Cycling UK Forum

Just found out the other week that graphite is used as a lock lubricant, so I figure it should work well to prevent the key sticking in a cable or D lock. One of my locks, a cable lock out of Wilko's, tends to stick after a while, especially if water gets in (I always try to carry it 'lock down'). I stopped using it and would have binned it - neither WD40 nor GT85 freed it up - but then I tried chain lube, and that worked. As soon as I feel it getting sticky I treat it with the chain lube and it frees up, but I figure the graphite oil should work even better - apparently over time dirt accumulates in regular oil or grease and that seizes a lock.

Worst thing about a lock is if it sticks - I had to steal my own bike from outside my local Spar when the previous cable lock seized - had to use cable cutters and a hacksaw - embarrassing! At least it was just around the corner and I could run up the road for the tools!

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Why has it taken all these years to someone to have a bash at the record?

I think it had largely been forgotten. Dave Barter, who resurrected the story, said "I’d never heard of him or the year record but surely Google would know? There was very little: a few mentions on message boards but no Wikipedia entry and nothing outlining his year. As an endurance cyclist, I needed to know more. Fortunately, a magazine editor put me in touch with his family and the story began to unfold..."

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/cycling- ... year-45701

That article is from January 2012, although I've seen another piece by Dave Barter about Tommy's record written a few years earlier, in 2005.

Vantage, with your luck

Vantage wrote:Todays bead of glass was so small that when I dropped it on the carpet, I've not been able to find it again despite a torch and magnifying glass.

Vantage, with your luck you'll find it by walking around in your bare feet... If you were an Undertaker, people would stop dying. Seriously, I've been using Conti TourRides (like you used to) and was just about to go for the Randonnneur Hypers (on your - previous - recommendation, doncha know), but maybe now I won't bother. And maybe we should stop believing in fairies!

bigjim wrote:Had one on hire in Mallorca last year. Nice bike. No problems, but not as good as the Pinarello that I had the year before. I read somewhere that Merida makes the Carbon Boardman frames.

howdenbiker wrote:I have read that they make Specialized bikes as well, there is a likeness.

I think they also used to make the Carreras for Halfords, although these are now built in Cambodia according to the boxes they come in (Merida is Taiwanese). Here's who makes what:
http://inrng.com/who-makes-what/
http://inrng.com/2012/02/who-made-your-bike/

It's hard to find reviews of the Ride Carbon Comp (I guess that's the one you're looking at) but it's less than £900 in about 3 shops just now, so it's a good deal and it shouldn't let you down. Meridas tend to have 'endurance' setups, I think - relatively long head tubes, shortish reach and not much saddle-to-bar drop, which, unless you're a TdF-wannabe, isn't a bad thing. Actually, here's another interesting article from that same website - you want to look like Moser, and not like a clown on a monkey bike!
http://inrng.com/2013/01/cycling-position-change/

Do you think we can get away from Rubik's Cubes? I'm only still reading this thread coz I'm waiting for somebody to change the subject.

gaz wrote:Closest thing this forum has to a dedicated thread?

All 324 pages of it - and I didn't even know that section of the forum existed - this place is like a labyrinth!

There's also this: https://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress. ... spiration/
It's based in Portland, Oregon, like a lot of bicycle-related stuff in the States, but that's a fine list of links, you should find them interesting.

And there's the Three Speed Hub website: http://threespeedhub.com/
Again, lots of excellent info. If you hover the mouse over 'BICYCLES' on the Home page you'll find Catalogues & Manuals (some of the old Raleigh catalogues, especially, are just incredible), Maintenance & Servicing and Refurbishing/Restoration. It's not exclusively about 3 speed hubs, by any means, but it's a good site. The proprietor of the Three Speed Hub, a fellow called Nick, here demonstrates the benefits of foot pegs on a fixie :
http://lovelybike.blogspot.co.uk/2014/1 ... -19th.html

Also, not 3 speeds but 4, but topical (see the Steve Abraham thread) - there's a page on the Three Speed Hub site which features a 1939 Raleigh Record Ace, essentially the same as the bicycle Tommy Godwin set his epic records on in 1939/40 (he started on a bicycle built by Ley Cycles but switched to the Record Ace just under half way through his year record):
http://threespeedhub.com/pre-war-raleig ... d-ace-rra/
http://vintagebicycle.wordpress.com/201 ... year-1939/

