Author Topic: Being tempted , but .....  (Read 14172 times)

Blodwyn Pig

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #75 on: 07 September, 2019, 07:45:03 pm »
what is the best gearing option on some thing like a GTE. I'm guessing Rollhoff comes out tops, but at a price, so given the two remaining choices, of Sachs 3 speed hub,with  7-8-9? block next to it, or a triple up front, which is the better choice. I'm thinking with the hub combo, then impromtu stops can be over come with a stationary change?.  pros and cons of either?

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #76 on: 07 September, 2019, 08:32:40 pm »
I use dualdrive on various Moultons, the main advantages being a good gear range even with the smaller wheel size (20" / 406mm).  And as you've already noted, the ability to quickly drop down or up to a different range of gears.

On the other hand if the dualdrive hub was to go tango uniform, it is unlikely to be fixable or replaceble by your average bike shop.  As far as I know they are no longer in production, although Sturmey Archer produce an equivalent.

Triple chainset instead offers the advantage of standard, more widely available components.  I think the GTE has a 26" rear wheel, in which case a good gear range is easily available with a triple.  And if your rear derailleur has enough capacity you can use all the rear sprockets on any of the front rings without worrying about chain angle (as the recumbent chain is so long.)

So on balance I would suggest triple chainset as a better option.
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ElyDave

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #77 on: 07 September, 2019, 08:44:05 pm »
depends a bit on what you prefer and what you'll be doing.  I've gone with triples on tourers with 10-sp, liking that on my cruzbike as it then rides quite similarly to an upright because of the short chain.  You have to pay the same attention to cross chaining and I find that tends to make you pay more attention to being in the right gear.  The lowest gear I have right now is a 30 x 32, which I've used up 14% inclines at a crawl.  You could probably get away with a 34 on the back before you topple over.

On the M5, I went with shortened cranks on a 50:34 front and 11-40 11-sp rear, MTB rear derraileur and shifters.  With the rear wheel drive and nearly 3 chains, you can actually use it a full 22 gears if you want to be lazy, so I tend to have to remind myself to change to the smaller ring.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #78 on: 08 September, 2019, 12:43:30 am »
Questions to ask yourself when of what gears you want/need.
How low do you want/need to go to make hill climbing easy ??
How high do you want/need to go for silly fast descents ??
How many steps do you want between these two points ??
Now what's the simplest way to get this range.

My thinking with the SA hub gears is it should be used to extend a triple into 5 chainrings.
A 52/39/30 road triple is ideal as the size of the steps between both the chainrings and the hubs gears match.
That way most of your riding is done in the middle range over all three chainring with no extra drag and you only rarely use the top/bottom ranges with the extra drag at very high/low speeds when it doesn't matter that much.

Luck ..........  ;D

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #79 on: 08 September, 2019, 06:23:38 am »
My partner had a dual drive on his Trike and my friend on her Velomobile.

They are good when they work, but are no longer in production and so spares are an issue.

They also have quite a lot of plastic bits inside which are weak and prone to breaking.

My friend with the Velomobile had her dualdrive break whilst touring in Finland and this really ruined her holiday as she was stuck in one gear on it which didn’t suit the terrain.
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


sprogs

  • from your big sister, Steve.
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #80 on: 18 September, 2019, 05:49:35 pm »
For me, I would say that a hub gear was essential on a 'bent. Getting wrong geared at lights is not good for arthritic knees and hill starts. A triple on  the front is a good idea though as it gives a much wider range. I find also that using direct drive at the hub and changing at the front copes well with most situations without loss of efficiency. My trice has a triple at the pointy end and a 3x8 under my sandwiches.
Despite being at worst 36.5 stone and osteoarthritis I have never been defeated by a hill.
To me the best thing about recumbent cycling is that whereas before, discomfort limited my rides, now it's running out of tea and biccies.
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Kim

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #81 on: 18 September, 2019, 07:05:16 pm »
For me, I would say that a hub gear was essential on a 'bent. Getting wrong geared at lights is not good for arthritic knees and hill starts.

