Cycling UK Forum

I've got a weak right shoulder and find pumping a tyre out on the road very uncomfortable. I'm fine with a workshop track pump though. I was idly wondering whether any of the USB electronic pumps are any good? Lots of adverts for them around at the moment, some making extravagant claims!

I've just booked a couple of nights in Tournai, Belgium this August, travelling via Eurostar to Lille. We want to explore the area a bit and will probably take our Bromptons. Anyone know the area? We'd like a couple of half-day routes with beer/cake stops, preferably away from main roads.

Yes. I've had a couple of expressions of interest but so far nobody has jumped.

Are we talking about the trainer, or the trainees? I'm an instructor and regularly use an e-bike for training (I'm recovering from a heart condition). While actually training or snaking (riding to the training site as a group) I either turn the motor off, or use it on '0' power.

My wife is regretfully selling her ICE Adventure as it's become an incredible pain getting it in and out. See listing. Any questions don't hesitate to ask!
viewtopic.php?t=155333

A really useful design guide here: https://www.camcycle.org.uk/files/resou ... gguide.pdf
It covers a lot of accessibility issues so particularly appropriate for a medical centre.

Our local authority has been busy repainting the markings on many of our local cycle routes. My understanding of the reworded HC is that cyclists using shared foot/cycle paths alongside a major road have priority over vehicle joining or leaving a side road. The Give Way markings where the paths cross side roads have also been repainted. Do those 'give way'markings have any legal force now? If not, why would they repaint them?

Amateurs. A potato up the exhaust pipe works much better!

https://premium.lynnnews.co.uk/news/kin ... o-9248722/

The article's behind a paywall so here's the text:

Uninsured Lynn driver was nine times the drug-drive limit when he knocked an elderly man off his bike, a court has heard. Stephen Dent, who was also unsupervised on a provisional licence, then twice drove over the man’s bike – all witnessed by police. The cyclist suffered a fractured shoulder and bruising, town magistrates heard on Thursday. The incident happened near the junction of Valingers Road and London Road on December 29 last year. Prosecutor Hannah Butler said 42-year-old Dent drove over the bike after the collision and then again as he reversed back – stopping his Ford Galaxy very close to the patrol car’s front bumper. The court heard that he told officers that he hadn’t had drink or drugs but then failed a roadside drug wipe.

Following his arrest, he gave a reading of 468 micrograms of a cocaine breakdown product per litre of blood in his system. The legal limit is 50. Mrs Butler said Dent claimed in interview that the cyclist had been weaving in front of him and was in a blind spot of the pillar of the Galaxy’s windscreen.

The defendant, of Pleasant Court, pleaded guilty to drug-driving, careless driving, having no insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

“Fortunately, he was driving quite slowly,” said solicitor George Sorrell in mitigation.

“He was clearly not paying attention.

“He was under the influence still with a drug in his body he thought would’ve gone.

“I can’t offer any mitigation about the circumstances – the poor, unfortunate cyclist ended up with a significant injury. And to make it perhaps worse he’s described as being elderly. A very unpleasant experience.

“The defendant realises the consequences could’ve been far worse. He expresses remorse and regret and that’s genuine.”

For drug-driving, Dent was banned for two years, fined £200 and ordered to pay £50 costs plus a victim surcharge.

For careless driving, he was ordered to pay £200 compensation to the victim.

There were no separate penalties for the other two matters.

So, it cost him £450 in total. A ban is pointless as he shouldn't have been driving in the first place. The cyclist (me) lost a year-old Brompton (£1200) and several week's work (at least £2000), as well as a shoulder that's still painful after a couple of months physio. I was really lucky not to come off worse as he drove over my leg too which was badly bruised. I'm pursuing a civil claim but not expecting much as he had no insurance.

Being described as 'elderly' has also caused me great trauma. Both the police officers there were aged about 12!

I'm planning a week's trip in early October. I'm taking my Brompton as the overnight train from the Netherlands to Munich and Innsbruck doesn't currently take full size bikes, plus the cost and faff of getting it on Eurostar isn't worth it. I'll have 4 days based in LIndau (accomodation booked) and whilst I won't have time to cover the full circuit I should be able to see quite a bit using local trains and the lake ferries. Anyone know the area and got recommendations of places to see and stop or any side diversions? I's be interested in any experience of touring on a Brompton too, I've swapped the 50t chainring for a 44t but I don't plan on anything too 'alpine'!

I seem to have kicked off a bit of a storm here! My question was purely a theoretical one as I've no intention of riding an illegal cycle on the road (although read on). I was just intrigued, as so many people I know are riding e-bikes on the road with 1000w+ unrestrcted motors and throttles. In fact, I would estimate that at least half the e-bikes on the road are illegal in some way or other! I did try derestricting the motor but didn't change the max assist speed which remains at 25kph. I gave it a go off-road and TBH I didn't notice much difference except sharper acceleration and shorter battery range by about 20%, although I suspect it may climb faster. Personally I would say it's not worth breaking the law for! I've re-restricted it to 250W which is fine for normal use. I have, however kept the throttle on for now. I've rarely used it but I electrified the bike as I'm recovering from a major heart attack and just occasionally I run out of 'oomph' and the use of the throttle allows me a break to recover when stopping and sitting down isn't an option. I find it strange that permitted e-scooters have a throttle but e-bikes aren't allowed them.

I've recently fitted a Cyclotricity mid-drive E-assist kit to my Surly Disc Trucker. I'm really pleased with it. I do have the throttle fitted (I know it's not road-legal in the UK) and find it handy if I need to accellerate quickly, like on a roundabout, or for the rare hill (I live in West Norfolk!). I have the codes to deregulate it from 250W to 500W. Apart from the legal issues, would I actually notice much difference? How much would it affect my range (currently about 30 miles)? I mostly use the lowest assist setting unless I'm fighting a Fenland headwind. I suppose I'm asking is it worth breaking the law for? Most of the people I know using e-bikes are using 500 or 1000W motors.

I'd feel more comfortable about this if they also made bus services to hospitals free. Many of us don't have the option of driving to the hospital and, if we're not old or registered as disabled,have to pay often-extortionate bus fares. When I was recovering from a nasty bout of pneumonia a few years ago and couldn't cycle I was paying nearly £3 per visit in bus fares at a time when car parking was still only £2 for 3 hours.

Earlier this year I and a friend had the pleasure of teaching a couple of 60+ year-olds to ride! They'd both been given bikes as retirement gifts but dared not admit they'd never learnt to ride! I suspect this is not as unusual as we think. To cut a long story short we had them both riding confidently in about 2 hours. They're now often seen riding around the area and, last time I heard, were talking about getting a tandem!

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my SM-A260F using hovercraft full of eels.

mjr wrote:

landsurfer wrote:Define "pointless idling" in a legal sense that will lead to a conviction ..... best of luck ...

Who needs a conviction? Just make it legal for people to cap the exhausts (which stops the engine, or at least makes it run like a dog and exposes exhaust leaks) and hand out free bungs and it'll deal with the worst offenders. After all, if someone can cap the exhaust unmolested, you were probably idling illegally, weren't you?

Where's the UK equivalent to http://www.ITurnItOff.com?

Easy with the right-sized potato [emoji6]

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my SM-A260F using hovercraft full of eels.