Really big panniers and other baggage Once a week I take my bike to the local supermarket to do my shopping.  My panniers fill up really quickly and I always end up with bags on my handlebars (for UK people - the bags I'm talking about are the big blue Tescos reusable ones).  Even with a backpack thrown into the mix, I still need to carry at least one bag, usually.

I know that there are plenty of easy solutions to the core problem (shop more often, take the bus, persuade a friend with a car to drive me there, etc) but let's look at the more fun side of things: what's the best way of getting a very large amount of shopping on my bike.  I have a rear rack so suggestions for really big (backpack sized, large shopping bag sized or bigger) panniers and rack boxes would be useful, but let's not limit it to just that.

Also, if you do your shopping on your bike and have a similar problem, what do you do?

I do the supermarket run every week by bicycle - have done for about 7 years

Family of four so I more or less fill a full size shopping trolley every time.

This is made possible by a Christiana Trailer which is pretty much equivalent in load capacity to a shopping trolley:

I have a bike that is now dedicated to the role of towing this beastie (for the supermarket run and for the Saturday morning run to the Greengrocer and the Butcher). Would only give it up for an actual cargo bike/trike


How to practice SPD release in very steep uphills? Some time ago I got SPD pedals for my MTB.

When going downhill or rather flat these pedals are awesome. However, I have problems using them on sharp uphill with roots/rocks. Because it's steep, I need to use a lot of power but suddenly the bike might just stop in a heartbeat, since the back wheel might slip on a wet stone/root or something. Currently I usually crash at that moment with SPD pedals but with flat pedals it's no problem.

The question is: How do I practice to get really good at stepping out of the pedals at very steep uphills, without actually trying and crashing (since it hurts alot!)?

Practice, practice, practice... You need to move the physical motions of getting out of the pedals from your conscious muscle memory to your unconscious muscle memory. Once it becomes an instinctual unconscious reaction, you'll have far fewer problems.

A flat grassy space is good for this. Try doing track stands and un-clip to catch your balance.

Or you can just ride and eventually it will become second nature. The more you practice, the quicker that will happen. I don't ever think about unclipping, it just happens when I want it to. A lot like the actions of driving a car, do it enough and you don't have to think about it. I can't remember how long it took me to get there, but it will happen eventually.

The one gotcha that still remains is that it can be very difficult to unclip when your weight is still on the pedal. You can get good, but there will still be times
where clipless pedals aren't as escapable as flat pedals.


Estimating trainer 'effort above the flat' by heart rate + cadence A question popped into my head after yesterday's trainer ride.

First, a long-winded preamble.

As I pointed out in this question, I usually set the trainer up so that a 5l cask of wine just moves the pedal from horizontal in 'top' (48:14).

In that configuration, my average HR will stay in the 130s at a cadence of 80 in 'top'.

If I ride on the road, my HR seldom gets above 130 except on hills or if I crank up the cadence to 100+ in top (on the flat): I am loath to ride at any decent speed on the road because I am usually surrounded by people of median IQ driving 1500kg+ steel boxes - and I don't trust any of them not to kill me (assuming they're not actually trying to).

Yesterday I didn't have a full cask anywhere (I've been off the grog for six weeks, on a bet), so I just cranked it up until I couldn't move the pedal using my hand when seated next to the trainer.

This provided 'ample' resistance, to say the least: 2 minutes in, my HR was in the 140s although my cadence was only in the low 70s - and not in top gear, either - the average speed for the workout was 22km/hr.

Doing 'sprints' (15sec bursts at a cadence of > 130 in top) was almost the end of me.

Half an hour later, my HRM said I'd exerted ~500kcal over 10.7km, with an average HR of 148 and a peak HR of 166. The kcal count is about right for workouts where I do more sprints, and at a significantly higher average speed (i.e., a distance travelled of ~17km, reflected by an average cadence of 80 in top: cadence maps directly to speed via gear ratio).

So if I expressed this as "what is X in 48:X, to get that distance at a cadence of 80", the answer is "a little over 22". In other words, riding on (roughly) the 4th-highest gear, my HR was 10% higher than it usually is riding at the same cadence in top.

That got me thinking: rather than work out the effort above my 'wine cask' resistance level, I ought to be able to work out the 'effort above flat' implied by the level of resistance I dial in, by

finding decent-sized bit of car-free flat (say, a 1km loop somewhere);
going around it at a series of stable cadences (in top) and HRs (say, cadences of 80 and 100; HRs of 120, 130, and 140) each for a few minutes.

For each cadence, I would then know my 'steady state' HR on the flat (it will stabilise after a few minutes); for each HR, I will know what speed/cadence on the flat is consistent with that HR.

So if my HR is, say 10% higher (on average across the workout) than it was on the flat 'benchmark' for the same cadence in the same gear, I would chalk that one up as being '10% above the flat'. (I'm not pretending that's a 10% incline, or even a 10 degree incline; just that it's objectively 10% 'harder').

I realise that over time it would be expected that performance would get better, so there would be a need to periodically re-assess the 'flat' performance.

So finally the question: has this sort of analysis already been done and put up on the web somewhere?

I've googled terms I think might yield results, but haven't found a sausage. It seems to me that performance-metrics boffins would probably have solved this already (assuming it's an issue that has benefit for performance monitoring, which I reckon it does) so my search terms are probably a bit pants.

Might I enquire your age?   This answer will be a bit vague without that, but you can work it out backwards.

The rule of thumb says that your max heart rate is 220-(your age in years)    I'm 40, so 180 would be my "100%" heart rate.

This table shows cycling

This chart shows the "zones"

So your 130 BPM is likely to be the "weight loss zone" for under 50 or the Aerobic zone for over 50.

Back to cycling, my "tempo" zone would be 70-80% of 180, so 126-144 BPM.

Here's a short ride from last week - heart rate was above 160 for at least half, and a peak of 173.  That translates to higher threshhold and into VO2, which is pretty good, giving speeds of mid 30km/h to a peak of 42 km/h.  https://www.strava.com/activities/757787829/analysis

So to summarise - 130 BPM is a good "endurance" workout.   You'd need to be doing that speed for a couple hours, and frankly that's boring on a trainer.

If you're dead against training on the road, try riding at a velodrome or some other kind of off-road track.  An athletic track may work, or around the local park?

If you can work a decent climb into your trip then that will be excellent exercise.  Use a tool like strava to measure your gains, cos it never feels faster.


Do I really need a 90-degree arm/torso angle? I have tinkered excessively with my bike fit over the years.  I recently saw the fit suggestion that there be a 90-degree angle from the torso to the arm (while on the hoods).  Thing is, when I increase the reach to that point, my power output drops 20%+ for the same perceived effort -- which results in a 3 - 4 mph drop up a 12% grade.  (The max I can go at full power puts me at about 75-80-degrees.)  Yes, I know there's more to a proper fit than power, but if it drops that much, can that really be right?  Is that a position that just takes time to adapt to?  Or, is that just for a more aggressive/racing type fit?  (I ride 6,000+ miles/yr., but don't race.  And my house is 600+ feet up the side of a mountain.)

That 90 degree suggestion is purely for getting an optimal fit for aerodynamics. By bending your arm to 90 degrees, you're not presenting any of your forearm to the wind. If you watch the pros ride, this is typically how they'll carry themselves on flats and descents. Ultimately, you need to be comfortable though, and if bending your arms that much causes you to lose that much power, then it's probably not the best position for you. It's possible that there are other modifications to your fit that could be done to correct this, but that would require experimentation and/or a professional fitting. Check out this video from BikeRadar. It addresses your question pretty well.


Bar end shifters onto a flat bar - temporary fix solution I have a bike in progress that will use Shimano bar end shifters, but I am putting on a Jones Loop Bar. I am ordering a set of Paul's Thumbies, but they will take over a month to reach me. In the meantime, my bike is my only vehicle.
I am looking for how I can set it up in the interim until my Thumbies arrive.
One solution I have seen is using hose clamps, one around the stem and one around the base of the shifter, to attach it to the bike.

Another option I am considering is to put the bar ends into an accessory bar like this one below. I know the external diameter is 22.2 mm but nowhere lists and internal diameter. It is on a webstore, not a local shop, so I cannot just go measure it myself.
Has anyone dealt done a similar conversion and have any success?
Does anyone have other suggestions for how to get it to work for three or four weeks?
Thank you!

Go find a scrap donor bike - either check at the local refuse-resell shop, or a bike cooperative.   You're after one with friction lever shifters.
A simple friction shifter will move as many gears as you want, and won't cost a lot.  They're super-versatile and are well-worth holding onto for situations like this.
I used one to shift a quad-chainring bike, and it worked really well for that purpose.


Minimum brake rotor sizes Might be bit of a silly question really as there are many different calipers designed specifically around rotor size like the old hope IS mount calipers but here goes. Specifically for long travel forks 200mm is there a minimum rotor size or would it just depend on personal preference and riding style? Obviously you wouldn't use a 200mm travel fork in a daily commute bike nor would you run a 160mm rotor on a downhill beast.

Since post mount became the norm, most long travel/gravity forks have a minimum rotor size based on what post mount length standard they're built with. Here is how Fox communicates it on the product page for their 40 series forks for example:

So putting the caliper directly on the post without any adapter sets it up for a 203, and the fork can't take anything smaller. If you had a fork with 180mm post mounts and you wanted to run a 200mm rotor, you would use a +20mm adapter, and you would not be able to run 160. If it's not specified anywhere, which is often the case, usually that means 160 front, 160 rear for mountain and hybrid/urban and 160 front, 140 rear for road.

Sometimes manufacturers make it difficult to track down the number. SRAM/Rockshox only sticks it in their giant tech spec pdfs as far as I know.

This is the answer as it applies to current forks. In the past there were more forks that needed model-specific adapters, and various IS-only calipers based on specific rotor sizes. So in the scheme of things, there are also all sorts of older forks and brakes where the minimum or maximum rotor size was limited in those ways. In the more common case of a fork with standard IS mounts, the minimum is always 160.


Does the extra cage on SPD pedals help riding with normal shoes? Some Shimano Pedal Dynamics (SPD) pedals come in two variants - without and with a cage - e.g. M520 and M530.

