Mersey Beat
Regular
I have remembered a few things that I omitted from my recent post.
When you order the kit you have to specify the width of the dropouts into which the new axle will slot. It refers to a 10mm dropout. I misread this as 10cm and thought that it referred to the separation between the bottom of the front forks (which is just over 10cm on my bike). Modern bikes do indeed have 10mm wide dropouts - but old vintage bikes like mine have dropouts that are only 9mm wide. In consequence, I had to file the dropouts on my bike before the new wheel would fit. (They tell you not to file the dropouts, but having waited 6 months for the kit to be delivered I didn't want to wait extra months for a replacement.) So be careful: if you have an old bike check the width of the dropouts before you order the kit - a 9mm dropout version is available.
I ride along a cycle path that is very pastoral and scenic (cows and sheep in the fields, cider apples growing in orchards etc). You get the idea. But in the hedges there are blackberries and brambles which shed thorns onto the path. As a result I have had a number of punctures. The tyres on my bike are 27x1.25, which seems to be the only size available, and they have relatively smooth treads as they are intended for road use. There are much chunkier tyres on sale for bikes with 700c wheels but I have not been able to find something similar for my bike. Does anybody know of a source for them? (I am not keen on putting anti-puncture tapes inside the tyres.)
As an aside to my comments about punctures, the Swytch system has a get-you-home walking mode. If you press and hold the down power button the bike will move forwards at walking pace while you walk at the side of it. Useful if you get a puncture and don't want to push the bike home.
I read on a different forum recently a comment along the lines that you shouldn't ride an e-bike when you get old as that will just make your muscles waste away. I couldn't disagree more. When I ride my e-CB my legs are whizzing around under low stress. My ankles are flexing, my knees are flexing, my hips are flexing and my calf and thigh muscles are getting a gentle workout. At the end of the ride I feel refreshed but not tired.
I have suffered from sciatica for many years but it has eased since I have started to ride again. A creaking hip joint has also improved. The moral: gentle exercise is a lot better than none.
My wrists ache when I ride my bike. Does anybody know a cure? I have tried altering the height of the bars, have changed the height of the saddle, and I have moved the saddle forwards and backwards - but none of it helped.
I have never been a fanatical cyclist who would go on long rides. Even when I bought the bike 41 years ago I used to ride alone and only for 5-10 miles. I am happy to continue doing that. I went out along the Strawberry Line this afternoon, saw squirrels, rabbits and pheasants, and had the wind blowing in my hair. What more can you ask for at 75?
Regards to you all.
When you order the kit you have to specify the width of the dropouts into which the new axle will slot. It refers to a 10mm dropout. I misread this as 10cm and thought that it referred to the separation between the bottom of the front forks (which is just over 10cm on my bike). Modern bikes do indeed have 10mm wide dropouts - but old vintage bikes like mine have dropouts that are only 9mm wide. In consequence, I had to file the dropouts on my bike before the new wheel would fit. (They tell you not to file the dropouts, but having waited 6 months for the kit to be delivered I didn't want to wait extra months for a replacement.) So be careful: if you have an old bike check the width of the dropouts before you order the kit - a 9mm dropout version is available.
I ride along a cycle path that is very pastoral and scenic (cows and sheep in the fields, cider apples growing in orchards etc). You get the idea. But in the hedges there are blackberries and brambles which shed thorns onto the path. As a result I have had a number of punctures. The tyres on my bike are 27x1.25, which seems to be the only size available, and they have relatively smooth treads as they are intended for road use. There are much chunkier tyres on sale for bikes with 700c wheels but I have not been able to find something similar for my bike. Does anybody know of a source for them? (I am not keen on putting anti-puncture tapes inside the tyres.)
As an aside to my comments about punctures, the Swytch system has a get-you-home walking mode. If you press and hold the down power button the bike will move forwards at walking pace while you walk at the side of it. Useful if you get a puncture and don't want to push the bike home.
I read on a different forum recently a comment along the lines that you shouldn't ride an e-bike when you get old as that will just make your muscles waste away. I couldn't disagree more. When I ride my e-CB my legs are whizzing around under low stress. My ankles are flexing, my knees are flexing, my hips are flexing and my calf and thigh muscles are getting a gentle workout. At the end of the ride I feel refreshed but not tired.
I have suffered from sciatica for many years but it has eased since I have started to ride again. A creaking hip joint has also improved. The moral: gentle exercise is a lot better than none.
My wrists ache when I ride my bike. Does anybody know a cure? I have tried altering the height of the bars, have changed the height of the saddle, and I have moved the saddle forwards and backwards - but none of it helped.
I have never been a fanatical cyclist who would go on long rides. Even when I bought the bike 41 years ago I used to ride alone and only for 5-10 miles. I am happy to continue doing that. I went out along the Strawberry Line this afternoon, saw squirrels, rabbits and pheasants, and had the wind blowing in my hair. What more can you ask for at 75?
Regards to you all.
