well?

its not like you need mudguards in the summer.

Why not, unless they have a mudguard requirement.
However the thought of doing a 400 with no mudguards and riding for 15 hours in the wet makes my heart sink.

the thought of doing any riding with mudguards makes my heart sink…

If you don’t need mudguards (and they’re not specified as compulsory), then no, none at all.

That is merely because you have tried it – once you do you’ll never look back and you’ll wonder why you were ever so daft.

I’ve done it.

Huh, what kind of bike would you do it on?

an Audax bike?

an audax bike, kind of like a light touring bike

I’d ride it on my custom 853 road bike which was designed to work with regular drop brakes, 23mm tyres and salmon guards, although if the outlook was dry and warm I’d ride it on my CR64.

did a sportive last summer, it was free so didnt think about the cost, but they seem very expensive for whats effectively a signposted audax?

I have a racing bike. This is very silly, as I hardly ever race. If I had my time and money again I’d definitely get a lightweight audax bike.

Yes, they’re awfully fashionable and can charge the earth.
Actually some clubs are now running reliability rides but called “early sportives” for 3x the price and selling them out, whereas an ordinary reliability costs about £4
Ride some of the European events instead and they’re generally half the rpice, better organised and better schwag.

Is an Audax bike not a type of road bike?

[sighs]

Yes

i like audax, i use a dawes galaxy with guards.

I did an audax on a cx bike with slicks

Clearly inappropriate, as I got my ass whupped by everyone (inc a geezer on a **** tricycle). Bah !

I’ve used my cx bikes for reliability rides, century rides, tooling around town. Just as good as a road bike (mostly) 😉

you suggesting I’m an unfit, lardy waster ?

I’ve a good mind to show you my calimaris*

*or whatever it is they’re on about over the page

I don’t know, are you? 😯
Sounds good, if I knew what you were talking about.

If you want to be smug, stop putting you weights, power outputs etc on here, lets see your “palmares”
Then we will see a ” cycling pecking order”

(image deleted on grounds of wasted bandwidth & labouring a poor joke)

b’doom.

TISH!

Actually some clubs are now running reliability rides but called “early sportives” for 3x the price and selling them out, whereas an ordinary reliability costs about £4

I did the rebranded Catfood CC reliabilty ride on 1st Feb (it’s now called the Hell of the Ashdown), £15 for a 100km route. Admittedly very nice and well signposted and well thought out but the feed stations were distinctly lacking – bananas and water at the first, tea and coffee at the second and that was it. Still, it sold out very quickly, there were 1000 riders doing it!
As to the OP, unless stated otherwise, you can do an audax on more or less whatever bike you want. Some are a bit more strict and will specify mudguards.

I did an audax on a cx bike with slicks

Clearly inappropriate

Didn’t Sl2000 do the Dragon Ride on London Lady’s CX bike and come about 70th out of 1000+?

Yup.
Beat me by an hour.
but we did have his commuting fixed at home as a hostage, just in case.

i use a dawes galaxy with guards.

But, that’s a touring bike! 😉