cooker

Mmmm, oil pie.

Sorry

dauphin

Still waiting for what it means to say a frame is stiff...and while I am thinking about it....is using the word "gruppo" just way of pretending you speak Italian or is it commonly used by English speakers?

DnvrFox

Sorry, only one dumb question answered each day!

dauphin

Sorry...gotta keep askin em....how do you insert thumbnails of images?

Digital Gee

How does one know if a question is a dumb question?

Blackberry

There are no dumb questions. Only dumb idiots like us who ask them.

Digital Gee

If there are no dumb questions, then what can one post in this thread?

Blackberry

You could ask why one clips into clipless pedals. It is one of the eternal questions that has plagued mankind ever since the dawn of creation.

Louis

Why is it that all we hear on TV these days are advertisements for some kind of blue pill to cure disfunctional reptiles?

I've never paid much attention to reptiles, to tell you the truth. Now all we hear about is "reptile disfunction".

dauphin

that might be the answer to the stiff question

CrossChain

Put pie in front of these guys and they totally lose it! A frame that is "stiff" is one that particularly resists flexing, bending, noodling, swaying, etc. under the load of pedaling...especially accelerations and sprinting. Young macho riders often value stiffness because they feel that such a quality transmits more of their power output to moving the bike-- rather than just having the frame flex and absorb/dissipate that power in useless movement. Would you rather bat a home run with a piece of hickory (OK, aluminum) or hit that ball with a stick of baloney?

Frame flex is a function of frame material, tubing thickness and design, also perhaps the way the tubes are joined, and geometry. Stiff, carbon handlebars, for example, refuse to waste your energy as you pull on them in outsprinting Tom Boonen. So the argument goes. Mostly the twirps over in Road Cycling chortle over their flexless frames. A few old time frame builders counter-argue that when a frame, especially around the bottom bracket, flexes, that energy is returned to you when it bounces back.

In my younger, thicker thighed days, I had a very flexible frame that I could feel the chain stays fishtail when I pushed hard. Not a good feeling. But then, Sean Kelly use to win classic after classic on a noodly Vitus frame. And his thighs were almost as potent as mine.

But....as with all things....The Downside: Stiffer frames may not wastefully absorb so much of your power, but they also don't benignly absorb road buzz, chatter, bumps, etc. Heavy, stiff olde tyme steel frames would rattle your teeth and not be fun on long rides...especially in the days before gel, zertz, carbon, etc. Today, makers tell us that we can have stiffness and comfort too with new frame materials. Owning only steel bikes, I'll have to have one of our more "trendy" members speak to that.

So, stiffness in varying degrees can be a positive or negative....dialing in the combination you like that is comfortable and serves your riding style is just one more variable in selecting the right bike.

Now I'll shut up so guys who really know what they're talking about can take over.

dauphin

That was really good. I even understood part of it!

cheeseflavor

What was the OP's original point again?

Guiseppe Diego

Eh! You no like my theory?

stapfam

Don't care what sort of pie, providing it is in front of me. Problem with blueberry pie is that we do not have blueberries in abundance in the UK.

Now if you really want a pie- went into a bakers and he did a Breakfast pie. Pie crust that was worth having on its own- Sausage, bacon, tomatoe, Scrambled egg, Mushroom and Black Pudding. If I am in that area- a slice of breakfast pie, a coffee and an Eccles cake will see me through the morning.

pastorbobnlnh 

But doesn't "olde tyme steel" have a timeless beauty to it? It's stiff, it's heavy, no gel, and only five speeds, but it will look perfect leaning against the front window of Irma's or any other made in America pie shop. And notice the "pie plate" behind the freewheel. Cleaned and ready for a fresh serving of warm Strawberry Rubarb and a scoop of homemade icecream.

BTW Stapfam, what is "Black Pudding?" And, are those foods you mention on your heart healthy diet?

greywolf

Dont forget the good old 'humble pie'

DnvrFox

I don't think we should let relative newbies dictate the terms of the 50+ Forum's pie day.

DnvrFox

The eternal conundrum!

Of course, the answer is nothing, as this thread is only for dumb questions.

Since there are no dumb questions, thread closed.

jochumr

where I come from pie is eaten.

Monoborracho

The first name I every heard was "idiot plate" for what you are calling the dork disk, implying I was an idiot if I shifted the derailleur into the spokes. This was on a Jeunet purchased in 1970. And, yes, I was once an idiot.

The deal with pie...everyone wishes they had some pecan pie, made with lots of dark Karo syrup, buttered graham cracker crust, and an inch of whole pecans glued on on top with that sweet stuff my Mama used. (PECAN is pronounced PUH-KAHN, and not pee-kan)

cooker

As you compose a post scroll down to "manage attachments". If you don't see that, click on "go advanced". Once you get to "manage attachments", select "browse" to find the file you want, "open" to select it, then "upload". Then "close window", then finish your message and save it.

dauphin

Thanks cooker I think I have it now.

dauphin

At least I thought I had it....

dauphin

Cool!