texts:
I'm short 5'2" (1.57 m) and 247 lb (112 kg). I've been working to lose weight and have come down 5 st (30 kg) so far. Now I really want to ramp up my exercise and was looking at cycling as an option.

I've tried looking on websites for advice but can't see something simple I can understand.

I need some advice on how to select a suitable model that would be a good first time purchase. I'm clearly not going for speed and adventure just yet, so something basic that will fit my size and weight.


texts: Shimano Revoshift twist grip unusably tight

texts:
Shimano twist grip shifter on Apollo Neo 6 girls bike. I bought this bike 6 months ago for my 7 year old.

After getting it serviced at 99 Bikes the shifter was so stiff my daughter couldn’t change from the 2nd gear into the first.  Took it back & the mechanic checked it & said it was normal.  I insisted on him replacing the gear cable but… no change.  I flooded the handlebar twist grip with lube but no change.  Went back to the shop and the same guy said nothing wrong and that’s how those shifters work.  I demonstrated that my daughter couldn’t access the first gear.  Seriously, it requires a very firm grip and a firm twist even for an adult.  Now I’m quoted $100 to replace the shifter with a thumb shifter.  My daughter is normal strong for a kid.  Is this a design fault or a mechanic needing replacement?


texts: Mountain bike tires for rocky, steep, dirt trails?

texts:
I live in central Iowa and travel once a year to the Breck area (Breckenridge, CO) to do mountain biking. Since that is the Rocky Mountains, well they are rocky and steep. Very different terrain from the dirt top soil trails here in Iowa.

Anyone have some tires they would recommend for the trails out in Colorado? Btw, I ride a 29er.


texts: What qualities of bicycle bearing grease?

texts:
What are the qualities of bicycle bearing grease that make it suitable for that use?

(The reason I ask is that I need to get some and I'd rather get the non-bike equivalent grease at the auto parts store a mile down the road than at the bike store 15 miles away.)

(I'm assuming the same grease can be used for bottom bracket and hub bearings -- true?)


texts: Aero road bike frame - frame size number vs actual frame size?

texts:
I'm encountering some confusion on frame size and any clarification would be greatly appreciated.  I've always been under the impression that a stated frame size was the distance, usually in cm, from the top of the seat tube to the center of the BB opening.  For example looking at any of the road bikes on the Trek site:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/road-bikes/c/B200/

For all the bikes the "Frame Size Number" and the "Actual Frame Size" (see the chart at the bottom of the page for any of the bikes) are the same, even for the aero Madone.

I'd like to purchase a Dengfu FM098 frame for a bike I'm planning on building:

http://dengfubikes.com/ROAD_FRAME/129.html

The available sizes are listed as "49/52/54/56/58/61cm", but upon going to the Geometry tab this chart is shown:

It would appear that the first column (which is oddly untitled) would correspond to the available size, but dimension "A" is different than the frame size on each line!

At first I figured this was a mistake or an oddity for this particular frame, however the Dengfu R02 (choosing the "Geometry" tab again):

http://dengfubikes.com/ROAD_FRAME/131.html

and the Hongfu FM098:

http://www.hongfu-bikes.com/html_Products/Road_Frame/Aero_Road_Frame/2016/1113/2017%20new%20aero%20road%20frame%20FM098.html

Have the same frame size number vs actual frame size difference.

Can somebody clarify this?  Is this standard in the industry for aero frames or frames with a curved or non-flat top tube?  Is the idea that I should know what size I should be in a flat top tube frame, for example 52cm, then purchase the frame with the name "52cm" even though it is not actually 52cm?  Please advise, thanks!


texts: I have presta valves, and I got tubes with green goo about a year ago. I didn't ride my bike a lot, but I'm riding it more now, but the rear tire can't inflate or deflate. It's full enough that I cant get the wheel tire off the tube, but flat enough that it's hard/dangerous to ride. I'm thinking the green goo clogged up the valve somehow, but I'm not sure how to fix that. Is there a way to get the tire off the tube while it's still mostly inflated? I have thought of trying to poke a hole in the tube somehow, but I can't lift the tire away to do that.


texts: Is this suspension fork user-serviceable?

texts:
This is my fork and I want to open the suspension legs, inspect them, then reassemble, but I don't see how to get in there.  Any suggestions on what tools and procedure to use?

Is this user-serviceable at all?

The bike is a Genesis GS29.

Related questions:

What method of damping are they using .. is this springs only?

Do I have damping for both compression and rebound?

Would I have to take care to prevent springs from flying off while disassembling?

Would I need a special tool to compress springs during reassembly?

Pictures:


texts: Fixed-gear vs single-speed for clipless pedals

texts:
I currently ride a single-speed bike with a flip-flop hub, both for my daily commute and for pleasure/exercise a couple nights a week. I've decided to pick up my first set of clipless pedals and shoes. I've never used toe-clips of any kind or ridden a fixed-gear so I'm curious if I should consider switching to a fixed gear setup.

My commute runs through the city and hits several intersections where I'm stopped by red lights. I know with a fixed-gear I could learn to track stand at intersections, but I'm unsure whether that's easier than clipping-out/in at red lights. Conversely, the same commute involves a large hill that I can't pedal fast enough to keep up with, and I don't know how difficult it would be to control my speed with a fixed-gear.

I'm not sure if there is a non-subjective answer to this, but I'm basically wondering if there is a case for or against fixed-gear instead of single speed with clipless pedals.


texts: Fenders that will work for swapping between 650b and 700c wheels

texts:
History

I'm a bike commuter that rides 23 miles round trip. I usually quit once the winter weather gets bad, but I'd like to move towards commuting year round. In addition, I've been wanting to give gravel riding a try.

Since I don't want to do either of these things on my "nice" bike. I found a 2014 Diamondback Haanjo Comp that was essentially brand new. My thought was this would be great for both goals - a cheap bike I can get dirty and snowy but still a nice ride.

I want to run studded tires for winter commuting because the ice gets crazy here. My LBS had a cheap set of wheels I picked up so I could easily swap wheels for the right conditions. The kicker is, the new wheels are 650b while the stock wheels are 700c. Not a big deal, I prefer 650b for gravel riding anyway. So the plan is to put studded tires on the 700c and some GravelKing SKs on the 650b. The final piece of the puzzle is fenders.

Question

Assuming I'm swapping back and forth between 700c and 650b wheels...

Is there a certain brand of fenders that would better accommodate swapping?
Should I install them differently to help with swapping?
How big should they be?

I'm planning on putting 38mm studded tires on the 700c wheels and 43mm tires on the 650b wheels, but I haven't bought any tires yet.


texts: Do Seat Posts with Shock Absorbers Help?

texts:
I have Fuji Absolute 1.9D road bike. Is the seat post on this bike fitted with ashock absorber?  I don't think so. If not, would it be worth replacing the original seat post with shock absorbing one?

Thank you


texts: Are 23mm tires on a 25mm rim (21 mm internal width) safe?

texts:
Odd situation here, I'm putting together a 2nd road bike (I commute daily and need a backup for when my main ride needs adjustments, part replacements, etc).  To stay on the economical side, I purchased Zipp 30 Course aluminum rim-brake clinchers:

https://www.zipp.com/wheels/30-course-rim-brake-clincher/

rather than going with carbon.

These rims have an external width of 25mm and a very wide internal width of 21mm.

At the time I ordered these I was not aware of the internal width being the driving factor for how wide a tire ends up being after mounting/inflation.

I mounted 25mm Continental GP 4000 S II on these rims and after inflating the tires are 27.5mm - 28mm wide.

The clearance with the frame I'm using (which is stated to take up to 25mm wide tires) is extremely tight at the rear, where the tire passes both the seat stays and the chain stays.  I haven't finished assembling the bike yet, but the clearance is so tight I'm pretty certain there will be a clearance problem under load.  If anybody is curious the frame I'm using for this build is a Dengfu R02 http://www.dengfubikes.com/ROAD_FRAME/131.html

Can I use 23mm wide Continental GP 4000 S II on these rims?  If I try, will they mount?  And more importantly, if I can get "23mm wide" tires (which would probably end up being about 25mm on these rims) to mount, is this a safe configuration?

It would be a shame if I could never use rims I just paid $950 for, however I consider safety to be far, far more important.


texts: What BMX bicycle to buy for both urban and rough riding?

texts:
This is slightly related to my previous topic about Danny MacAskill's bicycle, but not necessarily bound to it.

I'd like to buy a BMX bicycle with the following requirements:

I want to use it only in the city
I want to be able to perform jumps / rough riding on it
I need to be able to jump at least 3 metres high jumps without coming nothing near to damaging the bike
My weight is 74 kg
I'd like to pay around 500 EUR, but I can pay more if necessary

Could anyone point me to how to look for a bicycle I need? I have absolutely no experience with this, so I don't even know where to start.


texts: Chain slipping in cassette when under load, could a different type of cassette work better?

texts:
This is my second modern bike and I got the same problem each time. The chain slips when under load (usually when I'm standing, but I can slip starting at a light and still sitting too). At first I had an aluminum cassette and the dents broke quickly. I replaced that old cassette (that actually came off as it completely broke) with a steel cassette.

The steel cassette has been working well in the sense that the dents are still all looking good and it has not come into pieces yet, however, the chain still slips.

In both cases, I had 9-gear cassettes when I use the smallest gear 99% of the time (San Francisco type of hills still require me to change gear, otherwise, I rarely change anything, so I could assume that the small gear of the cassette gets worn down quickly...)

Would it be possible to have a cassette with longer dents to avoid the slipping? My old steel frame bikes had cassettes with really long dents, in comparison. Could a find similar cassettes that are compatible with my new bike? (I have a specialized Roubaix now)


texts: Why would 6 stops on a Shimano shifter travel 7 cogs with a Shimano derailleur?

texts:
I'm replacing the rear shifter on my old Kona mountain bike from the late '90's.  It has an 8-speed rear cassette with a Deore XT derailleur.  I got a basic ST-EF500 8-speed Shimano shifter/brake combo, but I was having a bear of a time indexing the gears.  After about 10 minutes of messing with it, I realized that on the large cog, the display showed gear 2.
So, I went back to the small cog and counted the stops on the way up to the large cog.  Sure enough, it was 6 steps on the shifter to travel 7 cogs from the bottom to the top (and the shifter wouldn't go further, which is probably a good thing since I don't want to shift into the spokes).  I disconnected the shifter to make sure that it actually had 8 distinct stops and wasn't defective and it functioned as advertised.
It appears, then, that a distance of 6 stops on the shifter matches nearly perfectly the distance of 7 cogs from top to bottom of the cassette even though they are both Shimano.  Is this a known thing?  Were there special narrow cassettes for mountain bikes in the '90's that I just didn't know I had?


texts:
I have some Sennheiser PMX70 headphones that I quite like, in particular because the around-the-neck design allows me to quickly drop them down onto my neck and out of my ears.

