Folding Bikes - Hyde Park Folding Bicycle Society (UK) 2012 season

There ya go:

Seconded! :bike:

1st April is a Sunday. :deadhorse:

July: Dunwich Dynamo (http://www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk/content.php?id=18)! Who's with me?

I offer, on behalf of the HPFBS, use of my new car for backup and race support.

1st April is a Sunday. :deadhorse:

Thirded! :deadhorse2:

July: Dunwich Dynamo (http://www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk/content.php?id=18)! Who's with me?


I'm in!

I am going to TRY doing it in a CarryMe this time... so the first aider will be really hand!!

Juan

This is the kind of spirit which kept Warmington On Sea free from tyranny for so many years.

Alpine Mezzo now ready to roll for 2012 racing season. Sea-trials today reveal that 'mountain gearing' and coastal Force Six winds do together go. Kojak 115 psi tyres big improvement over softer Mezzo Cheng Shins.

Kojak 115 psi tyres big improvement over softer Mezzo Cheng Shins.



Cheng Shins are better than Dye Yung tires?

You can get more air in a Kojak, but air is heavy, right? The Mezzo Dai Yungs didn't get a fair ride, on account of my lavish £18 expenditure on the Kojaks. I'm going to donate them to jefmcg who does like, a million miles a week on her Mezzo.

AMSTERDAM Weekend break trip 2012

?

Damn, Amsterdam sounds wonderful and I was really looking forward to the 1/4. However, my life is just a little complicated at the moment, and I'm not sure if i'll be in London much over summer. Definitely won't be here for April's gathering.

Also means the snafu will probably have found a good home for her old tyres before i have a chance to take them off her hands. Thanks for the very kind offer though.

Into every life a little rain must fall. Your bicycling chums are here to offer succour, high pressure tyres, and pies.

'nec cuplas nec metuas' !

I've eaten all the pies and have no tyres to spare BUT if it's succour you want! I'm your man - So who is available on the 1st o' April?


Usque ad mortem bibendum!

So who is available on the 1st o' April?
[/I]

What you got in mind, Nigel ?

We could play it safe and gather in Hyde Park and then see if Exhibition Road is now cycle friendly.

The new Exhibition Road layout is a wonder, cars have to behave themselves, quite deceptively steep going up it on a bike though.

Anything interesting down your way ?

Anything interesting down your way ?

You've never been to Streatham, have you!

You've never been to Streatham, have you!

I have, but to be truthful, I did not stay long.
Croyden Aerodrome, is it still there, worth a visit ?
Southwark / The shard / Bermonsey area perhaps (there is a musician, Nigel of Bermonsey, any relation ?) ?

Southwark you say? What is there down Greenwich way? I took the Thames Clipper from the south bank down there the other day, and thought it might be pleasant to do that; whack the bikes on the boat (2000 horse power with twin stage turbo-chargers and 27 knots- Oh God!) hop off at Greenwich and pootle back.

Clipper takes Oyster cards.

First Call for Flight HPFBS 1-012 leaving for Distant Parts on Sunday 1st April. Please don't forget to take your belongings with you, or they will be thrown into the lake. No automatic weapons please.

Ta.

Serpentine Cafe 10.00 to 10.30 ?

I'll bring the Heston Blumenthal earl grey tinged hot cross buns

:-)

I am already giddy with anticipation.

Hows your Aunt?

Hows your Aunt?

And her husband Bob?

Last call for Sunday - Hyde Park Serpentine Cafe 10 to 10:30

Yes, I'll be there, despite petrol none-strike & water shortage. I burgled the local ambulance depot for petrol last night, (they only use it for driving around in circles with their sirens on) and have seventeen open jam-jars of the stuff on my kitchen stove. What can possibly go wrong?

Yep, I'll be bringing my new zipped roll.

Have fun today, guys.

Looks like I won't be joining you until July (at least), so lots of pictures please. Oh, and it's a bit brisk today, so I think pies are in order.

