Please drop your setups here!
I’d love to see how you have yours built up, trying to hype myself up to get one.

High five to you if you tell me frame size and saddle height!
I’m on the fence between a 55 and 57. I’ve owned a Large (57) romanceur and liked the fit but it was borderline too French fit.

1,000 kilometers, just under 6,000 meters of elevation gain, four and a half days. Two Booking.com dramas, a circulatory system that briefly wanted to clock out, a hotel room the size of a broom closet — and at the very end, a race against a Carabiniere coming off the night shift.

How can i prepare for brms. Nutrition and hydration wise?

Robert RA-1 performance. Titanium frame with GRX Di2 and my trusted Carbon Hunt wheels with a SON dynamo.
Need to wire it up though and I'm now having to deal with integrated cabling. That wasn't high on my list but I figured it would be a good way to get a real clean and aero setup.
I ordered it in June and went to pick it up from the shop in Luxembourg. I was promised it would be ready by end of August, but international logistics got in the way.
5 days before turning up to the shop, they informed me that they were still missing some parts (that was last week) and they were asking for an extra delay. But since I had flights, hotel, rental car and all kinds of stuff booked up in the area, there was no way I would cancel on such short notice.
When I turned up on Wednesday morning they were still missing the crank and the rear derailleur, but an order was supposed to arrive during the day.
They made the impossible and got it done during the day.
I spent a bit of time chatting with the boss and he said the situation was really dire with international logistics, customs, tariffs, and other good stuff that we have no idea about as consumers.

I wrapped up Super Randonneur 2026 last weekend (200/300/600 on a regular geared gravel bike), but decided to make the 400 a personal challenge: full single speed, 38x17, Schwalbe G-One RS Pro 50-622, equipped with dynamo hub.

We started 04:00, finished just before midnight (~20h), with a friend on geared gravel doing his first ever 400. A few things I learned the hard way:

No gears = no excuse to figure out technique. I tried powering the first real climbs out of the saddle and it wrecked me. I abandoned that after 30-40km and switched to staying seated for everything, even 7-8% grades. Second climbing block of the day felt completely different once I'd adapted. Wish I'd started seated from km1.

Fueling low-carb (<15-20g/h), I am highly fat-adapted worked for most of the ride. One exception after second control where I had a big sugary pastry + coffee and nearly fell asleep on the bike at 3pm. Turns out the "sugar makes you sleepy" thing I use to avoid at night applies in broad daylight too if the dose is big enough.

Cadence and speed. Lost my appetite/thirst after a rough patch, rolled into the last control having drunk less than half a liter over 80km. Pushed hard for 30km right after and ended up with right-quad tetany. I nerded out on the FIT data afterward: that 30km push was only stretch in the entire 400 where I held 80+ rpm cadence, without real speed increase. After that cadence and speed were erratic. Lesson: average speed hid it completely; cadence is metric to follow.

Flat bar with ergo grips + horns angled to mimic gravel hoods helped me to vary hand position constantly, but I still ended up with numb pinky/ring finger on both hands by the end.

Questions for anyone who's done long single-speed/fixed brevets on a flat bar:

Hand numbness: has anyone actually solved ulnar nerve compression on a flat bar over 15-20h, or is it just the cost of entry?

Gearing for hilly brevets: how do you pick your ratio when the route has real elevation? Did you end up on something "easy" like mine, or push harder and just accept more standing/grinding?

Unilateral cramping/tetany late in a ride: anyone else get a one-sided leg lock-up after many hours? Did it trace back to hydration, bike fit, or just the lack of gear range to redistribute the load?

I’ll be attempting my first SR series to qualify for PBP next season. Has anybody completed this ride? Or other audaxes in wales? The elevation is one thing but how about the weather that time of year? I’m not too worried about the distance as I’ve done lots of multi-day touring with luggage, though the psychological warfare late in the ride will be new to me…

A 400 km audax. If I stop for a brief kip half way; does that count as two rides or one?

Who has a kickstand?

What type, make?

Does it rattle on bumpy roads?

Anyone tried a kickstand and regretted it?

I want something to use for a quick stop to grab a coffee or enter a porta pottie.

I looked into the Ottolock Hexband, the Hiplock Z Locks, and they all seem really easy to just pull and remove without any need to even cut them.

I don't really feel like having a ulock with me, are there any options? And please don't write something "it's fine for a quick stop to just leave the bike".

It has just been posted on the website: https://randonneurs.nl/nl/blog/28/kalender-2027#a28

For now, just a list of dates, start location and distance, but more information follows soon.

In 1979 the first four Canadians went over to do Paris-Brest-Paris. Gerry Pareja is the last of those four to die. He is the guy in the background in the picture here:

https://archives.randonneurs.bc.ca/history/main_bc.html

Please take a moment to consider all those who have taken their last long ride.

Barry B.

