administered. Crawl into the bivy, helmet still on, set a one hour countdown timer and asleep the moment my head touches the ground. Out. like. A. light...

What seems like seconds later the alarm sounds, a rhythmic noise that vibrates through the hard ground, to be echoed by the throbbing pain emerging from both feet and my still damp arse, all burning with a searing intensity that is still vivid in my mind now. Unlike the other stops I’ve made a bad error and forgotten to remove my damp socks and the sweat soaked bib shorts that had been on for those 27 hours I've ridden today.

Down in the Glen the cool morning air is still and midges swarm as I hurry to roll up my bivy. A crunch of gravel on the track to my left barely registers as a blur swooshes by in the furthest corner of my sight line. I'm not totally sure if this last part is a real memory or came later. But it's vivid enough.

The final bag clipped onto the bike and I know it's time to move again. But putting shoes on those battered feet is an ordeal and the first foot onto a pedal smarts, making me cry out in pain. Despite the early morning sunshine the world is a dark and unfriendly place today, a world of pain and uncertainty. For the first time I have doubts. Big doubts. How can I ride another day in this state.

Other leg swings over and meets equal horror as foot contacts metal. A weak-willed attempt at sitting on the saddle results in more howls of pain.

How can a bike be ridden when the saddle can't be sat on and the pedals can't be stood on?

There's still a long way to go to the the finish. A 100 kilometres I guess. That's a good day’s riding. And right now I am done. Everything had been going so unbelievably well to this point. Up to now, for four days, I'd been floating round the route in a bubble. It hadn't been effortless, far from it, but I'd been a joyous voyager in that bubble. An unimaginably simple time spent floating down glens. Up and over hills. Laughing over unrideable sections cruised on a fully laden bike.

But now things are different. Now that once magical bubble has been poisoned, gone toxic. In the last few days my bubble stretched to the far horizons cocooning me and all I could see, now it has shrunk and tries to crush me. I can't focus beyond the front tyre, never mind 100km down the route to the finish where I need to be.

One of the many incredible things about riding these long days, pushing body and mind right up to the limit is that emotions swing so wildly. From utter ecstasy to sheer despair. Sometimes in minutes and the closer you push towards the edge, the quicker that transfer can happen. That’s the real contest in rides like this. With your own mind, body and mood. Not against the other riders.

Enough of this now. I need to move.

Ok then. I push off and start rolling. Pedal. 5 seconds standing, 5 seconds sitting.

10 seconds standing. Count them. They hurt. And they. Are. Long. Seconds. 10 seconds sitting.

20...

Then 30. Then...

Just shut up and get on with it. It's grim. But it is happening. Pedal and suffer. Soak up the punishment and the pain. It’s going to be a long, long day.

********************************************

Then a few minutes late I am saved. A few minutes later I see another rider in the distance. Stand up and sprint, catch up and throw out crazed conversational tentacles hoping that something will stick and we can generate some sort of other, an alternative to the current reality. Within minutes, but without discussion, it’s obvious we will ride to the finish together, not racing anymore.

What followed was one of the best days riding I’ve ever had. The culmination of four already unbelievably perfect days, finally heading to the finish line after so much planning, dreaming, commitment and effort; a master-class in how real mountain bikers ride bikes, comedy crashes trying to follow those lines that look so easy. Conversation, camaraderie and companionship that would provide an alternative but equally perfect end to the ride. Until then I’d enjoyed glorious solitude, a tiny speck alone in a huge and beautiful landscape. But at that moment there were only a handful of people on the entire planet who had been in the same bubble, lived these last few days in the same way. No-one else would fit in this situation. Sticking together at the stage meant we were a more powerful force, greater than the sum of our parts.

Later, in the hot afternoon sun three of us roll across the finish line together. All of us changed by these last few days, by everything that’s been under our wheels, on our horizons and in our minds. Forced by those experiences to re-evaluate our limits and what we thought possible.

On finishing I lie down, totally spent. Bike down, shoes off, laying in the scant shade of a small tree. Water is put in my hand and I drink bottle after bottle, 3 litres in 20 minutes. James Robertson, the photographer, is around trying to get the photos of people suffering that he seems to like so much. There is suffering now but also incredible joy, satisfaction and pride bubbling up in me, all tempered by utter disbelief. I have no idea how I pulled that ride out of the bag. I didn’t even know it was in the bag. I've never, ever ridden a bike like that before, let alone for so long. Slowly things come back into focus.

