2009-06-21 Sun - BHF London to Brighton

Brakeless is fine - I think I mentioned something about it to cliveo whilst we descended 50/14 hill.

It had to be closer to 5min - Dangerfield won the National HC there in 3.45, but I'm not sure where the start was for that. I was only cruising up in 39x17, and not out of breath at the top.

I enjoyed cheerily saying hello to the 30 or so riders I passed though. Smug demoralisation FTW :)

Hope that crashed rider on the shallow descent after Ditchling healed up okay. There was more blood than for bog standard road rash, so it could've been something worse around the elbow or collarbone.

I think I saw the blood. Was wondering what happened

I drove my car down this morning with my fixed wheel bike in the boot, parked in Brighton (leaving the bike rack in the boot) and then rode back.

It was a fantastic ride (going down Ditchling was an experience!) and although I have only ever done L2B on geared bikes B2L felt much easier on the fixed. It was my first longer ride out of town on it and has made me realise how good a fixed wheel bike is on long rides, which I was not expecting. I guess the fact that cos you never stop pedalling your muscles stay in their optimum operating zone..? I am sure if I UTFS I will find something on this...

I am now seriously considering using it for tomorrow now.

Indecisive??? Me? Hmm... Not sure I am.

EDIT: Sheldon says
Most cyclists coast far too much. Riding a fixed-gear bike will break this pernicious habit. Coasting breaks up your rhythm and allows your legs to stiffen up. Keeping your legs in motion keeps the muscles supple, and promotes good circulation.

I did it fixed both ways in the end and had a great time today. I also had few people who couldn't understand the fixed thing. Didn't make it up ditchling all the way. Had to walk a couple sections. The crowds didn't help as you had to weave through people and once you lose you momentum it is hard to recover...

If I hadn't ridden 50 miles the day before and only had 3 hours sleep last night I reckon I would have been ok on the fixed. Would have been much easier with a few cogs at the back today.

Good to meet another forumenger on the ride (even if he was busting gears). Hi spencer, can't remember your username... Something to do with music...

Another fairly typical L to B- got off at twenty past nine when the others finally showed up, by half twelve had done 20 miles.

However then the roads cleared a little and I crossed the line at twenty past two, which was nice.

Another fairly typical L to B for me too, lots of hold ups and a couple of crashes (my flatmate nearly got wiped out by one of them too- he had a very lucky escape that shook him up a bit) I knew to be careful after seeing the tres expensive bike riders struggling to clip in and out for the first few miles which made me smile.

I did it fixed this year for the first time but had to walk up half of Bitchling Deacon (I’ll pretend it was because of the crowds but I think id struggle on any other day too)

I saw the guy on the white bike with the supreme decal on it at one of the hold ups – I think he was bored of answering the question “How do you stop with out brakes” He was also descending faster that my house mate who was riding geared.

I might not do it next year – I’m starting to think it may be safer to do it on open roads without the risk of other riders cutting each other up and causing mayhem…

If you leave very early - before 6 am - it is a wonderful ride on traffic free roads. A real joy.

Any other time: forget it.

Very true Clive, I had promised myself that I would get the 6am start this year, but the rest of the chaps with whom I did it resisted that suggestion rather fiercely.

Starting at 6 and judging by the speed that we averaged when the roads cleared I think we'd be in Brighton very close to 9.

I had the 9:30 start - so frustrating - everywhere was so packed you didn't have a lot of choice but to walk. After Ditchling it got a bit quieter and you could open up though which was nice.

A geared mate wiped out on a downhill stretch - he'd knocked his quick release on the front at a stop, which promptly fell out sending him flying - miraculously just scratches, lucky boy!

6am start next year i reckon...

Rode with some colleagues from work, setting off around 9.00 and taking it pretty easy, mostly riding together. There were some truly epic tailbacks which went on for what felt like hours (see pic), but it was reasonably free-flowing for the rest of the ride. Made it up Ditchling (48x19 fixed), at about 0.2mph and a cadence of 0.00000001rpm - pretty tough.

Would do it again next year, but would start early and not stop.

NB the view in front was the same as the view behind at this point

Ha @ Bloke with sit-up-and-beg, straw hat, workshirt and flipflops.

he was awesome! as was the old boy in tweed jacket on a '40s sit up & beg. much prefer those guys to the f*cking nodders who pull out without looking on climbs/descents/flats/when standing still.

