Recent Posts

Pages: 1 ... 7 8 [9] 10
81
Cycle Tours / Re: Tentative Tour, London, Edinburgh, John O'Grotes
« Last post by Andyb1 on April 04, 2026, 08:06:28 AM »
‘Inconveniently located far from anything worth seeing.’

Have a look at how close it is to a London Underground station.   The tube system will get you to the areas you want to visit.
82
Cycle Tours / Re: Tentative Tour, London, Edinburgh, John O'Grotes
« Last post by mickeg on April 03, 2026, 11:41:33 PM »
...
...
I'm just back from 3 days in Edinburgh, yesterday!
Not on a bike but plenty to see and do.
What dates are you there? Maybe I could pop down.

Matt

No firm plans yet.

Found a hostel in London with secure bike storage.  Inconveniently located far from anything worth seeing.
83
Tandem Talk / Re: The trouble with cable splitters......
« Last post by HugoC on April 03, 2026, 04:49:54 PM »
Thanks Danneaux for your helpful response.

I've tried creating a nipple of super glue around the end of some spare cable, and it does seem to work. Now, I just have to try this on the actual cable after it has been threaded through the splitter (I'm using the J-TEK splitter, which Thorn fitted to the bike).

The cable splitter lies approximately mid way between the cable stops when the Rohloff is in gear 7, so hopefully cable flex will be at a minimum. My tandem has the Ex box, so both cables run under the down tube to under the stokers seat tube, and onwards to the Ex box along the chain stay, which I believe is the optimal set up.

Once again thanks for your reply.

BR
84
Cycle Tours / Re: Tentative Tour, London, Edinburgh, John O'Grotes
« Last post by Matt2matt2002 on April 03, 2026, 04:09:44 PM »
George
You may know this, but the London rail system dates from when different rail companies had their own London termini.   Hence there is Waterloo Station, St Pancras, Paddington etc which are spaced out across central London.   Knowing which rail terminus you are going to use may influence where you choose to stay.

From London Heathrow ...

I had already figured out that there are several London train stations.  Thanks. 

Since I am flying in and out of Edinburgh, Heathrow is not in my plans.  That is one reason I chose Edinburgh to fly into and out of, and Edinburgh as a community is only slightly larger than the community that I live in based on population, so I see that as a much simpler plan.

I'm just back from 3 days in Edinburgh, yesterday!
Not on a bike but plenty to see and do.
What dates are you there? Maybe I could pop down.

Matt
85
Tandem Talk / Re: The trouble with cable splitters......
« Last post by Danneaux on April 03, 2026, 03:54:35 PM »
Hugo, thinking a bit more about your problem, I'm wondering about the role of excess or repeated cable flex at or near the grub screw causing metal fatigue.

Of course, the rear splitter allows for actual un/screwing, as it is basically just a seat for the leaded end of the cable and this tolerates some "slop". The front splitter half is secured rigidly to the cable so any movement will be concentrated at the screw.

Besides reinforcing the stranded wire as I suggested earlier, is there something causing the front run of cable to bend and flex unduly? Something like a nearby cable stop or frame boss? Maybe a clamped-on accessory band? Is the anti-scratch o-ring still intact on the front half of the splitter? Is the cable end getting bent overmuch while the bike is disassembled or put into a case?

Just trying to think of possible contributors.

If your splitters have hex flats, it might be worth holding the front half stationary from twisting with a small wrench while you spin the freely turning rear half. I modified a small, automotive ignition points wrench for a friend's similar need and it seemed to do the trick for him.

EDIT 1: If you are using the J-TEK cable splitters without wrench flats, they're available in different lengths and for gear vs brake cables. I presume the difference is related to the size of the leaded cable end? Perhaps fitting a longer or shorter example -- if possible -- would ease stress on the cable. See...
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/search/?term=j-tek%20cable%20splitter&geoc=US

EDIT 2: Is the cable splitter fitted midway in the open run of cable between stops? If the splitter is too close to the front stop, the cable will flex at greater angularity, right where it is clamped by the grub screw(s), resulting in metal fatigue and snapped cables.

Best, Dan.
86
Tandem Talk / Re: The trouble with cable splitters......
« Last post by Danneaux on April 03, 2026, 03:43:16 PM »
Hi Hugo!

I'm not sure if this will work but back in the day, people would sometimes tin and solder the cut cable ends to prevent fraying rather than use crimped ends. I've done it myself, using a small torch and acid-flux solder for galvanized cables and, later, silver solder for stainless. It allowed for dis/re-assembly at the clamp bolt without having to replace the cable.

Now'days, I prefer using super glue, specifically beta-cyanocrylate to do the same. It not only binds the cut strands, it stiffens them for easy insertion and clamping without adding a lot of bulk.

Perhaps reinforcing the stranded wire (cable) in these or similar ways would prevent flattening, pinching, and fatigue stress at the grub screw inside the front cable splitter?

Might be worth a try. It has to be frustrating, replacing that cable so frequently.

