Search found 155 matches

by esuhl
2 Sep 2018, 1:41am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Spoke replacement (which spokes to buy?)
Replies: 4
Views: 367

Spoke replacement (which spokes to buy?)

A few of my spokes have been damaged when the chain came off the cassette due to improperly adjusted gears. I've only noticed when I removed the cassette -- they must have been like this for ages!

So I thought I'd replace them carefully, one-by-one, threading them through the other spokes exactly as before. And I already have a spoke key and tension gauge. But...

What kind of spokes do I need? (They're for a mountain bike with 26" wheels.) Are there different ways spokes attach to the hub, different diameters, different metals used, etc... :?:

Presumably, for the structural integrity of the wheel, I should replace the spokes with ones of identical specification (and, aesthetically, I'd like them to be black to match the others). Should I replace the nipples too...?

Can anyone explain what specifications I need to look out for, or any brands to go for or avoid...? Any tips at all would be gratefully received!

Cheers :)
by esuhl
2 Sep 2018, 1:27am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Bike pump
Replies: 31
Views: 1985

Re: Bike pump

Whoa! I had no idea you could get track pumps small enough to fit in your bag. :o

I have a big Halfords/BikeHut track pump at home that I'm really pleased with. It was £19, although it was £23 last time I looked. It auto-adjusts to fit Schraeder and Presta valves automatically, and is so easy to use with a clear display.

I only seem to get a puncture once every few years, so I only carry a tiny cheapo pump with me. It's a pain to use, but I hardly ever need it. :-/
by esuhl
14 Jun 2018, 1:28am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Bike racks on buses
Replies: 45
Views: 2608

Re: Bike racks on buses

That's completely crazy. Think of the harm they'd cause to pedestrians in an accident!

I'd love to be able to take my bike on the bus, but mounting them on the front is unsafe.
by esuhl
14 Jun 2018, 1:20am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Should I accept the chain rubbing on the front derailleur?
Replies: 6
Views: 15581

Re: Should I accept the chain rubbing on the front derailleur?

I've been cycling for a few years now, and the MAIN thing that makes cycling frustrating (for me) is poor gear changes.

The best thing I ever did was learn how to adjust the front and rear gears fairly accurately. It's a bit daunting the first time when you don't really know the best way to do things, but with just a little bit of experience and practice, you get the hang of fine-tuning it. If it helps in the future, this is my technique:

Align the mech itself
Shift the chain so it's on the pair of inner gears, then the pair of outer gears, and compare the gap between the chain and the mech in each position -- it should be the same at both extremes. If the chain is too close on one side, shift to the smallest front gear (so the gear cable is slack), then loosen, align, and re-tighten the front mech accordingly. Then check the alignment again, and repeat if necessary.

You might also want to check the height of the front mech in relation to the chainring -- there should be a millimetre-or-so gap between the bottom of the mech and the teeth of the large gear. (Have a look at photos online.)

Adjust the H/L screws
Shift to the inner-most REAR gear, and shift the front gears up-and-down to the inner-most gear. Keep loosening the relevant High/Low screw on the gear mech until the chain falls off when you shift down. Then tighten it by a 1/2 or 3/4 turn so you can shift reliably without the chain falling off. Do the same for the outer gears. N.B. It helps to loosen the gear cables (by shifting down) first so there's nothing pushing against the end of the screws.

Barrel adjustment
Once that's done, you just need to fine-tune using the barrel adjusters. You'll need to shift up and down a few times to even-out the tension in the cable after making an adjustment (which is why you might not be seeing instant changes). Then check again.

Rear gears
Rear gear adjustment is pretty similar, but the dérailleur mech is attached to a hanger that's designed to bend easily (to prevent damage to the mech itself). If that gets bent out of shape and the rear gears aren't aligned with the mech's jockey wheels, you'll either need a new rear hanger, or a tool to re-align it like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Park-Tool-DAG- ... B010T6L22E

Hope this helps. :-)
by esuhl
31 May 2018, 1:33am
Forum: Family Cycling
Topic: Bournemouth to New Forest
Replies: 15
Views: 2671

Re: Bournemouth to New Forest

Richard Fairhurst wrote:Could you give an example of where cycle.travel isn't finding a route it should do, so I can investigate?


Are you involved in cycle.travel personally? I hadn't heard of cycle.travel, so I compared it to CycleStreets for a route I know well, ending in the approach to Woking.

