Old 04-09-12, 10:13 AM
  #10  
invisiblehand
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Washington, DC
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Bikes: Jamis Nova, Bike Friday triplet, Bike Friday NWT, STRIDA, Austro Daimler Vent Noir, Hollands Tourer

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Originally Posted by jur
I read somewhere that smaller cogs wear faster due to fewer teeth taking the load so the stresses are proportionally higher, exacerbated by the smaller diameter which means higher torque as well, so a double whammy, basically.
Essentially this is true in my experience. Although, from my hazy memory, it still lasted close to 3K miles of touring and club rides. My second cassette seems to be doing better since I change chains more frequently now.

Originally Posted by mtalinm
My 13-mile one-way commute is a bit two-faced. Half of it is brutal plowing through the cracked/potholed streets of downtown Boston, which would call for a mountain bike. The other half is on glass-smooth suburban streets, which would indicate a roadie. And you never know when it might rain...or rain so hard you have to take the train home. So you need a bike that is 1) fast 2) comfortable 3) foldable 4) rainproof 5) capable of carrying stuff 6) lit up at night 7) impervious to pothole damage.
I think you did a nice job.

The Sun Rhyno Lites are a great value. Although unless you're the weight of a tandem bike, I think that 36 spokes is probably overkill with super tough rims and wide tires; but given your description, I would be conservative too.

You'll have more wear with the Capreo hub. But I now replace the chain more frequently and use a dry/wax lube to keep it clean and the cassettes appears to be lasting a longer time. The nice things about a Capreo hub is that you'll have better shifting in the front and you can use an SS rear derailer with a double ... Shimano road groups are designed to handle their road doubles with their biggest road cassette.

FWIW, Bike Friday has a ton of variations on all of their models. If you wanted disc tabs all you have to do is ask. And you can get a Pocket Llama with drop bars.
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