2014-09-05 WNKRRCNTs go to the seaside...

And lo it was decreed that Friday the 5th of September will see a WNKRRCNT Production of the Overnight Deluxe variety.

The route will be a shamelessly pilfered and bastardised version of one of the forum's favourite routes (thanks to MA3K) but will be roughly 90 miles, looking a bit like this...

strava.com/routes/795860 (the bit on the end is to get a direct train back to London, 75mins, every hour, 13 mins past the hour)

Yes, in this case the destination will be sunny Frinton-on-Sea!

Riders will meet next to the Polo court at the junction of Brick Lane and Shacklewell St from 00:45 and ride out at 01:00. Yes, that's technically Saturday morning. The aim will be to catch breakfast somewhere before getting the train back...

1. @Rod_Munch
   
2. @middleofnowhere
   
3. @itsbruce
   
4. @bitterbuffalo
   
5. @KT_Bee
   
6. @ian(cnkr)
   
   

People who might be interested in coming along:

1. @balmain
   
2. @benjam
   

Would gears be allowed?

Sounds like it would be in the FAQ: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/253505/#11768798

Events need more attendance options.

I want. "Maybe, but probably not, need to see how free the washing machine is for wet sheets. IKEA."

@Velocio

IKEA

Taken as read.

Wasn't sure as this is not a usual ride but quite a long ride.

The bike in question is an FW Evans 531 7 speed tourer.

There'll be no bike discrimination on this ride... except towards mine, probably.

The rule stands; If you bring gears you carry the beers.

More seriously (but I'm still serious about carrying the beer) so long as you are mindful that these rides are primarily FW/SS and ride accordingly then you can ride what you want...

Geared riders must ensure that they do not cause a sudden pace change with their gear changes when approaching a hill as fixed and single speed riders will have a far more gradual change of pace and do not want to have to check their speed and lose valuable cadence at the start of a climb. Geared and single speed riders should refrain from blasting away on the descents as this is seen as bad form. Stretching the pace out on the flats is also bad form as fixed riders will quickly tire once the cadence gets above 100 rpm.

Anyone riding back? asking for a friend.

How many panniers full? The bike currently only has a rear pannier. Wouldn't the beer get shaken up?

Happy to be back marker and carry spares and a decent pump.

only just noticed the "Yes I am attending" button. For some of us (oldies mainly) it seems like this microcosm thingy needs a *Haynes manual

*there, that dates me!

I'm in.

For some reason I thought this was Saturday - even though I requested a Friday... So doing this and the WWGC may be a push. We'll see.

Hi, I am new here, hope I can still ride with you.

You may want to try this first - http://www.lfgss.com/events/327/

Where are 24h petrol stations?

err, is that a trick question? Probably Chigwell, Clacton and not much in between. But isn't the beauty of the night ride that you get to stuff your face all day long and then survive the ride purely by stealing Matt's fig rolls?

Oh and some boring train facts (even though he's not riding I know that Al is panicking big time over this part)...

From mile 77 onwards we are constantly within a few miles of either of these four stations...

Walton on the Naze (on the hour from 6am)
Frinton on Sea (3mins past)
Kirby Cross (6mins past)
Thorpe le Soken (13mins past)

If we get on either of the first three options we'll have to change at Thorpe le Soken anyway. I kind of imagined we'd pootle along to there to avoid that but I'm easy either way...

Anyway, the main reason I'm posting this is to warn you that tickets to get back are about £12 if booked in advance - but shoot up to £28 if we buy on the day. There maybe groupsave options (there was a manned ticket booth when I recced the route - although he looked like he might have slept there accidentally) but I wouldn't like to guarantee it as otherwise the place was deserted.

If people are booking I guess it makes sense to get the one from Walton as it's the same price and furthest away, so you'd be able to use it from the closer stations in an emergency...

@Rod_Munch
Errr, I've just looked up Walton-on-the-Naze to Liverpool St, 8am - 11am are £12.50, 12pm onwards are £8. Any idea what time we'd be leaving?

In past years from Clacton it's quite often that there's no staff about & the machine doesn't offer groupsave, however we've got groupsave tickets from the inspector on the train and, whisper it quietly - sometimes we don't get an inspector so we have to get a ticket in London - from Stratford staion of course.

Yeah it's bit tricky trying to predict this stuff. I think we may struggle to find somewhere before 8am for breakfast so we'll have to be careful we don't get there too quickly (there is at least one place open @ 8am).

I kind of envisaged getting to the beach at the Walton end around 7:30 (that'd be 85 miles in 6.5 hours), then ambling back along the seafront to have a leisurely breakfast in Frinton. From there it's a 4mile roll to Thorpe le Soken for the 10:13 - we'd be back at Liverpool St by 11:30?

I'm happy to totally wing it regarding trains. I have never booked anything myself for these rides in the past - I just wanted to warn people of the full fare price really (having been stung on the last two deluxes myself)...

Hello to everyone once more :)
@bitterbuffalo
I am not able to do the ride suggested by you as I am working late.
I know that this one is quite long but I have been commuting since I moved to London (2 years now) and I feel that I can do the distance. If any thing you can always drop me somewhere along the way I won't mind and I will be all right.
I am excited and looking forward to this but If you really think I shouldn't try please be honest with me.

By the way, my name is Krystian

If we buy tickets in advance I think we have to stick to that time. I don't mind doing that as long as we've got plenty of time getting there after breakfast/swimming/whatever. We also could end up with people buying tickets for different timings.

Have you done 60+ miles during the day? Might be quite tough if you haven't. It's pretty tricky to say from the outside whether you'll be ok or not, but you should have a sense of how comfortable you are over that distance and if you are ok with it, it would be great to have you along!

Hey Krystian. First up, anyone is welcome on this ride but we do want you to know what you are getting yourself into. We do a regular Wednesday night ride in the near countryside and this is a sort of extended overnight version of it. Please have a quick check on the guidelines first...

http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/253505/

and have a scope around this bit of the forum...

http://www.lfgss.com/microcosms/573/

If you recon you are ok for this then we will be glad to have you along.

We are riding unsupported through the night and a degree of self reliance may be necessary. We are not responsible to get you there or home after.

I think what bitterbuffalo was getting at is that by pitching up a a regular ride first it would give you a chance to meet the people you would be riding with and get a feel for whether you are of the same pace or not before you find yourself alone in Essex at 2 in the morning (we never leave anyone behind really).

The more I think of it the more the "no one gets left behind" thing is the key here. You might be happy to be dropped in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night but we won't be happy leaving you there. I am not admitting a duty of care, I'm just saying that it is nigh on impossible to consciously ride away from a member of the group even if they are begging you to give up on them and save yourselves.