texts: Are velocity A23 rims suitable for building a wheelset for a 29er Mountain bike?

texts:
I'm was looking to build a new wheelset that I can use on my rigid Karate Monkey 29er using either cyclocross or Trekking tires for gravel / dirt road riding and 29er tires for singletrack (mostly cross country riding). I need a rim I can use with either disc or v-brakes, depending on my setup at the time. My weight tends to be around 190lbs. I also tend to be really hard on my wheels and have bent rims on my 29er before.  I'm not really concerned about tubeless compatibility.

I planned to use this rim, the velocity A23, since it seems to be recommended for cyclocross on velocity's website. It seems to meet all the specs superfically. I can use it with rim brakes, it's relatively light, and it's 23mm wide, which should be good for wider 29er tires while still being suitable for 32mm+ cyclocross tires.  It comes with the appropriate amount of drillings for 32 spoke mountain bike hubs. It also doesn't seem that it would be too weak for disc brakes since velocity themselves offers them in a build as a road disc wheelset.

Would the velocity A23 rim be suitable for this wheelset build? Are there any factors besides tire compatibility, spoke hole count matching the hubs, and brake compatibility I need to be concerned about?


texts: What does chain worn indicators 75% mean?

texts:
I've bought a chain wear checker made by BBB, but not sure what the percentage of worn is about?

It has 2 sides, one of them indicates that the chain is worn 75% and I should replace it in the near future. The other side shows, that the chain is 100% used and should replace it as soon as possible.

My detailed question :

What does these percentage mean? What is the equivalent of it in the metric system?

Will 75% worn state affect my cogwheels also? Can I replace the chain to a new one without changing the drivetrain's other elements?

I use a single-speed bike. Chain width is 1/8 inch. It consists 94 chain. (400km (250miles) / month)


texts: Is it legal for a car to overtake me as I overtake a parked car in UK?

texts:
The road has one lane. There is a parked car on the side. I overtake it and position myself in the middle of the road because no car is coming from the front. Often enough, at the same time I get overtaken by a car from behind.

I feel like this is illegal as it creates a double overtake…

I guess I can prevent this by going more to the right when overtaking so that the cars behind me cannot pass at the same moment, but should I?


texts: What brand / model of brake is this modified U-brake?

texts:
I have been searching for a while, and I cannot find any information on my rear u-brake. It has served me well for many years (10+), and has a surprising amount of force. It's stronger than any cantilever and most V-brakes I've ever used or felt. Adjusted for maximum power, it has crushed a few single walled rims for me, so I usually adjust it off peak for the sake of my rims (though it would probably be fine with dual walled ones). This isn't to say it's phenomenal, it's difficult to get wide tires through it, and if it's not adjusted properly it will hit the knobbies on large tires.
I have searched every millimeter of it for any markings or lettering, and it is devoid of any. If anyone has seen one like this, or can identify the brand or model, I'd like to know more about the company, the design, and the specifications.
Unidentified U-Brake

With Brake Booster Removed

The closest I've seen yet is a roller cam u-brake, like the one below, only without the rollers:
Roller Cam U-Brake

They weren't original to the bicycle, but the frame is a 1997 GT Bravado, the brakes were purchased around 1997-1999. It came as a 1 1/8" threaded / 21 speed setup.


texts: Can I replace my bicycle's dynamo with batteries?

texts:
I have a working lightning system on my bike with wired front and rear lights, powered by a dynamo. The dynamo's plastic has broken and I have repaired it several times now, but now it is FUBAR.

Thinking about a replacement, I wondered if it would be possible to just connect some batteries to the dynamo cables. AFAIK the usual voltage for dynamo powered lights is 6 volts, so if I were to add 4 normal batteries (4 x 1.5 = 6) in series, and connect this to the power cables, would it work? Or are there other things to consider?

Both front and rear light are LED lights; the rear light has a capacitor to maintain illumination even when you stop.

I would use a battery holder like the one pictured below, and rechargeable AA batteries, since I have a lot of them already.

If you have any other suggestions on how to do this, I look forward to hearing them!

I want to do this because I have had issues with rim dynamos in the past, and just want a reliable power source; and I am too lazy to install a hub dynamo. It is also a cost issue; I already have the rechargeable batteries, but would have to buy a new dynamo. This is my city bike; it could be stolen at any time, so I do not want to invest a lot of money in components.


texts: Is there not enough shim on my suspension pivot?

texts:
I bought month ago new full suspension bike "Kellys Beast 2013". When I maintained it, I noticed that there seems to be a shim missing on one rear pivot:

The most interesting that it is symmetrical and on the other side of the wheel is also an empty space for a shim. So I am confused.

Is there really a missing shim?

NOTE: The bike stands head over heels, so it's view from below.


texts: I have an 11 speed cassette 11-32 teeth. I am running a 52 teeth chainring on the front. What would be a good recommended smaller chainring for the front?  It needs to be big enough to take up the slack of the chain when i am on the smallest cog at the back.


texts: How to release a hydraulic brake (tightened with wheel off)

texts: On my fairly new bike, I had to remove the front wheel on storage. I must have accidentally pressed the brake lever or so, because now the brakes are tight so that the disc won't fit in the brake (see the picture below). Is there any easy way how to release the brakes now? It should be Shimano BR-M396 180 160 mm if the catalog is correct.


texts: replaced tire, now wheel flexes side to side

texts:
I have an 85 Raleigh that until yesterday had never had its rear tire replaced over the life of the bicycle. Before I replaced it, the wheel seemed fairly stiff. I don't know if the old tire was so dried out it ed lending support or what.

I'm wondering if I need to get something adjusted or if a bit if flex is ok. Is this normal?

Edit: by flex, I mean I tightened down the bolts, so the axle is tightly locked to the frame. However, when I first took the bike off the rack, the tire stayed in the same place on the ground, but if I shook the seat side to side, it would hit a frequency where the axle would move side to side, but the rim would sort of flex backwards and forwards.

Also, by stiff I meant it didn't do this before, not that the brakes were rubbing or anything.

Edit 2: There were questions about how well maintained this bike was, the previous owner said it was used as an indoor exercise bike, and when I bought it it it was on the bike exercise stand. It didn't have a front wheel, and based on the wear on the rear tire, I don't think it was used much, so as far as I can tell, it just sat in someone's basement for 30 or so years.


texts: How long is the life cycle of a bicycle?

texts:
This may not be a particularly practical question, but I wonder how often do you find yourself looking for a new (or another) bike? There are, of course, two main aspects of it:

Mechanical decay. If you drive a car, you know to lube it every 3000 miles, rotate tires every 7500 miles, flush the fluids every 30000 miles. If you are reasonably serious about riding a bike, you'd place yourself at wherever you are comfortable in terms of maintenance from being unable to adjust your saddle height to re-assembling your own spokes and hubs, but you'd do some maintenance, anyway. Most components would have reasonably well-defined span they will serve, and would probably start falling apart after this many miles, even with reasonable maintenance and repair. What would the range in time and/or miles be for commuter bikes? road bikes? mountain bikes? Or are the modern bikes of say $1000 and upwards basically perpetual, unless you ride one heads-on into a concrete wall?
Needs change: you outgrow your bike, your riding pattern changes, you switch from group rides to triathlon, you move to a new area, you hand down your bike to your younger sibling, etc.

I have a gut feeling that the latter is far more likely to happen than having the bike used up to its full mechanical resource. Any opinions?


texts:
There is a local BMX track in a suburb of the town I live in. I had called there before asking about scheduling and rules and whatnot. I found out, that (at least on that track), they had a special category for bikes (such as full-size MTBs) with wheels bigger than 20".
Is this just this track doing it, or is there officially another class of racing for bikes with big wheels?
Thanks


texts:
I need to change my crankset and bottom bracket, is is possible to upgrade to 48 tooth from the stock 42?
The front derailleur is shimano Alivo and has a clamp. It could be moved up to a higher position to accommodate the bigger crankset.
Will the upgrade work? Or will I have to buy a new derailleur?

Thank you for your valuable responses, I will stick to my stock 42 tooth option. The risk of damage/danger is higher that the merits of high gearing at the top. Presently I am able to use the total gear range without any problem. I don't want to mess with the usability of the system.


texts:
My bike is a 2016 Brompton, I am thinking to swap current cranks. Current BB possibly is this one (a JIS square taper), model: stronglight jp400 119 mm.

http://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompton-bottom-bracket-cartridges/849-brompton-bottom-bracket-jis.html

According to this doc, For Brompton, ISO cranks are not compatible with JIS BB
http://bromptonjunction.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ds-crankset.pdf

So will this crank fit the BB? This seems to be a shortened Shimano crank (Altus).

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-110-74-pcd-125-mm-alloy-crankset-silver-prod237/

The new crank need to be at exactly where the old ones are on the spindle to not to affect the folding.
Are all shimano square taper cranks fit JIS BB? Also the link mentioned it's a triple, how that will affect the chain line, if I just install one chain ring (Brompton needs only one ring)?


texts: What's the ideal balance (forward/backward) in the saddle on an endurance road bike?

texts:
I got my first road bike (and found I favor endurance riding position), and I can't figure out if I'm positioned well in the saddle. It's as far aft as it goes, but I still feel like I'm falling forward a bit and putting pressure on my hands. I don't know how much pressure and reaching forward is ideal. I've heard varying advice, like that I should be able to lift my hands a few millimeters off the hoods and still feel balanced, or that I should feel balanced when I'm in my riding-the-hoods position then put my hands behind my hips*. What's the recommendation for best stability? If I were to make an adjustment, it would be either a new saddle with longer rails, or a shorter stem (but I already swapped out my 105mm stem for an 80mm, and I'm concerned any shorter will throw off the handling). What's the general consensus - Should I feel completely balanced in the saddle, or is a little forward pressure normal?
General fit notes: My seat height and leg bend are good, my saddle is already tilted a few degrees nose-up (any more and I'd slide right off the back), the angle of my handlebars and position of the hoods on the bars is good, my KOPS is good, visually speaking the front hub is obscured by the bars, and my hips are as far back on the saddle and rotated as forward as possible without crushing any sensitive bits. I'd rather avoid a professional bike fit, since I'm poor and buying a new stem/saddle won't be cheap.
*Scroll to the section on "COG." And I'm trying to picture this hands-back position... like Naruto running, I suppose?


texts: Bike purchase advice: looking for a fast tarmac/gravel bike

texts:
Bike purchase advice: what type of bike for 70 percent road, 30 percent light gravel use, budget around $3k for the bike with $1k for upgrades. I already own a Cannondale Slate Force 1 (which I love) for longer trips and rougher gravel, as well as an Enduro MTB.
Something like the SuperX would be ideal, as I would like to be faster on the road but not freak out if it turns a little rough. Trek Checkpoint, Giant TCX, 3T Exploro all look good, and even the Vitus Energie with Sram etap is tempting (and too good to be true for the price).
I have heard good things about the higher end GRX components, and I am of course familiar with the Force 1 groupset. Wheels would be the first upgrade ($700), then handlebar/stem if needed for fit, finally seat/seatpost for comfort - within the $1k upgrade budget.
I am looking forward to your comments, particularly the reasons why you would chose that specific bike (new or used), and how you would upgrade it within budget (if at all). Please stick to bikes and parts that I can easily purchase in the US online (ie. not shipped from Europe) and not so rare that I will not be able to find it (ex. a used Moots titanium bike in size 56).


texts:
so I'm very new to all this, so I don't know a lot. My mountain bike will no longer shift gears, I've been told this is because my cables need lubricated, but I have no idea how to do this, so, how would I do that with a spray lubricant?

