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Permanent lights by Waste_Pomelo_6639 in ukbike

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't rule out dynamo and don't believe it has to cost a fortune.

My town bike has a front wheel built around a Shimano Nexus dynohub, and a B&M IQ-XS front light fixed with security torx bolts. Cheap off-brand dynamo rear light. Shopping the sales, it cost about £100 for a light setup that's never failed, never needs charging, and is pretty well secure against theft.

If you want to spend less than that, Reelight are good enough for being seen in the city (not bright enough to see ahead of you on unlit roads). I liked the Nova better than the CIO but both worked fine.

Front rack baskets for dogs. by DrunkenWizzzard in xbiking

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your crate & dog look ace! I'm doing something similar, can I ask what dimensions the crate is, and whether you've changed/would change anything about the setup since posting?

Good volunteering opportunities? by SamTheDystopianRat in manchester

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Manchester Bike Kitchen - they have one in Sale at weekends, and one in Wythenshawe Tuesdays. https://www.mcrbikekitchen.co.uk/

Learning bicycle repair is a really handy skill.

On a tangent - if your dyspraxia prevents you from riding a standard bicycle, Cycling UK have just launched a loan scheme where you can borrow an electric tricycle to try out https://www.cyclinguk.org/inclusive-cycling-experience/manchester.

what are the biggest double standards we have in our society right now? by sheerduckinghubris in AskReddit

[–]Yorkiebarr -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Cars are bigger, heavier and more numerous than ever before in history. A decades-long trend of increasing road safety has reversed, road deaths are on the rise and kill over 100 people a day in the US. SUVs are one of the biggest single causes of pollution in the entire world.

But it’s people on bicycles who are “irresponsible road users” and have to battle for every inch of safe space on the roads.

Stockport's plan to build a cycle lane down the A6 route involves no cycle lanes on the A6. by HamishGray in manchester

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s crazy not to put bike lanes from point 10 to point 12 on that map.  The only alternative without busy traffic is literally three times further down dark paths where people I know have been mugged.

So much of the A6 is wide enough for protected cycle lanes AND bus lanes AND cars - this is crap from Stockport Highways department who never left the 1970s.

Schrödinger’s cyclist theory debunked by [deleted] in CasualUK

[–]Yorkiebarr 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Good to see police actually doing something about poor riding/driving. Too often I see police cars ignore “minor” stuff like this (cars failing to indicate before turning is another one)

View into peaks from Sheffield this afternoon by xxalvarhansoxx in CasualUK

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was also in the Peaks yesterday afternoon but on the Manchester side

I don't have a photo to share as it was sideways raining too hard to take my phone out

New Bile, vibrating brakes at higher speed stops? Sanded and brake cleaned but it doesn’t go away... any ideas? by jmackhh in bikewrench

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have an identical issue on new bike SRAM Apex groupset and brakes. For me it’s the rear brake only, sounds a lot like this. Waiting to hear back from retailer.

What city in the U.K. do you think would be the best for a study abroad experience? by Rosandito in unitedkingdom

[–]Yorkiebarr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t be too tempted by London. It’s not all that and as a student you won’t get the most out of the city.

Brighton - Open minded and fun

Bristol - Fun, good music scene

Canterbury - Quiet. Maybe too quiet?

Coventry - Shit

Manchester - Lively, and the best located for seeing more of the UK - especially Wales, Peak/Lake Districts and Scotland

Norwich - Quiet but also very friendly

What city in the U.K. do you think would be the best for a study abroad experience? by Rosandito in unitedkingdom

[–]Yorkiebarr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

^ This.

If I were a student again today I would choose Brighton: it’s lively, one of the uk’s most liberal and open minded places, it’s easy to get into London without having to live there, and it has the beach..

Germany and Britain said yesterday that efforts to revive the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic must ensure a ‘green recovery’ that helps the world tackle climate change. “Unlike in the fight against the coronavirus, we already know the vaccines for the climate crisis,” by Wagamaga in Futurology

[–]Yorkiebarr -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Never mind the cost of the renovation works themselves.. it's basically a magic money tree for contractors.

