Dunwich Dynamo, 13th July 2019

[grams]

Because being shouted at by drunks in Epping is part of the tradition.

There are far more riders than can reasonably be accommodated by the Lea Bridge Road cycle track (or more specifically, the amount of green time it gets at junctions), so the road being closed to traffic would still be excellent.

[Kim]

Because being shouted at by drunks in Epping is part of the tradition.

Indeed.  I don't recall Epping being particularly unpleasant in any other sense (the bad driving seems to mostly happen on Lea Bridge Road), and there's a safety-in-numbers effect.  The main hazard seems to be unpredictable behaviour by other cyclists.

There are all sorts of ways you could improve the Dunwich Dynamo (changing the destination to somewhere vaguely practical, for a start), but then it wouldn't be the same ride.

[Jurek]

Also, downstream in the Lea Bridge Road area, much of this is on my daily commute, and Waltham Forest Council have blown several decade's budget on quality cycle facilities.
On the Lea Bridge Road cycle path, once you've passed the ice rink, and before you get to the cyclist/pedestrian bridge, just beyond the digital-laser (I kid you not) cyclist counter display, turn left and cross Walthamstow Marshes using the tarmac'd path (Unless you are riding in a group, don't do this after dark - it is unlit, and is known for attracting aggro).On the plus side, this is the part of my commute where I get to see horses, cows and all manner of water-fowl - which isn't bad when you consider that all of my commute is within London postcodes.
At the end of the path, go through the car-park and turn right onto the traffic-free Coppermill Lane.
Take your first left onto Edward Road.
At the end of Edward Road turn left, and turn right at the lights by Blackhorse Lane Tube Station.
From the point where I started to describe this route, this is the first time you'll encounter anything like traffic.
Follow this, the A503/ Forest Road all the way to the end, where you'll re-join the traditional Dun-Run route at the big roundabout which crosses the North Circ - the one with a cattle grid as you exit it.

[Jurek]

Because being shouted at by drunks in Epping is part of the tradition.

There are far more riders than can reasonably be accommodated by the Lea Bridge Road cycle track(or more specifically, the amount of green time it gets at junctions), so the road being closed to traffic would still be excellent.

My bold.
Fair point

[Wowbagger]

I was just about to say the same.

I can't understand why the Dunwich Dynamo goes through Epping Forest.  For my recent London to Cambridge FNRttC, I went through Chigwell, past Stapleford Airfield, and then up to Moreton, and then points north.  Much nicer and with the added bonus of no traffic.

That is a very neat way to get to Moreton. Adds a little distance but probably loses some climbing.

[Jurek]

Because being shouted at by drunks in Epping is part of the tradition.

Indeed.  I don't recall Epping being particularly unpleasant in any other sense (the bad driving seems to mostly happen on Lea Bridge Road), and there's a safety-in-numbers effect.  The main hazard seems to be unpredictable behaviour by other cyclists.

There are all sorts of ways you could improve the Dunwich Dynamo (changing the destination to somewhere vaguely practical, for a start), but then it wouldn't be the same ride.

My bold
I think that is key.
Part of the charm is the 'struggle' to ride 112 miles in the night.
Another part of the charm is to get yourself home from the middle of nowhere (with the public transport odds stacked against you) the following morning.

[rogerzilla]

Sime of Sam Walker's best work here:

https://youtu.be/wpdwL74_4Qw

[robgul]

Sime of Sam Walker's best work here:

https://youtu.be/wpdwL74_4Qw

Brilliant - have to say I always thought Sam/Scott's (whatever he called himself way back when) writings and ramblings were crap - but the film is really clever.

Rob

[robgul]

I rode the standard - Leyton - Woodford - Buckhurst Hill - Epping - North Weald etc route back in 2003 (with a group from the old Cycling Plus Forum days - IIRC it included Charlotte, The Pikes, Nutty, Fatbloke, Chuffy, Baggy, Ravenbait and others too numerous to mention)

- BUT have to say if I was doing it again I'd head off to the east of the B?? (i.e. the old A11) at Woodford Green and go via Chigwell and Abridge and past Stapleford airfield to Passingford Bridge and to Ongar to join the usual route.

