Thanx Bart, the chainring came with the bike, but i indeed did notice the subtle difference with other similar chainrings.
I am selling the bike, if i would keep all the bikes i,ve built i,d have no place to live..
Unfortunately klunkers don,t sell as well as ¨singlespeed style¨ bikes, they sell like hotdogs.
But personally, i think people don,t get the concept. I,d rather ride a klunker in the city than a singlespeed, they are as fast if not faster then a flimsy frame with narrow tires.
People are habitual species, once we do something a certain way, we continue doing it that way
because we are convinced that is the best way of doing it. Thereby hindering our own progress,
because it is hard for people to conceive other possibilities.
An example is the ¨diamond frame¨. Because this is the regulated geometry for official racing,
people believe it is the fastest frame geometry. And because it is the regulated geometry, any research into other frame design is effectively blocked.It is a closed circle.
So the collective vision on what a bicycle should look like is based on preconceptions, not on reason science and research, as with so many human inventions...
Another problem i observe in diamond frames is energy loss due to sideway movements while accelerating. In contrast, my stretched cruiser accelerates almost completely vertical, allowing me to drive in a straight line forward.
I have raced my stretched cruiser against ¨professional racers¨, e-bikes, scooters, leaving crushed ego,s behind and not even cars or motorbikes can keep up with me in the city.
It kinda makes sense in my eyes, a longer wheel distance equals more momentum, and a lower weight position reduces air resistance and instability.
As a stagetechnician one can observe this effect on flightcases: a small flightcase will travel a few metres with a push, but a longer flightcase will travel 3 or 4 time that distance with the same push.
The only difference is the distance between the wheels..Any increase in height equals a significant loss in momentum due to increased instability and air resistance.
I even get confronted with my own preconceptions, at first i thought 26inch would be faster on a stretched, because almost everyone rides 26, but now i am leaning toward 24.
One of my ambitions is to try and make the fastest stretched race-bike possible.
But i got side-tracked here .. cheers!
Karl,
I see the same thing in the Netherlands. Everyone buys the same type of mountainbikes (can't judge that), but can't think outside this "all parts must be a certain brand or weight" thing.
You can turn a granny bike into a gravelracer and have lots of fun if you want to.
When I show up with my cheap klunker bike for a 50km organized tour. People always get in technical discussions, it is very amusing to watch and listen:
24 inch wheels are too small to be fast. Said someone in a mountainbiking magazine.
I have seen that crank on my kids bike... thats too heavy said someone on pinkbike.
That looks like fun, but singlespeed would deflate and kill my legs.
That guy should act normal.
I don't mind, I am the one having loads of fun.
Can't decide for other people, but in my view, a bit of hardship (because singlespeed, or heavy bike) gives a ride just that little extra. Seems close to real life! Especially fun when overtaking people on 10k+ expensive mountainbikes
But again: I try not to judge, everyone has their own history, views and path they must take.
I love philosophy by the way!
Before covid, I cycled every day to my work in Hengelo. Rain, snow, ice, sun, hail and wind. Only i'd stop for thunder.
Me and my collegues had a great vibe going, more and more people started going to work on a bicycle, fortunately not on a electric bike.
"Fietsmaatjes" (earn money by cycling to work) added even more people.
Then the race started, the people going fastest on average on a bike got all kinds of credits on strava etcetera.
I cycled a singlespeed coasterbrake bike, with an average of 29/30km/u (18mph) when the wind was absent.
That was a great time, after 3 years my cycling condition was great, mountainbikers could'nt keep up with my scrap klunker bike when hitting the trails haha (I enjoyed that).
Another problem i observe in diamond frames is energy loss due to sideway movements while accelerating. In contrast, my stretched cruiser accelerates almost completely vertical, allowing me to drive in a straight line forward.
Is your cruiser more of an "recumbent" bike? Do you have a picture?
The diamond frame is the most stiff frame, making use of "Eulers Buckling Equation". In other words: a tube is most rigid in its own length.
Tubes are also used on a frame because a 'closed' or boxed tube has the highest torsion stiffness.
The sideways movements do have energy loss indeed. Also because of the steering system and long fork design. I made some designs on a more rigid steering mechanism (not saying that it works, it does on paper).
I guess in theory, smaller wheels are more rigid to the whole: Smaller wheels = shorter spokes = shorter fork 'arm'.
One of my ambitions is to try and make the fastest stretched race-bike possible.
What is your concept of stretched? A recumbent? Or a cruiser/chopper type?
I will gladly help you with ideas and equations if the time arises
I want the fastest too, but then the theoretical design is ugly and my inner artist kicks me in the balls and creates something cool looking
