a.twiddler
Veteran
Cycle Barriers, or More Particularly,
The “A” Frame Barrier
My local barrier has been chosen to represent all others of its type as a test bed to modify my bikes where necessary to give the least painful experience when getting through them. I've put it on this forum as it refers mostly to my LWB bike and recumbent delta trike. This is based on my experience, and of course, YMMV.
It is basically the shape of an old fashioned conical milk churn. It is made from steel tubing of about 2 1/2” (6.5cm) diameter. It is composed of 2 symmetrical parts in an inverted U shape, 52” (132cm) high and 38” (96.5cm) apart at the base. It is parallel to a height of 7” (18cm). The sides then lean inwards to a height of 42” (107cm) above which they are parallel for a height of 10”(25.4cm). The sides are 22” (56cm) apart at this point. Front to back it is 23” (58.5cm) deep. The tubing is reinforced with a steel plate either side. The whole thing is galvanised. Place your bets on which will win a contest between your bike’s paint and the barrier’s coating.
OK then. The Linear has inward sloping bar ends, which taper in from the ends of the underseat bars to which they are clamped. I’ve removed an inch or so from the ends of those bars to bring the top of the bar ends in to about 23” (58.5 cm) apart and it now goes through the barrier easily. The tops of the bar ends are at 33” (84 cm) from the ground, the underseat bars are 30” (76 cm) wide.
I’ve tried to stay within these dimensions on the Sinner trike. The widest part of the Linear, being a 2 wheeler, is the ends of the underseat bars. These are wider than the widest part of the trike which is about 29” (74 cm) at 16” (41 cm) above the ground. The top outer tips of the one piece W shaped underseat bars were 26” (66 cm) wide at 30” (76 cm)above the ground. I have gently bent inwards the ends of the bars on the trike and they are now at 23” (58.5 cm) wide. A recent test ride proved that once I tucked myself in I could ride straight through. A photo of the trike inside the barrier shows that it is very compact.
There looks to be enough space to squeeze something through either side of the barrier but looks are deceptive, being more an illusion due to the wide angle lens. The barrier itself is narrower than it looks. If you are in a group, you could lift your non standard bike(s) over the adjacent gate. There's not always a gate. This barrier is an isolated outlier, but coming across a series of barriers on a cycleway, such as parts of the Trans Pennine Trail could quite soon become tedious.
The main problem is the tapered design of the barrier. The higher your bike or trike the narrower the space that you have left to squeeze through. Due to the oblique angle at which the path approaches and leaves this particular barrier you don’t have the full use of that space as you have to turn while going through. The front and rear of the barrier are joined by that metal sheet, so there is no wriggle room.
From past experience, this barrier is no problem on my drop handlebar bike, as you can just stick your elbows out and ride slowly through. If you have a mirror, you will have to fold it in then faff around re setting it. If you have panniers, it will depend on how high/wide they are.
I have seen conventional bikes with straight bars wiggle through, as would small wheelers including Bromptons.
Normal track width trikes, upright or recumbent, are unlikely to make it, maybe even narrow track trikes with full size wheels as the tops would come up against the inward slope of the barrier.
Drop bar tandems might manage it, flat bar tandems might be defeated by the difficulty of getting two sets of bars through.
Recumbent bikes with over seat steering might struggle but they are all different so some could be easier than others.
Wheelchairs look as if they could have a problem here. Small mobility scooters can probably get through, but larger ones might not.
Where there's a will there's a way. Kissing gates long enough for a standard bike are an obstruction to a tandem or LWB bike but It didn't take long after I acquired the Linear before I trimmed the rear mudguard so that I could stand it on the back wheel so I could wheel it through without damaging that mudguard.
Here is a trio of stinkers in a series of stinkers over a short distance, even with a Brompton, along part of the Montgomery Canal towpath last year. I sneaked these Brompton pics in using the excuse that it's a non standard bicycle, even if it's not a recumbent. So, shoot me. Note the lifting flap to let your dog through on the second one. Wouldn't recommend a recumbent or even a standard bike here. Maybe even (O heresy!) better off on foot.
Going back to my original local "A" frame barrier, which looks pretty tame compared with the three above:-
The design seems to have been produced to make life hard for the widest possible range of users.
Just because you can smugly get your bike through this one, don’t kid yourself that there isn’t some other type of barrier out there waiting to puncture your balloon of self esteem with its unexpected obstructiveness.