Best, Dan.
87
Tandem Talk / The trouble with cable splitters......
« Last post by HugoC on April 03, 2026, 03:22:23 PM »
Greetings all,

My Raven Twin tandem has S&S couplings and hence cable splitters for gear and rear brake cables fitted as standard. This allows me to dismantle the bike to get it in the car, in a bike box for air travel etc. So far, so good.

During uncoupling and reassembly of the bike, I take great care to minimise twisting the part of the cable splitter that fixes the cable with a grub screw, and I do not over tighten the grub screw in the splitter when replacing cables.

Despite these precautions, I find that the cable that is fixed to the splitter by the grub screw snaps too often. In 43000kms of riding the bike since new, the "front" cables, i.e., those connected to the Rohloff gear selector on the handlebar, have snapped a total of 4 times (always at the grub screw) whereas the "rear" cables have not yet snapped.

There must be a better way of using cable splitters to reduce the frequency of cables snapping. I'm trying to figure out how to add a nipple to the end of the cable after it has been fitted, and doing away with the grub screw altogether.

Has anyone any bright ideas?
88
Cycle Tours / Re: Tentative Tour, London, Edinburgh, John O'Grotes
« Last post by mickeg on April 03, 2026, 12:15:00 PM »
George
You may know this, but the London rail system dates from when different rail companies had their own London termini.   Hence there is Waterloo Station, St Pancras, Paddington etc which are spaced out across central London.   Knowing which rail terminus you are going to use may influence where you choose to stay.

From London Heathrow ...

I had already figured out that there are several London train stations.  Thanks. 

Since I am flying in and out of Edinburgh, Heathrow is not in my plans.  That is one reason I chose Edinburgh to fly into and out of, and Edinburgh as a community is only slightly larger than the community that I live in based on population, so I see that as a much simpler plan.
89
Cycle Tours / Re: Tentative Tour, London, Edinburgh, John O'Grotes
« Last post by mickeg on April 03, 2026, 12:10:17 PM »
George,
There are a lot of interesting places to see between London and Edinburgh, and some great scenery.
...
...
If I wanted to shorten the journey I would take a train to Cambridge from London and start riding from there.

UK has lots of shops.  Petrol stations are usually open and sell food so no need to carry too much.  If you need something you will probably be able to buy it.

Google maps tells me that London to Cambridge is roughly 60 miles (sorry, I am still thinking miles, not km), that is a semi-long day on a bike.  I think I will pass on the train, as the train adds enough complications as as luggage, etc.  but thanks for the suggestion.  Being in USA, I am not used to convenient train travel, as our network of trains is quite poor.  So, if I planned to do very much train travel, I would have to spend a lot of time on education.

Perhaps your petrol stations have more normal foods than USA petrol stations have, ours rarely have much nutritious foods to eat.  I have diabetes, I have to limit my carbohydrates and that means minimizing overly processed convenient foods.  On bike tours, I often stop at restaurants when I see them so that I can eat nutritious food.  And after my Iceland tour, my doctor diagnosed a severe protein deficiency, so I have to make sure I am getting plenty of protein every day.  So, I anticipate looking for well stocked grocery stores.  A few days ago I put together a list of your main grocery stores and their internet sites so I can look for locations of them when I need to.  And my GPS is usually pretty good at finding grocery stores.  I usually carry several 20 gram protein bars so that I can have one a day for the extra protein.

Attached photos, two of my suppers on my last bike tour, a canned soup and a canned stew.  My stove can use both the long skinny butane cartridges like in those photos or shorter wider cartridges that you thread the stove onto, that threaded type canister is in the third photo.  I did not plan to bring a stove that goes on the unthreaded French canisters, but if those are common I could bring that stove along too.  Fourth photo is that type of stove and the French canister.  So warn me now if I need to also bring the French stove as that was not in my plans.

My last bike tour was a bit over two weeks, I rode a distance of 662 miles, or a bit over 1,000 km.  But that was mostly on reasonably flat ground, and I plan to ride shorter daily distances on this trip.  This trip as planned is about 50 percent longer, but I can easily adjust the latter routing to shorten it if I have to.  And thanks for the many suggestions here for Scotland routing, I plan to completely change my Scotland routing.
90
Cycle Tours / Re: Tentative Tour, London, Edinburgh, John O'Grotes
« Last post by Andyb1 on April 03, 2026, 08:55:05 AM »
George
You may know this, but the London rail system dates from when different rail companies had their own London termini.   Hence there is Waterloo Station, St Pancras, Paddington etc which are spaced out across central London.   Knowing which rail terminus you are going to use may influence where you choose to stay.

From London Heathrow there is the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station that runs every 10 minutes or so and accepts bikes.  You can walk to the station (it is underground) from LHR and trolleys are available to carry your gear.

So you will be able to access Central London easily even with a bike.  A taxi would be expensive and a lot slower!
Pages: 1 ... 7 8 [9] 10