Shuggie_Murray7 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I'm starting a fund to eventaully end up with a half decent road bike. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I'm starting a fund to eventaully end up with a half decent road bike. Most of the bike manufacturers release new models of their bikes each year, and the shops then reduce the prices of previous year's models, worth bearing in mind. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endieinreekie Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Och just you wait, you'll be looking at road bikes before you know it By ra way, have we all signed up for the Pedal for Scotland event again? I'm doing it this year, but haven't done much training for it yet. I will get out in the next couple of weeks and get stuck into it, mostly just cycling to work with a few longer rides thrown in. It's going to be a killer though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyblair Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Och just you wait, you'll be looking at road bikes before you know it By ra way, have we all signed up for the Pedal for Scotland event again? I'm doing it this year, but haven't done much training for it yet. I will get out in the next couple of weeks and get stuck into it, mostly just cycling to work with a few longer rides thrown in. It's going to be a killer though. I have signed up for the 110 mile Sportive ride. In all honesty I have done no work towards it, have damaged the tendons in my heel, am at a Rugby Club dinner in Durham on the Firday, it is my 40th on the Saturday then the cycle on the Sunday. Looking forward to it already 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davie2wheels Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 97 (lumpy as feck) miles in 5:01:33 yesterday. Out from the sneck up to the road end at Affric then back in via Kerrow brae and that evil barsteward of a hill at Drum with lots of wiggly bits in between. Pleasing but highly knackering. Still, Bealach Mor looks on now! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyblair Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 97 (lumpy as feck) miles in 5:01:33 yesterday. Out from the sneck up to the road end at Affric then back in via Kerrow brae and that evil barsteward of a hill at Drum with lots of wiggly bits in between. Pleasing but highly knackering. Still, Bealach Mor looks on now! Sounds a good run in a good time! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davie2wheels Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Sounds a good run in a good time! Aye, it was! Highlight was going to the castle tavern for a post ride pint to be told my face was covered in dead flies! Was really pushing it yesterday and conditions were great. Roads quiet and nae rain or wind for a change. Two weeks to go until the Bealach Mor so I needed to push it as the last big training day. Legs are sore enough today to merit wearing the compression breeks under the work clothes! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyblair Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Aye, it was! Highlight was going to the castle tavern for a post ride pint to be told my face was covered in dead flies! Was really pushing it yesterday and conditions were great. Roads quiet and nae rain or wind for a change. Two weeks to go until the Bealach Mor so I needed to push it as the last big training day. Legs are sore enough today to merit wearing the compression breeks under the work clothes! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyblair Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Just had a look at that Sportive and it looks superb. In the diary for next year. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingscot Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 By ra way, have we all signed up for the Pedal for Scotland event again? No but intend to do Challenge ride. 49 miles seems a fine morning out. 100 milers seem a slog for me, I tend to get bored when on my bike for over 5 hrs. That was the plan, but I didn't exactly have a big budget, and everything I could see was a mile out of my range. The choices for cheap road bike are essentially second hand or superstores. Cheapest new ones are £300 ish. I've plugged it on this thread before but my bike came straight out of Decathlon, no way I could afford £500 on a bike at that time, so £300 was more appealing. It's a steal in my view and as time goes on I add to it, new pedals, stem etc. Review is below. http://www.cyclingscotland.org/news/cycling-active-btwin-triban-3-review/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drooper Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 97 (lumpy as feck) miles in 5:01:33 yesterday. Out from the sneck up to the road end at Affric then back in via Kerrow brae and that evil barsteward of a hill at Drum with lots of wiggly bits in between. Pleasing but highly knackering. Still, Bealach Mor looks on now! Christ! That's mightily impressive. I'm still thinking of signing up for the Lord of the Lochs sportive at the end of September, as my motivation is slipping without a clear goal. A lot of club riders have signed up, though, so I have some anxiety about being swept up by the broom wagon I say my motivation is slipping, but it is probably more to do with not having to get out there regardless of the shite weather. I tried the club malarky, but just couldn't get into it, TBH. There's no doubt that it would have improved my fitness and riding, but I like to do my own thing, and felt it was too regimented for my tastes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingscot Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Iwatched some of the Scottish Circuit racing around Paisley on Sunday. That was madness, the speed and pace was something else. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Cycling to work yesterday, some fuckwit truck driver started blasting his horn at me as I was going round a roundabout. I slammed on my brakes and gave him a good mouthful, idiot was blathering on about how I was in the wrong lane for going round the roundabout. The highway code says that cyclists turning right may stay in the left hand lane, of which he seemed completely ignorant of. Professional drivers my arse. On a positive note my work are opening up the Cycle To Work scheme again. Decisions, decisions... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Cycling to work yesterday, some fuckwit truck driver started blasting his horn at me as I was going round a roundabout. I slammed on my brakes and gave him a good mouthful, idiot was blathering on about how I was in the wrong lane for going round the roundabout. The highway code says that cyclists turning right may stay in the left hand lane, of which he seemed completely ignorant of. Professional drivers my arse. On a positive note my work are opening up the Cycle To Work scheme again. Decisions, decisions... I doubt if there are many motorists who know that cyclists can use the left hand lane at roundabouts regardless of which exit they take,they just assume that it is the same lanes for cyclists as motorists,must admit roundabouts are the one junction i get a bit edgy with while cycling,you need eyes everwhere 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with traffic light sensors. Part of my commute takes me along a short stretch of road from which motor vehicles except local buses and taxis are banned. This means that motorised traffic is fairly quiet, but at the end of the road there's a set of lights which are controlled by a sensor and this morning I just could not trip it. In the end, I had to just bite the bullet and carefully sneak through, but I'd much prefer to stay legal. So has anyone managed to find a way of tripping these things? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drooper Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with traffic light sensors. Part of my commute takes me along a short stretch of road from which motor vehicles except local buses and taxis are banned. This means that motorised traffic is fairly quiet, but at the end of the road there's a set of lights which are controlled by a sensor and this morning I just could not trip it. In the end, I had to just bite the bullet and carefully sneak through, but I'd much prefer to stay legal. So has anyone managed to find a way of tripping these things? I have the same problem. I intend to call the cooncil (or whoever deals with these things) and ask them to address it, but meantime I try to sit back from the stop line towards the right of the lane. Not sure how well this works, right enough, as the changing still takes an age, and is pretty erratic at best. ETA: your post prompted me to chase this up, so I called the local authority who referred me to AMEY. They say they'll be sorting it out, but I'm not holding my breath, as one cyclist probably doesn't score very highly on their priority list. Edited August 21, 2012 by Drooper 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingscot Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Cycling to work yesterday, some fuckwit truck driver started blasting his horn at me as I was going round a roundabout. I slammed on my brakes and gave him a good mouthful, idiot was blathering on about how I was in the wrong lane for going round the roundabout. The highway code says that cyclists turning right may stay in the left hand lane, of which he seemed completely ignorant of. Professional drivers my arse. To be honest, that part of the highway code should be ripped out and burnt. Riding round the outside of roundabouts is a suicidal thing not even recommended in highway design books. You're technically correct in that you can do it, but I understand his frustration, even if it is misplaced. Cycling round the outside of a roundabout in the left lane is such a bad idea. You put yourself outside the natural sightlines of drivers on approach and the risk of people missing you there and massive risk of getting side swipe accidents as you cut across exits people want to take, or get squeezed on exit islands. I'd really recommend not doing it- far safer to get into the correct traffic lanes and follow them round even if it feels daunting. For me cyclists should either get off and walk around roundabouts or get into the correct traffic lanes. Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with traffic light sensors. Part of my commute takes me along a short stretch of road from which motor vehicles except local buses and taxis are banned. This means that motorised traffic is fairly quiet, but at the end of the road there's a set of lights which are controlled by a sensor and this morning I just could not trip it. In the end, I had to just bite the bullet and carefully sneak through, but I'd much prefer to stay legal. So has anyone managed to find a way of tripping these things? Depends what type of sensor it is. In general 2 types, induction loops in the surface or microwave detectors on the lights themselves. For the loops, look at the marks on the surface on approach and ride in the middle over them, however it may be that the bike doesn't have enough metal content to trigger it. For the microwave detectors you should be OK because they are essentially like PIR you see in houses for alarms. Motorbikes and scooters should trigger them too. Look to see the angle it is pointing at and try to get into its line of sight. Apart from that not much else you can do but phone the council. By the sounds of it, the detectors are working (if they didn't it would default to a fixed cycle calling the bus lane every time bus or not). They'll probably not understand the fault as if it still works for larger vehicles it will not register a fault on the system but it is down to positioning/sensitivity. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamonds2002 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 On a positive note my work are opening up the Cycle To Work scheme again. Decisions, decisions... As are mine. I am interested in getting a bike but I am bit worried as it appears to limited to bikes from Halfords. I have tried to do some research but I am struggling to find any reviews of the bikes they have on offer (I think a hybrid is the best option for me) - does anyone have a link to a decent review/comparison site so I can follow this up? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endieinreekie Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 As are mine. I am interested in getting a bike but I am bit worried as it appears to limited to bikes from Halfords. I have tried to do some research but I am struggling to find any reviews of the bikes they have on offer (I think a hybrid is the best option for me) - does anyone have a link to a decent review/comparison site so I can follow this up? IIRC when i got mine last year, if you found a bike you wanted that wasn't sold by Halfords then you could still order it through the scheme. I got the Boardman Comp Hybrid and it is a fantastic bike, may be more expensive than some of the others but worth it IMO. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamonds2002 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 IIRC when i got mine last year, if you found a bike you wanted that wasn't sold by Halfords then you could still order it through the scheme. I got the Boardman Comp Hybrid and it is a fantastic bike, may be more expensive than some of the others but worth it IMO. Good knowledge - thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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