How to repair ripped Ortlieb pannier I have an Ortlieb Back Roller pannier that has developed a rip about 6" (150mm) long along the lower rear inside corner – where the side/bottom joins the back (wheel side). It looks like this:

In the photo I've pulled the rip open, if I let the pannier relax there is just a small slit, as if someone tried to slice the pannier open with a knife.

Is this something that can be reliably repaired?

If its under the Ortlieb five year warrantee or you want it professionally done, send it back to them: https://www.ortlieb.com/en/service/garantie/

Locally, a local mountain shop, seamstress/tailor, sailmaker, upholstery shop, or shoe repair shop (tip of the hat to Daniel Hicks and dlu for the additions) might be able to do it for you. Whoever does the repair will need an industrial sewing machine -- or, more likely will have to handsew it because of its short length and awkward location. Prices will vary accordingly.

Otherwise, you could yourself sew it back together with Kevlar thread and a large sewing needle or awl, with perhaps some ballistic nylon as backing. Since the tear is at a corner, you may have to dismantle the pack a bit. If this paragraph makes no sense, don't attempt it.

A quicker and much, much dirtier fix would be to use repair tape: either tent repair tape, resin-impregnated fiberglass or cloth tape (such as fiberfix), or make your own using epoxy resin and ballistic cloth. Or, as always, duct tape.


Why is my rear rack shaped like this? I recently bought a used bike that had a rack attached to it. Until last night I didn't notice this strangely shaped part on one of the sides of the rack (circled in purple in the picture). This isn't on the other side and it isn't on the rack on my other bike or the rack on my roommates bike either. I believe that this piece was partially responsible for the issues I had attaching panniers to my rack.
My question is what is this and what purpose does it serve/why is it a part of my rack?

Edit to add photo of top portion of frame pump holder as well.

I suspect it is one end of a pump holder. It holds one end of a pump. If my suspicion is true, there should be at the other end of the rack something to hold the other end of the pump. You compress the pump against a spring in the pump to attach it to the rack. This works only for pumps having a spring.
Presumably the pump that came with the bike (if it was an accessory sold bundled with the bike) has long ago gone missing. You may not be able to find a replacement pump of exact the same length.


What is a thru axle? I have seen thru axles mentioned in various places but never explained or even described.

I found a post on another site where someone asked the same question and got lots of debate in response, but no explanation.

What is a thru axle? What problem does it solve?

Thanks.

With a traditional non-through axle, there's a slot at the bottom of the fork (or the dropouts), the axle is hollow, and there is a skewer through axle. You use the quick-release to loosen the grip around that slot to slide the skewer (vertically) in and out of that slot, while it's still going through the wheel.

With a through axle, there is simply a hole on either side, instead of a slot. You remove the axle entirely out the side of the hub in order to remove the wheel.

Typically, through axles are much thicker axles. The thicker axle is stronger and stiffer. Downhill mountain bikers were breaking axles, and it's a lot harder to break a 15mm through axle than to break a 9mm traditional axle. The stiffness also helps the bike handle better ("more responsive").

From what I've heard from a framebuilder friend, the move to through axles is also because frame manufacturing techniques improved to allow them. With a traditional dropout, if the two sides were a millimeter off, the framebuilder could simply file a millimeter out of the slot on one side to make things work right. Once it's all polished and painted you'd never notice. With a through axle the framebuilder absolutely has to get the alignment just right, because an oval hole just won't work.

The only downside of a through axle is that changing a flat might take an extra second or two.


Why can't the gear ratio be something like 100:1? Is it practically possible? I am planning to develop a bicycle on my own for a competition. But the main requirement of it is that it must be able to develop a maximum speed. If I am able to cast the sprockets with gear ratio say 10:1 or something like 100:1, will there be any practical hindrance to it?

The main hindrance will be actually getting going from a standstill.
This kind of thing has been done quite a bit and is called motor-pacing and involves riding a very highly geared (usually fixed-gear) bike behind a fast car with some kind of fairing to reduce wind resistance on the bike. Speeds of well over 100mph have been reached.

This kind of bike is totally unsuitable for riding anywhere but a specially controlled long straight under the right conditions.

Check out this video for an idea of what's involved.


Loose Hub on front wheel Front wheel hub is loose and the whole thing wobbles a bit. Im a fan of dubstep but there's a little too much wubwub in my hub. How do I tighten that bad boy up properly?

Thanks!

It depends on the type of hub, but most commonly you'll need a 15mm and 17mm cone wrench.  A picture of the hub would be helpful.


Replace Ultegra 6600 STI lever I need to replace my Ultegra 6600 right hand shifter as the ratcheting system is gone. The rest of the groupset is all the same 6600 series.

I am having a hard time sourcing just a right hand side shifter and they cost more than I really want to spend.

I am having a hard time working out what shimano shifters are compatible.  I gather there has been a change in the brake pull length, so its critical that I get a compatible shifter for the 6600 brake.

Will a Tiagra 10 speed 5400 combined shifter/brake lever be compatible?

Is there a compatibility chart for the brake pull options?

Any suggestions appreciated.

The Ultegra 6600 STI lever is available as a right hand only part. It should cost around $400 dollars for the right shifter only, and around $600 dollars for the set.

Any Shimano 10 speed rear shifter, including the new Tiagra 4600 10 speed will be compatible. If you have current brakes, and you use a 10 speed STI lever, as previously noted, you will have no problem with the brake pull.

The compatibility chart can be found here.


Cruiser bottom bracket is clicking and grinding My Trek Pure Deluxe 3-speed cruiser has been making a clicking noise when riding for some time. The problem is faint, and is more felt than heard. However, it's been getting worse; it now makes a grinding noise if I'm mashing a bit when going uphill.

The noise seems to happen when the right crank arm is facing forward. Which gear I'm in makes little difference. I've eliminated saddle noise (by pedaling out of the saddle) and have replaced the chain.

Is there anything else at all that this could be, or should I just replace the BB at this point?

Yeah, the first thought would be a loose crank arm, and if it isn't tended to immediately (if it's not too late already) the crank arm and possibly the spindle will be destroyed.

The other possibility, if this is a cartridge BB, is that the cartridge is slightly loose.  But in that case the noise is usually only present under high load.

[I'll add that tightening the crank arms is one of the half-dozen or so items that should be taken care of during the free once-over (after a few months use) that you should get from a bike shop if you buy a bike there.]


What could I do with a damaged helmet (other than wearing it)? I recently damaged my helmet (standard Bell road style) in a fall, so it will be retired from use (I'm a firm believer in the '1 hit' rule: My helmet had a bad fall. Is it still good?)

Rather than just throwing the helmet in the garbage, can anyone suggest some other useful purpose for it (or the parts)?

The straps are probably the best bit. You should be able to reassemble them into a short luggage strap perhaps to use with panniers or a rucksack.

If any removable pads have survived wear and tear up to now, they might fit your replacement, and a spare set of pads is a good thing for when the other pads are destinking (mine need a periodic soak in bleach).

I keep an old (but not visibly damaged) helmet under my desk in work, because I also keep a bike near work and in theory could end up wanting to use it and not having my current helmet.

The shape and size are too awkward for many potential uses - while you could probably make one into a lunch bag or something it would take more materials than it's worth. I wondered about keeping it as a jig or stand foe use when tinkering with helmet-mounted lights or cameras (something I do more than most people) but helmets are all different and what mounts securely on one won't necessarily work on another.

You may have recycling for the foam in your area if you can get the outer shell off.


Can lock on grips go with carbon fiber handle bars? How prudent is it to install lock on grips onto carbon fiber mountain biking handle bars? Are there some grips that will work and some that won't?

You need to check with the manufacturer of your bars (and the grips you're choosing), but in most cases its not a problem. As with all things carbon fiber, don't over tighten anything.

Some manufacturers have specific grips which are marketed as carbon fiber friendly. For example, Easton's lock on grips are marketed as being friendly with carbon bars.

Note that this is a bit different than using bar ends - Ergon notes that their bar ends are not safe for CF bars, but their non-bar end grips are safe for CF bars (they also have some suggestions on what to do if your grips slip).


Hitch for a cart for braking I was designing a cart for personal use. I live in an area with elevations on the road, and I fear braking might be an issue for the cart I have behind my bike.
Can anyone suggest a good mechanism they might have experienced or seen for brakes on a cart attached on the back of a bicycle.

Also, How is there a Hitch which is flexible enough for absorbing the force during braking.

This site describes a prototype flexible hitch for pulling carts that includes an automatic braking system. It describes using a spring loaded rod inside an outer tube, with a segment of brake cable attached to the tube:

  The simple brake cable design will make use of the force of the
  trailer moving towards the bike, which also moves the housing with the
  brake cable towards the bike. This force pushes the cable into the
  rod, which causes tension on the cable and engages the brakes.

(I believe it's ok under the CC license to republish their diagram by attributing it to the authors of the original article, Matt Ramirez, Chris Carvalho, and David Hernandez)


How to tell if my handlebar is really too long? As some of you already know, I'm putting together a trekking bike. It is mostly to commute where the usual route will be 15km: up to 10km on paved roads and the rest unpaved, including a highway construction site and woods. I also want to be able to take it bikepacking to Bieszczady, the Polish low mountains.
I actually put it together yesterday, and it works pretty great. The frame might've been a bit smaller, but it is quite comfortable.
My friend, who assembled like a hundred bikes so far, says my handlebar is a bit too long for me. He has seen me ride it and still thinks so. I don't  have any comparison, but for me it is really comfortable as it is, without shortening it. But cutting is irreversible, so I am reluctant.
How to tell if I really really need a shorter handlebar?

I'm 194cm tall and 115kg. My shoulders are about 55cm wide, and my handlebar with grips is 65cm wide.

Presuming as you are talking cutting down they are a flat bar.
Slide the grips, brakes and shifter inboard and ride it, see if it feels better.  If so, cut it down, if not, leave as is. If you are still not sure,  a cheap shorter bar to try for a bit a longer might be worth the investment before committing to cutting.
Bars can always be cut down, so its cheaper for the supply chain to supply one length, that too long for most people, and have them trimmed.  Many have markings to show where to cut when trimming.


