42

A great value urban bike

I have written several posts about some absolutely fantastic urban bikes. See

• 42: Great City Bikes
• 42: 3 more great urban bikes

For more generic issues see my older post 42: What makes the best urban Bike

Now time to address a "value" option, a bike for everyday use that is affordable for more people.

For me the Halfords | Carrera Subway 8 Hybrid Bike 18" looks like excellent value at £350.

• You get 8 gears (Shimano Nexus which should be fine for daily use if you are not attempting to break any speed records). The gears will require no maintenance (although be warned there are scare stories on the internet about people whose nexus gears have failed after a few 1,000 miles - but it looks like they were enthusiastic hard riders which the nexus is not designed for).
• You get roller brakes. Zero maintenance. Perfectly adequate if you are not expecting race bike responses.
• You get mudguards/fenders. Essential for everyday use. You stay much drier when there are puddles and the whole bike stays cleaner which means you do as well.
• You can fit rear and front racks which makes it easy to carry plenty of stuff without having to put it on your back (you stay drier and cooler and get less tired).
• Should be easy to get a basic chainguard fitted eg a SKS ChainBoard. Available from many UK bike shops from around £15. Many shops will have other brands just as good.

I have seen so many people struggling with cheap, heavy mountain bikes. They end up walking up hills because the gears don't change properly (so many just can't get the front gear change to work at all). They can't fit racks so can't carry much. They have knobbly tyres that are slow and heavy. They have no mudguards so think you can't ride a bike if the ground is damp without getting dirty. They need bikes like the Subway 8 that are fine with all the off roading they ever do and work so much better around town.

If shops sold bikes like this people would ride them so much more than the cheap mountain bikes rusting away in sheds.

And the stupid thing is that I have visited the 4 nearest Halfords shops and not one has a Subway 8 for sale, some even tried to deny that Halfords sold them at all.

If you want a bike to ride around town and on bridleways and the National Cycle Network then do not let shops sell you a rubbish mountain bike. Demand a bike with:

• Hub gears (they will all work, they will work for years, you will not need to do any maintenance). If you are in anywhere that is not flat then look at more than 3 gears.
• Roller Brakes (no maintenance)
• Mudguards/Fenders (no bike cleaning, no special clothes needed)
• Rear Rack (carry shopping etc)
• Front Basket (makes like so much more convenient around town)
• Chainguard (one to properly keep the chain away from your clothes and water/dirt off the chain).

Happy to collect suggestions for alternatives.

BBC News - 'Most dangerous' UK roads named by safety group

From BBC News - 'Most dangerous' UK roads named by safety group we have a very sensible suggestion. Target money at the roads where the most accidents happen. It seems simple changes would be cheap and immediately save lives.

Surely it seems obvious to allocate an amount of money each year to be spent on the most dangerous roads from the previous year - duh! Why has this not been done every year for the past n years? It is so obvious. I guess most people think this would be common sense and be standard practice.

Of course exactly the same should be done to look at the dangers for cyclists and pedestrians. We already know a hugely disproportionate amount of the cyclists killed in London are killed by HGV's during the morning rush hour. We know that these often happen when the HGV is turning left and squashes the cyclist against fixed railings.

Somebody should have a pot of money with the simple task of working from road death and injury records to systematically target the most common causes. They need the power for solutions such as to extend the time restrictions on HGV's, demolish railings, put in proper segregated Dutch style cycle facilities. All so that the worst causes have serious resources allocated every year.

Note that blame the victim activities (helmet enforcement, luminous jackets, cycle training) do NOT count. This resources must be used on engineering solutions on the ground (and is restricted to ones that encourage cycling and walking by tackling the ones that do the killing & injuring).

Cycling infrastructure the British way

From Real cycling: Bloody Tower traffic signs: Anyone understand this? we get this wonderful combination of signs:

 

Best child carrying bike ever

From This Bike is a Boat, Lady this is a Bullitt with the best  cargo box ever.

See 42: Great City Bikes for more on the Bullitt.

Wish I had one when the kids were young.

Packing started

Making progress. The removal company has been chosen and one of the jobs yesterday was to collect a load of boxes from them so we can start packing.

So today some good progress was made. The first boxes are packed (2 boxes of candles were first, then several boxes of bike bits). More importantly we are making significant progress on reducing stuff. We have 2.5 boxes of books waiting to go to a local charity shop. We have taken loads of stuff for recycling. 

It looks like a trike (Stein Road Shark) and bike (Kingcycle) have new owners and will leave soon. We are passing on 3 children's bikes that our boys have grown out of while we have been here. Would still like to sell the Challenge Fujin (well like not the best word as it is a wonderful bike that it will be painful to lose but space will not easily allow me to keep it).

Anyway I had a big sort out of all the bike related stuff. Now in neat boxes so can be used while taking less space (one for racks, one for mudguards, one for pedals, one for computers and lights, one for chain, one for tubes and repair kits, ...)

