Search found 5784 matches

by andrew_s
27 Feb 2024, 8:44pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Pannier Rack Tubing
Replies: 8
Views: 613

Re: Pannier Rack Tubing

Dupont wrote: 27 Feb 2024, 5:51pm The tubing is 10 mm across by 20 mm high if that helps?
It looks like that's the problem.

The makers of the panniers expected the tubing to be round, and the extra depth is stopping the silver anti-jump catches either side of the red button from popping out under the bottom of the tubing.

Most pannier makers will be working on the basis of round tubing, so I'd suggest a new rack is the best option.
by andrew_s
27 Feb 2024, 2:45pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Importing a new or 2nd hand bike into the UK from the EU.
Replies: 49
Views: 3801

Re: Importing a new or 2nd hand bike into the UK from the EU.

Cyckelgalen wrote: 21 Feb 2024, 8:07pm Instead of taking the ferry to The Netherlands yourself, have you thought of having your EU-resident relative come over to the UK on a cycling tour with that gorgeous new bike?
Totally legal for them to bring the bike into the UK, just like driving your car across a border on holiday.
If said relative doesn't take the bike back with them, then they are liable for the UK duty and VAT.

Currently, it's unlikely it would be noticed, but you never know when an ANPR system that shows entry photos at the point of exit might come in.

Basically, everything bought in to the country on a permanent basis is liable to duty & VAT, based on what was actually paid. There are no exemptions for private transactions or second hand goods.

Even temporary imports can get sometimes charged, with the charges needing to be claimed back on re-export. This has happened on group bike tours, in cases where the bike owner isn't with their bike as the group is saving on transport costs by using a van for a bunch of bikes, with the riders travelling separately by train or cheap flight.
by andrew_s
27 Feb 2024, 2:23pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Obsolete Free Hub
Replies: 26
Views: 2212

Re: Obsolete Free Hub

Grease is oil plus a thickening agent.

Your engineer friend may have been correct for the oil and grease under discussion at the time, but generalising this to any oil and any grease is senseless.
by andrew_s
17 Feb 2024, 10:40pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Need Help Straightening Rear Tire: Persistent '8' Shape Formed by Spokes
Replies: 13
Views: 1110

Re: Need Help Straightening Rear Tire: Persistent '8' Shape Formed by Spokes

In general, if a wheel is pringled, it's best to get it as straight as possible by brute force before you get the spole key out.
https://www.instructables.com/Stomp-Str ... cle-Wheel/
by andrew_s
17 Feb 2024, 10:21pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: bike rentals Barcelonnette
Replies: 6
Views: 434

Re: bike rentals Barcelonnette

backnotes wrote: 16 Feb 2024, 12:26am This place https://location-velo-ski-barcelonnette ... ation-velo claims to rent out road bikes.
There's this one as well:
https://www.cycle-ubaye-sports.com/
by andrew_s
10 Feb 2024, 1:02am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Solar panel for usb charging?
Replies: 55
Views: 3049

Re: Solar panel for usb charging?

You basically need quite a sizeable solar panel, > 20W, like Ian's.

The quoted power is for full sun in Africa or the south of Spain, aimed at at the sun. By the time you make allowances for reduced power because of clouds and other shadows, trying to charge early or late when the sun's relatively low, or for the panel not pointing at the sun because it's on the back of the bike, you need the extra over the 2 - 5W you'd get from a dynohub.

What are useless are powerbanks with a built-in solar panel.
by andrew_s
10 Feb 2024, 12:16am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Why car drivers must wait longer at red traffic lights in Düsseldorf
Replies: 16
Views: 1115

Re: Why car drivers must wait longer at red traffic lights in Düsseldorf

mikeonabike wrote: 7 Feb 2024, 11:49am Is it not also used in the UK, at lights that dont have a specific pedestrian? Otherwise how else do peds cross?
There's no legal requirement for pedestrians to pay any regard to lights, so if there are no pedestrian lights they treat the junction the same as a non-light contolled junction: wait for enough of a gap & scuttle.
Quite a lot of the time there will be half way islands that makes it fairly straightfoward to cross when the light phases stop motor vehicles using one direction or the other.
by andrew_s
7 Feb 2024, 10:25pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: F/D for 22-36-44 chainwheels
Replies: 28
Views: 1401

Re: F/D for 22-36-44 chainwheels

2_i wrote: 6 Feb 2024, 10:25pm
andrew_s wrote: 6 Feb 2024, 10:12pm An XC Pro is what I'm using.
The standard chainset at the time would have been 22/32/42; the sticker on it said max chainring 48T.
I'm currently using 24/36/46; I was on 20/36/46 until the chainset got bent.
Could you elaborate on what specifically happened? I have been on 20/34/50 for several years now and on 20/32/50 before deciding that I liked the smaller gap on the upper end.
A coming together with a car.

Mini-roundabout crossroads. I followed a van through, and a car turning right cut the wrong side of the blob and met me side on. The end of the pedal took the impact, enough to shunt me & bike sideways a couple or 3 feet. I thought it was OK at the time, but the crank arm got bent enough that the pedal is enough off square that the crank isn't usable for anything over a mile or two.

