An all-time classic local newspaper letter… suggests cyclists “should wear something sparkly to avoid accidents”; Put the duct tape away, that carbon frame is gone; Valentine’s Strava art from Wout van Heart + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"As a mechanic, I would judge a mechanic who offers to repair it": Cyclist asks Facebook if incredibly snapped carbon frame can be saved "for mostly indoor cycling", told absolutely don't "just put some duct tape on it and ride on"
Valentine’s heartbreak…
Tough scenes on Facebook, one rider sharing the photo of their snapped carbon frame and asking a cycling group: “What do you guys think about repairing a broken bike frame? I recently crashed my carbon bike, broke the top and down tube. I was thinking about repairing it for mostly indoor cycling (my collarbone was also severely broken so I wouldn’t be taking the bike outdoor anytime soon.
“Edit: I decide to not fix the bike and just gonna save money for a new frame or bike, thanks a lot for everyone’s opinions.”
The comments that flooded in in between the initial message and the edit were almost unanimously asking/begging/pleading that this bike isn’t ridden again. Now there are incredibly skilled carbon repair services out there, that are able to fix damage such as the fairly common chain suck scrape and other small defects… but this? Here was some of the reaction.
“Trash it even as a stationary bike it would be dangerous unless you like visiting doctors and experiencing pain a lot.”
“Seems like it could be a waste of money to have this one repaired, only to use as an indoor trainer for a few months. Save some money and get yourself a new ride. Maybe pick up a cheap bike for training indoors? Still cheaper than repairing carbon fibre at this level!”
“While it is possible to repair almost anything with carbon, it is major damage – and given that it’s an older rim brake bike from a smaller brand the frame probably has little monetary value. A substantial repair and repaint from a professional will not be cheap. You would almost certainly be better off money and safety wise getting another frame and moving the parts across.”
“As a mechanic, I would judge a mechanic who offers to repair it.”
“If a person shows a flat tyre on Facebook I suggest a new bike will fix it. This is way more severe than a flat tyre. So…”
Plans to funnel pedestrians onto narrow crossing will "make conflict with cyclists worse" on new bike path – but council says it's reluctant to clamp down on drivers "abusing" yellow boxes and blocking cycle lane
"It gives me confidence that I sometimes lost last year": No wasting time at FDJ for Demi Vollering
One stage for her new team. One win…
Following yesterday’s impressive opening-day victory at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, Demi Vollering said the win would give her confidence for the season ahead.
“It’s still so early in the beginning,” Vollering said. “I still have work to do, but I’m already here in this shape. I think it’s a good sign for the season, it gives me some confidence that I sometimes lost last year.”
Vollering saw off her former teammate Marlen Reusser (now at Movistar) and former boss Anna van der Breggen (returning to the pro ranks after a stint as a DS at SD Worx). There are going to be plenty of big battles ahead, SD Worx vs Vollering and FDJ shaping up to be one of the storylines of the season in 2025.
Roses are red, violets are blue... when it comes to e-bike charger compatibility and fire risk, experts warn many people don't have a clue
We regularly get bizarre press releases in our email inbox, but Electrical Safety First’s “Valentine’s Day e-bike warning” is up there. A serious topic with a serious point to be made… what makes it one for Valentine’s Day, we’re not sure (although it’s getting a whole load of blog coverage here, so maybe that’s the point). Well played.
Oh wait here come the Valentine’s links…
💔 The wrong charger = the wrong spark this #ValentinesDay! 👇
Using an incompatible charger can supply the wrong voltage to your battery, causing it to overheat and catch fire – a dangerous chemical reaction called thermal runaway. 🔥 #BatterySafety #TheRightSpark pic.twitter.com/aYKjzXV3Os
— Electrical Safety First (@ElecSafetyFirst) February 13, 2025
“Making sure you ‘find the perfect match’ when it comes to a charger for your e-bike battery is vital,” Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, commented. “Always ensure you’re using a compatible charger with your battery. If you need a replacement, or need to buy one separately, get it from the original manufacturer as incompatible or substandard chargers can increase the risk of a ferocious fire occurring by destabilising the battery if it’s not made to a high standard.
“To charge your e-bike safely, follow the manufacturer’s charging instructions. Avoid charging overnight as your reaction time is massively reduced in the event of a fire when you’re sleeping – and don’t charge your e-bike in an exit route like a hallway, landing or stairwell, as it can block your ability to escape.”
