simon simpson

It's on the diary let's.... leave on time have tyre levers this time not miss the boat Catering? last year it was £10-12 Dinner wine and breakfast I will organise unless someone else wants to..... ss

lights, paracetamol, ibuprofen, dark glasses usually required ss currently checking diary....

yip... well done all What Jim fails to mention is the crappy wind all the way up the main first ramp of the Crow that seemed never to drop until Killearn... it seems superhuman to ride that at 15 mph average I think I was actually comfortably under 1 hour 30 (usual didn't zero the clock)... Possibly see folks at the weekend ss

There was previously no checking that you set off in the group you were pre-arranged to set off with... it wasn't a problem to find each other...it was the keeping up that was difficult... ss good luck

I'll provisionally join a C or D team! ss

I live in Scotstoun and go down the west most clyde cycle tunnel ( it has some glass but mostly at the top ends. The route is then up the side of the southern general hospital along a path beside the oncoming traffic about to enter the tunnel then its a case of getting to Paisley road west by going straight on to cross the motorway or along the road by braehead renfrew etc. I always allow 40 mins from scotstoun as it is about 10 miles- so 45 from Anniesland. There is usually a headwind on the way there. the other option is to go over Bells bridge. I've never been on the ferry my phone is 959-2484 if you want more detail or a chat . Might be out on Sunday riding with slower group ss

ok.. Aileen and I propose a post tour prologue ride clubrooms 9,30 for 3 or so hours on the ropes.. lets go North of the river or down to Largs? Route should be humply as this is the opposite of what suits the tandem best.....Renfrew lanes then Loch Thom road into Brisbane Glen..stop in Lochwinnoch if time... we will not do the west ferry ss

sorry kenny I will not be making this - house hunting season drawing to a close / sqh- i thought it was next w/end- shows how much I get out.... apologies to Dave triking Audi has new home with a view in the country and to be honest despite the niceness of a car thats only 8 years old instead I miss that old smooth 5 cylinder thing.. the new one has the golf mk4 gti engine in but its crap compared to... ss

I think David is away so in his absence I propose meeting at the clubrooms for a 9.30 sharp departure. Aileen will be out on the tandem. We can decide the route tomorrow.. Drymen? Cloch? Crow? ss

5 folks on 4 bikes set off and the wetness went higher and higher and higher.... A wet but warm day- we opted for Bridge of Weir, Quarriers, the Clune (42.7 mph) IBM, the cloch and straight up the road. First run for me for a while so sore legs on the stairs tomorrow I guess. The v brake combo with STI was crap- there's a post elsewhere on this

I've just been out with Aileen on the tandem. It took me back to the early 90's when serious camping tourists would debate the problems caused by Shimano redesigning the old (90 degree from vertical0 canti into the 1991 model with a 'lo-profile' 30 degree arm. The conversations continued like this, " He's got old stock deores and cable out the top Dia compe levers" The next problem was when people bought bikes with lo-pros and concealed cable levers.Great on day one outside the shop but a night mare in the rain with worn blocks STI at this time was only Dura Ace at about £280 Those with cash bought Magura rim brakes and used bar end shifters..... Drop bar STI / ergo and cantis is great (I use old style 90 degree Campag HP02s bought in 1993 because nobody would buy them) but you need to be aware of the horror of 'lever against the bar while going down the clune, in the wet, and the guy from the bike shop said they worked fine only last week and there's car pulling out ahead' realisations..... So..... point 1: there's no adjustment screw to move the brakes into the rim when the pad wears on many models point 2 mechanical advantage and cable travel on these items are not necessarily compatible- i.e. almost never- see sheldon brown below and the ctc letters that follow it point 3 if a bike shop does it they'll fix it up and it will work with new blocks, on the flat outside the shop, in the dry.... Dia compe produced dedicated (non sti) lo-pro canti and v levers...some people say they work... aTravel Agent is the usual solution ; http://www.billys.co.uk/english/group.p ... mt2tms9fl2 as you read down you'll see the reference to the 'lever against the bar in the wet' scenario Sheldon Brown on this one: (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-direct.html) main bit below: Brake Levers for Direct-pull Cantilevers Direct-pull cantilevers have double the mechanical advantage compared with traditional brakes, so they require special brake levers. Direct-pull brake levers pull the cable twice as far, half as hard. The lower mechanical advantage of the lever compensates for the higher M.A. of the cantilever. It is not generally safe to mix and match levers/cables between direct pull and other types for this reason. Conventional brake levers used with direct-pull cantilevers will usually not pull enough cable to stop in wet conditions without bottoming out against the handlebars. In dry conditions, they either won't work, or will grab too suddenly. Direct-pull brake levers used with any other type of brakes will feel nice and solid when you squeeze them, but due to their lower mechanical advantage you'll need to squeeze twice as hard to stop as you should, so unless you are a lightweight rider with gorilla-like paws, this combination isn't safe either. To make a brake lever with low enough mechanical advantage for direct-pull cantlevers, the cable must run twice as far from the lever's pivot point. This is easy enough to do with levers for straight/upright handlebars. Levers for drop handlebars are harder to configure for direct-pull brakes, and currently, there's only one drop-bar lever made that's compatible, the Dia Compe 287V. Since most newer drop bar bikes use Ergo or STI brake/shifter units, direct-pull cantis are not generally a good choice for drop-bar applications. Drop-bar Workarounds If you want to use Ergo or STI brifters with direct-pull cantis, there are two workarounds available: You can use a pulley-device, such as the QBP Travel Agent. These are a bit of a hassle to set up, but do work. If you have a bike with skinny tires and no fenders, there are "shorty" direct-pull cantis that are more-or-less compatible with drop bar levers. Neither of these systems is ideal, and neither is really any better than traditional center-pull cantilevers. It is , of course, a hot topic in the ctc... Mini-Vees – 2004.01 I wish to improve the brakes on my 1997 Dawes Galaxy. It has Shimano Deore cantilevers, whereas my road bike has Tiagra dual-pivot sidepulls and much better braking. I read in Cycling Plus that mini V brakes will work with drop barred bikes. They reviewed a Planet-X Kaffenback with Tektro Mini Vees which appeared to work well. They are not very available in bike shops, but they do seem an answer to braking on drop barred touring bikes with large tyres. Ben Bate – Edinburgh Standard vee-brakes have 100mm vertical arms pivoted some 25mm below the rim. Subtract a bit for the cable “noodle cradle†etc. and that leaves 70mm of clearance for tyre and mudguard. Allowing a 50% margin for the latter, that’s about right for a 47mm tyre. That brake is designed for a 25mm cable pull. Drop handlebar levers pull only half that. So a mini-vee with 50mm arms should work okay. But that would leave only 20mm for tyre and mudguard! So mini-vees are a compromise, with arms about 2/3 the height of a standard vee. They give no more clearance, and neither do they work any better with drops, than a medium-reach dual-pivot sidepull (as distinct from the normal, ultra-short-reach variety). I tested an Orbit Harrier with Tektro Mini-vees in October 2000 and found that these brakes limited the section of tyre that could be fitted to 25mm with mudguards. I also observed that, whilst braking required but the lightest of touches, the pads didn’t move far before the lever bottomed out – requiring perfectly true wheels and frequent brake adjustments. I thought Orbit would soon abandon the experiment, and they did. So mini-vees are not the best answer unless the question’s really weird (like a racing bike with cantilever braze-ons, like the Planet-X Kaffenback) which probably explains why you don’t find many in bike shops! They are certainly not the answer for a Dawes Galaxy. For that you’d better stick to cantis. Chris Juden For a confirmation that Mini-Vees are not the answer even on a Planet-X Kaffenback, here's a query I received 2005.12: I recently bought a Planet X Kaffenback and am generally very happy with it, but there are two issues that you may be able to shed some light on. Firstly, the bike is fitted with mini V-brakes combined with drop-bar brake/shift levers. Whilst the brakes are very effective with the blocks set up a hair’s breadth from the rim, any tiny deviation in the trueness of the wheel causes the pads to rub. If I set the brakes up so as to clear the rim, then they fail to bite until the lever is pulled back almost to the handlebar. I stress that the wheels are actually very straight, with an almost imperceptible wobble which I have tried to fix wit a spoke key. Do you, by chance, know any tips that could help me solve this problem? Geoff Wood – by email I suggested some decent cantilevers! J D Sonley, of Gargrave N. Yorks, was descending a twisty hill on his Dawes Discovery when the front Tektro direct-pull brake suddenly failed. Fortunately he was still able to stop the bike by a combination of rear braking (not so effective on a steep hill), foot dragging and swearing! Upon examination the slot in the end of the "stirrup", that is supposed to retain a nipple on the end of the "noodle" (cable guide tube) was found to have opened up, presumably under the force of braking, letting the noodle pop through. This is not an isolated freak incident. I have recently been in correspondence with the operator of a cycle hire business, who in the last couple of years has encountered at least 20 similar cases of complete or partial failure of the noodle stirrup. Enquiries amongst the cycle trade reveal that this is a common occurrence with cheaper brands of direct-pull brake and the photograph shows a collection of failed brakes (the slot is not supposed to be any wider than a cable) from Alhonga, Apse and an unidentifiable brand in addition to Tektro. The stirrup has a slot, rather than a hole, so that the noodle and cable can easily be detached and the brake opened up to facilitate wheel removal. Some other brake-release mechanism might be preferable, however it would appear that the design is adequate when not abused and/or when the stirrup is made from high tensile steel. (I have yet to see a genuine Shimano V-brake failed in this way.) The cables of failed brakes often show evidence of snagging on something, for example the frame tubes in event of the handlebars spinning around – which often occurs in a crash. An upward or sideways yank on the cable will easily lever the noodle completely or partly out of the stirrup; so that firm application of the brake may later force it though the distorted slot. Note that Mr Sonley had a spill on this bike (in a slippery ford) a few weeks previously. If you have this sort of brake on your bike, check that the slot in the noodle stirrup has not become any wider than the inner cable. On cheaper brands the steel is soft enough that you may be able to tighten the slot just by squeezing with pliers! This worked for Mr Sonley, who also tightened a strong zip-tie around the end of the stirrup so it couldn't open out again, enabling him to continue in relative safety and later replace the offending brakes with something of higher quality. Chris Juden Canti – levers – 2006.09 It may be of value to run an article on the dangers of mixing V-brake levers with Canti or caliper brakes, as there seems from my experience to be a dangerous lack of knowledge on behalf of retailers as to the difference between these systems. I will explain. I was recently given my nephews old bike for my son. Before letting him ride it I serviced the bike and made sure everything worked, however one thing didn't: the brakes were seriously under powered, dangerously so. I tried everything, but nothing made them better. My sister informed me new levers had been fitted by a reputable bike shop as the originals had been broken. On closer inspection I realised they had fitted V-brake levers, which pull much more cable than canti levers and thus reduce the pulling power of the lever. As the shop that fitted them is a long way from my home I decided simply to fit a new pair of levers. But when I tried to buy some all the local retailers offered were V-brake levers, saying there was no difference, one assuring me he was a mechanic of 15 years and thus "knew everything". Apparently not! Maybe I'm just very unlucky, but there seems to be some ignorance as to just how different V-brakes are and perhaps something in your publication could help alleviate this. I eventually got a second-hand pair of levers and the brakes now work perfectly. Peter Greenhalgh Reversing V-brakes – 2003.11 It seems a pity a front V brake cable enters on right as this make the cable bend in an S shape rather than a reverse C shape(when front brake lever is also on right). Is a Travel-Agent pulley wired for no cable travel increase any more efficient than the cable noodle? Would mounting V brakes on the rear of the front fork be better because the mounting bolt would no longer be subjected to braking forces? Alan Bradley – Belfast The S-bend doesn’t usually seem to be a problem, however the Travel-Agent is a good noodle substitute – those tubes can get sticky with use and since the cable merely passes around the larger pulley, there will be little risk of fatigue. Most of the world, of course, has the front brake lever on the left. (In Britain we have a noble tradition of zigging when everyone else goes zag, but we can’t expect Shimano to cater for that!)

