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"Supporting LTNs is not controversial": Criticism for BBC over Jeremy Vine impartiality ruling; "You can't just paint lines and think you have bike lanes"; CyclingMikey helps stop suspected drug dealer; Why is my bike creaking? + more on the live blog

Happy Wednesday! Dan Alexander will be taking you through the middle of the week on the live blog whilst trying not to mention how Fulham are the greatest football team in existence... ah, already failed...
31 August 2022, 16:25
Kaden Groves wins stage 11 of the Vuelta a España

Two Brits in the top ten, Dan McLay in sixth, Fred Wright eighth, but the day went to Australia and Team BikeExchange-Jayco. Having lost Simon Yates to a Covid positive this morning, that's just about as incredibly as the team could have responded...

31 August 2022, 15:53
Peloton poses

To be fair, it's been that sort of day at La Vuelta. The three-man break never got more than a couple minutes lead and everyone seems content getting from A to B expending as little energy as possible...

With that said there's 5km to go and finally things are hotting up, we'll bring you the sprint result shortly... 

31 August 2022, 15:51
"Sorry pal, will be 15 minutes or so, just got to cargo bike my cement mixer across town"
31 August 2022, 14:51
Julian Alaphilippe's terrible 2022 continues — crashes out of La Vuelta

As if things couldn't get much worse for the world champion...

A quick recap: the two-time world champ crashed at Strade Bianche, missed San Remo with illness, suffered serious injuries in that shocking crash at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, missed the Tour de France, got Covid, and now leaves the Vuelta clutching his collarbone...

With 25 days until the next wearer of the rainbow bands is decided, could Julian's defence already be over? 

31 August 2022, 13:59
"Supporting LTNs is not controversial": Criticism for BBC over Jeremy Vine impartiality ruling

Here's what you've been saying about today's big news that the BBC concluded Radio 2 presenter, and vocal proponent of all things cycling, Jeremy Vine had breached the broadcaster's impartiality rules by publicly supporting LTNs.

One road.cc reader, IanMK, wrote: "Jeremy Vine is basically supporting government policy (Gear Change) and local democracy (decisions made by elected representatives). Are BBC employees not allowed to do this? 

LTN planters

"I'm a republican but I don't complain to the BBC every time one of their employees says something supportive of the monarchy (or even accepts a gong from the Queen). Perhaps I should."

Another added: "In other news, Gary Lineker accused of breaking impartiality rules for suggesting that sewage in the sea is not a good thing."

brooksby said it was "ludicrous" that the BBC claimed Vine should not have taken a public side in the debate as LTNs are the "kind of topic to which considerations of due impartiality applied for the BBC".

Gus T suggested the rule was simple: "Pro cyclist comments — not impartial. Anti-cycling articles & programmes — impartial. So much for a balanced view on cycling by the BBC."

ANPR protected LTN in LB Ealing

On Facebook, Chris Lowe commented under our story: "The BBC's policy on the neutrality of its staff needs a serious looking at. This nonsense of 'there are two sides to everything' results in cranks and extremists being given a platform when there are no reasonable voices on certain sides of a debate.

"A lot of the anti-LTN rhetoric has been repeatedly debunked — but it is allowed to be repeated on the BBC again and again because they have to give both sides."

Last March, a BBC report into LTNs was branded "shameful" by a councillor amid accusations it "perpetuated falsehoods" by a Labour peer who is a patron of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking. Lord Berkeley said the report had "embarked on its own journey to stir up a manufactured culture war".

BBC LTN report

During the report, the BBC failed to address the claims of MP Rupa Huq who said the schemes were "more contentious than air strikes on Syria" and stopped women getting to their homes safely, although a month later the broadcaster did correct Nick Robinson's comment that "you cannot use your car" in an LTN.

> BBC corrects Nick Robinson’s comment that "you cannot use your car" in a low traffic neighbourhood

"We agree that LTNs do not prevent cars from being used," the BBC said in response to complaints.

31 August 2022, 13:15
CyclingMikey helps stop suspected drug dealer

One to put in your diaries for if/when any court proceedings are concluded and we can share the footage, but quite the adventure for CyclingMikey yesterday...

31 August 2022, 12:11
Shimano and Campag fails

Take a trip down memory lane for some of Shimano and Campag's less successful offerings...

