Search found 442 matches

by hartleymartin
19 Jul 2015, 3:10am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Brooks B67 v. B73
Replies: 1
Views: 1598

Brooks B67 v. B73

Hi everyone. I'm looking at purchasing a Brooks saddle for my "city bicycle" and was wondering if I should go with a B73 this time. I have previously had a B67, sadly it was on a bike which was stolen from my college campus, and I did quite like that. I was wondering if I should go with the B73 for a little extra springing as the bicycle I will be putting it on has a stiffer frame than my last one. It is most definitely a sit-upright bicycle this time too. Just for information, I am 6'2" and about 112kg, so I'm no featherweight!
by hartleymartin
9 Mar 2012, 11:56pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Front panner rack 'lowrider' for no braze-ons fork
Replies: 28
Views: 7123

Re: Front panner rack 'lowrider' for no braze-ons fork

If you have a mounting point for mudguard stays, several racks make use of this and then a clamp-on attachment for further up the forks.
by hartleymartin
14 Feb 2012, 2:19pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Decisions? Tell me what you think.
Replies: 12
Views: 1504

Re: Decisions? Tell me what you think.

I quite happily tour on my 1982 Raleigh Royal:

Image

Nothing particularly fancy or special about the set-up. GB touring bars, 14-32 6-speed freewheel 48-44-28 half-step+granny gears, diacompe retrofriction bar-end shifters, Brooks Flyer saddle and 32-630 wheels and tyres. I use cheap Vee-Rubber tyres, which funnily enough work well for touring on unsealed roads with the soft casing - need to use tyre liners though, not particularly puncture resistant.

My only complaint is that I will need to use p-clamps to fit front low-rider racks, but in Australia we don't have little towns with cheap hotels or B&Bs every 10 miles like in Europe (sometimes it is an entire day's ride between towns and not all of them have places to stay!)
by hartleymartin
14 Feb 2012, 2:50am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Underwear for 2-week minimalist tour
Replies: 25
Views: 3664

Re: Underwear for 2-week minimalist tour

On mention of socks, I always like to plan my tour to know when there are certain points where I can shower and/or do laundry. It also helps becuase I get to sleep in a real bed for one night of tour and do things like recharge camera batteries, etc.
by hartleymartin
13 Feb 2012, 4:47am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Underwear for 2-week minimalist tour
Replies: 25
Views: 3664

Re: Underwear for 2-week minimalist tour

Try using merino wool knicks instead. Because of the natural lanolin in the fibres they don't develop stink and can be hand-washed as the opportunity presents itself. often you can get away with wearing the same pair for 2 days as long as you air them out overnight. A micro-fibre quick-dry towel works wonders on tours for drying things out. I always pack a pair of light cottom pajama shorts to wear at night - these pack up to almost nothing. Also consider wearing a pair of "shy shorts" over your knicks. These can often be passed off for normal street wear and in combination with a polo or T-shirt (which can also be work as PJ top) will let you into establishments where they don't permit sportswear to be worn inside.
by hartleymartin
13 Feb 2012, 4:18am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: What 3spd (hub geared) hub?
Replies: 41
Views: 5350

Re: What 3spd (hub geared) hub?

The SRAM Automatix 2-speed hub is a great option - I'm trying to find a coaster-braked version for my own project. However, if you are looking for a 3-speed hub, the Sturmey-Archer AW has always been the benchmark. Onces made in the 1970's are not as smooth as the oens from earlier times because by that stage the tooling to make the hubs was starting to wear out and go out of specificationl. People sometimes tell me that "AW" standards for "Always Works", the SW "Seldom Works" and the FW "Four gears, Works".
by hartleymartin
12 Feb 2012, 11:39am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Romany Touring Bikes - ever heard of them?
Replies: 42
Views: 3767

Re: Romany Touring Bikes - ever heard of them?

upgrade all the bits you want. If it is 130mm or 135mm at the rear then it is easy. It has 700C wheels, so you can put as many new or original components on it as you want and it will work well.
by hartleymartin
11 Feb 2012, 3:05am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: a new one for people who like folding bikes
Replies: 10
Views: 899

