Author Topic: Trice + 1  (Read 5936 times)

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Trice + 1
« on: 04 January, 2011, 05:33:06 pm »
This June I attain my 40th birthday.

My pressie will be a new Trice.

Spent some time on the phone today with Neil from ICE discussing options.

I am likely to have an 11 speed Alfine hub gear, a Schmidt dynohub in one front wheel, thus disc brakes, special bar-end shifters for the Alfine and more.

I'm going to visit ICE in April to try out a few options, and will take my current Trice with me for them to have a look at a high miler (it will have done about 25,000 miles by then).

Excitin' stuff!
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #1 on: 04 January, 2011, 05:41:17 pm »
Sounds Good, <jealous smilie>

But where was the custom dog basket in the description?

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #2 on: 04 January, 2011, 07:23:04 pm »
I've decided to look at the alfine when the first cassette wears out.

Incedentally - how many cassettes have you gone through in 25K miles.

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #3 on: 04 January, 2011, 08:11:25 pm »
This new cassette will only be my fourth - I have been good at using them long past their usual lifetime. I'm on my seventh chain.

Congrats on your new trike Tony. Are you aware of the cost of the cassettes though? It's a shade over seventy quid!
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #4 on: 04 January, 2011, 08:54:39 pm »
This new cassette will only be my fourth - I have been good at using them long past their usual lifetime. I'm on my seventh chain.

Congrats on your new trike Tony. Are you aware of the cost of the cassettes though? It's a shade over seventy quid!

That was the reason for my question. I was just quoted (I think) £69 by Kevin. However, you seem to have got around 8000 miles to a cassette, and 3500 or so to a chain.

So optimum seems to be to run a chain to about 3000 miles, then swap for another 3000, then swap for another 1000 each - depending on chain wear. Maybe even alternate every 1000 miles.

However, each cassette and associated chains are going to cost around £100 - if that lasts 8000 miles, then it's not to bad. (I was only getting about 2000 miles on my MTB due to the cack I cycle through.

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #5 on: 04 January, 2011, 09:46:02 pm »
The chains have been quite variable, presumably dependent on weather etc. The one I just took off had done 4,800 miles which is way more than usual - I've had two chain breaks previously at around 3,000. I must say that I do minimal chain maintenance apart from applying a bit of Finish Line Green now and again.

I've previously found when changing chains that you get a fair few skips on the old cassette for about 500 miles but this time thr cassette was clearly knackered as I could only use about half the gears (the lower ones) as it just continually skipped on the higher gears.

By the way, the Capreo cassette, being a 9/32 tooth one, does wear the 9 teeth most significantly if you do a lot of trundling around on the flat in top gear. I eventually changed my big chainring at the front to a 50t from a 48t which helped me use more of a variety of gears at the back.

Another reason, apart from cassette wear, that I fancy the Alfine is that I did damage the rear mech hangar a while back on some big stones which entailed me phoning my Dad to pick me up. The rear mech hangs so very low in low gears, the problem with the twenty inch rear wheel.
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


StuAff

  • Folding not boring
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #6 on: 04 January, 2011, 09:53:25 pm »
Nice. Have a hankering for a trike at some point, rather like the look of the Vortex myself.

arallsopp

  • Beansontoast
    • Barring Mechanicals Blog
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #7 on: 05 January, 2011, 12:54:44 pm »
Ooh AH. What a marvellous treat.

Surprised to see you getting through chains quite so quickly, tbh. I'm at a shade over 8,000 miles on both 'bents now, and they're still on their originals. Cassettes too, now I think of it. Less success with idlers, of course.

Not to say both bikes won't all fail imminently now I've written this, but everything still seems to shift just as cleanly as I can recall it ever doing. Not such a surprise on the chunky dual drive 8 speed SMGTe, but a hell of a trick for the KMC superlight 10 speed on the Furai.

Like the idea of the Alfine. I get on very well with the hub on the back of the SMGTe, and its ability to shift down at a stand still has saved my bacon more than a few times when something unexpected leaps out.

Watch out for the exposed cable on the bar ends. As you'll likely be mounting them upside-down, what would normally be a no-compromise weight saver becomes a very attractive point for water ingress. A glob of vaseline where the cable runs into the sheath will save you a lot of pain later on.

