Ooh - exposure!

On 13/5/05 12:16 pm, in article
[email hidden], "Mark Tranchant"

Quoted message said:

I seem to have managed to get pole position on a Google search for
"cycle commuting" (without quotes). Not that I'm suggesting that
obscurity is a good reason for publishing rubbish, but I'm rather
concerned that at top place, I ought to be giving top-notch advice.

I'd appreciate the valued opinion of any of you esteemed urcers as to
the usefulness, completeness and accuracy of this bit of my site.

http://tranchant.plus.com/cycling/commuting/

1. Run it through an HTML validator.
2. From this summer flashing LED lights might be legal.

...d

David Martin said:

Quoted message said:

http://tranchant.plus.com/cycling/commuting/

Quoted message said:

1. Run it through an HTML validator.

Looks fine to me, and I'm a stickler for valid code. It's possible you
caught me mid-update, but my back-end (er... my web site's database back
end, that is...) should never have served anything incomplete.

Quoted message said:

2. From this summer flashing LED lights might be legal.

Reference?

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

Mark Tranchant said:

I'd appreciate the valued opinion of any of you esteemed urcers as to
the usefulness, completeness and accuracy of this bit of my site.

I'd pin down what you mean by "very short and easy" before extolling the
virtues of cycle shorts. I fairly regularly ride 6 or so miles to
Broughty Ferry for one thing or another and I never bother dressing up
in cycle clothing for the job. I wouldn't characterise 6 miles as any
sort of epic, but OTOH it isn't "very short" IMHO.

There's plenty of clothing which isn't cycle specific but works okay on
a bike, and if it means not having to faff about changing at the other
end then it can often be a Major Win. "Cycle" had an article called
"Lycra Free Cycling" a while back, pointing out that utility cycling
doesn't require anything special to get where you're going.

Similarly, "always dress in multiple thin layers" is a bit over the top
for a lot of commute cycling. Quite a few cycle commuters put on their
business suit, get on the bike and get to work perfectly okay in it, and
then get off the bike and start work.

In summary, I'd downplay the degree to which "proper" cycle clothing is
regarded as a no-brainer. I have plenty of the stuff, but don't bother
with it on many shortish utility trips because it just isn't worth it
IME. For a long day out, absolutely, but 5 miles? I just can't be
arsed, especially if I'm doing the sort of speed where I don't sweat so
I don't arrive all sticky and sweaty. In many cases the only effective
difference between walking and utility cycling is the cycling goes
quicker for the same effort. People don't dress up in special walking
gear to dander down to the shops, and similarly cycling doesn't really
require anything out of the ordinary as long as there's freedom of
movement to turn the pedals and nothing that will get caught. Amsterdam
is a showcase of utility cycling with dozens of bikes passing you on any
street, and it's quite unusual to see the inhabitants cycling in
anything other than Normal Clothes unless they're all togged up for a
Serious Hack on sports equipment.

Onto Technique, you seem to have forgotten to recommend Cyclecraft...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Mark Tranchant said:

Quoted message said:

2. From this summer flashing LED lights might be legal.

Reference?

I had a letter from DfT saying they were going to get round to
finishing the 2003 review of the road vehicles lighting regs.

A pound says they allow recovery operators to use red flashing lights
too, because, after all, orange beacons, all-round diamond grade and
class 2 hi-viz jackets are just not visible enough, are they?

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Mark Tranchant said:

I seem to have managed to get pole position on a Google search for
"cycle commuting" (without quotes).

Congratulations!

Quoted message said:

Not that I'm suggesting that
obscurity is a good reason for publishing rubbish, but I'm rather
concerned that at top place, I ought to be giving top-notch advice.

Getting a google top spot - especially if you do so by honest means
(i.e. you don't "play the system"😉 - is a strong (though by no means
reliable) indication of a good site. It means firstly that your page
contains accessible information, and secondly that people are linking
to your page. So unless you are being held up as a "what not to do"
example, it means people think you've got a good page that's worth
pointing their own readers to.

Quoted message said:

I'd appreciate the valued opinion of any of you esteemed urcers as to
the usefulness, completeness and accuracy of this bit of my site.

It's your decision where to pitch it. You've gone for brief, simple,
and come across as an ordinary bloke - nothing to intimidate or
antagonise the uninitiated. That's almost certainly a good reason for
people linking to you - and hence for your google position.

My advice: do what you're doing, and don't let google position affect
you. If you want to take advantage of it, maybe write another more
extensive page, and add a link to it.

--
Nick Kew

Nick Kew said:

Getting a google top spot - especially if you do so by honest means
(i.e. you don't "play the system"😉 - is a strong (though by no means
reliable) indication of a good site. It means firstly that your page
contains accessible information, and secondly that people are linking
to your page.

Yet, searching Google with
"link:http://tranchant.plus.com/cycling/commuting/" returns just one
result -- which is on Mark's own site. Maybe he just got lucky with Google's
relevance algorhithm?

Simonb said:

Yet, searching Google with
"link:http://tranchant.plus.com/cycling/commuting/" returns just one
result -- which is on Mark's own site. Maybe he just got lucky with Google's
relevance algorhithm?

