Clipless Pedals - Float In

this question

I asked about clipless pedals.  The term float came up.  I think that float refers to how far you need to turn your shoe in order to release it from the pedal.  Q1: Is this correct?

I think that when I buy clipless pedals I will need three things:

Shoes
Pedal
Clip that screws onto shoe that will fit in pedal

Q2: Is this correct?

Assuming I am right about that I think that the shoe that I buy will be independent of how much float there is.  Q3: Is this correct? Can I buy any shoe and change the level of float by changing the clips?

Q1: No, "float" is the amount your feet can rotate (around a vertical axis) while clipped in.

A system/cleat with little or no float keeps your foot in a very rigid position.  You can't freely twist your toe/heel while pedaling.  If you have a textbook pedal stroke, low float will keep your feet in the right place so you can focus on other things.  With more float, your foot has more freedom to rotate.  This can be helpful if your technique is less perfect and your body needs the extra freedom.  I have an old knee injury and need plenty of float -- with less my knee really hurts.  So you want to get enough float to allow you to pedal comfortably, but not so much that you develop a sloppy pedal stroke.

It doesn't really affect how far you need to turn your foot to unclip.  Well, you do have to turn further in a system with more float, but that's not the point of having more float.

Q2: Pedals normally come with a set of cleats and bolts to attach them.  And most shoes are designed to fit a wide range of cleats and offer a fair amount of cleat adjustment.  But if in doubt, check before you buy.  You probably want your LBS to help you get the cleats positioned correctly anyway (I've done it myself but it involves a lot of trial and error).

Q3:  My experience is limited to Crank Brothers and SPDs -- both of these offer different clips for differing amounts of float.  Don't assume that all systems do this, so check them out first.


Can I keep using my outer tube tyre with a hole in it I was riding down a nice smooth bike path the other day (at speed), and there was a branch full of thorns about 10m ahead of me, straddling the path. I couldn't have gone around it. One of the thorns pieced my tire, and pricked a hole in my inner tube - which slowly deflated. I will replace the inner tube - but is it worth me buying a new tire because of a 5mm hole from a thorn? Will this hole expose my inner tube too much? Thanks

A thorn hole in an inner tube is totally patchable.  A 50 cent patch is a lot cheaper than a new tube.  Stop consumerism!

As for the hole, it depends if the inner tube pokes out or not.  The get-home fix is to line or reinforce that area with something laid between the tube and tyre.

On one tyre I ended up adding a patch to the inside of the tyre, which worked well enough.  It lined up against the matching patch on the tube.


Is master cylinder hydraulic fluid level critical (Shimano)? I managed to successfully bleed a Shimano hydraulic brake but used an improvised kit instead of the official Shimano one. Since I used a regular syringe instead of the funnel+plunger system which may guarantee a certain oil level in the master cylinder reservoir when used properly, I was wondering if the oil level is the master cylinder reservoir is critical.

The system is designed to have the lever bleed screw displace some oil as it's reinstalled. In other words, the lever end wants to be completely full at the end, and there is not supposed to be an air gap there

In the too little fluid direction, there is some tolerance for an air gap before symptoms begin, but ideally you wouldn't have any. If by chance you finish the bleed and find out there to be a small air gap at the lever, if it's small enough then dripping a little oil in may be reasonable, but usually there's none when you pull off the funnel so if someone does wind up with one, it would first make me worry that something went wrong in the bleed.

If one doesn't have a funnel, then most of the time, doing the "gravity bleed" part of the procedure the same way as with an older Shimano brake works fine, i.e. by dripping in more fluid in the screw hole as the fluid feeds into the catch bag/bottle at the other end. Doing this with road levers would be clumsy at best though, as they tend to often really need to have their angular position changed during this step to free up air bubbles, as per the official instructions.


How much range can I get with two separate cassettes without changing chain length? Just bought a new bike and got another wheelset in the deal. One is 700c and one is 650b. Right now they both have 11-34 cassettes. The rear derailleur is Shimano Claris long cage. I found an 11-23 cassette online. I'm curious as to whether or not the length of chain would be a problem when switching between wheelsets with this big of gap between the large cogs. Anyone have a similar experience?

It will "work" although shifting will likely be compromised, which could include slow or even ineffective shifts on the upper half of the cassette when running the 11-23 cassette.

Rear derailleurs are designed to move in an arc that follows the cassette profile. As such different derailleurs are designed to work with different ranges of cog sizes. If you go to Shimano's technical documents the Claris RD-R2000-GS  derailleur ("long" cage) has a specified min and max low gear range of 28 to 34, while the "short cage" version  (RD-R2000-SS) has specified min/max low gear 25 to 32.  Neither were designed to work explicitly with a 11-23 cassette, although 25 is very close to 23 so in this case the "short cage" version would probably work just fine.

The problem in your case is that once the long cage derailleur is set up to work with an 11-34 cassette, swapping in a 11-23 cassette will effectively move the derailleur away from the cogs in the upper half of the cassette resulting in poor and potentially missed shifts. As you move from a cassette with larger range (i.e., 11-34) to a cassette a smaller range(i.e., 11-23) the distance from the cog to the top derailleur jockey wheel will have increase greatly for the upper half of the cassette. If you have set up a modern derailleur according to the supplied documentation this distance is often quoted as being critical to precise shifting as the top jockey wheel drives the derailing of the chain.  Once the distance becomes excessive the derailleur loses the ability to quickly and precisely change gears until its kinematics brings it in closer to the cogs in the bottom half of the cassette.  If you were running friction shift, this wouldn't be an issue as you could simply move the derailleur further to initiate a shift, but if you are running indexed shifting, you will likely find that shifting will have deteriorated for the upper half of the cassette.


Are road bikes capable of being ridden on gravel? I am new to road bikes and was wondering if these bikes are capable of riding on light gravel or whether I will get flats? Does it depend on the tire material or are generally all road bike tires for road only?

Google 'cyclocross'.

The primary difference between a road bike and a CX bike is the size of the tires. You can ride your road bike anywhere your skills will allow. There are some gotcha's though.

Skinny tires only have so much traction. Gravel flats won't be an issue for all but the lightest of race tires, but pinch flats from hitting larger rocks at high speed are a problem.

Dirt and high end road components don't mix well.

But seeing exactly how far you can take a road bike has a long history and many local clubs have "grasshopper" rides that link up old gravel roads. Your bike is capable of much more than you might think. Look up the races Paris-Roubaix and Strada Bianca.


Is it safe to remove one front chain ring? My son bought an old road bike, we didn’t notice that one of the small bolts connecting the two front chain rings was missing and he has now twisted and broke the inner chainring. I’ve been able to remove the smaller inner chainring. Is it safe to use the bike with just the larger outer ring or does the design rely on the two rings to be connected together for strength and rigidity and therefore likely to buckle/break?

You can remove the inner chainring without compromising the strength of the crank.
However, this will mean you will have to 'cross-chain' from the outer large ring to innermost largest rear sprockets to obtain lower gear ratios. Doing this accelerates wear on the chain, sprockets and chainrings.
Small chainrings and bolts are not expensive. Installing might require pulling the crank off the bike though.


Upgrading Joytech hub from 8 speed to 10 speed I have a Joytech hub and I'm planning to upgrade from 8 to 10 speed. With my Joytech rear hub, do I need to change my hub first and does my hub support 10 cogs?

Provided the hub has a Shimano/SRAM compatible cassette body you should be able to upgrade to 10 speed with your existing hub.  Campagnolo 8 speed cassette bodies are incompatible with Campy 10 speed cassettes so if you are running Campy you will need a new hub.


What is the proper technique for crossing railroad tracks? I cross railroads as perpendicularly as is possible, but that's all I know to do.  Safety is a priority, speed not so much.  Specifically:

Is there an optimum speed?
Should you pedal through them or coast?
Does it depend on the type of bike? (mine is a stock Giant Rapid 3)
Any other tips?

Approach at something close to a right angle.  Easiest if the track is square to the road, of course.  Only a little less easy if the track on the right-hand side (on US roads) is nearer than the left, so you can, in advance of your approach, swing out into the lane to achieve a square approach.  Much trickier the other way -- you must wait for traffic behind to be clear so you can swing out into traffic as you cross.

Approach at "moderate" speed (maybe 10 mph).  For a single track coast, for multiple tracks you likely must crank, but not too hard.

Quite important:  Raise your butt off the seat and "suspend" your body on arms and legs.  This isn't to save your butt (except maybe figuratively) but to assure that the bike doesn't bounce as it goes over the rails, and the wheels maintain firm contact.

As you approach, always study the rails and whatever is placed beside and between the rails.  Often there will be a gap between ends of wood pieces, eg, and you don't want to get your wheel too near that gap.  Very occasionally there will be a splice in the rails themselves, and that likewise needs to be avoided.

And, as one tour leader once told us, if the rails are wet, crawl across, dragging your bike behind you.


How long should spokes last? Trek Fx 7.3, 1 year old, 1900 miles

3 days short of my 1 year bike purchase anniversary I discovered some broken spokes on the rear wheel. The bike shop gave me a new wheel they had in the shop, an extra wheel they had and said it was better than my wheel. There was no charge for this I presume because it was under a year and though I'm not sure I would guess Treks warrenty is 1 year. 2 weeks later another spoke breaks and I replace that at a 30 dollar cost. The "sales" person tried to sells me a $160 wheel saying that factory wheels are junk and this expensive one is so much better.

This morning which is about 3 weeks from the last spoke, another spoke breaks. I commute to work and this is becoming a problem. I probably need a new wheel but I'm debating whether I want to bother with this shop anymore.

Any thoughts?
thanks

This largely depends on how frequently you check the true and tension of the spokes.  If one gets loose you are likely to break spokes frequently, and once you've had a few break the others are likely to go more frequently.

As part of my daily pre-ride check I spin the wheels looking for significant wobbles and will take care of them right then.

As part of my monthly check (usually the first weekend in the month) I squeeze pairs of spokes together around the wheel to check that the tension is approximately the same.  If spokes are loose or if the wheel is out of true I remove it and use a truing stand to true it up.

My general rule of thumb has been if I've broken 4+ spokes it's time to have the wheel rebuilt, which at my LBS cost me about $60-80 depending on the quality and quantity of spokes I choose.

