Cycling UK Forum

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Contrary to what others have experienced I find weight carried on the rear rack has a much greater effect on the steering than front low loaders. I normally use both front and rears for a full camping load but on a recent tour I decided to dispense with the front panniers. In addition to two rear pa...

The fact that it only happens when the chain is on the smallest sprockets indicates that its something to do with chainline. There may also be a clue in the fact that it all worked OK with new chainrings and presumably a new chain following the rebuild. I've found that lateral wear in the chain can ...

You can easily avoid that underpass and the approach to it by turning right from Dancers Hill Rd into Baker St. This will take you under the Motorway and towards Potters Bar. It's probably simplest to continue to the traffic lights at the end before turning left on the B556 but you could turn left e...

You should be able to get a decent 8 speed chain for around £10. If the new chain skips on the old cassette then you need to replace the cassette and possibly the chain rings. Otherwise you should be OK with the old cassette. The old transmission looks as though it hasn't seen any lubricant in a whi...

Not surprisingly both the race organisers and Oxfordshire C.C. are denying that the pothole played any part in the crash but it seems highly likely to me that it did. I was watching the highlights on TV and the pothole was definitely mentioned in commentary. Also as I said before Marianne Vos issued...

The other notable aspect of the crash is that her teammate and the lead out rider immediately in front of her, appears to sufferer a handlebar failure after hitting the pothole.

Vos indicated in an interview after she'd abandoned that she also hit the same pothole.

This might interest you.

Congratulations and many thanks for reporting back. I enjoyed the blog and the wonderful photographs which perfectly capture the essence of Ireland, including the fact that the sun doesn't always shine and it sometimes rains in the west of Ireland. I'm sorry about Priest's Leap, what can I say, but ...

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Prevention is better than cure. Decent hand built wheels are an insurance against spoke failure, as is checking the bike before any tour and replacing any cables and tyres that look suspect . Other than that I cant add much to the items that others have mentioned. A mobile phone can help resolve mos...

I'm not sure I understand. What model eTrex do you have? The one I linked to is identical to Garmin's own mount shown here . It engages with the key-way on the units battery compartment cover on the back of the unit. http://baldiviskitebuggy.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-gpsr-part-2.html The battery cove...

I bought several cheap Chinese copies on ebay. Virtually indistinguishable from the expensive Garmin item. It pays to secure the unit with a safety lanyard as I've read reports of them popping out and bouncing down the road. Can't remember the exact supplier but similar to this one. It attaches to t...

It would also be worth considering the Coast and Castles route between Newcastle and Edinburgh. http://www.coast-and-castles.co.uk/ https://cycle.travel/route/coast_and_castles There are plenty of options for cycle hire and tour operators. https://pedal-power.co.uk/

One bonus since the advent of the Thames Path is the provision of camping facilities along the way. For instance a number of the locks, particularly in the upper and middle Thames, now allow camping. I kayaked down the Thames from above Lechlade a few years ago and made use of several of them. There...