Cycling forums

Posted on 26 September, 2012 by doug

These days there is an on-line forum for almost any subject, interest, hobby or pastime.  Cycling is no different and I thought a little digging around might be useful to see what’s out there.  Below, at the bottom of this post, I’ve listed the higher profile forums.

These forums can be a huge source of entertainment, information or wasted time.  They are opportunities to interact with other like-minded people or maybe even getting to know each other personally.  One of my friends met his wife through following up an advert in the Cyclist’s Touring Club magazine; but that was many years before any of us had even heard of the internet!  So, there’s a complete range of benefits, right from knowing how many ball bearings there are in a TA Bottom Bracket, through to finding a wide, a husband, partner, cycling companion, training partner etc.

Forums are also useful for encouragement (in both directions) or sharing your achievements.  Much problem solving has been accomplished through these forums.  Another of my friends has a bought vintage sports car and has found the forum covering these cars to be invaluable.  Forums are also useful for people who want to have a rant, a moan or let off steam and generally people distance themselves through using odd user names.

Here goes:

CTC forum http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68399

Cycle Chat http://www.cyclechat.net/

Bide Radar http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/index.php?c=4

Road Cycling http://forums.roadcyclinguk.com/forum.php

Mtbe http://www.mtbe.co.uk/

Velo Riders http://www.veloriders.co.uk/phpBB2/index.php

Yet Another Cycling Forum http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php

Cycle Junkies http://cyclejunkies.co.uk/forum.html

Touring Cyclist http://www.touringcyclist.co.uk/

Uk Cycling Forums http://www.cyclingforums.com/f/135/uk-and-europe

Braveheart Cycling Fund Forum http://www.braveheartfund.co.uk/community/default.asp?CAT_ID=1

Thorn Bikes http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php

If you know of others, please let a comment and I’ll happily share

 

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New cyclist asks “what about a mountain bike?”

Posted on 24 September, 2012 by doug

There is probably a wider range of mountain bikes than any other genre of bike and they come with many different purposes, qualities and price points.   There is a strong argument in saying the mountain bike (aka ATB, MTB) have saved the bicycle industry in the UK and far beyond.  For the marketing and advertising professionals, mountain bikes are a gift.  They look tough, rugged, very “technical” and appealing to those who are after a bargain.

Below are some comments about the different kinds but first of all, I want to say something about flat pack mountain bikes.  These are the ones that come from supermarkets, mail order catalogues etc.  They are generally sold in a form that requires some form of assembly and a tune up.  On the face of it, they do represent good value.  Afterall, a “full suspension mountain bike with lots of Shimano gears” costing only £99 seems a good deal especially when you look at the price of some other components.  Two decent mountain tyres could cost £100 on their own.  Most of these bikes are heaps of junk, I mean it.  Tyres don’t seat properly, brakes are impossible to balance, virtually no spare parts availaibility, heavy and crudely made.  The ex-factory cost of a cheap bike is about £20 – £40 before it is shipped to the other side of the world and then given a mark-up (i.e. the shop’s profit) and then you add VAT at 20% to still come in at under £100.  Moral of the story – you pay for what you get.

Ordinary mountain bikes

Ordinary mountain bikes, also known as Freerider, are those you’ll use for general purpose like my daughter on her Specialized Myka, above.  This is an entry-level bike and typical of those costing around £250 to £300, anything less will probably be a false economy.  For this you get a basic aluminium or steel (cro-mo) frame, basic suspension forks where there may be a lock out switch – this usefully locks the suspension so you don’t lose untoward amounts of energy pedalling hard and bouncing along the road. In the case of Hannah’s bike, there’s a mixture of anonymous components (hubs, bottom bracket, brakes) and more familiar names such as Sram transmission and a Shimano chainset.

Be prepared to spend up to £500 to get a reasonably good entry level bike that is fine for an undemanding cyclist.  From this point to £1000 things start to get more serious if you’re more of a regular enthusiast.  From roughly at this point, your choice opens out a little more:

Cross country XC

These look a little more racy through having a less upright riding position.  Almost certainly they have suspension forks and possibly rear suspension as well (i.e. swing tail or hard tail).  These are a good compromise between handling well when blasting down steep off-road trails and then riding back up the hill.

XC bikes can often be converted easily to become urban commuting bicycles.  Just change the knobbly tyres for slicks and add a pannier rack and mudguards and you’ll handle anything riding to work.  Don’t take it for granted that you can fit these – do check it out with your LBS who might need to make some adaptations to make these accessories fit.  Often they do, but don’t make assumptions.

Some 2012 examples include: Santa Cruz Blur LT Carbon with Shimano XTR groupset for well over £6,000 or a little more down to earth with a Scott Scale 50 hard tail with a some mid range Shimano SLX bits for around £1,150.

