On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 2:38 PM, Phil Bickford <phi...@sonic.net> wrote:
> > Say - Patrick - I'm surprised to see you going for the lower end > gearing, particularly after your career of fixed riding. How's that > Fargo project going? What chainrings are you planning on using? > The Fargo has been built and in service for several months; very nice. It is set up very different from my other bikes, with bars 7 cm above saddle instead of 4 or 5 below, but the same butt-back position and a longer stem for a surprisingly similar "feel" in terms of aero and power -- makes me think that changing other bikes may be in order some day. Anyway, the 36 would be largely for a lower low in the middle (36) ring. As it is, I have the drivetrain set up for most riding in the outer, 46 (the cassette is a 15-17-20-24-28-34 rump of a 13-34 7 sp) and I generally leave it in the 46X20 for a 67" gear for most riding, dropping to the 36 at need for the flat but sandy dirt I ride in. I thought that a 9 speed might give me a nice 60" dirt cruising gear between the 46X20 or 67 pavement gear and the 46X24 56" gear which is a bit low for my taste. Speaking of climbing: I can't boast of distance, but I've been riding a little, tiny 11-12 mile loop while running mail and grocery errands for my mother; this involves about 4 miles of climbing including about 2 miles of standing (not continuous; about 2 miles max continuous with about 3/4 to 1 mile max standing, depending on wind and load). I just did this on my 67" Motobecane and sometimes for fun take out the heavier, fatter tire'd Fargo and ride it in the same (46X20X29") gear. My almost-56 year old knees are fine, tho' I've been careful of late not to try to mash too much while seated. I was tickled to find that the Fargo, tho' slower uphill, is still faster overall because I can hit almost 30 on some of the downhills, while the Motobecane is limited to about 23 1/2 mph if I keep things comfortable, and generally lower than that with back pressure. -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
