18 speed might be enough.

[Benderthe.evilrobot]

If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

Most of the time, I shift more than one ratio at once - there could even be
sprockets that get barely any wear.

Only had 7SP so far, but building up an 18SP frame. Chances are; I may never
use the smallest of the 3 chain rings - if I can be bothered, I may hunt
around for a crank set with a bigger chain ring than a standard single.

Thanks.

[DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH]

is a learned ability with levels of use at speed available only for the skilled n quick with memory.

so learn up to what seems your level n dwell there perfecting that skill level

I use one CR at a time trying not to cross chain or big ring big ring.

I enjoy the road bike's friction shifters more than the trekkers click click

its a lot like driving a rally car....the driver see both road directly in front and road 150' ahead driving both at same time.

perspective from the lowest skill level.

[Joy Beeson]

On Sun, 9 Oct 2016 19:45:55 +0100, "Benderthe.evilrobot"
<Benderthe...@virginmedia.com> wrote:

> If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

Depends on the terrain. In Albany County, New York, you need a very
high gear for riding from Thatcher Park to New Salem, and a very low
gear for riding from New Salem to Thatcher Park.

But when I lived there, I got along with only ten gears: two
chainwheels and six cogs, one cog a whole bunch bigger than the other
five. A middle chainwheel would have made it easier to get onto the
big ring, I think; I often unship the chain shifting up and sometimes
can't get it back without dismounting. (Still riding Albany gears --
and I can no longer ride up Ninth Street, which took only reasonable
effort when I was fifteen years younger. Now Chestnut is getting to
be a chore.)

And then there's condition. The mechanic set up my first bike with
very low gears so my weak legs could get up hills. "So I'll be back
when I've built up some muscle?" "No, you'll tackle steeper hills."

Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
be perfect.

And, I suspect, some folks throw lots and lots of gears onto the bike
because they don't know which gears they will need. I did the same
with my bookcases: instead of trying to decide in advance how many
and which spacing, I put up "standards" which allowed me to put up
shelves at two-inch intervals. I still have one shelf left over,
which I keep in the closet in case it's wanted later -- but I don't
know where the corresponding brackets are.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net

[John B.]

Usually throwing a chain is caused by one of the derailers being a bit
out of adjustment. From your post I am assuming that you have a bike
mechanic and don't do the tinkering yourself, so next time sort of
mention to the guy that when you shift to the high side or the low
side the chin sometimes comes off. It takes, perhaps a half turn on
one of the stop screws to correct it.

I think that most people get the 11 speed bikes because that is what
is on the "New" bikes :-) Nobody wants an old 2015 model (even selling
at a discount) with its miserable old 10 speed cassette :-)

Quite often the difference between a "new" model and last year's is an
11 speed cassette and slightly different decals :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

[Andre Jute]

It makes you look like a real cyclist, not some weekend mountain bike warrior or, god forbid, Franki-boy will tell you, a dumpster diver who lost his driving license for being under the influence. Get the bike with lotsagears, and if anyone is indelicate enough to ask you why, say, "Technical riding," and turn your back on him. If he persists, add, "You wouldn't understand," and turn your back on him again. You don't need to know what it means. (If you're curious, it doesn't mean anything, except maybe Joerg breaking bikes because he's a careless fatarse who buys underdesigned cheap bikes.)

You'd be surprised how much forum cred "technical riding" gets you. "Technical riding" is like Durex, it covers a multitude of sins.

Andre Jute
There's a reason for everything. You may not want to hear the reason, but it's there.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Benderthe.evilrobot:

>If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

I've been riding 14 speeds for over five years now and can say that 14
is plenty for me - coming from 21.

It's the range that is most important to me - and my gears cover the
range I need.

In defense of more gears.... If you ride with friends a lot and have to
keep up a pace, smaller changes in the upper gears can make a big
diff.... and smaller changes preserving the range you need imply more
gears.
--
Pete Cresswell

[Frank Krygowski]

On 10/9/2016 8:17 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
>
>
> Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
> slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
> makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
> be perfect.

My wife and I just completed a five day tour on our ancient tandem.
Three front chainrings, six rear cogs, and too much stuff in the panniers.

There were plenty of times on the hills when I thought "I'd like a gear
in between those two." But as I proclaimed at the start, my intent was
to not push; instead, to take things easy. I had no trouble accepting a
gear that was one mile per hour slower than optimum.

In fact, on the last long climb out of the river valley just before
home, my wife commented on the extra-low gear I was using: "Are you
feeling OK?" I said "Well, I admit I'm tired. But I'm just taking it easy."


--
- Frank Krygowski

[Doug Landau]

Yabbut you are a self-described statistical outlier.

