NEWSWIRE: Albany Highwheel Event A Hit

Last weekend was the Albany, California (near Berkeley) Criterium and since it was the city's centennial, the promoters decided to hold a special highwheel bicycle event as part of the festivities. I brought my 1886 Victor Light Roadster and had a blast getting schooled by the other riders in the skill events, the slalom, the slow race (the last to cross the finish line wins; "ready - set - slow!") and the straight-and-narrow, where you have to ride down a decreasing-width lane formed by tape on the road. The person who makes it the furthest without touching the tape with his tire wins.

Then came something I'm good at, the mile race. Fourteen riders participated and we started together. To mount one of these antique bicycles (sometimes called an Ordinary, because it was the ordinary bike of the 1880s - or a Penny Farthing, a British term based on 2 coins that, when placed side by side, resemble the bikes), you put your left foot on a little step on the backbone (the frame). You then push with your right foot to get the bike rolling. Once the bike's got just enough speed to balance it, you push off with your right foot, push up on the step with your left foot, boost yourself into the seat and find the pedals with your feet at the same time. Getting off is the reverse - or, if you're brave, you can jump off.

With everyone safely underway, we tore around the course, the guys on the smallest wheels (equal to smaller gears) getting an early lead and keeping it all the way to the slight climb on the backside of the course. But, with my 56-inch wheel, I was able to gradually overtake the leaders and pull away around the last corner for the win. The photos show a "brace," a common 1880s crowd-pleaser, where we line up on our bikes by holding each other's handlebars for support, and me finishing the mile. For more on highwheeling:
http://www.jimlangley.net/spin/wheeling.html
http://www.jimlangley.net/ride/singerbritishchallenge.html
http://www.thewheelmen.com
http://www.hiwheel.com

Q&A: Speed wobble; mtb tire sizes,

Q: I have a Schwinn GS hybrid. It's equipped with what they call a carbon
"flex fork" that has very little rake as compared to my other bikes. I've
had 3 incidents where I got high speed wobble in the 35-40mph range. I
managed to get it whoa'd down before a crash, but it was very scary. I've
never had this problem on any other bike. I've checked the headset, wheels,
bearings, etc. and all seem fine. I've given it a lot of thought and it
seems to happen when I'm leaning to the right or off camber leaning to the
right. The fork looks like it "melted" during the wobble. I'm an old coot,
don't need to have a high speed crash. Got any ideas?

Regards,
Fritz

A:
Hi Fritz,
Speed wobble on bicycles and motorcycles is a fairly common problem so the
first thing is to have a plan for when/if it happens, and one thing you can
do that will usually get the bicycle under control immediately is to stop
pedaling and clamp your knees against the top tube. This will brace the top
tube and should stop the speed wobble right away. This is an old trick but a
good one to know because speed wobble can happen and sometimes even on bikes
that never wobbled before.

Finding the cause of a wobble and eliminating it can be more difficult. You
might start by replacing your wheels with someone else's and going down the
same hill where your bike wobbled and see if it does it with the different
wheels. If not, it might be that the spoke tension of your wheels is too low
or that you have a defective tire with an "S" in the casing from a stone
bruise to the casing.

It can be helpful to get a second opinion, too. If another person can't get
your bike to wobble on the same hill that it just wobbled on for you, you'd
have reason to suspect it could be how your bike is set up to fit you. For
example, if the seat is too high, your weight is too high and that can
affect how a bike handles. It sounds like you checked for the usual culprits
like a loose headset, warped wheels, loose wheel bearings. You might try
tightening your headset a bit. Usually there's a bit of tolerance and you
could try setting it a little tighter than it is and see if that helps damp
the front end and stop the wobble.

Hopefully one of these tips will help you solve the wobble, but I have seen
bikes that just wobbled under certain riders and under certain conditions. I
have a very nice road bike like this in my garage. It wobbles for me on
steep hills so it's reserved for people who weigh less and none have ever
got it to wobble. I believe the tubing in the frame is too light for my 170
pounds and where it's positioned on the bike when I ride it. Put a 160 pound
guy on it and it's fine.

