nexus inter-7 hub

"merryfreakinxmas" wrote

"Jeff Wills" wrote

merryfreakinxmas wrote:

1/ pads wearing down too fast
2/ not enough power
3/ too much maintaince involved

#1 and #3 go together, and all could be solved by switching to
Kool-Stop "salmon" color brake shoes. I get 6 months to a year's worth
of wear from mine in rainy commutes.

Jeff


They howl toooooo much on the back of the tailwind. I tried a brake
booster,
toeing in, toeing out and many other suggestions. You know in the movies
when a freight train is nailing the brakes because someone is parked on
the
tracks?

Well my bike is worse.

So these pads mentioned on the hpv list solve the noise, but not the
other issues?
http://www.ihpva.org/pipermail/hpv/W...10/035603.html

And the Koolstop pads didn't work out either?
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...e=source&hl=en

Hmmm...

The rear brake on my TourEasy can be difficult to adjust so that it both
provides good stopping power and doesn't squeal. I've presumed this
was due to my lack of skill in adjusting the brakes. It usually takes me
20-30 minutes trial and error to get them adjusted. The problem seems
worse when the pads are new and the rim is clean. I've tried scuffing
the pads with fine sandpaper and once, I resorted to putting a tiny amount
of graphite on the pads.

It is difficult to find the salmon Koolstop pads in stock at LBS, so I
haven't tried them. I have the Koolstop dual compound pads on now
and once I got them adjusted, they have worked well and are usually
quite quiet.

Have you talked to RANS about you Tailwind brake problem?

Jon Meinecke

"merryfreakinxmas" wrote in message
news:YgSre.64452$tt5.1309@edtnps90...
Hiya
I went to the lbs the other day to talk to the owner about three
problems i am having with the tailwind, he has a custom frame shop. the 3
problems a braking, flat handlebar - which bothers my wrist, and low
speed instability.

I asked about getting a disk brake for the rear. He said it wouldn't work
on a tailwind. He suggested a brake that he uses on a bent he recently
built for himself. The nexus roller brake. He is looking into getting a
freehub version but according to shimano's site they don't sell that one
anymore.

So I may have to go with the internal gear 7 speed. I didn't like the sach
3x7 that came with a rans wave about 7 years ago. I am hoping there have
been improvments to the technology. I found the 3x7 to have a hugh amount
of drag - it felt like i was towing someone around all day. and the high
gear was even worse.

I don't like the limited gear range, according to shimano it is the
equivant of 32-13 tooth cogs. But I can use any size chainrings I want.
For awhile I had 24,42,62 on the tailwind with a modified front
derailleur. The shifting on the front was pretty good but there was a
problem with chain wrap on granny gear. Should be fine with only one cog
to deal with on the rear.

The gear range with a 20t cog and 24,42,62 rings will be 15 to 95 gear
inches. But the cog can be changed to something smaller, I think 16t is
the smallest.


I also asked him about trail then I found excellent advice on this group.
His answer was to contact rans and maybe they have a fork that could solve
the problem. But recently, after switching the bars to a wider curved bar
and using one hand on the slow uphills there is an increase in low speed
stability.

Now the handlebars, i replicated rans new curved b-36 bars with off the
shelf parts. a mtb stem and aluminum retro crusier bars. $46 cdn versus
$56us plus shipping and duty. and it has helped my fingers from going
numb.
If you are looking at an internal hub. Cycling Plus has written about a
Rohloff Hub that is used in Audax bikes in England.

You might want to pick up a copy of Cycling Plus - and English magazine for
some information.

Doug Thomas

"doug thomas" wrote in message
news

"merryfreakinxmas" wrote in message
news:YgSre.64452$tt5.1309@edtnps90...
Hiya
I went to the lbs the other day to talk to the owner about three
problems i am having with the tailwind, he has a custom frame shop. the 3
problems a braking, flat handlebar - which bothers my wrist, and low
speed instability.

I asked about getting a disk brake for the rear. He said it wouldn't work
on a tailwind. He suggested a brake that he uses on a bent he recently
built for himself. The nexus roller brake. He is looking into getting a
freehub version but according to shimano's site they don't sell that one
anymore.

So I may have to go with the internal gear 7 speed. I didn't like the
sach 3x7 that came with a rans wave about 7 years ago. I am hoping there
have been improvments to the technology. I found the 3x7 to have a hugh
amount of drag - it felt like i was towing someone around all day. and
the high gear was even worse.

I don't like the limited gear range, according to shimano it is the
equivant of 32-13 tooth cogs. But I can use any size chainrings I want.
For awhile I had 24,42,62 on the tailwind with a modified front
derailleur. The shifting on the front was pretty good but there was a
problem with chain wrap on granny gear. Should be fine with only one cog
to deal with on the rear.

