split it in two with a dremmel and place what looks like a whole frame on one wall.. the other on the wall opposite.

“i’ve just been for a 25 mile road ride and can someone please explain how, on a decent size loop, it is possible to have a strong headwind for the entire ride?”

Check the weather forecast!

You just done a clockwise loop through a cyclone!

Dressed in waterproofs with a wooly hat? Personality and eyes will be on show,wont they? If he has any interest in those… he will soon put on a pair of the male x-ray specs and check out yer arse through the baggies while he`s at it. 8O)

Seriously though.Like elaine anne says, dont give a monkeys about what yer wearing. I dont think it would make any odds at all. Unless you turned up in a pair of crocs,of course.

As above. Bury her. Make sure theres no sharp edged diamond ring left on her finger and use quality 3M parcel tape.

My diesel had 5k off the list price (paid 7500 for it)
Less than a year old with 23k on it when i bought it. I was happy with the saving. 10 years on with hardly any faults and a huge mileage.. i`m even more delighted. The other car cost me £2700 but ive spent a lot more on it than that. Still dont regret it and the 3k loan i took out for it cost me £3321 total amount payable so it hardly broke the bank.

I would never buy a brand new car unless i could really afford to. Even then when buying brand new it would have to be fresh from the showroom. None of this 100 miles on it by god knows who. I would never pay full price for something with that mileage on it from new. I would be running it in as easy as possible no matter what they tell us nowadays on how tough engines are. That is something i would want to do myself having shelled out 20k+. Edit: even 8k!

Thanks for that. I had a look at moneysavingexpert as well so i need to gather up what i can find and see if theres anything worth chasing.

LOL. Each time a thread with these dogs crops up i get drawn to them more and more. I was fancying a border terrier with all the nice pictures up top until Druid put me off it!

I still like them but i think i would always have it in the back of my mind that at some events,races or anything bikey… i might have to hide the dog.. or at least disguise it to keep STWers off the scent that i too.. might be an STWer.

Flying goggles and a wee leather helmet?

spline drive made coloured ones. I had them on road wheels that were used through winters and never seized or crumbled. Compared to DT alloys they were like night and day. As good if not better than DT brass through the winter. Hard to believe but thats what i found! The threads of the spokes were smeared with anti seize before fitting each nipple but externally they were like new for years.

Mine have passed MOTs for the past 3-4 years.Theres 3 or 4 levels of adjustment on the dash too so im not sure if that helps.

The amount they light up road signs,road markings and the eyes of animals is so much better than the OE ones.Not to mention how much sooner you actually see these things in the distance.

My bike has stood in rain and snow last year (over a foot of snow at one point for around a month)yet it still started up fine.

Started it yesterday after a month+ of nothing at all and again.. started fine. I might sell the optimizer as i have a Kawasaki.

:O)

I got my bike back from a service last week and i overheard the mechanic saying my tyres were 20psi..and he put them up to to 35psi.

Anyhows.. the bike rides freekin AMAZING!

most seem to be sold out.

Their lack of skill or confidence shows and it scares me. I wouldnt push my luck with this amount of dabs etc. Good luck to them for future rides.

Well this is it. “not being able to turn quickly enough”

If a car cuts the line and i have to countersteer aggressively as soon as i make eye contact with it then why dont i just position myself a little closer to the centre of my side of the road on the tighter corners?

Right, i`m off to get some nosh!

The police,IAM etc dont spend millions on helping drivers to ultimately see each other sooner. They want to,first and foremost,cut down deaths and accidents and to help them achieve this, riding in the positions we have been taught helps us all out a great deal in most situations but not all. So if i believe that not having to make sudden movements on the bars when there no need to on sharp corners.. i will do so. If its going to help me stay safer on that type of corner i`m sure they would rather i was safe and felt safer than doing what they say and having to deal with other problems in the process. Its crazy i know but we have to do whats best when other drivers arent following the rules. On tight corners when drivers are cutting them.. there are good reasons to not ride the way we have been taught. It might sound bonkers but once it happens repeatedly on certain corners you soon get the jist of why riding the way you were taught isnt always the safest option.

“I once followed a plod at speed down a twisty road. It was very interesting to see that he actually pulled out onto the wrong side of the road approaching some corners to improve his sight lines”

If the line is broken then he is using the other side to his advantage. It was an unbroken line then its obviously not allowed but not against the law to cross broken lines. The same as broken lines with the orange painted sections you often see around the approach to junctions.Some people believe you cannot drive on the orange sections with hatching.. you can,if its safe to do so.

