Search found 921 matches

by Dean
8 May 2008, 8:38pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: External bearing bottom brackets
Replies: 14
Views: 2189

I've never used one, but I can't say I'm a fan - they came into being to solve the problem with Octalink/Isis bottom brackets, i.e. the bearings had to be made smaller to accommodate the larger spindles. Being smaller, they wore out quicker. :roll:

Therefore, it's a solution to a problem that needn't have existed in the first place, as it's still possible to get hold of quality square taper BBs and chainsets.

Of course, if you insist on using old fashioned gear, you may be subject to ridicule by the other folk in the chain gang with the latest shiny bits of unobtainium...
by Dean
7 May 2008, 10:10am
Forum: Cycling Goods & Services - Your Reviews
Topic: Hub Jub - quality service!
Replies: 16
Views: 13812

Yep, Will runs a great service - the last time I bought something, he asked about a sprocket I'd bought about a year earlier. I'm slightly disappointed that it's such a long time since I bought anything there...
by Dean
7 May 2008, 9:44am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Roundabouts
Replies: 37
Views: 5279

I agree with the above advice about behaving like a car: it takes some getting used to, but the one distinct advantage is visibility. Drivers are more likely to see you because you are in the spot where they are looking.

Asdace wrote: I'm not sure about the one on the A1046 namely the Portrack Roundabout, very busy busy too. You are talking of 4 lanes with this one. Then again, there is a cycle-path adjacent to it.


Portrack Lane?! You must be bonkers :D
by Dean
7 May 2008, 9:19am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Maximum Speed
Replies: 67
Views: 9816

For the record, my maximum is around 56 mph, which I've set on the B6275 coming down from the Royal Oak. This is an old Roman road and therefore arrow straight, and has about a 1 in 10 gradient. I know someone who claims to have topped 60 mph here - with a northerly wind and a high enough gear, I'd give it a try :shock:

I've set similar speeds coming down Birk Brow (A171), where two of us overtook a foreign HGV in the fast lane of the dual carriageway. When the driver eventually caught up with us near Guisborough, he demonstrated a fine grasp of the vernacular.

I've also set a maximum of (I think) 55 mph dropping off Buttertubs into Swaledale - I could have gone much faster, but it was on the stretch near the bottom, where there's a sharp left turn before the junction with the B6270. If I hadn't braked, I would have ended up on the wrong side of the road, if not in the wall...
by Dean
21 Apr 2008, 8:11pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Which Way!
Replies: 4
Views: 757

Hope you enjoy it!

Of the two, I've only ridden up Kirkstone Pass, but I can certainly recommend that - it's one of the most fabulous places to ride a bike. Just watch out for caravans in June time!

You can nip through Pooley Bridge and Penrith and back onto the A686 for the CTC. Hartside (if you've bever been up it) as a great climb - a series of sweeping bends with the panorama of the Lakeland Fells and the Solway Firth behind you. Nice cake at the cafe too :)
by Dean
21 Apr 2008, 3:41pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Using Trains As Part Of Training
Replies: 16
Views: 2025

Being a cheap Northerner, I object to paying for what I can do for free. OTOH it does often mean 20-odd miles of sheer boredom on some of the duller routes around here (e.g. Redcar to Darlington).

Plus, of course, if you catch a train, you can stop for a pint while you're waiting :wink: