Tapping threads into braze-ons I have a rather old frame that doesn't have threads on the rear rack braze-ons, and thus requires a nut. This nut makes contact with the chain if the chain is on the outer sprocket, so I'd like to tap out threads in my braze-on so the nut won't be necessary.

If anyone has experience with tapping new threads in a braze-on, could you give some instructions on how to do it properly?

It shouldn't be too different to tapping out anything else, the added difficulty being that you would normally clamp the workpiece in a vice and you don't have that option.  I'd take the wheel off and lie the bike down on a bench with scrapwood in place of the axle (try to clamp/screw it in place) to give you something to push against other than the frame.

Is the frame alloy or steel?
Especially if it's steel you really need to make sure the pilot hole is exactly the right size first - which probably means buying a drill bit specially.
Getting a tap started in steel isn't all that easy especially as you can't get the frame in a vice, in alloy it's not too bad - so a brand new decent quality tap is a good idea for steel,as is just smoothing the edge of the pilot hole with a bigger drill or countersink tool before you start. If you're buying the tap, get a taper type - they start much easier than a second, and you've got plenty of room to come out the other side with the wheel off.  A decent tap wrench is worth the extra money over the junk that sometimes comes in cheap tap/die sets: you want the tap to be held securely.

Even if the pilot hole is already the right size for your tap, running a drill down it to take the paint off won't hurt.

Chain oil should do as a cutting fluid if you don't have anything better, then once you've got a thread started remember to back the tap off every now and then (e.g. forwards half to one turn, back a quarter).

Make sure to clean up all the swarf afterwards so it doesn't get anywhere important.

I assume the chain is catching on the nut rather than the bolt itself - you can buy half nuts / lock nuts which are thinner.  You'd need to threadlock it on.


Can my belt drive frame be converted to a derailleur setup? I want to know whether my frame is compatible with any kind of derailleur hanger, as I want to install standard gears. Due to my Nexus 8 speed hub being really quite uncomfortable and faulty since getting the bike (it gradually got worse).
I can just invest into a Rohloff hub and all will be well, but that's a big chunk of money for me. I'd prefer to switch (if I can) to a simple derailleur system, which I can easily maintain too.
See this link for my exact bike, it's possible to zoom in on the rear dropout too, as below:
I know there's no direct fixture for a hanger, but are there alternative ways to fit hangers onto frames like this?

There is no good way. One could imagine ways of contriving a low-end claw-type derailleur on. Don't do that.
Nexus hubs are usually reliable. In some places in the world, there are lot running around without issue. That you've had chronic issues suggests either damage, defect, or a setup issue.
Some number of Nexus and Alfine bikes have made it into the world with mismatched cassette joints and shifters from the factory. It is a maddening problem until you've figured it out.
There are steps between what you have now and Rohloff, if it came to replacing the hub. I recommend taking it to a shop that really knows internal hubs. They are robust but have their quirks and unique procedures and things to check.


What BMX wheel size do I need? Alright so I’m confused on wheel sizes on a BMX.

I just bought a BMX frame and it came with the front forks and wheel and tire, but it needs a rear wheel and tire.

The tire on the front is 20inches tall so what size wheels do I get?

Do I get 20 inch wheels or what?  I’m confused.

You need a 20" wheel, tire, and rim strip. You'll probably have some options for what width of tire to get. They start at around 1.95" wide. Most actual BMX frames can take at least a 2.1" in back. There's a degree of preference there. The rim won't care for the most part.

You need to select a rear cog size that both matches the chain length if you're planning on re-using it and/or is a functional combination with your chainwheel size. All the BMX parts sites like Dan's and Albes have extensive guides on this, and there's a question or two about it on here as well.

If you wind up needing a freewheel or cassette cog then you'll likely be buying it separate from the wheel. If you need a one-piece driver (8, 9 or 10 teeth) than typically one selects a wheel that comes with the size you want pre-installed.


Replacing entire group - need new hubs? My commute bike has been in daily use for 15 years. It was built with XTR components but it seems that they don't make chainrings for this crank anymore. It has come time to replace the rings (3rd set) again but Im guessing that I need new cranks.

The rear derailleur is 9 speed and it doesn't seem like there are so many of these anymore so I'll probably end up replacing everything to get modern equipment.

With that in mind - can I put a 10/11 speed cassette on my existing (15 yr old Chris King) rear hub? Or does this need to be replaced also?

With that in mind - can I put a 10/11 speed cassette on my existing
  (15 yr old Chris King) rear hub?

9, 10 and 11 speed Shimano MTB cassettes all use the same freehub body, you can keep the old hubs.

  It has come time to replace the rings (3rd set) again but Im guessing
  that I need new cranks.

Given a 15 years mark, you run FC-M950 or FC-M952. If that's true, try looking for an aftermarket directmount spider that accepts more readily available chainrings. Personally, I find it quite cool to own one of a kind crank like that.


Simple plain English explanation of VO2 MAX What is VO2 MAX and how is a measurement taken? By how much can VO2 MAX be increased in the average person?

VO2 Max refers to the maximum volume of oxygen that an individual can use at maximum levels of intense aerobic exercise. It is usually reported as as milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight, though sometimes you see liters of oxygen per minute with no adjustment for body weight. The former measurement is more useful in exercise and sports science since it allows the measurement to be compared among athletes of widely different weights.

It is usually measured in a fitness lab setting using either an exercise bike or a treadmill. The test subject wears a mask and heart rate monitor. The mask is connected to a device that collects and measures of the volume and oxygen concentration of inhaled and exhaled air.

At some point below maximum effort the body switches from aerobic to anerobic processes to generate energy. Exercise intensity is increased gradually until the subject is at a maximum aerobic effort - beyond which there is not or only negligible increase in oxygen uptake. That is the VO2 Max point.

I don't know how much it can be increased in any individual, and there are both genetic and exercise components. This page lists that:

  The average for a sedentary individual is close to 35 ml/kg/min. Elite endurance athletes often average 70 ml/kg/min. One of the highest recorded VO2 max results (90 ml/kg/min) was that of a cross country skier. Cyclist Lance Armstrong's VO2 max was reported at 85 ml/kg/min.

For even more detail, including the associated math, see Wikipedia: V02 Max.


Why aren't vertical dropouts truly vertical? Making some custom rear dropouts (vertical) for a project (nonstandard bike, they must be custom) and as I look to dropout examples, I notice that "vertical" dropouts never seem to have the slots completely vertical, as in 90 degrees from horizontal. Is there a reason for this? My design keeps the slots perfectly vertical for ease of drafting, cutting, etc.

Likely to clear the derailleur.  Angling the dropouts somewhat gives more clearance between the derailleur and the cassette as the wheel is being removed or installed.

While the derailleur could also be moved more rearward and upward to provide the same clearance, that would reduce the length of chain that engages the sprockets.


Replaced axle and now clunking in back I finally got a rear axle replaced, and all new cones on a new axle... I assembled it back together with 7 or 8 of the bearings in on each side and some grease, put it all back together, put the freewheel cogs on (how did I even try it without the freewheel remover before...) and wheel was spinning fine without play left/right (well, maybe 1mm). The gears all shift too.

When I ride the bike I am often hearing a clunking in the rear though. When I just spin the crank or wheel when the bike is stopped It seems I cannot get it to happen. The back wheel feels pretty good. What should I look at for adjusting this? It happens when freewheeling and when pedaling and I don't see anything obviously tapping or loose.

You should ensure the outer races of the hub free of pits and corrosion. The wheel may feel smooth when spinning it off the bike, but the roughness may appear only when the bearing is loaded.


Learning more about racing I don't race and never will race. However, I am very interested in learning more about it. I read a number of cycling magazines, and I read about so many different racing terms, strategy etc. but they are never explained. Does any know of a good source (like a Bicycle Racing 101 course) where I can learn more about racing?

The best thing to do is to watch television coverage of races. For just learning, it is even better than actually being at a race because you can see what is going on and there's plenty of background stories.

Now is the BEST time for stage racing because the Giro has just started. Steephill.tv has bunch of links for online video coverage of the Giro. If you have sports cable channels check those too. The Tour de France in July is also fantastic because of the coverage, but the Giro is usually a more interesting and gritty spectacle, IMHO.


Upgrade my Rear Cassette from 12/25t to 11/28t I have a Specialized Secteur 8-speed road bike with a Shimano HG850 12/25t rear cassette running on a KMX Z type narrow chain my crankset is a 52/42/30, I have done about 2,000 miles so it's probably time to change my chain so why not the cassette as well.

I want to achieve a bit more top end to stop me spinning out without to a 10 speed and having to change the shifters. I have had a look on Sheldon Brown I and have found several combinations of new rear cassette from an 11/28t, 12/25t, 12/21t to a 13/26t

I have found several 8-speed cassette's with these ranges. Shimano (HyperGlide) HG-70 , HG-50 and SRAM (PowerGlide) PG830 ,PG850

However the HG-70-I is a new one on me I think it's an IG (Integrated Gear) I believe that the sprockets are thinner and closer together? Hhere is what Shimano website tells me.

All current HG cassette cogs are specially profiled to be HG or IG chain compatible.
Any Shimano IG chain will work with any HG cassette. If you use a HG chain with a 7-speed IG cassette (CS-IG50 and CS-IG60) the rear derailleur adjustment becomes more critical.
One significant compatibility issue is always to avoid using a HG chain with an IG-only crank set. Why? The chain will release from the large (outer) chain rings too easily while in the larger rear cog. It may be possible that the chain drops off the outer ring without shifting the lever, when under full power.

Also I have been told that I might need a longer rear mech to handle larger than 25t on the cassette not that I need to go any higher than 28t as I am running a triple chain set. I am not sure if my rear mech is a medium length if it helps my rear derailleur is a Shimano RD-2300 like the front.

Any help would be appreciated I am sure that I can do this for about £30 (£20 cassette and £10 chain) but I want to be sure.

Usually, the up to 26t is more so a guideline than a hard limit as is the chain wrap capacity. I'd say try the 11/28t - it will probably work, and if it doesn't work you can always put a new long cage Shimano derailleur (such as a deore one - the cable issues dont matter for road vs mountain rd's from Shimano, or a Sora if you want to stick with the road group). Of course, if you don't shift properly, there is a higher risk of things not working the way they should.

