My Bike rides

[plantfit 7,602]

Grips seem to be the best option for you then, good idea to try before you buy and your bike shop man sounds an honest bloke, i tend to stay clear of Halfrauds for advice though mainly because the "mechanics" don't even ride cycles

 

Rog

[The Pianoman 1,535]

Well I got my grips today. Time will tell whether or not they solve or even help the problem but in any event they are a VAST improvement on the grips that were on. Tried a lot of these all of which were cheaper and I have to say that this is definitely one of those instances where you get what you pay for. Will be carrying an Allen key around with me for a while in case I need to adjust their rotation while I am out.

 

 

[plantfit 7,602]

Brilliant, I hope they do the trick  and you get many miles of comfortable riding out of them

 

Rog

[Hey Arnold 88]

 

@The Pianoman I don't know whether you already wear cycling specific gloves, but a good quality padded mitt/glove will also help. Endura or Altura both make decent products at reasonable prices. I personally use Giro Strade supergel mitts in summer, regularly ride 50-60 miles and find them very comfortable 

[plantfit 7,602]

Not sure if this will show up but, the one on the left is a 36 teeth round chainring and the one on the right is a 36 teeth oval chainring, the reason being for the technical among you (Ben included) is when the crank arms are in the TDC and BDC position there is a loss of effective energy from the rider, this is called the "useless area" because there is no human input at the two extremes, the set up for the oval chainring is to help useful power input to be used more efficiently, apparently for powerful riders this could be as much as two percent of useful energy, sound very involved but as an experiment could be interesting to see if it has any effect on a crusty old cyclist like myself

 

 

Rog

 

(Bet you can't wait for the results Ben)

[philmayfield 6,145]

That’s incredibly interesting. Something I’ve never heard of but I can see the practical application for the serious cyclist. I’ve never personally come across it in industry but I gather there are specific applications for elliptical gears.

[plantfit 7,602]

Especially in geared pumps where the liquid is transported through a flexible pipe/hose

 

Rog

[Beekay 5,158]

When I was a 'specification clerk', in the production office at Raleigh, my job was to break down cycle orders into various parts for different departments. Every single part had a seven figure code number and I got used to knowing most of them. That was back in 1960/61, but the only number I can remember is for an 18 tooth chain wheel, being 3880037/90 stainless or 3880037/91 chrome.

Why these have stayed with me I just don't know. 

3A packing consisted of 25 cycles in one box, wherever they went.

[letsavagoo 963]

8 hours ago, plantfit said:

Not sure if this will show up but, the one on the left is a 36 teeth round chainring and the one on the right is a 36 teeth oval chainring, the reason being for the technical among you (Ben included) is when the crank arms are in the TDC and BDC position there is a loss of effective energy from the rider, this is called the "useless area" because there is no human input at the two extremes, the set up for the oval chainring is to help useful power input to be used more efficiently, apparently for powerful riders this could be as much as two percent of useful energy, sound very involved but as an experiment could be interesting to see if it has any effect on a crusty old cyclist like myself.

 

Only practical on derailleur gears and patented by Shimano as Biopace. No longer made.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopace

[plantfit 7,602]

I used to have Shimano Biopace triple rings on a mountain bike I built in the mid 1990's, and did quite well with it, Chris Froom rode to a tour de France win with an oval chainring but much more pronounced than the one I've fitted, there was a company who manufactured a automatic round to oval chainring when the speed of the chainring was at a sufficient speed the relevant sides of the ring would extend through centrifugal force creating the oval effect, 

I still have a Shimano Biopace triple chainring in my spares bin, I'll get it out tomorrow and take a photo

 

Rog

 

[plantfit 7,602]

two chainwheels, the one on the left is a standard Shimano triple the one on the right is a Shimano "Biopace" triple, slightly oval chainrings and very lightweight

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Unfortunately I can't find the left side pedal arm for the Biopace so at the moment I can't fit it on my bike, I've tried looking on a selling site for a replacement but all I can find is a full set and the sellers are asking around £80-£100 for a second hand set, so I will just have to have a good look in the sheds

 

Rog

[plantfit 7,602]

Pianoman, do we have a report about the new handlebar grips yet?

