HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: touring info sought
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1992 19:56:00 -0800

TO: dbrus.Unify.Com.jenny@unify.uucp

  rec.bicycles >Organization: Unify Corporation, Sacramento, CA, USA
  >Reply-To: dbrus.Unify.Com.jenny@unify.uucp (Jennifer Zheng)
  >Message-ID: <16tdm4o@Unify.Com>


JZ>Hi netters,  I'm seeking first hand experience for getting around
  >SF Bay area.  In particular, I'm interested in connections between
  >the following points:
  > Sacramento and Napa Valley
  > Sacramento and Marin County
  > Sacramento and Richmond/Oakland area
  > Sacramento and SF
  > Sacramento and San Jose area
  > **part way** for any of above connections

JZ>Would some kind soul tell me what they think is the best way
  >to go between these points and why, and distance/climbing/traffic
  >/road conditions involved.  (Of course I could experiment on my
  >own, except it would take up too many weekends to find out :-).


Get thee the following map: North San Francisco Bay/Sacramento Bicycle
Touring Map.  I bought mine in Marin County but you should be able
to get one locally (especially in Sacto).  I also have a sticker on mine
which reads     Krebs Cycle Products, PO Box 7337, Santa Cruz  CA 95061

It is bike specific and will answer a lot of your questions.

Sorry about not being able to answer any of the rest of your questions,
but contact your local bike club.  They should be able to help! DEB

debbie.rhodes@mcws.fidonet.org

JZ>Any and all help is gratefully appreciated!

  >B. Jennifer Zheng, 916-649-3576          ----  _~o      ~o    //
  >jenny@unify.com, 2/14 down, 28/6 to go! -----   \<,      <|\ //
  >Ride Bike.                           ---- O/ O      / >   //

___
 X OLX 2.2 X Hello, I am part number ||X||||X||X||X||

 * Origin: Central Computer Banks - mcws.fidonet.org (1:102/850)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: walvdrk_r@research.ptt.nl (Kees van der Wal)
Subject: Re: yet another lighting system
Organization: PTT Research, The Netherlands
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 17:31:05 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.165016.2275@col.hp.com>, arnie@col.hp.com (Arnie Berger)
writes: 

>> I wonder whether such a method also works when I try to recharge the battery 
>> from the generator on the bike. It yields 0.5A so preventing overcharging is
>> a  wise thing to do. Of course I'd like to switch on the generator only on 
>> the downhill parts. In some terrain that will result in an irregular cycle 
>> of loading (downhill) and not loading (uphill). Does the -dv/dt method still
>> work under such conditions?

> The Benchmarq chip checks the battery voltage about every 30 seconds, if
> I remember correctly. If the chip is configured for the -dv/dt mode, and 
> the battery voltage is lower than the previous reading by some threshold
> value, then it will stop charging and ( I think ) switch to a trickle
> current mode. What you're suggesting should work,

Judging from the description I'm afraid it doesn't work. When the battery is 
fully charged and the downhill part isn't over yet, the chip will stop
charging. Switched on again after an uphill period, I reckon the chip totally 
'forgot' that the batteries were already fully charged. I'm not sure there is 
_always_ a -dv/dt even when I repeatedly try to charge an already fully charged 
cell.

I assume the chip has a logic output to control the switch over from fast 
charage to trickle charge. If I could make something to indicate that charging
is complete, I could just disconnect the whole thing. 


>  but frankly, I wouldn't > bother with a generator at all if I had a
> rechargable battery. 

But these things have to be recharged. When commuting I do it (the charging of 
course) at home during the night (trickle charge is fine then). When on
holiday there's no mains supply available and in that cases I'd like to use
the generator for recharging. 

> Also, the 
> charge rate is usually specified as 1/10 of the amp-hour rating of the
> battery, in amperes. Thus, if a battery is rated at  5 amp-hours, you
> should charge it at 500 ma . Some Ni-Cads are designed for rapid charging
> and can be charged at 1/5 or even 1/2 of the amp-hour rating.

I use a rather small battery: 6V, 700mAh (just sufficient for one-and-half-way
commute in the dark). The 5 AA-size NiCad cells are very light compared to 
another 4Ah lead-acid cell I've got.
The NiCads are designed for rapid charging but at 0.5A but then I _must_ 
prevent overcharging to keep the cells in a good condition.

