New Carlton Thread

Wrist is fine - as good as could be expected. Will take months for the full strength to return though.

Re-assembled the Carlton and took it out for the first time since the crash, though with it locked on a low gear till I get some gear cables as these fell to pieces where they go under the Bottom Bracket.

I am going to buy a large unavoidably bright headlamp tomorrow!

ATB from George;

PS: Fitted the new headset bearings! What a [horrible] job, particularly given my lack of the special tools, which a proper bike shop would have. I used drifts made out of soft pine wood, and avoided hammering anything beyong gentle tapping ... took ages ...

quote:

Originally posted by George Johnson:

PS: Fitted the new headset bearings! What a [horrible] job, particularly given my lack of the special tools, which a proper bike shop would have. I used drifts made out of soft pine wood, and avoided hammering anything beyong gentle tapping ... took ages ...

Been there, done that. So easy with the right tools and so bloody hard with the wrong ones! Although the nice thing about all-steel is that you can be a little more "brutal" without fear of damage. Imagine trying to do this on a carbon/aluminium setup!

Absolutely, just imagine. Let me say that the ally parts did not come out in one piece! Like pulling a brocken molar, but with great care not to spoil the connection with the frame!

But the old set was getting "indexed" in feel.

It was lovely to have perfect smoothness and yet be completely without a movement or rattle over bumps or using the brake ...

Tomorrow I am going to get a '-ck off large ultra-bright light for the front. Expensive or not, I am never going to leave a driver with any excuse at all for saying he did not see me! If I have to buy a back light with it, who cares if two looks stupid!

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by George Johnson:
Absolutely, just imagine. Let me say that the ally parts did not come out in one piece! Like pulling a brocken molar, but with great care not to spoil the connection with the frame!

But the old set was getting "indexed" in feel.

It was lovely to have perfect smoothness and yet be completely without a movement or rattle over bumps or using the brake ...

Tomorrow I am going to get a '-ck off large ultra-bright light for the front. Expensive or not, I am never going to leave a driver with any excuse at all for saying he did not see me! If I have to buy a back light with it, who cares if two looks stupid!

ATB from George

I run a bright LED headlight and a flasher on the front of my winter/commuter bike. Being seen as you approach is just as important as being seen from behind. Most city collisons are cars turning across bikes at intersections, rather then being hit from behind. But I also have four red flashers (3 on the bike and 1 on my pack) on the rear and reflective stuff all over.

Well I pushed the boat out and bought a "Cateye" rechargeable front light that is as bright as a dipped car headlight. £75, but nobody will be able to say they cannot see me coming!

That is the fun money for the January sales gone!

I have fitted the old one the other side of the stem and use it flashing! Next is to find a back light to fix to my little rucksack, so as to double up on rear visibility.

ATB from George

George,

Good hear the wrist is on the mend.

Be careful with the Super Record stuff. If new then it will require a Naim style running-in period.

I am in the process of helping my son bild one of these...



Jono

Dear Jono,

I am entertaining tomorrow, but I could ride over between Friday, and Monday, if you fancied a bit of QA inspection-work on the machine! I start work again on the 4th, which is Tuesday.

The bike is now in the finest ever state. The BB is still not quite right, but that is all. Rest is splendid, and only the headset needs a little TLC till it settles down.

ATB from George

George, glad you are healing as well as can be expected. Thanks for the clarification on your shade of green. Not unlike Naim, great feeling when your bike is tweaked and you can feel that everything is nice and crisp and tight. Regarding the light issue, I'm a bit of a suck but I've seen far too many friends here in Canada following encounters with cars. Having worked in the bike shop for years, I came across a lot of great lights. I settled on flashing led's, by Knog. Flashing white led in front, red on the rear, and a couple of always on blue led, kind of like when you run clearance lights on a truck. I ride with the attitude of expecting the unexpected, I assume they aren't seeing me and ride accordingly. Although it was a daytime affair, a buddy of mine was flying through an intersection on a Colnago Masterpiu slx. A car turned in front of him, then stopped for pedestrians they hadn't seen. He flew over the car and landed several feet away. Woke up to ambulance attendants hovering over him. A piece of his Oakley's imbedded near his eye. His steel Colnago, one of the strongest frames ever, with the crimped tubing, well the forks were bent backwards severely. He was an uncomprimising kind of guy, refusing to slow down in intersections, and I could never say anything to him, he wouldn't hear of it. I think it cost him quite a bit, I believe he suffered some brain damage from the collision. For me, the moral of the story was to ride like the wind in the country, and ride conservatively in the city.

