Search found 12464 matches

by Si
1 Oct 2020, 1:57pm
Forum: Off-road Cycling.
Topic: King Alfred's Way ( 2020 Jan -> Ongoing )
Replies: 92
Views: 10926

Re: King Alfred's Way - Difficulty and places to stay

Have a look through [ this topic ]
..where you'll find one of the people who helped design the route
by Si
30 Sep 2020, 3:31pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Interupter brake levers
Replies: 41
Views: 2326

Re: Interupter brake levers

thelawnet wrote:are you referring to hydraulic or cable levers?


They are on cable discs.
by Si
30 Sep 2020, 2:39pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Interupter brake levers
Replies: 41
Views: 2326

Interupter brake levers

You know the ones I mean? They are on the tops of your drop bars, either side of the stem, and allow you to pull the brakes on while riding on the 'flats'. I think some people call them cross-top levers or XC levers?

My question is: do they reduce the effectiveness of the brakes when you are operating the brakes from the conventional drop levers?

My bike, which I've had around two years, came fitted with them. In all of that time I've only ever used them twice - and one of those was just to test them. Considering removing them....bit of a chore 'cos I'll need new outer cables..thus if there is even a small but noticeable improvement in braking then I'm be more enthused to do the job.

thank you for your thoughts :-)
by Si
30 Sep 2020, 2:30pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Save our pop-up cycle lane!
Replies: 15
Views: 1043

Re: Save our pop-up cycle lane!

The one I was referring to is one that I and several others have used a number of times and, as stated, it could be better (but then everything could be better), but was perfectly usable. I would be happy to ride along it with children, or, indeed, allow a child who has achieved bikeability L2 to use it alone. The bit that was being complained about was where the cyclists had to stop at a bog standard give-way line and give way to traffic exiting a car park from their left*. The alternative was for cyclists to ride along a dual carriageway, with no protection, and then find themselves in the second lane of a three lane carriage way as the exit from the car park formed a new first lane - thus the cyclist now had cars on both sides of them, often going faster than they were, with the need to filter into the left lane to gain the next turn off.

The councillors and now (as noted above) a certain infamous cycling MP have adjudged the cycle lane too dangerous but have made no alternative suggestion on how to improve it, rather they have insisted it just be removed, whilst continuing to assure us that they support cycling and green initiatives.

The council have agreed to remove it.

There is a plan to make the whole of the road in question a cycling/pedestrian only area, at some unspecified time in the future.

*I think that the original plan was that the traffic exiting the car park would give way to the cycle path but the planners obviously thought that that was beyond some drivers' abilities.
by Si
20 Sep 2020, 4:11pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Save our pop-up cycle lane!
Replies: 15
Views: 1043

Save our pop-up cycle lane!

We got a new pop-up segregated cycle lane in Sutton Coldfield. If takes one lane of a two/three lane carriageway and allows cyclists to ride between the town centre and the local large park (which has various other cycle routes running out of it). I've ridden it a few times and although not perfect (what is?) it's a lot better than not having it.

Alas a local councillor wants it removed on 'safety grounds'. He is someone with no experience of cycling or road safety. He's started a petition to have the lane removed.

There is a counter petition to have it retained and expanded. http://chng.it/kkCJMJMJCB

Please do sign it if you'd like to support the lane.

BTW, the photo on the petition is it in its part complete form - there is now physical separation (wands) between the cycle space and the lanes open to all traffic.

Thank you.
by Si
13 Sep 2020, 2:00pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Rush hour in Bournville
Replies: 20
Views: 943

Re: Rush hour in Bournville

Bournville innit.....they's all over the road cos they's on a chocolate sugar rush.
by Si
11 Sep 2020, 3:22pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Rush hour in Bournville
Replies: 20
Views: 943

Rush hour in Bournville

Image
by Si
11 Sep 2020, 3:11pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Gang of six-impact on Xmas
Replies: 210
Views: 8022

Re: Gang of six-impact on Xmas

I have conducted a head count. Me, Mrs Si, cat 1, cat 2. Looks like a normal Christmas then. Maybe a bit less traffic on the roads for my Christmas morning ride?

TBH, I think that a lot of people might actually enjoy a smaller Christmas without all the hassle of buying so much food, all the cooking, the relatives fighting....stress , stress , stress
by Si
11 Sep 2020, 3:08pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Vinyl -> digital
Replies: 62
Views: 1860

Re: Vinyl -> digital

Afraid that for me a line level is a mini-spirit level that I use for stringing up sections :-) ....don't do technical!

