home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!news.claremont.edu!ucivax!news.service.uci.edu!nntpsrv
- From: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu (Mike Iglesias)
- Subject: Rec.Bicycles Frequently Asked Questions Posting Part 3/4
- Nntp-Posting-Host: draco.acs.uci.edu
- Expires: 20 Jul 93 00:00:00 GMT
- Message-ID: <rec-bicycles-faq-3_930614@draco.acs.uci.edu>
- Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc,news.answers,rec.answers
- Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
- Organization: University of California, Irvine
- Lines: 1577
- Supersedes: <rec-bicycles-faq-3_930418@draco.acs.uci.edu>
- References: <rec-bicycles-faq-1_930614@draco.acs.uci.edu>
- Date: 15 Jun 93 03:38:48 GMT
- Followup-To: rec.bicycles.misc
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.bicycles.misc:5556 news.answers:9404 rec.answers:1192
-
- Archive-name: bicycles-faq/part3
-
- [Note: The complete FAQ is available via anonymous ftp from
- draco.acs.uci.edu (128.200.34.12), in pub/rec.bicycles.]
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Indexed Steering (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com)
-
- > 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 the use of the term brinelling
- 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 an "indexed" head bearing.
-
- Damage to the head bearings seems to be twofold in this case because the
- steering, if properly adjusted, only gets looser from dimpled bearings and
- would not become arrested by the dimples. So the head was adjusted too
- tight or it got tighter inadvertently. However, dimpling is caused by
- lubrication failure and occurs while riding straight ahead. This condition
- is worsened by a tight bearing while a loose bearing would introduce more
- lubricant if it were to rattle.
-
- If you believe it comes from hammering the balls into the races, I suggest
- you try to cause some dimples by hammering with a hammer onto the underside
- of the fork crown of a clunker bike of your choice. Those who pounded in
- cotters on cottered cranks will recall no such dimpling on the BB axle and
- even though this is a far smaller bearing race than a head bearing and the
- blows are more severe and direct, no dimples were made.
-
- Ball bearings make metal-to-metal contact only when subjected to fretting loads
- (microscopic oscillations) while in the same position, as in riding straight
- ahead on a conventional road. If you watch your front axle while rolling
- down the road at 20+ mph you will notice that the fork ends vibrate fore and
- aft. This motion arises not at the blade tips but at the fork crown and
- articulates the head bearing in fretting motions that are not in the normal
- direction of bearing rotation. Any substantial steering motion replenishes
- lubrication from adjoining areas.
-
- Lubrication failure from fretting causes welding between the balls and
- races and these tiny weld spots tear out repeatedly. The result is that at
- the front and rear of the races elliptical milky dimples occur. Were these
- brinelling (embossed through force) they would be shiny and round. Various
- testimonials for the durability of one bearing over another may be based on
- good experience, however, the differences in most of these was not in the
- design of the bearing but rather the type of lubricant used. A ball bearing
- is not suitable for this use. This is in spite of their use in almost all
- bicycles.
-
- To reduce point loads and to protect the rolling elements from fretting
- motion, roller bearing head bearings have been built. In these the rotary
- motion is taken up in needle bearings on conical races and the fork
- articulation is absorbed by an approximation of a spherical cup (the steel
- race) against the aluminum housing. Both of these bearings are ideally
- loaded. The rollers all remain in contact and carry rotary motion while
- the plain spherical bearing remains in full contact carrying low pressure
- fore and aft motion.
-
- I am disappointed that roller bearings until now have not been suitably
- perfected to rid us of the age old bearing failure. Maybe some day soon
- Sun Tour, Campagnolo, Shimano or Stronglight will emerge with an easily
- adjustable and fully compatible bearing. The one I am using is durable but
- not easily adjusted and it has too great a stack height to qualify for a
- recommended replacement.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Center Pivot vs. Dual Pivot Brakes (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com)
-
- Sidepull (one central pivot) brakes operate at a small angle to the
- rim. That means the pad moves in a nearly perpendicular direction to
- the braking surface and the pads can be completely worn down without
- adjusting their position. The unit is light and has a self contained
- quick release and cable adjustment feature.
