Grouch Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Because of the constant rain lately I have been constantly on the look out for man hole covers, so I can avoid them. I nearly come off going over one a while back, so now I am very vigilant. I have noticed that they always seem to be on corners on junctions, so every time I am turning at a junction or going round the corner it makes it more difficult because there is always at least one man hole cover to avoid. Also they also always seem to be in clusters of three of four. I don't know what it's like in your town but in Bradford they are in the most ridiculous, hazardous places which make it very dangerous for bikers. Obviously the groundworks teams that situate them do not think about bikers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dt502001 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 LOL nope .... not a care in the world about bikers ...only the sewers..... they seem to always put them in the most inaproiapte places. On that note buy realy good tires the best you can NOT afford.......... the ones that cost 2x as much as you make in a month, then they will sort of stick on man holes, at least give you a fighting chance.. I have said this before.... If i had to put up with the rain like you guys have to I would be running intremediate DOT.. cert..race rain tires FUCK the cops. the dam things stick like glue.And my life is worth the extra cost of replacing tires often. 3 most important things good bucket on your head,,,,,,,,,,,,,,good leathers and ..... WAIT for it ..... ......TIRES!!!! # 1 You wont need the bucket or leathers if you have good tires and ride with your head NOT your Balls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 I recently replaced my front tyre. I bought a Pirelli Sport Demon as they were highly recommended. I nearly bought some cheap crap as I was unaware of the importance of good tires, but luckily I was informed of the seriousness of it. My rear tyre is a Bridgestone Battle Axe. The guy who I bought the bike off had just put the rear one on, do its still like new. I have been thinking, will it matter having two different brands of tired on my bike, or is it better to have matching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dt502001 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Not realy matching tires is a good thing as the were made to work with eachother. But different tires work better in different ways so mixing and maching can only work if you know what tires work the way you like them too. Them demons work very well in the rain in my op.but suck in the dry again my op. Battel axe dry good ...wet EHH. just my opinon. I can only say what I know and how the tires work for me. Not what would work for you. But I have always liked metzellers me33 on a light bike on the front dry or wet they come up to temp quick and push watter out well as they have lots of tread blocks groves. Best bet to find the right tire is look at every bike like yours and see who is running what if most run a certian brand type then it cant be that bad ..unless they are all cheap buggers. A trip to the local track will unfold a great deal of info talk to the guys running your bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 By the time these tires need replacing I will have a bit more knowledge, so I will have a better idea of what to buy. I have to admit I noticed the difference straight away on the Pirelli. I was just surprised how expensive an half decent tyre can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Obviously the groundworks teams that situate them do not think about bikers. As someone who works for one of the biggest water companies in the country, I got some news for you... The sewers would likely have been laid around the early 1800s, although we have sewer records from as far back as the 1520s. Many are deeper than 6 metres. Now, the roads would have been laid over the sewers after they were built, with the footpaths situated over the manholes. As time progressed, the ground moved and traffic increased, the road routes would have been moved and re-laid but the cost of re-laying the sewers is usually more than the council cares to pay. Think about where manholes tend to be on roundabouts - Many would have begun as crossroads, with the manholes on the corners of the footpaths. Whack down a roundabout instead and you have manholes right in the middle of a lane. Result - New road right along the manhole runs. Go blame the council's road planning department, not our guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 I understand the sewers have been there for centuries and they can not be relocated but........ The amount of times the roads are getting dug up, especially in April when they have to do as much work as they can to spend all their funds, why can't they add a 10 foot pipe to relay the man holes or grates to a more sensible spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterC Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 If they do the work in April they aren't spending this years money as they wouldn't get the bill in until May earliest. If you understand sewers can't be relocated how is putting a ten foot bit of pipe in going to help - the inspection cover has to be directly over the drain run. Just carry on doing what you are doing - keep a good lookout in all weathers not just because of rain as you said in your first post and remember mud, leaves and horse sh*t are just as dangerous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 If they do the work in April they aren't spending this years money as they wouldn't get the bill in until May earliest. If you understand sewers can't be relocated how is putting a ten foot bit of pipe in going to help - the inspection cover has to be directly over the drain run. Just carry on doing what you are doing - keep a good lookout in all weathers not just because of rain as you said in your first post and remember mud, leaves and horse sh*t are just as dangerous I didn't think about the actual man hole shaft. I now know that would be impossible, also newly built manhole's will still have to be in a hazardous location because the sewer is already in place. But not all of the steel covers are for man holes. Some are of the smaller variety, which means they are for the fire service or other holes in the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 The amount of times the roads are getting dug up, Are mostly due to people wanting extra fancy Infinity fire-optic cable installed, or (if it's the water company) because either some wassock has connected a block of 400 new flats to a line only designed for 200 properties without permission, or because someone has broken the sewer (usually by flushing cement powder down the flipping thing! especially in April when they have to do as much work as they can to spend all their funds Actually, we work on a rolling five-year budget. Chances are we