"I might try my luck again at the Bike Station"
You'll need extra luck as 'students' have just about cleaned the place out!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff
Designing the Ultimate Commuter
(170 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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"I looked around at the students and realised that they all had nicer phones than I have ever had, and nicer computers than I've ever had, and maybe I should try and overcome my natural aversion to spending money"
But what are their bikes like?!
Suspect phones (contract rather than purchase?) and computers may have parental involvement.
Thinking of spending £500 on a '5 mile commute' bike shows you're not that averse.
I see you are now thinking about riding your N+1 more. Perhaps it will 'replace' your Dutch bike...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"But what are their bikes like?!"
If the new student accommodation in Abbeyhill is any indication, the bikes parked there are almost universally shiny, and new looking. Usual mix of MTBs, 'town bikes' and the odd 'road bike' or 'fixie' thrown in for good measure.
"Suspect phones (contract rather than purchase?) and computers may have parental involvement."
Also suspect UtrechtCyclist no longer has access to the Bank Of Mum & Dad...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"suspect UtrechtCyclist no longer has access to the Bank Of Mum & Dad..."
Quite!
Posted 8 years ago # -
"suspect UtrechtCyclist no longer has access to the Bank Of Mum & Dad..."
Unfortunately that line of credit dried up some time ago!
Posted 8 years ago # -
In 1987 when I moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh university I was struck by the greater affluence of the students in the east. At that time the new town and marchmont were student ghettos but now they are spreading out a bit. Some might even go to tynecastle or Easter road now.
Glasgow uni tried spreading out, after my time and created a student ghetto in maryhill. Still there But not sure how gentrified that bit of maryhill has become (not very)
Posted 8 years ago # -
I was back up north at the weekend, and had my usual wander round the Old Aberdeen uni campus for a nostalgia hit. The nice thing about that is that not much has changed (unless you count the love-it-or-hate-it new library). But around the city there are new student blocks in lots of places.
I pointed out the IT building where you had to go to access your email, and there was one giant printer that you had to buy credit for, and no-one had mobiles (one of my friends had a pager...). I had an ancient monochrome screened 286 to write my essays on, then saved up for a battered 486 specifically to do my dissertation. Bank of Mum and Dad had dried up when I was 12 and got my first job (in fact my first, of only two remarkably, student loan bought a secondhand car for my dad). Kids today don't know they're born etc etc.
I bought a Falcon Scorpion mountain bike from Argos in my 4th year and used it to get to work. Had to be chained outside as there were absolutely no bike racks or sheds. I've no idea how it kept running, as I knew very very little about how to look after them at that time.
Where was I? Ultimate commuter? So many variables... I'm going to get out the sketchbook tonight...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"I've no idea how it kept running..."
Manufacturers' skills in simultaneously making components more friable and cheeselike whilst increasing their iron content and rustability have increased markedly in recent years. My oldoldoldbike had the same chain on it from 1994 to 2003. Its original freewheel (fitted in 1991ish) is still usable, attached to a spare wheel in the loft.
Posted 8 years ago # -
This thread was started after someone said they want an UC bike and an Ultimate Trail bike.
This appeared in that thread -
"Picked a copy of Singletrack to read on the train and found a very favourable review of the Genesis as a 'do anything' bike. It's a good description of it as it's currently doing good service as a commuter and an off-road trail bike with 35mm cyclocross tyres on."
http://www.citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14088&replies=1#post-180300
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Manufacturers' skills in simultaneously making components more friable and cheeselike"
Aye, they don't make things like they used to...
Of course things would be simpler if there was a linear relationship between cheap (junk) and expensive ('lasts for ever').
Part of the problem is 'what people want' - and how much that is 'human nature led' or 'led by marketing' - or 'marketing exploiting human nature'!
As with many things bike realated it's often about balance/compromise.
It's also still (to some degree) related to racing. At the top end small advantages can make a difference. The difference between 9 and 10 cogs on your rear wheel gives slightly more choice for optimum cadence/efficient power transfer. Not really considerations for the average commute.
It's not that long since 6 cogs was 'normal'. More gears generally means thinner cogs and narrower chains and the inevitable faster wear - unless more expensive materials are used.
Embrace innovation, but resist 'fashion'. The world (for the average bike riding person) changed with indexing and also Hyperglide. Easier/better gear changing had some longevity trade-off - the smoother teeth profiles don't survive as long as the previous, more clunky gear systems.
Incremental increases in sprocket numbers may be less advantageous to 'average' bike riders (if such a person exists).
