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Software Programmer, I still wonder just how this came about. All my experience suggested I would be in the music industry forever, but then I managed to stumble free and land a job at BT writing web portals. Moved on to writing football sites and porn sites before settling into working for THE MAN.

On the side I have a server full of things I like, from music clubs, to music forums, to cycling forums. If I have to know the stuff I do, I might as well put it to use making myself and others happy.

Oooh, the Eclypse is quite nice, and for the price a bargain:

I think my steerer is 1". Damn, now I want to take it apart and check.

I'm definitely going to be there on Thursday.

Afterwards I'm off clubbing and drinking in Brixton to this place should anyone like the music and want to join me (in bike gear, sod changing just to drink and dance):
How Does It Feel

It's usually on Fridays, but because of the bank holiday it's a Thursday shindig instead.

After a winter of miserable greyness, shit-loads (actual unit of measurement) of wind, and a few fun days of slippery snow... Spring has arrived!

Well, it's arrived enough that sitting in this office overlooking Bloomsbury Street, and glancing over to the other side of the room where my bike is standing... I'm not getting much work done.

I don't envy messengers their low wage, but on days like this I envy their working outside on a bike. Could I do it? No, never... I'd miss the money that allows me to splash out on some stupid and pointless bike purchase. But on days like these I wish whatever job I had involved riding around London at full pelt.

I know an ex-messenger who's doing some work for TfL at the moment, riding all of the cycle routes and noting the condition of them, the sign-posting, the difficulty in following them, the obstacles. That I could do. That would be a blast. Except I know it's really a process of riding 10m, stopping and noting something else, riding a bit more, noting that.

If I were a little healthier (I have a cold) I'd throw a sickie. But I hate to waste them on actually being ill.

Don't tell me yet! I haven't watched the last bit of it yet!

Ah fuck it... spoil away, the guys at work will just tell me anyway.

But yeah, sucks big time that one of the few things we're absolutely ace at we get very little press for. If it were given more exposure it might even help encourage some more kids to investigate Herne Hill on a Saturday morning or other athletes to switch sports (Romero did an incredible job for only having spent a year in the saddle).

The alter's are garish I know. But the Thomson is hardly elegant. If I can't have a nice classic and under-stated quill stem I'll go the opposite route and get the loud stem.

I looked at this one on Hubjub:

It's nice, but I can't justify £70 on it when I can get an Alter off eBay for £15 (via my girl picking it up in the US and bringing it back).

They're not saying yet... prototypes being tried and the maker trying to figure out the business model before jumping in fully.

Bug fixedpip, he might spill the beans to you ;) He didn't to me!

I was going to say £150 for the frame too, on a good day. On a bad day you might be pushed to get £100 (which would piss me off seriously if I were the seller).

The problem I find with selling items is that you inevitably feel that you have paid more, and put more love into the item, than you will get back.

I always think the TLC I show my bike stuff should make the item retain it's value well, but the honest truth is that every time I sell something I become a bitter fucker who thinks I've been ripped off and who vows to next time set the reserve price much higher.

This is why I like the idea of a freecycle thing, if I'm going to be bitter about being ripped off, I'd rather give my stuff to those who will appreciate it, use it and love it. That doesn't work when the item is valued at over £100 as then I'd be stupid to give it away, but for accessories and components, it's not the trouble of selling it that puts me off selling it, it's the bitterness I feel afterwards when I think I've been had for letting go of something for so little when I believe it's worth more.

I get too emotionally attached to bike stuff. It turns out that makes me a sucker when I'm selling it.

Shit glow, we had already departed. It would've been ace if we'd hooked up.

I think we left McGlynns around 9:30 as the ones that we knew were coming at the time were all there. We were getting a bit pissed and figured that if we carried on we weren't going to be going anywhere.

I'll whisper you my number now, when we do this again we'll make sure we don't miss you.

Keep the discussions in other threads, but post ride announcements or details in here. Be sure to edit the post if plans change.

Thursday 5th April - Highgate Hill Climb Race - Time and place in the thread.
Friday 6th April - Good Friday Track Meet @ Herne Hill - Meeting point and time to be determined.

I'm just trying to acquire a yellow Cinelli Alter stem.

My Thomson is just a bit ugly even if it does the job perfectly.

It's a real shame there are no really classic looking chrome stems available for track bikes, everything seems to be heavy looking alu blocks and carbon.

There were a lot more police than usual too. I had to check whether one of the police women was OK after she nearly came off when she came down a curb. I did have to chuckle at that. They're there for "our safety" after all!

Thanks for the photos.

The mass was one of the first I've been to in a few months, I usually get put off them in the summers and abandon them until I feel something drive me back to them. The recent deaths along with an edgy feeling on some of the West London roads, and also learning that a member of my cycling club is still suffering in a really bad way since a crash last October... not much was going to keep me away.

