
Today is Re-Cycle Engineering’s 31st birthday.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers & suppliers – we couldn’t have done it without you. Cheers!
We’re still the Original Model:

See you all soon. Love.
Today is Re-Cycle Engineering’s 31st birthday.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers & suppliers – we couldn’t have done it without you. Cheers!
We’re still the Original Model:
See you all soon. Love.
The iconic bicycle chain is but one variant of the many ways of propelling your steed. Having experienced quite a few of these alternatives, Re-Cycle Engineering (RCE) we weren’t surprised (nor perturbed) when asked to carry out a repair this bike:
Note (1) the electric motor operating the front wheel. Present British law only allows for pedal-assist bikes (i.e. you must be pedaling for the electric motor to be operational). Note (2) the lack of a chain. So, how does it work?
Let’s have a look at the chain-set:
Back story: RCE helped out the owner a few weeks earlier. The cyclist had accidentally damaged the right-hand pedal crank and needed it to be replaced. For those of you unknowledged, a right pedal has a right-handed thread on it (clockwise to tighten) and the left on has a left-handed thread on it (anti-clockwise to tighten). Of course we could have sold him a expensive crank arm for a right pedal which would have delayed his return to cycling. Alternatively we could have fitted a left-hand crank with a left pedal (not ideal – meaning that he would be permanently having to buy 2 sets of pedals at a time). To get the cyclist back on his saddle the same day, we agreed upon fitting a spare, pre-used right-hand crank (quick and cheap).
Still, we haven’t answered the question of how the bike is propelled? Let’s take a gander at the rear of the bike:
Looks a bit weird. Let’s take of the hub’s gear-changing ‘click-box’ and the cover off where the chain should be:
Now we see a strange-looking gear on the wheel’s hub. Let’s take off the rear wheel and look at what that gear interacts with:
Maybe these to pictures will help:
The wonderful 1898 book, “The Modern Bicycle and Its Accessories by Alex Schwalbach and Julius Wilcox” devotes the second chapter to shaft-driven bevel-geared bikes (and other alternatives).
Back to the repairing the rear wheel:
OFF TOPIC STUFF:
Brought a tear to our eyes: ‘Sea You’, A Touching Animated Short That Tells the Story of Profound Loss Told In Reverse Order.
Best Friends and puddles.
A scandal that stains the history of the grand old city of Leeds.
Cycling is bad for the economy…
A journey through the fragmented unconscious of our modern times:
… and, to finish with, bit of young blues:
See you all soon and be well.
A very nice young man came to see us January 2020. We’ll call him Andrew (not his real name). He had just arrived in the UK, would be staying for a few years and wanted to tour various parts of Yorkshire & beyond. After listening to Andrew’s needs, RCE advised him upon; types of touring bikes, carrying capacities, gears ratios, handlebar shapes, frame materials & geometry, shifters, tyre size & puncture-resistance, etc.
Although Andrew had a budget of about £550.00, it was not enough for his ideal bike! No problem – RCE advised him on alternative shops and off he went – we never thought we’d see him again.
Lo and behold, a couple or three weeks later, he comes smiling into the shop with a possible candidate bike:
Andrew: “Thanks for all that info you gave me last time – it was really useful. OK, I’ve got this bike. I’ll need it looked at in detailed, a rear pannier rack, mudguards, bottle & holder, high-puncture-resistance tyres, and whatever you can advise me on. I have a £400.00 budget. What can you do for me?”.
RCE: “We’d spent a lot of time with you last time – without any recompense – that’s not an issue. Therefore, a) Thank You for acknowledging our help, b) Thank You for coming back and c) Thank You for the challenge. Looking forwards to it!”.
Andrew: “I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. You know what you’re talking about and I trust you.”.
After a few more reciprocated ‘Thank You’s we agreed to carry out a detailed assessment (£12.50) of the candidate bike afore pumping a lot of £££s into the project.
Our assessment indicated that the following needed attention:
Of prime import was the gear ratios. The chainset (front cogs) was a ‘double’ with a 53T outer and a 48T inner, and, the freewheel (rear cogs) was 6-speed with 23T low gears and a 14T high gear. This gives:
As Andrew wanted braking & shifting from the handlebars, the only reasonable option was for Shimano Tourney Sti (Shimano Total Integration) brake/shifters. Unfortunately, these are only available in 7-speed (for, either a double or a triple chainset) and only for the appropriate 7-speed freewheels (unlike the one provided on the bike (a 1989 Sach Huret model – different spacing between sprockets). Further, even within Shimano’s range 6 and 7-speed, shifter cable-pull ratios and freewheel sprocket spacing are different – therefore, the two are NOT compatible. Meaning, that only a Shimano (or compatible) 7-speed freewheel could be used. Being wider than a 6-speed freewheel, question: would there be enough space on the rear spindle for a 7-speed one. And if not, what could we do about it? A test-fitting of a Shimano 7-speed freewheel 14/28T proved successful – without having to piss-about changing the rear axle.
