Search found 972 matches

by DevonDamo
19 Mar 2024, 10:27pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: ...a safe way to turn a bike over
Replies: 34
Views: 1606

Re: ...a safe way to turn a bike over

backnotes wrote: 19 Mar 2024, 2:44pmI've been turning my own bikes upside down for years in a way that may or may not be safe for my back, but have never thought about how to explain the best way to do this to someone else.
Same as me. This is one of those little tasks which we just struggle on with any old how - because the risk seems so trivial. And given the weight of a bike, and the fact that it's reasonably easy to manhandle, it probably is a trivial risk to your back. Certainly not in the league of moving fridges up stairs or stacking sacks of potatoes.

So I'd say giving instruction on safe lifting is the wrong way to skin this cat, because it's likely that people will keep ignoring it. If you want to help people, then have a look to see if there's anything you can provide which they'll use because they perceive it to be better/easier. With a bit of lateral thinking, you could come up with all sorts of things, and the idea of using a mirror or camera, as already mentioned, is a good start. Here's another low-fi example of something else you could try: a length of cord hanging from a rafter, with a means of quickly attaching it to the bike - e.g. under the saddle or at the seat tube/seat stay/top tube junction. The attachment could be done via a strap with velcro or 'side buckles' or a carabiner to hook back up to a loop in the cord. This would allow the bike to be lifted by grabbing the frame near the bottom bracket and at a chainstay, and lifting it up to you whilst the rest of the bike leans away from you. This means you could keep your hands close to your body whilst you're lifting thereby minimising the leverage the bike's weight is exerting on your lower back. Obviously, this would be a terrible way to hold the bike if you actually wanted to work on it, but it would be fine for taking a look for a number on the bottom of the frame, and would avoid the problems mentioned above, e.g. damaging mudguards or brake master cylinders.

In reality, you'll probably still get some people turning the bike over or laying it down on its side, but I'd say this approach is your best chance of influencing how people do it. If it was a workplace, finding little helpers like this would earn you brownie points, because safe lifting instruction should be the last resort when it comes to manual handling risk assessments: avoidance or reduction of lifting should be your first port of call.
by DevonDamo
1 Mar 2024, 11:35pm
Forum: Using the Forum - request help : report difficulties
Topic: Hacked forum accounts and spammers editing posts to add spam links
Replies: 3
Views: 160

Re: Cyclist in Ukraine. Youtube videos

Yatsushiro wrote: 1 Mar 2024, 10:48pm I loved your video! Thanks for sharing a piece of your city with us. I have a travel vlog, too, and I know just how much effort there is behind a video like this.
[Edit: my post from yesterday below now makes no sense because, since I posted it, a moderator has quietly deleted all the posts made by the 'Yatsushiro' account over the past year. All of these posts had been edited 3 days after posting to include spam links, which may well have been malicious. Oddly, the moderator has deemed the post above to be worthy of preserving, despite it obviously not being a genuine comment - just any old banal text which the hacker can later edit to include a spam/malicious link.

If you see any odd posts, e.g. replies to long-dead threads which basically add nothing, then check that poster's history before jumping back into the debate. Continuing the original discussion will just help the hacker out, i.e. if the long dead thread comes back to life, their dodgy post will no longer stick out like a sore thumb. If it looks suspicious, flag it up whichever way you think is best.]


If you take a look at Yatsuhiro's post history, you'll notice something odd.

The account was obviously hacked around September last year, from which time onwards the account has been making vanilla posts, like the above, on dormant threads. There is then a 3 day pause, before the hacker tiptoes back and adds a spam link to the post.
by DevonDamo
27 Feb 2024, 12:12pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: rwgps ride reports query
Replies: 9
Views: 784

Re: rwgps

Note re. thread title: I'm not convinced that the lack of clarity caused by making up your own acronyms/initialisms is justified by the few keypresses it saves you. But doing it in a thread title means the reader has absolutely no context with which to work out what it means and is forced to open the message, which may be of no relevance to them. Would become a real pain in the bottom if it caught on.
by DevonDamo
21 Feb 2024, 7:06pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: North coast Spain west, Santiago, Braganca, Potes
Replies: 22
Views: 924

Re: North coast Spain west, Santiago, Braganca, Potes

Rob D wrote: 20 Feb 2024, 8:08amAny suggestions, experience etc would be much appreciated.
I've spent a lot of time planning an early June ride along the North coast of Spain, but heading East. My three tips are:

1. Use Google Maps, on your laptop, to plot a cycle route. Then, click and drag the suggested route to force it to use different roads. You can compare elevation profiles and total climb stats for each route, and use this technique to try and find a route through that minimises the climbs and avoids specific mountain ranges.

2. Use the cycle.travel website and use the search function to find what routes others have used. I did this for my route, and found there were shed-loads of other routes, and by studying these, I confirmed that there wasn't really any way of doing my trip without going over two steep mountain ranges.

