Jan and Klodi's Party Bus - part II **off topic discussion**

robyntmorton

Hi all,

I'm off to Benidorm for a week in mid January, and want to rent a bike for a few days (so I can pretend I'm in the Vuelta). Has anyone any recommendations for rental places?

I found the Meta Bike Cafe in Albir (just north of Benidorm) who can do an Ultegra geared Ridley Fenix for €80 for 4 days, but if anyone knows of any places they can recommend, I'm all ears, please and thank you!

tomasrojo

I finally got the new chain onto the bakfiets. I even tried putting the old chain back on, but even that with the bit of chain stretch was too tight to allow me to close the chain. So I did have to loosen the wheel and slide it forward in the horizontal dropouts in the end. It really isn't very obvious how to do it, with the roller brakes and all that. Still, done now.

rollingscone

Today I made the classic mistake of arguing with an idiot.

Some guy on a Dublin bike kept charging ahead of me at the lights from the canal cyclepath and then slowing right down.

I passed him again, then he shoulted something at me and when he caught up with me at the next set of lights said I shouldn't be passing him as I was slowing him down.

It was taking me "a half an hour to clip in", I didn't think of it at the time, and just noted he kept pulling in front of me and slowing right down.

Eventually I just called him an idiot then lost my dignity when my chain dropped halfway across the junction.

It was only after I took off again and was trying to remember if I'd had any trouble clipping in at any poiint that it dawned on me.

His "taking half an hour to clip in" was me waiting with my foot on the pedal for the green bicycle instead of just tearing through the pedestrian lights.

alas, so much moral highground wasted.

Weepsie

dahat wrote: »

Anyone using Three pre pay credit for Strava premium should look at it as it seems Three are or have removed 3 pay as an option in Google Play Store.

I currently have a thread open to get this confirmed in "talk to " forum.

I still have the option.

tomasrojo

rollingscone wrote: »

Eventually I just called him an idiot then lost my dignity when my chain dropped halfway across the junction.

Not as bad as when I turned around to scowl at an errant driver and ran (relatively slowly) into the back of another car.

manafana

rollingscone wrote: »

Today I made the classic mistake of arguing with an idiot.

Some guy on a Dublin bike kept charging ahead of me at the lights from the canal cyclepath and then slowing right down.

I passed him again, then he shoulted something at me and when he caught up with me at the next set of lights said I shouldn't be passing him as I was slowing him down.

It was taking me "a half an hour to clip in", I didn't think of it at the time, and just noted he kept pulling in front of me and slowing right down.

Eventually I just called him an idiot then lost my dignity when my chain dropped halfway across the junction.

It was only after I took off again and was trying to remember if I'd had any trouble clipping in at any poiint that it dawned on me.

His "taking half an hour to clip in" was me waiting with my foot on the pedal for the green bicycle instead of just tearing through the pedestrian lights.

alas, so much moral highground wasted.

I have admit to not waiting for green bikes, but I always cross with caution prepared to yield, the bike green lights on or two of the crossing points on canal are so short. A yellow bike would be better but then a few people would think they don't need to yield, which happens very seldom to be fair

rollingscone

manafana wrote: »

I have admit to not waiting for green bikes, but I always cross with caution prepared to yield, the bike green lights on or two of the crossing points on canal are so short. A yellow bike would be better but then a few people would think they don't need to yield, which happens very seldom to be fair

It's just another example of bad infrastructure that pushes cyclists and pedestrians into conflict.

CramCycle

manafana wrote: »

I have admit to not waiting for green bikes, but I always cross with caution prepared to yield, the bike green lights on or two of the crossing points on canal are so short. A yellow bike would be better but then a few people would think they don't need to yield, which happens very seldom to be fair

rollingscone wrote: »

It's just another example of bad infrastructure that pushes cyclists and pedestrians into conflict.

I always used to wait, you would always see one clown who couldn't wait and would plough on regardless of pedestrians, most cyclists were grand and sort of shuffle along with one foot on the ground and stop if there were peds, but it is always the one clown who ruins it.

I do remember fondly the little kid who had a green man who stood out and stopped, turned and ordered the cyclist to stop, guy nearly killed himself but the kid was stopping him as his sister was waiting even though they had the right of way.

The cyclist was a dick and rightly got called on it, the fact that he was schooled by an 8yo made it all the funnier.

This said, the junction across Northumberland Road is beyond ridiculous. There used to be 5minutes in a rotation (timed on a camera) with only 30sec for peds and less for cyclists. Catch it at the right time and you could understand why there was so much issue with it.

VW 1

Similar setup in the Stephens Green southside to leeson street cyclist light, miniscule amount of time allocated to it in comparison to traffic and pedestrians.

Idleater

VW 1 wrote: »

Similar setup in the Stephens Green southside to leeson street cyclist light, miniscule amount of time allocated to it in comparison to traffic and pedestrians.

