“Supporting LTNs is not controversial”: Criticism for BBC over Jeremy Vine impartiality ruling; “You can’t just paint lines and think you have bike lanes”; CyclingMikey helps stop suspected drug dealer; Why is my bike creaking? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The dreaded bottom bracket creak
It’s a scene worthy of a psychological horror film: you’re spinning along happily through the sun-bathed lanes when, at first, you’re not even sure if you heard it right…*creak*…not very loud at first, ‘it’ll go away’ you think…it doesn’t…soon, rhythmically with each pedal stroke the piercing pain shoots through your bike and body (and anyone and everyone riding near you at the time)…
> Bottom brackets – get the insider info on your bike’s beefiest bearing
My bottom bracket is creaking, is there a support group for this? #cycling
— mistress of hellvetica (@sexandtheswiss) August 30, 2022
It’s like when you get a cold after a long time without one and can’t believe you ever took for granted not having a sore throat…
Step one: enter purgatory…
Before you apply to our support group you need a month in the “is it my bottom bracket or something else that is creaking” purgatory.
— 💉💉💉🦠JF (@jfparis) August 30, 2022
Is the sound coming from my bars, cleats, or further back in the bike? You’re sure to have an undisclosed period of riding where your brain plays tricks on you and will send the mystery creak all over your machine…
Step two: follow the leads.
Just because it sounds like your bottom bracket is creaking, doesn’t mean it is…
My bottom bracket was creaking but then my mechanic tightened my rear skewer and it went away.
— Dafydd Hughes (@dafydd61) August 30, 2022
Tick off all the easy ones first before you opt for more invasive surgery…chainring bolts, quick release skewers, cleat bolts, seatpost clamp…
I regularly fix creaky BBs by tightening seat post clamps and rear quick release skewers.
— WorkCycles (@WorkCycles) August 30, 2022
Step three: accept defeat.
It’s never the bottom bracket — until it is 😂
— Jen See (@iamjensee) August 30, 2022
Alternatively, bypass step three…
Wrong.
You require a new bike.
Thems the rules.
🚴👍😉— Mr Bad Dad 1975 (@bad_1975) August 31, 2022
Vuelta rider's bonsai nightmare
As someone who recently got, and promptly killed, a plant by going away for four days during the 35 degrees week, I’m sending my deepest sympathy and condolences to the Mullens…
I loved that plant. https://t.co/KH4ddoC0F0
— Ryan Mullen (@ryanmullen9) August 30, 2022
Simon Yates out of Vuelta with Covid
Simon Yates is the latest victim of a Vuelta-ending Covid positive…
❗️UPDATE❗️#LaVuelta22
Simon Yates withdraws from La Vuelta a España after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of stage 11.https://t.co/AlDD1idKM2
— Team BikeExchange-Jayco (@GreenEDGEteam) August 31, 2022
Yates was fifth on GC after a solid TT yesterday but will not start today’s 191km stage to Cabo de Gata. He joins the then-leader in the points classification Sam Bennett, Ethan Hayter, Jake Stewart, Edoardo Affini, Sepp Kuss, Wout Poels and numerous others in leaving the race following a positive.
Of the 182 who rolled down the start ramp for the team time trial in Utrecht, just 155 remain…
"I used to think my bottom bracket creaked, now I realise it is my knees"
Great wisdom from the little onion in the comments…
SimoninSpalding has an alternative diagnosis: “You missed the most obvious — it is your top-end Japanese chainset that is soon going to fall apart.”
No idea what you’re talking about, Simon…
> Shimano denies design problem with Hollowtech cranks despite reports of cracked arms
Hmmm, not sure how that got there…
Continuing the bottom bracket topic, majikstone commented: “I recently reinstalled my threaded bottom bracket on my titanium frame, and as I was in a hurry, I forgot to tighten it up properly. Next day I go out for a ride, and after some 30 km, it starts creaking like crazy as it came slightly undone on the NDS.
“I only had to ride with that horrendous creaking sound for maybe another hour before getting home and fixing the issue, but it was enough to give me a glimpse of what the average ride on a Press-Fit BB bike feels like. Have I had one, I would honestly end up throwing it in a ravine or give it away to the person I hate the most.”
