Gatorskins: Joerg Wins!

On 3/30/2017 11:15 AM, Joerg wrote:

I have thick spokes and good rims right now. However, spokes keep going
every now and then, on the rear wheel. The "self-infliction" comes from
the fact that I often use my bikes as ... gasp ... utility vehicles.
Bringing heavy packages to Fedex when I couldn't make the pickup cut-off
time, schlepping parts from the valley up here, etc. This includes
sections where chugging uphill in low gear is required, almost standing
in the pedals.

Joerg, I think you're overestimating your machismo. I use my bikes as
utility vehicles as well. My last grocery run, just a couple days ago,
had me carrying probably 50 pounds. It far exceeded the capacity of my
large shopping panniers, partly because I realized at the last minute
that we needed a big box of cat litter. I ended up with stuff lashed on
top of the panniers and overstuffing the handlebar bag. (And since it's
so important to you: yes, a dozen beers were part of the load.)

I also spent decades biking to and from work, over famously potholed
streets, often with piles of books and lab reports to grade. I do
remember breaking two rear axles over the years, but almost never a spoke.

--
- Frank Krygowski

On 3/30/2017 2:35 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 10:28, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:30:01 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 18:14, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 13:23:44 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 13:08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/29/2017 12:55 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 07:35, jbeattie wrote:

[...]


saw rider weights between 330 and 400lbs (my wife or a
male friend). It was old-tech, too: 140mm rear hub with
36 spokes. I built them, and they worked perfectly,
although we didn't ride the tandem on super-gnarly trail
while being chased by mountain lions.



It depends where you ride. I often have no choice but to
take sections of dirt road and the occasional stretch of
singletrack even with the road bike.

That's not uncommon. To get to the house of one of my best
friends, I usually shortcut through our forest preserve.
Gravel road, single track trail through the forest edge and
then through a grassy meadow, drop down off a curb and ride
on. No problem.

Jobst was famous for riding his road bike where most mountain
bikers feared to go. Photos are online.


So did I, almost since the training wheels had come off. This
is why I always kept a large stash of new spokes. They broke
all the time. While at university all I could afford for
commuting were department road bikes and anything more would
have been stolen anyhow. Each lasted about one year and
afterwards was totally finished. Not a big deal because I could
buy another used one for around $30.

As I said, in my case that often also means cargo on the bike
and that's was really does them in. I can get out of the saddle
but the tens of lbs riding along in back won't.

You talk of Tens of pounds and Jay talks of hundreds of pounds
but your wheels break and his do not?


Hundreds of lbs of cargo?


Strange, isn't it?


No, could be different turf. Just like the guys on the Rubicon
break all sorts of stuff on their SUVs and on mine nothing never
broke in 20 years despite overloaded trips on rough dirt roads. I
wish Mitsubishi would make bicycles of similar sturdiness.

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I wonder just how many spokes the Vietnamese broke on those bicycles
they used to haul vast quantities of stuff on the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
Or isthat trail not as rough as yours?


When it got rough they usually pushed it:

http://263i3m2dw9nnf6zqv39ktpr1.wpen...1_1200x480.jpg


They also had among the first fat bikes:

https://i2.wp.com/peteralanlloyd.com...-45.jpg?w=1024


Then they changed to other kinds of cycles:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...aphy/182689829


Have you taken a closer look at classical Asian bicycles? The Bayer
Corporation (the guys that came up with Aspirin) headquarters was very
close to where I grew up so I saw their company bikes a lot. They found
that older style Chinese bicycles outperformed others in terms of
reliability and then bought them by the boatload. Employees were allowed
and encouraged to use them privately as well. Those were very sturdy
beasts, thick spokes, two top tubes in parallel, and so on. Even the
more modern Flying Pigeon has more spokes than usual on the rear wheel
and the whole thing weighs more than 40lbs empty. Guess why they did that.

The Bayer bicycles looked similar to this one, just more stout:

http://www.radioleverkusen.de/images...372463_max.jpg

So buy one!


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 2017-03-30 11:47, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 11:15 AM, Joerg wrote:

I have thick spokes and good rims right now. However, spokes keep going
every now and then, on the rear wheel. The "self-infliction" comes from
the fact that I often use my bikes as ... gasp ... utility vehicles.
Bringing heavy packages to Fedex when I couldn't make the pickup cut-off
time, schlepping parts from the valley up here, etc. This includes
sections where chugging uphill in low gear is required, almost standing
in the pedals.

