Cycling UK Forum

I've just aquired an Active 10, and so far, I'm pleased with it. I don't find it very inituative to use - and am having to make frequent trips to the 2 downloadable pdfs, one Quick Reference, the other Full. The first thing I did to my aquisition, was to upgrade it to vs. 1.3 s'ware. It does seem to take a while to carry out an initial lock, however, it is capable of tracking me down to an good level of accuracy. Battery life seems live-able (8 hours +), providing I use the expensive recomended 2700 amp/hrs jobbies, but to enjoy the whole experience, one could end up paying almost the same again as the base unit (cycle mount, rechargable battery, extra maps, etc.)
It's great strength has got to be the OS mapping, and IGN for France, where I cycle frequently. However, I am waiting patiently for Mac-friendly software, without which it will not reach its full potential (for me at any rate)
I am also beadily eying up the imminent arrival of (Windows-only, too ) Memory Maps Adventurer 28...
http://www.memory-map.co.uk/adventurer/index.html
which at £250 promises to come with pre-loaded OS mapping of "selected" National Parks, acceptance of IGN maps, credits for MM's mapping shop, half the weight of the Active 10 and a touch screen, (although I agree with SatMap's assertion that touch-screens might be too fraglie to use in-the-field, and buttons are more easily managed)...

As an interesting post script, I learn that Pashley / Moulton are about to launch their TSR 2, featuring... belt drive. Now as far as I know, the Good Doctor Moulton is A) a great engineer, and B) absolutely sold on the idea of prototypes and testing, so if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me
http://www.moultonbuzz.com/2009/10/moul ... new-tsr-2/

I agree with Mary when she tells us that it's quite hard to keep everything "germ-free" - to use a lay-persons term... I've recently started to think harder about cleanliness, as my newly aquired Pashley/Moulton TSR has 3 bottle cages on it - 1 on the seat-post, another between the chain-wheel and the front wheel (on what would be called the down-tube on a "cumbersome"), and the 3rd in the front rack, which puts it just ahead of the steerer tube. I haven't fitted mud-guards,and so there can be a noticable collection of mud splats on 2 out of 3 of my bottles after all but the cleanest, driest ride. I have started to think that I need to be careful about cleaning the bottle mouthpices before I drink - Lord alone knows what's in the accumulated dollops of wet, brown stuff that end up on the 2 bottles aft of the front wheel. Meanwhile the bottle in the front rack stays aloof and clean
As an aside, I went on a long ride with a chum, a few years back, from Easton in Bristol to Easton on Portland. We had to negotiate some very flooded lanes and at one stage, waded through waist-high water. My chum was quite ill with gastro-something-or-other for few days afterwards. We put that down to ingesting the very brown, presumably very cow poo-ey, flood water...

Hi,
I've just come back from a few days cycling, round and about in Cornwall. I had a great time but I got soaked! My maps are still drying out after 3 days at home I promptly bought a SatMap Active 10 off of a certain on-line auction site.
However, what I'd like to ask you folks is this: Has anyone any experience with Paramo gear? In particular, I'd like to know how their Velez compares with my Buffalo Mountain Shirt. I've used Mountain Shirts since I used to go rock climbing, and I think they are great. They're tuff and cosy. I'm just wondering if the Paramo garments are better...
The Altiva trousers I was wearing didn't fair so well - they made a good effort at keeping me dry for a couple of hours, but eventually the rain/mizzle got through and by the end of a day's cycling, my lower half was soaked through, including boots full of rain water, and socks thoroughly sodden - eugh
What can anyone tell me about the Paramo products?

Si wrote:there's a chap that rides the origami rides who has a homebrew belt drive set up on his moulton. He's gone for a rohloff hub with a custom carbon belt. He reckons it's really good, maintenance free and reliable. I think that Moulton were looking at his set up with a view to reusing the technology.

I've been in touch with said chap - he's very pleased with the Moulton/Rohloff/belt drive combo. He used the short-lived Moulton Bentley as the basis for the plan, and put some of the ideas therefrom into place on a Moulton Double Pylon NS
After some teething-trouble (possible Unintended Pun alert) he reports that it goes Great. However, it's a lot of work/money. I'll wait with interest to see what the Good Folk at Moulton produce - the Moulton "do" @ BoA is next month...

CJ wrote:Belt drive is the answer to a problem that already has a better answer. It's called a chaincase.

