Cycling UK Forum

To ease the interminable interviews outside Parliament I've been counting the cyclists whizzing past. Very impressed by the numbers. Anyone here part of this commuter peloton?

Visited Wold Top Brewery just off the Sustrans route 166. Uphill but good beer!

I'm a New Balance 4Eer as well! Blooming feet have got even wider with age! In 13 as well.
I manage well with Sidi 'Mega' versions for road or MTB - I`ve been lucky to pick them up 2nd hand but as new from Ebay. You might get them on offer from routine stockists.

Rosebikes do the SKS range at a good price - the Stingrays would be under £30 posted.

I do hope the York ring road / junction is kind to him - it`s Friday pm gridlock very often.

Locally the idea seems to be to buy something designed for the plains of Kansas & then put it to use on lanes where they touch the hedges on either side of the road. The drivers seem indifferent to their surroundings & the threat they pose to every other road user.
Don`t get me started on the thousands of tons of produce they drag along many many miles of A & B road on red diesel to avoid haulier costs.

Lost my Britool torque multiplier lent to a neighbour. He died while in possession of it & it disappeared via one of his mates - just couldn`t get anywhere with enquiries in the circumstances.
I still miss having it around `just in case`.

Intersting little report here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia ... graveyards

It was a great race in fantastic scenery with such enthusiastic support. A little different to the opening stages of the Giro ridden on motorways in a desolate wasteland.

It`s a very old study but lorries cause a far greater damage than cars:
p36, 37 here: http://archive.gao.gov/f0302/109884.pdf
( Can`t easily copy the graph & text for here I`m afraid)
The yanks call a road surface pavement ( & a pavement a sidewalk...)
"The amount of pavement damage varies depending on the number of heavy trucks in the total traffic volume and the related axle weights. Assuming pavement damage caused by a 2,000-pound automobile axle is one unit, then the pavement damage by 100 such automobile axles would be 100 pavement damage units.
Damage caused by a single 18,000-pound and a 20,000-pound truck axle would equate to 5,000 and 7,550 pavement damage units, respectively."

Locally farmers are happily driving their huge John Deeres etc (designed for Canadian prairies) with equally huge trailers on the little lanes & destroying the road surface, kerbs & verges. I`ll post a pic when I get back out for a post-flu ride.

If you go for the Gran Sport I think you get the same function but not the glorious polished finish. This makes them unattractive to the saddos who want to put them in a glass case so no-one else can own them.
Full set sold on Ebay for £42 - probably cheaper if you go to a jumble. I prefer the Mavic/Modolo `speedy` levers with the nice fat hoods.
Always thought `speedy was a daft name for brake levers - should have been `slowy`.

My old ones have finally had it & I`m looking for something which will fit well over size 13 / 48 MTB type shoes. Planet X seem to do some & class the Briko ones as XXL but to save ordering/returning if anyone can help with a good fitting brand which isn`t overpriced it would be appreciated. Warm & actually waterproof would be great but is that possible?
Thanks, Julian

I came close to squirrels & stupid pheasants last time out. I did remember these pics somehow, both from USA I think:

Lovely little film here - 17 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_cdePe0bDQ

I don`t think it would have happened if he hadn`t sat on the bonnet.