Its not wrong in certain circumstances. You know the example of road i mentioned yet you would disagree about keeping in a little more from the centre line on that left hander after me explaining my reasons for doing so.. regardless of early positioning (that i always do anyway to avoid making a pigs ear of the job ahead)

If i drive that road and have far more room between the vehicles i`m passing by staying in a little bit more from the normal police/IAM recommended position.. i will always choose to ride it this way as its the safest. On this length,width and radius of left hander i have proved to myself that i am safest when closer to central position. Again, this is due to cars arriving on the bend about 35-40mph but ocasionally cutting the white line. Its such a tight corner that its safer to not have to try and move position as quickly as possible.. but to be central in the first place. Yes, it sounds wrong but putting it into practice proves its the safest.This also proves yet again there is no right or wrong as the reason for better road positioning is to ultimately avoid collisions. To be seen,yes. But the whole idea is to drop the number of accidents.This is what it all boils down to. The main aim of road positioning is not to be seen. Its to cut down accidents. To be seen earlier is high up the list but No1 is to cut down accidents and deaths on the roads regardless of being seen a fraction of a second earlier.Agree on this at least lol.

So the question is in this arguement:

Is it more important to be seen a fraction of a second earlier?

Or is it more important to avoid the contact by NOT having to make frantic position changes in the first place?

At 20-25mph Jeremy.. it is honestly a better option on this type or bend.Try it.Or at least think about the situations i have been in if a car cuts the line. You will probably be there for the Puffer so worth a thought on the passing.

Thats me finished with this. Its totally Off topic. Sorry folks!

” I would often go even further across the white line to see further often half way between the white line and the wrong side of the road”

Yes, fine on some roads but try it on the approach to the corner im talking about. You would be mad to. Even staying on your own side next to the central line is a threat. Many rides out of the town it will feel the right thing to do but its when you have another vehicle on the line that you realize its not worth it. Its a great example of a corner and im glad that you know it.

xyz wrote “Dont get me started on how the right approach to a left hander on a motorbike positioned near the white line is the correct way either. The number of people that cut the white line on their exit of the bend as you are approaching it makes this option even more dangerous if other drivers arent driving correctly. Another example of what many believe to be the safest option actually being more dangerous.. depending on how other road users drive. They dont point this out in the motorcycle test/bikesafe course.”

TJ wrote: “100% wrong and showing your inexperience Riding out on the white line on a left hander allows you to see further – I would often go even further across the white line to see further often half way between the white line and the wrong side of the road.

Because you can see further you are safer as yo can see idiots in cars coming earlier. Obviously you alter your line depending on what you can see but always go as wide as you can on entry to get the best visibility”

Wrong Jeremy! Riding down Loch Ness and many other highland twisties proves this when you are approaching a tight left hander.Lets say you are going 50mph,eyes on the vanishing point,and the driver cutting the line coming out of the corner on the other side is going 60mph (maybe more) with a possible impact of 110mph+ waiting within less than 0.25 of a second reaction time? You have reaction times to cope with this unforseeable mistake to steer a motorbike out of danger? Not a chance in hell. Theres many moments where you have positioned yourself as well as possible.. but you soon realize that with the speed they were going along with the tightness of the corner.. the time it takes to shift position when they people are already a foot over OUR side makes it a very close call.To the point of me now not taking that option at all on some roads.

I will give you a good example that you and many others will know. Riding out of Strathpeffer towards Contin you will be going through a 40zone before it gets up to 60mph on the way to Contin. If you remember, theres a tight left hander just before you get out of the 40 zone. If you position close to the line approaching this corner you would soon see how fast cars appear from the Contin direction.If i approach this corner positioned correctly around 20-25mph, i have on more than one occasion had to suddenly move due to cars crossing the line. Its the correct position and even at half the speed limit its a danger if the other driver isnt playing ball. I find slightly to the right of central the best option in this case. Not close in to the gutter as i might hit a walker or cyclist. I ride the way i want to on coners like these through experience. My experiences show that such corners are a greater threat when driving “to the book” when using the head to look at the dangers and possibilities from all angles makes more sense.Yes, the majority of the time we should all ride left handers the way we are taught but this is an example of why we shouldnt.

