Don, What shifters are you using? Are they index or friction?
Joe Bernard On Monday, January 8, 2024 at 6:03:50 PM UTC-8 Donzaemon wrote: > So I'm about a couple weeks into owning my Homer, which I'm loving so far. > Its use has been limited to pavement save for a short segment of dirt trail > that connects official segments of SF Bay Trail in Alameda, CA. I've made a > couple of observations so far: > > *Cockpit* > I enjoy the relaxed upright position that the Billie Bars provide. It's > done wonders keeping me comfortable and has not made any of my existing > neck and lower back issues worse. That said, it feels a little awkward to > make u-turns or any other decent turns at lower speed. While I don't intend > on taking this bike on the many singletrack trails that make up a large > portion of the natural surface trails in the SF Bay, I would like to take > it on gravel climbs when and if possible. I realize I can use the positions > directly in front of the brake levers on the Billie Bars, but I'm not sure > if that'll provide the lever control that I'm looking for. > > I'm thinking about switching to wide-ish drop bars with some flare. I'm > using Ritchey Corralitos (480mm) bars on my Ascent and I love them. I'd get > a pair for the Homer if they were available in silver. I'm intrigued by the > Crust Towel Rack, but I'm afraid they'd be a little on the wide side for > me. Rune Bicycles is on the verge of releasing their Hilt Bars that hits > pretty much all my checkboxes so I may opt for those when they're released. > For those of you who do similar mixed-terrain rides with your Homers, what > are your handlebar preference, and why? > > *Drivetrain* > For my first build, I went with a 42/28 double with a 11-40 8sp cassette. > I'm controlling the derailleurs (ultegra front and xtr rd-m960 rear with > roadlink) with thumbies and love them. That said, shifting hasn't been what > I had hoped. I find the shifts to be sloppy when shifting the range of cogs > in the middle of the cassette. I'm not sure if I'm describing this > correctly, but the gears sometimes slip during shifting resulting in two > "clunks" before fully engaging. Also, the gears don't feel smooth between > the middle to smallest cogs. Could this be due to the roadlink? I like the > range of the 11-40 cassette and it's been nice using the big cog on climbs > when needed so I'd prefer not to get rid of the roadlink and switch to an > 11-34 cassette. I have an XTR RD-M952 I can try out instead? For those of > you with similar gearing, what components have you settled on to get > flawless shifting? > > Thanks, in advance, for the feedback! > > -Don > On Friday, January 5, 2024 at 6:12:11 AM UTC-8 sarahlik...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> Bill, I will be keeping an eye out for you on Mt. Diablo so I can give >> you a thumbs up when you pass me! >> >> Sarah >> >> On Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 5:16:41 PM UTC-8 Bill Lindsay wrote: >> >>> A couple weeks back I said: >>> >>> "The film makes me want to set a Diablo goal for 2024. I've summited >>> Diablo maybe 10 times, but I want to do multiple summits this year. I'm >>> going to start with 5 as my goal, with the extra challenge that I want to >>> do it on 5 different bikes in my stable. If I manage that, then summit #6 >>> will be on a derailleurless bike." >>> >>> When I state a goal, I feel committed, even if the RBW Group isn't >>> expending energy to hold me accountable, there is accountability when I >>> type it out. Anyhow, I got a start on the above today with my first summit >>> of Mount Diablo for 2024. I did it on my current stripped down road bike, >>> my Black Mountain Cycles Road. I picked today to avoid the pockets of rain >>> that are hitting us with some regularity. It was sunny and cool, but not >>> cold. One down, four to go. Highlights included a rider on a 2TT >>> Hillborne with Albatross bars. >>> >>> Bill Lindsay >>> El Cerrito, CA >>> >>> On Friday, December 22, 2023 at 8:48:53 AM UTC-8 Bill Lindsay wrote: >>> >>>> Therese is a delightful person and a very good rider. I used to run >>>> across her a lot in the East Bay and at SFR events, but I don't think our >>>> paths have crossed lately. >>>> >>>> She's also a fair bit more enlightened about gearing than the >>>> filmmaker. Her set up isn't perfect, but it's close (IMHO). >>>> >>>> The film makes me want to set a Diablo goal for 2024. I've summited >>>> Diablo maybe 10 times, but I want to do multiple summits this year. I'm >>>> going to start with 5 as my goal, with the extra challenge that I want to >>>> do it on 5 different bikes in my stable. If I manage that, then summit #6 >>>> will be on a derailleurless bike. >>>> >>>> Bill Lindsay >>>> El Cerrito, CA >>>> On Friday, December 22, 2023 at 7:53:19 AM UTC-8 sarahlik...@gmail.com >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed2-hdvGWjU&ab_channel=Henrywildeberry >>>>> >>>>> I found a youtube video that is exactly how I want to ride.... >>>>> >>>>> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:04:42 AM UTC-8 Sarah Carlson wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> All these responses have given me so much to think about, I >>>>>> appreciate all the help. Thank you! >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 7:01:05 PM UTC-8 Joe Bernard wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> My low on a 650B bike in Lake County, CA., is 26 x 50. It's useful! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 1:25:54 PM UTC-8 pi...@gmail.com >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The Greater Bay Area is full of 13-24% grades (which is where Sarah >>>>>>>> lives). Visitors from other areas (including places like Colorado) >>>>>>>> frequently drop their jaws when they see what the local touring clubs >>>>>>>> ride >>>>>>>> as a matter of course. A 24x36 drivetrain isn't too low a gear here, >>>>>>>> especially if you're carrying a load. On my triplet, I had a 24x36 and >>>>>>>> still couldn't climb anything over a 12% grade when carrying panniers. >>>>>>>> On >>>>>>>> my single bike I have a 40x51, and just manage to make it up a 30% >>>>>>>> grade, >>>>>>>> which required shifting my weight between the rear and front wheels in >>>>>>>> order to keep both wheels on the ground while grinding away. Here in >>>>>>>> the >>>>>>>> greater San Francisco Bay Area, your bike can never be too light, you >>>>>>>> can >>>>>>>> never be too wealthy, and you can never have gears too low! >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Thu, Nov 30, 2023 at 1:13 PM Greg J <greg...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> @Sarah - maybe the easiest thing is to go on a ride with some >>>>>>>>> local list members who can give you some ideas while you're actually >>>>>>>>> riding >>>>>>>>> on these roads. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> For example, have you ridden a 24T granny on the road---and if so, >>>>>>>>> with what rear cog? A 24 is really very low for the road (but not >>>>>>>>> for >>>>>>>>> dirt), and a 24T - 32 in the back may be too low to be useful. A 26 >>>>>>>>> or >>>>>>>>> even a 28 may be a better granny depending on your cassette range. >>>>>>>>> But as >>>>>>>>> mentioned already, only you know what works for you. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Greg >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> -- 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/c2c06554-6f34-42ea-b6f0-77c5393973e1n%40googlegroups.com.
