Since the Great Phone Incident of 2011 (took a dive down the loo at Scone), this blog has been rather quiet. The phone works OK for all else but photos and I like photos. Anyway, I can't upgrade for a few months and the blog has been calling, so time to rely on the beautiful pictures my erudite prose shall create.
So, shall we talk bikes?
I'm in a biking dilemma. You see, Nordie (as I like to call my Revolution Country Explorer) has tektro lyra mechanical disks and they are a pain in the buttocks. I was busily and expertly cleaning and tuning the bike when the rear brake calliper (I suspect) snapped. And I wasn't doing anything daft (which is always my worry) I was, well, using the brake to stop the wheel in the midst of my logical and efficient tuning. One of the many irritating things about these brakes is that this exact same thing happened last summer. It took three weeks to fix then and caused rather a lot of bad feeling between the bikeshop and myself. This time I'm hoping for faster service and that a part less than a year old might even be under warranty.
This isn't the only thing (although admittedly its a big thing) that bugs me about the braking system. Yes they are efficient. Wonderful. But everything else annoys me. They squeak. They are difficult to maintain and fiddly. Getting the parts is hard and my big worry is what will happen if they fail when I'm away? And nothing fits. Want a hub dynamo? That means a whole new wheel. Want a front rack? We should be able to bodge something together. Want a kick stand? Is this a standard stand that fits any bike? Yes? Great? Well I can tell you no. Its not. That was particularly annoying. Its the little things.
So. Now I'm wondering. I quite want normal brakes. Brakes I can maintain myself and can be fixed in an emergency. Yes, I understand they may not be as efficient but they are practical. There is a reason most touring bikes don't have disks. When you're touring you need something that is easy to fix. Cable ties, duct tape and an allen key won't quite do it in this case.
So there's the brakes. The rear tyre, new peddles (clipping in with shoes with a garage: that'll be a whole new post) a front rack, a dynamo...a badly scratched frame. All this is pricey so, a new bike?
We're talking bike to work scheme here. Not sure its running until Easter so let us start the research now. Has to be from Edinburgh Bike Co-op so the choice is limited-to say the least. Its Revolution or Ridgeback. And I'm ruling out Revolution. So its Ridgeback. (EDIT: can the employer tell the employee which partnership shop they have to use?)
Or do I keep my little Nordie and work with it? I'm planning 2,500km this summer so I want comfort, durability, efficiency, maintainability...any advice?
I'm pretty sure the employer can let you go to any bike shop that does the cycle2work (C2W) scheme. I looked into C2W about 18 months ago when my bike disintegrated underneath me.
ReplyDeleteThe tax office helpfully 'clarified' the position on the end payment which up until then most employers had taken to be a nominal sum or never more than £50. Now it is 25% of the purchase price of the bike which means that over the course of the year you only end up saving around 8-10% on the purchase (I spent way too much time doing the maths on that one - trust me). That sort of figure you can probably get as a deal from most bike shops with a bit of haggling. I had a better offer (through a client) so I opted not to go with the scheme.
That said the scheme does allow you to spread the cost of the bike which may be useful - provided you're not looking to change employer at any time soon.
As for the bike - I too want a tourer: you have inspired me! I went to my local bike shop for recommendations and ridgeback came up as a strong possibility (though they are a ridgeback stockist) but they also mentioned their sister company Genesis which make some seriously nice crossbikes that are very capable tourers. Have a look at this and see what you think:
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/vapour/vapour-10
There is also the Day One Alfine (if you've got some serious cash) but that may take you down a path that involves expensive unserviceable parts - though I have heard that the alfine hubs are bulletproof.
I'm keen to hear how you get on as your research could make for a good recommendation for me too!
One final thing - are you free during the Jubilee week in June and do you fancy cycling from London to Cork?
Hello Figgs!
ReplyDeleteWould love to join you from London to Cork but I'll be at work, we only get the Tuesday off. I take it that this is a ride in memory of Sarah? If I can offer any other support let me know. I'm free the weekend before so could join you for a bit?
To the bikes...I have got my previous bike and this one through the scheme the first was a bargain but the second was a bit pricier as the rules changed, still it's an interest free option! We have been told we can only go to the Bike co-op which limits my choice and as the purchase has to be under £1000...I will query the one shop rule - if it is the case then I will wait until their Easter sale...their prices may be slashed just enough to get the pricier one.
I don't want to splash out loads as I leave the bike locked in town centres or outside my tent and anything too pricey will lead to paranoia!
I have spoken to cross riders who seemed quite taken by tourers (actually I stood between a mountain biker and a cross cyclist as they slagged each other off for being wimps before agreeing that at least they didn't wear lycra. I personally thought them both wimps, an hour or two with no luggage? Pah!) ...not a sport I fancy but I can see you taking to it, seems far preferable to triathalons.
In terms of research, I know what I don't want and what I can afford, apart from that I'm not sure I'm of much help! I will keep you up to date although at the moment, much as I hate to retire dear old Nordie, I am leaning towards the ridgeback.
Keep me up to date with your cork ride x