Safest position to ride on roads with cars What is a hard and fast rule on where to ride within a lane, if one exists at all?

I've heard people say that you should ride as far over as you can while avoiding drains, potholes, small children etc.. and keeping out of the way of motorists. I have also read that further out into the lane is safer causing motorists to give you a wider berth and increasing your visibility.

Which is correct and are there any meaningful statistics to be found?

Related: Best ways to avoid getting hit by cars?

The hard and fast rule is to do whatever it takes to keeps you safe.

The first thing is to ride with lights at night and reflective gear.

Generally, what I do is, if theres a wide enough shoulder I will use it. If there isn't, I take the lane. Being in a corner of a lane is a problem since motorists will try to sneak past and can't always judge the room needed to do so safely (at least a 3 foot margin from you). The side of the road is generally bad as debris tends to collect there, so you increase your risk of punctures and what not.

Note that there may be legal things to do -- The Washington state bicycling guide says cyclists must be as far right as it is safe not as far right as is possible (my personal policy also follows this). Check with your local area to see what the legal policy is (if any).

To quote the Washington state bicycling guide:
"Washington State law requires cyclists
to ride as far to the right as is safe,
not as far to the right as is possible.
There is a crucial difference. Assess the
situation to decide how far towards the
center of the lane you need to travel
to be safe versus unduly delaying
motorized traffic. Taking the full lane
is generally safest when traveling for
short stretches on lower speed roads
(20-25mph). On higher speed roads, it
may be safer to reduce your speed and
stay further to the right rather than
compete with faster vehicles for the
full lane.

You may find it necessary to take
the lane in the following kinds of
situations:

•    when traveling at traffic speed and
you need to prevent motorists from
inadvertently cutting you off;

•    when descending a hill and you
need extra space (for reaction time)
due to your speed;

•    when lane width does not permit
a motorized vehicle behind you to
safely pass;

•    when road conditions (potholes,
road debris or parked cars) preclude
you from riding farther to the right.
Be aware that many motorists neither
understand that you have the right to
take the lane in these situations (or at
all), nor may they see road condition
hazards which you are trying to avoid."

Another thing to note is that part of safety (aside from abiding from the law) is dealing with harassment. From the same guide: "Most motorists are courteous and happy to share the road with cyclists, but
unfortunately, the small minority of drivers who are rude or threatening
stand out. Harassment can make a commute unenjoyable or even dangerous.
Fortunately, it rarely occurs. If harassed, try to keep your cool and remember
that your safety is the priority. You will rarely convince an irate motorist to share
the road, and besides, you don’t want to provoke a person unstable enough to
harass you in the first place. Your best bet is to develop your riding skills, know
your rights, ride legally and try to keep calm in the event you are harassed.
Noting a car’s license plate, description and occupants may help when reporting
an incident to the authorities."


Rockshox gold RL bottomless tockens? The table in this document is very useful, however for my rockshox gold RL it does not specifiy how many for my particular fork (160mm Rockshox 35 Gold RL), can anyone help?


Measure Spoke Tension on BMX Wheel I'm building a 20" BMX wheel. I want to check the spoke tension, I'm not sure how to do that accurately. It's a high flange hub laced 3x with 186mm spokes. Because of that, the cross is just off center and makes it difficult to get a centered reading with the tensiometer. (TM-1)

Anyone with experience build BMX wheels that could share some wisdom?

I have never build BMX wheels, but used the TM-1 a lot. There is no need to really center the meter on the spoke. The meter functions on the principle that if you apply a force perpendicular to a beam at the center of two support points, the deflection is dependent on the applied force F and on the force pulling in the axis of the beam, on the distance L between the support points (about L^3 ; L= 105 mm for the TM-1), on the beam diameter (about D^-4) and on the elastic modulus of the spoke material. The length of beam outside the support points is less important (except less than 5 mm).

You can check this by taking a common 28" bicycle wheel and take readings while moving the TM-1 from close to the nipple to close to the spoke cross.


Can this crack in the steel chain-side dropout be welded? I have a thru-crack on the driveside dropout near where it meets the chain stay.
The bike is an early 1980's steel frame Trek mountain bike.

See pics.

Bike rides fine otherwise and I have invested a lot of love (and sweat) in cleaning it up...

If it can be welded simply and securely (at minimal cost), I will keep it -- otherwise I guess I have no choice but to throw it out.

(Note that I don't think Trek had a lifetime frame warranty in those days, plus I no longer have the receipt — it was a present from my parents).

You need to consult in person with someone local to you who can make a qualified recommendation.

"It is Steel so can be welded"  is mostly true, but there are always exceptions.  A good welder will give you their professional advice.  Don't bother asking someone with a stick welder in their garage.

I've personally just got a quote on welding a crack in a seat tube, and that came in at $100 NZ.  The bike cost me half that to buy, but I can't replace the frame for anything like that.

When you do find someone local, prepare the frame by stripping everything off the bike.  Everything that is not frame needs to be removed, and you should cover and protect all the threads/bearing surfaces with rags and tape.

Yes, I would remove the fork and headset, and the bottom bracket, leaving just Frame and Paint.

The only non-frame thing I might leave in there would be an old scrap axle bolted into the dropouts, to help keep everything in line and not getting extra-stressed while manhandled.

Also, clean the bike.  Noone likes getting dirty, and your welder is more likely to agree if its not filthy.

If the welder suggests unbrazing and replacing the dropout instead of welding, then you should take that advice.   They may suggest a sleeve or fishplate for strength — take that advice.  Figure out if it will interfere with your chain/cassette or fitting of the rear wheel.

And lastly, if its not safe to fix, or if its super expensive, consider retiring the frame and put those costs toward another bike.


All gears shift smoothly, but won’t shift into 1st gear/large cog. Help? So I was tuning my newly acquired bike today and working with all 8 gears on the rear derailleur. I managed to properly set the high limit screw as well as cable tension so all gears shift smoothly from 2-7. However, when I try to shift to 1st gear, the derailleur won’t move and neither will the shifter. The cable tension is too tight. I also tried manually pushing the derailleur by hand and I can jusssssttttttt get it to shift into first, but it requires a lot of pressure. The only effect adjusting the low limit screw has had is that if it is too loose, it won’t shift from 3rd to 2nd. Tightening it anymore doesn’t shift it from 2nd to first.

I briefly inspected for alignment and from eyeballing it things look OK, but I am not too sure.

What are some things I can do or try and what should I be looking at if something needs fixing?

Thank you guys for your help.

From what you describe, it seems that pushing the derailleur inwards manually to get it onto the largest sprocket was tightening the shifter cable - that is suspicious, it should have loosened the cable.

First thing to do is disconnect the shift cable from the derailleur and check three things:

The derailleur will swing through its full range
The shifter will click through all gears.
The cable travels freely. You should be able to get hold of the shifter and derailleur ends of the cable and pull it back and forth.

If anything is hanging up or jamming, that is where you need to look for problems. I'd also check the shifter cable routing and make sure there are no cable and housing are where they should be and there are no kinks.


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

You rim should be centered over your hub. If you are using the tool correctly, and the rim is not centered, it should be redished.

If you are not confident in your abilities and knowledge on the subject, get a second opinion from your LBS mechanic before you make changes to the wheel. Sometimes, those kind of changes are difficult to reverse.


Rat a Tat noises coming from my bottom bracket area. Please help! I recently got my single speed frame and forks powder coated and at the same time had a number of parts replaced - bottom bracket, chain ring, chain and freewheel cassette.  Really please with everything I took it for a ride and almost immediately heard a rat a tat noise coming from the bottom bracket.  Can be felt through the pedals and saddle.  The noise came and went so I returned it to the bike shop who checked and regreased everything.  They put their pedals on and stated the noise disappeared.  I've taken it out again and happily found the noise had gone until 3 miles in when I freewheeled for a bit and when I started pedalling the noise was back with a vengeance.  The volume varies and comes and goes but only ever appears after I stop pedalling for a bit and restart.  I'm convinced it is not my pedals as never been an issue and the noise just doesn't fit.

Any ideas before I go back to the shop to protest?

I think it's the single speed freewheel.

I've just been through almost exactly the same thing with a brand new Cross Check SS. From day one I had a fast, regular clicking when pedalling, about 4-5 noises per pedal revolution. I could sometimes get it to calm down by pedalling backwards a bit. I was convinced it was the bottom bracket too, until I got the whole crank section rebuilt and it didn't help.

Eventually found some forum posts that described a problem with some SS freewheels, e.g.:

http://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/436916-freewheel-noise-while-pedaling.html
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/general-cycling-discussion/whats-knocking-my-single-speed-211923.html

My bike came with a 17 tooth Shimano freewheel. I got a White Industries freewheel instead and it's been a dream (although the normal ratchet noise when freewheeling is louder now).

Could you try a fixed cog or another rear wheel to eliminate the freewheel?


Suspension fork top caps I bought second-hand mountain type bike. Everything is fine, however, front suspension fork is missing top caps.

As I currently don't posses the chance to visit bike repair shop (and have no other suspension fork equipped bike to compare available), I would like to ask, what do I need to replace. The fork is probably manufactured by Olpran (no other marks found) and I assume there was no option to regulate dampening force*

While looking for term "suspension fork caps" on the internet I found several replacements, however, they all seem to be mounted on some kind of valve (like this, image from ebay)

Thank you very much in advance!

Disclaimer: I am total amateur with minimal knowledge about bicycles, however very interested.

@Michal,  I can't be certain from your picture, but your fork looks a lot like mine.  If it's the same kind of design, then the caps are simply plastic plugs, not threaded, simply friction-fit into the openings.

Here's a picture of the cap area of my fork.

If mine were missing I'd do just what @RoboKaren said, either make a plug out of a genuine cork champagne cork or maybe one of the plastic ones or (probably what I'd do) just duct tape over the area after cleaning the area with soapy water then mineral spirits to remove all surface contaminants and make sure the tape sticks.  You can get black duct tape if you want it to blend in.

BTW I'm assuming my suspension fork uses elastomer "springs" for the shock-absorbing effect, but I'm not positive because I've never been inside.


