The A259 is a err ‘popular’ single carriageway road (i.e a mare, especially in rush hours).

Nice and scenic route if you have the time though :-)

Totally get the scales of economy and I was quite keen to try a Middleburn. However even I can’t justify that sort of expenditure, especially on a N+1 bike.

New outer ring it is then

@ TheBrick

LGW is served by the Brighton Main(railway)line, which is very nearly at full capacity already. East Croydon is the busiest non junction station on the network.

This goes back to a more cohesive countrywide transport plan for the trains, roads and airports.

(A new rail link between LGW and LHR is never going to happen as it’d probably cost 5 times HS2)

I live 20 mins south of Gatwick but haven’t been through there in 3 years. I reckon 90% of our flights over the past 10 years have been out of Heathrow.

Have done trains and tubes to LHR in the past and then the coach from LHR to LGW. All of these public transport options were a complete bolx to deal with so now we get taxis. More expensive overall but a darn sight more convenient, even taking the M25 into account.

A 2nd runway at Gatwick would make more sense if there was a direct rail link and better roads between there and Stansted.

However that’s far too joined up and long term an option and would never happen.

Luton is geographically much better suited to the rest of the country but never seems to feature in these discussions. I’ve never been there but I gather it’s not a great experience?

TurnerGuy
mmm – square taper – even ore attractive…

nice phil wood BB for the win

Just phoned Middleburn; £417 for the R02 46/30 chainset 8O. Also a few weeks lead time.

XTR 44/30 looks a positive bargain in comparison

@ BDC

That’s what the frame label says. If I get a chance I’ll put a tape measure against it

bacondoublechee

Any sizing tips on these? At 5’11” I am dead on the line between medium and large. My normal road bike is a 56 which would suggest to go large, but the TT is longer on these.

I did demo both sizes a few months back and seemed to think the medium felt a touch short, but the large felt quite tall. I’m struggling to remember my exact thoughts though!

I’m 5′ 10″ with a slightly short torso and I got a L / 54cm Arkose 4 at the weekend.

The tall head tube and 90mm stem initially felt upright and tight to the body. However I discovered pretty quickly that braking on crossers is quite different from my usual on the hoods road braking.

However the extra height has meant braking on and riding the drops is pretty comfortable, if not quite scary on scrabby descents!

Oh and I think the hydro STIs are longer than normal. Just enough to make it feel different

Mark.

My 18″ 2005 Kona Explosif is sitting about not doing a lot.

Currently built as 1 X 9. As a 10 year old frame it has seen some action

I’m soo out of shape it’s not funny and there was quite a few walks of shame on that ride :oops:

Nice change of scenery though!

Worthing’s club 10’s are v popular and you need to be down there by 6:20 or so for the chance of a ride.

I’ve stopped doing stuff for the SCA now but the 2013 championship 25 was a pleasure.

9pm on the Tuesday entries closed.

Mrs A – “there’s a lady on the phone asking if she can enter the 25?”
Me – we don’t get many ladies racing so nice to have another entry.
“Should be no prob if you can get your entry out ASAP. Can ask your name?”
Her – “Joanna Rowsell”
Me whir, click whir, click….. “THE Joanna Rowsell?”
“Yes”

RESULT!!

She smashed the ladies record and Hutch finally got the men’s. Jo was an excellent ambassador for the sport and happy to chat with all and sundry.

For some reason I never get on very well on G10/97. You have a nice gift start and it’s generally pretty flat. However it can be quite windy.

Course record is middling 20’s IIRC whereas quite a few peeps have done 19’s on 10/98.

http://www.sussexca.org.uk/ for all things TTing in our area :-)

Greg

The current G25/54 course is a roundabout nightmarefest. Get thee off to a faster course (All of …a3rcg’s on the A3 spring to mind) and don’t be surprised to immediately take another minute off.

My personal fave 10 course is g10/98 as used by Worthing Excelsior on a Thursday night. My bling PB on that is 21:29 or 26:53 on a 26″ knobbly hardtail.

Oh yeah; Fury.

Great to see authentic kit and conditions and kudos for getting Bovington to release Tiger 131. But oh dear god, could they have crammed in any more war clichés and bolx action sequences?

@scrumfled

Looks like Ned did a good chunk of the Centurion way on his route above. :-)

Did Wiggle’s SD Epic t’other Sunday which went to the west of the A286 – https://www.strava.com/activities/329889411

hora
I watched Battle of the Bulge next. Gawd it was awful compared to a Bridge too far. The scale models/mocked up scenes, the ham acting, the lot.

