FNRttC Bognor, Friday, April 27, 2018

[wanda2010]

Whilst I'm waiting for my dinner to heat up in the oven, I'd like to say the Puncture Fairy must have made her bonus for the year on this ride. Whilst the weather wasn't of Wetstable proportions, it wasn't too far off.

Things I learned today: (a) Wear contact lenses. Glasses and rain on a night ride do not go together, especially when steep descents are part of the route. (b) If you know a light is not working properly, put it out of sight so you don't forget it's wonky, then take it on a ride where it lulls you into a false sense of security, then DUMPS you. Step forward my cheapy Chinese light from way back when and high-powered reusable batteries. To be fair the Hope Vision light had served me well, so I'll probably get another one. (c) decent mudguards or put flaps on the clip-on ones. (d) spare socks, if rain is forecast.

The Gurkha bridge and a dry path please, or include a van and man with a hose and firm brushes if muddy. Thanks to all the who lifted my bike over those gates umpteen times.

My large breakfast was used to power my little legs for that sprint to the station with my travel companions and I was determined to take the train all the way home, but in the end got off at Clapham Junction and rode to my local bike shop and tried to get my mech to clean my bike. Surprisingly he refused! We are now FORMER friends . At least until my next visit . My travel companions were on point, with a certain person holding front and centre

Despite the rain and the waiting around I had a good time and the second half of the ride was the prettiest bit.

Thanks everyone. See you on the next ride.......

 

[StuAff]

Whilst I'm waiting for my dinner to heat up in the oven, I'd like to say the Puncture Fairy must have made her bonus for the year on this ride. Whilst the weather wasn't of Wetstable proportions, it wasn't too far off.

Things I learned today: (a) Wear contact lenses. Glasses and rain on a night ride do not go together, especially when steep descents are part of the route. (b) If you know a light is not working properly, put it out of sight so you don't forget it's wonky, then take it on a ride where it lulls you into a false sense of security, then DUMPS you. Step forward my cheapy Chinese light from way back when and high-powered reusable batteries. To be fair the Hope Vision light had served me well, so I'll probably get another one. (c) decent mudguards or put flaps on the clip-on ones. (d) spare socks, if rain is forecast.

The Gurkha bridge and a dry path please, or include a van and man with a hose and firm brushes if muddy. Thanks to all the who lifted my bike over those gates umpteen times.

My large breakfast was used to power my little legs for that sprint to the station with my travel companions and I was determined to take the train all the way home, but in the end got off at Clapham Junction and rode to my local bike shop and tried to get my mech to clean my bike. Surprisingly he refused! We are now FORMER friends . At least until my next visit . My travel companions were on point, with a certain person holding front and centre

Despite the rain and the waiting around I had a good time and the second half of the ride was the prettiest bit.

Thanks everyone. See you on the next ride.......

Be warned, Hope seem to have discontinued the V1, it's no longer on their website product listings & new stock seems to have disappeared.

 

[rb58]

Well, that was an eventful ride.

Eight or so punctures - is that a record? Two of which caused us some difficulty as the valve core pulled out after we’d inflated them, causing us to start over.
There were mud-caked cleats that wouldn’t clip in and stones jammed in cleats - I’m really disappointed I didn’t have my Swiss Army Knife with me as it would have been an ideal opportunity to use that blade designed to get stones out of horses hooves. Thus far, it has never been used.
And when those Gurkhas made a bridge, they did a pretty good job making a swamp to go with it. I may have to clean my bike tomorrow. And my shoes too.
On top of it all, I didn’t get to breakfast as I had a family lunch to get to back in Horsham - at the very same pub we passed along Forest Row at around 5.00am in the morning, so, I turned north just after Ford and climbed Fairmile Bottom to the top of Bury Hill before following a similar route to Horsham to the one we’d taken just a few hours earlier.

Well done to those who stuck around for the second half - we were rewarded with some pretty lanes and great views. And no rain. And through it all, people kept on smiling! That’s what I love about the FNRttC.

Finally, big thanks to @mmmmartin for leading us, and his right hand man @Gordon P for the waymarking. And to my fellow TECs at the rear - @GrumpyGregry and @sagefly. A pleasure riding with you.

