Aren't Bicycles Great.

somersethillbilly

Wilko has a small but reasonable priced range of bicycle spares, tools and accessories.....Today I got a pair of Cyclo Tools cone spanners for £3.49, same item nearly double that price on Amazon, and almost triple at Halfords.



Pretty good quality steel, useful sizes 13mm, 14mm, 15mm and 17mm.

Rear hub cleaned, greased and adjusted easily.

Happy freewheeling

dacouch

somersethillbilly wrote: »

Wilko has a small but reasonable priced range of bicycle spares, tools and accessories.....Today I got a pair of Cyclo Tools cone spanners for £3.49, same item nearly double that price on Amazon, and almost triple at Halfords.



Pretty good quality steel, useful sizes 13mm, 14mm, 15mm and 17mm.

Rear hub cleaned, greased and adjusted easily.

Happy freewheeling

You should also buy some "Heart shaped" rear cycle lights...

http://www.banggood.com/Cycling-Night-Warning-Taillight-Bike-Rear-Light-Bicycle-Tail-Light-MTB-Bike-Rear-Light-Heart-Design-p-1058852.html?utm_source=tradetracker&utm_medium=tradetracker&utm_content=15981&utm_campaign=171762

brat

Decisions decisions...

It was either stay in and watch some afternoon telly (apparently there was a game on)...

...or go out and get soaked!

A no brainer!!

Retrogamer

You're keen!. How many miles did you rack up?

Johnmcl7

Brat, your picture doesn't' seem to be showing for me?

Also your choice doesn't seem to be a difficult one to me Clearly a fat bike day so had it out slogging through the mud although I really need to get its broken mudguards replaced. I find the worst part of cycling in this sort of weather is just the thought of it and once you get going it's good until you stop going because you've crashed into a tree stump and lying on the ground wondering what just happened. If I'm going to keep this crash streak going I really need to find what I've done with my knee pads and try and find some elbow pads to fit as well, due to the meaty muscles in my arms the adult extra small were too big and they don't do a child's range in these ones.

I was behind an e-bike in the car today when the bike suddenly veered across the road and smacked into the pavement, chucking the rider off. I stopped (as did someone else) to check she was ok and help her up then went to pick up something she'd dropped on the road (I thought it was her purse or similar) but as I approached I realised it was a crank arm! That explained the sudden veering and the bike itself looked an older and cheap model, I felt sorry for the rider as she had a good few nasty grazes and was quite shaken, she was insistent she would walk the rest of the way home but managed to convince her to get a lift as it was no problem to just slide the car in the back of the car. Several other people stopped as well to make sure the lady was ok which was good to see as she said when I was driving her home that last time she'd fallen, no-one had stopped to check she was ok or helped her.

It does surprise me when people complain about e-bikes being limited to just 15mph and the limit should be much higher but I think 15mph is fast enough, particularly after seeing this sort of incident. I realise a decent cyclist can go faster but anyone can hop on an e-bike whereas to pedal at that speed it's likely a better bike and a more experienced rider.

John

brat

Retrogamer wrote: »

You're keen!. How many miles did you rack up?

Just 30 today mate, I'm between nightshifts, so I was a bit jaded.

Norman_Castle

dacouch wrote: »

You should also buy some "Heart shaped" rear cycle lights...

http://www.banggood.com/Cycling-Night-Warning-Taillight-Bike-Rear-Light-Bicycle-Tail-Light-MTB-Bike-Rear-Light-Heart-Design-p-1058852.html?utm_source=tradetracker&utm_medium=tradetracker&utm_content=15981&utm_campaign=171762

They look like ballsac lights from banggood.com :rotfl: . Scroll down the page to see the lights in use. They will certainly get you noticed.

armyknife

Pretty much 'maintenance' or utility rides at the moment.

Johnmcl7

I'm over in Crete at the moment to keep someone company and struggling with the heat which means spending most of the day hiding somewhere in the shade. I've been wanting to go for a cycle but given how hard going it is just walking places I thought it wouldn't be a good idea. However I thought maybe I should try hiring a bike for one day and checked a local hire place which unbelievably had a fat bike for hire and in my size as well!

Better yet when I checked their guided tours they did late evening rides going into darkness and supplying lights, clearly the best time to go for a cycle. I booked it and was looking forward to it then I received a mail from the company saying no-one else had booked However rather than cancel, the guy was just suggesting a later pick up time.

The ride was rated as minimum fitness, minimum technique but as it was just the two of us we went at a decent pace and down some more interesting sections. We went to an abandoned town that was deliberately flooded to form a reservoir (that the people refused to leave until they had no choice) and a couple of small Greek villages all through some great scenery.

I didn't realise how much I was missing my bike and I had a permanent grin on my face being able to get back onto the fat bike which handled the rough, stony tracks with ease. He also does an early morning ride high up in the mountains where it's a bit cooler so the fat bike and I are booked out for another ride.



On a slight side note, this bike was fitted with Sram gripshift which I haven't used since my 15 speed Raleigh Max Ogre many, many years ago where it was a budget alternative to 'proper' shifters. This was completely different though as it was a higher end shifter and I was surprised how much I liked it, you could easily just flick it in either direction and jump to whatever gear you wanted. I'll see how I get on with it on Friday but seriously considering changing my Stache's GX1 shifter to the gripshifer. I'm really not keen on the GX1 shifter as you can't use your finger to change gear so you have to awkwardly put your thumb underneath the bar to reach the downshifter and with no front derailleur there's no 'jumping' a group of gears either. I think the gripshifter would be a good solution for both.

John

brat

Very envious John. I love Crete, but haven't had the chance to get over there recently (last visit was AgNik in '99). The countryside would be perfect for early morning cycling, Some good hilly routes too. I've looked at some circular routes from Chania up to the Omalos plateau, and they will need to be done at some time. I walked the Samaria Gorge back in 1995, but I don't know if it's doable on a fat bike?