Next task – the chainset. One cannot throw on any old chainset onto a square-taper bottom bracket. Some will sit too close the frame – perhaps hitting the frame or not allowing the front dérailleur (FD) to shift the the smallest sprocket. Counterwise, some will sit too far away from the frame and not allow the FD to shift to the biggest sprocket.
Another chainset consideration was that of using a double or a triple one. A triple would offer very wide ratios but require changing the FD for a triple-compatible model (and more £££s).
Final chainset consideration was that of crank length (the distance from the centre to where the pedals are). The existing chainset was 165mm – not ideal for Andrew’s leg length. A minimum length of 170mm was required.
So, what do do? Well, being the best bike workshop, this side of Nagasaki, RCE had over a 100 chainsets to select from. Narrowing down to 7-speed options, with (at least) a 170mm crank length) and with the correct profile to sit on the BB, narrowed down our options. After calculating gear ratios a further discussion with Andrew, we arrived upon a solution – 170mm, 50/42T double (a lightly-used Sakae with replaceable sprockets. The new gear rations:
So, RCE managed to keep his highest gears ratio similar AND reduce the lowest gear ratio by a whopping 28% (that should get Andrew up all Yorkshire hills). A further 3% can be garnered with the extended crank length.
The existing rear dérailleur (RD) would not cope with a 28T freewheel and the replacement chainset ratio. A Shimano Tourney, correct cabling and special ferrules (for older frames) would be require.
Another major concern was the tyres – would a 28mm wide fit on the wheels, would the wheel sit the frame and then, can we then fit full mudguards? Being a proper vintage racer, this frame’s clearances were narrowly limited. Test fitting of 28C tyres and mudguards proved unsuccessful! (A lot or cursing ensued). The 25C tyres would stay and 28mm wide mudguards would (just) work.
But wait, we haven’t even priced out the project yet! Adding up the price of new components and our efforts gave us a figure of over £500.00 – beyond Andrew’s budget!
Even the option of lightly-used second-hand Tourney Stis and a second-hand rack still didn’t get to the £400.00 mark!
Only one thing to do – DISCOUNTS! Dealing with someone so nice, who was also buying all components from RCE, we were glad to make it affordable for Andrew!
Here’s the completed project after carrying the last 6 steps:
Although projects such as this one is just-another-day to us, we were proud-as-punch with our results. Though not as much as Andrew!
Lilliputians riding tricycles?
How NOT to transport a pizza on a bike.
And the, some freaking idiot invented the “lady’s bicycle”.
Finally, a practical guide for roadside wildflower viewing. Made us chuckle.
Video: watch it all, cyclists may be interested at 4:07.
How many grammar nazis does it take to change a lightbulb?
“I wanna play cricket on the green
Ride my bike across the street
Cut myself and see my blood
I wanna come home all covered in mud”
and, finally
Live version with Lou Reed:
Here’s a wee project we did for “M”, a FOST (Friends of the shop). Summer 2019.
At RCE, we’re quite lucky. We meet some of the best people. “M” is a thoroughly honourable person and has been a loyal customer for about 2 decades. We’ve looked after his various steeds. However, the latest one …
… has got to be “put down”!
If you look closely at the above pic, you may notice the fatal injury:That’s right, the downtube committed suicide!
Aluminium welding isn’t cheap and, perhaps not suitable for this issue.
M asked RCE to ‘mate’ the Ridgeback with a Lamborghini, The one he’d brought along:
Wow! The name & ‘The Raging Bull’ logo conjurers images of the Countachs, Panteras and tractors.
Loving such a challenge, RCE was eager to help.
The algorithm:
Here’s the Ridgeback after surgery:
Here’s the completed baby:
After a successful summer, the Lambo is now in The Netherlands.
TO: M
Message: We’re glad to have helped. Hope you’re well & happy. Pleasure knowing you. You a good ‘un!
OFF-SHOP:
Rory Block: Mississippi Blues
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgbh2N9AJlE)
We first appreciated the song back in the mid-’70s, from this Japanese imported LP (bought as second-hand, but obviously unplayed). Every tune & note does ‘it’ for us:
We’ve always wondered what the negative version of the cover would look like:
Side 1: https://youtu.be/U5juxefsxx0
Side 2: https://youtu.be/HI1ALGz6w1U
Enjoy, and play nice.
Well the new website’s, rough & ready though it is, is up at: https://rceuk.co.uk/.
Weekdays: 11am – 7pm (closed on Thursdays)
Saturdays: 10am – 4pm (closed Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays).
If we’re NOT OPEN when we’re meant to be, we’re either: dead, dying, or busy around the back.
RCE’s 2020 Recuperations, Recreations and Holidays:
See you all soon.
CLOSED: Tuesday (25th), Wednesday (26th) and Thursday (28th) October 2016.
Re-Opens: 10am. Friday, 29th October 2016.
Apologies.