(Note: Approved by the r/randonneuring moderation team)

Hi everyone,

I am conducting an academic research study at James Cook University investigating how psychological factors specifically endurance mindset, discomfort tolerance, and emotion regulation relate to power maintenance across long endurance rides (≥100km).

Given that sustained mental pacing and managing fatigue over long distances are central to randonneuring, we would love to have eligible riders from this community participate.

💻 Please complete this on a desktop or laptop computer: The survey includes uploading an activity file, which is much smoother and more reliable on a computer than on mobile.

📋 Eligibility Criteria:

• Age 18 or older
• Ride with a power meter and GPS bike computer
• Completed at least one outdoor 100km+ ride per month over the past 3 months
• Fluent in English (Current professional or elite-level cyclists are excluded)

⏱️ What Is Involved:

• Duration: ~10 to 15 minutes
• Survey: Short questionnaire on mindset, perceived exertion, and pacing strategies.
• Activity File: Uploading 1x past .FIT file from a ≥100km outdoor ride completed in the last 3 months. No new physical ride or test is required.

🔒 Privacy & Strict GPS Stripping:

We recognize privacy is paramount:

• All location coordinates, start/finish waypoints, and GPS tracks are permanently and immediately scrubbed using Golden Cheetah before analysis.
• Residential locations and street-level routes are never stored, viewed, or shared.
• All research data is stored securely on JCU OneDrive under institutional ethics controls.

🎓 Ethics Oversight & Contacts:

• Ethics Reference: James Cook University HREC: 26H-0086

As this is an unfunded university research project, participation is completely voluntary and unpaid. We greatly appreciate the time and support of cyclists contributing their data to academic research.

👉 Participate here: JCU Cycling Performance Study (Qualtrics)

Ultegra di2 12 speed wireless: 170mm cranks ;compact 50/34: 11-34 derailleur 28mm GP5K AS:
42mm Hoverbar ; Future shock 2.0; Future stem +6;
Specialized Phenom saddle;
Exposure Strada SB/ NiteRider rear. Small triangle Frame bag ; Ortlieb saddle bag; Eager to hear comments or recommendations-
6’(182 cm): ~160(73kg) thank you!

First pic is my 27 year old B17. 2.5 PBPs and many, many kilometres on it.

But if i try and add tension, it is starting to rip at the rivets so I've bought a nearly new one off le boncoin at 65€.

It just arrived this morning, I've given it a touch of proofhide and take it for a ride tomorrow. Multitool at the ready for adjustments.

Anyone know of Southern Spain BRMs early in 2027? I have family with a house near to Gibraltar so I was hoping to do some winter rides and ideally fit in a qualifying BRM in January or February.

Thanks

I started riding brevets around 2021, but managed to complete only 1 200 that year. Got rekindled with the desire in 2025. The year wasn't kind and DNFd 4 out of the 8 i rode last year. Biggest was a 400 from Amsterdam. This year, with proper training, managed to complete the SR. Gives me huge confidence for PBP next year. BUT, i found that it wasn't strength that is my problem now but sleep. Even during the successful 600k this year, i didn't sleep(though i had booked a hotel for some hours). But i managed since it was only 1 night.

But this came to haunt me again on a 1000 brevet, where its more than 1 night. The first night, in the hotel, i couldn't sleep. I thought the tiredness would take over the 2nd night, but even after covering more than 600km, i still couldn't sleep even a bit. My head was aching due to the lack of sleep and eyesight at night became a problem because of the headahce. It felt dangerous riding through france in the darkness and I quit. A shame, because i had the strength to keep riding. I had a lot of Cola, maybe should have stopped that in the late afternoon. Suggestions?

Hi everyone! I am currently in the market for a new bike. I have historically had Trek bikes but they have always been uncomfortable. I believe I have been sized wrong I'm 5'4 and have always been told to get a 52. I have been looking at other options and love the velo orange. How comfy are they for long distances, I get a lot of hand and feet numbness. I know drop bars are better but would flat bars help with my hands? Also are clip in shoes better for feet numbness too? Give me your advice please:)

I’m wondering if it could be a bob Jackson, Jack Taylor or something similar?

Howdy, I’ve been randonneuring since 2012. This was my first bike I used for many brevets. I let it sit for a bit and just today I’m building it up to sell it. Started today and a bit more to go to dial it in. What do you think the value is to the community? I don’t know where to start with pricing since it’s a bit niche.

It’s a Velo Orange Polyvalent (low trail) frame with some rad hand built tied and soldered wheels, and lots of small modifications done by known randonneur frame builder Corey Thompson. I put some new Grand Bois on it for style. Son Delux hub and light, 8sp drivetrain on Phil Wood rear hub and VO rims.

What price would you expect to see it listed at? What price do you feel like would be a fair deal for a commuter or new randonneur?

Thanks folks!

EDIT:

Alright, I added up all the pricing suggestions in the comments (excluding the $75 and $1 million dollar suggestions) and averaged them for a suggested price of $1,135. That seems like the perfect price according to the community.

