It’s threads like this that make this forum so compelling and addictive.

+1

Just bought a folding Tandem. Road like it was made out of rubber, but we can get it on a plane

Thanks for the replies

I have a suspicion it’s the wrong adhesive / not prepping the ply properly

Cheers

They are complete and utter rubbish. Don’t waste your money.

They’ll flatten your car battery in a flash

Better to get a good thermo box and fill it with ice from a supermarket

Ignore this advice at your peril

However, If you want an Outwell (best cr@p one out there) you can have mine

no, but u may be very sick and wish u were dead

err, 20:15 – I’m not that quick…

Oh well, my plan is to go for it with blind optimism and see how far that gets me

…there’s another plan!

C U there. What time R U arriving. I hear there are 400+ riders. With 3 registration staff last year it’s going to take ages to get everyone signed in.

I’m leaving at 5:15 once they open the gates

you might want to ride it before the 400+ do at the weekend

+1

Marvin

There are pockets of clay high up on the downs, this holds water and results in mud, regardless of the height.

Storrington onwards is normally pretty OK and should be drier as the downs become more flinty.

Winchester end is always a problem, long rutted tracks full of mud and barbed wire fences overgrown with long grass – don’t come off!!

Having said that, do people *really* change tyres halfway through a long ride?

Why ever not? Whatever get’s you through it I say. Change clothes, shoes, even the bike.

Having said that, the forecast is set for blue skies and heat, so now we have hot temperatures and a bogfest – nice

Last I read is that there are over 450 riders signed up for this event.

All kicking off at 5:30 from Chilcombe Sports Hall

My advice is to get there, register/sign in and get going EARLY (probably 05:15 if you can). Beat the hordes to Winchester Hill, it’s going to be a bog-fest there come 6:30 when they all come stamping through.

Knobblies for the first 30 miles then switch to easy rollers if you can for the remaining 70

Yuk.

Get to the Chilcot center at 05:15 and register on the day

Drink lots

If you’re doing it with the BHF, it is polite to sign in to tell them you are on the course. Near the end the ‘Sweeper’ will shadow you and if he thinks you will not get in before 9:30pm he’ll have your number off you and cast you to the dogs!

If you’re not doing it with the BHF, just get going whenever it suits you but remember if you have any mechanicals and use the BHF mechanic stops – it would be nice to give a donation to their support efforts.

Hope it’s not raining – it’s really REALLY tiresome if it is

Silver Rock Hopper
56 years old
18 stone
At the back (again)

No official feed stations but a few official water stops near the end where there are no taps

Kicks off at 5:30 from Chilcot Center, but I alway pre-register and once I have my number registered at the start I get going at about 5:15 am and usually get in at dusk around 9:15pm (you’ll be faster)

Great day but don’t under estimate the effort – it’s no walk in the park, especially when you hit the 65-70 mile mark

C U 2 weeks today!!!

Try it with OPEN connectivity on the Droid first

Worked fine here yesterday

+1 for Rock Salt / Dish washer salt (you’ll never grow anything else there again)

Cycling from Brighton up to London and back down again because the trains suck

It’s a weed with pretty clothes on…

+1 Smokey

I was a DI – had my own school

Of all the gifts bestowed upon me the most valued after all these years are the thank you notes and cards.

Get a plain card and write something meaningful – try and avoid words like ‘die’ and ‘rot in hell’ they tend not to go down too well.

Flowers, booze, chocs all get forgotten once eaten. A nice cards have been kept and reminded me of my students. A photo might be nice as well although a bit creepy (of you not him!) – actually forget that.

We switched from gas to induction in January.

2 observations

1. Obviously your pots and pans have to be suitable, but I have found some pots work better than others. Maybe a different percentage of iron or whatever.

2. Controls on our hob are touch controls. When you cook your hands get wet and the touch controls do not respond correctly. This is a MASSIVE pain.

Heating is instant on and off which is great

Ninnymuggins

So who EXACTLY are Greece going to borrow money from if they leave?

Their economy is stuffed, there are no tax revenues.
Their bond prices are a joke.
The cost to Germany the Eurozone will be far greater if they leave than if Germany the Euro economies just right off Greece’s debts.
Greece owes France a shed load of cash, so the knock on if they leave will be catastrophic to France
Germany was instrumental in letting Greece into the Eurozone, so Germany could sell it’s good and services. Now the wheels have come off Germany the Eurozone has to carry the can.

