texts: What are the typical range of maximum braking friction forces?

texts:
There are many non-bike applications which benefit from using bicycle hardware. Case in point, there is a long and rich tradition of using bike  parts in aviation. One particular area of interest is using bike brakes as a weight- and cost-optimized braking solution for many types of spinning shafts.
However, before prototyping with these parts it would be good to understand what are their operational limits.
While there are some good references for the maximum deceleration which can be reasonably attained by a bicycle (it seems that ~0.7g is a typical value), this does not address what are the brakes' ultimate force limits.
I am interested in understanding what are industry ball-park figures for the friction force on disc as in the below image. Please note that this is separate from the braking force a rider experiences, which is the road pushes tyre/tyre pushes road.

Questions

What are typical ranges for maximum bike rim and disc braking forces?
How is this affected by off-the-shelf brake pad material?
What is the force difference (absolute or relative) between hydraulic and cable actuated disc brakes?
What is the force difference (absolute or relative) between hydraulic and cable actuated rim brakes?

P.S. I realize that torque is ultimately what is being transmitted through the wheel to the tire, but the torque arises because of drag forces generated by the brake. So if your answer gives torque specs please reference the diameter so I can convert to force.


texts: What is a good roof-rack configuration for optimal gas mileage?

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I have a standard 2 bar roof rack (such as Yakima or Thule) with interchangeable and move-able bike / ski racks. I often carry 2 bicycles. Which will give me the best (least worse) gas mileage on my car:

Both bikes as close together as possible, or on opposite edges of the roof?
If together, centered, or on one side or the other?
Front wheel on (full upright) or front wheel off (fork mount)?


texts:
My rear wheel is very bent and I need a new replacement, but I'm not sure on which wheel I'm supposed to get for my bike I was told I could get a freewheel but I don't know what that means. I assumed it was like getting a new front wheel
This is the information I believe may be relevant that I know about my bike, it has:

Shimano Cassette CS-HG41 7 Speed 11-28T
Shimano BB-UN26 68 X 122.5mm - Shimano BBUN26
68 X 122.5mm
SHIMANO CHAINSET 48/38/28 170 M171

I believe the rim size is 700 x 38c - 28 but I'm not too sure so I have attached an image of the tyre below


texts: Glued grip has rotated, won't rotate back

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The leather-like grips on my cruiser have rotated a bit over the last year and a half; the faux "stitching" on one of them is now at a location that feels weird when I'm holding it. I can't rotate the grip back by hand.

How can I loosen the adhesive enough that I can rotate the grip back to the correct position, without removing it?


texts: Should I stick with my Stolen (brand) BMX or should I build my own bike?

texts:
I live in Greece and I am 13 years old. Recently I found a Flatland frame and thought about building my own bike. Should I build my own bike or should I stick with the Stolen BMX I already have?
I haven't tried to build one before so if you can give me some advice that would be nice. The frame looks like this:


texts: What do I need to do to bring this bike back to life?

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I've neglected this bike, a Marin Bridgeway, for the past 3-ish years. It's spent a significant part of that time sitting in the sun and (occasionally) rain. I want to fix it up again, but I have no knowledge of bike maintenance and want to just run things by someone more knowledgeable than me to set me on the right track. The main problems I can see that would affect useability are that the tires are flat, and the chain is pretty rusty and has slipped off the chain ring. The back cassettes also look pretty rusty. From the small testing I've done, the wheels seem to turn fine, and when I squeeze the brakes they seem to work, but it's hard to know without riding the bike. I can't really tell whether there are any problems with the shifters at the moment.
For the tires - I see tiny cracks all along the side of the tires. I photographed the worst ones on the front and back tire, respectively. Is this a sign that I need to replace the tires entirely or is this okay? I am also thinking that I'll probably need to replace both of the inner tubes, since I recall that one of the reasons I stopped using this bike was I kept getting a flat tire, but I don't actually know how to check the quality of the inner tube.

For the chain - I looked at some online tutorials and think I can remove it myself. After that, I'm not sure how to tell whether the chain is in good enough condition to just remove the rust and put it back on, or whether I need a new chain entirely. This bike forum post recommended using Evapo-Rust to remove the rust.

For the cassette - I also want to clean the rust off of it, but I'm a bit less certain on how to remove the cassette from the bike. Do I need specialized tools to do it? What is a chain whip and what is its purpose? I don't own any bike tools at all, so to keep down expenses I'd like to minimize unnecessary purchases.

In addition to making it rideable, I would also like to fix up the appearance of the bike a bit. My dad gave me this bike as a gift and I feel bad for having let its condition deteriorate. In particular, most of the screws and bolts on the bike look fairly rusty too, and the top of the seat looks a little worn. My idea is to remove the screws in small batches, cleaning them with a rust cleaner, and reattach them.

Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to offer my guidance and advice. I am very grateful for your help and look forward to understanding my bike better!


texts:
I need help with identify what materials is this frame

I need to know if this is indeed aluminium? (weight 1.2 kg for 15 inch frame hybrid, is not ferromagnetic).
If it is, why would it have a few green/white rust, especially at the weldings/joints?

What is the material that has yellow/bronze color outside the frame? Is it a primer? Or anodized?

I would really appreciate your help and knowledge on this matter. I would really want to paint it, but I have no idea which primer I need for this frame (aluminium or anodized...)

Disclaimer:From other question/answer (I did have a look) I guess it is aluminium, but then the rust and the color does not match Aluminium characteristics and therefore, I would like to ask.


texts: Why does rear tire lose 35 psi in a week with new innertube and tire?

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My hybrid bike recently got a piece of glass through my rear tire and innertube.

I bought both a new tire and innertube (700x35c schrader).

I filled up both tires to 65psi.  A week later the front tire had 57 psi but the rear tire was at 30.  The same thing has been happening for a couple of weeks now.

What can cause this?  Did I just cause a small hole while installing the innertube?  Is the solution to just replace the innertube again and hope it doesn't happen in the future?


texts: Kenda Kwest 100 psi tires (presta valve)

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I am pretty new to bicycles.

Got my hands on Kenda Kwest 100 PSI tires with presta valves and I have a couple of questions about inflating them.

Using a floor pump, do I need to pump them a bit over 100 PSI? When taking the pump head off, it feels like the PSI drops a little bit due to airflow.
What's a good floor pump? I just moved and the movers lost mine.

Please kindly let me know. Thanks in advance.


texts: Should I leave the water bottle tip open or shut while in the cage?

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When I'm riding (all road, never trails) I leave the tip on my water bottle shut. When I take a drink, I pull the tip open with my teeth, squirt some water, and then bump it against my slightly-opened teeth to shut the tip again.

I do it because the tip of my bottle will often get dirty, and I'll have to wipe it off with my shirt before drinking. If I leave it open grime would get inside the tip of the bottle.

It is a bit tedious, but I'm now used to it. Is this standard practice?


texts: Effect of reducing tire pressure for riding on snow

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All other factors being the same (normal carved tires, 28x1.40, paved road with 5-10 cm snow), does reducing the tires pressure provide any improvement for cycling onto snow?

My idea is that lowering the pressure increases the contact area and thus the grip.


texts: Chain skip happening seemingly at random with a new chain

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My bike's a 24-gear trail/road hybrid, and I've had it for about three years (although I've been riding it much more lately than in previous years).

For a long while, I've had an issue with chain skip happening seemingly at random, even on level, paved paths, however this issue was always more serious going uphill. I decided to replace my chain yesterday (it's appropriately sized, was pre-lubed, and none of the links locked upon inspection), however on this morning's commute I still got the same amount of skip, likewise more serious going uphill.

I've tried using best practices to avoid this issue, as well:

I avoid pedalling while changing gears
I've checked my front and rear derailleur alignment (and adjusted it as best I could, there's still a very, very slight amount of scraping on the front derailleur if the chain has to travel too far laterally e.g. between my largest front sprocket and the smallest sprocket on the cassette on the rear wheel)
I've double-checked that the links don't block, multiple times
The teeth on the front sprockets as well as on the cassette don't seem to be overly worn down

Two more factors could be relevant to this; this new chain has those "tool-free" break links (you bend the chain to attach or detach one side of the link and break the chain), and I'm a more heavyset guy, so I pedal hard - I think this could be putting more stress on the chain.

I'm not sure what else I can do to reduce chain skip.

Update: I've gone by my LBS and apparently one of the chain gears is in fact worn down (I just didn't know how to tell, apparently).


texts: (Automatic Bike Project) amount of torque required to change gears?

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I am planning to build an electronically controlled automatic bike transmission for my senior design project. I'm personally more of an electrical guy, so dealing with the mechanics is somewhat new to me. I would have loved to use an off-the-shelf electronic derailleur, but alas, they are too cost prohibitive (the school has allotted a budget of $115 per student and we're a group of two, so we have $230 to spend). So I'm going to need to make my own like several other people have done.

I am planning on using the bike's current derailleurs and replacing the hand shifters with motors of some sort to pull on the cables. Of course, we're going to need a certain amount of torque to shift up (and much less for shifting down) and a holding torque to ensure that we don't accidentally slip down a gear.

I have not bought a bike yet, I'm looking at a Diamondback bike that I found on Craigslist (it looks like a hybrid bike). So I'm wondering if there are any average measurements for the required torque.

And of course, I'm sure there are many people more experienced in bicycling than I am. So if you have a better solution, please feel free to shout it out. I'm all ears.


texts: I have a cheap mens Huffy mountain bike which I noticed has 2 holes in the frame. Would this be too unsafe to ride?


texts:
somehow the alloy braking surface of my rear wheel's rim has got a series of quite shallow lacerations, less than a mil' deep bunched quite closely together (the effected area is no more than 1/8 of the rim).

When I brake (side pull road bike brakes) I can hear it making a different sound on each rotation has the damage goes past the pads.

The wheels are Reparto Corse's which came with my Bianchi, they are new and have less than 1k miles (probably way less). And they are fine in every other respect.

So I guess my options are:

Leave it and let it smooth out with use. May take some time and wear down brake pads faster.
Lightly sand the worst offending parts with high grit abrasive paper.
Fill the damage with expoxy (or similar) then sand.
Replace the rim (would it worth the labour cost?)

So are any of these good options or do you have any idea what you may also do?

Thanks


texts: Are there downsides to cross-top brake levers? Compatible with all mechanical-hydraulic disc brakes?