CycleStreets

CycleStreets gives three route suggestions - fastest, quietest, or balanced (a compromise between fast and quiet). The fastest route is probably fastest, but you'd have to be a very fast, confident road-cyclist to take on some of the dual-carriageways. The quietest route is definitely quiet and would require a mountain bike or decent hybrid. It's not exactly the route I would take, but it's fairly close. The balanced route is (to my surprise), exactly the route that I take. It mostly involves 30mph roads, avoiding fast/hostile traffic, but preferring directness over the scenic route and meandering cycle paths.

Cycle.travel

Cycle.travel gives one suggestion, which was very close to the balanced route suggested by CycleStreets... with one small difference in the last mile or so. Instead of taking the most direct approach involving safe 30mph residential roads, Cycle.travel suggests a small detour to take in a 2ft-wide cycle path on the pavement.

But this cycle path only exists for 1/3rd of the detour and is on a wide road that most cyclists would consider safe (although not as safe as the more direct route). And the last quarter involves riding on a multi-lane dual carriageway!

If it helps, here's a little map. The route I take (and the one suggested by CycleStreets) is indicated in BLACK. The pavement cycle lane is marked in GREEN. The more dangerous parts of the detour (compared to the black route) are in ORANGE. And the dangerous multi-lane part is marked in RED.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ea5agmfwfdyt ... d.png?dl=0
by esuhl
29 May 2018, 11:44pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Very stiff Front derailleur shifter - why? What possible replacement?
Replies: 14
Views: 5212

Re: Very stiff Front derailleur shifter - why? What possible replacement?

My painfully stiff gear shifter was caused by a combination of a kink in the gear cable, and gunked up cable casing.
by esuhl
20 May 2018, 2:03am
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: Old Skool
Replies: 44
Views: 3189

Re: Old Skool

I was gobsmacked the other day, when I cut through a quiet cul-de-sac and saw a mother with her 4(?) year old daughter, both on bikes, riding in circles at 2mph, neither wearing helmets! Gasp!

And I have seen one or two other cyclists without helmets this year. I used to think I was the only one!

I've never even tried wearing a helmet. When I got hit by a car, I covered my bike in reflective tape, bought fluorescent clothes, doubled the number of lights on my bike (and started using them during the day). But there's no way I'd ride with a helmet. For me, it would take the fun (and the feeling of freedom) out of riding a bike.

Grandad wrote:... There is however a rule that everyone must be a member of BC or CUK.


Why is that? Is it something to do with insurance...?
by esuhl
29 Apr 2018, 7:44pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: How does a rack like this fit a bike?
Replies: 24
Views: 1974

Re: How does a rack like this fit a bike?

Gattonero wrote:
esuhl wrote:
Gattonero wrote:
uhm... additional weight that sits well behind the rear wheel axle, IMO needs attention when loading


What do you mean by "needs attention when loading"? :?


I mean that on such bike you're already a bit upright, thus having more weight on the rear wheel. If you add some baggage and this has it's center of gravity staying behind the rear wheel axle it's even more detrimental. I.e. you may get high-speed wobble, or at best you give lots of stress to the rear wheel which in turn means more wear on the hub and fatigue to the spokes, and so on.

Long story short, on such arrangement I'd carry only bulky but light stuff.


Ohhh, right -- thanks for the explanation. :D

I do worry a bit about the stress on the rear hub (and spokes and wheel), but it seems okay (touch wood). I just relubed the bearings after having it 7 years, and everything seemed fine.

The only heavy load I carry is the shopping (if I get lots of beer bottles, fizzy drinks, spuds, anvils, etc.), but that's less than a mile's journey and I take it pretty easy.

Interesting what you say about stability, though. If the shopping is particularly heavy, the wobble (even at low speeds) is quite something. I have to keep it to 8 mph to stay in control! I didn't realise that would be due to the weight being behind the rear wheel...

For overnight trips, where I'm packing clothes and toiletries, handling is fine.
by esuhl
29 Apr 2018, 7:19pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dissertation: Cycling Infrastructure + Your Input
Replies: 40
Views: 3807

Re: Dissertation: Cycling Infrastructure + Your Input

flat tyre wrote:Other comment. I believe that money spent on cycling infrastructure is usually wasted and we would be better off not bothering as the result is generally useless. (See other comments above about poor design etc, etc)


Really good point.

Often what's more important is not specific cycle infrastructure, it's just in making roads less dangerous. Things like traffic islands before junctions to prevent last-minute overtakes on the junction itself; road-widening or narrowing to either make space for cyclists or ensure that they remain in the traffic-flow and aren't subject to reckless overtaking, etc.

