carbon gates belt drive . need to have lower gears to get up steeper hills. best options I'm planning to go on a long cycle this year and that last 20k is up a steep incline. I noticed i had to walk up the inclines that were steep and i thought i would have got a lot further if I had one or two lower gears.
I've got a cube travel pro 2020 (https://www.cube.eu/2020/bikes/tour/travel/cube-travel-pro-blacknbrown-2020/). Shimano nexus 8 speed gear hub.
i'm hoping that i can get a smaller front sprocket and larger back sprocket to lower the gearing ratio ? if so please confirm and if you have more knowledge help on my selecting the right combinations so that they will fit the current belt size. youtube installation videos or anything to bring me upto speed.
Another option would be for me to upgrade to an alfine 11 speed hub. I guess that's a solution, it would help if i could sell the 8 speed hub afterwards. https://www.veercycle.com/blogs/getveered/how-to-choose-an-internally-geared-hub
Thanks,
Pat
ravensburg, germany

Apparently on the front you can’t go smaller than 46t (you have the 130mm diameter front sprocket).
On the back you can change from 22 to 26t which would make it 18% easier.
It would be in violation of Shimano’s recommendations:

•The cassette joint should only be used with sprockets with 16T to
23T.
•The gear ratio of the front chainring to the rear is about
2.1-to-1.

But I think it’s fine, considering that the ratio (and therefore torque at the hub) is still relatively harmless
The lowest gear of the Alfine 11 is 7.5% easier not easier than that of the Nexus 8.
Edit: No idea where I had the number from, I now looked up the official specs, the easiest gear is identical between Alfine 11 and Nexus 8.
Both have "Gear ratio_1    0.527"


Is it ok for a kid's bike to only have a front brake? My wife picked a bike (with trainer wheels) for my 3yo son. It only has a front brake. Having gone over the handlebars once when I was just using the front brake, I'm a bit worried about this. Should I be?

(Now that the bike has arrived, it has a rear coaster brake.)

Small children usually do not have a grip strong enough to brake effectively with brake levers on the handle bars.
Neither do they have enough coordination to modulate brakes. This means if they were able to brake the front wheel effectively they would indeed be at risk to go over the bars.
Typically, children's bikes have coaster brakes. These allow to stop by back pedaling. Which is an elegant solution: If the child is capable of accelerating by pedaling, the child is also capable of braking by performing the inverse motion.


Can you put a kickstand on the righthand side? Kickstands are always on the left, likely because gears occupy the righthand side.  Has anyone had success with installing a kickstand on the right side?

After using my left-side pannier routinely for six years, I've noticed that my left leg might be a bit stronger (or at the very least, provides better balance in yoga).  To switch it up, I now load up the right pannier.  But without the kickstand to provide counter-balance, my bike inevitably topples over at every stop.

I ride a 1970s Schwinn Le Tour with a hefty touring rack.

You should look into getting a folding double kickstand. They're great for loaded bikes. Both legs fold off to the left side, but when you kick it down one leg supports each side so the bike stays perfectly upright.


How can I avoid tearing the valve loose from an inner tube with a wheel lock? The problem

It sounds foolish, but I have too often torn the valve loose from the inner tube by rotating the wheel so that the valve is pressed against a closed wheel lock. Wheel locks are common in the Netherlands and Germany, and I live just near the border. The rotation of the wheel is usually caused by pushing the bike while still locked, but also by gravity while removing the bike from the upper level of a double decker bike rack.

Are there any precautions I can take to reduce the likelihood of this happening? I would prefer solutions that work well with Presta valves at about 6 bar / 85 psi.

If you forget to check, the probability of locking between the spokes is 1/N, where N is number of spokes (~30), but the chance of pushing against the valve is more like 1/2N, as you probably stop as soon as you feel a resistance, which is roughly equally likely to be a spoke or the valve. The chance of ruining the tube is less again, as you may be lucky enough not to press hard enough; although that is hard to estimate, I know from experience that it is annoyingly high. Losing a tube every 600 (30×2×10) times you locked it would be bad enough.

Possible solutions

The following occur to me:

Do not close the wheel lock between a spoke and the valve — but if you are absent-minded, as I am, (or in a hurry) you will still be at risk of doing it now and then.
Open the wheel lock before moving the bike — also a problem if you are absent-minded, and barely practical with the double decker rack.
Do not use wheel locks — but round here you encounter them a lot.
Somehow reinforce or pad the area round the valve — sounds implausible to me.

Who can suggest more or identify the best?

(Somewhat) related questions

Bicycle's inner-tube got puncture right next to the valve, How to patch it there? — But I want to avoid the puncture.
How To Prevent Holes Around The Inner-tube Valve? — But that is about punctures caused by the hole in the rim – the answers might reduce the vulnerability, but do not consider extra force from the lock.
Presta Valve Keeps Ripping From Tube — This is about how valves can tear rather than avoiding this particular cause, which could just possibly be their problem, though the most popular answer (as I write) covers more likely reasons.

A bike I sometimes borrow has one of these locks, and I can't say it's ever been a problem. You've given the answer in your question: Do not close the wheel lock between a spoke and the valve. If you're prone to forgetting this, what you need is a way to make the valve more obvious. I've had automatically illuminated valve caps before. That would do the trick, even in darkness, but the cheap ones I've used haven't been very waterproof. Alternatively putting a spoke-mounted reflector in that range of spokes might help. If even those don't stop you, something like tape between the spokes either side of the valve should prevent you locking up on the bit of the wheel, but might get in the way of the valve and will almost certainly end up making a mess.


How have you setup your tri-bars? I'm getting some tri-bars for Christmas and I've been told by the bike shop how to set them up on the bike, but I'd like to get some tips from lots of different people. Up-close photos would be great. I've got the straight type of bars.

Sorry, I should have specified a few more details. I'm particularly looking for details on arm rest positions (placement infront or behind of the handlebars and distance between each rest).

The answer to your question depends on the rider physiology, goals, and objectives. There are a number of considerations, and the focus should be on your overall position.

If you are primarily a time-trialer, or if you are interested in triathlons, you would have different needs than a road racer who does a handful of time trials a year. Triathletes tend to be even further forward than road racers.

Overall position:

When I used the same bike for racing and time trialing, I would raise the seat, push the seat forward, and lower the stem when I added the time trial bars. Being comfortable and having the ability to take a breathe easily and fully is much more important than aerodynamics per se. Also, note that the pros spend a lot of time preparing for this. In general, imagine a time-trial position as the body being rotated forward at the hip about 15 degrees, so that the hip gets closer to the bottom bracket. Also notice that much of time trialing is done on the nose of the saddle (not sure exactly why).

If you look at the pros, you will see some general trends in position. The arm rests are many cm below the seat, the forearms are relatively horizontal, and some prefer to have their hands a little bit more elevated, some at a negative incline.

Seat fore-aft position

Generally, the seat is forward and the rider is on the nose of the saddle. The distribution of weight between the seat and handlebars goes much more in favor of the handlebars than when riding in a standard position.

Saddle-handlebar drop

An important aspect of the position is the difference in height between the saddle and the elbow pads. The lower you can get the more aerodynamic you will be.

Arm angle

In addition, notice that the upper arm may be perpendicular to the ground, like Fabian Cancellara here:

Or like Kristin Armstrong with the elbows further out in front of the shoulder:

Location of arm pads

The position of the arm rests have moved back toward the elbow over time. Greg Lemond's position had the arm rests closer to the wrists than is common now. This position is useful in a hilly time trial because of the leverage that it gives.


Can't remove crank on Raleigh Equipe I'm really struggling to get the crank off my bike. I got a crank puller from ebay but haven't been able to get it to work.

Have I got the wrong crank puller or am I not using enough force? If it's the former, does anyone know what crank puller I should use?

Image of the crank: https://screencast.com/t/uemyYZb9i

Image of the crank puller and the crank: https://screencast.com/t/D5YONYxg

Everything looks right. Whenever using a crank puller but especially when it's taking a lot of force, it's very important to have the tool installed into the crank arm with some real torque, not just finger tight and never loose. You can grease the threads if there's roughness. Here with the nutted spindle it's a good idea to start with the puller either in two pieces like you have it or at least threaded far out, so you know the tool is getting torqued into the extraction threads and not getting bottomed out against the spindle tip. Once it's in there tightly you can use a lot of torque on the business part of the tool.

Square taper cranks are a press fit and so by nature, penetrating oils and the like usually won't do much to help loosen them. That is to say, putting whatever amount of force through the tool that's needed to do the job is all anyone can really do to remove them. There are other methods when extraction threads fail, but they tend to damage cranks anyway.

If getting enough leverage off the other crank is the problem, you can either rest it so it's torquing against a stationary object or take the pedal off and put a piece of PVC over it for a non-marring cheater bar.


Overshoe for Specialized Sport MTB Shoe At the recommendation of my local bike megastore, I bought Endura Luminate overshoes. Sadly, they are letting water in through the front as they are not a particularly good comparable shape with the shoes.

Anyone running these shoes have luck with a particular overshoes?

Thanks!

After many years of riding in foul weather, I rarely use overshoes for above freezing temperatures.  They are NEVER waterproof.  The opening for your cleat and heel allows water into the setup which inevitably makes it's way up to your ventilated upper.  For them to actually be waterproof, they would need to seal to the bottom sole of your shoe.  Additionally, the cleat attachment area of your shoe would need to be waterproof (many are not).  More than occasional walking tends to wear them prematurely.  I've owned several brands and never had a set make it through more than three seasons (fall, spring and perhaps part of another fall) before they are coming apart at the seams.

Several companies make foul weather shoes.  They range from truly insulated winter boots to versions of the companies regular offerings with no ventilation holes and a sealed bottom around the cleat area.  I've had several pairs of these from various companies and all have lasted longer than 4 seasons (2 years).

In my opinion overshoes are only appropriate as an insulation layer when it's too cold to be wet or when you are a pro doing a time trial and they extra 0.75 seconds they afford are worth it (they are free from your sponsor at that point anyway).


