Author Topic: ACME Miscellany  (Read 517760 times)

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3425 on: 18 December, 2018, 12:12:13 pm »
 ;D It won't be me. I think my plan would be to ride in for ~5 or 6am have breakfast, Cycle Super Highway to the City for a little bit of Tourist type riding then a train home from Liverpool street.

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3426 on: 18 December, 2018, 12:42:09 pm »
Yep, it's got potential, an early in is preferable from my experience of cycling across London. Fully recommend the train to escape metropolitan Essex on the way back :)
Regards,

Joergen

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3427 on: 18 December, 2018, 01:15:52 pm »
If the date fits then I'd be interested. Obviously I'd need to link up somewhere on route.

For the return route I would stick to the Lea Valley path, so away from traffic.

Eddington: 133 miles    Max square: 43x43

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3428 on: 25 December, 2018, 05:26:41 pm »


     Merry Christmas to All Our ACME Chums!

     ACME cloth badges: one free per member, £1 each for extras. I shall be carrying a stash in my saddlebag, but if you can't wait until I see you, I will post for the price of a stamp.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3429 on: 25 December, 2018, 05:42:51 pm »
Tomsk, could you bring a stash to Epiphany?

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3430 on: 25 December, 2018, 05:45:42 pm »
Tomsk, could you bring a stash to Epiphany?

Yup, ok!  :thumbsup:

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3431 on: 25 December, 2018, 06:25:03 pm »
Brill thanks Santa Tomsk!
Regards,

Joergen

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3432 on: 01 January, 2019, 08:27:16 am »
Happy New Year ACME and YACF chums  :-* :thumbsup:

See you on Saturday  :thumbsup:


Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3433 on: 01 January, 2019, 08:57:05 am »
 :-*

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3434 on: 07 January, 2019, 10:00:35 pm »
Just finished my holiday reading: 'Why We Sleep. [The New Science of Sleep and Dreams]' by Matthew Walker. A wide ranging survey of all aspects of sleep in relation to mental and physical health, childhood and adolescent brain development, work, ageing etc etc. Quite technical, but written for the general reader, as well as the medically trained and with clear explanations and illustrations. Some very pertinent stuff on sleep deprivation [in relation to shift work, long haul airline pilots and so on] relevant to Audax riders.

If anyone is interested I'll happily lend it.

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3435 on: 17 January, 2019, 10:39:10 am »
Morning All, Colchester Bike Kitchen have arranged a Bike Jumble for the 23rd Feb up at ReCycle in Wormingford. Buying and selling opportunities available and I suspect there will be some good stuff available.

https://colchesterbikekitchen.org.uk/jumble/

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3436 on: 17 January, 2019, 11:27:07 am »
Morning All, Colchester Bike Kitchen have arranged a Bike Jumble for the 23rd Feb up at ReCycle in Wormingford. Buying and selling opportunities available and I suspect there will be some good stuff available.

https://colchesterbikekitchen.org.uk/jumble/

I'm interested in taking a table - it'll motivate me to have a bit of a bike shed clear-out. If anyone has odd items that wouldn't warrant their own table, I'd be happy to sell stuff for them.

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3437 on: 17 January, 2019, 12:53:34 pm »
I'm interested in taking a table - it'll motivate me to have a bit of a bike shed clear-out. If anyone has odd items that wouldn't warrant their own table, I'd be happy to sell stuff for them.

Yes please  :thumbsup:

I've got a few new/little used items that could do with a new home. Happy to share costs. Is there a size limit if I drop things off with you ... ie will you be driving there or cycling? Two potential items I have are a Park Tools stand and a Tacx turbo trainer.

Eddington: 133 miles    Max square: 43x43

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3438 on: 18 January, 2019, 09:51:35 am »
Table booked  :thumbsup:

I'll be taking  a car-load to the jumble.

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3439 on: 07 February, 2019, 10:49:29 am »
Welcome to MEMWNS central.

It was a new venue for the MEMWNS collective last night.  The Cross Keys at White Notley was picked after triangulating the starting points of all our regular members, uploading the Essex CAMRA guide and merging our strava heat maps before feeding the results into the patent ACME locateapubivator.  Or possibly just picking somewhere almost exactly half way between Stortford and Mersea.  Whatever, it was a nice pub and we were made very welcome.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for the weather.  It is a truism that it rains far less than we think and we do tend to be fairly lucky on Wednesdays but last night was fairly grim in the end, anyway more of that later.

It was just starting to rain/sleet heavily when I arrived at the Cross Keys to find OD, Huggy, the Hustler, Hotblack, Toby's Dad, Tokyo Sex Whale, Baron Adonis, Tomsk, Flóki Vilgerðarson and a nice warm fire.  We were soon joined by Bruce who is more used to the heat of the outback than a cold and wet Essex night.

We sampled Dirty Rucker by Wadsworth, Adnams and the ever excellent Oscar Wilde Mild which duly took the coveted Quaffers' Choice Award.

It is possible that those at the far end of the L-shaped table were discussing matters of great import such as Audax points and their favourite AAA rides but we had OD at our end of the table so were discussing the best weatherproof guyliner for improved cycling selfies, the eighth wonder of the world that is some juniper berries in a glass of G&T and the patriarchical ideology behind the phallic symbolism of PBP.  All this was rather distracting me from my actual mission to make a last ditch effort to persuade Huggy to come to France in August and tow/guide me round.  At one point I thought he was about 25/75 in favour but I think that has now slipped back again.  Thanks OD, I will blame any issues I have over there whilst relying on the Strangler's old school navigation skills on you.

