Seem to remember you're a MTBer?
Good memory!
- If you're using a mountain bike, fit slicks & pump 'em up hard.
Done. Conti road slicks. I use a track pump to get them to 60psi
- Keep out in the traffic flow where possible - force people to see you and have to drive around you.
Good plan, thanks.
- Plan a route keeping you off the main routes - should be possible from either of your choices.
I'm going to work out a few possible routes on the map and recce them late one evening by car and on foot to suss out the practicalities.
- If you can, vary the time you go - just a few mins earlier/later can make a big difference to traffic levels.
With my record of sleeping in, this one's a given.
- Don't undertake buses!
Especially bendy ones.
- Ride hard and fast - again the more you're part of the flow the better. Plus it gets you fitter.
A valid point. I've already got every light and reflector combo under the sun, but still get "shaved" from time to time and that's just in Bournemouth and Poole!
- Buy a decent lock.
Done. There's a secure cage here at work (they throw me the odd banana and call me names, but it will do as a safe place for a bike)
Loads of discussion over at www.cyclingplus.co.uk/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=12 Lots of roadies at cycling plus, but hey, no-one's perfect!
Thanks for that lot Mr D
No Lungs.
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Hey, this is supposed to be a motoring forum, not one full of greasy manic lefty cyclists... Moderators, cannot you make this horrid person go away :)
Seriously, don't do it. You'll certainly become very thin. A thin slick of raspberry jam on the kerb, with Motormouth in his RX8 sitting on top of you as he goes to buy a newspaper.
Avoid joint cycle/bus lanes like the plague. I tried one on the Old Kent Road the other week, and never ever ever again. Bendy buses are brilliant for us bus users, but terrifying for cyclists.
Get rid of the MTB, and buy a roadster. You'll be grateful for the better gearing. And if you buy a 4 speed hub gear, then you won't get oil on your suit, and the chain won't come off at awkward moments as you disappear under a bussssssss.
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Hey, this is supposed to be a motoring forum, not one full of greasy manic lefty cyclists... Moderators, cannot you make this horrid person go away :)
The buses may do it if the other two mods don't....
Seriously, don't do it. You'll certainly become very thin. A thin slick of raspberry jam on the kerb, with Motormouth in his RX8 sitting on top of you as he goes to buy a newspaper.
There's an image best put in a safe and the key thrown away.
Get rid of the MTB, and buy a roadster. You'll be grateful for the better gearing. And if you buy a 4 speed hub gear, then you won't get oil on your suit, and the chain won't come off at awkward moments as you disappear under a bussssssss.
I've got fairly tall final gearing on mine as it's set up for cross country rather than that downhill malarky. I can get it whistling along at around 18-20mph on the flat if I set my mind to it and ignore the chronic chest pains, tunnel vision and blackouts that such exertion produce. I will, naturally, be fully lycrad-up*, with my work clobber in a waterproof and highly visible rucksack, so the oily suit shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I like my lovely supple front suspension (short travel and rather light - the whole bike ways in at under 25lb)
(*If you're lucky I may even get a photo' taken.....)
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Why is a roadster better geared then? As in what has it got that makes it better?
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Just the ratios are better suited to lolloping along at a fair old lick on smooth, level ground, whereas mtbs are set up for less top speed, more climbing ability. There aren't too many hills in London that need the lower MTB gear range!
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Hi No Dosh and The Artful Dodger: just a question re the slicks. I have a MTB (which I do use off road) but have thought about slicks for road jaunts. How do they compare in the wet with treaded tyres? My road bike tyres (@120psi) do have some tread pattern, albeit minimal, but I've never tried slicks on the MTB, as I'm wary of lack of grip in the wet! Supplementary: ever tried slicks on bridle paths?
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The slicks I run do have sipes to provide some grip in the wet. They're 1.25" as opposed to standard MTB tyres of 1.95"
I've used them on bridleways, briefly, and wouldn't recommend them. For mixed bridleway and road use I suggest you look at the semi-slick and semi-knob tyres available from Continental, Panaracer and Michelin, to name a few. I use a low-profile Panaracer Mach SK on the rear and Mach SS on the front and they give a marked improvement in rolling resistance over a typical MTB "Tractor" tyre. Saying that, they don't come near the Continental slicks I put on for full road use.
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Thanks. I do use "compromise" tyres by Michelin, which really do cut rolling resistance as you say, but quite keen to try something slick-like on the the MTB. May need another set of wheels ideally - difficulty is sneaking that item past the scrutineer!
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I hear what you're saying..... Trouble is, with the way chains and cassettes wear on a mountain bike, you will need to be swapping the wheels pretty regulalry and changing your chain more often to avoid dodgy shifts and chainsuck.
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Nortones2
Just back from a 15 mile bash round the bridleways on South Northants (the joys of home working!)
As ND states, slicks are fime for road use and have much more grip thsn you think - they still have a "vestigial" tread and you don't normally go fast enough to aquaplane!
Bridleways - you will need something with a bit more tread unless they are very smooth - sorry to go off topic here but I use Panaracer Fire XC which are great in the green and acceptable on tarmac. Well worth getting a second set of wheels if you do commute or ride a lot on roads - Merlin Cycles do good cheap wheelsets.
Apologies for straying from motoring - just remember when on a bike, you'll nver win against a ton of metal, so pedal carefully...
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A depressing thought I know, but I find the more I drive the less enthusiastic I become about cycling. I become conscious of the fact that cyclists depend on idiots like me seeing them.
At the same time I'm aware of how motorists and pedestrians hate cyclists as those who ride on the road are a rarity and those who use lights are a small subset of these. People here whinge about the lack of police to enforce the law on motorways, but when did you last hear of a cyclist fined for riding on the pavement or not having lights?
This is a great pity as I love cycling and really do need to get fitter before I descend into a mass of middle-aged blubber.
Returning to the safety v fitness issue, I read or heard that making cycle helmets compulsory in the Antipodes reduced the number of cyclists. This resulted in more deaths through lack of fitness than were saved by the reduced number of accidents.
Good luck and maybe I should wipe the dust off the saddle of my own bike.
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And Hey, dont ride on the pavement, you will go thingy over whatsit bumping into Mr reynolds car parked there.
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Artful: thanks for the tip re Panaracers. I'll have a look out for these.
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Of course with Motor Mouth digging up all the cycle lanes etc you may be taking your life in your hands.
H
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Cycle lanes? I'd prefer to just hang a target on my back than use some of the laughable examples I've seen in London. Share a stretch of road with Buses and Taxis? Well, we all know what virtuous drivers they can be.....
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