Small concavities on rims Recently bought a pair of used zipp 808 clinchers and was a bit disappointed when after a closer look discovered a couple of small concavities (something like 1mm in diameter) on outer side of the rims here and there. Apparently someone attached too much power to levers (I just can't believe one can use a screwdriver for this purpose on a zipp wheelset) when he or she was trying to remove a tire. I'm wondering how critical this damage is? In terms of durability, riding quality, aero, etc?

Is there a matching ding on the other side of the rim at about the same place?  If yes I'd say it the bike was ridden hard into a pothole with a sharpish edge.

Source - I found an unexpected kerb while riding recently.  The front wheel came up in time but the back wheel didn't rise soon enough, and I pinch flatted with cuts ~10mm long, wrecked the tyre, and now have two small dents just like this, but a little longer and shallower.

Personally I'd remove the tyre and gently file off the lip shown in the photo.  Look inside for a matching rim.  File off no more than you have to.  The braking surface should be smooth and not able to catch the brake pad at all.   Don't file the outside (round) edge of the wheel, and don't bother trying to fill the gap.

If you're concerned about weight imbalance, file all the dinks out and then put the rim, tyre and tube back in the frame while its off the ground.  See if it has a definite "heavier" point that settles lower all the time.  Use some clip-on spoke reflectors as weights to balance your wheel again.


Less than perfect bike grease for bolts and pedals I understand that a good grease for bike bolts is the Parktool grease.

The "gel squeeze threadlocker blue" pictured below is sold at my corner hardware store for curbside pick-up. Will this do to lock water out from pedals and shoe bolts? During this lockdown, I'm weary of placing yet another online order (and likely someone is worn out of packing and mailing).

Since grease inevitably stays in small amounts on one's fingers, not just on the bike's components, if you are in California and can confirm that this product manages to escape California's Proposition 65 warning, please do.

Related questions:

What type of grease to prevent seat post sticking?
Using Anti Seize in place of Grease
What substance do they use to grease bottom bracket, crank, pedal bolts etc?

"I understand that the "perfect" grease for bike bolts is the Parktool grease." Parktool has a great reputation (and often a premium price) but it has no patent that would make every product they make The Best Thing(TM).

There are many good greases for many various manufacturers. There is not much to make wrong with a traditional grease (petroleum jelly), just choose the right viscosity. There are many modern greases with various additives (teflon, ceramic) from many manufacturers.

The main point of a grease is to maintain the surfaces easily separated, screwing and unscrewing possible, prevent rust and bonding of those surfaces. A thread-locker, on the other way mainly joins those surface and will enable firm connection with a smaller torque.

But also, some threads are to be greased and some are to be thread-locked. The manufacturers normally say which is supposed to be used. For example, pedal threads are normally greased, while stem and handlebar bolts are usually thread-locked. Also, bolts on derailleurs are usually thread-locked. Carbon on carbon in seat-tubes usually calls for carbon-paste while metal-on metal seat-tubes normally call for a grease. For shoe cleats you should read the recommendation of your manufacturer. Mine calls for a grease but I would expect a thread-locker to work fine too.

You should use what the manufacturer calls for especially when you are screwing to a certain torque setting. One could over torque the threads when greasing what was supposed to be thread-locked. Or the opposite.


Used wheels - corrosion or dried rim tape adhesive? I recently bought some used Fulcrum CPX 4.5 off eBay. They seem to be in pretty good condition, the hub is fine and wheel runs true etc. However, I noticed that when I moved them I heard dust rolling about in the wheels. I pulled of the rim tape for the rear wheel and found loads of white dust (see picture bellow).

Is this corrosion of the wheel, or something else?

Thats just the adhesive from the old rim tape.

Get a cloth and some rubbing alcohol and rub away, and it should look brand new.


Are there any post 2013 studies available that focus on the use of bike lights during the day to prevent collisions with cars? My cousin was recently killed when hit by a car from behind as he was cycling his road bike in the countryside in broad daylight. The accident occurred on a sunny day as he entered a shaded area of tree's. I am now looking at raising awareness of the benefit of using rear lights in the day and I could use some help please.

No. Such studies are rarely done, and it would be difficult to get ethical approval for another one as the benefits have been clearly established. This would mean asking the people not using lights to put their lives at risk merely to reproduce other studies. Even if such approval could be obtained, I think the study should not be undertaken for that reason.

See this existing question for links to the previous studies.

Edit: since people seem to be struggling to understand the question and my answer:

the question was specifically "recent studies", hence the "no" answer.
The ethics of the study might vary between social science and medicine/engineering, but in the latter you cannot generally ask or permit people to take a dangerous action, no matter how interesting it might be. A study comparing, say, constant with flashing lights is more likely to get ethical approval than one which asks people not to use lights, or just dumps them from the study if they do. Some social scientists (eg, economists) have less restrictive ethical rules.
the difference is between passively observing that many cyclists ride without daytime lights, and asking people to refrain from using lights during the day. The latter requires explicitly saying "this is dangerous, please do it", and that is where ethical problems arise.

Imagine the question is, say "is smoking dangerous", or "is being obese dangerous" now. You can't really ask people to take up smoking or become obese (alternatively, that request is unlikely to get ethical approval), and you have to carefully design the study to allow for people who stop being eligible during the study. But, importantly, when you're comparing a fix (a quit smoking program, or a diet change), you need to come up with a control intervention that reveals the (dis)benefit of the chosen intervention without further harming the participants. Normal practice is to compare the intervention under study to the current best practice intervention rather than to nothing. There is even a meta-study of how often trials are stopped early for benefit when it becomes obvious that the trial intervention is significantly better than the comparison.

So for "cyclists using lights during the day" questions, a comparison of best practice (constant daylight lights) to a plausible alternative (flashing lights) is more likely to be approved than one where the alternative is the known-dangerous, definitely not best practice "no lights".


How to make a derailleur work in opposite directions? I am making a bike for a school project that can switch between upright and pseudo-prone position. It has two sets of crank assembly; one on one side of the rear gear set and one on the other; the task is to be able to switch positions.
However, the problem is that when you use drive train for one position, it works fine and the derailleur can change gears easily. But the same can't be done for the other position because the derailleur only works in one direction.
One potential solution is to fix one gear(the biggest or the smallest) for one position and switch the other gears for the other position.

Could someone please help me fix it such that all the gears can be used in both positions?

Here's a picture of the bike's design to explain:

When you switch to the crankset behind cogs, you need to move the derailleur above the cogset.

Think of it as rotating the entire drive train 180 degrees forward or flipping the entire bike over the bars and then moving wheels down until they touch the ground.

Note that the different crank positions require different chain length.


Difference between cheap and expensive mountain bikes I've been helping the friend to choose the bike the other day and we went to specific bike open air market. As I remembered the normal price for entry level bikes was ~400 EUR, but the Chinese mountain bikes there were priced something like ~100 EUR for the new one. For new one I mean it was right from the box with some branded parts from "Shimano" (probably fake :)). I've took a ride of one of the bikes and it seemed OK, without any sounds or discomfort. What is really the big difference? May be it's worth to buy 4-10 cheap bikes instead 1 expensive one for 1000 EUR? I mean, yes, the parts will be of cheap quality, but when they are worn - I probably can even install the original ones in the future or am I mistaken?

Example: http://trinx.ge/index.php?m=126 The majority is priced ~150$.

These bikes won't really work well as mountain bikes.

Namely:
They won't be able to handle any real terrain. Will be difficult to control on the trail due to bad damping and insufficient braking or braking modulation. Will be slow uphil due to heavy weight. They gearing will give you fewer options and shifting will not be as accurate. To achieve some reasonable gear range they must use a triple crankset and that is not used for midrange bikes any more (more awkward and heavier.

They will be prone to braking after jumps - I would especially be worried about the wheels (+ axles) and the forks, the steel frames might be sturdy.

They might work well for commuting, but then some of the features will be just a useless weight addon. Commuters are usually better with simpler bikes from different categories. And not just commuters, even when riding off-road on gravel roads or reasonable paths a simple bike with rigid fork and good rim brakes for the same price might be a better choice with better overall quality.


What are the disadvantages of "puncture proof" (or puncture resistant) tires? Some people refer to tires that are more resistant to punctures as "puncture proof" tires.
For example: Specialized All Condition Armadillo Tyre

Even though these tires are not really puncture proof, they do reduce a lot the chances of puncturing. So the advantage is obvious.

Apparently, they're not too expensive compared to regular tires. So, I was wondering why people would choose not to use these more resistant tires. What are their disadvantages?

Though there no doubt are "puncture-resistant" tires that seek to accomplish that end by means of extra-thick rubber, for the past 15-20 years the standard for puncture resistance has been Kevlar belted tires, which look and ride like ordinary tires and weight essentially the same as ordinary tires (maybe a few grams more).

The Kevlar belt under the tread increases puncture resistance by at least a factor 10, eliminating most common glass/thorn punctures, and also reducing the tendency of the tire to "bruise".

Price wise, my recollection is that they are about 30% more expensive than standard tires, but they likely last that much longer (plus save a lot on tubes), so the cost is pretty much a wash.  (The odd thing is that Kevlar-belted tires are so hard to find.)

Some people apparently confuse "Kevlar belted" tires with "Kevlar bead" tires.  The latter are "folding" tires and are supposedly desired because they are a hair lighter than metal bead tires, plus they can be folded and stuffed in a pannier.  But you can buy Kevlar belted with a metal bead (my preference, since folding tires are a PITA to install), and Kevlar bead tires are not necessarily Kevlar belted (in fact, most often not).

Update:  Last Saturday I had my first puncture in maybe 5 years (maybe 2000 miles), while finishing up a 35-mile morning.  Just got around to fixing it because it's been ungodly hot and humid. (Hitched a ride home the last two miles, since there was no way to fix the flat in 95-degree weather on a 4-foot shoulder in the sun with traffic whizzing by at 70 MPH.)