Breaking spokes is not usually a reason to need to buy a new wheel unless there is some kind of defect in the rim or the hub.


How to identify a MTB for heavier riders? I'm looking to buy a bike for the 140kg (300lbs) fat me in order to lose some weight. My height is 1.80m (5' 11'') and my standover height is 79.5cm (31.3'').
I really do not like exercising in any other way, so I thought of trying this. I am fully aware I have to combine exercising with a good diet.
I am a total beginner when it comes to bikes, but I would like to go mainly on roads and occasionally on a field which has some holes and maybe some mountain trails (not very hard I guess), which is why I would want a MTB.  I have a couple of questions:

Some brands offer a warranty for riders up to a quoted weight (example, Diamondback's limit is exactly 140 kg)   Is this common and are there any caveats ?

Is it true that air-based suspension is better for heavy riders than coil based suspension?

Do forks have weight limits too?

Can bike frames really bend under my weight? I know this is brand-model-specific, but is it possible this could happen?

I found a bike but it is definitely not rated for my weight (110kg from a warranty card I saw) and I cannot tell if it would hold.  What are the risks of riding a bike that is not rated for the rider's weight?

Answer: Its all about risk (for you) and liability (for the maker/seller)
A bike rated at for a X kilos will not suddenly fail at X+1 kilos.  However beyond this point, the likelihood of load spikes increases, so the whole bike suffers and deteriorates faster even if you only ever ride in steady state. This might be known as the "knee/elbow" of a graph.
Naturally manufacturers/importers want to minimise failures where they have extra costs, so a weight limit helps them.   This is similar to saying "this bicycle is not for stunt riding".
The risk to you is, what happens if a part fails catastrophically while you're riding?  If you're going slow vs a medium or even a high speed failure?
A simple fall for a heavier person is on average more damaging than the same fall for a lighter person.  Add some forward motion, and the momentum can make a minor graze into a more significant cheese-grater, and depending how you land can transform a bruise into a break.  These are the risks.
Minimising risk   To do so, look for a bike with certain features

Higher-spoke count wheels.  There's a trend to reduce the number of spokes and call it aero and weight saving.  But ideally your wheels would have a minimum of 32 spokes on the front and 36 spokes on the rear.  If possible, 40 or even 48 spokes on the rear would be even stronger, but will cost/weigh more.
Metal frame.  Anything that can be described as having a "sudden spontaneous failure" should be avoided, so that rules out Carbon Fibre as a frame material for your bike.
This leaves Steel or Aluminium as your primary options, with exotics like Titanium as rare possibilities.   Steel would be ideal for your needs because it is relatively elastic, and its failure modes tend to be quite gradual.  A steel frame will bend or tear, but generally will not part completely.  Aluminium would be another common possibility, but suffers from "work hardening" so as an AL frame is stressed and relaxed, it will slowly get harder and more brittle.  That said, it takes decades to "wear out" any aluminium frame so if you're going new, then this isn't an immediate issue.  If you're going second-hand, have a very good look over the whole frame before committing, looking for dents and cracks.
Diameters - In the old days a 25.4mm (1") seatpost was enough for everyone.  Now there are more sizes, and strength goes up as diameter increases.  So look for oversized seatpost of 31.6mm, and handlebars of 31.8mm.
Tyres - you're talking about mostly road, sealed paths, maintained gravel paths, and not-hard trails.   Realistically, these are not challenging surfaces for a tyre.  Aim for 50-63mm (2"~2.5") tyre widths, and look for smoother tyres without aggressive knobs.  A slick tyre would be fine for road usage and would be less effort to ride, while probably being adequate for any pathway.
Suspension - possibly contentious, but IMO you don't need any suspension on the road at all.  It tends to add weight and compromise the bike, and the returns aren't worth it.  This also includes suspension seatposts and suspension stems.  Same goes for simple paths which are really just roads for feet.  The only time suspension might help you is if you're going fast and don't take a good line, ending up somewhere bumpy and going too slow, resulting in a fall.
Upshot - if you can ride the path without your tyres leaving the ground then suspension isn't really needed.
If you DO choose suspension, make sure its rated for your weight, which is not the same as any limits on your frame.  For air suspension you'll need an air-shock pump to add air when setting the sag.  For coil sprung suspension you'll probably want the bike shop to help set it up for you with the right number/grade of inserts.  For this reason, a tuneable air-suspension would be better than a coil-based suspension.
Pedals - decent quality flat pedals are all you'll need.  Avoid clipless/cleats at this point, save that for the next bike.   Flat pedals also help you get a foot down quicker should that be needed.
Saddle - avoid big wide squishy padded saddles - they may look comfortable but they tend to not be.  Instead search here for "saddle width" questions.
Position - Aim for a bike that lets you ride with a more upright-position.  I found that my gut was in the way on a road bike to start with.

Another option for you is to look at a tricycle or trike.  They have an extra rear wheel and will carry more weight than a two-wheeled bike. Downsides are they're wider, and tend to cost more due to rarity.  Overall stability is lower too because they always conform to the slope of the ground, but on flat land its impossible to fall off.  They tend to appeal to the elderly who may have balance issues, so resell value is generally okay.
Speaking of resale value, a well-specced "heavy rider" bike should hold its value and in a couple of years can be sold off once you no longer need it.
"Fat bikes" are called that because of the width of their tyres, not because of the rider.  So don't assume that having big wide tyres means a bike will work for your starting weight.
You can chart your weight over time - I log my weight first thing in the morning, and additionally after significant exercise which reinforces how much good each ride is doing.   I ride mostly to commute, which means I have to ride whether I feel like it or not.
Upshot - yes I would observe the weight limits of manufacturers, but consider it motivation.


(Light?) rust removal from chain Situation:
I'm new to the world of trike maintenance. My son and I purchased recumbent trikes at the end of last summer. The weather for the past couple of months has been cold, snowy, cold, and...cold (Northern Pennsylvania climate.) So I cleaned them, tried my hand at lubricating the chains for the third time since owning them, and put them up in the shed to keep them out of the sun and precipitation.

This weekend looks like the first time in awhile that we might be able to go for a ride without freezing the fingers off. I took a look at the trikes, anticipating having to add air to tires and maybe clean the disc brakes, and saw the chains:

The top is one trike, the bottom two are the other...

On soliciting some info, I was told that is "definitely rust." Apparently I didn't do something right when I put them in the shed for a month of storage, or rust is not easy to fend off. As I said, I'm new to this, and trying to improve maintenance skills. I'm hoping this isn't so bad that the chains require removal or replacement at this point.

Questions:

How bad in shape are these chains, relatively speaking?
I have yet to find a definitive answer to this; how do I clear off the rust? WD-40, followed by degreaser and relubricate them?
These are chains that came stock with the trikes. I wonder if the future fix is to get a particular type of rust-resistant chain?

Being winter in PA, the roads will no doubt be salty from road melt material. I'm trying to keep the trikes cleaned, touch up paint where chips are found, wipe them down, etc...but there's a lot of contradictory advice on how to do certain things. Any advice/fixes for the questions above would be appreciated...

As long, as you can easily move the links of your chain, there's no problem. Just lube them and ride them, and they'll be fine. The movement will rub any rust from the critical places. You may need to work the chain for a while before the links become free, a creeping oil should help get the links moving again.

That said, there are two ways to ensure that a chain won't rust (as quickly as yours):

Make sure they are always well-lubed. A surface that's covered by oil is not covered by humid air, and cannot rust. May work well during storage, not so well when you actually use the bike.
Use chains with an anti-rust coating. I have quite good experiences with this, though the chains are a bit more expensive. I'm not sure how robust the anti-rust coating is against sliding through a front deraileur, though (I only ride IGH). In any case, I've never had a rust-proof chain go stiff.

Of course, anti-rust coated chains still like being kept well-lubed...


Are road cranks less strudy than comparatevely priced MTB cranks? Road bikes are built to face different challenges than MTBs. Does this lead to difference in the crank strenght versus weight optimization? Will road cranks tackle to the occasional bump onto a stone on the trail?

In general, road cranks are lighter because they use less material than mtb cranks. Mtb cranks use more material so they can handle more abuse. Compatibility aside, I would be cautious in using road cranks for much more than cyclocross duty. You may never have a problem, but do you really want to find out the hard way?


Fixed gear drivetrain problem Sometimes, when I put a lot of pressure on my pedals while accelerating or skidding, my pedals "drop" like when your cog is unscrewing. I have a lock ring, so it's not unscrewing. I've recently changed my chain. Do you guys know the problem? I can't ride like this.
I can send photos if needed.

I can think of six possibilities (however realistic each may or may not be, and not in any particular order) for crank advancement through an angle out of proportion to the driven wheel in a fixed gear setup...

(1) 24TPI hub threading not fully bottomed by the cog as it should be.  The reverse-thread lockring, if all parts are truly tight, should prevent this altogether, but tightening the lockring would not necessarily ensure the cog is bottomed against the hub shoulder (since the cog won't cooperate by going ahead and tightening [like axle cones often do] if the lockring is tighened against it while loose).  I have not experienced this, but since the lockring has a left-hand thread, I assume it could be loose from the cog without immediate catastrophe.  The cog would then be allowed to rotate on its screw threads through a small range, but it could not completely unscrew because of the reversed thread conflict.  The scenario provides that the cog is intermittently screwing back and forth between 2 shoulders (and both ends of this range might feel like freewheel threads being tightened [with alternating direction] when torque application is reversed).  Hypothetically speaking, a same-threaded locknut would not do this, but rather be free to unscrew by the impetus of the next nut over (which would be the cog), and the results WOULD be catastrophic.

