Bikes Direct Motobecane Mirage Sport Mixte

[sms]

The Mixte from Bikes Direct arrived last night. It shipped on Monday and
I got it on Thursday.

It was packed amazingly well, it took about 20 minutes just to get all
the foam padding and cardboard off of it.

I put it together in about an hour. Amazingly, the wheels were event
true. 23 pounds without any extra junk added. It comes with dual brake
levers, just like in the 1970's!

This is the first bike I've had in the fleet with Road Brifters. I guess
people get used to them, but I didn't like them and the spousal unit
hated them, as well as the drop bars.

I ordered the pieces to convert to upright bars from Chain Reaction in
the UK. I could not find flat bar 3 x 8 road shifters anywhere in the
U.S. (ST-R243 or ST-R225). Maybe they've been discontinued since road
triples and eight speed freewheels on road bikes no longer exist. In
fact the other triple crank flat bar road bikes I saw all had mountain
bike component sets on them.

NC-17 Trekking Super Riser Bar
Stem Shim (1" to 1 1/8" shim)
Grips
R243 brakes/shifters
Adjustable stem from eBay

[Joerg]

On 2015-05-02 10:52 AM, sms wrote:
> The Mixte from Bikes Direct arrived last night. It shipped on Monday and
> I got it on Thursday.
>
> It was packed amazingly well, it took about 20 minutes just to get all
> the foam padding and cardboard off of it.
>
> I put it together in about an hour. Amazingly, the wheels were event
> true. 23 pounds without any extra junk added. It comes with dual brake
> levers, just like in the 1970's!
>

A friend bought three bikes there, two fat bikes and one titanium MTB.
There was never a problem.

> This is the first bike I've had in the fleet with Road Brifters. I guess
> people get used to them, but I didn't like them and the spousal unit
> hated them, as well as the drop bars.
>
> I ordered the pieces to convert to upright bars from Chain Reaction in
> the UK. I could not find flat bar 3 x 8 road shifters anywhere in the
> U.S. (ST-R243 or ST-R225). Maybe they've been discontinued since road
> triples and eight speed freewheels on road bikes no longer exist. In
> fact the other triple crank flat bar road bikes I saw all had mountain
> bike component sets on them.
>

What's wrong with mountian bike parts on road bikes? How about those:

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Acera-SL-M310-Rapid-Shifter/dp/B00JEYQFHA

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

[sms]

I may be wrong, but from everything I read about the Shimano mountain
bike shifters, they are not compatible with the road bike derailleurs.
Those would have been fine if they could be guaranteed to work.

[sms]

One thing I ran into this morning was trying to fit a rear rack to this
bike. The brake caliper is so close to the braze-on for the rack that
it's very hard. I tried four different racks with different style
brackes, and the brackets all interfered.

I ordered one of these <http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V537I0> which
should solve the problem.

[Andre Jute]

On Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 9:47:38 PM UTC+1, sms wrote:

> I ordered one of these <http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V537I0> which
> should solve the problem.

You should also have sent for a psychiatrist, Scharfie. This piece of plastic is described as a "Seat Clamp with luggage Carrier Fixation".

Andre Jute

[avag...@gmail.com]

https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1000&bih=481&q=5%2F16ths+x+5+stainless+u+bolt&oq=5%2F16ths+x+5+stainless+u+bolt&gs_l=img.12...2341.31579.0.34450.39.14.5.20.1.0.387.2065.0j11j1j1.13.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.64.img..21.18.1953.msqS2YvH3C0

with a hose clamp under..

GooUrl sez Ima rodent

[avag...@gmail.com]

the bike is the $350 bike ?

yeah I had a road-deore shifter failure...I wuz bein cheap.

what tire yawl get for 350 ?

[avag...@gmail.com]

THE NUTTY COMPANY

https://www.google.com/#q=STAINLESS+STEEL+U+BOLTS+5/16TH+X+1%223/8THS+X+5%22&tbs=vw:l&tbm=shop&start=40&spd=14379800442364571531

[John B.]

On Sat, 02 May 2015 10:52:56 -0700, sms <scharf...@geemail.com>
wrote:

Apparently Shimano still makes both 7 and 8 speed components as I've
seen them on brand new bikes here, but likely they aren't popular in
the U.S. so they may not be imported.
--
cheers,

John B.

