Wednesday, December 5, 2018

New Outside Column! And Other Stuff!

Good morning!

How's everybody doing today?

Well, that's fantastic/sorry to hear that/I don't really need that much information about your bowels/it was a rhetorical question anyway so stop talking to your computer.

Firstly, I've got a new Outside column:


However, the wrong illustration appears to be accompanying it, and it should be this one:


I suppose I could have waited for it to get fixed but I'm the same impatient person who nearly destroyed his frame trying to remove a brake arm rather than wait a few extra minutes for some penetrating oil to kick in so there you go.

Secondly, speaking of the nearly-destroyed frame, I took it and the components that are bolted to it for a nice long test ride yesterday:


It's always wise to test ride a cyclocross bike by riding it deep into the heart of the city instead of finding a dirt trail somewhere.  Also, I've got some concerns about chain retention, as I did drop it on one occasion.  See, this is how I curated the drivetrain:

1) Rummaged around in chainring and cog drawer and extracted one (1) singlespeed cassette cog;

2) Rummaged around in used chain drawer and extracted the least disgusting chain in there;

3) Upon installing chain I discovered it was too narrow to wrap around the cog;

4) Rather than attempt to piece together a new, wider chain I simply removed an appropriately-sized cog from a used 10-speed cassette and used that instead.

Of course singlespeed aficionadoes afficanados dorks know this is risky, since cogs designed to allow chains to move easily from one cog to another still retain that property in the absence of any adjacent cogs, hence any agitation of the chain is liable to mimic the action of a derailleur, thus throwing the chain off the cog and your gentitals onto your top tube.

However, I refuse to buy any new parts, and I'm disinclined to go rummaging in my archives again, so at this point odds are I'll take my chances.  Hey, my chainline is good, so perhaps with sufficient chain tension I'll be good.  (Though I'll throw the bike around some more between now and the day of the event and see what happens.)

And who really needs genitals anyway?

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Podiotalia

Il Pirata est Mort said...

Podiotalia

bad boy of the south said...

Let's see how many ballsy comments will follow..

bad boy of the south said...

Which reminds me. What happened with your tikwit?

BikeSnobNYC said...

bad boy of the south,

My what?

--Tan Tenovo

bad boy of the south said...

Ticket...Summons.perhaps a faux pas on my part. Never mind. Carry on.

Some guy from upstate said...

Was the cog for 1/8" chain? I thought all cogs for derailleur chain were the same thickness, just different spacing betwixt.

I myself dropped a chain last week on the single speed bicycle that I will be cyclocrossing this weekend, while "getting air" on a curb cut, despite having an ordinary BMX freewheel on a track hub. The culprit was improperly curated chain tension due to failing to re-adjust after the brief "break-in" period on a new chain. Hopefully, sufficient tension will keep your chain on, and your genitals intact.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Bad Boy of the South,

Ah, okay, the hearing is currently scheduled for May of 2019, which is nearly a year after I received the ticket.

--Tan Tenovo

Freddy Murcks said...

I once ripped my hand open trying to get a stuck crank arm off of my not-so-ironic gravel 'racing' bike, resulting in blood all over said bike and all over my basement floor, several stitches, a full course of antibiotics, and some stern looks from the Dr because I waited until the next day to go to the instacare. My hand has healed (although I have a nice scar to show for it), but the crank bolt is still just as seized as it was and the crank is still on the bike.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Some guy from upstate,

It was a cheap singlespeed cog, probably for 3/32nd chain but too thick for a 10-speed chain, which is what I'm using. I suspect break-in sag is at least partially to blame for my chain-droppage too.

Freddy Murcks,

If the doctor had been a cyclist his first question would have been "What kind of crank?"

So, what kind of crank?

--Tan Tenovo

Singlespeed Aficionado said...

Sir!
I represent that remark!

Freddy Murcks said...

Tan Tenovo said: "If the doctor had been a cyclist his first question would have been "What kind of crank?" So, what kind of crank?"

