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Sounds as if you have enough
Sounds as if you have enough tips but here’s mine… As long as you go carefully (small adjustments, know what you’ve done, be prepared to undo again), truing on a rim braked bike isn’t very difficult and you won’t do any damage that a shop couldn’t rectify easily.So this might be a good time to learn. For small adjustments you don’t need anything more than a spoke key, and some patience. There will be videos out there – I don’t know them cos I taught myself shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire.
I actually look forward to truing as it’s quite satisfying, like getting a guitar or violin exactly in tune.
I found the roundabout
I found the roundabout discussion troubling. Usually we have found ways to say “the cyclist could have done better” or “actually that wasn’t all that bad” or “I can see that being difficult for all”. Without rehashing the zillions of posts on that topic, I thought all parties were wrong and yet all deserved some sympathy. Those nuances were lost. We have become polarised just like American politics.Why has this happened? I do think it’s recent and it is due to repeated postings with a pro-motorist, right-of-centre slant. That viewpoint has about 90% of the dead tree press and a good proportion of electronic media firmly on its side. This site is pretty much the only voice of the road cyclist and we do need to protect that. I am not in favour of the “safe spaces” idea that has arisen in universities. We should consider and hear the other side of the debate, and not remain in bubbles – despite temptation to use scripts to exclude some contributors, and confirmation from one of those prolific posters that they do the same.
But it is very difficult to stay calm that when some contributors take only one line, repeatedly and stridently. They never seem to comment on kit, or help those with technical questions, or offer encouragement. They just predictably pop up with at best, spin on behalf of the dangerous majority. LTN opposition, compulsory helmets, registration, insurance, all the topics calculated to push a lot of buttons. It is difficult not to see them as interlopers from Planet Car. As hawkinspeter says, there are trigger words. Hard to see a point being made or anyone being persuaded to question their ideas; easy to see a rise being encouraged.
I usually disagree with eburtthebike* on helmets, but eburt has other things to say, which I read and value. I do not see that very much from the two accounts that are causing such angst. I have tried very hard not to rise to the bait of their postings, and often failed. I have agreed with both, very rarely – but I’m always going to comment when I do, because that’s only fair.
So I challenge both – you know who you are. Take a month, build up a track record of positive posting. Show this community that you have help to offer but stay off your favourite controversies. Give opinions on cleats, wheel truing, Julian Alaphillipe, Hardknott vs the Bealach, etc. You may even find an appreciative audience. Otherwise I think you’ll find the oxygen of readership in short supply, whether by filters, or simply avoiding your posts.
*Just an example – someone who I’m sure will not mind my use of their name, who has trenchant views. I apologise if eburt is in any way affronted by this.
I could not agree more with
I could not agree more with hawkinspeter. The atmosphere used to be intelligent, well rounded and helpful. It could be lively, particularly around helmet use, but it was not at all bad by internet standards. It was one of the main attractions for reading this website.Last autumn I had a bit of time recuperating from a minor procedure, and ktache, boatsie, mungecrundle, eburtthebike et al really helped while away the convalescent hours. That was Before, this, rather sadly, is After.
Even hawkinspeter and I had a bit of a disagreement once, but we set it aside and it ended with one of those small furry mammal pictures as a kind of online handshake.
It may take enormous discipline, but all those of us who remember how it used to be, and those who have joined hoping for that spirit, just need to remember: Do Not Feed. Our trolls have very specific dietary requirements and must not be fed by anyone. They can get up on their hind legs and beg for troll food, but we must not give in.
As for the rest, let’s be kind. My reading of the stats may to you be outrageous cherry picking. Your fondness for the new EF kit may to me be incomprehensible. But if we can both agree that bikes are wonderful and our ability to keep riding them needs protecting and cherishing, then we can help each other.
My immediate thought was that
My immediate thought was that you need to get to the LBS because whilst Halfords are good at supply chains and mass marketing, they are very variable on spannering skills. Some good people but I get the impression that this is despite their employer, not because of it.But your consumer rights are all with Halfords and it’s worth keeping going on at them. They sold you a bike (and wheels) that should be of merchantable quality, and it sounds as if they are not. There are plenty of strong cheap wheels (they sell some I think) and plenty of 100 kg riders, so they ought to be able to get this right, even if they can’t get the OEM wheels to work properly.
I’m aware of a few budget brands that have gone too far on cost saving on wheels – judging by customer reviews, the French shop that sounds like Daley Thompson’s favourite place is not immune from this. It’s much easier to market a carbon frame or nicer groupset than better wheels at the budget end.
Good luck.
Top tip:
Top tip:
Motorists: sick and tired of those parking fines, being towed away, or getting caught by speed cameras? Then follow the f’ing rules.
“Parked half on double yellow lines and forgot to move it in the morning”. So find a legal parking space further away. It was still illegal last night mate. And I hope you get done for obstruction of the tow truck and the rest of the road. Selfish git.
His account of seeing people in tears at the pound being uable to afford to get their cars back indicates he’s been there before. If you don’t like the penalty, don’t do the offence. It’s not rocket surgery.
Do your research on likely
Do your research on likely fit, bear in mind a lot of brands are quite narrow, and then eBay all the way. I have carbon soled Northwaves, a couple of pairs of Lake shoes and not paid more than £40 for each. Often less.But my new (to me) lovelies are Lake waterproof boots. Quite old but vgc, not tested waterproofing but cosy and comfy, £7.50 plus p&p. Gladdens a tight-wad’s heart.