-
- Its weakness is its thin arms that, in the pursuit of light weight,
- flex in the bending direction. With the current practice to minimize
- tire clearance on road bicycles, sidepull brakes cannot be used off
- road for lack of dirt clearance. Their return spring is anchored in a
- way that relative motion occurs between it and the brake arms. This
- motion demands lubrication and in its absence the brake does not
- center itself. This is a perpetual problem that has not been solved
- and has given rise to many designs, the latest of which is the Shimano
- dual pivot brake. This brake has the disadvantage that it cannot
- track a wobbly wheel because it is forced to be centered.
-
- The cantilever and centerpull brakes are inversions of the same
- design. Both have pivot points that are at 45 degrees to the brake
- surface, but the centerpull offers no advantage over sidepulls because
- it has all the same problems and not the advantages. In contrast the
- cantilever is the most rigid of available brakes and offers more tire
- clearance for off road use.
-
- The approach angel moves the brake pads in an undesirable direction so
- that as the pad wears it must be adjusted to prevent falling off the
- rim. With wear, the centerpull goes into the tire while the
- cantilever allows the pad to pop under the rim, never to return.
- Cantilever brakes have the additional problem that their reaction
- force spreads the forks. For this reason, U shaped stress plates are
- made to contain this force. For forks with telescopic suspension,
- braking restricts forks motion.
-
- Nearly all bicycle brakes have about the same mechanical advantage
- (4:1) that arises primarily in the hand lever. The "calipers" all
- approximate a 1:1 ratio. This is necessary to fit the reach of the
- average hand and the strength of the hand in proportion to body
- weight. That is to say all brakes are made to about the same human
- specification. Force and motion are a trade-off and this is the
- result.
-
- The Campagnolo Delta and Modolo Chronos brakes have a variable ratio
- that at the extremes ranges from infinity to zero, its motion being
- generated by an equilateral parallelogram that changes from one
- extreme to the other. This is an undesirable feature, especially as
- the pads wear and braking takes place in the zone of increased lever
- travel and increased mechanical advantage. The brake bottoms out
- abruptly.
-
- Servo activation on cantilever brakes has been offered in a design that
- uses the forward thrust on the brake post to add force to the
- application. Self servo effects are undesirable in brakes because the
- proportionality between braking and hand force is lost. You don't
- know how much braking you will get for a given hand lever force. It
- can vary widely and in some circumstances cause an unwanted skid.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Seat adjustments (Roger Marquis marquis@well.sf.ca.us)
-
- 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 coaches and riders both here and in Europe.
-
- A) Adjust saddle level or very slightly nose up, no more
- than 2mm at the nose.
- B) Put on the shoes you normally ride in. Have wrench ready
- (usually a 5mm Allen).
- C) Mount the bike and sit comfortably, leaning against a
- wall. Hold the brake on with one hand (or mount the bike
- on a turbo trainer if you have one).
- D) Place your HEELS on the pedals, opposite the clip, pedal
- backwards at 30+ rpm without rocking your pelvis (very
- important).
- E) Adjust seat height so that there is about:
- 1) ZERO TO ONE HALF CM. for recreational riders
- (-50 mi/wk.),
- 2) ONE HALF TO ONE CM. for experienced riders
- (50+ mi./wk.),
- 3) ONE TO TWO CM. for endurance cyclists (250+ mi./wk.),
- between your heel and the pedal. If your soles are
- thicker at the cleat than at the heel adjust accordingly.
- Don't forget to grease the seat post.
- F) Ride. It may take a couple of rides to get used to the
- feel and possibly stretch the hamstrings and Achilles
- slightly.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Cleat adjustments (Roger Marquis marquis@well.sf.ca.us)
-
- [Ed 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.]
-
- A) Grease the cleat bolts and lightly tighten.
- B) Sitting on the bike, put your feet in the pedals and
- adjust until:
- B1) The ball of your foot is directly above or, more
- commonly, slightly behind the pedal axle and:
- B2) There is approximately 1 cm. (1/2in.) between your ankle
- and the crank arm.
- C) Tighten the cleat bolts 80% and go out for a ride.
- If another position feels more comfortable rotate
- your foot into that position.