Thus, I will try to describe what I was using (and will probably miss out the important bit as I don't know what I'm talking about): technics record dec connected to technics amp via a set of cables and an earth lead. Amp connected to PC via a cable coming out of the phono jack and going into the Mic hole. With audacity installed on the PC.

If I unplug the cable from the phono jack and put head phones in then the quality sounds OK.
If I connect the cable between the Mic on the PC and the headphone hole on my tablet and record onto audacity then the quality sounds OK.
But if I do it from deck->amp->PC->audacity then there is hiss and muffling.
The PC's sound card is whatever bog standard thing that came with the PC, and was not advertised as anything special.

Anyway, thanks for all the advise - much appreciated. I will reread it all and have another go the next time I am off on hols and have time and room to set the system up again.
by Si
9 Sep 2020, 4:50pm
Forum: Cycling UK Topics and Discussions
Topic: e-scooters
Replies: 4
Views: 1294

Re: e-scooters

Aye, there would need to be changes to allow escooterists in, but could it be beneficial? They may well suffer the same difficulties as cyclists, an d have many similar needs.
by Si
9 Sep 2020, 11:28am
Forum: Cycling UK Topics and Discussions
Topic: e-scooters
Replies: 4
Views: 1294

e-scooters

Just been reading "This Great Club of Ours" the early history of the CTC/CUK. After a fantastic start and loads of people joining it appears that there was a great schism when the question of allowing in tourists who used those new-fangled motor cars was raised. The result was that cars were not accepted and loads of people left the club (other reasons were also to blame).

Now we know that CUK is happy with people on e-bikes/trikes (as long as they are legal etc). What if we find that e-scooterists want to join (if the current trials are successful and people are allowed to become private owners of road going e-scooters)?

On the 'for' side:
- they go at a similar sort of speeds as cycles
- they use the same sort of roads and paths
- they have similar vulnerabilities
- they are much greener that cars
- they offer much less threat to cyclists than cars do in a collision

On the 'agin' side:
- they ain't cycles
- although you can propel them manually I get the feeling that very few people will.


CSUK...Cycling & Scootering UK ? Could be problematic for us dyslexics.
by Si
9 Sep 2020, 11:19am
Forum: Cycling UK Topics and Discussions
Topic: Cycling UK statement on Covid19
Replies: 44
Views: 30845

Re: Cycling UK statement on Covid19

I think that the term they used was "organised sports". I would, thus guess that an organised club run would fall under this, but a group of mates meeting for a ride wouldn't. The difference being that there is a ride leader/organiser who is responsible for maintaining CV19 measures. But that's just a guess....probably be a few U turns before we know for sure.
by Si
9 Sep 2020, 11:09am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Vinyl -> digital
Replies: 62
Views: 1860

Re: Vinyl -> digital

[XAP]Bob wrote:Just reread the first post - sounds like the “cable” or input might be expecting a high impedance signal - have you tried plugging the cable in to your amp’s headphone jack?


yes, tried that, no better.
by Si
8 Sep 2020, 5:00pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Vinyl -> digital
Replies: 62
Views: 1860

Re: Vinyl -> digital

Well, I've nothing against vinyl apart from I can't play it in the car, which is really the only time I get to listen to my music on a regular basis, and I don't have room in the house to set up my record player, amp, speakers, etc, and having to get up and change the record so often is a pain, etc etc

I will try fiddling with audacity as instructed.

Then it's moving onto doing cassette tapes. Strangely enough someone told me they were coming back in. Why? Only reason you had them was so you could put your tape recorder next to the TV and record TotPs every Thursday. And so that you could play them in the car.
by Si
7 Sep 2020, 4:48pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Vinyl -> digital
Replies: 62
Views: 1860

Vinyl -> digital

Long have I planned to transfer all of my old vinyl records to digital so that I can play that on my phone and thus in my car.

Bought the cables, downloaded the software, plugged my deck into my amp into my PC and tried it. Quality was awful. What I was hearing through the headphones coming out the amp was fine. And if I do youtube on my tablet to my PC via a cable that's fine. Just doesn't like the amp to PC.

Anyway, lif is too short so have started buying a number of my records on CD from places like Music Magpie....often around £2.50 a go and quality has been good so far...then just RIPping them to the phone. All works fine so far...apart from CSM's Straw Donkey won't copy for some reason but that's by the by.

However, there is an issue....a number of my records are not common and thus finding them on CD and second hand is not happening. I've looked at those places that copy records to digital for you....HOW MUCH!?!?!?!?!?!?! I'm in the wrong job! Thus, just wondering if anyone has used one of those budget record decks that record to memory stick? Any good?