I'm sitting here with a slightly painful right knee. The health of my knees is very important to me: if I damage them, at best I can't cycle with any intensity, and at worst I can't cycle at all. And if I damage them now, it might make it easier to damage them more in the future. That's why having gone to the trouble of buying a pair of Look pedals with adjustable Q-factor in the hope of getting maximum pedal efficiency from my feet, I've gone back - for the second time - to my SPD pedals. Look CX6 pedals are very very nice it has to be said, and I am amazed at the sort of stability and power you can get from a large pedal-shoe contact area. What I gained in correct foot positioning with the new Looks, compared with my knee-hurtingly narrow original Looks, I lost in release tension. These are race pedals remember, and designed for pulling your ankle apart before the shoe pulls out of the pedal, and the torsional force I needed to put through my knees to unclip was unacceptable. The human knee joint is designed to bend in one axis only while remaining very stiff for all other directions. It is not designed to resist twisting indefintely; skiers who run tight bindings and then fall down have been known to really knacker their knees in the process. A Look pedal binding works in almost exactly the same way, after all ski bindings are what the company originally invented. On an upright bike, you have your body weight helping you to twist your foot and disengage from the pedal, but on a recumbent you have only the twist from your thigh and ankle. So a couple of weeks' commuting with these pedals was enough to tell me that they just weren't right for me. I didn't spend a fortune on them, but I spent twice what a pair of my unremarkable cheap SPD pedals cost. You can't however put a price on your health.
When I said of my Speedmachine, "I think I'm almost done.", I was being generous. Last week I was less than satisfied with the performance of the rear gears, and resolved to improve things. With the bike on my workstand, I quickly discovered that not only was the derailleur getting gunged up with a combination of old lubricant and hair (wonder where that came from?), the adjuster barrel had seized. So it's a simple job to whip off the derailleur, take it apart and scrub it clean, except that the adjuster barrel was of course seized. Pliers and my M4 tap soon sorted that, then I discovered the gear cable strands were snapping. Well one thing led to another, and I ended up replacing both gear cables, rerouting both cable housings, repainting areas of the swing arm, and rerouting the wiring for my lights and my bike computer. Then rather than buy a ready-made "chain holder" (to hold the ends of the chain together when you separate it) I made one from an old spoke and saved £4, and with some music wire from the local model shop I made a new chain tube holder for the bike, since the original one had broken well before I bought the bike and the interim solution was a rather unattractive bodge. While I was at it I cleaned the chain pulley and painted where the tubes had taken the paint off...and then my workstand's clamp wouldn't undo! So after two hours of reading Park service instructions and an hour lying in bed visualising how it worked, I took my workstand apart, got my bike free, and reassembled the stand with a slight modification. And then I replaced the bike's rear shock unit with a super smooth DT Swiss unit that's pressure adjustable. DT Swiss is more known for their quality spokes, so I don't anticipate many problems. And so my Speedmachine is back together, a pound lighter and running sweetly again.
It was sale time at Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative recently too, and I picked up a pair of mountain biking shoes for hardly anything. If my knees won't tolerate me riding with Look pedals, then I don't strictly need Look-compatible roadie shoes, and certainly less so now that I have the shoes I wanted - chunky rubber treads but underneath it's the same stiff sole that my road shoes have. Plus they have girlie flowing stitching around them, which makes a change from unassuming grey and black all the time!
January 24, 2007
December 31, 2006
Welcome to my truth
Thanks to six weeks off the bike while my body repaired itself, it's a slow slow process getting back to the level I was at before. The weather hasn't been terribly good either: it's been pouring with rain or blowing a gale, and usually both, so there hasn't been the drive to simply put miles in. At the moment, riding six or seven miles to work and the same home in bad weather is about my limit. For someone who does a lot of exercise, you'd think I'd be really fit and healthy, wouldn't you? I guess even fit people have things go wrong sometimes.
So without having really done many miles since I last wrote, I've been adjusting and maintaining instead. Annie was in dire need of a wash and some new brake blocks, Speedy was completely filthy after a few days of commuting on frosty - then gritted and wet - roads, and some of the wiring for its lights had died. Then this week I discovered that the Stealthmachine's front disc brake had become almost useless for some reason. So a scrub and a hosedown here, a few deft tweaks of an allen wrench there, new brake pads and new battery plugs and I think I'm almost done.
And now for something I've been meaning for months to post here: it's an interview-cum-questionaire which I actually took part in during the summer last year, but I'd forgotten all about it, probably because I got wrapped up in mending something. A writer and cycle contributor was asking various cyclists about their own experiences on the road and what their opinions of rules, regulations and learning were like. You can probably second-guess some or all of my answers depending on how well you know me and how much of this page you've read!
June 6th, 2005
Would you tell us a little about yourself, to start us off? Do you cycle much? What sort of cycling do you do?
Hello. I'm Becky and I live in the rather hilly city of Edinburgh. I ride a bike fairly often, it's mostly how I get around the city. I do have a car as well but it doesn't get used all that much, it's more for long distances or for transporting something. There's a pretty good bus service here too, I don't catch the bus very often either because I can usually cycle into town quicker. I'll bus it or drive if I need to look more respectable and less windblown!
You're already sounding like you might be more than a leisure cyclist who only rides in the summer. Are you more of a practical cyclist? Do you race as well, or go touring?
I'm what you would call a utility cyclist, I commute on my bike a lot, I use it to go shopping or for any other minor journey really. I don't do racing or anything, I'm not nearly fit enough for that. I did go through a phase of mountain biking about ten years ago, but my bike started to have road tyres on it more often than the knobbly tyres, and riding up really steep muddy tracks started to feel like too much hard work! I do like to go to events though, do little group rides and meet other people. That makes a change from riding by myself all the time.
I'd like to ask you about your cycling experiences, good and bad. It doesn't matter where you ride: roads, paths or wherever, but generally speaking, do you feel safe when you ride?
I think so. I ride on roads a lot and I feel at least as safe as when I'm driving, but there are more escape routes available, if you need them, simply because a bike is that much smaller. But I've been cycling for most of my life, my first bike was given to me when I was about six and I've never been without a bike since. I did my cycle proficiency when I was at primary school and I learned to ride on the road. I had a few times - well, more than a few I think [laughs] - where I made mistakes in traffic and cars beeped at me, and for me that was always really, really embarrassing, but you learn from that. I still make mistakes now and again, but I like to think that I'm pretty safe on a bike. Actually, I think car driving made me more aware about anticipation of things because you're often going faster, and that's something I've definitely got better at on the bike in the last few years.
What, if anything, makes you uncomfortable?
I can think of a few things. I don't like those awkwardly designed mini-roundabouts on T-junctions, the ones where traffic on the main road behaves as though it was a regular T-junction, without any traffic lights. The problem with that is that even though it's supposed to work like a roundabout, it automatically takes away any priority from small vehicles who want to enter the main road from the side road, the traffic doesn't give way in the way it should. I've had quite a few bad experiences with those. I also don't like cornering on wet road surfaces because it can sometimes hold a layer of oil that you don't always see. Slow cornering is usually fine, but the times when I find myself cornering hardest are on roundabouts! If your wheel slides out, you might catch it or you might not, and that can be pretty scary if there's a lot of other traffic.
Do you consider yourself to be a skilled cyclist?
Yes, I think I'm pretty skilled. I mentioned learning to anticipate things, and that's one of the skills, one of the main bits of my awareness when I'm riding. So I feel I'm able to avoid a lot of the situations that might lead to an accident, and I ride in the rush hour traffic if I need to. It's not like I see all these other cyclists crashing into things! But if I'm following someone else on a bike, I'll notice the way they maybe don't look over their shoulder before they pull out to pass a parked car, and when they do pull out it's quite late on. I'll already have checked behind me and made my manoeuvre when they pull out.