[Duane]

You're wrong about road bikes with triples not existing. I have some
mountain goat friends with Trek road bikes that have triples. Their shops
had to order them as they didn't stock them but they can still be had.
--
duane

[avag...@gmail.com]

FIRST GLANCE appears 8's are in reduction with new buyers jammed into more $$$

cheap GT

https://www.google.com/#tbm=shop&q=+8+SPEED+BICYCLE+PARTS

bit not world parts

[Joerg]

On 2015-05-02 1:36 PM, sms wrote:
> On 5/2/2015 1:16 PM, Joerg wrote:
>> On 2015-05-02 10:52 AM, sms wrote:

[...]

>>
>>> This is the first bike I've had in the fleet with Road Brifters. I guess
>>> people get used to them, but I didn't like them and the spousal unit
>>> hated them, as well as the drop bars.
>>>
>>> I ordered the pieces to convert to upright bars from Chain Reaction in
>>> the UK. I could not find flat bar 3 x 8 road shifters anywhere in the
>>> U.S. (ST-R243 or ST-R225). Maybe they've been discontinued since road
>>> triples and eight speed freewheels on road bikes no longer exist. In
>>> fact the other triple crank flat bar road bikes I saw all had mountain
>>> bike component sets on them.
>>>
>>
>> What's wrong with mountian bike parts on road bikes? How about those:
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Acera-SL-M310-Rapid-Shifter/dp/B00JEYQFHA
>
> I may be wrong, but from everything I read about the Shimano mountain
> bike shifters, they are not compatible with the road bike derailleurs.
> Those would have been fine if they could be guaranteed to work.
>

Ok, then you'd have to also switch out the derailleurs. For road bikes
I've only seen the braze-on indexed levers in 8-speed.

[sms]

Other than from REI, I don't like the idea of ordering an expensive
bicycle without riding it. You can't return a special order bicycle if
you don't like it. With Bikesdirect I could return it though selling it
on craigslist would be simpler. Given the prices people are getting for
old Mixtes on craigslist, I might even make money on the deal.

[Duane]

What my friend did was test ride one with a standard double and ordered the
triple. I suppose there could have been a problem with a triple on that
frame but there wasn't. Anyway the shop offers return for 30 days on all
bikes they sell. I know the shop even though it's not mine. I prefer
specialized.

[Andre Jute]

On Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 7:05:43 PM UTC+1, Duane wrote:
>
> What my friend did was test ride one with a standard double and ordered the
> triple. I suppose there could have been a problem with a triple on that
> frame but there wasn't. Anyway the shop offers return for 30 days on all
> bikes they sell. I know the shop even though it's not mine. I prefer
> specialized.

You're not going to believe this. Scharfie's fave component pusher (and mine for that matter), Chainreactioncycles.com, gives a 365 day return right. At first I wondered WTF, who could possibly need it? But in fact, I ordered a component that depended on another component coming from elsewhere, which never came back into production. Meanwhile I changed my bike so I asked them to exchange the component for a different size, about nine months after I bought it. No hassle. What's not to love about such service? On top of all this they give free delivery and have very competitive prices.

Andre Jute
A satisfied customer

[avag...@gmail.com]

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

snot like we grow on trees

[avag...@gmail.com]

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn


uh I figured deore was cheaper, continuing available come what so road and trail all deore...

but is there a substantive performance difference tween deore and ? for road ?

Goo basically gives ground floor shopping answers...by now if you kept the door closed then you're in the minus column

https://www.google.com/#q=8+speed+road+bike+shifters&tbm=shop

I have mucho problems with the GooNazi's but bought a discounted Samsung7 comin with Goo+...wading thru that is momentarily too much...yach I'm overrun !

[Duane]

I've ordered a few things from them. The only problem I've had is the
times when I had to pay the duty but that's not their problem.


--
duane

[sms]

They are not my "fave" supplier, I've never ordered from them before.
But for transportational cycling there are quite a few items that are
not sold by U.S. companies and that must be ordered from Europe. I.e.,
if I want a chain guard for a bike with a front derailleur I would have
to order from Europe as these simply do not exist in the U.S.. Some
items are available in the U.S. from companies like Rivendell, Soma
Fabrications, and Velo Orange. Items that used to be mass-market are now
boutique items in the U.S..

