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W E E K O N W H E E L S |
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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] Woolf on Wheels: Clerkenwell and Bloomsbury Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:27:21 +0000 This week, on wheels * This week: Clerkenwell and Bloomsbury * Last week: spy photos * Hare today (gun tomorrow?) * Circle Line skate postponed * Brake with tradition * Bicycle Race == THIS WEEK == The LONDON FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE this week is based around the first half of the LM's usual route home after a refreshing pint or five (of orange juice) at the Vic. It has a couple of downhills, some lovely smooth surfaces including recently resurfaced stretches in Clerkenwell, and a circuit of Trafalgar Square on the way home. Half time at Farringdon station. http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070209 If you notice that we're still heading East after the Old St roundabout, chances are Dan's forgotten to turn around. Please feel free to point it out, because there won't be room for everyone in his flat. The SUNDAY STROLL is headed To The Lighthouse - not literally, but literarily. We're going to Bloomsbury, via the West End: half time at the Brunswick Centre (nearest Tube: Russell Square) http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070211 == LAST WEEK == On FRIDAY we cruised around town to say Happy Birthday to our very own GuinnessGirl with a route specifically designed for her. The 12.7 mile round trip took us to Chelsea and Fulham spelling out "MOZ" (another of her aliases) as we went. We hope the Birthday Girl enjoyed it as much as the rest of us. After a lot of "Haring about" on Saturday's route check (see below) our lead marshal took us on an exceedingly chilled SUNDAY STROLL in beautiful weather past embassies in Mayfair, Marylebone and Fitzrovia. Check to see if you're among the hordes of smiling skaters our photographer Doron managed to snap. http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070204/01 == HARE TODAY (GUN TOMORROW?) == Rabbit on the road is more usually seen in the country than Central London, but passers-by in town on Saturday were treated to the rare sight of urban lapin. This breed is not only somewhat larger and significantly less dead than its rural cousin (observations made from typical specimens), but has apparently evolved small wheels on its hind paws and moves fast enough that Aesop is seriously rethinking his tortoise fable. Yes, we were out practising for the Easter Sunday Bunnystroll. In Mayfair, Marylebone and Fitzrovia, Starbucks customers, car drivers, police officers and small children looked on amazed as the rabbit invasion hopped down the road past them decked out in furry ears, bow ties, and (for the does) cocktail dresses and tights. http://www.serpentineroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23212 Thanks to all the bunny models who turned out for the photographs and for the skate, and look out for more rabbiting around in the weeks between now and Easter. The Bunnystroll itself is Easter Sunday, but there'll be something on wheels every day of the four-day weekend. == SEVERE DELAYS ON THE CIRCLE LINE == Due to planned industrial action (actually, it turns out that the Lead Marshal is double-booked) the Circle Line skate is suffering delays - so won't be 2nd March after all. Probably will be after the clocks go forward, but stay tuned for more when we know ... == BRAKE WITH TRADITION == Few things in skating are as polarising as heel brakes: people either love them or hate them. Many good skaters remove theirs because it can interfere with moves such as crossovers or slalom tricks, giving brakeless skating an aura of cool that wannabes strive to emulate. The heel brake is the easiest and most effective stopping method for a beginner to learn and for many will always remain their preferred emergency stopping method. It's also a useful way to slow down, particularly on a hill. However, there are plenty of other ways to stop or slow down, including T-stops (learn this on BOTH legs), spin stops, lunge stops, sand even the humble snow-plough. It should go without saying that you shouldn't remove the heel brake until you have mastered an alternative - preferably two - and for a street skate this needs to be instinctive. In the context of a street skate, heel brakes do have certain advantages, and the disadvantages are less apparent since there's little need for tricky slalom moves. Heel brakes are the most powerful stopping method and require little space to execute - ideal when there are hundreds of skaters crowded around you. They are also very cost-effective stopping, since you are wearing out rubber brake pads at a fiver a pop rather than trashing expensive polyurethane wheels. * Whatever method you choose, make sure you can stop safely in all conditions. * If you do take your brake off, don't throw it in the Serp - instead, find a Skate Patrol instructor who can use it for teaching. * Don't heelbrake over cables! They're placid nonthreatening road furniture if skated over normally, but if you scrape them up and set them twanging, someone behind you is going to catch the rebound. == BICYCLE RACE == Our longhaul overhaul of the Firebrox seems to be getting close to its destination. It's been away getting a good going over "somewhere in a garage in Hampshire" as Javis Cocker nearly said, and the team working on it seem to be playing their cards very close to their chests but they say it's getting closer - then looking at the cuts on their hands and mumbling about metacentric height. The last thing they took apart was the back axle, and we're given to understand the bearings were in a shocking state. Expect to see it soon gracing a Sunday Stroll or two before joining us on the LFNS. "What if you never come down?" == MESSAGE ENDS == T Stop: the half time break on the Sunday Stroll Feedback, comments, complaints, suggestions, please drop us a line through the feedback form on the site. To unsubscribe, see the link in the page footer. If you email us, it will bounce (just like the rabbits). 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. Unauthorised access is not authorised. -- 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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