Are pedal washers necessary on a carbon crankset? I'm wondering if pedal washers are necessary, or even recommended, when riding with a carbon crank, in order to avoid damage to one's crank arms?

The main reason I ask is because I prefer to ride with the smallest possible Q-Factor, and having any type of washer in place increases this insofar as ones feet will be positioned farther apart.

  The Q Factor of a bicycle is the distance between the pedal attachment points on the crank arms, when measured parallel to the bottom bracket axle.  It may also be referred to as the "tread" of the crankset. The term was coined by Grant Petersen during his time at Bridgestone Bicycles.

Can I safely ride my carbon crank, sans pedal washers, without worrying about long term damage to the crank arms?

If the instructions that come with the pedals tell you to use the washers with carbon cranks then you should do it. The reason for the washers is that that they keep the axle from rubbing against the crank and thus damaging the carbon when tightening the pedals.Oh yes, and you can compensate the thickness of the washers by moving each cleat 0.5mm outside.


Brake pads and removing the wheels I am new to road bikes. I bought a new road bike. I wanted to take the front wheel out, but it was difficult because, despite of having "opened" the brake pads (with the quick release lever found on the braking mechanism), the tire was thicker than the space between the pads. The same happens on my rear wheel.

I don't know if I am making myself clear, so an answer to any of these three questions will help:

Is this normal on road bikes?
Does this mean the pads should be further apart?
How far apart from the wheel should the brake pads (front and rear) be?

This might sometimes happen. The quick release is usually enough to make the pads wider than the tire, but this doesn't happen in every case.  The pads should usually be about 2mm from the rim when everything is set up.  If there is not enough room to remove your wheel after the quick release is used, you will have to loosen the cable. You can try doing this by loosening the barrel adjuster to see if that gives you the needed clearance, if not you may have to actually undo the cable, this is the least desirable solution as it makes things take a lot longer to get set up properly again.

In most cases, people only remove their wheel when the tire is flat, and so, there shouldn't be any problem getting the tire past the brakes, as the tire can be squeeze and made narrower. If you have the tire fully inflated, it can be quite firm and hard to squeeze between the brake pads. Depending on the situation, you might want to remove the air from the tire before removing the wheel, or if you are fixing a flat, don't fully inflate the tire before you put it on the bike.


How to use SKS multivalve adapter with dunlop valve? I have the SKS Rennkompressor with the multi valve head. How do I probably use the head with a dunlop valve? I cannot get the dunlop valve fixed with the multi valve head.

The DE Valve, or Dunlop Valve, is the same size and thread as the presta valve, at the tip.  However, the length of the valve where it is the same diameter as presta valve is much shorter.

Pump heads which rely on the compression of an o-ring to attach to the valve, especially with multi-valve heads, often do not find enough surface area on the DE valve to stay attached.

There is no good solution to this problem, aside from changing the pump head.


slow hybrid bike 700cx35c I'm using TRINX hybrid bike with stock 700cx35c tyres brand KENDA. Using Shimano SPD pedal with running shoe. stock groupset and wheelset. installed aero bars.

I always can't catch up in group riding. Even my friend with MTB with bigger tyre can ride with road bike. I've noticed I can't go more than 35km/h. Make me tired. Shift to higher gear or lower gear can't get my proper cadance.

Riding solo also feel like my bike very heavy to pedal. Only 18km/h. I can get 22km/h on aero bars. My average speed 23km/h. Being training 30km per ride flat road. No hill in my area so I cannot train for hills.

Got any advice to get faster? Change to hollow bottom bracket? Change tyre to 700cx25c? Thanks. And why MTB can go faster than me?

I second @SteveLoughran's advice to try skinnier tires (tyres), but maybe you also need more training.  Personally I'm either older, fatter, or both compared to the people in my weekly riding group, and I've always just been plain slow; I already have a road bike with skinny tires, so my only remedy is to put in the kilometers.  If I read your post correctly you're riding distances of 30 km, which isn't all that far.  If you do some longer training rides, of say 50 km, then 30 km will seem considerably easier.

Also consider interval training, which is a great way to get faster.  The basic idea is to go flat-out for short intervals during a normal training ride, with easy effort intervals in between to recover.  Perhaps three periods of maximum effort for three minutes each, with three-minute recovery intervals in between.  Articles about interval training abound on the web.  Intervals hurt, but they work.

Lastly, if you're lugging a few extra kilograms, it can't hurt to lose some.


One broken spoke = warped wheel First time on any bike that I have broken a spoke. It instantly deformed the wheel making the bike un-rideable. From what I've read a single broken spoke should not do this, so anyone know what's going on here?

It sounds like that spoke was carrying a lot of tension by itself. Perhaps because the wheel had been damaged previously. When the spoke failed, the nearby spokes on the side with the broken spoke weren't tight enough (or plentiful enough) to support the rim and it was pulled into the warped shape.

It could be that the way you were riding at the moment (if you were maneuvering or climbing – anything that would put an unbalanced load on the wheel) may have contributed to the sudden change of shape, or there may have been stresses in the spokes and/or rim that caused it to warp when the spoke broke. Do you know anything about the history of the wheel that might help us sort it out?

If the wheel is well built with enough spokes and a rim that is appropriate for the use and the spokes are sufficiently and evenly tensioned the failure of a single spoke shouldn't be a huge event – you might find that the rim is dragging on the brakes a bit, but I wouldn't expect anything that you couldn't patch together well enough to ride home (assuming non-extreme conditions).

The caveat is that I tend to be pretty conservative – wide rims, lots of spokes, and I'm fussy about spoke tension. So I don't know too much about spoke failures on light weight wheels with a minimal spoke count. There I would expect the failure of a single spoke to be more of a problem.


How does a neck brace work? I've done a bit of research but can't seem to find much information on how neck braces actually work to protect the neck. There are many views on whether they are actually effective in reducing serious injuries (in the same way it took a long time for ski snow board helmets to be proven).

Neck Braces are a recommended safety item by the UCI for downhill events, unlike full face helmets which are mandatory, but all racers wear them.

What do they protect and how do they do that?

A neck brace limits range of motion to protect the neck and spine

BikeProducts

  A neck brace restricts any extreme movement of your neck during a
  crash. In other words, it prevents your head from tilting too far
  forward, backward, or to the side, all of which can damage the spinal
  cord. A spinal cord injury can, at best, keep you off the bike for six
  to eight weeks or, at worst, put you in a wheelchair. Why take the
  risk of serious injury?

As for statistics Nascar instituted HANS like 13 years ago and they feel they have statistics that demonstrate that it is effective.
HANS
I get Nascar is not the same as a bicycle but once you protect the head the next thing you need to protect is the neck.


Daily Adjusted Seatpost for Trainer Bike I just got Nashbar's Ascent Fluid trainer and put an old big-box store bike on it that nobody was using, so now I've got kind of a permanent trainer bike which is nice.

The problem: me and my partner are different heights/sizes, though close enough that all I really want to do is raise the seatpost when I ride, then adjust back down when I'm done.

Of course I need a new seatpost for this b/c it's too short to go any higher.

My question: is there a risk of damaging/wearing out the seatpost/tube quickly by adjusting it twice daily (once when I get on, then again when I get off)?

If so, what kind of lube (if that's suggested) should I use that won't have toxic/smelly fumes and be excessively messy/require wipedown every time I lower the seatpost?

I use park anti-sieze for my main ride, but that stuff is nasty/toxic so I don't leave any exposed (on the rare occasion I adjust height).

Should I just resign myself to eventually wearing out the seat tube and/or buying new cheapo seatposts once in a while?

Just buy an inexpensive metal seat post, and if eventually it wears out it wears out. That seems to be your least expensive option. Especially if it's just a trainer bike.

Just lube it up with either a little bit of oil or odorless teflon grease.


Bike with a hi-ten steel frame for getting around the city? Recently I bought a new bike which has the following characteristics:

Size of frames: M (44cm) / L (48cm) / XL (52cm)
Wheel size / Number of gears: 26 "/ 21
Frame: HI-TEN Steel
Fork: HI-TEN steel fixed 26"
Hedsch: A -HEAD 1-1 / 8 "
Stem: ZOOM, Steel A-HEAD, ML 80mm / XL 110mm

I'm not a bike expert, but a friend of mine made a negative remark about the hi-ten frame saying that he would prefer an aluminium bike frame, or maybe another kind of steel.
I'm mainly going to use this bike to get around through my city, and nothing serious like mountaneering etc. I would like to know what issues can the hi-ten steel frame cause and should I change it for another one (aluminium frame bike) if I can?

I have 4 bikes, and the one I keep for just riding around a city is high-ten steel. Yes, they're heavy, and normally cheap, but they can be tough and practical.

What's more important is that it works for you - that it's the right size and convenient.


Can pedal-based power meters be used as flat pedals? I would like to collect as much data as possible about my daily road rides so recently I am considering pedal-based power meters such as Faveor Assioma or Garmin Vector 3.
However, I don't want to wear those clipless shoes; I prefer to use my normal shoes and I am willing to lose some accuracy for that.
Is there any way I could use a pedal-based power meter with my normal shoes?
******** Update: 2 years later! ********
After reading the comments and answers here and thinking more about it, I realized fixating on power pedals wasn't necessary! so I got a Stages crank power meter for a reasonable price and started collecting power data about my rides without having to change pedals which was ideal for my case.
I am happy with this choice. I am not a professional rider nor I am using this information to enhance or adjust my training. I just want to keep track of the power I am exerting on each ride and attach it to my Garmin/Strava rides. For example, sometimes I feel extra tired so I check my performance compared with other rides. I found out that feeling tired most likely means I was putting less power (not more!) and it usually means I didn't eat well or get enough sleep etc. Another thing I found was when it becomes windy I feel I have to exert more power but checking my stats later I didn't find that I was putting more power so it looks like the wind is making it difficult for me to handle the ride and slowing me it but doesn't mean I am putting more power.

All road clipless pedal designed for shoes with cleats cannot be ridden with normal walking shoes - they don't have a flat platform for a shoe's sole to rest on.

