livedarklions

So basically, you do it X way, so obviously it's correct for everyone.

Do you know if any of those statements are relevant to riding a recumbent? I'm pretty sure I don't.

livedarklions

Maybe it's a big truck lurking in a giant pothole, just waiting to leap out at the cassette-gazing cyclist.

Kapusta

I thjnk it is a knee jerk reaction for some people that when they don’t have a good answer then they feel it must have been a bad question.

livedarklions

Nahh, that thread OP took the opposite extreme and stupid view--that people were irrational for not wanting the indicators. It's equally stupid to tell someone they shouldn't want indicators.

livedarklions

Nahh, I think this is more of a put-down status thing, telling people their legs are stupid or something.

79pmooney

I've done a lot of city riding over my lifetime. My formative years and racing years, Boston. If you want to live long riding in Boston, you don't spend a lot of time looking at your cassette. On many streets, those looks simply don't happen. Solid lines of parked cars and potential doors with traffic on your left beside you. I got caught many times when lights changed not knowing what gear I was in. Now I was not on a recumbent so that stopped look back was easy and lifting the rear wheel to change gears not much harder.

I often found riding the fix gear and knowing exactly what my start-up was going to be kinda nice, even if some of those starts (esp uphill) were hard.

79pmooney

And as I suggested (I think on the first page but I:m not going back to look) - a business opportunity. Invent that slick little in-line indicator that could be located anywhere on the housing. Now, if a forum member took this on, he might have to do it under another name to protect himself! Because inventing and marketing something nobody needs is far more wrong than simply asking about it and we know from this thread how wrong that is.

(Says he who adds real weight to his fix gear pedals to improve the climbing experience. Is it possible to go more wrong?)

prj71

Recumbent doesn't change the statements that have been made.

livedarklions

So wait, is the feeling in the legs and lungs the same as knowing your speed or is it much different? What the hell are you talking about?

Pretty sure you've complicated this so much you can't keep track of all the "you should be able to" things you've said.

livedarklions

Nonsense.

70sSanO

Regardless how this thread ends, I'm sure it has made one hit wonder Morris Albert's day.


John

70sSanO

Sorry for the above post. That song just brings out the LarrySellerz in me.

Makes me want to take off my shirt and go for a ride.

John

Trakhak

Shame on you - posting an utterly irrelevant song video.

On the other hand, I got your numbers and cycling content right here.

[Edited to add, since I shouldn't have assumed that everyone would make the connection: the cycling content would be that the guys in Kraftwerk were obsessed with cycling in the early '80s. For example, during their tours, they would often have their drivers drop them and their bikes up to 200 km away from the next venue, so that they could ride in.]

70sSanO

Obviously when someone has to explain something it is a miss. Just like the “Feelings” song relating to riding by feel.

On an unrelated topic, it was in the low 90’s on my ride today and it felt hot.

John

indyfabz

You don’t say.

koala logs

It has caught me off guard a few times when doing it in urban traffic conditions. The main problem was drifting ever so slightly to the left or right in that one second glance, almost getting into the path of the fast moving traffic or bumping to the rider beside me. Luckily, none resulted to accident. Nevertheless it's a source of distraction and keeping distractions to a minimum or zero helps make things safer.

Definitely NOT a good thing to do on group rides.

I went 1x and started using helmet mirror for one reason so my eyes are glued to the front view of the road at all times. Sure you can do the same thing with 2x but 1x is simpler for simple minds.

koala logs

This song would actually make you take your shirt off in a ride.

70sSanO

Not sure about the shirt, but maybe ride to a Chick-fil-A.

John

Herzlos

So why don't the higher end systems have it? It doesn't strike me as something particularly expensive to do, and whilst not everyone will use them all of the time it wouldn't hurt. They seem standard on everything about Alivio and under, so I'm assuming it's a conscious decision by manufacturers not to.

I tend to drop a few gears before stopping (when I have notice), and I'm happy glancing back at the cassette if I'm not sure, but I wouldn't mind if any of my bikes had an indicator on it. It wouldn't even need to be a full 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11, even a 1 - 6 - 11 or 1 - 11 would do.

prj71

I'm not sure why you are focused on speed. But when I'm riding (and this is probably the same for the majority of folks) there comes a point (usually a hill climb) where either the legs want to give out or the lungs want to give it out (or sometimes both) which is the physical indicator that a person should shift to an easier gear. Or if riding on the flats and the pedaling is too easy or the cadence is super high...it's another physical indicator to shift to a harder gear. This isn't that difficult and you don't need an indicator to tell you when do these things. Your body tells you. This is a no brainer common sense thing...well at least for some.

I was reminded last night on our group road ride, where we were rolling along at 25 mph for 8 miles, that having to look at a gear indicator or at your cassette for a split second could result in a crashy experience. Keep an eye on the bike in front of you and shift as needed according to what your body is telling you.

GhostRider62

Because that would kill sales.

livedarklions

This is what is wrong with your entire "you should" approach to this thread--OP isn't going to be going 25 mph in a group ride, they're riding a recumbent and are more concerned with being in the right gear at stoplights. They find the markings useful in doing this. You and I wouldn't. That doesn't make them wrong.

OP wasn't asking what's right for the majority of folks. Seriously, who but marketers GAF about that? OP wanted a feature that you and I don't care about, and was given some pretty good advice about a work around, but you seem to feel better about yourself if you can scold OP for asking the question.

prj71

Lol. I don't know about you...But when I approach a stoplight or stop sign I will A.) keep it in the same gear and keep rolling if I can see that there aren't any cars coming or B.) If I see cars coming or can't see if there any then I switch to an easier gear so it's easier to take off from a stop. Again...a little common sense goes a long way.

Long story short...We aren't getting gear indicators back on ours shifters. So learn how to adapt.

livedarklions

This thread isn't about you or me. OP finds it useful, and telling OP they lack "common sense" because they find it useful is a useless condescending comment on your part.

OP is adapting by taking the suggestion of someone who was actually trying to be helpful and making marks on the twist shifter. You just don't approve of that, apparently.

Have you gotten enough attention playing the "Pope of Cycling" yet?

GhostRider62

Holycrap, you can do that on YOUR bent.

I must be doing it all wrong.

I can do all what you wrote easily on my regular bike.