Wednesday, July 11, 2018

This Just In: Ironman Has Rust In Brain

The day has already gotten out from under me like a triathlon bike from beneath its rider, so I'll just take this as an opportunity to share with you the dumbest cycling-related tweet I've seen in awhile:

You'd think that with a sphincter that tight Christopher Brisley's entire anal canal would have exploded in a hail of congealed energy goo years ago.

What a putz.

Also, I should mention that yes, I've seen this:


I know I'm supposed to hate it but I can't be the only one who doesn't think, "Still with the derailleurs?" at least once a day.  Not that I think this is the future of drivetrains necessarily, and I realize that at this point this is just a glorified Lazy Susan, but I for one welcome our new derailleur-less overlords in whatever form they may ultimately take.  Derailleurs were awesome technology like 70 years ago, but I think it's well past time that we moved on.

Of course this is the point where some weenie pipes up and says "What about my Rohloff hub?!?" because the opportunity to do so is exactly why people go out and buy Rohloff hubs.  And yes, I'm sure Rohloff hubs are amazing, but they also weight ten times as much as a freehub, and what happens when you want to switch wheels?

Hey, if someone can engineer a light drivetrain for sporting-type bicycles that doesn't involve a series of pulleys hanging off the back of the bike then good for them.

Finally, how about that Touring of France finish today, huh?

Yes, I've actually been making a half-assed effort to watch the Touring of France.

The Midlife Fredding Crisis continues...

36 comments:

Noticing Thing Like This Fred said...

FIRST!

...of many to say your "Also, I should mention that yes, I've seen this" link/photo/whatever is not showing up.

Stump said...

can't wait to see that system in the mud or with any road grit on it

Anonymous said...

Can it be i'm podiating, yo?

BikeSnobNYC said...

Stump,

I know, derailleur drivetrains work great in the mud!

--Wildcat Etc.

Anonymous said...

I think the dude in the video deserves credit, at least, for saying "fewer moving parts" and not "less moving parts"

Mr. Sturmey & Mr. Archer said...

"I'm sure Rohloff hubs are amazing, but they also weight ten times as much as a freehub"

But they only way twice +/- as much as the freehub, derailer, cassette, etc system they replace.

And if you have a rear wheel that works, why would you want to switch it?

Anonymous said...

Going from pie plates to cheese graters.

Anonymous said...

"can't wait to see that system in the mud or with any road grit on it"

It looks good spinning on a display table under no load. I can't wait to see it under high torque and low speed (like from a standing start, or standing on the pedals when climbing.) I'm thinking the slightest twist of the frame's rear triangle will cause the teeth to disengage.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Mr. Sturmey and Mr. Archer,

Depends on the bike. Some bikes you wouldn't want to switch it, other bikes you want to be able to switch frequently. You need to be able to swap wheels quickly and often on road racing bikes, which is what I assume they've got in mind for this. (Plus they've also got to be light.)

--Wildcat Etc.

wishiwasmerckx said...

I don't know about you, but I have been waiting for years for a contraption which will both spin-dry and shred my lettuce.

At long last, it has arrived.

dnk said...

Mr. Brisley's services are needed as color commentator for this event:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Naked_Bike_Ride

The horror, the horror....

Just sayin' said...

A close inspection of the video reveals a hand injury of some sort to the guy's left hand - could he have gotten it got in his "extremely efficient" shredder?

It must have been a clean cut.

Anonymous said...

Got to ride Miami's shaft drive citibikes and I'm no fan. Snap, crackle, pop down the block!
POLE ROLL

bad boy of the south said...

Glad that you're able to watch the TdF.we're on roku.nada.

BikeSnobNYC said...

BBOTS,

I got the NBC Gold thing, can't you just do that?

--Tan Tenovo

HDEB said...

A Sturmey Archer three speed hub from 1970 or earlier will continue to function long after Ceramic Speed, XTR, Crabon Record, Durache, DI2 and all that other component silliness has been relegated to landfills for decades.

db said...

Grab a free VPN application and log in to TVPlayer.com.

db said...

Roku: on Sling Blue you can get World Cup and the Tour. $25 for one month.

Cameron said...

I'm all for trying to re-invent the bicycle drivetrain. Lob knows chains and derailleurs suck. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly virgin territory. Folks have been trying to make shaft drives work well since the dawn of the safety bicycle. I just don't see this panning out. Each one of those teensy-weensy ball bearings has to take enormous loads. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if a decently strong rider couldn't break their prototype from a standing start, much less last thousands and thousands of miles in crappy conditions. I'm not going to hold my breath on this one.

pbatman can't write scrips said...

You can keep your spinny drive platey thing.

As for me, I don't think this can actually be improved upon: https://goo.gl/images/8THiyy

I ponied up the $50 for the the NBC golden access which showers down 5 hours+ of coverage daily. I think that is actually a bit much. I sort of skip ahead in spots to trim it to like 3.

Snob, you should have switched to a prescription* model years ago.

