From: jwgst2+@pitt.edu (James W Gourgoutis)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Just a few questions...
Date: 22 Jan 93 16:42:51 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

Hi All, I'm just confused or in the dark about a few things, so I thought
that I would ask:

1)  Could some kind soul explain what Shimano's ServoWave brakelevers are?
	More specifically, what the little linkage in them is and what it
	does?  I'm thinking of getting some XT RapidFire (not plus) levers,
	and they have ServoWave.  I want to know what I may be getting into.
	I was also thinking...Last year's Cannondale MTB's came with XT
	RapidFire (I think! I may be wrong on this!), AND their Force 40
	brake-cable routing.  I would bet that all ServoWave does is
	somehow decrease the lever pull force, which increases the cable
	travel.  I've also heard that all Force 40 does is increase the
	cable travel.  The two combined together seem like overkill!!
	It would seem that all you'd end up with is a whole lot of mushy
	cable travel!!  Could someone clear things up?  Maybe those C'dales
	DON'T have ServoWave.

2)  While checking the above out in my Cannondale catalogs last night, I 
	noticed that the bikes don't seem very light.  I thought one of the
	main reasons to use Aluminum was to make a bike lighter.  But, for
	example, most of Cannondale's road bikes are around 22 lbs., and
	most good steel road bikes are the same weight.  Am I missing the
	point?  We here on the net have disscussed over and over that
	the actual flex of frames of various materials is pretty much a
	moot point.  So if Cannondale is promoting their use of Al as
	making bikes stiffer, that pretty much is just all bunk, right?
	I'm not planning to buy a C'dale or anything like that, and I'm
	NOT flaming C'dale owners.  I love the company, and I really,
	REALLY want to work for them. (Gee, I wish they had net access!)
	I'm just confused.

3)  If I do get those XT RapidFire shifters mentioned in (1), will they
	work with my Exage 300LX front and rear derailleurs?  I imagine
	that they should, since the cogset (on an LX hub) is the same
	regardless of what group you are using (unless it's 8-speed XTR).
	Specifically, I think that it is an HG-70, 13-30.

4)  Are Dia-Compe brakelevers (the 986 & SS-7 combo that everybody raves
	about) 2-finger levers?

5)  Has anybody tried those Delta Ergo brakelevers as listed in the Nashbar
	catalog?  These are the ones that curve up for use from bar ends. 
	Are they any good?  Many times I find myself with hands on the bar
	ends, reaching for the brake levers, trying to brake.  Needless to
	say, it don't work.

6)  Why are there 2 versions of Pedro's Synlube?  It seems that everybody
	that uses Pedro's only uses the ATB version, regardless of the type
	of bike.  Can you really clean your chains using only water?  Does
	that mean that all of the Pedro's washes out of your chain during
	a rainstorm?

7)  Can anybody recommend a good, cheap rear derailleur for a road bike
	with friction shifting?  Preferably SunTour.  Five speed right now,
	but eventually will have to work with an ultra-6, as soon as I can
	afford to get one.  I'm thinking of something like a SunTour Cyclone.
       	I presently have an old SunTour Honor, and I want to replace it
	(obviously 8*)).  Unfortunately, my bike DOES NOT have an integral
	derailleur hanger, but one of those infernal ones that clamp onto
	the rear dropout.  Argh!
	 
8)  Is it better to have narrower or wider handlebars on an MTB?

9)  What's the difference between small and large flanges on hubs?  Is
	one type better than the other?

That's pretty much all I can think of right now. Thanks in advance to any
and all responses. 
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James Gourgoutis       				   
Mechanical Engineering                                O   
University of Pittsburgh                           _ /__,     
e-mail me at:  JWGST2@unixd.cis.pitt.edu          (_) /(_) 
	       or JWGST2@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Thanks!           			   "Why am I so late?  It took me 
					    25 minutes to decide which bike
					    to ride!"--me. 
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