Show us your bicycles!

[dasdoing]

about seats not having improoved: after switching to a split nose saddle it felt like a couch. but it might only be an improvement for agressive positions

 

[bt3]

Lived pretty cheaply throughout my life, yet indulged my love for audio gear and bicycles.
Posting four of my bicycles, but owned well over twenty bikes in my life to include
two recumbent's (a Lightening P-38 and a heavily modified Rans Rocket) the latter I wish I kept because it rode like a dream flying down wide, sweeping mountain roads.

 

[LTig]

I think the next level performance is really the significant improvements to (1) lighter frames and aero wheels (2) smooth failproof derailleur systems and (3) more ergonomic geometry, but dangit all, seats have NOT improved much if at all LOL

I'm not so sure about this. Certainly the seat on my recumbent bike is much more comfortable than all the seats of my uprights ...

 

[LTig]

I agree - you really have to concentrate, and more so if the surface is bad. So I would never use my Brompton or similar bike on a long tour, but they are perfect for short rides to and from railway stations etc.

The biggest problem of the Brompton are its brakes. They are much [1] too weak. Going down a very steep road (15% or more) in a town in Sweden it was impossible to stop it at all, and we were lucky that the street we had to cross had no traffic.

[1] That was with the standard brake pads. After this trip I got somewhat better ones by the dealer who sold me the Bromptons but they are far from good. My wife has small hands and hence needed handles made for children. If she pulls them until they touch the handle bar (means it can't go further) the braking effect is still bad.

 

[rdenney]

I'm not so sure about this. Certainly the seat on my recumbent bike is much more comfortable than all the seats of my uprights ...

Yeah, I'm not so sure either. When I ride that Ideale now, it hurts like hell, even though my young posterior was fully conformed to it back in the day.

Modern saddles, if they are the right shape, are comfortable from the first minute and don't need a thousand miles of break-in to become tolerable.

Rick "and then there's the shape needed for prostate health and avoiding numbness...where you don't want numbness" Denney

 

[Doodski]

My custom made m-gineering loaded tourer with a thin walled oversized steel frame. Rohloff 14 speed gear hub, Son generator hub and headlight, Magura HS66 hydraulic rim brakes for drop bar, TA Zephyr cranks, Gilles Berthoud saddle and fenders, custom steel stem, Nitto rack and handlebar. Picture from my 2020 camping tour from Stralsund in northern Germany back to the Netherlands.

Hehe. The illusion is that the log is loaded on the bike.

 

[Spocko]

I'm not so sure about this. Certainly the seat on my recumbent bike is much more comfortable than all the seats of my uprights ...

LOL true true, I need to get a recumbent

 

[Zensō]

I did find the ride on the brompton to be a bit twitchy compared to 700c with 32s on it, but it's not terrible. They're a joy to use otherwise.

My 650B and 700C touring/city bikes always felt like steering a cargo ship after riding the Brompton for a few days.

 

[Zensō]

This was a fun bike. Civia Bryant with an 8-speed Alfine internal gear hub with belt drive, disc brakes, dynamo hub, Pass & Stow porteur rack.

 

[Doodski]

8-speed Alfine internal gear hub with belt drive

I likeeeee. Belt drive. drOOL... No more dirty chain, silent and stealthy.

 

[LTig]

My 650B and 700C touring/city bikes always felt like steering a cargo ship after riding the Brompton for a few days.

In the other direction after riding the cargo eBike for several weeks the first kilometer on a Brompton is a recipe for disaster.

Same happened on our first serious bike holiday (1000 km in Switzerland with camping gear). After riding 2 weeks with luggage and heavy low rider packs going down the Furka pass without luggage felt very unsafe as I used much too much force on the handle bar.

 

[LTig]

I likeeeee. Belt drive. drOOL... No more dirty chain, silent and stealthy.

I drove a belt drive a few years ago (eBike) and at a certain speed (rotation rate) the transmission somewhow started to resonate. Strange feeling in my feet and legs. And I thought the efficiency is not as good as that of a chain.

 

[somebodyelse]

And I thought the efficiency is not as good as that of a chain.

That depends on chain lubrication and load.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/belt-drivetrain-efficiency-lab-testing/

 

[Zensō]

Here’s a close up of the belt and unusual spilt dropout to accommodate tensioning and removal.

 

[Chrispy]

Here’s a close up of the belt and unusual spilt dropout to accommodate tensioning and removal.

View attachment 167495

Spot's had those for a long time now....do you actually ride in the dirt? Looks so clean....and have heard of issues with belt drives in certain conditions with loose rock getting into the drivetrain. Never tried one, tho....

 

[Doodski]

Here’s a close up of the belt and unusual spilt dropout to accommodate tensioning and removal.

View attachment 167495

Very nice design. I like how the tensioner is a bolt on piece for replacement in case of stripping or damage. CooL.

 

[Zensō]

Spot's had those for a long time now....do you actually ride in the dirt? Looks so clean....and have heard of issues with belt drives in certain conditions with loose rock getting into the drivetrain. Never tried one, tho....

That was a commuter bike. Many moons ago I was the owner/operator of a website dedicated to all things related to bike commuting and city riding. I had a lot of review bikes come through, would usually shoot the photos first before testing. I’m pretty sure Civia had the belt drive first, before Spot. I had one of the first prototypes in the US.

 

[Zensō]

Very nice design. I like how the tensioner is a bolt on piece for replacement in case of stripping or damage. CooL.

That stainless plate is removable and the frame splits open there so you can install or remove the belt (no master links!).

 

[Doodski]

That stainless plate is removable and the frame splits open there so you can install or remove the belt (no master links!).

Even more cooL...

 

[Chrispy]

That was a commuter bike. Many moons ago I was the owner/operator of a website dedicated to all things related to bike commuting and city riding. I had a lot of review bikes come through, would usually shoot the photos first before testing. I’m pretty sure Civia had the belt drive first, before Spot. I had one of the first prototypes in the US.

I just remember Spot as being one of the first to offer such a system.....not heard of Civia but then not much into commuting or city riding (other than on a road bike or mountain bike depending on the city ). I see it as an option on the Sur-Ron X which I'm constantly tempted by, tho