What is the point of the A-head stem?
- Thread starter swee'pea99
- Start date
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There's going to be a whole catalogue of things we all disagree about, once we dissect the bicycle to bits!
I am equivocal about cassettes. I can see both plus points and minuses.
Plus: easy to remove if you have the right tool and a chain whip (why can't all cassette tools for different brands be the same?). I recall having totally despaired of getting a screw-on block off the hub. Those Regina blocks with the two-peg extractor were the worst!
Plus: less strain on the wheel axle. With a block the right-hand bearing has to be set well inside the hub, this puts strain on the axle. I have had one or two breakages. With a cassette the bearing can be right at the end.
Minus: why do we all have to have nine- and ten-speeds? I rarely use more than the middle three on my 9-speed, and I'm told that even 9-speeds are becoming obsolete. How about a call for the return of the 6-speed?
Minus: if the sprockets wear out: no problem. But if the ratchet fails beyond repair, it generally means a new hub. And in my case - since I have no wheel-building skills - that means a new wheel.
Minus: very highly-dished wheels. Some people say that's no problem, but to my mind the differential stress between the two sides can't be ideal...
Minus: no compatibility between different makes. I have a campag hub, so I'm stuck with campag cassettes. I'd really like to shop around!
I'm waiting for the chorus of advice - go to singlespeed - or hub gears. I'm not quite ready for that. And hub gears are not perfect, either.
I am equivocal about cassettes. I can see both plus points and minuses.
Plus: easy to remove if you have the right tool and a chain whip (why can't all cassette tools for different brands be the same?). I recall having totally despaired of getting a screw-on block off the hub. Those Regina blocks with the two-peg extractor were the worst!
Plus: less strain on the wheel axle. With a block the right-hand bearing has to be set well inside the hub, this puts strain on the axle. I have had one or two breakages. With a cassette the bearing can be right at the end.
Minus: why do we all have to have nine- and ten-speeds? I rarely use more than the middle three on my 9-speed, and I'm told that even 9-speeds are becoming obsolete. How about a call for the return of the 6-speed?
Minus: if the sprockets wear out: no problem. But if the ratchet fails beyond repair, it generally means a new hub. And in my case - since I have no wheel-building skills - that means a new wheel.
Minus: very highly-dished wheels. Some people say that's no problem, but to my mind the differential stress between the two sides can't be ideal...
Minus: no compatibility between different makes. I have a campag hub, so I'm stuck with campag cassettes. I'd really like to shop around!
I'm waiting for the chorus of advice - go to singlespeed - or hub gears. I'm not quite ready for that. And hub gears are not perfect, either.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
[quote name='swee'pea99' timestamp='1282303319' post='1369372']
I do concede the issue of having to strip one bar back to bare metal to change a set of handlebars - that can be a drag.
[/quote]
Surely, if you're changing handlebars, you'll be stripping them anyway? Unless you are replacing ALL the controls at the same time. I don't think I've ever done that.
I do concede the issue of having to strip one bar back to bare metal to change a set of handlebars - that can be a drag.
[/quote]
Surely, if you're changing handlebars, you'll be stripping them anyway? Unless you are replacing ALL the controls at the same time. I don't think I've ever done that.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
Fortunately as long as there's enough demand parts go on being made and we can choose! The market does get rid of some things though - haven't seen cotter pin cranks on sale recently
Your analysis of cassettes seems good.
My main reason for preferring cassettes is that the old freewheel blocks were such a pig to remove. They'd usually budge eventually, but I remember a Campy large flange hub disintegrating and cutting my hand badly when trying to get a Regina 5 speed block off. Overall I think the rate of breaking wheels getting blocks off exceeded the rate of replacing hubs/ wheels from freehub failure.
Where did you hear that 8 speed is becoming obsolete?
Why can't we have hub gears at the back and a derailleur at the front to increase range?