Can any crankset be used? I have a road bike (2013 Schwinn Tourist) with a sealed bottom bracket (107mm spacing) with a square taper and triple chainwheel (48, 38, 28) assembly that is one of the inexpensive riveted types.   I want to upgrade to a crankset that has replaceable chainwheels.  Can I use any crankset of my choice?  If not, what are my choices?

There are a number of factors to consider here as others have stated in comments, this upgrade may cost more that you are willing to pay given the cost of the bike originally. I'm going to assume you know that and answer as if you are going to do it regardless.

This bike is an 8 speed rear cassette, which controls the type of crank sets you can use without upgrading more parts. You will need an 8 speed crankset, to make sure your chain is compatible.

The BB is a "standard" 68mm threaded shell, which can be adapted to a variety of options for cranksets.

The SHIMANO M361 Hybrid crankset 48/38/28 tooth in square taper is an inexpensive and reasonably likely direct fit replacement.

It is impossible for me to judge the length of BB spindle required after you change the crankset, however, so you should be prepared for the need to change that also.

Depending on the offset of the chain rings on your original crankset, and the difference in offset on the new one, you may need to get a longer or shorter BB spindle to adjust  the chain line with the new crank.

The best way to do this is to measure from your seat tube to the center of the teeth on your middle chainring with your original crankset, and note the measurement.

Install the new crankset, and measure again. Note the difference. If the new measurement is larger, you need a BB with a spindle which is shorter by the difference in your measurements. If measurement is shorter you need a longer BB spindle.

Since this can't be checked ahead of time, you be to be prepared to have the bike non-functional while you get the new BB.

Then you need to readjust the shifting on the front derailleur to match the new crank.  This may require a new from derailleur cable and housing, or it may not.

This will cost a fair bit of time and work, and between $100-150 dollars. Whether that is justifiable on this bike is up to you, but it is approximately half the cost of the bike, not including labor.

I hope that is helpful.


How to avoid wearing out gears? I have a Specialized Tricross which I bought new last year.

In that time (approximately 1K miles), I wore out my chain and gears. At least two of my gears are still slipping, even with a new chain.

I think I spend the majority of my time in one or two gears. Should I avoid this?  Are there other things I should be doing to avoid replacing my chain/gears every season?

I am a novice who mostly just commutes to work, so assume I know very little about form.

A stretched chain will wear out gears (especially the rear cassette). You can see when this because the teeth get worn away to points - it's very obvious.

But it's very unlikely you wore out a chain and gears in 1000 Km. What is more likely is that the cable has stretched slight from new and the derailuer is out of adjustment so it is putting the chain slightly between two gears.   For adjustment details see - http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

To answer your question - No you aren't going to do any damage by using only one gear, if it's the correct gear. You are going to stretch the chain, and break more of them by being in too high a gear - just like in a car. You will also wear the chain faster by being in a 'bad' gear - eg on the inner front cog and the smallest back cog or (v.v.)


Did I buy the right mountain bike? So I recently bought a 2014 Specialized hardrock 26" disc XC hardtail.

I already taken it out on the trails. I've done research and found out that cross country bikes have less travel than all-mountain. I've already done a couple of small jumps but I'm afraid I'll mess up the bike really fast. Although my XC has double wall rims it still concerns me.

Can someone please let me know if I bought the right bike, and if it can handle jumps around 2 feet high?

(Presumption the OP is not over about 100kg, even then, I think my answer holds) Don't worry about the bike. It can handle a lot more than you can. For years I rode with no suspension and never broke a bike. I then got, what was then a great fork - 60mm travel, and did not break the bike. I usually pulled out at more than 1 meters air on those bikes.... usually...... I got older and wiser... now I ride XC and wheels rarely leave the ground, 100mm is more than enuf.

Some would say with two foot jumps, you have got the wrong bike. You should have got a $3000 all mountain FS. But if all you could afford was the one you have, you got the right bike. A better bike would cost more, a FS in that price  bracket would be a BSO and I would say it was the wrong bike, you shoulda got a hard tail. A HT with more travel would have lower quality components......

So what should you do - learn to ride lightly - land softly. Bigger travel lets people who can't ride land 2 foot jumps and look OK doing it. You won't hide poor skills behind your bike, and you will not be forgiven if (when) you screw up a landing - it will make you a better rider.

And just reiterating  -worry more about yourself than the bike.


Can I use a 11-23 11-speed Shimano cassette with the RD-R8000 11-speed Ultegra Shadow rear derailleur (short cage)? I would like to know whether I can use a 11-23 11-speed shimano cassette with the RD-R8000 11-speed Ultegra Shadow Rear Derailleur (short cage).

I ask this question because I see the new 11-speed Shimano cassettes no longer come in a 11-23 gearing.

Looking forward to your comments.

Thanks

Probably you'll be just fine, although it's technically outside the spec'd range.

Per the Shimano 2019-2020 Products compatibility Information document (warning: PDF link), the RD-R8000 rear derailleur is compatible with all of the following cassettes:

CS-R9100
CS-9000
CS-6800
CS-5800
CS-R8000
CS-HG800-11
CS-R7000
CS-HG700-11

As far as I know, that covers all of Shimano's 11-speed road cassettes, and I'm assuming Shimano doesn't produce an 11-23 MTB cassette.

BUT

The RD-R8000 is spec'd as

    RD-R8000-SS
(25T≤CS Low gear≤30T)

(the GS is similary spec'd with a 28T minimum)

so a 23-tooth sprocket would be slightly too small per Shimano's specs.

But it should work for you as Shimano's spec's are notoriously tight - and I already do have an 11-23 on a bike with an RD-8000-SS and it works fine with an 11-23. (I didn't even know it wasn't "in spec"...)

The page the info was extracted from:


Rear wheel stuck after taking off nuts on axle As in the title. I was trying to do some repairs after my derailer snapped and damaged the bike. When taking the rear wheel off (to get to the fender) the wheel got stuck in place after taking the lugs off one side.
The other lug is too tight to remove, (using my wrench is stripping the nut) Does anyone know of any fixes?

When removing bolt-on wheels, it’s best to only slightly loosen each nut at a time. You don’t want to completely remove each side in one go, because then you get your current situation, where the other side refuses to come off. You end up spinning the entire wheel along with the nut, so it won’t unscrew. Loosen the left side an quarter turn, then the right side a quarter turn, then the left side again...and so forth. I would do up the nuts tight again and start over. Perhaps begin by breaking loose the other nut so you’re sure it’s not corroded in place or something.
You might want to consider using a proper 15mm wrench. I presume you’re using an adjustable wrench, which isn’t very precise and can strip nuts and bolts (as you’ve discovered) if even slightly too loose at high torques. Basic wrenches are available at hardware and automotive stores for like 10 dollars, so it’s a worthwhile investment. For a couple extra dollars you can upgrade to a ratcheting wrench which will make the job slightly faster.


Problems with Edge 510 Cadence/Speed Sensor I have been looking online for a while on how to fix a bug with my Garmin Edge 510 Cadence/Speed sensor but no luck, and now I'm indoors training it's more important that it works (so I can get "speed" data to approximate power). It often drops out as in this ride and this ride for example. It seems I'm not the first to encounter this problem but I'm struggling to find a solution. Is there a fix?

I also have an Edge 510 (since ~3 months) with the same sensor, but I have not experienced this. I have recently updated to the latest firmware, which often solves similar issues with power readings.

Since you were riding at quite low temperatures, the capacity of the battery does decrease, but since the speed reading is fine I would not suspect the battery if the sensor/battery is not old (?).

There is a line/groove on both the sensor and the magnet -- check that they still line up properly.

Check also that the sensor is installed in the correct orientation: the battery cover faces the wheel in my case.

You should also verify if the sensor also acts this way when used indoors at room temperature.


What to look for when buying a single gear bike? I'm looking to buy a single gear bicycle. My experience with bikes is very limited, I haven't owned a bike since I was a kid. I have been mountain biking in the Lake District a few times in the last 3 years or so and enjoyed it a lot. At that time, I just hired a mountain bike.

I would like to buy a bike to to commute to and from work (8 miles/13 KM each way - no steep climbs). I'm tempted by the single gear bicycles because they require low maintenance and fitness wise they can be more of a workout.

My criteria so far is:

Has to have a free wheel,
Chain tensioning mechanism,
Brakes on both
wheels

Is there anything else a newbie like me should consider before buying a single gear bike? I'm 6'2" and weigh 10 stone.

Appreciate the help.

Some other items you might consider:

Most importantly, the fit of the bike. If you are 6'2, you will be on the high end of normal sizing, and not all models may be available in a suitable size. Staff at any decent bike shop should be able to measure you, and suggest a range of suitable models however. Take them for test rides and make sure you don't experience knee pain or back pain.
Weight of the bike. If you will ever have to carry the bike, this can be quite important. For example, if you live in a flat above ground level, and don't want to leave your nice new bike outside at night where thieves can get it. Single speed bikes tend to be lighter anyhow, so you should have no trouble finding a cheap model that's still under twenty pounds.
Low maintenance design. If you want a low maintenance bike, single speeds are a great start. I'd also look for a coaster brake (back-pedal brake), and a nice chain case, possibly even a full chain case if you can bear the weight. An aluminium frame may also be a plus, as ChroMo (Steel) will rust relatively quickly without careful maintenance in wet climates, especially if there will be salt on the roads in winter.
Fenders if you ever plan to ride in rain, mud, or snow.
Rack Mounts if you ever plan to carry something heavier than a backpack. Also useful for riding in the heat.


TRP Spyre SLC brakes compatible with other vendors' rotors? Does anyone know whether TRP Spyre (SLC) mechanical disc brakes can be used with other vendors' 160mm rotors, i.e. the ones for SRAM's HRD brakes?

Yes, they are compatible. As long as you are using a 160mm caliper mount, and a 160m rotor they will work together. There are industry-wide standards for rotor position for front and rear brakes.

Like @Carel says above though: make sure your pads are a type that are correct for the rotor (this shouldn't be a problem with HRD rotors, you can use metallic or organic pads on them) and also compatible for the type of riding you are doing. For example, if you are doing tons of downhill with organic pads, you'll wear through them really quickly.


