Cycling UK Forum

GT 85 Teflon spray, 3 for 2 at that Halfords. Clean , and smells nice.

i Have a Girvin Flexstem if any one is interested, 25.4 quill , so that's oversize oui?

I have 2 Spa Nidds. The 1st , a honey one, has done prob 8oookm and is superb. So when I resurected my old bike for a winter club bike, I bought a new black Nidd. This is not as comfy as the honey one, but then its only done about 5ookm, so not yet 'run in'. I dont think the synthetic bonding underneath, is anything to do with waterproofing. From an engineering point of veiw, it makes perfect sense. It is bonded to the underside of the saddle as reinforcing, so when the saddle gets left outside in the rain, and the leather is saturated, the some 16 stone cyclist plonks himself upon it, it resists stretching. Just my thoughts.

If you are into VW T25 / T3 , this could be the forum for you.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... UAzt_VpGiw

indeed, thanks very much, got any more little gems?

Well, I went for my first ride on the repaired,rebuilt Pearson yesterday. It was a revelation. What used to be uncomfortable, was now comfortable, the 20mm reduction in stem length made a vast difference to how the bike felt . also now the bb shell has been replaced, and brazed up properly, it feels much more solid , and less spongy. Cant wait to try the Pearson, and the BJ back to back. I tend to get attached to things, give them names, and I believe they ( whatever they are, bikes, landrovers, campers , etc) develop personalities and become good friend. Hence it gives me great satisfaction and pleasure, to bring ol' Jess back from the brink, and back on the road, even as a winter hack, we will enjoy many thousands of miles together once more.

mercalia wrote:

yostumpy wrote:I had some when they were on special somewhere, terrible. Was plagued with stiff links, ended up looking like a snakes and ladders board. So I swapped it for the second one, and within a month, same thing. So I then bought some chains from Spa, on special , Taya I think, fitted them on 2 bikes, and both broke repeatedly. I now run KMC x9 93, super long lasting, and after 6,000km still looks like new, but replaced it anyway.

I think you need to say a) how much the KMC one cost and b) what type of riding you do. I understand that even Shimano had a time when a batch of its chains had stiff links. I was watching a video of chains being made and part was pushing the pins in, I can imagine the machine can go out of alignment after churning out miles on miles of chains.

My riding is mostly audax , club riding, I keep the bike clean, don't tend to ride In the pouring rain. The kmc was online , via ebay , Hopkinsons cycles, about £ 9 each, gone up now tho. Hope you choose wisely.

I had some when they were on special somewhere, terrible. Was plagued with stiff links, ended up looking like a snakes and ladders board. So I swapped it for the second one, and within a month, same thing. So I then bought some chains from Spa, on special , Taya I think, fitted them on 2 bikes, and both broke repeatedly. I now run KMC x9 93, super long lasting, and after 6,000km still looks like new, but replaced it anyway.

Ok bit of a story.
11 years ago I bought a pearson 631 (Audax ish) bike. lovely bike but could never truly get comfy, more saddles and stems and bars etc....you know. I had a VO layback seat post, and a 110mm 0 deg rise stem. and I got used to it, Then the bottom bracket shell cracked, so I bought a Bob Jackson World Tour 631, 1/2" bigger frame size. The top tube was a bit shorter, and I went for a 110mm quill stem, with Nitto Noodles, and transfered all the stuff over. But its too nice to use in the filthy lanes in winter, so I had my Pearson repaired, and I've assembled components to match the BJ, (s/h or cheap). I knew the TT lenghts were different, as were the angles prob, but I wanted to set both bikes up the same to avoid the curse of....'' Fettling the unfamiliar''
So I propped the BJ against the wall, and stuck a bit of tape on the tt, and then with a plumb bob, over the axle bolt, marked this position on the tape. Then with a peice of flat alloy bar about 4 ft long, lined this up thro the axle and the mark on the tape to establish saddle set back, with the aid of some stiff cardboard on the nose bolt of the saddle , and marked where the edge of the alloy plate was, and a similar method of checking the height. Then i swapped the bikes over and diito with the Pearson, and got the 2 saddles in exactly the same corresponding position, relative to BB.
Now I must just say how comfy the BJ is, hence my wanting to set up the Pearson (winter hack) the same. the saddles are both Spa Nidd's , and having just bought a new black one to make up and order and get free p+p, I was a little dissapointed to discover the new batch of Nidds have a shiny ''Brooks like'' coating instead of the satin ''non slip'' surface they used to have. But hey ho, see how I get on.
Then on to the h/bars, ( both Nitto Noodles 460mm) so I marked up the height of the bars with the alloy bar, then marked from the nose bolt of the saddle to the c/c of the bars on the BJ. BUT when I did this the with Pearson, I was miles out! with the 110m stem, so I swapped it for a 100mm 0deg stem I had, and re checked, and I was still about 15mm out. So I have ordered a 90mm / 26mm clamp 7 deg rise stem, and I'll be almost there. Its hard to believe that my 'old' position was 25mm more stretched out, than that of the BJ, and I was quite thorough in checking and re-checking as I went. It'll be interesting how the Pearson rides now, although I suspect, as it has been 'off sick'' for 12 months, it will feel no different to the BJ when I do mange to get out on it. Sorry to go on so.