Last time I was in Sports Direct I quite liked the look of these: http://www.sportsdirect.com/dunlop-pannier-bag-937515
Presumably they split - you'd only need to use the one - and you've nothing to lose at that price. Although, don't laugh, but maybe you should even consider a front basket. Not wicker, of course, and don't wear a blue shirt with a pink tie either - http://i4.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk- ... 40_647.jpg - just a basic metal basket. I eventually got around to fitting one to my old Raleigh Pioneer hybrid (a faff to fit the mountings but after that it just clips in and out) and it opened my eyes to how convenient a front bag/basket is - you just chuck everything in it and you're away. I also have panniers and a rack bag fitted to the Pioneer but the basket is easiest to make use of. Aldi (and Lidl) do a nice black fabric front bag with an alloy internal frame, but as ever it depends when it appears.

al_yrpal wrote:My Halfords Subway was a great bike. Had everything the OP specifys, but Halfords have changed the spec somewhat and I dont know what the current ones are like. However anything with the Carrera brand seems well made. From Halfords you sometimes need to do your own careful post delivery inspection because sometimes they get that wrong.

Al

*cough* Understatement, Al - the last (brand new) Subway I saw, parked outside Asda, just across the retail park from my local Halfords, had the front disc on the right... I thought there was something 'wrong' about the fork rake, then I realized why. To be fair, the boy might have had it delivered in its box and attached the stem the wrong way round but who knows? I had Allen keys in my backpack and thought about surreptitiously fixing it while he was in the shop (he might not even have noticed); I even thought about waiting for him and telling him the score, but from what I've learned about human nature I figured he quite possibly wouldn't have believed me - after all, what does a punter like me know compared to the 'experts'? But sometimes it's a relief to just focus on your own issues and not worry about other people's. I wouldn't rely on Halfords to build up a bike, though; there probably isn't an issue if it's built up by a mechanic but I suspect, especially at busy times, it sometimes isn't. Even then, as Brucey has suggested in the past, these bikes (most bikes, probably) are assembled (and even then not entirely) in the factory, but not necessarily adjusted.

I've got one, newer than yours (it was down to £260 when I bought it), but it's still in its box, like a lot of other things to do with my life (don't ask), so I can't vouch for it, but I 'found' your reviews on Ecovelo then on this forum only last night (coincidence!), so maybe somebody's telling me to build it up and get on with it. Seldom hear a bad word about Carreras, though, right enough - I also have a Carrera TdF which is also still in its box (don't ask about that either), bought when it was reduced to £249.99 (maybe I just collect bargains ). FWIW, for AndyBSG, I quite like the look of Evans' Pinnacle range of hybrids, but that's just an impression with no personal experience.

Brucey wrote:I'm sure that won't hurt it in the slightest (*).

(* -provided your offspring/self/spouse don't start swinging on it like a trapeze... )

cheers

Many a true word, Brucey: There's a story about three Mirage jets parked on the tarmac at Orly airport. One of the refuellers was larking about, jumped up and swung on the pitot tube of one of the Mirages - and bent it! So what did he do? Jumped up and bent the other two so nobody would notice.

Well, it might be true.

Brian73 wrote:i) 15 Year old Peugeot Audax - in Shed

ii) 1 Year Old Planet X Carbon Fibre - Leaning against wall in bedroom

Note: I am not married, which may explain why I can get away with point ii)

...and finding someone who has no objection to ii) would be one of the more reliable ways of finding your 'soulmate'.

Seeing as how I was a driving instructor for years, I’d better keep my thoughts to myself, but you could turn this into a Thomas the Tank Engine style bedtime story for the kids – ‘Timmy the Timely Tram and Winnie the Jingly Mini’...

“The Thin Controller was absolutely furious, but when he heard it was Winnie who caused the incident, he just rolled his eyes, shook his head wearily, muttered the word ‘airhead’ under his breath and shuffled off. You see, some cars never quite learn how to think.”

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Also the rubber was sub standard, one lock up on the rear wheel stripped the tread right off and exposed the protection strip

I think maybe your definition of 'lock up' is a bit more adventurous than the rest of us, NA!

Bikefayre wrote:Still think woollyhatshop.com is hard to beat for wheel and tyre deals...

