If FEMA had the bicycles, would it fund Hustler's manlet bib?
11-12-2013, 06:09 PM
#585
Boost Pope
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So, it turns out that the attractiveness of the bicycle as a daily commuting tool is in fact very slightly diminished when it's 30 degrees and snowing.
Not a lot, but some.
Not a lot, but some.
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11-12-2013, 06:58 PM
#587
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True cold needs no fenders, buts it's that slushy weather that wreaks havoc on chains, sprockets and paint. Nothing like the sound of a crunchy drive train from salt and gravel. Wake up in the morning and your chain looks diseased because you didn't want to rinse and apply oil and you see all the corrosion, but you say at least the bike weighs .0002grams less from acid etching. I don't like those days for any vehicle......
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11-12-2013, 07:09 PM
#588
Boost Pope
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Yeah, I'm quite glad that the Citibikes have fenders, and I've decided that Jerseybike needs them as well.
Chain maintenance... I must admit that in the past I've slacked on this. Street riding in SoCal, all you really need to do is drizzle some lube onto it from time to time. From looking around, chain cancer is obviously a common problem here.
Oh, a few words:
Back when I was shopping for the frame to build the last e-bike out of, I noted that I was going to try disc brakes. A lot of people told me this was a stupid (or, at least, un-needed) idea for various reasons.
In my experience, disc brakes have many advantages over rim brakes. They are easy to modulate, easy to adjust, and unaffected by the rim being slightly out of true. But the single most important way in which disc brakes are superior to rim brakes is this: they work just ******* fine when they're wet.
It's been so long, I'd totally forgotten how rim brakes just disappear completely the instant you blow the tiniest little bit of moisture onto them.
Chain maintenance... I must admit that in the past I've slacked on this. Street riding in SoCal, all you really need to do is drizzle some lube onto it from time to time. From looking around, chain cancer is obviously a common problem here.
Oh, a few words:
Back when I was shopping for the frame to build the last e-bike out of, I noted that I was going to try disc brakes. A lot of people told me this was a stupid (or, at least, un-needed) idea for various reasons.
In my experience, disc brakes have many advantages over rim brakes. They are easy to modulate, easy to adjust, and unaffected by the rim being slightly out of true. But the single most important way in which disc brakes are superior to rim brakes is this: they work just ******* fine when they're wet.
It's been so long, I'd totally forgotten how rim brakes just disappear completely the instant you blow the tiniest little bit of moisture onto them.
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11-12-2013, 07:21 PM
#589
Unsolicited recommendation. This stuff is awesome for low-maintenance chain...maintenance.
I could describe various excellent properties but basically it's just magic. Every so often I drip some on a rag, run the chain through the oily spot on the rag, and then drip a little more directly on the chain and let it work in. No washing, no multiple steps, no chain torture device. If Ron Popeil sold a chain lube, he would sell Prolink.
I could describe various excellent properties but basically it's just magic. Every so often I drip some on a rag, run the chain through the oily spot on the rag, and then drip a little more directly on the chain and let it work in. No washing, no multiple steps, no chain torture device. If Ron Popeil sold a chain lube, he would sell Prolink.
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11-12-2013, 07:21 PM
#590
Boost Pope
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Also, re: riding when it's literally freezing.
This is a new experience for me. And, in some ways, it is really quite exhilarating. So long as the hands and ears are protected, you can ride just as hard as you possibly can, in full office attire, and arrive at work free of perspiration- not even the taint is moist.
It's a Good Thing.
This is a new experience for me. And, in some ways, it is really quite exhilarating. So long as the hands and ears are protected, you can ride just as hard as you possibly can, in full office attire, and arrive at work free of perspiration- not even the taint is moist.
It's a Good Thing.
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11-12-2013, 07:22 PM
#591
Boost Pope
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Unsolicited recommendation. This stuff is awesome for low-maintenance chain...maintenance.
Amazon.com: Pro Gold Products ProGold ProLink Chain Lube: Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com: Pro Gold Products ProGold ProLink Chain Lube: Sports & Outdoors
No complaints, but then I've never *really* tortured by chains before. Sunny and 70 degrees every single day is hardly a taxing environment.
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11-12-2013, 07:24 PM
#592
Yeah, I'm quite glad that the Citibikes have fenders, and I've decided that Jerseybike needs them as well.
Chain maintenance... I must admit that in the past I've slacked on this. Street riding in SoCal, all you really need to do is drizzle some lube onto it from time to time. From looking around, chain cancer is obviously a common problem here.
Oh, a few words:
Back when I was shopping for the frame to build the last e-bike out of, I noted that I was going to try disc brakes. A lot of people told me this was a stupid (or, at least, un-needed) idea for various reasons.
In my experience, disc brakes have many advantages over rim brakes. They are easy to modulate, easy to adjust, and unaffected by the rim being slightly out of true. But the single most important way in which disc brakes are superior to rim brakes is this: they work just ******* fine when they're wet.
It's been so long, I'd totally forgotten how rim brakes just disappear completely the instant you blow the tiniest little bit of moisture onto them.
Chain maintenance... I must admit that in the past I've slacked on this. Street riding in SoCal, all you really need to do is drizzle some lube onto it from time to time. From looking around, chain cancer is obviously a common problem here.
Oh, a few words:
Back when I was shopping for the frame to build the last e-bike out of, I noted that I was going to try disc brakes. A lot of people told me this was a stupid (or, at least, un-needed) idea for various reasons.