You should do an ICO for Scranus Coin.

*when i worked on magazines people used to call our office to cancel their "prescription" and i always enjoyed explaining i was only a love doctor, not an actual MD.

Pist Off said...

I was spinning up my retrogrouchy indignation when... that actually looks like an innovative spin on the driveshaft and cassette. CeramicSpeed makes mint from irrational prices and exploiting the Fredly fear of friction, so I maintain plenty of anti consumerist skepticism, but was expecting far worse. It’ll be crabon/ceramic and cost thousands, but maybe it’s a start.

Neil Winkelmann said...

The group that PS beat today contained GVA, DM, VN, PG, AV, JA etc. You know, basically every single fast uphill finisher in the world. And he still just rode them off his wheel. Respect.

bad boy of the south said...

Tan,i'll give it a shot.thanks.

bad boy of the south said...

tan,i've it.tanks loads.

Hee Haw the Barista said...

Croatia pulled ahead of England in the peultimate stage of the Tournoi du Monde. The French stage should be just as impressive.

Anonymous said...

Christopher Brisley has learned that the correct way to stick your nose into someone else's business is to appear to selflessly give a shit about someone, such as "the children," those being "impacted," etc. Wouldn't want people to mistake you for a giant fascist douche who's concern-trolling!

He's probably just jealous that the woman gets to wear a pretty sun-dress.

He probably complains "How could they do this to me?" every time someone in his life catches a cold.

Kevin Love said...



Talking on a cell 'phone while riding is legal in The Netherlands, and quite common. See:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dutch+bicycle+woman+cell+phone&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipnp2mqpjcAhWI5oMKHRKkCQ4QsAQIOA&biw=1920&bih=933

BamaPhred said...

From LeTour stage summary

“whereas Chris Froome (Sky) had a mechanical and requested a bike change.”

Hhhhhhhhhmmmmmmm

I’m just hypercritical. I’m certain it was all on the up and up.

Some guy from upstate said...


HDEB - Yes, I have often said that when the sun is a burned cinder there will still be cockroaches, six-pack rings, and Sturmey-Archer hubs. However, look at the starting grid at any Moto-GP race. Roller chain on every bike. A chain is the lightest, most efficient way to transmit power from one parallel shaft to another. If you define performance as faster and lighter, a chain always wins. Coupled with easy wheel swaps, a huge number of gearing options, and a 100 year head start in refinement it is hard to see anything else replacing chains and derailleurs for racy-bike applications. If you care about durability, weather resistance, cleanliness, etc., internal hubs and belt or shaft drivetrains start to make a lot of sense. My Raleigh Sports and airhead Beemer agree.

jay said...

What's old is new again.

https://luxlow.com/bicycles/llpatina/1900-pope-columbia-model-65-chainless-antique-mens-bicycle-2700/

Snobby - maybe the Pope Columbia Model 65 is your ride for next year's Eroica?

Donna Mackey said...

Loved the idea of moving towards a lighter and advanced mechanism of derailleurs. Definitely! would try when this bike will come out.

leroy said...

Oh great, my dog's karaoke night has ruined shaft driven bicycles for me.

I'll never get this song out of my head.

Focus503 said...

I grew up near the sand dunes, and rode atvs, quite a few of them...and later the motorcars. I've also had a bicycle or two over the last 40 odd years.

Derailleur based shifting mechanisms are better to a degree inadequately describable by someone with such a limited grasp on mechanical engineering, but I declare that they're mo betta.

CVT transmissions, have been refined to a level where they have moved beyond their use in motorized farm equipment, and now come as standard equipment in mass market automobiles sold by major automobile manufacturers.

Plastic flat pedals also come as standard equipment on modern bicycles. Just because you can get the general public to buy them, doesn't mean they're not still completely rubbish.

DE said...

Weird. Whenever I see a woman riding a bicycle in a dress and flip-flops, I think, "how fecking awesome!" Same thing I think here in the summer in DC whenever I see a man riding one in a full suit.

pbateman doesn't mind Peta Todd one bit said...

poor cavendish hasn't won a single stage and nearly got dropped for good yesterday.

on the upside, it seems like he's still doing the sex with Peta Todd.

Snob, your Peta Todd coverage has been lacking. In fact, the overall T&A of this blog has been pretty low. Did something happen at some point? Did the commentariat get #metoo'd by like Babs? I was gone there for a bit (joined a rear engine car cult which still required plenty of fussing over tire pressure) so feel like Snob must have thrown everyone out or something.

pbateman secretly likes big sunglasses said...

also...what's up with the size of the sunglasses in the touring france peloton this year?

i feel like they are encroaching on skiing goggles territory.

are there that many bugs in france, or are they more concerned about more sizeable and potentially deadly creatures like this: https://goo.gl/images/7Av4FD

just curious. maybe its not a new trend but but figured I'd bring it up since and I know fashion and style are certainly of high impotence around these parts with Snob sometimes going with the full Rapha gruppo and such.