Pre-retro gravelly sort of ride.

Thinking aloud sort of stuff:

I'm thinking of doing a gravel bike ride soon. Nothing huge - about 80miles but nearly half on road because it's a loop. It could be halved by us dumping vehicles at each end and avoiding the road bits.

I'll be doing it on a 1930s upright bike, the sort of thing built in this country right up to the 1960s, and still current in India or China.

I wondered if anyone else would be interested in coming, preferably on something similar and 1930s looking, singlespeed or hubgear, or a modern Pashley Guvnor type bike, ie not actually a mountainbike, although a Raleigh Bomber would fit right in, plus any of the Indian or Chinese bikes.

It's not really retro, maybe pre-retro, and it's not really the sort of ride that appeals to the vintage riders, so I thought I'd float it here anyway.

If you want to come you can ride anything you like, but expect the pace to be slo-o-o-w. (I may be using rod brakes)

Re:

Always interested in the madness of that kind Brian subject to location and date. However I'm not doing 80 miles in one day on a 40lbs plus bike !!!!! I have a choice between an Rudge-Whitworth roadster and a Gazelle Roadster but both need built and both will involve a bit of cursing because both have peculiar bottom brackets. Rudge 76mm wide 26TPI Raleigh job, I have the bits but needs serviced, Gazelle 70mm x 38mm pressfit, my bodge creaks horribly so I may need to source the proper BB :facepalm:

So I'm a mibbee

Re: Re:

velomaniac":119tigq6 said:

Always interested in the madness of that kind Brian subject to location and date. However I'm not doing 80 miles in one day on a 40lbs plus bike !!!!! I have a choice between an Rudge-Whitworth roadster and a Gazelle Roadster but both need built and both will involve a bit of cursing because both have peculiar bottom brackets. Rudge 76mm wide 26TPI Raleigh job, I have the bits but needs serviced, Gazelle 70mm x 38mm pressfit, my bodge creaks horribly so I may need to source the proper BB :facepalm:

So I'm a mibbee

Click to expand...

I may be able to lend you the Grundleigh-Thwaite Gentleman's Overlander. I was thinking of riding it, but you're more its size.


It is absolutely spiffing offroad, as seen here with 'Puffer Bill (yes it did go all the way round*).



and here just before my brush with death on the rock slab






*I may have soiled my pants a few times on the circuit though.

Depending on the dates I would be up for this. Don't have a suitable bike, but can borrow one. Also could help out with the ferrying bikes bit as I won't be converting the van as soon as I planned thanks to working on another, so have nine or ten seats and room to carry the same number of bikes. Maybe Velo might be up for it, if it is open to bling single speeds!

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Sorry lads, I'm knocking my participation in this on the head. Cannot ride big heavy bikes over distance anymore. Also not keen on travelling way oop north to ride big heavy bikes over much too much distance for me :|