ChrisBailey
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Hampton Hill, UK
From the end of Lonesome Lane to the airport, maybe 2 miles, 4 punctures, couldn't move for upturned bikes.
Also couldn't move for Colnago's, 3! are they the new BMW.
FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast Brighton 23rd November
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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From the end of Lonesome Lane to the airport, maybe 2 miles, 4 punctures, couldn't move for upturned bikes.
Also couldn't move for Colnago's, 3! are they the new BMW.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
It's nice and simple, Steve. With apologies for shouting, DO NOT MENTION THAT WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED!2170171 said:
U
User10571
Guest
Pick stuff out of the tyres and you're only addressing half of the issues.
Unless you let all the air out of your tyre, you'll not be able to extract an effective percentage of the sharps that have worked their way in.
I do this after every wet ride and before every long one.
Yes. It Is Dull.
At the risk of fairie provocation, Actually, bollox to the fairie. How many of you have seen me repairing a puncture on my bike?
Hello!
Anyone there?
Just one or two then.......
I know of only one other forumite who does this.
And I've no idea if she was on last night's ride.
The second line of this post, is the best bit of advice I can offer today.
That is all.
Unless you let all the air out of your tyre, you'll not be able to extract an effective percentage of the sharps that have worked their way in.
I do this after every wet ride and before every long one.
Yes. It Is Dull.
Hello!
Anyone there?
Just one or two then.......
I know of only one other forumite who does this.
And I've no idea if she was on last night's ride.
The second line of this post, is the best bit of advice I can offer today.
That is all.
middleagecyclist
Call me MAC
- Location
- Prestwich, Manchester
Well done FNRttC. Couldn't join you so we did a northern version last night. 100+ miles Manchester-Southport-Manchester. Cold but fun!
Steve Jones
Active Member
I manage to get the slivers out using a sharp, pointed implement. However, I will admit that I once caused a puncture that way by working the stone into the carcass rather than out by doing so (on my Gatorskins, not the Armadillos). However, air out is better, but only if I've got the track pump to hand. I've also heard that it's a good idea to seal the little gashes up with superglue, but I've never actually got that too work. Anyway, I also follow the tyre examination approach before long rides and after wet ones - at least when I've been out in the country roads or through the urban badlands.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
As for me, SMRBtH fail. There is the plain, simple, all-too-relevant-most-of-the-time truth that I lack Ian and Rimas' speed, but I wasn't going to miss the serious precipitation that has been moving across the south east today, not least because I was heading into it! At first, it was indeed the persistent drizzle that had greeted the ride on the last stretch and seemed set in. I don't mind those kind of conditions at all (fond memories of Caithness...!), and at first my progress was reasonably rapid too. Sped very nicely along the front, until I spotted a cyclist in front of me getting a bike out of a van. Yes, it was a Newt Brief chinwag, advised her the inebriation had commenced in Wetherspoons, we parted ways. Decent speed continued. Vaguely tailwindy breeze, the flesh wasn't weak and the spirit was willing. In a little over an hour, I was the other side of Worthing, perfectly OK and on a par with my usual speed for that run. The weather started to turn about then, and by the time I was the other side of Littlehampton, the drizzle with the odd heavier burst had been replaced by steady rain. I managed to miss the turn for Yapton and Barnham and ended up in Arundel, and resorted to the A27 to get on course again (suffice to say, not recommended). But the weather was a far bigger problem, the speed wasn't picking up, whether through fatigue or the conditions (there was a lot of standing water, funnily enough, and caution was essential). The spirit had well and truly had enough so the flesh made its soggy way to Barnham station and hence home in rather more rapid fashion. A mere 88.77 miles, not counting the further soggy couple of miles from Cosham home. Meh!!
Brief chinwag, advised her the inebriation had commenced in Wetherspoons, we parted ways. Decent speed continued. Vaguely tailwindy breeze, the flesh wasn't weak and the spirit was willing. In a little over an hour, I was the other side of Worthing, perfectly OK and on a par with my usual speed for that run. The weather started to turn about then, and by the time I was the other side of Littlehampton, the drizzle with the odd heavier burst had been replaced by steady rain. I managed to miss the turn for Yapton and Barnham and ended up in Arundel, and resorted to the A27 to get on course again (suffice to say, not recommended). But the weather was a far bigger problem, the speed wasn't picking up, whether through fatigue or the conditions (there was a lot of standing water, funnily enough, and caution was essential). The spirit had well and truly had enough so the flesh made its soggy way to Barnham station and hence home in rather more rapid fashion. A mere 88.77 miles, not counting the further soggy couple of miles from Cosham home. Meh!!
