Bicycle Tech/Gear Discussion Thread

Nov 07, 2013 at 01:40 AM

I would cut off JP's ponytail before I ever went back to my avid shorty 4s. They were absolutely terrible. Racing down a hill literally knowing that you cannot stop even if your life depended on it is a very shitty feeling. I put on top notch pads and had a great mechanic (eric) get them as functional as possible but they still just sucked.

I didn't know such finesse and control were possible until I raced the avid ultimates. They are highly adjustable etc. etc. etc.

I know now I sound like I'm plugging a product, but if anyone wants to try them out you're welcome to hop on my bike at HPCX this weekend and see what all the rage is about.

eragot

Nov 07, 2013 at 01:54 AM

I got called a great mechanic - cool.

I have used:

cheap canti's (Tektros) which grabbed well but lacked finesse.

expensive ones - Empella Froglegs - worked OK, but not great.

Shimano XT - super strong actually. Wish I still had them.

Avid Ultimate - I liked them so much, I get everyone I can to buy them. Absolutely amazing control and they have a lighter touch than road brakes. Edwin Bull agrees with me about just how good they are.

If you use the Avids, you will never feel the need for better brakes.

Phil Maronilla

Nov 07, 2013 at 02:28 AM

Well...theres my next purchase. Thanks eric.

Jules

Nov 07, 2013 at 03:17 AM

Totally agree with Pberg. And the brakes are good too.

Brendan Rigby

Nov 07, 2013 at 04:07 AM

luck or triumph of german engineering? this happened somewhere in 24 miles of commuting, and no flat! it's either a thin nail or a thick wire. tried to identify it but accidentally sacrificed it to a dark carpet. looking forward to accidentally locating it with my bare feet at some point in the future. hopefully they'll perform as well as the tire did.

mugwump

Nov 07, 2013 at 02:47 PM

all cantilever brakes can be set up to change how they feel and stop. What you're experiencing has to do with pad compound, lever geometry and cable geometry. Wider arms, more straddle cable, or both gives a spongier feel but better modulation. Narrower arms, less straddle cable, or both gives a snappier feel but less modulation. There are limits, of course, but there is no reason any cantilever brake can't stop a wheel (the shorty 4s are the same as the shorty 6s, just with cheaper pads). And sometimes people associate snappy with a strong return spring--they can hear the brake lever hitting the lever body louder with stronger springs.

Here's an article discussing http://sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html

Could Avid ultimates be that much better? I have my doubts. perhaps what seems so good has to do with pads (SRAM uses Swissstop pretty much across their line), or flex in the arms or cable geometry or both.

David Yang

Nov 07, 2013 at 03:06 PM

@rigby - the commuter deity was smiling down on you like a meatball on top of spaghetti all covered in cheese.

Phil Maronilla

Nov 07, 2013 at 03:55 PM

I love meatballs.

Joaquin

Nov 07, 2013 at 07:08 PM

JP, you're undoutedly right that there are a lot of factors involved in a good canti setup, but from my perspective the real magic with the Ultimates is that they've seemingly already solved for most of those factors. I've run mine with both the stock pads and carbon specific pads, and modulation and feel are great either way. Is it yoke? Is it stiffness? Is it the the stradle? Is it the adjustability? Is the the spring tension? I don't know. All of the above, probably. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I'm running Nokon brake cables and housing either. Here's what I know for sure: the Ultimates are vastly, vastly, superior to the FSAs I used last year (which were pretty good), and just about every other canti I've ever tried.

Also, from a cost/benefit perspective, this is a no-brainer. You can get a set (front and rear) for about $150 on Amazon. Probably less than that on eBay. That's nowhere near the price range of most of the fancy carbon bits or power measuring do dads we discuss on this thread. Considering the huge difference they make in the overall race experience/performance, the $150 price seems like a steal.

Jules

Nov 07, 2013 at 07:09 PM

Joaquin said:

Here's what I know for sure: the Ultimates are vastly, vastly, superior to the FSAs I used last year (which were pretty good), and just about every other canti I've ever tried.

Yup

twoyacks

Nov 08, 2013 at 12:36 AM

Some jokes write themselves....like the "load generator" on my computrainer...

load generator.jpg

Volt_@_Load_Gen.jpg

Erika Tarte

Nov 10, 2013 at 03:36 PM

Quick questions about the humble skewer. I'm currently using Zipp's Ti areo skewers on my DT Axis wheels for road/commuting (one of the DT skewers was damaged). But now I've moved the DTs over to my 'cross bike and I'm wondering if Ti is strong enough for CX? Google has provided me with mixed opinions...

dstokes

Nov 10, 2013 at 09:03 PM

Ti is stronger than steel. Though the strength of the skewers will depend on their design. But I don't see why cross would require stronger skewers. They are only required to prevent the wheels from falling off.

Jules

Nov 10, 2013 at 09:11 PM

I'm with @Stokes; I've never heard of needing special skewers for CX. Whatever came with the wheels came with the bike should be fine.