---

A local town had a complete redesign 10 years ago. The High Street was pedestrianised and cycle routes were (sort-of vaguely) joined up so they all passed through the town centre. Several years later, with no reported incidents between cyclists and pedestrians, disability groups successfully campaigned to ban cycling through the centre during the day.

So... instead of cycling on specially designed cycle and mixed pedestrian/bike routes, cyclists now have to travel on a main road with a pedestrian crossing and other traffic lights, then take the FIVE-LANE dual-carriageway with another two sets of traffic lights, to make it the 250 metres from one side of town to the other. So all that hard work and money has gone to waste.

And now the toucan crossings on all the national cycle routes (bike motorways) are being changed to pedestrian-only crossings. I have a photo of a large blue sign showing that you are on a national cycle route, with signs pointing to two other cycle routes. Right underneath is a "no cycling" sign.

You couldn't make it up.
by esuhl
28 Apr 2018, 10:44pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dissertation: Cycling Infrastructure + Your Input
Replies: 40
Views: 3807

Re: Dissertation: Cycling Infrastructure + Your Input

Hi, and welcome to the site! :D

GeorgeWagstaff wrote:1. What are your thoughts on the UKs provision of cycling infrastructure, is it adequate?


It's really bad -- far from adequate, whether in cities, suburbs or countryside.

There is a segregated cycle lane (solid white line on the road) near me. At points it is less than 2ft across. This kind of infrastructure is dangerous because motorists expect cyclists to be able to "stick to their lane". With lanes so narrow, this is dangerous and encourages reckless overtaking.

Official cycle routes (the bike equivalent of an A-road) often pass through town centres where cycling is banned during the day. Can you imagine following a trunk road in your car, then being told to get out and push it for a mile?! Crazy!

Cycle infrastructure is incredibly disjointed and fragmented. Anyone who wanted to travel between two points might be lucky enough to have some (totally inadequate) cycle paths along the way, but they will still need to cycle on dangerous roads. Until safe cycle routes can be joined up, only the most confident of cyclists will want to cycle.

Even where there are cycle paths, they stop unexpectedly, forcing cyclists to dismount and cross the road, only to have to dismount and cross back again 100 metres later, and then they are directed onto the pavement to use a pedestrian crossing, before being directed back onto the road. This doubles the time of any bike journey! If people are going to be motivated to get out of their cars, a cycle journey has to be quick, easy, and safe.

GeorgeWagstaff wrote:3. Does cycling infrastructure such as segregated cycle lanes make you feel safe, or do you prefer the freedom of the open roads?


The only thing I like about "the open roads" is that I can ride fast and get to places quickly. I don't drive, so my bike is a lifeline. I have friends that live 30 miles away. I'm a slow rider, often load up my panniers, and take a very indirect route to avoid some huge hills, but I can do it within 3 hours.

If I were to ride on all the (anti-)cycling infrastructure, it would have taken well over 4.5 hours. That makes it unfeasible. If I can't ride without major interruptions every few hundred yards, I can't visit my friends. I'd love nothing more than to feel the freedom of open cycle-paths so long as they are as fast as the road!

GeorgeWagstaff wrote:4. Would you prefer more green lanes, such as routes following canals - integrated into urban routes to enhance the experience?


Absolutely! Fast direct routes, as well as slower scenic routes sounds like cyclist heaven. For this to be successful, you'd need to consider the needs of commuters (who just want to get somewhere fast) and leisure cyclists (who are happy to meander slowly down a more scenic route). And the cautious commuters who are somewhere in-between. There needs to be a safe space for pedestrians too.

GeorgeWagstaff wrote:5. Do you enjoy your cycle commute, what would make it better?


I enjoy cycling, but travelling in rush hour can be stressful. Motorists' drive very aggressively and dangerously even when they are stuck in traffic. There is room for a cycle lane through the village, but motorists position their cars across the lane in such a way that it takes 5 minutes to get through the traffic. So the worst thing about commuting by bike is the aggressive behaviour of motorists who aren't moving anywhere. And the fragmented cycling infrastructure that causes cyclist to come to a halt when traffic is blocking the roads.
by esuhl
22 Apr 2018, 1:00am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: How does a rack like this fit a bike?
Replies: 24
Views: 1974

Re: How does a rack like this fit a bike?

Gattonero wrote:


uhm... additional weight that sits well behind the rear wheel axle, IMO needs attention when loading


What do you mean by "needs attention when loading"? :?

alexnharvey wrote:Such an arrangement must be pretty handy for wheelies.


