I wanted to drop off a copy of a book I just reviewed for fellow cyclist, geek and info-sec buddy, jdoublep after work, and ended up taking the little Townie all the way home. I don't think I'm going to do that again. There was only one place where I had to stand up to get up a hill, but standing up on the pedals of a Townie isn't fun nor easy, as you're basically standing between the big cruiser handlebars.
The ride was relaxing, and otherwise one of the funnest homewards I've had in a long time. I particularly enjoyed greeting people with the bell. Simple pleasures, right? Maybe I'll get one for The Twelve... which is what I immediately grabbed for the Monday Night ride when I got home. The Townie killed my knees -- likely a fault of my own for not having it adjusted too well.
I think I could get around on a 3-speed mountain bike set up with a similar ratio for fair weather. I think for the Winter Beater duty, though, I'm definitely going a bit lower if I do, in fact, set the Sorrento up as a 3-Speed. Again, I'm not ruling out a fixed, singlespeed or flip-flop setup either. All three options seem relatively attractive.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ambivalence
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7 comments:
That ride looks strangely similar to my great aunts '57 Schwinn Starlet, in kinda a neo retro sorta way. The position of the waterbottle almost looks like the "gas tank" on the "pink lady". Don't switch anything, just buy another bike, you know you want one.
Wallet nor wife will have anything to do with that. Truth is I barely had room for my three bikes plus my wife's at this apartment.
I have a mountain bike that doesn't get used much, and it will be my winter beater. Both derailleurs are toast. I don't even have a rear wheel for it. The chainrings are shot. Basically, it's a frameset with a front wheel and some unusable parts. It's the perfect donor for a fixie or internal gear project :)
Oh, and lots cheaper than buying another bike, probably.
I should mention that since Hybridzilla got stolen, I'm down to two of my own bikes plus my wife's Townie shown here. You can never have too many bikes, but I think the two I have (once the Goat is functional again) will count as "enough bikes"
I think as long as the ratios of an internal three speed can deal with your local terrain than I say set up the Goat as a three speed. Most of my bikes are external geared bikes with the exception of my Town & Country trike and my Raleigh 20 which are Sturmey Archer three speeds. My primary commuter bikes are 3 x 6 (the Alpine Monitor Pass) and 3 X 8 ( The '07 700C Hybrid Specialized Sirrus). On either bike I never go higher or lower than one gear up or down from the middle rear cog. So there are more than a few Gears that never get used and in theory a three speed commuter would do wonderfully in this flat terrain that is Houston and I imagine it would also work for Kansas.
YOur Townie is a great looking bike!
What sort of rear dropouts does the Goat have? Vertical drops and 3-speed hubs don't really work, unless you can get creative with the frame (or lucky on the gear ratio).
Glad you asked. The look almost exactly like these except not as cheap. They're diagonal and have quite a bit of room to play with. Enough that I can adjust the chain by a 2 whole links regardless of gear ratio.
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