The Beacon Message Board

Is there any mid week rides this week...

For most of the summer a few of us have been riding on Wednesday evenings meeting outside Bike Pro on Kings Heath high street at 6.15pm. Depending on the mood we normally cover a 30-40 mile loop through the Warwickshire lanes at an average of 15-17 mph. You and anyone else for that matter are welcome to join us. A sociable midweek club run type thing...

is this ride on tomorrow

Hi Carl, yep there should be 3 or 4 of us if fancy coming along.

Hi, which end of high street is bike pro, i will park at sainsburyd and ride down

Sorry Carl, just picked up your last message. Thanks for coming along, hope you enjoyed it it's a nice route and a lovely summer evening to be out on the bike. Thanks also to Paul and Fred nice to see you.
Nic.

Thanks for the ride guys felt very welcome. Will be on beacon ride tomorrow night. And wat is the A run on sunday.thanks again everyone

carl wrote:Thanks for the ride guys felt very welcome. Will be on beacon ride tomorrow night. And wat is the A run on sunday.thanks again everyone

All the Sunday club runs can found at:

http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/message_boa ... um.php?f=5

This Sunday is a special summer extended club run of around 150km taking in South Shropshire.

Is the ride on tomorrow night from kings heath

Yes, the usual time and place 6.15pm outside Bike Pro, 50 High St Kings Heath. Everyone welcome, sociable ride 30-40 miles 15-17 average.

Legs still heavy from Sunday's efforts, may need a tow....

It was a good ride then nic

Great ride on Sunday, one of my best ever club runs not to mention one of the toughest...

Sorry did not turn up just got in from work hsd a flippin call out

No worries Carl, shame you couldn't make it. I'm no around next week but check out the message board as I expect some of the other chaps will be up for a spin.
Thanks to the guys this evening, a particularly nice ride through the country lanes in the warm air with a very nice variation to the route thanks to Ian.
Creeping close to a 18mph average ...... Matt you're an animal !

i aim to please . have a great holiday see you when you get back

Really enjoyed the ride...great fun, got home with 41miles on the clock at an average of 17.8mph and plenty in the tank . Route is fantastic - thanks

hi all ian & nick are on hoilliday this week but some of us are still meating on wensday at bike pro at 615pm . anybody welcom

The usual time and place for tomorrow's ride.
Matt tells me he snipped a few miles off last week's loop because of fading light, so we'll play it by ear.

It may be an idea to dig out some lights.

The average has been creeping up but is unlikely to go above 18mph, everyone's welcome for a sociable spin.

Nic - just for info, I had to switch my lights on (for visibility to other road users - still enough light to see by) last night at 8:30, if you're back before then you should be ok.

Pedlo Mudguardo wrote: The average has been creeping up but is unlikely to go above 18mph, everyone's welcome for a sociable spin.

Last nights average was 18.2mph, its getting quicker each week. Still good fun

Slightly painful fun, must admit- I blame Matt and his legs of steel. Really good work-out on another nice summer evening. Thanks Fred,Neil,Chai,Sean and Matt 'The Engine' Regan for your company.

im glad you all had a nice time .you have got to try mtb in sherwood forest on the down hill corse man them guys have some balls and no brains thought i was going to come back in a box after this weekend great fun in the sun see you wed.

Meeting tomorrow as usual outside Bike Pro in Kings Heath aiming to leave at 6.15pm latest in order to grab as much daylight as possible.

Lights definately required toward the end.

Everyone welcome.

No worries Sean, it's always nice to have you along when you can make it.

Do you do these rides through Autumn/Winter?

I doubt we'll continue these rides in the same form during the winter although night time towpath rides have been mentioned as an alternative to the lanes.

Tomorrow we'll depart Bike Pro at 6.15 as usual to squeeze the last out of the summer light. Pace hovering between 17-18 mph average. Everyone welcome (dig out the lights)

Hope to be riding as usual tomorrow. I'm hoping the pace will be a bit more sedate than last week particularly if the wind is anything like today. Almost blown off the bike a couple of times on the commute earlier.

Tomorrow evening I'll be riding out to Clent and not the usual route.
If anyone fancies coming along I'll be heading out from Kings Heath via Kings Norton and Barnt Green then over Rose Hill toward Waseley then a couple of circuits around Clent including Sunday's hill climb. Back the usual route toward The Black Horse and Cotteridge.

Guys can ride the usual route of course.

I'm not riding tonight, not feeling too good.

Seems I'm not alone being in Autumn denial. Hope to ride, probably fairly cautiously, as usual tomorrow evening. May cut short the usual route depending on how hairy it gets in the gloom.

Hope to be riding as usual tomorrow, with increasing caution as the sun goes down. Christmas tree lights a must.

