Russel Fouts on thu 29 aug 02
Hear that Phil? Listen to Vince, not me. ;-)
> I am sorry to be a hard realist here, but unfortunately, this IS an RK-2, poor sibling to the RK-1, which is the true classic Shimpo mechanical-drive wheel, and FAR superior to the RK-2. In designing the RK-2 they tried to come up with a much less expensive mechanical drive system, and in succeeding they settled for a far less effective system. What a shame. The older RK-1 and the newer metallic traction-drive wheels (RK-10) are both far superior to the RK-2.
The RK-1 has the true cone drive, with a straight-sided cone. It rarely
requires adjustment, and you can take your foot off the pedal and the
speed remains constant. The RK-2 has a tilting motor mounted directly
on the pedal shaft, which is simple in design and cumbersome in
operation. The drive cone has a curved face to coincide with the arc of
the motor-swing
when you step on the pedal. Unless you constantly adjust the pedal
drag, the speed changes spontaneously whenever you remove your foot from
the pedal. It is also very difficult to adjust the motor mount for
constant cone pressure, so the drive tends to slip at certain points in
the speed range. Like the RK-1, the RK-2 is indestructible. But what
good does that do when it is an inferior wheel? <<
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Http://www.mypots.com
http://www.Japan-Net.ne.jp/~iwcat
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