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LONDON FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE TM |
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This is the "Week on Wheels" free weekly London skating email newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your email inbox each week.
From: Week on Wheels <wow /at/ lfns.co.uk>
Subject: [wow] Week on Wheels: end of the reign of the rain Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:38:47 +0100 * This week: Haverstock Hill, and the King's Road Sundae Stroll * Last week: Battersea Park, Greenwich * Nuts & Bolts * Hovis London Freewheel: September 23 * Goodwood: July 29 == THIS WEEK == The LONDON FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE this week will be visiting Swiss Cottage and Camden: look for half time in Belsize Village followed by a run down Haverstock Hill (steep in places, please don't attempt it unless you're confident on downhills). Contrary to the usual rules of the Radio 4 panel game, the skate does not finish when we reach Mornington Crescent: we will be returning to Wellington Arch as usual. 8pm Friday. http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070713 And after last week's excitement, this week's SUNDAY STROLL will be a cobble-free zone as Natasha leads a route especially suited to less-experienced skaters (though we're sure the usual suspects will have fun too). The skate is a relaxed 6.6 miles with half time on the King's Road, next to a scrummy ice-cream shop. (Calorie counters might want to abstain from this skate.) Will we manage to roll back to Hyde Park afterwards? We hope so. As usual, we set off at 2pm from Serpentine Road in Hyde Park. http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070715 TONIGHT's LONDONSKATE is the West End/Fitzrovia route, so head down to the bandstand on Serpentine Road in Hyde Park at 7:30, ready to leave at 8pm. http://www.serpentineroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25906 == LAST WEEK == In a startling break with the traditions of the British summer, we managed to run two skates last weekend. FRIDAY found us driven out of Hyde Park Corner by cyclists so we started from Serpentine Road. The Tour de France seemed to have closed half of central London, which meant a lot of rapid re-routing as we dodged traffic jams and sealed-off roads. Despite that, Lead Marshal Sol managed to get in some long straight stretches where we could celebrate our first dry and bomb-free Friday for a while. It's been some time since we skated Battersea Park, so it was a welcome return Sarf of the River. There seem to have been a lot of first-timers out on Friday. Congratulations to everyone who finished. SUNDAY was the annual outing to Greenwich led, as usual, by Markus. Unlike previous years we ran south of the river and found places many of us didn't know existed, like the old Russia Dock, now filled in but with quaysides splendidly isolated in a London park. The skate had (as promised) a few 'interesting' surfaces - but obviously the cobbles and steps weren't enough for some, judging by the number of skaters who climbed Stave Hill for the dubious pleasure of skating down it on the grass! Well done all those who made it to Greenwich and special respect to the people who finished with the final sprint up the hill to the Observatory. Lots of phots on the web site http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070708/1 == NUTS! BOLTING THE STABLE DOOR == The excitement of Sunday's cross-country skate had several Strollers and at least one marshal (*ahem*) caught out as various axle and frame bolts made daring bids for freedom. The routine bump and grind of skating does tend to work the little blighters loose after a while, and Sunday's Markus-Certified(tm) cobble surfaces were just the thing to demonstrate the point. A few simple checks could keep you on the road longer: loose bolts will often give a warning before letting go completely - for an axle bolt it's usually a sound. Listen for abnormal sharp clicks, rattles, or a noise like jingle-bells as you put your foot down. Axle bolts should be firmly tight without being over-tight, and will need to be checked and re-tightened occasionally even if you haven't removed your wheels. Before you skate give each wheel a vigorous shake; there should be no looseness between wheel and frame and no rattly clicking noises. Likewise, there should be no movement between frame and boot. Check frames before skating by pushing them left and right on the boot and look out for unexpected movement or sound. And don't forget to check the other bolts on the skates. Some brands are particularly prone to losing nuts and bolts that hold fasteners in place, and though the fix is easy (once the parts turn up), it can take the shine off a Stroll to find your skates disintegrating as you roll. Some recommend Loctite. The trick is to get the correct kind: blue Loctite (243) - which comes in a red bottle, confusingly - can be removed with a small amount of brute force, whereas red loctite takes a flame at 350 degrees F: ask an adult to help when you use the oven or sharp utensils. Or there's nail varnish: we're advised that all colours are equally effective, so choose to match your outfit. == LONDON CLOSED TO CARS: SEPTEMBER 23 == Skaters in town last weekend for the Tour de France might have noticed just how much more fun it is when the roads are closed to traffic. So, look forward to September 23rd - the Hovis London Freewheel - for yuor next opportunity. A 14km central London route (mostly up and down the Embankment) will be made traffic-free between 10am and 4pm, and though the event is targetted at cyclists, the organisers say skaters are welcome to join as well. From midday there's also the Freewheel Festival in St James Park, which "will be buzzing with entertainment, stalls and more". And secure bike parking, if anyone really wants to tie their skates to a Sheffield stand. http://www.londonfreewheel.com/ == GLORIOUS GOODWOOD : 29th JULY == Registration is still open for the Goodwood Roller Marathon, to be held on Sunday 29th July at the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit. A favourite among London skaters who lap up the relaxed atmosphere, picnic facilities and friendly competition with other skaters. There's a choice of 2, 5 or 11 laps and this year the race is also open to skateboards and longboarders. Why not get sponsored? This year the event is benefiting the NSPCC. Check out the official site for more details, or the thread on Serpentine Road for the gossip and details on car sharing. http://www.goodwoodmarathon.co.uk/ http://www.serpentineroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22838 == AND SO, AS THE RICKSHAW OF DESTINY == ... skids on the diesel spill of serendipity and the slalom cones of free will are scattered by the BMX rider of fate, it's time for us to say goodbye for another week. Feedback, comments, complaints, suggestions, talk to us on the skates or drop us a line through the feedback form on the site. To unsubscribe, see the link in the email footer. http://www.lfns.co.uk/feedback.php#contactus Material in this email is protected by copyright; it may be reproduced unchanged in full provided that credit is given. All trademarks acknowledged. The LFNS is not responsible for the content of external web sites. -- Sent from the London Friday Night Skate - http://www.lfns.co.uk/ Check out any time - see http://www.lfns.co.uk/unsubscribe.php?list=wow |
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