Search found 1236 matches

by syklist
3 Aug 2010, 11:16am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Newbie ready to give up cycling or buy a Tesco Special
Replies: 31
Views: 3785

Re: Newbie ready to give up cycling or buy a Tesco Special

amaferanga wrote:You say that a good quality steel frame will be better than an aluminium frame, but with your budget you can't get a good steel frame, just a generic one.

My 'generic' T400 frame is a good as far as I can tell, so was my Eur 330 Halfords touring bike frame also made from steel. I have been reading some of the threads on the forums wrt to play in frames causing front mechs to rub on chainwheels, tyres that rub on frames and so on with some disbelief. I have never noticed these sorts of problems on either bike even on long steep climbs in Norway. Both feel solid and secure when fully laden.

Also looking at the catalogues of the big companies here in the flat lands there are plenty of aluminium framed bikes are heavier than my Halfords bike (remember bargin basement with steel chainrings and handlebars). Many mid-range aluminium framed Dutch touring bikes (with derailleurs) are at least as heavy as my steel framed T400 Rohloff. There are some poorly designed aluminium frames out there, not in the sense that they will break but in the sense you are carting unnecessary weight around.

The German market is very competitive wrt bikes. VSF produce fully equipped bikes that most people would be happy to use every day and at a price little more than UK (or Dutch) companies can supply a 'hybrid' on a generic aluminium frame made in China that doesn't have 'essential' items such as mudguards, lights and a rack. We bought our T400's in 2008 when the Euro was at a more normal 1.6 to the pound. The same money would have got us a Thorn bike with a Rohloff and a rear rack. Everything else that was fitted as standard to the T400 (SON dynamo and LED lighting set, Magura brakes, mudguards, chainguard) were extras on the Thorn bikes.

Finally you must not forget the power of the logic of personal preference. I am quite sure that my preference for a steel frame is on some level irrational. However it makes sense to me and I want to buy bikes with steel frames. It makes sense to those other posters who also have a preference for a steel frame. This piece of personal logic has also caused me to buy several steel framed bikes that, despite their individual foibles and failings, I enjoy using very much.
Regards
Stan
by syklist
2 Aug 2010, 6:36pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Pedestrian crossing question
Replies: 14
Views: 1805

Re: Pedestrian crossing question

Mick F wrote:Great! Elephants! Love it!

I reckon the bollards idea has merit, but "If I Ruled the World", I'd replace them with spikes.

Replace them with Spike's what?
Or did you mean rows of blokes called Spike?
Stan
by syklist
2 Aug 2010, 7:36am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Newbie ready to give up cycling or buy a Tesco Special
Replies: 31
Views: 3785

Re: Newbie ready to give up cycling or buy a Tesco Special

horizon wrote:
willem jongman wrote:I think the OP has a justified concern that he does not really know what he wants, and he is absolutely right that only time will teach him this.

Willem, I would second all of that. Tequila is after the right sort of bike at the wrong sort of price and the Fahrdamanufaktur T 400 gets closest. I blame the great British bike buying public - they are putty in the hands of the marketing men and the bike industry and at least Tequila has doggedly stuck to his guns on what he wants. It is just that he cannot believe what he sees - I just hope he doesn't have size 11 feet and wants panniers.

It is not that much different here in Holland to be honest. The big brands are rather pricey and are into 'styling' (rear lights integrated into this season's rear rack for instance) aluminium and Shimano everything. Their aluminium bikes are often heavier than a good steel bike. The specialist brands for touring bikes are even more expensive but at least they make some well sorted bikes. I am surprised that more people don't just hop across the border and pick up a cheaper German bike.

Re panniers: I have size eleven feet and Ortlieb Back Rollers on my T400 and have no heel clearance problems. I do use SPD pedals and sandals/boots though which might make a difference.
Regards
Stan
by syklist
1 Aug 2010, 7:32pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Newbie ready to give up cycling or buy a Tesco Special
Replies: 31
Views: 3785

Re: Newbie ready to give up cycling or buy a Tesco Special

Tequilla6 wrote:WHAT CAN BE HARD ABOUT THE REQUIRED SPECIFICATION I WANT!!!

