B'ham Ride Ideas

Mastershredder and I were chatting last night about how many rides there's been lately now it's getting warmer and lighter, and also how this year the scene here seems more cohesive.
We've got the Double Denim Ride, Food Ride and the short countryside social rides (Rollercoaster & Wednesday Wake-Ups). Other possibilities are a variation on the Food Ride to take it out to the countryside, the Sutton Park ride, the BMX track ride and some other stuff I can't remember now it's morning.

So, this thread is for new ride ideas and comments on how to improve the social ride scene here in B'ham, hopefully we can end up having a ride for every type of rider here in B'ham, we definitely have enough interested people right now.

I'm interested in social rides, day or night, about 10 - 20 miles at a pace that doesn't put anyone off and with any amount of stops for chatting etc.
I like the really short rides for a specific event, like a 3 - 4 mile trip like the Food Ride.
Also, if there's enough interest I'd be up for a couple of longer rides (Stratford or Leicester and back, or catch a train to somewhere 50 miles away) during the summer, maybe make it into a picnic ride.

I guess once an idea has some interest it will get it's own thread but feel free to list destinations, routes, wishes etc here first.

Dawn rides... 4am-6am set off in the dark, reach a nice location by the time the sun puts his hat on...

definitely in for one of them, yes.

I like that idea, and the train to 50-miles away then ride back (I have a Garmin so we can literally go anywhere and it'll sort the route back on quiet roads).

(Very)mini-tour/overnight ride. Leave from Brum, ride for a day to a campsite, camp out, ride back the next day... Requires people with racks, panniers and tents I guess. Or do the same with bivi-bags.

Whilst we were out on wednesday I did think a picnic ride would be a great idea.
Also - Rides during the week are great, doesen't have to be a specific day, maybe get a consensus on here each weekend whose free when etc.
I did think about a Number 11 Bus route ride - 27 miles all in. Has anyone done this? I can imagine it's probably a bit dodgy/trafficky in places - More of a symbolic brummy ride than a gentle rural jaunt.
I've got a nice little rural sunday circuit I'm putting together at the moment for my own training purposes - It's about a 30 mile loop from where I am, out through shushtoke, over whitacre, fillongley, meriden, hampton in arden, then back through solihull/acocks green. If you added the section in and out of town for those more central It's probably about 40 miles - So bit more of an investment in time, but as it's me it woulden't be a super fast pace. Just need to put some miles in before my south coast tour next month.

Remembered another we discussed last night, London rides... get the train down, scoot all over everywhere hitting shops etc and then do something social like Look Mum No Hands or Critical Mass before getting the train back. I go down on my bike now and then already but it'd be nice to go in a group, guess it depends a lot on how many bikes we can get on the train.

I have a load of rural routes in south Birmingham that I'm more than happy to share. Got that zine thing to stick a few of them in as well.

I like the sound of all of the above.

I'd like to ride the roads in and around the peak district in the next few months. Spring is a great climate to ride in - dry, sunny, but not humid.

just rode to the bakery in illshaw heath and stuffed my face full of home made cakes,awesome

Carbo loading. It's what the elite do.....
:)

Bus ride?

That ride Gav organised last year to that pub was good. They had cheese rolls and you put your own onions on. Was epic.

London train trip sounds good also. You can get it down for about a £10 if you book in advance from Moore St

Wedges Bakery is epic.

Summer Ice creams in Henley as well.

I wanna do more evening/night time countryrides (now its getting warmer), midnight masses, get lost rides, cruise around cities I haven't been to i.e. oxford/cambridge (maybe with local riders?).

Also CM Rob, told me about this place if anyone wants to ride with me there to stuff our faces:
http://www.summersault.ltd.uk/Index.html

I've had them on my radar a while now, good veg food in Leicester too.

Dark at 8PM now chaps. Dreamtime.

Spoke with Gav tonight and he might be up for hosting a Clent/Rose Hill ride on a Sunday sometime soon.

Bit of a gamble getting a crowd due to polo but I'm in...

Bah, Sunday.

Wolvo track bike training starts up again on April 18th. Will probably ride from Moseley around 6.30pm ish to hopefully get to Aldersley for 8pm (via New Street and a train). If anyone fancies a ride+an hour blasting around the track.

A 24 hour ride I think

Wolvo track bike training starts up again on April 18th. Will probably ride from Moseley around 6.30pm ish to hopefully get to Aldersley for 8pm (via New Street and a train). If anyone fancies a ride+an hour blasting around the track.

I thought I replied to this earlier, my phone must've screwed it up.

I'm interested, not to ride the track but to tag along and do some photos if possible, not sure if the date works for me but Mondays are usually good.

I'll be going semi-regularly, welcome to come along when you can make it

Ok great, I'll make sure to chat with you before then to work something out

You can hire bikes at the track no?

You can indeed, they've got a fair few to have a go on