See you all on the road.

 

[wanda2010]

Be warned, Hope seem to have discontinued the V1, it's no longer on their website product listings & new stock seems to have disappeared.

Thanks Stu.

 

[User10571]

It all sounds a bit epic.
Well done, All.

 

[mmmmartin]

Epic.
@rb58 smothered himself in glory.
@StuAff has free membership for next year because he was the right man in the right place at the right time and got us all out of a jam.
Everyone was totes wonderful and @dellzeqq would be proud of you all.

Now sleep. More later.

 

[redfalo]

well, that sounds truly epic.

 

[StuAff]

Well, that put the F in hard work.....
Given the high proportion of gravel/adventure/all-road/whatever else we're calling them this week bikes on the ride (my Litespeed, Cannondale Slate, Whyte Wessex- both rather swish! and so on) and the state they got into, I thought of the perfect name for this ride....
Dirty Bognor.
I will not be taking a photo of Mr Gravel. Don't need to cause the clean freaks heart palpitations. Suffice to say it needs a thorough wash. A very thorough wash. At least Ti is somewhat easier for grot removal than carbon....

For a change, made a minute or two at work, and rolled up to the platform just before the 9.38 train. Which was nice.
What wasn't nice: the weather. Forecasts proved somewhat optimistic. The sporadic rain that had occurred during the day turned in the small hours into continuous rain for the first half (it dried up eventually!!). Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the torrential downpours that have blighted rides gone by. No Wetstable or Brighton November 2009 was this. But more than enough to get clothing thoroughly wet. My venerable DHB jacket is no longer waterproof- it got wet through even on the mile and a half ride from Eastleigh station to work, let alone last night. I had waterproof trousers, but didn't bother with them (lycra dries out quickly enough, and didn't get that wet), and rather than get multiple sets of gloves wet I stuck with the well worn (i.e. on their last legs) mitts. Wet, but not cold. Tolerable.

The rain had its usual effect on the puncture count. John M's Schwalbe G-One was no longer tubeless, the sealant having proving inadequate to deal with the damage. The wait while waymarking the roundabout in Battersea allowed me to witness some appallingly dangerous riding- the usual ninjas, but also one guy who RLJd east-west across the whole thing! Rob's incident in Horsham was the lengthiest delay I think- first tube failed, so that needed another...the Continental valve cores probably ran that close though!

Somehow, the first half wasn't actually that slow. We got to the Edifice not long after 4am, and Martin's ETA had been 3.45. As on our previous visits, the 1st Burstow did a great job for a very reasonable price. Now, if they could get some bread pudding and Victoria sponge in for next time…

Unsurprisingly, our numbers were steadily depleting. A few had bailed earlier on I think, half a dozen left us at Burstow for Gatwick, and they weren't the last. Those who gamely struggled on got to enjoy the Gurkha Bridge section. By enjoy, I mean endure. Bury Hill was the more attractive option IMHO, with the benefit of hindsight (did I actually just type that...yes I did). Those fields did a passable impression of a Flanders battlefield. Not just muddy work, but tricky too...I nearly slipped a few times (thanks to those who helped me out). And as Ross has already noted, it wreaked havoc on shoes and pedals. Roadies worst affected of course, but the supposed mud-shedding properties of SPDs were not in evidence, it was a real pain trying to clip in and out for the remainder of the ride. As for the shoes, they too are on their last legs anyway, thankfully....

I was somewhat dumbstruck by the lengthy stretch on the A259. That Bognor-Littlehampton part of the road is horrible, I never use it for rides to Brighton and beyond, since I found the via Barnham alternative was so much more pleasant. This morning reinforced the point. Unsurprisingly, the 9am expected arrival time at the Lobster Pot came and went. More like 10. The usual exemplary work and speedy service. I had, of course, been intending to ride back, but the late arrival put a spanner in those works. My Honda was in for its latest service and I had to pick it up that afternoon, garage otherwise closed until Tuesday. So ride to Barnham and train it was, back home just after half-twelve. Bike safely collected after a cat nap.

