On 2017-04-17 01:28, John B Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 16 Apr 2017 07:18:59 -0700, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-04-15 19:03, John B Slocomb wrote:
On Sat, 15 Apr 2017 10:25:58 -0700, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-04-14 20:03, John B Slocomb wrote:
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 07:15:49 -0700, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-04-13 17:39, AMuzi wrote:
On 4/13/2017 7:13 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-04-13 17:10, AMuzi wrote:
On 4/13/2017 7:02 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-04-13 16:19, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 2:37:11 PM UTC-7,
wrote:
On April 13, 2017, jbeattie wrote:
- snip snippy snip-
I so wish someone would offer an o-ringed bike chain. To
hell with efficiency and all that, I just want to ride and
not start hearing squeaks after every little rain.
I am not an expert but a quick perusal of motorcycle chain
seems to
indicate that o-ring 1/2" pitch chain exists. For any
single speed or
internal gearbox setup, a wider chain would work just fine
as long as
it's 1/2".
Unfortunately my bikes are all derailer types, two with
7-speed and one 10-speed (but that could be "downgraded"). I
really don't want to spend 1.5 kilobucks on a Rohloff.
There will never be an o-ring derailleur chain, requirements for those
two formats being diametrically opposed.
Never say never. That's what people told us with intravascular
ultrasound and then we made it happen. Even HP had thrown in the towel.
Regarding getting sideways-moving or bending things to seal one of the
pioneers was Andre Citroen. Folks said that front wheel drive is a
stupid idea because of the steering, that it would never last, yet he
and his engineers did it. Despite the fact that back then they did not
have all the moderns silicone materials and other stuff that we take for
granted. Unfortunately he died from cancer at a young age.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front-...tion_avant.jpg
I had its tiny little brother when I was young. The technology in there
was simple but amazing.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...0288067%29.jpg
I hate to disagree but the first front wheel drive "automobile" seems
to be sometime between 1895 and 1898 Gräf & Stift built a voiturette
with a one-cylinder De Dion-Bouton engine fitted in the front of the
vehicle, powering the front axle.
Then we have the French manufacturer Société Parisienne patented, in
1898/9, their front-wheel drive articulated vehicle concept which they
manufactured as a Victoria Combination.
Ad then we have J. Walter Christie of the United States who patented a
design for a front-wheel-drive car, the first prototype of which he
built in 1904. He promoted and demonstrated the vehicle by racing at
various speedways in the United States, and even competed in the 1906
Vanderbilt Cup and the French Grand Prix. In 1912
And then we have the supercharged Alvis 12/50 racing car designed by
George Thomas Smith-Clarke and William M. Dunn of Alvis Cars of the
United Kingdom in 1925.
Oh yes, there was the Miller 122 front-wheel-drive racecar that was
entered in the 1925 Indianapolis 500.
And of course, in 1929. The BSA (Birmingham Small Arms Company)
produced the unique front-wheel-drive BSA three-wheeler. Production
continued until 1936.
In 1931 the DKW F1 from Germany made its debut. Buckminster Fuller
adopted rear-engine, front wheel drive for his three Dymaxion Car
prototypes. Other German car producers followed: Stoewer offered a car
with front-wheel drive in 1931, Adler in 1932 and Audi in 1933.
And, finally, in 1934, the very successful Traction Avant cars were
introduced by Citroën of France.
Some 40 years after the first front wheel drive automobile
I didn't say he invented front-wheel drive. What he did was engineer a
solution that would finally fix the main reliability issues with front
wheel drive. To me a lot of importance is in the achievement of truly
"reducing a method to practice", not just inventing something nice but
actually making it last.
The DKW was the first true series production front-wheel drive car.
Still, only 4000 were made in total. Not much to write home about.
Citroen made way more than twice than many. Per year, except when German
bombers flattened parts of the plant. Many of those are still rolling on
the streets today.
http://www.lacentrale.fr/auto-occasi...-63351581.html
In the 80's and 90's I have seen some of them in France that were
clearly used for transportation and not as collector's cars. Dull paint,
lots of dents, untreated corrosion, worn out seats, smoking engines.
I was remarking on your statement: "one of the
pioneers was Andre Citroen. Folks said that front wheel drive is a
stupid idea because of the steering, that it would never last, yet he
and his engineers did it."
He wasn't a pioneer, he was, in automobile terms, a late comer to the
front drive playing ground..
As I said, with "did it" I meant he made it truly work. Would good does
a technology do if there is no meaningful production volume behind it or
it breaks down all the time? Then it's usually just another pie in the sky.
Sounds great.... but I'm sorry to say that I've seen a great many
front wheel drive vehicles that did not copy the Citroen front wheel
drive mechanism and worked very well indeed.
Doing it after someone else truly reduced it to practice is rather simple.
... From what little I've
read Citroen's major achievement was the 2CV which was a copy of the
Henry Ford concept - built a car so cheap that anyone can afford it.
Then you haven't understood Citroen's concept :-)
I had a 2CV. That was a car they built for farmers but it became sort of
a cult-vehicle and it is very different from a Ford back then. Yes, has
front-wheel drive as well.
Now I am not a big Citroen fan even though I owned one. The quality of
the rest of the vehicle IMHO left something to be desires. Corrosion was
a major problem and that is how my 2CV ultimatley came to grief. It ran
great but could no longer pass the mandatory road worthiness test. I
have to hand it to them though that the road handling of their cars is
supreme, including and especially on nasty road surfaces. Like we often
have in California where I sometimes fear it'll shake my road bike apart.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/