- D) Carefully remove your shoes from the pedals and tighten
- the bolts fully. If you cannot get out of the pedals
- without shifting the cleats leave your shoes on the bike
- and draw an outline around the cleat.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- SIS Adjustment Procedure (Bob Fishell spike@cbnewsd.att.com)
-
- Shimano's instructions for adjusting SIS drivetrains varies from series
- to series. The following method, however, works for each of mine (600EX,
- 105, and Deore'). [Ed note: Works on Exage road and mtb also.]
-
- Your chain and cogs must be in good shape, and the cable must be free
- of kinks, slips, and binds. The outer cable should have a liner.
- clean and lubricate all points where the cable contacts anything.
-
- SIS adjustment:
-
- 1) Shift the chain onto the largest chainwheel and the smallest cog,
- e.g., 52 and 13.
-
- 2) WITHOUT TURNING THE CRANKS, move the shift lever back until it
- clicks, and LET GO. This is the trick to adjusting SIS.
-
- 3) Turn the crank. If the chain does not move crisply onto the next
- inside cog, shift it back where you started, turn the SIS barrel
- adjuster (on the back of the rear derailleur) one-half turn CCW,
- and go back to step 2. Repeat for each pair of cogs in turn
- until you can downshift through the entire range of the large
- chainwheel gears without the chain hesitating. If you have just
- installed or reinstalled a shift cable, you may need to do this
- several times.
-
- 4) Move the chain to the small chainring (middle on a triple) and the
- largest cog.
-
- 5) turn the cranks and upshift. If the chain does not move crisply
- from the first to the second cog, turn the SIS barrel adjuster
- one-quarter turn CW.
-
- If the drivetrain cannot be tuned to noiseless and trouble-free
- SIS operation by this method, you may have worn cogs, worn chain,
- or a worn, damaged, or obstructed shift cable. Replace as needed
- and repeat the adjustment.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 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 are:
-
- 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.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 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.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Frame Stiffness (Bob Bundy bobb@ico.isc.com)
-
- As many of you rec.bicycles readers are aware, there have been occasional,
- sometimes acrimonious, discussions about how some frames are so much
- stiffer than others. Cannondale frames seem to take most of the abuse.
- The litany of complaints about some bike frames is long and includes
- excessive wheel hop, numb hands, unpleasant ride, broken spokes,
- pitted headsets, etc. I was complaining to a friend of mine about how there
- was so much ranting and raving but so little empirical data - to which
- he replied, "Why don't you stop complaining and do the measurements
- yourself?". To that, I emitted the fateful words, "Why not, after all,
- how hard can it be?". Following some consultation with Jobst and a few
- other friends, I ran the following tests:
-
- The following data were collected by measuring the vertical deflection at
- the seat (ST), bottom bracket (BB) and head tube (HT) as a result of
- applying 80lb of vertical force. The relative contributions of the
- tires, wheels, fork, and frame (the diamond portion) were measured using
- a set of jigs and a dial indicator which was read to the nearest .001
- inch. For some of the measures, I applied pressures from 20 to 270 lbs
- to check for any significant nonlinearity. None was observed. The same
- set of tires (Continentals) and wheels were used for all measurements.
- Note that these were measures of in-plane stiffness, which should be
- related to ride comfort, and not tortional stiffness which is something
- else entirely.
-
- Bikes:
-
- TA - 1987 Trek Aluminum 1200, this model has a Vitus front fork, most
- reviews describe this as being an exceptionally smooth riding bike
-
- SS - 1988 Specialized Sirus, steel CrMo frame, described by one review as
- being stiff, hard riding and responsive
-
- DR - 1987 DeRosa, SP/SL tubing, classic Italian road bike
-
- RM - 1988 Cannondale aluminum frame with a CrMo fork, some reviewers
- could not tolerate the rough ride of this bike
-
-
- TA SS DR RM
- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
- ST BB HT ST BB HT ST BB HS ST BB HT
- diamond 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 0
- fork 3 11 45 3 9 36 4 13 55 3 10 40
- wheels 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
- tires 68 52 66 68 52 66 68 52 66 68 52 66
- total 74 66 113 75 65 104 76 69 123 74 65 108
-
-
- What is going on here? I read the bike mags and this net enough to know
- that people have strong impressions about the things that affect ride
- comfort. For example, it is common to hear people talk about rim types
- (aero vs. non-aero), spoke size, butting and spoke patterns and how they
- affect ride. Yet the data presented here indicate, just a Jobst predicted,
- that any variation in these factors will essentially be undetectable to
- the rider. Similarly, one hears the same kind of talk about frames,
- namely, that frame material X gives a better ride than frame material Y, that
- butted tubing gives a better ride that non-butted, etc. (I may have even
- made such statements myself at some time.) Yet, again, the data suggest
- that these differences are small and, perhaps, even undetectable. I offer
- two explanations for this variation between the data and subjective reports
- of ride quality.