What power adapter to use for the Cybex 700 stationary bike? An old Cybex 700 stationary bike stopped being useful as the control panel doesn't turn on.
There is a power socket but I don't know what power adapter to use: the user manual doesn't say, nothing I tried fits. What could be a compatible power plug?

Most information appears to have vanished from the official website, but other specifications suggest it's just a 12V power plug.
I've tested a universal power supply and 12 V, 1 A turned out to work fine with the Cybex 700. The correct plug was the green one in this model (6.3*3.0 mm).


Changing 700x35C tires with 25mm? I'm riding on a hybrid bike with 700x35mm tires which is ideal in the city. Every now and then I could go on a ride outside of the city, covering distances in the vicinity of 80km and doing some medium climbs. I'm quite happy with how it all goes but I'm wondering what difference it would make if I change the tires to 25mm width? How much speed will I gain? Would it make the climbing a bit easier? And overall, is it worth it?

The tires are clip on so replacing them back and forth won't be such a hassle. I'm considering to have pairs of both 35mm and 25mm and replace them depending on the occasion but I would like to hear some feedback first on how wise that would be.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm planing to replace the whole wheel - both the rims and the tires!

Thank you!

Well, it'll depemd on how the narrower tyre sits on the rim, specifically whether a 25mm tyre will be wide enough, but as long as this is ok, you should be fine. Be aware that wider tyres will have a larger surface in contact with the road, and therefore more grip, but if you're happy to trade that off, go for it.


BV-217 Antler bottom bracket service or replacement I have a BV-217 Antler

It is at least 7 years old and has had minimal maintenance, if any. I am stripping it down to its bearings and cleaning, re-greasing, reassembling etc.

I am stuck at the bottom bracket. I measured the allen requires as 8mm to remove the pedal arms to start with.

What tools do I need to remove the bracket? (See pictures)
Can I strip it or is better to just replace, if so, with what? It looks unfamiliar to me.
What should the torque be of the nut to hold pedal arms?

Left:

Right:

What tools do I need to remove the bracket?

There's a plastic cap on the sides of the crank that you can pop off or unscrew, and inside there will be a Hex socket of about 6~8 mm , or a 6 sided nut to remove with a suitable socket.  A spanner will not work.

Then you need a crank puller to remove the crank arms from each side of the BB axle.  This tool threads into the crank, and exerts pressure on the end of the axle to lever the crank off.  These threads are normal right-hand threads.  And you will need a large 200~300mm spanner to turn the crank puller.

Note that if your BB is not a visible square when you've removed the bolts/nuts then the crank puller will need to suit the "octalink" or "ISIS" interface.

Now with the cranks off you'll probably see two different ends.  The left side of the bike will have a lockring and someting like this:

So you ideally use a hook spanner

along with another spanner like this:

You can use a slipjaw pliers to back off the lockring, and with care you can get away using the large spanner from earlier on the flats.  Risk here is that the metal flats are not large and can round off easily.  Depending on how your bike was assembled, whether there is thread locker or some kind of never-sieze lubricant in the threads, and whether you ride it in the winter wet will depend how much force is required to undo this side.  Sometimes they're barely finger tight.

The left side (non-drive side) is generally conventionally threadded too, so "right-tight/lefty-loose"   Check here for better info https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/50365/19705

At this point the axle should slide out the NDS along with a cage of bearings or some loose bearings.

To get the drive side off is harder because it seems to get tighter.  Also note the drive side is LEFT HAND THREAD so you have to turn it backward to get it off.   There is no lockring on the drive side, just the cup.

Engage the end plate with two flats like this:

Once its all clear, use something to clean out the housing.  Rags, degreaser, even an old toothbrush work well.   Do watch out for slivers of metal which can hurt.  Take the opportunity to clean and wash the whole area hidden by the cranks, and check the frame.

Moving on to reassembly, the only extra tool not already mentioned is a BB tool which looks like this, and engaged the splines on the cartridge you bought.

BB cartridge fitting tool

Then fitting this is a matter of greasing the threads,  insert cartridge from the Drive side, tighten quite a lot, then put the little ring part in from the left side.  Then refit your cranks with the new bolts that come with the BB
 cart.

  Can I strip it or is better to just replace, if so, with what?

Just buy a new cartridge BB and fit it up.   An old cup and cone bearing may be rejuvenated with new balls, but any damage to either bearing surface and you're replacing the whole thing anyway.

Cartridges are adjustment-free and a lot nicer to ride.  You should get 50,000 km out of a cartridge.

You need to make sure the various specs are right.  That's the overall length of the BB axle, the interface of the BB to the cranks, the diameter of the large threads, and the handedness of those threads too.

Notice the different fittings on the end.  Your has to match your cranks.

  What should the torque be of the nut to hold pedal arms?

I'm sure there's a figure for torque, but in my experience its got to be "Quite tight" to stop fretting between the two metal surfaces.  Try to gauge the pressure required to undo the fastener, and replicate the same level of tension when refitting.

To give words, I'd suggest a hand on each end of a 25cm spanner, but not using any kind of hammer or impact.

If you're unlikely to do this sort of work often, then there's little benefit in buying tools.  Either pay your LBS to do the task, or search around in your location for a bike cooperative who will have all the tools.


How to raise handlebars? I have huffy canyon mountain series bike. It is an old one. Can I raise the handlebars on it? I saw videos on YouTube about it. But all the videos have new bicycles with allen key screws. My bike is old. It has old hexagonal screw at the handlebar is about 20 cm long. Please help.

Its a Quill stem by your description.

To raise it, back off the Quill Expander Bolt by a couple of turns.  Do not undo it completely.

Then if the stem doesn't move, tap the top of the Quill Expander Bolt lightly.  The Stem Wedge is probably stuck, and tapping the bolt helps loosen it.

Raise the quill stem, but look for the Minimum Insertion Line which will be a stamped pattern of    ||||||||||  all around the stem's body.  That line should be fully inside the bike.  If you can see that line, its too high.

If that doesn't give you enough height then you need a replacement quill stem that is taller, or a threadless adapter and a threadless stem.

You might get sufficient height change by rotating the handle bars a little and then adjusting angle of your brake/gear levers.   Or a replacement handlebar with some more height might be a good fix.


Front brakes need to be further apart to fit the front wheel through My new bike has arrived boxed and partly built. The manual is generic and unclear. The front brakes need to be widened to fit the wheel, it says to 'disengage the cable guide tube from it's yoke'.
Not sure where or how and I don't want to force anything and break it.

Here's an annotated rotated version of your photo:

To get the wheel in:

Pull the RUBBER BOOT to the right, slide it along the INNER CABLE toward the PINCH BOLT
Squeeze the BRAKE ARMS together at the top.  This allows the NOODLE to move to the left, permitting the YOKE to swing away from the NOODLE.  When the bike is upside down like yours, it may need a hand.
Release the BRAKE ARMS and they will rotate outwards a lot under spring pressure.
Now you can install your wheel

To close the brakes back up:

Make sure the YOKE is dangling downward, toward the tyre.
Squeeze the BRAKE ARMS together, and hold in place with one hand.  An assistant might be needed here.
Manoever the end of the NOODLE into the hole in the YOKE.  Once its seated, gently release the BRAKE ARMS and they should hold their position.
Slide the RUBBER BOOT back onto the end of the YOKE to protect the INNER CABLE.

Do this as soon as you finish putting the wheel in - its very easy to forget and ride off with no brake otherwise !

Other initial setup tasks that will be needed:

You need to adjust the brake pads - they're not at the same height so at least one of them won't be on the rim brake track on the wheel.
The arms appear to be leaning to the bike's left.  There will be a tension adjustment near the brake arm's pivots - either a small philips head screw, or a small hex socket.  When releasing the brake lever, the two arms should move out from the wheel about the same distance.
Also, your brake lever in the initial photo looks like its on the wrong side of the bars - brake levers should be inside your fingers, not at the base of your palms.


What's the strongest way to bond a cable stop to an steel frame? I have a steel single speed bike and want to add a rear brake. All is good expect there is no cable stops on the top tube. I want to bond two cable stops to the under side of the top tube.

Don't use cable stops.  The biggest load those stops will ever see is when you grab your brakes hard for an emergency stop.  So you're likely to find out that whatever you did to bond the stops to the frame wasn't strong enough or fatigue-resistant enough at the absolute worst possible time.
And you'll never be able to know if your work is fatigue-resistant enough.  You can only find out that it wasn't - and you'll know that only after it fails.
Run the outer housing the entire length of the cable.  All you need then is a few tie wraps to hold the cable near the frame.


Why do we need front brakes? Most biking accident stories (ignoring collisions) that I hear about involve squeezing the frontbrake too hard and flipping over, often when biking on a downhill.

Read, for example, this fellow's story:

  I commute to work a few miles on my bike in the city. Today someone
  walked out in front of me and I squeezed the brakes too hard and went
  over the handlebars. I suffered a mild elbow fracture because I put my
  arms out in front of me and the palms of my hands are destroyed.

In my own experience, I've also pretty bad accidents with the front brake:

  I was biking downhill (perhaps too fast), and hit the front brake. I
  then went flying Superman-style, while watching my bike turn at least
  three complete somersaults out of the corner of my eye. Not fun.

So, the question is -- why do we need front brakes? Since my accident, I've rarely (if ever) used my front brake, and I bike just fine.

I've also been very puzzled to rent bikes somewhere, and find that the bikes only had front brakes -- in my opinion, back brakes are much safer to use.

So what do we need front brakes for?

I think you need to separate operator error from optimal mechanical functioning.

Mechanical advantage

By your own anecdotal evidence you have demonstrated how powerful front brakes can be.  In short we have front brakes because they are the most powerful brake. When a bike (or any vehicle) decelerates weight is shifted to the front wheel.  Because bicycle tires work through static friction, and static friction is proportional to the force applied, under braking conditions the front wheel will have the most traction (assuming no additional forces, such as turning are applied).  By contrast the harder you brake the less force is applied to the rear wheel and the static friction of the rear tire decreases. As a result the harder you brake, the less traction the rear wheel has, which reduces maximal stopping force (a bit of a negative feedback loop going on here).

