HD462

My worry would be if the keys were being kept, is are the council replacing the locks every month, or just the keys. If it's just the keys, what's to stop someone who's previously kept a key, from coming back and helping themselves to whatever bike is in the locker they've kept the key for?

I think that's the whole point, it's advising people which part of the path to use to bring some order. Doesn't always work, best to ring your bell, slow down, and give pedestrians a wide berth, while covering your brakes in case you need to stop. Especially in windy locations like ours, as people won't always hear what's around them with the wind blowing around their ears.

I'd agree, it may be Dutch made, but looks more like the style of a so called 'hybrid' bike. I like the dashboard on it, appeals to my gadgety side, shame it reads in km/h though.

That's the purpose of the seat I have that I posted a link to on the first page. I'd read a while ago that sitting on your prostate gland doesn't do you much good either. That seat is designed to reduce the pressure on this area. I just posted a link on the first page, but here's the pic off that page. Works pretty well. http://www.wheelies.co.uk/Images/Products/full46346.jpg

Our council mark cycleways differently on different parts of our sea front. In this first photo you'll see they use red tarmac for the cycle area, and it's also signed as being on the left (doesn't stop pedestrians walking on the wrong bit mind you, so you still have to go round them onto the pedestrian area. http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy313/HD462/Miscellaneous/Cyclepath1.jpg On this second photo the surface is all the same, and they don't designate a certain part for cyclists, you're just mixed together with pedestrians. But it's quite wide, and doesn't cause a problem if you take care passing. http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy313/HD462/Miscellaneous/cyclepath2.jpg

I'm looking at those for my wife too, plenty of gel, and sprung base too by the look of it. http://asda.scene7.com/is/image/Asda/?layer=0&size=298,298&layer=1&src=953368&size=298,298&resMode=sharp&op_usm=1.1,0.5,0,0&defaultimage=default_details_GM

It wouldn't close completely, route one comes up here in the north east of England. They may have to make a detour in your area, parts of it here are on road, but the route will still exist. The part of it near us that follows a disused railway line, I was riding years before it was ever an 'official' route.

Wondered what you meant there, just looked again, I guess you mean Yoga Girl....lol Didn't notice that before.

Hi Mike, Here's a video on how to replace cables, lots of others on there too.

I swapped the racing saddle on my Univega to one of these Avenir Saddles a couple of years ago. More comfortable with a hole in the middle that relieves pressure on your man bits. My wife doesn't like it and wants me to get one of those wide saddles for when she rides it. I'll probably get her one, and another seatpost too, so the saddle can be left on, and it's just a case of swapping the seatposts over to swap between saddles. I find the saddle on the Fast4ward Peak quite comfortable, and a similar design to the Avenir just without the hole. I'm sure you can lay your hands on one of those Mark.

The black mountain bike style one looks very similar to the one I tried by Poweredbicycles.co.uk at a show. If it is it was a nice ride, and I would have bought one if I could have got it on our Cycle to Work scheme. Lower spec gears than the Peak I eventually got, but that probably allowed them to fit the disc brakes.

I'm quite small too, 5ft 5" and 29" inside leg, but my bikes fit me. The problem you have is that the frame is too big. You need a smaller frame so you have the clearance over the crossbar, and have the seat higher to give you the leg length so your leg is almost straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Bikes with a sloping top tube are more user friendly for that. In normal bikes you usually get a good selection of frame sizes to get the best fit, but I've noticed a lot of bikes have a one size fits all type of frame. Some will fit better than others when you look at the frame design, one with a sloping, or curved top tube will suit a bigger range of people (just adjust the seat up or down), than a bike with a horizontal top tube. The Fast4ward Peak I recently got it like this, the top tube sweeps down in a curve towards the back wheel, so it's quite a way from you. This gives a lot of adjustment of the seatpost height to suit a good range of riders. I find it fits just as good as my Univega, which has a small 17" frame for lots of crotch clearance, and a long seatpost to give the leg length.

How about motorbike fork gaiters, they come in different sizes and lengths? Here's what a quick search brought up, there are other shops, I've never used this shop, but they sound like a big motorbike parts dealer. Pyramid Parts They're also selling on eBay here.