-
- Engineering:
- These data are all static measurements and perhaps only applicable at the
- end of the frequency spectrum. Factors such as frequency response, and
- damping might be significant factors in rider comfort.
-
- Psychology:
- There is no doubt that these bikes all look very different, especially the
- Cannondale. They even sound different while riding over rough
- roads. These factors, along with the impressions of friends and reviews
- in bike magazines may lead us to perceive differences where they, in fact,
- do not exist.
-
- Being a psychologist, I am naturally inclined toward the psychological
- explanation. I just can't see how the diamond part of the frame contributes
- in any significant way to the comfort of a bike. The damping of the frame
- should be irrelevant since it doesn't flex enough that there is any
- motion to actually dampen. That the frame would become flexible at
- some important range of the frequency spectrum doesn't seem likely either.
-
- On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence that people are often very
- poor judges of their physical environment. They often see relationships
- where they don't exist and mis-attribute other relationships. For example,
- peoples' judgement of ride quality in automobiles is more related to the
- sounds inside the automobile than the ride itself. The only way to get
- a good correlation between accelerometers attached to the car seat and
- the rider's estimates of ride quality is to blindfold and deafen the
- rider (not permanently!). This is only one of many examples of mis-
- attribution. The role of expectation is even more powerful. (Some even
- claim that whole areas of medicine are built around it - but that is
- another story entirely.) People hear that Cannondales are stiff and,
- let's face it, they certainly *look* stiff. Add to that the fact that
- Cannondales sound different while going over rough roads and perhaps
- the rider has an auditory confirmation of what is already believed to
- be true.
-
- Unless anyone can come up with a better explanation, I will remain
- convinced that differences in ride quality among frames are more a
- matter of perception than of actual physical differences.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Frame materials
-
- [Ed note: I got this information from some of the books I have. People
- in the know are welcome to update this.]
-
- There are several materials that are used to make bicycle frames. They
- are:
-
- Mild steel - usually used in cheap department store bikes. Frames
- made from mild steel are heavy.
-
- High carbon steel - a higher quality material used in low end bikes.
- Reynolds 500 is an example.
-
- Steel alloy - lighter and better riding than high-carbon frames. Reynolds
- 501 and Tange Mangaloy are examples.
-
- Chro-moly - also called chrome-molybdenum or manganese-molybdenum steel.
- One of the finest alloys for bike frames. Reynolds 531 and
- Columbus SL and SP are some of the best known brands.
-
- Carbon fiber - high tech stuff. Made from space-age materials, frames
- made of this are very light and strong. Some problems
- have been seen in the connections between the tubes and
- bottom bracket, etc.
-
- Aluminum - Light frames, usually with larger diameter tubes.
- Cannondale is a well-known brand.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Bike pulls to one side (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com)
-
- For less than million dollar bikes this is easy to fix, whether it corrects
- the cause or not. If a bike veers to one side when ridden no-hands, it
- can be corrected by bending the forks to the same side as you must lean
- to ride straight. This is done by bending the fork blades one at a time,
- about 3 mm. If more correction is needed, repeat the exercise.
-
- The problem is usually in the forks although it is possible for frame
- misalignment to cause this effect. The kind of frame alignment error
- that causes this is a head and seat tube not in the same plane. This
- is not easily measured other than by sighting or on a plane table.
- The trouble with forks is that they are more difficult to measure even
- though shops will not admit it. It takes good fixturing to align a
- fork because a short fork blade can escape detection by most
- measurement methods. Meanwhile lateral and in-line corrections may
- seem to produce a straight fork that still pulls to one side.
- However, the crude guy who uses the method I outlined above will make
- the bike ride straight without measurement. The only problem with
- this is that the bike may pull to one side when braking because the
- fork really isn't straight but is compensated for lateral balance.
