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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!swrinde!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!news.service.uci.edu!draco.acs.uci.edu!iglesias From: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu (Mike Iglesias) Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc,news.answers,rec.answers Subject: Rec.Bicycles Frequently Asked Questions Posting Part 2/5 Supersedes: <rec-bicycles-faq-2_940222@draco.acs.uci.edu> Followup-To: rec.bicycles.misc Date: 19 Mar 1994 17:41:30 GMT Organization: University of California, Irvine Lines: 1446 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Distribution: world Expires: 20 Apr 94 00:00:00 GMT Message-ID: <rec-bicycles-faq-2_940319@draco.acs.uci.edu> References: <rec-bicycles-faq-1_940319@draco.acs.uci.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: draco.acs.uci.edu Originator: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.bicycles.misc:14240 news.answers:16561 rec.answers:4498 Archive-name: bicycles-faq/part2 [Note: The complete FAQ is available via anonymous ftp from draco.acs.uci.edu (128.200.34.12), in pub/rec.bicycles.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clothing materials (Jim Carson carson@mu.rice.edu) [Ed note: From a summary Jim posted] Polarlite Fluffy, fleecy stuff also called Polarplus and Synchilla. Comfortable. Incredibly warm, especially under something that breaks the wind. Doesn't wick moisture out very well. Breathes very well. Supplex (nylon) Comfortable. It is breathable and water repellent (but NOT water proof). Seems to absorb a small amount of water if it is really getting drenched Merino (wool) From a "breed of fine-wooled white sheep originating in Spain and producing a heavy fleece of exceptional quality." I guess you could treat this as normal 100% wool. Thermax An improvement on Polypro. The big advantage is heat resistance so you can put it in the dryer. Balance that against the extra cost. CoolMax This stuff seems more like a plastic bag than the revolutionary wicking material it is advertised as. Dacron Trademark name for Dupont polyester. Woven fabric made from dacron is similar to nylon ripstop or taffeta, but not as stretchy. Many of the better clothing insulations are made from dacron. They are usually refered to by more specific trademark names, like quallofil, hollofil, polarguard, and dacron-88. Lycra Used for its stretch, mostly a warm weather (>65 degrees) thing. GoreTex A teflon based membrane with microscopic holes. Gortex's claim to fame is that it will let water vapor (from perspiration) through, but not liquid water (rain). It blocks wind fairly well too. The membrane is delicate, so it always comes laminated between 2 layers of other material. It does not breathe enough. There are less expensive alternatives. Polypropylene Does not wick very well. Can be uncomfortable. Troublesome to care for (e.g. can pill badly) Will keep you fairly warm if soaked. Not very wind resistant. Melts in the dryer. Capilene Wicks moisture away. Very comfortable. Comes in different weights for more/less warmth. [lots of favorable things about it... only really unfavorable thing is the co$t] 60/40 cloth - This is a cloth with nylon threads running one direction, cotton in the other. It was the standard wind parka material before Goretex came along, and is considerably less expensive. Good wind resistance, fairly breathable. Somewhat water resistant, especially if you spray it with Scotchguard, but won't hold up to a heavy rain. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seats Seats are a very personal thing, for obvious reasons. There are several types of seats: Leather Seats like the Brooks models. Usually used by hard-core riders. Requires breaking in before it's really comfortable. Padded The usual bike seat, sometimes refered to as "anatomic". Has padding where your "sit bones" (bottom of pelvis) supposed to rest. Gel Like the padded seats, except they have a gel (e.g. Spenco Gel) in them for additional padding. Reportedly, the gel can harden and/or shift, making the seat uncomfortable. There are several types of seat pads (gel filled, containing an air bladder, etc) that can be fitted over the seat to make it more comfortable. If you are experiencing pain in delicate areas (especially you women readers) you should make sure your seat is adjusted correctly (see the section on seat adjustment). Women may need a women's type seat, which is wider in the back (women's sit bones are farther apart than men's). Most pain can be eliminated by a correctly adjusted seat, using a women's seat, and riding so your body becomes used to it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Women's Saddles (Pamela Blalock pamela@keps.kodak.com) Many women who cycle have experienced frustration with trying to find a comfortable saddle. It is amazing how many times I end up talking with other women about saddles. This article comes from those discussions and an informal survey of woman's saddle preferences. This is a dynamic article and changes on occassion, so if you have comments please contact me (pamela@keps.com) and I will incorporate your comments. While this is intended to be an article on women's saddles, since so many other things can contribute to potential saddle pain, it will also address some of these issues as well. Just as women are different from men, we are also different from each other. Since (fortunately) there is no mold into which we were all poured, what works for one woman may not work for another. First, be sure that your bike fits properly. Many women end up with overly padded shorts and a big fat thickly padded saddle instead of with a bike that fits properly. No saddle will be comfortable if the bike is too big, or set up incorrectly. It is important to find someone who knows about fit and specifically about women's fit and get the bike set up properly before making other changes. In addition to being more comfortable, a bike that really fits will also handle better than one that is improperly sized. It isn't always easy to find someone willing to take the time, but when you find a shop that will, give them lots of business and send your friends there! Go to shops during non-prime hours for the best service. You won't get a salesman to spend an hour letting you try different saddles on a Saturday afternoon, but you might on a Tuesday morning. Most production bikes are built proportionally for the average MAN. Using the old guidelines of sizing a bike by straddling the top tube may leave you a bike with a top tube that is too long, since most women have proportinally longer legs and shorter torsoes. Surprisingly, this can cause saddle pain. It is not necessary to run out and buy a new bike right away if the top tube on your current bike is too long. Using a shorter stem on a this bike may give you a more comfortable reach. Very short stems, less than 40 mm, are available, but may have to be specially ordered. Some shops use a fitting system called the Fit Kit. The numbers generated from the Fit Kit are just guidelines and may not work for everybody, especially women. It is important to RIDE your bike and make adjustments to achieve a perfect fit. Others may use an infinitely adjustable stationary bike. One has been developed by Ben Serotta to help choose the perfect size bike - whether it is a Serotta or not. Adjustable stems are available to help you and the shop pick a perfect length stem the first time. Unless your current bike is a really, really poor fit, you should be able to make a few relatively inexpensive changes to improve the fit. Then when upgrading or buying a new bike, use what you have learned to buy a bike that fits better. Several