Tag: damper

#365daysofbiking Damper and dampers

November 23rd – Another headache-grey wet day, with a better ride out than expected. I drifted over to Chasewater in the constant drizzle to visit the model shop there, and then went up the causeway to the North Heath.

With barely a soul around, and it actually being quite warm, it gave me chance to take in the misty, grey atmosphere that Chaewater can and does wear so very well.

I studied the power lines with their anti-harmonic and anti-gallop dampers, and wondered at the stress – both mechanical and electrical – they must be under in conditions like these.

And in the scrub and marsh there was muted colour – but colour all the same – in the foliage of the heather and marshgrass, and the marcescent  oaks that pepper the ridge.

The fresh air felt good in my lungs and I’m starting to not mind the rain either – the sort of meteorological Stockholm syndrome one only gets at the end of winter or during very wet summers.

Some cold weather might be nice, though.

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#365daysofbiking Springtime:

November 30th – I wondered how long it would be before this set of Rockshox forks suffered the notorious ‘sticky lockout’ problem. A year, they’ve been fine, the control on my bars reliably allowing be to make the suspension solid on road, then active on rough terrain at the flick of a lever.

Usually, it’s as simple as a corroded cable. Not this time. The damper gate appears to be failing.

Spares on order, and for now, a spring and a cable tie to assist the mechanism over it’s reluctance.

This must be the fourth iteration of these forks, all excellent on the whole, but all suffering lockout issues.

Time for a redesign, SRAM…

December 29th – Three and a half suspension bridges in one day, cycled two and a half of them. Not sure you can do that many places except the Severn Estuary.

Why the half? Well, the original Severn Bridge is two bridges, really – a huge, remarkably elegant structure over the Severn, and a second immediately to the west over the Wye to Chepstow. To me they are separate structures, as they have markedly different designs, but the Wye bridge doesn’t feel quite eligible.

It’s also a historical tour of bridge evolution – from the early Victorian, beautiful Clifton, so extravagant construction halted because Brunel ran out of money, to the beautifully minimal Second Crossing, one can see shifts in technology and materials, even between the latter two.

I rode the Clifton, The Severn and Wye – and I’m not mad keen on heights. The wind crossing the Severn was astoundingly strong, but the experience was unforgettable. Such wonderful views, great technology and the wonder of genius used to create, not destroy.

My particular favourite were the hundreds of Stockbridge Dampers fitted to the supporting ropes on the Seven Bridge. These are an anti-resonance device and stop the cables humming. They are a wonderful real-world example of harmonic mathematics in action, and it is are also fascinating to see how they’re carefully tuned.

An unforgettable day. More on the main blog later.