No toe overlap !!!
A light weight bike thats not going to have me doing Wheelies in the motorhome when I put it on the rear cycle carrier.
26" Wheels
Steel frame
Gear inches from around 20 to 100-120 in reasonable steps
Ability to place panniers on the rear of the bike
V Breaks

VSF T400 bought online should fit the bill. For example this one a 2009 24 speed model for Eur 600? Apart from the gears that might be a bit on the high side it seems close to what you want. We have the top of the range T400s based on the same frame and like them a lot. I have not experienced any problems with toe overlap on my T400.
HTH
Stan
by syklist
1 Aug 2010, 7:07pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Help choosing bike
Replies: 9
Views: 1707

Re: Help choosing bike

diggersailing wrote:Fahrrad Manufaktur T400 - £1040 - I saw these in Bonn, their entire range is impressive and workman like - but not riden. However they are not drop bars. Any experience please?

We have the T400 Rohloffs that use the same frame. We like them a lot and have done over 7000km in the first two years of use. The handling is solid and predictable without being unwieldy. Some folk might find it a bit too lazy but it suits us fine. The T400s cycle well when laden with front and rear panniers. Ride comfort is good with wider tyres. Good on high speed descents when fully laden. The frames and forks will take up to 54mm (possibly wider) tyres. We have curved bars on ours not drops but not the factory standard straight bars. They are not the lightest of bikes but mine has survived a 20km/h collision with a kerb without any obvious frame or fork damage.

We've used them mostly on asphalt including severe climbs and descents. We've also done routes with days of gravel/pebble roads and sand/grit (NSCR Denmark and Route No.3 /Setesdal /Oslomarka in Norway). Handling in these conditions is good in our experience. We've done some cycling on wet and on slimy road surfaces and the T400's seem to perform well. We've run them with Conti Travel Contact and Schwalbe Smart Sams. The latter have the edge on grip on slimy surfaces the former are a bit better as a general touring tyre.

Not sure what spec of T400 you are looking at but you can often find T400's from about Eur700 from German online retailers. Stonkingly good value bikes considering the standard spec.
Cheers
Stan
by syklist
29 Jul 2010, 10:20pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Gaz stove
Replies: 10
Views: 2361

Re: Gaz stove

bigjim wrote:Seen those adapters. they are more expensive than the stove! seen somewhere also that they don't always work. leak!

Do you mean the adaptor that allows a screw fit burner to fit an Easy Clic click fit Campingaz cartridge
or
An adaptor that allows a screw fit burner to fit a puncture fit cartridge?
Regards
Stan
by syklist
29 Jul 2010, 12:05pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Should I change the gearing?
Replies: 52
Views: 2743

Re: Should I change the gearing?

Gavin Hill wrote:Mind you I'm not going to get too cocky, given I don't have the loaded panniers on yet.

Ah loaded panniers. You'll enjoy that :) No more swooping down an incline in top gear and having the momentum to just make it up to the top of the next hill.
Cheers
Stan
by syklist
28 Jul 2010, 5:43pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Gaz stove
Replies: 10
Views: 2361

Re: Gaz stove

willem jongman wrote:Screw ons (with Lindall valve) are not at all hard to find on the continent. Only hard to find in France, because France is home to the rival Camping Gaz click on system.

Fortunately you can buy adaptors to fit a screw fit gas burner to a click on Campingaz cartridge. For example from Fritz Berger in Germany.
Cheers
Stan
by syklist
27 Jul 2010, 9:39pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Should I change the gearing?
Replies: 52
Views: 2743

Re: Should I change the gearing?

Gavin Hill wrote:
syklist wrote:It seems rather silly to me to not to equip your bike with gears that allow you to cycle where you want to. It is also seems rather silly to me to have five high gears that you can never pull and no 'useful' low gears. If doing something as simple as putting a different cassette or chain ring on your bike that gives you some more gears that you can actually make use of, it seems silly to me to not make the change.

