Search found 173 matches

by Aikon
12 Feb 2024, 6:52pm
Forum: Off-road Cycling.
Topic: Views on shared-use paths
Replies: 44
Views: 2421

Re: Views on shared-use paths

Shared use paths form a lot of my cycling, for me the key is similar to cycling in London, take my time and be kind.

Locally in Northants we have a reasonable number of shared paths, I also cycle regularly in Cambridge, MK & London.

Cambridge tourists, and MK’s school kids can often take up the width of the path, 10-30 deep, a polite greeting and a bell usually works, and always thank people, it’s rare for someone to get uptight about sharing, and the last one that did got a proper ticking off from his wife for his attitude toward me when I was nothing but polite.
by Aikon
6 Feb 2024, 11:29am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Day out from Corby, Northamptonshire
Replies: 6
Views: 344

Day out from Corby, Northamptonshire

The Welland Wonder audax passes near Corby and is a lovely route, it could be shortened to suit I’m sure: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/247754674
by Aikon
1 Feb 2024, 8:21am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Bi-Focal Contact Lenses & Alternative Tricks? Anybody Experiences/Knowledge
Replies: 35
Views: 1790

Re: Bi-Focal Contact Lenses? Anybody Experiences/Knowledge

Psamathe wrote:Many thanks all. Very useful info.

QUESTION: One additional question: Those who have used vari/bi focal contacts lenses, how long does it take your eyes to adapt?
I assume two aspects to adapting 1/ To get used to having a physical object in your eye, fitting and removing, practicalities. and 2/ For you brian to adapt to look through the right place to un-distort distortion, etc.

With my new but useless glasses a years agop that suffered distortion (returned & refunded) they said that my brain needed to adapt and that takes a bit of time. I gave it time but my brain didn't adapt even though my brain has "good plasticity" (in relation to something I suffer from that requires brain adjustment through exercises).

Ian
The getting used to something in your eye was pretty quick for me, a few days, and taking them in and out was pretty easy with a mirror, these days I can put them in and take them out without one, they’re a little harder to get out if I let my eyes dry out.

On windy/dusty/high pollen days I’d very occasionally use eye drops, Hycosan Extra really works for me.

Vision adaptation a few minutes at most, there’s been times when I’ve taken lenses out and switched to glasses during a break in a car journey and acclimatised almost instantly.
by Aikon
31 Jan 2024, 8:10am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: KAW and luggage transfers
Replies: 16
Views: 694

Re: KAW and luggage transfers

Another option we successfully used for 5 of us on a 5 day tour of the Inner Hebrides was couriers, we used TNT as we had a contract with them;

Each of us parcelled up cycling kit & pub clobber for each night and labelled them day 1, day 2, day 3 etc, these were then collated with all day 1 parcels in a box including a roll of parcel tape and return label, same with day 2, day 3 etc.

We then posted them to the hotel/pub/b&b for the relevant night, ready for our arrival, tracked to make sure they arrived.

The following morning we re-used the packaging to pack up our dirty gear, using the included tape to seal the box, added the postage label and notified the courier they were ready to collect.

Total cost split 5 ways was £35 each, which for Highlands & Islands courier rates in 2011 felt like a good deal.
by Aikon
30 Jan 2024, 7:13pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Bi-Focal Contact Lenses & Alternative Tricks? Anybody Experiences/Knowledge
Replies: 35
Views: 1790

Re: Bi-Focal Contact Lenses? Anybody Experiences/Knowledge

Have been using the Specsavers multi-focal contact lenses for some time, I think they were Bausch & Lomb in the early days, more recently their own brand.

Straight up I find them fantastic, the day job is a blend of screen work or driving, out of work I run, swim & cycle & find they’re fine for all of it, except the one shortcoming I found when leaving Winchester on the King Alfred Way in the dark… close work in the dark is a non starter, I couldn’t see the route detail on my Garmin Epix 2 screen. I guess a consequence of dilated pupils interacting differently with the lens.
by Aikon
28 Jan 2024, 4:18pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: KAW and luggage transfers
Replies: 16
Views: 694

Re: KAW and luggage transfers

We had a friend drive between lodgings with our kit bags, we covered his fuel & pooled all the meals and lodgings, splitting it between the group of three cyclists, costing him nothing more than his time, he had an enjoyable few days away with some walks and sightseeing while we rode.
by Aikon
30 Oct 2022, 4:33pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Running - a ‘how to’ guide
Replies: 33
Views: 1402

Re: Running - a ‘how to’ guide

+1 for Couch 2 5K either with a local group or on the app, and parkrun, my SO has become accustomed to our holidays and weekends away invariably ending up near a parkrun.
by Aikon
16 Sep 2022, 12:42pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Recovery Insurance
Replies: 28
Views: 1629

Re: Recovery Insurance

An insurance premium is only every the underwriters assessment of your risk, plus their profit margin, so if you can afford your own risk, and don’t need the peace of mind the policy could bring then I wouldn’t bother.
by Aikon
28 Aug 2022, 9:24am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: GBDivide Lejog route 50/50 road and off road.
Replies: 1
Views: 4215

Re: GBDivide Lejog route 50/50 road and off road.

Thanks for posting, I shall ride that next year
by Aikon
8 Aug 2022, 10:48am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Archie Battersbee: No parent must go through this again - family
Replies: 24
Views: 1336

Re: Archie Battersbee: No parent must go through this again - family

Yes it really quite scary to think there are people out there is social media land organising "challenges" which can persuade a child to loose their own life by undertaking a profoundly dangerous act.
Also that Internet Service Providers are providing access to platforms containing harmful content without education on how to restrict access where appropriate, few people could set this up properly without support.
by Aikon
29 Jul 2022, 2:08pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: "Countryside" LEJOG
Replies: 22
Views: 6770

Re: "Countryside" LEJOG

Currently considering a similar ride for September 2023, there is a company that organised an off-road JoGLE and shared the routes, I’ll dig it out and post here as there are bound to be elements that are usable for normal bikes.
by Aikon
25 Jul 2022, 9:57pm
Forum: Racing, Olympics, TdF, Competitive cycling
Topic: TCR No. 8
Replies: 99
Views: 14723

Re: TCR No. 8

Got a colleague, and an industry acquaintance riding this year so watching with interest
by Aikon
18 Jul 2022, 12:44pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cargo bike deliveries
Replies: 70
Views: 5294

Re: Electric cargo vans in London posing as bicycles...?

Likely coming under the category quadricycle, so legally ok in a cycle lane.

With more companies using cargo bikes, ebikes & quadricycles to reduce the cost & increase the agility of their delivery fleets cycle lanes are indeed likely to become much busier.
by Aikon
16 Jul 2022, 11:44am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: The Rebellion Way (Norfolk)
Replies: 67
Views: 6120

Re: The Rebellion Way (Norfolk)

The King Alfred Way encouraged me to start paying membership, the Rebellion Way will be ridden before the year is out, I’m not generally interested in road cycling, preferring either full on MTB, or light trails & quiet roads I can enjoy on a road bike with suitable 40mm tyres.
by Aikon
29 Jun 2022, 11:16pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Shimano 105 R7100 groupset, 12-speed, Di2 and disc only
Replies: 18
Views: 1207

Re: Why shimano is doing this?

GRX suits me fine