Cycling UK Forum

You need to stop in half the distance that you can see. If somebody comes around a blind bend at the same speed that you are approaching at, you both have half that distance to stop in to avoid collision.
I think most people do this automatically but I also get some scary overtakes when approaching blind bends on A and B roads where there is no way the vehicle would stop in time.

I have a pair of Optilab flow with mid tint for summer use. Only problem I have with them is slight double vision when looking through the side part. I think this is due to the wrap around curvature and my prescription (about -4.5). I only notice this when I first start using them again after while (over winter).
I have been using Selectspecs Aero2057 with a clear lens over winter and have been very impressed and much cheaper (£12).

non-iron shirt in a pannier works ok. Back in the day when commuting I folded a shirt and underwear into a plastic bag inside a pannier (just incase of rain). Leave work shoes, trousers etc at work.

I also use narrow rural lanes a lot and I dont think an outright speed limit would help. What is needed is motorists to realise if there is going to be less than a metre gap then their speed needs to be much reduced. When walking or cycling on rural roads having a car pass too fast and too close is the real issue. Most people seem to realise this and slow right down, its the few who do not that are the problem.

I had a confused delivery driver on Sunday, unsure whether to leave 1.5m clearance or to not cross the double white lines down the centreline while passing me. They failed on both counts, also they had the hazard flashers on for good measure. The overtake would have been fine if there was more clearance as I think the double whites were due to a cross roads 200m further on so more aimed at motorised vehicles overtaking at higher speeds. Of course they could have just waited!

I would personally give parked cars a 1m clearance just in case. Someone may be rummaging in the glove box or tying shoe laces - expect the unexpected.

As previously mentioned this could be difficult to implement and I'm not sure how single track would be defined.
Personally I find a couple of local stretches of rural road (about 500m length) really bad for close passing. These are between 3m and 4m width (going in and out) and with potholes at the edge. There are a few drivers that will try overtaking and pass with about half a metre which given the road surface is scary. It would be great if stretches of road like this could be identified and made no overtaking (or even 'beware cyclists' signs).
On the narrower roads drivers will wait and if over 4m wide there should be space to pass safely. I generally dont feel speed is the issue providing oncoming vehicles slow as they pass.

I get this a lot and find that getting rid of dried mud under the cleat clears it. There is a lot of clay locally and this can set like concrete, I us a screwdriver to scrape under the cleat where it is clamped by the pedal.

I wondered about this as I have replaced the freehub (shimano type). It would only take a tiny bit of grit or swarf underneath to throw the bearing cup out of alignment.

thanks for all the advice.
I have the wheel set up now with a tiny bit of play in some orientations and no play in others so I assume something is worn a bit unevenly.
The rotating valve test works although the heavy point is opposite the valve where the seam of the rim is (I believe there are couple of steel pins inside). This is also a bit trickier on the rear because the freehub only allows one direction of rotation.
This is probably the optimum setup for the age/wear of the hub and I am not sure how a bit of play could damage the hub.
I am not convinced the discolouration is rust as it appears evenly on the ball bearings and as rings on the cup and cone (drive side only), everywhere else is silver and shiny.

thanks for the link slowster I couldn't find that info earlier.
I get the impression that as the hub has done about 20,000 miles already, getting it perfect is unlikely and it will last longer with slight play left. The risk is I might overtightening the skewer after a puncture repair, and it seems overtight is far more likely to cause damage than slightly loose.
The QR tension does seem to make a big difference to the adjustment.

sorry for the confusion, by play I mean the amount of movement that can be felt at the rim (although too small to be seen). I like to adjust this to about 1/32 inch at the rim which amounts to very small movement at the hub.
The rear dropouts are the older horizontal type so I tighten the quick release quite tight using the lever. I get the impression this compresses the axle quite a lot hence the 'overdone' comment.
When the hub failed it started making clicking noises which got progressively worse and I could feel it binding when removed. When I took it apart the drive side bearings and surfaces had discoloured (overheating?) and some bearings looked slightly pitted. I have rebuilt with new ball bearings and the wheel seems to be working fine with just a tiny bit of play left when the QR is tight.
The question I have is can this cause any problems? I get the impression slightly under tightened less likely to cause problems.

I always used to leave a tiny bit of play when adjusting wheel hub bearings until recently. After reading that there should be a bit of play with quick release part tight and no play once tightened I have tried this but ended up with a damaged hub, I assume I overdid it. Is there anything wrong with leaving a bit of play, as it seems safer than risking damage?
incidentally, I have noticed that the amount of play on this wheel varies as I rotate it - maybe a slightly not straight axle?