The one thing that I don't like about them is they create a lot of wind noise, which makes it hard to hear both what I'm listening to and ambient noise.  Can anyone recommend headphones of similar style with low wind noise?

For discussion on safety of cycling with music, see this question.


texts: Cannondale Lefty DLR Ti Fork Rebuild/Maintenance

texts:
I have a mountain bike with a 2003 Cannondale Lefty DLR Ti fork. As I've been riding the bike this season, I've noticed that the fork is behaving strangely. It doesn't seem to lockout fully and it is a lot "squishier" than it used to be. Also, when it decompresses after a hard compression, I notice a strange noise -- it's hard to describe but it sounds almost like gurgling fluid. I've already tried adding air to the fork using a shock pump (the pressure was very low) and that did make it a little less "squishy" but it's still not working like it used to.

It seems to me that it's time to do some serious maintenance on the fork; possibly even a full rebuild. How complicated should I expect this repair to be? What specific skills and tools will I need? What is the procedure for doing a rebuild?

I would like to evaluate the level of difficulty of this repair so that I can decide if it is something I'd be comfortable doing myself.


texts: My rim exploded inflating on an automatic pump of a gas station. Should I reuse wheel's spokes/hub or buy everything new?

texts:
Today I went through this situation. Rims are Vzan Action with Formula Hub 36 holes.

My rear tire was leaking. A guy patched up the tube and the problem persisted. I went to the bike shop and asked to check the patch, and as done, I went to a gas station, where I usually inflate it (only this year more than 2000km, most of the inflations were done at this station), and after inserting 65 psi and the valve, the tube EXPLODED.

Out of luck it was just that, but I bet everyone heard the sound 2 miles away. The tire was apparently no damaged. I returned to the shop with the intention of changing the tube (I already had another one, I wanted to mend that one to make it last longer), but on the way I saw the real damage. The side of the rim was EXPOSED, completely disabling the wheel.

At the bike shop, they said it was my fault for inflating in a gas station, and they did not offer me an apology, or even a discount for the assembly of a new wheel.

Soon I visited another bicycle shop where the owner informed me that the problem was that the tube was folded. And he also noticed that the side of the tire was damaged and that I would have to discard it, or it would compromise the tube in the future.

I would like some opinions from you. Was it my fault, afterall?
If so, how can I check if its safe to ride?

I really like this tire and I did not want to get rid of it like that.
It is being used since April. Can I still use it? Please check the images below.

Can I use the spokes of the old wheel?
The hubs could, and should, be used, right?
Or should I go ahead and buy a pair of new wheels?

Here are some images to illustrate.

Side twisted with the explosion

Side twisted with explosion 2

Tire on random point

Region of the tire that the rim exploded

Update: analyzing some Youtube videos, I think the explosion happened from excessive stress on the rims. Plus, it wasn't completely true, and brakes pads were touching them at some points.

I think that brake pads were bad positioned in the moment, or wore the wheels, or made then weaker in certain spots in the long run, making a crack or making the tube pop and explode in that direction.

I'm almost surely buying a new pair of wheels, which will cost me basically the same price of a single one in the bike shops that I went.


texts: New front fork has steel caps on V-brake mounts - can these be removed to expose threaded mounts beneath

texts:
I just bought the red front-fork below which has these metal caps on the V-brake mounts:

But my old fork looks something like the below, where the mounts are very different:

As you can see; those mounts are very different and the ones which my brake-assembly actually fit.

Hence I am wondering:

Have I bought the wrong fork or can I remove those metal caps? If I can remove them, how do I do that? And if I do remove them will I find the same mount-type as the purple fork above? Any links/videos would be most welcome, thx.
If I have bought the wrong fork, what is this brake mount-type called so that I do not repeat my mistake in the future?

Thanks for your help.


texts: Rear shifting - Unable to shift to toughest gear

texts:
I was adjusting my rear shifting following the advice in this video:

It was when I took off the wire tension and screwed the high limit all the way out that the chain wouldn't make it to the toughest gear. Instead it was stuck at the second-toughest gear.

So it seems that even without the wire pulling on the derailleur, it is too far on the left (i.e. towards the easier gears). What could I try to track down the problem, or better, what exactly is causing this and how can I fix this?

I was then continuing to adjust the derailleur, making the chain switch to my second-toughest gear when I try to shift to the toughest gear with the shifter at my handlebars and making the chain switch to my easiest gear when I try to shift to my second-easiest gear. This worked fine and the chain is currently not skipping gears on its way up or down, it just can't reach the toughest gear.


texts: What is the difference between these styles of helmet?

texts: What is the difference between these two styles of helmet? Most "serious" cyclists (e.g. in spandex with clipless pedals) seem to have the first type, whereas I've seen more "casual" cyclists (e.g. on single speeds, cruisers) hanging around Brooklyn with the latter type. Is there an advantage to either? (in safety, performance, etc.)


texts: Leaving a pedal in a cross threaded state

texts:
I have a Kona Jake (specs here) with Shimano M520 pedals and I noticed that one of my pedals wasn't quite all the trough the crank arm compared to the other pedal, see images below:

The difference isn't much but I tried to tighten and then tried to remove the pedal (2nd image) but found it stuck.  Nearest I can tell, it's either cross threaded or some type of galvanized bonding took place.  However, my gut is leaning toward cross threading as I did use an anti-seize compound (Park Tool ASC-1) before originally installing the pedals.

My question is not on how to remove the pedal but the dangers or complications I might encounter if I leave the pedal as is. Please note, I don't have the problem with the pedal placement nor is there any play or free movement in the pedal at all.  And I am worried about prematurly damaging the crank arms if I force the pedal out.

It's also important to note that the pedals have been installed for just over a year at this point.  Also, when trying to remove the pedal I used a filzer pedal tool but didn't use penetraiting oil or anything like that.

So again, what are the dangers or complications I could encounter if I leave the pedal in it's current state?

Thank you kindly,


texts: Uneven oil on stanchions - brand new bike?

texts:
I recently got myself a new bike with a RockShox Judy Silver fork and all has been good so far, however I noticed after the first ride that quite a bit of oil ended up on the stanchions, which I cleaned up and there is noticeably more oil on the right side (where the lockout switch is) than the left side.
I've had a few rides since, yesterday was probably my longest one for a good 1 hr 30 mins (mostly road riding with some light off road bits) and once again, when I came to cleaning the bike I noticed there is a lot of oil on the stanchions on the right side and a tiny bit on the left side.
Is this normal? Why is there more on one side?


texts: Is this level of rusting removable by sandblasting?

texts:
Is this rusted steel frame still salvageable? The local bicycle shop does sandblasting before they powdercoat a frame. Do you think the sandblasting alone would be enough to remove the rust?

I'm aware that all traces of rust must be removed, or the corrosion will continue under the new layer of paint. I'm just not sure if it would be possible in this case.


texts: Different types of down tube shifter mounts

texts:
I wish to adapt down tube friction shifters to my frame. As shown in image 1, the frame is equipped with eyelets for this purpose.

Image 1 My down tube

Image 2 shows the shifter in question (I assume this is the correct order of the rings). Note how parts D and E have a snake-eyed shape---intended, I presume, to prevent external rings from rotating as the lever itself is turned.

Image 2 My friction shifter parts

My problem is that parts D and E find no match in the frame's down tube: the eyelets are perfect cylinders, with no protruding "slot" at the tip to fit the rings' snake-eyed shape. As a consequence, movement of the shift lever inevitably and almost immediately removes any friction in the system by loosening the external bolt (part F). Slippage prevents high gears from holding.

Two questions arise.

Can anyone recommend an easy fix/tweak to the problem?
Does the barrel's cylindrical shape suggest what specific tension shifter model I should look for in case answer 1 is negative? (The frame is a French C.N.C., from the 1960s I believe.)

Thanks!

Edit

Shouldn't eyelets look thus? (Note the shape, but also how the picture below's is longer than my frame's eyelet.)


texts: Does a crank arm Power Meter measure power in both directions?

texts:
The leg on the upstroke weighs down on the pedal and creates additional work for the leg on the downstroke. A crank/hub power meter ignores that and gives you the effective power combined by both legs.

Lets assume a rider generates 120W on the downstroke and -20W on the backstroke. Total power would be 100W.

Now can the crank arm measure the negative power on the backstroke and substract it?

(If, as I've learned, it can not differenciate between positive and negative power a crank arm power meter would show 140W. If it can only measure one side you get 120W)


texts: Should I have a spare cassette or a spare wheel?

texts:
I have a road bike that I use for triathlons as well as club rides in the evenings and on weekends. I don't have the bike in front of me, but the range of the cassette is on the low side. I'm more likely to run out of gears going uphill than down.

I'm going on a bike trip in the Alps next month and it'd probably be to my advantage to have a bit more breathing room for climbing if I'm going to be doing it an entire week. That's why I'm considering getting another cassette with a wider range. Does it make more sense to have a separate cassette that I swap onto my current wheel when needed or should I go ahead and get another wheel to make the swap easier. I don't necessarily want to take apart wheel each time I want to swap. How do people usually handle this?


texts:
In a previous question I asked how to remove rust from my seat tube/post. In the comments of one answer somebody said I should be oiling my seat post to prevent it from rusting into my seat tube, but I'm concerned this will cause the tube to slip when jarred.

Should I be applying a thin coat of oil to my seat post to prevent rust from forming between it an the seat tube? What sort of oil, if any, should I be using?


texts:
I have a crank and chainring setup pictured below, running as a 1x with a chain guard where the outer ring would be.

I am trying to remove the chainring from the crank and am having trouble.

The bolts take a standard allen key but on the other side there is an irregular screw that needs to be held in place in order for the bolt to loosen. It seems one would need a special tool to hold it in place while he bolt is loosened.

I managed to loosen one of the bolts without holding this screw in place, but the others won't budge, i.e. they turn with the bolt and thus do not loosen.  One can see in the pictures below that there isn't enough clearance to fit a standard flat head screw driver to hold it in place.

Is there a common tool(s) I can use to remove these bolts?  If not, what is the tool called that I need in order to loosen these bolts?

