Commuting weapon of choice

[Moloko]

It's a bit of a one-shot wonder, but sometimes you NEED to stop a bus or a 44 ton lorry.

That's either a Panzerfaust, or he's going to remove the lid and throw scolding hot coffee over them.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Um, this is yacf. Bike Forums is thataway

You don't need large holes, anyway. You just need to crack the cylinder block.  9mm armour-piercing should do it.

9mm armour piercing?

I think you may have seen one to many films old chap.

Nope, they exist. Meant to defeat soft body armour, helmets and the like. Just a solid steel bullet, usually. Very very controversial in the US - the press dubbed them 'cop killers'.

[fruitcake]

Unless you want to use a fixie, srsly I'd use:

a modern 5 or 6 speed freewheel on the rear, which will allow a rear wheel with minimal dishing, 39/52 on the front, drop bars, steel frame, rack, guards and down tube shifters.  It will let you use chains which will wear comparatively slowly, it will be low maintenance, and replacement drivetrain kit will be inexpensive.  It is gonna be dirt cheap to get it together.  

I think hardwearing derailleur multi speed will be the next fixed (i.e. the big thing in the bike market).  At which point it will no longer be dirt cheap.

[rogerzilla]

It would also be non-indexed 

[clarion]

It would also be non-indexed 

Friction is best for commuting

[Bledlow]

What would be your commuting weapon of choice?

Glock 19 loaded with hollowpoints.  Compact, simple and totally reliable.

No - Glock 26. 110 grams lighter loaded.

[Zoidburg]

Um, this is yacf. Bike Forums is thataway

You don't need large holes, anyway. You just need to crack the cylinder block.  9mm armour-piercing should do it.

9mm armour piercing?

I think you may have seen one to many films old chap.

Nope, they exist. Meant to defeat soft body armour, helmets and the like. Just a solid steel bullet, usually. Very very controversial in the US - the press dubbed them 'cop killers'.

Bullshirt.

Any bullet that is small and fast enough will go through kevlar, it slips through the weave like a sharp needle, steel core projectiles are most often used in rifles, which will go through most vests without a ceramic plate anyway without the steel core.

What it won't do is go through an engine block.

This would though.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Soft and hollowpoints (from a pistol) won't go through soft 'bulletproof' vests. Heck, they'll hardly go through heavy clothing. I've seen a 22lr softpoint fail to penetrate a steel coke can (or a rabbit-sized animal). I've seen a 22lr solidpoint drop a fully-grown cow. Bullet construction is everything.

I spent far too much time in my youth either shooting handguns, or reading shooting magazines . . .

Black powder revolvers have to be the most fun of all. Mega boom! Big smoke! Shiny steam-punky brass bits 

[fruitcake]

It would also be non-indexed 

I am about to acquire some 6 speed DT shifters 

[clarion]

Some people worry me a bit.

</bang-stickophobe>

[Zoidburg]

Soft and hollowpoints (from a pistol) won't go through soft 'bulletproof' vests. Heck, they'll hardly go through heavy clothing. I've seen a 22lr softpoint fail to penetrate a steel coke can (or a rabbit-sized animal). I've seen a 22lr solidpoint drop a fully-grown cow. Bullet construction is everything.

I spent far too much time in my youth either shooting handguns, or reading shooting magazines . . .

Black powder revolvers have to be the most fun of all. Mega boom! Big smoke! Shiny steam-punky brass bits  

You can "Yeah-but..." all you like old chap, you still remain wrong.

Sorry about that but I don't want to have to explain it in detail and scare people.

[mattc]

Once you get past the .22lr and move onto big bullets moving at great speed the physics change a great deal.

Oh cool - do they warp space-time? Does momentum conservation stop applying? Does E still=mc^2 ? Tell us more!   

[Zoidburg]

Once you get past the .22lr and move onto big bullets moving at great speed the physics change a great deal.

Oh cool - do they warp space-time? Does momentum conservation stop applying? Does E still=mc^2 ? Tell us more!   

No - but newtons law ramps up very very quickly once things get heavier and faster.

