Re: RE: Re: Machine Shop

On 3/5/2025 2:29 PM, cyclintom wrote:

On Mon Feb 24 14:56:30 2025 Frank Krygowski  wrote:

On 2/24/2025 1:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Mon, 24 Feb 2025 11:44:02 -0500, Zen Cycle <funkmaster@hotmail.com>
wrote:
>

... If one needed to look down to shift, they shouldn't be racing.

>
My touring bicycle has downtube shifters.  When I was riding it, I
would look down before shifting at the start of the ride.  After I
became accustomed to its position, I didn't need to look down.

>
Looking down is reasonable to see if one's friction shifters had the
derailleur sideplates precisely clear of the chain and chainring before
starting. I doubt anyone older than 11 needs to look down to find the
levers.
>
I don't look down to grab a water bottle out of its cage. It's always in
the same position.
>

... I ... can now type on the letter keys without looking at the keyboard.
However, the rows of numbers, function keys and number pad are a lost
cause.  I have to look at those.

>
  From time to time, I had enough numerical data to process that I taught
myself to use the number pad without looking. It's not hard. (But its
weird that telephone key pads are not the same layout as keyboard keypads.)
>

What's happening is that people have varying degrees of hand-eye
coordination.  Some people can type or play piano with their eye's
closed.

>
Try playing fiddle or cello! There are no frets, so there's no visual
markers to look at. Stopping the string against the fingerboard has to
be done entirely by muscle memory and near instantaneous auditory
correction, if necessary. On fiddle, it's most difficult when shifting
upward from first position to play in a higher position. By comparison,
guitar, clarinet, flute etc. are much easier, IME.

    There you have it from Franks lips to your ears - the professionals I consulted wh said that you ALWAYS looked down were incompetent fools while Frank is the real expert.

Two possibilities:
a) tommy never actually "consulted"with any professionals who said they had to look down to shift
2) They weren't professionals, and were likely actually incompetent fools

When I raced friction shifters I always looked down and so did every other rider.

You may have, no one else did.

This meant that you left a little more space in between you and the rider ahead of you.
 In fact, Frank doesn't even believe that STI was an advancement because it allowed you not to have to look down and so could draft much closer.

That's actually _not_ true at all.

 It is amazing how expert a man is with a 7 speed freewheel friction shifter.

I'm sure you are amazed, being an incompetent fool who always had to look down to shift.
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