Your rants here.

menthel

Wheelspinner wrote:

itboffin wrote:

What have you done to your neck that's so permanent you've had to sell up?

Broke it 3 years ago, knocked off bike.

Fracture has healed ok I'm told, except I am now getting relentless pinched nerve issues in neck and shoulders which just will not cope with a road bike position. Tilting head back/up to see where I'm going is nigh on impossible for more than 3 minutes now.

I'm still (just) getting by on an MTB set up for road use.

How about a recumbent?

Kieran_Burns

menthel wrote:

Wheelspinner wrote:

itboffin wrote:

What have you done to your neck that's so permanent you've had to sell up?

Broke it 3 years ago, knocked off bike.

Fracture has healed ok I'm told, except I am now getting relentless pinched nerve issues in neck and shoulders which just will not cope with a road bike position. Tilting head back/up to see where I'm going is nigh on impossible for more than 3 minutes now.

I'm still (just) getting by on an MTB set up for road use.

How about a recumbent?

Which I have to admit was my first thought as well. You could even fashion a head restraint to relieve neck pressure even more

Medders

Why do some idiots think that they need massive high powered illumination for city commuting? Recent example was the complete tool the other day had two massive exposure six pack type lights on his handlebars. I was on my motorbike and he was sat behind me at lights near Elephant and Castle - I was completely blinded by the reflection in my wing mirrors. When challenged politely about it he claimed they were for his safety. Tool. Blinding other road users is not safe for anyone. Mind you I had identified him as a tool before I even saw the lights as he had one of those ridiculous "I'm looking for confrontation" cameras on a stalk attached to his helmet. The lights merely confirmed it.

Those lights are for unlit roads (where they should be angled down to avoid blinding oncoming traffic) or night trailriding. Parts of my commute are on very poorly lit rural roads and I have never felt the need for such illumination. Multiple 3 LED cateyes are just fine.

Oh and while I am ranting - those pencil like helmet lights that have clear light forwarding facing and red rear facing (exposure joystick?) hack me off too. The rear light is focused, intense and at eye level - unpleasant and distracting when it catches the eye.

roger_merriman

Medders wrote:

Why do some idiots think that they need massive high powered illumination for city commuting? Recent example was the complete tool the other day had two massive exposure six pack type lights on his handlebars. I was on my motorbike and he was sat behind me at lights near Elephant and Castle - I was completely blinded by the reflection in my wing mirrors. When challenged politely about it he claimed they were for his safety. Tool. Blinding other road users is not safe for anyone. Mind you I had identified him as a tool before I even saw the lights as he had one of those ridiculous "I'm looking for confrontation" cameras on a stalk attached to his helmet. The lights merely confirmed it.

Those lights are for unlit roads (where they should be angled down to avoid blinding oncoming traffic) or night trailriding. Parts of my commute are on very poorly lit rural roads and I have never felt the need for such illumination. Multiple 3 LED cateyes are just fine.

Oh and while I am ranting - those pencil like helmet lights that have clear light forwarding facing and red rear facing (exposure joystick?) hack me off too. The rear light is focused, intense and at eye level - unpleasant and distracting when it catches the eye.

The knog lights I have have a dip function for the non blinding of others, dip lights up green full is blue (button)

jds_1981

Medders wrote:

Why do some idiots think that they need massive high powered illumination for city commuting?

Sometimes they're the only thing that will make you seen. I started running a magicshine after having a 25mph/car bonnet incident on lea bridge road. In this case it makes me visible against a second lane of slower moving traffic. The two smart lights and flasher were not enough. Running them does noticeably reduce the number of dodgy pullouts.
Tbh, I think there is a market for now diffuse, high power lights. Would you be happy to ride your motorbike with just a bike light or two on the front?

anonymousblackfg

Ahh I'd completely forgotten the Volvo Estate full of neanderthalls last night who deliberately swerved at me (wasn't just my imagination as two other cyclists asked if I was ok) beeping at cyclists and then as the cyclists neared them as they were parked at the front a que of traffic at some lights, they jumped them.

Staggeringly they tried to swerve into me right outside Borough Police Station. Not that the police, CPS or Judiciary would ever lift a finger...

itboffin

Wheelspinner wrote:

itboffin wrote:

What have you done to your neck that's so permanent you've had to sell up?

