Was lovely, made for nice fast trip cross country. Not so hot at downhill, but then, niether am i;)
Bloody car drivers - making us toke your exhaust fumes. Glad to see nature got some down at Boscastle with all those washed-to-sea cars yesterday (and glad no-one was killed - as yet). Just kidding - nothing against car drivers - everything against the ICM - electric WILL take over soon enough, once those tossers in OPEC start thinking that the planet might well self destruct under global warming, even before the oil runs out... BTW - if they road tax/insure bikes, that's my last transport option killed. Great. Why not put me in a sanitorium now? Grrr... I'm only 3 metres' down on the minimal sight quality for driving, so that would SUCK! BTW - I do have personal liablility insurance, and I *think* it covers bikes, so I'm not one of the bad ones. I also never ride on the pavement and always use lights and a helmet - so sighted people who ride on the pavement have no excuse (that's not a dig btw, AT - you're cool so long as you don't make a habit of it!). I hit a puddle at speed yesterday evening though - and, err, almost went under a bus. So much for £10 EACH brake blocks actually, err, stopping a bike in the wet (like they're SUPPOSED to). Luckily the bus, my bike, and least importantly, me, were OK Note to self - don't do 25mph in the wet in rush hour traffic while a bus is doing an emergency stop to avoid a car that's rolled backwards on a hillstart. Nice aquaplane, wheel lock, then rear wheel going out on me!
dom, bring on the electric car - max torque for zero rpm mmmmm niiice... as long as i can have the soundtrack to a spitfire as my 'exhaust' note i'll be happy. the tax thing is a bit of a joke but i do think some sort of personal liability insurance should be mandatory for riders over 16. good on you for having some without it being the law. try hydroplaning on a motorbike. not fun i can assure you. cheers julian
hi , excuse my late arrival at the posts (again!) Yo Dom, try keaving more space between you and the object in front, that will give you more chance to stop. I must admit I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to the rain, I ditch the bike and take the bus, I don't like cycling in the rain. I try to get on my bike as much as possible though, a great way to keep fit and give me some independance back. Not got a fancy bike, just some old £40 bike I picked up years ago, does the trick, I'm in the middle of rebuilding a Muddy Fox at the moment, which will be lighter and all the gears will work (I hope). I cycle 4 miles, each way, to work and I know some staff members here that use their car to get to work with half the distance to go, really no excuse. My cycle computer is an old one doen't record top speed, my average is only 13 mph (compared to Dom's 15+mph), but still its twice as quick as the bus! Get our ya car and on ya bike!
Don't know about eletric cars (we will not be able to use them for sure), but I'd like to get my hands on a Sinclair C5, way way ahead of its time and I'm surprised no one has updated it, total classic. I have seen eletric motor mods you can get for your bike, they're around the £500 mark so still quite expensive, but at least the idea is there, I know its lazy, but the hills around here are a nightmare!
Bang on there Dom, well we could always got those Old People scooter things, as they don't seem to have to comply with any regulations, they're just given to anyone, where most older people have worse eye sight than us! Those scooters fly along at a quite a rate so shouldn't slow us down too much. Don't worry mate, they'll be taxing and insuring walkers next, everything has to be tax'd, insured, regulated and controlled these days, just the way it is I guess. Makes me laugh that people worry about me cycling but now about me walking, I still have the same chance of getting killed crossing the road!! d'oh!
Ya ya ya, been there heard that. totally agree with you with the pavement issue and I would add, follow the highway code, stop for lights, signal and all that, all of which I DO. Tax, do we cause a conjection issue, do we pollute the atmoshire, do we damage the roads in anyway, not to any significate degree no. Insurance, yep fare point, there should be something we "could" use, but to make in mandatory just makes the whole cycling thing more "red tape" like which is missing the point. Car drivers always hate cyclists, they slow them down, they have to "think" how to get around them, and it makes them feel lazy. good, don't beat us, join us!
