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by Chris the Sheep
6 Mar 2016, 5:57pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: E bikes - do you secretly want one?
Replies: 130
Views: 10508

Re: E bikes - do you secretly want one?

I agree, this is one of the least condescending / patronising ebike threads I've ever seen - and shows how attitudes are changing. In the past most threads would have had a tone implying they should only be allowed if someone NEEDS an ebike, I'm not seeing that here.

I swap between a conventional bike (for calm weather) and an ebike (for windy weather). The ebike also makes riding in waterproofs more tolerable so I use it more. My motorbike only gets used for longer journeys now (I don't bother with a car).

I approach my cycling primarily from a utility viewpoint, and the emphasis on cycling as sport amuses me - I returned to cycling after 20 years and it took a while to understand that a 'hybrid' is what I used to call a 'bicycle'!!
by Chris the Sheep
25 Nov 2015, 8:02pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: How daft is this?!!
Replies: 21
Views: 2041

Re: How daft is this?!!

What stands out to me in the image linked by the OP is that the cycle lane markings are being interpreted - whether consciously or not - as the boundary of the 'parking space'. All of the cars are neatly inside the white line, regardless of the fact it leaves virtually no footpath to walk on!
by Chris the Sheep
29 Oct 2015, 7:18pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: pedal power
Replies: 8
Views: 1102

Re: pedal power

A reasonably positive article - but as usual the only ebikes that grab the press's attention are the outlandish / gimmicky / branded-by-a-car-maker ones. There are loads of really good quality ebikes out there that are more like conventional bikes - just as cheap and easy to maintain, as long as the motor unit doesn't fail - and that's pretty unlikely. Shimano Steps (like my Scott), Bosch etc - that's where the future is for ebikes.
by Chris the Sheep
11 Aug 2015, 9:06pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: No longer fashionable to say Hello?
Replies: 30
Views: 7177

Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

I've got a flat bar bike that I recently converted from drops - no difference as far as I can see.

But my 'other' bike is electric and it's just replaced an older ebike. The older one had a front hub motor, so it was obviously electric. Barely any acknowledgement from anyone.

The new one is a crank drive, pretty subtle, and at a glance looks just like any other flat-bar / mudguard / pannier bike - and I get friendly greetings all the time.

I feel like a fraud.
by Chris the Sheep
24 May 2015, 11:52am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Pavement Cycling? Time for some sort of idenification?
Replies: 209
Views: 10687

Re: Pavement Cycling? Time for some sort of idenification?

Latecomer to this thread but I thought I'd add a little bit of local knowledge to this case, as this road is on one of my routes home from work.

First, I don't think I've ever seen a cyclist riding on the pavement here so it's far from normal; there are several sets of traffic lights where some hop onto the pavement to go round them but most stick to the road, even the ones with two carrier bags on each side of their handlebars.

The main hazard on this road is parked cars, but there are no tricky junctions to negotiate. Note that for long stretches there is an on-road cycle lane which is permanently blocked by parked cars; there are no shared use paths anywhere near here and the only ones I know of in Blackpool are either not on residential streets or are surfaced in a different material and marked clearly as bike paths (not ideal of course).

There's nothing to excuse this lad riding on the pavement here, and it's so rare on this road I think the parents wouldn't be expecting it!

I speak as someone who did ride daily on a stretch of pavement to avoid a particularly nasty section of road (at least until the council installed drop kerbs and some paint to make it shared use.......).
by Chris the Sheep
26 Apr 2015, 6:30pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Cycling to work - employer barrier
Replies: 45
Views: 11497

Re: Cycling to work - employer barrier

I've experienced similar things to the OP but I don't own a car - with my current employer (DWP) that's not a problem because there's a strong preference for hiring a car and private mileage is strictly limited, but my previous employer (private sector) would have expenses 'clampdowns' where pre-approval was required to hire a car or buy a train ticket but not to claim private mileage.

What this meant was that for pretty much any trip I had to get a colleague to drive me - something which is subtly demeaning. It doesn't sound like much, but certain managers would always prefer to approach the people who were prepared to 'drop everything' and drive somewhere - anyone like me who needed to plan their travel or get someone else to drive was avoided. It meant two people had to go to a meeting where one would otherwise do.

I don't think there's anything deliberate about any of this - simply that most people use their car for every journey and can't see beyond that.
by Chris the Sheep
4 Apr 2015, 1:14pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The end of unpowered cycling?
Replies: 132
Views: 13935

Re: The end of unpowered cycling?

What a refreshing change this thread is - as an ebike / pedelec rider I'm used to cycling forums being full of hate for them, or posts supporting the bikes 'for the disabled' or whatever.

I'm 50 and in good health, and I've been cycling to work (20 miles return) for nearly five years now - but on windy days (I'm on the coast) I would use my 1000cc motorbike. Since buying a decent pedelec a couple of years ago I hardly use the motorbike, but I still ride my conventional bike at weekends and on days when the weather's favourable - it's not all or nothing.