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I have a Genesis Croix de Fer 20 from a few years ago with the following specs:

Brakes: TRP HY-RD mechanical-hydraulic caliper w/160mm TR160 rotors
Levers: Shimano Tiagra ST-4700

I would like to fit some cross-top brake levers (otherwise known as "interrupter", "in-line" or "top mount" levers) but am concerned about the following:

Can it decrease the braking efficiency of the main levers?
Are cross-top levers compatible with my mechanical-hydraulic disc brakes?
Are there any specific models that are recommended for this setup?

I'm considering the Tektro ones depending on my OD:

24.0mm - RL720
26.0mm - RL726
31.8mm - RL721


texts: Another flatbar to dropbar conversion noob

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I am thinking of changing my Boardman HYB to a drop bar setup. Trying to avoid having to change the entire group set if I being honest as I am on a tight budget.
Currently, its Shimano Acera 2x9 and has hydraulic disk brakes.
I can't find any drop levers that support 2x9 and hydraulic disks. Unless I am just not looking in the right place?
What are my best options for keeping this low budget without loosing the hydraulic disks?
Hoping to be in a position to buy a new gravel bike in the next year or 2, so I don't want to be chucking loads of money at this conversion now.
Thanks


texts:
I found an old bike and I am not experienced with bikes. I am wondering if these brakes need to be changed:

I am not sure if this is in all bikes, but the mechanism of the brakes looks too old to me. You just press the brakes and those cables get stretched and the bike stops. Is that ok/normal and safe?


texts: Older road freewheels vs new mountain bike freewheels?

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I heard an interesting opinion yesterday that said all freewheels made back in the day (we were discussing this over a wheel with a Maillard hub and a Maeda (?) freewheel). The shop mechanic said that because it was made in the hey-day of freewheels, it was automatically better than anything made today, in which everything freewheel is being slowly phased out. Now I've tried out mountain/hybrid bike freewheels on a road bike, and I liked the ramps and such, but do the older freewheels (especially entry-mid level ones) really hold that much over modern freewheels?

This may sound a little opinion based, but I'm know there's a factual answer out there comparing weight, usability, durability, features, and other technical attributes which make a difference to general, everyday performance.

Also, I'm strictly comparing members of the thread-on class, not discussing the merits of cassettes and free-hubs and other modern technology. I tend to run a lot of older technology by virtue of it being cheaper to pick up and cheaper to replace when my daily is stolen and cheaper to maintain myself.


texts:
I pumped my cycle front tyre to 105 psi (700*23c) 5 days back and cycled some 60 km on the same day without any punctures. Afterwards I parked the cycle in my bedroom for the last 5 days (due to security reasons I always park them in my bedroom).

Today in the evening the cycle tyre burst and I don't know for what reason. The burst occurred on the middle of the tyre and since not only the tube but also the tyre burst it couldn't be a slow puncture. The temperature in the room would have hardly reached 30 degree Celsius. I have ridden a total of about 4000 km and the tube-tyre set is from the manufacturer.

Does anyone know the reason for this and how to prevent this?


texts: Are clear hydraulic brake lines available for sale?

texts:
Since all brake lines are not see through, the only way to determine if your brake needs a bleed is by feeling the brakes. If they are "squishy", then you need a brake bleed.
I'm of the opinion that sight would be more effective to determine if there are air bubbles in your system.
Are there clear hyrdraulic brake lines available for sale?
If they are not available, is there a techincal reason why they are not feasible?
Here's some examples:
Seth Bikes Hacks How to Bleed MTB Brakes
Clear Shimano Hydrualic Brake


texts: Can't fit damper back into suspension forks

texts:
I'm driving myself mad here trying to fix this. I work in a local bike rental / repair store, and took apart a bike's Suntour NEX 4610 V4 (2012?) forks from one of the rental bikes - now I can't fit the forks back together again. The 'damper unit' won't compress back to its previous state, it can't fit in.

Previously the bike's suspension hadn't been working, it seemed permanently locked and the lockout knob wasn't having an effect. I'm not too worried about that, but while doing some basic maintenance I took the forks apart, and from the right leg (leg with the lockout, so I figure it's related) came a compressing rod that manuals call the damping unit. It was already compressed to its maximum inside the fork, which must have been why the suspension wasn't working.

Anyway, I took the rod out and tested it a few times, and while doing so it suddenly extended past its original least compressed state, or longest length.
I tried pushing it back, and now it cannot, literally cannot be pushed back to how it was originally compressed to fit into the fork. It barely goes half way.

... I haven't made much progress during my hours of fiddling. There's definitely the sloshing sound of oil inside. I was tempted to try opening the thing up and changing the oil - maybe there's too much inside - but there's no point I can open. The lockout knob on the top is firmly attached and the screw at the bottom is holding it tight, and isn't designed to fit a spanner. Probably not meant to be removed?
Curiously I did on one occasion make slow progress; I twisted the rod, messed randomly in frustration with the (old hard to turn, seemingly broken) lockout knob at the top, and found I could kind of lock it at certain points, which I could kind of use in increments to compress the whole rod tighter, getting closer to its original compression. I got fairly close, but once I let it go it just slowly slid back to the overly extended position. There were definitely a lot of sloshing sounds during that whole process. Again, the oil is maybe the problem? Or did I do something stupid with the lockout?

I don't care anymore for fixing the suspension, I'd like to just try get it back in the bike for now. But the task seems impossible. As is perhaps clear, despite working in a shop I'm not actually too experienced with this. Would really appreciate any tips or advice, even direction towards where I should focus would help.
I've attached some photos. I can't find a manual that details anything on this for the Suntour Nex 4610 V4. I did at least find the exploded view here. Makes me think that the rod I'm dealing with (top left of exploded view) isn't meant to be disassembled so oil isn't meant to be messed with. Also it shows the lockout cap removed, but through no amount of force can I get the cap off (might be because bike's old and that cap's very chewed up. I can barely fit a thin knife under it).


texts: Nexus 7 speed will not go into 6. and 7. gear

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Hope someone can help
I have an elder Nexus 7 speed internal gear, which will not shift to 6. and 7. gear but go backwards. Instead of getting the 6. and 7. gear, I get 4. or 3. gear. The clickshifter is new and the cable runs smooth in the sleeve, and the gear is well adjusted acc. to the manual. I have had the gear out of the hub and it is well oiled and greased, and I've found no sticking parts or that kind at all. So it is really mysterious! Has someone amongst you experienced the same peculiarity and can you tell how to cure this?
Best regards
Tom


texts: New to cycling, questions about over doing it

texts: I just got my bike last week, it's a single speed. I bought it to go ride the forest preserve trails near me for exercise and I don't know how far I should be riding before I'm pushing myself too far too soon. I've rode the past 2 days, 6 mile per day. Is this a good amount? Should I go further?


texts:
I asked this question and got very good answers, but now I have a related question.

Do you have any special techniques for patching a tube outside of the generic instructions that are supplied with patch kits, if so feel free to post them, this can include how to locate the leak, buff and clean the area, how to mark the position as to center the patch, etc.

We can assume this is patching done at home and not on while we are on a ride, but you can post techniques for that also, but please make a note about a repair while on a ride.

Comments on types and brands of patches welcomed if they are not already covered in my original question linked above.

Let the Patching advice begin!


texts: What is the origin country of the bicycle brand called Longhorn?

texts: I recently brought a hybrid bicycle from a brand called Longhorn. I have never heard about it. However the quality is quite good. So I am quite curious to know from which country the brand originates and if it has been established for a long time or if it is a newer brand. I brought the bike from India.


texts: I am interested in buying/building a storage shed that can hold three standard 19" mountain bikes. Ideally, the space would be as small as possible while still allowing one person to get the bike in and out. I am fine with having to take all the bikes out to get to the one I want, but I don't want to have to disassemble the bike (I don't even want to take the wheels off) to put it away. What dimension should the shed be and how big does the opening have to be?


texts:
Asked this on diaspora, but was urged to come here, so, here's my question:

I tend to slide BACK on my saddle really far, to the point where my sit bones are very near to the edge. If I try to scoot forward, it's markedly more uncomfortable for the soft tissues and the angle of my legs doesn't feel right. The bike frame itself is the right size-- the shop helped me with that. So I don't know if I just have a big ass, a weirdly long torso, or what?

I was told that I should never, under any circumstance, adjust the seat further back on the post, but I'm somewhat at a loss of what I should do to fit my body's dimensions.

Also, I need a new saddle anyways, so any suggestions would be helpful. (Assuming they won't cost me an arm and a leg. I'm unemployed, after all.)


texts: How to dry out the inside of a bicycle frame?

texts:
I have a bicycle with a high carbon steel frame. For the most part, this frame is sealed off from the air, but there are some bolts, through which water can get through during rainy days or when washing the bicycle. I am concerned this could cause rust.

Is there a method by which to dry the interior of the bicycle out, to avoid rust?


texts:
I used to live in Australia where rain is scarce. I've recently moved to SEA where it rains almost everyday in the past month. Hence, the road conditions are less favorable as they are always damp regardless the time of the day.

Recently, I've noticed rust on my chain and the surface of my cassette. This did not happen in Australia as I clean my bike after every ride, and a thorough wash every week. Hence, I'm not sure whether the weather here is the pain in the ass or there's just something wrong. I've always been using dry lube because I've bought bunch of them in Australia. Will that be a significant cause?

If so, what should I do with the rust? They could be scrubbed off fairly easily but there are still some left between the ridges. Should I bring it in to the LBS or just shrug it off and try to get some wet lubes and observe for some time?


texts: I have a 700cc rear wheel with gear cassette. The centering or dish of the wheel appears to balance towards the gear cassette. This means when i use a tool like the below image, that the hub (and the hub lock nuts) is not in the centre. Should I be truing the rear wheel to be centered on the dish or is it off-set towards the gear cassette for a reason?


texts: Chain crunching after degrease and lubrication

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I did the usual degrease and lubrication on my mountain bike today but when I tried to ride the bike later on I heard pretty bad crunching sounds.

The sound is definitely coming from somewhere around the drivetrain and becomes more prominent with a more forceful pedal. I can only reproduce the sound when shifting to the middle cog using the front derailleur. The sound is not made on the small cog on the front but is still made slightly on the largest cog using the front derailleur. The sound is worse when shifting to the smaller cogs using the rear derailleur.

The bike is also now struggling to shift to the highest cog using the front derailleur from the middle, it looks like the front derailleur may be misaligned somehow during the process, this was not the case before I cleaned the bike, does this sound like a possibility?

I also opted for a more thorough clean of my drivetrain this time round and removed my entire back wheel, could putting the back wheel on incorrectly have caused this problem? Alternatively, could this also be a sign of chain wear?

