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Double Bass DB bicycle thread

#1,121
Re : internal geared hubs - greater than three speed hubs been a thing for a while. Loooong (circumnavigating) bike tourists have used them for decades, apparently . 8 speed Shimano hubs are about $200 and apparently last >50k miles, with some maintenance. Here's your rabbit hole :
The Incredible $199 Internal Gear Bicycle Hub: Shimano Alfine Explained - CyclingAbout.
gearing up to 14 speeds are also available.
This guy likes lists, but Chris while you are thinking about flat bars with alternate hand options , here are some more things to think about :
Flat Bars Are Better Than Drop Bars For Most People (Objective Analysis) - CyclingAbout.

I like my drop bars for road riding but the commuter-errands-ice-snow bike has not too straight bars with MTB ends. The latter are best in rain/snow/ice . FWIW bike riding can cause increased left-thumb fatigue and joint strain with DB playing so I use monkey grip - thumb on same side of bar as fingers - when safe to do so .
 
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#1,122
@oldNewbie Thanks, but I've been done with drop bars for a while now. My latest bar is slightly raised and swept, but still on long rides it would be nice to have an alternate position to go into. FWIW I ride monkey grip most of the time!

IMG_1955.JPG
 
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#1,125
My latest bike adventure: we are moving 2,000 miles away. My gravel bike and fixie (and a few other family bikes) will go with the movers, but I am embarking on the the drive with (a) a rack on the back with my wife’s and daughter’s RadRunner e-bikes (75 lbs each), and my titanium Merlin road bike; and (b) a dog, a bunny and a Guinea pig. Wish me luck!

ps: I already flew my Ultra Jazz there and will be taking another electric bass, my Taylor acoustic, and my son’s Martin. The movers are being the rest of the instruments and building a crate for my upright. The only cabinet I am bringing myself is a BareFaced One10 - movers are bringing my SuperTwin and I am leaving an Aguilar SL212 here at prac space. I bought a flight case for my 1973 Bassman 50 and my class D heads are driving with me.
 
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#1,128
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Never even heard of belt drive bikes. I can’t imagine how it would be an improvement over chains overall, but am open to learn.

A friend has some attachments on the ends of her bars that allow her a secondary riding position that gives her wrists a break from being in the same position all the time. It’s an interesting idea, but a search of these things, like all searches these days it seems, reveals a bewildering array of possibilities. Anybody have any experience with these appendages?
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Those bullhorns - if that's what you mean - work for keeping weight on the front wheel of a mountain bike while climbing steep grades. I guess they could function as an option to decrease chance of wrist problems, but I've never heard of anyone using them for that. It's not a bad idea.
 
#1,129
ProbablyTooLoud said:
Those bullhorns - if that's what you mean - work for keeping weight on the front wheel of a mountain bike while climbing steep grades. I guess they could function as an option to decrease chance of wrist problems, but I've never heard of anyone using them for that. It's not a bad idea.
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If you're talking about the little extensions, about 6" long, that mount to the ends of a flat bar, those definitely are used to provide another hand position to reduce numbness and wrist pain on long rides. It's basically the same position as riding the hoods on drop bars, except without access to the brake levers like you have when you're on the hoods. Personally I'd rather have properly sized and adjusted drop bars, myself, but drops seem to freak a lot of people out.
 
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#1,130
fdeck said:
I've always been curious about belt drive, but not enough to take the plunge. I think Trek has had them on and off, as well as REI's various brands.

I'm still max'd out at 3 speeds for my internal gear hubs, ancient Sturmey Archer. The 3-speed seems like the perfect storm for just getting around town, and maintainability by mere mortals. It would be fun to compare one of the bigger Shimano IGH's with the 1x9 on my "road" bike.
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I think belt drive on bikes is a solution in search of a problem, frankly.

The problem with the old Sturmey AW 3 speeds is that the 3 gears are so far apart, and you've got to have a HUGE rear cog to get usable low gears (unless you can go with a small front cog, but usually with AW rear hubs come heavy steel frames and cottered cranks and it's just too much trouble to try to put a small front ring on). Plus if you've got a chainguard you're likely unable to adjust it to actually guard a small front ring.
 
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#1,131
turf3 said:
If you're talking about the little extensions, about 6" long, that mount to the ends of a flat bar, those definitely are used to provide another hand position to reduce numbness and wrist pain on long rides. It's basically the same position as riding the hoods on drop bars, except without access to the brake levers like you have when you're on the hoods. Personally I'd rather have properly sized and adjusted drop bars, myself, but drops seem to freak a lot of people out.
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Secondary usage, sure, but not what they were designed or used for initially - I know cause I was riding mtbs a bunch when they came out. Not a single bike tech back then mentioned "comfort." But they do work for that, so great.
 
