Your rants here.
Comments
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Got home to find some scratbag had tried to break into the garage. :twisted: :evil: :? :evil: Only noticed originally because it wouldnt open properly!
Crowbar marks down the side, but thankfully the door is rather tough and they appear to have been disturbed, because they didn't get in.Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Is it an up and over door? Get some of these. I've got them on mine and all any would be thief could do is to literally fold the door below the locks and climb through the gap. That or hack off the frame either side.Got home to find some scratbag had tried to break into the garage. :twisted: :evil: :? :evil: Only noticed originally because it wouldnt open properly!
Crowbar marks down the side, but thankfully the door is rather tough and they appear to have been disturbed, because they didn't get in.0 -
Is it an up and over door? Get some of these. I've got them on mine and all any would be thief could do is to literally fold the door below the locks and climb through the gap. That or hack off the frame either side.Got home to find some scratbag had tried to break into the garage. :twisted: :evil: :? :evil: Only noticed originally because it wouldnt open properly!
Crowbar marks down the side, but thankfully the door is rather tough and they appear to have been disturbed, because they didn't get in.
Yep, up and over. Thankfully it is a well reinforced door, with 4 point locks already, so they had it against them! Mogt add a few more just for Fuck you ness! CCTV system being installed Sunday as well, been meaning to do it for a while as a little secludedIntent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Got home to find some scratbag had tried to break into the garage. :twisted: :evil: :? :evil: Only noticed originally because it wouldnt open properly!
Crowbar marks down the side, but thankfully the door is rather tough and they appear to have been disturbed, because they didn't get in.
Apparently Claymore mines have been sanctioned by Portsmouth council. thoroughly recommendedWaterloo - White City
Cannondale Quick Carbon 1 2016
Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 3 26" (Lefty)
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Claymores might be a bit excessive. I'd rather apply 2000v between door & floor and record it for prosperity.Got home to find some scratbag had tried to break into the garage. :twisted: :evil: :? :evil: Only noticed originally because it wouldnt open properly!
Crowbar marks down the side, but thankfully the door is rather tough and they appear to have been disturbed, because they didn't get in.
Apparently Claymore mines have been sanctioned by Portsmouth council. thoroughly recommendedIntent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
I had a Cannondale RZ121 nicked in early 2012. My fault as I's put it in the car for an early start on the Sunday. car got broken into and bike gone. Faker missed the Garmin and Exposure lights, but still, the bike meant more to me than my kids..
that said, I replaced it with a Scalpel, so turned into a result.
that said, Claymore's are a rational and legitimate response to any scrote trying to nick your bike...Waterloo - White City
Cannondale Quick Carbon 1 2016
Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 3 26" (Lefty)0 -
Went into Christmas holiday without a problem. Since coming back after my two weeks off, where I didn't cycle:
- Pain in the right knee when cycling - gradients are painful! Low gear all the time.
You probably need to stretch your IT band. A google search will reveal all. I have to do my left side daily to manage karate and cycling.
Thanks - I'll have a look.Cannondale CAADX Tiagra 2017
Revolution Courier Race Disc '14
My Strava0 -
Rear guard broke on the way home tonight, not got time to get down to Evans/Cycle Republic/Cycle Surgery in the morning and fit a new one so will drill a hole in the errant section and bolt it together at the brake bridge. Only need it to last 20 miles for tomorrow then I can fit and buy a new one on Wednesday or Thursday.I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
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Freehub is skipping frequently - ordered a new one arrived yesterday. Yay! Thought I'd have time to sort it last night. New freehub came with it's own adapter socket as well. Sorted.
Dismantled rear wheel, axle, chainset, bearings etc., pick up adapter only to find I don't have an 8mm hex key needed for the 11mm adapter! Doh! Tried screwdrivers etc - nothing doing.
Finally had to give up and reassemble everything with the old freehub still on. :evil:
...then this morning -4°C gears froze solid in 3rd again. Think there must be water in the cable.
Cannondale CAADX Tiagra 2017
Revolution Courier Race Disc '14
My Strava0 -
Why is it people feel the need to say 'you should dismount' or 'get off your bike' on shared use cycle lanes, even when you stop to give them right of way!
