Advice - reversal of stem

[Richard Goodman]

I am seriously considering buying a new bike - new for me but previously used. It is a beautiful,
lightweight, custom built bike, a true one-off at a price that is probably worth it just for the
components alone. But there is one problem. Although standover clearance is fine, it has a very long
top tube, apparently built for someone with a long upper body in relation to leg length. For me, the
riding position is really too stretched out. The stem is already as short as it can be. I would even
consider replacing the frame or seeing if a frame builder could replace top and down tubes (its a
chro-mo frame) at some point, but I am thinking what if I reversed the stem - as in turned it
through 180deg, not flipped it, so that the fork is ahead of the handlebars? This would bring the
bars closer to me but I'm not sure about the effect on handling. I know it would look weird, but I
don't care about that. I note that recumbents (SWB)generally rely on such a configuration, although
their geometry is completely different anyway.

Any opinions/experience anyone?

Rich

 

[Arthur Clune]

Richard Goodman <[email protected]> wrote:

: Any opinions/experience anyone?

Yes. This is completly barking. I've ridden bikes set up like this (as part of a set of "funny
bikes" that are very hard to ride) and it's a complete pig.

If the bike doesn't fit you, it's no good.

While it might be worth buying for the components alone, you'd have to add back in the cost of a
new frame (and possible fork as well) before you could work out if it was enough cheaper than a new
bike to be worth while. I'd be *really* surprised if it is - you can get very cheap and nice bikes
mail order.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org Power is delightful. Absolute power is absolutely delightful -
Lord Lester

 

[Richard Goodman]

"Arthur Clune" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Richard Goodman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> : Any opinions/experience anyone?
>
> Yes. This is completly barking. I've ridden bikes set up like this (as part of a set of "funny
> bikes" that are very hard to ride) and it's a complete pig.
>

bum.

> While it might be worth buying for the components alone, you'd have to add back in the cost of a
> new frame (and possible fork as well) before you could work out if it was enough cheaper than a
> new bike to be worth while. I'd be *really* surprised if it is - you can get very cheap and nice
> bikes mail order.

Put it this way: excluding the frame, the other components could not be purchased for the cost of
this bike, albeit that they are (appear to be) little used. No other bike on the market has the
features this bike has (hydraulic disk brakes with STI levers on 650c road wheels - quite trick).

Rich

 

[David Brown :O\]

"Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Put it this way: excluding the frame, the other components could not be purchased for the cost of
> this bike, albeit that they are (appear to be) little used. No other bike on the market has the
> features this bike has (hydraulic disk brakes with STI levers on 650c road wheels - quite trick).

So come on, give us spec and price. I assume this is a mountain bike frame set up for the road?

Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?

--
David Brown ) http://kitemap.co.uk

 

[Arthur Clune]

Richard Goodman <[email protected]> wrote:

: Put it this way: excluding the frame, the other components could not be purchased for the cost of
: this bike, albeit that they are (appear to be) little used. No other bike on the market has the
: features this bike has (hydraulic disk brakes with STI levers on 650c road wheels - quite trick).

Trick, but if it don't fit, it don't fit.

You can get 700C road frames to take disks, but then I suspect the price will go up again enough to
make it not worth buying the bike for the components (since you'd need new wheels + fork as well).

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org Power is delightful. Absolute power is absolutely delightful -
Lord Lester

 

[Dave Larrington]

David Brown ) wrote:

> Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?

Disc brakes if you please, sir, disc brakes. This is not yet 'melica, you know. But anyway:

They are extremely effective in both wet and dry conditions and, when motivated by hydraulics rather
than pulling a piece of string, have very good modulation.

BTW, Richard, *how* does it manage to run STI in conjunction with discs?

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Pete Biggs]

Richard Goodman wrote:
> I am seriously considering buying a new bike - new for me but previously used. It is a beautiful,
> lightweight, custom built bike, a true one-off at a price that is probably worth it just for the
> components alone. But there is one problem. Although standover clearance is fine, it has a very
> long top tube, apparently built for someone with a long upper body in relation to leg length. For
> me, the riding position is really too stretched out. The stem is already as short as it can be.

How short, what type of bike, and what do you do with it?

If it's a road bike with a <8cm stem and it's still a struggle to ride comfortably, I would dump it
and get a new bike or frame that fit me better.

To help slightly in the meantime, you could switch to narrower bars which will effectively
reduce reach. If drop bars, bars with less reach than average to brakes & drops will also help,
eg. 3T Morphe.

~PB

 

[Henry Braun]

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003, Dave Larrington wrote:
> > Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?
>
> Disc brakes if you please, sir, disc brakes. This is not yet 'melica, you know. But anyway:

The OED says

"The earlier and better spelling is disk, but disc is now the more usual form in British English,
except in sense 2g, where disk is commoner as a result of US influence."

Sense 2g talks about computer storage media. Pedantic fact-fans out there will be surprised to
discover that the mathematical usage, meaning a plane shape enclosed by a circle, is not recorded by
the OED at all. The word is invariably spelt "disk" in this case too.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

"David Brown )" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?

Because they work better Of course for the full effect you also need a low centre of gravity and
minimal wind resistance, so you can go downhill at Ludicrous Speeds and give the discs a workout...