(below) Not enough clearance to use a standard flat head

(below) A bolt that did loosen, without any holding in place


texts: Relation formula between fork length change to headtube angle and bottom bracket height

texts: As we know, changing the fork length will change bike geometry a bit. For example, increasing fork travel by 10 cm will make the headangle slacker and raise the bottom bracket. I consider to increase fork travel on my bike by 20 mm, and to fix the increase in bb height with some headangle changing headset (like Cane Creek angleset). While I don't mind my bike to be slacker (actualy it's one of the goals of this modification), I do want my BB stay on the same height. Is there any formula we can develop to understand how would a change in fork length influences the headangle, and how the headangle influences the BB height?


texts: Has anyone ridden fenders in a Grand Tour?

texts:
Has anyone ever ridden a bike equipped with some type of fenders in a Grand Tour, for even a short part of the race?

Are they UCI race legal?

If so, who was it, what was the race, and when did it happen?


texts:
I do understand that this may sound like a troll question but please bear with me.

I've always been a maniac about drive train cleanliness until I got a 11 speed bike and realized I didn't want to spend the ca$$$h on the only reusable 11 speed chain link. Cleaning with the chain on the bike is too messy for my taste. Therefore I rode ~2k miles (new bike) with only periodic lubrication (using a good lubricant). Result? Nothing obviusly bad happened. Drive train is unsightly but quiet. Shifting is impeccable. Which made me wonder why should one clean a drive train at all: the process is cumbersome and a shiny drivetrain gets messy in no time with road only use under dry conditions. So why bother at all? Is there any objective study on the effectiveness of drivetrain cleaning?


texts: Should tyre sidewalls appear cracked so quickly?

texts:
I fitted a brand-new pair of Schwalbe Marathon Racer tyres at the start of this year. I've just noticed that there are quite a lot of very small cracks in the side wall of both tyres. (The tread is still good though). Even using a worst-case estimate, I've only done about 3200km this year. Schwalbe say the Marathon Racers should last at least 5000 km?

The cracks are very small, somewhere between Fig.1 and Fig.2 on the website. The bike has been stored indoors when not in use. They have been great tyres but I'm wary of spending that much on tyres if they need replacing every 8 months.

The cracks look like this in various patches most of the way round both sides of each tyre.

Addition:
Took the tyre and inner tube off to inspect. I can't see anything like the 'ripples/waves' in the Schwalbe pictures. Most of the slits are in the same position as those pictured above, i.e. between the start of the tread and the dynamo track. (A few are slightly lower though).


texts: I've been given a Trek 4300 mountain bike by my dad. I usually ride a road bike. After my first ride I'm sure I need to reduce the springiness in my from forks. There are two dials there labeled RST preload. They are tight, but I can turn them. I tried 360 and 720 clockwise and anticlockwise, but couldn't tell which way was correct. I see that other bikes allow air in here, so maybe I need to flip these off. Can anyone advise?


texts: Does anyone know what model/approximate year this Giant bike is?

texts: Does anyone know the model and approximate year of this Giant bike? Thanks!!


texts: Is it poor technique or physiology that causes people to cycle with their knees sticking out to the side?

texts: Why do some people cycle with their knees sticking out to the side instead of parallel to the frame?


texts: What are rotary gears? Sturmey Archer 3 Speed

texts:
I am confused by the three three-speed hubs that Sturmey Archer offers that are supposedly the same thing (3 speed hubs with a 177% range). I can gather that the S-RF3 is simply an Aluminum version of the AW, but what is the RS-RF3 main difference? What are rotary gears? Are there differences between all three that I am missing? Any help is appreciated
(also does anyone know where to purchase these online)
Links

AW: http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/aw

S-RF3: http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/s-rf3

RS-RF3: http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/rs-rf3


texts: Is there a All-In-One Bike that I can use for several types of riding?

texts:
Is there a bike, which can be used for several types of riding? By this, I am referring to commutes, tours, cross country, off-road mountain biking, trailing especially.

The bike should contain the major quality of several specifically designed bikes. By this I mean the following:

Road Bikes: Lightweight, speed, ergonomic
Downhill MTBs: Rigid Frame, High performance suspension and Tires
Cross Country: Comfortable (on Long tours)

For me, I have an habit of using a MTB for most of all the activities I mentioned above and most of time, this is not an comfortable experience over long run.

So, the question is simple Is there a bike, which contains all the qualities in one?


texts: Want some advice for hydration pack. Do I need a hydration pack for my 3 or 4 hours biking? and How to choose the right hydration pack for me? any accommodation? what do you use?


texts:
I have a bike with a 46/36T crankset (FSA Gossamer Cross BB30) and I'd like to change the small chainring to an even smaller one.

Googling around suggests that the smallest chainring I can get for a 110mm BCD crankset is 33T. Is that right?

Furthermore, it seems that I won't need to replace anything else at all, not even the chain. I run an Ultegra RD-6800-SS rear mech with an 11-28T cassette and all the specs seem to check out:

Max front difference: 16T (in my case, 46-33=13).
Total capacity: 33T (in my case, (46-33)+(28-11)=30).

So just swap out the chainring and good to go, or am I overlooking something? (Never done this before.)

Finally, how do I make sure that the chainring I buy is compatible with my drivetrain? It seems that the BCD (110mm) is all that matters, so something like TA 110 PCD Zephyr would work?

P. S. As I am looking at a picture of the Zephyr chainring, I notice that it says "9/10 speed". What does that mean exactly? (My drivetrain is 11-speed.)

P. P. S. This page lists what looks like the same product as compatible with 8/9/10/11 speeds, but with the following cryptic remark: "For 10-/11-speed drives only with 1 or 2-speed crank handle!" Are they simply trying to say it's too thick for a triple chainset or does this refer to something else?


texts: Does a standard exist for race boundaries?

texts:
I'm a bit puzzled at what happened at the end of Stage 11 at the 2020 Tour de France (on Wednesday 9 September 2020).
For the record, I'm not defending Peter Sagan. His leaning is aggressive. I'm also not here to debate the level of accepted aggressiveness among sprinters. I find the (lack of) standard for building fences to be laughable, and I'm wondering whether such a standard exists, for cycling, marathons, or relevant other sports.

The photo above is from this video at Second 31. This image and video excerpt do not quite represent the true initial point, because if you look at the beginning of the preceding day video, van Aert (wearing the yellow jersey) had already shifted to the right of the white line. Hence Sagan (Bora white jersey, near the edge) may have initially estimated that there is a hint of space to power through on the right.

Suddenly, as you can see at Second 36 of the same video (picture excerpt above), Sagan does indeed seem to lean inside, shouldering and elbowing his way.
But any rider facing a collision with the sign post (E. Leclerc in the image above) would have the same instinctive reaction.
Possibly Sagan was already "flagged with a yellow card", following his elbowing Mark Cavendish in 2017. The referees were not about to let him get away so easily. Even if the Leclerc post offered an excuse, they didn't want to seem lenient.
(Wout van Aert was penalized for his non-verbal reaction, and Peter Sagan lost hist green jersey lead as a result of leaning/elbowing van Aert.)
It's easy enough for a cyclist to fly over a thin strip of land, but substantially more space is needed for the handlebar, the elbows, and the shoulders.

The segments of the fence at the Tour de France appear to at least be attached to one another. Judging by the very serious accident accident sustained by Fabio Jakobsen after being pushed, from the inside-out this time, by Dylan Groenewegen, the fences at the Tour de Pologne have a basic weakness: The segments are not attached to one another, and a spectacular failure is possible (see picture above; source).
The severity of Jakobsen's collision means that Sagan is ever-so-slightly excused for panicking from the prospect of a collision. Once he has committed to overtaking van Aert, the only other option he had was to brake to go behind van Aert, but that's also not "something that is done" in a sprint.
It would appear then that part of the fault, perhaps a major part, is that no one designed a standard (ISO, ANSI, DIN, ...) for building fences in cycling races, especially for the last 100-200 meters.
I imagine the following requirements:

The fence should have no foot protrusions. A bike should have a clear path.
The fence will ideally be slanted outwards from the rink, but regardless, it should sustain the weight of a rider leaning (or being pushed), without collapsing spectacularly (as happened to Jakobsen).
There should be no protrusions of any kind (such as the Leclerc signpost). If supporting posts are needed, they should be built outside the bikes' path.

Does such a standard exist, for cycling or for any other sport?
A car racing up or down the side of a mountain might be at three or more times the speed of a cyclist, but there is usually a clear border that spares the rider from a catastrophic chute. Do cyclists who reach 60 kph so easily not deserve to have a safe fence, at least during the last stretch?


texts: Wobbly bottom bracket on Radford, need guidance to replace

texts:
I have an aluminium frame Raleigh bike that's been stuck at the back of my garage for a few years now. It has a wobbly bottom crank. I assume the bearings have gone, but A; I don't have the tool to get the crank out, and B; I don't even know if the crank can be replaced.
It has square things that the pedal stems attach to each side, and after I managed to force the pedal shafts off the crank, there was a thin nut (lock nut?) which I removed from the protruding thread. I don't have a picture currently, but the right side(where the thin nut was) looks like the left side of this picture;

which is a Tredz.co.uk Raleigh crank.
So how do I find out which crank I need and what tool I need to remove the old one? Also, do I need any extra tools to install the new one?
I'd love to get the bike working again, and the cranks seem to be pretty cheap.
Edit:
Here are the photos:

Update:
Thanks to you guys I could move forward with a better understanding of what I needed to do. For clarity, here are some better pics of the bike and the removed BB:
(click for original size)

I mistakenly thought it was a Raleigh, but that was my other bike. This one is a Radford. The new BB I bought looks a lot like the one I posted first actually.
Thanks for the help Guys.


texts:
So my bike just got stolen a week ago. A little Fixie Thruster that I put a lot of miles on commuting, and joyriding. I went as far a 250mi weekend trip on it. My gear was just kind of lashed on with in various places. I had a torn handlebar bag that I had to tie on and a little rear trunk rack.

Well I just bought a 2016 Specialized Rockhopper as a commuter and to hit the trails. I chose a hardtail 29'er so that I could go on the occasional bikepacking trip with greater efficiency. Probably not more than 10 days at a time, usually just a weekend, or week long trip.

This is my first real MTB and I assume it will hold up well with whatever I try to do with it. So I wanna load it down, but the more I look into panniers and handlebar bags and racks and frame bags and this and that, the more lost I seem to become.

Can some one just kind of point me in the direction of some sturdy, durable gear. Or at least what to look for when buying. I think I'm most concerned with a good set of rear panniers, a handlebar bag, and a frame bag. I can improvise for storage on the front forks and other little places. Any advice is welcome

Old setup


texts:
I ordered a zefal husky pump, and it just arrived today. I am pretty excited about it. (Who doesn't get excited about pumps?)

