23 ms·

Sheldon Brown's site is amazing but I'm afraid it's going to get increasingly stale now that he's passed on. I've thought it'd be neat to turn the site into a

by jordanb 13y ago

Sheldon Brown's site is amazing but I'm afraid it's going to get increasingly stale now that he's passed on. I've thought it'd be neat to turn the site into a wiki that can be maintained by bicycle enthusiasts.

jrockway 13y ago
The bicycle industry is not changing that quickly, however. Sure, I'm sure Campagnolo now has a 12 speed drivetrain with a chain made from nanotubes and Shimano probably has a derailleur that posts each gear change to Twitter, but the way parts fit together hasn't changed much in the last 20 years. You still start the bike in the same way he describes. You still inflate the tires in the same way he describes. And 99% of bikes still have the same brakes and shifting mechanisms he describes in detail. And of course, all the bikes that existed when he was alive and writing didn't magically vaporize; there are still perfectly functional bikes from the 1900s around, not to mention the 70s and 80s.
- alxndr 13y ago
  True, but one thing I can only hope we have in the future is compatibility charts like http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html#indexing http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html#indexing and the neat rerouting trick that's described below it... edit: just found this whole page on brand mismatching, written by John Allen on the site in 2011, so there is someone doing updates. http://sheldonbrown.com/drivetrain-mixing.shtml http://sheldonbrown.com/drivetrain-mixing.shtml more edit: @zecho notes that family, friends, and bike shop are updating the site
alxndr 13y ago
I had the same thought, and started trying to do it, but I ran into too many edge cases trying to automate the importing...
gcb0 13y ago
That was the first bookmark i added to my browser when i got a bike a long time ago. If you work on your own bike, and you are a geek/nerd, you will end up on this site regardless. i'm using a lot the bicycle site at stackexchange. granted that most answers are just pointers to sheldon's site for now :)
- alxndr 13y ago
  Hadn't know there was a bike s.e., thanks! http://bicycles.stackexchange.com http://bicycles.stackexchange.com
- zecho 13y ago
  Where I think bicycles.se tends to excel is less on the mechanical aspects of cycling and more on the technical aspects of riding. There have also been interesting discussions that are more esoteric, too, like how to get your bike on an airplane while avoiding fees.
SippinLean 13y ago
I remember, when he was still alive, a heated flamewar would break out on Bikeforums and he'd appear out of the ether and authoritatively quash all argument with his immense knowledge. RIP
zecho 13y ago
His wife and friends continue to maintain the site, as does his bike shop.
lelf 13y ago
Site is not dead: http://sheldonbrown.com/blog/ http://sheldonbrown.com/blog/

by jordanb 13y ago

jrockway 13y ago

The bicycle industry is not changing that quickly, however. Sure, I'm sure Campagnolo now has a 12 speed drivetrain with a chain made from nanotubes and Shimano probably has a derailleur that posts each gear change to Twitter, but the way parts fit together hasn't changed much in the last 20 years. You still start the bike in the same way he describes. You still inflate the tires in the same way he describes. And 99% of bikes still have the same brakes and shifting mechanisms he describes in detail. And of course, all the bikes that existed when he was alive and writing didn't magically vaporize; there are still perfectly functional bikes from the 1900s around, not to mention the 70s and 80s.

alxndr 13y ago
True, but one thing I can only hope we have in the future is compatibility charts like http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html#indexing http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html#indexing and the neat rerouting trick that's described below it... edit: just found this whole page on brand mismatching, written by John Allen on the site in 2011, so there is someone doing updates. http://sheldonbrown.com/drivetrain-mixing.shtml http://sheldonbrown.com/drivetrain-mixing.shtml more edit: @zecho notes that family, friends, and bike shop are updating the site

alxndr 13y ago

I had the same thought, and started trying to do it, but I ran into too many edge cases trying to automate the importing...

gcb0 13y ago

That was the first bookmark i added to my browser when i got a bike a long time ago. If you work on your own bike, and you are a geek/nerd, you will end up on this site regardless. i'm using a lot the bicycle site at stackexchange. granted that most answers are just pointers to sheldon's site for now :)

alxndr 13y ago
Hadn't know there was a bike s.e., thanks! http://bicycles.stackexchange.com http://bicycles.stackexchange.com
zecho 13y ago
Where I think bicycles.se tends to excel is less on the mechanical aspects of cycling and more on the technical aspects of riding. There have also been interesting discussions that are more esoteric, too, like how to get your bike on an airplane while avoiding fees.

SippinLean 13y ago

I remember, when he was still alive, a heated flamewar would break out on Bikeforums and he'd appear out of the ether and authoritatively quash all argument with his immense knowledge. RIP

zecho 13y ago

His wife and friends continue to maintain the site, as does his bike shop.

lelf 13y ago

Site is not dead: http://sheldonbrown.com/blog/ http://sheldonbrown.com/blog/