[jbeattie]

The SKS Chainboard -- which is FD compatible -- is available at Universal, which is downtown PDX. http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=29418

It has a QBP picture, so I assume you could get one at any shop that does business with QBP. The video here shows it being installed on a derailleur bike. http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=chainguards&i=2290500400&CHAINBOARD%20199%20mm

I have found that Europe and U.K. are wonderful sources for odd electrical and plumbing retro-fit products, created for people who still live in houses built hundreds of years ago out of masonry. They have lots of work-around products. Everything I need for my bike, however, I've been able to find domestically -- although some of the best pricing has come from Europe (even if I do get dinged with duty).

-- Jay Beattie.

[Duane]

I can get Assos bibs from England for half the price of local. Unless I
get caught by the duty. Then it's a bit more than local...

[sms]

Good find. It's from Germany. See https://youtu.be/TDb-qVGbWCE for
installation video. LOL, cottered cranks.

[sms]

On 5/4/2015 8:18 AM, sms wrote:

> Good find. It's from Germany. See https://youtu.be/TDb-qVGbWCE for
> installation video. LOL, cottered cranks.

To me it's amazing how many products have been designed, manufactured,
and marketed, to solve problems caused by bicycle manufacturers
decontenting bicycles to save a tiny amount of money during manufacturing.

1. Products to add mounting points for accessories like racks, bottles
and pumpa.

2. Products to regain adjust ability of handlebars and seats.

3. Chain guards, albeit with complex installation requiring bottom
bracket removal.

4. Products to increase gearing range, some of them amazingly complex
and expensive.

5. Shims and spacers for incompatible headsets, stems, and handlebars.

[jbeattie]

Just more work -- now if you had BB30, you'd be screwed. You'd have to get a converter, e.g. http://wheelsmfg.com/bottom-brackets/bb30-outboard/bb30-outboard-bottom-brackets.html

Why not dump the cottered cranks and move in to the modern world? I don't know why people are so attached to the old stuff -- the cost of updating is not great if you hit the sales at Nashbar, assuming you don't have a Swiss or French BB.

-- Jay Beattie.

[Frank Krygowski]

On 5/4/2015 10:32 AM, jbeattie wrote:
> On Monday, May 4, 2015 at 1:24:04 AM UTC-7, sms wrote:
>>

>> ... if I want a chain guard for a bike with a front derailleur I would have
>> to order from Europe as these simply do not exist in the U.S.. ...

>
> The SKS Chainboard -- which is FD compatible -- is available at Universal, which is downtown PDX. http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=29418
>
> It has a QBP picture, so I assume you could get one at any shop that does business with QBP.

It does seem like such a thing would be perfectly satisfactory for many
utility cyclists. It would eliminate the need to buy into more expensive
and exotic solutions.

Granted, some adaptation might be necessary, depending on the details of
the bike. But a little customizing shouldn't be beyond the skills of an
r.b.tech person or his LBS mechanic.


--
- Frank Krygowski

[Frank Krygowski]

On 5/4/2015 11:47 AM, jbeattie wrote:
>
> Why not dump the cottered cranks and move in to the modern world?
I don't know why people are so attached to the old stuff -- the cost
of updating is not great if you hit the sales at Nashbar, assuming
you don't have a Swiss or French BB.

Well, I think very few here are using cottered cranks.

And I suppose that if anyone is using them, it's because they feel
they're working well enough. IOW the benefits of changing over seem
less than the detriments of changing over.

I've still got square taper cranks on all my bikes. A salesman kind of
pushed a different bottom bracket design on one bike a few years ago,
but I opted for square taper. It works for me, I thoroughly understand
it and have plenty of riding and maintenance experience with it. Given
the history of failures in some exotic BBs, I was happy to stay on
familiar ground.

--
- Frank Krygowski

[Joerg]

Maybe not? IMHO the difference between budget, better, deluxe and super
expensive shifting gear in bikes is overhyped. Same with the nonsensical
craze towards ever more gears and thinner chains. My old MTB has a cheap
Altus 7-speed in back and 3 chain blades up front. Perfectly fine. It
shifts just as easy as the expensive Deore XT 10/3 stuff on my new MTB.
And I constantly skip 2-4 gears on my new bike because I don't need all
those inbetween gears.