Others

There are Down Hill (DH’ers) which are laid back and have fewer gears and limited use in everyday life.  These are for serious down-hillers, a sport in its own right.  I vaguely know someone (Sam Wakefield) who is a semi-pro and I’ve seen some headcam footage of him bombing down the side of US mountains.  Terrifying , I can tell you!

29ers are just like ordinary mountain bikes but with larger 29″ wheels.  This has appeared in shops over the last few years and in theory makes riding over tree roots, boulders and other obstructions a little easier.  Owing to smaller manufacturing numbers and a slightly limited range of rims and tyres, these are sometimes just a little more expensive, bike for bike and less choice.

Related:

https://thecyclehub.net/?p=234 finding the correct saddle eight

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New cyclist asks “what about town or hybrid bikes?”

Posted on 23 September, 2012 by doug

How will the 2012 summer be remembered in the UK?  Could be the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, perhaps the Tour de France (with our victory at long last) or maybe the Olympics in which Team GB did so well?  The truth is, the Summer of 2012 can be remembered for a number of different reasons and cycling is one of them.

More and more people seem to be getting the bug, which I think is fantastic.  Equally I know some are still pondering what kind of bike to get.  It is so easy to go into a bike shop and ride out with the wrong bike – worse still is for those people who buy flat packed bikes from mail order catalogues and struggle to get them working properly.

Here’s a few thoughts on some options (other types will be covered in forthcoming posts):

Town, city bikes

These are often practical bikes designed for short undemanding journeys.  They will be easy to ride and own and can be bought fairly economically, although some can be jolly expensive with designer labels.  These bikes have straightish handlebars and have a fairly upright riding position which makes them easy to ride.

Often equipped with mudguards, pannier racks, wicker baskets, hub gears and a chain guard, you can get a useful bike “off the peg”.  Generally available in either a man’s frame or a lady’s step-through frame.  At the bottom end of the scale, you could get a single speed bike with a few bits on, rolling on either 700c or 26″ wheels.  This is fine if you live in a reasonably flat area without hills, slopes or heavy loads to transport.  Some single speed bikes have a gear ratio which, frankly, is plain daft and too high.  This means your legs might feel fine spinning away at 18mph with the wind behind you but at slower speeds you’ll struggle even if you are an accomplished cyclist.  Some other town or city bikes are available with more gears – even 7 or 8 from a simple looking rear hub.  These have a lot going for them (very reliable, simple to use, wide range of ratios) and could be worth a longer term investment as an all-purpose bike.  A downside is these bikes are often made from heavy duty gas pipes which have been welded together and have some heavy components bolted on.

These bikes can be cool and trendy but naturally this is completely lost on me.  Variants could include minimalist fixies (fixed single speed, no freewheel or rear brake) through to very ornate, feminine and retro offerings from the likes of Pashley or even Victoria Pendleton.  There can be, however, a timeless elegance to these.  They are probably named by their owners who themselves maybe Annabel, Emily or Hector.  Perriwinkle is the nicest name I have come across for a town bike.

There are probably hundreds, thousands collecting dust in sheds and garages around the country – each one worth very little money and yet with some TLC could be good enough for a few more decades of use.

Hybrids

These bikes started to emerge in the late 1980s with the Raleigh Pioneer being one of the first.  Those early attempts were often a complete disaster with steel rims and feeble brakes; not to mention gearing that was annoyingly high – enough to put anyone off cycling for good.  Thankfully things have moved on quite a bit.

They generally use 700c wheels with fairly wide tyres (35 to 40 in width) on a tweaked roadster or road frames.  Some have 26″ wheels for a softer ride, possibly with suspension forks and these are fine for cycling frequently on trails.  Their design has developed briskly to include some decent MTB groupsets with disc brakes and some superbly exotic frames.  Hybrids are fast versions of town bikes and bridging the gap towards mountain bikes.  Hybrids, with their wide gear range, are ideal for town use, trails and gentle off-road riding.  Getting one with decent hollow section rims will take a fair battering from rough surfaces – but remember, no matter how expensive, they are still not indestructible.  Naturally mudguards, pannier racks etc can be fitted but some might find this takes away some of their style.  Like town bikes they are a good all-round machine.

To give you an example of the price range, the current Evans range goes from a Trek T10 at under £250 (this is good value for money) right up to a new 2013 model Trek 7.7 for £1300 (and that’s with a carbon fibre frame with Shimano Tiagra components).  Other outlets will undoubtedly have even more exotic bikes and prices.

If you are thinking of a hybrid, remember there is a wide range of types within this genre.  As mentioned, some are more suited to light off road use, others with slick tyres, lighter frames and higher gearing lends itself to fast commuting on roads.

Posted in buying guides | 4 Comments

Electrolyte drinks – do you really need them?

Posted on 23 September, 2012 by doug

Ever noticed newcomers in the gym always seem to be constantly sipping from a water bottle, or folk starting to jog or run will be carrying a drink without fail?  Is it a comfort blanket or something really important?