My youth was spent living at Buckhurst Hill and cycling many a mile in the area I am suggesting - in those days the main Epping road wasn't busy at all and Epping itself was pretty quiet in the evenings.   TOWIE has a lot to answer for in that area of the county :-(

Rob

[grams]

If you see someone riding this contraption, or more likely puzzling over it with a soldering iron and a multimeter, do say hello.

[darkpoint]

I am planning on joining the ride tomorrow, but haven't sorted out how I am getting home.  I was hoping to get the train back from Ipswich, but see I have missed the cut off for the booking system for that.

Will play it by ear and see what happens.  Will look out for you lot.

[Wowbagger]

I am planning on joining the ride tomorrow, but haven't sorted out how I am getting home.  I was hoping to get the train back from Ipswich, but see I have missed the cut off for the booking system for that.

Will play it by ear and see what happens.  Will look out for you lot.

My stoker (NOTP) has a ticket for the bus but no bike to take back. I cannot speak for him but you may be able to negotiate something if you find us at London Fields. If things go true to form we will be drinking beer from the Pub in the Park and possibly consuming chow mein from the Vietnamese restaurant round the corner. We are meeting at Lpoo St at 5.40 is so hope to be at London Fields soon after 6.

[quixoticgeek]

If you see someone riding this contraption, or more likely puzzling over it with a soldering iron and a multimeter, do say hello.

Pretty, but is that road legal?

J

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Does that matter? The vast majority of riders will have illegal lighting.

[quixoticgeek]

Does that matter? The vast majority of riders will have illegal lighting.

Most bike lights, by the letter of the law are illegal, as they do not meet BS6102/3, or equivalent EU standard (i.e. Stvzo). This is well known, and it is usually accepted that most police a) don't know this b) don't care. But where a is not true, for b to be true, the lights have to be sufficiently non obnoxious, and generally of the right colour. Some grumpy cops may feel that the blue, and green lights, being colours that are reserved for specific vehicles under UK traffic laws (Emergency services (Police, Fire, Ambulance, Bomb Disposal, mountain rescue etc...), and Doctors, respectively). As such having flashing lights in those colours may cross the line upon which b is no longer true, and thus problem arises.

So, at risk of me having yet another rant at someone on a forum suggesting answering my question with "does it matter?" or words to that effect. Yes it does fucking matter, else I wouldn't ask it in the first place. I am curious, thus I ask, thus it matters to me. You may not have any interest in the information that may be gained from the asking of such a question, that's fine, go ride your bike and leave those of an inquisitive disposition to ask questions we would like to ask.

J

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The lighting isn't legal, as you knew when you asked the question. Why ask it?

[Kim]

I've seen plenty of people use multi-coloured auxiliary lighting (flashing valve caps, disco clothing, electrolumiescent wheel wire, glow sticks, Christmas lights, GPS-controlled LED pacman characters, etc) in the presence of police on night rides, winter Critical Mass and general riding around town without any kind of issue.  As ever, having reasonably compliant primary lighting and - crucially - not doing anything the police might have a more serious reason to object to, seems to suffice.

I suspect if you asked the average British police officer, they'd just be glad you were lit.

[quixoticgeek]

The lighting isn't legal, as you knew when you asked the question. Why ask it?

"Yeah, in this party mode it's not road legal, which is why I press this switch here, and on the road, it exhibits this behaviour, which while by the letter of the law is not legal, no cop is going to nick me for it. But for messing around off the road, at the start and finish, it looks cool, and it means you can find me!"

or

"wait, what, shit, hadn't realised that, thanks for the heads up"

You knew that the asking of the question mattered to me, why did you ask if it matters?

I've seen plenty of people use multi-coloured auxiliary lighting (flashing valve caps, disco clothing, electrolumiescent wheel wire, glow sticks, Christmas lights, LED pacman characters, etc) in the presence of police on night rides and winter Critical Mass without any kind of issue.  As ever, having reasonably compliant primary lighting and - crucially - not doing anything the police might have a more serious reason to object to, seems to suffice.

