Cycling UK Forum

I'm thinking of buying some of these stainless steel mudguards (I have seen good reviews) but am a bit confused by the 'long' option. Apparently the 'short' ones are the same length as standard SKS chromoplastic ones; is the extra length (on the front only I presume) at the top or bottom? Or a bit of both? If at the bottom, which would give better foot protection from spray, are there any disadvantages, e.g. would it be the mudguard sitting on the road if the wheel is removed for a puncture? Any help from anyone who has these would be welcome.

Slightly off topic but you need to know a strange quirk of the ticket machines in Germany (well, in the Rhine area at least). They don't take many types of credit card and they won't take notes bigger than just above the fare. (so, for example, if the fare is 7 euro you can't use anything bigger than a 10 euro note!). If you don't have the correct cash you're totally stuck if it's an unmanned station.

If you can stay in Morlaix instead of Roscoff (15 miles), the we (Truro Cycling Club , your local!) have stayed many times here http://www.lelogisdesecluses.fr/. It's mainly a hostel but Herve the proprietor does do B&B as well if you book in advance. You'll have to take your bike up steps to get into the place, but there is a small bike shelter in the garden.

Ten years ago I bought a Ti bike because I wanted something a bit smarter, lighter and faster than my 20-year-old Super Galaxy (531 frame). The Ti served me well for day rides and short lightweight tours, and last year I rebuilt it with new wheels and groupset. I then took it on a longer tour and decided it wasn't right for that, so set about restoring the Galaxy. There was rust but only thin patches in places, and even inside the bottom bracket it was only a very thin layer (and this bike had been my commuting bike for years, so out in all weathers and not even parked indoors while at work). Anyway, after a professional strip and powder coat (£70), the frame looked wonderful and with new groupset the whole bike looked good and handled as it should (as a touring bike).
But I had a strange problem with the rear wheel (a standard entry-level Mavic with normal spokes) so borrowed a friends lightweight racing wheels, originally just as a test. The sudden improvement in feel and speed was noticeable, I was averaging the same as my Ti bike although the frame probably weighs 1kg more (and it has a carrier and touring tyres!).
So my conclusion is, steel is good; it does rust a bit, even if not looked after, but can be restored. Spend your money on better wheels rather than a Ti frame.

Is that really all the luggage you had for a 2000+ mile autumn tour? Amazing!

The idea of a one-way bike hire, with a decent bike rather than a typical 'city bike' hire, is a good one. I have certainly thought about riding in the USA but wouldn't necessarily want to go from SF to LA. So I wonder why you are anticipating restricting the destination to cities south of SF? If you have to organise a return, couldn't that be done from anywhere large enough to have a reasonable bike shop that knows how to pack a bike?

So, I was doing a test 'assembly' of my bike into the bike bag according to the suggestions here http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/bikes-public-transport/bikes-air and all was well except I couldn't find any pipe lagging to cover some sharp bits. So I left the bike, in its bag, in the garden and went shopping.
Two hours later I came back with lagging, removed bike from the bag and cut some lagging to fit. Then re-assembled the bike, which was very quick, thankfully - except that the front tyre had a puncture. It was fine when I wheeled the bike out of the shed this morning.
On investigation I found that the tube had begun to split along one of the almost invisible seams where sections of rubber are welded together. Having found it, a very slight force made the split much bigger. I've seen these tube failures many times before but have assumed that they have been triggered by a pothole or similar.
So, I'm wondering, did the extra 'greenhouse effect' of the bike in a polythene bag cause enough heat to damage the tube? It's not particularly hot today here (about 16deg, but the sun is strong) and the tyre wasn't at maximum pressure (it was probably 80-90 psi). I realise that the tube (a Specialized 'thin' 20-28mm) probably would have gone soon enough anyway, but wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience.

A cheap android mobile, (£50) running Strava, in your pocket. You probably take a phone with you already anyway. The Strava website will tally your total miles (and everything else besides). Just charge it before you leave, if you're not using the screen the battery will last a day's ride.

I'm glad that someone else finds all colourful bling on many new bikes distasteful.
If you'd like titanium and don't mind second-hand have a look here http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=97365 (hope this forum cross-reference is allowed )

I'm a bit concerned about this type of thing. If 100% of cyclists had it, then OK. But if only 50% do, then the ones that don't will be even more invisible to the 'SMIDSY' drivers.

gaz wrote: However a break in a standard q/r axle can lead to frame failure if it is not spotted and replaced

Yes, with a standard axle (where the bearing cups are mounted on the axle, and the axle itself - with its nuts - holds the whole thing together) a break would be pretty disastrous. But the Ksyrium hubs have sealed bearings; the 'axle' is only radially centering the bearing assembly. There doesn't appear to be any axial force on it at all. In fact the quick release's 'axle' is much tougher than the part that's broken in this case.

I have a 2005 Ksyrium SL (SSC) wheelset which needed work on the freehub (the ratchet pawls were sticking). I've done that OK but on re-assembly I tightened the two halves of the axle together too tightly and the thread snapped. (You can see the parts here http://www.tech-mavic.com/tech-mavic/technical_manual/data/tech-mavic/uk/sources/Produits/ROUTE/Roues/KsyriumSSCSL04/Spare_parts_KsySL04.pdf, the part is M40667 and it is shown in its two halves).
Now, of course, the two halves of the axle won't join in the centre, but I have nevertheless reassembled the wheel (and ridden it) and all seems fine. It seems that the only need for the thread joining the halves together is to keep the wheel intact while it is being serviced. When assembled with cassette and quick-release and fixed into the frame, there is nowhere for the 'broken' axle half to go, so it seems safe. Even with the wheel out of the frame the freehub assembly cannot come apart because the cassette stops it. (Without the cassette, the axle half falls out and the freehub could easily disassemble itself).
The machined thread on this part isn't shown on the Mavic pdf but it's very thin; the part is hollowed out (presumable for weight saving); there is less than a millimetre of metal under the thread so I'm not surprised it snapped. Clearly this part isn't designed to take any stress, so my question is - can anyone see any reason not to continue using this wheel? The parts aren't available any longer, although I have found a used one for sale in the USA (for $55 plus $24 postage )

gsix14 wrote: but with some use of Sustrans bike trails?

Sustrans trails vary widely; some are good ashphalt (and smoother-surfaced than many minor roads); others are rocky or muddy and you'll find yourself walking if you use the road bike. But that may not matter if you can make up the time/distance on the smoother bits. One of the online cycle route planners (I forget which, sorry) has links to photos of some parts of these trails so you may be able to have a look before you go.

I have been 'experimenting' with various mixes of wheels & tyres over the last year or so and seem to have found that wider tyres protect rims from wear more than thinner tyres. The reason for wear is mainly road grit etc picked up by the tyres during wet weather. The mix of water and grit gets dispersed as the wheel spins. I have a feeling that a wider tyre (28 or 32 mm) will tend to fling more of this mess away from the rim than a 23 or 25mm tyre will. Anyone else have a similar experience?

I 'light' toured (no camping) last year for 2-3 weeks on an 'audax' bike (titanium frame; 25mm tyres). About 10kg spread two small panniers and a bar bag. Generally got by OK but I could only ride on the hoods, using the drops or the tops led to too much shimmy a lot of the time. For my next tour I've reconditioned my old Galaxy tourer instead.