2013-10-19 - London Borough Spiral Ride

Howdy-doody. I'm new so be kind to me :) I now live in Staines (ugh) and have nobody to ride with anymore. Wah. Would it be ok to join you from around the Hounslow area?

Certainly, if you can find us. Installing the "Real Time GPS Tracker" android app and adding "earthloop" as a friend may help with this.

Howdy-doody. I'm new so be kind to me :) I now live in Staines (ugh) and have nobody to ride with anymore. Wah. Would it be ok to join you from around the Hounslow area?

Peace xxxxx

Newcomer. Thinking of joining this group ride, starting in Sidcup. Any advice welcome.

All newbs welcome, but this is likely to be a tough ride with loads of stop start splitting up puncture ridden aggresive driving. It might not, it might be lovely, but be prepared. Bring a tube and tools and a way to get home should it all go wrong!

But do come along because it's likely to be a laugh and there's then a chance that the next ride you go on will have some familiar faces!

Proposed final list of stopping points. I've personally checked that they all have toilets, other than the 121km one which I haven't visited.

• 28km - Oldfields Road Tesco, Sutton
  
• 58km - San Remo Cafe in Northolt
  
• 81km - Coppetts Centre Tesco
  
• 121km - Claps Gate Lane (has McDonalds/KFC/Sainburys)
  
• 154km - Shepherds Bush Road Tesco, Hammersmith
  
  

0km options: the pub at the start won't be open, but there is a 24 hour BP/"Wild Bean Cafe" with toilet on Perry Street (A222) on the route a couple of km from the start. It's on the wrong side of the road to be a stopping point on the ride itself, but it's a good place to stop off on your way to the start.

There is also a Morrisons with customer toilet a little way into Sidcup (less than half a km from the start) but it only opens at 8am on a Saturday. Maybe the ride should start from there instead, and leave at 0815 to allow people to make use of it. Opinions ? I'll probably make this change if nobody raises objections.

Thanks. What is the etiquette? In a wet group ride, do you all use a long rear mudguard?

Thanks. What is the etiquette? In a wet group ride, do you all use a long rear mudguard?

No worn out white lycra.....

TBH I doubt most will have a functioning rear brake,

I for one have a long rear mudguard and no functioning rear brake.

May be out of this due to an injury, will keep myself on the list just in case.

Nothing on my bike will be functioning if I do make it out though.

Looking like I will be around for this ride now.

Wondering whether to get involved as I've not done any miles ever...! Very tempted....

drums fingers on table

considering this.

Weather won't stop me, but more hum drum matters like house hunting however might.

Well done earthloop.

Wondering whether to get involved as I've not done any miles ever...! Very tempted....

I'd say do it, very unlikely you'll ever be too far away from home if you need to bail.

Should we set a target average speed so we know how likely we are to finish it on the day?

The more I look at this the longer it seems it will take, the designated stops will probably take up about 2 hours of time on their own if we take between 15 mins and 1/2 hour at each, then if we're doing an 11 or so mph speed while on the bikes that's already 12 hours, and that would be on the assumption we have no mechanicals when in actual fact with 30+ riders doing 180km we'd can probably assume at least 5 punctures, at least 10 mins each, it's looking like 15+ hours!

Start early

Sidcup Place pub has agreed to open at 7.30am to cater for our start.

They are offering to have hot food prepared for 7.30am - sausage baps and bacon baps. They will also have cups out ready for Costa coffee and tea. Toilets too, of course.

Do you want me to confirm this with them? If so how many? Will at least 30 of the 43 be interested, or everyone? I don't want to abuse the goodwill of the pub and leave them unsold food.

[QUOTE=IndraRipper;3859378]Should we set a target average speed so we know how likely we are to finish it on the day?

Would be nice to do it in 10 hours, this would mean finishing at sunset. typical avge speed of 15~17 when moving? One main food stop and a couple of water and bog stops. We pray for no punctures!

Not gonna happen, remember that what you called moving speed involves stopping at lights, which I'm pretty sure we're doing.

nice

Chester, if you can't find 3 relevant things to post in order to get out of the nursery, you're definitely on the wrong forum.

Sidcup Place pub has agreed to open at 7.30am to cater for our start.

They are offering to have hot food prepared for 7.30am - sausage baps and bacon baps. They will also have cups out ready for Costa coffee and tea. Toilets too, of course.

Do you want me to confirm this with them? If so how many? Will at least 30 of the 43 be interested, or everyone? I don't want to abuse the goodwill of the pub and leave them unsold food.

1. In.
   

I'm not blessed with a phone that can do clever maps and whatnot, sadly, otherwise the Android app would indeed be a big help! That said, Hounslow's near to me and I know it pretty well. I'll hang out near Hounslow West tube stn, I'll be the berk on the Felt, smoking too much and looking hungover, I presume I'll be able to work out who you guys are by the big pack of riders approaching (you'll still be mostly together by this point I assume). Thanks for your advice, there will be spare tubes and flapjacks aplenty. Looking forward to meeting you all.