The problem as you identify is not with the physics behind the inclusion of the front brake but operator error.

Correct Operation

As your anecdotal stories indicate that many bicycle operators are unfamiliar proper body position during emergency braking. If you learn to move your weight back (ideally behind your saddle) during strong braking then going over the handle bars is nearly impossible (except under very steep hills).  On the flat, with correct body position, it is possible to break traction with the front wheel before going over the handle bars.

The issue then becomes one of education.  In essence you are asking whether front brakes should be removed because sufficient education on how to operate a bicycle is lacking for many.  That is a political question and is unclear if a "right" answer exists.

Physics fun

Event though a wheel is rolling traction is governed by the laws of static friction. When part of the tire touches the ground, it is not sliding across the ground (usually). From a physics perspective this can be considered a body a "rest" – as strange as that sounds.

The resistive force observed in a body at rest  is defined as

Fs ≤ μ * Fn

Where Fs is the resistive force, μ is the coefficient of friction and Fn is the normal force.  The normal force is the force applied perpendicularly to the measured resistive force, on an incline the normal force is less than on a flat surface.  The resistive force (Fs) can range from zero to a maximum of μ * Fn.

The resistive force is what does the braking or turning.  If braking or cornering exceeds the resistive force your tire slides. The coefficient of friction is related to factors such as tire compound, tire pressure and road surface.  The act of braking will not change it (unless you exceed the resistive force).

Under braking  Fn increases for the front wheel and decreases for the rear wheel due to the weight shift. As such the maximal braking force that can be applied increase for front wheel and decreases for the rear wheel the harder you brake.

As long as you are not throwing other variables in, such as rider weight distribution (i.e., too much weight up front), changing road conditions, and exceeding a tires maximal resistive force (doing so no the front will make you crash).  The front wheel is the best place to focus braking forces.


Tread wear and punctures I've used this Schwalbe G-One Speed tire for a long while with no problems. I got 2 punctures in the last 2 weeks though. First was because of a 2 mm thorn, second one was of unidentified cause. While looking carefully I noticed that tread is worn out but not to the point of being unusable. I switched to another tire meanwhile but I'm wondering as a general rule, do people notice an increased frequency of punctures with tread wear?

Yes, the less rubber there is between the tube and the road, the more likely it gets for you to find a shard/stone/thorn that's big enough to cut through to the tube. The amount of rubber is your main defense against punctures.

Consequently, puncture proof tires usually add quite thick layers of extra rubber / rubbery material. They may also have improved protector layers, but the extra rubber is their main defense.

And the effect of these extra rubber layers is huge: When did you last have a blow-out on your car (if you have one)? Cars do much more kilometers than bikes, they are driven across the same kinds of surfaces, they have a much wider track, allowing them to collect much more shards/stones/thorns, but they virtually never have punctures. Simply because their tires have such a massive rubber layer.

So, yes, the more you wear down your tire, the more frequent the punctures will become. If punctures get too frequent, think about replacing the tire. Ideally with a serious puncture proof one.


When basic maintenance for basic Suntour XCM/ XCC fork is needed? When basic maintenance for very basic Suntour XCM/ XCC fork is needed?
Is it needed just in case if something wrong or once a year or after some amount of km?
By maintenance, I mean something like this:

According to SR Suntour's general fork manual (page 14), there are two maintenance intervals:

every 50 hours of riding: check torque on the bolts, check for stanchion damage, oil leaks, etc.
every 100 hours of riding: 50-hr maintence + disassembling the lowers, cleaning the internals, replacing oil, replacing seals and slider sleeves, etc.

In my quick web search to find in the owner's manual, I noticed some links where this fork was for sale for less than $75 (US).
Now the last thing I want to do here is bike shame anyone.
But in my experience, forks such as these are more weight, maintenance, and cost burden than they are worth in performance benefits.
This is because (just a guess) the seals, sleeves, and lubricant will cost you about $15 - $20 and the shop labor would cost around $40 - $50 to perform the 100-hr maintenance.
Their low performance comes from their weight, low-quality (high-friction & easily damaged) sliding surfaces, poor seals that leak oil and permit contaminants to damage the stanchions, poor damping, lack of spring rate adjustment, and lack of damping/rebound speed adjustment.
Selectively reading between the lines a bit, if you're not comfortable paying essentially the price of a replacement fork every 100 hrs of riding or sinking your own time into it, I would recommend finding a good rigid fork to pair with a high volume & supple tire.


Bits "peeling off" schrader valve? I've got a bike that hadn't been used in a while until a couple weeks ago, it was in a place where it gets direct sunlight (I'm trying to fix that) and as a result some things like the seat have spoiled.
Anyway, I inflated it just fine and have used it several times since then. About a week ago, another bike's tyre exploded (my guess is sun + overinflation); I spent a while trying to inflate that one to see if I could spot the rip, unsuccesfully and then just lt it be.
Since then, I've been unable to inflate the first bike's tyres due to major resistance (I guess the valve on the pump is not working properly)
Today, I was trying to inflate it before going out when I noticed there are bits peeling or being shaved off the side of the valve and I'm wondering whether this could be dangerous?

The type of damage shown is often due to under inflation or not centering the valve stem in the hole. When under inflated the tube doesn't exert enough pressure on the tire bead. This allows the tire to spin on the rim. That in turn causes the tube to shift pulling it at an angle and chaffing the valve stem.


Rolling dismount: leg crosses over in front of you or behind? When doing a rolling dismount, one foot stays on its pedal, the other has to cross over somehow. Would you suggest crossing over in front of you (while sitting, folding you knee to allow the cross-over) or behind you (standing on your pedal and extending the other leg out behind you to cross over.

Note: I don't mean to know which you prefer, rather which is safer/easier/quicker than the other, and why.

Unless you have a Victorian ladies style frame, crossing your leg in front of you is a fine way to crash.


Identify Miyata bike from ca 1990 I'm just saving and restoring a Miyata bike from ca 1990. I think the model was called Sport Cross but I cannot find it in any old catalogues. I find the model but the info doesn't quite match up. For example I can find a Sport Cross from 1991 but that one is with 700c wheels and mine is for 559 wheels.

It's a butted steel frame and all I know is that the fork is CroMo. The stickers on the frame is too worn out too see.

Any ideas?

I've just found out that it's a Miyata SportRunner.


Looking for year for this bike I just bought this bike a Raleigh Professional 10 speed, I am trying to ID year. Serial number is hard to read, maybe 00Y00672.

I am excited about this bike 10 Speed. Any help would be appreciated.

First, for most purposes, it doesn’t really matter what year your bike was made.

Second, I was curious and I Googled. There’s little information about this particular model, and I can’t find an exact match.

That said, my guess is that the frameset is from the early 2000s, probably pre-2004. Raleigh USA’s 2004 catalog shows a Professional model with an aluminum frame and carbon seat stays. By my recollection, aluminum with carbon stays had a brief moment of popularity around that time. Your frame does look like an aluminum frame, but it doesn’t look like it has carbon seat stays. So, let’s guess pre-2004. (Note: see answer by @DeleterUser - this bike is likely a 2002 Professional, which should have a steel frame.)

The components look like Campagnolo Centaur or Chorus. In the early 2000s, those were all polished silver components. That corroborates that this was an early 2000s frame. I doubt those components came stock, however. Nearly all OEM specifications were Shimano components. (Note: see answer by @DeleterUser - the 2002 Professional came stock with a Chorus/Centaur mix.)

I’m less familiar with Mavic wheels, but those look like the first or second generation of Ksyrium SSC wheels. Looking at Mavic's history page, they appear to have introduced the Ksyrium in 1999. In 2002, they filed a patent for milling the rim in between the spokes. That should be the second generation Ksyrium. It looks like your rim has some silver in between the spokes, which means it should be that milled version. If your wheels are anodized black between the spokes, then that's a first generation Ksyrium. Of course, the wheelset could have been bought at a different time from the frameset, and they probably sold the first generation Ksyriums alongside the second generation ones for a few years. (Note: see answer by @DeleterUser - this probably isn't the stock wheelset, although if my identification is correct, the wheelset is definitely from a similar era.)

Side note: you need to close that front brake. There’s a small sliding button on the levers near where the brake lever pivots. Push it in.


Expanding the range of capabilities of a gravel bike I'm a believer in having just one bike that i can use for anything I do, mostly club rides and light touring. I currently have a Giant Defy 1 with 28c tires, but am intrigued by the new gravel grinder bikes such as the GT Grade, which have road bike components but accept broad tires. I'd like to make a few changes to a GT Grade, and would appreciate any guidance on a few questions I have:

I'd like to replace the road bike transmission (Shimano 105) with a mountain bike transmission Shimano XT), both 11 speed.

Is it possible to make the change? Will an XT crankshaft fit on a road bike?
Can i use the 11 speed 105 shifters to shift the XT front and rear derailleurs?

I'd also like to replace the wheels (Stan's No Tubes Grail Disc) with XT wheels, which i expect would be more robust when touring. The XT wheels have an internal width of 24 mm. I believe they will fit the bike, but will they work with 32c tyres (Conti Gatorskins or Schwalbe Marathon Supremes)?

To me, gravel bikes seem mostly like cross bikes with a bit more money they can take from your wallet.

1) Road and mountain shifters and derailleurs don't play nice with each other at 11 speed, so this question is moot. If you want to check a particular crankset on the bike, look at the width and the type of BB setup. I don't see why you'd want to switch to a mountain drivetrain in the first place.

2) If a wheel is 700c, you can technically mount any tire on it thats 700c (though you'll have problems if too narrow or too wide). If you look at the width compatibility chart from Sheldon Brown, you'd want a rim with a smaller width. Since you're upgrading, may as well buy the right width. By running this, you increase the risk of pinch flats/rim damage over a more well matched width.


How to remove rechargable LED SI Urban integrated light strip from cannondale bad boy I have the Cannondale Bad Boy and the LED lights are almost dead, I need to recharge it but can't figure out how to remove the lights from the handlebars to charge them.
Here are the type of lights on this bike: https://www.cannondaleexperts.com/Cannondale-Urban-Si-Integrated-LED-Light_p_2311.html

I undid the 2 screws and seems like it should just pull out but i can't get it, don't want to break the casing or have to take the handlebars apart, anybody know a trick to getting it out?