Thanks for the information, <kees>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: alh@einoed.in-berlin.de (Adrian Le Hanne)
Subject: Re: Super light stuff
Organization: Einoed Unix & Netzwerke, Berlin (FRG)
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1992 11:38:29 GMT

mattc@npg-sd.SanDiegoCA.NCR.COM (Matt Courtois) writes:

>In <Eemoni_00WB=4ZRVQF@andrew.cmu.edu> cm43+@andrew.cmu.edu (Christopher L. Morrow) writes:

>>Following what another memeber of this BBoards audience posted:
>>Getta Mission Control..

>>Anyway, I have never heard of one, (a mission control) breaking...

>I sent a Mission Control with a few half inch cracks, back to Klein
>this April.  No problem, they replaced it.  They have also, repaired
>and paint my Attitude twice and replaced it once with a new frame.
>I love the way the bike handles and rides.  I love the Klein 
>warranty, too!

I had a Mission Contol with a small crack at the bar/stem joint, but the
german importer (which is a shithead, IMHO) refused to accept it as a 
warranty case. So i bought some Syncros equipment. I should have sent
the MC to Klein instead of the german importer :-(

On the other hand, my Pinnacle frame, which had this crack in the seatpost
tube, was replaced without problem against a new Rascal (i had to pay the 
difference).

>I know in my lifetime Klein will be replacing my frame again.
[...]
>The Mantis catalog states the following, "Off road bicycles undergo
>high stress during normal use and will fail in time."  I've found
>this to be true.
Sure, but as you said, with a lifetime warranty you get a new frame every
year ;-) :-( (Hope, you have a lifetime warranty for yourself in case of
an accident).

If i break two more Kleins, i will probably convert to something more 
stable (read: overbuilt) like a Merlin frame. Right now i'm very satisfied 
with the Klein frames.

Adrian
-- 
Adrian S. Le Hanne        Einoed Unix & Netzwerke, Koepenicker Str.154, D-1000
alh@einoed.in-berlin.de   Berlin 36. Tel.: 030/611 31 26,  Fax.: 030/611 32 86
  "On a day such as this you should insist on more than the truth" -Pere Ubu
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: koren@fc.hp.com (Steve Koren)
Subject: Re: custom lighting systems
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:23:40 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1.3 PL5

Frank Ball (frankb@hpsad.sad.hp.com) wrote:

> one I'm setting up for my commute bike.  They put out lots of light near
> the bike, off the sides, and straight ahead.  Nothing else comes close

Yup!  They have a great beam pattern.

> rated for about 200 hours at 14 volts.  At 12 volts they run 30 watts, but
> are still good and bright, and will probably last forever.  I have

I'm sure I've got over 200 hours on mine, and its still going strong
(run at 12V - actually falls to 11.5V by the time I finish my commute).
One other nice feature of these lights is that, since it has two
filaments, you can use the other if the first burns out.  (They're both
35W@14V, just aimed a little differently).

> >       Price: $18 for 7AH @ 12V. You can trade off weight for running time
> 
> That's an excellent price for new batteries. About 1/2 of Digi-Keys

Yeah, they tend to be a lot cheaper than Digi-Key.  One note about ADC
though: They carry *both* new and used batteries.  The used ones are
marked in the catalog as RFI ("removed from equipment").  Make sure you
get a new one.  I have bought 3 batteries from them: two new (7AH and
10AH) and one used (4AH).  I had great results from the two new ones,
but not so good from the used one.  Also, ask them if they have it in
stock before you order.  (Last time, though, the lady who took my order
checked and said they had two thousand of the type I wanted in stock!)

> The amp hour rating is for a 10 hour discharge rate:  a 10 amp hour rating
> means it will put out 1 amp for 10 hours.  If you draw 10 amps it won't
> last half an hour.  It isn't linear.

True.  But the formula seems to be a good rough approximation.  I've
tested my 10AH battery with a full discharge, and got about 2h20m out of
it at 30F.  I usually only plan on 1h45m max, for safety, and I recharge
it whenever possible (usually every hour of running time).

I've also heard that vibration can reduce the capacity of these
batteries, although I'm not sure how much.

   - steve
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: sargent@westford.ccur.com (Ken Sargent)
Subject: Bike For Sale
Organization: Concurrent Computer Corp.  Westford, MA
Distribution: ne
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 15:07:12 GMT

			FOR SALE

19" Miyata Alumicross-AX
Shimano DeoreDX w/bar-end shifting
Quick-release seatpost
under 300 miles
was $685 new - $400 or bo.