And, I should add that I don't think the carbon fork is the issue. You could
certainly swap out the fork to see if a different one would stop the wobble.
But, my Litespeed has one of the lightest carbon forks made on it, an old
Look HSC, and even though it looks scary flexible on bumpy descents it has
never wobbled.

If you have a good mechanic you could have test ride your bike that would be
a good way to go, too, especially if he can experience the wobble.

Good luck. Let me know if you figure out what's causing it,
Jim
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Q: Jim - Will a 26 x 2-inch tubeless tire fit properly on a 26 x 1.75 wheel?
Also, what width range of tubeless tire will properly fit a 26 x 1.75 wheel?

Thanks,
Chuck

A: Hi Chuck,
26 x 1.75 is a standard size used on some mountain bikes, so pretty much any
26 inch "mountain-bike" tire will fit, including 26 x 2.0, 1.5, 1.9, 2.3,
etc. Tubeless tires usually come in the wider sizes, though, and any of
those should work fine on your wheel. There are also skinny (not tubeless)
tires meant for road use like 1.25 and even 1 inch that will work, too, as
long as that's a modern wheel you have, and not something very old without
rims that'll hang onto a skinny tire. And, if you go with a skinny road tire
it's best to replace the tube with one that fits, too, otherwise it can be
super hard to mount the tire.

Hope this helps,
Jim
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Q&A: Sticky pedals, dry lube, new brake hoods, clickie fixie

Q: Jim, I am a bit of an addict - doing spinning classes about 5 times a week. I love my clipless pedals and shoes but have a hard time clipping out - even broke a shoe trying to clip out. Someone suggested spraying Pam or WD-40 on the clips - any advice on this? Just in case you're picturing a large woman, I am about 5' 6" and 120 lbs, so not a big brute : ) Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Paula

A: I can relate, Paula. I'm an addict, too, and never miss my rides. You didn't mention what type of pedal system you have. If you have plastic cleats and pedal parts, like used on Look clipless pedals, you can certainly try spritzing your pedals and cleats with a cooking spray like Pam or you might try a furniture wax like Lemon Pledge or a car spray polish like Armor All, I'd be a little worried about using WD-40, though, as it's more a penetrating lubricant than a slippery wax and it might gum things up over time where the slippery sprays shouldn't too much. On clipless pedal systems that are all, or mostly metal, like Shimano SPDs or Speedplay, the lubricants like WD-40, should work fine, not gum things up too much, and also last longer than the waxy sprays. Just don't walk into your house with your cycling shoes on or you'll transfer the lube from your cleats to your floors.

If you do have a Shimano SPD system, keep in mind that one of the most likely causes of difficulty getting out of your pedals is cleat wear. Over time the little metal cams on the cleats that open the pedal jaws when you twist your feet to exit wear down. And, when they wear down enough, you twist your feet and the cleats can't spread the pedal jaws enough for you to get your feet out. Replacing the cleats will make the system work like new again. It takes me a few years to wear out a set of metal cleats, though, so if yours are new, that's probably not the problem. Note that this can happen on plastic cleats, too, which wear out from walking, and a lot faster than metal ones, if you walk a lot in your cycling shoes. You can look at plastic cleats and see the wear pretty easily. Look for too-thin edges at the front and rear and rough or chipped edges, all signs it's probably time for new cleats.

Keep in mind that most modern clipless pedals have adjustable release tension, too. Look for a small Allen screw on the backs of the pedals (photo). Turn these in 1/2-turn increments counterclockwise and you should feel a significant difference in how hard it is to get out of your pedals. You can hold your shoe in your hand and click it in and out of the pedal to feel how much easier you can make it. On Shimano pedals there's a lot of adjustment and you can make it much easier if it's at the hardest setting when you start. Also, on two-sided clipless pedals like Shimanos, you can also set one side loose and one side tighter if you wanted a choice, say for riding for fitness when you don't get off the bike much, versus riding off road where you get off a lot.

