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Rec.Bicycles Frequently Asked Questions Posting Part 1/5
Archive-name: bicycles-faq/part1
------------------------------ Subject: 1 Introduction Last modified: October 28, 2004 Answers to Rec.Bicycles' Frequently Asked Questions and Interesting Information The following monthly posting contains the answers to frequently asked questions posed to rec.bicycles.* and interesting information that cyclists might find useful. Some of the answers are from postings to rec.bicycles.*, and some are condensed from postings. Answers include the name and email address of the author. If no author is listed, I'm the guilty party. If you're the author and I've misspelled your name or have the wrong email address, let me know and I'll fix it. ****NOTE****: I am not the moderator or "person in charge" of the rec.bicycles.* newsgroups. I also have no way to help you with problems reading the newsgroups unless you are at UCI; you'll need to talk to your system or news admin for help. If you have something you feel should be included in the FAQ, please write it up and send it to me at the address below. Note: I don't read each and every posting to rec.bicycles.*, so suggesting that something be included in the FAQ may not be seen. If you want something included, summarize the discussion and send me the summary. This FAQ is posted to rec.bicycles.misc, news.answers, and rec.answers around the 15th of the month. It is also available via anonymous ftp from: ftp://draco.acs.uci.edu/pub/rec.bicycles/faq.* ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/rec.bicycles.misc/ ftp://ugle.unit.no/local/biking/faq* Check the "Archives" section for information on how to obtain the FAQ via email. Mike Iglesias ------------------------------ Subject: 2 Index (! means updated since last FAQ. + means new section.) 1 Introduction 2 Index 3 Administrivia 3.1 Abbreviations 3.2 World Wide Web access 3.3 Archives 3.4 Posting Guidelines 3.5 Electronic Mailing lists 3.6 Posting Guidelines for rec.bicycles.marketplace 4 Rides 4.1 Maps 4.2 Touring supplies 4.3 Taking a bike on Amtrak 4.4 Travel with bicycles - Air/Rail/Other 4.5 Warm Showers List 4.6 Touring Europe Guide 4.7 More information on Amtrak and Bicycles 4.8 Getting Weather Information 5 Racing 5.1 Tour de France Jerseys 5.2 Major Tour Winners 1947-1996 5.3 Rating the Tour de France Climbs 5.4 How to follow the Tour de France 5.5 Tour de France Time Limits 5.6 Tour de France Points Jersey Competition 5.7 Bicycle Racing Movies 5.8 Guide to Spectating at the Tour de France 6 Social 6.1 Bicycling in America 6.2 League of American Bicyclists 6.3 Rules for trail riding 6.4 Commuting - Is it possible for me to commute by bike? 6.5 Commuting - How do I choose a route? 6.6 Commuting - Do I really need to look that goofy? 6.7 Commuting - Do cyclists breathe more pollution than motorists? 7 Marketplace 7.1 Marketplace hints/guidelines 7.2 Bike Trailers 7.3 One Less Car T-Shirts 7.4 Panniers and Racks 7.5 Clothing materials 7.6 Seats 7.7 Women's Saddles 7.8 Women's Bikes 7.9 Bike Rentals 7.10 Bike Lockers 7.11 Bike computer features 7.12 Recumbent Bike Info 7.13 Buying a Bike 7.14 Kids Bike Clothes 7.15 Repair stands 7.16 Updated Bike Locker listing 7.17 Electric Bikes 7.18 Cycling loaded: bags, panniers, and trailers 8a Tech General 8a.1 Technical Support Numbers 8a.2 Using a Quick Release 8a.3 Workstands 8a.4 Workstands 2 8a.5 Working on a Bicycle Upside-down 8a.6 Where to buy tools 8a.7 Common Torque Values 8a.8 WD-40 8a.9 Sheldon Brown's web pages 8b Tech Tires ! 8b.1 Patching Tubes 8b.2 Mounting Tires 8b.3 Snakebite flats ! 8b.4 Blowouts and Sudden Flats 8b.5 Blown Tubes 8b.6 Tube Failure in Clinchers 8b.7 More Flats on Rear Tires 8b.8 Tube and Tire Casing Repair 8b.9 Presta Valve Nuts 8b.10 Rim Tape Summary 8b.11 Talcum Powder for Tubes and Tires 8b.12 ETRTO numbers for tire sizes 8b.13 Tires with smooth tread ! 8b.14 Rolling resistance of Tires 8b.15 Wiping Tires 8b.17 Clinchers vs. Tubulars 8b.18 Tubular Fables 8b.19 Tubular Tire Repair 8b.20 Gluing Sew-up Tires 8b.21 Another way to glue sewup tires 8b.22 Folding a Tubular Tire 8b.23 Coiling a Wire Bead Clincher 8b.24 Measuring the circumference of a wheel 8b.25 What holds the rim off the ground? 8b.26 Making a tubular tire 8b.27 Things to check after a flat 8b.28 Mounting Tubular Tires 8b.29 Presta vs Schrader valves + 8b.30 Valve stem separation flats 8c Tech Wheels 8c.1 Stress Relieving Spokes 8c.2 Anodized vs. Non-anodized Rims 8c.3 Reusing Spokes ! 8c.4 Ideal Tire Sizes 8c.5 Tied and Soldered Wheels 8c.6 Machined Rims 8c.7 Wheel Bearing adjustment + 8c.8 Wheels for Heavy Riders 8d Tech Chains 8d.1 Lubricating Chains 8d.2 Chain cleaning and lubrication; wear and skipping 8d.3 Adjusting Chain Length 8d.4 Hyperglide chains 8d.5 SACHS Power-links + 8d.6 Cleaning chains 8e Tech Frames 8e.1 Bike pulls to one side 8e.2 Frame Stiffness 8e.3 Frame repair 8e.4 Frame Fatigue 8e.5 Frames "going soft" 8e.6 Inspecting your bike for potential failures 8e.7 Frame materials 8e.8 Bottom Bracket Drop 8e.9 Bent Frames 8e.10 Aligning a Fork 8e.11 Stuck Handlebar Stem 8f Tech Moving Parts 8f.1 SIS Adjustment Procedure 8f.2 SIS Cable Info 8f.3 STI/Ergo Summary 8f.4 Cassette or Freewheel Hubs 8f.5 Cassette or Freewheel Hubs take 2 8f.6 "Sealed" Bearings 8f.7 Ball Bearing Grades 8f.8 Bottom Bracket Bearing Adjustment 8f.9 Crank noises ! 8f.10 Cracking/Breaking Cranks 8f.11 Installing Cranks 8f.12 Biopace chainrings ! 8f.13 Indexed Steering 8f.14 Roller Head Bearings 8f.15 Brakes from Skid Pads to V-brakes 8f.16 Brake Squeal 8f.17 Electronic Shifting 8f.18 Bearing Seals 8f.19 Sturmey-Archer 3-Speed Hubs + 8f.20 Loosening Splined Shimano Cranks 8g Tech Accessories 8g.1 Milk Jug Mud Flaps 8g.2 Storing NiCad Batteries 8h Tech Ergonomics 8h.1 Seat adjustments 8h.2 Cleat adjustments 8h.3 Adjusting SPD Cleats 8h.4 SPD cleat compatability ! 8h.5 Shimmy or Speed Wobble 8h.6 Soft Bicycle Saddles 8h.7 Black vs White Helmet - Thermal Test 8h.8 Ankling, a pedaling style 8i Tech Misc 8i.1 Weight = Speed? 8i.2 Traffic detector loops 8i.3 The Continuously Variable Transmission 8i.4 Alenax Bicycle ! 8i.5 Stuck Pedal Removal 8i.6 Removing Pedals 8i.7 Bikecurrent FAQ 8i.8 Fretting damage in Bicycle Mechanics + 8i.9 Left hand threads 9 Misc 9.1 Books and Magazines 9.2 Mail Order Addresses 9.3 Road Gradient Units 9.4 Helmet FAQ now on-line 9.5 Terminology 9.6 Avoiding Dogs 9.7 Shaving Your Legs 9.8 Contact Lenses and Cycling 9.9 How to deal with your clothes 9.10 Pete's Winter Cycling Tips 9.11 Nancy's Cold/Wet Cycling Tips 9.12 (Moved to 8b.16) 9.13 Cycling Myths 9.14 Descending I 9.15 Descending II 9.16 Trackstands 9.17 Front Brake Usage 9.18 Slope Wind, the Invisible Enemy 9.19 Reflective Tape 9.20 Nutrition 9.21 Nuclear Free Energy Bar Recipe 9.22 Powerbars Recipe 9.23 Calories burned by cycling 9.24 Road Rash Cures 9.25 Knee problems 9.26 Cycling Psychology 9.27 Mirrors 9.28 Another Powerbar recipe 9.29 Lower back pain 9.30 Saddle sores 9.31 Group Riding Tips 9.32 Riding in echelon 9.33 Mirrors II ! 9.34 Thorns aka Puncture Vine ! 9.35 Gyroscopic Forces 9.36 Going over the bars 9.37 Yet another powerbar recipe 9.38 Custom Jerseys 9.39 Iliotibial Band Syndrome and Patelar Tendonitis 9.40 Staying up in a crash 9.41 Applying Merlin Decals + 9.42 Flats from Beer and Cigarettes + 9.43 Riding on Ice 10 Off-Road 10.1 Suspension Stems 10.2 MTB FAQ no longer available 10.3 Installing new rear derailleur spring ! 10.4 A Brief History of the Mountain Bike 10.5 The Mike Vandeman FAQ 10.6 Ode to a Usenet Kook ------------------------------ Subject: 3 Administrivia ------------------------------ Subject: 3.1 Abbreviations Some common abbreviations used here and in rec.bicycles.*: FAQ Frequenly Asked Question. What you are reading now is a file containing answers to some FAQs. IMHO In my humble opinion. TIOOYK There Is Only One You Know. Refers to the Tour de France. See the glossary in the ftp archives for more bicycle-related terms, or check out Sheldon Brown's Glossary at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/glossary.html. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.2 Gopher and World Wide Web access I've made the rec.bicycles ftp archives available via the Web using the URLs below: http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/ http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/bicycles-faq/top.html Again, please ask your local gurus for information on how to use Web clients. The FAQ used to be available via gopher but since I upgraded my system the software is no longer available. Please use the web or ftp site instead. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.3 Archives I've made available via anonymous ftp a copy of the current FAQ and a few other items on draco.acs.uci.edu (128.200.34.12). This is the workstation on my desk, so I'd appreciate it if people would restrict their use to 7pm-7am Pacific time. The files are in pub/rec.bicycles. For those without Internet access, you can use an ftpmail server to get copies of items in the archives. I really don't have time to email copies of files to people who can't get at them easily. These servers come and go all the time but a daily status report can be found: On the Web at http://www.netservs.com/mrcool/stats.htm By FTP at ftp://ftp.cix.co.uk/pub/net-services/stats.txt Mail to and say "send file stats.txt" (no quotes) README for Rec.Bicycles Anonymous FTP area arnie.light Arnie Berger's ) "Ultimate bike light" bike_gear.sea.hqx Lawrence Hare's ) copy of a Hypercard stack to calculate gearing. Lawrence says there is a newer version on major bbs systems. bike.lockers David H. Wolfskill's ) summary of bike locker vendors. bike.painting Sam Henry's ) collection of articles on how to paint a bike. bike_power.* Ken Roberts program to calculate power output and power consumption. See bike_power.doc for more info. Updates now include wind speed, altitude, and size of rider. updated by Mark Grennan ) is available at http://www.grennan.com/BikePower/ biking_log.* Phil Etheridge's ) hypercard stack riding diary. It keeps track of dates, distance, time, average speed, etc., and keeps running weekly, monthly, and yearly totals. See biking_log.read_me for more information. CA-veh-code A directory containing the California vehicle code sections that pertain to bicycles and gopher bookmarks. See the README in that directory for more information. camera.tour Vivian Aldridge's ) collection of articles on cameras to take on a bike tour. competitive.nutrition Roger Marquis' ) article from the Feb 91 Velo News on nutrition and cycling. computer.calibrate computer.install Sheldon Brown's ) universal bike computer calibration chart and installation suggestions. cyclesense Larry Watanabe's ) copy of the "Cycle Sense for Motorists" ready to run thru LaTeX. faq.* The current Frequently Asked Questions posting first.century Pamela Blalock's ) tips on training for your first century ride. frame.build Terry Zmrhal's ) writeup of a frame building class he took. gear.c Larry Watanabe's ) program to print gear inch tables. glossary Alan Bloom's ) glossary of bicycle terms. lab.info Erin O'Brien's ) article on the League of American Bicyclists. lights Tom Reingold's ) collection of articles on bike lights. lights2 More articles from rec.bicycles.* on lights. mtb.faq Vince Cheng's ) MTB FAQ. pam.bmb* Pamela Blalock's ) report on her Boston-Montreal-Boston rides. pam.pactour* Pamela Blalock's ) writeup of her PAC tours across the country. pbp.info Pamela Blalock's ) information on her Paris-Brest-Paris ride. pictures Bicycling gif pictures. prof.sched Roland Stahl's ) list of scheduled professional races in many countries. pwm.regulator Willie Hunt's ) design notes on a pulse width modulated voltage regulator. Originally designed for caving, this design is adaptable to bike lighting. The author has parts available in kit form. ride.index Chris Hull's/Bill Bushnell's ) explanation of a way to "index" rides and compare the difficulty of different rides. ridelg22.* Found on AOL by Gary Thurman ), a ride diary program. The .exe file a self-extracting archive for PCs. spike.bike Bob Fishell's ) Spike Bike series. They are numbered in the order that Bob posted them to rec.bicycles. All the Spike Bike stories are "Copyright 1989 by Robert Fishell, all rights reserved." spokelen11.bas Roger Marquis' ) spoke length calculator, written in Microsoft Quickbasic. spokelen.c Andy Tucker's ) port of Roger Marquis' spokelen11.bas to C. spokelen.hqx Eric Topp's 's Hypercard stack that computes spoke lengths. studded.tires (Name removed by request) compilation of messages on studded tires, including how to make your own. tandem.boxes Arnie Berger's ) notes on how he built a box to transport his tandem to Europe and back. It's taken from a longer travelogue on his trip - if you want more information, contact him at the above address. tech.supp.phone Joshua Putnam's ) list of technical support numbers for various manufacturers. This list used to be in the FAQ but now is too long to include there. trailers A summary posting of messages about bike trailers. Good stuff if you're thinking of buying a trailer. wheelbuild.txt Sheldon Brown's ) instructions on how to build a wheel. wheels.*.hqx R. Scott Truesdell's ) Hypercard stack to calculate spoke lengths. See wheels.readme for more info. wintertips Pete Hickey's ) notes about how to cycle in the winter. wintertips.pam Pamela Blalock's ) winter cycling tips. More files are available from http://spiderman.novit.no/dahls/Cycling and http://spiderman.novit.no/dahls/Velo. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.4 Posting Guidelines The rec.bicycles subgroups are described below - please try to post your article to the appropriate group. The newsgroups were designed to minimize cross posting, so please take the time to think about the most appropriate newsgroup and post your article there. Most postings to rec.bicycles.* should not be cross-posted to groups outside of rec.* (alt.* is ok). For archives of rec.bicycles.*, you might want to check out http://groups.google.com. rec.bicycles.marketplace: Bicycles, components, ancillary equipment and services wanted or for sale, reviews of such things, places to buy them, and evaluations of these sources. Not for discussion of general engineering, maintenance, or repair -- see rec.bicycles.tech. rec.bicycles.tech: Techniques of engineering, construction, maintenance and repair of bicycles and ancillary equipment. Not for products or services offered or wanted -- see rec.bicycles.marketplace. rec.bicycles.rides: Discussions of tours and training or commuting routes. Not for disussion of general riding techniques -- see rec.bicycles.misc. Not for products or services offered or wanted -- see rec.bicycles.marketplace. rec.bicycles.soc: Social issues, cycling transportation advocacy, laws, conduct of riders and drivers; road hazards such as potholes, dogs, and sociopaths. Not for products or services offered or wanted -- see rec.bicycles.marketplace. rec.bicycles.racing: Race results, racing techniques, rules, and organizations. Not racing equipment -- see rec.bicycles.marketplace or rec.bicycles.tech. rec.bicycles.misc: General riding techniques, rider physiology, injuries and treatment, diets, and other cycling topics. Not for products or services offered or wanted -- see rec.bicycles.marketplace. rec.bicycles.off-road: This group is moderated. Discussion of riding on unimproved roads, gravel, dirt, grass, sand, single track or 4x4 roads. Also discussion of environmental issues related to mountain biking, trail issues, backcountry travel, how to handle conditions (technically and evo-sensitively), off-road magazines and other media. See http://rbor.org/ for more info and moderator information. alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent: Discussion of recumbent bikes. alt.mountain-bike: Discussion of mountain bikes and mountain biking. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.5 Electronic Mailing lists A mailing list for tandem bicycle enthusiasts. Suitable topics include questions and answers related to tandem componentry, riding technique, brands and equipment selection, prices, clubs, rides and other activities, cooperating on a section on tandems for the rec.bicycles.* FAQ, etc. For more information send mail to " with the body of the message having the line "info tandem", or point your WWW client at http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/home-pages/wade/tandem.html, or finger . BOB is the Bridgestone Owner's Bunch, and this is the internet edition of it. This is a mailing list, not a newsletter, and has no connection with the real Bridgestone-sponsored BOB except in name and in spirit. Get more information by sending mail to . HPV list The HPV list is for the discussion of issues related to the design, construction, and operation of human powered vehicles and closely related kin. (Hybrid human/electric, for example.) For further information, send a mail message containing the following single line in the message, to : info hpv BICYCLE on The BICYCLE list was formed to provide a forum for cyclists to discuss all topics related to bicycles, mtn. biking, and cycling in general. This is NOT the place to discuss issues related to motorcycling. To subscribe to BICYCLE send the following command to in the BODY of e-mail: SUBSCRIBE BICYCLE real name For example: SUBSCRIBE BICYCLE John Doe Owner: Chris Tanski BikeMidwest A new regional internet discussion group has been started to discuss bicycle advocacy issues in the midwest area. BikeMidwest was started to connect cyclists in L.A.W. Regions 6, 7, 8 and 9. That is, the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Of course, people from outside this area are welcome to join. Subscriptions to the list are handled by a computer program called Majordomo. To subscribe, send a message with the following command in the body of the message to : subscribe BikeMidwest Bicycle BBS BicycleBBS offers free access to cyclists. The # is 619-720-1830. The BBS is run by Neil Goren, . BicycleBBS also has a mailing list. Anyone can join by sending e-mail to: and put "JOIN" in the text body anywhere. VeloNet has a list of some 200 cycling-related mailing lists, all run under standard majordomo protocols, with both live and digest formats. Subscribe/unsubscribe requests should go to Here are the "international/general" lists: * bikecurrent - Discussions regarding Bicycle Electronics * bikeham - Cycling and Amateur Radio Operation * bikemedic - Cycling and Emergency Medical Services * bikepeople - General/International list for Bicycle Advocacy * bike-station - Bike commuter centers at transit stations * bikes-n-transit - Taking your bicycle on public transit * bmx - General BMX Discussion List * coaching - Coaching discussions for racers * commute-logistics - Discussions regarding bicycle commuting logistics * facilities-n-planning - Transportation infrastructure affecting cycling * iccc - International Christian Cycling Club * icebike - Winter cycling * ifcmc - International Federation of Cycle Messengers and Companies * imba - International Mountain Bicycling Association * marketplace - Discussions regarding buying a bicycle or components * messengers - Bicycle Messengers and Couriers * mtb - General Discussions about Mountain Biking * mtb-trials - Mountain Bike Trials Riding * moulton - The Moulton Bicycle Club Mailing list * patrol - Discussions regarding Mountain Bike Patrols * power-assist - Power-assisted HPVs * promoters - Race promotion * race-results - International, Cat A & USPRO Race Results * randon - Randoneering (touring and non-competitive ultradistance) * safety-n-education - Discussions of Bicycle Safety and Education (formerly ca-bike-safety) * team-internet - International Team Internet Racing Team * touring - Bicycle Touring * ultra - Dicussions regarding ultra marathon cycling events * velonet-admin - Discussions regarding the operation of VeloNet Web sites: Trento Bike Pages http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/ ------------------------------ Subject: 3.6 Posting Guidelines for rec.bicycles.marketplace From: "E. Paul Stanley" Date: Sun, 09 Mar 1997 19:14:59 -0500 All subject lines in rec.bicycles.marketplace should stick to the following codes. [code]:SizeItemPrice Where CODE = FS (for sale), WTB (wanted to buy), WTT (wanted to trade). Size would, of course, be omitted for some items. Commercial vendors could use the following: COM:spam Where spam would be the crap enticement to go to the web site, email, etc. There is no space between the Code, the colon, and the size of the item to conserve space and make sure the complete subject comes out. Following this nomenclature would permit newsreaders to see similar items grouped together and would highlight spam which would not follow the nomenclature. The argument that "I have a buch of stuff to sell/buy so it would require bunches of posts" is without merit. First, "Regular" people don't have bunches of stuff so it would be a "COM:" post. Second, if a regular person does have a buch of stuff, simply post the same message with the proper subject lines for each item. Several posts, but only one copy and paste from your word processor. ------------------------------ Subject: 4 Rides ------------------------------ Subject: 4.1 Maps From: Jim Carson Updated-From: Joel Spolsky Adventure Cycling Association maps are not free, but you can get them without joining. To order stuff with Mastercard or Visa, you can call +1 (406) 721-1776 (24 hr). Maps are currently (Feb 1995) $8.95 each to "non-members," $5.95 each to "members." There are also small discounts for sets of maps and members in the continental US don't have to pay for surface shipping and handling. Scale of the maps is generally 1" = 4mi/6.4km. Certain areas are more detailed when necessary. I like the maps because they have lots of interesting features labeled (campgrounds, grocery stores, major changes in elevation, historical info about the region,...), they're printed on a water-resistant paper, and they fit nicely into a handlebar bag map case. As of Feb '95, there are three transcontinental (W-E) routes an east coast (N-S) route, a west coast route (N-S), and a middle route and numerous routes among the various parks in the western U.S. and Canada. Membership is $25 individual; $35 family; $19 for students/seniors. Lifetime is $475; $650 for couples. Members get copies of Adventure Cycling Association's magazine, Adventure Cyclist, published 9 times annually, a list of tours run by Adventure Cycling Association, and the annual _The Cyclists' Yellow Pages_. _The Cyclists' Yellow Pages_ provides *LOTS* of interesting information on touring and points of contact for more information about cycling and touring all over the world. (For example, they have an arrangement with The Netherlands Service Center for Tourism whereby you can purchase full-color, 21" x 38", 1:100k scale, Dutch-language maps.) Adventure Cycling Association's address and phone: Adventure Cycling Association (406) 721-1776, fax (406) 721-8754 PO Box 8308 Missoula, MT 59807-8308 ------------------------------ Subject: 4.2 Touring supplies From: Scott "gaspo" Gasparian Recently, I asked the group: what do you bring with you on medium trips? (medium being more than one nite, and less than a week). I received some excellent replies, a few great stories, and lots of things that I never would have thought of. (at least not until I needed that spare spoke that is). Ok, for all of you who don't know what to bring with you on that next medium trip... FOOD: Here, just whatever you normally consume. If you plan on staying in a hotel/B&B, then obviously 1 day's worth is enough. Standard things like power-bars and drink mixes should do the trick. Since I'm not going to BFE, I have no idea what to pack for a real "camp-out" type tour. This subject is enough for a discussion in itself, but I just eat what I want. CLOTHING: Almost everybody suggested something different, rangin from hi- tech bodysuits to cutoffs and T-shirts. However, everybody agreed on the indispensibleness (tm) of rain gear. Specifically, light waterproof pants and jacket are not only good for staying dry, but have a very high warmth/weight ratio. A spare change of skivies, and a pair of dry socks were also highly recomended. A pair of jeans or a "smushable outfit" can come in handy, but I usually smell so bad after a day of riding that anybody who is talking to me doesn't care what I wear. If it might be non-warm, a watch-cap or other non-helmet type hat can help. FIRST-AID: Outside of the standard band-aids/antiseptic-goop bit, sunscreen and bug-away topped the lists. Asprin or Ibuprofen and rolaids were mentioned, but I guess thats a personal thing, just like... TOILETRIES: I stick with: soap, toothbrush/paste, deodorant. That covers all I need, but everybody has different needs, and I'm not even gonna touch the "personal hygeine" stuff. A razor is handy too, it can help keep that road-rash dressing from ripping all your remaining hair out. MISC: I'll put the tent/pit stuff into this category. Robyn Stewart gave an excellent testamony to the uses of rope and tarps. A piece of rope stretched between two trees can keep the food above the critter-level, and can also provide a rudimentary tent with the aid of an old shower-curtain. Again, there is a whole area of discussion here on the pits and mattresses, but if it keeps you warm and dry, it works. TOOLS: Basically, this could be split into two different classes, with things like tire-kit being in the "fix it yourself" category, and other stuff like a chain remover tool is in the "how far will I be from civilization" range. This was what I really wanted to know about when I posted my request, so a little more info than the first groups. Most of this depends upon how much work _YOU_ do to your velo. If replacing spokes is trivial to you, then you already know what tools to bring. Also, wrenches and screwdrivers are very velo dependent: handy sizes for a MTB might be useless for a nice racer, and vice-versa. Tools that tune more than repair are also an individual call. I always carry a hex-wrench that fits my brake-shoe adjustment bolt, but never the larger one that actually removes the entire caliper. pump pressure gauge flat kit wrenches (sizes and type for your velo) hex(allen)-wrenches (sizes and type for your velo) chain tool chain links tire levers (plastic) spoke wrench safety wire duct tape zip ties SPARES: Again, these fall into "distance from civilization" categories. For example, that nut that connects your front mudguard to the forks is essential, but could be fixed with the safety wire until you find a velo-shop/store that might have a replacement. Then again, one little nut is easy on space/weight, and it may be hard to get a replacement if your velos measurements are non-standard. If you have a hard-time finding a replacement for that random part at your local store, bring one with you. inner tubes tire-boots brake shoes light bulbs spokes (labeled if different, tied to the frame) nuts and bolts for rack/fenders/etc. tire (if you're _really_ out there) toe-clip strap shoe-laces cable (especially if yours are longer than normal). cable housing (for the shimano special shifter ones) NIFTY IDEAS: Here are some of the better inside tips that I found both humorous and usefull.... (Mike Johnston) A sock (to keep tools inside and for keeping grease off my hands during rear wheel flats) (Steve Kromer) The most important article to take along on a long ride seems to be faith. (chris rouch) 15cm of old tyre Robyn Stewart Enough money to get Greyhound home if something goes terribly wrong. bungie cords - you never know when you might want to get that set of six beer mugs as a souvenir and transport it on the back of your bike. (Catherine Anne Foulston) ZAP Sport Towel. I think it is really useful because you can get it wet and it still dries you. ------------------------------ Subject: 4.3 Taking a bike on Amtrak From: Carlos Martin The following article relates my own experience in taking a bike as luggage on the Amtrak in the summer of 1992. It is intended to offer advice to those who might choose to do the same, and is not intended to reflect the views or policies of Amtrak. For reference, I traveled from Trenton to Pittsburgh at the start of a tour. Traveling with a bike on Amtrak can be problem-free if you take a few precautions. Amtrak handles bikes at stations that check in baggage. (Smaller stations and some trains don't check baggage at all.) There is a $5 baggage fee for bikes, and it includes a box. Call the station several days before your trip and notify them that you will need a bicycle box. The box they provided was big enough to accomodate my relatively long-framed touring bike (Specialized Expedition) without taking off either wheel, and with room to spare lengthwise. You will, however, have to remove the pedals (even clipless ones) and turn the handlebars to fit the bike in the box. Plan on putting only the bike in the box - no helmet or panniers. (You may want to check with Amtrak on this point - they may not cover damages to the bike if you packed other stuff in the box.) Before leaving home for the station, loosen your pedals and stem enough to make sure you won't need heavy-duty tools at the station. Plan to arrive at the station one and a half hours before departure time - Amtrak wants all checked baggage at least a half hour before departure (they may tell you one hour). Don't forget to keep your tools handy. At the station, go to the baggage room, get your box and some tape from the attendant, remove the pedals, and loosen the stem bolt and the bolt that holds the handlebars in the stem. Hold the front wheel between your feet as you turn the handlebars parallel to the top tube. Roll the bike into the box and seal the ends. If everything goes smoothly, you can do the above packing in ten minutes. Now go have lunch before you get on the train unless you want to take your chances with train food. BTW, the trains are very roomy and comfortable, particularly if you are accustomed to traveling in airline cattle coaches. I would travel by Amtrak again in a similar situation. (The usual disclaimer applies: I have no connection to Amtrak, other than being a taxpaying subsidizer and occasional user of the rail system.) ------------------------------ Subject: 4.4 Travel with bicycles - Air/Rail/Other From: George Farnsworth I checked the FAQ for information about taking bikes on common carriers and riding in and out of airports some time ago. At that time there was little information so I initiated a mini survey on these subject on rec.bicycles.rides, etc. Now I have collected information on cycling in and out of about 100 airports around the world and using trains in the US and Europe. This information is at http://www.GFonline.ORG/BikeAccess. Although the web may have eclipsed the FAQ for certain purposes, it might still be possible to provide a pointer to this data, almost all of which was contributed by readers of r.b.r (who's email addresses appear in the listings). ------------------------------ Subject: 4.5 Warm Showers List From: Warm Showers List Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 05:32:05 EST The Warm Showers List is a list of Internet and off-Internet persons who have offered their hospitality towards touring cyclists. The extent of the hospitality depends on the host and may range from simply a spot to pitch a tent to meals, a warm (hot!) shower, and a bed. This list works on the reciprocity formula. What this BIG word means is simply this: if you want to use the list you have to submit your name on it. If you don't have room but could still help a cyclist, please add your name to the list. The Warm Showers List is free. If you wish to be included on the Internet Warm Showers List, please fill the application form (if it is not included below or in the separate file please ask for it) and return it through one of these two manners: by E-mail, to: (Roger Gravel) by S-mail, to: Warm Showers List 50 Laperriere Vanier (QUEBEC) Canada G1M 2Y1 You can also apply through the bicycles related Internet page: [ http://www.rogergravel.com/wsl/ ]. The whole of the FREE Warm Showers List can be obtained via E-mail and S-mail but not at any Web site. A list of some of the coordinates (i.e. Name of host, Email addresses, City/Country/State) of some of the hosts are available to everyone on Internet via this Web page: [ http://www.rogergravel.com/wsl/vh_wwwsws.html ]. Keep in mind that if you want a hard copy of the list you will have to pay for the postage stamps. Please contact me and we can talk about the best way to implement this. On behalf of the touring cyclists I thank you for your generosity. Roger Gravel Wisdom should be cherished as a means of traveling from youth to old age, for it is more lasting than any other possession. - Bias of Priene, circa 570 B.C., one of the Seven Sages of ancient Greece. ----------------------------------------------------------------- It is as easy as 1 2 3 and it is FREE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Because machines tend to break and people make mistakes, if I have not answered your request in a few days, please send me a message, I will try to correct the glitch as soon as possible. ================================================== =============== 98.08.01 PARTICIPATION FORM ================================================== =============== Best read with Screen Format at Courier New 9 ================================================== =============== 2000.01.05 PARTICIPATION FORM ================================================== =============== Organization: (name of organization) EMAIL address (For pre-trip communication) Name: (Who are you?) Home phone: and/or Work phone: (non mandatory but the work phone can be helpful) LOC: (Non-Email Contact) Address (line two) Address (line three) Nearest largest city (50,000 people): (It's much easier to find a large city on a map than a small one, and some small ones aren't even on some maps!) Direction and Distance from above city: (Some cities are very large and getting through or around a city can be very difficult.) ----------------------------Will provide: SLEEP: Lawn (for tent or sleeping bag)? SLEEP: Floor (for sleeping bag)? SLEEP: Bed (Wow!)? (Cyclists' gotta sleep.) Food? (or distance to nearest grocery store or restaurant - if known) (Cyclists' gotta eat.) Shower? (or distance to nearest motel - if known) (It can be a real boost to know shower is waiting at the end of the day?) Laundry facilities? Local advice/help? (If you don't have room but could still help a cyclist) (You can provide as much, or as little, as you want.) Availability: (If only available some months, please indicate this, otherwise 'year-round') Cost to Cyclist: (Do you wish any money for your hospitality? if any: How much?) (please, no more than $5-$10) Preferred Notice: (Do you require advance notice? If so, how many days (weeks) notice?) Maximum Number of Cyclists: (You don't want a major tour coming through :-) Storage: (Is there a safe place to store bikes? If so, storage for how many bikes?) Motel: (Distance, Cost - if known) (In case a host is not home, for an emergency, etc.) Local Bike Shop: (Name, Phone, Distance, Reputation - if known) (In case bike repairs are needed - good to know where good shops are.) Any additional comments you would like each interested person to know before contacting you? p.s. To allow the manager of the list to put your coordinates on the Web page please make sure to include the following sentence : ROGER, PLEASE PUT MY NAME, MY EMAIL ADDRESS AND THE NAME OF MY TOWN ON THE WEB PAGE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE in the body of your message. Thank you. ================================================== =============== Roger 'velo-hospitalite' Gravel ================================================== =============== ------------------------------ Subject: 4.6 Touring Europe Guide From: (Bruce Hildenbrand) Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 22:30:56 -0700 GUIDE to BICYCLE TOURING in EUROPE This guide has been written in an effort to help prospective cyclists get the maximum out of their European cycling experience. It based on knowledge gleane d from my many European tours and those of others, most notably, Chris Wiscavage who never gave me an incorrect piece of advice. WHY GO TO EUROPE? It is important to set some sort of goal for your trip. This can be as simple as "I just want to have fun!" or, "I gotta get up the north side of the Stelvio" . For instance, in 1988 my goal was to see as much of the European Alps as possible, particularly those passes that have played roles in major European professional cycling races (Tour de France thing, Giro de Italia, Tour de Suisse) as could be had in about three weeks US to US. One thing that will be noticeably different to the American cyclist is the respect that European drivers have for cyclists. Cyclists get much more respect in Europe then they do in America. SELF SUPPORTED or with a TOUR GROUP? There are two basic ways you can tour Europe. The first is to sign up with an organized tour group. The tour package usually includes lodging, meals, guide service and transport of gear to and from each day's destination. The other basic option is to self plan a tour where you, or your small group of friends, are responsible for lodging, meals, route selection and hauling your gear from place to place. The big advantage of guided touring is that you can benefit from the experience of your touring company and its guides. These people usually have a familiarit y with the area you will be visiting and they can make arrangements for decent lodging, meals and cycling routes. If you are new to traveling in Europe and/o r you cannot speak the language of the countries which you will be visiting, then a guided tour may help ease the tension of being a stranger in a strange land. One disadvantage to guided touring is that you are part of a heterogeneous grou p of people who may differ widely in cycling ability. Also, there is no guarante e that everybody will get along and become friends. Some may see the chance to meet new people as a positive side to guided touring. Another disadvantage to guided touring is that in most cases, hotel reservation s have been made in advance which means two things. First, your daily route is not particularly flexible since when you leave town A, you must be in town B that evening. Secondly, if the weather is bad, you usually do not have the flexibility to layover and let the weather clear. You either have to ride in bad weather, which is a real drag in the high mountains, or take the support vehicle or other forms of transportation to the night's destination. Self-guided touring has the advantages that you can choose your companions, you can choose the dates you want to travel and if you haven't made hotel reservations in advance, you can vary your itinerary to meet your prevailing attitudes and weather conditions. The downside to self-guided touring is that you are basically on your own. You make all the decisions. If you are somewhat familiar with the area or have down some research, you are more likely to make good choices of cycling routes and places to stay. However, every once and a while you may pick an unfriendly town or a horribly busy road, both of which looked good on a map or came recommended in a book. Also, if you experience any equipment failure you will be responsible for either making the repairs or finding someone who can do them. Most guided tours bring a mechanic and enough parts to be able to handle most equipment problems. This may seem counterintuitive, but I think the more ambitious the tour, the better off you are doing it in a self-guided fashion. If you are going to be riding lots of miles with lots of climbing you want to know who you are going with and also have the flexibility to be able to modify your route if something happens. Because I prefer self-guided touring, this guide is written with that type of touring in mind. However, I feel it contains enough valuable information for those taking a guided tour to make it worthwhile reading for all potential cyclo-tourists. LOGISTICS Airlines When planning which flight to take, there are a few guidelines that may be helpful. I think the key here is that you want to go through customs and change planes as close to your final destination as possible. If you miss a connection because of flight delays or custom delays, you have a better chance of catching a flight out the same day. Reasonable places to clear customs are Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Atlanta, Washington DC and Newark. New York's JFK is hit-or-miss. I have had both very good luck and very bad luck at JFK. Also, allow 2-3 hours for making your international connections. Most airports have separate terminals for international and continental flights. There may be some distance to be covered to make plane changes which may result in either you or your baggage not making the flight if you cut the connection time too closely. I have had both good luck and bad luck with just about every major airline, so I think all carriers are basically OK. One thing to note is that Delta Airlines and United Airlines are smoke-free on every international flight. Also, Alitalia offers good fares to Italy but be forewarned that the workers for this airline like to go on strike at very short notice. Most airlines have beefed up their security on International flights, they now verify that all passengers who checked luggage are on the flight. This means that every time you change planes you have security checks and potential delays .. Suffice it to say, the fewer plane changes the better. Air fares differ between high and low seasons, arrival and departure locations, date of purchase(I am a terrible procrastinator), etc.. In 1986 I flew Denver- Frankfurt-Denver during low season for $620. In 1988 I flew Denver-Geneva- Denver during high season for $1050. In 1990 I flew San Francisco-Barcelona then Geneva- San Francisco on the return during high season for $1200. High season runs from about June 1 to September 30. An interesting note, one year I was flying to a town near Pisa, Italy. The far e from San Francisco to Rome was $1000. If I added the Rome to Pisa connection the fair only increased to $1007. The extra $7 charge was well worth getting closer to my final destination as the alternative was to take a 4 hour train ride. So, check when booking fares to see if you can get closer to your final destination for just a little extra money. Chris Wiscavage advised against flying by charter. He said that charters are notorious for being overcrowded and if they run out of baggage space on the plane, then the bikes are one of the first items to be left behind. On one of his trips flying charter, he had to wait 5 days for his bike to arrive. Obviously, the conditions vary between charter companies, if you have one that you trust and the price is right, go for it! On most international flights, if you check your bike as one of your 2 pieces of luggage you will save the $50 (or whatever) charge(each way). Current international baggage requirements (as of 6/94) a 1st bag - may not exceed 62 linear inches and 70lbs.; 2nd bag - may not exceed 55 linear inches and 70lbs. I have checked two bikes as my two pieces of luggage and not been charged for an overage. Flight delays seem more and more common. I have found that if your flight is delayed going to Europe, unless there is some catostrophic problem that cannot be fixed, it is best to stay with your original flight and wait out the delay. If you try routing yourself through another airline or reaching your destination by hopping through many cities, you may have a much bigger problem, especially with your luggage catching up to you. Be patient, sitting out delays seems to be the best alternative. This is a good reason to avoid booking hotels in advance. You can almost always get a room somewhere, but trying to stick to a regimented schedule may cause for major stress. TAKE a BIKE or RENT? This is a commonly asked question. There are a number of pros and cons to both renting a bike in Europe and bringing your own bike. Also, there are several factors that can influence your decision. Note that on international flights, your bike can be checked as one piece of luggage, so there really is no added expense to bringing you own bike on the plane. First off, if you are planning an ambitious trip with lots of miles and/or lots of climbing, you will definitely feel better riding your own bike rather than renting. Add to that the fact that, these days, most rental bikes are are mountain bikes. This may be an advantage if you are planning lots of climbing since the gearing tends to be lower, but a mountain bike is not as nimble as a road bike and can be significantly heavier than a road bike. Of course, if you r primary bike at home is a mountain bike, these differences may be less noticeable than if your primary bike is a road bike. Secondly, if you are combining your cycling vacation with large portions of non-cycling segments at the beginning or end of the trip, it may be better to not worry about lugging a bike halfway across Europe, especially if you are going to use trains as your primary mode of travel (see "Taking Your Bike on th e Train" in a later section). Another option in this case, is to ship your bikes , by train, to the destination where you will need them if your cycling comes at the end of the trip or to your departure destination if your cycling comes at the beginning of the trip. Personally, I prefer to bring my own bike. I know the condition of all the components and since everything should be in good working order, I can be assured that barring any catastrophe, my bike will not let me down. Also, it just feels a lot better and hence more enjoyable to be astride my trusty steed. PACKING A BIKE There are many ways and specialized containers to help facilitate packing a bike. I have flown frequently with my bike for the last 10 years and have never had any damage when my biked was packed correctly. Get a cardboard bike box from your local friendly bike shop. Mountain bike boxes are best because they are a bit wider and easier to pack, but as mountain bike frames get smaller, road bike sized mountain bike boxes are getting harder and harder to find. Here is how I do it: 1) Use 3/4" foam pipe insulation to protect the 3 main tubes (top, down and seat) and tape in place. Make sure to get the insulation with an inside diameter that most closely matches the diameter of your frame tubes. 2) Take the seat, pedals, and front wheel off the bike. 3) Use a bit of string to attach the LEFT(non-chainwheel) crankarm to the LEFT chainstay. 4) Remove the rear derailleur from its hanger and just let it hang. 5) Remove the handlebars and stem from the frame(this may necessitate removing the cyclocomputer mount, and the front brake cable from the brake - a good reason for soldering the ends of your cables!) and hang on the top tube. 6) Place a spacer in the front fork (see below). 7) wrap downtube shifters and brake levers with thin foam to minimize metal-to-metal contact. 8) Put the seat, pedals and other small parts in a bag and place the bag in the front of the bike box. 9) Slide the frame in such that the forks are just ahead of the bag. 10) Spread the box a bit and slide in the front wheel on the LEFT side(non chainwheel) of the bike with the front axle about 8-12" in front of the seat tube. The end of the handlebars should fit between the spokes of the wheel. 11) take the pump off the bike and securely tape it to one corner of the box. 12) use foam squares(I have about 20 1' X 1.5' X 2" pieces procured from shipping crates at work) to pad the bike from any potential metal to metal contact. Be sure to put padding on top of the bike, as you never know which way the bike box will end up. 13) Close the box and tape with strapping tape. Check to make sure the bike cannot move around inside the box, there should be sufficient padding to keep any shifting from occurring. You can make a very inexpensive, yet very effective spacer to prevent damage to the front fork from an old front axle. Leave the cones and lock nuts in place and use the quick release skewer taken off your front wheel to secure the spacer in the fork. Bring a small amount of grease (35mm film cannisters work great for this) to aid in re-assembly and throw in some rags or paper towels for wiping off the excess grease. Also, note that if your bike has Campagnolo Ergo levers, it is much easier to remove your stem and handlebars if you leave a little extra cable during installation. Another alternative is to loosen the brake and shifter cables, but this is a last resort as it requires that you re-adjust the shifter cable tension when you re-assemble the bike, which is a bit of a hassle if you have index shifting. One nice thing about bike boxes is that you can pack a lot of your extra gear (and presents) inside the box. I have traveled to Europe using just the bike box as my only piece of luggage! I also bring a roll of the 2" wide clear packing tape. This stuff can be used to reinforce or repair any damage to the bike box that might have occurred in transit. One note of caution here. I would try and obtain a bike box that closely fits the size of you bike(i.e. if you have a 58cm frame get a box for a 58cm frame bike). You want to minimize movement in the box and the box should be packed tight enough so that you can stand it on end or even possibly upside down. I would not recommend getting a box that is too big and trying to cut it down to size. I tried this one year and suffered minor damage to the bicycle because when I cut down the top of the box, I could not get it to fold over very well and lost some of the structural integrity of the sides of the box. A heavy ite m was placed on top of my box and the sides of the box could not support it. Different bike manufacturers use different strengths of cardboard with their boxes. And the same manufacturer can change the strengths of their boxes from year to year. Suffice it to say, the stiffer the better. I have had poor results using the soft sided bags (both padded and unpadded versions) and I would not recommend them. I think the foam padding gives a false sense of security to the consumer, but more distressingly to the baggage personnel who may attempt to place heavy items on top of the bag. Another method is to use minimal packing and minimal padding to force the airlines to handle your bike with care. This method entails removing the wheels, crankarms and rear derailleur. Turn the handlebars and lash the wheels to the sides of the bike frame. Enclose the whole package in a sturdy plastic bag. I have never used this method, it works for some but necessitates some tools like a crank extractor and crank bolt wrench. Hard plastic cases are becoming popular. However, I am not particularly fond of them. Besides being expensive, their weight empty(i.e. no bike) is between 25 and 30 lbs. Ouch! In comparison, an empty cardboard bike box weighs only about 5 lbs. The extra 20-25 lbs. can be a real factor if you have to carry your baggage any substantial distance. In any event, if you would like to begin and end your trip from the same airport, you can leave the bike box in "checked" or "left" luggage and pay a small daily fee for storage. One nifty trick if you have multiple bike boxes is to tape them together and check them as a single box. Hotels near an airport may also allow you to store your bike box, usually for a small fee. PRE-TOUR BIKE MAINTENANCE In general, the availability of bike parts varies greatly from bike shop to bike shop. The larger European cities contain well stocked shops, however the smaller towns(as you find in the mountains) are not as well stocked and parts may be hard to find. This goes for service as well. It is a good idea to come prepared to be able to deal with about anything, or have a bike that is low maintenance (sealed components). Here is my pre-tour bike preparation: 1) new chain 2) new tires and tubes 3) 4 new cables(2 - brake, 2 - derailleur, esp. if STI) 4) repack or replace bottom bracket 5) repack or replace headset 6) repack hubs 7) clean derailleurs 8) check brake pads for wear 9) true wheels 10) oil/grease freewheel/freehub 11) wash bike thoroughly(check frame for any cracks!) I would recommend soldering the ends of your brake and derailleur cables. This keeps the cables from fraying and you can take them in and out of their fitting s and housing when packing and unpacking the bike or doing maintenance and you don't have to worry about losing those silly little aluminum end caps! EQUIPMENT This portion deals with the equipment that I take. Note that my lists reflect that I am doing lightweight "credit card" touring where I sleep in hotels at night and eat food at restaurants. Some of this equipment may also be appropriate for fully loaded touring, but that is not discussed here. Also, since the riding clothes that you will be wearing during the day will mos t likely get washed every night, an important consideration is that they be made of a quick drying material. Cycling Footwear When it comes to cycling footware, I think the best option seems to be one of the walkable clip-in shoe systems such as the Shimano SPD. Having a shoe that you can walk in has two big benefits. First off, if you have never toured, you will be surprised at the amount of off-the-bike walking that is done during the course of the day in order to buy food, take photographs and check out historic sights. Secondly, having to carry a pair of walking shoes means extra bulk and weight. I would not recommend Look cleats for touring. I do a lot of walking which is unavoidable. It has been my experience that even a little bit of wear on the Look cleat can make it behave differently in the pedal. While Look cleat cover s are available to protect the cleat during walking, during a normal day on the road you do so much on and off the bike activity that it seemed like too much bother to take the covers on and off and on and off, etc. Baggage Systems There are many options to holding gear on the bike, I will describe two that I have used. The first method of carrying gear uses the Quix brand Max Contour Trunk rack an d bag in one. A small clamp slips onto the seatpost and the bag clicks into the clamp. One restriction is that the seatpost must be round (i.e. non-aero) to hold the clamp. Another restriction is that the bag must ride high enough to clear the rear wheel by 2-3" as the bag may bounce a bit up and down. The Quix bag is incredibly stable, it is easy to attach and detach and it does not require a rack(just a small seat post clamp). It is a very nice system for ultra-light touring. The Quix system is ideal for carrying about 550 cu. in. of gear, however severa l easy modifications to the bag should be made. First, I removed all the foam insulation from the bag and replaced the two side pieces with .8mm ABS plastic pieces cut to the same dimensions as the foam pieces they replaced(round off th e edges to prevent abnormal wear). Adding the side stays gives the bag some integrity and allows it to stand up making it easier to pack. I purchased a small tool bag shaped like a pack of cigarettes and added some velcro tabs whic h allowed it to be attached in front of the Quix bag, giving about an additional 50 cu. in. and bringing the total carrying capacity up to about 550 cu. in. This is enough space for a multi-week tour, see my equipment list below for details. One nice advantage of the Quix bag over the standard rear rack mounting systems is that for rain protection you can slide a waterproof sack completely over the bag. For occasions where I needed to carry over 550 cu. in. of gear, I have used a Blackburn SX-1 rack and rear trunk bag. I have a racing frame, so I had to use the "eyelet mounts" which worked fine. I replaced the outer washer(black neoprene) with a wider one, (get them at a plumbing supply store) and used a piece of bicycle innertube as padding between the frame and the aluminum piece, which worked well. I had to file off the protruding tongs on the bottom of the rack so it would not contact my seatstays; I left enough of the tong so that a bungee cord could still be hooked onto it. The bag I use with the Blackburn rack is a Cannondale rear trunk bag. This is one of the multitude of shoe box shaped bags that sits on top of the rack. Unfortunately, most of these bags are foam lined(for 6-packs) and they do not have the 800 cu in. minimum capacity that was necessary for my gear. I removed the plastic liner and sewed nylon sleeves into the two sides(not front or back side)of the bag. I made two 5"x12"rectangular pieces of 1/32" plexiglass (or ..8mm ABS plastic) that fit into the sleeves to hold the bag up and give it some shape. I also sewed some lash points on top of the bag in case of overflow. The Cannondale bag listed at 800 cu in., it had one big compartment, two side pockets, a rear pocket(with reflector) and a top pocket. All my medical stuff fit inside the rear pocket, eliminating the need for a toilet kit/stuff sack. I put my long sleeve shirt, hat, gloves, leg warmers and jacket in the side pockets so they were easily accessible. The camera, map(s) of the day, money, road food go in the top pocket. I hit upon a great way to pack the tennis shoe s which takes up minimal space. Rather than crunch them together and lose the dead air in between, pack them to each side and stuff clothes in between. A friend has used a rack top bag made by Lone Peak of Salt Lake City. It was a 1200 cu in. top loading bag and worked well. I bought a plastic "rack top" that snaps onto the top of the Blackburn rack to provide a flat surface for the pack and also, some rain protection. I made a rain cover which fit over the entire bag, since panniers are notorious for leaking. Another option for holding a rack top bag is the new rigid, aluminum racks whic h attach to the seatpost. Headlands is one popular brand. These racks weigh in at about 1 lb. and offer an interesting alternative to a full rack. They require an aforementioned rack top bag and a non-aero seatpost and may provide a good alternative to the Quix system if more than 550 cu in. of gear is required. Equipment List My normal equipment list(7-8lbs. total weight) is the following (assume you are starting with a completely naked cyclist). The current miracle fabrics are Thermax, Coolmax and Capilene. Polypropylene is no longer recommended. 1 pr. cycling shorts(with quick drying synthetic chamois) 1 short sleeve cycling jerseys (quick drying synthetic) 2 pr cycling socks 1 pr cycling shoes(SPD type) 1 helmet and/or cotton cycling cap(washable) 1 pr leg warmers(Pearl Izumi are the best!) 1 medium weight Thermax long sleeve top(converts SS jersey to long sleeve) 1 waterproof jacket (Gore-Tex, etc.) 2 pr gloves 1-cycling, 1-warm(Patagonia Capilene) 1 pr sunglasses 1 pr lightweight pants(North Face North Shore) 1 polo shirt or t-shirt (Patagonia Capilene) 1 pr walking shorts(Patagonia Baggie Lites are light and not bulky) 1 pr undershorts(or Speedo swimsuit, doubles for jacuzzis and swimming) 1 handkerchief/bandana(for cleaning glasses and neck protection from the sun) 1 rain cover for pack(panniers are notorious for leaking) 2 spare tubes(new) 1 patch kit with 8 patches and new glue + several tire "boots" 1 tool kit(spoke wrench, tire irons, chain lube, screw driver, chain tool, 3-4-5-6mm allen wrenches, Swiss Army "Classic" knife) 2 water bottles(20 oz. or 27oz. depending on your preference) Maps(see below for brand recommendations) Toilet kit(aspirin, cortisone cream(saddle sores), neosporin, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, razor, soap, sunblock, comb, fingernail clippers) Camera + film(see below for recommendations on type to purchase) Small "hotel" type sewing kit for emergency repairs 1 extra derailleur cable (a must for those with STI) 1 extra brake cable Notepad and pen Passport Cash(Traveler's Checks) Credit cards(Visa or Mastercard, not Amex) ATM Card Driver's License (and extension if expired) Health Insurance Card Earplugs(for sleeping at night) Watch with alarm Wallet (leave the stuff you don't need at home) Some optional items may include (if you have the space!): second pair of cycling shorts second short sleeve cycling jersey 1 foldable clincher(can be shared with another rider) 1 pr Tennis Shoes(get something with good support for days off) Bike cable and lock(5/16" X 5' coated Flexweave(TM) cable) 1 pr pajamas 1 Freewheel puller + spokes - if you have a habit of breaking spokes 10-15' of thin cord to use as a clothesline Electronic language translator (see below) Miscellaneous notes Having a cyclometer can help to keep from getting lost. A cyclometer that can be switched to kilometers (standard unit of distance in Europe) is a big plus. Also, I like having an altimeter function as well. On the big passes it really helps me to know how much climbing I have done and how much I have left before the top. The synthetic material used in Federal Express envelopes, called Tyvek, makes great thin, lightweight tire boots. Cut them to fit the size of your patch kit .. "Fiber Fix" makes an inexpensive kit for use in an emergency to replace a broke n spoke. If you are going to begin and end your trip from the same destination, you can bring extra clothes for the flight over and the flight back which can be stored in your bike box while you are on your tour. The "going light" method does not leave much room in your bike bag for momentos or gifts. However, if you find something you really like, it is quite easy and not expensive to mail the item back home. Most post offices sell an assortment of boxes so finding the correct size is easy. Also, if the item is valuable, I would suggest sending it air mail. For smaller, more valuable items like film I put everything in one or two well-sealed plastic bags before placing it in the box. That way, if the box somehow springs a small leak, you won't lose that one roll of film wth the killer photos. Brakes I would recommend a good set of brakes, some of the descents are long, steep and quite tricky with off camber and decreasing radius turns, usually accompanied by lack of guard rail. Make sure your brakes are working well! Gearing For gearing a 39x26 or 39x28 seem to be a reasonable low gear for the sustained climbing in the Alps. Some people prefer triple front chainrings. Your mileag e may vary. TIPS WHILE ON THE ROAD This section deals with the basic trip details, road conditions, weather, food, hotels, changing money. Maps The yellow Michelin regional maps are the best. There is so much detail, it is almost impossible to get lost. Having the elevation of the towns helps plan out the climbs and having the different types of roads(see below) marked out helps me stay off the more heavily traveled arteries. The Michelins are only available for France, Switzerland and, parts of Italy. Also, note that these maps now bear a date(on the back at the bottom) as to when they were last updated, get the latest version. The yellow maps are in 1cm:2km (1/200000) scale. Michelin is now making green regional maps that are 1cm:1km (1/100000) scale and are much more detailed than the standard yellow maps. They are also more expensive and larger which makes them great for pre-planning a route before you leave home but maybe a bit too bulky for taking with you on your trip. These maps are also date labeled and have numbers in the 100-200 range. For Italy, I would recommend the Touring Club Italiano (TCI) maps, they are almost as good as the Michelins and come in 1cm:2km (1/200000) scale. Also recommended are the Institut Geographique National(IGN) maps, which are marked with contour lines. There are three flavors green is 1cm:1km, red is 1cm:2.5km, and blue is somewhat finer than the green (blue is usually used by hikers). Roads First, there are different classes of roads, delineated by the color of the signs. For example, in Switzerland, the freeways use green signs (verboten for bicycles), the blue signs are for primary roads(bikes OK) and the secondary roads are in white (bikes OK). Primary roads tend to be a little more direct than secondary roads, but they have more traffic as well. The colors for road signs may differ from country to country. Note that in France, freeway signs are in blue and primary road signs are in green. One important sign to note is that in Europe, a red circle with a bike in the center means that the road is closed to bicycles. In the US we are more familiar with a red circle with a red slash through it meaning the activity in the sign is prohibited, but in Europe, just the red circle means the activity i n the center is prohibited. Many tunnels in Europe do not have lighting, and some are very long. For the most part the road surfaces inside are OK, but it's best to play it safe and slow way down, don't forget to pop up the sunglasses. The mountain roads are generally good, but deteriorate as you go higher. Also, the width of the roads can change dramatically from 2 lanes to 1 lane, etc., tunnels spring up out of nowhere, and the turns are not marked. However you can avoid just about anything by being careful. The roads in Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein are the best. France, Ital y and Spain are very good as well. Guides to Paved Climbs Written guides to paved climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees exist. There are four separate guides to the mountainous regions in France that describe the paved mountain passes which may be of use to anyone planning a trip. The guides are written in French, but each pass has a sort of topographic layout of the actual climb, giving the percent grade for each kilometer, which is very useful. The four guides are(denoted by the subtitle "ALTIGRAPH Edition"): 1) Atlas des Cols des Alpes - North(everything north of the Col du Galibier) 2) Atlas des Cols des Alpes - South(everything south of the Col du Galibier) 3) Atlas des Cols des Pyrenees 4) Atlas des Cols du Massif Central They cost about 110ff($20 US) each (they take credit cards!) and are available from: Au Vieux Campeur 14 Rue des Ecoles 75005 Paris France Telephone # +33-1.43.29.12.32 (magasins/shops, librairie/book shop) Fax : +33-1.60.11.89.66 & +33-1.60.11.70.38 POINTS of ENTRY to EUROPEAN MOUNTAINS Choosing the correct port of entry can depend on a number of factors. If you have lots of time and resources, but not much money, you might try to fly into an airport that has great fares, but is relatively far from your starting point .. Frankfurt is a good example, with lots of reasonable fares from the US and with rail service right out of the airport to many of the starting points for popula r tours. If you have a time constraint, you may want to try and get as close as possible to your starting point. Another option is to get a one-way rental car so that you can drive directly from the airport to your starting point. Be warned that with gasoline prices in Europe between $4 and $5/gallon and with freeways in France and Italy charging tolls to use their roads, the oveall cost of renting a car can be much greater than the actual car rental charge. Below is a list of points of entry to the various mountainous regions of Europe : 1) Geneva - good for the Alps and the Jura mountains. There is a train station in the airport to get you out of town fast. 2) Milan - good for the Italian and Swiss Alps. You can leave luggage in the airport. The airport is a fair ways northeast of the city, there is bus servic e to the train station downtown. 3) Nice - very nice starting point for the Maritime Alps and Provence. You can ride your bike right out of the airport. 4) Barcelona - about 100 miles south of the eastern end of the Pyrenees. 