In my experience, disc brakes have many advantages over rim brakes. They are easy to modulate, easy to adjust, and unaffected by the rim being slightly out of true. But the single most important way in which disc brakes are superior to rim brakes is this: they work just ******* fine when they're wet.
It's been so long, I'd totally forgotten how rim brakes just disappear completely the instant you blow the tiniest little bit of moisture onto them.
On chains, I just put the green grease on it that they use for boat trailer wheel bearings and just make sure to keep the bitch slathered with it. Wipe off and re-apply when it gets sandy. Sure it adds drag, but I'm not trying to win races or set efficiency records with it.
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11-13-2013, 04:52 PM
#593
Tour de Franzia
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Boeshield T9 on the chain, it's magical. It makes my chain silent, doesn't attract dirt, last 100-miles or so, and it's cheap.
Disc brakes are for clydes and mountain bikes.
Disc brakes are for clydes and mountain bikes.
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11-13-2013, 05:15 PM
#594
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Disc brakes are coming to road bikes, just give it some more time.. Right now Shimano is testing some. They add about a pound but actually have modulation, unlike calipers. During those 80km/hr descents I know I'd enjoy a stronger brake. Then again it won't be any better if you have hardly any friction between the skinny tire and the road, then they may be overkill.
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11-13-2013, 07:17 PM
#595
Boost Pope
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In the dry, Jerseybike (the $95 Wal-Mart Wonder with cheap, knobby tires.) is easily capable of locking the rear wheel and skidding. In the wet, the brakes don't even come close to locking up the wheel.
On the e-bike, with disc brakes and nice Michelin Pilot City tires, I can easily control the brake force, wet or dry, and feel what the wheel is doing in the lever. It's very smooth and controllable.
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11-13-2013, 07:51 PM
#596
So, tell me about how you installed drum brakes on your Miata, because you want the brakes to fade as the tires start to heat up and get greasey.
In the dry, Jerseybike (the $95 Wal-Mart Wonder with cheap, knobby tires.) is easily capable of locking the rear wheel and skidding. In the wet, the brakes don't even come close to locking up the wheel.
On the e-bike, with disc brakes and nice Michelin Pilot City tires, I can easily control the brake force, wet or dry, and feel what the wheel is doing in the lever. It's very smooth and controllable.
In the dry, Jerseybike (the $95 Wal-Mart Wonder with cheap, knobby tires.) is easily capable of locking the rear wheel and skidding. In the wet, the brakes don't even come close to locking up the wheel.
On the e-bike, with disc brakes and nice Michelin Pilot City tires, I can easily control the brake force, wet or dry, and feel what the wheel is doing in the lever. It's very smooth and controllable.
If they are "V" brakes, make sure they are set up properly. Cantilevers are very sensitive to proper set up. Start by adjusting the pads so they engage the middle of the braking track, equidistant from top of rim and bead. Make sure they engage flat to the track. Then adjust so trailing edge of pad is about .020" off rim. This will reduce or eliminate squealing.
Excellent info on rim brake adjustment The Geometry of Cantilever Brakes
Most of it is simply getting a decent set of brake pads, just like the Miata. If you're stuck with rim brakes, just hit the LBS and ask for some pads that will work for commuting in cold and wet weather, not racing.
Koolstops are a known good brand. Usually 3x the stopping power that OEM pads in the dry and still work very well in the wet.
Oh yeah, another vote for Prolink Gold chain lube.
__________________
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11-13-2013, 08:07 PM
#597
So, tell me about how you installed drum brakes on your Miata, because you want the brakes to fade as the tires start to heat up and get greasey.
In the dry, Jerseybike (the $95 Wal-Mart Wonder with cheap, knobby tires.) is easily capable of locking the rear wheel and skidding. In the wet, the brakes don't even come close to locking up the wheel.
On the e-bike, with disc brakes and nice Michelin Pilot City tires, I can easily control the brake force, wet or dry, and feel what the wheel is doing in the lever. It's very smooth and controllable.
In the dry, Jerseybike (the $95 Wal-Mart Wonder with cheap, knobby tires.) is easily capable of locking the rear wheel and skidding. In the wet, the brakes don't even come close to locking up the wheel.
On the e-bike, with disc brakes and nice Michelin Pilot City tires, I can easily control the brake force, wet or dry, and feel what the wheel is doing in the lever. It's very smooth and controllable.
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11-13-2013, 08:23 PM
#598
Boost Pope
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My corollary to your statement above, therefore, would be that the cheapest rim brakes also appear to be inferior to the cheapest disc brakes.
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11-14-2013, 09:22 AM
#599
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Disc brakes are coming to road bikes, just give it some more time.. Right now Shimano is testing some. They add about a pound but actually have modulation, unlike calipers. During those 80km/hr descents I know I'd enjoy a stronger brake. Then again it won't be any better if you have hardly any friction between the skinny tire and the road, then they may be overkill.
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11-14-2013, 09:29 AM
#600
Boost Pope
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More complicated? Dude. Now that I've owned both types for a while, I'll take cable-operated disc brakes over cable-operated rim brakes any day. The disc calipers are damn near idiot-proof. They can only be mounted one way, and only require adjustment in one axis, which is accomplished with one screw on each side.
This, in comparison to rim brakes, where you have to adjust:
- The centering springs (fairly simple)
- The height of the shoes (somewhat finicky)
- The angle of the shoes (somewhat finicky)
- The preload of the brake (not hard, but more finicky than disc)
And then you run into issues where, if your rim isn't perfectly straight and true (because, you know, you actually use the bike in the real world), you either have to live with rubbing or else put so much slack into the brakes that the lever goes all the way to the bottom without locking the wheel.
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