darkersiderecumbent-blog

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

ICE, ICE, baby

The ICE Vortex looks like a bike where the rider is an optional extra.  Even sat still in the showroom it gives off a tingling sense of speed, with that stretched body and big rear wheel; a feeling that the only reason it isn'teven nowsliding silently past the peleton is that the lack of challenge just isn't worth it.  Really, just look at the machine below and tell me that with a KITT eyescanner thing (you know, from Knight Rider) on the headrest it wouldn't move off by itself.

This is a long-winded way of saying that I rode behind one for much of Pedal On Parliament, and the rider has just put a review up.  Go and read it.  Not least because it describes me as 'someone who can climb'...

And yes, it is true that I nearly created a five wheeled Fuego/Vortex monster due to a lack of awareness of respective braking ability.  On a disc braked recumbent you assume that you have the best stopping power available. 

It turns out this is not the case.

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

The Old Crown Challenge and More Bikes!

Like all good Googling sessions, I found this whilst searching for something completely different.  A ride report from LegsLarry, explaining in superb detail why recumbents can climb with the best of them.  Go and read it here, but make sure that anyone in the vicinity is aware that any subsequent muffled snorts will be due to humour rather than, say, inhaling a scone.

I've also made a few minor updates to 'The Bikes' page (clicky at the top, or here if you're just to lazy to move the mouse all the way up there).  Includes a lovely picture of the much beloved 'ripping it up' on the Raleigh Twenty.

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Polis on Parliament! on Flickr.

thankyou card for @LBP_Police who looked after 3,000 cyclists taking part in #POP28

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Langside Local Elections - a cyclist's guide

This year marks the first time that I've actually owned a property during an election of some kind.  Whilst I'm aware that exercising one's right to vote should not be dependant on owning a few bricks within the area, I'm afraid to say that this year is also the first election where I've taken any real interest in what's on offer.  That's a sad reflection on either politics, my generation, or me.  I can't decide.

Anyway, armed with this new enthusiasm over the past week or so I have dived into the sea of information about the Scottish Local Elections, taking place on Thursday.  I'm primarily interested in Langside ('Ward 7' - could that sound any more like the start of a horror film about some kind of epidemic?) and, obviously, the candidates' thoughts on cycling will play a key role in deciding in what order I place my votes.

Turning to my reserve brain (Wikipedia), I was somewhat surprised to discover that eight folk are competing for the spot of Big Chief Langside.  We've only had three flyers through the door (SNP, Lib Dem and Conservative), but no matter - surely the others have all the information online and are avoiding printing paper for environmental reasons?

It appears not.  My ability to drag information out of Google is reasonably capable, but despite trying for more time than I'd like to admit, I struggled to find information on any of the candidates.  Here's a wee summary of what I found:

Susan Aitken (SNP) - Little blurb on the SNP website and a reasonably active twitter (even if the background is a bit aggressive on the eyes).  Nothing on what she intends to do.

Paul Coleshill (Lib Dem) - A blog!  Plus a flyer.  Keen on recycling and maintaining green spaces and trees, and references the LD standard manifesto here (which doesn't mention cycling at all)

Cayleigh Dornan (Glasgow First).  Nothing.  Unless the twitter @caylz is hers (same name, and in Glasgow), in which case a single tweet: "Drinking bannana (sic) milk yummy!" from 2009.  Moving on...

Archie Graham (Labour).  Fair bit about him online (he's represented Glasgow City Council since it was formed in 1995, as it happens), but nothing about what he intends to do.

Liam Hainey (Green).  A twitter feed which over the past week has been primarily about football and the Ched Evans rape case.  Scottish Green's website has a bit more information, but nothing concrete about what Liam brings to the picture.

Alex Hewetson (SNP).  Dormant twitter plus a bio here.  We may also have received something through the door, but it irritated my beloved enough to result in it being recycled.

Russell Munn (Conservative). Aha.  Again, not a great deal online (although he did attend a WWF thing on the 19th of April), but we also received a manifesto through the post. Sections include 'What I stand for', 'My Priorities' and a third of one side on nothing other than the Times Cyclesafe campaign, with some actual interpretation on how it might apply to Langside.  Exciting stuff.  Other points include improving collection of recycling, providing more recycling points, improving local green spaces and some stuff for local businesses.  All seems a bit...Green.

Ronnie Stevenson (Trade Unionist, actually part of the Scottish Anti-Cuts Coalition).  I'm going to be biased here as I firmly believe that anyone who believes we can survive the current economic situation without cuts has their head so far in the sand they're touching mantle.  Opinion piece here, SACC stuff here.  No news on how Ron intends to continue to fund services, but I'm sure it'll all be gravy.

So that's your lot.  Clearly you should be making your own decisions based on your own research, but there's not a great deal to go on I'm afraid.  There's a definite sense that some of the parties have token candidates in some wards just to make up the numbers, and a frustrating lack of any personality being conveyed by the majority.