The warning comes as research by Electrical Safety First revealed more than a third of UK adults surveyed (39 per cent) were not confident that they could pick out a compatible charger for an e-bike or e-scooter, in the event they had to buy one separately.
The charity is leading a campaign to introduce measures, such as third-party certification, to end manufacturers being able to self-declare their batteries are safe. The campaign has been backed by fire chiefs, councils, housing associations and nearly 100 other organisations.
Wout van Heart: Some Valentine's Strava art from the pro peloton
Most drivers wrongly believe cyclists must ride single file, stay close to the kerb, and use cycle lanes – and one in three say they shouldn't have equal rights on the road, new Highway Code survey finds
Apple Maps adds full cycling routing for whole of UK and Ireland
Apple Maps has updated its offering for cyclists in the UK and Ireland, now offering full cycling routing. I can’t say I’ve ever used it, so someone will have to let us know in the comments if it’s any good.
Cycling directions were introduced back in 2020 but UK cities were missing, something that was addressed last year with the addition of several British urban areas. The new full cycle routing across the whole of the UK and Ireland was spotted by cmmncw on Reddit, the update seemingly happening quietly in the background, Apple not making any official announcement.
"I think it would be an interesting experiment in the name of science"
Comments time!
SimoninSpalding: “I don’t know what the person with the Kuota is worried about, the internal cable routing should hold it together fine, and the rest will just buff out!”
Gulp.
unami: “Agreed — bit of hot glue and it’ll be right as rain — perhaps increase the glue temp a bit to make it a tad stronger.”
Gulp.
Secret_squirrel: “I think it would be an interesting experiment in the name of science to try to repair it for static use. You could certainly get a YouTube video out of it. You could either cut the front end of entirely or rejoin front and mid-section with a couple of scaffolding tubes or similar. Then film yourself putting 1,000W through it on Zwift for shits and other peoples giggles.”
Give me a sec to see how much the owner wants for it and whether road.cc Jamie wants a broken collarbone for Valentine’s Day…
chrisonabike: “If you duct tape it, then put in an epic session, perhaps it’ll friction-weld itself better?”
GMBasix: “[snapped carbon frame]
I am mostly concerned that the rider may not have saved the activity. Will no one think of the data?”
momove: “Surely if they cared they would have been wearing one of those ‘If you see me collapse, pause my Garmin’ t-shirts that used to be about?”
"I can take that on myself, but it's hard to carry the weight of everyone you let down": Former pro cyclist Jack Bobridge's first interview since leaving prison for drug dealing
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Jack Bobridge was twice Australia’s national champ during an eight-year professional career that saw him also win a stage of the Tour Down Under and the U23 TT World Championship. He rode for some of the biggest teams in the world: Trek-Segafredo, Garmin-Cervélo and Orica GreenEDGE as they were all known back then.
Bobridge battled rheumatoid arthritis during his career and turned to alcohol and drugs, habits that escalated post-retirement. In 2017 he was caught selling MDMA and the former pro cyclist was jailed in 2019.
Now out of jail he spoke to A Current Affair about his experiences.
“I take full responsibility for the things I’ve done, the drinking, and the recreational drug use, but I wish there was more support for athletes,” he said. “You feel like you give 100 per cent to your sport and your country, and then when you’re done, you’re just dropped. That’s it. You’re finished. There were no phone calls, no emails. Nothing after I retired. You just disappear.
“It’s hard to carry the weight of everyone you let down. My daughter too—she was so young. She didn’t understand what was happening.
“There was no more competition, so there was no barrier any more. It was like the door opened wide, so to speak. I didn’t matter. I could do what I wanted, whenever I wanted. I was using a lot of drugs. And obviously, I was getting drugs for my friends, which some people might say is dealing, but there was never any profit in it.”
Police sent more footage of dangerous driving than ever before – as officers warn "goal is to make roads safer, not target drivers"
SD Worx hit back
To be fair if climbing extraordinaire Demi Vollering had won this one SD Worx really would have had a problem. As it turned out, Mischa Bredewold was the fastest to the line, beating former world champion Elisa Balsamo and Liane Lippert. So, who was fourth? Vollering, of course, who keeps the leader’s jersey into the weekend.
An all-time classic local newspaper letter... suggests cyclists "should wear something sparkly to avoid accidents" as "it can be extremely difficult to avoid some cyclists"
Brace yourselves, Jenny from York has written to the local paper, The Press, her letter published this week…
Cyclists should wear something sparkly to avoid accidents
I WONDER how many people will agree with me that, in order to minimise accidents, cyclists should be encouraged to wear something sparkling and very visible on their wrists so when indicating a left or right turn, during all hours, traffic will be able to see more clearly what is going on and avoid collisions.
