6 tips on how to prepare the bike to a record marathon

The most desperate cyclists ride at all on the cobblestones of Paris during the "Tour de France", and over the vast expanses of Siberia. We decided to collect for you advice founder Dautov Bros and mechanic technical support team Sergei Dautova how to get ready for the most exhausting bicycle race and one of the main adventure of a lifetime.

On July 15, Moscow launched the first in the history of ultramarafonskaya velomnogodnevki Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme, repeating the route of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. More than a week of the race participants pedaled and has already reached Krasnoyarsk. All they have to overcome 9195 kilometers in 23 days and finish on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Vladivostok.

1. Preparing for a race bike

On the issue of training bicycle should come not less responsible than the preparation of your own body. 9195 kilometers - is exhausting work for the driver, often on the brink of human capabilities. State of Russian roads causes increased wear bicycle components.

In these modes of operation it has become the most reliable, accurate and finely tuned instrument.

• The first thing to be concerned about anything - it dependability nodes and bicycle parts. In particular, transmission (everything that leads the bike in motion) must be sverhkrepkoy and fine-tuned. High-quality materials and harmoniously matched grupset make the movement of the rider an easy, safe and reliable.
• wheels - another element of the bicycle, to which special requirements. The wheels should be strong and durable, easy to "swallow" many irregularities. They should be sverhkrepkimi not to appear rim beats ( "Eight") along the way. Tires and tubes must be resistant to wear and impact of road surface irregularities. Thus remember about the weight: the wheels must be very light.

• Brake and transmission should work perfectly, because of their work is directly dependent on the safety of movement. Do not forget that the race - it's not a trip to the forest park and the professional racers - is biorobots that give a tremendous burden on the bike.
• The fuselage of the bicycle - frame and fork. Main characteristics - minimum weight and a great cushioning material. Now the choice of cyclists, there are three main types of materials: carbon fiber, titanium and chromium-molybdenum steel. Lightest frame of carbon fiber using the best cyclists in the world. Perfectly absorb the irregularities and have the explosive nature of the acceleration.

Titanium alloy - very comfortable when driving stuff, but somewhat heavier than carbon.

Chrome alloy - it is also very comfortable to ride, but the hardest of all three types. Now this material is rarely used in serious competition, but when driving on long and extra long the distance it can be your choice because of the superior comfort, a good reel and highest reliability on the kink.

Participants in the race using different frames, but all of them are equipped with a highly reliable components and their weight is minimal. And, of course, are like a pair of domestically produced cars.

2. Refinement and tuning bikes

Until improvements it comes very rarely, but the setting has to tinker bike before the start.

Special mention should be setting the rider landing. This selection of frame size, the width of the wheel, the length and angle of the steering wheel and the removal of other geometric nuances. If done correctly, the bike and rider become one.

It's like comfortable shoes: if it is true matched the leg, then pass it can comfortably many kilometers. If the shoes are too tight or loose, even hundreds of meters will be flour. It is the same with the bike.

3. The most difficult to maintain a bike

First of all, it's dirt road. After each stage the bikes have to be washed thoroughly, lubricate the chain. And this is at least half an hour per bike. All we have to do is practically in the field, and sometimes even in the hotel room.

For washing, we acquired a garden sprayer with pump and tank to 5 liters, which allows you to effectively deal with cleaning bicycles.

Even ordinary rubbing ten bicycles can take more than four hours. And then there is another difficult moment: usually after bikes serviced, all the teams have long been asleep, and we have most of the bikes to the store in the morning in his hotel room.

Setting bikes sometimes have to do the same. Cramped, uncomfortable, but saves accumulated over many years of expertise - most operations are done almost with your eyes closed.

4. Force majeure

Everything can not be foreseen, but as a result of good training and competent service bicycles for the first 4000 kilometers of force majeure happened. Just one puncture and one small runout.

Even wear chains, which share 2 000-3 000 kilometers, has not yet approached the critical level.

It should take care of spare parts. It would be desirable, but some components are simply not capable of withstanding such mileage. It makes sense to take a chain, a set of stars, 1-2 sets of brake pads, rear derailleur rollers, braiding ropes, cables.

Professional tools and consumables we are taken in quantity and range, which would be enough to open a small professional studio. All ready and armed to the teeth.

5. Preparing for the race

Assuming that is not personal enough time business, I had already stopped shaving. This is the only place I have saved in your luggage and time for more important things. And now I have a cool beard.

Advance suggests diet and rest was difficult. In practice, we have a flexible mode of operation clock. Race was not a walk to visit his grandmother. After maintenance work on a bike is almost no time left for a normal recuperation and sleep. But in any case, it's all very interesting, and I'm glad to be a part of this adventure.

6. What helps cope with stress

A sincere desire to help drivers in maintaining their "iron horses" in the form. And, of course, very interesting, what will happen next.

Well help professional knowledge, positive attitude and hardening, accumulated over the years of Cycle Touring.