“If you build it, they will come… or maybe not,” says local news site after spotting cyclists not using new cycle lane; “Wow… just wow”: Bike shop mechanic discovers a whole new level of wear; Tour Down Under destruction + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Wow... just wow": Bike shop horrified by rim so worn you can "pop the entire outer wall off with your thumbs and keep the tyre inflated"
When your customer just wants their wheel trued:
You ever seen a rim so worn you can pop the entire outer wall off with your thumbs and keep the tyre inflated?
byu/dermsUK inBikeMechanics
That’s a whole new level of getting every last mile out of your tech, even by the desperate and depraved standards of the mechanical horror show content that we’ve seen on this live blog over the years. It’s normally tyres worn down to the casing, shark’s tooth chainrings or ninja star jockey wheels, but we’ve never had a removable outer wall before.
It seems not many in the industry have seen such ‘impressive’ levels of wear either, the bike mechanics thread on Reddit in meltdown over this achievement.
“Wow. Generally I see one side pop before the other but never seen both go as clean as that,” one mechanic said.
The mechanic from the bike shop that dealt with this explained how they felt the rim tearing all the way round, wherever they pushed… “like opening a can of tuna”… apparently. Let’s hope that wasn’t the scent too. It had worn through completely in several places and popped off with little effort.
The pads were “metal on metal” too, unsurprisingly, the mechanic guessing it was “the outer wall keeping everything together” with the pads also “way too low”.
“That is some seriously impressive wear on that wheel,” one mechanic who didn’t know whether to be disgusted or excited commented.
“Wow… just wow,” a stunned colleague added.
“They paid for the whole rim, by god they’re going to use the whole rim,” just about sums up the whole situation.
So what to do next? Despite the jokers suggesting it’s “nothing a little super glue won’t put back together”… or worse, tub tape… this one’s done. But could it inspire innovation from bike brands?
“New bicycle industry innovation coming 2027: ‘No need to have two sets of rims! Keep a set of backup tyres inflated for on-the-go wheel changes’.”
Hmmmm…
Around the world bikepacker killed by suspected lightning strike in Andes
> Around the world bikepacker killed by suspected lightning strike in Andes
2026 starts how 2025 ended: UAE Team Emirates domination rips Tour Down Under apart, as Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez land 1-2 with devastating Corkscrew attack
We had plenty of this in 2025 and it seems we’ll have plenty more in 2026, UAE Team Emirates all but sealing overall victory (and probably a 1-2) at the Tour Down Under before the race’s halfway point. A double ascent of the now-famous Corkscrew climb was always going to bring the GC men to the fore, but when the final ascent arrived there may as well have just been three riders in the race.
Adam Yates’ monstrous leadout set up Jay Vine to launch over the top, Jhonatan Narváez heaving himself up to his Australian teammate’s wheel and the UAE duo seeing it through to the finish in Uraidla. Vine was given the nod for the stage win and now sits six seconds clear of Narváez on GC, the pair enjoying a cavernous gap back to Mauro Schmid in third.
“It’s been on my mind since the last time I wore the leader’s jersey here,” Vine said afterwards. “I really love this jersey, and it’s just so incredible to win on a really hard stage. We’re in such a strong position now with Jonny [Narváez] also up there on GC. The guys are riding really strong – it was just a really strong ride by the whole team today and I’m very thankful.”
So, feet up, job done for UAE this week? Erm, nope…
“We’ve also got Molano our sprinter here looking for wins so tomorrow we’ll be focusing on that.”
Something tells me we’ll be bringing you plenty more UAE Team Emirates victories on the live blog this season.
"We're proud to expand into such an important region and look forward to becoming part of the local community": Sigma Sports announces fourth store, with Wilmslow branch to open next month
Premium UK cycling retailer Sigma Sports is opening a fourth store, its latest retail space coming to Wilmslow in Cheshire next month. Sigma Sports says it will be open from late February, the exact date yet to be confirmed, and will be at 27 Water Lane.
It will stock the usual Sigma Sports fare of premium brands from across road, gravel and triathlon, including stuff from Trek, Pinarello, Cervélo, Argon18, Colnago, Specialized, Factor, Cannondale, Rapha, Castelli, Oakley, Pas Normal Studios and Universal Colours. The rest of Sigma Sports’ full product portfolio will available via click and collect also.
The 2500sq ft will be open seven days a week and will feature a workshop and bike-fitting studio.
