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In the spirit of good will, I
In the spirit of good will, I’ve answered the questionnaire but I suspect that the answers won’t be a whole lot of help.
Page 1:01 of this sort of stuff says don’t design a product in search of a problem. Find a problem, then design a solution. I put it to you that the average tin locker that passes as a ‘cycling facility’ is utterly shite and in need of a decent answer, although heated lockers do go a long way towards it.
Just so – actually trying to
Just so – actually trying to be helpful. ‘Kit’ reasonably includes, for example, shoes and jerseys. Shoes live in the boiler cupboard on top of the boiler, where they dry and do not stink. Jerseys live in an open box in a wardrobe (once they have been washed). The only time the two will be found in the same container is when they get bunged into a bike box to go off on their travels. I have no idea what a ‘desirable’ strorage solution (or whatever the wording was) might be.
If I might make a suggestion – how about a storage thingy for offices for cycle commuters – that would include heating/drying, rails, hooks, shelves for things and hooks for others – I could make sense out of that because it bounds the amount of ‘kit’ that is likely to be involved and the time for which it needs to be stored. Equally, drying could be a key element (wet clothing and towels), as would a change from non-creasing stuff (cycling clothing) in the day to creasing stuff needing hangers at night (suits). Add in a humidity sensor to determine when the heating needs to be on or off and you might have a product.
Not wishing to rain on your
Not wishing to rain on your parade, but could you be a little clearer about what you means by kit, equipment etc.
For example, in my household, tools etc live in one place next to the bikes as do lights; spare bits in another place, shoes in another, helmets, gloves, overshoes, waterproofs and windproofs in another, winter clothing in another and summer in another, – you get the idea. The principle (if there is one) is to get dressed in one place and head towards the bike, gathering the necessary as you go.
Bottles and food bits live somewhere else again.
Not quite sure what problem you are trying to solve.
Either of the above, or GT85
Either of the above, or GT85/WD40/Bike spray on a cloth for the bike, a shower and patience for your legs
The mind is an interesting
The mind is an interesting one. My old commute used to have really nice bits – riding through Richmond Park at night when it’s closed to traffic and there’s a full moon to see by is rather special. The new one is just wretched by comparison. If CS7 has any redeeming features I’ve yet to find them.
To add insult to injury, I live on the far side of Epsom Downs from London, so most of the ride home is uphill and that does get wearing. Plan B is therefore to drive some of the way which takes the sting out of the final long grind (invariably into the wind) and cuts the distance down from 20 to 13 miles each way. Drive/ride takes the same amount of time in the morning and it’s 10 minutes faster on the way home – but it feels like a huge cheat in the evening and makes a colossal difference if the weather is crap or it’s been a long week.
If I can, I’ll try and do a luggage free day and ride a proper road bike in for a change. I’ll also go the scenic route via Richmond Park and the other London Parks for a change (24 or so miles) which is even better if it’s a luggage free day. If there’s a grim head wind I’ll also try and go as light and aero as possible, but I’ll enjoy the tail wind-asssisted blast in the morning first.
Chasing Strava segments is entertaining for a while, but you’ll eventually get to a point where every PB was wind assisted and you’re buggered. Then just chase the fastest of the day, which is actually quite fun because you know people have had much the same conditions as you (bar the bloke who managed to draft a fire engine with its blue lights on and got all the lights on green).
Revel in your entitlement to hoover up all office cakes, and to consume lots of forbidden fruit during the course of the day – Waitrose 2 for £1 Belgian buns are my fuel of choice mid-afternoon :o)
Remember Velominati Rules 5 and 9 – essentially harden the f up and bad weather does not matter; lift your chin, step out into the dark and get stuck in.
Get a rack and a pannier.
Get a rack and a pannier. Rucksacks are sweaty things.
Neoprene overshoes for the winter, with HotHands handwarmers inside on top of your shoes/toes if it’s really baltic.
