'Bent Only rides?

[rower40]

Having had a splendid ride with the delightful Kim ( ) from Watlington to Oxford, me on a Grasshopper and her on a StreetMachine, I have achieved enlightenment.

Not only did the motorists (with only one or two exceptions) give us loadsaroom, or even waited until the opposite lane was clear before overtaking, but whichever of us was behind could SEE the road ahead of the other.  Many heads turned, even in bike-mopolitan Oxford.

So I've had enough of watching other cyclists' bums.  Which is all one can see when riding a 'bent, and in convoy with conventional upright bikes.

Who's up (or should that be "down"?) for a ride consisting ONLY of recumbents?

[Cunobelin]

So I've had enough of watching other cyclists' bums. 

Not always a bad thing!

[RichForrest]

Definitely 

I did a darkside ride here in MK a few years ago and had a good turnout.
cycle photos pictures by silverbackcyclist - Photobucket
We did allow upright trikes along also 

[Kim]

Absolutely.  Can I leave the camping gear behind for maximum aerodynamic fun, though?  

If anyone's got a hill that's zero effort to climb and has excellent surface and sight-lines on the way down, all the better...

[Wobbly John]

It depends when and where.

Bottlemasher has also had mainly recumbent rides in Norwich.

[Charlotte]

The Red Baron and I are totally up for this.  I've been badgering Kim to organise a Dark Side Ride for a little while (although I ought to be perfectly capable of this myself, so I don't know why I've been on at her!)  I'm quite happy to mooch up to Brum for a little 'bent silliness if needs be - that way we can attract lowlife from all over the place.

What we need is a fun day ride; maybe even from a fixed base, so as those who want to come and camp can do so and those who want to daytrip only can do that as well?

[Kim]

I'd be a lot better at organising rides if I knew somewhere good to have one.  My cycling knowledge of the local area is surprisingly limited, largely because for any given ride there's at least an hour of Birmingham and (in Londoner terms at least) some significant climbing to negotiate before you get to the pleasant lanes of North Worcestershire, which has limited my exploration somewhat.  I'm sure there are plenty of people with far more experience of cycling in the Midlands who might have some ideas.

Though I must say I'd quite like to see the effect of a peleton of darksiders on Birmingham traffic..
(for those who haven't experienced it, it's basically what people who are too afraid to cycle in London think London traffic is like)

One potential gotcha with the Brum area is the trains.  Virgin are an arse generally, but have spaces that fit pretty much anything, assuming you can get it in there.  Crosscountry have the dangly bike spaces from hell and should be avoided by darksiders like the plague.  Chiltern and London Midland are okay - standard foldy-chair spaces next to the toilet - if you work around their slowness and restrictions on peak hours.  Also, New Street (or Mordor Central, as I tend to refer to it) station is prone (understatement) to crowded last-minute platform changes that are wholly incompatible with bicycles of any kind during peak hours.

Day ride from a fixed, campable, base sounds like an excellent approach.

[Quint]

Think ahead I thought, how about a camp next spring at Britchcombe Farm near The White Horse @ Uffington, brilliant campsite good rides and good pubs a short ride away
                                                                             

[rower40]

How does this sound?

Friday PM: train to Derby, then 5-mile completely flat, off-road-but-all-tarmac S*str*ns path to campsite here.  Pitch tent.

Friday Evening 'bent ramble - some off-road, mostly flat, in the Trent Valley to Willington to Etwall to Mickleover; drinks in one of the many many many real-ale emporia in Derby.  Dinner at a curry-house or Chinese.  (OR see if either of the Elvaston/Thulston pubs - near the campsite - do an evening meal.)  (About 40km round trip, but could easily be cut down to suit.)

Saturday: The Big One.  Road-route from Derby to Wirksworth (with a bit of A6), then up the HILL to Middleton Top.  High Peak Trail to Parsley Hay (100% flat - railway line was built for horse-powered operation).  Tissington Trail to Ashbourne (Has to be experienced on a 'bent.  Drops 200m in 20km, with terrified pedestrians and other cyclists leaping for the verges.  Bring an airzound.  Or two.)  Late Lunch stop in Ashbourne.  Minor road route back to Derby.  80km round trip, with another 8km each way from campsite to Derby and back.

Sunday: pack up and leave.

Derby haz trains from That London courtesy of Midland Main Line East Midlands Trains from St Pancras (bike space in the cubicle behind the driver at the standard-class end); from Brum courtesy of X-Country, on EITHER Voyagers with Dangly-spaces-from-hell OR on Class 170s (the trains to Nottingham) with a seat-free zone near the disabled loo.

For other origin points, contact me and I'll fettle my train-fu.

I haven't chosen a date.  I'm waiting for my knee to be x-rayed before I know what I can commit to.

[Charlotte]

You know both your train and your 'bent onions, Mr Rower - that sounds rather spiffing 

[Polar Bear]

Just a personal observation:  My last two trips on Voyagers (now Cross country, formerly Virgin) is that the bike stowage had moved amidships and is in hanging spaces in one of the coaches.   Space is down from four to three, plus there is no 'discretionary' extra space for an odd bike or two which there used to be when the Voyagers had the bike stowage at the standard class drive car end.    This arrangement is far less useful than it used to be.   wrestling with bikes, luggage and passengers trying to disembark can be a nightmare.   

Oh, and if memory serves me from my trip three weeks back my bent would have to hang rear wheel up as the hanger is no longer one of the staggered variety.   My memory isn't exactly perfect so this may just be my selective memory only noting the bits I needed it to.   

[rower40]

Polar Bear - your memory of Voyagers is spot-on.  When not too busy, a 'bent will fit in their bike rack, but it's not pretty when the train gets full.

