How was your cycle commute?

[gentlegreen]

But by the sounds of it, they were as usual hit obliquely in the blind spot.

 

[gentlegreen]

Back on a positive tip.

My hand-built wheel arrived this morning from SPA cycles - first time I've had a wheel signed by the builder.
It looks the business.
Damn the bike shop that first convinced me that Mavic MTB rims were the bee's knees.
I suspect they're intended to be disposable.

 

[Frances Lengel]

I am reluctantly moving towards favouring segregation.
I do love riding on the road though.
And I do enjoy the thrill of being amongst traffic.
I would miss that, and I wouldn't want to be slowed down too much either.


Got a whole load of new parts fitted to the undercarriage. Expensive for me but good value from the cheapest and nicest bikeshop in London, Jozef's in Peckham.
They told me not to ride it in my favourite gear. I shall probably ignore them.
Did a lot of riding this evening and it is smeeeuth. Can't wait for the commute tomorrow.

Howcome they don't want you to use your favourite gear? Is it just because you use so much that that cog wears out before the rest of them are even slightly eroded? That's what tends to happen with mine.

 

[Orang Utan]

Howcome they don't want you to use your favourite gear? Is it just because you use so much that that cog wears out before the rest of them are even slightly eroded? That's what tends to happen with mine.

It wears out the chain quicker as I use the smallest cog at the back with the big cog at the front most of all

 

[Frances Lengel]

So do I. Obviously not when pulling away from lights or going up big hills but that is my main cruising gear.

 

[gentlegreen]

Must be a right pain changing up and down on the front all the time - though 50 down to 39 is probably not nearly as troublesome as 38 middle down to 28 with a 34 tooth on the back.

Luckily I live on my middle front sprocket - just bought a couple of new ones for £12 each and I seem to get 18 months from one of those and maybe 9 months from a £15 cassette.

 

[Orang Utan]

I very rarely change down to the smaller cog at the front. I use the aforementioned gear to start from standing, which is why I use it so much.

 

[Crispy]

I very rarely change down to the smaller cog at the front. I use the aforementioned gear to start from standing, which is why I use it so much.

Big front, small back, for a standing start?
No wonder it's worn out. Your knees too, no doubt.

 

[gentlegreen]

And his knees in a few years.

 

[Onket]

It wears out the chain quicker as I use the smallest cog at the back with the big cog at the front most of all

I use this combination most of all too, but not to start off!

 

[gentlegreen]

My big front, small back is lovely and smooth .
I only use it in earnest once a day for a slightly downhill sprint.

Shame about the rest - I lubed the chain before I set off, but id didn't take long for my middling gears to feel rough - I'm debating at the moment whether to fit a new chain ring and chain, or to wear the whole lot out and then replace it all - see if I can get through the winter on it.

 

[Orang Utan]

Big front, small back, for a standing start?
No wonder it's worn out. Your knees too, no doubt.

Maybe I mean the largest cog at the back. I dunno, I never look - the easiest one.

 

[Orang Utan]

My knees are fine.
It's my back that bothers me

 

[Crispy]

Maybe I mean the largest cog at the back.

So large front and large back? That accelerates the wear of your chain and gears. Basically, heed the advice of your bike shop, and read up on how bike gears are supposed to be used. Seriously

 

[joustmaster]

its a bit too much hassle changing the front cog though..

 

[gentlegreen]

So large front and large back? That accelerates the wear of your chain and gears. Basically, heed the advice of your bike shop, and read up on how bike gears are supposed to be used. Seriously

In order to accommodate my low gears, the chain is bordering on being too tight for big-big - though I've used it by accident a few times.
But never mind the chain tension, the diagonal path is terrifying !

 

[Onket]

Maybe I mean the largest cog at the back. I dunno, I never look - the easiest one.

Yes, the largest at the back Is the easiest one Orang Utan. I agree with what Crispy and gentlegreen have posted.

 

[gentlegreen]

I thought fast riders used a high cadence ?
Changing up from middle to big is usually relatively reliable - though I admit it's not as seamless as granny to middle ..

It's usually changing down that causes the problems - certainly if you only have two cogs.
Though I've had phases of getting distracted, changing up too early and wrapping the chain around my pedal.

