How do you wrap a bicycle frame with used inner tubes? What is the best way to wrap a frame with bicycle inner tubes?
The bike is an aluminium framed MTB with suspension (rather than a roadie-courier bike that usually gets subjected to such treatment).
Can you use puncture repair glue or does it have to be 'gaffer tape'?
Any tips will be most appreciated on how to do this effectively.
Edit:
As for the why question: there are various reasons why people would want to do this - to protect the bike from railings being one, to make it less attractive to thieves is my concern, making it look 'individual' is another reason to do it.
I was really hoping that someone here has had a go and might want to share what they learned from doing so.

I tend to use zip ties - they're very strong but can be replaced/moved without damaging the tube.  Also for extra damage prone bits (chainstays, BB tube, etc.), I sometimes use the tyres.


Connecting and disconnecting clipless bike shoes from Shimano pedals I bought my first pair of clipless bike shoes (Northwave MTB) and pedals (Shimano 8100).  The connection is SPD, since they're MTB shoes.
I had them show me in the store how to connect and disconnect the shoes:

to connect: first push the cleats forward into the pedal and then press down hard on the heel of the shoe to connect the back part
to disconnect: push down hard on the heel of the shoe and then rotate the heel outward

I didn't manage to get it working in the store and after a while I decided to try it at home, since I wanted to leave the store due to a long time in an enclosed space in these Covid times.
My question is: is it possible to break the cleats/shoes/pedals if I do the motions wrong?  If so, what do I want to do (apart from the motions listed above), and what do I NOT want to do?
Thanks for the help and any other suggestions!

You're not going to break them, and really, their advice is too complicated.
To clip in, just stomp your foot on the pedal in the right spot. If you don't get it right, try again. Pretty quickly it will become second nature.
To clip out, rotate your heel outward. That's it.
This pedal lets you set the disengagement resistance with a screw on the back if you want to make it harder/easier to clip out. You'll need to set it for both sides. And you can reposition the cleat on the shoe to get a better position, but make sure to really tighten it down—if you don't, the cleat can stay locked in the pedal and the shoe will move.


Bike frame measurements I'm 6'2 and ride an XL hardtail.
I found a killer deal for a full suspension that is a Large frame.
Since I am basically right in the middle of large and xl frames would it work riding a large?

I'm tall but not a big guy

Each manufacturer sets its' own guidelines for frame sizing based on their frame geometry.  The only true way to judge what size frame you need is to ride the bike and see if it is comfortable. Don't buy if you can't ride it. Since frames are sized by more than one means of measurement there is no true standard. Some makers use small, med, large  others are numerically odd numbers and others are numerically even numbers. You might fit on one type of frame and the same size from a different company could be too large or too small. If you want to complicate things add in different wheel sizes 26"vs 27.5 vs 29er and it gets even more confusing.


Uneven tension on Gates Carbon Drive belt I tried using the iOS app to check the tension on my Gates Carbon Drive belt (centre-track, CDX I assume as it's driving a Rohlof) and I could not get a consistent measurement over the length of the belt. It varied between 35Hz and ~70Hz.

How is this possible?*
Is the belt ruined?
Is this what is causing the belt to make horrible noises and the spokes of my rear wheel to loosen, such that I've had to go around and tighten them three times within the space of a week?

[*] Might it be caused by "rolling the belt on" to the sprocket in direct contradiction to the Gates manual which says "don't do that" (pages 4, 16, 17)?

Addressing question 1.

I understand that to measure the tension you pluck the belt and app measures the frequency. Anyone who plays guitar will know a string sounds differently when is plucked near the bridge compared to plucked closer to its center. Plucking near the bridge suppresses lower harmonics.

The app instructions should tell you where to pluck the belt, but halfway between the chainring and sprocket is probably the correct spot.


What is the frame called that fits 700c wheels? I have a set of 700c wheels and am looking to buy a used frame.

I want a frame that fits the 700c tires so I don't have to file down the front dropouts or use long reach brakes.

What are the frames called that fit 700c tires?

There's no 'official' standard, as mentioned in the comments. However, in a crude sense, I'd call them 'road frames.'

BMX Frame - Accepts 20" Wheels
Cruiser Frame - Accepts 24" Wheels
Mountain Bike / MTB Frame - Generally accepts 26" mountain bike wheels, unless specified otherwise
'29er' Frame - 29" Mountain bike wheels
Road Frame - Generally accepts 700c wheels

I'm sure there's exceptions to every one of these.


Converting crankset from 28-38-48 to 30-39-53 My current front setup is a 28-38-48 crank with Deore XT shifter & derailer. In addition to a FD-443 and top/bottom-pull converter, what else will need to be purchased for proper shifting?

Also, yes, I do notice chainline issues on the 28 and 38, since it doesn't like 2-3 (on 8-speed), by which I mean chain-on-derailer action.

Note: the reason for the FD-443 is because "Shimano does make one model of front derailer designed to work with "road" (52-42) chainrings and RapidFire upright-handlebar shifters, the FD-R440 model." (http://sheldonbrown.com/front-derailers.html). The triple in the FD-440 series is the FD-443. As it's bottom-pull instead of top-pull, a top/bottom pulley converter is also needed.

You will need to purchase only 4 items to accomplish this swap:

Crankset - Standard road triple
Flat bar road shifter set ST-443
FD-443 front derailleur
Possibly new cables, if they don't come with the shifters.
A new chain designed for the number of gears in your cassette.

You will also need to ensure that you've enough adjustment range on the frame to move your front derailleur up by up to 2cm, and that the derailleur you purchase is dual pull, so that you don't need a pull converter.

But it seems to me you've already worked that out.


29" freewheel ruined (slipping) Some time ago I gave a 29" bike to a person for a ride. Someway he ruined the freewheel (it had a shimano freewheel) - the 2 smallest cogs were badly slipping. Now I put another freewheel (also shimano. it's second hand, but I tried it, and it was in perfect condition). I gave the bike to another person with the "new" freewheel, and by half a hour he ruined this freewheel - the smallest cog is badly slipping, and the second (i.e. #6) a little slipping too.

So here is the question: does the wheel size affect so much, to crush the freewheel in half a hour?

Edit: The bike was new. Just a few rides. The chain length is good - the derailleur is at right position. And yes, it is a freewheel, not cassette.
What caused me to think that freewheel ruined, is that I saw him using cog #7 at rear, and #1 at front.
As mentioned, on first freewheel 2 smallest cogs were slipping. Others are just perfect. Can it be because the chain is ruined as @hillson wrote?

I'm betting that you need to install a brand new chain and a brand new freewheel / cassette, at the same time, and out of an abundance of caution, make sure they're the same brand. I doubt your friend actually ruined anything, the more likely scenario is that the chain is old and stretched, causing it to slip ( or it's the wrong length as Daniel mentioned ). This isn't all that unusual.


Which is the strongest lacing pattern for 32 and 36 spokes Since I already hit the problem with wrong spoke length (changing my old front 32H hub with asymmetrical flanges to a new one with symmetrical), just started to think about the stiffness of the wheels. Heard that the standard lacing pattern is usually 3-cross (3 holes interval on the rim, 4 holes interval on the hub), but never thought which one is the strongest. So I changed the lacing (and spokes to be shorter) - 3 holes interval on the rim, 2 holes interval on the hub ...

Any suggestions about the lacing pattern, note that the new hub is 20x110 (a model for DH/FR, but will be used in street hard braking/drops/etc a lot)

3x is the standard lacing pattern, because it is strongest. Radially spoked wheel will be slightly lighter and stiffer but can not handle torque at all.

There are two reasons why 3x is strongest for 32 and 36h: First, the spokes are connected to the hub tangentially, so braking and pedaling forces go directly to spoke tension without any sideways forces. Second, for every spoke there is a spoke pulling against it in the next hole, so they are less likely to tear apart the hub flange.


Caliper position effect on braking or suspension? According to http://www.bicycling.com/mountainbikecom/featured-stories/jacks-not-here-man

  Where the caliper grips the rotor along its diameter makes no difference in braking or suspension behavior.

Does "no" really mean "zero", as the article claims? (I often find that universal claims are overstated, so I look out for them.)

Or is the article exaggerating the point that the "most important" forces with regards to suspension comes from the contact patch effect?

So long as the caliper attachment point is rigidly connected to the axle, precisely where along the circumference of the rotor (or wheel, for rim brakes) the caliper sits is of no consequence (other than to the designer, who must consider stresses on the "rigid" components).  Braking force and forces applied to suspension components do not change based on the location of the caliper.

Note that position will, to a significant degree, affect such factors as the torque put on the "tine" of the front fork, which may in turn result in such things as a slight twist in the caliper position while braking, but these effects can only occur to the extent that the "rigid" components aren't, quite.


Where should I install the kickstand? I am newbie for cycling. I plan to install a kickstand. But where should I install it? In the center of the bike or on the back side? I don't know the technical terms, so you may get my question from the picture.

I mean the center is

I mean back side is

Nowhere is a good option. A bike can't fall over if its leaned on the ground, and in many cases you can lean a bike against a post or a tree if it needs to be kept upright.

On a more serious note, kickstands can crush bicycle tubes or can interfere with the crank or some other moving part if something goes wrong. Some frames are designed with kickstands in mind and have some reinforcements for kickstand installation. From this perspective, something like a Click-stand (like a folding tenting pole which can be used as a bike stand) is preferable.

If you insist on having a kickstand, check the bike's manual to see if theres a recommended spot. If not, a rear one is preferable for the interference reason, but you're more likely to find a center one legged kickstand easier, which is the one you'll probably install.


Removing SRAM Red Chainrings This is almost certainly very simply, but how do you undo the chainring bolts on the SRAM red chainset? I can fit a 5mm (or 8mm can't recall now) hex head into the black screws, but they just spin on the spot. I have tried both the front and back. Some seem harder to spin than the others, but I can't work out how to remove them.

I suspect there's a sort of nut on the back, with a slot for a screwdriver.  Difficult to reach without a specially shaped screwdriver, though.


