Veloviewer. Who is using it, and what do you get from it?
Discussion
Solocle said:
Then I was actually on NCN 25 yesterday, as it's basically the direct route to my parents... but very quickly got a puncture, and took to the A350 then the A357. Then I got a second puncture after Stur Newton, and was basically buggered. Bloody GP5000s! So I've now got some GP 4 Seasons, and I've cranked up yet again from 28 mm to 32 mm. Does that count as a fat bike?
Hmmmm? Tyres.I've got to buy a new one today in fact. A pair of GP 4 Seasons went on last year. The rear one got slashed by something in the road near Buckler's Hard/Beaulieu quite early in it's life. So I "put a boot in" and cracked on. But it has caused me so much arseache recently that it's got to be replaced I think. The "proper" tyre boot was no good. Possibly through age, but it wouldn't stay put. Then a piece cut from a drink bottle creased so that it caused a ridge that wore a hole in the tube. Then that was replaced with a smaller piece of plastic in the hope that it wouldn't crease, but that one split, and the tear had a sharp edge so... yup, that wore a hole in the tube too. I got home alright twice, only to find the tyre flat in the garage a couple of days later. Cheapo tubes from Decathlon don't seem to like vulcanising solution so they don't patch very well. So my experience with this GP 4 Season tyre hasn't been great. But I'm going to sling another one on there this time, and write the damage off to bad luck and road debris. My thought process is that some 'sharps' are enough to get through any amount of protection in a pneumatic tyre. An I'm absolutely certain that 'tubeless' wouldn't have saved me from that tyre slash either. It's galling to have to replace a tyre with only 1,000 miles on it, but in the end I'm going to spend out more on tubes than the cost of a new tyre if I keep on trying to "boot" this one.
yellowjack said:
Hmmmm? Tyres.
I've got to buy a new one today in fact. A pair of GP 4 Seasons went on last year. The rear one got slashed by something in the road near Buckler's Hard/Beaulieu quite early in it's life. So I "put a boot in" and cracked on. But it has caused me so much arseache recently that it's got to be replaced I think. The "proper" tyre boot was no good. Possibly through age, but it wouldn't stay put. Then a piece cut from a drink bottle creased so that it caused a ridge that wore a hole in the tube. Then that was replaced with a smaller piece of plastic in the hope that it wouldn't crease, but that one split, and the tear had a sharp edge so... yup, that wore a hole in the tube too. I got home alright twice, only to find the tyre flat in the garage a couple of days later. Cheapo tubes from Decathlon don't seem to like vulcanising solution so they don't patch very well. So my experience with this GP 4 Season tyre hasn't been great. But I'm going to sling another one on there this time, and write the damage off to bad luck and road debris. My thought process is that some 'sharps' are enough to get through any amount of protection in a pneumatic tyre. An I'm absolutely certain that 'tubeless' wouldn't have saved me from that tyre slash either. It's galling to have to replace a tyre with only 1,000 miles on it, but in the end I'm going to spend out more on tubes than the cost of a new tyre if I keep on trying to "boot" this one.
Oof - I've just been out for the maiden ride on the 32 mm tyres, and they felt amazing. A quick look around one of the GP5Ks that I took off shows little more than a minor scuff on the sidewall, which, given that they've been ridden on some knarly roads and even bridleways, is quite impressive! I think they might go back on for time trials.I've got to buy a new one today in fact. A pair of GP 4 Seasons went on last year. The rear one got slashed by something in the road near Buckler's Hard/Beaulieu quite early in it's life. So I "put a boot in" and cracked on. But it has caused me so much arseache recently that it's got to be replaced I think. The "proper" tyre boot was no good. Possibly through age, but it wouldn't stay put. Then a piece cut from a drink bottle creased so that it caused a ridge that wore a hole in the tube. Then that was replaced with a smaller piece of plastic in the hope that it wouldn't crease, but that one split, and the tear had a sharp edge so... yup, that wore a hole in the tube too. I got home alright twice, only to find the tyre flat in the garage a couple of days later. Cheapo tubes from Decathlon don't seem to like vulcanising solution so they don't patch very well. So my experience with this GP 4 Season tyre hasn't been great. But I'm going to sling another one on there this time, and write the damage off to bad luck and road debris. My thought process is that some 'sharps' are enough to get through any amount of protection in a pneumatic tyre. An I'm absolutely certain that 'tubeless' wouldn't have saved me from that tyre slash either. It's galling to have to replace a tyre with only 1,000 miles on it, but in the end I'm going to spend out more on tubes than the cost of a new tyre if I keep on trying to "boot" this one.