If you have plastic cleats (like Looks) and they're mounted on a small shoe, it's also possible that the cleats bent slightly when the cleat bolts were tightened down (to conform to the curved shoe soles). This can happen on a small size shoe and if it does, the curve placed in the cleats when you tighten them fully makes it harder to get out of the pedals. The solution is to loosen the cleats and place shims beneath them until the cleats can be fully tightened without changing shape (the bottoms should remain flat when the cleats are fully tightened on the shoes; the cleats shouldn't be curved at all).

Hope these tips help you solve the problem,
Jim

Q: Hi Jim, I'm wondering about "Sosmetal Slik & Kleen." It's a dry lube and I'm wondering if you can tell me is it any good for the bicycle chain? I've tried it and it seems to do well and without any dirt or dust getting stuck as when using a regular type oil. I appreciate in advance your answer.
Thank you,
Bob

A: Sorry, Bob, I've never heard of that lube. Is it made specifically for bicycles? There is a bicycle lube called White Lightning http://www.whitelightningco.com/ that's wax-based and pretty good for dry climates/areas. I've used that a lot and thought it worked nicely, though you do get a waxy build-up on your chain and cassette over time. But, it does lube okay and keeps your drivetrain relatively grime-free.

Q: Hi Jim,
I have a bicycle that I built in the late seventies with components from all sorts of places. The brakes are Zeus 2000 center pull and the gum rubber brake hoods are in need of replacement. I have not found Zeus replacement parts but have heard that the campy replacement hoods will fit. I am wondering what the best way to replace these hoods would be. I really don’t want to remove the levers from the handlebars since I have leather handlebar covers that are sewn onto the bar. Is it possible to replace these hoods by removing the brake cable and going at them from the front?

Thanks for your advice,
Rick

A: Hi Rick,
I can't remember Zeus brake levers as they were pretty rare and I didn't work on many over the years. But, in most cases, you can slip the rubber hoods off the levers once the cables have been released from the levers. Old hoods will probably tear off, too and you probably won't mind ruining them if it's time to replace them. Be sure to remove all the rubber if some pieces are left stuck to the brake lever hoods. Lighter fluid or rubbing alcohol will free rubber pieces really stuck to the lever.

To get the new hoods on, soak them in warm soapy water for awhile. This will make them softer and slippery and they should slip right over the brake levers with a little care. Be sure to protect your leather tape so the water doesn't stain it. You could wrap plastic around it until the hoods are on and dry.

If you run into tight, or older rubber hoods that simply won't go on without risk of ruining them, you should be able to remove the brake lever handles, too. On high-quality levers, like Campy, there's usually a set screw inside to loosen and then you can push out the main pivot pin that holds the lever handles in place. Once this pin is out, the handles will come out (the lever hoods stay attached to the handlebars) and you can simply slide the rubber hood onto the brake lever hood without having to stretch the rubber much at all. It's a little tricky putting the lever handles back in place but not too hard. You just need to hold the rubber hood out of the way to slide the pivot pin back in place. Don't forget to tighten the set screw.

If you can't get the lever handles out of the lever, you can also remove the levers from the bars without unwrapping the tape, but this is trickier. It's easy enough to remove the levers by unscrewing the main screw inside the levers. This will let you remove the levers from the bars (just pull). BUT, when you remove them, the clamp and pull-up nut remain behind on the handlebar. Also, the bar tape stays the way it was wrapped. Usually, the lever was installed BEFORE the tape was wrapped. This means that if you remove the lever this way, the tape stays in a position that makes it tricky to get the lever back in the little pocket it was in before (formed by the tape).

Also, getting the screw in the lever to find and tighten into the pull-up nut and clamp still on the bar is tricky. It can be done but it takes patience and a little luck. One trick is to put a cardboard shim behind the pull-up nut to "jam" it in place so it can't move as you try to find it with the main screw when you're trying to reattach the levers. You will also need to wiggle or pry the bar tap/leather back over the hood the way it was before slipping a screwdriver or something like that beneath to fit the lever and tape just right so everything is right again. I've done this, but it's easier, of course, if you can just slip the hood over, or remove the lever handles only and leave the brake hoods on the bars.

