Cycling UK Forum

Thanks for the replys, some pics attached, (hopefully) though they're not very clear. The stamp on the bb shell is relatively poor, half the numbers are barely visible, it is on the other side, and upside down from the much clearer nervex stamp. There is a pic of the original stem too. The brakes are a gb coureur at the back and a wienmann vaincoueur at the front, both centre pull. When i got it the rear whell was an old looking double sided fixed free hub, 40 hole. I cant remember what make, its in my loft, awaiting developments. The bike has few braze ons, a single cable guide near the bottom of the down tube and near the end of the drive side chain stay. No derailleur hanger either.

i've been given a nice old viking, which i've built up with an old 3 speed. I like it a lot, but i'd like to know how old it is. Can anyone help? the frame number, on the bottom bracket shell along with nervex is 121691.
I could try and get a pic up if that would help.
thanks in anticipation

I've used a shimano hub dynamo and iq fly light for 3 winters, its luverly! as back up (for stops and additional visibility) i use a light from the Lumen Junkies website. I liked the fact that they were based in the UK (though not manufactured) . I thought that would make spares/ repairs/ complaints easier than magicshine or other foreign suppliers of inexpensive lights. It has been fine for the 12 months i've used it. I shall keep it strobing drivers into submission on my run to work.

ive used the cheap wilkos ones (a red strip) with no problems. They last well in use. I tried some others, probably meant for mtbs and they were too big, the patch wanted to wrap across the seam of the tube and they tended to leak. Wilkos ones are oval, the narrow side could always be laid down the length of the tube.

Keep them safe from the weather in a saddlebag or pannier, otherwise they'll be useless when needed...

Samways ok for me, they honoured the sale price for my daughters pashley even though i didnt get round to going in 'til the sale was over... high street shops just dont compete with internet prices.
In Derby i usually use Holts. Not loads of stock but a proper workshop feel, friendly, helpful. Andys a top bloke, and has put up with lots of questions about my little 'projects'!

no tv here. but can still catch the tour en eurosport player (£3.99 per month) hour long highlights show or video on demand of most of the days stage- several hours! but without commentary! at least noone mis pronounces anything. Though you should still have a tv licence to watch live broadcast programmes, you dont for the on demand stuff.
I think itvs coverage is available on their player too.

Hi, your post took me back, i grew up in the area and remember some of the roads well. I havent got a complete route for you, but you might find some of this useful.
The A570 between the A580 (windle) and the M58 (4 lane ends) has a useful, seperate cycle lane.
Parallel to this road, a little to the west runs the old coach road. This is a treelined private road on Lord Derbys estate. Its guarded by large iron gates at both ends so is virtually traffic free. Cyclists and walkers are permitted. The surface isnt great (!) but it is a lovely quiet road in a busy part of the country. (i grew up on a farm down this road so am probably a bit biased!)
At the bickerstaffe end are more quiet country roads. You could turn left down New Way and make your way to Melling and then to Aintree ( down the famous Melling road that gets crossed during the grand national). Or you could head a bit more north, down Long Lane to Aughton and from there into the more rolling clieves hills which would send you towards Formby
.
What else?
Billinge hill can give good views, and is the southernmost of the Parbold alps. With a bit of a detour you can have your photo taken next to the sign post for the village of Crank (or was that just me?...)

if i think of anything else i'll let you know.

Thianks for the advice, i feel better about running it with just the front now I know that lots of other people do!
I do normally run it with a rear, but this bike has clip on mudguards and a saddlebag, without a rack, so the 3 obvious places for a rear light wont work.(i dont have a dynamo light that will fix to the seatstay). Also, its just the one ride, then the light goes back on the commuter.

My iq fly led front light is great for winter commuting. I want to use it for an overnight audax, but on a different machine without a rear light. The web suggests that this is fine to do, but also that it isnt ideal... (thousands of hours of life as opposed to a hundred thousand...) So does anyone ...
1 Run such a light without a rear light themselves?
2 Know if there is some sort of resistor gizmo i could slot in to take the place of the rear?
3 Think i should just stop worrying and ride my bike?

i was waiting for a few weeks for winter marathons that were never going o turn up... so i cancelled my order and got some schwalbe snow studs instead. 700c, 120 studs, reflective sidewall, dynamo track, better snow clearing tread, noproblems on ice whatsoever. and almost £20 cheaper! (£53 the pair delivered) Fawkes cycles sold me mine.

For my commuter i have a wonderful dynamo hub/iq fly set up, but for ice and snow i have schwalbe snow stud tyres on a different bike, so i need another front light, and a battery one would seem more versatile.
What is the best value front light on the market? my commute includes lengthy sections of unlit Derbyshire! ( but all on road)
Hope vision 1 ? probably at the top of my pice range at £80 are any of the cheaper led fronts up to the job?

i'd appreciate other peoples opinions.

i couldnt decide between snow studs and the marathon winters, ended up with the snow studs because theyre cheaper and were more available when i bought them. So far theyve been brilliant!- a few of my findings go against what i'd read about them...
schwalbe say they should be ridden at a lower pressure in ice so that the studs contact, my commute is too long and hard to do on 'soft' tyres, so i just pumped 'em up hard and off we went- loads of grip on snow and ice and fine on treated roads.
They didnt slow me down, well not by much, maybe 5 minutes longer on a 16+ mile commute, though deeper snow would hold me back i'm sure.
They have the reflective sidewall and dynamo track that the winters have. Hurrah!
My 700c ones are a big 38mm, i had to take my mudguards off. Boo!
Theyre £15-20 cheaper for a pair! I got mine from fawkes cycles.

highly recommended!