Washing a vintage bike—special considerations? I've watched several tutorials on washing bikes, and the general gist seems to be to use a degreaser on the drivetrain, then wash the rest with soapy water, and don't spray hard when rinsing so water doesn't go into the bearings.  My question is are there are any special considerations when washing an older bike—in particular about rust?

It's also worth noting that my seat post has grooves cut out to reduce the weight, so water could potentially go inside the seat tube.  Should I take care to avoid this, or is it a nonissue?

The bike in question is a 1984 Trek 460, with a CrMo steel frame.

Cleaning a vintage bike isn't that much different than cleaning a new bike, with perhaps two caveats:

Vintage bikes are usually made of steel and the frame drain holes may be plugged or non-existent. I wouldn't use water directly (from a hose) directly on a vintage bike but instead only use wet rags and wipes. Don't spray (citrus-based) cleaner directly on the bike, spray it on the rag and then wipe the bike. While cleaning the bike, I'd see if there aren't drain holes at the bottom of the bottom bracket, chain stays, and front forks and make sure they're clear.
Vintage bikes usually have decals that might be easily accidentally removed or damaged. I'd be particularly careful cleaning around these decals. If you like how they look and don't care about restoration value, I'd protect the decals by spraying them with a decal-safe clearcoat (or putting an overlay of helicopter tape) - but be aware that this will destroy their value for a conservationist, so do it if the bike is emotionally valuable to you, but not particularly rare (such as say, a 1984 Trek).


Does cycling make one's knees stronger? I'm wondering if riding hard strengthens the knee or causes degradation?

I exercise regularly and am in solid physical condition.  When strength training off of the bike, I do a lot of leg work including heavy squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc.  I've been doing this seriously for 5 years or so alongside riding, mostly road, and it's done nothing but help when I get in the saddle.

So, when I get on the bike and ride hard, which is usually 4-5 days a week in season, I have leg soreness (obviously).  However, I get sore in the knee - not pain per se - just soreness.  The soreness is mostly felt in the structures that hold the knee together, i.e. ACL, MCL, LCL.

When I strength train I don't get sore like this - the soreness is all in the muscles, i.e. quads, glutes, hamstrings, as opposed to the ligaments.  In fact, I've never done anything besides cycling which induces this type of soreness.  That said, is this good in the long run?  Am I strengthening my knees or slowly working toward future knee problems?

The key point in your question is I get on the bike and ride hard.

There's nothing wrong with riding hard, but it sounds like you're riding too hard for your knees to be happy.

Since you like doing weights, I suspect that you like to push the pedals hard, and this is causing the problem.

Bike fit issues can cause knee soreness, but they also tend to have other symptoms also, such as back soreness or neck pain.

The solution is to train yourself to ride with higher cadence, ie to spin the pedals faster. Aim to get into the 90-100 rpm range, or even higher.

There are many questions here tagged cadence, the most useful for you may be What is the optimal cadence? and will increasing cadence ability hurt my climbing strength?.


Replacing frame on mountainbike Today while riding on a trail, the frame of my full-suspension MTB broke. It's been a long time coming, and at this point I'm happy that it didn't 'catastrophically' fail / I didn't crash.
I think what I would like to do is to find a frame that will take most, if not all of my old parts, and I have two main questions:

How feasible/easy is it to find a frame (be it used or new) that fits my old components? What are the variables to look out for? I'm assuming breaks and cassette/gear system should be transferable basically all the time, and the same is true for fork. I am assuming finding a frame that fits the shock is harder. I'd be happy to hear some of your advice.

What about used frames? This seems like a gamble to me, because I can't envision someone selling a frame (and a frame ONLY) unless the guy has crashed on the frame and wants to get rid of it? Would be happy to hear your opinion on this one, too.

You may be able to find the same frame new from the manufacturer if your bike wasn't too old. Most bike manufacturers sell bare frames, so even if your frame is no longer available, It might be likely you could find a suitable frame new that all or most of your components fit. Without much info on the frame it is hard to get closer to an answer for you, but compatibility checkpoints would be: the head tube/headset style, seat tube diameter, rear dropout and fork end spacing and axle compatibility, bottom bracket shell size, depending on what kind of suspension your frame has, the rear shock pivot type. You may also have to contend with cable mounting issues depending on how different your new frame is. Did I leave anything out?  Those will be the most significant things to look for.
Used frames are a great option, but as you are saying, There is a potential risk that you end up with a frame that is near or beyond tthe end of it's life. It can be difficult to know looking at a carbon frame what kind of damage if any, and warping or fatigue can be hard to spot on steel and Aluminum frames until you've already spent you money and built up you bike and gone riding. I've purchased a few used frames and had good experiences though. I would try to find a new replacement first for sure, and be open to having to also buy a few new components if not all of your old gear is compatible.


What is the optimal way to draft in a group of two cyclists? How often should a person on the front get off and go behind the person in the back when there is only a group of two? Every minute? Every 10 minutes? When there are several people, a paceline is quite straightforward, but I don't know what would be the equivalent with two people.

Do you both have a speedo on your bike's handlebars for reading the current velocity, (ie speedometers/head units/bike computers/) ?   It can be very hard to ride on feel, so one of the better ways to pace a group is to pick a target speed that is not flat-out, and the lead should aim for that speed.
When the leader feels its time to rotate, then you gently swap places.  The new lead should work to maintain the nominated speed, and not blast away from the now-tired other rider.
How long apart is this?  It depends on how long each person can maintain the nominated speed while on the front, and how long you each need on the back to recover for your next pull.
If you find you're holding that speed for multiple minutes and not getting tired, then perhaps you want to raise the target a couple of km/h.  Or you might be advantaged by a slight descent or a good tailwind.
Likewise if you're not getting enough shelter on the back before its your turn again, then perhaps the target speed was too high for this day, and knocking it back by 2~3 km/h would help.  Some-days you just don't go as fast, its okay.
If the group were bigger, you'd have up to about 6 riders in a single paceline, where the front one gets tired and then peels off, drifting back down the line and leaving a fresh new face to take the wind.  Tired rider has to kick it up again to hook onto the back end, but there will get a good wind saving.
Your two-person paceline is a bit too short for a casual drift back and recovery, but still its up to the leader to make a decision when to peel off and drop back.
Aside - more than about 6 riders and you have enough for a nice double-paceline, where the rider drifting back isn't just on their own, they're in a second line which slowly drops back and then across into the forward line.   Imagine a paternoster lift slowly revolving around.


I have a trekking bike. Should I buy a road bike to train for a race? I have a trekking bike (similar to this one : http://www.hervis.at/products/product?code=BASE:1842986&referer=at-bike-cross )  and I plan to join some triathlon events in the future. I try to do some long runs (sorry if that is not that long for you) around 70-80 km, but I cannot be faster than 21 km/h. I see the others with road bikes are much quicker than me(but I don't know whether this is because of me or the bike).

My first point is that I dont want to spend money now and I am really undecided whether this is a good strategy to train for later. Do you think there is room for big speed improvement with the road bikes? Is it similar to train with the trekking bike and then change it or does it change the style a lot?

Yes, you will need to have a road bike in order to properly train for a Triathlon. The ergonomics of a road bike a totally different to a mountain bike and you will therefore have to set aside some extra time for your body. You may at first feel discomfort when riding as you won't be used to the bike, but that'll go away very quickly.

As to whether you should buy a bike right now or not: I would say wait until autumn time when bicycle retailers will be cutting their prices in order to get rid of the current season bikes. I got my bike for £240 and it was Originally £600.


What bottom bracket removal tool do I need? I haven't been able to find a bottom bracket tool for this specific spline count/pattern. It looks like it might fit a standard 20-spline one, but I'm not sure since there are actually only 16, but with larger gaps in between groups of 4:

It's just the regular old 20-spline cartridge type tool, i.e. Park BBT-22. I have seen a few like this, although I don't really know what the deal is with them.
While there are now an enormous number of outboard type BB tool spline patterns, internal cartridge BBs pretty much exclusively use either the Shimano-originated 20-spline tools or the smaller Campy spline pattern.


What crankset/chainrings on 1990's cyclocross I am doing a small project on my secondary bike.  It's 28"/700c steel 1990's rigid mountain bike frame and I am converting it to a dropbar bike.  The theme is to make a "gravel" bike with 1990's tech.  It's an 8 speed system with a mountain bike rear derailleur (RD-M737, from 1994 like the frame) and a 12-32 cassette.  It has cantilever brakes.  The cockpit has a short road bike quill stem, a dropbar and I am intending to set it up with old series 2x8 Claris STI shifters.

What I would like, to keep it within the theme, is to use a crankset with gearing that would have been available at the time (so preferably not a 50/34).  I had assumed cyclocross specific chainrings would be a good candidate.  However I can't find much information on what kind of chainrings they used a the time, and then I even wondered if they maybe always ran 3x at the time (I hope not)...

Q: Does anyone know what kind of cranksets/chainrings were being used on (mid) 1990's cyclocross bikes?

Crank Set Types
Lots of different crank sets and chain rings were being used on cyclocross bikes in the mid 1990s. Some factors that influenced the parts selection process:

Price
Availability
Performance characteristics
Personal preference

I don't know of any cyclocross specific crank sets.
To aid you in finding period appropriate parts and using Shimano as an example of one maker here is a link to a Shimano parts timeline.
Here is a link to a collection of Shimano catalogues from 1984 to 1997.

Number of Chain Rings
People used single, double, and triple chainrings
Here's a 1988 (it's a little older than the 90s but it's an example) Alan bike posted on bikeforums.net with a single chain ring:

Here's a Cicli B Cyclocross from the early 1990s that was sold on steel-vintage.com with a triple.

Gearing
According to Wikipedia

  Gearing is typically lower, with most common setups using a 46-36 (110mm BCD) or 48-38 (130mm BCD) chainring combination with a 12-25 to 12-30 cassette. Some riders opt to use a single chainring in the front (typically a 40-42 tooth chainring) while retaining multiple sprockets in the rear cassette.

Since cyclocross is such an open ended sport it might be best to go with the gearing that fits your riding style.


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

Any tips?