I must admit, it had occured to me to wonder whether there might be some milage (Oh no - not another Unintended Pun...) in a chain case - I can think of several old motorcycles that had full chaincases fitted, and provided you oiled them regularly, the chains magically took on almost unlimited life (I'm talking about models with power outputs very modest compared with say a Fireblade...)
It's the fatal combination of open chain/sticky lubricant/road-dust that creates the chain-wearing grinding paste. Once you cover up the chain and lubricate it regularly, it turns into a silky smooth, long-lived Wonder thing.
However, I can't bear the thought of a great big tin chain case stuck on me TSR (vanity vanity), but having thought rather vaguely about recumbents and the way they use some sort of durable/flexible plastic tubes to route their great long chain runs, I'm sure there could be a way of combining tubes and dishes to provide good cover for the chain in a way that was both physically and aesthetically light. Suitably covered, I bet a good chain would last for years!
There... I've just persuded myself out of the Great Belt Drive idea

rualexander wrote:What about that guy who is currently trying to beat Mark Beaumont's round the world record, he is using a Rohloff hub with a belt drive, it will be interesting to find out how he got on with it.

Now that sounds interesting Anyone spotted any web-presence for this enterprising and energetic cyclist ? Someone "techie" enough to sport a Rohloff / belt combo must being writing a blog as they go around!

Recently, I've been dreamily thinking about the possibility of buying a Moulton New Series, and in the course of pottering about t'internet looking for folks' reaction to NS ownership, I've come across another exciting bicycle innovation - e.g. belt drive. Has anyone any experience with belt drives, and would care to comment? In particular has anyone retro-fitted a belt drive to one of their bikes? Who did the work? How does it feel? Was it a success? etc.etc.

I had the same "angle-issues" and put the problem to the Good Folk on this forum, for their advice. So far, I've tried 3 nearly-new Brooks variants - a Pro, a B-17 S and a B-17 N, all of which, I now know, have their own subtley different feel. Still haven't found the perfect Brooks for my, very selective, it seems, bum... The best, for me, is the B-17 N HOWEVER, it is also the one that suffers most from the trait you describe, i.e. an asymmetry, which is so obvious that I can feel it, in a slightly adverse way The shorter B-17 and the Pro are perfectly cut and rivetted with no sign of any lop-sidedness.
I would say though that I'm now used to the fact that the slightest change in angle, height and indeed tension, seems to make a marked difference, and so my advice to you is Keep Plugging Away - you'll eventually hit upon the setup that's just right for you.
For your interest, there's a pic of my Pro, in its final state of adjustment, that suits me OK, here:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/SimoninEa ... 1530642946

However, I suspect that saddle that would suit me best is one I haven't got (yet!) i.e. a symmetrical, new B17 N...

(Isn't it funny how anyone doing something just a bit different from the main-stream runs the risk of attracting a negative comment or two... you should try riding a Moulton!)

Hi Rogerzilla,
What are those nice grips I can see on your pic? Do they fold OK?

Has anyone else heard the rumour that there might be a new model Moulton launched at this year's Bradford on Avon Moulton event?

Ha-Ha - I can see it now... you're right - it's the world's tiniest allan screw! Should have guessed, as everything else on the Brompton is allan headed.
Thanks for the link to the schematics.

Ok with the chain pusher end Now I'm having trouble with the trigger end... It looks like the cable is terminated in a nipple that's been crimped on - or is it a v.small allan headed bolt? Can't see need new glasses !

Does anyone know how to detach the cable from the "chain pusher" (Brompton's name for the U shaped stainless steel piece that moves the chain to and fro) on my Brompton? I'm talking here about the cable that operates the derailleur on the 6 speed Brompton. At the handle-bar end, it's a fairly conventional 2 position trigger and the cable has an appropriate nipple, however at the "chain pusher" end, I can't figure out how it comes off... and I need to clean and oil the cable. Has anyone done this and can you tell me how to do it???

Russell wrote:See thread on yacf re these 'bulbs'. I have posted photos on the 3rd page.

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=15804.0

I have now used them for several journeys and they work well. Flicker is minimal at very low speed and usable light output is available at less than walking speed. However they are not as bright (penetratingly bright that is) than a 2.5W halogen.

Cheers - useful comments think I' ll save up for one during BST - hmm, that's about 50p a week...

Is this what all us dynamo users have been waiting for? (well OK - some of us, maybe not all...)
http://www.thetorchsite.co.uk/TerraLUX_TLE1f.html
Who's going to be 1st to splash out a tenner & tell us if it's all it's claimed to be??