While it isn't the main purpose of the cage on M530 does it make cycling in normal shoes, esp with soft soles more comfortable?

UPDATE:
99% of kilometers I do on this bike is with cycling shoes on and that's why I don't want platform/spd shoes (I have these actually). Once in a while I use it with normal shoes or even flip flops.

I usually ride on M424s, which are similar but with more grip on the cage.  I'd recommend those or the alloy-cage equivalent if you're thinking along these lines.  They're definitely OK with normal shoes.

I didn't want SPD one-side/platform the other: as an SPD novice I was going to be fiddling about enough without getting the pedal the right way up, but I also wanted to be able to jump on the bike in trainers/sandals for short distances -- maybe slower, maybe not very comfortable, but without my feet sliding off.  These pedals do all that.  They're fine in reasonably thick-soled normal shoes though you can feel the cleat.

I wanted to be able to walk in my riding shoes which restricted my choice of shoes, and meant I had to file off a grippy bit of the pedal (I now also ride platforms in my SPD shoes as part of a bike-train-bike commute).

Also I avoid clipping in when I'm carrying my daughter in a toddler seat (or I  unclip well in advance of anything that might make me put my foot down).  By being able to pedal unclipped even in SPD shoes (axle under the arch of my foot, so not exactly efficient) I can drop her off then carry on riding.

It was a real bonus having them recently.  I did a long ride (for me: 48 miles/4 hours including stops) and being able to unclip and still pedal lightly helped when cramp was threatening.

But for family holidays, when I don't even take the SPD shoes, and have my daughter on the back more often than not, I swap to platform pedals.


I have a schwinn ranger 24" with a tourneyTX derailleur, what options/alternatives do I have to change the rear derailleur? I am not sure what derailleur options I have available to me here. I don't know the specifics are to get a rear derailleur that fits this bike. I am not too familiar with bikes or what parts I can and cannot use. I couldn't for instance, go to the a department store and pick the first rear derailleur I see off the shelf, right? It would have to be the right specs. My question is what are the correct specs for this bike to find an alternative rear derailleur? The current one I have has broken gears. Aside from that the rest of the bike is in overall good condition, just need a new derailleur.

Thank you

The easiest thing to do of course is simply take it to a bike shop. You'll get the correct part and the gears set up and adjusted properly.

If you want to obtain a replacement yourself, you can order a replacement Tourney TX from an online bike components store, however, there are several variations of Tourney derailleurs available you need to take account of.

Schwinn does not seem to list any info for the Ranger 24" model but looking at some online retailers that are offering it, it's a 7 speed, uses a direct derailleur mount and seems to have a medium cage length.

Target.com lists a Ranger 24" here: https://www.target.com/p/schwinn-boys-ranger-24-mountain-bike-black-red/-/A-50676983. That bike seems to have a Tourney TX35D model derailleur.

You'll want to check that the bike at Target looks like yours as it may not be the exactly same as what you have.

Niagara Cycle has a good selection of Tourney TX  derailleurs available (and TY, which appears to be a slight upgrade). You should be able to find something that matches the mount style (hanger or direct), number of speeds (I'm fairly sure all Tourneys are 6 or 7 speeds) and cage length that you need. If you are not in the UK, Canada or Australia you should be able to find the correct model on Amazon.com or another online retailer.


KNOG BLINDER ARC 5.5 battery replacement Can anyone please tell me how I would go about changing the battery over in my light please!!! I have so far taken off the lens cover and have undone the 3 x 1.5mm Allen screws to release the outer housing but still can not get to the battery :-(  Thankyou

A quick google search turns up this forum entry by user “RNAV”:
https://www.bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/1085170-knog-arc-5-5-battery-replacement.html

  Remove the trim that surrounds the lens. There are four phillips
  screws holding the lens in place -- Knog fills these in with epoxy so
  you can't use them. I dug out the epoxy with a razor blade. Unscrew
  and remove the lens, and you'll see the LED circuit board. There are
  three black 1.5mm allen bolts; unscrew these. This loosens the heat
  shield from the body of the light that holds the battery. Gently slide
  the heat shield (with the circuit board still attached) forward, and
  it will reveal the 18650 battery compartment (spring loaded on
  negative end). Remove / replace battery, and perform steps in reverse
  to reassemble.

As you can tell, it’s hard to get apart (not intended by the manufacturer) but at least it uses a standard 18650 Li-Ion battery.


Tips for winter maintenance? A couple years ago I rode through the winter (took last winter off) and am looking to resume. My bike got hammered during the New England winter though, especially the hubs. Other than a regular rinsing before putting the bike away what should I be doing specific to winter-proofing my bike as much as possible?

Update: To address the duplicate flag, I'd like clarify that I'd like answers to be focused on maintenance - NOT on winter products.  I have everything I need to ride safely and comfortably to 0° F but I'm looking for help and suggestions on how to keep my bike running smoothly in this weather.

Thanks

A couple of tips I learned when winter commuting in Calgary:

Depending on how much salt gets used on the roads where you live, using a good quality car wax on the frame will go a long way towards rust prevention.
A squirt of WD-40 on your chain, cable pivot points, etc. will displace any water that's collected there.
Keep your chain well lubed with a good quality wet lube (not a dry lube – dry lube is useless in the winter).
Always always always make sure your rims are clean after a ride. You collect a lot more road sand and grit on your rims during the winter, which will shred your brake pads quickly.
Fenders are a godsend for keeping both you and your bike clean.
Make sure you have good, strong, bright lights. The sun goes down early this time of year!
Not maintenance releated, but: when it gets really cold, layered clothing is your best friend.

Bike commuting through a cold winter is a badge of honor. Wear it well!


Outside of Schrader valve is inflating. This isn’t right, is it? My wife has an old Moulton bike. I was inflating her tyres (small wheels, tyre imprinted ‘50 pounds’, when the rubber surround of the Schrader valve started inflating also.

It all seems quite airtight, but I don’t think it should do this, and I wonder why it is happening, and what I should do - replace the inner tube, or just let it get on with it?

I don’t want it to blow out when we are a few miles away from home.

Anybody seen this? Any thoughts and advice?

I haven't come across this before but it's not right. It sounds like the valve coating is coming unstuck from the metal part of the valve. If that fails it would be quite likely to fail suddenly which could be painful. Time for a new tube


When do I need more than one bike? How many bike is enough? How many bikes is too many? I see questions where people want a bike to commute, road ride, and take on trails.
Not one bike will do it all.
When do I need more than one bike.
How many bikes is enough?

If you have n bikes, n+1 bikes is the right amount of bikes to have. ;)

Realistically, I think 2 or 3 is adequate - a cyclocross or non-racing road bike can do the first two tasks (road ride + commute) provided it has rack and fender mounts, and one mountain bike is likely good enough for the trails in one's area (if you go somewhere else where another type of mountain bike would do very well, say a fat bike in the snow versus your hardtail which is adequate for your area's trails or whatever,  rent it for the trip). A third would be a winter beater (an old rigid mountain bike, most likely) or something to take to the shady parts of town.

Of course, enthusiasts can always justify more bikes (much like with lots of hobbies).

[There is also the community of monster cross'ers, who build beefed up cross bikes which you can take on lighter trails, so if the trails are light enough, you could do it all with one bike!]

Too many would be when it starts affecting parts of your life which you're not okay with,e.g. too much money in bikes, not enough space, not feeding your kids for a new bike, etc.


Can i fit this type of tire Am I able to fit 20x2.4 tires on my 20x2.175 Bmx rim? I dont know if im able to fit that type of tire beacause I want street tires

20x2.175 may be some arbitrary numbers on a rim, but it isn't a size or measurement.
Reasonable widths for a 2.4 start at around 23mm inner width or 28mm outer. This includes what most would consider all real street/dirt/park rims. Plenty of frames and forks in the world won't take a 2.4. Most of the time it's fairly straightforward to predict that based on the clearance you have now. It can also easily be a case where you have to dial the chain length to make it work.


Why the penny-farthing? The penny-farthing was the standard until the diamond-frame "safety bike" was "invented" and revolutionalized the world of bikes.

It seems to me strange to have to "invent" to put the same size of wheels on a bike, composed of two triangles (the idea of triangles is meny hundreds of years old in civil engineering).

Why did those awkward and dangerous bikes exist?

I think the simple reason is that the drivechain hadn't been invented.

In 1818 the dandy-horse or draisine was invented. This was similar in shape to a modern bicycle, but without pedals. Riders would scoot along with their feet.

If you want to go a bit faster, especially on any kind of incline, then you need a better way of putting power in. Without a drivechain the only option is pedals connected directly to a wheel. The larger the wheel, the bigger the gearing. The circumference of these wheels was measured in inches and is why you may still hear gear ratios described in gear-inches.

Of course the large wheels were unwieldy and limited by the length of the rider's inside leg.


I am 6ft and riding a firefox kompac. My speed never crosses 18kmph What is the difference of having larger no of teeth in the front derailleur? does it help in speed and distance covered? Suggest a good hybrid on which I can achieve faster speeds? My budget is $700.

What is your "cadence" (number of pedal revolutions per minute)?  A healthy young cyclist should be able to "cruise" at 80-90 rpm, and that would be considered your top speed.

If at 80 rpm you're only getting 18kmph (11mph) in your fastest gear then your bike gearing is quite low and you probably need to change something.  But many novice cyclists simply pedal too slowly.

With a multi-speed bike you should focus first on getting a "reasonable" cadence (maybe 60 rpm when "taking it easy", 80-90 when trying to go fast).  "Gear down" into an easier gear until you learn to maintain cadence, then slowly increase gear difficulty to gain strength and stamina.


A kickstand has killed my touring bike. Am I wrong? While I was cycletouring in the Nederlands last year I had someone in a bike shop install a new kickstand, longer, stronger and more effective than the previous one. He didn't put anything at all between frame and kickstand and must have tightened it very hard! The previous kickstand, also one legged, had been installed by myself, with some rubber between chainstay and kickstand and - I am sure of this - no ill effects. The bike is a good (Dawes Supergalaxy, possibly Reynolds 631), but old (year 2000) touring machine with thousands of loaded miles.
I am now doing my winter maintenance and have removed the kickstand to find the chainstay crushed, see pictures. Underneath, the crush is obvious (looks worse in the picture) and there is even a tiny hole. The above section is literally paint damage.