simple and ONLY answer in my opinion, is to ditch (sell on) the b17, and buy a Spa Nidd. Much thicker leather doesn't have the hammock built in, and the top surface is a satin finish, not a Brooks 'hard candy coating' type of finish. I had 2 B17' s one after the other, both very slippery.made worse by the cold weather, as you sweat less, so the nylon,/ lycra cycling clothing slides all over the place. Sold them both , now v.happy with a Spa Nidd, and soon to be buying another, for winter hack bike. ps my saddle is prob 2" higher than the tops of the bars.

My 2d worth.

Flat bars or drops? They are IMHO like totally different animals, ie dog and cat, but both animals just the same.
I can still remember , as a lad, having flat bars, then one day after school, I pestered a lad to let me have a go on his drop bar 'racer' (I was about 11). Whoa! was it different, and it gave we the 'willies' literally. I had a strange tense feeling in my lower...ahem... parts, a bit like walking up to the edge of a cliff.
Later in life I took up MTB' from v.early 90's, and flat bars were the way to go. Many tens of thousands of miles with flats and longish bar ends, but riding in a fairly stretched cockpit. Then I moved and joined the local DA, and bought a proper bike for Audax 'n'stuff with drops. almost 10 years I had the bike and was never 'truly comfy' and often swopped the bars over to flats, but that didn't feel right anymore either. The Bike then died, and a new Bob jackson replaced it, with drops, but that was so comfortable from day 1.
My mind often gets confused tho'. when using flat bars, the primary hand position is on the grips, with all controls accessible from there, so a stem length /seat position is chosen. But with drop bars, the opposite is true, all the controls are at the other end, furthest away from the rider, so the stem/saddle pos has to ammend accordingly. BUT, now the 'tops' position is different from the flat bar position, resulting in a much more upright position , and 'on the hoods' is further away, resulting in a more stretched out pos. This comes right back to bike fitting, and 'how you ride your bike' Some folks (with drops) sit further forward, with a shorter stem, and ride on the hoods all the time, and rarely use the tops , as its too close. Others slide the saddle back a bit with a longer stem, and ride on the tops/ramps, and only use the hood for braking and 'out of the saddle climbing' . I am the latter, why? Prob because I put so may miles n on a flat bar / long cockpit bike, that feels right to me. I read somewhere that to see if the pos it right for you, find an inclne, ride up at a steady pace, but fast enough that you can remove your hands from the bars. Whilst pedaling, and your arms by your side , your position should vary little when you resume your hand position, IE YOU LEAN INTO THE BIKE , but balanced in a forward position, with c of g and stomach muscles doing the work, with little weight on your arms.
So back to the OP, flats and drops are very different things, and the more you stop and think about it, the worse it gets.

easy cheap answer, get a pencil and mark the chainrings where the crank arm is. Then undo all bolts and take off rings, then rotate them either one or two bolt holes, and do the bolts up tight. The rings mainly wear, when the crank is under load, on either side, so about 1/2 way round would mean the rings are no in the , '' not used very much'' area of rotation. effectively doubles the life of my chainrings.