Power meter pedals are probably all clipless. You might find some MTB pedals that have both a SPD cleat systems and flat platforms.

The easiest route is to get a left crank arm meter which woudl allow you to use whatever pedals you like.


Geometry between 50mm stem and a 65mm stem and riding experience Will I notice much difference beside just having a slightly longer cockpit between my seat and fork if I upgrade from a 50mm to a 65 mm stem? is this 15mm a significant enough adjustment to make my climbing or downhill riding feel any different? In what ways?

Changing from 50 to 65 (or the opposite) is definitely noticeable. And depending on your needs, switching may improve your riding.

Switching from 50 to 65 will mean more pressure on the front end. That means better cornering (the front end will not wash out easily) and more stability on the downhill. Some people also mention that it'll improve climbing on difficult terrain.

Switching from 65 to 50 will improve the agility of the bike. You'll be able to bunnyhop, manual and trick your bike easier and with less effort. You'll also have a slight advantage at very very steep technical downhill trails. It'll also make your cornering snapier but be careful of wash outs. A switch of this type is also paired with an increase in bar width.


Will I need a new derailleur when changing to a higher ranged cassette? I want to upgrade my bike cassette.

Currently I'm using  single chainring 53T with 7 speed cassette 14-28T. I'm dying when riding hilly a road.

Thinking of upgrade the cassette to Hyperglide 12-32T 7speed. Should I change the derailleur as well?

There are two aspects to the derailer that come into play here. One is total capacity, which is the total amount of variance in chain slack the derailer can accommodate while keeping the chain taut. Single ring setups such as yours with any kind of "traditional" range cassette (say 12-32 as opposed to whats on some modern 1x bikes, like 10-50) come nowhere close to exceeding the total capacity of even a short cage rear derailer, so you're probably good there.

The other factor is how large of a largest cog your rear derailer can clear without running into it and grinding in that gear. Derailers vary on that spec but many road derailers of the last decades max out at 28, while mountain rear derailers all accommodate at least 32 and go up from there depending on the model. There are various hack-type tricks that can buy you a little more clearance, like running the b-tension screw backwards or putting in a longer one, but many derailers still won't go up to 32 even then. The dropout design can also be a factor. Wolf Tooth Roadlinks and similar products are another hack, and exist to make road derailers do exactly what you're trying to do, but they degrade shifting somewhat and for your needs it would be potentially more cost effective to just buy another derailer at that point.

So in other words, if you want to switch to 12-32 and you have a road derailer now, you should probably buy a mountain derailer. The "optimal" choice would a short cage one that still has the large cog clearance you need, which aren't super common but do exist.

Alternatively you might seriously look at whether 53 is the right tooth count up front for what you're doing. Is 53-14 a gear you use to good effect? Will 53-12 be? Another route you could go is a smaller ring, which has the advantage, presuming your cranks have one of the more common bolt circle diameters, that you could get a modern narrow-wide ring and have better chain retention. You can use a gearing calculator to compare what different combinations would give you.


Help! My Campagnolo Record 11 shifters get stuck on my bar tape I have on my rig Campag Athena 11 and Record 11 shifters. Recently, I've noticed the rear gear changing lever, are getting stuck on my bar tape, so when I want to upshift my cassette, I have to flick-off the lever from the bar tape quickly and then push the lever to change gears.
Has anyone had this issue?
Any tips on how to get back to normal shifting? Maybe the angle of movement from rest to shifting can be adjusted back?
Any tips appreciated.
Thanks

UPDATE

Sorry I think a picture speaks a 1000 words... this happens when I squeeze the brake lever - not when I am upshifting the rear gears.

The answer was obvious.

Reset the cable tension on the brakes! Problem solved.

Well in my case I bought new cables and due to the fact I had to take the old ones out and set the new ones with correct pressure settings, the lever does not touch the bar tape anymore.


Bottom bracket lockring keeps loosening up The lockring on the bottom bracket keeps loosening up, it's now ~15-20km. What can I do to prevent it?

The steeper the hills I ride the quicker it comes undone - it's a single speed so it's clear and I guess expected that the higher the forces the quicker it will loosen up.

UPDATE: I have lockring tool which I use on my commute rides which is wrong size. The lockring was tightened by bike mechanic 2 weeks ago using a proper tool, but it came loose within 30km.

UPDATE 2:
When the lockring becomes loose it causes a click in the BB. If I push the left pedal it will click and then if push the right pedal it will click again. In other words, if I put one of the pedals up I can make the BB click if push/pull the crank towards/away from the seat tube.

UPDATE 3: After I removed the cranks and the locking, it turned out that the non-drive side BB cup is not tight in the BB thread. I really mean the cup, not the spindle. Even when the cup is fully screwed in (so the spindle turns freely but doesn't have any wobbles) I can move the cup up/down/left/right. It's a tiny movement, but it's observable and visible to a naked eye. It's as if the cup is of wrong side. The threads on the cup and inside the BB look ok, but I haven't cleaned them yet.

If I put locking on the removed cup it also isn't tight. It seems it fits, but there is tiny sideways movement.

I don't think this related but after removing the non-drive side cup I still cannot remove the spindle which I think is unusual.

If it's coming loose so soon after being actually tightened fully, then it's probably one of these 2 things:

The lockring threads are gone or in poor condition, probably suggesting they were that way before or as a result of the last time someone tightened it. The easy fix if this is all that's going on is a new lockring. Most bike shops should have a stray one. They're standard sized.
Some kind of binding or other bearing issue is going on inside the
left BB cup that's causing the spindle rotation to turn the entire cup in
the loosening direction. Normally how it's supposed to work is the
spindle is turning counterclockwise, which makes the ball bearings
orbit counterclockwise but individually spin clockwise, transferring
forces to the cup in its tightening direction. (Hence why ISO right
cups are reverse threaded, and also why Italian right cups are
notorious for coming unscrewed.) A retainer installed in the wrong
direction may be able to cause this, in addition to chewing up the
BB.


What cantilever brakes are compatible with Surly Pugsley 100mm front fork? I just purchased a Surly Pugsley project bike.  The front hub isn't set up for a disc brake so I'm looking to install a cantilever brake.  It has 65mm large marge rims.  I've scoured the internets and haven't found a recommendation for non disc brakes for the pugsley.

What cantilever brakes are compatible/recommended for use with Surly Pugsley 100mm front fork and the larger marge rim?

Any medium-profile or low-profile cantilever brakes should work on the Pugsley; so long as you're using the Large Marge rims the effective cantilever post to rim spacing should be basically the same as a normal bike. The default spacing for most cantilever bosses is 80mm for use with a ~25mm wide rim.  On the Pugsley the bosses are spaced 120mm for a 65mm rim.

The Shimano "link wire" style straddle cables will almost certainly be too short,   For clearance, with whatever brake you use I'd plan on making it work with a high-quality yoke and a long straddle cable, as used on a wide-profile cantilever. You might even be most successful dialing in your own using a set of cable knarps.


Should I multiply maximum tyre load by number of wheels to get maximum bike load? I bought a cheapo adult tricycle and looking closely at each tire there is stamped on it a maximum weight capacity of 175lbs. Do I multiply 175lbs x 3 for the max load it can carry or does this mean only a person weighing less than 175 lbs can safely operate this trike? Thank you very much!

It is unlikely that the “weight” listed is the capacity of the tire to support weight, but more likely the maximum internal air pressure in PSI (pounds per square inch).

If it is weight capacity, then yes, each tire will support 75lbs, so a balanced load over 3 tires would support 225lbs. That assumes equal weight on each tire, though, which is difficult to achieve.

Edit:

Since the weight listed on the side of the tire is actually 175lbs, that is much more realistic as a max weight capacity per tire. That would make the total supportable weight for a balanced load 525 lbs.


Bike trainer skewer does not fully seat into depth of mounting cup, is that an issue? I bought a used trainer and it came with a trainer skewer. I don't know if it's the original from the trainer.
I've put in the trainer skewer and have mounted my bike to the trainer.
However, I noticed that the skewer ends don't go all the way into the cup at the mounting points. It's most noticeable on the side with the quick release.

You'll notice that the cup even has cut outs on both sides for the quick release lever, but the qr stem end is only half way in.
Should I be concerned? I've done a couple of training sessions and the bike was totally stable.

I bought a new skewer for my trainer...the one the manufacturer sells. The two ends fit nicely into the cup.

You’ll notice that I had to stack 3 washers in the other end. The skewer was poking out the other end too much and the cup would not seat all the way in.


Small Tear in Michelin Pro4 Tire, Does It Need To Be Replaced? Got back from a bike ride and noticed a small tear on the sidewall of my tire. I'm wondering if I can just seal it with some Goo Gone or do I need to replace the tire. I do have spares lying around so not a big deal. But I don't want to replace it if I have to. Thanks!

I folded a dollar-bill and placed it between the tube and tire on my last set of tires.  That lasted about four months before the tube finally pushed it's way out the tear and popped.  Safest bet is to replace the tire.  But in a pinch, the dollar-bill trick will at least get you home/to the bike shop.


Cycling uphill on a road - sitting or standing on pedals? When cycling uphill on a road, what are the pros and cons of cycling while standing up on pedal versus sitting on saddle?

You're most efficient sitting with a cadence between 80 - 100 (faster if you can do it) so it's recommended that you stay seated as much as possible. For mountain biking staying seated increases the weight on your rear tire and reduces the chances of it slipping as long as you can keep a smooth spin stroke and not 'mash' the pedals on the down stroke.

Standing is harder on your body but in long climbs it's great to switch it up so that you move some of the force around your muscles and give them a break. Standing is also great to get you up that 'really steep' part of a climb or to sprint over the top and lose your friends (or win a race).

As stated above stay seated with a high cadence for as long as possible. Switch up to standing as needed to give yourself a break or an extra boost of power.


How capable is my bike? I have recently purchased a new 'MTB' a few weeks ago, and have been enjoying riding ~12 miles daily on it on tarmac. I now wish to taste some off-roading on it.

I wanted to know how much can my bike take given its specs, and what kind of terrain I should throw it on to the best from it.