When we exercise, our body temperature rises and we sweat in order to regulate the temperature.  Every one knows that.  Also, if we are feeling thirsty, the chances are that we are already dehydrated to a degree and performance can then fall away.  Dehydration that has symptoms of confusion or dizziness can be very serious.  So these are all valid reasons to drink while we exercise, or perhaps even beforehand.

But what about sports drinks and in particular those that make a big deal of being electrolyte drinks?  Electrolytes refer to trace minerals in the body and the role they have.  These include magnesium, sodium, potassium and one or two others.  They all have a particular function in our bodies which have been created and designed in the most amazing way, without question.  Potassium is needed for maintaining the right hydration levels in the body in any event but also helps to regulate the metabolism.  Magnesium is relevant for the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, metabolism, thyroid function, calcium absorption, reliving cramps and assisting with restful sleep – all very pertinent for any runner.

As a rule of thumb, exercising at a moderate or intensive level, dehydration and the loss of electrolytes will start to be noticeable at the 45 minute mark.  I say “rule of thumb” as it depends on the temperature, what you’re wearing, what you’re doing, how fit you are, what you have eaten or had to drink beforehand.  It all makes a difference.  As I run mostly in the early morning, while it is cold or cool, I never take a drink with me unless I’m running for more than 90 minutes, or it is warm.  I make sure I have had a mug of tea shortly before I start.

Apart from keeping your body functioning well while exercising, they do have another very important function.  Replacing those lost minerals and rehydrating will help you recover faster.  I can vouch for this.  I always seem to recover faster and lose that lactic acid burning sensation in my leg muscles if I replace my fluids.

What kind of drinks are there?

You can buy pre-mixed bottles.  There are many around, including Lucozade, and you will pay a premium price almost anywhere these days.  Supermarkets are probably the cheapest if you can buy a whole box in one go.  Buying any kind of drink which is mostly water is not very environmentally friendly – lorries and trucks use a lot of fuel delivering drinks which are mostly tap water; not to mention the plastic bottle etc.
I prefer the fizzy disolveable tablets, such as Zero High 5.  For every 750mls, use one or two of the tablets and mix with taps water.  This does the trick well and, unlike many sports drinks, they contain no calories.
An alternative, an one that I prefer myself is a glass of a smoothie.  Now, there are smoothies and smoothies – some better than others.  Cheaper smoothies tend to come with lots of sweet apple juice or mixed with a thin yoghurt.  These often taste really nice but aren’t ideal as electrolyte sports drinks.  A 300ml glass of a 4 or 5 fruit smoothie will almost certainly nourish you extremely well.  With this in mind, why not check out this recipe that I came across: http://macrobiotic.about.com/od/drinksandsmoothies/r/electrolytesmoothie.htm
Posted in food, health | 8 Comments

Cycling in the Autumn

Posted on 18 September, 2012 by doug

If you live here in southern England, you might have noticed the leaves are just starting to hint at the approaching autumn.  On the right day, cycling in the autumn is fantastic.  Those cooler days, with soft mellow colours and dreamy mists are lovely.  Sometimes we get crisp frosty mornings or dark stormy days – quite a variety as the cosiness of winter approaches.  No matter what kind of weather, there are plenty of good reasons to plan a whole day’s ride in the countryside.

Clothing

With such a range in temperature it is sometimes hard to know what to take; often no two days are alike.  With cold nights I find I’m wearing gloves in the early mornings but there’s no need to keep them on after, say, 9.00am.  The normal approach with layering is a good plan, perhaps just two or three layers at the most is required.  If you’re riding fast in a sheltered area, a single jersey is probably all you need well into early October.  Naturally we can have squally wet days, especially with the autumn equinox approaching when rough weather is common, especially near the coast.

Organised events

Buy a copy of Cycling Active and you’ll see a good selection of organised events or Sportives, the http://www.cotswoldautumnclassic.co.uk/ is very tempting with distances ranging from 50 to 160km on Sunday 7th October.  Autumn is also a time of transition from time trials, hill climbs through to training rides, club runs and cyclocross.

Practical things

Apart from clothing, there’s a few other things to take into account as you put your ride together.  The length of day light is getting shorter and shorter each day; sooner or later you’ll be needing your bike lights.  Make sure you’ve got a working set on your bike – it might be several months since they were last used so probably worth checking them.  Don’t wait until it’s dark before you turn them on, especially the rear light.  Having said that, don’t put your sunglasses away just yet.

Take your camera!  Landscape photography is often nicer with soft hazy light, rather than the harshness of the summer sun.  Those woodland colours are fantastic.

Some hedge cutting might be going on.  If that is the case, the chance of getting a puncture rises.