Bunch of thick, ungrateful twerps.0 -
Puncture under Blackfriars bridge. Not ideal. Fixed it.
Turns out it is a sidewalk puncture. Brake is rubbing against tyre. A week old GP4 season tyre.
Bizarrely seems the new 105 brakes I put on it don't quite have the reach - despite working for 9 months no problem.
Also might be caused by a dent in the rim. Might be related, might not.
Rim isn't even a year old.
Was a cold day to find all this out.0 -
Puncture under Blackfriars bridge. Not ideal. Fixed it.
Turns out it is a sidewalk puncture. Brake is rubbing against tyre. A week old GP4 season tyre.
Bizarrely seems the new 105 brakes I put on it don't quite have the reach - despite working for 9 months no problem.
Also might be caused by a dent in the rim. Might be related, might not.
Rim isn't even a year old.
Was a cold day to find all this out.
Sounds like you need a new bike. (That is the correct response to any minor mechanical, correct?)RIP commute...
Sometimes seen bimbling around on a purple Fratello Disc or black and red Aprire Vincenza.0 -
Puncture under Blackfriars bridge. Not ideal. Fixed it.
Turns out it is a sidewalk puncture. Brake is rubbing against tyre. A week old GP4 season tyre.
Bizarrely seems the new 105 brakes I put on it don't quite have the reach - despite working for 9 months no problem.
Also might be caused by a dent in the rim. Might be related, might not.
Rim isn't even a year old.
Was a cold day to find all this out.
Is your wheel really properly in your dropouts?Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.0 -
I've knackered fairly new tyres a couple of times by badly adjusting brakes. +1 for disc brakes...Puncture under Blackfriars bridge. Not ideal. Fixed it.
Turns out it is a sidewalk puncture. Brake is rubbing against tyre. A week old GP4 season tyre.
Bizarrely seems the new 105 brakes I put on it don't quite have the reach - despite working for 9 months no problem.
Also might be caused by a dent in the rim. Might be related, might not.
Rim isn't even a year old.
Was a cold day to find all this out.FCN 9 || FCN 50 -
Small cut in my back tyre has now started to get bigger, and to bulge. The tyre's only done 900 miles, and there's plenty of tread left. Are tyre boots suitable for long term usage?1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Small cut in my back tyre has now started to get bigger, and to bulge. The tyre's only done 900 miles, and there's plenty of tread left. Are tyre boots suitable for long term usage?
I wouldn't, I can feel them as I ride and it is very annoying for anything other than to get home!
what tyre is it?www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes0 -
CS2 and anyone who wanted the changes (including Boris, TFL, Meeres, London Cycling Campaign).
Why?
1) 12 months on from construction beginning, it is still carnage (in fact its probably worse than ever). Completed sections remain barriered off. Huge sections under construction with zero consideration for how cyclists might be able to safely get from A to B.
2) its just not fit for purpose - where it could easily have taken a nice wide straight route (to maintain a bus lane, a traffic lane, avoid removing trees, provide for loading bays, widen for traffic lights) it weaves in and out, sometimes sharply, it goes from road level to pavement level on random sections, the transition allowing you to gain "air" at any reasonable pace.
3) The traffic lights are perfectly timed now to ensure you cannot progress from one light to the next without a huge probability of hitting a red- why they don't time them to keep cyclists flowing I'll never know.
4) Traffic light red duration - these have all increased. The motivation seems to be to a) allow pedestrians more time to cross (and they'll still wait until its green for traffic), b) to give more time to traffic emerging from side streets, c) to ensure no two directions of traffic are ever travelling at the same time and d) ensure cyclists stay on red as long as possible (see 5)
5) New cyclist safe traffic light junctions - these involve a bike lane that keeps left. Then a left lane. Then a straight/right lane. Cyclists get a green with the straight lane. But after a short period the cyclist lane goes red. Traffic still gets to proceed as does the left turning traffic. Cyclists therefore either wait an age for the next small window of opportunity or cycle with the traffic.
