Jaysus cycling! (6 Viewers)

[jane]

Hey! Be nice. You're BOTH right. And smart. And handsome.

This is interesting:

http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/01/21/midtown-police-refuse-to-help-hit-and-run-pedicab-victim/

And obviously, this is not going to necessarily apply to Ireland, since probably as a cyclist you have NO rights, buh:

http://www.velogear.com/prodinfo.asp?number=VP LAW

 

[maims bond]

Is there any better feeling than cycling your newly serviced bike? Changed brake pads on mine yesterday, gave all a good tightening, tyres pumped, chain oiled. Running like a dream. Amazing the difference in effort you put in if your tyres are properly inflated.

Anyone avail of the tax scheme on bikes?

 

[rettucs]

Is there any better feeling than cycling your newly serviced bike? Changed brake pads on mine yesterday, gave all a good tightening, tyres pumped, chain oiled. Running like a dream. Amazing the difference in effort you put in if your tyres are properly inflated.

Anyone avail of the tax scheme on bikes?

had to get a big job done on mine at the weekend. New cog and chain, new block, new brake/gear cables. 150 squid for all that.

I wanted new calipers but they left on the ones that were there cos they have a little life in them.

I about a month I'll need to change them and get a new front wheel.

Had to get all that done around this time last year too. 5/6000 miles a year tends to do that to a bike I guess. Its like shiny new at the moment now which is great. Won't last long though.

 

[maims bond]

had to get a big job done on mine at the weekend. New cog and chain, new block, new brake/gear cables. 150 squid for all that.

I wanted new calipers but they left on the ones that were there cos they have a little life in them.

I about a month I'll need to change them and get a new front wheel.

Had to get all that done around this time last year too. 5/6000 miles a year tends to do that to a bike I guess. Its like shiny new at the moment now which is great. Won't last long though.

Holy fuck, I assume it's some weapon of a road bike? I only go in and out to work on mine then the odd trot into town at weekends. 20-25 miles a week max. I must say that my present chariot is a real stayer, haven't had a puncture or needed a gear adjustment since i bought it over 18 months ago.

 

[rettucs]

Holy fuck, I assume it's some weapon of a road bike? I only go in and out to work on mine then the odd trot into town at weekends. 20-25 miles a week max. I must say that my present chariot is a real stayer, haven't had a puncture or needed a gear adjustment since i bought it over 18 months ago.

the work bike is just a hybrid. Nothing special about it. I just clock up big miles on my commute - ~110 miles a week.

It saves me a lot of $$ on car expenses so I reckon forking out for parts for it isn't a bad investment at all.

 

[IFF]

Here, I had two real near misses this week. I dunno if either would have been *really* serious, but still. The first time I was alright. The second time I actually laughed because it was a comically close call. But then when I got home I had like a shock/panic episode. Shaking, cold sweats etc. I haven't had one of those in nearly 2 years.

I very rarely have problems on the bike. I think I try to put a lot of thought into what I'm doing. But these incidents were both 100% the other persons fault, when every other fall I had was at least partially my fault. Won't stop me cycling, it's just troubling and I wanted to share. Thanks guyz :heart:

Fuckit. January is the month of pricks. Try to remember that everybody, and mind yourselves.

guy wrote to the letters page in the irish times on saturday saying in a 50 minute cycle, he had 3 near misses

 

[rettucs]

guy wrote to the letters page in the irish times on saturday saying in a 50 minute cycle, he had 3 near misses

I saw that. My max in one cycle (approx 30 mins) is 4 incidents.

I saw a guy cycling into work this morning with a whistle in his mouth. I presume this is to blow at passing motorists that get within an asses roar of him. Only thing was, he was cycling on the footpath down by donnybrook bus station when I saw him. I tried to impede him to see if he'd blow the whistle at me, to no avail.

 

[minka]

Is there any better feeling than cycling your newly serviced bike? Changed brake pads on mine yesterday, gave all a good tightening, tyres pumped, chain oiled. Running like a dream. Amazing the difference in effort you put in if your tyres are properly inflated.

i had that very feeling this morning. i am torn between a) yaaaaay! and b) poor bike, why have i neglected you for so long, also why have i been cycling around like an eejit for ages with my bike in that state. seriously, it is like a new bike (though the only new bit is a new saddle).

 

[rettucs]

anyone done anything about the new tax thing for bikes?

I'm seriously tempted to get myself a fixie.

and a tattoo of a snake on my lower calf.

can I claim for the tattoo? Does that count? On the grounds that it will make me look cool like a bike courier.

 

[maims bond]

anyone done anything about the new tax thing for bikes?

I'm seriously tempted to get myself a fixie.

and a tattoo of a snake on my lower calf.

can I claim for the tattoo? Does that count? On the grounds that it will make me look cool like a bike courier.

I know that UCC are making it available to their staff. There's two ways of doing it: employer pays and then claims it as a tax exempt benefit in kind OR employee pays through a salary sacrifice and saves on tax that way. Essentially, you can save up to 41% (higher tax rate) on a pruchase, just depends on whether your employer is willing to shell out or if you want to do it yourself. Not sure about the tattoo but i'm sure it would cover the mohican.

 

[classic seanc]

Here, one of my pedals is about to give up the ghost any day now, I need new ones.