Back to the tyres, there was a bit of a false start with a puncture before I'd even ridden anywhere - a piece of my tyre lever broke off when fitting the rear tyre, and the only inner tubes that the shop had had in long valve 32s were latex... bad mix. But I'd already amazoned some butyl tubes, and held off fitting the front, so I've got a good latex tube for the TTs, if I can squeeze a 30-38 into a 28, that is. Should be fine.
The maiden ride was a simple 1 hour circuit, but it had a bit of everything - from the sandy promenade, to chasing cars around the Civic Centre Roundabout (and winning
)
I get the feeling that they'll be ideal for things like audaxes, and while maybe a bit roady for hardcore tiling, most of what's left of Dorset can be done without ever venturing onto an accursed bridleway
19 tiles ridden today. 13 new ones, all inside the yellow line.
I'd intended on a two and a half hour ride, but a lot of driving up and down random little lanes wasted an hour of that. Very hilly too, but it was always going to be an uphill finish when I started the ride at the old RAF Bulbarrow GEE hyperbolic navigation radar station, right up on Bulbarrow Hill.
https://www.strava.com/activities/5269316125
Not sure where to focus next really. Fill in those gaps? Tackle Portland and the rest of the Dorset coast? Take a MTB back to Salisbury Plain to try to get the Danger Area tiles in and around Imber? Switch fire back to Hampshire and fill that hole between Basingstoke and Andover? Concentrate on the remainder of south Hampshire between Portsmouth and Petersfield?
One thing is for sure, It's only getting more difficult to ride from home AND claim new tiles. It's still possible in both directions, but I'm more tempted to drive to these areas now.
Max Square is still limited to 29 x 29 by Porton Down and the south coast, but there is room to expand either side of those four irritating 'Impossible Tiles'. But it's definitely going to mean buying at least two new OS maps to get it done right first time - today I was using a print of a screenshot from VeloViewer but it's hard to follow at such a small size, so I left a couple of tiles out of my route, tiles I'll now have to go over "old ground" again to claim, whichever order I ride them in.
ETA:
VeloViewer Score: 98.731 (up from 98.729)
Explorer Score: 4158 (up from 4145)
Max Square: 29 x 29 (no change)
Max Cluster: 2748 (up from 2738)
Eddington Score: 73 (no change)
Edited by yellowjack on Sunday 9th May 22:25
Back on the 9th May 2021 I posted this update...
Now I'm posting my update, as at 21st June 2021...
...there's been a bit of progress in the top left corner. I'm still at a 29 x 29 Max Square, but there are now "options" I can now use to extend to a 33 x 33. I'm looking to complete Dorset as my next "main effort" now, rather than targeting an increase to Max Square.
The northern edge is no longer defined by the Porton Down (impossible) tiles, but the MOD and their Danger areas are still interfering. I've hit the edge of the Imber Live Fire Training Area, and the bottom (southern) edge of the Larkhill Artillery Range too. Clearly (from the Ride Every Tile heatmap) some people have managed to get onto the Imber training area, but it's certainly not 'Kosher' according to the Military Lands Statutory Instruments for the area. Of course, I'll go up and try to nab those tiles if I can, but priority now is to work my way west through Dorset to the Devon border. Beyond that? No idea, but probably looking east to fill in a few holes, and work on that big empty space around Whitchurch.
