Search results for:

Does slicing the top of my right index finger off while degreasing my chain count? Did it yesterday, despite having read the blessed Sheldon's warnings. I'm sure no-one else here is daft enough to, but just in case - don't try this at home boys and girls, catching your finger between chain and sprocket can get blood all over your rear wheel, not a cool look unless you're Boadicea I suppose.

50p is cheap but gear inchy is free and seems pretty similar, although the equivalents pic looks interesting. Maybe pictures of cats riding said gear inch choices would be a USP.

In case you're interested my app is also free now (if you can't beat them...)

A new one for me....I was riding along on my way to work ignoring the cycle path to my left as it tends to lead to punctures, and most of my route is on rural roads with the rest of the traffic anyway so never keen on suddenly being segregated. This seems to annoy some motorists for some reason ;-) and on this occasion I did have a large lorry behind me for all of 50 to 100 yards, saw another lorry coming the opposite way, something flew from the cab window directly into my path and disintegrated, arrived at the spot to find broken glass so had to either ride through it or pull out just at the point at which the lorry behind was about to pass me. I executed a hasty right hand turn signal and pulled out and in again sharpish as lorry behind thundered past. All seemed a bit homicidal to me, beats the banana skin that got thrown at me the other day.

For the record my favourite ratio for round here (West Wales, a hilly bit) is now 39/16 otherwise I have to get off and push on the nearest really steep bit, which I hate - makes the bike (old Raleigh Winner) most comfortable going up a slight incline.

'FixedGears' on Android does equivalent ratios, and skid patches, and speed at cadence, and it's free...

Thanks for all the feedback and advice - I have checked out 'FixedGears' and I must admit I don't think it is as easy to use or intuitive as 'Singlespeed Gear Ratio App', all the parameters have to be set on different screens for instance, and when I tried out a test ratio for alternate gearing it gave me 64.5 gear inches for a 39/16 set up and under nearest alternative configurations quoted 66.7 for the same set-up, so either the programming has an error in it or I made a mistake, which would reinforce my first point about ease of use (you may want to try this at home!). However I do think it would be useful to add more tyre options and skid patches to 'Singlespeed Gear Ratio App' so I'll do that as soon as possible as an upgrade, but overall still think my app is distinctive in its speed and ease of use so happy it has a sufficient USP even without the cats.
That's enough apps (ed)....

'FixedGears' on Android does equivalent ratios, and skid patches, and speed at cadence, and it's free...

Oh dear I have obviously overpriced my app, never mind I'll see if I can sell our landlord and Tesco's on the free stuff model and when they see the light I can start happily giving away the software I have developed for free...

GearInchy also has skid patches and gear ratio, which might be good additions to yours.

Thanks for the feedback, GearInchy is indeed fine but as far as calculating ratios goes it only does what the first screen of mine does, and lots of on-line calculators do, which is give you the gear inches for a given combination, so you end up doing lots of calculations and writing the results down. What I wanted was an app that enabled you to find the ratio for a combination you were interested in and then see at a glance what other chainring/sprocket combinations would give you a similar ratio. That's what mine does, and I'm happy for it to do that one very useful thing well and not try to do anything else because I like to keep it simple and focused and easy to use. That's not to say that I won't think about adding other functions such as skid patches, and cats are always cool, but for now I think its adding something new to what's available and well worth 50p (as a developer I'm not too keen on all this free stuff anyway - tends to skew the market in favour of big corporates with deep pockets and against artisan developers like myself).

I have developed an Android app in large part inspired by this and similar threads, and trying to make comparisons between all these different configurations, works out the gear inches for a given combination of chainring and sprocket and then gives nearest equivalent configurations, useful when planning a fixed gear conversion or just fun in a nerdy kind of way - its on Google Play - called (originally) Singlespeed Gear Ratio App - it's cheap and I like it! Have fun and feedback welcome.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/h/option/bikesizeguide

There are lots more if you google them, seems to me you need a larger frame, though I am riding too small a frame at the moment, its a long story, and it can feel rather sporty once you get used to it, ok for distances up to 15 miles but beyond that go for larger frame and increased comfort

My degree dissertation was titled "Subjectivity and the concept of 'throwness [geworfenheit] in Heidegger's 'Being and Time'".

Some of the themes in it were developed when I was cycling.

Far the best way of being in the world with others :-) Thanks for reminding me of the German - I was too lazy to look it up, probably my Blackberrys fault

I have no idea what the fuck that^ means...

Sorry, thatks the problem with posting from a blackberry, takes too long to explain things but thanks for not understanding, you know how it is with cycling... I am misunderstood therefore I am

IsoDry 3000mm with taped seams Shocking yellow

I never (read rarely) get overtaken. I'd never publicly admit to being overtaken.

No problem admitting this, the flat bit of my commuting I used to ride on a 50/11 ratio, which is quite a bit higher than I could ride round here on my fixie (now my only bike), so I would be surprised if I wasn't passable. Maybe that's part of the beauty of it, you either learn humility or you can feel superior to all those anxiously competive types - take your pick as an affirmation of your existential freedom, you see cycling gets you thinking about all sorts of stuff and fixed gear riding is a great way to ponder what Heidegger calls 'throwness' as freedom and brute contingencies collide and we realise our freedom through transcendent detachment. Cor, bet that makes you want to get on your bike

Proper waterproof trousers - kep ripping last lightweight pair throwing leg over bar, and never really waterproof
Happy New Year everyone :-)

Programming, God, why do I ride fixed when I keep getting overtaken by multi gear bikes on the flat and it hurts up the hills - stuff like that

My White Bicycle by Nazareth (I think) early 70's

I think that a lot of the problem is actually caused by cycle lanes, it makes both cyclists and motorists feel that bikes are not traffic and different rules apply; lets flood the roads with bikes and let the cars get used to it. Everytime a motorist demands that I get off the road and on toa cycle path I let them know that I ride a road bike, the clue is in the name, the flip side of this is that I always stop at red lights etc because its my road too.

I'm running 39/15, I've been to London and its much flatter than West Wales (and Bristol of course, I used to live there) - it works out at 68.3 inches according to Sheldon Browns calculator (and who else would you trust!) Be nice to have something a bit higher but it would make my regular rural commute a bit too challenging for a mere mortal of 54

Hi, recently joined forum as have converted an old Raleigh Winner to fixed gear and am loving it, to the extent that I am only riding fixed at the moment. I'm something of an anomaly I suspect, a Rural Fixie rider from a somewhat hilly location, so it was a while before I decided to give in to temptation and try what seemed somewhat counter intuitive albeit very seductive.Its working on my daily (14 mile) commute and giving me extra exercise, so that's got to be a good thing. I may start a sub forum sometime for those of us on the Celtic Fringe