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I did this for both recent
I did this for both recent bike purchases and it certainly helps, because it should mean you can get to an acceptable range of positions using different stem lengths and possibly seat post laybacks. You need to take a few more measurements though, there are quite a few geo comparison apps available online. For me due to knee issues seat tube angle (and therefore saddle setback) is important.
If you’re super-comfy, measure everything – shifter position, saddle height relative to bars, etc. Whilst positions evolve over time having a set of measurements from a known-comfy bike is a great baseline, you can spend ages chasing the right position on a new bike.I’ve used Gators (folding version) for years as my winter tyre. Hard-wearing, easy to fit, can’t remember the last time the puncture fairy paid a visit (actually I can but that was my fault, not the tyres – snakebites from riding at too low a pressure). And I’m riding on country lanes strewn with hedge debris, flint, and potholes.However, they’re crap compared to many other options. Dull, lethal over wet drain covers and cattle grids, harsh ride. Much preferred the Conti GP4Seasons I had on one of my other bikes and will go back to those once I kill these Gators (which based on current wear will be in about 5 years time!).
If you can stump up the extra tenner or so I’d go for GP4Seasons. Others will rave about various Schwalbes but I’ve not ridden those.
There’s a reason they’re known as Skaterskins. Horrible tyres that can destory anyone’s love of cycling, I’ve personally had a couple of falls when using them due to their lack of grip. Wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole now.
The best winter tyre IMO is the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance and they also aren’t too expensive at Decathlon.
I think getting a set of winter tyres you really like is worth the investment. If you’re commuting you’re going to be spending a lot of time on them and because they’re so durable they’ll last for years. I’m literally heading for every shard of glass and sharp pothole edge I can find trying to kill these Gators but nothing phases them. Might just ask Santa to bring me some tyre vouchers.
I’ve used Gators (folding
I’ve used Gators (folding version) for years as my winter tyre. Hard-wearing, easy to fit, can’t remember the last time the puncture fairy paid a visit (actually I can but that was my fault, not the tyres – snakebites from riding at too low a pressure). And I’m riding on country lanes strewn with hedge debris, flint, and potholes.
However, they’re crap compared to many other options. Dull, lethal over wet drain covers and cattle grids, harsh ride. Much preferred the Conti GP4Seasons I had on one of my other bikes and will go back to those once I kill these Gators (which based on current wear will be in about 5 years time!).
If you can stump up the extra tenner or so I’d go for GP4Seasons. Others will rave about various Schwalbes but I’ve not ridden those.
My recently acquired Veloflex
My recently acquired Veloflex Master 25s (plus wheels) had sealant in them from the previous owner. Took the tyres off to line them up properly with the valve stem (sorry, I know the Rules are there to be broken but it’s like having a wonky picture on the wall, I can’t abide it) and the sealant had worked on three punctures at least. Does mean you end up with the tube stuck to the inside of the tyre but it scrapes off easy enough, even on supple tyres like the Veloflex.
harragan wrote:
Central London and Birmingham look like pretty safe roads. Whoda thought?
Data doesn’t cover large cities.
Pretty damning for the Isle
Pretty damning for the Isle Of Wight but I’m guessing that’s because of limited route availability. The whole of the usual round the island route is red.
Is that chainstay likely to
Is that chainstay likely to be hollow? If so you might be able to reinforce from the inside?
Lightest bike I’ve owned was
Lightest bike I’ve owned was probably 8kg. I reckon my racked-up disc-brake tourer is almost double that. The really light bike (carbon CXer) was no faster and much less comfortable than my very cheap Decathlon commuter bike that was around 10kg. Current “fast” bike is probably around 11kg, I can ride it all day, mega-comfy yet still very stiff. They way I look at it now is two full bidons are getting on for 2kg, and that’s before I factor in that I’m probably 110kgs.
It’s nice to have nice things but I certainly won’t be chasing an ultra-lightweight build. Heavier bikes are often more planted, better handling, and therefore grin-inducing. I remember with my 8kg that it felt like it needed more effort to keep rolling on the flat, I guess momentum is part of that.
BBB wrote:
Crossed or not, many modern bikes suffer from poor shifting with standard ss inners. Even when indexed correctly, they are far from smooth and operate on a tiny margin of error. As it varies from one setup to another, your Tiagra 4700, which BTW comes originally with Optislick inners…, may work better than the OP’s 105 which still doesn’t change the wider picture.
