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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!usc!news.service.uci.edu!draco.acs.uci.edu!iglesias From: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu (Mike Iglesias) Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc,news.answers,rec.answers Subject: Rec.Bicycles Frequently Asked Questions Posting Part 4/5 Supersedes: <rec-bicycles-faq-4_940222@draco.acs.uci.edu> Followup-To: rec.bicycles.misc Date: 19 Mar 1994 17:41:41 GMT Organization: University of California, Irvine Lines: 1471 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Distribution: world Expires: 20 Apr 94 00:00:00 GMT Message-ID: <rec-bicycles-faq-4_940319@draco.acs.uci.edu> References: <rec-bicycles-faq-1_940319@draco.acs.uci.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: draco.acs.uci.edu Originator: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.bicycles.misc:14243 news.answers:16563 rec.answers:4500 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.] ----------------- 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rim Tape Summary (Ron Larson lars@craycos.com) This is a summary of the experience of riders on the net regarding various rim tapes, both commercial and improvized. Any additional comments and inputs are welcome. RIM TAPE Rim tape or rim strips are the material that is placed inside a clincher rim to protect the tube from sharp edges of the nipple holes and possibly exposed ends of spokes extending beyond the nipples. Many materials have been used to produce rim tapes: plastic, rubber, tapes consisting of a multi-directional fiber weave, duct tape and fiberglass packing tape. A few factors influence how well a rim tape works. Some of the tapes are available in more than one width. It is important to choose the width that provides the best fit to cover the entire "floor" of the rim as opposed to a tape that is barely wide enough to cover the nipple holes. Another factor is how well the rim tape withstands the stress of being stretched over the nipple holes with a high preassure inner tube applying preassure to it. The main form of failure of the plastic tapes is for the tape to split lengthwise (in the direction the tube lies in the rim) under high preassure forming a sharp edge that the tube squeezes through and then rubs against. Thus the splitting tape causes the flat that it was supposed to be protecting against. REVIEW OF RIM TAPES BY TYPE Plastic Tapes Advantages: Easy to install and remove. No sticky side is involved. Disadvantages: Although there are exceptions, they are prone to splitting under preassure. Michelin Good Experiences: 0 Bad Experiences: 6 Cool Tape Good Experiences: 2 Bad Experiences: 0 Cool Tape is thicker than other plastic tapes and does not exhibit the splitting failure noted above. Hutchinson Good Experiences: 0 Bad Experiences: 2 Specialized Good Experiences: 1 Bad Experiences: 4 Rubber Tapes Advantages: Easy to install and remove. Good if the nipples are even with the rim floor and there are no exposed spoke ends. Disadvantages: Stretch too easily and allow exposed nipple ends to rub through the tape and then through the tape. Rubber strips Good Experiences: 0 Bad Experiences: 2 Cloth tapes woven of multi-directional fibers: Advantages: Easy to install. Do not fail under preassure. Disadvantages: They are a sticky tape and care must be taken not to pick up dirt if they need to be removed and re-installed. Velox Good Experiences:11 Bad Experiences: 0 Velox rim tape comes in three different widths. Be sure to get the widest tape that covers the floor of the rim without extending up the walls of the rim. The stem hole may need to be enlarged to allow the stem to seat properly. Otherwise the stem may push back into the tube under preassure and cause a puncture at the base of the stem. Non-commercial rim tapes Fiberglass packing tape (1 or 2 layers) Advantages: Cheap. Readily available. Easy to install. Disadvantages: Impossible to remove. If access to the nipples is required, the tape must be split and then either removed and replaced or taped over. Fiberglass packing tape Good Experiences: 1 Bad Experiences: 1 Duct tape (hey, someone tried it!!) Advantages: CHEAP. Readily available. Disadvantages: Useless. Becomes a gooey mess that is impossible to remove. Duct tape Good Experiences: 0 Bad Experiences: 1 CONCLUSION While plastic tapes are easy to work with, they often fail. The clear winner in this survey is the Velox woven cloth tape. A quick review of mail order catalogs confirms the experiences of the net. Velox was available in 5 out of 5 catalogs checked. It was the only rim tape available in 3 of the catalogs. The other 2 had one or two plastic tapes available. (None sold duct tape...) One good suggestion was a preassure rating for rim tapes much like the preassure rating of tires. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STI/Ergo Summary (Ron Larson lars@craycos.com) This is the second posting of the summary of STI/Ergo experience. The summary was modified to include more on STI durability and also the range of shifting avaliable from each system. As before, I am open to any comments or inputs. lars THE CASE FOR COMBINED SHIFTERS AND BRAKES. Shifters that are easily accessible from either the brakehoods or the "drop" position are an advantage when sprinting or climbing because the rider is not forced to commit to a single gear or loose power / cadence by sitting down to reach the downtube shifters. They also make it much easier to respond to an unexpected attack. At first the tendency is to shift more than is necessary. This tendency levels out with experience. There is also an early tendency to do most shifting from the bakehoods and the actuators seem to be difficult to reach from the drop position. This discomfort goes away after a few hundred miles of use (hey, how many times have I reached for the downtube on my MTB or thumbshifters on my road bike???). All experienced riders expressed pleasure with the ability to shift while the hands were in any position, at a moments notice. The disadvantages are extra weight, added weight on the handlebars (feels strange at first) and expense. Lack of a friction mode was listed as a disadvantage by a rider who had tried out STI on someone elses bike but does not have Ergo or STI. It