tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post5311694758373406681..comments2024-03-28T11:56:48.304-04:00Comments on The Retrogrouch: Here We Go Again: Freewheeling CranksBrookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-46511618177607084162016-01-22T13:01:56.864-05:002016-01-22T13:01:56.864-05:00Hey, love your blog! Been enjoying you for about a...Hey, love your blog! Been enjoying you for about a year now. <br /><br />I would however, offer a thought about the bash guard being necessary to protect the system. <br /><br />That's honestly no different than any bash system for any number of technical "trail" bikes. It protects the ring and chain from damage during rock and log overs, and many will also have the chain keeper up top too. Their type is frame mounted, yet functionally no different that a spider mounted bash ring. <br /><br />Constant motion is not even a factor at that point, chains can just pop off in extreme riding conditions, when no front derailleur is in place, as is typical on the newer 1X drivetrains. DH bikes have run chain retention devices for at least 20 years due to the choppy nature of the riding. <br /><br />Narrow Wide type, anti drop rings have made this kind of a non starter at this point, so it is indeed, kinda funny to see a forward step in "tech" using a backward looking retention device, so there's your retro grouch angle, gift wrapped for you!<br /><br />Keep on grouchin'!MendonCycleSmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02213406716238931069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-69282779260651798492016-01-18T09:10:28.699-05:002016-01-18T09:10:28.699-05:00I still tend to agree with Sheldon's assessmen...I still tend to agree with Sheldon's assessment, but that explanation/rationale makes some sense.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-44075251779730456392016-01-18T01:47:30.523-05:002016-01-18T01:47:30.523-05:00Positron/FF was introduced around the time I start...Positron/FF was introduced around the time I started working in bike shops. A Shimano rep explained the rationale for it. <br /><br />Shimano was looking to make inroads into the European market. The British weren't ready to trade their Sturmey Archer hubs for Shimanos any more than the French or Italians were ready to abandon Campagnolo, Huret or Simplex derailleurs for Shimano's offerings. However, the company's marketing department noted that in Germany, the Netherlands and other countries where nearly all cyclists were still using internally-geared hubs, which allowed riders to shift while they weren't pedaling. Shimano's R and D folks figured that riders in those countries could be enticed to ride bikes with derailleurs if a system were developed that allowed shifting without pedaling. Or something like that.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-4712445776983611142016-01-16T10:49:56.854-05:002016-01-16T10:49:56.854-05:00"For many a Panacea." Priceless!"For many a Panacea." Priceless!mike w.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10317710564489321690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-70352087313012922482016-01-16T10:07:58.115-05:002016-01-16T10:07:58.115-05:00Fair enough.Fair enough.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-44532667452481788842016-01-16T09:06:48.088-05:002016-01-16T09:06:48.088-05:00When I was young, my mom's bike had FFS & ...When I was young, my mom's bike had FFS & Positron on it, not that we requested it, it was just stock spec. For her, an occasional recreational cyclist, it worked well, and was still working many years later when we decided to upgrade her to a much nicer bike. <br /><br />I think you are being a bit harsh on it. Shimano obviously perceived a problem at the low end of the market, and attempted to solve it, with the goal of making a technical improvement at the entry level. You and your readers are not the intended marketplace, especially not in hindsight.<br /><br />OK, so this was a "failed" experiment, in that production was ceased a few years after introduction, but it wasn't recalled; it worked well enough for it's intended audience. If it had been more successful (and success here is not end user driven, but by product managers adopting it on an OEM basis), who knows where it would have led? We do know the Positron aspect was a direct predecessor of SIS. <br /><br />An effort to introduce a conceptually similar system at the high end, by a small company is probably misguided, but who knows. They may find enough of a niche audience to be viable. And if so, maybe the big boys will copy it. Touriste-Routierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00259672669676155538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-22367311305926237392016-01-16T08:33:23.453-05:002016-01-16T08:33:23.453-05:00The gearboxes that fit into the bottom bracket are...The gearboxes that fit into the bottom bracket are another idea that goes way back and was discarded as heavy and complicated. For internal gearing, the hub is definitely more common and proven.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-34857183967024367232016-01-16T00:57:51.939-05:002016-01-16T00:57:51.939-05:00There is no idea so bad that nobody will try to re...There is no idea so bad that nobody will try to revive it.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-53254519302075870112016-01-16T00:54:38.450-05:002016-01-16T00:54:38.450-05:00Why not choose internal gear hub?Why not choose internal gear hub?tumbleweed_092https://www.blogger.com/profile/03101115616028888885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-46336236495321939592016-01-15T17:49:58.695-05:002016-01-15T17:49:58.695-05:00Have you read about the Pinion gearboxes? From wha...Have you read about the Pinion gearboxes? From what I gather, they’re expensive, require a special frame, are a bit heavier than a traditional drivetrain, and can be somewhat noisy. On the other hand, I can’t help wondering if they would be just the ticket for expedition touring, particular the ones equipped with Gates drives. There’s a Swiss company that puts them in titanium frames, but at upwards of seven grand I don’t think there’s much chance I’ll be getting one.<br />http://www.hilite-bikes.com/de/product/titan-de/pinion-p1-18-trekking-fahrrad/Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13563227016231337663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-22003168812153827642016-01-15T12:50:16.098-05:002016-01-15T12:50:16.098-05:00Surely, this "new" technology is going t...Surely, this "new" technology is going to require a new style of BB or rear axle...<br /><br /><br /><br />Wolf.N/Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14710395292374599493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-62171392917005520752016-01-15T12:29:07.311-05:002016-01-15T12:29:07.311-05:00Learned something new today. Time for beer and win...Learned something new today. Time for beer and wings. Thanks.teamdarbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10730985048207207697noreply@blogger.com