booked any excavatory works over a year ago and this is the earliest the council would let us in there. Additionally, the exact details of which renovations we spend your water bill money on and how much we spend on each is decided by the regulator, not the water companies themselves. We also tend to have already completed our budgets about 8-9 months before the end of that 5-year financial period (which cuts off in February to finish in March). If ever we have to replace a manhole cover, it's usually the new non-slip variety wherever possible. Smaller covers can be lampholes or inspection chambers. The important ones are vent shafts, which are kinda essential... unless you *want* a build-up of explosive gasses (thanks to the horrendous array of things people put down drains, no matter how often they're told not to) or things like Hydrogen Sulfide which basically dissolves concrete! Fire service tends to be more in town. Also, many private connections to the public sewer have their own inspection chambers, which can be anywhere from within the property right up to the public sewer line itself. Nothing to do with us, until recently when the government transferred ownership of these often abysmally-built pipes to us. Top it off with gas, electricity, phone lines, fibre-optic cable, surface water drainage (unless you like fording all the way), water supply, relays etc and you have an awful lot to try and bury somewhere. You think Bradford is bad? Try London, where you have 13m diameter sewers with fourteen times the amount of buried services, all running between up to 12 different underground railway tunnels as well!! It's hard to even dig a 6" hole without hitting someone else's services... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted August 29, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 29, 2012 I think they are just another hazard. Things that i would say are worse is the latest fad of having a stepped middle ring on roundabouts. There are 2 on my run to work trucks that use the road are tearing the curbs up. Why it isnt just tarmac i dont know. Its less than 12months old and has already been repaired. Its a new roundabout too. Not a rehash. THAT can be corrected by road builders/planners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Are mostly due to people wanting extra fancy Infinity fire-optic cable installed, or (if it's the water company) because either some wassock has connected a block of 400 new flats to a line only designed for 200 properties without permission, or because someone has broken the sewer (usually by flushing cement powder down the flipping thing! Actually, we work on a rolling five-year budget. Chances are we booked any excavatory works over a year ago and this is the earliest the council would let us in there. Additionally, the exact details of which renovations we spend your water bill money on and how much we spend on each is decided by the regulator, not the water companies themselves. We also tend to have already completed our budgets about 8-9 months before the end of that 5-year financial period (which cuts off in February to finish in March). If ever we have to replace a manhole cover, it's usually the new non-slip variety wherever possible. Smaller covers can be lampholes or inspection chambers. The important ones are vent shafts, which are kinda essential... unless you *want* a build-up of explosive gasses (thanks to the horrendous array of things people put down drains, no matter how often they're told not to) or things like Hydrogen Sulfide which basically dissolves concrete! Fire service tends to be more in town. Also, many private connections to the public sewer have their own inspection chambers, which can be anywhere from within the property right up to the public sewer line itself. Nothing to do with us, until recently when the government transferred ownership of these often abysmally-built pipes to us. Top it off with gas, electricity, phone lines, fibre-optic cable, surface water drainage (unless you like fording all the way), water supply, relays etc and you have an awful lot to try and bury somewhere. You think Bradford is bad? Try London, where you have 13m diameter sewers with fourteen times the amount of buried services, all running between up to 12 different underground railway tunnels as well!! It's hard to even dig a 6" hole without hitting someone else's services... Very informative, thanks for the info. I imagine London is a complete nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 I think they are just another hazard. Things that i would say are worse is the latest fad of having a stepped middle ring on roundabouts. There are 2 on my run to work trucks that use the road are tearing the curbs up. Why it isnt just tarmac i dont know. Its less than 12months old and has already been repaired. Its a new roundabout too. Not a rehash. THAT can be corrected by road builders/planners. Sorry, I'm not sure what a 'stepped middle ring is'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted August 29, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 29, 2012 The roundabouts they are laying now have a smaller middle. Where the centre would have started before there is now a small kerb. Driveway height and then another band of tarmac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 About 2-3" high, just enough to scrape your pegs on if you corner tight/fast enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thanks, now I get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Because of the constant rain lately I have been constantly on the look out for man hole covers, so I can avoid them. I nearly come off going over one a while back, so now I am very vigilant. I have noticed that they always seem to be on corners on junctions, so every time I am turning at a junction or going round the corner it makes it more difficult because there is always at least one man hole cover to avoid. Also they also always seem to be in clusters of three of four. I don't know what it's like in your town but in Bradford they are in the most ridiculous, hazardous places which make it very dangerous for bikers. Obviously the groundworks teams that situate them do not think about bikers. and dont forget to try to avoid the big white arrows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 I hardly come across them. But yeah, can be just as dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan09 Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 It would be pretty cool if one day someone invented grippy covers that are as durable? Could be nearly as innovative as the cats eyes. I doubt it would happen but would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 The owners or the relevant authorities should cover the grates with a rubbery type substance to put an end to the danger. Haha we should start a campaign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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