At some point, having consulted his rain radar or some seaweed or just being sensible, Adonis crept off with Toby's Dad.  Apparently they managed to find a weather window and reached home before the rain came down.  I feel unable to express how pleased I am for them.

As ever, I was coerced into staying for another by Tokyo and Hotblack - if only to smirk at OD enjoying his sherry.  By the time we left the wind was starting to pick up but it was dry.  That lasted about ten minutes.  By Silver End I was riding into a wall of sleety rain.  It was one of those windy nights where even when it is behind you it is still against you as it howls around the hedgerows.  The last few miles to my offshore lair were ridden at a snail's pace (ie my usual speed but with much more effort) right into the wind, a particular highlight being the open section on the Strood just after 1am where it must have been hitting 40 plus right into my face with added rain for good measure.  Even after hot chocolate and watching the football, it still took a good half hour in bed to get remotely warm. 

All this will just make the summer evenings all the more enjoyable.





The pleasure of pain endured
To purify our misfit ways

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3440 on: 07 February, 2019, 12:52:15 pm »
Table booked  :thumbsup:

I'll be taking  a car-load to the jumble.
:thumbsup:

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3441 on: 07 February, 2019, 08:49:00 pm »
I have discover the epitome of bliss: sitting in your nice warm caravan somewhere in Norfolk reading one of ted’s carefully honed MEMWNS ride reports. Bliss.

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3442 on: 11 February, 2019, 04:06:44 pm »
Folks, just to check, other than myself and GS is anyone else in for the BCM this year? We're just discussing travel and accommodation.

the straggler

  • ACME Award Recipient & ROTY 2021
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3443 on: 12 February, 2019, 08:28:23 pm »
Me.  I have got Fri afternoon and Mon off work, but have not booked anything else. Would welcome an opportunity to join along with travel and accommodation if it fits in with your plans.
CCS - Setting the Standards

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3444 on: 13 February, 2019, 08:32:41 am »
Sent you a PM Straggler!

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3445 on: 14 February, 2019, 01:24:19 pm »
Love is in the air.

It was the MEMWNS valentine's special last night. I say that but neither of our pairs of newly weds managed to make it.  At least we had Bruce and Sheila who took the opportunity to have a mid-ride candlelit dinner for three (Jiber taking the role of third wheel).  After all, nothing quite says "I love you" like a winter 200k DIY followed by watching Jiber inhale a burger and chips.

In fairness Stanners also made the effort to catch up with his Nick but whoever said that absence makes the heart grow fonder may have missed the mark here.  They sat at different tables and barely said a word, maybe that's just how they roll.

It was a lovely mild ride over to the Hurdlemakers.  I even added some gratuitous kms it was so pleasant.  Somehow I managed to arrive on time for once so was finally able to check that the Witham peloton don't just rock up at 8.30 and start sampling.  As well as the three diners, Stanners and Nik's Nick, we had Tomsk, the Hustler, Huggy, Hotblack, Oaky, Albert Steptoe and Alexander Smollett.

Huggy looked even more doddery than usual as we entered the pub.  Not content with measuring the specific gravity of his homebrew, he had decided to extend his experiments with gravity to bike riding but had failed to avoid the ground when the inevitable happened.  Apparently Smollett had tried his best to fall over on the same patch of diesel but, for once, had managed to stay upright.

We sampled Mortal Wombat by Elgood, Shalford's Mild, Sagger Maker by Mighty Oak and Virtue by Bishop Nick. Shalford's Mild took the coveted Quaffers' Choice Award but only after some controversy with at least one judge opting to stick with that brew rather than sample the equally excellent Virtue.  The terms of reference for the QCA sub-committee are now being reviewed and a consultation paper will be circulated in due course.

It was difficult to keep up with the conversations across the three tables but there seemed to be more audaxy chat than usual with various wild rides under discussion and, inevitably, PBP.  Huggy is still keeping his choice of start group close to his chest but everyone else seems to be going with 90 hours.  All that remains now (apart from the small matters of qualifying and achieving some fitness) is to ensure that the Hustler is not talked into riding fixed - it will be that much harder to draft behind him for 1211km if he does.

For a mild night it was bloody cold when we left the pub and it didn't warm up as I headed back to the coast but I would take a night like that in February any time. 

The pleasure of pain endured
To purify our misfit ways

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3446 on: 14 February, 2019, 01:38:55 pm »
13 was a good turnout, and another lady  :thumbsup:

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3447 on: 15 February, 2019, 10:07:07 am »
It was reasonably inconvenient that other people decided to sit in the same part of the pub as us and therefore restrict furniture rearrangement for a more social seating set up.

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3448 on: 19 February, 2019, 02:47:48 pm »
Roll call for August - when is everyone starting after yesterday evening's switches ?

The Hustler and I are both 18.15 and the Strangler is 19.15.
The pleasure of pain endured
To purify our misfit ways

Re: ACME Miscellany
« Reply #3449 on: 19 February, 2019, 03:19:27 pm »
I am still 18:00 (decided to let the hares go first)

Psyclist is now 18:15

So if I am at the back of the field and you guys are at the front of yours we should be fairly close together

Roll call for August - when is everyone starting after yesterday evening's switches ?

The Hustler and I are both 18.15 and the Strangler is 19.15.
Proving ambition is undone by ability since 1958...