18 speed might be enough.

"Frank Krygowski" wrote in message
...
On 10/9/2016 8:17 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
be perfect.

My wife and I just completed a five day tour on our ancient tandem. Three
front chainrings, six rear cogs, and too much stuff in the panniers.

There were plenty of times on the hills when I thought "I'd like a gear in
between those two." But as I proclaimed at the start, my intent was to
not push; instead, to take things easy. I had no trouble accepting a gear
that was one mile per hour slower than optimum.

Sometimes I haul salvage - but its not that often I find much worth hauling.

Usually I just end up using ratios I don't use otherwise.

Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
For normal riding; I might occasionally use the middle chainring, but the
small one is unlikely. I might even make the effort to look for the biggest
chainring I can find. The BB needs doing on the new build - since the cranks
will be off, I might as well.

That's one reason I like my 14-speed internal hub: limited grey
matter... with the hub and a single front chain wheel there's one less
thing to keep track of..... -)

Per DoubLandau:
... you are a self-described statistical outlier.

Because I mostly ride solo?
--
Pete Cresswell

On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 1:24:50 PM UTC-7, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
For normal riding; I might occasionally use the middle chainring, but the
small one is unlikely. I might even make the effort to look for the biggest
chainring I can find. The BB needs doing on the new build - since the cranks
will be off, I might as well.

That's one reason I like my 14-speed internal hub: limited grey
matter... with the hub and a single front chain wheel there's one less
thing to keep track of..... -)

Per DoubLandau:
... you are a self-described statistical outlier.

Because I mostly ride solo?

No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

"Doug Landau" wrote in message
...
On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 1:24:50 PM UTC-7, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
For normal riding; I might occasionally use the middle chainring, but
the
small one is unlikely. I might even make the effort to look for the
biggest
chainring I can find. The BB needs doing on the new build - since the
cranks
will be off, I might as well.

That's one reason I like my 14-speed internal hub: limited grey
matter... with the hub and a single front chain wheel there's one less
thing to keep track of..... -)

Per DoubLandau:
... you are a self-described statistical outlier.

Because I mostly ride solo?

No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

FTMI!

Per Doug Landau:
No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

Geeze... now *that* is some recall ability.

Speaking as one who can't tell you what they had for breakfast - and who
checks the toothbrush to see if it's wet.... I am impressed!
--
Pete Cresswell

On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 10:26:45 PM UTC+1, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Doug Landau:
No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

Geeze... now *that* is some recall ability.

Speaking as one who can't tell you what they had for breakfast - and who
checks the toothbrush to see if it's wet.... I am impressed!

Hah! Thanks for the giggle.

Andre Jute

On Mon, 10 Oct 2016 09:34:17 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

I've been riding 14 speeds for over five years now and can say that 14
is plenty for me - coming from 21.

It's the range that is most important to me - and my gears cover the
range I need.

In defense of more gears.... If you ride with friends a lot and have to
keep up a pace, smaller changes in the upper gears can make a big
diff.... and smaller changes preserving the range you need imply more
gears.

I think that the terrain where you ride is, perhaps, the most
important factor. In Bangkok - a flat alluvial plain - I find that 3
gears is all I ever use, but in Phuket which is very hilly I use a
triple on one bike (27 speeds) and a double on the other (18 speed)
and even then during the last few miles of a hundred miler I keep
thinking that one more low-low might be nice :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 8:38:18 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
On Mon, 10 Oct 2016 09:34:17 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

I've been riding 14 speeds for over five years now and can say that 14
is plenty for me - coming from 21.

It's the range that is most important to me - and my gears cover the
range I need.

In defense of more gears.... If you ride with friends a lot and have to
keep up a pace, smaller changes in the upper gears can make a big
diff.... and smaller changes preserving the range you need imply more
gears.

I think that the terrain where you ride is, perhaps, the most
important factor. In Bangkok - a flat alluvial plain - I find that 3
gears is all I ever use, but in Phuket which is very hilly I use a
triple on one bike (27 speeds) and a double on the other (18 speed)
and even then during the last few miles of a hundred miler I keep
thinking that one more low-low might be nice :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

Also, a lot of people will plod along in a gear that's really too highbuy they either don't know enough to shift down (or don't care too) thereby wasting energy or they don't have an appropriate next gear down. I'm no longer surprised by the number of people who'll buy a 21 gear bicycle and only use one gear on the back and just change the three gears up front. For many people a 3-speed internal gear hub would be fine if it was laced to an alloy rim. Others would finf the older 6-speed rear cluster City Bike ideal for their use.

I like 7-speed cassettes and chains for the low replacement costs of them. I like 9-speed cassettes because I can set up 7 cogs to give me a great normal rangnd still have 2 bailout gears for when the hills are really steep, the wind really strong or the load very heavy. Most everyone differs on what they need or want though.

Cheers

On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 2:26:45 PM UTC-7, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Doug Landau:
No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

Geeze... now *that* is some recall ability.

Speaking as one who can't tell you what they had for breakfast - and who
checks the toothbrush to see if it's wet.... I am impressed!
--
Pete Cresswell

Haha how about Michael Press on global warming? U remember that one?

....snip...Man-made climate change is hubris. A flea doing back-stroke down the river crying "Raise the drawbridge."

On Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 12:00:28 AM UTC+1, Doug Landau wrote:
On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 2:26:45 PM UTC-7, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Doug Landau:
No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

Geeze... now *that* is some recall ability.

Speaking as one who can't tell you what they had for breakfast - and who
checks the toothbrush to see if it's wet.... I am impressed!
--
Pete Cresswell

Haha how about Michael Press on global warming? U remember that one?

...snip...Man-made climate change is hubris. A flea doing back-stroke down the river crying "Raise the drawbridge."

Dunno what sort of a cyclist Michael Press is, but he has a first-class scientific mind: he isn't taken in by the flimflam of the global warming hoaxers' "consensus".

Andre Jute
Credit where credit is due