[Benderthe.evilrobot]

"Andre Jute" <fiul...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c2097f03-eead-49e7...@googlegroups.com...

I get as technical as fitting everything myself instead of paying the shop
to do it for me.

The staff at Halfords seemed astonished when I bought a gear cable inner and
opted to fit it myself on the pavement outside - to me. its just a 20 minute
maintenance job.

Although the cable kit I bought had all the little bits and pieces that made
the job dead easy.

The PTFE coated complete cable kit was only £10 - I seriously need to
consider scrapping all the cable bits I saved from salvage bikes.

I can buy stainless cable kits for under half that - but they're not PTFE
coated.

[Benderthe.evilrobot]

"(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote in message
news:n26nvbt7vj10vmfnp...@4ax.com...

Good point - but I'm seriously lazy. Changing gear takes effort, so I
usually skip a couple of sprockets to get there.

For normal riding; I might occasionally use the middle chainring, but the
small one is unlikely. I might even make the effort to look for the biggest
chainring I can find. The BB needs doing on the new build - since the cranks
will be off, I might as well.

With 3 ranges to chose from; I might even get along better with 5 speeds at
the back.

[Benderthe.evilrobot]

"Frank Krygowski" <frkr...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:ntgjjr$40l$1...@dont-email.me...

> On 10/9/2016 8:17 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
>>
>>
>> Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
>> slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
>> makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
>> be perfect.
>
> My wife and I just completed a five day tour on our ancient tandem. Three
> front chainrings, six rear cogs, and too much stuff in the panniers.
>
> There were plenty of times on the hills when I thought "I'd like a gear in
> between those two." But as I proclaimed at the start, my intent was to
> not push; instead, to take things easy. I had no trouble accepting a gear
> that was one mile per hour slower than optimum.

Sometimes I haul salvage - but its not that often I find much worth hauling.

Usually I just end up using ratios I don't use otherwise.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Benderthe.evilrobot:

>For normal riding; I might occasionally use the middle chainring, but the
>small one is unlikely. I might even make the effort to look for the biggest
>chainring I can find. The BB needs doing on the new build - since the cranks
>will be off, I might as well.

That's one reason I like my 14-speed internal hub: limited grey
matter... with the hub and a single front chain wheel there's one less
thing to keep track of..... -)

Per DoubLandau:
> ... you are a self-described statistical outlier.

Because I mostly ride solo?
--
Pete Cresswell

[Doug Landau]

No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

[Benderthe.evilrobot]

"Doug Landau" <doug....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:75a653d7-f594-4ea2...@googlegroups.com...

FTMI!

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Doug Landau:

>No because of your rear spacing. I admit I chopped the quote.
>I enjoyed reading your comments about saddles and bone spacing from 2004

Geeze... now *that* is some recall ability.

Speaking as one who can't tell you what they had for breakfast - and who
checks the toothbrush to see if it's wet.... I am impressed!
--
Pete Cresswell

[Andre Jute]

Hah! Thanks for the giggle.

Andre Jute

[John B.]

On Mon, 10 Oct 2016 09:34:17 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid>
wrote:

I think that the terrain where you ride is, perhaps, the most
important factor. In Bangkok - a flat alluvial plain - I find that 3
gears is all I ever use, but in Phuket which is very hilly I use a
triple on one bike (27 speeds) and a double on the other (18 speed)
and even then during the last few miles of a hundred miler I keep
thinking that one more low-low might be nice :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

[Sir Ridesalot]

Also, a lot of people will plod along in a gear that's really too highbuy they either don't know enough to shift down (or don't care too) thereby wasting energy or they don't have an appropriate next gear down. I'm no longer surprised by the number of people who'll buy a 21 gear bicycle and only use one gear on the back and just change the three gears up front. For many people a 3-speed internal gear hub would be fine if it was laced to an alloy rim. Others would finf the older 6-speed rear cluster City Bike ideal for their use.

I like 7-speed cassettes and chains for the low replacement costs of them. I like 9-speed cassettes because I can set up 7 cogs to give me a great normal rangnd still have 2 bailout gears for when the hills are really steep, the wind really strong or the load very heavy. Most everyone differs on what they need or want though.

Cheers

[Doug Landau]

Haha how about Michael Press on global warming? U remember that one?

...<snip>...Man-made climate change is hubris. A flea doing back-stroke down the river crying "Raise the drawbridge."

[Andre Jute]

Dunno what sort of a cyclist Michael Press is, but he has a first-class scientific mind: he isn't taken in by the flimflam of the global warming hoaxers' "consensus".

Andre Jute
Credit where credit is due