Summer cyclists

[mattie]

As for lights having to be rubbish.

Not rubbish, but certainly not good enough, I'm afraid - I've tried systems costing hundreds* and they're not quite good enough down hills in the dark at 30mph.

* not mine, my mate rides in 24H mountain bike races and uses them.

 

[mauvais]

I bought the Dinotte 200L and it's OK for 30mph hills, cos I ride one every day. Two, or the 600L, would be better. It has recently malfunctioned though and now I can't seem to switch it off without disconnecting the battery.

 

[mattie]

I bought the Dinotte 200L and it's OK for 30mph hills, cos I ride one every day. Two, or the 600L, would be better. It has recently malfunctioned though and now I can't seem to switch it off without disconnecting the battery.

I borrowed a mate's stadium system and, although very bright, didn't give quite enough ahead for my liking. It may have been an old battery.

I've got a cateye lead-acid system, fine for my hack bike down lanes but not the road bike down hills. Pretty damn heavy as well, but it was all I could stretch to.

 

[mauvais]

Things have come on a lot recently. It used to be £450 for HID. Now LEDs are better and back around the £150-200 mark.

 

[gentlegreen]

Not rubbish, but certainly not good enough, I'm afraid - I've tried systems costing hundreds* and they're not quite good enough down hills in the dark at 30mph.

Make your own.

Ready-made LED spots are getting more cost-effective. - you can get a 10 watt 20 degree for £15 .... though for what you're proposing you would need rather more than that.

12v 3.7 AH NiMH - £20, charger £14, plumbing fittings, wire a few quid at B&Q ...

With that hill, sounds like you may need some serious brakes though.

May be one of those rare instances where the "4x4 option" is justifiable - or a mountain bike in this case.
.

 

[Geri]

I do see plenty of crashes in the summer caused by girls on bikes. I don't mean they are directly causing them just people who can't keep theirs eyes on the road!!

I often see girls cycling in flip flops. How do they do it without them falling off?

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

Flipflops? Pah, that's nothing.

White stilletoes and one hand taking a phone call.

On the way home with groceries.

Full Hijaab (sp?) with your mate on the back.

 

[jusali]

I go down a hill every morning but not at 30 or 45 It's a 2 mile hill and choc solid with traffic, I use my brakes, even in winter.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

I don't mind summer cyclists.The more the merrier, especially if they shout hello or smile.

Someone undertook me yesterday, with a cheery 'good morning' as he did so. Wasn't quite sure what to make of that really, daft manoeuvre, nice gesture

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm having to dodge at least one incompetent cyclist every day now - mind you it's been getting worse, year on year - combination of the lycra-nutters and reluctant ex-motorists.

 

[gentlegreen]

I go down a hill every morning but not at 30 or 45 It's a 2 mile hill and choc solid with traffic, I use my brakes, even in winter.

I just checked and my main daily hill is about 0.5 miles.

I don't think I ever exceeded 20mph even with big cogs... I can't remember the last time I actually pedalled - it's only a narrow "advisory" cycle lane now.

The drag coefficient of my vast bulk and flappy clothes slows me down I think. - air brakes.

 

[baldrick]

I generally only ride in the summer as my bloody brakes only work in the dry. It also gets dark too quickly in winter, and my lights are shite. And my bike won't take mudguards so I get covered in crap.

Come to think of it, why do people ride in the winter?

this will be me come october.

only just started cycling to work, but there are 2 or 3 quite steep roads that atm are quite fun to hurtle down in a if-anything-bad-happens-i-won't-be-able-to-stop kinda way.

they really won't be fun in the winter, at the moment i can avoid the ruts in the road and see way ahead of me, in the dark i would be taking my life in my hands i think.

and if it's wet, there's no way i'm going to risk it.

 

[Hellsbells]

Loads of teenagers seem to be out on their bikes at the moment and they're bloody dangerous. They just swerve all over the place and don't seem to have any idea how to ride safely on the roads. I've had several near crashes this last week bcos of stupid cyclists who don't know what they're doing

And yeah, I much prefer cycling in cooler weather. I hate over-heating and find it hard to cycle fast when it's hot.

 

[knatchbull]

It'll hurt, I can tell you.

This road is on the same hill as the largest one which I live on - Lansdown Hill. I include it to show the gradient. It's around 1 and a half miles long, although not continuous. I've hit 45mph down it.


This is one of the hills down from the University, this is actually the shallowest part and it's quite near the bottom (the canal bridge is just round the corner). The other two roads (North Road and Widcombe Hill) are steeper in places, a bit shorter but narrower and poorly lit. This one has all the buses on and most of the traffic (it's the only one signposted) , so I tend to avoid.

Ah happy memories of the perilous routes I used to take when I was younger - I went to school on North Road in Bath and regularly used to speed down it, also Bathwick and Lansdown Hills - now being sensible I'm far more cautious

 

[mattie]

Ah happy memories of the perilous routes I used to take when I was younger - I went to school on North Road in Bath and regularly used to speed down it, also Bathwick and Lansdown Hills - now being sensible I'm far more cautious

I've lost track of how many times I've nearly flattened a King Edward's sixth-former sneaking across the road to the fields for a crafty fag!

The hills are agony to ride up, and terrifying to ride down.

 

[ChrisFilter]

Blimin fair weather cyclists.

1 week of public transport when my bike broke and I bought a new bike.

Yeah, but my public transport commute is so easy as to almost be a pleasure.

 

[Miss-Shelf]

boris sprinkler
are these your own collection of women cycling?

 

[Geri]

On the way home with groceries.

Is that Nikki from Big Brother?

 

[gentlegreen]

What I don't get is that if she's daft enough to want to wear restrictive clothes and stupid shoes, presumably she doesn't want to damage them ?

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

boris sprinkler
are these your own collection of women cycling?

LOL. Nah they are from a mates blog.
Http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com

I doubt it is nicki from big brother. Just an average girl in the city.

It doesn't ruin your clothing either. I ride to work in a suit and winkle picker shoes everyday. When its raining or snowing I wear waterproofs over the top.

 

[Geri]

I ride to work in a suit and winkle picker shoes everyday. When its raining or snowing I wear waterproofs over the top.

What - and sit around all day in your sweaty clothes? Ewwww.

 

[gentlegreen]

Thinking about it, I have a colleague who cycles in his working clothes - only a few miles though and downhill on the way in.
I suspect he takes it easy too.

For myself, it's two half hour gym sessions and I expect to work up a decent sweat - and I dress accordingly.

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

What - and sit around all day in your sweaty clothes? Ewwww.

Only if you sweat

A couple of miles in 15 minutes doesn't really do it for me, even on the hottest days here. What's the rush?
We have cycle lanes and gorgeous scenery. Plus some of the areas of town have so many cyclists going through them, you're forced to go at a leisurely pace.

eta:

This is a video showing the evening rush hour over Knippelsbro (the only hill i deal with on my ride to work. I say hill, i mean Gradiant - it's a bridge).



Then you can see what i mean. Look at the people chatting as they ride. I would say by the clothes it's probably from about May sometime. Check out the hotdog seller at 1.50

And here's the same bridge in 1935:

 

[gentlegreen]

Amazing !

He doesn't even appear to have a wing mirror .

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

Amazing !

He doesn't even appear to have a wing mirror .

Technically he is supposed to walk with it.