By now, the entire internet must be full of photos from the show in Portland. Even though I’m practically chained to my desk, I haven’t had time to review the photos taken by friends, or put together a decent post. After reading this, you may agree that I still haven’t put together a decent post. But at least I’ve thrown a few photos on here, for your viewing pleasure.
Of course, I was just sent a link to the photos, with no info, so I’m going to try to bluff my way through this. Bear with me.
The first shot is the excellent handiwork of Spectrum Powder Coating. I’m familiar with their work, as they’ve done a couple of frames in this color (root beer) for Thylacine Cycles. You have to see this color in person to appreciate the quality and depth. It should be the new black. Really.
Next up is some kind of monster from Moots. (Apologies to Metallica, but the bike is way better than the album) I’m diggin’ the huge tires, but someone will need to explain the cassette on the front wheel. Please.
As a tandem owner, I covet the Independent Drive from daVinci Designs. That alone is reason enough to buy one of their tandems.
For those steel diehards that consider carbon fiber to be nothing more than plastic, I offer the wood and plastic bike.
Um, I don’t even want to know what’s going on here. Perhaps some new Texas thing?
Finally, a very interesting light setup, guaranteed to make sure that motorists see you (and get annoyed/distracted by you) at night.
This will be my last attempt at trying anything resembling coverage of a show for a long time. I’ve learned a couple of things since Interbike. One, I should focus on a few things, instead of trying to see everything. Two, I have to be there – sending someone else (as in the NAHBS) is not the same.
Cassette on the front wheel is, I assume, done on the same theory as on the Surley Pugsley. Makes both wheels interchangeable (fork spacing and wheel size is the same front and rear). Has a couple of advantages — if for example your cassette died during a ride, you just switch the front and rear wheels and carry on.
Likewise, you can have both wide-range and narrow-range cassettes and swap them just by changing wheels.
May be other possibilities, but that is all that comes to mind at the moment.
Whether either of these is of any value to you is another question entirely.
Oh, and probably is a good conversation starter, if you need that.
Ron
Ron pretty much nailed it. In the snow, cassettes frequently become packed with ice picked up from the chain or thrown back onto it from the front wheel or even your own feet as they trudge through the snow and kick it up. Also, the oil in the freehub body can thicken up and lock the pawls making the hub “freewheel” both directions (a.k.a “USELESS!”)
Also, in order to fit those huge, wide tires on, the fork HAS to be too wide for a traditional 100mm hub, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly see piles of 135mm hubs laying around that AREN’T made as a drive wheel (freewheel threaded, fixie lock-threaded or freehub splined hubs)
Oh yeah, and I remember hearing stories about how BMX bikes without good handlebar grips were posing a threat by goring people in the stomach. You’ve got to wonder what would happen if you endo’d that bullhorn bike just so… *heebie Jeebies*
I’ve seen an image of an x-ray where a kid crashed him BMX, and the bar plug ended up in his, um, exit. Barspin + crash = bad.