Rules of Thumb

Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb" that I used to read about
in the bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front of the knee must be
directly over the center line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike handle bars should point at
the rear wheel axle. And when one is in the drops the handle bars
should "cover" the front wheel axle.

I even remember articles about how to tape the handle bars - this was
in the days of thin bar wrapping - and some folks even recommended a
layer of "air conditioning pipe insulation" applied to the bars before
wrapping with the tape.

Now all I read is "Ohhhh, that bike is Soooo stiff", and I even saw
one entitled "Ride without looking like a Rookie" and another "How to
enjoy a solo ride".

Are bicycles now so standardized that we now don't have to be told how
to adjust handle bars? Or does the LBS now do it for us?

I even came across an article "Race Back in Time at L'Eroica" a story
about riding a steel frame bicycle that had toe clips and down tube
shifters while wearing a wool jersey.

(I think that old age has crept up behind me when I wasn't looking :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

John B. writes:

Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb"
that I used to read about in the
bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front
of the knee must be directly over the center
line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike
handle bars should point at the rear wheel
axle. And when one is in the drops the handle
bars should "cover" the front wheel axle.

Wonderful

I'd like to read those magazines cover to
cover...

Are bicycles now so standardized that we now
don't have to be told how to adjust handle
bars? Or does the LBS now do it for us?

Even so, there are still many bikes around that
are 30+ more years old...

But I don't think that is it anyway. I think
people just don't enjoy repairing and tweaking
things. I don't think it is them being stupid
or lazy, rather they were never exposed to it
enough (some not at all), so they don't have
that initial confidence to just get going,
before they find out, hey, it is not *that*
difficult, and it is fun as well!

--
underground experts united .... http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
Emacs Gnus Blogomatic ......... http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/blogomatic
- so far: 36 Blogomatic articles -

Emanuel Berg wrote:
John B. writes:

Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb"
that I used to read about in the
bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front
of the knee must be directly over the center
line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike
handle bars should point at the rear wheel
axle. And when one is in the drops the handle
bars should "cover" the front wheel axle.

Wonderful

I'd like to read those magazines cover to
cover...

Are bicycles now so standardized that we now
don't have to be told how to adjust handle
bars? Or does the LBS now do it for us?

Even so, there are still many bikes around that
are 30+ more years old...

But I don't think that is it anyway. I think
people just don't enjoy repairing and tweaking
things. I don't think it is them being stupid
or lazy, rather they were never exposed to it
enough (some not at all), so they don't have
that initial confidence to just get going,
before they find out, hey, it is not *that*
difficult, and it is fun as well!


That I find this sentiment overly generous I hope doesn't reflect poorly on
my personality, but this isn't my experience in the main. Many of my
friends and colleagues are of the dump it and buy new persuasion, and
whilst the internet initially was of help in learning to fix what one
already possessed, now, so often I encounter variations on the phrase "if
you have to ask ... you'll never understand". In quick retrospect, I guess
this superior attitude, held largely by those entirely undeserving of it,
is fairly standard, but it's a shame that it continues to propagate.

Wow! Ok, I feel better now.

On Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 11:34:26 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb" that I used to read about
in the bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front of the knee must be
directly over the center line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike handle bars should point at
the rear wheel axle. And when one is in the drops the handle bars
should "cover" the front wheel axle.

I even remember articles about how to tape the handle bars - this was
in the days of thin bar wrapping - and some folks even recommended a
layer of "air conditioning pipe insulation" applied to the bars before
wrapping with the tape.

Now all I read is "Ohhhh, that bike is Soooo stiff", and I even saw
one entitled "Ride without looking like a Rookie" and another "How to
enjoy a solo ride".

Are bicycles now so standardized that we now don't have to be told how
to adjust handle bars? Or does the LBS now do it for us?

I even came across an article "Race Back in Time at L'Eroica" a story
about riding a steel frame bicycle that had toe clips and down tube
shifters while wearing a wool jersey.

(I think that old age has crept up behind me when I wasn't looking :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

So many of those old tips have been debunked or otherwise become dropped by the wayside. KOOPS has a The Myth of KOPS on Sheldon's sight. THe hub/handlebar one is no longer followed.

What I miss in bicycling magazines we the actual articles that told you how to fix something or how to ride or where to ride or whatever it was they were promoting. Now it seems as though bicycle mechanics is fast becoming/has become Don't fix it replace it. Look at posts in this group where someone asks how to fix something on a bike from the 1980s or 1990s and most times the majority of replies twll the poster to buy a new bike.

Bicycling magaizines now seem to be more focused on the adevertisers than on the bicyclists.

Times have changed and in some ways not for the better.

Cheers

You live in a 3rd world Islamic countr
y.

Search: number list cycle magazines websites blogs

visit Barnes n Noble

Andy posted a new one

BIKERUMOR.COM

a splinter from

BIKEHUMOR.ORG

On 5/19/2016 11:34 PM, John B. wrote:

Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb" that I used to read about
in the bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front of the knee must be
directly over the center line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike handle bars should point at
the rear wheel axle. And when one is in the drops the handle bars
should "cover" the front wheel axle.

I remember those instructions. Personally, I never believed the
handlebar ones anyway. Seems to me handlebar pitch or tilt should be
whatever feels good to the rider.

And the "cover the axle" thing probably arose after an "expert" bike
tester for _Bicycling_ rode three road frames in a row and noticed that
similarity between them. It may have worked for that style frame, with
that rider's upper body, arm and neck length, but I can't imagine it
makes sense for every rider on every bike.

I even remember articles about how to tape the handle bars - this was
in the days of thin bar wrapping - and some folks even recommended a
layer of "air conditioning pipe insulation" applied to the bars before
wrapping with the tape.

