Search found 310 matches

by Zanda
27 Nov 2022, 6:35pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Changing stem height - change length?
Replies: 7
Views: 743

Re: Changing stem height - change length?

In answer to the original question, I find that when I lower my bars I need to reduce the reach. That means a stem with less rise also needs to have less reach. Conversely, when I raise my bars, I like to have more reach on the stem to feel comfortable on the bike. The amount of ideal reach for me varies by up to 20mm when I vary the rise by 60mm. This is true for me when the bars are set at the height of the saddle or approx 20mm lower. Your dimensions may vary.
by Zanda
29 Sep 2022, 8:24am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Advice on gearing
Replies: 60
Views: 4107

Re: Advice on gearing

Chainsets with 48-36-24 are available. That would give you 14 per cent easier gear.
by Zanda
21 Jul 2022, 10:24am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: 599 tyres
Replies: 34
Views: 1697

Re: 599 tyres

I agree that one of those photos (the top one) appears to show 590, while the other three photos show 599, though the wear to the rubber means it's difficult to be certain.

Manual measurement is more complicated than it might seem, because this number refers to the rim's bead seat diameter (BSD). This is the recessed portion of the rim where the wired bead of the tyre sits, and so it's a slightly smaller circle than the rim edge. The BSD is tricky to measure with a tape measure outside the rim as you need to guess where the bead seat is.
by Zanda
14 Jul 2022, 9:06am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: When did Raleigh stop making roadsters and what replaced them?
Replies: 20
Views: 2226

Re: When did Raleigh stop making roadsters and what replaced them?

The short answer to the OP is that the hybrid replaced the traditional roadster.

My father owned a series of roadsters, buying a new one even ten years or so, and using them for his one-mile trip to work. The last one he owned was made around 1990 and was among the last to come out Raleigh's Nottingham factory.

I was into mountain bikes at the time and received a budget ATB (as they were known) as a Christmas present in 1989. Around the same time, my mate had a Raleigh Pioneer, which combined mountain bike components with 700c wheels and a frame with roadster geometry. It's hard to overstate the novelty of that combination at the time. A bike with mountain bike gearing but a roadster's ride quality. And this is the format that has stayed with us, as 'the hybrid', into the 2020s.

There are still Dutch bikes, featuring more relaxed geometry, and there are hybrids with internal hub gears from Shimano and SRAM, and I guess those are closer to the original Roadster recipe, though they're rarely found in UK bike shops.
by Zanda
6 Oct 2021, 9:02am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: What size frame is a 22.5" MTB these days?
Replies: 8
Views: 690

Re: What size frame is a 22.5" MTB these days?

What length stem are you using? And what is the make and model of bike?
by Zanda
5 Oct 2021, 10:44am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: What size frame is a 22.5" MTB these days?
Replies: 8
Views: 690

Re: What size frame is a 22.5" MTB these days?

If you need more reach, you could fit a longer stem. A 22.5" effective top tube on a MTB sounds about right for someone 5' 10"
by Zanda
5 Oct 2021, 10:30am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Supergluing bike locks - does it really happen
Replies: 42
Views: 3213

Re: Supergluing bike locks - does it really happen

Yes, I think I'd source a low value bike if I were regularly parking in the street, so that theft would be less of a concern. That bike would need to be just good enough for that journey. The £1200 bike can be kept for other rides.
by Zanda
4 Oct 2021, 2:51pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Supergluing bike locks - does it really happen
Replies: 42
Views: 3213

Re: Supergluing bike locks - does it really happen

I reckon I'd carry a lock with me just in case. A lightweight one, perhaps. That way, I'd know I'd always be able to lock up.
by Zanda
15 Sep 2021, 4:58pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Laptop On Tour - How/Practicalities
Replies: 35
Views: 2013

Re: Laptop On Tour - How/Practicalities

I've killed two laptops in the last 20 years, in each case by carrying the machine in a rear pannier. The first time the magnetic HDD failed through being shaken. Second time a cooling fan failed, apparently from being shaken while on the bike. More recently I've owned a fanless laptop with SSD, but I've learnt my lesson and carry the PC in a small backpack rather than a pannier. Two tough plastic bags keep the water off the computer if the backpack lets the rain in.
by Zanda
11 Sep 2021, 12:26pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Saddle help
Replies: 26
Views: 1891

Re: Saddle help

I think this is the kind of purchase that needs a trip to a bike shop. You could take your tape measure with you to find something your required width. Difficult to choose a saddle online even if there are numerous photos.
by Zanda
11 Sep 2021, 12:21pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: chain jumps off inner ring
Replies: 12
Views: 692

Re: chain jumps off inner ring

Good experience using the dog fang.
by Zanda
11 Sep 2021, 12:20pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: chain jumps off inner ring
Replies: 12
Views: 692

Re: chain jumps off inner ring

Good experince using the dog fang.
by Zanda
14 Aug 2020, 10:35am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Hitch upgrade for cargo trailer
Replies: 3
Views: 297

Hitch upgrade for cargo trailer

I have a cheap cargo trailer with a spring hitch at the left side of the bicycle's rear axle. It is the usual design of a steel spring connecting a short piece of tube to the trailer's draw bar. I have found the trailer handles poorly when heavily loaded and suspect the hitch is to blame. When I accelerate, the trailer drags, then stops dragging, then drags, then stops dragging. Perhaps three or four times.

Seeking to upgrade the hitch, ideally to eliminate the spring. I like the simplicity of the Carry Freedom Y-Frame trailer's elastomer hitch. SJS sell these as spares for £55 and I imagine they can be retrofitted to other trailers. Anyone retrofitted an elastomer hitch of this type, as an upgrade?

Any other options for an upgrade to the hitch?
by Zanda
22 Apr 2019, 8:00am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Uses for a dead D-lock.
Replies: 20
Views: 1932

Re: Uses for a dead D-lock.

Another ground anchor?
by Zanda
4 Jul 2018, 10:18pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Do I want a bike that doesn't exist?
Replies: 16
Views: 1780

Re: Do I want a bike that doesn't exist?

I considered flip flop but decided I would only use one of the sides. The idea of flip flop is nice, but I can't see myself actually taking the wheel off mid ride and getting my hands mucky for the sake of a couple of sprocket teeth. If it had a freewheel that could get me up the steepest hill on my commute, that would be the side I'd use, and I'd keep the wheel that way round all the time.

And so the wheel you have should be good enough, if you just want to run a SS freewheel. You already know you enjoy riding the Plug, which probably means the frame is a good fit for you. That's an argument for sticking with it.