| Penny Farthing & French Twist Paul explained that the method for counting teeth was only one way of demonstrating gear ratios. In England, the gear ratios are converted into the diameter of the large front wheel of a high-wheeled bicycle, called the "Penny Farthing." Paul's earlier example used a 2-to-1 ratio. To convert this, the diameter of the rear wheel would be multiplied by two. A gear with a 2-to-1 ratio and a 27-inch-diameter rear wheel would be considered a 54" gear. Here in UK, the Penny Farthing bicycle is still used today to measure the gear ratios of safety bicycles. Elsewhere on the Continent they use the metric system. They take the circumference of the wheel in meters and multiply it by the gear ratio. Again using Paul's example, given a 2-to-1 ratio and a tire with a circumference of 1.5 meters, the result would be 3 meters. (Unlike the English system, this method tells you how far you have travelled, in this case 3 meters.) |
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The Campagnolo Story
One of the first and most renowned bicycle parts makers was the Campagnolo family. Tullio Campagnolo (1902-1983) founded the Campagnolo Company, which has made quality parts for over 50 years. Tullio is credited with perfecting the modern parallelogram derailleur, and inventing the quick-release mechanism for wheels. Legend has it that Campagnolo, a pro racer, was leading a race through Italy's snowy Dolomite Mountains when he punctured a tire on a descent. Fumbling with frozen fingers trying to loosen the heavy wing nuts on his wheel, he was passed by a score of riders. Infuriated by this experience, he designed a hollow-axle quick-release mechanism which is used on almost every bike today. The quality of Campagnolo component sets, or "grouppos," has become legendary, along with their cost. Though some questioned whether the sets were worth the price, aficionados would use nothing else. Cost-conscious alternatives were often referred to as "Cramp-and-go-slow" as opposed to the dependable, smooth-shifting Campagnolo. And though the component market has been dominated in the past decade by the giant Japanese company Shimano, "Campy" still finds its niche at the high end of the performance scale. |
