In a message dated 8/28/02 6:05:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time, monkeylad@mac.com writes:
<< So my question is why did racers use the Cambio Corsa? >>
From reading "the Dancing Chain", there was a feeling in Italy that the
pulleys on derailleurs created a lot of friction. There was also a certain
distrust in a chain that wasn't running in a straight line, for the same
reason. There was virtually nothing to break, so you didn't have to worry
about an equipment failure, other than flat tires. Hub gears were referred to
by the French as "friction boxes" and I recall it has been tested that they
(hub gears) do lose about 4% as compared to derailleurs. Then there was
Tullio with his valise and tools, telling you that if you put his very
reliable equipment on the teams bikes, he'd make it all run. He went to a lot
of races.
It's a good section of the book.
Stevan Thomas
Alameda, CA