Why I don't like sliders (and why that shouldn't matter to you)

First things firster...

I'd like to take a moment of silence to pay my respects to Steve Landesburg AKA Det. Arthur Dietrich of Barney Miller who passed away on Dec 20th, 2010.

Once my parents allowed me to watch Barney Miller I realized that I was more Dietrich than I was Wojo, Fish, Yemana, Harris, or Amanguale. I'm not Jewish nor do I have great taste in suits, but he just seemed like my kinda guy.

Only 65 when he died.

Now to the real topic of the day.

I don't like sliders.

Not that kinda slider, this kinda slider.

For those that want to throw my own words in mine own face, please... allow me.

April 8th, 2009

"After all these years of happy EBB use I can say that sliders are pretty sweet too. It mighta taken me five minutes to adjust my EBB (including the time I spent searching for my tools), but I would say it takes seven minutes to adjust the sliders. I haven't actually timed either one of the processes, so these are just guesses as either method is greatly effected by the varied locations of the appropriate toolage."

I wrote that post six days after the frame showed up at my house VIA the Will Bolt Express.

I rode the MOOTS all the way through the rest of the 2009 year (nine months). I adjusted the sliders countless times during that period, and after that much time of sliding my sliders I can easily say that I prefer EBB's, but that shouldn't matter to you.

I've got my own issues in life. Occasionally I get an eyelash that grows out of the tear duct in my left eye. I hardly notice it as it grows, but once I do see it protruding rudely out of a place I know that it doesn't belong I immediately grab the tweezers and tweeze it out. It doesn't affect my vision, it doesn't irritate me in a physical sense, and it doesn't continue to grow to an abnormal length. I just don't like looking at it, so I pluck it.

When I build up a new bike and it comes time to trim the hydraulic lines I take way too long to do it. I measure, eyeball, estimate, cut, eyeball, wince, eyeball, measure, cut... I do this until I think it looks perfect. Symmetry can not be truly had when trimming hydro lines since they start in similar albeit opposite spots on the handlebars, but their journeys take them to different locations on the bike. This does not stop me from trying to attain something close to perfect symmetry.

I have anal retentive tendencies. These are not the main driving force in my brain, but coupled with my ADD I can get wrapped up in trying to attain perfection knowing that it can not be attained no matter how hard I try.

What does this have to do with sliders?

Sliders work perfectly well, in that they do a most excellent job in creating a state of proper tension on a single speed drive train. Unfortunately for me they create an issue. As the wheel is pulled further back from the bottom bracket it is up to the user (me) to keep the wheel centered. This is done by eyeballing the wheel in the stays and adjusting the dropouts as needed. The problem is that ocular dominance makes it difficult to get it exactly centered using only my eyeballs, and couple that with the fact that the stays may not be exactly symmetrical, I feel like I am fighting a losing battle. My ADD kicks in, but in the manner that most do not associate with the condition. Instead of being what some might call "scatter brained", I slip into a state of intense hyper focus, and time is lost as I fall into the wormhole of my situation. I brake out tiny rulers and measure the rim to stay distance and the adjustment bolt length, I count threads on the adjusting bolts, I flip the wheel to take into account any unevenness in the wheel's dish, I run the sliders all the way up, put the wheel in, lock the skewer, and count turns on the adjustment bolt... if there is a way to check that the wheel is dead center, I've tried it.

I'll admit I realize that it does not matter if the wheel is 100% in center line with the frame. I wonder how many standard dropout frames have a variance of a millimeter or two. The problem is that I'm the one determining just how centered it is in this case, so I am going to mess with it until I am fully satisfied... every time I change a cog, tighten or replace a chain, or whenever else it would be necessary. I was never "fully satisfied."

I know that when I tension my chain using an EBB my position on the bike gets changed. Saddle to axle measurement, saddle to cockpit distance, virtual chainstay length... that does not bother me. It "looks" fine from all angles, and my brain can accept the consequences. I do not notice the changes, and more importantly they are all changes made in a plane that does not affect the bike symmetrically as I stare at it across the room.

None of that makes sense. It is my problem, not yours. When you have to decide whether you want sliders or an EBB all you have to do is determine what's important to you, your position on the bike or wheelbase. They both work, they both have their drawbacks, and they both have their fair share of detractors and supporters.

I would go on and on even more, but I'm outta time.

Personally I think Detective Arthur Dietrich woulda went with an EBB.

I'm off work till next Tuesday. I'm not sure if I'll post between now and then.

Depends on how bored/inspired I am over the long five day holiday.

LATE EDIT ~ I will have to post more on this topic over the five day holiday. Any and all comments will be addressed at that point in time.

Until then, I give you this: