Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist

[Tony Lockhart]

Your saddle is very nose down. That is going to tip you forward and put a lot of extra weight on your hands. might get uncomfortable on a long ride.

Have you tried it with the saddle flat? I would have thought it would give you a more balanced position with less pressure on your hands.

It looks more nose-down in the pic, but yes, I’ll sort it before my next ride. It was flatter to start with. That seatpost has a fiddly clamp, and I’m reluctant to tighten it much more. I’ll have to buy a new post some time with a clamp I like.

 

[windhoek]

Got it in one! You slipped up, windhoek is only in Glasgow and he's a recently converted single speed evangelist (he's not ridden it yet, still polishing it) so you could have offloaded it to him. By the time he's worked out that singlespeeds are for kids, shopping bikes and posers, you're away with the money. Bad timing.

Don't worry Steve(s), I can always make room for one more bike!

 

[SteveG]

Wherein lies the rub. My roady is OK, a bit twiddly on gentle downhills but just about OK on road hills in Leed s and (hillier) Bradford. Great on a towpath. About 61"I think. But off road? No chance. I might be able to live with fewer gears but as soon as you try to settle on say a 1x for simplicity you get say a 34 front. 11 rear is, hmm, OK off road, but to get a meaningful low gear you need 32 as absolute minimum, so you are into 8 speeds as a minimum and even then it's compromised on a steep climb off road.

If you live somewhere flattish then a singlespeed roadie could make some sense, but for mountain biking any gearing option becomes a compromise. It's hard work uphill, but too slow to be fun on the flat. Quite relaxing to ride though, as you know there is no point pushing it so have to take it easy when you run out of gears.

When I put that singlespeed together 10 years or so ago I was a lot heavier than I am now (although doing a lot of mountain biking) so struggled on the hills more, hence the gearing choice. I'm pretty sure I've a 16 rear cog somewhere so might bung that on and see if I can still get up the hills with that on. Might leave the 18t on the back until I've had a go at a couple of the bigger climbs. There is one with a 10% average gradient that I can just about get up with the Roadrat and it's Alfine gears and I think I did once on the singlespeed years back, but is not going to be pretty even with the 18t.

 

[SteveG]

Don't worry Steve(s), I can always make room for one more bike!

With 5 motorbikes and 17 push bikes (13 of them mine) in the garage I think I might have actually hit the point of having too many bikes. Either than or too small a garage!

 

[stevec67]

You could always go properly old school and fit a couple of cogs with spacers. Like they did on the TdF pre derailleurs, you get to the bottom of the hill, drop the wheel out and swap cogs.

 

[SteveG]

You could always go properly old school and fit a couple of cogs with spacers. Like they did on the TdF pre derailleurs, you get to the bottom of the hill, drop the wheel out and swap cogs.

It's got a 9-speed wheel with a single cog and spacers so, with sliding dropouts, that's actually viable. Not that I'm likely do try it of course. More likely I'll end up sticking a set of 100mm Fox Floats on, plus 2x9 gearing and a wider set of tyres.

 

[stevec67]

Have you got the known world of bike spares squirreled away in there? I spent this afternoon working out why the wheel on the bike-from-the-bits-box was a bit glitchy. No problem, strip and clean the bearing, strip the freehub, clean it all out. I didn't have a 17mm cone spanner, so I made one. Some gorilla had done up the nuts on one side but no matter, it came in the end on one side at least. Pulled the bearing. Pretty clean. At that point the freehub fell off. Strange, I haven't undone the retaining nut. Hmm, iron shavings. Gritty feeling. Strip and clean, the hub is broken. This is on an old Parallax XT, so a decent hub. Cleaned it out, buggered hub. Bearings OK. More rummaging. I have a Shimano STX freehub that stopped working because it was full of sludge, it wouldn't come apart but I cleaned out a shedload of silt from it with petrol and now it runs well. Drained it, reoiled it. I'll sling the wheel back together with fresh grease tomorrow. So you have spare sets of Fox Float forks poking about, and I am generating one working wheel from 2 knackered ones. I'm jealous.

 

[matt j]

Have you got the known world of bike spares squirreled away in there? I spent this afternoon working out why the wheel on the bike-from-the-bits-box was a bit glitchy. No problem, strip and clean the bearing, strip the freehub, clean it all out. I didn't have a 17mm cone spanner, so I made one. Some gorilla had done up the nuts on one side but no matter, it came in the end on one side at least. Pulled the bearing. Pretty clean. At that point the freehub fell off. Strange, I haven't undone the retaining nut. Hmm, iron shavings. Gritty feeling. Strip and clean, the hub is broken. This is on an old Parallax XT, so a decent hub. Cleaned it out, buggered hub. Bearings OK. More rummaging. I have a Shimano STX freehub that stopped working because it was full of sludge, it wouldn't come apart but I cleaned out a shedload of silt from it with petrol and now it runs well. Drained it, reoiled it. I'll sling the wheel back together with fresh grease tomorrow. So you have spare sets of Fox Float forks poking about, and I am generating one working wheel from 2 knackered ones. I'm jealous.