I'd forgotten about the Aldwych Underpass though, the bit I remember most was having to hold up a Bentley down near Monmouth St... the silly fucker pulled right into the middle of the mass and then had the cheek to go crazy at myself and another guy when we held him up and advised him that it was safer for all involved if he just sat there and that the police would agree. The police did agree, but the guy was still fuming at us.

Next weekend? But not Good Friday as that's Herne Hill.

I like. Lovely and clean. I think you need white wheels though ;)

salmonchild:well, thanks to velocity boy, this site is here to encourage group activities right? so how about a planned group trip to the badlands of the south east to check out fixedwheelnut's suggestion?

Damn good idea... I'm up for it even if it is a 40-mile round trip for me just to get there :)

The pub we found in Greenwich was ace. Really quiet and still with seats available at 10:30pm on a Saturday night.

We nearly got attacked by a homeless guy near Albert Bridge too. Crazy shit, we were just pissing ourselves laughing as he went ape-shit for our having pulled off the road to rest for a moment... inadvertently parking in what must be his front room.

Still haven't found where the Woolwich Tunnel is.

Alex got a few photos, as I think damnham did... hopefully they'll post them. We got virtually none of the places we rolled through, we need to be on that next-time, the sights were awesome.

I've done it four times, but always geared.

Last year was my best time at 3 hours and 7 minutes from Clapham Junction to the time we stopped in a coffee shop in Brighton after finishing (given the couple of water and piss stops we all reckoned we did around 2hrs 45mins of actual cycling). Last year was also my first time up Ditchling Beacon without dismounting, walking or stopping. When you see it you'll know why that is an achievement.

There isn't much that would cause trouble on fixed for the first 30 miles or so, a few long climbs that wouldn't be too bad, but after that there are a couple of shorter and steeper climbs. On a normal day you'd think it easy, but after that distance it does start to burn your legs a little. The downhills you need to be careful of, there's one with a turn and a train arch at the bottom that people always come off at.

Ditchling Beacon is the big one before Brighton, and it hurts a lot on the way up.

If you do it, get as early a time-slot as possible. If you leave after 7:30am then you will be faced with long walks up hills even if you could do them. A lot of fairweather commuters do this ride, and they tend to dismount on hills. When the road is a single lane wide, it only takes three fairweather cyclists to dismount to force everyone behind them to dismount. The traffic means that once that happens everyone is walking.

+1 to salmonchild and the comfy bag. I'd go further and say don't stop for food at all, just water and pissing. Carry as much water as you can comfortably manage, at least two water bottles, and drink often in small mouthfuls rather than seldom and lots. Do not carry anything you really don't need for the ride.

I want to do the Dunwich Dynamo, but it would have to be geared or single-speed.

We were talking about this earlier this evening. Choose a nice ratio that you can do the miles on, there are three of four long hills that will hurt before the real painful one, which of course is Ditchling Beacon. The tip for that... have a flip flop rear with some very friendly gear and some spare chain links... or walk ;) Beware the speed on the downhill on the other side, definately run a front brake if you don't already.

That was a blast... the route roughly went (from when we were all together until when the last group of us split):
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=820797

Obviously add some to the beginning and end for us getting to the start and getting home.

I should've taken a camera... the sights were great, clear moonlit night, and great company. The Greenwich tunnel was a blast, but I'm not sure it tops my taking you all down Limehouse Link.

Definately need to do that again.

Just worked out I did 34 miles in total. No wonder my shoulders and legs are aching a little.

Right, let's just do it.

I've updated the first post, set a meeting time of 17.45 as that gives people a slight chance of getting there. We can set off at 18:00.

So, 17.45 @ Gloucester Gate, Thursdays.

And some of you guys have an unfair advantage: http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/22/drivetrain/#Item_8

I'll make it up the hill though, even if it hurts.

This is probably true, I'll be at the pub before 6pm... 5hrs of drinking and then a long bike ride.

Needless to say, I'm riding single-speed tonight. I've bucked one too many times the last few days and have no chance of a recovery when pissed as a newt. Instead I'll opt for endo's :)

Heh, I'm going to be drunk before I meet you guys... off to Kings Cross now to a pub called McGlynns.

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/30/3054/McGlynns/mcglynnswc1.co.uk

Want to all meet-up there before closing time? If not... say so in this thread and I'll give damnham a call on his mobile around 10pm if no-one has shown up at McGlynns by that point. damnham has my mobile no' too so he can sort out getting us all together ;)

Happened again this morning. I switch between single-speed and fixed far too often (road racing and training over Surrey Hills on a geared bike). So I got on the fixed this morning, ride down to Sainsbury's and on the way saw some red lights and try coasting up to them... just to shit myself as the bike almost threw me off again.

Lord knows how I look to car drivers when this happens, it's got to look messy as hell to see a cyclist riding along normally and then suddenly be spazzing out trying to stay on his bike!

OK, This is one for tomorrow night...

We have:
beatznbobbz
damnham
velocity boy

We'll ride around, stop for drinks (if anywhere is still open... perhaps we should bring some scotch along?), do the tunnels and generally have a blast.

Anyone else want in?