Bar end brakes and handlebar swapping I have one road bike that I use mostly for commuting, sometimes for fast alone rides and infrequently for group rides.

I was thinking that since most of my riding is alone I should put my tri bars back on my bike.  I had an extra set of drops in my closet so I chopped them off to make some bull horns.  I now have a sweet set of tri bars.  I just need to pick up a set of bar end brakes and I will be all set.  There is only one kicker:

Since every once and a while I want to do a group ride I would like to be able to swap out my tri bar setup for a drop bar setup.  Preferably I would like to keep the brake lines on my bike and just unattach the lines from the break leavers.  I had an extra stem lying around so I can just pull out the step from the head set and volla!

Went to my LBS to pick up some bar end brakes but this is what they told me:

With all bar end brakes you have to run the brake line under the tape so you could not switch out the bars without retaping your bars each time.  Anyone know of any bar end brakes that the lines run NOT through the bar tape?
Switching between bars frequently (once or twice a month) will cause major wear on your bike and you should pick one thing and stick with it.

Is there any truth to either of these statements?  I am somewhat skeptical.

Assuming you've got modern brakes, the complex cable run you'd have to set up for this likely makes it not worth it to try for cable splitters.  The splitters (daVinci Easy-Split, Bruce Gordon QS2, etc) require a bare cable run, so you'd need a pair of cable stops between the front brake and the front brake lever, not found in most modern setups.

Even if you didn't have the housing running underneath the bar tape, you'd still need to loosen the cable to remove it from the brake, and re-tightening your brakes each time to enable a bar swap would get old quickly. It's not the case that swapping bars and stems frequently would put undue wear on those components, but it certainly increases the chances that you'll over- or under-tension parts at critical moments and cause a failure.  Particularly if you're swapping stems you would need to be mindful of headset preload.  If you end up unbolting and rebolting cables frequently you would increase the wear on them, as the clamping force deforms them and will cause them to fray.

If your bike has cantilever or centerpull brakes with split cable stops you could set up two complete cable runs that wouldn't require you to disconnect the brake cables, but that's unlikely on a modern-ish road bike.


Do these shocks look okay? Im looking to buy a used Trek X-Caliber 9 bike from 2020 used. The seller says he only rode the bike for 150km and the bill shows that he bought it only 9 months ago. Everything looks good so far but I recognized that the shocks look a little bit strange.

Can you tell anything about it? Why are they so bright on the upper inch?

looks normal to me. There is oil in the bottom of the fork that lubricates the fork stanchions during use. There are rubber seals that hold the oil in the bottom of the fork, but they are not going to be 100% effective. It is this minute amount of oil you can see on the bottom half of the stanchions and nothing to worry about.
Eventually the seals will wear out and you'll need to replace them, along with the oil in the fork. You'll know that you need to do this when it becomes more than a film and you start getting clumps of dirt and oil together. Keeping everything clean and changing the oil frequently will improve the life of the seals and would recommend at the least to wipe the stanchions after every ride with a clean, soft cloth to remove any dust and dirt.


I slightly wrecked my bike - looking for parts - how do I start? 2003 or 2004 Specialized Sirrus DISC - my son ran into a parked car and now I  need a new front wheel, rotor and fork. The whole thing is silver, Chromoly. I love this bike, it was a trusted commuter during an interesting season in my life.

My very trusted and loved LBS says "Just over $300" to get it back up and running because they only do top of the line work and if something should be replaced instead of repaired that is the way they go. But a new Sirrus (with no memories, and lower components) is about $450.  So I'm in the middle.... ideas from anyone?

Before you start, check very closely at the top and down tubes, about 1-2 inches behind the head tube welds.

Your frame may be damaged in these spots, which is totally counter-intuitive.  A steel bike will develop two rust rings here after a front-end collision.

Use a magnifying glass or a jewellers loupe, and a bright light to look for any cracks or distortions.  A metal ruler can be used as a straight-edge to look for sharper bends.

Spending money on forks may be wasted if the frame is damaged.

That said - I rode a steel bike that had frontal damage for several months.  You need to make a judgement call once your inspection is done.

Can't build a house on a poor foundation; can't build a bike on a damaged frame.


V-Brake pads for wet conditions In wet conditions, my current brakes are pretty poor. Without switching to disc brakes, what are my options for v-brake pads that work better in the wet?

