Zen Mod said:
I would dare to claim that the old russian bike is better than most of the moder western bikes. I have had a number of highly regarded modern frames and bikes, and they do not even come close to that old russian
This exact frame was used by the USSR olympic team some 25 years ago....another reason to love it....it's got a story of it's own
YGM
Magura
Hi Magura,
Man, have we gone OT with this!
I was told that it stopped air from creating extra drag. This seems to be reasonable. Is this true?
I didn't know they were glass. Cool, thanks for that.
I think I have to split this off into "Everything Else" to keep continuity.
-Chris
Man, have we gone OT with this!
So, paved roads only for you?
I was told that it stopped air from creating extra drag. This seems to be reasonable. Is this true?
I didn't know they were glass. Cool, thanks for that.
I think I have to split this off into "Everything Else" to keep continuity.
-Chris
anatech said:Hi Magura,
Man, have we gone OT with this!
So, paved roads only for you?
I was told that it stopped air from creating extra drag. This seems to be reasonable. Is this true?
I didn't know they were glass. Cool, thanks for that.
I think I have to split this off into "Everything Else" to keep continuity.
-Chris
Yeah, not a bad idea to split the thread
Yes, only paved roads for this bike, as the 150PSI tire pressure makes you able to tell if an ant is red or black when you ride over it
You can see it's fibre-glass, as it's brownish, carbon is as you know black. This wheel is however very light, and as you figured, it creates very little drag. The same goes for the big rim you see in the front end. If used on a track with no wind, one would use a disc wheel for the front as well, but out on the stretts it's like russian roulette, since you simply get blown off the road by the wind.
Magura
rdf said:
Yes, steel frame, and not the comfortable kind
Now you correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't fat and old supposed to be kept at bay with....cycling ?
Anyhow, it's nice to see that there are others whom have fallen in love with fixed gear bikes. I often wonder why so few are riding fixed gears though ?
Magura
One small detail left out was the 16+ months of 70 hour work weeks. Puts a real dent in your riding style. 
The couriers in my area have picked up on fixed gear. I recall being introduced to them by Sheldon Brown's site: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html . I agree it's the most wonderful way to ride - extremely light, dead silent and when all is right feels as close as you'll ever come to human powered flight. BTW, when you say 'uncomfortable steel' the third bike on the rack is an early Nineties, touch-too-small large tube aluminum Cannondale crit frame. It's like riding a bench vise.
The couriers in my area have picked up on fixed gear. I recall being introduced to them by Sheldon Brown's site: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html . I agree it's the most wonderful way to ride - extremely light, dead silent and when all is right feels as close as you'll ever come to human powered flight. BTW, when you say 'uncomfortable steel' the third bike on the rack is an early Nineties, touch-too-small large tube aluminum Cannondale crit frame. It's like riding a bench vise.
Hmm, you remind me of the fact that I also read about fixed gear bikes first at Sheldon's page, though back then I just considered him a nutcase and went on with my fantazillion gear bikes.....
I learned about the fixies on the track in the club that gave me the bike in the pic. I guess I did like 10 laps, and have been hooked ever since
BTW, funny you should mention the old aluminum Cannondale bikes. I did a trip from Denmark to Latvia (approx. 1700km) on a Cannondale R400 back in the early Nineties....I think I have never been that battered ever since
The bike in the above pic is though the least comfortable bike I have ever ridden, admitted, the disc wheel dosn't help the comfort much either
Magura
I learned about the fixies on the track in the club that gave me the bike in the pic. I guess I did like 10 laps, and have been hooked ever since
BTW, funny you should mention the old aluminum Cannondale bikes. I did a trip from Denmark to Latvia (approx. 1700km) on a Cannondale R400 back in the early Nineties....I think I have never been that battered ever since
The bike in the above pic is though the least comfortable bike I have ever ridden, admitted, the disc wheel dosn't help the comfort much either
Magura
Magura said:The bike in the above pic is though the least comfortable bike I have ever ridden, admitted, the disc wheel dosn't help the comfort much either
Unless that frame has unusually heavy gauge tubing (which you can tell by measuring the seatpost diameter), it ought not to be the source of harshness. Being made of old "standard" diameter steel tubing it will be relatively flexible compared to a more modern oversize or, worse yet, ovalized tubed frame (of steel or aluminum).
It also looks to have a glued together aluminum fork, which should also be relatively supple (albeit less "springy' than a steel equivalent).
The true source of your rough ride is the wheels, both the fibreglass disk and the deep-dish, radial laced job.
Just install some proper wheels with shallow section rims and 3 cross spokes, which would look better on the old lugged frame, and the ride will improve.
Oh, how modern racing bikes suck to ride.
ps. that super low handlebar probaly isn't helping in the comfort department.
maxro said:
Thanks for the advice. This crank is however a USSR crank, they usually snap off somewhere on the middle of the left arm....don't ask me why, as I know the Campagnolo problem is as you describe, and the only visible difference between this one and the campa is the campa stamp
Magura
maxro said:
It has unusualy heavy gauge tubing, as it's an old competiton track frame
Having said that, you are sure right that I havn't done much for the comfort in any other aspects. The only difference this bike has compared to the one used back on the track (besides the brakes) is as you noticed the aluminum fork, which makes the ride off the track tolerable.
This bike is jused exclusively for short fast rides (like an hour or so at full throttle), so the handlebar position and the lack of comfort is not really an issue. The benefits are quite fine aerodynamics and a low loss frame....makes for a real fast ride
.....and I whole heartedly disagree with you on the modern racing bikes suck to ride issue. I tend to like the harsh ride, as they are very responsive. To be honest, these days I do maximun 150 to 200km, so the harsh ride is not going to really get to me
Magura
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