The Cycling Chat Thread
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Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Phew, was doing that already. Just a bit more self-conscious about it in the middle of a pandemic
DJWrongspeed
radio eros
Think of it as a natural power meter, that's what Chris Boardman would say "effort is related to amount of snot coming out of your nose"
weepiper
I fix the machines that fight climate change
My middle boy has been growing out of his current bike (which is my old On One hardtail) and it's his birthday tomorrow so I've had my eye out for a reasonable secondhand mountain bike in a medium frame size. I found this Cotic BFE advertised for £380. Beat the guy down to £320 because all the bearings were clearly fucked but otherwise everything looked in good nick. I've put on a new chain, middle ring, bottom bracket and headset bearings, shorter stem, grips and cables, and rebuilt the rear wheel with a decent condition cartridge bearing hub out of the scrap box at work because the one on the bike had a dirty great crack across the shell 
which I hadn't noticed. Have probably spent about another 90 quid on bits at trade price plus VAT, and about 4 hours of my time sorting it all out. Now he's got a really nice wee trail bike with a Recon fork and full XT/XTR, which is miles better quality than I could afford to buy him new 
and hopefully not so flashy that he's likely to get mugged for it if he's out alone. He's pretty chuffed with it.
which I hadn't noticed. Have probably spent about another 90 quid on bits at trade price plus VAT, and about 4 hours of my time sorting it all out. Now he's got a really nice wee trail bike with a Recon fork and full XT/XTR, which is miles better quality than I could afford to buy him new and hopefully not so flashy that he's likely to get mugged for it if he's out alone. He's pretty chuffed with it.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Sure I ask this every year but does the council have any legal obligation to ensure there’s at least one area to store bikes in a block of flats rather than threatening to tow mine from the hall as it’s supposedly a fire hazard?
Happy to store it somewhere if it exists rather than tied under the stairs but buggered if I can keep it in a studio flat with 2 occupants.
Happy to store it somewhere if it exists rather than tied under the stairs but buggered if I can keep it in a studio flat with 2 occupants.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
What's the best way to keep rain off your glasses? Spray? A hat?
I had a cycling confidence class yesterday and it rained quite heavily part way through. We took shelter till it had largely stopped but not before I realised I couldn't see well enough.
I had a cycling confidence class yesterday and it rained quite heavily part way through. We took shelter till it had largely stopped but not before I realised I couldn't see well enough.
purves grundy
ambient clown remix
I always stick a pair of disposable contacts in when going out on a hefty bike ride, but put up with it if just a short trip to the shops etc. Can be awful if it's really leathering it down though e.g. rainy season Burma
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
I didn't really get on with my first lot of multifocal contact lenses, so forgot about that as an option. My glasses prescription has changed, so perhaps I should give a new contact prescription a try, too.
Winot
I wholeheartedley agree with your viewpoint
It’s a problem I’ve never really satisfactorily solved as I don’t wear contact lenses, but the best option I found is to wear a peaked hat underneath your helmet, or wear a helmet with a peak.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
There pretty much isn’t one as far as I can tell. A cycling cap underneath your lid can help a bit but once it starts raining even remotely hard it won’t do much.
I’m lucky in that my prescription is fairly light so I can get away with not wearing them if I have to.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
What about this stuff, for visors and goggles? Would it damage my glasses?
Welcome to Nikwax | Outdoor Innovation
Since 1977, Nikwax has been the global leader in environmentally safe aftercare and waterproofing solutions that extend the life and performance of technical footwear, clothing and equipment.
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Yeah, I couldn't do that with my eyesight. I have to have glasses or contacts.
Yeah, I used to wear a cap, and light gloves to wipe the rain off the glasses, ronhill high vis running gloves I think were pretty good lens wipers but I wasn't cycling for more than half an hour or so.
I don't know if making squeaky squeegee noises when wiping improved performance or not.
Anti-misting lens cleaner might help but likely just result in bigger blobs of water that are harder to see through.
I get this, more in winter than summer though I think, I hope, heading into summer here, not a good look since they added snot to the covid symptoms list
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Peaked helmet for me (waxed baseball cap for walking), but if properly throwing it down nothing works and often end up having to wait until it passes as can't see anything. On the plus side I have a legit excuse for not going cycling in the rain...
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Anyone know if this will fit a Carrera Vengeance 2015? I'm a bit hopeless when it comes to working out whats what with this sort of thing.
Yaheetech Magnetic Bicycle Trainer Bike Turbo Trainer Indoor Stationary Exercise Stand Steel Frame, Magnetic Resistance : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors
Shop Yaheetech Magnetic Bicycle Trainer Bike Turbo Trainer Indoor Stationary Exercise Stand Steel Frame, Magnetic Resistance. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
They’re adjustable so tend to fit most bikes with standard wheel sizes (26” MTB & road). You might need to buy a skewer for your back wheel as I think there is some variation in fit there, someone on here will know more.
That sounds quite a lot of money for a non-smart trainer though, and they’re not that hard to pick up second hand, I paid £8 for one of mine from the Shelter shop at the end of my road, then got another for twenty something that came with two unused turbo tyres (I actually only wanted the tyres but this was cheaper than just buying those).
That sounds quite a lot of money for a non-smart trainer though, and they’re not that hard to pick up second hand, I paid £8 for one of mine from the Shelter shop at the end of my road, then got another for twenty something that came with two unused turbo tyres (I actually only wanted the tyres but this was cheaper than just buying those).
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Never seen that sort of thing around here sadly, its all primark cast offs and ugly crockery.
