Long Time Comin'

Well, OK!

It's been some time since my last post, I know. You have better things to do than keep checking to see if there's any action.

There hasn't been.

It's been a long cold winter, and I'm not doing much with bikes. I know that I should be out there riding, but lack motivation. It's getting harder and harder to get the clothes on, grease up the rear end, and go for a ride. It's about once a week now, if I don't have something else going on, or it isn't raining. It seems to always be raining (windy, cold, don't feel good, have to do something else) and I can't get out.

Yeah. Right.

But anyway, I think spring is coming. At least daylight savings time is next week. Whoo-hoo! My favorite day of the year. And, it's on my birthday! Which is becoming my least favorite day of the year.

So enough with the complaining. How can you complain when the s3x is available for around $120.00? I spent $240 on it when it first came out, but that's cool. I got to mess with it right at the start, and I enjoyed every minute of it and don't begrudge a dime.

It's so low now, I'm thinking I'll get another one for my Mercian fixie when the wheelsets become available cheaply. Remember what I said about building another wheel from scratch? It's pricey.

The Mercian is an English 70s frame made of 531. It's way old school, and light as a feather.

It has pump brackets. Nice....

It isn't pretty, since the paint's a bit beat, and it's sort of a robin's egg blue color. I don't mind it, because people always think it's some old track bike from 1900 and I get lots of thumbs up when I take it out. That's not often since I have a 53-16 ring/cog on it. I use it mostly on the fluid trainer when it's raining (I basically hate doing that).

Maybe I should put that fake wood vinyl shelf paper on the rims so they look like wooden wheels? I have kept the old cloth bar tape on the bars, which contributes to the decrepit-antique look.

I mean the bike's, not mine.

This frame fits me perfectly, like the old school Japanese frames I ride: tall with a short cockpit. It's pretty amazing to me that they built them this way. How many people have legs that are disproportionately longer than their arms? Anyway, I'd ride it out on the road more often if it had a 3 speed hub.

Building the wheel was kind of fun.... Who knows? Maybe I'll do it again.

So to end up, once again I'll ask for comments and observations on the s3x. I'm sure there's lots of folks who'd like to read about your experiences and discuss your questions/observations/opinions. I'll post them
as I get 'em.

Holla.

A Modest Proposal

In my last post, I didn't address the problems I had fitting Shimano (really, Shimano-style) cogs on the S3X. I had some difficulty getting the cheap BMX cogs on the hub splines. It took a bit of filing and fiddling to get the 15T cog on. This is not to say that the cogs are poorly made. Apparently, Shimano style cogs are not exactly the same pattern as the SA cogs, which is a bit bizarre, since they're ALMOST exactly the same. The cogs I bought are FMF BMX cogs, which are made to fit Shimano drivers, and really do fit easily over the Shimano splines. The Harris Cyclery site mentions this slight incompatibility and recommends Surly cogs for the S3X. Why they fit better, I don't know, as they are made to be compatible with Shimano drivers. Obviously, the SA cogs will fit perfectly, but they are for 1/8" chain. I run a 3/32" chain, not 1/8".

Speaking of cogs and fitting the S3X, it's pretty cool that they threaded the driver all the way across. This apparently allows for screwing a single-speed freewheel on the S3X, which is somewhat interesting as an option. I doubt anyone would choose the S3X for a full-time freewheel application when the SA 3 speed freewheel hub is a lot cheaper.  Having the versatility of easily converting a wheel to a freewheel then back to fixed is not new, of course. Flip-flop hubs are all over the place. But, the S3X has the same versatility of accepting a freewheel, plus it's got 3 speeds. It's intriguing.....

Before you flame me (ala Chalo) for even contemplating the crazy-ass idea of using a single speed freewheel on the S3X, consider the possibility that diverse ways of thinking make life interesting. I've already accepted the multi-speed fixed gear into my biking life (and so have you, unless you're just lurking on this site to shake your head in wonderment that such fools exist). This proves I'm not a purist. The S3X  on its own is a huge leap into the bizarre and the stoopid, in the minds of some of our biking brethren. It's not much farther to go to fall into the sublimely ridiculous, like, ummm.....say, recumbent bikes. But no, thinking of trying a freewheel doesn't mean I'm thinking of a freewheel equipped S3X mounted on a canvas bodied recumbent trike. But, what if I was?