The gear range with a 20t cog and 24,42,62 rings will be 15 to 95 gear
inches. But the cog can be changed to something smaller, I think 16t is
the smallest.


I also asked him about trail then I found excellent advice on this group.
His answer was to contact rans and maybe they have a fork that could
solve the problem. But recently, after switching the bars to a wider
curved bar and using one hand on the slow uphills there is an increase in
low speed stability.

Now the handlebars, i replicated rans new curved b-36 bars with off the
shelf parts. a mtb stem and aluminum retro crusier bars. $46 cdn versus
$56us plus shipping and duty. and it has helped my fingers from going
numb.
If you are looking at an internal hub. Cycling Plus has written about a
Rohloff Hub that is used in Audax bikes in England.

You might want to pick up a copy of Cycling Plus - and English magazine
for some information.

Doug Thomas

Thanks Doug
I am not looking for an internal geared hub.

"Jon Meinecke" wrote in message
news:1118922443.33248c74fdd64677f77d39e3ad35b486@t eranews...
"merryfreakinxmas" wrote

"Jeff Wills" wrote

merryfreakinxmas wrote:

1/ pads wearing down too fast
2/ not enough power
3/ too much maintaince involved

#1 and #3 go together, and all could be solved by switching to
Kool-Stop "salmon" color brake shoes. I get 6 months to a year's worth
of wear from mine in rainy commutes.

Jeff


They howl toooooo much on the back of the tailwind. I tried a brake
booster,
toeing in, toeing out and many other suggestions. You know in the movies
when a freight train is nailing the brakes because someone is parked on
the
tracks?

Well my bike is worse.

Do your brakes howl even with light pressure? Mine does.


So these pads mentioned on the hpv list solve the noise, but not the
other issues?
http://www.ihpva.org/pipermail/hpv/W...10/035603.html

No howl with the "trace" pads but too much maintance ie cleaning the rims. I
have noticed a buildup of brake goo and water is not a good thing. I don't
have time to clean my rims every week.

And the Koolstop pads didn't work out either?
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...e=source&hl=en

That post was mostly about results after installing a "U" brace, the quiet
braking didn't last very long.

Hmmm...

The rear brake on my TourEasy can be difficult to adjust so that it both
provides good stopping power and doesn't squeal. I've presumed this
was due to my lack of skill in adjusting the brakes. It usually takes me
20-30 minutes trial and error to get them adjusted. The problem seems
worse when the pads are new and the rim is clean. I've tried scuffing
the pads with fine sandpaper and once, I resorted to putting a tiny amount
of graphite on the pads.

With the roller brake I will never have to replace the pads. I doesn't have
any. Once in a while I will have to put some high temperature oil in the
filler hole.

It is difficult to find the salmon Koolstop pads in stock at LBS, so I
haven't tried them. I have the Koolstop dual compound pads on now
and once I got them adjusted, they have worked well and are usually
quite quiet.

Those pads are the ones I had trouble with.

Have you talked to RANS about you Tailwind brake problem?

A good idea but no I haven't.
I have very little faith in the people at Rans.

Seat sliding rearward, Brake howl, Terrible fenders. Seat mesh that falls
apart. Slow speed twitchiness, double diamond frames can handle both slow
and high speeds so why can't bents? Basically the only reason I ride a Rans
is because it was the only bent available in the area that I could ride
before purchase.

Jon Meinecke

"merryfreakinxmas" wrote

Do your brakes howl even with light pressure? Mine does.

If the rims are very clean, there seem to be some pad positions
that result in squeal that begins with light pressure on my TourEasy.
It gets louder up to a point, with more pressure. I fiddle with the
pad positions until it goes away.


http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...e=source&hl=en

That post was mostly about results after installing a "U" brace, the quiet
braking didn't last very long.


I have very little faith in the people at Rans.

Seat sliding rearward, Brake howl, Terrible fenders. Seat mesh that falls
apart. Slow speed twitchiness, double diamond frames can handle both slow
and high speeds so why can't bents?

Wow, that seems a lot of dissatisfaction to be still interested in
tweaking the bike to keep it! I can't help but think that there has
got to be another bike that you would be happier with.

There's someone with a Tailwind want-to-buy ad on the
Hostelshoppe for sale list. %^) Of course, there are several
Tailwinds listed for sale there, already, too. ;- o

http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/...cgi?view=bikes

And perhaps there are bikes there you might consider to replace
the Tailwind.... There's a EZ-Rider AX 850Z-Rider AX listed
for $850 and the description says it has disc brakes. Might be
just the ticket! %^)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/ez_rider.jpg

Basically the only reason I ride a Rans
is because it was the only bent available in the area that I could ride
before purchase.

