Author Topic: [HAMR] Steve's Kit  (Read 54370 times)

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #25 on: 12 January, 2015, 07:58:25 pm »
i wouldn't want the drag from the dynamo for this type of challenge. the access to electricity every day makes rechargeable (and reliable!) lights a no-brainer.

as a long-time Schmidt hub user, I disagree, the drag is absolutely negligible, but don't just take my word for it...

Chris Juden the CTC tech man writes:

A good way to think about this drag is in terms of riding uphill: how steep is the hill that would make you work that much harder? The answer, for the ‘worst’ bottle dynamos, assuming an all-up weight of 90kg, is a gradient of 1-in-300 or 0.3% . That’s a rise of only 18 feet in a mile and if that’s a hill, I’m a Dutchman!  Internal hub generators drag [is] equivalent to ascending only five or six feet per mile, i.e. one-in-a-thousand…Lights-off drag for the Schmidt Original Nabendynamo (SON) equates to an utterly insignificant one foot per mile! 

http://www.ctc.org.uk/file/public/feature-hub-dynamos.pdf

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #26 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:09:09 pm »
I make that an additional 160 km vertical climbing over the year..

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #27 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:11:53 pm »
I always ride with a hub dynamo too, and have never noticed the extra drag. Having said that, I've never tried doing anything like what Steve's doing and I'm sure he'll want to save every last bit of drag. Most dynamo front lights are 2.5W, with probably 0.5W for the back light. Even if the dynamo is 100% efficient, that's still a significant amount of the power output that Steve's limiting himself to. Combine that with the extra hassle/expense of changing the wheels if broken (or worn out - Steve wears out the dynamo bearings according to some other thread) and I can see he'd not want them for this!

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #28 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:14:24 pm »
And the vast majority of miles won't need lights, anyway.

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #29 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:20:13 pm »
I make that an additional 160 km vertical climbing over the year..

It's a Mr Micawber thing, innit.

"Kurt's ride X,000 miles, TG's ride X,000 + 1 mile, result: happiness.  Kurt's ride X,000 miles, TG's ride X,000 - 1 mile, result: misery."

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #30 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:21:42 pm »
A Schmidt has a recommended service interval of 50,000 km. Steve is intending on doing about 3 times that distance in the year.

However, as Kim has mentioned, the vast bulk of that distance will be in the hours of daylight. I wondered about the wisdom of a Schmidt between 21st September and 21st March and battery lights for the rest of the time. Having said that, of course, if he has 4 identical bikes for the purposes of this record then he's got an outlay of almost £800 in front hubs alone.
The loss of humanity I could live with.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #31 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:27:14 pm »
3 x Raleigh Sojourns for this year.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #32 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:32:11 pm »
I always ride with a hub dynamo too, and have never noticed the extra drag. Having said that, I've never tried doing anything like what Steve's doing and I'm sure he'll want to save every last bit of drag. Most dynamo front lights are 2.5W, with probably 0.5W for the back light. Even if the dynamo is 100% efficient, that's still a significant amount of the power output that Steve's limiting himself to. Combine that with the extra hassle/expense of changing the wheels if broken (or worn out - Steve wears out the dynamo bearings according to some other thread) and I can see he'd not want them for this!

duncan (and Steve) is spot on. The Schmidt hub is about 60% efficient, so even with a single LED front light like the (IMHO rubbish) Cyo, that will cost Steve of the order 5W, or 5% of his power output, when the lights are on. Decent battery lights with a correctly sized Li-ion battery are the way to go for this ride.

(FWIW I will be using my hub dynamo for all my rides this year).

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #33 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:36:16 pm »
Will the team be providing some interim reports as to how the kit is standing up? (Agree with FB cannot provide daily updates). Suppliers should be seeing this as a huge test/recommendation for their kit. I hope Steve is keeping notes as to best eateries along the way  ;D
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #34 on: 12 January, 2015, 08:50:20 pm »
i wouldn't want the drag from the dynamo for this type of challenge. the access to electricity every day makes rechargeable (and reliable!) lights a no-brainer.

as a long-time Schmidt hub user, I disagree, the drag is absolutely negligible, but don't just take my word for it...