I think that level of
I think that level of economics-based policy disappeared a long time ago. It was certainly there in 1979, whether or not that was beneficial is a major topic of its own and of course somewhat controversial…But now we have transactional governments interested only in staying in power by marketing policies that they think voters will like, rather than doing what they think is the right thing. So any foundation in logic has gone; dogma remains, which is why D Harding runs testing services that are bought from big outsourcing providers who can’t make a success of catering and repeatedly breach SLAs without sanction.
Hence Brexit has to include exit from the single market and customs union in case we (Joe Public) think we have been betrayed and we still can’t have bent bananas and inches. It doesn’t matter that this goes against all principles of economics lesson 1 because the politicians will not risk their positions to do the right thing for the long term.
Grr…
Perhaps – I checked the
Perhaps – I checked the website as well to see that I wasn’t imagining it or just wrong. Mine has nothing in common with a cagoule apart from sleeves and zip.No, the Mistral is definitely
No, the Mistral is definitely a soft shell. I’m short legged and hence longer topped, and whilst it does seem a bit high on the waist when standing, it seems to fit well on the bike.JaredP91 wrote:
I actually own a Mistral jacket, fantastic bit of kit.FTFY.
Wearing mine in the morning, forecast says 3 degrees at 0800 but 10 by noon. Should be comfortable throughout with just a base layer.
eBay if it’s still usable.
eBay if it’s still usable. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Someone will usually want it even if you only get 99p plus p&p. And then no energy has been used for recycling.Always comes into my mind as
Always comes into my mind as I ride up past Old Windy Mains (farm in Midlothian).The problem surely is the
The problem surely is the rider not the e-scooter. Every scooterer isn’t driving so we need to make sure they can be used safely. UK vehicle legislation has always had problems with categorisation and standards, so that innovation (e.g. led lights, to wrench this back to the actual topic) is stifled or operations are illegal.I think e-scooter riding should be treated in the same way as cycling, and both badly need better infrastructure and the hierarchy of vulnerability that might come into the Highway Code. Better scooterism, not banning.
Ultrasports are a bargain at
Ultrasports are a bargain at that price – tyres don’t come much cheaper and they have a good reputation. I did buy a pair but sadly not for me. I think only narrow ones left which put me off.I ride even cheaper Michelin Dynamic Sports (28 mm) which Bicycle Rolling Resistance totally hated for resistance, puncture rate and probably grip too. I’ve had no punctures on them and can’t really comment on the rest, though they feel a bit vague at speed if pressure is not 80+.
If wiggle had the Ultras in 28mm or more I’d get them.
This is why I think the right
This is why I think the right to choose is so important. I’m very glad that since you were a victim you have continued to to ride and continued to choose when a helmet is right for you.I agree, we are not rational beings. I’ve read the research that shows that helmets are really only useful at low speeds, yet I’m more likely to wear one on a longer, faster ride, and mostly because it makes me and my loved ones feel less worried. I hope also that if I do hit my head I may have slowed down a bit. Sometimes I take the helmet off mid ride, if it’s hot and I’m climbing, and then put it on for a descent. Not sure if the research backs me up, but I’m unable really to be objective at that moment; I just do what seems right for me and may change my behaviour if I do some further reading.
It would be very annoying if I were not allowed to ride without my helmet, but far worse that any prospective pootler to the shops / park / etc decided that they would drive because a compulsory helmet is off-putting and cycling must be too dangerous really.
In the UK we are pretty bad at learning from other countries, not least because our politicians seem to think that there is something unique about this country so we have to do things our own way – test & trace app is a recent example. But we have to learn from Australia on this. Helmets are compulsory. There are fines for disobedience, larger (I understand) than fines for some other offences that seem far more serious to me. Cycling has a modal share that is low, motor traffic is aggressive and infrastructure not great. Compulsion hasn’t worked, and cycling has become far less safe because people have been told, directly and indirectly, that it is not safe. The propaganda has influenced the reality.
There’s a huge amount of pro-helmet propaganda in the UK, such that Chris Boardman gets flamed for riding without one in videos, likely (I can’t prove it) by people who don’t ride much, if ever, and have never researched the topic at all. The balance needs redressing. Bikes are ridden by Lizzie Deignan and Danny Macaskill in full kit for sport and entertainment, but they’re also (better?) suited to short travel in normal clothes by normal people, and the more we do this the safer it gets, in a lovely virtuous circle.
Sadly, we allow people to be told that driving is safe. Ok, you need ABS, crumple zones, stability control, multiple airbags, cameras to see out of junctions, automatic braking, lane departure warnings etc, but this makes you safe and barely inconveniences the car owner.
No one mentions that the danger comes from the other drivers and that you are the danger to them. So no one deals with the actual issue – we have almost given up on dealing with the cause. Instead we add kit to cars and change road layouts. No action on poor eyesight, ill educated drivers, slow reactions, distractions, proper sanctions that are actually used, etc.
We have to get back to “cycling is safe, driving is dangerous” even though the danger of driving is now primarily to others.
Sorry this is a long rant but I do feel very strongly that our car cult is killing people and the planet and the solutions are in front of our noses.
