The Surly Road Cycling Thread

[Your Mom 4805]

I hit 54 going down the big hill on 2222 once back in the 90’s.  I was scared shitless.  Wondering if a helmet would even do any good, wondering what a front tire puncture would do to me, wondering if that vibration is road pebbles or the bike about to come apart, wondering if I’ll randomly lose my grip when I reach for the brake lever, etc…  Never went anywhere close to that speed again.  These days the high 30s fulfills that adrenaline fix. 

[Al_4_ISU 12452]

Given how sore I am after that impact at 16-20MPH on Sunday, and how my helmet cracked in 3 spots, I'll be keeping my speed down any big hills in the future.

[Goofyboy 3269]

I’ve done 44mph down the Fred Heartman bridge on the Gator ride. It was plenty fast for me. How these guys in the TDF ride at 46+ in a group is amazing

[G650 14245]

2 hours ago, Your Mom said:

 Wondering if a helmet would even do any good, wondering what a front tire puncture would do to me, wondering if that vibration is road pebbles or the bike about to come apart, wondering if I’ll randomly lose my grip when I reach for the brake lever, etc…

This is the absolute worst part. It's almost impossible to concentrate on where you are going because your mind is non stop obsessing over every bit of maintenance you've ever done to the bike.

[52-80 19147]

19 hours ago, Your Mom said:

I hit 54 going down the big hill on 2222 once back in the 90’s.  I was scared shitless.  Wondering if a helmet would even do any good, wondering what a front tire puncture would do to me, wondering if that vibration is road pebbles or the bike about to come apart, wondering if I’ll randomly lose my grip when I reach for the brake lever, etc…  Never went anywhere close to that speed again.  These days the high 30s fulfills that adrenaline fix. 

I did 52.80mph on the same road.  Trying to "beat" a C3 corvette that was side by side with me.  Didn't verify until I had stopped because fuck if I was going to read a tiny Cateye at that speed. 

CSB I was riding around that area with this insane (in multiple ways) kazakh fella.  He was on a beatass 1970s bike my friend fished out of relatives garage.  Spokes were rickety as all hell.  On a descend, he hit a bump, which triggered failure of the headtube lug, and he somersaulted over the handlebars.  No helmet.  Dude got up without a scratch.  He was made out of rocks.

After that he bought a "real" bike - a Trek 1500.  We were stopped at a light on N Lamar in the evening.  I see the illumination of a car coming from behind us, and hear what seemed like the longest tire squealing in my life.  I turned back just in time to see this car barrel into him.  He was thrown 2 meters from the bike and his rear wheel taco'ed in half.  The (drunk girl) driver of the car froze in shock.  This motherfucker pops up, takes 2 seconds to dust himself off, and then simply waves her away.  

I still think about that episode.

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31440]

So, I continue to have a devil of a time seating one of my 700x28 tires after changing tubes.  The troublesome spot is near the tire valve.

It seems that the grommet or reinforcement around the valve gets under the bead and keeps it from seating and sometimes the tube pooches out under it.

I fix it by "fiddling:" squeezing and manipulating the tire and tube and pushing and pulling on the valve, inflating and re-inflating.  It's a pain in the ass and there's nothing systematic about it.  Any tips?

Also, is this a tire problem mostly?  Rim?  

Edited August 27, 2022 by TwiceHorn

[Hpara759 1778]

curious to know if any of you guys have ever done this race....

 

Enchanted Circle | Outside Events Cycling Series (outsideonline.com)

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by Hpara759
a

[Jerry Callo 8699]

13 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

So, I continue to have a devil of a time seating one of my 700x28 tires after changing tubes.  The troublesome spot is near the tire valve.

It seems that the grommet or reinforcement around the valve gets under the bead and keeps it from seating and sometimes the tube pooches out under it.

I fix it by "fiddling:" squeezing and manipulating the tire and tube and pushing and pulling on the valve, inflating and re-inflating.  It's a pain in the ass and there's nothing systematic about it.  Any tips?

Also, is this a tire problem mostly?  Rim?  

What does your rim tape look like around the value hole?

[TwiceHorn 31440]

6 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

What does your rim tape look like around the value hole?