Decent waterproof jacket, plus a cheap spare in the office for when the weather forecast lies.
Leave shoes and suits in the office. Rotate suits etc through the dry cleaner. You need 4 items a day (shirt, tie, underwear, socks). If you don’t have 4 items, something’s missing: far easier than thinking if you’ve got everything. Pack everything into a rubble sack – it keeps it all in a neat block and they are waterproof, unlike rucksacks.
Good lights, two of each front and back in case the battery goes flat. If you don’t look like a Christmas tree, you’re doing it wrong – day or night.
Decathlon wotsit 900 gloves – really warm. Decathlon microfibre towel – dries quickly.
Ultra-light gilet – best bit of clothing ever for commuting. Warm, and easy to remove at the lights (if you’re not wearing a rucksack).
Come to terms with getting wet from time to time – wet mornings are worse.
Persuade your employer to get heated lockers to dry stuff.
Find some reflective wrist bands – some have flashing LEDS – good for peripheral vision for those who half pass and then forget that you are there, and for turn signals.
Runners reflective tabard
Chap stick
I also carry a Petzl e-lite micro headtorch, for fixing punctures in the dark.
It’s not a crack, but I think
It’s not a crack, but I think you know that already – if it were, there would be sharp edges and the like. As for “you can never be too sure” – dangerous things, cliches; you could put your eye out with one of those things.
Try some car polish on it – it’s good for getting rid of blemishes.
If, as you expect, Specialized’s agent says it’s fine, then you could send it to Surrey Carbon Bike Repair, but if it’s fine, I’m not sure why you would bother.
To put your mind at rest, watch this and then consider what sort of crack would manifest in the same way as that mark on your frame – and what would have had to happen to it to make it crack
Some bikes do have known failure points, but they don’t look like that. They look like ugly cracks.
In my experience, cramp on
In my experience, cramp on the upper, outer calf is linked to a saddle that is too high. If the saddle is too high, there is also scope for messing around with the nerves that run down to your leg.
As a starter for ten, I’d lower your saddle. One simple test that I use is whether or not you can ‘get on the rivet’ effectively – ie if you really want to put some power down can you get down on the drops and move forward on the saddle and pedal in a circular motion (pedal circles not pistons). If you can’t drive your pedal powerfully down and back, in a motion reminiscent of a bull pawing the ground, then your saddle is too high. Conversely, if that motion feels cramped, your saddle is too low.
Are the carnsk the same length as they were for your bike fit? Finally, just because someone has measured you up, it doesn’t guarantee a spot-on, niggle-free position, especially if the soggy carbon-based thing sitting on the saddle is changing shape
You might also benefit from some stiffer soled shoes
When you’ve got a quite, send
When you’ve got a quite, send it to them with a time for them to respond on whether or not they want to go through their insurnace company – if you’ve got a phone number, call them and let them know what the bill is going to be. If they are tardy in responding, go to their insurance company yourself directly. If you don’t know who their insurer is, go to the MIB (Motor Insurers Bureau) on the internet, pay about £5 and they will tell you.
Love this weather, for longish rides I find it a good idea to freeze half a bidon of water and top up with just before going out. Proper long rides will see a full frozen bidon. Warm water is disgusting.Still riding with 3/4 bibs and Gabba over jersey.
Might get the shorts out for the weekend.Sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum is me – Shorts when it’s 8 degrees or warmer. 3/4 bibs when it’s 6-8. Gabba only when it’s 4 degrees or colder. I’ve been wearing my thinnest, meshiest clothing for months! For those who really boil, I can highly recommend the Stolen Goat Bodyline bib shorts which are the least sweaty of the many, many pairs I have tried
Same here temperature – looking for another pair of shorts at the moment as well, what do you think of the pad on the SGs ?
