actionbent part2

I'm curious...why don't you just ask the seller??

Duram said:

I´m planning to buy one but as I live in Brazil I need to know in how many
boxes
the Actionbent comes and what are the boxes sizes and weight so I can figure
how much it will be to ship to Brazil, I´m planning to delivery in a friend
house in
US an then mail here.
For those who bought it please send me details about their boxes, thanks.

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I did but no answer until now....

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

I'm curious...why don't you just ask the seller??

Duram said:

I´m planning to buy one but as I live in Brazil I need to know in how many
boxes
the Actionbent comes and what are the boxes sizes and weight so I can

figure

Quoted message said:

how much it will be to ship to Brazil, I´m planning to delivery in a

friend

Quoted message said:

house in
US an then mail here.
For those who bought it please send me details about their boxes, thanks.

--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

Duram said:

I did but no answer until now....

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

I'm curious...why don't you just ask the seller??

Duram said:

I´m planning to buy one but as I live in Brazil I need to know in how many
boxes
the Actionbent comes and what are the boxes sizes and weight so I can

figure

Quoted message said:

how much it will be to ship to Brazil, I´m planning to delivery in a

friend

Quoted message said:

house in
US an then mail here.
For those who bought it please send me details about their boxes, thanks.

--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

I just ordered and received my bike from Actionbent. I ordered it on a Friday

and received it on Thursday. It would have been here a day earlier but UPS

routed it wrong. That's not bad for being shipped across country. It
comes in one box.

Mick said:

I just ordered and received my bike from Actionbent. I ordered it on a Friday

and received it on Thursday. It would have been here a day earlier but UPS

routed it wrong. That's not bad for being shipped across country. It
comes in one box.

Glad it ain't just me -- my HP Velo SMGTe was somehow "overlooked" by
BAX Global, so it won't arrive until tomorrow afternoon.

I just got my answers from the dealer, no more doubts.
I think I´ll order mine very soon, I hope your bike is ok and
nice to ride after a long trip.
tell us a review about your new bike, is it good?

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mick said:

I just ordered and received my bike from Actionbent. I ordered it on a

Friday

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and received it on Thursday. It would have been here a day earlier but

UPS

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

routed it wrong. That's not bad for being shipped across country. It
comes in one box.

Glad it ain't just me -- my HP Velo SMGTe was somehow "overlooked" by
BAX Global, so it won't arrive until tomorrow afternoon.

--
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Duram said:

I just got my answers from the dealer, no more doubts.
I think I´ll order mine very soon, I hope your bike is ok and
nice to ride after a long trip.
tell us a review about your new bike, is it good?

Thanks for the well wishes -- my bike came in very good condition. You
do realize I bought an HP Velo SMGTe, right? There was a small scratch
the size of two commas or periods in an out of the way place, but
otherwise everything looks shiny and new.

Only problem is, it's too big!

I mean, the chain and boom...my x-seam is indeed 42" but I need to lose
another three inches so that I don't lock my knees and "tiptoe" on the
pedals -- and even then, not really!

@#$*%^&!!!!!

There's a guy at work who volunteers as a Ride Marshal every year at
the big Five Borough Bike Tour...I'm gonna ask him if he is any good at
cutting a chain.

I'll be starting a new thread on the bike once I've put in some miles
on flats and hills, in parks and on streets, alone and with traffic, by
day and night! Can't wait.

God this is getting a bit anti-climactic here....

NYC XYZ said:

Only problem is, it's too big!
I mean, the chain and boom...my x-seam is indeed 42" but I need to lose
another three inches so that I don't lock my knees and "tiptoe" on the
pedals -- and even then, not really!

@#$*%^&!!!!!

The boom is secured by a couple of bolts. Undo them and slide the boom
in until it's the right length for you. You'll probably need to take a
bit of slack out of the chain: undo the Powerlink, take off a few links
from the end and then try again until the gears are running smoothly in
all the extreme ratios.

x-seam isn't very relevant to the Streetmachine unless you're very, very
tall or particularly short.

Quoted message said:

There's a guy at work who volunteers as a Ride Marshal every year at
the big Five Borough Bike Tour...I'm gonna ask him if he is any good at
cutting a chain.

