Cycling UK Forum

It is Blackthorn. Blackthorn flowers appear before the leaves, Hawthorn flowers appear after the leaves.

I would recommend the west coast of Scotland. The ride from Carlisle to Ardrossan is nice and quiet (north of Carlisle we cycled on a track to the west of the M6). Then take a ferry from Ardrossan to Arran, cycle to the top of Arran and then a ferry back to the mainland and up to Oban (the road near Oban is a bit busy but there is a cycle path of sorts).

In the early days of Kona bikes Joe Murray fitted a wider tyre at the front of their mountain bikes. My understanding is that the front tyre was supposed to push sloppy mud out of the way and then the rear would find more grip. It is, I guess, possible this theory could work in snow.

With regard to car tyres it is not totally clear cut if the least worn two tyres should be at the rear or the front. If the less worn tyres are at the front then any quick changes of direction in the wet (eg to avoid an obstacle) can lead to the rear of the car skidding out and being very difficult to control. For this reason many tyre fitters recommend the least worn tyres be fitted to the rear (I was told this by my local ATS tyre fitter quite recently). Four pieces of research on this are summarized in this blog post by Oponeo: https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/better-ty ... st-results

How about a "Cyclists Stay Awesome" sticker:

https://shop.road.cc/product/stay-awesome-sticker

I have had this problem with several pairs of tyres recently, on different rims. I bought a lifeline tyre seating tool and that worked great: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-tyre-seating-tool . After riding around for a while I took the tyres off in the garage at home and found they went back on quite easily by hand (I was concerned I needed to carry the tyre seating tool around with me).

Aldi Cashew Crush bars are good. Only ingredients are cashew nuts and dates.

I know you asked about Hartside, but I would recommend nearby Great Dun Fell if you want a challenge on a very quiet road. This climb is the highest tarmac road in Britain. The road is only open to traffic going to the air traffic control site at the top, and you can cycle up it as it is classified as a bridleway. A start from Melmerby would give a lovely ride of about ten miles on the back roads to the climb. Unless on a mountain bike (where it is a challenging ride from Great Dun Fell down to Garrigill), you have to descend the way you climbed.

It is a very atmospheric climb.

I think the GRX 2x chainset sits 2.5mm further out than a Shimano road chainset (to allow for wide rear tyres). It needs a GRX front mech, that will move out the extra 2.5mm.

It is interesting that posters have attested to the effectiveness of Allopurinol to prevent gout. It seems that the success of this drug has led to little research in recent years into the causes of gout.

By the late 1970's some researchers had begun to suggest that sugar was a likely cause of high uric acid levels, but further research has not been done. Gary Taubes wrote an excellent book, "Why We Get Fat". Research on the internet will show that he had a further chapter for the book that he was unable to complete to his satisfaction. This chapter was about gout and sugar.

My instinct would be to try to eat unprocessed food as much as possible, and a lot of fruit and vegetables with good amounts of fibre.

There is not a lot of seatpost showing, but you could try a dropper post.

I have Sram Apex 1x11 hydraulic groupset on my road bike. I live in the North Pennines and find this groupset great for my needs. If I was road racing I would be concerned that my biggest gear was insufficient, but that is not insoluble. I think Sram are only selling the Apex 1x11 as a hydraulic disc groupset. For a cable brake solution I think you have to buy a much more expensive groupset.

Is this for a road bike or a mountain bike?

Mothering Sunday - Graham Swift. Because it is a masterpiece and now out in paperback.

Canada - Richard Ford. Great writing and great story.

Coming Up For Air - George Orwell.

I contacted my local councillor and the Highways Dept at Northumberland Council, to ask why the Cyclist Dismount signs were being used at cattle grids. No reply was received from either. This is a little irritating.

The cattle grid at Allenheads, on the road from Rookhope, has indeed been mended. To a very high standard. I notice that there are the following signs as you approach: SLOW, Cattle Grid, Cyclists Dismount, Caution (written on road), and another Caution sign at the cattle grid. If you survive the cattle grid and are still noticing signs there is then one for the Hemmel Cafe. Most people would need a sit down and cup of tea after surviving such a hazard.

It has been two weeks since I asked the Council why the Cyclists Dismount signs have been put up. I am still awaiting an answer.