It’s gorgeous. And too expensive.

Some of the responses on this thread are depressing beyond belief.

OP, heal strong, see a good solicitor and ignore the armchair jury on here.

In my part of the world, there is an uneasy standoff between walkers and MTBers. Bridleways have been sanitised all over the place, and don’t join up anyway, meaning that any decent ride is going to involve riding on a footpath.

The local saying is “ride where you like but don’t be a dick.” There is lots of talk locally about the “scourge” of mountain bikers, yadda yadda, and so if walkers found that they couldn’t get out for a ramble without having to dodge speeding bikes, then riding could be made more difficult and less pleasant.

I hate being all “exclusive” but when people come on here asking about trails round Hebden Bridge, I’m afraid I’m reluctant to respond. Which, I know, is sad.

What’s Calderdale like for running?

Awesome!

Contact Calder Valley Fell Runners if you fancy a run out with them. Otherwise, get an OL12 map and knock yourself out.

Just put a cone in your space with a sign popped in the top saying “parking for Number X only”. No breach of lease, no silly passive-aggressive notes, no childish tricks, no vandalism.

That would deter most. Anyone who’s going to go to the bother of moving your cone and parking there anyway will be clearly under the impression that the space is for general parking. You’ll have to have a word with them and show them your lease.

I think I’ve seen your ad. The pic you’ve taken is horrible and makes the bike look like a weird, old-fashioned shape, with a long stem a la 1990s 😀

If that’s not your ad, my apologies.

Has he opened an eBay/Paypal dispute? If so, just follow the procedure. When asked for your response, offer full refund and send postage label.

He has x days (30 I think) to respond or return, then the case closes.

So the outcome will be binary. Either he’ll return it within the timescale and Paypal will refund him, or he won’t. Whatever he does with the item in the meantime doesn’t really matter to you.

If the manufacturer is as reasonable as you say, you can explain all this to them at a later date and it sounds like they’ll be cool.

eBay is full of utter spunktrumpets. Just let the system work the dispute through, and don’t worry about whatever other dumb shit the buyer wants to do.

I have a 2.2 TDCi Mondeo for long commuting duties. Comfortable ride, powerful and economical. I can heartily recommend.

I couldn’t imagine commuting in a Berlingo <shudder>. I’d rather just take my front wheel off when putting my bike in.

I’ve heard that you can ride a computer “course”, with your computer attached to a trainer that automatically adjusts the resistance to simulate riding up hills.

Does that exist, or did I dream it?

Real horrorshow.

Why don’t you ask her where to ride, rather than ask us?

Well, that was a foggy first ride.

1. “Gravel Riding” is all very well for those ‘Muricans. Over here in Yorkshire it’s “Mud and Slimy Cobbles Riding”.

2. I’ll not lie – I’m comparing it to by road bike, so I found it heavy and draggy, but…

3. I loved getting places I’d never take my road bike, and…

4. Those tyres really soak up the bumps and shocks.

5. I’m going to need orthotic cleat wedges (too boring to explain fully) but once I have those, and maybe when it’s less **** foggy, I’ll be getting some expeditions in 🙂

Yep it ain’t a great shot…

Mine feels very “upright” compared to my road bike but I’ll do some rough descending on it before I decide to put a longer stem on*

*If I can find a longer stem in gold 😀

OK, finally, My London Road is built 🙂

It was a cheapie build, with Sora, BB5 brakes, some cheap Shimano wheels I found in Germany, and the rest from the parts bin or eBay. It weighs 11.1kg with pedals.

I know the colour scheme will repel most, and the fashion is for understated, cool bikes, but I’m too old to care!

Oh yes, and I know, I know it’s a triple. What can I say? It’s a go-anywhere bike, and there is some very steep terrain around here!

Right – going to try and get out and ride it in the fog before it gets [even] dark[er].

You’ll have to build a quarterpipe out of plywood in your garden.

Well in that case, as I say, I don’t see what can be gained from putting the 456 kit on it. Lipstick on a pig.

Wind-up thread?

Just in case it’s not, leave the OEM kit on it, fit some decent tyres, make sure the brakes are well set up, and go for a ride. If your Mrs gets the bug, let her choose her own frame and put your fancy kit onto that.

Which bearings?

‘…the omni present lure of masturbation has kept me indoors all morning’

Indoor masturbation? That’s just not trying.

Well, that ended well. I rode for 2.5 hours and climbed 3466 feet. I was about 0.7 mph down on my usual av speed for a ride like that, which I attribute to the goo in the bottom of my lungs. That’s my excuse, anyway.

I can’t remember who said it, but:

“I really wish I hadn’t gone out on my bike today”

…said no cyclist ever.

OK you bastards – I’m going 😀

My Rapha Pro Team Jacket has just arrived, so I’d be getting out today even if I had advanced TB.

I’ve always worn Sealskins gloves in winter, including snowy/icy rides. Never had cold fingers.

I once took some kids on a horseback trek. At one point, my horse randomly reared up and threw me off, breaking my wrist.

It was because the horse had come round a corner and seen a walker wearing a red jacket. And this horse “didn’t like red”.

The trek leader shouted at the walker: “You in the red jacket! Stand still!” etc etc.

The poor guy was just out for a walk, and the next minute he was being held responsible for a bridleway massacre.

…so what I’m trying to say is that, almost anything you do can spook a horse. It won’t necessarily be your fault. It’s just that horses are flight animals. And really, really stupid 😀

Have to say I’m quite disappointed by some of the attitude towards horses and their riders on here, especially from a group of cyclists.

