That's because you've got 8 cogs at the rear. That was the reason why I went from 3x8 to 3x9 and finally to 3x10 on my commuter bike - far easier to keep the optimal cadence with that range, and I need a wide range, living in the mountains, but working in a valley. For my mountain bike I don't care that much so it will stay at 3x9 with wider space between gears.
It might be that your front derailer is meant for a different chain line and different tooth capacity than your crank and that could be the reason the shifting sucks with index. Had similar problems trying to upgrade my first bike with newer components. Besides, you are not supposed to crosschain too much since it is not good for the drive train. The chain is also definitely not supposed to fall off when you shift front and rear at the same time. If you'd live in Germany in the Frankfurt/Main area, I'd be willing to take a look what goes wrong there.
Heh, as for pedals, there are perfectly good platform pedals, I use a pair on my MTB, on my computer bike it's magnetic clips to use with SPD compatible shoes. Toe clips do suck indeed.
1) on a recumbent bike. 2) he rides in an extreme aerodynamic position (time trial) 3) his seatpost is set way too low so his feet would touch the ground when seated. but this kind of riding is very bad for the knees
for all other cases a cyclist is sitting higher for about the same distance that the pedal clears the ground in the lowest crank position (you've got to set the seatpost height so that you can just touch the pedal in its lowest position with your heel). I've just checked, that would be 13 cm on my bike - MTB bottom bracket shells are usually somewhat higher for better clearance.
I normally go 21 kph on a straight road (being heavy) and other cyclists overtake me a lot. I normally accelerate to 40 downhill, once even to 65 - that was fun. Joggers barely reach 10 kph, the really fast ones maybe 15 and if they fall, they don't fall from the same height a cyclist does.
What's the reason to? You align the rear derailer once and then it keeps shifting just fine until the derailer hanger is bent after a fall. You just have to adjust a bit for pull lengthening every now and then.
Index shifting works just fine. Even on my bike where I use a 9 speed MTB real derailer with 10 speed road bike shifters and cassette. It shifts smooth and fast, up to three speeds up and two down at once. The front derailer is more fussy, for the same reason (MTB front derailers are fundamentally incompatible with road shifters so making it work is tricky and requires a bit of overshifting, especially if it is made for a wider chain).
Greetings from Germany. Taking a helmet with you is much less hassle than it seems to be. Most sports backpacks provide a storage for the helmet. Never had a problem with one, neither in shops nor in meetings, nor at the doctor (I actually found out that he's an avid cyclist himself that way). Helmets are not that expensive here, I know that Sweden is way more expensive, but you can order from Germany and AFAIK the shipping cost is not too bad. Also helmets do help when you fly over the handlebars and land with the head first. I speak from first hand experience. Even if the speed is high enough to break the helmet, it still cushions a part of the impact, and often this makes the difference between a concussion and a bruise. If you are lucky, you buy a helmet and it will be an investment for years. The bike needs far more money for maintenance than that - think lubricant, new chain every few thousand kilometers, new cassette every two-three chains, new chain rings when the old ones wear out, new brake pads, replacement of broken parts and so on and so on. Just a full suspension fork service is about EUR 120, add another EUR 200 for the wear parts (let's assume three chains, a cassette, two pairs of brake pads, middle chain ring, bearing replacement for one hub, two new tubes, lubricant and brake cleaner), insurance against theft (another EUR 100) and you'll have to spend EUR 400 for running expenses every year. The money for the helmet is miniscule in comparison.
The only time I decided "screw it, I'll remember tomorrow" I felt like being naked all the way to work and took the train back home. That was not a comfortable experience at all so nowadays I always fetch the helmet if I forget it inside.
Here in Germany wearing helmets is not mandatory for cyclists (except when you ride an electric bike that can go over 25 kph on motor assist - but these are viewed as a kind of a scooter by the law anyway). From my observation, cyclists on expensive bikes usually abide the traffic law and also wear helmets. These on cheap beat up bikes usually do neither. The vast majority of women is in the latter group.
Probably crappy helmet with bad airing. I am long haired and I just have to comb my hair after a bike ride (I bike about 200 km every week and being overweight I do sweat)
Sorry, but that is also not true. A person who needs a 1000 kcal reduction a day can be able to ride a bike uphill for two hours. It all comes down to sheer willpower. How do you think I was able to lose 55 kg in first place? Alas, 25 more to go.
As you said, comfort is king and thin high pressure tyres are uncomfortable as hell, you feel every bump, and on cobble they are a torture.
