Messages

1

Gear Talk / Mirrors

« on: November 17, 2006, 06:54:57 pm »

>After searching the web, I found the 3rd Eye which has
>a glass convex lens that mounts in the bar end.  I
>assume that it could then be adjusted for road bars...
>Anyone have experience with the 3rd Eye?

>http://www.3rd-eye.com/(09).htm  

I've used the 3rd Eye mirror for several years after trying, and giving up on, other styles.  It mounts fine in drop bars with the mirror below the bars themselves.  I usually adjust it so I can see a slight bit of my left leg as a point of reference.

2

Gear Talk / Windsor Tourist

« on: October 13, 2006, 10:35:26 pm »

Go to Google Groups and then into the rec.bicycles.tech group at

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech?lnk=lr

Do a search on "Windsor Tourist" and you'll find a few threads.  And you'll probably find "Reportedly, the Windsor Tourist Road Bike is exactly the same as the Fuji Tour. It costs $700. There was someone selling these on eBay for $550, probably another sales channel for http://bikesdirect.com."

I really have no idea, but you can get the Fuji specs and compare then to the Windsor Tourist specs and see what you think.

If you agree that they're pretty much the same bike then ask what folks think of the Fuji Tour and its suitability for a cross country ride.  Buying a Fuji from a dealer should mean you'll get a little more hand-holding and help for things that might not be quite right, where as you're more likely to be on your own going the  mail-order "never heard of the company" route.  It's a trade-off, like most things in life

3

Gear Talk / Is this an appropriate crankset?

« on: October 13, 2006, 06:43:30 pm »

Well, youre at least partially correct.  In my first post I expressed a mild preference for splined BBs, though I didnt say why.  In fact, the only reason I mentioned square taper BBs at all was because Id read a review that mentioned a Sugino splined crank and I just couldnt find it.

To say I stated right up front that new spined bottom brackets were superior and square taper cranks were old and inferior speaks more to your state of mind that anything that could be explicitly extracted from the post.  As far as you knew, I get hives if I touch a square-taper BB.

But what I didnt do was lash out at square taper advocates as old-fashioned, head in the sand, retro-grouch curmudgeons who wouldnt know a better technology if it bit em on the ass.  That would be an ad hominem argument, an attack on the advocate, and short of verifiable facts.  Kind of like youll fit right in with the folks who are suckers for the latest marketing ploy and chase the newest fad without the remotest understand of its suitability.  You get the point?

But I think at this time this aspect of the conversation regarding the a question I asked about a particular crank is a Complete and Utter Waste of Time, so Ill say no more.

4

Gear Talk / Is this an appropriate crankset?

« on: October 12, 2006, 12:41:12 pm »

Maybe I'm being too sensitive but that "I think you will fit right in" comment (referring to bicycle stuff being sold on the basis of fad and style) struck the wrong note with me.  It seems to me thats an ad hominem argument; strike that entire paragraph and Ive got not problems.

You want to tell me that millions of miles have been ridden on square-taper bottom brackets and suggest splined bottom brackets arent worth the additional cost?  Fine, thats a judgment I can assess.

You want to suggest that splined bottom brackets might not be available in the hinterlands of Lower Slabovia?  Good input; if I ever wander that way I might just swap out the splined BB for a square-taper one.

But dont call me a mindless slave to fashion and marketing hype.  Thats not helpful.  Im not a weight-weenie and I try to make reasonable decisions about equipment.  Based on what Ive read, splined bottom brackets are superior technology to square-taper.  I have considerable experience with both flavors of bottom bracket and, based on the sort of trekking Im thinking I may end doing, splined bottom brackets just tend to make more sense.

And I'm not quite sure where the issue of external bearing BB's got attached to my post, since I never brought that up.  

5

Gear Talk / Is this an appropriate crankset?

« on: October 11, 2006, 02:12:46 pm »

Personal comments really aren't appropriate.  

I believe the splined bottom brackets represent superior technology, with the ISIS being better in that regard than the Octalink.  Since my grandest plans for touring at this point might be a cross-country (USA) tour I'm not too worried about being disabled by bottom bracket problems.

I'm not dead-set against square-taper bottom brackets - my 35+ year old beater bike still uses one - it's just a preference at this point.

6

Gear Talk / Is this an appropriate crankset?

« on: October 10, 2006, 11:25:08 am »

Hi all:

I've taken the plunge and ordered a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame that I plan to build up in the coming months.  As far as cranksets go, I'm leaning towards something along the line of a 46/36/24 or 46/36/26, preferably using one of the newer splined bottom brackets available.

One that I've seen that has these specs is the Shimano FC-M530.  Anybody have anything pro or con to say about this particular crankset?

Are there other cranksets that meet the above requirements that I might also consider?

Sugino cranksets seem to be popular and are widely available, but it looks like they've stuck with the square-taper bottom brackets.  Does Sugino now make cranks that use one of the splined bottom brackets now available?

TIA.

Tom Young

7

Routes / Familiar with Anza-Borrego/Cleveland Forest area?

« on: February 16, 2007, 07:30:22 pm »

Thanks for the reply.  Have you ever been through Warner Springs (looks like Warner Springs Ranch is the big deal there) and do you have any feel for leaving a vehicle there for a week or so?

Tom Young

8

Routes / Familiar with Anza-Borrego/Cleveland Forest area?

« on: February 08, 2007, 06:46:22 pm »

We'll be riding sometime in March and be out about 6 or 7 days.

Tom Young

9

Routes / Familiar with Anza-Borrego/Cleveland Forest area?

« on: February 08, 2007, 12:58:05 pm »

Hi:

My daughter and I are planning to take our first self-supported tour (we'll, actually, our first bike tour of any kind) in March and thought we'd try something in the Cleveland National Forest and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park area in eastern San Diego County.  We'll be driving down from San Francisco and hope to park the car somewhere in or near Cleveland/Anza-Borrego and ride some sort of roughly circular route from/to the car.

Can anybody suggest a suitable starting/ending point where a car might park for 6 or 7 days safely?  Looking at the map we've identified a couple of towns (wide spots on the road?) that might be suitable: Warner Springs on Hwy 79 about 20 miles west of Borrego Springs, Ranchita on S-22, or possibly even Borrego Springs itself.  Can anybody comment about these spots, or suggest others to consider?

Thanks.

Tom Young

10

Routes / Newbie's First Try: Anza Borrego area?

« on: October 12, 2006, 12:58:51 pm »

Hi all:

My daughter and I are thinking we might want to try our first limited self-contained tour in February or March of 2007.  (At this point we don't even have our equipment together.)  Since Northern California is typically cold and rainy around that time of year I thought we might drive down to the Anza Borrego Desert area (east of San Diego) for a shake-out trip of a week or so.

If anybody has some local knowledge of the area and could provide pointers or recommendations I'd appreciate it.