Though, you probably just need to spin faster instead of higher gearing (use Sheldon Brown's gearing calculator to see the differences): http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/


Help identifying brand Looking for help identifying this brand. I must decide if it’s worth driving 2 hours for it! Got first dibs but owner doesn’t know what it is; I know enough to see it’s worth something;)
Update: serial number is D92548. Badge is “Seiberling Road King”; manufactured by Cleveland Welding Company/Seiberling Rubber Company.
I am now trying to date it

I found this article about a slightly different bike:

This bike was manufactured by Cleveland Welding (CWC) for distribution
and sale by the Seiberling Rubber Company. It is essentially a
standard issue CWC bike using the second series post-war CWC 3-Gill
pattern frame and the serial number places the build date in 1947,
probably near the middle of that year. While the basic bike is common,
the Seiberling badging is one of the less common badges that were used
on these bikes.

Note that there is actually a Facebook group for these bicycles: "Cleveland Welding Company bicycle owners".  One post I find on the group suggests that the serial number is from 1945.


Is it safe to use painted unmachine rims with rim brakes? I have bought a Masi fixie riser that comes with painted unmachined rims and rim brakes.This does not seem safe.Is it?

For your specific bike, the Masi Riser, there is nothing to worry about.

Those rims are from BrevM. From the review of some brevm wheels on urban velo, it says that the rims were machined before annodizing.  So, the annodizing masks the brake surface, but it should work fine.  Even if they were not machined ahead of time, assuming good quality control, there really shouldn't be an issue unless they were made for disc specific mountain bike or cyclocross applictions.

So long as your rims are not disc specific, but not machined, then you should be good, and it looks like that's not the case here.  Many times fixed gear bikes are sold without a machined brake surface for the seamless look, especially for those who prefer to ride brakeless.


What is this apparatus for? I saw this post by Ji Cheng (Lanterne Rouge) on Twitter. My question is about the apparatus he posts a picture of. It contains (his?) shoes. Simple question, what is this machine exactly doing? Is it to get rid of odors?

It is a machine used for heating the shoes so that they can be formed to your feet. the shoes are heated. You then put them on your feet and they use a vacuum bag around the shoe to compress it against your foot so it gets the proper shape. Here's an article that explains it. I've had something similar done for hockey skates, although without the vacuum, and the result was quite comfortable skates. Hockey skates are quite hard, so I could see this being necessary to get the right shape. Cycling shoes are often rigid, at least in the sole, so I could see it helping with fit.


Best Tires for Cannondale Bad Boy 4 I'm just getting into biking and last week I just purchased a Cannondale Bad Boy 4 from REI. They still have it in the shop as I'm in the processing of moving and they agreed to hold onto it for me.

My question is regarding tires. I purchased the bike as an urban commuter vehicle as I've just moved downtown and am planning on using it for my commute to work. I also plan on taking it on some longer rides now and then on the city greenway (paved path), to get groceries, or to see friends. Nothing super long, maybe 10-20 miles max. The vast majority of my trips will be much shorter though, 1-2 miles through downtown.

I noticed the bike comes with "smooth" tires (not sure the right term for them), which appear (to me) more like long distance touring tires or something. Should I ask REI about switching out the tires with something with a bit of tread? I'm a bit concerned about running into rain on my commute and slick conditions.

The guy at the shop told me that the ones on the bike "should be fine" for what I'm looking to use the bike for and that I should just be sure to be careful in wet conditions. He said if I wanted to, I could get some "gator skin" tires down the road to have as another option. But I don't think I'd be interested in storing and/or switching out tires on my bike. I'd rather just have one set of good tires and stick with that.

Anyhow, what do you think? Based on my situation, should I stick with the smooth tires or see about switching them for something with a bit of tread on them? I'm more concerned with safety than lightning speed. Thanks for any insight!

Bikes don't have enough speed / surface area to hydroplane.  A slick does as good as tread in the rain.


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

Rule of Thumb: a water bottle an hour

That rule of thumb slides from person to person... me I am more like a 1/2 bottle per hour a little more if it is hot and a little less if I am mountain biking with my dog just joying being outside.

On a 3-4 hour road ride with no water stops available along the way I would take two bottles... if it was exceptionally hot I may add a small bottle to my jersey pocket.  On a similar time duration mountain bike ride (sans dog) I would use a hydration pack.

So, things to consider:

Do you just want the pack for hydration or do you want to carry stuff in the pack as well (e.g. Tools, pump, jacket, food, etc..)
After gauging your consumption rate (only you can do this) and considering  a bottle is 22-26 oz determine the bladder size you need/feel confident will provide the amount of hydration required for your targeted activities.

Once you answer those questions I am pretty sure you will be able to look at your selections and make all the little personal preferences relative to style and selection necessary to wind up with a hydration pack that works for your needs.


Mechanism behind chain wear phases Methods

As an experiment I started taking regular chain stretch measurements, from when I first put on a chain until it is worn out.  A Park CC-2 was used and each measurement was done in triplicate, then averaged to improve precision. Measured chain stretch was then plotted against the total riding time at the time of the chain stretch measurements (Figure 1).

These measurements came under real world commuting conditions on a 2x10 speed drive train, with a constant pacing over the same mixed terrain (35% gravel, 65% asphalt). The chain was wiped clean, re-lubed and wiped every 50-100 km. A Shimano XT chain was used.

Question 1

In the right panel of Figure 1 (logarithmic), it is clear that there are two distinct wear rates/phases, a slower rate until a ride duration of roughly 40 hours, where a clear change in the pattern occurs.

Does anyone know the mechanisms driving the two different wear rates?

My suspicions is that the change relates to wearing through one material type into another, but it would be nice to get confirmation from people who know more.

Question 2

The wear pattern observed in real world testing (Figure 1; left panel) appears to be quite different from the patterns I have seen in posted laboratory testing  (Figure 2), which used a machine to run, dirty and lube the chain.

  Note: Both axes in Figure 2 are plotted on a linear scale so it should be compared to Figure 1, left panel, which uses the same figure scaling.

In real world testing, once into the second wear phase, the wear rate appears to be quite linear when plotted on the linear time scale (Figure 1; left panel).  This differs from laboratory testing that showed a distinct curvature with duration for the entirety of the observation period (Figure 2).

Does anyone know the reason for the different observed patterns in wear for real world testing versus laboratory testing?

Figure 1.  Chain stretch plotted against duration over the course of the life of a single chain (Shimano XT).  Left panel has been plotted on the linear scale, while x-axis on the right panel displayed in a log10 scale. Shading indicated 95% confidence band. Horizontal line indicates suggested replacement point for 10 speed chains.

  Note: Patterns remain essentially unchanged if plotted against distance, instead of duration, due to constant pacing in the real world test.

Figure 2: Chain wear patterns from laboratory testing (accessed Feb 26, 2016 but now offline).

  Note: These results were found online.  I did not participate in this study and I do not have the original data.

My suspicions is that the change relates to wearing through one material type into another, but it would be nice to get confirmation from people who know more.

Another hypothesis is that as the pin-to-link mating surfaces wear, they create an increasing gap for the entry of dirt.  Once dirt gets between the parts, wear accelerates due to a "wet sanding" action. At first smaller particles are able to enter, then larger ones as the clearance increases.

Eventual displacement of the fairly heavy-bodied factory lubricant might be a factor.

Exaggerated diagrams of the idea follow. Here is the state of a new chain: the pin is firmly pressed into the link with no clearance:

The arrows indicate the direction on of the stress under load. Then as the link and pin wear, there must appear a gap opposite to the where the load presses the parts together:

The "game changes" at this point. Of course the dirt works its way around the pin as the linkage rotates, and passes through sections of the drive cycle where it is not under load.


What bike to buy to replace CitiBike? I've been riding CitiBike for a couple years to ride to work in NYC (7mi commute) and am looking to purchase my own bike.  Are there any standard suggestions on what to look for in a commuter bike?

Note that I love CitiBike.  I love the convenience of fenders, chain guards, easy gears that never come off, lights built in, etc.  The only thing I don't like is it is big, bulky, and heavy.  Would like something that is lighter and faster that has the convenient attributes of CitiBike.

Did you like the CitiBike?  If so look for a bike like that.  A commute bike will normally have slightly larger tires - 28mm-35mm.  If you want fenders then get a bike with fenders or at least will take fenders.  If you want a rack then get a bike with rack or at least will take a rack. Many manufacturers now have lines called City/Hybrid/Mulituse/Urban (or to that effect).  Kind of need to decide if you want flat bars or drop bars - you can get commuter type bikes both ways.  In NYC a single speed might be enough.  A lot depends on what you want.  Also how well can you lock it up?  If you have to leave it out then go cheap.

After I first answered you added that you like the CitiBike.  Look around.  Fender and basket are going to be pretty easy to find.  Internal hub is not going to be as easy.  A nice internal hub is more expensive but a lot of people like them. My neighbor got a cheap internal hub and has trouble with it.  If you go the internal hub route then get a nice bike.  Hopefully you will get some specific recommendations.


Disc brakes making a banging sound on steep descents I got a new bike a few months back. Its a cheap decathlon Rockrider mountain bike so I am not expecting anything too special. However I have noticed that going down steep descents, even slowly, the back disc brake makes a sort of knocking sound, tap tap tap all the while I hold it down. Even if I am going slowly it happens if its steep enough. Going fast and using it on a flat surface it doesn't seem to happen. It's my first bike with disc brakes. Any ideas what's going on?

Possibly calliper alignment. Manufacturing variation in hub or badly faced rotor mounts can move the rotor plane in or out a crucial tiny amount which combined with a odd calliper shape can result in some of the arms of the rotor bonking the calliper under the right conditions. Hence the thunk, thunk sound. Not dangerous but annoying.
Moving the callipers a touch to one side (e.g use a paper width as a gauge) might fix the issue without significantly affecting the centering.


Will a bashboard and 3 chainrings require longer bolts? Following on from Could I use a FD-M735 with a FC-MC3x?, I noticed that that the Shimano FC-MC36 crank with this unusual bash board fitted, only has one chainring.