Something else that I've picked up on, it was after reading a book on cycling techniques, is putting myself more in the middle of the lane. I've got quite...particular...about my own safety and I make more decisions about when it's safe for car drivers to pass. I think being skilled is really about making yourself safe, but to do that sometimes you need to be the boss and not let car drivers walk all over you if that's going to put you in danger, or if it could put you in danger. That's the key really, it's knowing what could happen as a result of one thing and thinking ahead. That makes cycling sound like a real chore, doesn't it? And really dangerous!
The people you see on the road, pedalling along nice and slowly and relaxed, they might just be taking their time, or maybe they're not very fit, or maybe they're just not confident enough about riding, so they go slowly and close to the pavement. Sometimes I'll see someone riding along but a bit...erratically? That sounds awful to say! But it makes their movements hard to predict, so that's probably the other part about being skilled, it's making your intentions obvious to everyone else. You might be on a bike and be an obstacle, but at least you can learn to be a good obstacle.
Did I answer the question enough?
Just about! You've spent quite a lot of time on your bike, obviously, so what is your average weekly mileage?
I'd say it varies between about 40 and 75 miles. If I ride to work every day, it's a minimum of about 45 miles, but I tend to ride a bit at the weekend too.
Ok, this is one of the big questions. Do you strive to obey the Highway Code? Are there any parts you would rewrite, if you could?
You know, I think the Highway Code is all good advice if you treat a pedal-powered vehicle as a vehicle. Sometimes the word 'vehicle' is assumed to mean something with an engine, and that's not really correct. A bike is still a vehicle, it's just sometimes very slow. I don't know the Highway Code rule numbers off the top of my head, but there's a section about reflectors on bikes, and they're actually referencing the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations. They say that your bike must have the front and rear reflectors, and it must have pedal reflectors. So first I'd rewrite that bit in the Lighting Regs so that people who ride recumbents aren't automatically breaking the law, and then I'd rewrite that bit in the Highway Code.
It also suggests that cycle routes can make your journey safer, and that you should use them wherever practicable. Well, sure, if you're a cyclist who doesn't enjoy being amongst cars and lorries then it's good advice. But there's a whole undercurrent about cycle lanes and paths that the Highway Code doesn't talk about, it's only giving advice remember, and when they say 'safer', they mean safe from vehicle dangers. What about frost and ice, or wet leaves? Or thorns? I think the roads are a lot safer when it comes to being kept clean. So I'd rewrite it to say you should use them wherever it's convenient.
There's also a bit about how to use roundabouts, I think roundabouts are the best and the worst thing for cyclists, personally. If they're clear, you can sail round without slowing down too much, but when they're busy you need to really be on top of things. The Highway Code suggests that you might feel safer to go around roundabouts on the outside, even if you're turning right. That's dangerous, because that's not how roundabout protocol works. Someone following you will think you're leaving the roundabout if you're right on the edge and if they happen to be leaving at the same exit, you might well be hit if they turn and you don't. You need to be able to get some speed up to match car speeds, and if you can't then at least take the whole lane and be really obvious to everyone what you want to do.
But do you obey the Highway Code?
Of course I do. If you think about it, if everyone on the road and every pedestrian followed the Highway Code, there'd probably never be an accident. There's always going to be a bit of ebb and flow in terms of how people interpret the Code and how accurately they hold to it, but I've read it often enough and I'd like to be respected on the road. You can't demand respect, you can only earn it.
Have you ever had a serious accident? If so, who do you think was at fault?
I've had one accident, a car driver turned left directly in front of me. She'd only just emerged from a side road on my right, turned onto the main road and then turned left onto another side road. I went straight into the side of her car. I still remember what she said afterwards, she said: "I just didn't see you!" [4]
You've only ever had one serious accident? What about at other times, do you often have close calls? And if you do, do you blame the environment and other road users, or your riding style?
I have to say that most of the time I'm quite patient and aware. Usually I'm not in a real hurry, so I tend to chill out a wee bit. It's much easier to let the impatient car drivers have the blood pressure problems! Though sometimes the red mist comes down, over my eyes, and I do some sort of manoeveure I wouldn't normally try. And I usually think afterwards, "Becky you bloody idiot, what were you thinking?" I think close calls usually happen when the traffic is very dense but still moving quickly. On a bike sometimes you have to have the bit between your teeth and go for it, so that you don't get squeezed out on a railing or end up taking the wrong lane, and if you're riding towards your limit, that's when mistakes can happen.
And complex junctions, that's when things can get a bit fraught. Maybe that's just me, I don't like to feel like I'm holding people up on the road. I probably ride quite assertively, I wouldn't say aggressively, usually, but now and again I get it a bit wrong and try to fit through a gap that isn't quite there. I could say: "Oh, it's always everyone else's fault!" but I'm too honest really! [laughs] It's probably about equal, other people on the road and me, on average.
So would you be willing to take instruction to improve your road skills? Would an experienced cyclist like you consider herself 'trainable'? And, do you think there's a male/female divide in willingness to accept instruction and possible criticism?
Oh yeah, I might have been cycling for quite a long time but I'd never say that I knew everything, every technique going. I suppose you'd get some people who are set in their ways, [affects old woman voice] "I've been cycling for 90 years and I've never had an accident!" but you know, there's more traffic on the roads than ever and times change. People talk about how you should have to resit your driving test every so often, and it's kind of the same thing. Do you think you're good enough? And are you good enough? And do you want to improve yourself?
Two or three years ago I bought that book about cycling techniques, here was me doing a dozen miles every day and not getting killed, and as far as I know, not annoying car drivers all the time, so I thought I was doing ok. So Liz said to buy this book and I did, and there was a lot in it that I realised I was doing anyway. But there were other ideas and examples where I thought: "Oh, that's really sensible! Why didn't I think of that?" or "Well if [Franklin] can do it, why can't I?" That book definitely made me ride my bike more...bigly? I mean, taking the road more, when you need to. Being in front of car drivers' faces, rather than always being hidden on the left in someone's blind spot.
And the male/female divide?
I would say that younger males tend to have the more stubborn or cocky outlook when they're let in control of a vehicle. The insurance companies know that sort of thing backwards. Although I think it's probably as much about self-confidence as anything. You'll get some girls who are really tough and confident, and some boys who aren't. I think it takes a certain level of experience, or perhaps an accident, to appreciate the idea that you're not invincible after all, and maybe, you know, maybe you should be looking at yourself in a different way.
Talking of invincibility, do you wear a helmet all the time? Where do you stand on the issue of compulsion?
Ooh, that's a bit controversial! Well I have a helmet and I wear it most of the time, I think of it as insurance against potential knocks and bumps. But I also feel quite ok to ride in the rush hour traffic without one. I think I can see situations happening and try to avoid them, but you know, it's only polystyrene, it's not like some magic forcefield, so I'm riding along knowing that if a car hits me at 30 or 40mph, it can only take the edge off the impact, and the rest of the impact might still be too much. It's a bit morbid isn't it? If I ride along in the winter and I slide and hurt myself, that's my fault. I want to be able to ride along and know that I have the basic right not to be hit by a tonne of metal, rather than the law saying I have to protect myself against other people's actions or I'll get fined or something.
I remember when bike helmets started coming into the shops, I think I was about the third person at my school to buy a helmet. I was doing adventurous things like riding up and down hills on my mountain bike, so a helmet seemed like a good idea just for that; I wasn't being Little Miss Aggressive in traffic or anything! The sort of riding I do now is quite different actually, tarmac is a lot harder than grass and mud. So I've always been anti-compulsion and pro-helmet, as long as people realise that there are limitations to polystyrene.
Do you have any other safety tips?