Given the only candidate to mention cycling is also the only candidate to actually tell me what they'd do, I think it's clear where my vote will go.  This is unfortunate, as to say that the Tories are unpopular in Scotland is a similar understatement to 'Ms Thatcher was occasionally somewhat forthright'.  Still, stand up for your morals and all.

To end on a jolly note, according to Wikipedia Tory 'derives from the Middle Irish word tóraidhe; modern Irish tóraí: outlaw, robber or brigand, from the Irish word tóir, meaning "pursuit", since outlaws were "pursued men"'.  Isn't that great?

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

#POP28; headwinds, cake, and an awful lot of bike envy

Well, that was impressive.  On a blustery Saturday in April, 3000 cyclists come together in the capital for an impeccably organised stroll through to Parliament - #POP28.  There was sunshine, cake, lots of children, a huge variety of bikes and a general carnival atmosphere to the whole thing.  It didn't feel like a protest, it felt like a statement of an entire culture which encompasses all ages, all incomes, all backgrounds, politely asking for maybe a touch more investment to keep them safe.

The ride across from Glasgow to Edinburgh was considerably more hard work than expected.  A bitter headwind scorned my fingerless gloves and the satnav decided that today was the one day so far this year that it was going to throw all of its toys from the pram.  It spent the journey clutched to my handlebars throwing up occasional comments of 'Do a U turn' and 'Road does not exist, continue?' whilst mockingly displaying a speed that a fairly arthritic pig would be embarrassed about.  Anyway, I arrived at long last and joined a menagerie of the weird and wonderful outside Laid Back Bikes. 

Add to the above another three recumbents (all from Nazca) - the laid back side of life was represented in force, causing much amusement to all those who watched the circus pass.

We gathered on the Meadows, had a bit of music thanks to ruggtomcat's portable trailer of tricks, rang bells, milled around, chatted to people we'd never met and lusted over a variety of weird machines and costumes (some of which made my comedy hat look restrained).  And then slowly turned around and realised that the entire centre stretch of the Meadow's was full of people on bikes.  Blimey.

There was a minutes silence (we didn't quite realise at the back - sorry!), a minute bell ringing, and then we were off!  Slowly.  Oh so slowly...  Which caused a new challenge for laid back folk of the two-wheeled persuasion who struggle somewhat at speeds below 5kph.  Cue much wild spasming of tillers, cowardly foot downs, and some drunken weaving (and sly use of a certain trailer as a support.  Stick to the left and he can't see you in the mirror!).  It's even more challenging if a cruel person attempts to draw you into a no hands competition...

Others have covered in much greater detail the ride itself, the reasons behind it and the 8 point POP manifesto, so I'll stop here.  The thoughts I'll take away are:

I can't think of any other thing that unifies such a broad a broad range of people whilst giving out such huge benefits.  This is something to protect, nurture and shout about.

The Pastures does a really good "cyclists' flapjack"

Some day I am going to have to play on a trike.

PS: check the 'speed' box above, and try and spot where the road opened up and four recumbents leapt for the horizon.  Such childish fun :D

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Thoughts on a free country(side)

You poor sods down south. 

Look out of the window and find a hill (if you happen to live in south-east England, use your imagination).  Found one?  Great.  Can you walk up it?  I'm not thinking about your actual ability to haul that cornish pasty you had for lunch up the slopes, but more from the standpoint of legality.  Are you allowed to walk up it?  Gee, not sure eh?  Let's whip out the trusty OS and examine the key. 

Erm, right.  So if you can find a green line of some sorts you're probably ok, although there's a risk that the local authority may have stuck a deal with the local farmer since the map was printed and everything's changed.  Given most home collections of OS maps I've seen tend to still have the price tag on the back in shillings, I'd maybe wear the shotgun resistant hat. 

Now I'm going to do the same in the land of sunshine and freedom; Scotland.  I've found a hill (not overly challenging, I'll admit) and using my trusty scouting skills have also pin-pointed the blighter on the map.  Now, where's that key:

Seems to good to be true, doesn't it?  Event the use of 'most land and inland water' doesn't scupper it - closer investigation reveals the exclusions tend to be obvious things like houses and their immediate gardens, places where you have to pay to get in, growing crops (although you can walk around the edges), areas of industrialisation, nuclear submarine bases, etc.  But if it's outside, it looks like countryside and you're not planning on being an arse (stop me if you get lost with the legal nomenclature, folks), you can go pretty much anywhere and the law actively protects your right to do so.  To me, it's the ultimate in 'Big Society' legislation, based on common sense and trust.

The excellent part of this is that it applies even if you're on a bike.  Take it steady, be considerate to others and don't rip up the footpath with your street skillz and you can get your steed all the way up to the top of Ben Nevis (although ability would probably play a tiny part in this endeavour.  That being said; anyone for cycle Munro bagging?)