This seems pretty possible to me.  If I install a freewheel by hand, even using a chain whip, I can still feel it tightening when I start riding and get my weight and leg muscles into it in the normal drivetrain usage.  This suggests that if a fixed cog were applied using only hand strength, and then a lockring were immediately applied, perhaps that final tightening takes place after the lockring is set, and since post-tightening of the cog causes the "nuts" (cog and lockring) to be DIVERGENT, there would be room for what I described since it would be free (enough for leg power at least) to untighten from the hub and tighen against the lockring under back-torque.  Assuming you have brakes, my suggestion is to use leg force to tighten the fixed cog and stop with the brakes (or whatever it takes to avoid any backpedaling) and then re-tighten the lockring and ride as normal to see if the problem goes away.  Without brakes, find a way (like do it uphill, or use impact if you can fashion some kind of boss or linkage to the cog) to maximize tightening torque before the lockring is finally snugged.  Make sure the threads, as well as the faces of the cog and lockring, are clean and there are no spacers or anything but hard surfaces for bearing the torque.

(2) I have not heard of this happening other than in my imagination, but it seems pretty conceivable that perhaps the soft male threads on the hub have worn [stripped] sufficiently to allow the driven cog to skip over them under sufficient torque.  This would be more likely if the bike had previously been ridden with the rear cog and lockring inadequately tightened.  This would effectively require hub replacement in any hub I have seen (where the male threads are a permanent and fundamental part of the hub body.  Even just short of tight, there is often noticeable play in these threads, which is why I imagined this possibility.

(3) Chain skip, which I think was hinted above would require a pretty extreme pitch mismatch in a single speed train in order to ride on the tooth peaks without trough engagement.  It's a remote possibility, and you would probably hear an ugly metallic racket as this took place.  Moreover if your chainline is imperfect, this could easily result in a thrown chain.  edit:  If this is possible it would imply that the chain is already WAY too loose.

(4) Tire slippage is possible (however unusual in an inflated tire), and might feel a little like thread friction (also being a quiet phenomenon).  I have seen tires [that don't have much "gum" over the carcass material in the bead area] with low inflation be able to slip on the rim under torsion.  Not much of this would be possible before damaging the valve stem if the tube goes along for the ride, but if it stays with the rim (less likely), the tire could slip infinitely.  Most tires stick pretty well but I have seen exceptions.  This is the reason for rim-locks in fat low-pressure tires.  A test of increasing inflation should eliminate this possibility.

(5) I have definitely experienced a type of crank wear that could feel like this (but only for your left foot).  In conventional square-splines, if you do a lot of standing, jumping, etc., with your right foot forward, the torque in the spindle is reversed from normal pedaling action by any downward force that ends up evenly distributed between both pedals (as in, coasting NOT pedaling).  (Keeping your left foot forward as a general rule when standing negates this possibility)  The soft square-taper-broached holes in the crank arms can develop play on the spindle and then the left crank is allowed to swing through a dead angle (relative to the right crank's constant chain engagement) that may feel similar.  In very minor cases, the spindle cap screws or nuts can be tightened down harder to "cold-form" the crank arms (they're pretty much toast by this point anyway but you can get home on them by doing this).  In more advanced cases, I have used a piece of an aluminum beverage can to shim the tapered hole and hard torque to remedy.  Ultimately the condition necessitates crank replacement.  *edit: I think this problem is more likely with the older "nut-on-stud" crank attachment to the spindle since the serrated side of the nut reacts to any crank movement and provides a quick foothold for development of slop.  I changed my habits away from having my right foot forward while standing at about the same time as I started using a cap-screwed (rather than nutted) bottom bracket, and I have not had this problem since, so I'm not sure how likely it is in other cases.

(6) Backlash from chain being too loose.  The chain should always be loose enough to not be taut at the tightest point (found by rotating the system until the minimum chain play is found - play adjustment should be made at this rotational position only).  If there is eccentric wear or manufacturing fault in either sprocket, this could be more extreme but there still always has to be at least slight play.  If the variance is extreme, then at the loosest rotational phase of the system, there would be considerable backlash, the 'dead angle' which the cranks must subtend between application of forward and rearward torque (regardless of rotation position or speed - it's the transition from the slack being at the bottom run of the chain with forward drive to it being at the top run of chain with rearward drive, regardless of actual movement).  This would not feel "frictional" like the hub thread tightening phenomenon, but more like a free angle between abrupt endpoints, like when you switch from coasting to pedaling on very coarsely pawled freewheels or freehubs.


Will any 10 speed cassette work with a 10 speed shifter? I have a 10 speed shifter Shimano Deore SL-M610. I replaced the cassette from Shimano CS-HG50, 11-36 to XT M771 10, 11-36 about a yer ago. I'm currently experiencing some issues with the chain slipping off the cassette. I'm pretty sure I need to replace the chain and chainset, but just wanted to check if the new cassette could have caused incompatibility and issues with chain slippage?

Really appreciate your time and help with this.

Rob

Shimano and SRAM cassettes of the same speeds (up to 11 speed) are all basically compatible with each other. The overall cassette width and individual sprocket widths and spacings are standardized for each number of speeds.

(This does not mean you can use any 10 size speed cassette in a drivetrain of course, as the derailleur has to be able to handle the cassette sprocket size range.)

Because sprocket widths and spacings are standardized, all shifter/derailleur combinations for a given number of speeds move the derailleur cage the same amount per click, to match with the cassette sprocket spacings. The amount of cable pulled by the shifter per click differs between Shimano and SRAM but this is compensated for by the derailleur actuation ratio.

If your chain is coming off the innermost or outermost sprockets you need to adjust the derailleur limits. If the chain is overriding the sprockets under hard pedaling check chain and cassette sprocket wear. Note that a worn chain accelerates wear on cassettes and chainrings. I recommend getting a chain wear gauge as they are cheap and easy to use.


On a bottom bracket, what does the numeric expression e.g. 1.37x24 mean? On a bottom bracket I can read 1.37x24 - what do 1.37 and 24 stand for?

It describes the thread of the bottom bracket.

1.37 stands for the thread diameter and is measured in inches. 24 stands for the pitch size (the distance of the thread in one turn). It's measured in TPI, threads per inch.

If the values differ, a bottom bracket won't fit to the frame.


Help to identify this bicycle, please Need to identify this cool bike in hopes to restore it.

Serial # M3 G2058
Decals read: GT 4130 CRO MO, and TEAM on one
It appears to have been Chrome with decals and since painted over?

Thanks to all who try to help us.

BTW - Cool site!

The one piece seat-stay/chain-stay construction looks like a Hutch* from the early 80's however, having both the left & right side stays made from one bent tube doesn't match up exactly with anything I have looked at while browsing the BMX Museum. It might be something from the late 70s (they only have from 1980 on pictured there). Or it might be a knock-off cheap copy of the Hutch design. That might be a good place to continue your search.

Based on the eBay prices of some of these bikes, I'd say you've likely got yourself a valuable project on your hands!

*I picked Hutch based on one that was similar looking on eBay that came up in a search for "bicycle gt 4130 cro mo team".


Carbon steerer with expander plug under the stem, should I be worried? I just bought a custom fixed gear frame that comes with a carbon fork with carbon steerer, off a guy who already cut the steerer lower than the stem so that the cap can sit flush on the stem. Normally I would put a 5mm spacer above the stem, because it seems like the general best practice.

However the fork was already cut so that with the expander in, after tightening the cap, the top of the expander plug would leave 2mm below the stem. I might be able to find a way to shave the top part of the headset a bit to save like 1mm, and since this frame hasn't been ridden, it should settle in just slightly deeper after a few rides.

Either way, should I be worried? or is this normal that it is not a problem?

Should you be worried, I wouldn't be. The alloy expander will stop the carbon steerer from being crushed. Remember the max torque on the stem bolts will likely be less than 6nm. (Use appropriate retaining paste and don't over tighten it!)

As you mentioned, a lot of people (me included) will recommend a 5mm spacer on top of the stem, with the steerer a bit longer, to be extra safe.

But plenty of people refuse to have spacers above the stem for various reasons, mainly aesthetics, and they are fine, assuming the expander insider the steerer is of good quality.


what type of bike/frame to use when overweight? I'm around 230lbs. Since I do enjoy biking, I was looking up old school racing bikes on craigslist. Some of the frames are built with "Tange 1" steel which specify weight limits (180lbs). Is it really possible that I might damage the bike if I choose to ride it?

For someone my weight or higher, what kind of bike and/or frame should be used? Is there any concern if an aluminum frame is used? Or does all of this depend on the manufacturing quality (eg, Tange 1 instead of Tange 5)?

Old-school racing bikes (I have two) are not as comfortable as old-school MTBs when you resume riding, especially if you have a bit of a gut. The upright riding position that the vintage MTBs offer (or a modern equivalent) is one of those things that can keep you on the bike until riding a road bike becomes more comfortable.

When I resumed riding (as a middle-aged adult), I was fortunate to get this at a local garage sale for $20:

With the benefit of hindsight, I can tell you that had I resumed riding on an old-school racing bike, I would have certainly quit. I was way out of shape, and the bent-over position required for riding a road bike would have been so uncomfortable that there is no way I would have persevered. But this Peugeot was just what the doctor ordered, no pun intended. I rode it for about 1,400 miles (about 2,250 km) before upgrading to the old-school road bike.

Of course, YMMV, and you didn't mention your height or your age.

BTW, one of my old-school racing bikes has Tange #2 tubes and I am still around 200 lbs. I put about 1,500 miles on that bike, for what it's worth.

Final thought: you may find this subforum helpful. There are (and have been) many folks in the same boat.


How to mount tires without tire levers? Videos like this give the impression that mounting a tire with your hands only is stupidly easy. Now during my life I've mounted quite a few tires myself (probably ten times at least), always trying to make it without tire levers and always failing. Not only that, I always ended up needing quite some force even with tire levers to get that last bit over the edge (even broke a plastic lever once).

Now I'm wondering, is this normal, and all the videos that are trying to tell you how easy it is are just using especially loose combinations of tire and rim? Or might I be missing anything?

That video is of a relatively supple tire going on easy. It's pretty blasé about the difficulties that can be encountered. He does end at the valve, which is good because advice to do the contrary is one of the most parroted falsehoods in cycling, but he doesn't talk about why.

There is a universal truth of difficult clincher tire mounting situations, and it's simple. You get the last part of the bead to go over easiest when on the whole rest of the wheel, but especially 180° away, the two beads are pinched together down into the well of the rim and kissing each other. And you must finish at the valve, because the valve is the spot on the wheel where the beads can sink into the rim well the least.