Here are the specs of it -

If this bike is your only transportation and you have limited funds to fix it don't take it off road.

Otherwise, don't worry about the bike. You might as well break things on a less expensive bike first.

Make a plan to ease into off road riding.

Start small for several weeks - easy off road riding at low to moderate speeds - and learn about how to choose your path and handle various terrain.

Work your way to moderate riding - building skill and getting to know your bike. Do moderate for several weeks.

Experiment a little with more difficult off road - ease your way into it.

Your goal should be to maximize experience and minimize risks.
Expect things to break. You will get more flats. If you hit rocks and holes you will bend wheels. Don't get too far from civilization.

Several things will happen if you take the "ease into it" approach.

You will learn how to handle your bike
You will build strength
You will find out the limits of your bike and what qualities in a bike are needed to support the type of riding you like.

This information will be very valuable when you shop for your next bike. The skills you develop will help your next bike last longer because you'll know what to and what not to do.

Carels suggestion of removing the kick-stand is very good.


Can hybrid bikes be as fast as cyclocross bikes if we use an aero position instead? Can hybrid bikes be as fast as cyclocross bikes if we use an aero position instead?

There's quite a lot in common for both bikes. People claim that CX bikes are faster. It seems like the main reason is because they're more aerodynamic from the rider's posture. To have a more aerodynamic position on the hybrid bike, my guess is that the stem needs to be longer and have a lower angle.

Advantages of using a hybrid bike include not having to buy another bike if you already have the bike, lower cost for a bike with similar features such as brakes and drivetrain, better leverage for braking compared to that of the hoods position, more room for accessories on the handlebar compared to that of a drop handlebar, possibly more room for a front basket, more options for mirrors, less expensive combo shifters, etc.

On my hybrid bike, When I rotated my hips forward, I found it easier to pedal smoothly just like on my road bike. It looked more like the posture used for road bikes. When I was more upright, I found it harder to pedal smoothly and had to remind myself to do it more often. My heart rate seemed to be higher and I felt slower. Maybe smoothness of pedalling allows more power to be produced at a given heart rate.

On my road bike, my preferred position is on the hoods. I rarely use the tops or drops position. I find the drops position awkward. It's possible because my bike is one size too large. I'm 5'7" and my bike's 56 cm. Also, my commute is almost 9 km.

If a hybrid bike was fitted so that the posture was similar, wouldn't it be almost as aerodynamic?
Is that not a popular alternative because with an aerodynamic position, our core and arms can get tired or stiff, and we don't have alternative positions available?
For a properly fitted hybrid bike, is it supposed to be harder to pedal smoothly compared to using a properly fitted CX or road bike?

Update:
I got my hybrid bike performance fitted. The fitter mentioned that the geometry was like a cyclocross'. My posture's more like a road bike's and was optimized for both aerodynamics and power transfer. Since there was a basket, it could only go so low. It's good to be able to have proper form. The next time I commute, I'll see whether I'm faster. A benefit of a longer stem is that there's more room for accessories.

Here are the details:
SH: 737mm
OS: 30mm
Reach 545mm
Drop: 75mm
Handlebar: 45mm riser bar, 600mm wide
Stem: 130mm +/-10°

You're right to say that aerodynamics plays a big part. I'll assume the same tyres and saddle, and rigid forks.

The geometry of a hybrid may not lend itself to efficient pedalling if you increase the reach and decrease the stack, and handling may suffer from the longer stem.

The important part of the drag is CdA, the product of the drag coefficient and the cross-sectional area. The biggest effects come from reducing the area by getting lower as you suspect, but also by getting narrower, and there's a big difference there. I cut my hybrid's bars down from 640mm to 590mm and tilted them slightly forwards so the slight rise in the bars contributes as much to length as to height. My tourer (not a bad model for a cyclocross bike) has something like 450mm bars. The different hand positions also mean that any bend in your elbows tends to make you wider on flat bars.

To give you some idea of the difference, a 67km ride I've done quite a few times comes in at 3 hours on the hybrid but I've beaten 2.5 hours on the tourer, before I was really in training. Tyres were similar but not identical, and the load was no worse on the hybrid (backpack; I usually use a pannier).


How to tighten threadless headset? Top cap has no thread The headset on my merida ride 100 has come loose. I watched a few videos to see how to tighten a threadless headset. They all say loosen the stem then tighten the top cap. However on my bike the top cap seems to do nothing, it's not threaded or anything and there's nothing inside.

How do I go about tightening the headset on a setup like this?

On threadless headsets the top cap has a bolt passing through it that threaded into either an expansion plug or star nut that is pressed into the steerer tube.  Tightening the bolt pulls the top cap down which compresses the headset bearings.

I'm guessing your top cap bolt is missing. Any local bike shop will be able to provide a replacement. Perhaps the expansion plug, no longer attached to the top cap, has dropped down into the steerer tube. Have a look down the steerer tube with a bright light. You may be able to fish it out with a length of coat-hanger wire.


Which way does this tension pulley go? Took apart my Shimano Acera derailleur cage to clean it up a bit and didn't bother to note the shape of the tension pulley which is a bit thicker on one side. It seems like it would be shaped this way for a reason since the guide pulley is symmetrical. Should the thicker side face toward or away from the wheel?

Edit: Here's a close-up showing an arrow or #1:

Update:

Per user in comment section, the arrow is indeed an indicator as to which way the pulley should be installed. See below excerpt taken from an unrelated Shimano derailleur model:

https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-TRRD001-00-ENG.pdf

Depending on the model, the guide pulley has arrows on it to indicate the direction of rotation. Install the guide pulley so that the arrows are
pointing counterclockwise when looking at the outer side of the derailleur.
The tension pulley has an arrow on it to indicate the direction of rotation. Install the tension pulley so that the arrow is pointing clockwise when
looking at the outer side of the derailleur.

I checked several from a variety of years. If they weren't symmetrical the thicker side was toward the wheel.


Help in converting Trek Domane 2.0 road bike to be more comfortable and commute-friendly I have pudendal neuralgia issues which require that I use a noseless saddle (not shown in pic) which works great for relieving pelvic floor pain.

The result, though, is that much weight then is placed on the arms and so I'm battling sore hands and wrists after being on the bike for 45 minutes or more.

I've got the standard drop bars with the top part of the bars wrapped in double foam tape so its as soft and wide as possible but it just doesn't do enough and it really just seems that the only solution is to reduce the angle of my upper body so that I'm substantially more upright.  I'm about 6'-0 and this is a 58 cm frame.  I don't think raising or shortening the stem a few centimeters is going to be enough change.   I think the only hope is to replace the handlebars with a some other handlebar pattern (or add-on) that might allow a range of positions including ones that might be 3-6" higher than the current top bar.

Does anyone know of some that I could look at online?  Not sure if this will make the bike unstable.  The noseless saddle does cause a fair amount of instability now.

I'm contemplating selling the bike and just getting something that will be comfortable enough to spend a couple hours of leisurely riding or commuting (any suggestions for <= $1000?)

If you see a handlebar modification that might be possible without getting into replacing brakes and all cables (which I expect to be expensive) let me know.

Regardless of the bar type you wind up with, the main way to raise the bars that much without swapping forks is via a steerer extender, which isn't safe to use with a carbon-steerered fork such as this, especially under a larger rider.

If you want the ability to go very tall, that means a steel steerer. There are some carbon forks with them that would wouldn't be a horrible mismatch with the bike that exist for this kind of purpose. Origin8 makes one.

Opinions are a little mixed about the viability of getting the kind of height you're talking about out of a steerer extender on an al steerer. Usually manufacturers prescribe a spacer limit on such forks of no more than around 60mm and sometimes less, and I personally have never seen any reason why it makes sense to cheat that number using a steerer extender, as the resultant problems with excess leverage on the steerer will be the same. Again as a taller rider, I don't think this is a reasonable approach.

There is not a way to do any of this without re-cabling the bike unless the current cables and housings happen to all be way too long. Also, few if any of the bar types that would make sense for your situation use drop-bar type controls like you have, which is another major expense of switching. And, you're right to look in the direction of other bar types, because it's unlikely you're going to be able to make much use of the drops no matter what, at which point drop bars make little sense.

Unless you need to be on a road bike, I would look at getting something like an Elektra Townie, or a recumbent if you could find one where the seat ergonomics work.


I think I bought the wrong bike A few weeks ago I decided I would start commuting by bike since I live in a central location in a fairly bike-friendly city (mainly to campus, work, gym, etc), through roads, and trails that are not always in great shape. So I went out and bought a used Kent Sierra Madre in good shape for $140 at a local bike shop, which turned out to be a comfort bike.

My mistake was not looking up this bike before buying it, and not even knowing what a comfort bike was (I just assumed it was a hybrid and did not know it was a comfort bike until I got home and googled it, woops). It's a good bike, it's comfortable to ride, stable and does what it's supposed to do I guess, but it's definitely not clicking with me. I feel like all the weight, the very upright riding position, suspension, and wide tires are making my pedaling way too inefficient, I can't go as fast as I want to go.

In hindsight I wish I had continued searching in other bike shops and gotten something like a touring bike, which I think would fit my needs a lot better than the Kent comfort bike. I know I didn't spend a lot on it, but I'm a student and my budget is tight, so buying another bike is something I should consider very carefully.

Any thoughts on how to best approach either getting used to this bike, getting another one, reselling, etc? Has anybody had any experience with this model or with comfort bikes in general and would like to share experiences with them? If I did decide to buy another bike, would a touring bike fit my needs more than a road bike?

First thing is ( as suggested by @whatsisname )go back to the shop and ask for an exchange, explaining why. Worst happens is they say no.

Presuming they say no, have a conversation about about finding a way to get you onto a bike that suits better.  You will essentially have have two choices - try to make the bike suit you better, which will almost certainly have limited success, or write it down to experience, sell the bike for what you can get for it and buy something more suitable. Keeping in mind the total cost of the bike, I do not recommend spending money making it fit better - it will only ever be a comfort bike.

Free stuff - things like seat height and handle bar height. If the bike shop that sold it to you will not take it back, they should make some adjustments for you (If not, put the cost down to experience and find a better bike bike shop).

