Cycling UK Forum

Is there a reason why rider weight never gets mentioned in discussions about bike load handling capacity?

Jules59 wrote: ↑12 Jul 2024, 11:45pm I use my bell well in advance when approaching pedestrians from behind and other animals (but never horses).

I always use my bell to warn horse riders (and the horses?) when approaching from behind, wait until my presences is acknowledged before passing and then usually get thanked by the riders. My understanding is that the horses can be spooked if they see something unexpected approaching from behind but are OK if they know that something is coming.

This bell https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROCKBROS-Cycli ... 06XK461M8/ gives a very good ping for its size but may need several attempts to get through to those folk who have things plugged in their ears.

531colin wrote: ↑11 Jul 2024, 6:27pm First commercial bike I designed was Spa Tourer.....the steering geometry was taken straight from a Bob Jackson bike I had; 71 degrees and 54mm offset is that 57 or 58mm trail? (no vertical dropping for that one!)

I've put my 51cm Aubisque with 584 rims and a 35mm front tyre into the calculator and get 57cm
trail http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/trailc ... =622&tw=35.

I'm very happy with my Aubisque's handling. One test for good behaviour is what the bike does when hit by a gust of crosswind (for example, when passing a gateway in a hedge or wall). A bike I had a few years ago seemed to jump sideways. The Aubisque shifts a little but is easily corrected.

Perhaps contact these folk https://www.customcutspokes.co.uk? I would expect that they have a roll of plain gauge spoke wire and can cut the lengths you want.

st599_uk wrote: ↑4 Jul 2024, 2:32pm It's relatively easy to find a plug that will fit the German SchuKo and French sockets, but Italian sockets have 2 pin spacings depending on available current, Swiss sockets are diamond shaped and Danish sockets look superficially like French sockets, but aren't

A plug that fits the Swiss sockets should fit any socket with two holes as the pins are slightly springy. USB chargers don't need a ground connector. If you've got a lot to charge then this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Charger- ... 098X7X251/ plus this https://www.amazon.co.uk/meter-European ... 0BWC2P6SZ/ is an option. It puts out enough power for a small USB-C powered computer and the separate cable means that it's convenient to use with sockets in inconvenient locations. This Anker charger https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Charger- ... 01MXXOQTE/ has swappable UK and EU plugs.

Like some others here, I travel with more than one charger so I have a backup device, plus a power bank ready for the unexpected such as discovering that something is running low on juice when I'm on the move.

A quick search reveals a bike hire place in Ullapool https://www.ullapoolbikehire.co.uk/ and someone in Scourie https://m.facebook.com/groups/242593866 ... 995580215/.

One of my best investments for enhancing my bike maintenance knowledge was buying a copy of https://www.parktool.com/en-int/product ... tion-bbb-4. While it probably doesn't contain anything that isn't explained on the internet, reading the whole book meant I found out things which I wouldn't have thought to look for and gave me the courage to to a greater amount of bike DIY.

I bought a Spa Aubisque last autumn, decided that it was the most comfortable bike that I've encountered, and bought a second frame at the current EOL pricing on the basis that I might struggle to find anything similar in the future should the need arise (due to theft, accident, etc.) at a price that I'm willing to pay. It's likely that a custom-built frame could be even better but I might get worried about letting something expensive out of my sight.

Psamathe wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 10:44pm I wondered about that but thought the curved underside of the sensor (designed for a much smaller diameter) might not fit on something larger. Also unsure how it would work where on the larger diameter which might introduce a forward and backward motion (or is it just faster and slower horizontal?),

I would fold up some electrical tape and place between the sensor and the hub to fill the gap and help hold the sensor in place. I doubt if the sensor would be confused by moving in a circle of bigger radius.

Psamathe wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 4:54pm I'm soon changing to a Rohloff rear whuch is too big for the sensor and the front wheels are 20" and the hub too narrow for the Garmin and looks like most hub attached sensors.

Would a bigger O-ring enable the Garmin speed sensor to fit on the Rohloff hub?

Here's one I (another fairly small head) wear https://www.oxfordproducts.com/bicycle/ ... att_white/. There's a significant weight difference between the S/M size and the L/XL size to strongly suggest that they are different sized lumps of plastic. However, if the minimum thickness of the helmet has to be sufficient to pass the protection tests then this won't reduce as the helmet gets smaller.

This table is a useful reference https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-libr ... tyre-sizes. 650B (584mm rim diameter) sits about half way between 700C (622mm rim dia) and 26" (559mm rim dia). I'm using 650B in bikes designed for 700C because I can use tyres that are a couple of sizes wider.

There's useful guidance on chain tension for a Rohloff bike on page 12 of the Thorn Bike Owners Manual http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/Thorn ... al2Web.pdf.

Riley26 wrote: ↑12 May 2024, 1:01pm Ah so the handle bars of a road bike never adjust? Maybe a road bike isn't for me then.

It looks as if you can turn the stem over which will raise the bars a bit (approx 20mm if a 7 degree 80mm long stem). You can raise the bars further by using a stem with a bigger angle and or more length.

seanywoo wrote: ↑11 May 2024, 11:51am Is there any chance I can get some information on the chilli tech cam you use mate?

See https://www.chilli-tech.com/action-cameras.