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Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist II

E-Scooters: coming (legally) to a town near you from today - at 15mph!

Apparently, e-scooters will become legal for hire from today. Technically speaking, you can already own one, but you can't use it on a public road, pavement or cycle path - not that that will stop anyone, as I'm sure we've all seen at least one being used in public.

Anyway, the thing that worries me is that they can hit 15mph (even faster if modified) and although there are restrictions on who can use one, riders will be sharing the road with existing traffic in existing environmental conditions i.e. potholes, shity weather, shity driving (inc. shity cycling) etc.

Obviously it's good that people use them instead of a car, but the infrastructure is just not setup for non-motorised transport and so I fear more conflict, crashes and fatalities.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53219331
 
E-Scooters: coming (legally) to a town near you from today - at 15mph!

Apparently, e-scooters will become legal for hire from today. Technically speaking, you can already own one, but you can't use it on a public road, pavement or cycle path - not that that will stop anyone, as I'm sure we've all seen at least one being used in public.

Anyway, the thing that worries me is that they can hit 15mph (even faster if modified) and although there are restrictions on who can use one, riders will be sharing the road with existing traffic in existing environmental conditions i.e. potholes, shity weather, shity driving (inc. shity cycling) etc.

Obviously it's good that people use them instead of a car, but the infrastructure is just not setup for non-motorised transport and so I fear more conflict, crashes and fatalities.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53219331
There is a whole other thread on this.
 
Progress building the fast bike has slowed to a crawl, either the parts just aren't available or someone is taking the mick and asking a small ransom for pretty grubby condition bits. I'm not even holding out for NOS condition bits only nice used ones, just a long waiting game for them to come on the market it seems.

I hope I get it done whilst we still have some decent weather left this year so I can get out on it.
 
I gave my Enduro it's first ride since the 1x11 rebuild and that went well. I don't know how much was the 1x11 set-up, how much was the weight loss from the rebuild or how much was just riding it on a non-shagged drive train for the first time in a while but it felt very good. I didn't get close to using the lowest gear (didn't use lower than 3rd) but didn't ride any really steep technical stuff so the jury is out on whether gears that low would be useful. On the high end it wasn't too bad with 32x11 being the highest gear (and that was also all it had before the rebuild) although a bit more would have been good, so I might go to a 34t chainring.

What's nice is that it's quite different to the other bikes I normally ride, as most of those are hardtails (and the Epic behaves like a hardtail a lot of the time). While that does slow it down on some places, in others it's clear the suspension helps finding grip where the hardtail might spin the rear wheel. The pro-pedal on the rear shock definitely helps stop the suspension "bobbing" when pedaling, without getting in the way downhill (and I do tend to leave it on the max setting) and the bike just generally felt good. It's on what used to be my preferred wet weather/winter tyre combination (26"x2.3" Specialized Purgatory on the front a 26"x2.0" Specialized Storm on the rear) that still seems ok although I'll need to check how far tyre technology has moved on in the last 10 years to see if there are better options now.

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What's your bottom gear on 1x11 and how does it compare to say 3x9 on 26 wheels? I've always found that to be low enough, even on poor surfaces.
 
What's your bottom gear on 1x11 and how does it compare to say 3x9 on 26 wheels? I've always found that to be low enough, even on poor surfaces.

With the 32 and the 11-51 the bottom gear is quite a bit lower than say 22 and the low end of a 11-32 cassette on 3x9. My Epic is on 3x9 with a 22:32:44 chainset and 11-32 cassette and the 22:32 lowest gear (which I rarely if ever use) equates to 4.2mph at 80rpm. The 32:51 low end on the Enduro currently equates to 3.9mph at 80rpm. Even though it's a heavier, slower bike than the Epic it's still very low, hence thinking a 34 (which will definitely fit with clearance) or a 36 (which might) would be better.