-= Ride Report =- 1/04/2012

The massed Presidents of the HPFBS gathered outside our usual venue today in Hyde Park, London, first to arrive was Captain Midnight (Dahon Vitesse Hubba Hubba) Captain Stage Fright ('Hello Kitty' Mezzo) and then Captain Moonlight (Dahon Jetscream). There was some moderate pie scoffing by yours truly then we set off for Fulham and Chelsea. I'll let the other Prezs tell the full story, but it was another glowing success for the HPFBS, with the best turn-out of the year. Well Done! The weather turned hot by lunchtime, too. There were few Dangerous Sports incidents to report: the bottle of water on the Mezzo detached itself going at a lick over a bridge and rolled under a bus, then the Mezzo tried to kill its occupant when riding through some sandy soil, the Kojak slick tyres being apparently unsuitable for downhill MTB-ing. A stiff note to Schwalbe is in order. Total distance: 11.9 miles, Max speed 17.2 mph.

Pic: Three members of the HPFBS loiter suspiciously outside Princess Di's old pad, their identities concealed to hide their shame:

http://i40.tinypic.com/fko0n4.jpg

Pic: Respects are paid at Brompton Cemetery:

http://i44.tinypic.com/169184x.jpg

Oh Snafu, the eye blinds totally ruined the Captains' handsome faces. The one on the lady cracked me up, though.

^^^^ Page 176 of the Society Handbook forbids me to identify individuals of this highly secretive organisation. It has no Facebook page, never Twitters, and has no 'members'. It does not even have a Society Handbook. Spooky, huh?

One of the regular attendees is rumoured to be (distantly) related to the Royal Family, so we are careful with our bona fides.

But, but, but...we've already seen the handsome and pretty faces of the Society's regulars, with the exception of Snafu's (now THERE'S a mystery). The photos are floating in a thread here somewhere. Your Society is so secretive, though, that I have to go the roundabout way of matching face to folding bike to know which user name belongs to which face.

We are only slightly more secretive than The Hole In The Wall Gang, but of course they didn't ride folders or have a gang tie.

Can someone please tell me (PM ?) instructions on how to upload nice snaps, like those above ?
Thanks !

" with the exception of Snafu's (now THERE'S a mystery)."

I am pictured in the HPFBS library of mug shots somewhere on here, but even then, I am unsure myself if I exist or not. I lecture on philosophy, so am constantly bemused by the complexities of this.

The soc is at www.hpfbs.org
(http://www.hpfbs.org/)
If you're in London on the 1st Sunday of the summer months, do come along to meet us. It helps to bring a bicycle, or at least steal one on-route. After a brief initiation ceremony involving 'pies' and 'tea', you will be granted President-ship after your first ride. Because we have no hierarchy, no membership, and no subs, it was long ago written that anyone 'joining' would be immediately elected President. We have about 20 of them now. No names, no pack-drill.

For Diode100: To upload unseemly pix to the fora, they must first be 'hosted'. You may thus first size them to about 1024x768 or so, then upload them to say: www.tinypic.com.

That will give you an pic code you can paste directly into your message here. If you use tinypic, you don't first need an account there, but if you set one up, you may store your uploads to send them elsewhere, later. I think Flickr does much the same but Tinypic worked better on here for me.

Suggestion No 1

Corkscrew Lane, south London
A secret corridor leads from south London into winding, empty country lanes and villages. Dropping from Crystal Palace to Elmers End and through West Wickham you arrive at Corkscrew Lane, and suddenly it's all woods, valleys and rolling fields. The lane takes you to the top of the North Downs and on a good day you can see 30 miles. You might touch 40 mph on the exhilarating drop to Westerham. Then it's the big cogs to climb the elegantly named Hogtrough Hill (15%), heading north through Cudham and the pretty Downe to Keston. Cutting left down the steep hill by the Norman church takes you past fields and stables until suddenly you arrive back at West Wickham. The last push up Anerley Hill is helped by the thought of a double espresso at Café Paradou on Crystal Palace Parade.

Haven't looked at the route on a map, so dont know how far it would be, sounds a fair ride though.

[I]For Diode100: To upload unseemly pix to the fora, they must first be 'hosted'. You may thus first size them to about 1024x768 or so, then upload them to say: www.tinypic.com.

