Cycling UK Forum

Give me a clue of your Pembrokeshire leg and I'll see what I can find.

If you're building up a bike based on an existing frame you might find that the type of handlebars are dictated by the length of the top tube. The top tube of a straight bar bike is often longer than that of a drop bar frame due to the extra reach of the drop bars.

I have two complaints about drop bars. Firstly I have small hands which makes reaching and controlling the brakes awkward for me. Secondly they are almost inevitably positioned too low. Unless you're racing it puts the drops too low, making them virtually unusable. You are then left with pretty much the same hand options you'd get with straights and bar ends. Looks good when you're posing with the MAMILs but adds no cycling value.

Braking options with straight bars are greater - discs, V, Hydraulic rim etc. are all easy fit. Ok it's possible to do these with drops but it tends to be a bit more fiddly to make work.

Drop bars tend to be narrower than straight bars and I think this plays a part in their additional comfort. There are also plenty of reach/drop options so you should find something that offers you plenty of usable hand positions.

I also feel that there is an element of snobbishness with drop bars in that you're not considered a real cyclist if you don't have them. If style is important to you then that may be a consideration.

Another consideration may be the ability to use a bar bag. If you're keen to use one it may dictate which configuration you choose.

I expect you've seen this but I'd say one of these is as good as you'll get. http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=59373 (I have no connection with the seller)

I had a Giro 20 (a 20" front wheel rather than 26") for a while and it was a good bike.

Recumbents come into their own on the flat/downhill where their aerodynamic advantages shine but for me the killer was their uphill performance. This was due in part to me perhaps not giving it sufficient time to adapt to the different technique required to ride them but I found the additional weight counted against it big time. Other disadvantages for me were "stall speed" on hills - you tend to topple earlier than on an upright - and lack of transportability.

Ride one downhill though and it will take days to get the grin off your face.......

What you're after is a NAS - network attached storage - which would meet your requirements. They come in various sizes and configurations from simple single drive units to complex multi drive units that give massive capacity and RAID capabilities (if that means anything to you) and a host of features.
Lots of manufacturers - take a look at dabs.com for examples http://www.dabs.com/category/components-and-storage,hard-drives,nas/11272

QNAP are a respected make - I'm waiting for a TS-110 to arrive - hopefully in the next few days.

River Deep, Mountain High - Tina Turner

Lets Go Round Again - Average White Band

Police and Thieves - The Clash

Dave,
A route or track should be visible regardless of the detail shown on the underlying map. So yes, a route exported in gpx format created on a detailed map will display on a GPS device that has less detail in it's mapping. (Routing may be a different issue though).
It should be relatively easy to create a simplified map using OpenStreetMap data which can be loaded onto your gps (and should also be visible in Basecamp) rather than have to buy one. If you're in no hurry I might try to construct one as an example for you. I assume it's the UK you're after - any particular area to focus on?
Rich.

Thanks for the install instructions. My first thought was that you may have created the garmin directory within your user account but I don't now think this is the case. From your recent post about access denied I would agree that it looks as if the install.bat didn't function correctly initially.

I would ensure that you are installing from a user that has administrator rights and has the UAC turned off. Maybe the UAC is back on again when you ran it the second time and got access denied?

If a subsequent attempt at the install isn't successful it might be worth searching the registry to see whether any of the keys have been set.

I'm not sure if it's relevant in Windows (I think it is in unix) but is the directory case sensitive?

Rich.

Don't buy a garmin map yet!

Having read up a bit on basecamp and the talkytoaster maps I think it must be a problem with the mapTK installation. I believe the installation instructions are in the zip file - could you pm them to me to save me having to download the whole zip file? Also, could you give me some idea what operating system you're operating? (ie Windows XP/7).

Rich.

ok - a quick look at basecamp seems to imply the maps have to be installed on the gps for them to be used. Further investigations ongoing.......

Do you just want the maps on the GPS or do you want to try and plan routes on your PC using the talkytoaster maps as well?
If you don't want to route plan just uploading the maps is relatively easy. Depending on your gps you might have to rename the gsmapsupp.img file in the \garmin directory on the GPS and then load up the talkytoaster maps as gsmapsupp.img (some gps receivers only allow one map and that has to be called gsmapsupp.img). If your gps can support multiple maps, all you need to do is load the .img file to \garmin directory. The GPS should then recognise the map and away you go.

I'm not a user of mapsource (which doesn't seem to be compatible with the new etrex 20/30) or basecamp so I'm not sure whether it's possible to use the talkytoaster maps with either product and if so, how.

Any questions, just ask.
Rich.

I'm not a Mac user and my experience of OSM map creation is limited. The file on the garmin has to be in Garmin image format - with a .img extension. I normally download the raw data either directly from openstreetmap or from geofabrik.de (which has daily extracts for the whole world). I then run it through the mkgmap utility to build the gmapsupp.img which can be transferred to the Garmin. Unfortunately I think the mkgmap utility is windows only.
I don't think the Singapore data is massive. If you are struggling let me know and I'll build it for you and sent the img file to you somehow.
Rich.

A trip to someone like Hewitts in Leyland, Lancs would be well worth the time and cost. He has a good reputation for getting people fitted properly. Another suggestion would be Islabikes who I believe are experts at womens (and childrens) bikes.
(No commercial interest - I have been to Hewitts though and I thought he was good value).

Hi Jimmy,
Not got any experience with the Legend as I've got the later eTrex 20, so these may not be relevant but perhaps they'll give you some ideas.
a) I've had comms problems that have been a result of a dodgy USB port on the PC. Check in control panel/hardware and sound/device manager to look to see if the USB ports are functioning correctly.

b) My eTrex20 can operate in mass storage mode or garmin mode - is there a menu option to change how the comms works?

c) Does it require Garmin's Mapsource on the PC to upload maps?

If the forum members will excuse a plug for another forum, if you have no success a post to the GPS sub board on the YACF forum (yacf.co.uk) will probably yield a result as there are a lot of Legend users there.

Rich.

Seems good. Not used it myself but kept my son dry when he was camping under a tarp in the garden recently. At £30 I think it's "worth a punt" to see if a bivvi is your kind of thing. It is small/light enough to act as a sleeping bag cover for use in a tent.

I'd be interested to know whether this is an issue in the Netherlands. My guess is that it would be almost unheard of; however the bike is a much more integral part of their lifestyle and it could be argued that they are more open to the segregation of cars and bikes. In the UK cyclists want to be seen as road users with the same rights as car drivers and insurance might be one of the prices that has to be paid for achieving it.