manufacturers have started building bikes proportionally sized for women to specifically address our needs. For petite women, these bikes may have a smaller front wheel to get the shorter top tube, but not all women's bikes have a 24" front wheel. Some have two 26" or 700C wheels, depending on size and geometry. A sloping top tube is now being used by many manufacturers to achieve a shorter effective top tube without going to smaller wheels. In addition to a shorter top tube, women's bikes may also have smaller brake levers, narrower handlebars, shorter cranks and wider saddles. Georgena Terry was the pioneer in this area, but many other manufacturers now build women's bikes. They may cost a little more than a comparably equipped man's bike, due to higher production costs for fewer number of parts. But, I believe that the extra initial cost to get a properly fit bike will pay off in the long run, since you will either stop riding an uncomfortable or poorly fitting bike, or you will eventually replace the poorly fitting parts at additional cost. You don't have to buy a women's bike though. Taller women may select a frame with a little shorter seat tube, and therefore a proportinally shorter top tube. (This obviously won't work if you are already on the smallest size frame!) Of course, as I said earlier, we are all different and some women may not need any special adjustments made to their non-custom off-the-shelf bikes. But they are the lucky few! And I would be completely negligent if I didn't mention that one respondent said that recumbents almost always solve the uncomfortable saddle problem. (Thanks to David Wittenberg for pointing this out. His wife won't ride anything else.) Now to saddles. A woman's hip bones tend to be set farther apart than a man's. (This is a design feature to help with childbirth!) Every woman is different, and there are many women out there with narrower hip bones. To determine where you sit bones are, sit on a low curb. Sorry, a chair won't do! When you sit on the curb, you will be able to feel your sit bones. This is what you want supported by your bike saddle. Avocet used to (and maybe still does) run a great ad showing a hip bone sitting on a saddle. With a saddle that's too narrow, a woman may find herself effectively straddling it with her hip bones, or slipping off of one side and pinching nerves - which may eventually cause the legs or feet to go numb. A saddle that's too wide will also cause problems. A saddle that's slightly wider in the back (than the man's saddle that comes on most stock bikes) may offer better support for the sit bones. I have quite a few retired women's saddles with depressed gel indicating exactly where my bones are. Actually, looking at your old saddle will tell you a lot about where you do and do not need support! It's important to try out several different saddles to find one that fits. Unfortunately no one manufacturer makes different sized women's saddles - but the widths do vary from manufacturer to manufacturer - so for example, if the Terry is too wide or too narrow, try the Vetta or Avocet or some other brand. Ask your local dealer to let you put your bike on a trainer in the shop and try sitting on and riding a few of his saddles. Saddles are fairly easy to change and a good shop should be willing to let you try this. (But not on a busy Saturday afternoon!) There are several women's saddles on the market, many of which are made with some form of gel. I have used (and retired) several of these with no complaints. The gel does compress after a while (regardless of sex), so these saddles do have to be replaced (for me it's every 10,000 miles). Brooks also has a women's leather saddle, which some women swear by. I swear at them, but that's me! (And there are women who swear at the saddles I swear by!) Many women who responded to my survey said that they have the nose of their saddle tilted slightly forward to alleviate pressure on the soft tissue. A large variety of saddles were used with this method. One rider pointed out that having a seatpost with infinitely adjustable angles, like the American Classic or Control Tech, will help one to find the perfect angle. With the rachet type adjustment of most, she was never able to get the angle quite right. One problem with having the saddle tilted too far forward is that you may end up with two much weight/pressure on your wrists and hands. The result is numb hands and pain in the lower back. In John Forester's "Effective Cycling" book, he suggests getting a cheap plastic saddle and carving out a depression in the area where the labia would normally rest. This would place the weight on the sit bones where it belongs, and remove it from the genital area, where it does not. A couple of women used this idea and modified saddle pads in this way. I watched a Spenco pad slowly get modified in this way each day throughout PAC Tour this year. One survey respondent cut up a neoprene pad and put it under the covering of her Flite saddle. There are two women's saddles which specifically address this issue, the Terry Sport and the Miyata Pavea. Both are shorter and wider than the typical man's saddle and both have a hole in the nose to suspend soft tissue. These saddles should be comfortable when level. The Miyata leaves the hole exposed, while the Terry is covered in an open-cell low-density foam. I understand there is a saddle available now that is split up the middle and hinged in the front, so you can adjust it for your desired width. I'll update the article as soon as I can get my butt on one! But I did hear from a friend of a friend that had one and really liked it. I have used both the Terry and the Miyata. (These were the two most popular saddles in the survey.) I've received lots of positive comments from women (and men) about their experiences with these saddles. The men seem to notice the difference more after the ride later in the evening :) :) :) Last year I did a 750 mile ride on the back of a tandem in less than 4 days. That's a lot of time on a saddle. I'd been using the Terry for over 6 months and it worked great on everything up to 200 miles. But 400 miles into the trip, I was ready to rip the foam out of the hole. Once the swelling started, the presence of the foam became unbearable. Even though there was no plastic shell underneath, there was still something! I asked our crew person to see if he could find the Miyata saddle. It's often quite difficult to find women's products, and I was almost shocked when he showed up 20 miles later with this wonderful saddle with an exposed hole. He had found the Miyata. The difference was immediately noticeable. I probably would have finished the ride without it, but I wouldn't have been in a good mood for days! The Miyata is a little harder under the sit bones than the Terry, but that's not where I was experiencing pain. Of course the saddle is different looking and draws lots of comments and sexual innuendos, but it saved my ride. A year and 12,000 miles later, including PAC Tour (24 days straight, 140 miles average a day), I still love my Miyata and won't ride anything else. Not all women like the wider saddles. Some women find all women's saddles too wide. Several women responded to the survey saying they prefer a man's saddle. Some of these even felt they had wide hip bones. For those who use a narrow saddle, finding one that was flat on top seemed to help with the above mentioned problems. Others who liked various women's saddles still found them a little thick in the middle, even if they were the right width in the back. Someday, maybe we will see women's saddles in various widths. We must create the demand though. Terry does makes a men's version of their Sport saddle. It is narrower and has a