Remember the clocks change in the last weekend in October, here in the UK (“fall back, spring forward”) so that means you have an extra hour on the last Sunday in October.

Fitness

Chances are you’re still in good shape from clocking up plenty of miles during the summer.  Keeping up a few longer rides in the autumn will pay off as you retain that fitness into the winter and into the next year.  No need to train too hard unless you have a race coming up; just enjoy your existing fitness.  With daylight being on BST until the last weekend in October, you can enjoy plenty of opportunities, hopefully.

Bike shops

Autumn is often the time when the current year’s remaining stock is sold off (Sale time?) ahead of next year’s models coming along.  Could be a few bargains around with bikes and also with clothing as shops will be getting rid of their short sleeve jersey collection and other light weight summer wear.

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Long term Review – Panaracer Pasela Tour Guard tyre

Posted on 17 September, 2012 by doug


I’ve run these tyres on my Thorn Audax for well over 3000 miles and time to share a few thoughts about them. During this time they have grown on me and I’m fairly positive about them.  There is perhaps, there’s a limit to how excited I should get about a tyre and yet its something every cyclists rely on and ordinarily don’t care until something has gone wrong.  Mine are the 700x28c size which I reckon is pretty good for general use, sitting somewhere in between those really skinny racy tyres and those wallow-inducing hybrid tyres.  Unless I’m touring, next time I’d go for the slightly slimmer 700x25c size but I’ll worry about that when the time comes.

The range, the details

According to the official website, there’s quite a wide range in 26″, 27″ and 700c although not every retailer will automatically stock every size.  In the 700c width they come as 23, 25, 28, 32, 35 and 37c sizes.  They are available in two tread patterns, both suitable for road or trail use providing it’s not to muddy.  All sizes are available as a rigid bead and some have a choice of a folding bead.  Having a folding bead makes it easier to store or post.  It also saves about 60g per tyre in weight and this might be a consideration if you’re a sporty cyclist or you do long distance touring overseas and need to carry a spare tyre.  They are also available as Tourguard versions.  This is where a Aramid belt forms part of the construction and gives added puncture protection.

I run mine at 90 to 100psi which gives a pretty solid, firm ride and fairly safe handling without any mishaps to date.  There is also a direction indicator which I certainly adhere to but in my mind I question how important that is with these tyres.

What I don’t like

I had three punctures in the first 1000 miles, twice was in the countryside at night and pouring with rain.  These were bits of sharp grit causing the problem and the third was a particularly nasty thorn (see below).  Serves me right for having a Thorn bike?

What I do like

I have not had any punctures for well over 2000 miles.  That’s really good and has restored my faith in them quite a bit.  I have occasionally checked over and have prised out bits of glass, grit and a drawing pin – all of which were being held back by the Tour Guard belt.

I also like the way they are wearing.  The photo right at the top shows the rear tyre.  If you look carefully, the tyre isn’t even half way through its life, so that’s pretty good going.

They weigh 340g which isn’t too bad.  Better still the folding bead version is just 280g which is sufficiently light enough to make a noticeable difference in performance, especially when applied to both wheels.

Conclusion

Not a bad tyre, pretty good in fact.  They have survived some heavily laden trips, trails and potholes very well.  They are wearing well and I am now minded to forgive those early punctures.  Cost, about £22 to £30 which makes them a mid-price tyre and reasonable value for money.

Would I buy them again?  Yes and No.  Yes because they perform well and could be even lighter.  No because I think I could get a better tyre, which although may costs a little more, the extra money is negligible over the life of the tyre.  Besides, it’s nice to try out different things!

 

 

 

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Review – Shimano BR6403 brake pads

Posted on 15 September, 2012 by doug

Shimano BR-6403

I needed to replace some brake pads pretty quickly and so for simplicity I got a pair of these pads from Evans.  That was a few hundred miles ago and I’ve had a good chance to try them out in mostly dry conditions and fitted to the rear brake calliper.

These appear to be Shimano’s standard, no nonsense, catch all service replacement set.  They fit to the callipers by means of an allen key bolt and are compatible with Shimano 105, Ultegra, RX100 and Tiagra brakes.  As the pattern seems conventional it is likely they’ll fit many other callipers brakes.

Fitting them is a cinch.  You just need a 4mm allen key once you’ve removed the previous pads.  There is no toe-in feature so you simply align the pad next to the rim and tighten.  Easy as that.  There’s no mistaking which pad to fit to which side as the guide fin points downward.

These are disposable pads as the actual pad material is not removable or replaceable on its own.

In use I like the fact the height of the pad wasn’t too big, so it fits the [Mavic Open Sport] rim easily with at least 1mm spare above and below.  There is no toe-in facility.  This means that the pad is parallel to the rim and no facility for juggling washers so that the leading edge of the brake pad contacts the rim first.  In doing this the pad gets pulled in and this increases the braking power slightly.