Am I right to think this the end of this bike? I happen to be building another touring bike at the moment but I was still planning to use this old friend for local trips and commuting. I guess now even this is not a good idea?
Any advice welcome.

The specific points of damage I'd really be worried about are the hard edged dents near the junction with the bottom bracket shell lugs (red rectangle in pic below). I think there is a high probability that cracks will form from those points.


Front Derailleur Chainring Size Tolerance I'm rebuilding an old bike and have an existing crankset with 52-42-30 chainrings. I'm looking for a front derailleur. Most of the triple front derailleurs I've come across say they don't support a 50 tooth chainring.

According to the documentation I've been able to find, the Claris triple front derailleurs are designed for 50 tooth chainrings and the mountain (Acera and others) are specified as supporting 48 tooth or lower depending on the models.

Sheldon Brown states

  If you use a front derailer with a larger ring than it is meant for, the rear of the cage will get too close to the chainring before the front of the cage is close enough to provide crisp shifting.

What is the tolerance for this in practice?  Can I use a derailleur designed for 50 tooth? Would a 48 tooth one be close enough, since I might be able to find a 48 tooth one at a better price?

According to Shimano front derailleur specs here all road triple front derailleurs support max 50 tooth and have 20 tooth capacity (max difference between largest and smallest rings).

The general consensus on this site is that Shimano is quite conservative in it's specifications so overstepping the max chainring and capacity by 2 teeth will probably work OK.


Why are most bicycle gears designed to have so much overlap For bikes with a front derailleur, I've noticed that the gearing ratios of most bicycles are not linear, and there is an odd "overlap" between those power ratios as you switch from one front gear to the other.

OK, it's hard to explain, but this chart shows what I mean:

This is just an example and actual ratios can vary, but this illustrates some extremely common problems:

The ratios aren't spaced out consistently
To go down through all the gears from highest to lowest, you will find yourself switching front gears several times back and forth while simultaneously switching the rear.
Many of these gears are so close as to be redundant.

So I'm just curious: why are the gears set up in this way?

Having an overlap between the ratio ranges available with each chainring means you don't have to use your front derailleur as much. Based on your understanding and expectations of the terrain and conditions ahead, you choose a chainring which gives you access to a useful set of harder and easier ratios.

The cassette ratios are spaced to achieve a vaguely consistent %-difference between adjacent gears, with the limits that you can't have fractions of a tooth and for smooth shifting the derailleur's upper pulley has a minimum and maximum distance from the teeth, so the derailleur's geometry needs to move that pulley through an arc that echoes the arc of the cassette.

Having ratios closer together means when accelerating you don't have to "spin out" one gear to avoid getting "bogged down" in the next harder gear, and when climbing you don't lose momentum with a sudden loss of resistance on each change down a gear.

Alternative 1: Internal hub gears

e.g Rohloff 14 speed, Shimano Alfine & Nexave 11,8 or 7 speeds.
Low maintenance but heavy and make removing and fitting your rear wheel more difficult.

Alternative 2: Single-chainring MTB setup with a wide-ratio cassette

10 and 11 speed systems are available with smallest sprocket 9,10 or 11 teeth and largest sprocket between 40 and 50 teeth, for an overall ratio difference from hardest to easiest ratio of 4:1 - 5:1. The derailleur needs to be designed for the steeper cassette angle, of you can use a hanger extender (e.g the GoatLink) to move it down so it clears the largest sprocket, but in the hardest gears the upper pulley may be too far from the teeth to shift nicely.


recommended clothing for compromise betwee office and and biking home on a race bike? I recently started riding to work again. I'm using a hybrid (they're called that way. its a sporty bicycle with full gears and tires between city and mtb type tires) now, but i want to use my racing bike for it. however cycling in normal office clothes can get quite uncomfortable for the crotch because of the lower race position. I was wondering if there is a reasonable compromise possible. Like a company that makes clothes (specifically pants) for cycling commuters or something.

I cannot go full lycra because the facilites for changing clothes aren't there.

"The facilities for changing clothes aren't there"

Yes they are, it's called a bathroom or a toilet stall, you don't have to have a locker room to swap a pair of pants, just wear your lycra for your ride and pack your clothes in your bag. Then change in the bathroom when you get to work.

Other than that, I once had a suit that was made out of wool-lycra, they're a little more expensive, but the material was certainly stretchy.


Why do I ride so lousy after a tour? I'm a male, 44, "fast" (?) recreational cyclist, who has been doing week long -- mostly 50 to 80 miles/day -- tours for about 15 years.  While I love touring, I have come to dread the aftermath . . . namely, that for at least 6 weeks following the tour, I ride and feel like a, uh, piece of crap, for lack of a cleaner phrase.  Can't fully explain it.  Sort of like I'm running on fumes, or with one less cylinder.  Power output could be up to 15-20% less for a given hard effort, or so it seems.  I ride pretty well during the tour.  I take a week of recovery rides following it.  Seem to still feel OK then, its the second week that it really hits me.  I keep hearing how a tour -- or stage race -- will bring one's fitness "to a whole new level," etc.  All these years, and I have yet to experience anything close to that!  So, any ideas, suggestions, etc.?
Only things I can think of:  perhaps since I'm not doing hard intervals during the tour, I'm stating to lose fitness then? (My tours are usually in mountainous areas, so its not that I'm just riding easy, but I try to keep my pace on the climbs under control.) The recovery week following then exacerbates that loss?  Also, I'm a mailman who has to walk 7 - 8 miles/day up God-only knows how many hills and steps, which I guess makes getting a "full recovery" pretty much impossible.

My theory is endorphins. Our bodies generate them when we exercise. Or not, when we stop. All those days of steadily pumping out the good stuff makes the tour feel great but when I stop, ooops. I suggest you not try replacing them with synthetic endorphins as those are illegal and tend to be more addictive.

There's also a body habit transition, where a bunch of the cycles in my body are set up for big exercise every day and suddenly I'm back behind a desk 8 hours a day. Half an hour each way does not cut it, I'm barely warmed up by then. So I bloat (very thirsty in the morning but then water retention), feel stiff but twitchy, and after the first couple of days tend to lose interest in food. This is my body saying "hey, you used to exercise, what happened to that?"

What works for me is:

tapering the tour rather than spending the last couple of days riding really big distances to catch up after stopping to smell the roses earlier on
taking the long way home from work (ride an hour or more)
eat junk food when I get home (swap endorphins for sugar, fat and umami)
stretching (yoga, martial arts)
taking one day mid-week to go for a long ride

For me this is pretty much automatic now, I get home and hit the supermarket for all the food I couldn't really get or prepare while touring and the long ride is often a freebie when I go to pick up all the extra cr... stuff I took but posted home mid-ride and is now sitting in a post office somewhere on the other side of the city. The twitchyness means I do tend to get out and do stuff, often after a tour I go into a burst of deferred maintenance around the house or just go for long bike rides.

One thing that I find helpful is to take a mid-week day off after I get back and do something energetic. That means I have two days behind a desk, a day running round, then another two days. It means I'm more able to actually sit behind the desk and focus.


How to buy replacement disc brakes In looking at replacing my disc brake rotors, and looking online I see there are different sizes available (between 180 and 203 mm).  My question is, what dimension do I measure on my existing rotor?  I'm assuming it's the outside diameter, but just want to be sure.

Yep, it's the diameter. Most likey 160mm, but double check. You'll need to get the same size rotors as your old ones unless you get new adapters for your frame.


Glued grip has rotated, won't rotate back The leather-like grips on my cruiser have rotated a bit over the last year and a half; the faux "stitching" on one of them is now at a location that feels weird when I'm holding it. I can't rotate the grip back by hand.

How can I loosen the adhesive enough that I can rotate the grip back to the correct position, without removing it?

It seems a bit unusual to me that your grip would be actually 'glued' to your handlebar. Typically grips hold themselves in place, but I'll take your word for it. =]

If your grip is in fact 'glued' in place, the adhesive is likely mediocre quality, and rotation you're experiencing is due to heat from your hand and/or the outdoors slightly softening the glue.

You may be able to un-rotate the grip by heating it with a hair-dryer, and therefore softening the adhesive to a point where you can move it by hand. Be careful not to burn or melt the synthetic leather, though!


Front tire skidding, resulted in a crash, any advice? I have been cycling my whole life, and for about a year I have been doing 25km a day, without any problems. I got new Vittoria Rubino 23s tires a few weeks ago and I had no problems for 3 weeks since, then I have had two crashes in the last two days.

My front wheel skidded in a pretty slow corner (I wasn't leaning much in either of the cases). Fortunately, a few bruises and cuts, without any cars behind me at the time.

The tire pressure was 110psi front, 115psi back. I was just wondering whether anyone could give me some tips or share their experiences with Rubino's.

Thanks, I really appreciate any feedback.

I currently ride on Rubino Pro Slick tires, and have used various Vittoria tires for decades.

The Vittoria Rubino tires you are using have similar wet grip to what I use (dry grip will be the same). The pressures you quote are good.

I get the impression that both incidents occurred in the same corner. If that is the case then I would strongly suspect oil on the road.

When cornering with under inflated tires, they give a characteristic sickening lurch to the side, usually accompanied by a scrubbing noise, and then they let go. This kind of crash can rob your confidence. Just take it easy, be extremely careful on that corner (or avoid it), and get well soon.


Brake Cable Ends - Barrel and Pear Nipples I can easily find images of these different nipples on Google, and as far as I can tell pear nipples are used on road bikes (in general) and barrel nipples are used on MTBs (in general).

Barrel Nipple

Pear Nipple

I'd like to understand more about them. Why have two designs evolved? Does one (for a given type of bike (or brake?)) offer advantages over the other? Or, is it all just "marketing"? Lastly, are there any other designs in common use?

Thanks.

Original MTB brake lever designs did not include a rotating barrel inside the lever
to account for the change in angle as you apply the brake, so the wire end needed to be round to accommodate this.