I have only clocked around 200km on the bike so far. The bike is a Calibre Two-Two with Shimano derailleurs and gears.

If any additional details or photos are needed, please ask and I will provide them.


texts:
I have a 50s/60 Murray Ez-Step Two Step tricycle. The solid rubber front tire is cracked almost in half and needs to be replaced. I am having an extremely difficult time finding a replacement. Here are the measurements. Tire: 9.75"OD x 7"ID x 1.375width. The rim is 7"OD x 6.5"ID x 1.375"width. Any help finding a suitable replacement would be awesome. Thank you in advance.
Mike


texts: How come my bike has such a short seat post?

texts:
The bike is a 1983 Dawes Galaxy and upon trying the raise the saddle this morning, I found this stubby little thing.

Is this normal for bikes of this age? In either case, why so short?


texts: is this cassette and chain ring combination good in terms of number of teeth?

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I recently bought a used bike which has a shimano alivio 8 speed gearset. When I look at the drivetrain, it really looks small to me. Below are the size of them in terms of the number of teeth:

chainring: 24t,34t,42t

cassette: 11-23T.

Is this combo ok? From what I read this is not the standard no of teeth for chainring and cassette? Are their any drawbacks of using this combo?

EDIT

It's a hybrid bike (Specialized Sirrus) and has 700*32 wheels on it. As for my riding style I mainly ride it on the road, pavements and bicycle trails.


texts:
So this isn't precisely about bicycles but it's pretty close, right? Please point me to a more relevant Stack Exchange forum if there is one.

I am trying to optimize my daily commute. I usually walk slightly over a kilometer (slightly under a mile) to the station I depart from and about the same distance from the station I arrive at to my destination.

There are buses, but those are a bad option due to heavy traffic. I can rent a city bicycle for my "home - station" segment, but not for the other segment. So I settled on bying a... "personal transportation device"? (is there a word for it?)

There are lots of them on the market: skateboards, bikes, electric skateboards and electric bikes, roller blades, Skyrunners, waveboards and longboards, scooters... I need to pick one that is

Fast (my goal is cutting travel time, after all)
Small, so that I can take it with me on a train. Moscow Metro doesn't allow bicycles, because this.

What would be my best bet?


texts: Why does front wheel keep more air pressure then rear wheel over time?

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After pumping both the tires equally, after a  few weeks pass, the rear tire of my bicycle keeps on getting flatter day by day, and looses pressure.
I have checked everything and there is no leakage anywhere.  Why always does it effect rear wheel?


texts:
The first time I saw a Cannondale with a one-sided fork I was in shock & awe.

But I got to thinking about it, and it seems to me like it's just a marketing strategy, touting the quality and mechanical sophistication of the brand.

It saves some weight, maybe. But it loses so much strength. How could it possibly have a better strength/weight ratio than a traditional fork?


texts:
I went to a bike shop for new tires. I did not know which tires fit on my bike, so I just showed them my bike.

When I took a look at the new tires, there was a label at the side, which says:

  40-622 (700x38C-28x1 5/8 x 1 1/2)

What do all these numbers mean? I am asking for two reasons:

I would like to find the right tires for my bike in the future myself
When buying another bike, I would like to buy one where I can use this tires as well


texts: I have a pair of Mavic XA Pro 650b’s that I am trying to fit into my Norco Threshold Carbon SL 2017 is there an obvious reason that the rear wheel fouls the disc mount boss? Am I able to rectify the issue?


texts: New Park Tool truing stand doesn't seem to be calibrated, calibration seems off out of box

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I recently purchased a Park Tool TS-2.2 truing stand, however I feel that the calibration is off. I have a wheel that was recently trued at my LBS and there is a significant gap between the rim and the caliper on the right side.

Assuming a trued wheel is on the stand, shouldn't BOTH calipers be set so that they meet the rim at the same time? I assume the point to having calipers on both sides is so that you can true both sides of the rim at the same time, right? Is it most likely the calipers are off or the arms that hold the wheel off?

Has anyone came up with a cheaper way to calibrate these things? I think it is ridiculous how much Park Tool wants for their centering tool...


texts:
So yesterday I washed my bike which is a Stock Components Surly Straggler 2015. I noted some squeaking around the BB even after lubing the chain so I decided to clean the bottom bracket. I didn't have the tools so I went out to buy them, and funnily, when I came back 2 hours later the squeak was gone. So it must have been related to water somehow. Anyhow, I now had the tools so I wanted to use them.. I removed the left crank and then the spindle. I noted then that the BB only has the two cups, but there's no sleeve, this center plastic tube through which the spindle runs:

I wonder why my bike is missing that piece? Is it not absolutely required?

EDIT: I found the Surly bottom bracket installation instructions here and from this PDF it seems like for my 68mm bracket, no sleeve is provided:

So I guess that the part isn't 'missing', and the mention of 'Road' use in the table could suggest that they assume you don't hit any dirt. The frame does have a small drain hole in the bracket. Well, but I DO hit the dirt. Can anyone suggest a BB upgrade? It somehow seems logical that a sleeve will protect better.


texts: Building an Entry Level MTB. How should I choose suspension forks?

texts: I am new to Mountain Biking. I just bought a CRONUS HOLTS 330 (Hardtail) with Shimano gear system and disk brakes. Its a 19" frame with 26" tyres. All aluminium pretty light weight. The brakes are ok for now the only problem is the suspension forks. The forks are made by zoom and they suck. They dont spring back if they go in I have to jerk the handlebar upwards to bring them back to midway preload position. I am interested in buying a used rockshock air suspension fork but I cant figure out which ones are best for me because there are a million different types out there. Please help.


texts: brand new fixie, different sized dropouts - send back?

texts:
i recently purchased a cheap fixie bike on ebay, brand new. it arrived today and looks great, but when i tried to attach the front wheel i realised that the right dropout is slightly (1mm) larger than the left dropout. also, the right dropout is slightly bent. this means that the wheel needs a lot of pressure to be put in to the dropouts. do you think this is a dealbreaker? should i send the bike back? or get a new fork? or is this normal with no-name bikes? am i compromising the structural integrity if the bike if i ride it?

I bought this bike for £130, and I think return postage would be around £30. The link to the eBay auction that I got the bike from is here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fixed-Gear-Road-bikes-700C-Brand-name-Green-WAY-London-/111469878644?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item19f41f5d74

and I have attached some photos to help illustrate the issue I'm having...


texts: I believe I have a 1952 Schwinn Panther.  Trying to find the serial numbers but very rusty.  Where exactly should I look and will a wire brush help or hurt the bike?


texts: Is BMC PRO MACHINE SLC01 2009 compatible with Ultegra Di2?

texts: Currently I have Ultegra 6800, but I want to upgrade it with Ultegra Di2. My frame (BMC PRO MACHINE SLC01 2009) compatible with Di2?


texts: Is there a weight limit for my mountain bike (Mongoose 29” excursion)?

texts: I have a Mongoose 29" Excursion Mountain bike. I'm 310 lbs. Is there a specific weight limit for this bike?


texts: So I am upgrading my Trek 1.1 (2016) from 8speed Shimano Claris to an assortment of Shimano Ultegra 6800, 105 5800. I just bought a 11speed cassette to complete the major parts (it hasn't shipped yet). Will I also have to buy a larger free hub assembly so that the new cassette will fit? I've never measured the difference so I'm not sure if its necessary.


texts:
I am not talking about swimming in mud. Just a damp trail or even wet pavement - and some modest speed - and the front tire function switches from steering the bike to throwing mud precisely directed at the rider's face.

Without protective gear, the mud and gravel projectiles hit the eyes at unpredictable moments and the chance of loss of steering is significant.

With clear sunglasses, the lens become stained in a couple of minutes and impair vision. I am reluctant to brush them with my glove as I reckon this would:

be not very effective, only transforming the mud droplets into a solid film of mud and sand
scratch the lens badly after several tens of scrapes.

How do downhill riders cope with this? Does the full-face helmet protect the mask in some way? Do they apply anti-water coating on the mask? Do they install some hardy front fender? Or do they just live with it?

In the 2011 Megavelanche, the guy has the camera behind his mask. It got only several drops of dirty water during the entire race, regardless of him riding through snow, mud, water, dirt, gravel. How is this possible, and why do my glasses look like shit when I am touring over asphalt and it rained yesterday?


texts: Safe to mount rear rack for Grail 7.0 al 2020 ( no eyelets )?

texts:
The 2020 model of Canyon al 7.0 gravel bike does not come with eyelets:
https://www.canyon.com/en-sk/road-bikes/gravel-bikes/grail/grail-al-7.0/2370.html

But for longer tours ( for what I would like to use it too ) would need to mount a rear rack.
So the manufacturer does not advice to put on adjustable racks, for example:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07219CDH7/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_BN9EEbNX5G26G

But could it do really harm to an aluminum bike?

Thanks!


texts: How can I stop a belt brake (band brake) from squealing?

texts:
One of our bikes is an electric bike.  It's an older iZip HG 1000, and although we got it through the American "manufacturer" (Currie Technologies), like most of the low-end ebikes it's made in China of heavy steel and uses cheap, cheap, cheap components.

The rear brake is called a belt brake or band brake.  When I was researching this a bit, I came across a discussion that said this type of brake is something like 20 cents cheaper than V-Brakes to manufacture in bulk, which is why it shows up on this type of bike.

Here's a couple pics: just the brake and then one mounted on a bike (not our bike):

Actually, now that I look closely at the pictures, I can see part of why it's cheap - no special frame fittings needed.  The donut-shaped "drum" mounts to the hub, the other piece just fits over that drum and is clamped to the seat stay.

My problem is that the thing squeals like a banshee.  There's no pad adjustment as there would be for cantilevers, the only adjustment is how tight the belt starts.  If I loosen it enough to stop the squealing, there's not enough pull to actually stop the bike.

