Re: [RBW] Re: Cockpit Quandaries - Friction bar ends for a new rider

[Chris Cameron]

It wasn't until 2019 that I switched over to biking after running for a 
number of years due to issues with my knees creeping up.  Anyway, I hadn't 
been on a bike really since I was a kid, so I grabbed a complete Surly 
Cross-Check, which came with bar-end shifters.  After about a year of 
riding, I got caught up in the brifter movement and switched everything 
over to a 1X setup with Rival 1 shifters.  While I enjoyed it for a bit, 
I'm glad to say that I switched back over to using a friction thumb shifter 
this year.  There *really* is something about friction shifting that just 
feels good in the hands once you get the hang of it.

On Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 6:13:59 PM UTC-5 eric...@gmail.com wrote:

> My vote would be for friction bar-ends because it's groovy, fun, looks 
> cool, feels great. Anyone can learn it, nothing to it. 
>
> You learn friction trimming and shifting quickly. Just a few anecdotal 
> case studies: I did, my partner did (she is not an avid or frequent rider), 
> my pal Glenn (who I just built a bike for) did, too. Way back when Grant 
> wrote that his nine-year-old daughter learned it no problem without any 
> input from him (look for it in one of the many friction celebration 
> articles in earlier Riv catalogs). 
>
> I rode Albatross bars with Shimano bar-ends and Silver 1 levers for about 
> a year. Very good setup!
>
>
> On Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 5:44:56 PM UTC-5 Joe Bernard wrote:
>
>> I don't want to learn how to shoot a rifle and don't use friction 
>> shifting for the rear even though I know how to do it. I think hunting 
>> around for the next cog just because you can is silly, the clicks work. 
>>
>> On Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 2:35:18 PM UTC-8 Tom Palmer wrote:
>>
>>> I am with Garth on this. Albatross and bar end shifters in friction mode 
>>> are easy peasy as long as the parts match or pretty close. My new Platypus 
>>> has 10 speed microshift bar ends, basic Deore deraiiler, mid range 10 speed 
>>> cassette, and basic Sram 10 speed chain o Albatross bars.
>>> Shifting smooth and easy and if is chain chattering, move the shifter a 
>>> little. The new rider will learn to understand the way of shifting. They 
>>> also learn the value of not shifting on a small rise and hammering a bit to 
>>> keep momentum. 
>>> Similar (in my mind) to teaching someone to shoot a rifle. You do not 
>>> start with a magazine fed semi-automatic like a Ruger 10/22. They quickly 
>>> find firing rapidly, emptying the rifle id fun. They miss the basics of 
>>> lining up the sight, breath out and hold, relax, aim, shoot. The process of 
>>> racking a bolt for the next shot, or reloading a single shot, resets the 
>>> process of accurate shooting.  Sorry for the long explanation, but rings 
>>> true to me.
>>> Tom Palmer
>>> Twin Lake, MI
>>>
>>> On Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 5:07:57 PM UTC-5 Garth wrote:
>>>
 Give your friend friction shifters first for goodness sake. Don't sell 
 them short in their abilities, people don't need or want to be treated as 
 incapable. You don't have to buy expensive thumbshifters, Sunrace SLM10 
 and 
 Falcon are ratcheting ones for $10-15 and include cables. The ratcheting 
 mechanism is plastic, but for casual use they work just fine. I have bot. 
 They feel quite nice in the hand and can be used on both road and mtb 
 bars. 

 I liken this to learning to drive. I learned with a manual transmission 
 in high school drivers ed via a simulator trailer we had. When I actually 
 got into a car with a manual tranny it was easy as pie. Should I have been 
 "spared" the chance I'd be incapable of driving a car and shifting a 
 manual 
 transmission at the same time ?  Let them shift, let them mis-take a few. 
 With manual shifting these are easily corrected. When indexed shifting 
 goes 
 wonky and you have no idea how shifting works in the first place, you're 
 helpless as you have idea why the thingy on the handlebar doesn't work or 
 even what it does. 

>>>

-- 
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/6f9343fb-304f-41d6-b5bc-88695c889afbn%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: How are you building up your Platypus?

[Chris Cameron]

That is so sweet looking, Dave.  It really makes me want to jump on it 
before all of the Platypus frames are gone.

On Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 4:56:14 PM UTC-5 DavidP wrote:

> A few more pieces have come together, and now my Platy has rear shifting:
>
> [image: IMG_20221126_160328219.jpg]
>
> The rear derailleur is an Altus with a "Jim" 7 speed 13-34 cassette (I 
> mistakenly typed 11t in my post above). The crank is a Velo Orange 46/30. 
> Still waffling on a front derailleur so am manually changing rings but the 
> full cassette is usable with both front rings.
>
> The front Mark's Rack will likely get a 137 half-basket and bag. The stem 
> bag is from Outer Shell and the bottom is tethered to the rack tombstone to 
> stabilize and keep it off the headtube (too precious?) as well as provide 
> the suggested rack support. There's a Nitto lamp holder on the strut for 
> the coming dynamo light, once I rebuild the wheel with the SON wide body 
> hub. The tail light is a Blue Lug Koma rechargeable - I'm unsure if I'll 
> run a wired tail in the future.
>
> -Dave
>
> On Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 5:10:53 PM UTC-5 Scott wrote:
>
>> Congratulations, Dave! That's a really clean build! Enjoy it while it's 
>> in stop-and-shift mode藍.
>>
>> And Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the Rivsters across the globe!
>>
>> Scott in Big Sky Country
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 
>> 
>>
>> On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 2:56 PM, DavidP
>>  wrote:
>>
>> An update on my Platy build - I'm still waiting on some things but I've 
>> ridden it bit around the neighborhood without any shifting (30/11 gearing) 
>> to get a feel for it. It's already a little bit dirty.
>>
>> [image: R001-3692_platypus-1800.jpg]
>>
>> 65cm Tosco bars with 120mm Nitto UI-12 stem - I wanted the bars to be on 
>> the wider side but was unsure about the look of a 31.8 bar/stem on a bike 
>> like the Platypus. The smooth taper on the Tosco helps. I knew I'd have 
>> about a fistfull of seat post showing and wanted the bars above the saddle 
>> but not too high. The UI-12 gets there but it is maxed out on height so the 
>> 31.8 flaceplaters that Riv sells are probably a better option for most 
>> (though with the 10 degree rise you'd need a longer faceplater to get the 
>> same extension as the horizontal UI-12). The Toscos allow for a big range 
>> in back angle depending on where you grip the bar - something I came to 
>> appreciate on my bikes with Jones bars. AME Tri grips with khaki Newbaum's 
>> on the bends.
>>
>> [image: R001-3707_bars.jpg]
>>
>> Tektro CL330 levers - these are inexpensive V-brake levers that work and 
>> feel good. I considered something fancier (VO, IRD, Paul) but liked the 
>> shape of these. The clamp is low profile enough that you can place your 
>> hands anywhere on/over it without really feeling it; no rubber plumbing 
>> washers needed. On bars as swept back as the Toscos I like to be able to 
>> pull against the front of the lever body near the clamp (kind of like hoods 
>> on drop bar levers) and these are wider and the edges radiused here to make 
>> that more comfortable. Sticking a bit of cloth tape there feels downright 
>> luxurious.
>>
>> Dia-Compe ENE shift levers on Velo Orange mounts - not cabled yet but 
>> I've test fit some cables and they seem good to go. A first gen Silver 
>> shift lever seemed fine on these mounts too, which makes sense as Dia-Compe 
>> makes them.
>>
>> Dia-Compe MX2 VC733 V-brakes - a BMX brake not unlike the Shimano DXR 
>> BR-MX70. Decent silvery finish. Good power and modulation. 116mm arms 
>> provide plenty of tire and/or fender clearance. Swap the pads (L<->R) to 
>> turn one into a front brake (they are marked for rotation direction). I 
>> also moved the spacers around on all the pad posts to get better arm 
>> alignment on the wide Cliffhanger rims.
>>
>> [image: R001-3703_brakes.jpg]
>>
>> Once the derailleurs are cabled the bike will be mostly finished but 
>> racks, bags, and lighting are still to come.
>>
>> Happy Thanksgiving!
>>
>> - Dave
>>
>> On Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 11:40:09 AM UTC-5 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>>
>> I really like the MKS Bear Trap pedals. They are very comfortable for my 
>> size 10-11 foot. 
>>
>> I have VP Thin gripsters and VP Vice pedals on other bikes, and MKS 
>> Sneaker Pedals on the HHH tandem. Those are all fine pedals-- I was 
>> surprised at the comfort of the Bear traps. (I wear thin-soled "barefoot 
>> style" shoes or sandals.)
>>
>> looking forward to seeing the final builds!
>> shoji
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 3:49:13 PM UTC-5 alancrai...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>> Here’s my build list:
>>
>> Frame & Fork: Rivendell Platypus, 60cm
>>
>> Headset: FSA Duron X1
>>
>> Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood 113/68
>>
>> Crank: Silver Low/Low w/guard