Aren't Bicycles Great.
Comments
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I think it's difficult to convince anyone to invest much in cycling when a vocal portion of the general public see cycling as frivolous that gets in the way of the serious action of car driving. Recently the local city council announced they had secured a grant to improve cycle facilities in the city centre. The response unsurprisingly was profoundly negative with people complaining about money being spent on cyclists rather than improving the roads for cars with the usual comments about cyclists all being reckless law breakers, not paying road tax, not having insurance etc.
There's been a few campaigns recently to enforce the minimum distance when overtaking cyclists which has also received a lot of negative backlash for similar reasons. Anything article I see on anything positive being done for cyclists receives a near identical reaction if it's posted somewhere general.
In turn the lack of decent cycling facilities mean people are less inclined to cycle which means there's less incentive to produce the cycle facilities in the first place.
My oldest bike is pretty new at six years old although the local group I cycle with are attached to a local community workshop where newer bikes are almost a little frowned on and older bikes are popular. My brother is very pleased with his bike, a 70's/80's era road bike which he bought for £30 and stripped the gears to convert it to a single speed. He spent a little more money on it sorting a bottom bracket issue and used it for commuting, he was amused by the fact his very cheap bike was fast and easy to ride in comparison to many others with new but unsuitable MTB's or similar.
John0 -
Hi all,
I'm new here and just recently become a cyclist.
I cycle 5 miles to and from work 6 days a week and last week signed up to the London to Brighton.
So lovely to get ona bike, however anyone got any tips for cycling against the wind/rain?0 -
Dollyface85 wrote: »Hi all,
So lovely to get ona bike, however anyone got any tips for cycling against the wind/rain?
Yes buy an electric bike. :rotfl:0 -
Dollyface85 wrote: »So lovely to get ona bike, however anyone got any tips for cycling against the wind/rain?
I wear a baseball cap to keep rain out of my eyes and off my head. In light rain, I have a windproof/water-resistant top. For torrential rain, I have a thin waterproof jacket to go on top.
The trousers I wear are lightweight, quick-drying, water-repellent hiking/camping trousers.0 -
Dollyface85 wrote: »Hi all,
I'm new here and just recently become a cyclist.
I cycle 5 miles to and from work 6 days a week and last week signed up to the London to Brighton.
So lovely to get ona bike, however anyone got any tips for cycling against the wind/rain?
Having the right clothing is important as you need to strike a balance between having enough clothing to deal with the conditions but not too much either. It's surprising how much a difference small items like a head band or arm warmers can make, they can be easily carried to take on and off as required. Having too much clothing on can make it hard going as well as you get too hot, feel worn out, get sweaty and feel worse.
The wind is tricky to deal with as it's hard, constant work and there's not really getting around that. I find it's useful to pace yourself for it as you can get a feel for the wind direction within a few minutes of setting off the have a rough idea of which way the wind is blowing and how much, if I know the route then I'll also know which sections are going to be hard going into the wind and for how long. Similar with hills, I find that's a big help because rather than it feeling like an endless slog, I know how far it is before I'm out of it.
John0 -
knightstyle wrote: »The main problem is the lack of safe cycle routes where we live. Just looked at the sustrans map so few routes. Why not more?
I used to cycle to work, about 5 miles direct but 18 miles on what I thought of as safe routes but now, several years later there is no way I would venture out on these roads.
The few cycle lanes disappear as soon as the road gets unsafe.
Look at A156 heading South from Gainsborough, nice cycle lane in places but it at one stage it seems to be on the pavement, no cycle lane and high metal fence on narrow bit under the railway. Then the lane ends with an arrow directing cyclists to turn left up a private driveway??? This is just before a couple of bends where the road narrows.
Total chaos as this is meant to be a two way cycle lane, Obviously all the cyclists ignore it and cycle sensibly on the road.
Almost forgot my reason for posting on here was to ask if anyone has had their bike for a long time?
Mine is a Dawes Nomad, bought in 1974. a few modifications and rebuilt wheels but still ridable and fun if a bit heavy by todays standards.
A problem is that sustrans is a charity and therefore limited in what it can do. Another issue is the war within cycling: either segregation or non-segregation but more cycle friendly/suitable roads.
Councils generally (albeit no always) percieve cycle lanes as a box to tick and so you get the wholly unuseful facilities that don't help any road user.
I walk a lot, too, and have noticed that more often than I'd expect there is no feasible means of walking between two neighbouring towns as eventually you hit an A road with no footway.0 -
Dollyface85 wrote: »Hi all,
I'm new here and just recently become a cyclist.
I cycle 5 miles to and from work 6 days a week and last week signed up to the London to Brighton.
So lovely to get ona bike, however anyone got any tips for cycling against the wind/rain?
In addition to other comments: in cold weather, decent gloves are essential. Hands get cold much more than any other part of the body cycling.
Generally, out of all the cycling-specific garments, gloves are the one thing I'd recommend to any new cyclist. Protection against the cold, reduce road vibration and if you ever do fall, they can protect your hand.0 -
Our office is not far from my house so I use my bike most of the time.0
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With the clocks going forward this weekend we're finally going to get our evenings back and hopefully it's going to get a bit warmer. It's been a solid winter on the fat bike but now looking forward to getting back onto the summer bike and hopefully drier trails plus get out proper rides on the road bike.
It's been a bit quiet on the bike side of things here, anyone got any plans for cycle events this year?0 -
With the clocks going forward this weekend we're finally going to get our evenings back and hopefully it's going to get a bit warmer. It's been a solid winter on the fat bike but now looking forward to getting back onto the summer bike and hopefully drier trails plus get out proper rides on the road bike.
It's been a bit quiet on the bike side of things here, anyone got any plans for cycle events this year?
No cycle events for me, but I'm delighted to hear that it's this weekend the clocks go forward!
I can't wait for it to get a bit warmer and brighter so it looks more tempting to jump on the bike. I really struggle through dark, cold, wet winters to find the motivation. Especially when the bike gets so muddy and needs cleaning with freezing cold water just as it's getting dark. Brrr!
In anticipation of better weather, I've bled the brakes, cleaned the discs, adjusted the derailleurs and mech hanger, and got some new bearings to service the hubs. And I have yet another stem on order, in the hope that I will eventually get the bike to "fit" perfectly.
I can't wait to get the last few tweaks done, and for a long sunny day to give the bike (and me!) a proper ride! Roll on summer!
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