Tales from today's utility ride

[mjr]

Just a short hop to the pharmacy before work this morning, but combines with yesterday's town trips to fill the threespeedOct2017 requirement for this week for sure. Stopped by a lake for a picture on the way home.

 

[mjr]

Actually yesterday's ride but the electricity went out about 7pm and I didn't bother to reboot afterwards... usual ride to market and back, but on the way in, a box van was obstructing the cycleway and one direction of the carriageway while it made a delivery. It was slightly annoying for me, having to pull out to turn right across traffic to join the remaining direction, then turn right again off, but it was far worse for the motorists - the southbound queue was building up almost as fast as I was cycling north.

Usually that sort of shoot attracts police attention - non-emergency roadworks in that area are normally restricted to overnight because it's a busy two-A-road duplex and just now it carries extra traffic because an alternative ratrun is closed to motoring by long-term roadworks - I've no idea whether the police went and shifted it, as I was probably in town long before the queue cleared.

It reminds me how resilient cycling is and how fragile and unsustainable motoring is. You can fit a hell of a lot of bikes through the width needed by each motor vehicle.

 

[Rcyne]

I did my first couple of utility rides over the last few days. I did some shopping and ran a few errands, much better than finding and paying for parking etc. Although my panniers are spacey, I didn't go around picking up extra stuff willy nilly like I usually would when I have the car.

 

[simon.r]

Not a tale, but a view from the saddle from my utility ride this morning. Beer and a poinsettia (and a few other bits of shopping underneath).

 

[simon.r]

I shall be retiring next year and losing my company car. I’m not going to replace it for a mix of ethical and financial reasons. (I will have access to my wife’s car, but intend to use it only in emergencies).

Over the last few months I’ve been using the car as little as possible, but recently I’ve had to use it a few times to move bulky and heavy stuff that with the best will in the world couldn’t safely be carried on any of my bikes.

A cargo bike seemed to be the answer, but I’m reluctant to spend a lot of money on something that will probably only be used once or twice a month.

So I’ve just bought this:

An ex Whistl Pashley.

It’s in need of a little TLC, but an initial once-over suggests it’s basically sound. For £200 it comes with with Schwalbe M+ tyres, SA hubs (3 speed rear, dynamo front, both with drum brakes), a front rack and a ridiculously long rear rack. I reckon it was a decent price and will do the job.

 

[classic33]

I shall be retiring next year and losing my company car. I’m not going to replace it for a mix of ethical and financial reasons. (I will have access to my wife’s car, but intend to use it only in emergencies).

Over the last few months I’ve been using the car as little as possible, but recently I’ve had to use it a few times to move bulky and heavy stuff that with the best will in the world couldn’t safely be carried on any of my bikes.

A cargo bike seemed to be the answer, but I’m reluctant to spend a lot of money on something that will probably only be used once or twice a month.

So I’ve just bought this:

View attachment 384640

An ex Whistl Pashley.

It’s in need of a little TLC, but an initial once-over suggests it’s basically sound. For £200 it comes with with Schwalbe M+ tyres, SA hubs (3 speed rear, dynamo front, both with drum brakes), a front rack and a ridiculously long rear rack. I reckon it was a decent price and will do the job.

Trailer?

 

[simon.r]

Trailer?

I’ve thought about it, but a lot of my local utility trips use cycle routes with anti-motorbike barriers installed and I think a trailer would be difficult to get through them.

 

[straas]

I'm after a bit of advice:

I currently have a mountain bike (https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/images/2012_bikes/jpegs/G3-19-002094.jpg) set up much as it is in that photo.

I want to use the bike for utility purposes, pub stops, shopping etc.

I would like to run the bike on thinner non knobbly tyres, have full mudguards, a rack and ideally a kickstand - is this practicable on this bike or should I sell and replace with something else?

I have a trailer for heavier loads, that I can attach to this, and other bikes for commuting / sport.

 

[simon.r]

I'm after a bit of advice:

I currently have a mountain bike (https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/images/2012_bikes/jpegs/G3-19-002094.jpg) set up much as it is in that photo.