Road bike brakes have had the interior rotating barrel for a very long time.

If the wire end does not rotate, the brake wire will be flexed in a "coat hanger"
way and break in a relatively short time.

They are two different solutions to the same engineering problem.


Can I use "normal" shoes/trainers with clipless pedals? Is it possible to use regular trainers/shoes (i.e., withou cleats) with clipless pedals?

A friend of mine mentioned he does this all the time. However, I cannot imagine how this would work. Surely the area of grip would be far too small to get any kind of purchase on the pedals.

We both have Shimano PD-R540 SPD pedals.

Yes, you can use them with normal shoes, but as you predict, it isn't very comfortable, especially if your shoes have thin, flexible soles. Also, there's a risk of your foot slipping off, particularly in the wet.

There are various options to temporarily convert clip pedals into ordinary flat ones.

Fly pedals
BBB BPD FeetRest pedal adaptors (SPD only)


How to increase tension of rear derailleur cable I have a Trek Shift 3 (I bought/got new/unused in May 2016) with a Shimano ST-EF65 Shifting Lever (Index) and I am unable to shift gears in the rear derailleur.  I think the reason I can't shift gears is because there is not enough tension in the cable.  Between the rear derailleur cable housing and the internally routed cable housing, there is > 5 mm of play in the cable, even when the index is set to the lowest/easiest gear (1)

I've followed several tutorials on how to adjust rear derailleurs and increase the tension of the rear derailleur cable, which include setting the high and low limit screws and adjusting the Barrel Adjuster, with no success.

I think the cable is too long, because after following the directions in the tutorials, there is still play in the cable.

How can I increase the tensions of my rear derailleur cable AND/OR fix my rear derailleur shifting without replacing the cable and/or housing?

You started with too much slack for the barrel adjuster(s) to take up. Note you have one on your derailer and one on your shifter, and they both do exactly the same thing, so maybe by using both you'll have enough adjustability, or maybe not. It doesn't matter because you don't really want to be maxing them out anyway. You need to re-anchor the cable in a more reasonable spot, and ideally check a few other things along the way.

Shift the shifter into the highest position. (Slackest cable tension, biggest number, the one you get to by pressing the pointer finger lever a bunch of times.) Loosen the RD cable anchor. Pedal the bike so that the chain is on the smallest cog. Take the opportunity with all the cable tension off to visually check that your high limit screw is set correctly. Looking behind the bike, the center plane of the RD pulleys should be that of the right/outer plane of the smallest cog, or in other words very close to but just a little to the right of the center plane as the smallest cog teeth. (counter-intuitive but true, as per Shimano.) Screw both barrel adjusters all the way in, then screw one out one full turn so you have some adjustability in both directions if needed. Using any pliers, grab the end of the cable and pull it taut while tightening the anchor bolt back down. You don't need to pull it hard. You want it to be clamped at the spot that makes it just taut. Unless there are other problems with cable friction, busted housings, hanger alignment, damage to the derailer, etc, the bike should now be approximately shifting, although the shifting will need final adjustment to perform correctly.

But before you do that, since you had problems with excessive slack that started all this, you should do one more step that will reduce and/or eliminate further such issues with "stretch." (Whether or not the cable is physically stretching at all is a contested issue, but it doesn't matter, and either way it's not the main thing causing the slack.) Keeping the shifter in the same highest/slackest position, hang the bike by the seat off a stand or tree or something, and pedal the cranks with one hand while pulling gently on an exposed part of the cable with the other. Once you're in the lowest/largest cog, stop pedaling, stop the rear wheel from spinning and pull hard on the cable. Let go, pedal again to get the chain back down to the high gear, and see if you've created slack in the cable. If so, that's a good thing, because it would have happened eventually anyway. If there is slack then take it out by repeating the above re-anchoring procedure.

At this point, dial in the shifting with the barrel adjusters so that it shifts smoothly with minimal hesitation in both directions, and you should be set.


Cracked rim - adequate for trainer use? I'd just bought a used wheel, but didn't actually notice its quite serious crack on the sidewall of the rim (silly me, quite foolish to not inspect it).

In this case, what are the odds of it failing, when used exclusively on a trainer?

If it where a tiny crack and your trainer was the type that holds the weight by the skewer then maybe, but the damage shown may be too risky even to mount and inflate the tire onto it.

I think the outward pressure from the tire might further break the rim walls and expand them, causing contact with the bike. If that happens while your'e spinning the tire it may cause serious damage to the frame. It could also send debris in any direction that may damage your floor, furniture or cause injury to you or someone nearby.

EDIT: Indeed the damage is in the area of the seam, but there are also two hit marks, on each side of the rim, on each side of the seam, and there is also what looks like a longitudinal crack (between the painted section and the brake track). To me it seems this rim was bashed hardly right on the seam.

I think you better throw it away or make a lamp or other decorative object out of it...

Inspect the hub to see if it's worth keeping as a spare. Maybe the spokes too.


What belt-drive compatible frame and belt-drive kit would you recommend? I would like to build a custom belt-drive bike for my daily commute. I am looking for a frame and a belt-drive kit for a total budget of about 500$.

I ride all year long, and winters here (Montreal, Canada) are pretty hard on bikes, so I need a simple yet robust frame. Any suggestions?

You may be a bit out of luck with that price range if you hope to get the whole kit.  The Gates belt, cog, and "chain"-ring retail online for over $200 by themselves.

That said, there are some options if you are clever and dedicated. If you're able to find one of the old 90's mountain bikes with elevated chainstays you can use one of the expensive ($125-$150) eccentric bottom brackets that mount in a normal 68mm shell for tension.  A 90's Nishiki should be fairly cheap, so you'd eke in just under your total price.  It's also fair to say that your bike would be a unique build.

Alternatively, if you have access to an affordable machinist, start with an inexpensive frame that has thick track-style dropouts. Modifying them into a variant of the old Spot-style dropouts should be relatively easy with a dremel, some taps, and a skilled hand. This avoids the significant cost of the S&S couplers used by most belt-drive modifications.

Unfortunately, unless the frame was purpose-built for a belt, you're going to be stuck modifying it. There are few, if-any, belt-specific frames in the market now, which keeps prices high.  The proper modifications either require an expensive S&S coupler or new dropouts, which are expensive to add aftermarket.


Is Ultegra 9 speed compatible with Sora 9 speed? I have a 1999 Specialized Allez Comp with original Ultegra 9 components (see description). Things are starting to get old (e.g. right shifter doesn't work well). I think it is time to partially convert to Sora. But I have a few confirmation questions.

Will Sora shifters work with the brakeset of my original bike?
I have 2 Ultegra cassettes.  Would I be able to mix an Ultegra 9 cassette with a Sora chain and chain rings?

Yes, and Yes. Brifters will work fine and the cassettes will work fine. You can use any 9 speed Shimano road components in the drivetrain (crankset+chainrings with appropriate bb, chain, cassette, derailleurs) and the rear derailleur can be a <10 speed mountain derailleur as well. The chain can be made by KMC/SRAM/Shimano/etc. and the cassette can be Shimano/SRAM as well. I'd also run new cables+cable housing in the process as well, obviously.

In fact, the shift from Ultegra to Sora in this case might make the bike feel even better (contrary to PeteH's comments). This is due to trickle-down -- the features of old Tiagra/105/etc. have slowly moved down to the lower levels, so you get the good ergonomics and stuff of new Sora.

As for a general thing, I'd probably just get any 9 speed Shimano/SRAM cassette in the future which has the spacing you like, as well as a SRAM/KMC chain for 9 speed (these come with quick links which are less annoying than the inane Shimano rivet). I don't see the point in scoping out for Ultegra-grade parts for this bike unless it makes you feel good -- just a waste of money given the past 16 years of engineering, since people will be hawking them at higher prices for people who just have to have the complete set. A Sora grade chain will be fine, though.


Top men's and women's winners Olympics mtn bikes Of the podium finishers in the men's and women's mountain bike race in Rio, what bike brand & models did they use? Which rims?

There has been a big debate over 26, 650B and 29er inch rims. 4 years ago, during the men's race remember seeing different Rim sizes. However during this race they seem to be the same size. Does anybody know what size won out in the rim wars?
I also noticed that if my memory serves me correctly for the top women finishers they had hard tails. But for the men's the top finishers used full suspension bikes.

From four years ago London, the racers indeed did use different rim sizes. So how about Rio?

There's a great video of Nino Schurter's Scott Spark. I'm not sure if he used the exact same bike in the Olympics, but the video from July of this year, so it should be quite similar. It has 29 inch wheels.  According to the comments in the youtube video, this is different from what he used to ride. Somebody commented that it may be in preparation for the Olympics, which favours large rim sizes.  I don't think any size has really "won". The size of rim/tire used on race day is going to depend on course conditions.   I think this is the reason for the upcoming popularity of 650b/27.5 tires. Most of us can only afford a single bike or a single set of wheels, so you have to go for a compromise.  You should also check out the GMBN Pro Bike Playlist if you want to learn more about the equipment the pros are using.


Where are the bearings in thru axle hubs? So I’ve looked all over the internet to find an anatomy picture of a thru axle hub, because I don’t understand where the bearings go, and I can’t find anything helpful.

Can anyone help me understand where the bearings are in a thru axle hub? Maybe show a picture. I just want to know.

Many thru axel designs use cartridge bearings, which are not servicable (one replaces the cartridge bearing-- no more loose balls smushed in a greased filled cup and held in place by adjusting a cone nut).  Here and Here are schematics from Shimano of a rear and front hub featuring thru axels.  This particular model uses caged bearings, and I've selected this for clarity as the bearing balls are obvious and not hidden within a cartridge package.


Wheels don't move freely after installing pinhead skewers So I just installed pinhead locking skewers on my bike, using the instruction manual. But the wheels now have a large amount of friction. I installed all the pieces as tightly as possible, could that be the cause? Or do I need to grease the skewer first?

The skewer isn't an axle so nothing rotates and it and there's no need for grease. It's more likely that the wheels aren't completely straight in the dropouts  causing the brakes or tyres to rub. I tend to tighten the skewers with the bike's weight on the wheels, rather than on a work stand. But you should also check the sequence of components again as well.

