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Tech letters for May 28, 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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Today's batch of tech mail is again humungous, so we've split it up. In part one, below, some new questions and points for discussion, and in parts two, three and four, lots and lots of opinions on recent topics raised last time.
Lance's bike at L-B-L
What did Eddy use?
How about 135mm spacing?
Pedals
Auto degreasers
Bike Racks
Frame upgrade
Wearing out tyres on trainers
Campagnolo ten speed
Mavic Helium Rim
Bottle mounts
Bianchi/Campy upgrades
Mavic Paris-Roubaix SSC rims
Transporting carbon bikes
Lance's bike at L-B-L
I was just watching some footage of L-B-L (the highlights on TV are delayed by a couple of weeks) and couldnt help noticing that Lance was not riding a Trek OCLV bike as per usual. It very much looked to either be a (very neatly) welded metal frame or a non- visable lugged carbon frame. The most striking points were the sharp angles at the joins of the tubes (as opposed to the 'webbed' lugs on OCLV), slightly smalled tube diameters, and the seat-stays joining the seat tube lower than the join of the top and seat tubes. It also appeared to not have a 'b-stay' setup like on the OCLV frames. Did anyone else notice this? Trek does own some other companies, or are they experimenting with other frame materials and build-techniques. I cannot imagine Lance badging another bike as a Trek (i doubt the sponsor would be happy), and it is feasable that should trek be aout to launch say Ti-frames that they would have Lance ride them before launch for publicity purposes in much the same way that Shimano did with the pedals and even the new crank-sets.
Oowan Davies
Adelaide,Australia
Sunday, May 25 2003
What did Eddy use?
With everyone looking at the gearing the Giro riders are using to go up the Zoncolan, does anyone know what top riders (like, uh, Merckx) used on HC climbs in the seventies? I think that six speeds were just appearing and I don't think the term "triple" was even invented, so there had to be some serious gaps in the gears.
Don Kane
Western New York
Thursday, May 22 2003
How about 135mm spacing?
Now that Shimano has gone 10-speed I suspose that the next step will be Campagnolo going 11 or 12. This will almost certainly mean 135 rear spacing for road bikes as there is no way that any more cogs can be squeezed into the existing 130 mm rear spacing. I already have a road bike with 135 spacing. The wheels are stronger and I can use 9-speed Ultrega/105 when I'm hammering with the lads at home and stick on an XT block when I go touring in the alps. I don't really know why more people do this so that we can have one rear spacing standard. It might also encourage Campagnolo to reintroduce a mountain bike group set. By the way, does anyone really know why we have different rear spacing for road and mountain bikes?
Robert Barwick
Finland
Thursday, May 15 2003
Pedals
Which pedal system would you prefer? Speedplay Zero, or Shimano PD-7750 Dura-Ace?
'Iamsisyphus'
Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 10:04:57 EDT
Auto degreasers
What do my fellow riders think about on the use of automotive cleaner/degreaser and lube? It's amazing how dirty my road bike gets and the products available to cyclists at bike stores are expensive and are generally sold in small quantities. I got a whole gallon of automotive degreaser for less than the smallest bottle of cycling specific degreaser. Same with the lube.
Rene Decquir
USA
Monday, May 26 2003
Bike Racks
A few years ago, it was possible to purchase bike racks which fitted directly on to the trunk (boot for us British) of a car, instead of hanging off the back with straps. Does anyone know if these racks are still available, and, if so, who makes them?
John McMillan
London, Britain
Wednesday, May 14 2003
Frame upgrade
I wonder if you could spare a little time on a dilemma I have. I have a maximum of £900 to spend (a bit later in the year) on a new frame/forks. My current bike is a 56 cm Vitus 797 Dural Tubing fitted with full Ultega 9sp groupset, Mavic Open Pro CD rims & Deda bars & stem.
