The Fridays Tour de Normandie 2015

[User482]

@User482 - So not helping

I'm the wrong person to ask: I did a short tour with my wife and kids last week - I conservatively estimate the weight of two children, trailer and associated paraphernalia at 50kg. Two panniers and a rack is absolute bliss in comparison!

 

[StuartG]

Southern have announced that if the rail strike goes ahead there will be no, nacht, zero trains on Tuesday. You can use your advance ticket on Wednesday. Thameslink will only be operating a very limited service until 'mid-afternoon' with long queues (no bikes?). These strikes are normally settled ahead of time but I have a feeling that it suits this government not to settle as pissed off commuters on Tuesday morning are just the ticket when you are proposing to tighten up on strike ballots.

Anybody interested in riding back to London if the weather is fair? I plan to take a little more than 'commuter' lights as contingency as I would be unlikely to make London before nightfall. A reverse GPX of the Friday Night ride might also be useful to have. Anybody?

 

[dellzeqq]

........packing light

1. count on having two outfits for cycling (one long sleeve and one short sleeve, two pairs of bottoms, some undergarments, a couple of pairs of socks) and one for the evening. Keep it lightweight so that you can wash stuff out in the evening. I may look like a million dollars in the morning, but that's because I'm up to my armpits in soapsuds every night.
2. Get rid of the mudguards
3. Buy pukka lightweight inner tubes that fold right down
4. If you're small, or even tiny, don't carry stuff that you can get someone else to carry - delegate.

 

[wanda2010]

1 - check
2 - check
3 - check
4 - Hmm. Might have to work on that.

 

[wanda2010]

Nothing wrong with using just one pannier. Keeps the weight down and reduces temptation to pack more than you need

 

[srw]

Sorry, advice came too late!

(But I've followed it all apart from the bit about the mudguards.)

 

[srw]

The feeling of the extra weight up high makes riding interesting - it'll take a few miles to get used to the higher centre of gravity, and honking is ... Interesting.

 

[StuAff]

The feeling of the extra weight up high makes riding interesting - it'll take a few miles to get used to the higher centre of gravity, and honking is ... Interesting.

I found the same with my SQR Slim- I haven't used it for ages, partly because I haven't needed to, mostly because it made the Italian stallions feel like furniture vans. Chutney, OTOH, functions very well with rack and panniers. Weight really low down thanks to those 20" wheels...

@Agent Hilda obviously has the perfect solution.....

 

[velovoice]

It's two small (technically front) Carradice panniers for me, on the back. (And mudguards.)
I'm all packed up now, bar the stuff I'll wear on Friday and the bits and pieces that will go in the bar bag. And to get more €€ tomorrow.
The only thing I'm dithering on is waterproofs. Do I take the Gore, which are just amazing but which take up a bit of space?
Or... the teeny tiny packable stuff that is waterproof but much less breathable/comfortable, on the gamble that it will not, in fact, rain and therefore I won't need them?
Of course if it really does rain, I will wish I had the Gore set and, if I do in fact have them, I won't begrudge them the extra space they take up.
Hmmm.

ETA: tuck Gore waterproofs in a bag under the strap over my rack. D'oh. That's what I did in Scotland, worked a treat. How did I forget that? Problem solved.
As you were.

 

[mmmmartin]

Shorts and legwarmers, short-sleeved shirts and armwarmers, l/s baselayer, gilet, lightweight Montane jacket against rain and as an extra windproof layer.

Pretty much what I'm taking, plus swimming trunks, obvs.

 

[User482]

Southern have announced that if the rail strike goes ahead there will be no, nacht, zero trains on Tuesday. You can use your advance ticket on Wednesday. Thameslink will only be operating a very limited service until 'mid-afternoon' with long queues (no bikes?). These strikes are normally settled ahead of time but I have a feeling that it suits this government not to settle as pissed off commuters on Tuesday morning are just the ticket when you are proposing to tighten up on strike ballots.

Anybody interested in riding back to London if the weather is fair? I plan to take a little more than 'commuter' lights as contingency as I would be unlikely to make London before nightfall. A reverse GPX of the Friday Night ride might also be useful to have. Anybody?

Bristol is too far to ride so getting home is going to be interesting. A travelodge in Brighton might be my best bet.

 

[velovoice]

Bristol is too far to ride so getting home is going to be interesting. A travelodge in Brighton might be my best bet.

Yeah, we live near Luton. We have tickets for the 1908 direct service straight home but from what Thameslink are saying, I'm having similar thoughts.

 

[User482]

If the strike is still on, I have a flat in Brighton with sleeping accommodation for 2 -6 people, depending on how close they are.

You're a gentleman and a scholar.

 

[velovoice]

We can supply two people who are sufficiently close. (Thanks Adrian! Very kind offer - I'll speak to Adam later tonight and get back to you!)

ETA: of course if trains are running, we would not dream of imposing!

 

[frank9755]

We're going to leave the car in Newhaven so we can drive back to London early on Tuesday morning.
We could take one more, but you would need to switch to the Monday midnight ferry.