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by Vorpal
7 Dec 2023, 10:08am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Rough riders events of old
Replies: 21
Views: 2379

Re: Rough riders events of old

mattsccm wrote: 7 Dec 2023, 7:42am Cheers, been there but I was after details of formal events not RSF rides. From what I can gather these events were traditional club reliability rides. The sort of thing that happened in the winter or spring and may well even earn the winner an award at the club dinner.
Trouble is the riders of those events would have been very young riders to be in their 90's nowadays.
Ah, ok. I am not familiar with the event you mentioned originally.

There are a few clubs around that have long standing traditions of off-road reliability events & TTs. I do not know if any still use the same routes, but some have published partial information on their websites. Possibly the most helpful of these for you is:

Balham CC have published the route map for 1949 Rough Riders TT on their website https://balhamcyclingclubcouk.wordpress ... route-map/

And someone has attempted to put it on ridewithgps (scroll down the page)

Addiscombe have pages on post war time trials that were partly off-road, including some pictures:
https://addiscombe.org/acc-history/chri ... ar-men-tt/
https://addiscombe.org/acc-history/chri ... -women-tt/
by Vorpal
7 Dec 2023, 7:30am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Rough riders events of old
Replies: 21
Views: 2379

Re: Rough riders events of old

There are a few discussions on here, and a long running thread about the rough stuff fellowship and their bikes
by Vorpal
26 Nov 2023, 11:41am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: E-bike front wheel self-disassembly
Replies: 48
Views: 3648

Re: E-bike front wheel self-disassembly

Bice wrote: 25 Nov 2023, 8:35pm Terrifyingly awful e-contraptions are absolutely routine in London now. Cycle routes can be more dangerous than the roads.
Can you explain what you mean by "Cycle routes can be more dangerous than the roads."?

Statistically, the roads are far more dangerous. I am not aware of anyone dying on cycle routes because of a terrifyingly awful e-contraption, but an average of 5 people die every day on the roads.
by Vorpal
24 Nov 2023, 8:26am
Forum: On the road
Topic: I will be commuting again after a 15 year gap! Nervous.
Replies: 133
Views: 24823

Re: I will be commuting again after a 15 year gap! Nervous.

Regenerative braking has been discussed a few times before.

This thread has some discussion and also links to an earlier one.
by Vorpal
19 Nov 2023, 6:32pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Temp. traffic lights.
Replies: 37
Views: 4623

Re: Temp. traffic lights.

Similar topics merged.
by Vorpal
15 Nov 2023, 4:40pm
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: Random helmet-based abuse
Replies: 250
Views: 28736

Re: Random helmet-based abuse

Pinhead wrote: 15 Nov 2023, 9:22am We all have opinions just don't expect to force the DON'T wear them view on others, there ARE reasons to wear them, if you disagree OK, but stop telling people it is OK not to wear a helmet, it is personal choice fine but the constant whining about invasions of rights having to wear one is tedious.
If it's ok to tell people to wear a helmet, it should be ok to tell people not to. In my experience, very few people actually tell anyone not to wear them. That mostly happens on social media. Even on here most folks just say that it should be an individual's choice.

I have done plenty of cycling with & without helmets. I have never once had anyone on the road, tell me that I should *not* wear a helmet. I have however, had several encounters where people told me that I *should* wear a helmet. The first one was in the late 80s. I also recall one in 1993, when I was touring Scotland. I mostly wore a helmet for some years after that. But when I started cycling without a helmet again, I started getting regular comments about it, again.

One day in 2010(ish), when I was pootling around country lanes with my kids in a trailer, another cyclist stopped me to berate me about not wearing a helmet, soon joined by second cyclist. Between the 2 of them, they spent about 10 minutes telling me, in front of my kids, that I was going to die from not wearing a helmet and furthermore that I deserved to. They were like religious fanatics. They also told me that I (people like me, anyway) caused their insurance premiums to increase. It was a task to get away from them.

I have a couple of times since, had people tell me I should wear a helmet, but nothing so extreme as the 2010 encounter.
by Vorpal
11 Nov 2023, 12:31pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Nut Zero
Replies: 461
Views: 25864

Re: Nut Zero

I think that carbon capture can help us. I worked a couple of years ago on a carbon capture project which I think has promise. If it works, there will be more like it, and more opportunities to capture CO2 from industrial operations.