Joerg, I think you're overestimating your machismo. I use my bikes as
utility vehicles as well. My last grocery run, just a couple days ago,
had me carrying probably 50 pounds. It far exceeded the capacity of my
large shopping panniers, partly because I realized at the last minute
that we needed a big box of cat litter. I ended up with stuff lashed on
top of the panniers and overstuffing the handlebar bag. (And since it's
so important to you: yes, a dozen beers were part of the load.)


I am not macho but this is standard fare for me. I have an ESGE aluminum
rack on the road bike and panniers on that. This is where tools, water,
small loads of purchase stuff rides. The flat section on top is where
machine parts for client, Fedex boxes, supplies from the valley and such
ride.


I also spent decades biking to and from work, over famously potholed
streets, often with piles of books and lab reports to grade. I do
remember breaking two rear axles over the years, but almost never a spoke.


I broke several axles on the old MTB and that was because it had one of
those dreaded freewheels where the right bearing is too far inside.
Strangely I do not break spokes on MTB but I broke lots of them on road
bikes, maybe because they have no suspension.

Whenever this frame gives up (if it ever does) I will transfer to a
cyclocross bike with disc brakes and then I can use MTB wheels. That
should fix the problem for good.

BTW, I am by far not the only one with wear failures. The extreme is a
friend who rides around 10k miles per year. He broke frames, BBs,
spokes, numerous hubs, cranks and so on. Everything he rides is
high-class expensive stuff, he only rides on paved surfaces yet it
breaks. He only weighs around 180lbs and doesn't even have a cargo racks
on his bikes. However, he sure steps on it and I can't keep up with him
for much more than 30 minutes. Not because of lack of muscle but because
then I am out of breath.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 2017-03-30 11:58, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 2:35 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 10:28, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:30:01 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 18:14, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 13:23:44 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 13:08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/29/2017 12:55 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 07:35, jbeattie wrote:

[...]


saw rider weights between 330 and 400lbs (my wife or a
male friend). It was old-tech, too: 140mm rear hub with
36 spokes. I built them, and they worked perfectly,
although we didn't ride the tandem on super-gnarly trail
while being chased by mountain lions.



It depends where you ride. I often have no choice but to
take sections of dirt road and the occasional stretch of
singletrack even with the road bike.

That's not uncommon. To get to the house of one of my best
friends, I usually shortcut through our forest preserve.
Gravel road, single track trail through the forest edge and
then through a grassy meadow, drop down off a curb and ride
on. No problem.

Jobst was famous for riding his road bike where most mountain
bikers feared to go. Photos are online.


So did I, almost since the training wheels had come off. This
is why I always kept a large stash of new spokes. They broke
all the time. While at university all I could afford for
commuting were department road bikes and anything more would
have been stolen anyhow. Each lasted about one year and
afterwards was totally finished. Not a big deal because I could
buy another used one for around $30.

As I said, in my case that often also means cargo on the bike
and that's was really does them in. I can get out of the saddle
but the tens of lbs riding along in back won't.

You talk of Tens of pounds and Jay talks of hundreds of pounds
but your wheels break and his do not?


Hundreds of lbs of cargo?


Strange, isn't it?


No, could be different turf. Just like the guys on the Rubicon
break all sorts of stuff on their SUVs and on mine nothing never
broke in 20 years despite overloaded trips on rough dirt roads. I
wish Mitsubishi would make bicycles of similar sturdiness.

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I wonder just how many spokes the Vietnamese broke on those bicycles
they used to haul vast quantities of stuff on the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
Or isthat trail not as rough as yours?


When it got rough they usually pushed it:

http://263i3m2dw9nnf6zqv39ktpr1.wpen...1_1200x480.jpg



They also had among the first fat bikes:

https://i2.wp.com/peteralanlloyd.com...-45.jpg?w=1024



Then they changed to other kinds of cycles:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...aphy/182689829



Have you taken a closer look at classical Asian bicycles? The Bayer
Corporation (the guys that came up with Aspirin) headquarters was very
close to where I grew up so I saw their company bikes a lot. They found
that older style Chinese bicycles outperformed others in terms of
reliability and then bought them by the boatload. Employees were allowed
and encouraged to use them privately as well. Those were very sturdy
beasts, thick spokes, two top tubes in parallel, and so on. Even the
more modern Flying Pigeon has more spokes than usual on the rear wheel
and the whole thing weighs more than 40lbs empty. Guess why they did
that.

The Bayer bicycles looked similar to this one, just more stout:

http://www.radioleverkusen.de/images...372463_max.jpg


So buy one!