Get a Park Tools mini chain tool. They're designed to be foolproof and
IME of setting up an SMGT chain (I put a new one on last month, made
from about 2.4 standard chains) they've managed their design goal. And
you'll have a good chain tool for the future.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

The boom is secured by a couple of bolts. Undo them and slide the boom
in until it's the right length for you. You'll probably need to take a
bit of slack out of the chain: undo the Powerlink, take off a few links
from the end and then try again until the gears are running smoothly in
all the extreme ratios.

Boom adjustment doesn't have me worried -- it's all the issues with
doing the chain...tension, length, and strength...I don't want to not
do something right and have a catastrophic, if not also fatal, failure
some time later....

There's a bike shop nearby but the guy on the phone sounded like a
drone and very bored (another LBS with an attitude problem).
Interestingly, he said cutting a chain is only $5. I would have
thought it'd be a bit more, seeing how it's probably as annoying as
fixing flats.

Still, I'm intrigued...it seems simple enough...find the Powerlink,
undo, remove another few links, redo Powerlink, and voilà, ç'est ca!

Quoted message said:

x-seam isn't very relevant to the Streetmachine unless you're very, very
tall or particularly short.

Huh???? How's that possible????

X-seam determines how much to telescope the boom, which in turn
determines chain length, etc.

Quoted message said:

Get a Park Tools mini chain tool. They're designed to be foolproof and
IME of setting up an SMGT chain (I put a new one on last month, made
from about 2.4 standard chains) they've managed their design goal. And
you'll have a good chain tool for the future.

I'll get one, then, for the future.

But in the here and now, I've got the chain tool on the Topeak Alien II
Folding Multi-Tool ("Swiss Army Knife"😉. Is that adequate?

My real problem is expertise. Haven't ever done this, and don't want
to make a bigger mess of things.

I wanna ride already, damn it!

But sure enough, it's rain and threat of rain this weekend.

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

Boom adjustment doesn't have me worried -- it's all the issues with
doing the chain...tension, length, and strength...I don't want to not
do something right and have a catastrophic, if not also fatal, failure
some time later....

Shorten the boom first and see how your gears do. If they're skipping a
bit on the small chainwheel you need more tension, so a shorter chain.
According to how much the boom shortened, take out almost as much chain
and try again. Continue tweaking until the gears work smoothly at top
and bottom ends.

Strength is a non-issue. As long as you use a decent chain tool like
the Park one you can't appreciably weaken anything and the rivets will
be set in at the right place automagically.

So no reason for a failure later, and you'll know how to do it next time
and have the tool for the job if you /do/ have a failure.

Quoted message said:

There's a bike shop nearby but the guy on the phone sounded like a
drone and very bored (another LBS with an attitude problem).
Interestingly, he said cutting a chain is only $5. I would have
thought it'd be a bit more, seeing how it's probably as annoying as
fixing flats.

It takes, oooh, several whole seconds to break it in the first place
(whether using the Powerlink you have or in any link with a chain tool),
and a few more to knock out the surplus bit, and a few more to connect
the ends back together. No parts needed, just a few seconds doing up
the tool. You can have the foolproof tool for not a huge amount more
than it'll cost to have it done for you.

Quoted message said:

Still, I'm intrigued...it seems simple enough...find the Powerlink,
undo, remove another few links, redo Powerlink, and voilà, ç'est ca!

Yes, it really is that easy. And since the chain's new finding the
Powerlink will be very easy as well... The key to undoing the
Powerlink, btw, is to squeeze the opposite plates together at the same
time you push the ends towards one another.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

x-seam isn't very relevant to the Streetmachine unless you're very, very
tall or particularly short.

Huh???? How's that possible????
X-seam determines how much to telescope the boom, which in turn
determines chain length, etc.

But you don't need to measure anything, just leave it loose after
pushing it in, sit on it, push it out to where you want it with your
feet on the pedals, make sure the crank is vertical, do up the bolts.
One perfectly set boom, no need to have any idea what your x-seam is.

Quoted message said:

But in the here and now, I've got the chain tool on the Topeak Alien II
Folding Multi-Tool ("Swiss Army Knife"😉. Is that adequate?

Yes, but it probably doesn't automatically limit the end-point so
without a bit of practice re-insertions of the pins can be slightly off
and result in a stiff chain. Just a case of fiddling with it back and
forth until it's right, but without the practice a real mechanic gets
it's easier to have one that sets things right like the Park one.
That's why I got the Park one.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Thanks for the advice, Pete, but I lack the very context necessary in
which to put your remarks...for example, I don't even know how to undo
a chain link!