The goal is to continue to reduce the stuff we have and need to move by drastic amounts as we process things. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks we will clear the garage so that it can be used to store packed boxes rather than try to live around them.

Anyway no more progress will be made this week/weekend due to rather crazy work schedule while also supposedly helping to clear out Mum's bungalow.

Kingcycle for sale

[Update] Sold! [end update] In 42: Recumbent bikes and trike for sale I gave very few details of the Kingcycle that I am selling. I was asked for some pictures so here they are (all on flickr as well). Also some detailed notes below the images.

Also here are some notes about the specification as it is quite different from the original.

Classic Kingcycle, size long.

• Webbing for seat was renewed by D.Tek when we bought this in Spring 2004 complete with tailbox. 

Changes since then

Wheels:

• New 20" front wheel with Shimano Deore Hydraulic Disc Brake. Rim Sun Cr18, Hub DMR Revolver. Tyre is Schwalbe Marathon Slick 35-406. Disc brake mounting is welded to the original front fork.
• New 26" rear wheel. Shiman Deore Hydraulic Disc Brake. Hope Hub (came with this bike), Keba rim 559-17, Tyre Panaracer 32-559. Disc brake mounting is on the end of the chainstay
• Clearance for tyres front and rear is tight. Smaller tyres would increase this but personally my preference is for as much air in the tyres as possible for ride quality

Drivetrain:

• Front chainrings 54&40
• Stronglight cranks
• Rear 8 speed 28x11
• Front dérailleur Shimano RX100
• Rear dérailleur Shimano 105
• Twistgrip style gear changers

Misc:

• Includes a basic Halfords computer
• Cateye wing mirror
• One water bottle holder (space for two)
• Water deflector fitted between seat and stem
• I have the original 2 rear lights for the tail fairing but currently they are not fitted.

Earlier changes:

When I bought the bike the gears did not work and the brakes were useless. The original brakes had been replaced with a useless side pull brake on the front and a tandem drag brake on the rear (the alignment was poor so it either dragged all the time or barely functioned).

The rear wheel had a heavy steel rim combined with a lovely Hope hub. The front wheel also had a steel rim and a Moulton tyre.

I was unable to find compatible Magura hydraulic rim brakes so decided to switch to disc brakes. The work was done by Andy Duffin of A.D. Cycles in Horsham

Also I could not find any 24" rims so switched to the 26" rim at the back. The choice of 406 tyres was so much better that I went for the larger front rim as well. Ideally you would swap to smaller chainrings to compensate for the larger rear wheel but I have not done so yet. 

Blogging:

I wrote a few blog posts about the Kingcycle at the time. See 

• Kingcycle Update
• Best laid plans: Kingcycle update 2
• The Ultimate Kingcycle
• A weekend with the Ultimate Kingcycle

3 more great urban bikes

In 42: Great City Bikes I looked at two options if you want bikes to carry lots and lots of stuff.

Now for three options for general purpose city bikes that combine

• Clean easy cycling in ordinary clothes
• Very low maintenance
• Good load carrying capacity

In other words for fast, hassle free transport around a city these are great.

Techno geeks will be interested that these three share a fairly recent innovation. None of them use a chain, instead they use a Gates Carbon Belt Drive. This has two key advantages for city bikes as it has no oil or grease to get on clothes and it will not rust or become less efficient if left out in the rain.

All these bikes will offer better performance than a typical Dutch style bike which is usually of interest in less cycle friendly cities or in hillier areas. On the other hand they may also be more desirable to thieves in cities where there is a lot of cycle theft.

In order of price they are

Trek Bikes: Soho.

 As the cheapest of these options, the most obvious cost saving is the brakes. Roller brakes one of the lowest maintenance brakes available (rear coaster brake being the only lower maintenance option). 

It comes complete with mudguards but no rack (it does have full mounting points for a rear rack and also for a rack for front panniers).

I have ridden one for a while around Cambridge thanks to Ben Hayward Cycles. In that ride it was very pleasant and easy to ride. I was unable to subject the brakes to any severe testing, in that simple ride they were absolutely fine. 

If you look for  reviews on the internet you will find a number of complaints that the brakes are poor and not very ineffective. My suggestion would be that if you live in a hilly area or are going to carry heavy loads that you test the bike carefully. My suspicion is that they will take a bit of bedding in so will not be at their best on a brand new bike, also they will need the brake levers to be squeezed harder than either rim or disc brakes and they will not provide very precise feel.

I like this a lot, sadly no step through frame available. For all but enthusiastic cyclists wanting to hammer along and be able to stop in an instant it seems like a good modern city bike that is somewhat higher performance than a typical city bike (more rigid, lower handlebars, more gears, lighter) while still being very low maintenance.