Clean and flat.  It's a cheap bike, but the rims are pretty solid in most respects.  There might be some subtle engineering problems, but the rim strip is nicely done.  The tires were spec'ed to be Kenda, but they're some no-name chinese brand.  They appear to be ok, nothing obvious, but I know beads can be weird.

Also, how do you know road tires, with no tread, are worn out?  Cord showing (that seems extreme)?  The little sipes being worn flat?

[Your Mom 4805]

Continental tires have a tread wear indicator.  Two little divots on the tread above the letters “TWI”. Replace the tire when they can’t be seen.  

[G650 14245]

I generally replace tires due to a lot of micro cuts from road debris before the carcass ever really wears out.

[EastHorn 281]

Always a good time on Skyline drive. 

[G650 14245]

On 9/4/2022 at 8:09 PM, EastHorn said:

Always a good time on Skyline drive. 

Hell yeah. I need to get up there this fall.

[52-80 19147]

very tasty

https://cyclingtips.com/2022/09/2023-bmc-kaius-gravel-race-bike/

 

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

Road bike surlies,

I am currently sporting an old Fuji SLM 1.1 carbon frame hard tail 29er that I want to modify slightly to pick up a few gravel bike attributes.  It is a straight up trail bile with a wide race face handlebar, front Manitou shock and wide off road tires, finger brakes (Shimano XT) and trigger snifter (also XT). 1 X 10 set up.

Over the summer I have found myself gravitating to road hill workouts in my neighborhood (12-13 miles)and a few paved trails (20-23 miles).  However, I need to traverse some off road terrain to to these spots and I am hitting 40mph+ on some of the road downhills and need to keep the wider bar for physical and mental health.  I must also say that I am really enjoying the ride experience a lot more than walking or running. I know some riders experience some knee issues, but it has been the opposite for me.  The ridding motion has resulted in an almost near miraculous improvement in the stability and feel in my knees from having two torn medial menisci from age and years of running and landing on bouldering crash pads.  In fact the shift from walking/running and bouldering to ridding and sport climbing(ropes) is kind of an overall aging change to less extreme activity in general that I am really enjoying.  So I really need this bike thing to work. 

I am happy with the bike overall but want to go with a more road friendly tire and some kind of new handlebar or new handlebar set up.  I am not interested in going to a strict drop bar and I want to keep the shock as well.  I am also interested in getting some locking foot pedals and shoes as I am just wearing my regular Nike's on rides.

The tires and foot pedals/shoes are easy enough, although I wouldn't mind some recommendations in that area.  My real questions are with the bars.  I want to keep my current shifter and brakes, so my options look like either swapping out the bar for one that has some aerodynamic handholds (Koga Denham, Velo Orange Crazy Bar, Surly Moloko type) or scabbing on some inner bar ends.  New bars seems to be in short supply so I have been kind of moving toward the inner bar ends in my mind although from what I have seen those look kind of short for my tastes.

This is kind of just an experiment that I want to try before I finally settle in on a serious bike purchase latter on.  Thanks.

Edit: i will probably post this up in the mountain bike thread as well, but I think this is the real place for this type of question.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Jiggy-Z

[TwiceHorn 31440]

28 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

Road bike surlies,

I am currently sporting an old Fuji SLM 1.1 carbon frame hard tail 29er that I want to modify slightly to pick up a few gravel bike attributes.  It is a straight up trail bile with a wide race face handlebar, front Manitou shock and wide off road tires, finger brakes (Shimano XT) and trigger snifter (also XT). 1 X 10 set up.

Over the summer I have found myself gravitating to road hill workouts in my neighborhood (12-13 miles)and a few paved trails (20-23 miles).  However, I need to traverse some off road terrain to to these spots and I am hitting 40mph+ on some of the road downhills and need to keep the wider bar for physical and mental health.  I must also say that I am really enjoying the ride experience a lot more than walking or running. I know some riders experience some knee issues, but it has been the opposite for me.  The ridding motion has resulted in an almost near miraculous improvement in the stability and feel in my knees from having two torn medial menisci from age and years of running and landing on bouldering crash pads.  In fact the shift from walking/running and bouldering to ridding and sport climbing(ropes) is kind of an overall aging change to less extreme activity in general that I am really enjoying.  So I really need this bike thing to work. 

I am happy with the bike overall but want to go with a more road friendly tire and some kind of new handlebar or new handlebar set up.  I am not interested in going to a strict drop bar and I want to keep the shock as well.  I am also interested in getting some locking foot pedals and shoes as I am just wearing my regular Nike's on rides.