And please keep in mind, I don't really know anything about bikes.


texts:
What does FSR stand for in mountain bikes?

Ref: http://www.bergwerk.ch/archives/3726/specialized-enduro-comp-2013/


texts:
I was wondering am I correct in saying this this headset race is worn and needs to be replaced.

It's off a BSA wayfarer bike. It has a 1 inch threaded steerer.

I read on Sheldon's website you can use a JIS headset if it's the bottom races but this is the threaded part that screws onto the steerer.

Can I still use the JIS headset ?

Its weird its just the one in the image thats worn. Everything else is as good as new.


texts: What's the best way to load a touring bike, to increase stability and balance? Assuming a standard two-rack-and-panniers setup, where should I put most of my weight? I have a camping load, about 50 pounds (23 kg, including 4 water bottles, laptop, tent, food, and clothing). My bike is a steel touring bike, a Novara Randonee. I also have a large handlebar bag.


texts: 8 speed Quando rear hub rotating in both directions

texts: The 8 speed Quando rear hub of bike rotates in both the direction. can it be repaired or needs to be replaced? Please advise what's the issue.


texts: What is special about 1x11 - why not just big cassette and single front ring?

texts:
I currently ride a single speed belt Soma Wolverine with road bars, hydraulic disc brakes and I love it. Only trouble is my knees are telling me I need some lower gears especially up the hills. That's 55:22, 175mm crank, 700c-28 wheels - About 69 gear inches? Go to a 50-tooth front ring sure, but then I would go spin out even sooner down hills. I want to keep it simple, I have tried Alfine 11 and did not like it (leaks make the clean belt drive dirty, big heavy hub on the back wheel), do not have the money for Rohloff. Looks like a 1x11 setup is for me.

SRAM has 1x11 group sets that will do the trick. But SRAM is uncommon - never seen it on my bike trail in Melbourne - and discounts are far less common.

With other big two, fair chance of picking up discounts on random 11-speed stuff. So question is - what makes a 1x11 groupset special? Is there any reason not to pick up a heavily discounted Ultegra spider, a  third-party 42T ring, a Deore XT 11-42 cassette, matching XT derailleur and matching brakes/shift levers?

The issue could be that moving from one extreme to another the chainlink is just a whole lot wider and the chainline way more bent than it might be designed for. Do 1x11 groupsets have any design features to deal with this? Do you need a chain designed to flex to allow for this worse chainline? I have no issues building wheels/changing bottom brackets to make this work.

Update: 1x11 is not so hard! Here's what worked for me.

Brakes: This is the driver for a lot of decisions. Wanted drop bars, hydraulic brakes and lever shifting. All brands have options but I chose Shimano Dura Ace levers and calipers, based on available deals. Also as mentioned much easier to build the whole kit with compatible, discounted parts. Unfortunately the Dura Ace calipers will not work on my IS-mount frame because there just is NO flat<->IS adapter as there is for many other combinations. They're put away for the next frame.

Crankset: Dura Ace FC-R9100. Again, the big discount tempted me and it's really pretty - functionally probably no better than Ultegra. And I can sell the two rings it came with.

Front ring: Wolf Tooth 110 BCD Asymmetric 4-Bolt 38T, with their special chainring bolts - very nice, hex key on both sides! "Rides of Japan" on youtube showed a 1x11 conversion with this ring and Di2 system. Teeth are thick/thin alternating. You do have to file away a small part of one mount to fit it on modern Shimano cranks but is a small job, Wolf Tooth even explain this and the video shows it too.

Chain: SRAM PC1170. Comes with a special one-time link that makes joining pretty easy.

Rear cassette: SRAM PG1170 11-36 - very wide range, mid-price. I think the 42T would not work on the GS derailleur.

Rear derailleur: Shimano Ultegra RD-RX800. I worried about this because Shimano say this derailleur is good for a maximum 34 teeth but it handles 36 OK with plenty of adjustment left. Nicely made! This is the "GS" medium cage model with a clutch, so with the clutch engaged it will apply extra tension and stop the chain from slapping around over bumps.

Downshift cable hanger: A Wolverine frame has downtube shifter braze-ons. I needed to find one right-side cable hanger to make the gearshift cable run, or else I would have needed a full-length cable sheath.

Brakes: Going to use some Shimano M675 SLX calipers Was going to use some M675 SLX callipers but bleeding them I found one is leaking from the cracked ceramic piston and spares are not sold. Used for maybe 6 months commuting. Disappointing quality again, Shimano. Will now be using TRP Hylex (original) calipers with the with the Dura Ace levers. Have found people in forums successfully mixing Shimano calipers with Hylex levers so no problems anticipated.

Outcome: 11 gears between 27-91 inches. Both higher and lower than I had. Shifting is smooth.


texts: Which mountain bike pedal is most suitable for racing?

texts: Which kind of mountain bike pedal is most suitable for racing? It needs to be pretty light, but also durable to be able to resist a tough race.


texts: Is it possible to have a 11-42 cassette with a 3x9 drivetrain?

texts: I am planning on building a 3x9 cassette. I already have a 9 speed hubs and 11-42 cassette and an alivio m4050 combo shifter.


texts: Correct inflation pressure for old road bike

texts:
I have an old Fuji road bike that I got a garage sale a while back. It's probably from the 70s or 80s. This summer, I've been trying to fix it up into good condition for some longer-than-usual rides (maybe 10+ miles, as opposed to just 4 or so). The old tires (27 x 1/8, hooked rim) were very worn, so I took the bike to a shop where they replaced them with new ones (32-630, 27 x 11/4 to fit schwinn s-6 or k-2 tubular rim).

The new tires say "inflate to 90 psi", which is what I was planning on doing until one of the bike mechanics told me that I was running them way too high. He said the tires and tubes could handle that 90 psi pressure, but that my rims (which are the original aluminum ones I think) couldn't take 90 psi. Instead, he advised that I keep the tires at 60-65 psi. I tried his recommendation, but the tires definitely seemed to bulging out a lot where they contacted the road as I rode it around. I feel like the tires should be more inflated, but I don't want to damage the wheels.

So, I thought I'd get some advice about the matter. I'm 165 lbs, and my rides won't be too serious for now at least. Just riding around mainly on some wide walking/bike paths we have in the city. There may be a few mile-long stretches of sidewalk, however. Any advice is very much appreciated!


texts: Disc brake rotor size and forks strength

texts:
I have been told that every fork has a maximum rotor size characteristic. For example, for my $75 Suntour this is listed as 185mm. The explaination that I have been given for this limitation is that any larger rotor will have significant chance of breaking the forks! That is, the braking force will be too high and the brake mount system will shutter.

Is this correct and precise information or is it just some legal insurance?


texts: What's the deal with Rohloff and Gates Carbon Drive?

texts:
Can someone explain to me why a Gates/Rohloff combination is so stonewalled? It's got warnings all over the kit that you cannot do an aftermarket conversion, that you need Rohloff to switch you from chain to belt (why?), that your frame apparently has to pass some stiffness test, et cetera. It never ends.

Reason I'm asking is that the parts for the front/rear CDX cogs for Gates are readily available on the market, and it seems like if your frame supports it, there should be a way to just attach them and ride. But evidently neither Rohloff nor Gates want you to do anything like that, preferring to keep this as some OEM option.

Don't get me wrong, I'm OK with chains, but why even bother selling the kit if people cannot use it?


texts:
Just arrived here!
I have a bike (Venzo Traveler) very similar (almost identical) to a Trek 920.
27v with a RD Acera (11-36) and an Altus FD (22-32-40).
No dropbars, just bullhorn. Very light and with 700x38 tires.
Right now commuting with it but training for crossing the Andes next year. As you can see, will use it in a mountain setting but mainly on asphalt and some gravel.
I've been thinking about upgrading the groupset. Some have told me about upgrading to a Sora 2x9 or going mono but sincerely know nothing about this new Shimano products.
Any advice?
Thanks


texts: Carrera Virtuoso Rear Derailleur hanger bolt hole with HeliCoils?

texts:
So, I broke a Shimano Sora rear derailleur last night... Ouch, there goes a load of cash...

What had happened was the hanger was bent slightly inwards, yet was functioning fine, so I rode it home. Came to a slight bump in the road whilst in first gear, and then the rear wheel spokes decided the derailleur looked tasty, caught the mech and bent it all the way up, over, in front of and then below the chain-stay. Long story short, it broke. Just in case you hadn't gathered. :P

I've repaired bikes for years, but I've never come up to this part; Can I use HeliCoils to place into the bolt holes for where the hanger itself is meant to meet? I cannot bring myself to part with this frame as it was my best friend's, and he had died after riding this bike in a small criterium near me, I brought it up to scratch, offered it to the family to help pay for funeral costs and they decided I should be the one entrusted to look after and care for it. I screwed up big time.

Theoretically, HeliCoils should ('should') work in this application; If it works holding brake calipers on cars, it should work for this. But, would there be any other way to fix the threads (which are warped and stretched, not even a thread chaser would work on it!) so I can still use the same bolt size? I don't want to have to bodge it together with a bigger bolt size in a larger, re-tapped hole. In fact, I'm not even sure THAT would work, either.

Could I put a big tack weld in where the hole is and then drill the weld out to tap a thread into? (After rubbing the paint back and all, though Aluminium is a pain to weld) I've never tried anything to do with frame/fork work directly, I'm used to fixing bikes, not frames, if you know what I mean by that.