At the high end then 32:11 equates to 18.0 mph at 80rpm (and I spun it up to about 25mph on the flat when I was out, but couldn't maintain that for long!) compared to 44:11 on the Epic which equates to 24.5mph.

My Soul has a 34 up front and an 11-46 cassette and that equates to a range of 4.6mph to 19.1mph at 80rpm. That seems low enough at the low end but a bit short at the high end (but not drastically so unless chasing KOM's on flat sections).

All these are on 26" wheels as my bike are all old!
 
Popped down my little local bike shop and picked up a new tyre for the Genesis road bike, spare tube, second water bottle and holder, little bag for the top bar and some chain cleaner. £97. Took the MTB with me because it has a stiff link and I can't free it. They swapped a link in a few mins for free. I've been supporting this little local shop for years, bought 3 bikes there, a few repairs and bits and pieces. I don't mind paying a few quid OTT , I'd rather do that and see them make a living and be there when I want them .

Bike clean, tyre fitted, chain cleaned and lubed. I'm delaying riding now due to the wind that isn't going to ease....
 
I get 16.8 inches for a 22 F, 34 R, tyres 26 x 2.1, this being fairly typical for a XC mtb. What does your 5 equate to.?
 
Bike clean, tyre fitted, chain cleaned and lubed. I'm delaying riding now due to the wind that isn't going to ease....

Don't be a pussy and get out there. Just ride slow into the wind and fast when it's behind you!
 
Yeah I'm procrastinating now! Exactly what I'll be doing in a few mins when I get my knickers on!! - out into the wind for as long as I can tolerate (probs 20 miles) and back with it.
 
I get 16.8 inches for a 22 F, 34 R, tyres 26 x 2.1, this being fairly typical for a XC mtb. What does your 5 equate to.?

According to the Sheldon Brown gear calculator thing then the 32 chainring and 11-51 cassette, with a 26 x 2.0 tyre is 16.3 inches at the low end.

My Epic, with a lowest gear of 22 up front and 32 at the back, and on 26 x 2.1 tyres is 17.8 gear inches.

The Soul, with a 34 up front and 46 at the back, also on 26 x 2.1 tyres is a lowest gear of 19.2 gear inches.

Based on experience with the Soul then I don't really need anything lower than 19.2 on an XC type bike, but might want a little bit lower on a heavier trail type bike.
 
Yeah I'm procrastinating now! Exactly what I'll be doing in a few mins when I get my knickers on!! - out into the wind for as long as I can tolerate (probs 20 miles) and back with it.

Definitely better than way round than into the wind on the way home!
 
Too right. Even I managed a 15 mile ride at 16.4mph in this horrible wind. Into it there, with it back.

When it's windy I start thinking to myself "what can I PR?" with the wind in this direction, or even in a few cases "what can I KOM?". Definitely find that helps with motivation to get out and ride when its windy.
 
My problem with the wind is that all my good routes are heading out NE and our wind direction is mostly SW so I'm always coming back into the wind.

Heading out SW is crap basically. I'd rather ride on Zwift.
 
Usual brain dead boy racer in the peaks today. I was riding in a group of 6 but I dropped back as I couldn’t hold the wheel in front, could hear the horn of a driver several cars back as car behind me could overtake due to a blind crest.

Boy racer one close passed me & have me the finger then close passed group in front. 2nd boy racer overtook me & group but cut in very aggressively as he was on the brow of a hill with a car coming in the opposite direction.

It’s the Peak District, not a race track. National Parks were formed out of the right to roam they are not for dickheads to menace legitimate users.

I really despair.
 
No wind here in SoCal this morning, 32 miles to the coast and back, just over 2000 vertical, most of the climbing was at the end and it was getting quite toasty. Nice to see a lot of bikes out on the 4th. I am ready now for a beer and burger !
 
Fun on Zwift yesterday riding the first stage of the TDF that they are running over the next couple of weekends.
Out on the road with my wife today. Very windy and lots of impatient, nasty and aggressive car drivers.
 


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