Is this good?

[vernon]

Kathy

One useful tip. Getting back from JOG can be difficult, as the nearest train stations are Thurso or Wick, only one per day takes bikes - and that leaves early in the morning. My solution was to use Puffin tours (www.puffinexpress.co.uk) who can take 2 bikes on the back of their minibus. They picked me up from JOG and deposited me at Inverness train station for around £20. I then took the sleeper train to London Euston for £75.

Kathy is riding from JOG so getting home from there isn't a problem.

 

[vernon]

I think Vernon's point was that he has done Lejog and you haven't. Despite this you were offering advice on how to go about it. Some might call this foolish...
Just out of interest, what is the longest ride you've ever done? No silly games, I genuinely would like to know.

I've dug up a blog that I kept for JOGLE 2006. Forgive the typos as I was often tired when using the predictive text on the mobile phone that I used to make the entries with. It's also worth remembering that the Blog describes the ride in reverse i.e. the most recent entry covers the end of the ride and the oldest entry covers the start. I had a few adventures along the way including a broken frame in 2005 and losing my wallet with all my money and cards in 2006. Both incidents could have been 'game over' but for the kindness of total strangers.

http://jogle-ride.blogspot.com/

For LEJOG 2005

http://www.20six.co.uk/vernon

The latter link is confusing as it alludes to the 2006 ride too but I swapped blog services. Scrolling back through the 2005 Blog will lead to the abandoned 2004 effort.

To anyone contemplating a LEJOG or indeed any sort of tour I strongly advise keeping a blog as they certainly jog (sic) the memory. I rarely remember the poor weather that I encountered on the rides when I'm telling folk about the rides. I certainly don't recall ever being miserable though clearly I was :8:

 

[domtyler]

Kathy is riding from JOG so getting home from there isn't a problem.

 

[User482]

Kathy is riding from JOG so getting home from there isn't a problem.

D'oh!

<clutching at straws mode>
Still, my advice might allow her to get from Inverness to JOG.
</clutching at straws mode>

 

[vernon]

D'oh!

<clutching at straws mode>
Still, my advice might allow her to get from Inverness to JOG.
</clutching at straws mode>

I covered that issue on 31st December :8:

I had the misfortune of having my connections at Edinburgh screwed up by a northbound GNER train failing and GNER failing to hold the Edinburgh to Inverness train to allow a pretty tight change of trains - five minutes to disembark, travel from the southernmost point on the station to the northern most via a lift with a 'ten minute queue' and I was onto an obvious loser.

I managed to negotiate getting onto a different train to Inverness but had to spend the night there as I'd missed the Thurso connection. The ticket inspectors at Inverness weren't interested in my passenger ticket the following day, they were only interested in my evidence of having the bike booked onto the train which turned out to be a van. The van transfer service for bikes is laid on from around May onto September/October and is actually faster than then train. Sadly the van service isn't allowed to carry passengers.

 

[User482]

I covered that issue on 31st December

I had the misfortune of having my connections at Edinburgh screwed up by a northbound GNER train failing and GNER failing to hold the Edinburgh to Inverness train to allow a pretty tight change of trains - five minutes to disembark, travel from the southernmost point on the station to the northern most via a lift with a 'ten minute queue' and I was onto an obvious loser.

I managed to negotiate getting onto a different train to Inverness but had to spend the night there as I'd missed the Thurso connection. The ticket inspectors at Inverness weren't interested in my passenger ticket the following day, they were only interested in my evidence of having the bike booked onto the train which turned out to be a van. The van transfer service for bikes is laid on from around May onto September/October and is actually faster than then train. Sadly the van service isn't allowed to carry passengers.

Yeah, the minibus I took from JOG to Inverness was no slower than the train, despite numerous diversions on to back roads to see the sights, plus a stop in Helmsdale. Of course the real benefit was instead of cycling on to Thurso, I stayed in the bar at JOG and drank an extremely intemperate quantity of single malt.

That said, the sleeper train was very comfortable, although it messes with your mind: the train turns round and splits during the night, so your bike isn't where you thought you left it - imagine the panic at Euston when we thought our bikes had been stolen!

 

[bonj2]

Yes, exactly that. Read any history of the Tour de France and you'll come across tales of riders stopping at a village forge to repair broken forks. Steel touring frames last almost forever. Aluminium frames have a much shorter lifespan.

Bollocks. Tour de france riders don't WELD their forks back together and carry on! They either bow out, or get a new bike! All the others'd be miles ahead by the time they'd got the welding mask on!

