The Mercian slims down

And loses the unnecessary dangly bits. I've been meaning to 'fix' this bike for a little while and have finally got round to it, although it still needs more work. Clipless pedals, better wheels and a better brake mainly. That old 1960's single pivot might look right on the bike but it doesn't give you a great deal of confidence!

RLJs and pavement cycling

Maybe its just me but the increase in numbers of cyclists in Sheffield of late seems to have produced a disproportionate increase in the number running red lights or using the pavement? Recent jaw dropping acts of stupidness witnessed by myself have included:

Twit1 trying to avoid red light at junction of London Road/Boston Street by cutting on to the pavement and shooting across the junction. Except his timing was off and the cars in front of me were turning left just as he was crossing at speed.

Twit2 deciding to ride at speed down London Road (even though there is a flippin' bus/cycle lane there) causing peds to scatter.

I think that both Twit1 and Twit2 deserved the very unflattering appelations thrown at them from myself and others.

I bring this issue up as I came across an incident on a cycling forum where a cyclist ran a red light at a ped crossing in London recently and ran into someone who has subsequently died of their injuries. The git on the bike apparently got up remounted and rode off. See the cycling through red lights thread here for the source of the info.

The wonders of whisky

When feeling slightly knackered after numerous hilly miles how best to prepare for the 2 mile slog from Beeley up to the top of Beeley Moor? Easy! Stop at Devonshire Arms and refuel with a large Malt Whisky. Worked for me anyway as I got up there faster than I have ever done before. No pics from the top as visibility was stupidly poor in the fog. Probably less than 40 yards.

How (not) to bodge a dodgy mudguard

The bolts on Pete's rear mudguard stays decided to fly away resulting in hideous noises as the guard rubbed on the tyre and stays clattered against spokes. With no tools to effect a repair or actually remove the damn thing this seemed like a reasonable thing to do at the time! My guess is that it'll still be like that when the rest of the bike dies (the tightarse).

Winter approaches

And its time for Green Vernon (as oposed to Blue Vernon with the Dangly Bits) to wake from his shed slumber. He's a simple reliable soul who is easy to please and pleases easily.

Some might consider him to be a bit of a luddite with his single fixed gear, ancient Brooks saddle, Carradice saddlebag and centre-pull brakes but he's efficient and does exactly what he's supposed to do with the minimum of fuss. As long as you keep his tyres up to pressure and lube/tighten his chain every once in a while he's a happy bunny who never complains.

Cycling to school

My 7 year old lad has caught the bug.

Yesterday and today constituted his first 'commute to school by bike' days and he's hooked. Its not much more than half a mile but it includes a nice run through the park and relatively little on-road riding. Its quite a hill though. I was rather impressed on the way home that he managed to ride most of the way up through Meersbrook Park on his rusty little singlespeed bike. He only got off and walked on the steeper bits.

Sadly he is in a tiny minority at his school. Only 1 or 2 other bikes ever get locked to the railings there and although a lot DO walk; far, far more are driven the short distance from their home to the gates which is very disappointing.

For those born before the 80's

Found somewhere on t'internet. I was born in 1967 and it certainly reminds me of my own childhood. I like the conclusions.

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of the milkvan on a summer day day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because we were always outside playing! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were o.k.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no internet or internet chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live in us forever.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

School football teams had trials and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all!

And you are one of them! Congratulations! We had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good."

Squirrels and spokes

Many is the time that a little tree rat has caused a brown trouser moment as they dart across right in front of me. But this news story highlights what might happen. It also reminded me of this nice collection of squirrel versus bicycle wheel piccies.

Tour of Britain stage 3

What a wet day that was! Took a ride out to Hope to meet Alan and go watch some of yesterdays stage. Wasn't too bad coming out of Sheffield but going over the top at Burbage was awful - in the clouds, windy and driving rain. The descent into Hathersage was quite scary given the conditions and lots of crap all over the road.

We decided to watch them come up the hill at Millstone Edge and so set off via Hathersage and Grindleford with time for a couple of drinks at Fox House beforehand. In spite of the awful weather there were plenty of people up there. The lead group came up at a hell of a lick with a big gap between them and the chasing group. The next two groups came up at a much more leisurely pace. I could have kept up with them assuming I hadn't ridden 100 hilly miles beforehand!

The ride back to Sheffield afterwards was even wetter. I don't think I've been so soaked after a ride before.

Anyway - nice that we treated the pros to some proper British summer weather!

You WILL use the cycle path...

Astoundingly, the Telford cyclist - Daniel Cadden - who was prosecuted for cycling on the carriageway instead of an adjoining cycle path was found guilty. See here

It sounds like the district judge had made his mind up and decided that Mr Cadden inconvenienced motorists where he could have reasonably used the cycle path. I am not aware of any law that requires a cyclist to use a cycle path and the road in question was not 'out of bounds' for cyclists. The judge dismissed evidence from an expert witnes (John Franklin of Cyclecraft fame), did not accept that cycle routes round the edge of roundabouts were dangerous or that poorly maintained cycle paths were potentially unsafe.

What a shocking decision. I sincerely hope this goes to appeal but if it is upheld then it is a very worrying precedent.

The new steed

Well new frameset actually. All other bits transferred from a bike that was a bit too big.

Hmmmm. Shiny.

I've been riding my lovely old Mercian a lot recently. Earlier this year I shellaced the bars on it. This was quite popular in days gone by and I was inspired by a few examples I'd seen on various websites. Basically its just blue cloth tape, hemp twine to finish the ends (NOT electrical tape) and about a dozen coats of clear shellac to cover and protect. Bit of a chore to do as you need to let each coat dry for a couple of hours before the next application but I think they look rather spiffy and well worth the effort! It certainly keeps the bars looking pristine and by all accounts they'll stay that way for years.

2 bikes per train?

One of my regular trips to Hull with my bike today. I'd understood that Northern Rail were supposed to be getting stricter with their two bikes per train 'rule'. This didn't seem to be the case on the 7.41am from Sheffield today where four bikes got on. Two in the (completely inadequate) little 'box' where cycles are supposed to go, one in the vestibule next to it and another one somewhere up the other end of the train. No complaints, no problems.

New section of 5WW open

Quick trip out yesterday lunchtime to check out the new section between the Cobweb Bridge and Norfolk Bridge. This section takes you via a restored Bailey Bridge and eliminates the need to cycle along Effingham Street. Its been very well done. I wonder if there is any intention to grow anything over all those arches as they have done further done the walk?

Apparently this phase of the 5WW has cost in the region of £1.6m!

Phew it's hot

And as usual far too nice a day to take the shortest route to work so up out of Sheffield through Graves Park, Greenhill and Holmesfield to Owler Bar. Caught up with a bloke who was riding out to Baslow and Chatsworth and it was very tempting to keep going with him but the day ahead was just too busy and so from Owler Bar bombed back down through Totley and on to Abbeydale Road into the city centre. No more than about 15-16 miles in about 70 mins but a lovely start to the day. Intended to do the same route on the way home but the heat was just too much when I left at 5.00. How The Tour riders managed those 3 huge climbs today in that sort of heat is just beyond me.