The SON hub is excellent. I've not tried the one sided version, but I really can't fault the install on either of mine. Given both are at the same mileage as the bikes, one has been dragged across a beach and the other survived a river ford, they're both still in regular commuter service.

What lamp will you add?

Incidentally, why the dedication to 20" wheels all round? Simplicity of tube and tyre spares, or are ICE rigid about other back ends? If I had a choice of non suspended 26/700 or plushy 20, I'd go the 20 too. But I'd be thinking about whether I could fake it with balloon tires.
Love words, hate lulu? Buy "Barring Mechanicals" on Amazon UK or US

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #8 on: 05 January, 2011, 02:02:42 pm »
I thought 3000 miles was fairly standard for chains. If I maintained the trike as Ian does his bikes I'd probably still be on the original.

I suffer from water ingress on my brake cables as it is, so the vaseline idea is a good 'un.

Lamp will be a B&M something decent. Might buy it when in the Fatherland in June if it's cheaper there, which it may well be.

I did wonder about the larger rear wheel but I don't know if the fold still works and only stocking one size tube and tyre is handy. I may have to adjust the dog basket mounting system, however.
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #9 on: 05 January, 2011, 02:40:52 pm »
I thought 3000 miles was fairly standard for chains.

Longer chain onna 'bent thobut.  You'd expect the ~2.5 chains worth of chain to last proportionally longer.


I'm also liking the vaseline idea for inverted bar-end shifters.  Must get some.


I'm noting that YACF is suffering from an outbreak of trikes and that I really should get round to dragging barakta to Little Thetford...   ;D

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #10 on: 05 January, 2011, 04:07:31 pm »
i jealous ah . enjoy :thumbsup:
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #11 on: 12 January, 2011, 03:35:38 am »
But Trikes get lonely on their own, so you have to end up getting two, right Chris ?   ;D
The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, and wiser men so full of doubt.

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #12 on: 12 January, 2011, 09:46:10 am »
 :thumbsup:
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #13 on: 13 January, 2011, 08:22:37 am »
Longer chain onna 'bent thobut.  You'd expect the ~2.5 chains worth of chain to last proportionally longer.

You'd think, and I used to.  I guess the wear is spread throughout the chain, and not confined to the chain/cogs.  Or there are more contact points with the idlers.
Your Royal Charles are belong to us.

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #14 on: 20 January, 2011, 12:49:47 pm »
Longer chain onna 'bent thobut.  You'd expect the ~2.5 chains worth of chain to last proportionally longer.

You'd think, and I used to.  I guess the wear is spread throughout the chain, and not confined to the chain/cogs.  Or there are more contact points with the idlers.

As far as I'm concerned this is most definetely a myth. I just put a new chain on my Fujin after only some 5000 - 6000 kilometres. The chain had lengthened more than 1% according to that Rohloff measuring thingy. I do admit to having ridden the Fujin in such a lot of bad weather that I even ruined the ball bearings and other tiny freewheel bits completely, but that had me completely underwhelmed.

BTW: Does anyone else think that the Fujin's drive train is a tad noisy?

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #15 on: 20 January, 2011, 02:05:35 pm »
The original chain on my Q-NT only lasted 2,500 miles, I bought a KMC it lasted a bit longer, then I changed my lube to Finish Line Teflon (sorry if this sounds like a Daz washes whiter ad) from a wax lube which, although it was cleaner I didn't feel was contributing to longevity.
       I lube every 200 miles or so and using a Park Tools chain checker am getting 5,000 plus from a set of chains, got a new idler at 7,500 from D-tek but on reflection should have listened to him and not bothered as it was only part worn.
The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, and wiser men so full of doubt.

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #16 on: 20 January, 2011, 06:31:52 pm »
My record for destroying a chain is about a hundred miles (over this recent winter weather) so it's clearly extremely dependant on how much exposure (and care and attention) it gets.

In contrast my Raptobike just finished its second chain which means it gets about 3000km to the chain (with, again, no care whatsoever). It's not hard to believe it would do far more if I wasn't always riding in the 11t cog and sometimes cleaned it!

