Cycling UK Forum

Sorry! Forgot to mention the rims are given a regular rub down with a Scotchbrite scourer to remove all the gunk deposited by the brake blocks and road muck

weekends mostly you say, so probably in the UK?
down sleeping bags are warmer and generally lighter but are prone to getting wet and then becoming useless. synthetic filled bags are warm even when damp/wet.
i seldom take cooking equipment unless going to be well away from civilisation. i prefer to eat out or eat cold food rather than lug cooker, pan(s), eating irons &tc and have to wash up afterwards!
thermarests are worth the effort!!

Problems affecting one side only might be caused by bars slightly off-centre, or one brake lever not level with other (often difficult to gauge exactly). Marsas handlebar padding might help damp vibrations. My solution, though radical, is to use tri-bars for the long, flat Audax rides. You avoid stressing the wrists, and your back, though your shoulders and neck muscles need to adjust to the otherwise relaxed position. Profile Airstryke allow you to still use the bar-centre position when riding in bunch.

Have you tried cleaning the braking surface of the rim with a light degreaser such as paraffin? WD40 spray has been known to cause squealing, as the brake blocks stick then slip where the spray has landed. Maybe your oily rag was to blame. Might be other things, but worth a try.

Does anyone out there in cycling land have the issue of 'Cycletouring' which features a test the F.W. Evans 'Elan' model. I believe it was during 1983! A scan of the same would be much appreciated!..cheers..Nic

If anyone owns a Wester Ross bike or knows of anyone who has one why not add it to the Wester Ross Cycles register at www.bikebrothers.co.uk/wrcycles.htm
Cheers....Nic

After a 10 year gap I decided to get a bike and commute to work. I bought a Saracen Panorama in June and have recently changed the worn brake blocks for new.

The originals were the Shimano ones that came with the bike and the new ones are Fibrax. Judging by the wear the Fibrax are a much harder compound.

In additions to slowing/stopping the bike they both manage to make a right racket when I apply them with any force. Not appreciated when you consider I travel down some peoples streets at 06:30 in the morning. I've tried to 'toe-in' the pads with little success.

Today, I was giving the bike its usual 'wipe over with the oily rag' when I noticed the break cantiliver was loose on its stub axle. Not only does it rotate around the axle as it is supposed to do but it also can be rocked from side to side because either the axle is too thin or the hole in the cantiliver too large. Additionally, the stub is slightly longer than the cantilever so when I tighten the mounting screw down onto the washer it doesn't connect with the face of the cantiliver.

Would this be the cause of some/all the noise and should I consider this a fault which needs sorting out??

I know that to have the washer underneath mounting screw too tight would mean the lever won't rotate - but would getting some thin shims to 'fill some of the gap' do any good?

Kind Regards,

Hi. I am completely new to cycle touring. I just want to fulfil a 30 year old ambition and cycle the Outer Hebrides. I plan to fly to Barra (a tiny aircraft) and cycle to Lewis and back. My question is about getting a bike up there. I could hire on the island (there is one bike shop) but I'd be stuck getting there to find the bike was unsuitable. Does anyone have feedback on Barra Bike Hire? What's my alternative? Send my own bike by post? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks

Neil.

TC
I suffered similar problem on 400k+ Audax rides in 1999.
I found a solution, after consulting medics, in shortening my reach by using a 20mm shorter stem.
Problem has not recurred

Could recumbent users/ clipless pedal users comply with the letter of the law at night by fitting a dummy pair of reflectorised pedals locked to be visible front / rear as necessary?

CTC take all feedback seriously and are always keen to try to improve their products and services.

May I ask that you direct your feeback to CTC HQ so that the points that you raise can be included in future negotiation with the insurance underwriters.

TC

Just checking, but you have worked into this gradually haven't you? You've not bought a bike and plunged straight into long audax rides?

Other than that, this is one of those questions that cannot really be answered. Like what is the best saddle. What suits you could well cripple someone else. Just make small changes to one thing at a time, and give each change a chance to be noticed. Don't just try raising/lowering things either. Try small changes to the angle and fore-aft position of saddle and bars too.

Hope things improve soon.

I have my bikes insured through CycleCover, but I feel it's a bit expensive for what it is. I also think it's daft that there's so little differentiation between bikes. For example, my cargo bike costs the same to insure as a £1200 MTB, compared to which it would be harder to get away with, harder to sell on, easier to trace, of far less interest to a joyrider, not used in testing environments like hurtling downhill over rocky tracks etc. etc. So /why/ does it cost as much to insure? Surely it must represent a much lower risk to the underwriter?

I shall probably defect to a household contents scheme next year if the nature of the bikes I'm insuring isn't taken more into account to get the premiums down to something relaistic. I really can't see that a recumbent tourer and a cargo bike justify the same premiums as good quality MTBs or road racers from fashionable brands that might as well have "Steal Me!" in flashing neon on their top tubes.

Bah!

Pete.

Drop bars tend to mean weight on your arms. Raising them and/or moving them back may both help, as may tilting the saddle back a bit.

But if you want to banish wrist pain completely then try a recumbent. More aerodynamic than a drop bar bike unless you have your nose on the stem, and an order of magnitude more comfortable. Other benefits like looking where you're going, rather than the tarmac just in front of the wheel, are useful fringe benefits. Don't apply if you dislike standing out from the crowd, and they aren't cheap. But something like an HPVel Speedmachine would make a superb Audax bike.

Pete.

What to take or not?

Depends on all sorts of things. First of all, are you going primarily for the cycling, the camping, or a bit of each?

If it's mainly about the cycling then as little as possible, if it's mainly camping then as much as you can happily pedal with. Or some point in between.

Beyond that, some general tips:

- two can camp more lightly per person than one

- down sleeping bags pack smaller and weigh less than an euqivalently warm synthetic

- you don't need a heavy storm tent if you bother looking at the weather forecast

- if a "luxury" item means better rest that leads to easier pedalling next day it's probably worth having despite the extra weight

- read the article a couple of Cycles ago on packing by Chris Juden

Pete.