OldRidgeback replied: “The external BB on my BMX cruiser has been creaking for a while. It’s annoying me now. As the race season is nearly over, I’ll change it out shortly. There’s no play in it and it isn’t stiff, so I’ll do one more race with it before it’s changed. Irritating it is.”
"You can't just paint lines on roads and think you have bike lanes — those are just death traps": Emotional plea from husband of diplomat killed in collision
This was the emotional plea for safer cycling infrastructure from the husband of a US diplomat who was killed last week while riding her bike in Maryland. Sarah Joan Langenkamp was involved in a collision with a flat bed truck being driven in the same direction as the cyclist. It is believed the collision happened when the driver turned off the road and into a car park.
Speaking on WUSA9, Dan Langenkamp called painted bike lanes, sometimes dubbed ‘murderstrips’ here in the UK, “death traps” and called for safer infrastructure…
TONIGHT on @WUSA9: Husband of the US diplomat killed while riding a bike in Bethesda speaks out. While he mourns her loss, Dan Langenkamp, a State Dept employee, is calling for safety changes for bicyclists. They just moved here three weeks ago after evacuating Ukraine. @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/dBed8UdR2K
— Matthew Torres (@News_MTorres) August 30, 2022
“It’s unbelievable to me that we have to brave streets with bike lanes that are dangerous and get mowed down by trucks in modern America,” he said.
“It’s just wrong. I’m just livid about the situation with bicycle safety here after seeing what happened. You cannot just paint lines on roads and think that you have bike lanes, and then brag about it on your city website saying ‘we have 500 miles of bike lanes’. No, those bike lanes are just death traps if you don’t provide protection for them, driver training, laws and law enforcement that actually says people are going to be punished if they hit bikers.”
Sarah Joan Langenkamp was a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, where her husband also worked. A March news report told the story of how the couple’s children were forced to evacuate to Poland following the Russian invasion, while they stayed on in their diplomatic roles.
Another one bites the dust: Pavel Sivakov out of the Vuelta after Covid positive
That’s two of the top-ten out of the race already this morning…
This morning @PavelSivakov has returned a positive lateral flow and will not take to the start of stage 11 of the Vuelta a España in line with team and UCI protocols. pic.twitter.com/AW33PdF6MD
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) August 31, 2022
God help anyone within a two-mile radius of Patrick Lefevere if Remco’s next…
Shimano and Campag fails
Take a trip down memory lane for some of Shimano and Campag’s less successful offerings…
CyclingMikey helps stop suspected drug dealer
Hope there’s no lasting damage. Used my bike to take out an alleged drug dealer so that the police could catch him. He went flying. pic.twitter.com/74ZzllVPJo
— CyclingMikey (@MikeyCycling) August 30, 2022
One to put in your diaries for if/when any court proceedings are concluded and we can share the footage, but quite the adventure for CyclingMikey yesterday…
"Supporting LTNs is not controversial": Criticism for BBC over Jeremy Vine impartiality ruling
Supporting LTNs is not controversial, no matter what the review says. If you ever wonder what a car dominated society looks like, this is it. https://t.co/0Ahg1vMNIG
— Holywood Cyclist (@HolywoodCyclist) August 31, 2022
Here’s what you’ve been saying about today’s big news that the BBC concluded Radio 2 presenter, and vocal proponent of all things cycling, Jeremy Vine had breached the broadcaster’s impartiality rules by publicly supporting LTNs.
One road.cc reader, IanMK, wrote: “Jeremy Vine is basically supporting government policy (Gear Change) and local democracy (decisions made by elected representatives). Are BBC employees not allowed to do this?
“I’m a republican but I don’t complain to the BBC every time one of their employees says something supportive of the monarchy (or even accepts a gong from the Queen). Perhaps I should.”
Another added: “In other news, Gary Lineker accused of breaking impartiality rules for suggesting that sewage in the sea is not a good thing.”
brooksby said it was “ludicrous” that the BBC claimed Vine should not have taken a public side in the debate as LTNs are the “kind of topic to which considerations of due impartiality applied for the BBC”.