Yes, I hear that. I bought a BikeE AT in '98 for much the same
season,-- only recumbent in my price range locally available. I
still have (and ride) that bike and have much satisfaction still
with that purchase. I've had and no where near the number
of issues you've raised. It is interesting that 5 years ago, some
(perhaps many) people presented the Tailwind as a better
designed and built bike than the BikeE. Bob Cardone, for
instance, went from a BikeE to Tailwind and continued to
blast the BikeE inadequacies for years.

A few years later, I bought a Tour Easy, sight unseen, seat
unridden, based on reports from others and research. I had
literally never seen one in person. I recently turned over 6000
miles on that bike. And a few months ago, I bought a Volae
bike used with only a short test ride. Perhaps I've been lucky,
but I've been happy with all my bike purchases.

Life's too short to be stuck with a bike you don't like!
"Follow your bliss." -- Joseph Campbell

Good luck,

Jon Meinecke

"Jon Meinecke" wrote in message
news:1119009066.ea03741a4306b17afb5ca84ef97abfc4@t eranews...
"merryfreakinxmas" wrote

Do your brakes howl even with light pressure? Mine does.

If the rims are very clean, there seem to be some pad positions
that result in squeal that begins with light pressure on my TourEasy.
It gets louder up to a point, with more pressure. I fiddle with the
pad positions until it goes away.


http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...e=source&hl=en

That post was mostly about results after installing a "U" brace, the
quiet
braking didn't last very long.


I have very little faith in the people at Rans.

Seat sliding rearward, Brake howl, Terrible fenders. Seat mesh that falls
apart. Slow speed twitchiness, double diamond frames can handle both slow
and high speeds so why can't bents?

Wow, that seems a lot of dissatisfaction to be still interested in
tweaking the bike to keep it! I can't help but think that there has
got to be another bike that you would be happier with.

You do have a point but the seat problems have been solved. The fenders were
modified to make them fit. I'm just trying to make the best of a less than
ideal situation. The brakes are the last thing I think I need to modify. But
I would never buy another Rans knowing there could be so many hours spent
making the bike likable.


There's someone with a Tailwind want-to-buy ad on the
Hostelshoppe for sale list. %^) Of course, there are several
Tailwinds listed for sale there, already, too. ;- o

http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/...cgi?view=bikes

And perhaps there are bikes there you might consider to replace
the Tailwind.... There's a EZ-Rider AX 850Z-Rider AX listed
for $850 and the description says it has disc brakes. Might be
just the ticket! %^)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/ez_rider.jpg

Basically the only reason I ride a Rans
is because it was the only bent available in the area that I could ride
before purchase.

Yes, I hear that. I bought a BikeE AT in '98 for much the same
season,-- only recumbent in my price range locally available. I
still have (and ride) that bike and have much satisfaction still
with that purchase. I've had and no where near the number
of issues you've raised. It is interesting that 5 years ago, some
(perhaps many) people presented the Tailwind as a better
designed and built bike than the BikeE. Bob Cardone, for
instance, went from a BikeE to Tailwind and continued to
blast the BikeE inadequacies for years.

A few years later, I bought a Tour Easy, sight unseen, seat
unridden, based on reports from others and research. I had
literally never seen one in person. I recently turned over 6000
miles on that bike. And a few months ago, I bought a Volae
bike used with only a short test ride. Perhaps I've been lucky,
but I've been happy with all my bike purchases.

Life's too short to be stuck with a bike you don't like!
"Follow your bliss." -- Joseph Campbell

Good luck,

Jon Meinecke

Make the leading edge of the brake pad touch the rim slightly before the
trailing edge. Then you will have no squeal. There should be no more than
about 1mm difference.
Geoff
"merryfreakinxmas" wrote in message
news:kpRse.78780$tt5.64381@edtnps90...

"Jon Meinecke" wrote in message
news:1119009066.ea03741a4306b17afb5ca84ef97abfc4@t eranews...
"merryfreakinxmas" wrote

Do your brakes howl even with light pressure? Mine does.

If the rims are very clean, there seem to be some pad positions
that result in squeal that begins with light pressure on my TourEasy.
It gets louder up to a point, with more pressure. I fiddle with the
pad positions until it goes away.



http://groups-beta.google.com/group/.../msg/5ece7b740
c10e1ec?dmode=source&hl=en

That post was mostly about results after installing a "U" brace, the
quiet
braking didn't last very long.


I have very little faith in the people at Rans.

Seat sliding rearward, Brake howl, Terrible fenders. Seat mesh that
falls
apart. Slow speed twitchiness, double diamond frames can handle both
slow
and high speeds so why can't bents?

Wow, that seems a lot of dissatisfaction to be still interested in
tweaking the bike to keep it! I can't help but think that there has
got to be another bike that you would be happier with.