Ok, I try never to switch under load because that sound horrible no
matter which gear and personally I think it's a bad habit.

[...]

[sms]

On 5/4/2015 2:38 PM, Joerg wrote:

<snip>

> Maybe not? IMHO the difference between budget, better, deluxe and super
> expensive shifting gear in bikes is overhyped. Same with the nonsensical
> craze towards ever more gears and thinner chains. My old MTB has a cheap
> Altus 7-speed in back and 3 chain blades up front. Perfectly fine. It
> shifts just as easy as the expensive Deore XT 10/3 stuff on my new MTB.
> And I constantly skip 2-4 gears on my new bike because I don't need all
> those inbetween gears.

In my area it would be pretty stupid for anyone that is not a super
in-shape racer to not get a triple because there are so many roads that
are extremely steep. Climbing Tunitas Creek Road or Balboa Road with a
double would be a real challenge for most riders. Yet these are among
the nicest rides if you have proper gearing.

Anything on this list with a 5 or 6 is not likely to be climbed by most
of us geezers that don't have a low gear that's in the low to mid 20s
for gear inches: <http://actc.org/routes/bg/index.php>. As I struggle up
some of these, I repeat to myself, "I will not walk, I will not walk."

The 10 to 11 speed cogs with the thin chains have a very definite
purpose that you fail to appreciate. It drives up the cost of
replacement parts by a significant amount of money, thus helping the
bicycle industry.

105 is really the sweet spot now with reports that the latest generation
of 105 is actually better than Ultegra, at least in performance, if not
in weight.

[avag...@gmail.com]

105 is really the sweet spot now with reports that the latest generation

? commitment to control.

SMS, yawl cut out one of my CR dirt deflectors ? perfect for the unit.

Sorry J, daze faster not only the equipment .....

there are screams when the stuff snaps. listen.......

[John B.]

I thought that the "pants problem" had been solved (literally) years
ago with the invention of the "pants clip", or perhaps that is "cuff
clip".
--
cheers,

John B.

[John B.]

On Mon, 04 May 2015 14:38:02 -0700, Joerg <ne...@analogconsultants.com>
wrote:

"Chain Blade". A Japanese bicycle ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusarigama
--
cheers,

John B.

[Frank Krygowski]

On Monday, May 4, 2015 at 8:09:53 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
>
>
> I thought that the "pants problem" had been solved (literally) years
> ago with the invention of the "pants clip", or perhaps that is "cuff
> clip".

Heck, I solved it decades ago, to my satisfaction. I'm the guy with wax-
lubricated chains, plus safety pins. (I found safety pins to be much more
secure than metal or velcro pants clips, rubber bands, pants-in-socks or
any of the other schemes I've seen people use.) I'm also the guy who's
described commuting to a teaching job (not to mention countless shopping
trips) in ordinary business casual clothes with no problems. My methods
work beautifully for me.

But apparently some people prefer more specialized hardware. The hobby
gods demand tribute, you know!

- Frank Krygowski

[Sir Ridesalot]

Ah hell. I haven't had a pant leg get caught in a chain in over 40 years since I started tucking the right pant leg into the top of my sock.

Cheers

[Joerg]

On 2015-05-04 3:19 PM, sms wrote:
> On 5/4/2015 2:38 PM, Joerg wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> Maybe not? IMHO the difference between budget, better, deluxe and super
>> expensive shifting gear in bikes is overhyped. Same with the nonsensical
>> craze towards ever more gears and thinner chains. My old MTB has a cheap
>> Altus 7-speed in back and 3 chain blades up front. Perfectly fine. It
>> shifts just as easy as the expensive Deore XT 10/3 stuff on my new MTB.
>> And I constantly skip 2-4 gears on my new bike because I don't need all
>> those inbetween gears.
>
> In my area it would be pretty stupid for anyone that is not a super
> in-shape racer to not get a triple because there are so many roads that
> are extremely steep. Climbing Tunitas Creek Road or Balboa Road with a
> double would be a real challenge for most riders. Yet these are among
> the nicest rides if you have proper gearing.
>

