Cycling UK Forum

What’s not to like about continuous wear lines? OK so once in a while you have to trim off the brake blocks where they’ve worn into it, but it’s no big deal. It’s the only effective wear indicator I’ve seen, the others aren’t wear indicators at all, there’s no way of knowing how much life is left in a rim (without measuring) until it’s worn through.

I've had wheels from Spa, SJS, Mercian and every other Derby bike shop. The only ones I've ever had that needed nothing doing untill the rims wore out were made by Paul Hewitt.

bodach wrote:It is politically correct to enthuse about clipless pedals. After about 18 months trying I still find them a pain and utterly useless for me...

You're not alone in thinking like that
http://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse

I use the B&M mirror that also goes into the bar end. I find it useful, not as a substitute for looking behind before turning, but for a better general idea of what's going on around me. When I learnt to ride a motorbike, frequent use of the mirrors was obligatory. Yet cyclists often have no idea what's behind them, how many time have you ridden up to someone and they've been completely unaware of your presence? I don’t know if it matters, I use the mirror and like it.
The same, or similar mirror to the one linked is available here;
http://www.wildoo.co.uk/mirrors.htm

Hope you and the bike weren't to badly damaged.
Thorn claim that by positioning the stays further up the forks this risk is reduced. I'm not sure I understand how, I think the gap between mudguard and tyre increases as it’s forced to rotate? As always easier to prove that something doesn't work than that it does, if it's possiable for you to do, it has to be worth considering.

Hewitt are worth considering, use this sites search function for plenty of info.

Here’s some of common differences between the bikes marketed as touring and Audax. It’s not complete and they are all generalisations, there are exceptions and you can of course Audax and do some touring on any HPV. I think they all hold true when comparing the Dawes models, best check with a dealer and even better, test ride both. If you go custom or semi custom you can mix and match to get the best compromise, swapping tyres, wheels and gearing will bring them close. Paul Hewitt did exactly that for me, a full touring frame with the components more common on an Audax bike.
Brakes and tyre size – tourers will use cantis and have clearances for wider tyres. Audax bikes use deep drop calipers restricting tyre size to 28mm with mudguards.
Gearing – No one makes touring specific groupsets, tourers use MTB Audax bikes use road. The respective hubs are also usually used, 130mm Audax, 135mm touring.
Geometry – Audax bikes have shorter chainstays, giving less heel clearance for panniers.
Frame material – Audax bikes are built lighter and are likley to have carbon forks.
Braze ons – Tourers are more likely to have a third set of bottle bosses and fittings for a front rack.

I plan my routes using Memory Map which gives ascent, I'm not sure how accurate it is. From Derby a typical 100 miler into Notts will be around 70fpm, the same into Leics around 50fpm and anything into the peak district starts at 100fpm and if you look for hills that can easily go up to 170fpm.

That looks like a fantastic trip, one that will remain with you both for ever.
Congratulations to Max and I hope he does well with the fundraising, a good cause.

New bike.
If the rear wheel has been hit with enough force to buckle it, it has to has put some stress on the frame. There's no knowing if that's significant, so why risk it.

Bob H wrote:do they have a kneck draw cord?

No. They have a high neck with the zip going to the top. If I was worried about water running down my neck I'd be wearing a full waterproof, have a buff as a scarf or both.
They're common enough that you should be able to find a shop to try one on or a intrenet retailer with a simple returns policy.

lindsok wrote:PH - you mentioned the hub gear, would you use the Shimano nexus, and did you notice mechanical loss/lower efficiency and do you repair puncture on the rim?
Hub gear could offer a solution....

Hi, sorry just noticed this. I haven't tried the modern Shimano hubs, I did have an older 4 speed which was trouble free.
I now have a Rohloff and a SRAM. The Rohloff is in a purpose built frame so wheel changing is easier than with a derailleur. The SRAM is in a standard hybrid frame, so it maybe takes a couple of minuets longer, no big deal. Sometimes the hub gears feels like they're slower, comparing commuting times there seems to be no difference.

They're called cross top levers, because they originated for cyclocross use where being on the tops for control and still having access to the brakes was helpful.
The work on a different principle to the main brakes. The inner cable runs straight through them. The outer is cut, one side into the rigid part the other fitted into the lever. When you use them you're pushing the outer rather than pulling the inner. Fitting them is a very simple job, attach the levers, measure and cut the cable, re attach the brakes, the worst part is stripping and refitting the bar tape. I hope that makes sense. If not you can see a set of fitting instruction here;
http://www.canecreek.com/fileadmin/cane ... _instr.pdf
They do increase the drag on the inner cable, only by a small amount, nothing like as much as dirty or old cables and there are minor differences between makes.
They are becoming more common as standard equipment on touring bikes. I fitted them to mine, and use them more than the original brakes. They offer better braking than from the hoods and at least as good as from the drops.

The coating is water resistant rather than waterproof, though I find it does better than most with that description. It's as breathable as any other windproof I've tried, this years version has improved rear vents which help. I sometimes take it instead of a cycling jersey. On a long ride I could easily fill two panniers with jackets, each one perfectly matched to a specific weather condition. It’d be foolish to suggest that the Velo is as good in all circumstances, it is, by far, the most versatile.

Sign up for the British Cycle Quest, one of the CTCs hidden gems.
http://www.ctc-competitions.org.uk/bcq/

It's a bit of fun and a reason to go to places and do routes that you wouldn't normally. The questions nearly always take you somewhere interesting and you pick up all sorts of trivia. The rules seem pretty simple, you don't have to have cycled from home, just have used your bike. Get the train somewhere and collect a few on the way home, spend a weekend camping and collect a few...
There are only a handful of people who have completed all 402 questions, I'm coming up to 100, over three years, they were the easiest ones.

I'd agree with Cunobelin, plenty of short trips will be the best preparation for the big one. I like short trips, in some ways I'd rather half a few long weekends away than one fortnight.

The only thing I know other than what's in the advert is the usual Thorn knockers will have decided it's no good before seeing it. The Thorn forum has been promised the first photos...
I'm tempted, with a 100 day trial period what more do I need to know?