Perhaps bicycle shops could think of something without causing too much expense?
It can be extremely difficult to avoid some cyclists especially in the early evenings when they don’t even have proper lighting on their bikes.
Something needs to be done so cyclists, and drivers of cars etc. can avoid unnecessary accidents.
I’m sure the comments section will have some ideas to answer that last sentence… how about we start with those stats on yesterday’s blog?
Right, get the sparkly wrist straps out, we need to do something about all these collisions. As we pointed out in that piece, according to Department for Transport figures, speed was the biggest factor in 888 fatalities on UK roads in 2023, and the biggest factor in more than 39,000 collisions overall. Anyway, sparkly wrist straps… we had some fun in the comments at least.
Or perhaps we go one step further…
14 February 2025, 09:13
14 February 2025, 09:13
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PS re the cyclist ringing a bell (or as a sports cyclist more likely shouting a warning), they would have no reason to: the lady wasn't "approaching the road", she had got to the island in the middle of the road and was standing still, then she stepped out. As far as I can see there was no reason to think anything but that she had seen him and was waiting for him to pass before crossing the lane.
@bensynnock We, and car drivers, must indeed exercise the utmost care for vulnerable road users, but if you take it to the logical extreme the only way you can absolutely guarantee never hitting a vulnerable road user is not to cycle or drive at all under any circumstances. As the Highway Code makes clear, "The hierarchy places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy. It does not remove the need for everyone to behave responsibly." In a case like this where the pedestrian has made an absolutely suicidal move by stepping onto the roadway into the path of a fast-moving cyclist when they were two metres away you can't say that the cyclist has failed in their duty of care, the cyclist was approaching on a clear straight road in good visibility, the lady was standing still on the island then suddenly stepped out when he was so close that he had no time to make any reaction at all, let alone brake or swerve round her. She, sadly, for unknown reasons, failed in her "need to behave responsibly". Unless duty of care encompasses coming to a complete stop when one sees a pedestrian waiting to cross (when there is no marked crossing) I don't think it was breached here.
@C3a Presumably it's to do with turnover stability while moving. I saw a Tentbox today, just being driven through Garstang. I can certainly see the advantage of these boxes over tents, because I have suffered lifelong from the 'Get orf my land' brigade, and there's a much greater tolerance among them for those 'camping' in vehicles than for those much more worthy real campers in tents. Add to that the convenience of just stopping in any old free spot by the roadside, where there isn't a decent site for a tent, and you can see the attraction.
Most of the cars that I have owned have had a roof-box limit (bars, box and contents) of 70kg. How does a textbox fit with that? Is the limit only applicable when the vehicle is moving?
@Chris RideFar For starters, by being 1,5 m above the ground you are mostly protected from dew. In many countries it also protects you from frost or really low temperatures. You'd be surprised how much of a difference it actually makes. Bugs, ants, spiders etc. are another thing, as is the purely mental feeling of security by being isolated from the ground. You'd be surprised how much that means to some of us and our better halves ;-) Sleeping on the ground also means more mechanical damage to the floor from rocks, hard roots etc., which could make a big difference in some areas and on longer trips, where a ripped tent floor could really break your holiday. I'm not saying a roof tent is the answer to all one's troubles with camping. But these factors definitely to make a difference to many of us.
When was the last time you had a groundsheet with a built in mattress? The point is predictable comfort.
Is it because cars and driving are about convenience (for a price), so there is mileage in selling more (quite expensive) related things that are about convenience?
@FionaJJ that's the crux of the issue i guess. Minority causes can have this where the mainstream has the power to steamroll you (figuratively and literally). There's always "fear of angering the giant" (or alienating the decision makers / majority, where any politician has the temptation to gain attention by criticising this. And business salespeople stand to gain by selling "convenience and status" instead). But ... it's also easy to keep getting "small wins" while losing the main argument. (That would be where rules and public space remain suited to or are further modified to reinforce motor dependency and thus reduce active travel - even if perhaps it's now autonomous vehicles and "they're more efficient / much safer than human drivers").
24 thoughts on “An all-time classic local newspaper letter… suggests cyclists “should wear something sparkly to avoid accidents”; Put the duct tape away, that carbon frame is gone; Valentine’s Strava art from Wout van Heart + more on the live blog”
[snapped carbon frame]
[snapped carbon frame]
I am mostly concerned that the rider may not have saved the activity.
