Yeah, I know several people who just won't be without thumbshifters. I've dronk the kool-aid though, and I like RapidFire all the way. Although somebody has pointed out to me that SRAM has some trigger shifters now that look pretty nifty. I want to try them out.
I remember reading about that AerMet tubing. It's about as close to Unobtainium as I've ever seen...nifty stuff. : )
I fell in love with the sport in 1988. I was thrilled to see Stephen Roche's triple crown win. I was on the edge of my seat as LeMond beat Laurent Fignon using sheer grit and clever technology, the first of my countrymen to be taken seriously on the international scene. I hoped Andy Hampsten would step into his shoes. I watched Pedro Delgado and Miguel Indurain demolish all comers.
I remember the Russians coming to the Tour in the mid-90's.
And, yes, I'm delighted that the US field is strong. Hincapie is on great form, but it's hard to say whether he'll have the chops to win a Tour. Hamilton is obnoxious (not unlike Lance was before his bout with cancer) but he's got the goods to back up his talk.
So you're welcome to your preconceptions, but I loved bicycle racing before it was cool.
I don't give a shit about the advertising. Buy MY kids will wear helmets because I believe they are safer than not.
And as far as the heat under a helmet, I stay cooler with a properly designed helmet than I do bare-headed. That's why I like to wear one.
I don't favor helmet rules for racers. Certainly at the pro level, these guys have been riding long enough to make the decision themselves. I also don't feel that helmet laws for ordinary citizens are appropriate (for bikes or motorcycles). But I do believe that if somebody hurts themselves, the State shouldn't pay a thin dime to put them back together if they can't be troubled to take care of themselves.
True enough. I don't know if it's true of the ten speed gear, but the nine speed Shimano derailleurs would (I think) work on seven-speed indexed shifting systems. Campagnolo has a little bit better backwards compatibility. So I think it's less of an issue than some people fear.
And re: servicing Rapid Fire shifters? Fuhgeddaboutit. I made the mistake of taking one apart once. BAD idea. Too bad they're so darn handy.
For what it's worth, the narrow tires will actually be less prone to punctures than the fat tires.
Many mtb slicks are available with Kevlar belts. I recommend not using the inverted tread tires (with the really thick rubber and the deep grooves) because you can pick up road debris and it'll saw through the belt.
Also, be certain that the tires are inflated to at least their rated pressure. I'm a big fan of Continental tires, and they've got some decent MTB slicks.
I maintain my own bike, so I don't really care. : )
The maintenance for an 8 speed system should be no different from a 6. If your shop is charging you by the cog, find a different shop.
Now, "this year's" cog setup (ten speed this year, maybe 11 next year? Who knows?) the chains are a little more expensive, but as soon as Sachs Huret starts making chains for them the price becomes reasonable.
I love indexed shifting. I've used both, and I think indexing is just way, way better. I also really like the STI/Ergopower shift-brake levers. OK, they're heavy and complicated, but they are just so darn CONVENIENT. I'm looking forward to retrofitting them on my bike.
Noticeable benefit? Maybe, maybe not. But it's more or less a zero-cost option, so why not? I mean, you pay more for the 10 speed gear, but 8 or 9 is de rigeur nowadays.
My current road bike has 6 cogs on a FREEWHEEL, for cryin' out loud! My MTB has 7 on a freehub. I like the freehub lots, lots, lots more.
That's why I have a pair of full-finger gloves and some nice long bar-ends. I can move my hands around a lot, and get the efficiency of high pressure narrow tires.
70 is not at all uncommon in the Tour de France. I've done over 60mph on my mountain bike on the hill on Highway 2222 in Austin between 620 and Loop 360. (I had high-pressure narrow road tires on the bike at the time). Hard sprint at the top of the hill, tuck in tight, and let gravity do the rest.
Indexed shifting changed everything when it appeared around 1986 or so.
With friction shifters, you can use any derailleur you want. With indexed shifters, you have to buy all of a kind. (I think Modolo and Mavic make some shifters that work with Shimano and Campy 6 or 7 or 8 speed drivetrains, but those were the exception, not the rule)
I'd love to get away from Shimano, but I///hate/// Grip Shift. Hate hate hate hate hate it. I hate all the hoops I have to jump through to get it to work on my bike, I hate the ergonomics, I hate the design.
Rapid Fire is heavier and more complicated, but I vastly prefer it. Unfortunately.