TA Zephyr cranks, with the 20T ring on the 56 mm bcd bolt circle.
by andrew_s
6 Feb 2024, 10:12pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: F/D for 22-36-44 chainwheels
Replies: 28
Views: 1401

Re: F/D for 22-36-44 chainwheels

2_i wrote: 6 Feb 2024, 3:51am Suntour triple derailleurs, such as XC Pro, have quite limited back plates and shift quite well, whether large or small ring differences. They have other benefits in occupying limited lateral space and being mount-to-mount swappable. It is such a shame that Suntour went under.
An XC Pro is what I'm using.
The standard chainset at the time would have been 22/32/42; the sticker on it said max chainring 48T.
I'm currently using 24/36/46; I was on 20/36/46 until the chainset got bent.
by andrew_s
28 Jan 2024, 4:49pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cheap oil.
Replies: 82
Views: 4662

Re: Cheap oil.

nirakaro wrote: 28 Jan 2024, 11:46am On tour last year, I realised I was carrying three bottles of different oils - chain lube, olive oil for picnic salads, and King-o-Shaves for shaving. Time on my hands in the tent at night, I started wondering if I could save weight by finding a single oil that would do all three jobs tolerably well. Any suggestions?
Presumably putting motor/chain oil on your salad wouldn't be good for the digestion.

On the other hand, I did see a test of chain oils from Friction Facts (paywalled at last check) that included extra virgin olive oil, and it came out as one of the best oils (rather than waxes).
That was from the point of view of transmission losses in a new chain - they didn't say anything about lifespan, picking up muck etc.

As for shaving, I recommend a bar of soap. It will also do for the body, the hair, and for clothes.
by andrew_s
20 Jan 2024, 7:09pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Fill that hole
Replies: 60
Views: 3755

Re: Missing Fill that Hole app?

Psamathe wrote: 20 Jan 2024, 6:33pmit's a lot of work to do once you get home. Load photo to get lat/long from geotag, load into eg Google to get map, find street and nearest town (often ambiguous on rural roads. But most roads are too long for a report to be useful by Council eg "it's on Brick Kiln Lane" would narrow it down to maybe a couple of miles!
It doesn't have to be that complicated - just open FixMyStreet in a browser when you are back in signal range, and change the lat/long in the address bar to what's shown in your photo exif, or GPS mark.

Round here (Gloucestershire), the council use FixMyStreet as the pothole (etc) reporting tool on the council website. It's quite a bit better than the main FixMyStreet site as you get proper detailed mapping when you zoom right in.
https://fixmystreet.gloucestershire.gov ... on=-2.2481
Other councils may do the same.
by andrew_s
20 Jan 2024, 5:26pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Touring GPS Sat Nav
Replies: 34
Views: 1341

Re: Touring GPS Sat Nav

Another option is the Garmin Etrex 22x or 32x.
These use AA batteries that last 25 hours or so, and can just be swapped to a spare pair when they run out.

They are really intended for hiking, so the bike mount is an add on extra, and they don't do the training type functions that the Edge models do, but the routing is much the same.
by andrew_s
17 Jan 2024, 9:21pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: QR v Allen key skewers
Replies: 44
Views: 4279

Re: QR v Allen key skewers

Front wheel skewers can self-loosen with disc brakes if they were only "reasonably tight" initially.

A front disc brake can exert more ejection force on the disc-side end of the axle than your body weight, on top of overcoming said bodyweight. If that's enough to cause a slight bit of movement, the repeated back and forth movement as you brake hard and then the axle moves back under weight/impact can cause the skewer to loosen, particularly if the skewer adjuster is disc side.

I'd suggest giving your son a long allen key, rather than have him rely on a multi-tool, have the allen socket disc side, and have the skewer done as tight as he can undo using it (with regard to the stuff about bearing adjustment further up this topic.
by andrew_s
17 Jan 2024, 8:38pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: rim wear indicators
Replies: 20
Views: 1634

Re: rim wear indicators

The Ryde wear indicator doesn't mean the rim is dangerously worn, it means "get a new rim now".
You aren't going to fail to notice it even if you don't check for wear, and you aren't going to carry on riding with it for longer than necessary, on the grounds that all indicators err on the cautious side.

With a disappearing groove indicator, there's nothing to attract your attention, so if you fail to remember to actively check, or leave it too long between checks, so you could end up at the fail stage regardless of indicators.
You've also got to remember what type of indicator your rims have. Does the absence of a groove indicate that you should have put new rims on a while back, or does it mean that the hole hasn't appeared yet and there's plenty of time? This isn't helped by Mavic rims existing with both types of indicator.
by andrew_s
17 Jan 2024, 7:29pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: rim wear indicators
Replies: 20
Views: 1634

Re: rim wear indicators

531colin wrote: 17 Jan 2024, 6:12pm
gregoryoftours wrote: 17 Jan 2024, 3:02pm I've seen some Ryde rims that were still in use and worn through to the round cavities all the way around! Very strange poking a screwdriver half a centimetre into the sidewall.
That’s the wear indicator on Sputnik rims; the round channels take the 2 pins which form the rim joint, and the channels are extended towards the braking surface to form the wear indicator.
There’s a picture on Spas website I can’t link from my phone.
It’s my favourite wear indicator, doesn’t have the drawbacks Brucey lists, and doesn’t appear to weaken the rims
Example, showing showing the extension of the channel on the left, and worn through on the right.
Image