I agree with the positioning and being able to see further (also letting the other driver see you sooner) and being able to get back in sooner.. but like ive just said, its not always going to be like that because when people break the law by cutting corners on exits on crazy tight bends.. you soon find out how close things can get. Theres no reaction time. Put the two speeds of each vehicle together, the severity of the corner,your reaction time,the mistake of the other driver and put it into practice Jeremy and get back to me before you try proving me wrong.

For the motorbike arguement: If oncoming drivers stayed on their side of the road,yes.. i would be 100%wrong.(see,this is where you jumped to conclusions before reading what i wrote carefully)

The colds not a problem if you want to do this sort of thing.

I spotted that and someone said it looked out of date! That frame would probably outlast the pivot 3 times over.

Move north. They arent stressed and full of it up here. Never seen a northern constabulary cop acting like they do down south on these police,camera,action tv shows. They are just asking for it the way they speak to folk.

Local motorbike shop must have a nice selection of suitable tubes surely?

Aye, but he could also escape with some of the advice on here too.

Keeping dry = Keeping warm = sound asleep under a down filled duvet? :O)

2 inch gaffer tape and half a bottle of stans fluid in each!

The thing i worried most about moving from primary to secondary was the flushing of the head down the toilet.

Haha. He rode home from the pub using the central position of the road. Only it was the wrong side of the road!

Aracer, even 40% of the time. If they ride in that fashion then its going to cause a problem to certain types of motorist. We cant get away from that.
I got the idea that certain folk rode central as much as they could. I havent read the entire thread but thats what i thought.

Going back to the start of the thread it took me no time at all to find a certain poster talking about riding in the centre of the lane.

I dont want to continue going off in other directions,the thread is too long as it is. I just wanted to point out that i feel that we need to use a bit of gutter hogging as much as central riding depending on the conditions.

“and at least if you are central you have somewhere to go to when you notice the situation occuring.”

Well thats unlikely to happen unless you have amazing reactions and eyes on the back of your head. Even with a wide angle mirror (like i use on the road bike to adjust my positions when i need to) a speeding car is still going to cause a problem when he arrives behind you on a tight bend.

Between central or 1M to the left of the road on a tight corner would barely give the speeding driver more braking/reaction time.At 70mph the difference could be something like 20-30ft.. but by the time he arrives at your back wheel the speed he is still carrying could still see him hit you or try and drive between you and the other car. This is where i choose the gutter hogging option (i love the word gutterhogging!)

The bikesafe course for motorcycles and advanced driving might point out the difference in the distance in relation to road positioning on a corner but on a slow moving bicycle, its nothing compared to the positives to be gained like those when riding the motorbike at similar speeds.

Infact,positioning of the motorbike approaching/half way around a left hander is all very well staying out near the white line if you want the oncoming drivers to see you sooner,also giving you more reaction time and somewhere to go if need be.. the distances between far to the left compared to close to the white line are incredible on some types of bends but approaching a bicycle going 12mph in a car going 70mph.. it doesnt really help that much with road position,does it?

Dont get me started on how the right approach to a left hander on a motorbike positioned near the white line is the correct way either. The number of people that cut the white line on their exit of the bend as you are approaching it makes this option even more dangerous if other drivers arent driving correctly. Another example of what many believe to be the safest option actually being more dangerous.. depending on how other road users drive. They dont point this out in the motorcycle test/bikesafe course.

Well lets say a pair or riders out together two abreast.They might stay two abreast in real dodgy areas out in the country. They might enter a town in single file but out on the country road where they rode two abreast for the majority of their ride is just pushing it. O.K. Not 100% of the time but pretty close to it.

“You haven’t answered the question – you seem to be implying that the cyclists should be far enough over to the left that a car can pass without changing lanes. Is this what you really think is the safest thing to do?”

In certain conditions.Yes.Read above for examples.

Lets say you are riding on a country road half way around a tight left handed bend, a car approaches at 70mph behind you and another car meets you at the same point on the bend coming from the opposite direction. You would rather be central as opposed to gutter hogging in this instance,would you?

Ive gone through this scenario yesterday and also many months ago. Its only become apparent over the past few years having a car,bicycles and a motorbike that ive looked at it from behind the wheel of the car,bars of the motorbike. I never noticed this danger previous to passing my motorcycle test. I should have,being a driver, but i didnt. I think gutter hogging in this situation is a way of living another day. If you honestly cant put yourself in this scenario and see that gutter hogging would be the safest option.. then there really is no point in me explaining it again. With different situations, we need to ride accordingly. The example above proves that central or two abreast is not always the best option.