The tires and foot pedals/shoes are easy enough, although I wouldn't mind some recommendations in that area.  My real questions are with the bars.  I want to keep my current shifter and brakes, so my options look like either swapping out the bar for one that has some aerodynamic handholds (Koga Denham, Velo Orange Crazy Bar, Surly Moloko type) or scabbing on some inner bar ends.  New bars seems to be in short supply so I have been kind of moving toward the inner bar ends in my mind although from what I have seen those look kind of short for my tastes.

This is kind of just an experiment that I want to try before I finally settle in on a serious bike purchase latter on.  Thanks.

Edit: i will probably post this up in the mountain bike thread as well, but I think this is the real place for this type of question.

For pedals (I ride flats with Adidas/5.10 on mtb), I have found the Odyssey Twisted composite pedals to be pretty good for making grip with just running shoes or whatever and they don't chew them up like pinned flat pedals would.  They have plastic "pegs" and they work surprisingly well.

My singlespeed, my path/road bike, has a pretty narrow, like 560mm, I think, flat bar.  It's ok.  But, when it's windy, I do wish for something a bit more aero.  I ride it for the workout, so the extra output is welcome, but wind can damn near blow you over.

I have a shitty old 3x hardtail that I would like to do something with, singlespeed or I dunno.  It has WTB Nano tires that actually have some quantum of grip but are fast rollers, probably good for your application. Keep us posted on where you end up.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

I think I may have mentioned above that the "chain" on my single speed has popped or clunked a few times while riding, and that was a little concerning.  My initial thought, somewhat stupidly, was that my chain tension was off and it was actually skipping.  But the bike is only a year or so old and, although not top quality, "sufficiently awful" in its components that the chain ring and cog are not badly worn and the KMC chain is fine.

What I ignorantly failed to consider is the freewheel cog.  It's some no-name Asian thing and, googling around, these (even "good ones like Shimano) are a pretty notorious weakspot on singlespeeds, lasting maybe a year or two at the outside and sometimes just months.  And their failure can be sudden and dramatic.

I try to clean the thing and keep it lubed with a medium weight oil, but I don't think the one I have is worth rebuilding.  It seems to be ok but for the occasional slip.  But it seems like it could go at any moment.

Anyway, other than the White Industries, anyone have a recommendation for decent freewheel cogs?

[Celery Man 20933]

Dumbass question - I bought my wife a schwinn she wanted for towing the kid around, and I may have fucked up putting the front wheel on. It is on there tight, quick release facing the wrong way and I can’t get it loosened. Do I need to find a thin wrench to try and get at this little bit of a nut, is there some trick, or should I just take this to a shop and have them fix it for me?

 

[TwiceHorn 31440]

Grab the QR handle and the nut at the other end, they will unscrew and separate. 

Pull the skewer out and reverse, screw it back together. 

 

 

[Celery Man 20933]

ok yeah that got it - the little plastic bit on the outside of the fork spins freely and I was afraid if I grabbed the nut on the inside and torqued it too much I was just going to fuck it up more. managed to get a grip on it and that did it, would have felt like an even bigger dumbass than I do asking here if I had brought that in.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

9 hours ago, Celery Man said:

ok yeah that got it - the little plastic bit on the outside of the fork spins freely and I was afraid if I grabbed the nut on the inside and torqued it too much I was just going to fuck it up more. managed to get a grip on it and that did it, would have felt like an even bigger dumbass than I do asking here if I had brought that in.

As I think you have figured, you can use that to adjust the overall length of the skewer so it tightens up "just right."   A good rule of thumb is that the pressure required to fold it over should leave a mark or print on your palm.  But if you don't grab the nut on the other end, sometimes you can just spin.  And try to line up the QR lever parallel to or just behind the fork, as that is thought to be the least likely to catch on something and flip open.  Check them with some frequency as they can unwind and get loose.  Unless you're tired of your wife.

[Celery Man 20933]

i'll double check the tension and see about pricing out a life insurance policy on the wife. 

