HEDGE TRIMMING

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
reohn2
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

pwa wrote:The countryside is a messy place. Agriculture is messy. Almost all agricultural activity involves a bit of mess. So we should be exercising a bit of tolerance here. The countryside would not be as enjoyable as it is without the hedges, and the hedges have to be maintained. A little bit of mess is inevitable when that happens. When that mess becomes more than "a little bit" is when we should be unhappy.

But there's a simple way to at least make it less messy,my observations of consciensious farmers is that hedge cuttings can be almost eliminated from even getting onto the road by equipping the cutting head with flaps to catch the overspill as stated up thread.
It's just laziness and a careless attitude toward the general public on behalf of those cutting the hedges that leaves the roadway strewn with thorns and clippings.
I hope you don't get a puncture when it's piddling down with rain and blowing a gale,and I sincerely hope you don't get five miles down a lane only to suddenly find it strewn with clippings so bad you and your stoker have to carry the tandem for half a mile as we have had to do on a couple of occassions,me thinks your mind maybe changed if you do! :evil:
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
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Cugel
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by Cugel »

brooksby wrote:
mnichols wrote:So are the farmers in the wrong for not spending time/money sweeping up every last thorn, or is the problem that we use the wrong tyres for the road conditions? I think the same question applies to potholes.


You're right - we should probably carry a spare set of tyres with us, so we can swap them out if we come across an area where hedge litter has been left over the road... :wink:

One of my club mates does carry a spare tyre under his saddle. Although it's now a clincher, he got the habit from those days long ago when he had but one bike (his racing bike) which sported tubs, so he always had a spare (under the saddle or 'round his shoulders) in classic fashion.

He's never had to use this spare clincher tyre but has become wary of the gremlin which will, as soon as he fails to bring his spare, rip up at least one of his tyres ... perhaps two just to emphasise the nature of gremlins (naughty in the extreme and fond of inconveniences).

Another club mate has switched to tubeless tyres. Alas, even these can be savaged by the right sharp. On Sunday last he got a large hole in the back tyre, which then sprayed the back of his jersey with latex. He spent some time putting in a tyre boot and an inner tube.......

Perhaps I will invent a cycling half-track; or even a lightweight tank-like thing, made pedalable by the use of helium balloons and the use of beryllium.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

They say that unobtainium is a good guard against puntures,but everyone's out of stock :?
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
pwa
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by pwa »

reohn2 wrote:
pwa wrote:The countryside is a messy place. Agriculture is messy. Almost all agricultural activity involves a bit of mess. So we should be exercising a bit of tolerance here. The countryside would not be as enjoyable as it is without the hedges, and the hedges have to be maintained. A little bit of mess is inevitable when that happens. When that mess becomes more than "a little bit" is when we should be unhappy.

But there's a simple way to at least make it less messy,my observations of consciensious farmers is that hedge cuttings can be almost eliminated from even getting onto the road by equipping the cutting head with flaps to catch the overspill as stated up thread.
It's just laziness and a careless attitude toward the general public on behalf of those cutting the hedges that leaves the roadway strewn with thorns and clippings.
I hope you don't get a puncture when it's piddling down with rain and blowing a gale,and I sincerely hope you don't get five miles down a lane only to suddenly find it strewn with clippings so bad you and your stoker have to carry the tandem for half a mile as we have had to do on a couple of occassions,me thinks your mind maybe changed if you do! :evil:


As I said before, hedge clippings on the roads around here, so far, have been very acceptable this year. Just a small hint here and there, rather than extensive drifts. I know from cutting my own garden hedges that I can sweep up afterwards and then the wind picks up and more bits are blown from the hedge, so I think a little bit on the road is reasonable. But not the dense cover you sometimes see. It sounds like some farmers around your way are using some inadequate equipment.
Last edited by pwa on 20 Nov 2018, 7:36pm, edited 1 time in total.
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

pwa wrote:
As I said before, hedge clippings on the roads around here, so far, have been very acceptable so this year. Just a small hint here and there, rather than extensive drifts. I know from cutting my own garden hedges that I can sweep up afterwards and then the wind picks up and more bits are blown from the hedge, so I think a little bit on the road is reasonable. But not the dense cover you sometimes see. It sounds like some farmers around your way are using some inadequate equipment.

Sadly the Cheshire lanes can be very bad at times,trying to talkmto some farmers is met with derision :?
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
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Cugel
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by Cugel »

reohn2 wrote:They say that unobtainium is a good guard against puntures,but everyone's out of stock :?


