YOUR FEEDBACK | LETTERS

Your opinions Write to Cycle EMAIL: cyclinguk@jppublishing. co.uk POST: Cycle, PO Box 313, Scarborough, YO12 6WZ. The star letter wins a £39.99 LETTERS Altura Microlite, an ideal just- THIS MONTH BIKES ON TRAINS, MIDGES, in-case jacket that’s wind and showerproof yet packs down PEDAL MODIFICATIONS, ELECTRONIC into its own rear pocket. SHIFTING, AGGRESSIVE DOGS, For more about this MEASURING RIM WEAR, AND MORE ultra-lightweight jacket, which comes in men’s and women’s designs, go online to altura.eu

out for us, so did the midges. As we hung around and regrouped at Gairlochy, four of the ladies were required to deploy their most effective anti-pest Letter Unboxed bikes can travel too equipment. Fortunately, this of the day was not typical. month EUROSTARS Gary Cummins Bike-rail I was delighted to read about Eurostar’s change of policy WORST FOOT RESERVATIONS to allow assembled on FORWARD their trains. I took up cycle touring Like Brian Parry (Letters, ABOUT TRAINS to celebrate my 60th birthday. June/July), I had a left knee I rely heavily on trains and, owing replacement. I don’t use clip-in recently returned to , and I’ve made quite a to arthritis, I do not have the or (except on one bike) I number of trips on trains with my non-folding bike. The strength to reassemble my . toe-straps, but I favour plastic bike spaces on most trains have been full, and on many I used Eurostar a few years ago ‘half clips’ to locate feet on occasions there have been more bikes than there were on my way to cycle the Danube pedals. I placed wooden spacer proper spaces, despite some of the companies requiring trail. I found the staff very helpful. blocks between the left pedals prior booking. Happily, the train staff have made no It made the journey much easier and their clips on all my bikes. objection and everyone has boarded, pre-booked or not. than it would have been if I had These allowed me to Which begs the question: why put us through the faff had to take a ferry. position the foot of bike reservations? Northern, my local train company, Diana Palmer somewhat is heavily used by cyclists, but seems to cope without any forward, and pre-booking. My attempts to self-reserve bike spaces online WATCH OUT, MIDGES the knee to with other train companies have failed. When the Nationa ABOUT bend, but lRail website transfers me to a train operating company for I arrange my CTC Cycling Holidays not so far that ticket purchase, the PlusBike option never appears. Bike trips to avoid the worst of the I had to use the reservation for me entails a visit to my nearest station with Scottish midge season. However, instep. The first blocks a booking office, or an interminable phone call to a train on the last day of my most recent were 30 millimetres wide. operating company. tour, as well as the sun coming As weeks went by, I reduced John Fletcher the blocks to 25 and later to 20 millimetres. I used to suggest virgintrainseastcoast.com for cyclists Sixteen months after the booking online as you could reserve a bike space after operation, I took delivery of a reserving a seat. But the ‘beta’ version of Virgin’s new website new Thorn Raven touring bike. seems to have dropped this facility. It doesn’t bode well. The Too impatient to fit a block to the Scotrail site (scotrail.co.uk) still works for cyclists travelling on left pedal, I went for a test ride any network, as does the First Great Western site (gwr.com). and to my amazement found

Masking the I no longer needed it. midge problem John Rhodes

CYCLINGUK.ORG CYCLE 31 LETTERS | YOUR FEEDBACK

can see it being useful for long The Cycling Cartoonist distance riders too, as a way to reduce fatigue in the hands, and for time triallists wanting multiple positions. But, equally, there’s nothing wrong with getting a bike with electronic shifting just because you want it. (I don’t so I haven’t.) ASSAULT ON BATTERIES CALL OFF THE DOGS I was sad to see a review of I recently spent a joyful fortnight bikes with electronic shifters with riding the hills and mountains of no mention of how they violate the north of Corfu. The scenery the bicycle’s basic principles was breathtaking, the climbs and of simplicity, serviceability and descents exhilarating, and the efficiency. I see them as the gear road surfaces generally better shifting equivalent of electrically than in Britain. The only downside assisted bicycles – a wonderful was being ambushed and pursued idea for people who might not by an assortment of dogs, large otherwise be able to ride, but and small. What do you do? You

