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100YrsofAttitude posted:I have a friend in London who doesn't know how to bike and is thinking about learning. I don't know if he's aware about these services, are they common knowledge, and if not do you have a link I can send him? Bikeability is the government scheme that runs a lot of the training in the UK. London boroughs tend to have their own schemes too so depending on where in London he is, there'll be something on his borough website. Quite a few offer free training. Here's a good list of instruction providers although some of the links might be old or dead now: https://www.lfgss.com/comments/7295461/ e: looks like most of the borough links are dead but they have updated pages on their sites. Bikeworks would be my specific recommendation if he's in an area they operate. They do good training and also do a lot of good work in getting disabled and elderly people out on bikes. kemikalkadet fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Sep 22, 2020 |
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Sep 22, 2020 18:39
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Cool thanks!
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Sep 22, 2020 19:01
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Al2001 posted:I'm a cycling instructor, and my boss has to specify to new recruits not to turn up at primary schools like this. Roadie culture is a helluva drug. What a great teacher! Do you also instill in your students that roadies are literal filth and deserve to be run over and their scorn?
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Sep 22, 2020 19:02
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Alas, we have to spend the duration making them look over their shoulder and not crash into stuff, and there is rarely time for discussing the salient points and best memes of cycling tribalism.
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Sep 22, 2020 19:58
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Al2001 posted:If you haven't already you can start buying jeans with a bit of stretchiness for more longevity & comfort. Levi's Commuters are the usual recommendation but people say they've gone down in quality. I get Wrangler Larstons (2% elastane) for £40 in TKMaxx. Calvin Klein makes some really comfy jeans. No issue cycling with them.
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Sep 22, 2020 23:37
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I think Levi discontinued the Commuter line, but now sell a general stretch option with that added elastane in most of their standard styles that is nearly the same thing. The added flexibility is quite nice just generally in jeans, but definitely a lot for biking particularly. For casual-ish short rides they are fine to ride around in, as long as its not too hot out. My bike commute is only 3 miles/220 ft gain on the way into the office, and my Levi Stretch 514s are perfectly fine for that without turning into a sweaty mess.
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Sep 23, 2020 00:19
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VideoGameVet posted:Calvin Klein makes some really comfy jeans. No issue cycling with them. Good bikes, too.
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Sep 23, 2020 03:33
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bicievino posted:Good bikes, too. 
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Sep 23, 2020 04:02
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I pretty much only ride in street clothes (jeans) because I'm usually commuting somewhere. When I go trail riding or bikepacking I will wear North Face/Patagonia hiking pants. I've never seen any cycling clothes that I would want to be caught in while not on a bike (or even on a bike for most of them).
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Sep 29, 2020 21:37
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aight here's a fun/stupid question. are there any workout routines to make carrying a bike up/down stairs less taxing? and/or, some recommendation on form so I don't aggravate my old-person shoulder? e: I'm guessing generic "core" exercises and bicep curls but if there's something more formally defined, that would be dope.
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Sep 29, 2020 21:52
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slicing up eyeballs posted:aight here's a fun/stupid question. are there any workout routines to make carrying a bike up/down stairs less taxing? and/or, some recommendation on form so I don't aggravate my old-person shoulder? The only one guaranteed to work is the one-handed creditcard swipe for a lighter bike.
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Sep 29, 2020 22:02
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You can put a shoulder pad in your front triangle, or a pool noodle or pad around your top tube near the seat tube. https://vincita.cc/products/b022n-frame-bag-with-shoulder-pad To me bikes never seem too heavy to carry for a while, but they're just loving awkward off the ground.