Damaged QR on Allez Elite Question: What is the correct way to replace a damaged QR on a Specialized Allez Elite ?
I broke this whilst trying to open the QR. It was extremely tight. I tapped with a hammer (I know not bright) and boom it broke. This is not a manufacturing mistake it is mine. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to Stack Exchange! I don’t mean to write a trivial answer, but unfortunately the answer is that you would just buy a new quick release. You can often buy just a front quick release. You could try asking on Facebook marketplace or your local Craigslist. Frequently, cyclists will have some spare QRs lying around. Naturally, your bike store can often help you, although the global supply chain has been disrupted due to the pandemic and they may be out of stock on some items.
Now that you are shopping, you might consider an internal cam or enclosed cam skewer. Sheldon Brown’s site has more detail. However, you had an external cam skewer. For the same amount of hand force, internal cam skewers generate much more clamping force. This means that an internal cam skewer that clamped your wheel as tight as your old one would be much easier to open. Furthermore, the cam mechanism is more protected from external contamination than with external cam skewers. As a side note, it’s possible that if your old skewer hadn’t been lubricated, it might just have been stuck due to contamination. Possibly, some WD40 would have removed the contamination from the mechanism, although I would normally recommend a different lubricant for actually lubricating the skewer cam.


Crank and Bottom Brackets Compatibility for Shimano GRX I want to get myself a GRX810 2× but instead of buying the recommended (by Shimano) bottom brackets (SM-BBR60 or SM-BB72-41B Pressfit Hollowtech II) I would like to go with either the Token TF24 or the Token Ninja TF37. I am not sure if they are compatible with the GRX810 Group.

Could anyone help me out here?

From what I can see on the Token page, you need to select a BB that matches the crank axle diameter (24mm for Shimano) and the frame bearing cup standard your frame has. The Token web site has a nice filter that lets you select crank and BB cup types so I'd let that guide you initially.

This is about the most informative page I've found on the myriad of BB standards.

By the way, the TF24 appears to be natively designed for 24mm axles but the TF37 uses adapters for different axle diameters. Go with the 24mm axle specific design if you can. I think that if you have a frame designed for a BB for 30mm axles you may have to get a TF37 and use the adapters.


What bags will fit a Challenge Seiran SL? I own a Challenge Seiran SL (the 26" lightweight version of this). For some short multidays trips I need to attach some form of bags. What are the available bags that will fit?

Full size picture

For an other recumbent I already have a pair of Ortlieb recumbent bags but they attach to a rear rack and I do not see how I could attach a rack to my Seiran… Or is it possible?

Edit: The Seiran SL is not pictured on the web page. You can see it in the Chanllenge Product Guide on page 18.

Looking through the Challenge Bikes product guide, it looks like the Seiran SL is not intended to be able to have any kind of rack on it.

Maybe you should talk to the dealer you bought the bike from. It looks to me like replacing the lightweight carbon seat with the aluminum seat option might make it possible to mount the Day Rack or Voyager Rack...

Would 15–30 liters be enough capacity? There's various bags designed to hang from the top of a recumbent seat, which would probably work:

Arkel Recumbent Seat Bag
Radical Design Universal Aero
Radical Design Rackbag L

In addition, here is a link to a page from the Radical Design site which lists bags that will fit the Seiran SL.


does my degreaser hang around and destroy my new chain lube? I generally clip on the Park chain cleaner, fill it with a cheap department store degreaser (Rubbermaid), run it through for a few seconds, then fill the chain cleaner with water once or twice or more to get rid of the degreaser.  I've been trying out Purple Extreme lube lately.  I'm not getting 100 miles out of an application of Purple Extreme (Conditions have been wet, but not "extreme") .  I'm convinced that some of the degreaser stays behind and breaks down the new lube.  Could this product contain detergents that stay behind and destroy the new lube?  Is this the difference between $10.00 per gallon department store degreaser and $50.00 per gallon "Bicycle" degreaser?

It's certainly possible that degreaser is staying around and breaking down the lube. I use a citrus degreaser (green label but I don't remember the name), and I've never had issues scrubbing it off the chain or cassettes. Also make sure you use a rag to wipe the chain down before you apply the lube.


Bicycle pump slips after using gear oil My pump got little rusty from rain. So i tried gear oil on it. But now its not pumping, just sliping all the way down. Is it because of oil or the valve is damaged? I tried removing the oil with detergent. But its not working.

I have found that cleaning the internals, and light lubrication with a light silicon grease works wonders. Silicon won't hurt the rubber


Why use multiple materials on chainrings? Why is it that on a typical mid-level road triple crankset, the outer rings (larger rings) will be aluminum, while the inner ring (small ring) is chro-mo?

It seems to me that if aluminium was good enough for one, it'd be good enough for all.

Does it have to do with the amount of force applied to each ring? Perhaps the smallest ring is likely to be used in climbing situations, when the cyclist is standing, so the most force is being applied to the crank at that point (and thus you need a stronger ring)?

This is actually a matter of the force multiplication that each chainring provides, and the size/mass of each chainring.

Force difference

Let's propose, only for a moment that you had a chainring as big that the radius of it is almost the same as the crank length. If the rider stood to pedal while using that chainring (and using simple platform pedals). The max theoretical force on the chain will be equal the the rider's weight. (Assuming he/she is not pulling on the handlebar).

Now, let's get rid of that impractical and ridiculously large chainring, and install a more realistic one, one that has a radius of approximately half the length of the crank. Now when the rider repeats the previous experiment, now, the maximum theoretical force applied the the rider's weight*2.

If you repeat the whole experiment, but this time with a chainring having a radius of 1/4 of the crank length, the maximum force in the chain would be 4 times rider's weight.

That is, In a simple mechanism like a crankset, the output force can be calculated as:

OF = IF * (Ir / Or).

Where IF = Input force, Ir = input radius, Or = Output radius. And radius is the distance from the axle to the point where the force is exerted.

As you can imagine, most tripe chainring crankset have a large chainring that has a radius roughly half crank length. An the smaller chainring is half as big. Effectively, the typical triple crankset doubles the output force in the small chainring relative to the largest.

Weight matters

However, this is only part of the topic. The bigger the chainring, the heavier it is. And it is also a rotating part of the bike, so, some may argue that it's rotational inertia would matter. As you can guess, CroMo chainring are heavier than Al.

Durability

That still doesn't fully explain the decision, but here it goes: aluminum typically has less resistance against friction wear than steel. For example, if you had to file down a bump in an aluminium piece, you would do it with low effort, compared to the similar job on even mild steel. Added to this is the fact that a new chain in a new chainring engages several teeth with full roller-tooth contact, effectively spreading the load among each contact point. The small chainring can provide less contact points to spread the load, with means that each tooth is subjected to a bigger fraction of the total force applied by the rider and multiplied by the crank. That means that a tooth in the small chainring bears a much greater load than a tooth in the big chainring.

Usage ratio

Into this we can add the rather subjective argument that most riders would spend more time in the middle chainring, perhaps in the small one or jumping a lot between them, while the large one is used more sporadically, usually in fast descents where the rider won't use his/her full strength and not for long.

Conclusion

All of these arguments make the chosen materials good compromise between weight, durability and maybe, cost.

Aluminum small and middle chainrings would wear out too fast, and would be prone to bending from incorrect shifting technique. A big chainring made of steel would be heavier and the difference would be easily perceptible while holding the crankset in hand, so the crankset with the aluminum big chainring would make the best buy among the two.

The weight difference between small chainrings made of these materials would be less perceptible, and the buyer may not be so appealed to pay the price difference for such a small weight loss(gain?).

Also, aluminium small chainrings may be better suited for professional riders, whose may ideally be properly sponsored, so spending a chainring per race is not a big deal. Also, he/she may (ideally) have an optimized shifting technique (i.e. the rider has identified his/her shifting technique faults and has corrected them).


How do you connect and disconnect a quick release chain link? I can't find any nice video or pictures tutorial that explains how to connect and disconnect a quick release chain link. Am I not finding anything because it has another more common name?

How do you connect and disconnect a quick release chain link?

They're more commonly called master links and sites like the Park Tool one have detailed instructions.

If you can edit in more detailed questions about the actual problems you're having that would help.

From the Park Tool Website:

Some chain manufacturers offer a "master-link" to join the chain. Be sure to read the manufacturers directions. Typically, the bicycle chain ends must have inner plates on each end. In other words, neither chain end has an outer plate with a rivet. The link comes in two pieces.

.

Install one piece through inside face of chain, and install second piece through outside of the other chain end. Engage the two pieces so link rivet mates to link plate hole. Pull chain to lock the link. The best method to do this is to move master link to top section between rear cogs and front chainrings and press hard on pedals. This insures the link is fully locked. Inspect link before riding the chain.

Note: Some master links are reusable, while others are disposable and should be replaced after each removal. Check manufacturer's specifications.


Fork lube. Should I use it? If so how often? I ride a mountain bike with front suspension. I've recently seen fork lube for sale on an online retailer. This got me thinking. Do I need to be using fork lube? How does it help? If I bought some how often do I need to use it and how do I apply it?

I have not looked into this but my first inclination is to avoid it.  Your fork already has oil on the inside and seals that are supposed to keep elements on the outside.  So, for this lube to make much of a difference it would have to soak into the seals, which means the seals aren't that sealed!

I would also think that putting lube on the stanchions would attact grit and grime, something I work hard at keeping away from them.

If your fork is sticking or otherwise not moving smoothly through it's travel, you may want to look into getting it rebuilt.

Just my two cents.


Terry front wheel (ISO 520 vs 540), big difference? Preamble
I'm building up an old early 80s Terry Precision bicycle. Most of my time has been spent researching and sourcing the front wheel. It's a smaller frame which uses a smaller front wheel for shorter women. I learned that many small Terry frames use an ISO 520 24" front wheel so I went hunting around for that. None of my local LBS could source any 520 parts. I found a couple of online retailers that had the 24" road rims (i.e. not 24" BMX rims, typically ISO 507) and tires/tubes. I bought two rims, two tires, and three tubes for future spares.

