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1984 Raleigh Clubman stolen last night in Stoke Newington.
http://lockerz.com/s/107930505
Belongs to James Bowthorpe, he of round the world cycle feat. Would love it to be returned. Please can we keep a look out? email mruddy73atgmaildotcom if you get any leads

yes it's interesting isn't it? I never had any close run with an electric car, yet you do, I never use my ears, you do.

this is quite boring. Read my post and my follow up to your post. I've never had 'any close run' with electric cars.

Do you wear ear-plugs when riding?

in that case, I've seen loads of them, they aren't a problem.

I disagree, since I had a crash with another cyclist (who was relying on his sense of hearing to warn him of vehicles behind him) I think to rely on sound at all is dangerous.

Always look... look, look and look again.

I'd say it was the less experienced cyclists who reply on their hearing at all.

Totally disagree, sound is crucial. Relying solely on sound, unless you're a bat, is not a good idea but equally we have forward facing binocular vision and cannot see everywhere at once. Sounds alert to things that happen outside the field of view.

I neve use my hearing at all.

interesting

There's your mistake, you rely on your ears instead of your eyes, problem solved.

If you read my thread I never mention that I have had a problem with electrics; merely speculate that there could be problems and wanted to find out the experiences and opinions of others. Experienced cyclists use both sight and sound but the way sound contributes to staying safe and the general cycling experience is likely to change in the years to come.

don't you feel daft spending age writing this topic now?

no, why should i?

Damn it, DAMN IT! I thought i was being original and fricking Telegraph all of sudden decide to stop being a scrapbook of Waitrose receipts and make room for an 'environmental' story.sigh

Fundamentally the switch to electric powered vehicles is a highly visible fudge. To tackle the issues related to local and global environmental degradation, social breakdown and human happiness the structure of our society needs to be rebuilt around local councils or soviets which would trade and cooperate loosely but sustainably with each other under a larger umbrella union of soviet republics.

Lets see if the Telegraph print that.

The number of hybrid and electric cars on our streets is gradually growing. Charging points are popping up on streets here and there. Local air pollution will be decreased - good. CO2 emissions will probably not be reduced until fossil fuels are removed from the national power generation mix - bad.

I've encountered electrics and hybrids much more frequently whilst cycling over the last few months and have been struck by how quiet, and therefore potentially dangerous, they are. When cycling we rely so much on sound - the changing sound of an engine when alongside or tailing a car or more often the noise from a vehicle from behind telling you how fast its approaching, what type of vehicle it is and generally(!) what type of driver is behind the wheel. Quite a few petrol cars are quiet but nowhere near as silent as electrics/hybrids. While there's a transition period between petrol and electric there may be a greater danger because the sound of petrols will drown out any sound produced by electrics. Electrics/hybrids from what I have seen accelerate more rapidly than standard petrol engine cars too.

Has anyone else encountered problems because of silent cars? This concern has been mentioned in the context of blind and partially sighted people - I heard a news report a few months ago that the European Union were investigating whether to 'add noises' to electric engines as a solution - but not for cyclists.

for funk...anything by The Meters is essential, James Brown (album: Dead on the Heavy Funk).

for soul... such a wide range of styles but for dancing you can't go wrong with Motown - there are lots of Mod soul albums about with Isley Brothers, Martha Reeves, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin. Also get some Northern Soul compilations - the DJ Richard Searling does good selections of floorfillers from Wigan Casino and the Twisted Wheel. Check out Kent Records and Goldmine Records.

for reggae...Depends what style again. I don't know much about modern dancehall stuff but for 60s Ska and Rocksteady look for The Skatalites. Try and get the Trojan Records mod reggae boxset (although trojan stuff is deleted now - pm me and you can ftp the audio files)...

In fact pm me and we can sort out transferring all of it...

York Way, Market Road, Mackenzie Road, Roman Way, Hemmingford, Copenhagen Street, Liverpool Road, St John St, Smithfields, Little Britain, [unfortunately have to do] Aldersgate, St Martins, Cheapside, Poultry, Bank

...Mornington Crescent!

Amazing stuff. He'll have to keep up a fair pace for a good few months to break that record!

A friend of a friend is doing London to Sydney at the moment. Makes me so jealous every time I check how far he's got...

Good stats. Camping most of the way too - a purist.

I'd never seen a belt drive in the flesh (or rather carbon/rubber and lord knows what else mix) before; quite fascinating.

If all goes to plan he'll get back to Dover in mid-September. I and some others are planning to ride with him from there or from Sittingbourne to Hyde Park but anyone who wants to come along will be very welcome. I'll post something on the Rides forum nearer the time.

This is a bit of a plug but an appropriate one.

A friend of mine (James) is currently trying to break the world record time for a circumnavigation by bicycle. He's not doing it fixed but it's hard enough. Current record is 194 days and a few hours set by Mark Beaumont last year. James is trying to knock a month and a half off that - madness but I suppose we all need goals.

The bike is a Santos with Rohloff hub and belt drive. It'll be interesting to see how the belt holds up over 18000 miles.

There's live tracking of him at http://www.whereintheworldisjames.com/ which i've found quite addictive and his main site is http://www.globecycle.org/. He's blogging and Twittering all the way as I suppose one would expect these days.

cheers

Stena line ferry from Harwich has a little corral for bicycles and motorbikes in the middle of all the cars. No risk of being pranged. Get there quick though to get a good spot.

Anyone got a Working Cocker Spaniel? Thinking of getting one for fun and frolics. Live nearish to Hampstead Heath to provide exercise but ay first hand experiences out there?

I cycled round the Ijsselmeer a few years ago. Took four days, was offered apples by friendly locals as I coasted past, raced alongside boats on canals, had a highly relaxing time - apart from hacking it against a westerly gale riding towards the north sea in a rush to make the ferry.
Stayed at Utrecht one night and loved it there but I would warn that the region to the east of the Ijsselmeer totally shuts down on Sundays. It's how I remember Britain in the 1970s but without the flares. No ferries, toll bridges, or shops for food/drink. I later discovered this region is termed 'Black Stocking Country' because it is heavily Protestant and observant of the rules of God.

If you want a quieter route head straight at the end of Waterloo Bridge; there's a cycle path that cuts over pavement into Wellington St in Covent Garden. The BM and Russell Square are easy to get to from here. I then head for Ossulton Street - Royal College Street-Camden Road

+1. Looked back over this thread. Will pop down to BLM and look for the 'asian couple'.

fyi. Me and the missus had both our seatposts with Brooks saddles attached stolen last night by subhuman scum while shackled to the bike racks at the corner of Railway Street and York Way. Another chap had a rear wheel robbed at the same time (it wasn't locked though). In hindsight we shouldn't have left them there as the signs weren't good (ie quite road in Kings X) but...don't think I'll be leaving a bicycle there in future.
Do we reckon the saddles will find there way onto stolen bikes or will be sold individually?