Further to Neil Fodderings post, the overall average speed of Rossiter (for the whole time as opposed to only when riding) was 13.6mp, in heavy rain. To put this into a PBP perspective, imagine riding the Paris Brest Paris in 54.5 hours (Jan Heine bettered this with an admirable 50, so he can probably imagine this better than anyone on this list). But then ride on for another 91 miles without slowing, finally stopping at 61 hr 22mins. As you look back over your journey, you consider that you have completed this feat on a fairly standard 1929 Raleigh club racer, and a Sturmey Archer 3 speed.
I'm not sure of the exact terrain it was ridden over, but I would guess that the hills are a lot steeper and the nights a lot darker (due to lack of good lighting equipment if anything) than in the PBP.
Neil's information is very interesting about the gear ratio's Rossiter used " Yes, it's a Sturmey K three-speed, with gear ratios of 59, 78 and 102 inches. The gear ratios were changed when he reached Lockerbie, to 55, 72 and 94 inches." His record predecessor Harry Green also used a 3 speed, and started with a rather steep 94" direct gear but sensibly changed it to an 80" direct gear at Bridgenorth before it got hilly (with the Lake District and Grampians.)
The current record is owned by Gethin Butler, whose time of 1 day 20 hours and 4 minutes had an average running time of around 19mph.
Mark Lawrence Oxford United Kingdom
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Neil Foddering Sent: 23 October 2009 14:48 To: oldtrikerider@q.com; Rendezvous Classic Subject: Re: [CR] English records book on Brit Ebay
Yes, it's a Sturmey "K" three-speed, with gear ratios of 59, 78 and 102 inches. The gear ratios were changed when he reached Lockerbie, to 55, 72 and 94 inches.
You can't see from the photos, but under magnification, it's possible to see that the Sturmey gear change quadrant plate and the pulley wheel have been drilled, presumably to save every ounce of weight. The bike is a Raleigh, a Clubman model, if I remember rightly. I don't know, but wouldn't be surprised if Rossiter's feat caused Raleigh to produce their "Record" model.
Rossiter rode the 800-odd miles in 2 days 13 hours 22 minutes, much of the time in heavy rain.
Neil Foddering
Weymouth, Dorset, England