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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17032-bicycle-helmet-laws-could-do-more-harm-than-good.html

Words fail the amount of anger I have at the moment over that article. I believe I saw something slightly more useful earlier this morning when I was wiping my arse clean.

First of all, he's a twat who has no idea about cultural specifics with regard to rule-following. The Americans, as a culture are on about the same level as the Germans for obeying laws because they are there. Perhaps a bit of mutter but they will do it all the same. The British are a little further down the scale, tending to err on practicality and whether or not they can reasonably get away with it. The French on then other hand are totally militant about not being forced to do stuff - their seatbelt usage went DOWN after they made it mandatory because people were deliberately showing they wouldn't be told what to do.

THIS ARTICLE IS ABSOLUTE TOSH!!!!

But forget the fact that this is an overgrown spreadsheet with no real-world culture factors in it. How fucking DARE they describe my life in terms of a fucking sum of money. IT ISN'T COST E-FUCKING-FFECTIVE..!!???!!! WHAT?!!!??? That's the same argument the Ford directors used for arguing that it was cheaper to let people burn in Ford Pintos with the petrol tank design-fault and pay the compensation than it was to recall them and fix it. And history judged them very, very harshly - their blatant cynicism resulted in the highest penalties ever awarded against a company. And this turd wants policy makers to take a long look at his piece of excrement before they make any decisions..?!??? Words fail me.

This man needs to be SERIOUSLY discredited. And hurt. Baggsy I get to be at the front of the queue. Darwinism needs IDIOTS like Piet de jong removed from the gene pool. For the benefit of the rest of mankind. Seriously, we'd actually be doing the human race a favour. And the idiot can be found here...

(http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/contact_the_faculty/staff/alphabetical_list_of_staff/piet_de_jong)

Man, I seriously love to build my own bike. But it needs more time than I've got and more knowledge than I've got. So I intend to buy an OTP and build up a custom slice of heaven along the way. But that will take me time.

I have no shame about my lack of knowledge of bike mechanics at the moment. I spent my younger years drinking, having fun, chasing girls and living my life to the full. Trawling through bike magazines and catalogues was just not on my agenda and I ampleased that I lived my life the way I did.

I came back to cycling in recent years. And I have loved it. But bike twiddling? I'm too busy with other stuff - it just isn't on my list of priorities. But I definitely have the urge to learn.

My main criteria are a tough bike that I don't much care about, because it will get dinged with D-locks, clonked against bike stands hurredly, and occasionally sent bouncing up the road as I leap off it while I'm still moving to go and remonstrate with the cabbie who just cut me up. (It shits them up something rotten when you do that).

If I build a bike with too much love and care and attention to detail, I'll cry when I bend it, or scratch the lovingly polished chrome, or drop it to argue with some nob and find all they got was a flea in their ear and what I got a ruined paintjob.

Nope, for me, a bike you get OTP is a buy-to-let whore of a machine that you have none of your soul invested in. So you don't care if it gets nicked, you don't care if it gets bent and you don't feel gutted when something goes wrong. THAT is exactly what I want for now. And from what people have said, this is a solid no fuss machine (I'll be looking for black, not the sneeze-wheels version) and put an old set of straight bars on and away I go. I fall in love with how it rides, I can replace everything on it and make it amazing, otherwise, I'll do that to "the project" and just ride this one.

And for a final word on the weight of this bike, I'm maybe around a stone-ish overweight. So I can save most of the weight of the bike, just by riding the fucker and getting back to being properly fit. I can't see what the big deal is - all those things suit me fine, for where and who I am right now.

Fuck knows if this bike is any good though. I'll know in a week's time when I have tried one. I may buy one, I may not. It's my money, I'll do what I fucking like with it.

I just moved from Chesham, which is only about 3 or 4 miles from the border.

Spend a lorra lorra time in West London though. And still visit da boyz, me home-slices in da hoodz of sahff Bucks, innit geezer. Oh fuck, I seem to have come over all "Guy Ritchie" and shit. Five minutes living south of the river and look what it's done to me!!

So... you looking for homeez for rides and stuffs?

BTW, a little bit of sick came up into my mouth when I saw that picture.

And now I want to wash my eyes. On the inside.

Does that make the guy above a cyclo-crossdresser?

PMSL So you calling Slash a cross-dresser? He'll get Axl and the rest of his crew down on your arse BIG STYLE. Anyone who's man enough to go out in public sporting a look like that's gotta be hard as fuck - you mark my words!!

Thanks. A couple of other forums I use (non-cycling) have dropped their search functions in the last year because of processing overhead on the servers. I didn't even look. Apologies for appearing dumb. Searching now...

Back to Whitcomb. I went in there last summer and I asked about custom frames because my girlfriend is 5'11. I was assumed it was a dying business but they told me they have more work than they could handle. So why is a successful business relocating to Wales? I have a scratchingness of my head...