I sure miss the granny gear that my MTB has but the road bike doesn't.
It's an old Shimano set from the early 80's when I had this bike custom
built for me. The usual, 42-52T up front and a sweat breaking 13-21T
corn cob in back. 130mm BCD and for some reason the bike industry has
never figured out how to allow granny gear with that. And I don't have
the required machines and welding gear to make one. Meaning the smallest
I could theoretically get is 38 or 39 which isn't any improvement to
write home about. Sooo ... after a hint in a German NG I want to get an
HG50 7-speed 14-32T cassette, hack it apart, take the five center
sprockets, reduce the wide spline with a file and mount them, keeping
the old threaded outer sprocket to secure it all. Hoping that the old
Shimano 600 derailleur will push the chain to the 28T sprocket if maybe
I mount the rear wheel slightly forward. 32 would be asking too much I
guess.

Of course after the last ride I noticed that when I rolled my bike by
hand the freehub didn't always do its clicka-di-click thing and
occasionally drove the pedals. So maybe I'll have to let some chainsaw
oil ooze in from the side. I can't part with this classic bike. It's
tempting but if I'd buy a new carbon frame deal I know my wife would
make me get rid of my good ol' Gazelle.

> Anything on this list with a 5 or 6 is not likely to be climbed by most
> of us geezers that don't have a low gear that's in the low to mid 20s
> for gear inches: <http://actc.org/routes/bg/index.php>. As I struggle up
> some of these, I repeat to myself, "I will not walk, I will not walk."
>

I know that feeling :-)

But I am used to this because many of my trips lead me into Folsom and
farther. That's at 200ft altitude and we live at 1450ft. Lots of ups and
downs inbetween.

> The 10 to 11 speed cogs with the thin chains have a very definite
> purpose that you fail to appreciate. It drives up the cost of
> replacement parts by a significant amount of money, thus helping the
> bicycle industry.

Oh yeah, that it does :-)

>
> 105 is really the sweet spot now with reports that the latest generation
> of 105 is actually better than Ultegra, at least in performance, if not
> in weight.
>

I thought about changing out the whole works. But that would not be a
nice thing to do to a classic bike with a Gazelle Trim Trophy Reynolds
531 frame.

[Joerg]

Sorry, I guess it's chain ring. I had the German word Kettenblatt in my
head. Demasiadas lenguas que giran alrededor.

--
Na'sdarovje, Joerg ... :-)

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

[Ralph Barone]

I solved that problem by not wearing pants.

[Joy Beeson]

On Mon, 4 May 2015 17:22:47 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
<frkr...@gmail.com> wrote:

> (I found safety pins to be much more
> secure than metal or velcro pants clips, rubber bands, pants-in-socks or
> any of the other schemes I've seen people use.)

Safety pins have suddenly become unreliable of late -- once I heard a
ping when mounting up in the garage and looked down to see the head of
a safety pin on the floor: I had caught the pin on something and
ripped the head right off.

I first noticed the unreliable pin on the long ride when I'd forgotten
my wallet and was half-way through replacing a lost emergency kit.
Luckily, I had a spare sweat rag (a sixteen- or eighteen-inch square
torn from an old pillowcase), and this, folded into a cravat bandage
and tied around my ankle, worked better than anything else I've tried
-- including my custom-made pants protector. But I was asked how I'd
injured myself!

Could be that I'm getting less able to swing my leg over the top tube
without bumping something, but I think that it's because I've been
wearing sweat pants for want of decent tights. Unlike better pants, I
have safety pins on *both* ankles, instead of having a pants protector
on the leg that swings over the bike. And fleece doesn't hold a pin
as well as denim does.

But soon, soon, I can go back to wearing linen knickerbockers.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

[Lou Holtman]

On Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 12:19:40 AM UTC+2, sms wrote:

> 105 is really the sweet spot now with reports that the latest generation
> of 105 is actually better than Ultegra, at least in performance, if not
> in weight.

Better than the latest Ultegra? I don't think so. It is not worse either though. The difference between Ultegra and 105 is weight and finish.

Lou

[Duane]

Exactly. My new bike has SRAM force and it's also pretty functional once
you get used to the tap double tap thing. But they're all very close with
respect to performance in my opinion.


--
duane

[avag...@gmail.com]

to chrome or not to chrome
tha is thendxskklasl....