I built the wheel recently and noticed that the brake reach on the front was about 20 mm more than on the rear wheel, which is a standard 700C (ISO 622). I realize now that the earliest Terry Precision bikes used the even-less-common 600A wheel size, or ISO 540.

Question
Now I'm in a strange situation where I have invested quite a bit into a slightly wrong wheel size. At worst it will sit 20 mm lower in the front and I'll need to find a longer reach caliper brake for the front rim. Is that a problem?

Side question: does anyone know any companies that sell ISO 540 road rims (and tires/tubes)?

This whole front wheel situation kinda rags on my otherwise purist Terry restoration so I'm not sure what the best course of action is to proceed.

Edit
Turns out that ISO 540 is the size of some wheelchair rims today (along with 507). Has anyone ever used a wheelchair rim for their bike? Where can I find one?

P.S. I know these are many questions and that's against SE guidelines, but to be clear, the main question I have is whether or not using my ISO 520 wheel would be a big deal.

Interesting—Sheldon Brown's tire-sizing chart refers to the 540 size as "British juvenile or wheelchair"

In any case: The 520 wheel (which his chart lists as the Terry size—looking at the Terry website, I see they sell both sizes) will pitch you forward slightly and give you a slightly steeper effective head-tube angle. I don't think that would be a big difference. And you'll need to adjust your brake pads. In theory the size difference could be offset by using a fatter tire, but in practice, I think fatter tires are not made for the 520 size.

I've never heard of anyone using a wheelchair rim on a bike—the only possible downside I would imagine might be A) if they aren't available in the spoke count you want, or B) the braking surface.

You might contact Terry directly and see what they think.


Can I use a road bike for commuting 11 miles each way without SPANDEX I am thinking of getting (investing in) a road bike for my 11 mile commute (total 22 miles each day).  I want to continue wearing normal work clothes - meaning hiking pants and a T-Shirt.  I plan on using the Spiderflex seat (taken from my Mountain Bike) on a road bike.

The Spiderflex eliminates any seat pain, and there is no chafing, ever.
Can this be done? Does anyone do something similar?

Yes, absolutely.

Clothing is mostly an issue of personal preference.  Performance fabrics and things like spandex don't make that much difference for short stretches, and their advantages become more pronounced and valuable the longer you ride.

11 miles is somewhat of an intermediate distance; in regular clothes you'd be totally fine, assuming that the weather and the road conditions won't make your work clothes sweaty or dirty by the time you get there.   For commuting to work, I'd make the decision more on the basis of road conditions and comfort.


How do I fix my front derailleur? Complete cycling novice here so apologies if this is a stupid question. I went over a bump whilst cycling and knocked my chain off. I think in the process of trying to fix it I must’ve knocked the derailleur out of place because it’s now at such an angle, when it’s in gear 1 it’s pressing against the wheel. When rotating the pedals the chain is now making a continuous clicking noise too. Not sure how to go about fixing it so any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Shift into the lowest (innermost) gear. This removes the cable tension as much as possible without undoing the pinch bolt and removing the cable
Loosen the bolt that clamps the derailleur to the seat tube, rotate the clamp so the the cage is it's parallel to the chain rings, then re-tighten.
Make sure you do not move the derailleur up or down the seat tube. Usually there is a line of dirt that build up next to the clamp ring so it's easy to see the derailleur position.
You may need to re-adjust the derailleur indexing after straightening it out. The Park Tool guide walks you through that process.


Is there Rack (luggage carrier) for Ragley Blue Pig? I'm planning to buy Ragley's Blue Pig frame. It's not supposed to be used for very long rides, but, if I wish to take a few-days trip, a large backpack looks like a bad idea.
So, is there any rack that can be used with this frame without frame modification? Or, maybe, I should look for another solution of my problem?

Also, I would like to avoid console rack (a kind of racks that attaches to seatpost).

On a Blue Pig MK1 you could probably use the threaded fender mounts to attach any normal rear rack to it, since the rear disc caliper is mounted out of the way on the chainstay. The upper rack stays can be attached to the seatstays with p-clamps.

The Blue Pig Mk2 doesn't have any such mounting points, so it's more complicated. You could possibly rig something up with p-clamps or hose clamps around both ends, but the possible weight you could haul will be greatly diminished.  You'd probably want to look at a rack that mounts to the axle, such as the ones made by Old Man Mountain.  Alternatively, you could get your local framebuilder to braze on some threaded barrels to fit the rack of your choice - it shouldn't be too expensive, but you'll either need to repaint it afterward or deal with some ugliness.

Depending on how much work you want to do in swapping the frame to "adventure" mode versus aggressive mountain biking mode you might look at a rigid fork, such as one from the Salsa Fargo or the Surly Ogre, and hauling front-end loads.  Riding long distances loaded and with a 140mm travel suspension fork is in itself not going to be particularly enjoyable.


Mountain bike ID help Can anyone ID my bike. I was given it about 25 years ago. I think it is a 1993 Cannondale M series frame. I only found one number on the bike 02007902204. It has Shimano XT components with RapidFire shifters and a Manitou 3 front suspension fork.  Any help would be great.

[![enter image description here][7]][7]

[7]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/hTDMW.jpg

This is a Cannondale frame, and i believe its from the model year 1990. The serial number reveals it was made July, 1990. Your bike does contain an aspect of the 1991 models which I'll discuss in a sec.

From 1986 to 1992, Cannondale used two versions of serial numbers, one of which was located on the bottom of the left chainstay as we see in your pics.  Your serial number version breaks down like this: First digit=rear dropout width.  0 correlates to a dropout width of 130mm.  Is this correct? The next two digits reveal the frame size. 20 inches in your case.  The subsequent four digits (here, "0790") are the month and year of manufacture.  The final four digits are the production sequence number, which i take to mean this is the 2204th bike of this model* made.  *It may refer to a sequence differing in detail than what i assert here (for instance, 2204th 3.0 Aluminum frame, size 20 inches, etc).  Reference: Vintage Cannondale.

It appears to me based on perusing the 1990 and 1991 Cannondale catalogs, that you may be riding a 1990 SM2000 Mountain bike from Cannondale.  Original paint scheme was  metallic blue rear 2/3's fading to silver in the front.  The decals were pink. This was the last year for the crimped chainstays, going to oval model year'91.

Your crankset appears to be a flavor of Deore and the '90 M2000 sported Deore XT crankset 48-38-28.  Looks like yours may have a 46T or 44T large ring, and several of 1991's models used Deore LX 46-36-24 cranksets. Other anomalies to my proposed model include your bike having an after market suspension fork; most models this year came with center-pull cantilever brakes, where yours are linear pull; the top tube of most 1990 mountain bikes sported 3 cable stops along the top. Yours appears to have only two. Is there evidence of a missing middle cable stop on yours?  At any rate, I do not believe any of these differences are fatal to my speculation. Even the lack of a third cable stop can perhaps be explained by production changes related to going into the next model year, 1991, where only two cable stops were on the top tube.  Being produced in July 1990, your bike was created at the beginning of the '91 fiscal year and it would be typical to start producing 1991 models the summer of 1990.  (I base this on my experience in manufacturing at Winnebago Industries--motor homes and John Deere--farm equipment). You have aspects of a '90 SM2000 (XT components, crimped chainstays) and 1991's model (namely, 2-cable-stop top tube).

Note that I do not believe your frame is the SM800 (the venerable "Beast of the East") based on your top-tube being level and not angled as the SM800.   The components are wrong for the SM700 and SM1000, however its possible your frame is these.  Measurements would help the case, and these figures can be found in the catalog.  "Mountain Frame Geometry" 1991 on page 15 and 1990 on page 31.  Here's the link to them via Vintage Cannondale

You have an excellent ride. Enjoy


Unused puncture repair patch - what's its useful shelf life? Sometimes I fish around in my shed for a repair kit and pull out a pair of patches which have been sat around for a while (a year?) I find the patches are stiff (even though they're still in their foil).

I proceed with the repair but suspect it isn't as sound as it would have been with a freshly purchased malleable patch.

Tonight, while doing a repair, I actually looked at the patch and the kit box to see if there is a Best Before date (there isn't).

But what is the useful shelf life of an unused patch?

It depends very much on how the patches are stored. I have a box of strips of patches that lasted about 10 years before the patches became unusable. But that was a whole box, in a plastic bag, in a cold dark place (a box of bike stuff in the garage). On the shop counter that same box would probably age out within 3-12 months depending on how often it got direct sunlight. What matters is heat, how well sealed the container is, and light (probably in that order). I think you're doing the right thing by inspecting the patch and deciding whether to use it.

That's not too useful if you're really asking "how often should I buy a new patch kit". In my experience at least two years, normally more like five. Again, I store my patches in a patch kit (plastic box), in a plastic bag with some tools, in my pannier. It's pretty cold and dark in there too. I find that the glue tube gets really gummy and useless before the patches wear out. But since I wear my tyres pretty much down to the canvas I go through a few patches most years, so that's not normally an issue. (I run the tyres until I get a puncture that seems to be attributable to tyre wear).


Alternative Chain/DriveTrain DeGreasers My question is whether there is anything "special" about the Bicycle-Specific Branded Chain degreasers or whether the much cheaper alternatives are just as good.  I've used the ParkTool CB-2 (http://www.parktool.com/product/citrus-chainbrite-CB-2) but it's really expensive.  I'm wondering whether Simple Green, Purple Stuff, or any of the various Citrus Degreasers that you can get at the hardware store by the gallon are suitable.  We ride a lot in our family and I'm presently maintaining 5 bikes, so although I try to use the same "batch" each time in the chain cleaning tool, then use that to wet my brushes for the cogs, etc., it still gets pretty pricey since each bottle only gets me through about 3 cleanings.  If it matters, our two road bikes are Ultegra (circa 2003) and the others are cross/mountain bikes that see mostly road use.  I'm not dealing with offroad sludge.  The guys at my FLBS told me they really like the "real stuff," and that other cleaners might damage my drivetrain.  I know these guys pretty well and they don't usually push very hard, so I think they really believe it, but I don't know what would be "special" chemically about bike-specific products vs. the others.

I'm new here and this is my first questions, so feedback is welcome.  I did try to search first, and found a similar question (What to use to clean your chain (and cogs)?) but that doesn't really address my specific issue, I don't think.