5) Paris - you can take a TGV (bullet train) south to the Pyrenees or east to the Alps. 6) Zurich - close to the Swiss Alps. CHANGING MONEY First off, it should be noted that Europeans are embracing credit cards. One big advantage to using credit cards to pay for everything is that you get a muc h better exchange rate than by changing your US cash (or Traveler's Checks) into local currency. In 1996, using credit cards gave about a 7% savings over cash. ATM cards are also becoming popular. They offer similar savings as credit card s as long as you are not charged a high fee by your bank for using it. I have heard that sometimes the transaction fee can be as high as $5. Interestingly, most banks charge about $5 for exchanging money! If you are in the Alps, you should keep a good supply of the local currency as banks are not always easy to find(except resort towns). Hotels will change money, use this as a last resort as the exchange rate is not always good. I have found that most banks have the same exchange rate, so shopping around is seems to be a waste of time. Remember, you can change your current currency as well as your US stuff when you change countries. However, if you are in France and want to change US currency into Italian lire, you will most likely be charged two transaction fees, one for changing from US to French francs and one for changing the French francs to Italian lire. As a general rule, you cannot change small denomination coins. If you are anticipating leaving a country be sure to use up all your small change or be prepared to just give it away at the border. DEALING WITH JET LAG Jet lag is a problem, especially if you are coming from the West Coast which means an 8-9 hour time difference. It is advised that you try to get on the local time standard as soon as possible. If you arrive in Europe in the mornin g try to stay up and sleep when night comes to Europe rather than taking a nap right away and then lying awake when it is dark outside. GENERAL STUFF Except in big cities, everything in the towns shut down from 12pm(noon) to around 3pm. This means markets, banks, basically everything you need. Restaurants are open, but a big meal is a no-no. I found it was better to buy food at a super market in the morning and just munch a bit about every 2 hours. Typical road food was fruit(bananas, nectarines, peaches), cookies, candy bars and bread. In Spain, everything shuts down from 1pm-4pm and dinner is not usually served until 8:30 or so. In Italy and France, everything shuts down from about 12:30 pm to 4pm and dinner is not usually served till 7pm. FINDING HOTELS The "Office of Tourism" is a good place to start looking for hotels. The tourist office can provide a list of hotels graded by stars and may also make recommendations. I prefer the 2 and 3 star hotels(out of a possible 5), the firmness of the bed and noisiness of the street outside were the major factors influencing my decision. The average price of 2-3 star hotels for 2 twin beds and a toilet with shower was $40-$70. I have found that in France and Italy, 3 star hotels are quite nice and 2 star hotels are adequate. In Switzerland 2 star hotels are very nice. It should also be mentioned that since most hotels do not have air conditioning , you need to do everything possible to get a cool room. If you need to keep the windows open, try and get a room away from the street side of the hotel or the noise will keep you up(believe me, this is important). Earplugs help somewhat. A couple of tricks to stiffen up soft beds are to put the mattress on the floor or you can take a door off of a closet and put it between the springs and the mattress. Many European hotels use down comforters instead of blankets on their beds. If you sleep hot, like me, you can remove the comforter cover and use it as a blanket. FOOD Breakfast Most hotels in Europe are now charging ($5 to $7) for their continental breakfast (le petit dejuneur). If you are unsure if there is a charge it is best to ask. If you don't need a latte to get going in the morning a less expensive alternative is to buy some pastries at the local bakery the night before and eat them in your hotel room before departing. Most hotels are open for breakfast from 7:30am to 9:00am. Lunch Most bars and restaurants offer simple sandwiches at reasonable prices. A cheese sandwich runs about $3, while ham and cheese is around $4. In Italy, these simple sandwiches are called paninis. Dinner I'm not a big food gourmet. For dinner, I stick with the basics. Spaghetti, lasagne, pizza, grilled meats, etc.. If you try something exotic and your stomach gets upset, you won't be able to ride. If you are looking for good food, get some recommendations before you leave or be prepared to swig some Pepto. As we say in America, "If you can't pronounce it, you might not want to eat it". WEATHER You should come to Europe prepared to get wet. Yes, it rains there in the summer. It can be hot at the lower elevations in the summer, if you sleep at higher altitudes(1000 meters) you may be able to beat the heat. Some regions have predictable weather conditions such as the 15-20mph wind that seems to always blow up the Sion valley from Maritgny towards Brig. The best month to tour in the Alps is July. The weather is reasonably settled and the days are warm. September is a good second choice, though the weather i s a bit more unsettled and it can turn cold and actually snow. Also, in September, it is possible that the hotels at major ski resorts, like Sestriere and Isola 2000, may be closed as they prepare for the upcoming season. Check before heading up that next climb. I would not recommend going to the Pyrenees Mountains during the month of July (possibly even August). Even though there are a lot of 4000' climbs, the passe s are for the most part low altitude compared to the Alps(1500-2000 meters versus 2000-2700 meters) and because of this it is quite hot. A better time for the Pyrenees is May, June or September. Also, I found the Pyrenees to be quite beautiful but, I really like the ruggedness of the Alps and the roads in the Pyrenees did not pass by much of this type of scenery(though it does exist via hiking trails). August seems to be a bad time for a tour. All of Europe goes on vacation. Thi s means that the roads and accommodations are crowded and the air pollution is also bad. BEING IN SHAPE Because I am on vacation, I am not going over to Europe to suffer on every climb, so being in shape is of tantamount importance. Plan your pre-trip riding depending on the type of trip you are going to do. I live for switchbacks so I go to Europe to ride the passes, so I try to do a lot of climbing on my rides in the US. PEOPLE I find everybody pretty friendly. In most countries, the people attempt to speak English once you attempted a conversion in their native tongue (especiall y the French). Try to respect the native customs. TAKING YOUR BIKE ON THE TRAIN I would avoid checking baggage(this includes bikes) on a train unless you can afford to be separated from it for up to a week after you reach your destination. This is because on European trains, the baggage cars are not necessarily hooked up to the passenger trains which means you can wait for days for your luggage to arrive(I saw this happen to a Canadian guy in 1990). I have been told that there are some trains in Italy that include a special baggage car the will hold bikes. You may want to check into this if your proposed itinerary includes travel by train. The key here is that you want to make sure that both you and your bike are on the same train. On Swiss and German trains there is space at the end of most cars where you can leave baggage, which is where I put my bike. In France and Italy, I suspended the bike above the seats in the two opposing luggage racks(great trick!). There is a chance that a conductor may be displeased by the bike and start making all sorts of gyrations about the bike having to be sent as baggage. Just play dumb and as long as you are not taking up too much space they will usually let you slide. Unfortunately, in 1992, I came under the wrath of every train conductor in Europe. I never got separated from my bike, but I had to pay an extra charge for having my bike with me on the train($30 US). However, I would rather be verbally abused than be separated from my bike! On interesting thing about bikes on passenger trains, in 1992 I took the TGV from Paris to Pau and was not hassled about my bike because it was still in the box and in the back of the car. You may be able to cut down on your hassle quotient by keeping you bike in your box until you really need it. Just a thought. Train service is not available in all towns (especially in the mountains). However, bus service usually is available and you can use the bus to connect to a train station. Your bike has to travel in the baggage compartment, it is a bit risky since the bike may move around a bit with all the luggage so take care in helping the driver put it in a good location. MISCELLANIA 1) I have a ritual for taking care of necessary business (most notably washing my cycling clothes) when I arrive at my day's destination and get into my hotel room: a) take off all my cycling clothes and place them in the sink with soap to wash b) after 5-10 minutes rinse soap out of cycling clothes and use the fresh clean bath towels to ring them as dry a possible. A quick way to help wring out your freshly washed riding clothes is to spread the wet garment on a dry towel. Roll the garment up in the towel and use your knee to press the rolled towel. Unroll the towel and hang the garment to dry. c) hang the clothes to dry, if done properly they should be ready for the next morning. Theft proof hangers may present a problem. One trick is to bring some thin clothesline to hold the hangers. d) take my shower and use the slightly wet towels to dry(this works fine). e) there are some really good, super-concentrated laundry soaps such as ultra-strength Wisk which work well for washing clothes and are concentrated enough so that a little goes a long way. 2) Be careful when buying film in Europe. Some of the film prices include processing charges. It is best to ask what's what. 3) I did not find it necessary to take a travel guide(such as the Michelin Red Guide), but it may be helpful for pre-trip planning. 4) There are a number of pocket calculators that serve as language translators. I have one that translates between English, French, Spanish, German and Italian. It also converts miles to kilometers, degrees farenheit to degrees centigrade and currency rates(you enter the ratios) and all for about $40! 5) Beware of national holidays. Once I was out of francs in France during Bastille Day, not pleasant. 6) Many mountain passes have restaurants on top which is great for getting a soda or candy bar. However, be forewarned that a can of Coke can cost 3-4 times as much at a bar than at a supermarket. 7) If you need to make long distance phone calls you can save a significant amount of money by using a pay phone and your calling card rather than using the phone in your hotel room. Most hotels use a computer to estimate the actual phone charges and these estimates can sometimes be over three times the actual charges. The calling card method bills you for only the actual charges. 8) Phone cards are becoming the norm in Europe. You can buy them at newstands and at Bar/Tobacco shops. 9) Some countries may require a separate Visa(like France used to), be sure to check with your travel agent or the State Department. 10) When buying stamps for postcards, make sure you ask for Air Mail stamps otherwise it can take up to 3 months for the cards to arrive in the US. Also, it is much cheaper to mail postcards in France ($0.80 US) than Switzerland ($1.80 US), so if you are sending lots of cards you can save quite a lot of money by mailing them in the correct country. 11) If you are shipping and parcels to Europe(or vice versa), allow 8 weeks for delivery if sent surface, about 2 weeks for air mail. 12) If you have Shimano Hyperglide shifting, I would consider also carrying a chain tool. In the past several years, with the popularity of STI, I have noticed more and more people stopped by the side of the road with a broken chain. Some emergency versions of a chain tool, such as the Ritchey CPR 5 are very light. 13) If you buy bus or train tickets, you should specify up front if you would like a one-way or round trip ticket. Some locations assume the default is one-way, others assume round-trip. 14) Staying hydrated(i.e. drinking water) is really important. Most towns have fountains or pipes flowing into water troughs. The general rule is that unless there is a sign that says the water is not fit for drinking ("eau non potable", "verboten") then you can drink it. 15) Instead of carrying lots of medicines that you may or may not need like cold medicines, write down the name and amounts of the ingredients of your favorite US medicines so that you can compare and buy the same products if needed. 16) Plastic bags can be your savior in wet and/or cold weather. Plastic bags placed on your feet before putting on socks, plastic inside your leg warmers or on your chest can help cut the cold dramatically. 17) Food labeling is not the same as it is in the US. For example, the Nutrasweet label is not found on diet soda, so beware. 18) I take 2-3 energy bars for use from the time my plane touches down and I have my bike together and have hit the road. There are a lot of things to do when you arrive at the airport and before you reach your first town. Having an easy source of food makes those hectic moments much easier. 19) if you are going to leave your bike box at the airport (or hotel) you can stash things like extra clothes, et. al. to make the trip over and the return a little more comfortable and hygenic. 20) rather than change your foreign currency back to US money when you return home, save it for future use when you return for your next adventure. 21) There is an interesting effect that seems to occur in Europe. Early in the morning the combination of low light and some haze can make it look like a bad day of weather is coming. However, once the sun climbs a bit in the sky, everything burns off and a glorious day arrives. 22) In Italy, it is cheaper to mail packages back to the states if you give the customs officials the permission to open the parcel when it is leaving the country. 23) One way to make a great vacation with a short amount of time is to arrange a one way drop-off car which can be used to get you to the prime cycling territory quickly. Arranging for the car in the states can save a lot of money. 24) People like to smoke a lot in Europe, especially in their hotel rooms. If your hotel room is filling up with smoke, place a towel against the floor of the door jam to stop the flow. 25) If you anticipate doing any cycling in your street clothes, you might want to think about including a seatcover. The seatcover keeps any grease, grime, etc. on your saddle from transferring to your good clothes. 26) A neat trick for drying out wet cycling shoes is to pack them tightly with dry newspaper. I have had totally soaked shoes dry out overnight. 27) Some antibiotics increase your sensitivity to sunlight. Be certain that you know what the side effects of your medications are before you leave on your trip. 28) On the top of many of the mountain passes, the shop(s) selling postcards usually has a rubber stamp. Geting your postcards stamped on top of the pass makes them more "official" ("you were there") in some circles. DAY TRIPPING If someone wanted to avoid the hassles of carrying gear and just wanted to find a nice town for some day trips, my first choice would be Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Situated in the heart of the Dolomites, Cortina has incredible, and I mean incredible, scenery and many great passes(don't miss the ride up to the Tre Cime de Lavaredo, it's a great walk to circumnavigate the base as well). You can plan trips from 30 to 150+ miles of some of the best riding in the world. My second choice would be Andermatt, Switzerland gateway to the Susten, Furka, Gothard and Oberalp passes and close to Wilhem Tell's birthplace(he didn't really exist but, there's a monument anyway). The day rides here are longer and more strenuous but, you won't be disappointed. Also recommended is the northern Italian town of Bormio. The Stelvio, Gavia, Bernina, Foscagno and Mortirolo are all within a day's ride. ------------------------------ Subject: 4.7 More information on Amtrak and Bicycles From: Date: Fri, 07 Nov 97 13:31:13 -0800 In the summer of 1997 a group of us decided to take Amtrak to the northern Californian town of Dunsmuir. This is the last stop before Oregon and we wanted to ride from the California boarder to Sacramento through the Central Valley since we had never heard of anyone doing that before. After several calls to Amtrak we finally found out that we could take the train from Fremont to Dunsmuir with only one transfer in Sacramento. But since neither Fremont nor Dunsmuir had passenger services (which allowed baggage loading and unloading) we couldn't take the bicycles with us. We made other plans for the bicycle transport. We had a sag wagon going up there but most people would probably opt just to send the bike via Greyhound which is cheap, reliable and goes more places than the train does. The train was a bit late at Fremont but we finally got out only a few minutes off of their schedule. The view and the trip to Sacramento were very nice. The trains are extremely comfortable in the seating position though the overhead luggage section isn't suitable for normal sized carryon stuff. This line had bicycle carriers that would accept ONLY single bikes. Tamdems would definitely not fit. The connecting train was a real problem. It was 2 hours late and the Sacramento station is something built around 1925 or so and extremely uncomfortable, drafty and cold at night. Moreover, Amtrak personnel generally know nothing at all about what is going on, what the delays are or when you can expect the train to arrive. This isn't because they are stupid or don't want to be helpful, it is because no one knows what is going on and the railroad won't tell them. There was another bike rider there who was going between major stations and so was loading his bike into a box provided by Amtrak. However, they had no tape and it was late evening and there was no place for him to get tape. I don't know how he resolved the problem since he was gone when we got back from dinner. But if you intend to take your bike on Amtrak be aware of this possible problem. Amtrak loads passengers into cars in some manner that keeps most of the passengers getting off at any specific station in the same car so that it is easier for the conductor to remind you to get off. The problem with this is that the more popular stations will crowd some cars while others will be almost empty. If you want a good view the upper levels are best, but that is also the level though which the children run continuously fore and aft as the train is traveling. Because of this you will get no sleep whatsoever if you seat yourself at either end. The doors are continuously opening and closing and have air mechanisms that are very annoying. Instead sit near the center of the car. The lower level seating is very quiet in this regard though there is more track and traffic noise. I would sit on the lower levels in the future since our trip was almost exclusively at night and there was nothing to see anyway. We had other members of the tour arriving the next day but that train was 8 hours late and no one knew where it was stopped. This was a nightmare for the people involved and it took the sag wagon away from the ride for the entire day trying to recover these riders. Without the sag wagon to wait for and sag these late riders up, we would have had to lose a day of the tour and we would therefore have had to reroute the trip missing the most scenic portion of the trip. Be aware that while there are some advantages to taking Amtrak, there are a lot of disadvantages and you cannot count on time schedules being kept. I would always allow at least an extra day for travel to or from an event knowing what I know now. We had planned on a day to recover from the trip and booked rooms at a local motel for the day after the trip and that was definitely the right thing to do. The owner of the motel also allowed us to use their garage to store the 15 bikes after they were reassembled from transportation mode. ------------------------------ Subject: 4.8 Getting Weather Information From: Bob Kastigar Date: Sat, 17 Oct 1998 07:18:09 -0500 (CDT) I'm planning an excursion for next summer, and I was trying to find weather statistics for where I wanted to go, to get important things like average temperatures, average rainfall, etc. for different times of the year. I found a *great* resource at: http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/~cas/Climo/polys/states.txt.html which I thought I'd share with you, if you need to take into account climatic information when planning a bike trip. To give credit where credit is due: I was steered to this place by Jeff and Alan at another resource: http://www.wunderground.com and thought they should be thanked for their help. ------------------------------ Subject: 5 Racing ------------------------------ Subject: 5.1 Tour de France Jerseys From: Chris Murphy Chauner and Halstead (1990) in "The Tour de France Complete Book of Cycling" explain: YELLOW Jersey -- Overall leader, first awarded during the 1919 race (TdF started in 1903); yellow to match the paper used to print L'Auto (Automobile Cyclisme), a French newspaper about bike racing. POLKADOT Jersey (White w/red dots) -- Best climber, determined by points scored by the first 3 to 15 riders finishing selected mountain stages (number of riders awarded points varies with the difficulty of the stage). First awarded 1933. GREEN Jersey -- Points jersey, usually won by sprinter-types, with points given to the first 25 riders to finish each stage. First awarded 1953. YELLOW Hats -- First place team, determined by combined elapsed times of the the team's top 3 riders. In the event of a rider leading the race and also deserving one of the other jerseys, the race leader wears yellow, and the 2nd place in the category wears the category jersey. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.2 Major Tour Winners 1947-1990 From: Tim Smith [Ed note: I'm hoping Tim won't be too upset if I add to the list he posted. I need some help filling in the last few years.] Winners of the Big Three National Tours -- Since 1947: Tour de France Giro d'Italia Vuelta d'Espana *---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1947 Jean Robic (F) Fausto Coppi (I) E. van Dyck (B) 1948 Gino Bartali (I) F. Magni (I) B. Ruiz (E) 1949 Fausto Coppi (I) F. Coppi (not held) 1950 Ferdi Kubler (CH) Hugo Koblet (CH) E. Rodriguez (E) 1951 Hugo Koblet (CH) F. Magni (nh) 1952 Fausto Coppi F. Coppi (nh) 1953 Louison Bobet (F) F. Coppi (nh) 1954 Louison Bobet C. Clerici (CH) (nh) 1955 Louison Bobet F. Magni J. Dotto (F) 1956 Roger Walkowiak (F) Charly Gaul (L) A. Conterno (I) 1957 Jacques Anquetil (F) Gastone Nencini (I) J. Lorono (E) 1958 Charly Gaul (L) E. Baldini (I) Jean Stablinski (F) 1959 Federico Bahamontes (E) Charly Gaul A. Suarez (E) 1960 Gastone Nencini (I) Jacques Anquetil (F) F. de Mulder (B) 1961 Jacques Anquetil A. Pambianco (I) A. Soler (E) 1962 Jacques Anquetil F. Balmamion (I) Rudy Altig (D) 1963 Jacques Anquetil F. Balmamion J. Anquetil (F) 1964 Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil Raymond Poulidor (F) 1965 Felice Gimondi (I) V. Adorni (I) R. Wolfshohl (D) 1966 Lucien Aimar (F) Gianni Motta (I) F. Gabica (E) 1967 Roger Pingeon (F) Felice Gimondi (I) J. Janssen (NDL) 1968 Jan Janssen (NDL) Eddy Merckx (B) Felice Gimondi (I) 1969 Eddy Merckx (B) Felice Gimondi Roger Pingeon (F) 1970 Eddy Merckx Eddy Merckx Luis Ocana (E) 1971 Eddy Merckx Gosta Petersson (S) F. Bracke (B) 1972 Eddy Merckx Eddy Merckx J-M Fuente (E) 1973 Luis Ocana (E) Eddy Merckx Eddy Merckx (B) 1974 Eddy Merckx Eddy Merckx J-M Fuente 1975 Bernard Thevenet (F) F. Bertoglio (I) Tamames (E) 1976 Lucien van Impe (B) Felice Gimondi J. Pesarrodona (E) 1977 Bernard Thevenet Michel Pollentier (B) Freddy Maertens (B) 1978 Bernard Hinault (F) J. de Muynck (B) Bernard Hinault (F) 1979 Bernard Hinault Giuseppe Saronni (I) Joop Zoetemelk (NDL) 1980 Joop Zoetemelk (NDL) Bernard Hinault (F) F. Ruperez (E) 1981 Bernard Hinault Giovanni Battaglin (I) Giovanni Battaglin (I) 1982 Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault Marino Lejarreta (E) 1983 Laurent Fignon (F) Giuseppe Saronni (I) Bernard Hinault (F) 1984 Laurent Fignon Francesco Moser (I) Eric Caritoux (F) 1985 Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault Pedro Delgado (E) 1986 Greg Lemond (USA) Roberto Visentini (I) Alvaro Pino (E) 1987 Stephen Roche (EIR) Stephen Roche (EIR) Luis Herrera (Col.) 1988 Pedro Delgado (E) Andy Hampsten (USA) Sean Kelly (EIR) 1989 Greg Lemond (USA) Laurent Fignon (F) Pedro Delgado (E) 1990 Greg Lemond (USA) Gianni Bugno (I) Marco Giovanetti (I) 1991 Miguel Indurain (E) Franco Chioccioli (I) Melchor Mauri (E) 1992 Miguel Indurain (E) Miguel Indurain (E) Toni Rominger (CH) 1993 Miguel Indurain (E) Miguel Indurain (E) Toni Rominger (CH) 1994 Miguel Indurain (E) Eugeni Berzin (RUS) Toni Rominger(CH) 1995 Miguel Indurain (E) Toni Rominger (CH) Laurent Jalabert (FR) 1996 Bjarne Rijs (DK) Pavel Tonkov (RUS) Alex Zulle (CH) 1997 Jan Ullrich Ivan Gotti (I) Alex Zulle (CH) 1998 Marco Pantani (I) Marco Pantani (I) Abraham Olano 1999 Lance Armstrong (USA) Ivan Gotti (I) Jan Ullrich 2000 Lance Armstrong (USA) Stefano Garzelli (I) Roberto Heras 2001 Lance Armstrong (USA) Gilberto Simoni (I) Angel Casero 2002 Lance Armstrong (USA) Paolo Salvoldelli Aitor Gonzalez 2003 Lance Armstrong (USA) Gilberto Simoni Roberto Heras 2004 Lance Armstrong (USA) Damiano Cunego Roberto Heras The Tour started in 1903, and was not held 1915-1918 and 1940-1946. The Giro started in 1909, and was not held 1915-1918 and 1941-1945. Source: 1947-1982: "La Fabuleuse Histoire du Cyclisme" by Pierre Chany. 1982-1988: my fallible memory. Would someone complete 1983 and 1984, and correct any mistakes? Thanks. One interesting observation: almost all the winners of the Tour were big names in their time (yes, even Charly Gaul and Jean Robic.) There were no same-year winners of the Tour and the Giro before 1949. In fact, the first year a non-Italian won the Giro was 1950. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.3 Rating the Tour de France Climbs From: Bruce Hildenbrand Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 00:28:53 -0800 (PST) One of the most frequently asked questions is how do the organizers determine the ratings for the climbs in the Tour de France(TIOOYK). The Tour organizers use two criteria 1) the length and steepness of the climb and 2) the position of the climb in the stage. A third, and much lesser criteria, is the quality of the road surface. It is important to note several things before this discussion begins. First, the organizers of the Tour have been very erratic in their classifications of climbs. The north side of the Col de la Madeleine has flip-flopped between a 1st Category to an Hors Category climb, even though it seems to be in the same position of a stage every year. Secondly, rating inflation, so rampant in other sports has raised its ugly head here. Climbs that used to be a 2nd Category are now a 1st Category, even though, like the Madeleine, they occupy the same position in a stage year after year. Let's talk about the ratings. I will give you my impressions on what I think the criteria are for rating the climbs based on having ridden over 100 of the rated climbs in the major European tours. Note that gradual climbs do not receive grades. It has been my observation that about a 3-4% grade is necessary for a climb to get rated. Also, a climb must gain at least 70m for it to be rated. The organizers of the Tour de France also claim that the quality of the road surface can influence the rating of a climb. If the surface is very poor, like some of the more obscure climbs in the Pyrenees, then the rating may be bumped up. 4th Category - the lowest category, climbs of 200-500 feet(70-150m). 3rd Category - climbs of 500-1600 feet(150-500m). 2nd Category - climbs of 1600-2700 ft.(500-800m) 1st Category - climbs of 2700-5000ft(800-1500m) Hors Category - the hardest, climbs of 5000ft+(1500m+) Points awarded for the climbs ranges are as follows (from the 1990 race bible): 4th Category: 3 places: 5, 3, 1 3rd Category: 5 places: 10, 7, 5, 3, 1 2nd Category: 10 places: 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 1st Category: 12 places: 30, 26, 22, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 Hors Category: 15 places: 40, 35, 30, 26, 22, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 Steepness also plays a factor in the rating. Most of the big climbs in the Alps average 7-8% where the big climbs in the Pyrenees average 8-9%. Please remember that I am giving very, very rough guidelines and that there are exceptions to every rule. For example, L'Alpe D'Huez climbs 3700ft(1200m), but is an Hors Category climb. This is because it usually comes at the end of a very tough stage and the climb itself is unusually steep(~9%) by Alpine standards. More confusing is the Col de Borderes, a mere 1000ft(300m) climb outside of Arrens in the Pyrenees mountains. I have seen it rated anywhere from a 3rd Category to a 1st Category !!! This is most likely due again, to its placement on the stage. The 3rd Category rating came when it was near the beginning of a stage where its 1st Category rating came when it was near the end. Flat or downhill sections can also affect a climb's rating. Such sections offer a rest to the weary and can reduce the difficulty of the climb considerably. This may be one of the reasons that the aforementioned Col de la Madeleine, which has a 1 mile downhill/flat section at mid-height, flip-flops in its rating. I am often asked how climbs in the United States compare to those in Europe. Most of the US climbs are either steep enough by European standards(6-8% grade), but are short(5-10km) so they fall into the 3rd Category or 2nd possibly; or the climbs gain enough altitude, but are too long(they average 5%) so again they would fail to break the 1st Category barrier and end up most likely a 2nd or 3rd Category. Fear not, there are exceptions. Most notable to Californians is the south side of Palomar Mountain which from Pauma Valley climbs 4200' in 11 miles, a potential 1st Category ascent, though it may fall prey to downgrading because of the flat section at mile four. The east side of Towne Pass in Death Valley is definitely a 1st Category climb! A popular Northern California climb, Mount Hamilton, is similar to Palomar Mountain but, fails to be a 1st Category climb because of two offending downhill section on the ascent and an overall gradient of 5%. For Coloradoans, you can thank the ski industry for creating long, but relatively gradual climbs that rarely exceed 5% for any substantial length(5+ miles). I never had to use anything bigger than a 42x23 on any climb in Colorado, regardless of altitude. Gear ratios of 39x24 or 26 are commonplace in the Alps and Pyrenees and give a very telling indication as to the difficulty of European climbs. One potential 1st Category climb for Coloradoans may be the 4000 ft. climb in about 15 miles from Ouray to the top of Red Mountain Pass. Also, remember we are rating only paved(i.e. asphalt) roads. Dirt roads vary considerably in their layout, condition and maintenance because there really are no guidelines for their construction. This makes it difficult to compare these climbs and inappropriate to lump them with paved roads. Also, it should be noted that there is not a single uniform rating scheme for all the races on the UCI calendar. What one race might call a 1st Category climb, may be called a 2nd Category climb, even though the stages of the two races are almost identical. One last note. I think it is inappropriate to compare the ascents of climbs by the European pros with the efforts of us mere mortals. I have said this time and time again and I will repeat it now. It is very, very hard for the average person to comprehend just how fast the pros climb the big passes. Pace makes all the difference. Riding a climb is very different than racing it. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.4 How to follow the Tour de France From: Tom James A question was recently posted to r.b.r concerning ways to follow the Tour de France. Here are a few comments about my own trips to France over the last five years, which may be of relevance to people who want to watch the race and have access to either a bike or a car. I've seen the Tour every year since 1991, always in the Alps or the Pyrenees. In addition, I've watched the Paris Stage in 1993/5, and the British stages in 1994, so all in all, I've a fair amount of experience. In 1991 and 1992 I watched as part of longer cycle tours in the Alps, stopping off to watch in the course of a ride from one place to another (in 1991 in the Arly Gorge, and in 1992 on the Galibier). On both occasions, the combination of my own abilities (only averaging ca. 60 miles/day) and the Tour's itinery meant that seeing the race more than once was not really feasible. In 1993, 93 and 95 we (myself + 3 friends) organised things differently. Basically, we took a car with the bikes on the roof and camped in the vicinity of the tour. It was then normally possible to see two days of racing (ie, somewhere near the end one day and near the beginning the next) before moving on to a new campsite perhaps 100 or 150 miles away to get another couple of days in. For example, in 1994, in addition to the Brighton and Portsmouth stages, we also saw the tour on l'Alpe d'Huez; on the Col de la Colombiere; on the Col de Joux Vert (2km from the finish of the Avoriaz time trial) and at the stage start in Morzine. Now some general notes. If you elect to see the Tour as we did by car and bike, be prepared for some long days with a lot of climbing. Bear in mind also that after the voiture balai has passed, it can still sometimes take almost as long to descend a mountain as to get up, due to the large number of pedestrians, cars, other cyclists etc also trying to get down. This problem is compounded at mountain top finishes, because firstly the field is spread over a long time (maybe 3/4hr from first to last rider) and secondly because after the stage, all the Tour vehicles and riders generally also come back down to the valley. For example, when we watched on Alpe d'Huez, it was nearly 5.00pm before we got down to Bourg d'Oisans and we then had a 40 mile ride with 1300m of climbing back over the Lautaret to get to where we were camping in Briancon Secondly, aim to get to the foot of any mountain you want to watch on at least 2 hours in advance. Even then, you might find some policemen want you to get off and walk. The attentiveness of policemen to this detail varies widely. For example, in Bourg d'Oisans, one policemen wanted us to walk, even though we were 2km from the foot of Alpe d'Huez; then 100m further on a second gendarme told us more or less to stop mucking around, if we had bikes then why weren't we riding them! Similarly, one Gendarme in 1995 gave an absolute flat refusal to let us even start on the climb of the Madeleine (admittedly we were quite late, and the first 8km are very very narrow) whereas on the Colombiere, I rode up in the middle of the caravane publicitaire. (NB this latter trick has oodles of street cred as a) about 50 million people cheer your every pedal stroke, b) the caravan showers you with freebies and c) you can beg chocolate from the Poulain van and pretend you're a domestique sent back to the team car to pick up extra food - and let's face it, being even a domestique is way above what 99.9% of the readers of rbr can aspire too!) If you travel by car and then hope to walk up, the roads get blocked even before they are completely closed - for example, in 1995 we ran into a terrible traffic jam south of Grenoble on the day of the Alpe d'Huez stage whilst we were heading south, though fortunately we avoided it by going via Sisteron rather than Gap, as had been the initial plan. Thirdly, come prepared for all weathers and with plenty of food and water. Both TT's I've been to (outskirts of Paris in 1993, and Avoriaz in 1994) took over 5 hours to pass, and even a run of the mill mountain stage may take 2 hours from first vehicle in the publicity caravan to the "Fin de Course" vehicle. The weather can change markedly - for example, at Avoriaz, we started the day in hot sunshine with girls sunbathing in bikinis, and finished in freezing rain. So make sure you have some warm clothing, even on an apparently hot day; plenty of water and plenty of food. Remember, once in place , you can't easily nip off to the local shop! All of the above was written from the point of view of watching in the mountains. I guess flat stages are easier as there are more small roads around, and the crowds are not so concentrated at certain key points. For Paris, it's best to travel into the centre by RER/RATP and then walk; you may need to wait several hours if you want a place on the barriers on the Champs Elysees, but at the Jardin des Tuileries end of the circuit, the pressure is not so bad. Finally, is it worth it? Yes! OK, you only get a fleeting glimpse of the riders, but it is all the incidentals that make it fun - spinning yarns with Thierry on the Galibier; riding up the Colombiere in the publicity caravan; being at the exact point on l'Alpe d'Huez where Roberto Conti made his winning attack (and hence being on Television); seeing Zulle ride effortlessly near the top of the Colombiere, 5 minutes up on everyone else; getting a grin from "Stevo" on l'Alpe d'Huez when a bunch of Ockers I was with shouted "hello Aussie!" as he rode past; and many many more in similar vein. Go! - you'll have a lot of fun! ------------------------------ Subject: 5.5 Tour de France Time Limits From: Bruce Hildenbrand Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 00:28:53 -0800 (PST) Below is an explanation of the time limits that are imposed on the riders for each stage of the Tour de France. If a rider does not finish within the prescribed time limit, then, barring extraordinary circumstances, they are not allowed to start the next day's stage and are eliminated from the Tour de France(TIOOYK). There is no time limit on for the prologue. This information comes from the 1990 edition of the racer's bible, it may be a bit out of date, but you get the general idea. Each stage of the Tour falls into one of six categories: 1) flat stage 2) rolling stage 3) mountain stage 4) individual time trial 5) team time trial 6) short stage The "short stage" category is used for stages that are short on distance by Tour standards(80 miles) and usually flat or rolling hills. The important thing to note is that faster the overall average speed of the winner, the greater the percentage of the winning time. For flat stages the scale goes from: 5% for less than a 34km/h average 6% for a 34-35km/h average 7% for a 36-37km/h average 8% for a 38-39km/h average 9% for a 40-41km/h average 10% for a 42-43km/h average 11% for a 44-45km/h average 12% for a 46km/h average or greater For rolling stages the scale goes from: 6% for less than a 31km/h average 7% for a 31km/h average 8% for a 32km/h average 9% for a 33km/h average 10% for a 34km/h average 11% for a 35km/h average 12% for a 36km/h average 13% for a 37km/h average or greater For mountain stages the scale goes from: 6% for less than a 26km/h average 7% for a 26km/h average 8% for a 27km/h average 9% for a 28km/h average 10% for a 29km/h average 11% for a 30km/h average 12% for a 31km/h average 13% for a 32km/h average 14% for a 33km/h average 15% for a 34km/h average 16% for a 35km/h average or greater The individual time trial 4 has a single cut-off and that is 25% of the winner's time. For the team time trial the scale goes from: 13% for less than a 42km/h average 14% for a 42km/h average 15% for a 43km/h average 16% for a 44km/h average 17% for a 45km/h average 18% for a 46km/h average 19% for a 47km/h average 20% for a 48km/h average or greater For short stages the scale goes from: 10% for less than a 34km/h average 11% for a 34-35km/h average 12% for a 36-37km/h average 13% for a 38-39km/h average 14% for a 40-41km/h average 15% for a 42-43km/h average 16% for a 44-45km/h average 17% for a 46km/h average or greater ------------------------------ Subject: 5.6 Tour de France Points Jersey Competition From: Bruce Hildenbrand The green ("points") jersey is awarded from points accumulated from finishing places and intermediate sprints. Riders receive points for all stage finishes based on the type of stage. Each stage of the Tour falls into one of four categories: 1) flat stage 2) rolling stage 3) mountain stage 4) individual time trial or prologue From the 1990 racer's bible: Flat stages: 25 places: 35, 30, 26, 24, 22, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Rolling stages: 20 places: 25, 22, 20, 18, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Mountain stages: 15 places: 20, 17, 15, 13, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Individual Time Trial and Prologue: 10 places: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Intermediate Sprints: 3 places: 6, 4, 2 Bruce Hildenbrand ------------------------------ Subject: 5.7 Bicycle Racing Movies From: Michael Frank Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 22:12:33 -0500 THE OBVIOUS ONES BREAKING AWAY Local cyclist in a small town (townie's aka 'cutters), lives, eats, and breathes cycling and everything else Italian, comes of age in a race against college kids. Based on Dave Blaze, and his experiences at Indiana University and the Little 500. Lots of trivia in this one, look for a current USCF board member, a current regional USCF coach, some former Olympians, One story I had heard was that one of the plot inspirations for the race scene in Breaking Away was Wayne Stetina. Wayne made the 1972 Olympic team at the age of 18. According to the story, after riding in Montreal he enrolled at IU, joined a frat, entered the Little 500 as part of his frat's team, rode the entire race himself and won. Just like the Cutter's plan for Dave Stohler in the movie. I think the term "Cutters" referred to the principle industry of the community, which was large (building) stone quarying, or "cutting". The race was sponsored by a local university and there was a strong "us against them" mind set between the University team and the non university or cutter team. The whole movie was loosely based on fact. The race does in fact still occur. It's still the cutters against the college crowd, and I saw it on TV about a year ago on ESPN2. Can't for the life of me remember the name of the university. Does anybody if this actually happened? I've heard basically the same story, and I do know that Wayne (and also Dale, I believe) went to IU and was on a frat team that won the Little 500. However, whether he did it singly-handedly I don't know. I *can* tell you for a fact that if you were a decent cyclist and were interested in attending IU, fraternities were willing to pay for your room, board, and tuition. After the Stetina's domination, however, the rules of the Little 500 were changed to limit it to only Cat 3 riders (there were no Cat 4 or Cat 5 categories back then). A friendly rival of mine (Bill Brissman) from Indy moved from Junior to Cat 3 (instead of Junior to Cat 2 like I did) just so he could pick up this "scholarship". He had to be careful about when and where he raced, so that he didn't draw too much attention and get bumped up to Cat 2 against his wishes. As soon as he graduated, he moved up to Cat 2. The IU alum and USCF racer who did the riding "stunts" for Dennis Christopher (the actor who played the protagonist) is now a woman. No need to mention his/her name. AMERICAN FLYER 2 brothers, one, a former National caliber rider (Kevin Costner), and his enthusiastic 'newbee' brother, take an adventure to the 'Hell of the West' (aka Coors Classic) stage race. Lots of good 'Coors Classic' footage in this one, even Eddy Merckx makes an appearance. QUICKSILVER Trials and tribulations in the tough world of bicycle messengers in New York City. Stars Kevin Bacon, and Nelson Vails. THE LESS OBVIOUS ONES LITTLE MISS MARKER A depression era bookie (Walter Matthau) gets stuck with a little girl, left as an IOU (marker). Only about 5 minutes of 6-day racing in this one. The track is a portable one, built by the same builder as the portable Atlanta Olympic Velodrome. JOEY BROWN, 6 DAY RACER A 1940's Bike messenger wins the Big 6-day race. A hard to find BW film from the 40's. Lots of 6-day footage, starring era comedian, Joey Brown. THE BICYCLE THIEF A family in Post war Italy struggle to make a living, taking their life savings to buy the Husband/Father a bicycle for work, only to have the bike stolen. Often shown at art festivals, or 'Study of film' classes. This film is by one of those famous 'Fellini' -types . No racing, but lots of old bikes, and definitely a different lifestyle, where the bike is King. Italian with Subtitles. EVEN LESS OBVIOUS ONES HUGO'S MAGIC PUMP Hugo is the winningest 6 day racer in Italy, beating everyone, incuding the Mafia's 'Fixed' riders. To stop losing gambling monies, the Mafia decides to wear Hugo down by throwing beautiful women at him, hoping to reduce his endurance and stamina. This Adult movie from the late 70's was 'Competive Cycling' magazines choice for best cycling footage in the era before 'Breaking Away'... Dubbed. THE YELLOW JERSEY A PBS Documentary from the Early 70's, showing the trials of the American team at a stage race in Canada. BREAKING AWAY, the TV Series Shawn Cassady plays the role of Dave Stoller, bike racer, in the TV series, based on the movie of the same name. This one is tough to find, as it only lasted one season in the early 80's. Don't forget "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" whose opening scene is Pee Wee Herman dreaming about winning the Tour de France. Wasn't there a movie (french) called the Maillot Jaune? I do remember some talk a few years past and even some speculation about a remake starring Dustin Hoffman Another movie filmed in New York City in the 80s was Called "Key Exchange" with Dany Aeillo and one of the actors from "Breaking Away" UN AFFAIRE D'HOMMES (F) (there seems to be no dubbed version of this one - you could translate the title to "a men's affair", maybe?) Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Claude Brasseur Story JL-T is an architect and joins a bicycle racing group where also a detective (C.B) is member. he uses this friendship to cover, that he mudered his wife. Film includes several scenes of the group's weekly race (which also plays a part in the murderers alibi), and even the final confrontation is not done using guns, but bikes. On a far tangent anyone ever see the Euro 'Vanished' (I think there was a poor attempt at an American version with Jeff Bridges)? There was a reference in the bizarre dialogue about Joop Zotemelk (sp?) and bicycle racing. Never figured out what it had to do with the rest of this disturbing film. Neither do I, except maybe that the Dutch couple in the French/Dutch movie "The Vanishing" was on bicycle vaccation in France when the wife was abducted? THE YELLOW JERSEY A PBS Documentary from the Early 70's, showing the trials of the American team at a stage race in Canada. BREAKING AWAY, the TV Series Shawn Cassady plays the role of Dave Stoller, bike racer, in the TV series, based on the movie of the same name. This one is tough to find, as it only lasted one season in the early 80's. One great movie to watch is "A Sunday In Hell 1976 Paris-Roubaix" available from World Cycling Productions. Not one of their regular videos, but a real movie about pro racing. Yeah.. great flick, but if I remember correctly, isn't that the one with the endless "PAREY RABO.. PAREY RABO..." chant in the background that goes on forever? Of course this one is slightly disappointing after you hear all of the build up. Another one, Stars and Water Carriers is a better movie with much better scenes of Eddy (The Cannibal) Merckx and how he won so much.The film shows the strain on Eddy's face and clearly shows how much effort he put into his racing. This is a Danish documentary with added english sound track so it sounds a bit funny, but it takes my vote for best cycling video to date. John Forrest Tomlinson wrote There was also "Key Exchange," though it might be better termed "mid-80s". I was in it ;-) So was Nelson "The Chettah" Vails, (a.k.a., the fastest cat in the jungle). He races the cabbie in the opening scene. Nope ... that scene is from Quicksilver ... Kevin Bacon is the passenger in cab... and the star of the movie. From what I understand, he did a lot of his own stunts ... the boy could ride. My favorite scene was when KB was racing one of the other messengers, and COASTED down one of the major S.F. hills on his fixed gear without brakes .... that and the freewheeling noises whenever he was riding his fixie. That and when Nelson shifts *from* a 14 *to* a 28 to race the cab. Speaking of.... Doesn't Dave Stoller drop into his little ring to motorpace the semi at the beginning of Breaking Away? From: Jonathan Good JOUR DE FETE is a great French film starring Jaques Tati. It's about a bicycling postman's misadventures (Tati) as he seeks to become a faster deliveryman (and cyclist). It is charming and absolutely hilarious, and features exciting and ridiculous bicycle riding in almost every scene in the film. No silly special effects here, this old film features the actors doing all sorts of cycling feats, including "mixing it up" with a pack of French racers on a training ride. Very hard to find, but not to be missed if you get the chance to see it! Also, I've seen JOEY BROWN, 6 DAY RACER, but it was just called 6 DAY RACER. (No JOEY BROWN in the title, but he is the star of the film!) ------------------------------ Subject: 5.8 Guide to Spectating at the Tour de France From: Bruce Hildenbrand Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 00:24:10 -0800 (PST) There are two basic ways you can watch the Tour de France. First off, you can join an organized tour group. The advantages with a tour group are that all the logistics are taken care of for you, all you have to do is watch and ride your bike. The disadvantages are that you must stick to the schedule of the group and there is a potential to be staying farther away from the venues because it is harder to find accommodations for a group. There are many tour groups which provide this service. Surf the Internet or check out the back of any major cycling periodical for the names of the touring companies. This guide explains the second option, doing it by yourself, in more detail. Transportation If you are on a very limited budget, you might try to use trains and buses to get to the locations of the stages. This is not too difficult an option when viewing the flatter stages, but gets more difficult as the Tour enters the mountains. If you can afford it, a car is a definite plus, especially if you want to bring your bike and do some cycling. Renting a car runs about $300-400 a week then you have to add in gas ($5/gallon) and tolls, so figure about $400-500/week total expenses. Sleeping Accommodations Because of the large entourage (riders, press, support personnel) who follow the Tour, hotels can be hard to find. This is especially true, in the mountains, but there are some tricks. Many mountain stages finish at the top of ski resorts with the Tour entourage staying in the hotels at the resort. You may be able to find accommodations in the large towns at the bottom of the resorts or at the end of the valleys, such as Grenoble when the Tour comes to l'Alpe d'Huez. Better yet, try another moutaintop ski resort near the stage finish such as Les Arcs when the Tour finishes at Courcheval. It is best to make accommodations as early as possible to ensure getting a room. Also, others have reported that even if you have confirmation of a reservation, the hotel may deny any knowledge when you arrive. If you do pre-book a hotel, bring all the confirmation information with you on your trip to prove that you do, indeed, have a reservation. Another option that gives more flexibility is to camp along the route. If you are driving by car, you can toss in a tent and a sleeping bag(s) and camp almos t anywhere along the route. It is important that you bring a tent since afternoo n and evening thunderstorms are common. Route Information A number of cycling related magazines such as the French magazines Velo and Mirroir du Cyclisme as well as the American VeloNews publish guides to the Tour which includes some route information to help you plan where you would like to watch the Tour. Sometimes, you can obtain a free copy of the official route map, I have seen these in years past, but don't know how to request one. Getting on the Route Obviously, the actual route of each day's stage is closed to both car and bicycle traffic at some during the day. The problem here is that the policy fo r closure seems to vary from year to year. One year the road up to l'Alpe d'Huez was closed at 6am the morning of the stage finish and another year, the police were letting cars on the road 2 hours before the riders arrived (about 3 pm)! Suffice it to say that if you absolutely need to be somewhere at a specific time, you should give yourself lots of time. The gendarme's seem to be more lenient towards letting bicycles on the race route, most times they start asking riders to dismount with about 1 hour to go before the riders arrive. However, recent incidents between spectators and racers have caused the Gendarmes to be more stringent in enforcing the rules. If you really want to ride a stage or portions of it, your best bet might be to do it the day before or the day after the Tour has come by, but that defeats th e purpose of going to see the Tour in the first place. On the flatter stages, there are more options of roads to follow to intersect the Tour. This helps if you want to see a lot of a particular stage and you have a car. In the mountains, the options are much more restrictive. One thin g you can do is to stay at the stage finish and then on the morning of the stage, ride backwards over 1 or 2 climbs, then climb back up to the finish in time to watch the stage on the big scree TV that is present at most stage finishes. You then drive to the next stage finish in the evening after all the hoopla has quieted down. Visiting teams after stage At the stage finishes it is difficult to actually visit the teams at their hotels. The riders need to prepare themselves for the next day which means getting massages, eating some food and resting are very important. While it is not advisable to attempt to visit the riders, the team mechanics are usually out in front, or back, of the hotel washing and adjusting the riders bicycles. As with the riders, the mechanics have important duties to attend to after each stage, but they usually don't mind if you watch them work. You might even curr y their favor by offering to buy them a beer! Gear to bring The weather is totally unpredictable during the Tour so you should bring clothing for hot, cold and wet weather. If you are touring by car and will be camping, in addition to your personal gear, a sleeping bag, sleeping pad and tent will give you a lot of freedom. Daily newspapers/TV coverage The French sports newspaper l'Equipe has excellent daily coverage of the Tour. It costs about $1 a day. Daily TV coverage of the Tour starts around 2pm giving about 3 hours of coverage as all stages are designed to finish around 5pm in the evening. On the days of the more important stages such as the time trials and mountains, TV coverage may follow the entire stage and begin as early as 9am. If you have access to cable TV, you should be able to find coverage in the major European languages. Also, there usually is a large TV screen present at the finish of most stages which carries the video of the normal TV coverage. For those of you fluent in French, the radio coverage is also quite good. ------------------------------ Subject: 6 Social ------------------------------ Subject: 6.1 Bicycling in America From: Jobst Brandt Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 17:08:29 PDT (or How to survive on a bicycle) In America, bicycling appears to be an unacceptable activity for adults. It is viewed as a pastime reserved for children (people who are not old enough to drive cars). Adults who sense they are violating this stricture, excuse their bicycling as the pursuit of physical fitness, referring to their bicycling as training rides. Rarely do you hear a cyclist say "we were bicycling" but rather "we were on a training ride". Certainly most of these people never race although one might assume, by implication, that their other rides are races. Some also refer to themselves as serious cyclists, a term used to describe riders who, typically, keep track of pedaling cadence and other bicycling statistics, thereby giving proof that their riding is not child's play. In contrast, Europeans seem able to accept bicycling as a proper activity for all ages. That is to say, motorists do not treat bicyclists with apartheid and bicyclists do not feel the need to justify their pursuit as anything other than bicycling, for whatever reason. In Europe cadence on speedometers is an un-marketable function for no obvious reasons, however, one could imagine that for the average cyclist it is a useless statistic, except for "training rides". With this perception of bicycling in America, non cyclists and some occasional cyclists are offended by others who bicycle on public roads in the presence of automobile traffic. "Get the f#%k off the road!" and similar epithets are heard from drivers, some of whose cars are equipped with bike racks. I find it is similar to gay bashing; by expressing public outrage they demonstrate abhorrence of unacceptable behavior. The same is true of bicyclists who deride others in public for not wearing a helmet. Aggressive self righteousness is probably a fitting description. Another motive behind such behavior may be a sense of dissatisfaction with ones life. Anyone who is perceived as having fun, or at least more fun than the subject, needs to be brought down a notch. Psychologists who have interviewed youths that go "wilding" have gotten responses to the effect that "my life is terrible and I can't stand people who are having fun". So these youths attack others and beat them bloody. In a manner that may not make sense to others, they bring their victims down a notch to achieve parity. There is little doubt that bicycling has its hazards. You can fall by running into a pothole or an obstacle, by riding into a grating, or falling on loose gravel or a slick manhole cover. There are enough hazards without the threat of being run down by a car. However, the whole sport loses its appeal when motorists, who believe that adult bicycling is offensive, actively engage in making it a deadly endeavor. The scenario: In a typical encounter a driver says to his passenger "You see that guy on the bicycle? That's a dangerous place to ride." while slicing within inches of the cyclist. The passenger is truly impressed with the danger of bicycling, especially in the presence of this driver. I don't understand how drivers justify such behavior but I think I know what is going on. Examples: o The buzz and swerve routine: A driver slices dangerously close even though there is no opposing traffic. Then he drifts to the edge of the pavement to make clear how far he went out of his way for the cyclist. His desired path was even nearer the road shoulder than at the passing point. The buzz and swerve is executed equally well consciously and subconsciously. o Center court, extra point: The car, on a visibly empty stretch of road, travels perfectly centered between median and edge stripes, even when this requires passing within inches of a cyclist. It appears that the driver is awarding himself points for not flinching when passing cyclists and extra points for proximity. In the event of a collision it is, of course, the cyclist who swerved unexpectedly. The precision with which the driver executes this maneuver, in spite of the danger, makes the center court game conspicuous. People generally don't drive exactly centered in a lane, especially when there is an obstacle. o Honk and slice: The buzz and swerve or center court routine can be enhanced by honking a single one second blast. This is usually done at a far greater distance than a sincere warning toot; about 200 yards works best. This is a great crutch for the driver who subsequently collides with the cyclist. "But I warned him!" o The trajectory intercept: A car is traveling on a road that crosses the cyclists path at right angles. The car and bike are equally distant from the intersection but at different speeds. With skill, the driver of the car can slow down at a rate that lets him arrive at the intersection at the same time as the cyclist. The bicyclist who has a stop sign may now come to a complete stop and wait for the driver who is only looking out for the cyclist's safety. If the cyclist doesn't stop, the driver honks and yells something about breaking the law. Extra points are gained by offering the right of way to the cyclist, in spite of moving through traffic in the adjacent lanes. o The contrived hindrance: A driver refuses to pass a cyclist on a two lane road until the passenger asks how much longer they must follow this bicyclist, or until the following cars begin to honk. Then, regardless of visibility or oncoming traffic, an inopportune pass is executed after which each of following drivers makes it clear when passing that it was the cyclist who was responsible for a near collision. o The rear-ender: While riding down a mountain road, the cyclist catches up with a car that notices his rapid approach. If an oncoming car approaches the driver slows down, obviously for safety sake, and then suddenly slams on the brakes when there is no place for the cyclist to go. Bicycles cannot stop as fast as cars since cars can safely skid the front wheels but bicycles can't. This game is the more dangerous variation of speeding up every time the cyclist tries to pass but to drive as slowly as possible everywhere else. One explanation for these maneuvers is that the driver recalls that riding in the mountains was always too hard and riding down hill was scary. This cyclist can't do what I couldn't do and I'll show him a thing or two. Thus the driver proves to himself that not riding in the hills was for safety's sake, it had nothing to do with physical ability. It fits into the "I'll teach that smartass a lesson." There is little risk for the car because in a rear-end collision the vehicle behind is, with few exceptions, found at fault. So why does all this go on and on? It is not as though they are all hostile drivers; some are just frustrated drivers. They may still be getting even for some bicycle accident they had in their youth and don't want others to get off any easier. Some are angry at having to spend the time behind the wheel while other "irresponsible adults" are playing on their bicycles. I believe the meanest ones are insecure people who don't feel as though they are accomplishing what they expect of themselves and don't like to see others have it any better. Many drivers believe that the only part of the road to which a bicyclist is entitled is the road shoulder, unless it occurs to the driver to use that part too. A bike rack on a car may lead you to believe that the driver has a pro bicycle attitude. Some people use bike racks to transport family bicycles to a park where they can be ridden safely without venturing onto dangerous roads; roads that are meant for cars. Among these people are some of the strongest opponents of general bicycling. They take refuge in the belief that, if they should run you down while playing center court, it would prove that you should bicycle as they do, and not get in the way of cars. What to do? Don't fuel the flames. Don't return the rudeness that is dished out. Take legal action where appropriate (and possible). Don't posture in traffic drawing attention to some undefined superiority to people who sit in cars. Don't balance on your bike or ride in circles in front of cars waiting at a red light. Don't make moves in traffic that are either discourteous, or at best, awkward but legal. If you hear loud knobby tires coming, believe it! That guy in the extra tall pickup truck with the all terrain tires, dual roll bars and multiple searchlights is not a friend of yours coming close to say hello. Give him room. ------------------------------ Subject: 6.2 League of American Bicyclists From: Brewster Thackeray Date: Thu, 8 Apr 99 09:53:34 -0500 Orig-From: Erin O'Brien The League of American Bicyclists, (founded as the League of American Wheelmen) has been working to improve the quality of bicycling in America almost as long as there have been bicycles. In the 1870s the forefathers of bicycling banded together to lobby the government for more paved roads and to put a stop to antagonistic acts from other road-users. United in 1880 as the League, their mission has carried on throughout the history of bicycling. Fashioned after "The Good Roads Movement" of the 1880's, our current agenda is embodied by the L.A.W. Safe Roads Movement, a comprehensive program that aims to reduce the number of injuries and deaths to cyclists. Highlights of this 10-pointaction plan include educating bicyclists and other road users about thei rights and responsibilities to safely share the road, and promoting the improvement of road design and maintenance to better accommodate bicycles. The League's Effective Cycling program is making great strides to advance this agenda. Taught by certified instructors, it is the only national bicycling education program that combines the technical training needed to safely negotiate any traffic situation, with the principles of safe, responsible riding. The League sponsors National Bike Month (May), which serves to promote the various aspects of bicycling. The League played an instrumental role in the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act of 1991 (ISTEA), federal legislation allowing both for increased spending on bicycling improvements and for bicyclists to participate in local transportation planning. The League's national and regional rallies bring together members from all over the U.S.A. and Canada for great riding and entertainment, daily workshops include, advocacy, safety, club leadership, cycling techniques, and more. Six issues per year of Bicycle USA magazine keep members up to date on League activities. Regular features include effective cycling tips, News from the States and League Notes columns, cycle news, and an event calendar. Special issues include an annual Almanac and Tourfinder. League members can fly their bikes for free on numerous airlines when they make their travel arrangements a League-affiliated travfel agent. The League is a 501c-3 non-profit organization with membership of more than 35,000 bicyclists and 450 affiliated clubs and coalitions nationwide. Individual membership costs $30/year or $45 for families. To join the League of American Bicyclists send your membership contribution to 1612 K Street, NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20006; phone 202/822-1333; fax 202/822-1334; e-mail ; website www.bikeleague.org ------------------------------ Subject: 6.3 Rules for trail riding From: Roland L. Behunin The Salt Lake Ranger District of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest has some guidelines for trail riding in their district. Here they a 1. Yield the right of way to other non-motorized recreationists. People judge all cyclists by your actions. Move off the trail to allow horse to pass and stop to allow hikers adequate room to share the trail. 2. Slow down and use caution when approaching another and make your presence known well in advance. Simply yelling bicycle is not acceptable. 3. Maintain control of your speed at all times and approach turns anticipation of someone around the bend. Be able to stop safely within the distance you can see down the trail. 4. Stay on designated trails to avoid trampling native vegetation, and minimize potential erosion by not using wet or muddy trails or shortcutting switchbacks. Avoid wheel lockup. If a trail is steep enough to require locking wheels and skidding, dismount and walk your bike. Locking brakes contributes to needless trail damage. Do not ride cross-country. Water bars are placed across to direct water off the trail and prevent erosion. Ride directly over the top, or dismount and walk your bike. 5. Do not disturb wildlife or livestock. 6. Do not litter. Pack out what you pack in and carry out more than your share whenever possible. 7. Respect public and private property, including trail use signs, no trespassing signs, and leave gates as you found them. If your route crosses private property, it is your responsibility to obtain permission from the landowner. Bicycles are excluded from designated Wilderness Areas. 8. Always be self sufficient. Your destination and travel speed will be determined by your ability, your equipment, the terrain, and the present and potential weather conditions. 9. Do not travel solo in remote areas. Leave word of your destination and when you plan to return. 10. Observe the practice of minimum impact bicycling. "Take only pictures and leave only waffle prints." 11. Always wear a helmet. 12. If you abuse it-you lose it!. Since mountain bikers are newcomers to the forests, they must prove to be responsible trail users. From personal experience, you may also want to add the following information: 13. In National Parks and National Monuments bicycles are considered vehicles and restricted to roads. 14. On BLM land - ride only on roadways, trails, and slickrock. The desert crust (microbiotic crust) is fragile and takes up to 50 years to recover from footprints, waffle tracks, etc. 15. When camping out of improved campsites camp at least 500 feet off the road or trail. Try to leave no trace of your campsite. 16. Toilets in unimproved areas - move off trail, and dig a 1 foot deep pit, cover after use. 
