Coaster Brake Challenge #6
Thread started by
rev106 at 06.1.11 - 9:40 pm
Purpose:Â
To have fun, to race, to sweat, breathe hard, to ride hard, to challenge ones self. This is the anti-race race. Don't kid yourself it's hard, you may crash or puke (or both) but we are down for the fun and camaraderie more than the podium. Well, there is no podium but I think you get the point.Â
We will be hosting 4 Sunday races in the month of January. Each race will have a meet point at 7am and race at 8am or so. Most races will be short 1 to 2 hour affairs. Meet points and descriptions of each race will be posted so you know what to expect. If you want you can go check out the courses ahead of time, not that you need to but if your really need to know you can.
This race series is open to all comers. Men, women, kids, we don't discriminate. Come with a smile and leave with a smile (and perhaps an impressive scar.)
Race dates: July 3rd, 10th, 17th, & 24thÂ
We gather at 5:00 and should hit the trail by 5:30
A note on races:
Spectators:Â
Some of these races are fun to watch and can be easily accessible for speciation. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being best the ability to spectate will be rated.
Meat Pylons:Â
We're not the only ones out there people, so you will need to yield to horses and peds as best you can. The higher the number, the more Meat Pylons you'll have to deal with. Ride safe and be respectful of others.
On hot days, expect the number to be lower. It should be hot. Bring water, you'll need it.
Rules for bikes:
Gearing:Â
Single speed only. No internal geared hubs (sturmey-archer, bendix two speed kick backs etc.) no derailleur of any kind (A chain tensioner is fine but not recommended). No external gearing. No gears. No fixed gear. Each race will be different from the last and you may want a different gear ratio for each race and you can have any gear ratio you wish. We have found that 30-36 in the front and 18-22 in the back is the range best suited for this event, see what works best for you.
Drive system:
The rear hub must be a coaster brake. Single speed coaster brake only. No two-speed kick backs, etc (I know what they look like) Some coaster brakes are better than others, do your homework and get a good one. See below for more info. Cranks of any kind may be used as well as pedals.
Braking system:
Coaster brake only on the rear wheel only. No hand brakes of any kind. No secondary braking system of any kind. No drum brakes, no cables, rods, levers, etc of any kind. You pedal forward to go forward and back to stop. Nothing else.
Frame:
Preference for old double bar cruisers but there are no frame restrictions. We have found that cruiser frames and lower end frames with a horizontal dropouts work the best. Frames with a rigid dropout are difficult to get proper chain tension. We recommend the following types of bikes:
Single speed mountain bikes
Pros: take new bike goodies well
Cons: Can be costly, hub spacing is 135mm and coaster brakes are 110mm. It will take some work to get the wheel to fit well.
CruisersÂ
Pros: Cheap and look cool too! Already have to correct spacing for a coaster brake.
Cons: Don't take mountain bikes goodies like threadless forks etc. Most have 1 piece cranks. Heavy.
Any 26" bike that has a horizontal drop out.Â
Pros: Older Mountain bikes are cheap and plentiful and easily adapt to our purpose.Â
Cons: None really, an ideal choice for this event.Â
Forks:
Any.
Wheels/tires:
You can have any kind of hoop/tire combo. I suggest a light wheelset that you've laced a coaster brake into. Something rugged is good, I've done each race with cheap alloy cruiser rims, they have held up fine thus far.
Handlebars etc.
Everything else is left up to the individual rider.
more on www.atomiccycles.com
See you then!
Which hubs are good?
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