[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Earlier you said the steel skewer would help maintain the rigidity of the swingarm.

Is this a concern only because your bike has a rear suspension with a pivoting swingarm or would this hold true for ordinary fully rigid frames as well (for the chain stays)?

Honestly I didn't work it out with advanced engineering software or anything, it was kinda seat-of-the-pants...

I probably wouldn't bother with them on anything but this, yes, on account of the swingarm. I'd expect normal triangulated frames to be plenty strong in whatever ways they need to be.

Apparently alloy dropouts can get tapered / loose/ otherwise damaged over time with heavy use and/or a lot of wheel-changes, and the bigger surface area on these nuts combined with the bigger skewer diameter and lack of anything plastic in-between should allow me to cinch it down extra-tight, and over a larger gripping area, which just seems to make good sense all-round. Almost certainly more rigid, important since aluminum fatigues over time and this is a rare frame I don't want cracking through excessive flex (and I do get it airborne sometimes!).


On that note, moving to a less-fatiguing material:



What on earth is a Hero Bronco???

Picked this up same day as the ACT, only for the very nice light alloy handle and stem it had on it at the time.... though it also had decent alloy cranks and even a (broken) alloy center-stand...

Odd if they were original, as this is no lightweight. Real steel here...

Had a Raid-De-Himalaya sticker on it... for wishful thinking.

26" wheels.

I figured I'll hang front shocks and a pair of discs and a broad fat-handle on it as a nice, oddball retro-mod project...

-Eric

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Vintage, baby...

(Gotcha this time, Doc!!!)

I wouldn't have known if I wasn't fairly "vintage" myself!

Nice to see you fiddling with these bikes. You know that anything vintage when it comes cars and bikes has my interest.

Not so sure why these are considered vintage? The ones fitted on my four year old Koga bicycle look very similar. Lots of bicycles still have these fitted. Some look a little bit modern than this, but the principle on how they work remain the same doesn’t it?



Enjoy you cycling!

Jeroen

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Nice to see you fiddling with these bikes. You know that anything vintage when it comes cars and bikes has my interest.

Not so sure why these are considered vintage? The ones fitted on my four year old Koga bicycle look very similar. Lots of bicycles still have these fitted. Some look a little bit modern than this, but the principle on how they work remain the same doesn’t it?

Attachment 2131607

Thanks for your interest, Jeroen... we would seem to be birds of a feather...

Yes, the piece you pictured is similar, as are all such components, and concept/operation is identical, though the construction/ basic mechanics differ considerably from most new ones:

Yours appears to have (not sure) an aluminum lever with a small steel nut encased in plastic on the opposite end.

Whereas the ones Doc and I are discussing are full steel both ends, larger diameter, (also like what you pictured, but not as common nowadays) an offset lever utilizing an internal, all-metal cam... AND (will check today) most likely are 2.5-3x the total weight vs. the more common modern style.

As Doc has shown, they are still available new, though the design itself is a very old one; In my case, the piece was taken from an early model Decathlon bike, and the brand, "Sovos" is one (c1970's/80's, I guess) that no longer exists.

Hence the "vintage" designation.

Probably no modern bike would fit these as standard equipment.

A few grams here and there is a huge consideration for most, and this much strength would be overkill for most applications.

I'll post comparison pics and weight later today.

-Eric

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by ringoism

What on earth is a Hero Bronco???

This is only a small evolution of the famous ground-breaking design of the Hero 'Ranger Swing', which was one of the most sought-after, recently launched bicycle back in 2002-3, when I was in 10th. It was an expensive bike and was available for around 2.5k back then. Also, one of the first to have both front and back derailleurs.
I am talking about the mainstream, low budget manufacturers of that time. There might have been better options available for professionals, for sure.

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by Shome

Guys, any feedback on outdoors91 as a brand? I'm looking to get into cycling and looking for a hybrid. Is this a brand I can consider as a beginner?

https://www.outdoors91.com/hybrid-bikes

Hi I'm a beginner as well. I bought the Granite X40 single speed bicycle last month. Quality is great. Again this is my first ever bicycle costing north of 7k so there maybe other better quality bicycles but this one is good too. It is lightweight, feels robust and paint finish is good. I saw other models as well, quality was great. And they've given lifetime warranty on the bicycle frame which is good I guess. Overall I'm a happy user with this one.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Some [skewers] look a little bit modern than this, but the principle on how they work remain the same doesn’t it?

Attachment 2131607

At top: A typical modern skewer... Plastic-encased thin steel nut of 16mm diameter, plastic cradle for alloy lever, 4.3mm shaft thickness, weight @40g

Below: the old-school design, all steel with internal-cam offset lever, 19mm dia. nut, 4.7mm thick shaft... @90g

Taken as a pair, the old ones add 100g to a cycle - not a small thing for some folks...

