4th March 2015 Shimano 6800 Ultegra 11sp Cassette

*

 Wednesday 4th 34F, +1C, breezy, very heavy overcast, light rain. There was some light overnight snow. We have been promised some sunny periods but with wintry showers. The snow is falling heavily now just before 9am. With wintry showers continuing and heavy spray following every vehicle I went for a walk instead of a ride. It stayed dry but very heavily overcast.

Ultegra 11sp 11-32 cassette and lock ring. 

Late afternoon overcast has severely limited the image quality. The bright finish on the sprockets does not respond well to flash. The relative orientation of the sprockets is random in this shot. Things will probably 'tidy up' when the cassette is located on the splines of the Trykit 2WD freehub.

I shall take some more images tomorrow in better light.

I spent hours online today researching possible 11 speed gear systems and their compatibility. The cost of 10 speed kit is still too similar to 11sp to be worth replacing like with like. Some dealers are still asking more for the 10 speed kit than I paid for the latest 11 speed kit! 11 speed makes much more sense as long as the existing equipment is up to the task. 11 speed levers are the most obvious requirement to be able to select all 11 gears.

Reinvestment in a whole new 11 speed groupset would require far more thought. Not least to establish the best entry level to choose amongst the various manufacturer's offerings. The slight reduction in weight, with much higher costs, is usually pure psychology, hype and advertising and has no real meaning out on the road. Half a bottle of water weighs more than the difference between the bottom and top of the sales hierarchy. The top end appeals largely to the snob value of owning the correct [and constantly updated] lightest bling. Other factors suggest that most of the advantages of the latest kit can be had from the more humble, lower levels of equipment. Another rest day.

Ultegra 11sp cassette exploded view showing the two sprocket carriers and only three normal spacers. I promise to take much better pictures tomorrow.

Thursday 5th 33-38F, 1-3C, bright frosty start. Still but becoming windier from the west. The forecast was for increasing cloud with sunny periods but it has already become overcast by 10.20am. I enjoyed a walk to the more distant woods. With the firm, frosted soil it was easy to cross fields by the spray tracks to avoid using the roads during the rush hour. Though it had thawed to muddy by the time I returned by road later. Lots of Great tits in the woods and hedges. Saw several buzzard sized birds of prey. Plus a solitary Greenfinch perched on the top of a 50' conifer.

Ultegra 11 sp cassette obverse showing two black sprocket carriers. One holding the largest three sprockets and the second; the 4th and 5th gears. The rest of the sprockets are loose and directly mounted onto the splines of the freehub. The black, central, plastic plug seen here is just to hold the sprockets together in the presentation packaging. The Ultegra 11sp cassette is remarkably light thanks to the carriers and sprocket cutaways. 

I rode to the shops in three different villages after coffee. Collected my 11 speed Ultegra cassette and chain from the local post office. Ordered online yesterday afternoon and posted the same day for next day collection. Huge range, great prices, superb communications and no P&P for local collection. Which I much prefer to waiting all day for the postman not to turn up. They always throw in a few sweets as well. Cykelpartner.dk must be the best online bike parts dealer on the planet!

Getting quite used to the aero bars now and able to keep it up for miles at a time. Downside is a tendency for my lungs to get bunged up from lying almost flat. It feels as if I have to come up for air occasionally. I have no idea what drivers think of me bombing along on my trike at 20mph. They're probably wondering why I always have that huge, pink sports bag hanging off the back! At least I can pretend it is legal streamlining. Perhaps I should do some wind tunnel testing? 29 miles. 

I can't fit the new cassette and chain to the trike until my new Spa DT-2 double chainset turns up. Those who think I spend too much money on new trike bits might consider that I ride further in a good week than I drive the car per year. My trike is my daily transport for probably 99.5% of our shopping. The trike keeps me fit and [almost] sane and costs a fraction of the expense of annual car maintenance and most people's expenditure on fuel alone. The car is only used for heavy lifting these days. It is completely ridiculous to keep the car given the cost of its upkeep, insurance and tax, for such very low mileages. However, it provides vital emergency transport for our rural existence.

Friday 6th 40F, 4C, light breeze, very heavy overcast, showers possible.Walked for an hour and a half.
Rode to the shops after lunch. Three special offers. Three different shops. No stock! Saw lots of birds of prey in the fields and hedges. My email service won't let me receive or send emails. Server error. Password or user name login error. There is no contact with the email service provider unless I pay £23 in advance per year. I tried to register the same email address in Firefox and was told the server was using a false certificate. Quite possibly identity theft. Did I want to bypass all their [Firefox's] server security checks?

This same outfit with the strangely opaque website took over all email service on the fibre optics network from the Danish regional energy companies. We were promised exactly the same [free] service as before. Just like they GUARANTEE the speed of their Internet service as part of their sales hype. Lies, damned lies and the Danish electricity companies! At least we could ring somebody up for assistance before Lightmail.dk took over! Emails are the banks, business, kommune and government agents' means of reminding their citizens that they should be checking their information and accounting websites regularly online. 18 miles.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

*