London-Edinburgh-London 2013: The thread

[Fixedwheelnut]

I honestly don't think drag really comes in to it, all I know is I can ride faster at night with a decent hub dynamo set up simply because I can see better.

For an equivalent light on batteries how many do you have to take? How often to stop and change them?

These are the sort of things you try out in your other Audax rides and see what works best for you, there is not really a right or wrong, just what is right for you.

 

[longers]

Do I remember rightly that no plug points were supposed to be used on the last LEL at controls for recharging of batteries?

It wasn't strictly enforced but that many riders relying on an uncertain but small number of sockets divided among the large number of riders would/could have caused disappointment for some.

I've got a dynamo hub and can only feel the drag when riding the bike round the workshop which has a very smooth floor with the light on.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Do I remember rightly that no plug points were supposed to be used on the last LEL at controls for recharging of batteries?

seriously? splendidly reactionary... or was it done simply to prevent the squabbling that would arise over such a scare resource? or to boost sales along the route.

How do peeps keep their GPS's going if they use fancy ones without removable batteries? PowerMonkey's all round?

 

[Tim Bennet.]

(though I suspect a lot of the 'drag' with bottle dynamos is imaginary, caused by the noise)

It was the noise that caused me to change. On hilly audax rides, it wasn't too bad as the pitch constantly varied, but one night there was a long flat section, and the constant, steady whining did my head in.

 

[Nuncio]

and the constant, steady whining did my head in.

Are you sure that was the dynamo? Some riding companions have the the same effect.

 

[arallsopp]

Do I remember rightly that no plug points were supposed to be used on the last LEL at controls for recharging of batteries?

Yep. There were (some) sockets around, but the organisers felt it best to advise on the side of self sufficiency as there were certainly not a lot. I don't really see that they could have gone any other way. 450 tired riders arriving within a few hours of each other, all promised and relying on a socket would have been a disaster. Here's a few nightmare scenarios:

1. Its been dark for 4 hours already, and at the next stop you're factoring in an hour's food/rest. If you find a socket on arrival, you can probably bump the charge your battery for 50 mins, but will that be enough to reach dawn?
2. When you arrive, you realise that your light / battery pack is identical to roughly 100 others. How will you know which is yours when you're exhausted? If you have a notation system, how will you know others understand it?
3. What do you do if there's no socket spare, but someone else's light is taking a socket but blinking 'full'? Do you swap it? They might be asleep for the next five hours. They might be leaving in one minute. They might not speak English.
4. What if that happens to you?
5. What happens if you grab your batteries and leave, only to find that some bugger that arrived 3 mins after you has borrowed your socket to charge their phone for emergency calls?
6. In the first / middle days, you might never stop for more than an hour at once. In the eat / fettle / rest time, sleep deprived and exhausted, do you also want to be resolving all of the above?

How do peeps keep their GPS's going if they use fancy ones without removable batteries? PowerMonkey's all round?

I didn't see any powermonkeys. I suppose they used spare battery packs (expensive) or perhaps (multiple?) powermonkeys at bag drops (logistics), or maybe just carried on bikes that were always ahead of me.

I used an Etrex, which takes AA batteries. I bought Energizer ultimates (or something, I dunno, whichever is blue ones with the biggest superlative / lightning strike on the packaging) and they got me round with 2 changes. If I'd known they'd be so good, I'd not have taken 8 spares in either direction, but until you're underway, all ideas of timing are a gamble.

As ever, all of the above is just my experience. I'm only one audax ahead of lots of you, and far behind many.

Are you sure that was the dynamo? Some riding companions have the the same effect.

LOL! Worst thing of it is you can't just reach down and flick them off your wheel!

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Some riding companions have the the same effect.

Could be! Audax UK has more than their share of them.

 

[Arch]

The heart says yes, but the volvo'ed shoulder says no. The bum has started legal proceedings to get a restraining order on the heart, and the knees have written a threatening note from cut-out newspaper lettering and shoved it in the left ventricle. Very very tempted, but I know my limits; I'm a one-day specialist.

Arch - If you manage to get down to Winchester, PM me if you want to try some local rides. I'm like a Garmin 705 for Winchester routes, only without the personality.

Well, you have 3 years to change your mind.

And I'll keep you in mind if I ever get to Winchester with a bike, cheers! (I'm down in a couple of weeks, but on the train, and fully booked up for new nephew dandling duties. And helping my post c-section sister around the house...)

I'd love to roll up at my sister's having ridden in 'one go'. Last time, I took a week! Mind you, they live up in Fulflood, so it's always going to be a slog uphill to the house!

 

[Cockney Scot]

Put me down for it. Will be in mid 50's but would love to do it. Question is how many miles per day? Would love to do it on the Eco . could do around 75 miles a day, load bike up with camping gear

 

[Arch]

Let me have a more detailed location - just a town will do...

Have you looked at the LEL site?

http://www.londonedinburghlondon.co.uk/

You have just under 5 days to do it, and there isn't time for camping.... There's barely time for sleeping!


<wonder again why I've said I'll do this...>

 

[Nuncio]

1401km in 116 hours. You need to keep an average moving speed of around 7.5 mph. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

But best make it around 10mph, because you'll need to sleep a bit. Or 12mph because you'll have to get your card stamped 18 times and eat. Better make it 13mph to allow for natural breaks, punctures, putting on and taking off waterproofs, traffic lights, extra kms because of navigating errors, waiting for gaps in the traffic streams when crossing more major roads round York, level crossings, a shower and change of lycra at Dalkeith, phone calls to nearest and dearest, impromptu stops in bus shelters while a biblical downpour passes over etc.

So can you manage a moving average of 14 mph over 875 miles over 5 days, on a route that includes Yad Moss and some Lowland hills? If the answer is 'yes' are you allowing for dyno-hub drag?

 

[Dayvo]

Last year's event was from 26th -31st July.

Is that not six days (144 hours)?

 

[Ashaman42]

I think there were two starting waves so don't think you'd get the whole six days.

 

[arallsopp]

Yup, as Ashaman says, there were two waves. The second one left around 2pm on the 26th, and was due back at 10am on the 31st. The first lot were due back by 4am, so the 31st is a lot less than a full day.

Actually, by that point we won't know what day it is anyway, let alone time

 

[Arch]

1401km in 116 hours. You need to keep an average moving speed of around 7.5 mph. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

But best make it around 10mph, because you'll need to sleep a bit. Or 12mph because you'll have to get your card stamped 18 times and eat. Better make it 13mph to allow for natural breaks, punctures, putting on and taking off waterproofs, traffic lights, extra kms because of navigating errors, waiting for gaps in the traffic streams when crossing more major roads round York, level crossings, a shower and change of lycra at Dalkeith, phone calls to nearest and dearest, impromptu stops in bus shelters while a biblical downpour passes over etc.

So can you manage a moving average of 14 mph over 875 miles over 5 days, on a route that includes Yad Moss and some Lowland hills? If the answer is 'yes' are you allowing for dyno-hub drag?

Hell, I can skip the shower...

Thanks for that, I've been trying unsuccessfully to work out in my head the required average speed.

Yikes.

I've been working on 116 hours divided by 24, makes something like 4.8 days.