Eroica Brittania Rules

[Deleted member 24574]

Seems to me you are judging the event that has yet to happen ... sometimes in life you need to try things before you develop an opinion and sometimes you need to show a bit of faith and support things that perhaps are looking a bit flaky at the outset.

The core of the moaning is the price ... £55 isn't that bad for the full package of what they are trying to deliver.

Why does caring about Retro RVV, La Savoureuse, l'Eroica etc mean you have to be negative about this event ???

I just don't get the moaning and carping ... seems to me there are too many bitter people out there ... these people are trying to put on an event and if you have ever tried to run an event of this type you'd know that is no trivial task ...

 

[Woz]

Not that I'm too bothered, but it seems the organisers are chasing some type of "heroic bike" image which is
poorly defined in words - they seem ill thought out and cobbled together resulting in gaps and questions hence this thread.

Surely it would have been simpler to do a blanket cut off ..... something like "Complete and authentic road bikes pre-1990"
but allow a very practical exemption for consumables such as tyres, chains, brake blocks, etc. for a wider appeal.

If someone came along with a 1940 military bike or Schwinn Cruiser or as I already mentioned a classic Jack Taylor tourer or sleek Lotus Type 108 with shoes screwed to the pedal axles I don't see it destroying this mythical "heroic bike" image in anyway and thus a need to try to make too specific rules. Rather the total opposite and be a positive celebration of old bike diversity - which is one reason why we are on a site like this right?

If on the other hand this "heroic bike" image is exclusively "Pro level Road Racing bikes from the 80s as seen in the Giro d'Italia peloten" then, in my mind it would have been simpler to just state that.

Just an opinion, and I'm not dishing the event, it's for a constructive discussion.

 

[Deleted member 24574]

When you read any set of "rules" they can easily come across as officious ...

I suspect that if you turn up on an old bike and look the part you will be more than welcome to ride ... I would be shocked if they got all upperty over minor issues ...

 

[TGR]

Montello,

An obviousl question - are you riding the Montello at it? That woudl make it worth while to go and watch.

Richard

 

[Deleted member 24574]

Yes I am ... I ride it at least once a week in the summer. I will have to put old pedals on though ... I will also be wearing a rather nice team issue wool jersey from Metauro Mobili Pinarello.

 

[Johnsqual]

My own attitude to events like L'Eroica, la Savoureuse, the Retro Ronde and the various smaller events near me is that have been used at least in part to promote cycling in a way that is inclusive and fun. By making the Eroica Britannia so expensive, the organisers have in my view destroyed this inclusiveness in their event.

The last edition of RRVV and La Savouresue had people on all kinds of bikes, families, older people, kids and so on. I really think these events are a way to make cycling fun and accessible, much more so than normal sportives.

The events I mentioned cost between 10 and 40 euros to enter. Normal sportives in the UK cost between 5 and 35 quid from what I can see - 25 quid seems about average. By hiking the price up to 70 quid (that is the current price on the EB site), the organisers have made their event inaccessible to a lot of people: many of the avid Retrobike fans on here find it too expensive, let alone people who want to come along and try the event out.

I resent the accusation of carping, whining etc. What annoys me about this event is that there are obvious, constructive ways to improve it that the organisers could still put in place, but they've not even responded to the people making the suggestions. Apparently someone from on here sent a list of suggestions to the organisers: they seem to have ignored it and didn't even read the thread. Compare that to Bravo Scozia: the organizer has come on here to discuss his event. Much respect to him for doing so.

The pricing is another issue that could easily been solved if the organisers had bothered to do a bit of research. At the RRVV you can register for different bits of the event, so you only have to pay for the things you actually want to take part in. Seems much fairer and more sensible than forcing people to pay for stuff like camping that they don't even want.

I would really like to see more Retro rides in the UK and elsewhere because, like I say, I think it is a better way to get more people into cycling than some macho sportive suffer-fest: those are OK for some but they're not for everyone. I would like to see some constructive ideas about how to do this in an affordable way, rather than constantly be accused of moaning. Is it possible to follow the example of La Savoureuse, the Retro Ronde and such like, or is it only possible to organize expensive events for people with more money than sense in the UK?

Cheers,
Johnny

 

[Deleted member 24574]

I think the organisers have made a number of mistakes with this event the main one I think that they are trying to go big from the outset ... and their complete lack of engagement with this forum is very disappointing.

I think they are aiming big with the whole 3 day "festival" thing so when you look at the price you have to consider that it includes 3 days of camping plus the ride itself ... when you look at in context that is pretty reasonable.

Of course if you live near by and don't want to do anything but the ride then it is expensive.

Personally I think they should have offered a price for the ride then added the other activities on top ...

Like I say I think they have made a number of errors ... that said I could either whine about it or just give it a go. What other event is there that will see hundreds of retro road bikes riding in the UK this year or ever before?

It's a one-off a first ... quit your moaning guys and give it a go ...

 

[Johnsqual]

. What other event is there that will see hundreds of retro road bikes riding in the UK this year or ever before?

..

Er, the Bravo Scozia ride. Which I've mentioned several times and is discussed here:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=274979&p=2142160#p2142160

Quit your moaning, get your money back from the EB and go and do the Bravo Scozia.

 

[TGR]

Morning all,

There do not seem to be any really unreasonable suggestions in any of the above. I did not post this in order for another slagging match at the event. The previous post did enough of that. I have been doing a little looking around and i found a thread on another forum (relating to people who ride fixed gear bikes in London) and it looks like (although it may not be the case) that the event was advertised there. IMO this would have been the forum to announce the event on.

I am sure the event will be good, unfortunately I am too far away to even consider it, maybe next year. I would hope that any teething problems are sorted out by then.

To those who are participating - have a great time and I would love to read a full report (with the obligatory pics).

Richard

 

[Deleted member 24574]

. What other event is there that will see hundreds of retro road bikes riding in the UK this year or ever before?

..

Quit your moaning, get your money back from the EB and go and do the Bravo Scozia.

I think you are doing all the moaning ... are you from Australia?

I would do the Scottish event but it's too far for a one day ride ...