longer nose and hole than the women's model. It also doesn't say Terry on it anywhere. Instead it is marketed under the initials TFI. Both this saddle and new models of the Sport have a (politically correct) simulated leather covering. I know of several men who really like this saddle, especially when using aero-bars. Women who find the Terry Sport too wide may want to check this one out. I've seen Terry saddles change a bit over the past couple of years. One change is from a lycra cover to a simulated leather cover. Some women didn't like the feel of the lycra. (I do.) Another women noticed after replacing a stolen one with a new one that the foam in the hole seems to be getting firmer, kind of negating the benefit of the hole. Terry does offer a 30 day money back guarantee on their products, so you can *painlessly* decide if you'd like a Terry saddle or not. They have also produced a couple of racing saddles. The first was the same width in the back as their Sport model, but narrower through the middle and had titanium rails. I was one of the lucky few to get one of these. They replaced it with a Flite lookalike with holes drilled in the nose. I tried one of these and must say for me it was the most uncomfortable thing I ever came into contact with. But if you can tolerate a Flite, it might work for you. Speaking of which, many women do LIKE Flite and other really narrow saddles. I know that at their cycling camps, Betsy King and Anna Schwartz get many women on them. They stress the flexibility of the saddle with it's titanium rails and thin shell. They are very good for mountain biking where you want to slide off the back of the saddle for balance where a wide saddle would get in the way. I even know of a few women who use them for distance cycling. Two women used them on the PAC Tour I was on, but they had very narrow set hip bones. The other 15 women had women's models of one type or another, including Terry, Brooks and of course I had a Miyata. Other suggestions for improved saddle comfort included trying different shorts. There are a lot of different shorts out there - far more than saddles and just like saddles, they all fit differently. The common theme from most women was to stay away from shorts with seams in the center. This includes seams in the lycra as well as the chamois (good luck!). On multiday rides, you may want to use different brands of shorts, since having the seam in the same place day after day may also cause irritation. Shorts that bunch up in front may cause also discomfort. Pearl Izumi and Urbanek make very nice women's shorts. And of course Terry produces women's shorts. Some have fuller hips, longer legs, wider elastic leg grippers, etc. I really prefer bib or one piece suits, since there is no binding elastic at the waist. These are less convenient for quick bathroom stops, but I prefer the added comfort. Some women like longer legs, some shorter. Some prefer thick chamois, some fake, some real. Try on as many different types as you can, until you find one that fits you the best. Women are even more varied on their opinions about shorts than on saddles, so just keep trying new ones until you find the perfect pair for you. (And while on the subject of saddle comfort, I use a combination of Desitin (or some other diaper rash ointment) and powder sprinkled liberally in my shorts to keep myself dry and rash-free.) I can't stress enough that each woman is different and no one saddle is perfect for all of us. Just because a local or national racer, or your friend, or this author uses a particular type of saddle doesn't mean that it will work for you. Don't let anyone intimidate you into riding something that is uncomfortable, or changing the angle of your saddle because it's different. Use the setup that's most comfortable for you. Among the saddles recommended by respondents were Terry Women's (most popular of the survey) Miyata Pavea (my favorite and a close second in the survey) TFI (men's version of the Terry Sport) women's Selle Italia Turbo Avocet O2 (said to be as comfy as the above Turbo, but lighter) WaveFlo Avocet Women's Racing saddle Viscount saddle San Marco Regal Brooks B-17 Brooks Pro Flite Terry Racing (like a Flite with holes drilled in the plastic) (Of course some women swear at saddles that others swear by! Did I mention that we are all DIFFERENT?) Specialty women's products are available through The Womyn's Wheel, 1-800-795-RIDE, or hopefully at your local bike shop - just keep asking them!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Women's Bikes (Lynn Karamanos karamano@esd.dl.nec.com) Here's a summary of the info I received on whether or not to purchase a Terry bike. 1.) First, find a good bike shop, one that will try to find a bike that fits you, not just sell you what they have in stock. 2.) Ride many different bikes to see what's best for you. You may be able to find other bikes that fit just as well as a Terry once you've made some adjustments/replacements (stem, crank arms, etc.). 3.) If you can't find any other bike to fit you, then a Terry's worth the extra money. 4.) Except for about two people who sent me email, everyone who's ridden a Terry has loved it. Even those two people said they knew others who loved Terry bikes. Bottom line: the fit depends on your build. Women with long legs/short torso seem to be the ones who like them, not necessarily just short women. 5.) Also a few people mentioned that there are other road bikes that are specifically "designed for women" or that fit women well. The names mentioned: Fuji, Miyata, Bridgestone, Specialized (Sirrus). Also, someone mentioned that the same production line in Japan that makes Terry "proportioned" bikes also makes them under other labels. (Also one mountain bike was named, Mongoose Hilltopper, and two hybred bikes, Univega Via Activa and Giant Inova.) 6.) Something to keep in mind if you buy a Terry with a small front wheel... replacement tubes and tires for smaller wheels could be more difficult to find and/or more expensive. 7.) In case you're looking at older model Terry's, a few people mentioned that until a couple years ago, some Terry bikes were $200-$300 less than they are now. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bike Rentals (Various people) Lincoln Guide Service Lincoln Center Lincoln, MA (617) 259-9204 Rents mountain, road, kids bikes, and trailers. About 11 miles west of Boston, within sight of Lincoln Center commuter rail stop. Team Bicycle Rentals 508 Main Huntington Beach, CA (714) 969-5480 12spd $29/day, MTB $29/day, Santana tandem $69 Gregg's Greenlake Seattle, WA Second Gear Seattle, WA New York City Area: All phone numbers are area code (212). A West Side Bicycle Store -- 231 W 96th St -- 663 7531 Eddie's Bicycles Shop -- 490 Amsterdam Ave -- 580 2011 Country Cycling Tours -- 140 W 83rd St -- 874 5151 AAA Central Park Bicycle Rentals -- 72nd St/ Central Pk Boathouse -- 861 4137 Midtown Bicycles -- 360 W 47th St -- 581 4500 Sixth Avenue Bicycles -- 546 Avenue of the Americas -- 255 5100 Metro Bicycle -- 1311 Lexington Ave -- 427 4450 Larry and Jeff's Bicycles Plus -- 204 E 85th St -- 794 2201 Gene's 79th Street Discounted Bicycles -- 242 E 79th St -- 249 9218 Peddle Pusher Bicycle Shop -- 1306 2nd Ave -- 288 5594 A Bicycle Discount House -- 332 E 14th St -- 228 4344 City Cycles -- 659 Broadway -- 254 4457 San Francisco Park Cyclery -- 1865 Haight street (at Stanyan) -- 751-RENT Start to Finish -- 599 2nd Street at Brannan -- 861-4004 Marin County, CA Caesars Cyclery -- 29 San Anselmo Ave San Anselmo -- 258-9920 Far-go bike Shop -- 194 Northgate #1 Shopping Center San Rafael -- 472-0253 Ken's Bike and Sport -- 94 Main Street (Downtown Tiburon) -- 435-1683 Wheel Escapes -- 1000 Magnolia Ave Larkspur -- 461-6903 Austing, TX area [all stores rent ONLY mountain bikes] Bicycle Sport Shop -- 1426 Toomey Road -- (512) 477-3472 University Schwinn -- 2901 N. Lamar Blvd -- (512) 474-6696 University Schwinn -- 1542 W. Anderson Ln -- (512) 474-6696 Velotex Inc -- 908-B W 12th St -- (512) 322-9131 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bike Lockers (David H. Wolfskill david@dhw68k.cts.com) Many thanks to all who mailed or posted an interest in my quest for information regarding bike locker vendors; I apologize for the delay in posting this summary. My colleague -- thanks to some of that information -- was able to locate a sufficiently nearby vendor... one of the requirements of which I had not been aware was that the vendor must be fairly close (to Orange County, CA) -- to minimize shipping charges. (I apologize for failing to determine this issue before posting, and hope that some of the information about other vendors may be of value to others.) I figured it would be more useful for me to organize the information, so I have done so -- at the expense of making an attempt to give credit for the sources at the point the information is quoted. (I include a list of sources at the end of the article.) First, I received a few pointers to one Ellen Fletcher, such as: >For a comprehensive treatment of the bicycle parking subject, >along with a list of vendors & prices, contact Ellen Fletcher >at cdp!scvba@labrea.stanford.edu (put "ATTN ELLEN" in your >"To" line. [I requested clarification regarding addressing a note to Ms. Fletcher, but have yet to receive it.] >... Ellen Fletcher, 777-108 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA >94303-4826, 415-495-8943. Fortunately, someone sent a list of products & manufacturers, apparently originally compiled by Ms. Fletcher. I have taken the liberty of using that list as a "base document" and have augmented it with other information I received; entries are alphabetically by munufacturer's name, since I don't always have product names: (Manufacturer, {Product Name(s)}, Address, Contact Person, Phone, FAX [comments]) American Bicycle Security Co., {BIKE SAFE}, PO Box 7359 Ventura, CA 93006, Thomas E. Volk, 805-933-3688 & 800-BIKESAF, 805-933-1865. Bike Lockers Company, {BikeLokr}, PO Box 445 W. Sacramento, CA 95691,, 916-372-6620, 916-372-3616 [approx. $300/locker, small quantities]. Bike-Lokr Mfg. Co., {?}, PO Box 123, Joplin, MO 64802, Jim Snyder, 417-673-1960/800-462-4049, 417-673-3642 [approx $450/locker, which holds 2 bikes; seem to be the lockers used by the Washington, DC Metro system] Bike Security Racks Co., {?}, PO Box 371, Cambridge, MA 02140,, 617-547-5755, - Bike Stable Co., Inc., {?}, PO 1402, South Bend, Indiana 46624,, 219-233-7060, - Cycle-Safe Inc., 2772-5 Woodlake Rd. SW Wyoming, MI 49509,, (616)538-0079 - David O'Keefe Company, {Super Secure Bike Stor}, P.O. Box 4457, Alamo, CA 94507, Thomas & David O'Keefe, 415-637-4440, 415-837-6234. General Machine company, {Bicycle Locker}, PO Box 405 Vacaville, CA 95696, Vitto Accardi, 707-446-2761, - J.G.Wilson Corp, {Park'n'Lock Bike Garage}, PO Box 599, Norfolk, VA 23501-0599, J.L.Bevan, 804-545-8341, 804-543-3249. Sunshine U-LOK Corp., {Secura Bike Locker}, 31316 Via Colinas Suite 102, Westlake Village, CA 91362, Doug Devine, 818-707-0110. [Specific information near the end of the article -- dhw.] Turtle Storage Ltd., {?}, P. O. Box 7359, Ventura, CA 93006,,, - [Ed. note: The complete posting is available in the archives on draco.acs.uci.edu.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bike computer features [This table was created from information contained in Performance and Nashbar catalogs. In the table below, 'Y' means that the computer has the feature, 'O' means it is an optional feature.] Speed Ave Max Total Trip Elpsd Clock Auto Count Speed Speed Miles Miles Time OnOff Down Avocet 30 Y Y Y Y Y Y Avocet 40 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Avocet 50 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Micro Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Mity Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Mity 2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Wireless Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye Vectra Y Y Y Y Y Y Cateye ATC Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Ciclo 37 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Ciclo IIA Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Performance ITV Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta Innovator Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta HR1000 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta C-10 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta C-15 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta C-20 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta Two Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Vetta Wireless Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Specialized Y Y Y Y Y Y Y S Speed Zone Cadence Wireless Altitude Heart Rate Avocet 30 Avocet 40 Avocet 50 O Y Cateye Micro Y Cateye Mity Cateye Mity 2 Cateye Wireless Y Cateye Vectra Cateye ATC Ciclo 37 Ciclo IIA O O O Performance ITV Vetta Innovator Vetta HR1000 Y Vetta C-10 Vetta C-15 Vetta C-20 Y Vetta Two Y Vetta Wireless Y Specialized Speed Zone --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recumbent Bike Info (David Wittenberg dkw@cs.brandeis.edu) (updated by Gary Walsh gary.walsh@canrem.com) Here's my standard response to questions about recumbents. I'd be happy to answer more specific questions. Here's some info I posted in the fall of 1990. I think it's still pretty much up to date. Changes from the last posting are in []'s. --David Wittenberg A few words about recumbent design, and then I'll provide a much larger list of recumbent manufacturers. There are three main choices in designing (or buying) a recumbent. Frame material -- all the ones I know of are either Alumninum or Steel. Wheelbase -- The front wheel can either be in front of the bottom bracket (long wheelbase) or behind it (short wheelbase). You can't have a medium wheelbase without a lot of extra work because the wheel and the bottom bracket would interfere with each other. Long wheelbase is reputed to be a bit more stable, while short wheelbase machines are often easier to fit into cars for transport. Some long wheelbase recumbents fold in neat ways to fit into a remarkably small space. Handlebars -- under seat or in front of the rider. Under seat is probably a more comfortable position when you get used to it (your hands just hang at your sides), and may be somewhat safer if you get thrown forward as there is nothing in front of you. High handlebars are somewhat faster as your arms are in front of you instead of at your side, thus reducing the frontal area. Some people find them more natural. [There are long wheelbase bikes with both high and low handlebars. I don't know of any short wheelbase, low handlebar recumbents, but there may be some I don't know of.] The following updated by Gary Walsh (gary.walsh@canrem.com) July 1992. There are a couple of interesting publications for recumbents: International Human Powered Vehicle Association P.O. Box 51255 Indianapolis, IN 46251 USA They publish Human Power Magazine and HPV News on all aspects of human powered transportation (bikes, aircraft, watercraft.) Dues are US$25/year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and US$30 elsewhere. The Recumbent Bicycle Club of America/Recumbent Cyclist Magazine PO Box 58755 Renton, WA 98058-1755. (206) 852-8149 The best source of information on commercially available recumbents. Read the reviews in this magazine before you buy your first recumbent. Subscriptions are US$25 in the U.S.A., and US$30/year