Cycling UK Forum

Experience says that few motorists believe in any of that paragraph. I also doubt you would be prosecuted for not giving way to a crossing pedestrian (whom you then run over).

Nevertheless, at least the wording implies you should be ready to take some sort of action with respect to crossing pedestrians!

(and there's something elsewhere about having a duty to avoid accidents - it shouldn't matter whether you or the pedestrian "has priority" . )

Aha. I can certainly see the point with headset spanners. I'm not sure cone spanners are in the same weight division league, but as you say, it all adds up ... - I don't plan to ride far enough to require hub maintenance, so I'll pass!

Now, I've been called a philistine before, so I'll happily risk it again ...

What problem are these solving? I've had a few types of cone spanner and they've all worked really well. You don't apply large torques, so I can't see any strength/durability issues.

Are these for the bling tool afficionado?!?

gentlegreen wrote:I'm sorry to say that I've got so used to having oodles of light, visible from a very oblique angle, I doubt I would go out at night with anything less on busy roads.

My biggest problem is how to avoid doing what others daily do to me - dazzle me on moderately-lit paths with nasty, small, and worst of all flashing things aimed at my eyes.

An off switch?

Less facetiously - on such a path you can probably get by on a 2ry dimmer light until you are on your own again.
(no-flashing is pretty much a given)

This is what car users do; it's worked pretty well for decades, everyone knows the convention, and folks (usually) remember to actually do it in nearly all countries.

Flinders wrote:Probably none of the things suggested here is very healthy for teeth, though.

True, although many flapjacks are pretty good if you stick to fruity ones and avoid the chocolate-based ones!

A few years ago when "gels" and water-soluble powders became the must-have accessory (for triathletes in particular), there were stories of dentists noticing the increase in adult tooth decay. A lot of riders now keep a neat water bottle to rinse with - to me this seems like fixing the symptoms not the problem, but whatever works ...

I've been a little surprised at how few riders clean their teeth on the longer Audax rides (when you consider how much sugary stuff gets chucked down there over a day or more).
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Savoury flapjacks:
i bet these taste great, but all the recipes seem to include dairy (or eggs) so I worry about the "pocket life". Not a problem if you just bake a batch for a group of riders to all use in 1 day

gilesjuk wrote:

alicej wrote:Do I now have a good excuse to eat loads of Haribo? Yum!

They're empty calories. There's no nutritional benefit to them.

You're always better to consume either proper food or sports nutrition. Cakes, sweets and biscuits are all empty calories.

Cakes and biscuits have more proper food in them than most "sports nutrition" (which are usually very sugary, with the rest complex carbs). Cakes vary too much to write off - many are too sugary, but some can be very good ride food.(is malt loaf "cake" ? Bread pudding? Lardy cake? )

I've checked out the Haribo ingredients, and sad to report, but the "health food" rumour was just that
They have a smidge (2%) protein, and the flavourings are mostly natural (from actual fruits-n-things). So they're not the worst sweet, but they are still mostly glucose syrup, so not very good except in tiny quantities as a treat or in dire sugar crash.

[I've consumed neat Kendal Mint Cake when starving on a long ride, so it has some uses - but best to get hold of some Real Food ASAP.]

reohn2 wrote:Mrs R2's Muesli bars made from Porrige oats,nuts,dried fruit(cranberries,prunes,apricots),cashew nuts(or other),mixed seeds(pumpkin,sunflower,sesame) and can of condensed milk to bind it.She got the receipe from Nigela Lawsons "get up and go" series.They taste great and no sugar, just a long slow energy release

(I suspect anything oat-based is still a flapjack, but I'll let that go ... )

Hmm, condensed milk - what's the shelf-life of this magical concoction?

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I've just sort of re-discovered Haribos. They're fairly tasty, non-sticky and easily grabbed/scooped from pockets. And I hear they're pretty great on the nutrition front - can this be true?!?