Have you taken the inner tube out after you've had the issues inflating it? was the tube still intact after taking it out? (no leaks)? If there was a leak there are a few things to check:

make sure the rim tape is in good condition (no tears/holes, make sure it's properly aligned in the rim)
remove rim tape and check if any spokes protrude more than approx 1-2mm past the top of the spoke nipples, if they do consider shortening these spokes with a file, Dremel or the like or adjusting the spokes such that they are no longer protruding (if possible whilst keeping the wheel true/round)
check rim bed/edges (where the tire contacts the rim) for damage (sharp/pointy spots which could potentially damage the tire), if you find any sand/file them down so they're smooth
check your tire for pieces of metal/glass/other objects embedded in/under the surface (by rotating the tire whilst removed from the wheel and pinching it every 2cm approx to reveal any splinters, do this on both the inside and outside of the tire
check if valve hole has any sharp edges
whilst installing inner tube make sure it is not pinched in between rim and outer tube (inflate inner tube just a bit, check if it is not pinched anywhere and if all is good inflate the rest of the way)

For fixing flats I personally find it useful to clamp the inner tube with patch in between a bench vice (potentially with some pieces of wood in between the vice and the tube/patch for wider inner tubes), you could also use screw clamps for this purpose.

How far is your valve stem protruding through the rim? Would it be enough length to let the pump properly 'grab' it without leaking? If the valve stick-out is very minimal you will have to get an inner tube with a longer valve stem to be able to properly inflate it. There are also valve extenders for Schrader (and other) valve types, which you could consider using if your current valve is too short for the rim. (  (https://www.bikesale.com/slime1-14schradervalveextenders4-pack.aspx)

Edit: Could it be that when trying to install the pump onto the valve you're pushing the Shrader valve stem into the rim (it can easily be pushed down so it sticks out less when the tire is not or barely inflated). What I often do to try and prevent this is to use one hand to install the pump and use the other hand to depress the outer tire at the position of the valve stem, in this way i am preventing the valve stem from moving down when exerting pressure on it by pushing the pump onto it. If you have a pump which screws onto the Shrader's valve stem this should be a non issue, if you have a pump which 'clamps' onto the valve stem you might want to try this.


Topeak Explorer Tubular Rack two versions confusion There are two versions of the "Topeak Explorer Tubular Frame Mounted Bicycle Rack"

'regular' (TA2026-B) and 29er (TA2042-B )

I'm not sure what would work best with my 700c hybrid bike?

The difference in dimensions(Size (L x W x H) 42 x 17 x 41.5 cm vs 34 x 14.2 x 41.5 cm)  seems a little odd as they both support the MTX QuickTrack™ System. I do plan to get an MTX trunk bag for it.

29" and 700c rims are the same diameter (iso 622mm). Primarily, the difference in width and length is to accommodate wider MTB frame stays and tires...I'd stick with the TA2026-B.


Puncture resistant tires The the default tires from my scott aspect 30 (Schwalbe Black Jack, 26 x 2.1, 50TPI) are peaty worn by know and i need to buy new ones.

My main complain is the punctures made by vegetation every day I ride, the next day I have to change the tube because of a small hole on the front tire mainly...

I'm inclined to buy this configuration

front: Mountain King by continental 26 x 2.2
back: Race King by continental 26 x 2.2

Am I on the right direction? any other recommendation?
does my weight (79 kg/174 pounds) has any influence on my choice?

From what I can see here:

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/general/innovation/Protection_en.html

...you are going to have an excellent tire. These tight-fabric protection (kevlar or aramid, I guess) work great (at least are working great in my Marathon XR).

For XC and off-road, I think the tight fabric might be preferred over the thick-inner-rubber protection (a la Schwalbe Marathon Plus) due to performance issues (weight and rigidity, mostly).

Another option would be to use anti-puncture tape (Mr.Tuff, Sttones) between the tire and the tube. On the road, these have served me very well (after I finally gave up being skeptical - suffered so long in vain...). In the other hand, on off-road, where pressures are lower and tire deformation is higher, perhaps the built-in protection is a better choice.

Hope this helps


Does this carbon fork have a crack in it that would make you replace it? Hello, I dropped the bike from standing and also had a front end collision later. The damage is from dropping the bike from standing because I can see the crack in a much older photo from after the collision. It has not changed much. However, I get worried it is suddenly going to bust on me and I am not very experienced with carbon fiber. Thanks. A bike shop has looked at it and ok'd it, but I am still concerned when going down hills.

What is visible in the photo is a paint scratch. Letting the bike simply fall over will not structurally damage carbon fiber composite. People seem to think CFC is fragile but it’s really quite robust.
The fact that you had a collision is much more worrying. How hard? At what angle?
Hard, head-on collisions can certainly damage the frame or fork. The stresses are higher in the head tube or steerer area as the fork acts like a lever. Often damage to the head tube can occur but the fork is un- (or less) damaged.


Failure in venerable spoke at nipple: causes? I have a venerable (high spike count) rear wheel that has survived many a year before and after I purchased the bicycle.

Today a drive side spoke failed at the nipple while climbing.  The road surface was smooth. I didn’t hit any bumps. I was seated but pushing power at cadence.

The spoke failed within the thread area.

Despite searching online I’ve not found a succinct explanation of the causes and actions of spoke failure at nipple (as opposed to hub).

If a spoke breaks, it'll go at one end or the other, because that's where the stresses are concentrated. Breaking at the nipple end isn't particularly unusual so I'm not sure there's any specific cause you should be looking for. (Both the spokes I've broken went at the nipple, for example.)


How can I tell if a tire contains slime? I recently had an inner tube on my mountain bike changed,  but it was my wife that actually took the bike in to the shop for service.  When it came back I noticed the stem has a blue cap rather than the typical black cap. I have seen slime inner tubes that have a green cap, so it got me to wondering if there was something different about the tire. Although I hadn't asked for slime and she didn't remember anything being said about it, it's possible they could have just thrown it in as a freebie.  (This sort of thing has happened before where they quote one price over the phone and then the actual price winds up being less than what they quoted.) I have also noticed that at one point the tire went flat uncharacteristically fast (within a couple days of non-use compared to normal losses of a maximum of 1/3 pressure over a week), but after I pumped it back up it seemed to hold its pressure fairly well over a longer time period, which suggests to me that either there was a tiny leak which somehow sealed itself when the tube was re-pressurized, or slime was involved.

Aside from actually taking off the tire and taking out the tube and shaking it, how can I tell if a given tire has slime in it?

To find out if there is sealant inside the tube,

cut it open - kinda terminal for the tube
take it off the rim and deflate it then squish the tube with your hands.  It will feel more slippery than an empty tube
Hang the deflated tube up for a night and the sealant will pool at the bottom.  You should be able to feel it through the tube
If the valve core is removable, remove it and stick the end of a matchstick or toothpick through, see if it comes back damp.

Generally weight alone won't tell you, because there's only 20-50 grammes of sealant in a tube, when a tube weighs 5 times that.


Replace gear shifter with one with gear number display My current back gear has a shifter without a gear number display, with only the + and - signs on the ends.

I was thinking to replace it with a numbered one. Would using a numbered one cause any issue?  Do you have an idea? thanks

There are two things that you need to check to be sure that the shifter will work. The shifter needs to have the same number of gears as your bike. If you have 7 gears on the back, then don't go buying a 10-speed shifter. The second thing is that the pull-ratio of the shifter has to match the derailleur. This is why not all shifters with the same number of gears are interchangeable. This information can be found online or you can update your question with details of the derailleur on your bike and the shifter that you're looking at.


How to tell if a folding bike is faster than a boris bike Am considering purchasing a folding bike, but curious to know if there is any way to know (other than planned / timed test riding)  if a particular model is faster (top speed, in a velodrome, with a reasonably fit rider) than the standard boris bike available in London?

Neither Boris bikes nor folding bikes are exactly built for speed, so we can consider mainly the gearing. For this,  gear inches are a convenient measure taking into account not just the gear ratio but the wheel size.

On Brompton folders (as a well-documented example) you have a choice of gearing but the default 6-speed gives up to 100 gear inches. That's quite high for a bike with small wheels and flat bars. For short urban journeys you might not make it into top on the Brompton.

The Boris bike is a 3-speed with up to 60 gear inches. this is actually lower than the single speed Brompton. But it's not a stupidly low cruising gear. If you know the rear wheel size and tooth counts for the chainring(s) and sprocket(s) (plus any hub gears) you can use a gear inch calculator where you can also work in metric if you'd rather.

For many typical urban journeys, the time taken is determined more by the traffic than the bike. A bigger difference is trading off the unfolding/folding time against finding a Boris bike and then finding somewhere to park it, plus walking between where you park it and your real destination. You know the journeys you're likely to make better than we do, and so you're on your own for that.

Another benefit of having a folder is that it's yours. You know you've got it if there's a problem like a tube strike when the Boris bikes will all be taken. You can also customise lighting and luggage to some extent.


Defective gear shifting down My mountain bicycle has 3 chainrings at the front and 7 cogs at the back, making it a 21 gears bike, which are shifted by a derailleur system.

Although it is 25 years old, everything seems to work fine, except for switching gears down from 3-7 to 3-6 and from 3-6 to 3-5. (With X-Y I mean Xth ring, Yth cog.) Whenever I try one of these two particular shifts, they take longer to kick in and in the meantime I hears "clicks" from the mechanism, differently from the other shifts, which take effect fast and smoothly.

The same behavior also happens in another 21 gears bicycle I sometimes ride, which leads me to the question:

Is this effect widespread and normal or is it a malfunction I'd better repair?

It's reasonably common to have some shifting problems with derailleur systems, especially on a 25 year old bike.

A common problem is friction between the shifter cables and housing due to wear and dirt having worked it's way in. What is probably happening in your case is that the cable is 'hanging up' in the housing delaying the movement of the derailleur. The clicking is the chain hitting the adjacent sprocket until the derailleur eventually moves over to it's proper position.

Replacing the housing and cable is relatively cheap, will make shifting more accurate and reduce the force needed to change gear. Replacing cables and housing is quite easy and there are many video guides available.

A worn or dirty chain can also cause or exacerbate problems, as can wear to the rear sprockets.