There's not been much progress this past week, as I've been away with my wife for a few days, and it's mostly been walks. Hopefully the weather (which has been rotten this past week) will break and I can get a decent duration ride in before this week is over. At some point I'm hoping to be able to announce and increase to my Max Square too.
(apologies for the slightly different colours, map settings, and zoom level though...)
Now I'm posting my update, as at 21st June 2021...
...there's been a bit of progress in the top left corner. I'm still at a 29 x 29 Max Square, but there are now "options" I can now use to extend to a 33 x 33. I'm looking to complete Dorset as my next "main effort" now, rather than targeting an increase to Max Square.
The northern edge is no longer defined by the Porton Down (impossible) tiles, but the MOD and their Danger areas are still interfering. I've hit the edge of the Imber Live Fire Training Area, and the bottom (southern) edge of the Larkhill Artillery Range too. Clearly (from the Ride Every Tile heatmap) some people have managed to get onto the Imber training area, but it's certainly not 'Kosher' according to the Military Lands Statutory Instruments for the area. Of course, I'll go up and try to nab those tiles if I can, but priority now is to work my way west through Dorset to the Devon border. Beyond that? No idea, but probably looking east to fill in a few holes, and work on that big empty space around Whitchurch.
There's not been much progress this past week, as I've been away with my wife for a few days, and it's mostly been walks. Hopefully the weather (which has been rotten this past week) will break and I can get a decent duration ride in before this week is over. At some point I'm hoping to be able to announce and increase to my Max Square too.
(apologies for the slightly different colours, map settings, and zoom level though...)
Edited by yellowjack on Monday 21st June 23:19
Dorset, you say? The race is on!
Meanwhile I've acquired an OS map of Devon, which seems to be quite a reasonable scale for my non-tiling trips. I really need the equivalent for Cornwall too, as it is those two counties that are most irksome for any LEJOG concepts... unless you like the navigational simplicity proffered by "turn onto the A30 and straighten on until morning!"
Meanwhile I've acquired an OS map of Devon, which seems to be quite a reasonable scale for my non-tiling trips. I really need the equivalent for Cornwall too, as it is those two counties that are most irksome for any LEJOG concepts... unless you like the navigational simplicity proffered by "turn onto the A30 and straighten on until morning!"
Moved house to the east of the city during the winter which has given me relatively fresh roads to explore, so have been racking up the new tiles.
This was towards the end of last summer
Now it looks like this
Will continue filling up those gaps and hope to overtake my biggest cluster from my old house in the UK at some point.
1632 tiles, average of 7.541 km per tile
Max square 12x12
Max Cluster: 291
This was towards the end of last summer
Now it looks like this
Will continue filling up those gaps and hope to overtake my biggest cluster from my old house in the UK at some point.
1632 tiles, average of 7.541 km per tile
Max square 12x12
Max Cluster: 291
J886ATV said:
@Yellowjack
Advice please - how did you crack this square? (Sandhurst Military Academy). I think there are some trails at the north, or did you ride through a checkpoint?
I have a few around Sandhurst / Crowthorne that I'll be doing on a Road Bike to aid my westerly expansion
As it happens that is on my hitlist too. I figured you can get to it on the road via Dawney Road, as it is visible on Streetview, so accessible.Advice please - how did you crack this square? (Sandhurst Military Academy). I think there are some trails at the north, or did you ride through a checkpoint?
I have a few around Sandhurst / Crowthorne that I'll be doing on a Road Bike to aid my westerly expansion
Did you ride up the A322 to get the tiles to the NE? As there is no hard shoulder on that road, and the volume of fast traffic I have avoided that one so far, but then I get the dumb idea to do it late at night..... Although riding the MTB up there is the sane solution.
J886ATV said:
@Yellowjack
Advice please - how did you crack this square? (Sandhurst Military Academy). I think there are some trails at the north, or did you ride through a checkpoint?