+1000

The Ardennes offensive occurred during one of the coldest and snowiest winters of the 20th century, not that you’d know that by watching this pile o’ shite. It also featured an awful lot of open hill sides and fields etc, landscapes you don’t generally associate with Luxembourg :roll:

I’ve done exactly this a few times in the past. I just rode up the A286 past Singleton to get to Cocking.

If the Centurion way is the old railway line that’ll be much nicer I’m sure.

TG

That looks spot on but looks like a special order? Oh and I can’t remember the last time I used a square taper BB; must be 20+ years ago!

Cheers guys. 50:34 is too spinny for pure road stuff and I have a choice of road bikes for such things.

Dropping down to a 46 would improve the flatter tracks but a tootle on the SDW from Botolphs to Pyecombe yesterday had me grinding 34 – 32 up the hills. – Not sure I’d cope with more than a couple of climbs on that range. :roll:

I’ll have a look at the pick n mix chain ring options.

Dr P

Yeah I should be good for the ride. Just need to work out logistics to and from B’ton. – Could probably cope with riding down to the start again but a bike on a train back is going to be fun, especially on Pride w/e! :-)

Dunno why but I had a tear in my eye watching the Typhoon whilst cycling around last year’s Shoreham air show.

I remember seeing a Harrier doing the whole curtseying to the crowd and backward flying thing at a mid 80’s air show. Damn that was loud.

Went and brought mine yesterday.

Have so far replaced wheels, bars, stem seat post and saddle though haven’t ridden it anywhere :roll:

Having ‘fun’ replacing shoe cleats so hope to give it a whirl on tomorrow’s commute.

Spooky. I went and had a pootle about on one this morning. The bars and wheels would need replacing PDQ though I haven’t decided whether to pull the trigger tomorrow yet.

My Evans mates showed me this Norco which was very nice and wouldn’t need any upgrades. Fortunately???? they didn’t have any in my size

Can we presume that Mark WON’T be doing the SCCU 50 the following day?

Cos if he does, he’ll be forked! :lol:

Chap in East Grinstead Everested Kidds Hill back in April[/url]. Knowing both hills well, I’m not sure which would be worse.

We have some older friends who are currently selling their US winter home which was effectively paid for by a Saudi military contract.

Granted they’re very good with their money but I think that that was tops, a couple of year’s worth of work.

Being military it sounds like you’re used to limited home comforts but £50K still sounds like their pulling your trousers down.

burgger :|

I’ve mentioned it before but in 2011 I caught DaisyDuke on the way up to Truleigh Hill when he was doing his double. He’d had 7 punctures by that point! 8O.

No way I’d have bothered persevering with that but props to him, he finished in under 26 hours.

Sounds like you’ve got the fuelling sorted and you’ve got two more months of decent length days to have another go (you know you want to!)

Pigface

No no and thrice no

+3

Glad that wasn’t just me on that.

My oldest active wheels are 11 year old Campag Zondas. Bearings and pick up are a bit tired now but I see no reason to stop using them.

Stem and seat post failures wouldn’t be funny but wheels letting go are a whole different ball game.

I did the Epic yesterday on my 26″ F/S with 40/28 11 – 36.

A distinct lack of fitness this year saw me grovelling up a lot of those climbs along with a few walks of shame. :oops: That said the SDW is long drags as opposed to the more frequent ups and downs of yesterday’s route.

FWIW

In 2013 I solo’d the route in 9:48 on this bike. Last year with 2 mates I took 11:47. Were I try the SDW again this year, I’d want a 24 – 26 granny ring to see me through.

On my commute home on Fri I went past a guy on a full suss ‘exercising’ his dog. Twas on a popular NCN route and the dog wasn’t on a lead.

The route pops out onto a quietish road for a wee while and I heard the dog race out behind me. Fortunately there were no cars but I thought it was a fqking stupid attitude of the dog owner.

You get morons on all forms of transport but as a cyclist I’d rather not be associated with such idiots.

robcolliver
I hope I can keep up with the South Downs mountain bike club ride tomorrow…. not used to the speed of a single. Please wait for me at the tops.

NUTTER! :lol:

I should imagine you’ll be rocking along, encouraging t’others

Oh Dear

The one and only time I saw them was 1989 in that aural 5hitehole, Wembley Arena.

IIRC twas Dr Feelgood tour and they were supported by White Lion and Skid Row.

Saw Skid Row at Brighton two years ago with a different vocalist, and they basically phoned it in. Ugly Kid Joe on the other hand put in a great set that night.