Any help would be great, and I'm curious if HeliCoils would actually work. Cheers.


texts: Should I put my wider tire in front or in back?

texts:
My used bike came with a 700x28 tire in front and a 700x23 tire in back. Should I leave the wider tire in front, or should I switch the tires? What benefits or drawbacks are there one way or the other? Is there any particular reason why the previous owner might have chosen non-matching tires? Is there any reason I should go out of my way to buy a new tire to make them match?

The found a little bit of information about tire sizing, but I still don't feel like I know what to do.


texts: I currently ride a full Ultegra di2 setup with 50/34 chainrings and 11/32 11sp rear cassette.  I would like to run the GRX 46/30 chainrings because 50/11 gearing is a waste for me.  I could either stay with the 11/32 and get a lower gear or move to 11/28 and get tighter spacing.  Both my crank and the GRX are Hollowtech II, but I note the chainline on GRX is 46.9 mm while the chainline on my FC-R8000 is 43.5.  Is the chainline set by the crank or the bottom bracket?  If it is set by the crank, it this enough to matter?  Will a GRX crank work on the bottom bracket I have?


texts:
I have a standered road bike with a Schrader valve. When ever I have the inner tube seperated it inflated with no issues, no punctures or anything. But when it’s actually attached to the wheel and set it, it doesn’t take any air. The pump itself works fine it’s just not working out for my when actually all put together.

Any tips?


texts:
I can't find replacement pulley wheels for my derailer that are explicitly made for it.  Should I be safe replacing them with a set with the same number of teeth (i.e., the same diameter) and targeted at the same "speed" chain? I figure the "speed" of the chain would be a good proxy for the axle width of the pulley; is this actually the case?

If not, is this difference just dependent on the company that produces the pulley wheel? Should I be safe replacing a Shimano pulley wheel on a ~3 year old Shimano derailer with a current Shimano pulley wheel?


texts: Are all the Ultegra brake pads the same?

texts: I have a road bike with Shimano Ultegra Di2 6870 goupset. Today it was my first long ride with it and alsmost instantly I noticed that the brake pads are not for carbon rims. I tried searching on the internet brake pads for ultegra 6870 but with no luck. Are other ultegra brake pads compatible with my brakes?


texts:
In a 21 speed bicycle, which is the fastest gear ratio.
Smallest on front and largest on back or vice versa?


texts: Chain wedging itself between cassette and gaurd

texts:
Ok, so, basically, the rear cassette on my bike is giving me a lot of problems, and I'm not exactly a professional cyclist who would know where to begin so I thought I'd ask here;

The problem seems to sit with the chain going where chains shouldn't go. The other day when I was cycling along I chained gear for a hill or something, and there was a loud clunk and suddenly I could not move the pedals anymore. I got off my bike and had a look and the chain had gone beyond the casette and into the gap between the casette and the circular plastic gaurd that is up against the spokes.. It took litterally all of my strength to get it back out as it had wedged itself in there quite firmly.

I really don't know why that happened but I get the feeling something is wrong that needs fixing. I also have this odd behaviour with the rear casette, to go from gear 1 to 2, I have to twist the gear thing up to about halfway between 2 and 3, before i'll hear the chain move across, when left like this, I hear a scraping sound, and the way I stop that scraping sound is by twisting the gear thing back to just under 2. Perhaps something is misaligned?

I can only seem to use gear 1 through 4 on the front aswell but there are more gears it'll just never go into.

My bike gets knocked around alot and I guess it's abit abused, so could something have broken?


texts:
I am a happy owner of a Surly Cross Check frame, two years old. Today I put it against a pole, but a strong wind blow made it slide along the pole and fall to the ground. As a result, there is one deep scratch--I can even see some bare steel.

My questions are:

1) Should I worry about the bare steel rust?

2) Is there a product I could use to say, "paint over" the steel and protect it again? Surly itself suggests "automotive touchup paint", but I know nothing about it.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Front derailleur feels "disconnected" in cold

texts:
I've got a Shimano Deore 3x front derailleur and it works perfectly fine while warm.

But after a ride in cold (about -10..-15 C) there is a problem in shifting up: first time I pull the lever it goes without any tension - like the cable is torn - and nothing happens. The second time it works fine.

Downshifting is ok, and rear derailleur works well too. So: do I need to worry and what is the reason for this?


texts:
Sometime when I step on the pedal my foot slips off because the pedal is in vertical position, not a horizontal position.
I used to own pedals that always stayed in a horizontal position, but I forget the brand name.
Do you know a platform pedal that always stays horizontal?


texts: How do I determine the "length" of this derailleur?

texts: What length is this derailleur please. Cannot determine if its a short, medium or long.


texts: Why are bicycle tires incapable of maintaining pressure over time, while car tyres seem to have less of a problem?

texts:
A typical car might have 2.5 bar tyre pressure, and use the Schrader valve system.

A typical mountain bike might also have approximately the same tyre pressure, perhaps a bit more, and also use the Schrader valve.

Why is it that a car tyre seems capable of maintaining most of its pressure after a year, while a few weeks might be enough to notice a significant difference in bike tyre pressure?

There are other related questions here, such as:

Do tire / tube / valve combinations that don't leak air exist?

How long should a road tyre hold its pressure?

These questions have answers that discuss how air can leak mostly through the rubber itself, but also in the valve system.

This only brings me back to my own question: Is the rubber that different on a car? Are there any tires I can get for my bike that will not leak? I'm sure I'm not the only one that finds it annoying to maintain the bicycle tire if there is really no need for it with the right kind of material properties and valve systems to prevent that. When people can justify spending large sums on relatively minuscule gains, why not more of a focus on maintenance free tires?


texts: Do dirty brake pads cause them to wear faster?

texts:
I have a road bike and a mountain bike which both use shimano B01S brake pads. The road bike has done 4000km and the mountain bike has done 320km. The brake pads on the road bike look brand new while the mountain bike pads are almost worn out.

The most obvious reason for this is I take the mountain bike on steeper paths and use the brakes more but I use the road bike in the hills a lot and for commuting so I use the brakes on the road bike a fair bit as well. It seems remarkable that the road bike with the exact same brakes and brake pads has lasted more than an order of magnitude more while still being in a much better condition.

I asked some people about this and they suggested that the mountain bike pads would be getting more dirt in them which could be wearing them out faster. Is this a realistic cause for brake pad wear? Should I be cleaning the pads after use?


texts: I have a Ribble Sportive Carbon road bike.  The brake hoods are much smaller than most other bikes whihc makes them much less comfortable than other bikes (Scott, Specialised etc.)  Can I just replace the hoods to make them more comfortable or put larger hoods over the top of my existing hoods?


texts: How can I avoid mud from splashing onto my back without a rear wheel fender?

texts:
I enjoy cycling off-road. During rainy season, the cycling trails can get muddy. Most of the bikes from rental shops do not come with a rear mudguard. I tried to slow down and avoid puddles of water, but it seems inevitable that blotches of mud would stain the back of my shirt at the end of the day.

Are there better methods of avoiding mud from splashing onto my back?


texts:
I inspected the tires of the bike and found their size: 700 x 40  - 28 x 1 5/8. Which probably means, that the diameter is 28 inches and the tire width is 40 mm (I measured with a ruler).

I found, that people recommend SKS Chromoplastic fenders and they have many sizes: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SKS-Chromoplastic-Road-Racing-Bike-Mudguards-P35-Black-/380993168162?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item58b4f66322

The seller says, that the fender is for 700C (which is probably my size), but the width is not specified. Maybe, 'P35' means 35mm tire?

Should I select the fender exactly for 40mm or buy a little bigger?


texts: Can an individual gear/cog on the rear cassette be replaced?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out how the rear cassette is put together, and I found this related question that suggests at least maybe the lowest gears can be replaced. I'm trying to figure out if in general any and all of the cogs in a rear cassette can be swapped out with new replacements should any get damaged or worn? I imagine some may be designed to be an all or none deal, but if one's rear cassette supports replaceable cogs what would be the giveaway to do a visual inspection for?

This question is also distinct from Is it practical to replace two sprockets on a cassette? where the focus is on practicality of replacement but not so much of how to discover if replacement is applicable to a given cassette. It's also distinct by relating to the whole cassette in general with respect to all of its cogs.


texts: Sram T3 cracks when pedaling, but it works, in all three gears.The bike is three years in use

texts:
My rear hub SRAM T3 cracks when pedaling, but it works, in all three gears.The bike is three years in use.What shoud be done, and how urgent is the problem?
I think it's something with the rear hub because the cracking sound is slightly different after each shifting of the gears.


texts: How do I increase braking power and "touchiness" of Sram Guide RS Brakes?

texts: I've got some Sram Guide RS disk brakes and they're very weak and not touchy at all. I prefer touchy brakes. I know the Guide RSC has the tool free contact adjustment to make them touchier. I have heard the RS can be changed with a tool but can't figure out how. Does anyone know?


texts: bike fit calculator on competitivecyclist.com, accessing from .de

texts:
I wanted to open
https://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp and got redirected to bergfreunde.de (outside the U.S. due to GDPR regulations)
Before I resort to VPN or similar - does anyone know an instance of this bike fit calculator available in Europe?


texts:
Ever since I bought my hybrid bike the handlebars creak. It is worse when torquing them such as climbing a hill, but just shifting my weight on the bars will make them creak.

The problem gets much worse in hot weather.

The bracket is as tight as I can make it. Is there any thing I can do to stop this annoying noise?


texts: Can I pump my MTB tire to max (55 psi / 380 kPa) without the tube inside bursting?

texts: I have a e-mountain bike and I use to commute to uni every day. I have heard that higher tire pressures give you a bit more speed. My tires say I can pump to 55 psi (380 kPa) but I don't know if my tube can handle the same pressure. Don't want to buy a new tube. I currently have them at 40 psi (280 kPa). Will 47 to 50 psi (320–380 kPa) burst my tubes?


texts: I’ve just installed a set of TRP HY/RD brakes and I can’t seem to stop the front ones from rubbing the rotor. I’ve tried realigning the calliper but it seems to be rubbing on both sides not just one. I’ve checked the lock knob and it will thread into the actuator arm and I believe the arm is fully retracting. How do I get the pads a little wider whilst fully retracted?


texts: Need help identifying Industry Nine part

texts:
I recently picked up a box-lot of Industry Nine parts, including the items pictured. They are 92mm wide, and of varying diameters. Could someone please tell me what they are, and what they are used for?

