The Sounds of Bikes
05-12-21 | 09:33 PM
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 15,397
Likes: 8,315
From: Seattle area
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Some sounds on a ride can be a great thing. So can quiet.
Hard of hearing with a large number of friction shifting bikes = always listening for sounds and checking those derailleurs for positioning. Quiet except for the wind and pavement tire sound. Sometimes the sound is the squeek of a very old saddle.
Hard of hearing with a large number of friction shifting bikes = always listening for sounds and checking those derailleurs for positioning. Quiet except for the wind and pavement tire sound. Sometimes the sound is the squeek of a very old saddle.
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
05-12-21 | 09:50 PM
#27
do-over candidate
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,775
Likes: 627
From: PNW
Bikes: One of everything and three of everything French
I sometimes ride very late at night and find the quiet really enjoyable. Just the slight sound the bike makes as it slips through the air. Weirdly, I seem to have permanent memory of sensations (sound and smell) from accidents I was involved in.
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I.C.
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Last edited by Insidious C.; 05-13-21 at 12:42 AM.
05-12-21 | 10:06 PM
#28
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 15,397
Likes: 8,315
From: Seattle area
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Rumor has it..... that the WORST sound,
is that of a stranded cyclist,
wailing when his electronic bike lost battery or
failed to clutch the rd to the 54tooth cog & jammed,
or some such techNOlogical failure of progress
not always best suited for simple pursuits.
edit: the same sentiment was expressed a century (ish?) ago by some French racer man about changeable gearsets.
is that of a stranded cyclist,
wailing when his electronic bike lost battery or
failed to clutch the rd to the 54tooth cog & jammed,
or some such techNOlogical failure of progress
not always best suited for simple pursuits.
edit: the same sentiment was expressed a century (ish?) ago by some French racer man about changeable gearsets.
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Last edited by Wildwood; 05-12-21 at 10:16 PM.
05-13-21 | 12:40 PM
#29
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 2,962
Likes: 1,833
From: Long Island, NY
Bikes: Trek 800 x 2, Schwinn Heavy Duti, Schwinn Traveler, Schwinn Le Tour Luxe, Schwinn Continental, Cannondale M400 and Lambert, Schwinn Super Sport
Personally, though I like the sound of a Sturmey Archer hub or a well-mannered RD with a quiet Suntour or Shimano freewheel/freehub, I dislike the sound of tires with tread patterns. My favorite tires back in my skinny-tire days were the Specialized Turbo and the Avocet Criteriums with no tread at all -- slicks -- for the smooth riding they afforded. The nearest I can come to that now is the Rivendell Jack Brown Greens, with the minimal checkerboard (especially after worn in some), but I wish someone would make high quality, lightweight slicks in the 35–42 widths. Tread patterns are vastly overrated for use on pavement, IMO.
I'm with you, Slick tires should be available for road bikes.
05-13-21 | 02:09 PM
#30
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 1,293
Likes: 544
From: Great White North
Bikes: 2013 Cannondale Caad 8, 2010 Opus Fidelio, 1985 Peugeot UO14, 1999 Peugeot Dune, Sakai Select, L'Avantage, 1999 Specialized Hard Rock, 1973 Raleigh Sport, Nishiki Probe
i will have to look into this because I'm not sure it's an age thing, or just the air being more dense with the cooler temperatures (does that make sense?) but I find I am getting a lot of wind noise when I ride and it's becoming really annoying. My hearing is still fine (as far as I know) but I'm sure there's degradation in all the ear parts as one would expect when north of 50. It's just really loud and can often block out the noise of anything when I'm riding.
05-17-21 | 09:03 AM
#31
aka Tom Reingold
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,240
Likes: 6,494
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
I took a somewhat hilly ride with a friend yesterday, and as I stood up on a climb and he was slightly behind me, he said he heard my tires. I love it when tires do that.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
