About
the Origami Phoenix Ride
Planned
meetings
How
to get to Meriden
Reports
on past rides
The 'Origami Phoenix Ride' is a cycle ride usually held in the English Midlands, normally on the second Saturday of every month. The location varies from month to month. The ride was originally held particularly for the owners of folding (hence the 'Origami' of the ride name) and separable cycles, but anyone riding any kind of cycle is welcome - indeed, you are welcome to join us at the start for breakfast and a chat even if you don't have a cycle or don't feel like riding! Many of those who attend are either members of The Moulton Bicycle Club, the VCC (Veteran-Cycle Club) or The Folding Society (or subscribers to A to B magazine), but as mentioned before, anyone, and any kind of cycle, is welcome.
The
usual
arrangement is to meet from about 10:30, with a ride starting at about
11:00. The distance covered is typically 15 to 25 miles. This is a
social ride, and we ride at the pace of the slowest, with plenty of
stops along the way to regroup if necessary. Rides start
and end at the same location, which is usually near a railway station,
so that those who do not choose to travel by car can easily get to and
from the event. When the ride is located at Meriden, the starting point
is Meriden Tearooms, where a very satisfying breakfast can be
obtained at the Tearooms before the ride starts.
The
Origami ride attracts a
wide variety of cycles and riders. You do not even have to come on a
folder, as the Marin mountain bike seen here shows!
The first Origami Ride was held in August 1994, but was a one off, and it was not until April 1997 that the ride was revived on a monthly basis (hence the 'Phoenix' of the ride name). The ride was originated and organised until his death in February 2002 by John Pinkerton. Although we no longer have a formal organiser for the rides, they still take place every month, unless the date (second Saturday of the month) coincides with a Bank Holiday, Moulton Bicycle Club BoA Weekend, or another major cycling event.
For all rides, we meet from about 10:30am, with the ride starting at 11:00am, unless stated otherwise. The finishing time will depend on a number of factors, for instance ride length and time of year, but will always be before dusk. Riders who need to return for a specific time should consult the ride leader, but be prepared to return under their own navigation.
Note that as the location of these rides varies from month to month, it is important to check the location before travelling to an event - the planned rides are listed on this page (see below). You can also check by contacting the Origami team via email here to see what is planned.
Further details will be added for the rides as they are available.
Planned 2013 ridesWe
have a mailing list,
who are usually sent details of each
ride about 1 - 2 weeks before the event. Normally there
will only be one email per month (possibly 2 if there is a real need),
and the list is normally only used to give information specifically
about the
Origami Rides. If you would like to be included on the list, please
send an email indicating this to origami@foldsoc.co.uk.
No personal details are held apart from simply
the email address. While folding bikes are
usually carried as 'luggage' without
restrictions carriage of non-folding bicycles by rail in the UK can be
complicated. The excellent a to b
website has useful information on carriage of bicycles by train here. See notes below on routes
from stations etc. Meriden is on the
B4102, just off the A45 Birmingham to Coventry road, OS map 139, SP 239
823 CV7 7LN. The
nearest station to Meriden (for those occasions when the ride is
based there) is Hampton in Arden, which is about 2 miles from Meriden -
a fairly flat ride on reasonably quiet roads. This is the line from
Coventry to Birmingham and Wolverhampton, and is served by local trains
every 30 minutes. The local trains carry
bicycles free of charge and with no restriction on numbers.
If you are travelling by
main line train you can either change to the local at Coventry or (from
the Birmingham direction) at Birmingham International. Alternatively,
you may prefer to travel to Birmingham International and cycle all the
way from there (an extra 2 miles). From Hampton in Arden, turn right
out of the station, and follow the B4102 to Meriden. Take care at the
roundabout where this road crosses the busy A452. Go straight on at the
roundabout in Meriden, and you will see the Tearooms almost immediately
on your right. From Birmingham International, descend to ground level
and
turn left. Bear right at the first small roundabout, and then left at
the next, larger, roundabout. Go straight on at the large roundabout
above the A45, and then follow the B4438 towards Hampton in Arden.
There is a
shared cycle/foot path on the right hand side of the road for much of
the way. Take the third road on the left, signposted as unsuitable for
heavy
vehicles, and follow this lane to Hampton in Arden. Turn left in
Hampton in Arden, passing the station on the right almost immediately,
and then follow the route described earlier. Access by road is easy -
see road information and map
reference above. Meriden is only a couple of miles from junction 6 of
the M42, which in turn is close to the M6/M42 junction. Since we changed
to using a more convenient 'blog' system
for posting Folding Society news, we will usually report on Origami
Rides there rather than below. The news blog is available by accessing The Folding Society web site. Photographs of
more recent rides can
be viewed on a FlickR group (UK
Origami-Phoenix) that has been set up for this purpose.
Anyone joining an Origami ride is encouraged to join the group and
upload their photos of the ride.Travelling by
train to Origami rides
How to
get to Meriden
By Cycle
By Train and Cycle
By Car
Reports on past rides