Bit like these guys with full Campag Super Record groupsets in their sheds just waiting for a project *sneaks off sheepishly to polish the shinies*

 

[stevec67]

Bit like these guys with full Campag Super Record groupsets in their sheds just waiting for a project *sneaks off sheepishly to polish the shinies*

I've got whole collections of spare axles with only one worn out bearing cone. Still I did resurrect a dead wheel from a friend with a spare cone that's since taken me and the bike over Ventoux. When I get the bits box bike going I shall have to have a clearout of the real junk. I'm pretty sure there's no shiny Campag bits in there.

 

[SteveG]

Have you got the known world of bike spares squirreled away in there?

You have no idea!

I spent this afternoon working out why the wheel on the bike-from-the-bits-box was a bit glitchy. No problem, strip and clean the bearing, strip the freehub, clean it all out. I didn't have a 17mm cone spanner, so I made one. Some gorilla had done up the nuts on one side but no matter, it came in the end on one side at least. Pulled the bearing. Pretty clean. At that point the freehub fell off. Strange, I haven't undone the retaining nut. Hmm, iron shavings. Gritty feeling. Strip and clean, the hub is broken. This is on an old Parallax XT, so a decent hub. Cleaned it out, buggered hub. Bearings OK. More rummaging. I have a Shimano STX freehub that stopped working because it was full of sludge, it wouldn't come apart but I cleaned out a shedload of silt from it with petrol and now it runs well. Drained it, reoiled it. I'll sling the wheel back together with fresh grease tomorrow. So you have spare sets of Fox Float forks poking about, and I am generating one working wheel from 2 knackered ones. I'm jealous.

It's been built up over 20 years but I have a lot of spares! As well as those Floats there is also a spare set set of Fox Talas (which will be going back on the Soul) and at least another half dozen set of suspension forks (some of which are so old they are only fit for the bin). I'm sure there is a set of 125mm Fox Vanilla's somewhere in the garage though, and they were lovely.

As far as wheels go I'd be surprised if there is less than half-a-dozen sets of 26" MTB wheels in there (and wouldn't be surprised if you told me there was 10 sets). Some of them quite nice, if old - Hope, Mavic etc. Some of the stuff I can't even recall buying. I found a Dura-Ace chainset the other day - can't imagine why that isn't actually on a bike - and the drivetrain parts bit seems to have a fair bit of XTR in it. I've definitely going to be doing a clean-out soon though.

 

[SteveG]

I've got whole collections of spare axles with only one worn out bearing cone. Still I did resurrect a dead wheel from a friend with a spare cone that's since taken me and the bike over Ventoux. When I get the bits box bike going I shall have to have a clearout of the real junk. I'm pretty sure there's no shiny Campag bits in there.

Definitely no shiny Campag bits lurking in my garage. I'm a Shimano guy, although there will be the odd bit of SRAM around as well.

 

[stevec67]

Wow.

 

[Mullardman]

As well as increased foot traffic, I'm meeting increasing numbers of cyclists on local FOOTPATHS. In fairness.. most are polite and will give way to a clearly miserable and curmudgeonly old fart like me.. but...

....As I understand it, footpaths are meant to be just that. Paths for people to walk.. on foot.

Also... as I understand it.. it is 'a Civil Wrong' to Cycle on a Footpath and I have so far found nothing which distinguishes between the 'sidewalks' or 'pavements' alongside roads, and those Public Footpaths which cross our wider countryside.

Even some bloke representing Cyclists on the Telly the other night said that Cyclists should NOT be riding on FOOTpaths.

Bridleways are different.

It's all here..:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_way_in_England_and_Wales#Public_footpaths


So.. cyclists are demanding safety on the roads, and cycle paths, and Bridleways, and Mountain Biking Trails.

We also have 'Off Roaders' demanding vehicular access to anywhere and everywhere.

So.. is anywhere left for those who actually just want a walk?.. In peace?.. without a polite but excruciating 'Ding Ding'.. 'excuse me mate'.. every few yards?

Views?

 

[vuk]

So.. cyclists are demanding safety on the roads, and cycle paths, and Bridleways, and Mountain Biking Trails.

We also have 'Off Roaders' demanding vehicular access to anywhere and everywhere.

So.. is anywhere left for those who actually just want a walk?.. In peace?.. without a polite but excruciating 'Ding Ding'.. 'excuse me mate'.. every few yards?

Views?

mull.

over here in toronto, in spite of conservative control of mayorship (including an obese, trumpian figure not that long ago), we have managed to get a lot a lot of cycling lanes in the downtown core. there is a clear distinction between road, sidewalk and bike lane. there are rarely any problems, aside from exploited food-delivery cyclists trying to gain an edge.

along the lakeshore, which is more like parkland, there are actually foot paths, cycling paths and often also boardwalks as a second walking medium. it's extremely rare to find a cyclist on either of the walking routes. it's very common to have walkers on the cycle path -- as shocking as it may be to say this, it's often immigrants from poor places who've not yet absorbed our 1st world privileges and norms. on the whole, it is not much of an issue, except when the $15K-bike-owning, spandex-clad financial workers come into play and insist on maintaining a fast pace no matter what. financial worker joggers are like that too, albeit at a slower pace which, nonetheless, just has to be maintained, as if it were an olympic final or divine right.

