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Sheldon Brown (bicycle mechanic): Difference between revisions

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| title = Chain Maintenance | title = Chain Maintenance
| author = Sheldon Brown | author = Sheldon Brown
| accessdate = 2012-12-27}}</ref> a topic which is often a source of disagreement among riders and among lubricant manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web | accessdate = 2012-12-27}}</ref> a topic which is often a source of disagreement{{cn}} among riders and among lubricant manufacturers.{{primary source-inline}}<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/outofshop.shtml | url = http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/outofshop.shtml
| title = Keeping Your Bike Out of the Bike Shop | title = Keeping Your Bike Out of the Bike Shop
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| publisher = Bikesport Inc. | publisher = Bikesport Inc.
| quote = The third critical area of preventive maintenance is chain lube. Before I start, let me say this is an area of considerable controversy. | quote = The third critical area of preventive maintenance is chain lube. Before I start, let me say this is an area of considerable controversy.
| accessdate = 2012-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | accessdate = 2012-12-31}}{{self-published inline|date=December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Chain_How-To_-_Part_1_3279.html | url = http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Chain_How-To_-_Part_1_3279.html
| title = Chain How-To - Part 1 | title = Chain How-To - Part 1
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| quote = Why then, is there so much controversy surrounding chains? For such a (seemingly) black-and-white topic, there is an astounding amount of perceived ‘chain black magic’. How do they work? Why do they break? What’s the proper way to lube a chain – wax, oil plus additives, sewing machine oil, or something else entirely? | quote = Why then, is there so much controversy surrounding chains? For such a (seemingly) black-and-white topic, there is an astounding amount of perceived ‘chain black magic’. How do they work? Why do they break? What’s the proper way to lube a chain – wax, oil plus additives, sewing machine oil, or something else entirely?
| publisher = SlowTwitch.com | publisher = SlowTwitch.com
| accessdate = 2012-12-31}}</ref> | accessdate = 2012-12-31}}{{self-published inline|date=December 2012}}</ref>


===Print Publications=== ===Print Publications===
Brown was a contributing writer for ''Bike World'' magazine (USA) in the late 1970s and for ] magazine (USA) in the early 1980s, then for the trade magazine ''American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist'' from approximately{{vague|date=December 2012}} 1988 through 1992.<ref>{{cite web Brown was a contributing writer for ''Bike World'' magazine (USA) in the late 1970s{{cn|date=December 2012}} and for ] magazine (USA) in the early 1980s{{cn|date=December 2012}}, then for the trade magazine ''American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist{{verification failed|date=December 2012}}'' from approximately{{vague|date=December 2012}} 1988 through 1992{{verification failed|date=December 2012}}.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html | url = http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html
| title = Sheldon Brown's Home Page | title = Sheldon Brown's Home Page
| author = Sheldon Brown | author = Sheldon Brown
| accessdate = 2012-12-27}}</ref> From 1999<ref>{{cite web | accessdate = 2012-12-27}}</ref> Brown wrote the July 1999 "Mechanical Advantage" column for ''Adventure Cyclist'', the magazine of the ]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/fenders.pdf | url = http://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/fenders.pdf
| title = Who Needs Fenders? All but fair-weather cyclists | title = Who Needs Fenders? All but fair-weather cyclists
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| publisher = ] | publisher = ]
| date = July 1999 | date = July 1999
| accessdate = 2012-12-27}}</ref> until shortly before his death, he wrote the "Mechanical Advantage" column for ''Adventure Cyclist'', the magazine of the ]. In 2004, Brown was recognized for his contribution to cycling by the ]'s ] (CTC).<ref>{{cite web | accessdate = 2012-12-27}}</ref> In October 2003, Brown reported on his site that he was issued a certificate of commendation for his contribution to cycling by the ]'s ](CTC).<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://sheldonbrown.com/org/journal/journal-0309.html | url = http://sheldonbrown.com/org/journal/journal-0309.html
| title = Sheldon Brown's Journal | title = Sheldon Brown's Journal
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| title = Cranks & Bottom Brackets Q&A | title = Cranks & Bottom Brackets Q&A
| url=http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3807 | url=http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3807
| accessdate = 2007-05-2e4 | accessdate = 2007-05-24
| postscript = <!--None-->}}</ref> | postscript = <!--None-->}}</ref>