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Sep 29, 2020 22:04
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I carry my bike up and down some narrow stairs into the basement everyday, with my gear in the bags (aside from change of clothes, lunch, and work papers). I carry from the left and tend to grip the front handles from the main axle with the left and then grip the back rack with my right (I used to pick it up from the seat, but that obviously loosened it so I learned that lesson). I bend down and lift, probably getting it to waist height. I guess the one trick I do is that I tend to make sure the left pedal is at 1 o'clock or so and I can brace it on the back of my shoulder a bit as I go up about 8 steps. Once at the top I just rest the top wheel on the step and slide out from beneath the pedal. Mind you I'm also pretty short so maybe that helps. Carrying down is easier since you don't have to lift so much. I heard two pop like noises at one point, about 15 minutes, 5 km, away from home. I was worried I had gotten a flat, but I made it home fine and nothing seemed wrong. I guess I'll see tomorrow morning, but I really can't help but wonder what that was all about. How long can it take to get a flat? I would assume it's quick, but that's because the only time I had a tire burst on me was in a car and that's what happened then.
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Sep 29, 2020 22:13
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slicing up eyeballs posted:aight here's a fun/stupid question. are there any workout routines to make carrying a bike up/down stairs less taxing? and/or, some recommendation on form so I don't aggravate my old-person shoulder? I find it easier to carry a bike backwards when you're going up stairs. Front hand goes on the seat tube below the top tube and the rear hand goes on the down tube. The handle bars just kind of naturally stay straight because gravity is a hell of a thing.
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Sep 29, 2020 23:18
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bicievino posted:The only one guaranteed to work is the one-handed creditcard swipe for a lighter bike. I would sooner die!! Koth posted:I find it easier to carry a bike backwards when you're going up stairs. Front hand goes on the seat tube below the top tube and the rear hand goes on the down tube. The handle bars just kind of naturally stay straight because gravity is a hell of a thing. I'll give that a shot! Thankfully my bike isn't so heavy that I'm resting it on my shoulder. I tend to alternate hands leaving/returning from a ride, it's mostly liftoff that's the challenge as mentioned. Also trying to carry it one handed because the other hand has a coffee, which is not negotiable.
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Sep 30, 2020 01:23
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Reading chat on carrying bikes up stairs makes me very glad to live in the Netherlands. Almost every stair and incline here has a small ramp or groove to roll your bike up with you. 
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Sep 30, 2020 08:16
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I carry with my shoulder in the triangle close to the head tube, handlebars behind my neck, and hand gripping the seat tube (taking most of the weight). With the opposite hand I can waggle the fork to get through short spaces. This setup keeps the bike mostly in front of me which helps on a narrow staircase.
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Sep 30, 2020 13:14
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jojoinnit posted:Reading chat on carrying bikes up stairs makes me very glad to live in the Netherlands. Almost every stair and incline here has a small ramp or groove to roll your bike up with you. I thought in the Netherlands you just walked out and took the nearest bike as yours for the day, with the expectation that once you leave it unattended it's up for grabs again, a big theft based bikeshare 
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Sep 30, 2020 15:59
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slicing up eyeballs posted:I thought in the Netherlands you just walked out and took the nearest bike as yours for the day, with the expectation that once you leave it unattended it's up for grabs again, a big theft based bikeshare This is accurate, but sometimes people leave them at the wrong end of the stairs, hence the helpful ramps. Worst is when all the dry ones are taken and you have to go into the canals where we keep all the excess bikes in cold water storage. Sometimes tourists or immigrants don't understand this and use locks, which is when you give the traditional Dutch greeting of "cancer *ethnicity*!" and helpfully display Dutch values with a pair of traditional wooden bolt-cutters ("clogs" in English).
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Sep 30, 2020 16:25
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My bike commute does not suck.
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Oct 1, 2020 17:42
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That's gorgeous but because of my experience with sand, I'd hate that sidewalk. It's been raining recently but I'm super happy about taking it like a champ. There hasn't been a hard rain yet, just steady light/medium so we'll see. I have yet to use my water-proof pants, drat my legs, but I've used a pretty lovely light rain-coat which gets the job done. Anything heavier and I'll be wetter from the sweat than the rain itself.
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Oct 1, 2020 18:47
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Someone messed up your bike real bad
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Oct 1, 2020 18:49
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VideoGameVet, where did you get that handle on the frame to make it easier to carry? I've been thinking that it'd be nice to have something like that on my Brompton
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Oct 1, 2020 20:57
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Any advice on getting a new rider up to speed on handling hills? I think we'll need to stick to the protected bike lanes for now to avoid blocking traffic and angering drivers, but I am worried about wearing the guy out to the point where he won't be able to continue because it's gonna be all uphill on the way home.
