CYCLE
CLIPS
January 2005
Newsletter
of CTC Grampian DA
CYCLE
CLIPSNewsletter
of CTC Grampian DA
Let nobody say that this is not a varied CLIPS issue. We have a Grand
Competition, set by Gordon (he wants your tyre size!), and a future
competition, set by Sandy, deep science from Albert, a really very first-class
Birmingham joke (even if I say so myself) from Alan, a contribution from Fife
Wheels, retro bikes, the long-awaited return of the 101 uses of the inner tube
from Gordon, Braveheartcycling from Nobby, tricycle and penny-farthing from
Maureen, a recipe for a health cake and lots more.
In November, the Times invited
readers to vote for the greatest British invention. One of the choices offered
was the Rover Safety Bicycle, “invented” by John Kemp Starley in 1885. This
design survives with few modifications to the present day. The Rover Company
stopped producing the bicycles in 1926 and became a car manufacturer. Afterwards
there were letters to the Times
saying how unfair the world is and all cyclists are selfish, lycra-wearing
bullyboys. One letter writer cleverly suggested that the wheel was the greatest
invention because there is no bike without wheel! Spoilsport!
Those bags on the front could save many pedestrians and cyclists. The
technology would be based on radar which detects body heat. Not only would the
airbag inflate, but the vehicle’s brakes would also be applied at the same
time. Bring them on soon!
Cindy was struck by the following wisdom on her calendar: “Retirement means twice as much husband on
half as much money.” I didn’t know John was retiring yet.
Sandy cut out a piece from the P & J of 30 years ago, October 1974.
“There is now a distinct possibility that
the Aberdeen-Peterhead railway could be reopened for freight traffic because of
oil and gas developments. British Rail’s Scottish Manager said in Aberdeen that
the work could be completed within three to six months at a cost of £500,000”.
If only they had done it. On the debit side, we would not have the
Buchan-Formartine walk and cycle way, from Dyce to Peterhead and Buckie.
by
Albert Brydon
No, this isn’t yet another article about speed cameras. This is about
cycling speed. When I first started cycling this was the mantra given to us
youngsters during a long day’s ride. I’m sure it’s been the experience of many
of us that one can ride all day at a steady pace, covering a large distance-
maybe even with a heavy touring load and yet feel fresh and full of miles. On
the other hand a short burst of extra speed (to catch up as the rest of the
group disappears into the distance maybe) can exhaust you in minutes. Well,
here’s an indication why this is so.
The power output of a cyclist (i.e. the amount of energy used to propel
the bike and rider per unit time) is given by the following relationship:
W = {KA (V + VW)2 + F}V *
Where W = power (usually expressed in watts)
KA = Aerodynamic drag factor (related to the
frontal surface area of the rider)
VW = Velocity (speed) of any head wind (in m/s)
V = Velocity of cyclist (m/s)
F = fixed force arising from both slope and rolling resistance (of tyres
etc)
If we assume that there is no head wind, it is flat, and, for the sake
of this argument that there are no rolling resistance forces, then the equation
simplifies to:
W = KAV3
i.e. the power output is proportional to the cube of one’s velocity!
Let’s assume we’re on a 70 mile ride with the club (on a flat road
remember). If we ride at a steady 13mph, it’ll take us 5.38 hours of riding (5h
23m). If, say, we stop at the coffee stop for 45 minutes (not uncommon) and at
the lunch stop for 1 hour, the total time from start to finish will be 7h 8m
(say, 9.30am to just after 4.30pm).
Now let’s do the ride at 12 mph, just 1mph slower. It’ll take 5h 50
minutes, a bit less than 30 minutes more. We want to get back at 4.30 though,
so we’ll have a 30 minute coffee stop and a 45-minute lunch stop.
Now, what about power? For the same rider we can write:
W1 = K133 and W2 = K123 (I know that this doesn’t translate directly
into watts, but the point is the same), so the ratio (W2/W1) of the power outputs is 1728/2197 or 78%! (Here is where I got lost, Editor) This
means that if you knock 1 mph off your speed you reduce the power output of
your legs by over 20%.