Stan
Not sure if this in reference to my OP or some of the susequent posts.

No in reference to another poster. Sorry if you thought it was directed at you.
Gavin Hill wrote:But the Country Explorer is a dedicated touring bike bought from new from EBC, and therefore I assume is geared for touring. However, I've never toured before, am learning quickly (but pretty much from scratch) about bike mechanics and more importanty about my own cycling ability. I'm someone who likes to try to improve things and enjoy DIY, so tickering with the bike and trying to tailor it to my specific preferences just seems natural. So far I have upgraded the disc brakes, fitted clipless pedals, a Brooks saddle, better mudguards and tryes, replaced the chain, cassette and disc pads and retaped the handlebars. I couldn't afford £1,200 to buy a top of the range tourer so paying £500 and then spending a bit of time and money improving and tailoring the bike seems a reasonable compromise. Also means I'm learning to maintain the bike and therefore have a good chance of dealing with any roadside mechanical problems.

We were very lucky with our first touring bikes (Eur 330 from Halfords) in that they came with a smallest chainwheel of 24t and largest sprocket of 34t. We learned lots of stuff from these bikes including what breaks first on a cheap touring bike. We added better racks, saddles and pedals and replaced our cheap Halfords panniers with more and more Ortlieb ones. One summer trip I got good at stripping rear wheel bearings without taking off the cassette. I think a cheap first bike is an excellent way to learn, especially if you don't know if you are going to like cycle touring (we were not sure when we started). It also helps you decide what you want from your next upgrade or bike.

After a few years we got the money together to buy some new bikes and having learned the hard way went for minimum maintenance bikes with Rohloffs and hub dynamo lighting systems. The idea was to spend time cycling rather than cleaning and fixing things. Our experience of touring in Norway taught us that we'd like a first gear a bit lower than 24/34 combination on our old bikes. When I checked the specs on the Rohloff website I discovered we could get a 17t sprocket instead of the standard 16t. I ordered the new bikes with the larger sprocket. I haven't regretted this choice at all and the extra low first gear is used regularly.

I hope you enjoy your first few years of touring as much as we have.
Regards
Stan
by syklist
27 Jul 2010, 9:15pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Should I change the gearing?
Replies: 52
Views: 2743

Re: Should I change the gearing?

bigjim wrote:Now then Stanley calm down.
You don't set up your bike like that, It generally comes that way. Gears you never pull? So all your trips are all uphill? No flats or flying downhill on those high gears. What a shame. The OP in MHO did seem to have a fair spread of gears. We don't all have the cash to start changing things. It is not always as simple as changing the cassette, you often have to change the chain at the same time. More expense!
What if you lower the gears so much that you can spin slowly up these hills? Eventually you do become fitter and lo and behold you are dragging around a bunch of gears that you rarely use! Well done.

I don't know who Stanley is but I am quite calm :)

Just to put my gearing needs into context. My idea of a good tour is going to the hilly bits of Norway with four panniers full of tent, sleeping gear and clothing to suit the variable weather conditions. With a 17.5" first gear even at 6km/h I would not use the term 'spinning' to describe the rate at which my feet go round. In 2008 and 2009 when I was quite fit I still enjoyed using my low gears. I haven't lost the need for these low gears just because I have become fitter. My knees need these low gears too.

As for downhill I just am happy to freewheel. My bottle goes at speeds above 65km/h anyway so there is no point in having gears that allow me to go faster. No I can't really make use of a top gear higher than about 95 gear inches irrespective of which bike I am using. My legs don't like pedalling that slowly.
Regards
Stan
by syklist
27 Jul 2010, 7:18pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Should I change the gearing?
Replies: 52
Views: 2743

Re: Should I change the gearing?

bigjim wrote:
If you are going to walk up hills you might as well ditch the bike, put your stuff in a rucksack and go on a walking holiday

I'm constantly amused at this idea that it is somehow not proper to push your bike up a hill. Is it some sort of childish, macho thing? It certainly seems to be a modern "I'm better than you thing". Why ditch your bike because you may have to walk up a hill? How silly.