Actually, now that I explained all that, because you have leather, it's possible that your setup was designed for easier lever removal. You might loosen a lever and see if the leather is entirely beneath the lever body and the clamp and nut are easy to access. If so, it should be pretty easy to remove the levers, slip on the new hoods and reinstall the levers.

Hope these tips help you out. Let me know how it goes,
Jim

Q: Jim - Here is a photo of a bike I built from scratch. New steel frame, all new parts. I have several bikes. My multispeeds are solid and quiet, carbon and steel. My singlespeeds, both a Bianchi San Jose and this one, go tick, tick, tick as I pedal, especially under a load. I had the bottom brackets rebuilt three times, even used plumber's tape on the BB threads. New chains, adjusted both, found the tight spot and adjusted to compensate for it as told to do. Still that ticking sound. Lubed the pedals, checked the SPD cleats, tight and lubed. Tried different shoes. Tick, tick. The mechanic at the bike shop told me to "ignore it and get used to it." Why do singlespeeds tick?
Bill

A: That's a sweet looking bike, Bill. But, it's hard for me to tell whether or not I could help with the tick on your bike. In my experience fixies and track bikes do tend to have a little more drivetrain noise, but I don't think of it as a tick but more like a constant running noise from the chain links and sprockets. It's not anything I'd worry about. 10-speeds make noise, too.

But, if I heard a regular, tick, tick, tick like on one pedal stroke or something, I'd try to figure it out. Maybe it would be possible to get rid of it and have a quiet ride.

Have you tried loosening your chain so it seems too loose, to see if the noise goes away? Have you tried checking the alignment of the cog and chainring to make sure they're perfect? Have you looked at the cogs and chainring very carefully under a bright light, one tooth at a time, to make sure no teeth are slightly bent, or out of alignment? Has the chain got a nice coat of lube on it? Are the chainring bolts nice and greased up? Were the pedal threads greased when you put them in? Did you check your shoes to make sure nothing is loose on there. On my Sidi shoes for example, I only use 3 holes to mount my Look cleats. That leaves a couple of other holes for other cleat systems. Problem is, the metal inserts in these holes are loose in the shoe. It took me a while to figure out that they were rattling in there and on every pedal stroke I'd get a click, click. It drove me nuts. I fixed it by putting a screw in those holes to lock that part of the shoe down.

Another possibility is the chain. Sometimes people run basic coaster-brake-style chains on fixies. It's my experience that a derailleur chain, which is more flexible, will run more smoothly and quietly. You might try that if you're running the more basic, less expensive coaster-brake chain.

Maybe one of these suggestions will help you find the problem and have a nice quiet ride again. I hope so. Thanks again for the photo. I enjoyed seeing your masterpiece. Very nice! Oh, be sure to check my extensive article on finding and fixing bicycle noises if others crop up. It's here: http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html

Jim

PRODUCT REVIEW: Cervelo Soloist Carbon bicycle

July means the Tour de France, and I hope you're following and enjoying the action as much as I am. Click here for text updates: http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/ Click here for video updates: http://www.velonews.tv/?Art_ID=2214 Part of the excitement for me is that I race on a bicycle right out of the Tour peloton, my Cervelo Soloist Carbon. So, I thought it would be a good time to show you this magnificent machine and point you to my review where you can learn more about this fantastic Canadian thoroughbred. I've ridden dozens of high-tech lightweights from most of the world's key bicycle manufacturers, and I consider my Cervelo significantly superior. So does team CSC, with wins across Europe and maybe most notable, 2 Paris-Roubaix victories on Cervelos. See more pictures of my Soloist and find out what makes it so special here. http://www.jimlangley.net/ride/cervelo.html

Q&A: Flats, coaster brakes and getting into the bike biz

Q: I have a Specialized Roubaix with Mavic Kysrium wheels and all of a sudden I'm having problems with flats. I bought the bike last September and rode it all winter and didn't have any problems until it started getting hot. The flats occur from a cut at the base of the valve stem obviously from the rim. I called my local dealer and he said that it sounds to him it's from the way I air my tires. Since the tubes have the 60mm stems, he suggests that I drop down to the 32mm stem and possibly use a different floor pump. So I bought several short-valve tubes and a new Park floor pump. Yesterday I was about 7.5 miles from home and started to get a flat. When I got back home, there was a small cut at the rear tire valve, my favorite place. I changed the tube to the 32mm stem, and of course can hardly get the pump head on it, but I did and rode today without problems. The reason for the stem change: the bike shop indicated that I was damaging the valve when I filled it. I think I might try chamfering the edge of the valve hole in the rim so it can't cut into the valve. Think that would solve the problem?

Thanks for any input you can give me,
Mike

A: Sorry to hear about the flat hassles. You're on the right track with the idea to chamfer the edge of the valve hole in the rim. I would definitely closely inspect that area and make sure it's super smooth and can't bite into the base of the valve. I suspect that's the problem, not anything with the length of the valve or your pumping the tubes.

Another trick we used to have to use on certain rims is to take a piece of soft cloth and make a little hole in the center just large enough for the cloth to slip over the valve (a piece of cloth handlebar tape can work). This cloth piece needs to be just wide enough to fit inside the rim and protect the base of the valve on all sides. You slip it on the tube's valve and then install the tube and with a little luck your flats will cease. Believe it or not, at one time working at the bike shop I had to put these things on almost every rim to stop those recurring flats when I worked on all the French and British bikes back around 1973. Those rims were sharp back then ;-)

I think if you try these things you'll solve the problem. Simply chamfering the rims might do the trick. But I wanted to tell you the cloth trick since it works so nicely. Since other people with Kysriums aren't suffering constant valve cuts, I suspect you just got one that wasn't machined perfectly.

I should also ask if this recurring valve problem is happening on always the same brand and type of valve? If so, that might be a contributing factor - the design of the tube being not quite right for your wheel. But, it sounds like you've had the same problem with several different tubes which indicates it's the rim, not the tubes.

To flat-free rides!
Jim
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Q: I have an AMG Roadmaster. On the side it says Skyrider Deluxe. We found it in an old shed but the brakes don't work. I'm just a girl so I don't know how to fix it but I can't afford another bike and this one was free. It's cute. It even has a headlight which doesn't work right now, but this cutie has been hidden for years. Can you help?
No Brakes in Ohio

A: Thanks for the question. That sounds like a fun bike. If it's a coaster-brake bike, there should be just one brake that's inside the hub on the rear wheel. To operate the brake you push backwards on the pedals. That's why it's sometimes called a "foot brake." If this is the type of brake you have on that bike, and it's not braking or slowing you down when you push back on the pedals, it's probably because moisture has gotten inside the hub and rusted or frozen the parts inside that make them work when you pedal backwards to stop the bike. If other parts on the bike are rusty, like the chain or handlebars or crank, that's an indication that the parts inside the hub may have rusted, too.

If you're lucky the rust might not be too bad and if you lay the bike on its side and spray a penetrating lubricant like WD-40 into the sides of the rear hub you'll be able to free up the parts inside. Try to get the lube inside the hub by spraying into cracks beneath the sprocket on the right and the dustcap on the left. Let the bike rest on its side for a few minutes to let gravity pull the lube in. Then do the same for the other side. After that, try pedaling the bike by hand and then operating the brake by hand. If you're lucky the lube will make its way inside the hub and will free up the frozen parts in there that let the brake do its job.

It might take a little while for the spray lube to loosen the parts, so be patient. Spray it a couple of times and let the bike lay on its side longer and with luck that might be all it takes to get it going again. Be sure to lube the chain if it's rusty, too.

If the lube doesn't work, the next step would be to bring the bike to a bike shop and have them take a look. The hub might need to be overhauled, which won't cost too much, assuming it hasn't been abused or damaged.

