Cycling UK Forum

I like how he's managed to do the head tube/stem without a ton of spacers.

I asked them that myself a couple of days ago, & Roberts told me that on very small frames they use a long head tube to allow a sufficiently high bar height, given that there are restrictions in how short you can go with the top tube.

Jughead wrote:
What is my penance father?

You must go and replant the Caledonian forest.

Each week that you volunteer to do this, you have to pay the organisers £350 p.w. ( @ full cost )
http://treesforlife.org.uk/index.html

I would suggest at least six weeks volunteering weeks per year as a symbolic atonement for your dreadful sins.

I'll get me spade. And cheque book
(Occasional driver of 1984 4WD Toyota but long haul flier whenever possible, which isn't often, but guilty as charged... )

Now in the grand scheme of things if you shell out on a Roberts the bug may not bite. Or it might bite and you might wonder if you couldn't have bought a less expensive bike that 'did the same job'. In many cases I think you might be able to buy another bike that 'does the same job' (so maybe a handbuilt one is an indulgence) but in the case of small bikes to fit ladies I think it can be a real struggle to do this.

I think if the bug doesn't bite with a Roberts it never will. I can't believe there's a cheaper bike that'd 'do the same job' - I've never ridden a bike that has been such a joy as my Roberts - it took me a long time to shell out, but it's worth every single penny. (I'm 5'3" & have found it impossible to get off the peg bikes to fit because of the longer reach.)

cold nipple syndrome

The bane of my life in winter! I have found a really padded sports bra to be the only answer. Maybe some blokes suffer from this too? (The cold that is, not the padded sports bra!)

Mae'r bai arna fi. Hwyl Fawr.

Time for another of the old guard to pack their sandals and move on again.
(My post count was quite frankly embarrassing me).

Meic - Paid y siarad lol! Don't you go anywhere!

I love the forum, I get so much help & support, & enjoy the banter. However, I deliberately didn't use an obviously female username when I joined, which says something about me being cautious of the crap women can get on forums & social media. I have never had a negative experience here, & find it a great resource. Views that I find sexist to differing degrees are sometimes expressed on the forum, & I do feel disappointed to see them, but they're not all that prevalent here in my experience & certainly I see much worse elsewhere. (This from a self confessed ranty feminist.) What saddens me more is when I occasionally sense competition between women posters, which seem to value being more knowledgeable or experienced than another woman poster, in order to fit into some imagined (masculine) ideal of what a cyclist should be. Perhaps I (completely unintentionally) come across as doing this myself, I don't know, but I hope not. I'm not blaming anyone for anything here, rather I think it speaks volumes about how defensive people can become when they feel in a minority.

Humans are designed to be omniverous as is clearly evident from our teeth.

Doesn't work for me regardless of how my dentition is arranged. I'd also be sick as a dog if I ate meat, & I know it's also true for fish as I've tried it before touring in remote areas. And after more than 30 years without either my health is excellent so it doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.

1 ingredient that must be kept in the fridge - specifically soy sauce.

Soy sauce doesn't need to be kept in the fridge so don't worry about that - It's one of my cycle camping staples carried in a small leak proof plastic bottle. I've been touring in different continents for nearly 30 years as a dairy free vegetarian & mostly it's been fine - going prepared with a small armoury of spices & sauces makes it easier to eat blander foods. I do eat a lot of nuts, so don't seem to suffer from lack of protein, but maybe everyone's metabolism is different.

My 93 Specialized mtb is solid as a rock under any load. Odd thing is, it's overbuilt in every direction and yet it's lighter than many of these Dawes Galaxys etc.

It's a bit heavier but I've also got a mid-90s Claud Butler with a 105 steel frame which carries eye-wateringly heavy loads without a hint of sway or shimmy. (I use it to carry all my video equipment for work in all the panniers plus a trailer) & is a godsend for that kind of grunt work. I'd never considered it for touring, but if I did I'd probably get some forks with an uncut stem for a more comfortable riding position.

Check out luggage carrying capacity. I tried this with my otherwise excellent Kona Cindercone but it tended to sway a bit even with 2 loaded panniers. Mr AMC had real problems touring with his On One Inbred 29er - loves the bike unloaded, but it couldn't deal with four loaded panniers on wideish tyres.

Great, thanks for that. The Bike Friday hasn't quite gone under a bottom couchette yet so I rely on it going under a central table - but if we had a cabin to ourselves that wouldn't be such a problem. Suitably warned re bringing locks then - I can imagine!

I'll bring my skates instead then! Thanks for that, I'll follow that website up...

I have a work trip to Ekaterinburg in the Urals in mid April & will probably take the Bike Friday, & may be able to persuade Mr AMC to join me too with his. I'm thinking of flying to Moscow & getting the train (hopefully leaving the BF case in Moscow & bringing a soft bag from there. I have long wanted to meet the fine denizens of the Russian Cycle Touring Club so hope to take one of their weekend Moscow tours.)
A few questions:
Has anyone cycled in the Ekaterinburg area? I/we will probably have 3/4 days free or more if it looks interesting.
Does anyone have any idea about taking the bike/s on one of the trains that plies the Moscow-Ekaterinburg route? They will go in bags but not sure how safe they'll be. My experience in other countries has been good, but I haven't travelled in Russia, although I know a bit of basic Russian.
Have any idea of the weather - rather dreading a spring thaw and lots of mud on a 20" wheeled bike!

Thanks for any info - haven't found anything searching the forum so far!

Did a similar route myself a few years ago, if you wild camp then make sure you have enough water before you pick a spot as streams are generally not available. I did it April / May - I'd rather be a bit cold & dress for it than battle with searing temperatures (which I've currently been doing in South Vietnam - have now escaped to the mountains for a bit of a cool rest for a few days!) But I really loved it.

+1 for the turtles, well worth it

We were in Abu Dhabi, Oman & Dubai earlier this year (sadly not on bikes, although driving in Dubai is all super fast) but we did meet a couple in Oman who said it was bliss after cycling the length of India! Dubai I don't know so well, probably less flat & sandy/astoundingly urban towards the eastern tip bordering Oman. Oman is the most relaxed and has spectacular mountain scenery, although we stuck to coasts & mountain ranges north & east of the deep desert belt. There are new expressways in Oman, some are fast & busy, others less so & perfectly cyclable, (don't think the drivers are that bad) & some of the interesting spots to visit are near good roads. However, much spectacular scenery in Oman is to be enjoyed in the mountains away from these roads, & for these you really need a bike capable of coping with very rough tracks. But you can camp absolutely anywhere in Oman, & wherever you go there will be the traces of campfires before you! The weather is obviously pretty hot, especially after the winter (which is more bearable at around upper 20s / 30 degrees C) & is cooler along the south east coast in the summer than inland. We really liked it, & if you do the hot weather early morning/siesta thing on the bike think it could be a very nice place to tour.