Cycling UK Forum

Go the whole hog - everyone from the CTC write to the BBC requesting a regular TV program covering all aspects of cycling to encourage more people to take up cycling and who knows perhaps even educate one or two motorists as well.

Might be worth getting in touch with West Country Recumbents as Rob has the new Greenspeed Anura as well as Greenspeed tadpoles.

I have been thinking about getting one as well thought I might go for-

http://ctcshop.org.uk/cycling/p/CTC/22/ ... 360051186/

unless anyone can tell me a reason not to.

IGrahami, it took of a bit of getting to but I eventually found this:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/

Which now i come to look at it again is nothing to do with programming even though you get there by clicking Contact Us on the commisioning page. I suspect they really are not interested in program ideas from mere members of the public so make it deliberately obscure on how to submit an idea. Perhaps if you have some kind of non-degree like media studies they might take you a bit more seriously. If i get any kind of reply I'll post it here.

I have just e-mailed the BBC asking for a regular cycling program on TV covering all aspects of cycling to encourage more people onto bikes. I fully expect to get a standard 'Thank you for your comment...' reply and then it will just get forgotten. If everyone in the CTC sent a similar e-mail to the BBC they just might think about it. Go on do it now.

Just watched the re-run tomight and yes it was good to have cycling positive program on TV. It would be better if wasn't just a one off though. What would it take to have a regular cycling program on TV? Something to show people that quality cycling is a lot more accessable than travelling half way round the world and dropping £4K on a hand built bike.

I have put my home and work destinations in and none of the three routes that come up are the one that I use. I shall test ride each of these routes this week and see how they compare. Interesting to see that one short bit on all three routes that is also on theroute I have been using is listed as a section of road on which cycling is prohibited which I was unaware of and I am pretty sure there are no signs up to tell you this.

My bar end mirror which cost a tenner is great for letting me see what is coming up behind. That said it has croosed my mind to get a helmet cam to start collecting video footage of motorists overtaking without due care or consideration just on the off-chance it might be taken seriously one day. It is implied but not actually stated that this unit records video and the promised follow up model with GPS and collision sensing sounds more useful but only if it would actually be admissible in court. Now if they bought out a camera connected to a smart missile system...

Finally made a decision at the weekend and ordered a CF small Y frame from Chain Reaction. Finally arrived today a bit after 4pm - so much for 48 hour express delivery. I had been expecting that it would come with the old universal joint not the new lollipop hitch which it did come with. I look forward to trying it out tomorrow and see how I get on with it. If you are still looking for guinea pigs for your modified bracket Mick F I will give it a try out. It has also croosed my mind as to how it would work to swap the hitch bolt to the other hole so it hangs down lower but doesn't stick out so far.

I got harragued by an angry motorist last Friday - this particular specimen happened to be police office escorting a large slow moving load. I had actually walked my bike past this convoy a mile or so back don the road and then got back on bike and carried on my way. I passed two police motor cylists who also part of the escort and they didn't pay me any attention. Then the lead police car overtakes and the officer gets out and goes right off the deep end shouting at me that I am holding up the convoy so I should get off the road until the have gone past. His attitude put my back right up but 'cos I didn't fancy being whacked with a truncheon and then charged with damaging police property with my head, I said nothing and just wlaked my bike along the pavement until the convoy had gone past. As the tailing escort police car went by the officer said 'For you own safety please ride on the pavement' a oliter more reasoned request which I complied with and promptly went past the convoy which I had supposedly been holding up. I guess the first officer was just in bad mood and wanted to take it on someone but it is hardly the sort of thing to improove police public realtions. I should probably complain but it would only likely get back to the officer and then he'll just find some other way to make my less pleasant. What have I got from this? You can't trust the police.

Pony up and get some Exposure lights. I have the race Mk5 on the front running a red-eye long lead at the back and a joystick helmet light. As well as being decently bright lights, they are sealed re-chargable units with a good run time between charges and are solidly made and that includes the mountings. The charging leads can be plugged into a USB port as well as the mains, so I stick mine on charge from the computer when I get to work in the mornings which means fully charged lights forthe ride home every day.

I have been riding a Trek Soho since May 2010 and it is still a joy to ride. At some point I want to get a second bike for leisure riding to keep the Soho as a dedicated commuter bike and when I do it will almost certainly be another bile fitted with the Gates carbon drive - I quite like the look of the Globe Live 3 but, I am also hoping to get my wife interested in trying out tandem riding. My commute is 9 miles each way on roads of mixed quality and with a few hills and the Soho has been well up to job - definitely recommended, just make sure your local cycle shop can set it up properly.

Regardless of how well it does the job I can't see how it is any better than a normal big foot kick stand.

I don't have a trailer at the moment but i am thinking about getting one again. I used to have a Mission trailer that had this massive clamp hitch arrangement that fitted to the rear triangle and a very stiff spring in the tow bar to provide required movement - alaways seemed to produce a funny sort pulsey pushing feel on the back wheel though I never had a problem with it. The other trailer I had was a Radical with a very discrete ball hitch on the rear axle nut and this handled very nicely indeed - you basically forgot it was there.

The only problem I have had with my Trek Soho bought back in May was my own fault. Back in December (yes I was riding in the snow) the top four gears started slipping in regular periodic manner. My initial thought was of something having broken inside he hub gear. Turned out the problem was a missing rear axle nut. I'd had a puncture six or seven weeks earlier and clearly hadn't tightened the nut properly or for that matter been checking my nuts for tightness (fnarr, fnarr) A new axle nut partially cured the slipping but it did require an hour or so in the bike shop having bearings tightened up and adjusted to have everything running smoothly again. Since then the bike has once more been a joy to ride. Have you had the bearings checked? also belt tension and stick the bike in fourth gear and make sure the alignments marks line up. I have read a few other stories of problems people have had with their Sohos where the shop weren't able to do much, I guess this is due to the relative newness of the carbon drive and not every workshop will be familiar with them. Fortunately mine does. Now I have the Soho I don't think I will be buying a bike with a chain drive again.