(508)486-8734 leave msg.

--------------------------------------------

posted for a friend, please reply to phone # only....

Thanks,
Ken
From: mrss_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Matt Ross)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: performance of "aero" bars for mountain bikes
Date: 13 Oct 92 05:55:38 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

I was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with the several
types of aero bars available for mountain bikes.  I'm more interested in their  off road performance than flat riding performance.  Do they flex much ?  Are
the extra hand positions useable ? 
I am looking particularly at the Profile Durango XC and the Scott AT-4 and AT-3. 
Any help would be apreciated.
Thanks.
Matt
mrss_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
-- 
Matt Ross
mrss_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
What ever you do, take care of your shoes.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: k.h.goodrich@larc.nasa.gov
Subject: Re: custom lighting systems
Organization: NASA-Langley Research Center
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 12:55:52 GMT

On the subject, has anybody tried using some of the tiny but powerful
(10-20watt) halagen lights designed for camcorders.  These things look perfect
for helmet mounting--they probably weigh less than an 1oz.

KG
From: andre@avalanche.Canada.Sun.Com (Andre Giroux # let me outta here)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: GT TEAM AVALANCHE FOR SALE
Date: 8 Oct 92 15:37:05 GMT
Reply-To: andre@avalanche.Canada.Sun.Com
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.

yo...

got a GT Team Avalanche for sale. has 200 km on it. ALL DEORE XT mounted (name the part
it's XT). Smoke in the back, Megabite in front. sold with cateye mity computer.
2 new specialized rims.18 inch frame. Asking 800$ CDN for it... 

reason of selling : getting local sponsorship. don;t need it anymore.

andre




---
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I know a lot of people who used to ski, I don't know anyone who used to
 snowboard"

 - from K2 Gyrator add

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: timevans@gn.apc.org
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: bike locks
Date: 9 Oct 92 00:02:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #R:FFLZRB1w165w@dorsai.com:1108446233:gn:1577900002:000:194
Nf-From: gn.UUCP!timevans    Oct  9 01:02:00 1992


There was a good article on the u-lock question in the UK magazine
New Cyclist last month - don't know if you get it in the states.
Interesting rvelations (to me ) about bike thief methods.
tim
From: davids@tekig1.PEN.TEK.COM (David Suryan)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: More tandem purchase advice needed
Date: 12 Oct 92 23:31:12 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

In article <1992Oct12.170641.18970@col.hp.com> arnie@col.hp.com (Arnie Berger) writes:
>gt9045a@prism.gatech.EDU (Brian Minsk) writes:
>
>> The main problem is that the Burley is a mountain tandem 
>> while we would prefer a road tandem.  I can't deny that the Santana would be
>> our first choice barring the price difference.
>> 
>> We don't plan to use our tandem for racing - just touring.
>
>We have a mountain tandem. Most of the time it has high pressure "road"
>tires on it. Occasionally, we take it off-road. It is very nice to have
>the flexibility.

You can get some wide 700c tires such as 700x35c for some light duty off
road riding. It depends on where you want to put most of your emphasis.
If you plan to ride mostly on the road and value the advantage of a road
bike get the road tandem. Unless you really want to do some serious off
road riding a Mt. tandem isn't necessary. 

Brian, I recommend you don't compromise what you really want in a bike just
to get a bargain. You'll always wonder how much better that other bike
would have been and wind up selling the bargain bike to get what you wanted
in the first place. You may not be out any money buying and selling the
bargain bike (assuming it is a bargain) but it sure is a hassle.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: madine@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (G. E. Madine, AT&T-BL/AL, cbnewsm.)
Subject: Re: bolts that stay on.
Organization: AT&T
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 20:21:27 GMT
Summary: Locktite

In article <1992Oct12.181720.10946@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, millere@frith.msu.edu writes:
> I have a problem that it quite vexing. When I mount hardware on
> my bike it seems impossible to keep the nut and bolt combinations
> from jiggling loose, no matter how tight. Lock nuts don's seem to
> help either. Does anyone have a solution that can last between 
> Michigan's harsh season changes?

[I tried to e-mail, but the address line was missing.]

Locktite 242.  Blue locktite (usually in a red container).  Buy
it at an autoparts supplier.  10x the contents for the same price
as at a bike store.

Try to get John Schubert's most recent "Cycle Sense" column from
Bikecentennial's _BikeReport_.  He advocates Locktite-like solutions.
The article will give you pointers on other preventive maintenance
too.  November 1992 _BikeReport_, Bikecentennial, (406) 721-1776.

Also, if you can get ahold of Barnett's Repair manual, you can read
all about what the different grades of Locktite are for and are good
for on bicycles.  The manual costs ~$95, so you might want to borrow
one somehow.  REI stocks them.

Gary E. Madine, Allentown, PA
gem@aloft.att.com

Newsgroups: rec.bicycles,rec.bicycles.marketplace
From: IO91748@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Jon Carr)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Performance mail-order bikes - opinions?
Date: 12 Oct 92 16:31:32 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Maine System

Don't do it.  You might get lucky, but why take the chance.
They may say the bike is DX equipped, but in all likelyhood
(I've seen a few Performance's in my time) they only use
Shimano levers and derailuers.  The rest of the bike (headset,
BB, etc.) will be cheap Taiwanese junk.

For around $600, you could get yourself a RockHopper Comp from
Specialized, or a TREK 950 (made in the US!).  Both of these bikes
are LX/DX blends.  They both use nice alloy wheels and hubs,
stainless spokes, etc.  Plus, the service you will get from your
local dealer is well worth the $15-20 you might spend on a brand
name.

I've owned one of each, and have never been happier.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: arpepper@math.uwaterloo.ca (Adrian Pepper)
Subject: Re: motorists
Organization: University of Waterloo Math Faculty Computing Facility, Ontario.
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 14:45:21 GMT

In article <8OCT199219394453@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov> piltch@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Nancy Piltch) writes:
>In article <8OCT199216121832@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov>, afdenis@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (Stephen Dennison) writes...
>
>
>>Where I work, I have to go down a rather steep hill every morning and 
>
>It's not *that* steep, and it's less than 0.5mile long. 
>
>>evening... I *routinely* have to take extra care to not hit wobbly cyclists 
>>trying to ride down the side of this washboard road on a hill *clearly* 
>>marked with a sign that says "Walk bicycles down hill". It's not the delay 
>
>That sign is a real problem. The road is narrow (maybe 10 foot lanes, though
>this is a guess), with no shoulder. There is nowhere at the side of the road
>to walk a bike. If someone walks a bike - surprise - that person will
>still be in the way of cars, and will be even slower. An adult cyclist 
>accustomed to cycling in traffic is far safer riding that hill. 

Hmm.  Perhaps the sign should read "vehicle operators walk your
vehicles down hill".  8-)  Or, "Badly Repaired Road.  No motorized
vehicles allowed."  Or, "Closed for Repairs".

Adrian.
arpepper@math.uwaterloo.ca
From: bm@bike2work.Eng.Sun.COM (Bill Michel)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: custom lighting systems
Date: 14 Oct 1992 07:55:29 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
NNTP-Posting-Host: bike2work
Keywords: lights

In article <Bw0Ix8.Mw@fc.hp.com> koren@fc.hp.com (Steve Koren) writes
about a lighting rig that uses a 35W automotive headlamp. While this
is an excellent solution lightwise (I've tried the particular 
lamp he suggests) I've found the amount of "lead" you've got to carry
prohibitive. A more reasonable solution from a weight perspective 
involves 14W intermatic deck lamps. These put out a reasonable amount
of light, and don't require so much battery.

One thing more...*definitely* use fuses in your homebrew systems.
The instantaneous short-circuit currents on many of the batteries 
we're talking about can be quite high, and you don't want to be
doing any *welding* on your bicycle!

Bill

--
Bill Michel			
bm@eng.sun.com		These views are my own, not Sun's.
From: IO91748@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Jon Carr)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: info on bike rack for nissan pathfinder needed
Date: 12 Oct 92 20:59:38 GMT
Organization: University of Maine System

I have the THULE system on my Honda, and I am very happy with
it.  I have carried up to six bikes (with room to spare) at one
time.  The THULE system also will support a great deal of weight.
I saw an old 2002 BMW with 8 4x8 sheets of drywall on the roof
(and those things are not light!).

Your truck requires the 1061 system ($130 for 50" bars, $140
for the 58"), the propper fit kit ($32), and you may need the
short roofline adapter ($75), but only if your Nissan is the
two door model.

