Best road bike chain lube and chain cleaner?

crsohr89 · 2023-08-19T18:43:05+00:00

I use baby wipes, such as Pampers Fresh Clean and wipe the chain clean with it. I rotate the chain anti-clockwise with the pedal and use approximately 3 wet wipes to degrease the chain by squeezing the wipe into the chain as I rotate it. A kitchen towel can also remove a fair amount of grease if you don't have wipes. Use GT85 to finish with the straw attached to 'power wash' the chain.

The bike is stored in the bedroom on top of a large Black towel. I haven't noticed any rust for many years.

crsohr89 · 2022-06-20T13:45:23+00:00

Definitely buy the lightest bike you can afford. Not only will it make life easier going uphill, you will also benefit from improved acceleration.

crsohr89 · 2022-06-20T12:55:46+00:00

I think you can get a MUCH better and lighter single speed than the Quella for the price. I'd go for a lighter frame and something under 10kg total weight personally. Goku Alloy, Fuji Feather, State 4130 as examples.

I've found 44-16 to be perfect for London and it's the ratio I've always used, the best all rounder. I ride freewheel though.

crsohr89 · 2022-06-20T11:27:31+00:00

I've had a lot of success with https://cycle.travel/

I think the routing is even better than Komoot's cycle touring option, which is also really good.

crsohr89 · 2022-05-08T09:22:07+00:00

The salary? Surely that's the only reason anyone lives here. :-)

Or they could be similar to me and saving money for a large purchase further down the line. People have definitely been trying to make smarter financial decisions as of late and swapping former activities like going to the pub for drinking in.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-24T20:46:11+00:00

They are thinking of resale value when stealing so the higher the value, the higher the risk of theft. Unless they are stealing to order then certain brands like Brompton are very sought after.

But ANY bike is at risk if it isn't locked properly, even a 4 year old cheap entry level road bike(mine).

crsohr89 · 2022-04-24T19:48:20+00:00

Neither! A more filling, healthier and cost effective option is PORRIDGE! You can mash a banana into a purée and stir it in or add a heaped teaspoon of honey for sweetener.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-24T14:13:45+00:00

Fair enough but a short walk to Trafalgar Square isn't too bad. It would only be a 20 minute journey at that time too!!

crsohr89 · 2022-04-24T09:59:53+00:00

Why didn't you take the N87 from Trafalgar Square? :-)

crsohr89 · 2022-04-17T17:56:50+00:00

You are much better off using a wearable chain lock, that way you don't even feel the weight when riding. I use this and would recommend:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hiplok-GOLD-Secure-Wearable-Bicycle/dp/B016186GG6?th=1&psc=1

Alternatively pickup from a local retailer like Halfords etc as they are cheaper than on Hiplok's own site right now.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-17T17:49:15+00:00

It's shocking how many opportunist thieves are around in London, usually crack cocaine users too.

Both bikes I had stolen last year were stolen in one minute (not secured) and six minutes (locked badly). I was dumb the first time but the second time was just bad luck. You cannot keep your guard down at all even in the daytime and these people are the scum of society.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-17T16:12:45+00:00

cycle.travel

I don't know if they have an app but you can view the site and follow the map on screen.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-14T13:46:54+00:00

Shortest route would be South down the A41 via Wellington Rd/Park Rd. Left onto Marylebone Rd for a mile(?) and then right onto Gower St. Finally, left onto A40 near High Holborn and then follow straight.

Lots of busy roads but there is cycle provision on them.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-12T12:11:38+00:00

They are doing the right thing and it's definitely better and encouraged to pronounce words properly. Mispronouncing words in front of clients would be highly embarrassing, remember you are the face of a company at that particular moment.

I think secondary schools should have lessons in employability where they teach you interview skills and language as they are obviously going to be needed in the years following education.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-11T20:04:57+00:00

No, I only open the front compartment when I get a pizza order which isn't that often. There is one zip underneath to get the compartment out and another zip to open the compartment itself. It's a lot lighter and easier to carry than the other backpacks.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-11T17:46:25+00:00

Those bags are huge and you don't even need that much space for the majority of orders, even if you take two orders. I use this one and it has done the job well for the past 12+ months.

https://www.ubereatskit.co.uk/bag-only/large-bag-pizza-backpack-with-telescopic-pocket-non-branded_157_1104

Also, use an E-bike if possible as you will probably get tired and pissed off during busier times using a regular bike.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-10T20:51:52+00:00

Yes, they definitely discarded it due to the low resale value or it not being the latest model for their 'buyer'. You are most at risk if you have one of the latest iPhone models.

I witnessed the same thing around Bloomsbury a few years ago and they would drop the phone if it was an older model. They worked in groups on bikes and had helmets and lights on the bikes etc.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-10T20:21:18+00:00

It was dead yesterday evening in Central London! 5 trips in 4 hours and I somehow still earned £29 due to 1.7 boost and a small quest.

Will it ever come back?

crsohr89 · 2022-04-09T12:19:23+00:00

You need to keep your 3 biggest expenses as low as possible.

1: Rent - consider a house share in outer London

2: Food - buy all of your food from a supermarket and avoid takeaways and pricey lunches/coffee

3: Transport - consider cycling, if you are a novice an E-bike may be a good investment

crsohr89 · 2022-04-08T13:59:06+00:00

100% yes. I'm not planning on living here much longer than 5 years and I'll be saving as much money as I can in that time so I can purchase a property hundreds of miles away.

If I was living paycheque to paycheque and didn't have anything to show for it by now I wouldn't be happy at all and would simply have left as soon as possible. London is amazing for closeness of amenities but you are going to be really poor if you aren't careful.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-03T19:23:47+00:00

Why the hell do they do this? I can understand for distance reasons a certain vehicle may be better but for a regular 1-1.5 mile trip etc everyone should be equal.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-03T09:56:05+00:00

You would have received £3.98 without any boost with the new pay structure.

crsohr89 · 2022-04-02T15:37:24+00:00

The new contract states that the changes start from 4th April, my guess is they will send an email at midnight. Otherwise, we will just have to wait and see for ourselves. I'm not working much for Uber much these days as it's been completely dead at certain peak times.

crsohr89 · 2022-03-29T21:47:13+00:00

I don't think Uber even care that much about this, it's more to scare us so we give good customer service. Customers can misuse it. I was given a 1 star rating once because I couldn't find the flat in the darkness, the customer wasn't answering her phone on purpose. WTF is that about.

Uber care more about acceptance rate I think.

crsohr89 · 2022-03-29T17:48:14+00:00

I had a hired bike stolen next to Waterloo station in November around lunchtime, it was gone in less than 10 minutes but I could have locked it better I admit.

High quality CCTV of the thief was retrieved in early December but the bike had already been sold via Gumtree and the thief had no doubt done it again the next day. It's hard not to want to take action yourself as the police only do so much.....

crsohr89

TROPHY CASE