Thanks very much,
Norm


texts: Does greasing the threads of an inline barrel adjuster cause slippage?

texts:
I am considering adding a hint of grease to an inline barrel adjuster.

When the barrel adjuster (C) fully gobbles up the metal threads (B), it can be hard to determine whether turning the barrel adjuster actually increases/decreases the tension in the cable (center line). It could be that the cable housing (A and D) are slipping against the metal parts (B and C).

Swifty commented on this issue:

  I have used both grease and oil on barrel adjusters, depending on what
  is at hand. Oil will get it moving but not last as long, grease will
  reduce friction and stick around to protect the threads. No issue
  around the adjuster moving when you don't want it to, it's
  held/compressed together by all of that cable tension anyway.

But I'm worried. If I add a hint of grease between B and C, wouldn't the constant compression between the two threads (B and C) cause the B part to gradually disappear inside the C part, ruining whatever fine tuning you started with?

Another way of asking this question, by way of analogy, is this. Say you have a piano swivel chair. The top spins to adjust the height of the chair. But if you lubricated the joint well enough, someone sitting on the chair and lifting their feet off the ground momentarily will find themselves spinning from the pressure exerted by their own weight on the two helixes that are the threads. The cable housing is likewise under constant compression. Does compression + lubrication cause slippage?

Update

The barrel adjuster in question is made of aluminum, which can only be polished so much. For barrel adjusters made of stainless steel (do these exist?), it's perhaps possible to rely on the sheer polish of the surfaces and never need to grease the contact surfaces, but for aluminum, it appears almost necessary to add a hint of grease.


texts:
I got a flat tire, kind of a big hole in the inner tube. It was raining a lot so I walked home through the rain and water puddles, and everything got wet.

Now I want to patch the inner tube, but when I inflate the tube, some kind of whiteish liquid is coming out of the hole. I don't know if it is water that got inside (it's not that much anyway).

Do I have to wait until everything dries inside the inner tube (could take a long time) or is this is some kind of lube that comes inside it? If so, is it fair to say I don't have to worry and I can apply the patch with no problem?


texts: How did my stolen carbon frame bike get from D.C. to Guatamala?

texts:
My bike was stolen from the downtown DC on nov 11 2017. It was locked and was stolen in the middle of the day. I had put a bluetooth device, more specifically Tile in the seat post of the bike. I figured it may help me locate my bike if its ever stolen or something. Someone with the app has to be in a proximity of the bike for it to send a signal.

Anyways after it was stolen there was no signal for months, and now it was the app says the bike was found in Compalapa Guatamala.

I know i will never recover the bike, but I am wondering what the possibilities are of how a stolen bike in DC ends up in central america?


texts:
I own a local brand and am hoping to shift to a new bike. I have an option to buy a Trek 6000 D. I know it is an expensive bike. I am looking to use the bike every day for about 5-30 kms. A few offroad days hopefully, but thats about it.

Wondering if this is a good idea? Your suggestions please.


texts:
I found an old Shogun Trailbreaker on the side of the road and I'm slowly fixing it up.

It currently has centrepull cantilever brakes, which work fine on the front, however the rear brakes barely make a difference. I've tightened the brake lead (?), adjusted the position of the brake pad, and checked that the wheel is true, but no matter how hard i squeeze, they barely stop the bike.

I think they will just need new brake pads, but I'm wondering if I should just replace both front and rear brakes with v-brakes? If so, how does one choose a brand/make?

Cheers


texts: Options for servicing Speedplay Zero pedals

texts:
I have used Speedplay pedals for ages and I think I am on my third set of pedals. I have the new aero walkable cleats and at the weekend I replaced my old knackered cleats with a new set.

Now that I am on the new set of cleats my left leg (the one I un-click at lights) is popping out of the pedal. It also doesn't feel right and is not a very solid click feeling when I click in and out.
When pedalling it occasionally feels like it half pops out. My foot then feels like it is at an angle. After this happens I can fairly easily just pull my foot off the pedal without twisting.

On my old cleats I had similar issues but I assumed it was because the cleats were knackered.

I have only had these pedals since January last year so I've only done about 6000 miles on them. I have not had to replace the bearings or anything in there. This is 6,000 miles of commuting through London so many stops at lights.

I am going to buy a new set of pedals but I Was wondering if I have any options for fixing my existing set as a spare. I have looked but can't seem to find any replacement pedal bodies for Zero pedals.

Is there anywhere I can post the pedals to that will service them?
I am in the UK.


texts: What is the best position for mudguard in cycle

texts:
I have a MTB/Hybrid which I use for exercising and leisure purpose. It have installed MTB style mudguards. But when I get out with these my back is full of mud/water drops.

So what is the best position for these style of mudguards? Specially rear mudguard. I have attached the photo of my bike which shows the position of my mudguard. Can changing these position will improve the effectiveness?


texts: I've recently built up a specialized awol with Salsa lowrider racks. I'm using it largely for commuting so I don't need a load of room, just enough for my laptop, lunch and extra clothes. I've been looking at the Ortlieb HR Front-Roller Classics and they look like they would serve my purpose well. The only issue is that my macbook pro is slightly to big for the given dimensions (Panniers: 30 cm x 25 cm x 14 cm, Laptop w/ case: 38.1 cm x 27.4cm x 3 cm ). I know sometimes you can "overstuff" rolltop panniers to fit more in. Could I pull this off with the Ortliebs. If not do you have any other suggestions for waterproof/water-resitant, relatively affordable panniers that would work in my case? Thanks!


texts: Why does the glue in a puncture repair kit dry up so quickly?

texts:
With puncture repair kits, generally you get like 6-8 patches and a tube of glue.

The only problem is I can really only use the glue for the first patch because once it opens, it just ends up drying up. Am I putting the lids on wrong or something?

I have plenty of the patches left. It's pretty much the glue that makes me keep having to buy more kits. Why do puncture repair kits only have one tube of glue? Is there anywhere where I can buy just the glue in bulk?


texts: What factors influence the maximum tire pressure other than the tire itself?

texts:
On the tires of a bike, there is a label which shows the maximum allowed pressure for it. However, I am wondering if there are any other factors that affect the maximum allowed pressure in a tire?

Does the innertube also has a "maximum allowed pressure"?
I need a rim tape to cover the spoke holes in my rim. Does this lower the allowed pressure?
Any other factors?

Background: In the last week, two innertubes on two different bikes exploded. They were both under the maximum allowed pressure. I suppose one was old and the other had a manufacturing error. One was exploding during cycling, the other one during inflating the tire. I am now quite afraid of inflating tires, so I want to make sure that this will not happen again.


texts: Good type of bike to get for commuting (thinking of road v touring)

texts:
I'm new to this site but I've been intrigued by the thought of picking up cycling as a means of my new way of transport as well as for recreational purposes.

As a little background, I live in London and as a recent graduate, I do not have the widest of budgets but I would not mind spending at most £1000 for a bike (thank you cycle to work scheme.) I weigh around 63kg and I am a bit of a tiny man sizing up to around 165cm.

I had previously owned a mountain bike when I was younger, but I had recently purchased a second hand road bike for £60, which I have found an absolute joy to ride! My stamina/endurance isn't at the greatest yet, so I plan to stick with my road bike to practice and build up stamina, but I really want to find what might be the best bike for me in the long run. I do know that touring bikes would be great, especially since it can handle extra loads, which would be brilliant for shopping. But I am worried that the extra weight due to being a steel frame would highly impact my speed in the long run.

My current milestone goal is to be able to start cycling to work, though considering it's winter right now, I am aiming for this at around spring/summer. The reason I think the weight might come to play is because I will be traveling around 13 miles one way. Thus, if someone could enlighten me if the weight of a touring would heavily hamper my journey, I'd really appreciate it!

I digressed quite a bit but, in short if anyone could give me some advice on what would be a good choice of bike for commuting for me with drop handlebars (I've fallen in love with this form) I would really appreciate any of the expertise you can provide me!

If I haven't provided enough information, please just give me a shout and I'll get back as quick as I can.


texts: Fixing pinches with latex-based sealant?

texts:
Having had yet another botched transition from a kerb to the road (and possibly some underinflation) I’ve heard that horrifying thump as the weight of the steel rims and the lock crashed down. Sure enough, I woke up to a flat.
Thinking it is just the pinch from the kerb and nothing else, how are my chances of fixing it just by pouring some DocBlue in?
It’s a hub, so changing the tube is something I’d ratger avoid for now if I can


texts: Replace crankset or cassette for better road performance on an MTB?

texts:
I few years ago I got into cycling again to help keep fit. I still had my mountain bike from when I did some easy trail riding.

I'm mainly riding on the road now and I was wondering if I can change the crankset or cassette might give me a little more speed. A couple of months into the warm weather and I top out the gears even on a slight downgrade.

There's one very hilly ride I do and the toughest hill I'll sometimes go as low as the second or third lowest gear in the beginning of the season until I get used to riding again. I only ride when it's warm out. If anyone's in the NYC/NJ area it's the hill by the Englewood Cliffs boat basin in PIP.

I have an old Gary Fisher Gitche Gumme (specs in link I think the same year) which has:

Shimano Altus, 24/34/42 teeth crankset
7-speed, 11 - 28 teeth cassette. (Actually cassette might be 8 spd 11-30)
Shimano Altus top-swing, top-pull front derailleur
Shimano BB-CT91E, 116mm spindle bottom bracket

In a year or so I might get a road bike but hoping I can get a little more life out of this one. I saw the Shimano FC-M131 48/38/28T 175mm which I like because I'd prefer longer cranks and also the FC-M311 48/38/28% 170mm which both seem like reasonable upgrades to make to a bike this old.

I have no idea if these will fit the bottom bracket I currently have (which seems fine) or if I'll need a new one. Or would I be better off changing the cassette?

I'm not looking to win any races or set any mileage records just don't want to keep hitting the top gear and not having any resistance while pedaling.

I don't know enough bike parts to know if the 2 cranksets I mentioned are easy to swap on my bike or not and would appreciate input from someone who knows more or recommendations on other cranksets that would fit better. The 2 currently are going for 30USD and I don't want to put more than 50-60 into this old bike.

Update:

I haven't changed anything on the bike. I have been working on my cadence and that seemed to be the best approach. With my increased cadence I'm rarely topping out the gears on level roads. Keeping the tires at the upper range of pressure helped too.


texts:
I am a total bike novice, I can ride them but have never done much as far as maintenance. Recently, I got my old bike out of storage, it is a 1991 Trek Multitrack 700, and I want to know if I can "restomod" the bike.

