FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast 28th May - Whitstable 2010

[GrumpyGregry]

^ wot she said.

 

[arallsopp]

^ wot they said.

 

[Andrij]

Fiddlesticks!

My stomach has been a bit rough all day long, so I need to put myself in the "maybe" category now. I'll see how I feel after a bit of a rest.

If I'm not there by midnight then don't wait for me.

 

[TimO]

So is anyone else coming tonight whose been on it before? We seem to have had a stream of people pulling out at the last minute for various unforeseen circumstances.

I'm still planning on turning up, so I'm busy charging lights, GPSes and phones.

I think aside from my normal spare lights, and spare spare lights, I'll also have a spare GPS, a spare spare GPS (in the shape of my shiny new phone), and a spare pump (my shiny pump did something odd earlier, so I'm a bit paranoid about it). As ever I'll be equipped with too much stuff, and a pannier that can double up as a tank trap.

 

[Julesh]

I'm a coming - was there in March

 

[StuartG]

So is anyone else coming tonight whose been on it before?

Me.

My main memory after the wonderful Andy's Cafe was the last mile or so into Whitstable. An enjoyable ride leading to the worst road surface this side of the Tycho Crater. And that was before the ravages of last Winter. Del - has it been fixed or have you laid on a load of MTBs for the final fling?

 

[Aperitif]

So is anyone else coming tonight whose been on it before? We seem to have had a stream of people pulling out at the last minute for various unforeseen circumstances.

I'm still planning on turning up, so I'm busy charging lights, GPSes and phones.

I think aside from my normal spare lights, and spare spare lights, I'll also have a spare GPS, a spare spare GPS (in the shape of my shiny new phone), and a spare pump (my shiny pump did something odd earlier, so I'm a bit paranoid about it). As ever I'll be equipped with too much stuff, and a pannier that can double up as a tank trap.

I got to within 200 metres or so last time Tim.... 'Barring mechanicals' (© arallsopp 2009) I'll be there. I have charged stuff, packed stuff and generally stuffed bags about my bike.
But I have levers, gas and light - what more could a boy need?

 

[Dan B]

So is anyone else coming tonight whose been on it before?

I've just bought and fitted a brand new set of "being seen by" lights, and a new pump, and a cable lock, tied my tesco torch to the handlebars, and inflated my tyres and thus far haven't found anything wrong that would occasion having to bail. But there's still time ...

 

[TimO]

It has just occurred to me that the pannier hooks could do with some fettling, but aside from that and repacking the pannier after my foray to Sainsburys for supper, I'm done (and within a stone's throw of HPC!)

 

[frank9755]

I'll be riding in from Ealing - Uxbridge Road to Shepherds Bush and on to Notting Hill.

Anyone else heading in the same direction?

 

[Flying Dodo]

Long story, but I'll definitely still be there, 100% guaranteed.

However, I'll be on my Sequoia, which apart from a couple of miles yesterday and 13 miles today, I haven't used for almost a year. This is due to me discovering the grinding noise I've been getting on the Planet X Ti is due to the incompetent numpties there not building the bike with all the correct O rings and seals on the bottom bracket. So I've ended up getting dirty ball bearings, grinding away in a yucky paste.

And of course you can't get to the ball bearings to clean them properly and in any event the race holding the bearings got mangled when I was trying to remove it, and I'm still deliberating whether or not to get a similar replacement or go for a ceramic BB.

So it's a good job I've got several bikes and I therefore spent an hour yesterday checking tyres, removing mudguards (see Simon - I do read your emails) and swapping all the lights across. It already had a brand new (well, brand new 12 months ago) chain, and then I used the Sequoia on the commute today just to make sure everything runs smoothly - which it does.

It's nearly 2.5 kg heavier though, so it's nowhere near as nimble, so hopefully I won't have to steer around too many potholes.

 

[redflightuk]

New tyres, charged batteries /phone and gps, just refuelling myself and i'll see you all at hpc.

 

[TimO]

... I have 3 tubes packed ...

I've got four, and a spare tyre. Do I win.

(Hopefully none of that will be needed).

 

[dellzeqq]

Me.

My main memory after the wonderful Andy's Cafe was the last mile or so into Whitstable. An enjoyable ride leading to the worst road surface this side of the Tycho Crater. And that was before the ravages of last Winter. Del - has it been fixed or have you laid on a load of MTBs for the final fling?

it's fixed. Don't say we don't love you!

 

[TimO]

it's fixed. Don't say we don't love you!

Oooh, that's good. The final bit into Whitstable was always a bit disheartening, hitting the mother of all pothole sites, just as you wanted to rest and have breakfast.