Would I be able to get the three ring set and fit it, as well as the bash board, to the crank arm, using the existing bolts? Would the bolts be long enough, to accomodate the additional thickness of the bash board, or would longer bolts be required?

Here's a three ring set (image taken from eBay):

Note that the chain guard is fitted to the three ring set in a different manner, hence my question:

The chain guard is fitted to the outer ring, rather than the crank arm bolts.

See on the triple ring, there is a set of bolts that look like yours going through the middle ring. There is a second set of bolts that hold the inner ring on, these days normally threaded into a second set of bolt holes in a triple crank.

The retro eBay set - I’m now wondering if the inner ring is bolted into extended parts of the middle ring. I haven’t seen this before to verify, it could work in your favour but not be easy to find.

Your crank has no second set of bolt holes to fit an inner ring, and I would expect it to be difficult to track down replacement rings which work like that retro set and also cost less than replacing the whole lot with an inexpensive new chainset.

That bashboard has been installed in place of the outer ring, which is unusual as you notice, the other set has it mounted to the outer ring. With an outer ring on as well, the bashboard would be flush against it and leave no room for the chain, plus obstruct the proper mounting hole for the bolt to fit in.

Finally, see how the bolts you have are recessed down into the slotted nut, whereas on the eBay example they are threaded nearly to the top of the nut. Looking from the inside. This means your bolts are already too short and are not fully engaged in the thread of the nut.

So to do the conversion you would need a new set of 3 rings, two sets of bolts and some way to modify and attach the bashguard with enough clearance for the chain. That’s if all goes well. It’s something you could look around for the parts to do it with and think about the time and money required vs buying a new or used set and swapping the whole lot.

There could be unforeseen issues like chainline, frame clearance etc. Just be careful not to throw good money after ‘bad’. (It’s not bad as such, but it’s not quite meeting your needs and the expression is almost right).


Have I damaged my tyres? I noticed after mounting some new tyres that part of the side wall, just above the bead, seems to have been damaged while I was fitting them (see photos below).

These tyres were especially difficult to mount, even with the bead seated in the rim's bead well all the way around.  So tight, in fact, that the only way to get the bead out of the well and seated under the bead hook was to pump it up to a much higher pressure than I would ride it with and wait for it to "ping" into place.

I think it's this process that ended up causing the damage you can see in the photos.  The tyres in question are these (folding version).

Have I compromised my tyres, or should I not worry about it?

Those strings are quite common with continental tires and seem to be a part of their manufacturing process. Every continental tire I have owned seem to have some of those threads, even ones that mounted relatively easily. I just cut them off and have never had an issue with them. Continental tires are also well known for their tight beads.

The high-pressure technique is a common technique to get a bead to seat. To speed it up you can also put the tire in a vice and pull on the top of the wheel to try and force the bead to seat.

As an aside, many recommend against running fenders with  knobby tires, as the knobs can pick up debris (e.g., small sticks) that can jam in the fenders causing a crash.


Floor pump blowing wet air? I have a Lezyne Sports Drive floor pump.  It has worked fine for a couple of years, and it lives in my garage.  The handle is stored in the down position, so the cylinder is mostly empty.  The pump sits on the concrete floor.

 Mine has an older style of chuck on it though.

Today I went to use it while patching a road tyre, and pushing the handle was hard, and there was no air entering tube till the gauge hit 80psi.  The tube was not at 80psi - it was naked and maybe held 5-10psi.

I checked the schrader/presta adapter/pressure release thinking something was stuck in it, but that's just a threadded tube and was clear.

So I checked with the hose nozzle in my and it blew air with no resistance.   BUT it was very cold and my hand got damp.  Imagine a wet sneeze, but cold.

Aiming the hose at a clean dry surface, I gave it a pump and there's moisture visible.   30-40 pumps later the moisture is much reduced.

Questions

Does my pump have water in it?
How did water get in there?
How do I get it out?

Yes, floor pumps can condense water in them. The water is from atmospheric water vapor. When the pump walls are colder than the surrounding air, the vapor can condense just like dew forms on leaves in the morning. Temperature swings assist in the formation of dew and this is made worse by leaving it on concrete, which is not only often much colder than the surrounding air, but also retains moisture.

After a while, the moisture in the pump will build up to the point where it has to get blown out the next time you use it. Especially, pumps like the Lezyne (which I also have) which are single-action designs, the top of the pump is open to atmospheric air and so the moisture can easily condense on the inner walls above the piston and trickle down into the main chamber.

How to get rid of it:

1) Easy way: Dry pump a few times (i.e., pump it a few times with nothing attached) until nothing comes out. If you can do this outside in the sun, even better.

2) Slightly harder way: Do #1 first, then disassemble the top of the pump so that it's open to air. Take the piston out. Let everything air dry or dry on top of a radiator. While you have it apart, grease the piston seal slightly with the vendor approved lubricant -- usually any light silicon grease that is safe for teflon/rubber/leather.

How to prevent it from happening

Don't store your pump in a basement or garage where there is cool/damp air. Keep the pump off concrete. Store it somewhere where there is cool/dry air (best) or warm/dry air (second best).

If that's not an option, you could also hang the pump upside down (with the handle in the stored configuration) so that any condensate that forms in the piston or on the handle will drip down. Keeping it away from the concrete floor would be an added bonus.

Bonus

Finally, here's a youtube video made by Lezyne showing how to overhaul their pump:


What is this oil? (wet lube) I needed wet lube for my chain, so I went to my local cycle store and bought the following pictured Shimano wet lube.

Back home, out of curiosity, I "googled" it, and surprisingly enough, I didn't found any picture of it on the Web. Now I'm really wondering, do you guys have any idea of the origin of this product?

The label is in Dutch, French and Danish. The company is noted as "Shimano Workshop > Shimano Europe", headquartered in the Netherlands. The only reference number is WS000002-A.

I think you probably have Shimano's wet lube.  Confidence could increase if you feel that the point of sale was a reputable store with legitimate distributorship.   Speaking of all that, are you a believer that Amazon represents a company like that?   Here's an Amazon post in which the label appears very similar and the manufacturers reference number begins "WS..."

While this rationale is fairly weak counterfeiting a relatively inexpensive product isn't cost effective, legalities aside.  As they say, "the proof is in the pudding," so I would try it out and see how it works out.


What are some Routes to riding from Los Angeles to San fransisco? I'm a fixed Gear cyclist and I'm trying to set up a big ride with a group of friends from Los Angeles to San Fransisco. I am aware this is not an easy ride but we are willing to go, but I'm not sure Google Maps is giving a very good route for cyclists. Is there any place where I can find a route suitable for cyclists to get to San Fransisco.

Friends who have ridden the coast from Vancouver, Canada to the Mexican border used Adventure Cycling Association maps for the route. ACA has a series of maps that cover the route.

The ACA description of the terrain for LA to SF matches what I heard from my friends: lots of climbing.

  TERRAIN

  This route segment is generally hilly, with lots of ups and
  downs following the coastline in the northern part of the state. Some
  sections in the southern part of the route are rolling to flat,
  especially along the various cities' bike paths along the beaches.

From what I heard about the ride, it was tough enough with (multi-geared) road bikes. I suppose, theoretically, it could be done on a fixie.

If you look around the Web, there are many sources of bicycle route maps. California Bicycle Coalition is one such example. I have the SLO County map which they link to, and it's an excellent map. Don't miss Turri Road when you go through there.

There are also many threads over at BF regarding this trip:

San Francisco To Los Angeles thread;

Advice for Los Angeles to San Francisco thread;

Considering Riding From Los Angeles To San Francisco thread.

Just to provide a few. Lots of experienced answers in those BF threads...


Chain size designations e.g. 1/2 x 3/32 : how to measure? How is the second number, e.g. 3/32, determined? Do you measure:

a) the thickness of the spacer between the inner links

or

b) the distance between the inner links

I have an older bike and don't know if the chain is 3/32 or 4/32 (i.e. 1/8). It could be either. The spacer itself is 3/32 thickness and the distance between the links is 4/32.

a) the thickness of the spacer between the inner links
b) the distance between the inner links

Those two measurements are the same thing. The roller (spacer) sits between the inner plates, so its thickness is the spacing between the plates.
If you look closely at the inner links the inner edge is chamfered, making it difficult to measure the actual distance between them - I guess that's why you are coming up with different measured widths. Measuring at the roller is more accurate.
So, I guess you have a 3/32 chain.


Combination of different Shimano braking components For a daily city bike i want to combine some older Shimano Components.

Is it possible to combine a Shimano XT V-Brake Lever (BL-M739) with a Shimano 105 SLR Front brake or are there any things i have to pay attention to?

V-Brakes and calliper brakes operate with different lengths of cable being pulled.

V-Brake levers pull a lot more cable and in this set up, your lever throw will be too sort to be usable and have very little stopping power.

Sheldon, as usual, has more.

You can get adapters to go the other way, road levers with v-brakes, but I've never seen one go this way.

Your best bet would be to look for some flat bar levers for the calliper brakes you have. Almost any sold as a road lever should work.


Why should the outside disc brake pad be closer to the rotor than the inside one? According to this link, the distance between the inside, stationary disc pad and the disc brake rotor should be twice the distance between the rotor and the outside, moving disc pad.

Why should the stationary disc pad be further away from the rotor than the moving disc pad? From what I understand, the rotor flexes towards the stationary disc pad when you brake. Wouldn't increasing the former distance increase the amount of flex? Is that desirable? Would it not cause unnecessary strain on the rotor?

SRAM's brake setup instructions for BB7 brakes (select user manual from the service documents, step 10 in the user manual) specify that the inboard/fixed pad should be further from the rotor than the outboard/moving pad. The ParkTool instructions that @jimirings links in their comment are specific to this model of brake and repeat the manufacturers instructions in this regard.
Other manufacturers provide different advice, for example Tektro's instructions for their mechanical disk brakes (TRP Online Resources - select "All Spyre and Spyke models" from the road disc subheading under the user manuals section, Tektro Mechanical Disk Brake Owner's Manual, or Tektro Support > Download - select "Mechanical Disk Brake - User Guide") specify that the brake pads should be evenly spaced on both sides of the rotor. The Montague blog you've linked to use a Tektro Novella brake but repeat the instructions given by SRAM, not what Tektro recommend.
Neither manufacturer give any reason for the specific alignment, the only reference I could find was the following section from CX Magazine's article How to: Set Up & Adjust Mechanical Disk Brakes:

Now look through the caliper. The rotor should be sitting center in the gap or slightly to the outboard side. This should position the inboard pad into the gap.
This inboard pad position should be one of your greatest priorities. If the inboard pad is too far out, when you hit the brake, the outboard pad will clamp the rotor against the caliper instead of the brake pad.