Comfort seat is fine for short trips and straight sitting position. For angled position and longer trips you'll might get numb genitals because you sink too much into the seat cushioning, so a harder seatpost is actually more comfortable, you just have to sit on your hip bones and get used to it. As for shock absorbing, a full suspension MTB frame with a pedal platform rear shock is actually even more comfortable than a shock absorbing seatpost:-)
As I said, there is nothing wrong with a modified MTB used for a commuter bike. In fact, my commuter bike (48 km every working day) is built on a sturdy all-mountain frame, a light 80 mm suspension fork (Magura Durin Marathon), hydraulic disc brakes and a mix of Shimano XT and XTR drivetrain, but with wide slick tyres, fenders, hub dynamo, lights, reflectors and a 12-28 road bike cassette.
There is nothing wrong with fat tyres per se. One can be pretty fast on a MTB with 26x2.0 slicks, even compared to a road bike. Especially when the road gets worse. But the comfort of such a bike is way higher.
I disagree. Two months ago I lost the grip on the tram rail, flew over the handlebar and landed badly. Without helmet it would have been a concussion and a few lost teeth in addition to all the bruises. I wore a helmet and the teeth stayed in place and I was somewhat dizzy for just a day. I was actually able to continue my ride afterwards for about 20km before I had the sense to admit myself to the hospital. Wearing helmet is a sensible thing to do.
Sorry to disappoint you, but we've got HFCS all the same here, only it is called "Glucose-Fructose-Sirup" in Germany. Another similar ingredient is inverted sugar sirup, which is basically everywhere in processed foods.
Nope, still standard stuff. By the way, if it has been 10 years, it is now time to do the next booster (diphteria/tetanus/pertussis if in USA, add polio for Europe).
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No, but probably it would strongly imply that going to another countries is prohibited.
More or less, yes. I do in fact encourage people to learn ukemi waza (judo/jiu jitsu falling techniques).
That's because you've got 8 cogs at the rear. That was the reason why I went from 3x8 to 3x9 and finally to 3x10 on my commuter bike - far easier to keep the optimal cadence with that range, and I need a wide range, living in the mountains, but working in a valley. For my mountain bike I don't care that much so it will stay at 3x9 with wider space between gears.
It might be that your front derailer is meant for a different chain line and different tooth capacity than your crank and that could be the reason the shifting sucks with index. Had similar problems trying to upgrade my first bike with newer components. Besides, you are not supposed to crosschain too much since it is not good for the drive train. The chain is also definitely not supposed to fall off when you shift front and rear at the same time. If you'd live in Germany in the Frankfurt/Main area, I'd be willing to take a look what goes wrong there.
Heh, as for pedals, there are perfectly good platform pedals, I use a pair on my MTB, on my computer bike it's magnetic clips to use with SPD compatible shoes. Toe clips do suck indeed.
Which is wrong. A cyclist is only lower when
1) on a recumbent bike.
2) he rides in an extreme aerodynamic position (time trial)
3) his seatpost is set way too low so his feet would touch the ground when seated. but this kind of riding is very bad for the knees
for all other cases a cyclist is sitting higher for about the same distance that the pedal clears the ground in the lowest crank position (you've got to set the seatpost height so that you can just touch the pedal in its lowest position with your heel). I've just checked, that would be 13 cm on my bike - MTB bottom bracket shells are usually somewhat higher for better clearance.
I normally go 21 kph on a straight road (being heavy) and other cyclists overtake me a lot. I normally accelerate to 40 downhill, once even to 65 - that was fun. Joggers barely reach 10 kph, the really fast ones maybe 15 and if they fall, they don't fall from the same height a cyclist does.
What's the reason to?
You align the rear derailer once and then it keeps shifting just fine until the derailer hanger is bent after a fall. You just have to adjust a bit for pull lengthening every now and then.
Index shifting works just fine. Even on my bike where I use a 9 speed MTB real derailer with 10 speed road bike shifters and cassette. It shifts smooth and fast, up to three speeds up and two down at once. The front derailer is more fussy, for the same reason (MTB front derailers are fundamentally incompatible with road shifters so making it work is tricky and requires a bit of overshifting, especially if it is made for a wider chain).
I'll never go back to simple friction shifters.