31 August 2022, 10:16
Another one bites the dust: Pavel Sivakov out of the Vuelta after Covid positive

That's two of the top-ten out of the race already this morning...

God help anyone within a two-mile radius of Patrick Lefevere if Remco's next... 

31 August 2022, 08:54
"You can't just paint lines on roads and think you have bike lanes — those are just death traps": Emotional plea from husband of diplomat killed in collision

This was the emotional plea for safer cycling infrastructure from the husband of a US diplomat who was killed last week while riding her bike in Maryland. Sarah Joan Langenkamp was involved in a collision with a flat bed truck being driven in the same direction as the cyclist. It is believed the collision happened when the driver turned off the road and into a car park.

Speaking on WUSA9, Dan Langenkamp called painted bike lanes, sometimes dubbed 'murderstrips' here in the UK, "death traps" and called for safer infrastructure...

"It's unbelievable to me that we have to brave streets with bike lanes that are dangerous and get mowed down by trucks in modern America," he said.

"It's just wrong. I'm just livid about the situation with bicycle safety here after seeing what happened. You cannot just paint lines on roads and think that you have bike lanes, and then brag about it on your city website saying 'we have 500 miles of bike lanes'. No, those bike lanes are just death traps if you don't provide protection for them, driver training, laws and law enforcement that actually says people are going to be punished if they hit bikers."

Sarah Joan Langenkamp was a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, where her husband also worked. A March news report told the story of how the couple's children were forced to evacuate to Poland following the Russian invasion, while they stayed on in their diplomatic roles.

31 August 2022, 09:40
"I used to think my bottom bracket creaked, now I realise it is my knees"

Great wisdom from the little onion in the comments...

Live blog 31/8/2021

SimoninSpalding has an alternative diagnosis: "You missed the most obvious — it is your top-end Japanese chainset that is soon going to fall apart."

No idea what you're talking about, Simon...

> Shimano denies design problem with Hollowtech cranks despite reports of cracked arms

Hmmm, not sure how that got there...

Continuing the bottom bracket topic, majikstone commented: "I recently reinstalled my threaded bottom bracket on my titanium frame, and as I was in a hurry, I forgot to tighten it up properly. Next day I go out for a ride, and after some 30 km, it starts creaking like crazy as it came slightly undone on the NDS.

"I only had to ride with that horrendous creaking sound for maybe another hour before getting home and fixing the issue, but it was enough to give me a glimpse of what the average ride on a Press-Fit BB bike feels like. Have I had one, I would honestly end up throwing it in a ravine or give it away to the person I hate the most."

OldRidgeback replied: "The external BB on my BMX cruiser has been creaking for a while. It's annoying me now. As the race season is nearly over, I'll change it out shortly. There's no play in it and it isn't stiff, so I'll do one more race with it before it's changed. Irritating it is."

31 August 2022, 09:28
Simon Yates out of Vuelta with Covid

Simon Yates is the latest victim of a Vuelta-ending Covid positive...

Yates was fifth on GC after a solid TT yesterday but will not start today's 191km stage to Cabo de Gata. He joins the then-leader in the points classification Sam Bennett, Ethan Hayter, Jake Stewart, Edoardo Affini, Sepp Kuss, Wout Poels and numerous others in leaving the race following a positive.

Of the 182 who rolled down the start ramp for the team time trial in Utrecht, just 155 remain...

31 August 2022, 08:40
Vuelta rider's bonsai nightmare

As someone who recently got, and promptly killed, a plant by going away for four days during the 35 degrees week, I'm sending my deepest sympathy and condolences to the Mullens...

31 August 2022, 07:51
The dreaded bottom bracket creak
2021 Ribble Endurance AL e Shimano 105 - bottom bracket.jpg

It's a scene worthy of a psychological horror film: you're spinning along happily through the sun-bathed lanes when, at first, you're not even sure if you heard it right...*creak*...not very loud at first, 'it'll go away' you think...it doesn't...soon, rhythmically with each pedal stroke the piercing pain shoots through your bike and body (and anyone and everyone riding near you at the time)...

> Bottom brackets - get the insider info on your bike's beefiest bearing

It's like when you get a cold after a long time without one and can't believe you ever took for granted not having a sore throat...

Step one: enter purgatory...

Is the sound coming from my bars, cleats, or further back in the bike? You're sure to have an undisclosed period of riding where your brain plays tricks on you and will send the mystery creak all over your machine...

Step two: follow the leads.

Just because it sounds like your bottom bracket is creaking, doesn't mean it is...

Tick off all the easy ones first before you opt for more invasive surgery...chainring bolts, quick release skewers, cleat bolts, seatpost clamp...

Step three: accept defeat.

Alternatively, bypass step three...

Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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25 comments

Avatar
Jenova20 | 1 year ago
0 likes

That twitter reply is absurd:

"Supporting LTNs is not controversial, no matter what the review says. If you ever wonder what a car dominated society looks like, this is it."

Car dominated society or not, LTNs are absolutely controversial. Anyone who knows what the word means would know it was controversial. Doesn't mean it's wrong to push for them, but that is a really stupid response to even deny that they're controversial at all.

Avatar
Awavey replied to Jenova20 | 1 year ago
2 likes

outside of London, and maybe Oxford, theyve not proved controversial at all, infact out of most of the pandemic infra that was put in, of that which is left youll generally find is the LTNs.

why the wheels squeak demanding more oil in London or Oxford about them Im not sure, but they arent as remotely controversial as the MSM claims them to be nationally, and frankly the BBC compliance unit ought to be reflecting the national mood on them, and not as some heated uber local spat.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Jenova20 | 1 year ago
3 likes

LTN's have been happening for years. Some of the biggest moaners on the radio live in LTN's that were created in the 80's. The only reason they are controversial now is because certain news outlets decided they were and pushed they were until other news outlets had to "report on the national controversy".

I wish my rat race road, where certain drivers decide the blind hill summit with cars parked either side can be approached at 40mph was an LTN. It was for two weeks when the end of the road was closed for road works, and it was bliss. And as it was road works, and I don't ride on the pavement, I also cycled around to the only entrances open. 

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Awavey | 1 year ago
1 like
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ktache replied to Awavey | 1 year ago
0 likes

The train was busy this morning, busier than it had been in ages. The roads too.

Nothing compared to what it will be next week.

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AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
0 likes

I rode my hybrid in on my commute for the first time in 5 days yesterday. Loud Creak when pedalling normally no matter what the gear, but not if I pedalled softly or stood out the saddle to pedal. Creak mostly occurred on drive side down stroke. So either BB, Seat or Pedals at the moment looking at the suggestions. As the last time I rode it had rained, I have just sprayed MO400 around the BB and pedals to see if it frees up the noise making and used the road bike to commute. Will investigate further tonight when I get home. 

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
1 like

I've had a saddle rail create this sort of issue before. A squirt of GT85 where the rail joins the saddle base fixed it.

But once it was down to a crack in the frame just below the seat post clamp. Hopefully not in your case, but it could perhaps be the seat post that could do with taking out and re-greasing.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to HoarseMann | 1 year ago
0 likes

Turned out to be the same issue as Steve K. One of the pannier bolts on the non drive side was loose where it connected to the seat stays. Riding whilst seated must have flexed the stay slightly, when standing it wasn't.

Avatar
brooksby | 1 year ago
15 likes

Interesting read in the Grauniad:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2022/aug/31/how-car-cu...

The Guardian wrote:

I first learned about this from Roland Kager, a data analyst and multimodal transport researcher – meaning he’s interested in traffic, but not in cars. Car logic permeates the language we use, says Kager. “We speak of vulnerable road users, but they’ve only been vulnerable since the advent of fast traffic with big, heavy vehicles. Why don’t we call those fast, heavy vehicles dangerous road users?”

Why are roads you can’t live next to, cycle on, or walk along called main roads? Why do we speak of “segregated” or “separate” cycle paths, when it’s actually motorists who’ve been given a separate space of their own? The language of traffic instils a “windscreen view” of the world, as the Belgian mobility expert Kris Peeters wrote a good 20 years ago.

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nosferatu1001 replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
7 likes

I try to do similar - motorists are guests on a highway cyclists peds and horse riders have the right to use, and so should have the mindset of a guest. 
I like to think we can start working out what is best for people and not best for cars...

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
3 likes

brooksby wrote:

Interesting read in the Grauniad:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2022/aug/31/how-car-cu...

