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The idea was to protect
The idea was to protect people who had either never switched from the old gas and electricity board tariffs, or were coming off a fixed price, from punitive costs caused by ignorance of switching or inertia. It could never insulate people fully from global price hikes without regulating the entire energy process.The most interesting thing was how the policy developed within the Conservative Party. When suggested by Ed Milliband, it was Dangerous Socialism. By the time of the next election, it was Tory policy. Odd.
The big thing is fit. All the
The big thing is fit. All the rest is optional. Many cycling shoes are really narrow – I have some older BTwin shoes that were too narrow and have caused ongoing foot pain. In my view (and it could be just me) width is far more important than length – my comfiest shoes are a size too long and it makes zero difference on the bike.If you like the Van Rysel shoes and can get to a Decathlon shop, you can try them on. Getting the right arch support is also important. Insoles can be added but after market insoles are a high proportion of the cost of normal shoes.
My route to happier feet was to research which showed would be about the right width and then buy on eBay, so I could afford to make some mistakes. I actually sold my mistakes on at a profit (amazing what a really good clean and some good photos can do).
Just my tuppence, but carbon soles are unnecessary as the nylon/grp ones are stiff enough. I know many people love dial closures but velcro is more convenient for me (I have experience of both). I don’t care about vents in summer and tape over them for winter (and forget to remove the tape in spring).
Look or SPD SL road cleats look cool but 2 bolt SPD cleats are cheap, last for ages and you can get shoes that make walking a lot easier.
When you get the shoes and pedals, try to mount the cleats in a neutral position. The bolts need to be tight, or twisting to unclip will just move the cleat on the shoe. Some bolts are very soft. Worth greasing the threads before winter.
Practise unclipping in the kitchen (worktop height is great to stop you falling) or on a turbo trainer if you have one. When you do your first ride, take the tool you need for adjusting the cleats and tweak if you get any knee discomfort or it just feels unnatural.
When you’re happy with the cleat position, it’s worth marking it on the shoes so you can replace the cleats when they wear out.
Hope this is useful.
What worked for me: clear
What worked for me: clear cookies, go to profile, untick ad-free setting, save, re-tick ad-free, log out, log in again. Not sure if all steps are necessary but this was sufficient.Wouldn’t bother with Scribe.
Wouldn’t bother with Scribe. I have two friends with their wheels and they’re repeatedly asked why they’ve brought their pet wasps out on a ride.I also like quiet free hubs but only see them on low end or older wheels these days. Might be something to do with everyone wanting a quick pick up (ooh matron).
Ah, then I’d add to the above
Ah, then I’d add to the above:Wash at 30 deg or less with non-bio on delicate programme. If riding short distances frequently (eg commuting) you may not need to wash every time, but your ick tolerance may vary. A surprising amount of wear can happen in the washing machine.
Some people put socks on first so that any jaggy toenails don’t hit the lycra, and athlete’s foot doesn’t transfer to the pad.
What damage are you seeing?
What damage are you seeing?Speaking tubes are used for
Speaking tubes are used for some motorcycle intercoms. No batteries or vulnerable tech. Might be worth a search (perhaps try “acoustic intercom”).Ashley Neal wrote:
In most situations horn use towards cyclists is threatening, but not by me. We’re fighting a losing battle if the correct use is criticised so nobody is setting the right example.
How do you get this polite toot thing from a car horn? You have only one variable – the length of time the horn is switched on. There’s no volume control, no tone of voice. So you rely on a quick tap of the switch. But that’s not as effective as you may think, and you may still make me jump, as I’m not enclosed in a box that NVH engineers have spent lots of time making quiet.
One of the things I learnt from pilot training is that surprises are dangerous, especially when your life is at stake. Adrenaline will impede ability to make a thoughtful reaction. So even your skilful polite toot could have unintended consequences, and most cyclists won’t welcome it.
And that’s without the other thought – that if a driver is hooting to get me to change my road position so he can squeeze past, that’s contrary to the spirit of the recent HC changes, which make it clear that I can decide when it is safe for the driver to pass me. As well as being very intimidating.
Just looked at the website
Just looked at the website now and they have 3 different Keo compatibles at around the same price, none of which are the pair I have. So I guess some might be better than others and quality might not be quite as consistent as the genuine article as you say.Noah and Theo pads are about
Noah and Theo pads are about the same price and I’m happy with the ceramic version. Not quiet in the wet but neither is any other pad I’ve tried, and I’m starting to think that loud brakes are good for a wet commute.Perhaps not quite so consumable, but PlanetX Look Keo compatible pedals seem to last way better than genuine Keo Classics, probably because they’re made of metal. Obviously not as light but you get a snappy click in and out for a lot longer.
Jimnm wrote:
Yes your right, I found that the spokes loose and tightened, I’ve been riding bikes for many years and never ever had a problem with wheels untiL now. J type spikes are poor. Thanks everyone . Great advice.
J spokes are not bad per se, it’s just that as you tighten them, the right angle bend and the head get stressed. So it can be handy to overtighten slightly and then back off.Until not that long ago, everyone had J spokes and we all survived.
Thank you for your courage in
Thank you for your courage in telling your story.I would really like to encourage you to find professional help – a good therapist can help you to look at everything going on in your life and give you some techniques to at least mitigate the effects of what you are experiencing.
My amateur advice would be that if you are training, you will not get fat with extra food – you’ll be using it for fuel and growth. If you add strength training in the gym to what you do on the bike, you can build muscle. Perhaps you know this consciously, but sub-consciously something is getting in the way of that logic. OCD can do that – someone I know very well with OCD has exactly that experience.
I wish you all the best in your recovery.
I feel a bit sorry for Sean
I feel a bit sorry for Sean Kelly – he usually gets asked for a comment just as Carlton Kirby has spent two minutes saying just about everything. Ned and David are 100 times better.More like an emergency pot
More like an emergency pot noodle on an audax – you might not want one in normal life but you can be deeply grateful when you really need it.kil0ran wrote:
For what it’s worth I once had a brand new Raleigh Trubuild wheel (not cheap at £100 about 7 years ago) go out of true to the point it lost all tension within 2 miles on the first ride. Fortunately it was a rear wheel
Quality control costs money, so at that price point you are not getting much attention once the wheel is built. On the flip side, I bought (as a distress purchase) a Trubuild rear wheel recently for £60 and did 50 miles on it the next day. Still seems ok, but at 1250g for the rear alone, it didn’t stay on the bike long!One problem when choosing wheels is concentrating on getting low weight for the price. Sub 1500g wheel sets can be surprisingly cheap, but is this at the expense of durability and stiffness?
