Your rants here.

wolfsbane2k

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

A couple of weeks ago they finally got round to repairing a stretch of road that wouldn't have been out of place in Baghdad. I saw them take out a bag of what looked like ready made bitmac and pat it down with a shovel. This lasted for a matter of days and is now as bad as it was before.

It must have been "patched" up 5 or 6 times now. If they'd just repaired the patches properly 1st time around it would have saved them money in the long run.

To be fair to drivers, I never get any stick cycling primary down there as the holes are so big the cars/busses need to avoid them.

PFI init - paid by repair, not by quality of repair.

wolfsbane2k

Dinyull wrote:

So, recently the council have added 2 cycle lanes to a stretch of road on my commute. Great, you'd think. Only the thick f*ckers have done it to a 2 lane road that is barely wide enough for 2 lanes of traffic, meaning when cars pass each other in opposite directions they need to use the cycle lanes.

I can only think that they plan on making it a 1 way road.

No, what they have done is "pandered to the cyclists demands" by using magic paint that delivery absolutely sod all other than a feeling of "we've done something - but actually being there is potentially worse than not being there, as as you'll probably need to ride outside of it to avoid potholes etc so drivers will now "legitimately" be able to rant at you to get out of the road and into the cycle lane..

Worth finding your local cycle campaign group and providing feedback to them as well as directly to the council.

dinyull

There are road works further along that road at the minute, so that's why I'm thinking they might be changing to one way. It's not really a heavily used stretch, so could see it without casing problems.

But yes, once the works have stopped and if it hasn't been made into 1 way I'll send off an email with pics

cruff

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

A couple of weeks ago they finally got round to repairing a stretch of road that wouldn't have been out of place in Baghdad. I saw them take out a bag of what looked like ready made bitmac and pat it down with a shovel. This lasted for a matter of days and is now as bad as it was before.

It must have been "patched" up 5 or 6 times now. If they'd just repaired the patches properly 1st time around it would have saved them money in the long run.

To be fair to drivers, I never get any stick cycling primary down there as the holes are so big the cars/busses need to avoid them.

Careful what you wish for...

In Lancashire, repairing a road 'properly' involves topdressing it - which wouldn't actually be that terrible a solution, if it was done properly, by people who knew what they were doing. Instead, it's done by unskilled, itinerant mouth-breathers who don't have the skill, desire or wherewithal to do a proper job, and leave the carriageway absolutely f***ed for months afterward

Nellyspania

zebulebu wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

A couple of weeks ago they finally got round to repairing a stretch of road that wouldn't have been out of place in Baghdad. I saw them take out a bag of what looked like ready made bitmac and pat it down with a shovel. This lasted for a matter of days and is now as bad as it was before.

It must have been "patched" up 5 or 6 times now. If they'd just repaired the patches properly 1st time around it would have saved them money in the long run.

To be fair to drivers, I never get any stick cycling primary down there as the holes are so big the cars/busses need to avoid them.

Careful what you wish for...

In Lancashire, repairing a road 'properly' involves topdressing it - which wouldn't actually be that terrible a solution, if it was done properly, by people who knew what they were doing. Instead, it's done by unskilled, itinerant mouth-breathers who don't have the skill, desire or wherewithal to do a proper job, and leave the carriageway absolutely f***ed for months afterward

It depends on the gangs hired, round our way we get some that do a reasonable job but plenty of dodgy ones.
The summer before last a stretch of road got kitty-littered and two weeks later another gang were down there spraying marker paint round the potholes again.

Man Of Lard

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

PFI init - paid by repair, not by quality of repair.

It's actually a symptom of a department being run by an accountant - say a temporary repair is £50, proper repair £500 - if he can defer the proper repair long enough by using the cornflake infill then he can look like he's saved money this fiscal period. Looks like an arse next one but he might have been sacked by then...

dinyull

I get the cheap infil when they are little pot holes, but some of those on this street are 6+ inches deep and a foot+ wide.

captain_kirk

Man Of Lard wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

PFI init - paid by repair, not by quality of repair.