The culprit was apparently a construction staple that had pierced the tire just outside the belt, gone through the sidewall of the tube, and then punched a bigger hole in the inside diameter of the tube.

I do notice the tire is wearing a bit thin, so I'll probably have to replace it within a year or so.  I'm dreading trying to find a 700/35c road tire with Kevlar belt, though -- the catalogs are now full of off-road tires and cater even less to the touring market than they did 5-10 years ago.

OK -- To make this into a direct answer to the question, the main disadvantage of Kevlar belted tires is that you forget how to change a tire, you do it so rarely.


What are the 'easiest' ways to determine functional threshold power? I recently picked up a powertap and have done a fair bit of riding around and a few races now with it on, so I've started to get familiar with some of the numbers. I would like to figure out what my functional threshold power (FTP) is and would like to know which methods are more accurate.

I know a 40km time trial is sort of the gold standard, but I find these so mentally tough that it's nearly impossible for me to give an honest effort outside of a race situation.

Nothing is going to be easy, I imagine as any interpolated ways of doing this will probably require maximum effort for a certain amount of time, but I'm hoping there is a reasonably accurate method that is easier mentally and physically.

First, get 'Training and Racing w/ a Power Meter' by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan. So incredibly helpful in learning about your device.
Second, use WKO+ for analysis. I have been using it for 4 years and it is fantastic.

In reference to you question, I typically use the 20 min time trial as a good way of setting my training zones.
After a solid warm up (typically with a 5 min LT--->V02 effort) and then proper rest I do a flat 20 min TT.
I take the avg. power from that TT (not the norm. power) and multiply by .95 (or take 5% off, whatever is easiest). For example: a 300 watt average over 20 mins would indicate an FTP of 285.

What I do after that is keep an eye on my IF (intensity factor) and my TSS (training stress score). If that is all gibberish to you I would recommend getting the book!

http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/Archivedarticles/Determining%20Your%20Lactate%20Threshold.pdf

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx


Change Shimano GRX 1x to 2x This may be a stupid and uncommon (definitely seems so) question. Also forgive me for potential etiquette violations, as this is my first one on bike stackexchange.
I'm thinking about buying a gravel bike (nukeproof digger comp 2020) which has the Shimano GRX 1x11 drivetrain. Having almost no experience with gravel bikes, I'm just trying to understand, whether it would at all be possible in the future to "upgrade" to 2x11 - should the need arise.
So consider this a thought experiment: what would be necessary for such a conversion and what are the potential problems/showstoppers?
Thanks!
p.s.
The rather scarce relevant posts here (see below) did not help me definitively. Also there are might be some GRX specifics

claud-butler-tandem-add-a-front-derailleur
Adding front derailleur vs upgrading the rear one on a (ladies) bicycle

I've also read several articles on extending 1x11 range with aftermarket cassettes and hardware, such as this excellent one on bikepacking.com and understand that something like that might very well be the (significantly easier if more limited) solution too

It depends. For most gravel bikes it will be an easy, yet expensive, swap. A couple of gravel bikes frames are built in a way that makes shipping a front derailleur as good as impossible. There may not be enough room for the chain stays to clear a second chain ring. What is more, some frames lack mounting positions and the shape or material of the seat tube does not allow clamping. A minor obstacle might be cable routing.
Many gravel bikes come in 1x and 2x configurations. Only the group is different while the frame is identical. Migrating on these bikes from 1x to 2x is easy to do.
The costs involved are substantial though. You will need to replace crank-set, brifters, rear derailleur, chain, bar tape.
Unless you use SRAM's wireless group you also need to rout a cable. As before, gravel bikes that come in a 2x configuration make this easy. Bear in mind though, for internal cable routing you might have to remove the bottom bracket. Cable routing can be substantial and frustrating work, and may be expensive in a shop.
With so many components to replace, a good way to estimate component costs is to look at the price of a group set. It is typically at about 1/3 to 1/2 of the complete bike's price. Together with small parts and finishing kit you can expect the cost of modification to exceed the value of the bike after a year of riding.


Measuring tension in double butted spokes I'm building a wheel with double butted spokes, 2.0 mm at the ends, 1.8 mm in the center. The Park Tool Spoke Tension Meter has a conversion sheet to determine the tension in spokes of different diameters. My question is which scale to use: 2.0 mm or 1.8 mm.

Logically, I think that I should use the 1.8 conversion, because the center of the spoke is 1.8 mm diameter. But the entire length of the measured section is probably not 1.8 mm, because it is tapering to 2.0 mm at the ends.

The answer to this question suggests there is some acceptable variation, so I was thinking about aiming for somewhere in between.

Tensiometers test deflection and their charts make the assumption that the entire section being used for the test (the entire length of spoke between the tool's two contact points) is a uniform thickness. That way that section is isolated - if there were any of the taper in there, it would throw off the reading. So you always make sure the tool is touching only the thin section, and you use the chart entry for the thin section.


how to find wheel brand How do I find the brand/make of a bike wheel? I have been given a free bike in great condition except the front wheel is damaged. I need to replace it but can't find any markings to state what make it is.

you need to know the width of the front fork at the axle, to know what width your new hub needs to be. Then you need the diameter of the wheel (mostly stated on the tire, 26" or 28" usually) and if you need a wheel with a braking surface on the rim of the wheel (if you have v-brakes: yes). If you have a disc brake in the front, you need a compatible hub for this. With those four things in mind you can go and look for a wheel :)


Looking for suggestions on a mostly-road mixed-use tire I'm riding tracks that are 90% on-road, 5% poorly paved cracked roads and 5% gravel, dirt, chips, etc. No mud. Basically: ride 5km to a park, ride 1km there, ride back.

I'm pretty new to bikes. The tires I'm currently using are the stock Bontrager H5 Hard-Case Ultimate, 700x32c on my CX bike. I'm thinking that I'd like better road handling without sacrificing dirt traction.

I don't mind spending a lot on a tire. What would be some good tire choices for my use case? Which aspects would they upgrade?

Product replacements are considered off-topic, so I will discuss tire characteristic trade-offs for your riding environment:

  I'm riding tracks that are 90% on-road, 5% poorly paved cracked roads and 5% gravel, dirt, chips, etc. No mud. Basically: ride 5km to a park, ride 1km there, ride back.

Because you are not dealing with mud, a slick tire or nearly slick tire will work quite well for the short sections of gravel you are encountering.  While many people prefer knobby tires, these are not necessarily required:

  The truth is that on gravel, knobs don’t make any difference. Without semi-firm ground to dig into, knobs can’t do anything. When you slide, it’s because gravel is sliding on gravel, not because your tires are sliding on the top layer of rocks.

  Why We Don’t Make “Gravel” Tires

The above is especially true for larger volume tires, example 700x40c tires at low pressure, which float on the loose gravel, providing traction through a large contact patch. (Your cross bike may or may not fit such large tires).  That said, this isn't the whole truth.  Often gravel roads can have a thin layer of loose on hard pack, here knobs will dig through the thin layer of loose to hook up on the hard packed. Slicks will not.

Slicks however can have a surprising amount of traction on dirt, as long as you don't push the tire to the point that it slips. Kinetic friction, friction when sliding, is in general a lot lower than static friction (the friction mode tires usually operate on, you roll, you don't slide).  Furthermore, this scenario is made worse as the small rocks act as ball bearings when sliding and there slick tire has no edges to try and hook up on irregularities while sliding.  Here knobby tires will be more controlled in a slide as all the knobs provide lots of edges, and edges provide more traction when sliding.

However your ride is only 5% gravel, a relatively small proportion of your route, so running a knobby means that 95% of your ride essentially sucks as the knobs rob speed and squirm on the pavement.  As such, the most fun will likely be had if you optimize for the 95% paved.

A higher volume slick will also work well on the poor paved roads as it lets you run lower tire pressure before 1) handling declines and 2) you bottom out the rim.  Lower pressure means a more comfortable ride in the rough road. But similar to gravel, this is a small percentage of your ride, so if doing this adds rolling resistance in the other 90% may not be ideal.  This really depends on the quality and construction of the tire (more below).

Your current tires are probably a good fit for your current ride. The only thing I would consider is that any tire with a descriptor such as "Hard-case" will be a stiff ride, which means that either comfort or speed (or both) will be sacrificed. A more supple (easier to bend) 32 tire will probably be faster. That said, unless you are running tubeless with sealant you then have to balance this out against higher probability of a puncture. (Hard-case usually implies puncture protection).

Finally, and most importantly, your rides are currently quite short (i.e., 12 km).  On shorter rides (i.e., under an hour), I am personally hard pressed to notice much difference in tires. These differences really start to get noticed when you are on longer rides (e.g., 2-6 hour rides).


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

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

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

Doing it like the first picture shows is definitely not a good idea. The strap should be the other way round with the buckle as close as possible to the pedal's body. Reason 1: it can be tightened by pulling the end up and released with a the flick of the thumb on the buckle. (The reason for this black plastic end of the buckle) Reason 2: The end of the right strap falls over the foot and may be caught between chain and chain-wheel. The end will hardly drag on the ground.

In the days where I used straps I used waxed string to tie the part going through the pedal to the thin post which is more reliable than a 360° twist. Today I would use a small zip-tie.

The strap in the second picture isn't properly routed over the roller of the buckle. It may just be a promotional picture with the end of the strap photo-shopped away.

And last but not least: if the strap is really too long cutting off the excess is still an option.


Bike Washing Steps to know I would like to wash my bike.

Which cautionary steps should I take?

Which parts of a Bike are water sensitive?

Which steps should I take after bike wash?

Depends a little on what conditions you ride in, but the basic steps are all the same.

Take the bike outside.  If you have a leather saddle, remove it.  If you have a bike computer then remove that too, as well as any bags or tools.
Rinse the bike with a shower setting on your hose.  Do not use any sort of jet.
use biodegradable dishwash and warm water along with a car-cleaning cloth, or an old dish brush.  Get the soapy water into every crevasse and cranny.  There are a lot of them.   An old toothbrush helps too.
Then rinse the dirty soapy water off, and see the areas you missed.  Repeat the soapy bit on those areas.
Once the bike is rinsed off, dry it in the sunlight.
Then you need to relubricate the chain using a suitable chain lube.

