Nomad LEJOG

[KDean]

I was going to do this un aided , but now I have a support vehicle & will hardly have to carry anything , would you use a lighter bike that I do have the option of . My Nomad is quite new & I've only practiced 300 miles fully loaded . If I can take both I obviously will .The other bike is a Ribble Adventure 725 with Sram 1 x12 .

[leftpoole]

Ribble 1 x 12? No chance. Not comfortable enough. Use the Nomad.

[mickeg]

So, each day you only have to carry your water, lunch, rain gear and some snacks?

I would not use my Nomad, too heavy. 

I am not familiar with your 1X12 bike.  I have three different 700c derailleur bikes that are much lighter, if it was me I would evaluate two trip characteristics and base my decision on that. 

My 700c derailleur bikes range in max tire width of 28mm to 37mm.  The rougher the roads, the more I would be inclined to use the wider tires.

And my 700c derailleur bikes have very different gearing for lowest gear, I would consider how steep the steepest uphills are and bring a bike with appropriate gearing. 

That said, I suspect when it comes to gearing I would pick my bike with a road triple (52/42/30) crank and eight speed 11/32 cassette which gives be a nice range of gears, that bike has 32mm tires and dyno powered lights.

[PH]

Either would be fine, the differences minor and not trip defining.  I see no reason you can't be just as comfortable on both and the weight differences (With similar tyres and any unnecessary kit removed) will be a few hundred grams.  I'm assuming the gearing suits you on both? I did it on a 3x8 and I don't think I used the granny ring except in Cornwall (And maybe Devon) it doesn't have to be a tough route (Unless that's what you want)
What you haven't said is what sort of trip it is?  Is it a challenge, where the objective is to race along and/or clock up big mileages, pushing yourself to the limit?  Or, is it the sort of cycling that you're very familiar with, riding well within your known capabilities and looking for a chilled ride and the full tourist experience?
I'd expect the Ribble to have the slight edge for the first and the Nomad an equally small advantage for the latter. Both of those advantages would be wiped out by the wrong tyres.
If you have time experiment, ride 1.5X the hardest day (That with fresh legs is probably equivalent to doing 1X mid tour) do that on both bikes, don't bother about speed, just compare how you feel the next day!

I'm following a couple on Youtube, not very experienced cyclists, but plenty of other adventures, they're doing it on a couple of £100 bikes and having a great time.

[navrig]

Assuming both are sized for you, the issue is one bike is heavy and the other, lighter bike may not have appropriate gearing.

What is the lowest gearing of the 1x12 and, if it is not low enough can you change the cassette to something lower?  The cage length will determine this.

It will be easier to make the Ribble gearing more suitable that it will be to make the Nomad lighter.

I'd try to make the Ribble suitable just for the weight saving.  It will make your average speed a bit higher and may reduce the saddle time each day which is a bonus even if the number of days is not reduced.  Less pressure on your backside and more resting time.

[KDean]

My Ribble  is at least 8 lbs lighter ,  with 2.8" tire  Schwalbe G one . I did  some test runs around The isle of Wight 65 miles 4500ft of climbing with some 20% hills . with the Ribble I felt like I could easily go again But with the Nomad I felt like I had pushed too hard &  had leg cramps that evening  . The gear range on the Nomad is slightly more .

[KDean]

Ribble 1 x 12? No chance. Not comfortable enough. Use the Nomad.

So far  The Ribble has it over the Nomad for comfort , But then I've had the Ribble  longer to tweak it .

[Tiberius]

If it was me, I would tweek the tyres, gearing and possibly the saddle and take the Ribble.

[B cereus]

If you're happy with the gearing on the Ribble, and more importantly if your comfortable with the riding position, then that would be my choice. Its likely to be more fun to ride than the lightly loaded Nomad.

I did a supported LEJOG about 12 years ago and I used a lightweight steel road bike with 2X10 gearing and a lowest gear of around 37 inches. The only concessions to LEJOG were to replace the rear 23mm tyre with a 25 mm one and to fit Crud road racer mudguards. Gearing was never a problem but I was grateful for the mudguards on a couple of occasions.   

I'm less fit now than I was then and if I was doing a similar ride today I would probably go with a triple and 28mm tyres.

[PH]

My Ribble  is at least 8 lbs lighter ,  with 2.8" tire  Schwalbe G one . I did  some test runs around The isle of Wight 65 miles 4500ft of climbing with some 20% hills . with the Ribble I felt like I could easily go again But with the Nomad I felt like I had pushed too hard &  had leg cramps that evening  . The gear range on the Nomad is slightly more .

That's sounds a convincing reason to choose the Ribble. Might be interesting to work out what the extra weight is, there's a bit more than that between two of my bikes, lights, guards, rims, tyres, racks, and some sturdier components, there's still less than 700g between the framesets and if I so wanted I could get the difference down to that.  I wouldn't, the lighter bike is nicer to ride light, regardless of the weight and the opposite true of the heavier one. 
Cramps are a funny one, I suffered badly enough at one time I visited the GP and had a course of Quinine, but the GP was non committal about the exact cause.   Pushing too hard on the Nomad may have been the reason, but doing so is a choice, with the lower gearing you could have ridden at same level of exertion, or less, than the Ribble. It might have added some time, but it's easy to overestimate how much.  Which relates back to what I said about deciding what sort of ride it is.

[KDean]

Regarding pushing too hard , I think for me it was a muscle memory thing , I was peddling at the same rate as on My Ribble , when I could have dropped down a gear or two . My Sram has a gear ratio of 520%  & I must admit I'm on the granny gear on some 20% plus hills wear the  Rohloff has gears to spare .

[in4]

I always keep in mind The Sage’s Humming Bird metaphor. ‘Drop a cog and be nice to your knees’ is my riding mantra.

[geocycle]

Regarding pushing too hard , I think for me it was a muscle memory thing , I was peddling at the same rate as on My Ribble , when I could have dropped down a gear or two . My Sram has a gear ratio of 520%  & I must admit I'm on the granny gear on some 20% plus hills wear the  Rohloff has gears to spare .

Another vote here for the Ribble for a supported tour if you find it comfortable. I would ensure you have a low enough bottom gear, maybe a smaller chainring is needed. Those tyres sound huge at 2.8”. Given you are not going off-road you could lose an inch and still have decent suspension with probably some gain on the hills. My reading of the nomad and comparing to experience of the raven tour and sport tour suggests it really is an expedition bike and overkill if not hauling loads. In your position, I might consider my raven sport tour over my audax bike for a similar trip, pros and cons but the comfort factor is important over long multi day rides.

[Matt2matt2002]

I always keep in mind The Sage’s Humming Bird metaphor. ‘Drop a cog and be nice to your knees’ is my riding mantra.

Not sure who the Sage is but your metaphor reminded me of a few of my own motos:

Keep your goals in front of you and your fears behind you.

There is no failure except in no longer trying.

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It's lethal.  – Paulo Coelho.

Best
Matt

[in4]

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