Is there any adjustment I could do to get rid of the squealing?


texts: Why shouldn't I care what model/make/year my bicycle is?

texts:
We often get questions on bicycles.stackexchange about identifying a bicycles manufacturer, model, make, and year.  Often these questions are downvoted or closed -- usually with a comment attached to them that it's not necessary to know the exact model/make/year of a bicycle if you want to fix, repair, or ride your bike.
Why should owners not care about the model/make/year of their bicycle?
Especially when it comes to less expensive bikes (aka BSOs) and BMX bicycles?
This is intended as a canonical question that we can point closed questions to.
Also see

How can I tell what year my bike was made?
What is the purpose of a serial number?   (generally not helpful for identifying a brand/model)


texts: So basically I fell off my bike and my chain fell of but as soon as I put the chain back on and thought it was perfect I noticed it stayed in gear 6 even if the numbers changed to for example gear 4 it was still on gear 6 so then I put my bike upside down so I could get to the chain easier and then when I put the chain on the gear 5 as soon as I put my hand on the pedal and started pedalling it dropped back into gear 6. What do I do to stop this?


texts: Bar diameter for Genesis Croix de fer 20 (2015)

texts:
I would like to switch my stem for angle adjustable one and I am having trouble identifying the clamp size for the Gensis, Croix de Fer 20 (2015).

I do not see the stem/bar clamp spec listed.

There are various adjustable road stems :

Ritchey adjustable road: 25.4mm bar clamp
Deda adjustable road 31.8mm bar clamp

These both seem to be standard road stem/bar clamp sizes, I am not sure where to find which one Genesis use documented.


texts:
I got a mountain bike with suspension. I'm a pretty light rider so when I actually got on the bike there was no sag what so ever. I believe that it's a spring suspension and it comes with preload.

Is there anything I can do to make the suspension softer since I plan to go head out on some trails. I have already consulted my bike's manual which didn't specify anything and simply stated that I should look up my suspension manufacturers manual. Thing is the suspension is made by the same company and I can't find it anywhere online. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance.


texts:
I have got IronHorse Maverick 3.2 bikes with v brakes and I want to upgrade to disc brakes. The fork and frame both has Is mount so they should be able to get calipers on them with the right mount adaptors.

Should it be possible to put 28' (CHECK THAT) disc rotors on them? (The wheels are 26 inch / 559mm ).

If the wheels don't have fittings for disc rotors, do I have to buy complete new wheels, could I replace the hubs only?


texts: Can I buy a Locking Thru Axle for extra security?

texts:
I've seen security skewers for quick release wheels such as pitlock or pinhead which provide some level of additional security for wheels without carrying bulky locks for wheels (Still wise to use a lock on your frame).

With new bike technology and expensive lightweight hub/wheel builds, it seems like it's difficult to find solutions to secure these wheels a bit better than quick release thru axles. Thru axles are commonplace on mountain bikes and becoming more common on road/cross/adventure bikes.

Though I have seen options for bolt on thru axles, which at least require an Allen key, I have not really seen the same variety of security skewers that use a specialized tool or key to open. What are my options for skewer based security on thru axle bikes?

(May need to consider regular mtb hub spacing, boost, fat bike axle sizes)


texts: 50/34 compact with 11-32 10-speed Shimano 105 - will 11-34 make climbing easier or change chainring

texts:
As mentioned above...I'm running a 50/34 10 speed with 11-32 cassette but would like to change to a configuration that would make climbing hill easier.

I live in a hilly area so every time I cycle, I can't avoid hills almost immediately, averaging 5-11%.  So for a recovery cycle, I still can't avoid pushing high watts.  I'd sacrifice top end speed and even tolerate gaps in the gear ratios elsewhere (which I know would make my cadence uneven here and there) to make the hills easier to climb.  I enjoy high cadence so spinning going up a climb is my preference.  I don't race so basically challenge myself at times and then need recovery rides.

Is it an option to go for a 11-34 or 11-36 even with current config of 54/30 10-speed or maybe shoot for an 11-speed 11-32 or would retaining my 10-speed 11-32 and instead opt for changing the 54/30 compact to something else? My preference would be to make the changes on the cassette end if possible.  I have a new 105 long mech so that should not need to be changed at least, so possibly only the cassette.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts/suggestions


texts: I have bought a KMC Z8S chain , but it slides over the rear cassette . The model of the cassette is Shimano CS-HG30-81 , it is not worn yet , and the chain length is also perfectly calculated . The problem is in IG / HG compatibility in my opinion , because the chain is a little bit wide , and it has a little play along the teeth of the cassette. Do you have any information about the compatibility of this chain with Shimano HG cassette ?


texts:
I recently purchased a new bicycle, unfortunately I am struggling to fit the existing luggage rack I had to it.

The eyelets for connecting the rack to the bicycle are positioned below the top of the wheel, so unless the rack is positioned at a very severe angle (to the point the legs no longer reach the holes near the hub of the wheel) it will not fit.

On my previous bicycle the eyelets were much higher than the top of the wheel, so there was no problem at all.

Is there any way to get around this problem, or am I going to have to buy a new rack with the appropriate fitting?
I've uploaded two photographs to illustrate the problem:

http://i.imgur.com/cgHSk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YHocz.jpg


texts:
I have an 8-year-old old Avid Juicy 3 and I accidentally pressed the front brake lever while the wheel was removed. I used a flat-head screwdriver to reset the pistons. When I spin the wheel after resetting, it works fine, but when I press the lever it  doesn't retract and it rubs against the disk. I thought the oil pressure was the problem and I let some oil out of the system.

Is this because of the dirty pistons?
is it okay that I let some oil out? (Few drops of oil)

Plus the Avid Juicy 3's piston looks weird and I don't know how to clean it. It's shaped like a cone... (Plus plus, i don't know what kind of DOT fluid my brake uses –it's green.)


texts: Can I use a Suntour Cyclone GT Rear Derailleur for a 10 speed Campagnolo cassette?

texts:
I'm building up a road bike and have a wheelset with a rear hub that has a Campagnolo Chorus 10 speed cassette. The front derailleur will be a triple and I'm looking into the possibility of using a long arm friction shift Suntour Cyclone GT rear derailleur.

Is there any reason I can't do this? Will the Cyclone have enough adjustment range? Will I need to replace the derailleur cogs with thinner ones for the 10 speed cassette? I've heard the older derailleurs like the Suntour have worked with 9 speed cassettes, and I may respace the Chorus to a 9 as an option.

This is one of many questions I have to ask about this bike build, but thought it best to focus on one question at a time.


texts: BV-217 Antler bottom bracket service or replacement

texts:
I have a BV-217 Antler

It is at least 7 years old and has had minimal maintenance, if any. I am stripping it down to its bearings and cleaning, re-greasing, reassembling etc.

I am stuck at the bottom bracket. I measured the allen requires as 8mm to remove the pedal arms to start with.

What tools do I need to remove the bracket? (See pictures)
Can I strip it or is better to just replace, if so, with what? It looks unfamiliar to me.
What should the torque be of the nut to hold pedal arms?

Left:

Right:


texts: Is it possible to add speeds to single-speed bike?

texts:
I found this cool cheap single-speed bike on amazon http://www.amazon.de/Fixie-Singlespeed-Viking-Farben-Auswahl/dp/B00BCKQ8AS/ref=lp_235171011_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1422793944&sr=1-1

However my problem with it is that it is single speed & I would like to have 27 speeds. Is it possible to do that manually? i.e. to buy speeds and add it to the bike? I would why they didn't do it themselves!


texts: What is the tiny hole on the inside of the rim for

texts:
Recently I bought a set of Campagnolo Zonda C17 wheels and found that the rear wheel has a tiny hole drilled on the inside of the rim. The diameter could be slightly less than one millimetre and it is present on the rear wheel only. The front wheel is without any extra holes.
I am afraid that tube pressure will make it prone to punctures on the inside, so I am going to patch it with a tape and ride, but I wonder if it was drilled with a purpose.
My another speculation is that it was drilled by the customs, but it makes little sense, because valve hole is just few centimetres away and rims are empty.
Will appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks!


texts:
I have SRAM Guide R hydraulic brakes.

The problem is, the rear brake piston won't come out from the lever body. so I decided to bleed it but it's still less responsive even though I already lubricated the piston assembly with DOT fluid.

Here's what I did:

Removed the wheel and brake pads from the calliper, then inserted the bleed block.
Prepared my syringes with DOT 5.1 fluid. 1 is 1/4 full and the other one is 3/4.
Removed the bleeding cup of the calliper and inserted the 3/4 full syringe and close the clip.
Set the lever full extended and used a rubber band to hold and squeeze the lever to the handle bar.
Removed the bleed screw on the lever and inserted the 1/4 full syringe.
Started the bleeding procedure by opening the clip of the syringe attached on the calliper and push the syringe.
I can see the old fluid coming in the syringe on the lever. I pushed until 1/4 and closed the clip of the syringe attached on the calliper.
Removed the syringe attached on the calliper and inserted back the bleed cup/screw.
Removed the rubber band from the lever and pulled the handle of the syringes attached on the lever to removed the air from the system and closed the clip.
Removed the syringes from the lever body and reinserted the bleed screw.
Cleaned the lever body and calliper with glass cleaner.
Reinserted the pads and wheel.
Fully squeezed the lever and touched to the handle and squeezed again but the lever didn't touch to the handle bar again.

Now, the problem is the piston is not responsive but its better than before I bled system.

Do you think its better to upgrade with saint or zee?


texts: Cheapest way to make 8 speed folding bike a good climber

texts:
I'm planning to buy an 8 speed Dahon Mariner D8 folding bike (2018 version). I'm going add some bike bags to it and do little bit touring so I need good climbing performance. It's a bit difficult to climp steep hills especially with the bags.

I believe it has 52T crankset and 11-32T casette. So I was thinking what if I buy the Shimano Nexus FC-C6000 38T crankset and replace the 52T one with it. Do you think it would be compatible?

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/nexus-c6000-int8/FC-C6000.html

https://www.downtube.com/dahon-mariner-8sp-folding-bike/


texts: What threads are used on Avid BB5 barrel adjusters?

texts:
I thought I might replace the locknut on my front brake barrel adjuster because the current knurled one needs pliers where it sits in an awkward place behind the mudguard stays.  But it's an unusual thread.  It's bigger than M6, but it's 1mm pitch (or 25tpi) An M6 screw seems to engage the female thread but pulls straight out.
Their in-line barrel adjuster uses M6 threads, and I could fit one of those when I re-cable anyway, locking off the one on the brake - but I don't plan on replacing the cables just yet.


texts: Suggestion on buying a single speed 29er mountain bike

texts:
I'm interested in buying a single speed mountain bike for about $400-600. Can anyone recommend me one?