If your tyres are messy, a stiff bristled brush can help (some muds or cow pies are really hard to shift)

If you want to get all fancy, apply some tyre black once the bike is totally dry.  Avoid getting any on your rims or brakes though.

That leather saddle?  Proofide it according to the instructions on the tin.

NO PRESSURE WASHERS!  This can drive water and dirt into bearings.
Instead, take your time and eyeball your whole bike while cleaning.


Spokes to DT Swiss cyclocross wheel I have CSW MA 1.9 wheel on my cylcocross bike.
I already replaced few spokes in the rear wheel,
I plan to do a long trek in the coming spring with front and rear pannier (and my weight) and I want to get the strongest spokes that will fit to this specific model, How can I find out which spokes of DT Swiss would be eligible with my wheel?

Since you are already replacing spokes, the easiest way to find out is take a broken spoke from each side of the wheel and measure it. There are no hidden differences, you only need to match the length, thickness and type of spoke head. Note that spokes may be thinner at the center than ends, this is called butting.


rear bike rack compatibility I am looking to install a rear bike rack on by 26" MTB. I don't want to spend so much so I'm looking to just grab something from a thrift store from bikes like these .

Will installing these to my MTB work?

If you mean literally the pictured racks, then generally speaking no, or at least not well, unless by chance. The racks in the picture both have non-adjustable upper stays; they're made in specific dimensions to fit and be level on a specific bike, whereas bikes as a whole have rack attachment points spanning all sorts of different dimensions. Racks that come with bikes, especially older ones, are often like this. To get something that you know or at least strongly suspect will work, you should get a normal aftermarket rack with adjustable stays, which you can probably still find used if you look.


Do softer tires provide better suspension? From my limited experience, soft tires feel more bouncy than hard ones, with same pressure. That is, if you lift and drop front side of unloaded bike, with soft rubber on front wheel it will jump like a bouncy ball (kind of). But with hard rubber it'll jump more like badly inflated football/basketball (at low pressure) or like a sack of potatoes (at high pressure).

Other things being equal (size, tread, pressure), do you think soft rubber tire will provide better suspension than hard rubber?

EDIT: made a test with Schwalbe CX Comp (soft) vs some Vee Rubber harder compound tire (same width) - dropped front side of unloaded bike from a small height. CX Comp definitely feels more bouncy and jumps more silently. But actually maybe they bounce with same rebound, since it's hard to measure precisely.

Most definitely.  I have some Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440 - very puncture resistant tire.  It is hard rubber and has a puncture insert.  It is a hard tire and gives a hard ride anywhere in the pressure range.  I have a softer same size less less ballistic tire on another bike and at the same pressure it is a softer ride a nicer grip.  And it is not the bike - I noticed the hard ride as soon as I put the tires on the bike.

Is it a mountain bike?  You want a soft ride then put some 2.2+ tubeless on it and run at 30 - 40 PSI.


Can’t attach master link I’m trying to install a chain with a snap on master link, but I can’t figure out how. I’ve tried twisting the chain as suggested by other questions to get it into place, but that doesn’t help. How do you do this? What’s the secret?

It’s a Shimano 8S CN-HG40 chain.

The secret is simple, you need to:

place the master link (the part with the pins) with the opening towards you,
bend (flex) the chain so the open ends of the pins come closer to each other,
put the flat part of the master link,
release the bend allowing the pins to snap into the flat part of the master link.

Since one picture saves 1000 words, they say...

The bend of the chain is a bit exaggerated, only to show the idea of the action required. One bends the chain using their hands.

And from my own experience - I prefer this type of master link over power link since linking and breaking the chain does not require literally any tools (excepto for one's hands) making it great for road-side repairs. Disengaging power link does require at least pliers (dedicated tool recommended) unless one has enormous strength at their fingertips.


What is the purpose of the rubber stripe between the wheel and the air chamber? I had a flat tire and replaced the air chamber. While doing that the rubber stripe that stands between the wheel and the air chamber ripped and it's no longer a ring. It´s hard to put it correctly and I don't have a replacement.

What is the purpose of this stripe? is it needed? leaving there (badly fitted) is worse than not having the stripe at all?

I believe what you're describing is the "Rim Tape".

The rim tape covers up the holes in the rim (wheel) that the spokes attach through. Without that tape covering the holes, the innertube (air chamber) will be exposed to holes and sharp surfaces that are likely to cause another flat tire.

If the rim tape is torn in one spot, but still covering all of those holes, it should probably be fine. Maybe feel around that area with your fingers for any edges to be sure?

Can you see the holes in the rim when the tire and tube are not on it?

If it looks like the tube could press into the rim tape holes, you can always patch it. A few layers of electrical tape should do the trick.

See also: rim-tape and innertube.


Tyre Rubber Classifications I was looking through a bike catalogue at one of the high-end road bikes (a $6000 Giant Propel) and I couldn't help but notice that this bike is advertised with specific tyres for front and rear wheels.

This was a new one to me, I've not known any other bike to have this and, as far as I can see, tyre manufacturers don't make front and rear tyres - they're just tyres! So my next question was, "what's the difference?"

The two tyres are the same size (700x23) and it turns out that the difference is in the tread patterns [edit: I now realise this is incorrect]. The front tyre is described as sticky 60/64/60 durometer. The rear described as durable and fast 64/70/64 durometer.

I was just wondering if anyone knew what these values actually mean? (left/centre/right thickness?) Or is it something proprietary to Giant?

Just to be clear, I understand why you might put different tyres on front and back, I understand that the difference between these two might be unnoticeable to all but the best cyclists, its those numbers I'm interested in understanding.

Even though I don't have specific knowledge on road bike tires, nor specific numeric durometer designations, I have some expertise on MTB tires. The given specification numbers mean that the bike has a slightly harder rubber compound on the rear tire.

The reason for having different tires front and rear is that the dynamic loads that each tire has to cope with are different, all depending on bike geometry, rider technique and skill level and type / usage of the bike.

The rear tire copes mainly with traction load, that is pushing the bike forward, also side load from turning but less than the front tire and a little fraction of the braking forces. Also during acceleration and rolling on flat, it bears a bigger fraction of the rider + bike weight.

Front tire on the other hand bears with almost all the braking force, specially on road bikes. It also copes with most of the force needed to steer the bike, which means greater side loads than the rear tire. Also, in strong braking the front tire bears with a bigger fraction of the weight.

When a forward moving wheeled vehicle brakes, a weight transfer occurs from the static center of mass towards the front of the vehicle. This is easily observed on cars, motorcycles and full suspension bicycles. That's why front tire works harder during braking, because the rear wheel has lesser downward force applied to it, so it is very limited on the friction it can create.

In the particular case shown on the question, the bike has a slightly harder rubber compound on the rear tire. This means that it will last a little longer and will create a little less rolling resistance (Compared to a tire with the same structure but using the softer compound and keeping all other variables equal). Conversely, the front tire, being softer will have more grip and will do a better job braking and steering.

In my opinion that makes sense because on a road bike, you spend more effort pedaling on flat or climbing, and during such events, the rear wheel has a grater fraction of the weight applied to, that is, the bike has less rolling resistance than if it had both tires made of the softer compound, but a little more grip than with both tires made of the harder compound. It's like trying to get the best of both worlds.

In MTB where my experience comes from, different threads is common practice. It is usual to pick tires independently, even different brands. Some manufacturers even have front and rear specific tires with the same model name. Others design a rolling direction for front use and the other for rear use.

On my particular case I have bikes with different tires front and rear but also bikes with the same tire model. While comparing wear on different tires is very difficult, on the bikes I have with the same tire front and rear, there are different wear patterns.

On and old road bike that I have with cheap identical tires front and rear, I use a little more pressure on the rear tire, for the reasons explained 3 paragraphs before.


Experience with surfboard bike rack (or cart) I want to make (DYS) a rack or cart for carrying a surfboard on my bike. The idea would be to have space for only 1 board and being able to go as far as 150 km. So it should be as light as possible, comfortable and made of afordable materials (of course the combination will be located on an optimum non-perfect point). So, going through the internet I have seen a lot of different models, but I don't have any experience in relation to them. What configuration would you recommend me?  Depending on how the board is placed, I would be worry for being affected by the wind or making the bike and/or the cart inestable. Is the wind really a problem? I will use it in Scotland, so it could get windy.

Some examples: http://www.thesurfingblog.com/surfboard-bike-rack-the-many-styles/  (site dead 2015-12-02)

I like this one (if it works) http://www.bettersurfthansorry.com/prod-39-1-1386/.htm However, it seems way too expensive for what it is.

I agree with Daniel R Hicks- go for a "Bob" trailer style- especially given the distances you're indicating you want to travel.  On the coast, there's always a breeze- and a surfboard turned broadside to the wind will turn your bike into a sail-a-bike and your 150km into what feels like 150,000km.

I'd hit some pawn shops or yard sales and look for one of those aluminum kid-trailers that clips to your rear frame.  You can disassemble the kid-carrying part and have a nice, low frame to strap not only your surfboard but other items you'll need for a trip that long as well.  The extra length of a trailer may not seem ideal to you at first, but I think after your first windy day to the beach, you'll appreciate the low-profile nature.

Here's the type of trailer I'm talking about: http://compare.ebay.com/like/230660800807?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar


How do you use a power meter to pace yourself during steep hill time trial events? The events in questions are no longer than one kilometer and have a gradient that fluctuates between 7% and 13%.

First thing to do would be to get some data about your max power outputs over different gradients & conditions.  So you'll want to know what you can sustain over a 10% 3 km climb, or a 10k climb at 5%.  You'll also need to know how this fits into different length rides - you'll be able to output a higher average over 15 km than you would over 30 km.

The relationship between power, gradient, cadence, gear and speed is complex.  Increasing power will cause your cadence to rise, thus speeding you up.  The steeper the gradient, the more resistance there will be, so it'll take more power to remain at a steady cadence (in the same gear).

