How to gain experience of riding through the night.......... on a Friday

[LMT]

If I got a puncture I would not expect someone else to fix said puncture, even if they volunteered.

[Jurek]

Not everyone has your skillz, LMT
See also - 'Inclusive'

[Kim]

I think we going to have to agree to disagree, however your point about someone not wanting to fix thier own puncture speaks volumes about the calibre of some of the riders that you get on these rides. To get a puncture and then not want to fix said puncture is taking the piss.

I always thought it was more a case of the organisers preferring that puncture repair be done as quickly as possible, and therefore encouraging newbies (or users of decent tyres^[1]) to defer to experienced roadside fettlers with proven tools^[2] when in doubt.

That said, nobody is left behind, and so a lack of mechanical skills shouldn't be a bar to entry for the ride.  It's not an audax (and AFAIK, it's perfectly legitimate to ride audax in a group to share fettling tools/skills).


_{[1] I'm perfectly capable of repairing punctures, but not particularly quick at it, due to lack of practice.
[2] Which may include CO2 that you wouldn't normally bother with.}

[mmmmartin]

they have over the last couple of years attracted a lesser calibre of rider.

This is quite possible, and the bloke who started the club would be delighted at those words, I reckon. And those helping with the running of the club now would probably say: "Long may this continue."

if you are a serious cyclist get ready to do a lot of head shaking and chin stroking.

By all means go ahead, shaking and stroking. Feel free to mutter into beard, too. The rides start at midnight and arrive about 8am when the cafe opens: there's no point in going any faster to arrive at the coast any earlier. The arrival at the halfway stop needs to be at a pre-arranged time with the bloke opening up specially for us - hence there is sometimes the need for a spot of urgency with fettling mechanicals. You might find a pre-talced, slightly pre-inflated inner tube being inserted by three blokes who have worked as a team on this a lot together and then CO₂ used to get the back of the ride moving.
And LMT is quite correct: if you see yourself as "a serious cyclist" you might not be completely happy in a club where the whole point of going on a ride is to have a laugh with your mates. Although we had about half a dozen starting PBP this time, from the 80 hour start to the vedettes via the "normal" starts. Not all finished: then again, not all those in The Fridays who rode a 600k this year went to Paris. And LMT would be correct if he were not to regard them as "serious cyclists": I doubt they would see themselves as all that serious. Certainly not after refreshment had been taken.....

[Veloman]

^^^^^^^  Great posting!

[LMT]

they have over the last couple of years attracted a lesser calibre of rider.

This is quite possible, and the bloke who started the club would be delighted at those words, I reckon. And those helping with the running of the club now would probably say: "Long may this continue."

if you are a serious cyclist get ready to do a lot of head shaking and chin stroking.

By all means go ahead, shaking and stroking. Feel free to mutter into beard, too. The rides start at midnight and arrive about 8am when the cafe opens: there's no point in going any faster to arrive at the coast any earlier. The arrival at the halfway stop needs to be at a pre-arranged time with the bloke opening up specially for us - hence there is sometimes the need for a spot of urgency with fettling mechanicals. You might find a pre-talced, slightly pre-inflated inner tube being inserted by three blokes who have worked as a team on this a lot together and then CO₂ used to get the back of the ride moving.
And LMT is quite correct: if you see yourself as "a serious cyclist" you might not be completely happy in a club where the whole point of going on a ride is to have a laugh with your mates. Although we had about half a dozen starting PBP this time, from the 80 hour start to the vedettes via the "normal" starts. Not all finished: then again, not all those in The Fridays who rode a 600k this year went to Paris. And LMT would be correct if he were not to regard them as "serious cyclists": I doubt they would see themselves as all that serious. Certainly not after refreshment had been taken.....

Not quite sure where the above fits when I'm talking about some basic road craft riding in a group and knowing what to do with a pair of tyre levers. And those that see these things may shake their head, or stroke their chin.

And as you've mentioned it, do you consider yourself a serious cyclist having packed PBP at the 350k mark and then bemoaned the ride profile as 'boring'?

[Kim]

Not quite sure where the above fits when I'm talking about some basic road craft riding in a group and knowing what to do with a pair of tyre levers.

Where do you suggest that people learn such skills?

