>> > > On Monday, August 7, 2023 at 8:13:15?PM UTC+2, Tom Kunich wrote:
>> > > > Since I stumbled across a Ridley Helium for very close to nothing I bought it. The bad par5t is that like all of the modern racing bikes it is set up exclusively for electronic shifting and that weird 40 mm thread-less bottom bracket.
>> > > >
>> > > > The frame made entirely from carbon fiber weighs nearly nothing but by the time everything is put on it I would think it will weight around 16 lbs. Now I am not a fan of carbon fiber but since cycling is my hobby, I will finish the bike off. All of the parts are new and should have at least a 5 year lifespan.
>> > > >
>> > > > It is irritating that all of my electronic shifting stuff is sold off and I have to replace it, but that is the way hobbies go.
>> > > >
>> > > > It is strange that the smaller tapered fork bearings are very rare now - instead of a common size, they are so over-sized that you have to wonder exactly what went on in the designers mind if anything. Continuing to increase the size of a headset very soon reaches a point where you are adding weight rather than increasing strength.
>> > > >
>> > > > There is no way to make a carbon fiber steering tube reliable at 1 1/2" and paper thin but that is what they are doing, The fork steering tube has reached the state of being paper thin. This cannot put up with normal wear and tear on the fork for very long and people talking about their bikes breaking after 2 years aren't a peculiarity but a fact of life.
>> > > >
>> > > > Electronic shifting is another matter. The shifting is better and far more accurate, It doesn't miss a gear or get half way between like in manual shifting, but come on - plugging in your bicycle? Properly set up, electronic shifting is perfect. But remember that it is only perfect because there are so many gears on the bike that it makes manual shifting difficult to design at best. Come on - other than professional racers who the hell needs 12 or 13 cogs in the back? Useful gears ended at perhaps 9 and the average rider really shifts over most of the 12 speed gears.
>> > > >
>> > > > Being old a weak now, I use more gears than most, but Joe Pretend Racer, really needs no more than 9 or 10 on very hilly courses.
>> > > >
>> > > > Greg Lemond implied that the present speed of the peloton is because the few strong riders are so much faster than other people that they are using electric motor assist or using drugs. He said that there is a sweet spot at around 100 rpm at which the human body develops the most power and if you see people pedaling much faster or slower than that something is up.
>> > > >
>> > > > Which set me to thinking. One time I was riding up a hill past the windmills in our Altamont Pass. The wind was blowing like hell and at one spot it caught my bike, I stepped off and the bike was blown out horizontal with me holding the top tube. I was the last one in the group but the group was not far ahead and when I caught up with them they wanted to turn around. Mind you, there was only 1/2 mile to where we would turn downwind and go over Patterson Pass. The wind was so strong that it frightened even the best riders. So we turned around. The fast guys rapidly disappeared on the downwind. I could not remember the rather complicated course that they had led me through but I was aware that all of the roads went through Tracy. So I continued and got my cadence up to 140 finally. Because I cut some of their course off I got back to the start at Tracy before everyone else. But I was not putting much power into the pedals at that cadence but just keeping up with the bike so
>that I had some control.
>> > > >
>> > > > Think of it like I did a week or so ago - I hit 61,5 mph with a compact crank setup. That is NO control over the bike other than steering. Through the turns I was passing cars and the wind coming off of them made control tricky at best. This is one of the reasons that I have slowed down so much - I commonly went almost 70 descending mountain roads (using a 53 - 12) and even though they really shouldn't, cars would pass me. Or try. Watching a car spin out and nearly go over a cliff gives them a better sense of safety. Watching them pull over and let you past may be gratifying but riding that fast means one slip-up and you're waiting for the ambulance to arrive. That's not really a sport then is it?
>> > > >
>> > > > We are sport riders and not professional racers. At some point your good sense overrules your careless attitude. And that's a good thing.
>> > > >
>> > > > I can hardly wait to get the Ridley together so I can weigh it and take it out on a climbing ride. Hopefully it will handle better than the Look KG585. Tapping on the layup it appears to be solid so I can keep it around for a long time since all of the parts will be new. getting new framesets that aren't disk is pretty cheap
>> > > Did you change your opinion about CF and Di2 (again) and what does this mean for your opinions in the future about other matters?
>> > >
>> > > Lou
>> > Do you mean that you suddenly think that I've changed my mind about carbon fiber bikes having a limited lifespan? No I haven't. But the frame and fork are new from the factory. How old is yours?
>> >
>> > Do you think that I've lost my distaste for plugging a bicycle in? No, but the the resale value of the bike with Di2 is much higher than one with manual shifting. What's more. aside from people who believe that they ride like pro's and so should have disk brakes, most people do not like the constant drag of disk brakes and prefer rim brakes. I know, you don/t have draggy disks but I think that you have a hearing impairment.
>> Don’t mind me I don’t take your opinion about the lifetime of CF frames serious. I hope you make sure that the frame wasn’t in some kind of storage for more than two years, or doesn’t that count. Anyway I hope you discard that frame after two years otherwise you don’t practice what you preach and don’t dare to sell it to anyone else after two years. I will be testing your claim that Campagnolo brakepads for CF rims (the red-black ones) will brake as good as rim brakes on aluminum rims. I replaced the original Zipp pads (actually Swisstop) on my aerobike with these:
>>
>>
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Campagnolo/Carbon-Cartridge-Brake-Pads-for-Shimano-p50469/?o=400001-red-universal
>>
>> They needed replacement anyway. I will report back.
>
>So, you're not willing to take the word of Colnago that the carbon fiber framesets have a limited lifespan? Yes, the Taiwanese have certainly greatly improved their carbon fiber techniques but pretending that resin doesn't slowly deteriorate with age and loading simply isn't true. Boeing is replacing entire sections of their 787's because of this problem.
>
are talking about. Please provide proof that you know what you are