GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
AdrianC said:
true...
but it is a one to many (smart phone users) send
which can be useful
FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast to Southend-on-Sea 30th April 2010
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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true...
but it is a one to many (smart phone users) send
which can be useful
StuAff said:
yup. And I chose one of three routes to Faygate on the night, and then switched routes south of Faygate, and then changed it again once we were on the move, fearing flooding on a low-lying road. I'd say that we've done six different routes to Brighton, and all but two were ex tempore. Even now the route to Whitstable is under review........
redfalo said:
Whoever is leading the ride (and this isn't always the ride "Leader" who most of the time is Simon, but User10571 from the halfway stop onwards on this ride) will generally drop off those that he knows are responsible waypointers from the stock of people he has to hand at the front of the ride. On some occasions they have started to run out of waypointers, so I suspect will then only put people where they really need to.
As far as I know waypointers and TECs are picked on the night by Simon, I guess depending on who turns up. From Simon and User10571's comments it seems that we were a little light on those for this ride, which was a little unfortunate.
Most people will have Simon's mobile number (and Simon has there's), but of course that was no use for the second half of this ride. I had User10571's number, but my phone is a bit pants when there's any noise (ie cars driving past). I do have a cheap BT headset, which makes it much easier to hear things, but I've temporarily mislayed it. I did give the number to others, so they could ring User10571 and find out what was happening. I must deal with that before the next ride.
My GPS is also playing up a bit, since the waterproof gasket over the keys has partially failed (again
) and I need to send it off to get things corrected. This meant I had problems getting the brightness turned up when the sun rose, although I sorted that eventually.GPS technology is a useful tool, but it's only an adjunct to more manual mechanisms. Whilst there may come a time when we're using something like Google Latitude regularly, and have enough people using the appropriate bits and pieces, that we have redundancy and tolerance to failures, but at the moment I think it may just be a nice way to get more information.
We still need to stick with the relatively tried and tested, and simple mechanism of a someone at the front, and someone at the back, and a stream of waypointers. So long as no one falls of either end for any reason, this should be pretty damned robust, and has proved to 99% effective over several years of rides.
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
Much as I love technology, there's no way you can trust smart phones to provide information to and from the back to the front of the ride- it just adds another complication. Plus of course what happens if there's a power cut in an area when we're passing through? Although obviously that then means no mobile phones anyway. If you really wanted to have multiple system redundancy, then someone at the front, middle and back should have walkie talkies.
For the bigger rides, (expanding on an idea raised by Adrian in February) to help ease the issue of some wayfinders hanging around at junctions for a long time, one option would be to put people in groups of 3 or so, with a fast person near the front, someone expected to normally be somewhere near the middle and the last person in the last third of the peloton.
The first person is then used as a waymarker, and then they're replaced by the person in the middle as they go past, letting the first person go zooming back towards the front, and then later on, the middle person is in turn replaced by the 3rd person in the group. If you have a number of these groups, they each replace their respective partner.
The phone numbers of the main leaders & TECs, not just Simon, needs to known to each other, and possibly it would be useful for someone else to also have a copy of the master list of participants with their numbers.
At the start of the ride, especially on ones where there are a lot of first timers, the pre-ride talk needs to make it clearer exactly who the TECs and leaders are. Should they have somthing distinctive like a sash? On March's ride I spoke to someone who wasn't sure who they should be looking for.
On the rides I do, I have printed copies of maps covering the route. And following one incident, I now ensure they cover a wider area than just the expected track, to allow for unforeseen things. So again, it would be a case of ensuring that a number of people have maps (or map enabled GPS) in case they need to work out where people have gone, or to help people get back on course if a group has gone the wrong way.
However, as stated above, you can't predict and take care of everything that might happen, so it's important not to lose sight of the overall intention of the FNRttC - night rides are cycling with conversation; with a touch of the exotic and a smidge of romance.
For the bigger rides, (expanding on an idea raised by Adrian in February) to help ease the issue of some wayfinders hanging around at junctions for a long time, one option would be to put people in groups of 3 or so, with a fast person near the front, someone expected to normally be somewhere near the middle and the last person in the last third of the peloton.
The first person is then used as a waymarker, and then they're replaced by the person in the middle as they go past, letting the first person go zooming back towards the front, and then later on, the middle person is in turn replaced by the 3rd person in the group. If you have a number of these groups, they each replace their respective partner.
The phone numbers of the main leaders & TECs, not just Simon, needs to known to each other, and possibly it would be useful for someone else to also have a copy of the master list of participants with their numbers.
At the start of the ride, especially on ones where there are a lot of first timers, the pre-ride talk needs to make it clearer exactly who the TECs and leaders are. Should they have somthing distinctive like a sash? On March's ride I spoke to someone who wasn't sure who they should be looking for.
On the rides I do, I have printed copies of maps covering the route. And following one incident, I now ensure they cover a wider area than just the expected track, to allow for unforeseen things. So again, it would be a case of ensuring that a number of people have maps (or map enabled GPS) in case they need to work out where people have gone, or to help people get back on course if a group has gone the wrong way.
