OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Earlier posts now updated with photos and a couple of videos...
FNRttC The Fridays Tour 2023: London-Paris-London, June 16-24
- Thread starter StuAff
- Start date
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rb58
Enigma
- Location
- Bexley, Kent
newfhouse
Resolutely on topic
An enjoyable write up, Stu. I’m glad you spared us a pic of your saddle sore.
Andrew Br
Still part of the team !
- Location
- Chorlton Cum Hardy
Another good write up Stu but the "knackered riders" comment ?
You maybe, not me and not several others.
Please don't ascribe your feelings to the rest of us.
You maybe, not me and not several others.
Please don't ascribe your feelings to the rest of us.
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OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
No offence was intended or implied. Some undoubtedly were tired- me not that much, as it happens- but we'd all done a lot of miles and a lot of climbing after getting up very early indeed. It was going to catch up with absolutely all of us sooner or later. In my case, started getting dozy about 10 pm. Post amended to say 'well-exercised', which we undoubtedly were.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Thanks for the report(s) Stu. They offer a nice counterpoint to the Official Fridays report.
One of these years I might have a go. But I would need a bike that carries luggage. I do not know how you pack over a weeks worth of clobber into just 2 panniers plus all the juice, donuts, soreen and other calorific kit you require on a days ride!!!
P.s. who took the pic at the Vimy memorial in the Official report?
One of these years I might have a go. But I would need a bike that carries luggage. I do not know how you pack over a weeks worth of clobber into just 2 panniers plus all the juice, donuts, soreen and other calorific kit you require on a days ride!!!
P.s. who took the pic at the Vimy memorial in the Official report?
OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Ta! The answer is 'very well'.
Robin took that pic of the memorial. With regards to kit, I'm going to do a summary of that…
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OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Appendix
Bike and kit
Over in the rides & touring section, a while back I had a minor disagreement with people who thought that lugging 60kg of bike and kit for a tour in southern England was not excessive, when I’d ridden with someone who was riding to the North Cape and back yet was carrying less. Admittedly, all of these people were camping, I’ve only done hotel/B&B touring, so I needed much less to start with. However, there’s much to be said in minimising the load you carry- not so much in speed on the bike (too many people forget it’s the total system weight, including yourself, you’re propelling), it’s not going to make that much difference when riding. However, less weight and less bulk makes it easier to balance the load on the bike, and will certainly help handling (and make it less work to push around). Then there’s the admin/logistics side: less to carry means less to pack and unpack, easier to find That Thing You Need Right Now when you actually need it, and also easier to still have room for food, drink & anything else you buy for use during the tour.
But first the bike. When my Litespeed T5 Gravel was stolen, in between getting nowhere with the insurance company due to the cheap lock I’d used (oh, the benefits of hindsight, I’d have happily lugged the D-lock on the tour), thoughts quickly turned to a replacement. Once you’ve had a gravel bike, particularly, I would argue, a titanium one, nothing else really covers the range of capabilities that it has. The idea of ‘one bike for everything’ is daft, but in terms of doing lots of things well, and more things at least reasonably OK, it’s up there. Disc brakes, lots of mounting points, big tyre clearances, even with mudguards fitted. Fast enough to have fun on the road, tough enough to go off it, and flexible enough to commute during the week and do a sportive or gravel event at the weekend.
Litespeed as a replacement was sadly ruled out on cost grounds- they’re only doing direct sales from the US, and with customs duties and VAT the frame and fork alone would have been more than I spent on the new complete bike. On value, spec, press and user reviews and looks, one bike above all the others ticked my particular boxes. The Kinesis Tripster ATR v3. Clearance for 45mm tyres (40mm with mudguards), rack mounts, no issues with one chainring or two, and great looks. All available, last year at least, for less than £2,000. And this was a tried and tested frame, ridden across multiple continents let alone anything I’d put it through. Got mine a few weeks after losing the Litespeed, and quickly found it as least as good as its predecessor (though had that been recovered, having both would have been a very nice problem). That was on the early wave of gravel bikes, when the ‘standards’ were settling down or yet to be established- 15mm front through axle not 12mm, post mount brakes not flat mount, no mudguard mounts on the fork and only a single set of eyelets on the back. The Tripster had all of those features: 12mm front axle, flat-mounts, full rack and mudguard mounts, triple bottle cage mounts. Mine was built up with Shimano 105 groupset, Deda 100 bar and stem, Fizik Aliante saddle on a Genetic carbon post, Hunt Four Seasons Gravel Disc wheels & 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres. A Tortec Epic rack took care of the panniers. Once an early fit niggle got sorted, it proved a fast, comfortable and extremely capable bike, on many miles and multiple centuries, and I knew it would be more than up to the job of this tour. So it proved. I wouldn’t have swapped it for any of the (very nice) bikes my fellow tourists had.