I have an unobtanium scraper in my cabinet-making shed. It takes the thinnest most wafty wood shavings and never needs sharpening. I was given it by one of the goblins at the bottom of our garden in exchange for one of the neighbours more irksome brats.

I believe they trained this child to see-orf rats, cats and the more noxious variety of passing toads. The bairn is grown up now and is a Tory MP for somewhere in the Home Counties, for which his spell as a goblin's rat-chaser is the perfect preparation.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

Cugel wrote:
reohn2 wrote:They say that unobtainium is a good guard against puntures,but everyone's out of stock :?


I have an unobtanium scraper in my cabinet-making shed. It takes the thinnest most wafty wood shavings and never needs sharpening. I was given it by one of the goblins at the bottom of our garden in exchange for one of the neighbours more irksome brats.

I believe they trained this child to see-orf rats, cats and the more noxious variety of passing toads. The bairn is grown up now and is a Tory MP for somewhere in the Home Counties, for which his spell as a goblin's rat-chaser is the perfect preparation.

Cugel

I find it makes good cabinet scrapers (I have two :wink: ).As for the brat,atleast he's a good way away from us :D
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
mnichols
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by mnichols »

brooksby wrote:
mnichols wrote:So are the farmers in the wrong for not spending time/money sweeping up every last thorn, or is the problem that we use the wrong tyres for the road conditions? I think the same question applies to potholes.


You're right - we should probably carry a spare set of tyres with us, so we can swap them out if we come across an area where hedge litter has been left over the road... :wink:


My comment was based on the fact that the road past my house is regularly used time trials (weekly in summer), a hill climb and at least two annual sportives and the occasional race. Which also means we get a lot of people training, club rides and there are a few prized strava segments....all this in a village of about 30 houses spread over a couple of square miles, and half of those are farm workers. The farmer and council do their best, but it's not their job to optimize the roads so that cyclists can beat last week's time. I regularly (daily) see cyclists coming through on time trial or highly tuned race bikes with aero wheels and tubs. It's a working farming community. I even saw one time trialist shouting at a farmer for walking his cows across the road to be milked because it was ruining his time
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

First ride on new Conti RaceKings yesterday riding a bridleway that had recently had the hedges clipped.. ...you known the rest :?
Last edited by reohn2 on 23 Nov 2018, 11:12pm, edited 1 time in total.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
pwa
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by pwa »

reohn2 wrote:First ride on new Conti RaceKings yesterday riding a bridleway that had recently been had the hedges clipped.. ...you known the rest :?

Not a low cost option, but have you considered moving to a place with lots of forest roads? No hedge cutting, miles and miles of climbs, descents, some specially designed MTB trails thrown in? And no hedge cutting.


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6214966 ... 2?hl=en-GB
Don't rate those wheels though!
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

pwa wrote:
reohn2 wrote:First ride on new Conti RaceKings yesterday riding a bridleway that had recently been had the hedges clipped.. ...you known the rest :?

Not a low cost option, but have you considered moving to a place with lots of forest roads? No hedge cutting, miles and miles of climbs, descents, some specially designed MTB trails thrown in? And no hedge cutting.


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6214966 ... 2?hl=en-GB
Don't rate those wheels though!


We won't be moving anywhere soon,much as I'd like to and would be a very selfish option.
I'm in the twilght years with a wife with a degenerative disability(Parkinson's)that could remain as is or accelerate at anytime.Thankfully she's been pretty stable for the past two years but her energy levels are very low.Our family are within a few miles of us,so you can see the problem.

I know what you mean about the wheels,though I'll gladly take the punctures instead :wink:
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by pwa »

It wasn't a serious suggestion. Of course you need your family. I wonder how people get on when they put distance between themselves and their families. I'm glad yours is close at hand.
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by reohn2 »

pwa wrote:It wasn't a serious suggestion. Of course you need your family. I wonder how people get on when they put distance between themselves and their families. I'm glad yours is close at hand.


It was a serious answer.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
9494arnold
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by 9494arnold »

Hedge trimmings are Litter. Pure and simple. :evil: :x
pwa
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Re: HEDGE TRIMMING

Post by pwa »

9494arnold wrote:Hedge trimmings are Litter. Pure and simple. :evil: :x

A nuisance (in the wrong place) certainly. Litter? No. Litter is man made stuff such cans and wrappers, not bits of trees.
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