-
- This problem has mystified more bike shops because they did not recognize
- the problem. Sequentially brazing or welding fork blades often causes
- unequal length blades and bike shops usually don't question this dimension.
- However, in your case I assume the bike once rode straight so something
- is crooked
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Frame repair (David Keppel pardo@cs.washington.edu)
-
- (Disclaimer: my opinions do creep in from time to time!)
-
- When frames fail due to manufacturing defects they are usually
- replaced under warranty. When they fail due to accident or abuse
- (gee, I don't know *why* it broke when I rode off that last
- motorcycle jump, it's never broken when I rode it off it before!)
- you are left with a crippled or unridable bike.
-
- There are various kinds of frame damage that can be repaired. The
- major issues are (a) figuring out whether it's repairable (b) who
- can do it and (c) whether it's worth doing (sometimes repairs just
- aren't worth it).
-
- Kinds of repairs: Bent or cracked frame tubes, failed joints, bent
- or missing braze-on brackets, bent derailleur hangars, bent or
- broken brake mounts, bent forks, etc. A frame can also be bent out
- of alignment without any visible damage; try sighting from the back
- wheel to the front, and if the front wheel hits the ground to one
- side of the back wheel's plane (when the front wheel is pointing
- straight ahead), then the frame is probably out of alignment.
-
-
- * Can it be repaired?
-
- Just about any damage to a steel frame can be repaired. Almost any
- damage to an aluminum or carbon fiber frame is impossible to repair.
- Titanium frames can be repaired but only by the gods. Some frames
- are composites of steel and other materials (e.g., the Raleigh
- Technium). Sometimes damage to steel parts cannot be repaired
- because repairs would affect the non-steel parts.
-
- Owners of non-steel frames can take heart: non-steel frames can
- resist some kinds of damage more effectively than steel frames, and
- may thus be less likely to be damaged. Some frames come with e.g.,
- replacable derailleur hangers (whether you can *get* a replacement
- is a different issue, though). Also, many non-steel frames have
- steel forks and any part of a steel fork can be repaired.
-
- Note: For metal frames, minor dents away from joints can generally
- be ignored. Deep gouges, nicks, and cuts in any frame may lead to
- eventual failure. With steel, the failure is generally gradual.
- With aluminum the failure is sometimes sudden.
-
- Summary: if it is steel, yes it can be repaired. If it isn't steel,
- no, it can't be repaired.
-
-
- * Who can do it?
-
- Bent derailleur hangers can be straightened. Indexed shifting
- systems are far more sensitive to alignment than non-indexed. Clamp
- an adjustable wrench over the bent hanger and yield the hanger
- gently. Leave the wheel bolted in place so that the derailleur hanger
- is bent and not the back of the dropout. Go slowly and try not to
- overshoot. The goal is to have the face of the hanger in-plane with
- the bike's plane of symmetry.
-
- Just about any other repair requires the help of a shop that builds
- frames since few other shops invest in frame tools. If you can find
- a shop that's been around for a while, though, they may also have
- some frame tools.
-
-
- * Is it worth it?
-
- The price of the repair should be balanced with
-
- * The value of the bicycle
- * What happens if you don't do anything about the damage
- * What would a new bike cost
- * What would a new frame cost
- * What would a used bike cost
- * What would a used frame cost
- * What is the personal attachment
-
- If you are sentimentally attached to a frame, then almost any repair
- is worth it. If you are not particularly attached to the frame,
- then you should evaluate the condition of the components on the rest
- of the bicycle. It may be cheaper to purchase a new or used frame
- or even purchase a whole used bike and select the best components
- from each. For example, my most recent reconstruction looked like:
-
- * Bike's estimated value: $300
- * Do nothing about damage: unridable
- * Cost of new bike: $400
- * Cost of new frame: $250+
- * Cost of used bike: $200+
- * Cost of used frame: N/A
- * Cost of repair: $100+
- * Personal attachment: zip
-
- Getting the bike on the road again was not a big deal: I have lots
- of other bikes, but I *wanted* to have a commuter bike. Since I
- didn't *need* it, though, I could afford to wait a long time for
- repairs. The cost of a new bike was more than I cared to spend.
