Hello. This is Baki, making my debut in "Clothing as a Bike Shop Thinks About It."
When I saw this theme, I thought, "I guess the day will come when I'm asked to write for this series," and then I saw it, and
it made sense. The theme is Ride Style.
It's perfect for me, someone who's always thinking about riding a bike.
If I'm writing about Ride Style,
I have no choice but to write about the clothing I'm currently trying out for brevets.
Clothing for riding 300 km in under 20 hours
A brevet is a long-distance cycling event, and they're held all over the world and across Japan.
To put it simply, the rules are:
・Ride the designated route within the time limit while passing through checkpoints
・Aim to finish on your own without relying on others (asking a bike shop for help is okay)
・You get certified by finishing
Basically, you have to manage your own pace, including troubleshooting, and finish within the time limit on your own strength.
If there's one defining feature, it's the distance.
At shortest, it's 200 km, and the world-famous PBP (Paris–Brest–Paris) is 1200 km.
As a side note, that's also where the name of the Paris-Brest pastry comes from. I want to try it someday.
When you ride this far, you'll be riding in the morning and at night, and sometimes through mountains and over the sea.
From warm, clear autumn days to descents in temperatures below 10°C...This makes choosing clothes a real challenge.
Now, now, a detailed introduction to brevets will come in another blog post.
This time, let's introduce the clothing I actually wore during my brevet!
【 RAL Merino Coolmax L/S Tee V2】
How many times have you seen this T-shirt in my articles?
It's a staple, a staple: our RAL Merino and Coolmax blend T-shirt.
The benefits of merino material have been told to us by our predecessors over and over again,
so for more details, check there!
To put it simply, the benefits of merino wool are its outstanding deodorizing and moisture-regulating properties, its heat retention, and its resistance to getting cold from sweat.
Among these benefits, I focused on its heat retention and moisture-regulating properties, and chose it as my partner for this brevet.
This is because the 300 km brevet I rode this time was set in Nagano Prefecture.
The temperature at 6 a.m. when we started was 9°C, and it rose to around 25°C during the day.
At around 11 p.m., we climbed to the summit of Mount Obasare and descended all at once,
making it a parade of temperature extremes.
If I were to give a subtheme to my idea of clothing this time,
it would be "A style that minimizes physical exhaustion from temperature extremes and lets you focus on pedaling."
Until the very end, the option I hesitated over was the Aclima Woolnet Crewneck.
In that case, the strategy would be to wear Aclima as an inner layer and put a cycling jersey over it.
This combination would fit the thick merino wool to your body and provide high heat retention.
If the overall temperature had been a little lower, I think I would have chosen this option.
However, this time the forecast said it would rise to 25°C during the day.
I chose the fast-drying RAL Merino Coolmax and was able to spend the day comfortably as a result.
【ASSOS Tactica Kieskafer Bib Shorts T5】
For this purpose, this is the only bib short I have.
In scenes like hill climbs where you pedal with power,
even though they're both ASSOS, I choose the previous generation Mille GT Bibshorts, which have thinner padding and less power loss.
But this time, it was a long ride of over 300 km in an upright position.
I chose the Tactica Kieskafer Bib Shorts T5, which uses highly elastic padding designed for off-road riding and features a position optimized for long rides and off-road riding.
Thanks to that, there was absolutely no butt pain.
This is a side effect, but the pockets on the sides can hold small snacks you bought, your smartphone, small pieces of trash... (it's really useful despite being a side effect)
【SMITH Syncline】
For a long-distance rider, is there any other choice but these!?
That's how much I like this eyewear, the SMITH Syncline.
Contacts can be used without problems for short rides,
but they're really not suitable for situations like pedaling for 20 hours straight or taking a nap along the way.
That's when SMITH's cycling eyewear series becomes a lifesaver.
You can even attach prescription lenses.
With this, you don't have to worry about your contacts drying out, and you can take a nap when you get sleepy.
This attachment can be fitted to any eyewear in the bike line.
Ah, what a revolution...
And the Syncline lenses I choose are the "CP Low Light Rose Blue Mirror".
Because they're highly transparent lenses, you can handle tunnels and even nighttime to some extent.
These are also great for long rides.
【Yama to Michi UL All-Weather Hoody & MILESTONE Up-Swing Rain Pants】
It's cold in the morning and hot during the day. Climbing a mountain pass is hot, but the descent is freezing.
You can't afford to lose body heat to a sudden downpour.
To keep pedaling in such an environment, you have no choice but to use rainwear as a shell.
But you don't want it to get heavy, and you want something you can quickly take on and off.
There was a piece of clothing that could handle such demands.
For the top, I deliberately chose the UL All-Weather Jacket instead of the zip-type.
Since it's something that spends a lot of time stored away, I wanted it to be as compact and lightweight as possible,
which is why I chose this.
The MILESTONE Up-Swing Rain Pants are
This is
Like this
And then
Like this.
In addition to being packable and compact, you don't have to take off your shoes thanks to the zippers at the hems,
and thanks to the elastic at the hems, there's no worry about them getting caught in the chain.
Not having to think twice about taking them on and off repeatedly ultimately helps conserve energy.
I think there's nothing more reliable than this in a brevet.
【BOOKMAN Reflective Vest】
Finally, a must-have for brevets, the reflective vest! You can't start a race without wearing it.
Honestly, I find myself thinking, "Do you really need to wear it during the day...?" but well, it's the rule, so it can't be helped.
This BOOKMAN was actually something I bought for night running when I was a Circles customer.
I had it lying around after I stopped running, but I was able to give it a new role.
It's kind of nice.
It's like everything worked out, and it fits the purpose perfectly,
it has plenty of room but doesn't flap around.
It works great as a versatile piece that can be used with both jerseys and shirts.
【THE ATHLETIC Cycling Socks
This is really new. It arrived just before the brevet,
and I hurriedly brought it in.
There are really no options for thin socks that pair well with clipless shoes.
Or rather, to be honest, there are very few cool ones...
After carrying that dilemma for so long, something this cool appeared.
Of course I'm going to buy it!
This has a conifer pattern with a pinecone motif.
It gets you excited with its design, and the functionality is also solid.
It uses a lot of mesh in areas that tend to get stuffy, and thicker fabric at the heels and toes.
I'm hooked again after a long time. ATHLETIC seems to be the only choice for clipless socks.
This is the clothing a bike shop thinks about for its first brevet.
I worried a lot about how well I could handle the extremes of cold and heat,
but I was able to have a ride that made me feel this gear was the right choice.
Depending on the course and the season, the best setup will change again.
I guess the combinations will change significantly.
This might be another part of the fun of brevets.
I think I'll spend my days happily pondering and planning my gear for the next brevet.
If you're interested in brevets or long-distance riding, please feel free to reach out anytime.
Let's ponder together and have fun!
