Why do so few people cycle?

DaveMacD

davidlizard wrote: »

2. We often have a few beers after work - this does not fit in well with driving.

Bear in mind, you can be done for drunk in charge of a cycle just as easily as you can be done for drunk in charge of a motor vehicle. You don't get points but you can pick up a fine.

DaveMacD

elfen wrote: »

catflea, it's not the pump, I tested it after I bought it, so I have a suspicion its the tube. I'll nip to Halfords at the weekend, and probably pick up two tubes, so both can be changed.

Might be worth looking at the price of some of that tyre slime/goo/gunk you can buy. Put it in the inner tube, and it seals punctures as they happen... Unless it's been caused by you hitting a pavement, and the spoke ends have punctured the tube...

PasturesNew

elfen wrote: »

Station's a good half hour walk away - can go through town as it'll be deserted and the road to it is the main A road, so not exactly safe! I'll pick up a helmet and the extra gear from Halfords or similar as I think I need to change a tube - tried pumping a tyre but either the pump was gone or the tube was.

With that distance/destination, maybe a bike's not the best thing ... where I live right now the usual mode of transport is skateboards. People in their 20s/30s skateboard everywhere as a means of transport.... not for tricks. They don't go mad, crouched, both feet up, but literally have one foot on the board and the other one for pushing along. They go really fast too. A skateboard's easier to store/carry/etc too.

PasturesNew

DaveMacD wrote: »

Bear in mind, you can be done for drunk in charge of a cycle just as easily as you can be done for drunk in charge of a motor vehicle. You don't get points but you can pick up a fine.

Years ago I worked with a man who had been banned from riding a bicycle in his parish after he was caught drunk riding his bike home from the pub.

cit_k

I used to cycle heavily, c2c rides across the country (with tent/sleeping bag), regular 40 or 50 miles trips for fun also. Dont do it much these days.

sickparrot

DaveMacD wrote: »

Might be worth looking at the price of some of that tyre slime/goo/gunk you can buy. Put it in the inner tube, and it seals punctures as they happen... Unless it's been caused by you hitting a pavement, and the spoke ends have punctured the tube...

I would avoid this stuff like the plague, firstly most punctures are caused by pieces of glass or thorns which are actually embedded in the tyre and 'wear' a hole in the inner tube, because the object is constantly moving as the tyre rotates, the gunk cannot set and the tyre will deflate anyway.

Secondly, tyres deflate naturally over a period of time and need to be periodically topped up (every couple of weeks or so), so eventually the gunk will get into the valve and stop it sealing properly, so you won't be able to pump it up at all without dissembling the valve and cleaning it up.

Changing a tyre is a pain, yes, but after 20 years of experience I've found the best way to make sure you can get going again when the inevitable happens is to always have 2 spare tubes, 2 metal tyre levers and a good quality mini pump. And never buy a bike which doesn't have quick release on both wheels.

If you have a puncture, keep the tube lined up with the tyre and re inflate the tube to find out where the air is coming out, then find the object in the tyre and remove it, this will prevent an immediate re-occurance.

I'm now considering carrying a spare foldable tyre too because I had a sidewall split on me last week, and no amount of spare tubes will cure that, I had to walk back home and borrow the car.

parkender

sickparrot wrote: »

I would avoid this stuff like the plague, firstly most punctures are caused by pieces of glass or thorns which are actually embedded in the tyre and 'wear' a hole in the inner tube, because the object is constantly moving as the tyre rotates, the gunk cannot set and the tyre will deflate anyway.

Secondly, tyres deflate naturally over a period of time and need to be periodically topped up (every couple of weeks or so), so eventually the gunk will get into the valve and stop it sealing properly, so you won't be able to pump it up at all without dissembling the valve and cleaning it up.

Changing a tyre is a pain, yes, but after 20 years of experience I've found the best way to make sure you can get going again when the inevitable happens is to always have 2 spare tubes, 2 metal tyre levers and a good quality mini pump. And never buy a bike which doesn't have quick release on both wheels.

If you have a puncture, keep the tube lined up with the tyre and re inflate the tube to find out where the air is coming out, then find the object in the tyre and remove it, this will prevent an immediate re-occurance.

I'm now considering carrying a spare foldable tyre too because I had a sidewall split on me last week, and no amount of spare tubes will cure that, I had to walk back home and borrow the car.

Strange one this – some people swear by slime tubes and others say avoid. Personally I’ve had them in my Hybrid for 3 years and only 2 punctures in that time due to mounting kerbs too hard. I reckon I’ve done about 15,000 miles in that time and terrain was a mixture of 18 months in London on all surfaces including roads, cycleways, canal paths, parks and Thames path. The rest of the time was bridleways and country lanes – bearing in mind the hawthorn hedges are cut where I live by tractors that launch the thorns all over the road I’ve been very impressed with slime tubes. I don’t even carry a spare tube any more – just a pump. Other people at work seem to regularly get punctures using standard inner tubes – one guy kept getting punctures on his tubes from the Kevlar inserts in his tyres that were supposed to stop punctures!

daniel_owen_uk

Ghetto tubeless is the way forward rather than slime innertubes, but if I am honest we are taking a little too far for commuting.

joolsybools

Hintza wrote: »

Just out of interest where do you live OP? And where do you work?

I live and work in London (live Kilburn work Vauxhall) and I cycle commute most days, its 6 miles each way.

This is my first visit back to this page after the first day I posted so just ploughing through all the replies.

Mids_Costcutter

joolsybools - cycling in London, do you think that the environment for cycling has improved a good deal in the last 10 years? To the extent that motorists behave differently (better) when sharing the road with cyclists? I'd be interested to know your views.