I just bought Tortec mudguards from Ribble, a couple months ago - £22.99 reduced from £34.99 - then just before Christmas I got a 6-speed freewheel and chain, and a derailleur intended for my old Carlton (still just a frame and forks), from the Woolly Hat Shop, all for £22.98. Both orders arrived via Royal Mail - basic p&p, no 'special delivery' charge - in two days, so excellent service from both. Only downside is, you feel as if you're letting down your lbs.

mercalia wrote:would be helpful if u would just try it tonight and report back if any issues re gear change and general smoothness running etc for Sweep here

I've gone through several Clarks 7-8 speed chains, either that or the '5,6,7' speed, which doesn't have the anti-rust treatment, although that one no longer seems to be available. No issues with shifting or stiff links but they don't seem to last very long. The first Clarks 7-8 speed I bought was when I replaced the drivetrain on a basic 7 speed hybrid - new chain, freewheel, rear mech and chainset (can't remember what chains I'd used before, maybe KMC - I wasn't so much of an anorak then and chains were just chains... ). Even though I kept everything religiously clean after that, I never checked the chain length for a while - didn't think I needed to - and by the time I did it was too far gone so I had to replace the freewheel again. The staff at Halfords scratched their heads (it doesn't take much...), accepted that it shouldn't have worn out so soon and gave me another Clarks 7-8 speed free of charge, which was fair enough. They pull my leg about how many miles I do and how often I replace chains compared to other customers - I haven't been caught out again since - and I slag them back about how the Clarks chains don't last, but I suppose you get what you pay for. I clean my chains once a week on average, depending on mileage and weather - I run Gunk through the chain cleaner twice, then detergent once, then flush with water, dry and relube with Bikehut wet lube, which dries 'dry' and is good stuff. So I don't think it's lack of maintenance, although I guess if I adopted Mick F's cleaning regime and rotated three or four chains they would last longer (Steveo2020 should rotate the four he bought). I don't record my mileage properly but I seriously doubt if you'll see 1200 miles with one 7-8 speed chain, even well maintained, although it works fine while it lasts. Can't vouch for the 8 speed but it looks better quality.

'Easiest' way to release the quick link is to pinch the adjacent links between thumb and forefinger, down and together so that they sit below the quick link, then squeeze the quick link's rollers together with long-nosed pliers. Never works first time, always second or third time, no matter how often you do it! No way can I do it just with my fingers, though, or at least I've long since given up on trying. Keep meaning to buy one of these, or similar:
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/tools-m ... nk--pliers

I think in future I'll try KMC and/or SRAM chains. I also have an unused Shimano CN-HG 40 chain but by all accounts its quick link is a mare to join so I'll use a Clarks or KMC quick link with it. I understand what Brucey means about the Clarks chains hardly being worth cleaning, but I can't live with that any longer - I'd rather have a chain that actually is worth cleaning!

pete75 wrote:Yes. Just checked on my wife's Raleigh Wisp, which has no gear change problems, and the drop out is indeed cranked. It's running 6 speed Suntour now but I think I've still got the original, little used, Huret somewhere so if you have no joy getting yours straight and working drop me a PM - it'll be free to your good home....

That's very kind of you, Pete, although I think I'm getting there. It's certainly going the right way. Maybe need a cheater bar on the screwdriver (surprised it hasn't bent yet), but I guess it's a bit like spreading chainstays (something I haven't attempted yet but may do soon on a Carlton 531) - a wee bit at a time so you don't go too far and have to come back, but I'm having to pull it quite far because it springs back. (Ok I'll come clean, I've not been back to it since teatime - too busy messing about on the laptop!) At least I know what to do now, though.

It's a good little bike anyway. Built June 1983 in Nottingham - you can work out the date of your wife's using this site, if you don't already know.
http://www.kurtkaminer.com/TH_raleigh_serials.html
I said to my neighbour it was probably older than his daughter but it turns out she's 45. She certainly doesn't look it. Like I said, she has MS but she's a picture of health and beauty when she's cycling, and she's still a fit girl - "There's no justice in the world, but there is magic," as Sheldon might have said...

I like mixtes. It might be as well not to show this to your wife in case she gets ideas (and expects you to do something about them! ), but here's a *words fail me* full, glorious restoration of a Peugeot mixte by a bloke (/bloody genius, mate) in Australia. Turns out the lucky lady - 'L.M. Jones' - is his mum...
http://ajsblogcycle.blogspot.co.uk/2012 ... xte_7.html
Wow, huh? Just wow.