In traffic, fast is safe. Because you're not having to be overtaken as much, and you can flow with the traffic rather than the other people on the road having to flow around you. That - in theory anyway - means that you're not exposed as much to potential danger. I know not everyone can do fast all the time, and slow is fine as long as you make allowances for it.
One of my bugbears is lights, though. Get some half-decent lights, and ones that work consistently! They're not even very expensive nowadays so there's no excuse not to have some for the dark. Then recharge them frequently so that they don't die on you halfway home. In fact, I would say it's best to have a backup light too. You can do the Christmas Tree approach with lights everywhere, but that can end up being confusing to other people as to whether you're definitely a bike or maybe something different. A bike has a definite signature to it in the dark, so it's a good idea to try to keep to that. And reflectives, get some yellow ankle bands for the dark, they show up much better than little pedal reflectors, and that's if your pedals have reflectors at all. I've started to use the ankle bands on my wrists too, to help car drivers see my signalling - my gloves are black and they don't show up too well at night.
What else...pedestrians! People can and will walk on the bike path without realising it, so be extra aware and be ready with your brakes. Actually, there's a shared path near my work but there's so little signage or colouring to remind you which side is which that the dividing line might as well not be there. Even I forget which side I'm meant to use! And if it's a path next to a busy road, people will tend to walk on the side that's furthest from the road - even if that's the bike lane and it's a different colour, with little bicycles painted on the ground. I think that's more down to human instinct than anything else but you can't go flying along just expecting everyone to be walking in the right place. So basically, be ready to expect anything.
Do you enjoy yourself on your bike?
Every day is filled with terror and I come home dying on my feet! No, seriously, I really like cycling. Once you've got yourself to a basic level of fitness and have a waterproof jacket, you've got the fresh air, the wind, you can hear the birds singing, you can use the roads to get from A to B efficiently or you can use canal paths or whatever to have a change of scenery. Sure, sometimes it's a faff with padlocks and bungies and carrying clothes and things, but when you get into the swing of it, and cycling is kind of just what you do, it doesn't matter in the end. And for me there's the feeling that I've gone all this way under my own steam. Me, a few muscles and my lungs, and a few bananas.
I think many of us would agree with that sentiment. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we finish?
I'll speak from experience here! Don't have more than one bike, really, don't. If you have more than one, it just makes you spend more time fiddling and adjusting things, and it makes it harder to choose which bike to take out each day!
Well, thank you, Becky, for being so generous with your time. I wish you safe riding.
Thank you.
[4] Authoress's note: Little did I know what the following March would hold.
I spoke for a long time because I wanted to expand on a lot of things. It was fun to do and really made me think about what I do on a bike and why. Next time though, I'm getting someone quicker than me to type the audio transcription!
So without having really done many miles since I last wrote, I've been adjusting and maintaining instead. Annie was in dire need of a wash and some new brake blocks, Speedy was completely filthy after a few days of commuting on frosty - then gritted and wet - roads, and some of the wiring for its lights had died. Then this week I discovered that the Stealthmachine's front disc brake had become almost useless for some reason. So a scrub and a hosedown here, a few deft tweaks of an allen wrench there, new brake pads and new battery plugs and I think I'm almost done.
And now for something I've been meaning for months to post here: it's an interview-cum-questionaire which I actually took part in during the summer last year, but I'd forgotten all about it, probably because I got wrapped up in mending something. A writer and cycle contributor was asking various cyclists about their own experiences on the road and what their opinions of rules, regulations and learning were like. You can probably second-guess some or all of my answers depending on how well you know me and how much of this page you've read!
June 6th, 2005
Would you tell us a little about yourself, to start us off? Do you cycle much? What sort of cycling do you do?
Hello. I'm Becky and I live in the rather hilly city of Edinburgh. I ride a bike fairly often, it's mostly how I get around the city. I do have a car as well but it doesn't get used all that much, it's more for long distances or for transporting something. There's a pretty good bus service here too, I don't catch the bus very often either because I can usually cycle into town quicker. I'll bus it or drive if I need to look more respectable and less windblown!
You're already sounding like you might be more than a leisure cyclist who only rides in the summer. Are you more of a practical cyclist? Do you race as well, or go touring?
I'm what you would call a utility cyclist, I commute on my bike a lot, I use it to go shopping or for any other minor journey really. I don't do racing or anything, I'm not nearly fit enough for that. I did go through a phase of mountain biking about ten years ago, but my bike started to have road tyres on it more often than the knobbly tyres, and riding up really steep muddy tracks started to feel like too much hard work! I do like to go to events though, do little group rides and meet other people. That makes a change from riding by myself all the time.
I'd like to ask you about your cycling experiences, good and bad. It doesn't matter where you ride: roads, paths or wherever, but generally speaking, do you feel safe when you ride?
I think so. I ride on roads a lot and I feel at least as safe as when I'm driving, but there are more escape routes available, if you need them, simply because a bike is that much smaller. But I've been cycling for most of my life, my first bike was given to me when I was about six and I've never been without a bike since. I did my cycle proficiency when I was at primary school and I learned to ride on the road. I had a few times - well, more than a few I think [laughs] - where I made mistakes in traffic and cars beeped at me, and for me that was always really, really embarrassing, but you learn from that. I still make mistakes now and again, but I like to think that I'm pretty safe on a bike. Actually, I think car driving made me more aware about anticipation of things because you're often going faster, and that's something I've definitely got better at on the bike in the last few years.
What, if anything, makes you uncomfortable?
I can think of a few things. I don't like those awkwardly designed mini-roundabouts on T-junctions, the ones where traffic on the main road behaves as though it was a regular T-junction, without any traffic lights. The problem with that is that even though it's supposed to work like a roundabout, it automatically takes away any priority from small vehicles who want to enter the main road from the side road, the traffic doesn't give way in the way it should. I've had quite a few bad experiences with those. I also don't like cornering on wet road surfaces because it can sometimes hold a layer of oil that you don't always see. Slow cornering is usually fine, but the times when I find myself cornering hardest are on roundabouts! If your wheel slides out, you might catch it or you might not, and that can be pretty scary if there's a lot of other traffic.
Do you consider yourself to be a skilled cyclist?
Yes, I think I'm pretty skilled. I mentioned learning to anticipate things, and that's one of the skills, one of the main bits of my awareness when I'm riding. So I feel I'm able to avoid a lot of the situations that might lead to an accident, and I ride in the rush hour traffic if I need to. It's not like I see all these other cyclists crashing into things! But if I'm following someone else on a bike, I'll notice the way they maybe don't look over their shoulder before they pull out to pass a parked car, and when they do pull out it's quite late on. I'll already have checked behind me and made my manoeuvre when they pull out.
Something else that I've picked up on, it was after reading a book on cycling techniques, is putting myself more in the middle of the lane. I've got quite...particular...about my own safety and I make more decisions about when it's safe for car drivers to pass. I think being skilled is really about making yourself safe, but to do that sometimes you need to be the boss and not let car drivers walk all over you if that's going to put you in danger, or if it could put you in danger. That's the key really, it's knowing what could happen as a result of one thing and thinking ahead. That makes cycling sound like a real chore, doesn't it? And really dangerous!
The people you see on the road, pedalling along nice and slowly and relaxed, they might just be taking their time, or maybe they're not very fit, or maybe they're just not confident enough about riding, so they go slowly and close to the pavement. Sometimes I'll see someone riding along but a bit...erratically? That sounds awful to say! But it makes their movements hard to predict, so that's probably the other part about being skilled, it's making your intentions obvious to everyone else. You might be on a bike and be an obstacle, but at least you can learn to be a good obstacle.
Did I answer the question enough?
Just about! You've spent quite a lot of time on your bike, obviously, so what is your average weekly mileage?
I'd say it varies between about 40 and 75 miles. If I ride to work every day, it's a minimum of about 45 miles, but I tend to ride a bit at the weekend too.