Actually I'll... really double check that. i'm a bit worried about this as it is without the wheel falling off

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Celery Man

[CycleTex87 2967]

Front skewer looks good.  It should take some force to close it.  Check and make sure the wheel is nicely centered between the rim brake pads, and spin the wheel to make sure nothing is rubbing.  Most modern bikes have ridges on the dropouts of the front fork to prevent the wheel coming all the way off if the skewer comes loose.  You should have to unscrew the skewer to some amount in order to remove the wheel.

Traditionally the front skewer is on the left side of the wheel, since the back skewer is on the left.  But whatever.  

[G650 14245]

I hope Celerymans wife survives all this.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

On 10/31/2022 at 12:52 PM, Celery Man said:

i'll double check the tension and see about pricing out a life insurance policy on the wife. 

Actually I'll... really double check that. i'm a bit worried about this as it is without the wheel falling off

 

Just a note.  Saddle looks very low, or bars very high.

I'm going to guess it is intentionally low because people that haven't ridden bikes in a while want to be able to put their feet flat on the ground while seated.  And that is bad idea jeans because that means the saddle is too low to pedal without stressing the knees, especially if any real effort is exerted.  My guess is that wifey is going to start complaining about pain just above her knees with the saddle set like that.

It needs to be high enough that her leg is almost straight, knee just slightly bent, with heel on pedal and pedal at 6 oclock, or bottom dead center.  That's going to mean she's on tip toes while seated and/or will have to lean the bike to get a foot on the ground.  But that's the way it should be, approximately. 

[Celery Man 20933]

ah thanks for bringing that up because that would absolutely be what would happen. just ran down to check and it looks like she figured it out - seat is just a tad lower than the handlebars now, about even with the top of the post.

she apparently finger tightened the nut after attaching the trailer to the bike. so she lost that nut and half dropped the trailer, no idea how she got back but I still have a baby and a wife and don't need to buy a new bike, so all good. and all tightened now.

 

I asked around a bit previously in this thread and walked away thinking "maybe Giant", but I was also a bit more gung ho on starting up a cycling hobby than I am now. Is there a decent bike I should look at for a little road/little well established trail riding, maybe under or around $1k? Again appreciate all the help.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

People like to shit on "hybrid" bikes or "fitness" bikes because they're "taints."  Taint a mountain bike, taint a road bike, taint even a gravel bike.

But for casual type riders, and even those who want to put down a few miles without spandex, they're pretty good bikes for that purpose.  This one is fairly representative and a decent price https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2023-kentfield-1#buy  Marin always seems to make a bike that punches above its weight class in terms of "fun to ride."

You can't really go wrong with Giant or Trek or any of the bigger brands.

I suspect you are going to find some good sales here at year end as the bike industry has whipsawed post-covid (huge covid demand, no inventory, orders, inventory filled with dropping demand and a lot of used bikes coming back on the market).

[CycleTex87 2967]

This is the bike I bought for my daughter after college graduation to jack around on.  Pretty good kit for the $1300 version.

https://feltbicycles.com/products/verza-fitness-bike

[Celery Man 20933]

 

preschool is a 4.6 mile round trip on the excellent paved trails that I’m now discovering. I think I’m setting a goal of 1000 miles this year but I may adjust as I get further than a week into doing it. And I need to figure out an appropriate modifier for when I’m hauling that thing.

 

[Celery Man 20933]

I bet I could smash that number.

[52-80 19147]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

 

preschool is a 4.6 mile round trip on the excellent paved trails that I’m now discovering. I think I’m setting a goal of 1000 miles this year but I may adjust as I get further than a week into doing it. And I need to figure out an appropriate modifier for when I’m hauling that thing.

 

Im considering this year between a trailer vs electric cargo bike. Moving to 2.5mi from the beach, and a cargo could take the kid, the dog, and picnic gear with aplomp. 

Had a traditional front cargo bike (Bakfiets) and the thing was an absolute pig on anything but flat terrain 

[Celery Man 20933]

i don't know shit about fuck but I would either get a bike trailer of a golf cart.

[G650 14245]

On 1/1/2023 at 2:04 PM, 52-80 said:

Im considering this year between a trailer vs electric cargo bike. Moving to 2.5mi from the beach, and a cargo could take the kid, the dog, and picnic gear with aplomp. 

Had a traditional front cargo bike (Bakfiets) and the thing was an absolute pig on anything but flat terrain 

I live in a beach town and that whole E cargo bike thing is the rage now here. I'm a dinosaur that still has a MTB for going to the beach but I can see the appeal.

