Cycling UK Forum

Bike security is a huge problem. Before I retired I frequently cycled to work. There was a bike rack near the hospital main entrance. I used two Gold U locks and left them attached to the rack when I went home as they were heavy. When I upgraded to a carbon bike I also took the front wheel off and kept in the operating theatre changing rooms. But after several bikes were stolen in broad daylight in front of the entrance cafe and were long gone before security got there I decided to simply carry my bike through A&E and upstairs to my shared office. In fact several of us did the same thing and often there were more bikes in the office than people.

I would use my bike for local shopping if I was confident that it would still be there when I came out, but sadly I'm not.

Can you get movement triggered sirens for bikes - like really loud ?

Digressing somewhat
But "trendy telly " made me think why are TV screen sizes quoted in diagonal inches but the TV's other dimensions in metric. ?

Not directly related to the OP's post but something that has puzzled me for years.
I have a cycling buddy who is much fitter than me, he is 10kg lighter than me and can wipe the floor with me on climbs.
But when both of us are freewheeling downhill I pass him be it at slow or fast speeds.
My bike was a 9 year old carbon road bike and he's had "better" and certainly lighter BMC and Cannondale carbon bikes during the same period.
We hired similar Colnago bikes when on holiday last year and the same thing happened.
Why do I freewheel faster than him ? Is it simply a weight difference?

There are far worse things than being killed in a cycling accident. Surviving but being severely brain damaged as a result would be one in my opinion.
Perception of risk is an interesting topic. I've been a SCUBA diver for many years . Non-diving friends and work colleagues thought I was totally mad to go diving at night and into caves and wrecks as its perceived as being being a really dangerous/risky thing. But I think driving a car and riding a bike on the road is far more dangerous as there are more factors you have no control over - mainly the actions of other people who are not thinking about danger and risk at all and display no situational awareness.

So, yes I do think about the worst things that can happen and try to mitigate those by reducing the risks - eg front & rear lights, bright colours, high viz, sprintech mirrors, bell, considerate and aware cycling.

Mick F wrote: 1 Jun 2022, 6:25am My post was tongue in cheek.
it's the Texas philosophy though.

Oh yes, I know an American who firmly believes this. During Covid he bought 3 more additional handguns because he was convinced there would be riots and people attacking his house for food etc.
USA appears to have a paranoia epidemic of their own making.

Mick F wrote: 31 May 2022, 5:07pm If we all carried a loaded gun, every single one of us, nobody would get shot.

that's clearly not true. But conversely

"if nobody had a loaded gun , not even a single person, then nobody would get shot" would work

I just don't understand what goes through the selfish litter droppers minds - very little I suppose

If I've got an empty wrapper in my hand whilst cycling I just tuck it up under my sleeve and until I come across a bin. How difficult is that ?

I did a group cycle LEJOG last year. One of the guys raved about Colibri Ti.
So much so that I have also moved over to Ti, although not with Sonder due to their very long delivery times.

Last time I looked the waiting list for a Ti Colibri stretched to 2023.
I went elsewhere.

rareposter wrote: 7 May 2022, 3:35pm https://www.omnicalculator.com/sports/b ... calculator

That link above gives a speed when you plug in gear ratio and wheel / tyre size but in practice, it's an impossible question to answer.
Terrain, road surface, wind/weather, the rider (weight, fitness, riding position, power), tyre pressure, tyre type (lightweight racing tyre vs winter training tyre for example) will all play a far greater part in determining speed than a simple gear ratio.

That calculator is fun to have a little play with.
If I could maintain a cadence of 90 in my bike's top gear I'd be doing over 30mph. If only

I once managed 51mph on my Boardman Team Carbon. Does that help in any way? Probably not.
As already said, too many factors involved - thus impossible to answer.

The comms I had with the buyer this morning raised suspicions.
Turkish phone number, travelling up from Milton Keynes to rural Warwickshire , "going to be late as having difficulty getting cash out of the bank."

Turns out to all legit.
A lovely couple - young Turkish doctors plus baby, staying at friend's house in MK whilst awaiting GMC registration, travelling up to Cheshire today and wanted to buy a surprise present for his friend to thank him for the rent-free and use of his car.

Faith in humanity partly restored.

simonineaston wrote: 5 May 2022, 9:47am However there's one thing we can agree on - that it's not a Mini in any way that Issigonis or Moulton (who as we know, designed the Mini suspension, based around the familiy's rubber company) would have recognised. Moulton, before he passed away, was particularly scathing about elements of the new car's design. That doesn't mean it's no good, but rather it's a comment on how much the car industry has changed since the '50s.

The new Mini is a good car judging by it sales and high 2nd hand prices. But it lacks the original Mini's driving qualities so loved by its followers. IMO the only modern car to closely emulate the Mini's "fun" factor is the Ford Fiesta ST (Mk7/8). It has a "joie de vivre" at sensible speeds, unlike so many other cars these days whose only feature is to be able to break the speed limit faster than other cars but in all other aspects are just so dull.
My first car I thought I was the bees knees - despite the flaking respray on the roof.

Jdsk wrote: 4 May 2022, 1:16pm Yes. What personal details did you put in the advertisement, please?

I manage these within the Gumtree messaging system.

Jonathan

@ Jonathon
I didnt add anything about myself to the advert except stating that I was "10 mins from J9/J10 M42" and that it was "cash on collection".
But I clicked to use my phone number as well as the usual email method of contact. I don't usually do that.
I've since updated the ad and removed the phone number route of contact.

nickyboy wrote: 19 Jul 2021, 7:08pm So what did we learn from our LEJOG, our first multi-day tour?

1) So long as you keep feeding and watering it, the body can handle a lot of punishment
2) Getting properly organised for morning departure and stops makes a huge difference to time available to destination
3) You can survive on surprisingly little kit if you're not camping and its summer (mine was 3kg all in)
4) Chatting with folk along the way is great and people are so generous when they hear you're riding for charity
5) Devon and Cornwall are the hilliest but they aren't really hilly. Scotland is very easy cycling
6) Time spent route planning was time well spent. We barely touched busy roads but still did it in 940 miles
7) Shoes don't dry overnight
Prepare for the worst re mechanicals, expect the best. We had one puncture and that was that

I would add
9) Look after your bum - apply treatment asap if getting any soreness - there are no free days to allow a period of recovery.

"Scotland is very easy cycling" We went via The Letch - that was quite hilly