FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast Brighton 23rd November

[dellzeqq]

I should add that in addition to hauling 95+kg of me up the hill, there was also 15+kg of bike, plus a saddlebag full of (un needed as it turned out) spare clothes, eccles cakes, tools spare batteries, and bits of other crap shoved in just because there was room in there.

ahem

http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/p/its-most-definitely-about-bike.html
Racks and panniers are the work of the devil. You DO need to carry a couple of spare innertubes, a pump, a lightweight waterproof, tyre levers, a spare chain link and some allen keys. Put those in a back pocket or in a cheap lightweight haversack. You DON'T need to carry Auntie Mabel’s fruit cake and her famous cheese and pickle sandwiches. Nobody has ever starved to death on one of our rides. Put some squash, water or an energy drink in your water bottle and stick an energy bar in your back pocket. That’s it.

 

[middleagecyclist]

ahem

http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/p/its-most-definitely-about-bike.html
Racks and panniers are the work of the devil. You DO need to carry a couple of spare innertubes, a pump, a lightweight waterproof, tyre levers, a spare chain link and some allen keys. Put those in a back pocket or in a cheap lightweight haversack. You DON'T need to carry Auntie Mabel’s fruit cake and her famous cheese and pickle sandwiches. Nobody has ever starved to death on one of our rides. Put some squash, water or an energy drink in your water bottle and stick an energy bar in your back pocket. That’s it.

They have their place. I am considering joining The Fridays for the York-Hull ride. I now may well do it on my heavy tourer with rear and front carriers. I may even do it fully loaded!

 

[Dogtrousers]

ahem

http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/p/its-most-definitely-about-bike.html
Racks and panniers are the work of the devil. You DO need to carry a couple of spare innertubes, a pump, a lightweight waterproof, tyre levers, a spare chain link and some allen keys. Put those in a back pocket or in a cheap lightweight haversack. You DON'T need to carry Auntie Mabel’s fruit cake and her famous cheese and pickle sandwiches. Nobody has ever starved to death on one of our rides. Put some squash, water or an energy drink in your water bottle and stick an energy bar in your back pocket. That’s it.

I have mudguards made of lead flashing too. Just to annoy you.

Actually the saddlebag has normally stayed at home for my FNRttCs but this time I wanted to pack some extra warm layers just in case, and Parkinson's law says that luggage expands to fill the available space so in went the eccles cakes, and sufficient spare batteries to power a medium sized village.

 

[hatler]

My pannier(s) have been known to carry pints of coffee to desperate FNRttCers, so I'm guessing I get a special exemption. My pannier this time had a spare layer and some other warming bits, plus a decent waterproof. I know my batteries will last and I carry just a couple of energy bars and one bottle. I'm not sure I'd like to put all of the contents of my pannier into my jersey pockets.

(I also recall carrying a young lady's superfluous jacket for some distance on a previous ride. I think her name was Susie.)

 

[TimO]

I think the mudguard and pannier issues are more relevant to new riders. Those of us who have been turning up for a few years, and are aware of the distances and challenges involved, know what's a bad idea to carry. I've carried a pannier on bikes other than Red, which doesn't really accommodate panniers, and I've carried a spare tyre that has been used (I think my record for carrying inner tubes is five, and I carried a mass of CO2 cartridges on one of the Martlets rides (at dellzeqq's request!)).

Of course, I've mostly got enough oomph in the tank to sprint from the back of the ride to the front, even cycling a heavy bike with panniers and mudguards. We've had riders who have been trailing at the back for half the ride, with two panniers, which isn't such a good situation (then again, neither are full suspension mountain bikes, and we've had a few of those on the rides).

Whilst we've occasionally had people with flats, and no spare inner tubes, rustling up a spare isn't generally a problem. It's fairly rare to have a cyclist who is suffering from excessive cold, and even if we did, I suspect we could find something for them to wear. Dellzeqq's advice on not carrying a couple of pounds of cake, and arctic survival kit is generally valid.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Dellzeqq's advice on not carrying a couple of pounds of cake, and arctic survival kit is generally valid.

Yeah, I wasn't challenging it. Just in case that didn't come across. I happened to bring my saddlebag on Friday just to fit in some warm/dry clothes, especially as I didn't do that on the Felpham ride and regretted it. I normally travel light - insofar as that term has any meaning when applied to me & my bike. I'm a FNRttC newbie and although I do normally ride at or near the back, that's not because I'm struggling - just because that seems to be where I end up in the natural order of things.

But I do prefer eccles cakes to energy bars.

Anyway ... thanks everyone and see you all next year!

 

[BalkanExpress]

As always, many thanks to Simon and all involved in what was a fun night out.

I don't know what gear I went up the Beacon in as it was dark,. Certainly 30 on the front and probably 26 on the back. Whatever the gear it hurt, a lot, and certainly more than last year. I'm a little older and a few kilo's heavier; so while there is nothing I can do about the former I'm going to have to shift some weight for 2013. And, not just for the Beacon, I was daft enough to follow Adrian up the stairs at Gatwick, 20kg of bike took a bit of carrying. On the plus side it meant that on the rolling roads after Gatwick I was able to coast down hill at a good speed .

 

[ianrauk]

OOH OOH Who's is that lovely Van Nick? (drapped with an Evo jacket)... Oh must be mine.

Looks like a table of panellists on Question Time...

 

[frank9755]

Or university challenge!

 

[ianrauk]

Or university challenge!

Not that any of the FNR'ers in the original pic are scumbags... well apart from Adrian. But he's one of those loveable cuddly scumbags.

 

[mistral]

Or university challenge!

Did you mean universally challenged?

 

[Steve Jones]

But I do prefer eccles cakes to energy bars.

Me too, but I'm not eating one of the Madeira Cafe's again. Highly not recommended...

 

[ianrauk]

Me too, but I'm not eating one of the Madeira Cafe's again. Highly not recommended...

They are a bit rock like aren't they?

 

[Steve Jones]

They are a bit rock like aren't they?

Probably because they were baked some time in the Paleolithic.

 

[Andrew_P]

How do Costa cope with you lot? Whenever I have been there if there any more than 4 people it goes into melt down. let alone twenty plus...