It says needs to have a quick release wheel and I know I've got one of those, its got the little lever on it.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Ebay does have them cheap as shit though, never occured to me.
This one looks ok, the rear wheels look like mine, any guidance would be much appreciated though.
This one looks ok, the rear wheels look like mine, any guidance would be much appreciated though.
Manovella Bike Turbo Trainer Indoor Exercise Bike Trainer Magnetic 6 speed | eBay
Bring the mountains inside with the Manovella Turbo Trainer. With superior build quality including adjustable feet for balance, a noise reduction resistance wheel for a quieter ride and 6 speed resistance levels to simulate all terrain, the Manovella Turbo Trainer is already assembled and ready...
www.ebay.co.uk
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Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Boris Johnson 'obsessed' with encouraging cycling
Cycling is a top priority in Prime Minister’s drive to tackle obesity in fight against Covid-19 in the UK
Boris obsessed with cycling in the summer.
What a twist in the winter.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Canyon pauses UK shipments amid Brexit concerns - Cycling Weekly
Canyon Bicycles has announced that it is pausing all shipments to the UK, including spare parts such as mech hangers, handlebars and complete bikes.
www.cyclingweekly.com
Brexit continuing to really benefit us all
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
Canyon pauses UK shipments amid Brexit concerns - Cycling Weekly
Canyon Bicycles has announced that it is pausing all shipments to the UK, including spare parts such as mech hangers, handlebars and complete bikes.
Brexit continuing to really benefit us all
Typical remoaner. Doesn't realise that you can improvise a derailleur hanger from a mackerel, sovereignty and lashings of British spunk.
braindancer
not for long
Gonna have a bash at doing the Festive 500 this year - 500k between Xmas Eve and NYE - I've tried and failed a couple of times before but far fewer commitments this year which means it could just be doable! We'll see....
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Canyon pauses UK shipments amid Brexit concerns - Cycling Weekly
Canyon Bicycles has announced that it is pausing all shipments to the UK, including spare parts such as mech hangers, handlebars and complete bikes.
Brexit continuing to really benefit us all
Meh, if you ordered so much as a water bottle from Canyon it would take over two months to arrive anyway. Propain state that Brexit may cause delays due to new customs arrangements but they will get bikes to you as soon as possible. Better bikes than Canyon too...
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
Can anyone recommend me a cycle repair kit, please?
I was out for a ride on Christmas day and remembered I'd neglected to get one when, about 7 miles from home, the nuts that hold the saddle in place had loosened enough to continually tilt it up into places a saddle shouldn't be.
I managed (eventually) to borrow a wrench to tighten them, but I should probably carry something that can do the job.
I'm new to cycling and there are 5 million kits to choose from and I don't really know what I need. A mini-pump with a gauge? Without one? Patches? Allen keys? Definitely wrenches, for the sake of my foof.
What else do I need, and does it all come in one inexpensive kit?
I was out for a ride on Christmas day and remembered I'd neglected to get one when, about 7 miles from home, the nuts that hold the saddle in place had loosened enough to continually tilt it up into places a saddle shouldn't be.
I managed (eventually) to borrow a wrench to tighten them, but I should probably carry something that can do the job.
I'm new to cycling and there are 5 million kits to choose from and I don't really know what I need. A mini-pump with a gauge? Without one? Patches? Allen keys? Definitely wrenches, for the sake of my foof.
What else do I need, and does it all come in one inexpensive kit?
weepiper
I fix the machines that fight climate change
For those kind of saddle clamps you need a small adjustable spanner or a ring spanner of the right size, which will either be 13 or 14mm. You should probably have a little folding set of Allen keys/hex wrenches too, 4/5/6mm are the usual sizes you might need. And some plastic tyre levers and an inner tube of the right size for your bike. A mini pump. Guage not really important, just pump it as hard as you can manage and check the pressure at home or a bike shop with a track pump later on.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
Thank you!
(What's a tyre lever?
)Can I get all this in a kit or do I need/is it better to get things separately?
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
I have some fabulous multi-tools but I've never found a single tool that has everything I need. There are, for example, some scenarios which call for two spanners or an allen key and a spanner which cannot be catered for by a single tool.
Tyre levers also have a nasty habit of snapping (plastic ones) or going missing so it pays to take an extra one.
Tyre levers also have a nasty habit of snapping (plastic ones) or going missing so it pays to take an extra one.
miss direct
misfungled
I got a bell and gloves for Christmas. But the bell is a bit too small for my bike and the gloves are a bit too big. Hopefully Halfords will let me exchange.
maomao
普費斯
They're called spanners.
You're unlikely to get a full kit that's exactly what you need. Look for a multi tool with the sizes of allen key and spanner you need. Or just carry loose tools in a pencil case. Specialist cycling multi-tools tend to have stuff like spoke keys and chain tools on them that you probably don't need. Don't carry patches, just carry a spare tube or two and patch burst ones at home. You probably need tyre levers too. I always seem to need at least two so a multi-tool with built in tyre lever wouldn't suit me. If you have fat mountain bike style tyres you might get away with one.
And I need advice on a cheap pump to take on rides too. I have a fancy track pump at home but too big to pack. If you have one with a decent gauge at home you probably don't need a fancy one, just something that will get you moving again.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
I got some gloves about a month ago. My thumb poked through a new hole in the stitching yesterday.
Not sure if I chose shit gloves - they didn't seem to be - or whether this is just something that happens.
Glove recommendations, anyone?!
