Don't worry I'm about to be carried off to the glue factory so I'm not going anywhere fast.
btw now Swingbing can't make it I guess I am taking over organising it. If you are running late or want to know anything let me know by email, its in my profile and I will be checking it on my phone a lot on the night.
bullring is fine for me, but which bit?
got a route in mind?
At the bull. No route in mind just hoping that everybody can think of a bit they want to ride and we sort of just make it up as we go.
I quite fancy this, done Coventry city centre before, but run out of bits to do far too quickly! Where's a good (cheap) place to park - no bikes on Chiltern trains until well after 7.30.....
I have a couple of places in mind...
What do you reckon about meeting at the bull and then riding to the top end of town via the places we could hit on the way back down... everywhere is up hill from the bull.
Bump for the daytime crowd, anybody else up for this?
Bumped again for lunch, come to Brum and ride some steps!
Here's a little inspiration for you boys:
if I was still in Brum I would be there. Have Fun!
Morning bump.
At the thought of clipped in face plants down concrete steps, I've just fitted flat pedals. Been for a spin, and totally had to relearn how to bunny hop properly.
Looking forward to it!
Gutted to be missing this now! Have a good ride, hope I can join you for the next one.
SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE A CAMERA - WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME PICS! 😀
I was thinking about taking the GoPro but I don't know if will be too dark for it to pick up anything.
I will take a camera/phone and try to get a few stills especially of the post ride German beers to make swingbing feel even worse. 😉
V666ern - Don't worry I've already thought about it, I'll being going for the low pov angle to make the stairs look mega steep
Hmm, I'm now thinking the body armour may have to come out. The full face is staying in the garage though, I'm not that scared...
I'm wearing my knee pads under my jeans, I'm not going to put my elbow pads on tho
I'm coming, I'll be on a white Five.
I'll throw my GoPro and DSLR in the bag and see how it goes. I sort of had in mind to do some sort of video but maybe over several rides to get enough good stuff.
🙂
I'm coming - any pointers to cheap parking?
Wimping out due to the lurgy 🙁
Ndg, There is plenty of street parking either at the top of town off 5 ways, in the jewlerry quarter or at the bottom near Digbeth. There is also a multi storey behind centenary square that is quite cheap.
Thanks!
The red carpark near the Mailbox is usually pretty good value as is the one above snow hill station. Passtherizla said he was parking at millenium point, don't know how much that is normally but its relatively quiet so might be worth a look.
Just wondering if anybody has thought about lights?
I'm thinking I might take a bar light but not bother with the helmet light. Not sure what to do.
I'm still coming if its dry...
and I don't have any lights.
Its forecast to be dry, don't be such a girl.
I will bring my spare one for you like normal.
I've got a cheap LED on the back and a bar light. Not sure about the helmet light, my instinct is it would be more use than the bar light so I may end up bringing both.
I was just going to run my normal bar/helmet light combo, you don't [u]have[/u] to turn them on!
managed to convince another Godiva Trailrider to come. Unfortunately his Fat bikes in bits at the moment, oh well. I'll be on a blue %, he'll be on a Superfly I think.
A fatbike would be great on stairs. Probably not so good when trying to jump tho.
Just dropped my frame off to get welded. Getting it back around 5 or 6 so if I can get it built up in time I'll come for a ride! Won't be doing any 5ft drops though!
I_Ache, ygm.
It's not looking good for me at the moment, something has come up at work and I doubt I can get home and back out again in time.
If I can I'll be there for 7:30pm, but don't wait for me if not. 🙁
composite - if you email me I'll give you my number and you can catch up if you like.
Train was early I wasn't. I will be there just after 7:30.
Sorry all, got buried in a new contract and have only just surfaced for air. Bit of a bgger for me at the moment as working in Cheltenham, but I've got to do those mailbox escalators now I've publicly put them out there.
Hope you had a good one tonight. Assuming you survived/didn't end up in prison, can we arrange another one?
Cheers for the ride last night guys, I had a great time.
Inspired by swingbings 100m wheelies and lunge's wheel hops I'll be down the skatepark practicing for the next ride!
And that big multistorey carpark would make an interesting strava run 😉
we need to get to the top of snow hill next time.... there are open plan stair cases on every floor. A lot of the stuff worth riding has been covered up by the German market monstrosity.
Glad to hear it was a success, I was very disappointed I couldn't make it. I had been really looking forward to it as my last 4 rides have been aborted for various reasons.
I have a new plan for the next one of taking the right bike to work and just hanging round there until meeting time.
I can do Tuesday or Thursday next week if any one is up for it?
yeah the ramp is closed next week stil so should be available for another ride.
Cracking fun last night, really enjoyed it, we certainly need to do it again for no other wrap than I_ache owes me a pint!
I'm still not convinced the mailbox is on but the spiral stairs on the edge of the Bull Ring certainly are.
We'd need to creep into the mailbox from the canal end and just do it... its the only way I tells ya!
There was no escalator rides last night but I think everybody had fun.
That spiral staircase at the bullring needs to be ridden. There must be over 100 steps, looks like a proper challenge.
Lunge I'm not quite sure how buying a round passed me by but it is definitely my round first next time.
I am uploading the video from the Brunel St car park now. Totally unedited so excuse the excess bits.
One thing is for sure, the GoPro doesn't like the dark 🙁
what spiral stair case? was thsi after I went home?
Here you go guys.
The staircase in here, you were with us.
[img] 
[/img]
ah I was in front leading the way so must have missed that bit... the entrabce is next to superfi isnt it?
Hahah brilliant, doubly disappointed I missed it now.
