dfunk

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• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  @dfunk started

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  @Archi_Pelago replied
• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  Oh, I think I'm going on that Rapha ride on Thursday, so I might run into you there! Look out for a girl on a pink Surly (though I might be trying out someone else's Condor Pista, just to confuse matters).

  And yes, Stockwell's not all that, but you're well-placed for loads of other cool stuff. Go and explore Brixton - it's one of the best bits of London, even if you don't manage to get shot or stabbed - and if you're feeling super-energetic, you could even ride the extra half-a-mile to Herne Hill, which is a touch more upmarket, has nice chilled-out cafes (I recommend Pullens) and is near Brockwell Park, which is beautiful: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1170301.

  And you can get cycle maps here: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/cycling/cycleroutes/default.asp, though that's probably not much use for you, because you won't have a postal address. However, I've got most of them, so if you let me know which ones you need, I could drop them off for you. And I think you can pick them up in bike shops too, though I don't often see them...

  Emilia, I'll look for your bike. We'll be sporting our bright red wool jerseys so we should be easy to spot. Come say hello if you see us.

  We intend to do our best to avoid being shot and/or stabbed. We like our bodies intact here in the states. We'll be sure to check out Brixton and Herne Hill I'm curious about the velodrome. Being so close to it almost made me think twice about leaving the track bike home. But I like to have my gears if I'm riding in a new place. Anyway, the pictures I've seen make the banking in the turns look really shallow. Is it kind of low?

  We'll see about those cycle route guides in the bike shops since we'll be round the corner from one. Thanks again! Hope to see you in the streets!

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  Nothing to say, just thought I had better stop dfunk from getting Connect Four

  Thanks. But I was done, actually.

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  I think you're well placed in Stockwell if you're doing London on bikes.

  Stockwell's very much my daily rolling territory. I love it as part of a zone including Camberwell, Clapham, Brixton, Vauxhall Bridge (and all that lies beyond (Westminster and famous London is just over the river - West drinks is about 9 miles)), Battersea Park and OF COURSE, most significantly of all, it's no more than two or three miles to London's notorious South Drinks.

  And as edscoble says, how wrong can you go with Brixton Cycles on your doorstep?

  Sounds good! I'm excited to check out the local bike shops. Does Brixton Cycles carry Condor? I want to check out that wild steel track frame they make. I think they call it the "Paris?" And can somebody please centrally list the locations, days and times of all the drinks get-togethers? We want to try to make it out to at least one.

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  Remember to wear your backpack against your chest. Not only keeping valuables insight and away from those dirty thieves, also doubling as a stab vest. For Stockwell: The first thing to purchase in London is CS spray or a taser device: head to Soho, under the cover of dark.

  Hmm, do remember that we have this thing here in the states called the "second amendment of the constitution." It allows lots of stupid people to buy lots of guns. I'll just be glad to ride through a big city and not have to worry about being shot at. I think more people get killed crashing into cars on their bicycles in Atlanta than who get knifed in London. Oh yeah, and speaking of murder rates, I grew up in DC. If I don't carry pepper spray/a taser in DC, Atlanta, or Chicago, is it really necessary in London? I know I'm going to stick out a good bit and be a tourist and all. But I'm hoping I can pass a little bit as long as I keep my mouth shut. :-P

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  South Bank isn't anywhere near Stockwell, actually it's quite far away (nearest's Waterloo).

  if it is Stockwell, you got pretty much an excellent bike shop nearby; Brixton Cycles, I sometime cycle all the way from Wimbledon (a bit of a long way) just to even have a butcher.

  Sorry, seem to have my terminology wrong. I was under the impression that anything south of the river was the "South Bank." Stupid yank moment.

  However, I'm missing the bit about the distance between Stockwell and Waterloo being far. It's only 3 miles or so, right? I guess coming from the land of sprawl gives a different perspective on distance? I live over a mile from the nearest subway station here and that's considered extremely close.

• A question for geared folk

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  53/39 with a MTB cassette: 11-32. My solution for touring in the GA mountains was the big cassette rather than dealing with a compact or a triple. (Oh yeah, with old school Suntour barcon friction shifters. :-P) I've thought about a compact if I ever have to carry a crapload of weight, but I'd rather not. Common fixed ratios around here are 46x16 or so. And most of the fixie road riders stay downtown, away from the bigger hills. I get the impression that London's not very hilly. (At least by Atlanta standards...) I expect to spend some quality time with my big ring over the next two weeks.

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  Oh, and what main roads are good/bad for biking on? Around here there are roads that are notoriously bad for cycling. (Traffic, rude drivers, bad hills, etc.) Got any tips on where to ride and where to avoid riding? Does the city publish a map of recommended bike routes? If so, is it actually useful?

  Another question: Tea dances: People actually have afternoon swing dances? This sounds fabulous. Where's good (And not too expensive...) near Stockwell?

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  Ok, still haven't had a chance to organize most of these suggestions. We definitely plan to make it out to one of the drinks. And we want to see if we can get some Rapha schwag by going on a ride they're sponsoring next week. Probably won't have time to get to Brighton. And we'll be spending the whole second week out in the countryside.

  Oh! Found out where we're staying! On the south bank, near the Stockwell tube stop. Anybody know what's cool in that neighborhood?

  Oh, and if anybody wants to check out where the Atlanta bike kids hang, look at fastermustache.org. If I go our to meet you folks, I'll likely be sporting some FM gear.

• 1st-time London visitors seek fun, culture and bikes.

  in General • 16 years, 5 months

  

  THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for replying! Sounds like you all (I'm trying to train myself not to say "y'all." I'm not originally from the south.) know how to have a good time. I wish I could answer to you all but as it's 8am here, I need to rock the pedals and get to work. But don't worry, we won't spend the whole time in London. Week two includes a trip out to Oxford for a wedding, a stay with the happy couple in York, a trip to Stone Henge and likely plenty of time to spin around the countryside. We want to go to Brighton but we don't know if we'll have time. Ok. Off to work!