So the moral is: if you want to be fresher at the end of the day, ride
slower and take shorter rest stops or better still just build in half an hour
extra to the end of the day (or as Sandy might argue-don’t go quite so far).
Perhaps surprisingly a head wind slightly reduces the relative benefit
of the slower speed. However, that would hardly matter since a 10mph head wind
increases the power required to maintain a speed of 12mph by 300%! In that case
get your head down and reduce the value of KA.
* “Bicycling Science” by David
Gordon Wilson
“That’s aa good an well, but it
will no take on in Kirriemuir", Editor
Recently I sent the letter below to Mr. Jasper Gerard, a journalist:
“Dear Mr Gerard,
This letter is about your contribution to the Sunday Times “Let’s bang
up the two-wheel terrorists”. Who gives you the right to encourage hatred of
cyclists? Who do you think you are? There are many people in this country
working hard to create understanding between all road users, whether on foot,
by bike, wheelchair, on horseback or by car. Most cyclists are also car
drivers.
Again, who gives you the right? You are abusing the freedom of the
press. Have you been appointed by democratic vote to speak for silly car
drivers like yourself? If not, please vent your opinions to your mates in the
pub. (Your article is doing a useful job in the cat litter).
Yours, Gerard Vlaar, etc.”
In a submission to the CLIPS from Gordon Mackay, he poses the intriguing
question: how fast is a faster run and how slow is a slower run. This reminds
us of the other eternal question: how long is a piece of string.
In the December issue of CYCLE TALK, the inestimable publication of CTC Scotland,
Mike Harrison publishes a fascinating graph (below). What I can make out of it
is that most people like a longish run, which is not too fast and not too slow.
So there you have it. Another problem solved.
He was photographed cycling to his job, whilst on a mobile. His response
to journalists: “I do and to hell with it. It isn’t against the law. If I was a
one-armed cyclist, you wouldn’t kick me off my bicycle, and I am just doing
something with my free arm, aren’t I?”
It may not be against the law, but I wouldn’t phone somebody whilst on
my bike.
People whose legs are paralysed due to spinal cord injuries can cycle
again on a modified trike. Electrical impulses will stimulate the legs at the
right moment when the pedals are in the right position. This will create the
potential for exercise and fun on safe paths such as the Deeside Line (but no
bridges yet at Cults and Peterculter!). The person has a kind of throttle to
regulate how much stimulation to give to the legs. Sometimes I wish I had such
a throttle.
by
Jane Elliott (BBC News Health Reporter)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
15th Nov 2004
When we visit our usual teashops, I am subjected to many a health warning
about what I eat and it scares me silly. As a result, I believe that, if you
could create a cake, which was Light, garnished with non-GM, laced with
Hypo-Allergenics, enriched with Endorphins and Trace Elements, with inbuilt
protection against CFC’s, saturated in Green Tea with a smidgeon of Red Wine
and soaked in Biffidus Digestivum, you could easily become a millionaire.
Gordon Mackay is a great recycler and won’t stop until we reach 101.
Here follows the next chapter. (I would skip number 26 if your are of a queasy
disposition).
25. Cut tubes tied together - use to bind two single mattresses together
to improvise a double bed.
26. For gents: it can be used as a convenient draining system when
camping !! (Lothian “Hen Housers” -LHH) N.B. Check the “lie of the land”
first!! (GM)
27. Mountain bike tubes can be stretched over flasks for a safer grip
(LHH)
28. As bungee (LHH)
29. Hanging loops for hanging up bikes in garage etc. (LHH)
30. Garden cat scarer:- a sinuous tube looking like a snake is supposed
to scare off cats. (Gillian)
31. Anti spray tube/hose on outdoor garden tap makes it easier to fill
watering cans.
32. Use a tight band between the rings of a ring binder to hold the
pages in place.