Ok, this is one of the big questions. Do you strive to obey the Highway Code? Are there any parts you would rewrite, if you could?
You know, I think the Highway Code is all good advice if you treat a pedal-powered vehicle as a vehicle. Sometimes the word 'vehicle' is assumed to mean something with an engine, and that's not really correct. A bike is still a vehicle, it's just sometimes very slow. I don't know the Highway Code rule numbers off the top of my head, but there's a section about reflectors on bikes, and they're actually referencing the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations. They say that your bike must have the front and rear reflectors, and it must have pedal reflectors. So first I'd rewrite that bit in the Lighting Regs so that people who ride recumbents aren't automatically breaking the law, and then I'd rewrite that bit in the Highway Code.
It also suggests that cycle routes can make your journey safer, and that you should use them wherever practicable. Well, sure, if you're a cyclist who doesn't enjoy being amongst cars and lorries then it's good advice. But there's a whole undercurrent about cycle lanes and paths that the Highway Code doesn't talk about, it's only giving advice remember, and when they say 'safer', they mean safe from vehicle dangers. What about frost and ice, or wet leaves? Or thorns? I think the roads are a lot safer when it comes to being kept clean. So I'd rewrite it to say you should use them wherever it's convenient.
There's also a bit about how to use roundabouts, I think roundabouts are the best and the worst thing for cyclists, personally. If they're clear, you can sail round without slowing down too much, but when they're busy you need to really be on top of things. The Highway Code suggests that you might feel safer to go around roundabouts on the outside, even if you're turning right. That's dangerous, because that's not how roundabout protocol works. Someone following you will think you're leaving the roundabout if you're right on the edge and if they happen to be leaving at the same exit, you might well be hit if they turn and you don't. You need to be able to get some speed up to match car speeds, and if you can't then at least take the whole lane and be really obvious to everyone what you want to do.
But do you obey the Highway Code?
Of course I do. If you think about it, if everyone on the road and every pedestrian followed the Highway Code, there'd probably never be an accident. There's always going to be a bit of ebb and flow in terms of how people interpret the Code and how accurately they hold to it, but I've read it often enough and I'd like to be respected on the road. You can't demand respect, you can only earn it.
Have you ever had a serious accident? If so, who do you think was at fault?
I've had one accident, a car driver turned left directly in front of me. She'd only just emerged from a side road on my right, turned onto the main road and then turned left onto another side road. I went straight into the side of her car. I still remember what she said afterwards, she said: "I just didn't see you!" [4]
You've only ever had one serious accident? What about at other times, do you often have close calls? And if you do, do you blame the environment and other road users, or your riding style?
I have to say that most of the time I'm quite patient and aware. Usually I'm not in a real hurry, so I tend to chill out a wee bit. It's much easier to let the impatient car drivers have the blood pressure problems! Though sometimes the red mist comes down, over my eyes, and I do some sort of manoeveure I wouldn't normally try. And I usually think afterwards, "Becky you bloody idiot, what were you thinking?" I think close calls usually happen when the traffic is very dense but still moving quickly. On a bike sometimes you have to have the bit between your teeth and go for it, so that you don't get squeezed out on a railing or end up taking the wrong lane, and if you're riding towards your limit, that's when mistakes can happen.
And complex junctions, that's when things can get a bit fraught. Maybe that's just me, I don't like to feel like I'm holding people up on the road. I probably ride quite assertively, I wouldn't say aggressively, usually, but now and again I get it a bit wrong and try to fit through a gap that isn't quite there. I could say: "Oh, it's always everyone else's fault!" but I'm too honest really! [laughs] It's probably about equal, other people on the road and me, on average.
So would you be willing to take instruction to improve your road skills? Would an experienced cyclist like you consider herself 'trainable'? And, do you think there's a male/female divide in willingness to accept instruction and possible criticism?
Oh yeah, I might have been cycling for quite a long time but I'd never say that I knew everything, every technique going. I suppose you'd get some people who are set in their ways, [affects old woman voice] "I've been cycling for 90 years and I've never had an accident!" but you know, there's more traffic on the roads than ever and times change. People talk about how you should have to resit your driving test every so often, and it's kind of the same thing. Do you think you're good enough? And are you good enough? And do you want to improve yourself?
Two or three years ago I bought that book about cycling techniques, here was me doing a dozen miles every day and not getting killed, and as far as I know, not annoying car drivers all the time, so I thought I was doing ok. So Liz said to buy this book and I did, and there was a lot in it that I realised I was doing anyway. But there were other ideas and examples where I thought: "Oh, that's really sensible! Why didn't I think of that?" or "Well if [Franklin] can do it, why can't I?" That book definitely made me ride my bike more...bigly? I mean, taking the road more, when you need to. Being in front of car drivers' faces, rather than always being hidden on the left in someone's blind spot.
And the male/female divide?
I would say that younger males tend to have the more stubborn or cocky outlook when they're let in control of a vehicle. The insurance companies know that sort of thing backwards. Although I think it's probably as much about self-confidence as anything. You'll get some girls who are really tough and confident, and some boys who aren't. I think it takes a certain level of experience, or perhaps an accident, to appreciate the idea that you're not invincible after all, and maybe, you know, maybe you should be looking at yourself in a different way.
Talking of invincibility, do you wear a helmet all the time? Where do you stand on the issue of compulsion?
Ooh, that's a bit controversial! Well I have a helmet and I wear it most of the time, I think of it as insurance against potential knocks and bumps. But I also feel quite ok to ride in the rush hour traffic without one. I think I can see situations happening and try to avoid them, but you know, it's only polystyrene, it's not like some magic forcefield, so I'm riding along knowing that if a car hits me at 30 or 40mph, it can only take the edge off the impact, and the rest of the impact might still be too much. It's a bit morbid isn't it? If I ride along in the winter and I slide and hurt myself, that's my fault. I want to be able to ride along and know that I have the basic right not to be hit by a tonne of metal, rather than the law saying I have to protect myself against other people's actions or I'll get fined or something.
I remember when bike helmets started coming into the shops, I think I was about the third person at my school to buy a helmet. I was doing adventurous things like riding up and down hills on my mountain bike, so a helmet seemed like a good idea just for that; I wasn't being Little Miss Aggressive in traffic or anything! The sort of riding I do now is quite different actually, tarmac is a lot harder than grass and mud. So I've always been anti-compulsion and pro-helmet, as long as people realise that there are limitations to polystyrene.
Do you have any other safety tips?
In traffic, fast is safe. Because you're not having to be overtaken as much, and you can flow with the traffic rather than the other people on the road having to flow around you. That - in theory anyway - means that you're not exposed as much to potential danger. I know not everyone can do fast all the time, and slow is fine as long as you make allowances for it.
One of my bugbears is lights, though. Get some half-decent lights, and ones that work consistently! They're not even very expensive nowadays so there's no excuse not to have some for the dark. Then recharge them frequently so that they don't die on you halfway home. In fact, I would say it's best to have a backup light too. You can do the Christmas Tree approach with lights everywhere, but that can end up being confusing to other people as to whether you're definitely a bike or maybe something different. A bike has a definite signature to it in the dark, so it's a good idea to try to keep to that. And reflectives, get some yellow ankle bands for the dark, they show up much better than little pedal reflectors, and that's if your pedals have reflectors at all. I've started to use the ankle bands on my wrists too, to help car drivers see my signalling - my gloves are black and they don't show up too well at night.
What else...pedestrians! People can and will walk on the bike path without realising it, so be extra aware and be ready with your brakes. Actually, there's a shared path near my work but there's so little signage or colouring to remind you which side is which that the dividing line might as well not be there. Even I forget which side I'm meant to use! And if it's a path next to a busy road, people will tend to walk on the side that's furthest from the road - even if that's the bike lane and it's a different colour, with little bicycles painted on the ground. I think that's more down to human instinct than anything else but you can't go flying along just expecting everyone to be walking in the right place. So basically, be ready to expect anything.