They're a REAL bloody menace - I've seen them take ridiculous reckless chances on the pavements, and then they wander why people moan at them - same with cyclists on the pavement, I might add! As for cycles/road tax - perhaps it's a fair point, but then who pays for cycle tracks? I know most of the ones in Exeter don't get used due to dog poo, broken glass, and litter; a proper, maintained full cycle network a'la Holland, I would be willing to pay for. As for taxing walkers - you must know that Beatles song, "Taxman"? Let me tell you how it will be, There's one for you, nineteen for me, 'Cos I'm the Taxman, Yeah, I'm the Taxman. Should five per cent appear too small, Be thankful I don't take it all, 'Cos I'm the Taxman, Yeah, I'm the Taxman. If you drive a car, I'll tax the street, If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat, If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat, If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet. Taxman. 'Cos I'm the Taxman, Yeah, I'm the Taxman. Don't ask me what I want it for (Taxman Mister Wilson) If you don't want to pay some more (Taxman Mister Heath), 'Cos I'm the Taxman, Yeah, I'm the Taxman. Now my advice for those who die, Declare the pennies on your eyes, 'Cos I'm the Taxman, Yeah, I'm the Taxman. And you're working for no-one but me, Taxman.
lee, the tax thing is kind of a wisecrack however, as people have complained about potholes, broken glass, etc. in cycle lanes etc. a contribution to the govt coffers should be levied in order to address these issues (plus the building of more cycle routes etc.) a bike can be dangerous and can damage health and property just as a car can. if a cyclist was insured they'd be more likely to stop and swap details after scraping their handlebars down the side of a car, snapping off a wing mirror or running down an old lady. red tape maybe but in todays congested roads and cities i reckon necessary. i was actually thinking of getting a bike at some point - and i was cycling about 10 miles a day (although getting nowhere) up until last week. now i'm walking and actually going somewhere (and back). i don;t hate bikes as a means of transport i just find some of the dicks that ride them annoying. cheers julian
Dom, when have I bothered to listen to any Beatles stuff, but that words do ring, so so true, they'll be taxing Oxygen soon. Ya those scooter things are leathal, but its what we'll be reduced to if we get chucked off our bikes, oh and no one try to be clever and point out public transport, the buses around here must be the worst in the western world, takes me 45 mins on the bus to get to work, to go all of 4 miles, takes the pee, when you consider I can walk it in an hour, or cycle in 20 mins. julian, yep there are some tw@s out there on bikes, I've come across a lot and they make me mad too, it like they're letting the side down and given those of us that do ride carefully a bad rep. Tax and insurance, again valid points, it does cost money to build cycle ways and keep them maintained so fair enough, we do have quite a few in Exeter, just non of them help me on the way to work as there are non on my route True that bikes can cause damage and injury, but not on the same scale as a motor vehicle can, I think its something that could be tagged on to house insurance or something, a bit like legal cover. Just as long as we don't start introducing licensing and testing, that I feel would be a step too far. I remember you had an incident with a lady last year I think when she rode into your car, did you get this sorted in the end?
Isaac, that's very difficult indeed and I've seen more than my share of show offs come a cropper when they couldn't hold it any longer and couldn't get out of their toe clips/clipless pedals in time to try it myself. It's not called a trackstand for nothing, becase on a track bike with no freewheel it's a lot easier as you can pedal backwards to move the bike backward. On a normal bike, the only way is forward...or crashing unceremoniously Michael.
What's wrong with a pair of trainers and pedals with toe clips (no straps) thus you can pull your foot out withour a problem, plus your foot doesn't slide off the front.
WEIGHT and POWER Get two sets of pedals: one with toe clips (sans straps) and a pair of Look or TIME clips (the small Shim clips are not pleasant over long distances). Clips are just too dodgy in real world traffic, but if you're serious about competition or want to go really long distances, they're pretty essential. I'm surprised no one has mentioned shoes, which are absolutley vital - far more so than make of clip (but what do I knw: I'm old, fat and slow). Most cycling shoes are far too narrow for the average Northern foot IME. Best of the bunch are Carnac. YMMV etc etc. http://www.carnac-sport.com/uk/index_uk.cfm
Carnac shoes are by far the best if your feet don't fit into Sidi, also worth checking out Pearl Izumi, they make really nice clothing and shoes for runners and cyclists. Sidi shoes make my rock climbing shoes seem comfortable!
I have Shimano SPD pedals and Shimano cycling shoes, but the ones with a recessed cleat you you can walk in them aswell and they look more or less like a normal trainer. A hell of a lot better than normal shoes. These are the pedals: (they've got a "normal" side to them so you can use them with normal shoes if necessary) ...and these are the shoes: (well, they're similar, I couldn't find the exact model I've got). I agree with Joel, the only way to get proper power into pedals is with clips and straps (tightly done up) or with clipless binding pedals. Clips and straps are too dangerous and fiddly to use in traffic so clipless SPD/Time/Look pedals are the only solution really. Michael. Michael.