elsewhere. Sample issue and info pack $5. See especially the buyers guide in issue #8 Oct-Dec 1992. Addresses of recumbent manufacturers: Ace Tool & Engineering (Infinity Recumbent) $1 for a flyer P.O Box 325 292 W. Harrison St. Mooresville, IN 46158 (317) 831-8798 Long wheelbase, low handlebars, aluminum frames. $499 + $85 for triple crank option. Information $1. Alternative Bikestyles P.O. Box 1344 Bonita, CA 91908 Phone (619)421-5118 Maverick $ Renegade LWB recumbents with upright handlebars. Framesets from $200. Complete bikes from $395. Advanced Transportation Products 550 3rd Ave. N. Edmonds, WA 98020 Phone (206)771-3719 R-20 SWB. $1350. Info pack $2. Angle Lake Cyclery 20840 Pacific Hwy S. Seattle WA 98198 Phone (206)878-7457 Counterpoint Presto SWB with upright handlebars. Presto SE Tour $1699. Presto SE High Performance $???. Presto CL $1399. Counterpoint Opus IV Tandem Opus CL $2999 Opus SE $3599 Tri Com Trikes $600-$700. Catalogue $2 Original Car-Cycle Technology 1311 Victoria Ave. Victoria, B.C., Canada V8S 4P4 Phone (604)598-7830 Fully fared commuter trike. Under development. DH Recumbents, Inc. 4007-G Bellaire Blvd. Houston, TX 77025 Phone (713)666-4452 LWB with upright steering. DH1000 $999, DH5000 $1395. Earth Traveller 1475 Lillian St. Livermore, CA 94550 Phone (415)449-8312 LWB trike with 2 wheels in back. Information $1. EcoCycle Earth Friendly Transportation 5755 NW Fair Oaks Dr. Corvallis, OR 97330 (503) 753-5178 The Trice is a recumbent tricycle, with two wheels in front. Touring $1495. Speed model $1595. Also imports Ross recumbent from England. $2 for flyer, $9 for video tape. Easy Racers, Inc Box 255H Freedom, CA 95019 (408) 722-9797 High handlebar, long wheelbase bikes. Easy Racer $2300. Frameset $1650. Gold Rush Replica, commercial version of the Dupont prize winning Gold Rush (world's fastest bike) also available. $2 for a catalog Lightning Cycle Dynamics 312 Ninth Street Lompoc, CA 93436 (805) 736-0700 P-38 Short Wheelbase, high handlebars. Full fairings are available, and very fast. $1750. F-40 fully fared version. Lightning Cycle Inc. (Tailwind) $1 for a brochure 3819 Rte. 295 Swanton, OH 43558 (419) 826-4056 Steel long wheelbase, underseat steering. Around $1200. Linear Manufacturing Inc. (Linear) Route 1, Box 173 Guttenberg, IA 52052 (319) 252-1637 Long Wheelbase aluminum bike with either high or low handlebars (You can convert from one to the other.) $900 to $1200. They sell through dealers, and if you get in touch with them they'll tell you where the nearest dealer is. Canadians see S.C. Safety Cycle below. Rans Recumbents 1104 E. Hwy. 40 Bypass Hays, KS 67601 (913) 625-6346 Rans Stratus A & B and Nimbus. LWB with upright handlebars. $995-$1495. ReBike P.O Box 725 Boca Raton, FL 33429 Phone (407)750-1304 The ReBike. A low priced semi-recumbent with upright steering. New and a big seller. $389. Rotator 915 Middle Rincon Rd. Santa Rosa, CA 95409 (707) 539-4203 Rotator Super-7 Streamliner - LWB with 20" wheels. Rotator Companion Tandem. Rhoades International 100 Rhoades Lane Hendersonville, TN 37075 Phone (615)822-2737 4-wheel pedal car. $999 and up. Information $4. Video $19. Ryan Recumbents, Inc. 3910 Stewart Rd., Unit F Eugene, Or 97402 (503)485-6674 Vanguard. Long wheelbase, underseat steering. From $1295. S.C. Safety Cycle Inc. 1340B St. Paul St. Kelowna, B.C. Canada V1Y 2E1 Canadian distributor of the Linear which is sold as "The Alternative." CAN$1495. Special Purpose Vehicles 120 Prospect Street Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 625-9030 Thebis International 110-2031 Malaview Ave. Sidney, B.C. Canada V8L 3X9 Phone (604)656-1237 1-800-667-6801 Thebis 201 Touring Trike. Two wheels in back. $2990. Trailmate 2359 Trailmate Dr. Sarasota FL 34243 Phone (813)755-5511 Fun Cycle and Bannana Peel trikes. $399. Turner Enterprises P.O.Box 36158 Los Angeles, CA 90036 Phone (383)-0030 SWB with underseat steering. Laid Back "E" frame kit $375. LB-2000 $1500. Frameset $899. Zzip Designs P.O. Box 14 Davenport, CA 95017 Phone (408)425-8650 Manufacturer of fairings for many of the bikes listed above. Cyclopedia P.O. Box 884 Adrian, MI 49221 1-800-678-1021 Good source for parts for builders. ---------------- European Recumbents Leitra APS PO Box 64 DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark Leitra M2 fully fared commuter trike. 3400 DM for the trike. 5845 DM for complete vehicle with accessories. Bas Ten Brinke Postbus 10075 1301 Almere, Netherlands Flevo SWB front wheel drive. Fateba, Bachman & Co. Rosenstr. 9, 8400 Winterthur Switzerland Fateba Winglet L1 LWB. Kincycle Miles Kingsbury Lane End Road, Sands, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 4JQ England The Kingcycle SWB. M5 Bram Moens Waalstraat 41, NL-4335 KL Middleburg, Netherlands. M5 SWB. Neatwork The Lees Stables Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland TD12-4NN Dealer for Kingcycle SWB and Radius Peer Gynt LWB. Radius-Spezialrader, Frie-Vendt-Str 16, D-4400 Munster, Germany RFA Peer Gynt LWB with underseat steering. More Recumbent Bike Info (Gary Walsh gary.walsh@canrem.com) [This has been copied from a flyer written by Robert Bryant of the Recumbent Cyclist Magazine. He has given me permission to submit it for the FAQ. - Gary] Have You Ever Considered a RECUMBENT BICYCLE? WHY RECUMBENT BICYCLES? There are many reasons to consider a recumbent. First and foremost is comfort. When you ride a recumbent bicycle you will no longer have an aching back, stiff neck, numb wrists or a sore a sore bottom. You will sit in a relaxed easy-chair position. You will be able to ride longer with less fatigue and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed. The recumbent position offerd you a great view of the countryside. While seated you will look straight ahead. This allows your lungs and chest more open and free breathing. Recumbents are very versatile machines. They can be used for a wide range of applications: recreational/sport riding, for the daily commute, a fast double century and they are great for long distance touring. RECUMBENT PERFORMANCE Recumbents hold all of the human-powered speed records. This is because they are aerodynamically superior to conventional bicycles; less frontal area means less wind resistance. The Lightning F-40 currently holds the Race Across America speed record of five days and one hour. Gardner Martin's Easy Racer Gold Rush, ridden by Fast Freddie Markham, was the winner of the Dupont Prize for breaking 65mph. You can currently buy production versions of these bicycles. Fairings for street use are common and optional equipment on most commercially built models. They protect you from rain, cold and wind, with up to a 30% reduction in drag. Commercially available recumbents are not always faster than conventional bicycles. It depends mainly on the individual rider. Your best bet is to do you homework and if your goal is performance and speed, be sure that you look for a recumbent designed for this purpose. COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RECUMBENT BICYCLES 1) Do recumbents climb hills well? Yes they do, although climbing on a recumbent requires a different technique, you must gear down and spin. Maintaining an efficient spin takes some practice & conditioning, once mastered, it takes less physical effort to climb hills. Depending on your riding style, your speeds can range from slowwer to even faster than on a conventional bicycle. 2) Can recumbents be seen in traffic? Recumbents with a higher seating position may be better suited for riding in traffic than some of the low-slung designs. The use of use of proper safety devices such as safety flags and reflective devices is recommended. Recumbent bicycles are different, futuristic and they get noticed. Many riders feel they get more respect from motorists while on their recumbents. 