As on every tour for the past few years (and many, many shorter rides) the luggage needs were taken care of by a pair of Ortlieb Back Roller City panniers. Tough as old boots, utterly waterproof and 25 litres each, plenty big enough for my needs. For this trip I added an Oxford handlebar bag (9 litres, easy to fit, excellent construction and again, waterproof), not to bring more stuff, but to allow redistribution of weight and bulk. I put my pump, tools and lights in it, and had room to spare for more items. When I bought food and drink, no problems accommodating it. For a third bottle, which proved essential on the hotter days, rather than using the extra mounts on the bike I had an Alpkit Stem Cell mounted to bars and stem, close at hand and safe from road dirt.
In the pre-tour briefings, our tour leaders had been very clear: “Be ruthless and minimise your luggage” (their bold). I certainly brought more than some (they led by example, others followed), but nor was I going to bring anything I considered didn’t really need. They suggested two sets of kit, I went for three (if it rains, you still have a dry clean set, at least for one day…), and brought two sets of cycling shoes- the weather proved that was the right idea. Three sets of off-bike underwear, but only one set of regular clothes, six pairs of socks (clean for three days on and off bike). The Sealskinz socks and waterproof trousers proved rather handy, sadly. A couple of buffs and skullcap, usually in the back of my old-but-still-waterproof jacket.
In terms of equipment, item number one was a D-lock, Sold Secure Gold rated for insurance purposes. I went for the slightly lighter of the two I own, an Abus Granit X Plus 540. 1.6kg, but well worth it every time the bike was out of my sight. For food & hydration, a couple of cereal bars and hydration tabs- otherwise bought as and when. As per usual for night rides, I had two front and two rear lights, and a full set of spare batteries for lights and my (AA powered) Garmin eTrex 30x- I forgot those last year and ended up having to buy some AAs. I also had a USB AA/AAA battery charger (barely larger than two batteries with a USB plug on top), to top up the Garmin batteries as needed. For phone and that battery charger, a single USB charger with two ports, plus cables, and a Euro plug adaptor. As for spares/tools, three inner tubes, a pedal wrench, multi-tool, tyre levers, patches, pump, quick links, and spare spokes. No washing kit for me, clothes or bidons, I used the hotels’ shower gel (and rinsed bottles very thoroughly afterward) but I did bring a few plasters etc (not required), shaver, toothbrush, toothpaste, and nail file. Both sun block and chamois cream proved essential.
All of that came to about 8.5 kg. Yes, I could have taken less, but the lock brought vital peace of mind & gave me the option to ride to restaurants etc rather than walk. and I always had clean dry kit despite the weather. I may have got wet, but less wet than I would have, if not still dry. Having wet feet for two or three days would have been particularly unpleasant! When I walked up a climb, I’d have still walked without those items in the bags. Everything got used, or was needed in case I did want to use it (like the inner tubes). The only thing I’d change: bring oil next time. Unless someone invents an ultra-light yet secure lock…
Bike and kit
Over in the rides & touring section, a while back I had a minor disagreement with people who thought that lugging 60kg of bike and kit for a tour in southern England was not excessive, when I’d ridden with someone who was riding to the North Cape and back yet was carrying less. Admittedly, all of these people were camping, I’ve only done hotel/B&B touring, so I needed much less to start with. However, there’s much to be said in minimising the load you carry- not so much in speed on the bike (too many people forget it’s the total system weight, including yourself, you’re propelling), it’s not going to make that much difference when riding. However, less weight and less bulk makes it easier to balance the load on the bike, and will certainly help handling (and make it less work to push around). Then there’s the admin/logistics side: less to carry means less to pack and unpack, easier to find That Thing You Need Right Now when you actually need it, and also easier to still have room for food, drink & anything else you buy for use during the tour.
But first the bike. When my Litespeed T5 Gravel was stolen, in between getting nowhere with the insurance company due to the cheap lock I’d used (oh, the benefits of hindsight, I’d have happily lugged the D-lock on the tour), thoughts quickly turned to a replacement. Once you’ve had a gravel bike, particularly, I would argue, a titanium one, nothing else really covers the range of capabilities that it has. The idea of ‘one bike for everything’ is daft, but in terms of doing lots of things well, and more things at least reasonably OK, it’s up there. Disc brakes, lots of mounting points, big tyre clearances, even with mudguards fitted. Fast enough to have fun on the road, tough enough to go off it, and flexible enough to commute during the week and do a sportive or gravel event at the weekend.
