Search found 6233 matches

by Bmblbzzz
28 Mar 2024, 2:13pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Over-powerful LED lights
Replies: 101
Views: 6703

Re: Over-powerful LED lights

Jdsk wrote: 28 Mar 2024, 11:15am
axel_knutt wrote: 28 Mar 2024, 11:13am 1. I wonder whether police stats are sufficiently detailed to reveal an effect that may be small in terms of all-cause road deaths but quite large in terms of deaths related to headlamp design. I also think that any advantage of better visibility will have been consumed in the form of faster driving rather than reduced accident rate, and that that possibility won't have been researched.
...
I don't think that they are sufficiently detailed.

Jonathan
Any inquiry into headlamps that restricts its research to crashes, whether fatal or not, is going to be useless. The largest effect of overly bright headlights is probably to alter people's behaviour by avoiding roads (including as pedestrians) after dark.
by Bmblbzzz
26 Mar 2024, 10:01am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.
Replies: 195
Views: 24370

Re: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.

edocaster wrote: 25 Mar 2024, 11:34pm
Bmblbzzz wrote: 17 Mar 2024, 1:09pm So that would make Marin an Indonesian owned company, with HQ in Switzerland and design based in California, operating in over 40 countries worldwide. Like a great many companies, it's impossible to ascribe it one single nationality. How does that related to the state of retail in UK?
While my answer was primarily to supply the citation, it did interest me that without it, Bonzo Banana's claim would disappear into the ether (of course, I'm sure BB could provide more solid evidence too). It wasn't extensive research on my part, but I did go down a rabbit hole of seeing just how difficult it was to reach something resembling (what I believe is) the truth, at least on the English-language internet.

Instead, what you get is years of industry journalists repeating press releases, and not really doing any actual digging. Forums often aligned with these interpretations (Marin only use Insera Sena as a manufacturer, etc), because they had limited information. But also, it seems it wasn't really in anyone's interests to present a direct set of facts. Marin, the bike industry, industry journalists, Insera Sena themselves - why would they? After all, people will pay more for a Marin than a Polygon.

What was rather amusing was this quote: "Vanek couldn't say much about the new owners except that Minestone is a private group that does not own any other businesses that would align with Marin. 'It's not like some other acquisitions recently where we would become part of another group. We will still manage ourselves.'" (https://www.bicycleretailer.com/north-a ... acquistion) - the first half is, strictly speaking, true I guess.

While none of this has anything directly to do with cycle retail in the UK, it does demonstrate to some degree the abstraction from the physical product and its production which the (Western) cycling industry has reached. While this is certainly not the only industry where a large markup can be extracted based solely on brand perception, cycling is marketed as a lifestyle activity, hence is discretionary. It's not a part of a wider, unified industry, like power tools might be to DIY. Hence cycle retail rises and falls based on one activity and its popularity. But the industry has wedded its pricing structure to the segmentation demonstrated above. I think this backs the industry into a corner, where they can't upset the pricing hierarchy.
I think this is as much or more to do with social perceptions than any particular industry or retail. It took Western markets several decades to accept that Japanese cars and electronics were as well made and designed as their European or American counterparts. We then repeated the process, slightly faster maybe, with Korean goods. China has been the workshop of the world for the whole of this century, so far, yet we still disparage these items with terms like "Chinesium" – sometimes justified* but often ignoring the high quality products from China, under Chinese and Western names.

*And that low quality seems to be often driven by marketing rather than manufacture; Western and Chinese marketing, from Amazon to Temu.
by Bmblbzzz
26 Mar 2024, 9:56am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.
Replies: 195
Views: 24370

Re: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.

I've only twice ordered items from Evans. Both times I opted to collect from the store and there was no charge. However, one occasion they sent the wrong item, then it turned out they didn't actually have the correct item in stock anywhere. These were both within the last ten years.
by Bmblbzzz
25 Mar 2024, 9:16pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Is this terminal?
Replies: 50
Views: 2501

Re: Is this terminal?

I had not heard of the carcinogenic dangers of carbon fibre dust, so I'm glad this has been brought to our attention.
by Bmblbzzz
25 Mar 2024, 5:46pm
Forum: Fun & Games
Topic: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??
Replies: 2256
Views: 126214

Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

The egg was laid in Devon but the chicken was raised in Cornwall.
by Bmblbzzz
25 Mar 2024, 12:36pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Escooter trial to start
Replies: 351
Views: 37541

Re: Escooter trial to start

The hire bikes seem not to get left in such stupid, and dangerous, places as the hire scooters; perhaps because their larger size makes users think about the parking a bit more?
by Bmblbzzz
25 Mar 2024, 10:54am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.
Replies: 195
Views: 24370

Re: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.