I notice Lee is asleep, just flaked out on her side on the tarmac. I change out of my bib shorts behind the van. There are pieces of my skin mashed into the pad.

[Asposium]

Some interesting ideas.
Thinking get rid of the t-shirt and down jacket and take a thin fleece top. Can double up as post-ride top, and sleep wear. If a little cold in an evening wear the Goretex jacket.
Second buff is so as to have a clean one, little worse than a clammy head when trying to sleep.
Will ponder only one pair of shorts. Might be a TLS step too far.
Sandals and socks ....nice.

LeJog is "bikepacker on tour", not an all out sprint; however, don't want to carry so much that cycle at touring speed.

[whitestone]

Cath did LeJog with everything in a Carradice saddle bag, she was stopping at hostels and B&Bs so didn't need camping/bivy kit.

[BigdummySteve]

[quote="Asposium"
Sandals and socks ....nice. [/quote]

While not the last word on sartorial elegance they make sense, I cycled through Scotland’s wettest recorded ‘summer’ and had warm dry feet throughout. If I had taken my shoes they would never have dried out. If I was setting out on a world tour sandals would be my footwear of choice. Don’t underestimate the ability to loosen the straps to give a bit of relief both to the knees and feet,

They are also bloody nice if the sun decides to shine. Not too good with goose poo however

[Bearbonesnorm]

Won't a down jacket be lighter, more packable and warmer than a fleece?

[sean_iow]

Will ponder only one pair of shorts. Might be a TLS step too far.

I don't know how long your Le Jog is going to take or how long you plan to ride each day but one thing to be said in favour of two pairs of shorts is that if they are different makes with different shaped pads then you can switch between them if you get a sore spot. A different pair every other day might help reduce the chances of a problem arising, but you might be quite happy to ride for 20 hours a day for day after day with no issues, hopefully your past experience will help you decide.

[Dave Barter]

I am going to disagree with Stu on overgloves and overshoes.

If (and I hope you do) you ride a backroads route you are going to get covered in sh1t3. Keeping gloves and shoes clean can help a lot especially in stopping cr@p getting into your bivy or B&B. I have done 3 LeJogs now and would always take outer layers to try and defer the Ingres of mud and water for as long as possible. Even in May you could be in rain for 12 hours solid. It has happened to me several times.

I only took one pair of shorts but washed them whenever I could.

[Asposium]

Won't a down jacket be lighter, more packable and warmer than a fleece?

The fleece I have in mind will likely be lighter (haven’t weighed it yet), probably more packable (doubt much in it), though yup, down jacket certainly warmer (hoping not too cold in May ....even in Scotland).

Don’t need down jacket for sleep, as sleeping bag is plenty warm enough.

[benp1]

Won't a down jacket be lighter, more packable and warmer than a fleece?

The fleece I have in mind will likely be lighter (haven’t weighed it yet), probably more packable (doubt much in it), though yup, down jacket certainly warmer (hoping not too cold in May ....even in Scotland).

Don’t need down jacket for sleep, as sleeping bag is plenty warm enough.

I'd seriously consider a synthetic fill top. It's almost as packable as down, but copes better in the wet. It's more packable than a fleece, the right top is nice right against your skin. It's more wind resistant than fleece so makes a better riding top

Personally I use a Berghaus Hypertherm and team this with a Rab Strata vest, makes a good packable combo that fulfil different purposes (the strata is filled with breathable polartec alpha). If the weather is warm i'd probably take the former

[redefined_cycles]

Amazing thread... learning loads. Thanks everyone and for starting it... the idea of the sandals is vaguely exciting!

[redefined_cycles]

Socks. I woukd carry too and always works for me on my Rapha500 (sorry ) end of year voyage. Was suggested by Mike Hall in one his interviews about how to cheer yourself up mid-ride/race and putting on a warm/fresh pair of socks/underpants (padded underpants) was top of the list. Which leads me to: I normally take 2 sets of cycling padded shorts too...

The tip about how to keep feet dry my Steve. Sounds really cool as I know thats one of my probs of not being able to have waterproof shoes (goretex 5:10 approach) dry in time if they do get wet inside...

[windjammer]

2 pairs of liner shorts wash one wear one,hang on the bike to dry,if your arse is to sore to ride then all the other kit is useless

take baggy shorts and 2 liners then you wont look a wally sat on a train when you get a stiffy looking at a fit bird