Cycling UK Forum

plancashire wrote: ↑22 May 2024, 8:39pm In Germany the rule is that you must have them on every spoke. How many bikes with these things arrive in our volunteer bike workshop with some missing? They split or are nicked. We have spares, of course. How long does it take to prepare a wheel for truing with these things on them? How long does it take to clean them in comparison with two yellow reflectors or a ring on the tyre? They are nice decoration, I'll admit.

All good points. And yes, they do annoy me when it comes to checking my spokes, but that doesn't happen often. And (notwithstanding the German StVO rules) I'd rather lose one or two (or five or even ten) spoke sleeves and not notice than just one of the orange clip reflectors.

plancashire wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 5:14pm They are a pest in my view

Why do you regard them as a pest? Other than falling off and littering the landscape (happens rarely, but does happen) I find only advantages in them. On the few occasions I've been sitting in a motorised vehicle and seen a cycle with spoke sleeve reflectors they light up even more impressively than the tyre reflectors.

h.g. wrote: ↑15 May 2024, 10:45am I have just had a very brief play having downloaded the Gates app and a spectrum analyser onto my cheap android phone. The first issue is the mic in a mobile can have a poor response at frequencies below 100 Hz although it varies with type. The second issue is that the signal is of short duration but the information required is low frequency. This means there are only a few cycles of useful information and optimising the bin size for the FFT is not straightforward. A third issue is that there is a lot noise around at low frequencies.

Where you pluck the belt will determine how much work is put into the various modes but the frequencies of the modes will remain constant so long as the pluck isn't so strong the response becomes nonlinear. If you pluck in the middle that will strongly drive the lowest fundamental mode (presumably the one to be measured) at, say, 30 Hz, the second harmonic should be weakly driven at 60 Hz and the third harmonic strongly driven at 90 Hz. So you are looking for the lowest frequency that is valid and not noise and can ignore the rest.

The approach seems to be OK if one is using reasonable measurement hardware. I need to find and unpack my measurement system, perform the FFT directly rather than via a mobile app so that I can be sure of the FFT settings, check the response of my mobile mic and see how well it can reproduce a reliable measurement. That will have to wait but has been added to my list of tasks.

Now you mention it, it seems obvious that a poor microphone in the mobile device would interfere with readings. I shall try a spectrum analyser app on the same device and see what the results are.

I did pluck the belt in the middle (both upper and lower), but depending on how hard I twanged it I had a different reading from the Gates app. The very fact that the Gates app takes an average of the last few measurements suggests that they're not confident of consistent results, but I suppose that could be due to harmonics interfering with the signal.

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑15 May 2024, 4:22pm No, that's due to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. A UN convention, nothing whatsoever to do with the EU.

That's reassuring, thanks.

plancashire wrote: ↑14 May 2024, 9:14pm [...] If you plan on riding in Germany you need two yellow reflectors in each wheel or tyres with reflective sidewalls.[...]

As I understand it, you can have those spoke reflectors (often to be found in Aldlidl Midl Aldaisle), but only if they're on every spoke.

The other thing about cycling in Germany (or elsewhere in the EU) is that we used to be able to ride our bikes there subject only to UK regs providing we weren't staying too long. Has that easement now expired (cf Brexit Benefits)? Do we need to now meet all regs for all EU countries we cycle through (not sure if that's OT, it's still to do with reflectors ...).

As pjclinch touches on, it's not just weight but bulk.

Cycle-camping is my preferred mode, but on the few occasions I don't take a tent, I'm always pleasantly surprised by how little 'stuff' I have on board: 2 rear panniers with lots of room to spare in them vs 2 full rear panniers, tent on top and sometimes even a couple of low riders on the front. Basically tent + sleeping bag + tiny sleep mat + cooking stuff doubles my luggage volume, and almost doubles the weight.

All manageable, but a noticeable difference. But in your case it won't be so much difference, will it? You're talking about 'upgrading' from a bivvie bag to a 'proper' tent, that's only a one or two kilos extra weight, and some lightweight tents pack down to not much bigger than a bivvie bag.

h.g. wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 3:18pm

Gazelles wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 3:12am Have you tried to reduce the belt tension a little?

Not yet. The Gates app is the one to use for measuring tension?

To answer this I'll quote myself from an older thread, but if you find a more reliable way of measuring tension please let us know!