was not noted as a problem by riders with extended Ergo / STI experience. A comparison of the weight of Record/Ergo components and the weight of the Record components they would replace reveals that the total weight difference is in the 2 to 4 ounce range (quite a spread - I came up with 2 oz from various catalogs, Colorado Cyclist operator quoted 4 oz of the top of his head). The weight difference for STI seems to be in the same range. The change probably seems to be more because weight is shifted from the downtube to the handlebars. There was some concern from riders who had not used either system regarding the placement of the actuating buttons and levers for Ergo and STI and their affect on hand positions. Riders with experience have not had a problem with the placement of the actuators although one rider stated that the STI brakehoods are more comfortable. ADVANTAGES OF EACH SYSTEM. The Sachs/Ergo system was mentioned as a separate system. In fact (according to publications) it is manufactured By Campagnolo for Sachs and is identical to the Campagnolo system with the exception of spacing of the cogs on the freewheel/cassette. With the Ergo system, all cables can be routed under the handlebar tape while the STI system does not route the derailleur cables under the tape. Those that voiced a preference liked the clean look of the Ergo system. Both Ergo and STI seem to be fairly durable when crashed. Experience of riders who have crashed with either system is that the housings may be scratch and ground down but the system still works. The internal mechanismsof both systems are well protected in a crash. Both Ergo and STI allow a downshift of about 3 cogs at a time. This capability is very handy for shifting to lower gears in a corner to be ready to attack as you come out of the corner or when caught by surprise at a stop light. Ergo also allows a full upshift from the largest to the smallest cog in a single motion while STI requires an upshift of one cog at a time. Riders voiced their satisfaction with both systems. While some would push one system over the other, these opinions were equally split. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roller Head Bearings (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com) Roller head bearings provide an advantage that is not directly connected with rollers. Their main advantage is that they have two bearings in one and this is important because there are two functions this bearing must accomplish. The problem of the head bearing is not obvious to most users or to the manufacturers or they would do something about the miserable state of affairs. The head bearing serves as a hinge about which the front wheel assembly rotates, but it also absorbs another motion and this is the problem. As the bicycle rolls over roughness, the fork absorbs shock partly by flex in the steer tube, and this flexing makes the fork crown rotate fore and aft. The motion can be seen by sighting over the handle bars to the front hub while riding and is more pronounced for the taller heavier riders who also experience most of the head bearing failures. The angles through which the fork crown swivels are extremely small in contrast to the motion at the hub because the distance between the hub and the fork crown is large. This motion is not in itself damaging to the bearing because it is only a small misalignment that such bearings absorb easily. The damage is caused by the lack of substantial steering rotation while the bearing is fretting in place. Fretting breaks down the lubricant film on which the balls normally roll and without which they will weld to the races and tear out tiny particles. Fretting that causes lubrication failure occurs most often during fast straight-ahead road riding where few steering motions occur to replenish lubricant. Typically, coasting down long fast descents rather than rough, jarring trail riding causes dimples in the head bearings. The removal of small particles from the races give the milky texture to the dimples that are often attributed to brinelling. They are not embossed into the races but are eroded by fretting and welding. Once initiated the dimples grow because the balls prefer to return to the depressions. As the process progresses the bearing becomes loose and if adjusted, is tight when not steering straight ahead, thereby giving the indexed response. A solution is to separate steering from suspension motion. This can be done by using a rolling bearing for low friction steering and a large plain bearing for the fore and aft tilt of the fork crown. This is where the needle bearing comes into play. Conical steel cups that approximate a spherical bearing ride in a plain aluminum body to support the fork crown tilt. The pressure of a large area plain bearing is low enough for good lubrication even with fretting while steel rollers that approximate a tapered roller bearing give low friction steering. The rollers run on the backs of the steel cups that are the plain bearing. The curvature of a true spherical cup would be so small as to be invisible, as would the precise taper of a needle for such a design. The approximations are appropriate. The entire bearing is relatively inexpensive, having no precision races, special hard alloys, or complicated formed steel cages. Needle bearings are as inexpensive as balls and a plastic cage holds them in true radial alignment. The steel cups are actually bellville shaped hardened washers and the housings are turned aluminum parts. It would be wasteful to combine a ball assembly with the spherical alignment cups because these cups lend themselves to supporting rollers without modification. Balls, in contrast, need curved races. I expect other major manufacturers to take up this design soon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tubular Tire Repair (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com) If you want to repair tubular tires you will, above all, need liquid latex emulsion. It can be gotten from carpet laying people but they only have it in bulk. You must take a container and beg for a serving. If you are repairing them you probably ride tubulars, and therefore, will have dead ones lying around. The best tubulars generally furnish the best repair material. For boot material, pull the tread off a silk sprint