Bicycle Tech/Gear Discussion Thread

Mar 07, 2014 at 10:31 PM

If you're serious about DIY buttons for your Di2:

http://benmanson.com/review/di2/di2buttons.htm

Seems simple enough, but you'll need to buy Shimano's cables with proprietary connectors anyway.

JohnMalcolmson

Mar 07, 2014 at 11:31 PM

@Yang, thanks for that, pretty cool... the only bummer is the 5 inch shimano wire @ $65 + shipping + 2 x switches + silicone sealant. Very cool result though.

mperlberg

Mar 08, 2014 at 01:05 AM

John your new bike is not held together with packing tape.... time to invest 2k in it!

twoyacks

Mar 09, 2014 at 02:38 AM

http://road.cc/content/news/112697-taipei-international-cycle-show-xpedo-launches-power-meter

These things look interesting....I'm a Speedplay guy though

twoyacks

Mar 09, 2014 at 03:23 AM

for my carbon loving friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcqcSuIKcKk

Brendan Rigby

Mar 09, 2014 at 02:42 PM

Rode my homebuilt wheels yesterday at Grant's. Happy to report that they did not implode and visually do not appear any less true than they began the race. Most importantly, they are a pound lighter and MUCH more stable than my previous wheels (wider hubs). They are also radially softer than my Yaksbane wheels, which is precisely what I hoped for. I felt totally confident going over those manhole covers/grates in the turns. Happy that I listened to everyone on here: I stopped fiddling with them and started riding them. Thanks!

In other bike tech news, I am done buying expensive chains. I bought a Connex Wipperman chain with stainless steel inner plates, hoping that it might wear less quickly. It didn't. The weather this winter toasted it just as quickly as a $30 chain. No more $50+ chains for me.

twoyacks

Mar 09, 2014 at 06:38 PM

I miss the Rovals already....I either hate missing them or miss hating them. This year I've gone to the KMC X10 SL chain...bout $35 on ebay with free shipping. 3 weeks in and it's still a chain. My chains always last a full year as most of my training is indoors and the chain does not get thrashed around.

dstokes

Mar 09, 2014 at 08:38 PM

twoyacks said:

the chain does not get thrashed around.

??

David Yang

Mar 10, 2014 at 01:47 PM

<off topic>I think someone should check on David Stokes. He seems to be having issues with his fingers, responding only with double punctuation points. I'm deeply concerned.</off topic>

Jules

Mar 10, 2014 at 01:49 PM

Dura Ace chains are like 40-45 bucks nowadays.

JohnMalcolmson

Mar 10, 2014 at 02:33 PM

twoyacks said: the chain does not get thrashed around.

Jules

Mar 10, 2014 at 03:28 PM

Clearly my gif-searching foo is weak beyond compare

Marc Bertucco

Mar 10, 2014 at 04:14 PM

Don't feel bad Jules, you are dealing with some serious Grand Master Gif Shifus

Jules

Mar 10, 2014 at 04:15 PM

Marc Bertucco said:

Don't feel bad Jules, you are dealing with some serious Grand Master Gif Shifus

True dat

David Yang

Mar 10, 2014 at 05:37 PM

Garmin popped off the mount in the Grant's crash. The weak points are the shallow tabs that easily break off. Brendan has his permanently glued onto the mounts and swap the entire thing on/off for different bikes. I'm taking a slightly different approach because I like having the K-Edge on the race bike and the generic rubber-band mounted one on the trainer. Using epoxy to build up some structure, I'm "rebuilding" the tabs by "carving" out them out again with a thin nail file. Experience says it'll be really brittle with a high chance of crumbling, but want to try it before a more permanent solution.

twoyacks

Mar 10, 2014 at 05:59 PM

Interesting... Sending my Cateye back today as the antenna just crapped the feed zone (no idea what that analogy means). If I don't get a, get a , get a Garmin Jules will follow me through the gates of hell just to kick me in the junk. Still, the tabs on the Garmin's are suspect & I know in my bones that the second I buy an Edge 500, Garmin is going to launch its replacement right in my face.

Kicked-in-the-Nads.jpg

Unknown

Mar 10, 2014 at 06:01 PM

No formatter is installed for the format not-found

Jules

Mar 10, 2014 at 06:12 PM

twoyacks said:

Interesting... Sending my Cateye back today as the antenna just crapped the feed zone (no idea what that analogy means). If I don't get a, get a , get a Garmin Jules will follow me through the gates of hell just to kick me in the junk. Still, the tabs on the Garmin's are suspect & I know in my bones that the second I buy an Edge 500, Garmin is going to launch its replacement right in my face.

