Cycling UK Forum

I have the tiny single AA F1 version of this torch. It's very bright and offers a concentrated beam. Battery life is also very good. I like the flexibility of being to mount it in different places depending on whether I am using a bar bag, and also using it off the bike when touring. The only downside is that there is next to no side visibility so I usually have a standard cateye 350 running in parallel on the commute (it's no where near as bright as the fenix). It would not be enough on its own for pitch black offroad and a pair is usually recommended.

My problem is now resolved. I hope they work through the backlog as they have always been a good company to deal with.

I've also been waiting about 6 weeks for a warranty issue. Following an email earlier this week I'm hoping my issue is on the point of being resolved. I understand they have has some personnel changes.

They are very competitive with price and offer excellent delivery times and service. It's a shame that their communication has not been good recently. Let's hope they have now resolved the problem.

Yes, I had a pitlock skewer shear off on my last tour. It was my fault in that I overtightened it when replacing the wheel after a puncture but TBH I really didn't feel I was putting much force on...... I then rode from moors above Bellingham to Newcastle (20 miles or so) without a skewer and the wheel held in the vertical drop out by thin air! I disconnected the back brake to avoid putting any lateral force on the wheel and was pleased that the rigidity of the frame held the wheel in place. The rohloff also worked fine. I was very pleased to arrive at Halfords on the edge of newcastle for a replacement.

I've replaced it with another pitlock as I value my hubs but will be much more cautious when tightening it in the future.

Just come across this site. Probably the best set of cycling touring videos I've come across. Positively inspiring.

http://www.bike2oz.com/

Apologies if its already been posted.

I stayed at the Royal Oak at Great Ayton. Very friendly and helpful. Good food too. Tan Hill might be a good bet since it will then be downhill to Barnard castle. The track on this section is quite rough and might be better tackled fresh when you can enjoy it. Staying at the pub is an experience as I've posted elsewhere!

This is normal. A full explanation is here.

I think there is also something in the handbook.

*edited by CJ to shorten long hyperlink*

We occasionally get double header trains on the west coast line with bike storage at front and back. That really threw the platform staff!

I've used the backwheel before and it did help a bit to reduce swinging. By the way, make sure you've a bungy handy as the straps are often missing or useless.

Promoting cycling instead of using carbon emmitting forms of transport should be the CTCs policy. In addition its office functions and events should be conducted in as sustainable a way as possible. The latter is an obligation on all responsible organisations and industries.

More pragmatically, there will be considerable funding for climate change mitigation. Cycling is one of the most carbon efficient modes of transport and will benefit from promotion in the future. CTC should positioning itself to be at the forefront of such opportunities. This is one issue where we stand to benefit.

The challenge is, as CJ alludes to, to get other government policies aligned to their climate change initiatives, rather than opposing them as is so often the case.

We do not have to be all hair-shirted about this policy and give up everything to preserve a moral high ground, just act responsibly. The debate is not whether climate change is happening it's what we are going to do about it. Many industries are now taking this seriously, for example look at the investments made by the insurance companies in this area.

You can still get some old Karrimor fittings from Lancashire Sports Repairs. I got some disc locks a few years ago -good service. http://www.lsr.gb.com/

Wow, that's really unlucky. There are reported to be more than 93,000 rohloff hubs in circulation. There are a handful of failures posted on the internet (<10) but if we assume maybe 50 in total, then you are looking at a probability of 1 in 2000. The odds of this happening to the same person twice are about 1 in 4 million! I think thirdcrank has a point when he suggests either a problem with a particular wheel builder or a dodgy batch of hub shells. If it's a design issue then as others have suggested it should be easily fixable with a minor weight premium.

Mary,
It's a really nice route, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, as thousands of others do each year. There are some big hills but they are Ok if you take your time. Crossing the Lakes and Pennines is a great feeling.

I did it alone and did get some hassle on the cycle paths crossing the built-up sections between Consett and Sunderland. This was unsettling but probably more bluster than anything. If I did it again alone I might consider sticking to roads through these areas (although I'm sure they are really no worse than any other similar urban area). The end of the route along the river through Sunderland had recently been done up and was very pleasant.

Hi Tom,
Morecambe to Scarborough sounds fun! I did Lancaster to Scarborough last year -Lancaster to Tan Hill via Kendal, Tan Hill to Great Ayton, and Great Ayton to Scarborough via Whitby. It was one of my best coast to coasts. I used b+b's and really didn't carry much weight.

I have a raven tour with 1.5 inch schwalbe marathons. They are fine for most conditions I have encountered in the UK including sustrans offroad options, old roman tracks and forestry roads. The only limitation is thick mud. They have strong sidewalls and I've only had 2 p in 4000 miles on the current set. I suppose the 1.75 marathon might be a bit comfier off road, or you could think about the XRs that seems to be the round the world adventure tour tyre of choice. I don't consider the standard marathons to be a particularly heavy touring tyre, relative to say the marathon plus range.

These speeds seem quite high to me. Are we talking about cruising speed (mode) or mean (as recorded on a cycle computer) including slowing down for junctions, trundling up steep hills etc? For example, as a tourist rather than club rider I ride quite slowly, with an average recorded on my computer of just 11-12 mph over a long multiday tour covering all sorts of terrain, whereas my crusing speed on the flat would be 15mph+. Do many folk really record averages of 20mph?