So, with this new found freedom, what bike to take?  Certainly I'll be the first to admit a recumbent is out of the question.  Fat tyres would be a help, both from a traction and a protecting the ground viewpoint.  Low gears.  Not overly grim on tarmac.  But beyond that, I'm not sure. 

Thoughts?

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Falkirk to Glasgow, via Loch Lomond

Loitering via Loch Arklet, just before starting the climb over to Inversnaid and Loch Lomond.

Satisfying ride yesterday.  Not quite feeling up to the Nippie Sweetie audax, but also having a day spare, I decided to trundle round one of the rides from 'Bike Scotland - Book One', which had been sitting unloved since Christmas.  This was a (heavy...) modification of ride four from the Stirling section.  I changed the start point to Falkirk to work better with the Glasgow trains, adjusted the route across to take advantage of some quiet country roads, and changed the finish from a short hop up from the west bank of Loch Lomond to an 85km ride home via some fairly vicious climbs.

So the book was probably more an inspiration than a guide...

If you're planning on doing the same thing, a few notes:

The east-west leg on the A811 was a bit of a slog into a headwind, and the busiest road on the route (although not busy busy).

The climb to loch Arklet wasn't as bad as it looked when I was planning.  The end is in sight once you reach a long, straight climb on good tarmac.  Watch the subsequent descent to Inversnaid.  Steep with some gravelly hairpins.

The ferry from Inversnaid to Tarbet only runs during the 'summer' months and even then only three times a day.  Check @CruiseLL.  No need to book the bike in advance, although you'll be charged an extra £1, which was a bit odd (as I'm guessing the enormous pram next to me avoided this charge).  Still, an enjoyable half hour crossing.  If you end up with a long wait, the hotel at Inversnaid overlooks the jetty and sells a big pot of tea for the very reasonable sum of £1.50.

You've got much more choice after Loch Lomond.  The A82 is pretty grim and full of caravans.  Following the east coast of Loch Long on the A814 is much more pleasant, but leaves you the steep climb up to the Green Kettle Inn.  High speed descent (70.2kph, if you want a target), then another long slog up the Glen Fruin road.  Right at the beginning, watch the gravel/cattle grid/narrow bridge/sharp left combination.

Great views are mainly behind you, looking down over Faslane submarine base and across the Argyll Forest Park.  Once you get to the top, lovely long rolling section, devoid of traffic.  Watch for sheep strike...

There's a (rubbish) cycle path alongside the short leg of the A82, where I picked up my first p*ncture for months.

The rest of the ride is pretty uneventful (or tunnel vision was setting in).  As a final caution, be aware that the A803 back into Glasgow looks a bit like a motorway for a while - stick a decent rear light on in advance.  And don't follow the slip road off left unless you fancy mixing it up on the M8.

Right, I'm off to fix a hole-y tube.

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Sunshine brings on the perfect excuse to use the bike for absolutely everything, even those tasks that are normally put off for as long as possible.  Like taking a crate full of glass to the recycling bank, conveniently located next to Crossmyloof Morrisons and their excellent real ale selection. 

Doubling my normal quota of wheels is the excellent Carry Freedom Y-Frame trailer, which has possibly the most inspired hitch in all, er, trailer-dom.  On which, more later.

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

It's nice when stuff just works. 25 minutes at 30 kph in bouncing rain, and the baselayer isn't even damp. Gore Running Wear jacket (pockets on the front = excellent news on a recumbent) coupled with Rapha's damn-near-waterproof cap to stop rain in the eyes.

Agreed neither are cheap, but they are considerably cheaper than a car roof or, say, a week's lost earnings from hypothermia.

As an addition bonus, ScotRail train windows work brilliantly as a coathanger, especially as stuff hangs neatly over the heating pipes.

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Unforeseen Consequences

If you do intend to scatter your phone with abandon across three lanes of traffic, ensure:

Your chosen vehicle places your unzipped pocket within 30cm of the ground.  Potential energy has no friends in this scenario

Your phone is primarily plastic (cheers Samsung!) rather than metal or glass

You hear the phone connect with the road surface

You happen to be passing a legend of a Glaswegian who, upon seeing the incident, is willing to sprint in his blue shellsuit off the pavement, dart between oncoming traffic, rescue the phone with a one-handed pick-up worthy of any star cricketing outfielder, and return it to you with a cheerful cry of 'Dropped your phone, mate'

Successful achievement of all four of these warrants a victory pie from Greggs.

Excuse me whilst I tuck in.

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Chain coming off, chain(s) going on...

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Quality time spent with a wire brush and 2.5 lengths of standard chain. One side done. And most of a Coldplay album listened to.