Looking at the picture of the bike a few thoughts-  the rear spring/shock will be gobbling up power as you pedal. Tighten the preload as much as you can (or replace the 'shock' with a solid tube).  The effective top tube length (The tube that goes from the seat to handle bars) appears very short. This gives a very upright riding position which is less than ideal for speed (but good for comfort). Not much can be done to change this - putting the seat back as far as it will go, and lowering the handle bars might help a little.

Pump up the tires to a reasonable pressure. Check sidewall for max pressure. Play with pressure starting at highest on side wall and lowing it a few PSI at a time till you find a sweat spot of comfort vs rolling resistance.


How to get the fixed part of a bar-end shifter out of the handlebar when it is stuck? I have a Shimano bar-end shifter where the fixed part is stuck in the handlebar. How can I get this part out in a way that I can reuse it in new handlebars?

Note: I know that I have to loosen the internal M6 Allen screw in the "wrong" direction, i.e. I have to turn it clockwise to loosen it). That's what I have done - but the part doesn't want to come out.

Here a picture (which admittedly doesn't tell much more):

I suspect vice grips or plumbers pliers/sliding lockjaw pliers will do the required.

Since the fitment is not turning in place, there's a good chance that the shifter is stuck to the inside of the bars by corrosion, either rust or aluminium oxide.  I note the upright nature of these bars may encourage salty sweat to enter and weep down into the bars.

This appears to be the left shifter, for the front chainring, so is likely to be used less and have more opportunity to settle.  More-frequent adjustment of the rear/right shifter could have helped keep it loose.

Suggested method of attack:

Start by blasting the seam with a penetrating oil.  Anything that can wick its way in will help.
Then try to spin the fitting in the bar - you might need leverage from a stout screwdriver through the mounting hole, or the big pliers around the face.  Use masking tape or a thick old rag to minimise damage.  Also be mindful of damaging the part you want to reuse.
if you can get the handlebar restrained, try feeding a light rope or wire through that hole and have an assistant put steady pressure on the end (ie, in line with the tube).  Use your pliers to wiggle the fitting back and forth.

A last resort could be to apply a hot hairdryer exhaust to the outside of the bars - in theory the aluminium will heat up faster and expand a bit.  The risks are to anything that is not metal - rubbers really don't like heat, and its also possible to set those oils earlier smoking.  Plus a hot metal handlebar is a burn risk.  Don't use flame - that's too aggressive.

Take your time on this - there's no hurry.  It could be that a bit of patience  will work best.


Am I freeloading at my LBS? I try to make all my bicycle-related purchases (parts, tools, accessories, etc) at my LBS, but I have never bought a new bike at a LBS, and I (very) rarely take my bikes in for service. On average, I probably spend $30 month at the shop, and I only buy stuff half the time I come in.
In the past, I've always tried to build up a good relationship with the folks who work at the shop, because I often come in to ask questions and just talk about bikes.

My question is: am I freeloading, or am I a (financially) valued customer?

For the record, they have always been helpful, and have never given me the impression that I was unwelcome. BUT, when I come and ask about - for example - putting disk brakes on a 90's Hardrock frame, they will suggest that it will be easier to just get a new bike.

The root question might be: what are the typical profit margins on new bikes, repairs, and parts?
I know for a fact that I could get parts significantly cheaper on Amazon, but like I said, it's nice to bounce ideas off LBS mechanics in-person.

Note: I am talking about both small privately owned shops, and larger chains (eg, Performance Bikes), over a period of multiple years.

Spending $30 / month at your LBS seems perfectly reasonable. Your LBS is grateful you buy from them instead of from Amazon.

If you sometimes go to your bike store just to talk, that probably OK, as long as you are not distracting any staff from real work or keeping them from serving customers who are paying. Either they actually like chatting with you or are willing to humor you to keep your $30 /month, possible larger custom in the future and to maintain their reputation as a friendly, helpful store.

The example you gave about putting disk brakes on a 90's Hardrock frame - yeah, they were absolutely correct about that! They were not just trying to sell you a new bike.


1x11 speed road bike conversion I  am converting my 52x42 12 speed to 1x11 speed.

I am wanting to put a 46t chainring on the crank.

My question is will the 11speed chain run on this chainring which is 3/32" thick.

Yes. 11-speed chains are still 3/32" chains, which means the inside width of the inner link is 3/32".

However, consider that we're now living in the age of narrow-wide rings. They make one-by setups run way better.


Using a series of hub gears I have an idea and I'm wondering if it's feasible.

For an upcoming recumbent cargo touring build, I wonder if I could say use an 8-speed hub gear connected directly to an identical 8-speed hub gear, or three hub gears 4*4*4, to get logically 64 gears.

What sorts of problems might there be?
I don't have any particular parts in mind regarding ratios, but does anyone do this?

Are there any good examples of how to do a high number of gears right?

The whole point of this would be to be able to drive the bike up anything from a long ridiculous 30% grade at walking pace to an easy 100km/h on a straightaway with fairing. Is that feasible using a large number of gears?

The HP Velotechnik Scorpion is available with three front chain rings, three-gear internal hub, 8-speed rear derailleur setup. This has the additional advantage that you can shift while stopped, e.g. after emergency stops or similar.

I found it rather tedious to keep the overview over which gear I'm currently in. My Velomobiel Quest has triple front, 9-speed rear derailleur and that covers enough ground for me. Walking pace is not a problem and I spin out at about 70km/h, which is already pretty hard to keep up, even with race fairing.

Depending on where you live, riding 70km/h is already pretty dangerous taking into account that trikes cannot brake too well because the rear wheel will lift off pretty quickly.


What is this bottom bracket standard called I am looking to buy a cheapish power meter.I Would like to see if am improving at all.

I want to know my bottom bracket standard and if I can fit a bottom bracket power meter?

The bolt in the cranks means you have a 3-piece crank (separate left and right crank arms and cartridge bottom bracket, with a square taper or splined axle-crank interface).

No power meters come in this type of crank because it's old technology that only appears on inexpensive bikes these days.

However 3-piece cranks use a threaded bottom bracket shell, you can replace the bottom bracket with an external bearing one and fit modern 2-piece power meter cranks (axle is permanently joined to drive side crank). There are a few standards: Shimano HollowTech II, SRAM GXP, FSA MegaExo. To reduce cost you could find a lightly used crank on Ebay and a compatible left hand side crank arm power meter.

Another path to go is power meter pedals, which will not require replacing the crank and BB at all of course.

BTW, you don't need a power meter to track improvement. A smartphone or bike computer and Strava is a great tool for that. Power meters are expensive,  given that you likely have a bike on the older or less expensive side you might be better off using the money on some bike upgrades.


Mild pain in lower forearms during biking I feel some pressure and fatigue in my wrists and lower forearms during riding but not after it. I don't know whether it is due to weakness of my wrists or my suspicion that my 18" frame mount bike is small for my 6'1" height. But the thing is that I don't feel any fatigue after biking; only during it. What do you think the problem is?

Fatigue indicates you are using the muscle, so you will need to “check into” yourself to see how/why you are firing your forearm muscle, what task is it trying to accomplish.

Sometimes we just have some odd or peculiar habits we are unaware we are doing. For example, my wife used to complain about wrist and hand pain when riding her flat bar commute bike until I observed she held her wrists in heavy dorsiflexion when she gripped the bar. Retraining how she held flat bar grips (i.e., a wrist angle of zero) alleviated the symptoms.

Finally, as other answers indicted some component of bike fit could also be the culprit, but there is not enough information to comment on this possibility.


Adjusting saddle angle on a road bike (drop bars) I'll preface this by saying that I've been a mountain biker for over a decade, including XC racing for a couple years.  I've never had a hard time adjusting the saddle angle (tilt forward or back) on my mountain bikes.

Now, I just got my first road bike, and I can't seem to get the angle to feel right. The seatpost is an Icon Graphite series (single bolt adjustment, but has notches as you angle the seat fore and aft). Saddle is a Selle San Marco (Trek 'postal service' design).

It seems that at one seat angle, it feels fine when I have my hands on top of the bars (on brake handles), but when I'm in the drops, its not so comfortable on my "soft bits", and I find myself lifting myself slightly off the seat with my legs as I ride to keep the pressure off.

Alternatively, if I tip the seat 1 notch forward, then I feel more comfortable in the drops, but when more upright on top of the bars or on the brake handles, then my butt slides forward.

I guess this just has to do with the change in body angle from being on top of the bars to being in the drops, and wanting the seat to be at a different angle for each position.  Since on my mountain bikes, you don't really change your whole body's angle that much, I've never had this problem before.

I though maybe switching to a 2-bolt style post might help because I could try to get it adjusted into a "sweet spot" basically at an angle between 2 notches on this Icon post, but the Icon post is also set back slightly, whereas a 2-bolt adjustable design puts the seat directly over the tube, so the seat would be slightly more forward then to begin with...

Any suggestions?

You should have a fair amount of fore/aft adjustment on the seat rails without changing seatposts, unless you're already at the limit. I might try sliding the seat forward a little before giving up on that seatpost.


I know there are better rain-forecast sources than "hourly forecast" websites. What's the best such source? When biking, I'm not so concerned about how the temperature will fluctuate. I'm much more concerned about whether or not it will rain.

I sometimes wonder about two things: Will it rain in my city? If so, when?

Please teach me the best way to find answers.

Note:

Please don't point me to the local weather services' "hourly forecasts". They're too vague for me to completely understand, as detailed in the small print below.

My government's weather service is called Environment Canada. They publish a probability of precipitation (POP) when the likelihood of rain or snow is "maybe". They say it's the "chance that measurable precipitation [...] will fall on 'any random point of the forecast region' during the forecast period". This is confusing. But, taken together with the relevant Wikipedia article, it's understandable.

Some other weather services offer "hourly forecasts" for my city. But I don't understand their stated POPs. I did a Google search which led me to a post by Trigonal Planar. Here's a Trigonal Planar quote which I have modified to reflect my current guess at what hourly POPs mean. "The chance of rain [during] a particular [period] is 20%. But during the [period], certain hours are more or less prone towards producing said rain." This is still too confusing.