The downside is that the gauge is reading ~50psi instead of ~0psi I wouldn't mind if it was off by 5psi or so, but this is ridiculous. Is there a way to fix it, or do I have to return it?


texts: Should the hands be used for absorbing the impact after a jump?

texts:
I am trying to learn some very small jumps and bunny-hops. It seems that upon landing from either, there are two options. I am talking here only about the moment of the impact with ground, and not about manoeuvring pre-jump or in the air.

Upon landing, one can push with the handlebars down. This seems to have the advantage of delegating the work of absorbing the impact to the forks, which is what they are made for (assume hardtail).
Alternatively, one can strive to stay centered on the bike, relaxing the hands, and absorbing most or all of the impact by the feet. This seems to be achieved by kicking downwards when the bike is just about to land.

IS any of those techniques the correct approach? Or am I completely off?


texts:
I have a super quick question here, my daughter (she's 5 years old) rides her bicycle extensively, to the point of the actual tire has worn clear through.

I didn't think it would be this difficult, but I can't seem to find a direct replacement for her tires anywhere (her tires are 14 x 1.95).  I see plenty of 14 x 2.125 tires, would that work and be a direct replacement that'll fit?

I'm not sure what else to do at this point, but if we can't find new tires then we'd be forced to unnecessarily buy a whole new bicycle for her.

Any thoughts or ideas?  I have searched common stores, as well as checked online and there just seems to be no 14 x 1.95 tires available.

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I'll do a bike trip that will last a week and I need to mount a rear rack.

My bike is a Rockrider 8.1 with disc brakes without threaded seat-stay bosses to attach the mounting bracket arms.

A friend lent me these bags http://www.decathlon.it/borse-bici-2x20-litri-classic-id_8248119.html

How can I attach a rack to my bike to use these bags?


texts:
About two months ago I bought a Boardman HT Comp. Today I took it into my local bike shop for a service. While I was in the shop one of the technicians had a quick look at it and told me that my bottom bracket needs replacing. All he did was push and pull the cranks from side to side. There was a clicking noise and some visible movement, nothing more than 1-2mm. I've not noticed any problems while on the bike, however I don't have enough riding experience to know what to look for. Is it really possible that after 2 months and this very quick assessment that my bottom bracket needs replacing?

UPDATE

Eight months down the line it's failed again.


texts: Where can I buy a Bianchi Pista Concept?

texts:
I would like to buy a Bianchi Pista Concept 2005...2009 like this one:

http://velospace.org/node/24912

Where can I find this bike in London, UK? And what should I check before buy it?

Also, How much should I expect to pay for?

Thank you.


texts:
I'm using the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT with RPM speed sensor. First few rides with my dad I noticed my measured distance was about 2-3% off from his, I used the standard 2.096m size of my wheel (700x23C). He uses the Polar V650 which measures it with GPS. When I let Strava recalculate the distance is also has this difference.

After this I started using the auto-calibrate feature but this error still holds, not much has changed. I also did a rollout test where my circumference come to be around 2.093m. This difference however only accounts towards a 100m difference in distance. Nowhere near the difference that the GPS units calculate.

Anyone of you have any experience with these kind of sensors and data discrepancy? GPS is quite trustworthy when looking at the total distance so I'm not sure what to trust.


texts:
I have a Raliegh falcon touring frame, which I've been upgrading gradually as it's in good nick, putting modern componants on it.

I've got to the point where the next thing I need to do is upgrade from down tube shifters, ideally to combined brake/shifters.  I've got a triple chainring on the front (sora) and 6 speed on the back, with 27 x 1 1/4inch wheels. The rear shifter is indexed, whilst the front is not.  I'm aware I'll probably have to install a new rear derallier at the least.

So I have two questions.  Can I get any more gears on the back?  Do they make 7speed rear cassettes for older bikes?

And secondly, looking at sheldon browns website, the Campagnolo "Ergo" set would let me keep the front unindexed -am I correct?  And is the rear shifter modfiable to a 6speed, if I can't upgrade the rear cassette?

Thanks


texts: 2.51 euro for a quick-link (the cheapest)? But this is not so different from just single chain link. Why such prices and not for a dime?


texts: Is a chin strap with a cup safer than an under-chin strap?

texts:
Many helmets have chin straps to hold them on.
One design uses a split chin-strap, where the strap splits into two forming a cup shape, one going just below the lower lip and one under the chin.

In my opinion, this is a more comfortable design as the chin strap is against the chin bone instead of pressing against the fleshy underside of the lower jaw.

I found a single link http://www.usyouthsports.org/images/CPSC_Hangman_s_4_point_chin_strap.pdf which claims that this design is safer for bike helmets as it may reduce some cases of strangulation in case a "yanking" force is applied to the helmet.

Were there any other studies done on chin strap design like this for bike helmets?
Is this design safer?
Are there any bike helmets actually available with this chin strap ?


texts: Online stores which stock larger cycling gear?

texts:
I'm trying to find a source to purchase large-sized bicycle gear.  I'm having a hard time finding all sorts of gear.  I've been looking for padded mountain bike shorts, but can't find anything that would fit a 52"-ish waist.  3XL gloves, 4XLT shorts and shirts, are all things I'm looking to find.  I'm riding ~30 miles per day, so I'm looking to add comfort as my daily mileage continues to rise (shooting for 40 miles per day).  Rain and/or winter gear is a plus.

What stores stock larger-than-normal cycling gear?


texts: What are the advantages of filling tires with Nitrogen instead of air?

texts:
I am completely new to riding bikes and know that are usually filled with air but nowadays some people fill them with Nitrogen instead.

I don't know why they prefer to fill their tires with nitrogen as it is more costly than filling them with air.

What are the benefits of filling tires with Nitrogen?


texts:
I had a B&M ? brand (german make) rear bike 'standlight', removed the capacitor as I found it annoying when switching to a battery. Used a 6x cell AA 1,2v pack for awhile, with no issue. Upgraded all the wiring to silicon, and put in a 0,8AHr Yuasa gel lead acid.

For some reason I choose a 12v lead acid instead of a 6v.  ?

The front headlight, which was a xenon lamp design with a voltage regulator circuit that I replaced with a LED inside the reflector, same headlamp control circuit, seems to like it. Good light.

However, the rear red 'standlight' got dimmer, and dimmer. And now barely lights up at all. I think it was not designed to operate with such a continuous peak voltage around 12v and wondered what you thought.


texts: What is this cable/hose management clip? (picture)

texts:
I've purchased a RockShox Reverb seat post, and its come with these delightful little Cable/Hose clips.  Since my bike frame only comes with built in cable clips for the brakes and shifters, these little guys allow you to attach your cables to existing cables.  Problem is, I don't know what they are called or where to buy more because I'd like some more :D

Anyone know what these are called and where I can buy more?


texts: Why are 3 inches mountain bike handlebar hard to find?

texts:
I'm looking for a new handlebar, ideally 3 inches. But looking in some of the online shops it seems quite hard to get 31.8mm  bar clamp diameter handlebar with 3" rise.

Do you know if there is any reason for that?, is it maybe because people change the stem as well?


texts:
I bought an old bike. However there is one problem with it. The seatpost is stuck and I can't take it up or down ... and it's too high for me that my back hurts. It seems that the old user made it this way and I need to find a way to take it off or replace it somehow. Any ideas please?

Edit: do I have any chance with it? I need to note that when I got the bike I didn't find a screw that holds/locks the seatpost ... so I got it exactly as in the picture.

Pics for the seat.


texts:
Well, my problems with brakes have turned out to be not an issue with pad longevity at all -- see the following picture:

Note how the one pad is excessively "toe-in" worn.

Here's a picture of the brakes they came off of, with the parts labeled as far as I know them (with the new pads I just put on...):

(Erm.. that should say "Centering Adjustment Screw" ... hooray for tpyos!)

I don't see any way to change if the pads are toed in or toed out... how can I fix this (is it even possible?) ?


texts:
Does anyone have any experience with the Giant conduct system (semi hydraulic breaks) and compatible stems?
My partner bought a bike which came with a conduct 100mm stem. She feels that the reach is too long for her purpose (long distance road/gravel touring).
When holding an other stem next to it I can see that the bolt spacing is off just by a few milimeters.
Is the stem proprietary or is this a metric to imperial measurement difference?
Any advice is appreciated
I'd also consider a 80mm MTB stem if the bolt pattern is the same, but I can not find any dimensional drawings for stems on the Giant website.


texts: I purchased a mountain bike and I ride on the road most of the time and I was looking at slicks for my bike. My tire size that I have now is 26x2.00 and the rims. I have on are AT-550 26inch what size slick tire would be good for me to purchase?


texts: Is there any reason not to use a 9mm solid front axle hub in place of a QR hub?

texts:
I've got my hands on an old dynamo hub, with a view to building a 700C dynamo front wheel for my hybrid.  It uses (I believe, and will check) an M9 solid axle, but the existing one is QR.  It certainly fits without being loose, but I don't have the nuts for it and it's built up with an ETRTO 590 rim at the moment so I wouldn't have any brakes for a test ride.  I already use security QRs so I'm not bothered about having to undo nuts to take the wheel off.

Is there a reason to avoid doing this, or anything I should check before ordering parts?


texts: I am assembling my rear wheel and I have question related the lengths of spokes. Is there a big difference between the length of spokes taken from right and left sides. Can I get into big problems if I didn't separate the long and short spokes ?


texts: what is difference between remote lockout and hydraulic lockout?

texts:
hey does anybody know if a hydraulic lockout can be used with a remote?

like if a bicycle has an option of remote lockout.

does that mean the remote has been added to mechanical or hydraulic lockout?

its confusing as the remote lockout itself is not a type of lockout but just a remote added to an existing lockout technology like hydraulic or mechanical. but which one of the two is it is what i wanna know


texts: How to install a chain that has a pre-fitted pin?

texts:
My new chain (Shimano 5800 HG600 105) comes with a pin inserted in the outer plate as seen in the picture below.

The Shimano dealer's manual makes no mention of this scenario.

How to install such a chain?


texts: Why would the tension screw on a Brooks saddle have unscrewed to zero? What negative effects?

texts:
Checking my saddle, the tension screw seems to have bottomed out to no tension applied.  I added a small amount of tension to the screw, and the screw seems to have "taken."  I've not tested if it will shake itself out, or unscrew by some other process.

1) Why would this happen?  A failure in periodic maintenance on my part to check that it was staying in alignment?

2) What negative effects would this have had on my saddle?


texts:
I need to replace my bottom bracket on my giant rapid 3, the BB is a    FSA BB-7420ST - 116mm (68x116mm), but it's hard to found or not available.