It's actually a symptom of a department being run by an accountant - say a temporary repair is £50, proper repair £500 - if he can defer the proper repair long enough by using the cornflake infill then he can look like he's saved money this fiscal period. Looks like an ars* next one but he might have been sacked by then...

Oy! As an accountant I resent that! I look at the long term financial viability of a project before recommending a solution (to management, who then usually ignore the recommendation and do something completely stupid!)

Tashman

Man Of Lard wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

PFI init - paid by repair, not by quality of repair.

It's actually a symptom of a department being run by an accountant - say a temporary repair is £50, proper repair £500 - if he can defer the proper repair long enough by using the cornflake infill then he can look like he's saved money this fiscal period. Looks like an ars* next one but he might have been sacked by then...

Rude! If the business case surrounding it were sound then it would be looked at for approval

Tashman

Captain_Kirk wrote:

Man Of Lard wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Oh and also, why can't councils repair pot holes PROPERLY?

PFI init - paid by repair, not by quality of repair.

It's actually a symptom of a department being run by an accountant - say a temporary repair is £50, proper repair £500 - if he can defer the proper repair long enough by using the cornflake infill then he can look like he's saved money this fiscal period. Looks like an ars* next one but he might have been sacked by then...

Oy! As an accountant I resent that! I look at the long term financial viability of a project before recommending a solution (to management, who then usually ignore the recommendation and do something completely stupid!)

this is ringing many bels! The joys of public sector finance

bendertherobot

Sigma won't price match Assos. Cos Assos are the supplier. That's understandable I guess.

wolfsbane2k

Rant at self. Have ridden 80 miles/4 days since before xmas.
OH can drive again from middle of next week, and I'm not feeling up for the riding again - today was supposed to be a "test day", but gave up the idea due to poor nights sleep.
Need to inspire myself to rule 5.

vpnikolov

Veronese68 wrote:

Idiots driving and using their phones. Just walked down the road to get lunch and a woman drove across the zebra crossing I was on whilst looking down and typing into her phone. I'd seen her coming and clocked she was looking down so hung back anticipating it. Drivers window was open so as she passed I yelled "Oi!!!" really loudly followed by "get off your phone *****". Definitely made her jump because the brakes came on and the car had a wobble, shame she was well clear of the crossing by the time she realised. Total and utter phucktard. Driving a DPD van. Considering emailing them but they will always certainly ignore it.

Got pushed ridiculously close to the kerb this morning by some nut looking down at his phone (road was narrowing down). The phone was not in his lap as well!!! Put to charge near the gear stick. Sadly the traffic light ahead did not catch him, otherwise I would have had a word. :x

bendertherobot

Wiggle, immediate paypal credit when return processed.

Merlin, we'll issue your refund within 10 days.

bendertherobot

CRC next day only works if actually dispatched

bendertherobot

Mates who come back from the LBS raving about the discounts on bikes. Only for me to point out that the bike is a) rrp b) available elsewhere on sale and c) the carbon wheels are nothing to rave about

bendertherobot

Sport, specifically rugby. Cause and effect.

Wales have shunned 9 points in this game, they could be another 9 up by now.

No

they

could

not

sswiss

It's the inconvenience really.

In a secured bike park at work I leave a beater fixie for running around town at Lunchtimes it had a battered old Brooks Professional, I mean battered, and a £7 seat pin.

Brooks and Pin stolen over the weekend.....bolted, not quick release, so they turned up tooled for the job.

Asking security to check any camera footage......yeah not holding my breath.

w@nk3r5

rolf_f

sswiss wrote:

It's the inconvenience really.

In a secured bike park at work I leave a beater fixie for running around town at Lunchtimes it had a battered old Brooks Professional, I mean battered, and a £7 seat pin.