Dividing your power by your weight will give you a watts/kg rating which is useful.

Once you know all this data, you'll be able to look at a hill and know that, all else being equal, you'll give your best performance if you maintain, say, 4 w/kg for the climb.  You can then use your powermeter output to adjust your effort accordingly.

Edit:
Mind you, if I understand the event description correctly, I suspect that over that sort of distance you are best off just pushing on the pedals as hard as you can.


What are these rubber rings on my brake caliper bolts for? I have purchased a disc brake adapter which came with a set of mounting bolts for mouting the adapter and the caliper together. The bolts have a rubber ring on them, but I'm not sure what it's for. Should it be mounted together with the caliper and adapter, or is it just for holding the washers and shims in place as part of the packaging?

The bolts have a rubber ring on them, but I'm not sure what it's for. Should it be mounted together with the caliper and adapter, or is it just for holding the washers and shims in place as part of the packaging?

The rubber rings are just for holding the washers and shims in the right place and should not be installed on the bicycle.

There are many disk brake adapters. Without a description of what you have I could not find instructions specific to your situation. The pictured adapter is similar to yours (it's a SM-MA-F180P/P2) and shows no rubber rings.

Added information after the part make and model was identified:
The manual for the Tektro A12 lacks an exploded diagram or words describing the washer arrangement.
Frequently asked questions on their site does not cover this.
Their videos have a how to install a caliper part but they don't show the washer arrangement.
You can try their contact page.

Often the correct way to install something becomes clear once the part is installed. Since Shimano has a similar bolt/washer setup try it without the rubber ring first.


Can I install an 8 speed sturmey archer hub on a dahon folding bike Can I install an 8 speed sturmey archer hub on a 6 speed dahon folding bike ?

I'm not sure whether there are any challenges specific to a dahon bike, but here's a summary of the challenges you'll face converting any derailleur style bike to an internal gear hub:

Hub width - You'll need to find an internal gear hub with the same width as the spacing between the dropouts.
Chain tensioning - Derailleurs provide chain tensioning and with vertical dropouts you won't be able to adjust the tension with your IGH. You will probably need to install a chain tensioner.
Replacing cable and shifter - You'll most likely need to replace the cable and the shifter.

Other than this there shouldn't be any reason you can't do this. Note that an internal gear hub will be heavier than your existing derailleur setup.

Given Dahon make other bikes with internal gear hubs it might be worth considering purchasing one with all the gear already sorted.


Schrader tubes in Presta configured Rims? My 26" mtb rims support presta sized tube stems, however can I drill the diameter of the holes in the rims bigger in order to support Schrader stemmed tubes? what is the proper way to do this, is there a kit?

In case you really want to drill, the only thing you need is a 10mm drill bit, and a sandpaper to give a smooth finish.

It is true that the rim gets weaker, and very narrow rims should not be drilled, but I have performed this enlargement a couple of times and rode the wheels some honest hundreds of km in every kind of terrain, with no problem.

I did this because I like the ease to get at any gas pump to top tire pressure after trails, and also because schraeder tubes are more avaliable and less expensive where I live.


determining make model and year of a BMX frame is there a specific website where I can simply enter the bicycle serial number to determine the make model and year primarily BMX frames

No. Generally, you need to know the manufacturer at least and then see if theres some code for their serial numbers.


Going to race a 29er MTB in a 200 mile / 320 km gravel race. Bike preparation? I have a Specialized Camber Comp 29er full suspension MTB. I want to use this bike for the DK200 (a one day 200 mile / 320 kilometre gravel race through the Flint Hills of Kansas, USA) and would like to be reasonably competitive. I know, this guy is nuts.

That being said, I'm planning on gravel tires, bar end grips, possibly aero bars, bike sizing, and 'locking the suspensions'.
I understand I will be sacrificing weight and efficiency/torque with the longer chain stay and suspension flex, along with gears that aren't quite tall enough on the downhills and long straights. However, I just do not like the feel of the gravel bikes. They're too stiff and bone jarring, and just don't like the general feel when I'm on them. I'm thinking over the long haul on my full suspension bike, that my suspension soaks up a lot of the potholes, ruts and rough roads will pay off in the long run.

What else would you recommend that I do to my bike to properly prepare it? Any specific brand add-on pieces you'd recommend?

I am in good shape and currently outrun others on carbon gravel bikes on 45 mile / 72 kilometre rides on my stock MTB. I will be in excellent physical condition in 5 months when it comes race time. I do have some issues with my lower back and shoulders/neck area currently at a little over 45 miles / 72 kilometres, so needing to get more comfortable and in better shape.

I know this was lengthy, but much appreciate some expert advice! Ride on!

Between mass and aerodynamics you would be expending a ton more energy on the MTB if the roads are in decent shape. Rather than roadify the MTB you might consider MTBifying a road bike.  Tires are the key, really large, supple ones to soak up the bumps, at an appropriate pressure. Perhaps aiming for tubular cx tires that you can run really low pressures on.


Is a damaged BB7 inner caliper pin dangerous? It was late when I tried installing some replacement brake pads, and for some reason the top of the replacement pads wouldn't fit properly into the channel that is supposed to guide the pads (lower picture). I didn't realize the pads were sitting too low after insertion due to an awkward angle and tiredness (and general incompetence). As result when I squeezed the brake lever the pin got squashed (first picture below).

Question

Does this damaged pin warrant replacement?  If so can this part be replace or does the entire caliper need to be replaced?

I assume brake force is not transmitted through the pin, as it is soft material, but I am not a brake designer so I am not certain.  Once I figured out the pads were not seating correctly, I knocked them in place with a rubber mallet and ran the brake.  Braking doesn't seem to be affected.

Side Note

Here is the channel that the top of the brake pads are supposed to fit

I think the only purpose of the pin is to retain the pad. So if you can convince yourself that the damaged pin isn't preventing the pad from sitting cleanly agains the "piston" and that it is prevented from dropping out, then I would be inclined to think you're ok.

I've seen instructions for rebuilding BB-7 calipers, which makes me think that parts might be available – at least in some markets. The SRAM/Avid number for the "internals kit" is A150080A and they appear to be available, I found links to the kit at shops in the UK, in the US Amazon lists the item, but doesn't have stock. In any case a whole new brake assembly isn't too expensive (considering that you get a set of pads and a disk as part of the deal), so if you have any doubts I'd just go ahead and replace the caliper (or see if you can get parts).


Proper Weight input for a indoor power meter When setting up the power meter on an indoor Elite Digital Mag Trainer should I put in my weight plus the weight of my bike when I input the weight?

Your weight is used for calculating your power to weight ratio (W/kg).

Weight of bike/clothes/other gear is not taken into consideration. It is considered that these things weight about the same for every "pro" cyclist. So you should use your own weight because everybody else is doing that. This way you can compare your results with your competition.


Where is my Record Luxus Racer bicycle from? I just bought a bicycle on a classified ads platform in France. I don't know anything about the brand and I couldn't find much information yet.

It is a Record Luxus Racer, as shown on the pictures below.

I have seen other people selling bikes of the same model, in various colors and in both men's and women's versions.
Most of the pictures were found on classified ad sites from: Germany, Poland, Romania and Hungary.

However, the ads were outdated and had been removed so I couldn't get information there. Some ads were still up, but the sellers mention they don't have information about the bike's history.

The person I bought my bike from didn't know anything about it either.

My questions are:

Which country is this bicycle from?
Does this brand still exist?
Where could I find more information about my Record Luxus Racer?

Please let me know if more pictures or information could be useful.

** the pictures aren't of my bike, but of a similar one from the Internet

EDIT:

Full picture of my bike.

Record branding on the steerer tube

Marathon Schwalbe Spezial tires (Germany)

EDIT 2:
More information following some comments

Valves: currently Schrader

Front wheel rim:

SCHURMANN - Made in W. Germany - Typ 112 steel - DIN ETRTO - 27 x 11 - 630 x 18 - 088

Back wheel rim:

VAN SCHOTHORST - 18 x 630 (27 x 1 174) - ?5 91 - Made in Holland

Dynamo:
DANSI TYP:FG8 - K10861 - 6W 3V

Stand:
OLONA

Pedals:
UNION K10490 - W. GERMANY

Rear derailleur
1 x 5 - SHIMANO Tourney

I don't think this will help you much, but I own a record bicycle, a mountain bicycle, and this brand was sold a looong time ago in my country (Mexico), I hope that the fact that it was sold in my country help you find which brand produced that bicycle :)


Front wheel bearings change I have a mountain bike - can the front wheel can have 1/4" bearings?

I know that the standard ones are 3/16" but I think mine came with 1/4"

The reason I am concerned is because I changed my front bearings with 1/4" because I thought that this was the appropriate size, and now I can not tighten the cone adequately because it is either to loose or to tight.

Put the 3/16" bearings back in, even if you have to buy some fresh ones.

Your quarter-inch bearings are not sitting in the bearing raceway right which is causing the too tight/loose problem.

They will never sit right, and if you do ride on them the bearings will run on the wrong parts of the cup and cone races.  This will lead to early failure of the cup and cone.

Bearings are cheap - perhaps one or two cans-of-coke in your local currency.  Fit new right-sized bearings with grease, and it will work better.


Pedaling causes rear wheel/pedals to slip When I start to pedal, say up hill or have to move quickly, my pedals slip and I can't get any movement except for a really bad slip. When I'm on a flat straightaway and have to pedal I hear an awful clanking.

There could be several possible reasons for this behaviour -

Derailleur could be out of adjustment - can be fixed by barrel adjuster/adjusting the tautness of the shifter cable. You can shift into a cog in the middle of range and visually inspect if derailleur is in line vertically under the cog that chain rests on. When derailleur is properly adjusted, one should be able to spin the pedals backwards freely without the derailleur arm getting stretched/extended.
Your chain could be stretched and/or rear cogs worn. Use chain wear indicator tool to see if chain is stretched and visual inspection should indicate wear on the cogs. Worn out cogs may look sharp and pointy/ like a shark fin.
If you replace the cogs, make sure to replace the chain as well. This helps avoiding undue cog wear due to stretched chain.