My Question is: can I use a BB in 68x115 or 117mm (much more easier to found)? No big problem in perspective?


texts: If I am using DRY lube, do I need to clean my chain between applications?

texts: Do I need to clean the chain before reapplying dry lube if I am only using dry lube?


texts:
I have seen several times bike traffic lights like these:

This one is from Vienna, Austria. One can also find them in Bordeaux, France and in Paris if I remember well.

What purpose do these serve ? There are a few possiblities, as discussed in this blog post for pedestrian lights, but I don't find any of them very convincing.

Redundancy, in case one fails. But people tend not to consider an 'off' traffic light as green, and it's not used for car traffic lights, for which it would make much more sense. Also, that's +50% power consumption.
Colorblindness. This makes it possible to distinguish between red and green light other than by color alone. As a partially colorbind person, I have doubts. I can normally distinguish between red and green, but in some situations, no (think bright sunlight hitting the light), then I can not even tell if one of the two lights is on, so a double red wouldn't help me. For truely colorblind people, that might be different.
Be more assertive, i.e. discourage people from crossing at a red light, which works according to a Danish study, according to the post. I cannot find it through <search engine>, but that may be the best explanation. Note that in Vienna, these double red lights are far from the rule, and I haven't seen them for pedestrians.

Edit: here is a poll, so you can signal if such lights are used in your area.

I wrote to authorities in Austria that might be able to shed some light on this question, in terms similar to those above. Here are the answers.

TL;DR : Redundancy in case of failure*.

Anwser #1 (Austrian ministry of transportation)

In short, they don't know, citing Section 38.8 of the Traffic Code, which states that special lights can be used for some specific groups of users, like pedestrians, taxis, cyclists, etc. without any specifics. They also tell me to ask the local (Viennese) authorities, which I did, see answer #2.

Original text, for the brave:

  Nach Rücksprache mit der entsprechenden Fachabteilung übermitteln wir
  Ihnen gerne die folgende Auskunft:

  Gemäß § 38 Abs. 8 der Straßenverkehrsordnung 1960 (StVO) „Bedeutung
  der Lichtzeichen“ gilt, dass zur gesonderten Regelung des Verkehrs auf
  einzelnen Fahrstreifen oder für bestimmte Gruppen von
  StraßenbenützerInnen, wie etwa FußgängerInnen, RadfahrerInnen oder
  Fahrzeuge des Kraftfahrlinienverkehrs sowie Taxifahrzeuge,
  unterschiedliche leicht erkennbare Lichtzeichen verwendet werden
  dürfen.

  Das bmvit kann Ihnen jedoch keine Auskunft darüber geben, wieso an der
  von Ihnen angesprochenen Kreuzung eine solche Ampel zur Regelung des
  Verkehrs herangezogen wurde. Wir ersuchen Sie, sich diesbezüglich an
  das zuständige Magistrat der Stadt Wien zu wenden, dessen Kontaktdaten
  wir Ihnen gerne übermitteln: Verkehrsorganisation und technische Verkehrsangelegenheiten (MA 46) [...]

Anwser #2 (Wien MA 33, Öffentliche Beleuchtung und Verkehrslichtsignale)

The first paragraph emphasizes the fact that for this specific location (photo), the bike lane goes against traffic in a one way street.

The second paragraph explains that this additional red light is meant to avoid switching to the blinking yellow light in case of failure.

Original text:

  Bei der Verkehrslichtsignalanlage (VLSA / Ampel) Burggasse #
  Schottenfeldgasse wurde für den Radverkehr in der Schottenfeldgasse
  ein separates Vierkammerradsignal montiert, weil die RadfahrerInnen
  gegen die Einbahnrichtung der Schottenfeldgasse unterwegs sind.

  Da für die Überwachung des Rotlichts zwei Signale pro Fahrtrichtung
  erforderlich sind, damit die Anlage bei Ausfall eines Rotlichts nicht
  sofort in den Gelbblinkbetrieb übergeht, wurden zwei Rotlichtsignale
  übereinander montiert.

*My german deciphering skills are pretty limited so please correct me if I'm wrong.


texts:
I've just bought a new pulley set for my rear derailleur but do not know which one goes on the top (nearest derailleur) and which one goes on the bottom. The
wheels have arrows on them;vI suppose they indicate the rotation direction for the pulley wheels when rotating 'normally'.

PS : I see that one pulley wheel is beefier, thicker than the other one
Derailleur is a M970 XTR


texts:
Help!
Have a Diamondback Release with Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires on Blanchard rims.  Couldn’t break bead to get tires off as I wanted to convert to tubeless, even after trying tire levers for an hour with hot soapy water as a lubricant. In the end, I had to get a bike shop to do it for me.

Is this a common problem with these rims or tires.  This isn’t good.  What if you were trailside and needed to work on your tire? Is there a tire that would come off using your hands without having to take rims to dealer?


texts: Connect a classic raleigh dynamo hub to a lamp?

texts: How do I connect a classic raleigh dynamo hub to a lamp please?


texts: Does inseam of pants convert to stand over height of a bike?

texts: If I know my jeans size, for instance 32", 32", can I convert this into an estimate for standover height on a bike?


texts:
I am converting an old road bike to fixed gear with brakes. I am opting for long reach calipers as the brake reach is 70mm. As i am going to put a flat handlebar I am thinking of buying brake lever but can't figure out should go for v brakes lever or not.
Will V-brake lever work with long reach calipers?
Thanks


texts: Mechanism to draw rear wheel back and tighten chain stuck; oil not helping, what's next?

texts:
I have a bicycle with an internally geared hub (Rohloff).  To tension the chain, I loosed the attachment of the rear wheel (dropouts), draw back the rear wheel, and tighten the attachment again.  However, on one side, this mechanism is stuck.  I've oiled it but it's still stuck.  What can I try next?

This mechanism is supposed to move back and forth when the bolts are loosened, but it doesn't.  On this photo, I removed the bolts connecting it to the dropout completely, to make sure that isn't the problem.

Whereas on the other side of my bicycle, it does.

This leaves me with the choice of cycling with a loose chain, or cycling with a slightly less loose chain but a rear wheel that isn't straight.  Not a great choice.  How can I unstuck this mechanism?  I've already tried to oil it.

Edit:

The thing on the left (with a thread visible) is stuck.  It is supposed to be connected to the thing sticking out on the right, but regardless of how much I loosed the thing sticking out on the right, the thing on the left won't move.  Sorry, I don't know the right terminology.


texts: Gear step sizes between Shimano Nexus 8 and Alfine 8 compatible

texts:
I recently replaced my broken nexus 8 with a new alfine 8.

i thought that they are compatible in regards to the shifter and the step sizes between the gears.

but i notice now on the alfine that i dont hit all gears precisely. there is sometimes a slipping on the very high gears and very low gears.

so are step sizes on nexus and alfine gears compatible or not?


texts: Minimizing the pain in Biceps and Shoulders due to Mountain Cycling or Offroad cycling

texts:
I am a regular road cyclist, but I seldom go off the roads for cycling and Mountain Cycling. The terrain being damn rough and uneven, the jerks and the vibrations cause a lot of pain and numbness in Arms and Shoulders after a specific amount of endurance.

Have anybody tried a kind of a posture or may be skin-tight attire so that it is reduced? Or, how can I practice to endure such vibrations? This is rather a bit (or a lot) different than a regular exercise routine for strength building, isn't it?

EDIT: It doesn't have front and rear suspensions.


texts: Trying to identify an old Helkama I have recovered

texts:
I have an amazing find here and need help understanding it's history.  I am currently ordering all the bits and bobs to run it again, but wanted to learn more about it if I can.
I think it was a work bike, as shown with the sign on the back. Also has double pitted tires, a sign someone was maintaining it at some point. I think it is a Helkama, but it seems someone tried spraying "Nishiki" on the side.  What the heck.
It was found in Oulu Finland.


texts:
My bike has a 2x8 speed Shimano Claris 2400 front derailleur and ST-2400 shifters. The FD is damaged. Can I replace it with the newer Claris R2000 FD? Shimano's compatibility guide indicates that it can be mated only to the ST-R2000 shifters. Is that really the case in practice? If it isn't, might I as well replace it with a Sora or Tiagra double FD (of the same stye/cable-pull)?
I understand how mix and match could be a problem with the rear derailleur because of different indexing but aren't all double FDs equal?


texts: Adding suspension forks to rigid bicycle

texts: I'm thinking of adding suspension forks to a rigid mtb. I realized that the geometry will change with the front higher and so the chain will be slanted up. Does this affect how hard and tiring is it to pedal and the steering. If I were to do it, how much travel of suspension do I need, or should I just stick to the rigid.


texts: former weightlifter turned triathlete repeatedly breaking hanger

texts: Every year, it seems I am on a training ride 5-10 miles from home and while torquing up, I snap the hanger throwing the rear derailleur into my spokes and locking up my rear wheel. I am 205lbs and 5'10" and still squat pretty heavy so I am wondering if the combination of my weight and my force is wearing out the hangers quickly causing this and if there is a known way to check this for fatigue before I get on the road. I use a 2012 GTR Series 5 aluminum bike. If I ask at a bike shop, they will just try and sell me a tri bike. I want a tri bike but I don't want one if it wont change anything in my sprint and olympic tri experience.


texts: Is it practical to replace two sprockets on a cassette?

texts:
My bike has 53/39T chainrings and a cassette with 12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23,25 sprockets, but I like to ride up steep mountain roads. Is it possible (without great expense) to replace two sprockets to make it a little easier to spin instead of mash?

My rear derailleur is a Shimano RD-6500. I tried checking online, but I couldn't find a clear description of what the maximum sprocket size it supports is. Would it be practical to replace, say, the 23T sprocket with a 24T and the 25T with a 27T?

Or is there something else I should be considering to make the gearing a little more friendly for spinning on steep roads?


texts:
I have a tube (fits 27.5", 28" and 29"), and a 27,5" tire with the dimensions
57-584 (27.5/2.25, 650B). But the package of the tube only shows suitability for the dimensions (27.5"):

50-584  27.5 x 2.00  650B
60-584  27.5 x 2.35  650B
62-584  27.5 x 2.40  650B

Can I use the tube for my tire? What would be possible consequences?

The tube and tire are from Schwalbe SV-19


texts:
I have an idea to build a carbon fork with aluminium joints. I don't have any experience in frame building but I want to read about it somewhere. Is there any good literature about how to build a bike from scratch?

I've found a couple of books on Amazon, like "Construction of Lugged Bicycle Forks". I think this is the book that I'm looking for. I have a good machinist guy with two turning and one miling big industrial machines.

What I need is to buy two awesome pieces of TAPPERED carbon tubes and then mill a head and dropouts to fit the carbon tubes.

