Author Topic: [LEL17] Last minute shopping (Read 4883 times)

Ivo · « **on:** 20 June, 2017, 03:56:27 pm »

Since many of us had a long trip before arriving in London and various luggage limitations some last minute shopping will be needed. Just to avoid a lot of time loss, it might be handy when people post what they still need to buy after arriving so those in the know can point everyone to the right shop.

Ivo · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 June, 2017, 03:59:45 pm »

I'll start with a practical camping piece of kit, a gas bottle. Prohibited on planes and the Eurostar so at least I'll have to buy one before my first dinner at the Debden house campsite.
Does anyone know a good place to buy them near Debden house or near St. Pancras railwaystation?

mmmmartin · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 June, 2017, 11:03:21 pm »

Any camping shop: Cotswold, Millets or Blacks are the main brands.
Neat the start you can get them from Halfords, which is a motoring store that sells low-end bikes and camping kit:
http://www.halfords.com/camping-leisure/camping/camping-cooking-equipment/coleman-c500-gas-cartridge
you can "click and collect"

Debden House campsite website shows no sign of selling gas cylinders.

This thread is a good idea.

alotronic · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 June, 2017, 11:41:08 pm »

I live twixt KX and Debden, and there are a few camping or halfords stores twixt KX and Debden Camp:

There is a Cotswolds in Islington: 116-118 Islington High St, London N1 8EG will google it. Which is less than ten minutes from KX, otherwise there is a big Halfords at Tottenham Hale Retail Park which will do the trick for camping gear and gas: Tottenham Hale Retail Park, Broad Ln, Tottenham N15 4QD. There is also another Halfords on the North Circular (A406) about 15 minutes ride from the Tottenham one if that doesn't work - an easy ride up the canal. Finally there is also a Army Surplus shop in the Walthamstow High St which sells a range of things - it's called Eastmans. Good if you want to go duck shooting I think, but will have gas and camping bits and pieces.

A

Ivo · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 June, 2017, 06:17:50 am »

Thanks, added a waypoint for one of the Halfords shops, right on my planned route from St. Pancras to Debden House.

mmmmartin · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 June, 2017, 01:32:17 pm »

Anyone else have such a question?

The French Tandem · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 June, 2017, 08:03:44 pm »

Not a question, since we will be in Barnard Castle this time, but some of you might be interested to know that you can have a very decent breakfast at the Debden house campsite. You can also buy there basic commodities like toothbrushes and toothpaste.

eck · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 June, 2017, 08:36:57 pm »

Quote from: The French Tandem on 21 June, 2017, 08:03:44 pm

Not a question, since we will be in Barnard Castle this time, but some of you might be interested to know that you can have a very decent breakfast at the Debden house campsite. You can also buy there basic commodities like toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Do they have a cafe then, or did you mean they have a decent shop on site? The website just mentions "hot and cold" vending machines. Thanks

The French Tandem · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 June, 2017, 08:45:29 pm »

In 2013, there was a real shop where you could buy all sorts of things, and a cafe which served basic but decent food. Have this changed in the mean time, I don't know.

Edit: If you are really hungry/thirsty, there's a Whetherspoon's pub half a mile from the campsite.

john jackson · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 June, 2017, 01:12:18 pm »

Halfords in Loughton
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/''/camping+shops+loughton/@51.6584606,0.0455642,14z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8a1aec505beed:0x29025538e612f029!2m2!1d0.0554184!2d51.6474216

It will have bike spares

Also Nomad Camping 157 High Road
Loughton, Essex, IG10 4LF https://www.localstore.co.uk/store/730060/nomad/loughton/

cygnet · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 June, 2017, 01:23:43 pm »

Quote from: john jackson on 23 June, 2017, 01:12:18 pm

Also Nomad Camping 157 High Road
Loughton, Essex, IG10 4LF https://www.localstore.co.uk/store/730060/nomad/loughton/

This one is closed.
There is one on Turnpike Lane which is 'sort of' in the right direction

alotronic · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 June, 2017, 02:02:57 pm »

Rode back through Loughton last night and can confirm there is a Halfords Metro on the High Street. It had bikes in the window, so probably good for basics in the way Halfords are.

Also made a quick list of places to eat: Starbucks, Nero, Costa and Nandos, Pizza Express plus a couple of take away places and some higher end actual restaurants should that appeal. Plus supermarkets etc.

Redlight · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 July, 2017, 07:49:26 pm »

Thought I'd get the bike fully serviced since there's a couple of weeks to go and I don't plan any long rides between now and then. I knew there might be a few adjustments needed as it's had a lot of hard riding of late and I'd noticed the occasional fluffed gear change and some odd creaks here and there.

The verdict:

Chainrings - very worn
Chain - sagging
Cassette - lots of worn teeth
Shifters - on their last legs
Bottom bracket - creaking

and so on.