3. Search for rail and bus routes. In my case, I found there is a train line which shadows my chosen route, with a regular service which accepts bikes for a ridiculously low price. So I've got a chicken option - if the heat/cold/climbing get too much for me, I can just jump on a train. I also found a ferry across the bay from Santander which avoids an unpleasant lengthy urban ride.
by DevonDamo
15 Feb 2024, 11:04am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Use of tyre sealent
Replies: 6
Views: 616

Re: Use of tyre sealent

anniesboy wrote: 15 Feb 2024, 9:24amIve had the bike nearly a year my question is a top required,if yes how much sealant to add
I've only ever used tubes because it's what I know, but recently discovered that sealant needs to be not just topped-up, but actually replaced periodically - which confirmed my membership of the not-tubeless club. The following gives you an idea about how frequently to do this and how:

(I tried to embed it so it started at the right point, but that's not possible with this forum software. So skip forward to 50 seconds in.)

by DevonDamo
14 Feb 2024, 10:50am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Compact workstand?
Replies: 36
Views: 1996

Re: Compact workstand?

Mick F wrote: 14 Feb 2024, 10:40amDoes such a thing exist?
Any recommendations?
I've got exactly the same stand as you, and I think it's the most compact you're going to get, because it folds down so nicely. (Edit: mine is actually the PCS-10, but the Park Tool website seems to show them folding down the same.) You're still going to have to move furniture to open the legs out and use it, but I can't see any way round this unless you're happy to start drilling holes in walls etc. to attach something like this: https://www.wiggle.com/p/lifeline-works ... lsrc=aw.ds
by DevonDamo
11 Feb 2024, 8:23pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Isle of Wight Off-Road Tour
Replies: 4
Views: 426

Re: Isle of Wight Off-Road Tour

wmydlarz wrote: 11 Feb 2024, 7:46pm...Has anyone found any decent routes and tracks to help piece this together and to help my planning/day-dreaming?...
No, but I do follow a comedian on YouTube who lives on the Isle of Wight and does weekly walking videos, which might well be enough, along with Google Maps or Cycle.Travel etc., to put your own itinerary together.

https://www.youtube.com/@cdwc
by DevonDamo
4 Feb 2024, 9:26pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?
Replies: 48
Views: 2407

Re: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?

Richard Fairhurst wrote: 4 Feb 2024, 8:16pm...If you're looking for an established route, one trick with cycle.travel is to use the search facility (top right of the page)....
Thanks - this weekend, I've given myself a headache spending hours online trying to find the optimal route for an upcoming trip. Having seen your post, I've just tried this suggestion and it returned several saved routes for this trip, which basically confirmed my fear that there's no way of avoiding two steep mountain climbs on this one. It's a really good addition to my trip-planning toolkit.
by DevonDamo
2 Feb 2024, 12:00pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Fixing a non-working front derailleur
Replies: 73
Views: 3396

Re: Fixing a non-working front derailleur

roubaixtuesday wrote: 2 Feb 2024, 9:45amI don't understand why you would post on here "can this be fixed", then follow up making it clear that you don't want to fix it personally, and don't want a mechanic to either.

What exactly are you looking for from the forum?
That's exactly the question I've been asking. I sympathise with anyone wanting to get technical frustrations off their chest, but starting a thread disguised as a request for advice seems a bit rough on the people that take the time to reply.
by DevonDamo
1 Feb 2024, 12:26pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Which bike would be a better buy?
Replies: 40
Views: 1894

Re: Which bike would be a better buy?

Atesz wrote: 1 Feb 2024, 9:35am
The cube bike size is 50 but I am 182 cm tall. Would it fit me?
(Atesz - I see you have replied to my post by personal message. It's better to reply on the forum post, so people can see that you are reading replies and will be more likely to answer you.)

In reply to your question: I have a Cube mountain bike of the same age and with the same frame geometry as the Cube in your link. I am 7cm taller than you, and I have the XL frame, which is a good fit for me. I think the 50cm frame would be too small for you. I think you would want the 58 or at least the 54, especially if you are using it for long deliveries on the road, rather mountain biking. (NB: on the Cube website, there are two sets of dimensions given for frame size: there are 5 main sizes, going from 46 to 62, however there is also a measurement for 'trapeze' which is either 46, 50 or 54. You need to make sure you know which measurement the seller is quoting.)

For what it's worth, it's an excellent frame which has stood up to some abuse which it was definitely not designed for.
by DevonDamo
1 Feb 2024, 11:21am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Which bike would be a better buy?
Replies: 40
Views: 1894

Re: Which bike would be a better buy?

I know all about one of those bikes and its sizing, but I avoid getting involved with these 'fire and forget' threads because they inevitably turn into multi-page discussions before anyone realises the OP hasn't come back.
by DevonDamo
28 Jan 2024, 4:35pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Euro-farmers
Replies: 68
Views: 2870

Re: Euro-farmers

Nearholmer wrote: 28 Jan 2024, 4:08pmGetting back to euro-farmers: thoughts?
You were asking about whether the farmers had a just cause, or the issue was being used by provocateurs, e.g. the far-right. Obviously, agriculture and the environment is a huge area for discussion, and there are multiple dimensions to this question. However, it's instructive to see one example of how one of our own mouth-pieces for the far-right has jumped on an aspect of the populist 'revolt' against an environmental initiative the Dutch have made in order to boost his social media 'clout':

by DevonDamo
23 Dec 2023, 9:31pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Thru axle wheel not wanting to drop out - SORTED
Replies: 38
Views: 2494

Re: Thru axle wheel not wanting to drop out

deliquium wrote: 23 Dec 2023, 4:55pmOr am I just twp, or lacking ‘technique’?

