Well, this isn't a "Mobile" report. Haven't been writing much since I ditched my Sony phone which had a dedicated Blogger client. But after yesterday's ride, I thought I'd write a bit about it.
My trusty Trek 5000 bike might be broke for good. Suntree Revolutions is giving it a look over, but Jim shook his head and said he'd see he what he could do to save it. Not a good sign.
I really bent the crap out of the rear derailleur hanger. It's a solid piece of machined aluminum that holds the rear wheel on the bike. It's an integral part of the frame that isn't removable.
It may bend back, but it's extremely likely to just snap off in the process. Replacing it is a multi-hundred dollar repair job by a speciality shop. That's just the labor. The problem is.... it's a Trek 5000. A five year old bottom end frame. While there is nothing wrong with a 5000, it's not worth repairing if it's going to cost 100's of dollars.
So anyways, yesterday I rode my vintage steel bike from the 1980's. With a bag on it, it's over 25 lbs. Ugh. It has a chain skip problem I have to look at.
Every time I started to wind up the power, the chain would fly over the cogs. This kept me seated and off the power. Never could get my heart rate over 160, which is really low for me. Ended up taking a long time to get 50 miles. But that's not the worst of it.
I've really gotten used to a modern bike. I hadn't given it much thought, but my goodness, all the tiny incremental improvements made to bikes over the last twenty years really adds up. Riding this old bike was really exhausting.
Starting with the shifting;
It's only a six speed, so you're either in to high a gear, or to low a gear. Shifting is a laborious event, where you have to take a hand off the handlebars to reach the stem shifters. Then the shifters are un-indexed so you have to fish up and down looking for it to shift. Once it shifts, you have to listen to the gears and adjust up or down to make the chatter go away and finally you are properly in gear.
Finally, you can put your hand back on the handlebar. Needless to say a rider is going to shift a lot less than on a modern bike. This means you are not going to be nearly as efficient riding.
Next is the tires. Big fat wide gum wall tires. I took the turn onto Pinehurst at a leisurely 22mph and almost didn't make it. The fat tires weaved and squirreled the whole way around the corner. On my Trek I can nail that corner in the gutter at 26 like I'm on a rail. On this beast I barely survived it at 22. Ewwww. On the flip side, I was shocked at how much road noise those tires suck up. It's like riding a Buick. Cushy!
I graduated from this bike to my Trek, and it was a learning process. I'd thought the Trek was twitchy, confusing to shift and so on. But I've grown used to it's myriad of refinements and now that I've lost them, I can fully appreciate just how much better a modern bike truly is over an older machine. Everything from the larger handlebar diameter which doesn't numb your hands, to the more comfortable distance between the pedals, and even the brake hoods you can rest your hands on. Every aspect of riding a newer bike is better.
I can never go back to an 80's bike other than as brief reminder of just how good current technology bikes really are.
My trusty Trek 5000 bike might be broke for good. Suntree Revolutions is giving it a look over, but Jim shook his head and said he'd see he what he could do to save it. Not a good sign.
I really bent the crap out of the rear derailleur hanger. It's a solid piece of machined aluminum that holds the rear wheel on the bike. It's an integral part of the frame that isn't removable.
It may bend back, but it's extremely likely to just snap off in the process. Replacing it is a multi-hundred dollar repair job by a speciality shop. That's just the labor. The problem is.... it's a Trek 5000. A five year old bottom end frame. While there is nothing wrong with a 5000, it's not worth repairing if it's going to cost 100's of dollars.
So anyways, yesterday I rode my vintage steel bike from the 1980's. With a bag on it, it's over 25 lbs. Ugh. It has a chain skip problem I have to look at.
Every time I started to wind up the power, the chain would fly over the cogs. This kept me seated and off the power. Never could get my heart rate over 160, which is really low for me. Ended up taking a long time to get 50 miles. But that's not the worst of it.
I've really gotten used to a modern bike. I hadn't given it much thought, but my goodness, all the tiny incremental improvements made to bikes over the last twenty years really adds up. Riding this old bike was really exhausting.
Starting with the shifting;
It's only a six speed, so you're either in to high a gear, or to low a gear. Shifting is a laborious event, where you have to take a hand off the handlebars to reach the stem shifters. Then the shifters are un-indexed so you have to fish up and down looking for it to shift. Once it shifts, you have to listen to the gears and adjust up or down to make the chatter go away and finally you are properly in gear.
Finally, you can put your hand back on the handlebar. Needless to say a rider is going to shift a lot less than on a modern bike. This means you are not going to be nearly as efficient riding.
Next is the tires. Big fat wide gum wall tires. I took the turn onto Pinehurst at a leisurely 22mph and almost didn't make it. The fat tires weaved and squirreled the whole way around the corner. On my Trek I can nail that corner in the gutter at 26 like I'm on a rail. On this beast I barely survived it at 22. Ewwww. On the flip side, I was shocked at how much road noise those tires suck up. It's like riding a Buick. Cushy!
I graduated from this bike to my Trek, and it was a learning process. I'd thought the Trek was twitchy, confusing to shift and so on. But I've grown used to it's myriad of refinements and now that I've lost them, I can fully appreciate just how much better a modern bike truly is over an older machine. Everything from the larger handlebar diameter which doesn't numb your hands, to the more comfortable distance between the pedals, and even the brake hoods you can rest your hands on. Every aspect of riding a newer bike is better.
I can never go back to an 80's bike other than as brief reminder of just how good current technology bikes really are.