Dave

Dear Dave,

Fixed the bike, and now I have a temperature. Felt rough last evening, but this morning was definitely worse. Anyway it is holiday till the 4th January so plenty of time to recover!

I tend to ride very carefully in the town.

Even in this case I had spotted the driver being indecisive. But he eventually did stop properly [if well out onto the road – on the other side but turning to go in the same direction as me on the main road] and I was going along three off the top cog at a very steady place, not fast. The thing is he restarted pulling out far to late for me to avoid him with braking. His front bumper his my right knee and then his wing mirror finished the job!

Many are the times when in a similar situation of being on the main road with priority, I have "given way" to a driver who never saw me!

ATB from George

You're so right George, best to yield. I've looked driver's right in the eye, it looks like they're looking at you, but often not. Even with my light show on, I've had people almost run me down, one of the best replies ever was, I didn't see you, you're wearing black! (bike shorts).

Quick story. I pull into a gas station right near the bike shop I work at. A woman swerves in front of me to whip into a parking spot. I'm on my Litespeed. I stopped just in time before she takes me with her into the parking spot. I grab my coffee, run into her in the store, and casually say, "nice driving". She said something about not seeing me. Then she says something like "you have to give someone a chance to see you". I go, "lady, if I left it up to you, I'd be dead or crushed under your wheels". She pauses, then says, "what an **shole you are!" So I say, "well, if you're going to use anatomical names to describe me, what can we come up with for you?" So I called her something very nice, hopped on to my steed, she swears at me as I ride away, I tossed some niceties back.
A few weeks later, my bosses are in Montreal for 3 days, leaving me to run the show. Which I do flawlessly. Except for the Sunday before they come back. It's 20 minutes until we open, I'm setting up the shop, wheeling the used bike display outside, I'm locking up the bikes, some rich guy pulls up in his glitzy SUV and demands I open the store "now", so he can leave his bike to be repaired. I politely point out customers waiting next door at the cafe, I tell him I must get the store open and that in ten minutes I will give him all the service in the world. He left really angry. Apparently he knows the manager, the next day the owner of my store takes me outside, brings up "what I should have done", then brings up the incident with the woman in the parking lot (she must have figured out where I worked and ratted me out). I get no thanks for supervising 10 employees for 3 days, no problems, and averaged sales of about $12,000 a day. So naturally, I did the only thing I could do. I took the key to the store off my key chain, handed it back to him, and said "for all the gratitude, you get to find someone else to run your store, I'm now just a regular employee, and I don't work sundays anymore. Best thing that ever happened to me, he wasn't going to fire me, dedicated employee for 10 years, and I now had Sunday's off to spend with my wife, go riding, etc.

Dave

George, that Supercorsa was my favourite until my Specialized Pro Ti. I couldn't tell from the picture, but is your supercorsa the one with the cool little aerodynamic fairing underneath at the front?

John, how come you don't get out and ride more? I haven't ridden much lately, but will more this winter, the weather is fantastic. 8 degrees outside today, another non-winter here.

Dave.

Dear Dave,

This is a reply from the Cycles 2011, but is better here, I think.

The saddle does not seem to have anything aerodynamic about it, but there is a date stamp on it, from 1981 I think, as well as the model designation. I have straightened out the rails, and cut off the ripped leather from the cover. Battle scarred, but usable.

Nice that I can replace it with the same model though. It is a very comfortable, and good for long hours in the saddle! My old one - a much newer model - used to give some numbness, which cannot be good!

Just completed a written statement for the Police, so things are moving along.

ATB from George

PS: I also find apparent eye contact not to be a very useful guide to what a driver may do next. A smile on the other hand is a guarantee! Often the impression is of the driver staring into the middle distance ... thinking about the destination, and not the job in hand!

It seems that you can insure with Evans Cycles [good company] for third party liability, personal accident cover, and also bike theft or damage ...

Though it is quite expensive to insure against theft, the public liability and personal accident cover seems reasonable at a little less than £30 PA as per my own selection of tick boxes. If I added theft [etc] then this rises to £68 PA, which seems quite costly.

Does anyone else here think that third party liability is a good idea, let alone fairly limited personal accident cover?

Has anyone else actually insured in this way?

ATB from George

My house insurance covers me for third-party events as standard, then I added on cycle insurance as extra. Can't recall how much extra though it was was much much less that the standalone policies and with far fewer conditions.