I had that spiral stair case in mind as well but it's a bit tight if you meet someone coming the other way!
The GoPro didn't look to bad in the dark. If we were going to session any bits that are worth filming I have a fast lens for my Canon which would do the job in the dark.
How busy still was town at that time?
pretty busy because of the german market, this year its running from the ICC all the way to the bullring. A lot of the good stuff is not accessible.
That staircase is wide compared to the one swingbing tried to get down, that was a proper spiral staircase.
Composite we were talking about doing the ride once a month or so, trying to make it a regular thing. The more we go the more stuff we will find.
Love that 🙂 See you next time.
Like the fact you can hear your heart rate going up on the vid!
Good ride all, we're definitely up for another, and quite a few others from Godiva seem interested too, particularly in the bull ring spiral stair case....
Have a look on google earth the carpark at 5 ways is massive, there are at least 11 floors!
Take a guess what rear hub I have.
That was the most fun I've had on a Thursday in a long time! Not checked under the tape to see if my chainstays survived yet but I'll be well up for another next month regardless. What shall we say, stick with a pattern and go for the 2nd thursday of the month? [b]Which would make the next one the 13th of December...?
[/b]
[b]Composite[/b] if you and anyone else wants to ride next Thursday I'll be up for that too I should think.
Definitely up for that swingbin. 😀
2nd Thursday of the month works for me. In fact, next Thursday could be of interact as well!
I_Ache, the car park footage looks great!
2nd Thursday of the month is fine for me too.
swingbing I think the side view through the crowds would have been better if it was pointing the other way. Carpark footage would have been better if I had gone the correct way. And will be even better with more people.
If we get a few cameras on the go and have a lot of different angles we could do some really good stuff with a video. We could build up a winter of urban night rides and do a video with all the good stuff.
Just stumbled across this... thought that's interesting... then the penny dropped. 😆
If we get a few cameras on the go and have a lot of different angles we could do some really good stuff with a video. We could build up a winter of urban night rides and do a video with all the good stuff
I took a look at your website composite. You've got some great stuff on there!
Good call composite, was that you volunteering to do the editing too?
So who out there has a GoPro or similar so we can get loads of funky angles? A multi angled video of just carpark riding would be pretty cool. Could even setup some planned aggressive overtakes and have somebody stood with a camera on the inside of the corner.
^Might make avoiding the security interesting!^ Probably worth a shot though. My mates got a go pro, couldn't make the first one but hopefully he'll come along next time.
I have a contour HD, couldn't make Thurdays, but also got the day off work so all wasn't lost 🙂
I_Ache - MemberGood call composite, was that you volunteering to do the editing too?
So who out there has a GoPro or similar so we can get loads of funky angles? A multi angled video of just carpark riding would be pretty cool. Could even setup some planned aggressive overtakes and have somebody stood with a camera on the inside of the corner.
I'm good for that, I love it anyway. 🙂
popped in today, v busy, did a few steps etc in the quieter bits then...
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8196160019_ec17675d88.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/8196160019/ ]the christmas market ride[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr
and after this it all got a bit hazy 🙂 full report here http://a-pic-a-ride.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-christmas-market-ride.html
p.s. yes they are 1/2 pint glasses, it felt a bit wrong to drink pints whilst riding, but we had 6 so made up for it 8)
So we are looking at December the 13th for Tue next one, are you up for that too rocketdog?
ooh no, Radditude deficit here 😉
Don't worry there was very little rad on Thursdays ride. Swingbing was the only one guilty of radness.
Any one guilty of 3 or more "cores" on the rad-core-o-meter gets the first round in. 🙂
we need to get back to the place on the canal with the steps where we stopped for a little while, those hips were amazing.
Can i dop markers on that map you sent out composite?
Yeah of course mate go for it. It's there to build up some shared knowledge. 🙂
I'm on for Thursday still, 7:30pm at the Bull again all?
I'll be there 🙂
swingbing - I was gonna ask how you bust your chainstays (on your Soul..?) but I guess that the answer is up there with regards sik radness and dreadlocks and tha'
Right I'm up for Thursday night as is one of my mates. Shall we meet same time and place?
Yunki - more like offishness probably! I'm sure you've nothing to worry about with your frame!
[b]See those of you that are keen on Thursday, 7:30 at the bullring bull.[/b]
Just thought I would bump this.
nicely timed bump it is too, i was just looking at google earth for riding spots!
I know steps and multi storey carparks are on the agenda, but i quite fancy riding some tunnels. There seems to be a canal tunnel by the edgbaston uni campus, so perhaps we could ride from five ways through the campus (as there are bound to be some steps there) and then over a bridge through the tunnel and up the canal to Brindley place. It doesn't look too far, and who knows what we might find on the way.
I say down the canal both ways. Riding up the Bristol Road isnt going to be fun, there are also a few sets of steps at Birmingham uni and I seem to remember the ones down to the canal are pretty narrow so could be messy! 😆
Would be weird riding at the Uni after having studied there. There are loads of walls that would be great for riding along and dropping off.
If memory serves there should also be some good stuff around the Halls.
The tunnel that runs under Leebank Middle Way?
I have been at QE for physio a lot in the last few months and I have walked through the Brum uni campus many times looking at the many sets of steps and drop offs. The stairs that go down to the canal where the University stop is are pretty steep as well, that would be a tricky one and if you stack it there is a decent amount of rolling to get to the bottom. :p
University stop is are pretty steep as well
They are the ones I was thinking about. 😀 Just need to see how wide they are, there needs to be at least a slight margin for error.