[Sir Ridesalot]

Must be nice and cool in winter during sub zero temperature and blowing snow.

Cheers

[David Scheidt]

Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
:On Mon, 4 May 2015 17:22:47 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski

:<frkr...@gmail.com> wrote:

:> (I found safety pins to be much more
:> secure than metal or velcro pants clips, rubber bands, pants-in-socks or
:> any of the other schemes I've seen people use.)

:Safety pins have suddenly become unreliable of late -- once I heard a
:ping when mounting up in the garage and looked down to see the head of
:a safety pin on the floor: I had caught the pin on something and
:ripped the head right off.

Some are better than others. I got a box of pins from somewhere, and
used about 200 of them (next time, I'll buy opened pins...) pinning
the selvedges of a 10 yard long piece of fabric together so I could
wash it. A large percentage of them failed in the washing machine;
about 10% lost their heads, and about 10% came open. The remaining
pins were fine, and have continued to work without a single failure.
I expect the machine (or its die) that crimps the head on is worn out, and not
doing it right.

:torn from an old pillowcase), and this, folded into a cravat bandage

:and tied around my ankle, worked better than anything else I've tried
:-- including my custom-made pants protector. But I was asked how I'd
:injured myself!

I use a protector made of a piece of Reflexite 340 sewn to a piece of
webbing. That's the same reflective material Jog-a-lite uses, but
mine is long enough to work right, has better hook-and-loop, and isn't
sewn with a chainstitch, so they don't fall apart after a few months.
I put up with jog-a-lite's poor sewing for a long time because the
reflective material is *so* much better than what anyone else uses. (I
sewed them back together, and replaced the undersized hook-and-loop on
a number of them)


--
sig 77

[Duane]

That's why god made wooly tights.

[jbeattie]

Although I don't like double tap and often miss shifts because I ride Shimano all week and SRAM on the weekends -- and Monday is often confusing. I prefer Shimano's dual-pivots. As for the different lines, apart from finish and weight, I have found that some brifters are less durable, but you have to get pretty far down the product line. The 105s on my commuter bike have been going strong for ten years or more. My Ultegras have been going longer than that, but they moved on to my son's bike.

-- Jay Beattie..

[Joe Riel]

David Scheidt <dsch...@panix.com> writes:

> Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
> :On Mon, 4 May 2015 17:22:47 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
> :<frkr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> :> (I found safety pins to be much more
> :> secure than metal or velcro pants clips, rubber bands, pants-in-socks or
> :> any of the other schemes I've seen people use.)
>
> :Safety pins have suddenly become unreliable of late -- once I heard a
> :ping when mounting up in the garage and looked down to see the head of
> :a safety pin on the floor: I had caught the pin on something and
> :ripped the head right off.
>
> Some are better than others. I got a box of pins from somewhere, and
> used about 200 of them (next time, I'll buy opened pins...) pinning
> the selvedges of a 10 yard long piece of fabric together so I could
> wash it. A large percentage of them failed in the washing machine;
> about 10% lost their heads, and about 10% came open. The remaining
> pins were fine, and have continued to work without a single failure.
> I expect the machine (or its die) that crimps the head on is worn out, and not
> doing it right.

Those don't sound like *safety* pins to me. Do safety pins even have
heads? I thought that was just for straight pins.

--
Joe Riel

[Frank Krygowski]

I do the sock trick only rarely, because safety pins are easy to stash on any
bike.

It's not that socks or pants clips have gotten my pants snagged. It's just
that back when I used them, my pants would gradually work out of them, getting
looser and looser around my cuffs as I rode. And I'll admit, although I'm
far from being a clothes horse, I do think the pants-in-socks thing looks
overly geeky.

Perhaps I had a bad brand of pants clip, or inferior socks. Whatever. For
me, large safety pins work best. YMMV.

- Frank Krygowski

[Frank Krygowski]

On Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 1:19:58 AM UTC-4, Joy Beeson wrote:
>
> Safety pins have suddenly become unreliable of late -- once I heard a
> ping when mounting up in the garage and looked down to see the head of
> a safety pin on the floor: I had caught the pin on something and
> ripped the head right off.

You're probably using mere Tiagra level safety pins. If you move up to
Ultegra level, you'll find they're much more reliable.