I wouldn't say they were essential, if you can anticipate sufficiently to change down before stopping (this is greatly helped by shifters that allow you to change lots of gears very quickly, such as twist-grips or bar-ends).  There will always be emergencies when you have to stop and to hell with the gears, at which point you either have to:

a) Get off the bike, put the stand down, lean it so the rear wheel lifts off the ground while turning the crank by hand and operating the gears.

b) Curse that your bike is stupidly long and doesn't have a stand (or is a trike), and walk it forward while turning the cranks, clicking through the gears as you go.

c) God knows what the derailleur-equipped velomobile riders do in this scenario?  Recruit a volunteer to lift the drive wheel?  Adamantium kneecaps?  Attempt to get up to speed using a combination of gravity and Fred Flintstone tactics?  Flip it on its side and turn the cranks through the holes?


IME emergency stops are sufficiently rare that (a) is an acceptable course of action.  (b) is a royal pain in the arse.  If you spend a lot of time in busy traffic where emergency stops are a common occurance, then gears-inna-can are undoubtedly the way to go.  (And as a sufferer of Knees, I'd say they were equally a good idea on uprights.)

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #82 on: 18 September, 2019, 08:10:57 pm »
c) God knows what the derailleur-equipped velomobile riders do in this scenario?  Recruit a volunteer to lift the drive wheel?  Adamantium kneecaps?  Attempt to get up to speed using a combination of gravity and Fred Flintstone tactics?  Flip it on its side and turn the cranks through the holes?
(a) Fit a mountain drive, or
(B) say goodbye to your knees
I have no mountain drive, but my motor helps me to about 6th gear. 7, 8 or 9 and I may have to get out, prop the back end up and then use the motor to turn the pedals to change gear (can’t reach pedals when not inside Velomobile, really). Fortunately my twist-grip lets me change 3-4 gears very quickly indeed, and I don’t think I have ever had to get out and push.
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Arellcat

  • Velonautte
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #83 on: 18 September, 2019, 08:57:07 pm »
c) God knows what the derailleur-equipped velomobile riders do in this scenario?  Recruit a volunteer to lift the drive wheel?  Adamantium kneecaps?  Attempt to get up to speed using a combination of gravity and Fred Flintstone tactics?  Flip it on its side and turn the cranks through the holes?

It does happen from time to time.  Usually I find the solution is:

(c) Apply AWESOME POWER, and pray that the weakest link in the chain is not
  • the tiny cross-section of steel of two adjacent side plates in your chain
  • the bolts holding your cleats to your shoes
  • the bolt on which your chain idler runs
  • the wisp of carbon that holds your rear suspension to the shell
and notch your way down three or four gears as soon as you dare, without the dérailleur making horrible crunching noises.

I remember the lowest gear on ARION3 being something like 140 inches.  It was ridiculous how slowly the pedals turned at first despite pouring on the power.
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Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #84 on: 19 September, 2019, 08:32:17 am »
Still looking  ::-), seen a SM GTE , BUT... it's in silver  :sick:, and it's an almost non complete home build, with the older looking wider mesh seat, not the split ergo one. Never been fully built up, and used, but built with used bits. I've noticed that home built ones fetch a lot less than factory ones, this has exposed wiring etc , and a triple up front.
Seen another, with DD, but torn seat, rusty chain, rusty bolts, no mudguards, or middle rack, and twistgrips for £900, and it's Orange but they have annoyingly taken off all the original transfers, and it doesn't have the front mech 'stump' . So if the DD fails ?? another hub?  All in all , not looked after. Should have bought the first one I saw .

Kim

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #85 on: 19 September, 2019, 12:05:51 pm »
IME derailleur posts are well worth having for mounting lights and gadgetry, even if you're running gears-inna-can.  (Some manufacturers provide alternatives - My streetmachine has a light mounting braze-on on the underside of the boom, and provision for internally-routed dynamo wiring, but that requires a light that can hang downwards, so my light[1] is mounted on the lower[2] bottle-cage bolt instead.)

Agreed about the silver.  The orange isn't great, either.


[1] Which used to be a Cyo.
[2] IME lights on recumbent booms benefit more from being mounted further forward, to minimise foot-flash, rather than a couple of inches higher.

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #86 on: 19 September, 2019, 06:58:05 pm »


Agreed about the silver.  The orange isn't great, either.




I must be part German,  because I love the Orange, it looks like the same Orange, that most local council vehicles are in Germany, and I've always loved the big orange unimogs etc....... ::-)   Mind you , yours is green I believe ?  not seen another green one?