But I get the sense that the job is indeed an easy one, so I guess I'm
going to spend tonight reading up on things. This site looks like it
might help: <http://www.breckcycling.com/>.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Peter Clinch said:

Shorten the boom first and see how your gears do. If they're skipping a
bit on the small chainwheel you need more tension, so a shorter chain.
According to how much the boom shortened, take out almost as much chain
and try again. Continue tweaking until the gears work smoothly at top
and bottom ends.

...

So no reason for a failure later, and you'll know how to do it next time
and have the tool for the job if you /do/ have a failure.

...

It takes, oooh, several whole seconds to break it in the first place
(whether using the Powerlink you have or in any link with a chain tool),
and a few more to knock out the surplus bit, and a few more to connect
the ends back together. No parts needed, just a few seconds doing up
the tool. You can have the foolproof tool for not a huge amount more
than it'll cost to have it done for you.

...

Yes, it really is that easy. And since the chain's new finding the
Powerlink will be very easy as well... The key to undoing the
Powerlink, btw, is to squeeze the opposite plates together at the same
time you push the ends towards one another.

...

But you don't need to measure anything, just leave it loose after
pushing it in, sit on it, push it out to where you want it with your
feet on the pedals, make sure the crank is vertical, do up the bolts.
One perfectly set boom, no need to have any idea what your x-seam is.

...

Yes, but it probably doesn't automatically limit the end-point so
without a bit of practice re-insertions of the pins can be slightly off
and result in a stiff chain. Just a case of fiddling with it back and
forth until it's right, but without the practice a real mechanic gets
it's easier to have one that sets things right like the Park one.
That's why I got the Park one.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

Thanks for the advice, Pete, but I lack the very context necessary in
which to put your remarks...for example, I don't even know how to undo
a chain link!
But I get the sense that the job is indeed an easy one, so I guess I'm
going to spend tonight reading up on things. This site looks like it
might help: <http://www.breckcycling.com/>.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/ is Park's own site which is pretty
good IME for tweaks and twiddles.

There's also a limited "how to" on the packet on the Park models
I've seen.

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the encouragement!

I know I needed some myself to get on with chains (and bottom
brackets too), but it really is pretty easy. If you can dig up any
old bit of tat chain (bike shop reject, local dumpster) to practice
on then you can be sure you won't miss when it comes to the Shiny
One! ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/ is Park's own site which is pretty
good IME for tweaks and twiddles.

There's also a limited "how to" on the packet on the Park models
I've seen.

Nice!

But again, I lack the basic context necessary for such information to
be really meaningful.

So in the interests of expediency, I chickened out. =)

Damned glad I did, too, because it took the mechanic a good twenty
minutes of fiddling!

Quoted message said:

I know I needed some myself to get on with chains (and bottom
brackets too), but it really is pretty easy. If you can dig up any
old bit of tat chain (bike shop reject, local dumpster) to practice
on then you can be sure you won't miss when it comes to the Shiny
One! ;-)

Well, I kept the cut chain links and will be practicing, all right!

But my chain "sticks" on the "aftermath" -- once it's made the round of
the biggest front gear, it tends to "stick" onto that gear and follow
it back around again! This only happens on the biggest front gear and
the smallest rear gear for some reason...will need to visit them again
soon! But I'm glad I went, as those guys were cool (actually, 99% of
bike mechanics have been cool, if not 99% proficient 99% of the time)
and I expect to see them for other needs in the future.

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

Damned glad I did, too, because it took the mechanic a good twenty
minutes of fiddling!

Oh dear. I'd regard him with quite a bit of suspicion, to be
honest! ;-/ When testing 'bents at Ligfietswinkel in Amsterdam the
owner cut and remade chains as needed for customers to try bikes.
He had it down to about 20 seconds. Now, practice makes perfect,
and /I/ certainly couldn't do it that fast, but 20 minutes to
shorten a chain? There just isn't any excuse.

Quoted message said:

But my chain "sticks" on the "aftermath" -- once it's made the round of
the biggest front gear, it tends to "stick" onto that gear and follow
it back around again!

If the chain itself is running smoothly with no stiff links this is
likely to be derailleur adjustment, I'd guess.