Litespeed as a replacement was sadly ruled out on cost grounds- they’re only doing direct sales from the US, and with customs duties and VAT the frame and fork alone would have been more than I spent on the new complete bike. On value, spec, press and user reviews and looks, one bike above all the others ticked my particular boxes. The Kinesis Tripster ATR v3. Clearance for 45mm tyres (40mm with mudguards), rack mounts, no issues with one chainring or two, and great looks. All available, last year at least, for less than £2,000. And this was a tried and tested frame, ridden across multiple continents let alone anything I’d put it through. Got mine a few weeks after losing the Litespeed, and quickly found it as least as good as its predecessor (though had that been recovered, having both would have been a very nice problem). That was on the early wave of gravel bikes, when the ‘standards’ were settling down or yet to be established- 15mm front through axle not 12mm, post mount brakes not flat mount, no mudguard mounts on the fork and only a single set of eyelets on the back. The Tripster had all of those features: 12mm front axle, flat-mounts, full rack and mudguard mounts, triple bottle cage mounts. Mine was built up with Shimano 105 groupset, Deda 100 bar and stem, Fizik Aliante saddle on a Genetic carbon post, Hunt Four Seasons Gravel Disc wheels & 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres. A Tortec Epic rack took care of the panniers. Once an early fit niggle got sorted, it proved a fast, comfortable and extremely capable bike, on many miles and multiple centuries, and I knew it would be more than up to the job of this tour. So it proved. I wouldn’t have swapped it for any of the (very nice) bikes my fellow tourists had.
As on every tour for the past few years (and many, many shorter rides) the luggage needs were taken care of by a pair of Ortlieb Back Roller City panniers. Tough as old boots, utterly waterproof and 25 litres each, plenty big enough for my needs. For this trip I added an Oxford handlebar bag (9 litres, easy to fit, excellent construction and again, waterproof), not to bring more stuff, but to allow redistribution of weight and bulk. I put my pump, tools and lights in it, and had room to spare for more items. When I bought food and drink, no problems accommodating it. For a third bottle, which proved essential on the hotter days, rather than using the extra mounts on the bike I had an Alpkit Stem Cell mounted to bars and stem, close at hand and safe from road dirt.
In the pre-tour briefings, our tour leaders had been very clear: “Be ruthless and minimise your luggage” (their bold). I certainly brought more than some (they led by example, others followed), but nor was I going to bring anything I considered didn’t really need. They suggested two sets of kit, I went for three (if it rains, you still have a dry clean set, at least for one day…), and brought two sets of cycling shoes- the weather proved that was the right idea. Three sets of off-bike underwear, but only one set of regular clothes, six pairs of socks (clean for three days on and off bike). The Sealskinz socks and waterproof trousers proved rather handy, sadly. A couple of buffs and skullcap, usually in the back of my old-but-still-waterproof jacket.
In terms of equipment, item number one was a D-lock, Sold Secure Gold rated for insurance purposes. I went for the slightly lighter of the two I own, an Abus Granit X Plus 540. 1.6kg, but well worth it every time the bike was out of my sight. For food & hydration, a couple of cereal bars and hydration tabs- otherwise bought as and when. As per usual for night rides, I had two front and two rear lights, and a full set of spare batteries for lights and my (AA powered) Garmin eTrex 30x- I forgot those last year and ended up having to buy some AAs. I also had a USB AA/AAA battery charger (barely larger than two batteries with a USB plug on top), to top up the Garmin batteries as needed. For phone and that battery charger, a single USB charger with two ports, plus cables, and a Euro plug adaptor. As for spares/tools, three inner tubes, a pedal wrench, multi-tool, tyre levers, patches, pump, quick links, and spare spokes. No washing kit for me, clothes or bidons, I used the hotels’ shower gel (and rinsed bottles very thoroughly afterward) but I did bring a few plasters etc (not required), shaver, toothbrush, toothpaste, and nail file. Both sun block and chamois cream proved essential.
All of that came to about 8.5 kg. Yes, I could have taken less, but the lock brought vital peace of mind & gave me the option to ride to restaurants etc rather than walk. and I always had clean dry kit despite the weather. I may have got wet, but less wet than I would have, if not still dry. Having wet feet for two or three days would have been particularly unpleasant! When I walked up a climb, I’d have still walked without those items in the bags. Everything got used, or was needed in case I did want to use it (like the inner tubes). The only thing I’d change: bring oil next time. Unless someone invents an ultra-light yet secure lock…
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Andrew Br
Still part of the team !
- Location
- Chorlton Cum Hardy
Apologies Stu, I was a little abrupt in my post and thanks for changing the wording in your original report.
They are very good write ups of the tour, they bring backs lots of memories.
Most of them good .......😉.