UK Cost around £800

Globe Bicycles: Live 3.

This is a very interesting bike (from a spin off company from Specialized) that is sadly not yet available in the UK, but might be during autumn 2010. I have ridden the single speed version at the cycle show last year.

Compared to the Trek Soho the most obvious difference is the front basket which can carry 25kg. It still has all the mountings for a rear rack to balance the load (or simply carry more).

It also has Hydraulic disc brakes providing far greater stopping power for slightly more maintenance (changing the pads every few 1,000 miles, occasional cleaning and/or adjustment to avoid rubbing/squealing).

Unlike the Trek it is also available with a mixte frame style, a so called women's frame. Actually such frames are very practical for anyone who does not wish to swing a leg over the saddle to get on. Makes it so much easier to get on and off, particularly if heavily loaded (at a cost in rigidity).

As with the Trek there is a minimalist chain guard (but no chain, this is protecting the belt). This is not to stop the chain going rusty nor to stop you getting oil on your clothes (the belt does not rust and does not have any oil or grease on it). Instead it simply stops trousers/laces getting caught in the drive and if the belt picks up dirt should keep that away from you.

The mudguards wrap around much more than the Trek which is better for keeping you dry but you will need to be more careful of branches getting caught in them. A two leg stand is included.

The seating position is more upright with more swept back handlebars so it will be more relaxed to ride but a little slower. A test ride is recommended as a number of reviews on the internet mention that the steering is quite sharp/sensitive.

Current USA price converted to UK is approx £1,000

Tout Terrain: Metropolitan.

In this mini comparison the Tout Terrain Metropolitan stands out in many ways, not just the price.

First, the rear rack is an integrated part of the main frame, not bolted on. This is a standard feature of all the bikes from Tout Terrain. It means the load can be carried lower and the weight capacity is greater (40kg in this case).

Second, there are a number of super practical details such as the handlebar stop which prevents the handlebars from turning more than 90 degrees (less impact on actual cycling than the spring on the Globe Live 3).

The Metropolitan comes with 50mm tyres compared to the 32mm of the Trek and Globe that is going to be better on poor surfaces providing a more comfy ride and being more robust (more protection to the wheel and will also be less prone to punctures especially pinch flats). Thus a better choice for any off road riding (or cobbles for that matter).

There is support for front panniers and so this has the greatest potential load capacity (although still less than half that of either the bikes I mentioned in 42: Great City Bikes).

Like the Globe Live the Metropolitan comes with Hydraulic disc brakes (although these are Shimano rather than Tektro) so great braking performance with little maintenance.

Sadly no chain guard (well belt guard given that this is also a Gates Carbon Belt Drive bike), pity that as it will mean you will want to use cycle clips or tuck your trousers in which is a hassle on a city bike.

This is available both with the same hub gear as the others (Shimano Alfine 8 speed) but also with the ultimate hub gear which is a Rohloff 14 speed. That will last you for ever and has a much better gear range but at a high price.

There are many other options for the Metropolitan including dynamo lights with concealed cables. Also a choice of handlebars (swept back or more "sporty") and front suspension.

There are other models in the range from Tout Terrain such as the Boulevard which is essentially a chain version of the Metropolitan.

Priced in Euros which is approximately £1,300

Transport choices and missed opportunities

I have a couple of trips I need to make tomorrow. Trying to decide how to do them.

In the morning I need to collect some bags of dishwasher salt from Thrapston as we have run out at the Raunds Chapel and need the dishwasher for WOT (Worship On Thursdays). 

It is around 5 miles each way with a choice of fairly flat but busy on the A45 or up and down through Ringstead and Denford. The nice option would be to go traffic free through Stanwick Lakes but the surface of Meadow Lane is appalling and there are 2 very small kissing gates to get through. Plus at the Thrapston end there is no surface so you have to ride across a meadow.

3 x 25kg bags will fit in my bike trailer ok. I have a large Y-Frame bicycle trailer and have bolted on a huge plastic box (107cm long, 52cm wide, 44cm high) with lockable and watertight lid. I use my Giant Yukon mountain bike to tow the trailer as I need the low gears on hills, the full suspension is not ideal as it combines with the flexibility in the hitch to make it a bit jerky but it works fairly well. Obviously this is why I really need a Bullitt Clockwork (even if I do worry that the default low gear would be tough up the hill out of Ringstead).

At lunchtime I need to be at Wollaston which is the opposite direction. 10.5 miles by the most direct route which goes through Higham Ferrers, Rushden and Irchester. Or a much more pleasant route of about 13 miles via Chelveston, Newton Bromswold and Poddington.

I need to be back in Raunds, showered and ready for WOT by 3pm. Fortunately no evening meeting so I can just do some paperwork gently in the evening.