In use they’re okay, acceptable, a bit mediocre and unspectacular.  Like the original pads, they are adequate in both wet and dry conditions (as normal wet rims take a little longer to slow down).  They’re also quiet, as you can rightly expect.

The RRP cost is £10.99 which, I suppose is probably okay.  Whilst it maybe possible to scour the internet and get it cheaper, that is the price I paid at Evans.

Would I buy these again?

Well yes, if I needed to, just as I did this last time.  At 10.99 or less it’s almost worth keeping a pair in stock.   I will research and seek out something a bit better for the next set that needs replacing: given that they last me a few thousand miles, spending a little more is justified in order to improve the braking performance.

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Bikeworks

Posted on 12 September, 2012 by doug

A few days ago I was waiting for a tube train in London and I spotted an advert for bikeworks and have now taken a closer look at their website as I think they appear a really great organisation and worth a blog post here.

Bikeworks is a Community Interest Company; this means that any profits or trading surpluses are ploughed back into the community it serves.  This means there’s no fatcat directors or shareholders exploiting the workers and creaming off the profits.  They’ve been trading for a few years, picked up a few awards now and seem to have grown to encompass three sites now.

They refurbish bicycles and see they get used again.  There’s a number of other strands to the enterprise which supports cycling around London.  You might think this is worthy enough (which on it’s own, it is!) but they go a step further and this is what makes it even more worthwhile.  Lifted directly from their website is the following:

Bikeworks operate as an ‘intermediate labour market’, this means we offer work opportunities to individuals who would not be able to begin, or sustain mainstream employment without intensive support.
By providing these supported opportunities at Bikeworks, we can offer a real employment experience, accredited training and a work reference. This opportunity is important for those people who have been isolated from the work place for a long time and for those that have little or no work experience.

Another facility that caught my eye is the All Ability Cycling Clubs that are dotted around.  This gives a real opportunity for those who might ordinarily miss out on the joys of cycling.  The clubs give opportunities for people with a disability to try out different kinds of bikes in a safe manner.  Looks like their carers are welcome too. That’s good.

They also sell bikes (new and refurbished) and offer cycle training, bike hire, maintenance courses etc. Certainly it looks like a growing organisation with a social conscience, which is brilliant.  I can tell you, I wish I could go and say “hello” personally but whenever I visit London I’m normally dashing around Westminster, Pimlico and Victoria on business.  I’ll just have to see what I can do next time I’m in town…..

Here’s their website: http://www.bikeworks.org.uk/index.php

Posted in cycle maintenance, ethical | Leave a comment

Review – Knog Frog 1 LED front light

Posted on 11 September, 2012 by doug

This is not your average frog.  This one is battery powered, straps easily to your handlebars and get’s on with beaming its little ray of light out into the world.   Sounds cute, doesn’t it?  It is available in a few different colours, as you’d come to expect from Knog.  Knog, by the way, are an Australian company with a quirky approach to design.  They also do a growing range of cycle computers, tools as well as other lights.   They’re about adopting a fun, youthful approach to cycling which is arguably a refreshing change from the all-too-serious technical approach.  For this alone, I like them and they certainly deserve a slice of the market.


Techie stuff

It’s a really small LED light with just one button.  This does the on/off bit and toggles between the steady light and the flashing strobe light.  
Takes two CR2032 coin type batteries.  These are said to last 80 hours on stead and 160 on the flashing mode.
Made with a silicon rubbery kind of material which is soft and stretchy, allowing it to be fixed onto handlebars, head tube or even onto your helmet.
It weighs just 12 grammes.  In old money that’s about half an ounce – i.e. hardly anything at all.

The price

£6.99.  How many other bike lights are around for this money?

But is it any good?

It isn’t bad, providing you don’t expect too much (is that a politically sensitive comment?).  It is pretty useless for using it to see where you’re going.  Clearly it is just one LED without a lens to magnify the light.  It is most conspicuous as a light to be seen and when it’s used on the flashing strobe mode it is very eye catching making it ideal for urban use.
I like it as an “always there” get-you-home light that can just sit there on the handlebars and know that it’s going to mind it’s own business.  It is unlikely to attract too many light fingered scallywags who could easily unclip it in two seconds.  
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Which bicycle frame material?

Posted on 9 September, 2012 by doug

Right now, there are loads of people buying new bikes.  Here in the UK summer has finally arrived just as it is normally finishing.  The fantastic Tour de France has been won by Bradley Wiggins and we’ve seen some inspiration coming from the Olympic and Para Olympic games.  These are all great reasons for people anywhere to start cycling.

Bicycles are wonderful machines and shops are getting their act together in terms of being more professional in the way cycling is promoted as a positive lifestyle. It is because of this that there is a bewildering choice of bike.  I’ll blog soon about the different kinds of bike soon but in the meantime here is some information on the different materials used to make the frame of a bicycle.