AFAIK they have been discontinued. If you haven't noticed yet the
Chinese have, sadly, given up on cycling in droves and adopted the
internal combustion engine. Now they live in smog.

http://wap.chinadaily.com.cn/img/att...1a15bfef1c.jpg

The other issue is that, yes, I can replace this road bike with a
cyclocross bike and mod its frame so it can take a rack and heavy loads.
However, then my wife rightfully would make me get rid of ye olde
Gazelle because the garage gets too full. I can't yet bring myself to
scrapping old Gazelle (yet).

Totally OT: Is there a YouTube video of you playing your fiddle? Or in a
small band?

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 3/30/2017 1:58 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 2:35 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 10:28, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:30:01 AM UTC-4, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-03-29 18:14, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 13:23:44 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 13:08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/29/2017 12:55 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 07:35, jbeattie wrote:

[...]


saw rider weights between 330 and 400lbs (my wife or a
male friend). It was old-tech, too: 140mm rear hub
with
36 spokes. I built them, and they worked perfectly,
although we didn't ride the tandem on super-gnarly
trail
while being chased by mountain lions.



It depends where you ride. I often have no choice
but to
take sections of dirt road and the occasional
stretch of
singletrack even with the road bike.

That's not uncommon. To get to the house of one of
my best
friends, I usually shortcut through our forest preserve.
Gravel road, single track trail through the forest
edge and
then through a grassy meadow, drop down off a curb
and ride
on. No problem.

Jobst was famous for riding his road bike where most
mountain
bikers feared to go. Photos are online.


So did I, almost since the training wheels had come
off. This
is why I always kept a large stash of new spokes. They
broke
all the time. While at university all I could afford for
commuting were department road bikes and anything more
would
have been stolen anyhow. Each lasted about one year and
afterwards was totally finished. Not a big deal
because I could
buy another used one for around $30.

As I said, in my case that often also means cargo on
the bike
and that's was really does them in. I can get out of
the saddle
but the tens of lbs riding along in back won't.

You talk of Tens of pounds and Jay talks of hundreds of
pounds
but your wheels break and his do not?


Hundreds of lbs of cargo?


Strange, isn't it?


No, could be different turf. Just like the guys on the
Rubicon
break all sorts of stuff on their SUVs and on mine
nothing never
broke in 20 years despite overloaded trips on rough dirt
roads. I
wish Mitsubishi would make bicycles of similar sturdiness.

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I wonder just how many spokes the Vietnamese broke on
those bicycles
they used to haul vast quantities of stuff on the Ho Chi
Minh Trail?
Or isthat trail not as rough as yours?


When it got rough they usually pushed it:

http://263i3m2dw9nnf6zqv39ktpr1.wpen...1_1200x480.jpg



They also had among the first fat bikes:

https://i2.wp.com/peteralanlloyd.com...-45.jpg?w=1024



Then they changed to other kinds of cycles:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...aphy/182689829



Have you taken a closer look at classical Asian bicycles?
The Bayer
Corporation (the guys that came up with Aspirin)
headquarters was very
close to where I grew up so I saw their company bikes a
lot. They found
that older style Chinese bicycles outperformed others in
terms of
reliability and then bought them by the boatload.
Employees were allowed
and encouraged to use them privately as well. Those were
very sturdy
beasts, thick spokes, two top tubes in parallel, and so
on. Even the
more modern Flying Pigeon has more spokes than usual on
the rear wheel
and the whole thing weighs more than 40lbs empty. Guess
why they did that.

The Bayer bicycles looked similar to this one, just more
stout:

http://www.radioleverkusen.de/images...372463_max.jpg


So buy one!



It might tip over. Better to be safe with:

http://cityofwatsonville.org/police-...dson-servi-car

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 3/30/2017 2:19 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 11:58, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 2:35 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 10:28, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:30:01 AM UTC-4, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-03-29 18:14, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 13:23:44 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 13:08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/29/2017 12:55 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 07:35, jbeattie wrote:

[...]


saw rider weights between 330 and 400lbs (my wife
or a
male friend). It was old-tech, too: 140mm rear hub
with
36 spokes. I built them, and they worked perfectly,
although we didn't ride the tandem on
super-gnarly trail
while being chased by mountain lions.



It depends where you ride. I often have no choice
but to
take sections of dirt road and the occasional
stretch of
singletrack even with the road bike.

That's not uncommon. To get to the house of one of
my best
friends, I usually shortcut through our forest
preserve.
Gravel road, single track trail through the forest
edge and
then through a grassy meadow, drop down off a curb
and ride
on. No problem.