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Archive-name: bicycles-faq/part2
[Note: The complete FAQ is available via anonymous ftp from draco.acs.uci.edu (128.200.34.12), in pub/rec.bicycles.] ------------------------------ Subject: 6.4 Commuting - Is it possible for me to commute by bike? From: (Royce Myers) Not everyone can commute to work on a bicycle. Some people can't cycle to work in a reasonable time because of their fitness or because they live too far away. Other people need their cars for their jobs, or take children to school. Some employers frown on bicycle commuting, and don't provide any facilities. All these obstacles can be surmounted. If you want to commute by bike, you will find a way to do it. A few facilities at your workplace can make commuting easier. Minimally there should be racks in a well trafficked area. Some business will let you park them in your cube, and others might provide a closet or unused room to store them. My company provides enclosed lockers. If theft is a significant danger, consider buying a second, inexpensive bike to be used only for commuting. If your commute is short, and the dress code where you work is relaxed, you won't need to change or clean up after getting to work. The rest of us need to prepare for work. Every workplace has a bathroom where a sponge bath and change is possible. If you're lucky (like me) there's showers and lockers. If your ride makes you sweat a lot, and there is no way to take a shower at work, look around for a nearby gym. Sometimes you can arrange to change and shower there, then walk or ride slowly to work. If you want to get a workout, but there's nowhere to clean up at work, try getting your workout on the way home, making little or no effort on the way to work. If your ride is too long for a round trip, and there's no place to park, put your bike in your car and drive to work on Monday. Monday night, ride home. Tuesday morning ride to work and put your bike in the car. If you're tired Tuesday night, drive home. If there is a vanpool to work, get the vanpool driver to mount racks. Then you can take the vanpool in the morning and ride home in the afternoon. Some people reduce the length of their commute by driving to a "park and ride" area, then riding in from there. Another way to solve a long commute is to find out about bicycle accommodation on buses or other public transportation. Many people use a combination of bikes and buses, subways, or trains to make a long commute possible. Racks, bags and panniers: Some people drive in clothes once a week and buy lunch at work so they don't need to carry much on their bikes. Others need something to carry paperwork, lunch and clothes. A lot of commuters use knapsacks rather than putting racks on a bike, but this raises their center of gravity and increases wind resistance. Racks can be put on any bike, and they come in handy for running errands, touring and unsupported rides. If you're looking for a commuting bike, get one with rack eyelets on the frame for convenience. Another alternative are touring saddle bags, which are hard to find but are very handy on bikes without racks. Get your bike in shape. Replace tires which have cracked sidewalls, or worn casing. Carry a flat kit, a spare tube and enough tools to fix a flat. If you're not mechanically inclined, have a bike shop tune up your bike. Check every part of the drivetrain for lubrication and wear. Make sure your wheels are true, and that the hubs are lubricated and adjusted properly. Contributors: [I did not retain the mail address of contributors who posted to the group without a sig; also, I may have missed some posts that weren't emailed to me] "td" "Robert" ------------------------------ Subject: 6.5 Commuting - How do I choose a route? From: (Royce Myers) According to the U.S. Uniform Vehicle Code, drivers of bicycles have the same rights, and the same responsibilities, as drivers of other vehicles. This means that commuters may use any road, street or highway they want, and that they must obey traffic laws. Some states vary from the UVC, and of course, some countries treat bicycles diffently than the US does. John Forester, in his book Effective Cycling, suggests that all cyclists use the following traffic principles: "1. Ride on the right-hand side of the road, not on the left and never on the sidewalk. [Note: this is specific to those countries which drive on the right hand side of the road, like the US. In countries like the UK, you should ride on the left side of the road.] 2. When approaching a road that is larger than the one you are on, or has more or faster traffic, you must yield to traffic on that road. Yielding means looking and waiting until you see that no traffic is coming. 3. When preparing to move laterally on a roadway, you must yield to traffic in that line of travel. Yielding means looking forward and backward to see that no traffic is in that line of travel. 4. When approaching an intersection, you must choose your position according to your destination. Right-turning drivers are at the curb, left turning drivers are at the center, while straight-through drivers are between them. 5. Between intersections, you choose your position according to your speed relative to other traffic. Parked ones are at the curb, medium-speed drivers are next to them, while fastest drivers are near the center of the road." Transportational cyclists want to maximize safety and minimize time. Usually the most direct route between the cyclist and work will be the best choice, but other factors may come into play. Facilities: Multi-use paths (trails shared with bicycles, pedestrians, skaters and sometimes horses) are less safe than the road, according to a recent study published in the Institute for Transportation Engineers journal; this kind of facility is more likely to send cyclists to the hospital than comparable streets. Pedestrians, pets and skaters are unpredictable and require more skill to pass safely. Sidepath intersections are very dangerous because motorists don't expect vehicular cross traffic. Roads with wide curb lanes are safer than narrow roads, but narrow roads may be ridden safely by using an entire lane. Bike lanes may be as safe as the same width roads without lanes as long as the rider is competent to avoid their dangers (e.g., they direct cyclists into right turn lanes, when the cyclist should normally ride to the left of the right turn lane). In California, cyclists traveling at less than the speed of traffic must remain in the bike lane unless preparing for a left turn or avoiding a hazard, like parked cars, a slower cyclist, rough pavement or debris. Traffic: even though arterials usually faster and more convenient than side streets, riding on side streets may be more enjoyable due to lower traffic noise and better scenery. Some cyclists are willing to ride the Huntington Beach multi-use path during the summer even though the fastest safe speed is 5mph. The view is very nice. The compromise among pleasure, safety and time is yours. Once you set your priorities, scout a few routes. Get the best street map you can find and highlight streets that you like. US Geological Survey maps (1:24000 scale) also show the hills, which is handy. They're beautiful maps, too. They look nice on a wall. Contributors: [I did not retain the mail address of contributors who posted to the group without a sig; also, I may have missed some posts that weren't emailed to me] "td" "Robert" ------------------------------ Subject: 6.6 Commuting - Do I really need to look that goofy? From: (Royce Myers) Before I started cycling I had no idea why cyclists wore such silly looking clothes. Now I know why, but I still think we look silly. The value of using cycling clothes on a commute depends on the length of the commute. It is hardly worth it to ride 1 mile to work in cycling clothes and then change to regular clothes at work, but 20 miles is a different story. How to dress for the road, from the ground up: 1. Shoes: if you have a short commute with little climbing, virtually any kind of shoes and socks will do. I have seen commuters wearing cowboy boots moving at around 15 mph. If you expect to exert yourself for any length of time, some trade-offs should be considered. Socks made of cotton will retain moisture, while polyester type socks (e.g., Coolmax) will wick moisture and encourage it to evaporate. Cycling shoes are stiffer than casual or dress shoes, so transmitting energy to the pedal is more efficient. On the other hand, they are not comfortable to wear off the bike, so a change of shoes is necessary at work. For most of us, this is not a problem because shoes take up little space and can be left at the office. There are a range of options in cycling shoes, depending on your pedal choice. A note about pedals: - Flat pedals allow easy on-off and may be used with any shoes. If you hit a bump your feet may leave the pedals, which can result in loss of balance and a crash. - Toe clips and straps keep your feet on the pedals. They are designed to be used with cycling shoes, either touring shoes, which have a sole designed to hook onto a pedal, or racing shoes, which have cleats that lock the cyclist to the pedal and improve efficiency. Many people consider clips and straps to be obsolete, but they are a low cost way to improve your efficiency. They will work adequately with street shoes and hiking boots, which some people consider an advantage. - Clipless pedals attach your shoes to the pedals similar to the way skis attach to boots. With practice you can step in and out of them as easily as flat pedals, but they are more efficient than toe clips. These pedals require shoes that are compatible, and are much more expensive than toe clips. I use the SPD style of clipless pedals, which has a recessed cleat allowing you to walk around off the bike. I wouldn't recommend extensive walking in these shoes, but they are perfect for what I need. - Some pedals are flat on one side and clipless on the other, which allows the rider to choose to wear cleated shoes for performance or regular shoes for utility trips. - An adapter is available for some clipless pedals that will turn them into flat pedals with toe-clips. 2. Shorts: Casual cyclists ride at low speeds, at low RPMs, for short distances so no special shorts are necessary. If you ride for any distance you will need to develop a high RPM (80 - 110) for efficiency. When your legs are moving that fast, baggy clothes will chafe, as will the the seams in ordinary underwear, so you'll need something clingy like lycra. And if you exert yourself, you will need to have some kind of liner in these shorts to wick moisture from your privates. Bicycle shorts are meant to be worn with no underwear; they are usually made out of lycra and are lined with wicking pads. A good pair of bike shorts makes long rides a pleasure; in fact, I never get on my bike without them. 3. Jerseys and shirts: Cotton retains moisture, so if you sweat, cotton will keep it next to your skin, making you feel sticky and soggy. Yecch. Polyester fabrics are designed to wick moisture away from you and allow it to evaporate quickly. Bicycle jerseys are made out of polyester, and are cut longer in the back because cyclists usually ride leaning forward to reduce air resistance. Also, jerseys normally have two or three pockets in the back, handy for carrying a handkerchief, banana, etc. When I take my kids on rides I'll wear a tee shirt because I'm not going to sweat much, but I always wear a jersey on my commute. Some people like cotton and other natural fibers because they don't retain odors as much as the polyester fabrics. In cool weather, wool is ideal. 4. Gloves: gloves will make your commute much more comfortable, and will offer some protection in a crash. Long fingered gloves really help you stay warm when it's chilly. 5. Eyewear: If you are commuting at dawn or dusk, you should consider wearing clear glasses to protect your eyes from debris kicked up by cars and wind. In daylight, sunglasses are a necessity to protect against UV as well as road hazards. 6. Helmet: A helmet offers some protection in a crash, but the best way to survive a crash is to learn to avoid falling in the first place. I wear one, but I don't think it's some kind of magic talisman. 7. Other equipment: If there are unpredictable rains in your area, carry rain gear. The articles on riding in the winter are availble through ftp from: ftp://draco.acs.uci.edu/pub/rec.bicycles/wintertips ftp://draco.acs.uci.edu/pub/rec.bicycles/wintertips.pam If you might work late, carry a light. Articles on lights are available through ftp from: ftp://draco.acs.uci.edu/pub/rec.bicycles/arnie.light ftp://draco.acs.uci.edu/pub/rec.bicycles/lights ftp://draco.acs.uci.edu/pub/rec.bicycles/lights2 Contributors: [I did not retain the mail address of contributors who posted to the group without a sig; also, I may have missed some posts that weren't emailed to me] "td" "Robert" ------------------------------ Subject: 6.7 Commuting - Do cyclists breathe more pollution than motorists? From: (Royce Myers) The sources for this information vary in credibility, but most of it comes directly from published studies or other reputable sources like the Berkeley Wellness letter. 1. Exercise will extend your life by about the amount of time you spend doing it. So if you spend an hour on your bike, you've added an hour to your life. 2. Drivers of cars are exposed to up to eighteen times more pollution than "ambient air", approximately 300 feet from the road. Cyclists share the road with cars, but they do not trap pollutants, and they take air in at a much higher position than cars (assuming a diamond frame) so... 3. Cyclists breathe approximately 1/2 as much pollution than cars (this appears to be _per breath_). 4. Over _time_, a cyclist will breathe much more than a sedentary driver, since the cyclist is using more than twice as much air. Athletes appear to be very sensitive to foul air. 5. In general, cycling takes longer than driving, so the bike commuter may be exposed to pollution for longer periods of time. 6. A UK study found that cyclists had 1/2 the blood level of CO that drivers did after traveling along a ten mile stretch of congested road. 7. CO blood levels may be less of a problem than inhaled particulates, which are much harder to measure. Masks make breathing difficult if they are properly sealed, and are ineffective if they are not sealed. As a result, the health advantages of commuting by bike depend on several key factors: 1. Would you exercise anyway? That is, would you drive to the gym and ride a stationary bike in relatively clean air if you weren't commuting in traffic. 2. How hard do you ride? The harder you ride, the more air -- and therefore pollution -- you take in. But then the better the training effect will be, so if you don't do any other exercise, this is a wash. 3. How long is your drive compared to your ride? If it takes significantly more time to ride, you may be exposed to more pollution. 4. What kind of car? An open air Jeep would take in and trap less pollution than a sedan. The health effects of exercise far outweigh any additional health dangers from pollution. If you would exercise anyway, though, commuting may not in your best interest. If you commute on low volume side streets, or on sidepaths, pollution might not get you, but other hazards might. Here is a rationalization for those of us who want to believe that cyclists get less pollution than motorists: One thing I've noticed about my commute: when I drive, I am _always_ surrounded by traffic. All us cars meet at the light and move from light to light more or less together. When I ride my bike, I meet cars at lights, but I don't spend a lot of time around them when they're rushing past me to get to the next light. The vast majority of time is spent between packs of cars, without much motor traffic. Since I'm not around cars very much I can believe: - I am breathing more garbage than a motorist when I'm in traffic - I am breathing less garbage than a motorist when I'm not in traffic - I am not in traffic far more often Therefo I am probably getting less pollution on the bike than in my car! Contributors: [I did not retain the mail address of contributors who posted to the group without a sig; also, I may have missed some posts that weren't emailed to me] "td" "Robert" ------------------------------ Subject: 7 Marketplace ------------------------------ Subject: 7.1 Marketplace hints/guidelines From: Jim Siler : Are people really willing to pay 10% less for a "nearly new" MTB when : they : a) often have no assurance that it really hasn't been used : (except of course someone's word) : b) may have to buy, unseen. : c) may not get a transferable waranty on the MTB I think that in general, many people are acutely aware of what they spent for a thing and are woefully unaware of how much value that thing lost when they walked out of the store. Let's assume for a moment that I buy an XTR rear derailleur in my local shop (good practice, worth some added cost) for $100. I use it for a week, and trash my frame and want to part it out. Hmmm... this was $100 new and its only a week old, virtually new. Let's ask $90 o.b.o. and see what happens. Now I change roles and become the buyer. I go to my local bike shop, where I trust the owner and am willing to pay a premium, but no XTR rear derailleur. Next stop mail order. Everyone but everyone has it for $80, plus shipping, but less tax. They will take a credit card. The unit is warrantied, in the box, with instructions (the value of which should not be underesimated). Given this I am unlikeley to even consider the used part. But let's suppose I offer $75, and send off my money order, sight unseen. What can happen? 1 -- It never arrives. After a number of hassles and excuses I realize that there is a major problem. Email stops being returned. I contact his sysadm, who can't do much. I publicly flame him, starting one more interminable flame war. Eventually I either get my $75 bucks back or not. Even if I get the derailleur (remeber, the original object was the derailleur) I have bought myself hundreds of dollars worth of aggravation. 2 -- It arrives and looks like hell. C'est la vie. 3 -- I arrives and one week later it is obvious that something is seriously wrong. No amount of adjustment will cause it to shift reliably for any length of time. See 2, above. 4 -- While waiting for arrival i trash MY frame. Derailleur arrives. Sadly, I have nothing to hang it on. See 2, above. Let's run through the same scenarios having purchased through mail order, using a credit card. 1 -- I don't pay. If they get ****y about it I do too. As most mail order houses have, at best, a fragile relationship with Mastecard/Visa (it is VERY difficult to open a merchant account to accept credit cards over the phone for mail order, so difficult that many use their in store accounts, faking signatures) and are dependent on that relationship to stay in business, they tend to become most reasonable when you make real noise with the credit card company. 2 -- Unlikely, as goods should be new. See 1, above. 3 -- Warranty problem. If you have a good local dealer, you would have been better off there. If you have a so-so dealer you may well be better off through mail order. Worse comes to worst, see 1, above. 4 -- Worst case, you eat a restocking fee. In general, I would be hesitant to buy anything here for much more than 60% of its mail order price, unless the product is exactly what I want and all else is right. I have bought two things this year through this group, a GT Zaskar LE frame, new in the box with slight cosmetic ding for $350 (negotiated from $375) and a Flashlite 2 tent with a tiny hole, professionally repaired, for $100. Both carried resonable prices in the original post, offered to pay the shipping, and clearly spelled out the possible problems with the product for sale. Both sales were satisfactory to all involved, and I am delighted with both. I have seen many other Items for sale that I have wanted and bought elsewhere because the posted prices were so ridiculous that I had no basis for negotiation. Typically, these are reposted with sad wonderings as to why no one has responded. C'est la vie. In general, I think that anyone wanting to move something quickly through posting should do the following: Be realistic with price. Look at the true market value of your goods. It is not what you paid. You are going to take a loss. If your fork, which was the hottest thing in July of this year, cost you $600 in a store is not any better than the new $375 fork that is available in December, its market value is certainly no more than $375, if it is new. Unless limited availability takes it out of the commodity realm (e.g., my Zaskar frame with blemish had only limited availibility) knock off 40% of the realistic market value. Our fork is now down to $225. If this makes you too queasy, up it a bit and throw in shipping, say $275 with U.P.S. ground shipping, hmmm... not too bad. Clearly state everything of importance to the buyer, good and bad. This will avoid later hassles, and greatly increase your trust factor. Don't initially offer at an inflated price, thinking to negotiate down (remember back to Onza Clipless Pedals for sale flame war). It just makes it clear to an intellegent buyer that you are hoping to find a sucker, and will take whatever advantage you can. This may not be true, but it will be clear, nonetheless. Trust factor goes down the toilet. Make phone contact as soon as possible. A human voice is often more comforting than an email address. To anyoune who has read this far, thanks for putting up with my rambling and opining. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.2 Bike Trailers [Ed note: The posting I saved on bike trailers is over 145k bytes, so if you want a copy see the section on "Archives".] ------------------------------ Subject: 7.3 One Less Car T-Shirts From: Alayne McGregor (Ed Ravin ) The T-shirts are produced by Transportation Alternatives, a New York City bicycle activist group. They're 100% cotton, have the TA logo on the front, and ONE LESS CAR on the back. Call TA for colors and sizes currently in stock. They're US$15 each. No refunds or exchanges. Allow 6 weeks for delivery. For people who have to drive but feel guilty about it, they also have "I'm Polluting the Atmosphere" bumper stickers at 3 for $5. Send orders to: Transportation Alternatives 92 Saint Marks Place New York, NY 10009 USA attn: One Less Car I happen to have one of these shirts in my closet right now. Causes lots of comments when my covivant and I ride our tandem with both us wearing our shirts. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.4 Panniers and Racks From: Sharon Pedersen This is a condensed version of a longer article on panniers, low-rider racks, loading and generators. --Sharon --PANNIERS-- Price--cheaper may not be better, if they fall apart. Commuting to school entails stuffing sharp-cornered books into them thus making sturdiness as important here as for touring. Cut--an angled cut may make those books not fit so well. Pockets--convenient for organization, but cuts down on versatile use of space. You can use stuff sacks for organization instead of pockets. One big and one small pocket on each pannier is plenty. Fastening--lots of options: bungees and hooks, or fixed placement hooks, or straps with buckles or cams. Bungees and hooks have been just fine in my own road experience, but for off-road riding, you will want more security. However, don't get a system with so many attachments that you can't stand to take the panniers on/off. Brands--the following is a by no means exhaustive list, with telegraphic comments made in 1988. Check local stores since features may have changed since then. Eclipse--(no comment); Kirtland--tourers like them; MPacks--panniers made by an actual bike tourer, Mike Center, in Santa Rosa, CA, (707) 545-4624; Maddens--made in Boulder, "superior construction at better than average cost" yeah! (I love mine, write for more glowing testimonials); Performance--low-cost, non-spring attachment; Rhode Gear--expensive; Tailwind--aerodynamic, rigid attachment. --LOW-RIDER RACKS-- Some manufacturers: Bruce Gordon, Blackburn, Vetta, Voyager. The Bruce Gordons are more expensive (~$70 in 1988) but are designed with clearance for the quick-release skewer so you don't have to pry them apart to take the front wheel off. --REAR RACKS-- (No comment in the original article; Blackburns seem to be the standard and durable enough.) --LOADING-- Balance the load side-to-side and, if possible, fore-and-aft. Keep heavier items low and towards the bottom bracket. Rider, bike and luggage together should have 55-60% of weight on rear wheel; remainder on front. Bike with front low-riders is quite stable. --GENERATORS-- The usual location on the left seat-stay interferes with panniers. Mount the generator on the right seat-stay facing the other way, and it will work fine, despite rotating "backwards." Or go with a generator under the bottom bracket, which will have the advantage of putting the wear on the tread rather than the sidewall of the tire. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.5 Clothing materials From: Jim Carson [Ed note: From a summary Jim posted] Polarlite Fluffy, fleecy stuff also called Polarplus and Synchilla. Comfortable. Incredibly warm, especially under something that breaks the wind. Doesn't wick moisture out very well. Breathes very well. Supplex (nylon) Comfortable. It is breathable and water repellent (but NOT water proof). Seems to absorb a small amount of water if it is really getting drenched Merino (wool) From a "breed of fine-wooled white sheep originating in Spain and producing a heavy fleece of exceptional quality." I guess you could treat this as normal 100% wool. Thermax An improvement on Polypro. The big advantage is heat resistance so you can put it in the dryer. Balance that against the extra cost. CoolMax This stuff seems more like a plastic bag than the revolutionary wicking material it is advertised as. Dacron Trademark name for Dupont polyester. Woven fabric made from dacron is similar to nylon ripstop or taffeta, but not as stretchy. Many of the better clothing insulations are made from dacron. They are usually refered to by more specific trademark names, like quallofil, hollofil, polarguard, and dacron-88. Lycra Used for its stretch, mostly a warm weather (65 degrees) thing. GoreTex A teflon based membrane with microscopic holes. Gortex's claim to fame is that it will let water vapor (from perspiration) through, but not liquid water (rain). It blocks wind fairly well too. The membrane is delicate, so it always comes laminated between 2 layers of other material. It does not breathe enough. There are less expensive alternatives. Polypropylene Does not wick very well. Can be uncomfortable. Troublesome to care for (e.g. can pill badly) Will keep you fairly warm if soaked. Not very wind resistant. Melts in the dryer. Capilene Wicks moisture away. Very comfortable. Comes in different weights for more/less warmth. [lots of favorable things about it... only really unfavorable thing is the co$t] 60/40 cloth - This is a cloth with nylon threads running one direction, cotton in the other. It was the standard wind parka material before Goretex came along, and is considerably less expensive. Good wind resistance, fairly breathable. Somewhat water resistant, especially if you spray it with Scotchguard, but won't hold up to a heavy rain. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.6 Seats Seats are a very personal thing, for obvious reasons. There are several types of seats: Leather Seats like the Brooks models. Usually used by hard-core riders. Requires breaking in before it's really comfortable. Padded The usual bike seat, sometimes refered to as "anatomic". Has padding where your "sit bones" (bottom of pelvis) supposed to rest. Gel Like the padded seats, except they have a gel (e.g. Spenco Gel) in them for additional padding. Reportedly, the gel can harden and/or shift, making the seat uncomfortable. There are several types of seat pads (gel filled, containing an air bladder, etc) that can be fitted over the seat to make it more comfortable. If you are experiencing pain in delicate areas (especially you women readers) you should make sure your seat is adjusted correctly (see the section on seat adjustment). Women may need a women's type seat, which is wider in the back (women's sit bones are farther apart than men's). Most pain can be eliminated by a correctly adjusted seat, using a women's seat, and riding so your body becomes used to it. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.7 Women's Saddles From: Pamela Blalock Many women who cycle have experienced frustration with trying to find a comfortable saddle. It is amazing how many times I end up talking with other women about saddles. This article comes from those discussions and an informal survey of woman's saddle preferences. This is a dynamic article and changes on occasion, so if you have comments please contact me ) and I will incorporate your comments. While this is intended to be an article on women's saddles, since so many other things can contribute to potential saddle pain, it will also address some of these issues as well. Just as women are different from men, we are also different from each other. Since (fortunately) there is no mold into which we were all poured, what works for one woman may not work for another. First, be sure that your bike fits properly. Many women end up with overly padded shorts and a big fat thickly padded saddle instead of with a bike that fits properly. No saddle will be comfortable if the bike is too big, or set up incorrectly. It is important to find someone who knows about fit and specifically about women's fit and get the bike set up properly before making other changes. In addition to being more comfortable, a bike that really fits will also handle better than one that is improperly sized. It isn't always easy to find someone willing to take the time, but when you find a shop that will, give them lots of business and send your friends there! Go to shops during non-prime hours for the best service. You won't get a salesman to spend an hour letting you try different saddles on a Saturday afternoon, but you might on a Tuesday morning. [ See Section 7.8 for more information on bikes for women ] Now to saddles. A woman's hip bones tend to be set farther apart than a man's. (This is a design feature to help with childbirth!) Every woman is different, and there are many women out there with narrower hip bones. To determine where you sit bones are, sit on a low curb. Sorry, a chair won't do! When you sit on the curb, you will be able to feel your sit bones. This is what you want supported by your bike saddle. Avocet used to run a great ad showing a hip bone sitting on a saddle. (look in old copies of bike magazines). With a saddle that's too narrow, a woman may find herself effectively straddling it with her hip bones, or slipping off of one side and pinching nerves - which may eventually cause the legs or feet to go numb. A saddle that's too wide will also cause problems. A saddle that's slightly wider in the back (than the man's saddle that comes on most stock bikes) may offer better support for the sit bones. BTW, I'm not talking about those foot wide saddles you see on exercise bikes at the gym. These are too wide for anyone. I have quite a few retired women's saddles with depressed gel indicating exactly where my bones are. Actually, looking at and feeling your old saddle will tell you a lot about where you do and do not need support! It's important to try out several different saddles to find one that fits. Terry does produce a couple of different width models but they are still somewhat limited. Widths do vary from manufacturer to manufacturer - so for example, if the Terry is too wide or too narrow, try the Vetta or Avocet or some other brand. Ask your local dealer to let you put your bike on a trainer in the shop and try sitting on and riding a few of his saddles. Saddles are fairly easy to change and a good shop should be willing to let you try this. (But not on a busy Saturday afternoon!) Some shops now have a device that makes this easier. It is a stationary bike with merry-go-round of saddles. You can sit on the saddle, pedaling, and then dismount and swing the next saddle to be tried in place. It isn't as good as trying a saddle on your bike, but will tell you a lot more than holding a saddle and poking it, which it seems it how most saddles are purchased! There are several women's saddles on the market, many of which are padded with some form of gel. I have used (and retired) several of these with no complaints. The gel does compress after a while (regardless of sex), so these saddles do have to be replaced (for me it's every 10,000 miles). Brooks also has several different models of women's leather saddles, which some women swear by. I swar at them, but that's me! (And there are women who swear at the saddles I swear by!) And rather than needing to be replaced after 10,000 miles, the Brooks is probably just getting broken in well at that point! Many women who responded to my survey said that they have the nose of their saddle tilted slightly forward to alleviate pressure on the soft tissue. A large variety of saddles were used with this method. One rider pointed out that having a seatpost with infinitely adjustable angles, like the American Classic or Control Tech, will help one to find the perfect angle. With the ratchet type adjustment of most, she was never able to get the angle quite right. One problem with having the saddle tilted too far forward is that you may end up with two much weight/pressure on your wrists and hands. The result is numb hands and pain in the lower back. In John Forester's "Effective Cycling" book, he suggests getting a cheap plastic saddle and carving out a depression in the area where the labia would normally rest. This would place the weight on the sit bones where it belongs, and remove it from the genital area, where it does not. A couple of women used this idea and modified saddle pads in this way. I watched a Spenco pad slowly get modified in this way each day throughout PAC Tour last year. One survey respondent cut up a neoprene pad and put it under the covering of her Flite saddle. There are a couple of women's saddles which specifically address this issue, the Terry Sport and the (formerly) Miyata Pavea (see the end of the article for more info on acquiring this saddle). Both are shorter and wider than the typical man's saddle and both have a hole to suspend soft tissue. These saddles should be comfortable when level. The Miyata leaves the hole exposed, while the Terry is covered in an open-cell low-density foam. I should also point out that with the Terry, the hole is in the nose, while the Miyata saddle has the hole in the middle, further back. While like many women, I tend to bend more at the waist, I also roll my hips forward on a saddle to get in a more comfortable (and aero cycling position). This means that on a standard saddle I am pressing directly on tender tissue. Since I've switched to a saddle with a hole in it, I can without any saddle related discomfort roll my hips forward, and strech out on the aero bars for hours! I heard from Carol Grossman, an Australian rider praising another saddle. She wrote , "I have a Selle Bassano modular seat, which may or may not be available in the US ( I live in Australia now). It has two halves, with the split running nose-to-tail and a gap between them. It joins together at the nose. The width of the seat, and therefore of the gap as well, is adjustable so you can set it to match the width of your seatbones. It has titanium rails, which give it a little bit of spring. I must say, though, that it is quite firm and if I have not been riding much and go for a long ride I do get sore seatbones. But I can live with sore seatbones! Interestingly, the packaging material said nothing about it being for women -- it was marketted as a seat for men who suffered numbness." My concern with this saddle is that as you make it wider in the back to accommodate sit bones, you are also making the middle wider as well. I have not personally triedon e of these yet. T-Gear makes a leather saddle with a diamond shape cut in the middle. The saddle is quite narrow and firm, and didn't fit me, but I've heard some men rave about it. John, my SO found it too narrow in the back, and too wide in the middle. Like the Selle Modular seat it is marketed to men with numbness problems. (Mine is for sale!) Another saddle I have tried very briefly is an Easy Seat. This is actually two separate pieces, which rock independently. The only points of contact are the hip bones - although the backs of my legs rub the saddle. The two pieces can be adjusted for width and angle. I know of a couple of women who used these saddles to salvage Race Across America attempts, when saddle sores otherwise would have taken them out of the race. I mounted this saddle on the bike on my indoor trainer, but we had a wickedly mild winter, so I didn't use it this year. I have used both the Terry and the Miyata a lot. (These were the two most popular saddles in the survey.) I've received lots of positive comments from women (and men) about their experiences with these saddles. The men seem to notice the difference more after the ride later in the evening  when their partners weren't complaining aboutsaddle tenderness! In 1992 I did BMB, a 750 mile ride in less than 4 days on the back of a tandem. That's a lot of time on a saddle. I'd been using the Terry for over 6 months and it worked great on everything up to 200 miles. But 400 miles into the trip, I was ready to rip the foam out of the hole. Once the swelling started, the presence of the foam became unbearable. Even though there was no plastic shell underneath, there was still something! I asked our crew person to see if he could find the Miyata saddle. It's often quite difficult to find women's products, and I was almost shocked when he showed up 20 miles later with this wonderful saddle with an exposed hole. He had found the Miyata. The difference was immediately noticeable. In addition to the missing foam, the hole was further back (more where I needed the relief). I probably would have finished the ride without it, but I wouldn't have been in a good mood for days! The Miyata is a little harder under the sit bones than the Terry, but that's not where I was experiencing pain, and as Carol said above, it was worth the sacrifice. Of course the saddle is different looking and draws lots of comments and sexual innuendoes, but it saved my ride. Over three years and 45,000 miles later, including 2 x-country rides and another BMB, I still love my Miyata and won't ride anything else. Not all women like the wider saddles. Some women find all women's saddles too wide. Several women responded to the survey saying they prefer a man's saddle. Some of these even felt they had wide hip bones. For those who use a narrow saddle, finding one that was flat on top seemed to help with the above mentioned problems. Others who liked various women's saddles still found them a little thick in the middle, even if they were the right width in the back. Someday, maybe we will see women's saddles in various widths. We must create the demand though. Terry does makes a men's version of their Sport saddle. It is narrower and has a longer nose and hole than the women's model. It also doesn't say Terry on it anywhere. Instead it is marketed under the initials TFI. Both this saddle and new models of the Sport have a (politically correct) simulated leather covering. I know of several men who really like this saddle, especially when using aero-bars. Women who find the Terry Sport too wide may want to check this one out. I've seen Terry saddles change a bit over the past couple of years. One change is from a lycra cover to a simulated leather cover. Some women didn't like the feel of the lycra. (I do.) Another women noticed after replacing a stolen one with a new one that the foam in the hole seems to be getting firmer, kind of negating the benefit of the hole. Terry does offer a 30 day money back guarantee on their products, so you can *painlessly* decide if you'd like a Terry saddle or not. They have also produced a couple of racing saddles. The first was the same width in the back as their Sport model, but narrower through the middle and had titanium rails. I was one of the lucky few to get one of these. They replaced it with a Flite lookalike with holes drilled in the nose. I tried one of these and must say for me it was the most uncomfortable thing I ever came into contact with. But if you prefer a narrow saddle like a Flite, you'll probably like this one. Speaking of which, many women do LIKE Flite and other really narrow saddles. I know that at their cycling camps, Betsy King and Anna Schwartz get many women on them. They stress the flexibility of the saddle with it's titanium rails and thin shell. They are very good for mountain biking where you want to slide off the back of the saddle for balance where a wide saddle would get in the way. I even know of a few women who use them for distance cycling. Two women used them on the x-country ride I did in 93, but they had very narrow set hip bones. The other 15 women had women's models of one type or another, including Terry, Brooks and of course I had my beloved Miyata. And I would be completely negligent if I didn't mention that one respondent said that recumbents almost always solve the uncomfortable saddle problem. (Thanks to David Wittenberg for pointing this out. His wife won't ride anything else.) Other suggestions for improved saddle comfort included trying different shorts. There are a lot of different shorts out there - far more than saddles and just like saddles, they all fit differently. The common theme from most women was to stay away from shorts with seams in the center. This includes seams in the lycra as well as the chamois (good luck!). On multiday rides, you may want to use different brands of shorts, since having the seam in the same place day after day may also cause irritation. Shorts that bunch up in front may cause also discomfort. Pearl Izumi and Urbanek make very nice women's shorts. And of course Terry produces women's shorts. Some have fuller hips, longer legs, wider elastic leg grippers, etc. I really prefer bib or one piece suits, since there is no binding elastic at the waist. These are less convenient for quick bathroom stops, but I prefer the added comfort. Some women like longer legs, some shorter. Some prefer thick chamois, some fake, some real. Try on as many different types as you can, until you find one that fits you the best. Women are even more varied on their opinions about shorts than on saddles, so just keep trying new ones until you find the perfect pair for you. (And while on the subject of saddle comfort, I use a combination of Desitin (or some other diaper rash ointment) and powder sprinkled liberally in my shorts to keep myself dry and rash-free.) I can't stress enough that each woman is different and no one saddle is perfect for all of us. Just because a local or national racer, or your friend, or this author uses a particular type of saddle doesn't mean that it will work for you. Don't let anyone intimidate you into riding something that is uncomfortable, or changing the angle of your saddle because it's different. Use the setup that's most comfortable for you. Among the saddles recommended by respondents were Terry Women's (most popular of the survey) Miyata Pavea (my favorite and a close second in the survey) TFI (men's version of the Terry Sport) women's Selle Italia Turbo Avocet O2 (said to be as comfy as the above Turbo, but lighter) WaveFlo Avocet Women's Racing saddle Viscount saddle San Marco Regal Brooks B-17 and Brooks Pro Flite Terry Racing (like a Flite with holes drilled in the plastic) Selle Bassano modular seat (Of course some women swear at saddles that others swear by! Did I mention that we are all DIFFERENT?) Since Miyata no longer imports into the US, another source has been found for the saddle with the hole in the middle. Tandems East is now carrying this saddle (with their name imprinted on the back.) You can contact Mel Kornbluh at Tandems East at (609) 451-5104 or (609) 453-8626 FAX. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.8 Women's Bikes This subject has been compiled from different sources. Part 1 is Lynn Karamanos' discussion from her questions about purchasing a Terry bike. Part 2 is the information from Pamela Blalock about the differences in fitting women's bikes and suggestions for what to look for. Part 3 was added by Marcy Stutzman and is a listing of different types of bikes that are either scaled down with smaller wheels or specifically designed for women. Part 1 Lynn Karamanos Here's a summary of the info I received on whether or not to purchase a Terry bike. 1.) First, find a good bike shop, one that will try to find a bike that fits you, not just sell you what they have in stock. 2.) Ride many different bikes to see what's best for you. You may be able to find other bikes that fit just as well as a Terry once you've made some adjustments/replacements (stem, crank arms, etc.). 3.) If you can't find any other bike to fit you, then a Terry's worth the extra money. 4.) Except for about two people who sent me email, everyone who's ridden a Terry has loved it. Even those two people said they knew others who loved Terry bikes. Bottom line: the fit depends on your build. Women with long legs/short torso seem to be the ones who like them, not necessarily just short women. 5.) Also a few people mentioned that there are other road bikes that are specifically "designed for women" or that fit women well. The names mentioned: Fuji, Miyata, Bridgestone, Specialized (Sirrus). Also, someone mentioned that the same production line in Japan that makes Terry "proportioned" bikes also makes them under other labels. (Also one mountain bike was named, Mongoose Hilltopper, and two hybred bikes, Univega Via Activa and Giant Inova.) 6.) Something to keep in mind if you buy a Terry with a small front wheel... replacement tubes and tires for smaller wheels could be more difficult to find and/or more expensive. 7.) In case you're looking at older model Terry's, a few people mentioned that until a couple years ago, some Terry bikes were $200-$300 less than they are now. Part 2 Pamela Blalock Considerations for women buying bikes. Most production bikes are built proportionally for the AVERAGE MAN. But the average man tends to be taller than the average woman, so women, especially smaller women, may have a much more difficult time finding a bike that fits. Using the old guidelines of sizing a bike by straddling the top tube may leave you a bike with a top tube that is too long, since many of these smaller bikes have shorter seat tubes, but the top tubes are left at the same length as larger bikes, so the bike is no longer scaled proportionately. Of course this is not strictly a woman's issue, but one that all smaller riders face. Empirical evidence has come to suggest that many women are more comfortable with a shorter top tube - stem combination than men. Originally it was theorized that this was due to women having longer legs and shorter torsos than men of the same height. Statistics have proven otherwise. But despite the similar proportions, many women still felt stretched out on bikes that men of the same size felt comfortable on. There is no one definitive explanation for this. Some have proposed that women may bend from the waist while men pivot more at the hips, which would explain why two riders with identical torso lengths might still want different top tube stem lengths. Georgena Terry has observed that women tend to sit further back on their saddles than men, which she believes is due to different distributions in muscle mass. Again this could lead to that stretched out feeling. I struggled for the longest time to get comfortable on a bike. I always wanted to sit further back than I could. I finally found a gadget that I could use to mount my saddle further back on the seat post. This really helped. What helped even more was when I switched to a softride bike. I switched for comfort, but discovered a very pleasant benefit, that with the 5 inch range (fore/aft) of saddle adjustment along the flat part of the beam, I could effectively choose any seat tube angle I wanted. I could finally get my saddle far enough back. A riding position that leaves the rider too stretched out can cause saddle pain. It is not necessary to run out and buy a new bike right away if the top tube on your current bike is too long. Using a shorter stem on a this bike MAY give you a more comfortable reach. Very short stems, less than 40 mm, are available, but may have to be specially ordered. Some shops use a fitting system called the Fit Kit. The numbers generated from the Fit Kit are just guidelines and may not work for everybody, especially women, since most of the original data was collected for men. It is important to RIDE your bike and make adjustments to achieve a perfect fit. Others may use an infinitely adjustable stationary bike. One has been developed by Ben Serotta to help choose the perfect size bike - whether it is a Serotta or not. Adjustable stems are available to help you and the shop pick a perfect length stem the first time, rather than the expensive trial and error method of buying different length stems repeatedly until you find the right size. Unless your current bike is a really, really poor fit, you should be able to make a few relatively inexpensive changes to improve the fit. Then when upgrading or buying a new bike, use what you have learned to buy a bike that fits better. Some builders tried to shorten the top tube by increasing the seat tube angle, which then may place the rider uncomfortably far forward over the pedals. This forces the rider to use an adapter in the seat post to get the saddle back, which counteracts the *shorter* top tube. A steep seat tube angle may be good for a time trial or triathlon, but is not comfortable for longer distances, recreational riding or touring. And if it is true that women tend to be more comfortable sitting further back, then this is really counterproductive. A sloping top tube has been used by many manufacturers to achieve a shorter seat tube and more standover clearance, but this leaves the top tube length the same as that for a larger bike, so the smaller rider still feels streched out on a somewhat out of proportion bike.. Several manufacturers have started building bikes proportionally sized for smaller riders to specifically address those needs. There are several different ways of getting the smaller geometry. Some bikes have a small 24" wheel in front and a 700C or 26" wheel in back, others have two 26"or 650C wheels. To truly scale down a frame keeping it in proportion, it is necessary to go with smaller wheels. To avoid confusion, let me state that by 26", I am referring to 559mm bead seat diameter. This size wheel is most commonly used in mountain biking. Thanks to mountain bikers use of very narrow rims, and a few tire manufacturers willingness to make narrow, slick tires for this size, these wheels can be used to build smaller bikes with proper proportions. Several manufacturers make 1.25 high pressure slicks which are very nice for loaded touring or casual riding. Specialized has the ATB turbo, which they advertise as 1 inch wide. I am currently using these on my commuter in good weather. And I understand from recumbent riding friends that other 26X1" tires are available through 'bent specialty shops. While the selection of narrow tires is somewhat limited, it is growing. I understand there is more variety in Germany, and soon both Ritchey and Continental will have narrow tires available in the US market. By 650C, I am referring to wheels with a bead seat diameter of 571mm. These wheels have found their way onto many triathlon bikes. These wheels are also occasionally referred to as 26" wheels, which is why the bead seat diameter number is so important. Tires for these two different *26 inch* wheel sizes are NOT interchangeable, and it is very important to know which one you have. Currently there is a very narrow range of tires available for this wheel size, and I mean narrow in more ways than one. In the US, the widest available tire is a Continental 23 or Michelin 20. In my opinion, neither of these tires is really wide enough for general purpose use on rough roads, and definitely not quite up to touring standards. Of course I live in New England where road surfaces are quite rough. I have used wheels of this size on a softride equipped bike. I don't believe I could take the shock from such a skinny tire on a non-suspended bike, at least not for longer rides. 700C is of course ISO 622, and is the most common wheel size for road bikes in the US today. In addition to a shorter top tube, women's bikes may also have smaller brake levers, narrower handlebars, shorter cranks and wider saddles. Georgena Terry was the pioneer in this area, but many other manufacturers now build women's bikes. They may cost a little more than a comparably equipped man's bike, due to higher production costs for fewer number of parts. But, I believe that the extra initial cost to get a properly fit bike will pay off in the long run, since you will either stop riding an uncomfortable or poorly fitting bike, or you will eventually replace the poorly fitting parts at additional cost. Part 3 Womens Bikes manufacturer list by Marcy Stuzman, I have compiled a partial list of what bikes I have heard of that are designed specifically for women or small people. I have only ridden one of these bikes myself, so I really can't comment on any of them. I would like any comments from owners about these mailed to me so that they can be included in the future. Marinoni manufacturers a small frame, but it is not featured in their homepage. For a description of this bike, you can visit Wedgewood Cycles home page which does give a description of this bike. The Marinoni comes in sizes up to 52 cm and has 26 inch wheels, which can use slick mountain bike tires. Bianchi makes a version of their bike called the Eros that comes with the smaller wheels, but their web page so far is only finished in Italian, so I couldn't discern much about the bike. Cannondale manufacturered two bikes last year with the compact frame (R500 and R800), but for 1997 is offering only the R600 in the compact size. Rodrigues is manufacturing a small bike which was featured in the Jan 1997? issue of Bicycling magazine. One nice feature is that this bike uses Dia Comp's small hands brake levers and bar end shifters, which may be easier for women with small hands to use than the Ergo or STI shifters that are popular. Waterford makes a bike, but I have been unable to find much more information on this manufacturer. Performance made a bike in 1994 called the Expresso that used a scaled down design and 650c tires, but this design has been discontinued. Rivendell also designs 50 cm bikes the 26" mountain bike sized wheels and offers shorter top tubes on their bikes if you need it. Trek offers its 470 roadbike in sizes as as small as 43 cm with 700c wheels. Terry bikes have been discusses extensively earlier in this article and they don't yet have a home page, so I will just refer you to the discussions above. (e-mail: ) It was brought to my attention that Bike Friday, a folding bike with 20" wheels, does come in very small frame sizes for short people. Many different brands of mountain bikes come in smaller sizes, including Bontranger, Fat Chance and Ibis, but small mountain bikes are somewhat easier to find than small road bikes. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.9 Bike Rentals From: Various people Skate Escape Ph. 404-892-1292 1086 Piedmont Ave. (Corner of 12th & Piedmont) Atlanta, GA. 30332 Lincoln Guide Service Lincoln Center Lincoln, MA (617) 259-9204 Rents mountain, road, kids bikes, and trailers. About 11 miles west of Boston, within sight of Lincoln Center commuter rail stop. Team Bicycle Rentals 508 Main Huntington Beach, CA (714) 969-5480 12spd $29/day, MTB $29/day, Santana tandem $69 Gregg's Greenlake Seattle, WA Second Gear Seattle, WA New York City Area: All phone numbers are area code (212). A West Side Bicycle Store -- 231 W 96th St -- 663 7531 Eddie's Bicycles Shop -- 490 Amsterdam Ave -- 580 2011 Country Cycling Tours -- 140 W 83rd St -- 874 5151 AAA Central Park Bicycle Rentals -- 72nd St/ Central Pk Boathouse -- 861 4137 Midtown Bicycles -- 360 W 47th St -- 581 4500 Sixth Avenue Bicycles -- 546 Avenue of the Americas -- 255 5100 Metro Bicycle -- 1311 Lexington Ave -- 427 4450 Larry and Jeff's Bicycles Plus -- 204 E 85th St -- 794 2201 Gene's 79th Street Discounted Bicycles -- 242 E 79th St -- 249 9218 Peddle Pusher Bicycle Shop -- 1306 2nd Ave -- 288 5594 A Bicycle Discount House -- 332 E 14th St -- 228 4344 City Cycles -- 659 Broadway -- 254 4457 San Francisco Park Cyclery -- 1865 Haight street (at Stanyan) -- 751-RENT Start to Finish -- 599 2nd Street at Brannan -- 861-4004 Pismo Beach, CA Beach Cycle Rentals, 150 Hinds Avenue, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 (805) 773-5518 http://www.fix.net/~pismobill/ or E-Mail Marin County, CA Caesars Cyclery -- 29 San Anselmo Ave San Anselmo -- 258-9920 Far-go bike Shop -- 194 Northgate #1 Shopping Center San Rafael -- 472-0253 Ken's Bike and Sport -- 94 Main Street (Downtown Tiburon) -- 435-1683 Wheel Escapes -- 1000 Magnolia Ave Larkspur -- 415-332-0218 Austin, TX area [all stores rent ONLY mountain bikes] Bicycle Sport Shop -- 1426 Toomey Road -- (512) 477-3472 University Schwinn -- 2901 N. Lamar Blvd -- (512) 474-6696 University Schwinn -- 1542 W. Anderson Ln -- (512) 474-6696 Velotex Inc -- 908-B W 12th St -- (512) 322-9131 Boulder, CO Boulder Bikesmith, Arapahoe Village, Boulder, (303) 443-1132 Bike'n'Hike, 1136 Main St, Longmont, (303) 772-5105 High Wheeler, 1015 Pearl St., Boulder, (303) 442-5588 (MTBs, Road and MTB tandems) Lousiville Cyclery, 1032 S. Boulder Rd, Louisville, (303) 665-6343 Morgul-Bismark, 1221 Pennsylvania Ave, Boulder, (303) 447-1338 Doc's Ski and Sport, Table Mesa Center, Boulder, (303) 499-0963 University Bikes, 9th and Pearl, Boulder, (303) 449-2562 (MTBs and Tandems) Full Cycle. 1211 13th St., Boulder, (303) 440-7771 High Gear, 1834 N. Main, Longmont, (303) 772-4327 Cutting Edge Sports, 1387 S. Boulder Rd., Louisville, (303) 666-3440 ------------------------------ Subject: 7.10 Bike Lockers This article has been removed due to out of date information. If anyone would like to redo this, please submit it as per the instructions at the begining of this FAQ. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.11 Bike computer features [This table was created from information contained in Performance and Nashbar catalogs. In the table below, 'Y' means that the computer has the feature, 'O' means it is an optional feature.] Speed Ave Max Total Trip Elpsd Clock Auto Count Speed Speed Miles Miles Time OnOff Down Avocet 30 Y Y Y Y Y Y Avocet 40 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Avocet 50 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Micro Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Mity Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Mity 2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Wireless Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Vectra Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye ATC Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Ciclo 37 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Ciclo IIA Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Performance ITV Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta Innovator Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta HR1000 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta C-10 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta C-15 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta C-20 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta Two Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta Wireless Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Specialized Y Y Y Y Y Y Y S Speed Zone Cadence Wireless Altitude Heart Rate Avocet 30 Avocet 40 Avocet 50 O Y Cateye Micro Y Cateye Mity Cateye Mity 2 Cateye Wireless Y Cateye Vectra Cateye ATC Ciclo 37 Ciclo IIA O O O Performance ITV Vetta Innovator Vetta HR1000 Y Vetta C-10 Vetta C-15 Vetta C-20 Y Vetta Two Y Vetta Wireless Y Specialized Speed Zone ------------------------------ Subject: 7.12 Recumbent Bike Info From: David Wittenberg (updated by Gary Walsh ) Here's my standard response to questions about recumbents. I'd be happy to answer more specific questions. Here's some info I posted in the fall of 1990. I think it's still pretty much up to date. Changes from the last posting are in []'s. --David Wittenberg A few words about recumbent design, and then I'll provide a much larger list of recumbent manufacturers. There are three main choices in designing (or buying) a recumbent. Frame material -- all the ones I know of are either Alumninum or Steel. Wheelbase -- The front wheel can either be in front of the bottom bracket (long wheelbase) or behind it (short wheelbase). You can't have a medium wheelbase without a lot of extra work because the wheel and the bottom bracket would interfere with each other. Long wheelbase is reputed to be a bit more stable, while short wheelbase machines are often easier to fit into cars for transport. Some long wheelbase recumbents fold in neat ways to fit into a remarkably small space. Handlebars -- under seat or in front of the rider. Under seat is probably a more comfortable position when you get used to it (your hands just hang at your sides), and may be somewhat safer if you get thrown forward as there is nothing in front of you. High handlebars are somewhat faster as your arms are in front of you instead of at your side, thus reducing the frontal area. Some people find them more natural. [There are long wheelbase bikes with both high and low handlebars. I don't know of any short wheelbase, low handlebar recumbents, but there may be some I don't know of.] The following updated by Gary Walsh ) March 2000. Recumbent Bicycle FAQs: http://www.ihpva.org/FAQ/ http://www.recumbents.com/faq.htm Recumbent Mailing Lists HPV mailing lists http://www.ihpva.org/mailing_lists/ HPVSO mailing list http://www.hpv.on.ca/hpvso/maillist.htm W.H.I.R.L mailing list http://www.topica.com/lists/whirl/ Linear mailing list http://www.linearrecumbents.com/LinearMailList.html Recumbent Bicycle Organizations and Clubs The International Human Powered Vehicle Association: http://www.ihpva.org An association of national associations and organizations, dedicated to promoting improvement, innovation and creativity in the use of human power, especially in the design and development of human-powered vehicles (not just bicycles). Human Powered Vehicles of Southern Ontario http://www.hpv.on.ca Washington's Happily Independent Recumbent Lovers (W.H.I.R.L) http://www.recumbents.com/whirl/Default.htm Recumbents.com's list of Recumbent and Human Powered Vehicle Clubs http://www.recumbents.com/clubs.htm Recumbent Publications Recumbent Cyclist News http://www.recumbentcyclistnews.com The premier source of recumbent news and reviews of commercially available recumbents in North America. Human Power http://www.ihpva.org/pubs/human_power.htm The technical journal of the IHPVA HPV News http://www.ihpva.org/pubs/hpv_news.htm Newsletter of the Human Powered Vehicles Association. Recumbent UK http://www.btinternet.com/~laidback/recumbentuk/ A British recumbent quarterly magazine. Bike Culture Quarterly http://bikeculture.com Published by Open Road in the UK. They also publish the yearly buyer's guide, Encycleopedia. Bent Rider Online http://www.bentrideronline.com An e-mag that started with the January 2000 issue. E-Bent http://www.e-bent.com Another new (in 2000) e-mag. Other Recumbent Links Recumbents.com http://www.recumbents.com/ A good source of recumbent links and information. Bicycle HPV Recumbent Resources and Sources http://www.bikeroute.com/Recumbents/ By Cycle America the National Bicycle Greenway in action. Manufacturers and Dealers See lists at: The Human Power Source Guide - http://www.ihpva.org/SourceGuide/ http://www.bikeroute.com/Recumbents/ http://www.recumbents.com/manufacturers.htm http://www.recumbentcyclistnews.com/...resources.html http://www.hpv.on.ca/hpvso/links.htm [This has been copied from a flyer written by Robert Bryant of the Recumbent Cyclist Magazine. He has given me permission to submit it for the FAQ. - GW July 1992] Have You Ever Considered a RECUMBENT BICYCLE? WHY RECUMBENT BICYCLES? There are many reasons to consider a recumbent. First and foremost is comfort. When you ride a recumbent bicycle you will no longer have an aching back, stiff neck, numb wrists or a sore a sore bottom. You will sit in a relaxed easy-chair position. You will be able to ride longer with less fatigue and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed. The recumbent position offerd you a great view of the countryside. While seated you will look straight ahead. This allows your lungs and chest more open and free breathing. Recumbents are very versatile machines. They can be used for a wide range of applications: recreational/sport riding, for the daily commute, a fast double century and they are great for long distance touring. RECUMBENT PERFORMANCE Recumbents hold all of the human-powered speed records. This is because they are aerodynamically superior to conventional bicycles; less frontal area means less wind resistance. The Lightning F-40 currently holds the Race Across America speed record of five days and one hour. Gardner Martin's Easy Racer Gold Rush, ridden by Fast Freddie Markham, was the winner of the Dupont Prize for breaking 65mph. You can currently buy production versions of these bicycles. Fairings for street use are common and optional equipment on most commercially built models. They protect you from rain, cold and wind, with up to a 30% reduction in drag. Commercially available recumbents are not always faster than conventional bicycles. It depends mainly on the individual rider. Your best bet is to do you homework and if your goal is performance and speed, be sure that you look for a recumbent designed for this purpose. COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RECUMBENT BICYCLES 1) Do recumbents climb hills well? Yes they do, although climbing on a recumbent requires a different technique, you must gear down and spin. Maintaining an efficient spin takes some practice & conditioning, once mastered, it takes less physical effort to climb hills. Depending on your riding style, your speeds can range from slowwer to even faster than on a conventional bicycle. 2) Can recumbents be seen in traffic? Recumbents with a higher seating position may be better suited for riding in traffic than some of the low-slung designs. The use of use of proper safety devices such as safety flags and reflective devices is recommended. Recumbent bicycles are different, futuristic and they get noticed. Many riders feel they get more respect from motorists while on their recumbents. 3) Are they safe? Recumbent's are safer than a conventional bicycle. Due to the low centre of gravity, they stop faster. Brakes can be evenly applied to both wheels simultaneously providing more traction without throwing the rider over the handlebars. In crash situations, the rider goes down to the side absorbing the impact with the hip and leg rather than flying over the handlebars and absorbing the impact on your head and shoulder. Straight ahead vision is also better on a recumbent, however, rear view mirrors are necessary for proper rearward vision. RECUMBENT PAST HISTORY Why are recumbents such a rare sight? Space age technology? New type of bicycle? Not really, recumbent bicycles actually go back as far as the mid to late 1800's with the Macmillan Velocopede and the Challand Recumbent. In the 1930's, a series of events took place that changed bicycling history. A French second category professional track cyclist named Francois Faure rode the Velocar, a two wheeled recumbent bicycle designed and built by Charles Mochet, to record-shattering speeds, breaking both the mile and kilometre records of the day. This created a storm of controversy within the U.C.I. (United Cycliste International), bicycle rating's governing body. The debate centred on whether the Velocar was a bicycle and were these records legal? In 1934 they ruled against the Mochet-Faure record, banning recumbent bicycles and aerodynamic devices from racing. Were U.C.I. members worried that the recumbent bicycle would displace the conventional design? Did they realize this would freeze bicycle and human-powered vehicle development for the next forty years? This is why bicycles of taday look very similar to the Starkey and Sutton Safety (upright/conventional) of 1885. Just think where bicycle technology would be today if the U.C.I. decision had gone the opposite way. MODERN RECUMBENT HISTORY Recumbent development was fairly quiet until the late 1960's. Dan Henry received some media attention for his long wheelbase design in 1968. In the early 1970's, the human-powered revolution was starting up on both the U.S. east coast by David Gordon, designer of the Avatar, and on the west coast by Chester Kyle. These pioneers recognized the need for further development of human-powered vehicles. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, this lead to the first commercial recumbent bicycle designs such as the Avatar, Easy Racer and Hypercycle. In 1990, the Recumbent Bicycle Club of America was founded by Dick Ryan who currently manufactures the Ryan Vanguard and was also involved with the Avatar project in the early 1980's. In 1988 recumbent promoter Robert Bryant got his start writing "Recumbent Ramblings," a column for "HPV News." In the summer of 1990, Robert founded the "Recumbent Cyclist Magazine," and in a short two years, RCM has become the source for recumbent bicyle information in the world today. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.13 Buying a Bike One thing to decide before buying a bike is what type to buy. Here's a brief list: Road bike Once known as a "ten-speed", most are now 12 or 14 (or even 16) speed. There are several sub-types: racing, sport, and touring, the difference mostly in frame geometry. ATB All-terrain bike, also known as mountain bike. Great for riding in the dirt, these bikes usually have fat, knobby tires for traction in dirt and gravel. Hybrid A bike that borrows from road bikes and ATBs. For example, they have the light frame and 700c wheels of road bikes and fat knobby tires, triple cranks, wide-range derailleurs, flat handlebars and cantilever brakes from mountain bikes. Bike buying hints When you're ready to buy a bike, you should first decide what you want to use the bike for. Do you want to race? Do you want to pedal along leisurely? Do you want to ride in the dirt? Next, you should decide on a price range. Plan to spend at least $350 for a decent quality bike. Now find a good bike shop. Ask friends who bike. Ask us here on the net. Chances are, someone here lives in your area and can recommend a shop. Now that you are ready to look for a bike, visit the shop(s) you have selected. Test ride several bikes in your price range. How does it feel? Does it fit you? How does it shift? Does it have the features you are looking for? How do the shop personnel treat you? Remember that the shop gets the bike disassembled and has to spend a couple of hours putting it together and adjusting things, so look for sloppy work (If you see some, you may want to try another shop). You might want to try a bike above your price range to see what the differences are (ask the salesperson). Ask lots of questions - pick the salesperson's brain. If you don't ask questions, they may recommend a bike that's not quite right for you. Ask about places to ride, clubs, how to take care of your bike, warranties, etc. Good shops will have knowledgable people who can answer your questions. Some shops have free or low-cost classes on bike maintenance; go and learn about how to fix a flat, adjust the brakes and derailleurs, overhaul your bike, etc. Ask your questions here - there are lots of people here just waiting for an excuse to post! Make sure that the bike fits you. If you don't, you may find that you'll be sore in places you never knew could be so sore. For road bikes, you should be able to straddle the top tube with your feet flat on the ground and still have about 1 inch of clearance. For mountain bikes, give yourself at least 2-3 inches of clearance. You may need a longer or shorter stem or cranks depending on your build - most bikes are setup for "average" bodies. The bike shop can help you with adjustments to the handlebars and seat. Now that you've decided on a bike, you need some accessories. You should consider buying a helmet a frame pump a tube repair kit tire levers (plastic) a pressure gauge a seat pack (for repair kit, wallet, keys, etc) gloves a water bottle and cage a lock The shop can help you select these items and install them on your bike. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.14 Kid's Bike Clothes There are several places selling shorts and jerseys for kids: Performance Bike Shop (see listing in section 9.2) Nashbar ( "" ) Rad Rat Ragz 303/247-4649 (CO) Freewheelers 617/423-2944 (MA) Teri T's 503/383-2243 (OR) ------------------------------ Subject: 7.15 Repair stands The Bicycle Service Station WWW site is at: http://members.home.net/wwseb/bike.html ------------------------------ Subject: 7.16 Updated Bike Locker listing From: (Thompson, John C.) Date: Wed, 08 Apr 1998 00:28:59 -0400 Bicycle Lockers - a Survey on the Internet - by John Thompson At the January, 1998 City of London, Ontario, Canada Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, engineering department staff mentioned that City Hall would be implementing facilities to better store bicycles for employees who bicycle to work. I understand that the planned facility is to be a fenced, locked compound with a method of providing keys to the shared facility for users. At that meeting, I agreed to do a survey of bicycle locker facilities on the Internet, to add possible improved options for the City to consider. I had also been interested in bicycle lockers at my place of employment for quite some time now. I have had my bike vandalized at work more than once. Also I find it takes too much time each day to remove the "gear" from my bike (such as lights, handlebar bag and pump,) so it doesn't get stolen or vandalized. I'm interested in acquiring a bicycle locker at work. Here are the results of my survey, done in March, 1998. The first source of information I came across was an excellent start, and I must give credit to the author, David H. Wolfskill, e-mail . I found this material first at the rec.bicycles news group Frequently Asked Questions, and the article is located at: http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/7.16.html. I also ran across many other versions in my search. This article seems to be the definitive material on bicycle lockers to this point. I took the 12 companies David posted, adding 4 new Internet accessible vendors, for a total of 16 companies. I also added the Internet address for the companies that I found on the "net", also adding e-mail addresses, and pricing where they existed. I have not checked any of the 11 companies for which I could not find a web site. I have looked at the 5 Internet sites, and the products there offer a reasonable range of capability. I have summarized some of the interesting points: (This was formatted for a Word 6.0/95 document, and didn't make it very well to the text version.) Construction # bikes Bike Position In use since Shape Size Bike Guard Steel or Stainless Steel 1 standing 1996? Wedge 47.5" x 73" x 72" high on rear wheel Bike Lid Polyethylene with steel base 1 or 2 Upright in 1996 Form fitting 43" x 96" x approx 50" high a wheel stand Dura-Locker fiberglass, molded HDPE, 1 or 2 Upright ? Rectangle 40" x 75" x 51" high powder-coated steel, and stainless steel Crankcase Class Walls, top and door frames 1 locker of 14 gauge galvanized sheet metal. Doors of 12 gauge galvanized sheet metal 2 Upright ? Rectangle 42" x 75" x 45" high Guardian Bicycle Molded Polyethelyene 1 Standing ? Wedge (unknown, but looks a bit larger than a Bike Guard) Locker on rear wheel One of the key issues will be shipping cost, so I am investigating the SPI Industries company because it is in Ontario, relatively close to our London Location. I included this information in my submission to the BAC for its April, 1998 meeting as an FYI item. I will also print some copies of the web information and bring it to the meeting to hand out to interested members. Here's the full updated Bike Locker company information: Manufacturer: American Bicycle Security Co. Product: BIKE SAFE Address: PO Box 7359 Ventura, CA 93006 Contact: Thomas E. Volk Phone: 805-933-3688 & 800-BIKESAF Fax: 805-933-1865 WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: Bike Gard Address: 8149 South 600 East, Rexburg ID 83440 Product: Contact: Phone: 208-356-0744 Fax: WEB_Site: http://www.ida.net/users/bikegd Pricing: Manufacturer: Bike Lid Address: 322 W. 57th St., Suite 495, NY, NY 10019 Product: Bike Lid Contact: Phone: 212-245-6623 Fax: 212-765-9803 WEB_Site: www.bikelid.com Pricing: $845US for one, plus shipping 15% Manufacturer: Bike Lockers Company Address: PO Box 445 W. Sacramento, CA 95691 Product: BikeLokr Contact: Phone: 916-372-6620 Fax: 916-372-3616 WEB_Site: Pricing: approx. $300US/locker, small quantities Manufacturer: Bike Security Racks Co. Address: PO Box 371, Cambridge, MA 02140 Product: ? Contact: Phone: 617-547-5755 Fax: WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: Bike Stable Co., Inc. Address: PO 1402, South Bend, Indiana 46624 Product: ? Contact: Phone: 219-233-7060 Fax: WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: Bike-Lokr Mfg. Co. Address: PO Box 123, Joplin, MO 64802 Product: ? Contact: Jim Snyder Phone: 417-673-1960/800-462-4049 Fax: 417-673-3642 WEB_Site: Pricing: approx $450US/locker, which holds 2 bikes Manufacturer: Cycle-Safe Inc. Address: 2772-5 Woodlake Rd. SW Wyoming, MI 49509 Product: Contact: Phone: (616)538-0079 Fax: WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: David O'Keefe Company Address: P.O. Box 4457, Alamo,CA 94507 Product: Super Secure Bike Stor Contact: Thomas & David O'Keefe Phone: 415-637-4440 Fax: 415-837-6234 WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: General Machine company Address: PO Box 405 Vacaville, CA 95696 Product: Bicycle Locker Contact: Vitto Accardi Phone: 707-446-2761 Fax: WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: J.G.Wilson Corp Address: PO Box 599, Norfolk, VA 23501-0599 Product: Park'n'Lock Bike Garage Contact: J.L.Bevan Phone: 804-545-8341 Fax: 804-543-3249 WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: Madrax, A T.L. Graber Co. Address: 2210 Pinehurst Drive, Middleton, Wisconsin 53362 Product: Dura-Locker Contact: Phone: 800-448-7931 or 608-831-9040 Fax: 608-831-7623 WEB_Site: http://www.madrax.com/duralock.htm Pricing: Manufacturer: Palmer Group Address: 1072 Folsom, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94103 Product: CrankCase Contact: Phone: 415-985-7128 Fax: WEB_Site: http://www.bikeparking.com Pricing: Manufacturer: SPI Industries Inc. Address: Box 10, R.R. #2, Shallow Lake, Ontario, N0H 2K0 Product: Guardian Bicycle Locker Systems Contact: Phone: 800-269-6533 or 519-935-2211 Fax: 519-935-2174 WEB_Site: www.spiplastics.com/bike.htm Pricing: $841 CDN if you buy 1-10, $747 CDN for 11-70 Manufacturer: Sunshine U-LOK Corp. Address: 31316 Via Colinas Suite 102, Westlake Village, CA 91362 Product: Secura Bike Locker Contact: Doug Devine Phone: 818-707-0110 Fax: WEB_Site: Pricing: Manufacturer: Turtle Storage Ltd. Address: P. O. Box 7359, Ventura, CA 93006 Product: ? Contact: Phone: Fax: WEB_Site: Pricing: ------------------------------ Subject: 7.17 Electric Bikes From: Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 21:37:27 EDT Practical transportation for errands and short commutes. Electric bikes are everyday bicycles with an added battery-powered electric motor. The motor helps you pedal (a lot) whenever you want. Enjoy that cruising feeling all the time - even when you start from a stop, go uphill, or buck a head wind. Electric bikes make cycling quick, safe, and fun! FLEXIBLE AND UTILITARIAN You can be riding your first EV for under $1000. Add a trailer and you've got a small, easy-to-use vehicle capable of hauling 100 pounds of cargo over five miles at 15+ mph. Without the trailer and cargo, you and your e-bike can easily cover 10 miles at nearly 20 mph. For most of us, that's enough for our local errands. For some, it will get us to work faster than driving - and with less stress. E-bikes provide advantages of an extra car without the burdensome costs. In addition, electric bikes combine well with bus and train for point-to-point transportation. Multi-car households would do well to consider replacing one car and sharing an e-bike. All electric bikes give your pedaling an assist. Although capable of pushing you along without your help, electric bikes perform noticeably better when you pedal. The average "couch potato" who normally rides at 10 mph can do 15-20 mph with the same effort for a range of 10 miles before recharging. Power is easily activated by a switch mounted on the handlebar - or in response to your pedaling. When activated, the bike immediately responds with a nearly silent push. When you release the switch (or stop pedaling), the motor coasts - like "neutral" on a car. Standard bicycle hand brakes and gearing round out the controls. TWO BASIC DESIGNS Electric (or "electric-assist") bicycles come in two basic designs - adaptive and purpose-built. The adaptive type starts with a bicycle and adds a drive system to it. A purpose-built e-bike is a designed from the ground up. Adaptives are less expensive, less stylish, and may require installation (allow 3 hours if you're familiar with tools; otherwise your local bikeshop mechanic will charge about $75). Purpose-builts offer interesting designs and features (like brake-activated tail lights). Regardless which type you use, you don't need a driver's license, vehicle registration, or insurance. In California, an electric bike is legally a "bicycle" (CVC 406(b)). Rechargeable batteries power the electric drive motors. Charging requires less than 5¢ of electricity from a standard 110 VAC outlet. Charging times for different brands, however, vary widely. (ZAPWORLD.COM's DX systems recharge in less than three hours.) If you own a bike, you can motorize it for as little as $400. Or buy a purpose-built type for up to $1500. SAFETY An electric bike, by California law, is limited to a top speed of 20 mph (speed limits vary from state to state). That speed limitation prevents riders from over-riding their capabilities. The improved acceleration provides an extra margin of safety by helping a rider dodge traffic. The extra speed reduces the speed differential between you and cars, allowing them more time to see you and adjust. The extra speed also allows you to crest hills sooner, so you spend less time at those vulnerable slow speeds. This can be expecially important on freeway overpasses. Finally, an e-bike's large battery can power a big, bright headlight to warn oncoming traffic that you're coming. For more information and an overview of most e-bike offerings in the U. S., see www.electric-bikes.com/others.htm Electric tricycles (adult three wheelers) are covered at www.electric-bikes.com/trikes.htm ------------------------------ Subject: 7.18 Cycling loaded: bags, panniers, and trailers From: Mark Buell Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 20:52:00 -0500 A FAQ covering courier bags, backpacks, panniers, saddle bags, and trailers. There is an existing FAQ on panniers, but it doesn't cover courier bags, etc. However, for more info on panniers, please refer to it. Courier bags, backpacks, panniers, and trailers, Which system is superior? The real answer is "None." But that's a little confusing, and not very illuminating, eh? In this article I try to offer some of my experience, that of other experienced cyclists I've known, and opinions that have been found on rec.bicycles.misc from time to time. Critical Questions To Answer. 1: Distance. How far are you traveling? 2: How much weight are you carrying? 3: What is YOUR sense of style? 4: What kind of cyclist are you, and what is your ability level? 5: How do you feel most comfortable dealing with traffic? 6: Traffic levels and roadway conditions, i.e. off-road, city, Mongolian track or US highway? Changing your answer to one of the above may well change your decision about how to carry your cargo. These questions are all important, but numbers 1 and 2 are at the top because they are arguably the most important. Technical factors to consider: Center of gravity. Load stability. Ease of access. Comfort. Personal style (again). THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE. There are a lot of options! You can get panniers, front and rear, in a thousand different styles. Then there are handlebar packs, for which every manufacturer has different mounting hardware. You can choose from backpacks, fanny packs, courier bags, Carradice bags, and trailers! I've used all of these at some time, and, I've worn out a few. In this article I discuss backpacks, Carradice bags, courier bags, fanny packs, handlebar bags, panniers, racks, underseat bags, and trailers. CHARACTERISTICS RANKING Following the description is a table showing how I rate the systems for the characteristics above. A rating will vary, possibly a lot, due to hardware particulars of a brand or design, how the hardware is packed, and purely from subjective opinion. A user may find they prefer, say, the ease of access of a set of panniers over that of a backpack. LOAD CAPACITY The bottom line is "Do you feel in control of your bike, and comfortable with your choice?" The ratings in the descriptions are for a useable range of load capacity. This is not a maximum capacity, nor a minimum. This is what I have found to be a wise capacity in real life, used on a bicycle. On one extreme, you can use touring panniers for a single jacket and camera, but it would be total overkill to use a trailer for that same load. Obviously, too, some people will safely use their system with larger loads, and they will happily tell you so. But, the rider with the 100 pound touring rig knows how to pack those panniers - very well. Larger loads increase the likelihood of problems. There is a lot of gray area here. Higher quality equipment will enable larger loads, but the principles still apply. PRICE One ng commentor wanted prices. I will say that this is the easiest thing for the reader to find. Since the systems vary so widely it is a hard question to answer here. But some generalities may be useful. Quality costs more. Backpacks can be real cheap, but the ones designed for cycling are only available at medium backpack prices and above. Right now that means at least $50 to $90. Courier bags, good ones, can be had for under $100. Panniers mean you have to buy a rack too, so you're probably over $100 there, for quality. Fanny packs can be cheap, or expensive. Trailers are easily over $100, and most likely more; they are not a cheap solution. Carradice, or saddle bags seem to be competitive with good backpacks and courier bags. ================================================== ================= BACKPACKS Backpacks are convenient, cheap, readily available, and the first thing an Average Joe looks to for carrying a small load. They are also not particularly well-suited to using with a bicycle. There are two reasons I give them any positive thoughts at all. First is because masses of less- experienced cyclists pick them up and use them simply because they are the most convenient answer to carrying cargo. Second is because many cyclists on rec.bicycles.misc use them and argue persuasively in their favor. Those cyclists who do so universally note that they use one of the backpacks designed specifically for use while cycling or other heavy physical activity - they are designed for lateral stability and with good back ventilation. Most backpacks are directly next to the back, and thus have an instant ventilation problem. A loosely fitting backpack carrying a few textbooks can be a dangerous threat to your stability. Personally, I think the stability problem here is a little less dangerous than instable panniers or handlebar packs, because an inexperienced cyclist will readily feel the instability of the backpack. Panniers and handlebar packs can and will go instable with little or no warning to an inexperienced or less- skilled cyclist. But instability is easy to recognize in backpacks. There is one circumstance where load instability will occur that may be less readily recognized by the inexperienced: leaning in a turn. When this happens the pack, or its contents, slides to one side of the body, creating a situation where the pack changes the center of gravity - its weight is then pulling to one side or the other. This is the worst possible time for this to happen, with the cyclist already in a balancing act. Things to look for are back ventilation, and adequate suspension for the load (waist straps for heavier loads). Backpacks C. of G. Very Poor-Poor Stability Poor Ease of Access Good Comfort Very Poor-Good Typical usage: Short distance/around town, Commuting Weight carried: very light to medium (25 lbs.), more could be carried, but would create extreme stability and control problems. CARRADICE BAGS Actually a brand name for saddlebags. They are convenient and simple. The smaller ones don't require special hardware (racks), and are pretty much out of the way for the cyclist - off the body, and on the bike. They can also easily be unstable, and care must be taken to avoid shifting loads. I would choose something like this to carry those few extra items (eg. Camera, cell phone, etc.) on longer, casual, day rides, century rides, and short tours. The larger seat bags will usually require some sort of rack to keep the bag off the tire. Like backpacks and handlebar bags, these are not my preference, but other riders seem to like them. My use of one was quite a few years ago. They have made quite a comeback in the marketplace since then, and the designs today appear to me to be more advanced. They were ok at that time, and then it seemed to me to be more a matter of preference. I thought panniers were more convenient, and simpler to pack and fuss with. However, the hardware for larger Carradice bags would be less in the way of wheel maintenance than a rack. This is where a seatpost mounted rack device would, in my opinion, be worth something. I will also say that I might look at Carradice bags again in the future, as they might carry a load while not creating a foot clearance problem, something that larger panniers do. Carradice bags C. of G. Good Stability Poor-Good Ease of Access Poor Comfort Very Good Typical usage: Short distance/around town, commuting, day trip/century Weight capacity: Up to 25 lbs. would be typical. COURIER BAGS My favorite for around town shopping and shorter commutes, they are generally stable, simple, and convenient. I find them only becoming less comfortable at distances over 10 to 15 miles. In my opinion, for comfort and convenience they are unmatched. They are easy to get into and out of. They are completely unfussy as to how they are packed. You can toss in a laptop or a briefcase - they will carry unweildy and oddball loads any other system (except trailers, or baskets, which aren't covered here) would choke on. They are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and don't require hardware on your bike. They are also easily misused and can easily be unstable. Stylish, look- alike, copycat designs are often much less stable. However, if they are unstable, in my experience, they do so in such a way that this can be controlled by the rider. Example, if the load is going to shift on you, it does so before you are all the way into a lean, and not when you are already deep in a lean. You can easily compensate for such a shifting load with a simple blocking move of your elbow. Design features that make the courier bag stable (and convenient) are the width of the bag, the width of the strap, and the addition of a chest or waist strap. The courier bag design is wide. Chest straps have been added in recent years for greater stability. The bag is worn low on the body, putting the weight on the hips. This keeps it from being top-heavy. The width of the bag also allows it to "wrap" around the hips; which helps provide extra security against load shifting. A wide (2") shoulder strap means it is comfortable on the shoulder, and also helps keep it from shifting. It is worth noting that a CHEST strap is preferred by most couriers over a waist strap for stability. The reason for this is quite simple: a waist strap allows the bag to rotate (load shift) around the body, which is exactly how it wants to shift when it is unstable. So the waist strap, for most, prevents nothing. On the other hand, the chest strap triangulates the load security and greatly decreases the likelihood of a shifting bag. My first courier bag was made before there were chest straps, and I found that I knew when it was unstable, and would ride accordingly. I pretty much wore that bag out. My second and current bag has a chest strap. And, last of all, there is the matter of style. I found when I commuted and shopped with panniers I got more "odd looks". I have a certain level of tolerance, but I generally don't like getting "odd looks". A courier bag, on the other hand, is not out of place in an office today. The grocery store clerk who looks at panniers with a completely bewildered expression doesn't give my courier bag a second glance. Final analysis: what else can I toss my laptop, a 6-pack, or a watermelon into with equal ease? Courier bags C. of G. Poor-Very Good Stability Good-Very Good Ease of Access Very Good Comfort Very Good Typical usage: Short distance/around town, commuting, light shopping Weight capacity: Up to 35 lbs. would be typical. FANNY PACKS Convenient and simple for light and small loads. You can't get an easier way to carry the camera and phone. But for heavier loads, and longer rides, most people will prefer other systems. Larger fanny packs are made, but for riding most people find they are less comfortable, due to ventilation issues. Stability and control are generally not an issue. If you can load it in the pack, you can probably safely carry it. fanny packs C. of G. Very Good Stability Very Good Ease of Access Very Good Comfort Good Typical usage: Short distance/around town, commuting, day trip/century Weight capacity: Up to 5-7 lbs. would be typical. HANDLEBAR BAGS Handlebar packs or bags are a subset of panniers, but I treat them separately because they have many avid proponents, and have enough individual considerations that they need to be treated separately. And, really, there are two types of handlebar bags or packs. There are bags, which strap to the handlbars without the benefit of a frame, and packs, which use an external rigid mounting frame or rack of some sort. I'm not going to distinguish between them for this article, and I will use the names interchangeably. Handlebar bags have two distinct advantages: they can be used to carry a map that is always visible, and they are highly accessible. They also have distinct and potentially dangerous disadvantages. They are extremely easy to overload. When they are overloaded they readily cause instability and a steering effect on the handlebars that can be dangerous. Their mounting systems tend to be less than ideally stable. I have used them for their advantages, and I find that to be a small advantage, indeed - too small for me to bother with. But, they have folks who love them, and who really appreciate the advantages I mentioned. So if you like the idea, I will say this: don't overload them. They are suitable for a jacket or two, a camera, a cell phone, and a map, and nothing more. They are not suitable for school books, laptops, or other dense items. They have enough space to pack this way, an inexperienced cyclist probably wouldn't even think about it, they would just toss in a couple of textbooks because there's enough room for them. A couple of textbooks can easily weigh 10 pounds, and this would be an overload! As for me, I'll pass on looking at my map all the time. A fanny pack or pockets will be fine. The one exception would again be long distance self-contained touring. Long hours in the saddle would mean my comfort level demands as little constraint on my body as possible. So, then, combined with whatever else I used for the real load, there would be a place on my bike for a handlebar bag. Handlebar bags C. of G. Very Poor Stability Poor-Good Ease of Access Very Good Comfort Very Good Typical usage: Short distance/around town, commuting, day trip/century, touring (self-contained) Weight capacity: Up to 5-7 lbs. would be typical. PANNIERS Please note that there is a more complete coverage of panniers in a very good seperate FAQ. Handlebar packs actually fit in this category, but have enough individual characteristics that I discuss them separately. Panniers are the original champion load-carrier, but in my opinion they have been dethroned. However, for long distance touring with load, they and trailers are still the only reasonable choices. When I started looking around they were the "only" choice for "cyclists". Carradice bags (large saddle bags) were then almost extinct, known mostly as a throw-back to an earlier era of riding. Trailers were rare and mostly handmade, although there were a couple of brands just coming to market. Backpacks were pooh-poohed by anyone serious about their riding (for which there were good reasons, as we will see) Panniers are attached to the bike at multiple points; which, when done properly, has several advantages. Properly loaded, panniers have a low center of gravity, lower than any other system except a trailer. Load stability can be high. They are not the best for ease of access, although they can be good. Since the rider is unencumbered, comfort is usually rated highly. Things to watch for a your racks, how the panniers mount to the racks, and the pannier design. The racks should have multiple mounting points. More mounting points mean greater stability. Stability is critical. A 3- point mount can be fine for the lighter load generally associated with commuting, but can fail under the higher pressure of loaded long-distance touring. Quality is important. Unlike many other parts that, on failure, will give you time to find a repair or replacement, a failing rack can easily fall into the "catastrophic" failure class. A failed rack can drop a rack leg into your spokes, or suddenly loose a loaded pannier completely. As for front low-rider racks, when they first came out they were a little controversial. Now they have proved their point. I suppose somebody could make an argument for the original front rack style, but I can find better answers to any problems that might solve. The pannier design should include a solid connection to the rack. A pannier that is only held on by the spring pressure of a bungee-type cord at the bottom and a hook at the top is not suitable for larger loads. Hit a bump with a big load and you can loose your load. Bah-da-bing, that fast. For lighter loads, though, they are ok. I may be dated, as I think most panniers sold today have a firm connection at the top. Good thing! Most people also want an "easy-on, easy-off" system. My first set of panniers had a solid connection to the rack (they were strapped on with nylon belting), but took several (irritating) minutes to get off. Pannier manufacturers today do provide hardware systems that answer this requirement. On bag design: foot clearance is important with rear panniers. If you have long feet, clearance can be a big problem. I could never use the type of pannier that you can just drop a shopping bag in. If I fit them to the bike so that they didn't interfere with my feet, they would be so high as to be instable, or so far back that my front wheel would be in the air. But, if they work for you, great! Bag design greatly impacts ease of access. One of the biggest complaints I have with panniers is that they have to be packed with the care one reserves for packing a full backpack for self-contained hiking/camping. In other words, carefully, and with attention to detail. This also means that if you want to get at that heavy item you had to put on the bottom, you have to unpack everything on top. Larger items are difficult to manage, as are odd sizes and shapes (i.e. map tubes, or a light cardboard box for shipping). On the good side, you can drop considerable weight (a laptop, for instance) in a pannier without noticing it much on your ride. A well- designed system is easy to get on and off your bike. A well-designed and properly packed system can carry very significant loads with relative ease. If I were ever to do self-contained touring again I would elect to do it only as a group of riders, with a combination of panniers for most riders combined with a trailer for bulky and heavy items. If I had to go solo, my decision would lean toward panniers, but only very slightly. panniers Final analysis: A must for self-contained touring, but it seems like a different bag is required for each type of riding and load. In my opinion they are best saved for serious loads. C. of G. Poor-Very Good (only poor for odd shapes or poor packing) Stability Good-Very Good Ease of Access Poor-Good Comfort Very Good Typical usage: Short distance/around town, commuting, day trip/century, shopping, touring (self-contained) Weight capacity: Up to 50 lbs. More is possible, but I don't think you'd want to peddle the bike with that. RACKS and ATTACHMENTS A word or two about racks and attachments. Stability and strength are your prime considerations. I have had loads shift and break loose in a number of ways. I have seen racks bend, break, and sway. A rack should have a firm mount to the bicycle at as many points as is possible. It should be of firm and rigid construction. Look for triangulation in the legs - the struts should be mutually supporting. Quality 3-point mounted racks are almost as good as quality 4-point mounts. Brazed-on 4-point mounts are the ultimate. Single point mounted racks and flimsy racks are only suitable for very light loads. The only exception to this is using one of these racks to keep a Carradice bag off the rear wheel. Trailer attachments are either on the seat-post or the rear triangle. Mine is on the seat-post, and I've never had any reason to be unhappy with it. Mostly you want strength in this attachment. UNDERSEAT BAGS Available in a huge variety of sizes, of which the Carradice bag is a premium version. Carradice is a brand name for saddle bags. They offer models ranging from small up to pannier-competition. The ordinary smaller versions are absolutely essential for the emergency tools, spare tube and patch kit, or spare tire for the sewup set. They are also very inexpensive. For larger loads and bags please see the Carradice bags review. TRAILERS Trailers are the ultimate load machine. Giving up the car and going grocery shopping? I guarantee you a trailer is the only way to go. How else can you carry cases of soda on a bicycle? How about taking that cooler on the bike club picnic? I've used mine to carry a side of beef and many cases of soda. Want to go surfing, and ride your bike to the beach? I remember as a teenager trying to carry a surfboard under my arm while riding. Whew, talk about stability problems! Every little breeze blew the board one way or another, and each way was in my way! The first commercial bike trailer I ever saw was produced to tow a surfboard. Towing children versus putting them in bike seats is a topic all its own, with good points on both sides. I won't get into the debate over attachment points. My trailer uses a seatpost clamp, and I like it just fine. So, when it comes to carrying loads, the trailer is king. It does increase your riding width profile, and it slows you down, but trailers are stable when riding, and it matters little how you pack them. Ease of access is the best, once you've dismounted. Some trailer designs are a bit problematic in parking stability, but to me, this is an inconvenience issue, and not a safety item. Trailers C. of G. Very Good Stability Very Good Ease of Access Very Good Comfort Very Good Load capacity: the only way to go for truly heavy loads. Two kids could easily weigh 75 - 100 lbs. My trailer is rated up to 125 lbs. Typical usage: for bringing the kids on a recreational ride! Also suited to serious grocery shopping or self-contained touring. What else can you use to carry your surfboard or cases of soda? ------------------------------ Subject: 8a Tech General ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.1 Technical Support Numbers From: Joshua Putnam [This list is now in the ftp archives as it is too long to put here] ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.2 Using a Quick Release From Mark Irving The odd-looking thing which attaches most front wheels, many rear wheels and some seatpins is not a sort of wingnut. It is a quick release lever. If it is not properly fastened, your wheels are loose. If this description isn't clear, go to any bike shop or find any local bikie person and get them to show you. It's hard to describe, not obvious until you've done it yourself, and it is important to get right. It's easy when you know how -- road racers can get their wheels changed in five seconds! 1. Make sure the floppy lever is pushed over to its "OPEN" side. This lever operates a cam to close up the 'skewer' later. 2. Loosen off the little nut on the other end of the skewer just enough to get the wheel into the dropouts in the frame. Slide the wheel into the frame, and balance it there while you do the next bits. 3. With one hand, hold the operating lever straight out (parallel to the axle), halfway between OPEN and CLOSED. With the other hand, tighten the nut opposite until you feel resistance. 4. Push the operating lever over to CLOSED. This should be a tough operation, if you've got the nut adjusted right. It should not hurt, but it should leave a dent in the palm of your hand for ten to twenty seconds afterwards! If you have the tension right, the wheel is now very safely and solidly held. 5. If the lever really won't close all the way, open it (the full 180 degrees to OPEN), loosen the nut about 1/4 turn, and go back to step 4. If it closes all the way without much resistance, open it all the way, tighten the nut 1/4 turn, and go back to step 4. If your bike doesn't have the stupid bumps, clips and 'lawyer lips' often added, you'll never need to adjust the nut again. The only action needed is to flip the lever between CLOSED and OPEN. The subtle extra is to point the Q-R lever down, towards the ground, in its CLOSED position, so that it doesn't get caught on anything solid when you're riding. This is infinitely less important than doing it up properly. ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.3 Workstands There are a variety of workstands available, from about $30 to over $130. Look at the mail order catalogs for photos showing the different types. The type with a clamp that holds one of the tubes on the bike are the nicest and easy to use. Park has a couple of models, and their clamp is the lever type (pull the lever to lock the clamp). Blackburn and Performance have the screw type clamp (screw the clamp shut on the tube. If you have a low budget, you can use two pieces of rope hanging from the ceiling with rubber coated hooks on the end - just hang the bike by the top tube. This is not as steady as a workstand, but will do an adequate job. ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.4 Workstands 2 From: Douglas B. Meade BICYCLE REPAIR STAND SUMMARY The Park PRS6 was recommended by several (5) responders; all other models were recommended by no more than one responder. Park PRS6 PROS: full 360\degree rotation spring-loaded clamp is adjustable very stable CONS: not height adjustable not easy to transport clamp probably can't work with fat-tubed mtn bike COST: ~$150 SOURCE: catalogs, local bike shops Park Consumer PROS: foldable convenient portable CONS: not as stable as PRS6 COST: ~$100 SOURCE: catalogs, local bike shops Park BenchMount PROS: stronger, and more stable, than many floor models CONS: must have a workbench with room to mount the stand COST: $??? SOURCE: ??? Blackburn PROS: The stand folds flat and is portable. It has a 360 degree rotating clamp. It is relatively stable. CONS: crank-down clamp does not seem to be durable crank bolt is not standard size; difficult to replace hard to get clamp tight enough for stable use clamp scratchs paint/finish problems getting rotating mechanism to work properly COST: ~$100 SOURCE: catalogs, local bike shops Performance PROS: CONS: not too stable Ultimate Repair Stand PROS: excellent quality includes truing stand includes carrying bag CONS: COST: ~$225 SOURCE: order through local bike shop the U.S. address for Ultimate Support Systems is : Ultimate Support Systems 2506 Zurich Dr. P.O. Box 470 Fort Collins, CO. 80522-4700 Phone (303) 493-4488 I also received three homemade designs. The first is quite simple: hang the bike from coated screw hooks (available in a hardware store for less that $5/pair) The others are more sophisticated. Here are the descriptions provided by the designers of the systems. Dan Dixon describes a modification of the Yakima Quickstand attachment into a freestanding workstand I picked up the Yakama clamp and my local Bike shop for around $25. What you get is the clamp and a long carraige bolt with a big (5") wing nut. This is meant to be attached to their floor stand or their roof racks. The roof rack attachment is ~$60; expensive, but great for road trips. I, instead, bought a longer carraige bolt, a piece of 3/4" threaded lead pipe, two floor flanges, and some 2x4's. (about $10 worth of stuff). You say you want to attach it to a bench (which should be easy) pipe +- clamp | wing nut | | | V | +--+ V | |---------+ V | | O | | | |\_________/| | | / | | -O- |=| _________ |=| |==I | | | |/ \| | | \ | |---------+ | | O | | /\ /\ | |-2x4 | | | | flanges--+---------+ | | | | Excuse the artwork, but it might give you and Idea about what I mean. You could just nail the 2x4 to the bench or something. I really like the clamp because it is totally adjustable for different size tubes. Eric Schweitzer prefers the following set-up to the Park `Professional' stands that he also has. My favorite 'stand', one I used for many years, one that I would use now if my choice of stand were mine, is made very cheaply from old seats and bicycle chain. Two seats (preferably cheap plastic shelled seats) (oh...they must have one wire bent around at the front to form the seat rails...most seats do) have the rails removed and bent to form 'hooks'. The 'right' kind of hooks are placed in a good spot on the ceiling about 5 or 6 feet apart. (really, a bit longer than the length of a 'typical' bike from hub to hub. If you do a lot of tandems or LWB recombants, try longer Form a loop in one end of thechain by passing a thin bolt through the opening between 'outer' plates in two spots on the chain. (of course, this forms a loop in the chain, not the bolt). The same is done at the other end to form loops to hold the seat rail/hooks. First, form the hooks so they form a pair of Js, about 2 inch 'hook's The hook for the front of the bike is padded, the one for the rear looped through the chain, squeezed together to a single hook, and padded. To use, hook the rear hook under the seat, or at the seat stays. Hook the front with each arm on oposite sides of the stem. Can also hook to head tube (when doing forks). Either hook can grab a rim to hold a wheel in place while tightening a quick release skewer or axle bolt. There is no restricted access to the left side of the bike. I try to get the BB of a 'typical' frame about waist height. In closing, here is a general statement that only makes my decision more difficult: My best advice is to consider a workstand a long term durable good. Spend the money for solid construction. Good stands don't wear or break, and will always be good stands until the day you die, at which point they will be good stands for your children. Cheese will always be cheese until it breaks. ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.5 Working on a Bicycle Upside-down From: Jobst Brandt Date: Tue, 04 Nov 1997 14:33:14 PST Should I continue to turn my bicycle upside-down to fix a flat, the way I learned it as a youth? Nothing can be done to a bicycle upside-down that cannot be done better with it right-side-up, except to spin the rear wheel while hand cranking the pedals. In fact, that is what most children do when they haven't anything better to do with their bicycles. That is how I discovered that a bicycle wheel is not well balanced, because the bicycle began to hop when I cranked fast. I also found that this wore a hole in the saddle, and scratched the handlebars and grips to the dismay of my parents. Many riders who have taken up the sport after years off the bicycle, recall only a few things from their earlier experience, and turning the bicycle upside-down seems to be one of them. I defy someone to show me how they can change a rear wheel easily on an upturned bicycle, be that with one speed or a derailleur. Even chain removal is more difficult on the inverted bicycle, but this should be apparent because no bicycle shop works on upside-down bicycles. Beside the inconvenience, damage to the saddles, handle bars, and speedometers is expensive. Warranty claims for damaged speedometers with cracked LCD's and housings first brought this practice to my attention, the failures being unexplainable under normal use. The solution was to reinforce the speedometer's case so it could support the load of the bicycle. The most common explanation for this practice is that there was no way to keep the bicycle from falling over during a tire change. Laying it on its side somehow doesn't seem right, so the bicycle is turned on its head. It might not look fallen over, but it is worse off. ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.6 Where to buy tools You can buy tools from many sources. Some tools can be purchased at your local hardware store (wrenches, socket sets, etc), while the special bike tools can be purchased from your local bike store or one of the mail order stores listed elsewhere. You can buy every tool you think looks useful, or just buy the tools you need for a particular repair job. Buying the tools as you need them will let you build up a nice tool set over time without having to drop a lot of money at once. Some common tools you will need a Metric/SAE wrenches for nuts and bolts (or an assortment of adjustable wrenches). Screwdrivers, both flat and phillips. Metric allen wrenches. Pliers. Wood or rubber mallet for loosening bolts. Special tools and their uses: Cone wrenches to adjust the hub cones. Chain tool to take the chain apart for cleaning and lubrication, and to put it back together. Tire irons for removing tires. Spoke wrenches for adjusting spokes. Cable cutters for cutting cables (don't use diagonal pliers!). Crankarm tools for removing crankarms. Bottom bracket tools for adjusting bottom brackets. Headset wrenches to adjust the large headset nut. ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.7 Common Torque Values From: Mike Iglesias These torque values are from the Third Hand catalog. All values are in inch pounds (in lbs); to convert to foot pounds (ft lbs), divide by 12. Stem binder bolt 100-120 Brake levers to handlebars 75-95 Handlebar binder 145-200 Brake cable binders 55-75 Controls to frame 35-45 Straddle nut (yoke) 50-70 Front shifter to frame 25-45 Brake pads to brake 45-75 Front shifter to cable binder 25-45 Brake dome nut 50-80 Rear shifter to frame 120-145 Crank bolt 250-300 Rear shifter cable binder 25-45 Chainring bolts 100-120 Jockey wheel bolt 25-45 Nutted front hub 180 Seat binder bolt 35-55 Nutted rear hub 300 Caliper brakes to frame 100-120 Waterbottle cage 25-35 Cantilever brake to frame 45-60 Fender to frame bolts 50-60 Cantilever brake link wire 35-45 Toeclips to pedals 25-45 Kickstand 60 [Here is another list of torque values from Barnett Bicycle Institute sent in by Richard Ney . All values are inch pounds.] BMX handlebar binder bolts 240 BMX stem binder bolt 170-180 Bottom bracket fixed cup 240-300 Bottom bracket lockring 240-300 Brake levers on drop handlebars 60-72 Brake levers on MTB handlebars 36-60 Cable carrier pinch nut 48-72 Cantilever arm pinch nut/bolt 36-48 Cantilever brake caliper mounting nut 24 Cast-type BMX brake lever 36-60 Centerpull caliper mounting nut 12-36 Chainring bolts 48-72 Clamp-mount shift lever bolt 24-30 Cotterless crank arms 300-360 Crank arm dust caps 48 Crank extractor into crank arm 180-240 Double bolt integral seat clamp bolts 72-96 Drop handlebar binder bolt 205-240 Drop bar stem binder bolt 145-170 Front axle nuts (wheel mounting) 180-240 Front derailleur cable pinch 36-48 Front derailleur mounting bolt 36-48 Handlebar end-mounted shifter 48 Headset locknut 300 (minimum) Hub locknuts 175-220 Mounting nut on threaded stud brake shoes 48-60 MTB multiple handle binder bolt 60-84 MTB single handlebar binder bolt 175-240 MTB stem binder bolt 170-180 Nonintegral seat clamp nuts 130-170 One-piece bottom bracket fixed cone 300 (minimum) One-piece bottom bracket lock nut 240 Pedal installation 350 Pedal locknuts 100-125 Rear axle nuts (wheel mounting) 240-300 Rear derailleur cable pinch 36-48 Rear derailleur to hanger 72-84 Rollercam cam plate pinch nut 48-72 Rollercam roller locknut 36-48 Seat post binder bolt 72-96 Sidepull caliper cable pinch 48-72 Sidepull caliper mounting nut 72-84 Sidepull caliper pivot locknut 48-72 Single bolt integral seatclamp bolt 120-145 Stem mounted shift lever bolt 24-30 Thumb shifter mounting bolt 12-18 ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.8 WD-40 From: (Rich Gibbs) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 04:03:00 GMT There have been many opinions posted here on WD-40's composition, but here is what the Material Safety Data Sheet [MSDS] says (it's from Oct 93, the latest I could find): 50% Stoddard solvent (mineral spirits) [8052-41-3] 25% Liquified petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant) [68476-85-7] 15+% Mineral Oil (light lubricating oil) [64742-65-0] 10-% Inert ingredients (The numbers in square brackets '[]' are the CAS numbers for the ingredients, as listed in the MSDS.) Mostly, WD-40 is a solvent, with a bit of light oil mixed in. It doesn't contain wax (except incidentally, since it's not exactly a reagent-grade product). Personally, I use it sometimes for small cleaning jobs, but it's not a particularly good lubricant for anything that I can think of, offhand. ------------------------------ Subject: 8a.9 Sheldon Brown's web pages From: Mike Iglesias Sheldon Brown has written many articles on cycling, repairs, maintenance, etc., and put them up on his web site. See the links below for more information. http://sheldonbrown.com/glossary http://sheldonbrown.com/articles http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners http://sheldonbrown.com/brakes http://sheldonbrown.com/commute http://sheldonbrown.com/diy http://sheldonbrown.com/lights http://sheldonbrown.com/cyclecomputers http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed http://sheldonbrown.com/france http://sheldonbrown.com/gearing http://sheldonbrown.com/humor http://sheldonbrown.com/oldbikes http://sheldonbrown.com/repair http://sheldonbrown.com/tandem http://sheldonbrown.com/touring ------------------------------ Subject: 8b Tech Tires ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.1 Patching Tubes From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:07:59 -0800 The question often arises whether tubes can be practically and safely patched. I suppose the question comes up because some riders have had leaky patches or they consider it an imprecise exercise. Either way, it need not be difficult if simple rules are followed. Why patches come loose Tubes are made in metal molds to which they would stick if mold release were not sprayed into the mold. The release agent is designed to prevent adhesion and it can do the same for patches, some of it having transfered on and into the surface of the tube. To make a patch stick reliably, mold release must be removed. For this reason patch kits have sand paper that is not there to roughen the surface but to remove it. Failure to remove the 'skin' of the tube is a main cause of leaky patches. Once mold release has been removed, rubber solution can be applied with the finger by wiping a thin film over the entire area that the patch is to cover. After the glue has dried, with no liquid or jelly remaining, leaving a tacky sheen, the patch can be pressed into place. Patches can be made from tube material but this must be done carefully following the same procedure as preparing the tube. However, butyl tube material, unlike commercial patches, is impervious to rubber cement solvents and will not cure if the glue on the tube and patch is not completely dry. This presents a substantial problem. Patches Patches commonly have a metal foil cover on the sticky side and a cellophane or impervious paper cover on the back. The foil must be pulled off to expose the adhesion surface before pressing the patch into place. The backing paper or cellophane often has perforations so that it will split in half when tube and patch are manually stretched. This makes peeling the cover of the patch from inside to outside possible and prevents peeling a newly applied patch from the tube. REMA patches, the most commonly available in bicycle shops, have a peculiarity that not all have. Their black center section exudes a brown gas that discolors light colored tire casings in daylight. This causes the brown blotches often seen on sidewalls of light colored tires. Leaky Patches Assuming a patch was properly installed, it may still leak after a few miles, if used immediately after patching. Because tubes are generally smaller than the inside of the tire to prevent wrinkles on installation, they stretch on inflation, as does the patch. The stretched tube under the patch wants to shrink away from the patch, and because there is no holding force from inflation pressure at the hole, the tube can gradually peel away from the patch starting at the hole, while the tube under the remainder of the patch is pressed against it by air pressure. Flexing of rolling bias ply tires also loosens patches. Laying a standard 3.5x2 inch paper business card between tire and tube will show how severe this action is. After a hundred miles or so, the card will have been shredded into millimeter size confetti. If the puncture is a 'snake bite', chances of a leak are greater. Pinch flats from insufficient inflation or overload are called snake bites because they usually cause two holes that roughly approximate the fang marks of a snake. Although a single patch will usually cover both holes, these will be closer to the edge of the patch and have a shorter separation path to its edge. In a rolling tire, the patch and tube flex, shrink, and stretch making it easier for the tube to separate from a partially cured patch. To test how fast patches cure, a patch can be pulled off easily shortly after application, while it is practically impossible after a day or so. For reliable patches, the freshly patched tube should be put in reserve, while a reserve tube is installed. This allows a new patch more time to cure before being put into service. A tube can be folded into as small a package as when it was new and practically airless, by sucking the air out while using the finger opposite the stem to prevent re-inflation. This is not done by inhaling but by puckering the cheeks. Although the powders inside tubes are not poisonous in the mouth, they are not good for the lungs, but then that's obvious. Patch Removal The best remedy for a leaky patch is to remove it and start over. However, after several days of curing, a patch is hard to remove. With heat supplied by a hot iron or heated frying pan at moderate temperature, patches come off easily. Pressing a patch against a hot surface with the thumb until the heat is felt will allow the patch be pulled off easily. Patch remnants can be cleaned off with rubber solution (patch glue) or sand paper. Minutia Separating patches are often hard to find because separation always stops at the edge, air pressure preventing further separation. Slow leaks that occur, often close when the tube is inflated outside a tire, so the offending patch cannot be found. Old tubes to be discarded often reveal patch separation when cut through the center of a patch with shears, to reveal talcum powder from the inside of the tube under most of the patch. Although talcum powder on the outside of tubes does nothing useful, it is essential on the inside, where it is found in any butyl tube. Without it tubes would adhere to themselves after manufacture and not inflate properly. Externally, talcum may prevent adhesion to the tire, slight as it is, and may help prevent sudden air loss in the event of a puncture but it does nothing for the wellbeing of the tube. When inflated, tubes act like an integral part of tire casings with or without talcum. Tires are less flexible at a patch so tread may wear slightly faster there, but patches have no effect on dynamic balance since wheels naturally have a greater imbalanced than patches can cause and have no effect on the heaviest position of the wheel which is either at the valve stem or the rim joint. Heat from braking can accelerate separation of a fresh patch but this generally does not pose a hazard because leaky patches usually cause only a slow leak. ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.2 Mounting Tires From: Douglas Gurr A request comes in for tyre mounting tricks. I suspect that this ought to be part of the FAQ list. However in lieu of this, I offer the way it was taught to me. Apologies to those for whom this is old hat, and also for the paucity of my verbal explanations. Pictures would help but, as always, the best bet is to find someone to show you. First of all, the easy bit: 1) Remove the outer tyre bead from the rim. Leave the inner bead. Handy hint. If after placing the first tyre lever you are unable to fit another in because the tension in the bead is too great then relax the first, slip the second in and use both together. 2) Pull out the tube finishing at the valve. 3) Inspect the tube, find the puncture and repair it. Now an important bit: 4) Check tyre for thorns, bits of glass etc - especially at the point where the hole in the tube was found. and now a clever bit: 5) Inflate the tube a _minimal_ amount, i.e. just sufficient for it to hold its shape. Too much inflation and it won't fit inside the tyre. Too little (including none at all) and you are likely to pinch it. More important bits: 6) Fit the tube back inside the tyre. Many people like to cover the tube in copious quantities of talcum powder first. This helps to lubricate the tyre/tube interface as is of particular importance in high pressure tyres. 7) Seat the tyre and tube over the centre of the rim. 8) Begin replacing the outer bead by hand. Start about 90 degrees away from the valve and work towards it. After you have safely passed the valve, shove it into the tyre (away from the rim) to ensure that you have not trapped the tube around the valve beneath the tyre wall. Finally the _really_ clever bit: 9) When you reach the point at which you can no longer proceed by hand, slightly _deflate_ the tube and try again. Repeat this process until either the tyre is completely on (in which case congratulations) or the tube is completely deflated. In the latter case, you will have to resort to using tyre levers and your mileage may vary. Take care. and the last important check: 10) Go round the entire wheel, pinching the tyre in with your fingers to check that there is no tube trapped beneath the rim. If you have trapped the tube, deduct ten marks and go back to step one. Otherwise .... 11) Replace wheel and reinflate. ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.3 Snakebite flats From: Jobst Brandt Date: Mon, 23 May 2001 14:13:14 PDT Snakebites, otherwise known as pinch flats, are so called because they usually cause adjacent punctures about 10mm apart (for tires with about a 25mm diameter cross section). They occur when the tire casing bottoms on the rim, causing a compression failure in the tube for both clinchers and tubulars, much like pinching the cheek with thumb and forefinger. The finger tips simulate the tire casing and the cheek the tube. Reasonably inflated tires can bottom when crossing RR tracks, riding up a driveway with a raised lip at street level, or riding on rough roads with ruts and rocks. Although higher inflation pressure helps, it does not guarantee protection. Watching how, and how fast, such obstacles are encountered helps more. Because latex rubber of tubes commonly used in better tubular tires is several times more stretchable than common butyl rubber, such tubulars are less susceptible to snakebites. When sheet rubber is compressed, it stretches laterally like a drum skin, and the farther it can stretch the less likely it is to tear. In contrast, when ridden over such obstacles, tubular rims are often dented without the tire going flat. However, because thin latex tubes hold air so poorly that they must be inflated daily, snakebites from under-inflation were more common in the days when most riders rode tubulars. Snakebites can be identified by inspecting the tube under grazing light that will reveal diagonal tire cord impressions at the perforation. This is especially important when only one hole occurs, the other not penetrating. Riders have claimed that the hole occurred spontaneously on the underside of the tube and demand reimbursement. Underside snakebites, the least common, occur mostly on fat MTB tires that are often ridden with low pressure on soft terrain. At low pressure, such a tire can roll to one side and pop back, without disengaging the rim. A snakebite caused by this mechanism appears on the underside of the tube similar to laying your head to one side while pinching the skin at the Adam's apple. Such flats are erroneously attributed to rim tape failure and other obscure causes, when in fact it was under-inflation that can no longer be assessed. Here cord impressions also give evidence of a snakebite. ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.4 Blowouts and Sudden Flats From: Jobst Brandt Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 09:21:09 -0700 Bicyclists often report tube failures that they believe occurred inside a tire casing. They believe these are blowouts caused by faulty tubes that split or were cut by the rim tape. However, they also heard a bang, after which the tire was flat. On removing the tire casing from the rim with tire irons, the burst tube is found to have a long slash. If there was an audible bang, then the tire was off the rim, exposing the innertube. However, the undamaged tire usually remains on the rim because tires usually fall back into place after exposing a tube. A tube cannot blow out inside the tire with a bang, because a bang is caused by a sudden change in volume, an expansion. Such an expansion is not possible within a tire casing that is essentially air tight. The resulting clean slash in the tube cannot occur from rim tape that would cause a gradual failure along an abraded line extending beyond the end of the split. A burst into a spoke hole in the rim would cause a starburst hole that is smaller than the rim socket because the tube shrinks when no longer inflated. Tire blow-off occurs most commonly on tandems where substantial energy of descending mountain roads is converted to heat in rims by braking. In contrast a single bicycle is usually able to dissipate enough of its descending energy by wind drag to not suffer from this. Rim heating with rim brakes on continuous steep descents can increase inflation pressure substantially. For this reason some mountain passes in the Alps prohibit descending by bicycle while up hill riding is permitted. For instance, Zirlerberg between Zirl and Seebach (Innsbruck), a major road between Germany and Austria, is one of these. The road has several runaway tracks for motor vehicles with brake failure. Formerly, base tapes made of gauze-like tubes, filled with Kapok, were offered for mountain touring. The padding served as insulation between rim and tube to prevent rim heat from increasing pressure. These rim tapes have not been available lately, probably because bicycle shops did not recognize their purpose. Short tubes, that must be stretched to fit on the rim, can contribute to tire blow-off because a stretched tube tends to rest in the space on the bed of the rim where the tire bead should seat for proper engagement with the hook of the rim sidewall. A tube under the tire bead can prevent proper engagement with a hooked rim to cause blow-off even without excess pressure. Valve stem separation is less dangerous because it usually occurs during inflation. While riding it generally causes a slow leak, as the vulcanized brass stem gradually separates from the tube. When this occurs, the stem can usually be pulled out entirely to leave a small hole into which a valve stem from a latex tube of a tubular tire will fit. Stems from tubulars have a mushroom end, a clamp washer, and a locknut, that fit ideally. Such a used stem should be part of a tire patch kit. Tubes with an encircling ribbed zone near the stem are "welded" together at this point and have occasionally developed a leak from no external cause other than tire flexing. Stretching the tube manually at the joint can exposes this weakness before installation. Both this defect and stem separations are quality control problems that in time may be resolved, considering the many tubes of similar manufacture that do not display these faults. ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.5 Blown Tubes From: Tom Reingold Charles E Newman writes: $ Something really weird happened at 12:11 AM. My bike blew a $ tire while just sitting parked in my room. I was awakened by a noise $ that scared the livin ^&$% out of me. I ran in and found that all the $ air was rushing out of my tire. How could something like happen in the $ middle of the night when the bike isn't even being ridden? I have $ heard of it happening when the bike is being ridden but not when it is $ parked. This happened because a bit of your inner tube was pinched between your tire bead and your rim. Sometimes it takes a while for the inner tube to creap out from under the tire. Once it does that, it has nothing to keep the air pressure in, so it blows out. Yes, it's scary. I've had it happen in the room where I was sleeping. To prevent this, inflate the tire to about 20 psi and move the tire left and right, making sure no part of the inner tube is pinched. ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.6 Tube Failure in Clinchers From: Jobst Brandt Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 15:02:23 PDT Riders occasionally tell about a tube that blew out with a loud bang INSIDE their tire, leaving the tube with a long slash. The tube blew out, but not as described. If there was a bang, the tube was outside the tire. That is, the tire lifted off the rim and fell back in place after the tube burst. Tubes do not burst inside tire casings, although they may leak, the most they can do is give off an audible hiss, assuming it is otherwise quiet enough. An un-socketed double walled rim can make a dull pop if the tube is exposed to the inner rim volume. The concept that a tube can explode inside a tire is dangerous, because it leads people to believe that tubes can mysteriously fail without apparent cause INSIDE a tire. With few exceptions, the cause is an improperly mounted tire. Without understanding the cause, a rider may continue to risk a blowout, without realizing that tire lift-off can be caused by the tube lying between the rim and the tire bead. In this position, the tube prevents the tire from seating properly in the hook of the rim, a condition that, under the right circumstances, will cause a blowout. This cannot occur inside the tire casing. To prevent blow-off, the tire seat must be inspected by pushing the tire away from the rim, upon which the tube should not exposed at any point around the tire. Valve stem separation is another common failure, but it is less dangerous because it usually occurs while inflating the tire. If it occurs while riding it causes a slow leak, as the vulcanized brass stem separates from the tube. When this occurs, the stem can be pulled out entirely to leave a small hole into which a valve stem from a latex tube of a tubular tire will fit. Stems from tubulars have a mushroom end, a clamp washer, and a locknut, that fit ideally. Such a used stem should be part of a tire patch kit. ------------------------------ Subject: 8b.7 More Flats on Rear Tires From: Jobst Brandt Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 18:15:42 PST Many sharp objects, especially those that lie flat on the road like nails and pieces of metal, more often enter rear tires than the front tires. That is because the front tire upends them just in time for the rear tire to be impaled on them. For example, nails seldom enter front tires. When dropped from a moving vehicle, nails slide down the road, and align themselves pointing toward traffic, because they prefer to slide head first as they would when laid on a slope. The front tire rolling over such a lengthwise nail, can tilt it up just in time for the rear tire to encounter it on end. I once got a flat from a one inch diameter steel washer that the front tire had flipped up so that the rear tire struck it on edge. When following another wheel closely, the front tire can get the "rear tire" treatment from the preceding wheel. The front wheel set-up effect is especially true for "Michelin" wires, the fine strands of stainless wire that make up steel belts of auto tires. These wires, left on the road when such tires exposes their belt, cause hard to find slow leaks almost exclusively in rear tires. When wet, glass can stick to the tire even in the flat orientation and thereby get a second chance when it comes around again. To make things worse, glass cuts far more easily when wet as those who have cut rubber tubing in chemistry class may remember. A wet razor blade cuts latex rubber tubing in a single slice while a dry blade only makes a nick. As for pinch flats, aka snake bites, they occur on the rear wheel more readily because it carries more load and is uncushioned when the rider is seated. The rider's arms, even when leaning heavily on the front wheel, cushion impact when striking a blunt obstacle.