[clarion]

Kinetic energy increases proportionately with the mass, and the square of the velocity, so I suppose a much heavier thing travelling rather faster could make a whole load of difference (even if the physics isn't changed )

[alexb]

The last time I used a hybrid for long distance work it wore me out - so I'm surprised to see the Carrera Subway 8 suggested.

What was it about a hybrid that "wore you out"? The lack of drops? There's nothing stopping you adapting a bike like that with drops or tri-bars.

A Subway 8 owner writes:

I wouldn't call the Subway 8 a hybrid, it's more a fully rigid mountain bike optimised for the road. 

It has the advantage of being more weatherproof than a bike with a derailleur-geared drivetrain, but it's a pretty heavy beast, and the roller brake mounting militates against making a quick and easy inner tube change. Oh, and there are no mounting points on the rear stays for disc or cantilever brakes.

Just my 2 pennyworth...

forget the Subway 8 and buy a Ridgeback Nemesis before they disappear it. If you're too late, pay nearly double for a Charge Mixer
   Charge Mixer 2010 Only £899.99


The Nemesis has turned out to be a really good commuter.
It's light, very lively feeling and pretty comfortable. I've reviewed it in the review section.
It's currently running 1.6" slicks, I'll be swapping to tyres with some tread tonight and in the summer it will swap to 1.3" slicks.
The mudguards sit perfectly with it and it's a very quick and agile ride. Since London is very flat, I'll be gearing it up, but since the chainring is 130mm BCD, then gearing down is simple since any Shimano chainring will fit.

Sure buy a nice audax bike and use that for the summer, but for grinding through shit an Alfine hub is fantastic.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Once you get past the .22lr and move onto big bullets moving at great speed the physics change a great deal.

Oh cool - do they warp space-time? Does momentum conservation stop applying? Does E still=mc^2 ? Tell us more!  

Lol

It's funny. 22lr moves at about the same speed as standard cartridges such as 9mm, 45ACP, 38 special. Actually faster than the last two.

Kinetic energy of something like a 45ACP = falling out of 3-ft-high bed. It's also only about 3 times that of 22lr.

(bullet weight in grains) x (velocity in ft per sec)^2/450240=energy in ft lbs

I didn't have to look that up  

Is there something wrong with me?

Oh, and it's normally

E = mc^3/sqrt(c^2-v^2)

[clarion]

Energy in freakin foot pounds?!?

You got summat against the great James Joule*?





* Not to be confused with Jimmy Jewell.  Different chap altogether.

[Panoramix]

Energy in freakin foot pounds?!?

I am glad i don't work on the other side of the pond as imperial units would get rid of the little bit of sanity that is left in me!

[Frenchie]

I ride a Pompino daily over short of 17 Mi each way, 69'' on 28 mm Conti City Contacts (very good BTW). I use a Goltec rear hub, a Schmidt at the front to power a Schmidt eDelux. I love it. When I reduce my commute in Jan (working on two sites, one close to home) I will miss it. It takes me between 52' door to door, security gate stop included  , to short of one hour. Not a glamorous, exciting bike, but a solid workhorse. And I've grown to like it on these autumn and winter commutes.

[rogerzilla]

The Inbred works well for me - same fixed gearing as Frenchie's Pomp (although at 38 x 14 it'll probably wear out quicker), 35mm Marathon Pluses, straight bars with bar ends, one V-brake with Aztec pads which seems unfazed by the wet and mud.  The handling is just right with a Kona P2 rigid fork - not too twitchy, not too stiff.  It climbs well because I can really pull on the bar ends, and my C of G is a long way back so even if I forget to pedal the rear wheel doesn't lift much.

I wouldn't recommend it for anything steeper than about 1 in 6, and even then you'd want the hill to be pretty short.

[clarion]

...Clarion's Pomp ...

Nah.  I ain't got a Pomp.  I think you mean Frenchie.  Right now, I ain't even got a fixed on the road

[rogerzilla]

...Clarion's Pomp ...

Nah.  I ain't got a Pomp.  I think you mean Frenchie.  Right now, I ain't even got a fixed on the road

Sorted.

I might have known you'd avoid anything with an A-Head 

[clarion]