Cycling UK Forum

We're talking 2 different things here, most ebikes are or should be limited to 15mph/25kph, 'chipped' or 'hacked' as per the OP are illegal, but enforcement with our over stretched police is a problem. Also they have to exercise caution, look what happened in Cardiff earlier this year....

Many of these young men are using 'chipped' bikes to out run police through rat runs etc., as they are pedalling their 'wares'.
A recent trip to Manchester and the speed of the Deliveroo riders was something to behold.... no wonder so many road users hate us... as they do not define the difference.
At the beginning of the year I was turning onto the main road through our small town only to do a double take as i realised a bike travelling toward me was travelling at high speed..... clearly a 'chipped' ebike, travelling at the speed of the traffic.... 25-30mph.... I said then someone is going to killed as motorists pulling out will not anticipate their speed just as they have difficulty anticipating the speed of a non ebike, as we all know. Sadly my prediction has become a reality.

Depends on the situation, as someone who time trials I've ridden plenty of dual carriageways and deem them safer than convulted narrow road courses with multiple entrances and exits on to the course.
My commute route to work meant I had to use the A6 into Preston part of which was dual carriageway, perfectly OK most of the time at the times i was commuting... though could be a bit hectic at busy times.... luckily with 30mph limit it wasn't too much of a problem.... there are very few crossing points for the Ribble and the other 3 were not viable for my route to work.

I will use DC's but depending on the circumstances, where they are and time of day, and presence of alternatives would come into the calculation.

MrsHJ wrote: ↑27 Aug 2023, 6:44pm Thank you for elucidating.

No problem.

MrsHJ wrote: ↑25 Aug 2023, 9:36pm That’s interesting. I don’t actually mind if riders go as fast as I can- I get that it’s not fully in the audax spirit but although it’s years since I’ve done an audax there were always the speed merchants at the front waiting for the controls to open.

However- it’s an unsupported ride, not a supported one so I don’t understand how participants can be doing it supported- that’s entirely outside the both the spirit of the thing and the rules- just showing how little I know I guess.

On the heat I think that there were some big problems with the heat in PBP too so I’m not sure it would have helped to qualify on cooler rides. However sympathy with all those who didn’t qualify or didn’t finish- it’s a long time til the next one.

Riders can have a vehicle / family / club members meet them at the controls. Back in 1991, vehicles were not allowed to drive the route but use alternative routes to get to the controls, riders could not receive support from a support vehicle on the route. It means that riders can have their own choices of food, cut out the queues, get a change of clothes, or have their own space to sleep for a couple of hours. The last control in 1991 had horrendous queues for food, and some people from Willesden saw me arrive to check in, told me to check in but then return and they would supply me with food, they also kindly took my spare over night kit that was now not needed for the final run in.

Jdsk wrote: ↑9 Aug 2023, 4:52pm

TrevA wrote: ↑9 Aug 2023, 2:32pm

Barrowman wrote: ↑9 Aug 2023, 1:49pm Read in this mornings paper about certain regions of France requiring a sticker in your car window confirming Vehicle Emissions , assuming a vehicle here.
I am sure they wouldn't dare ask about "personal emissions" if you are on the bike

Yes, it’s called a Crit Air and you need one in certain cities to show your vehicle meets emissions standards.

Application can be done online. It works fine. You get a temporary sticker by email two days later.

Beware of fake web sites.

Jonathan

Yes we've just got ours, relatively simple to do and arrived promptly.
I have heard of campervanners having their fridges inspected and items like meat cheese and milk removed.

Most of the riding goes inland from the coast and I'm afraid will involve some climbing.
Leaving Malaga head east toward Nerja, a fairly flat route to begin with. I have friends who have place before Nerja so have been a few times.
The climb from Nerja to Frigiliana is quite stiff, stay west and go up Zafarya
Certainly consider doing the Ma1226 to or from Canillas de Aceituno.... it goes around a beautiful gorge.
Other places, a climb yes but gets you into the varied countryside away from the coast is to Zafarya,
On a touring holiday a few years back we have stayed at; Alahama de Granada, Granada has to be a must and the alhambra palace,
Alfarnate, Archidona, Antequera, Alhaurin de Grande, and we did the climb from Marbella up to Ojen. Ronda is another place to put on your list as it sits on wonderful cliffs over a gorge.

rareposter wrote: ↑30 Jul 2023, 6:14pm

eileithyia wrote: ↑30 Jul 2023, 5:45pm Other amusement is those who claim to support the British bike industry etc., while proudly boasting how they are still riding on a 30-40yr old steel frame bike, great no argument with that.... (reduce reuse etc), but buying a new bike 40yrs ago isn't currently supporting the bike industry.

