Search found 388 matches

by JamesE
20 Apr 2019, 7:04pm
Forum: Using the Forum - request help : report difficulties
Topic: Can't delete image attachments from posts
Replies: 2
Views: 3208

Can't delete image attachments from posts

See this thread. I want to delete the images from items as they're sold - I've removed the relevant BBCode bits for the images of the seatpost and downtube shifters but the images are still appearing…
by JamesE
8 Nov 2018, 11:52am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Lake District roads in late November?
Replies: 7
Views: 858

Lake District roads in late November?

I'm off to the Lake District at the end of this month and planning to use my bike to get around – not a full-blown tour, but certainly riding from Oxenholme station to near Grasmere and back again, perhaps a bit more. Is that foolish in late November? Are the minor roads likely to be icy? I don't need to cross any of the high passes, and I'm assuming they're pretty good at gritting the main roads.
by JamesE
13 Sep 2018, 11:09pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: When a younger guy challenges you at the lights ...
Replies: 38
Views: 2589

Re: When a younger guy challenges you at the lights ...

Openly challenging someone at the lights? Good heavens no. By far the most important rule of Silly Commuter Racing is that win or lose (and I've had my share of both), you studiously pretend not to be playing...
by JamesE
9 Sep 2018, 4:49pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Have my legs got longer?
Replies: 26
Views: 1397

Re: Have my legs got longer?

David9694 wrote:Yes.

That’s an interesting point thanks, and would explain why my long trousers haven’t needed adjustment - I wonder if the ends ride up quite so much when I sit down..?

I'd be interested to hear other experiences of this, as it's not something I've seen discussed. (And a quick Google found a couple of threads elseweb in which people were claiming that weight loss shouldn't affect bike fit at all). But I lost three stone earlier this year, and although I can't make a direct comparison because I got a new bike and started using different pedals over the course of that weight loss, I think my saddle finished more than an inch higher than when I started.
by JamesE
9 Sep 2018, 9:03am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Have my legs got longer?
Replies: 26
Views: 1397

Re: Have my legs got longer?

If you've been cycling much more than normal: have you lost weight? A few kilos can easily add up to a centimetre or so of padding lost from your backside, which means raising the saddle to compensate.
by JamesE
3 Sep 2018, 1:31pm
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: Are head injuries something you worry about when cycling?
Replies: 53
Views: 3558

Re: Are head injuries something you worry about when cycling?

Not at all. I've come off the bike I think five times ever from various causes – rear-ended by a car, caught the handlebars on a flapping tarpaulin, foolishly tried to brake while turning sharply through loose gravel – and never come close to hitting my head. The only way I can imagine suffering serious head injuries is in a high-speed head-on crash where I'd probably get so mangled anyway that a helmet wouldn't make much difference.
by JamesE
31 Aug 2018, 9:33pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Crossing Paris by bike
Replies: 13
Views: 1111

Re: Crossing Paris by bike

mjr wrote:Any pictures would be great, especially of how they do junctions to make it obvious. Some other cities (Lille IIRC) have chevrons alternating with cycle symbols on coloured stripes to show cyclists where to ride through junctions.

I didn’t think to take pics but it was something like this, yes. Cycle symbols every 5-10 metres all along the track, then much more frequently at junctions and IIRC combined with chevrons.
by JamesE
30 Aug 2018, 12:55pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Flickering dynamo light
Replies: 14
Views: 1396

Re: Flickering dynamo light

Belatedly: yes, unplugging the USB-Werk appears to have done it. Not a problem for me as I only use the USB-Werk in daylight but I've mentioned it to B&M as a possible fault. I wonder if I should let Spa know, too...
by JamesE
24 Aug 2018, 9:15am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Crossing Paris by bike
Replies: 13
Views: 1111

Re: Crossing Paris by bike

Just to to add: I've now done this with no problems at all. Cycle lanes varied in quality from decent to excellent - and crucially the routes are obvious at all times and the bike lanes don't just shrug and disappear when things get difficult, as they do in London.
by JamesE
16 Aug 2018, 11:17am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Crossing Paris by bike
Replies: 13
Views: 1111

Re: Crossing Paris by bike

Thanks all - that's very helpful. I'll stop worrying.
by JamesE
15 Aug 2018, 6:35pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Crossing Paris by bike
Replies: 13
Views: 1111

Crossing Paris by bike

Anyone got any tips/a route for getting a loaded touring bike from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon and back? I'm pretty fit and confident - and I've commuted in London for years - but I'm worrying, possibly needlessly, about riding on the other side of the road in an unfamiliar city. I'm not in a rush, can walk it if need be...
by JamesE
15 Aug 2018, 12:54pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Romney Hythe and Dymchurch
Replies: 6
Views: 751

Re: Romney Hythe and Dymchurch

There's a luggage coach on (IIRC) every train that takes pushchairs, wheelchairs etc. Pretty sure you could fit a bike in there but I'd give the railway a ring before travelling.
by JamesE
12 Aug 2018, 6:54pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Spa Nidd Saddle - broken tension bolt
Replies: 5
Views: 731

Re: Spa Nidd Saddle - broken tension bolt

For the benefit of anyone stumbling across this thread: Spa will sell you the spare bits of their leather saddles separately. Give them a ring.