Cycling UK Forum

Mick F wrote:I read once that if a surprisingly small number of people gathered together, a couple of them would share a birthday. I can't remember what the statistical number was, but it was far less than 100.

The critical number is 23 - less than a typical school classroom - in a group of this number of people the probability that two will share a birthday is just over ½. More details here.

Bear in mind that the probability refers to any two people sharing a birthday - not to any person sharing a birthday with you (for which the probability is far lower). The surprisingly high statistic arises out of the number of different ways that items in a group can be paired.

I think I've done myself a mischief.
Nothing cycling-related, I was merely leaning across the supermarket checkout counter and I felt - and heard - something snap in the back of my thigh. Very painful that evening (Saturday) but the pain has largely subsided now: still tender and sore and I'm walking slowly with a pronounced limp. No visible signs of bruising or anything.

Tips? And more to the point, when can I risk getting back on the bike (for gentle cycling)?

I don't do any sort of hill anymore , but in my younger (and a lot fitter!) days I remember giving Park Rash a go once or twice. Most aptly named (referring to the cyclist who attempts it)! A right little devil sprinkled with loose gravel on the bends. Mind you this was over 30 years ago for me: maybe it's changed since then (anyone in the Yorkshire Dales area familiar with it)?

Dunno about exploding locks .... it seems the security tags attached to some items in shops can explode, releasing a dye in your face. Don't feel too comfortable about this! Some months ago I bought a suit (at a well-known high street chain). When I paid for it they forgot to remove the security tag, but for some reason it didn't set off the alarm on the way out, so the first I realised was when I got it home. I was about to hacksaw it off when I spotted the warning label.

Had to go all the way back to the shop to get the tag safely removed...

Don't think the shop was that bothered about the doorway alarm not being triggered...

Regarding whether to 'shop' someone - or whether to 'have a go' - I think most people are influenced by their perception of the seriousness of the crime, in particular whether it is a crime with victims.

Regarding the robbery above - well no-one's going to dispute that robbery is a serious crime: there are clearly identifiable victims who suffer harm: the person who successfully foils a robber will be guaranteed plaudits as a 'hero' no matter what. But someone who 'shops' a shoplifter - a fare-dodger? These are still crimes but the victim is not so obvious (in fact the 'victims' are all of us: we all lose out if fares go up to make up these losses); and the accuser might then be castigated as an 'interfering busybody'.

A few days ago I had clear sight of a van turning a corner - handheld phone clearly visible clamped to the driver's ear. No question about it: an offence being committed, I ought to report the driver. The van wasn't being driven 'badly' in any obvious sense and wasn't endangering me: just that an offence was being committed.

So I noted down the number, got as far as our local police's website, and started filling things in. This turned out to be quite a tortuous and long-winded process - many questions to answer!

I backed out half way through. OK, so I let a driver get away with it: tomorrow he might repeat the offence and this time hit someone. Kill them, perhaps. Do I have that on my conscience? Or alternatively, if I had 'shopped' him, presumably a police officer would in due course have been dispatched to his address to give him a 'talking to'. That officer would thereby be taken off the road for a short time - a time during which he might have witnessed and prevented a much more serious offence being committed...

There are some questions for which there are no clear answers. Perhaps others would like to say what I should have done...

Something was 'hitching a ride' on your chain? But something very tenacious, with a helluva good grip it seems, since ordinary riding wouldn't budge it. Stag beetle?

Well - some sort of animal at any rate?

Powerlink the wrong size?

Mick F wrote:I have a Stronglight 99 on Barbarella that I've reduced to a single 36t.

I think singles may last longer than doubles or triples, mile for mile. That front changer sure must give the teeth some punishment (as well as hammering your chain)!

I only recently replaced the original (Mirage) rings on my current bike, must have done a good 20,000 miles up till then. I reckon 6000 miles is a poor result for any decent brand of chainring. I hope you have better luck with your replacement set.

A lot depends on what brake blocks you were using. Poor quality, cheap blocks collect little shards of aluminium off the rim (you can see them if you inspect the block surface) which grind down the rim in no time! I've been caught out that way too - rim exploded while I was going round a roundabout. Not fun! Also brakes tend to collect grit and dirt in wet weather, so this happens if you cycle a lot in the rain. Regular and prompt brake block replacement helps. Sorry that's too late for your present predicament!

I like Altura myself - comfortable and warm but doesn't make you too sweaty underneath - and I think it's good value for money, you get what you pay for after all. Had some trouble with the zip though.

Remember also (though possibly not the above example) that cyclists often get 'caught out' after dark - with no lights. It's happened to me - last time on Saturday, in appalling weather, when conditions got very dark at 4pm - still half an hour before sunset! I had a working rear light but no front - forgotten it. I got home alright but would have been very peeved to receive censure from another cyclist, however much deserved. What was I supposed to do? Find a bike shop and buy lamp (and batteries) just to get home? Walk?