Check that your mudguards are properly attached.

A cautionary tale here. Certainly not approaching Simon's recent close acquaintance with tarmac following a mudguard problem but worthy of note anyway.

Cycling happily along yesterday when pppffffiiissshhh. First puncture in ages! On checking the tyre I found a very large clean cut that consigned the tyre to the bin. Bugger. Any puncture is annoying but one that knackers a good quality tyre that has only done around 200 miles tends to pique a tad more. No glass or other obvious culprit in the cut. I was puzzled. Further investigation revealed that my rear mudguard had come a bit loose and the sharpish bit where the stay attaches to the guard itself had slashed the tyre.

The cut was so bad that I couldn't risk just fitting a spare inner tube and I had no emergency 'tyre boot' with me. Luckily I only had a short walk to the nearest LBS - JE James - for a new tyre. I'll give them some credit as well. Got a conti top touring tyre for only £12 AND they happily disposed of the knackered tyre AND they let me borrow decent tyre levers and a track pump to do the repair in the shop.

Rights of way for cyclists

Received reply from MP today regarding cyclists rights of way in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. This also coincided with a CTC press release highlighting the successful campaign towards advancing the Rights of Way of cyclists as part of this bill. Cyclists now look set to have their right to claim restricted byways guaranteed in law.

This is particularly good news for mountain bikers.

October cycle forum

Some good news and some not so good news coming out of this months cycle forum.

Good

1. Bollards are going to be placed along side the cycle route passing Valley Centretainment. The recent addition of signs hasn't stopped the path being used as a car park every evening. This'll stop the buggers.
2. The recent inspection of the 5 Weirs Walk will result in a number of improvements (including getting rid of the invasive Japanese Knotweed).
3. Supertram have agreed to a one day trial of bikes on trams in Spring 2006. We'll be letting Pedal Pushers members know about this. Hopefully this will signal the start of reasonable access for cyclists on the tram network. Well done Simon Geller who has worked very hard top achieve this.

Not so good

1. The junction of Surrey Street and Norfolk street presents considerable danger for cyclists. Cyclists travelling down Surrey Street and continuing past the Winter Gardens (designated cycle route) face the possibility of being mown down by motorists entering from Norfolk Street. The rights of way are far from clear and its an accident waiting to happen. Everyone take care here in the immediate future. Furthermore the use of rough cobbles instead of a better defined and smoother surface for the cycle lane in this area highlighted a lack of thought in relation to the needs of cyclists. Most cyclists tend to use the thin strip of flat paving slabs. This is a bit of a clue as to what surfaces we prefer (especially those of us who don't use bikes with 2" tyres).
2. The use of a build out of the pavement close to the junction of Northumberland Road and Whitham Road pushes cyclists out into a narrow uphill stretch immediately before a length of cycle lane. The build out was necessary to avoid expensive re-routing of underground cables for a pedestrian crossing apparently. Such build outs are becoming quite widespread and are indicative of a lack of concern for the needs of cyclists. Road safety audits really do need input from an experienced cyclist.

Our concerns over a freeze on the budget for child cycle training maybe a little premature as budgets have yet to be agreed for 2006/7. However the debate has been valuable in raising the importance of adequate funding of what is a very successful initiative.

Tram and bus gate abuse. Survey

Videos on the Pedal Pushers website

Some Pedal Pushers members surveyed abuse of the Tram Gates at Hillsborough Corner on Friday evening. As you can see from the videos they are routinely ignored by the majority of motorists. However, it is understood that a camera is likely to be erected in the near future so those who go through here can look forward to a fixed penalty notice.

Cycle lane debris

There are a number of cycle lanes around Sheffield that for various reasons are not routinely swept/cleaned. It doesn't take long for all the crap to wash on to them and if you are not paying attention you can easily come a cropper. A regular call to Streetforce on 0114 2734567 or via streetforce@sheffield.gov.uk is necessary who should sort it within a few days. This one is at the junction of Collegiate Crescent and Brunswick Street. It was cleared within a week but is back to this state again now.

Link to Simon's cycleblog

http://smgcycleblog.blogspot.com/