Search found 193 matches

by Navrig
26 Mar 2024, 10:46pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Boxing a bike in Paris
Replies: 3
Views: 330

Re: Boxing a bike in Paris

I had the same issue in Athens. I knew I would have a few days in Athens so looked at roughly where I wold find accommodation then searched for bike shops in that area. I then messaged one on FB messenger and asked if they could/would box my bike. They responded the following day and said it would be 20EURO.

On the day of arrival I took my bike there and collected it a few days later.

Much easier than finding a box, tape, cable ties and soft packing.
by Navrig
26 Mar 2024, 10:26pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: crazyguyonabike site
Replies: 19
Views: 1656

Re: crazyguyonabike site

I have one journal on CGOAB which I had stumbled upon whilst planning my first long tour. I thought it was great and ended up using it, coupled with a FB Group, to create a journal and share my progress over 3 months in Europe. I loaded lots of photos and regularly shared links to my journal on CGOAB on FB feed.

Out of the blue I recently got the funding email and, because I appreciated the website so much, I sent 50USD. I got a thank you and exchanged pleasant emails as I described earlier in this thread.

Then I saw a reference to Cycleblaze so I decided to have an explore. Compared to CGOAB it has a more modern look and the functionality seems to be similar although it's achieved in a different fashion. @MelW captures it precisely with the "stuck firmly in the 1980s early 1990s" comparison. Cycleblaze doesn't handle GPX files in such an easy way as CGOAB. I posted a few things in the Cycleblaze Forum and was given warm welcomes and help. There was a passing comment from someone suggesting that other journals could be transferred into Cycleblaze. The CGOAB "forum" function is hidden away and is very cumbersome to use.

After a day or so playing with Cycleblaze I asked about the transfer of a journal making no commitment but I did comment that I liked the feel of Cycleblaze.

This evening I received a Paypal email returning 50USD to my CC and then an email from Neil saying that following my comments on Cycleblaze he was returning my donation. He had archived my journal and provided a download link. He asked that I let him know when I had completed the download and he would close my account.

My donation was for the journal already hosted, not for future stuff and I hadn't reached a conclusion on my next trip journal. It's so sad that someone has this attitude but I suspect it will result in the complete demise of CGOAB which is a shame as he has a lot of interesting, and potentially useful, information there.

Looks like I am moving to Cycleblaze!
by Navrig
25 Mar 2024, 10:44pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: crazyguyonabike site
Replies: 19
Views: 1656

Re: crazyguyonabike site

RecumbentRide wrote: 24 Mar 2024, 3:15pm I think we need to be careful how we label people especially when it's unsolicited and not all that important. Simon, I'm not going to argue the toss on this it's simply not worth it so let's just park it.

There is no need for an apology and there are no hard feelings.
You called him out incorrectly. It was Matt who said he used it anyway NOT Simon.

Simon said he used some of the Journals (by others) for information and that some had disappeared.
matt2matt2002 wrote: 17 Mar 2024, 2:40pm Quite agree. It's my go-to site for touring info and I've contributed 6+ tours.
I've also had some err... exchanges of views with the owner. On balance I decided to stay and contribute a modest amount of ££.

I decided our conflicting political views weren't a deal breaker.
He appears totally up-front about his personal life and issues and is intent on keeping the site going without ads or outside assistance.
Fingers crossed he doesn't meet a bus.

I think we need to be careful about reading posts before commenting and criticising.
by Navrig
23 Mar 2024, 11:16am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: crazyguyonabike site
Replies: 19
Views: 1656

Re: crazyguyonabike site

RecumbentRide wrote: 17 Mar 2024, 7:10pm
Simon in your contributions you've not said one postive thing about the site or it's owner but you happily use/used it. That's what pisses me off. Some people are too quick to criticise and knock others.
I am not sure that Simon does use Crazyguy. I have searched for him and found nothing.

Simon has been very helpful and supportive to me in planning my next long tour, even spending over an hour on the phone just before Xmas. We haven't met but my interpretation is that he is not a journal type of guy so I would guess he hasn't use crazyguy at all.

