Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Carusoswi
08-15-06, 04:16 PM
Spent a long weekend in the Finger Lakes area.
It is a beautiful area with plenty of biking opportunities.
Took both my bikes ('73 Schwinn Le Tour (modified for wider gear range) and the Cannondale Cyclocross (modified for really wide gear range)).
There were a few miscues with the bikes.
1) I forgot my @#%#@$% helmet. Didn't notice it missing until I was ready to take my first ride. Wore a baseball cap the entire weekend.
2) I forgot my bike pump. I absolutely detest riding when my tires aren't pumped up to the pressure I prefer. The Schwinn had not been used and especially needed some air in the tires. We went to Wal-Mart (couldn't find any close bike shops on a Friday afternoon (not that we looked that hard) and WM was just up the street (it always seems to be just up the street). The only Presta valve capable pump they had was a plug into your car lighter type deal. Although its gauge goes up to 300 psi, it pumps really slowly after you reach 100 PSI. Most annoying of all, the little gasket that fits inside the Presta adapter would stick to the tire stem whenever you pressed the pump head over the valve. This meant that I had to use a tooth pick to re-install the gasket after each inflation attempt - very annoying. The thing only cost $15.00, so I think I'll keep it and look for another better adapter.
3) Had taken the Schwinn to a large local bike store for a quick going over since I was not home to do it myself just prior to our trip. On our first ride, we got as far as the first slight climb when my daughter started complaining that the chain would not stay in anything but the smallest cog. This bike has friction shifters, and, from what I can tell, there is no tension barrel at the RD. I had replaced the 5-speed (freewheel?) with a 7-speed cassette - if you shifted to the largest cog, within two revolutions of the crank, the chain would move all the way to the smallest cog.
I was messing around with it at the side of the road when I heard some local resident banging away out behind his house. Went around to ask for a large screw driver, and he and I spent probably a half hour disassembling, reassembling the friction shift mechanism to see why it wasn't holding.
Since, in some 33 years of using this bike off and on (heavily from 2000-2005), I had never ever experienced a problem with that shifter - the shifters were one of the bikes more reliable components IMHO. It dawned on me that, perhaps the LBS had lubricated those shifters by mistake. I asked the homeowner if he had any solvent. He did. 2 minutes spent degreasing that shifter and it began working like a charm - of course, my daughter was under-whelmed during the time we spent fussing with this shifter.
The homeowner was absolutely wonderful to have spent the time helping and loaning us tools, washers, and such (we tried different washers, but, obviously, they didn't help).
I wonder if anyone else has had that experience with friction shifters.
By now, I have gotten use to the brifters on my Cannondale and wouldn't want to go back to friction shifters - mainly because of where they are located on the bike. I can shift my Cannondale while standing - I'm certain I could probably do that on the Schwinn, but it would certainly not be as convenient as the brifters.
Anyhow, those were the main snafus - no others to report. After the shifter repair, both bikes operated flawlessly during the balance of the trip.
It turns out that the city of Auburn hosted an annual race that involves kayaking/canoeing, biking, and (gosh, I can't remember) [running, I think].
On Sunday, Emerson Park was crawling with participants. Turns out this is the largest event of its type in the country.
I could not attend because we had other plans - maybe next year.
The area was a great place to ride - some hills, many shoulders marked for "Share the Road" bike use. The path that circles the lake at Auburn is nearly 30 miles around. I would get up at 3:00 AM to make that circle. Half way through (in Moravia) is a 24-hr mini market where I could stop for a quick coffee half way through. Until I got around, the sun would just be peeking over the horizon.
Not meaning to bore anyone with my dribble - it was a great weekend, plenty of good riding, and the company was good, too.
Would be curious to know if anyone has experience with that Wal-Mart 12-volt pump. It's made by Bell.
Thanks.
Caruso
It is a beautiful area with plenty of biking opportunities.
Took both my bikes ('73 Schwinn Le Tour (modified for wider gear range) and the Cannondale Cyclocross (modified for really wide gear range)).
There were a few miscues with the bikes.
1) I forgot my @#%#@$% helmet. Didn't notice it missing until I was ready to take my first ride. Wore a baseball cap the entire weekend.
2) I forgot my bike pump. I absolutely detest riding when my tires aren't pumped up to the pressure I prefer. The Schwinn had not been used and especially needed some air in the tires. We went to Wal-Mart (couldn't find any close bike shops on a Friday afternoon (not that we looked that hard) and WM was just up the street (it always seems to be just up the street). The only Presta valve capable pump they had was a plug into your car lighter type deal. Although its gauge goes up to 300 psi, it pumps really slowly after you reach 100 PSI. Most annoying of all, the little gasket that fits inside the Presta adapter would stick to the tire stem whenever you pressed the pump head over the valve. This meant that I had to use a tooth pick to re-install the gasket after each inflation attempt - very annoying. The thing only cost $15.00, so I think I'll keep it and look for another better adapter.
3) Had taken the Schwinn to a large local bike store for a quick going over since I was not home to do it myself just prior to our trip. On our first ride, we got as far as the first slight climb when my daughter started complaining that the chain would not stay in anything but the smallest cog. This bike has friction shifters, and, from what I can tell, there is no tension barrel at the RD. I had replaced the 5-speed (freewheel?) with a 7-speed cassette - if you shifted to the largest cog, within two revolutions of the crank, the chain would move all the way to the smallest cog.
I was messing around with it at the side of the road when I heard some local resident banging away out behind his house. Went around to ask for a large screw driver, and he and I spent probably a half hour disassembling, reassembling the friction shift mechanism to see why it wasn't holding.
Since, in some 33 years of using this bike off and on (heavily from 2000-2005), I had never ever experienced a problem with that shifter - the shifters were one of the bikes more reliable components IMHO. It dawned on me that, perhaps the LBS had lubricated those shifters by mistake. I asked the homeowner if he had any solvent. He did. 2 minutes spent degreasing that shifter and it began working like a charm - of course, my daughter was under-whelmed during the time we spent fussing with this shifter.
The homeowner was absolutely wonderful to have spent the time helping and loaning us tools, washers, and such (we tried different washers, but, obviously, they didn't help).
I wonder if anyone else has had that experience with friction shifters.
By now, I have gotten use to the brifters on my Cannondale and wouldn't want to go back to friction shifters - mainly because of where they are located on the bike. I can shift my Cannondale while standing - I'm certain I could probably do that on the Schwinn, but it would certainly not be as convenient as the brifters.
Anyhow, those were the main snafus - no others to report. After the shifter repair, both bikes operated flawlessly during the balance of the trip.
It turns out that the city of Auburn hosted an annual race that involves kayaking/canoeing, biking, and (gosh, I can't remember) [running, I think].
On Sunday, Emerson Park was crawling with participants. Turns out this is the largest event of its type in the country.
I could not attend because we had other plans - maybe next year.
The area was a great place to ride - some hills, many shoulders marked for "Share the Road" bike use. The path that circles the lake at Auburn is nearly 30 miles around. I would get up at 3:00 AM to make that circle. Half way through (in Moravia) is a 24-hr mini market where I could stop for a quick coffee half way through. Until I got around, the sun would just be peeking over the horizon.
Not meaning to bore anyone with my dribble - it was a great weekend, plenty of good riding, and the company was good, too.
Would be curious to know if anyone has experience with that Wal-Mart 12-volt pump. It's made by Bell.
Thanks.
Caruso