The pictures included make it clear that the caliper housing should be slightly offset to ensure that as the fixed inboard pad wears and the rotor flexes it does not contact the caliper housing itself. This would lead to damage to the rotor and/or the caliper.
You should probably still follow the manufacturers recommendations for your given brake model, however aligning the caliper to have more space on the fixed side then aligning the pads evenly would also be suitable if you are unable to find specific instructions from your manufacturer.


Are there front looking mirror options? I have the standard drop handlebars on my road bike. When I'm in the lower position, my head is pointing down so my eyes are looking at the road and my front tire. Looking forward requires me to tilt my head up to an awkward angle and I often get a kink in my neck after a longish ride. Are there mirrors available which I could mount on my bike which would provide me a front facing view while still keeping my head down?

Yes, they exist, though they are expensive and meant for racing rather than for general purpose riding on regular roads. One example is the View Speed Cyclops glasses. They take a lot of getting used to but in the arcane world of time-trial racing they have their adherents.


Minimum distance between holes in inner tube I recently got a second puncture in my road bike inner tube. In my opinion, the hole is pretty close to the other one that I fixed. I searched the internet but nowhere could I find a guideline to see what is the minimum recommended distance between two holes to fix them.

Does anybody have an idea?

Thanks in advance
Daan

If you can put a patch on without overlapping the existing one, it's fine. If the patches would overlap, I can't see any problem but I could have missed something.

Were the two punctures in rapid succession? If so, that and the similar location suggests that there's still debris in your tyre: check the area carefully for glass or similar pokng through the inside of the tyre.


Lower gearing with 15 year old Shimano Ultegra My wife adores her 15 year old Giant TCX Composite (size 44!). Arthritis means no getting out of the saddle for hills.

We've got the standard 52/38 up front and a slightly larger 11/26 at the back. A lot lower gearing is needed.

I had SRAM PG990 (I think) on the back of mine, that had (I think) a maximum 34 , which was great . I don't recall if this required a new rear derailleur cage. I think so.

The wife doesn't mind MTB components, as long as they're around Ultegra spec.
I'd rather invest money in a bike she loves, than spend $5k (Aussie) on a equivalent replacement.

How low can we go?

Switching the rear derailleur to a 9-speed Shimano mountain and the cassette to an 11-34 is the most straightforward in terms of minimal parts changes. It's not the lowest you can go. It leaves you with the high gears you've already got, i.e 52/11, which is not useful for most people, but one of the questions here is exactly how much you're happily willing to take off from the high end of the range. (For most people in this situation, but not everyone, the answer is a lot.)

Switching the crank to a compact 50/34 was the next fashion after standard doubles like she has finally fell out of favor for normal people road bikes. You could do so with or without also doing the above rear end change. The FD and shifter you have should be fine. Most compact cranks you'll find are nominally 10 or 11 speed. To make them work with 9, use tiny chainring spacers. There are many posts here about this.

So-called super-compact cranks with ranges like 30/46 have finally started to become mainstream in the last few years. The nice thing about them is that for many people, 46 represents around the biggest big ring that's actually useful, i.e. in many cases everything beyond that is wasted. They'll work acceptably with your FD. A lot of them are external bearing cranks with chainline specced to work with 135mm rear ends, which isn't a dealbreaker for putting on her bike but is a minor drawback. To avoid this you could get a square taper one like Herse, VO, or IRD. Some of these cranks come in variants with big rings smaller than 46, but these won't play nice with your existing FD and shifter setup.


How to remove alu seat post from carbon frame? My aluminium seat post is seized into my carbon frame. To make matters worse the seat post is snapped at the seat post collar - nasty crash.

Anyone have a way to get it out? Or is it time for the dump?

What you need is some way to grip or gain purchase on the post so you can apply a force to, then apply the usual methods to free the post from the frame.

Possible means of gripping the post I can think of:

Old quill stem inserted into stem and tightened
Star fangled nut inserted into seatpost, with a long bolt threaded into it.

GCN has a video showing how to use hot water to free up the post. It seems that a substantial amount of force is still needed to pull the post out though.


What is this valve and how do I fill it? This is the valve in one of the tubes on my bike:

What kind of valve is this, and how do I fill it?

I originally thought it was a Presta valve, but it doesn't look or work like any of the presta valves I see in instruction videos online. Those presta valves do not have the nut in the middle like on my valve. The nut screws off, but when I do, air immediately starts leaking out and the tube quickly empties. This is in contrast with the presta valves where the inner part can be loosened but still don't leak air unless you press it down with the pump.

I have a Bontrager Charger floor pump which is supposed to fit both Schrader and Presta, but it does not clamp on to this valve at all while the nut is on, and I cannot fill the valve while the nut is off because in that state the air just leaks back out before I have the chance to screw the nut back on. Here is a picture of the pump head:

This is a Dunlop valve, also known as Woods. These valves always let air in but not out. The nut holds the valve in place, and you are supposed to unscrew it only if you want to deflate the tube.

There are adapters from Dunlop to Schrader, but the most common way to inflate these is a simple hand pump that has just a rubber gasket instead of chuck like shown in your picture.


How to straighten a bent derailleur hanger? I've bent (again) my derailleur hanger. It's a replaceable hanger but for this summer I can't get an original one and I know that the non-original one I can get is made in a harder material and could possibly damage the frame.

So I'm left with the choice of straightening this light aluminium alloy thing. How do I do that without breaking/weakening it?

Remove the derailleur and use an adjustable wrench to bend it back into shape on the bike. That way you can see when it's straight more easily. Remember to check both vertical alignment and fore-aft alignment. With 5/6/7 speed doing this by eye will be fine. You might get good enough for 8 speed, but with 9 and 10 speed you'll have to be lucky to get reliable shifting using this method. Those setups are just too fussy.

Bike shops have a derailleur hanger alignment tool that does this much more accurately by screwing into the derailleur mounting hole and letting you gauge position against the wheel rim. I've found that with 9 speed often a couple of millimetres at the rim can be the difference between smooth shifting and constant "not quite in gear" clicking in one or two gears.

Edit: this is a classic "trivial with the right tools, impossible otherwise" job on 9 and 10 speed systems. Put the bike in a mechanics workstand, attach the alignment tool, bend the hanger, reattach the derailleur, check the gears and it's done in 5 minutes. The bike shop will probably want to put in a new gear cable and housing for you (because otherwise if the shifting is less than perfect you might blame them rather than the friction in your old gear cable).

The fun part, BTW, is finding a replacement hanger if the bike manufacturer no longer stocks them. There are "clone" manufacturers but the catalog of available hangers is huge (often one bike model has different hangers in different years, so unless you know exactly which frame you have the label on the frame might not help much).


Best Alternative Tubeless Tape to Gorilla Tape? So i've been trying to get a pair of gravel tires to set up tubeless for way too long, it's been a comedy of errors but a very good learning experience. Where I am currently at is that the gorilla tape i've been trying to use is just too thick, it is a struggle to get the tire to pop into the bead fully even with a tube. With a significant amount of soap and a few days of it sitting, i've gotten it to seat but it has created small tears in the tape while doing so which leads to leaking that sealent hasn't really been able to plug later on.

I used some Stans tape initially but the 21mm for a 19mm internal rim width (Bike shop said it would work and i was uneducated at that point). It did not work at all, but the tire seated easily with it. I was considering repurchasing that at a 25mm width. Unless there is other recommendations for a thinish tubeless tape that people have had success with. Any ideas?

Your plan is correct. 21mm tubeless tape on a 19mm internal width rim is simply a mistake on their part. That won't create the contact needed between the bead and the tape. Hopefully they'll refund it.
On the bright side, you got some practice stretching the tape on, which might help you one-shot it next time.
What usually works is internal width plus 5-6mm. Going by outside width, i.e. holding up the roll of tape to the rim, you're looking for outside width plus 0-1mm on aluminum and minus maybe 1-2mm on carbon, since carbon sidewalls are usually thicker (that varies and I would always just use the internal width on a carbon rim, but I rarely do on al). It's a little bit of an experiment if you don't have a manufacturer telling you an exact number, but doing it this way will typically get you a width where the tape is just starting to kiss or ride up the inside of the sidewall, which is what you want. Plus 5-7mm works sometimes but not others; you can get in trouble with the tape wanting to curl over at the sidewall or get squished out of place by the tire if it's too wide.
If it's not clear, what's happening here is you want the tape to basically go from sidewall to sidewall, erring slightly on the wide side because you need the tire contact. The X factor is how much tape width gets eaten up by the rim well. Tubeless rim designs are mostly similar enough in this regard for the above rules of thumb to work. With practice one could probably learn to make corrections ahead of time based on seeing a flat versus upwards-angled rim shelf and other factors. But for the most part, +5-6mm gets you there. I'm somewhat copying this from WTB, who just say +5mm for all their rims and make rim tape to match these numbers. That works great for their rims but beyond that, one needs to know which direction to fudge things if an exact match isn't available.
One dynamic to this is that what shops really should be doing at this point is have something like the whole size run of bulk tapes from a couple different companies. For example, the shop I work at has almost every size of Stan's and WTB, except overlaps. Once you've got all the pluses and fats in there, it's like 12 or 15 rolls of tape. That buys high odds of being able to do any rim needed as a repair shop. But few if any shops would be able to have all those widths in retail size packs, and tubeless tape can't be resold from bulk without fouling it. So, walking in and knowing they'll have whatever size you need isn't a given. That said, the 24-25mm roll you need is common, so maybe it was out or someone was having a bad day.
In no case is there a need to get sealant involved until the tire is seated and holding air a while dry. Doing it all at once is fine when one has high confidence things are going to go smoothly, but that's almost entirely about saving time, not increasing efficacy. When things require experimentation, you should hold off until you've found a setup that works, then put your sealant in through the valve.
A final note is there are some rims out there with finishes that just don't play nice with Stan's-type tape. Some DT rims are the major example. DT makes a tape that works for these. We've successfully put it on at least one non-DT rim that wouldn't take Stans or WTB yellow tapes. The DT tape has a somewhat gummier, more flowy adhesive and that makes me suspect that Gorilla would also adhere, but I haven't tried it.