An awful lot of work goes into making sure that the underground storage is secure. Frankly, there are many, many sources of green houses gases trapped in the earth that are far less secure. For example, volcanos outgas 280-360 million tonnes (0.28 to 0.36 Gt) of CO2 per year.

Also if we get better at carbon capture & storage, it won't matter so much if some gets released in 50 years. We will have better technology to deal with it.
by Vorpal
10 Nov 2023, 11:50am
Forum: Health and fitness
Topic: Elbow joint pain and inflammation
Replies: 46
Views: 12210

Re: Elbow joint pain and inflammation

Psamathe wrote: 9 Nov 2023, 9:48am
My "issue" is tennis and golfers elbow (both sides!!!).Saw an NHS physio (or rather a 1st contact triage physio) and she did a few checks, the most surprising was arm on chair arm rest and lift one finger (can't remember which one) and it hurt - apparently a good test for tennis elbow (or golfers elbow, can't remember which way round as I have both).

Ian
My GP diagnosed the tennis elbow. She referred me for x-ray to make sure that there wasn't something else going on (as well?)
by Vorpal
10 Nov 2023, 9:51am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Nut Zero
Replies: 461
Views: 25864

Re: Nut Zero

al_yrpal wrote: 18 Oct 2023, 9:26am More overpaid nutters advising the government...

https://nic.org.uk/studies-reports/nati ... econd-nia/

Al
Nutters?

They are finance people and university professors. The COO was Head of Finance at The Pensions Regulator.
The National Infrastructure Commission was established as an Executive Agency of HM Treasury in January 2017.
Did you actually read the report, or just assume that because they are talking about decarbonising the economy, they are nutters? Frankly, their approach is likely to be far more palatable to folks who are business-oriented and fiscally conservative than that suggested by Labour or the Greens. They are only 'nutters' if you refuse to accept the climate science.
by Vorpal
8 Nov 2023, 11:13am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Cardiff police seize 17 illegal e-bikes
Replies: 60
Views: 9394

Re: Cardiff police seize 17 illegal e-bikes

Personally, I have mixed feelings on this.

I think it is driven partly by the low-paying gig work culture. If delivery people were employees and paid a decent wage, their employers would have some responsibility to ensure that they are operating legally. As it stands, these folks are all 'self-employed' and paid by the delivery, so they are incentivised to take risks and shortcuts.

I don't, in principle, have a problem with the e-bikes that are currently illegal, though I do think that they should be regulated. The lack of action on all of these small mobility devices that are not legal e-bikes has led to a void filled with illegal devices.

In my opinion, the government should allow any small mobility device that is powered at up to 15 mph to be classed like a bike, and anything that is powered over that, but not currently approved as a moped, to have an additional class, something like 'powered e-bike'. They should be limited to 25 or 30 mph, and otherwise either meet the requirements of legal e-bikes, or mopeds regarding lighting, brakes, etc. No one under 16 should operate them on the streets. Some countries that allow these require the riders to carry insurance. I don't think that is an unreasonable requirement, though I do not feel strongly about it.

I do think it is a bit over the top for the police to have operations targetting these things. At least they have given the riders a couple of weeks to produce documentation for them. They should have more time (a month? 2 months)

Most of the pedestrianised areas in Cardiff provide limited access to motor vehicles, either with a permit, or between midnight and 10:00 in the morning. I have a hard time believing that most of these bikes represent so much more risk that they should be seized. Instead, the government should address the situations that are creating the problem.

I don't condone breaking the law, but I have some sympathy for the fact that the law has not kept up, and the employment situation encourages law breaking.
by Vorpal
8 Nov 2023, 9:31am
Forum: On the road
Topic: first post, first off, some advice if possible :)
Replies: 11
Views: 4395

Re: first post, first off, some advice if possible :)

Camera discussion has been removed.
by Vorpal
7 Nov 2023, 2:09pm
Forum: Health and fitness
Topic: Elbow joint pain and inflammation
Replies: 46
Views: 12210

Re: Elbow joint pain and inflammation

I don't think the elbow issue sounds like arthritis. While arthritis can do things like that, I had a similar issue a couple of years ago, and was diagnosed with tennis elbow. I got a prescription for naproxen and a referral for physio. It cleared up pretty quickly with treatment.

