Cycling UK Forum

Not sure which way you are coming out of Birmingham or whereabouts you want to be in Coventry but I sometimes ride from north Coventry to work in Solihull. I avoid the A45 - a nasty road in my opinion. Coming from Solihull, you could go through Catherine de Barnes and take the road to Hampton in Arden and then on to Meriden. From Meriden for the west/south of the city, go on to Millisons Wood and on to Pickford Green Lane. If you want the north of the city, from Meriden take the Fillongley Road and turn right into Shafts Lane as per the blue line in the map below - this route takes a very narrow single track lane - if you prefer, there is a 'better' road via the grey route. Anywhere the other side of the city, take your pick

In my teens, a distant friend joined me and my pal for a cycle-camping trip, assuring us of his experience and equipment. His bike turned out to be a bog standard five speed affair that was very common in those days. Nothing wrong with that per se, but with poor maintenance, the condition left a lot to be desired.

There were alloy wing nuts on both wheels - with wings snapped off and most of the thread stripped. The rear carrier was one of those with a spring clamp for a bag on top and not really designed to take panniers. The carrier clamped to the seat stays and attached via large holes over the rear axle, held 'secure' by the next to useless wing nuts. The panniers were tartan vinyl with a couple of straps and buckles and the wheel kept shifting in the dropouts causing the tyre to rub against the chainstays. Very worn tyres and about three punctures on the first day.

Our progress was so slow that we could not make our intended campsite and had to change our itinerary drastically. We still managed over a week of 'base camping' with day trips within a 20 mile radius, so not a complete disaster. His bike was a lot more fit for purpose at the end of the trip than it was at the beginning but our wallets and collection of spares took a serious beating.

Go on, post a picture!

andrew_s wrote:

TimP wrote:Back in my younger days when I could spin pedals faster I have done hills where I couldn't pedal fast enough anymore in a 108" gear

The highest speeds are attained by not pedalling, but getting into as aerodynamic a riding position as possible.
Once speeds are over about 35-40 mph, you lose more speed through being un-aerodynamic in a position in which you can pedal than the pedalling gains you. The TdF riders you see going really fast are doing things like pedals level, sitting on the top tube in front of the saddle, chin on stem, hands in the middle of the bars, elbows in.

When I was young, I used to have pedals level, backside way back rear of the saddle, my chest on the saddle with a horizontal back, on the drops with elbows in and face over the stem - until I hit a manhole cover and took a chip out of my front tooth with the top of the stem

TimP wrote:Back in my younger days when I could spin pedals faster I have done hills where I couldn't pedal fast enough anymore in a 108" gear...

If my calculations are right, a 108" gear with a pedal cadence of 120rpm would give 38.56 mph. If you could manage 180rpm then the speed would be 57.83 mph

Walking on the way home tonight, I got a bit worried hearing a car behind me, turned around to see a car completely on the wide pavement, following me about six foot behind until he got to his 'parking space'. In my experience, it seems that instances of this ilk are becoming a routine part of pavement walking.

karlt wrote:A bit like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoPXQ9fotZM

"What sort have you got?"

"No clues"

I bought a Jamis Aurora from Evans - the manufacturer's rear rack was broken (snapped stay) on delivery to the shop and there were some very minor and shallow scratches on the rear mudguard. The shop pointed the scratches out to me, offered me quite a range of replacement rear rack (I got a Topeak Super Tourist) and a few quid off for the scratches (can't remember but about £25 I think). The scratches really were superficial - I struggle to find them and could have probably T-cutted them out but they are under the rear rack and not an issue for me. The manufacturer's rack is specially made for the bike - finished the same as the frame and mudguards and Evans did offer to get one shipped from USA - but for me the hassle of the wait and going back to the shop was not worth it (I was not keen on the manufacturer's rack anyway).

nez dans le guidon wrote:Some people's muscle memories take a long time to train. I still find myself leaning down to the down tube for a non existent gear change sometimes.

I still do this

When I was younger (before the mass marketing of 'performance' drinks/powders/additives), I always used to put a bit of lift lemon tea powder into my water bottles. Nowadays I tend to use plain water and snacks - usually malt loaf, sometimes sweet and/or savoury biscuits too. Both then and now, I like to precede a ride with porridge made with salt and sprinkled with sugar.

Phil66 wrote:Hi again,

Not sure if anybody who's contributed to this post will get this update, but the good news is that my 4 months of has been confirmed and I'll be putting my order in for an LHT in the very near future...

...Thanks again everybody.

Phil

Good to hear

531colin wrote:10 of 25mm stainless cap head (that's Allen head to us) bolts £1.16 post free from E bay.....http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M4-M5-M6-M8-SOCKET-ALLEN-CAP-HEAD-HEX-SCREW-BOLT-STAINLESS-A2-/110921668022?pt=UK_DIY_Material_Nails_Fixing_MJ&var=410126705196&hash=item19d37255b6
I have used these people, they are OK....they will have nuts and washers too.
On a bike I think you are much better off with allen screws as you have the tools in the bag anyway, and I wouldn't use anything except stainless on a bike myself.

bookmarked - thanks for the recommendation

Try Wilcos or Robert Dyas for small packets, B&Q might do them - otherwise if you have an old fashioned ironmongers nearby, they should be able to help.

For example - one inch long M6 screws with nuts:

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/sel-slt-pan ... -bzp-m6x25 (£1.99)

one inch wide washers to fit above:

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/sel-washers-bzp-m6-x-25mm (£1.49)

You might want different sizes - thing to remember is 'M6' (roughly meaning 6mm diameter of the threaded bit/hole)

Other retail outlets are available

As Crepello above. Are you talking centre-pull brakes? I used a longer screw with a couple of nuts as locknuts to attach a lamp bracket:

Within five minutes of getting off my bike, I am often dripping with sweat and soaking and find a shower and change of clothes more of a requirement than an indulgence. I cannot use soap, deodorants or a good number of alternatives due to a skin condition. If a shower isn't available, I find that if I wait until the sweat stops pouring out before a rinse down with wet paper towels/flannel followed by a dry-off gets me feeling a lot more comfortable. Sometimes, but not often, I feel the need to supplement this with a little anti-bacterial spray-gel in 'problem' areas.