Greetings from Germany. Taking a helmet with you is much less hassle than it seems to be. Most sports backpacks provide a storage for the helmet. Never had a problem with one, neither in shops nor in meetings, nor at the doctor (I actually found out that he's an avid cyclist himself that way). Helmets are not that expensive here, I know that Sweden is way more expensive, but you can order from Germany and AFAIK the shipping cost is not too bad. Also helmets do help when you fly over the handlebars and land with the head first. I speak from first hand experience. Even if the speed is high enough to break the helmet, it still cushions a part of the impact, and often this makes the difference between a concussion and a bruise. If you are lucky, you buy a helmet and it will be an investment for years. The bike needs far more money for maintenance than that - think lubricant, new chain every few thousand kilometers, new cassette every two-three chains, new chain rings when the old ones wear out, new brake pads, replacement of broken parts and so on and so on. Just a full suspension fork service is about EUR 120, add another EUR 200 for the wear parts (let's assume three chains, a cassette, two pairs of brake pads, middle chain ring, bearing replacement for one hub, two new tubes, lubricant and brake cleaner), insurance against theft (another EUR 100) and you'll have to spend EUR 400 for running expenses every year. The money for the helmet is miniscule in comparison.
The only time I decided "screw it, I'll remember tomorrow" I felt like being naked all the way to work and took the train back home. That was not a comfortable experience at all so nowadays I always fetch the helmet if I forget it inside.
Here in Germany wearing helmets is not mandatory for cyclists (except when you ride an electric bike that can go over 25 kph on motor assist - but these are viewed as a kind of a scooter by the law anyway). From my observation, cyclists on expensive bikes usually abide the traffic law and also wear helmets. These on cheap beat up bikes usually do neither. The vast majority of women is in the latter group.
Probably crappy helmet with bad airing. I am long haired and I just have to comb my hair after a bike ride (I bike about 200 km every week and being overweight I do sweat)
Sorry, but that is also not true. A person who needs a 1000 kcal reduction a day can be able to ride a bike uphill for two hours. It all comes down to sheer willpower. How do you think I was able to lose 55 kg in first place? Alas, 25 more to go.
As you said, comfort is king and thin high pressure tyres are uncomfortable as hell, you feel every bump, and on cobble they are a torture.
Comfort seat is fine for short trips and straight sitting position. For angled position and longer trips you'll might get numb genitals because you sink too much into the seat cushioning, so a harder seatpost is actually more comfortable, you just have to sit on your hip bones and get used to it. As for shock absorbing, a full suspension MTB frame with a pedal platform rear shock is actually even more comfortable than a shock absorbing seatpost :-)
As I said, there is nothing wrong with a modified MTB used for a commuter bike. In fact, my commuter bike (48 km every working day) is built on a sturdy all-mountain frame, a light 80 mm suspension fork (Magura Durin Marathon), hydraulic disc brakes and a mix of Shimano XT and XTR drivetrain, but with wide slick tyres, fenders, hub dynamo, lights, reflectors and a 12-28 road bike cassette.
There is nothing wrong with fat tyres per se. One can be pretty fast on a MTB with 26x2.0 slicks, even compared to a road bike. Especially when the road gets worse. But the comfort of such a bike is way higher.
From Frankfurt/Main to Glashütten for example.
http://www.trailsandbikes.net/wp-content/data/deuter-classic-bike-bepackt.jpg.
It is not my photo, but I've got the same backpack (22L, 680g by the way). Not really as huge a problem as you describe.
Football players don't wear helmets. Handegg players do.
Two hours of biking uphill are equal to two thirds of my BMR, so you are quite wrong.
I disagree. Two months ago I lost the grip on the tram rail, flew over the handlebar and landed badly. Without helmet it would have been a concussion and a few lost teeth in addition to all the bruises. I wore a helmet and the teeth stayed in place and I was somewhat dizzy for just a day. I was actually able to continue my ride afterwards for about 20km before I had the sense to admit myself to the hospital. Wearing helmet is a sensible thing to do.
I'd really like to see for how long you'd be able to exercise your right to life without food.
Sorry to disappoint you, but we've got HFCS all the same here, only it is called "Glucose-Fructose-Sirup" in Germany. Another similar ingredient is inverted sugar sirup, which is basically everywhere in processed foods.
People come to lots of different countries for medical treatments. Don't delude yourself that USA is somehow special in this particular case.
Which was the reason for the Green party rise back in the eighties. It actually helped, acid rain is history for quite a while already.
Nope, the only Russian carrier is sort of a "me too" gesture, Russian navy is based around nuclear heavy missile cruisers.
Zhang Yimou?
Nope, still standard stuff.
By the way, if it has been 10 years, it is now time to do the next booster (diphteria/tetanus/pertussis if in USA, add polio for Europe).