Wanted: 15t 1/8 Cog so I can beat a moped & Mavic Pursuit Bars

im running 172.5mm cranks and 700x23c. i think i can go 72" on the flat, cos i can get up just about all the hills in hastings on 59"

I didn't think people rode bikes in Hastings, especially fixie skidders

Me neither... Thought it was 50% OAPs/50% skagheads... I suppose the occasional OAP on a Hetchins/junkie on a brakless Langster is a possibility...

All the hills -how about from the old town to Fairlight via Ore?

I wouldn't fancy that one up to Winchelsea with the hairpin at the bottom

@RPM they dont, and the ones that do dont have very nice bikes, except a teacher in my school...

@teenslain its actually 25% OAPs/25% skagheads/15% chavs/8% skaghead teenagers on bmx's or skateboards/25% skaghead OAPs/1.9% arty people and really wierd people/0.1% CYCLISTS

@JacksonH ive never done battery hill, if thats what you mean, but i can go from the oldtown to ore non-stop, apart from when the lights go red at that fucked up crossing they have just before ore.

52/16 allows me to just get around hastings, and still go alright in cambridge. Though for commutes in the summer i really wish I had something a bit hard. and hastings is marvellous...especially once you get out of here!

This thread has caused me great joy. There should be a film. Please please get someone to film this. Please

that would be awsome.

yep, this thread is win central. atomcf set a date for May and train the hell out of yourself to get your rpms and muscles up, you'll fly past that hedgetrimmer on wheels..

This probably isn't the best time to start talking about how much power you actually need to overtake a moped...

skinsuit should be your priority

A 125cc motorcycle should be your priority.

@pajamas: there is one problem, im not sure if its a hairdryer/hedgetrimmer on wheels or a motorbike with a limiter. and may is pretty soon, isnt it? oh well.

@RPM, surely if i get high rpms ill be able to run a low gear, which'll mean that i'll be able to get away from the start line quicker, so i wont need to overtake him, cos i'll already be in the lead...i hope.

@smithchild: will a skin suit really make such a difference?

What you need is a decent(ish)* bike computer and a flat, unobstructed road about half a mile long. Find a couple of marks, say 500m apart. Do standing start time trials. If you're getting under 40s, you may have a chance. Join you local club e.g. http://www.hastingscc.talktalk.net/ and see if they run track training sessions, probably Preston Park (Brighton) will be the nearest. I think PP is 660yds, so you need to lap it in 45s or less just to keep up with a moped.

*one with a trip distance readout resolution of 0.01km and a count down/count up feature so you don't have to press the button at the start.

Aerodynamics make a huge difference. Don't need a skinsuit, but lycra and a decent aero position would help.

PP is either 640yds (1/2.75 miles), which is 584m, or 579m according to people who have actually measured it as it is now. Look to get round in 43s.

You should tap specialized up for sponsorship.

Are you allowed to draft the moped?

absolute win of a thread. big up the south coast!

well then i think i need some drop bars. itll probably help if i upload what i'm riding...

@mitre tester: i have a cat eye vectra. flat roads, in hastings? you must be joking, but ill have a look. also ive heard that hastings club is rubbish, but i want to join rye wheelers, but i dont think they do track runs.would it be impossible to keep up with road bikes on a fixie?

@DrChan: Specialized will hear that i come from hastings, and will just think im a waste of time lol.

@pifko: there arn't any rules at the moment...

I'll be down in Rye over christmas, shall I bring my stopwatch?

yeah, cool, what dates are you here on?

is this for real?

Add the condition of an unassisted standing start and you might have a chance