For degreasing I don't think it's that important to use a bicycle-specific product -- any reputable "parts degreaser" from a hardware store or auto parts place should suffice.

I would recommend avoiding "do all" cleaner/degreasers that claim to wash your dishes and do your laundry as well.  Stick to a "parts degreaser" or something of that ilk.

And, of course, thoroughly wipe dry the chain after cleaning, and relube with an appropriate chain lube.  Here using a bike-specific product is somewhat more critical.


Q-rings shifting chain not smoothly hitting the teeth I bought my bike with Q-rings a while ago. Recently I switched to NoQ rings because I wanted to make a better comparison (hadnt ridden round rings in 2 years).

This weekend i re-mounted the Q-rings but even though my Di2 is shifting properly, I do notice that when going on the big Q-ring, in different crank positions it sometimes takes an extra rotation for the (KMC) chain to really drop into the teeth.

What could cause this? I cant recall it happening before the NoQ mounting.

Thanks

Big ring's height relative to the front derailleur cage should be optimal. With oval (not round) rings, this is impossible to set for the entire ring's rotation. As you probably know, the FD cage height is set with the oval ring in it's highest position (otherwise it would rub when this ring's part comes "along").

In addition to this, oval ring is moving up and down (relative to the FD cage) as it spins - which I suppose doesn't help fast shifting.

Having said that, you should be able to set good shifting even with oval rings, perhaps just a little bit slower than it's the case with (really, completely) round rings.

It is possible that, after riding with proper front shifting, you notice a less-fast front shifting. Unless it takes a whole pedal turn more to shift - in that case there is some problem.

Do check FD height and alignment, movement limit and movement when shifting - is it all correct. New chainrings could be slightly further in, or out for that matter.

Also check chainrings and chain for wear, if you haven't already.


Upgrading front suspension for an entry level MTB I recently bought a used hardtail MTB (my first bike ever) with Shimano's Acera groupset, double-wall wheels, but the front SR Ssuntour suspension has only 30 mm travel, which isn't enough for riding trails (I guess).
My question is :

Do I stick with the usual fork until I gain some skills ( I'm a complete beginner )
If not : is it as simple as replacing the front suspension with another one that has longer travel and then I'm ready to go, do forks need certain compatibility with other parts.

Thanks for your time !!!

Buying bike then immediately trying to upgrade components is a mistake. It would have been better to take all the money available for post purchase upgrades and putting it into just buying a higher specification bike in the first place. Components cost significantly less when purchased as part of a whole bike.

is it as simple as replacing the front suspension with another one that has longer travel

No, it isn't. A longer travel fork needs to be longer to accommodate more wheel movement, the frame needs to have a higher headtube to accommodate the longer fork without altering the headtube angle. Additionally there are compatibility issues with headset bearing sizes. Inexpensive frames use headset bearings that are the same size, better forks use a larger lower bearing.
Ride the bike, save up money, buy a better bike when your improving skills and finances allow.


Problem with suspension fork I am having trouble with my bicycle which is a Giant Terrago FS1.
I have posted a video on YouTube which might help to explain the situation better, as it might be better than words.

Due to the problem, my handlebars wobble and the suspension doesn't work. However, if the fork lowers are pulled forwards as in the linked video,  the suspension will work. Does anyone have some clue regarding what might have happened?

Here is the link to the video:

If you need any further details please do let me know.

This is usually due to excessive wear on the bushings in the fork lowers. There is no rebuild kit for that fork that I'm aware of so, your best bet would probably be to replace the fork or if you can get your hands on a second-hand set of lowers for this fork that are in good condition, you could swap them straight over. If there's that much wear on the bushings though, there's probably a build-up of rust on the stanchions abrading them so it'd be better in the long run to just replace the fork as a whole.


Crack in frame near forks This is a Raleigh 06 grand prix. I've been trying to find a stem that gives me reasonable comfort. I ran a stem that didn't have the proper spacing and rode it a while observing a knocking sound with a little play in the handlebars. Eventually I got the appropriate spacers in and thought all was well. Then I saw this crack near the forks.

Was this likely caused by my stupidity? Is this a dire mistake or should I ride it cautiously and check regularly it to make sure it's not spreading? Is there anything I should consider doing to reinforce or protect further damage?

Was this likely caused by my stupidity?

I wouldn't go that far, but play in the stem/headset assembly certainly could have been a contributing factor. Just take a second to imagine to torque and force applied to that small area below the weld when you hit a curb or pothole if the assembly is not tight. The bottom of the headset is somewhat wedge shaped, and if the whole assembly is loose it can be like pounding up on it with a hammer each time you hit a bump. That said - it's a 10 year old aluminum frame and there can be myriad reasons for that failure.

  Is this a dire mistake or should I ride it cautiously and check regularly it to make sure it's not spreading?

Considering that if this fails catastrophically at any speed you are likely to end up going head first into the pavement, I would personally not ride a frame with a crack like that.

It is possible to have a crack in an aluminum frame repaired by taking it to a specialty welder. That said, you could encounter a range of quality and durability issues with that repair. Add to that the fact that after the repair and repainting you will likely have spent at least as much as you would on a used but good condition frame, I would just replace it.

  Is there anything I should consider doing to reinforce or protect further damage?

I would not trust my face, head or life to a homemade preventive repair. Junk the frame.


Fuelling multi-day riding (carb loading/replacement) Carb loading (cycling weekly)  is reckoned to be useful for exercise over about 90 minutes, so is probably a good idea for all-day riding.  Done properly you're taking on extra carbs starting 36--48 hours before the event.

I've seen some advice online but it's all from gel/energy drink manufacturers, so biased towards their products and away from proper food.

So: How does this translate to multi-day riding? Or in more detail:

Is it as simple as starting loading 48 hours before the first leg, and taking on as much as you can during/between the rides?
Should you start fuelling earlier in the first leg than you would if the next day was a rest day?
Should dinner in between be heavy on the carbs to partially refuel, or contain plenty of protein for recovery?
Is it very different to fuelling the same distance in a single ride

Example (though the question is meant to be a general one):

For rides of a century (160 km) or more I attempt to do it properly rather than just scoffing a big plate of pasta the night before.  For shorter (e.g. 100 km) rides I might or might not bother.  A week from now I've got a 100 km ride on the Saturday afternoon followed by 200 km on the Sunday.  I'm not planning to set any PRs and it's not going to be hilly but for the first and last 100 km I'll be loaded for camping, so I reckon on 5--6 hours door-to-door the first day and 11-12 the second.  I have a reasonable tolerance for gels, but get on better mixing them with real food.

A couple of related questions:

Eating during a 170 mile ride
Food for 400+km ride? (in single session) [closed]

Summing up the comments, advice received elsewhere, and experience having tried it:

Hydration is just as important.  You don't want to start the second day even slightly dehyrated (which you wouldn't notice sat at a desk, so may nopt be expecting if you're used to single-day rides).  Start rehydrating as soon as you finish the first ride, even if you think you don't need it.
A proper dinner on the night in between rides (carbs and protein) and a proper breakfast (carbs).  If you're starting a hard effort early, you may have your own approach to breakfast.
Do try to keep carbs topped up on the first day, whether this is by proper food or gels.  The choice is likely to be a matter of preference and ride type.
Carry more gels/sweets/energy drink than you think you'll need on the second day, and/or be prepared to stop and buy something.


Can anyone identify my early 90s BMX This BMX is around 25-30 years old, I had it as a kid and was always respraying and changing parts (easy to remove parts, mainly seats and brakes) It eventually was left to rust in the shed until, during lockdown, To kill some time in evenings, I decided to clean it up sand it down and respray it, just wondering if anyone knows what model it is, located in Ireland.
Thanks for looking

I've looked back at some of the BMX types of my youth years and recall there weren't many Skyway wheels with as many plastic spokes, ie, 7.
This may be your best search technique if the bike is totally original to when new.
Also another rare feature is the small triangular inserted section on the underside of the frame positioned near to the Head-tube&fork tube section...


Can any MTB rear derailleur be mounted to a Scott type 1 MTB derailleur hanger? Can any Shimano MTB rear derailleur be mounted to a type 1 (206375) Scott derailleur hanger.

I have a type 1 derailleur hanger with a Shimano STX rear derailleur mounted and like to mount a Shimano XT rear derailleur:

The reason I ask is, because last year I wanted to temporarily replace my derailleur with a Shimano Alivio 8 speed derailleur because the old one was damaged, but I had problems mounting the derailleur in the correct position/angle. I was able to screw it tight, but only in a strage direction. I finally gave up and managed to repair my old derailleur faster then expected.

Now I'd like to upgrade to a 9 speed cassette, gearshift and rear derailleur and remembering that problem back then makes me ask the same question again.

Products in question:

https://www.bike-components.de/en/Scott/Ausfallenden-Schaltaugen-p30245/ (type 1: last photo)
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Shimano/XT-Schaltwerk-Shadow-RD-M772-9-fach-p16320/

The thread on a derailleur fixing bolt is typically 10mm x 1mm thread pitch.  For almost any standard derailleur, that will be correct.

There are a few very new designs on the market which might not fit, namely Shimano's new direct mount derailleur system, but that would be a special order in most shops at this stage.

Anything on the market for 9 speed mountain should fit a 10 x 1 thread.

So to answer your question:

Technically, no, not any derailleur will mount to your Scott derailleur hanger.

As a practical matter, yes, you are pretty safe ordering any 9 speed MTB derailleur, and it will work.  And if it looks like the same mount, it will be.

That said, it sounds like you may have cross threaded your derailleur hanger when you tried to change it the first time, so you may also want to pick up a spare derailleur hanger.


How can I reduce back pain on a shared bike with poor shock absorbers I ride a bicycle to work every day for several months now.
I use a bicycle sharing system that my city offers, and it's very convenient: I don't have to worry about locking the bike or maintenance, I can use the bike only one way etc.

However, recently I've started having back pains, and I think it has to do with the fact that the bikes in the sharing system don't have good shock absorbers, and I can feel every bump in the road giving me a strong jolt.

Is there a way I can reduce the damage to my back while still using the bike sharing system?