33. Use a complete circle of inner tube as a rim tape over the spoke
heads. Care must be taken when cutting the inner tube to get the right part of
the tube to ensure a “flat fit” to the rim. (Sandy)
34. Use as an outer protection for a tyre – emergency use only! (Gerard)
35. Firelighter under damp conditions. Cut a 10 inch x 0.5-1.0 inch wide
(?) strip of tube and slip your cigarette lighter into it – matches not
reliable when damp. (Ray Mears TV survival programme as related by Sandy)
36. Saddlebag:- Use as strong elastic straps for holding cycle cape etc.
on top of saddlebag.
To celebrate the reaching of the Halfway Mark of the 101 uses of an
inner tube there will be a special surprise prize for the person submitting the
51st use of an inner tube. Please submit all entries to Gerard -
preferably by email as this gives a time/date order – or in writing to Gordon
or Gerard (together with a note of your tyre size). The person who submits the
51st use will be the half way winner. The editor’s decision will be
final.
At the end of October, we enjoyed the AGM. We did not suffer in silence
as happens in so many other AGMs. We saw, thanks to Sheila’s diligence, many
slides divided into chapters, such as Hills, Stones, Foreign Trips, the Grampian
Rally, etc. The meeting was graced by the presence of Ron and Pat Harrow, from
the Angus Cycling Club. They were impressed by the number of people attending,
a record 34. We learned that over the past year 95 different people took part
in our rides. We guffawed when the chair, John Baghurst, announced the next
item on the agenda: Consideration of Motions, which we duly did. Afterwards we
went to Sheila’s house for the party and it was lovely. During the party, we
saw a ghostly apparition, roughly the height of Maureen. We tried to answer 26
questions about ghouls, ghosts and other ghastlies. North East castles seem to
full of them.
In the October CLIPS I made mention of SODS, but that was not right.
Thanks to Duncan for keeping us on the straight and narrow:
“I believe you mean SUDS - Sustainable Urban Drainage System. You can
find out about them from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency at
sepa.org.uk/dpi/suds/index.htm
Regards, Duncan”
They really upset my dog and I think somebody should do something about
it. The poor beast does not realise that 6 p.m. suddenly becomes 5 p.m. and
dinner is late. In March, dinner is suddenly an hour early.
One hundred people, mainly pedestrians and cyclists, die in Britain
because of clock changes in March and October. Professor David Begg from
Aberdeen, the Government’s Transport Advisor, must be getting bored repeating
the advice that clocks should not change at all. The same applies to Rospa
(Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), whose releases every year in
October and March virtually beg MPs to be sensible and save 100 lives and 350
serious injuries.
However, some opportunistic Scottish politicians, such as Alex Salmond
and Alistair Carmichael, pop up on command like clockwork and accuse
“London-based bureaucrats” of ignoring the “Needs of Scotland”.
For what it is worth, on 1 November, the first working day after clocks
changed, I personally saw one cyclist knocked over near Duthie Park and heard
about a serious accident on the North Deeside Road.
Nobby Clarke sent me an extract from that site. Don’t ask me what Brave
Heart has to do with cycling. (I heard that sharp-eyed viewers of the video
have noticed cars going at speed in the far distance whilst Mel Gibson fights
his battles. I imagine some other viewer spotted an abandoned bike in the
bracken. Hence the name of the website, I surmise. Enough of this rubbish).
The extract Nobby sent me is about the Cairn o’ Mount and gives the
following exciting info.:
From the South: Distance to top is 3.4 km. Start altitude is 125m, and
finish altitude is 447m. Average gradient bottom to top is 9.5%. First km is 16.7%
ave, last km is 19.4% ave.
The person who contributed these data, states at the end: I need to go
out more!!
From A.C.
(full name address
known to The Editor)
Two Brummies were fishing by the canal when one turns to the other and
says:
" I caught a whale in here yisterdie"
"Wot?" says the other "Yow was fishin in this cut and yow
caught a whale? Wot did yow do with it?"
"I threw it back." the first one replies
"Why did yow do that?"
"Coz there were no spokes in it"
Sheila received a copy of a Newsletter named “Ripon Loiterers”, sent by
Graham Steele (we remember him well). It looks very much like our Cycle Clips.