(Which is why my route from Oxford to Derby yesterday involved an HST to Worcester, a class 150 to Birmingham Moor Street, and then a class 170 from Mordor Central ^{[TM Kim]} to Derby.)

If I put my Grasshopper on a Voyager, I pivot it onto its back wheel (risking damage to the mudguard), and attach the pedal to the dangly hanger with one or two releasable zip-ties.

[Kim]

Saturday: The Big One.  Road-route from Derby to Wirksworth (with a bit of A6), then up the HILL to Middleton Top.  High Peak Trail to Parsley Hay (100% flat - railway line was built for horse-powered operation).  Tissington Trail to Ashbourne (Has to be experienced on a 'bent.  Drops 200m in 20km, with terrified pedestrians and other cyclists leaping for the verges.  Bring an airzound.  Or two.)  Late Lunch stop in Ashbourne.  Minor road route back to Derby.  80km round trip, with another 8km each way from campsite to Derby and back.

*Has a little moment with the OS map*

[markg0vbr]

trike ride 5th September.
setting off from the travellers rest pub:cheers: ,
Brough Lane Head
Bradwell, Hope Valley
Derbyshire, S33 9HG



22miles to the end of lady bower and back, tea stop at the dame.
10am take off.

[Jon P]

I'd be up for Derby - Speed Ross

[jogler]

Depending on the finalised date I might meet you in Derby,do the H.P & T trails & lunch then peel oof to home from Ashbourne if..
that's o'k' with you &
mrs. jogler allows me to borrow her Tice

[rower40]

There might have to be a "safety briefing" at Parsley Hay.  The Tissington Trail can get busy with pedestrians and n00bie BSO-users on a sunny Saturday.  And we'd be unlikely to see speeds lower than 20mph all the way down.

The briefing to consist of: "Charge your airzounds, sharpen your front chainrings, see you at the bottom."

I'll jab a pin in a calendar to choose a date.  I've just had my knee X-rayed, and been told that the photos won't be on my GP's desk for another 10 days.   But I really don't want to miss an opportunity for a ride such as this.

[Gruff]

How does this sound?
Saturday: The Big One.  Road-route from Derby to Wirksworth (with a bit of A6), then up the HILL to Middleton Top.  High Peak Trail to Parsley Hay (100% flat - railway line was built for horse-powered operation).  Tissington Trail to Ashbourne (Has to be experienced on a 'bent.  Drops 200m in 20km, with terrified pedestrians and other cyclists leaping for the verges.  Bring an airzound.  Or two.)  Late Lunch stop in Ashbourne.  Minor road route back to Derby.  80km round trip, with another 8km each way from campsite to Derby and back

That's a nice ride, I regularly rode almost identical routes on my recumbent when I lived in the area (Challenge Taifun). Lovely Derbyshire views from the two trails and the back roads home to Derby from Ashbourne are nice too, if a teeny bit lumpy in places. You could pootle through the many nice villages to the west of the Ashbourne to Derby A6, like Osmaston, which is very picturesque.

The only ball ache with the High Peak Trail is that there are quite a lot of gates which require a stop/dismount to open them and get through. You'll be able to mitigate  this in a group though, taking turns to nip ahead and open up in advance of the main peleton.

You're right that you'll need to apply a bit of caution when coming down the Tissington on a summer weekend, there will be a lot of families with small wobbly children that will need your courtesy.

I've cycled down it on a late evening when it was deserted, and with some welly you can HURTLE those miles, it's a lot of fun.  

The Manifold Trail is also very close by, and equally good for incorporating into routes around that little bit of the world (it's west of the Tissington, also running north/south).

[rogerzilla]

I reckon one of you should take a 'bent down from Killhope Cross into Nenthead.  That has to be the most lethally fast road descent in England.

[Mr Larrington]

I reckon one of you should take a 'bent down from Killhope Cross into Nenthead.  That has to be the most lethally fast road descent in England.

I have.  64.5 mph. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The road has got a lot rougher since I did that; the last time I was there I only got 51, albeit with an additional wheel and lacking a knosecone.

[jogler]

I reckon one of you should take a 'bent down from Killhope Cross into Nenthead.  That has to be the most lethally fast road descent in England.

I have.  64.5 mph. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The road has got a lot rougher since I did that; the last time I was there I only got 51, albeit with an additional wheel and lacking a knosecone.

SMIDSY or NHS?

[Beardy]

I have.  64.5 mph. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The road has got a lot rougher since I did that; the last time I was there I only got 51, albeit with an additional wheel and lacking a knosecone.

I read that as lacking a nosense. i.e. you'd gained some sense since you did the 64.5mph wee wee
Dyslexia can provide the odd titter now and then

[rower40]

Thread Bump.

See here for more steamy preserved-railway goodness.   On weekends after 9th April, there are trains covering about 1/6 of the suggested route - Duffield to Wirksworth.  But the first train isn't until 1110, getting to Ravenstor at 1200, which would put all the timings for Middleton Top, Parsley Hay and Ashbourne back by quite a bit.

On the other hand, it would mean that riders from That London would have time to travel on East Midlands Trains, meet up at Derby station at 10am for a group ride to Duffield (warning - main road (A6) alert!).

Any objections to Saturday 16th April? Their first weekend might be a bit chaotic if lots of 'bents turn up; and the following weekends are Easter and MayDay/Royal Wedding.

If I get some idea of numbers, I'll get in touch with the railway co, and see what they can provide in the way of sensible guards' vans.  (Or even vans for sensible guards.)

Please to reply to this thread, or PM me, if registering interest in this.  Scrub the camping suggestion; out-n-back in the day, starting at Derby station at 10am.  Finish back there at 6pm very approximately.

[jogler]

16th  fits nicely with other things I have planned for April  

[tonycollinet]

Would have been up for that, but 16th am flying to USA.