(I also plan to use more nuts in future, when I need to restock from roadside shops. Not salted. With flapjacks/fruit etc in the bag for when I fancy a "proper" i.e. 2-minute stop - you know, summits of big hills etc)

nigel_s wrote:The vast majority of the British public have rejected cycling as transport because they don't want to mix with motor traffic on a bike.

Actually for the majority its because getting in their car is so much easier. Convenience, physical effort required, wadeva.
In very congested towns, short journeys become very popular by bike; that's because it becomes more convenient than driving. [it's faster and doesn't take too much effort]


Of the ones that genuinely fear motor traffic, their fear is out of proportion to the real dangers. The way their friends/family drive probably increases this fear!The more cyclists they know, their fear reduces.

thirdcrank wrote: That flap, which has become curled up in storage, fits under the pedal. The toestrap is threaded though the slot in the outer sideplate of the pedal, down through a slot in that flap, back up through the other slot and out through the slot in the sideplate nearest the crank. It then goes through the loop in the top of the toeclip and finally through the buckle.

Ah of course. It's so long since I used toestraps (for their intended purpose) I'd forgotten the arrangement under the pedal.

Marvellous, thankyou! They look fit for a Maillot Jaune.

thirdcrank wrote:That flap on the RH one which is turned up in the pic has two slots which take a toe strap. They fit best on a traditional Campag Record style quill pedal. There are a couple of slots intended to take the pedal projections. Of course, if they are used at night, they have to be on a bike of that vintage or they are illegal as the pedal reflectors are masked.

From the picture I have no idea how that flap would attach, but no matter - I have no means of constructing PVC, so I'm unlikely to copy this design! They look very good, and would probably solve most overshoe/winter-boot requirements in a trice. Ideal for the regular commuter wishing to use "normal" shoes, even in the clip-less century.

De Sisti wrote:OK, point taken. I'll say no more on this apart from the fact that I thought that if an individual
was dazzled when they were on the road, then they should come to a stop, and wait until the
cause of the dazzling had disappeared.

Very true.

However, there are laws limiting car headlights (and how they are wired to which switches). And the Highway Code explains how to avoid dazzling other road users.
If motons can understand these principles, I reckon most cyclists should be able to

BigG wrote:Many years ago, Andrew Hague used to market a neat set of fabric covers which fitted onto the toe clips and straps and kept water off the front part of the shoes. Mine have long since worn out, but were very effective at the time. I would buy a replacement set if they were avaible, but the advent of clipless pedals makes their re-introduction most unlikely.

I've just tested the Mk Ia InnerTube Overshoe - lashed to a plastic toe-clip with a ziptie and some electrical tape. Very effective, but needs a longer test to assess:
- durability,
- windchill reduction.

the latter is what I really need in winter. The MIITO has no side protection, so won't be as snuggly as I would like, but I remain optimistic ...

Please forward pictures of any similar efforts.

This goes from Lincoln to Sleaford. And a bit further:

http://moulton22.wordpress.com/lel-route/

It's a nice ride, but take some marmalade sandwiches.

I'm afraid my eyes glaze over quite soon reading those papers, but the general message I got was:

- Infrastructure can be effective, but other 'marketing' type approaches are just as good.

I would guess decent infrastructure is very expensive (i.e. paint is cheap, but junction redesign just costs too much), so other approaches look more cost-effective.

You wrap it round the seat-tube at a height slightly above your smallest ring, with the 'tail' pointing forwards. Get it right and it acts as a guide onto your smallest ring. The worst that could happen is the chain leaping so far it ends up on top of your zip-tie - this has never happened to me, so I don't know what happens next!

Easier to understand when you try fitting one than by reading my description. I'm sure there are materials that would work better, but everyone has zipties (don't they?) and they are very quick to attach/tweak. The one I use is quite thick (wide?) which probably helps, but as the 'guide' is only about 1" long even a thin one would probably be rigid enough.

I have a 39->26 jump which would result in unshipping about once every 40 miles (depending on hilliness, obviously).