How do I descend faster on the straightaway? I've heard a lot of advice about descending mountain roads involving cornering and braking. I want to know how to go faster when descending on the long straightaway. Is it worth pedaling at speeds above 40 mph or should I just tuck in my legs? Is there anything I can do to my posture beyond dropping down to the lower handle bars and getting as low as possible? Is there any adjustment to the bike fit that could help? Where should I put my weight on the bike? Any other general speed increasing tips?

Qualification

Your question is missing specifics such as hill grade, but let's assume you are talking about steeper grades where it is relatively easy to hit speeds above 40 mph.  Second you didn't mention environmental conditions (such as cross-winds) as some positions become rather dangerous if you are hit by a cross-wind or are descending a rough road.

Focusing on Body Position

While equipment has an effect, your single biggest gains will be improvements in your position on the bike.  However please note that some of the more aerodynamic positions also unbalance the bike making it more unstable, increasing the probability of a crash.

A reasonably safe and efficient position is to keep your weight back and get your your body into a wedge position (see image below). By getting down far enough the wind should hit your back rather than your chest, preventing your chest from acting like an air scoop.  Also notice that the hands are brought in as close as possible to reduce drag generated by the arms.  You should also bring your legs in as close to the frame as possible. Your goal is to present as little profile as possible.

(Source: Bicycling)

You can further tweak this position by bringing your body further forward and your face closer to the handle bars.  This reduces the gap between your handlebars and your face/head reducing turbulence and shielding more of your lower body from the wind. In this case the rider has his hands on the drops as he is also navigating turns.

(Source: youtube)

More Unstable/Dangerous Derivatives

It is possible to get into even more aerodynamic positions.  The fastest position I have found is taking the position found in the first or second image and getting your head and body in front of the handle bars and tucking in all your extremities in the remaining spaces (the rider below is partly doing this).  In the most extreme case your face should be an inch off your front wheel and your chest on your handle bars (not shown).

DISCLAIMER - In such an aggressive position, you cannot see properly and if you hit any sizeable bump or are caught by a cross-wind you WILL CRASH.  That said it is also very fast and can be dangerously addictive. I have found I could gain an additional 10-15 km/hr over more safer positions, but only typically do it for short stretches.


Importance of tire width How much of an impact does tire width have on the performance of a bicycle?

I am in the process of buying my first real bicycle and am having trouble deciding between a more traditional road bike with 25mm tires versus an "adventure" bike with 32mm tires.  The manufacturers description for the second specifically mentions paths and trails with variable terrain while the road bike only mentions different weather conditions.

Most of my local riding would be on paved trails where I wouldn't expect any problems with the road bike.  However, there is a possibility that I would also like to do some packed dirt canal towpaths that are a little further away.  Ideally one bike would be good in both locations.

Is it a terrible idea to try and use a road bike anywhere but pavement?  How much of a difference does a wider tire make while riding on pavement?

25 mm would be at major disadvantage on dirt canal towpaths.

32 mm with touring or road type tread is only at minor disadvantage on the road.  Slightly more rolling and air resistance but you pick up softer ride, more traction, and less pinch flats.

You can put smaller tires on the adventure bike but I doubt you could put 32 mm on the road bike.


Consequences of having too low tyre pressure I changed a 38-622 size tyre to a different brand 37-622 one. The original tyre stated a pressure range of 40-60 psi, while the new one states 50-85 psi. What are the consequences of going below the recommended lower limit (50)?
The bicycle is used by a light rider, typically with pressures between 40-50 psi for comfort reasons. This bike is mainly used for getting around town, sometimes on gravel roads.

EDIT: I received many useful answers about how to decide whether the pressure is too low. One aspect of the question that was not fully addressed is why there is a different pressure recommendation between two different tyres of (almost) the same size, and whether the type (rather than size) of the tyre really makes a significant difference in how low one may go with the pressure.

As others have answered already, the most common problem with low pressure is pinch flats
I think with thick and inflexible sidewalls it can also damage the sidewalls of a tire over time. However if you have flexible, lightweight tires (e.g. cyclocross/gravel or performance oriented MTB tires) this shouldn’t be a problem.
At very low pressures the tire can “roll off” the rim in tight turns.
I think I’ve written this on StackExchange several times, but my favorite method for gauging minimal tire pressure is to put the front wheel on a sharp corner (e.g. edge of a curb or stair) and push down on the handlebars with your whole body weight. If you can press it down all the way to the rim the pressure is probably too low, unless you ride very carefully.
Of course low pressure increases rolling resistance, but with good, performance oriented tires the increase is surprisingly low.
The Schwalbe Smart Sam is a pretty good and supple tire. 40 psi (2.8bar) is low for a 37mm tire but can still be fine with a lightweight rider (how light are we talking here? 50kg? 60kg?) and bike. But you should be careful when riding over potholes, roots, tram tracks etc.
As a 65kg person I went as low as 2bar on 33mm tires in cyclocross.


What is wrong with my Shimano 105 5800 front derailleur? Background:

I've installed a complete new 105 group (this bike is a brand new custom build) on a Civia Hyland frame.

The rear wheel has a white industries CLD disc hub for the 11 speed cassettes.

The Civia doesn't have a brazed on cable stop, so I've installed a clamp on cable stop on the down tube for the FD cable.

I have an inline barrel adjuster at the cable stop. The Civia has adjustable dropouts, so I've put them as far back as possible, resulting in an effective chainstay length of around 435mm or so. The wheel is in the correct orientation, I've checked side to side length (wheel edge to downtube) and it lines up with the downtube.

I've installed the FD according to the shimano FD shop manual for this dérailleur.

The FD is a clamp on version.

I have plenty of tension, the FD (5800) shifts great and fast, the problem is rubbing.

I can actually adjust the FD so that BOTH the small front/large rear and large front/small rear rub on the FD. I can adjust it so that it rubs at both extremes! Note that I don't mean the cross-chained extremes here, i.e., big/big and small/small, these are ok with the trim positions (I also don't care about these, since I don't use them)

When in the small/big combo it rubs on the inner part of the FD cage. When in the big/small combo it rubs on the outer part of the FD cage.

I'm sure it isn't in a trim position. I'm using a 5800 shifter. I've tried both cable adjuster positions at the pinch bolt. There is slight runout on the big chain ring, but it is pretty small.

In the small/big (front/rear) combo, the chain rubs on the inner part of the cage. In the big/small combo, the chain rubs on the outer part of the cage. It is like my shifter isn't pulling enough cable on the final trim to big shift, or that the chainrings are actually spaced too far apart (I suppose I should pull the crank off and check the latter).

This also occurs with both adjustment screws backed all the way out, to ensure that the full shifter cable range is being utilized.

The chainline is correct at 43.5mm.

Has anyone else seen this problem? Do you think I have a bad shifter?

I've been riding the bike and really took a look today at the shifting while riding.

In the big/small combo, it looked like it just wasn't pulling enough cable to get it over far enough.

While I was riding I had an idea, perhaps the cable position coming from the cable stop had an effect (it should since it is basically a projection of the pull onto the the FD lever arm).

The cable stop was a clamp on aftermarket one, since the Civia Hyland doesn't have cable stops.

When I got home I decided to test it some more. I did two things :

moved the cable stop up and down
rotated the cable stop around the down tube

I managed to find a position where it worked! Barely, the tolerances on this thing are tight, but I can get it positioned where it barely doesn't rub now on small/big and on big/small.

The cable stop was too close to the FD, it needed to be moved down.
The cable stop was rotated too far away from the FD, it needed to be rotated closer to the centerline of the downtube.

This fixed the problem, these new FDs have very tight specs, it still barely, barely doesn't rub.

At least I have a cable stop that I can move around, if the cable stop were in a fixed position I couldn't have fixed this.


Does cannabis affect cycling performance? Some of my friends like to smoke (using both traditional methods and vaporizers that produce no "smoke") or eat edibles before rides, they say it makes it more enjoyable.  I always wonder if it affects their performance, insofar as they fatigue faster, have less endurance, make less power, etc.

They claim it doesn't.  A few have said they are actually better while medicated, for various reasons, like any pain they may be having is numbed or they feel that they can just crank away forever.  I'm not so sure. I usually say "well, it probably just feels that way" - I doubt there is any benefit, but I could be wrong.

Furthermore, for an experienced rider, could it be said that it is dangerous to medicate and ride?

Have there been any studies done or any empirical research that points to a decline in performance and/or increased safety risk? e.g. getting hit by a car.

Are you asking about the immediate effects while high or long-term effects?

I can't find any unbiased, well-cited sources except for one from the British Journal of Sports Medicine which basically says that doctors should try to keep athletes from using cannabis due to its possible dangers. However, some sources (of unknown quality) claim that it may help with some sports due to e.g. its ability to help people get into a pseudo-meditative state (which assumedly helps with e.g. long-distance running). Others claim that its ability to lessen the perception of pain may be of benefit in some sports (e.g. in combat sports).

However, cannabis use has been more or less uncontroversially proven to slow down nervous-system response (c.f. "Cannabis use and cognitive dysfunction") and so it can be dangerous to use when reflexes are necessary for one's safety (i.e. such as when riding a bicycle). Moreover, smoking cannabis is still smoking --- the long-term health consequences of which are hard to overstate.


installing a 700-18-23C tube on a bicycle When installing a 700-18/23C tube, does the nut on the valve stem go inside the tire (unseen once the tire is on the wheel rim) or outside the rim (so it is seen among the spokes)?

It goes outside the rim, where you can see it.

It's not even strictly necessary. It really only exists to keep the valve stem in place while you air the tire up, which makes the whole process much easier. Weight weenies throw them away to save a couple grams.

Also note that if you use it, you don't want to screw it down too tight. Doing so can crimp your tube in the valve hole, causing it to puncture. Screw it on just enough to get the pump nozzle onto the valve. That's all you need. If airing the tire up exposes more of the valve, go ahead and screw it down until it just touches the rim.

PS: The tube size is actually irrelevant. The installation is the same for any tube with a Presta valve.


Is it safe to ride on an unevenly bulging tyre? Most of the tyre looks fine, true and straight but the section photographed shows bulging. The rim itself is true, is this safe to ride on?

Short answer, no it is not safe.

This looks like the tire bead is not correctly seated (not clinching the clincher) in which case deflating and reseating will likely fix the issue (check the bead...if it's damaged, the tire is done).

