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by mjr
17 Mar 2024, 3:13pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1082

Re: Holland - Short Tour

In France, keep an eye out for Pizza-minute, Distribpain and similar vending machines, the likes of which we rarely see in England.
by mjr
16 Mar 2024, 10:27pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1082

Re: Holland - Short Tour

Dupont wrote: 16 Mar 2024, 4:57pm
mjr wrote: 16 Mar 2024, 3:17pm
Dupont wrote: 16 Mar 2024, 2:50pm
Thanks. Does the Dutch hostel system have a website do you know?
https://www.stayokay.com/en

They're OK. Only criticism is the cafeteria offerings tend to be samey and uninspiring.
Thanks.

They are quite pricey too. I guess that is just the way it is now. I haven't been to Holland for a while.

Now I am wondering whether France would be a cheaper option. 🤔
Everywhere is more expensive than it used to be. Inflation and the mighty great british peso :-(
by mjr
16 Mar 2024, 3:17pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1082

Re: Holland - Short Tour

Dupont wrote: 16 Mar 2024, 2:50pm
Thanks. Does the Dutch hostel system have a website do you know?
https://www.stayokay.com/en

They're OK. Only criticism is the cafeteria offerings tend to be samey and uninspiring.
by mjr
15 Mar 2024, 10:47pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Non-standard Bikes on Trains
Replies: 32
Views: 1243

Re: Non-standard Bikes on Trains

Psamathe wrote: 15 Mar 2024, 12:45pm
Ayseven wrote: 15 Mar 2024, 2:22am Not very helpful, but at least you are allowed to take your bike on the trains, unlike in my country.
What country is that?
Canada, if my search is correct.
by mjr
15 Mar 2024, 10:34pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Fill that hole
Replies: 60
Views: 3757

Re: Fill that hole

Our border region means I have the delight of reporting faults to Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. They are all currently pretty awful and behind. Despite that, they all want to build more roads to fail to maintain, instead of moving to more efficient transport.
by mjr
13 Mar 2024, 5:22pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: LTN politics
Replies: 50
Views: 3107

Re: LTN politics

ratherbeintobago wrote: 13 Mar 2024, 1:38pm
They listen to those who actively contact them
Which is why it’s important to do so.
Or, in other words, the system is broken: let's exploit it! :lol:
But there's a definite increase in traffic on rural lanes and some of this is driven by route-planners.
There’s a theory that states that rural lanes only appear to be quicker to route planners as they’re NSL and if the limits on unclassified roads were set to something more realistic (eg. 30 mph) then they might not.
The actual weightings awarded and by what criteria are trade secrets, so we may never be able to confirm or refute that theory.

Similarly, in theory the capacity of many rural C roads (S2, 60mph) is probably similar to many rural A/B roads (S2, 60mph), but as we all know from riding them, they're just not maintained to similar levels any more, so surfaces are more uneven and they're more prone to flooding and so on, which drastically reduces capacity. Also, there's a lot more slow-moving farm traffic, walkers, horses and, yes, cyclists on them. It would be interesting to know if that was reflected in commercial routing decisions adequately.
by mjr
13 Mar 2024, 11:34am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: LTN politics
Replies: 50
Views: 3107

Re: LTN politics

Interesting theory about LTNs is a Guardian column here: TechScape: My pet theory that Google’s Waze will help drive Starmer to No 10 | Technology | The Guardian – https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ir-starmer

Do you think it's true? I live on a major road able to see a minor road diversion and haven't noticed much change in driver behaviour, but rural Norfolk isn't famous for early adoption of tech.
by mjr
12 Mar 2024, 3:21pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: EuroVelo route 12 between Calais and Hoek van Holland
Replies: 29
Views: 2969

Re: EuroVelo route 12 between Calais and Hoek van Holland

LucyEliz wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 2:00pm But every search I did online using NS international, bahn.de, and Rail Europe app gave me results that were very expensive (often involving Eurostar trains) and involving several changes. Does anybody know better?!
Using bahn.de, deselect ICE trains to search for regular IC ones only, which are cheaper with fewer bike restrictions.

For Dunkerque port, consider trains to De Panne which is the last SNCB station before a disused cross border line, 20 ish miles to the port and ten to the city centre, mostly cycleways.

