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by SilverBadge
11 Feb 2018, 2:10am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Grease/Oil for freehub pawls
Replies: 10
Views: 8009

Re: Grease/Oil for freehub pawls

Cheers, found someone on ebay with various flavours of SFG at under a tenner for 500g, tech specs are a foreign language to me though.
by SilverBadge
11 Feb 2018, 1:48am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Where on the Long Mynd?
Replies: 14
Views: 1290

Re: Where on the Long Mynd?

geomannie wrote:About 7 years ago I bought a couple ink drawings by the well-known (at least to older CTC members) cycling artist Frank Patterson (*).
One is entitled “The George, West Wycombe”. I recently became curious and was able to confirm that the location was accurate using the photos (formerly) available via GoogleEarth.

(*http://www.headsetpress.co.uk/feature/frank-patterson-cycling-illustrated/)

The other and arguably more interesting drawing that I bought is entitled “The Long Mynd Road”. The Long Mynd is not a place I know but I suspect that the image is a true representation of the landscape that the artist actually saw, rather than an impression. Are there any Shropshire folk here that can identify the exact location? I suspect that the road(s) will have changed a lot from the early part of the 20th century but the scenery will have maintained. I'd be really grateful for any suggestions.
Long Mynd.jpg
On the basis of a few of Ken Knight's Audaxes, what looks like a distant downhill sweep mid-left reminds me of the descent towards Ratlinghope but I can't find a suitable viewpoint to match. Surprising how much of Long Mynd is quite a flat viewpoint, unlike the sketch. I'm guessing somewhere off the Burway looking northish. Might be best to look at an OS map and narrow it down to areas with the appropriate peaks and troughs.
by SilverBadge
8 Feb 2018, 11:57pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Grease/Oil for freehub pawls
Replies: 10
Views: 8009

Grease/Oil for freehub pawls

Did look for a specific earlier thread, but to no avail.
Is there a consensus on what is the right stuff to put on freewheel pawls, to lubricate the metal-on-metal sliding, neither too sticky to gum up the pawl operation nor too runny to stay put? I am converting an Easton hub to Campag and the new freehub is supplied dry.
Various specific thin greases or thick oils are touted, not too big an outlay as you need very little, but I wouldn't want to shell out on something that's regular lube decanted into a small posh container. A few of the potential options seem to be US only.
Any thoughts/experience on e.g
Phil Wood Tenacious Oil
Shimano Special Grease for Freehub Bodies
Easton Cassette Body Grease (maybe the favourite in the circumstances, but distinctly unavailable)
Dumonde Tech Freehub Oil - “Flow Point” is -40 degrees
DT Swiss Star Ratchet Grease (Molykote TP 42 with 5% mineral oil admixture)
by SilverBadge
23 Oct 2017, 8:49pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Roads Minister interview
Replies: 47
Views: 4424

Re: Roads Minister interview

ChrisButch wrote:A reassuringly intelligent interview today from the Roads Minister, Jesse Norman. The headline is about possible e-bike subsidies, but there's interesting clarification of the approach to be adopted in the promised review of 'cyclists' safety'. At least as spun like this, it no longer sounds quite so much like a knee-jerk reaction to Alliston:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/20/uk-may-consider-electric-vehicle-subsidy-to-increase-cycling
But if Norman was intelligent, and sincere etc, he wouldn't have spun it so badly post-Alliston. There's been a persistently delayed review into all aspects of road safety for four years now, suddenly we need an "urgent review" into whether a law which clearly can punish negligent cyclists far harder than the majority of cyclist-killing motorists are likely to be needs to be revised. And as the maximum sentence for "causing death by . . ." has never been used, it clearly needs increasing :roll:
And one Guardian day later https://www.theguardian.com/world/bike- ... sse-norman
“I don’t know if there’s evidence about [people being] too scared to cycle,” he says. :roll:
There's 40 years of accident stats consistently showing that in the majority of cyclist/vehicle collisions, the motorist is at fault. He's been Road Safety Minister for several months now, he really ought to have the basics understood by now.
What we are going to get is "consulting" negligent motorists - if you ask them "Why did you nearly drive into that cyclist - were they invisible or something?" a significant proportion will say "Yes they were, it wasn't my fault they should wear hi-viz. And helmets for good measure - if it only saves one life . . ." Job done, not too many voters upset.
by SilverBadge
23 Oct 2017, 8:14pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: plague of slugs
Replies: 43
Views: 2269

Re: plague of slugs

ferrit worrier wrote:Well not quite a plague. over the last couple of months we've had an influx of slugs in the house :oops: :evil: absolutely no idea how they get in.