Do you enjoy yourself on your bike?
Every day is filled with terror and I come home dying on my feet! No, seriously, I really like cycling. Once you've got yourself to a basic level of fitness and have a waterproof jacket, you've got the fresh air, the wind, you can hear the birds singing, you can use the roads to get from A to B efficiently or you can use canal paths or whatever to have a change of scenery. Sure, sometimes it's a faff with padlocks and bungies and carrying clothes and things, but when you get into the swing of it, and cycling is kind of just what you do, it doesn't matter in the end. And for me there's the feeling that I've gone all this way under my own steam. Me, a few muscles and my lungs, and a few bananas.
I think many of us would agree with that sentiment. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we finish?
I'll speak from experience here! Don't have more than one bike, really, don't. If you have more than one, it just makes you spend more time fiddling and adjusting things, and it makes it harder to choose which bike to take out each day!
Well, thank you, Becky, for being so generous with your time. I wish you safe riding.
Thank you.
[4] Authoress's note: Little did I know what the following March would hold.
I spoke for a long time because I wanted to expand on a lot of things. It was fun to do and really made me think about what I do on a bike and why. Next time though, I'm getting someone quicker than me to type the audio transcription!
October 10, 2006
The machine stops
As an update to last month, in fact I raised about £215 altogether from doing PfS. As a team of five from my work, we raised £1500 for Leukaemia Research. How about that? The guy on the blue trike was of course Eric, and the guy with the grey Speedmachine I think was Phil from various online places including Velovision, and he was from Montrose, or Arbroath or somewhere else Scottish.
More maintenance this month. This time it was Annie the Blue Bike whose chain wear was way over the precise numbers I talked about a year or so ago. The amount of stretch meant that every time I cranked away on the pedals, the chain skipped over the sprockets, in just about any gear, so for a couple of days I had to ride very gently! Since adding the Scottoiler to the bike, the chain had been staying pretty clean and I'd been lulled into a false sense of everlastingness, and I hadn't bothered to measure the chain in over a year's commuting. In the end I bought a new chain, then discovered that it wouldn't engage because the sprockets were too worn as well, so I had to buy new ones of those too. One day I'll learn, given the way I'm putting the miles on.
The big news was that for the very first time ever, I bought a workstand. Edinburgh Bicycle was having another sale, so as well as picking up some new Endura shorts, the mountain bikey ones I really really like, for half price, I decided that the half price workstand was too good a bargain as well. I don't plan on buying another workstand, ever, and hopefully I won't need to given that this one's made by Park. It has a bright blue vice-shaped clamp that opens wide enough to accommodate the big tube of Speedy, and the even bigger tube of the Stealthmachine. It's equally happy holding Annie or the little Helios at various unfeasible angles. It makes such a difference not having to kneel or crouch on a concrete floor all the time when you're fiddling with brake block alignment or trying to thread a chain through a derailleur!
My trusty Cateye Mity computer, as fitted to Annie, and formerly to the Rockhopper, and to the Trek 850 before that, is still (mostly) working but its bracket and its sensor finally gave up the ghost this month. I was quite sad really because it was only 15 years old, but can you buy a spare bracket nowadays? [3] The computer attached to the Helios is a Cateye Enduro 2 which I really didn't like at first, save for the nicely chunky cable, but I eventually got used to the different way it worked and now I quite agree with the reasoning of grouping just distance, time and average speed together, with the odometer and the clock and things shunted into sub-modes; after all, the first three are the modes you tend to use most. So I hunted around on eBay and eventually found a second hand model for really not very much money. A few minutes' work and it was nice to know my speed and distance again.
[3] Actually, you can: SJSC sells them. But when you can buy a newer second-hand computer plus bracket for less than a replacement bracket by itself, what are you meant to do?
More maintenance this month. This time it was Annie the Blue Bike whose chain wear was way over the precise numbers I talked about a year or so ago. The amount of stretch meant that every time I cranked away on the pedals, the chain skipped over the sprockets, in just about any gear, so for a couple of days I had to ride very gently! Since adding the Scottoiler to the bike, the chain had been staying pretty clean and I'd been lulled into a false sense of everlastingness, and I hadn't bothered to measure the chain in over a year's commuting. In the end I bought a new chain, then discovered that it wouldn't engage because the sprockets were too worn as well, so I had to buy new ones of those too. One day I'll learn, given the way I'm putting the miles on.
The big news was that for the very first time ever, I bought a workstand. Edinburgh Bicycle was having another sale, so as well as picking up some new Endura shorts, the mountain bikey ones I really really like, for half price, I decided that the half price workstand was too good a bargain as well. I don't plan on buying another workstand, ever, and hopefully I won't need to given that this one's made by Park. It has a bright blue vice-shaped clamp that opens wide enough to accommodate the big tube of Speedy, and the even bigger tube of the Stealthmachine. It's equally happy holding Annie or the little Helios at various unfeasible angles. It makes such a difference not having to kneel or crouch on a concrete floor all the time when you're fiddling with brake block alignment or trying to thread a chain through a derailleur!
My trusty Cateye Mity computer, as fitted to Annie, and formerly to the Rockhopper, and to the Trek 850 before that, is still (mostly) working but its bracket and its sensor finally gave up the ghost this month. I was quite sad really because it was only 15 years old, but can you buy a spare bracket nowadays? [3] The computer attached to the Helios is a Cateye Enduro 2 which I really didn't like at first, save for the nicely chunky cable, but I eventually got used to the different way it worked and now I quite agree with the reasoning of grouping just distance, time and average speed together, with the odometer and the clock and things shunted into sub-modes; after all, the first three are the modes you tend to use most. So I hunted around on eBay and eventually found a second hand model for really not very much money. A few minutes' work and it was nice to know my speed and distance again.
[3] Actually, you can: SJSC sells them. But when you can buy a newer second-hand computer plus bracket for less than a replacement bracket by itself, what are you meant to do?
September 03, 2006
Time and motion
All things considered, I shouldn't have had any particular worries about not completing the Pedal for Scotland ride, after all I've done that sort of distance plenty of times before. And I did it again on August 27th.
A very early start for me: 6am! I arrived at the railway station in town just after 7am and stood around waiting for the others in my team to turn up. I was doing the event with four other people from my work, at least one of whom was fitter than me, and we intended to stay as a team through the ride. There was a bit of waiting and faffing about with hundreds of cyclists needing to get their bikes into the fleet of lorries, the Stealthmachine went first into one of them so that it would be well protected during the journey, with two sides smooth panel van to two sides bits of other bike. The train journey was uneventful, save having to sit on the floor for most of it because it was so busy. Then it was out into Glasgow and to find our bikes.
There was a route guide in the PfS entry pack and it mostly made sense. I'd followed the route on Google Maps, then cross-referenced it on Google Earth in case any of the road junctions weren't quite as the mapping suggested. Then I'd gone a bit silly and made a scrolling guide out of Lego and attached it to my handlebars. As we rode out of George Square and past the start line, I heard the commentator saying into his microphone, "She's even got satellite tracking on that bike!" Well, I was on a recumbent after all, I already looked unusual!
The pace was relaxed with so many cyclists on the road, and while we had no intention of breaking records, even we found ourselves overtaking people. One tends to forget that for every full-on, lycra clad cyclist with carbon wheels and no luggage who overtook us, there was probably another cyclist who only went out when the weather was good and never rode more than two miles. So while 50 miles isn't to be sniffed at even for me, there are a lot of people for whom this was a real personal challenge. After less than an hour's riding was the first rest stop, so we decided to stop anyway. They were giving away free bananas and chocolate wafers for a start! I hadn't seen any other recumbent bikes so far, and wondered if there were any given the amount of glances mine attracted back in Glasgow, but I spotted a grey Speedmachine, of all bikes, and had to park next to it. I had a brief chat with the owner whose name I forget, but then a man rolled up on a blue trike and it was one of the guys who'd tried out my Windcheetah as part of his buying research with Laid Back. I forget his name too.