Ostend doesn't have passenger ferries now, does it?
by mjr
12 Mar 2024, 12:45pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: UK Politics
Replies: 933
Views: 72483

Re: UK Politics

djnotts wrote: 11 Mar 2024, 2:08pm "All I want is my country back," he added." (BBC News)

Yeah, so do I pal. Only it's not the one YOU want.
Yes, exactly. When did our country of immigration, international trade and fair play become his slanderous xenophobic fantasy? Jumped up little wannabe-dictator. Reject UK is the right party for him. The far-right party for him.
by mjr
12 Mar 2024, 12:36pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Servicing Union SP-808 or Wellgo LU868 pedals
Replies: 7
Views: 828

Re: Servicing Union SP-808 or Wellgo LU868 pedals

Carlton green wrote: 11 Mar 2024, 6:14pm Gosh that’s some going, even as tight a tightwad as me would be please with such service from relatively inexpensive peddles. By chance I noted that eBay has something similar (plastic bodied peddles) for an under fiver delivered, remarkable value. I’d consider rebuilding the new ones before running them and fitting better grease and ball bearings.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225210899699
Those aren't very similar IMO. Instead of nice kind grippy rubber grips, those have sole-destroying teeth on them. At least they're not metal teeth or pins.

But yes, the Union SP-808s used to be fairly cheap (but prices have gone up, if you can find anyone still willing to ship to Brexit Island) and gave remarkably good service for a plastic pedal until the bearings wore out. I'm fairly sure they had a tabbed washer inside, as do the XLC PD-C07s. The main annoyance when servicing them was the soft plastic end plug which had to be prised out, mentioned in the first post. I found today that the C07s are missing one end plug, which must have fallen out over winter. Finding replacements for these is never fun. I've some soft rubber bottletop inserts somewhere around here which might fit, when I find them... I much prefer the allen-key screw cap of the LU-868s but I've managed to lose one of those and can't find anywhere selling spares.

I found some XLC PD-C03s in a bike shop. I expect I'll need to pack them with grease and reset the bearing pressure, but they look like they should last. I suspect I can probably figure out some way to melt or stick new rubber grip strips on if they wear out in 5 or 10 years.
by mjr
11 Mar 2024, 4:07pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Servicing Union SP-808 or Wellgo LU868 pedals
Replies: 7
Views: 828

Re: Servicing Union SP-808 or Wellgo LU868 pedals

At 13 years of age, with use most days since 2015 or so, one SP-808's body finally succumbed to the years of rain, salt and sun and cracked near the outboard cup, making a most unsettling cracking noise as I pedalled. They've not done badly: they outlasted the frame they started on!

It doesn't seem easy to find these now and I'm not sure I want another plastic-bodied pedal, so what I believe is a XLC PD-C07 will be moved to that bike until I decide.
by mjr
11 Mar 2024, 10:42am
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: Night p*nct*re scenario comes to pass
Replies: 23
Views: 937

Re: Night p*nct*re scenario comes to pass

Bmblbzzz wrote: 11 Mar 2024, 8:57am Definitely worth having a headtorch for night time punctures and other mechanicals. If it's bright enough to use as a back-up light for riding by, extra good.
Just carry a back-up light. Headtorches are never suitable for riding by, because they show a white light, which means front, to the rear when you look backwards. Most of them also dazzle whoever you are looking at, which is illegal whether or not the light is attached to a bike, and a really dumb idea when the victim can injure or kill you.
by mjr
11 Mar 2024, 12:06am
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: Night p*nct*re scenario comes to pass
Replies: 23
Views: 937

Re: Night p*nct*re scenario comes to pass

UpWrong wrote: 10 Mar 2024, 5:25pm Or maybe the problem was the poor seal with the valve stem because it was clear that not all of the sealant was entering the tube.
Almost certainly, I think. Screw connectors need to be pretty tight else much of the gunk takes the easiest way out and maybe not enough gets into the tube to coat the needed spot.
by mjr
9 Mar 2024, 10:23pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Fill that hole
Replies: 60
Views: 3757

Re: Fill that hole

JohnR wrote: 9 Mar 2024, 9:06am I think the situation for minor roads is worsened by the relative cheap surface dressing ("spray and chip") falling out of favour although very effective for sealing cracks and adding some overall strength.
Falling out of favour? About time! It's still widespread in Norfolk, but done so badly that it probably adds little life to the road, while being obnoxiously dangerous to bikes, alternating inches deep drifts of chips with patches of bare tar that will ruin a posh bike as it's either flung off the tyres or a chip stuck to the tyres scores the hell out of any low -clearance aero forks or stays.
by mjr
8 Mar 2024, 2:58pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Fill that hole
Replies: 60
Views: 3757

Re: Fill that hole

MikeF wrote: 3 Mar 2024, 7:40pm Filling potholes is "sticking plaster". It should not be needed in the majority of cases - the road should be resurfaced so that potholes do not occur.
The only way to stop potholes occurring is to ban motor vehicles and keep on top of drainage problems. They are now too heavy. Some local cycleways get resurfaced about once every 30 years and are generally OK, as it's only cycles plus the occasional maintenance and emergency vehicles on them. Unrestricted carriageways rarely make it 5 years before emergency patching starts.