Tag: Bikes

#365daysofbiking A dying breed

December 24th – Christmas Eve at last, and a day carrying out errands. Stopping in Aldridge for coffee, I spotted this nice, little used ladies town bike.

A Pashley copy, it bears the brand ‘Pendleton’ – a hHalfords tie in with Victoria Pendleton, female cycling star, much like their Boardman brand.

These bikes were in fashion about a decade ago, but seem to have waned as folk realised that a heavy, cumbersome bike make make you look like Audrey Hepburn from afar but the sweat it caused didn’t aid the cycle chic.

This one is actually very cute and in beautiful condition. Compliments too on the proper locking strategy.

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#365daysofbiking Grime scene

December 9th – The increasingly poor weather really is taking it’s toll on the bikes. I’m not a fanatical bike cleaner, and prefer my steeds to show the dull patina of constant use: but right now it’s less of a film and more inches of crud picked up from the muddy trails and roads.

I’m working on the basis that this layer of detritus will prevent further ingress, but to be honest I’m not hopeful.

Next spring I’m going to have to do a lot of work on these bikes.

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#365daysofbiking A grim toll

November 15th – The bikes are suffering in the bad weather.

A continual spray of road water containing grit, balsam, leaf litter and road salt is getting into the brakes, frame and drivetrain. The pads and brake discs are wearing fast.

I need to get on with some TLC and show my steeds some love.

But while the bad weather persists, anything other than essential work seems like a losing battle.

It’s not just the rider that needs some dry weather….

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#365daysofbikingTension makes a tangle


November 8th – Spotted on a rather new-looking Raleigh ladies step-trough bike on the train on the way to Birmingham in the morning. A curious spring fitted between the downtime and rear of the fork crown.

I’ve never noticed this before. It seems an odd idea and I had no idea of the function, other than perhaps to modulate the handling to compensate perhaps for poor frame design.

A bright friend came to my aid – it’s actually a very weak spring to serve a somewhat unusual purpose. The bike has a kickstand fitted. The spring merely stops the forks flipping around when using the stand, keeping it upright.

A strange idea, but I would imagine quite effective.

You learn something new every day.

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#365daysofbiking A decent buy

August 7th – I’m always interested when I spot a new bike in any of the client’s facilities I use. This Halfords Carrera is a typical, mid range trail bike. Competently designed with mass market but decent looking equipment, including suspension forks with crown lockout and hydraulic disc brakes, this was obviously a new steed for someone.

It’s a nice bike and shows why Halfords sell a lot of bicycles despite the variable quality of their shop staff – particularly as regards technical knowledge.

I did, however, wince at the way the bike was locked. That really isn’t a great way to use a D lock and extension cable…

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#365daysofbiking Groovy, man


June 26th – Weeks of commuting in rain and grim weather are taking their toll on my brakes. Thinking I’d be in for a decent spell, I replaced the brake discs and pads on this bike in early spring.

Now it’s the end of June and they’re groovier than a 1970s Parisian jazz club.

The bikes are suffering: Corrosion, road grime, grit. This weather is eating my bikes.

A bit of sun and dryness isn’t too much to ask, is it?

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#365daysofbiking Brand bland

May 10th – One of the odder brand crossovers of the last few years has been Land Rover branding bicycles.

Company 2×2 Bikes designs distinctly average mountain bikes and sells them under the Land Rover brand, hoping presumably that some of the off-road cachet is gained by association.

Looking at this one in a customer’s bike shed, it’s a decent, if unremarkable low end steed: Better than a bike-shaped object one would buy from a discounter but not great either.

I’d have expected a bike badged with this brand to be something unusual. I wonder if the bikes are less prone to breakdown than their 4×4 stablemates?

An oddly bland product with a strange association.

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#365daysofbiking Feeling groovy

March 27th – The front brake has been quite noisy in recent days, and is juddering a little, yet the pads are fine.

A quick inspection in the bike shed at my destination showed the reason: The front disc it now severely worn and is starting top ripple on hard barking. The wear surface itself is about 60% of its original width.

A new disc will be about £25. Time to get one ordered I think. It’s seen some life, that one.

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#365daysofbiking Good tradition

March 2nd – The first Saturday in March is always the Erdington Bicycle Jumble, run by North Birmingham Cyclist’s Touring Club.

Sadly, last year it was cancelled due to heavy snowfall, and as a consequence, suffered a little for numbers this year – and I was a little late.

But it was still good to meet old friends and acquaintances, remember old bikes and old riders. The memory-jog provided by some of the stuff there cannot be understated.
A fine, traditional social event I’m pleased to see continuing.

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#365daysofbiking Brake spring broke

February 5th – I have absolutely no idea at all what’s happened here at all.

It started at the weekend – a rubbing on the front disc brake on my current bike of choice. A light rub, no more that a tickle.

As the days progressed it got worse, and defied my attempts to adjust it away.

In exasperation, I removed the brake pads, which were OK at about 60% remaining.

The leaf spring that keeps them off the disc however, was broken. This was allowing on pad to rub.

An easy, 30 second replacement. But I’ve never had a spring fail like that that hasn’t been worn on the disc as the pad ran down.

This is most peculiar. I shall keep my eye on things in case it’s something significant.

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