So, on the bright side, I'll have a brand new groupset for LEL. On the downside, I won't have much time to get used to it and I am dreading seeing the final bill

Somnolent · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 July, 2017, 09:45:29 pm »

A familiar sound to that tale !
I knew I'd need new chain & cassette in the weeks leading up, but when I fitted & test rode I got a lot of noisy slippage, which I eventually diagnosed as down to a worn chain ring.
Luckily the shifters & mechs are still OK.

Just need to finish up the rim transplant on the dyno front and the bike is ready (well readier than the legs, anyway)

Redlight · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 July, 2017, 10:49:25 am »

Quote from: Somnolent on 12 July, 2017, 09:45:29 pm

A familiar sound to that tale !
I knew I'd need new chain & cassette in the weeks leading up, but when I fitted & test rode I got a lot of noisy slippage, which I eventually diagnosed as down to a worn chain ring.
Luckily the shifters & mechs are still OK.

Yes - similarly, I knew that my 12 year-old shifters were reaching the end of their life but I was hoping to get through one more season with them because (I am told) replacements that would have been compatible with the rest of the groupset aren't made any more and I was putting off the decision and expense of replacing the whole lot.

However, once I started pricing up the individual items that needed immediate replacement, it soon became clear that not going for a complete change would be a false economy as the replacement parts would likely outlive the shifters. I'm switching from Campag to Shimano, so I'll have to get used to moving my hands differently to change down through the gears, but I'm hoping that not having to use my thumb to do that will help me avoid the pain that I suffered on my last LEL. At the end of that, my thumbs and associated muscles were so tender that I was having to use my wrist to change gear

inappropriate_bike · « **Reply #15 on:** 15 July, 2017, 10:41:31 pm »

New chain and cassette for me, too

I did my "final" bike check today and discovered that my garmin mount is slightly too short and interferes with my phone mount.

Off to Wiggle we go. If you add up the cost of all the bolts, adapters, mounts and extenders on my bike it might come to the cost of a new bike. (Quadlock, garmin, 3x lights, bottle cage widget...)

Thing2 · « **Reply #16 on:** 16 July, 2017, 02:47:42 am »

We only got our travel tandem back from the frame builder following a repair a couple of weeks ago. Since then the rear half has been resprayed. In chasing the threads for the bottom bracket, we discovered that the weld material had blocked the threads good and proper and they needed tapping. The repair also put the 2 halves of the frame out of alignment, so it's a bit of a struggle to get the s&s couplers done up. At some point we'll need to get it cold set properly. We also discovered incompatibility between SRAM and Shimano 11sp components which involved an emergency purchase of a di2 rear derailleur, and 2 cassettes. In total we tried 2 derailiers, 3 cassettes and 2 chains to get a reliable set up. Today, we actually managed a hilly 110km shakedown, so apart from new tires we should be ready to start breaking it apart for shipping!
It's been fun. Don't you just love tandems!

sizbut · « **Reply #17 on:** 16 July, 2017, 03:41:37 pm »

Nice discussion guys but maybe start a new thread on "How Worn Is My Bike" and return this one to last minute shopping help for overseas LEL participants.

αdαmsκι · « **Reply #18 on:** 16 July, 2017, 05:50:12 pm »

Quote from: Thing2 on 16 July, 2017, 02:47:42 am

so apart from new tires we should be ready to start breaking it apart for shipping!

Fingers crossed the it makes it to London with a bit more time to spare then what happened at PBP.

Bunker22 · « **Reply #19 on:** 16 July, 2017, 07:02:07 pm »

My last minute shop: a USB to 3.5mm jack cable so I can recharge the old iPod shuffle I found in a draw. Single ear headphone use only so I can still hear traffic.

Redlight · « **Reply #20 on:** 16 July, 2017, 08:32:02 pm »

Quote from: sizbut on 16 July, 2017, 03:41:37 pm

Nice discussion guys but maybe start a new thread on "How Worn Is My Bike" and return this one to last minute shopping help for overseas LEL participants.

Many threads in this forum drift off in other directions. Don't worry - I;m sure it will revert to OP as the 29th approaches

vorsprung · « **Reply #21 on:** 16 July, 2017, 09:28:52 pm »

Quote from: Redlight on 12 July, 2017, 07:49:26 pm

Thought I'd get the bike fully serviced since there's a couple of weeks to go and I don't plan any long rides between now and then. I knew there might be a few adjustments needed as it's had a lot of hard riding of late and I'd noticed the occasional fluffed gear change and some odd creaks here and there.

The verdict:

Chainrings - very worn
Chain - sagging
Cassette - lots of worn teeth
Shifters - on their last legs
Bottom bracket - creaking

oh come on what do you expect? These are just parts that wear out ( except maybe the shifters ) before a ride like LEL you probably should replace them all anyhow