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Oct 2, 2020 00:40
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Finally got a new hybrid for my commuter bike. The only thing I really don't like about these bikes is the super wide handlebars carried over from whatever is in fashion for mountain bikes. 720mm? How am I supposed filter through traffic while pushing a 2.5ft wide metal stick? e: Crap, can't find my pipecutter. Giant Metal Robot fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Oct 2, 2020 |
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Oct 2, 2020 01:31
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Giant Metal Robot posted:Finally got a new hybrid for my commuter bike. The only thing I really don't like about these bikes is the super wide handlebars carried over from whatever is in fashion for mountain bikes. 720mm? How am I supposed filter through traffic while pushing a 2.5ft wide metal stick? https://www.modernbike.com/origin8-stash-bar-ii-handlebar-25.4-x-450-black Or a hacksaw. Literally Lewis Hamilton fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Oct 2, 2020 |
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Oct 2, 2020 01:35
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:https://www.modernbike.com/origin8-stash-bar-ii-handlebar-25.4-x-450-black 18 inches? I'm just aiming for mediocre 24. Can you even fit a full set of lock-ons, brakes, shifters, a bell, and a light mount on a set that narrow?
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Oct 2, 2020 01:38
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Just buy a cheap pair of bars that are like 650 or something. If they are aluminum shouldn’t be hard to cut yourself
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Oct 2, 2020 01:42
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I will. I'm more surprised that every hybrid I've bought has had wider bars than the last. Are these actually comfortable for people outside of mountain biking?
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Oct 2, 2020 17:47
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I don't know. Wide bars just give me upper back pain.
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Oct 2, 2020 17:54
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Bike companies actively choose equipment that is uncomfortable so you hate cycling.
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Oct 2, 2020 18:04
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100YrsofAttitude posted:That's gorgeous but because of my experience with sand, I'd hate that sidewalk. A waxed chain doesn't gather sand. But yeah, I have to be super careful on some of the spots. This section of my commute is from Santa Monica to Sunset. The scenery is nice, and I mean not just the ocean.
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Oct 2, 2020 18:40
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Mecca-Benghazi posted:VideoGameVet, where did you get that handle on the frame to make it easier to carry? I've been thinking that it'd be nice to have something like that on my Brompton https://www.offyerbike.com A must when you're hauling your bike thru train stations and airports ... like I used to do before the pandemic ended all of that :-(
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Oct 2, 2020 18:42
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Wider bars effectively increases the reach, so the stem needs to get shorter to compensate. Other thing is some people possibly go too far with the wide bar thing. They offer better control especially on a mountain bike but they need to be proportional to your height/arm length.
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Oct 2, 2020 18:45
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my bikes have obnoxiously large bullhorns and I fully expect to snag them on something one day
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Oct 2, 2020 18:53
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Any shop worth its salt should cut down your bars for free if you go back in.
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Oct 3, 2020 00:17
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I'm doing it myself because I'll have to cut it down in half inch increments until I find what feels good. Also, this is my first bike with hydraulic brakes. Wow they're nice.
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Oct 3, 2020 00:23
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Giant Metal Robot posted:I will. I'm more surprised that every hybrid I've bought has had wider bars than the last. Are these actually comfortable for people outside of mountain biking? FWIW, I am neither tall nor broad shouldered and my wrists feel like they're in a more neutral position with a wider flat bar. With drop bars I prefer 38-40cm width at the hoods.
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Oct 3, 2020 00:29
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Giant Metal Robot posted:I'm doing it myself because I'll have to cut it down in half inch increments until I find what feels good. Couldn’t you just move around the brakes and shifters to get a decent idea and then make that first big cut?
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Oct 3, 2020 00:35
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I find straight bars incredibly uncomfortable, but my wrists are trashed from years of computer touching and factory work. First modification I made to my Trek was putting some no name 35 degree sweep bars on it. They're not bad but I've been eying a set of Jone's H Bars for a while.
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Oct 4, 2020 04:42
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