Rubbish. Pure, unadulterated rubbish. Like I said, do a long ride like I have with no mudguards like I have in the wet like I have and revel in the joy of a chaffed, scabby and bleeding arse like I have. That was only over the course of one 100 mile ride, doing the End2End in the wet without mudguards is just masochistic lunacy.

So, therefore, when I ride 20 miles to work, the amount of mud on my arse should theoretically be 1/5th of the amount of mud required to cause chafing.
Why then is it always....erm...none? Only normally a few little spots on the back of my reflective vest, none on my arse! I would guess it's mainly because the saddle's in the way.
Your arse was probably chafed because you either had a crap saddle, or your arse was already muddy before you set off. Neither of which is advisable.

Lots of people on here have done it. Do you doubt them all?

I don't know, I doubt the ones that are quick to assume I haven't ever done any touring, and those who get, advise getting, or have got, a LEJOG certificate - because it shows they only do it so they can boast of having done it, rather than for the enjoyment of the actual cycling.
vernon for one strikes me as the sort to drive as soon as he gets a bit tired if he thinks no-one's looking. User482 probably is aswell.

A touring bike loaded up is going to weigh over 40lbs. Do you really think that 1/2 lb saved on the frame is going to make any noticeable difference. Do you not think that other factors such as comfort and ease of repair might be just a tad more important?

Ease of repair - dealt with above.
Comfort - who's to say that old bike on ebay's going to be particularly comfy? A comfortable bike is one that's the right shape and the right saddle, that's different for everyone.

I bent my mech hanger on my steel frame when in the middle of nowhere. I bent it back with an adjustable spanner. Try that on an alu frame and see what happends

Well if it was the mech hanger itself that broke, that isn't part of the frame is it. What are you trying to say will happen if you do that on an aluminium frame? that it will break?
how do they bend mech hangers back in LBSs then, I've known them do it perfectly satisfactorily on an alu frame.

You know, this is a thread asking for advice on LEJOG. Why not leave it to those who have actually done some long distance touring?

like I keep saying, why is having done it a precursor to being able to offer advice on it?

 

[vernon]

Bollocks. Tour de france riders don't WELD their forks back together and carry on! They either bow out, or get a new bike! All the others'd be miles ahead by the time they'd got the welding mask on!

Is the wrong answer!

Eugene Christophe did it twice. Once in 1913 and once in 1919.

On both occassions he resorted to forge welding to repair his forks and went on to finish on the repaired bikes. On both occassions he was heavily penalised.

I do wish Bonj would make sure he gets his facts right before attempting to disprove other folks assertions. It would minimise his amazing displays of ignorance.

 

[Fab Foodie]

bonj dear fellow, you are making a bit of a prat of yourself here....well actually, a lot, and it's not really helping Kathy get herself sorted. But if you need a bit more help, here goes.

If you care to look into the history of the TDF you'll find that it's a very old race...so old than men rode steel bikes, with fixed wheels and no lycra and no support cars or comfy hotels or energy bars and there were no tarmac roads over the alps and bikes broke...often and the riders had to fix, including welding/brazing them themselves, the local blacksmith was not allowed to offer assistance...go google.
Steel frames also survive happily with quite severe dents in them, unlike Aluwhere stress fractures soon occur.

Nobody with sense would do any serious touring without mudguards unless in very hot climes. 20 miles soaking on a road-bike is nothing compared to 100+ miles day-in day-out on a laden tour bike at a slower pace, say 10 hours in the saddle. I've done 85 miles on a road-bike in torrential weather but it was only 5 hours and it was getting pretty nasty. Guards would have made a great difference and weigh bugger-all.

If the ebay frame fits it should be pretty comfortable, 531 tubed bikes of that era generally were and it was more than likely designed with touring in mind.

Rear mech hangers on trad steel touring bikes are either an integral part of the rear dropout (so not a replaceable part) or on more basic designs the hanger is a steel part of the derailleur and again reparable...this is not usually the case with the rear-dropouts on Alu frames.

Oh, and I'd rather have advice from somebody who has done what I wish to do.

Take a look, how many makes of lightweight Aluminium road touring bikes are out there bonj...doesn't that tell you something? Why is steel and Titanium preffered for long distance travel?

If your aim is to be an irritating cock, you've achieved your goal. Well done. You can piss-off now and let those that know what they're talking about proffer advice.

 

[bonj2]

Is the wrong answer!

Eugene Christophe did it twice. Once in 1913 and once in 1919.