I have a few around Sandhurst / Crowthorne that I'll be doing on a Road Bike to aid my westerly expansion
I've got two activities that picked up the north east corner of that square...Advice please - how did you crack this square? (Sandhurst Military Academy). I think there are some trails at the north, or did you ride through a checkpoint?
I have a few around Sandhurst / Crowthorne that I'll be doing on a Road Bike to aid my westerly expansion
PHer's Swinley Day Out, 2015: https://www.strava.com/activities/245978780
Another ride with a fellow PHer, 2016: https://www.strava.com/activities/716666628
...and both took me through the Officer's Married Quarters area behind RMA Sandhurst (King's Ride is the road name, turn off the A30 at the Romans Estate Agents/Martins VW dealership traffic lights) and on into the Barossa training area. Obviously I can't guarantee that access is still available, but it was back then in 2015/2016. I wasn't in to VeloViewer tiling back then so getting that tile was just from normal riding about the place, and I'm 99% certain there was no climbing over gates or fences involved...
ETA:
smack said:
As it happens that is on my hitlist too. I figured you can get to it on the road via Dawney Road, as it is visible on Streetview, so accessible.
Did you ride up the A322 to get the tiles to the NE? As there is no hard shoulder on that road, and the volume of fast traffic I have avoided that one so far, but then I get the dumb idea to do it late at night..... Although riding the MTB up there is the sane solution.
Dawnay Road is quite possibly the ideal solution, especially if you want to get it by road bike. The MOD married quarters estates aren't generally 'access controlled' these days unless they are fully 'behind the wire'. From the A30 take King's Ride, left onto Matthews Road, then another left onto Dawnay Road and head South West until you reach the last houses on the right... https://www.google.com/maps/@51.3470562,-0.7519518... ...the "back gate" into RMA Sandhurst is the road straight ahead in that Google maps link, and that'll be the end of the line for you, but it's well inside the tile. As I said, though, I never had to plan access to that tile because by the time I became aware of VeloViewer Tiling it was already "in the bag" from MTB trips to Swinley Forest.Did you ride up the A322 to get the tiles to the NE? As there is no hard shoulder on that road, and the volume of fast traffic I have avoided that one so far, but then I get the dumb idea to do it late at night..... Although riding the MTB up there is the sane solution.
As for the A322 question, @smack, yes I rode the A322 many times. Often on a MTB to get into Swinley. But there is also the option of the "old road" which is now a bridleway between Broadmoor Farm and The Devil's Highway which passes underneath the A322. But I'd definitely advise a MTB for that route. There's also a bridleway or footpath parallel to the A322 between Owlsmoor and the new Broadmoor Roundabout, to the east of the road. The southbound Strava segment is here... https://www.strava.com/segments/9154031?filter=ove... ...but while it might be traffic free it would probably be wise to take a machete with you at this time of year. There is a work around for most things really, but I'm reluctant to take risks either with MOD ranges or at things like oil refineries and commercial ports.
Edited by yellowjack on Wednesday 7th July 14:58
smack said:
Did you ride up the A322 to get the tiles to the NE? As there is no hard shoulder on that road, and the volume of fast traffic I have avoided that one so far, but then I get the dumb idea to do it late at night..... Although riding the MTB up there is the sane solution.
Came down from Ascot for those 4 tiles (A332 down to the big roundabout) very short diversion towards Bracknell on the A322, then crossed the road, back over the roundabout and back to Bagshot.I actually did it on a Friday afternoon - more traffic is actually better - because it's just queueing so not fast
PS thanks for the tip re Dawnay Road - that looks just the ticket
(got a couple of Swinley rides to cover some of the other sections)
Edited by J886ATV on Thursday 8th July 16:18
J886ATV said:
Came down from Ascot for those 4 tiles (A332 down to the big roundabout) very short diversion towards Bracknell on the A322, then crossed the road, back over the roundabout and back to Bagshot.