For me the pedelec has two big advantages - yes, it cancels out headwinds and hills, but it also makes riding in traffic MUCH easier. OK it only cruises at 15mph, but it gets there in an instant and that really does make a difference.

I'm capable of mixing with traffic on an ordinary bike but I don't enjoy it; this takes away some of the stress.

What disappoints me about my pedelec is that as you'd expect it's pretty horrible to ride unpowered, though I frequently ride above the 15mph cut-off, especially with a tailwind (the motor goes into freewheel when it's unpowered, so I always know if it's working). The ideal compromise for me would be a lighter ebike with a smaller battery, but one that's rideable unassisted - but that's not where the market's going, as it chases ever-longer range.

As for fitness; I would place the pedelec as about equivalent to a brisk walk. Good for health but it won't keep the weight off. However, I do find that when I ride my unpowered bike I can manage fine, so the pedelec seems to maintain a base fitness level.

Will unpowered bikes disappear? I doubt it, there's still nothing like the feeling of working muscles and for sport/leisure of course the bicycle will continue.
As for pedelecs driving growth in cycling, there we hit on the same old obstacles:
- At £2000 for a good quality pedelec you're in reliable used car territory - and most people will still want a car as well
- I still have to repair punctures at the side of the road, even with marathon plus.
- I still get wet.
- Drivers still treat me as an inconvenience.
- Road conditions and cycling infrastructure continue to combine to make cycling unattractive for most.

I will one day replace this front hub motored bike with one a bit less obviously 'pedelec' (looking at the Scott E-Sub Speed); then I might be sneered at a bit less often by the same 'proper' cyclists who wish me a cheery good morning when I'm on my drop-bar tourer.
by Chris the Sheep
14 Feb 2015, 2:45pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Re: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

A quick update on this thread, I hate it when things are left open-ended!

I did contact Halfords but when they eventually got back to me it was to tell me to go to my local store who would be able to order me a frame, but I would have to pay for it. Didn't seem worth the bother.

So instead I bought one of the 18" frames from ebay, costing £45 including postage - this frame was advertised as a Carrera Subway 8 Disc frame (most Subway 8s are Nexus roller brake) and it was only down to luck that it happened to be around at the time. A bonus is that it came complete with new forks.

It wasn't identical to my frame which, apart from being a 20", had vertical dropouts and an eccentric bottom bracket. The replacement has horizontal dropouts AND an oversize bottom bracket shell (re Niggle's post above).

I've rebuilt the bike onto the new frame and though it's a tiny bit on the small side it's perfectly OK for local trips - ideal for nipping to the shops. I was going to sell it on but I think I'll keep it; not just as a spare, but because I've never done a complete rebuild before and if I've done anything wrong I would prefer to be the one that has to deal with it! For instance, I've never done anything with a threadless headset before, so now I've learned how to fit a complete new semi-integrated headset - or at least it seems OK. I also need to source some non-turn washers for the Alfine hub, because the existing ones are for a vertical dropout - it works ok but the cable run is untidy and a bit too near the chain for my liking.

My main nagging doubt, though, is the bottom bracket. It's identical to my old bike in that it's a split shell with pinch bolts; or rather, it is now. The shell had all the fittings for pinch bolts, but didn't have a slot in it. I'm probably going to be told I did the wrong thing, but I decided to cut my own slot so it now works fine and looks exactly like the old bike. I'll keep a close eye on it, I think it'll be OK but I'm not convinced enough to sell it to a complete stranger.

Re niggle's comments, the frame does seem to be a bit of a mongrel; it's tricky fitting the rear wheel with the horizontal dropouts and disc brake but can be done. It's just another reason to keep the bike for short trips.

One other thing - the slot for the seat post clamp comes down to about 10mm above the weld, i.e. well clear of it unlike mine.

All-in-all a satisfying end result, much better than throwing the whole thing in a skip and a good learning exercise.
by Chris the Sheep
20 Jan 2015, 7:04pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Re: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

"A sexier option would be their Pompetamine frame, which is intended for hub gears such as the Alfine 8 and disc brakes. They have only size Large at the minute, and you would want new 700c rims and tyres for that one. You could end up with a very nice bike though.... Discounted to frame £130, fork £50 at the minute..."

Hmmm.....<strokes chin>

I've written to Halfords, no answer yet but will update if and when they reply.
by Chris the Sheep
18 Jan 2015, 11:37am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Re: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

Thanks - I'll write to Halfords before I do anything drastic - might at least get a discount off something else.

The seat post is original - I can't recall exactly but I think it's stamped 31.6 or something of that order. I'm relatively heavy but not huge, I've not ridden it off road, and as far as possible I stand on the pedals for speed bumps / rough sections - so yes I do think it should have lasted longer. I've broken plenty of spokes in my time (but only on factory-built wheels) and I did break a saddle rail once, but that was because I had it too far back on a small frame.

