Stupid question thread, I'll start...
#51
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I was thinking about something today and then saw this thread - perfect! So my stupid question is why the drive side is almost universally on the right? I have a feeling that it has something to do with horses
-G
-G
#54
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Is there a way to gracefully stop using the leg-swing-over maneuver when wearing clipless pedals? I tried it yesterday and nearly fell. I kept my left foot on the pedal and swung my right leg over the bike and onto the left side of the bike. Right before I stopped, the twist of my body in relation to the bike caused my left foot to unclip. Oops.
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'72 Cilo Pacer • '72 Peugeot PX10 • '73 Speedwell Ti • '74 Nishiki Competition • '74 Peugeot UE-8 • '86 Look Equipe 753 • '86 Look KG86 • '89 Parkpre Team Road • '90 Parkpre Team MTB • '90 Merlin Ti
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-Randy
'72 Cilo Pacer • '72 Peugeot PX10 • '73 Speedwell Ti • '74 Nishiki Competition • '74 Peugeot UE-8 • '86 Look Equipe 753 • '86 Look KG86 • '89 Parkpre Team Road • '90 Parkpre Team MTB • '90 Merlin Ti
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#55
十人十色
700 c is more easily interchangeable with a stock tubular rim.
Otherwise, I think you're right...27's work fine if you put alloy
rims and good tires on them. Maybe even preferable in some
applications.
As people have accepted the idea that more speeds = better,
the rear cluster has grown from five to ten and counting.
I think I saw the first six speed rear clusters about late 70's,
but I'm told some people had them earlier. All those cogs gotta
go somewhere, thus wider spacings.
Otherwise, I think you're right...27's work fine if you put alloy
rims and good tires on them. Maybe even preferable in some
applications.
As people have accepted the idea that more speeds = better,
the rear cluster has grown from five to ten and counting.
I think I saw the first six speed rear clusters about late 70's,
but I'm told some people had them earlier. All those cogs gotta
go somewhere, thus wider spacings.
As for the former point of rim size, as non-UK European makers became more known in the late 60s, so their preferred metric size became more common.
#56
十人十色
I've read in another thread that the chrome under most paint is rough on purpose for the paint to stick better. You may not want to strip the paint off...
#57
十人十色
#58
十人十色
#59
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Is there a way to gracefully stop using the leg-swing-over maneuver when wearing clipless pedals? I tried it yesterday and nearly fell. I kept my left foot on the pedal and swung my right leg over the bike and onto the left side of the bike. Right before I stopped, the twist of my body in relation to the bike caused my left foot to unclip. Oops.
The only thing I can think of would be a cyclocross dismount only slowed down a little bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3TaKmMi9o
#60
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#61
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To be more precise: Hold the cone wrench steady, so as no to change the setting, and tighten the nut against it.
#62
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It's actually horses, or so I've been led to believe. Horses and swords, with a stop over at the Penny Farthing. Because Penny Farthings require that slightly ridiculous mounting method, they need a foot peg. The fact that the pegs are almost always on the left hand side, even when bikes just barely had drivetrains indicate that there must have been some other reason.
#63
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Is there a way to gracefully stop using the leg-swing-over maneuver when wearing clipless pedals? I tried it yesterday and nearly fell. I kept my left foot on the pedal and swung my right leg over the bike and onto the left side of the bike. Right before I stopped, the twist of my body in relation to the bike caused my left foot to unclip. Oops.
hopefully that 'oops' did not involve a high seat tube.
maybe a bit higher retention?
(use or have used shimon pd 6400 (look cleate), spd pedals and speedplay
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#65
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The only thing I can think of would be a cyclocross dismount only slowed down a little bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3TaKmMi9o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3TaKmMi9o
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
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Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#66
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I worked in bike shops in my college years (1970s) and have always been a bike nut, but I don't recall when 700c wheels became the new standard. Why are 700c wheelsets considered an upgrade from stock 27"? I'm not sure I could tell the difference if I was riding a bike and didn't know what wheels were on it.
My other stupid question is when did rear spacing go from 120mm. to 126mm. to 130mm? I realize that it didn't happen overnight, but ballpark is OK. Just curious about that one.
I'm sure I could think of some other stupid questions, but that's enough for now. Feel free to post your own.
Feel like I dropped the ball somewhere this last couple of decades.
cheers, Joe
My other stupid question is when did rear spacing go from 120mm. to 126mm. to 130mm? I realize that it didn't happen overnight, but ballpark is OK. Just curious about that one.
I'm sure I could think of some other stupid questions, but that's enough for now. Feel free to post your own.
Feel like I dropped the ball somewhere this last couple of decades.
cheers, Joe
So you should be able to find a decent 27" today with no problems. Also you DO NOT have to use 27" tubes, any 700c from 18 all the way to 35mm widths will work, remember tubes expand, in fact it's better for easier tire installation to have a tube one size smaller then recommended for the tire size. I have one bike that uses 27" tires and use the same 700x18-25 tubes in it as well as my 700c tires. However, in order to use 700c tubes in a 27" rim you have to convert the rims to a presta fitting so the presta valve will fit into a 27" rim that was drilled to accept a Schrader valve called a Schrader-Presta rim hole adapter, they just press in by hand and your good to go; these adapters are cheap, less the dollar for a pair. But you can still find 27" Schrader tubes, I just don't think the quality of the Schrader tubes I saw were very good. Sunlite makes a nice puncture resistant (thick tube on the side next to the tire) that uses a Schrader but the tube is heavy.