I have a simple Nationwide house [contents] insurance, so perhaps worth enquiring what might be added?

ATB from george

quote:

Originally posted by George Johnson:
It seems that you can insure with Evans Cycles [good company] for third party liability, personal accident cover, and also bike theft or damage ...

Though it is quite expensive to insure against theft, the public liability and personal accident cover seems reasonable at a little less than £30 PA as per my own selection of tick boxes. If I added theft [etc] then this rises to £68 PA, which seems quite costly.

Does anyone else here think that third party liability is a good idea, let alone fairly limited personal accident cover?

Has anyone else actually insured in this way?

ATB from George

I have some through my bike club, and some more via my home contants. I wouldn't buy any by choice, but these came "bundled".

In the UK, look at what the CTC can offer to individuals. Or join a local touring/racing club.

Dear Winki,

What is CTC? I am cyclist rather than a natural "club cyclist." Really I am not a social person in any real sense!

I am slightly troubled by the thought that I ought to insure aginst third party injury when I ride a cycle, and it is a question of responsibility ...

As a free-standing insurance, I don't think the Evans insurance is expensive at about £30 PA for £1 million of indemnity. Even then it offers - aside from the third party cover - legal fee insurance against third party risks, which is not without its use if one is not at fault in an accident. I am not really concerned to insure against theft. I would merely start again, and revert to the Peugeot until I got another English classic going again ...

On a less serious note the old bike is back on top form after the Christmas rebuild from end to end apart from taking the bottom bracket out.

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by George Johnson:
Dear Winki,

What is CTC? I am cyclist rather than a natural "club cyclist." Really I am not a social person in any real sense!

I am slightly troubled by the thought that I ought to insure aginst third party injury when I ride a cycle, and it is a question of responsibility ...

As a free-standing insurance, I don't think the Evans insurance is expensive at about £30 PA for £1 million of indemnity. Even then it offers - aside from the third party cover - legal fee insurance against third party risks, which is not without its use if one is not at fault in an accident. I am not really concerned to insure against theft. I would merely start again, and revert to the Peugeot until I got another English classic going again ...

On a less serious note the old bike is back on top form after the Christmas rebuild from end to end apart from taking the bottom bracket out.

ATB from George

CTC is a cycling advocacy and promotion organisation. CTC Website Not a club, but they are a body that promotes cycling at all levels from practical to political. It is worth joining if you feel that cyclists need a co-ordinated voice in our society. Membership includes £10M third-party insurance.

Dear Winki,

CTC looks like something very fine! Thanks for the link. I like the idea of an organisation that promotes cycling.

The advice on being crashed into is invaluable! Everyone who rides a bike on the road should read what is on offer here. Absolutely priceless ...

Thanks from George

What a surprise on a Sunday morning to have a postal delivery! I asked and apparently there is a huge backlog of undelivered things to catch up on ...

Now I have mudguards on the Carlton. The "Crud" Roadracer type. Very light, and not too fiddly to fit, but there is only the tiniest clearance on the frame and forks, and it is a miracle that they could be fitted at all. They are designed for this low clearance situation.

The days of "wet back" are over - more or less!

ATB from George

I tried the new mudgards out this afternoon, and the design is such that if there is a jam, then the whole thing colapses in pieces without jamming the wheel. I have had a mudguard collapse once on the front wheel of my old Eagle of Brigg cycle, and only the slow speed stopped the inevitabke wheel-jam being serious. These new things are very flexible and there are little soft brushes to ride the braking surfaces on the wheel rims which stops any shake from fouling the tyres if there is an oscilation. Brilliant idea actually.

ATB from George

... I hope 'The Cross Counties Carlton Club' gets its inaugural outing in 2011, and I'll see you then.

Best wishes for the new year.

John.

Dear John,

In relation to a post in the Hifi Corner.

Yes, I really hope that we can make a good time before too long for a Norfolk cycle ride with GML as well!

The Carlton is now restored to rude health after its slight damage in the crash of the 13th December. And I am getting better too.

The frail old wheels will have to go on for a while, but everything else is on the top line!

And yes the 72 is a "classic" though I guess that my next Naim piece will be a Nait 5i. Hair shirt or not it is a chip off the best of it. More than a hint of what is possible!

Add some ESL 57s and I would be in replay heaven!

Happy New Year to you! George

Two Carlton related things happened today.