Finally the tab washer supplied with pinhead skewers these days may be the issue. The single tab goes in the dropout, after the skewer. It's just possible that even installed correctly this washer doesn't sit in the right place and misaligns the wheel. One of my bikes had pinhead skewers from new 7 years ago without these washers, with no problems; I've just added them (when fitting matching skewers to my new bike).


Calves overcoming glutes function, is this a set up problem? I've noticed that I usually become really tight calves while my gluts don't work at all. It is specially so when I accelerate in my singlespeed while I'm stand up or when I climb.

Sometimes I get my hamstrings to fire a lot, even too much so that they are even close to cramp but the gluts do not work. It is only when I'm in a hard workout (high speed, over 30km/h on average when I feel that the gluts fire and the calves are more relaxed)

Is there a common reason for that? I have adjusted my saddle height so that I can more or less have a straight leg when I have the heel in the pedal and a not completely straight leg when I am pedaling, I can reach comfortably the handlebar (bullhorn) in it's many positions.

But I still have this issue. I specially get the inner (medial) side of the calves tight.

Cycling is a quad dominant sport and many cyclists can become quad dominant in their everyday movement patterns which can affect body posture and core stability muscles such as glutes. If your main daily activities are riding your bike and sitting down in a slouched position you may find that over time you may lose the ability to effectively fire your gluts.

In addition to this, Glute recruitment is also affected by hip  position on the bike, which in turn can be affected by the saddle angle, saddle profile, flexibility of the rider along with individual movement pattern habits. Many modern saddles have a flat profile, which can encourage you to roll the top of your hips backwards, which can inhibit core muscles and turn off glutes from firing during the pedal stroke. In contrast, saddles with a swooping profile allows the top on the hips to be rolled forward which encourages glute recruitment. If you have never ridden this type of profile it can take some time to get used to, as you may instinctively want to roll the top of your hips backwards out of habit, which result in contact hot spots and discomfort.

You said you were able to get your glutes to fire at faster speeds (i.e., 30+ kph). I assume this is seated harder efforts. Under harder efforts you are concentrating more, sending a stronger signal down your central nervous system which may be enough to recruit your glutes. Lighter efforts the signal may not be strong enough. This could indicate that your glutes have become weak, and/or your general ability to fire glutes has declined. The only way to really reverse this is by practicing daily exercises designed to help you fire your glutes.  Also when you are climbing out of the saddle focus on rolling the top of your hips forward when standing this will help encourage your glutes to fire .

Not sure what is going on with your calves. It may reflect cleat placement (I.e., foot position on the pedal). It may be unrelated to your glute firing issue. Another possibility is that it comes out of compensatory behaviors that result from poor hip position and strength.


How long does it take to deflate a tube for a 26" bike tire? Simply by removing the valve, how long does it take to deflate a tube for a 26" bike tire?  Also, is there a safe and quicker alternative to do it?  Thank you.

I wouldn't bother removing the valve core - assuming its a schrader/AV/car valve, press something pointy into it for ~20 seconds and most of the air will come out.
If you want to roll the tube up, it is convenient to have a deflater tool, essentially a valve cap with a pin that presses the valve's stem and lets the air out.   Convenient but not necessary.
If you have a presta valve then pressing the stem with your finger works fine too.


Is this a normal way to install a tire? So I don't have a clue about bicycles. I wanted to replace the tires on my bike but couldn't figure out the size. So I went to a local bike shop where they showed me tires that would fit my bike. They gave me an estimate, I left my bike with them and went on my merry way. I called on the day they said that they would start the work just to make sure that everything was cool. They said that everything was fine and told me it would be finished the next week. When I came to pick it up they increased the cost by adding these implements. They did this to get enough relief on the brake cable so as to install the new over-sized tire. Is it in the bike shop culture to do this kind of thing without fist contacting the customer. Now, in the future when I plan to replace the tire with the original size I am afraid I will need to learn the skill of brake cable installation and need to pay for more parts/cables. Please see the attached photos.

Any help would be much appreciated. Also, I told him that I didn't have a clue about bikes, period.

It's hard to tell exactly what was done and why – it would help to know the original and new tire sizes. But what it looks like is that the shop added inline barrel adjusters to your brake cables. That's consistent with your description as well. They probably added them because the release levers on the brakes didn't give enough clearance to remove/install the wheels with the new tires without having to undo the cable clamp bolts. This is to make it easy for you to repair flats and the like.

I would have expected the shop to contact you and tell you that the new tires were too wide to work with your current brakes and offer you options for the solution. One solution would have been to use a narrower tire, another is adding the barrel adjusters.


Should there be play in rear brake My rear wheel can move about an inch when the brake is completely locked. The movement is in the connection between the hub and the disk. As you can see in the picture below, the disk is held to the hub by 6 bolts and there seems to be another piece of connector metal between the screws. This connector piece with the screws seems to be moving with the wheel while the brake rotor does not. You can see a video of the wheel moving here https://streamable.com/g6k0ci. I'm wondering if this play is normal, or if the bolts are just not tight enough. The rotors are Shimano SM-RT66, 180mm, and it is on the 2021 Nukeproof scout 290 comp https://nukeproof.com/products/2021-scout-290. Thanks.

The video shows a broken hub. It should be impossible under all circumstances for the hub shell to move relative to the rotor. I can't tell from your pictures but I'm guessing that what's happening here is it's some kind of multi-piece shell as opposed to the shell being one piece, and the interface has failed.


How do I figure out the right size seat post for my bicycle? I found a discarded Mongoose Alta frame with no seat post or seat that I want to refurbish.

How do I find out what size or type of seat post and seat I should get as suitable replacements?

The most important characteristic will be the seat post diameter. To determine it, measure the internal diameter of the seat tube, that is, the one which the seat post inserts into. Make sure you do not confuse it with the tube's external diameter, it is not needed.

Use a precision caliper for that, your measurements must be accurate to 0.1 mm. Do several measurements and then find their average.

Available bicycle seat posts diameters vary from 25.4 mm to 34.9 mm; maybe even wider or narrower posts exist. When looking for a new seat post, choose the one that has the diameter closest to your measurements.

The next characteristic would be the post's length. Generally, the length you want depends on your frame size (measured as letters XS, S, M, L, XL or numbers in cm/inches). Unless you buy a super-short one, however, there is less opportunity for a critical error with length. If nothing else, then a seat post that is too long can often be cut to be shorter. But if you make a mistake with diameter, it would be harder or impossible to accommodate that post to the frame.

The majority of saddles are compatible with the most of seat posts. Typically there are two metallic rails on the saddle and a clamping mechanism on the top of the seat post. In certain disciplines, like dirt jumping bikes, a saddle may be integrated to a seat post.


How should I train for a century while still commuting by bike to work? I'm going to start training for a May gravel century at the end of March. This is my first century. I plan to follow this training schedule here: http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=54755. My concern is that I commute by bike to work, which is 6 miles each way. Tuesday through Friday's rides will be on a stationary at the gym over lunch, which means I'll be also riding two separate 6 mile rides on those days. On one hand I'll be putting an additional 12 miles in. On the other hand they won't be consecutive miles and will be broken into 3 different rides those days. Should I adjust the training miles to account for this, or just ignore my commute miles?

Take a "short cut".  I commonly take a "short cut" on my 10-mile commute, riding up to a neighboring community and then down a bike trail, adding another 17 miles.

Added: The advantage to this is that you're already dressed and on your bike, so the time required will be ONLY the additional time you actually spend on your bike.  Get going 90 minutes earlier in the morning or get home 90 minutes later in the PM -- no extra changing, no extra showers, no extra hauling the bike around.


What parts needed with new chainring? I've read that the chainring is that spikey gear wheel at the bike's pedals that the chain egages with.

The teeth on that chainring are so worn on my bike that the chain jumps off depite adjusting the derailleur.

The teeth of the chainring at the back wheel don't seem as worn, although this answer says they wear faster.

When replacing the chainring, it seems I should purchase:

Crankset
Chain
Chain adjuster tool

Are there other parts that should be changed at the same time?

Here are three photos of different parts of the chainring:

If the chain rings are badly worn, its almost certain the cassette (rear cogs) and chain need replacing. do not change the chain rings on their own.

The chain rings on most cranks can be replaced. Some cheaper ones (mostly kids bikes) use rivets, and you need to replace the whole crank set. If possible, the easiest thing to do is replace chain rings with identically sized ones. The BCD (Bolt circle diameter) must match, you can vary the number  of teeth but that changes the gearing and might need to adjust or (worst case) replace the front dérailleur, and may also need to replace the rear derailuer.

If you decide to changing cranks, you will need to match the bottom bracket you have, or get a new bottom bracket. if you need to change BB, you can end up in BB standards hell sooner than you can imagine. Keeping the same BB and Crank set is by far the easiest.

Rear cassette - easiest is replace like for like - same speeds and number of teeth on the big cog. As with the chain rings, if you change the number of teeth you may need to adjust or replace the rear derailleur.

Chain - if you keep all the gears the same number of teeth, you can make the new chain the same length as the old one (presuming old was correct), otherwise you will need to work out the correct length for the new chain.

Tools required:

Chain whip
cassette removal tool.
Hex keys
maybe a chain ring bolt spanner
Crank removal tool for your cranks (usually square
taper, but a dozen others exist)
Maybe a BB spanner if replacing BB.
Chain breaker.


Modification for cycling with one functioning hand My dad loves cycling, however he has dystonia which reduces control of the muscles in his hands. He can still cycle, however this becomes very painful after a moderate period of time due to gripping the handlebars, and also reduces his control of the bikes movement.

An answer related to this question advises the use of a steering damper to help with stabilisation, however I was also wondering if anyone knew where I would be able to buy something like this:

My dads right arm is better than his left, and he still has control in his forearms, so if possible the device would allow him to steer using his forearms. Any help would be appreciated.

So I don't know much about the disease you mentioned - but if the symptoms are caused by the strain on the wrists and hands, then I have a perfect but expensive solution: Switch to a recumbent. There is no weight on the hands, ever, on all recumbent types.

Under seat steering handlebars allow the hands to rest next to the torso in a very relaxed fashion and pretty much straight, like hanging down beside the torso except the whole arms are angled somewhat towards to front.
Above seat steering handlebars probably allow for more variations on the grip, but I think the posture is overall slightly less relaxed, you can't let the arms just hang down as much.
Center steering recumbents with no handlebars (or handlebars not used for steering but only to mount brake handles) don't need any arms at all (well, if you mount coaster brakes), but more control of the rest of the body and are probably harder to ride.

I'm pretty sure all of those types also exist in three wheeled versions if the disease further progresses and makes balancing too hard.


Rollers for long-wheelbase/mountain bikes I was recently made aware of the idea of bike rollers.  I do have an exercise bike, but this looks like it may be a much better bet because you get to practice your riding skills as well (and looks a bit more fun than an exercise bike!).  However, the guy in this video had trouble getting a mountain bike to fit, and when he did get it working, it really seemed to be shredding the rear tire quite badly.  If you look closely at the video, when he's using the MTB the front axle is forward of the front roller's axle so it's obviously not properly on the rollers.

Is the rear tire damage the guy in the video was suffering typical of rollers or is it because of a poor fit of the bike on the rollers?  Are there models of rollers that fit long wheelbase bikes better?

I have read that you can't use mountain bikes on rollers, but the reason given was the suspension causes the wheelbase to change as the suspension moves.  My bike is a hardtail with a lockable front fork so would this be suitable for rollers?

The wheelbase is approximately 108cm

Rollers (and trainers in general) chewing up tires isn't uncommon as indicated in this answer on a related question:

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/10748/4239

As indicated, just use cheap tires for your rollers. I ride them in the winter and I've never really noticed that the rollers chew up the tires much faster than the the snow, ice, salt, and cinders on the roads do.

As far as the wheelbase goes, you can  find the wheelbase range for rollers in the specs on some sites. You might have to dig around though. For example, nashbar.com listed the specs for these rollers even though the manufacturer's page did not. I'm sure it could be found in the product manual as well, but I didn't dig that deeply.

Also, almost any sort of tread pattern on your tires will make the rollers very loud. And of course, the bigger the knobs, the louder it will be. If you're going to put a mountain bike on them, you'll definitely want slicks.


Rusting trailer hitch After a few months of usage, this new trailer hitch looks as in the picture below:

The black is removed and the hitch started rusting. Can I still fix this? What could I have done better? Just wipe off dry after usage?

It's just a little surface rust so it's essentially a cosmetic problem at the moment. Assuming you want to keep the hitch on the bike all the time (that is after all the point of it) then I suggest that after removing any loose material you wipe grease over it to provide a barrier against moisture. You wouldn't have to do it after every use but whenever you clean the bike/oil the chain. This will also deal with the way the rust makes it harder to fit the trailer to the hitch. It also darkens the remaining rust temporarily, making it less obvious.

Mine is a different design (with a pin going through it) but I assume that yours also doesn't rely on friction (which wouldn't be safe). In fact yours may even move slightly around the hitch, which would abrade the paint.


Clacking noise as right crank goes 'over the top' once per revolution Every time the right pedal goes over the top I get a single clack noise with a little more 'travel', a point where the bottom bracket moves without any resistance, from that point in the rotation. I have only just noticed it recently and it seems to be more noticeable on the lower gears where the cogs are smaller.

Any thoughts on what to do or what might be causing the problem?

It's always difficult to diagnose noise descriptions, especially in the drivetrain.  But guessing by the:

  ... the bottom bracket moves without any resistance ... more noticeable on the lower gears ...

I would say the rear hub's freehub is damaged.  Pop it off the hub body and inspect where the pawls are (mind the pawl springs don't ping out!), look for broken pawls and/or mashed ratchet teeth (the teeth which the pawls engage with).  Post some pictures of it if you are unsure.


Saddlebag Laptop advice I live close enough to work that I'm able to bike there and back every day. I also pack a laptop in a backpack. I am seeking ways to reduce the weight on my back. I've only seen people use saddlebags on a bicycle 1-2 times my entire life so I'm looking for advice. Has anyone tried to pack a laptop in a saddlebag before and how did that turn out? What are common issues/features I should look for in a saddlebag? I can only think of two things to look for at the moment: 1) impact resistance (not crushing my laptop) and 2) water proof if possible.

I have carried a laptop on my commute bike for closing in on 15 years now. Mainly in panniers (saddle bags). For a little while in a courier bag when when I was young and dumb. For what it is worth (aka the dangers of anecdotal evidence) I didn't have any laptop failures directly related to a bike trip.  I even toured with a 17inch laptop across 800 km of mixed terrain (road and dirt) in Norway with out incident (riding to a workshop and conference).  That laptop is still going strong 5 years later.

Waterproof pannier.  Water is the enemy of most electronics. So is dust.  It pays to be able to keep things very well sealed.
Well padded case. I used to use a well padded sleeve to house the computer and moved to a pannier with a built in padding.
Strong mounting. Not all bags are created equal.  Get ones that have rigid re-inforced back plate and strong mounting system. You don't want the bag flopping around.  Cheap panniers can sometimes twist into the spokes which will likely result in damage to your laptop during the ensuing carnage.
Strong pannier rack.  As a corollary to (3) if you have a cheap flexible rack this could also cause problems, but I haven't personally had any problems across a variety of rack types. Some racks also support panniers against twisting better than other racks.
Back it up just in case...  This is really good advice regardless of transportation method.  I always keep at least two backups going, one in the office and one at home (offsite).  I once came into my office to observe my desk under water.  If I had left my laptop there I would have lost it and the backup sitting on the desk.

Other Deep thoughts...

I have always wondered about the impact of vibration, but so far I haven't seen any clear indication (warning anecdotal evidence).   I had one hard drive die spontaneously while working on a report. Perhaps vibration shortened its life?  It it was also very hot that day and I was without air conditioning and I was running some simulations so the temperature could have fried it too.

I have also had a lust for well built laptops, which may have stood up better.  I am a hipster poser so you can guess which brand of computer I have continually purchased.


Fitting Shimano pedals into a 3/4" crank socket I bought a commercial grade spin bike (Niuweite F800 from China) for exercising at home during quarantine. I wanted to upgrade the pedals to Shimano pedals since I used to join spinning classes pre-COVID.
However, when I got the pedals, the Shimano pedals have a 9/16" screw size while my spin bike apparently has a much bigger 3/4" socket.
I attempted to buy pedal adapters buy these only go up to 1/2".
Any ideas on what I can do to make my Shimano pedals fit the spin bike? Thanks in advance!

I've never heard of a 3/4" thread on a pedal on a bicycle.  It sounds like they intend for you to buy pedals from the maker of your exercise bike.
However if you are handy, it may be possible to make a pair of adapter bushings from metal.

The pedal threads will be 9/16" with 20 TPI (which is not the more common 18TPI)   Sadly 20TPI is unique to bicycle pedals, so you're not going to be able to use plumbing parts for this.
One has to be left-hand thread for the left pedal's shaft
And the outside will have to match the 3/4" and whatever thread pitch is in your bike's cranks.  This may be 16 TPI for UNF thread, or 10 TPI for UNC, or something weirder.
Also its not guaranteed that your 3/4" threads are opposite-handed.

Given your bike is Chinese, its probably metric for the most part, so there's a chance your pedals have an M18 or an M20 thread, 3/4" is about 19mm so right in the middle of those options.   None of them are pedal threads I've heard of though.
This would be a simple job for an engineering firm to fab up from a couple of small disks of steel or maybe aluminium.   It would help if you could give them both cranks and both pedals for test-fitting too.

There was a short lived thread of 1 inch, called Shimano Dyna drive.  Adapters from that down to 9/16" look like this.  Notice the inner is completely within the outer, because there's enough metal to make this possible.

The other option is to stagger them a little as in this 9/16 to 1/2 inch adapter set.  Downside of these is they increase your "q-factor" which means your pedals are further apart.

Images are for description of the adaptor required, not a specific product recommendation.  Pictured products have the wrong threads for OP's need.


What is this cogset body? I have some backlash (free movement) in my body of cogset, so I try to dissemble my cogset to discover this weird body:

I'm trying to find a new one but I don't know how to call it. Any idea how it can be called ?

(Sorry, I'm french, I try to find translation for word, but I hope the picture help)

That's a freehub body.

Look on the hub for the model of hub you have, and then you can use that to find the appropriate freehub body model by looking at the documentation of the hub.


how do you make a chain longer with a simple chain breaker? I was replacing a chain and managed to cut the chain too short. Is it possible to make the chain longer using a simple chain breaker? If so, how?

First off, hope that you properly removed the links before so you can just snap the links back into place, that is easiest.

Any breaker that is designed properly will push the pin just to the point where you can snap the links out leaving the pin still attached.

Snap the removed links back onto the chain and place the chain back onto the breaker with the pin facing into the breaker like this:

Carefully push the pin back into the link making sure the breaker pin and the roller pin are aligned. Misalignment can cause damage to the chain and breaker. Only push the pin through until it is extended past the link as far as the pins in the rest of the chain:

Now the link will be too tight to bend easily, this is fixed by placing the chain in the middle jig and pushing the pin slightly, just enough to free the link up.

Test the link to be sure it bends easily. Now go back and remove the proper number of links, making sure the male/female links match up when the chain is looped with or without a master-link, your preference.


Which foot to put forward when coasting or track-standing? I am mostly concerned about track-stand here, because it requires much balance, so the question on "which foot to put forward" seems important enough.

This tutorial says "stand up with your strong foot on the forward pedal" (at time 0:46).

This tutorial says "the lead foot, which is the foot you're most comfortable putting in front..."

This strikes me very odd, because my right foot is stronger, but i feel much more comfortable with the left foot in front. When i am standing on my pedals, i mostly stand with my center of gravity behind the point where the cranks are attached. So it makes sense that my weight is mostly on the back foot, and it should be the stronger foot. However, other stuff i found in the Internet (example) invariably recommends putting your "strong", "good" or "dominant" foot in front.

What am i missing here?