Aileen and i will be out at the clubrooms for 9.30 leaving promptly for a group ride Only plan at this moment is this route or its reverse Georgetown Erskine 10.05-10.10 Bonhill Cycle route 7 Drymen Cafe stop / snake hill(?) optional for those that way inclined heading back over Queens view or Strathblane Mugdock Distance 45 miles -50 miles time 3 hours plus stops ss

I've just got a new (to me ) Audi A4 estate so sadly the old 100 estate needs to go... silver 1990 It's sleek and very retro......It's a five cylinder 2 Litre engine which gives a lovely V8 type rumble and whoosh quite unlike other engines. Its got 172 000 on the clock - so at least another 70 to go. It has a totally flat bike sized load bay which you can sleep in. It has a 2 bolt style tow bar which I fitted at 132000 miles when I bought it..towed a caravan a bit (200 miles max) but fitted really for bike rack MOT until September The usual niggles with an old executive barge- drivers electric window doesn't work - the motor works but the relay doesn't- £30? for the bit..... sunroof sticky but hasn't stuck - may just need lubed..... bits are not expensive really rear window winders replaced with mechanical. Sony cd controller radio cassette I've replaced radiator, clutch, alternator, rear brake cylinders and the usual disposables... It's on offer to club members, or associates, for a donation to club funds... pendle rack and tax not included but negotiable. Thule roof adaptors included but not the bars. If no interest by the end of weekend it goes on eBay It'd make a great second car tho' it's been very reliable for me I have full no claims and insure it with Admiral for £180 which includes windscreen cover as the borders are a bit wild at night sometimes this might give a picture: http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/ca ... _full.y=12 Info its the c3 variant; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_100#C ... E2.80.9392