Kim

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #87 on: 19 September, 2019, 07:01:59 pm »
I must be part German,  because I love the Orange, it looks like the same Orange, that most local council vehicles are in Germany, and I've always loved the big orange unimogs etc....... ::-)   Mind you , yours is green I believe ?  not seen another green one?

That was a custom colour specified by Charlotte OTP, the bike's original owner.  It was supposed to be British Racing Green, but the exact colour seems to have been subject to a bit of Germanic interpretation...

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #88 on: 19 September, 2019, 09:29:14 pm »
my light is mounted on the lower bottle-cage bolt instead.)
That's what I do ... now, where do I put the bottle?

Also, I have to disagree RE the silver as that's the colour of my bike and I will never have the spare cash for a respray.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Kim

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #89 on: 19 September, 2019, 10:08:47 pm »
my light is mounted on the lower bottle-cage bolt instead.)
That's what I do ... now, where do I put the bottle?

In the cage under the seat where you have to stop to reach it.  But for anything other than a short ride, I'll use a water bag on the rear rack for easier access.

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #90 on: 20 September, 2019, 12:05:03 pm »
If you need a replacement for a dual drive hub, then look at the Sturmey Archer CS-RF3 or CS-RK3 hub.
I gather it's a direct replacement but that's all I know about it.

Luck ...........  ;D

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #91 on: 30 September, 2019, 08:04:15 pm »
2 posssibles?

An SM GT , black,  prob 15 yo +,rear and mid racks. for around £500 I'm guessing, rim brakes, no dynamo, 3 x 9 , but a 600 mile round trip to collect / view  or

An SM GTE, Silver , 3 x 9 ,  BB7 discs, rear and mid racks, and rear mounted prop stand,frame prob 3 years old, but never been fully built up, all brand new frame, forks, wheels, but used components,  never been on the road, no chain fitted yet,  he went over to trikes before he finished it, with dynamo and lights, with the ERGO mesh seat,  BUT about 20 miles from me. Probably around £1300.

Thoughts please?

What are the ergo  mesh seats like?,  how much are the body link seats? Is there a market for s/h (new ergo mesh?)  questions, questions  ???

Kim

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #92 on: 30 September, 2019, 09:06:54 pm »
Seats are a personal preference thing, though an order of magnitude less so than saddles.  Mesh is a lot more forgiving of fit than hardshell (though the adjustability of the BodyLink seat probably helps a bit) and breathes better, but feels less supportive and generally works better for more upright riding positions.

Disclaimer: I use the older HPV hardshell seats and ICE's mesh, and my only experience of HPV's mesh seat is from a brief sit on a Scorpion.

The GTE sounds like a good deal...  Mesh seats do suffer wear and tear, so there might be some market for it second-hand?

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #93 on: 30 September, 2019, 09:58:18 pm »
Buy the Quest that yanto is selling!
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #94 on: 01 October, 2019, 02:58:53 pm »
option 3....GTE in ORANGE :thumbsup:,  DD system, twistgrip, BB7, Body link seat with headrest, rear rack,  rear prop stand,  Dyno, lights, no mid racks or mudguards, or derallieur stump,  2015 model,  for £800, poss £750 or even £700...... :P but 250 miles away so £100 for fuel  round trip.....

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #95 on: 01 October, 2019, 10:52:49 pm »
Anyvan should be cheaper if you buy unseen.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #96 on: 30 November, 2019, 04:51:52 pm »
still looking. nowt much about at the mo.

Phil W

Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #97 on: 30 November, 2019, 07:29:30 pm »
Probably things get out up for sale as Spring rolls round.

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #98 on: 10 December, 2019, 10:00:34 pm »
Guess who's very.....very.....excited .......................... ::-)

woollypigs

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Re: Being tempted , but .....
« Reply #99 on: 10 December, 2019, 10:45:32 pm »
wwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy late to this party.

I had a go on Kim's ride - THANKS - and went home and had a thing and ordered and Azub Six. Love it, the most comfy ride I ever have had. Sadly not riding enough these days, I really gotta get on with it. I have even done silly off-roading, surprisingly stable on bridle ways and gravel roads. I know for sure I could do longer distances compared to what I did on a upwrong, simply no pain anywhere when I get off or on it. Best of all here in lumpy Yorkshire I'm not last on strava even on the 17% + hills around here. I'm not a racer I'm a poodler. 

So welcome to the club Blodwyn Pig, what are you getting ?
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit