sturmey-archer
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 26
After the successful conversion of Goliath to an externally geared transmission with high-performance FSA crankset, it took little time to choose the same path for Big Beef. Fortunately the folks at Joe Bike were ready to go and had the slick new Sturmey-Archer freehub in stock. Before I knew it, the new wheel was built [...]
Carrier Pigeon Diary 25
The recent conversion to an externally geared drivetrain continues to impress me with every ride. I haven’t ridden my wife’s bike much since the conversion, but each time that I do, I’m completely pleased. Today I shuttled my daughters to Fred Meyer, and the trip was just fantastic.
With the 32T front chainring on the super-smooth [...]
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 14
A brief update that the pigeons are still performing very well. I have yet to swap out the 23t rear cog for the 25t, though Joe Bike was most gracious in hookin’ me up with a pair for the tomato-twins.
Several weeks ago I installed a Mr. Tuffy tire liner on Goliath’s rear wheel, to help [...]
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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