Cycling UK Forum

No calibration for me. Maybe after a couple of decades of my light use, but even then I’d bet there’s not much in it. The tool has features to minimise the influence of friction. The spring shouldn’t change noticeably over time. So where would a real need for calibration arise? From that article: “I...

what's (watts?) with the big disparity in the 'power' column on the strava thing? The ones with a lightning bolt are measured values from a power meter. Obviously everyone was tucked at 100+ km/h, so not pedalling and therefore at zero power. The others are Strava’s estimates based on the terrain a...

The table I have states 100kgf is a deflection of 0.41mm for a 1.8mm spoke. So the spring in the Wheel Fanatyk model is a little weaker. If the spring is weak enough, the deflection becomes so low that the spoke’s bending stiffness does not need to be taken into account. Then you can ditch the diff...

I saw this and found interesting that Sergio Higuita understood the supreme importance of aerodynamics on this long, mostly shallow descent with a tailwind, while several of his chasers did not. Perhaps Jonathan Vaughters, a pilot who should know, has drilled this into all of his riders. The faster ...

Those tyres are porkers even in Brompton size. The saddle isn’t light either. Some of the titanium bits have no practical lightening effect (e.g. the derailleur bits). I’ll guess 9.8 kg.

I've noticed that jockey/pulley wheels have become larger. Does this change make shifting better? Don’t know about that, but it increases the length of chain tied up in the pulleys on small sprockets, which then becomes available for a greater gear range. It also marginally reduces power loss to pu...

Thanks for the update and photos, Des49. My Wheel Fanatyk tensiometer came with a conversion chart saying a deflection of 0.35 mm on a 1.8 mm thick spoke equalled a tension of 97 kgf. In 2018 this chart was revised for reasons I forget, now saying 0.35 mm deflection equalled exactly 100 kgf (not a q...

I'm hoping that we get 6s/7s/8s chains with 'bullseye' riveting, in fact. I think these will give even better shifting on 6/7/8s systems, even with vintage RDs. Aren’t Wippermann Connex 800-series chains (at least some of them) already like that? The pins still slightly overhang the plate though. O...

If I were buying a wheel truing stand now, I would want/prefer one that could take most or all of the various modern hub widths and axle types. I think thru-axles will become increasingly common on road and touring bikes, and similarly more MTBs will use the 148mm/110mm 'Boost' standard. Even if yo...

For me, the tensiometer is for absolute reference. You may not possess a known good wheel; if you do it may have different components that change the ring of the plucked spoke; and anyway, good tension for one wheel is not good tension for all wheels. What do you do when you want 120 kg and your ref...

Is it nostalgia or just a principled design ethos?

Deliquium’s bicycles are always a study in good taste because he sweats these little details, doesn’t compromise lightly, and, yes, throws a fair bit of money at his various neuroses. They inspire me to be more disciplined about component selection.

I recommend the Wheel Fanatyk Jobst Brandt design tensiometer because it eliminates a couple of the main sources of error in these tools. Very expensive, though. The Park Tool TM-1 is widely used by hobbyists and pro builders alike, so it must be worth considering. I think Spa Cycles use it. I’d be ...

Wondering if I should give wheels a first try this winter. Go for it! You won’t regret it. I think a tensiometer may be the most important single tool to have after a spoke key. You can build perfect wheels without a truing stand but not without knowing tension. Plucking spokes is the best way to c...

Hi Samuel, how are you keeping? I’ve had better days but I’m alright, thanks. Have wounds on left hip and left elbow that are taking a while to sort themselves out, plus a sore rib. The rest is rapidly mending except for the shoulder. A piece of bone split off the top of the humerus. After various ...

I like mattheus’s additional class of stuff and often seek that out. It’s getting harder to find, though. When everyone is perpetually distracted by the full-time job of being a consumer, there isn’t much time to acquire discernment about technology or anything else. The result is consumerism of an ...