Cycling UK Forum

Of course the only one of the bikes in this house with wear indicator grooves on the rims has Disk brakes!

Malaconotus wrote:I use stainless steel bots and nylock nuts to fit for more security than the supplied self-tapping screws and zip ties.

I've not had any problems over a good few thousand miles using just the supplied screws (& no zip ties). Of course others may have a different experience.

Rick.

NUKe wrote:http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=6133

? That's about cotterless crank problems on a tandem!

I've got an old Cateye TL-LD600 - a single line of 5 LEDs which is good as a "leave on the rack" light with an additonal rack mount bracket. Fitted horizontally on my Topeak rack (which has a mount for the rack mount bracket) it is below the level of the top of the rack & doesn't stick out too far rearwards. The current 630/650s would probably do a good similar job & possibly make the additional Smart light I use in winter redundant.

Rick.

As you've started down that way, there the M5 Avon Bridge has a Cycle path. The south end is interesting to find the path that goes off the end of a cul-de-sac at the bottom of a housing estate and the north end is rather busy.

I have just remembered I used to use (& still have) an old pair of Freedom Bikepacking Limpet panniers that I used to use for commuting on my old Vitus racer (now departed). I think Carradice later took them over (or distributed them) for a while.

They need no mounts they have a U-shaped tube that clamps under the QR (or axle nuts) & goes over the wheel. On the inboard side of the bags is a sleeve, that the tube goes through, and velcro to go round the fork legs. They worked well on a bike that was a bodge to even fit mudguards on, but I wouldn't like to use then on my current road bikes carbon forks, as they do tend to scuff the surface of the fork legs with prolonged use.

For anyone interested in the NeoAir - Field & Trek have the regular size for £87. However if you go to Go Outdoors, although they list the regular for £112.50 they do a "Beat a competetive price by 10%". I tried that and got one for £81.89 simply by showing the email response, that I had from clicking on the price promise, at the till.

Rick.

mattsccm wrote:I may be wrong but I have always felt that the main virtue of tubeless is the ability to prevent pinch puntures, something uncommon on the road.

The only punctures I've had in the last few years have been pinch punctures usually hitting a stone that I've not seen soon enough to avoid for one reason or another (running 25mm Gatorskins).

Rick.

thirdcrank wrote:1. Q/r is pretty much a waste of space on American bikes, at least at the front, since they don't work as intended unless the fork ends are modified.

Not entirely true by my reckoning. OK you can't do "racer" changes but at least getting the wheel out is tool-free. Just remember how many turns you need to undo the skewer to clear the lugs and wind it back in the same amount before you do up the QR & it is only a couple of seconds slower.

Rick

CREPELLO wrote:Where do I buy this? I've not come across it before.

I got some in B&Q (Loctite branded) so I imagine other DIY/hardware type places will have it too.

Rick.

To complement Mark Beaumont's book there is "Cycling Home from Siberia" by Rob Lilwall (available on Kindle as well as dead tree) about Rob's 3 & 1/2 year trek from the East of Siberia back to England. They both mention each other as they met in Turkey while passing through in opposite directions (& at very different speeds).

Rick.

GrahamMC wrote:- All drivers who drive at 35mph plus on suburban roads

I am of the opinion there are 2 car clubs out there: the IDDMTTF* Club (sponsored by Nissan Micra) and the hardcore breakaway IODATF**

Rick

*I Don't Drive at More than Thirty Five & **I Only Drive At Thirty Five (whatever the speed limit)

How about the Old Man Mountain Ultimate Lowrider (2nd row on this page). Mounts on QR and clamp or bolts of Canti bosses on fork. I bought a OMM non low rider for the front of a 20" wheel Circe tandem and am very pleased with it. I got mine from SJS Cycles, Carradice are UK distributors.

There is a "crossbar" over the wheel but it is adjustable so you could probably angle it to have the minimum interference with the front light beam, but shouldn't physically interfere with the light. Front panniers may give some shadows close to the wheel - whether that matters depends if you think you're likely to be riding much in the dark with panniers.

Rick

By Birmingham to London Canal I presume you mean the Grand Union.

From Birmingham you could follow the Birmingham and Worcester Canal, perhaps unsurprisingly, to Worcester (which includes the 30 lock flight of locks at Tardebigge which, fortunately you would be going down - a 2 mile towpath descent!). If you didn't want to go all the way into Birmingham you can branch off the Grand Union onto the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal which meets the Birmingham and Worcester south of Brum.

Not familiar territory but the OS map shows a route (no. 45) that roughly follows the River Severn along minor roads. At Gloucester, there is the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal down past Slimbridge where you could pick up route 41 which appears to meander back down towards Bristol.

http://www.waterscape.com has plenty of info on the canal system, including towpath stoppages.
http://www.sustrans.org.uk has info on the cycle network.
Both have zoomable maps with additional info.

Regards

Rick.

I've just realised I've got a pair of QS Centaur shifters knocking around. They were new in 2008, replaced in 2010 with the "Record" shape non-QS - as far as I know the left should be fine as it was the right that had died on me (possibly a similar problem - something in the ratcheting was going & it started skittering all the way into top whenever you changed up). I thought the new shape was better, wasn't sure on the availability/possibility of spares & it was not long before I was off on a trip so I replaced them.

If you want them PM me details & I'll send it/them to you.

Rick.

Slightly off track - but I found myself on Google StreetView! I was walking a friend's little boy to school, pushing my bike so I could ride home afterwards.

I was passed by a StreetView car out on my bike a couple of times but they seem to have used a different run each time on those stretches of road (you can tell by the abrupt change of weather, sometimes even season, as you move along the road in StreetView!)

Rick.