Re: fury roadmaster test report

Carl Fogeled in part:

<< So far, no flat tires, no broken spokes, and nothing busted on the Fury
RoadMaster after 124 rides along a flat 4.06 mile course and
approximately 503.44 miles. ...>>

Carl,

I defy you to climb some hills on that thing.

Robert

(R15757) said:

Carl Fogeled in part:

<< So far, no flat tires, no broken spokes, and nothing busted on the Fury
RoadMaster after 124 rides along a flat 4.06 mile course and
approximately 503.44 miles. ...>>

Carl,

I defy you to climb some hills on that thing.

Robert

Dear Robert,

Too late--that's already been done.

On the eve it was first acquired, the Fury RoadMaster
whizzed down what's known as the waterworks hill, a short
S-bend descent from the south-bank bluffs down a gully where
my touring bicycle routinely reaches 35 mph for a
quarter-mile roll-out to the nature trail along the Arkansas
River. Even with cautious riding, the Fury RoadMaster
attained a respectable maximum speed in excess of 30 mph
according to the same model of speedometer used on the road
bike. Toiling back up this short, steep grade requires lower
gears on any bike.

On the last Sunday in May, I took the Fury for my normal
15-mile ride because a friend was visiting. From the foot of
the 2-mile wide dam across the Arkansas to the top of the
ridge west of town is a climb of about 400 feet to 5200
feet, which the Fury achieved in its lower gears, somewhat
more slowly than my touring bike. Downhill, it posted the
same sort of speed as the touring bike, reaching 38.8 mph.

The first fourteen miles were pedalled at a somewhat casual
speed, my friend being from sea-level and accustomed to a
bicycle ride every two weeks or so. A Tour de France
sprint-style finish in the last mile from the final speed
hump in the city park produced an overall time of 59:27,
less 36 seconds lost earlier at that damned traffic light.
(My touring bike is averaging 47:20 this year for the same
15.25 miles without any visitors to distract it.)

Since then, the Fury's lower gears have remained untouched,
but it eyes the bluffs with the same complacency as a basset
hound in the basement who hears the refrigerator opening
upstairs and glances at the stairs--steep, but scarcely
impossible.

For that matter, my friend earned a Boy Scout merit badge
over thirty years ago by riding a bicycle less advanced than
the 15-speed Fury RoadMaster the 26 miles from Pueblo to
Beulah and back. You start around 4700 feet and end up
around 6400, with lots of roller-coaster hills and two
beastly steep climbs up out of canyons on the way back down.

Being older and wiser, he re-lived his youth on this visit
by just riding the last half back down from Beulah on a
borrowed road bike.

Carl Fogel

carlfogel said:

...
In general, how are spoke nipples covered when they come from the
factory? Are there economic reasons for cloth tape versus rubber bands?
Does one method protect better than the other or last longer? What do
high-end bicycles use, as opposed to price-sensitive vehicles?

Boxers or briefs? Rubber-rim-strip or cloth-tape or what?...

Quality wheels (and wheel builders) use Velox Fond de Jante cloth rim tape.
<http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/images/catpics/18-044.jpg>.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

carlfogel said:

snip (We won't dwell on the recent day when the absent-minded pilot
found himself taking an extra lap in the park.)
macrosnip
Carl Fogel

It's clear the joy of riding a Fury induces the rider into pursuing
extra enjoyment. (Like Lays Potato Chips, betcha can't eat just one)

--

carlfogel <[email hidden]> embedded this inquiry
within a paean to his bicycle-shaped machine:

Quoted message said:

For some reason, I find myself wondering about my trusty steed's
undergarments. I've seen the spoke nipples of touring bicycles covered
modestly with rubber rim strips, stylishly with sticky tape, and even
with stiff plastic bands resembling strapping material with the ends heat-
welded together.
Of course, I could deflate a tire and peek inside, but I'm not sure that
a gentleman does that sort of thing.

Quoted message said:

In general, how are spoke nipples covered when they come from the
factory? Are there economic reasons for cloth tape versus rubber bands?
Does one method protect better than the other or last longer? What do
high-end bicycles use, as opposed to price-sensitive vehicles?
Boxers or briefs? Rubber-rim-strip or cloth-tape or what?