#1,132
turf3 said:
If you're talking about the little extensions, about 6" long, that mount to the ends of a flat bar, those definitely are used to provide another hand position to reduce numbness and wrist pain on long rides. It's basically the same position as riding the hoods on drop bars, except without access to the brake levers like you have when you're on the hoods. Personally I'd rather have properly sized and adjusted drop bars, myself, but drops seem to freak a lot of people out.
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These are the ones I am thinking about. They are adjustable and get great reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Ergon-424100...ocphy=9014231&hvtargid=pla-440283773402&psc=1
 
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#1,133
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#1,134
Chris Fitzgerald said:
These are the ones I am thinking about. They are adjustable and get great reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Ergon-424100...ocphy=9014231&hvtargid=pla-440283773402&psc=1
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I was going to suggest something like that.

Since you ride "monkey grip", that extra material on the normal position will benefit you.
I always use the "bull horns" on my bikes with flat bars. They are great for climbing and I also use them a lot as an extra hand position.


There are two things to be aware when using them the first time: when approaching traffic or a situation where you need to brake, put your hands on the standard position. With your hands on the horns you won't be able to hit the brakes.
Be aware when riding in single tracks with vegetation, there is a small chance of the horns getting caught on a branch and causing you to fall down.
 
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#1,136
Chris Fitzgerald said:
That’s great to hear! How far back towards the rider can they rotate?
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Within the unit, the backward movement of the bullhorn is limited by the little right angle at the end of the grip part, but the grip part itself can slide around the bar, so really, you can get the bullhorn extender pointed any whichaway you like.
 
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#1,137
turf3 said:
I think belt drive on bikes is a solution in search of a problem, frankly.

The problem with the old Sturmey AW 3 speeds is that the 3 gears are so far apart, and you've got to have a HUGE rear cog to get usable low gears (unless you can go with a small front cog, but usually with AW rear hubs come heavy steel frames and cottered cranks and it's just too much trouble to try to put a small front ring on). Plus if you've got a chainguard you're likely unable to adjust it to actually guard a small front ring.
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I think the appeal of belt drive is keeping your pants clean, but then again, a straight chainline also accommodates a chainguard. Prolly not worth modifying a frame or buying a new one. Also, you no longer have to participate in chain lube debates on the bike forums. ;)

Fortunately, my 3-speeds are built up from odd parts, so I was able to choose the gearing and the fit of the chainguards. My winter bike is set up for a cruising gear and two lower gears. I think the gearing is 40x22 with 700c wheels. The low is sufficient to get me started in deep wet snow. My shopping bike usually lives in its two lower gears, with occasional use of the high gear if hills and wind cooperate.

The old Raleigh bikes were set up for you by the dealer. I once saw a map of Raleigh dealers in England, and there was practically one in every town. They were supposed to choose a cog for you, based on your riding preferences.

The ones imported into the US all had one gearing, as did the 3-speed Schwinns, and it was probably geared too high for the typical casual rider. Or maybe people were in better shape back then. ;)

The wide spacing does get old if you're going any distance or trying to ride in a group. My bike for longer rides has a derailleur.
 
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#1,139
neilG said:
I wonder why they stopped making the close ratio (AC) and the medium ratio (AM) hubs. Maybe only racers were using them.
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I don't think bike racers have EVER used SA 3 speed hubs, except maybe a few outliers in the 1940s. It probably has much more to do with SA focusing their production on large volume sellers. The number of AWs being taken by Raleigh, Rudge, Humber, as well as the US manufacturers like Schwinn, Huffy, Columbia, etc., for the "standard" 3 speeds made by these companies, would have dwarfed the take rate of anything else; and the users of those bikes were by and large not picky about things like gearing.
 
#1,140
turf3 said:
...Personally I'd rather have properly sized and adjusted drop bars, myself, but drops seem to freak a lot of people out.
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Me too. I adjust my seat so the lower position is comfortable, it seems to center my body weight above the pedals so I can get a sense of simply shifting my weight over the pedal that's headed down, as opposed to feeling like I'm "pressing" the pedal which puts strain on my back. They're also nice for aerodynamics on the downhills. I know a few folks who have flipped their drop bars upside down (and moved the brake levers) so that the horns are pointed forward and way up in the air for a more upright but fully swept position, seems good for making a road bike feel a little more like a beach cruiser, though I personally might not want to ride any long distances like that.
 

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