Did i get used to a wrong technique, and should break my bad habits now?

Or is it not important enough, and i worry too much?

Just trackstanding on a flat road, mountain bike or other regular situation, just use the foot you feel most comfortable with in the forward position. The real key to performing a good, solid trackstand is to find a balance of forward pressure with your front pedal and resistance with either your brakes or your rear pedal (if you're riding fixed gear).

Another key to help out that I've found particularly useful is to try to keep the balance of the bike so that you can turn your handlebars in the same direction as your lead foot. This helps equalize the forward/backward pressures. Additionally, it helps prevent a tumble due to toe overlap, which isn't as big a deal on mountain bikes as it is on track bikes and road bikes because the front wheel is further out in front of the bike.

If you're trackstanding on an actual track in track racing - like a match sprint race - you'll want to have your right foot forward and turn your bars to the right. This allows you to use the banking of the track as your reverse resistance and your lead (right) foot as your forward pressure. Doing the opposite will make it much harder to control as gravity will want to pull you down to the middle of the track.

This same school of thought can be applied to a hill or other grade when mountain biking.


24 gear SRAM shifters- PROBLEM So recently i bought a carrera vengeance for £45 which is a bargain and the only problem was the gears(24 gear SRAM shifters) for the left side. When i got it i tried to shift but it just clicks and nothing happens, there is also a strong resistance. Someone please help.

If there is a strong resistance. My guess is that you have a limit screw preventing the fron derailleur shifting to bigger chainring.

Check limit screw

Check if front derailleur can move freely (unscrew both limit screw and pull the cable to see if front derailleur move). Sometimes front derailleur corrodes to the point that it cannot be moved.


Flat tires every morning I just bought a new bike. I ride about 3 times a week. The last 2 times I've taken my bike out the front tire has been completely flat. I put air in it the first time it happened and went for a 10mi ride and the tire was still fine. Then next morning it was flat again (same thing the 2nd time).. I recently got into riding and I have no clue about the maintenance and fixing my bike. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It sounds like you have a slow leak, either from the valve or from a tiny puncture in the tube, like Batman mentioned in the comments.

An easy way to fix this is by simply changing the tube in the front tire. If you've never done this before, this video may help or you can take your bike into your local bike shop and have someone fix it for you. If you choose the latter of the two, ask if they can teach you how to change out the tube, since this is an invaluable skill to have.


Replacing vintage bike tyres I have a 1980 Peugeot road bike and the tyres need replacing.

The existing tyres say:
700 x 25c
25-622

Which I thought was pretty standard?

Someone in the Decathlon bike shop told me this was niche and I would struggle replacing them. He said my options were to hunt for vintage parts or go all in and get new wheels.

Is that right? I'd obviously prefer to just get new tyres if I can!

I'd really appreciate any advice!

No, that person was confused and you have it right. A new 700x25 tire will fit the same as what you have. Often 40 year old wheels will need new rim strips while you're at it.


difference in aero bar design I see that there are many types of aero bars, i.e., different designs. I am going to buy one but I am not sure which one is better.
Here are two types of aero bar designs:

Type1

Type2

The first one is a bit straight and the second one with a rise towards the forward end.
Can anyone please list the pros and cons of the 2 designs?
I am new to cycling and I hope that this question is not closed as a product recommendation because I am asking about the design.

First, one small point. The two pictures show different types of extensions, not bars. Bars are still what the extensions attach to (Commonly called either aerobars or bullhorns).

Extensions come in various types, including (but not necessarily limited to) S bend, F bend, straight, skip tip. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. Most wind tunnel tests have shown that the hands angled slightly down so the line is straight along the tops of the wrist arms is faster. However, this may not be comfortable for some people depending on distance and position.

Of just as much if not more important is the shape of the base bar, and the extensions/pad system being used. The entire aerobar/extension setup (Commonly referred to as the cockpit) is also highly dependent on rider position, and often the canard used in the TT/triathlon world is that you almost determine your cockpit first, and then your frame.

For the second point, the photo being shown of Matt Goss is a bike that is set up according to UCI rules. These are very stringent, and regulate such things as the angle of the forearms according to the ground, the position of the seat front to back in relation to the BB, etc. If you remember the Levi Leipheimer praying mantis position, that would now be illegal according to UCI rules. They also dictate the shape of the aerobars and other factors (Such as a water bottle cage mounted between the arms. Wind tunnel tests have shown this is one of the best options, but is illegal according to UCI rules).

Caveat- One of the last Tours that Levi did, his bike was set up according to UCI rules, but he had it at the limits and was still able to approximate his praying mantis position. I remember Liggett commenting on it at the time.

However, unless you are competing in a specific National level time trial or higher where UCI rules apply, you can safely ignore the UCI guidelines.

As it is a huge impact both in comfort and performance, I highly suggest you get with an experienced fitter. Time trial/triathlon frames and setups are vastly different, as are the measurements and frame designations. (A 54cm is not necessarily a 54 cm, etc.)


Disassembling crank on a 2006 Trek Pilot 2.1 I'm trying to disassemble the crankset on my 2006 Trek Pilot 2.1; the bike has all OEM parts.
The crank is a Bontrager race crankset, which I'm to understand is a a rebranded Truvativ crank.
For a bottom bracket, it uses an SRAM Giga X Pipe (GXP).
The crank is a two-piece press-fit: it's a hollow tube press fit into the drive side, with ISIS splines on the non-drive side.
I'm trying to disassemble the crank and bottom bracket, so that I can clean the crank and crank spindle, and replace the bottom bracket.
I've unscrewed the GXP bearing cups and removed the crank from the frame, but there's this one last little component on the crank spindle that's keeping me from removing the rest of the GXP bottom bracket. I want to know how I should remove it so that I don't damage the spindle. I'm not sure what the part is, or if I'll need it for installing the new GXP bottom bracket.
Here's a shot showing the crank, spindle, and GXP bottom bracket as it is right now:

And here's a close-up of the spine, showing the collet I can't get off:

Yeah, I know it's a mess; that's why I'm trying to disassemble and clean everything and replace the GXP bottom bracket. That grease isn't grease anymore, it's more like metallic paste. Yuck.
I've already tried some light tap-work to try to get it off; it didn't budge, but I didn't go hard because I don't know if I'll damage it. Also, interestingly, it spins very freely in place.
In summary:

I'm replacing the GXP bottom bracket in whole, so I don't care about destroying it or old pieces that came out of it.
Do I need to preserve this collet? Did it come from the old GXP bottom bracket?
If I do need to preserve it, how do I get it off?

If I don't need it, I plan on trying to tap it off with screwdriver and a hammer; if that doesn't work, then cut it in half and split it open.

Also, since a few other people I had asked had been confused about this - the drive side of the spindle is permanently press-fit into the drive side bracket / crank arm assembly, since it's all one piece. Here's a picture:

I would try reinstalling the drive side and non drive side cups to the frame (to keep the spindle centered).  Then I would recommend a game of whack-a-mole on the spindle with a rubber mallet.  I have often had to remove a crankset this way.  A rubber mallet should be in pretty much any home mechanics tool kit.  The rubber mallet has almost no chance of damaging the spindle.  Provided you don't smash/dent your frame with it, it should be fine.

With the cups on tightly and nondrive side crank off, you may also try rocking the drive side crank arm back and forth some as you rubber mallet the spindle.


Have I incorrectly fed chain into the rear mech hanger So I've had to change my chain because my indicator says it's worn. It did also seem to stretch quite a lot more then the new chain.

I think I may have fed it into the rear mech hanger incorrectly since it now skips every time I pedal instead of occasionally.
+

On my rear mech hanger there is clearly a metal tab going across the width of the mech. Does the chain have to go underneath it or over it.

If it's under, it seems impossible unless I take the bottom jockey wheel out. but I don't want to dismantle and make matters worse.

I can see why this can be confusing. The picture above I omitted the chain on purpose so it was clear what I was referring to

I had it routed like this

Is it correct now?

How about my front chain rings. They don't look right to me but am not a mechanic.

Chain link image.

Your chain is set up correctly in the second picture. It should go over the metal tab.

The reason your chain is skipping is probably because your cogs are worn out. If this is the case, you should replace your freewheel/cassette to avoid destroying your new chain.


Sachs- Huret derailleur (re)installation Sachs - Huret derailleur installation

So the learning curve continues on the '85 Peugeot P-16. The main lessons are to take pictures and time getting each thing done.

I have the rear derailleur hung. There are two numbers stamped on the bracket - 24 & 28. Since my large freewheel cog is 28 tooth, I assume there's some correlation.

Q: how do I know which notch the circular spring (which controls the cage/ jockey wheels) rests?

And second Q: the stock rear axle is held in place with a double nut (one piece - 2 nuts wide) on either end which includes a conical washer. This leaves about 3mm of thread showing inside the nut. There's about 5 mm of axle threaded into each side. Can I replace this factory piece with single of even double axle nuts (cone wrench thickness) so the axle & nuts even out?

Here's an image of your derailleur showing the return spring attached to the slot furthest from the top of the cage
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8111/8602860708_0e4e4a50ef_b.jpg

To answer your second question, seems reasonable to replace the double nut on the outside of the fork end with a single nut.


sun ez3 trike gearing I have sun ez3 trike,it has rear freewheel with the largest being 28 teeth,can I put a mega
range with 34 teeth on it,and do I have to change the deraileur.Objective to make hills easier.

You do not indicate if this is the SX ("tadpole model" weighing 48 lbs) or the USX HD (weighing 65 lbs.)  (Either curb weight is a challenge but if you've been spinning away at 80 or better rpm, I say "reward yourself with a lighter trike." Review the archives at http://www.rtrmag.com   - Recumbent and Tandem Rider Magazine or The Recumbent Journal for alternative rides.)

Alternately, ask your LBS for an install of a 28 or 26 tooth chain 5-bolt chain ring that could provide 5% lower gear to pull hills. The Microshift FD will accommodate a granny gear change down to 26t ring but will not shift nicely with a 24 t. IF this EZ-3 is the USX HD, do not expect much improvement or success on inclines as the drive applies only to the right rear wheel and you'll be frustrated by its "crabbing to the right" while you're spinning frantically and working to redirect the steering.


