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I love a paper map, for the
I love a paper map, for the mostly off road me the OS Explorer is great, 1:25,000, but you might need a couple for a long road ride. I think the pink 1:50,000 might be more appropriate. I tend to think about navigation in OS.
I did get the Sustrans map for my local area, very useful and the tape that I used to repair it is now falling apart, just not a great map and they miss a lot of stuff out, but almost essential for the NCN.
Getting a bit lost is rarely a bad thing, if you don’t NEED to be anywhere quick. Some of my most remembered rides were ones where I got a bit lost.
A fine find as it is such a
A fine find as it is such a rare thing.
And not a mention of the “H” word…
I used the ones Waitrose
I used the ones Waitrose would lend you a while back, made by BikeHod, but a quick look seems they don’t make them anymore. More like a “grannies” shopping trolley (though I do have a very good Rosler).
Strangely, from the side bar on here, ManoMano showed me some very cheap cycle trailers, shockingly so, don’t know if they would last long.
I do enjoy their hole making machine advery.
At some point I will be investing in a Surly Ted with hitch, which seems so well built I will be able to make it a family heirloom. Enjoy grand-nephews and neices.
Is it a band type? Making
Is it a band type? Making sure you have the correct height and that it is parrallel to the big ring are important.
When new a front deralier should have a little bit of plastic to expand the parallelogram, an hex key will suffice, and the sticker on a shimano lets you line up the height witht the big ring.
Please ignore if it is attached to a braze on.
And the pointless, aggressive
And the pointless, aggressive and unlawful use of the horn.
The bus company will (or should) know who was driving at all times.
You will get third party
You will get third party cover with membership of CyclingUK or BritishCycling, it’s sort of a tiny part of the subs. Kind of good to have sometimes.
Also quite good legal cover included with soliciters that know bicycle vs motor vehicle collisions.
Insuring the bicycle against loss through theft, vandalism or crash is unfortunately shockingly expensive. I reckon about 10% of your most expensive bike. If you can predict the future and know that your bicycle is always safe and you are not going to crash all by yourself then putting money away each month would be an excellent option, I would have saved huge amounts/had large amount in the bank, but, the loss of any of my bicycles would be crippling in the past, and horrible now. Peace of mind costs.
And I spend large quantities on locks and stuff.
Robbery can also occur too, which perhaps is not always good to think about.
I use CycleSure, used to be Butterworths, have for over 20 years, when they changed to CycleSure I had to do the online thing, but you can still phone up and converse with people who know stuff, and in a wonderful liverpudlian accent. I went with them when I went I moved to Birmingham, bicycle insurance was not easy to get back then and I had to join the then CTC to obtain it.
Now is a good time to start,
Now is a good time to start, the weather is mostly nice and the days are long.
As the year continues, start accumulating stuff. Unfortunately there will be occaional days when the weather and conditions will get you, and you will wonder why you put yourself through it, but if you just think of it as experiencing the world, being part of it and the environment rather than being sealed off from it, it might make it more palateable. Then maybe not.
As your experience and quantities of clothing and equipment increase it will become easier.
I shower first thing when I get up, part of my essential wake up, use a clean cycling top/baselayer and then put on a fresh T shirt when I get to work. I hope it’s enough for my fellow workers. I also like the huge courier bag method for carrying huge amounts of stuff. Each to their own. Find out what works for you.
Though i would reccomned leaving shoes and (for me) jeans at work, less to carry, and a pair of socks and pants for the rare occasion when the weather is too much. And a spare T shirt for when you forget the one for the bag too.
You may make a few missteps, we are all different and NO ONE gets everything right all of the time.
I love it, I have never driven and have cycle commuted for almost 35 years, my ride commute is mostly off road currently and comprises the majority of my riding, and obsession. Enjoy.
I think you can, the same as
I think you can, the same as wheel reflectors.
I think my spoke “straws” are really quite good. I have had reflective sidewalls on my getting to work bike, but rim braked so was coverered in dissolved rim whenever the going got damp.
I like the little round cateye reflectors, and I don’t think they look too bad, so both front and rear are fitted and replaced when they get damaged. Quite happy to pay for them too. On my Getting to Work bike (retired) and Ultimate Commuter. Both have bolt type pedal reflectors too, easy to get since the internet shopping came a thing. The pop in plastic attachment ones rattle and fall out too easily, the metal bolt ones need to get very messed up before the reflector actually falls out.
On my good XC bike, just the spoke straws, no room on the seatpost for a reflector there and no holes in the newer DMR V12 for pedal reflectors. But she is not really meant for getting to work, when I do most of my in traffic riding.
Each to their own.
I don’t quite think we are
I don’t quite think we are truely back to before times levels of congestion yet, I don’t think we’ve even hit school summer holiday levels yet. Not round my neck of the woods anyhow.
I’d be tempted to plug, just
I’d be tempted to plug, just in case.
I looked forward to fitting my first anchovie. It was wet and dark, lots of puddles, mud and drizzle. Chilly too. Odd noise from the front, changing as it rotated, stopped, losing air and sealent, sharkstooth shaped flint was stuck in there. Got out the cheap noodle kit I had with me, inserted anchvie in the prongs. Removed the stone and had a couple of goes stabbing it in there, eventually stabbed it in, rotated the tyre to distribute the sealent and it had sealed, trimmed a little bit off, and then rode home slightly gingerly.
It was a step up from pulling out the big thorns and watching it seal. The fun of tubeless.
I will get the Muc Off kit, 2 sizes of noodles, a nice pouch and what looks like a better stabbing handle on the tool. And eventually when I am feeling especially flush a lovely looking Dynaplug thingy.
The anchovie (now trimmed in and out) is still in the tyre, removed cleaned and refitted. To me it seems as permanent as patching my latex tubes. Though we are talking knobby tyre so no issues with anything potruding on a slick.
I don’t know if this might
I don’t know if this might help.
https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/spd-pedal-overhaul
I had problems getting enough torque on the locknut on one of my shimano cage pedals many years ago (DX I believe) and I had to buy the odd little tool.
I got some XT cage pedals for the good bike, and they had the removable axle/spindle and that made things much easier.
Whenever my cup and cones have tightened themselves it’s generally because I have not managed to put enough ooompf into tightening the cone and locknut against each other. Good Luck.
Of course I have stripped threads on wheel spindles giving it too much. Grrr.
Boatsie! It’s been a while.
Boatsie! It’s been a while.
It came with my new work
It came with my new work laptop, I am forced to use it for some things, PDFs seem to open up in it.
Poor blokes. I cannot
Poor blokes. I cannot imagine how their families must be feeling right now.
If I can actually post this..
If I can actually post this…
Remember,
Time to lean, time to clean,
Time to relax, time to Ajax…