FNRttC FNRttC to Whitstable 5th June 2009

[TimO]

Those of you with a tablet of stone to hand, inscribe this now! Anything that isn't required to get a bike from A to B is going to be crap. The designers of this particular (British touring) bike had come up with a wizard wheeze. Why not fasten the mudguard to the forks with a bolt going upward in to the forks from the underside of the mudguard?

Actually, it's not a bad method if done right. I've used it on several bikes, and it's often better than the rather naff bit of bent metal sometimes provided on the rear mudguard, that you have to bend to shape and fit.

It seems likely that the problem in this case was that there appeared to be a heap of washers to get the spacing right, which made the whole lot more prone to rattling loose. Using some grease on the thread to get the bolt nice and tight, and possibly a serrated washer would probably have solved that.

The main problem was the axle fitted by brute force and ignorance, why they hadn't just opened the fork end out slightly with a file, or fitted a narrower axle is beyond me.

 

[Janie_K]

Thanks for another brilliant ride. It might not have been the best weather but it didn't dampen my enthusiasm or enjoyment of the ride and the company.

Thanks to all responsible for getting us safely there & Simon for fitting in the additional members of the clan.

I feel alot better about forgetting to put my mudguard on having read these posts.

see you next month with luck.

 

[TimO]

Surely not? The Indeflatable Mr Legg? Punctured? Next you'll be telling us you changed down a gear.

He didn't pump it up though, I got to about 80-90psi, which is normally the point at which I say bugger it, that's enough, and then some other chap (I have no idea who, I'm normally too dopey to remember people by that point) got it up to 130psi.

I think Simon was a bit worried about the tyre staying on at that pressure!

 

[Aperitif]

It's not rocket science TimO...and now we know who we are!

 

[dellzeqq]

It wasn't that I was worried - as the owner of a Topeak Morph I know that anything above 100psi is hard work. Aperitif played with the thing in a desultory sort of way, and then announced we were at 125psi. Words failed me......

It was remiss of me not to mention Matthew. You met Matthew. Approximately 10 times. With Adrian spending time at the tail and Dan (Coruskate) taking the night off, Mathew was wayfinding like a demon. Saddlebag and all. I'd wave at him as we came through the junction, and, 30 seconds later, that saddlebag would be zooming up the line.

And then there were the Boys from Brazil, Kadu and Danilo. A less Brazilian ride one could scarcely imagine, but they didn't stop smiling once, even when one of them punctured. At the end, having consumed English breakfasts on a freezing cold terrace overlooking a grey sea, they promised to come along again. Extraordinary.

 

[Aperitif]

Ah! More names. Which one of the Brazilians was on a night off from human cannonball duty?
With his Red Bull helmet I was almost expecting him to dive from the café balcony - just for fun.
The ultimate nut case, and good on them for taking part.

Don't blame him for eating breakfast with it on though - that waitress was the Whitstable U15 frisbee champion and the plates were huge! Could have been a complete wipout if she had spun around too quickly.

Lime green Trek and a Specialized I think.
(This ambling along exercise in 'ID' arises from a conversation that arallsopp and I had, along the way, regarding a 'come clean' of identities, and the way we often recognise people by their bikes etc.)
I now know quite a few people by sight, by name and some by bike. Or a combination...)

 

[saoirse50]

I was pretty amazed at their obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment as well, Simon- they just seemed to be radiating "Wow what a great ride" I hope that's how I was looking, all young and fresh and radiant. (Sadly, not, I suspect)
Just popped into Cyclechat to say thanks Simon- and thanks everyone- once again a great ride and great company. So glad I resisted the almost overwhelming temptation to duck out up every right turn (homewards) until Woolwich.
Jane

 

[TimO]

We need name badges.

This is the route we took last night:

Bike Route Toaster - Whitstable May 2009

(Dumped from my Active 10, and run through GPSBabel to reduce the size with simplify,crosstalk,error=0.003k).

