Cycling UK Forum

Thanks for your suggestions, Andrew S., but apologies for my ignorance: what is a QR?
Cheers!

This may help: http://www.seat61.com/Iceland.htm

I hope you get there - I travelled by bus round the country in 1990 and had a great time. Always wanted to go back with a bike... but have more or less given up flying. Iceland needs tourist money this year especially!

To (probably) conclude this thread, I did eventually find a Park FR-1 in the bike shop local to me - to my shame I'd discounted it as a 'pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap' sort of shop but it's actually a real bike shop with lots of tools and they were helpful too, not offhand or patronising like some of the others.
The Fr-1 does fit, all I have to do now is get the freewheel off!
Cheers for all your help!

Years ago I was out cycling in Newcastle in really icy weather and both tyres went completely flat - when I looked at them they were all split - they had just fallen apart with the cold! Haven't done it since...

Similarly I'd like to pass on my (non-cycling) Dad's comments about how helpful Evan's Nottingham were with my bro's Christmas list!

I'm rather overwhelmed by the response! Thank you to everybody! I can't say I've been able to follow ALL the technical details, but I think that altogether my suspicions that I'd been sold the wrong tool were right. Do shops just think 'it's only £6 so they won't bother to ask for their money back if it's wrong' or do they not know what they are talking about? Hypothetical question! I've been to four shops in the city, non of whom had the park Fr-1 and most offered me the cyclo hyperglide - or the shimano version which I assume fits but was £10. Ho hum.

Do Edison's/Eddison's have a website? I've tried a quick google but haven't found anything.
Cheers!
Sympathy for your efforts to find a decent frame, Oaklec. I had a bit of whinge on here recently about the lack of (not step-over) small frames for women.
I've had a look at Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op's Revolution Traveller and Trailfinder bikes and even Islabikes (quality kid's bikes) but both are a bit of a trek to go and try out.
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/comms/s ... Cardinal=1
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/

Cheers for an astonishingly speedy reply, Thirdcrank! That certainly moves things along.
BTW I realise I've put this in the wrong forum, sorry moderators!

This has become a bit of a saga! I just want to clean out the bearings in my back wheel, and inconveniently, I need to take off the freewheel to do this. Apparently it's a rather dated racing wheel.
The freewheel says 'Shimano WE Singapore' on it.
I've used the Park Tools website to try to identify which remover to buy. My freewheel looks like the one which needs an FR-1 remover, and the picture of the FR-1 looks as if it would fit. However, when I ask for an FR-1 in a bike shop I am sold something called a hyperglide, which looks slightly different, and doesn't fit. I've emailed one of the big bike chains about this and they tell me that a hyperglide is the same as the FR-1 so I must have been wrong about which tool I need.
I have seen that there is a similar tool called a uniglide - is this what I need? Any suggestions and help most welcome!

Walking up to 2 or 3 miles (except for hiking - 8 to 12), cycling up to 5 or 10 (plus days out, holidays, etc.,) bus occasionally, borrow/ride in car only occasionally.
Sold my car several years ago, don't intend to buy another one. Mind you, it means that I've not been able to apply for a number of good jobs becuase they expected you to have your own car. My line of work? Environmental education!!

Style Over Speed: both bikes look great - REAL bikes (in my book!)

Re the 26" wheels on the Surly, did you get the frame made specially for this size? I'm asking because I'm thinking over the practicailities of doing something similar with my old tourer. The sticking point will be the brakes...

The best advice I ever got about not getting a cold was from an ex-boss who was generally a total prat. The advice was to NOT PICK YOUR NOSE. Cold viruses are spread by direct or indirect contact, such as doorhandles, and a finger will deliver the viruses to right where they wanted to be.

The only times I've caught colds the last few years is when I've visited friends who have lovely but small and sticky children!

A topic of great interest to me! £8.50 is the most I've paid over the last year or so, the least is £3.50 at The Grange in Flamborough in Yorkshire, who deserve a plug.

It seems tough to be paying the same as a family of 4 with a big tent, but what I have rationalised is that if the site is busy, then to charge me much less would mean a loss to the campsite. If the site isn't busy then I'm benefiting from lots of space and a bathroom to myself! I'm probably brainwashing myself, but getting aggrieved over site fees only spoils the trip.

Touristy places, especially the coast, seem to charge the most, but I did notice that several campsites on the Norfolk Coast have a '£5 for one night only after 5pm' fee for walkers and cyclists, which is helpful. Sites in walking areas seem to have more reasonable fees and are more likely to have a lower fee for self-powered campers.

The website http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/ is the one I use most for finding campsites, as it has reviews from site users. You could comment about your overpriced site there.

Another little plug: http://z10.invisionfree.com/Travelling_Light/index.php is a forum connected with the Fell Club, which is a club for people who cycle or walk without using cars. The forum has a growing list of usually small and cheap campsites which the contributors have used and like.

I spent most of September touring the east coast from Filey Bay down to The Wash, taking in lots of fantastic wildlife sites. Nice cycling too!
More info on here: http://kfonmebike.blogspot.com/. Just scroll down a bit.

I meant to do Filey to Felixtowe but soon realised that I couldn't do a long ride every day if I wanted to experience the coast and the wildlife fully. I ended up doing Filey to Filey - I had missed Spurn Head in the rain so I went back to Yorkshire again!

It's opened up a new world for me - birdwatching - but taken much further it could clash with cycle touring. Telescopes and tripods are not light!

Great bikes and an excellent outfit!

The middle name 'Finlay' might come from the late artist Ian Hamilton Finlay, whose wonderful house and garden, Little Sparta, are near Edinburgh.