Thanks in advance!

So that is exactly what it looked like once removed. However it was fit in there too tight to be pulled out from the front. I ended up taking it to the LBS and they took apart the headset partially and pushed it out from the back for me. Luckily the battery does last a couple months with almost daily usage of about 30 mins. So I'll probably just have to get comfortable with taking the headset apart myself or just slide it back in with some grease and a string tied to the back of it.


Tube is abraded in tire I've faced a strange issue with inner rear tube. It is Schwalbe Little Big Ben tyres 700x38C and Schwalbe tubes. After 20km (12.5 miles) riding tube was abraded by tyre at opposite side of valve. It happened two times before I shifted to Maxxis but the same happened again with the Maxxis tyre.  I do not have this problem with the front wheel. With red marked places of abrasion.

Little Big Ben it is special high profile tire acting as vibration damper named Baloon Type. Could be tire too big for the tube? May be I have to inflate more?..Anyway it is strange...
Has anybody dealt with something like this?

I see three possible locations on the tube that could match your description.

On the outside (rolling face) and 38mm across the inflated tube from the valve.
On the outside, but 180 degrees away from the valve (so the opposite edge of the wheel)
On the outside, but 180 degrees away from the valve (so the opposite edge of the wheel)  BUT on the inside edge of the tube that faces toward your hub.  I think this is what you mean.

The first two are the same - there is something in the area that is causing your abrasion.  Like a small wire or glass shard that is wedged deeply in the rubber of the tyre and you can't see it by casual inspection.  Need to flex the tyre inside-out and look carefully.  You can also use the hole in the tyre as a measure around from the valve to see where the damage came from... that will put you within 50mm of the spot.   However changing the tyre would have resolved that.

The third option is the most likely.  Something on your RIM is causing the issue, so changing the tyre did nothing.   Look closely at the rim tape, make sure its laying flat in the channel and that there are no parts of the nipples exposed.  Also that no part of a nipple hole is left uncovered.  These can frett away at your tube over time.  Even paper labels or sand or small rocks can winnow their way through your tube if they are inside the tyre.   Some brands of tyre liners can also eat it at the ends of the liner, but these are normally on the outside circumference only and you probably don't have liners anyway.

The fix for this is to replace your rim tape - its cheap stuff, just make sure the replacement is as wide as your existing tape, or slightly wider but not enough to ride up the inside where the tyre bead hooks are.  Fouling the bead hooks risks a blowoff.

There's a minor chance this is an installation error where you've scraped the tube with a tyre lever while installing, but that's not as likely.

  If none of this helps, do please add some clear and well lit photos of your tube damage, and the area of the rim causing the problem.


Is passing traffic on the cars' passenger side ("Undertaking") with a bicycle frowned upon in the UK? Take the example where a bicycle lane is on the road, rather than the pavement. There is a queue of cars waiting at the lights, and the bike lane is clear right up to the lights. If you were to cycle right up to the lights, you would be passing all the queuing cars on the way, on the passenger side ("Undertaking"). Is this an example of "dangerous driving", or otherwise frowned upon (UK)? What if the cars were moving? What if there wasn't a bike lane, but you were staying to the side of the road so that other cars could overtake you if they wanted?

As the previous answer states, you're perfectly within your rights to continue along the cycle lane in this situation, regardless of any cars to your right.
Some junctions even have advanced stop lines (see rule 178), which are explicitly designed for exactly this purpose: allowing and encouraging bicycles to pass beyond the stopped cars and position themselves in front of other traffic (this is generally preferable, as it makes the cyclists much more visible to drivers).
You should of course still maintain awareness of the traffic (especially if there are large vehicles such as HGVs or buses, which often have significant blind spots), and be prepared to make a quick stop if it appears that a vehicle is about to cross the cycle lane.
But not only is this allowed for bikes, in the specific situation you're asking about - passing traffic which is stopped at a red light - it's also perfectly fine (and indeed expected) for cars to undertake.
See Rule 163 of the highway code:

Rule 163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should:
[...]
stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left
[...]

(my emphasis)
Note also (admittedly now getting some way from the original question) that the points in rule 163 are governed by "You should", not "You must". As explained in the Wording of the Highway Code, that indicates advice rather than legal requirements per se (failing to follow the advice can lead to liability in an accident, but isn't prohibited in itself).


What is the best position for mudguard in cycle I have a MTB/Hybrid which I use for exercising and leisure purpose. It have installed MTB style mudguards. But when I get out with these my back is full of mud/water drops.

So what is the best position for these style of mudguards? Specially rear mudguard. I have attached the photo of my bike which shows the position of my mudguard. Can changing these position will improve the effectiveness?

With a hardtail like that you can fit a full rear mudguard that covers much more of the tyre, especially towards the back of the wheel, and covers it more closely With what you've got you're never going to keep your back from getting splashed. You can experiment with the angle and height to see if you can get a little better, but I doubt it's worth it. Those mudguards will keep the worst of the mud off your (lower) back but that's about all - fine drops of water  get everywhere and soon soak you.


I have a hybrid bike which the frame is too big, is there any modifications I can make to make it more comfortable? I bought a hybrid bike from halfords around 6 months ago, however i have only recently had chance to ride it. I have found that the frame is too big, they wont exchange or give me a refund. I was wondering if there was any modifications i could make for it to feel more comfortable?

You have a couple of options, lowering the seat and changing the stem, or some combination of both. One other option would be to find someone that has a similar quality bicycle that is slightly small for them and trade! Local co-ops or bike clubs would be a place to start for this.

As for changing the components you may consider an adjustable stem so that you can do the fine tuning your self, rather than buying a 70mm reach stem and realizing it didn't really help.

You will have to decide what needs to change based on what part of your body is uncomfortable. If you feel stretched out like your reaching to far forward a shorter stem will bring your handlebars in a little.

If you legs are being over extended drop the seat post a little and see how it feels.

One other option would be to show up at your local bike shop with a 12 pack and ask for advice. They will charge for a proper fit, but with beer they should be fine with giving some advice and options free of charge. If they are not, find a new shop.

This site has some good information to explain it to beginners.

As does REI


How to disassemble pinned sprockets from a freewheel I have a shimano freewheel like this one

Picture taken from Cassette Removal & Installation
I need to use separate sprockets from it but I'm not sure how to extract them without causing any damage. I got the urge to just drill through those pins but I thought I'd rather ask first before the damage is done.
How do you take apart the sprockets?

How do you take apart the sprockets?

This is not a freeweel but rather a cassette.
By removing the pins, by drilling or angle-grinding them away. This won't cause any damage. You will have your cassette, but with loose sprockets and spacers.
However, do note the sprockets are matched to the neighboring ones in Shimano hyperglide (HG) cassettes. If you customize your cassette, then the matching doesn't work anymore and your shifting suffers. It is not a fatal deficiency, because bicycles were ridden for decades without neighbor-matched side-cut sprockets.


Assemble gravel bike from parts Is there any guide or what should I know to assemble a bicycle from parts instead of buying a complete new one ?

The first thing you need to know is it is almost always cheaper, faster and less work to buy an assembled bike than build it from parts. I have done it successfully, but it takes time, lots of time. Over a year in one case, because I was trying to get the lowest prices I could find. The time was spent looking for deals on certain components then researching if they were compatible with the frame and the other parts I purchased already. If you aren't wrenching on bikes already you will need several hundred dollars in tools. Some of the tools are specialized and have one purpose so unless you build another bike may never be used again.


30's-40's bike, make and model hello, Any info on this bicycle, it make, model and possible year. The young man was born in 1931

This style of bicycle was extremely common in this time period. There are no visible unique identifiers in the photo. Given that there were many manufacturers at the time, and even the major manufacturers (Columbia, Raleigh, Schwinn, etc.) or distributors (like Montgomery Ward) did not leave definitive identifying photos or descriptions of their bicycles, I am quite sure that this is an impossible task. I'm sorry, I know that is not what you want to hear, but I don't think you will get a better answer. It COULD be a Montgomery Ward bicycle, or an Elgin, or a Columbia, or a Colson, etc. It is not a Raleigh, nor is it a Schwinn. But even using the negative research method - what it is NOT - will not tell what it is. Unfortunately there were a lot of smaller manufacturers around then. For instance, look at this Colson: 1930's Colson. The top tubes and tank on the frame are similar, but note that the saddle appears different, as does the chainring. Pay special attention to the chainring when trying to identify a bike from this time period. They were made of stamped steel, and were frequently designed with a manufacturer specific cutout pattern. Examples are Raleigh's heron designs, Hercules "H", etc.

A good place for some beginning research is Dave's Vintage Bicycles.

However, using what you have found - that you think it might be a Hawthorn, and this page on Dave's Vintage Bicycles, we can see that the chainring cutouts match between the two photos. I think this is about as good as it gets when identifying old bikes like this! The handlebars are different, but that could have been a simple change from one year's offering to the next.


Uneven oil on stanchions - brand new bike? I recently got myself a new bike with a RockShox Judy Silver fork and all has been good so far, however I noticed after the first ride that quite a bit of oil ended up on the stanchions, which I cleaned up and there is noticeably more oil on the right side (where the lockout switch is) than the left side.
I've had a few rides since, yesterday was probably my longest one for a good 1 hr 30 mins (mostly road riding with some light off road bits) and once again, when I came to cleaning the bike I noticed there is a lot of oil on the stanchions on the right side and a tiny bit on the left side.
Is this normal? Why is there more on one side?

Check that the right side seal is actually tight to the stanchion. Perhaps you just got one that is too loose fitting. Generally, some level of oil leakage is normal, but too much is definitely a problem: there’s only ~10mL of oil total in each leg acting as lubrication, and you really don’t want to run out. You could also test the seal by leaving the bike upside down overnight and seeing if any more oil makes its way out.
Additionally, you could bring the bike back to the shop you bought it from to get fixed under warranty. A fork service kit is like $20 and includes new wiper seals.
@Paul H The damper is totally sealed from the lower leg, which is where the bath lube oil sits. The oils are different viscosities anyways, so mixing them would be bad. If that is indeed damper oil (which is tinted red/pink) leaking out, OP has some serious issues.