The “A” Frame Barrier
My local barrier has been chosen to represent all others of its type as a test bed to modify my bikes where necessary to give the least painful experience when getting through them. I've put it on this forum as it refers mostly to my LWB bike and recumbent delta trike. This is based on my experience, and of course, YMMV.
It is basically the shape of an old fashioned conical milk churn. It is made from steel tubing of about 2 1/2” (6.5cm) diameter. It is composed of 2 symmetrical parts in an inverted U shape, 52” (132cm) high and 38” (96.5cm) apart at the base. It is parallel to a height of 7” (18cm). The sides then lean inwards to a height of 42” (107cm) above which they are parallel for a height of 10”(25.4cm). The sides are 22” (56cm) apart at this point. Front to back it is 23” (58.5cm) deep. The tubing is reinforced with a steel plate either side. The whole thing is galvanised. Place your bets on which will win a contest between your bike’s paint and the barrier’s coating.
OK then. The Linear has inward sloping bar ends, which taper in from the ends of the underseat bars to which they are clamped. I’ve removed an inch or so from the ends of those bars to bring the top of the bar ends in to about 23” (58.5 cm) apart and it now goes through the barrier easily. The tops of the bar ends are at 33” (84 cm) from the ground, the underseat bars are 30” (76 cm) wide.
I’ve tried to stay within these dimensions on the Sinner trike. The widest part of the Linear, being a 2 wheeler, is the ends of the underseat bars. These are wider than the widest part of the trike which is about 29” (74 cm) at 16” (41 cm) above the ground. The top outer tips of the one piece W shaped underseat bars were 26” (66 cm) wide at 30” (76 cm)above the ground. I have gently bent inwards the ends of the bars on the trike and they are now at 23” (58.5 cm) wide. A recent test ride proved that once I tucked myself in I could ride straight through. A photo of the trike inside the barrier shows that it is very compact.
There looks to be enough space to squeeze something through either side of the barrier but looks are deceptive, being more an illusion due to the wide angle lens. The barrier itself is narrower than it looks. If you are in a group, you could lift your non standard bike(s) over the adjacent gate. There's not always a gate. This barrier is an isolated outlier, but coming across a series of barriers on a cycleway, such as parts of the Trans Pennine Trail could quite soon become tedious.
The main problem is the tapered design of the barrier. The higher your bike or trike the narrower the space that you have left to squeeze through. Due to the oblique angle at which the path approaches and leaves this particular barrier you don’t have the full use of that space as you have to turn while going through. The front and rear of the barrier are joined by that metal sheet, so there is no wriggle room.
From past experience, this barrier is no problem on my drop handlebar bike, as you can just stick your elbows out and ride slowly through. If you have a mirror, you will have to fold it in then faff around re setting it. If you have panniers, it will depend on how high/wide they are.
I have seen conventional bikes with straight bars wiggle through, as would small wheelers including Bromptons.
Normal track width trikes, upright or recumbent, are unlikely to make it, maybe even narrow track trikes with full size wheels as the tops would come up against the inward slope of the barrier.
Drop bar tandems might manage it, flat bar tandems might be defeated by the difficulty of getting two sets of bars through.
Recumbent bikes with over seat steering might struggle but they are all different so some could be easier than others.
Wheelchairs look as if they could have a problem here. Small mobility scooters can probably get through, but larger ones might not.
Where there's a will there's a way. Kissing gates long enough for a standard bike are an obstruction to a tandem or LWB bike but It didn't take long after I acquired the Linear before I trimmed the rear mudguard so that I could stand it on the back wheel so I could wheel it through without damaging that mudguard.
Here is a trio of stinkers in a series of stinkers over a short distance, even with a Brompton, along part of the Montgomery Canal towpath last year. I sneaked these Brompton pics in using the excuse that it's a non standard bicycle, even if it's not a recumbent. So, shoot me. Note the lifting flap to let your dog through on the second one. Wouldn't recommend a recumbent or even a standard bike here. Maybe even (O heresy!) better off on foot.
Going back to my original local "A" frame barrier, which looks pretty tame compared with the three above:-
The design seems to have been produced to make life hard for the widest possible range of users.
Just because you can smugly get your bike through this one, don’t kid yourself that there isn’t some other type of barrier out there waiting to puncture your balloon of self esteem with its unexpected obstructiveness.
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