Were?

It's all good. But, really, I'm not.

I'm just thinking, well, century. Or some longish ride where being able to coast would be, like, restful? Or somewhere with extreme downhill sections? That'd mean a rear brake and all, I know. Maybe one of those suicide brake levers and a long cable ziptied to the frame for the day would work out, huh? Easy on, easy off.

It's just a thought.

Don't be hatin'.

Panties in a Knot

Here is a response to my s3x posting on the Google Groups rec.bicycles.tech group:


Congratulations on adopting what may be the least convenient convenience feature in the cycling world. If I'm going to have to pedal every stroke of the way, then what's the benefit compared the much more pure and authentic and less expensive "fixed-foot" walking?  And why would I want changeable gears to make it easier for me, if I already declined the most obvious and effective means of making my ride easier and more efficient?
This is sort of like those stick-on "sandals" that come back aroundevery so often.  Like, what's wrong with either wearing some damn shoes or just going barefoot?
Three-speed hubs with coaster brakes have been available continuously for something on the close order of one hundred years.  They doeverything your new toy does-- only better, more cheaply,  more safely, and more efficiently-- except bite your fingers off.  (Like other fixed gears, the S3X is really good for that.)


Chalo


Wow. 


And my reply:


Chalo,

That's the thing. You don't have to change anything. Ride your bike. Have fun. Don't get your panties in a twist because people do different things or think differently than you. It's funny how some ofthe bike crowd get when you don't have/do/think/want/ EXACTLY what they do. It's also sad how they sneer at other people who have their own ideas. 
I've ridden fixed almost exclusively for years (way before it became the latest hip thing to do for a couple months). I know what it is and I like the simplicity and the purity also. 3 speed coaster brake hubs don't do what this does, though. They freewheel. And they brake when you back-pedal. You know that. What makes you say that's the same thing as a 3 speed fixed hub?
No one will never convince you that this is a good thing. Your prejudice is obvious by your tone and choice of belittling words. This hub allows me to ride my favorite bike on my commute, which includes knee popping climbs and high RPM descents I don't want to suffer through every day with one gear.


My choice, not yours.


Regards,
Vance


I said that some people will revile you for not hating this hub enough!

Shift Cabling Revisited

Well, check out the pics. I bought a couple of bits from Harris Cyclery to make the shift-work more accurate and easier. The long cable housing and jury-rigged clamp were really binding up the shift cable.

I re-did the whole thing, eliminating most of the cable sheath. I added a cable stop at the extreme front end of the toptube, and added a pulley to transition down the seat stays. This was how they did it with the old English 3-speeds, I think. What I will change later is turn the clamps bolt-side down by flipping them over.

It's a bit obtrusive. I would prefer less stuff. Us fixie folks don't like mess. We don't like stuff. We want everything clean and simple. We want..... well....less, I guess.

I hear you. I asked for it. I got involved with... well....  more.

OK. So I have to live with it. But what about mounting the shifter on the seatpost? Or to a rack braze-on on the seatstay? (I don't have one.)  Or some kind of adapter that clamps to the seatstay? Or, borrowing the brake lever idea from the mountain unicycle crowd, a special clamp under the seat? I downshift/upshift maybe 3x on a ride. Reaching down to the seatpost 6 times in 2 hours is not a problem.

Or just go as-is.

Which is what I'll do, for now.

3rd Ride: The Commute

Well, I think I'm going to contradict most of what I said last time. The p-i drag isn't that much. I think what happened is that I was too cautious about downshifting, and would wait too long, then get bogged down by the stiff headwind and the fact that I'd...well...bogged down.

The drag from the planetary gears didn't seem to be anything much today. I rode the reverse commute, up the big climb on Edgewood Rd and on to Canada. The low gear wasn't low enough to be comfortable esp. toward the top where it gets steeper, at least at my current state of condition. Should I slap on a bigger cog?  Or exercise more?  Hmmmm.