However, as stated above, you can't predict and take care of everything that might happen, so it's important not to lose sight of the overall intention of the FNRttC - night rides are cycling with conversation; with a touch of the exotic and a smidge of romance.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Good ideas there Adam. And welcome back Lee!
Wheeledweenie
Über Member
- Location
- Hanwell, west London
Well that was exciting 
Rain, an accident, a stoker lost to the ambulance, a drunkard accusing Charlotte of voting Conservative on the train home, this one had it all.
Thanks to all those who kept me going as I negotiated the second half of the ride alone. The Bread and Cheese would have beaten me if I hadn't had my pannier carried by a very kind gentleman.
Unfortunate as the accident was I have to praise Simon once again for pulling it all together. I would agree the safety talk should be revised (louder and including the rule of NEVER overtaking the waymarkers), I'm happy to shout it in future. However, the accident was the kind of thing that could have happened in broad daylight and although precautions should be taken, I would never say it represented the safety of the ride. After all, there's never been one before despite the increasing numbers.
Perhaps instead of a central TEC pool we could all contribute and pay for the TEC breakfasts or something. I'd be more than happy to buy breakfast for these brave souls. Oh and I second the point about road slicks. Unless they're super hardy ones they practically beg to be p*nctured.
Rain, an accident, a stoker lost to the ambulance, a drunkard accusing Charlotte of voting Conservative on the train home, this one had it all.
Thanks to all those who kept me going as I negotiated the second half of the ride alone. The Bread and Cheese would have beaten me if I hadn't had my pannier carried by a very kind gentleman.
Unfortunate as the accident was I have to praise Simon once again for pulling it all together. I would agree the safety talk should be revised (louder and including the rule of NEVER overtaking the waymarkers), I'm happy to shout it in future. However, the accident was the kind of thing that could have happened in broad daylight and although precautions should be taken, I would never say it represented the safety of the ride. After all, there's never been one before despite the increasing numbers.
Perhaps instead of a central TEC pool we could all contribute and pay for the TEC breakfasts or something. I'd be more than happy to buy breakfast for these brave souls. Oh and I second the point about road slicks. Unless they're super hardy ones they practically beg to be p*nctured.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
Wheeledweenie said:
Good idea, TECs eat for free, works for me
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
Sometimes I 'tec'.
No way is anyone going to pay for my breakfast - I look forward to contributing to the ride and seven hours in revered company is reward enough. My choice. It's fun.
However, at Whitstable there is a nice er..facility...
No way is anyone going to pay for my breakfast - I look forward to contributing to the ride and seven hours in revered company is reward enough. My choice. It's fun.
However, at Whitstable there is a nice er..facility...
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
I wanna take lessons so I can become a tube ninja.....
It's not just the TECs who support the ride, it's obviously our esteemed leader himself (who I'm sure spends a lot of money on indirectly keeping things running so smoothly), the people who lead the ride when Simon isn't at the head, the various waypointers, and those who just help by lending verbal support to first timers (and not so first timers!) who are finding the going a bit hard.
...and sundry other people who help out in various ways, such as Wheeledweenie herself, who cycled half the ride half with half a tandem's extra weight, over her normal load, just to help out.
I think those of us who do supply a little bit of help, do it because we've been helped on rides. I don't mind throwing in a little bit of cash with the odd tyre or CO2 cartridge, since it's a few +ve karma points, which in all likelihood I'll cash in further down the road when someone helps me out, be that on a FRNttC, another ride, or just when I'm out by myself and need a hand from someone.
...and sundry other people who help out in various ways, such as Wheeledweenie herself, who cycled half the ride half with half a tandem's extra weight, over her normal load, just to help out.
I think those of us who do supply a little bit of help, do it because we've been helped on rides. I don't mind throwing in a little bit of cash with the odd tyre or CO2 cartridge, since it's a few +ve karma points, which in all likelihood I'll cash in further down the road when someone helps me out, be that on a FRNttC, another ride, or just when I'm out by myself and need a hand from someone.
CopperBrompton
Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
- Location
- London
Note that if you cash in more than 40 karma points in any one tax-year, you must declare them on your tax return.TimO said:
Davywalnuts
Chief Kebab Taster
- Location
- Staines!
Am gutted...
Just done my cycle logging, and I hadnt done a combination of 180 miles (as I went for a loop around london and briefly into and out of work again plus the fnrttc) it was in fact 188 miles... am gutted, if only I knew... so close to the 200... I did all the calculations in my head, guess thats tiredness for ya!
Just done my cycle logging, and I hadnt done a combination of 180 miles (as I went for a loop around london and briefly into and out of work again plus the fnrttc) it was in fact 188 miles... am gutted, if only I knew... so close to the 200... I did all the calculations in my head, guess thats tiredness for ya!
arallsopp
Post of The Year 2009 winner
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Davywalnuts said:
Always the risk. Simjilar thing happened to Mista Preston once, IIRC. We were dead reckoning his distance using my GPS reading, minus a guestimated commute, plus a couple of miles extra for him to get to the start point. I measured it all up when I got home, and realised we'd delivered him back with a couple of hundred feet to go
Wheeledweenie
Über Member
- Location
- Hanwell, west London
TimO said:
And because it made me look really hard. Grrrrrrrrrrr