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Archive-name: bicycles-faq/part4
[Note: The complete FAQ is available via anonymous ftp from draco.acs.uci.edu (128.200.34.12), in pub/rec.bicycles.] ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.5 Cassette or Freewheel Hubs take 2 From: David Keppel People often ask ``should I use a freewheel or a freehub?'' The answer is usually ``yes.'' The hub is the center of a wheel and is composed of an axle, bolted to the bike frame, a hub shell or hub body, where the spokes attatch, and bearings to let the shell rotate around the axle. Freewheels screw onto threads on the rear hub's shell, and cogs attatch to the freewheel. The freewheel's job is to provide a ratchet between the cogs and the hub shell, so that you can coast. Freehubs are similar but combine parts of the freewheel with parts of the hub shell. Freehubs are also sometimes called ``cassettes''. The usual problem with rear hubs is that axles bend and break. This is because the axle diameter was chosen when single cogs were used and the hub bearing was positioned close to the frame. Since then, wider cog clusters have become the norm, the bearings and frame have moved further apart and leverage on the axle has increased. But since the axle has not gotten any stronger, it now has a tendency to fail. Cassettes fix the problem by incorporating one hub bearing in to the freewheel mechanism, so that the bearing is once again outboard and the axle is carrying its load under less leverage. Some freewheel hubs solve the problem by using fatter axles. Since increasing the axle diameter dramatically improves axle strength, this is an effective solution and it is possible to use a fat axle that is aluminum and thus lighter than a standard skinny (weaker) steel axle. Neither solution is perfect -- cassette hubs let you use standard replacement axles, cones, washers, etc., but force you to use cogs and spacers and whatnot by a particular manufacturer (and possibly derailleurs and shifters -- e.g. XTR uses 4.9mm cog-to-cog spacing instead of the normal 5.0mm). On the other hand, fat axles are nonstandard as are some other replacement parts. As an aside, the cassette solution leaves a fairly long unsupported axle stub on the left side, and this is sometimes a source of more bending problems. Fatter axles solve the problem on both sides. Note also that many cassette systems allow you to remove the cogs using a lightweight tool and thus give you ready access to the spokes in case of breakage. Freewheels attatch with a fine thread (another historical artifact, I believe) and are thus more difficult to remove on the road, making spoke replacement harder. In principle, freehubs have all cogs attatch using the same size and shape of spline, so, e.g., a 20T cog can be used as both a large cog for a corncob cluster and as a middle cog for wide-range cluster. However, Shimano's marketing is just the opposite and is directed at selling whole clusters, without letting you replace individual cogs. (Shimano's policy is relevant here since they sell 90+% of such hubs.) Freewheels have several spline diameters in order to clear the bearings and ratchet. Further, small cogs typically screw on to the freewheel body or special cogs with extra threads. This introduces stocking problems and may make it hard to build some cog combinations. I'm not a fan of freehubs for the simple reason that they lock me in to one maker's choices about cogs and cog spacing. For example, I had a 1988 Shimano 6-speed freehub and by 1991 Shimano had, according to my local bike store, discontinued 6-speed replacement cogs. Thus, simply replacing one worn cog meant upgrading to a 7-speed system, which in turn requires all new cogs, a new freehub body (lucky me -- for some it requires a new hub and thus new wheel), and, if I wanted to keep index shifting, new thumbshifters. Had this been a freewheel-equipped bicycle, I could have easily switched to another maker's 6-speed freewheels. Fortunately, the market is stablizing, with a growing number of makers producing hubs and cogs using a spline pattern like the more recent Shimano 7-speed freehubs. However, it hasn't settled entirely, yet. ;-D oN ( A hubalaboo ) Pardo ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.6 "Sealed" Bearings From: Jobst Brandt Has anyone had any major problems with the Shimono XT "sealed" Bottom bracket besides me? This subject comes up often and has been beat around a bit. There is a basic misconception about seals. The seals commonly sold in the bicycle business are not capable of sealing out water because they were never designed for that purpose. These seals are designed to prevent air from being drawn through the bearing when used in, typically, electric motors where the motor rotation pumps air that would centrifugally be drawn through the bearing. If this were permitted, the lubricant would act as fly paper and capture all the dust that passes, rendering the lubricant uselessly contaminated. Seal practice requires a seal to leak if it is to work. The seepage lubricates the interface between shaft and seal and without this small amount of weeping, the seal lip would burn and develop a gap. In the presence of water on the outside, the weeping oil emulsifies and circulates back under the lip to introduce moisture into the bearing. This is usually not fatal because it is only a small amount, but the displaced grease on the lip dries out and leaves the lip unlubricated. The next time water contacts the interface, it wicks into the gap by capillary action and begins to fill the bearing. This is an expected result for seal manufacturers who live by the rule that no two fluids can be effectively separated by a single seal lip. Two oils, for instance, must have separate seals with a ventilated air gap between them. If a seal is to work with only one lip the contained fluid must be at a higher pressure so that the flow is biased to prevent circulation. None of the effective methods are used in the so called 'sealed' bearings that Phil Wood introduced into bicycling years ago. His components failed at least as often as non sealed units and probably more often because they make field repair difficult. These are not liquid seals but merely air dams. [More from Ben Escoto ] Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 21:31:31 -0800 Subject: Additional entry on bearings for FAQ Although the entry on "Sealed" Bearings (8.44 as of the 10/7/98 FAQ) provides useful technical information on seals, many readers may not be able to directly apply it to bicycling on a practical level. I asked about this on rec.bicycles.tech and received helpful responses from Jobst Brandt, Matt O'Toole, and Hans-Joachim Zierke, among others. I hope the following summary will be an interesting and useful supplement to the entry mentioned above. Firstly, it is important to distinguish between bearings that are protected by a seal and bearings that cannot be individually removed because they are locked in a larger structure. The first I will call "sealed bearings"; the second are more properly called "cartridge bearings." Bearings in hubs, bottom brackets, etc (whether cartridge or cup-and-cone) on modern quality bicycles are usually sealed. For a better description of the difference between cup-and-cone and cartridge bearings, see the entries under "Cartridge Bearings" and "Cup-and-Cone Bearing" in Sheldon Brown's excellent bicycle glossary (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/glossary.html). So, for the reasons Mr. Brandt explained in the other entry, bearings on bicycles are not truly sealed, in the sense that water and dirt cannot enter under any circumstances. The best designs include two seals: a contact seal closer to the bearing, and then either a labyrinth or a second contact seal further out. The outer seal in hubs with double contact sealing should be oiled when the hub is serviced, because this seal is not lubricated by the bearing grease like the inner seal. But even well-sealed bearings (of any type) can be contaminated if exposed to pressurized water, as can happen in heavy rain, if the bearings are submerged, or if you spray your hubs with water as you clean your bike. Given this, both cup-and-cone bearings and cartridge bearings will occasionally need to be serviced. Here are some pros and cons of cartridge and cup-and-cone bearings regarding their maintenance. Cup-and-Cone: Cup and cone bearings are usually easily disassembled and serviced by cleaning the races, replacing the bearings, relubing, and reassembling. Also, individual bearings are quite cheap to replace. Although the cup and cone races are usually resist pitting better than their cartridge bearing counterparts and rarely need to be replaced, a ruined cup in a cup-and-cone hub, for example, may require that the whole hub be scrapped. Campagnolo is one manufacturer who makes hubs with replaceable cups and keeps spare parts available enough that repairing hubs in this way is often feasible. Cartridge: Cartridge bearings are usually harder to service. The cartridge seal is easier to break during disassembly and often the cartridge is not removable so the bearings are much harder to clean. Additionally, the races inside the cartridge are often more poorly made than the races in cup-and-cone bearings and more prone to damage and rust. Components with irreplacable cartridge bearings are much less maintainable than those with cup-and-cone bearings. However, the cartridges in some components (for instance the hubs made by Phil Wood, Syncros, and others) can be replaced without a bearing press. These cartridges are much easier to repack and can be replaced easily if damaged. So, what practical significance does this have? Cup-and-cone bearings are superior (in terms of maintainance) to irreplacable cartridge bearings. There doesn't seem to be a consensus on cup-and-cone bearings vs the cartridge bearings found in, e.g., Phil Wood's hubs. As of this writing (Nov 98) both Campagnolo and Shimano have stuck with cup-and-cone bearings for their hubs, while most third parties are manufacturing cartridge bearings, probably because cartridges are much easier to manufacture than cup or cone races. Right now Shimano makes the best inexpensive hubs: they are sealed correctly (double contact or contact/labyrinth), are fairly durable, and are quite serviceable. Hubs such as Phil Wood's are much more expensive, but may be better in some respects (see above). -- Ben Escoto PGP/MIME mail welcome - finger for key ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.7 Ball Bearing Grades From: Bill Codding , Harry Phinney Following is a description of the different grades of ball bearings. The grade specifies the sphericity of the balls in millionths of an inch. Thus, grade 25 are round to 25/10^6, while grade 1000 are good to 1/1000 (i.e. not all that round, but probably good enough for our uses). Grade 25: the highest quality normally available, aka "Campagnolo quality": hardened all the way through, best alloys, coatings, roundness, and durability. Evidently, a recent bottom-bracket overhaul article in "Bicycling Plus Mountain Bike" magazine recommended these. Campy's tech reps claim that the bearings in a set (usually in a little paper bag) are matched. One should not mix bearings from different sets. Grade 200: mid-range Grade 1000: seems to be the lowest, may only be surface hardened. Good sources for ball bearings: Your local bike shop (make sure you're getting the grade you want) Bike Parts Pacific Bike Nashbar 1-800-NASHBAR ($1-$3 per 100 Grade 25) The Third Hand 1-916-926-2600 ($4-$7 per 100 Grade 25) ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.8 Bottom Bracket Bearing adjustment From: Jobst Brandt Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2001 16:50:20 PST This concerns conventional threaded adjustable and fixed cup bottom bracket (BB) bearings, not roller bearing or Ashtabula cranks. The conventional ball bearing Crank assembly, as has been common on three piece cranks, usually has 1/4" balls held in an 11 ball cage. Some less expensive bearings use only 9 or fewer. The balls are best left in the cage because removing it makes assembly difficult, does not make room for additional balls, and saves insignificant weight. The four kinds of BB threads in common use today are Italian, British, French, and Swiss, possibly in that order of occurrence. Diameter Pitch Right Left Cup -------- ----- ----- ----- Italian 36mm x 24F tpi right right tpi (threads per inch) British 1.370" x 24F tpi left right French 35mm x 1mm right right Swiss 35mm x 1mm left right Unless there is something wrong with the right hand cup it should not be removed because it can be wiped clean and greased from the left side. The type of thread is usually marked on the face of both left and right cups. Swiss threads are rare, but if you have one, it is good to know before attempting removal. A left hand thread is preferred on the right hand cup because it has a tendency to unscrew if not rigidly tight. The propensity to rotate is small, and will, depending on pedaling, sometimes unscrew a left hand thread that was not tight so that a left hand thread alone will not prevent loosening. The right hand cup should be made as tight as practical and not be removed during regular maintenance. Because cups seldom fail, right hand cups seldom require removal. No unusual greases are required for this bearing and a can of automotive wheel bearing grease will go a long way to lubricate this and other parts of the bicycle that require grease. After installing the spindle with greased bearings, the (adjustable) left cup should be advanced until an increase in rotational drag can be felt but where the spindle can still be turned using the tip of the thumb and forefinger. Without preload that causes this drag, the spindle will be riding on a single ball as each ball passes under the load. Known as "ball drop" this phenomenon can best be visualized on a loosely adjusted bearing where the spindle has appreciable clearance. Because the steel of the spindle, balls and cups is elastic, the load can be distributed over several balls, but only if these parts are already in contact before the load is applied. Ideally the preload should be large enough so that the balls on the top do not develop clearance, but this much preload is impractical for such a heavily loaded bearing. Because the feel of bearing adjustment is delicate, the spindle should be adjusted without the cranks. In a correctly adjusted bearing, the spindle should not spin freely were it not greased. Practically all industrial applications use axial springs (Belleville washers) to preload bearings typically on motor shafts. Although the BB bearing can operate without preload, its life is substantially extended with a light preload. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.9 Crank noises From: Phil Etheridge I've had the creaky crank problem on every bike I've owned which has had cotterless cranks. Until now, I've never known a good solution to the problem. One suggestion I had was to replace the crank, but that wasn't something I was prepared to do on 1 month old bike under warranty. The shop mechanic spent half an hour with me and my bike sorting it out. Tightening the crank bolts and pedal spindle (i.e. onto the crank) didn't help (as Jobst will tell you). Removing each crank, smearing the spindle with grease and replacing the crank eliminated most of the noise. Removing each pedal, smearing grease on the thread and replacing it got rid of the rest of the noise. Greasing the pedal threads is a new one on me, but it makes a lot of sense, since they are steel and the crank aluminum. I thought it was worth relating this story, as creaky cranks seems to be quite a common problem. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.10 Cracking/Breaking Cranks From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2004 12:47:58 -0700 Aluminum alloy cranks develop cracks principally at two places although other failures occur as can be seen in samples at: http://pardo.net/pardo/bike/pic/fail/FAIL-001.html The two most common failures are the pedal eye and the junction of the trailing spider leg and the right crank. The trailing spider leg adjacent to the crank generally has a thin web that connects it to the more rigid shaft of the crank, while the three preceding legs are more flexible, stress is concentrated at this web. These cracks are relatively benign because they are easily seen and rarely progress to failure. In contrast, the most common and most dangerous failure, one at the pedal eye has a different cause not directly related to a stress concentration, but one that might be apparent to a critical observer. That the left pedal has a left hand thread is taken for granted and seems not to be questioned because it has "always" been that way. What is less well remembered is that automobiles also used left hand threads to secure wheels on the left side of the vehicle before the advent of the conical lug nut commonly used today. The pedal attachment, as wheel nuts on cars of old, has a flat face that bears against the crank, a surface that cannot transmit any load except by friction because it is parallel to the applied force. Therefore, this joint always moves under load, a microscopic type of motion known as fretting. Fretting causes erosion of the interface and develops an undercut in the face of the crank that is visible when the pedal is removed. Besides, a left pedal without a left hand thread unscrews, regardless of how tightly the pedal is installed, proving that there is motion. Removing a pedal, ridden for a longer time, reveals erosion in the crank face having tiny cracks radiating from its circumference. In time, some of these cracks propagate into the crank and cause the end of the pedal eye to break off, releasing the pedal, usually at the worst possible moment, that of high stress of a rider pedaling in the standing position. Such failures generally cause the standing rider to fall to the side of failure because that foot is suddenly standing on the road at speed. A solution to this problem is to use a tapered face (~90 degree countersink) similar to the face of an automotive wheel nut in place of the flat face at the end of the pedal thread. This design has been tested in prototype with a rider who previously had more than two dozen such crank failures and has subsequently not had any for five years on the same cranks. Not only does it suppress fretting motion that causes failures, but it makes the left hand thread unnecessary, a bonus for manufacturing while secondarily giving one to tandem riders who generally have difficulty finding cranks with threads opposite to convention. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.11 Installing Cranks From: Jobst Brandt My cranks get loose, quite quickly too; over about 10 miles or so from being solid to flopping about in the breeze. Any suggestions? Your cranks are ruined! Once ridden in the "floppy" mode, the square taper in the crank can no longer be secured on the spindle. Get some new cranks and properly tighten them after lubricating the tapers. Proper tightness can be guaranteed only by torque wrench or a skilled mechanic. The second of these is less expensive and you might be able to get a demonstration of what is tight enough. The admonition to not lubricate the tapers of the crank spindle seems to find life only on bicycle cranks, of all the machines I have seen. I have pursued the "dry assembly" instruction by talking to crank manufacturers and discovered that they apparently had warranty claims from customers who split their cranks open. It is easy to prove that cranks cannot split by over-tightening simply by attempting to do so. It is not possible to split a major brand crank this way, the bolt will fail first. Crank failure from "over-tightening" is caused by the re-tightening of previously properly installed cranks. Once installed, a crank always squirms on its taper, and because the retaining bolt prevents it from coming off, it elbows itself away from the bolt and up the taper ever so slightly. This can be detected by the looseness of the retaining bolt after the bicycle has been ridden hard. Grease in this interface does not affect performance, because only the press fit, not friction, transmits load from crank to spindle. As any bicycle mechanic can tell you, crank bolts are often appreciably looser after use, the left one more so than the right. This occurs because the left crank transmits torque and bending simultaneously while the right crank transmits these forces one at a time. The right crank puts no significant torque into the spindle. Either way, the looseness occurs because loads make the crank squirm on the spindle and the only direction it can move is up the taper, the retaining bolt blocking motion in the other direction. Regardless, whether grease or no grease is used, in use the spindle and crank will make metal to metal contact and cause fretting corrosion for all but the lightest riders. The purpose of the lubricant is to give a predictable press fit for a known torque. If the spindle is completely dry this cannot be said, and even with marginal lubrication, some galling may occur on installation. Lubrication is only used to guarantee a proper press because the lubricant is displaced from the interface in use. Taper faces of spindles show erosion and rouge after substantial use, evidence that the lubricant was displaced. "Dust caps" aren't just dust caps but retention for loose bolts. It is not that the bolt unscrews but that the crank moves up the taper. However, once the screw is unloaded it can subsequently unscrew and fall out if there is no cap. Because cranks squirm farther up the taper when stressed highly, the unwitting mechanic believes the screw got loose, rather than that the crank got tighter. By pursuing the crank with its every move up the spindle, ultimately the crank will split. It is this splitting that has been incorrectly diagnosed as being caused by lubrication. I have never seen a warning against re-tightening cranks after having been installed with a proper press fit. It is here where the warning belongs, not with lubrication. For the press fit to work properly, the pressure must be great enough to prevent elastic separation between the crank and spindle under torque, bending, and shear loads. This means that no gap between crank and spindle should open when pedaling forcefully. Friction has no effect on the transmission of torque because the crank creeps into a position of equilibrium on the spindle in a few hard strokes. Failure of this interface occurs when the press fit is too loose allowing a gap open between spindle and crank. Torque is transmitted by the entire face of the press fit, both the leading edge whose contact pressure increases and the trailing edge whose contact pressure decreases. If lift-off occurs, the entire force bears only on the leading edge and plastic failure ensues (loose crank syndrome). Tightening the retaining screw afterward cannot re-establish a square hole in the crank because the retaining screw will break before the spindle can exert sufficient stress to reshape the bore. Beyond that, the crank would split before any plastic deformation could occur even if the screw were sufficiently strong. Because retaining screws could become entirely lose from squirming action, especially if the press is relatively light, "dust caps" should be used to prevent screws from subsequently unscrewing and causing crank bore failure. Besides, the loss of the screw won't be noticed until the crank comes off, long after the screw fell out. The argument that the greased spindle will enlarge the hole of the crank and ultimately reduce chainwheel clearance is also specious, because the crank does not operate in the plastic stress level. At the elastic limit it would break at the attachment knuckle in a short time from metal fatigue, that occurs rapidly at the yield stress. In fact, the depth of engagement (hole enlargement) can increase with an unlubricated fit faster than with a lubricated one, because installation friction is the only mechanism that reams the hole. Jobst Brandt ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.12 Biopace chainrings Biopace chainrings have fallen into disfavor in recent years. They are hard to "pedal in circles". The early Biopace chainrings were designed for cadences of around 50-70 rpm, while most recommend a cadence of 80-100 rpm. Newer Biopace chainrings are less elliptical, but the general consensus is to (if you are buying a new bike) get the dealer to change the chainrings to round ones. Sheldon Brown has some information on Biopage chainrings at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/biopace.html. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.13 Indexed Steering From: Jobst Brandt Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:29:56 -0700 In the several years I spent working in a pro shop, I have never seen a case of "index steering" (yes, we called it that) that was _not_ caused by a "brinelled" headset - one with divots in the races. I am 99.999 percent certain that that is your problem. What are you going to do if you don't fix it? I suggest that you fix the headset even if you sell the bike, as a damaged headset could be grounds for a lawsuit if the buyer crashes. I disagree on two points. First, because you use the term "Brinell" that conveys a notion as incorrect as the phrase "my chain stretched from climbing steep hills" and second, because there is no possibility of injury or damage from "indexed" steering head bearings. The effect is mostly perception of failure from the rattling noise and clunky feel while braking lightly. It has such a small effect that it is imperceptible when riding no-hands unless the bearing clearance has been adjusted in the straight ahead position. Then the bearing will bind off center. Damage to head bearings seems to be twofold in this case because properly adjusted steering can only become looser from dimples, dimples that cannot immobilize steering. Therefore, the head adjustment was too tight. However, dimpling is not caused by impact, but rather by lubrication failure that occurs while riding straight ahead, giving the steering a preferred home position. This occurs more easily with a correctly adjusted bearing than with a loose one that rattles and clunks. Rattling replenishes lubricant between balls and races, something that would otherwise not not occur. Off road bicycles suffer less from this malady than road bicycles because it occurs primarily during long straight descents that on which no steering motions, that might replenish lubricant, are made. If you believe it comes from hammering the balls into the races, you might try to cause some dimples by hammering on the underside of the fork crown of a clunker bike of your choice. Those who hammered cotters on steel cranks will recall no dimples on the spindle, even though it has a far smaller diameter than the head bearing and the blows were more severe and direct, supported by no more than one or two balls. Bearing balls make metal-to-metal contact only under fretting loads (microscopic oscillations) while the races are is not rotating. Any perceptible steering motion will replenish lubricant from the oily meniscus surrounding each ball contact patch. Peering over the bars at the front hub while coasting down a road at 20+ mph you will notice the fork ends vibrating fore and aft. This motion does not arise at the fork end, but at the fork crown, where it bends the steer tube. Both head bearings rotate in fretting motion crosswise to the normal plane of rotation as the steer tube bends. Dimples form in the forward and rearward quadrant of both upper and lower bearings from this fretting. That they also form in the upper bearing shows they are not directly load related. Lubrication failure from fretting causes metal to metal contact that forms microscopic welds between balls and races. These welds repeatedly tear material from the softer of the two causing elliptical milky dimples in both races. Were these Brinelling marks (embossed through force), they would be shiny and smooth and primarily on the inner race of the bearing. Various testimonials for the durability of one bearing over another are more likely an indication of lubrication than the design of the bearing. Ball bearings with separate cups and cones have been used as head bearings longer than they should considering their poor performance. The question has been raised whether steering to either side would reveal a second preferred position in which the balls fall into matching dimples. Since bearing balls move at roughly half the rate of steering motion, with 20 balls, this requires a steering angle of 36 degrees for dimples in both races to match again with the balls. However, the balls do not arrive exactly at the spot where dimples are again opposite because they move at a ratio of (od-bd)/(id+bd) od: outer race diameter, id: inner race diameter, bd: ball diameter. This ratio not being 1:1, the balls do not naturally arrive at the second coincidence of the race dimples although they usually drop in. Roller bearings of various designs have been tried, and it appears that they were possibly the ones that finally made obvious that fore and aft motion was the culprit all along; a motion that roller bearings were less capable of absorbing than balls. This recognition lead to using spherical alignment seats under the rollers. Although this stopped dimpling, these bearings worked poorly because the needle complement tended to shift off center, skewing the needles and causing large bearing friction as the rollers skate. Shimano, Chris King, Cane Creek and others, offer angular contact, full ball complement, spherically aligned cartridge bearings. The Shimano cartridge bearings have contact seals, not exposed to weather, to retain grease for life of the bearing. The races are sufficiently reentrant that they snap permanently together with sufficient preload to prevent rocking (fretting) motion perpendicular to the rotational axis. Spherical steel rings, that move as plain bearings against an aluminum housing, support the cartridge bearing to absorb, otherwise damaging, out-of-plane motion while the cartridge bearing does the steering. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.14 Roller Head Bearings From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:07:59 -0800 Although roller bearing headsets never worked well, they introduced a positive feature, not directly connected with rollers. The main advantage of some rollers was that they had two bearings, the rollers and a plain bearing back plate that was needed because rollers cannot run well with even the slightest misalignment of inner and outer race, something that conventional ball bearings do easily. The importance was that this feature separated rotary from swiveling motions. A head bearing serves mainly as the axis about which the fork steers, but it also carries fore and aft swiveling motion as the fork flexes. Swiveling motions are the ones that damage head bearings. As the bicycle is ridden, the fork absorbs shock by flexing, primarily at the fork crown, where it rotates fore and aft in the plane of the bicycle frame, a motion that can be seen by watching the front hub while sighting over the handle bars while rocking the bicycle fore and aft with the front brake locked. Although the wheel visibly moves, the angle through which the fork crown swivels is small and is not in itself damaging because it is readily absorbed by cup and cone ball bearings. However, occurring repeatedly in the absence of steering motions, bearing balls fret in place and displace lubrication that normally separates them from their races. Without lubricant, bearing balls weld to their races and tear out tiny particles, causing dimples having a matte finish. This phenomenon primarily affects road bicycles while coast down hills fast enough to make practically no steering motions that would move bearing balls from their straight ahead position to replenish lubrication. Because rollers cannot absorb swiveling motions, some were equipped with spherical backing plates that could. This design feature was then incorporated into ball head bearings that, in contrast to rollers, stay aligned to their races and cannot bind as rollers do by sliding off center, an effect that made them hardly useful for this application. The combination of ball and plain bearings has replaced rollers for this job. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.15 Brakes from Skid Pads to V-brakes From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 14:53:00 PDT Bicycle brakes have changed greatly since the original wagon wheel brake that pressed a skid pad against the tread, but they have also stayed the same, the skid pad brake still being used. The single pivot caliper brake, commonly called the side pull, came along about 100 years ago and is still the mainstay. This brake was displaced by the centerpull, a derivative of a cantilever brake, to take a large part of the sport market in the 1950s. Meanwhile the cantilever brake with its large tire clearance existed only in a limited way until the advent of the mountain bike that demanded this feature for its large tires and the dirt that sticks to them. Recently, other forms have emerged to meet changing demands of the sports bicycling market. Sidepull Until recently, most brakes had a hand lever ratio (mechanical advantage) of 4:1, with a caliper ratio of 1:1, making most brakes and levers interchangeable. The 4:1 ratio struck a convenient compromise between the reach of the hand, its strength, and brake pad clearance to the rim. At higher ratios too much hand movement is used to bring the pads into contact with the rim, a clearance that is necessary to prevent a dragging brake and to take up pad wear. An important feature of the single pivot is that it has practically no position error through its sweep, the pad remaining centered on the rim throughout its wear life. Its main weakness is poor centering (clearance), caused by sliding contact of its return springs. Exposed to road dirt, the sliding springs change their coefficient of friction unpredictably, causing the pads to retract unequally from the rim. To prevent dragging, liberal clearance is required, preventing the use of the higher mechanical advantage desired by today's avocational bicyclists. Centerpull The centerpull brake of the 1950's, was popular for nearly a decade, in spite of being entirely without merit, being worse in all respects than the side pull brake with which it competed. It had the same hand levers and its caliper the same 1:1 mechanical advantage, but had large position error, moving its pads upward into the tire with wear. Its symmetry may have been its main appeal, an aesthetic that people often admire without functional reason. Its acceptance might also have been from dissatisfaction with flimsy sidepull calipers of the time. It used a straddle cable on which the main cable pulled from a flimsy cable anchor attached to the tab washer under the head bearing locknut. Besides its two levers, it had a connecting bridge that flexed in bending and torsion, making it spongy. Although Mafac was one of the greatest proponents of this design it began to vanish on sport bicycles with the introduction of the Campagnolo sidepull brake. Cantilever The cantilever brake offers clearance that fat tires and mud demand. Its pads pivot from cantilever posts on the fork blades, giving it large tire clearance and a fairly rigid action, there being no significant bending elements in its mechanism. Nevertheless it has its drawbacks. Its reaction force spreads and twists the fork blades, something that became more apparent with suspension forks that require a substantial bridge plate to restrain these forces. Its pads sweep downward at about a 45 degree angle giving them such a large position error that, as they wear, they easily pop under the rim, causing unrecoverable brake failure. Its straddle cable is pulled by a main cable that requires a cable anchor that is difficult to accommodate with rear suspension, while the front straddle cable presents a hazard in the event of a main cable failure, because it can fall onto a knobby tire to cause wheel lockup. The cantilever received a large resurgence in popularity on the mountain bike, along with other innovative designs. One of these concepts was the servo brake that had cantilever posts with a steep helix that converted forward drag of its pads to contact force, a dangerous servo effect that re-emerges from time to time. Servo Brake Servo brakes, ones that use pad reaction force to reinforce braking force, have been designed often and without success, mainly because a small change in friction coefficient causes a large change in braking. The servo effect makes the relationship between application force and brake response unpredictable and difficult to control. The servo effect inherent in drum brakes is what caused automobiles and motorcycles to switch to disks. Brake application pressure being at right angles to the rotating disk, prevents any interaction between reaction and application force. For bicycles, that effectively already have disk brakes, introduction of servo effect is illogical. V-brake The V-brake is currently displacing the cantilever brake because it offers the same advantages while solving two critical problems, those of the brake hanger for suspension bicycles and brake pad dive. The cable hanger seems to have been the main goal because early V-brakes had rigidly mounted pads that traveled in the same arc as those of a cantilever. Newer versions use a parallelogram link that keeps pad motion perpendicular to the rim. As usual, these advantages are not gained without drawbacks, such as brake chatter arising from more complex linkage and clearance required for it to work in dirt, and incompatibility with other brakes by its higher mechanical advantage that requires different hand levers. The difference in mechanical advantage has been bridged by third party hardware, one of which is called the "travel agent", that uses a two diameter wheel to change the mechanical advantage to that of common road brake levers. The device can also be used in a 1:1 ratio to replace the elbow tube of the V-brake to reduce sliding friction. Dual Pivot Greater leverage for the same hand motion requires smaller pad-to-rim clearance, that the dual pivot brake achieves by using two pivot points to define a line of action about which its two arms are constrained to move equally and remain centered. Brake centering was essential in reducing the pad-to-rim clearance needed for a mechanical advantages of about 5.6:1. Higher leverage also required compromise. The offset arm (the short one) sweeps its pad upward into the tire so that this pad must be adjusted as it wears. The brake cannot track a crooked wheel with, for instance, a broken spoke, and because it has a high ratio, it does not work at all when the quick release is accidentally left open. And finally, it runs out of hand lever travel 40% faster with pad wear than the former single pivot brake. Its low pad clearance and narrow flange spacing of current wheels make the brake drag when climbing hills standing, so that racers often ride with the rear quick release open. Part of the light feel of the dual pivot brake arises from the lower (reverse) ratio of the caliper, whose springs now no longer exert as strong a return force on the cable and hand lever. Because this force is lower, a return spring has been added to the hand lever, lowering cable return force, that coincidentally reduces cable drag during free motion of the brake (before making contact with the rim). This makes the brake FEEL even more forceful than it is because it has such a light action in neutral. Delta (Campagnolo) For lack of power brakes that motor vehicles have, brakes with variable ratios have been designed for bicycles, one of which was a major blunder for Campagnolo. Campagnolo introduced the Delta brake (aka Modolo Kronos), whose mechanism is an equilateral parallelogram in which a cable draws two opposite corners of a "diamond" together, such that the other two corners expand. The motion can be visualized by placing the tips of the thumbs and forefingers together to form a diamond. Moving the tips of the diamond together at a constant rate demonstrates the progressive nature of the mechanism and the resulting braking action, the brake pads being connected by links to the knuckles as it were. The motion is a tangent function that goes from zero to infinity. An example of this is the motion of the top of a ladder, leaning steeply against a wall, as the foot of the ladder moves away from the wall at a constant rate. At first the the top of the ladder moves imperceptibly, gradually accelerating until, near the bottom, its speed approaches infinity. Although the Delta does not use the extremes of this range, it has this characteristic in contrast to a sidepull brake that has a constant 1:1 ratio throughout its range. Besides its adverse response curve, its pads moved in an upward arc toward the tire similar to a centerpull, which it essentially is. Hydraulic Hydraulic brakes have their own problems of complexity and reliability that keep them in an almost invisible presence in general bicycling. Their advocates insist that they are superior in all respects in spite of their lack of acceptance by the bicycling public at large. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.16 Brake Squeal From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 16:35:42 PDT Most car, motorcycle, and bicycle brakes squeal at one time or another because they involve stick-slip friction whose frequency is supposed to be out of audible range. Squeal is not only annoying, it decreases brake efficiency, especially in the lower frequencies where the length of slip motion exceeds that of stick. Brake noise requires elastic motion (vibration) at the sliding interface, with at least one element in rapid stop-start motion. Because bicycles use hand power and demand light weight, they use relatively flimsy mechanisms and demand pads with a high coefficient of friction. The brake material must be soft and pliable enough to achieve good contact on relatively rough rims. The brakes generally have a mechanical advantage between 4:1 and 6:1 from hand to rim, as described under "Brakes from Skid Pads to V-brakes." That's not much compared to motorcycles that have hydraulic disk brakes with practically no pad clearance. For a hand brake, free travel (pad clearance) and flexibility defines the limit of mechanical advantage. Soft brake pads and lightweight (flexible) calipers promote squeal and chatter, chatter being the mechanically more detrimental version of stick-slip behavior. Brake chatter is caused by gummy residue on the rim together with excessively flexible (skimpy dimensioned) brake mechanism. Rims can be cleaned but flexible brakes can only be fixed by using better brakes. If the rim becomes gummy again after cleaning, then either the rims are being contaminated by something like riding through tar weed or the pads are no good. My solution for pad quality is Kool-Stop salmon red pads. Squealing brakes, the more common problem, involves mainly brake pads that generate caterpillar like surface waves. The common advice is to bend the brake caliper to make the trailing edge of the pad (with respect to rim motion, the forward end of the front brake pad) contact first. This is not entirely without merit because toe-in is the natural state of a used, non squealing brake. Elasticity of the caliper, however small, allows the pad to follow the rim and rotate forward about the caliper arm, wearing the heel of the pad more than the toe, causing toe-in. Toe-in is preferred because a pad that makes full contact as it first touches the rim will rotate slightly from frictional drag, reducing contact... and drag, which allows it to snap back and repeat the action. This causes surface waves in the pad, especially when it is new and thick. For this reason, some pads are made with thin friction material to reduce elasticity. If the pad contacts the rim, trailing end first, it develops full contact stably as pressure and frictional drag increase. However, the brake may squeal anyway. This can occur with new rims or one with wax or oil, or from other contaminants like riding across a moist lawn. New pads often have a glossy sticky skin that should be removed either by sand paper or use. Many types of rim contaminants that increase stiction (stick-slip) can be removed easily by abrasive scrubbing. This can be done by braking at moderate speed with a dusting of household cleanser on a moist rim, followed by a water bottle squirt rinse (also while braking). This process is more conveniently achieved by slowly riding through a long mud puddle while braking or by descending a mountain road in the rain where there is usually plenty of fine grit and where rain supplies the rinse. Some rims have machined brake surfaces with fine grooves whose roughness reduces squeal tendencies so they don't have to be "broken in". Martano rims of old had somewhat larger grooves as part of the extrusion for this purpose. Avoid bending brake calipers. This is "cold setting" in its worst form. Aluminum in such cross sections doesn't bend far without structural damage. Besides, this remedy could lead to more bending with each occurrence of squeal that is better abated by other means. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.17 Electronic Shifting From: Jobst Brandt Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 17:08:29 PDT A reader asks whether the Mavic Mektronic is any better than the earlier Mavic Zap electronic shifting. New styling didn't fix the basic problems of this device, although it has an elegant speedometer and controls. The same basic problems remain in the derailleur mechanism that shifts by means of a ratchet pushrod that moves in and out with each idler wheel rotation. The faster the chain moves the faster it pumps. A shift occurs during 1/2 revolution but primarily in 1/4 revolution considering the profile of sinusoidal motion. The stroke takes place in about 35 milliseconds when pedaling a 52t chainwheel at 100rpm. This heavily loads the small electrically activated ratchet pawls, one for up and one for down, that engage one of the sides of the pushrod. The opposing ratchets of the pushrod have teeth space exactly one gear apart with little overshoot. Besides the ratchet problem, the upper idler must lie on axis with the derailleur pivot, a feature that reduces chain slack take-up. Today derailleurs have the pivot offset from and between the two idler wheels, and use a slant parallelogram (low friction) movement. The Mektronic uses a sliding post (like early Simplex derailleurs) that resists motion when chain tension loads it with torque. Moving it is similar to pulling a socket wrench off a nut while tightening it. A rubber boot covers the mechanism that must run in an oil bath. Drawing power to shift from the chain is both the novelty and the fault of this design. The novelty is that only control power is drawn from a battery while power for shifting comes from the chain and only while shifting. The fault is that to make this possible the function of the derailleur is compromised. Because it can support only a short tensioning arm due its sliding post, it cannot take up large chain differences typical of large to small chainwheel shifts. Most seriously, pushrod velocity is too great to be reliable at speed. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.18 Bearing Seals From: Jobst Brandt Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 15:04:39 PST Bearing Seals What is a labyrinth seal? For that matter, even though I think I can picture it, what is a contact seal? Moving seals are a more complicated than they first appear and are only slightly related to fixed seals such as beer caps, mason jars, and gas or radiator caps. This is best emphasized by the old saying that "the seal that doesn't leak, leaks" that being the essence of the problem. If the seal doesn't leak a little, its flexible sealing lip will burn for lack of lubrication from the fluid that it is intended to contain. Therefore, there must be fluid under the seal lip. If a seal is intended to contain oil and seal it from water, the principal problem is one of mixing disparate fluids under the seal lip. Because circulation occurs under the seal lip, an emulsion will develop and even if the volume of oil on the inside is too large to be contaminated significantly, the shaft will rust when standing, destroying the seal lip. Automotive bearings are sealed to retain grease and oil but are protected from water exposure by splash shields. Separating two fluids requires two seal lips separated by a drained dry space. This is done on automatic transmission and differential gears with incompatible oils, to prevent contamination by circulation under each seal lip. This is not possible with oil and water on bicycles because there is no water most of the time, leaving the water seal lip dry and unlubricated, which renders it useless when exposed to water. Most so called sealed bearings are not water tight, mainly because they have run dry, burning the seal lip which becomes a capillary to suck water when wet. Phil Wood used bearings designed for used in electric motors that use a rubber lip seal to prevent air (dust) flow that always occurs in rotating machinery that sucks at the axle and blows at the periphery. Such bearings were never meant to prevent water intrusion, something they can do only for a short time when new. This is the main reason why such "sealed" hubs were not available at the time he introduced them. To make this work, one would have to protect the seal lip from contacting anything but oil by a shield, otherwise known as a labyrinth seal. The most common labyrinth seals on bicycles are found on Campagnolo Pedals, threaded head bearings, and above all on Sturmey Archer 3-Speed hubs that are rust free and working more than 50 years after manufacture. Bendix and New Departure coaster brakes are also examples of excellent water rejection unless submerged. The nature of a labyrinth seal is that it uses gravity to purge water from its entrance. Typically this requires nothing more than two nested channel cross section washers of two diameters, one rotating in the other that is anchored in the housing. To visualize this make a "C" shape with both hands, interleaving the thumb and forefingers so they move freely in a rotary motion from the elbows. You can see that, vertically, water has no ability to enter, and tilting the pair either way only enhances the barrier. The last such device I am aware of was the New Winner Pro Sun Tour freewheel, whose labyrinth was visible as a tiny brass ring on both faces. It's problem was that such a seal must take into account the wetting angle of water and must have a large enough air gap to prevent capillary attraction. The Sun Tour execution lay at the lower limit with its small spacing but they worked under most conditions. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.18 Sturmey-Archer 3-Speed Hubs From: Jobst Brandt Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 15:04:39 PST Sturmey-Archer hubs have been in service for many years (1887): http://www.sturmey-archer.com/p11.htm Yet they have had a design flaw from the beginning that escaped scrutiny through most of the popular life of the common 3-speed AW hub. This flaw has consistently been "swept under the rug" or laid at the feet of the mechanic so completely that few have questioned why it jumps into free wheeling when ridden forcefully in top gear. I think the symptom and cause should be explained to prevent injuries. Drive is transmitted from the sprocket through a four slot driver, through which a small movable cross (clutch) protrudes to transmit drive in, low, direct,and high gear positions. In low gear, the clutch is moved to the right to lift the (high gear) pawls, driving the ring gear directly so that the ring gear drives the planets with output going through the planet cage and its (low gear) pawls at 3/4 the input speed. With one pair of pawls raised and the other pair driving, the typical clicking sound of AW hubs is absent. In second gear, (direct drive), the clutch drives the hub body directly through the right hand pawls, making the planet carrier (low gear) pawls click as they lag behind. Top gear engages when the clutch is fully extended to the left against the planet cage, between the four protruding planet (pinion) pins, to drive the planets that turn the ring gear 4/3 the input speed. In this position, the low gear pawls in the planet cage click as they lag behind. It is the inverse of low gear and hence the reciprocal relationship between low 1/3 down and high 1/4 up with respect to direct drive on AW hubs. Because the pinion pins are free fit in the housing, they are slightly skewed to the hub axis due to canting within the clearance when loaded by the clutch, a "tilt" that has a disengaging bias to the driving clutch. However, because the axle bends slightly from chain tension, depth of engagement between clutch and pinion pins varies during rotation. These two effects can disengage the clutch and pins under high torque, dropping the mechanism into free wheeling forward. The result is that the rider, if standing, dives over the bars, with the bicycle following. This condition is apparent upon examining the clutch and pins that both show wear, slanting to enhance disengagement. However, replacing these parts does not resolve the condition. SA has always maintained that the shift cable was misadjusted, something that is easily disproven by disengaging the shift chain entirely. With the cable disconnected, the clutch is free to make perfect contact with the face of the planet cage, the best adjustment possible for top gear, and still disengagement occurs. This problem could have been resolved by putting a slight flare to the ends of the planet pins and a similar matching slant on the clutch faces, giving their engagement a preferential retaining force instead of the opposite. Most motorcycle gear boxes use such features, especially in older non-synchronized sliding gear boxes... the classic clunk of BMW boxes for instance. Similarly, the spring-less ratchet of the SW (Silent) hub was sensitive to lubricant viscosity and with anything more than 10W oil could freewheel forward, the pawls clinging to the ramps by oil viscosity while not engaging. This hub was discontinued after a short run probably because one could not place blame on user error. ------------------------------ Subject: 8f.20 Loosening Splined Shimano Cranks From: "Jobst Brandt" Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:07:59 -0800 My 1 year old XTR crank on XTR splined BB loosens with use. After each ride (an hour or so) the crank bolt looses up by about a quarter turn. i.e. - when I tighten the bolt, my 8mm Allen key is in the 12 o'clock position, after the ride, it is in the 9 o'clock position. This crank attachment was apparently designed assuming that all riders lead with the left foot when standing on both pedals, typically over rough terrain. Properly tightened retaining bolts can loosen only with weight on both pedals, right foot forward, because this is the only condition under which the crank spindle torque reverses. Reverse torque takes up backlash in the splines and turns the retaining bolt slightly with each reversal. Backlash exists because the splines have no press fit and do not mesh snugly, so they have backlash at the outset. Elasticity of the spline teeth add backlash motion, and when repeated often, can unscrew the retaining bolt. Shimano, apparently in response to this problem, has a new design for all its cranks. These use a straight spline on a hollow spindle onto which left crank having a split knuckle is secured with two pinch bolts while the right crank is permanently attached to the spindle. This is not an entirely new idea but the execution appears promising. However, its BB bearings are external to the BB shell possibly presenting a new loosening problem as does the spindle, that has a free fit in these bearings. http://tinyurl.com/cdxe ------------------------------ Subject: 8g Tech Accessories ------------------------------ Subject: 8g.1 Milk Jug Mud Flaps From: Chuck Tryon Actually, I have used plastic like this (or in my case, some red plastic from a cheap note book cover -- it's heavier) to extend the bottom (rear) end of the front fender. The Zephals are good, but they don't stop the splash from where the tire hits the road from getting on my feet. What I did was cut a small triangle about 3in (~7cm) wide by 6in (~15cm) long, cut a hole in the top of it and the bottom end of the fender, and use a pop-rivet (with washers to prevent tear out) to attach it. On a road bike, it should be end up being within a few inches of the road. ATB's will need more clearance, so this won't work well off road. | | | | /| o |\ ----- rivet with washer on inside | \___/ | / \ ---- flap fits inside of the fender, and follows the | | curve, which gives it some stiffness. | | | | \_________/ | | | | ----- bottom of tire \_/ ------------------------------ Subject: 8g.2 Storing NiCad Batteries From: Tom Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 13:23:29 -0800 Michael GWell, the days are getting longer, and I won't be needing my VistaLight 530 lights with a nicad battery for my nightly commute home until October or November. My question is, what is the best way to prevent damage to the battery from discharging over the next 6 months? Presumably, it will lose charge slowly while in storage, so I will have to recharge it every now and again. But how often is that? How can I be sure not to overcharge it without going to the hassle of letting it discharge until the lights begin to dim, then recharge it the 12-14 h stipulated in the manual? You definately do NOT want to store NiCads charged. NiCads should be stored discharged. For more info, check out: http://www.cadex.com/html/battery.htm and especially check out: http://www.verinet.com/~dlc/battery.htm for NiCad storage info. ------------------------------ Subject: 8h Tech Ergonomics ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.1 Seat adjustments From: Roger Marquis [More up to date copies of Roger's articles can be found at http://www.roble.net/marquis/] The following method of setting saddle height is not the only method around for setting your saddle height but it is the most popular among experienced coaches and riders in the US and Europe. 1) First adjust the saddle angle. It should be level or very close to level, with no more than 2mm slope up or down at the nose. 2) Put on the shoes you normally ride in. Don't forget to lightly grease the seat post and binder bolt. Have a binder bolt wrench ready (usually a 5mm Allen). 3) Mount the bike and sit comfortably, leaning against a wall. Apply a brake with one hand (or mount the bike on a turbo trainer). 4) Placing your HEELS on the pedals pedal backwards at 30+ rpm without rocking your pelvis (very important). 5) Adjust seat height so the gap between pedal and heel at bottom dead center is: 5A) ZERO TO ONE HALF CM. for recreational riders (-50 mi/wk.), 5B) ONE HALF TO ONE CM. for experienced riders (50+ mi./wk.), 5C) ONE TO ONE AND ONE HALF CM. for endurance cyclists (250+ mi./wk.). NOTE: Modify these recommendations if your soles are considerably thicker at the cleat than at the heel. It can be difficult to make an accurate measurement without a mirror or friend to do a visual check of your heel and pedal at BDC. (This is especially true for Time and Look style cleats). 6) Ride. It may take a couple of rides to get used to the feel and possibly stretch the hamstrings and Achilles slightly. Roger Marquis ) ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.2 Cleat adjustments From: Roger Marquis [note: You may also want to consider going to a bike shop that does Fit Kit and have them do the Fit Kit RAD to adjust your cleats. Many people recommend it.] [More up to date copies of Roger's articles can be found at http://www.roble.com/marquis/] 1) Grease the cleat bolts and tighten moderately. NOTE: it can be *difficult* to tighten the bolts so they are loose enough to allow cleat movement but tight enough to stay in one place while clipping-out. Depending one the pedals it may be easier to have someone mark the cleat position with a pencil before dismounting. 2) Sitting on the bike, put your feet in the pedals and adjust until: 2B) The ball of your foot is directly above or, more commonly, slightly behind the pedal axle and, 2C) The inside edge of your ankle is approximately parallel with the inside edge of the ball of the foot. This position should feel natural and comfortable when first tried out. Cleats positioned too far forward (on the shoe) can cause excessive ankle movement and result in Achilles strain. When positioned too far back they will be ergonomically inefficient and can cause knee strain. 3) Tighten the cleat bolts fully and go out for a ride. If the position just doesn't feel right repeat steps 1 and 2 with small modifications. Consider also finding a bike shop that does Fit Kits. Many people recommend it for problematic shoes and pedals. Roger Marquis ) ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.3 Adjusting SPD Cleats Six adjustments can be made when setting up SPD cleats. With the foot parallel to the ground and pointing in the direction of travel, the adjustments a 1) Left/right translation 2) Front/back translation 3) Up/down translation 4) Front to back tilt 5) Side to side tilt 6) Azimuth, often called "rotation" Front to back tilt is adjusted as the bicycle is pedaled since the pedals themselves rotate freely in this direction. Some people may need to adjust side to side tilt, but this requires the use of shims which are not provided and can cause the cleat to protrude beyond the tread of the shoe. Custom insoles that have one side slightly thicker than the other may have the same effect as shims between the cleat and the shoe. Separate up/down adjustments for each leg may be necessary for individuals with established leg length differences. To adjust up/down translation in one shoe use a combination of an insole and raise or lower the seat. To make small up/down changes equally in both legs, simply raise or lower the seat. The usual adjustments for SPD cleats are left/right, front/back, and Azimuth. Of these Azimuth is the most sensitive. For most people these three adjustments are sufficient to obtain a comfortable alignment. ----------------- Aligning SPD cleats: Position the cleat so that it lies on the imaginary line between the bony knob on the inside of your foot at the base of your big toe and a similar but smaller knob on the outside of the foot at the base of the smallest toe. Set azimuth so that the pointed end of the cleat points directly toward the front of the shoe. If you're switching from clips and straps, and you are satisfied with your current alignment, use the following alternate method. Position your SPD shoe fully in the clip of your old pedal and align the cleat to the spindle of your old pedal. Center the cleat in the X direction, leaving room to adjust either way should the need arise. Some people find pedaling more comfortable if their left and right feet are closer together. This is sometimes called the "Q-factor". If you prefer to start with a low Q-factor, then move the cleat so that it is as close as possible to the outside of the shoe. Tighten both cleat bolts before engaging the pedal. Adjust the release tension of the pedals so that it is somewhere in the low to middle part of the tension adjustment range. The higher the release tension, the harder it will be for you to disengage the pedals when dismounting. The lower the release tension, the easier it will be for you to inadvertently pull out of the pedals, especially when standing and pedaling. If you stand often to power up hills, consider setting the initial release tension higher as an unwanted release under these conditions can result in a painful spill. See the pedal instructions. Mount your bike on a trainer, if you have one, to make preliminary cleat and release tension adjustments. Practice engaging and disengaging the pedals a few times before you take a real ride. Soon you will find this easy. If you notice that a shoe rubs a crank or chainstay, adjust left/right translation and azimuth until the shoe no longer rubs. As you pedal, you will probably find the initial azimuth uncomfortable on one or both legs. Notice how your foot would like to rotate. Adjust the azimuth of the appropriate cleat in the same direction your foot wants to rotate. For example, if your foot wants to rotate clockwise, adjust the azimuth of the cleat (when looking at the bottom of the shoe) clockwise. Start by making moderate corrections. If you overshoot the adjustment, correct by half as much. As you approach optimum azimuth, you may need to ride longer before you notice discomfort. Take your bike off the trainer, and go for a real ride! And bring your 4mm allen key. You may find very small azimuth adjustments difficult to make. This happens because the cleat has made an indentation in the stiff sole material (usually plastic, sometimes with a tacky, glue-like material where a portion of the sole was removed). When you tighten the cleat after making a small correction, it will tend to slide back into the old indentation. Try moving the cleat one millimeter or so to the side or to the front or back, so the cleat can no longer slip into the old indentation pattern as it is being tightened. Pain in the ball of your foot can be relieved. One way is by moving the cleat rearward. Start by moving the cleat about two to three millimeters closer to the rear of the shoe. Be careful not to change the azimuth. When pedaling notice how far your heel is from the crank. After making a front/rear adjustment, check to make sure the crank-heel distance has not noticeably changed. Moving a cleat rearward on the shoe has the effect of raising your seat by a lesser amount for that leg. The exact expression is messy, but for an upright bike, the effect is similar to raising your seat by about y/3 for that leg, where y is the distance you moved the cleat to the rear. For example, if you move your cleat 6 millimeters to the rear, you might also want to lower your seat by about 2 millimeters. Remember, though, that unless both cleats are moved rearward the same amount, your other leg may feel that the seat is too low. Another way to relieve pain in the ball of the foot is to use a custom orthotic and/or a padded insole. Most cycling shoes provide poor arch support and even poorer padding. After riding for a while with your aligned cleats if you find yourself pulling out of the pedals while pedaling, you will need to tighten the release tension. After tightening the release tension the centering force of the pedals will be higher, and you may discover that the azimuth isn't optimum. Adjust the azimuth as described above. On the other hand, if you find you never pull out of the pedals while pedaling and if you find it difficult or uncomfortable to disengage the cleat, try loosening the release tension. People whose knees like some rotational slop in the cleat may be comfortable with very loose cleat retension. As with any modification that affects your fit on the bike, get used to your pedals gradually. Don't ride a century the day after you install SPDs. Give your body about two or three weeks of gradually longer rides to adapt to the new feel and alignment, especially if you've never ridden with clipless pedals before. Several months after installing SPDs, I occasionally tinker with the alignment. After performing the above adjustments if you are still uncomfortable, seek additional help. Some people can be helped by a FitKit. If you're lucky enough to have a good bike shop nearby, seek their advice. ----------------- Tightening cleat bolts: Tighten cleat bolts until they _begin_ to bind. This will happen when further tightening produces a vibration or squeal from the cleat. Tighten no further or you may damage the mounting plate on the inside of the shoe. After living for a while with a comfortable alignment, remove each mounting bolt separately, apply blue loctite on the threads, and reinstall. Should you later find you need to loosen a bolt to adjust the alignment, you will have to reapply the loctite. Keeping the Pedal/Cleat interface clean: Occasionally you may find the pedals suddenly more difficult to disengage. This usually happens because dirt or other contaminants get caught in the cleat or pedal mechanism. I have found that a good spray with a hose quickly and cleanly washes off dust, mud, or other gunk from the pedal and cleat. You may also wish to spray the pedal with a light silicone or teflon lubricant. Acknowledgements: John Unruh ) Lawrence You ) ----------------- Case History: I have sensitive legs--feet, ankles, knees, tendons, etc. If the cleats aren't aligned properly, I feel it. I took a long time to find a cleat alignment that was comfortable for long and/or intense rides. I ride a Bridgestone RB-T, 62cm frame, triple chainring. I wear size 48 Specialized Ground Control shoes--evil-looking black and red things. They were the only shoes I could find in my size that were comfortable. When I installed the M737 pedals, I had 175mm cranks. I set the release tension so that the indicator was at the loose end but so that I could see the entire nut in the slot. The azimuth I found most comfortable had both shoes pointing roughly straight ahead. The ball of my left foot began hurting, so I moved the left cleat back about 4-6mm. This placed the ball of my foot in front of the pedal spindle. I did not make any left/right adjustments. Unfortunately, on longer rides, the ball of my left foot still hurt, so I got a pair of custom CycleVac "Superfeet" insoles. I removed the stock insole from the shoe, and inserted the CycleVac insole. The CycleVac doesn't have any padding at the ball, and my foot didn't like the hard plastic sole of the shoe. I had a pair of thin green Spenco insoles lying around, so I put those under the CycleVacs to provide some padding. I didn't use the stock insoles because they are too thick. Finally, the pain was gone! If I remain pain-free for a while I may try moving the left cleat forward again. Then I replaced the 175mm cranks with 180mm cranks, and I lowered the seat 2.5mm. My left foot was still happy, but my right knee began to complain. Not only that, but my right foot felt as if it was being twisted to the right (supinating), toward the outside of the pedal. After fussing with the azimuth of the right cleat, I couldn't find a satisfactory position, though I could minimize the discomfort. I moved the right cleat as far as I could to the outside of the shoe, bringing my foot closer to the crank. I also reduced the release tension further. The red indicating dots are now just visible. This helped my knee, but my foot still felt as if it were being twisted, as if all the force were being transmitted through the outside of the foot. In addition, my left Achilles Tendon started to hurt at times. I lowered the seat another couple millimeters. This helped, but I felt that my right leg wasn't extending far enough. Then I tried _rotating_ the saddle just a little to the right, so the nose was pointing to the right of center. This helped. But my right foot still felt supinated, and my right knee started to hurt again. I removed the right CycleVac insole and Spenco insole and replaced them with the original stock insole that provides little arch support. Bingo. The discomfort was gone. It seems I need the arch support for the left foot but not for the right foot. How long will it be before I make another tweak? The saga continues... ----------------- Copyright 1993, Bill Bushnell. Feel free to distribute this article however you see fit, but please leave the article and this notice intact. ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.4 SPD cleat compatability From: Eric Salathe Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 11:52:55 -0800 (PST) 1) Could someone provide a definitive answer (I have been told different things) about whether the newer Ultegra pedal will accept the same cleat (I also have the PDA525 on another bike that I would like to wear the same shoes with). According to the Shimano web page FAQ: =========== Frequently Asked Questions 19) What cleats work with which pedals? The SM-SH70 and SM-SH71 work best with both the PD-7410 and the PD-6500. The SM-SH51 and SM-SH55 work with the PD-M747, M636, M545, M535, M515, M434, M323, A525, M737 and M525. There are a couple usable combinations which can be substituted for the recommended cleat: PD-M747, M636 M545, M535, M515, M434 can use all cleats (70,71,51,55). The PD-A525 and PD-M323 work with all cleats except SM-SH70. The new SH-90, SH-81/91 and SH-82/92 are only compatible with the PD-7700, PD-6600 and PD-5500 SPD-R type pedals. ============== Based on this, I made the following table, which really ought to be on Sheldon's web page (the 70/71 cleats are the standard road-racing cleats and 50/51 are standard two-sided pedal cleats): M747 M636 M545 M535 M515 M434 M737 M525 A525 M323 7410 6500 SPD-R SH70 ok ok ok ok ok ok no no no no yes yes no SH71 ok ok ok ok ok ok no no ok ok yes yes no SH50 yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no SH51 yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no SPD-R no no no no no no no no no no no no yes So the direct answer is that only the multi-release SH71 cleat will work both with your A525s and with Ultegra 6500 SPDs. 2) Does anyone have any leftover PDA525 single-sided road pedals for sale? I don't see what purpose the one-sided A525s serve. Svelt one-sided road-racing pedals make sense for the extremes of weight shaving and corner clearance, but these are not met by the heavier and clunkier A525. You are just giving up the two-sided convienience of the M535 or M515 with no benefit in return except possibly the bogus claim that they are `road pedals' not `MTB pedals' ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.5 Shimmy or Speed Wobble From: Jobst Brandt Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 00:29:14 -0700 Shimmy, a spontaneous steering oscillation of the front wheel, usually occurs at a predictable speed when riding no-hands. The likelihood of shimmy is greatest when the only rider-to-bicycle contact is at the saddle and pedals. This position gives the least damping by hands, arms, and legs. When shimmy occurs on descents, with hands on the bars, it is highly disconcerting because the most common rider response, of gripping the bars firmly, only increases it. Shimmy is not related to frame alignment or loose bearings, as is often claimed. Shimmy results from dynamics of front wheel rotation, mass of the handlebars, elasticity of the frame, and where the rider contacts the bicycle. Both perfectly aligned bicycles and ones with wheels out of plane to one another shimmy nearly equally well. It is as likely with properly adjusted bearings as loose ones. The idea that shimmy is related to bearing adjustment or alignment has been established by repetition. Bicycle shimmy is the lateral oscillation of the head tube about the road contact point of the front wheel and depends largely on frame geometry and the elasticity of the top and down tubes. It is driven by gyroscopic forces of the front wheel, making it largely speed dependent. It cannot be fixed by adjustments because it is inherent to the geometry and elasticity of the bicycle frame. The longer the frame and the higher the saddle, the greater the tendency to shimmy, other things being equal. Weight distribution also has no effect on shimmy although where that weight contacts the frame does. Bicycle shimmy is unchanged when riding no-hands, whether leaning forward or Shimmy requires a spring and a mass about which to oscillate and these are furnished by the frame and seated rider. Unloading the saddle (without standing up) will stop shimmy. Pedaling or rough road will also reduce the tendency to shimmy. In contrast, coasting no-hands downhill on a smooth road at more than 20mph with the cranks vertical seems to be the most shimmy prone condition. When coasting no-hands, laying one leg against the top tube is the most common way to inhibit shimmy and also one of the most common ways to coast no-hands. Compliant tread of knobby tires usually have sufficient squirming damping to suppress shimmy. Weight of the handlebar and its extension from of the steering axis also affects shimmy. Shimmy is caused by the gyroscopic force of the front wheel whose tilt is roughly at right angles to the steering axis, making the wheel steer to the left when it leans to the left. This steering action twists the toptube and downtube, storing energy that both limits travel and causes a return swing. Trail (caster) of the fork acts on the wheel to limit these excursions and return them toward center. Shimmy that concerns riders the most occurs with hands firmly on the bars and it is rider generated by muscular effect whose natural response is the same as the shimmy frequency, about that of Human shivering. Descending in cold weather can be difficult for this reason. The rider's "death grip" only enhances the incidence of shimmy in this situation. Loosely holding the bars between thumb and forefinger is a way of avoiding shimmy when cold. ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.6 Soft Bicycle Saddles From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 10:26:21 PST I was wondering if someone could direct me to a bike seat that is soft. I have a Specialized-brand bike and the seat is hard. What is the softest seat available? You may already have heard something like this but I think it bears repeating. Bicycle seats are much harder and narrower than you might expect because they are designed to bear on a small area, primarily the protuberances of the pelvic bone that you can feel as solid bumps if you feel under your buttocks as you sit in a chair. If you sit on a larger area, for instance on a soft cushion, you will be sitting on the muscles that propel the bicycle. Although this may be comfortable sitting still, pedaling, it causes a "charley horse" in these muscles for lack of adequate blood circulation. You will want to avoid such soft saddles if you plan to ride more than a few hundred yards because riding will become painful. A better course is to ride a conventional firm saddle, repeatedly, until your seating is no longer sensitive. All bicyclists who ride substantial distances achieve this condition, albeit with various saddles, none of which have the broad deep cushion often sought by newcomers. Even an experienced rider who is laid up or otherwise cannot ride for more than a month, experiences much the same discomfort you do when he returns to riding the saddle that he previously never gave a thought. The big cushioned saddles are made for people who don't ride bicycles. That is why there are so few of them available, and they are generally not found in bicycle shops where the regulars shop. ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.7 Black vs White Helmet - Thermal Test From: terry morse Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 10:20:57 -0700 At the encouragement of others, I ran a more elaborate test to see how black and white helmets react thermally in sunlight under forced air cooling. This new test aims to answer the question of whether or not a black helmet is hotter than a white one when worn in direct sunlight, both while at rest and while moving. First of all, many thanks to Mike of Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/ for the loan of two Trek Vapor helmets for the test. Mike: I'll be returning the helmets (none the worse for wear) very shortly. Test equiment: 1 regular household fan 1 150W halogen lamp 1 styrofoam head (from a wig store) 1 handheld anemometer 2 Trek Vapor helmets, size large (1 white, 1 black) 1 digital thermometer 1 stopwatch ( photo: http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/thtest1.jpg ) Procedu Place the temperature probe at the crown of the styrofoam head, and put the helmet on the head. Hang the lamp 5" above the helmet, turn the fan on high speed (6.5 mph), record the temperature every minute until it stops changing. Set the fan on low speed (5.0 mph), record the temperature every minute until it stops changing. Turn off the fan, record the temperature until you can no longer stand it. Repeat test for the black helmet, white helmet, and bare head. Black helmet test photo: http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/thtest3.jpg Bare head test photo: http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/thtest2.jpg Results: Complete Results: http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/temps1.jpg Air-Cooled Detail: http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/temps2.jpg Air Speed | Delta T: Black Hemlet White Helmet Bare Head ----------|-------------------------------------------------- 6.5 mph | 1.4 F 1.1 0.6 5.0 | 2.5 1.5 1.0 0.0 (*) | 20.4 21.1 29.3 ----------|-------------------------------------------------- (*) 16 minutes after turning off fan As I had expected, there is a measurable difference between the black and the white helmets at these air speeds and radiant levels. The temperature rose quickly when the fan was turned off, and it continued to climb for several minutes. There was no significant difference between the white and black helmet in this "no air" sequence, as the temperature increased at basically the same rate for both. The small difference between the two might have been caused by a slight shift in the ambient temperature during the test run. One might conclude that the black surface got hotter and promoted free convection, which made the black helmet wearer slightly cooler. But I would hate to conclude that from these small temperature differences. The bare head test had the greatest and fastest temperature rise in the "no-air" test, even though I had surrounded the temperature probe with a radiation shield (aluminum foil). While styrofoam certainly is not thermally equivalent to the human head, this result add credence to the old adage of wearing a hat on a sunny day (at least when you're not moving). ------------------------------ Subject: 8h.8 Ankling, a pedaling style From: Jobst Brandt Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 14:04:39 PST Ankling, a topic of much discussion, has been claimed to improved performance in bicycling, although not by racers and coaches. It has been touted as one of the techniques for excellence that appeals to bicyclists mainly because it requires no additional effort. That there are different ankle motions while pedaling is apparent, although most of these are not by choice nor do they effect efficiency. Because so much attention was given the subject in the 1960's, it prompted a study in Italy, in which some leading racers noted for their abilities as well as a distinct pedaling style were fit with instrumentation to numerically capture the stroke. Among them was Jacques Anquetil who had a noticeably different ankle motion. The study determined that there was no consistency among those tested and that ankling, much like people's walking gait, is caused by physical individuality rather than any advantage. Typically, some walking gaits are so pronounced that a person can be recognized by it at a distance. Some people raise their heel before stepping off on the next stride while others "peel" the foot from the floor in a continuous motion. To artificially emulate someone's ankle motion or lack thereof, while pedaling, is as useless as emulating a walking gait. The study laid ankling to rest for a while, but because urban legends have a life of their own, rising again at the slightest opportunity, ankling, with its lore, is assured a long life. ------------------------------- Subject: 8i Tech Misc ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.1 Weight = Speed? I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out why heavier people roll down hills faster than the little scrawnies like myself. Surface as well as cross sectional area of an object (a human body) increases more slowly than its weight (volume). Therefore, wind drag, that is largely dependent on surface, is proportionally smaller for a heavier and larger object than a smaller one of similar shape and composition. A good example is dust at a rock quarry that remains suspended in the air for a long time while the larger pieces such as sand, gravel, and rock fall increasingly faster to the ground. They are all the same material and have similar irregular shapes but have different weight to surface area ratios, and therefore, different wind resistance to weight ratios. This applies equally to bicyclists coasting down hills if other factors such as clothing and position on the bicycle are similar. ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.2 Traffic detector loops From: Bob Shanteau A traffic loop detects metal objects such as cars and bicycles based on the change in inductance that they induce in the loop. The loop is an inductor in an LC circuit that is tuned to resonate at a certain frequency. A metal plate over the loop (like a car) causes the magnetic flux to be shorted, reducing the inductance of the loop. This causes a change in resonant frequency, which is detected and sent to the signal controller. One of the ways of testing a loop is to create a loop about 2 feet in diameter with several turns of wire (connecting the ends) and placing the test wire in the middle of the traffic loop. The test wire should cause a dectection, if all is working. The same effect is seen with a vertical piece of metal, such as a bicycle, but is weaker. Because aluminum conducts electricity quite well, aluminum rims help. Steel rims are OK. Non-metal rims cannot be picked up at all. A bicycle with aluminum rims will cause about 1/100 the change in inductance of a car. It is always possible to set a detector's sensitivity to pick up a bicycle. The trade-off is in longer detection times and the possibility of false detections from vehicles in adjacent lanes. Most people who set signal detectors use the lowest sensitivity setting that will pick up cars reliably. I advocate using the highest setting that will avoid picking up vehicles in adjacent lanes. Digital circuits used in modern detectors can use high sensitivity settings without unacceptable increases in detection times. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of old detectors out there, and most people who work on signals use principles based on the performance characteristics of old detectors. In any case, bicyclists should, as a general rule, place their wheels over one of the slots to maximize their chance of being detected. That is where the magnetic field perpindicular to the wheels is strongest. Bouncing the bike or moving it back and forth does no good. If you have a metal frame, another tactic that may work is to lay the bicycle down horizontally inside the loop until the light turns green. Advancements are under way that may make traffic loops obsolete some day. In particular, radar, infrared and sound detectors have been introduced. Systems based on video cameras are especially promising. Such systems can easily detect bicycles. Such a system may even be able to detect pedestrians some day. Bob Shanteau, PhD. PE Registered Traffic Engineer ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.3 The Continuously Variable Transmission From: Jobst Brandt Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 13:49:06 -0800 (PST) The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is the holy grail of many inventors who are not convinced that it is an impossibility. That is to say, the positive engagement, continuously variable transmission, that does not rely on friction, electrical, or hydraulic ratios but uses mechanical gearing, is not possible. By definition, continuously variable is analog while gears and chains are digital. The CVT does not exist, and I am convinced it will not. If it were possible, railway locomotives, trucks, buses, and cars would long ago have used them. Strangely, it is in bicycling that the strongest believers of the concept reside... as if there were more money to be made in bicycles. In fact, the bicycle, with its enormously adaptable human motor, doesn't need a CVT. In addition, its low input speed and extremely high torque, make the bicycle an especially difficult gearing challenge. For this reason high performance bicycles use derailleur chain drive that is found practically nowhere else. Non-gear CVT's, currently used elsewhere, have poorer efficiency than both planetary gears and derailleur chains. More importantly though, the low-speed high torque of bicycling would require transmissions that would weigh more than the bicycle, which makes them impractical. ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.4 Alenax Bicycle From: Jobst Brandt Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 15:08:52 PDT Has anyone heard of an Alenax bike? Instead of pedaling a circular motion, the pedals pump up and down vertically. Strangest riding bike I've tried. A friend bought one at a garage sale. The Alenax is a great example of an outsider inventing a solution to a perceived problem, creating something that is useless for the intended user. Much money was thrown into the design and manufacture of the Alenax and several years of bicycle show attendance with many models. As soon as you ride it, you'll realize why it doesn't work, even though it has a continuously variable gear ratio. It isn't a CVT (continuously variable transmission) because it relies on reciprocating levers to pull the chains, essentially a rowing machine on which the "oarlock" (fulcrum) is movable. The main problem is that the invention is based on constant velocity lever pedals, instead of circular cranks on which the rotating foot presents no inertial problems and on which the leg moves in sinusoidal motion. The Alenax requires the foot to reach full speed from a stop, before it catches up to the load it is trying to propel, after which it must stop suddenly from full speed at the bottom of the stroke. The action can be simulated by propelling a conventional bicycle with one foot locked into a pedal by rocking the pedal up and down through a small arc about the forward position. The early models had fully independent pedal levers that could be pedaled singly or in parallel or only only one if you wanted. This made the return stroke difficult because the leg and crank had to be pulled back to the top. What was worse is that in the event of a bump in the road, the rider could not stand up, because both pedals would go to the very bottom, fully extending the legs which prevented rising from the saddle. A later version employed a straddle cable over a pulley through which one pedal raised the other, also enabling one to stand on both pedals at half height as on a conventional bicycle. Wheel changes were complicated by two chains, one on each side of the rear wheel, each tensioned by a haulback spring. Each freewheel had one sprocket but I can imagine a large and small one to give more range with a smaller lever extension. The left side required a left handed freewheel. Summing it up, I think the inventor (and investors) did not realize that converting reciprocating motion into circular motion is best done by a rotary crank rather than a reciprocating lever, and above all, they weren't bicyclists. Jobst Brandt ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.5 Stuck Pedal Removal From: Jobst Brandt Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 12:47:21 -0800 What's the trick to removing pedals? Of the three times that I have tried to remove my pedals (I have two bikes and am in the process of exchanging/switching pedals) I have only succeeded once. The main problem is the pedals have been put on very tightly and I can't even budge the damn thing. Left and right pedals have left and right threads respectively, and are best removed with a long handled 15mm pedal wrench. Rather than using any clever wrench orientation or other methods to determine which way to tighten or loosen pedals, use the rule that rotating "forward" (as the wheels of the bicycle do) tightens and rotating "backward" loosens. Pedals are often made with tight fitting threads in an effort to improve the hold of this poorly designed mechanical interface. The intent is to prevent relative motion under load although they move anyway. If that were not the case, the threads would not be left and right handed. That they move is also apparent from damage where the pedal axle frets against the crank face, the main causes of crank failures at the pedal eye. Besides damaging the crank face, fretting motion depletes thread lubrication and causes galling (aka welding) so that pedals often cannot be removed forcefully without damaging pedal shafts, wrenches, or cranks so that forceful removal strips threads. To remove "frozen" pedals from an aluminum crank, remove the crank and pedal from the BB spindle, heat the pedal end of the crank over gas flame cooking stove until it sizzles to the wet touch. Using a pedal wrench, the pedal usually unscrews relatively easily without damage. If a lubricated pedal with clean threads does not screw in easily, a thread tap should be run through the crank to prevent galling on insertion. This is best done on the bicycle, where the crank is held firmly by the BB and prevented from rotation by the chain. To keep chain tension to a minimum (so the rear wheel does not spin), keep the pedal wrench as parallel to the crank as possible rather than as an extension to the crank. ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.6 Removing Pedals From: Mike Iglesias Here's a simple rule to remember which direction to turn the pedals when removing them from the cranks: With the wrench at the 12 o'clock position, turn the wrench towards the rear tire. This works for both the left and right pedal. The left pedal has left-hand threads (tighten counter-clockwise), so it is the opposite of the normal right-hand treads found most everywhere else on the bike. ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.7 Bikecurrent FAQ From: William Burrow Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:57:29 -0400 The bikecurrent FAQ covers issues related to electricity on bicycles, primarily bicycle lighting and providing power to the lighting, whether by generator or battery. Terms and concepts are covered for starting the journey into understanding the topic in detail. http://www.purl.org/bicycling/FAQ/bikecurrent-FAQ/ William Burrow -- New Brunswick, Canada ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.8 Fretting damage in Bicycle Mechanics From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 16:35:42 PDT Fretting or to fret: to eat or gnaw away, to erode. In machinery, fretting is the micro-motion of tightly fitting parts that superficially appear immobile with respect to each other. Classically, transmission shafts and gears or axles with a press fit show evidence of motion on disassembly by the presence of rouge, rouge being iron oxide particles that are generated in such interfaces by micro-motions far smaller than conventional measuring equipment can resolve. On bicycles such an interface occurs between the square taper on the pedal crank and its spindle, where rouge is evident on the face of the steel spindle regardless of whether it was assembled with grease or not. That fretting occurs is also evident by the need for a retaining bolt to prevent crank disengagement from its spindle and of pedals from their crank. Removing a crank requires substantial force with an extractor, yet continual fretting will disengage the crank in the absence of a retaining bolt. Likewise pedals are not easily removed, but without a left hand thread on left pedals, they will unscrew. In addition to disengaging the press fit of a crank, fretting moves cranks up the taper until the preload of the retaining and installation bolt matches the press times the slope of the taper. That is to say, fretting relaxes surface friction loads in the interface. Additionally, load distortion of a crank causes it to move away from the face of the retaining bolt, up the taper of the spindle. Pedals have similar relative motions in the attachment thread and pressure face on the shoulder of the spindle. This is also a dynamic joint that appears to be static. In the case of the pedal, fretting motion is directional and can cause precession by the "wandering" load whose center of pressure rotates in the crank thread opposite to the rotation of the crank. Even without clearance, elastic deformation of the crank and pedal spindle cause micro motions that, if not countered by an appropriate thread direction, will unscrew the pedal. The presence of a left hand thread on the left pedal and on many bottom bracket right side bearing cups is proof that fretting occurs. If these motions did not occur, then bolt locking devices, such as cotter pins, lock nuts and lock washers would not be necessary. Most nuts and bolts so secured do not come loose in service and therefore should not rotate. Presence of locking means gives evidence that fretting is more ubiquitous than most people (mechanics and engineers included) believe. Fretting in bearings is a different but similar effect, that is the bane of steering gears and other mechanical devices that are intended to rotate but are primarily used in a fixed position (straight ahead). Automotive patents for anti-fretting steering gears abound. Saginaw, Gemmer, and Ross steering gears come to mind. In bicycles this effect is seen in the bearings of the fork, or head bearings, that are meant to rotate but often experience straight ahead, non rotating use. Because fretting involves invisibly small motion, it remains difficult to understand and hard to convey to the user who suffers fretting symptoms on a piece of machinery. It was long believed that impact cause Brinelling of bicycle head bearings even though mechanics who installed cottered cranks should have noticed an inconsistency in that pounding in cotters with a large hammer with all the shock taken up by one 1/4" ball under the crank spindle never caused a dent, yet 20 balls loaded by a much smaller force through a rubber tire was believed to cause dimpled head bearings. Beyond that, the top bearing that carries practically no load and receives no impact, also became dimpled and, like the bottom load bearing one, did so in the fore and aft quadrant. These dimples were not shiny as Brinell indentations are, but are milky finish typical of tear-outs from asperity welding. Ball bearings operate in two modes that became apparent in the computer disk business because their data actuators often move step by step from track to track, with a radial arm about 1" long, there being more than 20,000 tracks per inch. Servo control engineers must analyze bearing drag to be overcome for this purpose. In such small motions, ball bearings are essentially locked solid with their lubricant film, the bearing appearing as welded balls acting as springs. This "pre-roll" stage of motion is the one that causes the dimples in the bicycle head bearings because they, unlike the disk bearings, have been lubricant depleted from fretting, not having made a larger motion for a longer time, motion that would replenish lubrication between ball and race. Ball bearings roll on a film of oil that is so thin that it does not present liquid properties, being several mono-molecular layers thick as it adheres to ball and race. If it weren't for this behavior, oil would not remain in the interface. However, with fretting, oil is displaced and pin point welding takes place. Bicycle head bearing fretting is caused by fore and aft rocking of the fork crown, a motion that lies below visible resolution, and is small enough to not replenish lubricant. Bearing damage appears as dimples from myriad asperity contacts that welded and broke loose as the ball fretted in place, leaving a milky finish. Road bicycles are more subject to this damage than off road bicycles because they spend more time traveling straight ahead, especially when coasting downhill. Fretting damage occurs during these times, because lubrication is not replenished by steering motions. The compound bearings offered by Shimano seem to have greatly reduced the problem by taking up fork crown rocking motion in a plain steel on aluminum spherical cup that is not prone to metal to metal contact, while steering rotations are borne in a pre-loaded full complement angular contact ball bearing supported by this plain bearing. ------------------------------ Subject: 8i.9 Left hand threads From: Jobst Brandt Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 16:14:11 PST On bicycles, left hand threads are used mainly in three places, on left pedals, right bottom bracket (BB) bearing cups, and freewheel cones, to prevent unscrewing under operating loads. Unscrewing occurs from precession, in which a round object rolling in a circular ring in one direction will itself turn in the opposite direction. For a pedal, a rotating load arises form downward pedaling force on a spindle rotating with its crank making the predominantly downward force effectively rotate about the pedal spindle. What may be less evident is that even tightly fitting parts have relative clearance due to their elasticity, metals not being rigid materials as is evident from steel springs. Under load, micro deformations, enough to cause motion, occur in such joints. This can be seen from wear marks where pedal spindles seat on crank faces. Precession of right side BB cups is less obvious because the rotating load is only partial. The largest load being chain tension, that together with the moderately large downward force on the right crank and the smaller upward force from pushing down on the left crank, make 3/4 of a fully rotating load. For this reason some right BB cups have used right hand threads and some with left hand threads have loosened. The left BB cup with no significant rotating load has little tendency to turn. Freewheel cones are more obvious candidates for precession, their load being mainly radial, and rotating continuously in the direction that would unscrew a right hand thread. There are other such but less common threads on bicycles. Precession forces are large enough that no manner of thread locking glues, short of welding, will arrest them. Mechanical fretting, the micro-motion of tightly fitting parts moving against one another, is the mechanism of this motion. Motion in these joints causes visible fretting rouge, red iron oxide, on the shoulder of the BB cup and on the face of the pedal spindle. Left hand threads would not be required on left pedals if a design common on cars were used. Before the advent of conical lug nuts, many cars used left hand threads on left side wheels. Today, stories of wheels rolling away from cars no longer make news, the conical seat having solved this problem on car wheels as it could on bicycle pedals. However, unscrewing is not the main problem for pedals, but rather crank failure caused by fretting erosion of the pedal eye. Fretting initiates cracks that can cause sudden and unsuspected pedal separation when the eye of a crank breaks. Because this occurs equally with right and left cranks it is the more important reason for a conical spindle face and crank eye. This has been tested. --------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: 9 Misc ------------------------------ Subject: 9.1 Books and Magazines Magazines/Newsletters --------- Bicycling Magazine, and Bicycling Magazine+Mountain Bike insert 33 E Minor St Emmaus, PA 18098 (215) 967-5171 Bicycle Guide 711 Boylston Street Boston MA 02116 617-236-1885 Mountain Biking 7950 Deering Avenue Canoga Park CA 91304 818-887-0550 Mountain Bike Action Hi-Torque Publications, Inc. 10600 Sepulveda Boulevard Mission Hills, CA 91345 818-365-6831 Velo News P.O. Box 53397 Boulder, CO 80323-3397 Cycling Science P.O. Box 1510 Mount Shasta, California 96067 (916) 938-4411 Human Power (The Journal of the IHPVA*) (* IHPVA == International Human Powered Vehicle Association) HPVA PO Box 1307 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-1307 USA 1 (360) 323-1384 fax http://www.ihpva.org/ OnTour: The Newsletter for Bicycle Tourists OnTour Publications 2113 Arborview Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Sample issues are only $1, a six-issue subscription only $6 R.B.C.A./The Recumbent Cyclist 17650-B6-140th Ave. SE, Suite 341 Renton, WA 98058 USA Tandem Club of America Malcolm Boyd & Judy Allison 19 Lakeside Drive NW Medford Lakes, NJ 08550 Dues are currently $10/year Dirt Rag 5742 Third St. Verona, PA (412) 795 - 7495 FAX (412) 795 - 7439 Bike Culture Quarterly is an engaging magazine for "[people] who see cycling as a way of life rather than an occasional leisure activity". It has interviews with people building interesting bikes (Mike Burrows about the Obree bike), travel reports, discussions of bicycle advocacy, new equipment, and so on. Its summer issue is the "Encycleopedia" "a personal selection of unorthodox, thoughtful cycling products from around the world". Price is (British Pounds) 25/year. Order by phone UK: (0904) 654654 outside UK: +44904 654654 Post: Open Road 4 New Street York Y01 2RA, England They accept Visa, Access, Mastercard, and Eurocard. Eurocheques are also accepted. From the US, it's easiest to use a credit card. Books ----- Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Rodale Press ISBN 0-87857-895-1 Effective Cycling by John Forester MIT Press ISBN 0-262-56026-7 The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt Avocet ISBN 0-9607236-6-8) English ISBN 0-9607236-4-1) German Bicycle Maintenance Manual by Eugene A. Sloan (a Fireside book, pub. Simon & Schuster, Inc.) ISBN 0-671-42806-3 Anybody's Bike Book by Tom Cuthbertson Bicycles and Tricycles An Elementary Treatise on Their Design and Construction by Archibald Sharp Reprint of the 1896 edition, with a foreword by David Gordon Wilson Anytime you hear of a "new" invention for bicycles, look it up in here, and you'll find it. MIT press - I have a paperback edition labelled $14.95 Bicyling Science by Frank Rowland Whitt and David Gordon Wilson A good book, and an excellent reference. Second Edition 1982, MIT press, paper $9.95 Bicycle Road Racing by Edward Borysewicz The Woman Cycist by Elaine Mariolle Contemporary Books Touring on Two Wheels by Dennis Coello Lyons and Berrfard, New York The Bicyclist's Sourcebook by Michael Leccese and Arlene Plevin Subtitled: "The Ultimate Directory of Cycling Information" Woodbine House, Inc. $16.95 ISBN 0-933149-41-7 Colorado Cycling Guide by Jean and Hartley Alley Pruett Publishing Company Boulder, Colorado The Canadian Rockies Bicycling Guide by Gail Helgason and John Dodd Lone Pine Publishing,Edmonton, Alberta A Women's Guide to Cycling by Susan Weaver Favorite Pedal Tours of Northern California by Naomi Bloom Fine Edge Productions, Route 2, Box 303, Bishop, CA 93514 Mountain Biking Near Boston: A Guide to the Best 25 Places to Ride by Stuart A. Johnstone, Active Publications (1991), ISBN 0-9627990-4-1 Mountain Bike: a manual of beginning to advanced technique by William Nealy, Menasha Ridge Press, 1992, ISBN 0-89732-114-6 Greater Washington (DC) Area Bicycle Atlas American Youth Travel Shops, 1108 K St, NW Wash, DC 20005 (202)783-4943 $12.95 Bicycle Parking by Ellen Fletcher Ellen Fletcher, 777-108 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4826 Cost: $5.95, plus 43 cents tax, plus $3 postage/handling Richards' Ultimate Bicycle Book Richard Ballantine, Richard Grant (Dorling Kindersley, London, 1992) Bicyclopedia: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Bicycles and Bicycling, Edited by Steven Olderr, ECI #290". (Wonder what "ECI #290" means. . . .) http://homepage.interaccess.com/~opcc/bc/. The Bicycle, by Pryor Dodge. Paris: Flammarion, 1996. ISBN 2-08013-551-1. Distributed in the US by Abbeville Press (same ISBN), $50. Lavishly produced hardback book about the history of the bicycle, intelligently written and superbly illustrated. Considering what you get, it is good value--especially as it is available discounted. (Amazon charge $35.) Bicycling Japan: A Touring Handbook, by Suzanne Lee. Carmichael, Calif.: Zievid Press, 1991. ISBN 0-9627458-0-4. $6.95. In print (I think). A slim paperback with a lot of information about cycling around Japan. Aimed toward people who are new to Japan, but still of use to those who know it other than as cyclists. Lacks information or tips about where are better places to go. Cycling Japan: A Personal Guide to Exploring Japan by Bicycle, ed. Bryan Harrell. Tokyo & New York: Kodansha International, 1993. ISBN 4-7700-1742-1. 2200 yen / US$18. In print. A paperback with some tips on cycling in Japan, but much more about particular itineraries. So specific--with phone numbers of minshuku (pensions), etc.--that it is likely to become dated and should therefore be used with care. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.2 Mail Order Addresses Here's the addresses/phone numbers of some popular cycling mail order outfits (you can get directory assistance for 800 numbers at 1-800-555-1212 if you don't see the mail order outfit you're looking for here): Bicycle Posters and Prints P.O. Box 7164 Hicksville, NY 11802-7164 Sells bicycle posters and other stuff. Branford Bike orders: 1-800-272-6367 info: 203-488-0482 fax: 203-483-0703 Colorado Cyclist orders: 1-800-688-8600 info: 719 591-4040 fax: 719 591-4041 WWW: http://www.coloradocyclist.com/ 3970 Bijou Street Colorado Springs, CO 80909-9946 Cyclo-Pedia (800) 678-1021 P.O. Box 884 Adrian MI 49221 Catalog $1 as of 4/91. Excel Sports International orders: 1-800-627-6664 info: 303-444-6737 fax: 303-444-7043 2045 32nd Street Boulder CO 80301 Loose Screws (541) 488-4800 (541) 488-0080 FAX 12225 HWY 66 Ashland OR 97520 Nashbar orders: 1-800-627-4227 (1-800-NASHBAR) 216-782-2244 Local and APO/FPO orders info: 216-788-6464 Tech. Support fax: 800-456-1223 WWW: http://www.nashbar.com/ 4111 Simon Road Youngstown, OH 44512-1343 Pedal Phernalia Phone: 1-313-995-1336 Box 2566-net Ann Arbor MI 48106-2566 Performance Bike Shop orders: 1-800-727-2453 (1-800-PBS-BIKE) 919-933-9113 Foreign orders info: 800-727-2433 Customer Support fax: WWW: http://www.performanceinc.com/PerfBicycle.html One Performance Way P.O. Box 2741 Chapel Hill, NC 27514 R&R Bicycles phone: 412-751-5341 WWW: http://www.rrbicycle.com/ 1026 E Smithfield Boston, PA 15135 Schwab Cycles orders: 1-800-343-5347 info: 303-238-0243 fax: 303-233-5273 1565 Pierce St. Lakewood, CO 80214 Triathlete Zombies (800-999-2215) The Womyn's Wheel, Inc. (Specializes in clothing and equipment for women) 800-795-7433 508-240-2437 P.O. Box 2820 Orleans MA 02653 ------------------------------ Subject: 9.3 Road Gradient Units From: Jeff Berton The grade of an incline is its vertical rise, in feet, per every 100 horizontal feet traversed. (I say "feet" for clarity; one could use any consistent length measure.) Or, if you will accept my picture below, * d | a | o | y R Theta | *___)______________| x then Grade = y/x (Multiply by 100 to express as a percentage.) and Theta = arctan(y/x) So a grade of 100% is a 45 degree angle. A cliff has an infinite grade. [More from Jobst Brandt ] Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 16:11:44 PDT The steepness of a road is generally measured in % grade, which in mathematical terms is the slope, or TANGENT of the angle, measured from the horizontal. This is the ratio of elevation change per horizontal distance traveled, often called "rise over run". Typically a road that rises 1-in-10, is otherwise called 10% grade. Measuring the distance along the surface of the road instead of horizontally gives practically the same result for most road gradients. The distance along the road surface gives the SINE of the angle in contrast to the horizontal distance that gives the TANGENT. For practical purposes SINE equals TANGENT for small angles (up to ten degrees or so). For instance, a 20% grade (11.3 degrees), whereas measuring along the road surface gives a 19.6% grade. The slope of a road is more useful than its angle because it gives a direct way to assess the effort required to move forward against the grade, whereas the angle in degrees does not readily reveal this information. A 5% grade requires a forward force of approximately 5% of the vehicle weight (above and beyond the force it takes to travel similarly on flat ground). A 15% grade requires a propulsion force of approximately 15% of the vehicle weight. Although the angle may be more easily visualized, it does not convert easily to effort without a calculator. For instance a 20% grade is an 11.3 degree angle and is a steep and difficult gradient. The relationship between angle and slope is non linear becoming 100% (1:1) at a 45 degree angle. In contrast, the SINE of 45 degrees is 70.7% while the SINE of 90 degrees (straight up) is 100% for which the slope (TANGENT) is infinity (or undefined). The most accurate way to measure this without a precision inclinometer, is to use a level, a one meter long bar and a metric ruler. Resting one end of the rod (held level) on the road at a representative spot, measuring the distance down to the road at the other end in centimeters gives the percent grade directly. Using a carpenters level and a one meter long rectangular bar can give accurate readings to a couple of tenths of a percent. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.4 Helmet FAQ now on-line From: (Avery Burdett) Date: 11 Nov 1998 20:39:30 GMT The net's first researched-based Helmet FAQ dealing with common misconceptions about helmets is now on-line at: http://www.magma.ca/~ocbc/hfaq.html It answers questions about testing procedures, helmet effectiveness, problems with modern helmets, the problem with Thompson and Rivara's claim of 85% reduction in risk, why some people wear helmets and some don't, whether cycling is dangerous, whether helmet wearing changes cyclist behaviour, helmet laws, helmet promotion, impact on health, and effective ways to reducing injuries. Among the materials linked a - Failure Research Associates' Comparative Risk of Different Activities - Traumatic brain injury data and other stats - Fatality data from US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration - Fatality trend chart based NHTSA data - Two papers presented to Velo Australis, 1996 on results of Australian helmet laws - Abstract of the Scuffham/Langley paper on the effect of helmet use in New Zealand - Abstract of Dorothy Robinson's paper on the effect of helmet laws in Australi a - Summary of Mayer Hillman's publication "Cycle Helmets - the case for and against - industry test standards and procedures - Gerald Wilde's work on risk compensation - article on car helmets - the next "innovative" product from the safety industry - list of printed sources ------------------------------ Subject: 9.5 Terminology From: David Keppel , Charles Tryon Ashtabula Crank A one-piece crank -- the crank arm starts on one side of the bike, bends to go through the bottom bracket, and bends again on the other side to go down to the other pedal. Typically heavy, cheap, and robust. See ``cottered crank'' and ``cotterless crank''. Ashtabula is the name of the original manufacturer, I think. Biopace Chainring Chainrings that are more oval rather than round. The idea was to redistribute the forces of pedaling to different points as your feet go around, due to the fact that there are "dead spots" in the stroke. The concensus is pretty much that they work ok for novices, but get in the way for more experienced riders. Cassette Freewheel A cassette freewheel is used with a freehub. The part of a normal freewheel that contains the pawls that transfer chain motion to the wheel (or allows the wheel to spin while the chain doesn't move) is part of the wheel hub. The cassette is the cogs, usually held together with small screws. Cleat A cleat attaches to the bottom of a cycling shoe. Older style cleats have a slot that fits over the back of the pedal, and in conjunction with toe clips and straps, hold your foot on the pedal. New "clipless" pedals have a specially designed cleat that locks into the pedal, sometimes with some ability to move side-to-side so as not to stress knees. Cottered Crank A three-piece crank with two arms and an axle. The arms each have a hole that fits over the end of the axle and a second hole that runs tangential to the first. The crank axle has a tangential notch at each end. A *cotter* is a tapered and rounded bar of metal that is inserted in the tangential hole in the crank arm and presses against the tangential notch in the crank axle. The cotter is held in place by a nut screwed on at the thin end of the cotter. Ideally, the cotter is removed with a special tool. Often, however, it is removed by banging on it with a hammer. If you do the latter (gads!) be sure (a) to unscrew the nut until the end of the cotter is nearly flush, but leave it on so that it will straighten the threads when you unscrew it farther and (b) brace the other side of the crank with something very solid (the weight of the bike should be resting on that `something') so that the force of the banging is not transmitted through the bottom bracket bearings. Cotterless Crank A three-piece crank with two arms and an axle. Currently (1991) the most common kind of crank. The crank axle has tapered square ends, the crank arms have mating tapered square ends. The crank arm is pressed on and the taper ensures a snug fit. The crank arm is drawn on and held in place with either nuts (low cost, ``nutted'' cotterless cranks) or with bolts. A special tool is required to remove a cotterless crank. Crank Axle The axle about which the crank arms and pedals revolve. May be integrated with the cranks (Ashtabula) or a separate piece (cottered and cotterless). Fender Also called a ``mudguard''. Looked down upon by tweak cyclists, but used widely in the Pacific Northwest and many non-US parts of the world. Helps keep the rider cleaner and drier. Compare to ``rooster tail''. Frame Table A big strong table that Will Not Flex and which has anchors at critical places -- dropouts, bottom bracket, seat, head. It also has places to attach accurate measuring instruments like dial gauges, scratch needles, etc. The frame is clamped to the table and out-of-line parts are yielded into alignment. High-Wheeler A bicycle with one large wheel and one small wheel. The commonest are large front/small rear. A small number are small front/large rear. See ``ordinary'' or ``penny-farthing'' and contrast to ``safety''. Hyperglide Freewheel Freewheel cogs with small "ramps" cut into the sides of the cogs which tend to pull the chain more quickly to the next larger cog when shifting. Ordinary See ``penny-farthing''. Penny-Farthing An old-fashioned ``high wheeler'' bicycle with a large (60", 150cm) front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel, the rider sits astride the front wheel and the pedals are connected directly to the front wheel like on many children's tricycles. Also called ``ordinary'', and distinguished from either a small front/large rear high wheeler or a ``safety'' bicycle. Rooster Tail A spray of water flung off the back wheel as the bicycle rolls through water. Particularly pronounced on bikes without fenders. See also ``fender''. Safety Named after the ``Rover Safety'' bicycle, the contemporary layout of equal-sized wheels with rear chain drive. Compare to ``ordinary''. Spindle See ``crank axle''. Three-Piece Crank A cottered or cotterless crank; compare to Ashtabula. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.6 Avoiding Dogs From: Arnie Berger There are varying degrees of defense against dogs. 1- Shout "NO!" as loud and authoritatively as you can. That works more than half the time against most dogs that consider chasing you just good sport. 2- Get away from their territory as fast as you can. 3- A water bottle squirt sometimes startles them. 4- If you're willing to sacifice your pump, whump'em on the head when they come in range. If they're waiting for you in the road and all you can see are teeth then you in a heap o' trouble. In those situations, I've turned around, slowly, not staring at the dog, and rode away. When I have been in a stand off situation, I keep the bike between me and the dog. "Halt" works pretty well, and I've used it at times. It's range is about 8 feet. I bought a "DAZER", from Heathkit. Its a small ultrasonic sound generator that you point at the dog. My wife and I were tandeming on a back road and used it on a mildly aggressive German Shephard. It seemed to cause the dog to back off. By far, without a doubt, hands down winner, is a squirt bottle full of reagent grade ammonia, fresh out of the jug. The kind that fumes when you remove the cap. When I lived in Illinois I had a big, mean dog that put its cross-hairs on my leg whenever I went by. After talking to the owner (redneck), I bought a handebar mount for a water bottle and loaded it with a lab squirt bottle of the above mentioned fluid. Just as the dog came alongside, I squirted him on his nose, eyes and mouth. The dog stopped dead in his tracks and started to roll around in the street. Although I continued to see that dog on my way to and from work, he never bothered me again. Finally, you can usually intimidate the most aggressive dog if there are more than one of you. Stopping, getting off your bikes and moving towards it will often cause it to back off. ( But not always ). My bottom line is to alway ride routes that I'm not familiar with, with someone else. As last resort, a nice compact, snubbed nose .25 caliber pistol will fit comfortably in your jersey pocket. :-) ------------------------------ Subject: 9.7 Shaving Your Legs How to do it (Garth Somerville ) Many riders shave their legs and have no problems other than a nick or two once in a while. Maybe a duller blade would help. But some people (like me) need to be more careful to avoid rashes, infections (which can be serious), or just itchy legs that drive you to madness. For those people, here is my leg shaving procedu Each time you shave your legs... 1) Wash your legs with soap and water, and a wash cloth. This removes dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. 2) Use a good blade and a good razor. I prefer a blade that has a lubricating strip (e.g. Atra blades). It is my personal experience that a used blade is better than a new one. I discard the blade when the lubricating strip is used up. 3) USE SHAVING CREAM. I prefer the gell type, and the kinds with aloe in them seem to be the best. Shaving cream gives you a better shave with fewer cuts, and goes a long way towards preventing infection. 4) Use *COLD* water. Do not use hot water, do not use warm water, use the coldest water you can stand. Run the cold water over your legs before you start, and rinse the blade often in cold water. 5) Be careful, and take your time. Behind the knees, and around the achilles tendon are places to be extra careful. 6) When finished, use a moisturizing lotion on your legs. Why shave legs (Jobst Brandt ) Why do bicyclists shave their legs? This question arises regularly, although sometimes it's a troll, sometimes it's a rider who didn't dare ask his shaven riding companions. Had he done so, among the real answer, he would probably have gotten: To prevent infection when crashing. To pull off bandages more painlessly after dressing a wound. To get a massage of the legs without hair pulling. To be more streamlined in the wind. etc Hair does not cause infections and if it is a gash that goes deeper than the typical raspberry, there will be more dirt in it han a few hairs. In any case, where a wound needs stiches the skin will be shaved around the opening anyway for the reson that hair inclusions are as bad as dirt inclusions. Don't put tape on a hairy leg or arm. Shave it first. Every medic kit should have a Bic razor or better anyway. Many folks with hair get massages and it has no effect on comfort. You'd think from this excuse, that those who shave get massages regularly and that massage parlors always shave their customers. Neither is true. If this is a streamlining increment, then the rider should first get a tight fitting Lycra jersey and shoe covers. The other excuses are just that. Bicycle athletes shave for the same reason body builders and women do it. Shaving exposes the sculptured lines of muscle definition (defo) or the absence of it for some women and some of the best legs are on bikies. Not only that, embrocation, (oiling up with exotic smelling greases or oils is the same as in body building and weight lifting), it emphasizes defo. If the soigner tells the rider that this will improve performance, he'll accept that gladly. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.8 Contact Lenses and Cycling From: Robert A. Novy I received on the order of 50 replies to my general query about contact lenses and bicycling. Thank you! To summarize, I have been wearing glasses for nearly all of my 28 years, and taking up bicycling has at last made me weary of them. I visited an optometrist last week, and he confirmed what I had lightly feared: I am farsighted with some astigmatism, so gas-permeable hard lenses are the ticket. He has had about a 25% success rate with soft lenses in cases such as mine. I am now acclimating my eyes to the lenses, adding one hour of wear per day. In case these don't work out, I'll try two options. First, bicycle without prescription lenses (my sight is nearly 20-20 without any). Second, get a pair of prescription sport glasses. I had a particular request for a summary, and this is likely a topic of great interest, so here goes. Please recognize the pruning that I must do to draw generalizations from many opinions. Some minority views might be overlooked. There is one nearly unanimous point: contact lenses are much more convenient than eyeglasses. I had to add the word "nearly" because I just saw one voice of dissent. Sandy A. ) has found that prescription glasses are better suited to mountain biking on dusty trails. You can call me Doctor, but I have no medical degree. This is only friendly advice from a relatively ignorant user of the Internet. See the first point below! IN GENERAL + Get a reputable optometrist or ophthalmologist. Your eyes are precious. [Paul Taira ) even has an iterative check-and-balance setup between his ophthalmologist and a contact lens professional.] + Wear sunglasses, preferably wrap-arounds, to keep debris out of eyes, to keep them from tearing or drying out, and to shield them from ultraviolet rays, which might or might NOT be on the rise. + Contacts are not more hazardous than glasses in accidents. + Contacts improve peripheral and low-light vision. + Extended-wear soft lenses are usually the best. Next come regular soft lenses and then gas-permeable hard lenses. Of course, there are dissenting opinions here. I'm glad to see that some people report success with gas perms. + One's prescription can limit the types of lenses available. And soft lenses for correcting astigmatisms seem pesky, for they tend to rotate and thus defocus the image. This is true even for the new type that are weighted to help prevent this. Seems that near-sighted people have the most choices. + If one type or brand of lens gives discomfort, try another. Don't suffer with it, and don't give up on contact lenses altogether. BEWARE + Some lenses will tend to blow off the eye. Soft lenses are apparently the least susceptible to this problem. PARTICULAR SUGGESTIONS + Consider disposable lenses. They may well be worth it. + Carry a tiny bottle of eye/lens reconditioner and a pair of eyeglasses just in case. A POSSIBLE AUTHORITY From David Elfstrom ): Hamano and Ruben, _Contact Lenses_, Prentice-Hall Canada, 1985, ISBN 0-13-169970-9. I haven't laid hands on it, but it sounds relevant. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.9 How to deal with your clothes When you commute by bike to work, you'd probably like to have clean clothes that don't look like they've been at the bottom of your closet for a couple of years. Here are some suggestions for achieving this goal: Take a week's worth of clothes to work ahead of time and leave them there. You'll probably have to do this in a (gasp!) car. This means that you'll need room in your office for the clothes. Carefully pack your clothes in a backpack/pannier and take them to work each day. It has been suggested that rolling your clothes rather than folding them, with the least-likely to wrinkle on the inside. This method may not work too well for the suit-and-tie crowd, but then I wouldn't know about that. :-) I use the second method, and I leave a pair of tennis shoes at work so I don't have to carry them in. This leaves room in my backpack for a sweatshirt in case it's a cool day. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.10 Pete's Winter Cycling Tips From: Pete Hickey I am a commuter who cycles year round. I have been doing it for about twelve years. Winters here in Ottawa are relatively cold and snowy. Ottawa is the second coldest capital in the world. The following comments are the results my experiences. I am not recommending them, only telling you what works for me. You may find it useful, or you may find the stupid things that I do are humorous. PRELUDE Me: I am not a real cyclist. I just ride a bicycle. I have done a century, but that was still commuting. There was a networking conference 110 miles away, so I took my bicycle. There and back. (does that make two centuries?) I usually do not ride a bicycle just for a ride. Lots of things I say may make real cyclists pull out their hair. I have three kids, and cannot *afford* to be a bike weenie. People often ask me why I do it.... I don't know. I might say that it saves me money, but no. Gasoline produces more energy per dollar than food. (OK, I suppose if I would eat only beans, rice and pasta with nothing on them.... I like more variety) Do I do it for the environment? Nah! I never take issues with anything. I don't ride for health, although as I get older, I appreciate the benefits. I guess I must do it because I like it. Definitions Since words like "very", "not too", etc. are very subjective, I will use the following definitions: Cold : greater than 15 degrees F Very cold : 0 through 15 Degrees F Extreme cold : -15 through 0 degrees F Insane cold: below -15 degrees F Basic philosophy I have two: 1) If its good, don't ruin it, if its junk you needn't worry. 2) I use a brute force algorithm of cycling: Pedale long enough, and you'll get there. Bicycle riding in snow and ice is a problem of friction: Too much of the rolling type, and not enough of the sideways type. Road conditions: More will be covered below, but now let it suffice to say that a lot of salt is used on the roads here. Water splashed up tastes as salty as a cup of Lipton Chicken soup to which an additional spool of salt has been added. Salt eats metal. Bicycles dissolve. EQUIPMENT: Bicycle: Although I have a better bicycle which I ride in nice weather, I buy my commuting bikes at garage sales for about $25.00. They're disposable. Once they start dissolving, I remove any salvageable parts, then throw the rest away. Right now, I'm riding a '10-speed' bike. I used to ride mountain bikes, but I'm back to the '10-speed'. Here's why. Mountain bikes cost $50.00 at the garage sales. They're more in demand around here. Since I've ridden both, I'll comment on each one. The Mountain bikes do have better handling, but they're a tougher to ride through deep snow. The 10-speed cuts through the deep snow better. I can ride in deeper snow with it, and when the snow gets too deep to ride, its easier to carry. Fenders on the bike? Sounds like it might be a good idea, and someday I'll try it out. I think, however, that snow/ice will build up between the fender and the tire causing it to be real tough to pedal. I have a rack on the back with a piece of plywood to prevent too much junk being thrown on my back. I would *like* to be able to maintain the bike, but its tough to work outside in the winter. My wife (maybe I should write to Dear Abbey about this) will not let me bring my slop covered bicycle through the house to get it in the basement. About once a month We have a warm enough day that I am able to go out with a bucket of water, wash all of the gunk off of the bike, let it dry and then bring it in. I tear the thing down, clean it and put it together with lots of grease. I use some kind of grease made for farm equipment that is supposed to be more resistant to the elements. When I put it together, I grease the threads, then cover the nuts, screws, whatever with a layer of grease. This prevents them from rusting solidly in place making it impossible to remove. Protection against corrosion is the primary purpose of the grease. Lubrication is secondary. remember to put a drop of oil on the threads of each spoke, otherwise, the spokes rust solidly, and its impossible to do any truing Outside, I keep a plastic ketchup squirter, which I fill with automotive oil (lately its been 90 weight standard transmission oil). Every two or three days, I use it to re- oil my chain and derailleur, and brakes. It drips all over the snow beneath me when I do it, and gets onto my 'cuffs'(or whatever you call the bottom of those pants. See, I told you I don't cycle for the environment. I probably end up dumping an ounce of heavy oil into the snow run-off each year. Clothing Starting at the bottom, on my feet I wear Sorell Caribou boots. These are huge ugly things, but they keep my feet warm. I have found that in extreme to insane cold, my toes get cold otherwise. These boots do not make it easy to ride, but they do keep me warm (see rule 2, brute force). They do not fit into any toe-clips that I have seen. I used to wear lighter things for less cold weather, but I found judging the weather to be a pain. If its not too cold, I ride with them half unlaced. The colder it gets, the more I lace them, and finally, I'll tie them. Fortunately, wet days are not too cold, and cold days are not wet. When its dry, I wear a pair of cycling shorts, and one or two (depending on temp and wind) cotton sweat pants covering that. I know about lycra and polypro (and use them for skiing), but these things are destroyed by road-dirt, slush and mud.(see rule 1 above). I save my good clothes for x-country skiing. An important clothing item in extreme to insane cold, is a third sock. You put it in your pants. No, not to increase the bulge to impress the girls, but for insulation. Although several months after it happens it may be funny, when it does happens, frostbite on the penis is not funny. I speak from experience! Twice, no less! I have no idea of what to recommend to women in this section. Next in line, I wear a polypro shirt, covered by a wool sweater, covered by a 'ski-jacket' (a real ugly one with a stripe up the back. The ski jacket protects the rest of my clothes, and I can regulate my temperature with the zipper in front. I usually take a scarf with me. For years I have had a fear that the scarf would get caught in the spokes, and I'd be strangled in the middle of the street, but it has not yet happened. When the temp is extreme or colder, I like keeping my neck warm. I have one small problem. Sometimes the moisture in my breath will cause the scarf to freeze to my beard. On my hands, I wear wool mittens when its not too cold, and when it gets really cold, I wear my cross-country skiing gloves (swix) with wool mittens covering them. Hands sweat in certain areas (at least mine do), and I like watching the frost form on the outside of the mittens. By looking at the frost, I can tell which muscles are working. I am amused by things like this. On my head, I wear a toque (Ski-hat?) covered by a bicycle helmet. I don't wear one of those full face masks because I haven't yet been able to find one that fits well with eye glasses. In extreme to insane cold, my forehead will often get quite cold, and I have to keep pulling my hat down. The bottoms of my ears sometimes stick out from my hat, and they're always getting frostbitten. This year, I'm thinking of trying my son's Lifa/polypro balaclava. Its thin enough so that it won't bother me, and I only need a bit more protection from frostbite. I carry my clothes for the day in a knapsack. Everything that goes in the knapsack goes into a plastic bag. Check the plastic bag often for leaks. A small hole near the top may let in water which won't be able to get out. The net result is that things get more wet than would otherwise be expected. The zippers will eventually corrode. Even the plastic ones become useless after a few years. RIDING: In the winter, the road is narrower. There are snow banks on either side. Cars do not expect to see bicycles. There are less hours of daylight, and the its harder to maintain control of the bicycle. Be careful. I don't worry about what legal rights I have on the road, I simply worry about my life. I'd rather crash into a snow bank for sure rather than take a chance of crashing into a car. I haven't yet had a winter accident in 12 years. I've intentionally driven into many snow banks. Sometimes, during a storm, I get into places where I just can't ride. It is sometimes necessary to carry the bicycle across open fields. When this happens, I appreciate my boots. It takes a lot more energy to pedal. Grease gets thick, and parts (the bicycle's and mine) don't seem to move as easily. My traveling time increases about 30% in nice weather, and can even double during a raging storm. The wind seems to be always worse in winter. It's not uncommon to have to pedal to go down hills. Be careful on slushy days. Imagine an 8 inch snowfall followed by rain. This produces heavy slush. If a car rides quickly through deep slush, it may send a wave of the slush at you. This stuff is heavy. When it hits you, it really throws you off balance. Its roughly like getting a 10 lbs sack of rotten potatoes thrown at your back. This stuff could even knock over a pedestrian. Freezing rain is the worst. Oddly enough, I find it easier to ride across a parking lot covered with wet smooth ice than it is to walk across it. The only problem is that sometimes the bicycle simply slides sideways out from under you. I practice unicycle riding, and that may help my balance. (Maybe not, but its fun anyway) Beware of bridges that have metal grating. This stuff gets real slippery when snow covered. One time, I slid, hit an expansion joint, went over the handle bars, over the railing of the bridge. I don't know how, but one arm reached out and grabbed the railing. Kind of like being MacGyver. Stopping. There are several ways of stopping. The first one is to use the brakes. This does not always work. Breaks can ice up, a bit of water gets between the cable and its sheathing when the warm afternoon sun shines on the bike. It freezes solid after. Or the salt causes brake cables to break, etc. I have had brakes work on one corner, but stop working by the time I get to the next. I have several other means of stopping. The casual method. For a stop when you have plenty of time. Rest the ball of your foot on top of the front derailleur, and *gradually* work your heel between the tire and the frame. By varying the pressure, you can control your speed. Be sure that you don't let your foot get wedged in there! Faster method. Get your pedals in the 6-12 O'clock position. Stand up. The 6 O'clock foot remains on the pedal, while you place the other foot on the ground in front of the pedal. By varying your balance, you can apply more or less pressure to your foot. The pedal, wedged against the back of your calf, forces your foot down more, providing more friction. Really fast! Start with the fast method, but then dismount while sliding the bicycle in front of you. You will end up sliding on your two feet, holding onto the bike in front for balance. If it gets *really* critical, throw the bike ahead of you, and sit down and roll. Do not do this on dry pavement, your feet need to be able to slide. In some conditions, running into a snow bank on the side will stop you quickly, easily, and safely. If you're going too fast, you might want to dive off of the bicycle over the side. Only do this when the snow bank is soft. Make sure that there isn't a car hidden under that soft snow. Don't jump into fire hydrants either. ETC. Freezing locks. I recommend carrying a BIC lighter. Very often the lock will get wet, and freeze solid. Usually the heat from my hands applied for a minute or so (a real minute or so, not what seems like a minute) will melt it, but sometimes it just needs more than that. Eating Popsicles Something I like doing in the winter is to buy a Popsicle before I leave, and put it in my pocket. It won't melt! I take it out and start eating it just as I arrive at the University. Its fun to watch peoples' expressions when they see me, riding in the snow, eating a Popsicle. You have to be careful with Popsicles in the winter. I once had a horrible experience. You know how when you are a kid, your parents told you never to put your tongue onto a metal pole? In very cold weather, a Popsicle acts the same way. If you are not careful, your upper lip, lower lip, and tongue become cemented to the Popsicle. Although this sounds funny when I write about it, it was definitely not funny when it happened. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.11 Nancy's Cold/Wet Cycling Tips From: Name removed by request Here are some clothing suggestions, mix and match as you wish: Rain gear : I forked out the dollars for gore-tex when I did a week tour ... and I'm real glad I did. The stuff works reasonably as claimed, waterproof, and relatively breathable. (When the humidity is high, no fabric will work completely at letting sweat evaporate.) Unfortunately, typical prices are high. There are cheaper rainsuits, which I haven't tried. For short rides, or when the temperature is over about 50F, I don't usually wear the rain pants, as wet legs don't particularly bother me. Waterproof shoe covers. When the weather gets icky, I give up on the cleats (I'm not riding for performance then, anyway) and put the old-style pedals back on. This is basically because of the shoe covers I have that work better with touring shoes. The ones I have are made by Burley, and are available from Adventure Cycling Association, though I got them at a local shop. They are just the cover, no insulation. I continue to use them in winter since they are windproof, and get the insulation I need from warm socks. These aren't neoprene, but rather some high-tech waterproof fabric. Gaiters that hikers and cross-country skiers wear can help keep road spray off your legs and feet. Toe clip covers. I got them from Nashbar; they are insulated and fit over the toe clips ... another reason for going back to those pedals. They help quite a bit when the temperature goes into the 30's and below; they are too warm above that. [Joshua Putnam reports: Nashbar has apparently discontinued its toe clip covers. Traditional toe clip covers, also called toe warmers, are still made by Kucharik Bicycle Clothing. Kucharik's model is not insulated, just waterproof nylon cloth. It may be hard to find a shop that carries them, but if you have a good relationship with your local shop, they might be interested in dealing with Kucharik, which also makes great wool jerseys and tights, arm and leg warmers, etc. The company is: Kucharik Clothing 1745 W 182nd St Gardena, CA 90248 Please remember that this is a manufacturer/distributor, not a mail order catalog. ] For temperatures in the 40's I usually find that a polypropylene shirt, lightweight sweater (mine is polypro) and wind shell work well; I use the gore-tex jacket, since I have it, but any light weight jacket is OK. I have a lightweight pair of nylon-lycra tights, suitable in the 50's, and maybe the 40's; a heavier pair of polypro tights, for 40's, and a real warm pair of heavy, fleece-lined tights for colder weather. (I have been comfortable in them down to about 15-deg, which is about the minimum I will ride in.) My tights are several years old, and I think there are lots more variations on warm tights out now. I use thin polypro glove liners with my cycling gloves when it is a little cool; lightweight gloves for a little bit cooler; gore-tex and thinsulate gloves for cold weather (with the glove liners in the really cold weather.) It is really my fingers that limit my cold weather riding, as anything any thicker than that limits my ability to work brake levers. (Note: this may change this year as I've just bought a mountain bike; the brake levers are much more accessible than on my road bike. It may be possible to ride with warm over-mitts over a wool or similar glove.) When it gets down to the 20's, or if it's windy at warmer (!) temperatures, I'll add the gore-tex pants from my rain suit, mostly as wind protection, rather than rain protection. Cheaper wind pants are available (either at bike shops or at sporting goods stores) that will work just as well for that use. Warm socks. There are lots of choices; I use 1 pair of wool/polypropylene hiking socks (fairly thick). Then with the rain covers on my shoes to keep out wind, and (if necessary) the toe clip covers, I'm warm enough. There are also thin sock liners, like my glove liners, but I haven't needed them; there are also neoprene socks, which I've never tried, and neoprene shoe covers, which I've also never tried, and wool socks, and ski socks ... I have a polypropylene balaclava which fits comfortably under my helmet; good to most of the temperatures I'm willing to ride in; a little too warm for temperatures above freezing, unless it's also windy. I also have an ear-warmer band, good for 40's and useful with the balaclava for miserable weather. I also have a neoprene face mask; dorky looking, but it works. It is definitely too hot until the temperature (or wind) gets severe. I sometimes add ski goggles for the worst conditions, but they limit peripheral vision, so I only use them if I'm desperate. For temperatures in the 30's, and maybe 20's, I wear a polarfleece pullover thing under the outer shell. Combining that with or without polypro (lightweight) sweater or serious duty wool sweater gives a lot of options. Sometimes I add a down vest -- I prefer it *outside* my shell (contrary to usual wisdom) because I usually find it too warm once I start moving and want to unzip it, leaving the wind shell closed for wind protection. I only use the down vest when it's below about 15 F.