I've just got a new (to me ) Audi A4 estate so sadly the old 100 estate needs to go... silver 1990 It's sleek and very retro......It's a five cylinder 2 Litre engine which gives a lovely V8 type rumble and whoosh quite unlike other engines. Its got 172 000 on the clock - so at least another 70 to go. It has a totally flat bike sized load bay which you can sleep in. It has a 2 bolt style tow bar which I fitted at 132000 miles when I bought it..towed a caravan a bit (200 miles max) but fitted really for bike rack MOT until September The usual niggles with an old executive barge- drivers electric window doesn't work - the motor works but the relay doesn't- £30? for the bit..... sunroof sticky but hasn't stuck - may just need lubed..... bits are not expensive really rear window winders replaced with mechanical. Sony cd controller radio cassette I've replaced radiator, clutch, alternator, rear brake cylinders and the usual disposables... It's on offer to club members, or associates, for a donation to club funds... pendle rack and tax not included but negotiable. Thule roof adaptors included but not the bars. If no interest by the end of weekend it goes on eBay It'd make a great second car tho' it's been very reliable for me I have full no claims and insure it with Admiral for £180 which includes windscreen cover as the borders are a bit wild at night sometimes this might give a picture: http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/ca ... _full.y=12 Info its the c3 variant; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_100#C ... E2.80.9392

Highest Village (Alba)  Strathaven  123 km Wanlockhead, 1531 ft (468 m) above sea level, in the Lowther Hills. Lead pumped arteries, Veins of gold bled into burns - ore rich - o'er still hills Starting from: Strathaven, S. of Glasgow         Google map      Aerial view      Date: Sunday 3rd June 2007 Time: 09:00 Distance: 123 km      Sunrise is at about 04:37   Sunset is at about 21:48     BST       Metcheck cyclists' weather AAA: 1     Total Climb: 2085m Ev No: 07-222 Category: BP AAA points are under review some points may change during the season, especially longer events. This does not imply a change in the hilliness of the route, simply a re-assessment of the points. Facilities: L P R T Fee: £5.00 Speeds: 10-30 kph Parking free or reasonably priced, at start Toilets at the start Left luggage secure(ish) at the start Refreshments free or reasonably priced, at start and/or finish Body: VC Astar CC Organiser: Drew McSorland Address: 17 Sandhead Road  Strathaven  Lanarkshire    ML10 6HX Phone: 07803956552 Email: [email protected] - send mail - Event entry should be via snail mail to Drew Mcsorland using a standard Event Entry Form or the organiser's own entry form, enclosing £5.00 payable to Drew Mcsorland (ie not AUK), and two stamped addressed envelopes.

why not go 8 speed instead? http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946

I'd reconsider the route- Do one upper west coast and do Arran as a seperate jaunt- a stop over in Lochranza YHA then with a drop onto the east coast of the Kintyre peninsula to Carradale and down - it's hilly. v. scenic I'd totally avoid the west coast main road -not super wide, exposed and with cars and big lorries doing 70mph when they can. In addition I'd avoid the road North of where the Claonaig road meets Campbeltown rd (6 miles south of Tarbet all the way through tarbet. If you really must do the Peninsula go down the east coast thru Carradale / Sadell to C'town then (hopefully wind assisted) up the main drag- turn left for Kilberry and do the coast road with stunning Jura views... come out just S of Lochgilphead and go North west from there. There's a nice wee hill road which cuts out Oban or drops into it near the rare breeds farm. If going to Mull there's a ferry to Ardnamurchan which is useful. If going through the Uists there used to be a private ferry running from the very North onto Harris.. Other classic roads to include are the route from Ardnamurchan round the coast to the Mallaig road then onto Malaig and Skye. Another great ride is from Ratagan YHA off the A87. over mam ratagan, over to the small ferry that runs across the sound of sleat to skye. The whole road from Plockton to Loch carron is great and you can do Appplecross from there and round the coast to Ullapool is best reached by following the coastal single track roads e.g. round Inverpolly. Hills- make sure you've a 32 or 34 sprocket on the back and a 26 minimum on the front. It's worth carrying a spare tandem length gear and brake cable and a folding tyre eg Mtb Vredstein S-lick or folding conti, if 700c, as bike shops are few and far between- Oban- Ft William...maybe ullapool? The places to eat and drink are the Ceilidh place in Ullapool, the Applecross Inn in Applecross, Seafood Bar in Kishorn and anywhere else serving local food The road to Inverness from the west coast is again busy and the a82 from Inverness to ft william is narrow and busy as it's a main truck and transit route- some bits can be avoided by using minor roads which are part of the great glen cycle way - the off road parts can be tiresome and rough singletrack- try combining the high ground minor roads on the East and West sides of the Loch The last 10 or possibly 20 miles of th GGCW into ft william are on flowing forest roads and the tow path of the canal and pleasant- worth doing Personally- unless Inverness is a must see go up the islands and the coast and back down the coast. The a82 from Fort William is ok as it is wider and scenic up Glencoe and over Rannoch,,,,,the only hairy bit is the 10 miles of very scenic narrow road from Inverarnan to Tarbert (Loch Lomond). From there there is a continuous dedicated cycle path along the lochside or a super smooth metre wide strip at the road's edge- the airport can be accessed by the Erskine Bridge. Hope this helps