3) Are they safe? Recumbent's are safer than a conventional bicycle. Due to the low centre of gravity, they stop faster. Brakes can be evenly applied to both wheels simultaneously providing more traction without throwing the rider over the handlebars. In crash situations, the rider goes down to the side absorbing the impact with the hip and leg rather than flying over the handlebars and absorbing the impact on your head and shoulder. Straight ahead vision is also better on a recumbent, however, rear view mirrors are necessary for proper rearward vision. RECUMBENT PAST HISTORY Why are recumbents such a rare sight? Space age technology? New type of bicycle? Not really, recumbent bicycles actually go back as far as the mid to late 1800's with the Macmillan Velocopede and the Challand Recumbent. In the 1930's, a series of events took place that changed bicycling history. A French second category professional track cyclist named Francois Faure rode the Velocar, a two wheeled recumbent bicycle designed and built by Charles Mochet, to record-shattering speeds, breaking both the mile and kilometre records of the day. This created a storm of controversy within the U.C.I. (United Cycliste International), bicycle rating's governing body. The debate centred on whether the Velocar was a bicycle and were these records legal? In 1934 they ruled against the Mochet-Faure record, banning recumbent bicycles and aerodynamic devices from racing. Were U.C.I. members worried that the recumbent bicycle would displace the conventional design? Did they realize this would freeze bicycle and human-powered vehicle development for the next forty years? This is why bicycles of taday look very similar to the Starkey and Sutton Safety (upright/conventional) of 1885. Just think where bicycle technology would be today if the U.C.I. decision had gone the opposite way. MODERN RECUMBENT HISTORY Recumbent development was fairly quiet until the late 1960's. Dan Henry received some media attention for his long wheelbase design in 1968. In the early 1970's, the human-powered revolution was starting up on both the U.S. east coast by David Gordon, designer of the Avatar, and on the west coast by Chester Kyle. These pioneers recognized the need for further development of human-powered vehicles. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, this lead to the first commercial recumbent bicycle designs such as the Avatar, Easy Racer and Hypercycle. In 1990, the Recumbent Bicycle Club of America was founded by Dick Ryan who currently manufactures the Ryan Vanguard and was also involved with the Avatar project in the early 1980's. In 1988 recumbent promoter Robert Bryant got his start writing "Recumbent Ramblings," a column for "HPV News." In the summer of 1990, Robert founded the "Recumbent Cyclist Magazine," and in a short two years, RCM has become the source for recumbent bicyle information in the world today. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION RECUMBENT CYCLIST MAGAZINE 17560-B6-140th Ave SE, Ste 341 Renton WA 98058 __$2 Info-Pak/recumbent manufacturer list __$5 Current sample issue with info-pak/list __$20 USA Bulk Mail Subscription __$25 USA First Class Mail Subscription Rush Service __$30 Canada Air Mail __$35 Worldwide Air Mail (USA funds) (anywhere outside USA/CAN) __$50 Junior Supporter (includes 3 copies of each issue, mailed first class __$100 RBCA Supporter (includes 10 copies of each issue mailed Priority) BACK ISSUE ORDERING INFO -Back issues are mailed 3rd class postage. (allow 4 weeks for delivery.) -First Class Mail/Rush Service - add $.50 per issue. -Canadian Air Mail/Rush Service - add $1.00 per issue. -Worldwide Air Mail - add $2.00 per issue. -Super-Rush Service? We can do FEDEX overnight C.O.D. $4.00 __RC#2 Flevo & CSPC "Poor Man's Composite" $4.00 __RC#3 DH5000 LWB Road Test $4.00 __RC#4 Ryan Vanguard Road Test/F-40/Flevo $4.00 __RC#5 Linear LWB Road Test/Omega HPV/HPV Design Info $4.50 __RC#6 Easy Racer Road Test $4.50 __RC#7 Lightning P-38 Road Test $4.50 __RC#8 1992 Recumbent Buyers Guide $4.50 __RC#9 A.T.P. R-20 SWB Road Test $4.50 __RC#10 Thebis Trike Road Test $4.50 __RC#11 Counterpoint Presto Road Test $4.50 __RC#12 Rans Road Test (available 9/92) $4.50 __RC#13 Trice Road Test (Available 11/92) $4.50 __RC#14 (Available 1/93) $4.50 __RC#14 (Available 3/93) $4.50 __RC#15 (Available 5/93) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buying a Bike One thing to decide before buying a bike is what type to buy. Here's a brief list: Road bike Once known as a "ten-speed", most are now 12 or 14 (or even 16) speed. There are several sub-types: racing, sport, and touring, the difference mostly in frame geometry. ATB All-terrain bike, also known as mountain bike. Great for riding in the dirt, these bikes usually have fat, knobby tires for traction in dirt and gravel. Hybrid A bike that borrows from road bikes and ATBs. For example, they have the light frame and 700c wheels of road bikes and fat knobby tires, triple cranks, wide-range derailleurs, flat handlebars and cantilever brakes from mountain bikes. Bike buying hints When you're ready to buy a bike, you should first decide what you want to use the bike for. Do you want to race? Do you want to pedal along leisurely? Do you want to ride in the dirt? Next, you should decide on a price range. Plan to spend at least $350 for a decent quality bike. Now find a good bike shop. Ask friends who bike. Ask us here on the net. Chances are, someone here lives in your area and can recommend a shop. Now that you are ready to look for a bike, visit the shop(s) you have selected. Test ride several bikes in your price range. How does it feel? Does it fit you? How does it shift? Does it have the features you are looking for? How do the shop personnel treat you? Remember that the shop gets the bike disassembled and has to spend a couple of hours putting it together and adjusting things, so look for sloppy work (If you see some, you may want to try another shop). You might want to try a bike above your price range to see what the differences are (ask the salesperson). Ask lots of questions - pick the salesperson's brain. If you don't ask questions, they may recommend a bike that's not quite right for you. Ask about places to ride, clubs, how to take care of your bike, warranties, etc. Good shops will have knowledgable people who can answer your questions. Some shops have free or low-cost classes on bike maintenance; go and learn about how to fix a flat, adjust the brakes and derailleurs, overhaul your bike, etc. Ask your questions here - there are lots of people here just waiting for an excuse to post! Make sure that the bike fits you. If you don't, you may find that you'll be sore in places you never knew could be so sore. For road bikes, you should be able to straddle the top tube with your feet flat on the ground and still have about 1 inch of clearance. For mountain bikes, give yourself at least 2-3 inches of clearance. You may need a longer or shorter stem or cranks depending on your build - most bikes are setup for "average" bodies. The bike shop can help you with adjustments to the handlebars and seat. Now that you've decided on a bike, you need some accessories. You should consider buying a helmet a frame pump a tube repair kit tire levers (plastic) a pressure gauge a seat pack (for repair kit, wallet, keys, etc) gloves a water bottle and cage a lock The shop can help you select these items and install them on your bike. =========================================================================== Tech =========================================================================== Technical Support Numbers (Joshua