Dr Ferrari's Camper Van (off-topic discussion)

doozerie wrote: »

An interesting challenge, to ride 100km off-road, in snow. This guy did it in 13 hours on the On-One Fatty with its 4-inch tyres. Impressive, and the bike does look like fun.

Fun on snow, sure. Hateful in any other conditions.

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Number of cyclists in Dublin up 15 per cent last year.

http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Dublin+adds+15.6%25+more+cyclists+in+2012/id/19410615-5218-5112-8473-1d5191511037

Was the Report published, or just presented to the Transport and Traffic Committee? There's nothing on the DCC website yet.

Like tomasrojo I was a bit confused by the figures, but without the Report it's hard to be sure. In that regard, DCC does publish its data sets here (2007-2011) if anyone wants to interrogate them, and the NTA has published a paper on the Canal Cordon Count trends 2006-2011 here, which fills out the picture a bit by including Dubln Bus, Iarnrod Eireann and RPA data for their respective modes, although with certain caveats. For example, table 2.1 in the NTA paper shows that there were 54,251 bus passengers and 69,681 car occupants in 2011, which is surely far more than the implied 5% mode share for bus, as noted by tomasrojo.

ROK ON wrote: »

Now that said I work in an office of 16 and four of us commute by bike.

140 or so in mine, of whom 40-50 cycle (seasonal variations).

Not sure about the total number of staff at my work place but the bike shed on a good day can be full to the last slot and the opposite wall double stacked with bikes. That's around 50-60 bikes if the weather is good, on a poor day it can go down as low as 20 or so bikes. Mostly the MTBs and hybrids on bigger tyres appear to 'survive' bad weather better, much less drop bars and skinny wheeled hybrids, though I have seen a Pinarello on some of the bad mornings there (maybe the guy's MTB or hybrid was broken, can't imagine myself commuting willingly in bad weather on a bike like that).

AstraMonti wrote: »

Most pointless thing ever? Ok maybe not ever.. but what the hell..

http://cosprings.craigslist.org/bik/3538142405.html

I don't even?

BX 19 wrote: »

Recommend me handlebar tape. Any decent ones? I had some charge stuff before but it rips far to easy.

dont get the basic fizik stuff its rubbish

cinelli cork ribbon aint bad )kinda oldschooll though)

BX 19 wrote: »

Recommend me handlebar tape. Any decent ones? I had some charge stuff before but it rips far to easy.

Fizik Microtex works well in terms of grip, both when dry and when raining, and I find it comfortable enough, but I have a question mark over its durability. After about a year of use (averaging about once a week on the bike) mine is torn (or worn) right through where my palms rest and where the brake cables pass underneath the tape.

It might be that the wear/tear is from other things (it possibly gets scraped there by the rough-ish lower edge of my kitchen countertop whenever I'm working on the bike indoors), but I suspect it's just worn through at that point from friction and if that's the case then it's not very robust at all.

Beasty wrote: »

UCI are seeking an additional 3 Cycling events at the Rio Olympics

Points Race (track)
BMX Freestyle
Mountain Bike Eliminator

More info here

Hopefully we'll be represented in the BMX racing aswell. kelvin Batey who just narrowly missed out on getting in to represent Ireland has taken two Irish riders, Corey Waller and Aaron Steacy(announced today) onto his Route 55 BMX race team to race in the UK national championship. The sport really seems to be getting bigger and bigger over here

Any North Co Dublin lads going for a spin tonight, take care at the Dublin Road roundabout in Lusk (at Taylor's farmyard).

I nearly lost it there a few minutes ago - both wheels slid sideways but I managed to hold it together. I wasn't going particularly fast so I think there may be a diesel spillage.