Cycling UK Forum

£100 bike four years ago

Since the tyre replacement (the first upgrade) I've replaced the front fork and wheel (to add a disc brake) and the back wheel (cheaper than repairing the old wheel - especially as it had a dodgy hub as well as a broken spoke.)
Also built my own lights, originally using an old drill battery, now upgraded to AA's (lighter and more powerful)

Not alot of the original bike left really

I'm never going back to rim brakes if I can avoid it.

Ben Lovejoy wrote:Something has to be very wrong there. A 4-5mph difference is massive! Either the old tyres were almost flat or your cycle computer is very confused!

I agree, it's a hell of a difference! - but they were *very* knobbly tyres - not flat, but probably softer than the marathons.
Basically the tyres that came with the BSO when I got it.

The cycle computer was OK - rubbish battery life though.

gilesjuk wrote:

[XAP]Bob wrote:However defensively you drive people can always do daft things - I need to speak to some of the driver who overtake me in the morning to find out how they can see around the corners - they come past over double white lines round a blind corner (60 mph each way) often doing a reasonable job of overtaking me, but being massively exposed if there was anything coming. Never has been yet, but it's only a matter of time.

Plenty of those on my trip to work. 50-60mph down country lanes with hedges, overtaking just before a corner. The one guy has a personal reg which makes it easier to remember. I will see if it's raining tomorrow morning and fit the helmet camera, about time I shamed some of these reckless idiots.

I'd like a headcam - but £100 for what is basically a toy (however useful it might be for police reporting) - just can't thoil it

kwackers wrote:It's more entertaining if you make up the distance by holding primary on the inside of a roundabout and clocking up a few miles on the middle of each one you come across.

Remembering that the highway code says (IIRC) that you shall not go round a roundabout more than three times.

I look at it from my driving perspective (which is becoming thankfully smaller

When I do drive I try to look out for those daft cyclists in my way , and find that it's much easier to spot those wearing a high vis top than thise without. I'll often spot them disappearing round a corner as I round the previous bend. That gives me excellent notice that they are there - not under my bumper, but there nonetheless.

That advantage, for the driver, is enough to make me wear high vis at all times - My lightweight high vis T shirt is always my top layer.

rbrian wrote:They're made narrow enough for ambulances to go over without bumping. When I drove a Transit van for work, I could go over without bumping too - but not in my little car, or anything narrower than a Transit. Many modern cars are enormous however - I once parked said Transit next to a Vauxhall Vectra, and was quite surprised to find the Vectra was slightly longer and the same width.

Not that they're advertised as such, but it's clearly to avoid the bumps.

There were some inflatable sleeping policemen at one point - Ambulances carried little transponders that opened a valve on the bump - so they could go over at full pelt, and the hump would deflate. Once past the valves shut and the bump was effective again.

Report it...

And point out where it was to us lot as well

I got a set of the ATB variety last year, I've put 1700 miles on them since early October, and a fair few before then (but without my cycle computer).

My comparison is with BSO tyres, and when fitted they instantly gave me a 4-5 mph advantage on the flat (old cycle computer at least told me that). I tend to keep them at 55 psi (ish) as all my cycling is now on roads, but I haven't had a single puncture, which given other threads claiming 200 mile averages for punctures sounds good.

I've been very happy with them, they'll not get replaced until they wear out.

skrx wrote:

Wildduck wrote:If you suddenly swerve I wish a good recovery when you are mowed down.

I've "mown down" a child (about 3-4) when I was running fast along the pavement. It was 99% the child's fault -- he jumped out from behind a wall and said "Boo!" but obviously misjudged how fast I was going, or didn't realise I'd be unable to stop.

With your attitude, perhaps I'd have run straight through him. I wouldn't have hurt myself that way, but the child would probably have needed an ambulance.
As it was, I tried to dive/leap out of the way, and we were both hurt, but not seriously. I still felt bad about it.