I tried buying this http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bikes/mtb/2012-monocog-29er but it is all sold out. I'm 5'6" so I need a small frame for a 29er. I would like the bike to be in a darker color like in the link if possible. Nothing like white or bright colors on the bike as it's main color.


texts: To what extent should I insulate an electric bike battery during winter?

texts:
For temperatures between 0 F and 32 F, to what extent, if at all, should I insulate electric bicycle batteries?  I have read that they do not like temperature extremes.  Should I wrap a battery in 1 layer of bubble wrap during weather like this?  Multiple layers?  What about other types of insulation?  What amount of insulation will cause the battery to heat itself to optimum temperatures without overheating?  I realize that this depends on the temperature range, speed, and reliance on the battery when riding, so some sort of algorithm that takes all of these factors into account would be ideal, or at least some safe minimum amount, assuming the temperature is below freezing.

For clarification: I am talking about when the bike is being used outside during the winter.  I intend to store it inside all the time when it is not in use.


texts: Does shorter shock stroke limit rear travel better than higher shock pressure?

texts:
I'm building a full-suspension XC bike for racing technical courses. My frame is built with a leverage ratio such that 45mm of shock stroke corresponds to 130mm of rear travel. 99% of the time, I am interested only in using the first 115mm of rear travel, and will be running a 120mm travel fork up front.

I have been considering two scenarios:

Run a 40mm stroke shock to limit rear travel to 115mm travel.
Run a 45mm stroke shock with higher pressure to limit effective rear travel most of the time to about 115mm, but with 15 extra mm of travel for big bumps.

I guess I'm not entirely clear on the disadvantages of running a longer stroke shock at higher pressure, if there are any.

Would small bump sensitivity be similar across setups #1 and #2?
Is he concept of "effective rear travel" (accessible travel under 99% of conditions) relevant, supposing I've carefully tuned my shock pressure?
Is there a kinematic advantage to running a longer stroke shock?

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful technical insights.


texts: Please identify this vintage bike - peculiar frame

texts: Helping out a friend to identify this bike, it's got quite an interesting frame and is located northern nsw, Australia. Haven't been able to see a name or printing on it. It has 3 blue stars down the front under the Handle bars. If anyone knows or has seen a bike like this, am keen to work out it origins. Thanks


texts: Bracket Bottom type and how to remove it?

texts:
I can't seem to find what kind of bottom bracket I have on my bike and how to remove it to put some grease on/in it. My bike is a Schwinn Cadence 2006 mountain bike.

Right side (crankset side) above

Left side above (with a bit of threading)
Any help would be very much appreciated ! Thanks.


texts: Will 180mm rotors fit my Carrera Vengeance Ltd. Edition bike?

texts: So I would like to get Clarks M3 hydraulic disc brake set but the only size available is 180mm but i am not sure what to measure to see if this will fit my carrera vengeance ltd edition 16 inch frame bike. Many thanks.


texts: How to deal with anxiety caused by dangerous riding conditions stemming from poor lane design and inconsiderate fellow road users?

texts:
Location is Belgium.

I stopped seriously riding my bike about 5 years ago. At the time, I used my bike for commuting to work for about 9 km one way. The main reason I stopped was because the timing and route of my commute brought me through various situations that I did not enjoy at all:

My home is within 100 meters of a high school, and during my morning commute, I had to drive on a bidirectional bike lane which leads to this school. However, I rode away from the school right during the rush of students riding to the school. These students often drove side by side on this lane, while there was only barely enough room to comfortably pass each other on the lane. There were multiple times where I skimmed the shrubbery on the right side of the lane very closely, almost to the point of crashing into it.
Midway through the commute, I had to drive on another bidirectional path with barely enough room for comfortable passing of oncoming traffic. However, in this case the non-street side was a foot deep open sewer with a lot of overgrowth on the other side. There were some places which had regular growths of hogweed at roughly handle height. Hogweed, for those unaware, is a plant that can cause inflammatory reactions if it comes into contact with the skin. The street side wasn't much better: there were a lot of parked cars, some parked so close to the lane that at times I had to swerve to avoid running into a side mirror. In addition, the lane was VERY poorly lit at night and even somehow had a sign partially obstructing it about halfway through. To top it all off, in order to get on this lane, I had to go through a bike tunnel under an elevated highway and take a 90° turn left, both sides of the bike lane obscured by the sides of the tunnel.
About 500 meters before I arrived at work, I get to another bidirectional bike lane. this one was short, but it was a VERY curvy path where you can't go fast, it's again barely big enough for 2 bikes to pass each other, you can't see around corners because of a 2 meter high hedge on both sides and it's quite busy. I again had a few incidents with skimming or even landing in the hedge on the side because I had to evade an oncoming biker I didn't see coming.
Along the entire path, there were a couple times I had to cross intersections with no traffic lights, some of them quite busy. I had 2 incidents at one of these intersections, one of which severe enough that my back wheel got bent out of shape and I had to bring my bike in for repairs.
Finally, a lot of cyclists along this way were really driving quite dangerously. I've already mentioned the teenage cyclists driving side by side on a lane that isn't wide enough for that, but there are others: cyclists who don't use a light at night (though I sometimes made this mistake too) or actually a blindingly bright light; cyclists overtaking other cyclists on busy lanes; Cyclists that drive too close to the center of the lane to safely pass them; cyclists that are using their phone while cycling and aren't paying attention; Cyclists that cycle very slowly in a lane where you can't safely overtake them; Even people walking their dogs on the bicycle lane.

All of this and more at the time really gave me a whole lot of anxiety about cycling, in addition to the higher amount of stress I was already experiencing from working a day job that fit poorly with my autism. I already wasn't too keen on cycling and running into these problems on a daily basis really caused me panic, stress, anxiety and so on, to the point that almost exactly 5 years ago, I gave up on riding my bike to work and switched to public transport. Since then I only rode my bike recreationally, and even then only incidentally.

I don't plan on cycling again in the foreseeable future, but if I were to one day start cycling again, what can I do to reduce the chance that I run into these issues again?


texts: Why do I never get DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from cycling but I do after walking?

texts:
I'm in my late 30s but never in my entire life did I get delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from cycling. But even walking at a slow-moderate pace (less than 6 kmh / 3.7 mph average) for 2-3 hours gives some DOMS.

I climbed 20% percent hills going all out, I went on long rides at moderate pace, I went on short, full throttle rides, I tried climbing the local hills in the hardest possible gear, I tried climbing standing for 10 minutes straight, I am capable of maintaining 95% max heart rate for 20 minutes and 85% max heart rate for one hour. Max heart rate of 182 was measured by monitoring it for a few years and I'm able to reach it when sprinting at the end of a hard climb. Never, not once, did any of that result in even the slightest amount of DOMS. If it matters, I currently weight 70kg at 1,74m (154 lbs, 5'8) which is stable for a few years.

When someone mentions DOMS in the context of cycling, to me it's like saying 1+1 doesn't equal 2. Please enlighten me.


texts: Do you have to screw flat pedal pins in all the way, or can you make them longer by leaving them screwed out and using a thread locker?


texts: what is the correct tire size for a trek 7300 multitrack?

texts:
I have a trek 7300 multitrack hybrid bike. The tires and tubes are at least 7 years old and I would like to replace them. The rim does not have any sizing printed on it that I can see. The current tire is a WTB Slickasaurus which has marked (37/32) 700c and 700x37/32c. I understand the 700c is for tire diameter. What does the 37/32 represent?

Is the Slickasaurus a good tire for the bike, or would you recommend some others? I spend most of my time on paved roads, and occasionally a little gravel/dirt road.

edit: sorry you think this is a duplicate question. I did see the linked question before asking but it didn't seem to explain 3 numbers which is what I saw marked on my tire. Also I don't think the tire on the bike now is the original one it came with.

edit 2: here's how it looks on my tire


texts:
I built a new YT Capra yesterday, and it had a part I had not seen before. It was not mentioned anywhere in the instructions, but it was needed to get the rear mech the correct distance from the rear mech hanger.

See in the image below, in the red box. It is a kind of spacer between the rear mech and the rear mech hanger. If I didn't use this, then the mech would hit the frame.

I haven't got a picture of it on its own. It was a small ring with a notch on it. That notch lined up with the notch on the hanger to give it an extra couple of cm. I'm wondering if this is something YT have built especially for this edition (it is not on older ones), and it doesn't exist anywhere else?


texts:
So I am starting a bike from scratch and really want a downhill frame as I'll be riding downhills and commuting. How and what parts could I use and add to the frame so it is able to commute though I get the great frame.

Also what are the cons of a downhill frame are they quite heavy? Sorry, I'm really new to this


texts: How to avoid or reduce back-pain by adjusting the handlebar and seat of 19.5" MTB?

texts: I'm 6' 3" long, having 45 inches of waist-Toe length. I bought Trek 3500, 19.5" sized frame bicycle two months ago. I've been experimenting with the handlebar and seat positions(Forward n Backward) to achieve comfort,to avoid stress in the back and shoulders,since the purchase.I'm riding it,with the seat post touching the minimum insertion mark already. But i couldn't achieve it yet. Please help me out in this, Bike is my mode of transport as well as i take long rides of 40-60 Kms seldom(Once or twice in a week). Should i ride this bicycle or upgrade to 21" bike. Help me here!


texts: Are there any cyclocross/road bike rims that I could buy that will fit on my Cannondale F600 mountain bike?

texts: I want to be able to ride my mountain bike on roads, but the sound of the mountain tires on the road is annoying. Can I just buy rims that will fit cyclocross or road bike tires? My bike has disk brakes.


texts: Can I use this general-purpose lithium grease on my chain until I can get some Finish Line lube?


texts: Can I use bar tape on my (non race bike) bike with flat handles (not drop bars)

texts: My handle bars are slippery so during the drive they often start sliding off. Could I use those nice cool tapes on my handle bar? If so, which ones should I buy?


texts: Is my VIS 180 the 50 Lumen or 70 Lumen Version?

texts:
So, I bought a Light and Motion Vis 180 off of Ebay.  The seller had a great rating and claimed it was in "new" condition, so I thought I'd go ahead and take a risk on it.
What I got was a Vis 180 - of some kind.  Sure, it seems to work, but I have packaging from three different products!
I have packaging from a Vis 180 50 Lumen, a Vis 180 70 Lumen, and a vis 180 micro.  In fact, here is a picture to prove it:

(The white package is 50 Lumens.)
Now I still have a perfectly good Cygolite Hotshot.  I went in a darkened room, and it appeared the hotshot was actually brighter than the vis180 but the vis180 had a vastly larger "throw" - by itself, the vis180 made a bright spot on the wall, and together with the vis180 it made a bright spot on the much larger spread of light from the vis180.  (Confession: Haven't charged it yet.)  Makes me think it's the 50 Lumen, I can post a picture of that too...
Perhaps they would make a great combination with the vis180 flashing to get attention and the Hotshot on steady so drivers can judge where I am?
I ride some really hostile roads at night - broken glass, no sidewalks, where there are sidewalks, I'm shooting across roads where drives are sometimes frustrated they can barely hang a right.
As such, I did want the 70 lumen version.  I paid $70 for it but I could still return it.  I don't truly care about the packaging - hell, I live next to a corporate outlet store and know sometimes underpriced product can be legit, but could someone be so kind as to tell me how to figure out what I actually own?
Thank you kindly.


texts: Retrofitting disc brakes on 2000 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC?

texts:
I just got an old 2000 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC that still uses rim brakes. I also have this 160mm rotor and this mechanical disc brake caliper.

