Forum Replies Created
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Thanks both. My problem
Thanks both. My problem happens with different shoes and replacement footbeds, and I’ve done a bit of cleat moving. Oddly the main difference is caused by socks – thicker seem to be better. More testing needed….I saw a well-upholstered
I saw a well-upholstered fellow this evening in a hoodie football shorts and trainers, tattoos all over his calves, on a fixie. I caught him up at a junction, and then he rode away from me cos he was quite a bit faster than me, in proper kit on a road bike. Shamed. Every silver lining has a cloud…Agreed – I have A600 on the
Agreed – I have A600 on the road bike and M520 on the gravel. The A600s single sidedness did take a while to get used to and the bearings loosening up with miles has helped. In a tricky clip in situation (eg the steepest bit of Hardknott where I am ashamed to admit I had to stop) I prefer the double sided M520 but otherwise the greater contact area is preferable for longer distances. And they look right for a road bike, and they’re lighter.I suffer from a hotspot on one foot which is taking a bit of experiment to adjust out. It’s better on the A600s but not perfect, so will probably try some Look pedals next.
I was doing just this as you
I was doing just this as you were typing. Whilst the Spyres don’t feel as nice as the few hydraulic brakes I’ve tried on borrowed bikes, the set up is so, so easy (once you’ve found the adjustment screws and your 3 mm Allen key). It’s a really good piece of simple design.Even a piece of card can be
Even a piece of card can be enough – years back I had a slipping post in a steel frame on a long trip. The card I found at the roadside cured the problem and stayed in for years. No worries about corrosion either.These days the modicum of compressibility in the card would be lauded as a comfort improvement.
I went from 28 to 34 on
I went from 28 to 34 on a medium cage Tiagra with no change of chain (it was almost new). It’s perhaps slightly shorter than ideal but still works well, and staying away from big-big helps.+1 for Tiagra. I have one
+1 for Tiagra. I have one bike with Tiagra 4700 and one with 105 5800 (which was superseded by 7000 in 2018); neither is the full set but both have the levers and front & rear mech. I can tell the difference, though can’t really say that the on the road the 105 is better – it’s slightly less of a push on the lever to change, plus the extra gear on the cassette.Tiagra parts are cheaper, sometimes significantly so, and to me seems in the bang for buck sweet spot. It’s a bit like getting a Skoda instead of a VW – a bit less image, almost the same real world performance, for usefully less money.
And definitely new cables, whatever you decide. No point in re-taping the bars with aged cables, and while at it, lovely new tape will reinforce the “whoo, new stuff” feeling!
No image as it’s long gone,
No image as it’s long gone, but months ago I had many chuckles about a new route planning thing that was offering free subscriptions to people who would evaluate the service in my area. Wonderfully, the text said they were looking for Scottish testes to do this…Ok, I stand corrected in that
Ok, I stand corrected in that I missed the link to his CV. I was rather expecting the “Experience” page (or a more general About page) to give that kind of detail as it is important. And I was too willing to assume that if someone mentions their PhD frequently but neglects to give its origin, then there’s a nefarious reason.But I stand by the rest of my post. The article is a polemic. It makes assertions that are difficult to support, and hence does not reference sources for them. Dr Green is happy to reference his visual perception sources, but where are the citations for the doubtless top notch papers that show that all cyclists are either militant or insane risk takers? And that all are unwilling or incapable of obeying traffic laws? And why is his supermarket run anecdote of relevance other than to reveal that when challenged, perhaps his subconscious mind realises that he needs to observe better?
As hawkinspeter notes, the idea that drivers are unable to improve their hazard perception seems odd, given that pilot training does just that. I completely understand, and in some ways agree that drivers are habitual, and there’s a lack of genuine concentration as they go through the motions. That famous video with the gorilla is perhaps an experimental parallel. But is there really nothing that can be done?
For what it’s worth, I agree with the idea that we all need to remember that roads are cooperative spaces and deviations from rules and norms may be dangerous. And having encountered many unlit idiots at night, I also think that each must be aware of their own visibility. Thirdly, I would quite like to know the expert, evidence-driven consensus on visibility. But this gentleman’s article is not anywhere near that.
My LBS warned me off Mavics
My LBS warned me off Mavics as they said they found if difficult to source parts. This was while waiting a month for freehub pawls for my Fulcrum rear wheel.
I am biased, mind you, I once asked a friend if the big yellow M on his Mavic shoes was for Morrisons. I don’t recall seeing him wearing them subsequently!
In all seriousness, I see a brand like Mavic and wonder if the marketing spend (eg the TdF neutral car) comes from prices that are a touch on the high side for what you get.
You just know from the start
You just know from the start when the term “bicyclist” is used that it’s a rant, and not a very good one.
No surprise that this isn’t a paper in a peer-reviewed journal, in part due to the the enormous unproven assumptions (eg that we all fall into one of two groups, all bicyclists violate the law). I can’t find out where this person’s PhD came from, but in my personal rankings of doctors, I place him just above TV’s top poo analyst Gillian McKeith.
There’s also amazing contradiction:
- Cases of bicyclists killing elderly pedestrians are becoming fairly common.
- In a few cases, the bicyclist even killed the pedestrian.
Fairly common or a few? Or actually close to zero when considered alongside the numbers killed by car drivers (whether those victims are pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, or other drivers)? He suggests “reverse onus” when pedestrians and cyclists are in collision, but fails to spot that the same might be an idea for bicycles and motor traffic.
Some of the assertions (eg driving in heavy traffic consumes all of a driver’s attention) are just 100% wrong. When walking past cars in heavy traffic, most solo drivers I see are looking at their phones.
The sad thing is that he raises some questions in my mind to which I would like to know a real, unbiased answer. Given that police pursuit drivers and rally drivers are more trained than the rest and seem able to deal with a faster flow of information than the masses, is that something that can be trained in the wider population? Can a pilot’s level of observation (and observation routines) be made normal? Is there a type of vehicle from which is harder for the driver to observe*, and if so, what should be done? (*I know, vast Audi SUVs and all Vauxhalls).
Sadly my main question now is why I wasted some of my Saturday in doing my own rant…
For what it’s worth (given
For what it’s worth (given that you’ve made your decision) I have the larger tubes and use 36 mm CX tyres in the winter and 28 mm slicks in the summer without any problems at all.
Perhaps, from a very long
Perhaps, from a very long time indeed to even longer… I’m still waiting for my first set of spd cleats to wear out and would worry more about mis-aligning the cleats when transferring.I’d pay more if I could
I’d pay more if I could disassemble the mouthpiece to get it really clean. Some of my bottles are labelled not to do this; the rest are blank. I don’t want to destroy one in trying it.Where is this 6.5 mph TT? I
Where is this 6.5 mph TT? I could be in with a chance there (if I up the training) as I can hit 5 mph easy as long as it’s a bit downhill with a following wind.
