Cycling UK Forum

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of the Gorilla cage, Monkii cage or similar Salsa Anything Cage, instead of a conventional pannier rack?

I enjoy byways, bridleways and towpaths and old railway lines, as long as they're not too muddy, steep or technical. My off-road skills are pretty near zero and I'm almost always on my road bike (not as in racing bike, but it's not a crosser or anything). I find them by chance or sometimes by looking on a map - OS 1:50,000 Landranger for me.

As for clothing, I'll wear whatever I happen to be wearing. These off-road sections are usually only a small part of my whole ride. If I were to go seriously off-roading - as in mtb, possibly even just rsf (but they don't have anything near me) - I probably would wear a helmet.

Ah! Clear now. I so much read 'min' as minutes - seeing the whole thing as a direction sign - that I couldn't somehow make the obvious connection with max.

snibgo wrote:Sorry if this has ready been put up somewhere.

DfT have started an open consultation on Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 2015. Consultation closes 12h June.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultat ... tions-2015

I am excited to see a new marking for ASLs that don't have a lead-in cycle lane.

And I eagerly await my first encounter with one of these beauties:

jcn.png

What on earth does the '100 max' on that sign refer to?
Minutes to the town centre? If it could take up to 100 minutes, that makes the 25 minutes a bit meaningless. But I can't see any other unit it could be measuring or thing it could be referring to.

Old thread, I see. Never mind, eh. I noticed this in the TSRGD 2015:

The requirement for an underpinning traffic order has been removed for
the following:
 Single or double yellow line waiting prohibitions
 Stopping on school entrance markings prohibitions
 Exception for cycles at no entry, mandatory turns, and left or right turn
prohibitions

 Mandatory cycle lanes

So it's now easier, quicker and cheaper for HAs to restrict parking for cars and install contraflows etc for cyclists.

mercalia wrote:My Brooks B17 now fits my bum nicely after 10 years. The saddle needs to be able to sag a little in the middle I think. Plastic saddles are there fore out for the most part. I also think too few people play around with the vertical rotation. I find a very slight backward slant ( for my saddle ) does the trick

This is something heard quite often from users of Brooks or similar leather saddles. Trouble is, most of us don't want to ride on something uncomfy for the first ten years.

I'm not sure. I used to live in Bath, close to the Circus and Royal Crescent. There were signs up there designed to keep tourist coaches out but allow local buses in - they also allowed sightseeing tour buses in (the locally run, open-topped ones with a guide). I can't remember the exact wording on the signs - it was almost 20 years ago - and Streetview isn't being much help (perhaps the signs aren't there any more?)

I would think the detail of what vehicle can legally use each bus lane is defined not by the signs displayed but by the wording in the local Traffic Regulatory Order.

Sure they'll be subject to type approval or homologation, but I read the phrase about 'road worthiness' to refer to the introduction of some sort of MoT. Though it doesn't actually state that, so it could just mean new/updated regulations to allow for eg heavier trailers in time for harvest 2016.

On the positive side, that article says

The Department for Transport is considering further increases to speed and tractor weight limits, including to the 18.29t trailer weight limit alongside a roadworthiness test for harvest 2016.

which implies that there isn't a roadworthiness test for tractors and agricultural trailers at the moment, so introducing one is probably a good move.

Mick F wrote:The trouble is, can we define "bus"?

I drive the community bus a couple of times a month. It's a 15 seater, and we can use bus lanes and we can't use CAR parks, so have to use BUS parks. The bus is a converted van. If it were still a van, it wouldn't be allowed in a bus lane and it could park in a car park. Same basic vehicle, same footprint.

Taxis come in all shapes and sizes, some or more bus-like than others. How do you differentiate between a minibus and a large taxi?

Same basic vehicle, different footprint.

Because it's serving different purposes as a van or a community bus - and as a scheduled bus it would be slightly different again - and so replacing (or encouraging) different trips.

Albert Arkwright, a man of vastly overrated intellect, considered Mrs Arkwright was quite often given to cycling too fast for his own good,despite repeated warnings to maintain the three word cadance whilst riding the rollers. However, on the road four became Albert's magical mantra. Mrs Arkwright however, was pregnant.

Edward Gerbil from the three word story game, nibbled Albert's fundementals which had a distinct aroma of mature stilton,Hmm thought Edward, "That's smelly and rich!"

Meanwhile, Mrs Arkwright was thinking why does Stilton make me go all wobbly?
In the same vein, Albert grasped the handlebars and wobbled off down the steep winding lane carrying on his head essence of human existence. "Strange", he thought, "Why that essence smells odd". "It's your socks". said Mrs A, "when did you get oil on them?" "In the chip shop","and the smoke?"she said looking down at his nether regions in total and utter disbelief."My Yfronts are on." So they should be"but not back to front and outside your Universe, it doesn't look a bit like superman, you stupid boy," said Dringle Snood the Cartwright. "Where's my spares?", said Albert,"inside your vest where you left them "Ah thats right I left them there when I ate my sausages!"."Hmm, or did I cover them with mustard?". The p******e fairy arrived brandishing his shiny pin and stuck it in Albert's prize saveloy. The sausage burst spectacularly, covering Albert, Edward and Dringle

I installed some Rubino Pros recently. Treaded, not slick, and 28s. Feel good so far but only had them two weeks. They are (or were) cheap from Planet X, who often seem to sell cheap Vittorias.

To give my opinion on whether motorbikes are more like cars or bicycles; neither. They have similarities with each and their own unique characteristics.

The attraction and the practicality will, obviously, depend on the person and how they use it.

As for assisted pedal cycles - well, back in the past (till the early 80s?) mopeds had pedals with which they could, at least in theory, be powered, and often that was how you started the motor. Nowadays that's completely gone and a moped is just a small, low-powered, usually speed-restricted (used to be 30+/5mph in UK, now I think it's 45km/h EU) motorcycle. It would, as has already been said, be possible to line up historic vehicles and show a clear progression from early 20th century bicycle-with-engine to modern motorbike, and a moped would be a sort of off-shoot of this. So philosophically or intellectually, I agree with the view that power-assisted pedal cycles are fundamentally not pedal cycles, regardless of how that assistance is provided. However, in practice they have - at the moment - more in common with bicycles than with motor vehicles, as far as I can tell from observation, not having ridden one.

But having that power on tap clearly enables them to do things a normal bike with a normal rider wouldn't. For instance, there's a father of a child at my son's school who takes his kid to school on an electric-assisted bike. He rides up a short section of hill which is about 1:6 then does a U-turn onto the pavement and up an equally steep but narrow path to the main pavement which is some six or so feet above road level. He comes to an almost complete stop, turns, then powers up the next slope. All this with a child of about 8 on the back. No way most people would be able to do that on a non-assisted bike (and he doesn't look particularly sporty). I therefore do wonder about the effect they will have on what we so fondly know as Silly Sustrans Gates (other providers of cycle path obstacles are available!). The extra power gives more control at low speed, negating those obstacles, as well as enabling higher speeds and hill climbing. With the UK climate so much in favour of these obstacles (to prevent danger from speeding lycra louts or keep motorbikes off paths, variously) I fear the growth of electric bikes - they are quite popular here (Bristol) - will see a corresponding growth in number and severity of such obstacles.

(Haven't ridden a motorbike for 20 years but used to do 50,000 miles a year as a courier.)

Chemistry practical

keys
wallet
mitts (on my hands)