Vaguely related, I cycled along the canal cycle path today at lunchtime (grand canal dock - portobello roughly) and barely had to stop at the lights. They seemed synchronised to say 25kmph.

buffalo

Some mornings seem to bring out the chancers. At two side roads on the way in this morning I saw drivers occupying the oncoming lane, because the car in front was turning left and they were turning right, so sure, why not just make the oncoming lane into a right-hand turn lane? It makes sense for everyone!

buffalo

Also this made me go :pac:

https://twitter.com/nigreenways/status/935243053757018112

RayCun

buffalo wrote: »

Some mornings seem to bring out the chancers. At two side roads on the way in this morning I saw drivers occupying the oncoming lane, because the car in front was turning left and they were turning right, so sure, why not just make the oncoming lane into a right-hand turn lane? It makes sense for everyone!

Cyclists always complain about cars being an inefficient waste of road space. So drivers come up with innovative, outside-the-box ways of utilising that space, and what do they get? More complaints!

You just can't please some people.

CramCycle

buffalo wrote: »

Some mornings seem to bring out the chancers. At two side roads on the way in this morning I saw drivers occupying the oncoming lane, because the car in front was turning left and they were turning right, so sure, why not just make the oncoming lane into a right-hand turn lane? It makes sense for everyone!

Happens in the evenings as well, one of the side roads near my house, they love to swing out early turning right and come into the estate on the wrong side of the road. Really lucky there have only been a few fender benders but undoubtedly my insurance will go up because of this idiocy.

CramCycle

Lumen

But it's OK to match your bike to your kit, right? Right?

magicbastarder

as per one of the comments, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68dph_NDrdE

Pigeon Reaper

magicbastarder wrote: »

as per one of the comments, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68dph_NDrdE

I've seen the use of bicycles in many countries. It's amazing how much people can utilise them for transport if needed. Rwanda uses bicycle taxis which is impressive as it's very hilly and they're all single speed. Uganda has a repair shop at every major crossroads as they use bicycles as vans with 200kg+ loads. The bikes are all Chinese made and are pretty bomb proof.

magicbastarder

mental note to self - don't change the batteries in lights when dealing with a mild migraine.

rollingscone

OK. I'm calling it. Orwell have obtained access to human cloning technology.

ED E

Anyone with a 64/65cm head got a recommendation for caps? Even handmade XLs that claimed to be up to 65 are like skull cap thats been through the drier one too many times.

CramCycle

ED E wrote: »

Anyone with a 64/65cm head got a recommendation for caps? Even handmade XLs that claimed to be up to 65 are like skull cap thats been through the drier one too many times.

I am around a 64cm, most are too tight, a buff seems to be the only one that works OK.

Wishbone Ash

ED E wrote: »

Anyone with a 64/65cm head got a recommendation for caps? Even handmade XLs that claimed to be up to 65 are like skull cap thats been through the drier one too many times.

I've seen a few lads with a slit cut to the back of the cap presumably to alleviate the problem.

ED E

CramCycle wrote: »

I am around a 64cm, most are too tight, a buff seems to be the only one that works OK.

As in buff the brand? They seem to max out at 62cm with lots of "one size"(biggest lie ever).

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I've seen a few lads with a slit cut to the back of the cap presumably to alleviate the problem.

I've done that with a "Castro Cap" before but the problem is that just moved the pressure ring slightly higher. Think I'll use reversed woodworking clamps to try and stretch this yoke.


The Kask Mojito has great airflow which rocks for summer but its like being in a chiller during the winter so I really should get this sorted.

Harrybelafonte

ED E wrote: »

As in buff the brand? They seem to max out at 62cm with lots of "one size"(biggest lie ever).

I seriously would have counted Watergste scandal in there first. But everything’s fake news these days so maybe Buff’s one size only really does beat it.

64cm head too and any brand of “whatever they’re called” buff type things work.

eeeee

Just put a weaker or longer elastic insert at the back. Open Up the seam, unpick the elastic and pop a bigger one in. Fiddly enough to do but but at all difficult. Pins are your friends.
Or bring it to an alterations shop and they'll do it for you.
I have a tiny pea head and I have to make all mine smaller :pac:

ED E

nee wrote: »

Just put a weaker or longer elastic insert at the back. Open Up the seam, unpick the elastic and pop a bigger one in. Fiddly enough to do but but at all difficult. Pins are your friends.
Or bring it to an alterations shop and they'll do it for you.
I have a tiny pea head and I have to make all mine smaller :pac:

That only works when you've got not enough elastic but plenty of cloth, the cloth is fully taught on mine.

CramCycle

ED E wrote: »

As in buff the brand? They seem to max out at 62cm with lots of "one size"(biggest lie ever).

Not specifically their brand, but most I have used (actually all bar one) managed to fit my over sized noggin.

The Kask Mojito has great airflow which rocks for summer but its like being in a chiller during the winter so I really should get this sorted.

I was the opposite, I found it like wearing an oven during the summer and kept me warm during winter, different strokes for different folks.

eeeee

ED E wrote: »

That only works when you've got not enough elastic but plenty of cloth, the cloth is fully taught on mine.

You could add a bit to the band? The elastic would hide the join largely-You won't be able to see it if it doesn't anyway :P

ED E

I can't sew, but might ask if any of the family are willing to try their hand at fatheadifying it.