I think I've had a whinge about this subject before, but...

<rant>
When I wrote about having a great day out in my recent post, I left out my experiences of the road surface. I was following a big HGV wagon on a fairly important A road, when he waved me past. I cheerfully overtook him as I could see that the road was clear - but as I zoomed away I hit some of the worst road surface I've ever experienced. Hell of a bang from the back end, followed by one or two lesser ones.

It was so bad that I cruised home very gently, even though the car felt OK - I suspected a broken spring. Since then I've removed the back wheels and the boot and given everything a REALLY GOOD inspection! Chassis, wheels, shocks & springs -all looked OK, and today I went out with the boot still out to find the bumpiest local roads - no clanks, creaks or groans, although my fillings may need checking!

What gets me is that I can usually tell within a few hundred yards when I've crossed from Suffolk to Essex - the difference is noticeable enough in my Yaris, but in the Locost it's VERY obvious! It's particularly noticeable when travelling along significant non-dual-carriageway A roads - bad patching, or huge unfilled pot-holes, or the after-effects of those roadworks where they've dug a trench for several hundred yards along the road. Of course, these are normally the most rewarding sort of roads for a Locost!

I'm sure that other parts of the country are just as bad, or worse, but it's still a shock to be driving along a road and suddenly find that your car is clattering and bouncing all over the place, just because you've crossed a county boundary.
</rant>

There - I feel better now... deep breaths...

Well I live in rural gloucestershire, and to be honest I've forgotten what a decent road surface is. I've kind of stopped caring by now. I've had bumps which I was sure would've completely knocked the front suspension corner right off..

Ironically, I almost had an off when they "repaved" a section as all the surface and bumps were different mid-corner and it caught me out!

Mind you, repaving usually means dumping a mountain of asphalt where there once was a hole..

plus one on this I've had to replace so many tyres on my tin top st because of the crap roads where I live, to make matters worse last year they re surfaced the road by my house with that crap stone chipping and It dodnt need it the next day woke up to both mine my wives and neighbours windscreens broken, council said not ther fault, that just roped me over and when will they repair the roads that need it instead of doing the roads that don't, mmm. Feeling better now

Now try the same on a bike.... that pile of dressing chippings, mud, car crash debris, bottles of urine(!), wood, masonary, tie-down straps, diesel.... then add pot holes, overbanding.... mix in a few really thick, unobservant s...ts on the phone...

It's not just uncomfortable, on a bike, it's serious injury or death.

But no one cares.

Not far from where I work there was a stretch (maybe a mile or so long) of road through a village that was perfect until one of the cable companies came along and dug it up right on the driven line - now it's like driving on the dark side of the moon. Surely the sh1te job that they did of lobbing some scabby unsealed tarmac in the hole must have been signed off by someone at highways (or wherever). Is it that no-one gives a to55 or is it backhanders

Steve