-Eric

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Taken as a pair, the old ones add 100g to a cycle - not a small thing for some folks...

I have had these things mounted on all my bicycle for the last fifty years or so. I don’t really worry about weight. I don’t race, just cycle and I don’t like the real racing steering bar or typical racing saddle either. When I so much as look at some of racing bicycles, my butt and back start aching!

So it has always been what we call in the Netherlands sports-bicycle. Lots of gears, drop out wheels, not to heavy, carrier, fenders, proper lights powered by a dynamo etc. Although these days these sort of bicycles are made of alumunium and properly a lot lighter than my earlier all steel bicycle, weight has never been a real issue for me.

I do about 4 - 5000 km annually. And a rarely go faster than 25-26 km/h for a couple of hours. Good enough for me.

But as lots of other stuff too, bicycle technology and kit has made quite the transformation over the years.

Jeroen

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I don’t really worry about weight. I don’t race, just cycle and I don’t like the real racing steering bar or typical racing saddle either.

So it has always been what we call in the Netherlands sports-bicycle. Lots of gears, drop out wheels, not to heavy, carrier, fenders, proper lights powered by a dynamo etc...weight has never been a real issue for me.

I'd be inclined same as you, generally.

Steel is a great material, in some ways better than aluminum, and in the flatlands bicycles like you describe sound perfect; at steady state there, a heavy cycle has very little negative effect.

Hilly areas are quite different, and there are calculations that can show how, with all else being equal, a few hundred grams can affect arrival times more than one would expect.

A friend here who used to sometimes wake up and on a whim climb around 6,500ft vertical in 60km's (to Rohtang Pass) was the one who showed me this. I think his bicycle was around 8-9kg, and it made a huge difference in time compared with what it would have taken him on something heavier.

-Eric

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

I'd be inclined same as you, generally.

Steel is a great material, in some ways better than aluminum, and in the flatlands bicycles like you describe sound perfect; at steady state there, a heavy cycle has very little negative effect.

-Eric

Besides the usual heavier, stronger thing, a steel frame is simply plusher than an alloy one.

A steel bike irons out most of the road buzz that you get in your hands and buttocks. Compared to an alloy frame.

A carbon fork helps much in the same way. But the low end bikes that cannot afford a carbon fork, employ steel for the fork to do just that.

There are still very high end frame makers who make thin tubing steel frames bikes that weigh barely a kilo more than an alloy bike.

Not to forget that till the 80s, guys used to race in the Alps in the Tour de France on steel race bikes. Gorgeous machines!



Cheers, Doc

[promit]

Yesterday was a ride I am perhaps most proud of. My quickest 100km. 80-85% was highway. Rode with a super strong group. I think I have started making my MTB fly. Although I did bring a knife to gun fight, it was a great ride. It's a Firefox MTB, with Tourney/Acera mix components.



Upgrade is on the cards (availability aside) I can't make up my mind. Am torn between the mid-entry level road bike range - Speedster 30, RC500 or a better MTB - Aspect 940, Marlin 7 etc. As much as I love road riding, I love the trails too!! ( This one is from 2 days ago). The dilemma continues!

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ebonho

There are still very high end frame makers who make thin tubing steel frames bikes that weigh barely a kilo more than an alloy bike.

Not to forget that till the 80s, guys used to race in the Alps in the Tour de France on steel race bikes. Gorgeous machines!

All brands of BMX racing bikes (Mongoose, Redline, Diamondback, Torker, P.K. Ripper, etc) when I was a kid used frames of high-grade steel...

I had a Rampar (RAleigh AMerica PARts) R11XL, its (steel) Reynolds 531 frame tubing proudly stickered on the top tube (nice try - at the time Chrome-moly was the slightly more pricey material of choice in bmx, and the name sounded way cooler, too - probably the reason this model was so rare).

Anyway, it cost me upwards of $200 new (worked off the purchase with carefully logged hours of household projects/chores) probably around 1980. Bikes like their competition R9 (also rare, and CrMoly) cost easily double that - a lot of money back then, 'specially for something so small/simple!!



Anyway, I literally had it (sans chain guard!) eight feet or more in the air on jumps... jumped it probably thousands of times... my daily ride - STRONG, and light enough.

Passed it on to a cousin who used it some years, and later my brother somehow managed to lose it / have it stolen while shifting homes...

I just saw one on eBay (in the Netherlands, in fact), frame and forks alone selling for 2-3x what I paid for the best of my alloy MTB's here...

