Metric/Imperial Centuries? Poll, and your experience.

[Prairie Dog]

I hope that you will post pictures and stories along the way. That sounds like a great experience.

We will for sure. This won’t be a bikepacking/camping trip but it will still be a logistical eye opener as we will have to either per-arrange or procure accommodations along the way. A September departure date is more appealing with less holiday traffic to deal with and will likely offer up more favorable weather conditions. Right off the bat, the first leg will involve an imperial century from our front door to Cochrane, AB.

Work and family mean my discretionary time is limited. If I get a rare 5 hour block to myself I'd much rather make a trek to one of the regions mtb parks for a couple of hours of riding or go on a bushwalk. The rest of my cycling is either a 20km daily commute or a weekly (if I'm lucky) hour or two blast around the local trails.

I’m envious of the trail pics that you post from down under. You’re one lucky dude.

Beautiful scenery and commendable team effort, well done.

We’re lucky to be blessed to have such great Nat/Prov parks in our backyard which make for terrific training grounds. No doubt we will be doing exactly that leading up to this trip.

 

[RabH]

I was lucky to complete 10 imperial centuries on my Giant Road E+1 Pro last year, countless metric centuries also! I just love riding my bike, its one of the few things that I really enjoy in retirement and having 3 batteries is a big help! My longest ride was 162 miles, the 3 batteries got full use that day Who knows what this year will bring but I'm hopeful it will be a good one!

@Prairie Dog That sounds like such an amazing ride you and your wife are planning, I can't wait to see your reports!

 

[RandallS]

On my current ride, a FS eMTB, I can't see an Imperial.
The few times I've done 70Km+, it's really been time that got in the way of making it to 100, but really the wrong bike for really long distances.

In recollection though, I am sure I had a few Centuries on my analog 21 speed in my younger years.
May have been Imperial, but were certainly Metric.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I was lucky to complete 10 imperial centuries on my Giant Road E+1 Pro last year, countless metric centuries also! I just love riding my bike, its one of the few things that I really enjoy in retirement and having 3 batteries is a big help! My longest ride was 162 miles, the 3 batteries got full use that day Who knows what this year will bring but I'm hopeful it will be a good one!

@Prairie Dog That sounds like such an amazing ride you and your wife are planning, I can't wait to see your reports!

There’s no escaping the fact that you are somewhat of a legend when it comes to riding centuries. I’ll think fondly of your trips when we embark on our west coast tour.

On my current ride, a FS eMTB, I can't see an Imperial.
The few times I've done 70Km+, it's really been time that got in the way of making it to 100, but really the wrong bike for really long distances.

I thoroughly enjoy both disciplines but might be hard pressed to log more trail time on the Levo this summer. It definitely helps to have the appropriate tool for the job.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There is one thing I have completely forgotten of... because I rely on Strava history too much!

My longest Vado SL ride on a day was 147.47 km on 25th of September 2022. It involved a group gravel ride of 111.43 km, and there were 36.04 km of the commute rides on the same day. Of course I was using all my Range Extenders intensely for that long ride!

 

[PSm]

When I consider rides, it's elevation that I pay attention to - not distance. So arguably that puts metric and imperial similar -1000 m ( close to yards ?) is where I ask myself if it's worth carrying the range extender ( and wearing cycling pants)

A hard day is 1200 m elevation in 24 km, an easy has similar elevation over 60 km.

I imagine if I ever had the chance to climb L’Alpe D’Huez, it would be brutal. But with an e-bike, anything is possible

 

[Stefan Mikes]

When I consider rides, it's elevation that I pay attention to - not distance. So arguably that puts metric and imperial similar -1000 m ( close to yards ?) is where I ask myself if it's worth carrying the range extender ( and wearing cycling pants)

A hard day is 1200 m elevation in 24 km, an easy has similar elevation over 60 km.

I think you forgot mentioning you were riding singletrack, and that's the game changer (really taxing!) Because riding mountains on roads is far easier...

On my current ride, a FS eMTB, I can't see an Imperial.

That is not impossible but of course the FS e-MTB is not the best machine for long distance rides. You have heard about my brother Jacek. He is 59 now, healthy, slim, fit, and very strong. We have been doing electric rides since Spring 2020 together. In the Summer of 2021 he got the Trance E+ as a permanent gift from me. Of course he's riding tyres such as Johnny Watts, Johnny Watts 365 or Ice Spiker Pro (depending on the season). The point with him is he's so strong it is him who mostly contributes to his rides (not the motor).

One of the feats of Jacek is an Imperial Century made twice. He started on some Friday early, and rode an Imperial Century upwind to meet his brother-in-law for a party. That was a brutal ride that took him 10 hours of pedalling. He used Saturday for recovery, and then set-off for the return ride on Sunday morning. That time, the wind was on his side, and the second Imperial Century took him only 7 hours!

Important to mention, he used only a single 625 Wh battery each way, and the assistance level was "Giant 50% ECO" only.

Well, my brother belongs to the league of people who deserve just a lightweight traditional bike...

 

[PDoz]

I think you forgot mentioning you were riding singletrack, and that's the game changer (really taxing!) Because riding mountains on roads is far easier...