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
That would be because there isn't one yet!
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
As for the ride: after acts of South West Trains delayed my arrival at Waterloo by twenty minutes (an exception to the usually decent service, but not helpfully timed to have one!), the ride to HPC was fairly rapid, traffic lights were largely the right colour and a guy on a fixie/SS provided unwitting help as a pacemaker. Made it to the Arch in time enough to say hellos before we were on our way.
Progress for the most part was reasonably rapid, despite Steve's helpful invocations that not so much tempted fate as ensured it
Unfortunately, the conditions were fairy-friendly- the damp having washed debris onto the road and then helpfully concealed much of it. One or two rather scary moments- the artic on the south side of Clapham Common that came all to close to harming our leader (not a good advert for HGV drivers, to put it mildly), and I was following Susie down Reigate Hill when a van passed her rather closely for my comfort, let alone hers. I rather enjoyed the mist and fog- it added a different dimension to a ride on largely familiar roads. I did put the Hope up to the number two setting and that proved perfectly comfortable for visibility.
The Gatwick Surprise was that Gatwick was very quiet, weather conditions having delayed/diverted/who cares frankly, flights. I couldn't be bothered to go upstairs to Nero, so settled for a somewhat stingy pot of tea (two cups and no more) and a rather nice chocolate orange tart from Costa, plus some hot cross buns from M&S (thanks Thom, Susie and anyone else involved for those). The second half of the ride was thankfully somewhat more quiet on the mechanical front, and the precipitation held off until we reached Ditchling. Apologies for holding the tail end up- nature called, bike fell over, stuff fell off bike, and I wanted the medicinal/lucky bit of malt loaf anyway. And then, onwards and (eventually) downwards to the front. Fantastic way to end the FNRttC year (apart from the London special, which I'm intending to join). Thanks one and all!
Progress for the most part was reasonably rapid, despite Steve's helpful invocations that not so much tempted fate as ensured it
Unfortunately, the conditions were fairy-friendly- the damp having washed debris onto the road and then helpfully concealed much of it. One or two rather scary moments- the artic on the south side of Clapham Common that came all to close to harming our leader (not a good advert for HGV drivers, to put it mildly), and I was following Susie down Reigate Hill when a van passed her rather closely for my comfort, let alone hers. I rather enjoyed the mist and fog- it added a different dimension to a ride on largely familiar roads. I did put the Hope up to the number two setting and that proved perfectly comfortable for visibility.The Gatwick Surprise was that Gatwick was very quiet, weather conditions having delayed/diverted/who cares frankly, flights. I couldn't be bothered to go upstairs to Nero, so settled for a somewhat stingy pot of tea (two cups and no more) and a rather nice chocolate orange tart from Costa, plus some hot cross buns from M&S (thanks Thom, Susie and anyone else involved for those). The second half of the ride was thankfully somewhat more quiet on the mechanical front, and the precipitation held off until we reached Ditchling. Apologies for holding the tail end up- nature called, bike fell over, stuff fell off bike, and I wanted the medicinal/lucky bit of malt loaf anyway. And then, onwards and (eventually) downwards to the front. Fantastic way to end the FNRttC year (apart from the London special, which I'm intending to join). Thanks one and all!
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Coal Tax Posts: 1
That made the ride for me. Not only a coal tax post that I've never visited before but we actually stopped there so I could meet it in person instead of just waving wistfully as I go past. It was this one by the way at the point where Portnalls Road becomes Coulsdon Lane just South of Coulsdon.
The ride back was not very wet, nor was it very cold, but it was pretty uninspiring, and my resolve utterly left me when I saw a signpost to Haywards Heath railway station. I then had to stand all the way home on the train, because I knew a deep sleep would envelop me if I sat down, and I would miss my stop or not hear my bike crashing to the ground or something like that.
I've put the route (including my little excursion to Haywards Heath) on the web here
One other thing ... I was the first to arrive at HPC and while I was there two police cars, sirens and lights going, screamed through the arch very fast. So net time you're standing under the arch, and you hear a siren, take a look around. It may be headed for you.