Dura Ace pins are hollow titanium, but I've never found the weight benefit
to be worth the cost. They sure are pretty, though.

I hear the Rohloff ones are just too blasted complicated and pricey. And
if one fails, you have to hand-deliver it to Germany for repair.

- Frank Krygowski

[David Scheidt]

Joe Riel <jo...@san.rr.com> wrote:

Safety pins consist of two pieces. one is a piece of wire, that's
bent into U-shape, with one end pointed. The other piece is a head,
which is crimped onto the non-pointed end.

http://www.panix.com/~dscheidt/pics/safety-pin.jpg

As, you can see, the crimped end has been bent to match the shape of
the head, to resist being pulled off. I was unable to pull it off
with two pairs of pliers, i pried up the crimping with a screwdriver.

--
sig 103

[jbeattie]

Oh my gawd, Frank, we've finally reached your geek dividing line -- which, of course, makes you a poseur racer wanna-be for not stuffing your pants in your socks, which is, of course, what ALL true transportation cyclists do. People like me who ride to work everyday in Lycra will never be transportation cyclists because Lycra eliminates all possibility of transportation. It turns every ride into a mere walk down the fashion runway. If I want to get anywhere, I'll have to stuff my pants in my socks.

-- Jay Beattie.

[Duane]

I'm getting used to the SRAM. The bike came with it or I would never
have tried them. I had 105s for a long time and never a problem.

[sms]

On 5/5/2015 9:04 AM, jbeattie wrote:

> Oh my gawd, Frank, we've finally reached your geek dividing line -- which, of course, makes you a poseur racer wanna-be for not stuffing your pants in your socks, which is, of course, what ALL true transportation cyclists do. People like me who ride to work everyday in Lycra will never be transportation cyclists because Lycra eliminates all possibility of transportation. It turns every ride into a mere walk down the fashion runway. If I want to get anywhere, I'll have to stuff my pants in my socks.

Most of the Velcro pants trouser bands are not that great. The best
thing a Velcro cinching strap, i.e.
<http://www.mcmaster.com/#hook-and-loop-cinching-straps/=x1uafi>.

Stop stuffing socks in your pants, it doesn't fool anyone.

[Duane]

Thanks for that. lol

[Frank Krygowski]

Take heart! You can still be a transportation cyclist even if you wear
lycra. Just add appropriate socks to your ensemble. I recommend hand knit
woolen ones. They can be a bit expensive, but like so many things in
cycling, they're worth it for the style points, if not for measurable benefit.

Safety pins don't give the same benefit to the lycra commuters. They're
not as visible. Go with the wool socks.

Of course, I never had to do that for style points, because my utility riding
was (and still is) in non-bike clothes.

- Frank Krygowski

[Andre Jute]

Perhaps I was just born infinitely superior to you folk because my ancestor Odin was a god, worshiped by the British among others until the coming of Christianity, or perhaps I just have my brain in gear as well as my bike, but I get on the bike in cream trousers without giving a single thought to putting their cuffs in socks, clipping them close to my ankles, changing into lycra, or, god forbid, safety-pinning them to my hamstrings. There is no oil on the outside of my bicycle to transfer to the trousers because I specified my bike right. Nor do I spend any time cleaning my bike -- it recently had it's sabbattical year wash, which took an hour; an hour every seven years hardly counts. Here's the thoughtful bicycle specification of a clean bicyclist in smart clothes (whose tailor still loves him): Mudguards, Rohloff internal hub, Surly stainless steel chainring (you can cheap out to a plain steel chainring), Hebie Chainglider for a completely enclosed chain, zero extra chain lube 'cos the chain runs on the factory lube for its entire life. And then you just ride it in whatever clothes you're wearing, without concern or changing or inelegant contortions.

Andre Jute
Ride tall!

[Andre Jute]

Envy is such an ugly emotion.

Andre Jute

[avag...@gmail.com]

Cheers

HUH ! I didnah know Canadians wore socks ........

[avag...@gmail.com]

https://www.google.com/#q=us+patent+safety+pin&spell=1

[avag...@gmail.com]

http://www.seattlefabrics.com/elastic.html


compare with tennis headbands

[Ralph Barone]

I'm pretty much a fair weather biker, but when it gets colder or wetter, I
do wear pants. However, they are biking pants which fit snugly around the
ankles. No problems.