I actually did it on a Friday afternoon - more traffic is actually better - because it's just queueing so not fast
PS thanks for the tip re Dawnay Road - that looks just the ticket
(got a couple of Swinley rides to cover some of the other sections)
Reminds me of this little stint on the A34 I actually did it on a Friday afternoon - more traffic is actually better - because it's just queueing so not fast
PS thanks for the tip re Dawnay Road - that looks just the ticket
(got a couple of Swinley rides to cover some of the other sections)
Edited by J886ATV on Thursday 8th July 16:18
ukbabz said:
Braver than I am there! Stretches of the A40 have been sketchy enough!
Eh, that one ride had to accomplish quite a lot, and was 123 km long. Avoiding the A34 would have added quite a bit. Avoiding the A420 would have added significantly more.
I haven't actually done any of the A40 west of Pear Tree, whereas I've ridden the whole cherbang east of there as far as Denham.
I got the A40 and A420 confused! I've ridden good chunks of the A420 between Oxford and Faringdon and that was bad enough, living a but further south means if I want to head west I'll take the B4057.
I've got a cluster that I want to join up around Fairford to the main blob. I'm really struggling to find the time to go for rides longer than 100km at the moment so tiling has really dropped back this year.
I've got a cluster that I want to join up around Fairford to the main blob. I'm really struggling to find the time to go for rides longer than 100km at the moment so tiling has really dropped back this year.
J886ATV said:
Came down from Ascot for those 4 tiles (A322 down to the big roundabout) very short diversion towards Bracknell on the A322, then crossed the road, back over the roundabout and back to Bagshot.
I actually did it on a Friday afternoon - more traffic is actually better - because it's just queueing so not fast
PS thanks for the tip re Dawnay Road - that looks just the ticket
(got a couple of Swinley rides to cover some of the other sections)
So after watching Solocle's video, with nothing much on TV last night and scoffing half a packet of chocolate chip cookies, I stuck my MTB light on the road bike and give the A332 a go as you had done. After snagging some tiles to the west of Ascot, I came down the A322 around 2200, and when I hit the big roundabout, I saw no traffic, made a split second decision to go north up the A322. There were more HGV's than cars, not as quiet as I hoped, and one wasn't too happy with me, blasting his air horn as he went past. I time trialed up the road as fast as I could before I got skittled, it wasn't the most sane thing to do, but hey ho, it's done now! My Garmin radar tail light was a godsend.I actually did it on a Friday afternoon - more traffic is actually better - because it's just queueing so not fast
PS thanks for the tip re Dawnay Road - that looks just the ticket
(got a couple of Swinley rides to cover some of the other sections)
After getting to the end, I decided not to repeat the same dumb decision to return back via the A322, I looped around Owlsmoor and Sandhurst, and can confirm Dawnay Road did the trick, and replicated your route to the back entrance of Pennyhill Park to snag that tile, although regardless I would have got that one when I take MTB for a ride to Swinley Forrest to fill in the gap there in the next week or so.
Got home near midnight to scoff down a home made kebab, and in inspiration to you gave the ride a fitting name
Solocle said:
I've got a choice to make now. There are couple of tiles around the A34, near Beacon Hill just south of Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey!). No roads in them, and PROWs that barely get inside the tiles. I've either got to ride the A34 for a bit, or take a MTB (or perhaps my old Cannondale "gravel" bike) and push out onto 'Wayfarers Walk' both east and west where I also need tiles with little in the way of paved roads.I don't fancy the A34 much simply because it isn't any fun to ride on such roads. I did manage to shrink a block of tiles northeast of Andover on my last ride though...
But because of that, I got distracted away from completing Dorset! Although it brought me closer to completing Hampshire. Confused? Follow me on Strava - I flit from one area to another so readily I'll make your head spin...
I should probably pick one direction in which to expand my Max Square and concentrate on it, but I enjoy the differences in the character of the countryside and rural architecture of the various counties, and it's nice to explore one to have a break from another every once in a while.
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