DrP
When I’ve got to QECP I’ve always gone higher on the NE side above the car park etc and then dropped down to the E road/track. Is that the same as you?

andyg & the SDMTBC crew
Good luck tomorrow :-)

Bikebuoy
Keep us posted when you next have a blast 8)

Mark
Yeah I know that’s been there a while but it’s “not on the route” – I also never realised that the round tower is also very rare in this country (but surprisingly popular in the Ouse valley)

Is Tom Morris on here – SDW 7:47 ?

Straightened out a couple of bits and took the ‘old’ route through Warnford but that’s a mental time 8)

Bikebuoy is that you?

:lol:

I HATE Amberley mount

The only time I’ve had a nice ride through there was a night time descent when a white owl took off a fence just in front of me.

Oh yeah, if you ever fancy a solo night run, make sure you take some music. The noises in those woods are fackn scary!

IIIRC the 1st time we got to Harting in 04 there was a collective you’re avin a laff about going straight up.

Just after you little double back loop, you went up the valley and then as you got to a little wooded copse, you should have hung a sharp left. IIRC, you probably went straight on through a gate?

You only missed a hoony descent off the top but probably did more distance.

How was Amberley Mount at midday? :twisted:

moonboy

Does this work for you – http://bikeroutetoaster.com/BRTWebUI/Course/699580 ?

Just had a detailed look at your Strava route.

Great to see you went round the boundary of the early field that has the signs telling you to do so and not rip straight across. :wink:

Not sure what you did at QECP but the main track through there is surprisingly tedious so perhaps your southerly route was more fun?

31.5 miles was where you went off course in Harting though I think you already know that. However you did discover the Royal Oak in Hooksway[/url] on your detour. 8)

I first encountered that when I went off course on a foggy early morning ride to Winc and thought WTF is a pub doing in a wooded clearing when I got there?

I see you also turned N towards Jack & Jill as opposed to straight on which is shorter. Does anyone know if the route has been officially straightened out there?

Is the Southease water tap still by that horrible petri dish of a water trough?

Cracking ride 8)

Bikebuoy

What time are you aiming for? Sub 8 has to be a perfect conditions type of thing surely?

colin9

Did it last year, good fun. Price might seem steep but it was well organised, had well stocked food stops along the way, and good bike washing facilities etc. at the end.

Food stops?! 8O you do know it’s only 40 miles! :D

(says he who’ll quickly grab any freebies whilst passing through…. :-))

Just had a flick through my previous SDWiaD rides

12/8/06 12:30 elapsed. Ride with a group
21/6/08 9:45 wheels turning. Ride with same guys
25/7/09 12:36 elapsed. Ebo – Winc overnight solo SDD attempt (FAIL!)
15/8/09 10:47 elapsed. Ebo – Winc overnight solo SDD attempt. Bailed after 129 miles / 15 hours / Cocking
30/7/11 5:52 fastest Winc – Devils Dyke solo + bumped into DaisyDuke from here doing his puncture fest SDD
13/8/11 12:20 elapsed. Ride with 4 others
20/7/13 9:48 elapsed solo
19/7/14 11:47 elapsed. Ride with two others

Take aways

1 I’m a lazy flucker with no mental strength but faster on my own
2 group rides always introduce more variables and stops
3 I’ve never had any punctures!
4 levels of preparation make a big difference. My 1st SDD attempt was an utter train wreck. 2 weeks later and I flew (relatively speaking)

Bikebouy

could you share your ride thoughts / diary so that us mere mortals can learn some hints and tips?

Decided on a late entry. Bit steep entry price but I don’t know the trails down that way.

It’ll be interesting to see how it compares to motoring the SDW corridor :-)

Yeah nicely overcast and a decent tail wind. #simples

3 times I’ve got the train to Winchester to start, it’s meant a 5:30 train from home and then 2 hours of travelling :roll:

Not sure how up to date http://www.bikedowns.co.uk/ is these days but this is a great resource for the SDW.

Amberley (and nearby Arundel) is as near as damnit the half way point.

If you were going to do it over 3 days and 2 nights, I’d suggest stopping at Cocking on the 1st night and looking at staying around Midhurst. Alternatively Up Waltham/Duncton is a bit further east.

For the 2nd night, Lewes is an old historical town and just off the main route.

Recently spent a night at http://www.powdermillshotel.com/ near Battle Abbey. Not cheap but a lovely hotel if you want a bit of luxury at the end of the trip.