Not able to inflate my bike tyre I have a Norco Mountaineer SL. It has a schrader valve and I am trying to inflate the tyres using https://www.amazon.ca/Crank-Brothers-16304-Sapphire-Silver/dp/B07K4PLWKW/

I seem to have set it up correctly for schrader valve. The air comes out of the pump head when I pump it. It seems to adjust on the bike valve fine. I then lock it and try to start pumping. The gauge moved the first time I pump and then remains at the same pressure. The air does not get into the tire remains stuck in the head/pipe of the pump and it then gets squeezed out when unplug it from the bike valve. How do I fix it?

I have tried moving the rubbers in the head of the pump but it seems to be squeezing air out just fine. I am not sure why is it not getting into the tyre AT ALL (Tried both tyres)

The pump looks fine. You should fiddle with the pin in the valve (tap it a bit with a screwdriver) until it leaves some air out (dose your tapping from "just a bit" to "try to firmly push the pin inside the tube").

If nothing cames out, try to spray some wd40 on the valve.

If nothing, it may mean the valve is really stuck ... did you use some foam or similar products to fix a puncture?


Will the same lock ring fit 11T or 12T ring, SRAM cassette? I am currently running Sram PG1070 12-28, but would like to upgrade to 11-28. I can get 11T cog for pretty cheap, but I saw I might also have to get a different lock ring then. Is that true, or could I use the one I am currently using? Thanks!

Yes, you need an 11T specific lock ring.

The outer diameter of the 11T lockring is definitely smaller, a 12T lockring won't let the chain sit properly on an 11T cog. The threaded section is the same size.


How can I find replacement part for Mongoose scooter? My daughter broke the quick release hinge bolt (I have no idea what to call it) on her Mongoose scooter.

Where can I go to find a replacement part or at a minimum, what is it called?

It looks like a quick release seatpost binder

You might have a bicycle with one on it you could use to test the fit.

Googling "bicycle seatpost quick release M6 × 65mm" gets results
Here's one on ebay as an example (not a recommendation)

Or, you might be able to find a metric bolt with the correct thread down at the hardware store along with appropriate washers. Tighten it with a wrench rather than have a quick release lever as a temporary fix.


Do 27.5" wheels fit a 29" mtb? Do 27.5" wheels fit a 29" mtb? The 29er is with disc brakes. If they fit, is there any other problem

They fit, in the sense that you can install them in the frame (if the axles are correct, hub width is correct, etc). The problems are:

The bike stands a few centimeters closer to ground. Which means less ground clearance for obstacles and cornering. Frames designed for smaller wheels take this into account
Less trail at front, which affects steering
Lower gearing because of smaller wheel radius
You still have the long rear fork of frame designed for 29" wheels and the associated weight distribution and clumsiness.


Do Miche bottom brackets require a special tool, or is this one damaged? I just bought a Miche Primato bottom bracket and tried installing it using Park's BBT-5 (the same tool I used to remove the previous bottom bracket, also Miche, but from 2008). The BBT-5 fit into the right hand side cup without a problem, but I had trouble fitting it into the left hand side. I noticed that one of the splines is different than the others. Is this normal, or is this part defective or damaged somehow?

The spline in question is right below "ITALY":

Thanks for any help, I'd like to be sure before I complain to the shop I bought it from.

The OP notes: "Shop agreed that this part is defective, was happy to swap with another one. FWIW the guy there said he'd never seen another Miche bottom bracket with this issue. –  spacemanaki Mar 29 '14 at 21:56"

I just tried a google image search to see what they look like because I'm not familiar with Miche. The pic isn't perfect, but does give an idea that the splines don't have a taper on them like yours. Glad you were able to sort it with your LBS.


What criteria should be considered for choosing an e-bike for commuting? My girlfriend is looking for an electric bike for commuting.

My question is fairly broad - What features and capabilities should we consider when choosing an e-bike for commuting?

For information, we are living in Vancouver, BC and she will be commuting between West End (downtown) and SFU (Burnaby). She's 160cm high and weight 55kg.

You might want to give us an idea of the distance but my wife has recently bought a freego hawk for a commute of 11km each way (about 2/3 your distance and flatter).  The specs and list price are not disimilar.  She's a little taller but this is a fairly forgiving frame layout.

She gets 2 days round trips with the battery still showing 1/4 to 1/2 full, pedalling all the way, and it's knocked about 1/6 off her commute compared to a mountain bike with city tyres after doing that for some time, and is still less tired.  Note that in the UK the motor must by law cut out if you go >15mph.  This extends the range at the expense of speed, as does the lower wattage motor generally used here.

If your girlfriend could ride it on a normal bike (MTB/city bike) in the same sort of time google says without practicing (~1.5hours), she might get under an hour on an e-bike assuming traffic lights etc don't take up too much of the time.

If she'll be stuck behind other bikes or in traffic then it won't be much quicker than riding normally.

Some questions for you to consider:

Why an e-bike? Speed compared to pedalling/beat the traffic/likes to ride but no shower available?
Do you have somewhere secure to keep it at street level, with power?  You'll be charging every day or max. 2, and it's a lot heavier than a normal bike.
How much is she planning to pedal? If not at all the range will soon be used up, especially with the climb.
Who's going to look after it? Will she be stuck if it's in the shop for a minor service?
Is she happy to ride in that traffic?  If she's got a bike, then try it on that, perhaps in one day, back the next if it's too far, or just check out the worst bits in rush hour.  The roads look very different outside a metal box.

On balance e-bikes are great for commuting in many but not all situations, and can carry quite a lot of load without increasing the effort too much.


Can you use shimano m8000 replacement cogs to replace Sunrace mx80 cogs? Can one use m8000 replacement sprockets 11T 13T 15T to replace the corresponding mx80 sprockets?

I appreciate the clusters can't be switched due 3 free sprockets and 2 clusters of 4 on mx80 vs 5 free and 2 clusters of 3 in the m8000, but what about the first 3 sprockets?

mx80
https://factoryjackson.com/2017/04/19/sunrace-mx80-11-50-11-speed-cassette/

m8000 cogs
https://www.hibike.com/shimano-cs-m8000-11-speed-sprocket-11-pa913bedaac0e23a55c569d6d78f42bc7

While this is not a definitive answer it may help with your decision. If you look closely at the mx80 you can see that some of the teeth on the larger cogs have some extra machine work (notches) done. These areas are to facilitate the chain moving from one cog to the other. For optimum performance the "notches" must be correctly aligned. The variation in the width of the splines on the freehub make this alignment foolproof. Looking at two 9 speed cassettes in my parts bin, the indexing of the notches on the cog and its position on the freehub is not universal between all brands. What this means is that while the cogs may fit, shifting  performance may not be optimized.


What is the difference b/w dropout diameter(9mm) and 3/8"(9.478mm) Tpi bicycle axles I am creating a ski-bike and taking this website as a reference: Alpine Ski-Bike.

I am having some trouble understanding some things, as it says that

  "it fits in 100mm x 9mm front dropout"

but then it states that

  "Mounting triangles and foot pegs are extruded 6061 T-6 aluminum. They
  use standard 3/8" 26 thread-per-inch bicycle axles (140mm and 175mm
  lengths)"

I have two questions:

The mounting triangle uses a 3/8"(9.478mm) bicycle axle but the front dropout is only 9mm so how is it supported?
I am asuming that (140mm and 175mm lengths) = 140mm length of mounting triangles and 175mm length is of foot pegs, so is 140mm is the length of bicycle axle?

I just checked two frames and forks drop outs. They all measured at least 9.5mm. They all allowed a 3/8" bolt to pass through. If you are having doubts about your particular frame, get a 3/8" bolt and see it fits. You also need to verify that the nuts will sit correctly in the front fork.The nut must sit flat on the fork not on top of the safety tabs (also called lawyer lips).


Why does my bike make a noise when I pedal hard? When I pedal forcing a little with my right leg, the bike makes a noise that I don't know how to describe. I'll try to do it. It's like:

a short "ting"
a tiny bell
if a small rock hits the down tube

I don't know what is causing this noise, but I think that it could be any of this things:

pedal
crank arm/pedal connection
crankset

I think the material of all these things is alluminium.

I don't feel anything (like a bad shifted chain) when I hear the noise.

It happens when there is movement and when there is NO movement (I use the brake, so the bike doesn'e move, stand using all weight on right pedal, and it makes the noise)

The pedals could be in any position, It is not in a particular position. Just pressing the right pedal.

Has someone else has this "problem"? Any ideas of where this comes from?

Update:
Yesterday I took out the chain and stood on the right pedal, and made the noise. Then is not the chain, nor the transmission system.

I put oil in the pedal axis, but had no luck. Also tried to loose the pedal, but the juncture point is too tight, and I couldn't.

Today I will try to use oil in the bottom bracket.

Update: here is a link to info on the bike http://www.diamondback.com/2012-sorrento maybe it helps to know the model of all the components.

Could be any number of things.  The first thing to check (because ignoring it can rapidly cause expensive damage) is that the crank arms are tight.  Even if they don't seem loose it doesn't hurt to put a wrench on the fixing bolts and torque them a bit.  (If one moves more than a small amount, get a torque wrench and do them up right.)  Likewise with the pedals.

You can also get noise from a cartridge BB if the cups are not totally tight. No big emergency here, but you need to tighten them to see if that's the problem.

Spokes can make a "ting" sound, especially if the wheel is relatively new.  Unless there are loose spokes, though, there's not much you can do about this and it will usually go away on its own after the wheel breaks in.

It's unlikely to be that the BB needs lube, unless it's been sorely neglected for years (or submerged in Sandy's tidal waters).

If the bike is relatively new (a few months old), you should take it back to the shop where you bought it and ask for a "tuneup" where they would tighten the crank arms, adjust the brakes and shifters, and true up the wheels.  On a new bike they should do this for free or for a nominal sum.

If the bike's older a tuneup won't hurt, but expect to pay more.


