Tires Pneumatic Modern tires allow cyclists to ride pavements, gravel, trails, dirt, mud, and other surfaces. Tires are pneumatically inflated with compressed air. Pneumatic tires were invented and industrially produced before the end of the 19th century. Solid rubber was used to manufacture bicycle tires. It was better than other material. Getting a bouncy wheel …
Wax Not dripped Paraffin is a wax, a dry solid, which is melted down into a low viscosity (thin) liquid, and applied to a chain immersed in the hot wax. The liquid fills the spaces around the pins and along the edges of the rollers. When the chain is removed from the liquid paraffin cools …
My project to learn enough about bike chains and lubrication to replace my chain, change my use of lubricants, and maintain my bike better is nearly complete, subject to corrections and second thoughts: Finding Chain Wear – Introduction; internet research; trustworthy information, some basics of working with chains; Roller chain – Modern roller chain for …
Lessons – an endless post These are lessons from playing with lubricants and bike chains. I have posted what I have written to date. This post will become an endlessly updated post. Satisficing At one time, the problem of what was good enough could be answered with a slogan such as “close enough for government …
Prices Motor Oil & Gear Oil Motor oil, the lubricating oil distilled and sold for use (4 stroke) internal combustion engines, was sold in quart containers for decades. For decades the containers were cardboard cylinders with metal end caps. Automotive service centers, once known as garages, issued workers spouts that could both puncture an end …
Bike Chains 4 – Lubricant prices, testing, innovation Read More »
Introduction/Resources Most of a bike has solid two dimensional surfaces, protected with paint – like an automobile or motorcycle. The solid parts can be hosed off or gently scrubbed. Cleaning the bike exposes the joints and the open parts, including the chain, to dirt, water and detergents. Cleaning a chain is necessary to use the …
Bikes Other Drive Systems The Sturmey-Archer 3-speed AW internal gear hub system was used on Raleigh bicycles for many years. There are articles and resources at Bicycle Technical Information (“BTI” – the Sheldon Brown site), such as “Servicing Sturmey-Archer 3-Speed Hubs“, and other manuals and support resources. There is a BTI article on Internal-Gear Hubs. …
Lubricants Science The bicycle is made of materials and components “invented” by mechanics and engineers before late 19th century scientists articulated the periodic table of elements or the fundamental modern theories of physics and chemistry. The physicist Carlo Rovelli wrote: The ability to understand something before its observed is at the heart of scientific thinking. …
Chain Drive Bicycle drive trains are chain drives with roller chains. Chain drives were used in industrial machines for decades before they were adopted by the bike industry late in the 19th century. The manufacturing of roller chains, bicycles and lubricants was based on trial and error, experimentation and the concepts and models used by …
Finding Chain Wear In April 2021, I thought had less than 2,000 Km on the KMC X11 (11 speed) chain on my Cannondale Topstone gravel bike since purchasing the bike in August 2019. Actually, when I did the math, it was over 4,000. I was not clear on the industry standard for 11 speed chain …