I have some experience with Solidworks and I think I can make a model with all the loads which head should take. I can test all the loads of the carbon tubes and then calculate the head and drop-outs. What do you think, guys?


texts:
This question has got me hugely excited about building a bamboo bike. I've found some instructions and tips here and here.

I plan to find/buy an old bike to use as a donor. I think I'll use the head tube, forks, stem (basically the whole front end) from the donor bike to minimise compatibility issues. I'll use the dropouts from a bmx, since I'm building a fixie and it has horizontal dropouts.

Which leaves the bottom bracket. I could buy a new one from a framebuilding supply site or use the one from the donor bike.

My questions:

What do I need to consider for the bottom bracket? Should I use a cartridge style bearing and buy some single speed cranks?
What are the odds that my old donor bike will have a bottom bracket shell that will fit with the new bottom bracket bearings? Do I need to buy a bottom bracket shell from a framebuilding site?
Are there any other complications I've overlooked?


texts: How to reduce brake lever rattling sound at the pivot pin either by a fix or by replacement?

texts:
Context
I have a Merida Speeder 200 with a Shimano MT-200 hydraulic brake system, which uses BL-MT200 levers.
Over time these levers have developed a rattling sound. It appears to come from the lever rattling against its housing at the pivot point. Intuitively I would tighten the pivot bolt, but it appears to be a rivet, so I can't really do anything with it.
Things I've looked into
The answer to this related question mentions using an o-ring, but because of the rivet-like pivot I can't disassemble the lever.
The sound can be damped easily by just resting my fingers on the levers, but I sometimes prefer to just hold the bar without my fingers on the lever.
Question
Can I silence these rattling levers? Or is there perhaps a compatible lever that does not rattle?


texts:
Recently got a Cube eMTB with Bosch CX system installed. Love the bike, does well for commutes and some bush bashing over the weekend.

Being a nerd, I like my data. Considering the system already reads information as a part of its normal function (as well as Torque so I have heard) is there any way to log this to Strava/IPBike/other fitness apps?


texts: I need to identify what kind of bike I have

texts: I need to find out what kind of bike I have I just got it it seems nice I just need to know what it id


texts: Does the fox hunt game exist professionally?

texts:
I've just recently seen the new Tomb Raider movie and during the start of it, Lara is working as a cycle courier. Some members of it want to run a game called fox hunt, where you can win money if you manage to outrun the hounds.

The objective of the game, the fox is given a fake fox tail that is attached to their bike and a paint can which is punctured to leave a trail for the hounds to follow. The fox is given a head start and the hounds need to try and capture the fox by taking the tail off the fox's bike. If the fox manages to outrun the hounds and the paint can runs dry, the fox wins. They do this game in central London and isn't shown to be a fully legal game. The entire sport is done whilst riding their bikes.

Question is, has this game ever been done in a legal/professional context? If so, what examples of this competition are there? Are there also official rules for the game?


texts:
I have a pair of leather bike shoes, which I mostly use in summer.

Is it a good idea to waterproof them using the available silicone based sprays, or can it damage the shoes?


texts: Removing headset cups from 44mm head tube

texts: I have a 2015 Salsa Colossal with a 44mm head tube.  The upper cup is a ZS44/28.6 (1 1/8") and the lower cup is EC44/33 (1 1/4").  I need to punch out the cups, so I bought a Park Tool RT-1.  It states that it works with 1" to 1 1/4" cups and Park's website explicitly says it works with ZS44 and EC44 cups.  The problem is that the flared part of the tool passes right through the lower 1 1/4" cup and barely catches the upper 1 1/8" cup.  I could direct the tool at one side and then the other, but I thought the main purpose of the tool is apply pressure evenly around the cup.  Should I have bought the bigger RT-2?


texts:
Truing a wheel and lacing spokes is a big deal, requires a truing stand and everything. I know some do it without tool just with the spoke wrench and the naked eye, but feels like a big deal to me.

When one breaks a spoke, I believe it is safe to say the wheel is out of true within a few meters.

The question therefore is: is it worth it carrying spare spokes when touring longer distances (200+ km)?


texts: Finding a replacement for "Schwalbe No.19 40/62-584/635" tube

texts:
I look for a punctureproof tube to replace the one delivered with my Cube Attention model. My understanding I should shop the new tube ideally by the ETRTO code.

The old tube is signed as "Schwalbe No. 19 - 28"/29" - 40/62-584/635". Now what is exactly the ETRTO code here?


texts:
I am attempting to build a single speed bike for commuting from various spare parts.  I'm unsure of what kind of crankset would be compatible with my frame.  I have read from a couple sources that I can use a typical road double crankset with one chain ring removed, but I'm still a bit unclear on how to precisely determine compatibility with my frame.

My question is, in the most basic terms, what factors need to be considered when choosing a crankset?

The frame in question is a single speed cyclocross, a Bianchi San Jose.


texts: Can hand brake levers be pulled hard enough on a comfort/cruiser handlebar?

texts:
My bike currently has a straight handlebar. Both the front and rear brake are operated by hand, with a brake lever on each side of the handlebar. This allows me to pull them very hard, which is good.

I consider changing the handlebar to a comfort/cruiser handlebar. But I worry that because the ends are tilted backwards (towards me), this makes it more difficult to pull the brake levers hard enough. Is this the case in practise?

Comfort/cruiser bikes usually operate the rear brake by foot, hence they don't have this problem to the same extent.


texts:
I finally found out the answer as to why my v brake is not returning to open position.

If you look closely, the screw that is supposed to hold spring is not doing its job; the spring slips down when I try to apply tension. I'm not sure what that black plastic thing is called but I'm guessing that it must have a groove there in order for the spring to slide down under the screw.

Are there replacement parts for that or can that still be fixed? Or do I need to replace the whole v-brake?


texts: Does anyone have experience mounting an EVO phone on the handlebars of a road bike?


texts: What bike Pump can I use for the Peugeot Savoie?

texts: I'm trying to find a hand pump that will fit the top tube of the frame, In the model manual  attached is the Bike pump that says 'Zefal Competition HP pump' however could i use a standard 'Frame Pump' to fit into the holder shown in the second photo?


texts: How to properly thread (textile) pedal straps

texts:
Is there a "correct" way to thread (textile) pedal straps for use with toe clips?

In the photo above, I threaded the strap in the "opposite" direction to that of how Sheldon Brown threaded leather straps in order to try to keep the large amount of extra length "inside" the pedal rather than going down and "away from" the bike frame, which might lead it to e.g. dragging on the ground (my bottom bracket is rather low, as can be seen in the photo). However, just like Sheldon, I twisted the strap 360° as it passes through the pedal in order to keep it from sliding out of position.

However, I have a feeling I'm "doing it wrong" because I've never seen pedal straps with this much slack before. Furthermore, on the web there are photos of very similar (but not identical) straps which have the rest somehow "tucked" away:


texts: Buying a bike that has been idle in a garage for years?

texts: A close friend who can no longer ride (illness) asked me if I wanted to buy his 2009 Trek Fuel EX 9. This bike has been hanging in his garage for 9 years and was only ridden for a couple of hours after it was purchased. What are the potential problems in buying a bike that has been idle in his garage for years?


texts: I have a Shimano GRX RX400 long cage on my 2x10 Trek Checkpoint ALR 4 (2021).  Can I change to an 11 Speed Cassette, GRX 600 Right Shifter and 11 speed chain to convert it to a 2x11 speed drive train. keeping the front and left shifter as is.  $350 would upgrade me to 11 speed.


texts: Can't shift front gear, despite loosening, tightening, etc. What could be wrong?

texts:
Disclaimer: I'm clueless and am piecing together what little information I know from reading this site and from watching YouTube 'intro to repair' videos.
I've been gifted a used mountain bike, my first since I was a kid. It had a few issues, though. I managed to fix the brakes, but the shifter is giving me problems.
The bike in description is a Giant Boulder SE from the 1990s. It's got 3 speeds on the front and 7 on the rear, and operates using thumb switches.
Main problem
I can't switch gears on the front at all. By loosening the shifter cable a little, I gained the ability to click through the gears, but the derailleur/chain never makes any changes. It's always stuck on the outermost ring of the front... set of rings. (Cassette, I think.)
I think the larger ring represents a higher gear, but clicking through to top gear and then lowering it back down to 1 does nothing.
At top gear, the shifter cable tension is such that I can get a finger between it and the frame, and wobble it about 5mm, but it's still taught. On first and second gear, the cable is much looser.
This is a problem because riding in first gear kind of sucks, and by kind of, I mean really.
I have tried adjusting the limit screws. At first, I saw some movement, but now tightening or loosening either screw seems to do nothing at all.
Secondary problem
The rear shifter starts at 7th/top gear and 'releases' downward, towards gears with less resistance. I can go between 5th, 6th, and 7th gears, but trying to go any lower than 5 won't work, as there's just too much resistance from the shifter.
I don't think this is a huge deal, because 1st-in-front-5th-in-rear is a plenty low enough gear to get started/climb the kind of hills I'll be climbing anytime soon. But I thought I'd mention it anyway. My instinct is that this means the cable is too taut, but my instincts are garbage because as I said, I'm clueless.
Any help here would be really appreciated. Can't really afford to take it into a shop or that's what I'd do.


texts: Is front suspension remote lockout worth it?

texts:
My old city bike is getting worn out and I'm considering getting a new and better bike. I will use it for my daily commute (paved road - very uneven in places) and the occasional trip outside the city on unpaved roads. I have decided that a cross-road bicycle/29'er is what I'm looking for. I have created a check list with a few points:

Large wheels (29'er/cross-road)
Good brakes (hydraulic disc brakes)
Front suspension with lockout
Remote lockout of the suspension

For the price/quality level I'm considering it seems that remote lockout is a very special feature. So far I've found a single model with remote lockout (the Trek 8.5 DS) but I'm still undecided if I want better brakes and suspension than this model offers.

I've never had a bicycle with front suspension before but to me it seems like a no brainer to get remote lockout. I expect to have the suspension locked on my daily commute, but I know several places on my route where I would think having an unlocked suspension would be nice.

What are my best alternative?

