Cycling to Glasgow in October

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tyre Lady »

What I learned and some recommendations

1. As much as possible use the Sustrans routes as they will most likely be quiet and use cycle highways when possible. The only time the country lanes were busy was when the A1(M1) was closed and all the traffic were hurling along the narrow country roads. That's when it was time to find somewhere to sleep

2. My least favourite Sustrans route was ncn 65 that took me down a steep road across a Fjord and then straight up a steep hill

3. My favourite route was ncn 754 from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Loved it and if you have time to do it now. Getting to the Falkirk Wheel and doing the caves at night is awesome..... though the Falkirk cave must be done before 8pm

4. Ncn 1 through Northumbria was my second favourite. Loved the scenery and people were so friendly.
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Tiggertoo
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tiggertoo »

"If we really want to see deep systematic change, we need more ground up movements"

Sadly, there are so many special interests where profit and greed are paramount. Waste the planet and then what?
Pessimism seems realistic and optimism delusional.
Slowtwitch
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Slowtwitch »

If cycling to Glasgow, remember to pack a decent bike lock - my son was at University there, so many bikes go amiss...
Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tyre Lady »

Thankfully my bike survived Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow!
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Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tyre Lady »

Tiggertoo wrote: 22 Nov 2021, 6:13pm "If we really want to see deep systematic change, we need more ground up movements"

Sadly, there are so many special interests where profit and greed are paramount. Waste the planet and then what?
Pessimism seems realistic and optimism delusional.
Seems you are basing things on whether they are bad or good. Everything is shades of grey. What might seem good can be green washing (e.g. bamboo toothbrushes; biodegradable cups that only degrade in industrial landfills; etc) and what can seem bad is good as long as it has controls in place (e.g. plastic is great for insulation for electrics; helps to keep food last longer)
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ANTONISH
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by ANTONISH »

Tyre Lady wrote: 22 Nov 2021, 6:01pm What I learned and some recommendations



2. My least favourite Sustrans route was ncn 65 that took me down a steep road across a Fjord and then straight up a steep hill

I'm impressed - I'd have needed a boat.
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Tinnishill
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tinnishill »

Tyre Lady » 22 Nov 2021, 7:01pm
What I learned and some recommendations
I gather from your other posts that you had a lot of punctures. Did you spot a pattern ? Thorns, glass, bits of wire ? Were you using more robust tyres or still the tyres that came with the bikes and trailer ?

And good luck with settling back into normal life again, it always takes me a while.
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Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

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Tinnishill wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 8:45pm
I gather from your other posts that you had a lot of punctures. Did you spot a pattern ? Thorns, glass, bits of wire ? Were you using more robust tyres or still the tyres that came with the bikes and trailer ?

And good luck with settling back into normal life again, it always takes me a while.
I am eating for 3 people!!! Going up to COP it was all thorns. One on the front tyre of my bicycle; 6 on Elsie's tyres; 15 on the trailer tyres. I tried changing my trailer tyres at a Halford I had stopped at but they didn't stock better small trailer tyres. I tried some slime- worked on one inner tube, sealed up the other inner tube valve (argh!)

On the way back down - had 2 punctures - one on the back bicycle tyre - a thorn again and the other was on the trailer tyre that had been slimed...... but there was also a nail in the tyre + quite a few thorns. So the slime worked mostly :)

On my bicycle am still using the same tyres you all recommended when I did my last bike tour in 2019 :D
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Vorpal
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Vorpal »

Tyre Lady wrote: 24 Nov 2021, 5:17pm
I am eating for 3 people!!! Going up to COP it was all thorns. One on the front tyre of my bicycle; 6 on Elsie's tyres; 15 on the trailer tyres. I tried changing my trailer tyres at a Halford I had stopped at but they didn't stock better small trailer tyres. I tried some slime- worked on one inner tube, sealed up the other inner tube valve (argh!)