What percentage of bike vs. car accidents at night could be avoided by good side visibility? I'm trying to assess how important side visibility is at night on a bike.

Summary: very few. Somewhere between 20% and 90% of crashes involve a motor vehicle approaching a cyclist side-on (guess ~50%), and somewhere between 30% and 90% occur during darkness (guess ~50%). Unfortunately 40% or more are the result of drug-impaired driving or riding. So perhaps 60% of that 50% of 50% = 15% could be avoided if the cyclist had bright side lighting.

The wide ranges are a result of small numbers and inconsistent statistics collection. As with anything that is quite variable and happens infrequently, random variation makes it difficult to see trends.

First, modern usage is to talk about "crashes" or "incidents", partly because that allows us to talk about who was at fault.  99% of crashes are caused by people who intended to do what they did but failed to do so safely.

New Zealand publishes something close to what you seem to be after: Cyclist-Crash-facts-2012.1.pdf (pdf link) that includes this summary:

BicycleUniverse has a useful summary with references:

  Cyclist fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (66%), at nonintersection locations (67%), between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. (30%), and during the months of June, July, and August (36%). (NHTSA, 2004)

Although they list a number of conflicting statistics on intersection fatalities (also 89% and 33%).

It's rare to find that type of incident breakdown in published statistics. This page from the USA, for example, doesn't even separate fatal from non-fatal accidents when attributing fault. And they talk about cyclists breaking the law but not motorists, so (for example) if a cyclist did not have a rear reflector on their bike when a motorist T-boned them the statistics would say "cyclist breaking the law, hit by car". This is regrettably common across all analyses.

  More than 15 percent (16.6% and 60 crashes) occurred when motorists
  made careless turns. Data showed that cars are four times more likely
  to sideswipe a bicycle than vice versa.

The key points there are:

  Nearly 75 percent of bikers were killed between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. Nearly 20 percent were killed between the hours of 8 p.m. and midnight.
  Alcohol-impaired riding or driving was reported in more than 40 percent of the accidents that resulted in bicyclist fatalities in 2009. In a third of the crashes, either the driver or biker had a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level of .08 or higher (the legal limit).
  Bicycle rider fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (69%), at non-intersection locations (64%), and between 5 and 9 at night (28%).

The first point is near-meaningless (75% of cyclists were killed during 66% of the day). But 64% not at intersections suggests that side visibility is not likely to be a major issue (at most 36% of fatalities).

There's a big collection of links to papers at the Cycling Resource Centre (Australian site, worldwide links).

Examples:

  Vehicle drivers undertaking a turning manoeuvre posed the biggest threat to cyclists who were generally travelling straight on a carriageway. Those drivers undertaking a right turn manoeuvre posed the greatest threat, particularly those turning across multiple traffic lanes and in peak hour traffic conditions. Young drivers were seen as the group of drivers most likely to be involved in these types of crashes.

There is an excellent, although complex, chart on page 27 of "Road Traffic Crashes in NSW 2011 (Australia)" (pdf link) but it covers all road users and does not break out cyclsis. I suspect what you're looking for is something like this that only covers cyclist incidents.

For non-fatal accidents, BicyclingLife compares three cities (with references) and concludes that motorists failing to give way at stop signs in the most common cause of crashes.


Should I be concerned about new helmet laws? In Australia there was recently a change to to bicycle helmet standards as outlined in AS/NZS 2063:2008.

Basically, helmets complying to the 1996 version of the standard will soon become illegal to sell in Australia.

I want to buy a helmet with the 1996 standard because it's cheaper now (due to stock clearance), but I don't know if it will be any less safe? Not that I put too much trust in these standards anyway ...

I'm very skeptical as to whether the new standard will be safer in use, because virtually no useful information is given to the public as to what the changes actually are. Furthermore, these are laws being passed by bureaucrats who seemingly have very little idea of the actual science behind these standards! To make matters even worse, they do not differentiate between helmets for different cycling uses e.g. mountain bike vs. road, and throw seemingly arbitrary numbers around.

Should I be concerned buying a helmet of an older standard or do you think this just silly bureaucracy in play?

Summary: a helmet that meets the new standard is going to protect your head better than one that just barely meets the old standard.

Old Law: AS/NZS 2063:1996 (PDF); unfortunately just the start, the actual full text of the law is behind paywalls.
New Law: AZ/NZS 2063:2008 (PDF); also need to pay to get full text
some stuff about US rules for comparison: CPSC bicycle helmet rules (PDF)

Summary of differences from the preface of the new regulations:

Something about "projection requirements" from the horse-riding helmet regulations added in. This is probably about stuff sticking off the outside of the helmet (such as a visor/peak).
Update to what headform is used for testing to match an international standard
Reduction of maximum allowed force to headform in test from 300g to 250g.  For comparison, 300g is the US requirement for adults, but 250g is the requirement in the US for children. I think it's a similar impact test.
Update to test of retention system (straps)
A new test for "peak deflection" added in, which I believe is another test of the retention system (straps), but measured differently.

Also, from the stuff I saw, a helmet meeting the old standard will still be perfectly legal to own or wear, will still be allowed in organized races for a while, etc.

I think the 300g to 250g change is the big one.  The g forces imparted to your head in a collision directly translate to how much damage your brain is going to take.  They're taking a weight shaped like a human head, strapping it into the helmet and dropping it onto various "anvils" and measuring the impact. This is a laboratory test of what would happen to your head during a collision wearing that helmet.

Note that the tests are simply pass or fail.  It's entirely possible that there's helmets certified to the old standard that would pass the new standard (or parts of the new standard) but those models weren't tested to it.

Personally, I'd be likely to pick up one of the old standard clearance helmets and not worry about it. Maybe get something a little nicer than I'd normally choose to afford. If I was planning some riskier riding I'd probably choose something certified to the new standard. However, I'm opposed to adult mandatory helmet laws, so my personal opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.  My personal opinion is that it's 90% silly bureaucracy and 10% actually making your head safer.


Are there better tires for heavy riders? I have upgraded the backwheel on my hybrid bike to one suitable for a 285 pound rider. Are there tires suited for 285 pound (130 kg) riders?

I would go as wide as your frame and fork will allow. The increased volume will support the weight better than a skinnier tire at higher pressure.


Difficulties changing from a folding bike to a full sized MTB - why? I presently ride a Dahon folding bike.  Today I tried to ride a mountain bike, and it felt unstable.  I felt unsure of myself so I only rode for a moment because I felt uncomfortable.

It was very heavy to ride, and required a lot of strength vs my folding bike.

It was difficult to start off, and felt shaky.

Will I get used to it?   What can I do to get comfortable on this bike?

I'm going to assume you have been riding a 16" or 20" folding bike that looks like this Dahon:

and that you're trying either a hybrid-commuter style like this rapide

or a suspension MTB something like this KTM

Steering
Generally the differences are that folders are very "responsive" in their steering. You turn the bars and the front wheel turns very quickly.

By comparison, a MTB has much larger wheels, being 26" to 29" plus they often have larger tyres, also adding weight at the rim.  The upshot of this is that it takes more effort to turn the bars on a MTB.  This is slightly offset by having longer bars - some are as much as 500mm wide but this means more movement of the hands is required for the same steering change.

Body Position

In a folder its a relatively upright position.  They tend to not ride hands-free very well so you need a hand on the bars at all time.  But your back can be upright.

A MTB position is more leaning-forward too, although not as much as a drop-bar.  So you have a little more weight on your hands than on a folder.  This may create steering inputs until you learn to put more weight on your feet.

Wheelbase the distance between front and rear wheel contact points.

A 20" folder has a wheelbase of about 102 cm, and a 16" is about 97 cm.  Compared to a MTB at 110 cm to 120 cm.  Short wheelbases are inherently twitchier, and long wheelbases are more stable at speed while cutting a longer curve.

16" vs 20" wheelbase

Suspension

Your folder will have no or almost no suspension.  So its firmly in contact with the road.  A MTB with front suspension will feel strange if you're used to braking and turning, and in extreme cases can throw you off the bike when the suspension loads up and then releases.  If you buy a bike with suspension, look for a lockout for road usage.  Makes the ride less "wallowy"

Rear suspension also sucks your power.  If you're average weight the bike will probably be about right for setup, but light and heavy people need the rebound and sag set properly.  Many rear suspensions suck your power while pedalling too - so rear suspension lockout is handy on the road.  Or don't get suspension at all.

Note this won't apply to the rigid commuter frame.

Motor/pedal assist

Not mentioned in your question but added for completeness, pedal assist is frightening if you've never used it before.  This is when a bike has a motor that "multiplies" your pedal input using electric power.  So when you push the pedals to take off, Pedal Assist kicks in and gives you your own personal tailwind.  This can be highly disconcerting.

The only fix is to lower the pedal assist input to zero or to its lowest assist value while testing a bike.  Only increase PA percentage as you become used to the bike and the motor's functions.

Practice

Here's the big one....

You spend under a minute riding this MTB.  It could take anything up to 30 minutes to get "dialed in" to the various inputs required.

Changing between significantly different bikes can be hard

  I tried a SWB recumbent recently, and it felt like being a noobie all over again.  Took a good 30 minutes to get up to speed and I could feel myself going through the plateaus of "this is horrible" then "its not so bad"  backwards through "ouch ouch ouch" then over the ridge of "Yay I got it!" only to drop down the other side of "No I don't got it?!"  After 15 minutes I was good for a ride around the block, but in no way was I ready for a century, and I probably would not react correctly in a crisis or accident.  That comes with many hours on that bike (or a lot of innate talent)

The odd thing is folders are considered hard to ride and the fact you're comfortable on one shows that you possibly need to "unlearn" some riding behaviours.  See What makes a folding bicycle so difficult to ride?  for info on folders.