History[edit]
In 1998, archaeologists found a well-preserved track leading to a Roman quarry near Swindon, England. The grooves in the road on the left side (viewed facing down the track away from the quarry) were much deeper than those on the right side. These grooves suggest that the Romans drove on the left, at least in this location, since carts would exit the quarry heavily loaded, and enter it empty.[4]
Some historians, such as C. Northcote Parkinson, believed that ancient travellers on horseback generally rode on the left side of the road. As more people are right-handed, a horseman would thus be able to hold the reins with his left hand and keep his right hand free—to offer in friendship to passing riders or to defend himself with a sword, if necessary.[41]
Traditionally one leads a horse or a horse and cart from the right. This allows the person leading the horse to hold the harness with his/her left and console the horse with the right. It also allows the man to walk on the better drained and less muddy crown of the road. If a wagonner is seated on a wagon and uses a whip, he will hold the whip in the right hand. Driving on the left allows the whip to swing freely and not get snagged in the hedges etc. bordering a road.
The history of the keep-left rule can be tracked back to ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome, and was more widely practised than right-side traffic. Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans adhered to the left side while marching their troops. If two men riding on horseback were to start a fight, each would edge toward the left. Thus, they would be able to draw swords from their right and uphold a defensive position. Eventually, this turned into custom, and later, a law.[42] The keep-left rule was doubtless well-established in ancient Rome because of congestion in the city. In the city of Rome, rules banned wagons and chariots during the day; in other parts of the Empire wheeled traffic was banned during the night, so as not to disturb citizens from sleep.[43] Pilgrims who wished to visit the city were instructed to keep to the left side of the road. By the time the Pope ordered instructions to keep left of the road, this rule was already widely used.[43] The regulation has been practised by some countries ever since.
There is a popular story that Napoleon changed the rule of the road in the European countries he conquered from keep-left to keep-right. Some justifications are symbolic, such as that Napoleon himself was left- (or right-) handed, or that Britain, Napoleon's enemy, kept left. Alternatively, troops passing on the left may have been tempted to raise their right fists against each other. Forcing them to pass on the right reduced conflict. Hence, island nations such as Britain and Japan (using ships to move troops around and having less need to move them overland) continued to drive on the left.[44]
In the late 18th century, the shift from left to right that took place in countries such as the United States was based on teamsters’ use of large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. The wagons had no driver's seat, so a postilion sat on the left rear horse and held his whip in his right hand. Seated on the left, the driver preferred that other wagons pass him on the left so that he could be sure to keep clear of the wheels of oncoming wagons.[45] He did that by driving on the right side of the road.[41]
Decisions by countries to drive on the right typically centre on regional uniformity. There are historical exceptions, such as postilion riders in France, but such historical advantages do not apply to modern road vehicles.
Change to right-hand traffic[edit]

