577 replies to this topic

[nurseholliday]

That's good to know

[camp freddy]

Finally received my new tyres after nearly 3 weeks, they sent
a replacement pair. fitted them tonight, had a job getting the
rear tyre seated properly but sorted in the end.

pics are a bit dark on here, looked ok on the camera !



my bike as it is now

new 'a' type handle bar set up, new seat, new tyres and new bar ends.

Edited by camp freddy, 16 April 2009 - 08:44 PM.

[THE ANORAK]

here, I've shed some light on your pictures....

those tyres look ideal for a hybrid, mine has strange "cross breed" tyres that are like mountain bike tyres at the sides but have a smooth central strip

those handle bar grips look interesting, any more pics of them ??? (forget that, i've just looked at it properly those are the new bar ends you posted before)

I've not been out on the bike for the last week as I've got this bug that's going around, tried to go out but couldn't breathe properly. annoying as i did a lot of miles the week before

Edited by THE ANORAK, 16 April 2009 - 09:09 PM.

[camp freddy]

here, I've shed some light on your pictures....

those tyres look ideal for a hybrid, mine has strange "cross breed" tyres that are like mountain bike tyres at the sides but have a smooth central strip

those handle bar grips look interesting, any more pics of them ??? (forget that, i've just looked at it properly those are the new bar ends you posted before)

I've not been out on the bike for the last week as I've got this bug that's going around, tried to go out but couldn't breathe properly. annoying as i did a lot of miles the week before

cheers for that, gone down from a 700 x 35 to a 700 x 28 , had
to get some new tubes aswell, Halfords has a 3 for 2 offer on.
running at 75psi at the moment, i'll see what they are like might
increase to 85psi

[camp freddy]

here a link for the bar end and grip set

http://www.amazon.co...e...02&sr=1-193

[nurseholliday]

Try bumping up to 100 psi, you'll feel a massive difference!

[THE ANORAK]

Try bumping up to 100 psi, you'll feel a massive difference!

yes, but make sure your rim tape is up to the job i had some trouble with the inner tube cutting through the rim tape around the spoke holes when i pumped my tyres up hard, which caused pinch punctures

the stuff i had was just a strip of rubber, i changed it for the stronger plasticy type stuff and it solved the problem

[alicetheauto]

couple of wraps of electrical tape! sticks to the rim so it cant slide sideways....

[AndrewJ530]

Just rode out to the bike shop and acquired myself one of these:



Technically i didn't buy it though because it's my birthday next week so my rents are giving me the money for it . Can't wait to get it and fit it. Don't have to bother with any silly wires either .

[THE ANORAK]

mmm, would be really interested to see some pics of that once it's on the bike if you could

just been messing with my two....



mainly to get the hybrid back to the right position after me and the wife used it for a bit of bike share commuting

the very heavy "suspension seat post" has come of the road bike and gone back on it and i've given it a bit of a wash.



and i changed the stem from one of those useful but very heavy fully adjustable ones to a more light weight one...



and these are those cross breed tyres i was talking about before....



not a bad bike really but it's just not as nice to ride as the road bike. my favorite bit of the whole bike is this sticker ....

[AndrewJ530]

mmm, would be really interested to see some pics of that once it's on the bike if you could

Yeh no bother. It should be done by wednesday night. I'm off all day for my birthday so i should be able to squeeze it in lol.

[THE ANORAK]

forgive me for this but i feel a bit of a waffle coming on. you may wish to skip most of this

i know this is the road bike thread but i feel the ride i just did would come under the area of "using a bike as everyday transport" and NOT "off road riding", so may be appropriate to the road bike and hybrid user.

due to the fact that I'm still feeling too rough to go out on a proper road ride i decided to try out something that had been in my mind for a while, getting from one side of rugby to the other in a reasonable amount of time using "cycle routes" and a section of the "national cycle network" and would it be a suitable route to use with children ???.

from my house on one side of rugby you can use a "shared cycle / pedestrian route" into town. the route is divided by a central white line with bikes on one side and people on the other. now i've just looked on the Internet and in this situation it's illegal for me, on a bike, to use the pedestrian side (please correct me if I'm wrong).

i've used this section of route quite a lot in the last few months and the main problem seems to be that NO ONE HAS ANY CLUE HOW TO USE IT.
most pedestrians will actually walk in the "clearly marked" cycle section, i dont know if this is coinsidence or deliberate but the fact that the areas switch sides halfway along the route cant help.

