On 9/18/2022 9:47 AM, Catrike Rider wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Sep 2022 07:11:32 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
> <cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 4:58:08 AM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
>>> On Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 4:58:06 AM UTC+2, frkr...@gmail.com wrote:
>>>> On Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 5:02:09 PM UTC-4, Catrike Rider wrote:
>>>>> On Sat, 17 Sep 2022 12:48:49 -0700 (PDT), "funkma...@hotmail.com"
>>>>> <funkma...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 10:45:34 AM UTC-4, Catrike Rider wrote:
>>>>>>> On Sat, 17 Sep 2022 07:20:59 -0700 (PDT), "funkma...@hotmail.com"
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Gee, why don't you post more pictures to your facebook page and tell us to go look at them? Strange behaviour for someone who claims not to care about others impressions.
>>>>>>> I already made my point.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't think so, if you had we'd all be impressed and bow down to your magnificent thighs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I'm only
>>>>>>>>> sticking around here because it's fun to thumb my nose at fools like
>>>>>>>>> you.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Good start, you admit being here for no other reason than to troll. In other words, your only reason to post is to distract and antagonize
>>>>>>> Like you're doing, here?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Care to look at how many cycling related posts that aren't antagonistic trolls I make compared to you?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> - in case you hadn't realized it, that's the classic definition of a fool.
>>>>>>> The irony bell is ringing....
>>>>>>
>>>>>> says the fool that cares so little about what anyone thinks he creates a special Facebook page to show off his thighs, That irony bell is obviously ringing in your head alone.
>>>>> Caught you looking...
>>>>>>>> To be clear, you're making a fool of no one but yourself.
>>>>>>> Ring ring....
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's your conscience, pay attention
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Care to post any content remotely related to cycling science/technology? We'll wait.....
>>>>>>> I was waiting to see something more technical than fastening down
>>>>>>> shift cables. I never had any problems with that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If true, feel free to reveal your secrets to never having any common technical problems.
>>>>> You really think fastening down shift cables is a technical problem?
>>>>> Oh well....
>>>>>> Truth is, you're too afraid to post anything technical for fear of being revealed to be as incompetent as kunich.
>>>>> Truth is we trikers actually have more technical issues to deal with
>>>>> than two wheel bikers. The only thing a two wheel bike has that my
>>>>> Catrike doesn't have is the front fork that transmits all the road
>>>>> issues right up to your shoulders and a seat that's so uncomfortable
>>>>> that many of you have to wear pads in your pants. Instead of the fork
>>>>> we have two headsets to deal with and the correct tightness is more
>>>>> important because of how it can mess up the alignment. Speaking of the
>>>>> alignment, if it's incorrect, it can wear the tires and increase
>>>>> rolling resistance. Aligning the front wheel, (toe in) is something
>>>>> two wheelers don't have to deal with. I've built alignment devices
>>>>> into my trike maintenance stand. Turning a trike over and setting it
>>>>> on bars and seat doesn't work, nor can you just clamp it onto one of
>>>>> those three legged stands.
>>>>>
>>>>> Whereas the rear wheel setup is just about the same as a two wheeler,
>>>>> a trike has two sets of front wheels and bearings to deal with. We
>>>>> have two front wheels to keep the spokes tight and aligned, and two
>>>>> front brakes to align disks and calipers. The ridiculous old rim
>>>>> brakes, of course, are not possible.
>>>>>
>>>>> High speed braking on a bicycle has always been an issue, but even
>>>>> more so on a trike. On most bikes, front wheel braking lightens the
>>>>> rear and threatens linear stability. On a trike, uneven front wheel
>>>>> braking threatens the linear stability even more. Weight distribution
>>>>> on a trike is more forward and many trikers have experienced the rear
>>>>> wheel lifting completely off the ground even in moderate braking
>>>>> situations. Lightening the rear along with uneven front wheel braking
>>>>> has sent a few trikers head over heels.