 

[adamski]

My first, but hopefully not my last, FNRttC of the year. I've now remembered how much fun these rides are. I was slightly surprised to learn I, along with User10571, would be leading the ride, but I remembered all the turnings that were required. Being at the front gives a much different ride to acting as a TEC or a human signpost. After Rochester I was getting cold and so acted as signpost at one junction just so I could sprint back to the front in the hope of warming up a bit. However, that it didn't quite work and I ended up pushing the pace a bit to help me warm up more, before noticing the front group had become pretty small. Whoops.

Cheers User10571, Simon and the other rider (sorry don't know your name) with the Orange polka dot jersey for a great ride which was at a relaxed pace with very few stoppages.

That'll have been me.

 

[dellzeqq]

We need name badges.

We do indeed. I am shamed by my mistake. When Grumpygreg registered on this forum I thought he was someone else. Hence my confusion when I found out that Grumpygreg was, indeed, Grumpygreg. If you see what I mean.

(Dumped from my Active 10, and run through GPSBabel to reduce the size with simplify,crosstalk,error=0.003k).

First thought - 0.003kilometres = about a foot.
Second thought - that's not a lot out if you're going to Whitstable, but suppose you were aiming for Mars.....?

 

[dellzeqq]

My first, but hopefully not my last, FNRttC of the year.

Older readers will know that Adamski and his friends were the people who turned the FNRttC into the fun ride it is today....You'll see him in the 2009 guide, in the very same spotty top. The picture dates from our third ride in 2006

What was originally devised as a tough-guy ride changed irredeembly and for the better when a bunch of UCL students turned up with spokeydokeys on shopping bikes.

 

[TimO]

First thought - 0.003kilometres = about a foot.
Second thought - that's not a lot out if you're going to Whitstable, but suppose you were aiming for Mars.....?

LOL. Depending on what mode it's in, the Active 10 GPS produces a data point every second, or every four seconds. This number of points, over an entire night, is more than the free route websites will accept (at least this seems to be true for Bikely, BikeRouteToaster, & BikeHike). I use GPSBabel to reduce the number of points using a filter called "simplify". You can pass it parameters to define how it reduces the number of points, I told it to reduce the number of points so as to keep the crosstrack error within 3m. Using 1m still produced a lot of data points, and using 10m wasn't really a very accurate fit to the map. 3m was an adequate compromise.

What was originally devised as a tough-guy ride changed irredeembly and for the better when a bunch of UCL students turned up with spokeydokeys on shopping bikes.

I'm very tempted to get a bunch of Spokey Dokeys myself now, and suitably equip the bike for the next FNRttC.

 

[dellzeqq]

the map shows the extent of the diversion the chasing group took when we missed the turn on to the cycle path. And the direction. It's a good job Lee and Co stopped when they did. We were heading for Sheerness....

 

[rchomba]

Sounds like it was a lot of fun. I am just sorry I missed it but maybe next time I will come. Whitstable is the only route I have not done yet..

 

[GrumpyGregry]

We do indeed. I am shamed by my mistake. When Grumpygreg registered on this forum I thought he was someone else. Hence my confusion when I found out that Grumpygreg was, indeed, Grumpygreg. If you see what I mean.

The impression was gained via your call to Adrian, after our waiting at the bleak street corner in ?Sittingbourne?, and his subsequent shout "Is GrumpyGreg here?" that you thought I might have been misplaced along the way. All that time stood about and we were waiting for me all along. But maybe me wasn't me after all

GrumpyGreg = Greg Collins of Horsham = workhard of the CTC forum and elsewhere. Rides the occassional FNRttC on a green Revolution Tourer, out of the Edinburgh Bike Coop stable donchaknow, with 'guards and a rack (and often a single pannier) and an ali frame and disc brakes. cos I like stopping and offending purists in the CTC in equal measure. otherwise most likely to be found on or underneath some sort of retro MTB from the mid 90's or earlier. Sometimes have a goatee, sometimes I don't, often sport a #1 frequently let it grow, I'm such a raving weirdo that I even like buying stuff in Halfords