Sigma Sports CEO James McEuen said: “Opening our fourth store, in Cheshire, is a significant milestone for the business. It reflects both the strength of the brand and our commitment to making expert-led, premium cycling retail more accessible across the UK. We are also very focused on the triathlon market and offer a complete solution for athletes. We’re proud to expand into such an important region and look forward to becoming part of the local community.”
While the business may be expanding, it was Sigma Sports’ losses that made headlines in 2025. In September we revealed that the cycling retailer halved its losses to £925,000 and had insisted the situation was “positive”, despite cost-of-living crisis, inflation and inventory woes battering bike industry.
"These projects have been years in the planning, so it is fantastic to finally be breaking ground and making a start on the changes which will benefit residents for years to come"
A multi-million-pound active travel project on the A4 in Slough is getting underway, a new 2.5m-wide two-way cycle lane to be installed between the junctions with the Huntercombe Lane crossroads and Uxbridge. The A355 Farnham Road from its junction with Cumberland Avenue to its junction with the A4 Bath Road will also get a two-way cycle route.
It is being funded by £19.7m of Department for Transport investment, the project also including new paving, lighting, signs, markings, drainage, as well as road and footpath resurfacing.
Councillor Paul Kelly said: “These projects have been years in the planning, so it is fantastic to finally be breaking ground and making a start on the changes which will benefit residents for years to come. There will naturally be some noise and disruption while the works take place, including minor delays, but we urge residents to please be patient and look to the wider benefits.”
On-the-fly tyre pressure adjustment innovator Gravaa declared bankrupt due to lack of sales – nine months after Paris-Roubaix triumph
London Cycling Campaign asks riders to show support for keeping Hammersmith Bridge car-free
The London Cycling Campaign says “there have been rumblings of a move to allow cars back on Hammersmith Bridge”, something the group calls “a terrible idea” (tell us how you really feel), so there’s an event this Saturday for people to show support for keeping it car-free.
The Richmond branch of the campaign notes that prior to its closure 25,000 motor vehicle movements per day were being recorded, the route a “horrible, traffic-choked hellhole”.
> Hammersmith Bridge to reopen to bike riders with two-way cycle lane – but only for 10 weeks
“Data from soon after closure to motor traffic showed that at least 9,000 of these journeys were no longer being made in the same way – 16,000 journeys were being made over other bridges, following the change,” the campaign group states, highlighting an overall reduction in car journeys as people have taken to active travel or public transport alternatives instead.
There’s a more in-depth look at the numbers here.
Responding to critics who want the bridge re-opened to traffic online, Simon Munk from the LCC said the “idea that traffic is an unstoppable, immutable force has long been disproven”.
“Look at the traffic counts for area. Disabled access is a real issue but doesn’t mean everyone should go back to driving over bridge…” he concluded.
Sam Bennett undergoes heart surgery after health scare: "I had palpitations, I didn't know what was going on"
Mother of God!
"Our safe streets are here to stay": Mayor's "dangerous" decision to axe low traffic neighbourhoods deemed unlawful, as campaigners hail "huge precedent for London"
"If you build it, they will come... or maybe not," says local news site after spotting cyclists not using new cycle lane
Here’s your top story on local Irish news site Killarney Today. Apparently there’s frustration in the community over this snap of a group ride not using a cycle lane in Fossa, the council having spent €4 million on road upgrades in the area.
The photo was reportedly snapped on Sunday afternoon and sent to the local news site, writer John O’Mahony suggesting: “If you build it, they will come… or maybe not”.
The piece accepted it’s up the riders whether they should use the path, noting “it is important to stress that cyclists are generally not legally required to use designated pedal lanes”. However, it also went on to suggest that “when the authorities spend millions on active travel measures, aimed at creating greater – and safer – facilities for those on bikes and others, it might be easier to understand the frustration experienced by motorists when they encounter experiences such as this that force them to slow down significantly more than is legally required.”
In fairness to the writer, they go on to cite the views of a local cycling club who, last year, responded to previous comments about cyclists not using cycle lanes by explaining the infrastructure wasn’t suitable for many sport cyclists and had been a “major disappointment from a cyclist’s perspective as it has more hazards and is less convenient than the layout it replaced”.
> Why don’t cyclists use cycle lanes?
We’ve been here many times before here in the UK too of course, this sort of photo regularly appearing on social media and causing the usual pile-in about ‘selfish’ riding, usually with a few obligatory ‘road tax’ inaccuracies chucked in for good measure. A couple of weeks ago, a motorist in Southend posted their picture on a local social media group but, in a refreshing turn of events, got told to have some “patience and self control” rather than “coming on Facebook to cry about it”.
