# Are there any organised recumbent rides in/around London?



## jorgemartin (1 Jul 2013)

Would be nice to ride with fellow recumbentists...


----------



## neil earley (12 Jul 2013)

Same goes here only I live nr Swansea only seen one recumbent rider in 4 years


----------



## jo_e (12 Jul 2013)

neil earley said:


> Same goes here only I live nr Swansea only seen one recumbent rider in 4 years



I saw a recumbent rider in a park in Swansea a few weeks ago. But if you've only seen one in 4 years, it was probably you. ;-)


----------



## neil earley (13 Jul 2013)

there is one other he rides a electric powered recumbent bike, next time jo-e say hello


----------



## BlackPanther (13 Jul 2013)

jorgemartin said:


> Would be nice to ride with fellow recumbentists...


I think the same.

I'm the only 'bent rider in Doncaster, and it's lonely at the top. I'd like to get the chance to say "Good Morning" to other regular cyclists as I pass them, but I can usually only manage to say "Good Mor" before they're out of range ;-)


----------



## ianrauk (13 Jul 2013)

There is a big organised ride in London but can't remember when and where.

@arallsopp may be able to help.


----------



## windmiller (13 Jul 2013)

yeah never seen another recumbent here either


----------



## lazytyke (17 Jul 2013)

jorgemartin said:


> Would be nice to ride with fellow recumbentists...


What part of London are you in ? My mate and I both have ICE trikes, I've a Sprint RX and he has two Sprints and a Vortex (he's keen !) and often ride up to and around London, or out West into the Thames Valley. We aim for a CTC sort of pace so 12.5-15mph, but have been know to go much faster (downhill !)


----------



## jorgemartin (23 Jul 2013)

I'm in Camden. I have a HP Velotechnik Grasshopper FX, which is not the fastest bike in the world. 12.5-15 mph is probably not attainable unless going downhill.  Just had a look at the ICE website. Awesome bikes!


----------



## henshaw11 (23 Jul 2013)

I'm in Walton-On-Thames and I'm an alcoholi...err, sorry, wrong forum 

I've ridden - once, dunno what it was I said ! - with a guy in Chertsey with a Fujin - IIRC he commutes into C. London. Also spotted one trike nr there, and another nr Surbiton.
On a ride on sunday morning and some passer-by asked what make it was, his reply was 'I have a challenge'..it was only as I was pulling away I realised he meant the manufacturer, not a cycle challenge.

Lard^H^H^H^H Speedmachine here, BTW...


----------



## lazytyke (23 Jul 2013)

Funnily enough if you had been walking through the centre of Walton on Thames on Sunday morning you might have seen two trikes as me and my mate cycled through after a tasty english breakfast in Esher ! Cycled out from Ealing to Esher for breakfast then back via Walton and Hampton Court. We're often in that sort of area, sometime on Trikes and sometime on my mates Greenspeed Recumbent Tandem which really is a sight to behold ! Be good to get a recumbent ride together in/near London. We're happy enough to ride in town or country - down Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon or past Buck House is often fun ! Most of our rides seem to be based around involve food and tea stops, hence the screename ! Definitely up for arranging a meet with other London recumbists (if that's the word) ?, so we can do a bit of recumbent formation flying !


----------



## henshaw11 (24 Jul 2013)

teamonster said:


> Funnily enough if you had been walking through the centre of Walton on Thames on Sunday morning you might have seen two trikes as me and my mate cycled through after a tasty english breakfast in Esher ! Cycled out from Ealing to Esher for breakfast then back via Walton and Hampton Court. We're often in that sort of area, sometime on Trikes and sometime on my mates Greenspeed Recumbent Tandem which really is a sight to behold ! Be good to get a recumbent ride together in/near London. We're happy enough to ride in town or country - down Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon or past Buck House is often fun ! Most of our rides seem to be based around involve food and tea stops, hence the screename ! Definitely up for arranging a meet with other London recumbists (if that's the word) ?, so we can do a bit of recumbent formation flying !