You do have a point but the seat problems have been solved. The fenders
were
modified to make them fit. I'm just trying to make the best of a less than
ideal situation. The brakes are the last thing I think I need to modify.
But
I would never buy another Rans knowing there could be so many hours spent
making the bike likable.


There's someone with a Tailwind want-to-buy ad on the
Hostelshoppe for sale list. %^) Of course, there are several
Tailwinds listed for sale there, already, too. ;- o

http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/...cgi?view=bikes

And perhaps there are bikes there you might consider to replace
the Tailwind.... There's a EZ-Rider AX 850Z-Rider AX listed
for $850 and the description says it has disc brakes. Might be
just the ticket! %^)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/ez_rider.jpg

Basically the only reason I ride a Rans
is because it was the only bent available in the area that I could ride
before purchase.

Yes, I hear that. I bought a BikeE AT in '98 for much the same
season,-- only recumbent in my price range locally available. I
still have (and ride) that bike and have much satisfaction still
with that purchase. I've had and no where near the number
of issues you've raised. It is interesting that 5 years ago, some
(perhaps many) people presented the Tailwind as a better
designed and built bike than the BikeE. Bob Cardone, for
instance, went from a BikeE to Tailwind and continued to
blast the BikeE inadequacies for years.

A few years later, I bought a Tour Easy, sight unseen, seat
unridden, based on reports from others and research. I had
literally never seen one in person. I recently turned over 6000
miles on that bike. And a few months ago, I bought a Volae
bike used with only a short test ride. Perhaps I've been lucky,
but I've been happy with all my bike purchases.

Life's too short to be stuck with a bike you don't like!
"Follow your bliss." -- Joseph Campbell

Good luck,

Jon Meinecke

thanks but this is info I already know
the problem was solved by switching to another pad
the pads on the bike at the time were the dual compound koolstop pads. how
about 5mm + of toe in and howling with light pressure.

"X" wrote in message ...
Make the leading edge of the brake pad touch the rim slightly before the
trailing edge. Then you will have no squeal. There should be no more than
about 1mm difference.
Geoff
"merryfreakinxmas" wrote in message
news:kpRse.78780$tt5.64381@edtnps90...

"Jon Meinecke" wrote in message
news:1119009066.ea03741a4306b17afb5ca84ef97abfc4@t eranews...
"merryfreakinxmas" wrote

Do your brakes howl even with light pressure? Mine does.

If the rims are very clean, there seem to be some pad positions
that result in squeal that begins with light pressure on my TourEasy.
It gets louder up to a point, with more pressure. I fiddle with the
pad positions until it goes away.



http://groups-beta.google.com/group/.../msg/5ece7b740
c10e1ec?dmode=source&hl=en

That post was mostly about results after installing a "U" brace, the
quiet
braking didn't last very long.


I have very little faith in the people at Rans.

Seat sliding rearward, Brake howl, Terrible fenders. Seat mesh that
falls
apart. Slow speed twitchiness, double diamond frames can handle both
slow
and high speeds so why can't bents?

Wow, that seems a lot of dissatisfaction to be still interested in
tweaking the bike to keep it! I can't help but think that there has
got to be another bike that you would be happier with.

You do have a point but the seat problems have been solved. The fenders
were
modified to make them fit. I'm just trying to make the best of a less
than
ideal situation. The brakes are the last thing I think I need to modify.
But
I would never buy another Rans knowing there could be so many hours spent
making the bike likable.


There's someone with a Tailwind want-to-buy ad on the
Hostelshoppe for sale list. %^) Of course, there are several
Tailwinds listed for sale there, already, too. ;- o

http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/...cgi?view=bikes

And perhaps there are bikes there you might consider to replace
the Tailwind.... There's a EZ-Rider AX 850Z-Rider AX listed
for $850 and the description says it has disc brakes. Might be
just the ticket! %^)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/ez_rider.jpg

Basically the only reason I ride a Rans
is because it was the only bent available in the area that I could
ride
before purchase.

Yes, I hear that. I bought a BikeE AT in '98 for much the same
season,-- only recumbent in my price range locally available. I
still have (and ride) that bike and have much satisfaction still
with that purchase. I've had and no where near the number
of issues you've raised. It is interesting that 5 years ago, some
(perhaps many) people presented the Tailwind as a better
designed and built bike than the BikeE. Bob Cardone, for
instance, went from a BikeE to Tailwind and continued to
blast the BikeE inadequacies for years.

A few years later, I bought a Tour Easy, sight unseen, seat
unridden, based on reports from others and research. I had
literally never seen one in person. I recently turned over 6000
miles on that bike. And a few months ago, I bought a Volae
bike used with only a short test ride. Perhaps I've been lucky,
but I've been happy with all my bike purchases.

Life's too short to be stuck with a bike you don't like!
"Follow your bliss." -- Joseph Campbell

Good luck,

Jon Meinecke