I think they are leopard slugs as opposed to the big fat brown ones.
Any ideas anyone
I've had some make their way in via the sink overflow. Guess that tells me I don't do the washing up frequently enough :oops: Will stick a piece of metal gauze at one end or other to prevent it in future.
by SilverBadge
18 Sep 2017, 1:17am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Petition on road taxes/fuels
Replies: 36
Views: 3249

Re: Petition on road taxes/fuels

Steady rider wrote:Roughly I think 'Road taxes on vehicles/fuels' would come to about £40 billion per year. I gather they may spend about £6 billion in total on roads/cycle tracks/bridges. The intention is to try and get more spent to improve roads, improve cycling conditions and improve conditions for pedestrians. Asking for improved cycling infrastructure and walking combined has resulted in about £300 million, being planned for over about 5 Years or about £60 million per year, figures need checking, about 1% of current spending on roads.
The amount the government spends on the consequences of transport pollution and road casualties far outweighs the total motoring tax take. I don't see presenting the car as the cash cow it isn't will assist matters here.
by SilverBadge
17 Sep 2017, 9:51am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Campag freehub cassette carrier
Replies: 11
Views: 774

Re: Campag freehub cassette carrier

Best to look at the spares catalogues for the different hubs (all online). My pessimistic guess is that even if the pawls are in the same position, the axles and the way the freehub attaches will have changed over different generations of hub. Earliest 9sp hubs would take 10sp cassettes, was your 7sp 130mm not 126mm?
by SilverBadge
17 Sep 2017, 9:35am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Petition on road taxes/fuels
Replies: 36
Views: 3249

Re: Petition on road taxes/fuels

Bonefishblues wrote:Can you link the original petition please?

It's still seeking five sponsors, don't think it gets made public before then. Which seems a Catch 22 way of doing things.
by SilverBadge
11 Sep 2017, 11:13pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Left indication for overtaking on the right...?
Replies: 12
Views: 1245

Re: Left indication for overtaking on the right...?

I thought it was drivers reassuring oncoming traffic that they would cut in sharply in front of the cyclist rather than hit them head on, given that they had been a bit optimistic on whether there was enough room to overtake safely.
by SilverBadge
11 Sep 2017, 11:09pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: What make/model is this rim?
Replies: 3
Views: 740

Re: What make/model is this rim?

Bontrager and Rolf are fans of paired spokes.
by SilverBadge
10 Sep 2017, 10:07pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Mathew Briggs article in the guardian
Replies: 26
Views: 2333

Re: Mathew Briggs article in the guardian

thirdcrank wrote:It seems to me that we need to decide which campaign we are fighting and this has been brought to an unexpected and unwelcome head by this case.

I'd say our long-term goals have been and should remain better "traffic" laws (especially the definition of "dangerous driving") and effective enforcement.

On Monday 18 September, Mr Alliston will be sentenced and then the controversy will be highlighted again. Even if he gets the max two years, there will be many expressing outrage at "only" two years for taking away a life; more interviews with the bereaved etc. Even if he gets substantially less, there will be others who consider his treatment by the legal system oppressive.

OK. Equal laws for all, including pedestrians. And equal treatment for all victims. This can only start when Jesse Norman and others at DTp start being honest about current accident, prosecution and sentencing stats for various categories of road users.
My bet is that when Alliston is sentenced, general media reaction will be "not enough", blissfully (or wilfully) oblivious to how high a percentage of convicted cyclist killers have been sentenced more leniently.
by SilverBadge
10 Sep 2017, 4:06pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Mathew Briggs article in the guardian
Replies: 26
Views: 2333

Re: Mathew Briggs article in the guardian

Steady rider wrote:As I understand the situation the woman stepped out in front of the cyclist and the cyclist had a bicycle not in a legal condition.

. . .

A question, what if the cyclist had died (or been injured) and not the pedestrian (assuming the bicycle had no legal issues) how would the case and charges relate?

Here's one example to keep an eye out for
http://road.cc/content/news/228969-read ... ds-inquest
by SilverBadge
9 Sep 2017, 8:18pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Mathew Briggs article in the guardian
Replies: 26
Views: 2333

Re: Mathew Briggs article in the guardian

sirmy wrote:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/09/kim-briggs-widower

He says "“There’s a gap between an 1861 act, which is for horses and carriages, and manslaughter. It’s way too big a gap. All I’m saying [is] the law needs to catch up. For cycling, it’s not even a new law, it just needs to be included in the Road Traffic Act.”". So that would be death by careless or dangerous driving being applied to cyclists?

There are thousands across the country who can tell him how ineffective that is, Alliston would have probably been advised to plead guilty to the lesser and got a fine, although from the press reports of her s attitude he wouldn't have. It would be interesting to see how jury verdicts turn out when a cyclist is charged rather than a driver.


Link is
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... wrongdoing

Singletrack magazine article argues that manslaughter charges can be more effective than "causing death by . . ." offences in 1988 RTA.
http://singletrackworld.com/2017/09/the ... mustnt-it/
by SilverBadge
9 Sep 2017, 1:25pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Cars running red lights
Replies: 31
Views: 3793

Re: Cars running red lights

Annoying Twit wrote:
mjr wrote:Please also report the one-way streets as faulty, missing the "except cycles" plates that they should have now. We've started to finally get some in King's Lynn by repeatedly making the request and I think Cambridge's came about in a similar way.


I didn't know that one-way streets should have 'except cycles' plates. Is there somewhere I can find more information about this?

This is one of the roads that I had been riding the wrong way. I started getting off and walking. Then I evolved to cycling as far as the first drop curb and then walking, then finally cycling the whole distance along the (short road.) https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.64691 ... 312!8i6656

It's not just 'naughty'. I try to obey red lights etc. mostly because annoying drivers by riding through them (even when utterly safe to all) may lead to the next cyclist getting less consideration from an angry driver.
I too would disagree with "should". There is scope for many one-way streets to have a contraflow cycle lane, but that is not the same.