Kontact 

You haven't been paying attention if you think I believe Sheldon Brown was never wrong. But his website is more complete and accurate. And that's because Sheldon acquired all of his knowledge the hard way.

This isn't a thread about how BikeGremlin.com should be removed from the internet - it is about even concrete bike information gets polluted and diminished by repeating and preserving poorly obtained and unverified information. Sheldon Brown wouldn't have said that Dura Ace cogs are spaced differently because Sheldon Brown has actually mounted a Dura Ace cassette on a bike or two.

Trakhak

Didn't the first Dura-Ace indexed shifters and cogs use different spacing that made them incompatible with the parts used in subsequent indexed Dura-Ace drivetrains? (But maybe you're referring to something else---I haven't followed this thread closely.)

wheelreason

Different pull ratio, same cog spacing.

grumpus

Deliberately? I thought they were just trying to grab a bit of the web, erroneously believing they had something to contribute. There is an awful lot of content-free dross posted by "me too" types.
It still is, although it is getting diluted by newer contributions, but it would be a shame to see it lose relevance. Bike technology advances pretty rapidly, if you're not in the industry it's easy to miss stuff and get left behind (my first-hand knowledge is decidedly dated).

rosefarts

Ive got a bike with 6 speed Dura Ace. Yep, it’s got a cassette. Uniglide is funny stuff IMO.

I’ve never attempted any cross platform stuff. The entire bike is original 1985 or so.

What I did notice, I put on a new chain that was supposed to work for a 6 speed drivetrain, to preserve my old DA chain. It shifted perfectly but was substantially louder. It was really bad, sounded like something was going to get damaged. I switched back to the DA chain and it was just fine. Fortunately for me, the bike is a garage queen and sees very few miles, and I still have another brand new vintage DA chain in a box. So I’m good.

My wife’s Ironman has 6 speed 105 and had no such problems with a chain swap.

This certainly tells me that DA 7400 is most certainly different than other 6 speed stuff. I’m not going to fight with someone online about it though.

Bike Gremlin

If it's not too much to ask, I'm curious to see a screenshot of what it looks like on your phone (PM is fine).
There should be a "closable" sticky ad at the bottom, and the ads between paragraphs.

The ad platform I'm using is Mediavine, the least bad of the options I've tried.
But they don't allow for reducing the number of ads on mobile below 8, or 22% of the total article "height" (whichever limit comes first).
For desktop, the lowest available setting is half of that.

I had disabled the header ads some time ago based on the visitor feedback.

The Sheldon Brown website, running on pure static HTML, is the thriumph of function over form (quite unusual nowadays).
I'm actually happy to hear it gets updated. Hope the quality is at least nearly good.
My 2c about the Sheldon Brown's website

Relja

choddo

Sure, here’s a couple of screenshots from your square taper link earlier. Just trying to read what you are saying, the flow is destroyed by what on the face of it seems a lot more than 22% ads (not adds, that’s addition rather than advertising ;-) ) though even 22% seems almost Superbowl ratio.




Just a bit more than 1 page further on (an image and 12 lines of text) it makes a reappearance

Leisesturm

More years ago than I can remember, I was fresh off of a 15 year stint in desktop support (Windows) and recently moved to the Midwest from the East Coast. While looking for comparable work, I joined a temp force and my first assignment was with a major PC maker based in a major car company. After 15 years in NYC government, the sheer excess of a high end private sector environment was breathtaking and mind blowing. My supervisor was bi-coastal. Their supervisor was international. Long story short, I was short listed for a permanent job with the company! My supervisor seemed to think I walked on water. One day at a presentation, I was performing an operation with a couple of menu selections.My actions were being 'broadcast' on an overhead projector. For some reason the fact that I hadn't known that I could right click the item and open it that way, horrified my mentor. The next day I was back at the temp agency, sadder, but with a new understanding about how seriously some people take minutiae.

Leisesturm

You have no idea how Sheldon acquired all his knowledge, and you have even less of an idea about how Bike Gremlin acquired his! That is such an audacious statement it really should be retracted. Good Lord, you would order an entire website taken down because of an error in cog spacing? Seriously? So why does Saint Sheldon get a pass? Because he was more active about his backstory? Sheldon was one of a kind, I'll give him that. But he is gone. Too soon, I'm sure we can agree. There was Eugene Sloane before him. He was not the first person to put out a comprehensive all things bicycle encyclopedia. He won't be the last. I've seen 'errors' in Park Tool videos! Should Park Tool take down all their videos? What's going on?

Dan Burkhart 

With all the deep fake content on the web deliberately posted for nefarious reasons, I really don’t think the OP is reasonable for so vehemently objecting to someone that cares about doing the right thing to the extent that he has openly invited criticism and correction with the aim of providing accurate information.
It’s not like the consequences of getting cog spacing wrong will put anyone in the morgue.

Bike Gremlin

Thank you very much for taking the time and hassle to provide this.
I could not experience this using iPhone or Android, but it probably has to do with my location (fewer ads, not a good market for advertisers).
Edit/update:
Figured out a way to test - yup, it is very "over the top" for my taste.

I contacted the Mediavine support and so far it's not going anywhere (we'll see in a few days).
As far as I can see, my choice boils down to removing ads completely, or putting up with the more ads for visitors than I like to see on mobile.