Gentlemen do not _inquire_ into bicycle wheels' undergarments.
Such rubbery, nipple-covering details are best left to chimneysweeps,
mechanics and other plebes.

Rubber strips are used for single-wall rims, where the strip
directly overlays the spoke nipples. Cloth tape rimstrips are
used on double-wall rims, where the nipples are recessed.
Plastic bands are used on double-wall rims, but many brands
have a reputation for cracking. Strapping tape is occasionally
substituted as an expedient but is often unsatisfactory and
leaves a sticky, undignified residue.

carlfogel said:

The small and middle chain rings are presumably in the same condition
that they left the factory, much like the four largest cogs.

How about the large ring, and the smaller cogs? You don't report
anything about them.

Quoted message said:

For some reason, I find myself wondering about my trusty steed's
undergarments. I've seen the spoke nipples of touring bicycles covered
modestly with rubber rim strips, stylishly with sticky tape, and even
with stiff plastic bands resembling strapping material with the ends heat-
welded together.

Of course, I could deflate a tire and peek inside, but I'm not sure that
a gentleman does that sort of thing.

Talk dirty to your Fury, Carl. Get it excited about the project.
Then, maybe, you'll be allowed to view it's rim strip.

Quoted message said:

In general, how are spoke nipples covered when they come from the
factory? Are there economic reasons for cloth tape versus rubber bands?
Does one method protect better than the other or last longer? What do
high-end bicycles use, as opposed to price-sensitive vehicles?

- Stiff plastic bands resembling strapping material, with ends
heat-welded together: Only on the cheapest of department store
bikes. Probably pretty effective. Not reusable if you need to access
the holes underneath it, though. I imagine that in some situations
the sharp edge could cut the tube, too.

- Rubber: Inexpensive, found on "better" department store bikes and
OEM on many or even most LBS bikes. Probably the most common. Works
fine, usually. Rots out in a few years and must be replaced.

- Sticky tape: Only time I've heard of this is as a home-brew
solution to availability, price, or durability issues with other
options. Duct tape or electric tape is often reported. I used duct
tape in a roadside emergency* over a sharp spoke hole that cut
through my rubber rim strip.

- Cloth: Most expensive option (still only a couple dollars). Most
durable. Handles sharp spoke holes and very high pressures with
ease. Washes your windows, masturbates you, and saves the world,
too. This is what went on after my roadside duct-tape emergency*.
I've got another roll lashed to my rack for the next time the rear
tire is off, but failed to remember it when the rear tire was
recently off.

*: Rode very fast for awhile. Stopped for a few minutes as other
cyclists loaded their bikes into their cars. Standing there holding
the bike still, "PSSSSHHHHHHHH!!" went the front tire. Sure glad it
didn't happen at speed.
--
Rick Onanian

Rick Onanian said:

carlfogel said:

The small and middle chain rings are presumably in the same condition
that they left the factory, much like the four largest cogs.

How about the large ring, and the smaller cogs? You don't report
anything about them.

Dear Rick,

Like the chain, the Fury RoadMaster's largest chain ring and
the smallest fifth cog appear to be bearing up manfully--no
skipping, no clatter, no falling off.

Of course, it would be surprising if a chain and gears
showed much wear in only 500 miles on fairly clean, flat
suburban pavement.

On the other hand, the Fury's front chain ring may be only a
stamped piece of metal, so it may not last as long as a
Shimano 53-tooth chain ring that costs almost as much as an
entire Fury RoadMaster.

Still, any 48-tooth chain ring should last a long time, and
the Fury's rear 14-tooth gear is gigantic and probably
longer-lasting when compared to the 11-tooth cog that I
favor on my touring bike.

My sole half-hearted attempt at drive-train maintenance so
far consists of spraying and wiping the chain off with WD-40
until the paper towels came off only faintly gray and then
slathering it with 85-140 gear oil after a heavy rainstorm
forced the Fury to ford a long, fearsome puddle roughly
bottom-bracket deep and left its chain that odd gray color
that I've been told is water emulsified in oil (or
vice-versa--whatever it is, I dislike it).

I feel guilty about this extravagant lubrication, since my
aged memory contains no scenes of oiling the bicycle chain
on my 5-speed Schwinn in the 1960's, but the Fury didn't
seem to mind.

