Forum Replies Created
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Most of the time; tends to be
Most of the time; tends to be done between ‘roadies’ though. Was on my MTB once and I got nothing (from the ‘roadies’)!
Cameras. I’d rather not be
Cameras. I’d rather not be sitting at home with a busted bike and body (not injured badly enough that I’m considered a priority case by the NHS) with the police telling me they can’t find who it was and there’s nothing they can do, as opposed to them telling me they’d analysed the video and arrested the driver. The cost of a front and back camera will pale into insignificance when you start replacing bikes and fixing yourself (my Chiropractor charges £50 a session). Sort of insurance, or spend money to save money. I don’t download bad passes, but anything deliberate and aggressive and the video would be straight to the police.
Stop for a good feed at a pub
Stop for a good feed at a pub or cafe half way round
Over the years I’ve gone
Over the years I’ve gone through the full spectrum of bike navigation from the map bag on the bars to the various smartphone apps. Decided to get a GPS computer a few years back (Wahoo Bolt); complete revelation! For places your not familiar with, just plan the route, load it up, ride and enjoy yourself. No time-wasting stops to check where you are. The purists might say that seeing where you are on a paper map is part of the fun, but it does make a ride way more efficient.
Average 15%, max 25% just
Average 15%, max 25% just sounds purgatorial to me; I’d either re-gear a road bike or grab my MTB or hybrid that have v low gearing. We don’t have climbs in the UK that match the continental ones so perhaps we see beasting ourselves on 15-25% as compensation. It’s pretty hilly around me and the 2 climbs that feature in books are absolute ‘munters’; far more satisfying climbs around in my opinion. Rides with killer climbs in them just wipes you out. Even Mt Ventoux only nudges 10% at most, but you’re at it for 2 hrs or so which is why it’s hard work. People I know who are good climbers are v light with great power to weight ratio.
My view is, whilst they’re
My view is, whilst they’re good, don’t shell out on top quality lights and then just wear black clothing; all the driver sees is a super-bright light and nothing behind. Hence anywhere you can add reflectives draws attention to you (eg clothes, reflective tyre wall, things on the spokes, tape, stickers etc). Halfords have cheap reflective stuff. Proviz stuff looks great at night but they’re a bit ‘dull’ for day riding and are loose fit. Combo of a solid light and a flashing one (or main light with a steady beam + pulse) works well in busy traffic where you need to draw attention to yourself.
Decathlon or Madison (both
Decathlon or Madison (both with 3 different lenses) work well; much as I’d like a pair of expensive cycling sunnies, I know I’d break them and have a serious ‘sense of humour failure”.
Agree; unless you’re going to
Agree; unless you’re going to get obsessed by ‘looking Pro’, power transfer, serious club riding, carbon obsessed, ‘aggressively roadie’ etc, then SPDs are far more practical. With gravel and bike packing being the latest ‘in vogue cycle thing’ there are plenty of decent shoe options and the double sided Shimano M520 pedals look perfectly OK on a road bike; the speedplay road pedals are similar dimensions but wouldn’t make a ‘hardcore roadie’ come over all feint (if he had to ride a bike with SPDs).
Apart from the usual,
Apart from the usual, relatively easy and cheap(ish) upgrades like saddle, tyres, decent bar tape etc, I was always told it was wheels. A lot of people go for factory built wheels, but if you’re prepared to invest in some hand-built wheels (components can be serviced and replaced in the future) you’ll end up with wheels that you could move onto a new frame if you were into building up a new bike in the future. Off the shelf bikes often have a lot of cheap components that may well need replacing relatively soon after purchase so investing in decent components means a ‘new’ bike is more a case of upgrading the frame and shifting the components over. More complicated, and potentially more expensive up front, but balance that against an off the shelf bike that you know comes with some cheap components fitted. A bike mechanic said to me once that ‘when you buy a bike you get a frame and a fit’. If you’ve got an unlimited budget then, yes, an off the shelf bike will come with top-end components; at that level you may well be buying the frame and picking the components you want.
I’ve got a GoPro Hero 3
I’ve got a GoPro Hero 3 mounted the same way as the Fly12 (in the photo; under the Wahoo computer). Has given me great service for many years (bought 2015-good investment) primarily to record memorable rides (normally classic alpine climbs); I turn it off/on to preserve battery life and reduce the amount of editing needed to create a short movie. As a front security camera it isn’t great as it doesn’t record over footage (loop) and the battery life is limited if you run it continually; new GoPros could be better and spare batteries are easy to carry. GoPro picture quality is excellent; mine hates the cold which reduces the battery life. Also good for recording other crazy activities.
For commuting security I’ve used a Fly6 on the rear which has been excellent, although my original packed up after 2-3 years so needed replacing (reliability is important as these things aren’t cheap). New Fly6 reliability good so far. I had a Drift Stealth 2 (helmet mounted-discontinued as far as I can tell (reliability poor)) for 2 years but the battery has died (internal; no recognised replacement, although some on-line replacement ‘hacks’ – safe?…don’t know). Helmet mounted was good as it recorded where you are looking (potentially straight at the a##hole motorist threatening you). I’m inclined to get a Fly12, based on the strength of the Fly6, and mount it under the computer as there aren’t many decent low profile (reliable?) helmet cameras out there as far as I can tell.
Got a ‘punishment pass’
Got a ‘punishment pass’ riding through a deserted Corsham, Wiltshire yesterday (Black VW Golf). Expressed myself with a customary hand signal, driver stopped 50yds further down (must have known what he was doing if he was looking in his mirror) to tell me that “the last c#nt that did that to me; I knocked him off his bike”, and off he went. Just laughed at him but wish I’d had cameras fitted; wouldn’t have bothered with them but now thinking twice as the speeding motorists are horrendous at the moment.
I used to be a big fan of
I used to be a big fan of Marathon Plus but went off them as they weigh a ton, are an absolute pig to take on/off and, more importantly, I found them a bit ‘slippy’ in the wet (even lower presssures). The rubber on the tread is really ‘hard’ (puncture resistant characteristics?) and I think that contributes to the problem. I’ve shifted to Marathon Supremes; folding, lighter and (supposedly) good puncture protection. Haven’t used them enough to get an opinion and 32mm could be the smallest size.
Never done it but was
Never done it but was speaking to someone who has and asked them whether they were doing it again. Interestingly they’d ‘had enough’ of these sort of events; logistics hassle (different start/finish locations), night (before) in a hotel and a mega-early start, coupled with it being like a ‘wacky races’ ‘smashfest’ where you’re just making sure you stay upright.
My GoPro is pretty old (5 yrs
My GoPro is pretty old (5 yrs) but still going strong; great footage. I use a K-Edge mount and it sits upside down in front of the bars. Battery life isn’t great (2 hrs max) so I’m used to reaching down and turning it on/off for interesting bits of the ride; masses of editing still needed though. The mounting options for GoPros are endless; had a rucksack strap clip for a ride through India and got excellent footage to make a short film. Early on I did mount it upright on my bars and (assume it was from ‘flexing’ as the bike went over bumps) part of the plastic mount snapped; camera and case took a ride across the tarmac with no damage.
Cyclestreets and Komoot are
Cyclestreets and Komoot are good route planner websites; I generally steer well clear of A roads (sadly for the usual reasons) unless its a stretch I’m used to and happy with. I’m content to take the longer route if it means my ride/commute is more enjoyable.