When I was a student I used to blade around hyde park, one occasion a group of us were going at a fair lick, and went - in single file - through a gap between two sets of walking people (all facing away from us). It was wide enough, but there wasn't really any visibility of what was in front of them. A little girl on skates managed to come into the gap just in time for me going through it.
I was travelling far too fast to turn behind the line of people, and so simply picked her up - at speed - span as quickly as reasonably practical and put her back on her way. No injuries, but one very confused girl! Fortunately for her she was tall enough that I could easily get my hands under her shoulders to lift her, else that would have been a heck of a crash - and entirely my fault, no way we should have been going at that speed through that gap.

However defensively you drive people can always do daft things - I need to speak to some of the driver who overtake me in the morning to find out how they can see around the corners - they come past over double white lines round a blind corner (60 mph each way) often doing a reasonable job of overtaking me, but being massively exposed if there was anything coming. Never has been yet, but it's only a matter of time.

I need to sort out a proper front mudguard. My smooth tyres pick up the water, and fling it off forwards and upwards, straight into my face.

Front mudguard is nice - I no longer drink A428 soup all the way to work
Even added an extra 9 miles at lunchtime (in the rain) to cycle across Coventry and back to collect a couple of mini computers. so 30 miles today I'm feeling better already...

I had to mod the mudguard though - when I bought a new front fork assembly (for the disc brake) I didn't observe the fork very carefully, it has no mounting points for a mudguard. So, in keeping with the rest of my bike, copious amounts of blue electricians tape and the mudguard kind of fits. It doesn't interfere with the wheel, and keeps that spray out of my face, so I'm happy.
Must take some pictures of the heath robinson special (well, not really - there's no twine, and all the leccy tape is blue. A mix of black and white cable ties though...

Google Maps

Or thereabouts - must overlay my GPS log and figure out exactly where it was.

Binley Woods - I was heading East, from the A46 roundabout.

sjkidd2002 wrote:(only one twit in a nice new looking Jaguar who was desperate to join the queue of stationary traffic 50m in front of me so much that they nearly had a head on with a car coming the other way .... some people !)

Why do people do it?
I enjoy smiling or waving at these people as I glide past

Ivor Tingting wrote:I wouldn't even bother reporting it to the police nothing will come of it. The police don't give a monkeys. It will only p you off even more. Count yourself lucky that it is the first incident that has happened in many years and it will be several years before it happens again. Glad you're not injured and that you can look on the miscreant comically. Ride for another day.

Actually the police have been very helpful - they've tried fiddling with the plates, but nothing doing. Their talking to the local (to the incident) bobbies about any chance of CCTV footage of the road to try and find the van in question.

I'd certainly report any similar incident in the Warwickshire area!

I was a little shaken, but I'm going to carry on cycling in such a way that I can retain balance if anyone tries it again. Just wish I had rear and front facing cameras

No - they're generally not designed to be waterproof - tha aldi ones are similar (on cursory inspection) to my cheap shimano ones - they get soaked through as effectively as any other kind of shoe - it's not until I put overshoes on that they get warm (even when wet) and they're only a "bone dry ride" when I put a supermarket bag between the shoe and overshoe...

Not sure how well overshoes work without cleats though.

Skin isn't waterproof - but it is sufficiently water resistant and robust to deal with rain.

I put my leggings on again this morning, which always manage to feel dry, and just cycle into it. I only have two Hi Vis vests, and both are lightweight (i.e. about three drops of water and they're waterlogged). I find the rain pleasantly cooling. But then again I don't need to be in a suit in the office, and have a shower available anyway...

I find that I get "half soaked" and then stay that way - the front half is soaked, the back half dry...

Hail on the other hand is a real pain (literally), and snow can be a little uncomfortable (although I never resorted to the ski goggle I carried for while over the winter snow...

As it's quite warm I didn't get my overshoes out - although it was certainly wet enough to justify them, and possibly a plastic bag in them as well (socks, spd shoes, supermarket bag, neoprene overshoes makes an excellent combination - even in very cold and wet weather my feet stay warm and dry.)