Then theres the drivers than have poor judgement/lack of confidence during overtaking manoeuvres. They stress a bit,judge things wrong and squeeze past cyclists as they nearly clip the car on the other side. They didnt mean to nearly kill the cyclist.. “i didnt mean to,it was an accident” Does that make it all O.K? I dont want to ride in a fashion all the time that could bring that on to be honest. From what ive seen in my life it seems that folk make more mistakes and drive closer to me if i`m more central.Whether it be on purpose or not.

I am not saying that gutter hogging or riding defensively is right or wrong. I just think we have to do what is best for the conditions. Sometimes one might be safer than the other. For the folk that think central position or two abreast is the way to go 100% of the time.. Good luck. The idea that its going to be safe all the time is fine if you believe that all drivers are looking ahead,full concentration,and accept that they really will have to make an effort towards a proper manoeuvre to get past but thats not the case.

Some are on a mission.They will squeeze past on purpose,some might squeeze past by mistake,some might be reasonably good drivers but decided to open up a text message and plough into the back of you,some might be speeding and have no option but to plough into you.. some might not be concentrating enough and only clip you. In some of those circumstances gutter hogging will see you live another day. Thats the way i see it. The folk that want to ride in the middle will have to accept that they might be struck full-on by one of these nuggets in the future. I would rather be clipped.

Its opening up another can of worms. Like i said.. the stresshead waiting to finally crack at the back of the pack might do something on purpose. If they rode more considerably they wouldnt be bringing this danger to themselves quite as much as a close passing car.

If you think that this scenario is impossible.. you are wrong. Drivers will pass close as possible to prove a point once they get pizzed off enough. Havent you noticed this happening?

If drivers had to change lanes completely each time they came across a rider in the middle of the lane or a pair riding two abreast.. do you think,if the line of traffic behind them was 15-20 cars long,the cars at the back of the queue would still be calm and drive past safely without booting it or maybe get out and do what the white van man did in the video? If you drive into a city and all cyclists rode defensively like this.. you wouldnt believe what would get posted on the net. Not to mention the rise in accidents and assaults. Its not right i know.. but i really do believe this is the way things would turn out. Anyone agree?

Theres some right nutters out there and remember its not like its another cyclist. Some of these headers could easily aim for you on purpose if you peeve them off enough.They wont be nudging the rear wheel. You probably wont even remember the accident (if your lucky and live) You are on the road for a reason. It might be heading to work or heading home. Possibly a training ride or just getting around town. You dont go out on the bike to get closer to death or to stress out every ride.. you do it for other reasons so ride considerately. So why do these riders add to it?

I dont think risking it all by riding two abreast in the city is going to change the way drivers respect the cyclist.Quite the opposite.I wouldnt continue this riding style in hope of it changing. Its going to take a different approach.. without ending up in a wheelchair or losing your life.

Maybe with laws put in place like someone mentioned earlier on how the gap should be a certain distance would be the way to go. If the drivers dont follow the rules and get caught passing a cyclist too close then points or a fine might be the right way to go about it.

I know the folk on here that ride two abreast or down the middle of the road will disagree with this “giving in” attitude. Standing up for what you believe in and hoping that every cyclist will follow is just wishful thinking.If you climb inside the mind of the stressed out nutter thats sitting 20 cars behind you whose already 10 mins late for work or whatever.. just remember that he might crack some day and nail you.

Get another small jack and cut a 2×4 to a length (so that the height of the jack and the length of the stick add up to roughly the distance between both wheels) to enable you to wind the jack out to prise the unbolted wheel off. Obviously with one wheel still bolted on. probably need a hand to do this i would guess.

On an old car i had i just slapped the tyre from the inside with a sledge hammer! It was old steel wheels so not a problem.

I need to steer clear of this thread. I am now picturing Muddydwarf keeping arms length from the kerb yet still managing to catch the pedals on it.

Headlines* not flippin Deadlines lol. Pity i never made the deadline to edit it!

Snowploughs up here are heated cabins used for tea breaks! They are just ornaments most of the time :O)

The temps changed by 7pm and it melted causing floods in the eve.Then a bad accident on the way home caused big tailbacks.

Could have done with ice spikers earlier. The tracks around here are frozen snow and ice blobs everywhere. Cant really ride when its like this.Some bits arent too bad but you still have to get around these dodgy spots.