Did I mention Germany had anything to do with this mess?

Nope they want to leave, but can’t.

The main issue is the current vote wranglers are promising the earth (as in reduced austerity and Euro exit) but when they get in, they will have to face reality which is basically Greece is bankrupt.

Devils Dyke to Brighton is all downhill (downs to sea level) so apart from the Pykies you’ll have no probs, 20 mins max

I’d get up there and pitch at about 8:45 just as it gets dark

No ‘official’ camping on the Downs but loadsa wild spots if you can deal with the mud at the moment

Think the plan would be to do Stanmer then head over towards devils dyke was to camp over night then back in to Brighton (we are sea kyaking on Sunday!)

Does this sound doable?

100%

although with the state of the SDW at the moment, you may be able to Kyak on the downs!!!

Tandem

Had two goes at it last year. Once in June and again in July

It absolutely chucked it down for the June one, I had the wrong tyres, too much spare kit and only two water bottles. Each drink involved wasting half the bottle contents washing the gloop from the bottle. I cramped up and baled at Steyning (60 ish miles) It was naff plus I has only the weekend before dragged the wife up to London and back on the Tandem so was a wee bit knackered.

For Second attempt I was more prepared and it was drier. Camelbak and minimal kit. I drank more, much more, no really, 6 Camelbaks worth (24 pints!). Missed the official start and left 1/2 hr early

Finished in a rather pathetic 16 hrs but had 3 hrs worth of stops.

I was 55 and weighed 18 stone, any committed rider can do it.

Go for it – It’s a blast. The BHF is organising only one this year so it should be a bit more of a festival

Biggest drag is getting to Winchester or back from Eastborne.

Bike? Anything really, nothing techinical on the ride apart from some steep climbs towards the end, a good hardtail would be the best bet (I used a 2006 RockHopper). Some guy was on a SS 29’er – he cursed it for the last 20 miles.

Take your time it’s a long way

She’ll get her kit off, she always does

Always ride alone. Own pace, own direction. Nobody can hear you scream when you’re alone

Missus can track me on line if needs be (never cares really)

Cats care, but can’t track

Was I the only one waiting for the finger-mashing shot in that machinery

‘…A good friend for men, women, children and other sorts of people – hoorah…’

Who else picked up on the helmet impact at 3:17!!

Rode

I did, cats didn’t

Armed for this afternoon ‘tho

Let’s neg the rain…

Missus and I go every year and have done for yonks. We’ve always stayed in the South never been to the ‘occupied zone’ (sometimes call Northern Cyprus)

We’re into swimming (5 miles plus), snorkling and riding scooters.

Snorkling is pants – everything’s dead

When you mean swimming do you mean swimming, or floating about just off the beach in everyone’s pi55?

If you want to swim (5 miles + each day) Cape Greko in the east is the place

End August is a great time to go, prices are dropping, crowds are down and it’s still hot and warm in the sea.

The economy is going down the drain just like Greece so prices are on the up.

Difficult place to eat if you’re into any sort of animal welfare or a veggie

Flipper

What do you call a SingleTracker without a pump…

A rambler

Where r u in the country? Are there any hills about? You could try slope soaring or indoor flying. Both very cheap. If yr near Brighton pm me and we can go slope soaring

http://www.ebuyer.com/244307-storage-options-night-and-day-ip-camera-son-ipc1

It’s interesting to read posts that suggest I give the mutt a good kicking.

Just how do you do that then? There I am, stuck half way up a climb, straddling the bike with both feet planted either side of the bike. Mutt 6 inches from my right calf, clearly wanting a chomp.

So how do you kick it? No seriously how would that actually work then?

Back kick? It would have had my foot for sure.

Swing my leg over the saddle and put the bike between it and me? No way, it would have had me bits.

On reflection, the only thing I could have done is take my pump off (under X-BAR) then back-lunge at it – would have probably pi**ed it off more and not worth the risk.

No, a quick blast with a fire extinguisher or a Jiff Lemon squeezer – that would have sorted it for sure.

The owner did eventually persuade it to go back down the track whereupon I shouted ‘..it bit me you know…’ He shouts back ‘..OK’ and walks off!

have you reported it?

No I have not. I would hate for the whole thing to get out of hand and the dog be put down. As miffed as I am, it is a family pet and having lost several over the years the trauma of having one put down because it bit me would be the last thing in the world I would want to do.

The dog was not playing, I know the difference.

It will not bite me again.