One of the best things about this group is the shared knowledge, as well as the knowledge that is shared that makes one realize one know nothing on the subject and at some point, one decides one wants to learn about it.
For me, one of these themes has been gearing and gear choices. It kind of started (from my POV) when Patrick from Albuquerque posted one of his long convoluted and confusing (to me) discussions on his gear choices. It wasn't the first one, but hopefully it will be the last I can't follow... Nothing happens in isolation, though. It just so happens that my head was full of thoughts regarding the gearing I want for my upcoming all-around 650b custom, how to optimize my Bike Friday's gearing, and what to do about my Atlantis. Bike gear calculators, all sorts of arguments for one measurement or another, ratio, gain, gear-inches, WTF!!! The confusion has been sorted out, and I have to thank Jan for his super detailed article on BQ Summer of 2012 that sorts the whole gearing conundrum. That article, plus the chainline article on the latest issue of BQ clarified everything for me. Now, additional info or insights about comparing gear using gain instead of gear-inches suddenly make sense and I feel enlightened! I think gearing is one of those topics that most people don't pay attention to, those who know and understand it feel it's so basic that when they talk about it they don't realize others don't have a clue and most people think it's too confusing to bother as their bikes have gears that seem to work well for them, or they are just clueless at the opportunities to improve it. And everyone thinks that more gears in the back is better and isn't it so? :-) Thanks all for your large and small contributions to further my cycling knowledge, as well as some other themes like touring with a spouse, which is something I'll never get to experience, unfortunately. My wife of 30 years this July just won't get on a bicycle. But I've been planting the idea of a mixed driving (her) and cycling (me) tour where I cycle in the mornings while she sleeps in and then in the afternoon we visit the place. Let's see if I can make it happen... Best to all!!! René PS: Gearing decisions: - 650b Steve Rex custom: 26/42F + 10speed 11/36R - Atlantis: 24/38/46F + 9speed 12/36R (but still may switch to 10 speeds) - Bike Friday: 32/48F + 10speed 11/36R All running the beautiful René Herse cranks that I've already tried on the BF and set up with perfect chainlines. (To be confirmed once all are built and finished). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
