From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "JimD"  wrote in message news:2017012223493064601-email@nowherecom...   
      
   > I guess I don't see where you're going here.  Gotta be more specific for   
   > us old geezes to understand .... ha.   
      
   Not the old fart routine again! I was interested in the reason for seeing   
   how much one can spend to computerize something that despite all that   
   digital nonsense, still has to be pedaled the hard 'old fashioned' way ;)   
      
   > My serious bike has Shimano indexed shifting, and sometimes it won't   
   > actually go into its highest gear. The shifter works, clicks, the cable   
   > goes slack, but the derailer won't move the chain on the back. It just   
   > won't go, under load, out on a real ride.   
      
   I've got the same problem, only with some SRAM and Shimano components with   
   my customized system, and that's even with a chainstay mounted coaxial shift   
   cable tensioner to pull the slack out of the cable near the rear derailleur   
   so it can more easily reach the higher gears. I often have to stretch out   
   the cable by pedaling hard to load up the drivetrain in higher gears while   
   shifting to low ones to get more consistent high gear shifting (maybe I need   
   s stronger spring on the derailleur itself), and that makes me long for   
   those 'old fashioned' friction shift levers because indexed shifting is nice   
   only when it's working right but friction shifting always works right   
   because you just move the lever until the gear engages, which is why I never   
   had a problem with it - any extra cable tension or looseness, just move the   
   lever accordingly and there's never a problem to begin with it.   
   High tech isn't everything -  many times it isn't anything, as in not worth   
   anything, only a silly, Impractical nuisance...and a Ridiculously expensive   
   one is only adding more injury, or is that  insult? I'll just say both, and   
   who needs that, much less to Pay extra Thousands in some cases, for it???   
      
   > Typically, when using that gear, I'd be doing some speed between about 30   
   > and 50 mph.  So, imagine I'm headed down a hill, ripping away, and what   
   > .... I'm supposed to be leaning over and trying to get a derailer to   
   > actually move ????   
      
   You're supposed to get everything all 'dialed in' Before doing that ;)   
      
   > Hi, Mr. Death .. how did I get here ?  ... Oh, I was riding my bike and   
   > lost concentration I guess .......   
      
   There's something about going that fast on 2 thin wheels that really tends   
   to keep the concentration from being  lost - I think it's called   
   self-preservation ;)   
      
   I ride for transportation and the fun of riding, not 'sport', but some   
   years ago, I found myself going downhill on my Belgian made Superia 10   
   speed, mixte frame 27" * 1 1/4" wheel bike with that great mixte frame   
   providing full advantage to the good old Powerful and Reliable Mafac Racer   
   centerpull brakes by letting the rear brake cable run directly, without any   
   bends, turns, or angles, Straight through to the rear brake, which instead   
   of being mounted to the seatstays, as most are, was mounted to what I call   
   the mixtestays, right in the middle between the seatstays and chainstays - I   
   could lock and skid the rear wheel every time, no matter what the load or   
   surface...that's how I measure braking power!   
      
   But as I started downhill, and gravity started helping out, I felt the need   
   for speed ;) So I very quickly rammed the left stem-mounted shifter down and   
   right one up and almost instantly went right into the 10th gear and   
   proceeded to start 'winding it up' - my good 'old fashioned' cable driven   
   speedometer got up to just over 45 mph before the nice gravity assist began   
   to run out, but what a feeling of mortality - and the profound sense of the   
   need to be as careful as possible...keep the bike stable, on the best   
   surfaces of the pavement and of course, that meant Concentrating intensely   
   since I've been fighting "Mr. Death" ever since day one and I was no more   
   interested in seeing him then, while going downhill, or now, or as I was   
   minutes after I was deposited into weird, hostile, alien plane of existence,   
   and he very grabbed me and tried to force me to go with him - NO THANKS!!!   
      
   > Only when it doesn't work.  Getting a new cable modem / router of my own,   
   > that I don't have to pay monthly fee on, was great.  It took a few hours   
   > to get it all up and running. Had to set up new passwords on all my little   
   > toys. It seems to be fine now.   
      
   Sure, that's when there are the much deserved negative attitudes, when   
   something that's supposed to, doesn't work ;)   
      
   > It's all fly by wire for us ....   
      
   If the same reliability as is afforded to fly-by-wire aircraft, could be   
   enjoyed with the kinds of devices being used, at least it would moving in   
   the right direction, sort of ;)   
      
   > I have two or three or four of everything.  Don't take that much to gigs   
   > tho. The computer either works, or ..... we play live.  That's the thing.   
   > My guitar will just plug in a pa channel and work just fine.  And since I   
   > made the tracks we use, I can just as easily play the stuff real time. It   
   > won't sound as full, as I'm only one of me live, but it'll be as good as   
   > anyone is who plays live with only one instrument and two singers.  Yes,   
   > we're that good :-)   
      
   I was thinking backup in terms of more time tested technology ;) But playing   
   Live is a the best backup of all!!! ;)   
      
   > What happens if the club power goes out ????  How would we preform ?   
      
   Hopefully they'll have backup diesel generators ;)   
   And there is a LOT of computer Control of power grid operation...they didn't   
   learn from The Forbin Project and numerous Star Trek episodes.   
      
   Ouisie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)