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October 29th 04, 07:11 AM
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Archive-name: bicycles-faq/part5
[Note: The complete FAQ is available via anonymous ftp from draco.acs.uci.edu (128.200.34.12), in pub/rec.bicycles.] ------------------------------ Subject: 9.12 Studded Tires From: Name removed by request [A summary on studded tires compiled by a reader. A complete copy of the responses she received, including some that give directions for making your own studded tires, is in the archive.] Studded tires do help, especially on packed snow and ice. On fresh snow and on water mixed with snow (i.e. slush) they're not significantly different from unstudded knobbies. On dry pavement they are noisy and heavy, but can be used; watch out for cornering, which is degraded compared to unstudded tires. Several people recommend a Mr. Tuffy or equivalent with them; one respondent says he gets more flats with a liner than without. In the U.S. the IRC Blizzard tires are commercially available. They can also be made. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.13 Cycling Myths Following are various myths about cycling and why they are/aren't true. Myth: Wearing a helmet makes your head hotter than if you didn't wear one. Actual measurements under hard riding conditions with ANSI standard helmets show no consistent temperature difference from helmetless riders. Part of the reason is that helmets provide insulated protection from the sun as well as some airflow around the head. (Les Earnest ) Myth: You need to let the air out of your tires before shipping your bike on an airplane - if you don't, the tires will explode. Assume your tire at sea level, pumped to 100 psi. Air pressure at sea level is (about) 15psi. Therefore, the highest pressure which can be reached in the tire is 100+15=115psi. Ergo: There is no need to deflate bicycle tires prior to flight to avoid explosions. (Giles Morris ) Addendum: The cargo hold is pressurized to the same pressure as the passenger compartment. (Tom ? ) Myth: You can break a bike lock with liquid nitrogen or other liquified gases Freon cannot cool the lock sufficiently to do any good. Steel conducts heat into the cooling zone faster than it can be removed by a freeze bomb at the temperatures of interest. Liquid nitrogen or other gasses are so cumbersome to handle that a lock on a bike cannot be immersed as it must be to be effective. The most common and inconspicuous way to break these locks is by using a 4 inch long 1 inch diameter commercial hydraulic jack attached to a hose and pump unit. (Jobst Brandt ) [More myths welcome!] ------------------------------ Subject: 9.14 Descending I From: Roger Marquis [More up to date copies of Roger's articles can be found at http://www.roble.com/marquis/] Descending ability, like any other fine-motor skill, is best improved with practice. The more time spent on technical descents the more your confidence and speed will develop. The difficulty for bicyclists is that each descent requires a climb. There are hot shots who practice on their motorcycles before races with strategic descents. For most of us the best solution is frequent group rides. Group rides are the best path to developing real bike handling skills, on descents and elsewhere. After experience the second most important component of a fast descent is relaxation. Too much anxiety can impair concentration and cause you to miss important aspects of the road surface. Pushing the speed to the point of fear will not help develop descending skills. Work first on relaxation and smoothness (no sudden movements, braking or turning) and speed will follow. Third in importance is technique. Technique, however, is difficult or impossible to learn from reading about it. For that reason this article touches on just four of the many technical facets of descending: apexing, breaking, lean, and passing. Apexing is the art of straightening out a corner by using the breadth of the lane or roadway. A fast descender will set up his or her line well in advance of a corner, entering it from the outside edge of the road for the widest possible angle. The apex, or mid-point, is crossed at the opposite or inside edge of the road, finally exiting again on the outside (always leaving room for traffic, error and unforeseen hazard). The key is to _gradually_ get into position and _smoothly_ follow the line through the corner. If you find yourself making _any_ quick, jerky movements take that as a sign that you need to slow down and devote a little more attention further up the road. Use the brakes ONLY up to the beginning of a corner. NEVER APPLY THE BRAKES THROUGH A CORNER. At that point any traction used for braking will reduce the traction available for cornering. If you do have to brake after entering a curve make every effort to straighten your line before applying the brakes. If the road surface is good use primarily the front brake. If traction is poor switch to the rear brake and begin breaking earlier. In auto racing circles there are two schools of thought on braking technique. One advocates gradually releasing the brakes upon entering the corner. The other advises hard braking right up to the beginning of the curve and abruptly releasing them just before entering the curve. Cyclists should probably combine these techniques depending on the road surface, rim trueness, brake pad hardness, headset wear and the proximity of other riders. Motorcyclists and bicyclists lean their bikes very differently in a corner. Motorcyclists keep their bikes as upright as possible to avoid scraping the pegs or pipes. Bicyclists on the other hand lean their bikes into the corner and keep the body upright. Both motorcyclists and bicyclists extend the inside knee down to lower the center of gravity. To _pedal_ through a corner make like a motorcyclist and keep the bike upright while the inside pedal is down. One of the most difficult aspects of fast descents is passing. Unfortunately, there are good climbers who are slow descenders. As a result it is not always possible to begin a descent ahead of someone who you may want to pass. If you find yourself behind a slow rider either hang out a safe distance behind or pass quickly but carefully. Passing on a descent is always difficult and can be dangerous. By the same token, if you find yourself ahead of someone who obviously wants to pass, let them by at the earliest safe moment. It's never appropriate to impede someone's progress on a training ride whether they are on a bicycle or in a car. Always make plenty of room for anyone trying to pass no matter what the speed limit is. Keep in mind that downhill racing is not what bicycle racing is all about. There is no need to keep up with the Jones'. This is what causes many a crash. Compete against yourself on the descents. Belgians are notoriously slow descenders due to the consistently rainy conditions there yet some of the best cyclists in the world train on those rainy roads. Don't get caught pushing it on some wet or unfamiliar descent. Be prepared for a car or a patch of dirt or oil in the middle of your path around _every_ blind corner no matter how many times you've been on a particular road. Take it easy, relax, exercise your powers of concentration and hammer again when you can turn the pedals. If you're interested in exploring this further the best books (and videos) on bike handling I've read are the "Twist of The Wrist" series by motorcycle racer Keith Code (http://www.superbikeschool.com). Roger Marquis ) ------------------------------ Subject: 9.15 Descending II From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 16:35:42 PDT Descending and Fast Cornering Descending on mountain roads, bicycles can reach speeds that are more common on motorcycles. Speeds that are otherwise not attainable, or at least not continuously. Criterium racing also presents this challenge, but not as intensely. Unlike a motorcycle, the bicycle is lighter than the rider and power cannot be applied when banked over when cornering hard. Because narrow bicycle tires inflated hard have little traction margin, a slip on pavement is usually unrecoverable. Drifting a Road Bicycle on Pavement Riders have claimed they can slide a bicycle on dry pavement in curves to achieve greater cornering speed, as in drifting through a turn. A drift, in contrast to a slide, means that both wheels slip, which is even more difficult. This notion may come from observing motorcycles, that can cause a rear wheel slide by applying power when banked over. Besides, when questioned about how this is done, the proponent says that the ability was observed, done by others. A bicycle can be pedaled only at lean angles far less than the maximum without grounding a pedal, so hard cornering is always done coasting, hence, there is no power in hard cornering. Although bicycles with high ground clearance have been built, they showed only that pedaling imbalance has such a disturbing influence on traction, that pedaling at a greater lean angle than that of a standard road racing bicycles has no benefit. That is why road bicycles are built the way they are, no higher than is useful. That bicycle tires have no margin for recovering a slip at maximum lean angle, has been tested in lean-slip tests on roads and testing machines. For smooth tires on pavement, slipout occurs at slightly less than 45 degrees from the road surface and is both precipitous and unrecoverable. Although knobby tires have a less sudden slipout and can be drifted around curves, they begin to side-slip at a more upright angle as their tread fingers walk rather than slip. For this reason, knobby tires cannot achieve lean angles of smooth tires and offer no cornering advantage on pavement. How to Corner Cornering requires estimating the required lean angle before reaching the apex of the turn where the angle with the road surface is the critical parameter rather the angle with the vertical, as is evident from banked curves. Lean angle is limited by the available traction that must be assessed from velocity and appearance of the surface. For good pavement, this angle is about 45 degrees, in the absence of oil, water, or smooth and slick spots. Therefore, a curve banked inward 10 degrees, allows a lean of up to at least 55 degrees from the vertical, while a crowned road with no banking, where the surface falls off about 10 degrees, would allow only up to 35 degrees. Banked curves have a greater effect than just adding to the maximum lean angle, because with a steeper banking, more of the centripetal cornering force goes into increasing traction directly into the banking up to the point of a vertical wall where only the maximum G-forces limit what speed a bicyclists can attain. In contrast, an off banked curve makes cornering progressively more difficult until the bicycle will slip even at zero speed. This effect is more naturally apparent to riders who exceeded these limits early in life and have added the experience to expected natural phenomena. The skill of visualizing effects of speed, traction, braking, and curvature are complex, but is something humans and other creatures do regularly in self propulsion. The difficulty arises in adapting this to higher speeds. When running, we anticipate how fast and sharply to turn on a sidewalk, dirt track, or lawn, to avoid sliding. The method is the same on a bicycle although the consequences of error are more severe. Cornering requires reflexes to dynamics that are easily developed in youth, while people who have not exercised this in a long time find they can no longer summon these skills. A single fall strongly reinforces doubt, so cautious practice is advisable if returning to bicycling after a long time. Countersteer Countersteer is a popular subject for people who belatedly discover or rediscover how to balance. What is not apparent, is that two wheeled vehicles can be controlled ONLY by countersteer, there is no other way. Unlike a car, a bicycle cannot be diverted from a straight path by steering the wheel to one side. The bicycle must first be leaned in that direction by steering it ever so slightly the other way. This is the means by which a broomstick is balanced on the palm of the hand or a bicycle on the road. The point of support is moved beneath the mass, in line with the combined forces of gravity and cornering, and it requires steering, counter and otherwise. It is so obvious that runners never mention it, although football, basketball, and ice hockey players conspicuously do it. Braking Once the basics of getting around a corner are developed, doing it fast involves careful use of the brakes. Besides knowing how steeply to lean in curves, understanding braking makes the difference between the average and the fast rider. When approaching a curve with good traction, the front brake can be used almost exclusively, because it is capable of slowing the bicycle so rapidly that nearly all weight transfers to the front wheel, at which point the rear brake is nearly useless. Once in the curve, more and more traction is used to resist lateral slip as the lean angle increases, but that does not mean the brakes cannot be used. When banked over, braking should be done with both brakes, because now neither wheel has much traction to spare and with lighter braking, weight transfers diminishes. A feel for how hard the front brake must be applied for rear wheel lift-off, can be developed at low speed. Braking in Corners Why brake in the turn? If all braking is done before the turn, speed will be slower than necessary before the apex. Anticipating maximum speed for the apex is difficult, and because the path is not a circular arc, speed must be trimmed all the way to that point. Fear of braking in curves usually comes from an incident of injudicious braking at a point where braking should have been done with a gentle touch to match the conditions. Substantial weight transfer from the rear to the front wheel will occur with strong use of the front brake on good traction just before entering the curve. When traction is poor or the lean angle is great, deceleration cannot be large and therefore, weight transfer will be small, so light braking with both wheels is appropriate. If traction is miserable, only the rear brake should be used, because although a rear skid is recoverable, a front skid is generally not. An exception to this is in deep snow, where the front wheel can slide and function as a sled runner while being steered. Braking at maximum lean For braking in a curve, take the example of a rider cornering with good traction, leaning at 45 degrees, the equivalent of 1G centrifugal acceleration. Braking with 1/10g increases the traction demand by one half percent. The sum of cornering and braking vectors is the square root of the sum of their squares, SQRT(1^2+0.1^2)=1.005 or an increase of 0.005. In other words, there is room to brake substantially during maximum cornering. Because the lean angle changes as the square of the speed, braking can rapidly reduce the angle and allow even more braking. For this reason skilled racers nearly always apply both brakes into the apex of turns. Suspension Beyond leaning and braking, suspension helps substantially in descending. For bicycles without built-in suspension, this is furnished by the legs. Standing up is not necessary on roads with fine ripples, just taking the weight off the pelvic bones is adequate. For rougher roads, enough clearance must be used so the saddle carries no weight. The reason for this is twofold. Vision will become blurred if the saddle is not unloaded, and traction will be compromised if the tires are not bearing with uniform force on the road while rolling over bumps. Ideally the tires should bear on the road at constant load. Besides, if the road has whoop-de-doos, the seated rider will get launched from the saddle and possibly crash. Lean the Bicycle, the Rider, or Both Some riders believe that sticking the knee out or leaning the body away from the bicycle, improves cornering. Sticking out a knee is the same thing that riders without cleats do when they stick out a foot in dirt track motorcycle fashion. On paved roads this is a useless but reassuring gesture that, on uneven roads, even degrades control. Any body weight that is not centered over the bicycle (leaning the bike or sticking out a knee) puts a side load on the bicycle, and side loads cause steering motions over uneven road. Getting weight off the saddle is also made more difficult by such maneuvers. To verify this, coast down a straight but rough road, weight on one pedal with the bike slanted, and note how the bike follows an erratic line. In contrast, if you ride centered on the bike you can ride no-hands perfectly straight over the same road. While leaning off the bike, trail of the front wheel causes steering on rough roads. Outside Pedal Down It is often said that putting the outside pedal down in a curve improves cornering. Although most experienced riders do this, it is not because it has anything to do with traction. The reason is that it enables the rider to unload the saddle while standing with little effort on a locked knee, cushioning his weight on his ankle. This can only be done on the outside pedal because the inside pedal would hit the road. However, standing on one extended leg does not work on rougher roads, because the ankle cannot absorb large road bumps nor raise the rider high enough from the saddle to avoid getting bounced. Rough roads require rising high enough from the saddle to avoid hard contact while the legs supply shock absorbing knee action, with pedals and cranks horizontal. Body Contortions Most of the "body English" riders display is gratuitous gesturing, much like the motorcyclists who stick their butt out in curves while their bikes never get down to 45 degrees (the angle below which hiking out becomes necessary to keep hardware from dragging on the road). In fact, in a series of tight ess bends, there's no time to do any of this. It's done by supporting weight on the (horizontally positioned) pedals, and unless the road is rough, with a light load on the saddle. On rough roads, the cheeks of the saddle, (the ones that went away with the Flite like saddles) are used to hold the bicycle stably between the legs while not sitting. The path through a curve is not symmetrical for a bicycle, because it can slow down much faster than it can regain speed. Thus the trajectory is naturally asymmetric. Brakes are generally used to the apex (that is usually not the middle) of the curve, where pedaling at that lean angle is not possible, nor does pedaling accelerate as fast as braking decelerates. Hairpin Turns Although the railroad term switchback arises from early mountain railroading where at the end of a traverse, a switch is turned to back up the next traverse, after which another switch is turned to head up the next, on roads these are hairpin turns. In such turns trajectory asymmetry is most conspicuous, because braking can be hard enough to raise the rear wheel when entering but one cannot exit with such acceleration. For this reason, riders often find themselves with extra road on the exit of such turns, having slowed down too much. Vision Where to direct vision is critical for fast cornering. Central vision should be focused on the pavement where the tire will track, while allowing peripheral vision, with its low resolution and good sensitivity to motion, to detect obstacles and possible oncoming traffic. Peripheral vision monitors surroundings anyway, so the presence of a car in that "backdrop" does not require additional consideration other than its path. If central vision is directed at the place where an oncoming vehicle might appear, its appearance presents a new problem of confrontation, stopping image processing of the road surface for substantial time. Because the color or model of car is irrelevant, this job can be left to peripheral vision in high speed primitive processing, while concentrating on pavement surface and composition. When following another bicycle or a car downhill, the same technique is even more important, because by focusing on the leading vehicle, pavement and road alignment information is being obscured giving a tendency to mentally become a passenger of that vehicle. Always look ahead of the vehicle, observing it only peripherally. Riders often prefer to keep their head upright in curves, although leaning the head with the bicycle and body is more natural to the motion. Pilots who roll their aircraft do not attempt to keep their head level during the maneuver, or in curves, for that matter. The Line Picking the broadest curve through a corner may be obvious by the time the preceding skills are mastered, but that may not be the best line, either for safety or because the road surface is poor. Sometimes hitting a bump or a "Bott's dot" is better than altering the line, especially at high speed. Tires should be large enough to absorb the entire height of a lane marker without pinching the tube. This means that a minimum of a 25mm actual cross section tire is advisable. At times, the crown of the road is sufficient to make broadening the curve, by taking the curve wide, counterproductive because the crown on the far side gives a restricted lean angle. Mental Speed Mental speed is demanded by all of these. However, being quick does not guarantee success, because judgment is even more important. To not be daring but rather to ride with a margin that leaves a feeling of comfort rather than high risk, is more important. Just the same, do not be blinded by the age old presumption that everyone who rides faster than I is crazy. "He descends like a madman!" is one of the most common descriptions of fast descenders. The comment generally means that the speaker is slower. Braking Heat on Steep Descents Although tandems with their higher weight to wind drag ratio have this problem more often, steep mountain roads, especially ones with poor or no pavement require so much braking that single bicycles blow off tires from overheating. For tubulars the problem is not so much over pressure than rim glue melting as all pressure sensitive glues do with heating. As glue softens, tires slip on the hot rim and pile up on the valve stem. This is the usual indicator that tubular tire wheels are too hot. The next is that the tire arches off the rim in the area just before the stem. This is a serious problem both for tubulars and clinchers because most clincher tires, given enough time on a hot rim will blow off if inflated to recommended pressure. Pressure that gives good rolling performance (hard) while tubulars roll off from lack of adhesion to the rim. The faster the travel, the more descending power goes into wind drag and the better the rims are cooled. Going slowly does not help, unless speed is reduced below walking pace. On steep descents, where rims stay too hot to touch for more than a minute, reducing tire inflation pressure is a sure remedy. However, tires should be re-inflated once the rims cool to normal. The blow-off pressure is the same for small and large tires on the same rim, it being dependent only on the opening of the rim width. Also, tires with a smaller air volume become hot faster than larger ones. There is no way of descending continuously and steeply without reducing inflation pressure, unless there is an insulator between the tube and rim of a clincher. Insulating rim strips are no longer offered because they were an artifact of dirt roads that often required riders to descend so slowly that all potential energy went into the brakes and almost none into wind drag. These rim strips were cloth tubes filled with kapok, their insulating purpose being unknown to most people when they were last offered. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.16 Trackstands From: Rick Smith How to trackstand on a road bike. With acknowledgments to my trackstanding mentor, Neil Bankston. Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, .... 1. Wear tennis shoes. 2. Find an open area, like a parking lot that has a slight grade to it. 3. Put bike in a gear around a 42-18. 4. Ride around out of the saddle in a counter-clockwise circle, about 10 feet in diameter. Label Notation for imaginary points on the circle: 'A' is the lowest elevation point on the circle. 'B' is the 90 degrees counterclockwise from 'A' . 'C' is the highest elevation point on the circle. 'D' is the 90 degrees counterclockwise from 'C' . C / \ D B Aerial View \ / A 5. Start slowing down, feeling the different sensation as the bike transitions between going uphill (B) and downhill (D). 6. Start trying to go real slowly through the A - B region of the circle. This is the region you will use for trackstanding. Ride the rest of the circle as you were in step 5. The trackstanding position (aerial view again): ---| / ------| |----/ |--- / The pedal are in a 3 o'clock - 9 o'clock arrangement (in other words, parallel to the ground). Your left foot is forward, your wheel is pointed left. You are standing and shifting you weight to keep balance. The key to it all is this: If you start to fall left, push on the left pedal to move the bike forward a little and bring you back into balance. If you start to fall right, let up on the pedal and let the bike roll back a little and bring you back into balance. 7. Each time you roll through the A - B region, try to stop when the left pedal is horizontal and forward. If you start to lose your balance, just continue around the circle and try it again. 8. Play with it. Try doing it in various regions in the circle, with various foot position, and various amounts of turn in your steering. Try it on different amounts of slope in the pavement. Try different gears. What you are shooting for is the feel that's involved, and it comes with practice. The why's of trackstanding: Why is road bike specified in the title? A true trackstand on a track bike is done differently. A track bike can be pedaled backwards, and doesn't need a hill to accomplish the rollback affect. Track racing trackstands are done opposite of what is described. They take place on the C - D region of the circle, with gravity used for the roll forward, and back pedaling used for the rollback. This is so that a racer gets the assist from gravity to get going again when the competition makes a move. Why a gear around 42-18? This is a reasonable middle between too small, where you would reach the bottom of the stroke on the roll forward, and too big, where you couldn't generate the roll forward force needed. Why is the circle counter-clockwise? Because I assume you are living in an area where travel is done on the right side of the road. When doing trackstands on the road, most likely it will be at traffic lights. Roads are crowned - higher in the middle, lower on the shoulders - and you use this crown as the uphill portion of the circle (region A-B). If you are in a country where travel is done on the left side of the road, please interpret the above aerial views as subterranial. Why is this done out of the saddle? It's easier!! It can be done in while seated, but you lose the freedom to do weight adjustments with your hips. Why is the left crank forward? If your right crank was forward, you might bump the front wheel with your toe. Remember the steering is turned so that the back of the front wheel is on the right side of the bike. Some bikes have overlap of the region where the wheel can go and your foot is. Even if your current bike doesn't have overlap, it's better to learn the technique as described in case you are demonstrating your new skill on a bike that does have overlap. Why the A - B region? It's the easiest. If you wait till the bike is around 'B', then you have to keep more force on the pedal to hold it still. If you are around the 'A' point, there may not be enough slope to allow the bike to roll back. Questions: What do I do if I want to stop on a downhill? While there are techniques that can be employed to keep you in the pedals, for safety sake I would suggest getting out of the pedals and putting your foot down. Other exercises that help: Getting good balance. Work through this progression: 1. Stand on your right foot. Hold this until it feels stable. 2. Close your eyes. Hold this until it feels stable. 3. Go up on your toes. Hold this until it feels stable. 4. If you get to here, never mind, your balance is already wonderful, else repeat with other foot. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.17 Front Brake Usage From: John Forester I have dealt for many years with the problem of explaining front brake use, both to students and to courtrooms, and I have reached some conclusions, both about the facts and about the superstitions. The question was also asked about British law and front brakes. I'll answer that first because it is easier. British law requires brakes on both wheels, but it accepts that a fixed gear provides the required braking action on the rear wheel. I think that the requirement was based on reliability, not on deceleration. That is, if the front brake fails, the fixed-gear cyclist can still come to a stop. In my house (in California) we have three track-racing bikes converted to road use by adding brakes. Two have only front brakes while the third has two brakes. We have had no trouble at all, and we ride them over mild hills. The front-brake-only system won't meet the normal U.S. state traffic law requirement of being able to skid one wheel, because that was written for coaster-braked bikes, but it actually provides twice the deceleration of a rear-wheel-braked bike and nobody, so far as I know, has ever been prosecuted for using such a setup. The superstitions about front brake use are numerous. The most prevalent appears to be that using the front brake without using the rear brake, or failing to start using the rear brake before using the front brake, will flip the cyclist. The other side of that superstition is that using the rear brake will prevent flipping the bicycle, regardless of how hard the front brake is applied. The truth is that regardless of how hard the rear brake is applied, or whether it is applied at all, the sole determinant (aside from matters such as bicycle geometry, weight and weight distribution of cyclist and load, that can't practically be changed while moving) of whether the bicycle will be flipped is the strength of application of the front brake. As the deceleration to produce flip is approached, the weight on the rear wheel decreases to zero, so that the rear wheel cannot produce any deceleration; with no application of the rear brake it rolls freely, with any application at all it skids at a force approaching zero. With typical bicycle geometry, a brake application to attempt to produce a deceleration greater than 0.67 g will flip the bicycle. (Those who advocate the cyclist moving his butt off and behind the saddle to change the weight distribution achieve a very small increase in this.) A typical story is that of a doctor who, now living in the higher- priced hilly suburbs, purchased a new bicycle after having cycled to med school on the flats for years. His first ride was from the bike shop over some minor hills and then up the 15% grade to his house. His second ride was down that 15% grade. Unfortunately, the rear brake was adjusted so that it produced, with the lever to the handlebar, a 0.15 g deceleration. The braking system would meet the federal requirements of 0.5 g deceleration with less than 40 pounds grip on the levers, because the front brake has to do the majority of the work and at 0.5 g there is insufficient weight on the rear wheel to allow much more rear brake force than would produce 0.1 g deceleration. (The U.S. regulation allows bicycles with no gear higher than 60 inches to have only a rear-wheel brake that provides only 0.27 g deceleration.) I don't say that the rear brake adjustment of the bicycle in the accident was correct, because if the front brake fails then the rear brake alone should be able to skid the rear wheel, which occurs at about 0.3 g deceleration. The doctor starts down the hill, coasting to develop speed and then discovering that he can't slow down to a stop using the rear brake alone. That is because the maximum deceleration produced by the rear brake equalled, almost exactly, the slope of the hill. He rolls down at constant speed with the rear brake lever to the handlebar and the front brake not in use at all. He is afraid to apply the front brake because he fears that this will flip him, but he is coming closer and closer to a curve, after which is a stop sign. At the curve he panics and applies the front brake hard, generating a force greater than 0.67 g deceleration and therefore flipping himself. Had he applied the front brake with only a force to produce 0.1 g deceleration, even 100 feet before the curve, he would have been safe, but in his panic he caused precisely the type of accident that he feared. He thought that he had a good case, sued everybody, and lost. This is the type of superstition that interferes with the cycling of many people. My standard instruction for people who fear using the front brake is the same instruction for teaching any person to brake properly. Tell them to apply both brakes simultaneously, but with the front brake 3 times harder than the rear brake. Start by accelerating to road speed and stopping with a gentle application. Then do it again with a harder application, but keeping the same 3 to 1 ratio. Then again, harder still, until they feel the rear wheel start to skid. When the rear wheel skids with 1/4 of the total braking force applied to it, that shows that the weight distribution has now progressed as far to the front wheel as the average cyclist should go. By repeated practice they learn how hard this is, and attain confidence in their ability to stop as rapidly as is reasonable without any significant risk. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.18 Slope Wind, the Invisible Enemy From: Jobst Brandt Wind as well as relative wind caused by moving through still air demands most of a bicyclists effort on level ground. Most riders recognize when they are subjected to wind because it comes in gusts and these gusts can be distinguished from the more uniform wind caused by moving through still air. That's the catch. At the break of dawn there is often no wind as such but cool air near the ground, being colder and more dense than higher air slides downslope as a laminar layer that has no turbulent gusts. Wind in mountain valleys generally blows uphill during the heat of the day and therefore pilots of light aircraft are warned to take off uphill against the morning slope wind. Slope wind, although detectable, is not readily noticed when standing or walking because it has negligible effect and does not come in apparent gusts. The bicyclist, in contrast, is hindered by it but cannot detect it because there is always wind while riding. Slope wind, as such, can be up to 10 mph before it starts to take on the characteristics that we expect of wind. It is doubly deceptive when it comes from behind because it gives an inflated speed that can be mistakenly attributed to great fitness that suddenly vanishes when changing course. If you live near aspen or poplars that tend to fan their leaves in any breeze, you will not be fooled. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.19 Reflective Tape From: Jobst Brandt Reflective tape is available in most better bike shops in various forms, most of which is pre-cut to some preferred shape and designed for application to some specific part of the bike or apparel. The most effective use of such tape is on moving parts such as pedals, heel of the shoe or on a place that is generally overlooked, the inside of the rim. First, it is appropriate to note that car headlights generally produce white light and a white or, in fact, colorless reflector returns more of this light to its source than ones with color filters or selective reflection. Red, for instance, is not nearly as effective as white. Placing reflective tape on the inside of the rims between the spokes is a highly effective location for night riding because it is visible equally to the front and rear while attracting attention through its motion. It is most effective when applied to less than half the rim in a solid block. Five inter-spoke sections does a good job. One can argue that it isn't visible from the side (if the rim is not an aero cross section) but the major hazard is from the front and rear. Be seen on a bike! It's good for your health. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.20 Nutrition From: Bruce Hildenbrand Oh well, I have been promising to do this for a while and given the present discussions on nutrition, it is about the right time. This article was written in 1980 for Bicycling Magazine. It has been reprinted in over 30 publications, been the basis for a chapter in a book and cited numerous other times. I guess somebody besides me thinks its OK. If you disagree with any points, that's fine, I just don't want to see people take exception based on their own personal experiences because everyone is different and psychological factors play a big role(much bigger than you would think) on how one perceives his/her own nutritional requirements. Remember that good nutrition is a LONG TERM process that is not really affected by short term events(drinking poison would be an exception). If it works for you then do it!!! Don't preach!!!! BASIC NUTRITION PRIMER Nutrition in athletics is a very controversial topic. However, for an athlete to have confidence that his/her diet is beneficial he/she must understand the role each food component plays in the body's overall makeup. Conversely, it is important to identify and understand the nutritional demands on the physiological processes of the body that occur as a result of racing and training so that these needs can be satisfied in the athlete's diet. For the above reasons, a basic nutrition primer should help the athlete determine the right ingredients of his/her diet which fit training and racing schedules and existing eating habits. The body requires three basic components from foods: 1) water; 2) energy; and 3)nutrients. WATER Water is essential for life and without a doubt the most important component in our diet. Proper hydrations not only allows the body to maintain structural and biochemical integrity, but it also prevents overheating, through sensible heat loss(perspiration). Many cyclists have experienced the affects of acute fluid deficiency on a hot day, better known as heat exhaustion. Dehydration can be a long term problem, especially at altitude, but this does not seem to be a widespread problem among cyclists and is only mentioned here as a reminder(but an important one). ENERGY Energy is required for metabolic processes, growth and to support physical activity. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences has procrastinated in establishing a Recommended Daily Allowance(RDA) for energy the reasoning being that such a daily requirement could lead to overeating. A moderately active 70kg(155lb) man burns about 2700 kcal/day and a moderately active 58kg(128lb) woman burns about 2500 kcal/day. It is estimated that cyclists burn 8-10 kcal/min or about 500-600 kcal/hr while riding(this is obviously dependent on the level of exertion). Thus a three hour training ride can add up to 1800 kcals(the public knows these as calories) to the daily energy demand of the cyclist. Nutritional studies indicate that there is no significant increase in the vitamin requirement of the athlete as a result of this energy expenditure. In order to meet this extra demand, the cyclist must increase his/her intake of food. This may come before, during or after a ride but most likely it will be a combination of all of the above. If for some reason extra nutrients are required because of this extra energy demand, they will most likely be replenished through the increased food intake. Carbohydrates and fats are the body's energy sources and will be discussed shortly. NUTRIENTS This is a broad term and refers to vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and a host of other substances. The body is a very complex product of evolution. It can manufacture many of the resources it needs to survive. However, vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids(the building blocks of proteins) and fatty acids cannot be manufactured, hence they must be supplied in our food to support proper health. Vitamins and Minerals No explanation needed here except that there are established RDA's for most vitamins and minerals and that a well balanced diet, especially when supplemented by a daily multivitamin and mineral tablet should meet all the requirements of the cyclist. Proper electrolyte replacement(sodium and potassium salts) should be emphasized, especially during and after long, hot rides. Commercially available preparations such as Exceed, Body Fuel and Isostar help replenish electrolytes lost while riding. Proteins Food proteins are necessary for the synthesis of the body's skeletal(muscle, skin, etc.) and biochemical(enzymes, hormones, etc.)proteins. Contrary to popular belief, proteins are not a good source of energy in fact they produce many toxic substances when they are converted to the simple sugars needed for the body's energy demand. Americans traditionally eat enough proteins to satisfy their body's requirement. All indications are that increased levels of exercise do not cause a significant increase in the body's daily protein requirement which has been estimated to be 0.8gm protein/kg body weight. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are divided into two groups, simple and complex, and serve as one of the body's two main sources of energy. Simple carbohydrates are better known as sugars, examples being fructose, glucose(also called dextrose), sucrose(table sugar) and lactose(milk sugar). The complex carbohydrates include starches and pectins which are multi-linked chains of glucose. Breads and pastas are rich sources of complex carbohydrates. The brain requires glucose for proper functioning which necessitates a carbohydrate source. The simple sugars are quite easily broken down to help satisfy energy and brain demands and for this reason they are an ideal food during racing and training. The complex sugars require a substantially longer time for breakdown into their glucose sub units and are more suited before and after riding to help meet the body's energy requirements. Fats Fats represent the body's other major energy source. Fats are twice as dense in calories as carbohydrates(9 kcal/gm vs 4 kcal/gm) but they are more slowly retrieved from their storage units(triglycerides) than carbohydrates(glycogen). Recent studies indicate that caffeine may help speed up the retrieval of fats which would be of benefit on long rides. Fats are either saturated or unsaturated and most nutritional experts agree that unsaturated, plant-based varieties are healthier. Animal fats are saturated(and may contain cholesterol), while plant based fats such as corn and soybean oils are unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are necessary to supply essential fatty acids and should be included in the diet to represent about 25% of the total caloric intake. Most of this amount we don't really realize we ingest, so it is not necessary to heap on the margarine as a balanced diet provides adequate amounts. WHAT THE BODY NEEDS Now that we have somewhat of an understanding of the role each food component plays in the body's processes let's relate the nutritional demands that occur during cycling in an attempt to develop an adequate diet. Basically our bodies need to function in three separate areas which require somewhat different nutritional considerations. These areas a 1) building; 2) recovery; and 3) performance. Building Building refers to increasing the body's ability to perform physiological processes, one example being the gearing up of enzyme systems necessary for protein synthesis, which results in an increase in muscle mass, oxygen transport, etc. These systems require amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Hence, it is important to eat a diet that contains quality proteins (expressed as a balance of the essential amino acid sub units present)fish, red meat, milk and eggs being excellent sources. As always, the RDA's for vitamins and minerals must also be met but, as with the protein requirement, they are satisfied in a well balanced diet. Recovery This phase may overlap the building process and the nutritional requirements are complimentary. Training and racing depletes the body of its energy reserves as well as loss of electrolytes through sweat. Replacing the energy reserves is accomplished through an increased intake of complex carbohydrates(60-70% of total calories) and to a lesser extent fat(25%). Replenishing lost electrolytes is easily accomplished through the use of the commercial preparations already mentioned. Performance Because the performance phase(which includes both training rides and racing)spans at most 5-7 hours whereas the building and recovery phases are ongoing processes, its requirements are totally different from the other two. Good nutrition is a long term proposition meaning the effects of a vitamin or mineral deficiency take weeks to manifest themselves. This is evidenced by the fact that it took many months for scurvy to show in sailors on a vitamin C deficient diet. What this means is that during the performance phase, the primary concern is energy replacement (fighting off the dreaded "bonk") while the vitamin and mineral demands can be overlooked. Simple sugars such a sucrose, glucose and fructose are the quickest sources of energy and in moderate quantities of about 100gm/hr(too much can delay fluid absorption in the stomach) are helpful in providing fuel for the body and the brain. Proteins and fats are not recommended because of their slow and energy intensive digestion mechanism. Short, one day rides or races of up to one hour in length usually require no special nutritional considerations provided the body's short term energy stores (glycogen) are not depleted which may be the case during multi-day events. Because psychological as well as physiological factors determine performance most cyclists tend to eat and drink whatever makes them feel "good" during a ride. This is all right as long as energy considerations are being met and the stomach is not overloaded trying to digest any fatty or protein containing foods. If the vitamin and mineral requirements are being satisfied during the building and recovery phases no additional intake during the performance phase is necessary. IMPLICATIONS Basically, what all this means is that good nutrition for the cyclist is not hard to come by once we understand our body's nutrient and energy requirements. If a balanced diet meets the RDA's for protein, vitamins and minerals as well as carbohydrate and fat intake for energy then everything should be OK nutritionally. It should be remembered that the problems associated with nutrient deficiencies take a long time to occur. Because of this it is not necessary to eat "right" at every meal which explains why weekend racing junkets can be quite successful on a diet of tortilla chips and soft drinks. However, bear in mind that over time, the body's nutritional demands must be satisfied. To play it safe many cyclists take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement tablet which has no adverse affects and something I personally recommend. Mega vitamin doses(levels five times or more of the RDA) have not been proven to be beneficial and may cause some toxicity problems. GREY NUTRITION "Good" nutrition is not black and white. As we have seen, the body's requirements are different depending on the phase it is in. While the building and recovery phases occur somewhat simultaneously the performance phase stands by itself. For this reason, some foods are beneficial during one phase but not during another. A good example is the much maligned twinkie. In the performance phase it is a very quick source of energy and quite helpful. However, during the building phase it is not necessary and could be converted to unwanted fat stores. To complicate matters, the twinkie may help replenish energy stores during the recovery phase however, complex carbohydrates are probably more beneficial. So, "one man's meat may be another man's poison." NUTRIENT DENSITY This term refers to the quantity of nutrients in a food for its accompanying caloric(energy) value. A twinkie contains much energy but few vitamins and minerals so has a low nutrient density. Liver, on the other hand, has a moderate amount of calories but is rich in vitamins and minerals and is considered a high nutrient density food. Basically, one must meet his/her nutrient requirements within the constraints of his/her energy demands. Persons with a low daily activity level have a low energy demand and in order to maintain their body weight must eat high nutrient density foods. As already mentioned, a cyclist has an increased energy demand but no significant increase in nutrient requirements. Because of this he/she can eat foods with a lower nutrient density than the average person. This means that a cyclist can be less choosy about the foods that are eaten provided he/she realizes his/her specific nutrient and energy requirements that must be met. BALANCED DIET Now, the definition of that nebulous phrase, "a balanced diet". Taking into consideration all of the above, a diet emphasizing fruits and vegetables (fresh if possible), whole grain breads, pasta, cereals, milk, eggs, fish and red meat(if so desired) will satisfy long term nutritional demands. These foods need to be combined in such a way that during the building and recovery phase, about 60-70% of the total calories are coming from carbohydrate sources, 25% from fats and the remainder(about 15%) from proteins. It is not necessary to get 100% of the RDA for all vitamins and minerals at every meal. It may be helpful to determine which nutritional requirements you wish to satisfy at each meal. Personally, I use breakfast to satisfy part of my energy requirement by eating toast and cereal. During lunch I meet some of the energy, protein and to a lesser extent vitamin and mineral requirements with such foods as yogurt, fruit, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Dinner is a big meal satisfying energy, protein, vitamin and mineral requirements with salads, vegetables, pasta, meat and milk. Between meal snacking is useful to help meet the body's energy requirement. CONCLUSION All this jiberish may not seem to be telling you anything you couldn't figure out for yourself. The point is that "good" nutrition is not hard to achieve once one understands the reasons behind his/her dietary habits. Such habits can easily be modified to accommodate the nutritional demands of cycling without placing any strict demands on one's lifestyle. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.21 Nuclear Free Energy Bar Recipe From: Phil Etheridge Nuclear Free Energy Bars ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comments and suggestions welcome. They seem to work well for me. I eat bananas as well, in about equal quanities to the Nuclear Free Energy Bars. I usually have two drink bottles, one with water to wash down the food, the other with a carbo drink. You will maybe note that there are no dairy products in my recipe -- that's because I'm allergic to them. You could easily replace the soy milk powder with the cow equivalent, but then you'd definitely have to include some maltodextrin (my soy drink already has some in it). I plan to replace about half the honey with maltodextrin when I find a local source. If you prefer cocoa to carob, you can easily substitute. C = 250 ml cup, T = 15 ml tablespoon 1 C Oat Bran 1/2 C Toasted Sunflower and/or Sesame seeds, ground (I use a food processor) 1/2 C Soy Milk Powder (the stuff I get has 37% maltodextrin, ~20% dextrose*) 1/2 C Raisins 2T Carob Powder Mix well, then add to 1/2 C Brown Rice, Cooked and Minced (Using a food processor again) 1/2 C Peanut Butter (more or less, depending on consistency) 1/2 C Honey (I use clear, runny stuff, you may need to warm if it's thicker and/or add a little water) Stir and knead (I knead in more Oat Bran or Rolled Oats) until thoroughly mixed. A cake mixer works well for this. The bars can be reasonably soft, as a night in the fridge helps to bind it all together. Roll or press out about 1cm thick and cut. Makes about 16, the size I like them (approx 1cm x 1.5cm x 6cm). * Can't remember exact name, dextrose something) ------------------------------ Subject: 9.22 Powerbars Recipe From: John McClintic Have you ever watched a hummingbird? Think about it! Hummingbirds eat constantly to survive. We lumpish earthbound creatures are in no position to imitate this. Simply, if we overeat we get fat. There are exceptions: those who exercise very strenuously can utilize - indeed, actually need - large amounts of carbohydrates. For example, Marathon runners "load" carbohydrates by stuffing themselves with pasta before a race. On the flip side Long-distance cyclists maintain their energy level by "power snacking". With reward to the cyclist and their need for "power snacking" I submit the following "power bar" recipe which was originated by a fellow named Bill Paterson. Bill is from Portland Oregon. The odd ingredient in the bar, paraffin, is widely used in chocolate manufacture to improve smoothness and flowability, raise the melting point, and retard deterioration of texture and flavor. Butter can be used instead, but a butter-chocolate mixture doesn't cover as thinly or smoothly. POWER BARS ---------- 1 cup regular rolled oats 1/2 cup sesame seed 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 cup shredded unsweetened dry coconut 1 cup blanched almonds, chopped 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ 2 teaspoons butter or margarine 1 cup light corn syrup 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/4 cups chunk-style peanut butter 1 teaspoon orange extract 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 1 package (12 oz.) or 2 cups semisweet chocolate baking chips 4 ounces paraffin or 3/4 cup (3/4 lb.) butter or margarine Spread oats in a 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Bake in a 300 degree oven until oats are toasted, about 25 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. Meanwhile, place sesame seed in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat. Shake often or stir until seeds are golden, about 7 minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Add apricots, raisins, coconut, almonds, dry milk, and wheat germ; mix well. Mix hot oats into dried fruit mixture. Butter the hot backing pan; set aside. In the frying pan, combine corn syrup and sugar; bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter, orange extract, and orange peel. At once, pour over the oatmeal mixture and mix well. Quickly spread in buttered pan an press into an even layer. Then cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours or until next day. Cut into bars about 1 1/4 by 2 1/2 inches. Combine chocolate chips and paraffin in to top of a double boiler. Place over simmering water until melted; stir often. Turn heat to low. Using tongs, dip 1 bar at a time into chocolate, hold over pan until it stops dripping (with paraffin, the coating firms very quickly), then place on wire racks set above waxed paper. When firm and cool (bars with butter in the chocolate coating may need to be chilled), serve bars, or wrap individually in foil. Store in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks; freeze to store longer. Makes about 4 dozen bars, about 1 ounce each. Per piece: 188 cal.; 4.4 g protein; 29 g carbo.; 9.8 g fat; 0.6 mg chol.; 40 mg sodium. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.23 Calories burned by cycling From: Jeff Patterson The following table appears in the '92 Schwinn ATB catalog which references Bicycling, May 1989: --------- Speed (mph) 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rider Weight Calories/Hr 110 293 348 404 448 509 586 662 120 315 375 437 484 550 634 718 130 338 402 469 521 592 683 773 140 360 430 502 557 633 731 828 150 383 457 534 593 675 779 883 160 405 485 567 629 717 828 938 170 427 512 599 666 758 876 993 180 450 540 632 702 800 925 1048 190 472 567 664 738 841 973 1104 200 495 595 697 774 883 1021 1159 (flat terrain, no wind, upright position) ------------------------------ Subject: 9.24 Road Rash Cures From: E Shekita [Ed note: This is a condensation of a summary of cures for road rash that Gene posted.] The July 1990 issue of Bicycle Guide has a decent article on road rash. Several experienced trainers/doctors are quoted. They generally recommended: - cleaning the wound ASAP using an anti-bacterial soap such as Betadine. Showering is recommended, as running water will help flush out dirt and grit. If you can't get to a shower right away, at the very least dab the wound with an anti-bacteria solution and cover the wound with a non-stick telfa pad coated with bactrin or neosporin to prevent infection and scabbing. The wound can then be showered clean when you get home. It often helps to put an ice bag on the wound after it has been covered to reduce swelling. - after the wound has been showered clean, cover the wound with either 1) a non-stick telfa pad coated with bactrin or neosporin, or 2) one of the Second Skin type products that are available. If you go the telfa pad route, daily dressing changes will be required until a thin layer of new skin has grown over the wound. If you go the Second Skin route, follow the directions on the package. The general consensus was that scabbing should be prevented and that the Second Skin type products were the most convenient -- less dressing changes and they hold up in a shower. (Silvadene was not mentioned, probably because it requires a prescription.) It was pointed out that if one of the above treatments is followed, then you don't have to go crazy scrubbing out the last piece of grit or dirt in the wound, as some people believe. This is because most of the grit will "float" out of the wound on its own when a moist dressing is used. There are now products that go by the names Bioclusive, Tegaderm, DuoDerm, Op-Site, Vigilon, Spenco 2nd Skin, and others, that are like miracle skin. This stuff can be expensive ($5 for 8 3x4 sheets), but does not need to be changed. They are made of a 96% water substance called hydrogel wrapped in thin porous plastic. Two non-porous plastic sheets cover the hydrogel; One sheet is removed so that the hydrogel contacts the wound and the other non-porous sheet protects the wound. These products are a clear, second skin that goes over the cleaned (ouch!) wound. They breathe, are quite resistant to showering, and wounds heal in around 1 week. If it means anything, the Olympic Training Center uses this stuff. You never get a scab with this, so you can be out riding the same day, if you aren't too sore. It is important when using this treatment, to thoroughly clean the wound, and put the bandage on right away. It can be obtained at most pharmacies. Another possible source is Spenco second skin, which is sometimes carried by running stores and outdoor/cycling/ stores. If this doesn't help, you might try a surgical supply or medical supply place. They aren't as oriented toward retail, but may carry larger sizes than is commonly available. Also, you might check with a doctor, or university athletic department people. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.25 Knee problems From: Roger Marquis [More up to date copies of Roger's articles can be found at http://www.roble.net/marquis/] As the weather becomes more conducive to riding, the racing season gets going, and average weekly training distances start to climb a few of us will have some trouble with our knees. Usually knee problem are caused by one of four things: 1) Riding too hard, too soon. Don't get impatient. It's going to be a long season and there's plenty of time to get in the proper progression of efforts. Successful cycling is a matter of listening to your body. When you see cyclists burning out, hurting themselves and just not progressing past a certain point you can be fairly certain that it is because they are not paying enough attention to what their bodies are saying. 2) Too many miles. The human body is not a machine. It cannot take all the miles we sometimes feel compelled to ride without time to grow and adapt. Keep this in mind whenever you feel like increasing average weekly mileage by more than forty miles over two or three weeks and you should have no problems. 3) Low, low rpms (also excessive crank length). Save those big ring climbs and big gear sprints for later in the season. This is the time of year to develop fast twitch muscle fibers. That means spin, spin, spin. You don't have to spin all the time but the effort put into small gear sprints and high rpm climbing now will pay off later in the season. Mountain bikers need to be especially careful of low rpms. I generally recommend that even full time MTB competitors do most of their training on the road. 4) Improper position on the bike. Unfortunately most bicycle salespeople in this country have no idea how to properly set saddle height, the most common error being to set it too low. This is very conducive to developing knee problems because of excessive bend at the knee when the pedal is at, and just past top dead center. If you've avoided these common mistakes yet are still experiencing knee problems first make sure your seat and cleats are adjusted properly then: 1) Check for leg length differences both below and above the knee. If the difference is between 2 and 8 millimeters you can correct it by putting spacers under one cleat. If one leg is shorter by more than a centimeter or so you might experiment with a shorter crank arm on the short leg side. 2) Use shorter cranks. For some riders this helps keep pedal speed up and knee stress down. I'm over 6 ft. tall and use 170mm cranks for much of the off season. 3) Try the Fit-Kit R.A.D. cleat alignment device and/or a rotating type cleat/pedal system. 4) Cut way back on mileage and intensity (This is a last resort for obvious reasons). Sometimes a prolonged rest is the only way to regain full functionality and is usually required only after trying to "train through" pain. Roger Marquis (www.roble.net/marquis) ------------------------------ Subject: 9.26 Cycling Psychology From: Roger Marquis [More up to date copies of Roger's articles can be found at http://www.roble.net/marquis/] Motivation, the last frontier. With enough of it any ordinary person can become a world class athlete. Without it the same person could end up begging for change downtown. Even a tremendously talented rider will go nowhere without motivation. How do some riders always seem to be so motivated? What are the sources of their motivation? This has been a central theme of sports psychology since its beginning when Triplett studied the effects of audience and competition on performance in the late nineteenth century. Though a great deal has been written on motivation since Triplett it is still an individual construct. As an athlete you need to identify what motivates you and cultivate the sources of your motivation. Here are a few popular methods. GOALS. One of the best sources of motivation is setting goals. Be specific and put them down on paper. Define your goals clearly and make them attainable. Short term goals are more important than long term goals and should be even more precisely defined. Set short term goals for things like going on a good ride this afternoon, doing five sprints, bettering your time on a known course, etc. Set long term goals such as training at least five days a week, placing in specific races, upgrading... DO NOT STRESS WINNING when defining your goals. Instead stress enjoying the ride and doing your best in every ride and race. GROUP TRAINING. Training with friends, racing as a team, and all the other social benefits of our sport are also great for motivation. This is what clubs should be all about. With or without a club, group training is vastly more effective than individual training. The same intensity that can make solo training a challenge comes naturally in a good group. Ever notice how easy a smooth rotating paceline seems, until you arrive home to find a surprising soreness in the quadriceps? Why beat yourself over the head when a few phone calls (or emails) will generally find plenty of like minded compatriots. As a general rule try to limit solo training to between 10% and 50% of total miles. REGULARITY. It's nice to be regular, in more ways than one ;-) Regularity makes difficult tasks easy. If you make it a point to ride every day, or at least five times a week (to be competitive), making the daily ride will become automatic. Riding at the same time every day can also be helpful but be careful not to become a slave to the schedule. LOCATION. The 3 keys to a successful business, "location, location, and location" are also key to effective cycling. The importance of conveniently located rides, races, coaches, flexible school and employment cannot be underemphasized. Good training partners, good weather, good roads and minimal traffic can also make those long, hard rides both easier AND more productive. RACING. The best European pros actually do very little training. Need I say more? There simply is no better way to improve fitness and skill. Whether racing to place or to train the savvy cyclist will do all the racing his or her motivation allows. AS WELL AS cycling books, magazines and videos, new bike parts, new clothing, new roads, nice weather, losing weight, seeing friends, getting out of the city and breathing fresh air, riding hard and feeling good, and especially the great feeling of accomplishment and relaxation after every ride that makes life beautiful. ---------------- While high levels of excitation (motivational energy) are generally better for shorter rides and track races, be careful not to get over-excited before longer races. Stay relaxed and conserve precious energy for that crosswind section or sprint where you'll need all the strength you've got. Learn how psyched you need to be to do your best and be aware of when you are over or under aroused. It's not uncommon, especially in early season races, to be so nervous before the start that fatigue sets in early or even before the race. Too much stress can make it difficult to ride safely and should be recognized and controlled immediately. If you find yourself becoming too stressed before a race try stretching, talking to friends, finding a quiet place to warm-up, or a crowded place depending on your inclination. Remember that this stress will disappear as soon as the race starts. Racing takes too much concentration to spare any for worrying. Every athlete needs to be adept in stress management. One technique used to reduce competitive anxiety is imagery, also known as visualization. While mental practice has been credited with miraculous improvements in fine motor skills (archery, tennis) its greatest value in gross motor sports like cycling lies in stress reduction. Actually winning a race can also help put an end to excessive competitive anxiety. But if you have never won (like most cyclists) nervousness may be keeping you from that rewarding place on the podium. ---------------- If you find yourself getting overstressed when thinking about winning, or even riding a race try this; Find a quiet, relaxing place to sit and think about racing. Second; Picture yourself driving to the race in a very relaxed and poised state of mind. Continue visualizing the day progressing into the race and going well until you detect some tension THEN STOP. Do not let yourself get excited at all. End the visualization session and try it again the next day. Continue this DAILY until you can picture yourself racing and winning without any stress. If this seems like a lot of work evaluate just how much you want to win a bike race. Visualization is not meant to replace on the bike training but can make that training pay off in a big way. Eastern European research has found that athletes improve most quickly if visual training comprises fifty to seventy-five percent of the total time spent training! Like any training imagery will only pay off if you do it regularly and frequently. My French club coach always used to tell us: believe it and it will become true. (C) 1989, Roger Marquis (www.roble.net/marquis) See also VeloNews, 3-91 ------------------------------ Subject: 9.27 Mirrors From: Jobst Brandt Mirrors are mandatory on virtually every other type of vehicle on the road. Competent drivers/riders learn the limitations of the information available from their mirrors and act accordingly. I suppose the question is appropriate because no one seems to have a good explanation for this. In such an event, when there is much evidence that what would seem obvious is not what is practiced, I assume there are other things at work. I for one don't wear glasses to which to attach a mirror and putting it on a helmet seems a fragile location when the helmet is placed anywhere but on the head. These are not the real reasons though, because I have found that when looking in a head mounted mirror, I cannot accurately tell anything about the following vehicle's position except that it is behind me. That is because I am looking into a mirror whose angular position with respect to the road is unknown. The rear view mirror in a car is fixed with respect to the direction of travel and objects seen in it are seen with reference to ones own vehicle, be that the rear window frame or side of the car. I find the image in a head mounted mirror on a bicycle to be distracting and a source of paranoia if I watch it enough. It does not tell me whether the upcoming car is, or is not, going to slice me. I additionally I find it difficult to focus on objects when my eyeballs are distorted by turning them as much as 45 degrees to the side of straight ahead. You can try this by reading these words with your head turned 45 degrees from the text. I believe these two effects are the prime reasons for the unpopularity of such mirrors. They don't provide the function adequately and still require the rider to look back. I do not doubt that it is possible to rely on the mirror but it does not disprove my contention that the information seen is by no means equivalent to motor vehicle rear view mirrors to which these mirrors have been compared. It is not a valid comparison. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.28 == Powerbars NO more --- homemade -- YES!!! From: (Eric Conrad) I don't know about any of you out there in cyber-mtbike-land, but I was getting tired of buying Powerbars and other nutrition supplements to enhance my riding. However, I do understand the benefit of having a quick, nutritious snack that is full of energy on hand during a ride. So I asked around and came up with a recipe for Powerbar-like bars that seem to have a lot of what we need. I'll place the recipe here on the Usenet for all to copy, distribute ... [but please don't market them, cause I'll only kick myself for not doing it first ;-) ]. Please make them and enjoy them before you think about flaming me. Trust me, you'll like them much more than Powerbars, and they're cheaper to make than to buy their counterpart. ALSO, PLEASE POST ANY OTHER RECIPES YOU HAVE FOUND THAT HELP BIKING PERFORMANCE!!! Eric BARS OF IRON :-} 1 Cup dark raisins 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 Cup golden raisins 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/3 Cup butter or Margarine 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 Cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 egg 1/2 Cup liquid milk 1 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour 1 Cup quick cooking oats 1/4 Cup toasted wheat germ 1 Cup sliced almonds (optional) 1/2 Cup golden molasses (dark is ok also) 1/2 Cup Nonfat dry milk Chop raisins (in food processor if possible). Cream butter, sugar, molasses & egg. Combine flour, dry milk, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger. Blend into creamed mixture with liquid milk. Stir in oats, raisins, and half the almonds (if desired). Pour into greased 13x9x2 inch pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining almonds (if desired). Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30 minutes. Cool in pan and cut into 1x4 inch bars. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.29 Lower back pain From: "David LaPorte (Biochem)" I'm not a medical expert, but I've had my share of low back pain and I've learned a few things. When in doubt, go see a medical professional. Low back pain is one of the most common problems afflicting humans. It's been estimated that about 80% of these problems arise because of poor posture. These posture problems occur when we stand but are even more significant when we sit or ride a bike. We tend to round up our low backs, stressing the ligaments and tendons which lie along the spine. It is the irritation and inflammation of these ligaments and tendons which leads to most low back problems. It is important to remember that back pain results from the sum total of ALL the stresses your back experiences. Even if you only experience pain when you're riding, poor riding posture may not be your only problem. For example, you may be sitting poorly at a desk all day or lifting boxes poorly. **Low Back Pain and Posture** Since posture is the problem, it is also the solution. Those of us who suffer from low back pain need to be constantly vigilant. We need to maintain some arch in our backs as much as possible. Sitting is a particular problem. Most chairs, coaches, car seats, etc provide little low back support. You can buy low-back support pads at some drug stores. Try them before you buy them because they are not all comfortable. Alternatively, you can fold a towel and put it behind your low back. The key is to maintain some arch without being uncomfortable. Position on the bike is also important. Get your bike fit checked at a shop that you trust. You should also work on maintaining a flat back when riding. One way to achieve this is to push your belly button toward the top tube. ***Stretching*** Stretching is an important way to achieve flexibility and improve your posture. A very useful stretch is to place you hands on you butt and push your hips forward while standing: o \ / you should feel this in the front of your hips. Tight hip flexors prevent an upright posture. After a few seconds, arch your back and slide your hands down the back of your thighs: o |) / This movement puts the arch in you low back. You can do this stretch many times a day. It is particularly useful to do it periodically when you have to sit or ride for an extended period of time. A more potent stretch that can be done a couple of times a day starts with you lying on your front. Using your arms, push your shoulders off the floor. Don't lift with your back. Keep your low back as relaxed as possible. Let your hips hang down, staying as close to the floor as possible. o __/| This is a powerful stretch and should be started gradually. Otherwise, it can do more harm than good. However, done properly, it can be enormously helpful. Over a period of weeks, you should gradually increase the height you achieve and the time you hold the position. It is also less stressful to do this stretch for short periods with a little rest than for a long period (for example, 3 X 10 sec with 5 sec rest rather than for 30 sec straight). Once your back starts to heal, you will probably need to stretch it deliberately. This is apparently because of the scar tissue that built up during healing. Keep it gentle, especially at first. You could easily reinjure your back. Here's a good one: lie on your back with your legs straight. Pull your knees up, grasp your thighs by your hamstrings and gently pull your knees to your chest. Stretching the ham strings can also help relieve low back pain. Tight ham strings tend to pull the pelvis out of line. This can stress your low back. The problem with most ham string stretches is that they also tend to stretch the low back by forcing it to round up. The most appropriate stretch I know requires the use of a doorway. Lie in the doorway with your butt near the wall. Gently slide your foot up the wall until you feel the stretch. doorway | |- || || |___|____O / Two ways to make the stretch more gentle are (1) bend the lower leg, keeping only your foot on the floor or (2) move your butt further away from the wall. To make the stretch more intense, loop a cord or towel over your raised foot and gently pull it away from the wall. As with all stretches, this shouldn't hurt. ***Exercises*** Another key to preventing low back pain is to keep your abdominal muscles strong. These muscles help support the back. Do abdominal crunchers, not sit ups. Sit ups emphasize the hip flexors, not the abs, and can be hard on the back. Crunchers are done by lying on your back with your knees bent. Press your low back into the floor and curl your head and shoulders off the floor. Hold for a couple of seconds, then lower back to the floor. Repeat until you can't get your shoulder blades off the floor. Abs can be worked every day. Strengthening the low back muscles can also be helpful. To start, lie on your front with your arms and legs extended in a straight line with your body. Raise your right arm and left leg. Put them down and raise your left arm and right leg. Put them down and continue. As your back strength improves, try raising both arms and legs at the same time, arching your back in a "reverse stomach crunch". There are, of course, more powerful back exercises, but they are also more stressful and shouldn't be considered until your back is 110%. ***Medication*** Antiinflamitory medication can be helpful. Ibuprofen, naproxin and aspirin are all available without a prescription. Acetominophen (eg. Tylanol) is NOT an antiinflamatory. These drugs are most effective if they are taken early since inflamation is hard to get rid of once it's become established. A danger in antiinflamatory drugs is that they are also pain killers. Pain is your body's way of telling you that your doing damage. If you block the pain signals, you can easily aggravate your injury without knowing it. Muscle relaxants are sometime prescribed for back problems. These should only be obtained from a physician. ***Ice, Heat and Massage*** Ice is a great way to reduce pain and inflamation. A good way to apply ice is to freeze water in a paper cup. Peel the cup back to expose the ice and then use the cup as a handle while gently rubbing the ice over the effected area. Ice is particularly good for the first couple of days. Some people find that it's useful to continue ice treatments beyond that. Others find that the ice treatments make their backs tight if they continue beyond a couple of days. Heat, especially moist heat, can be useful. However, it should not be used for a couple of days after injuring your back or after aggravating a current injury. Regardless of the timing, if you feel worse during or shortly after heat treatment, stop doing it. In the later stages of a back problem, I find that my low back muscles get tight. Gentle massage seems to help them relax, promoting the healing process. I suspect that massage could make things worse in some cases, such as when the injury is fresh. ***Book*** An excellent book on this subject is "Treat Your Own Back" by Robin McKenzie, Spinal Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 93, Waikanae, New Zealand ISBN 0-9597746-6-1. They use this book at the Low Back Center of the University of Minnesota Hospital. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.30 Saddle Sores From: (Lee Green MD MPH) I think I'm developing a couple of saddle sores. I'm curious as to an effective treatment for them, and effective preventative measures I can It recurs intermittently here. Lots of comments about keeping clean to keep the bugs at bay, all to the good. However, there is more to saddle sores than infection. Skin has several defenses against bacterial invasion, all of which must fail before infection occurs. Abrasion breaks the physical barrier, and preventing it is the reason for good bike shorts. Lubrication is sometimes helpful too. I recommend not Vaseline but Desitin. Yup, the diaper rash stuff. Some advocate bag balm (there seems to be a whole cult of folk medicine around bag balm, actually) but I'd say best avoid it: it softens skin, which is just what you don't want. The point that most posters here seem to miss is probably the most important though: tissue ischemia. That is, the skin and subcutaneous fat between your bones and the saddle get compressed. Blood doesn't flow through them much. Low blood flow is "ischemia", meaning not much oxygen, nutrients, antibodies, white blood cells, and other good things delivered to the area. Ischemic tissue is highly susceptible to infection, heals poorly, and can break down and form a sore just from ischemia, without any infection at all. It's similar to the pressure sores that nursing home patients suffer. Keep clean, use lubricants if they seem to help, but especially wear good bike shorts, *make sure your saddle fits properly*, and *get off the saddle often to allow blood flow through the tissues.* There is more to saddle sores if you're interested in a lot of technical detail regarding oxygen tension, shear forces, etc but e-mail me if you want the gory details. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.31 Group Riding Tips From: Roger Marquis [More up to date copies of Roger's articles can be found at http://www.roble.com/marquis/] There is no more effective way to become a motivated cyclist than finding a good regular group ride. Here are some group riding techniques common around the world. * Pacelines, Pacelines, Pacelines. Single or double, rotating quickly or slowly but always smooth and tight. This is the single overriding feature common to every experienced group ride. * Accelerate slowly and with an eye to keeping the group together. Attacks, jumps, short-hard pulls and other race-like riding may be fine for certain smaller rides but have no place in a group oriented ride. I'm often surprised that novice riders sometimes think this kind of aggressive riding is better training than a good rotating paceline. * A consistent pace is key. Try establishing a pedaling rhythm before reaching the front, and maintain it until just after pulling off. If you're feeling especially strong accelerate and/or take a longer pull but if you do increase the pace do it gradually. Don't forget to pedal harder on descents to make up for the extra aerodynamic resistance. * Go hard on the hills (and elsewhere) but don't forget to regroup. This doesn't mean waiting for every last straggler but always make a reasonable effort to regroup after the harder sections. * Wheelsitters are always welcome, but please stay at the back. There's nothing more disruptive than someone who rotates to the front only to slow down on hitting the wind. If you're feeling extended, tired, or otherwise not inclined to pull through there's no problem with sitting at the back, just let the riders who are rotating know when they've reached the back of the rotating section. * Don't open gaps! If you find yourself behind a gap close it _slowly_. A skilled group will remain in a tight paceline through 95% of an average ride including stops, corners, short climbs, descents, and traffic by closing the inevitable gaps before they become problems. * Don't point out every single pothole, oncoming car, or other obstacle. Each rider has to take responsibility for themselves. This means that everyone should be paying attention to the traffic and the road, even at the back. The frontmost riders should point out unusual hazards of course, and steer the group gradually around glass, potholes, slower riders and such but don't ever assume that you can leave it up to the other riders to watch the road ahead. * The lead riders are most responsible for the group's behavior and must take this into account at stop signs and lights. Don't accelerate through a yellow light unless you know the back of the group can make it too. If the group does get split ride slow until the rear group has caught back on. If you're at the back please don't run the intersection just to maintain contact unless it is clear that traffic is waiting for the entire group to pass. * Don't accommodate elitist attitudes. Perhaps the best thing about good group rides, aside from training, is socializing. Team affiliation, racing experience, helmet use, type of bicycle, etc. are all matters of individual preference and should be left as such. As long as the rider is safe and able to keep up they should be welcome. * Experienced riders should point out mistakes. This must be done diplomatically of course but it is important to make people aware of unsafe riding, hard braking, cutting blind corners, unnecessarily obstructing traffic, etc. * It's also helpful to meet at a popular, central location. Cafes, plazas, and bike shops are all good places to wait and talk before the ride starts. * Finally, a a href="http://www.roble.net/marquis/clinic"skills clinic/a can be an excellent method of helping new riders achieve the safety and proficiency necessary to participate in a paceline. Roger Marquis ------------------------------ Subject: 9.32 Riding in echelon From: Kevin metcalfe Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 16:47:03 -0700 (PDT) The "fan" you guys are talking about is called an echelon. It is something that even a lot of good cat 1 and 2 riders can't do properly. It looks something like this: (Each "|" is a rider.) Wind from the left Wind from the right || || || || || || || || || || || || | | | | | | The single file guys at the bottom of the picture are "in the gutter". Though they may be behind another rider they are getting almost no draft and their days are numbered unless they can get into the echelon proper. The riders in the echelon will rotate through from the sheltered side to the front and then back in the windward side. i.e. With wind from the left you rotate counter clockwise and you rotate clockwise when the wind is from the right. If you are riding in a echelon and you want to keep things smooth and together you will NEVER take a big long pull on the front. You will always just rotate through. If you take a big pull at the front, the previously pulling riders will continue to drift back. Especially since the last guy to pull is still in the wind waiting for you to swing over and give him a draft! What you'll end up with is a single file echelon. This is bad because the number of riders that can fit into an echelon is determined by the width of the road. If you go single file, then only half as many can fit into the echelon and you've got a lot of ****ed off riders pushing the wind. A strong team (like ONCE) can cause a lot of damage in a cross wind. By putting the whole team on the front and making the echelon just wide enough for the team, they can drive the pace up front hard enough to shatter the field. Smart riders will start forming second and third echelons behind the original. This is the best thing to do. Unfortunately there are two problems. First, as soon as you get close, some moron will try and jump across to the first echelon. This is usually stupid because the reason you are in the second echelon is because they're no room in the first one. So the offending moron will often find himself stuck in the gutter unless he can muscle his way into the echelon. (A lot like trying to knock Abdu off of his leadout man with 300 meters to go.) The second problem is that most of the stronger riders are probably already in the first echelon so you're at a horsepower disadvantage. Often, early in a race, the field might encounter a strong cross wind and break into as many as eight or ten echelons. Each echelon will be within 50 to 100 meters of the next one. They will continue like this until the course turns either into or with the wind and the group will reform. Just because you aren't physically connected to the front group in this situation IS NOT NECESSARILY A REASON TO PANIC. If there are only ten miles to go however, feel free to panic. There's nothing about an echelon that makes it faster than a regular pace line. The reason it will break the field up is that only part of the field will fit in an echelon. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.33 Mirrors II From: Richard Moorman Date: Tue, 8 Oct 96 22:42 MDT Helmet mirrors are very useful for nearsighted people with glasses. I use my mirror to determine what's going to affect my travels in the next ten or fifteen seconds. I don't worry about absolute accuracy, I just want the big picture. If I want that information without a mirror, I have to twist my body and head around so that I can look at the road behind me through my glasses. To do this correctly I have to take my left hand off the bars, disorient myself, and risk wobbling around a lot. It's dangerous. With the mirror, it's just a glance up and to the left for a second or two. Mirrors aren't for everyone, but for some of us they're wonderful. I use a mirror despite the bad design that makes the plastic ones ridiculously breakable. I hope that someone develops a flexible, springy mirror mount. It seems an enormously obvious idea. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.34 Thorns aka Puncture Vine From: Jobst Brandt Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 16:54:00 PDT Not all riders suffer from thorns which seems mainly to be a function of avoidance rather than luck or protective means in the tires. Rather than searching for tires or sealants that will survive thorns, recognizing the plant is a more effective step toward avoiding flats. The plant is not mobile and does not propel its seed pods away from its tendrils. However, some riders think nothing of pulling thorns from their tires and throwing them on the road as they patch their tires. This practice seems to be part of not understanding avoidance. In my experience, riders who suffer most from thorns, have no idea of the plants appearance or its habitat. Most, think the yellow star thistle is puncture vine which it is not and it cannot penetrating a tire. Puncture vine, tribulus terrestris, grows mainly on barren soil, typically on roadsides that have been sprayed with herbicides to prevent grass fires from discarded but burning cigarettes. The plant germinates after the heat of summer has begun and grows from a central tap root that reaches as deep as three meters. It has flesh colored tendrils that radiate 30 to 50 cm with 1 x 3 cm dark green compound filigree leaves that follow the sun. Its 1 cm diameter blossoms with five yellow petals produce spherical seed clusters that separate into five hardwood seed pods when ripe. Each pod or segment has two 6 mm long thorns extending from the top of the arches so that gravity will make one of the two thorns point upward. The plant produces seeds throughout its annual growth. Some examples: http://www.cwma.org/puncturevine.html http://www.or.blm.gov:80/Prineville/weed/puncture.htm http://tinyurl.com/d0xo ------------------------------ Subject: 9.35 Gyroscopic Forces From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:07:59 -0800 What keeps the bicycle upright? The question is often asked and, as often as not, is an introduction to expound on the gyroscopic forces of the rotating wheels that make bicycling possible. This claim is as accurate as the one that authoritatively explains that spokes support the bicycle wheel by hanging the hub from the upper spokes. They don't and it doesn't. Some who propose the gyroscope theory, also explain that the advanced skill of making fast turns on a bicycle involves a technique they call countersteer. In fact, a bicycle cannot be ridden without countersteer, commonly called balance, and it is this balance that is used to keep the bicycle upright, just as one does while walking, running, ice skating or roller skating. To say that the gyroscopic forces of rotating wheels keep the bicycle upright, ignores that roller skates are operated the same way and have so little gyroscopic moment that one cannot detect it. On ice skates the argument fails entirely. Besides, a bicycle can be ridden at less than three miles per hour, at which speeds there is no effective gyroscopic reaction. Those who ride no-hands sense and make use of the small gyroscopic effect of the front wheel to steer. This, together with trail of the steering geometry stabilize steering. Without trail, the bicycle would have poor straight ahead preference and would riding no-hands difficult. Many bicyclists never master riding no-hands because the gyroscopic forces are too small for them to detect. Hands on the handlebars completely obscure these forces. For those who ride no-hands, countersteer should be visible and obvious because the bicycle must be leaned away from the preferred lean angle and direction of a curve so that the turn can be initiated. With hands on the bars, although the opposing lean is unnecessary, countersteer is still needed and can be done without counter-leaning. That there are gyroscopic forces is evident from the riderless bicycle test in which a bicycle is shoved at a brisk speed (from another bicycle) and allowed to coast on its own. If the initial course is straight, the bicycle will continue this path until it slows to a speed where gyroscopic forces are too small to correct steering. Then the bicycle takes a steep turn as it falls. Gyroscopic forces are also used to walk a bicycle, holding it by the saddle and steering it to either side by quickly tilting the bicycle. The effect can be observed by resting a road bicycle (with a horizontal top tube) on the shoulder tilted forward just enough to make the front wheel aim straight ahead. Spinning the front wheel by hand forward will make it steer as one expects, left for a left tilt, right for a right tilt, all moves performed in less than a second. With the wheel spinning backward, all responses are reversed. A good example of a bicycle with no gyroscopic forces is the ski-bob, a "bicycle" with short ski runners in place of wheels. This bicycle, having no rotating parts, is ridden downslope easily by anyone who can ride a bicycle. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.36 Going over the bars From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 05 Sep 1997 17:31:23 PDT Many bicyclists fear using the front brake because they believe it, in contrast to the rear brake, might cause the bicycle to overturn. What is not apparent, is that overturning a bicycle with the front brake is much harder than it seems, and that braking itself, is not the cause of most pitchovers. The primary cause of bicycle pitchover, is that the bicycle stops and the rider does not, after which the bicycle overturns when the rider's thighs strike the handlebars. Overturning can be simulated by walking next to the bicycle, both hands on the bars, and applying the front brake to raise the rear wheel. This experiment should make apparent how small a force will overturn the bicycle when it stops and the rider does not. Beginners overturn when they use the front brake because they are not aware that, unless they brace with their arms, only the friction on the saddle prevents the bicycle from stopping without them. However, even riders, who don't make this mistake, can pitchover from a front-wheel jam that leaves no time to react. A stopped rear wheel usually does not cause pitchover, because even if the rider moves forward, unloading the rear wheel, effectively releases the brake. Typically, front wheel jams occur from a stick in the spokes, a fender jamming into the fork crown, a front cantilever straddle cable falling onto a knobby tread, or a retaining bolt of a caliper brake releasing from the fork crown. These are unanticipated events for which a rider cannot brace if not already doing so. However, on clean pavement a front wheel jam will overturn the bicycle regardless of rider reaction. That bicycles do not easily overturn by braking becomes apparent by attempting to raise the rear wheel, preferably at modest speed and while bracing with the arms. The front brake, the principal stopping and speed control device on motorcycles and cars, is especially important for bicycles, whose short wheelbase causes even more weight to transfer to the front wheel while braking, thereby making the rear brake less effective. Therefore, the front brake should be understood and used properly rather than being maligned as it is. Formerly bicycles in the USA had their front brake on the right hand as do motorcycles. A concerted effort by right handed safety advocates, moved the "dangerous" front brake to the left hand, where it could do less harm, and there it remains today. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.37 Yet another powerbar recipe From: Dave Blake Date: 1 Jun 1998 00:51:37 GMT Bikewrkr wrote: I'm getting sick of spending what seems to be all of my money on power bars, gels, etc. I know someone out there has their own secret sauce. Here it is again - the Good Biscuit as tested and raved about on rec.bicycles.tech. Also, there is a clip in the FAQ at http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq I clipped this recipe about 3-4 years ago, from a wreck.bikes newsgroup, and didn't make any of them. The topic came up again recently, so I reposted the recipe. And someone (please forgive me for not remembering who) made them. And they came out well. So then I felt really guilty, and I made some of my own. And they came out well too. Non-cyclists at work kept stopping by my desk to see if I had any more, So here is the recipe. Please let me know how they turn out. 1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/4 cup wheat germ 0.5 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1/3 cup corn, safflower, or light olive oil 1/4 cup molasses (or equivalent mix of molasses and honey) (the honey mix is sweeter, I find all molasses a little bitter) 1/4 cup RAW sugar (not white refined sugar) 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel (California orange NOT Florida) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup orange juice (fresh JUICED from those California oranges) 1 cup chopped dried figs (or 1.5 cups total dried fruit) 1/2 cup golden raisins (I used 1 cup figs, 0.5 dry strawberries) 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts) Combine flours, sugar, wheat, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In smaller bowl, blend eggs, butter, honey, molasses, orange peel, vanilla, and orange juice with wire whip. Add liquid to dry ingredients; whip until smooth. Add figs, raisins, and almonds. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F oven for 35 minutes, until it tests done. Makes about 24 bars. Dave Blake ------------------------------ Subject: 9.38 Custom Jerseys From: Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 10:22:48 PST Does anybody know where I can find someplace that does custom jerseys for clubs? Any ideas on how much they would cost? Please Email me at one of the addresses below. Thanks for any help you can give me. There are all sorts of jersey makers that you can find here or there. They can usually be found advertising in the back of various bicycle publications. Let's see if I can do this again: Jerseys can be cheap -- in the neighborhood of $20 in quantities of 100 -- if you are willing to settle for one color (with perhaps some second color trim for the sleeve and waistband piping) with a silk screened club logo. These are the sorts of jerseys that were common in the old days. (Try Pyro Apparel which I used and for this sort of jersey they were fine.) Since the advent of fancy jerseys on professional teams more and more clubs prefer to have the same sort of jerseys which use expensive high tech materials and even more expensive coloring techniques such as sublimation printing (where the jersey is white and the colored patterns and writing is melted into the material permanently.) Jerseys of this sort will run you about $60 apiece in 100's quantities from the top line manufacturers counting all of the charges and shipping. These would have several colors and complex artwork. (You can get this sort of thing from Voler, VO2max, Canari, Castelli, etc.) Top line jerseys require top line designs and if you get amateur designers you could easily get an expensive jersey that looks like crap. So if you don't have some good industrial designers in the club and can't afford to get one, stay with the cheaper end of the chain. Also quantity discounts are substantial so a large club can get very cheap high class jerseys while a small club may actually pay more for much lower quality jerseys. http://www.pyroapparel.com/ (used and recommend) http://www.voler.com/ (used and recommend) http://www.vomax.com/ (Jazzy works for them and that's recommendation enough) http://www.pearlizumi.com/ (Their production jerseys are some of the very best) http://www.cannondale.com/ (They have very high quality stuff but I don't know whether they make custom jerseys but I would imagine so for a large order.) http://www.sugoi.ca/team/ (It's close but these guys get my vote for top quality.) A lot of people pop in and out of this business and its best to stick with people who have shown that they can deliver a product on time and remain there for years. There are also a lot of dorky clothing manufacturers that think they can capitalize on bicycling's perceived popularity beware the baggy shorts crowd since they can't figure out how to sew real lycra and coolmax. From off of the Urbanek site: (http://www.bicycleapparel.com) What you need to know before you order Team & Club Apparel Printed Jerseys and Team/Club Apparel Most of the printed jerseys that you see on the market are sublimated. Sublimation is a printing process whereby the image on a sheet of paper is transferred onto white fabric through heat and pressure. The heat and pressure cause the ink on the paper to turn to a gas which permanently impregnates the fabric. The benefit of this process is that the image is permanent and will not crack or fade like silk screening. Because the ink impregnates the fabric and does not lay on top of the fabric like silk screen printing, it does not interfere with the wicking properties or breathability of the garment. The down side to this process is the expense. Pricing is based on the number of colors in the garment and the quantity of garments you wish to order. Each company has different minimums and pricing policies so shop around. Pricing is based on the number of colors and the number of garments INFORMATION YOU WANT TO ASK Delivery times (especially important if you have a scheduled event). The average turn around time for a sublimation job is 6-8 weeks from the receipt of deposit. In peak season deliveries can get behind. Order early and allow extra time if you have a scheduled event. Garment fit. If you are buying for a team or club, ask the company to supply you with a size run of the garments that you wish to order and have everyone try them on before you place your order. You will need to give the company a deposit for the samples. The following manufacturers make custom cycling apparel for teams & clubs. Canari 800 929 2925 Castelli 877 324-7448 Giordana 800 366 4482 Hot Shoppe 949 487 2828 Kucharik 310 538 4611 Louis Garneau 802 334 5885 Pearlizumi 800 328 8488 Pace 800 762 7223 Parentini (39) 0571 467543 ST Cyclewear (619) 449-4300 Sugoi 800 432 1335 Voler 800 473 7814 VO Max 800 530 9740 INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO GIVE THE MANUFACTURER. Before you shop... have the following information ready! 1) Quantity and style of garments that you want to order. 2) Do you have art work completed, or do you want the company to do the art work for you? 3) How many colors are in your art work? 4) Do you want to have different art work on the front and back? ------------------------------ Subject: 9.39 Iliotibial Band Syndrome and Patelar Tendonitis From: Tom Kunich Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1999 22:21:41 -0800 I missed discussion earlier regarding Iliotibial Band Syndrome. I have been having leg pain lately & the doc. told me this could be causing it. What can other cyclists tell me about this ie, symptoms, causes, cure, avoidance in the future? Illiotibial Band Syndrome is caused by the bike fit all right. But it is an overuse injury and your bike fit may not be the direct cause, but instead be a factor contributing to retaining the injury. The people most in danger of contracting this RARELY serious but painful problem are short women with wide hips. However, there have been reports from both sexes and all sizes upon occasion. It is caused when the illiotibial band is stretched across the bony ridge on the outside of the knee joint. Bend your knee and feel the outside edge of your leg at the knee and that is where the pain should be if it is am illiotibial band problem. Another problem in the immediate area is patelar tendonitis. The pain for this is associated more with the knee cap (patelar) than the side of the leg/knee. PT pain is usually more towards the center of the kneecap though mine was to the outside top of the knee cap. Normally people who contract IBS from bike fit simply have the seat down too low. This is also the cause of much Patelar Tendonitis. Both problems are usually associated with a major jump in the amount of riding or the level of riding that you have performed. The cure for either is pretty much the same regiment: 1) As long as you have the pain do not ride hard. It is usually recommended that you stay in the small ring. But many people can strain just as hard in the little ring as the big. The main thing is to ride, but to ride easy. 2) Start your ride easy and ride for about 15-20 minutes then stop and stretch. Stretching is normally something like holding your left foot in your right hand for 30 seconds, releasing and resting for about a minute then repeating three times. If you can feel ANYTHING stretching you are pulling too hard. Proper stretching is designed to return tendons to their NORMAL length not pull them over your shoulder. Do both sides regardless that only one is bothered. The other side will be carrying more load than usual because you will favor the painful side. 3) Directly after your ride you must again stretch. Don't put it off till later. There is no later in stretching. You must stretch when your muscles are warmed up and the tendons are ready for it. 4) Immediately after you get back from your ride ice the painful area. I just put a few ice cubes into a zip-lock plastic bag, sat down and watched a 1/2 hour TV show. You need at least 20 minutes of icing. Some people are sensitive to ice and then need to use a regular ice back or wrap the plastic bag in a face cloth or some such. As long as you aren't burning your skin, more icing is better than less. 5) As an OPTION but one I recommend, you can take over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as aspirin or ibuprophen. NEVER MIX pain relievers. NEVER, NEVER mix them with Tylenol or other acetylmenophen mixtures. Kidney failures have been known to happen when mixing these things at package dosages. People, even doctors, are often pretty cavalier about aspirin and the like but you should always follow the package directions for maximum dosage and you should always consume a lot of water when using these things. These things are dangerous to your health if mishandled. 6) If you don't stretch you will not get better. If you don't ice you may not get better. The important thing in fit is to get the seat height and the handlebar reach appropriate for your body. There are other factors in a fit that can lead to problems but you need to know something about bike fit and this isn't the appropriate forum. Remember that it's easier to hurt yourself stretching than just about any other way so always use care when stretching. 7) Finally, I said that this rarely becomes serious -- but sometimes it does. If you allow this pain to persist for a very long time it can cause scarring of the tendon on the tibial ridge area and fixing this can require surgery. This is not the sort of pain the you can 'ride off' such as when you're hardening up your sit bones for longer rides. Or when your neck hurts from bending it up in a tight aero tuck. This pain requires you to do something about it. IF IT PERSISTS DEFINITELY GO TO A DOCTOR SPECIALIZING IN SPORTS INJURIES OF THIS NATURE. 8) Bike fit to prevent the problem in the first place. Stretch as a preventative measure if you are in the most likely group -- short, wide hipped women. Stretch, ice and ani-inflammatory to rid yourself of the problem. Ride easy until the pain is gone. In some people the pain goes away in a week while in others it takes months of hard work. And remember that in 99.99% of the cases the simplest measures are the most effective. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.40 Staying up in a crash From: "John F Tomlinson" Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 07:37:41 -0400 I just barely avoided falling in the largish crash on the last lap of a race a few weeks ago, and that got me thinking about the key elements in avoiding crashing. The first is to convince yourself of something that isn't completely true -- that you are one hundred percent responsible for staying upright and avoiding crashes. Sure, in reality another rider might take your front wheel out from under you or cause a big pile-up but, whenever you are on the bike, you've got to believe that you are responsible for yourself. That's the only way you can ensure you'll do your best not to fall. I crashed in Central Park about five years ago. Another rider slammed me from the side and we both fell off. I was vaguely aware that he was next to me and knew he was a bad rider. So while he "caused" the crash, I simply should not have been near him. That was my mistake. The second element also involves attitude -- it's learning to not give up when a crash is happening and instead to do whatever it takes to find a way around or through it. Bikes might be falling all around you, but you've got to have the confidence to keep fighting to find a way out. Don't accept that you will fall. Most importantly, don't look into a crash as it happens -- instead look for open space and get your bike through that space. You tend to steer your bike where you look and if your concentration is on falling riders, you're going to get caught up in their trouble. Too many riders see a crash, stare at it, jam on their brakes and then ride into the crash. Instead, as soon as a crash starts you want to try to get around it as fast as possible. It's sometimes OK to touch your brakes for a split second to give yourself some time to find a way around, but at racing speeds you're rarely going to actually avoid a crash by stopping. Instead just look for open space on either side of the crash and go for it. You might even want to accelerate into the open space before the crash spreads. I really can recall almost nothing about the crash a few weeks ago. Bikes started flying around in front of me and the next thing I knew I was looking for clear space. At first that space seemed to get farther and farther away as the crash got bigger and bigger but, eventually, I got through at the very edge of the road. I never looked at the actual crash. It's possible to practice focusing on open space by using a similar technique to deal with potholes on training rides -- as soon as you see one, don't look at it. Look for smooth road. With time this will become second nature. Fourth, whenever riding, keep a broad focus and stay aware of what's going on around you. Don't stare at the rider in front of you but instead look further ahead. The faster you're going, the further ahead your focus should be. This broad focus will often enable you to deal with trouble before it even starts. You'll see people getting squirrelly or the road clogging up on one side and be prepared to deal with it. Recognize too that in much the same way as you want to accelerate around crashes, you often should accelerate around trouble. Move up in the field before the road gets narrow. Get to a difficult corner at the head of the group rather than in the middle. Try to rely less on your brakes. Don't ride around in group rides or races with your hands on the brakes. Learn to deal with trouble by getting past it, not by just slowing down. This sort of "aggression" is important not only to placing well but also to your safety. Fifth is what lots of people talk about, but too few do -- work to improve your bike handling skills while on training rides. Some of these skills are to make you a smoother, more predictable rider. Others are to enable you to deal with situations in races where other riders, intentionally or not, try to take your space. Both types of skills are important. Learn to keep your upper body relaxed. Gain an understanding of how you use your hands, butt and feet to steer the bike. Practice cornering, riding on bad roads and bunny-hopping so you'll be lighter on the bike. Practice pacelines and ride closer and closer to other riders. Practicing bumping into other riders and touching wheels is good too -- you might want to start learning this while riding slowly on a grassy field. Learn about protecting your front wheel and handlebars. Riding off-road, on any kind of bike, can improve your bike handling. Elizabeth races cyclo-cross in the off-season, which is great for skills. There are a lot of details to bike handling that I won't go into here; formal coaching sessions or club rides are a good place to start. You can also use other sports to improve your balance and body awareness. Skiing, skating, soccer, basketball and dance are good. (Motorcycling is supposedly great.) Sixth, make sure your bike is in good working order. It should be reliable and fit your body well. Your weight should be properly distributed over the two wheels -- with just slightly more weight on the back wheel than the front when riding in the drops. Finally -- be aware of your limits. Crashes often happen when riders are tired and get sloppy. They don't pay attention to what's going on around them and their reactions slow. If you find yourself fighting with the bike and riding with your head down, make a conscious effort to relax and keep your eyes up. If you can't do that, back off from the race -- you're a danger to yourself and others. As you improve as a racer you'll find you get better at staying alert and in control even when very tired. Your limits are not only physical, but technical and mental too. Learning and improvement come from pushing the boundaries of what you're comfortable and proficient at. Bike racing is supposed to be difficult and a small amount of fear is normal. But if you're consistently stressed about crashing, or spending time constantly riding your brakes due to fear, it might be worth backing off in the race and giving yourself some space, even if you get dropped. A lot of times when I'm scared I ride right at the front, or go way to the back where there is more space until things calm down. Later, you can work on your skills and confidence so that in the next race, you'll be more in control. ------------------------------ Subject: 9.41 Applying Merlin Decals From: Mark Hickey Remove the old decals completely (including any residue). There shouldn't be any clear coat on top of the decals (hey, it's a ti bike). I'd suggest cleaning the tube with acetone or other solvent to make sure it's clean. Peel the heavy paper backing (I'll bet it's green) off the decal. Place the decal VERY CAREFULLY in place, starting with the top making contact. VERY CAREFULLY rub down the decal so it makes contact with the frame (you'll be able to see where this is happening). Once the decal is placed on the frame, vigorously rub the decal with a clean rag to create some heat (start slowly to keep from wrinkling the decal). When you're done, lightly "squeegee" over the decal with the edge of a credit card or something similar. You'll see the decal release from the backing as this happens. If you end up with an air bubble, you can usually pierce the decal and squeeze the air out (with the backing still in place, or "reapplied". It takes a few days for the decals to reach full strength (they dry from the outside in). Be careful with 'em during that period. Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com ------------------------------ Subject: 9.42 Flats from beer and cigarettes From: Jobst Brandt Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 11:10:32 PDT Flat tires are caused by beer in winter and by cigarettes in summer. As odd as this may seem, there is a direct link. Glass is visible on roads by its shiny splinters and shards as well as not being the same color as the road. When wet from rain, these characteristics vanish and leave glass looking like any bit of gravel. Not only is it "invisible" but it is lubricated and cuts through rubber effortlessly. A convincing experiment is to cut a thick rubber band with a razor, first dry, then wet. In summer flats are caused by puncture vine thorns, a plant that grows only on barren soil. There isn't much of that around except peculiarly on roadsides that have been sprayed to prevent grass from growing, grass that when dry presents a fire hazard for cigarettes discarded from cars. Puncture vine grows on these barren roadsides that have been created for safer cigarette disposal. If roadsides were not sprayed, puncture vine would be a rare occurrence along roads where bicyclists most often ride. http://www.cwma.org/puncturevine.html http://www.or.blm.gov:80/Prineville/weed/puncture.htm http://tinyurl.com/d0xo ------------------------------ Subject: 9.42 Riding on Ice From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:07:59 -0800 Ice riding is best done with studded tires of which there are a few suppliers, mainly in northern Europe, such as Nokian: http://www.nokiantyres.fi/bike/winter/index.html Riding on ice, especially frozen lakes, requires a few practical tricks. This applies to slick as well as studded tires. Ice, in contrast to fresh snow, is slick no matter whether it is frozen water or firmly compacted snow. It offers poor traction. Therefore, riding on ice should be done in top gear to avoid rear wheel spin. This is similar to driving cars with manual transmissions where starting in second gear helps avoid wheel spin. For bicycling on level ice, top gear is best for both starting and cruising, because while starting, acceleration is the main force while once rolling, wind drag, even at low speeds, readily exceeds traction. In the absence of studded tires for frozen lakes without a snow crust, slick tires are better than ones with miniature automobile tread because they give more contact surface, thereby reducing contact pressure and slip. Braking with the front wheel is impractical for two reasons. Skidding the front wheel usually causes a fall, and there is no way to detect that the front wheel is skidding except by falling. In contrast, rear wheel skidding is benign and it can be easily detected. By continuing to pedal while braking enables a precise ABS. When the rear wheel skids, the pedals stop suddenly, to which one can respond almost instantly by letting up the brake. The response speed and precision of this method is surprising. Good gloves help not only against the cold, but with inevitable falling, they protect the hands from the ice. Frozen lakes are a wonderful way to appreciate landscapes where there is no alternate route and is safer than riding with traffic on icy streets. Thin ice, a term heard often with risky adventures, is a hazard that occurs from currents and from convection caused by gas bubbling to the surface in marshy areas. Stay away from reeds and swamps. Water in a frozen lake is at 4C (39F), its greatest density because colder water rises to the surface and begins to freeze while warmer water rises to the surface and cools. Marsh gas bubbling to the surface brings 4C water to the surface to melt ice causing thin hollow domes that no longer contact the water. Thin spots can be detected if the surface is clear ice but they present a hazard just the same. The bubble method is used to protect boats too large to be lifted from the water. It keeps an opening in the ice from an under water bubbler pipe in the shape of the hull. http://tinyurl.com/ttp6 ------------------------------ Subject: 10 Off-Road ------------------------------ Subject: 10.1 Suspension Stems From: Brian Lee by Brian Lee & Rick Brusuelas, 1994 ABSTRACT: Discussion of the differences between suspension stems and suspension forks, and a listing of the pros & cons of suspension stems. DESCRIPTION: The suspension stem discussed here is the Allsop-type, which employs a linkage parallelogram and a spring mechanism to effect shock-absorption. Two models on the market using this mechanism are the Allsop Softride, and a version produced by J.P. Morgen, a machinist based in San Francisco. There is also a version put out by J.D Components of Taiwan (advertised in Mountain Bike Action), however judging from illustrations, this unit does not employ the parallelogram design shared by Allsop & Morgen. Other Taiwanese models may also exist. The Girvin-type stem, which uses a simpler hinge and bumper, will not be directly addressed here, although some of the comments may also apply. The Allsop-type suspension stem (suspension stem) works on a different principal than a telescopic shock fork. Instead of only the front wheel moving to absorb shock, a stem allows the entire front end of the bike to move with obstacles while the rider's position does not change. All suspension requires some form of "inertial backstop" to operate. A theoretical suspension (stem or fork) loaded with zero mass will not function regardless of the size of obstacle encountered. This is because there is nothing to force the compression of the spring mechanism. It is essentially locked out. In a fork system, the weight of the bike & rider both provide the inertial backstop. In a stem system, the rider's weight on the handlebars provides the backstop. Because of this, the two systems "ride" differently. Since most of the weight comes from the pressure of the rider's hands, the stem system encourages a more weight-forward style of riding. Or perhaps placing the stem on a frame with a shorter top tube so the rider's weight is distributed more on the front end. (Shortening the front end has also been applied by frame builders on frames intended for use with suspension forks. Ex: Bontrager.) What does this mean to you and me? It means the suspension stem requires a certain amount of the rider's weight to be on it at all times in order to remain completely active. For the majority of riding, it's just fine. The only difference is in extremely steep descents, where you are forced to keep the weight back in order to keep from going over the bars. In this situation, much less weight is on the bars to activate the stem. Further, if one were to encounter a largish rock on such a descent, what does one do? The instinctive thing is to pull back a bit to unweight the front and help the front wheel over. This removes all the weight from the stem area, and you are now riding a rigid bike again. A fork system is also affected by weight shifts, but not quite to the extent that a stem is affected, because of the weight of bike & rider coming through the head tube to be distributed into the fork. Even if you were to remove your hands from the bars on a gnarly descent and hang with butt brushing the rear wheel, you are still applying weight to the bike through the pedals. All this, of course, is theoretical and YMMV. I, for one, am not always able to react to obstacles coming at me and leave the front end weighted. When that happens, I'm very glad I have suspension. Now enough theory stuff, here's a summary of the advantages & disadvantages of suspension stems: PROs 1) Lighter than a suspension fork. This depends on the existing stem/fork combination. If the current stem and rigid fork are heavy, then a suspension fork may be a better choice. For example, I've chosen the following items for comparison, as they represent the lightest and heaviest of commercially available stems & forks (weights for all stems are for conventional types - non-Aheadset): Litespeed Titanium 211g Ritchey Force Directional 375g Allsop Stem 625g Fat Chance Big One Inch 680g Tange Big Fork 1176g Manitou 3 1360g Lawwill Leader 1588g So say you have a Litespeed stem and a Fat Chance fork. The combined weight would be 891 g. Switching to an Allsop would change the combined weight to 1305 g, while a Manitou 3 would bring it to 1571 g. The Allsop has a weight advantage of 266 g (9.4 oz). OTOH, if you have a Ritchey stem & Tange Big Fork, the original weight would be 1551 g. Allsop stem = 1801 g. Manitou 3 = 1735 g. In this case, keeping the boat anchor of a fork and switching to the Allsop would be a weight penalty of 66 g (2.3 oz.). Of course, YMMV depending on your original equipment. 2) Does not affect frame geometry. A suspension fork retrofitted to a frame, *not* designed for suspension, raises the front end - sometimes as much as 1". This reduces the effective head angle and slackens the steering, slowing it down. This is especially true for smaller sized frames which, with their shorter wheel base, are affected to a greater degree by the raising of the head tube. A suspension stem provides suspension while preserving the handling of the bike. 3) Torsionally rigid fork. Telescopic forks all have a certain amount of flex to them, and the sliders are able to move up & down independently. This aspect of front suspension forks has spawned a new line of suspension enhancing products: stiffer fork braces, and bigger, heavier suspension hubs. All to stiffen up the fork. This is one reason suspension stems are favored by some riders who ride lots of tight, twisting single track. 4) No stiction. Stiction, or static friction, is friction that exists as the fork sliders rub against the stanchion tubes. This friction is an extra force that must be overcome for a fork system to activate. Not a problem on large hits. But more of a problem on small- and medium-size impacts. Because the stem has none, the stem responds better to small, high-frequency bumps (washboard) than many air-oil forks. 5) More boing for the buck. The Allsop stem provides up to 3" of stiction-free travel, at a cost of about $250, depending where you go. The majority of forks in this price range only offer 1" - 2" of travel, and are often heavy, flexy, and fraught with stiction. The fork could be stiffened, but at the additional cost of a stiffer fork brace or perhaps a suspension hub and a rebuilt wheel (e.g. fork brace - $90; hub - $80; rebuild - $100. Plus the original $350 for the fork. YMMV). 6) Better "feel". The stem allows you to have a rigid fork, which transmits more "information" back to the rider. This is a benefit when riding through creeks where you cannot see where your wheel is. 7) Less exposed to the environment. The stem is higher, more out of the way than suspension forks. Thus you can ride through creeks and mud without having to worry about your fork seals, or about contaminating the innards of the fork. Even if mud splashes on a suspension stem, the pivots are less sensitive to grit than sliders and stanchion tubes. 8) Ease of maintenance. There are no seals to replace or service, no oil to replace, no air pressure to adjust, and no bumpers to wear out. An occasional lube of the pivots is all that is needed. An extension of this is the ease of initial set up. For best results, you have to set suspension (fork or stem) to react according to your weight and riding style. With air/oil forks you may have to change oil, adjust pressure or change damping settings (if the fork has them). With bumper forks you may need to swap out bumper stacks and mix-n-match bumpers until you get what works for you. With the stem, the only adjustment is to increase or decrease the spring tension with an allen wrench. CONs 1) No damping. This is one of the main complaints from proponents of suspension forks. The suspension stem will give way to absorb shock, but the return is not controlled and cannot be adjusted. JP Morgen currently makes a suspension stem which employs oil-damping, but Allsop does not. 2) Requires adjustment to riding style. As mentioned above, the stem requires weight to be applied to it to function. This is also one of the complaints applied to the Softride rear suspension beam. The flip-side to this, according to riders of the Beam, is once the adjustment is made to "plant your butt on the saddle" the ride is extremely comfortable and affords excellent control by sticking the rear tire to the ground. 3) Stem "clunks" on rebound. The feeling is about the same as suspension bottoming out, except it happens on the rebound. This is not as much a problem on the Allsop as on the Morgen stem, which uses a hard plastic top-out bumper. This is a subjective complaint, as some riders claim not to notice it. 4) Stem not torsionally rigid. Another trade off. The stem is not proof to twisting forces and may be noticeable in hard, out-of-the-saddle efforts. Allsop has redesigned the top beam of their aluminum stem for 1994 to address this problem. Instead of the aluminum "dog bone" structure for the top linkage member, they've substituted a machined aluminum beam, reminiscent of a cantilever bridge. SUMMARY: In my opinion, a suspension stem is an excellent choice if one is retrofitting an existing bike, which has not been designed around a suspension fork. A suspension stem is also a very good choice if one's primary riding is twisty singletrack, where you need the sharp, precise steering of a rigid fork. There are undoubtedly situations for which a stem may not be ideal, but stems should not be dismissed as a viable form of suspension. The best thing to do is to try both types of suspension if you can, and see what you like better. ------------------------------ Subject: 10.2 MTB FAQ available From: Vince Cheng The MTB FAQ from the above author is no longer available. ------------------------------ Subject: 10.3 Installing new rear derailleur spring From: Alan C Fang Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 12:27:07 -0700 (PDT) leave the derailler on the bike. first, check the orientation of the old spring so that you will know how to put in the new one. taking out the old spring shouldn't be too hard- just yank on it. if you can't do it, use the reverse of what i'm about to tell you for getting the new spring in. one end of the spring is open. that open end has to hook onto this bar on the derailler body. to get it up and over this bar, get a piece of brake or shifter cable (or a strong string) and bend it in half, putting a kink in it. put the spring inside the derailler in the proper orientation. thread this kink through the derailler where the bar is, making it go on the side of the bar opposite the open side of the spring's hook. hook the kink in the cable around the open end of the spring, and yank on the cable. that should pull the open end of the spring past the bar. now you can stuff the tip of the hook back over the bar, thus hooking the derailler spring onto the bar. the closed end of the spring is much easier to get in. what i use is a bottom bracket tool, the kind with the pins for adjusting older style bb's. use one of the pins to grab the closed end of the spring, and lift it up so that it hooks onto that [other thing]. you are done. voila! or as a dyslexic would say, viola! ------------------------------ Subject: 10.4 A Brief History of the Mountain Bike From: Jobst Brandt Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:07:59 -0800 The first -successful- high quality fat-tire bicycle was built in Marin County, California by Joe Breeze, who recognized a demand for such a bicycle while riding with friends on the rocky trails of nearby Mt Tamalpais. They used balloon-tire one-speed bicycles from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s (Schwinn Excelsior) with New Departure and Bendix coaster brakes. These brakes were the origin of the name "Repack" for one of the trails, because one descent was enough to overheat the hub brake, requiring it to be re-packed. They referred to their Mt. Tamalpais downhill bicycles as "my mountain bike" in contrast to "my road bike" without giving the term generic significance. According to Joe Breeze, riders around Santa Barbara also used the term for their fat tired trail bicycles. Joe Breeze, Otis Guy, and Gary Fisher, all still in the bicycle business today, were top category USCF riders. Many of the Tamalpais riders were members of road racing Velo Club Tamalpais, whose blue and gold jersey carried the Mt. Tamalpais silhouette logo. In October of 1977, Joe built a fat-tire bicycle of lightweight tubing that was previously found only on better road racing bicycles. It had all new, high-quality parts and 26" x 2.125" Uniroyal "Knobby" tires on Schwinn S2 rims and Phil Wood hubs. Joe built ten of these first Breezers by June 1978. Breezer #1 has been on display at various places, including the Oakland Museum, where it has been on permanent display since 1985. However the first Breezer was predated by a frame built for Charlie Kelly by Craig Mitchell earlier in 1977. As the Breezer frames that followed, it was made of 4130 chrome-molybdenum airframe tubing. Charlie equipped it with the parts from his Schwinn Excelsior including SunTour derailleurs and thumb shifters, TA aluminum cranks, Union drum brake hubs, motorcycle brake levers, Brooks B-72 saddle, Schwinn S-2 rims and UniRoyal Knobby tires (essentially, the best parts found on clunkers of that day). In spite of this, he chose to switch back to his Schwinn frame, which he rode until June of 1978, when he got himself a Breezer, and for one reason or another the Mitchell frame was not further developed. In January 1979, Joe and Otis, who were planning another tandem transcontinental record attempt, visited Tom Ritchey, who was building the frame, and brought along Joe's Breezer mountain bike. Peter Johnson, another noted frame builder who happened to be present, was impressed with its features, as was Tom, sensing the significance of the concept, both being veteran road bike trail riders in the Santa Cruz mountains. Gary Fisher got wind of Tom's interest in fat tire bikes and asked Tom to build him one. Tom built one for himself, one for Gary, and one for Gary to sell. After building nine more frames later in 1979, Tom couldn't find buyers for them in nearby Palo Alto, so he asked Fisher if he could sell them in Marin. Fisher and Charlie Kelly pooled a few hundred dollars and started "MountainBikes" which became today's Gary Fisher Bicycles. It was the first exclusively mountain bike business. It was Tom's bikes, and Fisher and Kelly's business that made the introduction of the mountain bike take hold. This was an obvious gap in the bicycle market, most builders focusing on road bikes, left this as an open field for innovation. Fisher and Kelly tried to trademark the name Mountainbike, but through procedural or definition errors the application was finally rejected. Meanwhile in the 1980's Bicycling Magazine had a "name that bike" contest that excluded the name "Mountainbike", that name being before the trade mark board at the time. ATB was the winner but it didn't hold ground against the much more natural "Mountain Bike" name that spread rapidly after the trade mark application failed. If anyone's name stands out as the builder of the earliest viable mountain bike, it is Joe Breeze, who today still produces Breezers. The marketing push first came from Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher, and Charlie Kelly and the ball was rolling. At first the USCF felt it below their dignity, as did the UCI, to include these bicycles, but after NORBA racers began to outnumber USCF racers, they relented and absorbed these upstarts, as they certainly would recumbents if they had similar public appeal. ------------------------------ Subject: 10.5 The Mike Vandeman FAQ Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 20:49:05 PDT The old Mike Vandeman FAQ is no longer available. ------------------------------ Subject: 10.6 Ode to a Usenet Kook From: (Trekkie Dad) Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 16:10:38 -0800 [previously posted on alt.mountain-bike] Ode to a Usenet Kook Do you like my mountain-bike? Do you like it? Do you, Mike? I do not like your mountain-bike. Leave it home! Go for a hike! Too many gears! Enormous treads! You rip my favorite trails to shreds! You may not ride it here or there, You may not ride it anywhere! May I ride on single-track with all my gear in camelbak? You may not ride on single-track with mountain bike or camelbak And do not ride on fire-road, It cannot take the overload. You may not ride it here or there, You may not ride it anywhere! Where may I ride my new hardtail; The one that's made by Cannondale? You may not ride your new hardtail, be it Trek or Cannondale. You may not ride on single-track With mountain bike or camelbak. I do not like your mountain-bike. Leave it home! Go for a hike! Where may I ride my plush GT With seven cogs and chainrings three? You may not ride that plush GT, in habitat that's human-free It never will be allowed, you see I want to save the woods! (for ME) Stay off the trails for heaven's sakes, Your knobby tires are killing snakes. It's known to all biologists, And famous herpetologists. We do not like your mountain-bike! Leave it home! Go for a hike! You may not ride it here or there, You may not ride it anywhere! But, mikey, you don't understand Enlightened people manage land. So I will ride my mountain-bike, I'll go on wheels. You take a hike! And I will ride it here and there, And I will ride it everywhere. I will ride on single-track With fully-loaded Camelbak. And I will ride on fire-road, It isn't such a heavy load! I will ride that new hardtail; the one that's made by Cannondale, And I will ride my plush GT (There is no place that's "human-free") A little skill is all it takes To keep from killing whippersnakes. And we all know your PhD Is NOT in herpetology. -- Trekkie Dad | ICQ #14818568 | World Without Cars Dictionary (updated November 27, 1998) at http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/2356/wwc.html ------------------------------
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