While the rules of the road in Ireland are different to the UK, in that case many pointed out that cyclists are not legally required to use cycle lanes (just as they aren’t in Ireland either) and are instead advised to use them where they make a journey safer or easier.
One thing that was the same in both cases was that the riders involved were cycling for sport and are almost certainly travelling at a speed faster than what cycling infrastructure built for accessible and safe journeys about town is designed with in mind. But that doesn’t make a good Facebook post, granted.
22 January 2026, 08:15
22 January 2026, 08:15
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Latest Comments
@ROOTminus1 So you are saying an American EAPC (20mph cut off) is not an electrically assisted pedal cycle; illegal in the UK, I grant you. It is not capable of movement without physical input from the rider, so logically hardly counts as a motorbike. However, these semantics do not affect the illegality of the machine. The original question was classification of the machine for analysis.
You're working for them! My comments were tongue in cheek, but my home city has lost its speedway track, showground, its only public indoor swimming pool, public all weather football pitches, a huge public playing field and it's athletics track is under threat. Lots of supermarkets and fast food takeaways have been gained. Work/life balance is being eroded. I do worry about what life in the UK will be like in say 50 years time.
@Rendel Harris I wouldn’t worry too much about that, a family member once said I looked like a circus bear when riding my Brompton.
I can ride no hands and once rode three kilometres from Parliament Square to Blackfriars Bridge without touching the bars just to prove I could to a certain doubting spouse, but apart from vainly posing for pictures like this one (for the benefit of a certain PBU who's seen fit previously to compare me to an elephant on a unicycle yes, it's a small bike (I ride everything from 54 to 58) and yes my BMI is 26.5) I don't bother. I'm never on a ride when it's necessary and it's always safer just to stop for a few seconds to take jackets etc on and off.
I've gone the other way. I could never really wheelie or bunnyhop properly, but I was idiotically proud (still am, obvs) of my ability to casually roll a cigarette riding no-hands whilst filtering Fleet Street traffic during a brief bike-courier era of my life. I tried to open a cereal bar the other day while riding gently downhill along a wide empty country road, and nearly crapped myself in fear. The thought of trying to get a jacket on or off - with this shoulder! - I couldn't countenance. Luckily I don't smoke any more.
Never mind wheelies or no hands, I haven't even managed to find reverse gear on mine! I have laughed off many wheelie requests; I feel no need to - on my recumbent (IIRC someone has). But... I'm not entirely free of the feeling I *ought* to be able to on at least one bike...
I can't wheelie and only recently have managed to cycle no handed - and only on my Tern GSD, not my road bike. And even then, I can't do anything like undo a top or open some food whilst cycling no handed.
Chapeau for finding the Hans Rey pic, the chimp looks properly appreciative of his skills. I used to be able to ride no hands on my Peugeot racers in the late 80s and early 90s, I could cycle all the way home from Camberley McDonald's to my home in mill lane, yateley, without touching the bars once, thumbs in my rear jeans pockets, after a close, post and very post midnight, only with no other vehicles about. But when I got run over in 92, clock house, Farnborough, and went MTB, the front end was just a bit too nervous, and then the late 90s Raleigh 650 ti was even more, but of course that meant it was a very responsive xc racer. I could ride my surly ogre no hands, much more stable platform, and I have gone as far as sitting back, but wouldn't want the foolishness of hurting myself if I got it wrong. Moved to Brum in the late 90s, obtained the getting to work bike, marin pine mountain 91, and because I was very much urban, for the first time ever really, lady pool rd, top end of Moseley, I would ride down the hill to canon hill park, drop the seat all the way down and worked on trying to develop my bike skills. The wheelie being the one most wanted. I did alright, easy to pull, but keeping it going for distance was the one thing I never got, handful of seconds at most, never went over the back badly, just the fear would get too much. For some reason I found the endo easier to do and hold, still not for long mind, and could do a good 180 endo. My bunny hopping developed nicely too. There are rigs that allow you to practice finding the balance point while stationary, LBS had one on their Halloween open evening one year. I refused to embarrass myself in public. Found this. https://mtbhopper.com/products/balance?srsltid=AfmBOoqXEZN_Jg1Hx-qgpqmxXCz5U3OR2qD-xCDx5-LTEB4RfloiwmkC Their bike stands are very good. Highly recommend,
I can do no hands, eat, rain jacket on/off but the wheelie evades me. It's sad and I feel like I'm a bit shit at bikes because of it.
With modern bikes the front assembly is so much lighter and more likely to rotate if it hits a minor imperfection in the road. There are so many potholes, cracks etc these days. I have nearly crashed a few times after hitting potholes with both hands on the handlebars. It isn't worth taking the risk.