The chain, chainrings, cassette, and crankset are all fairly rusty but the derailleurs are both fine. Aside from that both of the wheels need to be replaced.

Do I need to replace the chainrings, cassette, and crankset with contemporary parts? If I install new components, how would I know that they'll fit? Would contemporary parts not get along with a new wheel?

And if I wanted to install a new gear change mechanism, would I need to get new derailleurs?


texts:
I have read in several places that the carbon fiber has a shorter life span than the aluminium, and i was wondering just what would it be.
I am not referring to accident related failures of the frame. I would like to know how much would a frame hold for a road bike if i didn't have any accidents and road it almost daily for lets say 10 miles.

I read somewhere ( sorry cant find the link ) that carbon fiber frames will tend to crack after 4-5 years.


texts: MegaEXO Omega BB and Hollowtech II crank compatibility?

texts:
I have a Giant TCX SLR 2 (2014) with a FSA MegaEXO BB and FSA Omega crankset (46/36).

I just purchased a Ultegra 6750 crankset (50/34), can I run it on my existing BB?

If not, what BB do I need?

I have read online that it should work as is.


texts: Where and when was my Schwinn Traveler made?

texts:
I think that I have a 1987 Schwinn Traveler.  The serial number is I626829.  The code on my head badge is 0227.  The head badge says Schwinn Chicago and there is a star in the middle.

I have read that Schwinn did not use the letter "I" in their serial numbers but I clearly have a bike that has it.  I would appreciate it if you could let me know what that means.

Thank you.


texts: Understanding the bike geometry through riding

texts:
Though this question has been asked a lot of times, and there are very good answers out there, all the answers talk about the effect of individual parameters in isolation. That is, they take trail, and then talk about it's effect on handling. Then there is wheel base, seat tube angles and the rest.
The problem is, all these parameters (trail, angles, stay lengths, etc.) have effects on the bike that overlap. For example, seat tube angle affects weight distribution on the bike, which (after a long convoluted path) affects handling, so does trail, stem length and wheel base, and though these parameters are not entirely independent, is there a way to understand the principal contribution of each of these parameters on the ride quality mainly by riding coupled with some intuition?

What would be some good examples of test cases to assess the impact of these parameters?

My aim is to be able to ride a bike, and exactly pin point to the changes that need to be made in a particular order to meet certain expectations.


texts: Headset can't tighten enough without stiffening steering, damaged bearing retainers?

texts:
I've just cleaned and regreased my headset (which is the stock Cane Creek headset on my bike). In doing it I've noticed that the bearing retainers are out of shape; they are not perfectly circular or flat. I have reassembled but now struggling to get the headset tightened appropriately; it's either too loose such that it knocks (wobbles when front brake applied and bike pushed back and forth), or too tight such that the steering is very stiff. I've followed the protocol for (dis)assembly in Zinn, and checked out the headset problems discussed here and here. I've also performed this job with no problems a few times before, but I guess I was just too heavy handed when cleaning the old grease off.

Could this problem be linked to the retainers being out of shape? What is the appropriate course of action?

If it could be the misshapen retainers: I'm not tempted to leave it loosely tightened, I think that has the potential to cause damage and make the bike unsafe. What problems, other than stiffer steering, do I face if I leave it too tight (both short and long term damage and safety considerations)? Is there a good way improve the shape of the retainers myself?

Or should I just get down the local shop and have them replace the retainers? Or would it be better to replace the entire headset, bearing in mind that it's seen 6 years of all weather usage over several thousand km's per year. I'd like to have an idea of what needs to be done to fix it so the shop doesn't try to rip me off (I just moved to this city and haven't found a bike shop I really trust yet).


texts: Would like to know if the following Crankset is compatible?

texts:
I have a Decathlon Rockrider 5.2 and I'm planning to replace my current crankset with a Shimano TOURNEY FC-TY501 6/7/8-speed Square Crank 48/38/28.
Would like to know if this compatible with my bike. Currently here's what I know about the specs:
Rear Cog: 32/11 (8 speed)
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Altus Rd- ct95 8 Speed
Front Derailleur: Shimano C050 Top Swing Sis
Crankset: SR Suntour PFF 42/32/22


texts: KNOG BLINDER ARC 5.5 battery replacement

texts: Can anyone please tell me how I would go about changing the battery over in my light please!!! I have so far taken off the lens cover and have undone the 3 x 1.5mm Allen screws to release the outer housing but still can not get to the battery :-(  Thankyou


texts: Am I going to do any damage by swapping cassettes frequently?

texts: I've got a separate wheelset for cylocross riding and road riding.  Would it be detrimental to the life of my cassette or hubs If I swapped the cassette between my road and off-road wheelset frequently?


texts: What is it called when you ride around on your front wheel?

texts: I know a wheelie is when the front wheel is in the air but does it have a different name for when the back wheel is in the air?


texts: how to increace the friction between tyre and road

texts: While designing a bicycle what are the designing factors to be considered to increase the friction to give more efficiency to the cycle.And what are the other factors that can be considered while designing.my interest is to design a modified bicycle to improve efficiency and decrease man power


texts:
I know that using my road bike with a fluid trainer will wear out the back tire more quickly than regular road riding, but does it have the potential to actually damage my bike (frame, gearing)? While not a super expensive machine, I do like it quite a bit and it is my only bike.

While on the trainer, I notice (1) every little noise from the drivetrain and (2) some flexing of the (aluminum) frame as I pedal. It's quite possible that these things happen on the road, but it's too loud to hear them.

Should I think about getting a trainer-only bike?


texts: Why is my bar tape wearing out quicker on one side?

texts:
My bar tape has been wearing out on the left where my palm meets the bar with I ride on the hoods, but not on the right. I've noticed the same thing on the gloves I usually wear.
Is this cause by how I'm cycling or is it more to do with bike fit? I can't think of why there would be an imbalance if it was to do with fit.


texts:
This drives me nuts for months, I cannot figure out where the clicking sound comes from.
Only comes out after driving uphill, and not on the largest back gear, also not on smallest!
Only happens when I pedal with force, not when just follow slowly or backpedal.
The funny part that it settles down after I backpedal! (thus it cannot be spokes/wheel)
I don't see any dirt in the back derailleur, it has all teeth, but sounds like some consistent metal hitting metal.
I can only feel it via the frame not through the chain.
Chain is well lubed, no stiff links, super silent normally.
Back wheel and gear set is only ~6months old. Gear set is screw type not cassette.
Shifting is perfect. I tried to isolate the spokes so don't mind the paper.
Video with slow motion


texts: Are folding bikes less efficient than full sized bikes?

texts:
I've recently been touring with my Birdy folder, and people constantly ask me if it's hard work to tour on a folding bike. Compared to my normal sized bike (which has the same gearing, 8-speed internal hubs on both) I don't notice a big difference.

Given the same transmission, bike weight and riding position between a full size and folding bike, are folders less efficient?


texts: how to calculate square tapered BB spindle length when coming from external threaded bearings

texts:
I want to move from 50/34 crank to 46/30 crank.
currently I have tiagra 4600 crank which is using external threaded bearings.
The crank which I am planning to buy "FSA Tempo Adventure 46/30" takes square tapered BB.
I want to know how I can buy correct spindle length carriage BB in first attempt.
One way I think might work is, 68mm + (external BB width * 2)
PS, I also have old 124MM and 122.5MM worn out BBs to test the crank on my road bike.


texts:
I have been riding less than 6 months, mainly commuting to and from work. I got a Specialized Crosstrail Sport 2017.

Now, when I bought the bike, they suggested I bring it in every 3 months for servicing. This includes general maintenance and cleaning, and an extra charge for maintenance of the "Specialized Fitness Brain" suspension.  I get the feeling every three months is a bit too often to get in-shop servicing done. I only ride 200 km a week and, although the weather isn’t always the best, I would say it only rains 25% of the time.

I have been learning basic maintenance tips from from video tutorials and this website but my main concern, from what the shop said, is the suspension and hydraulic brake system. I most definitely don’t have the skill or knowledge to maintain those.

All together – should I take my bike back to the shop for servicing every 3 months?


texts: Getting the best fitted mudguards for a standard road bike

texts:
I'm quite new to cycling and soon I'll experience my first winter cycling, thaמkfully I live in quite a dry country so we don't have a lot of rain.

I've read all about the clearence issues of regular full mudguards with most road bikes but I'm still quite confused about what I should order.

I've found these two:

Raceblade Pros

and

Raceblades

I have a Ridley Fenix Classic and it should have the regular tire clearance that most road bikes have (I have a 23mm tires).
I know the general guidelines but would like to get help about what mudguards will surely fit my bike.

*Or maybe it's very hard to guess what mudguards will fit by ordering online and will be better to just find a big store that will sell those (probably'll be a bit more expensive)?


texts: Will putting an e-bike chain on a "traditional" road bike give more mileage?

texts:
I was browsing through a webshop for some replacement parts and in the "chains" section I came across "e-bike chains" - claimed to be stronger than traditional chains.

Since 11-speed chains are supposed to be replaced when the stretch reaches 0.5% I came up with an idea of putting this e-bike chain onto a traditional (thus utterly human-powered) road bike to benefit from longer life of such a chain.

Since the price difference isn't dramatic (it may be 50% more which transfers to around €10 more compared to KMC X11) I got myself into thinking:

isn't putting an e-bike chain the way to go when aiming for longevity of the chain?
or should I either replace a cheaper chain more often?
or buy a higher quality "traditional" chain?

Which is the way to go when looking for the most miles per dollar? The question applies to 11-speed only. With no limitations going single speed would be the cheapest option, I know that.


texts: Front derailleur rubbing against chainring

texts:
I'm trying to fix up my old (1999) Trek 4500, and I've run into a snag while adjusting the front derailleur. It's a Shimano FD-CT92 (bottom bracket mounted E-type), and it's rubbing against the largest chainring when it's in the middle gear position. There doesn't seem to be any height adjustement on that type of shifter. I've checked all the documentation I could find, and the chainrings are within spec (42T, 34T, 24T). In any case, all the equipment is original to the bike, and I've never had this problem before.... Any ideas on how to fix this?

Here's some additional info:

This is what the derailleur looks like when it's in the middle chainring position

The FD-CT92 derailleur is bolted to the bottom bracket plate in a way that prevents any height adjustment. A flange that fits around the seat tube also keeps the angle fixed.