The other, less likely, possibility is a weak area on the tire. This is usually accompanied by a scrape or other damage to the sidewall of the tire...can't really tell in this picture, but I suspect you would have mentioned such.

In either case, riding on this can lead to a blowout. As it's a rear tire, this is not quite the horror it is with a front tire, but it still is not a lot of fun.

Be safe, fix or replace.

Happy Riding.


If I am using DRY lube, do I need to clean my chain between applications? Do I need to clean the chain before reapplying dry lube if I am only using dry lube?

Yes you should clean the chain occasionally.  Where does the dirt go if you don't clean it off ?

True that dry lubricants are not as sticky as wet ones, but there's still dirt there and it needs to come off, not get further into your chain's gubbins.


mix left shifter and font derailleur of different speed I have a Shimano 5700 front derailleur and 5700 flat bar shifter (left) but for some reason I can't use the FD on my frame (too narrow, my driven train is 9 speed). After lot of research some people suggest using Shimano 2400 FD (8 speed). I am going to try but my question is can I still use the 5700 flat bar shifter (left), which is for 10 speed driven train?

It will work OK while you should not mix 2 & 3 speed (MTB and road) front gears. 8 speed chain is a little wider than 9 speed and the FD will be a little wider but it's not much wider and will move your chain pretty nice. It's not affecting the shifter cable pull and FD move.
The problem in mixing 8 & 9 gears is in rear shifter.


Mountain bikes: Downhill braking What's the better braking strategy for steep, technical descents?

"Brake hard, then release completely & roll."

vs.

"Maintain constant pressure on the brakes."

Short answer: depends.

Long answer:

Braking is as much a style as other parts of riding, but there are some general guidelines. The longer you hold those brakes, the more the heat will build up and braking performance will decrease. You'll also burn through pads a lot faster that way. On the other hand, sudden braking puts quite a bit of stress on the bike all the way from the rotor through the fork/rear triangle, to the handlebars and chain. It also changes the way the suspension moves through it's travel.

When should use either of these methods? I generally use a longer, controlled brake when descending a steep chute that requires a bit more technical riding or doesn't have a great runout after the rough bits. Quick braking is useful when you're plowing into a corner and need to scrub some speed quick or plan on drifting around it. You can also brake right before dropping in to a section so that the wheels roll over the rocks and roots instead of sliding and then roll out the bottom.

Really it's going to come down to how you ride and where you like to make speed changes. Experiment and find what's comfortable and what meets your needs. If you're trying to carry crazy speed you might find a quick, hard brake is more beneficial, etc.


How do I encourage fellow riders not to yell in residential areas early in the morning? How do I encourage fellow riders not to yell in residential areas during early morning rides?

If it is a club or organized ride contact the organizer and let him/her know the problem.  Usually there will be a communication mechanism that they can use to inform riders of the problem and corrective action. If no action is taken, and it is a huge problem, you can go one level up to the sponsors or a higher governing body (clubs are usually members of a larger cycling associations).  Usually sponsors or governing bodies don't want bad behavior associated with their respective brands, and will put pressure on the club or organization to quickly rectify the problem.

If it is an informal ride there will usually be a social media page (e.g., Facebook) used for communication (how else can you brag about the beating you laid down on everyone last ride).  You can use this to bring up your issue to "members".  If no action is taken, your next steps aren't as clear, but there are always option if you are creative (e.g., public shaming).

How far you want to go really depends how big of an issue it is to you.  For a  bit of rowdiness I would personally not go as far as I have outlined (i.e., I would just contact organizers), but I would for more dangerous behavior (e.g., chasing Strava segments on shared bike/walking pathways).


What kind of bike do I have I just bought this Peugeot and having a hard time finding out what year and model it is. Can you please assist and help me. I think the third pic is the serial number: Y71241711.

As noted by @AndrewHenle this appears to be a 1987 or 1988 Peugeot Aubisque; it's a very good match for this (identified as) 1988 catalogue image from http://www.peugeotshow.com/:

I had previously found a less clear copy of the same catalogue at www.bikeboompeugeot.com where it was identified as a 1987 catalogue.  The 1989 catalogue has an Aubisque with a slightly different paint job.


What pressure should I run? Front versus the back wheel? I assume it is common sense you should run a lower pressure in the front wheel versus the back. I weigh 175 lbs (79kg), I have tires with max 120 PSI (8.3 bar), what PSI should I run in the front and the back tire on my road bike? I use a 700x25 tire (25-622 ISO/ETRTO).

It depends on the terrain you ride on, what you find comfortable and so on, so you need to play with tire pressures to figure out what fits you. Several companies (e.g. Schwalbe) give recommendations, but they're only good to start -- you need to play with tire pressures to find whats good for you.

The number written on the sidewall of the tire is generally useless. For most riders, a correct pressure is significantly lower than whats written on the tire sidewall, and the tire sidewall rating does not take into account the strength of the rim (wheel) you're running, so blindly obeying it can be hazardous since the rim may take damage if you hit a bump at max pressure. A correctly inflated tire absorbs road hazards appropriately and avoids pinch flats while not having too much rolling resistance.

That being said, a rule of thumb is that the rear tire is about 10% higher pressure than the front tire. But you're completely free to ignore this and find something that's comfortable for you.


Why do my tires seem to be jumping? I bike for work and I've taken a few days off for the holidays. It's been very cold and rainy and Ive tried to keep my bike covered. I hopped on my bike after about a week and a half of disuse, and I began pedaling. With each pedal rotation it seemed like I was going over a small speed bump with my front tire. I tried pedaling faster and slower but the bumping sped and slowed down respectively. Also whenever I used my handbrake I'd smell this weird almost burning smell.

Burning smell?  Stop riding the bike immediately!

Inspect your bike closely and identify what is rubbing.  I'd suspect the brake pads, or possibly a tyre is rubbing on a part of the frame.

Another cause that exacerbates a burning smell is animal urine on the brakes.  Leaving your bike outside means it could be used as a toilet target.

Also look closely at your front tyre.  Spin the wheel and see if there is a flat spot in the tyre, or if the rim is damaged.  Also look for rocks/pebbles stuck in the tread.   Check your tyre pressures too - if they're low that won't help.

I wonder if your bike has been out in the super cold for a bit longer than you realise.  Even leaving it covered, the bike will deteriorate fast.  Consider parking the bike inside a house or garage instead.   Under a porch or carport roof is better than out in the open.


What maintenance should be done on a bike pump to keep it in good condition? My zefal hp x 4 full frame bike pump internals have rusted out.   I now have a Lezyne mini pump.   What maintenance should I do on the pump to make sure it does not rust out?

As @DanielRHicks indicated in a comment, as far as preventing rust, you can disassemble a mini pump to let the internals dry out. This video shows how to disassemble a Lezyne mini pump. I am not 100% certain, but I think the Lezyne pumps may not have any steel parts, which should reduce the likelihood of rust.
Answering the question more broadly, rubber o-rings are commonly used inside pumps to form airtight seals, e.g. between the piston and the walls of the pump. Rubber compounds will degrade with time due to oxidization. You can't stop this process any more than you can stop entropy itself (although I have a Lezyne mini that's over 10 years old, and it's still airtight, so it might take a while). However, if Lezyne still offers spare parts when this happens to you, you can buy a replacement o-ring kit, e.g. here, and then replace the o-rings. Dirt may also get inside the pump internals, and as the video shows, you can simply wipe off and regrease the internals. I'm not extremely familiar with grease types, but silicone grease as Daniel recommended is used for metal to non-metallic components (whereas lithium grease is for metal-metal interfaces), so this would be the type to use.
Lezyne does offer spare gauges, chucks or heads (the part you plug onto the valve), and hoses for both their mini and floor pumps. To my personal knowledge, Silca also makes a big point of offering spare parts for its pumps (which are premium items, so one would hope that they did). I would assume that most major manufacturers, like Zefal, should offer similar spare parts.


Installing shimano mt 200 hydraulic brakes to internally routed frame? I have a bike with an internally routed rear brake. I bought Shimano mt200 hydraulic brakes to replace the low end mechanicals that came on the bike. My problem is that the brakes came pre-bled. Now I have them just ziptied to the frame.
My question is, what's the best way to install the brakes? Is there a way to keep the fluid in the lines? Or should I completely empty the lines, internally route, install new olive and barb and then refill with fluid?

The usual approach is to disconnect the lever nut, cut off the hose just below the factory barb, and then feed it through from the caliper end up to the lever. Then you turn the bars all the way and hold up the hose next to the lever and mark the spot you'll trim to for optimal length. Cut, slide on cover and nut, install new barb and olive, reconnect and bleed.
Some frames have openings big enough to get the nut, cover, and barb through, but most don't. Even if you can do this, the factory olive is smashed up most of the time anyway, potentially causing leaks if rejoined.
The fluid stays in for the most part because only one end gets opened. There are ways of doing the above that introduce little or no air and avoid the need to bleed, but people sometimes overstate how effective those tricks are as opposed to just taking advantage of Shimano brakes' ability to function with a little air in the system. It's better to just bleed it.


Gears shift perfectly when suspended on rack, but not on the ground? So I had recently solved some issues I was having thanks to the community. I re-tuned my bike on a suspended mount and everytning looks great. On the ground, all of the gears work smoothly except for shifting into 8th gear (8 speed rear derailleur). The chain hangs on 7th and won’t jump. On my bike rack it shifts perfectly after properly setting the high limit screw. The only way I’ve gotten it to work on the ground is backing out the high limit screw more (small turns), but the shifting is sort of a jolt and it occasionally overthrows the chain and derails it (...bad joke).

Any suggestions or tips on what to look for? Nothing appears bent, bolts are tightened, wheel is true, and bike is tuned. I’m seriously scratching my head.

Thanks

While I'm not sure this qualifies as an answer, because with such questions there is usually a lot of guessing, your issue sounds like a flexing issue or a worn rear-hub.

The flexing could happen because of your weight (maybe fatigued frame? or just flexible) resulting in slightly changed geometry while riding vs suspended mount.

A worn rear hub could cause a wobbling or light tilting in the cassette while under load.