Will no one think of the data?
Surely if they cared they
Surely if they cared they would have been wearing one of those “If you see me collapse, pause my Garmin” t-shirts that used to be about?
I don’t know what the person
I don’t know what the person with the Kuota is worried about, the internal cable routing should hold it together fine, and the rest will just buff out!
agreed – bit of hot glue and
agreed – bit of hot glue and it’ll be right as rain – perhaps increase the glue temp a bit to make it a tad stronger /s
I think it would be an
I think it would be an interesting experiment in the name of science to try to repair it for static use. You could certainly get a YouTube video out of it.
You could either cut the front end of entirely or rejoin front and mid-section with a couple of scaffolding tubes or similar.
Then film yourself putting 1000W through it on Zwift for shits and other peoples giggles.
If you duct tape it, then put
If you duct tape it, then put in an epic session, perhaps it’ll friction-weld itself better?
Tom Flood
Tom Flood
Sparkling cycling:
Sparkling cycling:
Glittery frames? The odd rim
Glittery frames? The odd rim-brake squeal from this one should help also.
My Valentine gifts from Mrs K
My Valentine gifts from Mrs K.
The price of kit for cycling
The price of kit for cycling these days is getting ridiculous.
Still, at least I’ll look fabulous…
And a gold-y lookin’ chain?
And a gold-y lookin’ chain? Helps look glittery.
The Jack Bobridge comments
The Jack Bobridge comments made me smile. Yes you represented your country and you were no doubt paid well as a pro.
I’ve seen many a normal person who dedicated a large portion of their working life to a company only to be given the boot. Off you go. No phone calls or anything once they’ve gone. Just on the scrap heap trying to find a way to pay their bills. He was still young, presumably with a wide network of connections from his time in the sport. A number of the normal people I’ve seen given the elbow during my working life haven’t been so lucky.
“you give 100% to your sport
“you give 100% to your sport and your country” – hoping in exchange to gain a considerable amount of fame and accompanying fortune, it’s not really the altruistic sacrifice he seems to be attempting to portray, certainly.
I often cycle in a silver
I often cycle in a silver metallic cocktail dress and sparkly tights, wearing a tiara in my hair. Just for safety reasons you understand
Apple Maps verdict from me…
Apple Maps verdict from me… complete fail.
It seems to ignore many of the cycle tracks near me, choosing to route on main A-roads and randomly decides you may have to walk your bike – on a cycle track…
I shall stick to RWGPS for long route planning and PocketEarthPro for shorter route finding.
My expectation is that Apple
My expectation is that Apple maps will become really good, but will not better the brilliant Garmin mapping and route planning. When I woke up in a muddy pea field after some apocalyptic rain enlivened my day when I finished the Coast to Coast and my rear mech broke in two, trusty Edge 1040 soon came up with a rather good route to Wensleydale, Ingleton and home. These gadgets really do work!
You can pay £100 for a
You can pay £100 for a ‘fashion name’/cycling lifestyle jacket or, like me, £5 for a factory hi-vis vest… £7 for a hi-vis vest with long sleeves, like those you see road maintenance crew wearing on the roadside, on motorway repair work, and wear an all-white or hi-vis green helmet, and BE SEEN.
Yours sincerely,
Tim Grumpygrouch
I trust that you also
I trust that you also encourage motorists to buy white or yellow cars and to shun vehicles the colour of a wet road?
The owner of that car wants
The owner of that car wants to take it back to the dealer and get the lights fixed if they’re so poor they can’t see someone in red until they’re 25m away and can’t see someone in black at all despite them being right there in the beam.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Or it could just be that they can’t see. Having been knocked off in broad daylight whilst wearing hi-viz by someone wearing very dark glasses, I’m pretty sure that they’re out there.
You can also apparently ride
You can also apparently ride in a police car decked out in reflectives, and not be seen…
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/hgv-driver-that-crashed-into-stationary-cop-car-sentenced
I have seen this image
I have seen this image several times and can see no scientific reason for the conclusion it supports. I have been unable to trace it’s source.
Conspicuity depends mainly on the contrast between the object and the background. You can choose what you wear but you cannot choose your background, At Night the background will be “Dark”, the colour with the greatest luminance will be most conspicuous. Car headlights contain little UV so the Fluorescence mechanism of HiVis colours does not work very well and retro-reflectives become more importatnt.
It’s just good to see that
It’s just good to see that this genius lady is diferentiating between the necessary and unnescessary accidents.