Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Yeah, I could do that, but since I volunteer at a bike recycling co-op
we have lots of old but still useable chains. I toss one on and ride
it (and clean and lube it) until it starts getting too creaky. Then it
goes into our metal recycling bin and I put another old one on. I
don't care how the chain looks as long as it still flexes freely and
does what it should do.
Mostly there with ya, but I still like shiny chains. :-P Too much of a
PITA to try to deal with old ones. Exception being the lovely original
chain on my '76 Raleigh Woman's Sports.
Quoted message said:One thing I have been trying out recently is one of those extra-thick
innertubes on the rear tire to minimize flat potential. But it adds a
bit too much rolling mass to the bike (the old adage is 1 lb. on the
wheel is like 4 on the frame), so it's coming off.
Those are awful. Tried them.Hated them. I've been quite impressed with
the IRC Tandem tires on my day to day ride--I ride it over anything,
like the crow flies, and zero flats in a thousand miles , but they're
unfortunately expensive in the context of a bike recycling thing.
Sometimes new stuff is indeed worth it. On my cargo trike I'm running
Schwalbe Big Apples (406 size), and they are the perfect tire for that
application, since they can be run at low psi for shock absorption
without the sidewall deforming.
Hmm, I could look into the Schwalbe Marathon with its fat kevlar
strip, but for winter riding I want a tire a more agressive tread.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:Also, I have removed the roller brake and installed cantis, because I
was getting a bit paranoid about getting a flat back there and having
to undo not only the wheel nuts and shifter cable, but also the brake
arm and brake cable. Sure, the cables have QRs, but the arm doesn't,
and none of it would be fun to wrestle with covered in grunge at
-20C. And yes, one can patch a flat with the wheel still on the bike,
but patches don't always stick in cold weather, and things like broken
valves still mean changing the tube (for which I always keep a spare
on hand).
I never, in the 30K that my Nexi bike did, had a flat that needed a
wheel removal. Two flats. Patches.
Is this in winter riding? I 've had patches not hold when put on in
below-freezing weather.
Quoted message said:Tough tires. Even so, I never found
a wheel removal to be that traumatic. Disengaging the shifter cable is
far more traumatic than the brake cable.
Yes, the shift cable is a pain. I understand Shimano's concept of
making the mech. inboard of the frame to protect it, and in warmer
weather it's not a big deal to fuss with. But on a dark, cold
winter's night I don't like the idea of trying to get that all hooked
back together. I use this hub because it came to me really cheap, as
the left bearings were shot and had to be replaced, and I also had the
hub's innards inspected and re-lubed by my old bike shop boss (who has
taken lots of these apart). If I was buying new I'd spend the extra
bucks and get the Sachs hub, as the clickbox concept works just fine
and makes wheel removal a snap (as long as it doesn't have the coaster
brake!).
Quoted message said:Cantis are gonna be better
than the roller brake, but you give up that Toyota reliability on the
back end.
Quite true. The roller brake is prefectly consistent no matter what
kind of slushy grunge is buiding up on the wheel, but it's also
consistently not very strong. And I use the rear brake far more in
winter than in summer to keep control of the front end in slippery
conditions, and now that I have the cantis back on it feels much
better (as does removing that 2 lb. brake!).
Mark
