Cycling UK Forum

Cheers, Chambo. Popped some in the basket for later.

I expect to do about 85 miles tomorrow.

Breakfast is eight Weetabix, fructose and skimmed milk.

If there's a cafe stop I'll ideally have a toasted teacake and a cup or pot of tea. Then whatever at lunch (with a cup of tea).

Grub in the bar bag to keep me ticking over is normally fig rolls, salted cashews, bananas, fun size Mars bars. Oh, and possibly a flapjack if I'm in the mood. I just have regular tap water in my water bottle.

Maybe crunchy peanut butter on toast when I get back to keep me going before a late Sunday lunch.

You're welcome, chesterpete/willcee. However, a word of caution for anyone else relying on the oversize clips now being included with a new Altura bar bag:

keyboardmonkey wrote:... Incidentally, the Altura Klick Fix Quick Release Bracket (£10.57 at time of writing - the bar bag comes with one and I bought another for my mountain bike) has both standard and oversize u shaped clips. Doh!

I've just read an Evans Cycles customer review of an Altura handlebar bag that was different from the model I bought. The reviewer complained that her bracket didn't come with oversize clips (they weren't advertised by Wiggle as being included - but they were - and the printing on the different styles of packaging both confirmed that each type of clip was included). So maybe I was given two lots of upgraded QR brackets rather than what normally comes with the original bar bag Something to consider (btw I now have three pairs of oversize clips and none of my current bikes need them ).

twomercs wrote:Have Shimano rear shift ratios changed?

I can't imagine that they have, although I can't be absolutely sure of the XT version of Deore. I have 9spd Sora shifters and I had a Tiagra 11-27 cassette.

I bought two Shimano HG50 cassettes: Tiagra 13-25 and Deore 11-34. Then I drilled out the retaining pins and made a 13-34 cassette. I used the spacers that came with the new cassettes and paid no attention to whether I was mixing them up or not. So I have a jumble of Sora shifters and Deore/Tiagra rear cassette with Deore rear mech (that replaced a Tiagra rear mech). The combination works fine together.

twomercs wrote:So, do (all or some) Shimano MTB rear mechs now have a different ratio from road

Remember, it is the gear lever (brifter or whatever) where the indexing works (hopefully coordinating with the rear cassette ). The rear mech should just do as it's told. Er, that doesn't really help you, does it? Anyway...

Bought a couple. States 'Kevlar' on the side wall, but very light. Plan to use them on my mountain bike/commuter during the summer for zipping along when not carrying much weight. (Had to ask the lads in the shop to rummage around in the back - they weren't on display.)

I'm not sure anything is available directly from Altura. However I bought the oversize clips from Wiggle recently (needlessly as it turned out):

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mc/cycle/7/Altu ... Handlebar/

There's no picture, but for £2.99 from Wiggle you get what you want. Incidentally, the Altura Klick Fix Quick Release Bracket (£10.57 at time of writing - the bar bag comes with one and I bought another for my mountain bike) has both standard and oversize u shaped clips. Doh!

kwackers wrote: From a criminal pov it's pretty unlikely from the report that any action would be taken against the driver, from an insurance liability pov his insurers will pay out without question.

In imagining what this must have looked like to the driver, I saw a row of parked cars, and a row of slow moving traffic that had come to a halt to let the driver across. Then out of the gap between them came a cyclist who did not anticipate the potential for danger of a side road to his left. The title of the post is "Who's at fault?" I would suggest - rather than argue - a bit of both. But I've never been caught out in that particular situation, so thankfully I don't yet know what happens next. I think the accident Big T describes is different as I suppose there would have been no parked cars blocking the inside lane and letting the oncoming driver think that he was able to turn right.

Anyway, I do hope you're right about the driver's insurance company paying up without question. Hope too that Paul is on the mend, and on a bike, asap.

(Hang on, am I right in thinking mill4six's friend played the same role as Paul rather than that of the driver..? )

I'm not so sure that's fair on the driver, kwackers. If I've read this correctly Paul was cycling along between a line of stationary vehicles and a line of slow-moving vehicles going in the same direction. Yes?

[XAP]Bob wrote:Legally, the driver who came across the lane without being able to see that it was clear...

As [XAP]Bob goes on to say, the driver presumably did see a clear road, and then Paul 'undertook' a car he couldn't see beyond as he approached a junction on his left. When I'm in my car and traffic is very slow I too leave a gap for those coming in or out of junctions such as the one described: I regard it as a courtesy to other road users.

I never undertake cars on my bike if I can avoid it. If traffic is slow moving I either get behind the car in front or overtake on the outside - motor bike style. (Also, you don't risk passengers opening the door in your face when the driver slows down to a stop.) That way you do see the traffic coming in the opposite direction (I can usually nip in between the slow-moving cars on my side of the road if necessary). Having said that I'm not sure I would overtake cars two abreast - stationary and slow moving.

Anyway, don't misunderstand me. I have nothing but sympathy for you, Paul. It must have been an almighty shock. However, I have two questions for you: do you now think you were in the right, and would you do the same thing again?

MikewsMITH2 wrote:I have some Biopace chainrings. What siz eare you after?

Hey! I'll 'ave 'em please if you don't need them any more and maris_piper is looking elsewhere! Mine are 48/38/28. I'd be especially interested if there are other, smaller sizes that are compatible. Unused stock? Not sure about the SG thing. Hang on, I've got the box for my chainset somewhere...

Think I've read your message correctly, maris_piper. After I tried an both an open-ended spanner on the outside of the crank on the pedal spindle, and a 6mm allen key on the opposite side, I gave up.

Took it to work and someone heated the aluminum crank where the pedal attaches (er, first get rid of all that WD40 you may have sprayed on earlier). When the metal of the crank hanger expands a little you should be able to get that spanner on again and slacken off the pedal. Good luck.

Hi, qubit. A number of people were kind enough to reply to a similar message I posted a while back:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33060

You many find it useful.

gilesjuk wrote:

keyboardmonkey wrote: Not sure when they did away with downtube shifters.

Might be something to do with having to look down and take one hand off the controls? hardly safe is it?

Hi, gilesjuk. I wonder if you misread my comment. I wrote that I wasn’t sure ‘when’ not ‘why’ Raleigh did away with downtube shifters.

Ah, downtube shifters. The year after I bought my Road Ace, Raleigh switched to indexed gears. Not sure when they did away with downtube shifters.



My elegant Simplex shifters on my not so elegant rusty old tourer:



I'm still getting used to brifters on my new bike. Still reaching down to non-existent shifters on the downtube or stopping myself from swinging into traffic when I change up to the big chainring. They are better, though, aren't they? Aren't they?

Anyway, Chain Reaction Cycles are selling Dura Ace 9-speed downtube shifters at £39.99 (the 10-speed are a tenner more on their site).

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=13670

+1 for mudguards.

I expect you're already thinking of a road bike with a triple chainset. If you change the rear cassette on a road bike you may also have to replace the rear derailleur for a mountain bike type (eg Shimano Tiagra replaced by Deore). You could get away without having to swap the chain for a longer one.

I've done something similar:

Ridgeback MX5 with slickish tyres, pannier rack and mudguards:



And if I can travel light to work, say, every other Wednesday, this is my Kinesis Racelight T2 for an early getaway and a thirty-mile loop taking in a few hills: