Ditchling beacon single speed?

[User10571]

^Blimey!

 

[arallsopp]

I can't remember if that's the time the rear derailler on @arallsopp 's velomobile exploded before Handcross and he had to do the rest of the ride home as single speed. That was a night/day to remember.

Just about put that out of my mind now. It was only a day (thank God!) as we'd ridden down chasing / leading / bewildering the vintage cars, but dragging a +30kg singlespeed oven back with a stupidly tall gear over that terrain turned a normally friendly Andy into MacB.

 

[Fab Foodie]

As an aside, I hanker after doing it on the fixer.
But I suspect with my current 69" gear I'd be struggling.
I know of ascents which rb58 has completed on 67", which have left me thwarted and deploying the 24" gear.
I'm (mildly) interested to hear from anyone who has done Ditchling on fixed, and which gear they used.

42x15 on a 27x1 1/4 wheel and Old Holborn (from memory that's around 73"). I was closer to your build then (believe it or not I was Whippet-like once).
I reckon you'd p155 it on a 69" gear User10571.

 

[Fab Foodie]

42x15 on a 27x1 1/4 wheel and Old Holborn (from memory that's around 73"). I was closer to your build then (believe it or not I was Whippet-like once).
I reckon you'd p155 it on a 69" gear User10571.

Oh blimey, can I award myself a TMN?

 

[Fab Foodie]

I've seen L2B done on a large wheel unicycle but I can't vouch for Ditchling, numerous BMX in the 80s, but the one I remember most was being overtaken a very athletic black girl on an MTB towing a Burley trailer complete with kid and a boom-box the size of a small maisonette. She was screaming for people to move over to let her through and nobody dared disobey. Chapeau!

 

[Smurfy]

The graphic does not show the reality of Ditchling, which is (IIRC) 7 hills/steep bits linked by much easier grades - back in the day these were level for the horses pulling the carts to rest on before tackling the next slope, treat it the same way and ease the effort off on the linking bits and it becomes a much easier challenge.

I never knew that. Ruins the rhythm for cycling though.

 

[Smurfy]

If you think it is hard on the l2b try the Puncheur Sportive. Starts in Ditchling heads up into the Ashdown with several short but punchy climbs and loops back down and finishes at the top of the beacon. 65 miles 4200 feet. The L2B is a diddle in comparison.

North side of Fleet Moss. Nuff said!

 

[sreten]

Hi,

Well I was just replying to the OP who is thinking of doing the L to B on a single
speed, for the first time, and hasn't really rode that mileage before, and my
conversations with some cyclists in Brighton about doing the L to B route.

Generally not on single speeds though. Even so the L to B first timers
generally comment on Ditching Beacon being really tough, especially
as its towards the end of the ride and their abilities in general mileage.

Especially if your hammering it looking for a good time.

Forewarned is forearmed IMO, and trivial comments like its quite
easy climb, which it isn't for anyone first time stretching their
overall mileage limit, doesn't reflect the OP's reality.

That I've never done it is irrelevant.

rgds, sreten.

https://sites.google.com/site/cyclingroutes/London-to-Brighton-bike-ride/ltb-elevations

Of course it is a walk in the park for a seasoned prepared 100mile+ cyclist, there is only
one real hill on the course, and its not really a "real" hill, being only about category 4.

 

[slowmotion]

The first time I wheezed up Ditchling on a 26" gear, Davywalnuts skipped up on a 67" one.

I failed on the 26" a week ago and stopped twice. Oh well.

 

[ianrauk]

Is it really THAT bad?

Are we hitting it on the FNRttC (ish) on the 5th Sept? Can't wait!

How did you find it Joe?

 

[ianrauk]

Hi,

Well I was just replying to the OP who is thinking of doing the L to B on a single
speed, for the first time, and hasn't really rode that mileage before, and my
conversations with some cyclists in Brighton about doing the L to B route.

Generally not on single speeds though. Even so the L to B first timers
generally comment on Ditching Beacon being really tough, especially
as its towards the end of the ride and their abilities in general mileage.

Especially if your hammering it looking for a good time.

Forewarned is forearmed IMO, and trivial comments like its quite
easy climb, which it isn't for anyone first time stretching their
overall mileage limit, doesn't reflect the OP's reality.

That I've never done it is irrelevant.

rgds, sreten.

https://sites.google.com/site/cyclingroutes/London-to-Brighton-bike-ride/ltb-elevations

Of course it is a walk in the park for a seasoned prepared 100mile+ cyclist, there is only
one real hill on the course, and its not really a "real" hill, being only about category 4.

No one in this thread has said it's an easy climb.

 

[TheJDog]

I've done it twice this year en route from L2B. First time at the start of Feb after a cold headwindy ride was a horror show. I struggled standing on my 34/26 and sitting 34/28, and contemplated getting off and walking almost the whole way. The second time last month I blasted up it spinning my 34/24, took 4 minutes off the previous time. It just depends how knackered you are when you arrive at the bottom :S

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Just beware of dead cyclists rolling down the hill towards you and you will be fine

 

[Fab Foodie]

Especially if your hammering it looking for a good time.

Which is both stupid and impossible at the same time on the BHF L2B ....

 

[JoeyB]

How did you find it Joe?

It's probably one of the tougher hills I've experienced but it was well within my capabilities to get up it, even in my tired sleep deprived state lol. I must admit I was expecting it to go on a lot longer than it did so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw you lot at the top so soon!