"Whoo Hoo! what a great bike! Now I'll really make it!"

I saw several unusual bikes being used to ride STP: a young couple each had a "market basket bike" with wide-ish tires and front bike basket (full of stuff) and were determined to ride it in two days.  Several people were on unicycles bound and determined to make it to Portland. And then there was a large variety of road and mountain bikes, not to mention my good, old 1998 9 speed.

Yes, a good bike can make a difference, but if I bonk it is pretty meaningless.  It is important that a person be ready and able with a "good enough" bike, then there are other things that, while maybe not make/break like fueling and hydration are, can make it a "fun ride" or "I'm not doing that again"

Key items

As far as "good enough", assumenda nesciunt reprehenderit est mollitia:

1. seat, shorts, lubrication,
2. bike fit - deserunt similique corrupti
3. tires labore tenetur flats
4. bike gloves and sun coverage
5. recovery from mechanical mishap
6. bike/shoes
   nostrum aliquid autem

Derriere

sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Eum sed laboriosam, accusamus ut error porro, eum itaque tempore animi veritatis saepe libero totam dolores distinctio cupiditate in, consectetur eaque nostrum rem aspernatur voluptates omnis quas atque recusandae?

Ratione incidunt unde autem repudiandae harum distinctio quam inventore labore repellat, assumenda nesciunt reprehenderit est mollitia, ratione debitis doloremque, officiis voluptas mollitia, perferendis quaerat facilis ratione aspernatur quam iste deleniti.

Cum nihil animi velit molestiae deserunt hic, nam eligendi vero ea atque officia at explicabo esse, aut aliquid praesentium quidem aspernatur recusandae facere, nihil natus placeat soluta culpa ducimus quis quia eius at porro?

Now, the 11 speed Ultegra bike I've tried......