You can use force, tools, water, soap, pastes, and thinner rim strips to help accomplish this. Sometimes even strong, skilled mechanics need or choose to employ some or all of those. It is true that oftentimes brains and dexterity are enough, but not always, and not always on an average time expenditure basis either. But the point is that if you want your maximum chance of doing it with hands alone, you have to focus your efforts on the above principle. It's how clincher tires work and there is no trick that's anything but a rephrasing or play on it.

A side note: Sometimes you hear cyclists and mechanics advising against finishing the job with tire levers or using them for installation at all. The basis for this is that doing it carelessly is a good way to ruin tubes and sometimes tires. Tubes when the tube is being reefed on directly by the lever without the user noticing or caring, and tires when excess force is applied when the beads haven't been properly sunk into the rim well, as above, and instead are stuck and won't simply be coaxed in with force. These situations are avoidable, although some tires don't make it easy. I install a lot of 25, 28, and 32mm Marathon Pluses and I usually finish with a tire lever because on balance I find things go smoother that way, but it requires being very careful that I'm not committing the above mistakes.


Can you change your skewer frame into to thru axle one? I have a frame that uses QR skewers.  Can I modify the frame to use thru axles?Has anyone done it??

Frame rear dropouts and forks for through-axles are of a substantially different design than those designed for quick-release hubs. Through axles are essentially a large bolt that attaches the wheel to the frame whereas quick releases (and older threaded axles clamp the hub into slots.

Most frames and forks cannot be easily modified, the dropouts are permanently attached. Steel or aluminum frames or forks could be cut and new dropouts welded in, but this of course would be difficult and expensive, especially as through axle dropouts have to be aligned much more precisely than quick release ones. Carbon fiber composite frames I suppose could be cut and new dropouts bonded in, but this would likely be more expensive than modifying a metal frame.

Forks can of course be easily replaced. some manufacturers offer frames have removable rear dropouts that can be swapped for through-axle, quick release other style dropouts.


What is the cheapest option to fetch a person over a long-distance with bicycles? I need to fetch an outsider from about 20km far away and I want to use my bicycles. I have used roller skaters with a bicycle to fetch my friend, I let my friend to use the bike while I will stuck to the back at the destination -- it is very cool and convenient (light weight) when you know your friend but doing it with unknown outsider is not be the best option because it requires trust between the participants. My next best option is to use my foldable bike stuck to my back-bag and my diamond-framed bike but the foldable bike weighs about 10 kg. I have been considering a number of options such as tandem, an unicycle and side-cargo thing but many options tend to be expensive. I don't want to use rack based sitting approach because it would damage the rack.

How do you fetch your friends or outsiders over long distances when you need to carry the transportation equipments to one-direction alone and then allow the friend/outsider to use the equipments to move to the other direction with you?

If you are suggesting a thing such as tandem that may be too expensive, let me know whether you could hack your standard bike such as diamond framed bike to a tandem so that I could get it cheaper.

When I drop my wife off at the train station, we use a folding bike and a trailer. She rides the folding bike there, and her suitcase rides in the trailer behind my bike. However, while inexpensive used folding bikes can be found, getting a trailer may be too expensive.

You'll either need to carry someone on your bike, or find a way to bring along another bike.

You can hold onto another bike while you're riding, wheeling it along next to you, but that's not very safe (especially for rides of any distance). Since you've indicated you don't want to carry someone on your rack, I would consider buying an inexpensive beater bike and a truck bed mount, attaching the mount to a bike's rack to receive the front fork of the bike you're pulling. (Here are instructions to make one of those inexpensively, scroll down a bit on the page and you'll see a commercially produced version of the same device.)

You take the front wheel off the towed bike and the bolt shown goes where the axle of the front wheel used to. Works like this:

You can ride with one bike behind the other, strapping the front wheel of the bike you're towing to the side of your rack, or just carry it. You'll also have the empty rack for the trip back.


Gear keeps falling back to gear 6 So basically I fell off my bike and my chain fell of but as soon as I put the chain back on and thought it was perfect I noticed it stayed in gear 6 even if the numbers changed to for example gear 4 it was still on gear 6 so then I put my bike upside down so I could get to the chain easier and then when I put the chain on the gear 5 as soon as I put my hand on the pedal and started pedalling it dropped back into gear 6. What do I do to stop this?

Sounds like your derailleur cable broke or got loose and so your derailleur is moving to its default outermost position, the smallest gear (assuming your shifter is labeled such that 6 is the highest gear).

You might be able to find where it's loose and retension it. More likely, you'll need a new derailleur cable. About five to ten Eurodollars.

However, in a situation where your bike toppled, you could have bent your derailleur hanger. It's worth just having the shop do the cable replacement and rear derailleur tuneup and realignment. It should be around half an hour of shop time labor.

Note: another scenario if you have index shifters  is that the crash yanked the derailleur with such force that it broke the index shifter internals such that they do nothing and the derailleur is reverting to default. Again, the shop should be able to tell. New shifters are only fifteen to thirty Eurodollars for the inexpensive lines.


Can I run a Schwalbe Marathon 26" on a Mavic CrossLand UST rim? I have a old 26" mtb that I still use for commuting and occasional weekend rides. I need to change the tyres as the current ones are very old. I would like to buy tyres with low rolling resistance and good puncture resistance like the Schwalbe Marathon GreenGuard.

My bike has two Mavic CrossLand UST rims, like these (credits to http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88503):

I currently mount two 26x1,5 tyres (do not ask me model or who had the idea to mount them :-) ). The problem is that, due to the UST rim, these are very difficult to mount (too small for the high rim), and I risk breaking the levers every time. I am wondering if I will have the same problem with the Marathon tyres.

If they do not work, which other (not too expensive) tyres would fit without many problems? I want to use them with tubes, as tubeless seems too much of a hassle to me.

If tires are nominally compatible with the rims, it may still sometimes frustratingly hard to put them on. There are several tricks that helped me on many occasions.

Make sure that tube does not get in the way. Sometimes it means using a narrower tube. In your case, having a tube marked for tires 26"×2.0" inside tires marked as 26"×1.5" will add extra to the torture (the tube will be "pushing" a partially installed tire away). Instead, find a tube marked as 26"×1.5" or approximately so.
Use liquid soap on tire's bead before installing. This would remove extra friction along the circumference of the rim.
Keep an eye on the first bead. Installing the first bead into the rim is usually not hard; it is the second, final bead of the tire that is stubborn. When installing it, keep an eye on the first (already installed) tire's bead. Try keeping it pushed inside, closer to the centerline of the rim, rather than allowing it resting on the hooks of the rim. This way, the tire will relieve a bit of maneuver for the second bead.
Do not rely too much on your tire levers. It should be possible to install a tire without using levers, only with one's fingers, a lot of swearing and sometimes toes to give a final push to the last 5 cm of the bead.
Sometimes, if nothing helps, it is worth starting over by releasing the bead completely. This way, you'll have a second chance for the bead to sit properly right from the start. Keep an eye on the first bead when pushing the second one!

Good luck!


Front wheel shudder on Cyclocross brakes I have a Javelin Primitivo with cantilever brakes. My front fork is carbon.

When I brake the front wheel will "shudder". I replaced my wheels and adjusted my brakes (toed them in). I have even tried my road bike wheels.

Any thought on solving this? I would like to upgrade my brakes but I want to keep the option for my wide tires.

The stutter comes from the way the brakes are actuated. From the picture on Javelin's site I see that the housing is held at the top of the head-tube. When you brake the fork flexes backwards causing the cable's tension to change. The brakes will be slightly released causing to fork to move again, re-tightening the brakes, pushing the fork backwards. This happens in quick succession thus the brake stutter. The way to cure it is to move the attachment of the cable-housing to the crown of the fork. There are front cable hangers that can be screwed to the hole where a side-pull brake would be attached.
Google for 'Front Cable Hanger Fork Mount'


How can I tell if the size of a bike is right for me? Today I disassembled my current fixed-gear, and reassembled all the parts in another frame, which I am considering to purchase.

The current owner of the frame warned me that it might be too big for me, and I agree with him. Even though, I think it has good cost-benefit, so I decided to do a test-ride.

I noticed the final geometry and rideability was pretty good, and since the frame has a long headtube (which I desire) I guess the inseam problem might not be so important considering the main goal is randonneuring, where "riding" characteristics are much more important than "mounting and dismounting" characteristics. Most probably the bike will receive a drop handlebar, even though I like flat bars a lot.

Below is a photo of the current set. There are 6cm of seatpost visible, and I might want to lower an aditional 1cm.
The main reason I want to somewhat stubbornly keep the frame is that I liked riding it, didn't see any major problem except for a slight touch of the upper seatstays between the thighs, but that tends to disappear since I felt the need to put the saddle a bit more forewards.

What I am asking is:

  Even considering the frameset is ridiculously larger than I would
  typically choose, if I like riding the bike, is there any problem that
  I'm not considering, a reason NOT to keep the frameset?

I'm 1,88cm (6'3") tall, and have used 56cm bikes, this one is 64cm (seat tube, bbc to top).

Thanks for any insight!

Frame fit

Primarily, a bike fits if you can position pedals, saddle and handlebars relative to each other so that they match your body's proportions. Secondarily, when these contact have been set, other frame parameters should fall into place so that the riding characteristics are as desired. That includes e.g. toe clip overlap, stand over height, bottom bracket height, heel/panniers clearance, steering geometry, or that an extremely short or long stem gives a weird steering balance. Depending on what you use the bike for, the importance of these parameters varies.

Does "frame size" equal "seat tube length"?

If you consider frame fit as putting the contact points in the right spots, the length and angle of the seat tube is one of the less important dimensions. By choosing the right seat post length and setback, it is possible to put the saddle in the right position relative to the pedals (or, simplified, the bottom bracket). Generally, on most frames, most riders can put the saddle in the right position relative to the bottom bracket.

Depending on the use of the bike stand over height (or clearance) is more (MTB) or less (road) important. If you want a certain stand over clearance, of course this limits the frame size to a certain amount. This is easy to determine: With the correct tires and wheels, the height of the top tube should be lower than the length of your inseam.

