FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Whitstable 5th October

[StuAff]

Dead right about the waterproofing, Tim. I think the best way to minimise water ingress boils down to:
(i) Buy decent kit
(ii) Use aformentioned kit in combination to maximise effectiveness. Overshoes are fine, until water works its way through and the shoes start to absorb it. The Shimanos (now updated to MW81) and Tim's Northwaves are about the best water-resistant shoes going, from what I've read, and they both still have design flaws. In the Shimanos it's the neoprene collar, which doesn't have the Gore-Tex lining of the rest of the shoe and, sooner or later, soaks up water and channels it down into the shoe. Which is when you want decent socks- Sealskinz or other (mid-length Merino ones in my case), and waterproof trousers (to stop all the water running straight down into shoes, socks or both). As I've noted, my shoes still eventually got wet, but there wasn't much moisture in them and the feet stayed dry and warm.
(iii) Accept you're fighting mother nature. And just like the laws of physics, she always wins.

 

[wanda2010]

This morning, whilst getting reacquainted with 'housework' I discovered a pair of little-used Shimano MW81s!!!

 

[Mice]

Anyone who got as far as HPC on Friday night is an absolute hero. I'd wanted to do this ride because I haven't been near the Fridays for too long - and this promised to be a LonJoG reunion and a chance to catch up with the P&Lite Usual Suspects posse. But my sleep has been completely screwed up since the end of August, and I've been spending far too much time in work for various reasons, and neither R nor I got around to signing up until it was too late. I'm now extremely glad we didn't. We'd have been far too stubborn to drop out, and would have absolutely hated it - I can do tired plus either cold or damp, but not both.

Good on you to those of you who dropped out half-way through. It takes balls to admit that going home is the better option! Mice - I was reading your report and thinking that your real name is utterly appropriate, both for you and the rest of the riders - people to be wondered at.

srw - what a really lovely thing to write, it truly nearly brought me to tears. I spend too much time not liking my real name written on the forum and you've connected it without writing it and completely capturing the complete awesomeness of everyone at HPC on Friday. Thank you - and I hope that your and rvw will be on an FNRttC very soon.

Mice

 

[jonny jeez]

It sounds awful.

sorry the weather was so bad, well done to those who made it and well done to those who didn't...just for giving it a go. Despite all the posts...I would have loved to give it a go...I think.

As a PS to those with electrical gadgetry problems, Pop the device in a tub of rice. It'll dry it out a lot quicker.

 

[redfalo]

some of them were six inches deep. And others were over fifty yards long. It was really wet out there.

I'm in awe of those who stuck it out - I had to, but they chose to. I detest riding in the rain, even light rain, and this rain was steady and went on and on and on. It wasn't as heavy as Manchester to Morecambe, but those who went on that one will recall that it was a fairly warm night and we knew that it would stop sometime around four. November 2009 and February 2010 had heavier rain, but on neither did it last seven hours.

I'll construct a roll of honour for the mailing, but, one person's persistence, selflessness and steadiness in adversity went above and beyond anything reasonable. Step forward ..........

BLUSH

Very flattering, thanks. I'll carry proper tape on the rides from now on. This was the second time some tape I used to hold allen keys together in my toolbox proved to be very useful.

My Garmin 60Cs came back to life after I opened it and dried it on the radiator (yes, without batteries). Before putting it back to gether I had to solve a 3D puzzle with super glue (an internal plastic bracket was in pieces).

 

[kimble]

The thing about Sealskinz socks is that they only keep your feet dry if you're not dribbling water into them from above, and if there's somewhere for the water inside to go. Once the outer layer is saturated, the membrane can't do its thing. That means sandals, rather than waterlogged shoes. I made that mistake on the Morecambe ride, because I needed shoes I could drive to the start in, and regretted it. Sealskinz + sandals have stayed dry for me in similar conditions for several hours in the past (Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride of 2010 springs to mind - the event was cancelled due to dangerously heavy rain, so the CTC group I was with decided to do our own ride).

They're also not the warmest thing around. An extra pair of socks underneath works well, but they have to be shorter so as not to act as a wick! Bring spares.

When I wear Sealskinz with normal bike shoes, it's mainly for the windproofing. I tend to get cold feet, and they make far more of a difference when cycling than regular thick socks.


Reading these reports has inspired me to invest in a set of Rainlegs. Auntie Helen assures me they are effective against wet crotch, and you can't argue with that!

 

[StuartG]

I was equipped for a 48F ride but at the last moment, on a whim, I added another base layer. Even with this I was dangerously cold by Erith. Without it I would not have made Plumstead. Oh for yet another layer. I had seriously miscalculated the cooling effect of being wet. This was more like a 38F ride.

