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Tech letters for June 19, 2003 - Questions
Edited by John Stevenson
Confounded by carbon fiber? Need to sound off about superlight stuff? Tech letters is the forum for your gear-related questions and opinions.
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Tech mail. It's huge. Here's this week's batch of questions for all the helpful tech experts out there to get their teeth into.
Answers to previous questions start here and continue here.
Campagnolo/Shimano mix
Lance at the Dauphine
Frame strength
Crank length
Team Shaklee GT
Prescription eyewear
Chain slipping in big ring only
Argon in disguise?
Khan Kuota
Transporting magnesium bikes
Tufo sealant
Campagnolo/Shimano mix
My question is pretty straightforward. Will a Campy 9sp Ergopower Lever work with a Shimano 9s Rear Derailleur? The question is not whether it is a perfect match, or whether it was built to be used together, or about the chain line and durability of the chain. The question is whether one can use a Campy Ergopower and shift 9sp with a Shimano rear derailleur, cassette and chain without the chain skipping and/or making too much noise.
Sean
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Lance at the Dauphine
I'm looking close at this photo here of Armstrong in the TT at Dauphine, and see two weird things.
What's with the hooky bumpy thing on his back? Is he a stegosaurus? Does he have a weird spine? Is that a Camelbak?
Secondly, he looks really... thick. I'm sure he's no fatty, and yeah, he won the TT so it's not slowing him down, but is his jersey unzipped or do all the top guys look like they are as thick as they are wide?
Mo Gee
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Frame strength
The Trek OCLV frame has to be one of, if not THE strongest frames on the world. Recently, a customer brought his OCLV Trek 5500 bike in for some work. He mentioned that he had just driven into his garage with the bike on the roof. The result was thousands of dollars of damage to his car roof, a destroyed car rack, and structural damage to his garage door frame. The bike looked normal! The stem, seat and seatpost were bent but the frame was not bent (in the expected cave down of the top tube) and the fork blades were not bent forward, as is usual when driving into your favorite garage. Upon inspection with a high powered light, there was a minor crack in the top tube. Trek can replace the top tube and the bike will be as good as new! Try that with any other carbon bike.
Over the decades, we have seen a variety of frames of all materials completely destroyed from this type of daydreaming. The two OCLV frames (another one a few years ago) that have been brought in to us both went on to many more years of riding! This begs for a survey to be done, not only of bikes, but the ratio of how many bike miles vs driving miles causes this type of mishap and if there is a terminal ratio that guarantees disaster!
Brent Emery
EmerysSuper Fitness Stores, Milwaukee, WI
brent@emerys.com
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Crank length
I am 6' 3" tall with a 94cm / 37 inch inseam. I've used a 175mm crank for the past few years, but will be buying a new bike soon and I'm not sure if I should go for a longer crank length. Is there a general rule or formula for crank length?
Riaan Naude
Bermuda
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Team Shaklee GT
Last year I came across a ex-team Shaklee GT frameset and fork for a steal of a price.
The frame seems to be Reynolds 853 - but brass filet brazed. I was under the impression that 853 should only be welded, but have heard that some early 853 frames were TIG welded, then brazing was built up over the weld.
The frame is the GT triple triangle design. I have some doubts that GT would have made the frames. GT have been unable to provide any answers.
Does anyone know who built these?
Ed Krafsur
Alexandria, VA
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Prescription eyewear
I wear prescription glasses in the everyday environment and prescription inserts in cycling glasses for, obviously, cycling. My prescription is in the region of -10.5 and I have great difficulty in getting useable glasses.
I have been using Briko Klip / Sprinter and they're okay, but recently I've bought Rudy Project Rydon and had my optician glaze the inserts. Now that I've got them back I have discovered that the insert bends significantly and so due to lens prismatic effects I have a more or less un-usable pair of £200 cycling glasses.
Apart from the Briko Klip what other prescription cycling glasses are available for someone in my position that:
1. work
2. don't look like those old Bolle's
3. don't cost an absolute fortune
4. have interchangeable outer lenses
I can't countenance the thought of contacts, so they're out too. Can anyone offer any suggestions / advice?
Andrew Postings
UK
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Chain slipping in big ring only
I have a 10 speed Record drivetrain with a Wipperman Connex chain. My problem is the chain seems to slip under force. It only happens when I am in the big chainring, when I am climbing or accelerating away after a traffic light stop. I've also narrowed it down to between the 15, 16, 17 teeth.
Because it only happens in the big ring I've tended to discount chain / sprocket wear.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Jason Williams
Australia
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Argon in disguise?
Quickly looking at the new Carbon Cervelo, the lugs look a lot like the carbon Argon 18. Looking closer, the Monostay also looks very similar. Is the Cervelo just a sloping version of the Argon 18?
Brad Radke
Monday, June 16, 2003
Khan Kuota
Can you recommend the Khan Kuota? Any experience?
Francisco J. Garcia
San Juan, PR
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Transporting magnesium bikes
I have a Merida Magnesium bike. Someone told me that it shouldn't be mounted on a bike beak on the back of the car for transport because the tubing would crush. Is this true?
Jonathan Ying
Australia
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Tufo sealant
Does anyone have any experience with using Tufo Tubular sealant on non-Tufo Tubulars? I emailed them to ask them if it would work and they said it might, but they were very non committal. I use Continental tubulars, so if anyone has tried that combination it would be great to hear the results.
Eric Gonzalez
Miami, FL. USA
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
