Cycling UK Forum

Article in the local press on Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust -

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Rewarded-safe-cycling/article-3186213-detail/article.html

Congratulations - amazing achievement!

LANDSURFER74 wrote: is it just about the oppertunity to show off your multi thousand £ bike and the designer sunglasses you have bought .... mmmmm
my 30 year old 531 framed self assembled hybrid will do for me ... it's values just doubled ... i bought a Brookes saddle

Just for the record my Focus was £700, my sportive riding friend spent £500 on a btwin from decathlon, our sunglasses are the cheapest available that do the job - I don't see that much multi thousand £ gear around at the events I ride - 1 in a 100 riders maybe? - just lots of people enjoying themselves cycling in a fashion that they choose to, challenging themselves at distances and speeds that fit with their lifestyle, exploring new parts of the country with perfect signage around the course, sag wagon support, adequate insurance and so on - sure you don't *need* these things but for some of the cycling population (time poor I believe is the term) these are valuable and worth paying for.

One thing refreshingly absent is any banter from fellow riders about why your bike is rubbish, your clothing is wrong, moaning that you can't ride in a bunch correctly etc etc - unlike my club days when those things were the norm.

A fair wedge of the snobby grassroots cycling establishment in this country continue to do great harm to the growth of recreational cycling in this country when failing to warmly welcome newcomers to the joys of cycling - unlike Sportives, which are filling the gap nicely and you might also notice are growing like wildfire in their popularity.

Some of you may never be seen at a sportive - to be frank - IMO thats a good thing for the future growth of cycling in this country

Jonty wrote:However I read somewhere that GT 85 isn't really suitable for lubing a chain

News to me

I bought a can of GT85 last year and have been happily using as part of my regime - I also used WD40 before that (another lube that you're not supposed to use)

The issue I have with this advice is that I am not suffering from excessive chain wear etc so why should I worry?

I also use a special chain link on my chains (I use KMC Chain Links) to be able to remove and refit by hand without a tool, once you get the hang of it it takes seconds - the removed chain is then subject to scrubbing with neat fairy liquid, a good wash, generous spraying of GT85 - hand overnight then back on the bike

Steve Kish wrote:Sportives are probably the worst thing to happen to cycling in the last 10 years!

IMO Sportives are one of the best things to happen to cycling - "proper racing cyclists", club runs, clubs full stop can be amongst the worst people at encouraging people to cycle at whatever level they feel comfortable with (on the contrary, there are plenty of racing snobs in the club clique waiting to introduce keen newcomers to this world and quite often the newcomers will never be seen on a bike again, only reporting from my direct experiences as a clubman folks....)

Sportives appeal for a broad number of reasons - we don't all want to be full out "proper" racers or ride around in groups with people we don't necessarily like. Arguably sportives have been the greatest cycling success of the last ten years by virtue of creating many thousands of new and born again cyclists - never a bad thing because a good number of them probably drive as well - and be more considerate to cyclists when driving as a result.

Just my two pennies worth as a committed sportive rider!

alicej wrote:Trailers often hitch to a seatpost don't they? Which is quite high up. How do they cope with the bike leaning?

My trailer attaches to the chain stay (i.e. very low down on the bike), but my trailgator for the children does hitch to the seatpost but just one wheel of the kids bike is used though so leaning is not an issue...

danfoto wrote:OK, I now have a reply from Messrs Wiggle ...

Haven't received my reply yet but good to know it's just an incorrect VAT rate displayed rather than applied (i'd actually ordered and paid on 31st December)

These things happen and being VAT registered and working as a software developer I'm more sensitive to these things I guess

For the record, I think Wiggle run a good service and this episode has done nothing to change that view, we all make mistakes and in this case I'm not actually out of pocket so all is well....

UPDATE: reply now received - within the 8hours,

I've spent 1000's over the years and no serious problems yet and always excellent customer service IME - although as per another thread today they seem to have prematurely applied the 20% VAT rate to items invoiced before 4th Jan?

I'm glad it is not just me then, received goods today invoiced 2nd January yet with 20% rate. The HMRC website seems pretty clear that 20% rate applies from 4th January onwards - as per numerous news stories also.