I seriously doubt that it's due to the lack of shocks, unless you have some really bad roads there -- many people ride bikes great distances with no shocks, skinny, stiff tires, and no real springs in the seat.

More likely your problem is with your posture -- seat too low, handlebar too low, handlebar too close or too far away, and/or pedals at the wrong angle to the seat.

Presumably you can adjust the seat height, so the first thing to try is to move it a bit higher.  When the seat is at the proper height your knees should be nearly straight at the bottom of your stroke.

Next, see if you can adjust the seat forward/backwards.  Being too far either direction can cause back problems, so try several positions.

You probably can't adjust handlebar height, but if you can, try raising it.


Used-bike: How much to reserve for repairs/upgrades of total budget? Let's say I have 500€ to buy a second hand bike. How much of that budget shall I keep for repairs and upgrades, and how much shall I spend on the bike itself?

Of course it depends on the condition of the bike, but I was wondering if there is some general wisdom about this.

When buying a second hand car, the common wisdom says that ~30% of one's budget should be kept for immediate repairs and upgrades. So when someone has 10000€ for a second hand car, wisdom says to buy a car for 7000€, and keep the rest 3000€ for the repairs and upgrades after the buy.

The resources I found had no mention about the expected costs of repairs and upgrades.

I researched these topics already:

What should I do to get an older bike into good condition?
What should I look for when buying a used bicycle?
How to tell if a bike is good before purchasing?
Purchasing a bike
Suggestions for budget mountain bike with opportunities for upgrade
What to look out for in a second hand bike buy
Buying a higher quality use bike vs. a lower quality new bike

External resources:

Buying used bikes for beginners
Buying a Used Bike 2: Things to Look (Out) For
How to buy a used bike
Google search: how to buy a second hand bike

For convenience here I've made some assumptions here about the type of bike you're buying, but since you don't say...

If I were buying a second-hand bike, I would examine the following as soon as I got it:

chain
cassette
tyres
brake pads
brake/gear cables (conceivable but unlikely)

and if any of these showed sufficient wear I would change them. You can get a ballpark estimate of the associated cost from Google, but note that changing the top two and the last requires special tools, so you might need to factor these in as well (or mechanic costs).

I'd have thought all those items would come to a bit less than €100 as a guide, just the parts, with no labour or tools. But you should take this with a pinch of salt because it depends on the specific items you get - you could quite easily blow €100 on a pair of tyres alone if the fancy took you. Similarly you probably wouldn't have to change all of them, at least initially.

Provided the bike is in generally good condition, this should be all you need to change in the  short term (first year or so). But of course because it is used, you're taking a bit of a chance that it doesn't have other stuff wrong with it that you'll need to sort.


Quick release prevents wheel spinning freely I just got brand new wheels for my road bike.  All was looking great until I tightened the quick release on the front wheel (not too tight, I can close it with just my thumb and one finger) and now the wheel doesn't spin freely.  Seems to happen a little bit on the rear wheel too.
Is it normal for this to happen a little, like on the rear wheel?
Is there something I can do to fix the front wheel or should I return it as faulty?
Edit - The wheel uses cartridge bearings and the end cap is just a push fit; there is no cone or locking nut

As you correctly observed, quick release tension affects hub preload.
To fix this, adjust the bearings of the hubs so that they are correctly adjusted with the desired quick release skewer tension. You need cone wrenches for this adjustment.
From the bible:

Although small, axle compression on QR hubs is large enough to alter bearing clearance and should be considered when adjusting bearings. Bearings should be adjusted just loose enough so that closing the QR leaves the bearing with a slight preload. Excessive preload from QR closure is the cause of most wheel-bearing failures not caused by water intrusion. Clearance, in contrast, can be felt as disconcerting rattle when encountering road roughness.

If the wheels are new and are supposed to be working fine, you could consider sending them back and demanding a correctly adjusted hub.


What brand/year/make is this road bike? This is a mystery frame that I got and built with a lot of spare parts I had. Can someone help we identify it? Also the rims are 700c.

It's a Mongoose Detain frameset. Originally retailed for around 200 dollars at Walmart as a complete bike.

Comparing the op's frame to the one above it's clear they're not the same if only because the backwards circle has a double seatstay sort of thing. Anyway, the frame matches a google image search so I'm 99% sure I'm right


Damaged pedal axle thread in crank arm I'm brand new to cycling and I have an entry level Cannondale catalyst 3. I was riding my bike on a trail and when I got home I noticed my right pedal was wobbling around. I tightened it but the pedal still wobbles around. I'm thinking the crank arm thread is stripped but I don't know. the crankset and the pedals are all default that came on the bike when I bought it. I'm on a low budget so is there any way I can fix this or do I have to get a new crank set? PLEASE HELP

the pedal wobbles in the arm

That sounds like a stripped pedal thread.  If the cranks are inexpensive or dubious, replacing them could be cheapest.

But in some cases a good bike mechanic can repair a stripped pedal thread by installing a helicoil or similar coiled insert - basically they tap out the hole for a yet larger size, and the wire insert fills up the space between that and the threaded pedal axle.  You and your mechanic would have to make your own decision if this is appropriate in the circumstances of your particular case.

Normally modern pedal threads are specific to each side of the bike (the left pedal gets a reverse or left-hand thread) such that they will self tighten from precession when riding, especially on something with a freewheel where you cannot exert real reverse torque anyway.  A pedal with the wrong thread for the riding torque of the side on which it is used will indeed unscrew, but being able to create that situation with modern components would be fairly unique to an exceptional case such as riding a fixed gear artistic cycling bike more backwards than forwards, or mistakenly installing a unicycle's wheel backwards in the frame.  Otherwise, for the pedal to unscrew you'd have to have a pedal bearing so damaged that the bearing drag dominates over the precession.

An alternate possibility is that the pedal's internal bearings could be loose, such that the pedal's axle is fixed to the crank but the pedal itself is wobbling on the axle.  That may be correctable by tightening if the bearing balls are not yet lost or can be replaced, or you may need a new pedal.


Buying a used higher quality bike vs a lower quality new bike I'm in the market for a new or used bike in the $1000 range and am trying to figure out whether it is worth it to buy a nicer bike with better components if they are already used and worn.

For specifics the used bike i'm considering is a specialized tricross comp and it has supposedly been well taken care of and only ridden about 1500 kms. I know i like the tricross frame as i used to have one before it was stolen and the components (shimano 105s) are better than anything i would get in that price range new... But would they still be better or would i probably be replacing them soon? Or does it completely depend on the actual wear and maintenance?

Thanks

For the most part, bicycles have terrible resale value, which means that you can usually get a really good deal on a used bike. As for the condition of the components, one can't say without actually seeing them, but quality components should have a much longer life than 1500kms. That said, inspect for obvious signs of wear (there should be almost none), and see if you can find out why the bike is being sold.

As PeterH points out, some parts do need to be replaced with greater frequency, such as brake pads and maybe even the chain and rear cassette. Also, check to see if the bike is stolen with the local police or ask the seller for their original invoice / receipt.

Used really is a great way to get the most bike for your buck.


What inner tube should I buy for 47 tire size, 650bx47c tires? I'm pretty new on this and want to buy a spare inner tube. These are my specifications of the tires:

Tire Size 47
Tires Maxxis DTR-1, 650b x 47c
Wheel Size 27.5
Presta valve

When I'm browsing, I see results like:

Inner Tube - 650B/27.5" - 27.5" / 1.5" / 2.4" / Presta
650x28-42 Bike Inner Tube - Presta
27.5" x 1-1/2 (650x35) Presta Tube

But I have no idea what the 1.5"/2.4", 1-1/2, etc. mean. Which one should I choose?

1.5"/2.4", 1-1/2 are the tyre width ranges the tube is compatible with. Your tyre size is indicated in mm (ETRTO standard sizing), but 47 mm is 1.85" so 1.5" / 2.4" is compatible.
The 650x28-42 is for narrower tyres. 1-1/2 (650x35) (1.5 inch, 35 mm)is likely too narrow as well, although one should check the actual lower and upper limits.


How to recover from a crash? I started to bike regularly about a month ago. A few days ago I had my first serious crash. I was going at a decent speed on the road and then slipped and fell on concrete.

I am less confident about riding again. Part of it is because it happened so suddenly and when I was not expecting it.

I want to know how often do crashes happen to bikers? Also how do you recover from them, both physically and mentally?

I want to know how often do crashes happen to bikers?

I think it depends on how you ride (and what you ride, and where, and when).

For example, I was talking with a young man recently, who owns a racing bike. We were talking about where we ride and I told him that I'm not comfortable on a road which has two lanes in each direction and a speed limit above 50kph/30mph. He said, "That's ridiculous." I remembered that he'd said earlier that he'd broken bones by slipping on a wet man-hole cover when tearing round a round-about, and replied, "Perhaps, but I've never broken any bones."

I guess I ride with caution: not always slowly, necessarily, but definitely varying according to how I feel (and what my past and present experience tells me) about the road conditions. I'm commuting, not racing.

I fell off three times in the first week of riding my current bike: twice, from slipping on ice, once from not unclipping in time when stopping; each of these times I was travelling at about 5kph/3mph or less, and so not hurt (not even scratched, wearing a winter coat, just one mild bruise).

Going downhill for example now, I'm concious that there might be sand or gravel on the road, that the pavement may be cracked in places (by frost, this is in Toronto). I don't ride slowly, but I do try slowly enough, to stay in control: compare that with this answer.

When I posted this question most people answered that I needn't expect to fall at all again.

The reason I'm not comfortable on a multi-lane road is that, on such a road once, during rush hour, a motorist hit me from behind by trying to undertake someone else while I was in the curb-side lane. Well, that hurt (me and my bike). Luckily it didn't stop me riding, but it did stop me riding on that particular stretch of road, and made me more wary of being hit from behind. I don't expect it will happen again: partly because I avoid that kind of road now, partly because I'm more cautious, sometimes stopping by the side of the road to let a rush of cars overtake instead of pulling out into traffic and just hoping that someone will slow down for me.

  Also how do you recover from them, both physically and mentally?

Is "how to recover physically" a medical question? It depends on the injury: see this Q&A for some details.