As I don't race I was looking for something that would offer better performance & lighter weight than my current frame but would also please me aesthetically; I absolutely hate the appearance of mega sized tubes! My short list so far is Colnago Dream Plus, Pinarello Galileo & DeRosa Corum. Do you guys have any experience of these frames & the Vitus? How much better would these frames be compared to the Vitus? Do you know anything about the Vitus 797 & Dural tubing, what does it weigh? I have scoured the Internet but haven't been able to find anything out at all.
This would be a last frame change so I would need something that would offer some comfort as well as durability. I ride about 3000 miles a year with the majority on my 'best bike' with the maximum ride about 2-3hrs long & my weight is 75kg.
Steve Morris
UK
Tuesday, May 13 2003
Wearing out tyres on trainers
I have the Cyclops Fluid trainer and with lots of wet weather in Sydney of late, have been on it more than the road.
I have noticed that the use of this trainer tends to wear the tyre quickly. I have been told that with all trainers, the rolling friction is somewhere between riding on the road and a skid.
Is this the case? Is there any way that I can reduce the wear on what can be expensive tyres while still getting the use from my indoor trainer?
Any hints or ideas would be appreciated.
James Dalton
Sydney, Australia
Tuesday, May 27 2003
Campagnolo ten speed
On my new Spectrum bike, I went with a Campagnolo Record triple chain set (53-42-30) but with an 11-21, 10-speed cassette using a medium-length rear derailleur. This gives me a wide range of gearing (38 - 127 inches) that's good for most terrain and ride speeds that I will encounter and it is unlikely I will need to buy an extra cassette unless I go to the Alps! So far it seems to work well although I am using the front derailleur more than my riding partners and I occasionally over shift into the smallest ring.
However, I am concerned about acute chain angles: which of the ten sprockets are "off limits" when in which chain ring? So far I have only tried to avoid using big ring/big sprocket and small ring/small sprocket but I wonder if Campagnolo do not recommend the avoidance of even more gears.
Any advice will be most welcomed.
William Hudson
San Antonio
Sunday, May 18 2003
Mavic Helium Rim
I'm looking for a rim (tubular) to replace the existing slightly damaged one on my front wheel but am having a problem in sourcing one as these wheels have been discontinued and the front is a 26h which is not a common spoking - the rear being 28 could, if required, be replaced with an alternative relatively easily. Would be grateful if someone could point me in the direction of a source as these wheels are a great ride and far too good to bin.
Andy Rowat
Monday, May 19 2003
Bottle mounts
I finally got my new custom frame built up except for a seat tube bottle cage due to the front derailleur clamp being positioned in between the two bosses. A shop owner recommended I use washers. any suggestions?
Rene Decquir
USA
Wednesday, May 14 2003
Bianchi/Campy upgrades
I bought a used 1995 Bianchi Veloce 61cm 2 years ago as an 'advanced' novice rider. It is a 14-speed with a 7-gear Campy on the rear cassette. The frame is Bianchi's cro-moly steel, which a large rider (250 pounds) like me loves.
I love the bike because of the sturdiness it gives me. But I am wanting to upgrade to a lighter weight wheelset. From talking with the local bike techs who only want to sell me their particular brands at their very proud prices, I cannot upgrade an older seven-speed gear set. They insist that I would be better off buying a completely new bike. I don't want/need a new bike. Will the rear axle fitting expand to accommodate a longer axle and cassette? Will I need a new derailleur or can the existing one be calibrated to fit a new cassette?
I want to stay with Campagnolo equipment. What are my options?
Also, if I can upgrade to a 9 gear, what are some good wheelset recommendations for a rider of my size?
Steve Haley
Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States
Wednesday, May 21 2003
Mavic Paris-Roubaix SSC rims
I'm trying to find a good price on new pair of Mavic Paris-Roubaix SSC rims. Any suggestions where I may find a set?
David Cottee
Australia
Thursday, May 22 2003
Transporting carbon bikes
What are the options for putting carbon Giant bikes safely on the exterior of cars? I know of a bike where the metal fork ends separated from the rest of the bike as well as a frame that was cracked at the downtube due to a clamp.
Andrew Gannon
Melbourne, Australia
Saturday, May 24 2003