How to determine "frame size" instead

The critical point is often if you can put your handlebars of choice in the right spot, too. One thing to consider here is that drop handlebars have a significantly longer reach than straight ones. This is because the normal hand position is on or behind the brake lever hoods with a drop bar, and not on the straight section next to the stem eye. If one does not want to resort to extremely short or long stems, a frame usually only allows for a good fit with either drop or straight bars.

Working backwards from the hand position through handlebars and a normal sized stem (ca. 8-12cm on a classic frame like this), one ends up at a certain position where the top of the head tube should be.

Stack and reach

The corresponding frame dimensions are the vertical and horizontal distances of the head tube upper end from the bottom bracket, called stack and reach. Unfortunately especially frame reach is quite difficult to measure on a frame without complicated measurement setups (or a good picture exactly from the side without perspective distortions). Therefore many tend to use top tube length as an alternative to reach, and ("virtual") seat tube length instead of stack. One should be careful though: The position of the top of the head tube not only depends on seat tube and top tube lengths, but also on the seat tube angle (which can be even harder to measure than reach).

The easiest way to find out your needs regarding stack and reach is to measure a bike which fits you well and has the relevant handlebars setup. One way to do this is to take a photo exactly from the side and from quite far away, and measure in the picture.

What does this mean for you?

As you say, stand over clearance does not bother you with this frame, so the seat tube length is very likely ok. On the picture there is also plenty of room to move the saddle forwards, in the worst case with a zero setback seat post. So the saddle probably position fits you. Good.

I am more concerned about whether the frame reach is too long, when changing to a drop bar. But as far as I know, the classic Raleigh road geometries do not have overly long reach, and the stem shown on your picture is way longer than what I would consider aesthetically pleasing on a frame like this (especially with quite little seat post to be seen).

Without knowing more about the frame and your fit preferences it is very hard to advise if it will fit you in this regard. The fact that the frame was built with a classic quill stem in mind, but has a threadless fork today, does not make it easier: It may be that you can't rise the bars enough with an ahead stem (and the fork already being cut).

The easiest thing would be to just try putting a drop bar on the frame (ideally with an adjustable stem temporarily). With a fixed gear that should be easy to do. Ride and adjust, and you will feel if it fits.

What else?

Apart from all that I think that the average 56cm frame is quite a bit too small for the average 1.88m male (horizontal top tube, or "virtual seat tube length" assumed). I am 1.83m myself and usually start looking around what is labelled as 58cm.

I'm pretty sure that the fork is not original. Ask the seller if the original still exists. It probably is a threaded fork, which allows for higher building quill stems. And it probably looks nicer, too.

Finally: I have never heard about problems with the thighs rubbing on the seat stays before...


How does the Pog Security Washer work when using it with the Pinhead wheel locks? I noticed when I got some Pinhead Wheel Locks that they came with an extra funky looking washer that looks like this:

They didn't describe much about it, but I did find some information about them:

It seems like without the washer you can use a Gator Grip Socket to unlock them.
Pinhead responded to this discovery by creating these washers and making this video. But in the video they didn't describe how exactly they work to thwart the Gator Grip attack.
They give them for free on their website to people who don't already have them.

I like to keep my bike fully secure from thieves, so I use and recommend the Pinhead wheel locks. I'd like to understand more how they work.

As I was writing the question I realized how they work, so I'll do this Q&A style. The Gator Grip Socket works by forming to the Pinhead lock no matter the lock positions. However, it's larger then the key, so when you put it on, if there's something else blocking the way that doesn't turn (like the pog security washer), then it won't work.

So technically if they created a new tool that was like the Gator Grip Socket but smaller, you might be able to still unlock the Pinhead locks with it. But even that would be unlikely because of the way the pog security washer juts out that would block you from getting a secure seal on it.


Peugeot UO-9 super sport rim upgrade I would like to upgrade the rims from 27 x 1.25 to 700c. I would like to use the same 5 speed cassette on the 700c rim (see pic below). Would any new 700c cassette hub rear wheel work with that cassette ? Also would there be any issue with the chain lining up with the cassette on the 700c wheel ?

What you have there is a freewheel, not a cassette. The difference is a freewheel combines the freewheel ratchet mechanism and sprockets and mounts on a large diameter thread on the hub; the freehub/cassette system puts the freewheel ratchet mechanism in the hub and the sprockets slide on a splined freehub body. See here for in depth explaination.

You probably have a hub with frame spacing of 120mm (see here). Modern 700c road wheel have a spacing of 130 or 135mm.

What you will want to do is get a wheel with a 120mm freewheel type hub onto which you can put your existing freewheel (or a new one), but with a 622mm diameter rim (700c) rather than the 630mm (commonly called '27 inch') you have now.

I assume you know you will have to find long-reach rim brake calipers to deal with the difference between rim diameters.


Hydraulic disc brakes - total friction as a function of rotor size I have a hydraulic disc road bike with a 160mm rotor on the front and a 140mm on the rear.  The setup is exactly the same front to rear, except for rotor size. I'd like to know the disparity between the force I would have to apply at the brake lever for the total friction or stopping power to be equal front to rear, for a given speed over a given distance, to a complete stop, i.e. total work done by each to be exactly equal.  Since the 140mm rotor is 7/8th's the size of the 160mm, I'd be tempted to say that an equal lever pull would produce 7/8th's the friction on the rear, but I'm sure there is more to it than that.

So, for example, If I'm riding at 10mph and come to a stop over 100ft, how hard would I have to pull each lever (as a ratio of front brake/rear brake) to ensure that my momentum is converted to exactly the same amount of heat by each rotor respectively?

Don't worry about equal torque.  The front wheel will do as much as ninety percent of the work on a maximum stop.  You will learn to modulate the rear to prevent lock-up.  Equal pressure will be fine for normal stops.


Is it safe to bolt my single-speed chainring to the other side of the crank? Background: I converted a 21-speed bicycle to single-speed by removing the derailleurs and installing a single-speed freewheel and crankset.

The chainline is no longer straight, and I would like to get it closer to straight. At the moment, I'm not ready to re-dish the rear wheel or replace the bottom bracket with a narrower one, and I am exploring more convenient options for adjusting the chainline.

I noticed that, although the chainring that came with drive-side crank is bolted to the outside surface of that crank, the inside surface of the crank also appears to be designed to accommodate a chainring. If I move the chainring from the outside, it reduces front chainline as desired, while still leaving adequate clearance from my frame.

My question is, is this safe? Am I correct in inferring that the single-speed crankset is designed to allow this? (I could not find any mention of this configuration in the instructions that came with the crankset.)

Here is how the crankset looks out of the box:

Here is the other surface that I think the chainring can be bolted to:

Here is how it looks after I move the chainring (on an older but very similar crankset):

Looks perfectly safe to me.

In fact, it looks like that crankset's spider arms were designed to also be used as a double crankset for a bike with a front derailleur, with chainrings mounted on both surfaces. Note how the support "fences" inside the bolt holes have the same curvature to clear a chainring that the outside supports do.


Bicycle hand pump pressure gauge Today I got my new bike pump. It is a two-way pump with pressure gauge, up to 100 psi, that I bought cheaply over the internet. When I tried to pump up my tire (Schrader valve) it seemed to be working, I mean, it pumped my tire. But the problem is that the gauge shows 20-25 psi even if I pump more and more until I can hardly squeeze the tire. Also, when I let the air out, it shows less than 10 psi. So the range is 5-25 psi let's say... On the other hand, when I place my thumb on the pump valve and squeeze the pump, it shows 30-40 even 50 psi (I can't hold it to higher psi range).

What can the problem be? Is it possible I am not putting the pump in the right position when I am pumping the tires?

Thank you in advance!

I have a Topeak "Road Morph" mini pump on my bike, and the pressure gauge on that is at best a distraction. The display is a bit of plastic sliding in a tube, so there's a lot of friction and that makes the pressure reading unreliable. It can stick anywhere, but usually it reads low, like yours does. That makes it useless for anything other than "is there air in my tyre", which I can answer more easily by squeezing the tyre.

So it's likely that the reason you're having problems is that your pump is a cheap version of mine, and it works even less well than mine

The effective pressure gauges that I've seen are all dial gauges, and there are not many mini pumps that have those. Normally they're found on floor pumps like this:


Chain falling when shifting from small to big chainring I just recently installed Q Rings both inner and outer chain rings on Shimano Ultegra 6800 groupset. The bike shifts perfectly when in the bike stand. But when I ride the bike, sometimes the chain falls when shifting from small to big chain ring. It falls towards the frame which seems odd. If it falls out to the pedal then I know I need to set the limit screws but this is different. It usually happens when chain in the rear cassette is in the 2 biggest rings. Any idea?

Your front derailleur is 'undershifting', meaning that when you release the pressure on the lever, the FD moves a tiny bit inwards. This throws the chain off the big ring towards the small ring. If the chain is on a smaller rear sprocket you might notice that it is rubbing slightly against the outer plate of the FD.

You need to adjust the HI-screw on the FD. Give it a turn anti-clockwise and check if the chain stays on the ring.

As @Criggie justly points out, when a bike's settings are adjusted on a workstand things change a bit when it is ridden. Mainly due to the slight deformation of the frame when under the load of the rider.


How much does the price of a new bicycle drop a year after buying it? I'm planning to buy a bicycle "on a budget" (I'm sure yet if I should buy a new or an old one). But since I'm going to use for just a year, I'm wondering how much I'm going to sell it for next year (how much I'm going to lose in it purchase price)?

I don't know if what they say about cars (that you lose 20% of a new car's value after owning it for a year according to Car Depreciation: How Much Have You Lost?) applies also to bicycles.

I would use bicycle blue book as a way to figure out the change in value of the bike.  They have a system to estimate the resale value of used bikes.  Your bikes condition at the end of the year will matter so keep it clean and lubed.


Mirrors on both bars Is there conventional wisdom why bikers don't use mirrors on both handlebars in the same way as exist on a motorcycle or moped? Having both mirrors would seem to provide much better coverage which would be useful in traffic and/or riding a fast ebike.