I reckon a cycling club would be good.  Maybe an inclusive one that's not too fast and welcoming to newbies...

[mattc]

And as you've mentioned it, do you consider yourself a serious cyclist having packed PBP at the 350k mark and then bemoaned the ride profile as 'boring'?

So true - no serious cyclist  quits a ride after anything less than 400km. I'm glad someone has finally come out and said this.

p.s. I prefer to not fix my own punctures. Sadly on many rides I do have to,  but this will change when I win the lottery and hire a 24x7 Kim...

[vorsprung]

And as you've mentioned it, do you consider yourself a serious cyclist having packed PBP at the 350k mark and then bemoaned the ride profile as 'boring'?

Do you consider yourself a serious troll?  You need to get some better lines

[mmmmartin]

do you consider yourself a serious cyclist

nope

[Adam]

Not quite sure where the above fits when I'm talking about some basic road craft riding in a group and knowing what to do with a pair of tyre levers. And those that see these things may shake their head, or stroke their chin.

At the end of the day, it's all about what sort of group or company you want to keep.  If you want to be with a bunch of mamils zooming around, fine.  But don't forget that some of us want to be more inclusive and attract all sorts of people, shapes and sizes, male, female and anything in between, to cycling.  And some of those people just won't have the confidence or skills to deal with issues with their bikes.  But if they know there will be someone available to do it for them, if they want, then that's going to make it more likely a less confident cyclist will decide to turn up and enjoy the ride.  Which is kind of the point with the FNRttC.

Having been involved in the FNRttC for 9 years I've seen people progress from hesitant cyclists who really struggled to do 60 miles and had to walk up Ditchling Beacon right from the base, to go on and buy better bikes and become stronger, more confident cyclists, able to zoom up hills but also help to encourage other people. And getting more people on bikes has to be a good thing.

[Adam]

If I got a puncture I would not expect someone else to fix said puncture, even if they volunteered.

And lots of punctures on a FNRttC are fixed by the person who actually got the puncture.  There's no restriction on someone fixing things if they've got the skills and tools to do it.

[Kim]

The one puncture I've had on a FNRttC was 10 minutes after I volunteered for TEC duty.   

[Jurek]

LMT, Adam has it on the above two posts....

[Adam]

The one puncture I've had on a FNRttC was 10 minutes after I volunteered for TEC duty.   

One TEC (not me) once got a puncture as we rolled away from Hyde Park Corner but before getting to the road!

[Martin]

I've not done a FRNTTC for a while but they were always great rides; always amazed that with such a big group and always waiting for a puncture to be fixed before the whole posse moves on they still keep a good schedule;

Helmets and hi-viz? why not? it's the middle of the night FFS, but entirely a personal choice

[Kim]

Most of the 'hi-vis' I see is cycling jackets, and probably selected for it's weather-repellent properties more than its optical ones.

[Hummers]

they have over the last couple of years attracted a lesser calibre of rider.

This is quite possible, and the bloke who started the club would be delighted at those words, I reckon. And those helping with the running of the club now would probably say: "Long may this continue."

if you are a serious cyclist get ready to do a lot of head shaking and chin stroking.

By all means go ahead, shaking and stroking. Feel free to mutter into beard, too. The rides start at midnight and arrive about 8am when the cafe opens: there's no point in going any faster to arrive at the coast any earlier. The arrival at the halfway stop needs to be at a pre-arranged time with the bloke opening up specially for us - hence there is sometimes the need for a spot of urgency with fettling mechanicals. You might find a pre-talced, slightly pre-inflated inner tube being inserted by three blokes who have worked as a team on this a lot together and then CO₂ used to get the back of the ride moving.
And LMT is quite correct: if you see yourself as "a serious cyclist" you might not be completely happy in a club where the whole point of going on a ride is to have a laugh with your mates. Although we had about half a dozen starting PBP this time, from the 80 hour start to the vedettes via the "normal" starts. Not all finished: then again, not all those in The Fridays who rode a 600k this year went to Paris. And LMT would be correct if he were not to regard them as "serious cyclists": I doubt they would see themselves as all that serious. Certainly not after refreshment had been taken.....

Not quite sure where the above fits when I'm talking about some basic road craft riding in a group and knowing what to do with a pair of tyre levers. And those that see these things may shake their head, or stroke their chin.

