London to Brighton

[Wayne Tully]

I'm 26666

 

[Havoc6]

As a recent convert to going clipless I'm in two minds in going back to normal trainers just for this ride after reading about all the stopping and walking we may face. Oh and I really don't want my first clipless moment to be on that ride lol

I'm 14167

Spooky me too , I have watched YouTube videos of passed years and I'm thinking just the same. Think you have just swayed me to swap my pedals back just for the day.

 

[Payneys]

As a recent convert to going clipless I'm in two minds in going back to normal trainers just for this ride after reading about all the stopping and walking we may face. Oh and I really don't want my first clipless moment to be on that ride lol

I'm 14167[/

If you never used clip less before I would really suggest this is not the place to use them first time .

 

[Goldcoast]

I'm leaving for London shortly, so for everyone doing the ride tomorrow good luck & enjoy!

 

[PeteXXX]

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Tim Hall]

I'll be fixing punctures and doing general fettling at 1st Burstow Scout Hall (The Edifice to those of a FNRTTC persuasion). It's the big official refreshment stop after Smallfield.

 

[Andy_G]

Im not taking any chances by getting dropped off and picked up at the start/finish, im riding from heathrow to clapham to brighton to pease pottage, where the wifes picking me up.
Do you need to go through the start gates, cant you just join in from the roadside. ?

 

[Mista Preston]

Left home at 5am and made it through Clapham by 6 and it was heaving......

To the chap in the Friday's jersey sorry for scaring the life out of you but I had to say hello

Aside from the tacks in the road I made it to Brighton in 3 ish hours with a spattering of other riders taking advantage of the closed and mainly empty roads. Nice bit of brekkie then back home vie Lewes. 122 rolling miles.

 

[Tim Hall]

I saw evidence of the tacks, too, as I was mending lots and lots of punctures at The Edifice. Whereabouts were they? North of Burstow presumably.

I bought 21 700 tubes during the week, but they were all gone by half nine, so phoned Mrs. Hall to get reinforcements, and later again. Heard rumours of malicious tack spreading up stream, and we certainly pulled a few out of tyres.

Also: replaced two knackered tyres, mended two busted 10 speed chains, one gear cable, pumped up many tyres, jibbled various sets of brakes, adjusted mechs, (F & R), tightened one bottom bracket, ditto crank set, replaced one cleat bolt, one seat post bolt. Got Mrs. Hall to take one unlucky rider to Evans to buy a new back wheel, after his had been pringled in a crash.

Managed to stop for one wee.

Reinforced our slot at The Edifice for further FNRTTC.

 

[flissh]

First time for me. Could not believe how long it took to do the first half, so many bikes, had to do so much walking, shuffling. Glad to say though, cycled up Ditchling. Good feeling getting to the top, but I thoght my head was going to explode I felt so hot!

 

[boybiker]

I went down to smallfields to cheer some of the riders on. It was a good atmosphere but a lot of riders kept stopping!!

 

[Andy_G]

I enjoyed half of it.
I can see why people say watchout for other riders, swerving/hard braking/riding in the middle of the road.
It was these people that made me promise myself im not doing it again, one pleb stop on the right and caused 3 people to come of and the arrogant twat turned around and just carried on up the hill.

 

[MichaelO]

I enjoyed half of it.
I can see why people say watchout for other riders, swerving/hard braking/riding in the middle of the road.
It was these people that made me promise myself im not doing it again, one pleb stop on the right and caused 3 people to come of and the arrogant twat turned around and just carried on up the hill.

I agree. I did it last year (when cycling 50+ miles was something I'd never done before) and this year as part of a 90 mile ride from home to the pub for lunch. I'm not sure I'll do it next year - I was lucky to get a 6am start time, so the roads were relatively quiet - looking at the pictures of Ditchling later this afternoon, it looked like cycling gridlock. And swerving/erratic cycling was evident throughout.

I had two punctures - I don't think to do with the tack issue, but it was bloomin annoying.

 

[Tim Hall]

I agree. I did it last year (when cycling 50+ miles was something I'd never done before) and this year as part of a 90 mile ride from home to the pub for lunch. I'm not sure I'll do it next year - I was lucky to get a 6am start time, so the roads were relatively quiet - looking at the pictures of Ditchling later this afternoon, it looked like cycling gridlock. And swerving/erratic cycling was evident throughout.

I had two punctures - I don't think to do with the tack issue, but it was bloomin annoying.

The other major cause of punctures we saw was tyres snakebites due to too soft tyres hitting potholes. And we had at least four riders through our control who had crashed, one being the bloke who went to buy a new wheel.

There was another who had come down quite hard, so had been first aided, and I'd been asked to look at her bike to check the brakes. It was something of a BSO, which she'd borrowed from her boss. Back brake was fine. Front brake - hmm, what is wrong with this picture? After a couple of seconds I worked it out. The forks were back to front. Application of allen key and hammer fixed that, and hopefully improved the handling.

 

[MichaelO]

Seeing some of the bikes being used, I'm surprised so many actually reach Brighton!!

Saw a woman down (but seemingly OK) having stacked it coming down Rocky Lane - not the place to take a corner too fast