Keep looking for a bike that satisfy my needs including having a remote lockout? Being unsuccesful doing this made me come here for advice.
Look for a bike that satisfy my needs with the possibility of having a remote lockout mounted aftermarket? I don't know if this is possible without a significant cost increase which detracts from this solution.
Forget about the remote lockout and just keep it locked for my daily commute just as I do today where I have no suspension at all?


texts: What type of bottom bracket is this (pictures)? What tools do I need to replace it?

texts:
This bike has a lot of play on the bottom bracket. Here are pictures:

What replacement can I buy for it? It looks like a square tapper BB to me, how do I measure which size I need? I do not have the tools to open it and read on the piece at this stage. Hence, what tools do I need to replace it?


texts: Is it possible to transplant the 5 arm spider of a Shimano XTR FC-M950 to a XT FC-M739?

texts: The 5 arm spider of the FC-M739-5 has a BCD of 94/58mm whereas the 5 arm spider of the FC-M950-HG uses 110/74mm. Is it possible to use the XTR spider on the XT crank?


texts:
I am looking for some guidelines for finding compatible pieces with the ones I currently have installed on my bike. I have for instance a right brake lever (bl-m445) which is leaking oil. It is connected to a brake hose (bh-59) which goes to the brake (br-m447). Knowing all this how can I find out which brake levers are compatible?
I found this https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/shimano/BL-M445.html but it isn't helping with any compatibility tables

What would he approach look like for any other part?


texts:
Is there a difference of spacing between cogs on a 7 speed cassette vs a 8 speed cassette?

When I got a new wheel (upgrade from freewheel hub), I tried to get a 7 speed cassette (SRAM) for it, but the local shop didn't have the spacers for the hub.  Instead I swapped it out for a 8 speed cassette (SRAM), but kept the 7 speed shifters (shimano EF-51).  I have a few gears in the lower and middle gears where the chain constantly tries to jump between.  The higher gears are fine.  The issue mostly went away when the tension on the cable was adjusted, but not completely.  I noticed it may have moved the issue to another part of the cassette.

Update Soon after posting this I replaced the cassette with a proper 7 speed and all the issues went away.


texts:
I have two threaded holes on the inside of my frame on my 2007 Stumpjumper FSR and I don't know what they are for.

Can anyone tell me why they're there?


texts: What can one damage by bending the wheel?

texts:
What parts may be damaged by bending rear wheel manually with very high force?

My father bent rear wheel several times with such high force that the tire contacted the seat stays. Could he have damaged or worsen any part of the wheel (hub, hub axis, bearings, spokdes, etc)?

I complained about the way of transporting my bike in his car (lying horizontally on rear wheel) so he tried to prove there is no influence on wheel centering and hub health.

Is it okay that the wheel can be bent slightly with proportionally high force?

Bike model: Author Codex 2015, wheels: Author Radon, unsure about type of the hub.


texts: Vantara GT 6061 aluminum bike front wheel replacement?

texts: I have a Vantara GT 6061 aluminum bike and I lost the front wheel. Where can I get a replacement?


texts: Noise + vibration while back-pedalling. Should I be worried?

texts:
Recently I noticed I'm getting a bit of noise and vibration through the drivetrain if I backpedal on the largest sprocket at a reasonable speed.

There is enough vibration that when I'm stopped at lights getting into position the whole bike vibrates.

I looked at the chain while the bike was on the stand and it looks like the lower segment is jumping up and down while the bike is on the stand back-pedalling unless it's really slow.

It looks to me like the top jockey wheel might be putting pressure on the largest sprocket.

The chain is at basically 0 wear, and has been running fine for a while.

Recently I changed lubricant from a paraffin wax + paraffin oil 1:1 blend to 100% paraffin wax.

Apart from the noise & vibration the bike seems to be running fine.

If you're interested in the sound & behaviour here's a short video:

You can hear the vibration when the back-pedal speed increases

Is this something that requires maintenance to correct or should I not worry?


texts: What is the purpose of the channel in my seat? Is it just for comfort or does it have some medical benefits?


texts:
I have a new Giant Fastroad, with 10 speed Tiagra, my old bike (7-8 years old) has 9 speed 105.
I think that the 105 was smoother even on the old bike, would the 105 be compatible to fit to the new bike and be able to cope with the extra gear?


texts: "Proper" cycling posture on a road bike with drop bars?

texts:
Sometimes I feel a little pain in my lower back after cycling (nothing too long, mainly cycling around London for general commuting...5-10Km). It could be due to a number of reasons (I have a bad back anyway), but I would like to eliminate bad cycling posture as a possible cause.

I can only find one mention of cycling posture on SE, but it refers to flat bars:  Proper Posture on a flat bar road bike.

My bike is the correct size for me I believe, using the old "its just the right height for my crotch..Ouch!" measurement.

Does anyone have useful sources of information how to achieve the correct cycling posture?


texts: Does the age of brake pads make any difference?

texts:
I recently changed my brake pads with some new ones that have been in my shed for years. They are not packaged, but as I am in the UK, which has a very variable climate. The shed gets very hot and humid in the day, and cools down at night.

Does this have an effect on the brake pads, with V brakes?


texts: My rear wheel is bent. How do I know which replacement rim would work?

texts:
I have a 2015 Diamondback Insight 1. (http://dbcorp.diamondback.com/insight-1) The rear wheel is bent and I think needs replacement. The bike specs say that it's a "32h Equation R23 Doublewall" but I haven't been able to find a replacement. Which do you think would work for my bike?

Thanks so much!


texts: cantilever brakes have 1mm play in then is this normal?

texts:
My cantilever brakes have roughly 1mm movement in them and can be moved backwards and forwards very easily by hand.

Is this because the shoulder bolt is too long or should the setup have some extra washers in place to stop this?

Will braking be improved by changing this?


texts: Will any Shimano mountain bike shift cable set work with any Shimano mountain bike derailleurs and shifters?

texts:
(Forgive me if this question has been asked before - but I don't know if I'm searching with the correct keywords to find the answer...)

My rear derailleur cable is stuck hard into the side of its tube, meaning I can't shift gears. I want to replace it, but I'm a novice and I'm not sure exactly what replacement cable I need. The bike is a Cube Analog 2014, with Shimano Altus SL-M370 Rapidfire Plus shifters and Shimano Deore RD-M592 SGS Shadow 9-speed rear derailleur. I found this Shimano shift cable set, but it seems like this is a generic kit. Would this work? Would I need to cut it to the right size for my bike, or are they always the same size?


texts: Weird problem. My mtb makes this clicking noise at the same spot when i pedal. It sounds like its coming from the crank but if i backpedal it goes away for about 5 minutes and then comes back. Is it a locked up link on the chain? It's making me crazy. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


texts:
I just bought some new brake pads for my caliper brakes on a bike I am fixing up  and when I apply the brake, it takes at least 10 feet to stop no matter how hard I apply them; basically I can't get the wheels to skid even when I try.

I tried tightening the brake pads to be closer to the tire but the problem persists. Is it just the case that my bike's brake mechanism sucks? Or is this a symptom of something else?

Thanks.


texts: Andel crankset, BB axle length and chainline

texts: I was planning to buy an Andel Standard Track crankset. It uses 110mm axle bottom bracket, but the stock bracket on my bike is 103mm. Will this mess up my chainline?


texts: Is there an (un)official rule about twisting back a seat on broken bike for CitiBike or other shared bike programs?

texts:
"don't pick a bike if its seat is twisted around backwards. That's a sign that a previous rider found the bike busted." -(from SamtheBrand's answer to How to choose the right Citi Bike? )

Can someone please elaborate on this rule please?

Is it widely known and used?[1]

Is this some sort of official or unofficial rule communicated somewhere?

Is it specific to Citi Bike program or generic to any bike rental/sharing ones?

[1] - I have ridden Citibikes almost every weekday for over a month in NYC, and have never observed a twisted-around seat. But I didn't set out to find one so it's not much of an evidence.


texts:
Do you know how to match a color on the frame ?
I want to buy a paint from a tool shop but I'm not sure if it's match with the frame color.
I'm going to use the paint  for a touch up.

Thanks for the info.


texts:
I have a Boardman CX Team 2014 with some indexing issues. It's running a Shimano Sora ST-3500 9 speed shifter with a Shimano Sora rear mech.

The gears had not been running all that smoothly and, as I was changing the bars, I figured I'd also re-cable everthing with new housing. The gears are now shifting a lot better, but there is a small problem with the indexing on the rear derailleur.

When fine turing with the barrel adjuster I can get wonderfully smooth shifting on the smallest 4-5 cogs, but after that it gets a little less smooth.

Can anyone give me some pointers on what to check to get it working smoothly?

EDIT:

Photo showing cable connected to rear mech


texts: I recently bought an older Takara road bike.  The sidewalls look like they are rotting so I want to replace them but cannot read the size.  I have tried a 700x250 tire but it does not fit.  Any ideas what size would fit and where is a good place to buy them?


texts: How can I tell if a helmet will be comfortable before buying?

texts:
Barring taking a helmet on a 50-mile ride before buying it:

Some kinds of chin straps, for example, won't stay tight, and some kinds of cages aren't comfortable no matter how I adjust them. What should I look for?

This isn't a product recommendation question (although that would be nice). I'm interested in knowing what features to look for.

Alternately, is there anything I can do to an existing helmet to make it more comfortable on longer rides?

(If it'll help, I ride for commuting, running errands, and touring; aero or ultra-light features are appreciated but aren't a priority, but ventilation is important.)


texts: Some time ago, I stuck a U-lock on my bicycle for safe keeping, on the top tube below the seat. It's annoying when riding, and I'd like a way to remove it. I've lost the key some time ago, or I would have removed it that way. Preserving the lock is optional. What would you suggest?


texts: Beside drive train, what is the difference between group components (e.g. 105 vs. Ultegra)?

texts:
In his previous post, jmusits asked the difference between the Shimano 105 and Ultegra drive train. Obviously, the derailleur is certainly one of the major components of a group. However levers, brakes and cables also make a huge difference. I would like to extend jmusits' original question.

What are the difference between 105 and Ultegra brake calipers? Is the brake performance better with the Ultegra components or is it only a weight question? What about the difference with Tiagra caliper?
What are the difference between 105 and Ultegra levers? I can imagine that the mechanism for gear change is more accurate and smoother for the Ultegra. But what about the influence on the brakes?

I am quite interested on the brakes right now, since my girlfriend owns a road bike with cheap Tiagra components. The derailleur is not working properly and we were thinking of changing the derailleur for a better one. But is it worth to change the brake calipers and/or the levers as well? She likes the frame, but would like to have better brake performance and smoother gear change.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What size cone wrench am I likely to need for a Trek 1.5 2011 Compact rear hub?

texts:
Unfortunately the manufacturer's website, and google don't appear to hold this information. The only thing I've found is that the hubs are aluminium which doesn't really help.

Is there a common size of wrench? If I get the size wrong I can always send it back but I'm guessing people who deal with road bikes a lot will know that there's a common set of sizes.

