View Single Post
Old 06-13-19, 07:50 PM
  #23  
cudak888 
www.theheadbadge.com
 
cudak888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Southern Florida
Posts: 28,496

Bikes: http://www.theheadbadge.com

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2401 Post(s)
Liked 4,350 Times in 2,075 Posts
Originally Posted by Ironfish653
You might be able to go the other way, with T45 or T50 with 3 of the teeth cut out.
Thought about it, but the teeth are still pretty narrow on those. I might get engagement, but I'm not sure if I'll snap the tool.

I did find 32mm #6 , #7 , and #8 tri-wing bits from KC Tools, but those were too big. I ordered a #5 from them, just to see if the German-made bit has a different pattern from the Chinese ones.

Originally Posted by robertorolfo
Rode some Mobikes for a few days while in Milan for work, and they were TERRIBLE. Yes, all caps, terrible. And I rode quite a few of them, with slight variations in the models (some chain drive, some belt drive), and they were all absolute junk. They were so bad that I almost regretted riding rather than using public transportation.

A few days earlier I had rented a more traditional style bike in Parma, and it was a completely different story. Heavy and urban, but a pleasure to ride and well maintained.
Any particular reason for their infamy? Heavy, or just poorly assembled? I haven't had an opportunity to see one of these in person, so I know zilch about them.

I know some of them have airless plastic tires, which seems like a pretty terrible idea.

Originally Posted by 2_i
I have a Mobike account tied to a Chinese SIM, but for some reason that SIM did not want to work in Italy, even though it works fine in US. In any case, I have been riding Mobikes in China and they are a step up, seriously, compared to the share bikes that Chinese city governments started a few years earlier. Yes, they are klutzy and abused by customers. I usually run around to find one with working brakes, straight pedals and saddle good for my height. I carry some basic tools with me and often am able to adjust the saddle height, if there is no other way out.

As to Italy, I rented on different occasions from small operators in Bologna, Frascati and on Sicilly. All places were delightful in terms of the people running the operations, who were bike enthusiasts and seemed to enjoy keeping the society riding. Bikes ranged from an acceptable in Bologna to top notch in Frascati, better than I normally ride. The bike in Sicilly had a hydroformed frame that I found quite pleasant to ride - I normally stay away from alu. Milan seemed to have an abundance of share systems, but I had no chance to try any.

I think I know the model of Mobike you speak of from Sicilly - hydrofomed shaft drive area, like this one?


Originally Posted by robertorolfo
Wow, I can only imagine how bad those other bikes must be. I probably rode 5-6 different Mobikes, and they just made it feel so difficult to make any sort of meaningful progress. And it wasn't always a question of gearing, because some of them had Shimano three speed grip shifters.

The bike I used in Parma was from this service, and as I mentioned it was great by comparison. While waiting around at one point I spun the front wheel in the air and the bearings seemed perfectly maintained and adjusted, and the wheel very true.
I find that the Shanghai General ofo feels a bit like that - a really dead ride. By comparison, the Tianjin Fuji-Ta I acquired from the Dallas fleet feels comparatively zippy. They're both heavy, but the Shanghai uses a Nexus Inter-3, and the Tianjin a Sturmey-Archer X-RD3.

If I had to guess, the Nexus feels like it's much less mechanically efficient than the Sturmey. Maybe it's just me, or the Sturmey is also geared higher, overall. Still doesn't explain why I feel like I can shoot off pretty quickly in first on the Sturmey, and keep a good clip into second, while the Nexus constantly feels like I'm pushing a dragging brake at any gear. And I've checked - neither band brake is dragging.

Originally Posted by 2_i
In China they are all single speed and have no lights. I noticed some electric ones, but did not try them. My good Bologna experience was with the company below. Within the basic price they provided a helmet and gave a city map and, when it became apparent that I fix bikes, they wanted to supply me with a tire repair kit, pump and some tools, at no charge. I travel with those, but I still took something to make them feel accomplished . They also had better bikes, but a city bike was sufficient for most of my needs.
Don't the bluegogos have Nexus 3-speed hubs? Pretty sure they do.

-Kurt
__________________












cudak888 is offline