Protocol for slipstreaming another cyclist? I have a nice 12 km commute where lots of different bicyclers travel. The entire stretch is only for pedestrians&bicycles, no cars to worry about.

I ride a regular old 5-speed bike (not a racing bicycle or mountain bike), but I'm a very fast biker compared to the general bike traffic I see (average 25-30 km/h). I'm only overtaken by people on electrobikes, and by fanatics (all the right gear, but no bell because it weighs 12 grams?).

It might be interesting to ride closely behind someone whose speed matches mine, but what's the protocol for doing this, apart from road safety concerns? Should I address people first, ask their permission? Or do I just approach from behind and stay close to them, without specifically indicating that I'm there?

At my speed, I won't be stalking a granny -- it would probably only ever be a lone hobby race cyclist here or there. Note that I am steering clear of team bicyclists; they probably have their own patterns that I don't want to interfere with.

I've noted someone following me a few times (without any indication) but it doesn't bother me because people who can keep up with me usually overtake me after a while anyway, so at best I've given them a moment's pause. As long as they don't crash me, they're welcome.

Add-on question:
It's clearly more polite to take turns leading, but does it cost you more energy when someone is following you, compared to cycling alone?

I've found it courteous to come up beside the person and ask permission. I usually say "how far you going?" or "mind if I join you?". The real key is to take turns drafting. If the person says yes, I  usually take the first pull in front just to show them I'm not a wheel sucker.

As an avid cyclist, I've found very few things more annoying than riding for a good chunk of time, only to look back and find someone just sitting on your wheel with no announcement or indication that they are there.


One vs Two Piece Axle? After finding out my bike has a road rear (130 mm) & disc brakes, it's been difficult to source rear hubs.  Cyclocross allows disc brakes, and more commuter/cx frames are appearing but all seem to use the 135 mm spacing...  Chris King's Universal Disc rear tandem has a 130 mm option, but as a two piece axle?

Could someone explain the difference, and provide pros/cons?

If you have a steel bike, a good shop can "cold set" it to 135 mm.

This PDF on the Chris King website illustrates the 2-piece axle.


"Tinking" Sound on my Force 22 PF 30, Ridley Fenix? In March, I built a 2015 Ridley Fenix. It has had a persistent on and off tinking sound, typically when I stand up to carry momentum over a hill. Sounds like a cable in the down tube...or a small pebble hitting the down tube. I can also shift weight side to side on the handle bars and this bike makes the same sound (while not pedaling). Sometimes during a ride, it will not make this sound...other rides it drives me nuts.

Here is a list of my attempted fixes:

Remove and grease the front derailleur hanger

Remove and grease the rear derailleur hanger

Replace the compression plug in steerer tube

Pulled and greased and reinstalled the bottom bracket cups (twice)

Replaced the bottom bracket bearings

Pulled and greased the head set twice.

Pulled and replaced the headset.

Replaced the Stem

Oiled the skewers

replaced the shifter housing and cables.

Oiled /greases everything that I could think of.

Adjusted Handle bars

Adjusted the shifter position.

Adjusted the Bottom Bracket Cable Guide several times.

Cleaned contact point of Handlebar and stem.

Cleaned with Alcohol Bottom bracket hull and inside Head tube before grease and reinstallation

Added Spacers to Pedals

Removed Spacer from Pedals.

Torqued everything down to spec.

Grease threads on Pedal Spindle

tighten pedal body on Spindle

greased spacers above and below head set.

Sound not in Wheels, Have had 3 sets on this Bike,

Any help would help restore my sanity...thanks

Thanks Nate and Nathan, when the tinking first started...I had to be on the Bike. One day, after a particularly annoying ride of "tinking", I put the drive side pedal in the 5 o'clock position and pushed laterally on the pedal...and there is was. Would not do it again, until I went to the non drive side and put the pedal in the 7 o'clock position and pushed again with no noise. Back around to the drive side, 5 o'clock pedal position, push on pedal...Tink! at that time it sounded like it was coming from the head tube, but I know sounds can move around the frame. It will also make the noise if I push on the chain stay instead of the crank arm / pedal to flex the frame a little.

This bike has made the sound when I am on the bike, not clipped into the pedals and shift my weight on the handle bars right, left right left...if that makes sense.

I have not tried new bars...but I put brand new 3T rotunda pros on the bike when I built it.

have not yet messed with the seat post or saddle either...noise can happen standing or sitting...so I have not gone there yet.

Cant hear the noise by shaking bike, sounds solid with the pre ride drop test. I can find no cracks...

NEVER put grease on the seatpost of a carbon frame. CARBON FIBER ASSEMBLY PASTE is to be used there to prevent corrosion, seizing, and slipping. Grease inside the seat tube will make the post slip. Anyone who tells you to do that is not qualified to give ANY advice.

WARNING: NEVER overtighten anything clamped to a carbon fiber component.

Check tightness of socket head fasteners that secure the chain rings to the crank arms.

Make sure that THREADS of seat clamp screw are lubricated and that fastener is properly torqued; NO lubricant on post or inside seat tube, please.

The following is safety critical; a broken steerer tube can kill you.

Remove stem from steerer tube and take fork out of frame. Inspect steerer tube for scratches or cracks using bright light. Check for sharp edges on contact surfaces of stem opening and round them off with a file. When reassembling, use assembly paste on stem to steerer contact surfaces.  Make sure that steerer tube expansion plug is correctly installed and apply correct torque to stem cap bolt before tightening the stem clamping bolts. Lightly lubricate threads of stem clamping bolts and torque to specifications.

Take handlebars out of stem. Check for sharp edges on contact surfaces of stem body or cover plate and round off any such edges with file. Lubricate threads of cover plate bolts but don't get any oil or grease on contact areas between stem and bars.

Check for correct torque on pedals.

Check WHEELS carefully..
Borrow a set of known good wheels from a friend, and see if noise goes away.

Check own wheels for defects:

Look for rim cracks near nipple holes. Squeeze pairs of spokes to see if they are clicking at crossing points. Take wheels off, place on ground horizontally, and gently but firmly push down on rim at opposite sides of wheel.


Is it safe to use a bike tire that was on a wheel that got tacod? My bike recently got into a crash (I was not on it) and both wheels were taco'd. Is it safe to take the tires off and use them on a different wheel?
What could go wrong and what should I look out for?

It should be perfectly safe to re-use the tyres.  Many tyres are stored folded/twisted in their packaging to save space.

I would however recommend carefully inspecting each tyre first, checking for damage to the tread area, sidewalls and tyre bead.


Safety guidelines for cycling in traffic Please post your safety tips for cycling/commuting that should help you get to your destination place in one piece.

I came across a nice printed guideline a few years ago when working as courier, it was posted on the wall in the base and covered many common road situations. Recently I tried to look it up on the web but with no luck, so I thought that placing a community wiki question here could be beneficial for many commuters.

A lot of cyclists promote vehicular cycling in which you act just like a car, obeying all of the rules of the road.  This includes respecting all stop signs & lights, travelling in the same direction on the same side of the road as motorized traffic, and using the full lane (taking the lane), often ignoring marked bike lanes if they are too small or marginalized.

To me, vehicular cycling means acting like you belong on the road and that you have the legal right to be there (which you do).  I think a lot of bicycle accidents happen because the cyclist is trying to stay out of the way of cars and in doing so becomes very difficult for cars to see.


Is it best to attack the flat before a hill? ...or is the extra energy used to overcome the exponentially increased air resistance on the flat best saved for overcoming gravity on the hill, when the air resistance penalty is much lower? Does that outweigh the benefit of a bit more momentum going up the hill?
I guess the answer could differ depending whether you want to be fastest up the hill or use the least energy.
Edit - this could be for large or small hills, but the boundary case might be a hill where any momentum you built up has reduced to zero right as you go over the crest.

Is it best to attack the flat before a hill?

NO
On flat ground, power is proportional to speed cubed because drag from air dominates.  If you want to go twice as fast on flat ground, you need to expend eight times the power.  So if you're going 20 mph/30 kph and double your power, you'll wind up going all of 25 mph/38 kph - and you'll blow yourself up really fast if you were riding close to your threshold power to begin with.
But on a steep enough hill where overcoming gravity dominates over drag, then when you double your power, you'll go twice as fast up the hill.
Lets say you're going 30 kph at 200W on the flats, and that's a power you can hold for good long while, but you can hold 400W for two minutes.  Let's be generous and say 400W on flat ground gets you up to 40 kph.  You'll cover 1 1/3 km in those two minutes - then lets say you can still hold 200W (you won't, though...) and it takes you four minutes to climb a short, steep hill at 200W.  That's a total of 6 minutes to get to the top of the hill.
And I was really generous at how much faster doubling your power on the flats improves your speed and in assuming you'd be able to climb that hill at 200W after blowing yourself out on the flat...
OK, let's turn power outputs around.  At 200W and 30 kph, covering that 1 1/3 km will take 2 minutes and 40 sec.  But now you get to go up that hill at 400W and only take 2 minutes.
You're at the top of the climb in 4 minutes and 40 seconds - you just dropped the you that blew yourself up on the flat, getting yourself a minute and 20 second lead.
And you get to recover on the descent.
Heck, take it a bit easy up the hill at 350W, you only got a minute lead, but spent a lot less energy, saving it for later climbs or sprints.
You can spend less energy and go faster if you spend that energy where it gets you the most velocity.


Bottom bracket length without knowing front chainline (fixed gear) I'm wondering if I can find the right bottom bracket axle (or spindle, whatever it's called) with knowing my crank model (Gipiemme Dual Sprint, Velobase says BB should be 113mm) and rear chainline (I think 47mm, I can measure exactly with caliper).

As far as I know I have to use Campagnolo BB's with Gipiemme cranks and I can only order them online from where I live. I don't want to have to send back, order another and on and on ;)

Presuming a replacement is necessary, and not a new build, can you remove the cranks and measure the the spindle length?  You can do it with the BB still installed if the caliper arms are 'deep' enough.

While you are in there with calipers, its probably worth getting the BB Shell diameter and width too.

Another variation is the thread's hand orientation (left/ right).  I forget now side is the variable one.