Quoted message said:

soon! But I'm glad I went, as those guys were cool (actually, 99% of
bike mechanics have been cool, if not 99% proficient 99% of the time)

But again I gasp in horror... 20 minutes to shorten a chain!? :-0

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Oh dear. I'd regard him with quite a bit of suspicion, to be
honest! ;-/ When testing 'bents at Ligfietswinkel in Amsterdam the
owner cut and remade chains as needed for customers to try bikes.
He had it down to about 20 seconds. Now, practice makes perfect,
and /I/ certainly couldn't do it that fast, but 20 minutes to
shorten a chain? There just isn't any excuse.

I do (regard the mechanic hesitantly), because he seemed to be the kind
of backyard mechanic my friends are -- "good enough for government"
quality work: I told him there was a gold-colored link in the chain,
but he just undid it somewhere arbitrarily, and while joining the chain
again he didn't use the chain tool at first, but a regular
whachamacallit, that hand-held "vice" with the scissor-like
construction...while shortening the boom he used a rubber mallet but
still no cloth over the bike until at my suggestion...little things
like this.

But, to be fair, a good quarter of the time he was struggling to get
the chain back through the teflon tubing since the whole line slipped
off. =) And he hadn't worked on recumbents before, so perhaps the
novelty of it all, even though a chain is a chain is a chain, had him a
bit distracted.

Quoted message said:

If the chain itself is running smoothly with no stiff links this is
likely to be derailleur adjustment, I'd guess.

What's a "stiff" link?

I'd never had a chain follow the chain ring back up, ever!

Quoted message said:

But again I gasp in horror... 20 minutes to shorten a chain!? :-0

Yeah, and I'm really not exaggerating. But I am referring to the whole
process involved, from undoing to redoing, and at least 25% of the time
was spent trying to "thread" the chain back through the teflon tubes
and underneath the idler (that big flywheel, right?).

Nothing compared to 20 seconds, for sure, but certainly far better than
I would've been able to do, not having heard of chain tools until just
yesterday! And now, having seen it once, I at least have the framework
against which to gauge my own attempts.

Yep, I always knew a 'bent was gonna mean hands-on...just didn't expect
it quite so soon!

What's the fastest you can run yours on the flats?

At the middle gears (front and back), I seem able only to acheive 16-17
mph! This is what I do leisurely cruising along on my DF!!!

I do have on them Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, though....

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

<SNIP>

and while joining the chain
again he didn't use the chain tool at first, but a regular
whachamacallit, that hand-held "vice" with the scissor-like
construction...

AKA "pliers."

(How embarrassing!)

NYC XYZ said:

I do (regard the mechanic hesitantly)

<snip>

So why say he seems cool and you'll be back? Doesn't seem to scan...

Quoted message said:

What's a "stiff" link?

Just what it says: links should move completely freely, but a stiff
chain link has marked reluctance in pivoting relative to its neighbour.

Quoted message said:

Yeah, and I'm really not exaggerating. But I am referring to the whole
process involved, from undoing to redoing, and at least 25% of the time
was spent trying to "thread" the chain back through the teflon tubes
and underneath the idler (that big flywheel, right?).

So we're still at 15 minutes to break a chain in a couple of places and
pop it back together, which is still not very good.

Quoted message said:

What's the fastest you can run yours on the flats?

No idea, I don't have a speedo and I'm not really that interested.

Quoted message said:

At the middle gears (front and back), I seem able only to acheive 16-17
mph! This is what I do leisurely cruising along on my DF!!!

If you want to go faster, that's what the Speedmachine is for...

Quoted message said:

I do have on them Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, though....

Shouldn't be /that/ much slower than the plain Marathons I use. Make
sure they're running at 100 psi.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

So why say he seems cool and you'll be back? Doesn't seem to scan...

He still knows more than me! And when I say "cool," I mean that I can
ask why he's doing something, and suggest some other way of doing
things, and he ain't offended...very easy-going personality. I can ask
questions, learn, and he didn't seem to mind. Of course, I keep it
respectful, too. I don't bother him with constant questions. But I
just get the sense I'm not dealing with a frustrated amateur racer,
know what I mean? Who'd rather be doing the Tour de France and instead
has to humor a dummy who has no mechanical inclinations at all....

Quoted message said:

Just what it says: links should move completely freely, but a stiff
chain link has marked reluctance in pivoting relative to its neighbour.

Yes, I've since found a picture that "explains" it perfectly.

Quoted message said:

So we're still at 15 minutes to break a chain in a couple of places and
pop it back together, which is still not very good.