Well we all know that riding a bike is the best fun to be had with your clothes on but this evening's spin was just superb. A full-on night ride through the countryside in balmy warm conditions. Like a speedy mobile Xmas tree we topped an 18mph average. Thanks Matt, Steve and Paul - one of those rides I'll remember as I'm battling through the grime of winter with the crud wearing out my rims

Hard core riders . Dark lanes won't put us off

well, i have to say- what an end to a great mid week ride. very wet .
only myself, steve and nick to the end with an average of 17.3 in the dark and wet. I have to say i enjoyed every one of them and can't wait untill next year and the better weather. Thanks to all of you who joined u [/img]

Couldn't agree more Matt, a very dark and very wet ride but good all the same.
Thanks also to everyone who joined us throughout the summer, we had a fair old bunch on occasions. I think it's safe to say we got quicker and quicker but my knees are telling me it's time to slow down a bit

Plans to start this Year's Wednesday rides from Kings Heath this evening look doubtful as it's currently snowing with more grimness due through out the day. If it is dry around 6 I might venture out but it's unlikely.

Fingers crossed for a swift return to last week's balmy sunshine.

Pedlo Mudguardo wrote:Fingers crossed for a swift return to last week's balmy sunshine.

Tell me about it, I rode to Edgbaston from Redditch along the tow path in nothing short of a blizzard this morning!

The wide open canal section past Bittel reservoir was horrendous.

Are these rides happening at the minute?

yes tim we meet at bike pro in kings heath

Thanks to everyone on tonight's ride from Bike Pro. It was my first ride over any decent distance at an average of 30 km/h. I've been trying to do that on my own but can never quite manage it, so it just goes to show how much being pushed a bit can help. Thanks for the words of encouragement too. Sorry I only managed to put one quick turn in at the front - a combination of not knowing the exact route and having to hang on a bit made doing any more difficult!

no you did verry well tonight mate its not easy hang on at a pace of 19mph well done

Just to echo that Laurence, it was a fairly brisk pace tonight and you did really well considering it was an unfamiliar route in very blustery conditions.

Personally, I'm just pleased to get to the front at all on those rides, never mind take any kind of turn for more than a few seconds!

Thanks again, guys. I was still smiling about it yesterday (though my legs turned to jelly when I tried to cycle home in the afternoon!).

Well, four intrepid souls set out from Kings Heath this evening at 7pm for what turned out to be a very enjoyable ride. Once out into the lanes in real darkness rather than fading light and the glare of car headlights it was actually good conditions, despite the odd shower. With everyone sporting powerful lights, visibility wasn't an issue and we covered 36 miles at an average of 16mph. It does make me think it would be possible to carry these rides on into the Autumn, weather permitting. Suggest we carry on with a 7pm meet at The Red Lion on Vicarage Road next Wednesday and see how we get on.

Not sure how I'm fixed next Wednesday, but are you guys still going to go out via Hollywood and Wilmore Lane etc?

After last weeks succesful night ride ( pity I missed it) we've decided to change time and meeting place for the Wednesday rides with a view to continuing through the winter.

New arrangements as follows....


MEET 7.00PM

THE RED LION PUB, VICARAGE RD, KINGS HEATH.

The route will remain the same as we know the holes off by heart but the pace will drop slightly in the name of safety and to give my dodgy bones a bit of a rest (MATT !!!)

If you can handle 35 miles at 16-17 mph average you are welcome.

DECENT LIGHTS ESSENTIAL.

Feel free to call or text for more details or to check numbers on the day.

07734 834 016

Nic.

Pedlo Mudguardo wrote:DECENT LIGHTS ESSENTIAL.
Nic.

I've got myself a Lezyne mini-drive front light (link here); it's 150 lumens although low battery life. Do you reckon it'll do?

I put similar question on this rides link within training pages

"Nic what do you call decent lights? For a small budget! Currently have 2 on front that were c.£15, they have a v decent strobe setting, good for being seen but not seeing if that makes sense."

Cheers

Tim

The lanes obviously have virtually no ambient lighting unless the moon is in the sky so really a light that puts some kind of beam out in order to read the road surface.
If there are say three or four people riding in close formation the collective effect of everyone's lights seams to do the job so it's perhaps not necessary for everyone to have expensive lights.

Tim and Richard, you'd be very welcome of course.

I think the main point is for everyone to ride tight and as disciplined as poss at a steady pace to avoid riders dropping off the back and being left at the mercy of a week front light.

Tim

Generally on this kind of ride i.e. in lanes with no street lighting during pitch darkness I think it's advisable to have lights that light up the road ahead of you for around 15-20 feet. So it's about lighting up the road, not just being seen when on the unlit lanes.

Richard, the mini drive is a good light but watch out for the battery life which is around 1.5 hrs when on full beam.

Ian