 

[Tony Lockhart]

@Mullardman

It all comes back to ‘people’, not just cyclists. Just as some drivers drive downright dangerously, just as some bikers seem intent on killing themselves, etc etc, people will be people. Let’s face it, walk through a busy shopping area and there’ll be people who can’t be trusted with a pair of feet.

Like it or lump it.

 

[Woodface]

As well as increased foot traffic, I'm meeting increasing numbers of cyclists on local FOOTPATHS. In fairness.. most are polite and will give way to a clearly miserable and curmudgeonly old fart like me.. but...

....As I understand it, footpaths are meant to be just that. Paths for people to walk.. on foot.

Also... as I understand it.. it is 'a Civil Wrong' to Cycle on a Footpath and I have so far found nothing which distinguishes between the 'sidewalks' or 'pavements' alongside roads, and those Public Footpaths which cross our wider countryside.

Even some bloke representing Cyclists on the Telly the other night said that Cyclists should NOT be riding on FOOTpaths.

Bridleways are different.

It's all here..:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_way_in_England_and_Wales#Public_footpaths


So.. cyclists are demanding safety on the roads, and cycle paths, and Bridleways, and Mountain Biking Trails.

We also have 'Off Roaders' demanding vehicular access to anywhere and everywhere.

So.. is anywhere left for those who actually just want a walk?.. In peace?.. without a polite but excruciating 'Ding Ding'.. 'excuse me mate'.. every few yards?

Views?

It is not a mutually exclusive position. I don’t view people who cycle in footpaths as cyclists, they are just riding a bike. They should be doing it.

This doesn’t in anyway lessen the case for the safety of cyclists on road & trail.

I personally don’t like off road bikers & motorists, think they cause a lot of damage but not something I will lose sleep over.

 

[PhilofCas]

Your saddle is very nose down. That is going to tip you forward and put a lot of extra weight on your hands. might get uncomfortable on a long ride.

Have you tried it with the saddle flat? I would have thought it would give you a more balanced position with less pressure on your hands.

It looks more nose-down in the pic, but yes, I’ll sort it before my next ride. It was flatter to start with. That seatpost has a fiddly clamp, and I’m reluctant to tighten it much more. I’ll have to buy a new post some time with a clamp I like.

I’ve watched a fair few videos for saddle set up, but this seems one of the better ones for angle

 

[MVV]

Off-road bikers should and usually are on bridleways or byways other than those in those cycling theme park places (Whinlatter etc) I live in the lakes and there are a hell of a lot of bridleways and most resemble a footpath on the ground.

 

[matt j]

As well as increased foot traffic, I'm meeting increasing numbers of cyclists on local FOOTPATHS. In fairness.. most are polite and will give way to a clearly miserable and curmudgeonly old fart like me.. but...

....As I understand it, footpaths are meant to be just that. Paths for people to walk.. on foot.

Also... as I understand it.. it is 'a Civil Wrong' to Cycle on a Footpath and I have so far found nothing which distinguishes between the 'sidewalks' or 'pavements' alongside roads, and those Public Footpaths which cross our wider countryside.

Even some bloke representing Cyclists on the Telly the other night said that Cyclists should NOT be riding on FOOTpaths.

Bridleways are different.

It's all here..:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_way_in_England_and_Wales#Public_footpaths


So.. cyclists are demanding safety on the roads, and cycle paths, and Bridleways, and Mountain Biking Trails.

We also have 'Off Roaders' demanding vehicular access to anywhere and everywhere.

So.. is anywhere left for those who actually just want a walk?.. In peace?.. without a polite but excruciating 'Ding Ding'.. 'excuse me mate'.. every few yards?

Views?

As ever Mull a lot can be attributed to the government, not everyone who wants to ride a bike is confident or safe enough to risk themselves on our crap roads with very poor cycling infrastructure.

If we had proper cycling provision then I'm sure we'd see fewer cases of what you mention, although you'll never eradicate it completely because there are always selfish b*stards who will do whatever they want even given all the ideal circumstances to ride.

Personally I'd never ride on a footpath for many reasons, they're no safer than the road and you're speed limited by constant kerb drops, debris, pedestrians, dogs, zombies with headphones in etc. Plus I have no problem dicing with death on the road.

Trouble in our country is folks are always too quick to take up an "us and them" attitude, cyclists are just people, they're not all in some secret society where they plot rides on how best to annoy pedestrians/motorists.

 

[stevec67]

The roads are like a war zone in the populated bits of the UK. I don't ride on pavements but I do know why some do. Actually I tell a lie, I cycle up Pool Bank on the footpath. There are never any pedestrians on it, I can only go at walking pace and there's no cycle lane. I've cycled up it on the road and frankly you need to have a deathwish to do so. Cars buzz by at about 40-50 mp h (40 limit), it's narrow and there is always traffic coming down the hill. They are always too close. I think that if you rode that hill every day you'd have a close shave once a week and get knocked off inside a year. So footpath it is.