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Tales from the warehouse

From: Paul Priest

One of the chief pleasures of my position as Recycled Cycle's used parts processor is the ocassional instance of ingenuity that passes through my workstand.  Sure, most of what I see is formed more by the exigencies of vanishingly small margins and international economics than the wonders of elegant effectiveness, but from time to time a rare piece that has managed to satisfy or surmount these exigencies appears  I share one such instance:

Witness the Pletscher Model CS rack:  it doesn't get much respect in the cycling industry--despite being made in Switzerland-- because its single-strut design is only rated to 10kg and the mounting system is less than ideal.  Nonetheless, many people like it because it comes with a "rat trap" style spring-loaded clamp that can hold anything from a book to a basketball reasonably securely.  Nothing special there.  I've stripped hundreds of the CS rack off bikes that were originally sold in the 70s and 80s.  But recently I came across a variation of it.  In addition to the forward facing clamp, this rack has a smaller, opposing,  rearward  facing spring-loaded clamp.    What was the purpose of this additional clamp?  I pulled it up; i put it down.  I pulled it up, then also pulled up the larger,forward facing clamp and noted their relation.  Something about the space defined by these two clamps was familiar...ah hah!  I immediately sent my colleague to the fridge to fetch that which would confirm my hypothesis.  We placed the item between the raised, opposing clamps; a perfect fit where it securely sits.  Cheap and effective. 

Di2 Commentary

Recently in the shop we had the opportunity to build up the first Shimano Di2 bike for a customer. For anyone who is unfamiliar, Di2 is Shimano's new electronic shifting Dura Ace group (DA 7970). It uses wires connecting the shifters to the derailleurs and buttons on the shifters to actuate shifts. All of this is powered by a rechargeable battery mounted on the down tube right above the bottom bracket. Shimano claims that the electronic group provides superior shifting especially under torque and always makes sure the front derailleur is in the ideal position. This second part is undeniably true. The computer in the front derailleur auto trims, accompanied by a very Robocop type noise, to eliminate rub as you shift through the cassette. The design for the superior shifting comes from making  the computer slightly over shift before returning to its position holding the chain in gear.

On the bike we built the front shifting seemed to be noticeably improved from previous DA groups and fractionally better than the regular cable actuated 7900. As far as the rear shifting it seemed to be about on par with it's non-electronic sibling and did not provide the increased accuracy under load that Shimano had previously claimed. My other criticism of the shifters is the design of the buttons. Mostly they just don't move enough. It might be it is just what I am used to, but the lack of a positive click makes the shifting feel as computerized as it actually is. Maybe this is what the engineers were going for, but it leaves something to be desired in the satisfaction department. All and all, Di2 is pretty cool and very expensive. If you have the extra couple of thousand dollars to spend on an electronic shifting bike, maybe wait until the second generation rolls around. There will doubtless be improvements.

Think you look good in blue? Meet the team.

Recycled Cycles Racing is hosting this weekend’s Meet the Team ride on Saturday, November 14th. We are a smaller team, but the percentage of our members who suit up, pin a number on, and appear on the starting line is high. Our members compete regularly in road, track, mountain, and cyclocross racing. Each year we promote the Brad [...]