On both occassions he resorted to forge welding to repair his forks and went on to finish on the repaired bikes. On both occassions he was heavily penalised.

I do wish Bonj would make sure he gets his facts right before attempting to disprove other folks assertions. It would minimise his amazing displays of ignorance.

oh well,in those days, maybe, when they weren't sponsored and could just get another bike...
And the fact that you've cited an (the?) example means it can't be common.
Why did he bother - he can't possibly have thought he would come even close after having time off to weld?

 

[bonj2]

bonj dear fellow, you are making a bit of a prat of yourself here....well actually, a lot, and it's not really helping Kathy get herself sorted. But if you need a bit more help, here goes.

If you care to look into the history of the TDF you'll find that it's a very old race...so old than men rode steel bikes, with fixed wheels and no lycra and no support cars or comfy hotels or energy bars and there were no tarmac roads over the alps and bikes broke...often and the riders had to fix, including welding/brazing them themselves, the local blacksmith was not allowed to offer assistance...go google.

ok, great. But nowadays we have roads. So why are steel frames better? Aluminium frames don't break, 'cos there's nothing to cause them to break. So why wouldn't you take advantage of the lighter weight? There's no reason to ride a road bike over a rough track (unless, say, you're abitrary). So there isn't any need to strap a welder to your backpack when you head out to tesco's. And neither is there any need for a steel frame. If you want one, to be nostalgic, fair play - but don't make out they're better because of a reason that was only prevalent 90 years ago.

Nobody with sense would do any serious touring without mudguards unless in very hot climes. 20 miles soaking on a road-bike is nothing compared to 100+ miles day-in day-out on a laden tour bike at a slower pace, say 10 hours in the saddle. I've done 85 miles on a road-bike in torrential weather but it was only 5 hours and it was getting pretty nasty. Guards would have made a great difference and weigh bugger-all.

If I was riding for that long in torrential weather, well, even anything more than a few miles in torrential weather, I'd want to be wearing a waterproof.

Rear mech hangers on trad steel touring bikes are either an integral part of the rear dropout (so not a replaceable part) or on more basic designs the hanger is a steel part of the derailleur and again reparable...this is not usually the case with the rear-dropouts on Alu frames.

again, and why is that better?

 

[Abitrary]

Is the wrong answer!

On both occassions he resorted to forge welding to repair his forks and went on to finish on the repaired bikes.

Was also reading that sometimes they don't just weld the bike they started out with, but depending on what's broken, replace / weld-in whole new stuff that they find lying around on farmyards or whatever... like bits of plough for forks for example...

 

[MarkF]

Really enjoyed this thread gentlemen (and ladies)

I remember Bonj banging on about mudguards in a previous thread, or several previous threads and thought "WTF is he on about"? Anyway.......my last (stolen) bike had guards and I set off on my super duper new bike last week to buy some new ones. 30 miles later in continous rain I arrived in Keighley with a dry arse
A few specks of mud on my back was all the damage so........I bought a rack instead. Cheers Bonj.

 

[vernon]

oh well,in those days, maybe, when they weren't sponsored and could just get another bike...
And the fact that you've cited an (the?) example means it can't be common.
Why did he bother - he can't possibly have thought he would come even close after having time off to weld?

Inumerate too Bonj?

One rider - two examples.

Furthermore they are well known examples reinforcing the suspicion that Bonj's cycling knowlege is somewhat limited.

There is nothing wrong with the steel mixte framed bike. It will do the job. It is affordable and is cheaper than the inferior alternatives proposed by Bonj. Should the frame fail it is likely to be repairable by someone skilled at brazing or gas welding. Frame failure however is a red herring. It can happen, I've experienced it and it wasn't a catasrophe as far as having to abandon my tour was concerned.

The pros and cons of frame materials can be discussed until the cows come home but I'm prepared to let Bonj believe aluminium is the material of choice if only to shut him up.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Inumerate too Bonj?

One rider - two examples.

Furthermore they are well known examples reinforcing the suspicion that Bonj's cycling knowlege is somewhat limited.

There is nothing wrong with the steel mixte framed bike. It will do the job. It is affordable and is cheaper than the inferior alternatives proposed by Bonj. Should the frame fail it is likely to be repairable by someone skilled at brazing or gas welding. Frame failure however is a red herring. It can happen, I've experienced it and it wasn't a catasrophe as far as having to abandon my tour was concerned.

The pros and cons of frame materials can be discussed until the cows come home but I'm prepared to let Bonj believe aluminium is the material of choice if only to shut him up.