Since none of my wheels have 6 bolt holes to mount disc brake rotor, then I need to get new wheel anyway. My goal would be to mount a fatter tire in front and leave skinnier wheel on rear (because in the rear I have electric hub motor and don't have much choice).

After attaching disc brake caliper (without any adapters) I tried to put my old wheel to get a feel on how everything would fit together. Then I noticed that disc brake caliper is touching spokes as can be seen in this picture:

Before I go shopping for new disc brake compatible wheel I have following questions so that I would not make any rookie mistakes:

Why caliper touches spokes on the old wheel? Is it because I need to get adapter for caliper as well and it would move caliper away from the hub? Or is it because spokes on disc brake compatible wheels will be arranged in a more narrow manner around hub and hence will not touch the disc brake caliper?
The fork leg to fork leg distance is 103mm as can be seen in the picture. How much wider wheel I could mount there? Especially - Do fat tire wheels have wider spoke arrangement at the hub area potentially reintroducing the "spokes touching disc brake caliper" issue?
Would there be any issues with having fat tire on the front and this, somewhat skinny, tire on the back?

Update#1:


texts: Can I replace Shimano 105 5500 shifters and derailers with new Sora R3000 ones?

texts:
I have a 2000 Klein Quantum
(this one, 2x9 speed: https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/value-guide/product/45657/)
My shifters have been replaced once already with used 105 (also 5500), but now they have a lot of issues and I would slowly like to upgrade the whole groupset.
Can I start by switching out the shifters and derailers with new Sora R3000 parts (also 9 speed)? Or would I have issues with the brakes/crankset/etc?
This would put me back on the road while I save for the rest.
Thanks for any help, this is my first time here.


texts: When two parts are press fit together (e.g., headset cup and head tube, crank arm and bottom bracket, etc.) is it proper to grease the surfaces that will fit together, or not?


texts: Chain falls between the chainrings of the front derailleur when shifting from the big ring to the small one

texts:
The issue I have is that at the new bike I'm looking to purchase I'm faced with the followings:

the chain falls between the 2 chainrings of the front derailleur when shifting from the big ring to the small one (see also attached image).

this happens almost all the time when having the rear derailleur in the gears 9 to 6 (the ones farther away from the wheel).
in the gears 5 to 1 (the ones closer to the wheel), it works fine most of the time.
also this happens mainly when shifting the gears while riding the bike, not that much when the bike is on the bike stand.

last but not least, the chain never falls in between the chainrings when shifting from the small ring to the big one.

Some of the sales people told me that this happens because of using the 9-6 gears on the rear derailleur, and that one should not shift to the smaller chainring when in those gears.

Is this a normal behavior for a brand new bike? What can be the root cause of this, and how can it be fixed?

From my knowledge this should never happen no matter what gear combination is being used. And I suspect that the issue is either at the crankset, where the distance between the 2 chainrings is a few millimeters bigger than necessary, or with the chain itself.

The model I look into is Trek Zektor 2 with the following specs:

Shift Levers: Shimano Sora
Front Derailleur: Shimano 105
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Sora
Crankset: FSA Vero 50/34T
Rear Cogs: 9-speed

Update (2019-04-16): the store ordered a new bike, same exact model, and this one shifts perfectly fine, the chain never falls in between the 2 chainrings. Everything is the same on the bike, except 2 components: the FD is now a Shimano Sora (instead of Shimano 105), and the chain is a Shimano HG53 9-Speed (instead of Shimano HG54 10-Speed). Therefore it turns out that the problem was caused by the chain being too narrow for the rest of the setup.


texts: Using different style disc rotors with the same brake calipers

texts:
I currently have a set of TRP Hy/Rd brakes that came with 6-bolt style rotors.  I am interested in purchasing a different wheelset that uses Shimano's centerlock style hubs.  One wheelset would serve as my race wheelset, and the other would be for training, so ideally I would like to swap between the two with little trouble.

I am wondering if the current brakes I use would even accept centerlock rotors, and if so, is there an adjustment I would need to make that makes swapping between 6-bolt and centerlock a difficult process?


texts:
Hi I've been asked to try and repair a friends Windgo ebike problem is with the battery/power it's a new bike yet is not turning on.
Also the battery shows the illuminated Red light always and doesn't turn to green.
Leading me to think that it is the 1st place to start my checking.
But would really appreciate your help and advice on this subject please. Thanks in advance.


texts: Which type of frame is better for a touring bike, steel or aluminium?

texts:
I hear that a steel frame is more comfortable to ride for a long tour but that it is heavier and easier to rust than aluminum.
Which material is better for a touring frame?


texts:
I've had a blast at a social mountain bike race/relay the other week.  Our corporate team wants to do it again next year, and in costume too.

Question is:  Do you think these all-over costumes would work acceptably on an off-road bike race?  I'm mostly concerned about visibility (the rider seeing out) and slightly worried about sweat and bunching.

Further details: Lap times were 30-35 minutes, so its not a sprint relay.  The track was a mostly flat and dry singletrack with some shingle 4wd track.  Downtime between laps was while 2x 3x 4x laptime, while other people did their lap.

http://www.morphsuits.co.nz/morphsuits/original-morphsuit

http://www.trademe.co.nz/971555375

http://www.trademe.co.nz/968518586


texts: Why are my Shimano 105 11-speed shifter/derailleur acting like they're 10-speed?

texts:
I recently got a pair of Shimano 105 shifters and a rear derailleur and put them on my bike. The front derailleur is a Shimano Tiagra, and the cassette is also Shimano. The cables are new, but the outer cables are old.

I managed to get the rear mech indexed correctly when I installed them, but the following day the bike wasn't shifting to the biggest sprocket. I tried to adjust the indexing, but if I loosen the barrel adjuster enough to shift to the biggest sprocket, the derailleur won't shift to the smallest one. Similarly, I tighten the adjuster until it shifts to the smallest sprocket, it won't shift to the biggest one.

If I pull on the cable and turn the cranks with my other hand, the derailleur shifts to the biggest sprocket but the chain drops back to the second biggest when I let go of the cable.

I have looked at the invoice and the packaging, and it says there the components are supposed to be 2x11, and I counted ten clicks from the shifter. What could be the cause of this issue?

Here are a few photos of the rear mech:

Rear view:

Now that I look at it, the derailleur cage seems to be in an odd angle. Here's the side view:


texts: Lock my bicycle on busy or quiet places?

texts:
When I lock my bicycle I try to lock it on quiet spots, usually on street racks situated on secondary streets.

I think it will be less visible so it  will attract less looks. On the other hand, if a thief wants to steal it, he will have more time to act before someone spots him.

Is it better to lock the bicycle in crowded or quiet locations?


texts: What to look for in quality mountain bike pedals?

texts:
After a few rides in mucky trails, I am finding my Norco Bush Pilot pedals are getting rough and do not spin very well. Additionally, the plastic of the pedals are getting pretty beat up.

I realize the bike is not exactly high end, but what should I look for when judging quality pedals?

My intuition so far is to look for:
1) a good all-weather seal around the bearings
2) a platform ready for rugged use (steel?).


texts: How bad is handling with only front aero wheel?

texts:
I think it's obvious that the only reason to have aero wheel at front and regular wheel at rear is budget. I did some research on this and what I found was aero front wheel is more important and rear aero wheel is only to help bike handling despite the fact that most people use deeper rear wheels. Most stuff I read were from > years ago, wonder if anything changed (newer wheels handle better in crosswind maybe, etc.)

Edit
To clarify, some information that I found claim that using front only aero wheel results in worse handling than having front and rear aero.

So, can anyone confirm this and maybe someone with experience in using such setup. I want to know how bad handling can be with 50 mm front wheel and regular wheel at the back.


texts: I'm a fairly new mountain bike rider. Doing a mix of on and off trail. What is your opinion on handle bar extensions for new riders

texts: Just what types of extensions there are and what's best for new riders.  I mainly do off trail but every now and then I'll go off trail


texts: In road racing, what are "rolling attacks"?

texts: Rider_X referred to rolling attacks in an answer to this question. What are they?


texts: Bicycle shorts fit: do leg grippers stretch out?

texts: I am looking for padded bicycle shorts. When trying on candidates, all of the "leg grippers", as described in this answer, feel uncomfortably tight around my thighs, which are on the meaty side. They feel as if they might start to cut off some circulation to my lower leg. Is this common in new pairs of shorts? Do the leg grippers stretch out, or will they retain this uncomfortable tightness?


texts: I have Dura Ace 9000 mechanical shifters and I'd love to have hoods that aren't black.  The only product I've found are Hudz but they only fit 7800 and 7900.  Obviously there was enough of a change between the 7800s and 7900s to warrant a new mold, but does this apply to the 9000s too?


texts: What makes a durable and dependable commuter bicycle?

texts:
I ride between 150 - 180 Km per week (depending on route) and all of it is on bike path or road. I have been riding a Norco Alloy Threshold Sora. It has not been a fun experience, because within a year I have had both wheels replaced (lost too many spokes), oh my riding weight is close to 90 Kg. And recently the left pedal crank sheared off...(still within a year of purchase).
I am just wondering if I am expecting too much from this bike as a daily commuter?
Whether I should be investing in something like a Surly etc?
Love to get some advice from you guys.


texts: Bunny Hop, Stoppie or Wheelie? Which one to attempt first on MTB?

texts:
I am 21 years old. I'm overweight for my age..171 ibs. I have started cycling few months back and I'm lovin' it. I have a Merida mtb(mainly used on the road)

I was thinking about practicing some basic mtb stunts mentioned above. Can I do those with my overweight body? If yes, then what should I attempt first.

Thank you.


texts: Anyone know anything about this U-Haul bike?  I got it at the wreckers before they crushed it. It was just the frame brakes and forks. I added the rest.


texts:
It's prudent to use water bottle cages that will adapt to bottle diameters within some range, to allow using multiple bottles in the same cage.

