Archive for January 11th, 2009

Okay, I’ve done it. I do it frequently. However, I ensure that I slow down and look and I never put myself or drivers of undesirable vehicles in danger. I also never even inconvenience undesirable vehicle drivers.

I never rode on many club rides. I guess I always felt a little uncomfortable around those rides because I didn’t have a Cervelo and $250 wrapped around my body in the form of spandex. When I did finally join the first club ride of the year in the spring of 2003 in northern Indiana, I got exactly what I expected. Somehow, since we were in a large group, traffic laws did not apply. We consumed the whole road, disregarded traffic lights and stop signs and were generally only interested in ourselves. That was my first and last club ride.

While cyclists rant and rave about how undesirable vehicle drivers have no respect for cyclists, cyclists rarely chide each other for irresponsible riding behavior which leads to disrespect. We frequently only focus on our own interests and think we have more right to the road than others. I feel even the League of American Cyclists places too much blame on drivers and not enough on cyclists.

One of the main reasons that club rides are mislead is the jokes that are usually the best riders in the group. They are faster than most in the group and they know it. I find them hilarious because match them up with a pro and they got nothin’. Especially the lame-os in northern Indiana. It’s like a grown man spiking a football and doing a touchdown dance after mowing down a team of peewee football players.

The most common reason I run a stop light is because I cannot set off the sensor to get the light to change. I think this practice is safe and keeps traffic flowing normally. However, on my daily commutes the traffic, even in mid-town Memphis, is pretty light. In a more congested city, this practice may not be so safe. As for stop signs, if there are other vehicles present, I most certainly stop and wait my turn, just like an undesirable vehicle.

My message to cyclists: Ride respectfully and you will earn respect. Ride like a jerk, be treated like a jerk.

While the hubs I am reviewing are rather antiquated, I think the review is still relevant because little has changed in the last ten years with the WI mountain bike hubs – with good reason. The hubs I have came standard on the 1997 Schwinn Homegrown I bought in Saint Charles, IL. I am now on my 6th year of real riding on the hubs. The rear hub was relaced this year to a new rim (Sun Rhino Lite). I have done only minor maintenance to the hubs over their life. This year I finally bought (from WI) some rebuild components. I bought bearings and pawl springs. I found on receipt of the components that really only one bearing on the rear hub had more play in it than the new bearing so I replaced it only. I replaced all of the pawl springs but only because they seemed the weakest link and it was easy. Of the four or five times I service the rear hub I used Phil Wood for lube. I have never serviced the front hub. Most of the riding I did on the hubs was off road, although I have quite a few miles on road as well (I now use the bike for 16 mile round-trip Memphis bike commutes). The only true dislike I have of the hubs is the use of set screws to secure the collar of the hub. These bound easily and the hex drives were easily stripped. I found, however, that if you slightly modified the length of the cannulated axel, the need to secure the collar was mute. (An inappropriately adjusted collar can result in substantial play in the rear wheel making you feel like you’re floating from side to side.)
With the rebuild components I bought, WI also sent a new product brochure. A PHD biomedical engineer and I found this piece of literature quite entertaining and laughable. The engineering claims and explanations of design features were off-base and unsubstantiated. They may need a new marketing manager (I’m available).

Despite this, and as few people actually ride one set of hubs long enough to approach the end of their life cycle, these hubs are in my humble opinion worth the cost. They will last virtually forever and thanks to WI’s good customer service can be rebuilt. Furthermore, their aesthetic appearance make them an instant classic. While simple in appearance, maintain these suckers and well-versed bikaholics will appreciate them for the fine mechanisms they are€.

My rating: 4 Broken Down Cars (deduction for the use of soft-metal set screws)

Likes: Classic appearance, durability, good customer service
Dislikes: Soft set screws
Best Uses: Years of heavy mountain bike use