I've yet to hear back from wiggle also....

shane wrote:I see that the Kindle also has a simple brouwser and wifi, this is pretty handy for simple updates on facebook etc, then I could use internet cafe's for the larger updates.....

IMO the kindle browser is near unusable - this is not a touch screen device so navigation is via the keypad - IME infuriatingly slow.

However as a book reader it is excellent....

Thanks Barry and Greg for taking the time to reply, I want to take some time to understand the points for and against the conversion to a charity and I can see that there is a lot of detail involved here. As I wean myself off of the lycra, heartrate monitor etc... and realise that touring is a great way to get my cycling fix without the pain, sweat and tears of sportier riding - I understand the depth of feeling on both sides because we all love and cherish cycling and that CTC in whatever form is an important protector of our interests. I guess that's why so many people are so passionate that the structure of the CTC is the best it can be going forwards.

Barry, I was concerned to read the tax points on the Save the CTC website, is there a 25% limit on benefits provided to members to gain the benefits of Gift Aid? Could the CTC continue providing all benefits open to Members such as the shop, third party insurance, routes database, forums and all the rest and sit inside that 25%, or in your opinion is the 25% rule mis-interpreted by the Save the CTC article?

Thanks for the clarification that you see charity status as not affecting the funding for local groups, that's reassuring and were CTC to convert to charity status I would not imagine having to leave after all!

Dan Joyce wrote:

lobsterboyuk wrote:Could Dan clarify why it wasn't mentioned in cycle that the petition had been edited for the sake of space? I am concerned that the editing was not highlighted on page 8? Maybe it's standard practice to edit content but why wasn't it mentioned - like the disclaimer on the letters page which makes clear that letters might be edited - I was under the impression the petition was published in full until I saw this thread?

* Edited for readability

It is standard practice to edit anything overlong – unless there's e.g. a constitutional requirement to print it in full, which was the case with the petition. I thought the fact that Jeff's statement had been edited was clear from the context: 'a written statement, in which he said', followed by quotes that include couple of instances of ellipsis.

Oops, I understand now - for some reason I read the thread as indicating that the petition itself had been edited - if it's actually agreed edits to the petitioners comments then that is to be expected. Thanks for the clarification...

Could Dan clarify why it wasn't mentioned in cycle that the petition had been edited for the sake of space? I am concerned that the editing was not highlighted on page 8? Maybe it's standard practice to edit content but why wasn't it mentioned - like the disclaimer on the letters page which makes clear that letters might be edited - I was under the impression the petition was published in full until I saw this thread?

* Edited for readability

Thanks for that dancewithcats - I too am trying to puzzle my way through the pros and cons and reach a conclusion and I appreciate your views because it helps me firm up my own view on the debate here. I'm not sure I see the two sides are in agreement in the way your posting suggests? I see a proportion of the CTC membership and seemingly all of the "big wigs" wanting to evolve the organisation into a cycling advocacy who's primary focus is participating in the politics of transport funded by donations - i.e. the conversion to a charity. There is a also a portion of the membership who want a membership organisation who want primarily to provide services and benefits to the subscribed members with respect to cycle touring, from the very beginners who have little or no experience right through to round the world expedition riders.

The above is a bit "black and white" and no doubt a fair number of the membership fall between bits of both. Personally I see the current situation of a club and a charitable trust as keeping us unified? So will probably vote against the board. However I do intend to keep reading the posts, especially pro-charity posts such as yours and keep an open mind until I feel I properly informed of the debate.

It's a good point you've raised that your feelings have been hurt in all of this and I hope no matter what the outcome we all remain friends, given the sometimes hostile world out on the road there we need to keep building that camaraderie amongst us all...

I've been using my single vision Blaze style with transitions lens since the spring and am generally happy, however on fast descents (40mph+) the glasses are just a tad too small and I get watery eyes from the wind. Maybe a different style might handle this better?

Night riding is excellent - no strange artifacts unlike some non-prescription clear lens cycling glasses that had strange reflections from light sources. Transitions is quite rapid - seems to keep up with light conditions very well.

Customer service is brilliant - my arm broke and optilabs had it repaired and back to me within a few days.