Pedal Rare
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Professional cyclists obsess about the height of their saddle to the nearest millimetre. For good reason; the way your bike fits is crucial to your comfort and efficiency.
Case Study
A guy came into the shop I managed a few years ago. He was a beginner cyclist and had recently bought a second hand road bike to compete in some short triathlons for charity. He had done plenty of training and completed two or three events. The bike was the right size for him but he was finding every mile tortuous and going up hills felt like he was pedaling through treacle. He arranged to have himself fitted to the bike and over the course of an hour the following Saturday we adjusted his saddle in two directions, moved his brake levers, rotated his bars, raised the handlebar stem and moved his aero-bar elbow pads further apart. We even moved his clip-in pedal cleats backwards a few millimetres and rotated them one or two degrees in his race shoes, but by far the most crucial of the adjustments we made was simply to set the pedal to saddle dimension to suit his inside leg measurement.
Two weeks later he came back into the shop smiling like a Cheshire cat. The tweaks had enabled him to knock fifteen minutes off his 'on the bike' time. Fifteen minutes is a big chunk to a triathlete. Undoubtedly some of the improvement was down to a reduction of his aerodynamic profile, some of it was down to his improved fitness but he said he just felt 'right' on the bike, he felt part of the bike. Because, finally, it fit him properly.
Historical Background
Improvements of such magnitude are rare but it helps immensely that we can actually make adjustments like these. In the Olden Days, when High Wheelers (Penny Farthings) roamed the Earth, the fastest racing cyclists were those with the longest legs. Before the introduction of gears it was the size of the wheel which determined how far a bicycle wheel would travel for one turn of the pedals so the longer the legs - the bigger the wheel - the faster the bike (and the higher the rider's head from the ground). The implication of this of course is that back then each bike, including its front wheel, was individually manufactured to precisely fit the owner's inside leg measurement. There were no adjustments to be made, your saddle height was set in stone.
Thankfully the introduction of chain driven transmissions brought things down to earth. We are so familiar with the shape of modern bikes that we rather take them for granted but the evolution of that double diamond shape was a long one. The pedals, saddle and handlebars are suspended on a collection of tubes between two wheels. Right in the centre of the frame and holding it all together is the seat tube. It connects the bottom bracket shell (where the pedals go) via a telescopic connection with the seat post to the seat itself. Adjusting the saddle height involves loosening the seat post binder bolt, moving the seat post up or down inside the seat tube and retightening the bolt. It couldn't be simpler. So why do so many people get it wrong?
Getting it right
"Sit on the saddle, place the flat of your foot on the pedal, and adjust the height of the saddle until you can just straighten your leg. When pedalling the ball of the foot should be directly over the middle of the pedal and your leg never quite straightens". These words are repeated in bike shops across the planet thousands of times a day. It's the Universal Bike shop Saddle Height Adjustment System mantra and it works pretty well. There are other systems, a few cycle stores employ advanced computer aided rigs, some do it by eye and some do long calculations on the back of envelopes using archaic pythagorean formulae. One traditional method for pro cyclists is to set the saddle too high and then drop it in small increments until the rider's hips stop rocking. However, the UBSHAS will get your saddle to within 5mm of ideal, and that's good enough for most people. And for those who want even better accuracy it's a great method of setting a datum point for further fine tune adjustments.
There is a tendency for beginners to want their saddle set way too low, it feels precarious perched up there when you are not accustomed to it. And some regular cyclists with over tight ham-strings hear that message and put their saddle too high. The more miles you do the more attuned you will be with your riding position and the more accurately you will be able to place your saddle. Before too long you'll be aware of the difference in the thickness of soles between two pairs of shoes (and of the resulting difference in efficiency). If your seat is too low you'll find it a challenge to get any power into the pedals. If it's too high you'll be forced to pedal too slowly.
Humans are very adaptable, we can jump on a bike and make it go along even if it is completely the wrong size for us. It doesn't take a lot of effort or specialist knowledge to optimise our biomechanical efficiency, but doing so will enable us go further and faster in more comfort.
Don't adapt yourself to suit the shape of your bike, adjust the bike to suit the shape of you.
Written by Mick Allan, associate editor of Cyclorama. This article and many more can be found on http://www.cyclorama.net - the online cycle show.