For the first time in five years I saw my brother [who lives in China] today. He called by, and we shared a couple of bottles of Stella. When it was time for him to go I showed him the Carlton in full flight. It told him that I could get thirty mph out of it, and as I have a refined ability to find tempo it is not hard for me to know when I have a cadence of ninety going! With the gearing at 90 the bike is going 28.3 mph. I think he was surprised to see such a simple and old fashioned thing go "that" fast!

Second is that the Justice Department has sent me a letter to say that there is enough evidence to go ahead with a prosecution against the driver who crashed into me in December. However they will offer him the chance to accept a driver awareness course, for a fee of £140, etc ... I am not over-impressed, but they must know best I suppose.

But this now frees me up to make a claim against his insurance without using the "no win - no fee" method. I shall speak to an old friend [on a personal basis, not because of legal work I sent him!] who is a proper old fashioned family-style solicitor, so as to get this right.

ATB from George

George

I am not sure what you mean by this freeing you up to make a claim which is funded other than by no-win no-fee (a CFA), whether against the driver himself or his insurer (effectively the same thing for these purposes). Speaking as a specialist in personal injury law myself, I simply cannot see how the two issues are related, certainly not in the direct sense you seem to suggest. 

I would also ask why you seem to think that a CFA is so undesirable. Unless you have pre-existing insurance cover providing you with legal assistance in these circumstances, in which case your entitlement to take out a CFA is potentially in issue anyway, the only other option will be to fund the claim privately - this is expensive in terms of your costs and exposes you to a risk of costs orders against you (albeit that this can be insured against - at a price).

Finally, please do not think that a high street firm are necessarily the best for this kind of work. Any litigation is specialised work these days, of which many high street practitioners do not have significant experience. You would be far, far better finding a firm with specialist expertise who are doing this sort of work all the time. My experience is that their files are generally (most certainly not always) handled more competently. Look online for a firm who seem to be well though of  -they do not need to be local to you.

Finally, good luck with the claim - reading the thread, it sounds like you should be fine!

Ben

Two things to watch with the Crud Guard road-racer mudguards. I've had mine on for a couple of months and have had a couple of snags. Firstly I suggest putting some helicopter tape or similar under the fittings on the chain stay and fork as they seem to move about a bit with use and quickly abrade the paintwork otherwise. Secondly I took the bike on holiday in the back of the car recently, wheels off but 'guards still on. When I removed the bike I found that both had been bent out of shape as they had lain in the back of the car and it took several days for the 'memory' to restore them to straight again. Since they are so quick to fit I'll be taking them off next time the bike is transported.



I still think they are decent to use though, adequate protection and light too.



Bruce

Dear Ben.

The claim will be for lost time at work, and the necessary replacement parts for the cycle, which are all that I would want. In other words to avoid being out of pocket. As there is no dispute about assignment of responsibility falling on the driver, I am advised that such a claim should be addressed to the driver's motor insurance company. If the driver insists on a prosecution in Court then it could be further delayed, but as the sanctions on him if he looses are far more than the cost and inconvenience of a Driver Awareness Course, I would think he would concede the point, and accept a slap on the wrist, rather than points on the licence and a fine which would likely be much higher than the Driving Course fee.

In this way it may cost me a few bob for the solicitor, and the claim should cover that cost [I would hope], but once I repay the wages paid while I was off work with a sprained wrist, and replace the somewhat battle scarred saddle, I see no reason why I should either gain anything, or lose anything.

I did not fancy "No-win - no fee" because the claim could fail if blame were not assigned to the driver, however unfair I would have considered that. And so I could have still lost, and at that after a load of stress trying. So yes, I prefer the simplicity of claiming as it is now with the blame assigned. My friendly [and always helpful] Solicitor has a specific lady solicitor there who specialises in this field. I shall phone tomorrow. It is quite something to get a personal phone call from the senior partner at twenty past eight in the morning [having spoken to his secretary the previous afternoon] introduced like this:

"Hello George. It's K**** here. How are you?"

Yes, it may sound a little old fashioned but the personal touch is worth a lot to me.

So I let it ride till the Justice Department let me know what was going on, and will make patient progress the old fashioned way.

Dear Bruce.

I fitted the "Crud Racer" mudguards, and I think they are splendid. I did wind tape round the places on the frame and forks where the stays attach. This also has meant that I have found no movement in them, or had any scratching of the enamel.

I find them rather good. Easily the best mudguards I ever had at keeping road-spray off me and also off the chain and cogs.

They are rather flexible, and so easy to take off, that for transit, I could not imagine leaving them on if the wheels are out.

Best wishes from George