unacceptable on a . can try to outrun them but if it Copyright Dave Walker The UCI needs to re-think this is uphill, that fails. Booting them one, and either ban electrically- out of the way swings you off assisted shifting or make sure balance. What other remedies can The Cycling Cartoonist, An Illustrated that the riders charge the batteries you recommend? Is there a dog Guide to Life on Two Wheels, is published by Bloomsbury (bloomsbury.com), priced themselves after the race has whistle with a pitch they dislike? £10.99. started. Or is there a spray that works? I I do not see how electrically- am returning to Corfu next year. assisted gear shifting makes Nick Hill sense for touring or utility cycling Join the conversation because of its adverse effect If you don’t want to go full on easy servicing and potential Ballantine on the dogs, one CYCLING UK FORUM difficulty obtaining spare parts. option is the Dazer: Get immediate feedback from other Low tech gear cables are easy dazer.com/dog-deterrent.jsp Cycling UK members on the Cycling UK to carry as spares and easy to forum: forum.cyclinguk.org. Here's an obtain. Clever though electrically- abridged extract from one recent thread: assisted gear shifting may be, it bit.ly/cycle-lejog-ebike should not be fitted to bicycles. It corrupts an otherwise near perfect LEJOG ON AN E-BIKE when you exhaust the couple of days, with Ian Stuart: My wife battery. full camping load purely mechanical machine. and I, in our 60s, are horizon: On a in front and rear Hugh Thornton considering LEJOG previous thread, , and using June 2018. Does I wondered aloud electric assist only anyone have any at the potential of on the longest and/or

At this year’s Bespoked, the UK Left: Getty Images experience or advice touring on an e-bike. steepest hills (maybe Handmade Bicycle Show, I saw doing this on an I questioned whether 10 miles in total), a road bike built for a bloke with GAUGING e-bike? touring with luggage I’d say it’s easily dwarfism. It employed electronic RIM WEAR Mick F: I reckon you (and a longer day) possible to ride could easily do an would eat up the one long distances shifting because that was easier I was interested in the item in End2End on e-bikes, battery power. If the without using power. for him, having short fingers. I Q&A regarding rim wear (Apr/ doing a reasonable battery did run out, cakefiend: If you May). Rims that do not have wear mileage per day. The would that leave you want advice, then indicators are a problem. You can only proviso would be with a heavy bike and these people being able to charge luggage? are probably a buy a Proops Brothers rim wear the battery each Vetus Ossa: I can good source: OBITUARIES gauge for £5 plus postage from: evening. say categorically that ebikecycletourists. bit.ly/cycle-rimweargauge. This james01: Make sure I would not want to com. Are now being published the bikes have easily pedal an e-bike on Mick F: e-bikes are online at cyclinguk.org/ a great tool but it’s still going to removable batteries the flat for ten miles aimed at people who obituaries. Send obituaries be a judgement call as to for in-room charging. with no power, never want to ride a bike. to [email protected]. the minimum thickness Choose bikes that mind up long hills. In order to tour with can be pedalled as pete75: Speaking one, perhaps you You can include a digital of rim that is safe photo if you wish. normal without any as someone who’s need a two-battery to ride. dead-motor drag ridden one 120 version, i.e. more Simon Phillips for those occasions miles in the last capacity and power.

LETTERSare edited for space (if above 150 words), clarity and, if FACEBOOK T W E E T U S How to necessary, legality. Please note that if you have specific complaint or query Tell us what you think Read the latest about Cycling UK policy, you should address it to the relevant national office staff on Cycling UK’s Facebook updates and get in contact Cycle member. Letters & emails for the Oct/Nov issue must arrive by 23 August. Write to: page: facebook.com/ touch on Twitter [email protected] or Cycle Letters, PO Box 313, Scarborough, YO12 6WZ CyclingUK @wearecyclinguk

32 CYCLE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017