6) lane width - in many parts this is sufficient for 1.5 bikes. See the issue? Certain bits have "wands" to separate the bike lane from the traffic. Except the wands aren't position on the white line. No they're 3-4 inches into the cycle lane. Clever. You end up sitting stuck behind people going at 10mph freewheeling and occasionally pedalling.
7) bike lane enforcement - none, none whatsoever. Pedestrians step into it, walk in it, throw rubbish in it. Cars park in it. Lorries unload in it.
8) Left hook opportunity - approaching a junction (of which there are many) you are penned in. Directed directly to the left hook point. Cars no longer have bikes in their lane, so just turn. Its as if you are not part of the road anymore and they don't have to observe you. Previously you could position yourself. Forecast = increase in left hooks.
Basically the whole thing is ill conceived, ill planned, and rushed (with the exception of actually progressing it), and in no way is it super highway in any fashion, nor will it be.
And it infuriates me, as its the best of a bad bunch of ways to commute in, and I can barely average 15mph any more, adding 5-10 minutes to every journey.0 -
Hazard lights are for emergencies. Like when your car breaks down.
They are not "I'm too lazy to walk from the nearest parking spot so I'll just leave it here" lights.0 -
Idiot on a racer at 6:15 this morning going the wrong way down a one way street with no lights on, and was surprised when a car pulled out and almost hit him.
He then had the heart to shout like feck at the driver for not looking.
No wonder some drivers hate us!Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Idiot on a racer at 6:15 this morning going the wrong way down a one way street with no lights on, and was surprised when a car pulled out and almost hit him.
He then had the heart to shout like feck at the driver for not looking.
No wonder some drivers hate us!
Though for every incident like this, there must be several like mine this morning, where a twunt in a big mercedes doesn't stop at the stop line, but pulls sharply to a halt most of the way across the cycle lane (CS7, so lots of bright blue paint), indicating a right turn, but looking to his left, i.e. not at traffic oncoming in the lane he is about to cross. Sharp brake from me means I don't ruin his door/front wing or more likely my face. I have 2 front lights on, and in any case, it's daylight, it's clear, it's not raining. I tap on his window (he is still looking left), he startles, I indicate by pointing at my eyes he should be looking more carefully, so he winds down his window and calls me all the cnuts under the sun for touching his fcuking car, then tells me I shouldn't be on the road, then wheelspins away into a gap to join a traffic jam 20 feet away. Middle aged guy in a suit. :roll:
Barely even riles me anymore, though today was worse than most, I expect it, try my best to anticipate it, and try to maintain zen so as not to get arrested for assaulting every pr*ck that does it.
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Small cut in my back tyre has now started to get bigger, and to bulge. The tyre's only done 900 miles, and there's plenty of tread left. Are tyre boots suitable for long term usage?
I wouldn't, I can feel them as I ride and it is very annoying for anything other than to get home!
what tyre is it?
Giant P-SL2 in 700x28c format. Bought when they were selling them for silly prices at Rutland cycling (£7.50 if I remember correctly). Nice tyres, but a bit too fragile for daily commuting. I've never actually worn one out properly. Had the sidewall go on one, unrepairable gash in another (after 300 miles), and now this cut.
Ironically, the most durable commuting tyre I've ever used is the Continental GP4000s. They go on forever, and grip like nothing else. Trouble is, they're just too expensive really to justify.
Not sure what I'll go for as a replacement. Has to be 28c sized and not cost more than £15, as I'm a tight wad when it comes to my commuting bike.....1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Idiot on a racer at 6:15 this morning going the wrong way down a one way street with no lights on, and was surprised when a car pulled out and almost hit him.
He then had the heart to shout like feck at the driver for not looking.
No wonder some drivers hate us!