On one hand expecting car drivers to slow down, give space, be patient etc around cyclists but then not wanting to extend the same courtesy to other vulnerable road users. Strange.

I think the poster who complained was complaining because he did all those things, but still got abuse from the horse rider.

On your general sentiment, though, I agree with you that we should be tolerant and courteous to riders.

I am completely happy sharing the roads/trails with dogs and horses, just as I, as a cyclist, expect tolerance from others.

I don’t mind horse poo. It’s just mulched vegetable matter. I’d rather see horse poo on bridleways than there be some sort of law against people riding their horses.

Look at the casualty stats and give up on the trite soundbites.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/358042/rrcgb2013-02.pdf

I have, the trend is decreasing.

The trend of cyclists being KSI’d on the road? Yes, the data shows a huge decrease from the 1920s, and I’ll bet this is largely due to a decrease in cycling participation, and an increase in traffic management, ie traffic lights etc.

I think the important statistic for our debate is the Contributing Factors table, which shows that most cyclist KSIs happen because ANOTHER road user “failed to look properly”.

Your point about cyclists having to behave better does not address this fact. When people talk about cyclist behaviour as a contributing factor, they are making the mistake of addressing a minor cause of cyclist KSIs, while ignoring the major cause, which is big, heavy vehicles on the roads, being driven by people who don’t always drive with due care.

Yep totally agree with all of that.

I can’t really explain what happened. I thought I always did a shoulder check, but on this occasion I can’t have done, otherwise I would have seen him.

I was driving without due care and attention.

I once caused an accident on the motorway. I changed lanes without observing properly and forced another driver into the crash barrier. No-one was hurt but the guy had a big scrape down the side of his car.

I was completely straight with the attending officers: “I made a mistake and changed lanes with this guy in my blind spot”. I was fully expecting to be arrested for Driving Without Due Care, but the officer said “I should arrest you, but we see this sort of thing all the time. We’ll let your insurance company sort it out.”

Obviously I was relieved. But it left me with the impression that the police saw “a moment’s inattention” as not a matter for the courts.

SO…

Let’s say I had made the same mistake, but the following vehicle had been a motorbike, and I had caused the rider to come off his bike, causing injury or death. My crime would have been the same – “a moment’s inattention”, or “not **** looking properly”, depending on your choice of phrase – but the consequences hugely more serious.

I would have gone from a ticking off at the roadside to a court appearance, and possibly prison, but for the same action, of failing to observe properly.

An educational and sobering experience for me, in many ways, but it did give me an insight into the difficulties of administering justice on the roads.

PS Admitting to bad driving on this forum is risky. Flame me if you like, but I don’t think you’ll be teaching me anything I haven’t already learned!

One of my dogs distrusts anyone who wears a hat, or who looks like the kind of person who would have a hat hidden at home.

So she would certainly be barking in a frenzy at all those cyclists unless they weren’t wearing crash helmets, and clearly did not own one. I usually try to get her on a lead when cyclists are approaching.

The other dog just tries to lick everyone to death.

Well, that being the case, please tell me you control your dogs so they don’t frighten, attack or chase people, either aggressively or to “lick” them.

My pet hate is when someone’s dog approaches us, then jumps up on us with its muddy paws, knocks my 3 year-old over, and the owner stands there and says “he just wants to play” 🙄

Keir Starmer is a good ‘un. He seems to see the failure of justice that we hear about so often in road KSI cases.

By calling for all KSIs to be referred to the CPS rather than to the judgement of police officers (who may subscribe to the attitudes described by Martin Porter in the article) he is calling for the sort of incremental change that may lead to better justice for people killed or maimed on the road.

Were he to go all-out and call for Strict Liability, it would be easier for the conservative Powers That Be to dismiss him as an extremist or an idealist.

Why should he have to ride in London? What if he’s not that into bikes? Every decision people take should be based on risk V reward.

Cycling shouldn’t be so risky that most people opt out all together.

Or, it shouldn’t be perceived to be so risky.

Yep. And this “wisdom” often stems from an entrenched, narrow and deeply conservative world view.

So the head of the Met won’t ride in London. Of course he won’t. He’s a “normal”. “Normal” people drive cars. Because it’s dangerous on the roads, you know. These bloody cyclists want their heads testing. They get knocked off their bikes, then they expect us to come along and do something about it.

See also:

“Well, you must have been asking for it, love”
“Oi oi smiler. What are you doing in this fancy motor car, then?”
“Bunch of unwashed layabouts should put down their placards and go and get a job”

etc

Fixing the problem on the wider perspective includes fixing bike law breakers IMHO. Just cracking down on car drives will I’m sure, highlight transgresions on bikes.

If drives see bikes behaving, attitudes may actually change.

Its an easily trotted out saying but we are all part of the problem and at the same time, all part of the solution….

Oh, behave.

Look at the casualty stats and give up on the trite soundbites.

Engine Warning Light: “Oh it’s just the sensor”. LOL

Dog owner sounds like a complete wankshaft.

Fancy that, eh.

Mate I like that a lot. Have fun

I stay off cycle paths and ride on the road, where traffic means there’ll be less ice.

Someone’s stolen Crosby?

But seriously, some people are scum. Fingers crossed for you mate

Try Btwin chap

Parking at the NT car park at Hardcastle Crags will put you in the centre of things. Or park in town and ride for 10mins up Midgehole Road.

And please don’t park outside my house 😀

And please be super nice to walkers.