Chris Juden the CTC tech man writes:

A good way to think about this drag is in terms of riding uphill: how steep is the hill that would make you work that much harder? The answer, for the ‘worst’ bottle dynamos, assuming an all-up weight of 90kg, is a gradient of 1-in-300 or 0.3% . That’s a rise of only 18 feet in a mile and if that’s a hill, I’m a Dutchman!  Internal hub generators drag [is] equivalent to ascending only five or six feet per mile, i.e. one-in-a-thousand…Lights-off drag for the Schmidt Original Nabendynamo (SON) equates to an utterly insignificant one foot per mile! 

http://www.ctc.org.uk/file/public/feature-hub-dynamos.pdf

i agree that it seems negligible, but it does add up. we tend to consider a route as "hilly" if it's more than 10m/1km in ascent. with a hub dynamo light on, it would make an additional ~1.5m/1km rise. let's say tg rides 100km in the dark - this would mean an extra 150m climb (fairly big hill!) every day for a year.
i've got a son hub and other parts to build it into a wheel, but the longer i wait the less likely it is that i'll build it. i see two scenarios where i'd benefit from a dynohub - on a very long tour or commuting on unlit roads every day.

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #35 on: 12 January, 2015, 09:10:57 pm »
i wouldn't want the drag from the dynamo for this type of challenge. the access to electricity every day makes rechargeable (and reliable!) lights a no-brainer.

as a long-time Schmidt hub user, I disagree, the drag is absolutely negligible, but don't just take my word for it...

Chris Juden the CTC tech man writes:

A good way to think about this drag is in terms of riding uphill: how steep is the hill that would make you work that much harder? The answer, for the ‘worst’ bottle dynamos, assuming an all-up weight of 90kg, is a gradient of 1-in-300 or 0.3% . That’s a rise of only 18 feet in a mile and if that’s a hill, I’m a Dutchman!  Internal hub generators drag [is] equivalent to ascending only five or six feet per mile, i.e. one-in-a-thousand…Lights-off drag for the Schmidt Original Nabendynamo (SON) equates to an utterly insignificant one foot per mile! 

http://www.ctc.org.uk/file/public/feature-hub-dynamos.pdf

i agree that it seems negligible, but it does add up. we tend to consider a route as "hilly" if it's more than 10m/1km in ascent. with a hub dynamo light on, it would make an additional ~1.5m/1km rise. let's say tg rides 100km in the dark - this would mean an extra 150m climb (fairly big hill!) every day for a year.
i've got a son hub and other parts to build it into a wheel, but the longer i wait the less likely it is that i'll build it. i see two scenarios where i'd benefit from a dynohub - on a very long tour or commuting on unlit roads every day.

As a long-standing and enthusiastic SON user, I'm a fan because I've found it utterly reliable and simply don't notice the drag in use, but agree that it's the cumulative effect of the drag that needs to be considered for this sort of enterprise.

Back of the envelope maths suggest that it was equivalent to an extra 1400m or so of climbing over LEL - if I'd thought about this too hard, I might have looked at other options, though I'd probably still have come back to the SON because of uncertainty over charging possibilities.

Steve has access to mains electricity every night, and as LWaB has noted is anticipating doing about 3x the service life of SON bearings, which he has worn out before. Add that to the (admittedly small) drag effectively giving him another 150,000m or so of climbing, and there's a very strong case for choosing battery lights - as he has done.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #36 on: 12 January, 2015, 09:16:57 pm »
what i was surprised about though is that Steve has chosen disc-braked wheels for this challenge. in the type of terrain he's riding and the absence of stop-start routes, the rims would have lasted 30-40k km, so 3-4 sets of high quality wheels would see him through the challenge easily, imo. (with the added benefits of lightness, compatibility and availability).