How do I know when it is time to replace the brake pads for caliper brakes? The title pretty much says it all. I think I need to get mine replaced, but I do not know how to tell.

More expensive brake pads will have a wear line. Replace these when you hit the line. Not so expensive ones should be replaced when the protrusions from the main block have been worn away.

Another decent way to tell is by how far you're rolled out your barrel adjuster. If it's out more than 5mm or so, it's probably time to replace the pad.

More importantly than any of these indicators, if you see any metal showing through the pad, it's time to replace.


Can and should I sell a bike without wheels? I know it is quite easy to sell a road bike that's ready to ride away, as sites like eBay are full of them.  But how easy, practical and lucrative is it to sell a road bike minus the wheels?

Why do I ask?  Well, I'd been planning to sell my road bike for a while: I barely ever ride it and usually store it indoors.  When the in-laws came round for the weekend, I left it in the back yard with the frame but not the wheels locked - and of course, when I came back to it a few days later, the wheels were gone.  The saddle was left alone, which implies to me that the thieves were opportunists.

I still want to sell the bike, but I'd prefer not to buy new wheels (+ tyres + cassette).  This leads me to some specific questions:

Is there demand for a mid-range road bike without wheels?  I don't think I've ever seen one for sale before.  We're talking a 2011 bike with aluminium frame, carbon fork, mostly 105 components - decent, but nothing special.
What kind of discount should I be offering to compensate for the lack of wheels?
How should I explain the situation to potential buyers?  I know the bike is legit and belongs to me, but they might think it's stolen.  I also know that the frame was locked with a very sturdy lock, so the thieves will only have touched the wheels - but potential buyers might suspect the thieves damaged the frame.
Would I bring in more money by stripping the remaining components and selling them separately from the frameset?  I've never removed a bottom bracket or handlebars, but I'm sure I could figure it out (and I like excuses to buy new tools).
Is there a word or phrase to describe a wheel-less bike?  For instance, if I were a buyer and wanted just a frame, I'd know to search for "frameset".  Is there an analogous term?
Is eBay the best place for a fairly niche item like this?  It's my go-to site for selling stuff, but is it really best in this case?
Do I need to take extra care when boxing a wheel-less bike for delivery?  Disclaimer: I have no experience of boxing a bike.

What kind of discount should I be offering to compensate for the lack of wheels? If I still had the wheels, I'd be expecting to get £250 to £300, judging by completed eBay listings.

It depends on how much the wheels are worth as part of the bike, but it wouldn't be surprising if you weren't able to sell it at (bike with wheels) - (cost of wheels). I'd expect the price to be lower than  (bike with wheels) - (cost of wheels) by a decent amount (if you're able to sell it). A lot of buyers want a complete bike that they can take out, do a tiny bit of assembly (stick wheels in, bolt on handlebars, adjust seat and stuff) and go riding. Tracking down a wheelset is work that a lot of people won't put in, especially on a cheaper bike (this is more OK on higher end bikes, since a lot of people faff with wheelsets there and likely have one they want to use).

How should I explain the situation to potential buyers? I know the bike is legit and belongs to me, but they might think it's stolen. I also know that the frame was locked with a very sturdy lock, so the thieves will only have touched the wheels - but potential buyers might suspect the thieves damaged the frame.

Tell them the truth. The only believable lie I can think of is that you wanted to keep the wheelset for some other bike (but on a cheap wheelset, this isn't really believable). The other option is to get a cheap wheelset and put it in, though this may cut into profits. On the other hand, you might not be able to sell it without one.

Would I bring in more money by stripping the remaining components and selling them separately from the frameset? I've never removed a bottom bracket or handlebars, but I'm sure I could figure it out (and I like excuses to buy new tools). It's an aluminium frame from 2011 with carbon fork, 10-speed STI shifters, and mostly 105 components.

Depends on the bike and market. If you do take this route, I'd strip the crankset, derailleurs and shifter and sell them together or individually. Everything else should probably be sold as one unit, unless something is particularly valuable. Removing the BB and stuff out is probably a faff.

Is there a word to describe a wheel-less bike? For instance, if I were a buyer and wanted just a frame, I'd know to search for "frameset". Is there an analogous term?

Normally I see these listed as bike minus wheels. Maybe tag it as frameset and complete bike minus wheels. Look at comparable listings, but there isn't really an established term AFAIK.

Is eBay the best place for a fairly niche item like this? It's my go-to site for selling stuff, but is it really best in this case?

Depends on your market. Note that you do have to box and ship a bike.

Do I need to take extra care when boxing a wheel-less bike for delivery? Disclaimer: I have no experience of boxing a bike.

Not really. You need a cardboard bike box, which means you'd probably be taking it to a bike shop just cause they'll have a supply of packing materials and old bike boxes. They'll charge you a bit for the work (basically put the seat down, remove handlebars from stem and put it on the side, add padding) and possibly arrange for shipping pickup, but its probably about cost for doing it yourself unless you have bike boxes. You can easily find tutorials on how to box a bike like this one.


tube punctures near valve my road bike got a puncture in the front wheel yesterday while I was riding down a big slope, it happened when I was braking the bike then I heard a pop. I stopped and replaced with a new tube, resumed riding, and another pop when I was down a small slope, I remember I braked a bit as well. Two punctures appeared to be near the valve.

I found a hole in the tire, could it be the cause of two consecutive punctures?

Also found that side of the wire has a lot wear

while the other side of the wire has no wear at all

I checked the rim and its tape, didn't find any obvious spike or anything.

Question 1: do I need to replace the tire?

Question 2: what causes the wear on one side of the tire?

update: just found out the second tube I replaced, is a 650/18-25c tube, my rim is 700...

It seems that brake pad is touching your tire on the one side. Make it parallel to rim and/or move it a little bit down, if you don't same thing will happen to your new tire!

(via http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/linear-pull-brake-service)


Any luck using a 2 or 3 jaw puller to remove crank arms off a taper bb? Is there anyone who has had luck using a 2 or 3 arm crank puller to remove the crank arms off a tapered bottom bracket?

While Chris Dottavi mentionned that jaw pullers are not meant to remove crank arms, they can definitively used for that, although you might want to think bit before doing so.
I do work in a community bike workshop, where we have a lot of people comming with bicycles that can be quite old or in bad shape. It is therefore not always possible to use the usual crank puller. Therefore, we sometimes have to do otherwise. For the sake of completeness, here is the list of things I have done, in order of preference.
For recent (squared) bottom brackets:

try with a regular crank puller, if you have the right one (check the standards, in particular if you have an odd bike).
try with a jaw puller. Depending on the jaw puller and the shape of the star of the right crank, it might be more or less easy to grab it (for instance, if you have a "5 leg" spider to hold the crankset, it might be difficult to place the tool if you use a 2 jaws puller). Also, depending on the end of the screw of the puller, you might want to keep the crank screw (just unscrew it for a few turn). Indeed, if the screw of the puller is to small, it can destroy the threading of the axle (happens almost never, but not never). The main advantage of that technique is that, if you are careful, it most likely preserves the crank (assuming you are interested in keeping the crank, e.g. if you did not have the right crank puller).
unscrew the crank screw, and go for a ride. I rarely do that, since it might require some time (and, at the workshop, we can not really say: "take a ride and come back"), but it most likely work, often quickly. Some drawbacks: if you have aluminum cranks (most likely on modern bikes), you do not want to ride with the loosen crank: the squared shape hole will quickly not be that square anymore (once again, if you intend to reuse the crank).
with a torch, you can warm the crank, so that it expands (faster than the axle). I've done that only once, so I can not really tell some advices
Finally, if, with all that, the crank is still tight, you can cut it with an angle grinder. Take care of where you cut, as you do not want to cut the axle or the frame. I usually do three cuts. This is really last resort: the crank is (of course) not reusable, but it is also quite likely that the axle get damaged too, sometimes the cup too. While wuite extreme, this is sometime the only way to recover some frames.

For older (cotter) axles/cranks:
You should not have any problem with those, once the cotter is removed. If you have, you can hit (gently) the crank with a hammer, or use a jaw puller.


What options do I have when replacing my fork's elastomers? I'm rebuilding an AntiGravity Fork and converting it to threadless for my 'Blast From the Past' bike (GT Bravado frame, U-Brake, Bullseye hubs and cranks, 21 speed). I really like these forks and I'd like to bring them back to life.

The elastomers are shot. Some are falling apart, others are crushed and don't expand fully, etc. Given that the company is out of business and the chance of locating brand new AntiGravity elastomers is.... not good, I'm looking at what my options are.

AntiGravity Elastomer Fork: Picture

Option A: Wings-Suspension makes killer kits to convert Manitou/RockShox elastomer forks to springs. I emailed them with pictures and details to see if his springs would be compatible, but that's VERY doubtful. This would be my Option A if it worked.

Wings Replacement Springs: Link | Picture

Option B: Round Tubing from McMasters-Carr. I have been trying to just get something to replace them with, at this point. The main suspension uses 4x 1.25" OD 1/4" ID elastomers, and the rebound is controlled by 6x 3/4" OD 3/16" ID elastomers.  McMaster-Carr seems to have close to what I'm looking for, with multiple choices:

Main Elastomers: Neoprene Spring Rubber with 75A Durometer (hard) or Extreme Temperature Silicone Rubber in 60A (medium-hard).

Rebound Elastomers: Only in 1/4" ID (slightly bigger than stock). They have Neoprene Spring Rubber in 75A (hard), Oil Resistant Buna-N Rubber in 75A (hard), and Extreme Temperature Silicone Rubber in 60A (medium-hard).

Option C: ??? (short of buying a new fork)

An answer can either be a link to better replacement material, or which types of the options above are best for a 180-190 lb rider. It would also be really helpful if someone could find a data sheet for this fork showing what the different original durometers were.

In addition, has anyone ever done this before? should I cut them into 4x1.25" and 6x1" pieces, or leave them as one long tube since I'm not swapping them out individually (one of the 'perks' when these were sold)? Does anyone know how to estimate desired durometer / fork force for a given rider weight or desired stiffness? I'd rather be on the stiff side, but I have no idea what 75A or 60A mean in this context - they could be so squishy I bottom them out, or so hard I might as well get a rigid fork.

