Cycling UK Forum

rareposter wrote: ↑31 Oct 2024, 9:50am

Audax67 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2024, 8:36am Qu. to the panel: if they're called disc brakes and the thing the caliper clamps onto is patently a disc, albeit a bit holey, why TF do they call it a rotor?

Because it rotates.
Rotating disc = rotor

Technically, "disc brake" refers to the entire system including the caliper and lever whereas rotor means the actual metal bit bolted to the wheel but in practice the terms are used pretty much interchangeably. In America it's a rotor; in the UK it's disc or rotor or disc rotor or (depending on the mechanical nous of the customer bringing the bike into the shop) "that thing that stops me".

IMHO manufacturers started calling a disc a rotor because it sounded more technical in the marketing garbage.

In answer to the OP, I've found that the best method of adjusting cable disc brakes is to remove the entire brake mechanism from the bike, place it into a bin and then fit some hydraulic discs.

My gravel bike has hydromechanical brakes. The caliper is a sealed hydraulic unit, the cable pulls on an actuator arm, and they are only supposed to need bleeding every 5 years. If you want hydraulics and don't want the faff and expense of a fully-hydraulic system they're a good way to go, assuming you can find calipers compatible with your 4-bolt mountings. I'd look at the caliper manufacturer's web site first.

These things are a godsend. Loosen the mounting bolts, stick them in the caliper, put the brake on & tie the lever shut, tighten the bolts, take out the doo-dah, untie the lever and all's well. Unless your rotor's coggly, of course.

Qu. to the panel: if they're called disc brakes and the thing the caliper clamps onto is patently a disc, albeit a bit holey, why TF do they call it a rotor?

I used to carry mini salami and crystallized ginger on rides. Eaten together they were excellent fuel and they tasted like something from E. Asian cookery.

My right arm and shoulder are hurting right now from a crash I had due to an invisible post in our local cycle path 22 years ago. The damn thing had originally had alternate bands of bright red and white, as if there were an underground barber in the vicinity, but the red had swiftly faded to pinkish grey so that with the outline broken up it blended wonderfully into the background. I was having a drink when I saw it pass under my handlebars. Cue cartwheel, bang, etc.

About 6 months later all the posts in the path were cleared away.

RobinS wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 12:31pm Be aware though it can get very windy. We were there in the car this September, and very glad we weren't cycling. At the summit you could barely stand, and the odd few bold cyclists were having to walk their bikes down the hill as it was too dangerous to ride!

3 days before we first did it the wind took a Belgian cyclist over the edge and they needed a helicopter to retrieve him. Well, the mountain's name does mean windy.

Heh: when we were preparing to ride a chappie we didn't know came over aand asked what ratios we were using. When I began "well, up front I've a 52/40/30 - " he interrupted with "ah, you're using a triple?!" and walked away in disgust. Imagine going up there on an old-fashioned 10-speed with a 52/42 up front and a 13-23 on the back. Ouch.

nirakaro wrote: ↑28 Oct 2024, 5:24pm P.S. It’s not ‘Mount’, it’s ‘Mont’. Getting that right might pre-empt further condescension.

To those in the know it's the Ventoux.

Anent flies, I found them worse in the forest on the Bédoin route. The air was hot and stifling in there, too. The Malaucène route was much more open, with a grand view of the Alps in the distance. IIRC the steepest pitch was 11% about ¾ of the way up.

Long time ago now.

OTOH the sight of a piper riding a bike in full dress rig would gladden the hearts of many.

Nonetheless I think I'd be inclined to look for a benefactor with motor transport. By which I do not mean an e-bike.

ISTR that ~10 years ago a couple of blokes rented a Boris Bike in London, drove to Bédoin, did the Ventoux and drove back before the 24-hour rental period expired.

Anyway, Connie, more power to you. Which route do you favour? Going via the Gorges de la Nesque and Sault is sneered at as being the easiest, but it's also the most beautiful when the lavender is in bloom.

The only drawback I can see to Schrader valves is that they need a bigger hole in the rim. I've heard of people drilling Presta holes out to Schrader diameters but never seen any criticism of the practice.

pjclinch wrote: ↑27 Oct 2024, 8:54am North Road bars...
Pashley peddle a line in nostalgia and their advertising for the Guv'nor model states it features North Road bars (not that Pashley's marketing is a definitive source!). It looks like this...


I have similar on my Moulton SST but mine are the other way up so the grips are raised rather than lowered.

Pete.

As a bike shop mechanic in Vaison-la-Romaine once commented on the gear setup done by my then-LBS, everything has come together to ensure that it doesn't work properly (tout est réuni pour que ça marche mal).

In the case of that clunker it'd be my knees, lungs and heart.

In any case, with Pog crushing the field the TdF Femmes will be much more interesting.

pwa wrote: ↑25 Oct 2024, 4:50am

Stradageek wrote: ↑24 Oct 2024, 5:49pm Smash a car window and use a Taser, continue blocking him in until he gives up, shoot an arm or leg or non-lethal chest area, all are options. A single bullet to the head of a man not even carrying a gun is an assassination and a murder.

I said the same about the London bridge assassination.

You don't believe a car can be a lethal weapon in the wrong hands?

Obviously not: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... t-run-over

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When I were a nipper it were a bit of webbing, and the bit around the grease nipple usually stayed dirty because the strap rode over it.

I have a bike built on a Lapierre Ti frame. I've done >100,000 km on it, the last 13,000 of which were done with a motor on the back wheel. It's been over every kind of surface from smooth tarmac to hardcore to riverbed, and I've only put it aside because I've shrunk in me old age.

That said, I think I struck lucky - I've heard of plenty less fortunate. As Colin observed, it depends on the manufacture. I think you'd need some kind of ultrasound/X-ray kit to be really sure.

Did something similar a few years ago when the 28mm I bought for the back rubbed on the brake bridge, even though the bike was specced for 28mm, and I shifted it to the front. It was nice to have a bit of extra cushioning for my hands.

The only drawback I can see is that while I could carry inner tubes that would cover 25mm and 28mm, covering 45 and 60 is a bit of a stretch so you'd probably need one of each. No problem if you're running tubeless, of course.