How to tighten a brake? This is probably a really basic question but I'm confused by the whole brake mechanism so...

My left (front wheel) brake has to be pulled in really far before it actually starts to brake (I guess before the brake pads touch the wheel). What do I do to tighten it up? (diagrams would really help, I think)

There are two basic adjustments that apply to all types of rim brakes (v-brakes, cantilevers, calipers):

Tension:
The cable tension from the brake lever to the brakes adjusts how responsive your brakes feel.  Tighten it up and both brake pads will engage sooner and the braking action will be harder.  Loosen it up and braking will feel spongy and you may not get enough power.  Normally you want to add tension; removing tension is only done when you put on fresh pads or if you set the tension too tight.  Adding tension periodically is important since your pads wear down over time and the cable stretches a bit too.

The easiest way to adjust the tension is to use a barrel adjuster: they're usually on the brake lever or the brake or both if you're lucky.  Add tension by turning the adjuster counter-clockwise (looking at it from the side where the cable housing goes in).

But whenever you adjust tension, you need to fix...

Balance:
This controls how far each pad is from the rim.  Adding tension will pull both pads closer to the rim, but usually one will move more than the other.  So by adjusting balance you can move the closer one further away and the other pad will do the opposite.  You want to balance the pads so that they're about the same distance from the rim and engage at about the same time.  If it's skewed (like your brakes) then you won't get as much braking power.

For v-brakes and canti's there's a spring inside each brake arm.  You can adjust the spring force by turning a small set screw on the side of the brake arm.  Screwing it in (clockwise) will pull the arm away from the rim (which pulls the other one closer).  It's best to adjust the two arms together:  screw in the closer arm first by half a turn to start, and screw out the other one by the same amount.  Check the balance and then repeat as necessary.

For caliper brakes (road bikes) there's normally just one set screw to adjust.  Turn it to see which way the brakes move.


How do I tighten this 10s Shimano splined freehub? 2008 Cannondale CAAD9 R5 - WH-R550 The rear wheel on my Cannondale has been having freehub play for some time now. I've tried using an hex key to tighten the freehub, but to no avail. The wheel is a WH-R550 rear wheel.
The 11mm hex key I've tried is too big. The 10mm hex key doesn't catch. I had tried a 10mm hex key on another freehub (from a Giant OCR) and it had worked, but it seems like the splines on this Shimano wheel are preventing the hex key from catching.
Could somebody tell me how I could tighten this? I brought the wheel to a bike shop, Roy's Cycles in Brooklyn, but the mechanics there didn't seem like they knew what they were doing and told me to get a new wheel.

It's a 10mm hex. A ball end probably won't catch right if that's what you were using.


Periscope style mirrors for road bike I just got this bike, and put it in the classic "aggressive position".  I also ran out and bought spandex.
I was just wondering if there are periscope style mirrors I can fasten to the down tube so that I can actually see forward while I am trapeezing?

Because of the tilt of the seat tube, this setup does not make for efficient pedaling. The seat is sitting over the center of the rear wheel, which moves your entire center of gravity too far to the back. You want the center of gravity to be a bit ahead of the bottom bracket, where the downward force is applied to the pedals. That's one of the two main reasons for the aggressive position: that forward center of gravity. The other reason is aerodynamics, of course.  I suggest creating a zig-zagged seat tube:

This is just to convey the basic idea. Any good pro shop can make the required ground shadow adjustment that must accompany this modification, and other necessary details.

Huge bonus: This seat post is guaranteed to absorb road vibrations better than even the nimblest vintage 1970's Italian road bike frames.


Cleat problem, stuck in a shoe I put the right shoe into the left SPD pedal. (I know, you don't even need to say it.) It was not even attached to the bike at this time. Just took both out of their boxes and thought to self, 'how does this work?' My first ever attempt at cleats, and by the looks of things, this is possibly my last.

Do you mean it's stuck? It might not be that you've got the wrong shoe in the pedal but that it's rather stiff (the pedals seem to arrive at up with tight springs) and holding it in your hands you can't get much force. The actual cleat is symmetrical. Try putting a crank arm (or whole bike) on the pedal, and putting your foot in the shoe, then twist your foot, holding the crank or bike. It should just pop out as if it was the correct shoe.

I've got walkable SPD shoes and pedals with a cage round the SPD, which means more to get in the way. But when first setting up the cleat tension I though this would be a good idea. It's a good lesson in how much stronger your legs are than your arms.


Is it possible to upload ZWO file on Android? Zwift Workout file (*.zwo) can be manually added to custom workouts on PC, Mac and iOS. It is as simple as copying file to a specific folder (e.g. /Documents/Zwift/Workouts). But where is the location for Android Zwift app it picks up local custom workouts from?

Unfortunately workout files are not accessible on Android but there is a way you can get them onto your Android device.
To get a custom workout into the Android app you will need to import the workout into Zwift using your PC, Mac or iOS device. This will save the workout on Zwift's servers which in turn will make it accessible in your Android app.


Shimano Nexus Inter-3 internal gear hub stuck in second gear? The situation My Shimano Nexus Inter-3 internal gear hub is stuck in second gear (it's a 3-gear hub). When I take the external cable housing apart, I can move the pin that goes inside to change gears, but the gear does not actually change anymore. Also, when the pin is fully emerged from the housing, there's still some space left between it and the lever that transfers force from the cable. The pin is still springloaded though, and seems pushed out into its extreme position. Still I suspect that it may not be coming out fully.

Questions
What kind of problem could cause these symptoms, and how would I go about fixing it? Is it even possible to open up the internal gear hub to fix this, or would I perhaps be better off not bothering and just installing a new one (which would mean reattaching all spokes)?

I'm not 100% sure, but it seems that this is the hub I'm talking about: Shimano Nexus Inter-3 EV-SG-3C41-2330 -INTER-3 (Edit: broken link removed - this Shimano technical PDF is a close match).

It's not clear if you've already bypassed the shift mechanism and attempted to shift directly using the shift pin - at least eliminate any possibility that the shifter is the culprit.

If you're already considering purchasing a new hub, there's little harm in pulling the old one apart to see if it can be repaired.  For some reason the Shimano TechDocs for that hub is missing, but I was able to find a mirror on the Vancruisers.ca site.  Looking at that it's not obvious what might be broken and failing to engage inside.

Note that there are some fiddly bits inside these hubs, you'll want to lay out a nice big sheet of butcher paper or a towel to work on, and take pictures as you pull pieces out so you can remember how they go back together.  Keep an eye out for any bits of metal shavings or chips of metal, that's usually indicative that you'll find a broken or missing piece inside somewhere.

If you'd particularly like to avoid rebuilding the wheel, I've had success also just swapping the internals on some internal hubs.


Will grooves on seatpost cause rusting inside frame? My bike has grooves in the seatpost as shown in the picture. The grooves do stop slightly further down the post, but the best saddle height for me is when the grooves partially go down into the seat tube. To me this looks as if water/rain can just flow down the grooves into the (steel) seat tube. What are the dangers of steel frames rusting from the inside out if water gets in? Is this seatpost designed to be used at a minimum height so that the grooves are completely above the clamp? (I can't see any minimum insertion height marked on the post.)

The best thing to do is apply a thin layer of grease to the inside of the seat tube and the outside of the post (only the part of the post inside the seat tube needs grease) and set the seat height according to what fits you.
The layer of grease will prevent the odd drip from causing rust.
If the bike is stored in a dry place after riding in the rain it will be able to dry out.
The bikes with seat posts rusted in that I've seen were the ones that were stored outside and never cared for.


BB height when change 29er wheel to 27.5 wheel I have a 29er frame Specialized Camber Expert Carbon EVO with 330mm BB height with 120mm 29er fork

How much with the BB height be altered if I change to 650b wheels and 27.5 140mm fork?

EDIT

The fork length in 29er is 531mm from crown to axle, and the new 27.5 fork is 527.7mm

@Argenti Apparatus says that 19mm will drop with the rim 27.5, and the image says that with the new fork I will drop from 330 to 328.8mm

This mean that my new bb height with custom configuration will be 330mm - 19mm - 1.2mm? 309.8mm in total. This is low or very low? My loss will be 0.795 inch.

NOTE: all features in the part green in image is actual configuration

NOTE 2: about sag described for @mattnz ¿How this can help?

The change in rim size will drop the bike 19mm. 29" are ISO 622, 27.5 are ISO 584. (622-584)/2 = 19. If you run larger tires on the new wheels that difference will be less.

We cannot say what effect a fork change will have unless we know what the crown to axle distance of the two forks is. Knowing the travel (120 vs. 140mm) does not tell us anything about fork length.

Be careful if you are considering a different fork length as it will of course change the steering geometry of the bike.

Update based on new data ...

Yes, those numbers add together, however, 3.3mm difference in fork length is negligible. The fork sag will be much bigger.

A drop of 20mm BB height from 330 to (approx) 310 is only 6%. Balance that against whatever benefit you are trying to get from smaller wheels.


What considerations are there around replacement of cable-actuated disc brakes with hydraulic-actuated calipers? I have a Dawes Discovery 401 hybrid bike that was fitted with QuadQMD-6 mechanical disc brakes.

I like the bike but the brakes are beginning to show signs of wear and direct replacements are not available. So I was thinking of replacing the calipers with hydraulic ones and converting the cable-operated system to a hydraulic one.

I'm pretty handy with a spanner and would like to try this myself.

Is it easy to convert from cable to hydraulic and what bits would I need for adapting the cable runs? Is there anything else I need to consider?

I don't want to spend a fortune but would like a decent set.
Rotors: 160mm
Mount: post.

If the brake lever is integrated with the shiftier, you will need a new shifter.

Cable run for Hydraulic will be continuous, and you wont have C-Clip mounts. You will need to use zip ties to hold the cable to the frame. Functionally there is no problem with this, how you feel about this depends entirely on if you prefer form or function.