Choosing the right frame material is important , unless you’re thinking of buying a horrible heap of junk from a supermarket for £99 (cheap bikes like this will probably be crudely welded steel of the lowest gas-pipe grade and best avoided).  The frame material will be reflected in the price but they will have considerable overlap.  The very “feel” of a bike will be determined by the frame material, as will the speed, weight and stiffness of the bike.  Below is a break down of the different materials:

Aluminium

Mass produced aluminium frame MTB:

Aluminium is a quite popular material for bicycles and I remember seeing my first Cannondale back in the late 1980s when steel was the norm.  It was Cannondale who made aluminium bikes so conspicuous with the over sized tubing at the time.  Having a bike which looked like it was made of drain pipes seemed attractive for many and they were pretty good bikes, well presented and equipped with some nice components.

The advantages back in the 1980s were that bikes could be made lighter [than steel] but to be honest I don’t think there was much in it.  They were often made with a large diameter tube in order for the frame to be stiff and not flex too much when pedalled reasonably hard.  We often used to wonder how thin (i.e. what gauge they were) and we concluded they must have been just like Coke cans welded together).
Some of those early frames (especially those which would now be 30 odd years old) might not be very reliable in terms of their integrity and could be prone to failing.  Having a frame fail while in use could be a serious event!  Consequently I wouldn’t touch and old, tatty aluminium frame with a long pedal crank.
Overall they have improved much over the years and have become almost mainstream and a material used for mass produced bikes.  Many aluminium road bikes will be fitted with carbon fibre forks which probably saves weighth and helps the ride quality (in principle).  My two daughters have aluminium mountain bikes, both economical and they serve well enough.  The cheapest is crudely welded but streets better than something 10 years older (see photo) at the “budget” end of the market.  The other is a 2010 Specialised Myka and well made.
As for the ride, well I consider it to be a bit clinical and heartless and perhaps harsh at times.  When riding on a road bike with correctly inflated tyres it can be tiring after a couple of hours owing to the harshness.  However, it does depend on the geometry and some other factors.
While there are many good value decent bikes made from this material, you might have some difficulty in finding a frame builder who would be willing to carry out any kind of a repair or modification should that ever be needed.  It’s because of this bikes that need various fittings for pannier racks, pump pegs, water bottle bosses, cantilever brakes etc are unlikely to be found on a light frame, probably more so on a thick walled heavy frame.Some examples of current aluminium frame bikes are:

  • Dawes Giro 300 – road bike costing about £450
  • Cannondale CAAD10 road bike – road bike costing about £2000

Best to avoid tarring these bikes with the same brush.  No doubt the frames have a totally different feel and performance along with components which are (almost) from opposite ends of the spectrum.  If you’re thinking of buying a new bike for well under £1,000 there’s a good chance it’ll be aluminium to a degree.  It’ll serve you well but recognise it’s not an Aston Martin; instead be content with the Ford, Nissan, Toyota you have.

Carbon fibre

This is the material of choice for many road cyclists.  It is light and strong and can be made to look very beautiful with sculpted joints between the tubes and a streamlined look.
As carbon fibre frames are made by layering layer upon layer, frames can differ a great deal from one brand to another.  With this the thickness, strength and stiffness can be finely tuned from tube to tube.  From what I gather, the Bradley Wiggins crew will have carbon fibre as will many an enthusiastic amateur.
Carbon fibre has been around in the bicycle world since the 1980s and there has been significant progress since.  Perhaps a slight oddity were the Raleigh Dynotech carbon fibre frames.  Aside from the utterly naff name, they weren’t too bad although it isn’t very often you’ll see a carbon fibre bike with tubes glued or screwed into aluminimum lugs.  Are any still alive and still on the road?
While carbon fibre road bikes will almost certainly have a superb ride and bring out the best in any competitive cyclist, there are a few drawbacks.  The first is the cost.  Best to allow £1000 to get a start with carbon fibre with perhaps a Boardman bike from Halfords.  These aren’t bad bikes at all, getting it coorrectly set up and tuned is suggested to be a lottery with Halfords.  There are other brands competing and perhaps one really worth checking out is Ribble cycles where you can have a carbon fibre bike for less than £900.
Another drawback is their durability.  Any crash involving riding into something will probably write off the frame.  Anything more serious that the lightest scratch or a gouge can also write the frame off.
If you are thinking of getting in to road racing and warming up for your first bike, consider going for a cheaper alumimium bike as above (be mindul of the limitations) and then treat yourself to a carbon fibre bike once you’ve lost a little weight and improved your fitness and cycling form.  Saving a little weight on a carbon fibre frame isn’t suddenely going to make you into a really fast cyclist.  Imagine how embarrassing if you’re riding your carbon fibre bike and you’re overtaken by an older cyclist on a 20 year old bike and made of something heavier!

