backwards derailleur

 

'Nother one of those bike-y weirdness things that only matters to me.

 Rear derailleurs typically "relax" to the smallest cog - that little one on the outside you use when you're pedalling as fast as possible. It's your hardest gear, which means many riders don't use it much. If your rear derailleur cable breaks, you're suddenly in the hardest gear to pedal, and you're stuck there.

 Decades ago, Shimano made a "Rapid Rise" derailleur that "relaxed" to the biggest cog. The theory was that, on a mountain bike (which is what they were made for), you'd want to get into your easier gears quickly as the terrain changed, and this reversing of the derailleur direction would facilitate that.

Well, like Biopace chainrings, it was one of those "good" ideas that just didn't catch on, and that was that. You just couldn't get them.

Then, the retrogrouches at Rivendell Bikes decided to try to have them made. It took years to find a supplier who would make the small quantity they thought they would sell, and in the meantime there's been a pandemic, tariffs, and who knows what-all else. But they finally brought 'em to market.

I'm always up for some bicycle weirdness. I've been following the progress of the project, and, when Rivendell started an email list to keep prospective customers posted, I put three or four of my email addresses on it. They offered presale in the fall; I credit-carded my way in. They finally sent 'em out a few weeks ago.

 I teach the Basic Bicycle Maintenance class at Princeton Adult School, and I use my bikes as teaching aids, so I didn't want to put it on until I'd finished using my bike as a prop. But that day has come (the last class is all students bringing their bikes in for review), so I popped it on today.

It will theoretically index nine speeds (that is, if your shifter snaps from one gear to the next, this derailleur is compatible with a nine-speed system, at a time when eleven speeds are common, twelve speeds are not rare, and thirteen-speed systems are available). But it's really meant for friction shifting, where you slide from one gear to the next. My titanium bike has this system. 

Here's running the chain through, after doing the tiny bit of adjustment that it needed,

 I took it out for a few miles this morning. I really like it. Rivendell touts that now you pull the cable the same way, both front and rear, to get to the harder gears, and relax it to get to the easier ones. The way I remember it is that I have to pull against resistance to get t a harder gear, both front and back, and ease the lever back in to get to an easier gear, which feels more intuitive to me (although it took some riding to change my default shifting behaviour, after years of having the levers on the bar ends).

It will manage up to a 34-tooth cog in the back (which is large, making for a nice, easy gear for climbing). It takes fewer degrees of level turn to shift than I'm used to, which will take some adjustment. But I like it. 

As I write this, they're sold out. Weird bike-y retrogrouches are apparently coming out for 'em.

 

new route

I haven't been ride-blogging much, because I haven't been happy with my performance and condition. Since fall, when I've been on the bike, I've been slower than I hoped, and I'm tired out in shorter distances than in the past. I know that, starting about a year ago, I didn't ride as much as I had prior to that... but I've also realized recently that, even three and four years ago, when I was leading rides out of Franklin, I was often falling off the back of the group by the end of the ride.

 The Excellent Wife (TEW) has been steadfast in her belief that all I need to do is get back to riding regularly and frequently to get up to my former level of fitness. I don't think that's all it will take (I've put on about 15lbs in the past two or three years), but I do agree that I want to ride more. I've set myself a goal of 25 ride leads for the club for 2026, and, while it's not a goal, two or three rides of at least 20 miles per week through October of 2026 sounds like a good idea.

As part of the "lead 25" proposition, I listed a club ride for yesterday. I've moved from near that Franklin start I used to use, to Monroe, and this start was at the Thompson park, just down the hill from my house. I was pleasantly surprised to get thirteen signups. At the start:

You can see the route on the ride page (you can also see that the route is only about 1000' of climb, and that I definitely rode within the C+ pace). The riders generally appeared satisfied with it.

I had a couple of bits of drama: the road surface was rough in places, and on Davidson's Mill Road (I think), I hit a pothole so hard that I flatted the front tire. I changed out the tube as quickly as I could (which is quick; I'm a good mechanic)... when a fellow rider pointed out that the rear was ALSO flat. I'd popped both tires on that hit! I've been riding for decades, and I don't think I've ever seen an incident where both tires got pinch flats at the same time. I used both of the tubes I carry, and both of my CO2 cartridges. (And I made sure to replace them in my kit when I got back. How frustrating would it be to have a flat, and find that the only tire supplies I had, were the ones I'd destroyed on a previous ride?!)

We proceeded without incident to a stop at the Bagel Bazaar in Dayton.

 After the stop, though, I was tired, and I began slowing and falling off the back of the group. Several had the route loaded in their various devices, so they continued. I wound up falling off the back entirely. 

