It was a very fine ride, almost entirely dry, just a few drops but not even close to enough to dampen anything. Tim kept on taking routes which I've never used before, on what I used to consider the most predictable of the "standard" rides, so it was certainly an interesting night !
On the train journey back, it did rain quite heavily, but when I left Bromley South station, it was sunny, although the wind had definitely risen, and predictably it was a headwind. Somewhat irritatingly, just a short distance from the station, near the top of the hill on Westmoreland Road, my front tyre suddenly deflated. OK, not the world's biggest problem, but after I'd taken the tube out, inspected it, found the hole, found a matching hole in the tyre bereft of any debris, and replaced everything, when I unscrewed the CO2 inflator, the valve came with it. I had to use pliers to remove the valve from the inflator, and that damaged it beyond use, so that inner tube had to come off, and my second spare went on. Thankfully after checking that valve, and repeating the entire process, it was all sorted. It did justify me carrying four CO2 cartridges, and two spare inner tubes! I accidentally didn't replace one CO2 cartridge from an earlier ride, used one on this ride, and then used two myself post-ride. Luckily I didn't need the ultimate fallbacks of using the mini-handpump to get the tyre to an acceptable pressure, or the puncture repair kit.
Aside from that minor annoyance, the ride was as exceptional as ever. A good route, good company, good food, and even good weather.
Thanks to everyone, photos and GPS track hopefully to follow.
On the train journey back, it did rain quite heavily, but when I left Bromley South station, it was sunny, although the wind had definitely risen, and predictably it was a headwind. Somewhat irritatingly, just a short distance from the station, near the top of the hill on Westmoreland Road, my front tyre suddenly deflated. OK, not the world's biggest problem, but after I'd taken the tube out, inspected it, found the hole, found a matching hole in the tyre bereft of any debris, and replaced everything, when I unscrewed the CO2 inflator, the valve came with it. I had to use pliers to remove the valve from the inflator, and that damaged it beyond use, so that inner tube had to come off, and my second spare went on. Thankfully after checking that valve, and repeating the entire process, it was all sorted. It did justify me carrying four CO2 cartridges, and two spare inner tubes! I accidentally didn't replace one CO2 cartridge from an earlier ride, used one on this ride, and then used two myself post-ride. Luckily I didn't need the ultimate fallbacks of using the mini-handpump to get the tyre to an acceptable pressure, or the puncture repair kit.
Aside from that minor annoyance, the ride was as exceptional as ever. A good route, good company, good food, and even good weather.
Thanks to everyone, photos and GPS track hopefully to follow.
