Wednesday, September 1, 2010

bike chick tip!

hello! happy bike chick tip day! i want to start something new but will post it next week. i love bikes so much and love sharing my knowledge with you all that i also want to share the outfits that i wear while riding my bikes in hopes to inspire more people to ride their bikes as it is a wonderful way of transportation as well as a great way to go on new adventures... and why not do them with style :) but for today's post i will nerd out...enjoy!

bike chick tip #6- shifters!

if you have a bike that has gears then you have shifters. shifters as the word implies shift the gears to either a hard/speed gear or easy/climbing aka granny gear :D  there are many different style and placement of shifters the main difference to look out for: friction shifters or index shifters.

basically the friction type shifters allow you to directly move the gears yourself, think of them more like a manual stick shift car. you are a bit more in tune with what is going on with your bike and you can hear if you are in gear or not. the index shifter has set dials for each time you want to change gears...i have used both kinds and my only problem with the friction shifter is that once in a while if i don't shift accurately and my gear is not fully in gear it will pop out which can be annoying at times but i get better all the time...with index, your bikes shifting system must be in perfect adjustment to operate properly. Index shifting bikes are good for three types of people 1) pro racers with a team of mechanics 2) people with disposable income 3) people who work on their own bikes
stem shifters/ friction
stem shifters and down tube shifters are my least favorite. they are placed on the stem of your bike right underneath your handle bars or even lower on the downtube (between the fork and the cranks). this requires you to take one hand off your handle bars to shift and if riding fast or on uneven pavement this can be a bit scary...at least it was for me so i switched. if you feel comfortable then i say by all means go with these.
 
bar-end shifters/ friction
3-speed thumb shifter/ index

the thumb shifters can either be on your handle bars which is what is on urusla or bar-end shifters which i have on mary. the one on urusla is an index shifter and the ones on mary are friction. i really like both shifters but this is where it comes down to style. as i feel mary is a bit more sporty looking i feel the bar-end shifters look appropriate on her where ursula is a bit more lady like so having the shifters on the handle bars next to my grips suit her.

so there you  have it..thanks for always letting me nerd out on all of you!!! :D



spread the love update: one of my favorite clients came in yesterday and she just hired a new assistant. i have worked with this assistant before and she is soo sweet and really on top of things...so i broke out of my comfort zone and complimented her on her new assistant and how i was so happy that we would be working together again! it felt really good to tell her boss what an amazing & hard worker she is...and then later that day her assistant came in and i told her about the conversation i had with her boss. she gave me the biggest smile that warmed my heart!

also called a couple of people today to just chit chat...people i don't normally call. it was a nice change one i think i will keep up :)

xo,
cb

11 comments:

  1. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I am happy to report that as of the holiday season, our 'little' town (250,000 in the Midwest :) is getting a Trader's Joe's! I can't wait, I've heard wonderful things about them from my friends who live on the coasts! I'm excited!
    Sarah M

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  2. Fascinating info as usual, along with some great pics. Pleased the spread the love is going so well, I'm sure they really appreciated your kind comments x

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  3. thanks for stopping by my blog! I just wanted to tell you that I love your blog, I really like reading the bike chick tips because I don't know a darned thing about my Valentina (vintage Schwinn)! :)

    Oh, and a belated congrats on getting Rosalita, she is absolutely adorable! I found my cat Jack in a shoebox as a tiny kitten and he is hands down the best thing that has happened to me in a long time! Although, he is also a middle-of-the-night bed pouncer... haha
    xoxo,
    kels

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  4. @watkins: glad this stuff is usefull, wasn't sure if people were digging it but i LOVE writing about it so it keeps going :)

    @ kelsey: thanks! i love your blog too! if you have any questions about your bike just ask me and i will do my best to help! if there are any questions i am not answering let me know, i would LOVE to hear what you want to learn! i will also be doing some posts on how to maintain your bike yourself!!

    xo,
    cb

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  5. Great tips. I have a 3 speed and a 10 speed so this will help. Looking forward to seeing the outfit pics on the bike. I am a bicycle enthusiast myself and I had 4 bicycles at one pint (all vintage) I now have the two and gave the others away to friends in need.

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  6. I may not understand the bike stuff much, but the pictures are pretty!

    Also, your spread the love update is so delightful!!! What a thoughtful gesture.

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  7. I got my chicky painting in the mail today! Love love love! I'll send a pic soon!

    Xo Jill

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  8. @ melissa: thanks hun! the mister took the picture of mary with the flowers in the background, i love that picture!

    @ jill: oh yay! i can't wait to see the picture!! glad you love it, makes me smile!!

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  9. @ out of space: 4 bikes! i had at once 3 but only ride 2 now...the other one needs a new paint job badly! oh well a fun bike project!! that is so great that you gave them to friends, am sure they are loving their vintage bikes! what are the two you ride now?

    @ kelsey: sorry didn't mean to ignore your comment about jack. i can't believe you found him in a shoe box! i am sure he is sooo happy that you found him!

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  10. I'm a biker too! I have a santa cruz juliana! I love her! She is bright red and has a fat man sticker :)

    bike adventure

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  11. @ ashley: she sounds amazing! does she have a name?

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thanks for commenting! it fills me with joy that you have taken the time to stop by!
xo,
cb