Cycling UK Forum

Pinhead wrote: ↑2 Dec 2023, 11:36am On any matter like this people are always against it, complaining, never a good thing.

This is not a good philosophy, employees who accept without question all limitations and restrictions will live to regret it.

When touring in mainland Europe I found it became a bit if a chore converting metric/imperial and as electronic odometers became so inexpensive it seemed best just to have two, one imperial and one metric.

I think the number of road traffic signs falling over due to rusted posts exceeds the number of potholes in my area.
Evidence of a country in decline.

kenp wrote: ↑4 Nov 2023, 7:35pm.
We are experienced road cyclists but first time cycle tourists to Holland so have a few questions.

I'm sure you would manage well yourselves. On my first visit to mainland Europe, I met a fellow cyclist on the ferry to Ijmuiden who gave me some basic tips on road signs etc., accompanied me to an Ijmuiden cafe, then escorted me from the town centre to the open roads. This was sufficient to boost my confidence and calm the initial nerves I had of cycling in another land.

Jdsk wrote: ↑4 Nov 2023, 6:07pm "Brexit, lack of cash, politics: has the UK cycling revolution run out of road?":
Jonathan

Has the UK cycling revolution ever got on the road?
I've seen many programmes, strategies and hopes come and go with some local successes, but with little change in the nation overall.

pwa wrote: ↑22 Oct 2022, 2:42pm

I'd not go up to Scotland to do walking from a fixed base because I like to have a map that shows clearly where I can expect to be able to walk. [/quote]
. There are available plenty of publications carrying details of all of the well known and most of the lesser known walks throughout the country(Scotland), if these were all to be included in an OS map, then I fear there would be information overload!
There is no value in having maps with vast areas shaded in to indicate where you can expect to be able to walk as the "walkability", of paths depends very much on the fitness, skills and equipment carried by the individual walkers.

Schokland might appeal to you, "countless birds" there according to Google, but I would think that figure would vary through the seasons.
It's a fascinating sort of place anyway, an island that became isolated from the sea. Google 'Schokland' for info on birdlife, wildlidlife, museum, and history.

He's right of course about so many people using cars, but appears not to question why.

jrs665 wrote: ↑14 Sep 2023, 7:12pm Yes. From the direction he was facing, obviously was not going to or coming from the hospital accross the road, conclusion thus being that he was drunk.

There were other possibilities, victim of a hit and run, heart attack or stroke. I find it shocking that you could treat a fellow human in that way.

Looked like a human, and you cycled past?

There appears to be no regulations regarding the brightness of lights used for "daylight running" on bicycles and I find some cyclists with lights so strong it hurts.

Carlton green wrote: ↑13 Jul 2023, 12:19am To my mind the SA AW was once the gearing of choice and lost that position due to the advantages of perfectly maintained and set-up derailleur gears. I can’t argue with it, in terms of sporting performance and outright capability (gear ratio range) it’s jolly hard to beat a decent derailleur set-up … but IMHO such advantages come with drawbacks too and who really needs (has necessity for) that much sporting performance and ‘capability’ on their daily ride?

It's not so much the joy of 3 speed, any number of hub gears is acceptable. The joy comes with the escape from the drawbacks of derailleur gears.

plancashire wrote: ↑6 Jul 2023, 9:23pm So why haven't I seen it done here in Germany? The roads generally are in much better condition than in Britain. I drove in Britain in May and had to be very alert to avoid wheal-eating chasms. I see such poor condition roads here very exceptionally.

IMV, very few things are done better in Britain, and the things that were are not done better now due to austerity, Brexit and Covid.

Reminds me of a trip in Germany, the guard/ticket inspector came through the train and demanded that all panniers had to be taken off the bikes and placed on the overhead racks. By the time I had taken the panniers off and realised the overhead rack was too small to take panniers, the guard had moved along the train to harrass someone else.....happy days .

SummitFreedom wrote: ↑1 Jul 2023, 8:26amHow do you use it?

Don't use it but do complain to your Council Planning Office that these wheelbender type racks should never have been approved for use as they are condemned in national guidance documents.
Quoting the Scottish version, but I would hope that other parts of the UK would offer similar guidance.

6.2.1 Cycle stands which only grip the cycle by a wheel (including butterfly
racks and concrete slots) should not be installed as they offer only
limited security, can cause a trip hazard to pedestrians and can
damage wheel rims.
6.2.2 Any cycle parking facility should allow for the frame and both wheels
to be locked to the fixture. A minimum of two points of contact
is recommended and some flexibility in the design of cycle parking
stands to suit local conditions may be considered, but all facilities
should fulfil the main function of allowing for two-point frame and
wheel locking.