Naturally, this flexibility is to be hedged against safety. If the bottle needs to be squeezed in or out, that just distracts from the road.

In any case, I ordered a water bottle cage that turned out to have a fixed diameter of about 2 3/4", or about 70mm. A smaller bottle will rattle, and the full circle enclosure won't allow anything bigger.

A fixed size might be a good thing. If there exists some international / conventional size for bike water bottles, then a perfect fit will ensure that pulling a bottle and returning it can be done effortlessly (and hence safely).

Does such a conventional diameter exist?

I'm rather partial to metal containers glazed with ceramic, since these guarantee they won't react with the water, but since these seem to be available only in carabiner format that's not suitable for cycling, I'll have to settle for plastic bottles.

Update (following Carel's answer)

After two searches it's clear which brand Carel means. A big advantage is that those bottles are indeed listed as having ⌀ of 71, and so perhaps there does exist some convention at that diameter.

There are also stainless steel bottles from other makers, which should be perfectly safe, as well as ecological since they would last forever (unless/until lost).

I see an ISO standard for bikes and another for bottles, but no ISO standard seems to exist for bike bottles.

Update (following Vladimir F's answer)

It's nice that the standard size is quoted in a wikipedia article (though without references). I wish the manufacturers were notified of the existence of this convention. Cycling aside, it would be nice if knapsack makers also followed the same convention.

As for getting a bottle-cage pair as one product, I'm not crazy about getting bottles and holders from the same maker, because I would have a hard time deciding what's better, to get a bottle from a bike maker or to get a cage from a bottle maker.


texts: Are there any major outstanding recalls of bicycle parts?

texts:
Sometimes bike companies don't get things right.

Are there any major recalls people should know about? Where can people find information on recalls?

There is one answer which has places to find information on recalls (for a given country). Other answers could be by part.

(Moderators: I'd like this to be community wiki)


texts:
I need to replace a rim that is cracked around the spokes.  This is my bike: http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/whistler/2015 (Whistler 70)

I can't find any info on my current clincher rim (700C) for my 32mm tires.  I'm looking to replace it with a rim that is "fast" on pavement and can handle well on dirt and gravel trails.  I don't know much about rim profiles or rim technology, etc, so I'm looking for some suggestions on manufacturers of rims that perform well and aren't too costly.  Also, any links to info on how to choose a rim would be helpful too!  Thanks!


texts:
I am about to get myself a hybrid bike, but being tight on budget (~ 200USD). I didn't really have many options to choose from. I'd initially thought of buying this particular bike, Mach City Munich after reading good reviews about it online, but it's been unavailable for the past month, without any surety about when it will be.
So, the shopkeepers suggested I get myself another bike, named Montra Downtown.
I live in a city where roads have potholes and bumpers more frequent than lighting poles, (but not the kind that'd require an MTB).
The bike will primarily be used for commute (~15 kilometres, 6 days a week), but I'm also thinking of taking it out for long rides (about a hundred kilometres or so) on weekends.
Both of them have a triple chain ring system.
Downtown has an alloy (6061) body with a steel fork whereas Munich has both the body and fork made of steel.
Both of them have a 21 speed system with triple chain ring system.
Downtown has Shimano TY300 whereas Munich has TZ40 rear derailleur.
Munich has Shimano TX 50 where Downtown has Shimano TX 500 front derailleur.
Both have Shimano easy fire shifters with integrated brake levers, with Munich having a three finger braking, and Downtown having a two-finger.
The brakes, however, on Downtown are disc brakes, whereas on Munich are V brakes.
The cassettes on both are the same too.
Downtown mentions BB Cartridge-Sealed Bearing-Cold Forged Boron Axle, Plastic cups, Steel Body for the bottom bracket whereas nothing is Mentioned for Munich.
I've never ridden a bike with gears as of yet, this will be my first time.
I'm confused between which one to buy for a multitude of reasons. I've been told that a steel body has a give, it flexes, which allows for a more comfortable ride in a place that has roads that aren't very smooth, which does not happen with an aluminum (alloy) frame.
I've heard that disc brakes are harder, require a lot of maintenance and are more expensive to maintain compared to V brakes too.
Downtown has alloy rims, double walled. Munich previously had "double walled rims" specified but currently their website only says that the rims have an ED black finish so I'm not sure if they still have double walled rims.
The bike will most likely be stored about two storeys high, where it'd need to be picked up and carried through the staircase.
And last, but not the least, the cost of Downtown is about 20% higher than Munich. (both are in the budget nevertheless).
If I buy Munich, is it a good idea to swap components and use? For example, the rear derailleur?
Moreover, since I've chosen to buy a rigid bike (because my limited scope of knowledge tells me that a suspension frame with such a low price tag will only be a pain), is adding a suspension seat post a good idea?


texts: Is it possible to set this fork steerer / stem higher?

texts:
Is it possible to set the stem / steerer higher in Cannondale R300? It feels like I need higher stack and I wouldn't like to tilt the drop bars from their current position.
Bonus question: are stem and steerer one single part here?


texts: Looking for lightweight somewhat inexpensive flatmount brake calipers for a road bike shipped from North America

texts:
Looking for the right brake calipers. I see a lot shipped from China or those that cost $130+ for 2.
I need:
disc brakes
cable pull or cable to hydraulic conversion as I am not switching out my ultegra levers.
Flat mount
Short Pull/road bike
Lightweight @ 140 grams or so each
I see a lot of these at crazy high prices or shipping from China but I need this in about 1 1/2 weeks so I cant wait that long.


texts: Is the Specialized Sectour Double 2014 a men's bike. Can a women ride a men's bike?

texts: I am looking for a woman's bike. And I found a 2014  Specialized Sectour double. Is this a men's bike? If so what are the disadvantages of a women riding it ?


texts: Rim shot? Goes badly out of true at medium tension

texts:
I am pretty sure this rim is shot, but wanted confirmation and/or a better understanding of what's up. I'm fixing up a donor bike that was pretty apparently stored outside for years. Despite that, many of the parts are salvageable -- so good in fact that I decided to just overhaul the bike rather than part it.

Except the wheels? Rear wheel was pretty badly out of true. So I put it in my stand, tested the spoke tension, it was all over the place on the drive side, from 80-140 kgf. Non-drive similar, but not such high tensions. I began backing off the spokes and trying to get drive side to about 105 kgf, non-drive about 65, and the thing got worse.

I backed off all the spokes until they were slack. The rim (a 23mm wide, 32-spoke aluminum with plenty of brake track, BTW) looked fairly straight. I had expected it to show evidence of being badly bent, but it looked no worse than plenty of wheels I've gotten nice and straight.

So, I began tightening again, moving up slowly. Probably 5-10 kgf per side. (It was tedious.) As soon as I got the drive side up to about 55 kgf (non drive would be about 17 at this point I guess) The thing started to pringle badly again. That's with tensions nearly perfectly even on each side. The rim's easily 1cm out of true.

I'm convinced this thing is a goner (not surprised given its history) but I've never seen a rim behave like this. Maybe all that weathering and corrosion has just made it completely and randomly unstable? I was thinking maybe the eyelets were failing in some spots, but of course, if I had eyelets failing or weak spots near holes, I'd see the move reflected on the tension. I don't. I get even tension and a really warped rim.

Anyone seen this on an old rim?


texts: Frame with a tapered headtube - fork compatibility

texts:
I've seen a couple of different questions that have touched on this topic but after having read the answers, I'm still not confident. I'm doing my first bike build and so far I'm just trying to put together a parts list of compatible parts.

My frame has a tapered headtube, which is confusing me. The exact specification is as follows:

Tapered headtube.
Headset: VP, 1-1/8"-1.5"(46mm/56mm).

From this I assume two things: That the headtube is tapered and that it comes with a tapered headset to match.

Now, can I fit a fork with a standard 1-1/8 steerer into this setup or do I need a tapered fork to match it? I'm a little confused, I've also noticed there's a massive lack of tapered forks on the sites I've checked compared to the straight ones. I'd also seen people reference to an adapter that allows a straight for to be fitted in a tapered headtube but I wasn't sure on this either.

Finally... more of a general question - would I be able to consider any fork (tapered or straight, whatever the answer is to the above) or do I need to think about anything else? Anything related to Geometry etc...? I've read this can also be a factor but it seemed a bit contentious.

I know similar questions have been asked before - apologies, I'm still not confident...

Thanks


texts: Why signal stop with your left hand in the US?

texts:
Why are cyclists in the US expected (or required) to signal "Stop" with the palm of their left hand?
If I'm stopping or slowing down, I'm using my front brake. The brake operated by my left hand.
The majority of braking is best done with your left hand, operating the front brake. See here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html "Skilled cyclists use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time"
So, why the traffic laws & general expectation that you signal stop with your left hand?
[It seems like it would be better to signal "Stop" with your left hand while operating the front brake with your right hand.]


texts: What bikes will be used by the competitors in the Mountain Bike Olympics?

texts: I'm just curious to know what bike models and setups will be used by the competitors? Is there any data out there on the web?


texts:
Short version of question:
If a rim becomes bent due to a loose or broken spoke, is there a general rule for determining when the rim is beyond repair?
Long version:
I bought a roughly $500 (US) aluminum rim brake wheelset online from Hunt and rode the wheels for 2,000 miles with no trouble. I got home from a ride one day and noticed one of the spokes on my rear wheel had become very loose and the rim was very bent. I took the wheel to three bike shops with the following results:

Shop 1: The mechanic told me the rim was bent beyond repair and immediately started selling me on a new hand-built wheel from the shop. This felt wrong to me - I had paid good money for these wheels and this seemed like a sell job - but also because I've fully broken spokes on wheels in the past and was able to have the spoke replaced and the rim trued up again. So I took wheel to...
Shop 2: I brought only the wheel to this shop, but the mechanic said it was fixable. When I got it back it was so out-of-dish it wouldn't fit in my frame and all the bladed spokes were twisted. I learned my lesson so I took my whole bike to...
Shop 3: They got the wheel mostly in true, although it's visibly a little off from round (I'm guessing they didn't take tire off), the bladed spokes are still twisted, and measurement showed that it's also a little out-of-dish

In the meantime I became frustrated and bought a truing stand on sale. At this point I could have just bought a new wheel, but I figured that since I plan to keep riding I might as well have this tool for the future and if I can fix this wheel then that will just be a nice bonus. Which leads me to...
My Qquestion: If I watch enough YouTube videos and move very slowly/carefully, can I fix this wheel myself? Is there any risk the rim is damaged beyond repair and I should abandon this wheel? If so, how can I tell and is there a general rule for determining this is the case?
Also, I contacted Hunt with similar questions and they were very nice/helpful, but there's only so much they can do from the UK (I'm in the US) without me shipping my wheel to them (too expensive).


texts: Does splitting long endurance rides really affect the training effect of the rides?

texts:
Does splitting long endurance rides really affect the training effect?