(the photo below is with the derailleur detached from the bracket plate)

The only other thing that I've noticed is that the cage can be wiggled around a bit. Is that normal? Do derailleurs wear out?


texts: What can I use to replace a Shimano Deore LX RD-M581?

texts:
I've got a trusty Marin East Peak XC from 2008, but the rear derailleur's adjustment screws have all sheared and I need to replace it. The derailleur is a Shimano Deore LX RD-M581, but I can't find any exact replacements available.

How can I find a derailleur that will work?

I've found this extra info for my bike:

Rear cogs: 9 speed, 11-32
Chainring: 44/32/22
So the total capacity required is 43
I'm not quite sure if the current is GS or SGS

I've seen some advice that I can could get the right modern Shimano derailleur with 7 or 8 speeds, like an Alvio RD-M4000? I'm not particularly fussed about ultra-high quality or anything, I just need something that'll work well. I'm also a student though and can't really afford to screw it up and buy multiple versions.


texts:
Trying to fix up my 80s Triumph bike which has a Sturmey Archer 3 speed dynamo hub. The hub has two screws which connect to two cables. I think the hub generates an AC supply and powers a front and rear light.

Here are some photos:

http://imgur.com/a/TYcoM/all

So the things I'd like to achieve are, to:

1) identify the bulb so I can purchase two new ones

think i may have found them! My lamp says 6 volts, 0.1 amps which i
worked out as 6 volts and 0.6 Watts, maybe this one will work??.

2) be able to run an AC supply though the circuit to see if it works at all

3) see if the dynohub can generate an AC supply

Would a multimeter help?

4) to find the name of the small metal plates that connect the wires to the screws on the Sturmey Archer hub

I think they might be called hook connectors but not sure how to wire them up

Any help would be much appreciated. I've fallen at the first hurdle and cant even identify the bulbs!


texts: Getting the right cockpit position. Sliding forward. What should I adjust to keep my sit bones on the seat?

texts:
I am experienced rider and I'm looking for some advice on how to adjust my cockpit position. I am a daily commuter, and do regular 40-50k rides on the weekends, and with the warmer weather will work on some 100-200km rides.

On my current bike, I continue to have a problem sliding forward in my seating position. I have short arms and legs compared to my body length (32 inch / 81cm inseam at 6'1"/185 cm tall) and my bike is fairly comfortable if not one size too small. The bars are currently about 2"/5cm below the hieght of the seat. I find that I am consistently sliding forward my seat and pushing back with my arms to stay in a decent position. My saddle is currently pushed as far forward as the current post will allow, and the stem that came with the bike is quite long. The seat post off-set is not large at about 1". The Brook saddle (B17 Special) is dead level as measured at the rails. I have no knee or back pain.

What should I adjust to keep my sit bones on the seat?

I think my options are:

Shorten the threadless stem to xx cm or so from the current 120ish?
Buy a new seat post that will allow the saddle to come forward more?
Buy a new bike that fits better (Probably not going to happen this year)?
Other? Seat height? Seat angle?
Stretch more? and get a flatter back, better hip position?


texts: How to fix cross-threaded derailleur hanger?

texts:
I've removed my rear derailleur so many times that I think I messed up the hanger threading this latest time I reinstalled it. It's very hard to screw in, doesn't even go in straight, and now not even my hanger alignment tool screws in properly. Since my bike is so old, I just bent the hanger to account for the miffed threads and reattached my derailleur the best I could as a temporary fix. Now I want to fix the threads. I've since learned of some methods involving tapping the threads as well as drop-out savers:

How To tap and Clean Threads On Your Derailleur Hanger

How To Fix Derailleur Hanger With Stripped Threads

Based on my description, is it likely that I cross-threaded the hanger? If I need to resort to tapping, how do I determine the proper tool to use? Are there bike-specific tools or will pretty much any tapping tool work so long as the measurements are correct?


texts: How to prevent the derailleur cable fibres getting all over the places?

texts:
My bike is only 7 months old, but the front derailleur cable fibres are becoming loose i.e. the individual thin metal fibres twised together to form the cable are loosing out. I think I have lost the metal cap which was holding the twisted end of the cable so that those fibres stay twisted. How can I fix this? Could anyone suggest?

TA


texts:
I’m looking for a way to carry an iPad on a 80km commute.

I don’t like backpack, as it’s heavy on shoulders and rack for just an iPad  feels overkill.

So looking for saddlebag big enough for an iPad. Any suggestions / ideas?

(Carbon Fiber CX bike).

Open to suggestions.


texts: Have there been designs of bikes with stepless transmission?

texts:
Today we studied about mechanical stepless drives, which appear to be used quite widely in industry machines, such as CNC lathes.

The concept of varying the transmission ratio arbitrary, without fixed steps, seems tempting for a bike. Has it ever been tried commercially?


texts: Shimano Dura-Ace 1st Generation Brake adjustment

texts:
I am trying to get my rear brakes to work properly but I do not understand how it works.

I dissembled the caliper, cleaned each component (since the brake raked (?)). But now I have the problem that the side where the brake cable attaches is stiff and only the other side moves properly. I can provide two pictures of how I reassembled the brake

From another perspective:

On that second picture only the right side of the brake moves the other one does not when I pull the lever. Anyone who can help me?


texts: Dent in titanium MTB frame, is the frame OK to ride?

texts:
I have a early 90s Basso Ti Hardtail MTB bike (made by Litespeed I believe) which I bought from my room-mate back in the day. I've kept it going with regular maintenance and occasionally replacing various components. It's done duty as a mountain bike, city bike, commuter and child trailer hauler.

I recently decided it needs a complete rebuild and stripped everything off of it. In the process I found it has a dent in bottom surface of the downtube. The dent must have been there for years as I know I have not crashed it or smashed it into anything for at least a decade (I got older and spent more time on road bikes). I'm fairly certain the frame is OK as I've been riding it, but I'd like to verify that that it's not potentially going to fail on me.

I'm not going to be using this frame for any hard-core mountain riding with big impacts and I'm not a big guy - I weigh about 170lbs / 77 kilos.


texts: can di2 front derailleur braze on adapter be used to mount 105 derailleur?


texts: Bottom bracket creaking only when pedaling hard.

texts:
When pedaling with a decent amount of force a very loud creaking sound can be heard coming from the bottom bracket area (it is very loud when standing on the pedals). It makes a creaking noise on each foot's down stroke. So with both feet pedaling equals two creaks per full revolution. If I unclip either foot and pedal with only one foot, a creaking noise will be heard once per revolution (on the down stroke of the pedaling foot). If I pedal softly, no noise is heard.

Things that I have done so far, yet the problem remains:

Changing pedals, regreasing their threads and making sure they are tightened.
Tightening chaining bolts.
Replacing the actual crankset.
Taking the crankset out, cleaning all the old grease and regreasing.
Making sure the crank arm is tightened correctly.

Is there anything left besides it being the bottom bracket causing the problem? I haven't had a chance to inspect that yet because it's a pressfit and I don't have the proper tools to take it out and reinsert it.


texts: What are the benefits of a carbon seatpost?

texts:
As the title states, what are the benefits of a carbon seatpost like this one from MEC?

My research indicates there may be the following pros and cons:

Pros

Lighter
Supposedly smoother ride

Cons

More expensive
Possibly more prone to catastrophic failure as compared to aluminium

Is there anything else I'm missing or that I'm completely wrong about?


texts:
I've been reading a lot about road bikes and looking at the differences between bikes called "compacts" but I don't see much consistency.

I've read that compact road bikes have different gearing and also a sloping top tube but not necessarily both. I've also seen some bikes with "Compact" in the title but don't appear to have either of those features! Am I missing something?


texts: Words for "bicycle" far in etymology from "two wheels"

texts:
In my native language for "bicycle" we use word "rower", that is not self-descriptive. It comes from UK company name "Rover".

Are there some examples in other languages when the etymology for local word for "bicycle" is different than etymology of word "bicycle"?

Edit: more detail about "rower" etymology.
Saying, that "rower" comes from "Rover" is small simplification. Both words have common ancestor in the name of the company product, "Rover Safety Bicycle". Rover was treated as proper name, otherwise it would be translated to polish equivalent of german "Wanderer".

Citation from wikipedia: "In 1885 John Starley made history when he produced the Rover Safety Bicycle".

Citation from comment in national dictionary by respectable linguist and lexicographer:
"Word 'rowerzysta' (pl. cyclist) (...), comes of course from word "rower", and indirectly from the name of british company „Rover”."

Citation from local bicycle advocatory group's page from Toruń:
"Because bicycles produced by Starley and Satton company become popular in Poland, its name become polonified and that's why we had rower "


texts: Voodoo Bakka or Specialized Hotrock (kids mountain bike)

texts:
New bike for my son, (8). Torn between Voodd Bakka moutnin bike 24'' or Specialized Hotrock 24'' (both 2020) both similar price at £320. towpaths, parks, woods and odd trial. Kent based.

Open to other ideas if you know any better for same price point?


texts: how to chose the right frame size for touring bike?

texts:
I am going on a two week bike trip with a friend and I can only afford a second hand bike. My concern is that I will wind up buying a bike that I later discover was the wrong size for me.

I know that in an ideal situation I would try out a bunch of bikes at a shop and pick the one that fits the best, but if I am buying one second hand it's going to be more of a, 'ride it around the block and then make a decision' scenario.

Given that, are there some tips / things to keep in mind that would help to lower my chances of buying an ill-fitting bike?


texts: Converting Specialized Sirrus hybrid to drop bars

texts:
I have a Specialized Sirrus 2014 equipped w/ disc brakes. I'm quite happy with it for my commutes, yet after after spending a year with it, I kinda still long for the drop bars.

What components would need to be throw out and replaced in order to give my Sirrus drop bars? Does it generally seem like a good idea to rebuild a hybrid in this way?

(What I like about Sirrus are disc brakes, tire size, fenders and rack -- all very practical for commuting and reason for me not to get a proper road bike.)


texts: What do you wish you knew you before you bought your first nice bike?

texts:
I am planning on purchasing my first nice bike ($500-$1000, nice to me is not a walmart bike) and am cautious due to the Dunning Kruger effect.

I have never had a bike not from walmart before, and while there are buying guides out I still feel uneasy. I have spent hours researching bikes and the parts, but I know there is some knowledge that only comes with time and experience. I just don't know what that experience is.

Here are some general questions that I haven't found answered online yet.

What are things on bikes you now consider a gimmick/weighted too heavily in your bike choice? (Brand?)
What aspects do you prioritize less? (Type of brakes?)
What aspects do you prioritize more? (Mounting holes for addons?)
What do you regret or surprisingly like about your purchase?