MTB Caliper mounts have been standard for 15 years or so (Road has a different standard introduced by shimano in 2010 ). In most cases you will be able to unbolt the mechanical calipers and bolt on the new ones, however some calipers are aimed as a different minimum rotor size. This means you may need a new adapter depending what you have and what you get. As long as the new caliper minimum rotor size is not larger than the rotor you have, you can get an adapter to fit.

I would think about installing new rotors (although $$ is a consideration). The old brakes were not expensive, so the rotor won't be the best quality, new rotor would keep everything matching.  It may make no difference but might help with longevity and reliability (e.g. if they are warped).


Post Rain Ride Wipedown I've tried avoiding riding during the rain for years because I didn't want to hurt my bike.  But, tomorrow I really want to ride, rain (most likely) or shine.  What should I do after the ride to ensure my bike remains in good shape?

Your title answers your question.

After the ride, wipe down the bike so that there is no excess moisture. Make sure that the bike is stored indoors, in a dry, warm environment,  so that any remaining moisture can evaporate.

If you have a steel frame, consider using a frame preparation like Frame Saver, if you're going to ride in the rain regularly.

And last, make sure you do you regular maintenance. Open up all the bearing areas (hubs, headset, and bottom bracket) and clean and grease them regularly. Grease is protection from water and corrosion as much as it is a lubricant, so this is important to keep it running smoothly, as well as protect from weather.

I hope that helps.


Can anyone help me identify this vintage road frame that has been repainted? Thanks for taking a look for me!

The rims are Rigida, they are double wall aluminum, not steel.

I agree on the late 70's early 80's, might be a custom frame made for someone short.  The framebuilder would have gone lug-less due to the interference in the head tube, down tube top tube junctions.


Chain Slips in certain gears I have noticed that I can not get my rear derailleur to sit perfectly allowing all of my gears to feel good. Mid range often feel a bit lumpy or there good when using either one of the front chain rings but not both.

I clean the chain once a week and I'm always fiddling with the cable tensioner screws, more than I think I should be. I recently replaced the gear cable.

The bike is less than a year old, its a nine speed Sora.

Is it likely that I need a new chain already, the chain rings are a bit worn, not sure if too much and occasionally the chain seems to slip when i pull off (mid range gears)

I just had the bike on a stand the back wheel is making a creaking noise when i spin it and the cassette has 5 to 10mm wobble, could this be causing the issues & should there be that much wobble on the cassette ?

Also the Gear cable is frayed again - I only changed it 2 months ago.

I would guess that chain and/or cassette cogs are worn (typically middle ones go first) if you've tried adjusting and can't get it just right. I go through about a cassette a year on bikes I ride a lot, especially when I don't do a great job of cleaning and relubing the drivetrain. However, just replacing the chain can be bad if it's already jumping. It can get worse if you put on a new chain to the old cassette.

You might be to the point where you need to clean your derailleur/ jockey wheels / front chainrings of any existing grit and replace both chain and cassette.

Other less likely considerations could be:
 - A damaged freehub body (if you have an aluminium freehub body).
 - Misaligned Derailleur hanger (as Nathan Knutson Mentioned)
 - Poorly Adjusted or damaged shifting cables, or cables that are corroded / sticking in cable housing.


Gears for Hero Cyclone I have a Hero Cyclone bicycle that is a single speed. Can I add gears to it? If so, can anyone suggest me a good gear?

No you cannot. The Hero Cyclone does not appear to have a hanger / mounting holes for a dérailleur. You may be able to install an internal gear hub, but it would likely cost far more than the bike.

You may be able to find something used though.


How do I determine the correct position for my bicycle seat? I have been suffering from IT band problems on my outer knee, which I'm pretty sure were caused by raising my seat height too much. I raised the seat on the advice of a friend who said that a higher seat gives more power in each stroke.

By trial and error over several months I have found a (lower) seat height that seems to be acceptable, but I still get occasional twinges if I cycle a lot, so I suspect it's still not quite right.

Is there a well-understood way to correctly determine the best height for a bicycle seat? Are there factors other than seat height that are important to consider?

For a quick fit, the general goal is to keep the seat high enough that you can get a nearly-full leg extension, without 'locking' the knee.

Over a long period of time, if you find that you are having knee, foot or hip pains, try making small adjustments with the saddle, about 0.5-1.0cm at a time, either up, down, forwards or backwards. If the pain gets worse, try the other direction. Give it some time, and eventually you should find a painless position.

A tip I recently got from a friend having a similar problem proved interesting: Those of us who are males typically 'dress' right  or left. For him, aligning his saddle with the nose turned slightly off-center (away from the direction of 'dressing') alleviated all of his knee discomfort!


What are the benefits of cycling gloves? So cycling gloves? I don't see how this can change my experience of riding bicycles.

Someone please explain what benefits I get from them. Maybe I would buy some if the benefits are good enough.

All sorts of reasons:

Less damage to your hands when you fall off.
Vibration dampening.
Somewhere to wipe snot/sweat.

In practice, I use them when I am touring (long distances in the saddle - so reason 2 above), and when I am mountain-cycling competitively (reasons 1 and 3), but don't wear them when I am on my daily commute.


Compatible seatpost for Brooks C13 saddle with 7x9 oval carbon rails? I just purchased a Brooks C13 saddle (7x9 oval carbon rails, the more recent version with no tape) and was hoping it would fit on my existing post (2016 Jamis Coda Sport - it's a top/bottom clamp with a single bolt) but found that the rails don't align well, so I think I need a different post.
Does anyone have any experience pairing this saddle with a Ritchey comp 2-bolt seatpost? It says it is "compatible with multiple rail types" and boasts good contact area with the saddle, which I believe is what I'm looking for. Or could anyone recommend a different seatpost option that they've paired with the Brooks C13? I'm ideally looking for a lower cost solution.
Also, this is my first time installing a carbon rail saddle and understand that this may need greater sensitivity - is it critical that I invest in a torque wrench to do this properly?

Saddle rails converged on a 7mm diameter round rail and stayed there for quite some time. You can make them out of solid steel, or tubular steel, or solid or tubular titanium. Then we came to the carbon fiber era. I don't have solid documentation of this, but I'd guess that 7mm round carbon rails can't be made durable enough.
So, we came to the 7x9mm standard. I don't have my hands on such a saddle. However, it seems like (as stated on forum threads like this one, this one, or this one) these rails are 9mm tall, but 7mm wide. The tops and bottoms of the rails are circular, and many seatpost clamps should fit them.
Now, why many and not all? Many seatpost clamps cover the rails on top and on the bottom. Some clamps enclose the rail entirely. For example, Enve's clamp is shown below:

Thus, they ship two separate clamps for 7mm round rails and 7x9mm rails with each post. Alternatively, Kent Eriksen's titanium seatpost doesn't fit oval rails at all, and they say so on the product page. Basically, any seatpost where the bolts clamp side to side are not likely to work unless specifically designed (e.g. Enve). Or, sometimes a saddle's bolts won't offer long enough threads to engage fully if you put a carbon-railed saddle in there. I'm not able to find specific documentation for this, but I believe Thomson seatposts may sometimes be in this situation. Thomson offer a 7x9 (or 7x10) clamp on their site, but I have heard people say their stock clamps work fine. In any case, I believe the Ritchey clamp should work, as it clamps from above and below the rails.
So, why does the OP's original seatpost not work? That's a mystery, as it seems like it should from the description. Some photographs might be helpful if the OP wants to diagnose the issue.


Why are my new rim brakes worn so much? Got these on 17 days ago and probably done no more than 60 miles. The main commute is 6 miles. 4 of that is a steep downhill.

Looking at the design of the brake pads, this appears to be a cheap generic pad that is then re-branded (in different colours) by various manufacturers.

Reviews seem to be mixed, with reports of the pad wearing quickly, but other reports of the pad lasting forever and wearing the rims out quickly.

I'd suggest that when it comes to brake pads, this is an area not to look for cheap replacements.  Either use the brake manufacturers own pads, or ones from well respected third parties such as SwissStop or Kool Stop.


SRAM BB30 cranks - how to remove crankarm from spindle? I have SRAM S2200 (X.0) cranks with a BB30/PF30 spindle. They are 3-piece ones, with the self-extracting mechanism on the right (drive) side, and a regular non-puller bolt on the left side.
I want to replace the spindle, because I stripped the thread on the original one. However, I had no luck taking the left crankarm off it. The lobed interface between the arm and spindle is fused tight.
Attempts so far:

WD-40 won't get in there (or has no effect)
I haven't found a safe way to heat up the crankarm to loosen the join (crankarm is carbon = not a good idea)
I can't use the self-extracting mechanism from the right side (because there is no thread for the top cap, see pic).
Hammering on the tightening nut (while it is loosened and slightly protruding above the crank) doesn't seem to do the trick, at some point the hammer just starts to damage the nut itself.

I found a thread on MTBR where somebody accomplished it, but the author hasn't described how (in much detail).
Any ideas on how to take this thing apart?

P.S. The photos might be misleading, so I'll re-emphasize: i only need to take the left crankarm off the spindle, i.e. the one which doesn't have the self-extracting mechanism. The right crankarm I have no issues with.

The left arm has no threads because that side is designed never to be separated from the spindle...
From what I can find, that's an M18 thread, pitch unknown but probably M18x2.0mm or M18x1.5mm.
Remove the right arm, put the spindle down through a sturdy surface with a hole no larger than 31mm so the metal part of the left arm has maximum support. Screw a steel rod of the correct M18 threads into the good threads you still have in the spindle. Hammer the end of the rod. The longer the rod the easier it will be to keep it perpendicular to the surface that's supporting the crank.
You can use a deadblow hammer if you have one, or go find an auto mechanic's workshop since they are very likely to have a hydraulic press they use to press bearings into car spindles.


Rounding spoke length calculator results The spoke calculator gave me the following results left 292.34 and right 290.98.
I am going to buy DT Swiss Competition spokes which are sold by 2mm increments from here. So which spoke length is better to buy ?