I think what's happened there is that people have spotted all those tips
as being economic opportunities. "Heck, if people are using pipe
insulation for that, we can buy it in bulk, cut it to size, package it
and sell it. We'll get rich!"

Now all I read is "Ohhhh, that bike is Soooo stiff", and I even saw
one entitled "Ride without looking like a Rookie" and another "How to
enjoy a solo ride".

Not to mention "Get great looking legs!" and articles on just the right
outfit to wear when you ride to the coffee shop. $150 bicycle blue jeans!

BTW, a variation on the theme: My wife gets the Terry Bicycles catalog.
Georgena Terry was one of the earliest proponents of bikes designed to
better fit women riders. (Our daughter rides a Terry bike.) But the
catalog has devolved into a clothing store. There's no evidence that
they still bother selling bikes.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 5/20/2016 3:56 AM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 11:34:26 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb" that I used to read about
in the bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front of the knee must be
directly over the center line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike handle bars should point at
the rear wheel axle. And when one is in the drops the handle bars
should "cover" the front wheel axle.

I even remember articles about how to tape the handle bars - this was
in the days of thin bar wrapping - and some folks even recommended a
layer of "air conditioning pipe insulation" applied to the bars before
wrapping with the tape.

Now all I read is "Ohhhh, that bike is Soooo stiff", and I even saw
one entitled "Ride without looking like a Rookie" and another "How to
enjoy a solo ride".

Are bicycles now so standardized that we now don't have to be told how
to adjust handle bars? Or does the LBS now do it for us?

I even came across an article "Race Back in Time at L'Eroica" a story
about riding a steel frame bicycle that had toe clips and down tube
shifters while wearing a wool jersey.

(I think that old age has crept up behind me when I wasn't looking :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

So many of those old tips have been debunked or otherwise become dropped by the wayside. KOOPS has a The Myth of KOPS on Sheldon's sight. THe hub/handlebar one is no longer followed.

What I miss in bicycling magazines we the actual articles that told you how to fix something or how to ride or where to ride or whatever it was they were promoting. Now it seems as though bicycle mechanics is fast becoming/has become Don't fix it replace it. Look at posts in this group where someone asks how to fix something on a bike from the 1980s or 1990s and most times the majority of replies twll the poster to buy a new bike.

Bicycling magazines now seem to be more focused on the advertisers than on the bicyclists.

Times have changed and in some ways not for the better.

I would agree, except this is /not/ a change from 30 years ago, IMHO.
Maybe from 40 years ago.
Who here remembers "Bike World"? (US publication)

Mark J.

Cuthbert to Berto to Brown....

todays there's more space, more reason to write


https://www.google.com/webhp#q=sheldon+brown

a Columbia vs AJ's Electric Limo ?

muh '65 Volvo has one page for electricity

muh E250 GT has over 130 ...

prob 25 ways to turn the key ....

On 2016-05-19 20:34, John B. wrote:

Whatever became of all the "rules of thumb" that I used to read about
in the bike magazines.

I remember strict instructions that the front of the knee must be
directly over the center line of the pedal when the crank was
horizontal, and that the end of road bike handle bars should point at
the rear wheel axle. And when one is in the drops the handle bars
should "cover" the front wheel axle.

I even remember articles about how to tape the handle bars - this was
in the days of thin bar wrapping - and some folks even recommended a
layer of "air conditioning pipe insulation" applied to the bars before
wrapping with the tape.

Now all I read is "Ohhhh, that bike is Soooo stiff", and I even saw
one entitled "Ride without looking like a Rookie" and another "How to
enjoy a solo ride".


Yeah, or stories about the latest and greatest gizmos that cost a
fortune. I quit reading bike magazines a long time ago.

What I am much more interested in is endurance testing of tires and
other stuff like they regularly present in car magazines. But it doesn't
happen, so why buy those magazines?


Are bicycles now so standardized that we now don't have to be told how
to adjust handle bars?


We still have to adjust. Serious riders make sure they get the correct
frame size. When I bought my new MTB I rode it for a while after the LBS
had adjusted things upon delivery. I read up on best positioning for the
various riding styles, there's plenty of information. Just not in
magazines anymore because it's all online now.

Per these instructions I shortened my handlebar in 10mm increments
because I was brushing stuff too often on trails. Until it felt just
right. Then I tried stem lengths and found that 80mm suited me much
better than the stock 120mm. Slightly steeper angle as well. Now the
"cockpit" fits like a glove.


... Or does the LBS now do it for us?


A good one will. But just like with the adjustment of a partial at the
dentist there is a finite amount of time the LBS will be willing to
invest on the courtesy side (as in free). If you offer to pay he'll
surely adjust your bike as often as you want to.


I even came across an article "Race Back in Time at L'Eroica" a story
about riding a steel frame bicycle that had toe clips and down tube
shifters while wearing a wool jersey.

(I think that old age has crept up behind me when I wasn't looking :-)


If it's any comfort I ride a circa 1982 steel frame road bike, down tube
shifters, changed from 2*6 to 2*7 after I crunched the freehub. I also
gave it a 11-32T cassette which is the maximum the old Shimano 600
derailer was willing to stomach. 52/42 up front. Still not so ideal for
some of the hills here but suits me well.

The bike was custom made for me so back then was expensive. Immediately
after delivery I added lighting and a sturdy luggage rack. Meantime I
removed the toe clip pedals and replaced them with ... gasp ... MTB
pedals. Last year I added small panniers (Nashbar Daytrekker). Those
kinds of changes and my unorthodox clothing causes some in the
Lycra-crowd to look down on me but I don't care.

Do I feel old now? Nah!

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/