Cycling UK Forum

al_yrpal wrote:Its not so easy to cut a Dutch bike lock with an angle grinder without damaging the adjacent stays and wheel although I expect Dutch bike thieves have got it sussed. My thought was that kind of lock is quite rare and unfamiliar to many thieves here in the UK particularly casual ones judging by the comments about it I have recieved.

Al

Hmmm anyone familiar with using the tool would have no problem cutting with no damage to anything else particularly with a battery powered 115mm disc grinder.


The point about those locks is they don't prevent the bike being carried away just stop it being ridden. If used in conjunction with a cable or U lock they'll make the bike less attractive to thieves than nearby machines with just one lock.
Used on their own they're meant to deter opportunistic theft particularly when you're stopping for a short while. The traditional Raleigh steering lock served much the same purpose but in a more elegant manner.

Trying to picture a pair of carbon forks with a steering lock

bagpussctc wrote:Trying to picture a pair of carbon forks with a steering lock

You've got one - that Raleigh steel fork is made of carbon and iron as opposed to the other sort made of carbon and plastic

The wheel strength thing has veered somewhat off topic I think, and if strong wheels are the goal, small wheels are an answer. However they come with some issues. Overheating is one, and comfort combined with good roadholding combined with low rolling resistance is another. So we're back to needing perfect suspension, and also:

Brakes that
do not fade
do not blow tyres
do not weigh a tonne
do not boil fluids and fail
do not necessitate uncomfortable forks (see above!)

The brake issue is particularly relevant for tandems.

al_yrpal wrote:As for that invention...a saddle that treats my bum kindly please. In 13 years of recent cycling I havent found one.

Al

Try a leather saddle. the can take a while to mould to your particular shape, but once it has you'll have the most comfortable saddle ever.

As for keys, carabiners are a great idea. I always clip mine to the drawcord inside my bags, although I appreciate that those with thing s like Ortlieb's may not have them.

For me it's not stuff I need that's not invented yet, it's more stuff I've used that doesn;t work for me and they are
Hoods on coast/capes - I've never found one that feels comfortable and safe. I'm close to buying making a cycling cap like a desert rat cap with a waterproof "skirt" that's somehow weighted enough to not flap in the wind.

Decent mudguards for small wheels that don't suck massively. I've always ran ESGE (now sks) chromoplastic on my big wheeled tourer. All that I can find for 20" are either the cheap black plastic ones that I manage to crack every 18 months or so or salvage some old heavy metal guards and the bikes are heavy enough thanks.

gazza_d wrote:

al_yrpal wrote:As for that invention...a saddle that treats my bum kindly please. In 13 years of recent cycling I havent found one.

Al

Try a leather saddle. the can take a while to mould to your particular shape, but once it has you'll have the most comfortable saddle ever.

Not necessarily,I've yet to find a comfortable leather saddle and by leather I mean Brooks or similar.

For me it's not stuff I need that's not invented yet, it's more stuff I've used that doesn;t work for me......

Leather saddles don't for me,and I know others feel the same way otherwise there wouldn't be so many different saddles

Decent mudguards for small wheels that don't suck massively. I've always ran ESGE (now sks) chromoplastic on my big wheeled tourer. All that I can find for 20" are either the cheap black plastic ones that I manage to crack every 18 months or so or salvage some old heavy metal guards and the bikes are heavy enough thanks.

20inch SKS mudguards are available,,I have a pair fitted to my folder,they're just as good as the SKS's for larger wheeled bikes.
The only thing missing from SKS mudguards is a decent front mud flap which I make myself from car or truck inner tube.Superb mudflap material

I use SKS 20" guards and they are crap. Not like the ESGE chromoplastics at all sadly.

I find the SKS longflap mudguard works well front and rear though

Had several leather saddles and they were just as uncomfortable as the others. My E Bike has a wide soft saddle an the saddle nose was wrongly pointing slightly right when the bike was delivered. Its very comfortable! Previously I got sore on my right bum cheek, this seems to have stopped? But now I am only doing 2 hour rides.

On long tours in the past I have had to take a spare saddle along and swap it to alter the pressure point, but still ended up in a lot of pain eventually.

Al

gazza_d wrote:I use SKS 20" guards and they are crap. Not like the ESGE chromoplastics at all sadly.

Never had a problem with SKS mudguards and I ride off road on tracks,bridleways and some singletrack occasionally,all my bikes are fitted with SKS/Bluemels mudguards.

I find the SKS longflap mudguard works well front and rear though

Nowhere near long enough to stop feet getting wet and also stiff enough to fold the bottom bit of mudguard back with it if the bike is rolled or ridden off a high kerb or step,ask me how I know .
I ride up and down up some steps and drop offs upto 30cm or more when off road,a long wide flexible mudflap made from thick truck inner tube to within 4cm of the ground attached to the bottom stay bracket(I actually remove the SKS rivets and replace them with bolts with the mudflap sandwiched between mudguard and bracket) just folds back in such situations then hangs back down into place,not so a stiff flap such as you mention.
A couple of photos,click on the photos for a larger image :-

electric shifting which can automatically maintain a user-specified cadence

shobo wrote:electric shifting which can automatically maintain a user-specified cadence

Cadence isn't exact so there'd need to be a programmable cadence range before gears are automatically changed,which shouldn't be problem.
Though for some it would be a step to far along the technological trail removing more control from the rider.

shobo wrote:electric shifting which can automatically maintain a user-specified cadence

Hmmm, involuntary, unpredictable gear changes when you are out of the saddle on a 20% gradient? No thanks!

I agree perhaps switch it off on steep hills but generally i would value cadence control on rolling hills if gears were closely spaced

Yeh there would need to be a range say 90-95 rpm

Until three days ago I would have said the Redshift Shockstop, then I found it by chance, thinking that something like that wouldnt exist, but it does exist, I ordered it on Prime, fitted it, not used it yet due to injury, but by 'static testing' and its reviews (mainly US) I think its gonna be good