Boring bike thread

fields5069

I'll never understand why someone would remove a bell. On shared use paths it's an ideal way to let people know that you are coming. Much better than just whizzing the fuck past me and possibly my dog, like somebody who only believes in the absolute right of way of pedestrians when they're walking.

ThePrettyDamned

fields5069 said:

I'll never understand why someone would remove a bell. On shared use paths it's an ideal way to let people know that you are coming. Much better than just whizzing the fuck past me and possibly my dog, like somebody who only believes in the absolute right of way of pedestrians when they're walking.

It's broken anyway - the bells that come are absolutely shite, a few pings and the plastic bit snaps. 

Beaides, I'm in the countryside and will be on farm tracks and roads - no need for a bell. My girlfriend's commuter bike in Cambridge has two - so she can really make some noise when tourists just wander in front of her. 

ewal

strtdv said:

the_twin said:

Nobody sells bikes with brakes like that any more. 

Not quite, canti brakes are still used on some cyclocross bikes, in certain conditions they can have durability advantages over disc brakes (on sandy courses especially)

I've got canti brakes on my Charge Plug - the are pretty atrocious. No matter how much fettling I do, I cannot stop the front one from juddering - it is apparently a design flaw. I keep meaning to replace them with some V-brakes.

fields5069

ThePrettyDamned said:

fields5069 said:

I'll never understand why someone would remove a bell. On shared use paths it's an ideal way to let people know that you are coming. Much better than just whizzing the fuck past me and possibly my dog, like somebody who only believes in the absolute right of way of pedestrians when they're walking.

It's broken anyway - the bells that come are absolutely shite, a few pings and the plastic bit snaps. 

Beaides, I'm in the countryside and will be on farm tracks and roads - no need for a bell. My girlfriend's commuter bike in Cambridge has two - so she can really make some noise when tourists just wander in front of her. 

Fair enough, but I guess you'll never know where you are at some point in the future - could even be useful before overtaking a slower rider.

ThePrettyDamned

fields5069 said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

fields5069 said:

I'll never understand why someone would remove a bell. On shared use paths it's an ideal way to let people know that you are coming. Much better than just whizzing the fuck past me and possibly my dog, like somebody who only believes in the absolute right of way of pedestrians when they're walking.

It's broken anyway - the bells that come are absolutely shite, a few pings and the plastic bit snaps. 

Beaides, I'm in the countryside and will be on farm tracks and roads - no need for a bell. My girlfriend's commuter bike in Cambridge has two - so she can really make some noise when tourists just wander in front of her. 

Fair enough, but I guess you'll never know where you are at some point in the future - could even be useful before overtaking a slower rider.

Absolutely - commuting bikes *need* a bell. I hate it when people zoom out of blind alleys and nearly crash into me, or they sit (often on the pavement) behind me, crawling - just beep me and I'll move! 

fields5069

The local teens are really getting into their bikes this summer. Trouble is the idiots are on the pavement, and they're not shared use. I don't mind in theory, but in practice it seems their year 9 cycle safety course didn't tell them about appropriate speed.