Revision as of 05:10, 1 January 2013

Sheldon Brown
Sheldon Brown, icebiking
Born(1944-07-14)July 14, 1944
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
DiedFebruary 4, 2008(2008-02-04) (aged 63)
Newton, Massachusetts, USA
Cause of deathHeart attack
NationalityAmerican
Other namesChristopher Joyce (nom de plume); Carapace Completed Umber (alter ego)
Occupationbicycle shop employee
EmployerHarris Cyclery
SpouseHarriet Fell
ChildrenTova and George
Parent(s)George Matson Brown and Madalyn Joyce Brown
Websitehttp://www.sheldonbrown.com/
Notes

Sheldon Brown (July 14, 1944 – February 4, 2008) was an American bicycle mechanic and a recognized technical author on bicycles. He had contributed to print and online sources related to bicycling and bicycle mechanics.

Biography

Brown was the parts manager, webmaster and technical consultant of Harris Cyclery, a bike shop in West Newton, Massachusetts. He was an enthusiast for and maintained pages about old and classic bicycles and cycling, including Raleigh and English three-speed bicycles, Sturmey-Archer hubs, tandems, and fixed-gear bicycles. He repaired cameras, and was an amateur photographer and his site features his photographic work.

Brown maintained a English-French cycling dictionary and had lived and cycled in France and wrote on his family's travels in France.

After developing nerve deterioration over the last years of his life, Brown lost his ability to balance an upright bicycle and continued riding with a recumbent tricycle. In August 2007, Brown was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and died in February 2008 after a heart attack.

Online

Brown's website, developed with Harris Cyclery, includes technical information. The site remains current as of December 2012 - the commercial pages are maintained and updated by Harris Cyclery employees, and the informational pages by his widow, Harriet Fell and his friend, John Allen, "a nationally recognized bicycling expert who helped found the Cambridge Bicycle Committee." Brown maintained the site's glossary of bicycling terminology, online guide to wheelbuilding, as well as the mirror sites of the technical work of Damon Rinard, Jobst Brandt, and others. Brown had also participated in online cycling forums such as rec.bicycles.tech newsgroup and bikeforums.net.

Brown was a proponent of fixed-gear, single-speed bicycles for ordinary street use. Brown developed a method to determine and compare bicycle gear ratios with Galen Evans and Osman Isvan. For any combination of front chainring, rear cog, wheel size and crank length, his method results in a number that Brown terms the "gain ratio".

Also, Brown expressed personal opinions on chain cleaning, lubrication and wear, a topic which is often a source of disagreement among riders and among lubricant manufacturers.

Print Publications

Brown was a contributing writer for Bike World magazine (USA) in the late 1970s and for Bicycling magazine (USA) in the early 1980s, then for the trade magazine American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist from approximately 1988 through 1992. Brown wrote the July 1999 "Mechanical Advantage" column for Adventure Cyclist, the magazine of the Adventure Cycling Association In October 2003, Brown reported on his site that he was issued a certificate of commendation for his contribution to cycling by the UK's Cyclists' Touring Club(CTC). CTC's Chris Juden mentioned Brown's site in his response to a letter to the editor email.

