3x1 Roduno Show and Tell

[Ron Mc]

When Grant introduced Roduno two years ago, I put my crankset together and waited for a sufficient tax refund.  

 

The flip-flop hub has two single-speed freewheels on opposite sides, 16t for group rides, and 17t for greenways (max 15 mph, and typically 800' elevation in a 20-mi ride).   

I have 3 other bikes set up half-step triple, essentially never shift the rear, so this bike puts my money where my mouth is.

Paul chain tensioner, IRD Alpina FD, IRD Tinker band clamp was a boon for setting this up.  

Works well with the 8-sp. chain width, and it breathes the half-step both ways with very low motion and effort.
Single Rivendell bar-end pod matched with Silver II shifter.  

 

I built the bike over a month of rain, and had a hard time getting in fit-up and proof rides.  Awful brake squal on my first fit-up ride - searched on this forum and learned that Paul brake pads aren't supposed to be toe'd in.

After I corrected that, they're totally quiet and the best brakes I've ever pulled.  I'm also, gradually, wholesale replacing stainless fasteners with Gr 5 titanium, which won't gaul, and more than double stainless yield strength.  

 

Finally, Friday, got a maiden ride on the greenway summit.  Everything worked great, and I picked my 3 gears perfectly.

Today, flipped to 16t rear for my first Sunday group ride. and paced just fine with the lead group.   Except for our ride captain Howard, who owns Action Bikes in town, most riders didn't know what to think of her, but liked the color.  

The double kickstand is a jackstand, and I have enough chain-wrap slack to flip the rear wheel anywhere.  I use a releasing zip-tie to hold up the Paul chain tensioner - My wheel flip drill is rote, everything glides and aligns perfectly.  The TRP road levers also help - the release button on the lever gives enough brake cable slack to remove the Paul straddle cable Q/R and open the brakes full-wide.  

Odds and ends- pedals are NC17 Sudpin III; front rack is Mark's; rear saddle rack is Nitto Erlen (came in Blue Lug Japan order with the Purple Brooks leather wrap); Ostrich S-2 bag has a bottom sleeve that the Erlen rack wears like a glove.  

Thanks for looking.  

[Julian Westerhout]

Very neat -- well executed, looks great. I can only imagine the quizzical looks on a typical group ride!   ;) 

Thanks for sharing. 

Julian Westerhout

Bloomington, IL 

[Ron Mc]

Thanks - sorry, my fingers want to drop the "a" when I type Roaduno.  

I really enjoy this bike - it's the Rivendell I've wanted for 15 years.  I love the simplicity and my front-shift result.  

My ride/kayak/surf-fish buddy Lou, with a hip limit, can't ride pedal-only-power more than 10 mi, and sold his classic steel stable.  

He made a big profit on his Chapman rando because of Brian's current wait times.  Brian contacted him and asked if he wanted to sell.  

Lou's retirement job, he's the top salesman at local Trek, and has gone e-bike, 1x and electronic shifting.  

And this lets him ride with any group.  

Yesterday, this was his work-borrow bike - he's waiting on his new bike delivery.  

Oddly, he didn't seem to appreciate my 3x1.  

[Ron Mc]

Good 7am ride this morning with my friends on Lower Salado Ck. Greenway. (20 mi).
Tim drove in this morning, but forgot his clip-in shoes, so he got hugs and headed back home.
Sharon flatted at about the quarter mark, and we all took a break.

A few things that make this our favorite ride.
You never see a baby carriage, don't even see many bikes - low elevation, about 200', and the ride is mostly enclosed and shaded in elm tunnel.
It starts at a police station, and there are 3 more along the route.
Also a nice landing at the lower end, with a gazebo and a lake.

Not to pick on Sharon, but she was over-spinning with a late shift on a bluff grade, and I glided past on my half-step drop.
She exclaimed a big Woah! at my pace. I let her catch up, and came up with the perfect description for my 3x1 drivetrain:
It has exactly all the gears I ever use, and none of the gears I never use.

[Ryan Fleming]

Ooh...do like that bike! Nice!

[Ron Mc]

I've been through an interesting exercise with freewheels and Lynette at White Industries.  

This started because I found the 350' switchback climb to the greenway summit a bit taxing on 45" gear (28T/17t).  

I tried a White Dos 16/18t freewheel, both for the convenience and extra rear tooth, and looked really good on paper.  

17t is on the hub flip side, and is everything I need for "normal" greenway bluff grades.  

Chainline with the Dos was perfect and spun beautifully, but when I needed mash, on both 16t and 18t freewheels, the chain hopped on the freewheel about every 3rd stroke, 

and essentially quit right when I needed it.  

I also got Melvin chainline 1-mm closer to perfect center by swapping one of Paul's 2.5-mm-thick aluminum adjustment washers for a pair of telflon 1.25-mm-thick washers.  

(on both cogs, the crank rotated both directions without noise or bump)

 

White uses two freewheel-cog teeth profiles, Standard 36-pt, 10-degree; and High Engagement 72-pt, 5-degree.  

All of their 16t freewheels are only available in Standard engagement (Lynette explained this was limited by their cartridge bearing).  

Lynette sent me a 17-t High Engagement freewheel to try, and the result was no slip, and here's why:  

White Standard Engagement cog-tooth height is only 7.2 mm - two that didn't slip the chain are Shimano 8.1 mm, and White High Engagement, 9.3 mm cog-tooth height.  

  

Lynette sold me the 17t High Engagement single freewheel, and another 18t for embarrasingly low cost that I won't repeat here - maybe it was for the R&D.  

I'm increasing my big chainring to 46T, and my final gear chart.  (@Bert - SJS purchase on the new Zephyr chainring).  

The moral, if you want a White Industries freewheel matched with Paul Melvin Chain tensioner, you can only use their High Engagement 17t or larger (no 16t).  

[Ron Mc]

ps - White Standard Engagement freewheels are 3-pawl, and High Engagement freewheels are 6-pawl.