I would also check the cables while the bike is mounted on the stand and see that the clamps or the bike position (handlebars sitting at a hard angle, pulling on cables) are not somehow affecting the tension in the derailleur cable.


How to judge grade of carbon frame? Last weekend, a friend told me about a local bicycle shop(Metro Cycles) selling a Carbon Cycle of Hamilton brand. This brand is sort of known in India but only for cheap bicycles. Later I figured out that Hamilton Bicycles is an in-house brand of Metro Cycles.

So, I went to have a look at the bicycle out of curiosity. It sure is a carbon frame, but I couldn't get more information about it as the dealer as well as the website are sparse on details. I have been wondering how come they came up with one-off carbon model and who designed it and where.

Some pictures of the bicycle:

This is the product page on their website: http://hamiltoncycles.in/Product.aspx?pId=10270

My notes on the first look at the bike:

Carbon Quality Unknown.
Endurance Geometry.
Shimano groupset: nondescript, 8 speed.
Saddle torn.
Handlebar bad. The grip is torn.
Brakes seem to be really bad. The rear brake has horrible stopping power.
JHT wheels?
Size not specified
Carbon chipped.
Horribly maintained

And they quoted ₹95000/-(~$1350) for this stupid thing. Surely, I can get a Carbon bike with Tiagra groupset for a little more.

Surely never buying this bike nor even recommending it to anybody but it has me wondering how to judge the frame quality. I have always relied on online reviews for known brands but when it comes to brands like these, I have no idea where to start. I faced a similar lack of information when I was looking for Java bikes, and thus let it go.

There are manufacturers in Taiwan and China that make bicycles for the major brands known around the world, including ons with carbon frames. It's not inconceivable that a brand known for cheap bikes could contract with one of them to make a carbon bike.

The only measurement you could easily make to judge this frame is weighing it. The highest quality CFC frames use a very careful and precise layup procedure which allows minimization of the amount of material used to get the required strength. The workers who carry this out have to be more highly skilled and take more time. Obviously this increases the cost considerably. Lower quality frames use more material as a margin of error against layup imprecision in a faster and cheaper process.

You or an experienced rider could ride the thing and get an idea of how it feels in terms of stiffness, compliance, acceleration etc., but it's subjective and influenced by the drivetrain and wheels


Special hub requirements for an 11-speed group In a question earlier today (Changing cassette from 8 to 10 or 11 to meet the Shimano 105 5800 groupset) the Op asserts that they would need to change their hub, if they wanted to go from a 10- to 11- speed cassette.

I'm not very clued up on 11-speed systems, was wondering why this is the case? And, presumably, when they say "hub", they mean just the freehub body?

Or do they mean something else/more?

Shimano/SRAM 11 speed cassettes are wider than 8/9/10 speed ones.  So yes, you need a new, wider freehub body, unless your old one was not very old and used a spacer to fit a 10-speed cassette.

People with non-Shimano brand hubs are less likely to find replacement freehub bodies, it seems, leading to replacement of the whole hub, or even the whole wheel if the old rim isn't worth relacing.

For more on this, read the last question and answer here: http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/technical-faq-drivetrain-compatibility-for-10-and-11-speed_301392

There's also a compatibility chart here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Cassette_Spacers_2013_3978.html

Campagnolo cassettes are the same width for 9, 10, and 11 speeds, so you don't need to do anything in most cases.


Folding ABUS Lock will not UNLOCK My bike is locked to an indoor bike rack with a folding ABUS keyed bike lock.
Today I couldn't turn the key to release the lock after work.
No problem locking it in the morning.  Tried wiggling, banging, twisting and pulling on "link".  Any suggestions?

Lock have typically two kinds of problems. How far can you push the key in? Does it go in only partly, or does it go in fully but then you can't turn it? Often the disks inside have rotated so that you can't get the key in completely. Then it helps if you take a stiff wire or thin screwdriver and wiggle it up and down in the keyhole, and then try again with the key. But if the key goes in but doesn't turn, then it might be clogged up with dirt, in this case degreaser might help. Make sure you dry the lock carefully afterwards and don't use oil or grease to lubricate, they will just attract dirt and clog it up again. If you want to lubricate, use dry lubricant like graphite.


How often do you need to bleed your Avid Elixir 1 I have a Trek bike with Avid Elixer 1 hydraulic brake. Not sure if it's a manufacture defect but I have returned to the shop 3 times since I bought the bike this April, for them to rebleed.

The brakes get tighten and the tech told me it's due to bubbles forming and would require a rebleed. They did not charge me as it's still within 1 year of purchase. I am wondering if this is normal.

My last rebleed of the rear brake is 3 weeks ago and I noticed that the brake is stiffening up again (seems like the brake is engaged lightly).

Addition based on a comment to an answer: by "tight" the Op means vthat the lever becomes stiffer, i.e. it becomes harder to work the brake.

Firstly, I do not believe (from your description) that air is the culprit here. Air is a gas and therefore can be compressed in a closed system such as a bicycle brake. As PeteH pointed out, air would lead to a brake lever feeling spongy, not tight.

If you say the brake is tightening over time then I would be inclined to think that there is water being absorbed into the system. DOT fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it draws in moisture from the atmosphere which is one of the reasons DOT fluid should be replaced every 12-24 months at most. Although the normal rate absorption is ~3% a year so having your brakes bled three times since April seems a little much, so if it is due to water in the system then I would be looking to have the brakes replaced (ideally with Shimano ones!).

Secondly, how is the bike stored when you're not using it? We were told by a SRAM tech that bikes should not be hung up by the front wheel as this allows air to accumulate at the reservoir in the lever. However as said above air would leave the lever feeling spongy, not tight.

Before you take the bike back to the shop, could I ask you to let a little of the fluid out from the system and then try the lever again? To do this, you'd need a T10 Torx, a cloth and some disposable gloves.

1) With the bike upright, use the T10 Torx to slowly undo the little screw sealing the reservoir, while at the same time holding the cloth just below. Do not take it fully out, only far enough until you see fluid leaking from around the sides. Anti clockwise to loosen, clockwise to tighten.

2) Once the fluid starts to leak onto the cloth, very slowly/gently pull the lever. You should see the fluid flow a little quicker.

3) Once you think you've let enough fluid out and while still holding the lever, tighten up the screw. It is important to keep the lever pulled at all times while the screw is undone as this will prevent air being sucked back into the system when you let go of the lever! Once the screw is tight, release the lever.

The idea is to let a little fluid out and try the lever. Then let a little more out if needed. It's easier to remove fluid than add fluid and remember and DO NOT let go of the lever while the T10 screw is loose!

If this works, then I'm sure there is water in the system as what you've effectively done is reduced the volume back to where it was at when the shop bled it. Although doing this will not remove the water, only the water/DOT mixture. So if I were you, I'd be looking for some new brakes (Shimano M615 are fantastic VFM and we've done this for many customers in our store).

Goodluck!

Edit: Thanks PeteH! The bikes we sell in the shop (Boardman/Carrera often come with this model over filled from factory). Yes as Warren says, once the fluid begins to soak onto the rag, nip up the screw. It really is only a tiny amount - usually. You shouldn't have to press the pistons back while draining the fluid. The idea is to squeeze the lever to push the fluid out the lever port, hold the lever while you tighten the screw and then release the lever. Releasing the lever after tightening the screw should automatically draw the pistons into the caliper as it will create almost a vacuum inside the closed brake system. If you need pictures to show steps let me know and I'll get some!


Pannier rack for larger diameter seat post I have recently purchased an old, second-hand folding (or at least collapsable) bike, a Daewoo shuttle to be precise. In order to use it for commuting, I would like to fit a pannier rack onto it. It has very small wheels (16") and so I was thinking of a seatpost mounted rack, preferably with quick release. Unfortunately, the seatpost diameter is quite large (about 35mm, maybe a touch more) and the one rack I bought (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DUAMLDA) didn't fit because of the seat post diameter being too large.

I have searched everywhere for a pannier rack that fits large diameter seat posts, but have drawn a blank. Can anybody suggest any pannier rack that would fit or any tips or tricks to make a standard pannier rack fit onto a large diameter seatpost?

It's probably 36 mm; that seems reasonably common. Most seatpost racks go up to 31.8 mm

Taking 36 mm as a guess makes searching much easier: it's an upper limit for some models:

It seems easier to find a trunk bag attachment for such a large post. There is such a thing as a Rixen & Kaul KLICKfix Caddy Post and Bar Clamp 2016.  That would allow you to mount a handlebar bag on the seatpost, or this Vaude mount is designed for their trunk bags but could be used with other things.  None of these are of much help if you want to choose a pannier to suit you.

Traditional style racks do exist, such as this Atran Velo Luggage Carrier Active Seatpost (which seems to have curved sides, but many panniers would still fit, and it's quick release). The search that turned up that last one (and the Vaude) was seat post rack "36mm" -rixen


Bent Chainring causing chain to attempt changing gears I was riding my road bike last night when something strange happened.  I stopped at a stop sign.  (I didn't have time to slow down so I was in my highest (fastest) gear.  When I started I had to press a lot of power into my pedals to get the bike moving again.  I was pulling up on the handle bars to press more power into the pedals.

A minute or two later I noticed that my bike was trying to change gears on me.  I have non indexed shifters so I expected that I was just between gears.  I adjusted the leavers but could not find a spot (in my current gear) where the chain was not trying to shift.

Upon further inspection I noticed that my biggest front chainring was slightly bent.  I am not sure if posting a picture would be useful because it is hard to see when it is not spinning.  It seems like it is bent maybe 2-6mm towards the frame of the bike.

