Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
Here is an attempt at a slimmed-down FAQ. Feedback please. I'm sure
it has a fair way to go - either much less or much more (or both ;-P)
Here are my suggestions for text to add and change. Comments in square
brackets are just to explain my thinking:
Etiquette and style
-------------------
...........
In general when you are replying you should trim from the quoted text
anything which is irrlevant to the point you are making, and any
signatures. You should reply below the text to which you are
replying, using a standard quote delimiter ( is the most common).
OE Quote Fix is a free utility which helps Outlook Express format quoted
text properly by fixing some of Bill's bugs.
2. Technical questions
======================
The regulars on uk.rec.cycling are a right bunch of know-it-alls who
love to parade their superior cycling knowledge. To save your blushes
you might want to start by visiting this site:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com
What Sheldon Brown doesn't know about bikes is probably not worth
knowing.
....But he doesn't quite fit it all on his website so visit the following
as well for further and alternative tech instructions and articles:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml
http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/index.html
Also have a butcher's at uk.rec.cycling contributer Myra.VanInwegen's
excellent pages which include some tips for beginners:
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike
For more specific queries regarding individual components and
techniques, Googling rec.bicycles.tech can provide satisfaction.
.....Googling rec.bicycles.tech via
http://groups.google.com and checking
manufacturer websites can provide satisfaction.
[Not everyone will think to use Google Groups and may try to use the main
search engine instead]
4. Where do I get...
........
Online bike shops
[Presumably this includes suppliers of components and accessories?]
-----------------
* Bonthrone Bikes
* CTC Shop
* St John Street Cycles
* Sdeals
* Spa Cycles
* Wiggle
* Parker International
* Settle Cycles
* Chain Reaction
* Mike Dyason
[I plan to put up a site with a big links page with all known online cycle
dealers later this year - but I think the above well deserve inclusion in
the FAQ now because they each stock a particularly wide range of goods
and/or have exceptional prices (with good service, of course).]
8. Bike Adjustment
==================
Sore hands / wrists
-------------------
Generally down to hand position.
Generally down to hand and handlebar position.
[Bar height is a main factor as it affects the amount of weight on the
hands]
Experiment with bar tilt and height if you can.
If you use flat bars, try bar ends.
If you have drop bars, check they are the right width (see the
wrenchscience site above) and experiment with the brake lever position
on the hooks.
Padded gloves and bar tape can also help make long rides more comfortable.
Saddle soreness
---------------
Saddle soreness is usually caused by soft saddles and exacerbated by
having the saddle at the wrong angle. Try tilting the nose of the
saddle down very slightly. The aim is to carry your weight on your
your ischeal tuberosities ("sit bones") not your perineum.
Also try different fore and aft positions, and even height if desparate.
Be warned that asking "What is a good saddle?" on the newsgroup will
result in a hundred passionate recommendations for saddles of all sorts of
shapes, sizes and textures. Of all the personal preferences there are
with bicycle components, this one is the most personal!
"Gentlemen's problems"
----------------------
.........
A soft saddle is worse than a hard one. Soft saddles compress the
^ can
soft tissues of your perineum and restrict blood flow; hard saddles do
not.
....hard saddles are less likely to.
[Hard saddles certainly can sometimes press on the perineum, badly, if
enough weight is forward enough. Tilting saddle down will not always cure
this and can make it worse sometimes. I think we should be careful with
absolute statements when it comes to difficult and debatable subjects like
this].
~PB