twist impressions.

[flecc]

lower profile ones fitted to the bike rather than those especially puncture resistant ones that you have. The slightly larger circumference of your wheels as a result of the different tyres will mean your net result is a slightly faster bike but with slightly less hill climbing ability than with the original tyres.

Yes, my Marathon Plus add 2 inches to the gearing. The standard tyres that I got with the Twist four years ago were also quite low profile, possibly Giant's sporting heritage influences that choice, or maybe they are just minimising tyre drag with small sections.

 

[nigel]

nigel

Hi all
first thing i did when i got my twist was as flecc suggested get those marathon plus tyres i was quite shocked when i held both tyres in the poor quality of those maxxis they were like tissue paper i wouldnt trust them for very long i feel a lot more happy and secure with the marathon plus and they were no more difficult to fit which surprised me as they are stronger material
Flecc when you replied to john in stockie with ref to your mirror and how you fitted it did you mean it was fitted into the end of handlebar as that seems to be the only option. nigel. southampton.

 

[flecc]

Yes that's correct Nigel. The end cap of the rubber grip is cut off and the mirror mount is a split plug that goes into the handlebar end. There's an end central screw which when done up expands a cone in the plug in part to lock it into the bar. Unfortunately they are all too large for our smaller diameter bars so have to be filed down a bit to plug in.

You'll usually see these Cateye mirrors on display in Halfords carded stock, around £5.99 each. Not much for potentially saving your life!

 

[JohnInStockie]

P.S.

Get used to it for a while, and if you find it handles the hills you climb easily, you could gear it higher just by swapping the rear sprocket.

At the moment it's a 16 tooth, with power phasing down from 13.5 mph, cutting at 15 mph.

A 15 tooth instead would phase down from 14.4 and cut out at 16 mph, but would make you pedal a bit harder on the hills.

A 14 tooth would phase down from roughly 15.5 and cut out at 17 mph, but you'd have to pedal much harder on the climbs.

Get used to it before making any decision, but if you want to change the sprocket, any cycle dealer can do it easily and cheaply.

Fitting an SRAM 5 speed enables you to have your cake and eat it, very low gears for hills and assistance to 17 mph.

I have the SRAM P5 on my Twist, and I am finding that I rarely use gears 1 or 2 at all. I can manage just about every hill I come across in 3. If I change the rear sprocket to the 14 tooth one, then what effect would that have?

Would the 1st gear feel like the 3rd, or the 2nd?

John

 

[flecc]

This is what would happen John.

The first line is your present gear inches, the second line with a 14 tooth sprocket:

.1st....2nd....3rd....4th....5th

..34.....42.....55.....70.....86

..42.....52.....66.....85....105

That would mean your power cut off speed would rise to about 18.5 mph, but the downside of that is the range would drop markedly since the bike would be using more power at every speed above 13 mph because of the later power phase down, and virtually always using power when riding since you'd rarely be above 18.5 mph.

Different size sprockets can be difficult to get hold of, but you can get a good range from St John's Cycles.

They have 13 to 21 teeth for 1/8" chain and 16 to 24 teeth for 3/32" chain.
.

 

[JohnInStockie]

Flecc your a star.

Thanks very much for the reply. I think I might do it, as I would like a little more help on my daily commute route.

I have refined my route and managed to get the distance down to 10.5 miles each way, its more or less downhill on the way in, and therefore uphill on the way back. I am averaging 13.8 mph on the way in and about 12.8 on the way back but there are more stops on the way back too as there is more traffic.

This means its taking me about 44 mins in, and about 50 mins back. If I could knock another 5 minutes or so off my time then that would officially be faster than the car without going through a town centre.

Can I ask, how do you know which chain size you have on the Twist?

Thanks

John

 

[flecc]

The standard chain fitted is a 1/8th John.

St Johns have a 14 tooth in the 1/8th size, and the 13 tooth smallest I mentioned is oddly placed at the foot of the 1/8th list.

It certainly sounds worth a try since the cost to do that is very low.
.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Cat Eye Mirror

Yes that's correct Nigel. The end cap of the rubber grip is cut off and the mirror mount is a split plug that goes into the handlebar end. There's an end central screw which when done up expands a cone in the plug in part to lock it into the bar. Unfortunately they are all too large for our smaller diameter bars so have to be filed down a bit to plug in.

You'll usually see these Cateye mirrors on display in Halfords carded stock, around £5.99 each. Not much for potentially saving your life!

These mirrors are really ace: they are easily adjustable to every angle and they stay put: they are virtually vibrationless on my Torq (that's a miracle) and they keep focus over rough roads. I did not have any trouble fitting one to my Torq h'bars: just cut OUT (not cut off - sorry Flecc for the pedantics) the end of the h'bar grip, plug in and turn the screw.
BUT they are £9-99 at Halfords (Salisbury). Still a bargain compared with the only other one I saw (another regular cycle shop)
Peter

 

[flecc]

Hi Peter, the £5.99 is at Halfords in West Wickham, and I've bought two at different times for that price, the last time very recently if you want to tackle your Salisbury shop about that big price jump.

