British Bicycles of Chicago

Comment

Comment by Hector Lareau on October 3, 2013 at 12:00pm

Suggestions for good tires (or should I say "tyres"?) sought.

The surprisingly awesome Raleigh DL-1 is quickly earning my respect as a slammin' bit of transportation. But the tires are, well, less than optimum. I've been spoiled by the Continental Contact (rear) and Gatorskin (front) on the beloved Kona Sutra, and the Hindustani cotton-casing garbage on the Raleigh is simply not in the same league. Any and all suggestions welcome -- especially since finding a size that works with the 28 x X ?/? rim size is troublesome. THANKS!

Comment by Hector Lareau on October 1, 2013 at 1:19pm

<donning dunce cap>

Turns out there was a significant amount of Chromax residue on the rims from my earnest pre-re-lacing scrubbing. So there's good news all 'round: the bike mostly goes whoa -- though not like the discos on my beloved Kona Sutra -- and the rims shine like the sun!

Still, all that polishing, and no genie...

Comment by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 1, 2013 at 10:56am

When I was traveling in India this past spring the rod-brake bikes were everywhere.  A very few of the newest bikes were equipped with conventional caliper brakes and cotterless cranks but those were definitely in the minority.  

Rental bikes were everywhere for tourists to use.  The rod brake bikes I rode worked fairly well even though the bikes themselves were very worn out with wobbly oft-taco'd wheels, bearings that were almost completely worn out, pedals with only the spindles left of them sometimes, and brake shoes that look like they were last replaced well into the last century.

Most of the bike mechanics there were using sticks, rocks, and old pieces of scrap metal from pipes and other metal junk fashioned into wrenches and screwdrivers with hacksaws and hand files.  Park Tools wasn't a luxury those folks had access to.

But they knew how to get the brakes to work and would adjust them so that the mechanical advantage and travel was optimal and gave decent stopping power.

I suppose it is a matter of skill and knowledge or something like that. 

Comment by olloyd1 on October 1, 2013 at 10:51am

Kool Stop makes salmon colored brake pads for rod brakes that will improve the braking some.  I ordered a set for a customer and he called up a week later a little perplexed, his bike was actually stopping!

Comment by Alan Lloyd on October 1, 2013 at 10:48am

I agree that they don;t work very well, especially in the wet on those steel rims!

There are no cables to snap, though, and a wobbly wheel won't hit the brake-pads unless or until it is really bent?

But I'm not sure why you can't adjust them so that the levers don't pull all the way to the handlebars - if I understand what you are saying correctly?

Comment by Doug Haynes on October 1, 2013 at 10:11am

Rod brakes are less for stopping and more for slowing in my experience.  I have never been able to get them to work all that well.

Comment by globalguy on October 1, 2013 at 9:45am

HL - from what I've heard DL brakes are infamously crappy. But I'm no expert so perhaps Mike Bullis or Alan Lloyd could weigh in?

Comment by Hector Lareau on September 30, 2013 at 1:39pm

Chumrades, the venerable Raleigh DL-1 roadster is out and rolling. It's a delight to make it go! 

But it's a nightmare to make it stop. After endless fiddling with the rod brakes, they are as close to the rims as can be, but I can pull the levers to their limit without much more effect than a customization of the forward momentum. It's not very analogous to stopping. 

New Fibrax pads installed, even, but not much whoa. 

Suggestions?

Comment by SlyRed on August 30, 2013 at 4:59am

Getting to Manor & Meadow by Train:

Getting to Fabyan Villa by Train - Depart downtown Chicago from Ogilvie Transportation Center (Union Pacific West Line). On Sunday there are only two trains that will get you to Geneva before the start of The Manor & Meadow Tour:

Departs Chicago at 8:40 AM Arrives Geneva at 9:45 AM

Departs Chicago at 10:40 AM Arrives Geneva at 11:47 AM

Rather than attempting the Rt. 31 way, may I suggest a slightly longer, but possibly safer route from the train station. Once you leave the train station on your bike, head north 2 blocks on 3rd Street to the corner of South St. (Caribou Coffee) and make a right on South St.. Travel 2 blocks east and cautiously cross Rt. 31 and continue 1 more block. Where the street turns left into S. River Lane you will notice a trail head for the bike trail on the right. Take the trail under the RR bridge to the east side of the river, turn right (south) and take the bike trail to Fabyan Park. Once you pass the windmill there is a bridge that will take to the west side of the park and ultimately the Villa.

My thanks to Jeff Smith for the route from the train station to the site.

Comment by John on August 26, 2013 at 10:38am

Carl Boyd identified your bikes immediately when we arrived, but wondered where you both were.  The group left as the chairs were being set up.

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