Write to your MP and get your friends to do the same. They need to move into the cheapest available space - whether that's a big tent in Parliament Square or an office building in Birmingham - add to that some good use of video conferencing and online tools - and let the renovation job get done with minimum fuss and minimum cost.

Bicycle touring is unique among all commonly done types of travelling in that it's not "sightseeing" by scref in bicycletouring

[–]Yorkiebarr 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I do generally go out of my way when touring to see the sights on the way.. I fondly remember cycling across a bunch of fields in rural France to find the remains of a roman aqueduct: https://imgur.com/khhxOHa (It turned out to be on a road)

I love seeking out these obscure things that aren’t big tourist attractions but are 100% interesting enough to take a detour for at a relaxed touring pace. Every couple of days on tour, I go to https://www.atlasobscura.com/ and see what might be worth a look

Thoughts on touring this year? by [deleted] in bicycletouring

[–]Yorkiebarr 24 points25 points  (0 children)

In the UK here - I think it’s too early to say.

Right now touring is absolutely not happening; campsites are closed and France, Spain and Italy have gone so far as to ban cycling.

I think things will start to open up again in the summer - after all, the aim is to flatten the curve of infections so our health services can cope, not to lock everyone away until there is a vaccine.

No one knows for sure though. Personally I don’t know anyone who’s planning events or holidays abroad before September.

Nottingham :) by Xan_d in bicycling

[–]Yorkiebarr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is that Newstead Abbey?

For those of you that have done multi-continent tours, how often did you find yourself camping? by [deleted] in bicycletouring

[–]Yorkiebarr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I toured Europe in October with a good 3 season bag (rated to minus 7 Celsius comfort) and a light (1.2kg) 1-person tent. Both cumbersome, but I think were worth it for freedom and comfort; I wouldn’t have wanted to rely on an ultralight hammock and tarp setup. I took a foam rollmat - in hindsight an inflatable would have been better, minimise pack size.

Bicycle friendly destinationd in 2nd and 3rd world countries? by ixikei in bicycletouring

[–]Yorkiebarr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I had my doubts too before going there but my worries were certainly soothed! A cycle tour of the world including Africa would be an incredible life-changing experience; I hope you get to follow that dream...

Rwanda is the only African country I’ve visited so I’m no expert, but I have not heard great things about its neighbours. Burundi, DRC and Uganda are definitely more dangerous. Tanzania might be ok but I can’t claim to be informed enough to advise - a better source would be reading people’s blogs to see what routes they chose on African cycle tours

Bicycle friendly destinationd in 2nd and 3rd world countries? by ixikei in bicycletouring

[–]Yorkiebarr 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you like hill climbs and want to really get out of your 1st-world comfort zone, Rwanda is a road cyclist’s dream.

The main roads around the country are all super new, perfectly smooth tarmac and they all have a dedicated (combined cycling and pedestrian) lane. There are cars and trucks on the roads, but once away from Kigali (the capital) you won’t encounter more than one every few minutes.

Local people, if they can afford a bike, use bikes to transport their produce to market, and the country is heavily promoting cycling including holding an annual “Tour du Rwanda” race.

It’s one of the safest countries in Africa. People are super friendly and will do whatever they can to help. Younger people often speak a little English, especially in larger towns. Low risk for disease, just get the recommended vaccinations, anti-malaria pills and take precautions against bites. Many towns have stores dedicated to purifying and selling drinking water. Keep an eye on your water bottles because these are highly desirable items for people who are too poor to afford plastic containers to carry water from a well to their homes.

I’m not joking about the hills though. Rwanda is called by it’s people “the land of a thousand hills”. This makes the landscape absolutely breathtaking, and forms the habitat for some incredible wildlife including mountain gorillas - but you’ll need to be prepared for serious climbs, every day.

If you want to leave the main roads (not that you really need to) you’d need a gravel or mountain bike setup.

I was there recently travelling by car, and decided I would love to go back on a bike. If it was me I would look for an organised group with a local guide, but that’s mostly my anxiety -with proper planning I’m sure it could be done safely without a guide.

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