IBU

Consol

Fast Bike Group bike-fast@

This is: http://www.berklix.org/bike-fast

Join or Leave list fast-bike@

Bike-Fast@ list is for a small minority, who cycle faster & / or further etc. This list is for organising a few extra rides when we're tired of going slow, waiting for no hopers, & mud, gravel, tree root, rock or swamp routes.

Most of us are also on Normal Bike List for slower shorter more sociable rides;

The mail list is not moderated, so any decent faster cyclist is welcome to propose a fast ride direct to the list.

Most on the Fast list would agree most below.

• Speed & Distance
  • We go faster than 90% or more of other cyclists. Maybe on flat, 17 to 21 miles per hour ? or 25 KM on stoney path on dry mud ? 19 m/h = 30 km/h, I need to ask others what they think re. speed ('cos mostly my cycle computer is not configured or in use).
  • We go further. 50 Km seems rather too short, (though it depends on condition, hills, heat & how much food & drink ;-)
  • We don't hang back, worrying the group if we're lost, or about to be if we miss a turn.
  • We dislike stony & forest tracks as too slow, bumpy, unstable on narrow tyres, risk of puncture. We like tarmac, doesnt mean we like heavy traffic on main roads, but some sort of smooth path.
  • Stops: We want occasional rest/ beer/ food stops, eg occasional beer gardens, perhaps 2 or 3 a day, not 6 a day or every 15 Km like some.
  • We do not make frequent short stops for hopeless tail enders who would slow us forever.
• Equipment
  • No 3 gear clunkers (city bikes) or fat tyred bikes (except if you'r a super athlete visiting town & thats all you can borrow). No Deutsche bahn very heavy silver colour rental bikes.
    We use eg tourer bikes, or other bikes with narrowish tyres & lots of gears. Very few have carbon fibre striped down ultra light frames etc, though if you have, congrats.)
  • If someone must, most unfortunately, ride a mountain bike, it's not appropriate for our tours, & must without question have a solid centre line, & needs to be pumped up damn hard, else don't join us.
  • We know toe clips & shoes with clips to pedals provide more power/ speed.
  • We know saddle height gives power/speed. We don't want you to be able to stand straight on your bike with feet nearly on the ground - the saddle should be a Lot higher than that, if you'r uncomfortable with it high, you'll be too slow for us.
  • We're Not tour de France types, or fashion trendies, None of us use tight Lycra shorts & gaudy multi coloured fashion clothing. We're not real racers.
• Self Reliant - Not a nuisance or deterent to others organising.
  • We cycle our bikes to departure point, ready for high speed departure, not with bad brakes bell tyres etc hoping someone else will set up.
  • We can & do mend/ service/ adjust our own lights, brakes, gears, bell, saddle, carrier etc
  • We can read a map, compass & the sun, & not get lost on our own.
  • We always carry own pumps; We pump up our own tyres hard so as not delay others with slower speed, We do Not foolishly & annoyingly rely on getting group to divert or delay via petrol stations for air pumps.
  • We can (at least most of us) change our own inner tubes &/or mend own punctures, & we do often carry our (own bike size!) inner tube, & tools.