Things for you to try

Spend 30 minutes practising in a safe space with no cars and minimal obstacles.   Take your time.
Press harder on the pedals to take weight off your other contact points
Commit to turns - don't vacillate.  Know how much lean is required for a specific angle of turn at different speeds.
Start by scootering around, and get used to the turning before you start worrying about pedalling.  A small slope can be helpful.  If this sounds like "how to get a kid riding a 2 wheeler" its pretty much identical.


Can and should one install rivnuts into an aluminium frame? I have an aluminium frame, and would like to add another bottle cage.  But there are no mounts below the downtube. I've installed rivnuts into a steel frame before, which worked well.
Can I install rivnuts into an aluminium frame?  If the thickness governs yes-or-no, then how would you measure the thickness before drilling?

Searches turn up conflicting information, ranging from "OMG no!" through to statements like:

Some have expressed fear of weakening the frame by drilling holes in it.  If done properly with the right kind of rivnut, the rivnut adds strength back to the frame around the hole.  If you use steel rivnuts on an aluminium frame it is actually stronger than the metal it replaces.
from https://www.electrifybike.com/technical/installing-rivnuts-in-bicycle-frames#/

So, should one install rivnuts onto a frame made from Aluminium?
Inspired by What are velcro alternatives for frame mounted bag?

I would recommend you not do this.  I have first hand experience with drilling holes in frames, albeit only one hole.  Although it was a success, the situation was different.
The short version...on two separate bikes, I drilled into the seat tube to allow for a dropper post routing.  I have had no trouble.
I did my homework, considered pros and cons, and most importantly considered the cost of ruining the bike.  After drilling, I would ride it and then inspect it, gradually increasing the amount of rigor of the test, to the point that I was going over jumps and landing flat.
Other posts suggested that there could be cracks that I don't see.  It is possible, yes, but based on the amount of abuse this bike has gone through, I feel like if it were going to fail, it would have failed by now.
Your situation is different, you would need two holes, and they are proposed on the downtube, where there is more stress.  If you have a butted frame, the material is thinner in the middle, right where you would want the holes to be.
I do not think the rivnuts will add strength to any holes you drill.  This might be the case if it were a perfect fit, and welded in with no voids.  But that is not the case.  They are not designed to add strength to anything, just to add threads to something that is already plenty strong.
You will not be able to figure out how think the material is without drilling into it, at least not that a layperson can do.  I expect someone scientist with the right xray or ultrasound could do it, but practically speaking, your guess is the best you can do.
I would suggest a similar approach to what another user mentioned.  But here is how I would do it.  Cut a strip of old inner tub, about 2 cm wide.  Wrap it around your frame once or twice where you would have wanted to drill the holes. If you want to glue it on there, you can, but you don't need to.  I'd suggest Barge Cement, just do it outdoors, that stuff has some pretty serious fumes.  Now just zip-tie the water cage on there, nice and tight.   If the zip tie slips of the spot on the water cage where the bolt would go, just bend a little lip into it.
Lastly, I get the hunch you are the kind of guy that likes to tinker with stuff.  Me too.  In this case, I would suggest your tinkering skills with drill bits would be best applied somewhere else.


I have a broken my drive side crankarm - what do I need to do? I recently had to dash home for a minor emergency. I noticed that one pedal was a bit wobbly but I had no choice but to push on. Once I got home and the emergency had been dealt with I noticed that my pedal no longer screws into the drive side crankarm as the rotating of the pedal when it was wobbly has worn away the grooves within the crankarm.

What should my course of action be? Do I need to replace the crankarm or as its the drive side do I need to replace the whole chain set?

Yes, you need to replace the crank arm, if tightening the bolt does not make it 100% solid again.  No doubt the crank arm had been loose for days, and had you tightened it earlier you might have "saved" it.

And there's some danger that you have damaged the crank axle as well, meaning the bottom bracket cartridge will need changing out as well.

I have speculated that a slightly misshapen crank could be saved by fashioning a shim of aluminum sheet metal (ie, beer/pop can), but I've never had need to try that, and it sounds like yours is in too bad of shape for that to have a chance to work.

(I'll add that replacing just the arm vs a larger assembly is a matter of feasibility and economics.  If you can't find a compatible replacement arm you may need to just install a new crankset, or you may discover that the entire crankset is cheaper than the replacement arm.)

Added

As others have pointed out below, the OP's description is more consistent with a failure at the joint between the crank arm and the pedal than between the crank arm and the crank shaft.  If this is the case there is some chance that a "Helicoil" can be installed to fix it.  This can be done by a skilled bike mechanic or a machine shop.

(In this case the pedal is likely toast, however.)


Chain with master link / quick connect link doesn't clear rear derailleur Bought a chain with a master link (packaging said quick connect link), it looks just like this:

This bit however won't fit cleanly through my derailleur, it snags on the wall right as it goes onto the first jockey wheel:

First off I tried adding a washer to widen the clearance between the derailleur plates. This helped a little but I can't add any more washers because the screws ain't long enough.
I've tried reversing the direction of the master-link plate, won't work because it hits the cogs. I've also adjusted the high and low screws of the derailleur, to no avail.

I'm afraid that if I try to file down the pin it will make the chain more prone to failure.
Wouldn't it be better to bend the derailleur plate out of the way somehow?

Am I missing something here, did I install something inappropriately or pick a wrong part?

EDIT: The packaging of the chain says 1/2 x 1/8 / 114L, suits most geared bicycles :D

That chain connector is not only for single speed, but I believe it is for 1/8" chains as well, so you may have a track chain, which is not meant for multi-speed drivetrains.

If it's not an 1/8" chain, and is instead a 3/32" chain, and your drive train is 8 speed or less, you can just replace the master link and you should be good to go. The master links only cost a few dollars so it can be a lot cheaper than swapping out the whole chain.

Master links for multi speed chains look more like this:

Or, if you have a chain tool, you could just remove a full link from the chain, skip the whole master link business entirely and ride today and let future Leeroy deal with it. Being short one link shouldn't be very problematic. This is also the only option if you have a 1/8" chain as mentioned above, and don't want to replace it.


Apart from the size, is there any difference between chains for derailleurs or for single-speed / internally geared hubs? I might need to replace my bicycle chain (see this question). The store where I've bought components before (cyclecomponents.com) seems to be entirely marketed to derailleurs, and I have an internally geared hub. Can I buy one of their chains as long as the size is correct, or are there some fundamental differences between the two?

I see a few different sizes of chain, broken down as follows

1/8 inch wide chain

 Single Speed / Internal Hub only, don't use with a standard derailleur.
 Can fit on 1/8 inch or 3/32 inch chainrings and cassettes. It will have some play when installed with a 3/32 chainring or cassette, but it's usable. So, if you accidentally buy an 1/8 in chain and have smaller chainrings, you can still use the 1/8 inch wide chain.

3/32 inch wide chain

Used for single speed or derailleur bikes.
Speced to be used for specific number of gears on the rear cassette, 6/7/8 speed, 9 speed, and 10 speed are most common sizes.  You typically want this number to match the chain (it matters more on 9, 10, or 11 speed clusters since the chainrings tend to vary slightly in width and tooth shape so they work better with the narrower spacing on the rear cassette and require more lateral flexibility.
I typically use 6/7/8 speed chains for my bikes that have single speed, fixed gear, or internally geared hubs that have 3/32 cogs since they tend to be cheaper than the 9, 10, or 11 speed chains since they don't need to be as flexible and will usually have a pretty straight chainline.
1/8 inch cogs/chainrings will not fit a smaller 3/32 chain.


Is it worth it to buy a bike that comes with puncture resistant tires, or add them later? Is it better to buy a bike that comes with puncture resistant tires, or get a cheaper bike that comes with worse tires and then get them replaced?

Don't decide your bike based on the stock tires. Tires are consumable components, and will not last like the rest of the components will. Tires are cheap, changing the frame or drivetrain is expensive.

Just ride the stock tires until they are worn out, then replace them with the puncture resistant tires, if by that point they are still important to you.

Many shops will swap out various components as part of a purchase anyway, so you can have your cake and eat it too.


How good are '80s Raleigh rod brakes? I'm interested in getting an old roadster/Dutch bike and I came across a Raleigh Royal from the '80s:

I like that it has rod-actuated brakes rather than coaster brakes, but how well do rod brakes actually work?-- I've only used caliper brakes and so have no idea how they work. The bike is far away from where I live so I can't easily ask for a test ride, either.

Thanks for the help.

What you have there is a replica of a WW2-era bike. That doesn't look like a traditional rod brake (see the Wikipedia link above). It's hard to tell what's going on, but I don't see any braking mechanism at the rim. So the brake must be in the hub (the oversized hub could be holding a generator - except there's already a generator on the other side of the fork).

If the bike was made in the 1980s, they probably put in something that stops the bike effectively while still looking "vintage". This is pure speculation though.

My advice is to buy the bike if you think it looks cool (which it does). If the brakes suck, you can always replace them with something else.


Which bicycle cameras are suitable for all weather 11+ hours food delivery cyclists I am a bicycle food delivery boy.

After a close pass forcing line variation followed by a threat of assault using a motor vehicle I now desire to mount cameras for evidence.

I also want to mount cameras to contribute to the mapillary project.

I require cameras that:

Mount front rear and helmet
Have audio for evidential purposes
Have enough resolution for evidential purposes
Record 11+ hours for mapillary
Are water proof against torrential rain
Are drop proof against normal working life on a bicycle
Function at night for evidential purposes
Are pit lock secureable or equivalent to the bike and helmet
Auto delete old content so I don't have to fiddle to keep the storage ready to work

I desire cameras that:

Have gps inbuilt
Auto pause when not moving and auto resume when moving to conserve data and battery
Function at night without requiring settings changes from having functioned in daylight

Answering because I'm not making a product suggestion.

There aren't any.   Most of the action-style cameras go for about 2 hours on their internal battery.

Personally I have run a single gopro 3 on a 9AH external USB battery for over 12 hours, but this is vulnerable to water entering the camera housing, and the continual vibrations of riding bouncing the plugs in their sockets.