As I've mentioned in the comments, I've got mirrors on a couple of my bikes: a Zefal Spin on the tourer and a Busch & Müller Cyclestar on the hybrid.  Both are convex, and cover a wide area, and both mount on the end of the bars. They're very useful, though mainly for keeping up awareness of the situation. The B&M in particular sits quite far out and covers the lane I'm in as well as to the side where cars overtake (I'm in the UK where we ride on the left, but I'll try to make my description ambidextrous). On the rare occasions when I commute on my MTB, without a mirror, I really miss them.

But while there are cases when traffic can be coming up from behind on either side, such as when lanes split to go in different directions, you don't just need to see what's behind and to the side, you need to scan everywhere, and be seen to do so. I've also ridden in France, without moving my mirror across. I didn't find it very helpful at all having a mirror on the kerb side of my bike, even when there was traffic to that side. I'm not on an e-bike, but when I just need awareness of traffic on both sides, I'm often going faster than e-bikes legally can (here, under motor power).

Another reason: A mirror on the near (kerb) side isn't used nearly as much as on the offside; in fact they weren't required to be fitted to cars in the UK until much later. I don't ride a motorbike, but do drive a car, and there the main reason to use the mirror on the kerb side is to check before pulling in after overtaking someone, especially on a multi-lane road. You don't overtake very often on a bike, except other bikes, and everything is slower and closer together than when motor vehicles overtake each other - there's plenty of time to turn your head and check you've passed safely.


Should I have a spare cassette or a spare wheel? I have a road bike that I use for triathlons as well as club rides in the evenings and on weekends. I don't have the bike in front of me, but the range of the cassette is on the low side. I'm more likely to run out of gears going uphill than down.

I'm going on a bike trip in the Alps next month and it'd probably be to my advantage to have a bit more breathing room for climbing if I'm going to be doing it an entire week. That's why I'm considering getting another cassette with a wider range. Does it make more sense to have a separate cassette that I swap onto my current wheel when needed or should I go ahead and get another wheel to make the swap easier. I don't necessarily want to take apart wheel each time I want to swap. How do people usually handle this?

It's a personal choice. If you're going to run the same tires, then just go with a spare cassette. It's pretty easy to swap them out, so I don't see that as a big deal. However, If you're going to have different tires and a different cassette, then I'd probably opt for the different wheelset. If you need a more durable wheelset for touring, you might also consider a separate wheelset.

I tend to have a road and off-road set of tires for my cross bike. Since it's a lot more work to switch the tires each time I want to ride different types of terrain (and want a slightly larger range on the off road set), I prefer to have a separate wheelset.

It only takes a minute or two to swap a cassette, and also gives you time to get the other one good and clean while it's off the bike.


Claris ST-2300 shift/brake units compatible with V-brakes? I have a Giant hybrid (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/cross-city-2) with Shimano Altus (3x8) with Tektro mini V-brakes.

I want to replace the flat bars with drops, which means I have to change the brifters. Claris (ST-2300) looks like it should work for the rear derailleur (8 speed road/MTB is compatible).

The front derailleur is a Tourney TY710. If I want to keep the triple chainring, I believe I will have to change that derailleur? is that correct?

Are v-brakes compatible with ST-2300 shifter (or similar)? This Shimano document seems to say no, in which case what are my options to get a drop handlebar onto the bike.

You are correct that the Altus rear derailleur will work with Claris 8 speed shifters. I think the front derailleur will work as well.

Regular V brakes will not work with the Claris brake levers. V-brakes require a different leverage ratio at the lever than road caliper and cantilever brakes. The 'mini' V-brakes apparently do with with road brake levers.

The most important thing to be aware of is that replacing flat bars with drop bars is going to significantly affect the bike's cockpit geometry. Frames for drop bars generally have a shorter reach (horizontal distance between bottom bracket and top of head tube) than frames for flat bars. This is because the hand position on drop bars is further forward than flat bars. You may end up with bike that has an unridable hand position without a very short stem.

As stated in the comments, flat to drop bar conversions are problematic and not recommended. Apart from the the cockpit geometry issue shifter/brake units are a expensive component (compared to the cost of the whole bike).

If you want the Giant to feel a bit faster, move your bars lower by dropping the stem down to the lowest position on the steerer (i.e., move the spacers from below it to above it), and possibly replace the stem with one a 10mm step longer. Stems are inexpensive and easy to swap out.


Light brightness indication Due to some issues with my dynamo I am also checking the possibility of installing batteries powered lights.
While checking in a shop, together with the usual LED stuff, I noticed a front light having the indication of "4 lux" on the package. See below info taken from manufacturer web site.

The AXA Scope is a standard LED battery headlight with a light output of 4 lux and 2 bright LED's, very suitable for children's or city bukes.
The integrated retro reflector makes sure you are better visible to oncoming traffic.
[...]
LIGHT BEAM: 15 meters ‘to see’ 1000 meters ‘to be seen’

Is that enough, poor or what? I usually cycle on roads with public illumination on, but sometimes I also ride across parks where the only light is that cast from stars and Moon.
ADDITIONAL INFO
Out of curiosity after the detailed answer received, I decided to try the LED above mentioned (the shop allows returning within 30 days) in real conditions. So I took it home and tried it early this morning in my dark garden from a standing position (I didn't want to go through the hassle of mounting it on the bike).

It casts a decently broad lobe of light, therefore I didn't have to scan around to figure out what I had ahead of me
indeed it enabled me to see until the backyard door, which is roughly 15 meters from where I stood.

Conclusions: it seems better than the LED torch I am using now as a workaround and comparable with the dynamo powered light I used to have, but I think I will opt for a new dynamo. It will at least saves my money on the long run: if I have to trust their claim on 50 hours autonomy I should swap batteries once a month.

You can't directly convert because you need the distance and beam angle. Lumen is a measure of output while lux is how much light is falling on an object. 5 lux is very dim indeed, less than a sliver of moonlight on a dark street.

I should ask, though, are you sure it said lux and not lumens? If it's a single led run from AAA or CR2032 batteries, then you're most likely looking at maybe about 5 lumens.

This would be an example of a light driven by CR2032 watch batteries that would illuminate at around 5 lux at a diffuse 15 meters. Essentially worthless as a bike light but it is better than nothing in terms of preventing cars from running you over.

Update: You included the advertising copy for the light which indeed said it had "4 lux" and "2 bright LEDs." Obviously, the person who wrote the blurb doesn't know what they're talking about since not only is lux is the amount of light falling on an object and is a function of distance, output, and output angle but 4 lux is below moonlight in terms of level of illuminance. So yes, that light would be about the same as the little light I linked above -- just two 5mm LEDs and fairly worthless -- or even worse than worthless as @David Richerby points out, if it gives you a false sense of security. You should think of it as a glorified front reflector rather than as a light.

One way to look at how bright a light is, is to see its running time. LEDs are extremely efficient -- and getting even better -- but their running times still does give a gauge to how bright they are. Your light is advertised as running for 50 hours on 3 AAs. Assuming they are alkaline AAs, that is roughly 2000 mAh at 4.5 volts. So that would be 2000 mAh / 50 hours = 40 milliamperes @ 4.5v. That's enough to drive the two 5mm LEDs very dimly @ 20 mA each. This is a typical LED that would be driven at that current:

  Specifications

  Model: WC301-08 – White
  Color Frequency: .31 x .32 (White)
  Luminous Intensity: 17,000mcd
  Viewing Angle: 30°
  Forward Voltage: 2.9V–3.4V
  Typical Voltage: 3.1V
  Typical Forward Current: 20mA
  Style: Round 5mm – T1 3/4

We finally get a useful spec. 17,000 mcd. Plugging that into a lumens calculator, we get a smashing 3.6 lumens. With two LEDs, we get 7.2 lumens total.  This is with fresh batteries, the light is unlikely to have a booster circuit so it will get dimmer as the battery capacity diminishes.

Rant: Note that manufacturers (especially Chinese no-name ones found on TaoBao or Amazon) are notorious for fake lumen ratings. A "1000 lumen" flashlight is often just 200 lumens in real life.  The best way to figure out what the flashlight is really putting out is to go to a good review site that measures the lumens independently. I like Bike Light Database but there are others.


How to clean a combination bike lock? So a bit of chai latte (yes, it was mine; I don't like coffee) got spilled over the front of my bike yesterday (NOT MY FAULT, I swear). My bike didn't care... but my combination lock did. The numbers don't want to move independently of one another now, and don't like to line up properly either.

Cleaning suggestions? I honestly have no clue.

Possibly related: "How to deal with lock that keeps jamming" (but that's for a U-lock, not a combo lock)

Probably, flushing with plain water followed by some lube should work. Good luck!


How can I increase the highest gear ratio? I am looking for some higher cog front gears for an old bike I am considering. I've been away from it for some time and don't know the current number of cogs on the front ring, but I am looking to maybe put a really large ring on it. I just find that there are times I need one or two more gears to shift up to. I don't always ride in the highest gear, but I have way too much in the lower range.

Is it possible to switch to a larger front ring to boost my higher end range?

Some background on the front chainrings:

Lots of bikes have a front derailleur, allowing more than one chainring. Some bikes have a single front chainring and no derailleur.
They're called chainrings rather than cogs (which are at the back).
There are typically either 3 or 2 chainrings on the front crankset.
If there are 2 chainrings, there are two 'flavours': Compact (with smaller rings, eg: 50 tooth and 34 tooth) or Standard (with larger rings eg: 53 tooth and 39 tooth)
Another important stat is the BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter). This is the diameter of the circle described by the bolts attaching the chainring to the crankset. A common figure is 130mm.

So you have a few factors to consider, and there's more information we need.

Do you have a front derailleur?
How many chainrings are in the front?
What make and model do you currently have?
How many teeth are on each chainring?
How many cogs are you your rear cassette?
How many teeth are on the smallest and the largest cog on the cassette?

With this information we can give you some advice. Just as an alternative, you can also replace the cassette at the back to change your gear ratios.


How durable are the lights on a Vanmoof? Can anyone report on how durable the philips lights built into the frame of a Vanmoof city bike are?  I can't tell if being (partially) inside the top tube will protect them, or make them more vulnerable since they'll have to stop the entire bike if you bash them into a bike rack or something.

I am a happy Vanmoof owner for about two years here in Amsterdam. It's never occurred to me at all to be worried about the lights hitting a bike rack, or anything else. Even if they did, they're pretty solid and I would imagine you'd need to bang at them pretty hard to damage them.