Gus T suggested the rule was simple: “Pro cyclist comments — not impartial. Anti-cycling articles & programmes — impartial. So much for a balanced view on cycling by the BBC.”
On Facebook, Chris Lowe commented under our story: “The BBC’s policy on the neutrality of its staff needs a serious looking at. This nonsense of ‘there are two sides to everything’ results in cranks and extremists being given a platform when there are no reasonable voices on certain sides of a debate.
“A lot of the anti-LTN rhetoric has been repeatedly debunked — but it is allowed to be repeated on the BBC again and again because they have to give both sides.”
Last March, a BBC report into LTNs was branded “shameful” by a councillor amid accusations it “perpetuated falsehoods” by a Labour peer who is a patron of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking. Lord Berkeley said the report had “embarked on its own journey to stir up a manufactured culture war”.
During the report, the BBC failed to address the claims of MP Rupa Huq who said the schemes were “more contentious than air strikes on Syria” and stopped women getting to their homes safely, although a month later the broadcaster did correct Nick Robinson’s comment that “you cannot use your car” in an LTN.
> BBC corrects Nick Robinson’s comment that “you cannot use your car” in a low traffic neighbourhood
“We agree that LTNs do not prevent cars from being used,” the BBC said in response to complaints.
Julian Alaphilippe's terrible 2022 continues — crashes out of La Vuelta
As if things couldn’t get much worse for the world champion…
Julian Alaphilippe chute et abandonne sur la Vuelta !
Terrible nouvelle pour le champion du monde français qui, semble-t-il, est de nouveau touché à la clavicule… #LesRP #LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/o8sQhwWEhR
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) August 31, 2022
A quick recap: the two-time world champ crashed at Strade Bianche, missed San Remo with illness, suffered serious injuries in that shocking crash at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, missed the Tour de France, got Covid, and now leaves the Vuelta clutching his collarbone…
With 25 days until the next wearer of the rainbow bands is decided, could Julian’s defence already be over?
"Sorry pal, will be 15 minutes or so, just got to cargo bike my cement mixer across town"
But how would builders be able to work without a van? Oh, hang on… pic.twitter.com/FWXSk4rcdq
— Kim Harding (@kim_harding) August 30, 2022
Peloton poses
Not the best moment to practice your Yoga poses. pic.twitter.com/E8ngsUKBHK
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 31, 2022
To be fair, it’s been that sort of day at La Vuelta. The three-man break never got more than a couple minutes lead and everyone seems content getting from A to B expending as little energy as possible…
With that said there’s 5km to go and finally things are hotting up, we’ll bring you the sprint result shortly…
Kaden Groves wins stage 11 of the Vuelta a España
⏪😎¡Velocidad, lucha…! 💨💨 Revive el ÚLTIMO KM de un nuevo sprint en #LaVuelta22 gracias a @CarrefourES.
⚡️Speed, the battle for position, pure action! Enjoy the last KM of a victorious sprint for @kaden_groves – @GreenEDGEteam, courtesy of Carrefour.#CarrefourConLaVuelta pic.twitter.com/OXIRbE8n5V
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 31, 2022
Two Brits in the top ten, Dan McLay in sixth, Fred Wright eighth, but the day went to Australia and Team BikeExchange-Jayco. Having lost Simon Yates to a Covid positive this morning, that’s just about as incredibly as the team could have responded…
31 August 2022, 08:08
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Latest Comments
There you go again
Marginal margins.
The covid / post-covid boom is driven primarily by failures of capitalist strategy, causing over supply and price gouging. What we are seeing now is the correction. Most so-called ‘Western brands’ bikes are made in Eastern countries anyway - who have long been the leading manufacturers of carbon bikes. Now these makers are becoming brands / sellers too and Western brands have been put on notice. Inflation is driven by greed, not need.
@Benthic A125 motorbike can be ridden by a 17 year old can do about 75MPH; a legal e-bike that a 17-year-old cannot use can do about 15MPH.
