But why does the knucklehead have to adjust the ‘b screw’ ? Wtf is he even talking about. His image would bemefit from omitting all bike mechanic details.
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still waiting for my merch
Really? The shipping was like $15 to aus so I figured they’d all show up.
Because he’s using a non-slant-parallelogram, 1x-specific SRAM rear derailleur on what’s effectively a 2x setup.
<gear nerd>
The slant-parallelogram derailleurs that we’ve all been riding since Suntour’s patent expired in '84 are designed such that the angle of the parallelogram is what keeps the guide pulley tracking close to the cassette cogs through the entire gear range. The guide pulley is very close to the cage pivot (and on some newer designs, actually concentric with the cage pivot), so that the pulley position doesn’t really change when you shift into a different chainring and the cage pivots to a new position. This allows the derailleur to properly operate in all of the cogs in each of the chainrings.
(Aside: The angle of the parallelogram is the main defining difference between traditional “road” and “mountain” derailleurs. You could put an extra-long cage on a road derailleur body, and the guide pulley would just run into the big cassette cogs. Similarly, put a short cage on a mountain derailleur body, and the guide pulley will be floating in space way away from the cassette in the 25T “big” cog.)
On SRAM’s 1x system (and the new Shimano XTR 9100 1x derailleurs), the parallelogram isn’t slanted anymore. Rather, the guide pulley is highly offset from the cage pivot - so the rotation of the pulley cage is actually what re-positions the guide pulley into the correct location for each cog. It should be obvious why this won’t work with multiple different-sized chainrings.
So that’s why he’s twiddling the B-screw when he shifts with a stick.
(But for fuck’s sake, he’s friction shifting the rear already. He should just throw a Shimano slant-parallelogram derailleur on there; I’m sure an 11-speed XT long cage would work with 12-speed chain and a SRAM 10-50 cassette, and then he wouldn’t have to twiddle with the derailleur every time he wants to be in the other ring)
</gear nerd>
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Interesting. Thanks for clearing that up. I got out of wrenching before all the 1x so I don’t know much about it. It also compound his dipshittery, which is a plus
Dang, tarckers know things.
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@adem wrote a blog post!
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If bromance was cool he’d have a cyclone mk 2 on there
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. Looking at this photo really illustrates these concepts. You can see how shifting into a smaller chainring would cause problems
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That’s curated bullshit; it took many years of practice to artfully make your POS fopmobile look like it’s someone’s first attempt at assembling a bicycle.
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It’s extra in case the cable breaks; it’s effortless trolling; he couldn’t find the clippers so said yolo; it’s conscious dgaf; he finds purity in unbroken things; it’s a koan
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And it complements the cancerous growth of fender eyelets on the rear dropout!
If you leave extra cable
The probabilistic distribution of cable breakage is spread beyond your derailleur
The possibility that the cable will break in the unused section reduces the probability of the cable breaking between shifter and dangler
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cable arbitrage
One of more interesting PLP topics that Russ has shared. I think about the “farmer” vs “sailor” lifestyle comparison often with all of the bike touring stars & #vanlife couples that have become more visible. Do you think there is a lingering loathing that resides in those living a “farmer” lifestyle against those living a “sailor” lifestyle? Or do you think there are enough supportive “farmers” that appreciate living vicariously through their “sailor” friends? Does social media help or hinder this relationship? If someone is able to pull it off for long periods by supporting themselves through unique means are they still operating from a position of privilege?
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Insomuch as the “sailors” you are describing are on some sort of perma-vacation, sure. But the reality that most don’t talk about is that they are either dirtbagging it or living off of mom and dad to some degree. Sure, some of them have sponsorships or blogs or youtube channels or whatever that subsidize it but at the point that that actually supports a lifestyle it basically becomes a job to look like you are having fun all the time.
There are some folks who do remote work that do the “nomadic” lifestyle but that still requires you to stay at or near places that give you internet access (or pay out the nose for some sort of satellite subscription). Those folks have the best shot of making such a lifestyle work long term but it’s much less “care-free” and “minimal” than the lifestyle the influencers are trying to sell.
I personally don’t get jealous. I have a job/career that I enjoy and find satisfaction (and frustration) in but doesn’t lend itself to living in a van and that’s fine. I also don’t know what folks like Poppi are going to do in ten years when a new cohort of dirtbags shows up to steal their lunches on social media - I guess you go back to trying to find real work but I imagine that won’t be easy either.
Travel now has to be safer and less expensive than at any point in human history so I think it’s cool that people can stay on the road indefinitely but unless you are a trust fund kid I think it ultimately sells your future out quite a bit.
One thing I wonder about, at least in the US where there’s not much in the way of socialized medicine, is what these people (ultraromance, etc.) do when they have a serious injury, which is not uncommon for people who ride a lot. I suspect, unless they’re a trust fund kid or otherwise supported in a way their followers don’t see, that they end up being these people begging on social media for gofundme money to pay for their surgery or whatever. Hard to get health insurance if your occupation is dirtbag/instagram influencer
poppi will get a desk job at specialized and @BicyclePears will be q’s marketing manager
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Trust funds
seasonal work
skilled gig work
comfort with frugal living
huge pile of industry connections
only in it for the short term, can sort out a normal life after
My guess is that the average influencer / traveller has at least two of the listed items going on. It’s not really less responsible than a jillion other ways of living.
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