Last edited by rekmeyata; 05-01-12 at 04:48 PM.
#67
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OK, here's my 'stupid' question...
If a shorter height male rode a classic mixte frame bike as a commuter for the convenience of the step through frame, is this considered a major gaffé or faux pas?
I wonder because in other countries some models of utility bikes are considered 'unisex', and you do see men riding step through frames.
As I recall, this was the case in earlier times... comments?
Alan
If a shorter height male rode a classic mixte frame bike as a commuter for the convenience of the step through frame, is this considered a major gaffé or faux pas?
I wonder because in other countries some models of utility bikes are considered 'unisex', and you do see men riding step through frames.
As I recall, this was the case in earlier times... comments?
Alan
#68
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^I'm okay with a man on a mixte (but I'm also sporting a pink shirt today).
Q1: Would you build up a bike for resale on CL using a wheelset with Maillard Helicomatic hubs?
Q2: What to you call the type of seat post that narrows at the top and has a detachable clamp (such as the old Ideale models, or sometime found on Schwinn heavyweights)?
Q1: Would you build up a bike for resale on CL using a wheelset with Maillard Helicomatic hubs?
Q2: What to you call the type of seat post that narrows at the top and has a detachable clamp (such as the old Ideale models, or sometime found on Schwinn heavyweights)?
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'72 Cilo Pacer • '72 Peugeot PX10 • '73 Speedwell Ti • '74 Nishiki Competition • '74 Peugeot UE-8 • '86 Look Equipe 753 • '86 Look KG86 • '89 Parkpre Team Road • '90 Parkpre Team MTB • '90 Merlin Ti
Avatar photo courtesy of jeffveloart.com, contact: contact: jeffnil8 (at) gmail.com.
-Randy
'72 Cilo Pacer • '72 Peugeot PX10 • '73 Speedwell Ti • '74 Nishiki Competition • '74 Peugeot UE-8 • '86 Look Equipe 753 • '86 Look KG86 • '89 Parkpre Team Road • '90 Parkpre Team MTB • '90 Merlin Ti
Avatar photo courtesy of jeffveloart.com, contact: contact: jeffnil8 (at) gmail.com.
#69
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I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this may be too simple. For instance, I have a number of bikes that have splined cogs so threading is not a factor. How about the shaft drive bikes from the early 20th century, again threading is not a factor, yet the drive side was the right side.
-G
-G
#70
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^I'm okay with a man on a mixte (but I'm also sporting a pink shirt today).
Q1: Would you build up a bike for resale on CL using a wheelset with Maillard Helicomatic hubs?
Q2: What to you call the type of seat post that narrows at the top and has a detachable clamp (such as the old Ideale models, or sometime found on Schwinn heavyweights)?
Q1: Would you build up a bike for resale on CL using a wheelset with Maillard Helicomatic hubs?
Q2: What to you call the type of seat post that narrows at the top and has a detachable clamp (such as the old Ideale models, or sometime found on Schwinn heavyweights)?
Thanks! I dunno... to me, mixte frames look sort of elegant, in their quirky kind of way. I think with upright bars and a rack they're great looking commuters.
Q1: Only if the Helicomatic stuff was brand new, and the seller provided the combo FW wrench/ beer bottle key.
Q2: Personally, I'd call it a seat pillar instead of a seat post.
Alan
#71
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#72
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Well, actually, I have to back the cone wrench counter-clockwise ever so slightly while I'm tightening the locknut. As the locknut jams the cone tight against its threads it presses it a tiny bit closer to the balls. Ten to 20 degrees of loosening while you're tightening the locknut compensates for this. Really good cone-and-axle threads need less back-off than cheapies. This is where an axle vise helps, so you know that any movement of the cone wrench is moving only the cone and not the whole axle.
#73
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OK, here's my 'stupid' question...
If a shorter height male rode a classic mixte frame bike as a commuter for the convenience of the step through frame, is this considered a major gaffé or faux pas?
I wonder because in other countries some models of utility bikes are considered 'unisex', and you do see men riding step through frames.
As I recall, this was the case in earlier times... comments?
Alan
If a shorter height male rode a classic mixte frame bike as a commuter for the convenience of the step through frame, is this considered a major gaffé or faux pas?
I wonder because in other countries some models of utility bikes are considered 'unisex', and you do see men riding step through frames.
As I recall, this was the case in earlier times... comments?
Alan
#74
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I always thought
that it was so that shorter people
could ride bikes with 700c or 27" wheels ,
testosterone aside .
that it was so that shorter people
could ride bikes with 700c or 27" wheels ,
testosterone aside .
#75
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A mixte frame won't be as stiff for hard acceleration so the performance of the frame will feel sluggish. But some men ride mixte frames because they have problems getting their legs over other frames due to various health or handicap problems. Shorter legs have nothing to do with it because you can get regular frames that are built small for that purpose. And you can't find a high quality mixte frame unless you buy custom, only one production bike I know of that is made decent is the Soma, but all the vintage mixte frames were cheaper tubesets and low cost components.
I was being sarcastic earlier.
I was being sarcastic earlier.