Duly refilled and warmed-down, we set out again to pass through Airdrie and east towards Avonbridge where the next stop was. That was a church where they were serving cake and other yummy food, though I ended up chatting to the trike owner again for a while, and then once the others in my team reassembled and we'd decided it was time to move on, they went round one side of the building with their bikes, I went the other, and promptly lost them! I'd assumed I'd got to the road first and waited for them. And waited, and waited. Then I decided to head on up the hill and waited for them again at the top. Eventually I decided that so many cyclists had gone past that they would be miles ahead, so I rejoined the throng and for a change put my foot down (so to speak). With a bit of a tail wind I was flying, and overtook many people who'd passed me ten minutes earlier. After a long downhill and some wonderful corners, I caught my team up, as they were waiting for me! As a complete group once more, we soon arrived in Linlithgow for the lunch stop. Pootling into the playground David called me over; I knew he and Mark were doing the ride on their recumbents but I didn't know when they'd started. So I chatted to them for a while and returned to my group. N returned from the dinnerhall with tubs of hot pasta so we sat in the sun having a jolly nice lunch.
From Linlithgow we pressed on through Winchburgh and Kirkliston, rejoining the usual route back into Edinburgh, with which I'm very familiar. I took the opportunity to have some fun on the long straight, but waited for everyone at the flyover near Cramond Brig, and from there it was a gentle ride along through Barnton and onto the old railway path again and into the park next to Murrayfield Stadium. Smiles all round and a bit of hugging and we joined the long queue to 'deregister' with the organisers. One by one we dispersed and I met up again with David and Mark, and located Kevin who'd also done the ride. We carried on talking about everything and nothing really, and eventually decided to head home as the temperature was dropping a bit. I still had a few miles of uphill to do, and my legs were quite tired. But I made it home, dropped myself into a chair and had a cup of tea.
I covered about 57 miles altogether, on a bike I dared not weigh! I also raised £135 for Leukaemia Research, and I think that made it all worthwhile. I shall probably be doing Pedal for Scotland next year as well.
A very early start for me: 6am! I arrived at the railway station in town just after 7am and stood around waiting for the others in my team to turn up. I was doing the event with four other people from my work, at least one of whom was fitter than me, and we intended to stay as a team through the ride. There was a bit of waiting and faffing about with hundreds of cyclists needing to get their bikes into the fleet of lorries, the Stealthmachine went first into one of them so that it would be well protected during the journey, with two sides smooth panel van to two sides bits of other bike. The train journey was uneventful, save having to sit on the floor for most of it because it was so busy. Then it was out into Glasgow and to find our bikes.
There was a route guide in the PfS entry pack and it mostly made sense. I'd followed the route on Google Maps, then cross-referenced it on Google Earth in case any of the road junctions weren't quite as the mapping suggested. Then I'd gone a bit silly and made a scrolling guide out of Lego and attached it to my handlebars. As we rode out of George Square and past the start line, I heard the commentator saying into his microphone, "She's even got satellite tracking on that bike!" Well, I was on a recumbent after all, I already looked unusual!
The pace was relaxed with so many cyclists on the road, and while we had no intention of breaking records, even we found ourselves overtaking people. One tends to forget that for every full-on, lycra clad cyclist with carbon wheels and no luggage who overtook us, there was probably another cyclist who only went out when the weather was good and never rode more than two miles. So while 50 miles isn't to be sniffed at even for me, there are a lot of people for whom this was a real personal challenge. After less than an hour's riding was the first rest stop, so we decided to stop anyway. They were giving away free bananas and chocolate wafers for a start! I hadn't seen any other recumbent bikes so far, and wondered if there were any given the amount of glances mine attracted back in Glasgow, but I spotted a grey Speedmachine, of all bikes, and had to park next to it. I had a brief chat with the owner whose name I forget, but then a man rolled up on a blue trike and it was one of the guys who'd tried out my Windcheetah as part of his buying research with Laid Back. I forget his name too.
Duly refilled and warmed-down, we set out again to pass through Airdrie and east towards Avonbridge where the next stop was. That was a church where they were serving cake and other yummy food, though I ended up chatting to the trike owner again for a while, and then once the others in my team reassembled and we'd decided it was time to move on, they went round one side of the building with their bikes, I went the other, and promptly lost them! I'd assumed I'd got to the road first and waited for them. And waited, and waited. Then I decided to head on up the hill and waited for them again at the top. Eventually I decided that so many cyclists had gone past that they would be miles ahead, so I rejoined the throng and for a change put my foot down (so to speak). With a bit of a tail wind I was flying, and overtook many people who'd passed me ten minutes earlier. After a long downhill and some wonderful corners, I caught my team up, as they were waiting for me! As a complete group once more, we soon arrived in Linlithgow for the lunch stop. Pootling into the playground David called me over; I knew he and Mark were doing the ride on their recumbents but I didn't know when they'd started. So I chatted to them for a while and returned to my group. N returned from the dinnerhall with tubs of hot pasta so we sat in the sun having a jolly nice lunch.
From Linlithgow we pressed on through Winchburgh and Kirkliston, rejoining the usual route back into Edinburgh, with which I'm very familiar. I took the opportunity to have some fun on the long straight, but waited for everyone at the flyover near Cramond Brig, and from there it was a gentle ride along through Barnton and onto the old railway path again and into the park next to Murrayfield Stadium. Smiles all round and a bit of hugging and we joined the long queue to 'deregister' with the organisers. One by one we dispersed and I met up again with David and Mark, and located Kevin who'd also done the ride. We carried on talking about everything and nothing really, and eventually decided to head home as the temperature was dropping a bit. I still had a few miles of uphill to do, and my legs were quite tired. But I made it home, dropped myself into a chair and had a cup of tea.
I covered about 57 miles altogether, on a bike I dared not weigh! I also raised £135 for Leukaemia Research, and I think that made it all worthwhile. I shall probably be doing Pedal for Scotland next year as well.
August 19, 2006
Countdown
My preparation for Pedal for Scotland has so far involved riding more miles on my way home from work each day; about three times as many actually. I also went on a sort of training ride with the people from work with whom I'm doing the event, and that came to about 46 miles altogether. I rode the little Helios for that, and I was very uncomfortable after 30 miles or so. I think it might have been as much the baggy shorts I was wearing over my lycra shorts, as the saddle on the bike which is not bad as saddles go, but it's not a Flite. When I was in Brighton and London three weeks ago, riding around the latter with Charlotte from ACF, I did about 40 miles on the first day and 20 the next, and managed ok, but the comfort issues remained. So, I think that I'll bring the Stealthmachine to Glasgow and ride that. I've found that if I jump between bikes day to day or maybe week to week, my legs never really get in tune with whatever I'm riding and my performance suffers. So it's been pretty much the Stealthmachine for all my activities so far, until this past week when I managed to hurt both my legs by riding too enthusiastically / aggressively / hard / fast / etc. Recuperating by riding my very lightest bike, the Helios, has probably put me out of shape again! But my legs are feeling better.
The good news is that the seatpost on the Helios, despite the bike being folded and unfolded a lot during the weekend down south, has remained blissfully silent. The bad news is that the new creak is still there and I simply cannot work out where it's coming from.
With my weekends of late being swallowed up with other things, I haven't done much of the promotional and fun stuff. I missed out on the Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade for one thing: I really wanted to join in this time around and boost the recumbent numbers. I missed out on the Tallbikes while they were in Edinburgh because I was at work. I missed out putting in a presence at the TryCycling stand in the Meadows on Fringe Sunday too.