I may be wrong tho'.
by Navrig
23 Mar 2024, 11:12am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: crazyguyonabike site
Replies: 19
Views: 1656

Re: crazyguyonabike site

I have one journal on Crazyguy and in response to the recent fundraising email I donated. I also replied to the email with some questions. He replied and was very helpful. The email exchange went on for a wee while.

However I am not wedded to Crazyguy so I will have a look at Cycleblaze and see if it will be any easier to use on the road.
by Navrig
22 Mar 2024, 11:53am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: forums
Replies: 17
Views: 1110

Re: forums

MrsHJ wrote: 21 Mar 2024, 8:23am There are some Facebook forums. Tends to be a higher proportion of people who haven’t toured before and some of the pages are area specific.
A lot of the Touring Groups on FB are full of beginners which is fine but so many of them are asking basic questions which could be answered quickly by a web search.

I think Forums, like this one, are a much better source of advice because the information is not "lost" within a day or so and the search functions tend to be better. I like this forum and the Thorn Cycles forum.
by Navrig
14 Mar 2024, 5:59pm
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: BETTER hearing of traffic from behind
Replies: 29
Views: 9091

Re: BETTER hearing of traffic from behind

mjr wrote: 29 Jan 2024, 11:02am
Audax67 wrote: 29 Jan 2024, 10:24am
Pebble wrote: 29 Oct 2023, 4:46pm silly plastic outer cracked up and blew off some time ago (don't think they are meant to be used in the sun)
Since the object of the silly plastic outer is to protect the polystyrene from UV I'd say it had done its job.
I thought the purpose of the rigid shell was to distribute a kerb corner impact across a larger area so it's more likely to crush the polystyrene instead of split it. Splitting absorbs less energy, so is less protective.
My understanding is that the outer plastic shell had to be developed to help protect children in a fall. They found that plain polystyrene has a high co-efficient of drag when applied to tarmac meaning that forward sliding applied a rotation to the helmet (amplified by the helmet lever arm) and that undeveloped necks, in youngsters, were liable to worse injuries. UV protection was a bonus.
by Navrig
12 Mar 2024, 6:24am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Train Glasgow to Pitlochry Return
Replies: 10
Views: 627

Re: Train Glasgow to Pitlochry Return

How are you contacting ScotRail?

I have found they respond better on FB MESSENGER.

Note, better goes not mean well.
by Navrig
11 Mar 2024, 4:38pm
Forum: Health and fitness
Topic: Max Heart Rate (Setting & Meaning)
Replies: 42
Views: 1951

Re: Max Heart Rate (Setting & Meaning)

JohnI wrote: 11 Mar 2024, 3:22pm
Watch HRM are still Emporer's clothes territory but Garmin don't wan't you to know that.
That reminds me of a podcast/radio programme I was listening to just yesterday.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wqdw
Thanks for that. Good timing.
by Navrig
11 Mar 2024, 3:18pm
Forum: Health and fitness
Topic: Max Heart Rate (Setting & Meaning)
Replies: 42
Views: 1951

Re: Max Heart Rate (Setting & Meaning)

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over what your Garmin watch is telling you. The accuracy of the HRM function is pretty poor in my experience.

I had an earlier fitness model, Vivoactive 3, which I tried to use for fitness stats but when on my turbo trainer it was telling me my HR was 90-100 when I was knocking my pan in. I knew it was north of 150. I reverted to my Wahoo chest strap and, sure enough, it was reading 150+ for a 90-100 watch reading. The watch then just became a watch - it told the time but the battery life was so poor I couldn't use it for cycle route recording. I could, and did, use it to record 10km runs.

I gave up using it until I started to read reports that new technology meant watch HRM were more accurate. I wanted a watch I could use for my golf and fitness so I opted for a Fenix7. Battery life is much better, great for golf but the HRM is not much better. The chest strap comparison still shows a significant, but not as much, discrepancy. 90-100 on the watch equating to about 130 on the chest strap. The watch improves if I tighten the strap but I have to release it when my fingers start to turn blue.

Watch HRM are still Emporer's clothes territory but Garmin don't wan't you to know that.
by Navrig
18 Feb 2024, 12:44pm
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: What is safe to wear under a helmet?
Replies: 35
Views: 2758

Re: What is safe to wear under a helmet?