Broke it 3 years ago, knocked off bike.

Fracture has healed ok I'm told, except I am now getting relentless pinched nerve issues in neck and shoulders which just will not cope with a road bike position. Tilting head back/up to see where I'm going is nigh on impossible for more than 3 minutes now.

I'm still (just) getting by on an MTB set up for road use.

That sucks, I'm struggling myself with a knackered C6 and refusing to acknowledge that a replacement disc is inevitable

Lalalalalala

Medders

jds_1981 wrote:

Tbh, I think there is a market for now diffuse, high power lights. Would you be happy to ride your motorbike with just a bike light or two on the front?

Certainly agree with the former point and as regards the latter - obviously not but then the headlight on my motorbike runs on dipped so illuminates well, makes me noticeable but does not blind anyone. I could put it on full beam all the time in an attempt to ensure I am noticed but I do not as it is inconsiderate and unnecessary.

If having overly bright lights in well lit urban areas works for you please be considerate to other road users and run them dipped (per Roger's point above if the facility is there) or angled slightly down towards the road. The bloke I was ranting about had done neither of these things.

Whilst I particularly noticed this when on my motorbike due to the wing mirrors, when on my bike it is a lot less annoying (no wing mirrors) but still very unpleasant when shoulder-checking to get a dazzling eye-full from the bike behind.

veronese68

Medders wrote:

Whilst I particularly noticed this when on my motorbike due to the wing mirrors, when on my bike it is a lot less annoying (no wing mirrors) but still very unpleasant when shoulder-checking to get a dazzling eye-full from the bike behind.

Easy solution is to ride an older motorbike. I used to use an old Bonneville, predated requirements to have mirrors. No point fitting them anyway as you wouldn't be able to see anything due to the wild vibration. Shoulder checks were the order of the day.

Big_Paul

Dog walkers, why do you decide to have some sort of meeting on an unlit greenway and stand in the middle of the path in black clothing whilst your equally dark mutts run around uncontrolled? I know I don't like dogs but I imagine taking a Marathon Winter in the face at 15mph would not be pleasant for a hound.

Seriously, if people rant about cyclists wearing hi-viz, surely the same should apply to pedestrians in rural areas and unlit paths?

Wheelspinner

Kieran_Burns wrote:

menthel wrote:

How about a recumbent?

Which I have to admit was my first thought as well. You could even fashion a head restraint to relieve neck pressure even more

A recumbent??





On a more serious note, The Experts have declared me unsuitable for surgical repairs, as the problems are more the result of accelerated arthritis in the cervical spine area, and the likelihood of an operation being able to "fix" that is low and not worth the risk. The discs aren't the issue. Yet, anyway.

cruff

Old Kent Road you are ridiculous

Back in Laaandon Taaahn over the weekend to see a gig and took the bike down to ride my old stomping grounds. Pleasant meander through the Surrey/Kent borders followed by a ride back into town through the wastelands of Catford, Lewisham and New Cross. Then up the OKR just for grins.

Jesus wept. Three imbeciles in the space of 1000 metres stepped straight into the road in front of me, a woman uses her pushchair as an early warning system looking for traffic against a red pedestrian light, and then some pillock in a little red van decides he's not going to wait to pull out in front of the car in the outside lane and cuts across me, wing mirror bouncing painfully off my elbow. Cue mouthful of abuse from him until I put my cleat straight into his side panel at the next set of lights. The first time I've truly lost my rag in years.

asprilla

WFH today.

Except I'm on a train on the way to the office because my password change yesterday hasn't synced to my phone, iPad or Outlook Web Access.

Stupid technology.

dyrlac

Last night around 930 pm making good time westbound down New Kings Road just before Parsons Green. Holding 20mph or so in the bomb cratered green paint cycle lane (obviously an error), I sense some agitation behind me, and sure enough when I shoulder check, see a white Fiat Punto, swerving to pass, which he does, only to immediately indicate and turn left down Coniger Road across my path. Fistful of brakes (once again glad I've kept the rear brake on the Plug), gentle tap with my front tyre on his left hand door. I stay upright, he speeds off. Irritating thing was to spy an (empty) bike rack strapped to the back of his hatchback.

redvee

Lost the red light to a taxi that used my slow speed, rolling to the red light, as an excuse to overtake within 30 feet of the lights and get into the ASL before me. The passenger in the back wasn't too impressed with my helmet light shining in the rear window though.