Jobst was famous for riding his road bike where most
mountain
bikers feared to go. Photos are online.


So did I, almost since the training wheels had come
off. This
is why I always kept a large stash of new spokes.
They broke
all the time. While at university all I could afford for
commuting were department road bikes and anything
more would
have been stolen anyhow. Each lasted about one year and
afterwards was totally finished. Not a big deal
because I could
buy another used one for around $30.

As I said, in my case that often also means cargo on
the bike
and that's was really does them in. I can get out of
the saddle
but the tens of lbs riding along in back won't.

You talk of Tens of pounds and Jay talks of hundreds
of pounds
but your wheels break and his do not?


Hundreds of lbs of cargo?


Strange, isn't it?


No, could be different turf. Just like the guys on the
Rubicon
break all sorts of stuff on their SUVs and on mine
nothing never
broke in 20 years despite overloaded trips on rough
dirt roads. I
wish Mitsubishi would make bicycles of similar sturdiness.

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I wonder just how many spokes the Vietnamese broke on
those bicycles
they used to haul vast quantities of stuff on the Ho Chi
Minh Trail?
Or isthat trail not as rough as yours?


When it got rough they usually pushed it:

http://263i3m2dw9nnf6zqv39ktpr1.wpen...1_1200x480.jpg




They also had among the first fat bikes:

https://i2.wp.com/peteralanlloyd.com...-45.jpg?w=1024




Then they changed to other kinds of cycles:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...aphy/182689829




Have you taken a closer look at classical Asian bicycles?
The Bayer
Corporation (the guys that came up with Aspirin)
headquarters was very
close to where I grew up so I saw their company bikes a
lot. They found
that older style Chinese bicycles outperformed others in
terms of
reliability and then bought them by the boatload.
Employees were allowed
and encouraged to use them privately as well. Those were
very sturdy
beasts, thick spokes, two top tubes in parallel, and so
on. Even the
more modern Flying Pigeon has more spokes than usual on
the rear wheel
and the whole thing weighs more than 40lbs empty. Guess
why they did
that.

The Bayer bicycles looked similar to this one, just more
stout:

http://www.radioleverkusen.de/images...372463_max.jpg



So buy one!


AFAIK they have been discontinued. If you haven't noticed
yet the Chinese have, sadly, given up on cycling in droves
and adopted the internal combustion engine. Now they live in
smog.

http://wap.chinadaily.com.cn/img/att...1a15bfef1c.jpg


The other issue is that, yes, I can replace this road bike
with a cyclocross bike and mod its frame so it can take a
rack and heavy loads. However, then my wife rightfully would
make me get rid of ye olde Gazelle because the garage gets
too full. I can't yet bring myself to scrapping old Gazelle
(yet).

Totally OT: Is there a YouTube video of you playing your
fiddle? Or in a small band?


Meh, those Chinese models were copies anyway. Go with a real
British original only 99p !

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Do...AOSwax5Y2Xr I

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 2017-03-30 12:25, AMuzi wrote:
On 3/30/2017 2:19 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 11:58, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 2:35 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 10:28, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:30:01 AM UTC-4, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-03-29 18:14, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 13:23:44 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 13:08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/29/2017 12:55 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 07:35, jbeattie wrote:

[...]


saw rider weights between 330 and 400lbs (my wife
or a
male friend). It was old-tech, too: 140mm rear hub
with
36 spokes. I built them, and they worked perfectly,
although we didn't ride the tandem on
super-gnarly trail
while being chased by mountain lions.



It depends where you ride. I often have no choice
but to
take sections of dirt road and the occasional
stretch of
singletrack even with the road bike.

That's not uncommon. To get to the house of one of
my best
friends, I usually shortcut through our forest
preserve.
Gravel road, single track trail through the forest
edge and
then through a grassy meadow, drop down off a curb
and ride
on. No problem.

Jobst was famous for riding his road bike where most
mountain
bikers feared to go. Photos are online.


So did I, almost since the training wheels had come
off. This
is why I always kept a large stash of new spokes.
They broke
all the time. While at university all I could afford for
commuting were department road bikes and anything
more would
have been stolen anyhow. Each lasted about one year and
afterwards was totally finished. Not a big deal
because I could
buy another used one for around $30.

As I said, in my case that often also means cargo on
the bike
and that's was really does them in. I can get out of
the saddle
but the tens of lbs riding along in back won't.