On the way back down - had 2 punctures - one on the back bicycle tyre - a thorn again and the other was on the trailer tyre that had been slimed...... but there was also a nail in the tyre + quite a few thorns. So the slime worked mostly :)

On my bicycle am still using the same tyres you all recommended when I did my last bike tour in 2019 :D
You certainly need new tyres, by now!
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Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tyre Lady »

Tyres have been checked by a bicycle mechanic - and says they are still fine :D
I have only used them for touring. I change the tyres to a less friction rolling pair for general every day usage
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Vorpal
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Vorpal »

Tyre Lady wrote: 25 Nov 2021, 2:31pm Tyres have been checked by a bicycle mechanic - and says they are still fine :D
I have only used them for touring. I change the tyres to a less friction rolling pair for general every day usage
But you did thousands of miles on them?

I have experienced that tyres with thousands of miles on them can still look ok, but become more susceptible to punctures. Even cycling this time of year (when I expect more punctures), if I had 3 with less than 200 miles between*, I'd replace the tyres. Or maybe switch to something more puncture resistant. The cost of new tyres is worth it to prevent repeat punctures.

*this assumes that I have taken care to check thoroughly for stuff still stuck in the tyres, done the best I could to clean them, replaced the inner tube at least once, etc.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
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Tinnishill
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tinnishill »

About the valve being gummed up by slime. Sometimes that happens, or the valve sticks for some other reason. If you have a schrieder valve core tool you can whip it out, give it a rub and shove it back in. They are intended to replace one of your tyre dustcaps. They cost a couple of quid and look like this.
Car valve tool.jpg
A few years ago my spouse was hauling a bike trailer when she hit hedge clippings and had four simultaneous punctured tyres. Leaving hedge clippings lying about is illegal. When we complained to the roads department they said that no one had made that complaint before. They said the same thing on each of the subsequent five autumns when we complained about the hedge cuttings left in the same road. Ho-hum. After that we used slime and armour plated tyres on the trailer.
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simonhill
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by simonhill »

I don't think they are the tyres we all recommended. I didn't think they were suitable, but I have certainly been proved wrong.
Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tyre Lady »

Tinnishill wrote: 25 Nov 2021, 6:06pm About the valve being gummed up by slime. Sometimes that happens, or the valve sticks for some other reason. If you have a schrieder valve core tool you can whip it out, give it a rub and shove it back in. They are intended to replace one of your tyre dustcaps. They cost a couple of quid and look like this.
Car valve tool.jpg

A few years ago my spouse was hauling a bike trailer when she hit hedge clippings and had four simultaneous punctured tyres. Leaving hedge clippings lying about is illegal. When we complained to the roads department they said that no one had made that complaint before. They said the same thing on each of the subsequent five autumns when we complained about the hedge cuttings left in the same road. Ho-hum. After that we used slime and armour plated tyres on the trailer.
Thanks Tinnishill. Will be returning the trailer back to its owner. Just need to find out how to reinforce the fabric on the edge of one side of the trailer. It had a wee knock
Vorpal wrote: 25 Nov 2021, 5:24pm But you did thousands of miles on them?

I have experienced that tyres with thousands of miles on them can still look ok, but become more susceptible to punctures. Even cycling this time of year (when I expect more punctures), if I had 3 with less than 200 miles between*, I'd replace the tyres. Or maybe switch to something more puncture resistant. The cost of new tyres is worth it to prevent repeat punctures.

*this assumes that I have taken care to check thoroughly for stuff still stuck in the tyres, done the best I could to clean them, replaced the inner tube at least once, etc.
Yes have probably done about 3000 - 4000 miles on them now. One is a Swalbe marathon tyre and the other is also Swalbe but I forget which one as the bike shop lost a wheel I had given them to realign back in 2019 and they gave me a Swalbe replacement but not the same type. Anyway have had one puncture on the front and one on the back tyre from big thorns. Nothing more. If they start to become frequent then will change them.

Simon - I think I was recommended Swalbe Marathon tyres at one point. Had a nice discussion about tyres in 2019 and then had to make a decision. Lots of tyres were recommended.
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Tyre Lady
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Re: Cycling to Glasgow in October

Post by Tyre Lady »

I did cycle over some glass the other day and thankfully no punctures
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