Jeff Owens

Nov 10, 2013 at 09:20 PM

I have the Zipp Ti skewers and they survived being smashed by a car at 45 mph perfectly fine. This proves they are good for everything from cx to shish kebabs.

#OnlyZippthingsIcanafford.

Erika Tarte

Nov 10, 2013 at 10:06 PM

Thanks all. Just had a moment of pause as I finish up the cx bike. The skewers didn't come with the wheels (ditto #OnlyZippThingsICanAfford) and decided to turn to the Googles, which only caused confusion & concern.

image.jpg

Joaquin

Nov 11, 2013 at 03:26 AM

@Erika, I've been running the Zipp Ti skewers for cross all season with no problem, though I would recommend applying a fair amount of tension to keep them closed.

mugwump

Nov 11, 2013 at 01:54 PM

Joaquin said:

@Erika, I've been running the Zipp Ti skewers for cross all season with no problem, though I would recommend applying a fair amount of tension to keep them closed.

Are you both referring to the latest "bullet" iteration? I feel with the latest, the increase in mechanical advantage at the end of the throw is lesser than their older iterations.

Either way, I see no reason that Ti' can't work for cx. I wouldn't use a Ti' shafted shewer for the rear wheel on any horizontal dropout bike, but not to worry, horizontal dropouts have all but disappeared from the world. I also wouldn't use a Ti' skewer on a suspension fork. Ti' might be stronger, but it actually can stretch with sufficient force, and those two setups have been proven to stretch Ti' shafts.

Joaquin

Nov 11, 2013 at 03:02 PM

Yep, I'm using the bullet version. Can't speak as to mechanical advantage on the prior version, but these seem fine, once the tension is sufficiently adjusted.

Erika Tarte

Nov 11, 2013 at 07:53 PM

I'm using the bullet version as well and haven't had a problem other than the Zipp logo looking funny on the stock DTs. Like hanging my Honda Civic keys on a Porsche keychain. But if they work for CX, whatever. Hopefully my next skewer upgrade will coincide with a wheel upgrade.

Erika Tarte

Nov 11, 2013 at 08:13 PM

Okay, another question. I've registered for 3 races at Supercross and was thinking about doing Chester this upcoming weekend, which means I need to finish the bike ASAP. That's also going to be the extent of my cx season, then my cx bike turns into my commuter. I have a new Rival groupset that I'm about to install on the cx bike, purchased with the intention of switching it with my road bike's Apex group after cx season. When it occurs to me that if I install the pretty new Rival components on the cx bike now, I'm just going to have to uninstall grungy used Rival components in a couple weeks to make that switch. Should I make the switch now and race on the Apex?

jim_nelson

Nov 11, 2013 at 08:31 PM

I say just race the Apex. I'm using an Apex rear derailleur this year after snapping off the previous Force one when I sucked up a branch last year at Horseshoe. It was intended to be just a stop gap so I could race a couple more times at the end of last season but I just left it on. It works fine and the weight difference is insignificant at my speeds.

Jeff Owens

Nov 11, 2013 at 09:53 PM

http://www.mcny.org/event/bicycle-advocacy-citibike

Anybody going to this?

mugwump

Nov 12, 2013 at 07:56 PM

for Cycleops/powertap Joule users:

They seem to be agreeing that their handlebar mount is too wimpy. They're now selling Bar Fly's Joule mount on the PowerTap website. The nice thing about Bar Fly is a lifetime warranty. And Adam Myerson claims it's so solidly on the bars taht you can hold onto your computer to have an aero position.

http://www.powertap.com/collections/accessories/products/bar-fly-for-joule

Bar Fly sells it as well for a bit more upfront.

twoyacks

Nov 13, 2013 at 02:34 AM

Erika Tarte said:

Quick questions about the humble skewer. I'm currently using Zipp's Ti areo skewers on my DT Axis wheels for road/commuting (one of the DT skewers was damaged). But now I've moved the DTs over to my 'cross bike and I'm wondering if Ti is strong enough for CX? Google has provided me with mixed opinions...

I felt a disturbance in the force. Ti skewer strong enough for cross??......wait for it.....

uncontrollable-laughter-girlfriend-banana-hammock-laughter-s-demotivational-posters-1292258264.jpg

Jeff Owens

Nov 13, 2013 at 04:44 PM

Aren't electric bikes still illegal in NYC? And also, very very dumb. But my mom sent me this and asked if I wanted one for xmas. Oh hells yes.

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/this-ground-breaking-invention-just-may-be-about-to-revolutionise-commuter-cycling-forever/

Oh, the foppish models and their giant condos add to the ridiculousness of "it helps you climb the steep hills" while they go over the Williamsburg bridge. Because of course.

David Yang

Nov 13, 2013 at 08:05 PM

FYI: Ritchey discontinued the WCS Classic bars (cancelled my order, bummer) and moving fwd with just the NeoClassic model. So if you're hankering for the classic reach/drop dimensions, better pick up the 42 or 44 sizes still available...

Jules

Nov 21, 2013 at 01:28 AM

Why robot voice? Why?!?!?