Putnam Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com) [This list is now in the ftp archives as it is too long to put here] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ball Bearing Grades (Bill Codding peda@simplicity.Stanford.EDU) (Harry Phinney harry@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com) Following is a description of the different grades of ball bearings. The grade specifies the sphericity of the balls in millionths of an inch. Thus, grade 25 are round to 25/10^6, while grade 1000 are good to 1/1000 (i.e. not all that round, but probably good enough for our uses). Grade 25: the highest quality normally available, aka "Campagnolo quality": hardened all the way through, best alloys, coatings, roundness, and durability. Evidently, a recent bottom-bracket overhaul article in "Bicycling Plus Mountain Bike" magazine recommended these. Campy's tech reps claim that the bearings in a set (usually in a little paper bag) are matched. One should not mix bearings from different sets. Grade 200: mid-range Grade 1000: seems to be the lowest, may only be surface hardened. Good sources for ball bearings: Your local bike shop (make sure you're getting the grade you want) Bike Parts Pacific Bike Nashbar 1-800-NASHBAR ($1-$3 per 100 Grade 25) The Third Hand 1-916-926-2600 ($4-$7 per 100 Grade 25) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIS Cable Info (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt%40@hp1900.desk.hp.com) After Joe Gorin described the SIS "non-compressive" cable housing to me I got myself a sample to understand what the difference is. I believe "non-compressive" is a misnomer. This cable housing is NOT non-compressive but rather a constant length housing. As far as I can determine, and from reports from bike shops, this housing should not be used for brakes because it is relatively weak in compression, the principal stress for brake housing. SIS housing is made of 18 strands of 0.5mm diameter round spring steel wire wrapped in a 100mm period helix around a 2.5mm plastic tube. The assembly is held together by a 5mm OD plastic housing to make a relatively stiff cable housing. Because the structural wires lie in a helix, the housing length remains constant when bent in a curve. Each strand of the housing lies both on the inside and outside of the curve so on the average the wire path length remains constant, as does the housing centerline where the control cable resides. Hence, no length change. A brake cable housing, in contrast, changes length with curvature because only the inside of the curve remains at constant length while the outside (and centerline) expands. Shimano recommends this cable only for shift control but makes no special effort to warn against the danger of its use for brakes. It should not be used for anything other than shift cables because SIS housing cannot safely withstand compression. Its wires stand on end and have no compressive strength without the stiff plastic housing that holds them together. They aren't even curved wires, so they splay out when the outer shield is removed. Under continuous high load of braking, the plastic outer housing can burst leaving no support. Besides, in its current design it is only half as flexible as brake cable because its outer shell is made of structurally stiff plastic unlike the brake cable housing that uses a soft vinyl coating. Because brake cables transmit force rather than position, SIS cable, even if safe, would have no benefit. In contrast, with handlebar controls to give precise shift positioning, SIS housing can offer some advantage since the cable must move though steering angles. SIS housing has no benefit for downtube attached shifters because the cable bends do not change. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Milk Jug Mud Flaps (Chuck Tryon bilbo@bisco.kodak.com) Actually, I have used plastic like this (or in my case, some red plastic from a cheap note book cover -- it's heavier) to extend the bottom (rear) end of the front fender. The Zephals are good, but they don't stop the splash from where the tire hits the road from getting on my feet. What I did was cut a small triangle about 3in (~7cm) wide by 6in (~15cm) long, cut a hole in the top of it and the bottom end of the fender, and use a pop-rivet (with washers to prevent tear out) to attach it. On a road bike, it should be end up being within a few inches of the road. ATB's will need more clearance, so this won't work well off road. | | | | /| o |\ <----- rivet with washer on inside | \___/ | / \ <---- flap fits inside of the fender, and follows the | | curve, which gives it some stiffness. | | | | \_________/ | | | | <----- bottom of tire \_/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lubricating Chains Lubricating chains is a somewhat religious issue. Some advocate oil, some Teflon-base lubricants, some paraffin wax. The net majority favors a lubricant that does not leave an oily coating on the chain that can attract dirt, which will hasten chain/chainring/freewheel sprocket wear. If you want to use paraffin wax, make sure you melt the wax in a double boiler! Failure to do so can lead to a fire. You can use a coffee can in a pan of boiling water if you don't want to mess up good cookware. After the wax has melted, put the chain in the wax and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Remove the chain, hang it up, and wipe the excess wax off. Let it cool and reinstall on your bike. When using a liquid lubricant, you want to get the lube onto the pins inside the rollers on the chains, not on the outside where it does little good. Oilers with the narrow tubes are good for this because you can put the lube where you want it. Work the oil into the chain after applying it, wipe the chain off, and reinstall on your bike. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wear and Gear Slippage (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com) There seems to be a lot of speculation on what makes chains wear and how to lubricate a chain. There are a number of ways to take care of a chain. Of these, some traditional methods are the most damaging to chain life and others work to prolong life. As was mentioned on the net, chains don't stretch in the sense that the metal elongates, but the parts wear. Wear in the pins and sleeves change the length of the chain as the pins fit more loosely. The wear arises primarily from road grit that enters the chain when it is oiled. Grit on the outside of a chain is the ugly black stuff that gets on your leg. This dirt has no effect on chain function because it can't get inside to do damage. Only when a dirty chain is oiled does this grit get to the place where it can cause damage. Note that commercial abrasive grinding paste is made of oil and silicon dioxide (sand) and silicon carbide (sand). You couldn't do a better job if you tried to destroy a chain than to oil a road dirt (previously oiled) encrusted chain. Primitive rule #1: Never oil a chain on the bike. This means you should clean the grit off the chain before oiling it. Because this is essentially impossible without submerging the chain in a solvent bath (kerosene or commercial solvent), you must take the chain off the bike. The fine grit can only be removed from the interior of the chain in liquid suspension. A good example of this can be seen by using a Vetta (on the bike) chain cleaner and subsequently cleaning the same chain in a solvent bath. The best grit remains until last and there's plenty of it. Of course it isn't always possible to remove a chain and there are times (in the rain) when a chain screams for oil when a good cleaning is not an option. Removing the solvent from the chain after the rinse is important. Compressed air is not readily available