If you'd like to learn more about coaster brake hubs, this page on Sheldon Brown's bicycle website is very helpful: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/coaster-brakes.html

Hope this helps!
Jim
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Q: My name is Bud and I have been looking for an easier way to make a living. I have been a mechanic for many years and worked on pretty much anything from lawn mowers to semi trucks and held most auto ace certifications. I was talking to a friend last week who got me interested in getting a bike and getting back in shape. So I went to a local bike shop several times over the last couple of weeks and was impressed with the way I was treated and the way people working together got along. This got me thinking that maybe I would like to be part of this happy family. My question is - and I am open to any suggestions - how much money can a bike mechanic make and what types of certifications are available? Are there any training programs to get me up to speed as far as bike repair is concerned?

A: Nice to hear from you, Bud, and yes, there are schools you can attend to learn bicycle mechanics. One is www.bikeschool.com and the other one is www.bbinstitute.com. Those are the 2 best known ones. Some shops teach basic maintenance classes, too, and some community colleges often have programs teaching bike repair so people can take care of their own bikes. You can learn a lot with hands-on experience like this, and as an accomplished mechanic already you should pick up bike repair very quickly. I think you'll enjoy it, too.

As far as how much money you can make, it really depends on where you are and what skill level you're at and how much responsibility you have in the shop you work at. If you're the head mechanic you might be able to make $14 an hour or a little more if you're west of the Rockies where the cost of living and the pay is higher. If you're the Service Manager, writing up repairs, handling customers and running the entire shop in a major store with a high gross, you might bump that to $16 - $20 an hour or a little higher. But, that would be in a major shop. The smaller shops don't take in enough money to compensate employees like that. Generally speaking they will try to compensate you with things like wholesale on bike and component purchases, sometimes insurance (though that's not that common these days) and letting you attend bike events as possible.

Most of the people working in the bike industry are doing it because they love bikes. Not too many are making a fortune but they look forward to going to work everyday and enjoy being around bicycles, bike people and cycling. I've been in the industry since I was 18 and have enjoyed it immensely. I won't ever get rich, but I've been happy and relatively stress-free and healthy all these years. I was a mechanic for 17 years and loved helping people and the challenge of figuring out each new bike problem that people brought my way.

You might want to visit www.nbda.com, which the National Bicycle Dealers Association website where you can read more about the bike industry and find out more about shops and how they work and where you might fit in. Most shops are looking for experience but if you show genuine desire to work and an interest in the work a good shop seeking quality help will pick up on that and give you a chance to learn the job. You may have to keep trying for a bit. It took me a while to get my foot in the door but once I found someone who would give me a try and not blow me off with 'but you don't have any experience,' I was able to demonstrate how much I loved bikes, how quick I could learn and what an asset I could be for their company.

You should go into the shop with that attitude and be friendly and confident and with a little luck you'll land a job and be able to learn under an experienced mechanic who can fill in any gaps in your bike repair knowledge. You're going to have skills from your other mechanics positions that you can share with them, too, so don't forget that. Sometimes bike shops only know bikes and it can be invaluable to have someone who knows about other higher-tech repair tasks. Don't hold it over their heads, but don't be shy about things you know that could save time, make repairs easier and make the shop more profitable.

Hope some of these ideas help and I wish you luck if you decide to enter the industry. Let me know if you need more help or have other questions.

Yours in cycling,
Jim
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NEWSWIRE: Steepest Streets List

I found this webpage of steepest streets pretty interesting and fun and wanted to share it (be sure to check out the comments, videos and shots of cyclists and runners challenging the climbs). Here in Santa Cruz County, California, I'd say Bayona or Escalona, on the westside of town, and Rampart Road over in Watsonville, are among our steepest streets. On Rampart it's fun to ride down it to record your highest maximum speed on your computer. Without even pedaling at the top you will hit about 63 mph on a road-racing bike!