Quote:

I first learned about this from Roland Kager, a data analyst and multimodal transport researcher – meaning he’s interested in traffic, but not in cars. Car logic permeates the language we use, says Kager. “We speak of vulnerable road users, but they’ve only been vulnerable since the advent of fast traffic with big, heavy vehicles. Why don’t we call those fast, heavy vehicles dangerous road users?”

Why are roads you can’t live next to, cycle on, or walk along called main roads? Why do we speak of “segregated” or “separate” cycle paths, when it’s actually motorists who’ve been given a separate space of their own? The language of traffic instils a “windscreen view” of the world, as the Belgian mobility expert Kris Peeters wrote a good 20 years ago.

I hope you don't mind Brooksby, I have quoted the above on the story as it appears on FB.  Non cyclists don't even know they think like this

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brooksby replied to Daveyraveygravey | 1 year ago
1 like

The quote is from the article in the gRaundia, davey, so quote away!

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ktache replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
1 like

I am a train cyclist.

Though I am very lucky in that the line I use means I can cycle-train-cycle.

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IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
4 likes

My current creak is the saddle. Seat rail creaks where they join into the main saddle are a frequent source of creaks. I solved mine by tugging on the nose of the saddle. I don't recommend tugging while riding in company, it's not a good look.

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Steve K | 1 year ago
3 likes

I had a horrible creak on my titanium framed bike recently.  BB was my first thought, but I wasn't certain.  Took it to my LBS and he checked the BB and tightened everything else we could think of - and still couldn't find the cause. 

In the end, it turned out to be that I hadn't sufficiently tightened the bolts securing the pannier rack and they were creaking at the frame flexed under load. 

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ktache replied to Steve K | 1 year ago
0 likes

That's good investigating.

And what a relief.

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nniff | 1 year ago
0 likes

I have one bike with BB30 that has been silent for years.  I have a very smart one year old bile with BB86.5 and Campag that has just had a new BB to try and cure the creak.  It stopped briefly, but now it's back again.  Anyone know of a manufacturer of a BB86.5 Campag BB in which in two halves screw together?  That would fix it, but I can't find anyone who makes one...

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srchar replied to nniff | 1 year ago
0 likes

UT and PT are catered for by Wishbone:

https://wishbonetw.com/product/view?product_category_id=1_5&product_id=7

https://wishbonetw.com/product/view?product_category_id=1_5&product_id=6

I've used their products with UT cranks on Cervelo and Bianchi frames with BBRight and PF30 bottom brackets. I bought the bare shells and used the standard Campag bearings.

I couldn't find a UK distributor and sourced them from https://www.fuerza.be

Avatar
nniff replied to srchar | 1 year ago
1 like

Thanks for that - I now have a new Plan B.  C-Bear in there at the moment - lovely bearings, shame about the creak....

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SimoninSpalding | 1 year ago
3 likes

On the BB thing, you missed the most obvious - it is your top end Japanese chainset that is soon going to fall apart.

Avatar
the little onion | 1 year ago
5 likes

I used to think my bottom bracket creaked, now I realise it is my knees

Avatar
majikstone | 1 year ago
2 likes

I recently reinstalled my threaded BB on my titanium frame, and as I was in a hurry, I forgot to tighten it up properly. Next day I go out for a ride, and after some 30 km, it starts creaking like crazy as it came slightly undone on the NDS.

I only had to ride with that horrendous creaking sound for maybe another hour before getting home and fixing the issue, but it was enough to give me a glimpse of what the average ride on a Press-Fit BB bike feels like. Have I had one, I would honestly end up throwing it in a ravine or give it away to the person I hate the most.

Avatar
OldRidgeback replied to majikstone | 1 year ago
2 likes

The external BB on my BMX cruiser has been creaking for a while. It's annoying me now. As the race season is nearly over, I'll change it out shortly. There's no play in it and it isn't stiff, so I'll do one more race with it before it's changed. Irritating it is.

Avatar
Griff500 replied to majikstone | 1 year ago
0 likes

Drawing a parallel between your incorrectly installed screw fit BB, and "the average press fit BB" is absolute nonsense.

Avatar
Wingguy replied to Griff500 | 1 year ago
2 likes

To be fair the average pressfit installed by someone who can't tighten a BSA probably would creak like a bastard.

The average pressfit installed properly is fine.

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