The 529 fork mount, is the best (IMHO) bike attachment. Also,
if your going to get a ski attachment, get the horizontal unit.
The angled, and Vertical ski carriers will not hold a snow board.
From: BEJ102@psuvm.psu.edu (Bryan Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: New Idiot In The Group
Date: 7 Oct 92 20:14:24 GMT
 <1992Sep30.173852.10289@bmerh85.bnr.ca> <4030@cvbnetPrime.COM>
 <1992Oct6.225747.14856@ncar.ucar.edu> <4040@cvbnetPrime.COM>
Organization: Penn State University

In article <4040@cvbnetPrime.COM>, tjohnson@atcc5.prime.com (Tod J Johnson)
says:
>Ilana;
>
>        Hey, it's good to see you again! I'm sure everything is going
                           :::

They must have better computers than I use.....

Bryan
Xref: sparky rec.bicycles:23034 rec.bicycles.tech:1116
From: danjones@pyrps5.eng.pyramid.com (Dan Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles,rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Avocet 30 for sale
Date: 8 Oct 92 04:21:20 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corporation, Mountain View

Joel Kolstad writes:

>I know it's fashionable around here to bash Avocet, and that their
>reputation in general is rather poor (our local bike store has a bunch
>of Avocets with nails driven through the displays above a little sign
>that says, "We no longer service Avocet cyclocomputers"), but I'm
>hoping that someone out there might want to buy mine anyway...
>
>I got a Catseye Cordless, so I have my old Avocet 30 to sell.  It's
>blue, and about one year old.  I still have the box and instructions.
>
>I'm asking $15.  Please reply my e-mail...

You can have mine for $12 and its only 6 mos old.  And for another $4
I'll throw in a rear wheel sensor, never used.  Postage not included.

Dan Jones
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: M16302@mwvm.mitre.org
Subject: Re: yet another lighting system
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean VA 22102
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 15:25:30 GMT

The Nightrider system, due out next week for a mere $300 or so is suppose to
to blow everything else away according to my local bike shop.
In article <1992Oct15.193105.1@research.ptt.nl>
walvdrk_r@research.ptt.nl (Kees van der Wal) writes:
 
>
>In article <1992Oct14.165016.2275@col.hp.com>, arnie@col.hp.com (Arnie Berger)
>writes:
>
>>> I wonder whether such a method also works when I try to recharge the battery
>>> from the generator on the bike. It yields 0.5A so preventing overcharging is
>>> a  wise thing to do. Of course I'd like to switch on the generator only on
>>> the downhill parts. In some terrain that will result in an irregular cycle
>>> of loading (downhill) and not loading (uphill). Does the -dv/dt method still
>>> work under such conditions?
>
>> The Benchmarq chip checks the battery voltage about every 30 seconds, if
>> I remember correctly. If the chip is configured for the -dv/dt mode, and
>> the battery voltage is lower than the previous reading by some threshold
>> value, then it will stop charging and ( I think ) switch to a trickle
>> current mode. What you're suggesting should work,
>
>Judging from the description I'm afraid it doesn't work. When the battery is
>fully charged and the downhill part isn't over yet, the chip will stop
>charging. Switched on again after an uphill period, I reckon the chip totally
>'forgot' that the batteries were already fully charged. I'm not sure there is
>_always_ a -dv/dt even when I repeatedly try to charge an already fully charged
>cell.
>
>I assume the chip has a logic output to control the switch over from fast
>charage to trickle charge. If I could make something to indicate that charging
>is complete, I could just disconnect the whole thing.
>
>
>>  but frankly, I wouldn't > bother with a generator at all if I had a
>> rechargable battery.
>
>But these things have to be recharged. When commuting I do it (the charging of
>course) at home during the night (trickle charge is fine then). When on
>holiday there's no mains supply available and in that cases I'd like to use
>the generator for recharging.
>
>> Also, the
>> charge rate is usually specified as 1/10 of the amp-hour rating of the
>> battery, in amperes. Thus, if a battery is rated at  5 amp-hours, you
>> should charge it at 500 ma . Some Ni-Cads are designed for rapid charging
>> and can be charged at 1/5 or even 1/2 of the amp-hour rating.
>
>I use a rather small battery: 6V, 700mAh (just sufficient for one-and-half-way
>commute in the dark). The 5 AA-size NiCad cells are very light compared to
>another 4Ah lead-acid cell I've got.
>The NiCads are designed for rapid charging but at 0.5A but then I _must_
>prevent overcharging to keep the cells in a good condition.
>
>Thanks for the information, <kees>
Xref: sparky rec.bicycles:23058 rec.bicycles.soc:517