You can visit the Cyclorama blog at http://www.cyclorama.net/blog
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Rare $12.49 Rare |
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Used Boss Df2 Super Distortion Amp; Feedbacker Mij Rare Logo Distortion Pedal $129.99 In Store Used USED BOSS DF2 SUPER DISTORTION amp; FEEDBACKER MIJ RARE LOGO DISTORTION PEDAL |
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Pedal To The Metal $37.95 From this experience, Lawrence J. Ouellet has the advantage of a rare perspective and a profound understanding of the two fundamental questions he asks in this book: Why do truck drivers work so hard even when it doesn't result in more money or other material gains? and How do truckers make sense of their behavior to themselves and to the outside world? A vivid ethnography of trucking culture, Pedal to the Metal documents and analyzes truckers' lives and work ethic, exploring the range of identities truckers create for themselves—the renegade cowboy, the company man, the voyeur, the lone king of the road. To explain truckers' motivations, Ouellet examines the meaning of work and the motivation for excelling despite long, unsupervised hours on the road. He finds that their occupational pride results in extraordinary efforts on the job and, subsequently, a positive sense of self. Driving skill allows truckers to improve their hauling times, which they proudly track to the minute, and to increase their productivity and income. Truckers' knowledge of the industry's structure and the idiosyncrasies of their own company allows them to improve their ability to get and carry out assignments, to maneuver around a traditional concept of rank and seniority, and to recreate to their advantage the pervasive cultural myths that the public expects should dictate a trucker's behavior. Whether capturing the pleasure and enchantment of trucking—driving under moon-lit skies across a snow-covered mountain range—or the miseries of boredom, bad weather, and exhausting schedules, Ouellet exhibits deep appreciation and passion for his subject. |
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BBE Free Fuzz Effects Pedal $119.99 The BBE Free Fuzz effects pedal works for guitar and bass and was patterned after a rare and sought-after silicon transistor fuzz pedal made famous by players like Jimi Hendrix in the late '60s. The BBE effects pedal provides a wide range of creamy, dynamic fuzz effects with an almost endless amount of sustain for soloing and chunky rhythms.Bass and Guitar applicationVintage '60s fuzzBiased matched silicon transistorsVolume and fuzz controls1/4" inputs and outputsTrue hardwire bypass |
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Bbe Free Fuzz Effects Pedal $119.99 The BBE Free Fuzz effects pedal works for guitar and bass and was patterned after a rare and sought-after silicon transistor fuzz pedal made famous by players like Jimi Hendrix in the late '60s. The BBE effects pedal provides a wide range of creamy, dynamic fuzz effects with an almost endless amount of sustain for soloing and chunky rhythms.Bass and Guitar applicationVintage '60s fuzzBiased matched silicon transistorsVolume and fuzz controls1/4" inputs and outputsTrue hardwire bypass |
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BBE FREE FUZZ-FUZZ PEDAL $119.99 The Free Fuzz was patterned after a rare and sought-after silicon transistor fuzz pedal made famous by players like Jimi Hendrix in the late ?60s and provides a wide range of creamy, dynamic fuzz effects with an almost endless amount of sustain for soloing and chunky rhythms. Height: 6 Width: 0 Weight: 3 |
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Used Bbe Free Fuzz Effects Pedal $104.39 The BBE Free Fuzz effects pedal works for guitar and bass and was patterned after a rare and sought-after silicon transistor fuzz pedal made famous by players like Jimi Hendrix in the late '60s. The BBE effects pedal provides a wide range of creamy, dynamic fuzz effects with an almost endless amount of sustain for soloing and chunky rhythms.Bass and Guitar applicationVintage '60s fuzzBiased matched silicon transistorsVolume and fuzz controls1/4" inputs and outputsTrue hardwire bypass |
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Rare and Rockin': Original Sun Recordings $11.99 Track Listing: 1. It Won't Happen With Me, 2. Teenage Letter, 3. Pink Pedal Pushers, 4. Hillbilly Music, 5. Deep Elem Blues, 6. You Win Again, 7. I'm Feeling Sorry, 8. I'm the Guilty One, 9. It Hurt Me So, 10. I Love You Because, 11. Cold, Cold Heart, 12. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, 13. In the Mood, 14. Great Balls of Fire, 15. I Forgot to Remember to Forget, 16. Turn Around, 17. It All Depends (On Who Will Buy the Wine), 18. It'll Be Me - (slow version), 19. It'll Be Me - (fast version), 20. Sixty Minute Man, 21. Lovin' Up a Storm, 22. Rockin' With Red, 23. Honey Hush, 24. Hound Dog, 25. Hang up My Rock & Roll Shoes |
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The Rare Collection $45 The Rare Collection |
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Live And Rare $10.49 Live And Rare |
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A Rare Hunger $13.29 A Rare Hunger |
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Good And Rare $7.79 Good And Rare |
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Rare Cuts! $7.99 Rare Cuts! |
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Rare Breed, The $4.99 Rare Breed, The |
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Rare Wood $15.99 Rare Wood |
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Medium Rare $11.99 Medium Rare |
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Rare & Unreleased $13.99 Rare & Unreleased |
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Rare Material $20.99 Rare Material |
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BBE Mind Bender Analog Chorus/Vibrato Pedal $149.99 The Mind Bender is a dual-mode analog Vibrato/Chorus pedal that uses the BBD (Bucket Brigade Delay) circuit and was patterned after 2 rare vintage guitar effects pedals: the Boss VB-2 Vibrato (Pitch Vibrato) and Way Huge Electronics' Blue Hippo (Analog Chorus). The Mind Bender produces a wide range of lush vibrato/chorus and rotating speaker effects.Dual ModeAnalogBBD circuit |
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Bbe Mind Bender Analog Chorus/Vibrato Pedal $149.99 The Mind Bender is a dual-mode analog Vibrato/Chorus pedal that uses the BBD (Bucket Brigade Delay) circuit and was patterned after 2 rare vintage guitar effects pedals: the Boss VB-2 Vibrato (Pitch Vibrato) and Way Huge Electronics' Blue Hippo (Analog Chorus). The Mind Bender produces a wide range of lush vibrato/chorus and rotating speaker effects.Dual ModeAnalogBBD circuit |
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Rare Form $10 Rare Form - Locksmith |



US $325.00


































































