Carl Fogel

Rick Onanian said:

...
*: Rode very fast for awhile. Stopped for a few minutes as other
cyclists loaded their bikes into their cars. Standing there holding
the bike still, "PSSSSHHHHHHHH!!" went the front tire. Sure glad it
didn't happen at speed....

Over the last five years, I have at least 4 flats after rides for every
flat that has occurred while riding.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

carlfogel <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

After the first five rides, it seems as if the Fury Roadmaster ($53.71
at LawTram, plus tax) deserves its own thread. (If nothing else, this
will keep this bicycle-shaped object from soiling other threads in
rec.bicycles.tech.)
Previous and overly detailed posts regarding this triumph of the bicycle-
industry's art may be seen at:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&selm=c255ll%241k10%241%40f04n12.cac.psu.edu
or
http://tinyurl.com/3cucphttp://tinyurl.com/3cucp
(which is where Dave Van Tol started it all)
and at:
s.google.com/groups?q=g:thl2912196017d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&selm=ZXv1c.8302%24Xb5.2972%40fe01.usenetserver.com
http://tinyurl.com/yqv8ghttp://tinyurl.com/yqv8g
(which is where Tom Sherman should have let sleeping dogs
lie). Both posts are part of long and foolish exchanges.)
As gloomily predicted, my expensive new bicycle suffered a potentially
serious mechanical problem that can only be blamed upon inadequate setup
by the overpaid slackers who took my money!
Pedalling furiously around my four-mile route through the city park like
Benny Hill, I noticed that my left thumb shifter did not seem as fixed
and reliable as Julius Caesar, who likened himself to the North Star.
Several times, either vibration or my clumsy paw moved the lever
from "H" toward "L," whereupon the front derailleur began to make a
faint noise, as if thinking about putting its hand on the chain's
knee--curses!
I considered posting a plea for advice, but feared that Sheldon Brown,
famed for his short tempered unwillingness to suffer fools gladly, might
lecture me severely.
(Besides, Sheldon is a fixed-gear fanatic and may know nothing about
sophisticated thumb-shifters. Why do so many dealers become fixed-gear
freaks? Is it a reaction to the endless shifting problems that they see,
somewhat like bouncers in a topless bar losing interest in--well you get
the idea.)
Luckily, I have a pre-publication copy of Jobst Brandt's "The Left-Hand
Thumb Shifter" (Huffy Press, 12th edition, 2005, $49.95). It counseled
pre-tensioning the triple-ring shifter by rotating its honkin' big cross-
head screw clockwise "until the handlebar begins to yield locally."
The shifter now seems much improved, but woe to those who forgo the
services of the local bike shop!
Carl Fogel

While gazing at the intricate tread pattern on
the Fury RoadMaster's savage tires (its outside
knobs are a quarter-inch tall), I began to wonder
about directional tread.

As mounted, the Fury's nearly two-inch wide
tires have a center tread pattern that faintly
resembles an arrow pointing forward when viewed
from above, while the outer tread is angled the
other way:

/ / / /

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>>> --> forward viewed from above

\ \ \ \

Since the RoadMaster is used primarily as
a time-trial bicycle at a steady pace, with
little braking or accelerating, the question
is whether directional tread affects rolling
resistance and, if so, which way and why.

That is, for a simple >>>> tread, which way
should I mount the tire in pursuit of the
hour record and why, given an unwillingness
to spend money on slicks?

Carl Fogel

Carl Fogel said:

carlfogel <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

After the first five rides, it seems as if the Fury Roadmaster ($53.71
at LawTram, plus tax) deserves its own thread. (If nothing else, this
will keep this bicycle-shaped object from soiling other threads in
rec.bicycles.tech.)
Previous and overly detailed posts regarding this triumph of the bicycle-
industry's art may be seen at:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&selm=c255ll%241k10%241%40f04n12.cac.psu.edu
or
http://tinyurl.com/3cucphttp://tinyurl.com/3cucp
(which is where Dave Van Tol started it all)
and at:
s.google.com/groups?q=g:thl2912196017d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&selm=ZXv1c.8302%24Xb5.2972%40fe01.usenetserver.com
http://tinyurl.com/yqv8ghttp://tinyurl.com/yqv8g
(which is where Tom Sherman should have let sleeping dogs
lie). Both posts are part of long and foolish exchanges.)
As gloomily predicted, my expensive new bicycle suffered a potentially
serious mechanical problem that can only be blamed upon inadequate setup
by the overpaid slackers who took my money!
Pedalling furiously around my four-mile route through the city park like
Benny Hill, I noticed that my left thumb shifter did not seem as fixed
and reliable as Julius Caesar, who likened himself to the North Star.
Several times, either vibration or my clumsy paw moved the lever
from "H" toward "L," whereupon the front derailleur began to make a
faint noise, as if thinking about putting its hand on the chain's
knee--curses!
I considered posting a plea for advice, but feared that Sheldon Brown,
famed for his short tempered unwillingness to suffer fools gladly, might
lecture me severely.
(Besides, Sheldon is a fixed-gear fanatic and may know nothing about
sophisticated thumb-shifters. Why do so many dealers become fixed-gear
freaks? Is it a reaction to the endless shifting problems that they see,
somewhat like bouncers in a topless bar losing interest in--well you get
the idea.)
Luckily, I have a pre-publication copy of Jobst Brandt's "The Left-Hand
Thumb Shifter" (Huffy Press, 12th edition, 2005, $49.95). It counseled
pre-tensioning the triple-ring shifter by rotating its honkin' big cross-
head screw clockwise "until the handlebar begins to yield locally."
The shifter now seems much improved, but woe to those who forgo the
services of the local bike shop!
Carl Fogel

While gazing at the intricate tread pattern on
the Fury RoadMaster's savage tires (its outside
knobs are a quarter-inch tall), I began to wonder
about directional tread.

As mounted, the Fury's nearly two-inch wide
tires have a center tread pattern that faintly
resembles an arrow pointing forward when viewed
from above, while the outer tread is angled the
other way:

/ / / /

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>>> --> forward viewed from above

\ \ \ \

Since the RoadMaster is used primarily as
a time-trial bicycle at a steady pace, with
little braking or accelerating, the question
is whether directional tread affects rolling
resistance and, if so, which way and why.

That is, for a simple >>>> tread, which way
should I mount the tire in pursuit of the
hour record and why, given an unwillingness
to spend money on slicks?

Carl Fogel

Should be pretty easy to establish this empirically on the front. Try the tire each way. To establish a control use a constant 150 Watts (no need to produce Lance-like outputs when your Fury can make up any deficits) and see what the average speed was each way. If the Fury test budget doesn’t allow for such luxuries, you could travel to a location more likely to find hills than your home and try coastdowns.

On 27 Jul 2004 14:10:13 -0700, [email hidden] (Carl Fogel)

Quoted message said:

While gazing at the intricate tread pattern on
the Fury RoadMaster's savage tires (its outside
knobs are a quarter-inch tall), I began to wonder
about directional tread.

As mounted, the Fury's nearly two-inch wide
tires have a center tread pattern that faintly
resembles an arrow pointing forward when viewed
from above, while the outer tread is angled the
other way:

/ / / /

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>>>> --> forward viewed from above

\ \ \ \

Since the RoadMaster is used primarily as
a time-trial bicycle at a steady pace, with
little braking or accelerating, the question
is whether directional tread affects rolling
resistance and, if so, which way and why.

That is, for a simple >>>> tread, which way
should I mount the tire in pursuit of the
hour record and why, given an unwillingness
to spend money on slicks?

Carl Fogel

Reading in a thread grown weary, I came upon your Usenet query
Over an esoteric bit of tread-directional tire lore.
A puzzle turns your brow to furrows: should knobs with shapes of
little arrows
On tire treads point aft of bike or fore?
Will the rolling losses suffer; will the ride be somewhat rougher
If reversed be tread knobs as you ride across the prairie floor?
Precious time lost, evermore.

I cannot tell you which way the arrows should point, but I'd caution
you to keep them exactly the way your bike came from it's maker.
Over time, Wal-Mart has shown that they will invariably choose the
path of least resistance and therefore would know best in this matter.

-------------------------------
John Dacey
Business Cycles, Miami, Florida
Since 1983
Our catalogue of track equipment: online since 1996.
http://www.businesscycles.com

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 15:36:42 -0400, John Dacey
<[email hidden]> wrote:
....

