I remember on r.b.tech Jobst said he ran a 47-50 half step up front with a modified "ultra 6" 13-24 freewheel in the back. He took a 12-24 7 speed and removed the 12 so that it would fit on a 126mm OLD hub that was more evenly dished, so that there was only space for a 5 speed or "Ultra 6" freewheel. Basically, a 120mm hub in 126mm of space, if that makes any sense.
Later, he admitted he didn't really half step all that often, so he was going up those Alpine roads in a 50x24. My knees hurt just thinking about that. I only met him briefly once, and I was trying to figure out why a bike with what appeared to be only one chainring had a front derailleur. He always rode yellow bikes to make it easier to find cracks in the frame. At 6'7" (2m) tall, he expected to break frames. I'm sure he'd be using a "one by" today. The only time I've seen Tom Ritchey around here is when he blew past me like I was standing still while we were both commuting home one evening. Dude is fast! On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 6:22:54 AM UTC-8 eric...@gmail.com wrote: > I can't wrap my head around the gearing in the pictures Jeremy shared. > Good lord! He was pushing some big gears all the way to the end. > > On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 8:24:23 AM UTC-5 lconley wrote: > >> I think fillet brazing allowed him complete freedom of frame geometry and >> tube sizing, without compromising strength (vs. lugs). I needed somewhat >> different geometry and tube sizing on my custom, due to my weight and >> loooong torso, and that resulted in a fillet brazed bottom bracket as there >> were no readily available BB lug. From what I think I know, fillet brazing >> is stronger than TIG, as it spreads the stress over a greater area. I think >> I also read once that fillet brazing is sometime used over top of TIG. >> >> Laing >> >> On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 7:36:58 PM UTC-5 Philip Williamson wrote: >> >>> I think he'd ride a very similar bike today to the ones he rode for 50 >>> years. >>> >>> - Steel. He wasn't swayed by aluminum, titanium, or carbon, the >>> first time around, so nu-Jobst wouldn't choose them either. Steel is >>> still >>> tough, reliable, and cheap. >>> - Fillet brazed? I imagine this was for aesthetics, but I'd need to >>> dive into The Jobst Hole to find out. >>> - Rim brakes, not discs. Single pivot sidepulls (??) indicate no >>> worries about stopping with a simple, light, rim brake. >>> - Supple tires, but still narrow. I would love to see Jobst and Jan >>> debate the testing protocol. >>> - Downtube shifters. Simple, light, easy cabling, and there for the >>> two times a day he'd shift. >>> - Yellow. >>> >>> Philip >>> rec.bicycles.tech >>> On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 1:59:48 PM UTC-8 andyree...@gmail.com >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Laing, I think you made a lot of solid arguments. Custom steel still >>>> feels like the way he'd go, and probably not so dissimilar to his >>>> no-frills >>>> road bikes of yore. I'm certainly grateful for his impact on the bicycle, >>>> riders, and builders of today, and for the journalists keeping his name >>>> alive! >>>> On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 3:16:07 PM UTC-6 lconley wrote: >>>> >>>>> If he were still around, I think he would probably still have the same >>>>> setup as the 2008 photo, steel, rim brakes, clipless pedals. >>>>> But that is not the question that seems to have been posed. As I >>>>> understand the question, it is if his prime days were now, what would he >>>>> be >>>>> riding - basically not a silent generation member, but a later millennial >>>>> or early gen-Xer, but still a mechanical engineer, still concerned with >>>>> reliability, and dare I say it, under-biking. So maybe he still ends up >>>>> on >>>>> a metal, rimmed braked bike. I think it may be easier to eliminate some >>>>> things, I don't see him with electronic shifting, that just adds more >>>>> possible unrepairable-on-the-road failure points. I want to say no disc >>>>> either - as it adds stress to the fork and reduces the reliability of the >>>>> front end of the bike. I kind of envision him on a stripped down 80th >>>>> anniversary Rene-Herse or Rivendell Rodeo, or possibly some sort of >>>>> titanium frame. >>>>> >>>>> I am a mechanical engineer also, but a boomer. >>>>> >>>>> Laing >>>>> >>>>> On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 1:42:06 PM UTC-5 andyree...@gmail.com >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> I think I'd agree that Jobst would remain an advocate for the rim >>>>>> brake...PROBABLY. But just to play devil's advocate, if Jobst was in his >>>>>> prime today, he wouldn't have been brought up with the old-school tech >>>>>> that >>>>>> we're familiar with him using, but I suppose being a *bit* of a >>>>>> retrogrouch could still be in his cards. To me, it would depend heavily >>>>>> on >>>>>> his opinion towards modern wheel design and if the 11 (or 12) speed hub >>>>>> would be a yay or nay. As I'm typing this, I'm reminded of Ritchey's >>>>>> comment on his use of his shifters, or lack-there-of, so I'm leaning >>>>>> towards him reverting to shorter free-hub bodies. Hell, maybe he'd have >>>>>> beat Rivendell to the modern-day 7 speed rear hub! Or perhaps, the Rene >>>>>> Herse rear mech would tickle his fancy. Tough call. He'd certainly ride >>>>>> whatever it is to the ground though. >>>>>> >>>>>> On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:51:37 AM UTC-6 Jeffrey Arita wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Andrew, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Thank you for sharing. The article was definitely worth the read. >>>>>>> A few things stood out to me: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - they were/are all *extremely *fit. >>>>>>> - fear was not a word in their vocabulary. >>>>>>> - what camaraderie (and competition) at the same time. >>>>>>> - the Higgins' couple rock. Of course the stoker is doing all the >>>>>>> work ;) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Jeff >>>>>>> Claremont, CA >>>>>>> (who's beloved stoker [Lori] continues to do all the work) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 7:49:25 AM UTC-8 >>>>>>> andyree...@gmail.com wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I'm in the process of building a JB-inspired road bike but with a >>>>>>>> nod to current bicycle trends: mainly wider tires and spinnier >>>>>>>> gearing. As >>>>>>>> a result, it's made me wonder what he would be riding today if you >>>>>>>> spliced >>>>>>>> his timeline and moved his prime days to current day. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Today's Radavist >>>>>>>> <https://theradavist.com/conversations-with-tom-ritchey-part-two-the-influence-of-jobst-brandt/> >>>>>>>> article >>>>>>>> really fueled that question so I'd like to open it up to this group >>>>>>>> who >>>>>>>> likely have much more insight into the man and his bike(s). >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> What are we thinking? Rim brakes or disc? Carbon? Steel? Ti? I see >>>>>>>> a lot of similarities between him and Jan Heine as far as a desire for >>>>>>>> performance and reliability, so perhaps he'd lean towards a rando >>>>>>>> build? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Take it away if you wish, >>>>>>>> Andrew >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ce079681-50a8-47c1-b18b-510a29fc32a0n%40googlegroups.com.