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #37 on: 12 January, 2015, 09:19:58 pm »
Steve tried to do multiple 220 mile days last winter. Brake pads were wearing out in days and rims would have lasted a few weeks. Rim failure would a serious problem. Steve has backups for most things but not rims. For instance, he has 4 headlights on the bars, so a couple of failures doesn't stop him riding.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #38 on: 12 January, 2015, 09:21:20 pm »
3 x Raleigh Sojourns for this year.

Just a thought......  How about each machine has it's own service record that is somehow attached to it.
Then when the machine is back home, (after being up the road at various potential hosts) the base camp will
be able to respond to any issues that need to be replaced/needs attention. (Hosts can fill in an advisory note, bit like an MOT).

Re: Lights, these simply have to work with every type of weather thrown at them, it's not worth the risk of failure! Nor is it worth cutting any corners with any of the other kit be it tyres with a slight cut in the sidewall, brake pads that are on the minimum thickness. Cables that are starting to fray. Replace and throw it all in a pile then at a later date Steve can make any decisions on what he wants to do with any of it say this time next year. 

Dynamos- even the thought of dragging any sort of dynamo puts shivers up my spine, plus the added rolling weight.
Remember also that there is only a certain amount of charge Li-on/ Ni-MH batteries can take, so hosts have some spares  :thumbsup:

 
Mad Jacks JSM/  Hills and Mills to be continued in 2021

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #39 on: 12 January, 2015, 09:34:19 pm »
Steve tried to do multiple 220 mile days last winter. Brake pads were wearing out in days and rims would have lasted a few weeks. Rim failure would a serious problem. Steve has backups for most things but not rims. For instance, he has 4 headlights on the bars, so a couple of failures doesn't stop him riding.

if that's Steve's experience, fair enough. but rims have lasted me for a very long time (definitely over 30k km) in all kinds of weather and also in hills/mountains, so something doesn't add up. just wish that Steve used every possible advantage! :thumbsup:

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
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Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #40 on: 12 January, 2015, 11:00:47 pm »
Disc rotors aten't immune from wear either but I suspect Steve's will get a hell of a lot less of a bashing than the one I had go Wibble! on me halfway round the Cambrian 600.  Most of the active use that one had seen was commuting in London.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #41 on: 12 January, 2015, 11:02:50 pm »
A large component of rim wear is lack of cleanliness. You are a lot more interested in keeping your bike clean (and have more time to do so) compared to Steve.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #42 on: 12 January, 2015, 11:16:12 pm »
re: cleaning the bike - if i were Steve, i'd kindly outsource this to a host i stay at ::-) ;D

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #43 on: 12 January, 2015, 11:18:32 pm »
I did clean it a bit but not a race mechanic's wash. I got noticeably less sleep than Steve without doing the 'spit polish' thing.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #44 on: 12 January, 2015, 11:44:07 pm »
does Steve keep an eye on component wear? over 2k miles in, the chain and rear tyre are approaching their end of life. (i hope he has the chains cut to length and ready for swapping over). few drops of oil into derailleur pivots wouldn't go amiss too :thumbsup:

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #45 on: 12 January, 2015, 11:51:33 pm »
What is the preferred chain lube? I am led to believe that it's not a great idea to mix certain different brands together and it is quite likely that a host will not have the preferred brand. Or does Steve carry a small bottle on the bike?
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #46 on: 13 January, 2015, 01:09:51 am »
Preferred chain lube?  Snake oil :demon:
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #47 on: 13 January, 2015, 07:36:23 am »
over 2k miles in, the chain and rear tyre are approaching their end of life.

Steve has three bikes, remember!

I'm sure the team have this kind of stuff in hand.

Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #48 on: 13 January, 2015, 10:41:57 am »
What is the preferred chain lube? I am led to believe that it's not a great idea to mix certain different brands together and it is quite likely that a host will not have the preferred brand. Or does Steve carry a small bottle on the bike?
This is a good question and, as a future host, one that I was on the point of asking myself.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Steve's Kit
« Reply #49 on: 13 January, 2015, 10:52:40 am »
He just wanted me to stop it squeaking. The chain and cassette is expendible. Provided the gears are relatively clean, shift ok and keep go round till he gets home, maximising mileage per component is irrelevant.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...