Cycling UK Forum

Very interesting to hear people's camping frighteners as I've had one or two...and a fair few others when it was just the paranoia...

Wild camping in British Columbia, we pitched at night and could hear what sounded like a large dog barking fairly close by, but were so knackered we didn't care.

Then in the morning, luckily while we weren't out for a toilet trip this huge German Shepherd is going berserk outside the tents. I've never been so glad of a bit of canvas.

Another time, in the Okanagan Valley, on a semi legal site the only bit of shade was underneath the water tap...so the dogs used to hang out here..and not let me get anywhere near a drink. Had to wait until some guy who knew how to handle them came along and quickly follow him to the tap

hubgearfreak wrote:

Spider wrote:By the time I boarded the ferry I was crossing to another planet, let alone another country.

i hope you didn't get the munchies, what with the price of food on the ferry

You're damn right there, although from my hazy memory I do remember the food as tasting particularly good

Perhaps not as high as Hoffman but I must admit I felt pretty high yesterday - whizzing through the traffic on a beautiful crisp bright day in the capital en route to the famous Brick Lane Beigel Bake - great sustenance for cyclists if you are ever down that way.

Another time that comes to mind was after a tour of Holland this year, finding myself laden with, shall we say, supplies at the Hook....

By the time I boarded the ferry I was crossing to another planet, let alone another country.

Anyone ever had a day as good as this on the bike?

Bicycle day

On April 19, 1943 Dr. Hofmann intentionally ingested 250 µg of LSD, which he hypothesized would be a threshold dose, based on other ergot alkaloids. After ingesting the substance Hofmann was struggling to speak intelligibly and asked his laboratory assistant, who knew of the self-experiment, to escort him home on his bicycle, due to no vehicles being available from wartime restrictions. On the bicycle ride home, Hofmann's condition became more severe and in his journal he stated that everything in his field of vision wavered and was distorted, as if seen in a curved mirror. Hofmann also stated that while riding on the bicycle, he had the sensation of being stationary, unable to move from where he was, despite the fact that he was moving very rapidly. Once Hofmann arrived safely home, he summoned a doctor and asked his neighbor for milk, believing it may help relieve the symptoms. Hofmann wrote that despite his delirious and bewildered condition, he was able to choose milk as a nonspecific antidote for poisoning.[5] Upon arriving the doctor could find no abnormal physical symptoms other than extremely dilated pupils. After spending several hours terrified that his body had been possessed by a demon, that his next door neighbor was a witch, and that his furniture was threatening him, Dr. Hofmann feared he had become completely insane. In his journal Hoffman said that the doctor saw no reason to prescribe medication and instead sent him to his bed. At this time Hofmann said that the feelings of fear had started to give way to feelings of good fortune and gratitude, and that he was now enjoying the colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind his closed eyes. Hoffman mentions seeing "fantastic images" surging past him, alternating and opening and closing themselves into circles and spirals and finally exploding into colored fountains and then rearranging themselves in a constant flux. Hofmann mentions that during the condition every acoustic perception, such as the sound of a passing automobile, was transformed into optical perceptions. Eventually Hoffman slept and upon awakening the next morning felt refreshed and clearheaded, though somewhat physically tired. He also stated that he had a sensation of well being and renewed life and that his breakfast tasted unusually delicious. Upon walking in his garden he remarked that all of his senses were "vibrating in a condition of highest sensitivity, which then persisted for the entire day".[5]
FROM WIKIPEDIA

Does anyone know if it is possible to rent a decent road bike for a day or two in London?

The central London CTC offers 3 star rides which I've done on my Galaxy but would love to have a decent run out on a lightweight road bike, the like of which I can't accommodate at the moment.

I've got a rack and lo riders plus fittings on my Galaxy and my other bike is a single speed, so they are not ideal for a bit of a faster pace.

If anyone has any ideas or fancies a day swap, let me know. I've got SPDs. The ride I'm looking at is Sunday 30th, bottom of page below

http://www.centrallondonctc.org.uk/ride ... =2007&m=12

Buff headwear is very useful - doubles as a hat and can be used as a scarf to keep the neck warm / other combinations too

Was a little reluctant to fork out for what I thought was a novelty item, but it is has proved a great purchase cycle commuting in London and touring in Holland. Would definitely recommend it for a tenner.

You can even go for the pirate look if you can work out how to tie it........

I would add my praise to the Galaxy - I bought one, a first touring bike earlier this year and have already clocked up a tour of Holland with the CTC, plenty of commuting and a few day rides.

Although I don't have much to compare it to, it is an extremely comfortable touring ride - with the original saddle - and just has that feeling that it won't let you down, even when faced with some semi off road tracks.

It is the kind of bike that feels part of you when you are putting in the miles - even if it was not custom built for me *see Matt Seaton's last Guardian column

I certainly feel I made the right choice even if the lugs may not be as impressive as they once were.

Well thanks for all the interesting and informative replies and experiences, it seems that there's a whole lot of killer hills out there to be explored as I progress further away from the capital's environs.

Thinking about doing the Coast to Coast next year, so I'm sure I''l find a few en route...

I took a wrong turn on the Sustrans route from London to Brighton and just outside New Addington ended up going both ways up and down Salt Box Hill via the edge of Biggin Hill airfield.

Just wondered if this would be classed as a 'killer' hill as, although I stayed on up and down, it sure as hell puffed me out.

I'm relatively new to cycling outside the city and wondered others' experiences of killer hills in the UK, especially around London.

Does anyone know any cycling shops in Rome? Not for renting but so I can check out the clobber and the bikes? And maybe get myself a stylish jersey...

Google has not given me much, aside from shops in Rome, Georgia which is not really that useful.

Thanks a lot. Any suggestions will surely brighten up my weekend away

Thanks a lot for the quality advice - that is very comprehensive - I'll have a look through it and see if I am up to the job.

I'm thinking about trying to convert an old steel framed Marin MTB to single speed, just to create a city runaround that I'm not worried to leave anywhere.

Has anyone got any tips on if this is feasible? I know it is not going to be a speed machine but any advice would be gratefully received.

Obviously the chainrings and cassette would have to go, but are there other significant factors? Can I buy these as a set?

Cheers

One hint I would give, after just buying some Carradice Carradry front 20L Panniers is that they are nigh on impossible to fit on a Blackburn front lo rider.

This is due to the chunky size of the top clips and also the horizontal bottom fixing which doesn't allow any up / down movement.

I changed them for the Ortlieb front roller classics 25L and these seem to be fine, due to the more adjustable bottom oval fixing and the thinner top hooks.

I don't think I was being stupid, as the man in the shop agreed with me...

The 'victim' of this incident looked and then proceeded to cross regardless - something I have noticed before.

People don't seem to see bikes in their normal field of vision - I think it takes a while of living somewhere where you get all sorts of frequent traffic to get used to it.

These days if I'm crossing between cars I'll look for the (motor) bike in the small gap.

Cheers, I honestly think you are right!

She went down so slowly and seemed to fall asleep on the floor for about 5 seconds - I'm certain she wasn't knocked out (conventionally).