Brooks and Pin stolen over the weekend.....bolted, not quick release, so they turned up tooled for the job.

"Tooled up for the job"? You mean they had a set of allen keys?!! TBH, anyone who knows enough to value a serviceable Brooks Professional is probably going to have a set of allen keys lying around.

Not that it helps now but it might be worth investing in a cheap waterproof cover - Clas Ohlsen sell them for a few quid. Keeps the water off and makes the saddle look very anonymous. And if your old one crops up on Ebay it should be easy to spot.

sswiss

Rolf F wrote:

sswiss wrote:

It's the inconvenience really.

In a secured bike park at work I leave a beater fixie for running around town at Lunchtimes it had a battered old Brooks Professional, I mean battered, and a £7 seat pin.

Brooks and Pin stolen over the weekend.....bolted, not quick release, so they turned up tooled for the job.

"Tooled up for the job"? You mean they had a set of allen keys?!! TBH, anyone who knows enough to value a serviceable Brooks Professional is probably going to have a set of allen keys lying around.

Not that it helps now but it might be worth investing in a cheap waterproof cover - Clas Ohlsen sell them for a few quid. Keeps the water off and makes the saddle look very anonymous. And if your old one crops up on Ebay it should be easy to spot.

It was under a waterproof cover; a Crappy one with advertising, which was discarded, as were a couple of others in the bike park, Tooled up - Not allen keys, it was bolted so a couple of adjustable spanners would have been required, though I guess they will have had Allen keys also - Regardless, it was stolen.

MrSweary

Flu - proper flu. God it's awful. Throw in a three year old. Much much worse.

Plus what you forget is that once the main flu goes you have a further week of feeling as weak as kitten. Yay.

wolfsbane2k

Raleigh appear to have twigged that everyone is using their pannier mount for moon lights as the Laa885 is not available anymore.

veronese68

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Raleigh appear to have twigged that everyone is using their pannier mount for moon lights as the Laa885 is not available anymore.

There are currently 6 available here.

wolfsbane2k

Veronese68 wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Raleigh appear to have twigged that everyone is using their pannier mount for moon lights as the Laa885 is not available anymore.

There are currently 6 available here.

Ah yes, I'd forgotten I'd seen those. "not available any more" should be "not available without price gouging anymore" - they used to be £3 a piece, and when i bought one a month ago, they were £2.
Halfords 3rd party reseller's just dropped the price again to £4 + £3 postage... gah.

Old_Cranky

A pair of motorcycle nutters on superbikes racing each other on the cycle highway yesterday evening, from the Blackfriars service tunnel to Upper Thames St.

redvee

Veronese68 wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Raleigh appear to have twigged that everyone is using their pannier mount for moon lights as the Laa885 is not available anymore.

There are currently 6 available here.

That bracket doesn't fit all racks. My Tortec has a single central hole so I use the belt clip and a cable tie through the bottom to stop it going walkies in the bike shed at work and recharge it on the bike as I've got a plug socket near the rear of where the bike lives in my flat.

wolfsbane2k

redvee wrote:

That bracket doesn't fit all racks. My Tortec has a single central hole so I use the belt clip and a cable tie through the bottom to stop it going walkies in the bike shed at work and recharge it on the bike as I've got a plug socket near the rear of where the bike lives in my flat.

Oh, I know they're not for all racks, but I got one for my existing tortec super tourist DX rack and have just bought an identical rack for n+1, so wanted another.
I've got no plug where I store my bike, so it's got to be a removable light if rechargable.

kingstongraham

Key broke in my bike lock.

dinyull

Rant on behalf of my sister-in-law; they're getting married in May, and like our wedding her mother has promised to pay for her wedding dress.

She got a call last week asking when the dress needs to be paid for, as they're struggling for money at the minute. A few days later she announces they've booked to go away to Florida later in the year and her partner has just bought a new £2k+ bike.

mattsaw

Complaining about prioritising a bike over a wedding dress?

Mumsnet is that way --->