{"id":263292,"date":"2026-09-18T14:58:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/18\/feeling-the-squeeze\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T14:58:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:58:30","slug":"feeling-the-squeeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/18\/feeling-the-squeeze\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling The Squeeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As a former semi-professional bike blogger and current gentleman wordsmith, I understand that people turn to this particular bullshit depository for a host of reasons, and very near the bottom of that list is in-depth product reviews, though I will continue to update you on how I\u2019m getting along with The World\u2019s Most Niche-iest*<\/a> Shifter whether you like it or not:<\/p>\n

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*[That\u2019s \u201cNiche-iest\u201d as in \u201cextremely niche,\u201d not \u201cOf or relating to the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche\u201d\u2013though I suppose it could also be The World\u2019s Most Nietzsche-iest Shifter, I know nothing about him.]<\/p>\n

So far in indexed mode with the LoNo OM-1 rear derailleur the performance has been exemplary, having been battle-tested on the notorious proving ground that is the post-gentrification New York City streetscape by a hardened urban cycling veteran<\/a>, and since the initial setup, which was quite easy, I have not had to so much as touch a barrel adjuster:<\/p>\n

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By the way, \u201cLoNo OM-1\u201d sounds ironically high-tech given that all this stuff is supposed to be about a return to simplicity, but this is cycling, and unless you make components sound highly technological and borderline incomprehensible then nobody will want to use them. \u201cFriction shifting?\u201d No thanks. \u201cLoNo detent-free multi-ratio transmission?\u201d Yes, please!<\/p>\n

But yes, the point of the OM-1 shifters is that it works perfectly with the OM-1 derailleur in indexed mode, whereas a Shimano indexed shifter is a \u201cYMMV\u201d-type thing. As I mentioned previously<\/a>, while I did get Shimano shifters to work very well with an OM-1 derailleur on the Farbman, it did take a fair amount of fine-tuning at first. I wondered if maybe that was just because I was using older drivetrain components, but a couple days ago I gave the Farbster a brand new chain:<\/p>\n

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The installation of a smooth and grime-free chain required me to fine-tune the cable tension once again, and once again it did take a fair amount of trial and error to get things just right; basically, it\u2019s a little tricky to get the cable tension so that it\u2019s not too low on the low gears\/large cogs (in which case it runs noisily) and not too high on the large gears\/small cogs (in which case downshifting is recalcitrant). <\/p>\n

So basically the OM-1 shifter is definitely better with the OM-1 derailleur, but the Shimano ones work well enough that if I hadn\u2019t actually tried an OM-1 I wouldn\u2019t have realized what I was missing and got along just fine, kind of like how I could see acceptably but then got a pair of reading glasses and was like, \u201cHey, this is even better!\u201d<\/p>\n

OK, AI, do your thing:<\/p>\n

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Am I really supposed to believe the same technology that created that image is also going to destroy humanity?<\/p>\n

I guess we\u2019ll find out.<\/p>\n

Speaking of research, did you know track cyclists defy the laws of physics or something<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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Well they don\u2019t actually, but whatever:<\/p>\n

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They found that the apparent paradox is explained by a brief whole-body backward-then-forward movement before and during gate release, which transfers momentum to the bicycle. Riders shift their body mass backward, then rapidly forward, and slowing that forward body motion creates a powerful forward push on the bike. The results showed that this body-driven impulse dominates the first roughly 0.2 seconds, right before pedaling becomes the main source of acceleration.<\/em><\/p>\n

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This may sound cartoonish, but in fact it\u2019s highly scientific. Indeed, researchers were able to observe this effect by placing a sumptuous avian repast in the middle of a desert road along with a sign reading \u201cFree Bird Seed.\u201d They then attempted to eat the hungry track cyclist:<\/p>\n

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