Jeremy, you must be a younger guy because you left out coaster brakes, the only real set it and forget setup from back in the day. I don't ever remember servicing my 3 speed coaster brake setup, I mean in a decade. Granted I would not descend a mountain with it, but for city riding 3 speed and coaster brake always worked great. On Mar 2, 2013 12:15 PM, "Jeremy Till" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I would I generally agree with GP's considerations about city bikes, but > would add a couple of my own additions: > > -As few gears as is possible. Why? Drivetrain reliability. The fewer > gears you have, especially if you're down to one or no derailleurs, means > that there's much less stuff to go wrong/out of adjustment, and a much > lower chance that a drivetrain problem will put the bike out of comission > or at least make the ride less enjoyable (of course, friction shifting > helps here). Furthermore, chains that shift less and with smaller > chainline error will be more efficient and last longer. Now, if your city > bike is also your only bike, or you live in a city where there are > significant and extended climbs, a full triple might be "as few gears as > possible." But, if you're going to have a bike which is the designated > "city bike," i say simplicity rules. > > -Brakes that have clearance for 30mm+ tires and fenders AND allow for > consistent braking performance for a year+ WITHOUT adjusting the brake > pads. This is the biggest failing of the V-brakes and cantilever brakes > that are common on this type of bike currently--as the pads wear, the go > out of alignment, eventually to the point where they are no longer fully > contacting the braking surface of the rim, and could potentially catch in > the spokes. Yes, it does happen slowly so it's no problem for the > attentive garage mechanic who checks their brakes every few months, or the > consumer that takes their bike into the shop religiously. For the majority > of people that just want to ride their bike and treat it like their car > (i.e., don't worry about it until something isn't working right), allowing > their brake pads to wear for a year+ then makes the brakes really > ineffective or potentially dangerous, and often more difficult to adjust > properly since the pads have worn at an angle. > > IMHO, this is one of the biggest problems in brake design right now, and > hopefully will get some attention as practical bikes with fat tires get > more attention. Mechanical disc brakes don't work, since they too go out > of adjustment as the pads wear. Hydraulic discs are cool in that they > self-adjust for wear, but they (along with mech. discs, but moreso) require > a very specific frame/wheel/handlebar (no drop bars, yet) setup to work > well. Plus bleeding them when they need it is complex and costly. Cheap > disc brakes on cheap frames are the worst. Drum brakes in theory might be > a good idea, but they are as rare as hen's teeth in the US. The only ones > I see regularly are the hilariously ineffective Shimano Nexus Roller Brake > units. > > Road sidepull caliper brakes are my favorite brakes in terms of their > ability to deliver consistent braking performance with minimal adjustment > over time, save maybe dialing out the barrel adjuster. BUT, as GP and > others are fond of pointing out, they have significant limitations when it > comes to tire + fender clearance. Tektro does good in this regard, > especially with the R559 series of brakes, but most Tektro brakes pay for > their clearance by being flexy. I'd like to see them get some competition, > hopefully from Shimano. > > -I know everyone here likes dyno lights but battery lights have come a > long ways recently, and they are still way cheaper/simpler that a dyno > light setup. Plus many now feature USB rechargeability so for most > commuters the inconvenience of having to charge batteries in minimal. If > your night riding is occasional, short, and usually at one end of the day > (riding home) then they win in my book. I do think that what many dyno > lights have shown, however, is that lights mounted low down, on the fork, > are much more effective for seeing than lights mounted on the handlebars, > so I'd like to see more commuters have provisions for light mounting on the > fork. > > Consider all of the above, my Quickbeam does pretty well for me as a > commuter bike. It has a fixed gear for reliability (plus the control), > which also minimizes the amount I use the brakes and reduces the problems > from brake pad wear on the cantilever brakes. The mid-fork tabs are > awesome for mounting a Gino light mount for my lights. And of course, fat > tires, fenders, a rack, and a big saddlebag. I'll post pictures of the > setup one of these days. > > On Saturday, March 2, 2013 6:37:01 AM UTC-8, Patrick Moore wrote: >> >> I just saw that thanks to Off the Beaten Path's link to Grant's very >> good review of the Herse book. The following article, on city bikes >> and the needless frou frou of many NAHB creations, is also very good >> as are his ruminations on what makes up a good City Bike. I don't >> agree with him completely on the City Bike (my credentials, fwtw: I >> started urban riding at age 12 or so in New and Old Delhi, India where >> traffic was more urban than any other place else I've seen) but have >> to admit that his criteria are very arguable [that means: one can make >> a very good argument for them]. >> >> What, per curiosity, are y'all's (that's all y'all's) ideas about the >> ideal city bike? Mine (this is of course both very personal and >> depends on one's commuting situation) includes lowish drop bars for >> our winds (nothing to make one despair as having to ride into a 25 mph >> headwind for miles and miles) and a fixed gear just 'cause I like it, >> dynamo lights (serious omission, Grant) and a permanent rack or >> saddlebag but not both. Fenders, sure, why not, but then here in high >> desert ABQ we've been having a drought where we get only half to 2/3 >> of our annual 9 inches. Oh, and tires no less than 28 mm but no fatter >> than 35, leaning to good rolling rather than puncture resistance >> (because if you want to be flat free out here, you'll be riding, as I >> know some to ride, either an old tire stuffed into the outer tire, or >> else belted tire + thorn proof tube + sealant, and who the hell wants >> that?) >> >> I'd pay good money to have the Reader four or even twice a year. I >> think I liked it as much as, perhaps even more than, BQ. >> >> -- >> >> ------------------------- >> Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA >> For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW >> http://resumespecialties.com/**index.html<http://resumespecialties.com/index.html> >> ------------------------- >> > -- > 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 http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- 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]. 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