So, if you point me to a weather-forecast website, please point me to one where I can find a clear definition of each included element.

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html

Use the moisture radar, it's your best tool to see when the rain is coming and when it's going with great detail. If you take the time to familiarize yourself with it you'll start to get a feel for how different types of rain look on the radar and where it's going to hit.


Trek Emonda ALR bottom bracket drag My trek Emonda ALR (Alu frame) bottom bracket has noticeably more drag (crank without chain will stop within one revolution of being spun) than my 2012 6 series madone.  Any suggestions?  I have adjusted the preload (to point where there is none) and it makes no difference. Bearings feel good; smooth with no rough spots.

Weirdly I noticed a lot more drag when I went from the old square taper to HTII external bottom brackets. My old square taper would spin "forever" and the HTII would come to an abrupt halt after only a couple of revolutions.

Apparently this phenomenon has a very infinitely small effect on performance.
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/friction-facts-measuring-bottom-bracket-drag-39233/

With their measurement being 0.29 Watts to 1.64 Watts - which in the picture of things is nothing.

Your bearings may also be stiffer if they are newer as they do loosen a little over time.

If you have any other concerns - best take to a mechanic to inspect to make sure they have been installed correctly.


What initial improvements can I make to a Schwinn Sidewinder? I bought a Schwinn Sidewinder from Walmart last night in a desperate attempt to get some exercise.  I took it home and rode intensely for an hour, it was fantastic!  I may be wrong, but I see bicycles as modular and upgradable and am hoping some of you might have thoughts on some initial upgrades that I could invest in (i.e. seating, tires).

I saw this question ( How can I get started riding without spending a fortune (too much)? ) and the very first comment was a bit disheartening "Wow! $500 is a cheap bike...".  I hate to say it, but where I come from, people might buy 5 bikes for $500!

Assuming I'll spend $50-$100 over the next year, what kind of upgrades can I consider?  Keep in mind I'm a penny-pincher, but very enthusiastic and wouldn't be adverse to finding parts at a Goodwill or other consignment shops.

$50 - $100 isn't going to get you much in parts, especially any that would be an "upgrade" from your current setup. If you're riding your bike often, it's possible that you'll spend an amount approaching that this year on new tubes and/or tires when you get a flat or wear your tires out.

My suggestion would be to ride this bike and enjoy it. You'll get your exercise and it'll give you time to research bikes and save for one that will fuel your desire for more advanced riding down the road when you gain your fitness. Visit some bike shops in your area and talk with the staff there to find a bike that is in your range of needs and budget. Test ride lots of bikes to find one that fits properly.

You don't need the "fastest" or most modern/expensive bike if you just want exercise. You just need something that is safe and functions for your needs. The best upgrade you can give your bike is the motor (yourself).


How long should brake pads last? My son is new to comuting by bicycle. He brought a brand new bike and after just one week was having problems with the brakes. He only rides approximately 6–8 miles a day. Halfords advised that his brakes need replacing. Is this right?

On Rim Brakes:

I'd be surprised if you managed to wreck a set of brake pads in a week (or even several hundred miles in nasty commuting weather). Off road riding (MTB, cyclocross, etc.) can chew through a set of pads within a ride or two though depending on the terrain and the technicality of the ride. If they're trying to sell you new pads on a bike (instead of possibly adjusting them), I'd be very suspicious.

You can tell if you need new pads by either (a) the pads have been on there for a few years and the rubber has hardened up and they aren't working or (b) if its due to wear,

new pads look like the top , old pads look like the bottom [the grooves should be nearly gone] (Image from here).

[The bottom pads have a lip on them, which indicates that they weren't aligned properly to begin with. If your pads have just developed a lip, you can cut it off and use the pad as normal after re-aligning the pad.]

If they want to replace the whole brake, then there may be something wrong with the brake that you haven't mentioned (bent brake arm, or something).

On Disc Brakes:
If the bike has disc brakes, one reason why the pads may need to be replaced is if they have gotten oil on them, in which case they do need to be replaced (and the rotors cleaned).

In all cases:
You should really go back and ask them why they want to replace the brakes/brake pads to begin with. Pictures of the situation would help too.


Fixing noisy V brakes My V brakes make a lot of noise when I brake! I am annoyed by such noise, not to mention the pedestrians. My mechanic said that it will not make this noise after using it for couple of days, but it is not happening, it's already been about a month.

Should I grind the pads and then use it (I don't want to do this, it's a expensive set)? Or there is some other way?

I did see this question but the answer was not quite helpful.

I suspect the pads are not correctly toed in. This problem will not correct itself over time.

If the pads are parallel to the rim then when you brake the leading edge of the pad bunches up a little and bounces off the rim. Fast. So you get squealing.

To avoid this you should adjust the pads so that the trailing edge is very slightly closer to the rim. Most packaged brake pads have this explained on the package, and conveniently the thickness of a bit of cardboard is a good distance to have the leading edge out from the rim. So the instructions usually say "the the package as a pad".

The easy way is to put something under the leading edge of the pad, squeeze the brake lever slightly, then do up the mounting bolts slightly. Hold the brake pad with one hand (to stop it rotating), the spanner or allen key in your other hand, and the brake lever with your gripping hand. If you're disadvantaged in the hand department I find that doing up the brake pad lightly while holding the brake lever, then releasing the lever and holding the pad to tighten it works.

The Park Tool website has an extended description.


7 speed cassette on a direct drive trainer from freewheel bike In 2011, I bought a cheap bike from Walmart.  It's done fine by me on the ride or two I take per year, but I'm looking to enhance my home gym a bit and was looking to grab a direct drive trainer.  The big thing here is I'm more concerned with being able to work out at home than I am with having a nice bike, and I'm looking to avoid the mounting costs of getting both a trainer and a bike.

The direct drive trainer I have my eye on has says it supports 9 / 10 / 11 speed cassettes - my bike only has 7 speeds on the rear wheel.  I was planning on buying a 7 speed cassette and just using spacers, but the LBS said that I might have issues with a freewheel vs freehub if the bike was that old and cheap.  Turns out he was right - I have a freewheel on the bike.

So here's my question - with a direct drive trainer, does it matter what the rear wheel has? I'm taking it off - my thinking was that as long as I get a 7 speed freehub cassette with spacing the same as my current setup, it should be fine.

Is that correct?

Yes the Direct Drive Trainer (DDT) should work fine with your bike and yes you're on the right path...

You will need a 7 speed cassette and 4.5mm of spacers for a 7 speed cassette to fit on a freehub designed for 8/9/10 speed cassettes. If the DDT has an 11 speed freehub you would need an additional 1.85mm spacer and maybe a 1mm spacer.  Yeah, lots of spacers...
Before buying your DDT make sure it supports your bike's rear wheel spacing: 130mm and 135mm are the most common.  BUT some of the older 7 speed bikes also used 126mm. An inexpensive Walmart bike likely has flexible tubing in the rear triangle so even if yours measures 126mm it could be forced to fit 130mm.  But just to be safe, remove the rear wheel and measure the inside distance between the dropout faces.  If the bike isn't 130mm then you should also see if it is easy to pull apart the dropouts 5mm. If the frame is made of aluminum frames tend to be much less flexible than steel frames.

Also note that since you're going to want to reinstall the rear wheel at some point you're not trying to permanently bend (aka "cold set") the frame but rather just coercing the frame to fit the 130mm trainer.  Steel in particular is very forgiving so flexing it a bit won't do any damage.

Yes the number of teeth in the largest cog does matter. If the new cassette has a lot more teeth then the chain may be too short and need replacing. Alternatively you can use the too short chain and just make certain to not shift onto a rear cog which is too big.  Doing so typically causes the rear derailleur to bend and get forced into the rear wheel. Never a happy ending...

7-speed cassettes and freewheels have the same pitch:
  pitch = width_of_cog + width_of_spacer

So whatever shifters you have on your bike should work fine with the 7-speed cassette instead of freewheel.

The adjustment for shifting may be off a bit so don't be surprised if you have to do some derailleur adjustment.

There are bicycle co-op's and other similar bicycle advocacy organizations which recycle and rebuild donated bikes.  If you have one nearby they should be able to provide a very inexpensive used cassette and maybe even some spacers.


Are my brakes too close to the rim? I like having my front brakes very close to the rim (see image) as it makes it much easier to brake, especially when on the hoods or long descents.  I recently swapped to Continental GP4000 25mm tires on Mavic CXP 22 rims and the tires seem to be much wider than my previous stock Felt All weather 25 mms.  When I want to take the wheels off, I need to loosen the brake cable in addition opening up there brake calipers. This is of course very annoying and seems abnormal to me.

105 shifters
Shimano calipers with no model number

From the picture, and what you describe, the tire is wider than the rim. This means that if you like to run the brake shoes close the rim that you'll be unable to remove the tire without having to find some way to "lengthen" the cable. There are three common options that I know of:

A release lever on the brakes. It appears that you have one. I think that is what the silver lever on the left side of the photo is (near the brake cable). If you lift up on it, the brakes should relax enabling you to remove the wheel.
Some brake levers will have a button to release cable tension. My Tektro levers do, My Shimano levers don't.
There may be a barrel adjuster screw on the brakes or levers someplace. The primary purpose of this is to let you tune the length of the cable, but it will also give you a way to release some cable tension (if they are screwed out some). Not ideal, but better than unscrewing the cable clamp.


How to know when to change a chain? A bike shop employee used a tool he said would check the wear on the chain, and said that it should be changed.

He said it took a measurement that meant the chain had expanded, but it is still hard for me understand why I should change the chain.

He said that the reason was that the expanded chain links will cause the chain rings to wear down.

That is one argument and I have no experience with it, to know if it is true.

But are there more reasons? How do I know when the chain should be changed?

My first thought is to use it until it breaks, but it probably is not the wisest option.

You can measure the stretch of a chain with a chain gauge (or just a ruler)

Alternately - the chain links are 1 inch long, so measure 12 of them with a ruler, if they are more than 1/8inch longer than this then they are worn.

