I was out training sunday and noticed a man pulled over on the shoulder up ahead pointing a camera at me. I nodded and smiled and I think he said, “that’s cool.” I continued on my way as I was on a bit of an incline and didn’t feel like stopping.
A moment later the same guy pulls up next to me and rolls down his window, “Mind if I ask you a few questions?” What followed was a brief but rather interesting interview as I struggled to get words out between gasps while pedaling up the hill and as he juggled his pen, notepad, and steering wheel while keeping his eyes on me, the road, and his rear-view mirror. I kinda wish I had given him more info, like where people interested in sponsering me could send the check. Oh well. I was thinking about making a formal press release, I wasn’t expecting them to “come to me”.
Edit: Oh yeah, while out training today, I must have got at least 20 honks, compared to the usual 2-3:D (I was on the front page)
It’s nice to see someone doing distance on a non-Coker.
Is that a 28" wheel?
If so I was wondering if you’d ridden it as a 29-er and, if so what you thought were the pros and cons.
I didn’t get on with my 28" until I put a big tyre on it, since when I’ve done a lot of miles. Looking at your photo I’m a little tempted to put the smaller tyre on again to see if it’s better now I’ve got more experience.
It certainly looks like it’s got a big weight advantage; is there a down side to that it terms of less stability?
I’ve only ever used skinny road tires on it; I’m not sure how big of a tire the CR-18 rim will allow, or the narrower XL frame for that matter. So I can’t really say for sure that the lighter weight is an advantage, but it sure feels like it is!
I got it because the description says it’s good for climbing hills, which are plentiful here in Virginia. I find the same hill much harder on my 24" gazz with 145mm cranks than on my 700c. I’ve only ridden a Coker once, but enough to confirm my suspicion that though speed-demons on flats, they’re both slow and tiring on sustained inclines.
After riding my heavy muni a while, the 700c really feels effortless, though you’d think the opposite would be true because of the larger wheel/shorter cranks.
The only downsides I see to the skinny 100 PSI tire is that I feel every tiny bump in the road (though the air cushion helps, and you really don’t notice after a while), and it’s more fragile - I’ve blown maybe 15 tubes in the less than 2 years I’ve owned it, usually on a piece of gravel. Both of these problems are remedied by paying more attention to what’s in front of you, which makes long rides a little more exciting. It can drop off small curbs with no problem.
She’s also very agile (compared to a Coker), which is nice when getting through crowds on the way to class or when chasing bike couriers in downtown Richmond.
I pace between 10-12 mph according its cycle computer, which is cheap. My top speed is 17.1, but not sustained very long.
I’d still like to try a 29er, but so far “light seems right” to me. Future purchases include a CF seat frame once they’re back in stock, a pair of these, and maybe one of Bedford’s CF rail-type seat posts. I also kinda wanna try toe-clips.
The thread is here. Yes there were some drops in the riding, however, I don’t think that the riding was any more severe than a hilly road trip. Torquing uphill puts a lot of stress on cranks. I personally would trust Nathan’s current ones a lot more, even though he hasn’t returned a verdict yet. They are not CF.
Iowakid - Thanks, I plan to paint my frame to match. Maybe Bedford could help me out with some flame decals.
U-Turn - Wow, I forgot about that thread, I’ll start it up again and see if Nathan has anything to report. I still don’t want to give up hope on these Murray’s though. Maybe a metal lining around the slot?
Only if you don’t mind funding research with time and money. Why would you want the CF as opposed to the new ones Nathan’s working on? They seem to hold more promise. However, I imagine that Murray would talk and work with you and then you may have the satisfaction of helping move the state of the art forward.
You may find it just as rewarding to work with Nathan instead, though, and help him in his quest to find tough, long-lasting, convenient adjustable-length cranks.