The latest moral panic. "From August, the legal age to ride an e-scooter in Ireland will rise from 16 to 18" But, in Ireland you can still drive a: - moped from the age of 16 - 125 cc motorbike from the age of 17 - 3.5 tonne car from the age of 17 So that makes complete sense.
@mitsky I am seeing those Amazon ones in Manchester pretty much every day.
Quite. There's also a demand side story to accompany your eloquently written post, in that domestic demand has dampened from the captive COVID market of a few years back, and less international demand due to tariff-led policies and anti-dumping laws. On Chinese competition, I don't think it's necessarily Western profit-seeking behaviour which has caused increased Chinese supply and competitiveness as much as higher Chinese investment leading to higher quality output, innovation, and economies of scale. I don't know about Chinese frames as I haven't bought one and haven't seen one, but for wheels I don't see any inherent quality advantage for Western brands. Indeed, innovation seems to be coming from Chinese brands along with lower prices, just like we're seeing with electric cars. So higher quality and lower prices.
They should concentrate on the road users who do most of the killing and injuring: car drivers.
I've used the "why aren't you on the motorway?" one before, except here it would be "highway" or "Interstate." The other one I like is: "Get on the sidewalk!" (pavement) "On the side what?" "On the sidewalk!" "So it's not called a side-bicycle then?" Also one I've used a couple of times: "You're not a car!" "Neither are you!"
I've used Challenge, Vittoria, Veloflex and Continental tyres. What stands out for me regarding Challenge is how robust their supple tyres are. Usually there is a tradeoff there, but Challenge somehow manages to keep both.
25 thoughts on ““Supporting LTNs is not controversial”: Criticism for BBC over Jeremy Vine impartiality ruling; “You can’t just paint lines and think you have bike lanes”; CyclingMikey helps stop suspected drug dealer; Why is my bike creaking? + more on the live blog”
I recently reinstalled my
I recently reinstalled my threaded BB on my titanium frame, and as I was in a hurry, I forgot to tighten it up properly. Next day I go out for a ride, and after some 30 km, it starts creaking like crazy as it came slightly undone on the NDS.
I only had to ride with that horrendous creaking sound for maybe another hour before getting home and fixing the issue, but it was enough to give me a glimpse of what the average ride on a Press-Fit BB bike feels like. Have I had one, I would honestly end up throwing it in a ravine or give it away to the person I hate the most.
The external BB on my BMX
The external BB on my BMX cruiser has been creaking for a while. It’s annoying me now. As the race season is nearly over, I’ll change it out shortly. There’s no play in it and it isn’t stiff, so I’ll do one more race with it before it’s changed. Irritating it is.
Drawing a parallel between
Drawing a parallel between your incorrectly installed screw fit BB, and “the average press fit BB” is absolute nonsense.
To be fair the average
To be fair the average pressfit installed by someone who can’t tighten a BSA probably would creak like a bastard.
The average pressfit installed properly is fine.
I used to think my bottom
I used to think my bottom bracket creaked, now I realise it is my knees
On the BB thing, you missed
On the BB thing, you missed the most obvious – it is your top end Japanese chainset that is soon going to fall apart.
I have one bike with BB30
I have one bike with BB30 that has been silent for years. I have a very smart one year old bile with BB86.5 and Campag that has just had a new BB to try and cure the creak. It stopped briefly, but now it’s back again. Anyone know of a manufacturer of a BB86.5 Campag BB in which in two halves screw together? That would fix it, but I can’t find anyone who makes one…
UT and PT are catered for by
UT and PT are catered for by Wishbone:
https://wishbonetw.com/product/view?product_category_id=1_5&product_id=7
https://wishbonetw.com/product/view?product_category_id=1_5&product_id=6
I’ve used their products with UT cranks on Cervelo and Bianchi frames with BBRight and PF30 bottom brackets. I bought the bare shells and used the standard Campag bearings.
I couldn’t find a UK distributor and sourced them from https://www.fuerza.be
Thanks for that – I now have
Thanks for that – I now have a new Plan B. C-Bear in there at the moment – lovely bearings, shame about the creak….
