There seems to be no end in sight to all this grit everywhere. It gets into everything, its like having gone to the beach and dragging sand home. Whilst it was essential during the bad weather I don't fancy cycling in it for another 6 months!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
all this grit's getting on my *i*s
(31 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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That's why I got the Pashley. I had a keek at the transmission yesterday and it's lovely and clean.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'm doing a training run around Silverknowes every other night (..ish) and there are certain corners where the council piled up mountains of dirty snow/ice mush in December and which - with the water gone - are now just slippy slidey gravel traps. I've not tried my usual circuit with anything other than my knobbly-shod MTB but even that has slipped on some of the bad bits. No A over T excursions yet, but I imagine Claims Direct et al might be looking on with interest...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Just de-grited my front mech again, got sick of kicking down in the wind on Friday.
Posted 13 years ago # -
As well as getting into my chain, so it sounds like there's a stowaway underneath my bike eating a bowl of rice crispies, I wonder whether the grit is partly responsible for the high level of punctures being reported. I used to reckon a puncture per year/1000 miles was about fair. last week I spoke to a guy changing a tyre on the Ferry Path who said it was his fourth in four days.
I changed my tyres recently as I was getting one a week. One morning, having just fixed a puncture, I set off for work, and ten minutes later the other tyre went down. Family and colleagues report similar horrors.
Time to lobby the council to clear up the Ferry Path? It's resembling a clay tennis court right now.Posted 13 years ago # -
wee folding bikeThat's why I got the Pashley. I had a keek at the transmission yesterday and it's lovely and clean.
But do you still feel emapthy with the other forumers... or do you secretly hope that some will get bikes with chainguards ;-)
steveo Just de-grited my front mech again, got sick of kicking down in the wind on Friday.
The problem with front mechs on standard bikes is that they're too low down and not in front!Posted 13 years ago # -
mid mechs?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Our carpark at work was an ice rink but as we are council the council was keen not to clear with the wee tractors when the side streets were all still iced up (in case EEN took pictures). At some point ten tons of grit was dumped. It is now like a blaes pitch (spelling?) If I did not have the mighty Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres it would be p-word city.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Ohh empathy, empathy,
They've all got my empathy.I did stumble over this today:
http://www.hebie.de/Chainglider-350-38-42-44.hebie350chainglider.0.html?&L=1
It's a real chain guard for non derailleur bikes.
I don't want everybody getting chain guards. That would be like the way lots of my buddies have now got Macs and can do the stuff I was always able to do with such élan while they laboured over other machines.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I've had about 5 p*nct*r*s in the past month cycling on the N Ed paths - mainly Ferry Road section. Been back on the road for a bit and no problems.
I'm shod with Schwalbe Marathons (the old type Spa do for £11 each) which have always been excellent but this grit is something else.Has the recent rain shifted any of it?
Posted 13 years ago # -
ah Schwalbe MArathons are good but they ain't Scwalbe Marathon Plus
I think a bit of the grit has washed away with rain but still much left.
True Grit out next week, looks great
Posted 13 years ago # -
nevermind the grit, the niddrey path is an inch deep in **** I mean decaying vegetable matter.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Colleague advised me this morning that the Fery Road path has been swept clean of grit!
Posted 13 years ago # -
...and the tree has gone from the Trinity branch. Buh'boom.
We're in danger of using up our maintenance allowance for the year :)
Posted 13 years ago # -
Perhaps they made the tree into brooms to sweep the grit away. Has it just been flicked onto the verges or properly scooped up for re-use?
Posted 13 years ago # -
I dunno I was on it about an hour ago and there's still quite a bit of grit about.....
Posted 13 years ago # -
WeeFoldingBike I did stumble over this today:
http://www.hebie.de/Chainglider-350-38-42-44.hebie350chainglider.0.html?&L=1
It's a real chain guard for non derailleur bikes.
VSF bike I sold that on wore it out after 3 years but saved his chain and clothes. Sold him another (chainguard!).
I don't want everybody getting chain guards. That would be like the way lots of my buddies have now got Macs and can do the stuff I was always able to do with such élan
Yes.. odd how the easy way of using a computer became popular. Doesn't always work out like that! Mind you Macs are still only 10% of market I think. iPhones are at 12 million units.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I just get the cheapest phone in the shop.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I came across a council road-sweeping machine starting its business on the NEN on Tuesday around 8am; the path is about 95% clearer since (still some small areas of grit). There's a wonderfully large flood under the bridge into Victoria Park from the Ferry Road path though... nearly managed to drench a load of schoolchildren this morning who were lurking too near.
Posted 13 years ago # -
nearly managed to drench a load of schoolchildren this morning who were lurking too near
Maybe next time you'll be more lucky :)
Posted 13 years ago # -
There's always tomorrow... :)
Posted 13 years ago # -
In the past the 'answer' was -
J!~~_12.JPG)
Posted 13 years ago # -
Is that a little device to physically scrape flint out of the rubber? Can't see it catching on myself! I guess it didn't..
Posted 13 years ago # -
Riding home this evening and promptly got my second flat tyre of the year from another shard of grit. Gnash...rant...general sweary noises...
Same bike, same back wheel, different tyre (non-Kevlar Primo Comet this time, Kevlar Schwalbe Kojak last time). Are they sharpening the grit particles this year or something?
Posted 13 years ago # -
I got my 6th of the year yesterday. ALL flinty grit! That's spread over three different types of tyre on four different wheels on two different bikes...
Posted 13 years ago # -
More pressing stuff this evening has meant I've not even had time to mend my inner tube. :-/
I've heard tell that CEC has been using a different type/brand/source of grit this winter. I have to say, it's a lot more reddish-brown than usual. But the number of flat tyres being reported is just ridiculous. Why don't they just cut to the chase, and put glass all over the road?
Posted 13 years ago # -
I got a flat on a 5 year old Marathon two weeks ago.
Last week I used Kojaks to get to Govan and then on Saturday morning I used them in the snow without issue.
My trike has 16 year old Conti Top Touring tyres on it.
The rest of the winter I used Marathon Plus.
I got a flat on the Isle of Wight last July on a Brompton Yellow tyre before I swapped them for Kojaks.
So one flat in the last 4000 miles.
The grit does look different and it's staying put.
Posted 13 years ago # -
There's a special grit-sharpening machine that the council have. Here's an artist's impression;
I get the impression that part of the problem is the immense amounts of retrospective panic-girt that were dumped all over the place have now washed onto the roads and lodged in the nooks and crannies of the tarmac, which is sounding very "crunchy" to ride over in places.
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's mostly red grit-flakes that have been tweezered out of my tyres, though there has been the odd bit of sufficiently-thin glass and a sliver or two of crunchy seashell from Silverknowes. I have two spare worn-but-still-safe-and-functional 700*25C Armadilloes if anyone wants to try them out - still no punctures since a thorn from a rosebush sneaked through in May.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I have one 700x25 Marathon Plus which anyone is welcome to have. I can't stand the things.
Posted 13 years ago #
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