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

 

[Ian]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> "David Brown )" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?
>
>
> Because they work better Of course for the full effect you also need a low centre of gravity
> and minimal wind resistance, so you can go downhill at Ludicrous Speeds and give the discs a
> workout...

I find my Magura hydraulic rim brakes to be wheel stopping good at all times, although stopping the
front wheel of a SWB bent at 40 mph is an interesting experience to say the least.

Ian

 

[Geraint Jones]

Henry Braun <[email protected]> wrote: ( Pedantic fact-fans out there ) will be surprised to
discover that the mathematical usage, meaning a plane ( shape enclosed by a circle, is not recorded
by the OED at all.

Isn't that sense 3, "Anything resembling a circular plate."?

( The word is ) invariably spelt "disk" in this case too.

OED is inclined to lie about dictating spellings that are not common usage.

 

[Dave Larrington]

Ian wrote:

> I find my Magura hydraulic rim brakes to be wheel stopping good at all times, although stopping
> the front wheel of a SWB bent at 40 mph is an interesting experience to say the least.

I had them for a Long Time, on a Kingcycle. Now I have Hope discs, which are Even Better (tm).

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Peter Clinch]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> "David Brown )" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

>>Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?

> Because they work better

Trying out Ben's Speedmachine demonstrator he had a few words about the brakes. Something like:

"the brakes are the wrong way round and I haven't swapped them yet, but don't worry, just squeeze
them both and you'll stop. They're very good!"

I squeezed them both and I stopped, including on some interesting gravity-assisted runs I did to let
the machine feel its name was warranted. They were very, very good, and very easy to control if you
just wanted to slow up rather than stop. If my lottery ticket comes up I'll have a set (Magura
hydraulics IIRC) stuck on the Streetmachine (along with a Rohhloff). The Vs that are on it at
present are great by the standards of typical bicycles, even typical good bicycles, but better is
better and the discs on the Speedmachine were better. And that's in the dry, from what I read the
wet weather differences are far more pronounced.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Richard Goodman]

"Dave Larrington" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> David Brown ) wrote:
>
..
> BTW, Richard, *how* does it manage to run STI in conjunction with discs?
>

Short cable pull to Hope "remote reservoir" master cylinders. They aren't available anymore although
I'm told the parts (seals etc) are standard Hope parts should they need replacing.

Rich

 

[Kit Wolf]

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 13:08:11 +0100, David Brown ) wrote:

> "Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> Put it this way: excluding the frame, the other components could not be purchased for the cost of
>> this bike, albeit that they are (appear to be) little used. No other bike on the market has the
>> features this bike has (hydraulic disk brakes with STI levers on 650c road wheels - quite trick).
>
> So come on, give us spec and price. I assume this is a mountain bike frame set up for the road?
>
> Just out of curiousity, why would anyone want disk brakes?

Rim brakes grind the rims away - at least this is my reason.

Kit

 

[Richard Goodman]

"David Brown )" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> So come on, give us spec and price.

The Hope remote reservoirs are priceless, considering you can't get them any more, the shimano 105
groupset and the rest of the Hope disc brake componentry would add up to about the cost of this
bike, and that's without the wheelset...

> I assume this is a mountain bike frame set up for the road?
>

Yes, chro-mo but it/the whole bike is very light. It rides beautifully, at least compared to my
current roadified MTB, which accelerates like a brick in comparison.

Rich

 

[David E. Belche]

"Dave Larrington" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
>
> BTW, Richard, *how* does it manage to run STI in conjunction with discs?
>

Could be Edco-Magura IGP brake/shift levers, but they're like hens' teeth!

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York

 

[David E. Belche]

Henry Braun <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
> Sense 2g talks about computer storage media.

Just to complicate matters further, the spelling with a 'k' seems largely to refer to magnetic media
only. The 'D' in CD, DVD, etc. is always (to my knowledge) a 'disc' [1].

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York

[1] Says he, cautiously double-checking the assortment of Zip disk,
2.5" disk and CD-R cases sat on my desk prior to posting ;-)

 

[Dave Kahn]

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 14:58:32 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote:

> so you can go downhill at Ludicrous Speeds and give the discs a workout...

Do I detect a sly reference to Mel Brooks' Spaceballs?

Colonel Sandurz: Prepare ship for light speed! Dark Helmet: No, no, no, light speed is too slow.
Colonel Sandurz: Light speed too slow? Dark Helmet: Yes, we're gonna have to go right
to.....ludicrous speed! Crew: Huh?? Huh?? Colonel Sandurz: Ludicrous speed? Sir, we've never gone
that fast before. I don't know if the ship can take it! Dark Helmet: What's the matter, Colonel
Sandurz? Chicken?

--
Dave...

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 18:39:50 +0100, Dave Kahn <[email protected]> wrote:

>Do I detect a sly reference to Mel Brooks' Spaceballs?

No. I saw Spaceballs twice, the second time was a huge disappointment. It's always a letdown to see
a film a second time and realise that it's so lightweight you actually got the whole thing first
time round so there are no new jokes to spot. Not a patch on some of Brook's other films, especially
The Producers, which cracks me up every time.

Guy
===
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