But of course (many) people like shiny and new and more...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'm seriously considering going N-1 and retiring my road and cyclocross bikes in favour of a Kona Roadhouse. Looks like the perfect commuter for my needs and would also satisfy my needs for weekend outings.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Not really considerations for the average commute. "
I ought to keep a record of what my sprocket arrangements are - perhaps due to usually picking a discounted cassette which would enable me to almost never leave the middle chainring on the basis of its overall range and largest-sprocket tooth-count I usually encountered a noticeable jump in ratios at around 17mph, which was resolved by going up to nine sprockets. I think oldoldoldbike's 2*6 would have had quite a few gaps, but back then I would have put up with them for urban/commuting use in order to reduce the amount of (downtube-mounted-lever) shifting required in traffic.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@ianfieldhouse,
It looks nice but I like my commuter to come with mudguard fittings.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"I ought to keep a record of what my sprocket arrangements are"
"Ought" as in - 'you might find it useful'.
Gears seem to be a mystery to many people!
When I was young I was 'only' interested in a higher top gear to beat my '46mph top speed down steep hill' record.
But there wasn't much choice in those days - even if you had the money.
For most people, having a bottom gear that gets you up hills is more important - though it's not just about gears. Cycling from Canonmills to the top of The Mound also requires a certain amount of fitness.
In the 70s when Jocky Allan had his Jane Street shop, one of the wonders was his SunTour sprocket board.
Not only could you buy a single sprocket to replace the worn one you had used the most, you could have designer gears.
My preference was 14 (smallest generally available), 16, 18, 21, 24, 30 (largest generally available).
I was also a fan of minimalism (an unknown word then) and had a single chainring - 48T.
Triple chainsets were almost unseen - only used by Alpine tourers.
Mountain bikes 'changed everything'. The original ones were only for going downhill - fast. The Californian pioneers wanted to be able to cycle back up and started experimenting.
Now the new trend is towards "compacts".
Posted 8 years ago # -
I was also a fan of minimalism
I always put it down to frugalism ;)
Posted 8 years ago # -
SCHMOMPACTS.
I quite liked the idea of the "megarange" cassette or freewheel, which basically always gave you one extra really low gear for escape purposes without the need for a really small chainring. As my oldoldoldbike had 52/42 chainrings (again fitted in about 1991, and very recently re-used as they were still working fine with plenty of tooth left) I tried a megarange freewheel in 2003 to make things like regular trips up Dundas Street in stop-start traffic easier.
I'd like to not bother with more than one chainring but occasional hills-with-child-or-lots-of-shopping and -downhill-with-tailwinds make me hang on to my current triple (and make-do Bike Station front mech). I even recently bought a replacement crank/spider from that German Shimano parts warehouse, when it looked like the existing one had been bent slightly in the Kaff-knackering impact from SD08 CEN and its driver.I think it was in this thread somewhere where I wished for cassette manufacturers to make the large cogs from harder materials, whereas currently it's usually the take-off gears which wear the soonest. Usually it's the two or three smallest sprockets which would be easiest to independently replace.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
"I always put it down to frugalism"Yes and no. Frugal is to some extent choice rather than 'lack of money'.
A single chainring is cheaper - but also lighter.
I was an early adopter of integrated circuits (before everything became chips) not (initially) cheaper than transistors etc. Definitely more minimal.
OM film cameras. Carrying lots of cameras/lenses by bike, weight matters.
Bridge not SLR digitals.
Balance of functionality, weight, price.
Psion - Palm - iPhone, MUCH more expensive than pen and paper!
Posted 8 years ago # -
@acsimpson You're right. I could have sworn that there were mudguard mounts when I'd looked at this. Oh well saved myself from an impulse purchase there. ;)
Posted 8 years ago # -
"I quite liked the idea of the "megarange" cassette or freewheel"
+1 (I still do.)
One apparent consequence of "compact" is the reduction of size of the largest chainring which means a reduction in the highest gear (which probably won't make a difference to most people) - unless matched to a smaller sprocket too.
My 'new' bike has a 'home-made' compact of 45/28 with an 11-28 cassette - range 26-108", fine for just about anything!
Posted 8 years ago # -
"minimalism (an unknown word then) "
Unless you were an art aficionado. In which case it meant quite a lot in the 1970s! :-)
' "I quite liked the idea of the "megarange" cassette or freewheel"
+1 (I still do.) '
Me too! Think I have a seven speed one in the garage somewhere...
Posted 8 years ago #
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