I am sorry if this is opinion based/not a specific question. With my lack of experience I do not know what questions I need to ask.

1-Year Update

Here is a brief update on my thoughts after buying a bike. For those curious it is a 2015 Trek DS 8.3 (Mix between road and off-road)

Biggest mistake: I wanted a bike that could do everything so that I wouldn't end up limiting myself in the long run. While what I bought works rather well as an everyday road bike, I always have the front suspension locked and don't need the disk brakes. It works well enough as a road bike, but in hindsight I should have focused solely on a road bike instead of something that was just good at everything instead of great at what I use it for 99% of the time.
Biggest plus: The DS 8.3 has a lot of mounting options for fenders and racks. This has proven very valuable as I am now in the position to be able to bike to work and it gives me plenty of options to add racks for my lunch and computer. I value mounting options a lot now as it allows me to highly modify my bike if I want without needing a new bike.
Biggest surprise: While better bikes perform better in general, they have much smaller tolerances and thus need more detailed care. I needed to learn to do a lot of the maintenance and upkeep again as what I knew was too vague to do it well. This also means that the day to day upkeep is slightly more. This may not be a surprise to many, but it was something I hadn't thought about at all.
Shifters, Derailers, and Brakes: When I was shopping I was initially overwhelmed by trying to decide which components were better than one another. In the end I don't have strong feelings for any of my components, they all work fine. I have ridden other bikes with different components and while they perform slightly differently, in the end they have never affected my enjoyment.

TLDR My advice from the experience is get a bike that is really focused on what you will be doing, not what you are considering doing. Find a bike that has mounting holes that will support varying uses down the road. Don't worry about all the details, find one that you like as a whole. Finally learn to take good care of it and be prepared to spend more time maintaining it.


texts: Can you buy bulk shifting/brake cable for road bikes?

texts:
Is it possible to buy bulk amounts of shifting/brake cable for road bikes? It would be nice to just have a spool of wire that you run onto your frame and then cut off only as much as you need.

A Google search for "bike cable spool" doesn't really result in much, surprisingly...

How do bike shops deal with this? Surely they don't buy individual packs of cable for every bike do they?

I know you can buy cable housing in bulk, so I was surprised when I couldn't find similar for just the cable...


texts: The freehub doesn't quite roll as smoothly as before. Pedalling back actually turns the wheel back if it's free spinning. So we thought we'd take the body off to clean it and see if anythings broken or not. But it won't come of the wheel. I believe it should pull off, but with all my strength it doesn't. Tapping it with a hammer from the other side also wasn't fruitful. What else can we try to get it off?


texts: Fuji Transonic 2.8 2016: rear derailleur hanger direct mount or standard?

texts:
I have a Fuji Transonic 2.8 from 2016 that has the following hanger installed:

https://wheelsmfg.com/derailleur-hanger-215.html

I am replacing the short cage Shimano 105 rear derailleur with the medium cage version to be able to use an 11-34 cassette.

Now the previous bike mechanic installed the short cage derailleur with the b-link removed, so clearly it was being treated as direct mount hanger, but I want to make sure that I should do the same with the medium cage derailleur. Couldn't find any documentation anywhere on which type the above hanger is, found a bunch of sites trying to explain the direct mount vs standard distinction but they all look the same to me. I want to make sure I don't remove the b-link by mistake when it is really needed.

Thanks.


texts: Can't get enough braking power after lots of adjustment

texts:
Hi :) I just bought a 2015 Specialized Diverge A1 with almost completely stock components. With some adjustments everything seems to work well except for the disc brakes.
This bike has a Shimano Claris 2x8 groupset and the mechanical disc brakes are Promax Render R.
I've ridden other road and gravel bikes before with mechanical disc brakes, and never felt unsure about stopping power, whether from the hoods or drops, until now. That's just to say I know what a brake should feel like, and I have decent hand strength. With this particular bike and brakes, I can hardly squeeze the levers if I'm riding on the hoods, and even if I get maximum leverage riding in the drops and can squeeze all the way, the stopping power is terrible. There's no hope of locking the wheels even just going 5mph. It's a very slow, weak rolling stop.
I've tried checking and adjusting just about everything I could think of or google, to no avail. I'll go through what I've tried:

realigning brakes

barrel adjusters

adjusting the internal pad to rotor distance (don't know if there's a better term for that) both closer to the rotor, to see if less travel and squeezing as hard as I can would help, and farther from the rotor, to see if more travel made it easier to squeeze the lever from the hood. Closer to the rotor was slightly better.

inspecting and replacing pads. They didn't look very worn or warped (definitely at least 3mm of material left on each pad) but i replaced them anyway

rotors do not look warped/bent either

cable tension. Can't find a happy medium where there's enough tension for the pads to clamp hard on the rotor and there's enough slack that i can move the lever effectively from the hoods.

cable/housing condition. Looks very clean. If I release all tension from the cables, the levers move freely. I don't feel any friction.

these levers don't have the built in reach adjustment, so I put in shims to bring them a bit closer to my fingers to make it easier to squeeze. Not enough help.

In summary,
I can't get enough stopping power with my disc brakes, and I'm also finding it practically impossible to squeeze the levers effectively from the hoods. They feel so stiff.
In terms of my inability to squeeze from the hoods, do my hands just hate this Claris lever/hood geometry? Are they weaker than I think? For the lack of braking power, is there some adjustment I missed? Is something else going on?
I'm doing all I can to fix this myself even though I'm a total novice, so any help is greatly appreciated :)


texts: I can't fit a Kenda tire (28-622  700 x 28c-28 x15/8 x 1 1/8) on my SUNRIM CR-18 rim.  Is there an alternate size that will work?


texts: I am trying to replace a rusted crankset for a friend's hybrid and I was wondering if I get the same ratio set would I have to change the mechanism as that's fine.


texts: What is a Q-LOC axle? Is it compatible with Quick Release?

texts: So what is a Q-LOC axle? If I decide to install a fork with such an axle, do I need another front wheel or is is it possible that my current QR hub is compatible. What do a Q-LOC wheel look like and how much do they cost?


texts: What is the best way to approach train tracks?

texts:
I commute on my bike through an industrial area and cross many train tracks. They very in degrees: most are perpendicular to the road, but some have a very low angle.

This question is two part:

What is the best way to cross tracks. It is commonly known that perpendicular is best, but sometimes that is difficult to do given traffic and road circumstances. Also, should one "hop" to reduce impact on tires, or is their some other better technique? It can feel quite jarring to fly over tracks - is there a risk of damaging a bike?
Assuming that some kind of altered riding pattern is preferred, what is the best way to do so without impeding traffic or upsetting drivers. Some of the tracks I cross have no shoulder but they do have anxious cars speeding up to get on the freeway. A dismount would be very unpopular in those settings.

Thanks for your thoughts.


texts: Why would non-drive side leading spokes break?

texts:
I've built about half a dozen wheels for my commuter bikes and never had any problems, but the last rear wheel broke some spokes.

Everything on the wheel was brand new, 32 spokes, had only done about 15 miles. I was pedaling hard, probably accelerating from 15mph up to 25 mph, and I broke a few spokes. I checked the wheel and it was okay to pedal slowly to my office as it was only a few minutes away, and I leaned on the bars to keep as much weight off the rear wheel as I could. Ended up breaking six (!) spokes by the time I got there.

All but one broke at the rim, and all but one were non-drive side leading spokes (i.e. the last set of spokes to be installed as per https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#leading).

There was obviously something wrong, maybe too much/too little tension, or a tension imbalance somewhere, but what could have caused just one set of spokes to fail so greatly? I would have expected drive side and trailing spokes to break first under stress.

Just so I don't make the same mistake again. In retrospect I should have checked the tension on the remaining spokes after the first two broke, that's what I did in the evening to get me home six spokes down and it was still fairly solid.


texts: What does this piece do that came with my disc brake?

texts:
I recently ordered hydraulic Shimano disc brakes with rotors and they came with a bunch of hardware, including this piece:

It looks like it would fit under the screws that secure the rotor to the hub:

Does anyone know what I should do with it or what its function is?


texts:
After the last update of the system, which allows optimizing the ECO option with three levels of assistance, Low, Medium and High, in the last 2 trips with the Medium option, several errors have occurred several times: E010 and W013.

Does anybody know if the problem comes from this latest update?

The above is a machine translation of the original post:

Después de la última actualizacion del sistema el qual permite optimizar la opción ECO en tres niveles de asisténcia, Low, Medium y Hight, en las 2 últimas salidas con la opción Medium se han producido varias veces los errores E010 y W013, alguién sabe si el problema proviene de esta última actualización.
Gracias


texts: Where can I find tech documents for Mavic 500 RD hubs?

texts: There is a dedicated tech page for older Mavic Products. However, it's access restricted. Is there any other page with manuals and tech docs for Mavic 500 hubs?


texts:
I'm having a hard time bleeding the rear brake of my Specialized Diverge. Following closely the instructions provided by SRAM (and other sources like GCN and other people from YouTube) only works for the front brake, the rear one always end up full of air in the system. It's funny all videos shows the bleeding procedure using the front brake, but none for the rear one.

Following SRAM official guide, after finishing the step of removing the caliper syringe, I always get lots of fluid coming out. All videos are edited on this part, so I can't know for sure if its normal or not to have so much fluid leak. After that, following all other instructions, the lever feel is mushy and touches the handlebar without any pressure.

Any tips on how to properly bleed a rear brake? What I could possible doing wrong?


texts: Terminology: coaster brakes vs free wheel?

texts:
I just read this article https://www.tikesbikes.com/pages/coaster-brake-vs-hand-brake and it confuses me. They oppose coaster brakes with free wheels. My understanding is that the opposite of freewheel is fixed gear and that the definition of freewheel is that you can roll the rear wheel while the pedals are at rest (not rotating). That is, most normal bikes with coaster brakes also have a freewheel setup.

Am I misunderstanding something here? And is there a word for bikes/the setup that allows you to pedal backwards?

Update: of course there is a Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freewheel and by just reading the introduction it seems that I am right. Freewheel has nothing to do with pedaling backwards. But that question remains: what's the word for a pedaling backwards setup?


texts: Potential ways to silence a (new) Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub

texts:
I have a new Sturmey Archer 3-speed S-RK3. It's a standard 3-speed hub with a 9-spline driver and disc brake mount.
I use the bike with a belt drive and one of the benefits of the belt is the extreme silence.
Out of the box, these hubs tick in at least 2 out of three gears while pedaling along; that's how they are supposed to be.
I'm interested to know if anyone has successfully muffled the ticking by using a thicker oil lubricant for the hub internals. I have previously achieved this on normal freehub/pawl mechanisms by using a thick oil like Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer.
I am not concerned with voiding the warranty.


texts: Are reflectors mandatory by the UK highway code?

texts:
I bought a set of mudguards recently, the rear one attaches onto the seat post.