1. Robertyogurt
   
2. Earthloop
   
3. Indra
   
4. Mespilus * Provisional offer to lead km 48 to 72
   
5. Mespilus minor
   
6. LHL
   
7. Idiot
   
8. HORRO
   
9. blue fleet
   
10. Hairnet
    
11. Paramounted
    
12. Eamesy
    ƐƖ. Boner
    
13. shinkuu kiss
    
14. alasdair
    
15. Husy
    
16. YAL
    
17. Hamishio
    
18. hats
    
19. T4
    
20. Itisaboutthebike
    
21. Temp
    
22. starfish & coffee
    
23. blackdolan
    
24. sd ii
    
25. Xesar
    
26. apollo
    
27. Bun
    
28. Ndeipi
    
29. Daveypants
    
30. TPnewbie
    
31. Lifebuoy1988
    
32. Cafewanda
    
33. Dan
    
34. Starsky
    
35. Big H
    
36. letsbreakitup
    
37. maddernj
    
38. Tim
    
39. Philjimpott
    
40. Blandosa
    
41. Raulito09 (from sutton)
    
42. Distinctive Rob (from Hounslow)
    

Sidcup Place pub has agreed to open at 7.30am to cater for our start.

Do you want me to confirm this with them? If so how many?

Nice work on this.

I suggest pushing it back to 7:15am because we can't afford much delay in starting.

As for numbers... I'm very much up for a bacon sarnie, I'm guessing at least half of the riders will be? So that's at least 20. Hell, if there are left overs I could even be persuaded to eat two.

Gah... Clashes with a conference.
Fuck.

• Itisaboutthebike
  
• Ndeipi (takes two if there are leftovers)
  
• HORRO (takes two if there are leftovers)
  
  
  
  

Sidcup Place pub has agreed to open at 7.30am to cater for our start.

They are offering to have hot food prepared for 7.30am - sausage baps and bacon baps. They will also have cups out ready for Costa coffee and tea. Toilets too, of course.

Do you want me to confirm this with them? If so how many? Will at least 30 of the 43 be interested, or everyone? I don't want to abuse the goodwill of the pub and leave them unsold food.

Sidcup Place pub has agreed to open at 7.30am to cater for our start.

They are offering to have hot food prepared for 7.30am - sausage baps and bacon baps. They will also have cups out ready for Costa coffee and tea. Toilets too, of course.

Do you want me to confirm this with them? If so how many? Will at least 30 of the 43 be interested, or everyone? I don't want to abuse the goodwill of the pub and leave them unsold food.

That's brilliant of them to open, will they be serving beer :) Well maybe a swift half as a thanks for opening as I don't eat sausage or bacon so will probably sort my own food out. Reckon I'll be up for a lunchtime one and defo a post ride one too.

Bear in mind this is a forum ride, and a long one, so I'd estimate there will be between a third and a half will drop out, maybe even more if its pissing it down with rain. So I would'nt want to build their hopes up that 30 odd people will be there.

As for time I think its safe to assume its going to be a stretch to get it done before dark, so bring lights or be preapred to bail homeward before then. It would be a fecking miracle if we had no p***tures, more likely I'd wager there will be one on the ride out to the start, ha! And I'm hoping there's a few people with garmins coming (will the batteries last all day?) in case we get split up, as I for one will not have a clue where I am or where we're going most of the time.

Personally as I'm riding out, and as we're unlikely to finish before sunset anyway, I think 7.30 is early enough, but I'm not a morning person so I would say that. I'll bow to the majority decision.

Has anyone dared to guess how many sets of traffic lights we'll encounter on route? Counting the City as a borough thats 34, if we encountered 15 sets per borough thats over 500 stops if we were unlucky enough they were all red. Fuuuuuuuuu and I thought 15 sets was pretty conservative.

Anyway all thats just my 2p worth but I'm still looking forward to it, and chapeau to Earthloop for all the planning.

1. Robertyogurt
   
2. Earthloop
   
3. Indra
   
4. Mespilus * Provisional offer to lead km 48 to 72
   
5. Mespilus minor
   
6. LHL
   
7. Idiot
   
8. HORRO
   
9. blue fleet
   
10. Hairnet
    
11. Paramounted
    
12. Eamesy
    ƐƖ. Boner
    
13. shinkuu kiss
    
14. alasdair
    
15. Husy
    
16. YAL
    
17. Hamishio
    
18. hats
    
19. T4
    
20. Itisaboutthebike
    
21. Temp
    
22. starfish & coffee
    
23. blackdolan
    
24. sd ii
    
25. Xesar
    
26. apollo
    
27. Bun
    
28. Ndeipi
    
29. Daveypants
    
30. TPnewbie
    
31. Lifebuoy1988
    
32. Cafewanda
    
33. Dan
    
34. Starsky
    
35. Big H
    
36. letsbreakitup
    
37. maddernj
    
38. Tim
    
39. Philjimpott
    
40. Blandosa
    
41. Raulito09 (from sutton)
    
42. Distinctive Rob (from Hounslow)
    
43. Dull
    
    

Travelling from finsbury park. Guess I'll see y'all at Kentish Town!