Search found 19 matches

by style over speed
6 Jul 2012, 10:16pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Advice on Surly LHT touring frame
Replies: 10
Views: 3952

Re: Advice on Surly LHT touring frame

DougieB wrote:I'm about 5' 11", and use a 58 cm LHT. 54 cm sounds a tad too wee, but overall height is not really the deciding factor. Surly's are a bit of a nightmare to size properly, as they are really difficult to try out. where are you, someone nearby may have a LHT you could try out. also have a search on the Surly website (I think the area is called spew), as they have a good explanation of how to get the right sized Surly.

the other thing I'd raise, if you're new-ish to cycling, is do you know how much a home-build costs ? it's certainly a great thing to do, you learn a lot about bikes. but the costs rack up fairly quickly, unless you make some well informed component choices (which you can get lots of help with on here).

the LHT really is a great tourer. I think you'd be better off (financially) buying a new complete bike, or a complete second hand if you can find one. Unless, of course, you want to change the gearing/shifters/wheels.

you also mention expeditions rather than touring. if you are thinking of off-roading then you might want to look at an alternative to the LHT, as the low BB can be a pain. I've only ever really got annoyed by this on rocky off-road trails though.

I'd only buy that ebay frame if I knew the size was right.

cheers



I'm 5'10" and have the 52cm size with 26" wheel one, its super comfy. a bigger frame gets you a more stretched out position v smaller frame more upright ride
by style over speed
17 Apr 2012, 2:42pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Congestion charge exempt
Replies: 22
Views: 11477

Re: Congestion charge exempt

thelawnet wrote:
The Congestion Charge exemption is of course a reflection of the ridiculous piece of eco-ideology that determined that the Congestion Charge would not restrict congestion but CO2 emissions; a similar scheme in Richmond where parking was charged according to CO2 emissions was scrapped in 2010.


FYI lambeth still has a VED based parking permit scheme I'm sure there are others but only Richmond's ever made it into the news

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7228C9F3-EA80-44B7-872B-48F20A60E625/0/EmissionPricePlan2011.pdf

I have a cc exempt car, bought because of the now gone chelsea section, however i've totally switched to commuting by bike since buying it. I think its been in the cc area about once.
by style over speed
4 Feb 2012, 5:34pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Campaigning: London; Sunday & Monday
Replies: 1
Views: 1314

Re: Campaigning: London; Sunday & Monday

I hope both they're well attended, is Bikes Alive always going to be 6 - 7pm? Its hard to get there that early from work.
by style over speed
30 Jan 2012, 10:02pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Surly LHT with Straight Bars?
Replies: 24
Views: 20296

Re: Surly LHT with Straight Bars?

I've tried several upright bars, currently using surly open bars (40mm ones) they seem to be pretty good, north roads worked too. Only using the bike as a utility one though, not a tourer.
by style over speed
11 Jan 2012, 10:24pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Pashley Roadster 26 Sovereign ok for steep hills?
Replies: 52
Views: 12137

Re: Pashley Roadster 26 Sovereign ok for steep hills?

I've got the practically identical velorbis bike with balloon tyres… its fantastic, the sit up ride is so nice it begs to be ridden! Hills are doable but slowly (and on the plus side when you get on a lighter bike hills are easy!), on the flats and downhill its as fast as you'd want anyway and the weather proof brakes and dynamo lights make it all safe and easy to use.

(not that its hilly but I did the dunwich dynamo a couple of years ago on this bike and I've done London brighton on it but failed to get more than a 1/3 way up ditchling)
by style over speed
1 Aug 2010, 12:50am
Forum: On the road
Topic: London Cycle Hire Scheme
Replies: 21
Views: 1484

Re: London Cycle Hire Scheme

Have a look on the real cycling blog for lots of information http://realcycling.blogspot.com/, i had a quick couple of trips on Friday. They're pretty much the same as the Paris bikes; soft ride, low geared but good fun.

The docking bays are surprisingly close together, the maps don't really seem to do it justice somehow.
by style over speed
6 Jul 2010, 9:32pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: ...of a "dutch style" tourer with 18 spd SIS gears ?
Replies: 11
Views: 2214

Re: ...of a "dutch style" tourer with 18 spd SIS gears ?