Uh huh. You can have your Plymouth Acclaim. Dude, I would rather shit blood than drive a Plymouth Acclaim. I'm willing to jump through some hoops to change the oil.
Dude, did you see it when Lance blew Jan Ullrich off the mountain last year? When Lance looked back over his shoulder, stared into Ullrich's eyes, and then took off like he'd found a V8 between his legs?
If that's not sport, if that's not passion, I don't know what is. It doesn't get more human than that.
If you want to keep indexed shifting, sure you'd have to replace everything.
Me, I'm looking forward to stripping my trusty Trek 560 to bare metal and building it up with a new gruppo. Campagnolo's mid-range gruppos are really, really good and pretty reasonably priced. That will be a fun project...
I'm just happy that there are two incredibly tough Americans in the race. Call it flag-waving jingo-ism, but I'm thrilled any time a son of the United States is wearing yellow.
Although a six-peat for Lance would be pretty staggering.
Another good example would be the spread-toes position that the ski jumpers use nowadays. The skis are designed to generate a bunch o' lift to loft the skiier farther down the hill.
Aerodynamic handlebars on time trial bikes were also a huge, huge, huge advantage. Just ask Laurent Fignon. : )
Uh, if you like to ride in places with hills, then it IS about the hills, "dumb-ass".
It's not closed-minded bigotry to point out well founded limitations of a certain design. On the flats? You'll never beat a faired recumbent. On a hill?/I/ could bet a faired recumbent (and I haven't ridden a lot for seven years).
The rest of this post is non-capitalized filler to get past the lameness filter. The reason I used caps is because you can't do the guitar riff from Eye of the Tiger without yelling. It's un-American.
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Mmmmkay. And this has what exactly to do with Toshiba's new laptop?
One of us is very confused.
UH, it's called Windows XP. Maybe you've heard of it.
Convenient little bit o' sentence structure for the marketroids, isn't it?
Wonder if there are other products in Toshiba's line with fewer frills, that anybody who wants fewer frills might buy instead...
You think?
Yeah, I know several people who just won't be without thumbshifters. I've dronk the kool-aid though, and I like RapidFire all the way. Although somebody has pointed out to me that SRAM has some trigger shifters now that look pretty nifty. I want to try them out.
I remember reading about that AerMet tubing. It's about as close to Unobtainium as I've ever seen...nifty stuff. : )
Boy, are you ever wrong.
I fell in love with the sport in 1988. I was thrilled to see Stephen Roche's triple crown win. I was on the edge of my seat as LeMond beat Laurent Fignon using sheer grit and clever technology, the first of my countrymen to be taken seriously on the international scene. I hoped Andy Hampsten would step into his shoes. I watched Pedro Delgado and Miguel Indurain demolish all comers.
I remember the Russians coming to the Tour in the mid-90's.
And, yes, I'm delighted that the US field is strong. Hincapie is on great form, but it's hard to say whether he'll have the chops to win a Tour. Hamilton is obnoxious (not unlike Lance was before his bout with cancer) but he's got the goods to back up his talk.
So you're welcome to your preconceptions, but I loved bicycle racing before it was cool.
That makes me very, very joyful. Thanks for the heads up!
MY cranium was saved by a Bell V1 Pro.
I don't give a shit about the advertising. Buy MY kids will wear helmets because I believe they are safer than not.
And as far as the heat under a helmet, I stay cooler with a properly designed helmet than I do bare-headed. That's why I like to wear one.
I don't favor helmet rules for racers. Certainly at the pro level, these guys have been riding long enough to make the decision themselves. I also don't feel that helmet laws for ordinary citizens are appropriate (for bikes or motorcycles). But I do believe that if somebody hurts themselves, the State shouldn't pay a thin dime to put them back together if they can't be troubled to take care of themselves.
True enough. I don't know if it's true of the ten speed gear, but the nine speed Shimano derailleurs would (I think) work on seven-speed indexed shifting systems. Campagnolo has a little bit better backwards compatibility. So I think it's less of an issue than some people fear.
And re: servicing Rapid Fire shifters? Fuhgeddaboutit. I made the mistake of taking one apart once. BAD idea. Too bad they're so darn handy.
For what it's worth, the narrow tires will actually be less prone to punctures than the fat tires.
Many mtb slicks are available with Kevlar belts. I recommend not using the inverted tread tires (with the really thick rubber and the deep grooves) because you can pick up road debris and it'll saw through the belt.