[Foosters 17843]

Picked up this used Trek road bike during the pandemic when my previous one was stolen. The right shifter has totally shit the bed and I need to replace it. 

Any recommendations on what to look for in a replacement for the right shifter? Admittedly don't know a lot about this stuff.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

6 hours ago, Foosters said:

Picked up this used Trek road bike during the pandemic when my previous one was stolen. The right shifter has totally shit the bed and I need to replace it. 

Any recommendations on what to look for in a replacement for the right shifter? Admittedly don't know a lot about this stuff.

I'll offer an educated but uninformed guess that that can be rebuilt for far cheaper than any replacement.

I'm right, and I'm wrong.  https://sheldonbrown.com/sti-repair.html  It does say there that one of the problems is factory lube gumming up so you may be able to hose it down with wd40 or something and solve the problem.

Also, 7-spd?  In that case, you're going to have a helluva time finding a hood/brake shifter, although an 8-spd might work.

But, in the Sheldon Brown link, there's a guy selling rebuilt sets for a reasonable price and I bet you could trade yours in and knock it down another 25-50 bucks.

Edited March 5, 2023 by TwiceHorn

[Foosters 17843]

16 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I'll offer an educated but uninformed guess that that can be rebuilt for far cheaper than any replacement.

I'm right, and I'm wrong.  https://sheldonbrown.com/sti-repair.html  It does say there that one of the problems is factory lube gumming up so you may be able to hose it down with wd40 or something and solve the problem.

Also, 7-spd?  In that case, you're going to have a helluva time finding a hood/brake shifter, although an 8-spd might work.

But, in the Sheldon Brown link, there's a guy selling rebuilt sets for a reasonable price and I bet you could trade yours in and knock it down another 25-50 bucks.

Man, I had no idea it would be so hard to find. My post came before even doing a cursory google search. Many thanks 

[CycleTex87 2967]

Try Ebay.  I was actually looking for a right shifter for my groupset yesterday (admittedly not as old), and was surprised what all I found on there.  You probably won't find new old stock (like I did for my 2013 groupset), but gently used might be available.

[G650 14245]

You should look in the pennyfarthing section of the bike shop.

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

Casting my net wide to help end MS.

Also, will post in HELP and Mountain Bike threads.

Mods, please move if in the wrong place.

Jiggy-Z is biking the MS 150 at the end of the month.  SO this is the opportunity for the Surly 1% to show their quality by donating to the MS Society through my rider account to help end MS.  Jiggy-Z has been a member of this board and TOS since 2011ish, and I have never asked for anything except for maybe a hand in putting up a shelter on the Matagorda trip back in 2013.

PM me, and I will send you a link to my rider account on the MS Society donation page.  They pretty much take every form of payment, and donations start as low as $35.00 up to something more befitting the $urly Elite.  Thanks, assholes.

 

[Al_4_ISU 12452]

Congrats.  I've had a lot of friends do the ride and they all speak highly of it.

I'm doing a Century ride in July.  Not to benefit anything, but just because I want to.

[EastHorn 281]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:49 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

Congrats.  I've had a lot of friends do the ride and they all speak highly of it.

I'm doing a Century ride in July.  Not to benefit anything, but just because I want to.

I’m planning on Asheville Grand Fondo. Climbing is legit. 

[Al_4_ISU 12452]

2 hours ago, EastHorn said:

I’m planning on Asheville Grand Fondo. Climbing is legit. 

Yeah, mine’s gonna be just a tad flatter.

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

On 4/17/2023 at 11:35 AM, Jiggy-Z said:

Casting my net wide to help end MS.

Also, will post in HELP and Mountain Bike threads.

Mods, please move if in the wrong place.

Jiggy-Z is biking the MS 150 at the end of the month.  SO this is the opportunity for the Surly 1% to show their quality by donating to the MS Society through my rider account to help end MS.  Jiggy-Z has been a member of this board and TOS since 2011ish, and I have never asked for anything except for maybe a hand in putting up a shelter on the Matagorda trip back in 2013.

PM me, and I will send you a link to my rider account on the MS Society donation page.  They pretty much take every form of payment, and donations start as low as $35.00 up to something more befitting the $urly Elite.  Thanks, assholes.

