The ride sounds like alot of fun Esteban. I imagine your geared riding partners were quite impressed with your one speed. And I am too, with a 60 inch gear.
Back in the day, the winter training fixed gear was a 42X16 which is a 71 inch gear. I built my Quickbeam up from a frame, and that is my baseline gear ratio (as a 45X17). Even at my advanced age of 52 and less power output, it seems like a good open road riding gear with rolling terrain and gentle climbs. I get dropped pretty quickly with that gear on our summer groups rides. That probably says more about the cutthroat nature of group rides in this valley, or the more brotherly nature of your rides. Over the last few years, watching ebay for deals, I have successfully fully complicated my nicely-simple Quickbeam with too many gears. I have settled on 45/39 up front. Two flip-flop rears: freecog wheel with 17-19T Dos Eno and 22T on the flop, fixed wheel 17-21T Dingle with 23T on the flop. That has made it a 4 speed free (71-63ish-55-48), and 5 speed fixed (71-61-57-50-46). I can do alot without flopping, but any ride into the local mountains does require the other side of the wheel. Right now I am favoring the free wheel. http://tinyurl.com/43md96 Its a fun bike! On Dec 7, 7:55 pm, Esteban <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I did about 50 miles on the Quickbeam today up the San Diego coast - > from near Downtown to Encinitas. I usually take it a little slower on > my Protovelo, set up with Albatross bars, B66, etc. I rode the same > ride last weekend with my brother and he took my (now sold) Kogswell > P58, and really kicked some butt. He's very fast, and there are > usually racing (or racing-dressed) riders on this ride. I got the > idea to take the Quickbeam (set up with Noodles) and ride it pretty > hard for the coast ride today. The Q usually serves as my "getter" > with a Wald basket and has seen 30-35 mile fun rides, but mostly 10-20 > mile errand/transportation trips. > > It was wonderful the whole time. I've gotten better at spinning as > well as coasting - and I was passed on some of the big downhills. But > I passed the same riders on the uphills. I charged up Torrey Pines > road without too much trouble. I was exhausted when I got home, but > thrilled with the simplicity and fun of the day. Never went down to > my smaller chainwheel, but if I went up into Torrey Pines State Park, > that would have been the call. > > I just wanted to say how great the stock gearing is on the bike. When > I first got it, I was frustrated about having to spin so much on flats > and coast downhill. Now I really appreciate it, especially because > 40x18 gets me up almost any hill, including those on this ride, and > even up Potrero Hill in San Francisco. Actually, mid-grade ascents > seem *easier* on the Quickbeam. I can't explain that. 40x18 also > seems to be a great touring set-up. Its fun to learn to love things > that you might initially shun. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