I rode it fixed/brakeless, kinda, ok, I confess, my 'bike' only had one wheel.
Yes I rode the whole thing on a Unicycle.
I failed Ditchling Beacon, but my mate got a third of the way up, today my legs are like steel.

Set off at 5.50am, took us 9hrs, of which 6.5 was moving and the rest in regular rest/lunch stops. I've SS'ed the whole thing before twice and ridden every hill... -o1

Bonkers. Impressive but bonkers.

If you gentlemen had juggling clubs on your back I passed you going down Ditchling- and you were the first people I told my girlfriend about when I finished.

Chapeau!

Nice, how big are those wheels? My mates got a 26" Uni but that looks way bigger - unless I have my perspective all wrong.

Look like 36's. Something that is considered to be a commuting uni. Saw a guy rolling around St' John's, Newfoundland on one of those. Didn't had handle bars but it did have a seat tube mounted rack with a rack top bag on.

Well done.

@cliveo - thanks, you weren't the first to say, my favourite response was 'oh f*ck'
@clefty - without turning this into a unicycle forum (there be plenty of those knocking around the web) they are 36inch wheels, yes thirty six inches... you can get a bike and penny farthing with them too (google Coker Bike):

@Dammit - yes, that was us. the idea was to juggle in parts, in reality we stayed focused on the road/hills

Yes I rode the whole thing on a Unicycle.
I failed Ditchling Beacon, but my mate got a third of the way up, today my legs are like steel.

What do you do on a downhill on a unicycle? Presumably, you have to walk down? Or can you balance if it's not too steep?

@clefty - without turning this into a unicycle forum (there be plenty of those knocking around the web)

Seems perfectly on topic for this forum, as they are fixed wheel cycles.

What do you do on a downhill on a unicycle? Presumably, you have to walk down? Or can you balance if it's not too steep?

What do you do on a brakeless fixie down a hill? Use your legs as brakes... of all the people in the world, folks on this forum would know what its like (appart from the balance aspect, but once you've got that sorted its like a slow fixie)...

Seems perfectly on topic for this forum, as they are fixed wheel cycles.

Which is why I now ride fixed took, there is a certain cross over... except we don't play polo, we play unicycle hockey - google that if you're bored... the only training I did was a fixed evening ride of 40miles...

What do you do on a brakeless fixie down a hill? Use your legs as brakes... of all the people in the world, folks on this forum would know what its like (appart from the balance aspect, but once you've got that sorted its like a slow fixie)...

I know about brakeless riding, of course, but I imagined that the balancing aspect would be far more difficult downhill than you indicate.

Which is why I now ride fixed took, there is a certain cross over... except we don't play polo, we play unicycle hockey - google that if you're bored... the only training I did was a fixed evening ride of 40miles...

I've been round to unicycle hockey (not practised balancing or played, just spectated) in both Hackney and under the Westway, and I love it.

Cracking day, longest I have ridden fixed, and didn't find it too tough, the first 20 miles was sooooo slow due to the amount of people, had an 8am slot, had to queue on the first 2 hills? The last 30+ miles I did in 1:45 and got about 200 meters from the top of the Beacon, but couldn't turn the 46/17 any more, got pink arms today!! Saw a fellow fixed rider at the top, he too pushed the last bit, said hello, he loked to be enjoying himself.

I rode part of the L to B route yesterday as part of a training ride. I got mixed up with the 8:30/9 o'clockers just before Turners Hill - it was crazy, everyone was walking, the roads were just too blocked, too busy (worse than a Friday afternoon on the M25, ha ha!)

In the past I've started the L2B at varying start times from 6:30 to 11:00, never seen it so busy ... nightmare. Saw the (bloody) results of 3 downhill crashes by nodders (who probably bought their bike from Halfords a month ago, only the 2nd time they've cocked a leg over the saddle?!) decided I valued my life too much and quickly escaped to quieter roads to the right of Turners Hill, then back to the 'sanity' of London.

It was 49x17 yesterday but with the amount of people on the road, I was lucky to get above 5 mph ... would have been quicker with walking shoes and a skateboard!

The highest gear I've done the whole L2B (and Ditchling) was 47x15 (84 GI) but I cheated, stopping at the foot of Ditchling to rest for 10 mins, smoked a rollie, ate an ice cream, then stomped the pedals all the way up the Beacon, pee'ing off all the geared geezers walking up :) Also had the secret weapon of some super long 177.5mm Campag 'climbing' cranks then!

are they as rare as the full campag BMX gruppo?