There's something really special about the west coast of Scotland for destroying chains. Even running full mudguards and mudflaps, the ride up the coastal road manages to work salt deep into every link. At least the bike is also orange, so the colours match...

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Left hook from First Group bus

Seeing as First Group Glasgow don't have a published email for contacting them, we'll go with an open letter...  Regrettably the photo taken further down the road doesn't show anything useful (unless of course you count braking whilst tailgating another cyclist)

Driving without due care, R150 GSF, 18h05, South Frederick St

Dear Sirs Can I invite you to discuss with the driver of one of your single-decker coaches, registration R150 GSF, displaying not in service to the fore and a single number 5 to the rear, and whom I'd charitably describe as 'heavily built and with a diminishing hairline', exactly why left hooking vulnerable road users is dangerous?  He'll be expecting you. At 18h05 today, I was cycling at about 20kph (quite happy to provide the GPS trace) southbound down S Frederick St in the centre of the left hand turn lane.  Your driver attempted to overtake in the right hand turn only lane, and realised about 10m away from the junction that he was going to be caught in the wrong lane by the amber light.  There was no traffic behind me, so the sensible option would have been to pull in behind me, and we'd both have waited for the lights to cycle.  Instead:

Optimistically applying his left indicator, he began to pull into my lane.  I was midway along his vehicle at this point.

As I realised what he was doing, I braked sharply and pulled tightly against the curb.  Your driver continued to force me out of my lane, and when he was on the dividing line between the two lanes, swung left round the junction through the now red light.  I was cut off completely, as clearly the back end of a bus doesn't follow the track of the front wheels.

Walking round the junction, I then cycled to the front of his vehicle and waved (politely, if with some exasperation) at him, expecting an apology; I can vaguely understand moments of idiocy which we immediately regret, although I'd expect better from a professional driver.  However, he made eye contact and then ignored me completely, barring a slight revving of his engine

He'll have later spotted me taking a quick picture of his vehicle as he pulled in to your Victoria Road depot, primarily to highlight how endangering me saved him no time whatsoever

Three cyclists have already been killed this year by HGV drivers dragging them under their wheels as they turn left - please educate this one before he causes the fourth.  He can be thankful that I don't yet carry my video camera during the daily commute, otherwise it would be the police getting in contact with him rather than yourselves.  As it is, until First are able to demonstrate that they are able to foster driving which safeguards others on the road, open letters such as this will continue to be posted online.

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I’m in the process of replacing worn out bits of the drivetrain on the (now almost 3 year old) Fuego, and have been pondering whether I can improve the chainline at all (which is currently very tube-y).  The current plan is to go for the double terracyle idler under the seat, and a single one on the boom to hoik the return line over the front wheel.  However, being somewhat tightfisted, I’m wondering what the implications of just running the return straight to crankset alongside the front wheel is, cutting out an idler for the sake of adding in a short length tube.  All the “fast people”TM do this, but then they also probably have fancy wonky forks and don’t have to deal with buses and sharp left-handers. There’s not a huge amount I can find on the web on chainline for commuting recumbents, and even fewer pictures of what works and what doesn’t.  The current plan is to get hold of a load of side-on pictures of bikes (hopeful posts are currently on YACF and citycyclingedinburgh), highlight the chainline, idlers, tubing and any other fancy bits with bright colours, include them with the rider’s comments on how it works, and then stick them all together in a blog post as a reference for anyone else who’d be interested.  If anyone has come here without passing via either of these fora it’d be great if you could donate a side-on picture of your beloved steed along with any pertinent comments (model of recumbent, is the chainline standard or have you tweaked it, does it work well, etc), I’ll then colour it in and post it (together with credit and references etc), and then maybe we can all steal each others ideas! The picture at the top shows what I'm planning. Something like green for drive side and blue for return. Thin and light is bare chain, thick and dark is tube. Idlers are round. Obviously. And similar pictures for a whole load of different recumbents.  Anyway, watch this space. Recumbent Chainline Gallery coming to a site near you!

[darkersiderecumbent-blog]

Blackout SOPA

To add weight behind the shoal of minor websites shutting down tomorrow in protest at SOPA (wikipedia and reddit, to name two) Darkerside will also be going dark. Or at least, not updating.

Given the ability of the American legal folk to create vague legislation and then hand out astronomical penalties for breaching the footnote on page 47 (ITAR springs to mind), freedom of speech on the web strikes me as something worth standing up for.

In addition, with wikipedia down I'd have nothing intelligent to say anyway.

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In another lucky break with available user names, I've broken into twitter. Part of the logic was it's much easier to update twitter via text, and 3G signal across much of the west coast is patchy at best. It also seems a better platform for random thoughts, grumblings and photos and lets me keep this blog for more in-depth stuff that might be vaguely interesting to read...

Anyway. It's there if you fancy a nosey. Along with the fetching new black/orange/white colour scheme. Can you tell all my education was science side? Thought so.