Given that there's a bit of forgiveness thanks to the length of the spoke nipples that the spokes will thread into you could safely round down to Left 292mm and Right 290mm for spoke lengths.

An alternative is just rounding to 292mm for both sides - especially if your rim has recessed spoke holes (as most double wall rims do).


Crank tool threads for a BodyGuard R6X I need to replace a circuit board on my Bodyguard R6X exercycle. Bodyguard sent me the circuit board but little else with respect to information/instructions.
I need to pull a crank so I need to buy a crank tool. Are all cranks the same thread?

Pretty much yes.  Most exercycles or stationary bikes use a mixture of generic bolts/screws and some standard bicycle components.

A cheap crank tool will look like this, whereas the more expensive ones tend to integrate some kind of handle.  You just need a 150mm (6") adjustable spanner, or larger.

There is probably a cover of some sort which can be popped off, or unscrewed.  There will be a 14mm nut underneat.  Or a newer crankset might have a bolt instead the nut and cover.

Once that's off you should see threads inside the crank arm.  These mate up with the black threads on the pictured tool.  Grease and thread them in.  Then turn the silvery end to wind the pusher in and haul the crank off.

It will get hard, just let the pressure generated by the tool do the work.  You may worry that this feels like stripping the thread on the crank arm, and while its very similar sensation it is different.

One gotcha - look down inside the crank arm hole and see if you see a square interface, or a round one.  99% likely its a square meaning a square taper, but more modern bikes have a round interface called Octalink, and the tool for square taper tends to damage octalink.


What supplies do riders carry on century sportives and how do they carry it? I'm planning to ride my first century sportive later this summer and am wondering what I should carry along on the ride, and how I should carry it. It's clear to me from my training rides that regardless of how frequently rest stops are available, I'll need to cary food for most of the ride, and at least some water. And since the ride spans the good part of a day, I expect that an additional layer of clothing might be needed, and of course tools, passport, and phone.

Am I being unreasonable in expecting to carry this on the ride? How do people cary what they bring?

I've ridden many sportives at this distance in the UK and here is my experience.

Food/Drink
Looking at the route map there are 3 food stops and 11 water stops so you don't need to carry loads with you. I'd say a 750ml bottle will do. If you find you drink a lot on your training rides then take a second bottle.

Food will be available at the stops but you should take some food with you. Find out what's going to be on offer (its usually bananas, jaffa cakes and cereal bars) and bring something different. I tend to buy a tub/box of bite-size flapjack pieces from the supermarket and stuff about a dozen or so in a jersey pocket (can have unpleasant effects if its really wet).

Tools
A basic multi tool for adjustments while riding is useful.

Spares
Two inner tubes and a set of tyre levers. Small pump. If you get a puncture then just swap the tubes and pump with enough air to get you to the next service spot, where there will be a floor pump for you to attain proper pressure. I never bother with a puncture repair kit.

Clothes
Unless you are confident about the weather I'd take a small waterproof. It needs to be one of the small, lightweight ones so it can fit in a jersey pocket.

Other stuff

keys (if you have a huge keyring with lots of keys, take off the ones you need)
mobile phone
a £20 note
I generally don't take a wallet
I definitely wouldn't be carrying my passport
small tube of sun cream
tools, keys and spares go in a little bag under the saddle, like this; other stuff in jersey pockets

Finally

Use at least one or two food stops or you'll run out of energy
if its sunny, reapply sun cream when you stop
have fun, I'm envious as I didn't get through the ballot


Cleaning Cable Housing? I commute about 3600 miles a year and I am able to keep my gears adjusted pretty well. I do find that I get a lot of grime from rainy, muddy conditions, and I think I might be replacing my shift cables and housing more frequently than I should, probably twice a year. Would squirting some soapy water thru the housing and letting it dry before adding light oil to the cable housing increase lifetime, or is this not worth the effort?

Sad to say, not worth the effort!

However, if you are a bulk user of cable outer then you can invest in a big reel of the stuff (obviously genuine Shimano) and some Shimano cable cutters (TL-CT-10).

Broken link: http://www.madison.co.uk/productinfo.aspx?catref=6Y1+9801

Possible replacements

https://www.google.com/search?q=Shimano+cable+cutters
http://www.parktool.com/product/professional-cable-and-housing-cutter-cn-10
https://www.google.com/search?q=shimano+outer+gear+cable

However, order by Madison part code from your LBS and get the brake cable outers whilst you are at it.

The inners are easy to clean up, the outer liner erodes over time and no amount of blowing soapy water through shifts the detritus.

That part is the 'XTR' version, there is also a cheaper one that should work fine.

These are good, just so long as you don't cut mudguard stays with them:


Which brake pads for these old cantilever brakes? I need to replace all the brake pads on these old Mafac cantilever brakes on my bike. I have currently a mix of the original style and a modern replacement. I went to a local bike shop and they gave me a modern equivalent of the original brake (pic below) but it doesn't fit because of the collar at the end of the stem. I could make them fit my adjusting the angle of the cantilever arm but I understood that they are supposed to be horizontal, as they are at the moment.
The modern ones I had on are worn down really unevenly, which I was wondering if this is poor adjustment or they just aren't compatible.
So before buying anything else, does anyone know if I could just replace all four pads with the modern ones (pic below).
Thank you!

UPDATE
I fitted the new brake pads to the rear brake today and they work fine (1st pic below). On the front they do not fit around the wheel (2nd pic). If there was no collar on the stem they would fit, and if I fit them with the collar past the holder they sit at an angle (3rd pic). Following all your advice I think I will loosen the cable first to see how far down the cantilever arms shift. If it is too far I will invest in a pair of very nice Kool Stop brakes. Thank you all!

I suspect that the splitting triangle is the only MAFAC bit that were often used for that purpose. The Mafac 'Racer' brakes are quite different, look them up in a search engine. I remember them well from my teenage years' Peugeot.
These look like traditional cantilever brakes formerly used by crossers and on early MTB. However it seems that there is a bit missing in the locking mechanism for the pads, some wedge- or hemi-spherically shaped washer(s) that allow for the adjustment of the pads' parallelism to the rims.
Could it also be that the pivots on the fork and rear triangle are wonky from an impact?


What is the best Rear Derailleur for single speed to 3 speed conversion I am converting my Sonders eBike from a single speed to a three speed and I need some help finding the best Derailleur. I would like to use a Shimano Altus as I understand that they are a step up from the Tourney line. My rear freewheel cogset is 16,19,22t and my front chainwheel is a 48t. This gives me the same speed ratio as my original when I'm using the 19t rear cog. The original chain is 1/8" and I believe that my new chainwheel is also 1/8". My derailleur uses a SunRace Shimano Compatible Index Hanger Plate. The question is, do I use a short, medium or long cage and what is the model number? Thanks for your help, I am converting 2 of these bikes and would like to only buy the parts once.

Yes - Altus are a step up from the Tourney lineup, but is considered a very entry level MTB product. I would encourage you to consider a higher spec model if you can afford it - I suspect the price difference will be small if you shop around.

Derailleurs are rated by the capacity and maximum tooth size. As you are run a x1 setup, you capacity requirement is 22-16 = 6, and the maximum tooth size of 22 is smaller than a typical road cluster, so any derailleur will do the job. As such, using a short cage will give better performance.

You don't say what spacing the three cogs are - If you are using an indexed shifter make sure it matches the cog spacing of your cluster. As always Sheldon Brown has all the info you need


Pedal spin resistance a good thing? I've noticed cheaper pedals (also the <5$ ones) spin forever if you give them a tap with your finger. My own pedals seem to have a little resistance in the bearing. You can turn them with no effort but they stop immediately.

I visited a bike shop and started flicking pedals on various mountain bikes (to the annoyance of the shop owner who must have thought I was fooling around) so I conclude this to be an actual thing for more expensive pedals. It also read on some case "The right amount of friction added to bearing".

So the question is WHY??

And if this really should be a good thing, how many watts can you lose with a pedal like that?

There does seem to be an upside down U-curve of spinniness on pedals with the horizontal axis being price and the vertical axle being how many rotations it makes when spun by hand.

Cheap pedals are genuinely horrible. They just have a sleeve bearing, bushing, or single set of ball bearings. Tolerances are atrocious because they were made by drunken lemurs, who also lubed them using the grease that was at the bottom of the bilge pump of the last freighter into their god forsaken port.

Mid-grade pedals use a one or two sets of sealed cartridge ball bearings. These are cheap and easy to place. They might use a light grease and are low in unloaded friction, so this accounts for the spinniness of mid-grade pedals. You can't really maintain or adjust them.

High-grade Cartridge bearings are good for unloaded friction but are limited under load. They also can't be adjusted, maintained, or re-greased. Higher end pedals use a combination of adjustable cup-and-cone, needle (roller) bearings, and/or sometimes multiple/heavier duty cartridge bearings. Cup-and-cones are adjustable and maintainable, and avoiding cartridge bearings saves weight because you don't need the bearing retainer -- also cup-and-cones can feel heavier than cartridges when unloaded but lighten under pressure. Needle-bearings can support MUCH more weight than ball-bearings. Grease intended for heavier duty seems thicker under low-load but lightens up when loaded. Finally, because higher-end pedals are lighter, they have less inertia when spinning by hand and so will stop spinning sooner just for that fact alone.  In summary, high-end gear might not spin as much unloaded, but they can be lighter, stronger, more adjustable, maintainable, and smoother under load. Note: Some of these properties are mutually incompatible.

tl;dr: You can't tell anything by freespinning a pedal by hand except for the crappiest of pedals. For almost all bicyclists, just get a mid-range pedal. You don't put enough power/weight through the pedals or go long enough distances to make a difference. For pros, you are pumping so many hundreds of watts through the pedal over longer distances, so you want a pedal that can take that power and transmit it properly.

Also note that older midgrade pedals in the era before cheap cartridge bearings often used cup and cone bearings. These can often be tuned up quite nicely.

This is the Shimano PD-R9100, their highest end pedal. It uses two sets of adjustable bearing groups. It's designed to be as light and strong as possible but can also be fully adjusted and maintained.