You need to do this before it wears the rear cogs - it will cause the teeth to wear into sharp pointed spikes = need a new cassette.


Best posture to ride a road-bike down hill? I know it's been "answered" here, but I am still not satisfied.

In my view, you either have to decide whether you feather the brakes (go down hill at pace) or let go of the brakes (go down hill at full speed).

However, no one seems to be asking what posture one should have.

I found that riding down very steep hills (greater than 16deg), I place my butt over the back of the seat and put all the weight over the back wheel. Is that the way to do it, or is there another better way?

Thanks in advance

This answer will be for riding down hills fast, but a lot of the advice applies to slower speed descents.

When riding downhill you should have your hands in the drops, the pedals at level (i.e., one foot forward, one back) and depending on your flexibility you want to get your butt back and bring your head down close to the stem so you don't present your chest to the wind. You also want to avoid a "death grip" as this can make the bike unstable.

This position isn't entirely about aero (for that you can do the death tucks like lying on the top tub your getting your head and upper shoulder ahead of the handle bars forming a wedge). You want a weight distribution that makes the bike stable, but responsive enough that you can avoid obstacles and navigate turns.  Getting into the drops shifts weight forward which slows down the responsiveness of the steering to light input but lets you carve harder turns.  Conversely if you put all your weight on the back the steering becomes lighter which can be unstable at higher speeds.  The drops is also the strongest position on the bike in terms of physical leverage.

I also like to hover above the saddle, that way if I hit a pot hole or dip the bike doesn't become unsettled.


How to evaluate different alloy types used for bicycle frames? Only certain alloys are used for bicycle frames besides other materials like carbon fibres (at least for the mass market). I often stumble over aluminium alloy 6061 and 7005 (and I think I saw 8004 once). It doesn't seem feasible to say that one is better than the other because they have different criteria like density/weight and break resistance. Increasing those criteria towards ideal values for biking (less weight, more break resistance) seems adverse, i.e. engineers have to make a decision between the material trade-offs when selecting it and I as buyer need to recognize their intention to make the right choice. There might be criteria which have non-obvious impact like better processing of a more dense alloy allows to construct thinner frames so that maybe an alloy with less density systematically results in a more heavy bike.

I'm excluding the price from the list of criteria to make the question more answerable.

I'm happy with a reasonable simplification like x always allows to build thinner frames than y while providing the same stability and is thus always light and preferable because of a. Or a sorting of relevance of criteria and a description of trade-offs between them, e.g. it seems that certain alloys bend before they break whereas others break immediately, but then under heavier impact only. I don't even know which one I want (I assume I can't bend the frame back after a crash, so is it a question of security? Can the broken frame be welded back together? Those a just example questions…)

I'm not interested in the criteria the manufacturer uses to select the material for the frame, like weldability, price during a certain period of economic up and down, etc, unless it has impact on the quality of the bike.

I hope you don't recognize this as primarily opinion based. I'm looking for a listing of criteria with relevance to using the bike of which the frame is a part - besides a ton of other criteria which is important in engineering, but irrelevant for biking (like the melting point).

There are certain clues, like "used primarily for less expensive bicycle frames" found in a Wikipedia article on the 7005 alloy, and of course a ton of unverified information in horrifying forums.

I can add an advertisement-like reference for the use of the alloy for different bike frames.

For all I know, between those two aluminium alloys there's no rule of thumb that could say: "this one makes stronger frame" (or lighter with the same strength, whichever way you look at it).

From a mechanical point of view 7005 is stronger, but also more brittle - and that needs to be taken into account when designing tubes and the whole frame.

So you can build relatively light and strong frames from both these alloys, without one allowing an ultimately supperior frame compared to the other (in terms of better strength, durability, lower mass etc).

The material of choice does boil down to price - in terms of what equipment a factory has at their disposal to machine the frames, since the two materials require different processes for heat treatment, aging etc, cost of material (alloy) and so on. Then it's up to the engineer to design the frame with the chosen material.

Design challenges are making frames as light with enough strength and resistance to impacts. Butted tubes, making them stronger where it's needed and lighter where the strength is not cruicial, distributing the loads along the tube length, away from critical areas is a way to do that. Exactly how much material and where has been perfected in the previous decades, didn't see much breakthrough lately, probably won't in the future as well. It's gotten as good as it gets, just copy/paste the design, and let the poorly paid Chinese people build it for you (Chinese factory equipment could dictate the alloy of choice, whether they work with 6061, or 7005).

Whichever material was chosen, the rest is up to marketing - to say that 7005 is stronger, or that 6061 is more elastic, or whatever.

What makes the difference is the quality of frame design and how well that is built (executed). The more time and money you spend on testing (with good engineers), the lighter can a frame be, still having enough strength (and durability). Though, like I've said, I see no breakthroughs in the past decade in these terms.

As a buyer, with marketing being put in front of engineering for the past decades, it's really hard to say which is better when choosing a frame, regardless of the material. On the plus side, metal frame designs (especially steel and aluminium ones) have been tried, tested and perfected, so you can hardly go wrong, especially if choosing a renowned manufacturer. Having said that, the cheaper, "no-name" frames, while being much heavier than needed, are often even stronger and more durable, they just "weigh a ton".

For welding aluminium frame - I don't think that you can expect to weld-repair an alu frame to be durable, without aging or heat treatment afterwards, whichever alloy was chosen, or at least adding a lot of extra weight. 7005 requres no heat treatment after welding, but I don't think that the cost of a durable weld repair is as good as it is for steel. Someone with more knowledge on repairing alu frams could probably answer that better.


Gear Inches Optimal For Steep Hill Climbs As I've gotten more into road biking, I've realized I really like climbing mountains.  These climbs vary between 6-15% gradient usually and go for anywhere between 5-20 miles.  I am wondering if I have the optimal gears for this type of cycling.  I have 50, 32 teeth for my big ring, and 11-28 (10 total) on my back cassette.  According to sheldon brown this below is the range of my gear inches:

I'm 27 and fairly fit with no health problems, how do you determine whether to get stronger or get a higher gear?

There are many factors involved in working this out, which is why many people would say this is opinion based, and others say

  What's "optimal" is whatever works for you. – Daniel R Hicks Sep 21 at 1:43

The main factors are

your strength
your weight
your muscular endurance
your aerobic capacity
how fast you are trying to go
what gear you're using
how steep is the hill
how long is the hill

With so many factors Daniel's comment is not surprising, and is actually pretty accurate.

Looking at various online sources, in general the cadence to aim for is at least 70 rpm. This probably higher than you're using; many of us climb at 50 to 60 rpm, which is hard on the knees.

To follow this advice you need to measure your cadence. You'll need a bike computer with a cadence sensor. Then climb the same hill multiple times in different gears, keeping track of your cadence and the time taken. Do the experiment at least twice to reduce the effect of random variations and the effect on your performance of training. An app such as Strava can do some of the record keeping for you.

Next make a plot of the times. Such a plot can show surprising things, but it will give you some knowledge about yourself. It may answer your question about gearing. If, for example, your times keep getting better as you go to lower gears, then you could benefit from having gears that are even lower.

The next experiment is to ride hills that have different gradients, in the same gear for all of the hills. Keep track of the time and cadence again, and make another graph. It may seem that this will give the same results as the first experiment, but in practice it does not; it gives you more information. An important point here is to include hills with a lower gradient (even as low as 3.5 to 4%), they give you a greater range of gears you can use, and are good for training on.

What to do with this information?

If your cadence is below 70, work to improve it. You can do this by riding less steep hills, faster. Also look into interval training to improve your strength. These approaches can avoid spending money on components that will only give benefit in the short term.
If your times keep getting better in lower gears,  then spend the money on getting a cluster with bigger gears at the low end. Make sure your derailleur can handle the extra range before you do this. If it can't handle the range then you'll have to decide whether the extra cost is worth it to you.

If you look back at the variables listed at the top of this post, you'll see that every one of them can be changed. You can choose a different hill, with a different gradient. You can build up your strength, reduce your weight, build up endurance and aerobic capacity, choose a different pace, and choose a different gear.

By keeping track of your performance, you'll get feedback on how you're going. How it feels is not generally a good indicator of performance; I only ride by feel these days: sometimes I think wow, I destroyed that hill only to check the time and find I was way off my PB. Other times I've thought Uff, that was a struggle and found that I was minutes inside my PB.

In general, we get better power, and hence speed up the hill, with a higher cadence. But this is not true for everyone, as at least one of the linked articles will show.

As you develop, you will need to use different approaches to get improvements. Professional coaches frequently seek to introduce novelty into the training they give their athletes, so that the athlete has a new challenge, or training stress. It's when your training provides a new stress that your body responds with new growth. So when your improvement plot reaches a plateau, make a change. Instead of cadence, work on strength, or a different gradient, or shorter climbs.

Happy climbing.

Ps. I left out one important way of getting stronger and faster: ride with someone who's a bit faster, or chase someone who started a little before you. A little competition does wonders :-)


Front suspension seized - what can I do I have mistreated my bike and now am regretting it. The front forks are completely stuck. I took the end cap off the forks there's a bolt there but it's like 12 inches deep. Where the heck can I buy a 12inch hex key? because I've not been able to get anything long enough I don't even know what size hex key. It's not possible to take it apart from the bottom am sure because it just tapers off then attaches to the wheel.

You didn't say where you live (what country?), so you may not have this particular option for a store, but you could use a 3/8" drive extension:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_337346-22328-85817_1z0wcg7__?productId=3380286&pl=1

With a 3/8" drive hex driver:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_338623-22328-85226_0__?productId=3387790

(You might also be able to find a T-handle hex driver that is long enough, although a quick google search didn't turn one up for me.)

This is of course assuming the base of the hex driver will fit into your fork tube, which it may not, you will have to check.
Also, before trying to loosen anything you should spray the bolt / any seized parts with penetrating oil (like WD-40 or PB Blaster) & let it sit for a while. That alone might end up being enough to free the stuck parts.

If you do get it apart, you should really consider doing a proper overhaul on it & determine if it is even fixable / worth fixing.