I've read this thread from start to finish, lots of good points raised on both sides. A couple of things though that I'm surprised no-one has mentioned, first of all, if you want to save some money, like the car scrappage scheme, you can encourage your employer to start a Cycle To Work scheme. That's how I'm buying the Fast4ward Peak I've just got, and with the tax benefit saving it works out at about £670, and you get to pay weekly for it. People mentioned the health benefits, reduction in pollution etc, and benefits to the Gov't (healthier people, lower NHS costs etc), however no-one has mentioned that using your bike means using your car less - loss if tax from the fuel you are no longer buying. I'm a classic example, liked bikes all my life, but couldn't face the ride to work, boring, repetitive route, especially the return trip after a hard days work. Our company started a Cycle to Work Scheme, and I considered whether or not to get a bike for work. I'd often looked at eBikes over the years, but never took the plunge due to the price, but they fulfil my love of gadgets, and bikes. The scheme offered a big saving, the more you spend, the more you save, so ideal chance to get one. The electric assistance would be a great boon for the return trip home too. So I ordered one. In the three weeks I've had it I've only used my car twice, once the first week when I got up to go to work to see I had a puncture, and once because it was raining. I reckoned if I could save £10 a week on fuel it more than covers the cost of the bike, up to now it has. So I'm getting some exercise I wouldn't have been getting, enjoying the ride now, and saving money on fuel. The exchequer however has lost money in the lost fuel duty and vat I would have paid on the fuel I haven't bought. There are savings for the company too, as they claim back 13% on the national insurance they've have paid on your behalf, and can also claim back the vat on the bike if they're vat registered. So there are other ways of getting a cheaper bike than just the vat reduction. PS: Just got soaked coming home from work tonight. ;(

Any idea if this ban on throttles in retrospective, or just for bike purchased in the future? If it follows the lines of motor vehicles, then existing fitments are normally still allowed, but no more after a certain cut-off date. I'll be disappointed if it's retrospective, having just bought a new bike and chose it based on it's features, one being that it has a 'throttle'. Why didn't they choose a different name, variable switch, potentiometer or such like. It's not a throttle, it doesn't involve varying an airflow like on an engine, it just helps to give the impression of speed. Which probably just makes people who are un-aware of eBikes, more cautious about them. Even using the 'throttle', you can still pedal faster than that on a normal bike if you chose to.

No, it's just an image I found on the net that looks like the springs most of my bikes have had, and what was described previously. I would have thought a V Brake was a V brake, regardless of whether it's an electric bike or normal bike. Just standard cycle components. Here's some to look through on Google Images: V Brake Return Spring Search

Where would that be then?

Thanks Flecc, that's near enough, other side of town from me, but not far from where I work. Didn't want it too accurate, right town is near enough.

Getting back to the original spring we think you're missing. From the description earlier, it sounds like it maybe one of these. By choosing a different hole of the three holes on the bracket on your frame, you can wind the spring up a little more putting more tension on it, and therefore increasing the force it returns the brake with: http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/Alt-imageB/BR/BR1280B.jpg

Can you add me please, I'm in TS25 riding a Fast4ward Peak. Thanks.

Is that the full item, or is that just one side of it, with a mirror image out of shot? Just thinking it looks a bit like the spring used on the old caliper brakes which you don't see much now.

All the Wetherspoons around here are known as the places whinos hang out because of the cheap beer. We went in one when we had a long weekend at York, that served breakfasts. We went in about 10am, and there were drunks in there already.

Another vote for the Aldi computer. I got one a few weeks ago for my new eBike, just bought another two today, one for my Univega, and one for a bike I might be getting next month as my long service award from work. Can't go wrong for £4.99, and lots of features too. I've had various computers over the years, from a dear one 20yrs ago to the Aldi ones now. None have ever broke, just been upgraded. I've never had a cable snap on any, so long as you turn the bars lock to lock, and allow for suspension movement when running the cable, so leaving some slack in it, there should be no problem.

Yeah, well indicated speed obviously. I doubt they were that accurate. I doubt there were many standard bikes, especially Fizzys, I think everyone ended up fitting a Micron exhaust didn't they?

That's true, I doubt they'll replace the eBike, unless they decide to tighten the rules on eBikes to make them need testing, insuring etc, which would kill the market. Those electric scooters I linked to earlier are already subject to licensing, insurance, etc. To me if I was going to the bother of all that, I'd rather get a 50cc scooter that would do the full 30mph, or more safely have a 100cc or 125cc bike that can do more realistic speeds but still return decent mpg. eBikes fill a gap as they are now, with no legal BS as Neptune says, move up to more restrictions and expense to own one, and they'd lose their appeal.