I had a possibly-related problem with a Marin mountain bike which I bought from new. After assembling it from the box, I found the front wheel sliding left and right by a few mm along the axle. I eventually discovered the problem was that the wheel is supposed to have two plastic spacers fitted into the external grooves in the hub. The reason they weren't there is that when the bike arrives boxed-up in pieces, it has two big plastic protection discs fitted to the front wheel, which resemble flat,wide, mushrooms - with their narrow stalks pushing into the axle on the wheel. The problem was that when you take these protective 'mushrooms' out, they take the spacers with them, as they've been jammed into them and it's plastic-on-plastic with no lube.

So if you built the bike yourself, it might be worth digging these mushrooms out of the bin and checking to see whether they've each got a little plastic washer thing jammed onto the end of the stalk. Or if you got it from a shop, go in and tell them you think you're missing these spacers - they might have made the same mistake when they assembled it.
by DevonDamo
13 Dec 2023, 12:04pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Why are most bikes still derailleur?
Replies: 137
Views: 46048

Re: Why are most bikes still derailleur?

I'm pretty sure the reason derailleurs are ubiquitous is that they're ubiquitous. The masses are used to buying and maintaining them, and the manufacturers will have reaped all the economies of scale to be had, so specifying a hub gear (or something more exotic, like a gearbox) probably both increases costs and reduces demand.
ThisWreckage wrote: 13 Dec 2023, 11:38am I watch YouTube videos, I try my hardest... and I still can't get my gears and brakes right.
I feel your pain - I'm frequently going for weeks at a time with my derailleurs just not quite right, e.g. the smallest cog not engaging, hesitation when changing up and seemingly random skipping between gears. The solution for me is to put an hour or two aside to do a 'proper job' when the gremlins attack. By 'proper job', I mean dealing with all the possible underlying causes, over and above just fiddling with the barrel adjuster. For example, when I last had a go at my cross country bike, I found the smallest cog wasn't engaging, despite having completely slackened off the gear cable and completely backed off the high limit adjustment screw. It turns out that my derailleur hanger was bent, and it was never going to be right until I'd sorted this. (I've got a derailleur hanger tool - a big lever that screws into the derailleur mounting thread to measure if it's true, and bend it back if it isn't.) Other underlying problems might be sticky cables (lube or replace) and problems with the lever mechanism (a squirt of GT85 in the lever housing has occasionally sorted a dodgy change for me.)

What I've done is transcribe a couple of the Park Tools videos into basic instructions which fit onto 2 sides of A4, including a list of the non-routine things to look for, e.g. bent derailleur hanger. This always works, but you have to put the time aside to do it properly - clear the space, get your tools out, bike on the stand etc. If you've got one of these underlying problems, you'll drive yourself mad with unsuccessful attempts at fixing it via the barrel adjuster.
by DevonDamo
24 Oct 2023, 11:20am
Forum: Off-road Cycling.
Topic: Enduro or DH bike?
Replies: 2
Views: 8781

Re: Enduro or DH bike?

HugoF wrote: 24 Oct 2023, 2:47amWhat have people had most fun with in my situation?
I'm definitely not in a position to advise anyone on the best bike for big hits at Dyfi or the alps etc, and I've not read anything from anyone on this forum that suggests they are. (I'm probably wrong to make assumptions about other forum members though - they tend to be older, but some may well have done crazy stuff in the past.)

However, from the top YouTube search results of Matt and Jono Jones hitting the big stuff at Dyfi, they brought the following: an enduro, a slope-duro, both downhill and enduro, and a downhill with coil shock. These guys almost always get an uplift, or a tow from someone on an eBike, which is a different world to me - I almost always pedal up, because my number one objective of riding a bike park is the exercise. So for me, a true downhill bike is out - I need more gears and easier pedalling. I therefore err on the side of under-biking, but choose rides within my limits. (Being under-biked is loads of fun - you can get the adrenaline flowing riding a hardtail on a run which would be a bit dull on a downhill bike.)

Your objectives might be different though. If your riding group are all doing big hits and uplifts, then a downhill bike might be a no-brainer. On the other hand, if you're after a one-size-fits-all bike, then something with more gears etc. might be a better fit for whatever trails you've got closer to home. I've ended up with two bikes: for the biggest stuff that I ever do, I use a full-suss trail bike with 130mm travel. My other one is an old hardtail cross-country bike with triple chainset and 100mm forks, and this one is actually my favourite because you can easily ride to the local trails and tackling the techy stuff is a fun challenge.