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Good luck and you have my sympathies, not that that is worth anything. I had forgotten about the way PlanetX had decided to treat it’s workers. Customer service was always going to suffer. This is the run up to Crimbo with the now privatised Royal Mail getting hit by strikes next week. Internet commerce is over. Long live the non virtual shop.
DPD take a photo of your front door if you are out when they call. You get an email. There was one instance when the bloke just took the picture of the flat from where he had stopped the van. I could predict the spot where he had must of leant out of the window. The other half was in all day. I did get to ride to the weird industrial estates in the odder parts of Reading thet I would never have gone to otherwise. I’m glad I didn’t complain, those blokes are treated something terrible. Those classic white van men do often drive in their sterotypical manner, but their shifts are too long and they are never given enough time to complete their routes at a sensible speed if they want to have a job tomorrow.
There is something wrong with this business model. Cut throat competition has only lead to a race to the bottom. I know that posties on bikes might not be able to handle the volume of parcels these days, but instead of a couple of small Royal Mail vans, we get a plethora of large white vans clogging up our streets, with less local knowledge leading to the concomitant decline in driving standards. Not that I have never had run ins with postie drivers, familiarity breeding and all that.
Agreed – DPD are among the better providers, to the point that I’m quite willing to pay extra for their service or choose a retailer based on who they use. Unfortunately so many retailers use different providers for different delivery types so its not easy to do that. Unless we as consumers become more willing to pay for delivery the delivery guys are always going to get shafted. Same applies to Uber, Deliveroo, etc.
All sensible stuff gents. I have ordered plenty of stuff from them before and always had really good delivery service. The wheels I ordered had 50% off so I know I’m getting a bargain and I’m trying to be patient. I don’t need them immediately.But I asked for delivery to work (working out that there wouldn’t be anyone at home on the expected delivery date) and now I don’t know when they will be delivered. I finish for Christmas on 22nd and the office is completely closed over Christmas week. So what will happen if they try to deliver then!
What’s riled me is that there was no attempt to offer me any help with this problem whatsoever. They’re clearly in a complete mess in the customer service [sic] and dispatch areas at PX.
They announced lots of staff changes and a reorg a couple of months back, probably reaping the whirlwind of zero hour contracts, agency staff, and all that jazz. Not bought anything from them for a while but certainly last year their CS was good enough to reply to emails within a couple of hours (and that was in a mega sale period)
If you’re getting into
If you’re getting into swapping wheels regularly you’ll have a lot less hassle if you use the same spec cassette on both. Are you running Tiagra or 105? Given the miles you’ve done consider replacing your chain and cassette before running the new cassette, its a good idea to keep drivetrain wear levels similar – reduces shifting problems and general wear and tear on the drivetrain.
UK Cycling Events New Forest
UK Cycling Events New Forest Spring is the next one. 8th or 9th of April and either 50 or 80 mile routes. Actual route hasn’t been defined yet but based on the start location expect it to head south of Ringwood, across to Burley and then via Fordingbridge back to the start. Good riding on relatively quiet roads and won’t be too challenging. 80-mile version will either head along the coast to Lepe or possibly further north around Downton.
For a bigger challenge I’d recommend riding out to the west of Fordingbridge in the Cranborne Chase area – the early season Wiltshire Wildcat is a good event with a lot more climbing than the relatively flat New Forest routes.
https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/cycling-weekly-wiltshire-wildcat-sportive/
The B’Twin stuff is excellent
The B’Twin stuff is excellent – plenty of 4 star reviews here.
Also consider non-cycling specific gear as it is often cheaper. For example ride with your summer gear layered up with long-johns and thermals (M&S sell merino-rich thermal underwear that’s cheaper than cycling-specific base layers).
Last week I rode in -4 in the following:
B’Twin 500 cycling shorts (not bibs)
Falke ski tights (admittedly expensive but warmer than a set of Super Roubaix cycling tights)
B’Twin mountain bike baggies
M&S merino thermal long-sleeve vest
Summer short-sleeve cycling jersey
B’Twin reflective jacket (not windproof)
Two layers of silk liner gloves under Gore-tex outers.
Was almost too hot by the end of the ride.
I went from an aluminium
I went from an aluminium Triban 3 rim-brake road bike to a carbon CX bike (about 2kgs lighter) and noticed the same thing. Put it down to geometry/position differences as rubber was more or less the same (28 on the CX, 25 on the Triban). The only place the carbon bike was faster was on climbs – to the point that most of my Strava times for local climbs stand 2 years on from selling the bike.
Now I’m back on an aluminium CX bike and that bike is also slower than the Triban despite being a similar weight. I’m putting that down to much wider tyres – 32mm Gators vs 25mm 4Seasons.
