So many springs on my bike
11-27-23, 07:26 PM
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So many springs on my bike
Recently I surprised myself counting up the number of springs on my bike. I've got two springs in the quick releases. Four springs in the brakes - two more in the levers. Two springs moving derailleurs. One spring tensioning the chain. One little spring in a cable end adjuster. I think I have 12.
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11-27-23, 09:19 PM
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Now count the bolts!
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11-27-23, 10:04 PM
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Unless your QR skewers are odd you have 4 springs between the ft and rear ones.
Years ago a wholesale supplier (BBP?) had a post card made of a bike taken completely apart, down to each side plate, pin and roller for the chain links. They had counted some hundreds of bits, about 1/3 to 1/2 being in the chain. Today's bikes with indexed levers and multi pivoted brakes likely see that proportion in reverse. Andy
Years ago a wholesale supplier (BBP?) had a post card made of a bike taken completely apart, down to each side plate, pin and roller for the chain links. They had counted some hundreds of bits, about 1/3 to 1/2 being in the chain. Today's bikes with indexed levers and multi pivoted brakes likely see that proportion in reverse. Andy
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AndrewRStewart
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11-28-23, 03:19 AM
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I quite enjoy doing these sorts of thought experiments. The other day I was walking my 9yo to school and we started talking about the number of computers we have. You'd be surprised by that too. It goes way beyond desktop, laptop, phone and tablet. The washing machine, dishwasher and central heating are all computer controlled, Then there's Edge cycling computers, Di2, watches and FitBits, car injection system, satnav and doubtless other auto systems, TV, streaming players, BD player, cameras, camcorders, broadband routers, Amazon Echo - I doubt even that list has really scratched the surface.
11-28-23, 04:05 AM
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Recently I surprised myself counting up the number of springs on my bike. I've got two springs in the quick releases. Four springs in the brakes - two more in the levers. Two springs moving derailleurs. One spring tensioning the chain. One little spring in a cable end adjuster. I think I have 12.
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11-28-23, 06:59 AM
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Andy touched on this--trigger shifters have several torsion springs, large lever return and small ratchet pawls.
And that's just coil springs. Grip shifters have a leaf spring. Seat rails are leaf springs of a sort.
Decades ago a friend walked around his house at night counting LEDs. That number has grown.
And that's just coil springs. Grip shifters have a leaf spring. Seat rails are leaf springs of a sort.
Decades ago a friend walked around his house at night counting LEDs. That number has grown.
11-28-23, 08:48 AM
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Let’s blur the line….
Tires have a spring like quality to them.
Barry
Tires have a spring like quality to them.
Barry
11-28-23, 09:21 AM
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And then there's spokes, their tension levels and whether they have an actual coiled spring in them. Andy 
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AndrewRStewart
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11-28-23, 09:37 AM
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11-28-23, 10:25 AM
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11-28-23, 11:34 PM
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11-29-23, 03:05 AM
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Last edited by Trakhak; 11-29-23 at 03:09 AM.
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11-29-23, 04:53 PM
#14
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It's worse -- or better, depending on your perspective -- than you even know. Every part on your bicycle that flexes and returns to its original shape is a "spring". Some are coil springs, some are leaf springs, some are gas springs, and some are other types of springs, but they are almost all springs.