Thanks for the pointer to Edwardes.

I just rang them and described my old bike - particularly the size (big old 25" frame). They told me they have loads of OTP bikes I can try but if I wanted a large frame, a Charge bike may well be best.

Anyone have any experience of these bikes?

+1 To Cold Steel, they've poked me with needles many times.

They did a grand job on my PA.

Ah.

That explains why I can never get a reply from Whitcomb.

But they're my local bike shop. Arse-monkeys!!!

OK, guys, help. I know I should source my own components lovingly chosen from every single manufacturer on the market and drool over which rims and how many spokes I can get away with, shaving miligrammes off here and there, deciding if I should have 17 or 18 teeth on the rear cog, etc. But frankly, I can't be fucked.

I'm going to do a slow-and-steady rebuild job on my old bike I think, mainly because I just love it. But I'll build that up bit-by bit. For now, I just want to walk in a shop, sit on a few bikes, have a wiggle and go "I like that one". I can tart it up and change it after I spend some time in the saddle. My S/S experience so far has been riding at 108GI (gear cable broke, and I got to liking doing everything in top-most gear) but that is a stupid ratio for anything but on the flat. As a result, I don't yet know quite what I want and it takes a while of riding something for me to decide if it's right or not.

I live just near Greenwich and I spend loads of time in Hillingdon, if there's anything around those areas. If not, I'm happy to travel.

Where would you folks recommend I go for buying an off-the-peg if Whitcomb is shutting?

Try Cold Steel in Camden. 238 Camden High St, London, NW1 8QS. 0207-267 7970.

Phone them up and tell them you need a PA. They'll fix you up with one.

;-^)

Just wrote out a whole post and lost it in a browser error. Poop.

I have always had this problem - even as a child, thighs were always out of proportion to my skinny waist. Recently, got a pair of Petroleum jeans. They don't have the straight side seam stitching - there's a whole series of seams around the knees, so they mould better as your leg bends. They fit my arse well and have the girlfriend's gold-star seal of approval, but they have room around the thigh. Rolled up, they are ideal for cycling in.

Admittedly, the ones I have are boot-cut an the bottom. But I am sure you could get a straighter cut in the calf and still retain the thigh-room.

Hit send before adding my condolences to the families and friends of the three cyclists killed in such a short space of time.

And to add a +1 regarding a memorial ride through London.

From: http://www.londonfgss.com/post624079-173.html

Cyclist Jim Fleming killed in Gerrard's Cross, leaving orphaned son.. police looking for witnesses/information. I just saw this on the news and found some articles:

I ride this stretch of road most weekends on the way to the Chilterns and during that recent TT. It worries me that this rider was probably more visible than me and it worries me further that people can hit someone and continue on, leaving someone to die. Sometimes I hate humans.

I grew up around there - I've only just recently moved into London to live with my girlfriend and I have to say that cycling along there used to scare the crap out of me - particularly on that side where the cars sweep down from Tatling End. It's easy for cars to reach 70-80 without thinking about it much.There's a cycle path on the oppsite carriageway, but only for the first half of that stretch, it has ended by the time you get to where he was hit. Myself, I wouldn't cycle along that road anymore. There's other routes into the countryside that I'd take in preference.

But how old is she? I'm picturing a mad woman in her forties with a basket full of cats and food tins that she hurls at hapless passers by who get in her way.

Four. The Big Red One, which got a bit bent this morning. The Dahon full-size folding one. And two gash old things which were potentially going to be play-around with projects but one of which is definitely now should be a ghost bike (rider was killed in Chalfont St Peter just recently).

Speaking of which, do people log the ghost bike locations with the chap who started the idea, or just put them up cos you're nearby?

And in the same vein, what do you spray them with generally? I could use Hammy maybe, that's pretty tough. But I wondered if something rubbery like Rubber Duck might be better. Any advice?

But at what time..?

I live in Greenwich and cycle through Deptford Bridge area every day. What time of day was she seen..? If I can catch her, I'll ask her to stop for a photo.

If she's been seen at Elephant and on Jamaica Rd, she either varies her route, or she just rides around all day screaming. Which might explain why she's so fast. Or maybe she rides in on one road and back out on the other. Have we worked out her route yet..?

The Big Red One died last night, chain caught and I bent the front cog. Guess that's the gods telling me it's time for that strip-down and send it off for powder-coating. But up until then, I was running 56/14 I believe. I may have miscounted the rear cog because I checked that whilst doing rear wheel bearings for the first time.

That was a bit high for hills though. What should I aim for, more like 52/18..?

I love riding topless. Don't care if it's tasteless - so is all lycra. And anyway, I'm a country boy, it's in my blood.

I came up Piccadilly last summer and a Spanish tourist with a camcorder was panning across the square, as she went past me, she stopped and panned back following me with the camera all the way round from the lights. Couldn't help but tart it up a bit and blow her a kiss as I left. ;-)

That made me happy.