***
In high-school bought a Raleigh Record-Ace (RRA), also in Reynolds 531, from a garage sale quite cheap, rode it a couple years till "upgrading" to a Moto-Guzzi moped (it was like that in those days).



Abandoned it, in perfectly functional condition, in the basement of my apartment when I came to India...

...in those days there wasn't much interest or forums re: 20-year-old (now 40-year-old!) bikes, and till researching now, I had no idea it was such a good one! Wish I could have it back, since besides being great bikes, they, too, have become pricey (well over a lakh for the one I saw listed).

I don't recall whether it was Doc or someone else who said that aluminum alloy came in basically as a way of reducing the cost of making a bike lightweight. It cannot be called a superior material, and as usual, marketing and customer perception probably have a lot to do with it as well.

From my perspective as a tinkerer, steel is preferable because it can be welded/repaired/modified without losing much strength.

Whereas aluminum, without (again) going through a rather complex heat-treating process, weakens to dangerous levels when welded; thus most damaged frames can be considered scrap metal.

I wonder how carbon-fiber, as it becomes cheaper, will ultimately change the market... I know I won't be able to weld it - but I can probably work wonders on it with M-seal and Fevikwik

-Eric

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by promit

Yesterday was a ride I am perhaps most proud of. My quickest 100km. 80-85% was highway... I think I have started making my MTB fly. Although I did bring a knife to gun fight, it was a great ride.
Attachment 2132370

Really impressive speed, especially considering your machine

Originally Posted by ebonho

There are still very high end frame makers who make thin tubing steel frames bikes that weigh barely a kilo more than an alloy bike.

Not to forget that till the 80s, guys used to race in the Alps in the Tour de France on steel race bikes. Gorgeous machines!

Attachment 2132360

Not sure if this brand, Psynyde, has got any attention in the forum yet, but a great story about an Indian startup making great bikes partly/fully of chrome-moly steel:

https://shyamgopan.com/2019/08/03/ps...ugh-chemistry/

-Eric

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Really impressive speed, especially considering your machine



Not sure if this brand, Psynyde, has got any attention in the forum yet, but a great story about an Indian startup making great bikes partly/fully of chrome-moly steel:

https://shyamgopan.com/2019/08/03/ps...ugh-chemistry/

-Eric

Psynyde and Convolution are both Poona based startups and make nice bikes. The fact that they are cyclists themselves and relatively small niche units, there is a lot of scope for customisation of fit and componentry as well, around their plain vanilla offerings.

The other great thing about Psynyde is that they are one of the go-to guys for repairs of cracks in the frames of high end carbon bikes (what you were speaking of in your last posts).

An elite rider crashed his carbon road bike recently, and most of the other guys who do carbon repairs had put up their hands (having repaired damage on the same frame earlier) saying this time it was too bad.

I think it was a big crack on the downtube.

I saw the same frame recently all neatly patched up and with a beautiful metallic dual tone paintjob.

Discovered that it was Psynyde that had finally taken up the job and done the repair.

I guess they charge 7-8000 bucks per crack (or was it centimeter?).

Still great considering you get to salvage a frame that costs 1-2 Lacs alone.

Personally I'm very happy with alloy.

You were talking about saving 80 (not 100) grams.

You'd think that's what that extra roti or two weighs which we wolf down when hungrier than usual.

The UCI had to step in and set a minimum weight for race bikes because manufacturers were begining to flirt with risk in the mania to shave grams. So all works tour bikes necessarily must weigh at least 6.8 kilos.

But no such rules for exotics and the weights of some hill climb bikes makes me wince at the thought of riding them on Poona roads, me astride. I'm a healthy 85 kilo growing boy ...

Cheers, Doc

[Mi10]

An ultimate build coming up from my side

Here is a sneak preview



PS: this is for an aero frame

[amvj]

Guys need one help. I find the brake on the Triban bike is rubbish.
I am planning to change the brake pads to something better. The brakes on my bike is of cantilever type (hope I am correct here). Is there good brake pads which I can upgrade ?

Photograph of my bike's brakes. Photo of rear brakes shown below, but the front ones are similar as well.









I am thinking about these, but I don't want to change something worse than my current brake pads. My budget is upto 4K so please suggest a good one (cantilever type pad).

https://www.cyclop.in/collections/br...pad-canti-p461



Or I need to change the wheel (deep grooved rims) / brake part also ?

---------

On another note, I just bought a few items for an upgrade.



1. Lightweight saddle
2. Mobile holder
3. Spare tube (I will keep it during the ride)
4. Handlebar holder (stock has just 2 screws and they tend to get loose)
5. Seat height easy adjust clamp