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Just realised I can't PM you as you're new. Definitely worth trying it out and having a test ride, I'll PM jfinlays my email/mobile number.

Was this on the Walwoth road just before E&C?

No, on the northern roundabout just before the London Rd/Bakerloo line exit, Wednesday 23rd around 9.30am. I was riding a dark green Dawes touring bike, driver was in a black BMW hatchback.

Knocked off last week at Elephant and Castle, police attended and all was resolved fairly amicably. Thankfully damage to the bike is pretty minimal, I've got a quote from Balfe's for the repairs; think my pannier's done for as well. Haven't spoken to the driver but he left me a voicemail advising that he's reported it to his insurer and they are going to be in touch - he seems to be trying to do the right thing.

Tried calling the driver's insurer and they just have a recorded message advising third party claimants to email them. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good Letter of Claim to send to them? I've got an estimate for the bike repair, but what should I do about the pannier - just a link to a comparable replacement?

Get the train to Decathlon in Essen and buy a Triban 3?

I've got this Giant Escape, pretty but not girly, lovely pale green. Needs a bit of fettling as the brakes are squeaky, but it's yours for £150. 17" frame so would fit either. Can take better photos if you're interested.

I think we'd plan to stay in B&Bs, and we wouldn't go for that long, however neither of us have touring bikes. I've got a road, TT and fixed rat bike, the GF has a road bike and SS rat. I'm a stronger rider than her so maybe I should take the Rat (which has a rear rack) and she could take her road bike. Any thoughts and tips for first time tourists?

If you're planning to stay in the UK in B&Bs, you can probably get away with not taking too much kit - for a week I'd reckon on two sets of on-bike and one set of off-bike clothes, plus a few tools, map/Garmin and a book/kindle. Pack carefully and you could probably get that into a large-ish saddlebag (like a Carradice) and a bar bag, so I wouldn't rule out a bike which doesn't have a rear rack.

Work out roughly what distance you want to cover, and try a couple of day trips before your tour to give yourself time to fine-tune your setup. Research whether any of the places you pass have bike shops, and mark them on the map in case of mechanical problems. Fit a second bottle cage on your bike and stash tools in it. Don't be afraid to cut a day short if the weather's miserable and you're hating it. Eat all the cakes you can. Enjoy!

Barelling through canary wharf at 25mph and a whole idiot family step out in front of me from my right, moving left. The son and father have the good sense to run across the road when they spot me but the mother is left there. If I go one way then I smash into the blokes, but she begins shuffling back the other way, narrowing my options. Eventually go right and skim her jacket as I pass, and just yell "you stupid bitch" in front of a whole Saturdays worth of can wharf tourists.

Stopping/slowing down not an option?

What I find particularly difficult about the recent inquest into the death at Southampton Way is that the coach turned left from the right hand lane, across two lanes of traffic. I understand he was indicating, and I know that coaches have a wider turning circle than smaller vehicles, but essentially the driver was lost, and in the wrong lane, and forced his way across two lanes of traffic.

Experienced riders might stay the hell away from long vehicles, but less experienced riders might (reasonably) expect if a driver's in the outside lane and the two nearside lanes are moving freely, that they can proceed. If a vehicle has such large blind spots, is it really reasonable for them to take up a road position that increases the field of that blind spot to include two whole lanes, and expect no other road user to be in that space?

Now sold

Hilleberg Akto on Gumtree for cheaps. Not mine, just thought it might be of interest to someone here.

Incredibly annoying one today - went to test ride a new bike over in Bayswater. Riding slowly around a little square, the driver of the minivan in front of me stops and then immediately starts reversing into a parking space - and my front wheel. I start shouting and trying to get out of the way, but he doesn't stop backing into me until I'm close enough to smack the back windscreen.

I go round to the driver's side and ask what the hell he's playing at, he starts telling me that he had looked in his mirrors, and I'd come out of nowhere. I realise he's got no sodding rearview mirror, and even less idea of why I'm yelling at him. Despite trying to tell him he'd just driven his car into me, he's getting more and more irate. Passing bystander starts yelling at him as well, shouting that he's a bloody idiot.

No damage to me or the bike (thankfully, as I hadn't paid for it), but it was genuinely worrying that he had no idea why this random female cyclist had turned up shouting at him. I suspect it's not the first time he's obliviously driven into things/people.

I've got a black Tortec Ultralite rack if you're interested - £20?

Very near miss this morning, riding up Lombard St in the contraflow, a driver in a little white hatchback van took exception to me riding the wrong way on a one-way street, so aimed his van at me, gunned the engine, and would have hit me if I hadn't bailed onto the pavement.

I thought the reg number was RE03 HVX but that doesn't match the description on webuyanycar so I'm stumped. The driver really needed reporting, I hate to think what could have happened if I hadn't been able to get out of the way.

In googling the contraflow to check that I hadn't just imagined it, I note that City of London corp talks about 'improving the contraflow to minimise conflict'. Why they can't just close it to through traffic and make it access only is quite beyond me.

Ahead of this summer's tour, looking for a few bits to complete my touring setup. Anyone got a pair of Ortleib front roller panniers they're looking to sell? Not really fussy about colour so long as they're in good condition.

Also need a sleeping mat of some kind - Thermarest or Exped ideally - and a compact sleeping bag. Save me from Decathlon, people.

Sold, pending collection to TB!

Women's jersey, size M, would fit 10-12, only worn once. RRP £46, yours for £20. Collection in WC1/SE1 or I reckon postage would be a couple of quid.

Ooh, that could be good. Love a sleeper train. Will investigate!

Me and Him are thinking of riding from Hook of Holland to Berlin this summer. Given that the ICE trains back to NL don't take bikes we'll probably fly back. Any suggestions on friendly bike shops in Berlin that are likely to give us a couple of cardboard bike boxes so we can pack our bikes for the flight?

This, perhaps?

The traffic order permitting cycling in the Bloomsbury Way/Vernon Place bus lane is due to come into effect on 23 January, subject to some work over that weekend (citation 1, citation 2).

You've got mail re: handlebars.

If you believe this sign has been overpainted recently, perhaps this should be reported to the Police.
Perhaps this should be reported to the police anyway.

You can report damaged/missing street signs online via TFL.

All coming together now!
Still to get:
•Handlebars, I want risers that sweep back
•Brakes - callipers, levers and cables. Need to measure the drop

Any advice on these parts is more than welcome!

I've got some bars and levers off a Raleigh mixte at home that might work - will post a pic this evening.

Treat yo'self to a copy of Lost Lanes. Tonnes of good routes starting with a short train journey from Kings Cross/St Pancras - before you know it you're in the countryside and it's glorious. We recently did the Herts farm ride which starts with a FCC train from Kings X and I'd totally recommend it.

Forgive my cynicism, but unless Boris/TfL are actually planning to physically do something to those roads, how are they going to be any different to how they are now? I mean, does telling people "Back streets exist!" actually count as an achievement?

Speed limits are pretty meaningless without enforcement, and I've lost count of the number of times I've encountered HGVs on roads which are way too small for them (Drury Lane jct with Shaftesbury Ave for e.g.) The Mayor should be restricting more of the 'quietways' to through traffic (as per Hackney), installing good quality protected lanes on A-roads, and generally kicking councils like Westminster and K&C into shape.