You get all types, and all types of bikes. However, with the distances involved, people do care about the bikes. Some spend a lot of time on dialing in machines that can be found for little money - many from the CR timeline - others spend big bucks on bikes that may not be the most suitable for the event. (Of course, you also can spend big bucks on suitable bikes.)
Especially when you take a national sample, I don't think the "typical randonneur bike" exists. There are certain cultures in certain areas (fenders in the Northwest, but not so much in the Northeast), that type of stuff.
Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com
>I'm not guilty of being a serious randonneur, but I liked what Jan
>Heine had to say (below). But I wonder a bit about his group 2,
>"Those who just like riding their bikes."
>
>From the perspective of Pirsig's "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle
>Maintenance" and our own experience, these folks tend toward one of
>two extremes: "romantics" who love riding and the trip itself, and
>"classicists" who love the machines (and tinkering/tuning), too. Do
>the randonneurs tend toward the former (whom we might parody as
>"credit card tourists," typically found on guided tours), or those
>the first group would call gearheads, always greasy, about to get
>greasy, or just cleaned up, mostly?
>
>harvey sachs
>(whose Peter Wiegle is finally about "dialed in," which I thoroughly enjoyed)
>mcLean va.
>
>I think randonneurs and long-distance riders fall into two groups:
>
>1. Those who have to prove something, and move on once they have
>achieved their goals.
>
>2. Those who just like riding their bikes. The more the better.
>Those are the guys who ride for decades.
>
>Also, most clubs offer a 100 km (64 mile) "populaire" where you
>don't need to be a member or pay a fee - just for trying it out. And
>a 200 km brevet is 125 miles, which is within the possibilities of
>most cyclists. I know many randonneurs who never do a 600 or 1200,
>and they are no worse randonneurs for that! It's a big tent, and
>everybody is welcome.
>
>Some randonneurs like to play up the "Xtreme" part of the sport, but
>realistically, it isn't extreme at all. It takes some dedication,
>but it's neither only for the gifted or the foolhardy. Give it a try!
>
>Jan Heine, Seattle