I had a horrible creak on my
I had a horrible creak on my titanium framed bike recently. BB was my first thought, but I wasn’t certain. Took it to my LBS and he checked the BB and tightened everything else we could think of – and still couldn’t find the cause.
In the end, it turned out to be that I hadn’t sufficiently tightened the bolts securing the pannier rack and they were creaking at the frame flexed under load.
That’s good investigating.
That’s good investigating.
And what a relief.
My current creak is the seat.
My current creak is the saddle. Seat rail creaks where they join into the main saddle are a frequent source of creaks. I solved mine by tugging on the nose of the saddle. I don’t recommend tugging while riding in company, it’s not a good look.
Interesting read in the
Interesting read in the Grauniad:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2022/aug/31/how-car-culture-colonised-our-thinking-and-our-language
I try to do similar –
I try to do similar – motorists are guests on a highway cyclists peds and horse riders have the right to use, and so should have the mindset of a guest.
I like to think we can start working out what is best for people and not best for cars…
brooksby wrote:
I hope you don’t mind Brooksby, I have quoted the above on the story as it appears on FB. Non cyclists don’t even know they think like this
The quote is from the article
The quote is from the article in the gRaundia, davey, so quote away!
I am a train cyclist.
I am a train cyclist.
Though I am very lucky in that the line I use means I can cycle-train-cycle.
I rode my hybrid in on my
I rode my hybrid in on my commute for the first time in 5 days yesterday. Loud Creak when pedalling normally no matter what the gear, but not if I pedalled softly or stood out the saddle to pedal. Creak mostly occurred on drive side down stroke. So either BB, Seat or Pedals at the moment looking at the suggestions. As the last time I rode it had rained, I have just sprayed MO400 around the BB and pedals to see if it frees up the noise making and used the road bike to commute. Will investigate further tonight when I get home.
I’ve had a saddle rail create
I’ve had a saddle rail create this sort of issue before. A squirt of GT85 where the rail joins the saddle base fixed it.
But once it was down to a crack in the frame just below the seat post clamp. Hopefully not in your case, but it could perhaps be the seat post that could do with taking out and re-greasing.
Turned out to be the same
Turned out to be the same issue as Steve K. One of the pannier bolts on the non drive side was loose where it connected to the seat stays. Riding whilst seated must have flexed the stay slightly, when standing it wasn’t.
Cycling levels fall to pre
Cycling levels fall to pre pandemic levels…cant think why
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/department-for-transport-government-cycling-uk-dft-people-b1022129.html
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/walking-and-cycling-statistics-england-2021/walking-and-cycling-statistics-england-2021
The train was busy this
The train was busy this morning, busier than it had been in ages. The roads too.
Nothing compared to what it will be next week.
That twitter reply is absurd:
That twitter reply is absurd:
“Supporting LTNs is not controversial, no matter what the review says. If you ever wonder what a car dominated society looks like, this is it.”
Car dominated society or not, LTNs are absolutely controversial. Anyone who knows what the word means would know it was controversial. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong to push for them, but that is a really stupid response to even deny that they’re controversial at all.
outside of London, and maybe
outside of London, and maybe Oxford, theyve not proved controversial at all, infact out of most of the pandemic infra that was put in, of that which is left youll generally find is the LTNs.
why the wheels squeak demanding more oil in London or Oxford about them Im not sure, but they arent as remotely controversial as the MSM claims them to be nationally, and frankly the BBC compliance unit ought to be reflecting the national mood on them, and not as some heated uber local spat.
LTN’s have been happening for
LTN’s have been happening for years. Some of the biggest moaners on the radio live in LTN’s that were created in the 80’s. The only reason they are controversial now is because certain news outlets decided they were and pushed they were until other news outlets had to “report on the national controversy”.
I wish my rat race road, where certain drivers decide the blind hill summit with cars parked either side can be approached at 40mph was an LTN. It was for two weeks when the end of the road was closed for road works, and it was bliss. And as it was road works, and I don’t ride on the pavement, I also cycled around to the only entrances open.