The Swiss connection is that that is where their HQ is. Presumably that's a commercial decision. As for design, maybe it's in America, maybe it's in Indonesia, likely it's dispersed; but what has any of that to do with the state of retail?
by Bmblbzzz
25 Mar 2024, 10:45am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Escooter trial to start
Replies: 351
Views: 37541

Re: Escooter trial to start

simonineaston wrote: 25 Mar 2024, 10:24am The only trial I know of here in Bristol is the one where they see how many Tier bikes they can heave into the river Frome... :wink:
The answer to which seems to be not as many as the Voi scooters, which in turn was not as many as the Yo bikes. Though it could just be that the Tiers, being a greeny-bluey colour, are not as easy to see under the water as the pink Vois and yellow Yos.
by Bmblbzzz
23 Mar 2024, 1:22pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Custom made handlebars
Replies: 6
Views: 558

Re: Custom made handlebars

I believe this bloke might make custom handlebars: https://www.clandestine.cc
by Bmblbzzz
19 Mar 2024, 12:45pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Would it be unreasonable … ?
Replies: 42
Views: 1691

Re: Would it be unreasonable … ?

cycle tramp wrote: 19 Mar 2024, 8:35am
Nicholas wrote: 19 Mar 2024, 7:01am Good grief ... some folks love to catastrophize! What started out as a few seconds minor annoyance for the OP has been blown out of all proportion ... again.
I think you've left your front light on..... and there's no evidence to actually suggest day time lights actually work....
:-D
I've left it on deliberately rather than forgetting about it, but equally, I haven't chosen to leave it on. It's just that the switch is unreliable so I leave it on all the time rather than be unable to turn it on at night. It doesn't flash and I have it aligned flat; if it's dazzling, it means the bracket has slipped and I'll appreciate being told. I don't greatly appreciate the dramatic tuts some cyclists (never, IME, walkers – I did once have a comment from a dog walker on a railway path, but it was "That's the best bike light I've ever seen") give on tow paths and railway paths, but I don't really pay attention to them either; and they're far fewer now. It's just like DRL on cars really.
by Bmblbzzz
18 Mar 2024, 8:20am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dangerous mudguards
Replies: 37
Views: 3538

Re: Dangerous mudguards

cycle tramp wrote: 18 Mar 2024, 8:05am
Bmblbzzz wrote: 17 Mar 2024, 6:54pm Having the breakaway at the mudguard end of the say seems more sensible in terms of the flailing spoke potential mentioned earlier. Does it affect the functioning, perhaps due to reduced leverage?
I can see your point of view- but in doing so that would leave the end of an exposed metal rod pointing towards the rider, who may or may not be falling towards it....
..despite the probability of this not happening.. its still going to be enough for that sort of break away stay design to be stopped in its tracks by the companies lawyers....
It doesn't need to leave exposed metal – there are designs, including ones from SKS that actually work, where two plastic parts separate. Noting also Colin's point that both risks are minimal.
by Bmblbzzz
17 Mar 2024, 6:54pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dangerous mudguards
Replies: 37
Views: 3538

Re: Dangerous mudguards

Having the breakaway at the mudguard end of the say seems more sensible in terms of the flailing spoke potential mentioned earlier. Does it affect the functioning, perhaps due to reduced leverage?
by Bmblbzzz
17 Mar 2024, 1:09pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.
Replies: 195
Views: 24370

Re: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.

So that would make Marin an Indonesian owned company, with HQ in Switzerland and design based in California, operating in over 40 countries worldwide. Like a great many companies, it's impossible to ascribe it one single nationality. How does that related to the state of retail in UK?
by Bmblbzzz
14 Mar 2024, 4:01pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dangerous mudguards
Replies: 37
Views: 3538

Re: Dangerous mudguards

I had a very similar incident to the OP, also at about 5 mph and on a canal towpath, but not involving any pedestrians. And no, I didn't end up in the water, because for me luckily it was the rear wheel which suddenly locked up when a stick got caught under the mudguard and jammed against the stays. A little bit of the plastic guard broke off but because I was travelling so slowly, that was all that happened. I now have secu-clips on front and rear stays of both bikes.
by Bmblbzzz
14 Mar 2024, 1:43pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Why not have dual front discs?
Replies: 21
Views: 1392

Re: Why not have dual front discs?

To a relatively casual observer, it seems the trend in motorcycle disc brakes now is to have one, large disc. Two discs up front was the thing a couple of decades ago.