You'll also need a 64 GB memory card per shift per camera, or some way to empty them all overnight while you sleep.

Many action cameras lack datestamp functions too, so its hard to prove that events happened at a specific time/date.

Plus a camera makes your bike more of a theft target.  So if you do this consider a chest harness.

All the action cameras are poor-to-crap at night.  I know of no night-vision action cameras.

Alternatives

Make yourself visible - that's

multiple front and rear lights
spread those lights around the bike (high and low positions)
white spoke reflectors (the yellow ones are not half as good as these)
reflective white-side tyres (not white-walls)
high-vis top/jacket with reflective piping or panels.

Other suggestions:

Learn where to not bike at night - narrow bridges, bad roads, anywhere the yobs/hooligans congregate..... just use another route even if its longer.
Don't be afraid to say "We can't deliver to that address after dark"

If you're stuck on mapillory best to look at their requirements or suggested camera list.   From their website, its an app-only driven service so you're out of luck with that requirement.  Better drop this, or run your cellphone camera separately just for this service.


Can a 12x142 rear hub and 15mm front hub be converted to 9mm quick release with an adapter? I need to replace a pair of 26er mtb wheels and want to see if my qr fork and frame can be adapted for through axle hubs.

YES.
You will need a adaptors called "end caps" that fit the ends of the axle (front&rear) and make it compatible with the use of QR. Depending on the brand of the hubs, the "end caps" can be found on the market - otherwise will need to make it at a turnery (it's a simple work).
But there are exceptions! Some front hubs of type "Boost" are 15mm but slightly wider (110mm vs. 100mm) than traditional QR and 15mm hubs. If the wheels you buy come with this hub, it will not works even using "end caps".
Before buying future wheels, make sure there are available in the market "end caps" for them.


Gears rattling in the back My MTB is making weird rattling noises in the rear.  What could be wrong?
I'm in Australia and my bike has sram components.
Picture:

It's not the gears that are rattling.
It's your chain!
I suspect your chain is lubricated, not by a proper thixotropic motorcycle chain lubricant, but rather by a snake oil obtained from a rattlesnake.
It isn't hard to deduce that the rattlesnake oil is causing your chain to rattle.


Presta to Schrader valve adapters that don't screw on the valve core Do any exist? I want to easily use a gas station compressor without worrying about popping my valve core out when I unscrew the adapter after use.
No, I don't want to "just use Schrader-valve inner tubes".

Never seen one myself - there are pumps that have push-on "speed" adapters for presta, but they are part of the pump head and you wouldn't find one at the service station.
The best fix is to unscrew your valve core and add a small dab of hand-strength threadlocker.  The Locktite one is normally blue, but other brands have other colours.   Then reinstall the core and snug lightly.  You can reinflate immediately. Once this is done, there's much less chance of the core coming out with the thread-on schrader adapter which you still need.
Another possible solution is to simply carry your own pump and not depend on machines.  A quality presta capable minipump is cheap enough, and will be with you if the puncture is far from civilisation and fuel stations.  Minipumps are slow and tiring, so you might choose a "small floor pump" which are faster but larger, while remaining smaller than workshop-sized floor pumps.  I have one and its somewhere between the two for speed.  Or you could carry CO2 sized for your presta tube.
You should always carry the small threaded schrader adapter too, along wiht the usual on-bike tools and emergency spares like master link and tyre levers.


Chain jumps off when jumping My chain jumps off front chainring or changes gears in the rear when I jump over stuff. Is there a way to prevent this?

John Allen has an article on some common reasons why chains drop, which I think is worth reading. Wrong chain size, bad derailleur adjustment, insufficient derailleur capacity, chainring damage, etc.  are some reasons this could occur.

There are clutch rear derailleurs (common in mountain biking) which try to keep the chain taut-er when going over rough ground, where a regular derailleur might move in a way to reduce chain tension and lead to dropped chains. But rough handling on any bike increases the likelihood of dropped chains or things switching up on you.

Shimano calls their clutch rear derailleurs "Shadow" and SRAM calls them "Type 2".


How to properly adjust rim brakes for a touring bike? My touring bike needs new brake pads, and I'm about to do the swap. I've done it before, and plan to consult the usual YouTube videos to refresh myself in the procedure. (Brakes are something where one doesn't want to mess around.)

Touring bikes have special concerns when it comes to brakes. In particular, they're carrying a lot of weight and need to be able to stop in all conditions. But it seems that my brakes on this bike are always too tight or too loose.

How does one properly adjust the brakes on a touring bike?

(The bike in question is a Novara Randonee with cantilever brakes. I'll be putting on two sets of Kool-stop dual compound brake pads. However, answers that apply to touring bikes in general would probably be more useful for all.)

Touring bikes, as you said, carry way more weight.  Beacuse of this additional weight they are prone to brake squeal and you need to pay closer attention to your wheels for loose spokes and out of alignment rims.
Make sure you have good spoke tension that is even all around the wheel and that the wheel is true.
The only major difference in brake setup from any other brake setup is just to nose in your pads more so than you would usually for an unloaded bike if it's needed.  It all depends on how flexible the brake mounts/arms are on your bike.
My Surly Long Haul Trucker doesn't need any nose in when unloaded but when I have an addition of a trailer and fully loaded touring bags the brakes howl when going down hill so I nose them in and the howl goes away.


What pressure should a tire have? I am a new bike rider.

Over three months, my wheels are a little bit flat. However I am not too sure as to what pressure I should pump them back up to. Currently they show 25 PSI (172 kPa). It is a hybrid bike I use to ride to work.

Is there any way I can check what the pressure should be? And what is the lowest acceptable pressure that is ok for tires?

Each type and size of tire has a different pressure range. The range is written or embossed right on the side of the tire.

The actual pressure you choose is dependent on what you are using the bike for, the road surface you ride on and your general preference. A safe choice the middle of the specified pressure range.

Lower pressure will give a bit more comfort, higher pressure gives slightly less rolling resistance. Beware that too low pressure can make the inner tube susceptible to punctures caused by hitting a bump hard (known as 'pinch flats').


Need a bright headlight for offroad, UK As winter approaches I am looking to upgrade my cycle lights. My commute takes me on an unlit section of canal tow path so I am looking for suggestions of a super bright headlight or cycle light that can illuminate the road ahead. Any suggesions? (UK Seller if possible.)

EDIT:
In response to the comments:

I would say my buget is under £50
I need to use it for 2 x 25 mins a day and then charge overnight is fine

UPDATE:

In the end I went for Akslen lights:

I bought an HL100 (no longer made but still available) the front and a akslen TL605 for the rear. Prices were quite good ~ 50 UK Pounds for the pair.

A year later they are still working fine, the front is quite good for lighting up the darkness, but as it points straight forward I intend to buy an Akslen Headlight this year as well.

I also have a pair of cheap lights (£1 each from poundland) which I use as a backup.

Ay Up lights

I have two sets of these lights, one on my handlebars and one on my helmet. They are:

Amazingly bright, I've never seen a brighter light
Very light - even with the light and battery on my helmet it's not uncomfortably heavy
Long lasting - The battery lasts 3-6 hours on a charge!!
Incredibly rugged - There is a lifetime guarantee on the lights

Also, the company has brilliant customer service. They respond to questions really quickly and often have upgrade programs running where you can send in your lights and get the optics upgraded to the new models at a greatly reduced price.

They're a few $$$ but I am so satisfied with them I've recommended them to everyone I know and everyone else who has bought them has been just as happy.

http://www.ayup-lights.com/


Which direction should QR lever point? A manual of a suspension fork states that the quick release handle must be in horizontal position, pointing backwards.

Is there any technical reason for this? Another natural position can be pointing upwards along the fork blade, and I cannot think of a reason why it is inferior.

Pointing it forward or downwards would be problematic as the lever might get caught somewhere and therefore get opened.

Remains pointing it backwards and upwards parallel to the fork. When pointing it parallel to the fork blade, it might touch the fork and therefore not fully close. This might cause the quick release to open by itself unintendedly. One can easily mitigate this if one knows about it and orients the lever a bit different, however, one has to be aware of it. Pointing the lever backwards does not suffer from this problem and therefore is the most safe version (also from a legal point of view) for the manufacturer, as one does not have to be aware of any implications.


Campy freehub body compatibility If I have a wheel listed as 8-10 speed Campy compatible, will a 11-speed Campagnolo cassette fit it?  I seem to remember that they didn't change their standards when they moved to 11-speed, unlike Shimano and SRAM.  I just don't have enough experience with Campy to say for sure.  Anyone out there done this conversion and can tell me for sure?

You are correct, all Campy 11 cassettes go on all Campy 10-compatible freehubs.

Listing it as 8-10 compatible is kind of a misnomer because you have to jump through some hoops to make an 8 work on it. It would be better to call it 9-10-11. Here's a page worth bookmarking that I always refer back to to keep it straight.


How to read the traffic light at this German intersection? There is an intersection in my city in Germany where the lights and signs puzzle me.

(click through for a larger image)

I usually want to turn left there. What I suppose should be relevant for me is the sign marked with the red arrow (the text reads: Those turning left should position themselves like that) and the traffic light marked with the green arrow. It is impossible to see at my phone camera's resolution, but from up close, it shows a bicycle and an arrow to the left, like this one:

At first I thought that I am supposed to start ahead when that light turns green, cross the street in front of the viewpoint (FS), then turn as shown on the sign and wait there until I can cross the street to the left of the viewpoint (LS). But the light only turns green for a very short time, maybe 10 to 15 seconds. And during this time, the signal is green for cars coming from the left on the FS, so it is impossible to cross.

Then I thought that I maybe should cross first while the cars' traffic light on the LS is green, then position myself as shown on the sign. But as soon as I have crossed, the angle is all wrong and it is impossible to see the bicycle traffic light any more. If I am directly in front of it, I have to angle my neck up to see it, and that way cannot see much of the rest of the situation on the crossing. If I turn left and go a little bit back, as shown on the sign, the viewing angle is so shallow that I can see the surface of all three colors from the side, and all seem equally lighted, so it is impossible to tell which one is on.