tire, unstitch it by the pull-string method if it's a single thread lockstitch, or use a dull awl to pull out one of the threads, a stitch at a time. This goes pretty fast if you practice. The second thread pulls out like zip thereafter. Single thread stitch unzips in the direction that the angled pointed stitch loops indicate. Now you have a long ribbon of A1 boot material. Cut off a two inch long piece and trim it to a width that just fits inside the tire casing to be booted from inside edge (of the folded part) to the other edge. The boot must be trimmed to a fine feathered edge so that the tube is not exposed to a step at the boot's edge,otherwise this will cause pin holes in a thin latex tube. Apply latex to the cleaner side of the boot and the area inside the tire. Insert the boot and press it in place, preferably in the natural curve of the tire. This makes the the boot the principal structural support when the tire is again inflated. If the casing is flat when the boot is glued, it will stretch the casing more than the boot upon inflation. After the boot dries, and this goes rapidly, sew the tire up using a strong thread (your choice) using the single thread hand stitch. The old stitch holes must be lined up exactly. Start by putting a slip knot through the first pair of holes jump ahead two hole pairs (skip one) stitch through, go back one, jump two, go back one, etc. Lose the end of the thread by doubling back under the last stitches and loping a couple of them. Apply latex to the tire and base tape, put the tape back in place and inflate the tire moderately on a rim. Never cut the base tape because it cannot be butt joined. Always pull it to one side or separate it where it is overlapped. Don't cut the tire seam, pull out the stitches. This clears the stitch holes and prevents nicks in the casing. When working on the stem, only unstitch on one side of the stem, preferably the side where machine finished. To replace a tube open the tire at the stem (one side of) cut the old tube, attach a strong cord and pull it in as you pull out the tube. Reverse the order to install the new tube that you got from a dead tire. Use latex to glue down loose threads on a sidewall cut. To patch a latex tube make patches from an old latex tube that are fully rounded and just large enough to cover the hole + 1/4 inch. Use Pastali rim glue wiped onto the patch as thin as you can wipe with your finger. Place patch on the tube immediately and press flat. Join a newly installed tube by overlapping the joint about 1/2 inch. Use a toothpick or similar object to wipe Pastali into the joint. Do not try to pre-glue the joint. The glue will only curl the latex tube into a mercilessly sticky mess. Now that you know everything there is to know about this, get some practice. It works, I did it for years. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cassette or Freewheel Hubs (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com) All cassette hubs are not nearly alike. That is apparent from the outside by their appearance and by the sprockets that fit on them. More important to their longevity is how their insides are designed. Among the mainline brands, some are a response not only to the choice and interchangeability of sprockets but to the problem of broken rear axles and right rear dropouts. These failures are caused by bending loads at the middle of the rear axle that arise from bearing support that is not at the ends of the axle. The following diagrams attempt to categorize the freewheel and hub combination, and two cassette designs with respect to these loads. | H H | | H H Io-- | /-------------------\ -o\ O O------ ===X==================wX========= Axle has weak spot at "w" O O------ (Freewheel & hub) \-------------------/ -o/ H H Io-- | H H | | | | H H | | H H | | | /------------------\ /----\ O O O----O ===X==================XwX====X=== Axle has weak spot at "w" O O O----O (Hugi and Campagnolo) \------------------/ \----/ H H | | | H H | | | | H H | | H H | | | /------------------\/o---o\ O \-----O ===X=========================X=== Axle is loaded only at ends O /-----O (Shimano and SunTour) \------------------/\o---o/ H H | | | H H | | | For clarity only three sprocket gear clusters are shown. Strong cyclists put the greatest load on the axle by the pull of the chain because there is a 2:1 or greater lever ratio from pedal to chainwheel. The freewheel in the first diagram has the greatest overhung load when in the rightmost sprocket. The second design has the greatest bending moment on the axle when in the leftmost sprocket and the third design is independent (in the first order) of chain position. This third design carries its loads on bearings at the ends of the axle for minimum axle stress while the other two put a large bending moment on the middle of the axle. Common freewheel hubs have not only the highest bending stress but the smallest axle at 10mm diameter with threads that help initiate cracking. The second design type generally uses a larger diameter axle to avoid failure. However, these axles still have significant flex that can adversely affect the dropout. There are other important considerations in selecting a hub. Among these are: 1. Durability of the escapement and its angular backlash (t/rev). 2. Flange spacing, offset, and diameter. 3. Type of bearings (cone / cartridge) and environmental immunity. 4. Ease of sprocket replacement and cost. Currently the best solution for sprocket retention is a splined body that allows individual sprockets to be slipped on and be secured by an independent retainer. Screwing sprockets onto the body is indefensible, considering the difficulty of removal. The same goes for freewheels. No longer needing to unscrew tight freewheels is another advantage for cassette hubs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sealed" Bearings (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com) > 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. jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com =========================================================================== 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 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) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 800-795-7433 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.