in the household nor is a centrifuge. You can go outdoors and sling the chain around. This works best if the chain is a closed loop. You don't have to press the pin completely in for this. The other way is to evaporate it. You should probably avoid accelerated drying methods because they could be explosive. The hot gear lube method works but it also acts as efficient fly paper, collecting plenty of grime between cogs. Motor oil is good but motorcycle chain lubricants are better because they have volatile solvents that allow good penetration for their relatively viscous lubricant. Paraffin works poorly because it is not mobile and cannot replenish the bearing surface once it has been displaced. Sedisport The Sedisport chain, although the strongest and one of the lightest chains, achieves its light weight at the expense of durability. This chain has no sleeve that on most roller chains supports the roller on its outside and furnishes the bearing for the pin on the inside. Normally the inside of the sleeve is well protected against lubricant depletion because both ends are covered by closely fitting side plates. In the Sedisport there is no sleeve and the formed side plates support the roller and pin with a substantial central gap. In the wet, lubricant is quickly washed out of pin and roller and the inferior bearing for the pin and roller often gall and bind. In good weather this may not be a problem. Because this chain has feet of clay in the wet, Sedis re-introduced their earlier 5 element conventional chain, calling it a "chain for all seasons". The lightweight Regina chain goes one step farther and omits the pin, leaving the side plates to hinge directly on the sleeve. This gives them a knife edge bearing area that galls at the slightest lube depletion. Chain Life This is almost entirely a cleanliness and lubrication question rather than a load problem. The effect of load variations is insignificant when compared to the lube and grit effects for bicycles. The primary chains on motorcycles are operated under clean conditions and last years while the exposed rear chains must be replaced often. The only way to test whether a chain is worn is by measurement. The chain has a half inch pitch and, when new, has a pin at exactly every half inch. As the pins and sleeves wear this spacing increases and becomes damaging to sprockets. When the chain pitch grows over one half percent it is time for a new chain. At one percent chainring damage progresses rapidly. By holding a ruler along the chain on your bike, align an inch mark with a pin and see how far off the mark the pin is at twelve inches. An eighth of an inch (0.125) is the ten percent limit while more than a sixteenth is a prudent time to get a new chain. Skipping Chain When you put on a new chain, its pitch is exactly one half inch. A sprocket, worn by a longer pitch (worn) chain, has hooked teeth. The hooked profile is formed by the rollers of a worn chain as they exit the sprocket under load. Rollers of a new chain with correct pitch exit under no load because the load is transferred to the next roller before disengagement. However, with hooked sprockets the new chain cannot engage under load because the pitch is too small to get over the hook and into the pocket. These differences are only a few thousandths of an inch but that is enough to prevent engagement when the previous roller is fully engaged. As a chain wears it concentrates more of its load on the last tooth of a sprocket before disengagement because its pitch no longer matches the pitch of the sprocket. This effect sometimes breaks off sprocket teeth. The load concentration on the sprocket also accelerates wear and is another reason to replace a chain at 1/16th inch wear. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjusting Chain Length (Bob Fishell spike@cbnewsd.att.com) For all Shimano SIS and Hyperglide systems, the chain is sized by shifting to the smallest rear cog and the largest front sprocket, then sizing the chain so that the derailleur pulleys are on a vertical line, or as close as you can get to it. Note that this will result in the same chain length for any freewheel within the capacity of the derailleur, so it usually is not necessary to re-size the chain for a different cogset with these systems. The other rule I've used (friction systems) involves shifting to the largest chainring and the largest rear cog, then sizing the chain so that the pulleys are at a 45 degree angle to the ground. The rules probably vary from derailleur to derailleur. In general, you may use the capacity of the rear derailleur cage as a guideline. You want the chain short enough so the cage can take up the slack in the smallest combination of chainwheel and rear cog you will use. The chain must also be long enough so that the cage still has some travel in the largest combination you will use. For example, if you have a 42x52 crank and a 13x21 freewheel, the smallest combination you would use would be a 42/14 (assuming you don't use the diagonal). If the cage can take up the slack in this combo, it's short enough. If the cage has spring left when you are in the 52/19 combo (again, you are not using the diagonal), it's long enough. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hyperglide chains (Mark Chandler chandler@wc.novell.com) For those of you that are tired of dealing with Shimano's chains with the special pins, I've found that the following chains work well with Shimano Hyperglide gearing systems: DID SuperShift Sedis ATB Union 800 Union 915 The SuperShift is probably the best performer of the bunch, followed by the ATB and 915. The 800 doesn't do too well with narrow cogsets (i.e., 8-speeds) because the raised elliptical bumps on the side-plates tend to rub on the adjacent cogs. I've also found that these chains work well on SunTour systems. The 915, however, works better on PowerFlo cogs than it does on regular (AccuShift) cogs (where it tends to slip when shifting). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cranks and Bottom Brackets Bottom Bracket Info (Jobst Brandt jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com) The four kinds of BB threads in common use today are Italian, British, French, and Swiss, possibly in that order of occurrence. Diameter Pitch Right Left Cup -------- ----- ----- ----- Italian 36mm x 24F tpi right right tpi (threads per inch) British 1.370" x 24F tpi left right French 35mm x 1mm right right Swiss 35mm x 1mm left right Unless there is something wrong with the right hand cup it should not be removed but should be wiped clean and greased from the left side. The thread type is usually marked on the face of both left and right cups. Swiss threads are rare but if you have one it is good to know before attempting removal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crank noises (Phil Etheridge phil@massey.ac.nz) I've had the creaky crank problem on every bike I've owned which has had cotterless cranks. Until now, I've never known a good solution to the problem. One suggestion I had was to replace the crank, but that wasn't something I was prepared to do on 1 month old bike under warranty. The shop mechanic spent half an hour with me and my bike sorting it out. Tightening the crank bolts and pedal spindle (i.e. onto the crank) didn't help (as Jobst will tell you). Removing each crank, smearing the spindle with grease and replacing the crank eliminated most of the noise. Removing each pedal, smearing grease on the thread and replacing it got rid of the rest of the noise. Greasing the pedal threads is a new one on me, but it makes a lot of sense, since they are steel and the crank aluminum. I thought it was worth relating this story, as creaky cranks seems to be quite a common problem.