Single speed advise

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

Back in the days when keen club riders would often ride the same bike to work that they went racing on at the weekend, it was not unusual for them to carry a set of lightweight racing wheels with them and swap before riding the race, then put their normal wheels back on again for the ride home....

I still have a pair of wheel carriers, that's my 'SRCC' club mate Horace Mouatt riding out to an event on his touring bike. It was the norm' for us to do that back then; my PB for a 25 mile TT was on one of his old fixed wheel tourers; I never did beat that time

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I still have a pair of wheel carriers, that's my 'SRCC' club mate Horace Mouatt riding out to an event on his touring bike. It was the norm' for us to do that back then; my PB for a 25 mile TT was on one of his old fixed wheel tourers; I never did beat that time
View attachment 566957

I like that on many levels; it's enough to make the average modern weight weenie roadie call his therapist for a session on the consulting couch!
Two sets of wheels, a bag slung on your back, battery lights, and a bike with mudguards and a rack on it. Most riders now would put their stripped down road bike in the back of their car then drive it to the event. Those guys could have ridden quite a few miles before they even started the actual racing, then had to ride home again. I bet modern TT competitors wouldn't be so fast if they did the same thing today.

 

[Juan Kog]

To add to the stories of when it was the norm to ride out to events . When I was (a lot) younger older club mates would tell me that when they had a combination of an early start and longer distance from home.
They would ride out the night before and find a comfy barn or haystack , and then spend the night wrapped in there cape . Maybe it was total cobblers and I was gullible and would believe anything.

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

To add to the stories of when it was the norm to ride out to events . When I was (a lot) younger older club mates would tell me that when they had a combination of an early start and longer distance from home.
They would ride out the night before and find a comfy barn or haystack , and then spend the night wrapped in there cape . Maybe it was total cobblers and I was gullible and would believe anything.

I live in South London and as a boy my dad would cycle to Brighton; they had quite large bike sheds under the promenade where he'd store the bike overnight and sleep on the beach, then ride home next day; he was 14.

 

[biggs682]

I live in South London and as a boy my dad would cycle to Brighton; they had quite large bike sheds under the promenade where he'd store the bike overnight and sleep on the beach, then ride home next day; he was 14.

If your 14 yr old did that today you would more than likely go balmy at them

 

[vickster]

If your 14 yr old did that today you would more than likely go balmy at them

Is it balmy on the beach in January?

 

[biggs682]

Is it balmy on the beach in January?

Oh yes it's balmy cold as opposed to barmy

 

[Paulus]

If your 14 yr old did that today you would more than likely go balmy at them

Or have social services paying you a visit.

 

[TimWinters]

I would recommend a second hand Pompino. I used to have 2 of them. They are very versatile bikes. I used to run 28c tyres with mudguards on one of them. They have rack mounts and I even had a porteur rack fitted to one bike for shopping. My other Pompino was a single speed gravel bike (Long before I had even heard the term gravel bike).

 

[Juan Kog]

I would recommend a second hand Pompino. I used to have 2 of them. They are very versatile bikes. I used to run 28c tyres with mudguards on one of them. They have rack mounts and I even had a porteur rack fitted to one bike for shopping. My other Pompino was a single speed gravel bike (Long before I had even heard the term gravel bike).

I second that . Mine was an ebay buy in 2013 , less than a year old with very light use. I still have it and it is in regular use.