Rhythm wrote:Fixie/SS is/was a backlash to the over-complications of external gears, just one extreme to counter the other. Nobody needs 15+ gears on a bike, and having gears on the outside only adds to complications and maintenance woes. It's the megapixel war applied to cycles.
Shimano Nexus/Alfines (8-11 gears) seem to be the way to go for most users, although they're hellishly expensive for what they are at the moment. I got 10,000 maintenance-free miles out of my last Nexus 8 and that was a low-end model on a £300 bike.
Depends what you want from a bike really, I found the Nexus heavy and inefficient.
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LIke the Sturmey Archer then.
Like night and day for speed and efficiency when compared to riding my fixie which of course is literally chain directly onto wheel.
But yeah they're both low maintenance options when compared to your standard geared bike.
Low maintenance doesn't necessarily mean efficient.
External gears typically weigh less than hub gears, and have higher efficiency. If you include maintenance costs that probably drops a bit but still works out higher overall, unless you really fail the maintenance side.
It depends on how much you value your maintenance time.
"My way is the way of not fighting":- the book of Enter the Dragon.
venusian wrote:Oh, and 20mph gusty wind, and a disc seemed like a good idea?
Disc isn't really an issue in wind. It's the front wheel you need to worry about as when the wind catches it, you steer. Plenty of weight on the rear to keep it planted. Riders usually swap out the front wheel dependent on conditions. See the track wher ethey use front discs due to no wind. Outdoors, they're baned on safety grounds.
Was planning to do a little 70km outing with the kids yesterday, but in the end we foreshortened it to 45km. Mainly because #1 son came off his road bike 2 days before, has a severe case of gravel rash on his left ankle, knee, hip, elbow and palm, but didn't want to not come. He ended up doing 45km using only his right leg, which caused a lot of odd looks from people going the other way. If he carries on like that, he's gonna end up walking in circles.
"massive retard™", "full of shit™", "tiny bitch™", "retarted™", "a bit of a one trick pony™", "petty™", "simple minded idealistic twat™", "miserable humourless fucker™"
Cyclists do walk that tightrope of weight/power with such low body fat %. He looks incredibly vulnerable like he'd snap in a strong wind (or rugby tackle)
He was incredibly strong in the sprint but seemed remarkably relaxed (facially at least) coming to the end of what would be a gruelling ride.
When he was being interviewed I kept thinking of Tyres (from the TV show Spaced) but that's probably just the shape of his head.
"England is funny, but sometimes she scares me"
Tony Wakeford
venusian wrote:It's not done on lettuce and Perrier.
Since my favourite sport is rugby it tends to be the one i use as a reference. the physique of a cyclist just looks so slight in comparison (even with the non gym monkeys in the backs) not withstanding their obvious strength/stamina to be able to cover such distances at speed.
"England is funny, but sometimes she scares me"
Tony Wakeford
fast very fast from both Wiggins and Froome