I want to use the bike for utility purposes, pub stops, shopping etc.

I would like to run the bike on thinner non knobbly tyres, have full mudguards, a rack and ideally a kickstand - is this practicable on this bike or should I sell and replace with something else?

I have a trailer for heavier loads, that I can attach to this, and other bikes for commuting / sport.

Thinner tyres will be no problem.

Mudguards and rack depends to some extent what mounting points are on your frame / fork. I can’t see properly on the photo, but it doesn’t look as if you have the appropriate mounts. Fitting a ‘proper’ mudguard to a suspension fork is always going to be awkward. There are ways around this (using P clips, seatpost mounted racks etc) but it’s a compromise at best

Kickstand should be doable, but again may be a bit of a faff.

If you enjoy tinkering and are prepared to spend a bit of time and money give it a go.

Personally, having done similar ‘conversions’ in the past I’d be tempted to sell it and buy something with what you want already in place.

Decent hybrids can be had for not a lot of money, for example this: https://www.rutlandcycling.com/3719...MIvLCg-tfe1wIV7rvtCh1klAozEAQYAiABEgLc5PD_BwE looks as if it’s the sort of bike that would suit.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Personally, having done similar ‘conversions’ in the past I’d be tempted to sell it and buy something with what you want already in place..

What's the point of selling your existing bike and losing money on it? Just keep the MTB as it is and go and buy an additional cheap secondhand MTB/hybrid/commuter that's already fitted with mudguards, carrier etc. I picked up a cracking Raleigh the other day for £20, and the full MTB mudguards it came with would have cost me that much by themselves - without the bike attached!..

 

[straas]

I currently have four bikes, I think a fifth would be overdoing it somewhat...

 

[mjr]

Rather annoying today: usual ride to market, a nobber in an Astra pulled alongside and opened his window as I rode around the A10/A149/A47 junction and asked if I paid road tax, didn't like my answer that road tax didn't exist but I paid tax on my car, so said he'd knock me off if he saw me on the road in front of him again! I used the cycleway bypass of the next crossroads and waited on the corner facing backwards so my camera could capture his number plate. Then as I continued along the cycleway, a driver pulled out of a side road, putting their car nose into the cycleway before they stopped and looked, causing me to do an emergency stop!

But the most annoying bit was that when I parked at my first stop and pressed stop on the camera, it signalled a recording fault! So those two bad drivers will get away with it this time!

 

[biggs682]

I currently have four bikes, I think a fifth would be overdoing it somewhat...

Man up and get at least a couple more

 

[mjr]

Unusual ride to market yesterday. Sheet ice. Like, everywhere. I suspect I would not have gotten between my house and the kerb if I hadn't borrowed the MTB with the studded tyres. I put the QR camera mount on it, aimed it slightly too high (as usual) and this is an example of what I was riding over:

That shiny stuff is ice, not wet water. At places, it covered the whole cycleway. I was nervous and cautious despite the studded tyres, but it didn't miss a beat. The closest I came to falling was walking backed to the parked bike when I trod on a white line. Apparently Morrison's don't grit their bike parking like Sainsbury's do

That said, there were still plenty of people out on the usual town bikes, riding over stuff I probably wouldn't without spikes and I didn't see anyone fall. I doubt the tyres they were using were winter ones either. Most were steering gingerly and, as usual, had tyres flatter than I would.

The MTB is far too small for me and sometimes it's being used on icy days when I want to go out, so I've ordered studded tyres for my old hybrid.

 

[simon.r]

@mjr

A typical short ride to my local shops would be 2 miles on ungritted roads and cycle paths and 2 miles on very well gritted roads. Are studded tyres OK on non-icy roads? I have no experience with them.

If they are I think I may well do something similar to you and fit an underused bike with studded tyres, solely for use in conditions when I’m just not comfortable riding on normal tyres.

(I’ve resorted to driving very short distances a couple of times in the last few days and felt incredibly guilty!)