Dougie da Rosa has a double page spread on p6 and 7 of the Herald insert today ss

this is insane....£49? from the audax site and a far better day out..ok so it is 100 miles further but it includes the schiehallion c limb as a minor climb of the day.... before Glen Lochay, Glen Ogle or Braco and after the climb beyond Alyth and the hill above Moulin... as some one said a sportive is 500 guys paying £25 (or more) pretending to be in a race and an Audax is 50 guys paying £6 pretending not to be in a race View some of the most spectacular scenery an Audax can offer from the comfort of your own bicycle seat. Starting from: Carnbo, W. of Kinross Google map Aerial view Date: Saturday 28th April 2007 Time: 06:00 Distance: 303 km Sunrise is at about 05:34 Sunset is at about 20:46 BST Metcheck cyclists' weather AAA: 0.75 Climbing: 4250m Ev No: 07-654 Category: BRM [PBP] AAA points are under review some points may change during the season, especially longer events. This does not imply a change in the hilliness of the route, simply a re-assessment of the points. Facilities: L P R T 100 Fee: £6.50 Speeds: 15-30 kph Parking free or reasonably priced, at start Toilets at the start Left luggage secure(ish) at the start Refreshments free or reasonably priced, at start and/or finish Body: Fife & Kinross DA Organiser: Findlay Watt Address: 22 South Dewar Street Dunfermline Fife KY12 8AR Phone: 01383 738 631 Email: [email protected] - send mail - The following extra information has been provided by the event organiser: for your own security, always virus-check any file you download before opening it. Website: www.total-cycling.tk2u.co.uk/fifeda/taytrans/index.html Routesheet: Download 654r.zip (right-click and use 'Save' or 'Save Target') Event entry should be via snail mail to Findlay Watt using a standard Event Entry Form or the organiser's own entry form, enclosing £6.50 payable to Findlay Watt (ie not AUK), and two stamped addressed envelopes.

There is an official national cycle route which is partly used by the Glasgow Edinburgh... Follow the old A8 along Alexandra Parade, Edinburgh Road, Past Carntyne, Cranhill, Barlanark, Swinton, Ballieston and at the big junction bear left at the newish housing estate onto the A89 (I think) continue through Airdrie, past Monklands Hospital (now rising up a long drag) go through Plains and continue along this road to the top. (there is an alternative off road path parallel to this but the road is fine..the pathe runs alongside some waterways) .have an excellent long descent past Broxburn etc stay on this road until you hit the Newhouse Roundabout take 2nd exit probably onto the a8 for going straihght into Edinburgh.. theres a path at the side but its fast and ok due to speed cameras.... the pedal for scotland route is longer and diverts a bit to the North after the highpoint

Do we owe cash for a deposit (for those who are not able to go)? ss

Another fickle boy cancellation.... I'm going to Edinburgh for a private view.. that's not a lap dancing thing but an art thing... a free meal with media gits in Edinburgh..who could resist? OK so you have to talk a lot of crap about the meaning of dried insects stuck on coathangers but..... ss

Can we pay online? ss

Alan Shame to see you officially go but as with many other graduands of the J Dub thing we always look forward to seeing you on the road. best of luck You 'classroom' people must be glad the McCrone deal allowed you 20 hours a week off to train tho'. ss

i.m a possible for 1.12.06