Cycling UK Forum

I do not know if it caused by a lot of perople being logged on but this evening, there have been several times when the set-up has been very slow.

Bridgford

If you still have the broken forks, look at the other blade in the same place. If there is a little drainhole, that can be the site of internal corrosion. Is there any sign of corrosion on the side that broke?

Otherwise, I think that the most stressed part of a frame is the downtube, around where the bosses are fitted which used to be for gear levers and are now where the cable stops are mounted.

It has dawned on me that something along the lines of the 'Tracker' used in cars should be perfectly feasible on pedal cycles. The system is used to monitor the riders in the TdeF and other major races. I understand that something similar has been used to prevent cheating by runners in the London marathon. I presume from the London Marathon example that the technology is relatively cheap so perhaps the sellers of the car system have to keep the price high, which they could not do if you could achieve the same result by putting a bike in the car boot.

It is a thought though, footage of police chase videos on TV with the stolen bike squad all taking their turn at the front. As if.

David

Sorry to put the frighteners on you but I understand they are coming round more and more to the idea that your genes play a huge part in life expectancy. When I started with the heart disease age 59 never smoked, committed cyclist, very low cholesterol etc etc, the fact that my late dad had a heart attack (not fatal) in his mid-fifties was the complete explanation for everything. I presumed that the fact he had been a 50 strong cigs a day (Capstan Full Strength) all his life had been the the cause of that. Anyway, he never had another heart attack but died a painful death age 69 from cancer of rectum. A heart attack would have been a kindness.

jb & r2

I wear tights because they are so much better than suspenders and stockings, even if the longer road shorts of the modern era cover that band of thigh. BUT All that is off topic.

I wanted info on the 'in' way of riding in a buff. At last we have a clue from turnerc who says 'pull it up over your ears' hinting at the 'hole in the wall gang' rather than wee wiilie winky.

I thought this was going to be about abbreviations like IMO, FWIW, etc. Somebody did a list on the old forum but it was a faff to keep looking back for translations. Perhaps we could have a pop-up menu on here, or else something alongside those silly faces (sorry Emoticons)

Mine is dated 1959, but it would take some finding. (I was presented with another as a joke at a leaving do in 1983, when I was 42 but that's another story.)

Linda

If you are still on this forum, Did Santa call? Did his little helpers get it right?

We all love a happy ending.

a_k

The line 'legislators legislate, the police police, prosecutors prosecute and judges judge' is not restricted to cycle lighting and, from one point of view, this separation of responsibilities is one of our guarantees of personal freedom. (Magana Carta: Nisi per legale iudicium parium suorum -"Except by the legal judgement of his peers....) From another, it is the way our learned friends earn a crust, with a lot of gravy to dip it in.

In short, nobody in authority is ever going to give you a legal opinion, without the warning (caveat - as the legal eagles might say) that it is all subject to interpretation by the courts.

(And I do know that King John had never heard of bike lamps, never mind LED's )

Si

You have correctly identified the type of brake - a Mafac Racer clone.

I am sure Graham will join with me when I say how pleased I am that they have given you satisfaction.

I think the fact that they now share a niche in history with Universal sidepulls; toeclips, shoeplates and straps; down tube gear levers; and wing nuts for wheels says something about the general experience. They were OK in their day. In my opinion.

Crime prevention is always preferable to detection and recovery of property.

The car tracker works differently to the datatag. There are different levels of service which affect how quickly it is activated but there have been some spectacular results. (Some so spectacular that the prompt arrival of police cars, helicopter etc., has lead to a chase, crash shock horror etc etc.)

The device we are talking about here does nothing (except act as a quetionable deterrent) until somebody equipped with the necessary gadget 'sweeps' the frame and gets the owner's info. So, if the bike never comes into police hands the device cannot work and if it does, it still depends on somebody having the equipment, knowledge and motivation to do the checking. I have several quite precious (to me) bikes and I have never been tempted to fit one of these, but that was not the Q.

jb

I do not want to be the one who puts his bibtights on back-to-front or wears underpants under racing shorts. (Remember the French and Saunders sketch about streamlined crash helmets?) If I am going to pose, I want to do it right.

r2s

If you want to see a debate on the comparative merits of alloy/ steel search for the thread alu-vs-steel which is pretty comprehensive. The point that PhilC makes about steel and comfort is probably well illustrated by the fact that Cannondale, one of the pioneers of alloy frames, also pioneered various 'headshox' systems, and many, if not all of their tourers have sprung seatposts - not something that you would noramally contemplate on a steel frame.

Found it.

www.datatag.co.uk

I see there seem to be others - another problem is that it is unlikely that a police property clerk would have a range of different scanners and use them all.

Hope this helps

s2r

The short answer is 'yes'.

I thought the CTC shop sold them but I cannot see them on the WWW and I cannot remember the tradename for a wider search. (It is something like data tag) The makers say that they have provided the police with the appropriate scanning equipment. I have to say I do not remember hearing anyone ever saying they got a bike back this way. They do come with some frame stickers to deter theft so if they work in that way, it is infinitely better than having one nicked and returned later.