But I went on the latest Laid Back ride at the weekend, where we had a good showing of the silly bikes, Kevin on his Fujin, David on his trusty Focus and his wee one on a Bevo, Martin on a hired Nazca, me on Speedy - and Graeme on his Speedy, having come all the way from somewhere near the border. It's been about two years since I had the chance to ride with another Windcheetah rider, Liz at Cyclefest and Mark at the EIHPF. With the numbers on bikes and the split of abilities, I led "the Spud Crew" [2] out of the city and to Heriot-Watt university and to Johnsburn for lunch. I hadn't led a group before (even just three people), and I was nervous. I rode probably rather faster than I ought to have done, but I was afraid of holding the fast guys up! Still, it was fun to blast along for a while, while David led the less experienced riders in his group. Lunch was good as ever at the Inn, and us fast ones rode a circuitous route back to Heriot-Watt while the others went more directly. Graeme left in town, and Kevin and I went to the Meadows to see what was happening. A lot was happening but no TryCycling and no Tallbikes, so we went our separate ways. My total for that ride was about 35 miles. Next time I shall try to eat mid-morning to stop me going wobbly just after lunchtime.
[2] Spud, as in SPD pedals. You could tell the fast recumbenteers because they were all riding clipless.
Surely I've done some modifications too? I'm afraid so. This time it was necessary however; the rear gear lever on Speedy was quite old and although it's indexed, it was getting rather vague and it would slip out of one gear and into the next by itself. So I finally bought some new levers and while I was at it, a replacement rear derailleur. The original one of course had been put in the bin after it went very wobbly, and the replacement was only temporary since it was bent, apparently. And of course, you can't have a machine like a Windcheetah with cheap components, can you? So I've put a second-hand Shimano XTR unit on and the gear changing is feeling much better. So, just the rear wheel to retrue now!
The good news is that the seatpost on the Helios, despite the bike being folded and unfolded a lot during the weekend down south, has remained blissfully silent. The bad news is that the new creak is still there and I simply cannot work out where it's coming from.
With my weekends of late being swallowed up with other things, I haven't done much of the promotional and fun stuff. I missed out on the Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade for one thing: I really wanted to join in this time around and boost the recumbent numbers. I missed out on the Tallbikes while they were in Edinburgh because I was at work. I missed out putting in a presence at the TryCycling stand in the Meadows on Fringe Sunday too.
But I went on the latest Laid Back ride at the weekend, where we had a good showing of the silly bikes, Kevin on his Fujin, David on his trusty Focus and his wee one on a Bevo, Martin on a hired Nazca, me on Speedy - and Graeme on his Speedy, having come all the way from somewhere near the border. It's been about two years since I had the chance to ride with another Windcheetah rider, Liz at Cyclefest and Mark at the EIHPF. With the numbers on bikes and the split of abilities, I led "the Spud Crew" [2] out of the city and to Heriot-Watt university and to Johnsburn for lunch. I hadn't led a group before (even just three people), and I was nervous. I rode probably rather faster than I ought to have done, but I was afraid of holding the fast guys up! Still, it was fun to blast along for a while, while David led the less experienced riders in his group. Lunch was good as ever at the Inn, and us fast ones rode a circuitous route back to Heriot-Watt while the others went more directly. Graeme left in town, and Kevin and I went to the Meadows to see what was happening. A lot was happening but no TryCycling and no Tallbikes, so we went our separate ways. My total for that ride was about 35 miles. Next time I shall try to eat mid-morning to stop me going wobbly just after lunchtime.
[2] Spud, as in SPD pedals. You could tell the fast recumbenteers because they were all riding clipless.
Surely I've done some modifications too? I'm afraid so. This time it was necessary however; the rear gear lever on Speedy was quite old and although it's indexed, it was getting rather vague and it would slip out of one gear and into the next by itself. So I finally bought some new levers and while I was at it, a replacement rear derailleur. The original one of course had been put in the bin after it went very wobbly, and the replacement was only temporary since it was bent, apparently. And of course, you can't have a machine like a Windcheetah with cheap components, can you? So I've put a second-hand Shimano XTR unit on and the gear changing is feeling much better. So, just the rear wheel to retrue now!
July 12, 2006
This land is mine
All mine! Except that there's nothing to which you can lock your bike: no Sheffield stands, no wheelbenders, not even a raggedy old fencepost. Quite what the manager's expectation of visiting cyclists is, I don't know, except perhaps to wait for them to start looking around for a hidden Candid Camera. This is a beautifully converted car parking space at the Wetherby Whaler, a fish and chip restaurant on the outskirts of York. I don't imagine they get many cyclists turning up, considering that the restaurant is just off the rather busy A1237. I suppose one could park a velomobile in the space, or perhaps a group of cyclists could create a mass tangle of bicycles all locked to each other. There is a plus side, the fish and chips at this place is really good.It's early days but I've done a fair few miles on the Helios with its new tyres, and I can tell the difference over the Stelvios already. They're a wee bit more grippy and they definitely ride tarmac better. What their longevity is like remains to be seen, but they're standard equipment on current Windcheetahs so I'm hoping for good things. I'm also suddenly enjoying the Helios all over again and I'm having a minor crisis: the Stealthmachine is by far and away the most comfortable bike I've ridden, ever, but the Helios is such a fun little bike and if I can sort out my comfort in cycling shorts, I might yet ride it for Pedal for Scotland after all.
One other reason for this enthusiasm is that, fingers crossed, I've sorted the incessant creak-creak-creak of the seatpost as I pedal. I resolved, once and for all, to check everything that could be a factor: the saddle clamp bolts, both seatposts, the shim into which the seatpost fits, the frame tube into which the shim fits. I looked at the wear pattern on each component, I looked for any major or minor surface defects and sanded them smooth, I cleaned everything with white spirit and greased everything except the seatpost-shim inferface. Well something worked anyway. The commute the next day saw the seatpost making no sounds at all, but an entirely new creaking sound developed from another part of the bike! I think this might be the infamous Re-bar joint, but I thought I'd fixed that months ago. So, more tinkering required then.
July 06, 2006
Between the wheels
It's been a fun-filled few weeks on the bike front. I've been busy mending things (again), reading things, meeting people, and hey, even becoming a star of the big screen. Kind of, anyway.
What galvanised me into repair mode was that I was planning to attend the York Cycle Show this year and this time I had a choice of two recumbents to ride on the day. Well, I would once I'd properly sorted the problems Speedy was having, so I was on the phone to AVD a few times to ask about bearings and kingpins. The upshot was that the DIY approach didn't sound all that difficult and would avoid me having to bring the trike down to Manchester, so I got some parts and DIYed. Out went the old metal steering bushings, in went new nylon ones, out went the tired drum brake internals, in went shiny new bits from ICE. Then I set to retrueing the front wheels which wasn't an easy job at all - the spokes hadn't been touched in at least three years. But the wheels were soon better. I made an extra layer for the seat cushion then discovered I'd run out of sticky velcro to attach it... I also repaired a mucky but good rear derailleur to substitute for the lovely and still shiny but very worn out Deore XT unit. The gear changing was becoming very imprecise and it turned out the derailleur pivots had gone wobbly, so I stole all the good bits from it and put them into the replacement derailleur. Speedy was now almost done, only needing such luxuries as a new gear lever and some tweaking of the steering joint.