I suspect that beanie style hats will not affect the performance of a cycle helmet. I ski and my ski helmet has an OM sticker on it saying it is "Beanie friendly" meaning it has been designed to accommodate a beanie. (Even on the coldest days I've never needed one tho).

I'd avoid overly thick beanies as they will increase (ever so slightly) the chance of a head knock if you do have an off.
by Navrig
2 Feb 2024, 11:36am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Eurovelo 8
Replies: 7
Views: 587

Re: Eurovelo 8

I was scheduled to do that last May but I hit Venice just as that devastating storm arrived so I jumped on the ferry to Porec. I then cycled south to Split.

My route can be seen here and consecutive pages.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... =page_next

Island hopping was really nice but it's worth keeping an eye on the weather and finding the ferry company by FB Messenger to check if the ferries are running and if they take bikes.
by Navrig
2 Feb 2024, 11:17am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Security on Ferries
Replies: 23
Views: 1444

Re: Security on Ferries

simonhill wrote: 2 Feb 2024, 12:19am

On some Portsmouth Ouistream ferries they do stack them in an area at the front. If you're first in then you have to wait till everyone has taken their bike out.
This was my experience on the Plymouth - Santander ferry. My experience was that all the cyclists gathered at the bikes well before docking and we are all able to get access to bikes and panniers so in effect there was little delay. It was also a good opportunity to have a chat and find out what everyone was doing.

On short Croatian ferries bikes were simply pushed to the front and everyone just walked away to get a seat. I never thought there was a security issue and never had any problems.

On longer Croatian ferries (Split - Dubrovnik) bikes were stacked together either in the luggage area or on the adjacent outside area. You couldn't access them until docking so no issues.

On Venice - Poric my bike was taken away, by crew, when I boarded and when I got off it was leaning against something on the quayside.
by Navrig
1 Feb 2024, 7:52pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Best SIM card for long tour abroad
Replies: 14
Views: 905

Re: Best SIM card for long tour abroad

I am with Lebara UK and have unlimited texts and minutes plus 30Gb anywhere in Schengen. I cycled Santander - Athens in 2023. My SIM worked perfectly in Spain & France. As soon as I entered Monaco all services stopped.

Italy and Croatia were fine but as soon as I entered Montenegro all services stopped again. I bought a Baltic States SIM in Tivat, Montenegro. I needed a credit card and passport. That SIM saw me through Albania and came with a massive amount of data but no calls - I use WhatsApp so that wasn't an issue.

Once I got into Greece I swapped back to my Lebara SIM and it worked fine.

I started my ride with a dual SIM phone but after a clash between mobile and back wheel I had to buy an ordinary single SIM. Dual SIM is very useful I used it in the middle east and the far east.
by Navrig
1 Feb 2024, 5:26pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Weekend Tours in Scotland
Replies: 9
Views: 730

Re: Weekend Tours in Scotland

Pendodave wrote: 31 Jan 2024, 9:35pm
Heathbrook wrote: 31 Jan 2024, 7:24pm Sorry if I’m hijacking the thread, but need a bit of advice on this one.
Party of middle aged men, Midlands based, with just a long weekend free.
So does this schedule work, and is it worth doing?
Day 1, get to Ardrossan, Calmac to Brodick on Arran. Spend night there
Day 2, circuit of Arran, then get to Lochranza, Calmac to Rockfield or Tarbet, across to Kennacraig, Calmac to Islay
Day 3, Ride of Falling Rain route around Islay
Day 4, Tour of Jura
Day 5 Home
We will have a minibus, or worse case, a couple of cars
So, what does everyone think? Worth doing? Or too much of a faff? I am nervous about the Calmac service being out. As I understand it, Kennacraig is out of commission at the moment
Thanks for your help
Despite the hijack... 😉
That seems like a lot to me. I don't have the ferry timetable to hand, but a tour of arran is a good day out. Getting to Tarbet and then islay afterwards seems like a bit extra to me.
The islay tour you mention is 91 miles (on strava). Given the scenery and whiskey tasting available, that also seems like a lot. I've done an approximation of that route over a couple of days, and not sure that I'd have enjoyed it any quicker.
Then touring jura, getting back across islay and Arran to Ardrossan ??
I've no idea how fast you travel and how much you have with you, but it's all a bit much imho. Very much ymmv !!
PS It's whisky :D :D