Longtail cargo bikes - why no internal-gear hubs? I really like the idea of ("compact") longtail cargo bikes, i.e. bikes with a regular frame shape but with an extra-large and sturdy rack for transporting medium-sized loads and persons/kids. Personally, I'd prefer one without electric assist. There don't appear to be many bikes to choose from in this category, I found the ones from Yuba, Xtracycle and Surly. All of these use a classic derailleur-based setup. I think that for such a bike, an internal-gear hub would be much more practical:

In inner-city traffic with a lot of stop lights, slow riders in front of you, pedestrians crossing etc., being able to shift quickly, possibly even under load, would be very helpful
The chain could be partially or completely covered, preventing entangling the cargo or passenger's pants
Less maintenance
Possibility of using a belt drive, even less maintenance

Why are there no longtail cargo bikes with an internal-gear hub? The only reason I can think of is that the ball bearings inside existing IGH's simply can't transfer the weight from axle to wheel, and:

The added weight doesn't matter much for such a heavy bike
Even though more mechanical energy needs to be applied for accelerating a bike with a heavy load, the rider's strength is the same, so it doesn't have to transfer more force in any instant (just for a longer time to get to a given speed as a regular bike)

I suspect the main reason is cost - internally geared hubs are more expensive than derailleur setups.

Torque capacity may also be a factor. You are wrong about the force the hub has to withstand being only dependant on the rider. The torque on the hub is determined by the gearing ratio and crank arm length as well as the force the rider can apply.

A heavy bike will require a lower gear ratio between the chainring and sprocket to lower the overall gear ratio range. A lower gear ratio means more torque on the hub input for a given force applied to the pedals.


Seat post tightening I have a Giant Defy 3 and I'm not sure how tight the seat post bolts should be. I don't have a torque Allen key. Is doing the two bolts on the ring that goes around the frame as tight as I can do them with my hands ok? It's an aluminium frame. I don't  I want to cause any damage to the frame.

Thanks

In this manual, they state the torque for the Giant Defy seatpost should be around 50kgf-cm (5Nm). I know this is for the carbon frame, but they should be similar.

You can buy a torque wrench for around $30, which you should, because otherwise there is a high chance you will under or over tight it. I know $30 is a pain in the ass, but think this will keep your $1000 bike running smoothly for a long time.


Cyclocross frame size question I'm looking to purchase my first cyclocross bike and just found a good deal from someone. It's a Cannondale CAADX tiagra 2015 with a frame size of 56 cm (top tube 56cm basically). I'm a little bit afraid it might be too big for me. My height is 180 cm (5'11) with an inseam of 82 cm. Do you think it would be too big for me, especially on long rides?

From what I've read, it seems that a 54cm frame would be much better for me, but this is a real good deal.

I can't test the bike, because the guy lives in another city.

Thanks!

Can you step over the top tube without doing extreme acrobatics?-- if so, the height shouldn't be a problem; The length of the top tube (i.e. how long the bike frame is rather than how tall) is the more pertinent question. I can't say either "yes" or "no" to "is this frame too big?" in this regard because people's dimensions vary widely anyway: I'm also 180cm and supposedly have relatively long legs according to some "professional bike fitting charts" (but I doubt that my legs are in fact longer than most — see e.g. a sizing chart from ebicycles) for someone my height and most 55-56cm top-tubed frames fit me more or less okay but your legs may be shorter or longer than mine, meaning you'd need a shorter or longer frame length to accommodate it.

If you can't get (unbiased) professional fitting advice, try doing some "real" riding the bike and see if the posture is comfortable, especially when doing turns (both leaning-style turns and turns using the handlebars): If it fits reasonably well and the price is good enough, you can easily tweak the dimensions using handlebar and saddle adjustments and/or replacements.


Should I get a performance bike or an endurance bike for 180 km rides? I want to do the 180 km of cycling in general, that is the 2nd leg of Ironman.
I don't have a bicycle, as of now.
I am planning to buy a road bike (not the one used for triathlon).
People ask me to choose between a bike for endurance and a bike for performance.

I have ridden 200 km in a very cheap hybrid bike (twice the weight of an average road bike) in 11 hours.
I would be using the bike mainly for triathlons and long distance brevet(but brevets at a later stage), so mainly concentrating in tri.

Now my question is:
Doing 180 km in 6-7 hours come under race or endurance?
The speed involved here is 30 km/hr.
This will help me in choosing an endurance bike(Fuji, in my mind) or a performance bike (Trek, in my mind).

The terms "performance bike" and "endurance bike" aren't very well defined. To many people, the term "endurance bike" describes touring bicycles, which are used for long-distance self-supported rides where you're carrying a lot of equipment and supplies. However, Fuji (which you referred to), uses the term "endurance bike" to mean a road bike with a more relaxed geometry and "competition bike" to mean a road bike with more aggressive geometry. Trek (the other manufacturer you referred to), seems to use "sport bike" to refer to the relaxed geometry bikes, and "race performance bike" to refer to the aggressive geometry bikes.

The "endurance" and "competition" bikes are both high-performance road bikes, it's just that the "competition" bikes sacrifice a bit more comfort to eke out the highest possible performance (in theory, anyway). Most bike manufacturers have multiple product lines that cover both categories, so the general category of geometry doesn't necessarily dictate a decision between manufacturers.

I suspect that for the length of ride you're considering, you'll feel more comfortable on an relaxed geometry bike (e.g., "endurance" at Fuji or "sport" at Trek). But in the end, it's all about how you feel on the bike, so you should really test ride a few different bikes and see what you like best. No list of specifications, however long and detailed, can remove the need to try a bike and find out for yourself whether it works for you.


Could you reduce the weight of a Santa Cruz Chameleon down from 12.82 kg to 10kg (2018 model)? I am currently thinking of getting my first mountain bike, I have ridden a lot of cyclocross and am used to a 10kg bike but am not that familiar where you could save weight on a mountain bike.

What components would you use to reduce the weight of a 2018 Santa Cruz Chameleon which currently retails at 12.82 kg? I would mostly be riding rough cyclocross races and XC races. I would be purchasing a large frame size.

Breaking the rules with a kind-of non-answer and personal opinion, but...

1) Mountain bikes should be heavier than a cyclocross bike. It's got a suspension fork and frame and wheels need to be beefier to handle bigger loads and impacts.

2) Don't buy a bike with a plan replace major components. Just buy the bike that meets your needs in the first place (in this case a bike lighter than 12kg out of the box). Doing so will be much, much cheaper than swapping out parts.

Another way of stating (2) is: there is only one component you need to swap out for a lighter alternative - the bike itself.

I note the higher level SC Highball S hits your weight goal.


How to replace a spoke on a rim with no spoke holes? Tubeless ready CX-R1 felt wheel. The spokes are sealed from the inside. How and what tools do I need to replace the spokes?

It looks like a pretty standard threaded nipple with aluminum spokes. Is the spoke broken off right at/in the nipple, by the rim, or is there enough of the broken spoke sticking out of the nipple that you can 'grap' it with a pliers/vice-grip type tool? ...

a). If the spoke broke off right at the nipple, leaving nothing to grasp -- or if the nipple itself is somehow damaged -- then you'll need to remove the rim strip/rim tape from the inside of the rim in order to remove the nipple. Spoke nipples aren't threaded into the rim so it should 'back out'/fall out freely. In this case, you will need a spoke wrench to install the new spoke and you will need to install new rim tape after the new spoke and nipple are installed. You may need an sharp knife to carefully cut/lift the old rim tape.  Otherwise...

b). If you can grab the broken spoke securely, just use a spoke wrench to turn the nipple and un-thread the broken spoke. You shouldn't need to access the nipple from the 'inside' of the rim. In this case, you will need a spoke wrench (to turn the nipple) and a pliers (to grasp onto the broken spoke).


Do you need to remove the disc rotor to replace a drive side spoke? Today I had a spoke break in the middle of a ride. I did notice it had a wobble but I don't have the experience to tell what's passable. Even new bikes can have a slight wobble. so I dismissed it.

I was quoted £30 to replace the spoke and true it - the mechanic said he had to remove the cassette and rotor to replace a drive side spoke.

Is this true or they're having a laugh?

Should I replace myself? if I remember correctly this wheel has had a a spoke break on me before.

Yes, usually you have to remove both to get the spokes through, although not every time depending on the specific hub and rotor.

It's typical that wheels that break spokes are going to keep breaking them due to build or material quality issues or both. So which is the least painful between doing it yourself 16 or 32 times versus paying for it versus buying a new wheel or paying to get it rebuilt all at once is up to you.

If the bike/wheel is within a warranty period and it's having this issue, it's an especially good thing to use the warranty for because if they're breaking when still fairly new, it really may not stop until they're all replaced. I've rebuilt or replaced many such wheels.

Replacing spokes is low to moderate difficulty, depending on how messed up the wheel is once you're getting it true, but does have a lot of steps, so shop rates for it unfortunately tend to be something like what you're encountering.


Carbon steerer tube scratch (inside the tube) - how bad is it? Today I looked into my steerer tube and saw this:

Since Im new to carbon frame, I cannot decide if this is a serious problem which has to be fixed asap, or just a minor scratch on the surface. It dosent look cracked, not deep, probably caused by my expander plug...
Thanks for your toughts, maybe some of you had the same issue
Best

Old question.  Not sure if anyone is interested, but here is a shot.
Qualifiyer: I am not a bicycle frame Designer or bike repair person; however I have spent 30 years in the aircraft industry telling people how to repair composites.
That picture is a bit misleading, looks like a flash blew out some color & detail.
The tear line & location makes me think this is a fiberglass isolation ply.  If it is, the floppy piece would be white.  Delaminated fiberglass is normally white, bonded is nearly translucent.  The main use for a thin fiberglass isolation ply would be to prevent galvanic corrosion between the carbon & aluminum.  The aluminum will eventually go away via corrosion, again white.  I am assuming the head stem is aluminum.
Also, fiberglass has a 3X modulus of elasticity over carbon.  It's more stretchy.  Probably making it more resistant to the abuse from your expander plug & putting that extra layer between the plug & carbon.
I see no Structural issue here.  a thin coat of room temperature curing resin, paint or even fingernail polish just over the missing fiberglass with a very slight overlap will take care of any potential galvanic corrosion issues.  If not, it will take a long time for the corrosion to do much damage.


