Glory! Here She is!

[sandra]

She is beautiful, but lesson 1 on taking pictures of bikes. Always turn them around so that we can see the cassette/chain side. We love that stuff.

oh, ok. I see now you knew it was the wrong side. See? I was so carried away with the bike, I didn't read closely.

[Zen]

Drat. I've already got a sloping top tube. It sure doesn't seem like it when I'm trying to dismount


Mines a 47 too.

[elk]

Zen...you NEED a mixte!!!!Waterford makes 'em...let's see who else....

http://cgi.ebay.com/70s-Centurion-Mi...QQcmdZViewItem

don't let old Sandra see this...

[Zen]

don't let old Sandra see this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/70s-Centurion-Mi...QQcmdZViewItem

What a gorgeous bike. you know you can't hide that from sandra. Her nose is probly twitching already

[sandra]

nope. not tempted. There was a thread about this bike earlier and DebW pointed out some problems with it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

yea...9 x 3 = 27!! i'm starting to get it....
9 little cogs in back; 3 bigger ones in front (thus...a triple) she takes a bow...

so a drivetrain is the KIND of gears it uses?

why is it most excellent?

Your bike is Jamis' touring model, and has a rear mountain derailleur. Touring models usually have a wider range of gearing than road bikes. A 9 speed setup can handle a wider RANGE of gears than found on most road bikes. That means you will have some really LOW LOW gears to go up very steep hills, while at the same time not giving up some of your go-fast big gears. The range of gears is so wide that a regular road/racing bike rear derailleur is not long enough to handle the spread in changing the chain from highest to lowest gear in the back cassette. Hence the Shimano "Deore" rear derailleur you have. I have the same setup, and my new bike will have the same when it gets built.

"10 speed" setup is more standard these days, just as go-fast road bikes are more popular now than touring bikes. In reality the 10 speed road bikes have many more than 10 speeds, just as yours has many more than 9 speeds...but the RANGE of gears is not as wide as your touring bike's. The trend right now is that people want to get ultra lightweight bikes with high gears and skinny tires to go as fast as possible on club rides on paved roads. I rode a few club rides and could not keep up with their speeds at all. My bike was way heavier than their bikes were, just to cite one reason. I observed with interest that they also planned their rides to avoid big hills so that their average speed would not be affected by the big climbs. (not saying everyone is like that, just these particular folk) Speed seemed to be the important thing, so in the end it was just not my cup of tea.
Most commercial bikes today come with 10 speed setup, and it can be a bit of an extra effort to get nice 9 speed replacement parts sometimes- but they are out there and will continue to be available.

[RoadRaven]

Verrry niiiiice

The other gals have said things I might have, just wanted to add my admiration to the thread

[sundial]

Drat. I've already got a sloping top tube. It sure doesn't seem like it when I'm trying to dismount

Yes, but it doesn't slope that much.

[elk]

thanks gals...!!

Zen...every steel bike I rode under 50cm had a sloping tube, even the Trek520.
I wish they had photos of the smaller sizes you could compare! Maybe you need a custom??

and thanks for that explanation, Lisa...very clear, very exciting...

what an excellent bike I have!!! I can't WAIT to ride it!!!! (still freakin sick...and western oregon is having a stormy day anyway...and I have spent WAY too much money on wool...but think of the boxes in the mail!!)

[sundial]

Elk, if it helps, park your bike by your bed so you can have her near you.

[elk]

Elk, if it helps, park your bike by your bed so you can have her near you.

funny you should say that....she's been in the kitchen!! when I go in there to sit I look at her and look and look and boy, she sure is growing on me!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

DH and I have started a mini-tradition. Any new bike in our house gets to spend its first night in our bedroom so it's the first thing we see in the morning.

[Triskeliongirl]

You need this seatpost. Very tall, and very laid back to get your saddle back, and still rotates through a broad range which is impt. to level a Brooks saddle.
'
http://www.wallbike.com/seatposts/uno374.html

Note that this is special from the kalloy unos in qpb catalogue. Wallingford has them made to special specs, so only get the uno 374. If its still not long enough, look at MTB posts.

[bike4ever]

My Lemond road bike is kept in the bedroom during the fall/winter. It is kept in the family room by the fire place during the spring/summer. No garage for this bike. My Salsa mt bike is usually too dirty to make it inside.

[elk]

You need this seatpost. Very tall, and very laid back to get your saddle back, and still rotates through a broad range which is impt. to level a Brooks saddle.
'
http://www.wallbike.com/seatposts/uno374.html

Note that this is special from the kalloy unos in qpb catalogue. Wallingford has them made to special specs, so only get the uno 374. If its still not long enough, look at MTB posts.

Excellent! and it's reasonably priced too! I won't have to push my saddle all the way back on the rails maybe!! I might have to paint it black though.... I'll order it right now. Thanks!