I haven't noticed much difference -- not that I do many wheelies. :wink:
by esuhl
20 Apr 2018, 7:29pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: How does a rack like this fit a bike?
Replies: 24
Views: 1974

Re: How does a rack like this fit a bike?

I have a mountain bike with no mount points, and use the snappily-named Axiom Journey Uni Fit Mark 3.

It attaches to the rear skewer and seatstays. It looks pretty neat and I think it supports up to 50kg. The price seems to have gone up 25% since I bought mine, though.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-ac ... nnier-rack

The photo on the Halfords site has an ugly silver bit to attach the top of the rack, but this can be replaced with the black rods that are laying by the side of the rack.

The only difficulty I had was in attaching it to the rear skewer. There wasn't much left protruding for the nut to clamp onto. After a while the end of the "shoe" that the skewer goes through started to bend in to the dropout gap, the skewer was bent quite badly! :shock: I spent ages trying to find a solution. I wrote to the manufacturer asking for help as I assumed that lots of people would have the same problem, but they said they weren't aware of any issues or solutions.

Eventually I found one shop (SJS Cycles) that sells 145mm OLN skewers for tandems, which are the perfect length (10mm longer than my standard rear MTB skewer), and I got a 10mm diameter washer to put between the dropout and the shoe to stop it bending in.

I've had it a few years now, and never had any more problems with it. I'm really happy with it (in the end). Here's a pic on my bike:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vtfjn6g7igkjc ... k.jpg?dl=0
by esuhl
19 Apr 2018, 12:11am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Dry lube recommendations needed
Replies: 9
Views: 597

Re: Dry lube recommendations needed

I know very little about lubes, as I've only ever tried two. So make of this what you will... :wink:

I tried a light lube, which was perfect when the chain was clean, but it got gunked up fairly quickly. The ground here is quite sandy and dusty when it's dry, and cleaning the chain was a total pain. In the rain, it washed off and started rusting the chain before I made it home.

Then I tried Squirt. It's wax-based, so you need to fully degrease the chain first. The makers say that you never need to degrease the chain again -- just wipe down and reapply... Which is optimistic nonsense! I find I need to relube slightly more often than with oil, but need to give it a thorough clean much less regularly. And the wax comes off easier than oil so it's easier to clean. So... overall I find it less effort.

It works really well in dry, dusty/sandy environments as the small particles stick to the wax and fall off instead of turning into a grinding paste. It seems okay in the rain too -- I wipe the chain dry after, and haven't seen any signs of rust (unlike with the light oil).

The chain doesn't "glide" as beautifully as with oil... It somehow doesn't quite sound/feel as nice, but I don't think that makes much difference to performance...? But it runs consistently -- with the oil, the chain would run beautifully at first and quite quickly become increasingly sticky/sucky/gunky. Being a wax, Squirt mostly falls off.

Oh -- and ideally it needs to dry on the chain -- I usually do this overnight as it takes a while. So... that might be pretty inconvenient for some people.

I keep hearing a lot of good things about that Purple Extreme stuff, though -- so I'll be trying that when I run out of Squirt. Talking of which -- a bottle of Squirt does seem to last for ages. You only need to put a drop on each roller, so hardly any gets wasted. (Blimey -- I'm starting to sound like an advert now!)
by esuhl
18 Apr 2018, 11:37pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Ocado driver nearly hits car and bike
Replies: 4
Views: 1400

Re: Ocado driver nearly hits car and bike

Yeah... Incredible to think that could have been the last thing the cyclist saw...

I'd be really interested to know the outcome of this.

According to the article, the video got over 7,000 views on YouTube. But I can't find it, so I wonder if it's been taken down for legal reasons while the case is ongoing.

I'm tempted to write to Ocado and ask what action they took against the driver. I think they have a responsibility to make sure their drivers are safe, and need to set an example to ensure that their other drivers aren't tempted to put other people's lives at risk. :evil:

I wonder what (if anything) the police charge him with, and if he'll it'll be anything more than a slap-on-the-wrist (points & fine). And if we'll ever find out... :-/
by esuhl
18 Apr 2018, 11:06pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Minor Hit and Run
Replies: 7
Views: 1126

Re: Minor Hit and Run

Please report this to the police! Car/bike accidents are under-reported, and even it it just means that there's an official record of the incident, it all lends weight to the argument that cyclists need better protection from dangerous drivers.

Glad you're okay -- it must have been an absolutely terrifying experience. :(