Galactic wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 10:51am I've just had the opportunity to try out the Gates Tension app. Interesting. With a little practice (<20 sec) I could thrum the belt to give me any frequency between 20hz and 90hz. How useful.

App deleted, belt tensioned so that I can move it about 12mm up and down (+/-6mm from resting) half way along. Can't remember where I read that was about the right tension, but that's what it's getting for now

I've been looking at Tex-Lock, made in Leipzig. They're like a cable with various options such as a combination lock, loops for a D-lock or a version to fit frame/nurses locks. Instead of steel string wrapped in PVC or similar, it's a chain wrapped in kevlar and other cut, heat and cold resistant, flexible fibres.

They are relatively light and claim to be Sold Secure silver (although a search of the Sold Secure site shows only the d-lock elements are rated, not the rope). I had a look on youtube to see how easy the Tex-Lock is to break, and it seems to do better than eg the Abus Bordo lock in that first you need to cut through the fibres (a half-decent junior hacksaw does the job, but it takes a bit of time), then you need a beefy bolt cropper for the chain (for comparison, the Bordo 6000 just needs the beefy bolt cropper and is quickly chomped through). So they're not Sold Secure gold standard, but are a lot lighter and initial research suggests they're better than a sub-1kg chain or even a Bordo 6000 (1330g).

They are apparently light and comfortable enough to wear if you wish, or they're flexible and soft enough to wrap around your frame. No idea if there is a UK retailer, they have an online shop but then you've got the usual post-Brexit import worries. https://www.tex-lock.com/en/

axel_knutt wrote: ↑20 Apr 2024, 7:45pm Yes. Automatic Gain Control (AGC). There's one in every radio receiver and transmitter, not just hearing aids. My point is that as the user gets more deaf he'll be demanding more volume.

As I said above, it's the job of the audiologist to fit the hearing aid safely.

axel_knutt wrote: ↑20 Apr 2024, 7:45pm People make themselves deaf listening to stuff with ordinary headphones sometimes. A guy at the camera club had a hearing aid which you could hear at the other side of the room when it started howling, it wasn't short of output power.

It sounds like your camera club guy had a poorly fitted ear coupler, but it doesn't follow that he was doing himself damage just because you could hear feedback from across the room.

axel_knutt wrote: ↑20 Apr 2024, 7:45pm It's the NHS's job to treat my heart as well, but I'm still waiting for the operation I was offered 11 years ago.

I'm sorry that you haven't had the operation you need, that's a poor job. But I'm not so sure your comparison works. You receive a hearing aid and a fitting at the same time - you don't get a hearing aid and told to come back at some point to have it set up.

millimole wrote: ↑20 Apr 2024, 5:20pm There's a lot of advertising by large companies which try to force those with hearing loss down the extremely expensive private route without mentioning the excellent NHS audiology services available for free. Having visited the likes of Specsavers and not being able to afford their private offerings they become prey to the cheap amplifier devices that have potential to cause (some) harm.

Well, yes, this is a major problem (which is not to say all over the counter aids/amplifiers are problematic). But it goes beyond hearing aids and stems to a great extent from the starving of the NHS and back door privatisation of our health services.

millimole wrote: ↑20 Apr 2024, 5:20pm The issue of wind noise has been dealt with in previous threads and a search should reveal some suggestions.

Really? I can't find anything relevant via the search function. And wind noise in hearing aids on a cyclist forum is a lot more relevant than us chatting about how hearing aids and health services function. Which is to say I'd welcome hearing how other people deal with cycling, hearing aids and deafness/hard of hearing.

fausto99 wrote: ↑19 Apr 2024, 3:41pm The wind noise was horrendous

I find a thin hat that covers the hearing aid microphones does a good job at cutting out that horrendous wind noise. Or you could sew wee socks for the hearing aids out of a stretchy material (something fine like nylon or polyester, not old socks). That way you can still hear the birds singing and your cycling companion's chat without getting blasted off your perch by howling gales.

axel_knutt wrote: ↑20 Apr 2024, 1:13pm There is evidence that amplified sound causes deafness, and evidence that hearing aids amplify sound, so there does seem good reason to wonder if hearing aids might accelerate the very problem they seek to fix over the long term

There is evidence that objects in the throat cause asphyxiation, and there is evidence that food is an object. So there does seem a good reason to wonder whether food might accelerate the very problem (death) it seeks to fix.