The problem I have is that at £20 for chain and £15 for a cassette, it's perfectly acceptable to me to waste it VS any sort of regular maintenance regime. I price my time at the end of each commute way more highly than the money I'd save on premature chain wear!  :-\

Wish I could have the old-fashioned 1/8th chain that I used to run on the fixed-wheel. I probably put 10,000 miles on one drivetrain <sigh!>

mAsTa RiDaH

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #17 on: 20 January, 2011, 08:23:49 pm »
Hope you enjoy your new present.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #18 on: 21 January, 2011, 12:20:45 pm »
Blimey.  The chain on my Trice has about 14,000 km on it and doesn't exhibit any signs of bad behaviour such as skipping, making odd noises or voting Conservative.  It did break once, 110 km into the Cheddar Gorge 300, and lunched the front derailleur in the process, but I forgave it.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #19 on: 16 April, 2011, 10:17:27 am »
Just ordered my new trike - without seeing them in person (didn't realise how far away Cornwall is from Colchester!)

A Sprint with an Alfine 11 hub at the back, triple at the front, a Schmidt/SON dynohub and all the extras.

I'm feeling very happy with ICE at the moment as my Trice Q has now done 23,000+ miles in under three years and the brakes weren't working so well. The main issue is that the innards of the drum brakes had got sticky and, even when lubing it, they were reluctant to release after you put on the brakes. Inconvenient. I gave them a major service on Sunday and they were still not working right so I phoned ICE to order the whole inner Sturmey Archer brake wotsits for both sides.

As always, ICE were really helpful and posted them to me the same day. Without charge. This is partly because Neil has always said no-one has ever worn out the brakes and it looks like I may have done. Anyway, I have just sent them a parcel of the old brakes and some choccies to say thankyou. New ones work really well too.

So although I'll be spending over £3,500 with them in June, I still feel extremely warm and friendly to 'em!
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #20 on: 16 April, 2011, 05:33:31 pm »
ICE is cool (sorry) as is Kevin aka The Oracle, always helpful and willing to spend time, and put up with my ramblings.

    btw, the only problem I ever had with my SA brakes was when I did routine maintenance on them straight after an 11 hr shift and inadverdently put them back together slightly askew, oh blush  :facepalm:
The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, and wiser men so full of doubt.

dasmoth

  • Techno-optimist
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #21 on: 16 April, 2011, 05:50:53 pm »
Just ordered my new trike

 :thumbsup:

Quote
A Sprint with an Alfine 11 hub at the back, triple at the front, a Schmidt/SON dynohub and all the extras.

Would be very interested to take a look at a trike dynohub "in the flesh" if the opportunity arises!  I assume this means you've gone with disk brakes?
Half term's when the traffic becomes mysteriously less bad for a week.

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #22 on: 16 April, 2011, 06:12:44 pm »
Yep Dasmoth, disk brakes it is. I hope I can get the hang of fettling them!
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #23 on: 16 April, 2011, 06:39:06 pm »

As always, ICE were really helpful and posted them to me the same day.

On our first recumbent trip through France (6 trikes, 2 bikes), one of the trikists broke a front axle (he's a chap who seems to be hard on his trikes and bikes, and rides them into the ground). Fortunately we had a car and driver with us toting the luggage, so John sat out for a day, having rung ICE and given them the address of the hotel we'd be at the day after, having a rest day. The axle arrived by UPS on our rest day, and the guys in the group fitted it.  That's service!
If I had a baby elephant, it could help me wash the car. If I had a car.

See my recycled crafts at www.wastenotwantit.co.uk

Re: Trice + 1
« Reply #24 on: 16 April, 2011, 08:40:25 pm »
Indeed, in Brittany last September Barbara had her rear hub start to crack up, (not an ICE) tried to phone dealer but no answer several trys, rang Kevin at D-tek who said that if needed he would express freight a rear wheel that would fit.
      Needless to say with service like that there is only one thing to do, I got Barbara an ICE  ;D  Barbara now has a trike that 1 handls properly and 2 that we can rely on.
       Crakkin  ;D ;D
The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, and wiser men so full of doubt.