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Europe[edit]
In the UK, keeping to the left was an ancient custom. The first legal reference in Britain to an order for traffic to keep to the left was in 1756 with regard to London Bridge.[43] The General Highways Act of 1773 contained a recommendation that horse traffic should keep to the left[46] and this was incorporated in the Highway Act 1835.[47][48] The making of a rule was due to the increase in horse traffic by the end of the 18th century. By 1771, the number of coaches rose from 300 in 1639 to 1,000.[43] Countries that became part of the British Empire adopted the British keep-left rule; some have since changed.
In Russia, in 1709, the Danish envoy under Peter I noted the widespread custom for traffic in Russia to pass on the right. On 5 February 1752, Empress Elizabeth issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right in Russian cities.[26]
In Continental Europe, driving on the right is associated with France and Napoleon Bonaparte. During the French Revolution, a decree of 1792 created a uniform traffic law, requiring traffic to keep to the "common" right. A little later, Napoleon consolidated this position by ordering the military to stay on the right side, even when out of the country, so that everyone who met the French army had to concede the way. In the early 19th century, those countries occupied by or allied to Napoleon – the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain – adopted right-hand traffic. Britain, Sweden, Austria-Hungary and Portugal continued or adopted left-hand traffic. In Denmark, the keep-right rule was adopted in Copenhagen in 1758, and the rule was adopted for the rest of Denmark in 1793. In Belgium, before 1899 there was no uniform system, with some places driving on the left and others on the right. On 1 August 1899, Belgium changed to right-hand traffic throughout the country.[49]
There was a movement in the 20th century towards harmonisation of laws in Europe and there has been a gradual shift from driving on the left to the right. Portugal changed to right-hand traffic in 1928, though the change did not apply to all its overseas territories. Those parts of Italy not already driving on the right changed over in the 1920s after Benito Mussolini came to power. In Spain, there was no uniform national rule until the 1930s. Before then, some parts had driving on the right (e.g., Barcelona) while in others it was on the left (e.g., Madrid). On 1 October 1924, Madrid changed to driving on the right. The Austro-Hungarian Empire drove on the left. Successor countries switched to the right separately. Austria did it in stages, beginning from the west: Vorarlberg in 1919, Tirol and western half of Salzburg in 1930, Carinthia and East Tirol in 1935, Upper Austria, Styria, eastern half of Salzburg in 1 June 1938, and Lower Austria in 19 September 1938. Poland's Galicia switched to the right around 1924. Czechoslovakia planned to start driving on the right on 1 May 1939, but the change in Bohemia and Moravia took place under German occupation: Bohemia: 17 March 1939, Prague: 26 March. (See switch to right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia for details.) Hungary also acted later than planned: the government planned for a change in June 1939, but postponed it and finally introduced it on 6 July 1941 (outside Budapest), and on 9 November 1941 in Budapest. Sweden changed in 1967 and Iceland did the same in 1968. In Europe only four countries still drive on the left: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus, as well as the British Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Western Hemisphere[edit]
All the formerly British, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas originally kept to the left, and French colonies kept to the right. The first keep-right law in the United States was passed in 1792 and applied to the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. New York formalised right-hand traffic in 1804, New Jersey in 1813 and Massachusetts in 1821.[50] By the time the United States annexed Hawaii and French, Spanish, and Russian territories, the keep-right rule already applied there. Today, all US states and territories except the US Virgin Islands drive on the right. The Virgin Islands drove on the left when the United States purchased the former Danish West Indies from Denmark in 1917. Although Denmark drove and still drives on the right, the Danish West Indies drove on the left.
Those parts of Canada that were still driving on the left changed over by 1924. Ontario and Québec drove on the right since before their takeover from the French, and were allowed to retain the custom. The central provinces also drove on the right. The eastern and western provinces changed to the right in stages: British Columbia on 1 January 1922, New Brunswick on 1 December 1922, Nova Scotia on 15 April 1923,[51] and Prince Edward Island on 1 May 1924. Newfoundland changed to driving on the right on January 2, 1947 before becoming part of Canada in 1949.[52]
Brazil changed to right-hand traffic in 1928, at the same time as Portugal.[53] Before then, Brazil had no uniform rule.[54] During the planning of the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Cape Horn in the 1930s, it was decided that the road should use right-hand driving on its entire length. Panama changed to right-hand traffic in 1943[55] and Argentina,[56] Paraguay[57] and Uruguay[58] did the same in 1945. British Honduras (now Belize) changed to right-hand traffic on 1 October 1961.[59]
Guyana and Suriname as well as most English-speaking Caribbean countries are the only countries in the Americas that drive on the left. Both Guyana and Suriname are separated from their neighbours by large rivers, with the first bridge crossing one of these waterways (the Takutu Bridge between Guyana and Brazil) having opened in 2009.[60]
Asia and Africa[edit]
The French introduced right-hand traffic in all of its overseas territories, including those of Africa, Indo-China and Oceania. East Timor had traffic on the left until 1928, when it changed to the right at the same time as its colonial power, Portugal. During Japanese occupation during World War II driving on the left was imposed, and when the Portuguese returned it changed back to the right. Under Indonesian rule, East Timor changed back to driving on the left in 1976, and has continued the practice under UN administration from 1999 and since independence in 2002. The Philippines kept to the left (if such rules were enforced at all) during the Spanish colonial period and changed to the right during the United States period. Where Japanese occupation reached, driving would be on the left and in liberated areas reverted to right-hand traffic by 1945.
China adopted a uniform right-hand traffic law in 1946. Taiwan drove on the left under Japanese rule, and changed to driving on the right in 1946 at the same time as the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong and Macau, which remain special administrative territories of China, still drive on the left. Former Japanese colony Korea changed to driving on the right at the end of World War II, when Soviet-backed forces occupied North Korea and American forces arrived in South Korea. Driving on the right was implemented in both territories because military vehicles were now either American-made or Russian-built LHD models.[61] The Japanese prefecture of Okinawa drove on the right under US control after World War II, since 24 June 1945. In 1972 Okinawa was returned to Japanese sovereignty, and on 30 July 1978 reverted to left-hand traffic. Burma changed to driving on the right in 1970, allegedly on the advice of "a wizard".[62] [63]
In Africa, colonial administrators usually determined on which side of the road traffic would drive. British and Portuguese territories kept to the left, while French and German territories kept to the right. After independence some countries kept the previous rules, and others changed. The most common reason for countries to switch to right-hand traffic is to harmonise with neighbours, to improve road safety and commerce. Several former British colonies changed to driving on the right, because they all have extensive borders with former French colonies which drive on the right: the Gambia (changed on 1 October 1965), Sierra Leone (1 March 1971), Nigeria (2 April 1972) and Ghana (4 August 1974). Ethiopia changed to right-hand traffic in 1964, and Sudan changed in August 1973 to accord with most other countries of the Arab world. South Yemen, until 1963 the British colony of Aden, changed to driving on the right on 1 January 1977; North Yemen already drove on the right.
Change to left-hand traffic[edit]
The former Portuguese colony of Mozambique continues to drive on the left, which is a legacy of its Portuguese past, even though Portugal itself changed over in the 1920s. Mozambique continues to drive on the left because all its bordering countries, which were in the British Empire, do. Namibia was a German colony from 1884 until the First World War, and kept to the right. After its occupation by South Africa in 1918, it changed to the left. When it obtained independence in 1990, it maintained left-side traffic as do its neighbours South Africa and Botswana.
Samoa changed to left-hand traffic in September 2009.[64][65][66] The government brought about the change to bring Samoa into line with other South Pacific nations, and also sought to encourage the roughly 170,000 Samoan expatriates in Australia and New Zealand to ship their used cars back to Samoa.[32]
Rwanda, a former Belgian colony in central Africa, drives on the right. The government is considering changing to driving on the left, to bring the country in line with other members of the East African Community (EAC).[67] Burundi, the only other EAC member that currently drives on the right, is also considering switching to left-hand traffic.[21]
Foreign occupation and annexation[edit]
Many countries have temporarily or permanently changed their rule of the road as a result of foreign occupation or annexation. Though Austria, Czechoslovakia and Hungary had plans to change to driving on the right, the change took place under German occupation in the 1930s and 1940s: Austria at the Anschluss and see switch to right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia for details.
In the Faroe Islands left-hand driving was in force on the island of Vágar during the British occupation in World War II. The Channel Islands changed to driving on the right under German occupation, but changed back after liberation in 1945. The Falkland Islands had right-hand driving under the brief Argentine control during the 1982 Falklands War, although many islanders continued to drive on the left as an act of defiance.[68]
Road vehicle configurations[edit]