16 thoughts on ““If you build it, they will come… or maybe not,” says local news site after spotting cyclists not using new cycle lane; “Wow… just wow”: Bike shop mechanic discovers a whole new level of wear; Tour Down Under destruction + more on the live blog”
The wear dots are only just
The wear dots are only just faintly visible on my front wheel rim. This article has prompted me to replace the wheel this weekend. It wouldn’t be good if the rim failed on a fast descent!
Mr Blackbird wrote:
“Wouldn’t be good” is correct, if a bit understated.
I’ll go one step further and
I’ll go one step further and say that rim failure on a descent would present a suboptimal positive cycling experience.
Wimp. Where’s your sense of
Wimp. Where’s your sense of adventure?
I’m all for safety first but
I’m all for safety first but if you can still see the wear indicators, even if only faintly, the rim should still be good. The manufacturers do build in a margin of error so even after the wear indicators disappear a wheel can still be safe. If the wheel is a good one out of which you want to get the maximum possible life, could be worth measuring, or getting a mechanic to measure, the rim wall thickness with calipers; if you’ve got 1.5 mm or more of thickness left and no concavity in the brake track you should be fine. The manufacturer should be able to inform you of the minimum safe rim wall thickness if you want to make extra sure.
Good info. As it happens,
Good info. As it happens, they are cheap Shimano wheels and don’t owe me anything. They don’t run absolutely true and it is quite likely that the wear is uneven. I’ve been examining the dots regularly over the past couple of months and they really are close to disappearing.
I’ve also had to replace a couple of snapped spokes in the last year – probably a result of sweat drip from the turbo trainer!
But I do have a better set of wheels that I use in the summer, which are quite worn and a set of calipers will be a worthwhile investment for those.
I’ve also had to replace a
I’ve also had to replace a couple of snapped spokes in the last year
It’s at least 25 years since I’ve experienced one- on the cheap wheels that came with the Vitus the no-eyelet rims cracked by the spoke holes but the spokes remained to the end
https://www.standard.co.uk
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-tower-hamlets-ltn-court-of-appeal-lutfur-rahman-b1267630.html
Big court victory for safer streets campaigners.
Encouraging read, thanks.
Encouraging read, thanks.
Yet another woman cyclist
Yet another woman cyclist killed by yet another lorry driver on the streets of London. RIP.
Couldn’t they have found
Couldn’t they have found someone looking a bit more cheerful on that WWII cycling poster?
hawkinspeter wrote:
Not the most cheerful time, to be fair.
The photo shows an anonymous
The photo shows an anonymous cyclist that took part in “Operation Rinse Veet”. It was a daring plan by SusTrans to get a cycle lane approved in a town occupied by Reform UK. Plans for a decoy cycle lane were put into the cyclists briefcase. He rode into the town and abandoned his bike, stamped on the wheels and left his briefcase at the scene, so that anti cycling protestors and the Reform councillors would assume that he had been hit by a close passing SUV and limped to hospital.
The briefcase and decoy plans were passed to the local press, causing outrage amongst local motorists and councillors. Mass protests were held at the location of the decoy proposed cycle lane. Nigel Farage (who had rushed to the scene after abandoning a course in the use of Excel for nincompoops) and Richard Jenrick (his first public appearance since his defection 15 months previously) attended the protests.
In the meantime the plans for the cycle lane in the correct location were submitted and approved.
The cycle lane was built and was a great success, increasing the number of cycle journeys by 65%.
The unknown cyclist was awarded the SusTrans toothed chainwheel medal. ?
Did the pocket litter include
Did the pocket litter include a SIS electrolyte gel?
“… the frustration
“… the frustration experienced by motorists when they encounter experiences such as this that force them to slow down significantly more than is legally required.”
Firstly, “slow down significantly more than is legally required”??
The speed limit is a limit, not a target.
They are legally required to drive at a speed that is safe for the conditions.
If the speed limit on a road is 30 mph, they can’t expect to do that in a queue of stationary traffic during rush hour which is crawling at 1mph.
Secondly…
What about all the people sitting in their cars, driving, when they could be walking on the empty pavements, waiting at the empty bus stops, on the empty train platforms… all infrastructure provided by taxpayers costing millions?
Wait.
Are they saying that those forms of transport infrastructure aren’t suiteable for their journies…?
So its ok for them… “but cyclists…”
Thirdly, that single picture shows how inefficient the use of space is when having single drivers in single cars (presumably) versus a small group of cyclists.
It’s not really a cycle lane.
It’s not really a cycle lane.
It’s a pavement painted red.