Solomon's solution is always the adblocker - my sites work normally with an adblocker (while YouTube videos have all the relevant links added in the video's description, since adblockers block YouTube inserted on-screen links).
I would rather have the ads reduced to a reasonable amount, and visitors being able to use the info without too many ads.
Will see if the support comes up with something useful (custom code on my part can't help with this).

Relja

Kontact 

So you quote where I say this isn't about taking down a website, and then you say it is about taking down a website? How did you acquire your knowledge?

I don't believe Sheldon never used other sources. Frequently he says that he does. And he also says when he has measured something and put it up on the site.

The difference between Sheldon, Sloane, Sutherland's, Park and Bike Gremlin is that the first group acquired their knowledge through fairly legitimate ways, and BikeGremlin has been accused of plagiarizing a member's posts here and posting stuff that clearly comes from misunderstanding things he's read but never seen.


Now you can say that I'm being unfair, but I have to tell you that I am also a walking encyclopedia of bike mechanic stuff - and I know the difference between knowledge acquired from reality and the stuff I hear constantly from people that like to repeat things. I have done an incredible amount of testing and measuring, I have done a ton of research cross referencing different information sources, I have spoken directly to manufacturers and I have fabricated custom parts. I know what I'm talking about. I'm sure I will get a bunch of hate for that, but anyone that has been paying attention to the number of odd mechanical problems I fixed for people with my first post in a thread will realize why I think I know what's going on.

Kontact 

But when someone does suggest something stupid on this forum that would get someone killed, and I call that out, someone will come along to object to that, too.

dedhed

Great! Here comes the Dubai hooker posts.

Chuck M 

Please... Those posts clearly state they are call girls. Don't cheapen them like that.

Leisesturm

I see what you did there ...

Bike Gremlin

Yeah... riiiight... and all my videos are CGI, that can't be me!
...Except when I make mistakes - then it 100% me.

LOL

Jokes aside, there are cases where I rely on books, manuals, website information etc.
In my opinion, it would be stupid to not use the existing available human knowledge.
A very blatant example of that (originally published in 2018 - article list by published date):

1×13 groupset by Rotor – honest preview

My website(s) started as publishing my notes, my info, that I used to help myself figure things out and fix 'em.
Publishing online has helped me get corrections where I'm wrong and learn a lot - either by people wanting to help and contribute, or "prove me wrong" (both work wonderfully for getting thins right).
It's not perfect, nor 100% correct and it never will be.
Based on your feedback, Google seems to rank it highly, for now at least (I expect AI to "kill" all the websites and forums for that matter, pretty soon).

Your opinion of my work is honest, and I'm sure you are 100% correct from your point of view.
It doesn't look like trolling, it looks like genuine concern.
You've shared it, publicly - that's good.

P.S.
Your opinion & advice on square taper cranks mounting is dead wrong (in my opinion, based on my theoretical knowledge and practical experience), yet I wouldn't dispute you've mounted them, or request your posts to be "taken down".
Your contribution to this forum is something I consider good and valuable - even though I sometimes disagree.
As for my website(s), everyone will form their own opinion, just like the two of us have formed ours.

Relja

JoeTBM 

Gentlemen, what are you doing here?

You both are entitled to your opinions. Can't you just agree to disagree rather then mud slinging?

Bike Gremlin

Fair point.

I usually refrain from non-constructive discussions.
This differs to a degree because my (hard) work is being publicly criticized (which is good and I wouldn't have known about the mobile advert density problem otherwise, among other things).
I though it would be fair and wise to respond with my point of view on the topic.

Relja

Kontact 

I missed where you were posting lies about me Jeff. I am most definitely a mechanic, having done that full time for many years. Where do you get off posting lies about me?

Kontact 

You have got to be kidding. You were the silly person telling people to put anti-seize on their spindle tapers.

I was the guy saying to wipe off the spindle and grease the threads. Which works, because I have decades of experience with that working, and the vast majority of manuals for Campy, Suntour, Shimano, etc either don't say or say to do exactly what I suggested.

Then you find a Campy manual that says something different, and you think that means that Campy always said not to use grease on the bolt? Well, they did not. I assembled a Campy group in 1989 from parts and read every manual it came with. Later Campy probably put a thread locker on the bolts, which prevents corrosion like grease does, but they didn't in the '80s.


You keep spreading misinformation because you don't even understand the context of the things you're reading. The manual you found is from the era when Campy went to super low profile 102mm spindles and there is almost no clearance room. So it isn't so shocking that they got real serious about not overtightening the cranks via greased spindles.


This whole thing continues to demonstrate why you shouldn't be instructing other people.

Dan Burkhart 

This is reminding me of the old rec/bicycles.tech days where greasing square tapers was as contentious as chain lube threads. You had Jobst Brandt on the yay side and most of the rest on the nay column. Anti seize would invariably make it's way into those conversations (flame wars) as well.

elcruxio

You're not seriously fighting over whether to install square tapers dry or greased? A topic that doesn't have a correct answer?

I mean I'd understand all this if the argument was over whether aluminum frames are made of metal or pancake or something that has a definite answer. But that square taper stuff just doesn't.

Just like squealing disck brakes don't. At least not yet. There's some interesting testing being done in the eautube.

MNBikeCommuter

Those were the days. I was actually on when it was just rec.bicycles, and then there was the great discussion of splitting it up into all the various subgroups, like wreck.bicycles.tech...

Dan Burkhart 

Maybe we can mercifully take this thread off it’s current trajectory by re living some of the more entertaining aspects of that group.
If nothing else, we learned what happens when an online group is completely unmoderated.