The BHF London to Brighton

bing just checking in, anyone want to do on Saturday instead (messed up my dates).... oops!

http://www.southernrailway.com/offers/birthday-ticket-fiesta/

thanks gus, I think this ride is a no go due to lack o the old interest. Might do it on my lonesome for a laugh regardless. PM if interested.

i'd do this but no vintage bike :(

did the lon-brighton ride on 69GI the other weekend - it was fine

I would be interested on another date, or to join the ride as it passes through Surrey...Have 70s bike (for LEroica)- not really vintage, though. I can lead an easy run to Worthing, for example, or a Surrey hills run.

MR Spin, i like the sound of it. My bike itself is early 80s so not technically old school. Will post up an apropriate date and let it gather pace. For now though I'l leave it.

Its not far now until this is happening, how is peoples training coming along?

I have got a 7:30 start time which im kind of relieved about although the group I'm doing it with has quite a few not so apt cyclists in it so I fear i will be on my own for most of it but that wont be that bad.

I've got a 9am start time in a group of 20 from work. My training will be walking alongside my bike for as long as possible over the next 2 weeks. How long to walk 60 miles?

I do have a couple of cunning plans though which unfortunately depend on non-regular cyclists agreeing to.

Option 1 is simply use another route to get beyond the congestion and then pick the ride up somewhere around Crawley (very much route dependant)

Option 2 however, is start early and fuck the card stamping/certificate off.

I'll decide nearer the day.

Doing it with work colleagues. Already planning my excuses for walking up Ditchling as I'm the only regular cyclist here* and this lot will be expecting a heroic effort from me.

*how long do you have to be off the bike to no longer call yourself regular?

just come in the week before complaining of knee pain everyday

I might do it this year, but only if I can motivate myself to set off at half six, otherwise it is just too busy.

i have done it two years in a row (officially both years) and the first year was a right pain with bottlenecks. stood around for hours. second year got the early slot @ 6.30am. and decided to leave the people i was riding with who were doing it at their pace. still bottlenecked at Ditchling even though I was there at half ten -ish(you need to raise over £150 per person in your team the year before to get priority entry)

this year im riding it with 4 peole who have never done it. 2 of us have bad backs 1 with a bad finger so cant pull brakes properly and the girls are really worried about the distance/dying. even though we have the 6.am. start time which would be lovely to fly down i reckon i wont get to brighton until gone 4pm like the first year.

next year I wont be doing it officially and will just join the route just after the start...

Has anyone got any experience riding up the beacon fixed? I'm running 48x18 and I can get up some pretty steep inclines but I dont want some nodder blocking my route up forcing me to get off and have to walk the rest. The beacon is the main reason I'm doing it. I'm doing it with a team but it mainly consists of novice cyclists who picked up cycling just for the event so I plan on going at my own pace and trying to find a decent gap to attack the beacon with.

Also do they do checks on your bike as you get to the start and they seem pretty anal about helmets which is annoying as I don't own one and don't have the money to buy one.

If you see a baby blue frame with white wheels thats fixed it will be me so come say hello!

6pt did it on a 90" gear last year without stopping.
true.

Gorgeous Baby Blue Fixy?

6pt did it on a 90" gear last year without stopping.
true.

He sounds like beast of a man!

Gorgeous Baby Blue Fixy?

I wouldn't say gorgeous, unless your referring to the rider?

I'm doing this, wondering which bike to use.

Fixie skidda or crabon roadie?

Or Cross bike.

I'm doing this, wondering which bike to use.

Fixie skidda or crabon roadie?

Or Cross bike.

Fixie skidda, for sh1ts and giggles. Dont want to make it too easy for yourself!

ill just say this. to get up ditchling without getting stopped by idiot nodders like me you have to get there early. what time you starting? if you can get a good early run at it and keep going then you are probably fine.

My ticket says 9.30, I'm intending on getting there are seven at the latest and leaving then though

yeah you can get there early and change your time to the next time out. one of the good big secrets. i got out an hour earlier each of the past two years but im in for a 6am start this year ftw!

Has anyone got any experience riding up the beacon fixed? I'm running 48x18 and I can get up some pretty steep inclines but I dont want some nodder blocking my route up forcing me to get off and have to walk the rest. The beacon is the main reason I'm doing it. I'm doing it with a team but it mainly consists of novice cyclists who picked up cycling just for the event so I plan on going at my own pace and trying to find a decent gap to attack the beacon with.

Also do they do checks on your bike as you get to the start and they seem pretty anal about helmets which is annoying as I don't own one and don't have the money to buy one.

If you see a baby blue frame with white wheels thats fixed it will be me so come say hello!

I just about got up it 48x19 a couple of weeks ago. Had to stop halfway because I slipped my front wheel on a catseye and nearly had a head-on with a car coming the other way but I think I'll stick to that ratio next time.

Its a bit spinny for the descents but you should be able to touch 30mph if you are a half decent spinner. Which I'm not hence not breaking 29.7 on 48x19 :(

EDIT: Forgot I also stopped for cramp

ill just say this. to get up ditchling without getting stopped by idiot nodders like me you have to get there early. what time you starting? if you can get a good early run at it and keep going then you are probably fine.

I've got a 7:30 start time, I'm hoping that with a good early run I can get ahead of the crowds outside of london. dont know if thats doable?

I just about got up it 48x19 a couple of weeks ago. Had to stop halfway because I slipped my front wheel on a catseye and nearly had a head-on with a car coming the other way but I think I'll stick to that ratio next time.

Its a bit spinny for the descents but you should be able to touch 30mph if you are a half decent spinner. Which I'm not hence not breaking 29.7 on 48x19 :(

I can spin pretty well, I was riding 48x17 and could get up the hills pretty easy but I found I needed to maintain a high speed to ride comfortably to which I though wouldn't happen due to the volume of people taking part on sunday. Hence why i went down slightly and it seems to be a big improvement in cruisability so to speak and I'm finding hills a fair amount easier.

The beacon is the main reason I'm doing it.

If thats your main reason perhaps doing it on the same day as 35000+ others (who's main reason is to raise money) is not a good idea.

It won't be the gear ratio that makes you fall off, it'll be the huge mass of nodders getting in your way. The beacon isn't a hill where you want lots of company when you climb it.

I want to raise money too, I have family members that have suffered from heart issues which was my intial motivation to do it but I want to make it up the beacon.

6pt did it on a 84" gear last weekend without stopping.
true.

ftfy. Found it way easier this time around too. And broke 40 going down the other side before I lost my nerve. I'll be doing it on the tandem this weekend :)

I was running 48x18 when I went with Stonehedge, 6pt etc the other week. Got up it at my own pace, ie slower than most but definitely needed space to do it. Had to stop twice because of toe overlap catching me out when trying to weave up the really steep bits but managed to hill start, just about - ouch! I can't imagine doing it with that many people...