Let's leave it as is for now. I am in miserable condition, and need to get stronger. I'm also old, too heavy, stressed out, and probably drink more sake and red wine than is good for me.

But, hey! This is temporary! Spring is here! I'll ride my butt off!

Soon, I'll be seeing that climb as a mere bump in the road.

Downshift for that!!!? Pffffft!

Or not.

But! The bike is working out. The lash-bump was a little annoying today, but I'd never ridden a steep downhill on this hub and there's probably technique that will lessen the bump.

All in all? Very pleased. This is really what I wanted, less the little problems that really aren't any big deal.

P-I Bob/PG-I Drag

I've always liked the term pedal-induced bob (dual suspension bike lingo). I used it as a log-in name for some biking sites back in the day. Vance, aka Pedal-Induced Bob. Well, the subject for today is (in part) planetary gear-induced drag.

A seat-of-the-pants observation (made by me) is, that when shifting down to a lower gear for climbing, the amount of energy it takes to keep turning the pedals = the amount it took before shifting. Or at least, a big part of it. There doesn't seem to be an easing of the strain, at least momentarily (maybe more). It really does help to downshift on the hills, but each time I have made the transition, it feels like I've hit molasses for a few seconds.

Again, I haven't got much experience in the lower gears, but it does take noticeably more energy to turn the pedals than a standard derailleur transmission does when going up a few cogs. This is planetary gear-induced drag. There's a bit of friction happening when the planetaries are engaged.

Second guessing the designers, I think maybe a better method of doing this would have been a direct-drive 2nd gear instead of the top gear. Then, the  machine would be ridden mainly in the mid-range instead of top gear. This would allow for a top gear of high 80 to 90-ish gear inches, and a more moderate low gear. I don't think running in the planetary gears full time would be good, due to the drag and the wear on the system. I don't know if I wish this yet, though. Maybe I'll find I need the low gear it has now in order to do my climbing, and will just live with spinning on the flats and downhill. We'll see.

Speaking of the spinning, this setup is an improvement on the single speed fixed ratio I was running (50/17, 77.6" vs 82.4") . I am able to get a few more MPH out of it on the flats and downhills, which I appreciate, without losing the ability to climb the ordinary stuff.

The other thing I noticed is the weight. This is no lightweight setup. The wheel weighs in the 1500 grams ballpark. However, I only really notice it when lifting it up and down from the roof rack. It is definitely more porky than before.

My gear-inch specs: 82.4, 61.8, 51.5 based on 50T, 170mm crank, 700c wheel, 25mm tire, 16T cog.

2nd Ride on the SA

I fixed the shifting problem temporarily, using a jury-rigged clamp and an adapter used for cable brakes going through hydraulic hose braze-ons. It works, but I've ordered some parts from Harris Cyclery to improve the shifting. More on that later.

I went out for about two hours, and rode mostly in high gear. I didn't really need the lower gears today due to the fact that the outbound, mostly uphill direction was eased by a stiff tailwind, and the way back is mostly downhill. I shifted a few times for grins, and learned to use caution when downshifting for a stopsign. You really want to be going slow when you shift down. The pedal speed increases instantly, and you'd better be ready.

Another thing kept bothering me. I'm very reluctant to stand on the pedals and push hard. I am worried that the thing will disengage and send me into a somersault, bike and all. This worry kept me cautiously in the saddle. I usually don't stand anyway, because I climb faster seated, so no big thing. But sometimes you need to stand up. Time will tell on this. The shifting mechanism doesn't seem too touchy adjustment-wise, and it holds the gears so far.

The lash in the hub didn't seem to be anything much this time out either. Sometimes, when your speed increases and you don't quite keep up with the pedals, the cranks bump sort of annoyingly. It increases in the lower gears, btw, becoming kind of considerable in the lowest gear.  However, I don't really foresee riding much in that gear unless I change the cog to something a lot smaller. Trackstands are hindered by the lash, which makes it difficult to rock the cranks smoothly. Hey! This is not a perfect world.

I'm still hella jazzed about the way it works, and that it hasn't really changed the ride that much.