Experience with GPS trackers - thieves' reactions? I'm interested in experiences what happens in reality when a bike with a GPS tracker is targeted / stolen by thieves.

There are GPS trackers with a SIM card that will send an alarm to your mobile when moved, and you can also query the location remotely by sending an SMS text message. Some are specially designed for bicycles and are hidden e.g. in the seatpost, but they are fairly expensive.

What I'm interested in are the cheaper ones costing around 20-40 UK Pounds. They are too bulky to be hidden inside the frame, so it's a question whether they are noticed by thieves or not. For example, they look like rear lights (but can be screwed to the frame so that it's at least time-consuming/fiddly to get them off).

My question is if there are any experiences how thieves actually react to those. In particular:

Are there examples that thieves have checked the bike for such devices, taken them off and nicked the bike anyway?
Conversely, are there examples that thieves didn't notice them and got caught?
Or perhaps thieves notice the device and then leave the bike, as it's an additional risk? The alarm is sent at the first movement, so if the owner is nearby, the thieve would get only a few minutes.

My bike is always locked with two locks, and it's in the medium price range (about 600 pounds inc dynamo lights, mudguards, rack etc., but a few years old and well-used), so it would be most likely targeted by reasonably equipped thieves to sell on the local second-hand market, but not really experts looking for expensive bike parts.

There is another question asking for experience, but that one is more focussed on the technical practicalities, with good comments about ease of use, need to recharge, mobile phone SIM card charges etc.. I'm aware of all that and it doesn't have to be repeated here. But there are no answers about experience with actual thieves.

I've got a friend who had a cellphone stolen.  She used the provider's tools to locate the phone down to a suburban address, and went to get it back.  The teenager who answered the door knock said there was no such phone there.  Her brother called it and they heard it ringing in the background.  Some more people turned out of the house and denied her entry.  She phoned the police with this info and they weren't interested, plus advised her that entering the house to recover the phone would be illegal and that she should write a written official complaint at the police station.  She went to the police station to do a report. Her phone was turned off/wiped before she could demonstrate the location to the officer taking the report.

The phone was never recovered.

Answer GPS tracking by itself isn't going to save your ride.   You need a multilayered approach of locks, safer location, uglifying, and co-parking with nicer bikes.  Or park it inside with you.

I am fortunate to work for a company where 25% of the staff ride.  So we have dedicated floor space for secure bike parking inside.  At home my bike lives in a locked garage.  So I don't ride with a lock normally.  If I have to stop elsewhere I'll generally ride the beater MTB and a lock, rather than the nicer road bike.

Sorry its not a bike, but its relevant to GPS tracking and recovery of stolen items.

Edit:  Clarifying - location information by itself is pretty useless.  You need to be able to get support from the police to make use of the location info to get your stuff back.  Simply rocking up to the door could go either way.


Standing up, worth practising for a casual cyclist? I have no interest in racing, for me a bike is a mode of transport or a pleasant way to enjoy the countryside.

Currently, the only time I ever stand is to accelerate from stationary or for a very short, steep hill... I can't do it for more than about 30s and it ruins my legs!

Friends of mine say they never stand, us it something that's useful to practice or really only for racing? Does it perhaps use different muscles so can be used to alternate with sitting on a hilly route or something, or is it fundamentally a hard core skill?

As you have found, pedalling out of the saddle can generate more power than remaining in the saddle, but it is also a more difficult position to maintain. The gains in power is why you see the technique frequently used in racing, but that doesn't mean you can't use it for transportation or casual cycling. In fact it can be beneficial as the human body does not respond well to being restrained in one position for long periods of time.  Interspersing periods where you pedal out of the saddle can be a good way to allow your body to change positions, relaxing some of your postural muscles and allows different leg muscles to be used.

You do not need to ride long periods out of the saddle to gain some of these benefits. 30 seconds out of the saddle is not a trivial amount of time.  I would suggest keeping the period of time shorter if you find your self tired after 30 seconds, but try increasing the frequency of times you ride out of the saddle.  This is will help build endurance, without having to turn your legs into noodles.

  Does it perhaps use different muscles so can be used to alternate with sitting on a hilly route or something, or is it fundamentally a hard core skill?

I wouldn't call it a hardcore skill per se, but hard core riders will use the technique more frequently.  Even if you are not "hardcore" (whatever that is), it can still be useful to more casual riding.  Perhaps you have go for a longer ride than usual, and you are finding you are having difficulty on a hill, standing can help you get over the hill. Or perhaps you are carrying more weight on the bike than you usually ride with (e.g, a big grocery run), pedalling out of the saddle can help you to get moving and up hills you may encounter.


Gates Carbon Drive single speed shows inconsistent tension I recently noticed an issue with my Carbon Drive bike where pedaling was difficult at a certain point of rotation for the crank. Within about 30 degrees of movement of the crank, the tension on the belt becomes much higher, almost doubling. For the rest of the rotation of the crank, the tension is normal. This happens regularly with each rotation, which implies to me that (1) there is some defect or irregularity with the front sprocket, or (2) the crank is rotating irregularly. I suspect it is more likely (1), since the tension only changes for a very small range of motion of the crank, but I have no idea how to tell for sure. My question now is, is there a good way to diagnose problems with a front sprocket on a belt drive bike? More generally, are there good troubleshooting steps for dealing with tension inconsistencies like this?

To my awareness, the Gates-ness won't introduce any factors here not present in other single ring, single cog bikes without chain tensioners, other than making it way more expensive to do any replacing of drivetrain parts that may wind up being needed.
One of the questions in this scenario is whether you have reason to suspect the increased tension spot was acquired in use, over time, or by violence, versus occurring immediately after wheel re-installation. Concentricity is never perfect; if the tight spot started after the belt tension was re-established either from the wheel being off or sliders being adjusted if applicable or anything else, it's likely that donking the wheel forward a bit will make things how they were, i.e. there will be a tightest spot that you just don't notice, which is how all bikes without sprung tensioners are.
If the "front pulley" (Gates speak for chainring) was damaged from impact, something like this can result. You'd likely be able to see it by backpedaling the bike while carefully observing it turn against a fixed reference point. They're stiff and need their dimensional precision, so you should probably replace it if you find significant problems. If the tight spot is always in the same spot in the crank rotation, it's not the rear cog unless the quotient of the front and back teeth count is a whole number. It can be then.
The last avenue is messing around with improving front concentricity by trying different spindle positions, especially if the cranks were removed and re-installed recently, or squirming the "front pulley" on the spider tabs, which is kind of the most likely cause and fix of the whole problem if other mechanical changes or a traumatic event didn't precede the issue. Barnett's is a good reference to read about procedure for the former and Sheldon the latter.


How to get a replacement rear axle for a Giant ATX 2 I need to replace the rear axle for my Giant ATX 2. See my related question.
How to I get one? I found some links on Amazon, but I am not sure they would fit or about the quality of them. I need an extra strong axle so it doesn't break again. (I am over 200 lbs.)
The hub itself seems like it is in good condition.
How do I order the correct axle?
edit: I ended up fixing the axle at my local bike store. it works like new now. it wasn't expensive, only $50 including labor and parts, but it took about two weeks due to the sudden increase of customers at the bike stores due to the corona

You need to figure out whether its thread is M10x1 or 3/8"x26tpi. It will be one of the two. Could be either.
The main tools to do it properly are a vernier caliper and a thread pitch gauge.
Your rear derailleur pivot bolt threads are M10x1, so there are various tricky ways of using that to determine the thread. 3/8" axles are right around 9.5mm, so you could take one of the locknuts or cones from the axle and see if you can thread it on. It won't be possible if the axle thread is 3/8x26, but will go right on if it's 10x1.
In theory you can squint at it with a ruler to differentiate between 9.5mm and 10mm. The usual as-measured major thread diameters of the two are about 9.4mm and 9.9 respectively.
Then you need to measure the length, which will almost certainly be around 146mm.
Then order a Wheels Mfg chromoly axle of the specs you've found. For anyone who's already broken an axle, it makes sense to cut to the chase and get a fancy chromoly one to attempt to minimize future issues, which probably won't really work in the long run, despite the superiority of Wheels axles. You'll also need a cone wrench to put it all together and adjust it. Hypothetically you can do this with the freewheel on, but in practice it's silly and you should get a freewheel tool as well to take the freewheel off.
One good reason not to do any of this is that before your axle broke, it was probably bent. While it was bent, your cones and cups had all sorts of opportunity to get messed up from being ridden in that state. Getting a good adjustment will likely be impossible. The drive side cup and cone in particular are likely to be more or less destroyed, another reason to get the freewheel off being so you can visually check the cup. Compounded with the probability of bending or breaking it again, it's better in almost all cases to just switch to a cassette hub wheel, which unfortunately means buying a cassette. I personally would check the dropout alignment too, because it's possible for dropout alignment problems to contribute to broken axle situations.


Finding the history of my 1980s Norco Bike Where can I find a Norco catalog from 198X?  I bought a used Norco about 10 months ago and I am begining to get curious about the bike.  How good of bike is it?  How much did it cost new?  Where was it made?  Etc.

Anyone know where I can find an older, 1980s, Norco catalog?  Are there other resources that I could use to find out about my bike?

Meta: I don't think that I can post a picture of my bike here and ask for information on it can I?

Norco is still around. You could probably start by getting in touch with someone there.

http://www.norco.com/


Winter grease for extreme cold temperatures I'm using a fat bike rear hub (Sun Ringle). It malfunctioned twice in less than a month riding everyday in winter ❄. It stopped turning at all so I had it serviced but then it stopped again when it got down to -37°C.

I do not know the exact causes other than grease durability of parts etc. Could this because I didn't use a winter-specific grease, or would it be indicative of a manufacturing or quality problem with the hub?

I use Agrinol 158, which works down to -50°C. It's a blue color. It is an automotive lithium-based grease and I do not think it was specifically tested for bicycle applications; however, at -37°C it does not matter really as long as it works for someone. The "NLGI 1;2" on the can refers to the NLGI consistency number  meaning it is a "soft" grease with medium viscosity. Maybe you can find an analog where you are.