Monkeyman, wrote:
> Ok, Looking at what Chuck wrote just makes me hang my head. I think
> the Cambio Corsa is really interesting and someday I hope own a bike
> with the CC setup. With that said how did it ever make it from the
> beta test phase? Was it a couple of guys making "offers you can't
> refuse" to the racers or something? I've ridden a bike with it
> before and did actually shift it, though far from smoothly. I've
> also ridden a few deraileurs from the time too. The actual
> deraileurs of the time seem to shift quicker and smoother than the CC
> setup. I'm not even going to bring in elliptical geared hubs which
> were much better than either, IMHO.
>
> The Cambio Corsa is pretty low tech so would be easier for the racer
> to fix during the race. The same low tech aspect also made it quite
> tough, but these are the only things that I see the CC setup has over
> deraileurs. So my question is why did racers use the Cambio Corsa?
Ride down an unpaved road with a derailleur from the 30's-40's and you will have part of the answer. Then lie the bike down on the gear as would occur in a typical accident, you will then have another part of the answer. Measure the mechanical resistance of the jockey wheels in a derailleur and then that of the geared hubs; then compare either to a CC geared bike, you will then have another part of the answer. Then pick up the bikes and you will have one other element... Lastly, you must realize that the roads and the available gear ratios were not those we now know. The roads were rough, frequently unpaved, the required gear ratio range would normally reflect those desired today, but needed to be met with 4 gears at the time. The opportunities/desirability to shift gears was therefore not as common as today, so the CC worked admirably well for the conditions of the time. I remember many a criterium from my racing days in the 70's-80's where I changed gears perhaps 2 times a lap. Today's racers with their multiple ratios would likely shift 10-15 times per lap on the same courses. Back in the 40's, nobody would ever have imagined to even shift...
Time changes and your needs get modified by other circumstances.
Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ
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