And looking at the reports above the ride was not so much about strength of legs or will but simple decisions on layers. Alternatively it was about those with still functioning minds who made sensible choices about returning as opposed to the senseless who just ploughed on.

As for Olaf, is he, like Dell, really human? He has form in mending multiple punctures in deluges with me looking helplessly on. And so it was in Erith. Seeing Dell pull the side of the road, I swept past to commandeer the nearest bus shelter to view the outdoor workshop action. I should have offered to help - at least I can hold a torch - but I felt so bad that self preservation was my only feeling. That means being totally selfish, grabbing shelter, not volunteering.

It worked but something not to be proud about. Indeed my only other thought was, for the rest of the ride, please don't let me have a puncture. For I would have been unable to fix it and have been totally dependent on Olaf or another superhero to rescue me. When I spotted TC having a 'slow' on the Graveney Marshes I could shout a warning but stopping to help was not an option.

My apologies TC and also the confusion I couldn't elucidate your name. That's how far gone I was. Thankfully the recuperative power of a Whitstable breakfast is the eighth wonder of the world. I must add that Tim's wife must be responsible for the other seven.

 

[martint235]

Can I just point out that I posted this



in Strood, at a point when I myself had already quit.

Now that I didn't know. I wouldn't have held it against you anyway.

 

[slowmotion]

For anyone who suffered electrical kit failure, I had my phone in one of these and it was dry and functioning when it came back out.

Splendid! The Ortlieb Back Roller Classic approach to weatherproofing.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Great write ups. You've made me glad I'm poorly. (common cold virus from Sierra Leone)

 

[thom]

Now that I didn't know. I wouldn't have held it against you anyway.

With skin this commendably thick, martint235 doesn't need waterproof clothing !

I'd echo the sentiment that whoever got to the starting line had admirable courage - it sounds like some of the incidents would have tested the patience and decorum of anyone.

 

[Eddie_C]

Well that was memorable! I learnt and relearnt a few things on this ride:
1. Nothing, I repeat nothing is truly waterproof. Goretex Northwave boots....big spongey padding around the ankle, acts exactly like a big sponge. Sealskinz socks, great in theory, but unless they are the length of waders, water gets in the top and it can't escape. I think I was starting to suffer from trenchfoot towards the end. My two pairs of waterproof gloves were equally useless.
2. I talk a load of rubbish and Optimism is sometimes the reason. As soon as I uttered the 'easing' sentence I regretted it...Sorry! Tiredness and alcohol worsen the condition considerably. I have a vague memory of having a conversation with Stuart G on the train home and I am fairly convinced I was talking completed b*ll**ks. Sorry Stu.
3. My wife is wonderful. Not only does she allow me to go for a night ride that writes off most of Saturday, she even arranges a team of volunteers to bake lovely cakes and turn up in the early hours to serve them to my cycling friends. Love you x x x x
4. I am stubborn. I had every reason to finish the ride at Strood, the least of which was the broken rear spoke. But I am so glad I swapped bikes and carried on down to Whitstable. I rode like a maniac to catch you all, but didn't think it would take till Sittingbourne to catch you up.The ride from Faversham, with the sun breaking through the clearing clouds was wonderful. I have ridden this section so many times and it does have something magical about it.
5. The Fridays are a wonderful group of people. Just turning up at HPC for this ride took guts and well done to everyone, however far you got. Despite the misery of the wait at Erith and particularly after the unfortunate incident with the drunken yobs, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Ed, I hope there is no lasting damage to you or your bike.
6. A sunny morning and a good breakfast can cure lots of life's ills. I really enjoyed relaxing and drinking at the Waterfront. Fascinating erudite good humoured conversation and beer are a great combination. I think a number of the world's most pressing problems were solved, but unfortunately nobody wrote anything down.

Tim and all

I'm fine, thanks. Still a little sore but no lasting harm done.

Bike's okay, too.

Eddie

 

[User10571]

Tim and all

I'm fine, thanks. Still a little sore but no lasting harm done.

Bike's okay, too.

Eddie

Good to hear that.
I'll see you on the road, soon.
J

 

[Recycle]

some of them were six inches deep. And others were over fifty yards long. It was really wet out there.

Given all the reports I'm glad I missed the ride and that info is a bit of a wakeup for me. I thought a dynohub would be a lighting panacea. The water resistance of a dynohub on a 20" wheel would, I think, have reduced me to the use of a white stick on Friday night. I'll make sure I'm carrying plan B to Burnham on Crouch.

 

[User482]

It was cold, dark, and very, very wet. There were plenty of times, timbers shivered, spent trying not to fall asleep and praying that my bike and lights would hold together. So why am I glad I did it? It's taken a while to realise, but for me, the wonder that is the FNRttC isn't the ride itself.