I think it's a low level Shimano crank (maybe Tiagra) and the BB is whatever model was in between the old square taper spindle and the Hollowtech II (Octalink, perhaps?). I am sure I could get the crank arm off if I wanted to destroy both the crank set and the BB, but I am fine with it for now. I guess I could also take it to my LBS and let it be their problem, but where would the fun be in that? Unlike the Dr's disapproving looks, I actually care about the disapproval of the dudes at the LBS.

Anonymous said...

For the same price as a Starbuck's adult-milkshake, you could put a KMC single speed chain on there. I get the "no more $hit is going to make it into this house" or "not another penny on a hobby that I spend too much money on already" mentality, but there's also taking a good idea too far too...

Uptight Luddite said...

Are you telling me, in all those bins, drawers, boxes, and buckets, you cannot curate an 8-9speed chain to go with the (proper) singlespeed cog. Has 9-speed reached that level of desuetude?

pbateman hasnt been riding dirty cause its cold and he has a cold said...

in a testament to the fact that generally speaking a bunch of random stuff can be thrown together and work quite well...

i am running the original drivetrain of my Dawes chubb-o bike with a modern chain and cassette:

SR Custom crank (52-42)
Suntour Cyclone II front d'er
Cyclone MKI rear d'er
Suntour Power dt shifters
Shimano 105 11 speed cassette
Shimano Ultegra 11 speed chain

other than the very highest and lowest gears...everything great. dang great.

its covered in grease and grime and i never touched any of the original stuff. just tossed on a dirty wheel and dirty chain and took it for a dirty ride to your dirty mom's house.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Uptight Luddite,

I know for a fact that I do, but it's pretty buried and I kind of burnt myself out this alrady.

Anonymous 12:41pm,

Unfortunately I already went way over budget with the electrical tape so can no longer allocate funds to the project.

--Tan Tenovo

Chazu said...

Petrochemical production aside: You're still the Rockefeller of the bike blogulating industry.

Anonymous said...

Tan,

As the father of seventeen (17) children, I assume your genitals can withstand the occasional jostle every now and again.

Just sayin' said...

With 17 kids, you don't need'em.

JLRB said...

All the dyslexic gentiles are offended

Pist Off said...

Huh, shifty cog plus too-narrow chain? This project seems to indicate more care for your wallet than genitals. Jammed/broken/derailed chains are the opposite of fun. Should make your hour of using the bike in anger more interesting, hopefully just from anxiety about your balls/teeth/collarbone.

Anonymous said...

yeah, the 7-8-9 speed cogs are about 1.8mm thick and the 10-speed is noticeably thinner while the 11-speed is skinnier still. in my experience, i've had the chain come of the 1x7, 1x8, 1x9 chainring and it's been very difficult to find out why, though occasionally a bump on the road will do it. a little extra rear derailleur tension often helps but so does adding a front derailleur as a chain guide.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Pist Off,

The shifty cog may be sub-optimal but it's a myth that narrow chains are weak. If they were nobody would make it up Alpe d'Huez.

--Tan Tenovo

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 6:02pm,

You've got a long chain and a derailleur with a spring that's fairly easy to overcome, not much mystery there.

--Tan Tenovo

Drock said...

I’m making you chain all from half links. It’s the newest trend. You probably haven’t heard or attempted such things but it’s on the way for your Xmas delite. Oh wait.

Die free said...

Another double dose. Man, you really know how to throw it down. And now I have to go worry about my socks....

McFly said...

When my bikes do not shift right or chains jump off I vow to repair them immediately when I return home then do not.

Unknown said...

P.B.Blaster, and a hair dryer to heat and expand the metal,next time, Tan. It works,with a bit of patience, I promise.

Unknown said...

Oh,and great column, also. Thank you.!

huskerdont said...

I always wondered if the chain on my SS needed replacing and I didn't have one handy,* I could just throw on a 9-, 10-, or 11-speed chain. I figured that, being thinner, it would break too easily but might work in a pinch for a short time, but now I know better, having learned from others' experience. Who says this blog isn't worth what we pay for it?

*But I always have a spare chain as well as a cassette handy, for all the bike speeds in the stable.