Cycling UK Forum

35-40mm. Semi slicks. Comfort for road, extra grip for mild off roading. Off roading involves gravel paths, hard pack.

I find comfort is a big factor in touring.

The base Randonneur has 30 TPI and is quite sluggish. Though very puncture resistant and reasonably grippy on damp winter roads. This is currently still sold.

The Randonneur Pro had 120TPI but had the same tread pattern as the above. It was a more sprightly tyre and had very good puncture protection. Though now discontinued.

The Randonneur Hyper was also 120 TPI and had the same carcass as the Randonneur Pro, but different (thinner) tread. It was renamed to Voyager Hyper in its midlife. Now also discontinued.

The base Randonneur and Pro came up a bit small. My 32mm measured around 29.5mm.

wmydlarz wrote: ↑7 Mar 2023, 5:31pm Thanks for the replies everyone, some good foor for thought and avenues to try.

Below is an image of the offending setup. The white of the side of the mounting block is electrical tape I wrapped aroudn the vertical(ish) sections of the steel uplift frame, but hasn't done enough to help. Plus I think this shouldn't be necesserary for bodges like this on a new product.

All the straps are as tight as they can be, but they just allow the bag to flap around too much. The lower strap that would clamp on to the seatpost doesn't do much to stop lateral movement and is high enoigh that allows the bag to fairly freely swing back and forth.
I trusted that this would be a well thought through product as they have stood the test of time shoehow, but I'm struggling to get this working satisfactorally.

Cheers
Carra.jpg

I have the same bag and set up. No wobble and I’ve had it fully loaded. You need some corrugated plastic (estate agent sign) on the inside. It will protect the bag from abrasion caused by contents and give it structural rigidity in case it’s not full. It will also look nicer i.e. have a nice rectangle profile instead of sagging.

wmydlarz wrote: ↑7 Mar 2023, 5:31pm Thanks for the replies everyone, some good foor for thought and avenues to try.

Below is an image of the offending setup. The white of the side of the mounting block is electrical tape I wrapped aroudn the vertical(ish) sections of the steel uplift frame, but hasn't done enough to help. Plus I think this shouldn't be necesserary for bodges like this on a new product.

All the straps are as tight as they can be, but they just allow the bag to flap around too much. The lower strap that would clamp on to the seatpost doesn't do much to stop lateral movement and is high enoigh that allows the bag to fairly freely swing back and forth.
I trusted that this would be a well thought through product as they have stood the test of time shoehow, but I'm struggling to get this working satisfactorally.

Cheers
Carra.jpg

I have the same set up. No wobble and I’ve had it fully loaded. You need some corrugated plastic (estate agent sign) on the inside. It will protect the bag from abrasion caused by contents and give it structural rigidity in case it’s not full. It will also look nicer i.e. have a nice rectangle profile instead of sagging.

I believe grease has some vibration dampening properties so never bothered with threadlock on a bike.

Around the house TL has some uses and I buy whatever the local car parts shop has.

Who would benefit from the tips? I presume the forum.

But should the forum benefit if the knowledge is parted by its members. For example, if some members provide more or better quality advice should they receive a tip i.e. Brucey?

On YT it’s easy. Content creator gets the tips/coffee.

For winter, three layers work best. A breathable base layer, fleecy mid layer and a windproof jacket. I find windproof better than waterproof, as waterproof alone causes a lot of internal sweating. The resulting damp clothes then cause the body to cool. On a bike windchill is constant whereas rain is occasional.

Fleece as a mid layer provides the real warmth. Is breathable and if bought from an outdoor shop (as opposed to a cycling shop) is relatively cheap.

How easy is it to prise the old bearings out? And is a press tool required for the new ones?

When I commuted (5k mls/yr) I was going through 2 BBs a year. Once I moved to a more water resistance grease and created a grease lip as described by Brucey, this improved to one BB a year.

His post on page 1:

“ The shimano bearings have a single seal mounted in the inner face of the bearing and a separate external seal. The external seal appears to fail and let the water in. The seal can only work (and not wear) if the seal lip is wetted with lubricant, so it isn't a bad idea to spray some lube (e.g. semi-fluid spray grease) in the little gap from time to time.

If refitting bearings to cups, I think it makes sense to fit both seals on the outside, and to whack as much grease as possible inside the BB housing between the (now open at the rear) bearings.”

A Google search returns this for less than Ayrton Senna (tenner):

https://www.bikester.co.uk/mcnett-seam- ... P0QAvD_BwE

I saw Jon’s Facebook pages and it looks very appealing.

However, I can’t get my head round planes bad vs ferries/trains good. Ferries and most trains are diesel powered which is derived from oil. Even those trains that run on electric, that electricity often comes from burning gas.

mjr wrote: ↑12 Oct 2022, 7:06pm Yes, potholes are a likely culprit. I was riding this when it had hit one bump too many... split through at the front of the down tube, then the twisting of the head tube yanked the top tube out of the rear lug. I landed on my feet but no longer had a bike beneath me!
dutchiesplit.jpg

It’s the basket at the front that killed it.

It could be a plethora of things and you could easily spend vast time and money to cure it.

I’d start with the cheapest and easiest solutions first. These often entail taking things off, cleaning, regreasing and reinstalling.

As it only happens when under load I would start on the things that move (pedals, bottom bracket, chain) and then move onto saddle rails and seatpost clamp. Just do the lot at once. Then test ride.

If the issue persists then look at things like the free hub, headset and cassette.

Another thing…think back to when it last worked and what happened between then and when it started creaking. I.e did you ride in the rain, did you make changes to your bike set up, etc?

My old all weather commuter came with a no-name BB and lasted about a year and a half. I replaced it with a UN53 and it lasted 4 years and c. 15k miles when the bike was stolen. No doubt it’s still running butter smooth now - 10+ years later.

Indeed they are good value for money and the steel hooks might be more trustworthy long term.

However, the anti-sway hook looks a bit faffy. Do you have to kneel on the floor to get under the pannier each time to secure it?

When I commuted (pre-pandemic), like the poster above, I used to find all sorts of things.

Several notes, pliers, mole grips, needle nose pliers, steel washers, Rixen and Kaul pannier anti-sway clip, metal wire brush. These were just a few of the many things.

Cycling, particularly uphill, is slow enough to spot things in the road.

I remember one commute I had battled 13 miles into a stinking headwind and was getting utterly peed off. About half a mile from home, stuck on the damp floor was a £5 note. I thought someone is rewarding me for the suffering. Suddenly, the world was right.