Thanks one and all. Late takers for a ride around an island in the Solent this Friday are welcome. Includes hills, lots of. Keeps you warm if nothing else!

 

[kimble]

It all sounds a bit epic.
Well done, All.

^ This!

 

[Fab Foodie]

@StuAff makes a good point about the type of rain.
As the harbinger of moistness on many a ride, I’m usually OK with rain, even of monsoon proportions. This was less like rain than a cold mizzle. My legs clad in summerweight bibs and feet in sealskin socks complained not one jot. However my torso managed to freeze. Whether the jacket choice played its part in this I don’t know. Despite pit vents being opened I was thoroughly soaked through by Burstow and 2 layers of Merino were not keeping me warm.
By the time I got to Deal station I had fully dried and set off warm and snugg for home. In a few moments the mizzle started again and I could feel my core temperature plummet. Weirdness indeed.

Another point well made is bicycle grubbiness. @Salty seadog is a keeper of pristine bicycles. I on the otherhand am pretty damn lax. On thw train home Salty’s carbon naked Whyte looked like it had been pulled out the silt of low-tide. The Rourkie on the other hand resplendent in full guards and long FNRttC mudflaps front and rear looked in pretty much the same mildly cared-for state it was in when I took it from the shed. Apart from a thin splashing of dirty water on the rear rim it looked sparkling compared to the Whyte. What’s more, the drive-train looked to be clean as well. I commend full mudguards and long flaps to the FNRttC house.

My final musing is on so called gravel bikes. I wager that the state of British roads is not likely to improve in the short or even medium term. Some of the potholes that emerged in the dark were wheel damagingly bad despite 28c tyres. Fat-tyred bikes with full guards built with compliant frames and searchlights woukd appear to be the way forward for such rides.
I do happen to have a 501 orbit expedition frame in the shed that takes 26” or 650 wheels and fat tyres in the shed and an 8 speed triple donor bike ... I wonder....

 

[Salty seadog]

Fat-tyred bikes with full guards built with compliant frames and searchlights woukd appear to be the way forward for such rides.

This may well be an addition to the stable. I was amazed how clean your Rourke was .

 

[Tim Hall]

@StuAff has free membership for next year because he was the right man in the right place at the right time and got us all out of a jam.

More details on this tantalising morsel please.

 

[robjh]

Another point well made is bicycle grubbiness. [USER=18646]@Salty seadog is a keeper of pristine bicycles. I on the otherhand am pretty damn lax. On thw train home Salty’s carbon naked Whyte looked like it had been pulled out the silt of low-tide. The Rourkie on the other hand resplendent in full guards and long FNRttC mudflaps front and rear looked in pretty much the same mildly cared-for state it was in when I took it from the shed. Apart from a thin splashing of dirty water on the rear rim it looked sparkling compared to the Whyte. What’s more, the drive-train looked to be clean as well. I commend full mudguards and long flaps to the FNRttC house.[/USER]

You escaped too early. No amount of mudguards would have saved your bike from the Gurkha Bridge quagmire.

Another postscript: my Lezyne 400xl front light, with a battery life that I had previously tested at 7 hours, has now been flashing continuously for the last 15 hours and is quite impervious to any pressing on its button, it simply will not change mode or turn off. Water ingress in electronic devices, one of the less reported consequences of a long, wet, ride.

 

[Gordon P]

a ride around an island

Good luck with it Stu: think of me & Martin ensconced in chairs all night on the Portsmouth-Caen ferry en route to Lisieux.

Btw I agree with you on Bury Hill rather tthan the Gurkha Bridge in those conditions.... Bike-washing and new-shoe-cleaning about to begin.

 

[Fab Foodie]

More details on this tantalising morsel please.

I’m thinking it was the chasing-down of a breakaway group. It was amusing to watch. @mmmmartin suddenly realised that a large contingent shot-off at a point where we should have turned right. At the point of realisation @StuAff magicaly appeared, whereapon mmmmmartin grabs him by the shoukder and says something to the effect of “Stuaff, the right man at the right time” and set him off like a scolded Whippet to chase down the pack... there was never any chance of failiure.

Right man, right place, right time.