You talk of Tens of pounds and Jay talks of hundreds
of pounds
but your wheels break and his do not?


Hundreds of lbs of cargo?


Strange, isn't it?


No, could be different turf. Just like the guys on the
Rubicon
break all sorts of stuff on their SUVs and on mine
nothing never
broke in 20 years despite overloaded trips on rough
dirt roads. I
wish Mitsubishi would make bicycles of similar sturdiness.

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I wonder just how many spokes the Vietnamese broke on
those bicycles
they used to haul vast quantities of stuff on the Ho Chi
Minh Trail?
Or isthat trail not as rough as yours?


When it got rough they usually pushed it:

http://263i3m2dw9nnf6zqv39ktpr1.wpen...1_1200x480.jpg





They also had among the first fat bikes:

https://i2.wp.com/peteralanlloyd.com...-45.jpg?w=1024





Then they changed to other kinds of cycles:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...aphy/182689829





Have you taken a closer look at classical Asian bicycles?
The Bayer
Corporation (the guys that came up with Aspirin)
headquarters was very
close to where I grew up so I saw their company bikes a
lot. They found
that older style Chinese bicycles outperformed others in
terms of
reliability and then bought them by the boatload.
Employees were allowed
and encouraged to use them privately as well. Those were
very sturdy
beasts, thick spokes, two top tubes in parallel, and so
on. Even the
more modern Flying Pigeon has more spokes than usual on
the rear wheel
and the whole thing weighs more than 40lbs empty. Guess
why they did
that.

The Bayer bicycles looked similar to this one, just more
stout:

http://www.radioleverkusen.de/images...372463_max.jpg




So buy one!


AFAIK they have been discontinued. If you haven't noticed
yet the Chinese have, sadly, given up on cycling in droves
and adopted the internal combustion engine. Now they live in
smog.

http://wap.chinadaily.com.cn/img/att...1a15bfef1c.jpg



The other issue is that, yes, I can replace this road bike
with a cyclocross bike and mod its frame so it can take a
rack and heavy loads. However, then my wife rightfully would
make me get rid of ye olde Gazelle because the garage gets
too full. I can't yet bring myself to scrapping old Gazelle
(yet).

Totally OT: Is there a YouTube video of you playing your
fiddle? Or in a small band?


Meh, those Chinese models were copies anyway. ...


They were always good in copying stuff.


... Go with a real British original only 99p !

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Do...AOSwax5Y2Xr I


It does look a bit blighted though. Here we can see a classic example
how olden day designers saw what's needed: The rear has more spokes than
the front. Just like it should be. That way a rider should still be ok
if the girlfriend hops onto the back. Unless he is married, that is.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 2017-03-30 12:22, AMuzi wrote:
On 3/30/2017 1:58 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 2:35 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-30 10:28, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:30:01 AM UTC-4, Joerg
wrote:
On 2017-03-29 18:14, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 13:23:44 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 13:08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/29/2017 12:55 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-03-29 07:35, jbeattie wrote:

[...]


saw rider weights between 330 and 400lbs (my wife or a
male friend). It was old-tech, too: 140mm rear hub
with
36 spokes. I built them, and they worked perfectly,
although we didn't ride the tandem on super-gnarly
trail
while being chased by mountain lions.



It depends where you ride. I often have no choice
but to
take sections of dirt road and the occasional
stretch of
singletrack even with the road bike.

That's not uncommon. To get to the house of one of
my best
friends, I usually shortcut through our forest preserve.
Gravel road, single track trail through the forest
edge and
then through a grassy meadow, drop down off a curb
and ride
on. No problem.

Jobst was famous for riding his road bike where most
mountain
bikers feared to go. Photos are online.


So did I, almost since the training wheels had come
off. This
is why I always kept a large stash of new spokes. They
broke
all the time. While at university all I could afford for
commuting were department road bikes and anything more
would
have been stolen anyhow. Each lasted about one year and
afterwards was totally finished. Not a big deal
because I could
buy another used one for around $30.

As I said, in my case that often also means cargo on
the bike
and that's was really does them in. I can get out of
the saddle
but the tens of lbs riding along in back won't.

You talk of Tens of pounds and Jay talks of hundreds of
pounds
but your wheels break and his do not?


Hundreds of lbs of cargo?


Strange, isn't it?


No, could be different turf. Just like the guys on the
Rubicon
break all sorts of stuff on their SUVs and on mine
nothing never
broke in 20 years despite overloaded trips on rough dirt
roads. I
wish Mitsubishi would make bicycles of similar sturdiness.