I have MTB pedals on my road bike, just because it's handy. Handy for my feet. My current pedals are made so that the cleats can go in on one side, but on the other side its a flat pedal so that I can cycle with normal runners on.


Do any of you know anything about mtb pedals? Can anyone foresee a problem I may have with these:
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=122&idproduct=4256

While I'm on the subject, is there any particular significant difference between road cleats and mtb cleats?

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

No reason for any problems. They have the same thread size. Just remember,if you're fitting them yourself,the left side pedal has a reverse thread so tightens anti-clockwise. A 15mm spanner should do the job. Unless they are on really tight.

 

[flashback]

nah, they are more or less the pedals I have on my commute bike.
They will be fine.


the difference between road and mtb cleats is basically the roads are generally bigger. The MTB cleats are generally small, two bolt affairs which slide up and down grooves in your shoes.
the road cleats are generally larger triangular yokes, with three bolts.
They are not interchangeable.
If you buy road shoes, you need the three holes drilled out, and the road pedals.
If you but MTB shoes, you will have the two tracks, and you will use them with MTB pedals.

 

[classic seanc]

But why are road cleats one way and mtb the other? Is it just another example of Shimano deciding to overcomplicate the relatively simple act of cycling a bicycle, or is there more to it?

 

[flashback]

emm I think its to do with relative stiffness.
So, the likes of LOOK and Time pedal cleats are wide things, and the pedal binding is wide, and that will make them more stable sort of.

Whereas the MTB pedals are made to be easy to pop out of of, pop into, and easy to hide inside the grips of a shoe. I mean, I;ve played games of football in my MTB shoes. Im sure I ripped the bollix out of the pitch, but they dont make you slip about.


If I am in my road shoes walking down steps is a mission. But.. if I was doing a hundred mile spin, I;d be looking for a pair of LOOKs and the big triangular cleat yokes.

For legging it in and out of the city though the MTB shoes and pedals hit the mark.

 

[nofunchee]

Here, one of my pedals is about to give up the ghost any day now, I need new ones.

I have MTB pedals on my road bike, just because it's handy. Handy for my feet. My current pedals are made so that the cleats can go in on one side, but on the other side its a flat pedal so that I can cycle with normal runners on.


Do any of you know anything about mtb pedals? Can anyone foresee a problem I may have with these:
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=122&idproduct=4256

While I'm on the subject, is there any particular significant difference between road cleats and mtb cleats?

i have those pedals. they're grand and sturdy. if you're wearing flat shoes with them you'll notice the protrusion of the spd yoke but you get used to it pretty quickly. also, they're 10 euro cheaper on chain reaction.

 

[Pedronimus]

emm I think its to do with relative stiffness.
So, the likes of LOOK and Time pedal cleats are wide things, and the pedal binding is wide, and that will make them more stable sort of.

yup the wideness of the pedal and stiffness of the shoe make them more efficient, so you'll go marginally quicker. I don't know if the difference is noticeable. I'm gonna switch to MTB pedals for my commute soon. Fed up clunking round.

 

[rettucs]

But why are road cleats one way and mtb the other? Is it just another example of Shimano deciding to overcomplicate the relatively simple act of cycling a bicycle, or is there more to it?

its not just road cleats being different from spds. All road cleats are pretty much different from each other, even from the same manufacturer. I use Look Keo, so my cleats will work on any pedals in that range. But Look anything else, or any other manufacturer I'd pretty much need to change my cleats.

Cleats come with pedals anyway so its not a worry really. A bit of a pain in the hole to change them all the same.

I started on spds that were sunken into the sole of my shoe (some Lake jobs that weighed a tonne). That was on a road bike. After a while I progressed onto the Looks. The difference was huge. The pressure point on your foot is more spread, which is better for distance cycling. I guess spds are the way they are so they can be sank into the sole, I supposed with cyclo-cross in mind (which involves running as well as cycling).

If you want to be able to walk in your bike shoes stick with the spds.

 

[broken arm]

thoughts?

As we look for ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and find viable transportation alternatives to the internal combustion engine, many urbanites are turning to that staple of bipedal locomotion: the humble bicycle. While ridership is increasing every year, bicycle safety remains a huge issue: in 2007, 43,000 people were injured in bike accidents, resulting in 698 deaths. Though many cities are getting serious about making bike-friendly infrastructure changes, installing bike lanes is a costly porposition with a glacial pace of implementation.

Enter LightLane, a safety concept from the clever designers at Altitude, Inc. The system projects a virtual bike lane (using lasers!) on the ground around the cyclists, providing drivers with a recognizable boundary they can easily avoid. The idea is to allow riders to take safety into their own hands, rather than leaving it to the city. And just in case you need to be convinced about the need for better cycle saftey, watch this video about the stupidest bike lane in America.

 

[travispickle]

Is there any better feeling than cycling your newly serviced bike? Changed brake pads on mine yesterday, gave all a good tightening, tyres pumped, chain oiled. Running like a dream. Amazing the difference in effort you put in if your tyres are properly inflated.

Anyone avail of the tax scheme on bikes?

Yes indeed, my bike is in bad need of a service at the minute and is an absolute chore to cycle. Did you do yours yourself Maims, or did you drop it in somewhere? Any recommendations for where to go?

cheers