Questions:

Do you think that I bent my chain ring while pedaling?  It is possible that it was bent before but something else is now causing my problem (although I don't know what).  Is it possible that I bent my chain right by pedaling hard?
What is the solution to this problem?  Can I take a hammer to my chain ring and pound it back into shape?  I think that if I do this AND it was bent by hard pedaling then it is likely that it will just be rebent by future hard pedaling.
If I need to replace the chain ring how complex is this task?  Is this something relatively easy that I could do at home or do I need to take it to my LBS?  If I take it to my LBS how much should I expect to pay?

no, it's almost impossible that you bent it just by pedaling. Exacerbate an existing bend, yes, but bend a straight ring, no.
Bending it back into shape is possible, but be careful - bending metal back and forth weakens it. Do not pound it with a hammer - if you dent it you are also thinning it and making it longer. Which means it will be permanently bent. Use an adjustable wrench set to grip the chainring and try to bend around the attachment bolts, not just at the end of the wrench jaws.
A new chainring should be $20-$50, depending on what exactly you get. If your chainrings are not removable that means a new crankset but it also means your crankset is cheap, so it should be in that price range as well.

To replace it yourself is easy and should require a 5mm allen key and a thin coin. There will be four or five bolts on the outside of the chainring, and a matching slotted nut on the inside. You can buy a special tool to grip that nut, but I find a small coin is usually enough. Taking the chainring off before trying to straighten it is not a good idea as there's too much risk of dishing the chainring.


Tightening a loose bottom bracket I bought a new bike a couple of months ago. Recently I noticed that the bottom bracket is getting loose. It is regularly unscrewing itself, and while I can screw it back in partially manually, I cannot generate enough torque to get in back in there all the way in. What tool should I use to do this? I have found some 8-notch bottom bracket tools, but they would require removing the cranks, and I'm not sure that they're the correct thing anyway.

It looks like what you have is a cartridge bottom bracket with a left hand cup with both Octalink style 8 notches (even though the axle is clearly square taper) and the more common 20 splines

Park tool BBT-18 (Octalink), BBT-22/32 (splines) with work, as will the dual purpose Lezyne tool you linked to.

Yes, you will have to remove the crank to properly tighten the cup. You probably want to do the drive side as well. To get the cranks off you need a crank puller (such as Park CWP-7). To tighten the bottom bracket and re-install the cranks you need a fairly hefty torque wrench as it's critical the cups and crank bolts are tightened to the correct torque.

For infrequent jobs where special tools are needed it's often easier to have a good local bike repair shop do the work.


My rear wheel axle has broken this is second time Hi! my bike is Trek Marlin 4. I don't know why my axle broke so easy and this happened second time.

its almost winter in my nation we don't have good bicycle shops. They will be close so soon. I can't order a new one what should I do and I want to know why this happened ? Please help me

Is it possible to weld?

I bought my bike about 4 months ago.

Simple answer is that the axle broke because it was overloaded.

Notice how the drive side bearing is a few centimeters inboard from the end of the axle. That creates a weakness on that side. This was a well known problem with freewheel (as opposed to freehub/cassette) hub designs with more than 6 or 7 sprockets.

Are you a heavy person? Are you carrying a heavy load on the bike? Are you hitting sharp bumps and edges hard? The bike may just not be robust enough for how you are using it.

Better riding technique - standing up and absorbing bumps through you legs, or avoiding them completely - may help you avoid damage to the bike in the future.


Summer rain jacket recommendations I'm commuting an hour each way each day in summer now and it rains sometimes.

I have a GoreTex jacket which I bought 10 years ago for walking in. With additional inner warm clothes I wear it in temperatures down to -5C (23F). I can wear it with a shirt when cycling when the temperature is up to (i.e. below) about 15C (60F): it keeps me fairly dry; and if it doesn't (in a downpour for up to an hour) then at least it's wind-proof i.e. fairly air-tight i.e. insulating on a bike and can therefore keep me warm after I'm soaked and it's still raining.

It's too warm to wear in summer though, when biking. In a light rain with a temperature over 22C (70F), if I wore it zipped up I'd get soaked with sweat: and might as well, instead, arrive at work soaked with rain.

What can you recommend for a summer rain jacket? I'm guessing that options include:

'Breathable' (e.g. GoreTex) bike-specific jacket
'Waterproof', vented material
'Poncho' of some kind
'Nothing': instead, insulating clothes to regulate temperature even when wet (I have a pannier), and change of (dry) clothes at the destination.

I'm looking for something that will:

Last for an hour, commuting 18 km
Rainfall of 1 mm to (if I'm lucky) 5 mm per hour
Temperatures of 22C and above

I went to a bike store. One option there was a lightweight waterproof, with venting (e.g. in the armpits) for a bit over $100. Another option was a "GoreTex PacLite" for about $250, which doesn't have venting ("unlike cheaper, waterproof, doesn't need venting").

My uncle flippantly recommended a poncho; however the few people I've seen wearing one on the street seem to be riding at only about 10 kph, which would more than double my journey time: is that right, or can they be faster?

I was tempted to buy the GoreTex but it's expensive enough that I wouldn't want to regret the purchase, so I hoped to ask you. Can an unvented jacket be usable when zipped up and biking in warmer temperatures, if it's (for example) GoreTex? Are there good reasons for or against vents?

I have a pannier to carry it in when it's not raining (I use the pannier only for whatever spare clothing I may want to carry that day, and the U-lock); so light-weight would be quite nice but pack-ability seems less important.

In my personal experience, anything you wear while riding that is even moderately water proof will trap heat and sweat and for me, I will end up just as wet if I had ridden with or without the jacket.

GoreTex and the like are just riding an edge of being helpful.  Short rides, cool temps, perfect.  Long rides, doesn't matter, you are going to get wet.  From the inside or the outside.  :)


Suggestions for progressive upgradation of bike I have one bike, which is pretty cheap. It's a Mid-Level Mountain Bike of Motache (I tried to find a picture but, no luck). But, now I want to upgrade this bike progressively and change it into High Level Bike (or somewhere near) pduring course of time.

For doing this, my policy is if something breaks down, replace it with high level parts. I am not sure if this is how I am suppose to do it. Like for my recent upgrade when my rear derailleur broke, I replaced with Shimano XTR which is pretty neat. But, it is going to take a long time to upgrade i think. So I want to upgrade something now.

Now my bike contains V Brake, has lowest grade of fork suspension ( I think, its terrible ). 7*3 Speed Gears, normal shimano crank set and etc. (you can guess the remaining.)

Now, from the passionate and experts cyclist, I would like to know what should be first my upgrade and so on. One of mechanics and also my buddy told me upgrade my suspension first. I use my bike for daily road riding, and occasional off roads trips in holidays.

I tried the same approach that you're outlining with a bike I bought (a Shogun), but I had heaps of trouble trying to upgrade components. Every time I upgraded one component it wouldn't work well with the other existing components. I tried to change the cassette but it wouldn't work with my derailleur (even my mechanic couldn't figure out why).

The other problem with upgrading is that each component bought individually will be vastly more expensive than buying a bike with better components in the first place.

So my advice is to live with your bike unchanged as long as you can, saving the money you would be spending on components and then buy a new/second hand better quality bike.


new hand built wheel - loud spoke shivering sound when bounce unloaded I've mounted a new hand built wheelset (XR270 with novatec 171/172) on my cyclocross bike and bounced it off ground for a few inches unloaded to check for any rattling of the new wheel (way to check spoke tightness??), and have heard quite a loud shivering sound coming out from the spokes.  no such sound after I put my old wheelset back on.

The wheel seems true and no problem during test ride, but I'm worry about the sound and wonder would it because of poor spoke tension during wheel building, and how to rectify the problem.

Any thoughts /advice are welcome.  Thanks

New wheels often make noise when the spokes settle. Avoid leaving tension in the spokes while building the wheel to avoid some of it.

Read http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#torsion

I don’t know the English word for the German „Abdrücken“, but it basically means pressing the wheel downwards like this with considerable force all around the wheel and from both sides. It will relieve the spokes facing downwards, releasing their tension and you’ll hear lots of *pling* sounds from the spokes when doing this. After doing that you’ll probably have to re-true. Rinse and repeat. If you do that thoroughly enough the spokes shouldn’t move any more during usage and you shouldn’t hear any *pling* sounds on your first ride.

A tensiometer is a good investment.


What happened to double eyelets? Whenever I talk with old wrenches about wheelbuilding, they always seem to talk about double eyeleted rims as the pinnacle of strength and quality. However, it seems most modern, high-end rims have no eyelets at all, let alone doubles. The only models still in production that I know of with double eyelets are basically 15+ - year - old designs (Ambrosio Nemesis, Mavic OP & A719).
While the principles behind double eyelets make sense to me, and they definitely make building a wheel easier, AND they look super cool, I'm sure there is a reason they are no longer widely used. Is it because new stronger alloys and fabrication techniques make the extra weight of double eyelets unnecessary? Is it something to do with alloy nipples (I can't see how this would be the case)? Do you miss them? Do you wish they were more common in new designs?
If anyone has some technical data on the benefits of double eyelets please share!
thanks.

Funnily, we actually have many more new rims available with them now then in the early to mid aughts when they were at a low point and it seemed like Open Pros and A719s were the only rims with them. There are now also good DT, Araya, and H+Son rims with them, and maybe some others. They are not extinct.

The main thing they do is spread the load to both walls of the rim in order to reduce the risk of fatigue cracking. V-section rims, which have of course risen in prominence, tend to have (or can easily be made to have) a concentrated section of material at the spoke hole, which accomplishes a similar thing in a cheaper and potentially more weight-saving manner. V-section rims tend to not have fatigue cracking issues unless they're either garbage, way over-tensioned, or way under-weight for their use. For the most part you don't really see it on the nicer aluminum V type rims.

Double eyelets add weight and cost, are not immediately function-critical, and, most endangering of all, are invisible to consumers. So they have a rough time being something that manufacturers care to mess with.

It's worth noting that in a sense, when a box-section design is what you want, double eyelets actually are more relevant than ever. One of the major things that's happened with rims in the last decades is that materials (i.e. fancy niobium alloys) have gotten stronger but not more fatigue-resistant, or at least not at the same rate, and cross-sections have gotten bigger and stiffer with thinner walls. Those are some of the reasons there's more emphasis on building to a tension spec than there used to be. With a classic road rim, however much tension you added that the rim could still take structurally, you could feel safe knowing that it could also take it reasonably in terms of fatigue resistance. It was also easier to accidentally taco them in the stand from adding too much tension. There are rims running around now that are much stronger and stiffer, so you need to cap out your tension even though the maximum strength capacity hasn't necessarily been reached. From a design perspective, double eyelets can help you get access to more of that strength by adding fatigue resistance.