And as you've mentioned it, do you consider yourself a serious cyclist having packed PBP at the 350k mark and then bemoaned the ride profile as 'boring'?

Oh dear.

I don't think LMT sets out to be a Troll but has certainly mastered the knack of coming across as one.

As for the ride itself, I have not been on one for years but the FNRtTC experience always used to be a pleasurable mix of riding types and abilities - all out for a ride to the coast on a Friday night. It was good fun and well worth taking part in as long as you were prepared to wait for slower riders along the way.

I am surprised to see it promoted on YACF though as Simon Legg regarded YACF with a level of disdain. Is he not heading it up anymore?

H

[redfalo]

IMO and IME whilst these rides are very good, they have over the last couple of years attracted a lesser calibre of rider. By this I mean:-

i) The amount of times I've been, and have seen undertaking by other cyclists.

ii) The need to bring a Dinotte specced light to a group ride and have it on it's highest setting.

iii) The amount of 'dork discs/dinner plates', helmet wearers and hi-vis that I've seen on rides in the last couple of years has risen exponentially.

iv) The need for assistance to change an innertube.

Like I said, they are good rides, but if you are a serious cyclist get ready to do a lot of head shaking and chin stroking.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

i) The whole idea of the ride is to be as inclusive as possible, it is not a coincidence that some participants are less experienced. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

ii) As for road skills, PBP was much worse than any FNRttC. And many more riders wore high-viz! 

iii) Most people get get magic of the FNRttC, a few don't.

iv) please define "serious cyclist" for me

[martint235]

I once said in another place that I think the FNRttC has changed but then I think it probably had to evolve to cope with the popularity of it. It may also be that I've changed or that my expectations from a ride are now different. It does feel that it's becoming more regimented and "closed" to an extent but that could just be my perception.

That said, I owe a huge debt to the FNRttC and to the people I've met while riding with the Fridays. I can now do most of my own maintenance, I can ride 100 miles with relative ease and, perhaps most responsible for my change of perception of the ride, I completed LEL with all its encumbent pain. Without FNRttC, I would probably still think 30 miles was a long way to cycle.

[mmmmartin]

It may have been LMT with whom I spent some quite happy time chatting in the hotel before PBP and in the flesh he seemed a very nice chap indeed.

Hummers is correct: Simon is taking a well-earned break and understandably so. He started the club from scratch and a few years ago was planning, recce-ing and leading 14 rides a year plus a week's tour (John o Groats, Normandy) and a trip to northern France for a weekend. I suspect he was out of pocket on things such as CTC Affiliation fees etc. Simon's Little Helpers have stepped forward to take on the organisation and we'd like to continue the club in exactly the same mould.
The main method of communication with interested riders is email: there are 1,500 names on that list. Cycle Chat is favoured by some whereas YACF tends to be used by audaxers. Hence my OP.   

[mmmmartin]

It does feel that it's becoming more regimented and "closed"

Come along to the Reach For The Stars ride on December 28 and see if you still think that. 

[LEE]

Wrap up warmer than you would normally, maybe ride near the back (so you keep moving, albeit slowly) and enjoy the journey.

If "not serious cyclists" frustrate you, if non-technical cyclists frustrate you or just slow cyclists frustrate you, this may not be the ride for you.

Treat it as an opportunity to help people become, more serious, more technical and quicker.


I did a Brighton FNRTTC about 6 years ago, it was November, very wet, very slow and very cold..... oh yes.. and great fun.

[martint235]

It does feel that it's becoming more regimented and "closed"

Come along to the Reach For The Stars ride on December 28 and see if you still think that. 

It's on my list dependent on family and health things.

[Hummers]

Wrap up warmer than you would normally, maybe ride near the back (so you keep moving, albeit slowly) and enjoy the journey.

If "not serious cyclists" frustrate you, if non-technical cyclists frustrate you or just slow cyclists frustrate you, this may not be the ride for you.

Treat it as an opportunity to help people become, more serious, more technical and quicker.


I did a Brighton FNRTTC about 6 years ago, it was November, very wet, very slow and very cold..... oh yes.. and great fun.

I think that was the one I was on. It started spitting as we left London and was pissing down later in the night - and cold.

H