Single speed recumbent

I had a taster today of what that might be like. Yesterday I had a few
problems with my rear indexing. This morning I found that whenever I
tried to shift to a bigger sprocket, I couldn't shift as far as I wanted
to. 3/4 mile from home I stopped to investigate and found that the
cable had snapped, so I was stuck on the smallest sprocket.

I had to decide then whether it was better to keep going or to head home
and change bikes. I decided to keep going. With a fully functioning
triple chainset I had a choice of 3 gears - 63", 95" or 118". With no
serious downhills on my commute using the 118" gear was out of the
question. Fortunately 63" is only just below the range of gear sizes
that I usually use on the flat, so it was useable. I even used the 95"
gear for about a mile.

So, not too bad (wouldn't want to repeat it regularly), but it was
bloody hard work starting off and getting up hills. I was surprised
that I managed the hill up to the office, and even more surprised that I
managed the climb out of the ring road underpass on the way home - 4mph,
a 63" gear where I usually use a gear half that size.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

In article , Danny Colyer wrote:
I had a taster today of what that might be like. Yesterday I had a few
problems with my rear indexing. This morning I found that whenever I
tried to shift to a bigger sprocket, I couldn't shift as far as I wanted
to. 3/4 mile from home I stopped to investigate and found that the
cable had snapped, so I was stuck on the smallest sprocket.

With some derailleurs, you can use the limit screw to leave you stuck on
the second smallest sprocket (assuming a suitable screwdriver or substitute).
(I mention this in case anyone finds themself in the same situation and
finds they don't manage it as well as you, not as a criticism.)
Tying a knot in the broken cable to hold it in a lower gear is another
possibility (a stopper knot near the end of a housing, or around the
chainstay, or similar).

On 13 Nov 2004 09:41:41 +0000 (GMT), (Alan
Braggins) wrote:

With some derailleurs, you can use the limit screw to leave you stuck on
the second smallest sprocket (assuming a suitable screwdriver or substitute).
(I mention this in case anyone finds themself in the same situation and
finds they don't manage it as well as you, not as a criticism.)
Tying a knot in the broken cable to hold it in a lower gear is another
possibility (a stopper knot near the end of a housing, or around the
chainstay, or similar).

Or, trap the wire against the frame under a waterbottle cage bolt,
that way you can select a middle gear (or whatever is most
appropriate) for the rest of the journey.

Depends where the cable has snapped of course, you need a long enough
run on the derailleur end.


--

"It is mendacious to make moral distinction between the unspeakable
brutality of terrorism and the indiscriminate carnage of war and occupation.
Both kinds of violence are unacceptable. We cannot
support one and condemn the other."

Arundhati Roy



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Alan Braggins wrote:
With some derailleurs, you can use the limit screw to leave you stuck on
the second smallest sprocket (assuming a suitable screwdriver or substitute).
(I mention this in case anyone finds themself in the same situation and
finds they don't manage it as well as you, not as a criticism.)

I tried tightening the limit screw, but stopped when I realised that I
wouldn't be able to get any further than the second smallest sprocket,
which in this case would actually have been less useful than the
smallest. Of course it would be a different matter on an upright bike,
where you don't have 4' between the chainset and the sprockets and it's
a bad idea to use the little ring with the smallest sprocket.

Tying a knot in the broken cable to hold it in a lower gear is another
possibility (a stopper knot near the end of a housing, or around the
chainstay, or similar).

I wish I'd thought of trying that.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 21:38:59 +0000, Alan Braggins wrote:

Bob's suggestion of trapping it under a waterbottle bolt is probably
less likely to slip in a way that leaves you constantly fiddling to
stay adjusted properly. As he says, depends where it breaks though.

But if you've got the tool to undo and retighten a bolt, surely you've
also got the tool to use the limit-screws on the rear-clanger?


Mike

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 22:24:44 +0000, Danny Colyer
wrote:

I had a taster today of what that might be like. Yesterday I had a few
problems with my rear indexing. This morning I found that whenever I
tried to shift to a bigger sprocket, I couldn't shift as far as I wanted
to. 3/4 mile from home I stopped to investigate and found that the
cable had snapped, so I was stuck on the smallest sprocket.

Am I the only person around here that carries spare cables? 1 gear
cable and 1 brake cable, both cut long enough for the rear?


--
If, as Einstein said, space is curved and occupies ten
dimensions including time; How can you be certain which
is the underneath of a ladder? And how can you be certain
you haven't already walked under one next week?

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 21:57:58 GMT, Mike Causer
wrote:

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 21:38:59 +0000, Alan Braggins wrote:

Bob's suggestion of trapping it under a waterbottle bolt is probably
less likely to slip in a way that leaves you constantly fiddling to
stay adjusted properly. As he says, depends where it breaks though.

But if you've got the tool to undo and retighten a bolt, surely you've
also got the tool to use the limit-screws on the rear-clanger?

Am I the only person around here that carries spare cables? 1 gear
cable and 1 brake cable, both cut long enough for the rear?

--
If, as Einstein said, space is curved and occupies ten
dimensions including time; How can you be certain which
is the underneath of a ladder? And how can you be certain
you haven't already walked under one next week?

Alan Braggins wrote:
In article , Danny Colyer wrote:
I had a taster today of what that might be like. Yesterday I had a
few problems with my rear indexing. This morning I found that
whenever I
tried to shift to a bigger sprocket, I couldn't shift as far as I
wanted to. 3/4 mile from home I stopped to investigate and found
that the
cable had snapped, so I was stuck on the smallest sprocket.

With some derailleurs, you can use the limit screw to leave you stuck
on
the second smallest sprocket (assuming a suitable screwdriver or
substitute). (I mention this in case anyone finds themself in the
same situation and finds they don't manage it as well as you, not as
a criticism.)
Tying a knot in the broken cable to hold it in a lower gear is another
possibility (a stopper knot near the end of a housing, or around the
chainstay, or similar).

Or jam a small stone in the derailleur parrallelogram to hold it at the
right place. Worked for me once.

Richard Bates wrote:

Am I the only person around here that carries spare cables? 1 gear
cable and 1 brake cable, both cut long enough for the rear?

No. There's at least two of us weirdos who come prepared for anything.

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 21:57:58 GMT, Mike Causer
wrote:

Bob's suggestion of trapping it under a waterbottle bolt is probably
less likely to slip in a way that leaves you constantly fiddling to
stay adjusted properly. As he says, depends where it breaks though.

But if you've got the tool to undo and retighten a bolt, surely you've
also got the tool to use the limit-screws on the rear-clanger?


The limit screws don't actually give much useful adjustment. Using the
limit screw the OP's derailleur would only hold the chain on the
second smallest cog, still a pretty severe ratio. Trapping the cable
(if it was long enough to allow this solution) would let you to choose
any gear in the cluster. It only needs a single allen key tool as
well, everyone carries allan keys, don't they?


--


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