Can a Mamachari be fitted with an 11 speed 52-36T crankset and FD? I would like to upgrade this bike with a better and faster crankset, 52-36T, but I'm confused if my planned setup will be compatible with the bike I have. I have consulted in our local bike shop and they said that a Dura-Ace crank would fit but the FD will have a hard time or impossible fitting considering the top tube design of the bike.

I'm not really sure if he saw my bottom bracket being really old. Might there be any modern bottom bracket to fit it at all?

Edit: Finally found an enlightening link
https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1297/bicycle-front-derailleur-compatibility/

If you want to fit a modern crank you'll need to be able to fit a compatible bottom bracket. Right now you have a threaded bottom bracket shell with a non-cartridge bottom bracket. If the threads are ISO/English standard and the width is standard threaded BB road width (68mm) then you can fit an external bearing road BB and road crank. The BB shell looks a bit wide though.

The other major issue is clearance between the chainstay and large chainrings that the frame was not designed for


How to check carbon frame for cracks Yesterday, a little boy hit my carbon framed road bike with his little bike while I was already standing. He was not very fast, the normal 'little-boy-dreaming-on-his-bike'-speed. So, nobody got hurt, but his mum wanted me to check the frame, she was very sorry and apologized hundreds of times.
After a first look, I can not see any visible cracks or something.

Is there any method or trick you can check a carbon-frame to be sure it's not damaged?
Can there even be some cracks you do not see?
(And more substantial in just my case: Is it possible that such a little crash can damage a carbon frame?).

If no one was hurt then you are probably good.

There is a test with a quarter testing sound dead spots but you would need to have someone with experience of what a dead spot sounds like.

I takes a bit to fracture a carbon.

frame failure testing

fork and hammer


Converting a mountain bike to a urban commuter While cleaning up our storage room I saw my dad's old bike collecting dust on a corner (he used to bike a lot before) so I asked him if I can have it and he said yes.

So for my question can I transform this bike into a commuter or am I better-off selling it and buying a new commuter bike? Though I really like to keep this one for some sentimental reasons rather than to sell it.

My budget is also limited, still finishing my college degree. I'll be using this going to my university and back, though I live in the city our roads/bicycle lanes here in Manila, Philippines are terrible.

Feelings are definitely very important, but a dual suspension bike with a two-crown fork is a difficult start for a commuter bike. Especially if your budget is limited.

I would think that you should inflate the tires well and take a ride to school to see what it's like in its current condition. If you can block suspension, that might help.  I guess if you love or hate your first ride, it'd be a part of an answer to your question.

If it's neither a bliss nor a hell of a ride, you could ask a more specific question, e.g., for advice on particular problems you experience. A possible way out is to sell certain components (such as the fork) and buy new ones that would fit your purpose better.

But yeah, after all, it's a beautiful machine, personally I'd try hard to keep it. Good luck!


How to evaluate used bicycle price? Hey I am about to buy a used bicycle and recently I got offer for Peugeot bicycle. We both do not know the price to agree on...

The question is how to evaluate price of an used bicycle? (where to put the most focus)

The bike:

Age: around 10 years Gears (front and back): Shimano 105 (seems all
fine)
Frame: used but still in very good shape
Brand: Peugeot
Pic:

I guess no more info.

If you know the model and exact year Bicycle Blue Book is a good place to start. This is a link to all the models for Peugeot:

http://www.bicyclebluebook.com/BicycleDatabase.aspx?make=718


What causes rim failure where spokes pull it apart? I've seen a few failures like this lately from touring cycling groups, and I'm wondering what causes this kind of rim failure (if it can be generalized).

poster on group reported shortly after this that there were two other (three total) spots looking like this. Looks very distinct from the side blowouts caused by brake wear.

Is it just overtightened spokes?

If there are several spokes showing this failure, it's not because of a single impact.

I think it's safe to say that the rim was simply overloaded and has suffered metal fatigue from stress cycles imposed by the differing forces on the spoke as the  wheel rotates.

Can't say if the failure is because of overloading beyond what the wheel was designed for, or poor design or a manufacturing problem.


Can Anyone Help Identify this Bike? If a Schwinn is made it China, does it have any resale value?

The decals say "Schwinn Cruiser," the pedals are Schwinn, as is the badge and the pannier bike rack, BUT the Serial Number seems to be "SL16 36" (or 38) which I can't find in any database (perhaps it's not from Chicago, or was made by someone else for Schwinn - made in China, just noticed, Giant?

The Schwinn badge says "Schwinn Quality," and looks like the one from 1995, according to this page:  http://re-cycle.com/History/Schwinn/SwnC_Badges.aspx

schwinn cruiser made in China

Many thanks for any quidance that can be offered : 0

There's a Schwinn serial decoder at  https://bikehistory.org/serial-number.html   could be a useful tool, but need the full serial number.

Try cleaning that area with warm water and dishwash, then dry it off then use an oblique light from a torch/flashlight to help illuminate the deeper metal of the characters.


Do brake hoods come in different sizes? I have a Ribble Sportive Carbon road bike.  The brake hoods are much smaller than most other bikes whihc makes them much less comfortable than other bikes (Scott, Specialised etc.)  Can I just replace the hoods to make them more comfortable or put larger hoods over the top of my existing hoods?

yep they come in different sized based on what brand the gears are, and what year or model.

Campagnolo, Sram and Shimano the 3 main manufacturer's.

Looking at the stock Ribble sportive bike i'm guessing you will need these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-ergopower-replacement-hoods/

or these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/One-23-Replacement-Brake-Hood-Covers-for-Campagnolo-11-speed-WHITE-NEW-/280905184450?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item416740f4c2

Campagnolo 10 speed, or modern 10 speed replacement hoods


Shimano Claris 1x8 11-28t, can upgrade to 1x10 11-34t? Is it possible for my bike that I'm using Shimano Claris 11-28t 1x8 speed to upgrade my cassette in 11-34t 1x10 speed? Thanks. hoping for a good advice.

No. You cannot use a 10 speed cassette with an 8 speed derailleur and shifter.
Cassettes with increasing numbers of sprockets have narrower sprocket spacing, to allow the larger numbers of sprockets to fit on the hub. Shifters and derailleurs for different drivetrains with different numbers of sprockets are designed to move the derailleur cage the proper distance for each shift. Higher speed chains are also incrementally narrower to work with the narrower sprocket spacing. The chainrings are also more narrowly spaced to work with the narrower chain.
If you want to upgrade to 10 speed, you need a new cassette, derailleur, shifters and chain (and crankset if you were running a 2x setup). This is very often not cost effective vs simply buying a new bike with an upgraded drivetrain.


Converting to 1x11 SRAM drivetrain with 8/9/10-speed HG Freehub I currently have a 3x9 Shimano drivetrain, and I'd like to replace the current Shimano 9-speed rear derailleur/shifter/cassette and front derailleur/3 chainrings with the SRAM PG-1170 11-32T cassette, NX rear derailleur, GX shifter, and a narrow wide chainring.

As I understand, 11-speed SRAM cassettes that use an 11 tooth small cog do not require the XD driver body. Additionally, SRAM 11T and Shimano MTB 11-speed cassettes are cross-compatible with Shimano and SRAM derailleurs/shifters. And Shimano 11-speed MTB cassettes fit onto 8/9/10 speed hubs, but Shimano 11-speed road cassettes do not.

The SRAM PG-1170 cassette is listed as a 'road cassette.' The REI description for the PG-1170 lists 'Shimano HG/SRAM PG' Freehub compatibility.

Is my understanding correct, and would this 1x11 upgrade be as straightforward as replacing the existing Shimano components with the SRAM components described above?

11-speed SRAM cassettes that use an 11 tooth small cog do not require the XD driver body ... Shimano 11-speed MTB cassettes fit onto 8/9/10 speed hubs, but Shimano 11-speed road cassettes do not.

Basically correct. MTB cassettes with large low-gear sprockets can be made with the spider overhanging the drive side of the hub a little, so the longer freehub isn't required. I've been told on this site that some larger 11 speed road cassettes also do this and will fit on a 10 speed freehub.

I'm not sure this is a totally hard a and fast rule, so I think what you'll need to do is ensure that whichever cassette you buy will fit in a 10 speed freehub body

  SRAM 11T and Shimano MTB 11-speed cassettes are cross-compatible with Shimano and SRAM derailleurs/shifters.

Yes.

  would this 1x11 upgrade be as straightforward as replacing the existing Shimano components with the SRAM components.

The conversion should be straightforward. One difficulty may be finding a narrow-wide chainring that fits properly on your triple crank. Shorter chainring bolts are typically required to attach a single middle ring rather than middle and large.


Front suspension or full suspension mountain bike I'm considering buying a mountain bike and have narrowed it down to two models (make and model aren't important for this question).  One model is a full suspension bike (front and back), the other is front suspension only.

What are the advantages/disadvantages to going with a full suspension vs front suspension? (I'd prefer answers from people with experience riding both types of bikes.)

EDIT

To answer some of the questions looking for more detail...  The 2 bikes are roughly in the same price range, around $1000 USD (the full suspension is slightly more money), and my plans are to ride it primarily in some single track trails that are in the area.  There will be a lot of hills and rocks and such.  I doubt there will be any on-road riding involved.

If we assume that both models are at about the same price point, here is what you can expect:

The hardtail will be substantially lighter than a comparably priced full-suspension bike.
The hardtail will likely have a higher level of components and possibly a better front shock because of the increased expense associated with the full suspension frame.
Unless you can lock out the rear suspension, you will have higher pedal efficiency on the hardtail.

Your style of riding may dictate that an full-suspension is appropriate, so the best thing to do would be to describe how you want to ride to the professionals at your local bike shop and listen to their advice.

I have an admitted bias toward hardtails (and even fully rigid bikes). I've been riding a long time (since before mountain bikes existed...), and don't really ride anything seriously aggressive off-road (but I have ridden a lot of Utah Red Rock Desert).  I've tried several full-suspension bikes, but for my type and style of riding I've not been convinced that the added cost to get to a similar weight/component mix was worth it.