Mick F wrote:All this discussion about thread direction is a red herring IMHO.

The inventors of the bicycle had to make a decision - left or right, and they all went to the right.
Why?
Because it makes sense to have the chainwheel and drive system away from you when you climb off and on and push the machine along on the left.

Remember, cyclists could ride their bikes in voluminous clothing, especially the ladies.

yes but.................... Britain did produce a LOT of cycles, but then so did Europe, who all drive on the other side of the road, who would presumably,with their voluminous clothing, mount the bike from the RHS not the LHS, as to do so would mean standing in the road.

BUT

this brings us to another point, when the first cycles were produced, there were prob no roads, /pavements to speak of, then proper roads started to appear, and 'over there' they decided to be different and drive on the other side. So why not swap drive sides to prevent getting either mucky or squashed.? Will we ever know the true answer?

I rekon the chain shouldn't need lubing, unless you get caught in lots of downpours, and its washed off. When out on long wet mtb / rough stuff rides, and the chain gets dry and skweaky, I always stop off at a petrol station, dive into the waste bin, pull out an old 1 ltr oil can, then dribble that on the chain, then discard said bottle, then get some of that handy hand wipe, and rub the oil off the chain again, thus rubbing it in. Job done for nowt. Yes it could end up a potential sticky mess of you put a lot on, but far less of a mess than if the top of YOUR oil comes off in your bag.