England : Greater Manchester M'cr - Southport - M'cr Night Ride

[tubbycyclist]

Reflecting on the Ride

I had a great time planning and doing the ride. Thanks to all who came. It was my first time organising a group ride so it was certainly a learning experience.

...

Thanks for organising it.

I was surprised at the numbers of people that showed up on a very cold night in November. I am sure you will enjoy the trip to Hewitt - they are very thorough and I have found my bike a perfect fit, and very comfortable.

If anyone wants to do something similar next year there is always the Plains 300 audax - not much detail on the site at the moment but it is a very flat 300km ride from Stockport to Newtown starting at 11pm.

 

[Andrew Br]

The decision to get a dedicated audax/fast all weather tourer is now even more firmly made - Paul Hewitt here I come. ...

If you're going for the Hewitt steel frame IMO it's worth asking Paul about fitting it for discs. Even if you don't go for them straight away you'll have the option in the future.
FWIW, I've had 2 bikes from Hewitt, both Ti Enigmas and both disc-braked.
My current "audax" bike is a Planet X Dirty Disco. My "light" Enigma broke and the Disco is a short-term replacement until I get a new frame under warranty.
The other Enigma now has a Rohloff and a full rack. I tend to use it for rough road/mild off-road.
Discs make so much sense for touring and audax IMO, especially when the weather is crap.
Avid BB7s are the ones to go for. BB5s (again IMO) are really poor by comparison. The pads in the Disco brakes have done 7500 miles in all sorts of weather and over many different surfaces.

This is it after its 1st audax (Venetian Nights last month):-



12-10-08 Dirty Dirty Disco 1 by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

.

 

[stevevw]

The decision to get a dedicated audax/fast all weather tourer is now even more firmly made - Paul Hewitt here I come. I will also splash out on a dynamo hub (Shimano) and front light (B&M Luxos) as well. I will use the Edge 705 for navigation.


Just need the Cycle to Work chap to open the next order window now...

I am having my Audax bike built with Paulus Quiros in Wales and it will be fitted with BB7 brakes. I eventually went the bespoke route so I could have disc's just how I wanted them. As has been said the pads last 1000's of miles which with the wet weather braking I think makes disc's essential on a Audax bike once getting in to the longer distances. I have worn out a new set of brake blocks on a very wet 60 mile ride.

Last year I was using a Focus Mares CX bike fitted with a Schmidt dynamo powering a Edelux lamp both of which worked fantastically I could not have wished for more. This of course came at a price Wheel £250ish and Lamp £139. The new bike has the Edelux fitted but I am using one of the new SR Dynamo's (They are said to make the Supernova Dynamo hubs) these seem to be excellent value and a very high spec. for less than £100.
As the Focus is now a full time commuter I could not justify the cost of another Edelux so went for a B&M Cyo which uses the same led and reflector as the Edelux. I have been using the Cyo for three weeks now and it is fine, not quite as good as the Edelux having said that it is better than my 1200 lumen torch which lasts for less than 2 hours on full power, I would not hesitate on using this lamp on long Audax rides. The lamp can be picked up in Germany at great prices of well under £50 delivered, so if you do not need the USB charger on the Luxos you should be able to get 3 Cyo's for the same money.

 

[Cheshire Celt]

Was a great night thanks for putting in the effortb

 

[middleagecyclist]

If you're going for the Hewitt steel frame IMO it's worth asking Paul about fitting it for discs. Even if you don't go for them straight away you'll have the option in the future.

I understand why discs would be useful on a long wet rides but my understanding is they limit the choice of front fork. Also, i hear PH doesn't really approve of discs for use on his branded frames (of course that is what i've been told and it maybe a load of bullocks). I happily use V brakes on my heavy, loaded tourer on all surfaces and in all weathers and have had no problems with them, particularly if the rims are given a wipe over every now and then. On the other hand i wouldn't have 'owt else but hydraulic discs on my MTB. I wonder if ceramic rims and compatible blocks might be a good compromise for an audax machine?

 

[middleagecyclist]

I am having my Audax bike built with Paulus Quiros in Wales and it will be fitted with BB7 brakes. I eventually went the bespoke route so I could have disc's just how I wanted them. As has been said the pads last 1000's of miles which with the wet weather braking I think makes disc's essential on a Audax bike once getting in to the longer distances. I have worn out a new set of brake blocks on a very wet 60 mile ride.

That must have been one heck of a wet ride . I still wonder if discs are essential though. See my reply to Andrew.

If I may be so rude how much is a custom build with discs? (PM me if you wish).

I could not justify the cost of another Edelux so went for a B&M Cyo which uses the same led and reflector as the Edelux. I have been using the Cyo for three weeks now and it is fine, not quite as good as the Edelux having said that it is better than my 1200 lumen torch which lasts for less than 2 hours on full power, I would not hesitate on using this lamp on long Audax rides. The lamp can be picked up in Germany at great prices of well under £50 delivered, so if you do not need the USB charger on the Luxos you should be able to get 3 Cyo's for the same money.

I've got a SON and Edelux combo on my tourer and really want dynamo lighting on the new machine as well. I've heard good things about Shimano and SP dynamos so will go with one of them. The luxos appeals as the light is great and it has the USB I can charge my GPS or phone from. Worth it on those long rides IMO.

 

[stevevw]

That must have been one heck of a wet ride .

It was with lots of long wet, dark and brake hard on down bits. By far the scariest ride I have ever done.
See my PM

 

[Andrew Br]

I understand why discs would be useful on a long wet rides but my understanding is they limit the choice of front fork. Also, i hear PH doesn't really approve of discs for use on his branded frames (of course that is what i've been told and it maybe a load of bullocks).

He's (cheerfully from what I can tell) fitted discs to two of his tourers that I know of. Both of the owners seem delighted with their bikes.

It's true that there are fewer disc forks available but the number is increasing rapidly.
FWIW, I have a Kinesis DC17 on my tourer. It's no longer available but I think Kinesis sell an updated version. It looks a little odd but it rides and handles superbly. I'm running 35mm tyres (Marathon Extremes) with full guards.
The Disco has the standard fork while the broken Ti bike had a Trigon fork that I got from Taiwan via Ebay. It was only £135 delivered and it's very light but a bit harsher than the DC17. It has huge clearance 'cos it's a Cross fork. It has no rack mounting for the same reason although the LBS and I managed to fit some.

I'd advise against gettting the Kinesis P2 fork; it's very heavy and very harsh. I've got one on my (converted to) disc MTB and the DC17 on the tourer replaced a P2.

.

 

[Andrew Br]

It was with lots of long wet, dark and brake hard on down bits. By far the scariest ride I have ever done.

I had a similar experience when I was heading down Kirkham's main street at 20mph with the brakes full on and I wasn't slowing much.
The ride had been very wet and muddy. The brake blocks were ~300 miles old.
That's when I decided to get a disc road bike
The rear wheel on that bike had to be replaced at 3000 miles; they were concave.


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[stevevw]

This may be of interest to one of you?
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/kinesis-dc37-carbon-disc-fork.118737/

 

[stevevw]

The rear wheel on that bike had to be replaced at 3000 miles; they were concave..

I know that wallet lightening experience.

 

[middleagecyclist]

He's [Paul Hewitt] (cheerfully from what I can tell) fitted discs to two of his tourers that I know of. Both of the owners seem delighted with their bikes.

I'll be having a long chat with Mr Hewitt when I get my fitting and will be discussing the disc/rim option amongst several other things. Really looking forward to it.