On the cutoff, the first time with one of these I also cut out the end, but since have preferred to cut off so that the mirror parts butt against the handlebar. That leaves more of the expanding section inside the bar for grip. They work either way, but cutting off is less fiddly.
.

 

[Ian]

Peter and Flecc, Halfords sell 2 Cateye bar-end mirrors, one at 5.99 and 9.99,
more info here.

 

[JohnInStockie]

I use a mirror on my helmet. I have the Bell Metro CycleHelmet, and have purchased the additional clip on rain cover and helmet mounted folding mirror. At first I didnt think much of it, and so purchased a Busch and Muller Cyclestar mirror from Kinetics, which works well on the Twist, it sits just above my right hand about 3 inches in the air.

but now, I much prefer the helmet mounted one. Mainly because you get no shakes at all (as you tend to keep your head quite still when riding), rain doesnt effect it at all (something in the design, it just does not get wet/hold droplets), and mainly I can see in areas I could not see if i used a bike mounted mirror (if I want to see that bus-stop I just passed I just turn my head a little further to the right)

John

 

[JohnInStockie]

This is what would happen John.

The first line is your present gear inches, the second line with a 14 tooth sprocket:

.1st....2nd....3rd....4th....5th

..34.....42.....55.....70.....86

..42.....52.....66.....85....105

That would mean your power cut off speed would rise to about 18.5 mph, but the downside of that is the range would drop markedly since the bike would be using more power at every speed above 13 mph because of the later power phase down, and virtually always using power when riding since you'd rarely be above 18.5 mph.

Different size sprockets can be difficult to get hold of, but you can get a good range from St John's Cycles.

They have 13 to 21 teeth for 1/8" chain and 16 to 24 teeth for 3/32" chain.
.

Its a done deal, sprockets ordered. I have order both the 13T and the 14T (although I meant to also order the 15T), is there much in it between them?

 

[flecc]

Thanks for that clarification Ian, I thought the oval one was superceded. I've had one of those oval models on my Twist for four years, but I prefer the cheaper round one and find it a bit more effective. The round one's curvature seems to display more conveniently to my preference, and the in-turning arm on the oval one is great for including my sleeve at the cost of rear view.

They're both much better than much of the handlebar mount competition though.

If you're reading this Peter, having the balljoint tight enough to keep it in place also means there's a strain on it when it gets knocked and you shift it while on the road. On two models I've had the stem crack almost through as the plastic weakens with repeated adjustments. Easy fix if a crack appears. Drill a very small hole up through the ball and stem into the cavity at the rear of the mirror. then heat a one inch round nail on the stove until hot but not red, pick it up with pliers and push it up the smaller drilled hole. It will melt it's way through, the plastic sets around the nail and it's permanently reinforced.
.

 

[flecc]

Here's the updated chart John, cutoff speeds approximate:

gears........1st....2nd....3rd....4th....5th

17 tooth....34.....42.....55......70.....86....cutoff speed 15.2 mph

15 tooth....39.....48.....62......79.....98....cutoff speed 17.3 mph

14 tooth....42.....52.....66......85....105....cutoff speed 18.5 mph

13 tooth....45.....56.....71......92....113....cutoff speed 20.0 mph

 

[Ian]

Thanks for that clarification Ian
.

No problem Flecc, I was browsing various websites, Halfords included, out of sheer boredom through being confined indoors by the atrocious weather today.

 

[flecc]

No problem Flecc, I was browsing various websites, Halfords included, out of sheer boredom through being confined indoors by the atrocious weather today.

Yes, definitely Velomobile weather here too.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Typical big business!

Peter and Flecc, Halfords sell 2 Cateye bar-end mirrors, one at 5.99 and 9.99,
more info here.

They did not have the cheaper one when I was 'in the market for one'. Perhaps Flecc was referring to the cheaper one (he really said so I guess) but the ball joint in the £9-99 one was amazingly easy to move but still retained its position under road vibrations.
Thanks anyway for the tip Flecc.
Peter

 

[flecc]

The problem has occured with time on both types Peter, my original Twist one (oval £9.99 now) and the older one of my round (£5.99) ones. It's probably a result of UV aging, common to many plastics which get weaker with exposure to daylight/sunlight. As said though, easy repair and permanent fix.

The problem is exacerbated for me by the mirrors being on unsuspended bikes and being used on bone jarring lane surfaces which haven't seen maintenance for years. If not tight enough the mirrors drop out of adjustment continuously.
.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

After a month .....

The problem has occured with time on both types Peter, my original Twist one (oval £9.99 now) and the older one of my round (£5.99) ones. It's probably a result of UV aging, common to many plastics which get weaker with exposure to daylight/sunlight. As said though, easy repair and permanent fix.

The problem is exacerbated for me by the mirrors being on unsuspended bikes and being used on bone jarring lane surfaces which haven't seen maintenance for years. If not tight enough the mirrors drop out of adjustment continuously.
.

Mine is still quite stable - easily moved by hand, but not by vibrations. Roads are pretty bumpy hereabouts.
I'l make a UV tight hood for it (for use when I am not riding )
Thanks
Peter

 

[flecc]

A bike hoodie! That'll scare the car drivers!
.