I must confess... (ignorance)
- Thread starter sbeqs
- Start date
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winjim
Smash the cistern
Cool, just be careful. In case you didn't know, most of the stopping power on a bike comes from the front brake, due to the weight distribution shifting under deceleration. That's also why the front blocks wear quicker than the back.
OP
OP
sbeqs
Active Member
A what-ee?Get a fixie,problem sorted.
jonny jeez
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chislehurst, Kent, UK
Eh?
So, on your block, you your smallest sprocket, has eleven little cogs somehow attached to it?
Are you sure you aren't riding a grandfather clock.
Its easy to check. Look for a manufacturers stamp/label on the underside of the bottom bracket. Or even check the seat tube for a logo or description of frame.
Alternatively Take a look at the front of the bike, does it have dropped handlebars .....or a big round face with hands on?
Disclaimer. Other handlebars are available. Attempts to ride a grandfather clock may result in injury
Last edited:
A "fixie" is a fixed gear bike; i.e. a bike with no freewheel. This means that the pedals turn all the time - or, to put it another way, you must pedal all the time. The freewheel is the device that allows you to stop pedaling and, er, freewheel... A consequence of this is that you a slow a fixie down by pedaling more slowly. Legally any bike used on the road must have at least one brake but I understand that some fixie riders don't run brakes at all.
(I have only ever ridden a fixed gear bike at a velodrome (all track bikes are fixed gear) - track bikes don't have brakes at all - I found the experience quite terrifying but I understand it is merely a matter of getting used to it.)
(I have only ever ridden a fixed gear bike at a velodrome (all track bikes are fixed gear) - track bikes don't have brakes at all - I found the experience quite terrifying but I understand it is merely a matter of getting used to it.)
winjim
Smash the cistern
Yep.
cog
Definitions
noun
- any of the teeth or projections on the rim of a gearwheel or sprocket
Profpointy
Legendary Member
at the risk of being your mother, that's a very bad idea - especially if you're cycling down a steep hill and the brake block of the one remaining bit pings off past your shoulder; feet down, still accelerating - quick decision - ride it out or crash into hedge. The hedge is the best bet.
anecdotes aside, back brake is more for gentle slowing eg on slipery surface but won't stop you in a hurry
jonny jeez
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chislehurst, Kent, UK
Well I never.
I'm off to check the dictionary, I can't accept this, it could have a detrimental effect on my entire value system.
jonny jeez
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chislehurst, Kent, UK
winjim
Smash the cistern
Heh. Extra smartarse points for me
.In case the op's confused, and for the benefit of any other beginners, what @jonny jeez and I are bickering about are the names for the different gearwheels on a bike. The ones at the front, which are turned by the cranks as you pedal, are called chainrings. The ones at the back, attached to the rear wheel, are called sprockets. Some people call them cogs which is incorrect, the difference being that a sprocket is driven by a chain, like on a bike, whereas a cog or cogwheel is driven directly by another cogwheel, like in jonny's grandfather clock. Cog is also the name for a tooth on a cogwheel or sprocket, but is only used in that context by smartarses on internet fora, everybody else just calls them teeth.
So, chainrings at the front, sprockets at the back.
As an aside, on honeymoon we went up Pike's Peak on the cog railway. It's got a rack of teeth(cogs) along the track and is driven by a cogwheel in the train which enables it to climb the steep gradients without slipping.
Cannondale Lady
Senior Member
- Location
- Sunderland
Cracking image!
winjim
Smash the cistern
I nicked it off the internet. When we went there was a really annoying family who kept getting in the way of all our photos. And I was feeling the effect of the altitude a bit
. The views were stunning though.
Cannondale Lady
Senior Member
- Location
- Sunderland
Im a photographer and would be proud of that image.
winjim
Smash the cistern
jonny jeez
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chislehurst, Kent, UK
The irony of this discovery in a thread about ignorance isn't missed on me.Heh. Extra smartarse points for me
In case the op's confused, and for the benefit of any other beginners, what @jonny jeez and I are bickering about are the names for the different gearwheels on a bike. The ones at the front, which are turned by the cranks as you pedal, are called chainrings. The ones at the back, attached to the rear wheel, are called sprockets. Some people call them cogs which is incorrect, the difference being that a sprocket is driven by a chain, like on a bike, whereas a cog or cogwheel is driven directly by another cogwheel, like in jonny's grandfather clock. Cog is also the name for a tooth on a cogwheel or sprocket, but is only used in that context by smartarses on internet fora, everybody else just calls them teeth.
So, chainrings at the front, sprockets at the back.
As an aside, on honeymoon we went up Pike's Peak on the cog railway. It's got a rack of teeth(cogs) along the track and is driven by a cogwheel in the train which enables it to climb the steep gradients without slipping.
I'm off to polish me cogs.
J
