Bike adjustments

On 12/10/2019 11:42 PM, James wrote:
On 11/12/19 2:49 pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:

I'd put the attachment for Bike Friday's trailer connection on the
frame. I've
used a trailer only with the Friday, but it's been occasionally handy,
so why
not?


I have a knockoff bob yak trailer.Â* The hitching design is crap.Â* The
right side bracket that hooks on to the axle end is far too close to the
rear derailleur, and will hit the derailleur and bend the derailleur
hanger if you ride over a hump (like up a gutter).

Bike Friday uses a female threaded boss on the left chainstay, into
which you screw the male end of an air hose quick connect fitting. The
trailer has a short section of air hose with the corresponding female QC
fitting. It works perfectly, in my limited experience. The hose itself
provides the flexibility needed in a trailer connection.

I've read that some people have had the hose fail after a long time.
I've probably got less than a thousand miles use on the trailer and
hitch, so mine is fine. I suppose if I were starting off on a
coast-to-coast trip, I'd either carry a spare bit of hose, or safety
wire the connection. Or both.


--
- Frank Krygowski

James wrote:

Yet mechanical discs would make braking more consistent in all
conditions while not eroding your rims particularly in the wet (think
longevity), and would make removing a wheel with 40 mm tyres easier.

And they'd be noisier, and more complicated to adjust, and easier to damage, and heavier, and the wheels would be weaker and less stiff per weight. They would cost more, too. As for wear, in my observation disc rotors wear out more often than rim sidewalls, and they cost approximately the same as rims too.

There's a place for disc brakes. "Every bike, all the time" isn't it.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 10:16:35 AM UTC-8, Chalo wrote:
James wrote:

Yet mechanical discs would make braking more consistent in all
conditions while not eroding your rims particularly in the wet (think
longevity), and would make removing a wheel with 40 mm tyres easier.

And they'd be noisier, and more complicated to adjust, and easier to damage, and heavier, and the wheels would be weaker and less stiff per weight. They would cost more, too. As for wear, in my observation disc rotors wear out more often than rim sidewalls, and they cost approximately the same as rims too.

There's a place for disc brakes. "Every bike, all the time" isn't it.

I used mechanical discs commuting every day for ten years and never wore out a rotor -- and that was rain or shine or snow (or what have you) in the PNW. My work cohort was changing his front rim at least every two years. He's heavier and has a longer commute, but he's a reasonable data point. You can get some really cheap rotors, BTW. https://tinyurl.com/tenp4sr Some rims are cheap, too, but there is labor involved and the issue with needing new spokes if you change rim models and can't match ERDs.

Cable discs were simple to adjust once mounted -- just spin-in the adjustment wheel as the pads wore. Way easier to mount and adjust than cantis with STI. Disc pads wear faster and can be expensive, and you do have to watch pad wear and adjustment -- meaning you have to pay attention or you can wear the pad down to the carrier or the return springs. It's not all upside. I haven't had problems with wheel strength or durability, apart from self-inflicted problems (using used spokes willy nilly and changing orientation, which I think leads to broken spokes). It's true, though, that you need a stronger wheel.

I agree that discs -- and particularly hydro discs-- are a luxury on a dry weather bike (or maybe even a burden) unless you have CF wheels or need a really strong brake. I think discs shine in wet weather and have other benefits that make them a good choice for all-year commuters, gravel bikes, etc..

-- Jay Beattie.

On 12/12/19 5:16 am, Chalo wrote:
James wrote:

Yet mechanical discs would make braking more consistent in all
conditions while not eroding your rims particularly in the wet
(think longevity), and would make removing a wheel with 40 mm tyres
easier.

And they'd be noisier,

Not in my experience, unless the pads get oil soaked, in which case
replace the pads and clean the rotor and they're quiet again. Rim
brakes can be very noisy too. There have been long discussions on this
news group about noisy rim brakes and how to make them quiet.

and more complicated to adjust,

Not in my experience with TRP Spyre-C calipers. In fact they are dead
simple. You don't even need to align the pads.

and easier to
damage,

Intentionally? Even a damaged rotor replacement is only $28 AUD (TRP
brand). I can't buy a decent rim for that price.

and heavier,

A small sacrifice I'm happy to make. Hell, my entire gravel bike with
off road tyres, heavy wheels, pump, bidons and such weighs about 15 kg.
I don't care about a few grams extra for better brakes.

and the wheels would be weaker and less stiff
per weight.

Wow. I'm terrified.

They would cost more, too.

No problem.

As for wear, in my
observation disc rotors wear out more often than rim sidewalls, and
they cost approximately the same as rims too.

And a 6 bolt rotor can be replaced in a couple of minutes where as a rim
replacement takes a couple of hours.


There's a place for disc brakes. "Every bike, all the time" isn't
it.


I didn't suggest that it was, Chalo. I'm quite happy with the rim
brakes on my road bike, for example. I rarely ride it in the rain so
rims take many years to wear out, and my Campagnolo levers have a button
that releases the caliper so I can easily remove and replace a wheel
without disconnecting a cable or anything like it.

But for a touring bike that I expect is used in all weather, where the
bike owner wants to use fat tyres that won't slip between rim brake pads
easily, disc brakes seem to me to be a good option, and certainly
shouldn't be so utterly dismissed as Frank did.

--
JS

On Tuesday, December 10, 2019 at 7:49:24 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Hmm. Tough question! As I've stated many times, I don't have a connoisseur
mentality.