It all looks quite doable, but 36 miles of which 5 are towing a big empty trailer and 5 towing 75kg is a fair bit more than I normally do. Still if I want to lose some weight and if I want to try to use the car much less I should probably give it a go.

The sad thing is that this could all be made much easier if the infrastructure was in place.

This is the land of missed opportunities.

First, we have seen an expensive waste of money installing huge electronic displays on the A45 between Raunds and Thrapston. Presumably when they work they will show delays on the A14, however, that will be useless as at that point there you have essentially no choice of route (the warnings would need to be back at the junction with the A6 to give you any sensible options). Instead they could have made a real difference to people locally by installing a proper separated cycle route alongside the A45 from Raunds to Thrapston.

Second, while we have a nice leisure cycle facility at Stanwick Lakes it is useless for transportation as

• There is no safe route into Stanwick for pedestrians or cyclists (you have to cross the busy A45 at a roundabout)
• There is a very poor route into Raunds via Meadow lane (flooded for months at a time, very bumpy and 2 very small kissing gates)
• The surfaced path ends before you get to Thrapston so you end up cycling across a meadow which is part of the flood plain area.
• It does not connect through to Wellingborough and where it ends at the A6 there is another tiny kissing gate (I really struggle to get a bike with panniers through).
• Much of the route surface is unsuitable for road bikes.
• There are no cycle connections to most of the towns and villages along the route.

This is really sad as connecting this route to Wellingborough is one of the Sustrans Connect 2 projects but no sign of any progress yet. 

If we were serious about travel options in this region then a huge transformation is relatively simple by providing a high quality Dutch style cycle path from Thrapston to Wellingborough. It would be almost entirely flat as it follows the River Nene. 

Quality feeder routes with safe crossings of the A45 could easily be put in for Denford, Woodford, Ringstead, Great Addington, Raunds, Little Addington, Irthlingborough, Higham Ferrers & Irchester. There are bridleways and/or footpaths already in place for all of these. They would need surfacing (and in some cases raising to be above winter floods), some new bridges over the Nene would be needed and some safe crossings over the A45.

That might sound a lot but it would provide something like 50,000 people with a cycle route to Wellingborough Station and to several shopping centres. Plus of course a nice cycle route into the countryside for the 70,000 population of Wellingborough. The distances are not that great, it would be about 10 flat, traffic free miles from Thrapston to Wellingborough Station or Tesco. People around here make many journeys between these towns and villages and at the moment cycling is hard work and dangerous (as the minor roads go up and down the edge of the valley and have lots of fast drivers on them).

East Northants is supposed to be developed as a leisure and tourist area for the region. An extensive network of cycle paths connected to Stanwick Lakes would draw in many more visitors without overloading the car parking facilities. We already know that people come to Stanwick Lakes with their bikes. These routes would make it a far more interesting option than either Rutland or Grafham as there would be more options of distances and places to go (pubs, café's, shops, swimming pools etc). 

If I look at the rides I am thinking of for tomorrow I would use a proper route through Stanwick Lakes for both journeys and would be far more likely to cycle for work.

Compared to the huge cost of many of the road schemes that we see this would be cheap and quick. Yet it would have a very positive impact on health, the economy and carbon footprint of East Northants. 

Anyway, ranting over. If I am going to do those rides tomorrow I now need to finalise some hymns for the Raunds worship band to practice tomorrow evening. Oh well that is much more fun that doing accounts which is what most of the day has been taken up with.

Tom Vanderbilt Talks “Traffic”

This is a good video interview. After watching I decided to buy the book.

We need more people like this who are willing to challenge the "normal" assumptions. We need them for transport. We need them on environmental issues, on justice and also on faith.

Recumbent bikes and trike for sale

Due to expected lack of space (and trying to have less stuff generally) when we move in the summer we are selling two recumbent bikes and one recumbent trike.

Just in case you are interested they are

• Challenge Fujin. Semi low racer style recumbent bike with full suspension, mudguards, dynamo front light, rack, bags, disc brakes. Probably fastest and most comfortable way to go touring (or fast day rides). The image is of a similar bike, mine has mudguards, additional side supports for recumbent bags, neck support, font hub dynamo and rapidfire gear changes rather than twist grip. Also two seats (one large and one standard) and two seat cushions (standard foam and one of the dry padded mesh).  Looking for £900 



• Kingcycle. [Update}Sold![end Update] Classic British short wheelbase recumbent upgraded to disc brakes and a 26" rear wheel. Complete with tailbox. Looking for £500 [Update] 10 more photos available on Flickr Include notes about changes[end update]

• Stein Road Shark. [Update] Sold! [end update] A recumbent trike by Rob Stein, one of the very first into the UK. Very practical and good load carrier. Any offers considered

 Please note that we are not (and will not ever) selling our wonderful Trice X2 recumbent tandem. So stop asking :-) Oh and that goes for the Trice XXL as well.