 
Our paths almost crossed, then  - on sunday morning I was out on the 'bent with a bunch (on uprights) from my gym in Thames Ditton between about 8 and 12 - tho' our route was out via Surbiton/Chessington to Reigate, back via Dorking/Leatherhead/Oxshott/Esher. Fortunately went *down* Reigate hill rather than up it 

I've tried out a GS tandem some years ago on a trike weekend over in Oxfordshire - good fun ! - went round a corner a bit fast and almost had the front tyres off as they scrubbed sideways, 'cos I'd forgotten about the rest of the trike hanging back behind me 

Tea's good...even more so if it involves cake ! I'm probably going to be a bit busy over the next few weekends towards the back end of August (inc some holiday) - but I'll try to remember to return to this thread when I'm back. But if you're in the Esher area over the next weekend or two drop me a PM (just realised my email needed updating - done now I think).

Mind you, Aug. 4th weekend you might have trouble getting anywhere over this direction, the Ride 100/Classic is on, and a lot of the roads will be closed - north end of the route is pretty much the olympic road race course, with the southern end going via Newlands corner, Leith Hill, Abinger Hammer and I think Box Hill.


----------



## lazytyke (24 Jul 2013)

Yep keep an eye on the thread, we should definitely try some sort of meet. like you next few weekends hectic. The Greenspeed tandem is a hoot, you can get it on two wheels around almost any corner, although I did over egg it once and the front wheel sort of hung in the air, with the tandem trying to decide which way to go. Fortunately my mate who is on the back weighed about 17st, so i think we were fairly well grounded !


----------



## bobcolover (29 Jul 2013)

Recently there were 3 of us on two wheel bents at the lcc ride in memory of the French rider recently http://www.london24.com/news/crime/protest_ride_to_be_held_after_holborn_cycling_death_1_2279276


i wouldnt mind joining a bent ride round/out of london for fun; I have been allowed to take my bent out with the Dulwich paragon and De Ver for training runs on a Saturday morning from south london out to Biggin Hill/ North downs way but although i can outrun them on the downhills the groups i have been with [ i only went to see if i could keep up] have kindly waited for me at the top of the hills.
there is a different dynamic to a bent ride that causes these and other problems cycling with df types. so i generally end up cycling on my own! The newly published "lost lanes' has some nice [ challenging] runs about 30 miles or so which of which i have done 2 and enjoyed

http://thebikeshow.net/lost-lanes-shop/

i saw about 4 other bents on the dun run but 2 from bikefix stopped to go back just around the m25 and i didnt meet up with the other 2 i had seen at the end

i could lend someone one of my bents
i would probably ride my kingcycle

i was coming back from isleworth last thursday and met a gent on a lwb peer gynt type copy on the bath rd; we had a chat; then later within the hour saw a trike [ice?] on my way further into london; that was an exceptional day; i probably see a bent about once a month on the rd [ i dont count the ones i see coming into bikefix when i am visting there];

des kay takes a lwb linear with additional decoration to most critical masses on a the last friday of each month under waterloo bridge
i get along to meet up with him but tend not to do the ride; i have seen someone in a velomibile there once

what i have found is that the 'fellowship of the bent' means most people on bents will stop and chat wherever you are;
there are always the races here
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/1events.aspx some at hillingdon and hog hill

bob c

streatham common
kingcycle
optima dingo
i suppose the problem with lending one for a ride is that its generally not so easy to adjust the seat height as on a df


----------



## henshaw11 (30 Jul 2013)

bobcolover said:


> i wouldnt mind joining a bent ride round/out of london for fun; I have been allowed to take my bent out with the Dulwich paragon and De Ver for training runs on a Saturday morning from south london out to Biggin Hill/ North downs way but although i can outrun them on the downhills the groups i have been with [ i only went to see if i could keep up] have kindly waited for me at the top of the hills.
> there is a different dynamic to a bent ride that causes these and other problems cycling with df types. so i generally end up cycling on my own! The newly published "lost lanes' has some nice [ challenging] runs about 30 miles or so which of which i have done 2 and enjoyed


 
Hmm, sounds interesting:
http://www.cyclingworldmag.com/along-lost-lanes/

A guy at my gym is trying to get a cycle club going (with some gym support) - only been out for them for one sunday am ride so far, whilst there's a bit of variation in speed amongst 'em, in practice I pretty much stayed with them on all the climbs (ditto with the fast group on a recent charity ride) Tho' last week's group tended not to keep momentum gained descending, when climbing back up. After a bit too much of this I just started to overtake on the downs, and slowed down near the top of rises to let 'em catch up (much of this was the A217 to Reigate, which is kinda rolling). In fact the return leg was a bit on the slow side..