 

MS 150 is in the books. Thanks to those who donated and put in some encouragement rep.

Crazy tailwind on Saturday got me 20mph for the day and 5mph tailwind on Saturday helped me get 18.35 mph...crazy good numbers for this guy, who on a good day might get 16mph and who just started cycling 6 months ago.

Also 5'-11" and 200 lbs at 56 years old...so get after it surly. If this old man can do it, so can you.

[CycleTex87 2967]

2 hours ago, Jiggy-Z said:

MS 150 is in the books. Thanks to those who donated and put in some encouragement rep.

Crazy tailwind on Saturday got me 20mph for the day and 5mph tailwind on Saturday helped me get 18.35 mph...crazy good numbers for this guy, who on a good day might get 16mph and who just started cycling 6 months ago.

Also 5'-11" and 200 lbs at 56 years old...so get after it surly. If this old man can do it, so can you.

You must have come from the Austin direction.  Coming from Houston, the 20-25 mph wind was in our faces.  

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

27 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

You must have come from the Austin direction.  Coming from Houston, the 20-25 mph wind was in our faces.  

Yes  the Houston people looked quite bedraggled on sat.

[ScottS 1062]

On 4/28/2023 at 5:48 PM, EastHorn said:

I’m planning on Asheville Grand Fondo. Climbing is legit. 

Was out in Asheville a few years ago for a wedding.  Took my bike with me and did a ride out there.  Kicked my coastal flatland riding ass climbing up those mountains.  Last few miles of the ride were nice though as I just coasted on down the mountain to the finish line.

[ScottS 1062]

Anyone ever do RAGBRAI?  Considering registering for the ride this year before the deadline.  Have a friend doing the ride who has a camper so the logistics would be taken care of but interested in how hilly the routes tend to be.

[Al_4_ISU 12452]

Anyone ever do RAGBRAI?  Considering registering for the ride this year before the deadline.  Have a friend doing the ride who has a camper so the logistics would be taken care of but interested in how hilly the routes tend to be.

I’ve done parts of it many times.

This years route will be hilly to start, pancake flat in the middle, and hilly again to end. The northern routes are flat for the first 5 days, and brutally hilly the last couple. Southern routes are rolling hills the whole way.

RAGBRAI is fucking awesome. It’s my favorite Iowa tradition. Eat lots of pork chops and sweet corn. Get a Bloody Mary in the first town of the day. Bullshit with strangers. Hit the Iowa Craft Beer tent every afternoon. Linger in the second to last town of any given a little too long at least once. If a local fire department is making food, eat at it. Friday night is the biggest party night - everyone wants to get the fuck home come Saturday. Enjoy. This is small town America at its absolute best.

[ScottS 1062]

1 minute ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I’ve done parts of it many times.

This years route will be hilly to start, pancake flat in the middle, and hilly again to end. The northern routes are flat for the first 5 days, and brutally hilly the last couple. Southern routes are rolling hills the whole way.

RAGBRAI is fucking awesome. It’s my favorite Iowa tradition. Eat lots of pork chops and sweet corn. Get a Bloody Mary in the first town of the day. Bullshit with strangers. Hit the Iowa Craft Beer tent every afternoon. Linger in the second to last town of any given a little too long at least once. Friday night is the biggest party night - everyone wants to get the fuck home come Saturday. Enjoy. This is small town America at its absolute best.

Thanks for the information.  Really leaning towards doing it even though I am probably not in the best of shape for it.  I am of the mindset that if I don't do it now then I may never do it. 

[Al_4_ISU 12452]

3 minutes ago, ScottS said:

Thanks for the information.  Really leaning towards doing it even though I am probably not in the best of shape for it.  I am of the mindset that if I don't do it now then I may never do it. 

You’d be surprised.  There are lots of stops and it never feels (at least to me) like you rode as far as you did.  And when I go we usually drink quite a bit.

You find that there’s generally a serious crowd that leaves at 6AM, hardly stops, and gets to the overnight town by early afternoon.  Then there are complete party animals that sleep until 10AM and don’t get to the final town until after dark and barely able to stand.

IMO, the best RAGBRAI experience is right in the middle.  Party, but don’t go completely wild.  Get to the last town between 4 and 7 as a general rule of thumb.  Getting your ass up and riding is the fast way to shed a hangover too.