>>>>>
>>>>> My Catrike requires just short of thirteen feet of chain and there's
>>>>> an issue of getting that chain stretched from the bottom bracket to
>>>>> the rear wheel. An idler gear is standard issue for the power side and
>>>>> many trikers replace the original chain tube with an idler on the
>>>>> return side. Most two wheelers can change their pedal stroke length by
>>>>> simply raising or lowering the seat. I can do that by adjusting my
>>>>> boom length, but that also affects my chain. If I move the boom a
>>>>> quarter inch, it changes the chain by a half inch. Because of the
>>>>> length of the chain and also the power side idler in the middle, cross
>>>>> chaining something I no longer concern myself with. I do, however,
>>>>> have to deal with the four inch clearance over speed bumps, curbs, and
>>>>> road clutter. Threading through debri and such is more difficult since
>>>>> I have three separate tracks to plan for instead of the one track you
>>>>> two wheelers have.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've stated that my 2009 Catrike has never visited a bike shop or had
>>>>> any maintenance other than from me. I bought it new in 2009 and have
>>>>> over 31,000 documented miles on it since 2011. I have almost two full
>>>>> years of undocumented riding. I was doing about 2500 miles a year
>>>>> back then, so you can estimate my total mileage and imagine how many
>>>>> technical issues I might have managed. Almost everything has been
>>>>> replaced at least once except the derailleurs, bottom bracket, and the
>>>>> front hubs and rims. Whereas I do enjoy working on bikes, I don't fix
>>>>> em if they aint broke. Regular maintenance, a little grease and spoke
>>>>> tightening is a good rainy day activity.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm on my fourth set of wheel bearings, ceramics on the front. I
>>>>> replaced the original frame several years ago when I noticed some
>>>>> hairline cracks. Catrike sent me a new one, no charge, no questions
>>>>> asked, just a picture.
>>>> I bet there's a tricycle discussion group where people might be interested in all that.
>>>> Or maybe a multi-user path riders' discussion group? Internet troll group?
>>>>
>>>> - Frank Krygowski
>>> Frank you are looking silier and sillier in this thread. Your own words to me more than once ‘if you don’t like this discussion ignore it’. Does that not apply to you?
>>>
>>> Lou
>>
>> Frank never added anything to this group even when I invited him to. He would "uh-huh" Jobst all the time even when it had absolutely nothing to do with engineering - something at which Jobst excelled. But when Jobst would start in on bicycles he was no more competent than any other rider and it would drive him wild when I would suggest that. Right here is Frank doing the same thing. Probably worse since in the best of times he was nothing more than a cycling tourist. That's fine but don't give us opinions of high end bikes if you don't have any experience with them. Don't tell us about recumbents if you don't know a thing about them.
>>
>> By the way - I received and installed that large idler pulley arm onto my Record rear derailleur. Took if for a ride yesterday. Now I can't be sure that it was exactly those large idler pulleys but the pedals seemed to turn a whole lot easier. When I thought I was riding easy at around 12 mph when I looked at the Garmin I was doing 15 or 16. I was using the wheels with the Michelin Pro4's on so that might have been part of the reason.
>>
>> That long arm with large idlers on it isn't perfect - it has a little too much play in it and if you're not EXACTLY aligned it does make noise trying to shift into another gear. But all in all I was pretty impressed and I can see why the pros are using them. The idlers ARE directional. The chain only engages the idler properly if you have it in the correct direction.
>
> The idlers I was referring to on recumbents are for getting the chain
> around a bend. A direct path from my chain rings to my cassett would
> have to pass though my body.
> https://tinyurl.com/2n9byhop
>
> One of the initial reasons I found this newsgroup was to ask about
> Derailleurs. Mine has around 35000 miles on it and although it seems
> to shift fine and the idlers don't look worn, I wondered if anyone
> knew about the lifespan of them. The bearing sufaces of the idlers
> must be terribly worn by now. I've seen where the idlers can be
> replaced, but maybe it's time for new derailleur. She's a nine speed
> and I'm not interested in changing that.
>

Idlers run better with an occasional (annual)cleaning and
oiling. Unless they are visibly chipped/worn or noticeably
stiff or rocking side to side they're fine.

Modern derailleurs are very well designed and produced. Wear
is associated mostly with salt water and repeated bashing
both of which are hard on pivots. In normal use they go a
very long time.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971