References

  1. ^ Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Certificate of Death
  2. ^ Brown, Sheldon. "Sheldon Brown's Home Page". Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  3. Sheldon Brown. "Postings by Carapace Completed Umber". Retrieved 2012-12-27. Although I am well known to have no sense of humor whatever, my alter ego, Carapace Completed Umber, is silly enough for both of us. This page collects some of his postings to various bicycle-related newsgroups.
  4. ^ Kerber, Ross (2008-02-08). "Homespun wisdom". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2012-12-25. To a worldwide readership, Brown was a sage in cyberspace. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Sheldon Brown Obituary". The Times. 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2012-12-25. His knowledge of bicycles ... was encyclopedic
  6. ^ Boulanger, Gary (2008-02-04). "Sheldon Brown: 1944 - 2008". BikeRadar. Bath, England: Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2012-12-25. Sheldon Brown, the human encyclopedia of bicycling knowledge and a famous employee of Harris Cyclery in Massachusetts, died of a massive heart attack Sunday evening, February 3.
  7. ^ Singel, Ryan. "Sheldon Brown, Web's Cycling Guru, Dies". Wired. Retrieved 2012-12-25. Brown worked as the technical guru and Webmaster for Harris Cyclery in West Newton, Massachusetts.
  8. Candy Kosow Gold (Feb 06, 2008). "Newton cyclist, guru, long-time bike shop mechanic dies suddenly". The Newton TAB. Retrieved 2012-120-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  9. Brown, Sheldon. "Servicing English Three Speeds". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  10. Sheldon Brown. "Sturmey-Archer Bicycle Hubs". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  11. Sheldon Brown. "Tandem Bicycle articles". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  12. Sheldon Brown. "Articles about Fixed Gear Cycling and Equipment". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  13. Sheldon Brown. "Sheldon Brown's Photography Page". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  14. Sheldon Brown. "Sheldon Brown's France Page". Retrieved 2012-12-27. Our family lived in France for the 1988-89 school year, in Chevreuse, a small village 30 km southwest of Paris. We loved the place and the people, and we miss them very much.
  15. Brown, Sheldon. "The Bright Side of MS by Sheldon Brown". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  16. "Sheldon Brown: 1944 - 2008". Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  17. "Harris Cyclery Bicycle Accessories". Retrieved 2012-12-27. Copyright © 2005, 2008, 2012 Harris Cyclery
  18. Fell, Harriet. "What's New on sheldonbrown.com". Harriet Fell and John Allen. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  19. Kristen Lombardi (August 2002). "A dangerous & now deadly bicycle policy". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 2012-12-27. John Allen, a nationally recognized bicycling expert who helped found the Cambridge Bicycle Committee.
  20. "Damon Rinard's Bicycle Tech Site". Retrieved 2012-12-27. Damon Rinard maintained and hosted the Rinard Tech Pages up until May, 2001, when a change in employment made it impractical for him to continue. Since this site is too good to be allowed to disappear from the Web, Harris Cyclery is now hosting it, with Damon's permission and cooperation. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 146 (help)
  21. Jobst Brandt. "Frequently Asked Questions about Bicycles and Bicycling". Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  22. John Schubert (February 2008). "Sheldon Brown 1944-2008" (PDF). Adventure Cycling. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  23. Sheldon Brown. "Singlespeed Bicycle Conversions". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  24. Brown, Sheldon. "Gain Ratios". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  25. Sheldon Brown. "Chain Maintenance". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  26. Tom Demerly. "Keeping Your Bike Out of the Bike Shop". Bikesport Inc. Retrieved 2012-12-31. The third critical area of preventive maintenance is chain lube. Before I start, let me say this is an area of considerable controversy.
  27. Greg Kopecky (Dec 16, 2012). "Chain How-To - Part 1". SlowTwitch.com. Retrieved 2012-12-31. Why then, is there so much controversy surrounding chains? For such a (seemingly) black-and-white topic, there is an astounding amount of perceived 'chain black magic'. How do they work? Why do they break? What's the proper way to lube a chain – wax, oil plus additives, sewing machine oil, or something else entirely?
  28. Sheldon Brown. "Sheldon Brown's Home Page". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  29. Sheldon Brown (July 1999). "Who Needs Fenders? All but fair-weather cyclists" (PDF). Adventure Cycling Association. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  30. Cyclists' Touring Club (October 6, 2003). "Sheldon Brown's Journal". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved 2012-12-31. One of the oldest and most highly respected cycling organizations in the world is the 125 year old Cyclists Touring Club. I'm very, very proud that they have voted to issue a Certificate of Commendation to me for my Website and other Internet activities.
  31. Juden, Chris. "Cranks & Bottom Brackets Q&A". Retrieved 2007-05-24.

External links

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