Better tyres for Cannondale Bad Boy? 90 % I bike off road, but easy and lazy, but 2 3 times a year I go seriously up hills I mean Ventoux and that kind of stuff. I would like then to use tires that are somewhat more effective. Since I want the Bad Boy per se 2 questions,

will I have problems going down hill at speed
what size of tire is the most effective

thanks Henk

You've really got a few things going here.

For going up hills easier, you have 2 aspects for a given bike:

Bike geometry and bike fit: If the geometry of the bike is not good for climbing and/or you're poorly fit to it, its going to be harder than necessary. So play around with adjusting your saddle height + position + stem + handlebars.
Gearing: For going up a hill, you want a low gear (big cog in the back, smaller chainrings in the front). Your tire size does play into this a bit, but its secondary (bigger tires = higher gearing). You can use something like this to calculate gearing.

So, if you want to make it easier for a given bike to go up a hill, fit a cassette/freewheel with bigger gears, and use smaller chainrings in the front. Note that lower gearing means that your top speed won't be that high.

When descending a hill, you also have two things:
- Bike geometry and bike fit: The position of you on the bike and the geometry will determine the stability and control you have when descending.
- Brakes: Brakes are the way you'll primarily stop. If its a big descent, you have to be careful not to overheat the brakes/rims, so you need to choose appropriate brakes (this includes pads, calipers, etc.) that provide the right level of braking for the weather/terrain and modulate them appropriately (e.g. if you go down a long hill and just hold the brake partially on, you may boil your brake fluid on a hydraulic brake, just like you would on a car).

Your gearing won't necessarily matter all that much on a bike with a freewheeling mechanism, since you'll either have a gear that you can accelerate with or you'll be freewheeling (and if you want to accelerate, you'll want to add combinations of higher gears (large chainring, small cog in the back)).

Tires: For road use (on a clean/wet road), you want smooth tires. Knobbies increase resistance on a road, plus when cornering at high speed can flex and lead to wiping out. Also set your tire pressures correctly (this is important for comfort and control). Off-road or snow will favor some form of knobbies. As for tire sizing, note that it does affect the standover height a bit, but this is a personal preference determined by how much you weigh, how much comfort you want (bigger tires at lower pressure are more comfortable), how well the tire stands up to cornering (which is determined by how flexible the tire is as well as the pressures its run and its size -- a big low pressure tire may flop off at a high speed corner when a thin high pressure tire wouldn't), puncture protection, rolling resistance at a given inflation pressure among other things. Note that you don't want to run a very wide tire on a very narrow rim and vice versa due to the tire coming off or hazards damaging the rim.

Unless you're riding on a road and you have knobby tires, I'd probably start with finding appropriate gearing (by swapping freewheels/cassettes so you have a big enough big cogs for the uphills and small enough small cogs for the downhills) and making sure brakes are up to snuff (probably starting with having good brake pads and the brakes are in adjustment). If you are riding on a road and have knobby tires, buy some slicks.


Tires not holding air at high pressure I ride a Trek road bike with 25c tires.  The recommended pressure on the tire is 100-130 psi.  Before I ride I inflate the tires to close to the max pressure no problem and my pump works fine.  But after riding around even for just an hour or so, the pressure in both tires is usually down to 80-90 psi.  The tires and tubes are brand new so I wouldn't expect them to have any leaks.
Is this normal?  Is there anything I can do about it?  I live in a major city and most of the roads I ride on regularly are pretty bumpy -- could that be contributing to the problem?
Edit for more details: The tires and tubes are 700x25c Vittoria Rubino Pro, they're both very new (<1 month old).  The bike is a Trek Domane AL3 and it's about 4 years old (link is to a newer model, my bike is older).  I had been using 28c tires until I just replaced them recently, which is why I never had this problem before (the pressure range for 28c is 80-100 psi).

I recently built a wheelset for Tannus tire liners and studded tires. Then I noticed that both tires lose pressure quite quickly but one of these lost it in a very alarming manner (15% of gauge pressure loss per day).
For the tire that lost pressure not as quickly as the other, I estimate it was caused by the Tannus tire liner compressing due to the high pressure placed on it. Wait three weeks and the pressure loss has reduced to that of an ordinary tire. So it appears the Tannus liner is compressed about as much as it will compress.
For the tire that lost pressure quickly, the cause was mainly a loose Presta valve core. I didn't make it loose, it was that way straight out of the factory. I tightened it with an adjustable wrench and the quick pressure loss reduced to that of an ordinary tire.
So, moral of the story: if you buy an inner tube with a removable valve core, you can't expect the valve core to be fully tightened straight out of the factory.


Sun protection while touring I'm preparing for a mini tour in the greek islands this August and I'm getting concerned about sun protection. I'm considering not using a helmet (as I'll reach 30 km/h max). Last year I was wearing a "buff" that protected me from sweat, but did not protect me from minor sunburn. Would a hat be a solution, but of what type (considering strong winds)?

I recommend wearing a helmet and something like a cycling cap or something similar to an Under Armour skull cap
 that can absorb sweat and protect your head from the sun.

As for your neck, I've always used sunscreen during sunny rides.  Get a bottle that can fit in your saddlebag or backpack, and apply it liberally and as often as necessary.  Sunscreen will protect you from the sun without impeding your ability to move, and it will not be affected by strong winds.


Minimum mountain groupset hard enough to resist abuse I'm looking to upgrade my mountain bike and I would like to get something better than I have, if justified. I've never ridden any groupset better than alivio/deore, which work ok for me and have tolerated some abuse. I'm riding harder these days and I would like to know if a better groupset would be more durable. I'm not very concerned with the "bling" factor or the weight, just something that will stand some "serious" trail. Any thoughts? Please feel free to elaborate on the brand or isolated parts if you want.

Edit: I would like to make the question more specific, because my intention is not to start a discussion about Shimano or SRAM. I assume that both brands are ok. Let's see: I want the bike to do cross country but not downhill. When I say that I ride "harder" I mean that I've gone from following a trail to now jump, go over rocks, some mud, a bit of water, etc ... That has made my drivetrain to get out of tune and drop the chain frequently, even I if adjust it before every ride. I am discarding here my shifting technique as a source of problems because I know how to shift correctly. I thus want to know at which level of the groupset hierarchies (no matter if it is Shimano or SRAM) this is less frequent. That is, that you adjust the gears and they stay adjusted for more than a ride even after some abuse. If I am going to need to adjust the gears every time no matter if the group is a XTR or a Acera, well, then I will rather save my money. But if XTR is stronger and stays tuned for more time, then I don't mind paying for the quality. I would like to hear from experienced riders if they noticed (or didn't) a great improvement in reliability (not weight or coolness-factor) when they bought a more expensive groupset. I hope that the question is clearer now.

Thanks!

Note: this is mostly based on my personal experience. Its an
  incredibly subjective subject, so there is no right answer. Keep in
  mind that in reality one level up or down will be completely
  unnoticeable performance difference to most riders.

XT is considered the "Sweet spot" for performance, weight and durability.  Probably X9 in the SRAM range. XTR and X0 are for sponsored riders, rich competitive riders and those that have to be seen to have the best because they will never be...

Alivo is definitely entry level and although it starts out OK, is less durable and quickly becomes unreliable if used hard. Deore and X7 are known for good durability - not up to  XT in quality and feel and durability - but not far behind. IMHO Deore and X7 are a good price point for a budget conscious weekend warrior - especially if you can get last years stuff at a good price.

So depending on your budget, I would recommend looking towards Deore  or SRAM X7 level gear. From you post, I suspect XT is too good for the bike and you won't get the advantage of the extra $$$.

So where is you problem? The bike "was good once" - so the level of the gear is not the problem. I suspect the gear on it is worn out.....

I would start with a close look at the chain lines - check the Bottom bracket for movement, and check the derailleur hanger for alignment (LBS has a tool for this). Check the cables are moving freely - I suggest replace the rear derailleur if you have any doubt or its more than a year old. All this is low or no cost and can make an enormous difference if they are out.

Assuming these are OK, I would start with a closer look at the chain, cluster and chain rings. Especially check the chain is clean and free running, with no tight links. If these have not been replaced recently, its the first thing to consider. At the same time, check the derailleur for movement - this is hard if you are not experienced. A little is OK, a lot not - and how to tell - got the LBS and look at some new bikes, look at some mates bikes.

Here is where you can start throwing money into a seemingly bottom less pit, so be careful. Don't feel the need to replace with higher spec components; don't go up more than 1, at a stretch 2 levels - so Alivio to Deore is OK, Alivio to XT - think very carefully. Keep it all about the same.

You are likely to find that parts prices mean an upgrade of bike is worth considering. A MTB is more than the drive line - tires, shocks, frame geometry all make a bigger difference than smooth gear changes.


What cadence should I aim for? I recently got a cyclocomputer that measures cadence and I'm not sure what a good speed is or what benefit I would get by altering my natural cadence.  On good, level tarmac, I find myself doing about 75-80 RPM.  I'll get North of 100 when sprinting away from a stoplight, and down in the 50-60 range when mounting a moderate incline.

I don't know what might impact cadence, but I'm 5'11 (180 centimeters), 150 pounds (68 kilograms, 10.7 stone).  In addition to biking 30-40 miles a week, I do CrossFit, a combination of gymnastic and weightlifting exercises, so I've got quite a bit of raw strength.

For any given speed, you can either spin at a higher cadence in a lower gear, or a lower cadence in a higher gear.  The high cadence + low gear combination should reduce the strain on your joints since you don't have to push as hard.  You just have to do it more often.

I like to ride around 90rpm and sometimes drift up to 100-110 especially if I'm trying to catch up to or overtake someone.  I'll drop down to 80 for long, steep climbs (seated -- no idea what my cadence is standing).

Lance Armstrong apparently maintains 110rpm for efficiency.  It took me a while to get used to 90 so I'd suggest building up to it slowly.  Let us know when you can do 110 comfortably!


Mech disc brakes creating too much slack I've got a 2nd hand bike to play with as I've never been into bikes. When I got it the brakes only stopped while I wasn't on it. I stripped the bike down for cleaning and I re-attached the brake cable but the right lever is creating too much slack. I've tried creating more tension by pulling the cable through the housing and then tightening the cable but on release it gives too much slack again.

Your actual rear brake looks like a electric scooter brake, I would ask whoever you got this bike from if they done any mods or maintenance on it.

1st Image

Unfortunately I don't think any form of adjustment will get you any sufficient braking.

2nd Image

You can see from the second image the different cable route designed for use on a bike, generally the cable is fairly straight from the nipple to the clamp.

My suggestion is first find out if the brakes were replaced, and secondly if they were replaced which I suspect they're, you need to get the correct brakes installed for efficient and safe braking.

Artek Vigourous brake sets can be bought for £25 a set front and rear.


Do skilled cyclists really "use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time"? Sheldon Brown's Braking and Turning Your Bicycle page states that:

  Skilled cyclists use the front brake alone probably 95% of the time

and

  "Generally I advise against using both brakes at the same time."

I certainly use my front brake more than my rear brake, but not exclusively. Specifically, I pull two or three times harder on the front brake than on the rear, and as I come to a stop and feel less traction on the rear wheel, I gradually let up on the rear brake. Sheldon's advice implies that it would be better to use the front brake exclusively.

The page states cases for the exceptions where a cyclist should use both brakes together or the rear brake alone but doesn't provide a rationale for why not to use the two brakes together. In normal conditions, is using the front brake alone truly better than using both brakes, and if so, why?

(Related question: When should I not use my front brake?)

Reference - Cyclecraft by John Franklin

  A cycle takes more than twice as far to stop using only the rear brake compared to using only the front brake, which will usually stop the machine just as quickly as using both brakes. Nevertheless, you should always apply the rear brake, and slightly in advance of the front brake, so that a slight skid at the rear will warn you if you get close to the hazard point at which the bike may tip.


Shifter won't click and cable doesn't move My front gear is set on the smallest gear then the shifter suddenly doesn't click. I also see no cable movement from the front derailleur.
Here is the link for the vid: https://imgur.com/ZncNh70

It's likely a very simple issue - the cable broke. Possibly the head of the cable detached so that the shifter cannot grab the cable. There is a remote possibility the shifter itself broke where it holds the cable.
You can verify this by detaching the cable from the derailleur, you may find that end of the cable is loose and can be pulled out of the housing. Find a manual for your particular shifters and find out how to remove the cable. You may need to remove a cover to get access.
Yo should also verify the derailleur can move by pulling the cage carefully outwards - it takes a bit of force. The derailleur is robust enough that you will not break it.
The likely reason the shifter is not clicking is that it relies on the derailleur spring pulling on the cable for tension, so the internal parts are not moving when you work the thumb and finger levers.


Is there anything I can do to prevent snakebites (pinch flats)? Riding in an urban setting, I've lost two tubes in the last week to snakebites, and it's easily the most common way for me to get a flat. I've got Gatorskin treads, which help prevent standard punctures, but don't seem to do much (read: anything) for snakebites. Wheel set is extremely similar to the Mavic Ellipse, i.e., very thin. Other than avoiding potholes/curbs/edges*, is there anything that I can do to cut down on this?

Some more information for those interested:

Wheel set is the Mavic Ellipse, whoops - previous owner removed all identifying labels, probably as a theft deterrent. Here's the only tag left on the tire:

Tubes are 700x23, sometimes I cram a 700x25 in there
I inflate "until it feels good," usually ~110/115 psi, tire feels hard and there's no give if I push on it, usually bounces almost as high as the height I drop it from
Rider weight ~190lbs

*Yesterday I got bit by a patch of gravel. Seriously.

Also, no chance in hell I'm trading these rims out. They cost more than a month's rent.

Update: Yesterday's ride home

So when I left work yesterday, I pumped my tires up to 145 psi as suggested by @freiheit, and it's embarrassingly obvious that I have not been putting enough air in my tires (as in, "holy crap, this is awesome, why didn't somebody tell me this sooner?"). The ride was a little bouncier, but my acceleration and top speed were significantly increased.

That being said, I still got a flat about mile 7. Good news, it wasn't a snakebite, so that's nice for a change. Got home, put a new tube in and tried pumping to 150 psi, and the tire blew up*, and it failed suspiciously near the first flat. I didn't find anything in the tread (glass/nails/whatever) or any glaring defects/breaches, but the tread is pretty old and worn out at this point, so I ordered a new one. This of course, was before @amcnabb pointed out that those tires are slightly larger than the max recommended tire size for the wheelset.

I'll update this once I get my new tire, but it looks like not enough air + old tire might have been the source of my troubles.

*Especially embarrassing living in Watertown, MA, where my neighbors are pretty suspicious of loud noises right now. I got a few dirty looks.

Inflate your tires to a higher pressure. Use a pump with a pressure gauge instead of going by "feel". Check the pressure more often. The max pressure listed on the sidewall is a good starting point, but if you're already inflating to max psi, you may want to exceed it a bit.

It's likely you have a slow leak, and you're at a low inflation pressure by the time you get the snakebite. Check the tires and rims very thoroughly for sharp bits, and use water submersion to check the tube for leaks, including the valve. A fresh tube wouldn't hurt.

If your roadside inflation is with CO2 cartridges, be aware that CO2 leaks out faster, so you'll need to top off with air the next few days.

You may want to seriously consider buying a second wheelset with wider rims for urban riding with wider tires, and keep the narrow rims and tires for races and weekend rides.


Rear wheel not spinning when the skewer is locked in Can someone please tell me what is causing my rear wheel to "stiff up" when pedaling. I recently cleaned the rear hub because at first it was causing the wheel to "stiff up" when pedaling.

At first I thought dirt and grime were causing the problem. So I cleaned it and it still does the same thing.

The axle or skewer are not bent. The cassette rotates back and forth however I have noticed that when I lock on the skewer it causes the wheel to stiff up. I don't know what to do anymore and its becoming frustrating.

When you cleaned the rear hub, did you reassemble it in the right order?   Sounds like your axle is too far over, or there's possible a lock nut in the wrong place, so that when you cinch down the QR, the dropouts are touching the axle (OK) and the wheel hub (not OK)

If the wheel spins okay on its axle/bearings when off the bike, then something about fitting is making it bind.  Check your brakes and both the chainstay and seatstay clearance points when the wheel is fitted.  Hang the bike up and slowly spin the wheel looking at each point to see if the wheel is rubbing at some point - it may be out of true.


Pedals won't turn normally following strange noises My bike suddenly started creaking and squeaking very loud, and moreso the more pressure I put on the pedals. Then the pedals got stickier and harder to turn until I couldn't turn them at all. This was all in the space of 5 minutes. Cleaned the chain as it was a bit gunky, and I can turn the pedals with the bike upside down, but it's quite hard work. The chain's not overly tense anywhere as far as I can tell. The wheels turn fine.

PeteH has implied it, but sounds like something has gone drastically wrong in a bearing somewhere.  I'd suggest you remove the chain from the front chainring and try to spin the pedal crank.  It should turn easily, with no side-to-side slop.

If not, check the rear wheel for the same, it should not feel gritty or notchy, and should not have sideways movement.

Depends on your mechanical inclination if you want to try fixing this, or give it to a LBS (local bike shop).   Related: I'm reasonably competent at bike stuff, but I got them to reinstall my front deraileur properly because after three goes I still couldn't get it right.  Took the shop an hour and cost me $52, which was a good trade-off IMO.


How big are pull ratios in Shimano 9-speed front derailleurs in MTB and road bikes? I am asking about 3x9-speed front derailleurs.

The background this time is longer than the question -- I have a Sora based gravel bike and now I try to marry road shifter with MTB front derailleur with almost a success:

front , rear

small + big = works
small + small = works
middle + big = works
middle + small = works
big + big = works
big + small = does NOT work

It means I cannot push cage outwards enough. It is all about some shy 1.5 mm, I cannot believe I am so close to success and yet I see failure. It is not high limit screw on the derailleur, I am simply out of cable pull to shift the cage just a hair further.

So I wonder, what are those cable ratios, are they so minuscule different then they manifest in ~1.5mm of shortage pull? Or could it be that I have to use the same group for the derailleur and crankset (currently I have Alivio and Acera accordingly; for tests I tried not to spend too much money) because such behaviour is not caused by cable pull ratio difference?

I've had something like this on two road bikes - the big-front and small-rear combo means the chain is running as far to the right as possible as it hits the front derailleur.

One was fixed by using proper-sized 9 speed chain, not the mystery chain that was already installed.

Since the limit screw is not the problem, you may need to shim the derailleur so the whole thing stands to the right a tiny bit more.  If its a braze-on mount this won't help.

Do test if you can move the cage far enough with your fingers (be careful!)

Another possible fix might be to distort the front mech's cage, but that may cause problems with other gears.


Sudden deflation of a mountain bike tube without a bang? I pumped up my flat tires on a Sunday afternoon and on Monday nothing went wrong, but on Tuesday, my bike was left in the rain followed by scorching sun. During that time, both of my bike tires deflated suddenly but there was no puncture or bang.

It is confirmed that the tube had a hole.

Any explanation for why it happened?

You say that both tyres deflated suddenly and you pumped them up on Sunday from flat.

I think the sun has caused this in one of maybe two ways. If both tyres were flat on Sunday because they had slow punctures, then when they were out in the sun all that time, they got hot and the pressure increased. That increased pressure made the slow punctures into much faster punctures until all the air was gone.

Or... one or both tubes were fine, but the heat from the "scorching sun" simply caused both tubes to go flat by heating up a section until something gave way. The only surprise is that you didn't hear a bang in this scenario, which would make it seem less likely.

Lesson: leave your bike in the shade.

In either case, you want make sure that there is nothing sharp left in the set up to cause further punctures. Check the rim strip to see that it is in good condition. Check the tubes to find out where the holes are. This can help narrow the search for the sharp object (that's why people line up the valve with the tyre branding). check the tyre and remove any sharp objects. Replace tyres if they are getting too thin to stop punctures.