Re: a new one for people who like folding bikes

Nice concept, but final product needs refinement. Honestly, I think it is a bit of a fashion faux pas considering that you are attempting to conceal your bicycle as a brief-case. Why by ashamed of the fact that you pedal to work? If I hand a folding bicycle for the office I'd take a brompton any day and fold it up under my desk. Then I can convert my fellow employees into cyclists by pointint out how convenient it is to have one and how easy it is to store it!
by hartleymartin
11 Feb 2012, 3:01am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Touring Components
Replies: 98
Views: 7189

Re: Touring Components

Deore components are fine - Although I think Shimano now make an SL or SLX groupset which is specifically designed for touring, including a dynamo hub.
by hartleymartin
11 Feb 2012, 2:59am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: touring bike with hub gears
Replies: 72
Views: 12361

Re: touring bike with hub gears

I don't know how I managed it, but it appears that I forgot to mention that I was talking about Shimano's Alfine 11 hub!

I was looking around for a 5-speed hub to go into my Raleigh Twenty, but the cost plus shipping was about the same as purchasing an 8-speed hub from either Sturmey-Archer or Shimano. I figured that if I was going to spend money on an 8-speed hub, I might as well go the whole hog and get the 11-speed, since with 8 speeds I would then use the bicycle for touring, but I do want a few more gears than what the 8 speed offers.

For the price of the Rohloff hub I could purchase the Shimano Alfine 11 and then get two 8-speed hubs for other bicycles. Hence, why the Alfine 11 is so attractive to me.
by hartleymartin
11 Feb 2012, 1:40am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Spare tyre for touring?
Replies: 27
Views: 3528

Re: Spare tyre for touring?

It also depends on the size and type of tyre you are using. 26" MTB tyres (even cheap ones) are easy to get almost anywhere. 700c touring-specific tyres are harder to get but with the spread of hybrids which use 32c and 38c tyres it is getting easier. 20" tyres are hard to get in road-slick variety as most BMX tyres are really wide balloon sizes, when you really want a 1.5" or 1.75" slick design. Moulton's 17" tyres and 16" tyres are virtually impossible to get, but when they are this small it is easier to carry a spare with you.
by hartleymartin
10 Feb 2012, 4:19pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: touring bike with hub gears
Replies: 72
Views: 12361

Re: touring bike with hub gears

Having consulted Sheldon Brown's gear calculator recently, I found that with a 20" wheel I can get a range of gears approximately from 23 to 94 gear inches with a fairly sensible spread of gears. In fact the figures which popped up are the gears which I commonly use on my full-sized tourer already! I find that once I get to about 24 gear inches I have a bit of trouble balancing whilst riding up hills and will often end up walking up once I start to find it too difficult. If i get this hub gear on my Raleigh Twenty, it would be much easier to mount and dismount than my regular tourer!

Frankly, I'm surprised that Moulton hasn't jumped onto this hub - perhaps they are too fond of campagnolo and sturmey-archer?
by hartleymartin
26 Nov 2011, 3:52am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Touring on an older bike - ACTUALLY A NEW BIKE SOUGHT!
Replies: 61
Views: 39620

Re: Touring on an older bike - advice sought.

If you're careful, you will be surprised that many 6-speed freewheels fit where 5-speed ones were. Sometimes you might need an extra 1 or 2mm of washers just to make sure the chain doesn't rub on the stays. IRD make 14-32 6-speed freewheels, which are great - I have them on my tourer - a 1982 Raleigh Royal. nearly 30 years old and she still tackles all the roads well.
by hartleymartin
25 Jul 2011, 3:32pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: togglechaintour bikes
Replies: 4848
Views: 257196

Re: togglechaintour bikes

corshamjim wrote:I'm fed up with having to wash the black stuff from my Brooks saddle off my light coloured trousers so I've got me a comfy saddle for the Pashley which isn't leather and isn't a Brooks.

Image

http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... duct=10268

I'm not sure the saddle lives up to all of the promises the manufacturer makes of it :shock: , but it's certainly comfortable.


Saddle cover and/or just wearing dark trousers fixes that problem.
by hartleymartin
23 Jul 2011, 2:56pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: One, two or more stoves?
Replies: 15
Views: 1434

Re: One, two or more stoves?

I usually take just one - a nice little home-made stove, manufactured from the bottoms of two soft-drink cans, a tin lid for a primer pan and Methylated Spirits for fuel. Done carefully, I can get about a week's worth of cooking out of 1L of good old Metho.