"Pothole" Bike

[Anthony_]

Never mind "Endurance" or "Gravel" or "Adventure". What is the solution to the potholes? I have just been on a day ride in Surrey, via the usual routes. The roads are rutted, holed, patched. I have a nice old Falcon Tourist bike and was jarred to bits. One puddle I went through turned out to be a deep pothole. I'm surprised the wheel didn't buckle. You can't avoid all of it, because the roads have fast traffic on them.

I don't know what the answer is. Maybe one of the custom suspension solutions would help. Maybe bigger, softer, tyres? Or just a tough frame and wheels to get through it?

[chris_suffolk]

I suspect even a good MTB would end up with buckled wheels on some of the pot holes that many councils call a road.

[fastpedaller]

Try posting the details on
fillthathole.org.uk
similar to many folk here, in the hope that someone (local authority) may sit up and take notice!

[chris_suffolk]

Try posting the details on
fillthathole.org.uk
similar to many folk here, in the hope that someone (local authority) may sit up and take notice!

I do - regularly - and often they do actually fill them. Sometimes takes multiple attempts, and sometimes takes 6 months or more, but hey suspension / wheels / anything else is cheap. I even threatened to claim on their insurance if they didn't fill one hole a while back - they just sent me the form - so I guess it's just down to cost effectiveness and a new tyre / wheel is often the cheapest route.

[atlas_shrugged]

Designs of cycles for rough roads have been looked at. This thread is of interest particularly pictures of some of the road surfaces in Russia:

http://forum.bhpc.org.uk/encourage-diy- ... page1.html

[peetee]

Driving to the shops today I noticed a car pull out from a side turn at a very strange angle. As I approached the junction it was obvious that the direct line was riddled with potholes and missing tarmac. This location has been deteriorating for some time now and, initially, I was puzzled that it hasn’t been repaired. I reported a pothole outside my house last week , on a minor road, and it was repaired within 48 hours. It did occur to me later that the first location I mentioned would require a team with traffic management hardware whereas the hole in my road was done in five minutes with two guys. Perhaps with COVID related restrictions the council Just can’t stretch to more than the basic jobs.

[DaveGos]

I can guarantee the roads in my part of Shropshire are far worse, my lane is flooded all the time with a sand bank and many big pot holes and grass down the middle. 3 of 4 ways out the village are barely passable. I at this time of the year generally use an old tourer , but sometimes an mtb with front suspension The mtb gives by far the better ride but is slower (2 inch tyres) and no mudguards as i keep it for proper off road. Sometimes i do detours to avoid the worst roads as i m only going around in circle anyway.

[alexnharvey]

Maybe tyre inserts as used by mountain bikers, reportedly also adopted by in some way by some Tour de France teams last year, would be helpful?

[ChrisP100]

Never mind "Endurance" or "Gravel" or "Adventure". What is the solution to the potholes? I have just been on a day ride in Surrey, via the usual routes. The roads are rutted, holed, patched. I have a nice old Falcon Tourist bike and was jarred to bits. One puddle I went through turned out to be a deep pothole. I'm surprised the wheel didn't buckle. You can't avoid all of it, because the roads have fast traffic on them.

I don't know what the answer is. Maybe one of the custom suspension solutions would help. Maybe bigger, softer, tyres? Or just a tough frame and wheels to get through it?

My hybrid (non-suspension) has 26x1.75 tyres on , but I still struggle on some of my local roads (Lincolnshire). My morning commute through the centre of Lincoln has some pretty sh*tty road surfaces. Lincoln Hight Street in particular has a dodgy seam in the road that resembles a scale model of the Grand Canyon, smack bang in the middle of the prime cycling position. It can all too easily throw you off balance if you get a wheel in it. What makes it worse is that the whole of the High Street was full refurbished just a couple of years ago.

[cycle tramp]

This is my route to one of the local shops. It's a farmers track so it will never be repaired by the council. The puddle in the distance which spans the width of the road touches my pedal at its lowest point....

...I use a steel frame touring bike, 36 spoke 559/26" size wheels with 2 inch wide tyres running at between 40 to 60 psi. The bike has been fitted with drum brakes and i use a 5 speed freewheel to reduce the amount of rear wheel dish to the minimum. The front mudguard is a converted rear mudguard to give better splash protection.

[fivebikes]

Here in Halifax the roads are so bad that wheel damage is inevitable unless you navigate between the holes which often means riding in less than safe road positions. Major roads are better surface wise but busy and cycle lanes are either glass strewn or parked on! My road, a steep hill, is so bad that I have broken broken the shock absorber coil springs on my car! That has happened at sub 20 mph speeds too.
An unwelcome effect of store closures, post COVID, might well be further reduced revenue for the local authority who are responsible for the maintenance of minor roads.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus, as wide as possible, seem to be the best option.

[NUKe]

Try posting the details on
fillthathole.org.uk
similar to many folk here, in the hope that someone (local authority) may sit up and take notice!

I do - regularly - and often they do actually fill them. Sometimes takes multiple attempts, and sometimes takes 6 months or more, but hey suspension / wheels / anything else is cheap. I even threatened to claim on their insurance if they didn't fill one hole a while back - they just sent me the form - so I guess it's just down to cost effectiveness and a new tyre / wheel is often the cheapest route.

hi Chris Suffolk are normally Quite good. They prioritise potholes that could affect cyclists so [put that in the description
Also I find thy responded better to there own site
https://highwaysreporting.suffolk.gov.uk/

[chris_suffolk]

I usually use the Suffolk site, and also mention cyclists - so all good

[cycle tramp]

So after a weeks' worth of rain, the last farm track to the stables (where I sometimes help out) looked like this, this morning;

Whilst each puddle was only deep enough to cover your wheel rims, there was a interesting layer of mixed sand, gravel and mud at the bottom of each.
Not really an issue for my an issue for my latest set of tyres ]20210129_140456.jpg[/attachment]

[rotavator]

So far a weeks worth of rain the last farm track to the stables (where I sometimes help out) looked like this;

20210221_101027.jpg

Whilst only deep enough to cover your wheel rims, there was a interesting layer of mixed sand, gravel and mud at the bottom of each.
Not really an issue for my an issue for my latest set of tyres ]20210129_140456.jpg[/attachment]

I guess if those potholes get much bigger they will all join up and will form a new, smooth but slightly lower road.