I seem to have managed that with a few generic terms which one would
expect to be popular.

cycling across france
apostrophe usage
guitar chord tutorial
no more ouch
writing church sites
diy cable tidy
chord tutorial (second)
lens specification (second)
bass tuning (second)
digital zoom (third!)
bicycle gears (third!)

I don't employ any SEO tricks and I'm not aware of many people linking
to me.

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

Mark Tranchant said:

I'd appreciate the valued opinion of any of you esteemed urcers as to

Quoted message said:

the usefulness, completeness and accuracy of this bit of my site.

Funny you should mention your site with relation to Google - I was
searching this morning for information about Panaracer Paselas and your
site came up /very/ close to the top of the list.

Anyway, cycle commuting - on the hole, it all looks pretty good to me,
but you asked for specific comments, so here are my thoughts...

Re: "severe ice" - isn't any amount of ice "severe" as far as cycling
is concerned? I tend not to go by bike if I think there is any danger
of ice. Maybe you're braver than me.

Re: average speed - 12-14mph seems a touch high to me for a "beginner".
Most of the cyclists I see seem to be going closer to 10mph - though
it's hard to tell when you're whizzing past at 25mph... ;-)

Also, you should note the difference between average /speed/ and
average /journey time/ (ie factoring in traffic lights and congestion)
- for my 6 mile hill-free commute, even if I'm riding hard it's a push
to get to work in under 25 minutes.

Re: clothes - I'll echo some of what Pete says here. I don't consider
proper cycling shorts a necessity (and I have a Brooks saddle!) - all
that's important, I'd say, is that whatever you wear on your legs won't
get caught in your chain. For most people this might just mean rolling
up a trouser leg (which, surprisingly, I see a lot) or using clips (or
reflective velcro-fastening ankle bands, such as I use when riding at
night).

Obviously, on warm days (not often!) I wear cycling shorts and no
undies but usually I just wear normal undies under my Ronhill
Bikesters.

However, I've been toying with the idea of getting something like a
pair of Rohan trousers so I don't /have/ to change when I arrive
(except on the days when I have ridden quite hard and need a shower
and/or change of undies). Not that I mind sitting at my desk in a pair
of Bikesters, but what would my colleagues think! (They already think
I'm weird enough.)

On the other hand, for bad weather, I always think you might as well
wear the full proper cycling kit because you are definitely going to
want to change out of wet/dirty clothes when you arrive anyway.

The only other thing I would add on that subject is that jeans are most
definitely /not/ suitable cycling wear - bulky seams in uncomfortable
places, heavy fabric that doesn't give freedom of movement, tendency to
get very unpleasant and heavy when wet...

As for shoes, I have a pair of Shimano shoes with recessed SPD cleats
that are comfortable enough for me to continue wearing throughout the
day - might be worth noting on your site that this is a possibility.
(If I ever needed smart shoes at work I would keep a pair under my desk
to change into.)

Re: eyewear and headwear - all very sensible comments. Maybe it's worth
noting that a peaked cap avoids the need to change your specs on sunny
days - I certainly prefer a cap to dark glasses since I like to see the
world in its natural colours.

(On the subject of caps, I was wearing my fdjeux cap when I stopped off
for a croissant and coffee this morning, which impressed the French
chap behind the counter no end and led to a jolly conversation about
cycling.)

Re: lights - no mention of dynamos? Surely by far the most
cost-effective type of lighting for commuting. A 2.4W halogen bulb
might not be as bright as your Lumicycles, but it is perfectly adequate
for most purposes, including unlit country roads.

Re: tools - I carry a pack of Park pre-glued Super Patches, which take
up a lot less room than a couple of spare inner tubes. I guess changing
the tube would be quicker, though.

d.

Mark Tranchant said:

I seem to have managed to get pole position on a Google search for
"cycle commuting" (without quotes). Not that I'm suggesting that
obscurity is a good reason for publishing rubbish, but I'm rather
concerned that at top place, I ought to be giving top-notch advice.

I'd appreciate the valued opinion of any of you esteemed urcers as to
the usefulness, completeness and accuracy of this bit of my site.

http://tranchant.plus.com/cycling/commuting/

TIA,

BIKE

When you talk of gears you concentrate on ensuring you have enough.
Maybe also mention the downsides of having more complexity than you
need. So says me, riding a hubbie.

CLOTHING

I think someone else mentioned it and I'll second it. Forget the fancy
clothes. Most (from observations round here) people commute in working
clothes. I commute in a business suit. Sure, I have the lycra but only
for weekends.

Wet weather is not a problem - it's what Goretex was invented for.
Complete with overshoes to protect office footwear.

"some form of shoe-to-pedal attachment is essential". Damn. That's where
I've been getting it wrong for the best part of a decade, then.

Not Responding said:

"some form of shoe-to-pedal attachment is essential". Damn. That's
where I've been getting it wrong for the best part of a decade, then.

Only essential to the initiated!

Simonb said:

Not Responding wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"some form of shoe-to-pedal attachment is essential". Damn. That's
where I've been getting it wrong for the best part of a decade, then.

Quoted message said:

Only essential to the initiated!

Some form /is/ essential. But I find plain old friction and a side
order of gravity do it well enough not to need SPuDs or the clips
etc. on every trip.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/