Thanks for your input folks.

I’m thinking about trying to qualify for PBP next year. I live in southern Germany and have noticed that local German brevets can be quite difficult to get into, with limited places and entry fees of around €15–20.

Brevets in France seem to be more accessible and cheaper like 6€ or so, so I’m considering doing at least part of the qualification series there.

I completed a 300 km brevet in France this year, but unfortunately, I didn’t fully understand all the rules because of the language barrier. I have a few questions:

Are brevet cards commonly used in France?

How does homologation work for riders who aren’t members of a club and don’t have a brevet card?

At my brevet, I didn’t see any stamp books or cards and there weren't any control points. My ride was homologated simply by submitting my Strava track. Is that common in France, or was this specific to the organiser?

I’d love to hear from anyone who has experience with French brevets, especially those who have used them for PBP qualification.

Thanks!

I just wanted to share my experience of my 600k BRM.

TLDR, I underestimated the sun in start and did not took any solid food for first 200km, turns out only relying on gels and dates was bad idea, Still managed to do this BRM barely under 40h, I did not know about concept of dropbag, If there is anything like that I need to know please let me know or something you all do that helps you which otherwise is not known much.

--------

The BRM was round trip 300k to a city then back to starting point. First half was relatively descent and naturally the next was climb

The ride started 6 AM in morning and starting 300km have like rolling hills but average decline. I expected it to be done in 17 hours in worst case, but head winds and extremely sunny day just ruined the plan.

I reached 200km manned check point at 6pm which was way off the expected time, when i get off my bicycle I was feeling dizzy there I had meal. I was going to DNF because even if I do another 100k to 300k CP now, I'll have to face 300km return half which was lot of climbing in day2 heat with temperature averaging over 30C.

But I found fellow rider at 200k CP, He told me there is a great restaurant ahead atleast cycle till there then you can see about DNF situation (spoiler alert no such restaurant existed). I though alright I still have some juice left ill have a good meal and quit. He kept saying its 10-20km away and like this he made me ride 100k to 300km CP, the level of brainwashing was insane,

300k CP was drop point but I had no idea about concept of Dropbag. I did not have dropbag he told me that i should keep extra pair of shorts and tubes well it did make sense cuz i was feeling bad in my shorts after 300k. Oh we reached 300k at like 19h mark so we slept for 20min and ate some things and left at 20h point

So only 300k remains, next 300k in 20h seemed doable so I told that myself anyway am reducing distance between me and home if i feel bad ill DNF and take taxi will cost less money. Early morning first 100k was surprisingly quick as it was through wildlife and dawn was cold, but 400-500km was absolutely WORST so many h3 climbs sun even the guy with me was struggling. I don't even have memory of what i was thinking that time or did i just know i reached 500k points at 3pm and 7 hours were left for cutoff. out of which 60min were spent in resting and that guy got puncture, so we were able to leave after 4PM.

Also, at 500k point the organizer said they are planning to give 1h grace time because on 200-300k route there was huge truck accident that blocked both incoming and outgoing traffic for over 6hours, although our cycle passed from between motor vehicles, but it did slow us. But I did not want grace time, idk why but I wanted my total time to be less than 40h. So, we rode last 100k in relatively more ascent pretty fast I even got lifetime 80k PR in last segment and completed BRM in 39h 30 min.

Also, thanks to giant tyres they had puncture at 580km, I just pumped air and left did not fix it was not going over 50psi, somehow, they were able to hold 50psi pressure for 20km before being totally flat the next day.

Few days ago, a friend and I started our first 300k ride. The route was starting from Lille and ended in Amsterdam, following the cities of Ghent, Antwerp and Rotterdam. We were supposed to start at 5am in the morning, but decided at the last minute to prepone the ride to 10:30pm the evening before. The night was very challenging as we were both tired from our week of work.

We made way more stops than planned during the night, to drink coffees and Red Bulls in the open train stations along our route. Sunrise was a relief.

We spent the whole ride eating chocolate bars and candies, without any problems with our stomachs. It started raining at km 260 and the rain stayed with us till the end.

Total time was 17h30.

I have a few questions for those of you who are used to long rides.

The first and obvious one is: How do you deal with saddle pain, and more specifically soaking wet bib shorts? Because mine were, and I finished the ride with bad irritations. I don't own very good quality bibs but I wonder if that really makes a difference? Or do you have a way to limit the sweating in that area?

I also had some pain in my wrists, and it was the first time. I guess this might be because of my flat bar + inner bar ends setup. I thought this could give me the feeling of hoods (and it does for rides shorter than 200km), but I guess for long ones it's better to have real drops? Anyone running a similar setup?

Overall it was a blast, we were super proud at the end and deserved a really good sleep. I still have no idea how I'll manage to do 400 or 600 in the future, but I guess everybody thinks that after their first 300.