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I wonder just how many spokes the Vietnamese broke on
those bicycles
they used to haul vast quantities of stuff on the Ho Chi
Minh Trail?
Or isthat trail not as rough as yours?


When it got rough they usually pushed it:

http://263i3m2dw9nnf6zqv39ktpr1.wpen...1_1200x480.jpg




They also had among the first fat bikes:

https://i2.wp.com/peteralanlloyd.com...-45.jpg?w=1024




Then they changed to other kinds of cycles:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...aphy/182689829




Have you taken a closer look at classical Asian bicycles?
The Bayer
Corporation (the guys that came up with Aspirin)
headquarters was very
close to where I grew up so I saw their company bikes a
lot. They found
that older style Chinese bicycles outperformed others in
terms of
reliability and then bought them by the boatload.
Employees were allowed
and encouraged to use them privately as well. Those were
very sturdy
beasts, thick spokes, two top tubes in parallel, and so
on. Even the
more modern Flying Pigeon has more spokes than usual on
the rear wheel
and the whole thing weighs more than 40lbs empty. Guess
why they did that.

The Bayer bicycles looked similar to this one, just more
stout:

http://www.radioleverkusen.de/images...372463_max.jpg



So buy one!



It might tip over. Better to be safe with:

http://cityofwatsonville.org/police-...dson-servi-car


This kind also comes pedal-powered:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/1...18d57675_b.jpg

And as a dually, with hi-lumen lighting:

http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/e-b...rike-image.jpg

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On Thu, 30 Mar 2017 08:27:15 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 23:59, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2017 17:15:18 -0700, Joerg
wrote:

On 2017-03-29 16:42, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

[...]


Trade in the bicycle for a motorcycle and get someone to afix a pedal
drive to it to cure all your bicycle riding woes.


Funny thing is that the MTB wheels hold up rather well. No busted spokes
there yet and that bike gets used hard. It took me a while to find
decvent tires but I've got those now.


Well, why not modify your rode bike to take the 26 inch wheels. As you
mentioned (I think) a 1 inch steerer tube it is likely a steel frame
and the addition of brake bosses which you could use for either Vee or
Canti brakes is a minor project. If one were careful and protected the
stays and fork tubes with wet rags I believe a very minimum of
re-painting would be required. Or if you were really into brakes you
could convert the bike to disks, but with a bit more extensive paint
work :-)

Your problems are not insurmountable.


They aren't but there comes a point where the effort is too much,
especially for an electronics guy with limited tools and skills for
mechanical work.

What do your mechanical skills have to do with bicycle modifications?
There are innumerable people in California that build custom bicycles
who would be glad to add brake bosses to your frame.

You state that your 26 inch MTB wheels give you little trouble. I
comment that you could easily modify your road bike to use 26 inch
wheels. You say it is too much trouble.

I repeat that not only are your problems are not insurmountable, but
they obviously self inflected.
\
Unless of course, destroying a bicycle is a macho thing and makes you
feel so masculine..

"Look Ma, I just broke my bicycle and now everyone calls me Diesel
Legs."
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 11:11:02 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/30/2017 10:24 AM, jbeattie wrote:

Trip down memory lane (cue dreamy harp music). Did you visit the Cookie Lady in Afton, Va.? https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=1431 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Curry My picture is in the Cookie House Registry, but I'm not going to tell you what month because I look like a dope.

No, our route didn't go anywhere near Afton VA. We did our own route
from the Delaware coast, west to northern Ohio. We used some of
Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier route, then made our own way across
Iowa, then mostly followed Adventure Cycling's brand new Lewis & Clark
route to the Pacific.

Those were days before GPS (for us, anyway), smart phones and emails via
thumbs. I tried to stop in libraries every week or so to email our
various friends. If anyone's curious, those emails are online at
http://bicyclinglife.com/Recreation/...SummerRide.htm

We had postcards and phone calls. High tech was putting our film rolls in Kodak mailers and having the pictures waiting when we got home. We used maps for maps. One good part about being on the Bikecentennial route was having other bicyclists coming and going, so you could get previews of the road ahead. When we left the route to go down through the Appalachia to Knoxville, it was a little lonely -- big dogs, coal trucks . . . and banjo music. But we did get to go to the original Colonel Sanders in Corbin, Kentucky. That was worth the ride right there. We crept through the front door on our knees, praying to the grease gods and flogging ourselves with wishbones. It's a religious experience.

Ah, to be young again. I can't imagine that is as fun now as it was then.

-- Jay Beattie.