Bicycles

[Man at C&A]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-FnGJsMars

Anyone have any experience with Pedersen bicycles?

Yes. A decade ago when I was still racing a clubmate of mine ran one for a while. An incorrigible eccentric, he commuted in to his central London office on a Penny Farthing and if the mood took him he'd make the journey on a unicycle. At some point he aquired a Pedersen reproduction and I was offered the chance to ride it.

As I recall it was a very smooth ride but with quite indistinct handling and both very poor braking and accelerating, even against a comparable 'sit up and beg' safety bicycle like a Pashley. As I recall a gentleman named Drew Buck rode the 1999 edition of the Paris-Brest-Paris randonnee on a Pedersen; I rode the 2003 edition on a bog-standard British Touring bike and have no idea how he managed to get such a 'soft' machine around a lumpy course.

I'm afraid that I regard the Pederson as an interesting footnote in the development of the bicycle.

[robert_n]

@ Man at C&A:
Well, it's looks like I'm destined for the Penny Farthing - I ordered one of the "racer" models in a rush of blood to the head. It's the comfort I'm primarily interested in, or at least that will be my rationalization if the handling does turn out to be unsatisfactory. Thanks for the feedback.

[robert_n]

My new bike. Takes a bit of getting used to, aesthetics-wise.

[Man at C&A]

You'll get a much better ride quality if you change those Conti tyres to something less harsh and p*nct*re prone.

[couch]

I'm not a cyclist, but the tensile suspension of the seat seems a fairly brilliant idea. Is it common these days? On the other hand, if one were to lose a grip on the handlebars due to an unexpected road shock, landing on that boss at the apex looks like it could do some serious damage to your chest, as compared to landing on the crossbar or the top frame member of a traditional design.

[robert_n]

@ Man @ C&A:
I have found the Gatorskins very good, puncture wise. But yes, they are give a hard ride on my conventional bike, I'm hoping this saddle will obviate that. What do you recommend?

[robert_n]

@ Couch:
I think the Pedersen is the only one, but that is also related to the architecture of the frame

[Mr Hillier]

I don't know if I'd feel comfortable wearing a suit on a bicycle

I feel fine about cycling in a suit, and as many have mentioned, there are various ways to reduce risk to your clothing, such as enclosed chaincases, cycle clips, even tucking one trouser leg into a sock. I do believe it is important to have a bicycle which is comfortable at a sedate pace and does not push one to ride ever faster.

However, the problem that I have always had when trying to commute on a bicycle is that it plays merry hell with my shoes. I have not been able to get around that issue except by changing shoes, which necessitates a knapsack for the shoes.

What solutions to this problem have the members found?

[YoungLawyer]

I use a 1930 Raleigh for most of my commuting in London, and I've had few problems with suits or shoes. The pedals do mark the soles of leather shoes, but this appears to be significantly less wear than walking to and from public transport, which would be my alternative, so I do not mind this. It had occurred to me that some form of silk cover for the saddle might, in the long term, wear down worsted less quickly than the leather of the saddle itself, but I haven't tried this idea out yet.

[Gido]

Mr. Hillier,

Are you wearing toe clips with city shoes? Those do not belong together. Get rid of either one, toeclips are for true racing/sport use only and require special shoes. They aren't fit for the city (and by the way will cost you your bones or joints in case of an accident!)

Otherwise, could you elaborate on the cause of damage? I have driven a bicycle nearly every day since I was 3 years old, and I don't recall ever having any problems with my shoes.

[Mr Hillier]

Are you wearing toe clips with city shoes?

Dear Gido,

No, I'm not wearing toe clips. I simply find that cycling is very heavy on shoes. Specifically, putting my feet up and down onto the road for traffic and lights wears shoes fast and I find there is a high risk of scuffing. Also, it seems that close proximity to bike parts increases the likelihood of scratches.

[Taller]

Mr. Hillier,
Some pedals are of the aluminum cage variety. Those will indeed imprint in the soles of your shoes. If you would change them for a pair of pedals of the rubber platform variety (like we Dutch use on our city bikes) those troubles would be over. They offer enough grip and wear out quicker than your soles.
I don't see how putting one's foot down from the pedal to the ground could ever damage one's shoe. Unless of course one would be downhilling some mountain in the wrong shoes.

[Tutumulut]

Taller

Being of Dutch persuasion as well , I can confirm the rubber platform pedals do a good job and depending on the model, are gripping enough to even stand on the pedals for that sprint through the lights or that strong braking when not making it.

My problem, though, was with the crotch area of the trousers. No matter what shape and material of seat and what cloth, they would rapidly disappear due to the friction caused by the leg movement. That is why I stopped cycling in proper trousers and only do it now in jeans or some other sturdier material.

Has anyone experienced that same problem?

T

[Mr Hillier]

I don't see how putting one's foot down from the pedal to the ground could ever damage one's shoe

Dear Taller,

Thank you for the considered response. I simply found that my shoes were getting damaged cycling in a way they never were walking down the street. They were getting scratched and scuffed very quickly. For instance, I think that putting just the toe down at traffic lights etc is puts different parts of the shoe in contact with the road, and that is without even considering emergency stops; it just takes one person to cut you up, your foot goes down while you are moving, and BOOM, your shoes are in the thick of it again. Also, however well protected the chain might be, there is hard material all around your shoes when cycling which can scratch them. I find it is impossible to avoid any contact whatsoever.

Rubber pedals are a great idea; mine are plastic, of a style necessitated by a folding bicycle.

Has anyone experienced that same problem?

I also found that cycling was very hard on my suits too, though I never got as far as wearing out the crotch, I was too concerned about the creasing all round and, again, the contact with hard metal parts.

Regards,

Mr H

[Taller]

Tutumulut,

You could try a Proust saddle. Daniel Proust (a former team-mate of Raymond Poulidor) claims zero friction with his saddle (and thus also no more problems with private parts - for both men and women). He supplied La Poste with 20.000 saddles for their facteurs (and also makes hi-end carbon models for racing bikes; Laurent Brochard used them). See http://www.selle-proust.fr/SelleProust/Accueil.html (the site is more or less in 5 languages).
Me, I use a standard saddle on my Batavus, but seldom ride it in a suit. (And a San Marco Zoncolan on my 1988 bespoke Bioracer, which I never ride in a suit. )

Mr. Hillier,

Yes, I suppose there is always some risk, especially on a folding bike which is, at best, a compromise between ease of folding and riding comfort. Also, the cranks may touch the inside of your shoes with each revolution and, even with a mud-flap on the front fender, rain and mud are out to attack both shoes and pants....
Have you considered galoshes? (http://www.swims.com/MEN/Galoshes.aspx)
If the weather is particularly gruesome, I wear nylon rainpants over my pants and rubber boots, and bring my shoes in a bag on my bike's carrier. My overcoat (made with one of Molloy's 610 grams Donegal tweeds) doesn't need extra protection from the rain, I'm relieved to know.

[edit: typo]