But since getting a repair stand, my gears are usually fairly well set up.

 

[Onket]

A couple of times recently, when changing from middle front to biggest at the front, my chain has gone too far right and got stuck between the guard thing and the largest cog.

 

[gentlegreen]

A couple of times recently, when changing from middle front to biggest at the front, my chain has gone too far right and got stuck between the guard thing and the largest cog.

"H" limit screw.
Really need to get the wheel off the ground and spinning to be sure.

 

[Onket]

"H" limit screw.
Really need to get the wheel off the ground and spinning to be sure.

This might as well be in Russian.

 

[Orang Utan]

So large front and large back? That accelerates the wear of your chain and gears. Basically, heed the advice of your bike shop, and read up on how bike gears are supposed to be used. Seriously

No, that's how I roll. Technology needs to adapt to me, not the other way round
If that gear is possible to use, I should be able to use it if and when and as often as I want!

 

[Orang Utan]

In order to accommodate my low gears, the chain is bordering on being too tight for big-big - though I've used it by accident a few times.
But never mind the chain tension, the diagonal path is terrifying !

How?

 

[Orang Utan]

its a bit too much hassle changing the front cog though..

I know! Fuck that. That cog is for hills

 

[Onket]

No, that's how I roll. Technology needs to adapt to me, not the other way round
If that gear is possible to use, I should be able to use it if and when and as often as I want!

You are able to use it as often as you want.

You will just end up paying to have bits of your bike to be replaced more often.

 

[Orang Utan]

You are able to use it as often as you want.

You will just end up paying to have bits of your bike to be replaced more often.

Exactly - good for my local bike shop, good for me

 

[Crispy]

No, that's how I roll. Technology needs to adapt to me, not the other way round
If that gear is possible to use, I should be able to use it if and when and as often as I want!

All sorts of things are possible, but ill-advised.

 

[Orang Utan]

All sorts of things are possible, but ill-advised.

It's only a problem if I consider it to be one.
It makes me happier to ride that way, so so be it

 

[joustmaster]

This might as well be in Russian.

if you look at the moving bit by the front cogs, you will see two small screw heads. one is labeled L and the other H.

The set the maximum and minimum range of movement that the cable can move the chain left and right - when you change gear on the front cog.

Your chain is moving too far when moving to to the higher gear. So you need to adjust the screw labeled H

Only quarter of a turn or such the like..

use trial and error to work out which position it changes gear best.

You will probably need someone to help hold the back wheel up, turn the pedals and change the gear.

 

[BigTom]

BigTom -I'm not a fan of segregation and I am sure I have seen plenty of posts on this thread before about this subject, which I agreed with. Hence my earlier comment.

The holy grail for road users surely has got to be complete integration. Segregation only partially seperates traffic and therefore creates mistrust and confusion on those parts of roads that are not segregated. The only way round that is complete segregation on all roads everywhere in the country, and that's simply not going to happen. Think of the cost alone, plus upkeep, etc. Plus you've got people's choice. Cyclists (as evidenced above) don't always want to be segregated and so may not use the cycle lanes, leading to the type of confrontations often heard about, close overtakes, drivers telling cyclists to get off their roads, etc.

Therefore thorough education of all road users, combined with changes in regulations and law, is the only real option to work towards all types of traffic safely sharing the road system we have. The work towards making currently unsafe road vehicles, such as large lorries, much safer is an example of a huge step in that direction and would probably be pretty redundant if segregation became the norm.

Would you put pedestrians in the same space as 30mph drivers?
I'm of the opinion that a proper segregated network would work as well for safety as the pavement/road network does for pedestrian safety - it's far from perfect (as evidenced by a pedestrian getting run over by an HGV at a pedestrian crossing in Birmingham yesterday) but I reckon it's safer than the alternative of using the same space as vehicles. I don't reckon you'll get drivers accepting 5-10mph limits that are in place in the fully shared spaces I know of (which aren't really roads but temporary spaces like festivals or things like parks where vehicle access is allowed).
I also think that you'll never get cycling participation up much beyond the current levels without segregation because most people are too scared to use the roads.