Something like a Koga-Miyata PROMINENCE or TRAVELLER: http://www.koga.com/uk/segment.asp?collection=11&segment=92

Otherwise, a surly Long haul Trucker is pretty adaptable and fitted with north road bars has a nice stable ride, and more than enough braze ons: something like this: http://www.ecovelo.info/2008/06/30/gallery-alans-surly-long-haul-trucker/
by style over speed
5 Jul 2010, 3:13pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Barcelona - anyone cycled in it?
Replies: 6
Views: 620

Re: Barcelona - anyone cycled in it?

I was there last summer, it seems its much improved to cycle around: theres lots of paris style bike lanes, and car speed was kept down by every light being red phased.

Went on a nice ride all along the beach boulevard, and theres a good off road bike lane in on each side of The Avenue Diagonal which you can use to navigate easily. I kept off the busiest streets but compared to London it was much less stressful to cycle around.

However, to get to the centre the roads linking the suburbs to the centre were horrible to cycle on.

Best ride nearby was following the road going up to Montserrat from the west, utterly spectacular.
by style over speed
29 Jul 2009, 12:11am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Harwich to Rotterdam ferry
Replies: 13
Views: 2024

Re: Harwich to Rotterdam ferry

Will wrote:I've not used that particular ferry, but I know others who have, and they had problems getting their bikes booked on at short notice. There is only a limited number of spaces for bikes, and they tend to get booked up at this time of year.

If I was you, I would check to see which ferry I could get on before booking any trains.

Will



I just came back yesterday from this trip... there's loads of space on the ferry for bikes, but on the overnight crossings the cabins are often fully booked and you have to book a cabin for the night crossing (I had to take a day crossing and camp an extra night one way) Also all the shops and restaurants in the area of the Hook are closed on Monday. There are shops just a minute from the Hook ferry terminal turn right at the exit for them or left for the Northwards North Sea (LF1 b) coast path. I noticed a couple of well stocked dutch bike shops there which I wanted to browse through, should be an easy way to buy a proper dutch bike. The ferry cabins are pretty good by the way, and no more expensive than the dutch campsites were.
by style over speed
15 Jul 2009, 7:27pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: London to Brighton Traffic
Replies: 4
Views: 502

Re: London to Brighton Traffic

I followed the http://www.freewebs.com/cycleroutes/ one only last week, I have to say I thought the road just before the the Devil's Dyke and into Brighton was pretty horrible and busy with nasty drivers, and this was only at about 3pm on a weekday so not really "rush hour".

Other wise I thought it a quiet but boring ride, however there's a very nice pub at Wineham for a lunch stop :D
by style over speed
5 Apr 2009, 11:12pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Pictures of your bike(s)
Replies: 1924
Views: 583903

Re: Pictures of your bike(s)

My new Long Haul Trucker in the sun :D I've only done about 100 miles on it so far
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by style over speed
26 Feb 2009, 11:22am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: lidl
Replies: 85
Views: 9660

stock report:

no cycle computers in my local one (Acre Lane) :( which was the only thing I wanted and the pannier bags had been cleaned out already.
by style over speed
10 Nov 2008, 10:41pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Pictures of your bike(s)
Replies: 1924
Views: 583903

cheers Slowroad - my surly LHT is a standard size, they make a few sizes for 700c and 26" wheels -

http://www.surlybikes.com/longhaul.html

I went for the smaller wheels as my old bike was always a little bit too big for me, although it doesn't seem so bad now with the upright bars.
by style over speed
10 Nov 2008, 9:21pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Pictures of your bike(s)
Replies: 1924
Views: 583903

yes they are 26" wheels, on the 52 cm frame. I'm very happy with the ride... just need a new rack and mudguards now. I was going to swap all the parts from my old tourer onto a surly frame. But things had moved on with new headsets and hubs and things so everything on the surly is brand new :D :D
... so I got a new saddle, handlebars and levers for my old bike cleaned it up and have this:



Image
by style over speed
10 Nov 2008, 12:33am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Pictures of your bike(s)
Replies: 1924
Views: 583903

snap!

got the frame a few weeks ago from brixton bikes and built it up myself. Here it is just before its first test ride:


Image