My touring bike is more conventional, with a 46/36/24 crank and 8sp 11/32 in back. On my recent Cascade bike ride, I discovered I don’t actually need the 46 chainring when loaded. I only used it on the most extreme, paved descents, like Chinook Pass. Otherwise, the 36/11 was plenty of gear for me.

I guess I am a slow rider!

I’ll consider the Alfine Internal Hub as an internal gear reference. With it’s gear rations of 0.53, 0.64, 0.75, 0.85, 1, 1.22, 1.42 and 1.62, my (perhaps simplistic) calcuation has a 21 sprocket giving and 11-34 equivalent. That’s handy.

Now what’s a reference brand and range for a cassette, hub and rear derailer that are equivalent quality? (e.g. an SRAM X9 set). Is the 11-34 the refence gearing spread? 12-28?
I think that’ll help me, and other get a feel for a difference in price and weight.

Cheers, Alistair

P.S. I’m assuming and an intenal gear set up is about $75 and 750 grams more than a refence 1×9 derailleur setup.

In comparing $20,000 car vs. $1,000 bicycle, realize that the average person is going to intuitively look at what is being purchased in terms of materials and capability.

Twenty thousand dollars buys a very large, very technically sophisticated product built to very high standards. Take an average Honda Civic: engine, transmission, anti-lock brakes and stability control, electric windows and remote locking, climate control, stereo/CD/iPod connector. A person could conceivably pack a bag in Brooklyn, toss it in the trunk, and within a few hours be in Boston or DC.

That same person looks at a $1,000 bicycle – a Civia or a Surly – and cannot comprehend why it is so expensive. That registers as a tremendous amount to pay for a few feet of metal tubing, two wheels, a seat, and a few pieces in between. By nature it’s going to be a slowish, short-range device. What makes that small amount of matter so expensive?

Yes, it starts making sense after a bit of research: high-quality components, low production numbers, the necessity of overhead in a system where bike shops have to keep the lights on while moving a very discrete amount of product to a small marketplace.

Sill, three hundred dollars is more reasonable. Again, though, how many decent reasonable three hundred dollar bikes exist? Even a track bike, by nature the simplest and purest expression of the breed, tends to be a $600-$800 creature.

I want to say it can be fixed, but part of it has to do with cultural shifts and part with manufacturer shifts. Can Trek or Specialized produce a simple $300 city bike that can be sold in the thousands of units per year? How many people would be enticed into trying this out, and in the process breaking the limits on what is – almost proudly – something of a cult?

I think the chain dropping issue may get more press than it deserves due to the fact that 1×9 drivetrains are becoming so popular among mountain bikers. Most of the folks I’ve talked to running single chainrings on the road rarely, if ever, drop a chain.

Cheers!
Alan

“What’s the usual life expectancy of these saddles ?”

I’ve been riding one for a few years and it’s still going strong. Early on they had some trouble with premature stretching, but I don’t think that’s an issue anymore. They’re expensive (though no more than many racing saddles), but with the amount of riding I do, the added comfort is worth the investment.

Alan

Most rear derailleurs today perform pretty well, even the economy models. You’ll just want to be sure to use a Shimano derailleur with your downtube shifters because the SRAM derailleurs have a 1:1 actuation ratio and require special shifters (you probably knew this already). Here’s a good deal on a very nice derailleur:

http://bit.ly/cy3shC

The mid-cage would be great for a 1×9 set-up.

Alan

“What’s that thing on the front rack where it’s bolted onto the fork?”

That’s a Gino light mount from Paul Engineering:

http://www.paulcomp.com/ginolightmount.html

The Moustache bars don’t have a good place for mounting a light, and it’s nice to have the light down low anyway; the Gino mount solves both problems.

Cheers!
Alan

aj
Human Powered Commuting
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=289538783666

What’s that thing on the front rack where it’s bolted onto the fork?

a:
the SRAM X9 rear redrailleur with short cage.It’s especially made for 1×9 setups and is thanks to the very short cage very precise, light and robust. It works perfectly with my 11-34 setup.

b:
the 10% ovalized EggRings with chain guard rings. the chain guard rings keep the chain nIcely in position without the front derailleur and the ovalized ring improves the flow of the pedaling especially when the gear is not optimal because only 9 are available.

Here a photo of my setup:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/253669/Mobile%20Photo%2031.07.2010%2011%2007%2005.jpg

I have two bikes, a 1973 Peugeot PX-10 and a 2008 Rans Rocket, both bought new. The Peugeot is now set up with a 50 / 34 double in the front and a 14 – 28 6-speed freewheel in the back. That gives me eight usable and distinct gear ratios, from 32 to 95 inches. I go up and down several long and/or steep hills every day, and this setup gives me all the range I need, and I don’t have any gaps where I wish I had another gear. I did wish for another gear when I still had a 5-speed freewheel.

The Rocket came with a 62 / 52 / 39 triple in the front (to go with the 20 inch wheels) and an 11 – 32 9-speed cassette in the back. This gives a range from 24 to 113 inches, which is waaay more than I need. On a regular basis, I only use eight gear ratios, all on the two large front sprockets and the six smaller rear sprockets.

“If you go to a single chain ring, what will you use as a guard? I like that one that you on the outer chain ring now. Clean and simple.”

I’m not sure. I’d like to see if I can get my hands on one of the Civia Bryant chainguards, but those aren’t available as an aftermarket item at this point. We’ll see.

“You could go to a double crank and get the same effect? “

Sure. Or even leave the triple on there. :-)

One of the advantages of going to a single crank is a reduced Q-factor, something that I’m looking forward to because of my bad knee. This is reason enough for me to make the switch.

As far as set-up, the main thing is to make sure the front chainring is centered on the rear cassette so you have a good chainline; this minimizes wear on the components and reduces the chances of dropping the chain.

What some people may not realize is that mountain bikers have been using 1×8 and 1×9 drivetrains successfully for years. There’s a load of information about these kinds of drivetrains on the various mountain bike forums.

Cheers!
Alan

PS – Sorry to hear about your flat – it’s definitely that time of year in CA!

I totally agree, Eddie. In fact, when I lived in Seattle, I routinely used a 24/32 to get up the steep hills in the city with a full load.

Alan

“Please continue to support these excellent products!”

Thanks, Ted. We will certainly do that!

Regards,
Alan