[Peter Howard]

I have a springy piece of reflectorised plastic an inch wide and twelve
inches long which rolls up into a spiral all by itself when it's not
around my pants cuff. It came as a freebie with a bike store mail-order
and has the stores name printed on it. It's very secure and has
superseded my fifty year old stainless steel "bicycle clips". I noticed
when walking around the haberdashery shop that exactly similar steel
clips are sold in pairs for purposes of keeping the rolled up portion of
a quilting project under control.
PH

[Joy Beeson]

On Tue, 5 May 2015 13:11:50 +0000 (UTC), David Scheidt
<dsch...@panix.com> wrote:

> Some are better than others. I got a box of pins from somewhere, and
> used about 200 of them (next time, I'll buy opened pins...) pinning
> the selvedges of a 10 yard long piece of fabric together so I could
> wash it. A large percentage of them failed in the washing machine;
> about 10% lost their heads, and about 10% came open. The remaining
> pins were fine, and have continued to work without a single failure.
> I expect the machine (or its die) that crimps the head on is worn out, and not
> doing it right.

I was about to pin the edges of a piece of jersey I intended to spray
with starch, so they couldn't curl when they got wet. As I was
wondering whether I needed to get my reserve pins out of the foot
locker, I suddenly realized that a needle is as easy to stick as a pin
-- so I *basted* the edges together. It was as easy as pinning, and I
didn't have to take it out.


--
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange

[avag...@gmail.com]

a quilting project under control.

https://goo.gl/ylemyq

[John B.]

On Wed, 06 May 2015 00:15:47 -0300, Joy Beeson
<jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

>On Tue, 5 May 2015 13:11:50 +0000 (UTC), David Scheidt
><dsch...@panix.com> wrote:
>
>> Some are better than others. I got a box of pins from somewhere, and
>> used about 200 of them (next time, I'll buy opened pins...) pinning
>> the selvedges of a 10 yard long piece of fabric together so I could
>> wash it. A large percentage of them failed in the washing machine;
>> about 10% lost their heads, and about 10% came open. The remaining
>> pins were fine, and have continued to work without a single failure.
>> I expect the machine (or its die) that crimps the head on is worn out, and not
>> doing it right.
>
>I was about to pin the edges of a piece of jersey I intended to spray
>with starch, so they couldn't curl when they got wet. As I was
>wondering whether I needed to get my reserve pins out of the foot
>locker, I suddenly realized that a needle is as easy to stick as a pin
>-- so I *basted* the edges together. It was as easy as pinning, and I
>didn't have to take it out.

My wife and my mother nearly came to blows over the pinning-basting
question with my wife insisting that the only proper way to fit a
dress was to baste it together while my mother insisted, just as
strongly, that was foolish and it was much quicker and easier to
simply pin it together.

They never did resolve that problem and both my father and I avowed
that we didn't even understand what they were talking about :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

[David Scheidt]

Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
:On Tue, 5 May 2015 13:11:50 +0000 (UTC), David Scheidt

:<dsch...@panix.com> wrote:

:> Some are better than others. I got a box of pins from somewhere, and
:> used about 200 of them (next time, I'll buy opened pins...) pinning
:> the selvedges of a 10 yard long piece of fabric together so I could
:> wash it. A large percentage of them failed in the washing machine;
:> about 10% lost their heads, and about 10% came open. The remaining
:> pins were fine, and have continued to work without a single failure.
:> I expect the machine (or its die) that crimps the head on is worn out, and not
:> doing it right.

:I was about to pin the edges of a piece of jersey I intended to spray
:with starch, so they couldn't curl when they got wet. As I was
:wondering whether I needed to get my reserve pins out of the foot
:locker, I suddenly realized that a needle is as easy to stick as a pin
:-- so I *basted* the edges together. It was as easy as pinning, and I
:didn't have to take it out.

I find attaching safety pins much easier than hand sewing, even hand
sewing htat doesn't have to be neat. And I'm pretty sure that It
would take a lot of stitching to keep 10 yards of denim together in
the washing machine. Easier to do it with the machine, except for the
thought of ripping out 10 yards of stitching!

The only thing I stich by hand are buttons and key hole buttonholes,
as on a pair of jeans.

--
sig 57