It's quite often not recommended to split the rides even though the total duration is the same.

Here are two examples. Assume that they exercise at the same endurance pace.

Athlete 1

M 30 min at 8:30 AM, 30 min at 5:00 PM
T 30 min at 8:30 AM, 30 min at 5:00 PM
W 30 min at 8:30 AM, 30 min at 5:00 PM
T 30 min at 8:30 AM, 30 min at 5:00 PM
F 30 min at 8:30 AM, 30 min at 5:00 PM

Total duration: 5 hours

Athlete 2

M 90 min at 8:30 AM
W 90 min at 8:30 AM
F 120 min at 8:30 AM

Total duration: 5 hours

Notice that the duration is the same.

Why longer but fewer sessions may be better

According to this article, having the workout done all in one go is more important for those who are well conditioned because recovery is faster.
http://www.intelligent-triathlon-training.com/-splitting-long-training-rides-.html

Fatigue increases RPE which may suggest an increase of muscle fibre recruitment. Recruiting more muscle fibres should mean that they produce more capillaries and mitochondria. It makes sense why running slower but longer can make athletes get faster. If the slow twitch muscles are refuelled during the 8 hours rest like between commutes, the fast twitch muscles may not get exercised because there wouldn't be a need to.

Does that work in real life? In real life, would athlete 1 be more likely to plateau sooner? Maybe experience sooner cardiac drifts during a longer workout or race?

Possible contradiction

According to some articles, it's ok to split up workouts.

https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-exercise/do-daily-exercise-at-once

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118017&page=1


texts: What is the widest tire for the 27.5+ width rims?

texts:
Assuming that there's a line between fat wheels and plus sized wheels (which I am not sure of), then, where would this line be?

I read that a 3.5" tire is considered a "plus" one. Like http://plusbikes.com/first-look-panaracer-fat-b-nimble-27-plus-tires/

A 4" wheel, as far as I know, is a "fat" one.

Where's the border? Is there one? Does this have sense?


texts:
I have a pair of Shimano SPD-compatible shoes that have served me well and have a couple more years of good service in them.  But the shoelaces are about to disintegrate.

I've looked online and at several stores for replacements, but can't find anything to match.  The existing laces are round and relatively soft, whereas most round laces one finds are either thin dress laces or heavy, stiff boot laces.  The boot laces don't tie as easily and don't stay tied nearly as well.  Besides, I like the look of the original Shimano laces.

Has anyone found a source for the "real thing"?


texts: Windows Phone as a Bike Computer - What is the current State of the Art?

texts:
I have a Windows Lumia 532 phone.

I currently use the Cycle Tracks GPS app to track and record trips and then upload to Ride With GPS and/or Strava. There is not a native Strava app.

I've recently upgraded to Windows 10 making available the Gramin Connect Mobile app which will upload to the Connect powered by Garmin ecosystem. I've not yet fully investigated its capabilities/limitations. I've looked at buying the Garmin Edge 25 to act as a standalone bike computer, link to Garmin Connect Mobile and then upload to Connect powered by Garmin.

Apart from this, How else can I collect Cadence and Heart Rate data? Specifically,

Are there other dedicated bike computers which interface with Windows Phone apps like Garmin Connect Mobile?
Which apps allow direct communication with which Cadence and Heart Rate sensors via bluetooth?
Can I get a ANT+ adapter to communicate with sensors via ANT+?

More generally, What are my best options regarding using my Windows Phone as a Bike Computer?
Considerations are:

Capabilities
Limitations
Costs
"Open-ness" ie Are you "locked-in" to one manufacturer?


texts: I have a 1970's Motobecane bicycle with 27x1 tires. I need new tires and tubes. What would be the best size to fit, as I cannot find an exact match?


texts: Do I need to bed in my disc brakes again after I clean rotors with alcohol?

texts:
After giving my bike a good wash and deep cleaning of drivetrain components, I like to clean my disc rotors as well. I typically use a small spray bottle full of 90% isopropyl alcohol and a clean cotton rag.

After cleaning rotors with alcohol, should I need to bed in my brake pads again? Should I do anything special before riding again?


texts:
I recently bought a new bike off of BikesDirect.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/wellington2_IX.htm

However, no matter what I do, I can't seem to get the front derailleur to do anything. The bike came in on the smallest cog, and no matter what I do, I can't shift it to even the middle one. I've tried changing the tension, changing the limit screws, etc. but I can't get it to move the chain. The derailleur itself moves when I shift, but it doesn't seem to move enough. It doesn't even come close to getting to the largest cog. I've watched countless videos and I'm out of ideas, so I was hoping if anyone could give me any suggestions.

Also, I find it weird that for my rear gears, whenever I shift either using the lever or the thumb button, it takes me one gear up or down depending on what I press. But for the front derailleur, the lever can shift it one at a time but the thumb button always shifts it all the way back to the smallest cog not going through the middle (and is very stiff). I was wondering if this was normal?

The bike is brand new so I don't think it has any mud or dirt stuck inside, and I've tried my best to align the derailleur cage parallel to the chain and the derailleur slightly above the largest cog.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Change chain with cassette or do nothing?

texts:
Sometimes as a hobby I repair entry level bikes for myself or for friends and family.
The rear derailleur is working fine (no skipping/ slipping etc..).
But than I discover (with a chain checker), that the chain need to be replaced (almost 1.0 by a Park Tool CC-2). I changed the chain slipping / skipping appears.
The conclusion: probably the cassette  also needs to be replaced. So by replacing the chain only, it doesn't improve the situation or even makes it worse.
My question is, in such situation (old entry level bike etc..), if the rear derailleur works fine, is it worth it to replace the chain?
If I leave on an old chain and the cassette is most probably already very worn, can the old chain provide any additional problems?


texts: Gash where valve meets tire tube; How could this happen, and can I fix it?

texts:
I'm fairly new to bicycling; apologies if this is a standard question but I couldn't figure out how to phrase it to search for it elsewhere.

I ride a KHS Urban-X with Kenda Kwest tires (just what it came with). I've gotten barely any use out of it since owning it, and it's been resting comfortably in the living room through the winter, so I decided today was a great day to get back on.

So I unscrewed the back tire cap, and began to hand-pump air into the tire. All seemed to go well, and the tire held pressure fine, but when I removed the tire pump, the pin appeared to remain pushed down slightly, and air flowed back out of the tire. I looked, and this is what I saw:

Several narrow gashes that appear as if the rubbed was ripped, cut, or separated somehow.

Questions

Is this a common occurrence? Again, I've ridden on this bike very little and thus filled up the tires even less. We have no animals and no bugs around that I know of that would gnaw or chew on such material.
Is this fixable, or is my tube completely shot? It would seem to me that the latter is the case.
Is there anything I can do to prevent this in the future? I use a hand pump but am gentle; would a stand-up pump be a better choice?
Do bike tires come with a standard warranty for cases like this, or do you know of any brands that do? If I have to purchase new tires, I'm going to purchase
Is there any kind of "off-season" maintenance that I should be performing on my bike that could prevent things like this?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!


texts: Bottom bracket feels rough, should I replace it

texts:
My bottom bracket feels rough when I turn it with my fingers. I don't notice any problems when it's all assembled, but it's definitely not smooth like the other parts of much bike like my pedal axles. It feels like there's sand or dirt in the bottom bracket. Do you think it's time to replace it? It's a cartridge bottom bracket (Truvativ PowerSpline) so I don't think it's serviceable.

Here's a video of what it sounds like. The picture quality shouldn't matter, but you should be able to hear the sound. You might need to jack up the sound or wear headphones to hear it best.


texts: How do I get a cleat that's stuck in a pedal, detached from the shoe, out?

texts:
While out riding on my XC bike today, I encountered an issue with my cleat: The connector between the cleat and the shoe - the part that you screw into - died, and I lost a screw. So I had the shoe attached to the pedal, unable to unclip - because I was able to completely turn the shoe around without the cleat detaching. (The other cleat still worked, and I noticed that I couldn't unclip in a safe enough situation that I avoided biting the dust.)
When I got home, I detached the shoe my turning it around enough times that it unscrewed. (Trying to tighten it by screwing it the other way didn't work.) Unfortunately, now the shoe is detached, leaving the cleat itself still inside the pedal, with a single screw sticking out:

How do I get the cleat loose?


texts: Aerodynamic kid's trailer with suspension

texts:
I'm looking for an aerodynamic kid's trailer to tow behind my Velomobiel Quest. Some corner points:

Needs to be attached at axle height
don't care for the coupling, because that needs to be replaced anyway
suspension is a must
large enough for one up to 8-10 year old kid with a bit of luggage, e.g. swimming pool stuff, something to eat/drink
two-wheeled (trikes can't tow inline trailers)
aerodynamics are pretty important
rain-proof

I live in Germany, so it should be sold here or at least there should be a vendor that ships here.

Edit: A bonus would be if there was a way to somehow carry a kid's bicycle on the trailer such that the kid can ride as far as he wants and then climb into the trailer and I can continue.


texts: My gears started slipping on my Giant Iguana Disc (probably neglected chain) so I've changed chain and cassette. Wanted to change crankset so I've bought a Shimano FC-M311 but found that those 4 teeth in the picture touch with the dérailleur attached to the frame. I'm trying to figure out what crankset to buy but have no clue and can't figure out how to find one!


texts: Chain pops off guide pulley when pedaling

texts:
I re-installed new tires for the first time yesterday. Now I'm having problems with my rear derailleur. The chain keeps popping off the derailleur guide pulley when I pedal forward. I can re-seat it easily but it just keeps popping off. Pics (and a video) below.

Disclaimer: this is a piece of crap bike that I got for free so thats why it looks like garbage. Also I am new to bike repair so I almost certainly did multiple things wrong


texts: What are the advantages of bikepacking bags?

texts:
It seems that bikepacking bags are all the rage these days (frame bags, handlebar rolls, big saddle packs).

To me it seems that they are prone to moving around and getting in the way, and it also seems that they make the centre of gravity very high. I can understand it if using a bike without rack mounts, but otherwise - what is the advantage of using these things over a traditional rack and panniers?