mechanical sympathy

[alecstilleyedye]

i seem, compared to other folk i know in the local club and from what is posted on this site, to be fairly easy on the machinery.

i've not had a major mechanical on either of the bikes that i have built up myself, i keep the tyres well inflated and the fairy is a rare visitor.

i tend to spin rather than grind up hills, and my pedalling style is quite fluid, rather than fighting the bike. i also ride frames that are at the top end in terms of size, so i don't show a lot of seat-post.

am i just lucky, or is it that the way i ride is easier on the bike?

i am, of course, now due a catalogue of failures having posted this…

 

[Smokin Joe]

Mechanical sympathy must play a big part in how long components last. Touch wood, I too am fairly light on equipment, but I have ridden sportives and cringed at the crunching and grinding of people's ham fisted gear changes. You also see people going across speed bumps or potholes while sitting on their bike like a sack of potatoes, rather than taking their weight off the saddle.

 

[andrew_s]

I've certainly noticed that some people have considerably more than their fair share of bike failures and that the people concerned have a less than smooth style on the bike.
How do you manage to break a BB spindle, or a front wheel axle?

 

[fossyant]

No major failures on any of my 4 bikes in over 24 years of riding - the odd thing wearing out, the odd broken spoke (on one set of crap wheels) - nothing that has ever meant not being able to complete a ride.

Good 'care and maintenance' and not 'forcing' equipment and having it adjusted properly helps.

 

[asterix]

i seem, compared to other folk i know in the local club and from what is posted on this site, to be fairly easy on the machinery.

i've not had a major mechanical on either of the bikes that i have built up myself, i keep the tyres well inflated and the fairy is a rare visitor.

i tend to spin rather than grind up hills, and my pedalling style is quite fluid, rather than fighting the bike. i also ride frames that are at the top end in terms of size, so i don't show a lot of seat-post.

am i just lucky, or is it that the way i ride is easier on the bike?

i am, of course, now due a catalogue of failures having posted this…

I never had a broken spoke before tomorrow.

 

[fixedfixer]

i've not had a major mechanical on either of the bikes that i have built up myself,

That says it all - you put it together so you know how it works.

 

[PpPete]

Mechanical sympathy must play a big part in how long components last. Touch wood, I too am fairly light on equipment, but I have ridden sportives and cringed at the crunching and grinding of people's ham fisted gear changes. You also see people going across speed bumps or potholes while sitting on their bike like a sack of potatoes, rather than taking their weight off the saddle.

I was quite surprised by the amount of crunching & grinding of gears I heard at the start of each hill on the FNRttC. Obviously one doesnt always see the bumps & holes in the dark.... but do people need to see their gears to make the changes smooth?

 

[tyred]

I have no doubt that it makes a big difference. It also helps a lot to understand how things work. I've seen it most with farm machinery. There are people who can destroy absolutely anything in a very short space of time, others can make the same implement last decades without problems.

 

[dan_bo]

I'm surprisingly light on parts despite being a big lad-unless you're talking about riding into trees. I guess part of it is getting the right parts for the job.

 

[totallyfixed]

Bit like being heavy footed when driving a car. Fixed riders are nearly always smoother riders [had to say that], I had to recently repair a friends bike as the front derailleur cage had got bent from constantly changing under load. Can't believe how many riders don't realise this. No names no pack drill, but not too long ago I was riding with a National champion and they were doing the same thing - bizarre.

 

[numbnuts]

if it ain't bust don't fix it or keep fixing it till it is
Some people just love fiddling with their bikes even if there is nothing wrong with it

 

[asterix]

I was quite surprised by the amount of crunching & grinding of gears I heard at the start of each hill on the FNRttC. Obviously one doesnt always see the bumps & holes in the dark.... but do people need to see their gears to make the changes smooth?

Anyone who learnt to change gear before indexed changers came in would have learned to change smoothly because it was the only way. I'd be quite happy to revert to non-indexed as there was always something satisfying about a quick smooth gear change with just the right amount of travel from the DT shifters (my last non-indexed bike was converted last year simply due to unobtainable parts).

 

[PpPete]

Agree with both Asterix AND totally fixed.

 

[byegad]

Racing and normal riding are different. Racing is all about getting the best speed you can out of the bike. While you are easing up to change gear the other guy will smash his through and be gone.

I often laugh at how few miles some people get from their chains. A smooth mechanically sympathetic rider will ease up and change slow enough to avoid noise and so wear. An unsympathetic rider will smack the changes through with no easing up and so strain all of the components, including the chain.

 

[Dan B]

Do DT shifters not still have a "friction override" setting? I used to use that quite a lot, though I have to admit that since going to Ergo levers and newer/better-quality mechs the need has really not arisen.

TBH, after using handlebar-mounted triggers - the aforementioned Ergos - I'd sooner go fixed than back to friction shifting.