Magura rim caliper and Shimano hydraulic road lever compatibility I have a trekking bike with a slightly short reach for me. On the other hand I wish to get a drop bar bicycle. I could check on this bike that the position is good with drop bars.
On this bike I have on front wheel a Magura MT5 disc brake, and on rear wheel a HS11 Magura rim brake, of course both hydraulic. My frame is rim brake only at rear. It used to be a 26in bike, but I could put 27,5 (584 mm) and adjust rear brake on it.
I have read that MT5 can work with Shimano road levers, but could not find information about HS11. I guess the question is on piston area.
Is it possible to make work HS11 and shimano hydraulic road lever (such as Tiagra 4700, GRX 400/600, or 106 R7000, to be defined).

Yes but not optimal/recomended.
Technically, the lever will push the caliper pistons, but Magura's disc levers, such as the MT5, push a different amount of fluid than their rim brake levers, such as HS11. And the shimano levers have a more similar push to the Magura disc levers. So it won't be optimal.
In trials riding, they say you shouldn't mix disc levers with the rim calipers as there is a large chance for the brake to fail (even if it's a momentary minimal slip) when you need them the most.
In normal, non action sport, conditions it will probably be ok. It just won't feel as good as matching the road levers to the disc caliper.
If you choose this method, (same goes for the MT5 caliper) make sure that you choose the correct fittings for each end, otherwise you risk fluid leaking and no more braking.
As a little side note, Magura did release drop levers for rim brakes called HS66.


How do I correctly align the brake disc with the callipers when replacing my quick-release wheel? My bike's front wheel is quick-release (QR), but the rear has a traditional skewer (because of the hub gears). It also has disc brakes, and as you'd expect, there isn't a lot of clearance between the brake pads and the discs.

When removing and replacing the wheels, I find it easy to make sure the rear wheel is free of the pads: when I close one eye and peer through the brake calliper assembly, I can see light either side of the disc. If I can't see light on one side, I loosen the nut on that side of the axle, and tighten the other one. Then when I spin the wheel, it spins freely.

But when I replace the front wheel with the QR skewer, I find that as tightening the QR pulls the forks together slightly, I often end up with the disc touching one of the pads. I then have to undo the QR, loosen or tighten it by half a turn or so, and then try again. Usually it takes me two or three tries to get it right, and I don't think the QR is really tight enough when the wheel is free to rotate.

Is there an easier way to get it lined up? In case it makes a difference, the pads and discs are about 6 months old and I use them every day in all weathers.

Most modern disc brakes (mechanical or hydraulic) can be aligned by loosening the caliper from the frame or fork, grabbing the brake hard, and re-securing the bolts. Then once you let go of the brake, it should be centered.

Not ideal for the trail, but easy in the garage.


Chain guards for front derailleurs: Metal alternative to SKS chainboard? Can anyone recommend an aftermarket, front-derailleur-compatible chainguard (along the lines of the SKS chainboard) that's not made of plastic? Maybe something like the one on the Marin Bridgeway triple?

I doubt it exist over the shelf.  It's already hard to find one that's made of plastic.  If you really are set on going metal I'd suggest keeping a single chain ring and focus your gearing in the rear (hub, cassette, or hub+cassette combo).  Building a custom chain guard will be costly, a pain, and not guaranteed to be a success.  If you really want to have some gearing in front you could look at the SchlumpfDrive but at these prices you could also just get a Rohloff.  Both should work fine with the standard metal chain guards.


Can I operate more than one motorized wheel from one motor control unit? Can you use 2 ebike wheels front and rear or two rear ones on a three wheeler tricycle but operated by the one controller?

I don't think that you can. Each wheel needs its own individual controller and throttle. That is the reason for you never see an e-bike rear wheel tricycle and instead they're always front wheel driven.
Also, if both powered rear wheels on a tricycle were operated by a single controller, you'd have steering problems.


What are the pros and cons of different types of shifter cables? What are the pros and cons of regular and slick gear/shifter cables? I just want easy gear changing. I have shimano gears if that helps. I know the difference between them, but I want to know some pros and cons.
What are the pros and cons the stainless steel or galvanised metal cables? I leave it in the shed at night, and when I am not using so it doesn't really get wet all the time. When I ride it often gets wet or muddy. I rarely clean the bike, so it often stays muddy.

Regular cables:

Pros:

inexpensive
easy to find

cons:

generally lower quality than slick ones
much of the time they are not pre-stretched, so they have to wear in.
heavier

Slick cables:

Pros:

initially slightly faster shifting
generally come pre-stretched
lighter

cons:

(a big one) once the coating wears off, the shifting becomes A LOT worse, and the cables need to be changed. This is fairly common if the housing isn't cut right or there is bend when entering/exiting a housing stop.
very expensive
installation is harder as the cables are more fragile
adjustment is more finicky

Stainless Steel Cables:

don't rust
slightly slicker

Galvanized:

Cheaper
more bendy


Can I run a 10 speed cassette on an 11 speed wheel, but also keep running 10 speed on a 10 speed wheel? I bought a second hand cyclocross bike (running Shimano 105) and I ... love it. I've been doing some short commuting on it as well, but the nobbled tires are copping a pounding.

I've got a spare set of 11 speed wheels kicking around home that came with my road bike that I upgraded. My question is, I want to put some wide road tires on the 11 speed wheels and keep the CX tires on the 10 speed wheels and just swap the wheels in and out depending on what I feel like doing.

Obviously I'd prefer not to have to tune the gears every time that I swap the wheels.

I haven't tried yet because I don't have a spare 10 speed cassette.

What's the best minimum fuss solution?

Use spacers on the 11 speed wheel to put a 10 speed cassette on.

See your hub manufacturer's page for details, but its normally a 1.8(5) mm spacer (which comes with the hub, but you can buy separately) and a 1mm spacer (sometimes; which you'll get with the cassette). See this page for a table of some common cases.


Do I need to get a replacement bike for this broken chainring? I wanted a cheap commuter bike, and just received this bike from Amazon. I have little knowledge about bikes, but looks like the middle chain-ring is broken to me.

Is this indeed broken, or is it something that is not too big and can be safely ignored? (I am still to get my tools so haven't yet assembled the bike, so can't say if it shifts/rides alright in that ring.)
If it is not something to worry about for now, how long do will it last till major problems start showing?

(Larger version of the picture here.)

Those notches are used when shifting gears, as you move the derailleur, the chain moves and catches on a notch and switches from one chainring to another adjusting the gearing.

You do not need a replacement bicycle, this is a nice bike and with proper maintenance (keeping the drive train clean and lubed) should last a long time.


Link between bottom bracket and rear wheel widths I am building a bicycle by gathering some components I already have. It is for a basic bike, only used as spare bike.
I have to change the crankset and bottom bracket, as they are scrap.
The crankset I want to put on it comes from a MTB with 135 mm read wheel OLD. The bike I am building is also an MTB, but with 130 mm OLD.
Should I get a shorter BB (by 5 mm I guess) to make it correspond ?
Whatever the dimension, I will have to purchase a new BB, because the frame is not BSA, but italian thread.

Yes, if you're going to a 130 rear end, the chainline moves in about 2.5mm so generally you'll want to get a 5mm shorter spindle.
Ideally you would measure the front chainline with the current spindle and do the math from there based on what rear chainline you want and whatever your clearance needs are. In some cases you would find you might want to go more than 5mm.
How much it matters depends a lot on the chainstay length.
You still need to be mindful of clearance with the frame.


What is the best way to test out a niche bike when shops rarely have them in stock? I've emailed a couple of bike shops about Surly bikes - One in Oakham and one down in Richmond.

The one in Oakham seems to be understocked and the other one is not responding.

The one in Richmond doesn't have the bikes in the store in my size and I believe it is the biggest distributer in the UK.

How can I know if the bike will fit if I can't test one out when the bike is niche and shops don't often stock my size (XL 58+)

I have two main approaches:

look for someone who owns one who is nearby. With recumbents and tandems this is often easier as there are clubs and online forums for people who own them. For unusual-but-not-too-unusual bikes you may have to ask questions on local cycling forums and hope for the best. With fora like strava encouraging people to list their toys this can be easier than it might sound. Most people are fine being approached with "that's a great bike you've got, I'm interesting in buying one and would like you to rave at me for a while about why you bought it".
When I want to test ride something very specific, I'll ask the importer or manufacturer for help. Often they can say "we shipped exactly what you want to shop X", so at least you have some chance of finding it by ringing the shop. Or they may have one available that they're willing to ship to a local shop for you to try.
if it's just sizing, I find measuring myself, getting the measurements of the bike I'm interested in, then comparing the bike I want to a bike I have works ok most of the time. Even if the geometry is a bit different I can at least assure myself that the bike I'm ordering is close to the right size. If you want to get really keen, find a shop with a bike fit jig and set that up to exactly match the bike you're buying. It'll take time and you'll probably have to pay for it, but if it's worth it to you, do it.


Is it legal to ride on sidewalks in Georgia? The title says all of it.  A friend and I were trying to determine if it is legal to ride on sidewalks.  Georgia has clear law explaining what cyclists should do on the road (basically obey all the rules cars do), but I can't find any direction regarding sidewalks.

Okay, I decided to look this up.  It appears that cycling on the sidewalk is not legal in Georgia.

http://www.intownbicycles.com/bicycle-faqs/bicycle-rules-of-the-road

http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/docs/gabicyclelawenforcementguide.pdf

https://georgiabikes.org/index.php/resources/35/76-ga-bicycle-laws

GA Code 40-6-144


Will a road brake lever work with a v-brake? I'm planning on changing my commuter handlebar to a drop handlebar. As the diameters are different, I need to know if the new brake lever will work with the existing v-brakes.

(My intention is to remove the handlebar+levers+shifters and install a drop handlebar + ultegra bar end shifter + whatever shimano brake lever that works fine.

Not typically.  They have different pull ratios.  However, you can get a device called a travel agent to make this work.

Some companies such as Paul's make a cyclocross specific v brake such as the Mini Moto which have the same pull ratio as road brake levers.

If you're not using brifters and have separate brake levers and shifters, you can buy linear pull drop bar levers like Tektro RL 520 that will work with your v-brakes without buying separate travel agents.