Herne Hill Saturday Training

crikey, i think i'm not quite an intermediate yet.

you disappeared damotrain!!!!
today was windy
and someone crashed onto my scarlett's back wheel
it looks ok though! I hope!!!

i did disappear. i felt a bit edgy, i'd been stung by a bee/wasp/black fly thing, that bloke crashed, someone's chain popped, i nearly fell off on the bank as we were all slllllowwwly rolling around.
i decided then that i was stopping. i didn't feel comfortable or focussed and thought that would be a risk for everyone else out there.

(plus i couldn't really keep up)

and the tube of one of the coaches exploded too!
haha what a day

How did all that happen last week and I noticed non of it.

What do you mean one of the coaches tube exploded, sounds nasty though.

This week was a really good session, a nice long exercise to warm up, then short efforts to finish with a bit of through and off for good measure.

new to london and almost-new to track cycling (have been on a concrete velodrome twice).

I know the weather reports are pretty unreliable. If the novice session gets rained out, how will I know? I'm quite far out and it will be my first time venturing around that area, so I'd have to start making my way well before 11:30. Are there any announcements posted on the website? How much tolerance is there for rain? (If it rains until 11:30 and the sun starts peeking through, will the session run? What if it's only a light rain? etc.) .. Will people point and laugh if I wear lycra on the tube? haha.

Any info is much appreciated. thank you in advance!

new to london and almost-new to track cycling (have been on a concrete velodrome twice).

I know the weather reports are pretty unreliable. If the novice session gets rained out, how will I know? I'm quite far out and it will be my first time venturing around that area, so I'd have to start making my way well before 11:30. Are there any announcements posted on the website? How much tolerance is there for rain? (If it rains until 11:30 and the sun starts peeking through, will the session run? What if it's only a light rain? etc.) .. Will people point and laugh if I wear lycra on the tube? haha.

Any info is much appreciated. thank you in advance!

Its probably best to come for the full induction session starting at 12 - so you'll have to leave even earlier! Different tracks have different etiquette so there's no harm in brushing up on your skills.

With regard to the weather - this time of year the track dries slower than during summer, but with a light breeze a light shower can dry off pretty quickly. There's no postings to the Herne Hill website about weather as its just too hard to call, and by the time an official decision has been made its either too late to stop people leaving, or people may have made their mind up already and gone back to bed.

Best bet - check the forecast, or poke your head out the window first. There's only a month left this season, so if your keen - get down there soon!

Thank you, JC. If the weather looks at all promising, I will be there.

Is there a bus from the Brixton station that goes to the velodrome?

There are a few busses that go from Brixton to Herne Hill - not direct to the velodrome though. Get off just after Herne Hill Station on Half Moon lane - then its just over a 5 minute walk.

Its very easy to miss the gate. It is essentially just a gap between a couple of houses, so keep your eyes peeled.

http://tiny.cc/w7fh0

thanks to some tube closures and a bit of stupidity on my part, I'm more than an hour away with no time to spare... I'll have to hope we get clear skies next Saturday as well.

Track too wet today, but plenty of brave cyclo crossers enjoying themselves!

the cyclocross was good fun, shit loads of people there too.

Hi Guys,
New to the forum and up until a month ago I had been away from cycling for 20 something years! Used to road race and time trial in my late teens. Recently bought a Bianchi Pista and am loving it but fancy getting on the track next spring. What is the score for beginners at Herne Hill, is there a certain day I should go? Do I need an induction and does this need to be pre booked? Any advice gladly received and hopefully see some of you guys there soon, I live nearby.

Welcome.

Everyone, even experienced riders from other tracks, are required to undertake the induction. They are held on Saturdays at midday, there's no need to book but they can be oversubscribed so best to turn up early.

Hope to see you next spring.

But some people work on Saturdays.

sulks

Get a proper job. :P

But... I just love asking " Presta or Schraeder?" 457 times a day. And "sloping top tube" too.

Welcome.

Everyone, even experienced riders from other tracks, are required to undertake the induction. They are held on Saturdays at midday, there's no need to book but they can be oversubscribed so best to turn up early.

Hope to see you next spring.

Thanks for the advice, is the track closed for the winter now?

Saturday sessions officially stop at the end of October, but from now on it's a bit hit and miss as the track struggles to dry after rain at this time of year.

Check http://www.hernehillvelodrome.com/whats-on/track-training for details on prices, session times and what other sessions you can do once you've done your induction.

Do you think my bianchi will be ok for Herne Hill as a beginner? Might need to uprate some bits after the winter.

Using Your Own Bike

All racing and training track sessions at Herne Hill Velodrome are carried out on fixed-wheel track bikes. The only exception is the Tuesday night road bike training session, where you may ride a standard road bike.
The rise in popularity of fixed-wheel bikes now means many people may own one for use on the road. To make it track legal it must adhere to certain standards:

• It must have a fixed wheel drivetrain
  
• Frame must have a bottom bracket height of at least 265mm (from ground to centre) when using 165mm cranks (more if using longer cranks)
  
• If frame has braze-ons or fittings they must be padded and taped over to avoid injury
  
• It must have no brakes or extraneous parts (this includes the entire brake assembly, bottle cages, lights & brackets etc)
  
• It must have Drop handlebars
  
• Handlebars must be fitted with bar-end plugs and bartape or grips
  
• Tyres must be in good condition and pumped up hard
  
• Pedals should provide adequate foot retention (clips and straps or clipless pedals set to a high tension)
  
• Wheel axles should be of the nutted type (no quick-release skewers)
  
• Gearing should be between 82 and 88 gear inches for novice riders. (48 x 15 (86″) is ideal for adult riders) a slightly higher ratio around 88-90 gear inches is preferred for racing.
  
• Bikes must be in safe, well maintained and working order. If a member of the coaching staff thinks your bike isn’t safe, you will not be able to ride it on the track.
  

so what's happening with the cross?
saturday was a blast and i would go again is it just a one off?

Beginner question regarding these track sessions/riding on a track in general (Google gives conflicting advice); Do you have/need to use a lockring on the track?

The reason I ask is because I’ll be building up a new/better bike over the winter for commuting use during the week then track use at the weekend with the idea being that I could just remove the brake & turn the wheel round for a harder gear when I go to the track.

One of the few parts I’m thinking about transferring over from my current bike is the rear wheel but it’s got a flip-flop hub. Obviously I’d have to use the lockring side for road use for safety/stopping reasons but as there’s no back pedalling/sudden braking on the track can I get away with putting a track cog on the freewheel side or is a new wheel set in order?

Thanks