 

Rog

[The Pianoman 1,535]

I have to admit that I am only a good weather cyclist. I haven't had the chance to test them yet. there won't be an instant answer anyway as it will take a couple of weeks cycling if the problem is to return. I will keep you posted.

[plantfit 7,602]

Thanks for the reply, completely understand where you're coming from with the weather, I had a short ride yesterday to try out the new oval chainring but gave up when the heavy rain came, I arrived home wet, cold and nothing to report on the chainring, wasn't riding for long enough

 

Rog

[plantfit 7,602]

A good ride out today for a couple of hours with the new 36 t oval chainring fitted, pleasantly surprised on how it performed, seemed much easier to pedal especially when going up hill (slight gradient) or when accelerating, I think I will keep this chainring on, appeared to be a lot smoother/easier, difficult to describe really but I thought it made a difference

 

Rog

[oldphil 331]

47 minutes ago, plantfit said:

A good ride out today for a couple of hours with the new 36 t oval chainring fitted

Come autumn. I'm swapping out a double ring for a single - would you recommend the oval? Overall gearing will be the same (with a bigger rear cassette). I keep seeing the oval rings getting a lot of hype? If they make an old git a better cyclist I'll be a happy man.

[plantfit 7,602]

I wold recommend fitting one,The setup I use is a Bucklos set using 170mm crankarms, the oval chainring range through 32, 34, 36, and 38 teeth, for the crankset including one of the size rings cost £28.42, is of good quality and lightweight, easy to fit, just check the chain line when fitted you can either fit it on the outside or the inside of the crankarm spider

 

 

I got my set off Ebay, hope this helps

 

Rog

[oldphil 331]

18 hours ago, plantfit said:

I got my set off Ebay, hope this helps

Thanks, Rog, that's where I've been looking. At that price there's little to lose!

Amalfi coming up, so if I survive the heat, I'll fit it all in September and report back.

[plantfit 7,602]

The experiment with the oval chainrings continue, today in the post was a new 38 teeth oval chainring, the oval is much more pronounced with having two more teeth than the last one, now what I did find out when turning the crank was the amount of oval yet the rear mech (changer) doesn't move as I expected it stay in the same position, the crank spindle is in the same plane the oval chainwheel has about an inch deviation from centre so you expect the rear mech arm to move back and forth with the chainwheel, I think I need to do some more investigating

 

Rog

[Beekay 5,158]

Mr. & Mrs Plantfit and friend enjoying the Lincolnshire sunshine...

[plantfit 7,602]

It's the only way to travel mate, in fact the little chap in the middle could be holding my Penny Farthing cycle

 

 

Rog

[plantfit 7,602]

Perfect weather for a bike ride this morning, local lanes about 15-17 miles, enjoyed the scenery over the flat lands in the peoples republic of Lincolnshire, a few pics of the ride

 

Discs and rollers, a bit too heavy to pull with the Diamondback even with the new chainwheel

 

Upper Witham, Scotwater bridge

 

Not the Notts one but the Lincs one

 

Upper Witham again this time overlooking Beckingham ranges

 

Rog

[Beekay 5,158]

Rog., what's your impression with this sort of e-bike ( see attached).

To me, they looknothing like a bike, more like a small motorcycle.

PS. Not getting one. B.

[plantfit 7,602]

I saw one of those this morning when we were going to the asda, looked a bit dangerous to me speeding across a junction, thing is Barrie when there's one coming towards you it looks like a bicycle so you react to such but in reality it's going like the clappers so could well catch you off guard coming up on you a lot quicker than a bicycle plus the guy I saw wasn't wearing a crash helmet (not sure about the law on that) so you wouldn't think it was a powered bike, personally at the moment and with my health being reasonable I wouldn't have one but each to his own

 

Rog

[philmayfield 6,145]

From what I read about those Cyrusher bikes it seems they are likely to be classed as motor vehicles and should be licensed, registered, taxed and insured. I quite fancy one but don’t want to fall foul of the law.