Q&A: Remove Crankarm, space-age gearing, chains & cogs

Q: I purchased a 70's vintage Puch mostly to tinker and learn some bike repair. The Puch has a crankset with a square-spindle on the bottom bracket. The arm is not attached by a bolt but by a nut which is threaded onto the end of the spindle. The threading protrudes to the extent that the crankarm removal tool I have will not allow me to thread it into the crankarm. Do you know where I might get a tool that will do the job? Other advice?
Thanks,
Mike

A: It sounds like you need a different crankarm remover, Mike, one where you can remove the threaded plunger that pushes on the end of the bottom bracket spindle. Most bicycle shops should have these tools for sale or you could try www.bicycletoolsetc.com But, in the meantime, the easy way to get your crankarm off is to remove the nut and simply ride around your neighborhood. Don't go any farther than you want to walk home - and pedal gently. You want to loosen the arm, not have it fall off. If it gets too loose and you keep riding on it, you can damage the soft aluminum inside the crankarm because the bottom bracket spindle is steel and it will cut into the aluminum under strong pedal pressure.

Usually, a little riding will make crankarms loosen up quickly. If not, you could speed the process by spraying a penetrating lube like WD-40 in between the crankarm and the bottom bracket axle. That should do it!
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Q: Jim - I was wondering why bike manufacturers haven't produced a rear cog (gears) that expands and contracts as opposed to one that shifts from small cogs to large cogs. It seems such a design would save a lot of weight since there'd only be one cog and maybe even allow for greater acceleration since the chain would always be in contact with the same cog.

Just a thought,
Dan

Q: Thanks for the question, Dan. Actually, drivetrains like you describe have been invented over the years. The most recent design like this that I know about is on a bike made by Ellsworth. The ingenious drivetrain is called NuVinci. Here's a link where you can read all about the technology behind the drivetrain: http://www.fallbrooktech.com/NuVinci.asp Note that they use balls instead of a cog but the principle is similar. I've ridden one of their bikes and it's a unique experience and very fun. This design adds a lot of weight which is often a problem with these designs, but it's sure cool, and it works nicely.
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Q: Enjoy your site, Jim. I have a quick question. I've read that every time you change your chain, due to stretch, that you should also change out the cassette. Is this true or could I make the cassette last longer by changing out the chain more often (1/16" stretch vice 1/8").
Thanks,
Robert

A: Thanks for the question, Robert,
The cassette will definitely last longer if you replace your chain more frequently, in effect, well before it wears enough to wear the cassette too much. What happens is as the chain wears it also wears the cassette, and the more the chain is worn, the worse the wear is on the cassette cogs. So, if you install a new chain every 1,500 miles or so, you'll get more mileage out of your cassette.

I'll let you do the math, though. The decision is whether to simply ride the chain and cassette out together and replace both at the same time paying for the chain and cassette; or whether to install several chains before replacing the cassette. With the price of certain chains you may decide you'd rather just buy one chain and cassette as needed rather than going through lots of chains to extend the life of your cassette. Keeping the chain and cassette nice and clean and lubed will help a lot, too.

Some argue that the shifting is better and the chain is stronger and less likely to break if you keep it new and that may be true depending on how hard you ride or race. On my training bike I generally ride the cassette and chain out together and don't worry much about it. On my race bike where I want every possible advantage and where I run an expensive Dura-Ace cassette, I change the chain earlier to try to get a few more miles out of that way-expensive cassette. On my training bike I go with the much cheaper 105 10-sp cassette so I'm not that worried about it.

So, I agree with both schools of thought but exercise them according to which bike we're talking about.

Also, I don't agree with the blanket statement that every time you change a chain you need to change the cassette. It all depends on how worn the cassette is. Assuming the chain and cassette are both worn, then yes, you may need both. But, if you have a bike with a worn chain but a cassette that's not that worn, you can sometimes get away with a new chain. And, if you put a new cassette on a bike with a worn chain that will work, too. Not perfectly, but often good enough that you wouldn't know the difference. I just mention that because I don't like it when mechanics insist that you have to buy more than you really have to.