That will give you an pic code you can paste directly into your message here. If you use tinypic, you don't first need an account there, but if you set one up, you may store your uploads to send them elsewhere, later. I think Flickr does much the same but Tinypic worked better on here for me.

Picasa is an other option for hosting photos if you like things Google.

" with the exception of Snafu's (now THERE'S a mystery)."

I am pictured in the HPFBS library of mug shots somewhere on here, but even then, I am unsure myself if I exist or not. I lecture on philosophy, so am constantly bemused by the complexities of this.



Ah, I must have missed you in the photos because you change bikes often. Oh, a philosopher. That explains things...

Alas, London is not in my pootle itinerary anytime soon, so I will have to rely on the benevolent (when it comes to pies and tea) Society's photos, which hopefully include eyes. (Why does the spell checker think I misspelled pootle?) And I will have to find another excuse to steal a foldie and to be President of nobody.

Jiten,

If you can post a photo of yourself with your folder in close proximity to a statue of Queen Victoria I think you will be a shoo in at the next HPFBS membership committee meeting.

You can expect to recieve a club tie soon after.

Hmmm, Queen Victoria, that will be tough. I reckon the best chance of finding such statue would be in front of a palace, like the palace in the background of the lady in Snafu's photo (whom I don't really know, maybe because of the blindfold). The closest thing to a palace around here is the main post office downtown, and I don't recall seeing any statue in front of it. And I covet the pie (and tea) more than the tie.

We could probably arrange for non-attending distant persons to have an affliate membership. £200 should cover it? You'd get a card at at Christmas, an authentic Certificate of Affiliation (suitable for framing) and permission to use our magnificent crest for tattoos or your headed hand-made personal note-paper. No other folding bicycle society based in Hyde Park can offer you this.

I don't want a tattoo because I want to go bathe in an ons...wait, wait, wait! How did it come to this? I just like seeing your photos, I wasn't requesting membership. No offense, you all look lovely (except Snafu whom I haven't seen in a photo yet), but £200 would go a long way toward my next foldie. (Did I say my next foldie? I thought I talked myself out of that.)

No, no. Don't spend the money on a folding bike. You'll just end up lonely, friend-less and bitter. One of our Presidents lives in San Francisco. We could hook you up with him. Oregon is just down the road, isn't it?

No, no. Don't spend the money on a folding bike. You'll just end up lonely, friend-less and bitter. One of our Presidents lives in San Francisco. We could hook you up with him. Oregon is just down the road, isn't it?

Wow, you have Presidents everywhere, impressive. The Land of Tolls is not quite just down the road from where I am, even by plane. No chance of me pootling over there in a foldie.

Excuse the late reply, but I've been trying to find a statue of Queen Victoria.

Excuse the late reply, but I've been trying to find a statue of Queen Victoria.
Not a statue, but you could try here (http://g.co/maps/fkstq) or here (http://g.co/maps/4c5pc)

We also have a Prez in Vancouver if you fancy a trip to the Great White North. They have bacon there, too. Yum!

Anyone up for a ride along a one mile tidal causeway off the essex coast ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Osea_Island_map.png

It's a bit of a flog for me from Hampshireville, alas.

Why not investigate that midnight Dunwich Dynamo (http://www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk/content.php?id=18) Joanie mentioned? It looks to be an hoot. If you don't stop cycling at Dunwich, you end up in Belgium.

No cycling here, bad weather and stormz has grounded 'Hello Kitty' for a week and more is forecast. Bah! I may have to emigrate somewhere warmer. Death Valley suddenly looks appealing.

[QUOTE=snafu21;14132887]It's a bit of a flog for me from Hampshireville, alas.
QUOTE]

Ok, future posting on Osea Island will be under the pootle thread.
NB: It was apparently the film location for recently released The Woman in Black. I would have gone yesterday, but the tide tables conspired against me.

Still to decide : venue and route for Sunday 06-May-12


Dunwich has overtones of HP Lovecraft, but if you look at Google street view it's a bit of a one lampost town (did I just say town, maybe that should be hamlet ?), not even sure there is a pie shop.