A) I'm using "my antenna just crapped the feed zone" first chance I get

Believe that Kick is coming

C) the 510 is the touchscreen. The 500 is not fancy; it works when you need it; much like a Kalashnikov.

David Yang

Mar 10, 2014 at 06:22 PM

Gwynna Smith said:

twoyacks said:

Interesting... Sending my Cateye back today as the antenna just crapped the feed zone (no idea what that analogy means). If I don't get a, get a , get a Garmin Jules will follow me through the gates of hell just to kick me in the junk. Still, the tabs on the Garmin's are suspect & I know in my bones that the second I buy an Edge 500, Garmin is going to launch its replacement right in my face.

You mean, like the 510, which has been out for a year?

The only thing I don't like about the 510s is the touch screen which seems more difficult to use in the winter with gloves. But then again I almost never mess around with the Garmin once it's mounted and set on a ride.

twoyacks

Mar 10, 2014 at 09:09 PM

this sweetens the Garmin deal...

http://fairwheelbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8842

David Yang

Mar 10, 2014 at 09:34 PM

Clever and cool, but adding that much more leverage to your very important stem bolts might not be the best idea?

vlad

Mar 10, 2014 at 10:00 PM

Get it warranteed Yang

dstokes

Mar 10, 2014 at 10:03 PM

David Yang said:

but adding that much more leverage to your very important stem bolts might not be the best idea?

OK, time for a lesson on torque.
torque (greek letter tau) = f x r, where f is the force applied and r is the radius at which the force is being applied.
Longer bolts do not change r, so no change to torque. All you have to worry about is the length of your allen wrench and how hard you push on it.

neilx

Mar 10, 2014 at 10:33 PM

@dstokes...I think Yang's concern about this was due to the additional new unsupported length of the bolts for this contraption and potential of lateral force being applied to that longer span by the Garmin (or more importantly an impact at the far end [whether on the Garmin or the mount), with the result being the snapping or shearing of those critical bolts. So, not so much a function of torque... although, I do like knowing that next time I force a bolt way beyond it's recommended specs and it snaps I can scream "f'@ck'N r!" and being accurate, at least from a physics perspective.

vlad

Mar 10, 2014 at 10:48 PM

The bars, upon which the k-edge or whatever mount is being used on, project out further and should generally shield the Garmin from crashes. The wheel should also protect the device from 'up the middle' type impacts. You never know just how you'll eat shit when your time comes, but the between the bar mounts are generally sound. The top of the bar/stem mounts are more easily prone to damage.

neilx

Mar 10, 2014 at 11:01 PM

@Vlad-yeah but when mounted independently (e.g., on a k-Edge), if the device does suffer an impact it is more likely to rotate in reaction to the force around the bars and thereby do less damage to any of the components than a rigid structure which jeopardizes not only the device but more importantly the structural integrity of the bars attachment to the stem. @Malcolmson or Yang - Please diagram this or post a representative gif..

neilx

Mar 10, 2014 at 11:27 PM

So...say this guy at 1:02 represents a force to your Garmin during a routine mishap and the diving board represents the elongated stem bolts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8CVlAghCf7A#t=55

dstokes

Mar 11, 2014 at 12:49 AM

neilx said:

@dstokes...I think Yang's concern about this was due to the additional new unsupported length of the bolts for this contraption and potential of lateral force being applied to that longer span by the Garmin (or more importantly an impact at the far end [whether on the Garmin or the mount), with the result being the snapping or shearing of those critical bolts.

Well, I'm not an engineer and this argument is kind of stupid because this mount is not even commercially available, but the bolts ARE supported by the mount itself and I don't think the Garmin is heavy enough to apply any serious stress to an aluminum mount. On the other hand, I was very concerned about the cheap plastic mount for my Joule as we traversed a seriously uneven road at the top of the Yerba Buena climb in Calif.

@vlad. If you are worrying about crashing, then put the Garmin in your pocket. (Yes I removed my Joule and put it in my pocket at the top of Yerba Buena).

neilx

Mar 11, 2014 at 01:24 AM

@ dstokes - You're certainly a lot closer to being an engineer than I am, so I'll take your word for it and agree that this particular discussion is stupid.

dstokes said: "Well, I'm not an engineer ..."

Craig Zolan

Mar 11, 2014 at 01:24 AM

twoyacks said:

this sweetens the Garmin deal...

http://fairwheelbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8842

You realize the mount is Starship Enterprise?