Sarcasm aside, things are inevitably a little more complex. Yes, hearing aids amplify, yes hearing aids can amplify to such an extent that they could cause instant damage to the cochlea and hence lead to deafness. But prescribed hearing aids don't just add (for example) 50dB to everything, that hasn't been the case since about the 1950s.

So if someone shouts at 80dB right next to you, the hearing aid won't pump out over 100dB, but will likely just pass that 80dB right through unamplified, or maybe add 5 or 6dB, depending on how it's been programmed. Basically, the hearing aid won't pump out anything loud enough to be uncomfortable, never mind dangerous. That's the kind of thing your audiologist will pay attention to.

The usual set up is that soft sounds (whispering, footsteps, mice in the wall) are amplified a fair bit, normal sounds (speech, a car passing at a few metres distance) will be amplified a bit, and loud sounds aren't or are hardly amplified.

The exact amounts will vary according to an individual's needs and will change according to frequency (treble, bass etc) and volume of the input sound. It's all calculated from your hearing loss according to a complicated formula, eg NAL-NL2 or DSL v5.

If you have concerns about worsening your hearing by wearing a hearing aid then have a chat with your GP or audiologist. They'll be able to show you how much various sounds will be amplified in your particular case, and that these are even close to the level where damage to hearing is possible. Basically, it's their job to help you hear better without making matters worse.

In fact, it's a problem with hearing aids that they can only amplify to a certain extent because beyond that they'd do damage. That's why things like cochlear implants have been invented for people who can no longer be helped much or at all by hearing aids.

NB In the above, I'm talking about proper hearing aids that have been fitted to your prescription by professionals. If you want to buy an amplifier off the internet then some or all of the above may not apply and yes, you could end up worse off than you are now.

It's been said before, but not (as far as I can see) yet on this thread, but it's worth having different locks for different scenarios.

My heaviest lock combo (Sold Secure Gold D-lock plus heavy chain) is for parking for longer periods in the big bad city. Hardly gets used.

More usually I have a lighter combo (without the D-lock) for going shopping in the local town and touring. If, when touring, I'll be parking overnight in a city, there's almost always somewhere reasonably safe to park up, so the lower lock security levels don't matter so much.

In terms of flexibility I like my frame lock (aka nurses lock, shopping lock) which is attached to the rear triangle and locks the back wheel. I have a variety of chains and cables that can be attached in to that lock, making it very a flexible solution (albeit not the lightest). It's also a great space saver, since it provides the security of a small D-lock without taking up any noticeable space on the frame while on the go.

I wouldn't use it without a chain or cable though, because if just the back wheel is locked then the bike can just be chucked in the back of a van and driven off.

I've just had the opportunity to try out the Gates Tension app. Interesting. With a little practice (<20 sec) I could thrum the belt to give me any frequency between 20hz and 90hz. How useful.

App deleted, belt tensioned so that I can move it about 12mm up and down (+/-6mm from resting) half way along. Can't remember where I read that was about the right tension, but that's what it's getting for now

I'm pretty sure Europe isn't the best place to tour, because best is so subjective, and there's the whole inherent/structural/cultural bias that most of us here will be subject to (colonialism, nationalism, white superiority etc). I'm not suggesting we're all racists, but our society is racist, and this will have rubbed off on us to a greater or lesser extent. That affects our attitudes to places further away and the people who live there.

That said, Europe is best for me:

• Partly (mostly?) as has been pointed out above, we're already here, so getting to the start of our tour is going to cost a lot less resources (environmental and financial). In fact, I think it's fair to say I would only tour outside Europe if I could get there mostly under my own steam - and that is going to take longer than I can afford.

• And I've always thought that Europe is 'human scale'. Even the Alps aren't that impossibly big - most of us would be able to ride over at least the easier passes. The forests, the plains, the lakes are all manageable sizes. I suppose this is what leads to the wide variation/variety that has been mentioned. There's a lot of culture (ie historical human settlement) crammed into a relatively small area so a week's ride can take us through several languages and hundreds of shades of vernacular architecture and agriculture.

• Finally, a lot of the time nowadays I find myself wanting something a bit different, but still inside (or not too far from) my comfort zone. Most of Europe doesn't feel too foreign/different/scary (see my first point above), so I can have an adventure without it all being too much. (When I were younger I had more energy to go further out from my comfort zone, but I find I haven't always got the mental capacity to do that any more, which is a great shame).

PS I'm interested in these apps, might be just the ticket for next winter. Can anyone recommend a couple so I can have a look at them?