The pad’s OK – I’ve got a pair of Castelli shorts with that Progetto wotsit pad in it and there’s not a whole lot of difference. To be fair, I’ve yet to sit on a pad in a pair of shorts that cost more than £150, but so far they’ve all been much the same bar the real cheapies. However, when it’s stinking hot I’ll take the Stolen Goat ones every time.
Love this weather, for longish rides I find it a good idea to freeze half a bidon of water and top up with just before going out. Proper long rides will see a full frozen bidon. Warm water is disgusting.Still riding with 3/4 bibs and Gabba over jersey.
Might get the shorts out for the weekend.Sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum is me – Shorts when it’s 8 degrees or warmer. 3/4 bibs when it’s 6-8. Gabba only when it’s 4 degrees or colder. I’ve been wearing my thinnest, meshiest clothing for months! For those who really boil, I can highly recommend the Stolen Goat Bodyline bib shorts which are the least sweaty of the many, many pairs I have tried
Personally, for a cafe stop I
Personally, for a cafe stop I just use one of these. Fits easily in a jersey pocket and weighs nothing
https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/hiplok-z-lok-armoured-reuseable-tie-P5234044.html?colour=122
I know it’s a Garmin, but a
I know it’s a Garmin, but a Garmin Edge Touring or Touring plus doesn’t need a phone. All depends if you want loads of data or a record of where you’ve been, route guidnace, maps and basic data, or the full monty of power and all that. Mine’s done me well for years, but has the occasional melt down, which it gets over in due course
What characteristics of a
What characteristics of a motorcycle chain wax are you seeking to carry over that you don’t get with bike lube? The main characteristics of motorbike wax are to operate at pressures and speeds of rotation that are off the bicycle scale completely, with no real issue about power to drive the chain around, but a key requirement to keep an enduring layer of lubricant between gear and chain. Bicycles have a different set of problems, including (speaking personally of course) a marked lack of power to squander.
My name’s nniff and I’m a
My name’s nniff and I’m a glove addict.
That’s got that out of the way, but it is a serious problem – I have far too many pairs of gloves.
The problem is compounded by my other sport, which is ice climbing, which is generally a harsh environment in which to test gloves – cold, possibly wet, possibly absurdly cold and also wet, hands above your head, holding onto to something quite tight, and still needing dexterity.
So, for ice climbing, my general rule is an inner and an outer, largely because you need to be able from time to time to take a glove off, and then put it back on – damp skin is a nightmare for this, and so an inner helps greatly for this. Not so much of an issue for cycling, but an inner is useful for filling a void if the fingers are too large. Too tight is bad, and too loose isn’t brilliant.
When cycling, cold and wet & cold are different problems. A membrane can make your hands damp if you’re working hard and so if it’s dry you’re better off with an insulated softshell glove.
For dry cold I wear Castelli Estremo about £60-£80 /pair, or Decathlon 900 winter gloves, which are £20 and really good.
If it’s wet, then a pair of Black Diamond Punishers with a liner. About £80/pair plus the liner (a simple knitted polypropylene or merino thin glove). Your waterproof sleeve must go over the cuff, else your glove will just fill up with water. These are ice climbing gloves, and highly rated. No gel pads or the like, but they’re thick enough anyway, and tough as old boots, with a really good nose wipe (nice).
If it’s not so cold, a pair of Marmot XT – more climbing gloves and not waterproof, but the dog’s doo-dahs, with a gel pad to boot (they come in handy for other sports too).
I think I have seven pairs of the above in total, and then we get on to fingerless mitts :o(
Never fancied neoprene gloves much – they were touted as a good thing for ice climbing and a mate tried a pair. He was a picture of abject misery. There’s a condition called the ‘hot aches’, or the ‘screaming barfies’ if you’re American or Canadian, which is madly painful and occurs when blood comes back into chilled fingers. It’s accompanied by nausea and immense pain – I’ve been an amused bystander on numerous occasions, and the chap with the neporene gloves had it 7 times in one day. Enough to put me off.
Might get the shorts out for the weekend.