- It is hard to get a replacement frame for a low-cost bicycle. I
- did a good bit of shopping around and the lowest-cost new frame
- that I could find was $250, save a low-quality frame in the
- bargain basement that I didn't want. Used frames were basically the
- same story: people generally only sell frames when they are
- high-quality frames. Because the bike was a road bike, I could have
- purchased a used bike fairly cheaply; had the bike been a fat-tire
- bike, it would have been difficult to find a replacement. The cost
- of the frame repair included only a quick ``rattlecan'' spray, so
- the result was aesthetically unappealing and also more fragile. For
- a commuter bike, though, aesthetics are secondary, so I went with
- repair.
-
- There is also a risk that the `fixed' frame will be damaged. I had
- a frame crack when it was straightened. I could have had the tube
- replaced, but at much greater expense. The shop had made a point
- that the frame was damaged enough that it might crack during repair
- and charged me 1/2. I was able to have the crack repaired and I
- still ride the bike, but could have been left both out the money
- and without a ridable frame.
-
-
- * Summary
-
- Damaged steel frames can always be repaired, but if the damage is
- severe, be sure to check your other options. If the bicycle isn't
- steel, then it probably can't be repaired.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Frame Fatigue (John Unger junger@rsg1.er.usgs.gov)
-
- I think that some of the confusion (and heat...) on this subject
- arises because people misunderstand the term fatigue and equate it
- with some sort of "work hardening" phenomena.
-
- By definition, metal fatigue and subsequent fatique failure are
- well-studied phenomena that occur when metal (steel, aluminum,
- etc.) is subjected to repeated stresses within the _elastic_ range
- of its deformation. Elastic deformation is defined as deformation
- that results in no permanent change in shape after the stess is
- removed. Example: your forks "flexing" as the bike rolls over a
- cobblestone street.
-
- (an aside... The big difference between steel and aluminum
- as a material for bicycles or anything similar is that you
- can design the tubes in a steel frame so that they will
- NEVER fail in fatigue. On the other hand, no matter how
- over-designed an aluminum frame is, it always has some
- threshold in fatigue cycles beyond which it will fail.)
-
- This constant flexing of a steel frame that occurs within the
- elastic range of deformation must not be confused with the
- permanent deformation that happens when the steel is stressed beyond
- its elastic limit, (e. g., a bent fork). Repeated permanent
- deformation to steel or to any other metal changes its strength
- characteristics markedly (try the old "bend a paper clip back and
- forth until it breaks" trick).
-
- Because non-destructive bicycle riding almost always limits the
- stresses on a frame to the elastic range of deformation, you don't
- have to worry about a steel frame "wearing out" over time.
-
- I'm sorry if all of this is old stuff to the majority of this
- newsgroup's readers; I just joined a few months ago.
-
- I can understand why Jobst might be weary about discussing this
- subject; I can remember talking about it on rides with him 20 years
- ago....
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Weight = Speed? (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com)
-
- > 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.
-
- ===========================================================================
- Misc
- ===========================================================================
-
- 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)
- IHPVA
- PO 51255
- Indianapolis, IN 46251-0255
- (317) 876-9478
-
- 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
-
- The Recumbent Bicycle Club of America
- 427 Amherst St Suite 305
- Nashua NH 03063 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
-
- CROSSWORDS -- The Hybrid/Cross Bike Enthusiast's Newsletter
- CROSSWORDS
- P.O. Box 3207
- Walnut Creek, CA 94598
- Published Quarterly; Single Issue: $2.50, Two Issues: $4.00
- (Make checks payable to 'Mark Chandler')
- Mail 'chandler@wc.novell.com' or 'Crosswords' (AOL) for more info
-
-
- 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 0-9607236-2-5
-
- 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 - A Treatise on their Design.