AntiGravity Fork Internals: Picture

McMasters Carr Round Tubing Link

I had an elastomer suspension a lot of time ago, and did my own maintenance on the elastomer compartment. I would not take a fork like this and put springs inside. Bike suspension elastomers dampen the motion of the suspension in two ways:

They expand laterally and generate friction against the inner walls of the suspension;
They have a natural visco-elastic mechanical behaviour, that doesn't let the suspension "spring back" too fast.

With springs only (and no dedicated way to control the rebound), the suspension would become too "wild", I'd say.

I think you should take any elastomer kit that fits inside your suspension, with enough lateral clearance, and use it, no fear. Micro-cellular urethane (MCU) was the topmost material used in bike suspension elastomer (before becoming almost obsolete).

It is important, too, that you put them inside the fork with lots of grease, and specifically LITHIUM-FREE GREASE, so that they don't chemically react with one other. Most probably, there are specific suspension greases in bike shops.

Hope this helps


SRAM GX DH 7 Speed on Trek Marlin 5? I am a beginner and I have a Trek Marlin 5 2020, it has quite a crap Shimano Tourney derailleur. I was wondering if I could swap it out with a SRAM GX DH 7 speed derailleur and shifter? Would it work with the existing ‘cassette’ which is a Shimano HG200 freewheel, 12-32 7 Speed from what I know, I may be wrong. Was wondering if it would work without having to change it to a SRAM 7 speed cassette meaning having to change the whole wheel to a freehub.
Please help me out, cheers :)
Chris

Unfortunately your plan will not work.
The compatibility issue is the spacing of the cassette/freewheel sprockets. I'm doubtful that SRAM uses the same spacing as older or cheaper 7 speed drivetrains. (If I were designing for them I'd make the cassette as narrow as possible to allow the drive side hub flange to be moved out for greater wheel strength).
However, even if the sprocket spacing were the same the GX DH 7 derailleur would still shift awfully on your 7 speed freehub because it does not have the ramp and tooth profile design of the GX cassette.
It's a better idea to save your money and purchase a better bike. Trying to put higher end components on cheaper bikes almost always just does not make economic sense.


Converting old mountain bike to fixed gear I would like to convert an old (Raleigh A3) mountain bike to fixed gear bike.
But dropout seems to be vertical (or diagonal).
Does such dropout is suitable for fixed gear?
Does "chain tensioner" needed?
The fixed gear with tensioner is it a good idea?

Single speed and a chain tensioner will work no problem
In general, fixed gear in these situations is not a good idea.
It could work if you use a half-link chain and choose your rear cog and front chainring so the size works perfect with the chainstay length. But this will fail  over time as the chain wears out and the fit becomes loose.
The issue with chain tensioners and fixed gear is that when you use a spring tensioner and apply forward pedalling pressure, there is no problem, but when you apply backwards pressure, the chain will becaulse loose and will most probably come off. When you stop the forward pressure, the chain will become tight at the bottom (yellow arrow on the picture) and loose at the top.

If you try a non spring tensioner, such as the DMR STS, the forces you generate are stronger than the bolts on the tensioner, so you will be constantly re-adjusting the tensioner.

In my experience, as I already tried this, you would have to fine a chain tensioner which works on the bottom of the chainstay when you pedal forward and one on the top when you put pressure backwards. And non spring tensioner just come loose very easily. I suggest you go down the single speed route and not the fixed gear route.
Good luck and well done for fixing up that frame.


Will a track wheel work with the dropouts on my frame? I've got an old 7 speed steel frame. I've ordered a track wheel with a spacing of 120mm.

My frame has correct drop outs for it, but does it have the correct spacing? If not, what are my options?

What is the maximum amount of slack I can pick up by tighten my skewers? It's Reynolds 531 tubing.

Are spacers an option to pad out the excess space between the hub?

Track frames use a 120mm rear dropout in most cases.

You do have a horizontal dropout, but not a track dropout. It will work, but it is not ideal.

The rear axle outside locknut distance on that frame is likely to be 127mm.

Again, it is not ideal to compress the dropouts that much, but given that it is an older, fatigued steel frame, it will likely work.

Worst case, you might induce cracks in the frame over time, due to stress on the welds from the compression, but it isn't likely.


How do I increase my cycling duration or distance limits? I am a student thus hardly get time to go on tours or hiking! In an average I cycle around 6-10 km per day but in holiday times I go for a trip around the city on my MTB for around 100km ride and trying my best to decrease the time required.

However I rode for 200km recently and I am worried about any chance of physical damage for going on long tours without regular practice? Are there any restrictions on total hours or distance of continuous cycling?

N.B: I am having a pull in my Achilles Tendon and it hurts!

As to your initial question, there are no hard, general limits.

Listen to your body and don't push yourself if anything starts hurting. If something (like your Achilles tendon) hurts only afterwards, that's also a clear sign you overdid it and you should note what you did so you can go a little easier next time. Of course also wait with your next tour until nothing hurts anymore.

The issue when your whole body is really exhausted as Daniel says should only arise when you overdo it a lot and/or don't eat/drink enough. In my own experience, you will notice that you feel stupid and very simple things like going through a roundabout and taking the right exit will suddenly seem as difficult as a math problem and eventually (not in my own experience, luckily) you will faint.  As long as you are looking out for the signs of this, really I don't think anything bad should happen. Just don't push yourself too much. If you reach this exhausted state, you might feel pretty bad (in a general way, tired, mostly) for several days.

Some proper high-calorie sports drink should help to keep your body running if you don't eat enough, but there is a limit (raised by training) on how much your body can metabolize so sooner or later you'll still run into the above issue.

The question was edited to make the question more about how to raise said limits. I don't actually have a lot to say about this. It will go up by itself the more you train, it's as simple as that. Regularly go to your limits, but not beyond them (or not too far). You will improve.

Personally my way to do this is to just use your bike for all the travelling where it's at all possible. Commute all year round. Visit a friend or parent 50km away? Maybe you can go by bike (and use their shower). Need groceries? Go by bike.


Treacherous ride - top half of fork points backwards, but the bottom points forward I have a Kent Glendale with dual front suspension. The top half of the fork is turned around so the right shock was installed into the left stanchion and vice-versa. and I cannot figure out how to remove the lower half of the fork. There are no screws on the outside, just a rubber stopper at the top of each stanchion tube and a nylon split washer at each joint. Looking down through the tubes, it's just a black hole for several inches.

After a little Google research of this bike, you can see that the fork is assembled correctly. What's going on is that the crown (the part the stanchions attach to) is bent/twisted or the steer tube (the tube that runs through to the handlebars) is bent. Either way, you're going to need some mechanic work or a new fork.

On a side note, you can probably remove the stanchions from the crown, but judging by the amount of rust in your pictures, they're probably fairly stuck by now.


Do I need a crank arm fixing bolt? My crank arm fell off, and I lost the fixing bolt.  I had the crank arm reattached, and my friend tensioned the arm using the bolt temporarily removed from another bike, and since returned.
Do I need to buy a crank arm fixing bolt?  And if so, which bolt do I use for a 2012 Specialized Sirrus Pro?

If the bolt in the photo is the same as the one that’s missing, it’s to preload the bearings before tightening the pinch bolts on a HT2-style crank.
If that’s the case, I’m not sure what consequences, if any, are likely from riding with just the pinch bolts and no preload bolt. I would think it’s similar to riding without a headset cap in that once the pinch bolts are set, it’s not completely necessary, but I’m not 100% sure it’s safe for the parts on a crank- there might be some repercussions I’m not thinking of.
I wouldn’t deliberately ride a HT2 crank sans preload bolt any longer than it takes to get to the shop for a replacement, but the implications of riding without it are not the same as for other styles of cranks where the fixing bolt torque actually holds or presses the crank onto the spindle.


Preventing rust in bolt heads I have several bikes and use them more and more in bad weather. I have no problem with rust on the chain, but I am seeing little bits of rust in the various hex bolt heads on the bike. What can I use to remove this rust and how can I prevent it from happening again. Note I ride things like Ragbrai, so keeping out of the rain, or drying the bike right away is not an option.

Where possible, replace with stainless fasteners. Things like water bottle bracket bolts are readily available in stainless at a good hardware store.

But most fasteners on a good quality bike are stainless to begin with, so it may be that you're not seeing "rust" per se but rather a sort of corrosion that can form on stainless.


How to chose a right sized mountain (or all-terrain) bike for a kid? Will a bike with 11" frame and 20" wheels be suitable for 120 cm high child?
Is there general recommendation about what should I pay attention to, when choosing a bike for a kid?

Will Kona Shred 2-0 or Ghost Powerkid 20" fit the requirements?

It's hard to answer that question, because people and bikes can be built in many different ways. Bike fit is a complex art, but here's the crude and simple version: have the rider straddle the bike's top tube, feet flat on the ground. If there isn't at least a couple inches of space between bike and crotch, then the bike is too big. On the other hand, you don't want it so small that your knees are hitting the handlebars while pedaling.

For a bike that's mainly ridden on pavement, you want the seat high enough so that the legs are almost fully extended at the bottom of the stroke. For off-road riding, or for kids that are still learning to ride, you want it lower.


What is the length of the Hope XC internal spacer from freehub to bearing? I think I have a worn spacer as it has ragged edges.   Does anyone have the length of this spacer when new?

According to Hope's exploded view for the XC and Mono hubs, the spacer is 14mm.


Removing surface rust from my Eggbeater pedals? So I did a couple of wet rides last month, and I guess I didn't dry the pedals as well as I should have.  I have Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals, and I noticed a bit of surface rust on them that I'd like to remove.  What are my options, considering that I can't really disassemble the pedals, and they have a large number of surfaces that are hard to get to?

You're probably best with a metal brush the consistency of the items recommnded in the question below. Ultimately it's gonna happen though so all we can do is our best to dry up and clean up items. At some point they need replacing. A bit of light oil on the pedal the night before a wet ride might help keep of the rust by not letting water in. Of course it will attract dirt (hence the night before recommend so it dries).

Dealing with rust on a steel frame