MrSweary

Wife managed to wash my Garmin 800 and TraceR rear light (Normally I wash my own kit.) Garmin survived, TraceR didn't. Partial rant.

secretsam

Stupidly noisy motorbikes in London, ridden by utter asswipes with zero consideration for anyone else. And, thanks to that cretinous t055pot of a Mayor, then can go in bus lanes. What a collective bunch of tools.

rikj99

Nearly got taken out by 'Fellow Cyclist' passing him on the right he decides he wants to turn right with no indication at all. Pulls into the side of me. Luckily I can ride my bike and maintain balance, he topples off and then proceeds to shout at me saying I am dead!!!!

I would have stopped to see if he was ok, but this abuse put me off, so I carried on. To the man who made the mistake in Manchester, Learn how to Ride safely.

Manc33

You're not dead, you're here.

He will probably take it out on his wife or dog tonight. :roll:

PS strong post count to join date ratio :P

fatsmoker

Heating has been turned off at work. It's bloody freezing and my kit won't dry before the ride home.

aclivity

Got called something unprintable this morning.

I was doing 20mph - in a 20mph section - and was only on the road for 100 yards.

I may pop round to the guy who called me the name this morning, as he only lives a few doors down, to explain.

gingaman

aclivity wrote:

I may pop round to the guy who called me the name this morning, as he only lives a few doors down, to explain.

Did he recognise you before he shouted? Maybe he thought he was being funny?

dhope

Saw a numpty pedestrian glued to their iPhone get dripped on by the dirty water off a window cleaner's scraper because they didn't bother to look up and see the warning signs on the pavement.

Okay, technically I was that numpty pedestrian :oops:

anonymousblackfg

Foreign trucks! Italian HGV is Streatham, close passed me then pretty much forced a Brompton Rider off the road while beeping at him while grinding towards stationary traffic.

I decided to take issue, in which I leant the Italiant neanderthal truck driver spoke little english except 'Kamakazee' and the real purpose of this Rant is that I didn't finish the shouting match by screaming "Shut up'a you face".

DrLex

*awaits Veronese to suggest which syllable of "vaffanculo!" should be stressed*

veronese68

DrLex wrote:

*awaits Veronese to suggest which syllable of "vaffanculo!" should be stressed*

Avoided the topic because my written Italian is dreadful, as is my swearing in Italian, and I was worried that Ugo would correct my obvious failings. I would stress the "va" however. That's where most of the venom should be imho.

graham.

Does Volvo/Bikeradar really think that taking over the entire page forcing me to click the damn thing away endears me to their products?

Manc33

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Foreign trucks!

Its probably illegal to even say that these days. Thankfully, illegal doesn't mean unlawful and you actually can say it (and anything else you want). A man and women I knew were both killed by a Polish truck driver while sat in a traffic jam. Truck didn't see the jam in time, they happened to be with the unlucky few cars at the very back of it.

martincroxall

Thought I heard the sound of something plastic falling off my bike. Quick check found nothing untoward so off I continue. 20 minutes later my LH crank falls off. It would appear the crank bolt (plastic bolts, surely not) was the piece falling off the bike.

First.Aspect

martincroxall wrote:

Thought I heard the sound of something plastic falling off my bike. Quick check found nothing untoward so off I continue. 20 minutes later my LH crank falls off. It would appear the crank bolt (plastic bolts, surely not) was the piece falling off the bike.

The crank is fixed on a bit like a stem. With your stem, the top cap is screwed down to preload the headset bearing, but the stem is held on by the bolts around the steerer tube.

That plastic cap from your cranks merely helps you to get the crank arm on the splines. The crank arm is then held to the spline on by bolts on the crank arm itself. If those aren't tight enough, the crank will eventually fall off.

Sorry, but I'm guessing that this is a fettling error.

When you were cycling along, didn't something feel wrong? I've had cranks come loose in the past and it feels like the bike has a broken bone. Its about as hard to miss as a flat.