Though for every incident like this, there must be several like mine this morning, where a twunt in a big mercedes doesn't stop at the stop line, but pulls sharply to a halt most of the way across the cycle lane (CS7, so lots of bright blue paint), indicating a right turn, but looking to his left, i.e. not at traffic oncoming in the lane he is about to cross. Sharp brake from me means I don't ruin his door/front wing or more likely my face. I have 2 front lights on, and in any case, it's daylight, it's clear, it's not raining. I tap on his window (he is still looking left), he startles, I indicate by pointing at my eyes he should be looking more carefully, so he winds down his window and calls me all the cnuts under the sun for touching his fcuking car, then tells me I shouldn't be on the road, then wheelspins away into a gap to join a traffic jam 20 feet away. Middle aged guy in a suit. :roll:
Barely even riles me anymore, though today was worse than most, I expect it, try my best to anticipate it, and try to maintain zen so as not to get arrested for assaulting every pr*ck that does it.
Oh indeed, they are driver twunts out there as well; to quote myself from last weekSilly woman pulled out of side road onto the main road across a cycle lane without clearing her windows. Bus to the right of me, mini to the left, so the mini got it. Nothing like an SPD stamp & pedal rash along your pristine paintwork to realise you should have cleared your window before pulling out into the main road!
No damage to me or bike other than another scratch on the pedals.
Today's instance was while I was walking the dog, I only just caught sight of him because the dog went all nervy.
It's a bit of hatred on both sides :oops: :roll: :twisted: :evil:Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Small cut in my back tyre has now started to get bigger, and to bulge. The tyre's only done 900 miles, and there's plenty of tread left. Are tyre boots suitable for long term usage?
I wouldn't, I can feel them as I ride and it is very annoying for anything other than to get home!
what tyre is it?
Giant P-SL2 in 700x28c format. Bought when they were selling them for silly prices at Rutland cycling (£7.50 if I remember correctly). Nice tyres, but a bit too fragile for daily commuting. I've never actually worn one out properly. Had the sidewall go on one, unrepairable gash in another (after 300 miles), and now this cut.
Ironically, the most durable commuting tyre I've ever used is the Continental GP4000s. They go on forever, and grip like nothing else. Trouble is, they're just too expensive really to justify.
Not sure what I'll go for as a replacement. Has to be 28c sized and not cost more than £15, as I'm a tight wad when it comes to my commuting bike.....
Having had a few gashes to my Conti GP4seasons and 4000s I didn't want to replace the otherwise perfectly good tyre - so gaffertaped a tyreboot to the inside and placed the tyre on the rear of my commuting bike - runs perfectly well - just keep an eye on it - depends how critical that commute is ...
I wouldn't put it on the front "just in case" ..0 -
Puncture under Blackfriars bridge. Not ideal. Fixed it.
Turns out it is a sidewalk puncture. Brake is rubbing against tyre. A week old GP4 season tyre.
Bizarrely seems the new 105 brakes I put on it don't quite have the reach - despite working for 9 months no problem.
Also might be caused by a dent in the rim. Might be related, might not.
Rim isn't even a year old.
Was a cold day to find all this out.
So got it back.
Too short calipers are the problem. Irritating as when I put them on I asked the mechanic specifically if they'd fit.
Basically once pads are 1/4 way through they can't reach low enough: ergo hole in sidewall.
Anyone want some fairly new 105s in black?0 -
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Has to be 28c sized and not cost more than £15, as I'm a tight wad when it comes to my commuting bike.....
There's your problem! it's a false economy, spend more and they'll last longer so you'll have to buy them much less often.
I use Michelin Pro 4 Endurance (don't do your size unfortunately) and can get 8000 to 10000 miles out of a pair, they cost more than £15 but last much much longer.www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes0 -
People still riding in shorts - it's neither big nor clever.0
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The Whitechapel Road / Mile End Road CS2 fustercluck - came in on it this morning cos I thought the canal might be a little frosty. god it is awful and seems to have made little progress in years.
just seen a jzed uber-rant above - yes, yes and yes to all his points.0 -
Cunts that spread mud on the road just as they pass you by running into the verge on a single track road.
Cue wipeout at 20mph and a lot of gravelly, muddy road rash.
Bike thankfully went cheap side down, on the other hand, I now need a new helmet. HmmIntent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Riding along on the inner of two lanes and a car moved from the outside lane to pass me very close but he did warn me of his approach with a long blast of the horn, also the car was untaxed. Will grass him up to the local plod not that I expect them to do anything.I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