It's not obvious on that picture, but the frame has a bracing piece welded between the top tube and the seat tube - it's the top weld on that brace that's failed. It's actually got two cracks; I don't know the name for it, but the seat tube has a slot in it that goes all the way down to the weld - I wonder if that has something to do with it, i.e. the presence of that slot has caused a stress on the line of the weld.

This was a 2011 bike but I've just had a look on their website and 2015 Subways look the same.
by Chris the Sheep
17 Jan 2015, 3:23pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Re: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

Thanks gerrymcm - this is actually an Alfine hub, not a Nexus - hence why I'm keen to re-use it.

The 20" frame is such a good fit I'm not sure I'd want to go smaller; but I'm tempted if the idea of upgrading the pedelec won't work.

I'm not in any rush to do this, I've got another (non-pedelec) bike, it's just that I don't like throwing away good kit. I'm a tinkerer too and I suppose it's curiosity that's driving me as well as avoiding waste.
by Chris the Sheep
17 Jan 2015, 1:22pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Re: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

Thanks gerrymcm - I'd been on the on-one site but hadn't spotted that.

Ideally I need horizontal dropouts (the Subway has an eccentric bottom bracket) but I assume I'd be able to fit a chain tensioner if I went down this route.
by Chris the Sheep
17 Jan 2015, 12:14pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Re: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

Thanks both - beardy - good points, I think the only bit of this bike that I definitely must save is the Alfine hub because it's not cheap to replace and it's working absolutely fine.

531Colin bike's four years old and from Halfords, definitely out of warranty.

I've just thought of one thing though - I also have a Giant pedelec with a Nexus 7 hub which works OK but is nothing like as dependable as the Alfine. Are there any significant issues with building a new wheel for the pedelec around the Alfine?

The pedelec has rim brakes and the rim will need replacing soon anyway - will the Alfine hub (designed for discs) work OK built into a rim-brake wheel?
I'd need to transfer (or replace) the shifter as well but I can't think of anything else, and the trigger shift would be a big improvement.
by Chris the Sheep
17 Jan 2015, 11:33am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube
Replies: 16
Views: 3005

Carrera Subway 8 - cracked seat tube

I was one of the fortunate people who got hold of a Carrera Subway 8 from Halfords for £320 back in 2011 (see http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50290&hilit=ultimate+commuter+carrera+subway&start=75#p426496) - it's been a great bike but I've noticed that the seat tube is cracked along a weld near the top (picture below).

The bike's been well used and I'm no lightweight (about 15 stone) but I'm still disappointed this has happened even though the seat post minimum insertion mark is about three inches below the clamp. I assume this crack is potentially dangerous and the frame will have to be scrapped.

This bike has some decent components on it, such as an Alfine 8 hub and hydraulic disc brakes, plus the rear wheel was newly built around the Alfine hub back in the Autumn with a Mavic en521 rim.

There's no way I'm scrapping the rear wheel, and the rest of the components are worth saving even if they don't have much resale value.

What do you think I should do with it?
Options I can think of are:
1. Sell the wheels on ebay and scrap the rest.
2. Find a secondhand frame and transfer the components.
3. Look for a new frame and do the above.

There's an identical brand new frame on ebay at the moment for £45, but it's only an 18" (mine's a 20") so it will be no use for me. Is it likely to be worth me buying this frame and building it up for sale as a complete bike, or am I best just selling the wheels? Or even the complete bike as it is (pointing out the fault of course).


I'm competent enough to strip a bike down and build onto a new frame provided everything fits without modification, but I'm not capable of wheelbuilding so there would be a cost if I just wanted to re-use the hub.

Thanks for any ideas.
by Chris the Sheep
10 Nov 2014, 9:56am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Re, Idiots on bikes
Replies: 36
Views: 5539

Re: Re, Idiots on bikes

If the account is true, then shouting at people marching is inexcusable - however how many times have we all encountered 'road closed' signs, only to find that actually the road is passable for bikes? It's normal for cyclists to be forgotten when temporary road closures and/or traffic lights are set up, or at best there'll be a 'cyclists dismount' sign. Continuing cautiously is often a perfectly reasonable thing to do even if it doesn't comply with the letter of the law especially if the diversion is lengthy, so I can see how it could happen.

What worries me, and it's very difficult to say this without putting my foot in it, is that Remembrance Sunday is no longer quite the dignified, understated affair that it used to be. With the combination of WW1 and D-Day anniversaries, and continuing tragic waste of life today, 'poppy day' has acquired a prominence it didn't have for decades. These cyclists could have ridden into the scouts' St George's Day parade and not encountered anything like the same level of condemnation; we seem to be in a new age where anyone not wearing a poppy is seen as not supporting our service personnel, an age where freedom of personal reflection and expression is overruled by a largely media-inspired expectation of how we should behave. Millions of men and women have died to give us that freedom, most of them wouldn't have thought of themselves as heroes, and the current national mood makes me uncomfortable.