Also, be certain that the tires are inflated to at least their rated pressure. I'm a big fan of Continental tires, and they've got some decent MTB slicks.
Good luck. : )
I maintain my own bike, so I don't really care. : )
The maintenance for an 8 speed system should be no different from a 6. If your shop is charging you by the cog, find a different shop.
Now, "this year's" cog setup (ten speed this year, maybe 11 next year? Who knows?) the chains are a little more expensive, but as soon as Sachs Huret starts making chains for them the price becomes reasonable.
I love Sachs chains. Freakin' bulletproof.
I love indexed shifting. I've used both, and I think indexing is just way, way better. I also really like the STI/Ergopower shift-brake levers. OK, they're heavy and complicated, but they are just so darn CONVENIENT. I'm looking forward to retrofitting them on my bike.
Noticeable benefit? Maybe, maybe not. But it's more or less a zero-cost option, so why not? I mean, you pay more for the 10 speed gear, but 8 or 9 is de rigeur nowadays.
My current road bike has 6 cogs on a FREEWHEEL, for cryin' out loud! My MTB has 7 on a freehub. I like the freehub lots, lots, lots more.
That's why I have a pair of full-finger gloves and some nice long bar-ends. I can move my hands around a lot, and get the efficiency of high pressure narrow tires.
70 is not at all uncommon in the Tour de France. I've done over 60mph on my mountain bike on the hill on Highway 2222 in Austin between 620 and Loop 360. (I had high-pressure narrow road tires on the bike at the time). Hard sprint at the top of the hill, tuck in tight, and let gravity do the rest.
I'd imagine that's 200,000 vertical feet. Which is a lot of climbing.
Indexed shifting changed everything when it appeared around 1986 or so.
With friction shifters, you can use any derailleur you want. With indexed shifters, you have to buy all of a kind. (I think Modolo and Mavic make some shifters that work with Shimano and Campy 6 or 7 or 8 speed drivetrains, but those were the exception, not the rule)
I'd love to get away from Shimano, but I ///hate/// Grip Shift. Hate hate hate hate hate it. I hate all the hoops I have to jump through to get it to work on my bike, I hate the ergonomics, I hate the design.
Rapid Fire is heavier and more complicated, but I vastly prefer it. Unfortunately.
Uh huh. You can have your Plymouth Acclaim. Dude, I would rather shit blood than drive a Plymouth Acclaim. I'm willing to jump through some hoops to change the oil.
Except, OH WAIT, I don't have to. Astounding.
Dude, did you see it when Lance blew Jan Ullrich off the mountain last year? When Lance looked back over his shoulder, stared into Ullrich's eyes, and then took off like he'd found a V8 between his legs?
If that's not sport, if that's not passion, I don't know what is. It doesn't get more human than that.
If you want to keep indexed shifting, sure you'd have to replace everything.
Me, I'm looking forward to stripping my trusty Trek 560 to bare metal and building it up with a new gruppo. Campagnolo's mid-range gruppos are really, really good and pretty reasonably priced. That will be a fun project...
I'm just happy that there are two incredibly tough Americans in the race. Call it flag-waving jingo-ism, but I'm thrilled any time a son of the United States is wearing yellow.
Although a six-peat for Lance would be pretty staggering.
Another good example would be the spread-toes position that the ski jumpers use nowadays. The skis are designed to generate a bunch o' lift to loft the skiier farther down the hill.
Aerodynamic handlebars on time trial bikes were also a huge, huge, huge advantage. Just ask Laurent Fignon. : )
Uh, if you like to ride in places with hills, then it IS about the hills, "dumb-ass".
/I/ could bet a faired recumbent (and I haven't ridden a lot for seven years).
It's not closed-minded bigotry to point out well founded limitations of a certain design. On the flats? You'll never beat a faired recumbent. On a hill?
LANCE!
LANCE LANCE LANCE!
LANCE LANCE LANCE!
LANCE LANCE LAAAAAANCE!
The rest of this post is non-capitalized filler to get past the lameness filter. The reason I used caps is because you can't do the guitar riff from Eye of the Tiger without yelling. It's un-American.
Have you gotten her some road-worthy tires?
A decent mountain bike with some Specialized Fat Boys or Nimbuses makes an excellent touring bike. But with knobbies? *shudder*