I think it is worth talking again to your GP, and maybe push for some additional tests. For example, when the joint is swollen, they can take a fluid sample that will help understand the root cause of the problem. X-rays and ultrasound can also help identify the type and treatment options. They x-rayed my elbows as part of the diagnostic procedure.

Arthritis is typically a gradual deterioration. However, there is more than one type of arthritis, and some can be treated more easily than others. Some types can be triggered by an infection, and if you've had covid, that can have lingering effects, including reactive arthritis.
by Vorpal
7 Nov 2023, 1:59pm
Forum: Health and fitness
Topic: arthritis and handlebars
Replies: 30
Views: 6273

Re: arthritis and handlebars

There's some discussion about this topic on a previous thread viewtopic.php?t=143232
by Vorpal
7 Nov 2023, 1:40pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Taking Bikes on a German Train
Replies: 21
Views: 4310

Re: Taking Bikes on a German Train

I've only taken my bike on the train a couple of times in Germany, but trying & failing to figure out what to do, then having trouble finding a person who could help us, or explain in it English, were the hardest parts.
mjr wrote: 3 Nov 2023, 2:23pm
burroc wrote: 3 Nov 2023, 1:24pm The bicycle storage provision in the train was superb, but we still don't know if we had purchased the correct combination of tickets or effectively paid twice: our tickets were never checked.
Almost certainly correct. It is not unusual in Europe for the bike to be charged flat rate or daily, so it costs more than a short passenger journey. That happened to me in NL this year: €7 for me, €8+for the bike.
It varies a lot by country. In Denmark, bikes go free on S-trains, public ferries, and services that cyclists use because they are not allowed to cycle, e.g. over a bridge where cyclists are banned, for example crossings at Kørsor or Nyborg. For other services, you have to buy a ticket, the cost of which depends on the zones you will cross.

In Norway, bikes go free on ferries, but are half the cost of a normal adult fare for the same journey on most other services. However, tickets cannot be purchased from the machines, so you either need to buy a different half price ticket, or buy one from the conductor. Booking is required on a couple of rail routes.

In Sweden the rules are similar to Norway, but more train routes require booking, and some do not take bikes at all.

In Latvia, you can take bikes on any train with a carriage marked with a bike symbol. You need a baggage ticket for the trip that must accompany & match another ticket. Baggage tickets are cheaper if purchased from the machines.
by Vorpal
31 Oct 2023, 9:13am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Proviz and CE EN 20471
Replies: 64
Views: 13896

Re: Proviz and CE EN 20471

going a bit off-topic, now, but...
pjclinch wrote: 31 Oct 2023, 8:20am
maximus meridius wrote: 30 Oct 2023, 9:31pm
As a matter of fact, in terms of pure bike handling, I have spent a fair while in my local church car park doing tight turns, "step and swing" bike mounts, emergency stops etc. And on a quiet water authority access road I practice looking further back over my shoulder. To be honest I've never been that good at looking over my shoulder, and especially now I've got a good bar end mirror tend to rely on that for long distance rear views, and glancing over my shoulder for more immediate about-to-pull-out manoeuvres.
Top Tip for looking behind (from Cyclecraft, if memory serves) is it's much easier if you're riding one handed. If looking over the right shoulder, drop the right hand from the bars and then you're much less prone to turn the bars inadvertently as you twist to look behind.
When I had students who struggled with looking over their shoulder, I told them to look down at their elbow, then *around* their shoulder. That usually did the trick.
pjclinch wrote: 31 Oct 2023, 8:20am
maximus meridius wrote: 30 Oct 2023, 9:31pm It would be really good if there were a trainer who had motorcycle type radio comms, but I don't suppose anybody does.
It wouldn't surprise me, especially given the number of folk one sees walking along holiding 'phone conversations through their wireless earbuds. You'd just be in a 'phone call with your instructor.
I used to work occassionally with a trainer who did 1 on 1 level 3 training for police officers who were going be cycling on duty. They used motorcycle type comms, but I think they were provided by the police.