Any suggestions? :)


texts: I am looking at buying a tacx turbo trainer however I am only putting out about 200w on a bike

texts: Is this enough for a turbo trainer and if so, which tacx should I buy?I am looking at a tacx blue or satori as these are in my budget however will the satori be to hard to ride as it has a max output of about 1000watt?


texts: Which type of bike is the right for these conditions?

texts: I want a bike that is fast on the road but can also go offroad. By offroad I mean mostly gravel and a little dirt but no mud or very little. Cyclocross bikes caught my interest but they seem expensive. Can I buy a road bike and change a few components to make it more suitable for offroad? About 100km is as far as I'll probably ever go. I'm not a cyclist but I am a runner. I'm worried that the gears are too big or how should I say it, I'm afraid I won't be able to go uphill with a road/cyclocross/gravel bike.


texts: On fitting 700C rims to a dynamo hub rated for up to 20"

texts:
I am currently in the planning stages of creating a really fancy front fork for my bike.
For a little background, I want to try to get this custom built Burrows monoblade with disc mount:
https://bikefix.co.uk/blade
And attach a dynamo hub to it.
The thing is that I have so far been only able to find the Schmidt SON XS-M series of single-sided dynamo hubs which seem remotely correct, and all of them are listed as max 20" rims, while I want 700C rims.

My question is this: What would happen if I tried to fit the larger rims to the smaller hub, and why shouldn't I do it?


texts: carbon seat post to carbon seat tube - necessary to loosen periodically to prevent seizing in place?

texts:
I recently (about 4 months ago) purchased a bike with a carbon frame (i.e. carbon seat tube) and a carbon seat post.  I've read some nightmare stories about having to replace an entire carbon frame in some cases when the seat post gets severely stuck to the seat tube.

When I first received my current bike (to reiterate, carbon seat post and seat tube) after I positioned the seat I used carbon assembly paste between the seat post and tube so as to prevent any temptation to overly tighten the seat post clamp bolt.  From what I've read, carbon assembly paste is generally recommended for carbon on carbon seat posts and also stems to carbon handlebars.

The carbon assembly paste seems to hold the seat post in place great, I don't have to overtighten the seat post clamp bolt at all and the seat has never slipped.

My concern now is, how do I know the seat post and seat tube won't freeze together over time?

I use my bike for communing daily and keep it in my apartment at night, but it does have to stay outside on a bike rack (through all seasons in Michigan) during the day.

Is it recommended every so often (ex. once every month, or some other time frame?) to loosen and move the seat post to prevent freezing?  Or is there some other recommended measure I can take to prevent freezing?  I would prefer to continue using the carbon paste unless this is likely to cause a freezing problem.


texts: Winter tires with removed studs as summer tires?

texts:
I have just a set of summer tires in very poor condition and a huge heap of studded winter tires. Selling winter tires is very hard so I got an idea to use the winter tires as summer tires with removed studs.

Is it a good idea and how should you remove studs without damaging the tire itself?
Can you use the tire afterwards as winter tire or will the studs become too loose? Any experience?
Should I fill the stud-positions with something if I remove the studs?

The winter tires are W106 Nokian tyres, Hakkapeliitta.


texts:
Hello fellow cyclists,

I just bought a new Home Trainer that has a Shimano 105 Cassette.

My Bike has an Ultegra drivetrain with less than 600km (375mi).
I have checked the wear of the chain which seems clearly well off the .75

Yet I get a clicking/ratcheting sound. Video at slow speed almost no load (hand cranked):

Video at higher speed with bigger load:

What would you do ?

Thanks a lot !

EDIT:
With this view, the alignment seems right and an indexing problem less likely ?

Here

Also, it seems the noise comes from the chain/cassette separation on top:

Here


texts: What are the parts needed to build your own fixie?

texts:
I've always wanted to build my own bike and I figured that a fixie has the least number of parts.

Please post one part per answer. Please explain what I should be looking for in the part. Also please recommend a make/model and give approximate cost.


texts: Are road-bike suspension forks still manufactured, if so, where?

texts: For a few years, road bike suspension forks were used at Paris-Roubaix, but now they seem to have disappeared. Are they still being manufactured? If not, why (aside from UCI regulation) did they not persist, e.g. for cyclocross or city riding?


texts: Easiest fix for this transmission problem?

texts:
My bike is an adult mountain bike with different gear shifts and all.

Suddenly my rear tire stopped going but the chain and everything still works - the gear and chain still spins.

What is the easiest way to fix the rear chain/cog if it's not turning the rear wheel?


texts: Do indexed 3x downtube/barend front mech shifters exist?

texts: I'd like to use a 3x chainset and wonder if indexed 3x downtube/barend front mech shifters exist?


texts:
If I were to purchase the “Aluminum Road Bike Commuter Bike Shimano 21 Speed 700c”, would I be able to remove the tires that the bike originally came with, and replace them with some “Michelin Lithium 2 Road Bike Tyres”? Links for the bike and the wheels are below. And if so, should I get the 23c or 25c? I’m riding on city streets and sidewalks.

Original bike and its tyres

New tyres on CRC website


texts: For a 9 speed shimano chain, must I use a shimano 9 speed connecting pin?

texts:
Are connecting pins interchangeable irrespective of whether it's a 7,9,10, n speed bike?

If it does matter, are they interchangeable in some cases?  i.e. you could use a 7-speed connecting pin for a 9-speed bike but not a 10-speed?


texts: What does the truing "release tension" step do?

texts:
What tension is being released?  Between what and what?

Context: I've seen it said, as part of wheel truing, that after you've gotten it where you want it you should release tension then recheck truing after that.  Some of the suggestions were to grip pairs of spokes and give a good tug on each, all the way around the wheel; place each side of the hub on the ground and give a good push around the rim and maybe a couple other ways.


texts:
Currently I'm re-reading through Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. He mentions using rags to clean the chain, cogs, jockey wheels and the rest of the drivetrain. Just wondering what kind of rags people use. I generally use the blue shop towels. They work OK but they're still paper so I have to be careful that the chain doesn't shred them and I get little chunks of paper all over the drivetrain. I thought about buying a pack of cotton rags from Costco but seems like these would get expensive since I'd basically get one use out of a rag.

I live in a wet climate and use wet chain lube.


texts: Replace S-RAM S7 gear hub with something better

texts:
I have an SRAM S7 gear on my bike, and I'm not content with it. I find it more or less impossible to get the adjustment right. Supposedly I just have to leave the shifter in position 7 and then assemble the outer part, but that doesn't always hit the spot and the result vary from working as it should periodically, to grinding, to not shifting when it is supposed to. Furthermore the hub is constructed just so that if the chain fall off it gets stuck on an elevation next to the cogwheel, from there it is impossible to get off without picking off the rear wheel.

Point of case, I want something better. I'm looking for reliability and low maintenance. Preferably something that fit's on the same frame. I'd like at least a 5 speed gear, but don't care much for more than that, the current 7 seems a bit overkill.

I'm willing to pay what reasonable quality costs, realizing that what I paid last time probably wasn't enough.

I also wonder exactly how hard it will be to replace the parts, I'm a bit split between doing it myself or paying a shop.

What should I get? Any other advice for my situation?


texts: Can I use a Shimano BL-MT200 lever on a Shimano BR-M446 brake caliper?

texts: I have a leakage on my lever, and can't find any Shimano BR-M446s for sale. Was wondering if Shimano BL-MT200s were compatible.


texts:
OK, this is a rhetorical question that deserves to be closed as "opinion based", but gotta ask.  Why do we need to have "27.5 inch" bikes?

If you dig through the specs (they don't come right out and say), this is a 650B rim, which Sheldon quotes as being for "French utility bikes, tandems, and loaded-touring bikes; some older Raleigh and Schwinn mountain bikes", and which is otherwise known as 26 x 1-1/2".


texts: How to identify galvanised and stainless cables?

texts:
Recently I bought some stainless steel gear and brake cables. I have 3 packets of cables from 3 Ebay shops. How do I identify if they are genuine stainless steel cables or if I've been ripped off?

Using a magnet - 2 packets stick to the magnet, galvanised cables also stick to magnet with similar force.

Can I use anything from my kitchen to test the cables. Something like vinegar, lemon juice, cola or even bleach. I could rub them with something abrasive and then leave the cables in salty water for a period of time.

Any ideas?


texts: How can I get a bike mechanic certification/where can I learn to be a bike mechanic?

texts:
I'm interested in becoming a bike mechanic in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

I'm hoping there's an industry body which runs courses to certify bike mechanics.

I'm really hoping it's not just learn on the job from an existing mechanic because I've had a really bad experience with local mechanics lately they don't have a clue what customer service is when I buy from them and need a return.

Are there any courses or certifications to become a bike mechanic?


texts: Shifters/brakes won't fit on bullhorn bars

texts:
I have a KALLOY UNO HB-005 580 mm handlebar and a shifter with brake combination, Shimano Alivio ST-M310. I have a Sora derailleur and crank set. I got as a gift a bullhorn Origin8 Bully Bullhorn 6061-T6 Handlebar 400mm wide 31.8mm clamp.

The problem is that the shifter's mounting ring is not enough wide to get on the bullhorn at all, I can't imagine how to put on it and if I manage the first centimeters, than there is a corner. How can I fit the shifter/brake on the new bullhorn or do I have to change the shifter system?

If only the mounting ring can be changed I would be happy. I opened the sifter but the bolt which holds together the brake lever and shifter is blocked mechanically (doable). Is there another brake lever that has a wider ring and can be replaced with the current one, so I can keep the shifter?

Edit

I measured the old and new set:

KALLOY - 22.20[mm]
Origin8 - 23.88[mm]
Shimano Alivio - 22.38[mm]

Update

Would  it be a structural integrity problem, if I grind 1-2mm of the inner wall of the mounting ring?


texts: What is the age of my columbia clippe bicycle, maunfactured by westfield Mfg.?

texts: My bike is a columbia clipper manufactured by westfield mfg.  Crank bottom serial # starts out B...083   can anyone tell me its age.  I'm in the process of restoring it.


texts: Are torpedo 3 gear shift cables a standard or are there different sizes?

texts:
I want to replace the cable of a bike with an old sachs torpedo 3 gears internal hub and I'm not sure what do I have to buy.

In this related question the answer is that there are some differences between latter sram hubs, but, is the cable the same?

When I search some for that cable in some shops they only write that it is for torpedo/sram but anything about different models.

Mine look like this:


texts: Safe to use 10-speed wheel in a aluminum frame bike made for a 7-speed

texts: I have a '91 Trek aluminum road bike which was originally equipped with a 7-speed drivetrain. I upgraded the drivetrain on another bike, so I transferred the old 10-speed drivetrain, to the Trek. The 7-speed hub spacing is 126mm and the 10-speed is 130mm. I spread the stays to accommodate the wheel (not cold setting). My question is it safe to ride given that the frame is aluminum?