At a few points, individuals waited to see if I was OK (for which I'm grateful). I got back without much energy, but also without a problem. Just before the end of the route is a drop of about 70' in about a half-mile. I decided NOT to do that, because I would have had to climb back up to go home.

I'm sure the other riders will forgive me. 

I'll plan to lead this route again, along with my no-pace rides. Maybe some of you club members will come out!

 

philly bike expo 2026

Tom H and Laura OLPH, or one or the other (I forget) planned a ride this week of 42 miles, which is longer than I like to go in my dotage (I'd done one with Laura last week with that mileage and neatly 2800' of climb, and far from the end, I was thinking, "This could really be enough, thank you). I didn't register in time anyway, so, while I probably could have imposed on friendship and tagged along, I decided to take the day to go to this year's Philly Bike Expo.

 I've been going for years, and I look forward to seeing all the lovely (and crazy) bikes, the new tech, and the useful and silly accessories. I try to keep the entire weekend free so that I can choose to go on whichever day is a presentation I'd like to catch, but none of the presentations nailed me this year. 

There was, however, an exhibition of restored, historic (mostly from racing) bikes.

There were the custom builders showing off what they do.

 

I do not give a damn about carbon fiber, internal routing, or anything of the sort. I love these bikes with the elegant paint, the exposed workings, the rim brakes. 

And if I ever want to replace my beloved titanium frame, I might go to this guy to do it:

 The term "retrogrouch" was coined for Grant Peterson, who founded Rivendell Bikes (he was there, but I didn't get a good picture). Velo Orange, one of the sources for my retrogrouchy parts, had only sold frames for disk brakes... but I saw two in their booth with their lovely Grand Cru caliper brakes on:

 

 I feel like hope is not yet lost.

There were the usual bags and accessories.

 And the usual silly things. One guy has 3d-printed a tool for ensuring your right and left drop-bar brake-shifters are at exactly the same height. Another has a purpose-built tripod for your laptop for when you're on your trainer, which consists of a rubber-coated tabletop and three legs that screw into the bottom, in your choice of stained finishes. Another 3d printer aficionado made valve caps:

 And there were more than the usual number of tours, destinations, and charity rides.

I didn't see any great new technologies.  Shimano wasn't there, nor was SRAM, White Industries, Paul Components, or other vendors I'm used to seeing. It may be that the international situation has made travel inadvisable. 

I like the bikes, but I was disappointed in the show this year. I hope my experience improves with the next one. 

locked-out ride

 When we got to the start at Etra Lake Park, not only was the parking lot still locked, but so was the lot for the athletic field on the other side of Disbrow Hill Road.

A certain amount of consternation ensued; there were texts and calls to people who were coming to the ride, and discussions about where else we could park. A passing resident told us that she believed that at least one of the locks was placed by a neighbor, rather than any municipal employee.

(I've since mustered up my inner Karen energy and written to the East Windsor Recreation Department, asking if this locking of the lots when the park was supposed to be open was a new practice, whether there was to be any announcement of the policy change, whether it was, indeed, a neighbor who had placed the locks, and were they in the habit of deputizing locals for what I would have thought would be an official township function. Don't mess with me; I am not prone to violence, but my nagging is very likely worse.)

We decided to repair to the Peddie School athletics lot, and left from there.

Tom had set a route of about 30-35 miles, which is about what I like to do these days. And though he set the pace at a higher rate than I like to go, I knew I could keep it up, and even if I could not, the latter part of the route was over roads near my house, that are part of my regular training rides. (Well, they will be "regular" when the weather gets a little more reasonable, and I can get out. IF the weather gets more reasonable; as I write this, we're being threatened with another deep snowstorm, like the one last month.) (Although, as I write this, temps are nowhere near low enough for the snow to stay. But, like Tristram Shandy, I digress.)

(Imagine that: Jim digressing.) 

I needn't have worried about the pace. One of our number, a usually-strong rider, had brought a gravel bike, and between the wide tires and perhaps his February legs, he went at a pace at which I could be conversational.

We headed south-ish, skirting the Assunpink, and then headed east. It was very pleasant being out with people I've been riding with for so many years (nearly twenty, for some of them).  

 We stopped at the Wawa at 33 and Woodland.

 

On the way back, as I noted, we were on the roads near my home. Tom H, who had convened the ride, mentioned that I could have ridden in, and turned off on the way back. I'd thought of riding in, but didn't think of heading home when we were near the house, and I didn't want to do extra miles... but I might ride in and turn off, if the opportunity arises again (and if I think of it, which I may not.)

I mentioned last week about the depression. It's mostly lifted, although I'm left with some of the sequelae (like the several pounds I'd like to lose so that I don't have to buy all new pants, or live in sweats for the rest of my life). I'm glad to have gotten out. And I'm glad to have the friends I do, to go out with, especially at this cold, isolating time of year.