Steel

There are probably more bikes around the world made from steel than any other material.  These will range from cheap junior bikes through to bespoke made-to-measure touring bikes costing thousands.  Frame tubes will also range from crude gas pipes that are heavy, through to very light tubing made my Reynolds, Columbus etc.  This better tubing will normally be butted, meaning it is thicker at the ends (where it joins other tubes) and gives strength and thickness where it is most needed.  The middle section of the tube can be extremely thin but still retain much strength and rigidity.


Some neat welding with Reynolds steel tubes
Traditionally, frames were brazed together by fitting tubes inside a lug and then finished in the usual way.  Nowadays they are often welded together as shown in the photo.

Steel can be pretty light (Reynolds 753 springs to mind) as well as the inevitable gas pipe weight.  Yes, compared to carbon fibre, steel frames are a fair bit heavier.

The ride quality, however, is something different.  A good steel frame will combine stiffness (i.e. not twisting from side to side when stomping on the pedals) with comfort.  The comfort comes from the frame and forks flexing a little over a rough road surface.  In fact if you position yourself so you are looking straight down in line with the forks, you can see them absorb lots of road imperfections and road “noise”.

Steel is a material favoured by many a tradtional frame builder; in the UK there are a number such as Argos, Dave Yates, Mercian and others.  Such frame builders can create a custom frame for you, with all the right angles, braze-ons and every other detail desired by you.  This is useful if you want a lot of braze-ons and can be helpful on touring bikes with pannier rack fittings, three water bottle bosses, cantilever brakes and so on.  A good frame builder can also repair a frame if it’s damaged or needs a modification.

While twenty years ago there was a lot of steel around, nowadays it’s a minority and the decent tube sets tend to be used for touring bikes, tandems, trikes and so on.  My Thorn Audax is made from steel and for me it is an ideal choice.

Some examples of other steel framed bikes:

  • Ridgeback Voyage 2012 long distance tourer
  • Pashley Princess Soverign town bike
  • Dawes Ultra Galaxy 2012 long distance tourer

I have covered here the main frame materials but there are some others available and include titanium, carbon fibre mixed in with aluminium (i.e. carbon fibre forks and seat/chain stays) and I once even saw a bike largely made from bamboo.  Bamboo bikes?  That must be the most eco-friendly bike so far?

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Cycling to work and the office shower

Posted on 6 September, 2012 by doug
Commuting by bicycle in central London

I have been enjoying cycling to work over the last couple of months but generally only once or twice a week. Did I mention before it’s about 43 miles there and back?  Well, it’s turning out to be a bit of an adventure and here’s a few of the “highlights”:

Last week I turned up at the office.  There were already one or two smokers outside shortening their life expectancy and just couldn’t be bothered to help open a heavy security door in spite of me struggling to manage that and my bike  Grrrrrrr.

Needless to say my MAMIL status (that’s Middle Aged Man In Lycra) has attracted some attention, often along the lines of “oh have you cycled in or something?”  My silent reply is not for this blog.

The office shower is “interesting”.  We have only one shower in an office building with 60 odd employees.  Doesn’t sound much but I’m the only one who regularly uses it.  It’s actually in the unisex disabled toilet room which itself is huge; much bigger than our bathroom at home.  The floor is a wet-room so the shower water drains away from the floor.  Except it doesn’t drain very quickly and in fact the puddle grows faster than it can drain away.  This is a hazard to my office clothes as the growing puddle creeps ever closer across the floor and they start to soak up the water.

Once I forgot to take any trousers to work.  It felt a bit odd sitting at my desk wearing cycle shorts and a formal shirt (perhaps even a tie) being worn on my top half.  That day was the day the Chief was introducing the new Board Chairman to employees.  They must have thought I was very rude not to stand up and shake their hands!

Another slight mishap from this morning was taking my clothes out of my pannier bag and wondering why they looked so grubby.  I then realised I last used the bag for a Sainsbury’s shop where I bought a leaky bag of flour.  Flour and charcoal grey trousers are not a brilliant combination.  There always seems to be an official visitor to encounter as I pass (wet hair, no shoes, odd looks) from having had a shower on those occasions!

I have also been exploring some different cycle paths in order to avoid the roads.  Some of these routes are “interesting” and a bit daft sometimes.  I ignore about half of the paths; it seems easier to stay on the roads rather than go on stupid diversions or get directed up on to the pavement to avoid a bus top  I’ll say one thing, I’m not finding this cycle commuting boring at all!

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Stainless steel-v-galvanised steel cables

Posted on 2 September, 2012 by doug
Stainless steel  gear cables

Through the work we’ve done in updating Becky’s vintage Argos bike, the cables are being replaced.  We found that stainless steel cables seemed to feel a bit smoother than the (slightly) cheaper galvanised cables which is helpful for applications such as the rear brake.