There is a good reason why Shimano started offerring high end inner gear wires;-)
I guess I’ve been lucky – £3 Lifeline specials inners and outers plus three barrel adjusters in the rear run
Under the tape (vanity) routing will always have more friction and many (not all) 10sp+ setups won’t index correctly or will feel “wooly” with standard gear wires, even on new bikes (based on often frustrating workshop experience).You may need Shimano Optislick or even better Polymer coated wires to get it to work smoothly.
I always set my shift cables to cross under the downtube, helps open out the outer radius from shifter to downtube cable stop. No shift issues if well-maintained, even on Tiagra 4700.
OP – good ferrules and barrel adjusters can make a difference, as do well-finished cable ends.
I ride roughly in line with
I ride roughly in line with the offside rear light cluster in these situations.
If you’re obscuring one of the brake lights on the car in front it makes the following driver start paying attention to the nearside light cluster, which stops them from planning an overtake (usually).
Occassionally get abuse for doing this but not often – being a large hairy bloke probably helps.
Being a large hairy bloke I then tend to do my utmost to get back in front at the next inevitable queue of traffic, probably not particularly sensible but it makes a point.
This made me think about my change in behaviour at zebra crossings. For years I used to cross and assume that cars had seen me (when traffic was light). After some ‘close calls’ I’ve started waiting until cars slow, or stop, before I cross. People just don’t pay attention and then look at you accusingly when they’ve had to stop in a hurry.I use the same approach as I do on the bike – make eye contact and maintain it. Positive body language goes a long way. We’ve got two zebra crossings in the town and people run them all the time. Got yelled at by a Porsche 911 driver for making her stop recently, apparantly I should have waited for her to clear the crossing before stepping off the kerb
The problem with Zebra crossings is that there seems to be confusion about the rules.
The Highway Code states:
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing- look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
- you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
- allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
- do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
- be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing.
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see ‘Crossings’).
So, cars only HAVE to stop if you actually step out onto the crossing, otherwise it’s optional. It seems wrong, but as a pedestrian the onus is for you to step out in front of moving vehicles. However, if they hit you, then it would be their mistake.
Poor road design is behind a bunch of conflict in my town – we have a zebra on a bend where the pavement narrows on one side of the road. Parking regs aren’t enforced so invariably there are parked cars (not actually on the zig zag markings) that you need to overtake without knowing what’s coming. So drivers accelerate because they see oncoming vehicles and then fail to process that there’s a zebra coming up which they then have to brake for. One fatality and a couple of serious injuries as a result in the last ten years…
https://goo.gl/maps/E1fVx432sSm
This made me think about my change in behaviour at zebra crossings. For years I used to cross and assume that cars had seen me (when traffic was light). After some ‘close calls’ I’ve started waiting until cars slow, or stop, before I cross. People just don’t pay attention and then look at you accusingly when they’ve had to stop in a hurry.I use the same approach as I do on the bike – make eye contact and maintain it. Positive body language goes a long way. We’ve got two zebra crossings in the town and people run them all the time. Got yelled at by a Porsche 911 driver for making her stop recently, apparantly I should have waited for her to clear the crossing before stepping off the kerb
Fundamentally transport pricing is wrong across the board. Private car should not be the cheapest method for me to get from home to Waterloo at 9am, yet it is for the once or twice a month journeys I have to make. Bonkers.The tipping point will have to be when more of us decide that we don’t need a car. The cost of a car is disproportionally fixed rather than variable. Whether you drive alot or a little there is a fixed element of depreciation, insurance, VED, finance costs, MOT etc. Once you have paid this the economics on a journey to drive become only fuel and the extra depreciation / wear and tear and parking , thus driving is cheap for an individual journey.
We run two cars on the bangernomics principle – bought cheap, don’t maintain them beyond MOT requirements, parked on the drive. Fixed costs (ins/tax/MOT) are £500 each per year. Looked to go down to one car for environmental reasons but we’d easily spend more than £500 a year on public transport. The solution is an eCargo bike but we’ve nowhere secure to park £3ks-worth of bike, and can buy four replacement bangers for that price. Fixed costs need to increase substantially – make VED £1k per year per car and I’d take notice.
Fundamentally transport
Fundamentally transport pricing is wrong across the board. Private car should not be the cheapest method for me to get from home to Waterloo at 9am, yet it is for the once or twice a month journeys I have to make. Bonkers.