I suspect if you asked the average British police officer, they'd just be glad you were lit.

As with many things it's context. Ride down the embankment cycle lane on your own light up like a rainbow, and the police are likely to suggest your should perhaps try to be closer to the letter of the law. Turn up with 40 friends, and then they are going to just keep an eye on you to make sure you're having a good time and not about to start a riot. Aka, critical mass... But won't care. Context matters.

I know one UK based owner of a Bakfiets, who has fancy lighting on it, but has made a point of not using Blue when on the road, so as to not attract unwanted attention.

J

[Kim]

On the odd occasion I've strung random decorative lights from my bikes, I've either stuck to something on the orange/yellow/warm-white spectrum or white-front red-rear, with this in mind, but I think that's mostly paranoia. 

The blue-means-emergency convention pretty much broke when early 'white' LEDs became available.  Now half the cars on the road (and more than half the bikes) have headlights that might pass for an emergency vehicle in a brief glimpse in a mirror.  And nobody gives a shit about green.  After a near-miss with a numpty in a canal tunnel, I do think that keeping red and white at the appropriate ends of your vehicle is prudent (even if my own ability to discriminate the colour of point sources of light has been demonstrated using SCIENCE^[1] to be no better than random guesswork)...

Of course, this is BRITIAN I'm talking about.  Attitudes and practice will vary.



_{[1] I participated in a colour vision research study when I was a PSO.}

[quixoticgeek]

On the odd occasion I've strung random decorative lights from my bikes, I've either stuck to something on the orange/yellow/warm-white spectrum with this in mind, but I think that's mostly paranoia.

The blue-means-emergency convention pretty much broke when early 'white' LEDs became available.  Now half the cars on the road (and more than half the bikes) have headlights that might pass for an emergency vehicle in a brief glimpse in a mirror.  And nobody gives a shit about green.  After a near-miss with a numpty in a canal tunnel, I do think that keeping red and white at the appropriate ends of your vehicle is prudent...

Round these parts, getting the colours the right way round is something the cops care about. And they care about an absence of lighting, for about 1 week, in September...

When I used to drive a delivery van into central London everyday, I particularly hated the run up to xmas and all the blue xmas lights. I kept thinking there were emergency vehicles everywhere, but it was just the lights in front of that house catching my mirrors...

J

[grams]

As with many things it's context. Ride down the embankment cycle lane on your own light up like a rainbow, and the police are likely to suggest your should perhaps try to be closer to the letter of the law.

The police are most likely to be entirely absent due to budget cuts. The kind of police that might have time to stop for a friendly chat with about correct bicycle illumination just don't exist here anymore.

[Kim]

Disclaimer that I have a colourblind person's general apathy towards processing colour, but IME it's the flashing that's far more distracting.  Either by passably mimicking an emergency vehicle, or just something that subconsciously draws your attention to a tree or shop window when you'd rather use it for something else.

And then there are the baraktas of this world, who can have serious medical consequences from exposure to such things.  Christmas lights have become an oppressive migraine hell for her, between the capacitive droppers, the PWM and the deliberate low-frequency flashing.

(Incidentally, at least one of the FNRttC regulars has some sort of powerful front light that PWMs in the hundred hertz range.  I've noticed every blade of grass, pebble, etc, doing an imitation of the warp drive engaging when they come up behind me.  Who thought that was a good idea?)

[damerell]

I got in a little pre-DunRun training by leaving my keys at a friend's house and hence making a stupid round trip in the dark and the rain.

I did, however, get a replacement bit from my pump from Rutland Cycles in Cambridge (who I said I'd recommend, because they dug the damn thing up out of a mystery box of bits and wouldn't take my money), so I'm basically good to go.

[Kim]

I'm basically ready (just need to pump up tyres and suspension and make some sandwiches and stuff), and thanks to a combination of heat, burglar alarms, car alarms, smoke alarms, barakta thrashing and some bastard with the world's loudest strimmer, starting from a state of not enough sleep.  I expect tomorrow morning will be hard going.

[zigzag]

got my bike equipped for this, should be at london fields at 8pm for 9-ish pm start