What is the Best Bike for RAGBRAI? Your Complete Beginner Guide

You’re looking to ride RAGBRAI and you are still trying to figure out camping, what clothes to wear (and what not to wear) – and there is still one very important part of your get up that you’re considering. What is the best bike for RAGBRAI?

This is important because there’s a lot of information telling you about the gel cushion saddles that you should have, and the comfort cruisers for “long” rides that may steer you in the wrong direction.

What you’ll come to realize is that the idea of “long” to many can be a very subjective term, and when used when looking to by a bicycle, you really don’t know what someone can mean when they say “this will be comfortable for a very long distance.”

The reason why this is brought up is because someone’s long distance can very well be around the corner to a friends house which is 3 miles away. In this case, the cruisers and soft padded saddles will be great.

For RAGBRAI, you’re going to need to have a bit more of a technical understanding of the gear that you would need.

In this post, you will learn about the bikes that are best suited for RAGBRAI. You will learn why this is a great choice to ride in and what other options you have. You will learn about some small accessories (namely tires and saddles) that you can change for a great ride.

At the end of this post, your bicycle should be prepared for RAGBRAI and you should be pointed in the right direction to make the correct purchase if you do not already have a bicycle.

What is the best bike for RAGBRAI?

In the spirit of RAGBRAI, frankly any bike is good for RAGBRAI. On the way to the bathroom we see a Walmart bike laying next to a high end Pinarello. It’s all the same here.

If you must and absolutely want some guidance on what will be comfortable, here is what you ought to look for.

Your choice is going to be a road bike or a touring bike. Keep in mind that you will not be riding as fast as a race. Think of RAGBRAI as a week-long city bike party with minimal elevation gain. Your pace will be slow (10-12 mph average). If your bike fit is good as well, that is a huge plus.

Do you need to bring a high end carbon fiber bicycle to match that level? Perhaps not at this point. A steel frame road or touring bicycle will do that has a comfortable saddle.

Older Road bikes and Touring bikes tend to be fairly similar to one another and more difficult to tell apart.

Road bikes that are newer are typically carbon framed, or have a mix of carbon frame and alloy, and have an aero design. Their aero design calls for a more aggressive riding style that may tire a rider out who is looking for more comfort in their ride.

If you need to choose between one or the other, choose touring, though a good sturdy road bike is still a fantastic option. It’s like choosing between a black pen (a touring bike) or a blue pen (a road bike) for writing. Both work, one will be slightly better, though you should definitely not go with a red pen (a mountain bike).

Gravel bikes are fine, however, it may be helpful for you to switch the tires to road bike tires to decrease the rolling resistance. The knobs which help with catching on rougher material on the ground will not be as helpful through the Iowa roadways.

Further down in this publication there is a section on saddles. However, in short, you should look to use a carved saddle or a leather saddle. Brooks tends to have the best selection in leather stretched saddles. Avoid the gel saddles or the soft saddles. Those are for beach cruising for shorter distances in comparison to RAGBRAI.

If you are just starting to ride, you may notice some aches with your body and in your tailbone when riding. If so, here are some ideas on how to alleviate the lower back pain while your body gets used to the riding.

How many miles should you ride before RAGBRAI?

A cumulative ride of 500 miles is adequate, though you should target about 1000 miles to ride RAGBRAI extremely comfortably.

The thing to know is that you are drafting behind other people (saving a lot of energy) and you can go for a ride one day (or all days). You also will have the collective energy of other groups pushing you along, and the pace is very forgiving.

I have been beside some folks that only had about 50 miles a week under their belt before riding RAGBRAI. They did fine. I typically will find myself riding about 130- 150 miles a week at the mid range of my training throughout the year.

Other folks have had no problem with having 200 miles of riding on a bike training cumulative.

If you are an endurance runner or swimmer, you will have a endurance base that will move you through the ride, though it is useful to have your biking legs about you before the ride. Just make sure not to overtrain.

Can I use a mountain bike for RAGBRAI?

I have seen mountain bikes for RAGBRAI though I would not recommend it.

Mountain bikes are not made in the same way that touring bikes and road bikes are made. These bikes are made to be efficient with the energy that is put in to go farther distances.

Mountain bikes are heavier, and the suspensions make it so that not all of the power is transferred from the rider to the bicycle through to the road. Second, the tires are not the most energy efficient as they are made to grip dirt, rock and consequently, the road a bit too much when riding on one.

What about a good saddle for RAGBRAI?

Take care to get a reasonable saddle for RAGBRAI. You are best off getting a saddle that helps keep you comfortable. Here are some items to note with a good saddle.

Brooks makes great saddles

Brooks leather saddles set the standard for riding comfortably long distances. The stretched leather will break in specifically to your body and bottom. Don’t be fooled and get a gel cushioned saddle because the cushion over time will wear and you would be comfortable over the fifth day.

Carved Saddles

Carved Saddles are great because they protect the perennial nerve from compression. This is good news for men and women if your saddle size is correct to help keep your groin from going numb when cycling long distances.

If you do choose to go the carved route, make sure that you choose the correct width for your saddle so that your sits bones truly sit on the area of the saddle they’re supposed to.

If the saddle is too narrow, your groin will rest on the center and you will feel no relief. If the saddle is too wide, the inside of your abductors and gracilis muscles will rub against the outside of the saddle.

Both of alternatives these are painful.

Gel Saddles

Avoid Gel saddles. RAGBRAI is too far for Gel saddles to be viable. The Gel will eventually move out of the way and your sits bones will rest on the hard surface underneath. The surface is typically a synthetic or hard plastic.

Conclusion: What is the best bike for RAGBRAI?

The best bike for RAGBRAI is a touring bike and a road bike as a close second. Gravel bikes are adequate, and RAGRBRAI has begun adding sections of rides for Gravel bikes to have fun (as it is the fastest growing branch of cycling right now).

Take care to get a good saddle for your sits bones to thank you. If you take a look at your tires and see knobs like that are on mountain bikes, take a moment to decide if you should switch them to a more slick designed road bike tire.