I have a red reflector that also attached onto the seatpost, so if I have both the seat has to be too high and only my toes can touch the ground when seated.

I've removed the reflector, is this OK or is it required by the highway code?


texts: I have 3 old bikes all have been in a shed out of the weather for about 20 to 25 years. tires are rotted. on has a front fork suspension not working. #1 is a Trex zx 6500 #2 Giant Ricon girls bike and the last one is GT terain outpost. where do i go for parts . I can do the work they all have very very little time riding on them . all the bike stores want to do is sell new bikes but i believe they can be fixed and used again any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
My seat on my bmx turns literally on every bump. If I tap it it'll turn and normally fall off.. The teeth on the seat look to be fairly worn.

I don't really want to spend any money as it's just a bike for riding dirt jumps. I was thinking of glueing it but is there any other way? Cheers :)


texts: What does marking like "aq/ar" on the sprocket mean?

texts:
Shimano sprockets are marked with short strings like "aq/ar", "bg", "as/au/be" and others. For example, "bj bk" can be read on the image below:

It looks like they mean the hyperglide series to which this sprocket belongs. Is there anywhere a list of these series?


texts: Cyclocross racing with fixed gear road bike with cross tires

texts:
I would like to take part in three local cyclocross races in the coming weeks but have a bike dilemma:

Should I convert my track frame to a new fork and put one cantilever brake on it and change the tyres, or change the tyres on my Kona road bike (I checked to be sure that there is enough clearance for cross tyres) and race with road bike style calipers but increase the calipers clearance to the rims? At the moment putting cross tyres on my road bike is the cheapest but no one uses calipers so I assume it's a stupid idea. But is converting the track bike silly too? All races are flat, btw.


texts:
I was browsing specifications of internal gear hubs and noticed that many of them have flange center moved to left (relative to hub center). I'm wondering why, I think IGH should have symmetrical flange distances for same spoke tension on both sides.
Some examples:
https://www.kstoerz.com/freespoke/hub/169
https://www.kstoerz.com/freespoke/hub/168
https://www.kstoerz.com/freespoke/hub/167


texts:
I have Merida track 500. It comes with a 175mm FSA vero track crankset and JIS square taper cartridge.

I want to change it with Miche Pistard Air track crankset, 165mm and for that I need to change bottom bracket also.

I wanted to know whether I can use road BB into my track bike. Here is the compatibility for Miche crankset.

BB compatibility:

-Evo Max 36x24tpi (ITA) - 1,370x24tpi (BSA)
-Evo Max 68x42 (BB30)
-Evo Max 68x46 (BB30)
-Evo Max 86,5x41 (PF86)
-Evo Max 86,5x46 (PF86)

The size of Shimano BB I am looking forward to buy is BSA 1,37x24.

Will it go with the crack?

Please help ASAP. Are these two compatible?


texts: Can hydraulic disk brakes be incrementally upgraded?

texts:
Background:  I used to have a bike with Magura HS33 hydraulic V-brakes which I liked a lot. A while back I bought a new bike with Shimano M395 disc brakes. I've had the bike a little over a year now and really don't like the brakes.

The pads bite quite aggressively and I lack some feel when dosing brake force.

Also the actuation point of the brake lever has shifted quite a lot while I don't see any options to adjust it like on the Magura set (adjustment wheel on the brake levers). There is no visible oil leak and the pads do not have enough miles on them to be significantly worn out. I'd really like to have a brake setup that feels more up to par with my old Magura's.

What parts should I upgrade to get a more high-end setup with a better feel?  Just the levers and maybe pads, or the calipers too?


texts: What is the ideal travel for dual crown fork?

texts: I'm planning to have my fork upgraded. Currently I am using Suntour XCM with 100mm travel. I'm reading a lot of MTB forums and a lot of them are telling that you may break the head tube if you use dual crown fork with high travel(160-200mm). Based on their inputs, the ideal travel for a dual crown fork is around 130-140mm. My bike frame is a hard tail enduro. Any inputs will be appreciated.


texts: How to ensure security of panniers when touring

texts:
I'm planning a cycle tour carrying baggage in panniers on the bike. For at least some of the trip, I'll be alone, and when I need to go into shops/cafes/toilets, I can lock up the bike, but the panniers themselves will be unsecured.

What is a workable way to prevent the panniers and/or their contents being stolen while unattended.

This trip will be in western Europe.


texts: How can a Mavic freehub stop working after cleaning?

texts:
I have a Mavic Aksium Race rear wheel. The freehub was working and felt gunky.

I opened it to clean it (it was dry with some gunk and a bit of rust stains) and reassembled after lubricating with Finish Line's Dry Teflon Lube. Now the freehub turns freely both ways. And better than before cleaning.

I opened it again to remove any lubricant and cleaned again. Not luck.

I can clearly hear the pawls working well, but they won't ever engage, even when I turn it really slowly and wait for them to do so. I have also tried switching the pawls.

The side to side play around the nylon bushing is less than 0,5mm.

I have verified how I have reassembled it twice and have maintained such hubs dozens of times.

I don't have anything here to compare with, but if I was aksed if the pawls look worn, I would say yes.

My guess is that the pawls and freehub itself are worn out.

But the question is: how can a dirty worn working freehub can be cleaned and turned into a non-working clean worn freehub?

Thank you!


texts: What features make a good fitness tracker for cyclists?

texts:
What features are needed, and what ones are desirable on a fitness tracker for a cyclist? I am looking for one that will support jogging, walking and other exercise, but cycling is essential.

There are heaps of 'reviews' of these things, and a such large number of products available, I can't find information that gives me much confidence that any particular model supports cycling, and how well it does.

How can I assess what is a good fitness tracker for someone who primarily cycles, but not exclusively.

More constraints, this is for a small woman who can't wear a chest strap or watch/band (5ft with really thin wrists). She also runs(slowly), users a scooter(leg power/not motorised), walks and plays soccer occasionally.

She wants to get an accurate measure of energy use in kcal - and the tracker we tried was not very accurate.

Willing to look at multiple devices, if that is the way forward.


texts: Is it alright to put a 25mm tube in a 23mm tyre?

texts: I've just bought 23mm wide tyres to replace my current 25mm ones. Do I need to buy 23mm tubes too?


texts: Will a "700 x 25-32cc" inner tube fit my "700Cx28/38c" / "ETRTO 622x20" rim?

texts:
I have a road bike that has a flat tire, the rim is marked with the text

  700Cx28/38c  ETRTO 622x20

I am specifically looking at this Continental tube on Amazon. Under the sizing options there is an option

  700 x 25-32cc

Which I think is the one that I want. The picture of the box (not necessarily correlated to my choice in sizing) has the text

  20-622 > 25-630

Which again seems to confirm that this inner tube will be correct.

Will the tube size mentioned above fit the rim I describe? Or, should I select the size 32-42cc because the range on the rim (28/38c) has more #'s in the range 32-42 (6) than it does in the range 25-32 (5)?

I have been reading for a bit now and from what I understand the text on the rim (28/38cc) means that the tire (not tube) size that the rim will fit is between 28mm and 38mm. But what is confusing me here is the sizing of the tubes listed as that are listed as, for instance, 25-32cc. Does this mean the tube itself will fit on rims that can fit tires (not tubes) in the range of 25mm to 32mm?

In the end what exactly should I be looking for; what sizes of tubes will fit this rim properly?

I hate to "beg" for the answer seeing how much it is looked down upon on the stackexchange sites but I seem to actually be at a loss in understanding this correctly...

EDIT: Ok so I think I understand this much better now. My tire itself has the text 700x40c. Which means that the tire itself "prefers" a tube with a cross section of 40mm; moreover the tires cross sectional area is 40 mm!? So I can then buy any tube that says it will fit/(inflate to) a tire with a cross sectional area of 40c.


texts: How do I remove this style of bottom bracket?

texts:
I am attempting to remove and replace the bottom bracket from a cheapish 1970s American department store road bike. I've gotten the lockring off, and now the non-drive side looks like this:

[Whoops, I definitely took photos of the drive side by mistake. You can look at them if you want: head-on view of drive side, angled view of drive side.]

The situation on the non-drive side is similar, but the only photo I have right now is slightly less clear:

That photo's from a few days ago and I have since gotten the lockring off the usual way. What's the tool or technique that will let me get the bottom bracket cup itself out? My shop doesn't have a bottom bracket tool with notches like this, nor have I seen one online. I tried a pin spanner to no avail. It's difficult to see in the photos, but the sides of the notches in the BB are somewhat sloped, so the pins don't get any "grab" and just slide right out when I start to turn them.

That's what I've tried so far. What am I missing, or what else can I try?


texts:
It is forecast to rain this weekend so I was thinking I would drop a tarp down over my living room floor and give my bikes a bit of a tune up.

Question

What maintenance needs to be done on your bike?  How often?

Background

Generally speaking I am of the mind: "If it is not broken don't fix it".  However I recognize that there are preventative measures that I can take that will drastically improve the life of my bike and the expense of repairing it.

I am pretty good at noticing when something changes on my bike.  (For example: something is making a slightly different noise, something is not spinning well, etc).  One think that I am concerned about however is when something gradually gets worse in increments that are not noticeable.  For example you forget to oil part X and it gets increasingly noisier or harder to spin etc.  I am concerned that I would not notice it.

I like to do my own work when possible but I will bring the bike in for work when necessary.

Answer Structure

The best answer will have this format:

Daily

this thing
this other thing

Weekly

Bla

Monthly

Something

Yearly

What else?

Ideally the bullets should be sorted by importance.  Importance is defined by expense.  If you don't do this thing then it will cost you $X.

It is not necessary to provide a description for each procedure as we can open additional questions for each of those procedures.

Similar Questions

How much maintenance?

Addresses how much maintenance a bike needs but does not lay out a clear schedule

Winter maintenance?

What to do before putting your bike in storage for winter

Where to find good bicycle maintenance info?
Basic toolkit for bicycle maintenance

Edit (To get the bounty)

What I am looking for is in terms of the Monthly/Yearly sections is what a bike shop would do during their yearly tune ups.  I do most of my own repairs/work and I want to make sure that I am not missing anything.