That made the ride for me. Not only a coal tax post that I've never visited before but we actually stopped there so I could meet it in person instead of just waving wistfully as I go past. It was this one by the way at the point where Portnalls Road becomes Coulsdon Lane just South of Coulsdon.
The ride back was not very wet, nor was it very cold, but it was pretty uninspiring, and my resolve utterly left me when I saw a signpost to Haywards Heath railway station. I then had to stand all the way home on the train, because I knew a deep sleep would envelop me if I sat down, and I would miss my stop or not hear my bike crashing to the ground or something like that.
I've put the route (including my little excursion to Haywards Heath) on the web here
Eight stone? What were they made of? Slivers of neutron star? Surely you'd have noticed the extra weight.
One other thing ... I was the first to arrive at HPC and while I was there two police cars, sirens and lights going, screamed through the arch very fast. So net time you're standing under the arch, and you hear a siren, take a look around. It may be headed for you.
That was my third fairy visitation in about five years of FNRttCs, and mine (and at least two others) weren't bits of flint caught in the tyres, it was a heap of glass we went through a few minutes earlier, a few minutes short of Gatwick. Aside from my own repair, the only one I actually had any hands on involvement in, was putting some CO2 into Dellzeqqs rear tyre, but we didn't seem to have any significant mechanicals, no tyres which are impossible to get on or off, thankfully. My hands got cold enough just putting my own tyre on, if a tyre had decided to be difficult, we would have been stuffed somewhat rapidly.
The fog and mist did make for an interesting ride, as others have said, giving a whole new look to things. I've done one previous FNRttC with significant fogginess, and that was the Martlets Ride of a few years back, where I did spend a fair length of time cycling in the dark by myself, which at the time was quite spooky. The view from Ditchling was novel, with the early signs of dawn, and street lighting giving the area overlayed by patchy fog a slightly surreal atmosphere.
Given all of those repairs, I think we made pretty good time, Given all the beer, I think we then did pretty well in getting back to the station! (even if The Claud did leave the kitty with those we left behind in Weathersppons
). I managed to get past the ticket barriers with my not quite appropriate ungrouped groupsave ticket, the East Croydon staff being as interested in it as they usually are. I recently surfaced from some serious recovery snoozing, but have yet to see any sign of Kai after his return ten seconds before I was about to leave home for HPC, on Friday evening!
The fog and mist did make for an interesting ride, as others have said, giving a whole new look to things. I've done one previous FNRttC with significant fogginess, and that was the Martlets Ride of a few years back, where I did spend a fair length of time cycling in the dark by myself, which at the time was quite spooky. The view from Ditchling was novel, with the early signs of dawn, and street lighting giving the area overlayed by patchy fog a slightly surreal atmosphere.
Given all of those repairs, I think we made pretty good time, Given all the beer, I think we then did pretty well in getting back to the station! (even if The Claud did leave the kitty with those we left behind in Weathersppons
). I managed to get past the ticket barriers with my not quite appropriate ungrouped groupsave ticket, the East Croydon staff being as interested in it as they usually are. I recently surfaced from some serious recovery snoozing, but have yet to see any sign of Kai after his return ten seconds before I was about to leave home for HPC, on Friday evening!
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
(Cough)
I do this as well, having faithfully followed your advice from 5 or 6 years ago.
It only takes 5 minutes to let the tyres down, slowly rotate them and prise out offending items and then pump up again, and it's definitely worth it.
Excluding my error in using a worn out tyre on the Harefield to Cardiff leg to join the Cardiff to Swansea FNRttC, I've only had one puncture on a FNRttC, and that was many years ago.
U
User10571
Guest
My apologies. So that's two forumites.
And I hope your cough gets better soon
OI Make that 3 if you please.....
My daily ritual (both commute and leisure ride) is to check the tyres.
I have had 3 punctures this year.. so that's no too shabby....
I think Steve is right. We were on roads that had been flooded, and the debris did a lot of damage. Our tyres were full of bits. And we hit some fresh broken glass on a bit of road that I'd ridden on thirty six hours previously.
The conditions tell the story. Whitstable 13 punctures, Burnham 0, Brighton 11.
The conditions tell the story. Whitstable 13 punctures, Burnham 0, Brighton 11.
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