Aren't Bicycles Great.

Johnmcl7

brat wrote: »

I'm afraid I don't analyse bikes too much - I just get out and ride!

To be honest that's normally me as well hence not really having a clue what I'm talking about but if I'm spending a couple of thousand on a bike I want to make sure it does what I want. On paper the fat bike should be quite a bit slower than the FS 29er but it isnt while the road bike and hybrid are closer yet there's a large difference in performance.

John

armyknife

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

To be honest that's normally me as well hence not really having a clue what I'm talking about but if I'm spending a couple of thousand on a bike I want to make sure it does what I want. On paper the fat bike should be quite a bit slower than the FS 29er but it isnt while the road bike and hybrid are closer yet there's a large difference in performance.

John

Yes, I'm pretty much in the same situation, bar the willing to spend thousands bit. :-)

Marco_Panettone

My utility bike has carried 60 litres of compost from B&Q to the allotment today. No way would it have been possible on foot.

armyknife

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

My utility bike has carried 60 litres of compost from B&Q to the allotment today. No way would it have been possible on foot.

:cool:

And there's me thinking carrying, cross-country, 12+kg of shopping back from the supermarket on my single speed hack was a minor achievment.

brat

I bought a pet trailer a few years ago. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but our border terrier is not a fan. We use it for holiday trips to the supermarket now!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bAHIK9yAgJk/VSggBWJMzYI/AAAAAAACa_s/jpFFtDRBBjw/w338-h190-p-no/1089845_10152109625209896_50476_n.mp4

Johnmcl7

I quite liked the idea of a trailer to be able to pull bigger stuff that I'd normally need the car for as it's too large for panniers or a backpack. I've not seen anything simple or cheap enough to give a go though, they mostly seem to attach via the rear wheel nut which isn't suitable for most of my bikes.

As I hadn't been out for a couple of nights (both MTB's are out of action due to brake issues) I decided to brave the weather tonight and hope it didn't get worse. It was hard work pushing into the wind which was a lot colder than I expected and just 13 miles in I felt a few spots of rain, looking across the Loch I could see a lot of rain coming in so popped a jacket on and turned round. Even sprinting with the wind behind me I couldn't escape the rain which quickly got a lot heavier while the temperature plummeted as the sun went down so quickly got wet and then a lot colder.

Well you win some, you lose some...the annoying part is that I feel wrecked after only 26 miles after pushing hard into the constant wind and then getting home as fast as possible.

John

Nebulous2

brat wrote: »

I bought a pet trailer a few years ago. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but our border terrier is not a fan. We use it for holiday trips to the supermarket now!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bAHIK9yAgJk/VSggBWJMzYI/AAAAAAACa_s/jpFFtDRBBjw/w338-h190-p-no/1089845_10152109625209896_50476_n.mp4

We've got one of these. We bought it when dog was young as he wasn't allowed to walk very far.

We even had him on the underground, where someone asked if we had a bear in the buggy!

Hanky_Panky

Quick question for Brat - if no-one minds the hijack

I do, during the winter go out after dark and am certainly well lit up with two lights front and two rear plus reflective detail on my top and shoe covers.

As I'm riding SPD-SL's I don't have reflective pedals. As a Police Officer what is your view of that please?

Thanks

esuhl

Hanky_Panky wrote: »

Quick question for Brat - if no-one minds the hijack

I do, during the winter go out after dark and am certainly well lit up with two lights front and two rear plus reflective detail on my top and shoe covers.

As I'm riding SPD-SL's I don't have reflective pedals. As a Police Officer what is your view of that please?

Hope you (and Brat) don't mind me hijacking the answer to your post, as I'm neither Brat nor a policeman...!

However, I believe the law states that pedal reflectors are a legal requirement, so riding a bike on public roads without them is illegal.

What Brat or anyone else thinks about that (i.e. whether this is a serious matter or an outdated law that is no longer relevant) has nothing to do with whether someone works for the police or not.

armyknife

I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a cycle shoe out there that includes what 'amounts' to amber reflectors at the heel and possibly toe?

Though obviously it wouldn't satisfy the letter of the law, I'd guess a policeman would be happy to see them, rather than nothing.

An alternative approach is to not use clipless pedals at night, as perhaps the higher speeds aren't so helpful in a less well lit situation?