I'm still trying to find your mentality. I have been so car unsuccessful. At this point you appear to be an engineer that doesn't know how to engineer and a teacher who has shown not the slightest talent for it.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 2:08:32 PM UTC+1, sms wrote:
On 12/10/2019 1:58 PM, wrote:

snip

What is your dream bike Frank (honest question) and what is custom on that frame or bike?

Pretty much everyone in the U.S. dreams of a Rivendell of some sort.

You are kidding, no?

Lou

On 12/11/2019 10:16 AM, Chalo wrote:
James wrote:

Yet mechanical discs would make braking more consistent in all
conditions while not eroding your rims particularly in the wet (think
longevity), and would make removing a wheel with 40 mm tyres easier.

And they'd be noisier, and more complicated to adjust, and easier to damage, and heavier, and the wheels would be weaker and less stiff per weight. They would cost more, too. As for wear, in my observation disc rotors wear out more often than rim sidewalls, and they cost approximately the same as rims too.

LOL, even if new rotors cost the same as new rims, which they don't, a
rim does not equal a wheel. You have to move the hub and all the spokes
to the new rim and true the new wheel. A five minute rotor swap turns
into a multi-hour wheel-build.

There's a place for disc brakes. "Every bike, all the time" isn't it.

Perhaps not every bike, just line not every car. But most bikes would
benefit from disc brakes and they are now included even on many
lower-priced bikes. When a $300 non-department store road bike comes
with disc brakes you know that they've become ubiquitous.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 2:28:47 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 2:08:32 PM UTC+1, sms wrote:
On 12/10/2019 1:58 PM, wrote:

snip

What is your dream bike Frank (honest question) and what is custom on that frame or bike?

Pretty much everyone in the U.S. dreams of a Rivendell of some sort.

You are kidding, no?

Yes. SMS loves deadpan and assumes that readers will understand his humor without the assistance of emojis, emoticons or laugh signs. You have to respect his comedic purity.

On the other hand, the people of Cupertino thought he was joking when he ran for office. If you wrongly assume SMS is joking, the consequences can be catastrophic. You may end up with unintended bicycle facilities.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Wednesday, 11 December 2019 17:14:45 UTC-5, James wrote:
On 12/12/19 5:16 am, Chalo wrote:
James wrote:

Yet mechanical discs would make braking more consistent in all
conditions while not eroding your rims particularly in the wet
(think longevity), and would make removing a wheel with 40 mm tyres
easier.

And they'd be noisier,

Not in my experience, unless the pads get oil soaked, in which case
replace the pads and clean the rotor and they're quiet again. Rim
brakes can be very noisy too. There have been long discussions on this
news group about noisy rim brakes and how to make them quiet.

and more complicated to adjust,

Not in my experience with TRP Spyre-C calipers. In fact they are dead
simple. You don't even need to align the pads.

and easier to
damage,

Intentionally? Even a damaged rotor replacement is only $28 AUD (TRP
brand). I can't buy a decent rim for that price.

and heavier,

A small sacrifice I'm happy to make. Hell, my entire gravel bike with
off road tyres, heavy wheels, pump, bidons and such weighs about 15 kg.
I don't care about a few grams extra for better brakes.

and the wheels would be weaker and less stiff
per weight.

Wow. I'm terrified.

They would cost more, too.

No problem.

As for wear, in my
observation disc rotors wear out more often than rim sidewalls, and
they cost approximately the same as rims too.

And a 6 bolt rotor can be replaced in a couple of minutes where as a rim
replacement takes a couple of hours.


There's a place for disc brakes. "Every bike, all the time" isn't
it.


I didn't suggest that it was, Chalo. I'm quite happy with the rim
brakes on my road bike, for example. I rarely ride it in the rain so
rims take many years to wear out, and my Campagnolo levers have a button
that releases the caliper so I can easily remove and replace a wheel
without disconnecting a cable or anything like it.

But for a touring bike that I expect is used in all weather, where the
bike owner wants to use fat tyres that won't slip between rim brake pads
easily, disc brakes seem to me to be a good option, and certainly
shouldn't be so utterly dismissed as Frank did.

--
JS

IF I was buying a new touring bike, I'd SERIOUSLY consider one with disc brakes simply because with those I wouldn't have to worry about a pannier hitting a brake arm and thereby causing brake drag.

Cheers

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 1:16:06 PM UTC, wrote:
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 1:12:22 PM UTC+1, Andre Jute wrote:
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 9:29:57 AM UTC, wrote:

https://www.santosbikes.com/nl/fiets...ie/travel-lite

Nice. I especially like the smooth welds. I hate visible welding on my bikes. Also the "wireless" hub dynamo lighting seems very tasty indeed.

This is a nice motivational touch:
"Tip: testen zegt meer dan cijfers."

But what is this sticking out from the frame end?
https://www.santosbikes.com/template...-43bc6c20.jpeg
A different angle on the excrescence:
https://www.santosbikes.com/template...-6db242e9.jpeg
Some kind of a jockey wheel on a Gates belt? The Rohloff and the Gates are supposed to be simplifying devices. It is one of their great advantages.. When manufacturers start adding sticking-out bits to devices that depend on their simplicity for an extended service life...

Andre Jute
It's always the details that matter most in the end

They call it a snubber to prevent the belt to slip under high torque. I'm not fond of it either. You see a lot of beltdrives without it. I don't know if it is really necessary or just an extra safety on this bike.

Lou

Thanks, Lou. -- AJ