- By Archibald Sharp
- MIT Press
- (reportedly written around 1899 or so, with lots of interesting
- information)
-
- 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
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 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: 719-576-3474
- fax: 719-576-3598
-
- 2455 Executive Circle
- Colorado Springs, CO 80906
-
-
- 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
-
- 3275 Prairie Ave. #1
- Boulder, CO 80301
-
-
- Loose Screws
- (503) 488-4800
- (503) 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
-
- 4111 Simon Road
- Youngstown, OH 44512-1343
-
-
- Performance Bike Shop
- orders: 1-800-727-2453 (1-800-PBS-BIKE)
- 919-933-9113 Foreign orders
- info: 800-727-2433 Customer Support
- fax:
-
- One Performance Way
- P.O. Box 2741
- Chapel Hill, NC 27514
-
-
- 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)
- 508-240-2437
-
- P.O. Box 2820
- Orleans MA 02653
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Road Gradient Units (Jeff Berton jeff344@voodoo.lerc.nasa.gov)
-
- 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.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Helmets
-
- The wearing of helmets is another highly emotional issue that has been
- debated many times on rec.bicycles. On one side, you have the cyclists
- who feel that they can do without - the helmet is too hot, uncomfortable,
- or they feel they just don't need it. On the other side, you have
- the cyclists who wouldn't be caught riding without a helmet - they like
- their head (and brains) they way they are.
-
- Statistics show that three-fourths of the more than 1000 bicycling
- deaths each year are caused by head injuries. Of those killed, half
- are school age children. According to one study, a helmet can reduce
- the risk of head injury by 85%.
-
- Consumer Reports did a review of bicycle helmets in the May 1990 issue.
- While their report is not what one would see in a cycling magazine,
- it does contain some useful and valuable information. Their tests
- showed that no-shell helmets work just as well as hard-shell helmets,
- and in fact, the top 9 helmets in their ratings are no-shell models.
-
- There is some controversy about whether no-shell helmets "grab" the
- pavement instead of sliding on impact. If the helmet grabbed, it
- might lead to more serious neck or spinal injury. This topic has
- been hotly debated in rec.bicycles, and some studies are in progress
- to see if this is true.
-
- There are two standards systems for helmets - ANSI (American National
- Standards Institute) and Snell (the Snell Memorial Foundation). The
- Snell tests are more demanding than ANSI, and a Snell-certified helmet
- will have a green Snell sticker inside. Some helmets claim they
- pass Snell, but unless there's a sticker in the helmet, you can't
- be sure. Snell also tests samples of certified helmets to make sure
- they still meet the standards.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Terminology (David Keppel pardo@cs.washington.edu)
- (Charles Tryon bilbo@bisco.kodak.com)
-
- 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.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Avoiding Dogs (Arnie Berger arnie@hp-lsd.COL.HP.COM)
-
- 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. :-)
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Shaving Your Legs
-
- How to do it (Garth Somerville somerville@bae.ncsu.edu)
-
- 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 procedure:
-
- 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 jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com)
-
- Oh wow, after the initial responses to this subject I thought we could
- skip the posturing. The reason for shaving legs is the same for
- women, weight lifters, body builders and others who have parts of
- their bodies that they choose to display. It is not true that General
- Schwarzkopf had all the troops shave their legs and arms before going
- into combat to prevent infectious hair from killing injured soldiers,
- and I am sure it will never happen.
-
- Not only the shaving but the rub-downs with all sorts of oils at the
- bike track are for the same reason bodybuilders oil up. It reflects
- well from the muscle defo. Of course there are others who claim you
- can't get a massage without shaving. There is no medical proof that
- hair presents any hazard when crashing on a road with dirt that gets
- into a wound. It must all be thoroughly cleaned if it goes beyond
- superficial road rash.
-
- From my experience with cyclists from east block countries before
- Glasnost, none of them shaved because it was not in their charter to
- look beautiful but rather to win medals.
-
- I think shaved legs look good and I don't mind saying so. I just find
- it silly that those who shave need to put it forth as a preparation
- for crashing. Is it necessary to find a reason other than vanity? If
- you believe these stories then you might consider the whole pile of
- lore in bicycling that also has no foundation in fact but is often
- retold. But then some bicyclists and followers of other pursuits,
- want to believe in the mysteries that are handed down by the elders
- and must be taken on faith. It forms proof of initiation for some.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Contact Lenses and Cycling (Robert A. Novy ra_novy@drl.mobil.com)
-
-
- 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. (sandya@hpfcmdd.fc.hp.com) 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 (pault@hpspd.spd.hp.com) 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 (david.elfstrom@canrem.com):
- 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.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 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.
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Pete's Winter Cycling Tips (Pete Hickey pete@panda1.uottowa.ca)
-
- 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: Peddle
- 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.
-
-