Curiously the new sign for the club - originally it was just for July - had 'sorry, no hybrids or mtbs'. I can see what he's getting at, in terms of trying to maintain a closer range of speed, but I have a sneaky suspicion I could have kept up on the mtb. My OH thought it discounted me from future rides - I guess a bent is *almost* a hybrid if you squint....a lot !


----------



## lazytyke (13 Aug 2013)

bobcolover said:


> what i have found is that the 'fellowship of the bent' means most people on bents will stop and chat wherever you are;


 
I think we might have met Bob, I was in Hyde Park with my mate, (think this year, but maybe last) either on our ICE trikes or his Greenspeed Tandem. Chatted with a guy on his Kingcycle, who I'm pretty sure was called Bob (there may be a lot of Bobs , but suspect not too many own Kingcycles ! ) think you were off in search of a chain guard, so you could race it ?

There's definitely enough of us n or near London to make a ride worthwhile, was out on a ride last Sunday with "Auntie Helen" of this forum and my mate, so that was 3 ICE trikes, sure we could beat that number if we tried !

Adrian


----------



## bobcolover (3 Sep 2013)

Hi teamonster 
i do remember meeting;
an organised 'bent/trike ride around london would be good;
we would need a date and a route;
anyone with organisational skills out there?


----------



## kevins299 (9 Nov 2013)

Hi all...just picked this up. I am a hp velotech speedmachine recumbent rider in Stoke Newington. Have see one other recumbent rider in my area, and a couple of ice trikes on my Sunday morning rides along the embankment and around Hyde park. My regular ride is down the lea valley, along the greenway then across to the Thames barrier, followed by a cycle path route to isle of dogs, around the isle, along cycle route into tower gate way, along embankment, around Westminster, down and around Hyde park, back down the Mall, and home via back routes to Stokies...a nice 55km ride.
Any one want to join me?
Did a ride ever get organised that was suggested? There are a couple of recumbent riders at critical mass but that does not allow a decent ride to stretch the legs. Shall we for a London recumbents club with a face book page? The London brompton club is a good example of what can be done! I would love to meet up and ride as a group for both company, safety in numbers, and to promote recumbents. Any ideas?


----------



## CopperBrompton (9 Nov 2013)

That sounds like an excellent ride, Kevin.

Good idea about a Facebook group - I'll set one up. Needs two people to start it, so if you add me as a friend on Facebook (I'll PM you the link), then I can add you and then post the link to the group here.


----------



## CopperBrompton (9 Nov 2013)

Sorted. The London Recumbent Club can now be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/202022536647494/

I'll create a new thread for it.


----------



## kevins299 (9 Nov 2013)

Thanks for arranging the Facebook club. Now to arrange a regular meet and ride. 
Looking forward to developing recumbent riding in London.


----------



## bobcolover (9 Nov 2013)

hi kevins299 looks good; i am in south london; getting to a ride in stoke newington to start is not impossible but would add another 12 or so miles; and i could peel off at hyde park corner before you head north at the end; also looks nice and flat which would be a bonus as climbing is not my or my bents best hour!
how long does yr route take you to do?


----------



## lazytyke (9 Nov 2013)

Hi Kevin/Ben - have put in request to join the group - from west London but probably pop into town with my mate on ice trikes nearly every other week. Sometimes we venture out on a green speed tandem, which has to be seen to be believed. sounds like a great idea to have a Facebook page. we often do spur of the moment stuff , be great to join a few otter trikes, 4 or 5 abreast down the Mall on a Sunday would be pretty cool !


----------