Quoted message said:

A puzzle turns your brow to furrows: should knobs with shapes of
little arrows
On tire treads point aft of bike or fore?
Will the rolling losses suffer; will the ride be somewhat rougher
If reversed be tread knobs as you ride across the prairie floor?

....

Long I have felt there is something amiss
"What could be the problem", I thought of this
I could not figure out what seemed to be gone
I stayed up all night, wondering until the dawn

And now through your words I'm able to see
what was the problem that was bothering me
Long we have had the nice poetry
Of Fogel, and others, and faked lyrics from me

But alas, the prose is not to be found
For a long time now it has ceased to abound
Carl, please resume writing about us
or the r.b.t. readers shall make a fuss

I will have to resume my own fake song
to be written after g.daniels sounds wrong
Others, like John Dacey here
should resume their rhymes without fear

Finally, I have an answer for Carl's tread
it points back at the bottom and fore at the head
both ways it points, and even front and back
it will point down and up, maybe even at his rear rack
(oh, he doesn't have a rack! That's a terrible lack.)
--
Rick Onanian

Rick Onanian said:

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 15:36:42 -0400, John Dacey
<[email hidden]> wrote:
...

Quoted message said:

A puzzle turns your brow to furrows: should knobs with shapes of
little arrows
On tire treads point aft of bike or fore?
Will the rolling losses suffer; will the ride be somewhat rougher
If reversed be tread knobs as you ride across the prairie floor?

...

Long I have felt there is something amiss
"What could be the problem", I thought of this
I could not figure out what seemed to be gone
I stayed up all night, wondering until the dawn

And now through your words I'm able to see
what was the problem that was bothering me
Long we have had the nice poetry
Of Fogel, and others, and faked lyrics from me

But alas, the prose is not to be found
For a long time now it has ceased to abound
Carl, please resume writing about us
or the r.b.t. readers shall make a fuss

I will have to resume my own fake song
to be written after g.daniels sounds wrong
Others, like John Dacey here
should resume their rhymes without fear

Finally, I have an answer for Carl's tread
it points back at the bottom and fore at the head
both ways it points, and even front and back
it will point down and up, maybe even at his rear rack
(oh, he doesn't have a rack! That's a terrible lack.)

Dear Rick,

While the Fury RoadMaster, being designed for ruthless
competition, does not come equipped with a rack from the
factory, it does in fact [modest cough] sport a
rack-mounting flange with not one but two holes above each
drop-out. a thoughtful bit of just-in-case design similar to
the installation of gun-mounts on merchant vessels built
before the Second World War.

I considered grinding these flanges off to save weight and
reduce aerodynamic drag, but I've read of Tour de France
riders having to add weight to their bicycles to meet the
UCI minimums, so--well, you get the idea.

I attribute these practical and sensible flanges to the
company's desire to attract demanding riders like David
Damerell, who find racks extremely useful as they tour and
commute.

As for poetry, remember that some believe that Shakespeare
tossed off his crabbed sonnets for lack of anything better
to do when plague closed the theaters. You and John Dacey
are doing just dandy.

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

I considered grinding these flanges off to save weight and
reduce aerodynamic drag...

Perhaps I'm showing ignorance by being amused by that, but aren't we
considering infinitesimal differences in drag here?

--
Reply to mike1@@@usfamily.net sans two @@, or your reply won't reach me.

Drug smugglers and gun-runners are heroes of American capitalism.
-- Jeffrey Quick

Mike1 said:

Quoted message said:

I considered grinding these flanges off to save weight and
reduce aerodynamic drag...

Perhaps I'm showing ignorance by being amused by that, but aren't we
considering infinitesimal differences in drag here?

Dear Mike,

Indeed, upon reflection I must consider the possibility that
the flanges actually improve the Fury RoadMaster's matchless
aerodynamic qualities, somewhat in the fashion of those odd
helmets worn in time trials.

Possibly I should just fill the four rack-mounting holes in
the two flanges with putty (perhaps silly putty?) and hope
that the reduced drag outweighs the slight weight increase?

So far, the edges of the sticker warning me to wear my
helmet (instead of someone else's) and not to ride at night
have not begun to curl up and cause turbulence. The instant
that the sticker begins to flap in the breeze, I plan to
peel it off.

Carl Fogel