A tale of two bicycles

May 30, 2024

Jacinto has been spending quality time this spring with his foldable Mibo scooter. It has two quick release skewers, and is a quick folder. It goes easily in the school bus. After Jacinto drops the kids off at their event, he can go for a spin. This is Mt Sopris, taken from the bike path to Aspen.

Jacinto has no doubts about which bike goes on tour. He loves his Rodriguez, with the Rohloff hub and belt drive.

You will recognize my red Stratus XP from our Spain/Portugal tour last summer. It is a comfortable, and familiar bike for me. It has 26” wheels. Jacinto and I can share tubes. The rim brakes aren’t as efficient as my new bike, but I’ve used rim brakes successfully for years on all sorts of downhills.

This is my new Phoenix recumbent. It’s an ooh la la kind of bike with so many bells and whistles that it’s intimidating.

Here I sit, at home, when we should be driving to the start of our tour. What happened? Jacinto had the chance for a last work trip, taking the high school baseball team to state finals. He's gone for three days (his scooter is making the trip also). If the team loses, Jacinto doesn't know if they will come home a day early, or stay to watch the final games. Of course he can't ask the coach that question. He doesn't want to jinx the team!

This means we plan to leave Sunday, bright and early, for a ten hour drive to Challis. We had changed the schedule for a relaxed depart. Now we are in a hurry again! Jacinto is mostly packed. He looked at the forecast - all day rain for the entire region on our first riding day (60 miles) from Challis to Salmon. That caused Jacinto to add a pair of water resistant Craft brand tights to his gear. He has two pairs of gloves and over mitts also.

What about the two bikes part? Here we are - almost time to leave and I don't know which bike I'm taking! I have the new touring bike. It was a shop demo that has every goodie known to cyclists. Finally the price was discounted far enough to make it interesting. That and I decided the standard size frame would fit me, I didn't truly need the XL size I've been riding for years.

I've had the new bike in for an oil change in the Rohloff hub, and a tune up. I've practiced and practiced removing the rear wheel in case of a flat. Finally, I feel comfortable! There's a lot going on at the same time with a Rohloff hub. First you have to shift into low gear, and remove the external gear box. Those things aren't difficult - you just have to remember. The hard part is putting it all back together after changing the flat. Navigating the disc brake, chain tensioner, monkey bone (a Rohloff thing), and the quick release, all have to happen simultaneously. This while not tipping over the long bike! It's a good thing the bike has a steer stopper to hold the front end steady. The bike also has a two legged kickstand to hold the rear steady. I am adding a big piece of plastic to my kit, so I can lay down and roll around, getting things lined up. I did all of my practicing in the living room on a rug pad! I have yet to remove the rear wheel in the wild.

I spent much of the spring reluctant to ride the new bike, for fear of having a flat and not being able to change it myself. That's why I took the blue bike to Moab. That's why I've been riding the red bike. But, the purpose of the green bike is to tour! Now I have mastered changing a flat, I'm good to go? Not so fast.

I admire all of the attributes of the new touring bike. I want to become a member of the Rohloff fan club, but I'm not so sure. I think perhaps the more mechanically inclined feel at ease with the Rohloff. I'm not in that category. Thankfully, Ajo Bikes in Tucson is familiar with Rohloff hubs and servicing them.

Yesterday I rode the red bike 30 miles, averaging 10.4 mph. Today I took the green bike on the exact same route. There was more wind on the return. That's a factor. My speed was 9.9 mph. I felt that I was slower in general, and definitely slower on the climb home. Perhaps I was fatigued from the ride yesterday, and the wind today? All of those bells and whistles on the new bike add up. Could that be why I was slower? As I said, I want to be in the Rohloff fan club - they seem like a fun group of people. But, inside I'm quietly thinking that I can feel the resistance of that internal geared hub. We shall see.

There's a learning curve to being comfortable with a new bike. I'm not sure I'm there yet. Of course, what better way to get there, than to take the bike on tour! I need more miles on the green bike. I think I'm taking it. Unless I'm not!

Stand by.

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Wayne EstesI would go with the faster, lighter bike because both are strong enough for the task.
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6 months ago

Mike AylingTake the Rolloff bike!
You can either shift to 1 or 14 before removing the Ex box. When replacing make sure the shifter is back at 1 or 14 as appropriate.
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6 months ago

Rachael AndersonI sure understand your ambivalence about which bike to take! I wouldn’t want to do a lot of climbing with a bike that may be hard to get in a low enough gear. I look forward to following your tour!
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6 months ago