These were new to me and worth looking into:

  • Galvanised cables are cheaper and more commonly used on mass produced bikes, including the complete heaps of garbage that some supermarkets sell for £99
  • Galvanising is really a zinc coating applied often by using a “hot dip” method and is a form of rust proofing
  • Stainless steel is a little more expensive
  • Stainless steel is smoother with less friction.  This means less drag from any casing the cable is running in, or from any guides the cable runs against
  • Stainless steel is slightly less pliable or bendy.  Therefore the routing should have gradual crurves, not sharp bends
  • Stainless steel may still corrode a little but it will be less obvious.  I imagine that when a cable is installed, a little dry lube could be applied and this may help with some protection
On balance we have decided to use on stainless steel from this point onwards and we’ll take care to use lined casing (the outer cable) just to make sure the cables run as smoothly as possible,
Both types need sharp cutters and I mean really sharp cutters to ensure a clean cut.  The wire cutters we have are not up to the job, so I am going to look into improving my bike tool box.   It goes without saying a newly installed cable (gear or brake) must be finished off with a crimp-on cap, to prevent fraying.
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Cycling update with gravel for breakfast

Posted on 27 August, 2012 by doug

Just realised I’ve not blogged or rambled much about running lately, so here’s a little update but first of all, here’s my super healthy breakfast to impress you with:

I must admit I’ve taken running and cycling a little easier than normal since the Milton Keynes 2012 marathon having kept myself ticking over with a 7.5 mile run at the weekend and one or two shorter runs or bike rides on weekdays if I get the chance.  Now that the summer is starting to fade I’ve got my eye on a couple of races in the autumn and will need to start stepping up the mileage for these.  So two days ago I did my 7.5 mile run, then 4 miles yesterday and both involved huffing and puffing up a couple of steep hills (this is a brilliant thing to do) but today I turned back early.  This is something I seldom ever do.

Why? After a mile or two I could feel my knees complaining a little and the last thing I wanted to do is cause an injury.  Need to run less and cycle a little more, perhaps?  I know from past experience I normally need a days’ rest between runs or long rides to recover.  This is me rationalising it.  Building mileages up slowly is the key here and it applies to new as well as more experienced runners.  But don’t worry, I’ve been clocking up a good few miles on the bike including some commutes to the office – 42 miles round trip.

Okay, it’s breakfast time.  Just in case you’re wondering what’s in store for me…. “a bowl of gravel” as Rachel puts it so lovingly.  It really is mega healthy although fellow blogger Natasha and her The Nourishing Road is often urging us to eat more fat.  My gravel, today, contains muesli, wheat germ, ground flaxseed, a few sunflower and pumpkin seeds, a nectarine and some natural yogurt.  No milk, just mixed with tap water to soften the gravel a little.  My smoothie today is pineapple, apple, banana and coconut millk.

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Upgrading brake cables

Posted on 26 August, 2012 by doug
Becky learning about handlebar moustaches

The main bug-bear with Becky’s bike, her Birthday Bike Project in the form of a vintage Argos 531c bike, is the brakes being too stiff and awkward.  Our first step was to replace the levers with some well designed Sram levers which are of considerable ergonomic advantage for petite hands.  These new levers were certainly and improvement on the original Shimano 600 levers but still the brakes weren’t easy for Becky to handle.

We talked this over in the LBS who suggested some better cables and this made sense.  We got some KBLE inner cables (they’re French) and some new outers which are lined.  The cables are actually stainless steel and feel considerably smoother than the normal cables.  The plastic lined outer cable made the new KBLEs very smooth, especially with a little dribble of Dry Lube. Click here for this cable on Wiggle.

Carrying out this little upgrade was pretty straight forward and you might remember from previous posts that Becky is expected to learn about bikes as we gradually upgrade the bike.  Our first step was unravelling the handlebar tape in order to access the old cables.  It was at this point Becky acquired her new (handlebar?) moustache and at that point I realised we weren’t going to have a serious bike lesson – but who cares?  Cycling needs to be full of enjoyment for a 14 year old girl who is gaining confidence in her own abilities on the bike; why get her bogged down in the technicalities and end up putting her off cycling?

This upgrade cost less than £10 and has made a real difference to the ease and smoothness of the brakes.  The previous cables , although new, were cheap, rough and unlined which then contributed to the brakes being hard to pull.  I think getting the length of the outer cable is important so the curves in the outer as it bends itself from the handlebars need to be a gradual curve, not too tight.

While this upgrade appears to have been an improvement, it’s still not perfect as the springs in the callipers (Shimano 600) are very strong but I think this is about as good as it gets.  I’d really recommend this as a fairly cheap way of upgrading your brakes.  In any event, the older and drier a cable is, the higher the chance that the nipple will eventually break away so an upgrade like this is almost routine serving.

Peeling off the handlebar tape
threading the new cables through the levers
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