Are there any cheap, wide tubular front wheels? I was recently involved in a crash, which has cracked my front clincher wheel. I'd like to give tubulars a go and would like a wide rim so that I can fit some 700c x 25-28 mm tyres without the tyre becoming bulbous and greatly increasing drag, while enjoying the added comfort of a wider tyre. Are there any options for less than £100? Most of the options seem to be full carbon constructions, which I cannot afford and do not brake well in the wet anyway.

The main reason people tend to use tubular tyres is that they are generally lighter than clincher counterparts. If you do wish to use a more budget-friendly alloy wheel, then going tubular isn't going to gain you too much weight savings. This is the reason manufacturers don't produce tubular alloy wheels. But if you want to save weight on wheels, try tubeless.


What's the cone wrench size? What's the cone spanner size for cone nut on Shimano WH-R550 Front wheel ?
Is it 17mm or 18mm ?
I tried with 16, it seems, need more, 1 or 2mm bigger.

Thanks


Upside-down Fork vs Traditional Fork What are the advantages of upside-down (USD) forks vs traditional forks?

I have read they are 'better', 'stronger', etc., mostly in the context of motorcycles.

Some high end downhill bikes use them as well as some cross country bikes I've seen (that are equipped with RockShox inverted suspension), like this:

According to Wikipedia:

  Conventionally, the fork stanchions are at the top, clamped to a triple tree (also called a triple clamp or a yoke), and the sliders are at the bottom, attached to the front wheel spindle. On some modern sport bikes and most off-road bikes, this system is inverted, with "sliders" (complete with the spring/damper unit) at the top, clamped to the yoke, while the stanchions are at the bottom. This is done (i) to reduce unsprung weight by having the heavier components suspended, and (ii) to improve the strength and rigidity of the assembly by having the strong large-diameter "sliders" clamped in the yokes.[2] The inverted system is referred to as an upside-down fork, or "USD" for short. A disadvantage of this USD design is that the entire reservoir of damping oil is above the slider seal so that, if the slider seal were to leak, the oil could drain out, rendering any damping ineffective.

The article mentions reducing "unsprung weight" as an advantage, what does this mean and why is it advantageous?

Quote from yamaha-motor.com.au:

  On inverted forks, the large outer tube of the fork is clamped in the
  bike’s triple clamps and the sliding inner tube holds the axle and
  front wheel. By locating the large diameter tubes in the triple clamp,
  the inverted or upside down fork have their largest and strongest
  parts combatting the highest stress.

  This arrangement gives the forks high rigidity, which improves their
  response by reducing the side loading of the internal bushings
  (sliding surfaces). This kind of response is particularly important in
  high performance applications. Most inverted forks use cartridge-type
  damping systems.

  Also, since the damping mechanisms are now held by the triple clamps,
  unsprung weight is minimised. Reducing unsprung weight is one of the
  biggest contributors to quality suspension performance, particularly
  for featherweight motorcycles like the YZ series or R1 and R6.

They also mention reduction of unsprung weight as one of the biggest advantages, as well as reduction in side-loading as another advantage.

The only disadvantages I've read about are the aforementioned oil leakage issue and a possibility of greater change of nicks on the stanchion from road debris.  Are these valid concerns on a bicycle?

Are there any other pros/cons to an USD suspension setup on a bicycle?

The unsprung weight thing is a myth for the most part.  Cast aluminum and magnesium lowers are extremely light, for example, old marzocchi 66 ones were only 3/4 of a pound, total weight.  It's not as if the stanchions, dropouts, lower-internals and anything other parts are weightless on an inverted fork, then you have to compare the weight difference with the unsprung weight of the fork, axle, brake rotor, caliper, rim, tire, spokes, etc.  In the end, it ends up being significantly less than a 10% difference and a tire-change would have a much bigger effect.

The lubrication is about the only valid benefit, as you get better lubrication with an inverted semi or open-bath design.  The tradeoff is if the seal fails, the fork drenches your brake in oil, which would leave you without a front brake.

Fore-aft stiffness is better as the fork progresses through travel, but here's the big issue with this, to make an inverted fork, even a dual crown version, as torsionally stiff as a non-inverted fork, it needs a lot of reinforcement.  To date, no one has really accomplished this and even less-so with the single-crown versions, which have no 2nd crown to help out with the twisting forces.  So, the inverted designs end up weighing more, and with your non-inverted design, you could simply use bigger stanchions, as Fox has done with forks like the 40, and go right back to having as good or better fore-aft stiffness.  Other modern additions like 1.5 steerer tubes have also boosted fore-aft stiffness significantly.  So for motorcycles, which don't have a brake-arch on inverted OR non-inverted designs (we'll get to that), where casing the jump at 60mph is a real concern, a big heavy inverted fork is great, but it's not apples to apples with mtbs and with the forks always ending up heavier, you can simply use bigger stanchions on a non-inverted mtb fork.

When the travel gets long enough, you do have to go to an inverted design to get the proper bushing overlap, so more than 8" or so, it usually makes sense to go inverted to avoid crazy extended lowers that extend below the dropouts.  This is one big reason why modern MX bikes use inverted designs.

Other reasons it's not apples to apples for say road-going motorcycles is that something like a sport-bike will have around 3" of travel and huge stanchions and bushing overlap.  It'd be like running a dual crown mtb inverted DH fork with only 2" or 1" of travel, which would be easier to manage in terms of making it stiffer.  Another big reason it's not the same thing is that the off-road and on-road motorcycles rely on the huge beefy crowns and material in the uppers between the crowns.  These forks will often have no steerer of any kind, only a rod that is used to preload the bearings, obviously mountain bikes are quite difference functionally in terms of design, so the crowns are significantly weaker and will allow a lot more torsional flex.

Inverted forks do look cool, but to make them anywhere near as stiff as conventional ones, it requires exotic engineering or exotic materials or a combination of both.  This means things like keyed stanchions, or carbon-fiber upper structures, etc., and in the end, if you spent that time and energy on a conventional fork, you'd still beat the intverted in terms of weight and rigidity.  I've owned many inverted forks, single and double crown.  The lack of torsional rigidity is real and in some cases pretty scary.  Better designs have minimized this, but there's little reason to actually seek out an inverted design, as there's no real benefit or advantage, except in some extremely limited situations (like you need a 10" travel fork for some reason).


How does one test the freewheel? What are the failure modes (symptoms) of a failing or failed freewheel?

My understanding of normal free wheeling means the rear tire should rotate when the bike is moving and the pedals are or are not rotating.

Failure would mean the bike and the pedals always move together, like a fixed or locked hub, or the pedals and cassette move but the rear tire seems disconnected.

I intermittenly have a 1/4 - 1/2 crank turn 'slip' in the pedals before the wheel begins to move. The condition is very obvious on my trainer, not noticeable on the road. Is it a free wheel failure or something else?

If the freewheel is indeed the problem as I suspect, is it repairable or am I required to replace the freewheel and cassette together.

You are correct about the two failure modes.  Try lubricating your freewheel with a light oil.  If it is dry or dirty that can cause it to not engage.  If that does not fix it then you will need to replace it.


How do hand signals vary between countries? There are several conventions on how to signal properly

The simple method (straight left arm = left, straight right arm = right)
This answer on SE depicts a left-arm-only way of signalling (straight left arm = left, bent 90 up = right)

I'd like to know where should one use which singalling convention? I'm personally mostly concerned about Europe, but let's keep the question general.

Both question linked by Neil are rather comprehensive for the US and UK. Wikipedia (though not the greatest resource) seems to have a nice, even if short, list of arm signals in various countries.

I live in Denmark, and while I couldn't find a trusted resource for it (there are a number of blog posts, though), I'd say the convention is to use straight left and right arm signals. And in reality they are something between a straight and a bent arm, so it only matters which arm is used.

Finally, Lithuanian traffic rules (note: it's in Lithuanian) indicate the following:

To turn right, use straight right arm or bent left arm
To turn left, use straight left arm or bent right arm
To stop, use either left or right arm straight up


Can moving cycling cleats forward be a good way to train our calf muscles? A good bike fit is known to increase power transfer and endurance because it balances our muscle groups. Interestingly, bike fitters often recommend moving the cleats back to put less load on our calves.

Wouldn't it be better to move our cleats forward to train our calves more? Stronger calves can improve running through increased stride length and reduced injury risks.
https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20863322/strong-calf-muscles/

There's no point.  Calf muscles do not provide significant power in cycling:

Further down the chain into the lower leg the gastrocnemius and soleus haven't been found to add much power to the pedal stroke but their main role is to stabilise the lower leg to enable an efficient transition of the force generated by the upper leg to the pedal.

The final part of a stride while running is the calf muscle extending the foot to get a final push off the ground - and this happens when the leg is just about straight, so the force that gets transmitted pushes directly on the center of mass and helps propel the body forward.
The power stroke when pedaling occurs with the knee bent.  Any force the calf muscle exerts just gets transmitted through the knee to the quadriceps, which still have to do the work to push the knee down and provide power to make the bike go.
Lengthening the lever arm the calf muscles have to work against by moving the cleat forward on the foot just makes the calf's muscles work in stabilizing the ankle and foot while pedaling harder without generating any more power.


How do you tighten a Hope seat post quick release? I have a couple of these Hope seat post quick release, but I realised I don't know how to tighten it. I am referring to the adjustment on the bolt (not the qr lever).

Just the same as with quick release levers for your wheels, these are essentially a nut on one side with a bolt through it, with the lever attached to the bolt on the other side.
You can damage the clamp itself or what it is clamping, such as your frame or the seat post, if you over tighten it.
To get the correct tension (from too loose), you should open the lever (red arrow) fully, and tighten the nut (blue arrow) a little and reclose the lever (red arrow). Do this until it is at the proper tension.

Alternatively, if it is too tight, you follow the same procedure as above, but loosen the nut a little instead of tightening it. An easy to remeber rule of thumb is you want the lever to just be tight enough when closed for the seat post to not move.
As a side note, some people, and me included, leave the seatclamp just a tiny bit too loose on purpose for mountain biking, BMX and street trials, just because if I fall, I would rather my seatpost swist on impact rather than maybe damaging either the seat, the post or the frame.