Recent comments

You reported the accident to the police, right?

Great concept.. but what the heck's happening to the drive train? A kink in the drive belt? No wonder folk on here aren't inspired to ride it.

It's difficult to convey exactly how poorly thought out this junction is the way it's currently laid out. Before we moved to Oxford in 2006, the missus and I paid a visit with our bikes and almost got side-swiped by a bus coming out of the station that turned left across us, when everything about the road layout suggested it would go straight on.

It definitely needs improving, but prioritising cars over everything else is not the way to do it.

If you know Oxford, you'll know that because of the river and the floodplains, there are in effect only four roads into the city centre - not too bad during the day, but at rush hour and school run time it can be a nightmare getting in or out.

Two bus companies provide a reasonably decent service, there are Park & Rides on the outskirts, and once you're in the centre of town, wherever a bus drops you off you're probably no more than a 10 minute walk from where you need to be.

The problem is, that for as long as you have people 'happy' to sit in a traffic jam, one to a car, that causes delays for those who are using the bus. My wife can be flexible with her hours, so leaves here before 7 t get into work before 8 - any later and her journey is immediately another half hour or more sitting in traffic on the Woodstock Road (which you can cycle down in ten minutes).

If youre in the market for what looks like pro quality bike id presume most people would have multiple sets of wheels and a winter bike already so would save the tubs for racing or special days and do winter training on a different bike with easier gears.

Also you save so much compared to the competition that even if you dont have a pair of training wheels you could still justify splashing out.

Cant wait to see the price of 9.8 Id love a bike like that and a pair of zipps.

wow, i wish i had my "bikeability certificate" to prove i was a capable rider...

would that be a similar dcument to the one the DVLA issue when you pass your test??? because we all know that drivers are perfect and follow the rules.

my comment on his road handling skills was simple. for every second you turn your head on a bike the bike moves left or right. for every second you are not looking forward, you put yourself in danger.

there is way too much traffic on our roads, the roads are not designed to take cyclist as well as motorbikes and lorries.
drivers never think of the consequences of hitting a rider- or a motorcyclist. but spend a year or so in London as a bike courier (as i have) and you soon understand that the only way to stay alive is to go with the flow. we wont beat them, join them.

now...can of worms....

Joemmo took the words out of my mouth.

Most UK cycling facilities could double as art installations, or eleborate practical jokes very easily - giving a conceptual artist the lead on such a project could hardly make things any worse.

That's my suspicion about these schemes too - they might work for a little while, but sooner or later drivers will bully the other traffic into giving them priority.

No wonder the buggers are so keen on them

Hi, I asked for that frame a few weeks ago, and best price i've got was 1250 euro from Basso's representative in neiborhud, which is friend of mine.
So, I think you got a good price. Astra is not just actual in this year (Diamante is the first), but still is excellent bike.

One thing strikes me here. Traffic tantrums are increasingly common, there is so much traffic on the roads nowadays that driving is an exercise in frustration. If both parties in this exchange lose their rag, there is a massive disparity in the danger they pose each other.

I've been shouted at for not cowering in the gutter through width restrictions, and the next day I see the same car, and the day after I see it again... what happens if one day the driver decides to give the uppity cyclist a lesson by passing a bit close? That happens. What happens if the driver misjudges it? Who winds up injured? Not the driver, that's for sure.

Encounters like this are a big part of what puts even keen cyclists off commuting by bike. Every day you'll encounter thousands of cars, many of them day after day. Any assertiveness risks an inappropriate reaction. That's why these incidents are scary even for a confident cyclist, that's why it's a big deal even if no actual malice was intended. That's why the police should take it seriously and at least have a quiet word.

Dave Yates, Burls, Demon Frameworks and Argos are worth adding to your list too.

I don't know whether steel frames are de facto more comfortable than carbon frames, but i do know that the most comfortable bikes i've ridden have been steel bikes...

Totals 897.71KM 8 Points

7th Nov 10 77.96 Miles/125.46KM
14th Nov 10 74.02 Miles/119.12KM
21st Nov 10 73.29 Miles/117.94KM
9th Jan 11 69.09 Miles/111.18KM
6th Feb 11 74.49 Miles/119.88KM
22nd Feb 11 62.25 Miles/100.18KM
1st Mar 11 63.20 Miles/101.71KM
6th Mar 11 63.53 Miles/102.24KM

They might be underreported, as we are always told cycling stats are, but have you got numbers?

It's as irrelevant as talking about "kids bombing 20mph down pavements weaving around pedestrians, leaping on and off the road" when if this kid had been doing 20mph, a bus doing 25mph wouldn't have needed to do an emergency stop!