Very much that and also the constant exhortations to "learn to repair things yourself" and "you can buy the tools quite cheaply" and then they wonder why the local bike shop has closed down...

It's weird, it's one of the few industries left where people still expect a discount, expect work to be done free or very cheap because "it's only a bike" or "it'll only take 5 minutes".
Yes, the work took 5 minutes but the experience of determining what was wrong in the first place and then knowing which bits to adjust and by how much took a lot longer than 5 minutes to acquire and required tools costing several hundred pounds!

The big mail order chains can undercut bike shops by a substantial margin but they can't fix your bike at 4pm on a Friday before you're due to go riding for the weekend...

People are also unaware the most cycle mechanics arent just someone who picked up how to repair bikes by working in the bike shop, but are trained with a certification..... essential these days to ensure they are not sued if someone thinks the job wasn't done correctly.

Well we're not all cheapskates, but there is expensive for the sake of being expensive and expensive because it is worth paying the extra for, ie I won't entertain buying Aldi cycle kit... I did once... big mistake, barely fitted anywhere, and prefer the comfort and styling of higher end clothing manufacturers.
It does however amuse me when cyclists on expensive bikes won't return to a cafe 'cos the tea has gone up by 5p.
Other amusement is those who claim to support the British bike industry etc., while proudly boasting how they are still riding on a 30-40yr old steel frame bike, great no argument with that.... (reduce reuse etc), but buying a new bike 40yrs ago isn't currently supporting the bike industry.

As others, hopefully they rot in hell.

Met an interesting lady today, we were on the South Downs way and got talking about the construction site for Boomtown festival, conversation drifted on to the fact she was out testing equipment for an upcoming ride in Kyrgistan .... only the Silk Road race, we talked bikes, sleeping strategies and kit for a few mins and wished her well.... then googled her later,
She's certainly done some impressive stuff in the past, Everest then skydived off!

Ha Ha Ha I saw the topic header, and thought that sounds like a great trip and my advice would be 'just do it'

Sounds great, I usually have a vague plan of route usually dictated by start and finish travel points (ferry plane bike bus), have some idea of what i want to see on the way, ie particular towns / villages / lakes / climbs / rivers / bird reserves (or places to see particular species ie vultures, beeeaters), but never forget that gems present themselves along the way.
Plans often change within the parameters set due to weather or the wish to stay a bit longer somewhere.
I always aim for a reasonable sized town or village to find somewhere to stay each night as well having ideas of other accommodation options ie YH's and in the States i even stopped in a YMCA, Let's Go books were always invaluable travelling companions.

Ah top dressing, as said above; done to allegedly protect the road. Quite a few local roads have been done recently but credit where credit is due they do seem to be using a finer grade gravel so it is a smoother surface and the loose stuff is swept up then a further seal of tar is put down.
Not sure about the prevention of potholes, it doesn't take long before wear patches can appear making the road a rougher place to ride..

Even worse is the anti-skid surface put down on top of roads at junctions and crossings, it quickly comes up and takes underlying road surface with it, creating a very poor surface to ride over.

I thought, some years ago when I joined the forum, there was a similar thread with members of the forum who could potentially offer accommodation?

Swallowing flies while cycling = camp meat as we called it at Guide camp extra protein...... occasionally one catches at the back of the throat; swig from bottle and gargle and spit.
Never had an issue with them going up my nose.

Can't help with the sunscreen, my son starts with factor 30 and reduces to factor 15 as he tans, never aware of sweat causing issues regarding reapplying. Being darker skinned it's less of any issue for me.