I also had to attend to the little Helios because having built a nice new wheel, the miles I then put on it resulted in some of the spokes loosening up, some a little, some a lot! I perhaps hadn't tensioned the wheel enough the first time, so I spent an hour or two redoing it. Then not long after while hot-footing it across town to the garage where my car was having its MOT, I had a puncture. No biggie, but really not the best time for it to happen! I had it mended in short order and was on my way again. After attending to MOT matters I was heading over to David's house to attend to some bike matters, and got another puncture! Not only that, the sidewall of the tyre had blown apart. I had the inner tube fixed again quickly and then set to mending the tyre with a big patch which had been languishing in my repair kit for months. I ordered some new tyres that evening - Continental Grand Prix, rather than the Stelvios which have been getting a trifle annoying with their inconsistent reliability. While I was buying tyres, I chanced across a copy of Encycleopedia - from 1995 - which for £1 was too good value a piece of history not to buy.
Two events were happening on the weekend of the 24th-25th of June. One was the York show, the other was the Bicycle Film Festival. It was an idea David had, I think, to produce a short film of recumbent riders in Edinburgh, having fun and being generally enthusiastic and offbeat. Well, he asked if I was interested and I couldn't really pass up a chance like that could I? So on a very wet morning we gathered in town and went for a coffee until the rain stopped. Then the four of us, David, George the cameraman, Stuart (from the Rannoch ride last year) and I headed out for a day's filming. What a lot of fun! Take after take, round and round and round the roundabouts, swooping and swapping sides, up and down the roads (which were conveniently closed for another event). Several days of (probably frantic) editing by David and George and the video made it to the Film Festival just in time!
I didn't see the showing, of course, because I was busy driving down to York. With the Stealthmachine hugging the back of my car I cruised the 200-odd miles to the same B&B I stayed in three years before when I first went to the York show. I brought the bike this time because although Speedy was ready to go, the garage at the guest house didn't have room! Nor would my friend's little shed when I was to stay with her afterwards. So on the Sunday I rode the five miles to the event, bought myself a programme and started to get acquainted with the layout. I rode around the campsite, the cafe tent, the First Aid tent, the children's try-out bit, and ended up at the BHPC tent where I met "wobbly" John, who recognised me from Cyclefest and previous York shows. I chatted to him for a while, then went off in search of other people I knew, and ended up back at the BHPC where I met Andhar the Wheel from Aberdeen, with his little Edinburgh-born Aerobike recumbent. I made my way into the trade arena and pottered around, said hello to Peter Eland at his Velovision stand, and shortly after that, bumped into fellow forummers Tony, Alex and Joan, from ACF. We chatted for some time, then Joan and I went off to eat lunch. The rest of my afternoon was spent at Joan's tent while we disassembled it, then Tony came back and we sat talking for another hour or so. They later headed off to the railway station and I headed back to the B&B, the five miles going by very quickly indeed with a bit of a tailwind. And that was that really, not a bad day at all.
A brief few days off the bike and back home I went on another Laid Back ride with Stuart and prospective recumbenteer Mark. Having been thundered and rained on on the way out, we only went as far as Balerno for lunch. Uncharacteristically, I had spicy chicken and pasta for lunch - which was dead good actually - then we headed back in via my old stomping ground of Heriot-Watt university and its environs. I got home and with about two minutes to spare, the heavens opened again. Nevertheless it was a nice warm-up at 22 miles for me. I'm planning to do the Pedal For Scotland ride next month, given that I'm not in shape for this year's Dun Run. It's only 50-odd miles rather than 115, so shouldn't be very difficult.
What galvanised me into repair mode was that I was planning to attend the York Cycle Show this year and this time I had a choice of two recumbents to ride on the day. Well, I would once I'd properly sorted the problems Speedy was having, so I was on the phone to AVD a few times to ask about bearings and kingpins. The upshot was that the DIY approach didn't sound all that difficult and would avoid me having to bring the trike down to Manchester, so I got some parts and DIYed. Out went the old metal steering bushings, in went new nylon ones, out went the tired drum brake internals, in went shiny new bits from ICE. Then I set to retrueing the front wheels which wasn't an easy job at all - the spokes hadn't been touched in at least three years. But the wheels were soon better. I made an extra layer for the seat cushion then discovered I'd run out of sticky velcro to attach it... I also repaired a mucky but good rear derailleur to substitute for the lovely and still shiny but very worn out Deore XT unit. The gear changing was becoming very imprecise and it turned out the derailleur pivots had gone wobbly, so I stole all the good bits from it and put them into the replacement derailleur. Speedy was now almost done, only needing such luxuries as a new gear lever and some tweaking of the steering joint.
I also had to attend to the little Helios because having built a nice new wheel, the miles I then put on it resulted in some of the spokes loosening up, some a little, some a lot! I perhaps hadn't tensioned the wheel enough the first time, so I spent an hour or two redoing it. Then not long after while hot-footing it across town to the garage where my car was having its MOT, I had a puncture. No biggie, but really not the best time for it to happen! I had it mended in short order and was on my way again. After attending to MOT matters I was heading over to David's house to attend to some bike matters, and got another puncture! Not only that, the sidewall of the tyre had blown apart. I had the inner tube fixed again quickly and then set to mending the tyre with a big patch which had been languishing in my repair kit for months. I ordered some new tyres that evening - Continental Grand Prix, rather than the Stelvios which have been getting a trifle annoying with their inconsistent reliability. While I was buying tyres, I chanced across a copy of Encycleopedia - from 1995 - which for £1 was too good value a piece of history not to buy.
Two events were happening on the weekend of the 24th-25th of June. One was the York show, the other was the Bicycle Film Festival. It was an idea David had, I think, to produce a short film of recumbent riders in Edinburgh, having fun and being generally enthusiastic and offbeat. Well, he asked if I was interested and I couldn't really pass up a chance like that could I? So on a very wet morning we gathered in town and went for a coffee until the rain stopped. Then the four of us, David, George the cameraman, Stuart (from the Rannoch ride last year) and I headed out for a day's filming. What a lot of fun! Take after take, round and round and round the roundabouts, swooping and swapping sides, up and down the roads (which were conveniently closed for another event). Several days of (probably frantic) editing by David and George and the video made it to the Film Festival just in time!
I didn't see the showing, of course, because I was busy driving down to York. With the Stealthmachine hugging the back of my car I cruised the 200-odd miles to the same B&B I stayed in three years before when I first went to the York show. I brought the bike this time because although Speedy was ready to go, the garage at the guest house didn't have room! Nor would my friend's little shed when I was to stay with her afterwards. So on the Sunday I rode the five miles to the event, bought myself a programme and started to get acquainted with the layout. I rode around the campsite, the cafe tent, the First Aid tent, the children's try-out bit, and ended up at the BHPC tent where I met "wobbly" John, who recognised me from Cyclefest and previous York shows. I chatted to him for a while, then went off in search of other people I knew, and ended up back at the BHPC where I met Andhar the Wheel from Aberdeen, with his little Edinburgh-born Aerobike recumbent. I made my way into the trade arena and pottered around, said hello to Peter Eland at his Velovision stand, and shortly after that, bumped into fellow forummers Tony, Alex and Joan, from ACF. We chatted for some time, then Joan and I went off to eat lunch. The rest of my afternoon was spent at Joan's tent while we disassembled it, then Tony came back and we sat talking for another hour or so. They later headed off to the railway station and I headed back to the B&B, the five miles going by very quickly indeed with a bit of a tailwind. And that was that really, not a bad day at all.
A brief few days off the bike and back home I went on another Laid Back ride with Stuart and prospective recumbenteer Mark. Having been thundered and rained on on the way out, we only went as far as Balerno for lunch. Uncharacteristically, I had spicy chicken and pasta for lunch - which was dead good actually - then we headed back in via my old stomping ground of Heriot-Watt university and its environs. I got home and with about two minutes to spare, the heavens opened again. Nevertheless it was a nice warm-up at 22 miles for me. I'm planning to do the Pedal For Scotland ride next month, given that I'm not in shape for this year's Dun Run. It's only 50-odd miles rather than 115, so shouldn't be very difficult.
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