roller brake
Carrier Pigeon Diary 31
Our experience with the box bikes continues to impress and satisfy…There’s very little to report in the world of the box bike as both our bikes continue to operate with little whine, creak or groan. The SRAM transmissions are working flawlessly and the FSA Gamma cranksets are just as pleasing as when I first rode the bikes –they’re super smooth, powerful and very lightweight when compared to a stock steel crank. Additionally, the 70mm drum brake on the Sturmey-Archer XRD-C freehub is strong, smooth and consistent…
Carrier Pigeon Diary 24
I snapped some photos of Goliath after its conversion to a super-cool externally geared transporter. Simply click on any of the images in this post to be directed to the gallery, where you can view each image in higher detail. Note that in one or two of the photos you can see clearly that the [...]
Carrier Pigeon Diary 23
Back in November, 2008, I discussed the possibility of converting one of our carrier pigeon box bikes to an externally geared machine, in an effort to gain greater flexibility in the drivetrain compared to an internally geared hub. While I have enjoyed the Sturmey-Archer XRD-8 hub a great deal, it –like its internally geared brethren– [...]
Carrier Pigeon Diary 22
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I absolutely love the Sturmey-Archer drum brake on the XRD-8 hub. It is consistent, powerful and gentle in its modulation. I find it very well-suited to the higher weight demands of the carrier pigeon box bike. This being said, many folks may not realize that this [...]
Carrier Pigeon Diary 21
We just had two consecutive days using the carrier pigeons for packing our family about. On Tuesday, Keri and I each piloted our box bikes with human cargo to a kindergarten roundup. The best part of this journey was that it was the first time we rode as a family in the dark! I must [...]
Carrier Pigeon Diary 11
The pigeons have been running grand, albeit I am looking forward to throwing the 25t sprocket on the rear, for a wee bit of extra low-end oooompf. The Sturmey-Archer hub is performing nicely, displaying a very unique ratio curve. You see, the hub has a 1-to-1 1st gear (one revolution of the crank translates into [...]
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