In my case, none of the above. I personally find it a lot harder to push a fully laden touring bike up a 12% hill than cycle up the same hill (especially when the hill is 10km long).

It seems rather silly to me to not to equip your bike with gears that allow you to cycle where you want to. It is also seems rather silly to me to have five high gears that you can never pull and no 'useful' low gears. If doing something as simple as putting a different cassette or chain ring on your bike that gives you some more gears that you can actually make use of, it seems silly to me to not make the change.

Is it some childish or macho, or modern thing that makes people set up their bikes in a way that makes their life harder? :)
Regards
Stan
by syklist
27 Jul 2010, 8:48am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Should I change the gearing?
Replies: 52
Views: 2743

Re: Should I change the gearing?

Gavin Hill wrote:Bike is a Revolution Country Explorer and current gearing is 26-36-48 and 11-32.

If I changed to 22-32-44 and 11-34:

1. Would it make a significant difference?

We started with bikes with a smallest chainring of 24 and biggest sprocket 34 which was good. Otherwise we'd have spent large parts of our first tour walking up hills, which kind of defeats the point of taking your bike with you. If you are going to walk up hills you might as well ditch the bike, put your stuff in a rucksack and go on a walking holiday :) With the gearing you currently have on your bike I would not be able to pull the top three or four gears anyway, so I prefer to have lower gears rather than several unused gears at the top. The 95" top gear on my Rohloff bike is used much less than the 17.5" first gear.
Cheers
Stan
by syklist
27 Jul 2010, 8:33am
Forum: On the road
Topic: How to make your bike lighter and faster
Replies: 28
Views: 2593

Re: How to make your bike lighter and faster

mark a. wrote:My main problem was partly due to mood and partly due to aesthetics. I'd just cleaned my bike and changed to the road tyres so wanted a bike that felt light when hefting it (I'm not long back from a tour with full panniers, so it's nice to be able to lift the bike with one hand!) and also look sleeker than in its usual commuter guise. So psychologically it was frustrating to have to revert to ugly commuter.

If I can pick up my fully laden touring bike in one hand and hoik it up into a train or down a flight of stairs at a station then it isn't overladen :)
Cheers
Stan
by syklist
16 Jul 2010, 7:53pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: What is the best fuel for Trangias you can get in the UK?
Replies: 41
Views: 9376

Re: What is the best fuel for Trangias you can get in the UK?

Domestique wrote:Bit of a reverse question here :lol:
We are off to Holland in two weeks time and taking our Trangia stove with us. Where is the best place to get meths from in Holland ?

If you can find a Bever outdoor shop get some of their 'Bever spirit'. This is neat methanol and is a great fuel. Otherwise you are looking for 'brandspiritus' from outdoor shops or DIY stores (GAMMA, Praxis or Karwei). This is of varying quality but should work fine in a Trangia. All these fuels are usually sold by the litre.

Have a good trip!
Cheers
Stan
by syklist
14 Jul 2010, 1:02pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: one piece MTB bars
Replies: 6
Views: 634

Re: one piece MTB bars

garibeet wrote:I am currently using straight bars with bar ends on my touring bike and invariably ride with my hands on the bar ends for the majority of the time. My hands always rest on the clamp and I end up with a sore/numb spot. I have tried a couple of length bar ends to no avail.
[snip]
I have been looking at these,http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Modolo-Modolo-Yuma-Mohican-Multi-Position-Hybrid-Bars--Black-20114.htm which are basically butterfly bars with the cut out in a different place, but before I commit, someone must make good old one peicers...anybody? :(

Try curved bars or one piece with bar ends?. Our personal favourite is this bar which sweep back bringing the primary position towards the body and have lots of space for bar bags and other accessories. We use them in combination with Ergon grips/bar ends.

I have a pair of these that I have been meaning to sell, signs of use on the bars but otherwise perfectly usable. The main problem I had with these was that they were too narrow for my wide shoulders. You need also special bar bag mount (Klickfix) or you can vandalise an Orlieb bar bag mount to fit. Not pretty but it works.
Regards
Stan