No, I guess not...I didn't know how long it was supposed to take. But
surely you exaggerate with your claim of 20 seconds! Fixing a flat is
like five minutes, and surely cutting a chain (and then making sure
it's working right thereafter) is at least five minutes, too?

Quoted message said:

No idea, I don't have a speedo and I'm not really that interested.

I just hope I'm not more than 3 mph behind my DF on the flats -- bad as
that is (a mile is like 20 NYC blocks...3 mph less would make me a
whole neigbhorhood or two behind after an hour!).

Quoted message said:

If you want to go faster, that's what the Speedmachine is for...

I seriously doubt the SpeedMachine is that much faster...it's certainly
the same damned weight! Yes it's even more reclined, but no big deal.

I can't wait for HP Velotechnik's new machines...I'm guessing it'll be
another year or two....

Quoted message said:

Shouldn't be /that/ much slower than the plain Marathons I use. Make
sure they're running at 100 psi.

Oddly enough, the tires say that maximum psi is 70-lbs.!!!

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

No, I guess not...I didn't know how long it was supposed to take. But
surely you exaggerate with your claim of 20 seconds!

I wasn't timing him, but I think that's a fair guesstimate. What you
have to do is wind in a lever 3 times (once for each end of the break,
once to reconnect the two ends.

Quoted message said:

Fixing a flat is
like five minutes, and surely cutting a chain (and then making sure
it's working right thereafter) is at least five minutes, too?

Fixing a flat generally means removing the wheel, unseating the tyre,
removing the inner tube, putting in a new one, reseating the tyre,
replacing the wheel, reinflating the tyre. That's a much bigger to-do
list than doing up lever to remove one pin, removing another, popping
one pin back in.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you want to go faster, that's what the Speedmachine is for...

I seriously doubt the SpeedMachine is that much faster...it's certainly
the same damned weight! Yes it's even more reclined, but no big deal.

No, very big deal indeed. At 18 mph about 80% of your power is
overcoming air resistance, and there's significantly less frontal area
to catch the wind on a Speedmachine. There's a clue in the name!

Quoted message said:

Oddly enough, the tires say that maximum psi is 70-lbs.!!!

I'd assumed, incorrectly as it turned out, that the M+ would be the same
dimensions as the plain Marathon, but looking at the specs they are
fatter and run at lower pressures. So they will probably be slowing you
down :-(

For a still reasonably puncture proof and capable touring tyre a swicth
from the 1.75" M+ to the 1.5" Marathon running at higher pressure will
probably help you with rolling resistance and hence speed you up.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

I wasn't timing him, but I think that's a fair guesstimate. What you
have to do is wind in a lever 3 times (once for each end of the break,
once to reconnect the two ends.

Fixing a flat generally means removing the wheel, unseating the tyre,
removing the inner tube, putting in a new one, reseating the tyre,
replacing the wheel, reinflating the tyre. That's a much bigger to-do
list than doing up lever to remove one pin, removing another, popping
one pin back in.

But you've got to check the gears, too, afterwards, to make sure
they're shifting right and all. I don't think they did too much of
this, though...he probably checked for half a minute!

Quoted message said:

No, very big deal indeed. At 18 mph about 80% of your power is
overcoming air resistance, and there's significantly less frontal area
to catch the wind on a Speedmachine. There's a clue in the name!

Now now, we all know about names and marketing...but I didn't know 80%
of effort expended in on behalf of air resistance! Still, my point is
that I should be at least as good as a DF, given my better aerodynamics
on the SMGTe, but that's not been the case so far...even given my
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, the hit seems too big...I can only hope
it's a matter of developing the muscles and riding technique, as well
as those nagging chain issues (chain hop, chain suck, stiff shifting,
no shifting...it's rideable, but not smoothly so, especially for a new
machine with brand new components).

Quoted message said:

I'd assumed, incorrectly as it turned out, that the M+ would be the same
dimensions as the plain Marathon, but looking at the specs they are
fatter and run at lower pressures. So they will probably be slowing you
down :-(

For a still reasonably puncture proof and capable touring tyre a swicth
from the 1.75" M+ to the 1.5" Marathon running at higher pressure will
probably help you with rolling resistance and hence speed you up.

Yes, I knew this going in, but I figured that I'd rather have more
puncture-proof or puncture-resistance than speed, if the penalty isn't
too large and way out of proportion.

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/