Riding 1000 m up a boring road would be torture! Give me a few rocks and switch backs to distract me from the pain!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Riding 1000 m up a boring road would be torture! Give me a few rocks and switch backs to distract me from the pain!

I cannot help you being a mountain goat!

For me, nothing beats a good (extreme) road climb then subsequent fast descents Jacek still holds an e-bike KOM there (traditional cyclist never take the climb from that side of the pass) Or, a 125 km trip with 1543 m elevation gain

 

[PSm]

I cannot help you being a mountain goat!

View attachment 145511
For me, nothing beats a good (extreme) road climb then subsequent fast descents Jacek still holds an e-bike KOM there (traditional cyclist never take the climb from that side of the pass) Or, a 125 km trip with 1543 m elevation gain

For me, the adrenaline rush going 35-40 mph down a mountain road with switchbacks can’t be beat.

Repl

 

[PDoz]

For me, the adrenaline rush going 35-40 mph down a mountain road with switchbacks can’t be beat.

Repl

Try it down a technical section of single track!

Interesting thought, though. My thighs burn a LOT more down hill than up . A 1000 m elevation ride also involves an extremely intense blast back down . If I'm seated, I feel cheated.

 

[PSm]

Try it down a technical section of single track!

Interesting thought, though. My thighs burn a LOT more down hill than up . A 1000 m elevation ride also involves an extremely intense blast back down . If I'm seated, I feel cheated.

After getting scratched up and beaten up doing trail rides (and my mates doing the same), gave up and got rid of the mtb.

Road now only, but the gravel bike craze/culture I have to admit is intriguing. But similarly, like the single-speed world too. After riding a SS e-bike, recently got an analog (traditional) SS bike, and really enjoy that as well. Just did a metric century with the analog SS, and though challenging, was a blast. Not sure about imperial centuries with the analog SS, though

 

[OrTrek]

After getting scratched up and beaten up doing trail rides (and my mates doing the same), gave up and got rid of the mtb.

Road now only, but the gravel bike craze/culture I have to admit is intriguing. But similarly, like the single-speed world too. After riding a SS e-bike, recently got an analog (traditional) SS bike, and really enjoy that as well. Just did a metric century with the analog SS, and though challenging, was a blast. Not sure about imperial centuries with the analog SS, though

Amazing on the SS!!! What rear cog did you go with?

 

[PSm]

Amazing on the SS!!! What rear cog did you go with?

Thanks! Got it built with 48t front x 17t rear cog freewheel.

60 miles
3300 ft elevation gain
14.0 mph average
39.9 mph max speed
Average cadence 57 rpm
Max cadence 132 rpm

Finding that for more distance, climbing and more severe grades, I’ll probably need a more forgiving gear ratio.

Ordered the below, which might be a good option for me so that I can do an on-the-road manual gear change between two cogs. Getting the 17t/19t double rear cog, which hopefully is good enough for an imperial century that includes major climbs. Might be too much of a stretch. We’ll see.

Double Freewheels – White Industries

Hoping to get back on the SS e-bike this weekend, after riding the analog SS for the past month. Will be interested to see how it feels again, and also will be great to have a “recovery” day ride.

 

[PSm]

Thanks! Got it built with 48t front x 17t rear cog freewheel.

60 miles
3300 ft elevation gain
14.0 mph average
39.9 mph max speed
Average cadence 57 rpm
Max cadence 132 rpm

Finding that for more distance, climbing and more severe grades, I’ll probably need a more forgiving gear ratio.

Ordered the below, which might be a good option for me so that I can do an on-the-road manual gear change between two cogs. Getting the 17t/19t double rear cog, which hopefully is good enough for an imperial century that includes major climbs. Might be too much of a stretch. We’ll see.

Double Freewheels – White Industries

Hoping to get back on the SS e-bike this weekend, after riding the analog SS for the past month. Will be interested to see how it feels again, and also will be great to have a “recovery” day ride.

For comparison, did a metric century with my SS e-bike, and found out something that should have been obvious to me, but was an interesting finding. Lowering max speed of assist makes a big range difference. Btw, felt very similar to my analog SS, when doing the below, except for the boost up hills of course (though an ~20 lb SS analog bike was remarkedly similar to an ~40 lb SS e-bike with low assist).

Before the ride, I modified my display/controller settings to limit my assist to 25 kph (15.5 mph) - in my case with the aftermarket EggRider display on my Ride1UP Roadster v2. Whenever I stayed above 15 mph, the assist dropped to 20 watts assist. By keeping my average speed above that, except for bigger climbs when speed dropped, I was using very, very little power! Could get extended range with my battery, without having to keep continually messing with my assist levels up and down.

I was able to experience what it’s like to be in the EU or UK

This convinced me to customize my EggRider display controller to set the “Eco” mode setting to max assist of 25 kph (15 mph), and “Sport” mode to max assist of 42 kph (26 mph), so I have both options depending on the specific ride.

 

[Captain Slow]

I've done many rides over 100 km's up to 140 km's, so never an Imperial Century, but many metric centuries. None of them on an ebike though, all on road bikes without a motor.

 

[PSm]

I can only dream of doing this one, and will only read about it. Testing the limits of human endurance

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