Lockring spacer Shimano cassette I recently purchased and am now installing a 9 speed Deore XT cassette sprocket (CS-M770) on a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC. It's replacing a CS-HG50-9, and is mounted on a Shimano rear hub (FH-M525).
The Shimano shop instructions and exploded view diagram a "lockring spacer" and on the exploded view the part number for this spacer has an asterisk by it.  However, there's no note or other asterick on the page to explain this.
Anyone know if the lockring spacer comes included with cassette (brand new out of the box from Chainreaction Cycles) ?   Also, I've never seen a spacer used in this position prior, but this is by far the fanciest and lightest cassette I've dealt with.
Installation went normally and I only caught this business about the lockring spacer because I simply wanted to add the SI and EV download files to my laptop's collection of bike part files.
Thanks in advance.

The "lockring spacer" (so labelled on Shimano Exploded View diagrams and other technical documents) is a very thin metal washer or shim between the lockrings of higher- end cassetes such as XT, Ultegra, and the like. Normally it is held captive on the lockring,  and based on Q and A from other forums (see example here: https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=122213#p1235924) this little bugger is often installed unseen or the inexperienced-but-fully- prepped-with-technical-manuals mechanic is given lengthy pause as the search for this "spacer" commences.
It is included with the appropriate cassettes in it's correct position.  As mentioned, higher end cassetes utilize this washer/spacer/shim between lockring and first position, high, sprocket as a means of protecting the integrity and functionality of the serrations of the associated lockrings, which in these upper-tier models is not steel but rather aluminum-alloy. This thin little washer then, "protects small peaks of those serrations getting worn off by cassette removal and replacement."   A more in-depth reasoning: "There are about 100 teeth in the serration and the screw thread is ~1mm pitch which means that each 'click' results in ~10 microns (less than half a thou') more compression. However the serrations are about 250 microns high which means that with metal spacers in the cassette, the lockring may never tighten enough unless the metal shim is fitted. Plastic spacers are more elastic which allows the lockring to tighten more easily. However with plastic spacers in the cassette they can 'relax' over time which results in a reduced clamping force and can often allow the lockring to go up about another 1/4 turn once the thing has been installed for a while (enough to cause problems with indexing accuracy in fact). Metal spacers don't relax but both metal and plastic spacers can wear thinner if the sprockets start to move around (which they will do, all the time, if the lockring doesn't provide an adequate clamping
force)."
So there's some light shed on the very slim shim. Look (closely) for it on your next top-end cassette.


Matching color bar tape to replace dirty white tape? My father has one a Trek 4.3 Domane from 2014 with white bicycle tape that is very dirty now and could use to be replaced(christmas gift for him). What color tape/product should I get that will still match the bike and not fade to as bad a color as the white does? I'm open to other colors, if they still match.

According to rule 8, your choices are black, white, or try to match it to the blue frame color, which my be difficult.


What's the lightest complete road bicycle that meets UCI requirements (except possibly being too light)? I've seen various claims over the years, but which manufacturer holds the record, today?

Also, what size bike and which components go with the claim?

Happy to hear about "custom" / "one-off" vs. (mass) production, but for one-offs it'd be great to know there's proof that the bike is race-proven or otherwise structurally sound.

GCN did a piece a little while ago on a 4.28-kg bike. The frame is a Cannondale, but everything has been customized to get the weight down, including stripping the paint from the frame and replacing all the bolts with carbon-fiber equivalents (I hadn't even known there were carbon-fiber bolts!).


What type of wheel fits a 700x38 tire I have a Kent brand fixie bike with 700x38c tires and I am looking for a new front wheel what size should I buy

A tire that fits an internal rim width of between 17mm and 23mm wide.

Searching for bicycle tire width rim guide will get you more information. So anything from 700 by 17mm internal width, to 700 by 23mm internal width will suit you.

If you think you likely use skinner tires in the future, stick to the smaller end of the range. If you think you'll go wide, stick wider.


Using a Tiagra/105 front derailleur with R3000 shifters The Sora 2x derailleur mech that came with my gravel bike broke in half. Is the 2x Tiagra/105 front derailleur compatible with the R3000 shifters? Thanks!

You can get the Shimano specs and compatibility info here (expand Technical Documents on left hand side).

The front drivetrain compatibility chart says the ST-R3000 lever is only compatible with the FD-R3000 front derailleur.

If you study the compatibility chart you'll see there tends to be a lot of compatibility between drivetrains that match in number of speeds, but not between speeds. For instance 2x10 Ultegra 6700, 105 5700 and Tiagra 4700/4600 are all compatible with each other but not 2x9 or 2x8 group components.

Update:

I recalled a question where the asker had a Trek bike with a Sora drivetrain and 105 front derailleur. Obviously Trek thinks this works and Shimano are known to be conservative in their specifications and compatibility recommendations.


Stuck compressed piston on a Clarks Skeletal Hydraulic Brake I've opened up the reservoir and tried resetting the piston on the bleed nipple side and it won't budge. I haven't ridden this bike for about a year and the front wheel was off, and I also noticed when I was getting it out that the bleed nipple cover had come off/been taken off of the bleed nipple (if that's any contributing factor to the compressed piston).

Does anyone know what I need to do about this? I've tried a few times to open up the reservoir and them push the piston back with quite a lot of force and no results. It's pretty far out too, the pad sits a few millimetres off of the side where the pin is located, and the tire can't spin at all and doesn't sit completely in between the pads (they end up at a V shape because the pad is being pushed out by the piston but is still magnetised to it).

It's also just the one piston, the other is perfectly in place.

Also, I just pinched this picture off of their website: https://i.imgur.com/ZYV5YWC.png
Just to reaffirm, the picture isn't my brake, but the brake pad indicated to by the red arrow is the brake pad that is not sitting properly and it being pushed out by a compressed piston.

Usually something is pretty broken when pistons are this stuck and can't be moved even with the bleed port open.

Taking apart the caliper is probably the next step. Whatever is making it stuck or obstructed, there's probably not another way of getting access to it. Despite the mystique, most calipers are pretty simple inside.


Is my dropper post too long? I got a bicycle with a dropper post. As you know, there is currently a bicycle shortage, which is why I ended up getting it online instead of in a local shop (none of which had in stock what I was looking for).
The seatpost feels a bit too high when fully extended. I am looking for advice so I could determine if it is really too high for me, or if it is just a question of getting used to. I have no prior experience with dropper posts.

With full extension, I can pedal just fine, and I don't believe my hips are rocking (which is the guideline I heard cited when determining the correct saddle height). But it also feels like the seat is about as high as it could comfortably go. Furthermore, when getting off the bike, my toes can barely touch the ground, which does not feel safe. (This could be in part because the bottom bracket is simply higher than on my old bike.) If I push the seat down by a centimetre or so, pedalling is still very comfortable (the saddle is definitely not too low), but I feel more comfortable, the saddle no longer feels "hard" under my bum, and I feel much safer as I can reach the ground more easily when getting off the bike. Oh, the difference 1 cm can make!
My questions:

Is this dropper post suitable for me, or will it cause problems in the long run?
Is it practical to simply not use the full extension?
Is the travel of the dropper post adjustable? It is a KS Lev Integra. I assume not.
Is there any other hack I could do to improve on the situation? A new, less tall saddle perhaps? Thicker pedals? I made the mistake that the pedals I ordered (which have not arrived yet) are thinner than what I am currently using. They are 13 mm thick, while my current ones are 18 mm thick. I worry that thinner pedals will exacerbate the problem.

After googling a bit, I found many stories of dropper posts being too long. The usual advice is to replace them. The reason why I am still asking this question here is that my case appears to be borderline. I should note that I have only had the chance to use the bicycle a little bit so far, so perhaps I simply need to get used to it.

Dropper posts are not much different when it comes to bike fitting when you think about them being at their full extension. You should reposition a seat post to such an insertion depth that the saddle's position is comfortable for you to pedal. Then, there are issues of the saddle being at its lowest position (on full suspension frames it might occasionally touch the wheel), but they are really secondary at most.
Unless you have a post that is literally integrated into the frame (and KS Lev Integra is not, it is a separate unit), you can loosen the seatpost collar and move the whole unit up and down and then re-tighten the collar. In your case, you should try sinking the seatpost deeper into the seat tube.
There are limits to how deep a seatpost can be sunk, of course. For regular seat posts, it is the curvature or butting of the seat tube, bottle bosses or other geometrical properties of the frame. For dropper posts the limiting factors are same, plus one more limit is the presence of a seatpost collar which is thicker than the rest of the outer tubing.
You should try lowering your post as low as it goes in the frame. Most likely it will stop at its own collar pressing down at the frame's seat post collar/binder. If then, at its full extension, the saddle still feels too high, you are likely to have a frame too big for you.
From this point, you can reposition the seat post as a unit a bit higher until you find the best setting for you (keep it fully extended when doing so). As you correctly noticed, even a single centimeter makes huge difference, so feel free to experiment over time. As usual, be sure to not violate the minimum insertion depth marking on the seat post (or at least 10 cm).

A new, less tall saddle perhaps?

That is possible, but it is likely to win you just a couple of mm, and your choice of saddles will be very limited.

Thicker pedals?

Maybe, but thicker pedals are also heavier and more likely to experience rock strikes. Again, you are unlikely to gain more than a couple of mm at most.
Shorter cranks would also be a "geometrical" solution, but they create new bike fit issues (e.g. knee pain) to tackle. Not to say that new cranks may cost more than a new dropper.

Is the travel of the dropper post adjustable?

The best way is to consult with the manufacturer. Some dropper posts on the market, especially newer models with travel values bigger than 150 mm, are internally adjustable; more "classic" designs, to which KS Lev is likely to belong, were not designed with that in mind.
If you are mechanically inclined, you can always try to clamp an internal shim on the post's shaft to limit its travel. Please don't cut your frame's seat tube to make it go lower!
I've found evidence of people achieving the desired effect by enforcing a new extension limit externally:

I ended up tying a wire from the seat post clamp bolt to the seat rail to limit how much it can go up. It's kinda ghetto, but works!