FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast in aid of Martlets Hospice 2nd September 2011

[StuartG]

Which is kind of annoying if you need to get off at East Croydon.

The trick is to buy an online ticket from the nearest station to EC. You Advance ticket is valid while you are on the train and the other is valid for exiting. OK it is an extra 60p or so for peace of mind.

It is just that ticket pricing has nothing to do with the journey. I did London to Aberystwyth regulary. You change in Birmingham. The thru price until this month was LESS than EITHER the London to Birmingham OR Birmingham to Aberystwyth. Cheaper to travel ether leg with a through ticket. As long as you have a valid ticket to exit you might as well cheat them as they cheat you.

Funnily enough the same is true for National Express Coaches on the same route.

 

[martint235]

As I didnt do this last year, will the regulars be staying behind at the end for drinkies?

My tour of England is in tatters right now as had some sad news so could do with staying behind for a jam jar or two..

Sorry to hear that Davy. Hope everything is ok!

 

[StuAff]

Sorry to hear about that Davy.

 

[Aperitif]

What have I missed. You ok Davy? - Ah, not an 'off' at least. Sorry to hear your plans have been disrupted.
Rumour has it that the shirt competition has been scrapped. Two members are exhibiting undue keenness, so yeh...the competition is off, boys.
Oh, OK - only joking. Davy - this is your chance to excel - get a terrible shirt for 'prancing' at the Madeira - not that terrible shirt you normally wear for riding in...I might award a special prize if I can think of something
How many in the race field - any number yet?

 

[clivedb]

I hope it all goes well on Friday night - I'll be bikeless in Belfast and working there on Saturday. But I'm looking forward to the York-Hull expedition!

 

[Aperitif]

Quite right too, it is not a competitive issue.

Sorry to hear that, Adrian.

 

[funnymummy]

Just doubled checked train times.
I shall be catching either 21.09 or the 21.39, arrives Victoria 22.26 or 22.57 - Both are straight through/no changes - I hate changing trains, somethign always seems to go wrong!
Just debating which bike to ride, I have been out much more on my MTB recently & it is much comfier than my Spesh,(less neck & wrist ache) but i've not done anything over 30 miles on it, so maybe over distance the chunkier tyres may prove a drag on the legs, sensibly i should stick with the lighter, tried & tested Spesh.
Clothing, the forecast is looking favourable, but after last Friday which had been promised as hot & sunny, it was grey & torrential, i'm a bit of a pessimist! I may pack a pannier with waterproofs & a change of clothes to travel home in
I've still not heard back from a couple of work colleagues - No idea if they registered or not, wer'e back in work in the morn, so will see then.
Other then that i'm rather excited, rather nervous & rather worried

 

[velovoice]

There are plenty Adrian. Except minimum is now £4.90 with railcard. Be careful you put in London as the destination. It costs more to get off earlier at East Croydon or Clapham Junction. Crazy but if you choose to exit at an open station thee should be little risk of a problem.

Still unable to find any tickets cheaper than £9.85 (with railcard). I must have missed the cheap-ticket boat altogether this time.

 

[velovoice]

Oh but wait! A return ticket costs £6.60.

That's open return on same day, but... only on the London Bridge line, which means no stops after East Croydon. Hmmm.

However... there may, as they say, be more than one way to skin the proverbial...

I've checked and found that £6.60 can also get you a return ticket from London Bridge to Brighton (i.e. going the other direction). The outbound ticket (which won't get used) will name a particular departure time but the return from Brighton is open.

SO.... if that gets me through the barrier at Brighton station, what's to prevent me from either:
(a) boarding a Victoria-bound train (which I can then leave anywhere in Zones 1-3 with my Gold Card), or
(b) boarding a London Bridge-bound train but changing at East Croydon for something that does call at a Zone 3 station where I can get off.

Aside from the slight ethics-bending for being oh-so-accidentally on the wrong train (in the case of (a)) or travelling between East Croydon and, say, Norbury on a ticket that technically doesn't cover that route (in the case of (b))... does anyone spot a flaw in this logic?? Or a loophole I am not exploiting sufficiently??

 

[dellzeqq]

Just doubled checked train times.
I shall be catching either 21.09 or the 21.39, arrives Victoria 22.26 or 22.57 - Both are straight through/no changes - I hate changing trains, somethign always seems to go wrong!
Just debating which bike to ride, I have been out much more on my MTB recently & it is much comfier than my Spesh,(less neck & wrist ache) but i've not done anything over 30 miles on it, so maybe over distance the chunkier tyres may prove a drag on the legs, sensibly i should stick with the lighter, tried & tested Spesh.
Clothing, the forecast is looking favourable, but after last Friday which had been promised as hot & sunny, it was grey & torrential, i'm a bit of a pessimist! I may pack a pannier with waterproofs & a change of clothes to travel home in
I've still not heard back from a couple of work colleagues - No idea if they registered or not, wer'e back in work in the morn, so will see then.
Other then that i'm rather excited, rather nervous & rather worried

the lighter stiffer bike. If you bring the MTB you'll curse it all the way up and over the North Downs and then again from the A264 to Turners Hill. Leave the pannier and waterproofs at home - by all means keep an eye on the forecast but right now looks completely solid!

 

[dellzeqq]

Oh but wait! A return ticket costs £6.60.

That's open return on same day, but... only on the London Bridge line, which means no stops after East Croydon. Hmmm.

However... there may, as they say, be more than one way to skin the proverbial...

I've checked and found that £6.60 can also get you a return ticket from London Bridge to Brighton (i.e. going the other direction). The outbound ticket (which won't get used) will name a particular departure time but the return from Brighton is open.

SO.... if that gets me through the barrier at Brighton station, what's to prevent me from either:
(a) boarding a Victoria-bound train (which I can then leave anywhere in Zones 1-3 with my Gold Card), or
(b) boarding a London Bridge-bound train but changing at East Croydon for something that does call at a Zone 3 station where I can get off.

Aside from the slight ethics-bending for being oh-so-accidentally on the wrong train (in the case of (a)) or travelling between East Croydon and, say, Norbury on a ticket that technically doesn't cover that route (in the case of (b))... does anyone spot a flaw in this logic?? Or a loophole I am not exploiting sufficiently??

what line of work did you say you were in????????

 

[funnymummy]

the lighter stiffer bike. If you bring the MTB you'll curse it all the way up and over the North Downs and then again from the A264 to Turners Hill. Leave the pannier and waterproofs at home - by all means keep an eye on the forecast but right now looks completely solid!

Ahh yes, Turners Hill my old friend. I'd forgotten about her, or rather i think i'd put up a mental block that we'd going that way
I've been evaluating my lights to, I usualy just have Knogs front & back on my Spesh, but do have smart lights for all our bikes...I've never cycled this late at night, I may just attach every light in own to the bike..Bettre safe then sorry as me mum likes to say

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Ahh yes, Turners Hill my old friend. I'd forgotten about her, or rather i think i'd put up a mental block that we'd going that way
I've been evaluating my lights to, I usualy just have Knogs front & back on my Spesh, but do have smart lights for all our bikes...I've never cycled this late at night, I may just attach every light in own to the bike..Bettre safe then sorry as me mum likes to say

Less may be more, at least on the rear. Most of the time you will be surrounded by other cyclists. Unlikely a driver will not see you.

 

[velovoice]

what line of work did you say you were in????????

work? what's that?
...oh darn, I've been rumbled...

 

[dellzeqq]

Less may be more, at least on the rear. Most of the time you will be surrounded by other cyclists. Unlikely a driver will not see you.

Greg is right - we'll be going around turning off or turning down the very brightest rear lights