No wonder. Their Editor writes: “I have decided to copy Grampian DA’s format.
Thank you Grampian for a great idea.!” They also admire the name of our
Newsletter, and who wouldn’t.
Mike Harrison who is the secretary for this worthy organisation, has
opened a new feature on the website – a page for Sales/Wanted/Swaps/Give Aways.
If you want to advertise or give away an item, send an e-mail to Mike at: secretary@CTCScotland.org.uk.
You must, however, tell him when a deal is done so Mike can remove the item
from the site.
When you go downhill with great speed on a well-sprung mountain bike,
you aim for a small rise in the hillside. At the moment you hit that hillock,
you bear down with all your weight on the front and rear suspension, at the
same time throwing your bike sideways so that it is horizontal with the terrain.
Then, before you hit the dirt, you straighten your bike again. When your bike
has been shown to be really horizontal, you have achieved a Tabletop!! ! (So
what, I hear the oldies mutter). In order to ride a bike like that with any
streetcred, you have to get a full-facial. This has nothing to do with what
women want for a treat. It is a helmet, such as the one worn by Stuart in cold
weather.
Fife Wheels is a well-known publication from the South. Some of their
readership came to our famous 2nd Grampian Rally. Their editor writes: The
rides were well organised with leaders and sweepers, ensuring no one was left
behind or went off-route. Reasonable weather, great company with friends new
and old, lovely quiet back roads with super cafes en route, all made for a
memorable four days, much to be recommended. Everyone went home feeling they had
been very well looked after. Thanks to members of the Grampian DA for
organising this.
There is a steadfast group of Thursday nighters who will not give up
putting the world to rights. There is a wide range of subjects discussed:
folding bikes, foxes, space travel, the fate of butterflies, GM, the quality of
bread, the lack of thermal underwear, the importance of grass mowing, the
growing of onions, the weather in general and rain in particular, the latest
menswear, durability of paint, smelly shoes and the council tax. I would
encourage everybody to take part in these thrilling conversations; there must
be one subject in which you are an expert. I know some people who are experts
in all of the above.
3 Carradice saddlebags, small size, free to uplift.
Winter cycle jackets, size M and XL, windproof, waterproof and breatheable,
£25.00 each.
For further details, please contact Cindy on 01224-484891 or email: cindy.blackmore1@btinternet.com
The Nicholl Cup was presented to Grampian DA
by Richard Nicholl. Richard was the first chair of the DA and wanted the cup to
be awarded to whoever won an annual competition. This competition was to be
based on any aspect of cycling. This year each month from January to October
2005, a question will be asked. Going on the run in conjunction with the clue
should help. Answers should be returned to the DA Secretary by two weeks prior
to the AGM. Sandy Cormack
Some 53 riders participated in the Grampian
Audax weekend on 11-12 September. Some came from far afield, including our
regular visitor from Northern Ireland, whilst a fair few were locals from the
Aberdeen area. The weather was fair; the folk enjoyed their rides. Thanks to
all participants for making a successful event, and to the team of helpers from
the DA who ensured a slick organisation. Especial thanks to Roger M who took on
much of the design and admin at a time when I was very busy house building. The
modest profit of £90 will be divided between the DA and the CTC Cyclists
Defence Fund. Mark Hagger
The following definitions were sent in by a Clips reader whose address I
have mislaid. I hope I said thank-you, on behalf of all scientists. In the next
issue I’ll give some more classifications.
1000 Kilos of Chinese soup = Won ton
1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope
Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1
bananosecond
Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 Billigram
Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour =
Knotfurlong
Half of a large intestine = 1 semicolon
1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz
Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower
1 million-million microphones = 1 megaphone
2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles
The next issue
of Cycle Clips will be published in April 2005. Any comments and contributions
to Gerard by 10 March at 01224 734799 or to gerardvlaar@yahoo.com
Web: www.ctcgrampian.org.uk
Secretary: 01224 639012
(sheila.rusbridge@btinternet.com)