So I now completely disregard that light, cross with the cars' light the FS, then turn left and use the pedestrian's light to cross the LS.

What is the actual meaning of the traffic light, and how is it supposed to be read?

You're meant to cross the crossing in two steps (you'll need two traffic light cycles to turn left, not like cars who manage in one cycle).

I took the road names from here, which is, I think, the crossing you were photographing.

Starting from Jahnstraße, you go straight (on the right of the lane) along with the cars coming from Jahnstraße. Arrive at the holding line I marked in red . (And see all the cars with the same destination as you, cruise off over the river while you wait). Now you're standing in front of the cars going along Berliner Straße facing south.

For the second step, the small traffic light you highlighted is relevant (and the way these crossings are meant to be used, from this position it should be visible, but they are commonly misadjusted, don't know why, but it seems they see less maintenance). It's purpose is to give you a small head start ahead of the traffic queueing up behind you in Berliner Straße. This is why it's so short green, it's only for the few people getting packed in this short term "parking spot", it is not meant to be caught by flowing traffic. In addition to the headstart, it's meant to tell you when Berliner Straße has green - there's no way you can see the main signal.

EDIT: as top view (image from google maps)

you arrive on the black line
wait until the green traffic light turns green
continue on the green line
wait until the red traffic light turns green
continue on the red line

EDIT: for the benefit of those who want to take another look at the concept: similar bike-left-turn solutions exist in other towns, here in geneva, with streetview

with two of these small wait-spaces to wait for green on the next leg:

EDIT (adding some points raised in the comments):

This way of turning left is typically a safe and easy way to turn left on crowded crossings, even if you're not very familiar with roads. The biggest danger is cars turning right and running over you when you go straight on the first leg - that's the same as when you go straight and unfortunately omnipresent in Germany, not only on crossings like these. If you're confident to do it, you can probably also turn left on the car lane - it might be a bit of a hazzle to reach that lane, I'm not sure how legally evil that is, but it's probably not too problematic if you know the crossing. I cannot judge how much of an obstacle you'll become for cars turning left - I think it's two lanes turning left in parallel.

In my experience you're meant to do the 90° turn before coming to a stop in Germany, and after the stop in Switzerland; such that in your case you just accelerate straight once the second traffic light turns green, that's the position for which the traffic light should be adjust.

PS: on the top view you can also see similar waiting places for coming from the south on Berliner Straße and turning left into Im Neuenheimer Feld; and with lane marking, the way to go from the north into Jahnstraße to the east.


What to do If your pedal are squeaking and are not straight? I have a dtb and the pedals aren't straight they are kind of bent It seems that something is broken in the place where they are join.

update: It's moving sideways and the outer bolt are quite slanty You know not tightened properly And when I shake it It feels something is broken inside

A 3-piece crank:

A 1-piece crank:

Which do you have??


What would short distance training do for my endurance performance? Due to limited time I've been working on short intervals (generally 1-6 minute repetitions) and the longest ride I've done in 4 months is 90 minutes which, while I've been pushing on the climbs, I still get home with a bit to spare.
Still riding 3-4 times a week, and seeing performance gains at these distances, generally measured in seconds and generally because I can maintain a higher pace for longer at the same rpm, i.e. pushing bigger gears for longer.
How might this training affect e.g. an 8 hour hilly ride, where I'll be pushing on but always within sustainable limits?

You can improve metrics like FTP, VO2Max, etc, with shorter workouts, and those improvements will carry through to longer rides. Your body doesn't draw on a completely separate set of capabilities when you go for a long ride.
But at some level, you need to prepare for a long ride by going on long rides. A saddle that is comfortable at 40 miles might be uncomfortable at 80 miles. Likewise for shoes, etc. Small positioning problems get magnified.
Also, your body can generally store enough energy to carry you through about 2½ hours of riding, after which you're at risk of bonking. Going for longer rides gives you practice refueling, figuring out what works and what doesn't. You can also train your body to run on stored fat more efficiently (even if you are very thin, you have enough stored fat to get through days worth of riding).


Attach Kryptonite Messenger Mini+ I got a Kryptonite Messenger Mini+ with a rear wheel extender. Really great design except for one thing: there's no way to clip it to the frame. The clip that I have depends on fitting on the straight side of the U, which would make using the extender impossible.

Is there a convenient way to attach this to the frame?

Additional description: the issue is that in the picture above, the right hand side is straight, and can accommodate the standard aluminum clip that Kryptonite sells. However, the aluminum clip is rigid, and cannot turn around curves, meaning I cannot put in on the left, and slide it onto the right side. The right side is curved (how it's held into the lock) and the clip mount cannot fit onto the right hand side. However, if I attach it on the left, then U-extender cannot slide past the clip.

Is there a convenient way to attach this to the frame?

According to Diane Craig at Kryptonite support:

  The Flex frame bracket will not work with the Messenger Mini +. We do not make a spline for the Messenger series to attach the lock to the bracket. The Transit H bracket will work it mounts to the handlebars and the lock hangs down"

Pictures of the bracket in use were few and did not include the Messenger Mini+.

Bracket empty

"convenient" is in the eye of the beholder.


How to get weight over the back under hard braking I've just been doing some hill repeats and killing the boredom I got thinking, what is the best position to be in when braking hard (emergency stop, coming downhill etc.)? Obviously you want to keep the back wheel from lifting off the ground.

For example, I could lean over the handlebars (stupid but its illustrative) sit in the middle of the saddle, sit on the back of the saddle, or hang off the back beyond the saddle...

What is the most effective way to transfer weight on to the back wheel?

(On a road bike)

Hang your buttocks off the back of the saddle is the only appropriate answer.

You can see great evidence of this in cyclocross races when racers go from climbing to steep descents (in some cases) and go straight to the drops and hang their rear end off the back of the bike.

Here is a downhill rider doing an extreme example of exactly this:


Uncomfortable rise and backsweep on wide mountain bike handlebars I've got a set of wide carbon bars on my mountain bike. I get painful wrists after riding because of the shape of the bars. They are pretty much flat with a slight backsweep. How do I know which bars I should buy and what is the benefit of rise and backsweep on handlebars?

That "rise and backsweep" makes it easier to handle the bike when standing up. You'll notice that this is more pronounced on downhill bikes.

I am also uncomfortable on a flat bar, and I use bar-end bullhorns (I don't know if you could install these on a carbon bar).


Clank when starting to pedal Recently I noticed that my bike makes a loud clanking sound when I start pedalling, both from a stand still and after freewheeling. If I remember correctly the problem started after I washed the bike, so my first thought was that some of the degreaser got into some bearings. But given that the LBS has re-greased everything down to the threads of the through axles that option is less likely.
The LBS tried but couldn't detect any play, I have yet to try myself though.
I should also stress that there is just one clank after I start pedalling, which makes me think something is settling in to place, as for what it might be, I have no Idea. It also doesn't mater how much pressure I put on the pedals. I do feel a slight click on the non-drive-side along with the clank, but that could also just be my imagination. I haven't been able to recreate the symptoms when the bike was in the bike stand. The bike is a giant propel 2020 model.
Does anyone have an idea what this might be?
Looking forward to your input

Could it simply just be your freehub? Especially on cheaper hubs, the engagement isn’t very good, so you have a lot of time to build up momentum before the freehub actually engages. This will result in a clunking noise.
Since freehub bodies are decently hard to get to, it’s unlikely that the LBS took it apart and relubricated it. If they did, maybe they used oil instead of the factory grease, which would also result in a sharper engagement noise. Perhaps you got degreaser inside the freehub and broke down/thinned the lubricant?
Check that your cassette is properly tightened. That could be another cause.
Make sure your cranks are securely fastened, and that your pedal bearings are in good shape. I’m not sure what else could cause a clunk on only one side.


Putting a front Derailleur on a carbon frame Do you put anything under the clamp on the carbon to protect it? In the past I've tightened brakes on MTB handle bars to much and wrecked them so I'm wondering.

Carbon compound can definitely help. As the following link points out, it helps you avoid 'over torquing' to ensure that the component doesn't slip.

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/fiber_grip.htm

In my personal domain, if there is carbon and carbon, or carbon and some other material, thou must use fiber grip. And a torque wrench. No questions.


what is the average weight of a male professional cyclist? I just want to get an idea of what the ideal weight of a male rider is in the professional races.

Here is a site with a chart that lists pro cyclist's height and weight ranges.

Source credit is  http://www.wenzelcoaching.com/blog/cycling-body-weight-chart/


Sourcing wheels for hybrid bike I've got a performance hybrid I want to upgrade the wheelset for. I'm looking for narrow rims - I'd like to run 23c tires (so the "charts" suggest 15mm inner width) - with a 135mm (mountain bike) hub. It seems manufacturers focus on road bikes for the narrow performance rims, and mountain bikes for wide rims, and I can't seem to find the middle ground.

Do I have to custom build my wheel or is there a category of road-bike width hybrid bike hub wheels that I'm just not finding in my search?

Consider you are not finding what you are looking for for a reason.

A larger tire does not necessarily have a lower rolling resistance.
A the same pressure a larger tire actually has a lower rolling resistance.

Over city terrain I would take a 28 mm or 30 mm over a 23 mm for rolling resistance.

For ride and flat resistance I would definitely take a 28 mm + over a smaller tire.

Racers go with a narrow tires more for wind resistance. On a hybrid you don't have nearly the aerodynamics of a road bike - you are taller and wider.  What you pick up on a small tire on hybrid is just not worth it.  You already have the wider fork and rear hub.  Putting smaller tires on it is just not going to change the aerodynamics much - especially on the rear.

I would stay in the right sizing for your rims and go with a low resistance road type tire.

You probably have like a 20 mm that will take 28 mm tire fine.
If you are bigger than 20 mm you can find CX 135mm wheels as low as 20 mm.

On the front you if you are dead set then you could find a road wheel for the front.
But I still don't think 23 mm is going to make you faster than a 28 mm on that bike.

If you really want speed then I would put that money into a road bike rather than a custom wheel build.