On my relatively flat commute the Triban was around 1mph faster than the two CX bikes. Feel like I’m bedded in on the new bike now as I’ve done over 300 miles and its certainly much more comfortable than the Triban so its not a position/comfort thing.
One further thing – if you’ve
One further thing – if you’ve only got room in your budget/life for one bike then definitely go with a road bike. Same if your commute is over 10 miles one-way as your hands will appreciate the extra positions offered by drop bars. However, for a dedicated commuter a flat-bar road bike will be cheaper and just as fast. You’ll end up with a better spec for the same money as a drop bar bike, primarily because flat-bar shifters are cheaper than drop bar shifters.
Cannondale Synapse Disc – you
Cannondale Synapse Disc – you’ll appreciate the stopping power of the disc brakes the first time someone pops out of a T-junction in front of you #voiceofexperience. Looks like it will also take mudguards.
fenix wrote:
A cx with slick Road tyres is as fast as a road bike. Ditch your cx tyres if you want to and get proper Road tyres. You will be faster again like for like given the same conditions and compared to the mtb.Hasn’t made a huge difference to me going from Maxxis Mud Wrestlers (knobbly 33m stock) to 32mm Gatorskins, maybe 0.5mph off my average on a 5 mile commute. Possibly if I dropped to skinnier slicks it would.
In the past four years I’ve had 3 commuter bikes; a Triban 3 road bike, a carbon crosser (Dirty Disco) and an alu Merida Cyclocross 500. Both crossers had the same gear ratios (46/36 – 11-28) whereas the Triban was 50/34 11-32 and on 25mm Gatorskins. Out of all those bikes the Triban is consistently the fastest on the commute despite being heavier than the Dirty Disco and less forgiving of the rubbish roads I cycle on.
For both crossers I feel that I’m putting more effort in compared to the Triban. The only place the Dirty Disco was quicker was on climbs, I assume due to overall weight being lower.
I think you’ll notice the biggest difference when you’re doing long constant efforts rather than stop/start.
Looks similar to mine
Looks similar to mine
https://goo.gl/photos/wVAECxCjMt6hfCRd7
Purpose of the screw is to fix mudguards and probably little else. Raleigh might have custom guards to fit it – I know Merida did for my bike.
Also thinking of using mine to fit a fork crown bracket so I can mount my dyno light in the correct place.
Much the same as others.
Much the same as others.
First and foremost: secure bike storage (ideally individual and secured with room key). I don’t want to have to strip accessories off the bike so something like a greyhound trap where you can roll the bike in thereby having no external access would be best.
Alternatively, If you’re going to let people store bikes in their rooms then goods/service lift access is easier than using public lifts. Plus you don’t get your public lifts bashed around and soiled by muddy, oily bikes (this is North Wales remember)
On-site (or via concierge service) masseur
Bike service stand in shared area, with accessories/basics available for purchase (chains, tubes, tyres, lights, cleats)
Cycling breakfast with takeaway fruit/snacks
Did this recently whilst
Did this recently whilst waiting for a wheel build. Rear was knobbly, front was slick (Gatorskin). 32mm tyres. Coped OK with gravel tracks but I was cautious about pushing the front. If I was to run it permanently I’d want more grip at the front as its much easier to control the rear stepping out of line than the front tyre washing away (unless you’re Marc Marquez)
Ended up thinking outside the
Ended up thinking outside the box slightly and got some non cycling-specific tights to wear over my summer shorts. I already wear M&S Merino thermals as a top base layer so I’ve now got a full-length pair of their long johns – £25 and very warm but with the usual merino caveat of being a bit baggy and snaggy on hairy legs. I also found these:
German ski leggings – three-quarters – and seriously warm yet completely breathable. Really nice technical fabric – not entirely sure how they make them but the panels are textured with varying thickness. Also provide light compression which helps keep muscles warm. Highly recommended – I wear them over summer shorts and under my baggies. Someone more athletic than me could probably get away with wearing them as an outer layer as the material is thick and so doesn’t go see-thru. Worked perfectly for today’s -2 commute to work. They do a merino version and both versions in three lengths and three weights.
Best option for night riding
Best option for night riding is dynamo lighting. Wheel plus light easily doable for under £100 and you’ll get completely reliable lighting. A big plus is if you go with a German light and mount it at the fork crown you’ll be able to see the road, be seen by other drivers, and not dazzle oncoming traffic. Probably overkill on roads with street lighting but they really come into their own out in the country.
One thing for the rear light – consider mounting it on offside seat stay, or on a bracket that moves it away from the centre-line of the bike. Drivers will assume light is central and give you more space.
Starting off; about 8-9mph.
Starting off; about 8-9mph. On my commute usually around 15mph, depending on how much stop/start there is. In a group fairly comfortable bimbling along at around 16-17mph.