and this is bad enough when you meet them head on but it's worse when you come up from behind. you give them a few rings on your bell (yes i do have one fitted and use it) but this seems to just cause confusion or panic !!!??? the very least you can do is pass them by using the "illegal" pedestrian side and expect a feeling of disgust from them because you dare to use a cycle route, but if you try to correct them in their error, as you can imagine i have to do most times, you get to hear some very colourfull language.

move on to the section of "national cycle network", which is an old railway line, and the pedestrian problem is still there only now you dont have the help of the white line should any confontations end up in a court case we also now have dogs to add to this ,"on and off the lead", and horses.

now i'm totaly open to all people using this route but the lack of understanding for fellow users, from all "user groups" is quite sad. i use my bell, i say "thank you", i slow down and give plenty of room, (i even stop dead and wait for one poor old dog who seems to be so old that this could actually be the only place that the poor thing could go for a walk due to the fact that it's faily straight. they properbly set it off at one end and it just keeps going, in some strange zombie like state, until they stop it at the other ) but the responce you get from this varies from kindness and respect to disgusted looks and outright hostility
shame on me for using a section of the national cycle network on a bike !!!!!

now i would like to think that a national cycle network could be used by ALL cyclists but the few sections of pure mud that litter this otherwise reasonable track would make it uncomfortable for most and dangerous for some.

this photo just about sums up that section of ride. note the national cycle network sign, the "dog poo bin" and the example of pure lack of respect for other "route users"....



would this be a suitable way to cycle across town with my kids ??? well at the very best i could expect them to be very dirty and at worst, mauled, hurt or using some freshly heard adult words

Edited by THE ANORAK, 18 April 2009 - 02:15 PM.

[THE ANORAK]

waffle part two (again, sorry )

now if i follow the cycle route right to the end it actually puts me out in the countryside at the far side of town so i decided to try something else for the return journey.... canal tow paths !!!!!

just a mile down the road from the end of the cycle route is the canal, which curls all the way round the outside of rugby and back home. now I'm not actually very comfortable with riding on tow paths and i actually feel like i should not be there BUT most tow paths are open to cyclists and it's actually a recommended activity on most council web sites so i thought I'd give it a go

well all the same problems with "other users" were still there but this time I felt like the intruder, shame really as the flat, car free, pleasant surroundings would be the perfect way to travel around town but unfortunately these tow paths are just not made for bikes. OK the off roaders would consider this to be the closest they will ever get to smooth tarmac, but for the everyday person on a bike... no

mud seems to be the main problem again but this time you could end up in the water



mostly it's like this (which is OK for most, but not young kids)....



and if your lucky you can get 100 yards of this...



so the conclusion, and the point of these waffels, is a huge sence of dissapointment.

80% of my route was car free, flat and pleasent to look at

but it was also muddy, unsafe for kids and full of people who just havent been provided with the knowledge on how to "share" the area correctly with other people.

the idea of using a bike as a mode of transport is appealing, the goverment want us to do it, it's cheap and it gets you fit but add to all this the weather and the chance of getting your bike nicked when you leave it anywhere and you have to ask... is it practical ????

give me the A5 anyday, it's much safer

Edited by THE ANORAK, 18 April 2009 - 02:18 PM.

[nurseholliday]

I 100% agree, the national cycle network is a joke. Avoid.

The pedestrian/cycle lane interference thing really pisses me off. Some women with her five kids running about caused me to almost go over the bars because they ran out in front of me, then she had the cheek to shout at me for cycling near her and her kids. Kids or not I made sure she heard why she was an idiot and how it was her putting her kids in danger, not me. Would you walk in the middle of the road then shout at passing cars? No.

I once covered a lot of miles on this:

http://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/

Nowhere does it say on the website that you should really be on a hardtail with 50mm wide tyres to safely travel on 75% of the network.

Edited by nurseholliday, 19 April 2009 - 04:56 PM.

[joe_m]

Tell you what, TPT is brilliant fun but like you say on a hardtail with some chunky tyers. mmmh i dont rate the national cycle network eather.i had a go on one cycle cross tyers on. Its still really iffy. like you say, avoied.

Anyhow, got out on the new bike today, did about 25 miles with a few good hills. if im honest its the first time i have been out on the bike in a month or so. . . not good. but i managed it fairly easy today so can't moan. going to try get out abit more in the evening's now with the lighter nights and all.

Just to bring it up again, this is a none formal thing, and I am not sure if it will happen. . but if we started a list of people that would be intrested in a TMF ride at some point. If we did a thing like some one sugested on a nice lap system, about 20 or so miles a lap and you could stop and start as you please, you dont have to do big miles if you don't want to.
Any how. List.

1. Joe (joe_m)