I'm only thinking about this for my commuting bike, which is mostly a flat ride to and from work. But sometimes the rain can get pretty heavy this time of year.

I've had good luck (with cantilever brakes) with Velo Orange's Squeal-Free Brake pads, but many people say that the Salmon compound brake pads from Kool Stop are the best choice for wet conditions.  The dual-compound Kool Stops are a good idea, since supposedly they work well in all conditions...

My LBS stocks brands, but Kool Stop is a much more usual brand of brake pad to carry.

In general: any brake pads that say they're made for wet conditions.


How to correctly align "to see" bicycle lights? My "to see" bicycle light shifts out of position.  While I need to fix it (fork bridge mounted dynamo), how do I determine when it is correctly aligned?

In particular how are "to see" lights correctly aligned so they don't blind on-coming traffic?

This question is primarily about how to adjust beam position for courtesy and safety, rather than the mechanics of mounting any particular light.

related question: How to correctly align "be seen" lights

Alignment is anything from trivial to impossible. Good lights have a cut-off beam pattern that is more rectangular than circular. That way you can point the light at the road in front of you and not have the central peak that's pointing up into the eyes of people coming towards you. Even expensive lights often don't do this, so you might be out of luck.

The hassle with dyno lights is that you have to be moving to see the beam. I find that getting it roughly right in the workshop than nudging it while I'm riding works best. Having a nylock nut on the vertical adjustment bolt means I can set it to be "just tight enough" and it won't shift while I play with it later. Then I move the light a little while I'm riding - just reach down and push/pull the light a little until it's pointed the right way. If you don't have a locking nut you'll have to stop the bike at that point and tighten the nut fully to lock the light in place.

Actually aligning the beam is a matter of deciding how close to you you want the beam to hit the road and aiming it accordingly. Too close and you have a small, very bright spot right in front of you that actally makes it harder to see than not having the light at all. Too far and you're putting most of your light into other people's eyes. With a circular beam you're going to have light going up, there's no way around it.

My preference is to aim the light such that the top of the beam is just below horizontal. Or with my B&M Eyc that has a nice rectangular beam and sits just over a 406 wheel, actually horizontal. What I do is wait until I'm riding either towards a reflective sign or white wall, or next to a wall. Then I work out where the top of the beam is and push it down/pull it up until it's right. That way I'm getting the light on the road out in front of me without blinding anyone.

That's specific to the type of light and how it's mounted. The only general advice is "make sure it has a proper mount and is installed correctly". Of course, for may lights the answer is "it did not come with a proper mount".

For your fork bridge mounted dyno light the mounts are often cheap steel and if you're lucky there will be a fold or two to strengthen it in places. Those usually end up not working very well.

If the light slips around on the mounting bolt that's usually easy to fix. Get a locking nut and if necessary a longer bolt so you can fit it. The nut you want is deeper than a normal nut and has a plastic insert to make it less likely to come undone. They're cheap, so most bike shops will buy a box of 100-200 for 5c-20c each (more for stainless steel ones) and charge you 20c-50c for one. Your call as to whether $10 for a box is worth it. If you are right on the end of the bolt don't fart round with removing washers, just buy a longer bolt. Most cities have an industrial fastener shop, find it or use an online one (but $5 shipping on $1 of bolts... ow).

Note that the two leftmost brackets in this picture use the curve of the head tube bulge to stabilise the bracket. The other two rely entirely on the bolt being really tight. If you're buying a bracket, try for something like the first two.

If your bracket is bending you need another one. Your LBS or local bike fix crew might have a box of light mounting bits you can go through, and that's generally the easy way. This is where having access to a vice and power drill is helpful, or it's going to be cheaper to get the bike shop to do the work for you. $20 in labour cost is easier than buying a cheap vice and not having any further use for it afterwards.

But, if you have a few tools: Find something that your light will attach to easily and is more or less right to attach to your bike. Or go to a metal sales merchant and see if you can buy offcuts (most sell them by weight), and buy a 10cm piece of angle iron (aluminium "iron", ideally) that you can cut to shape.

Notch the angle iron so you can bend it forward, but don't completely cut off the angled part - you want that there so the light can't be bent too far forward. This is where the cheap pressed brackets fail and you don't want that.

Once it fits the bike and light bend the bottom of the flat so the corners are angled in to fit onto that bulge. It's a little tweak but it makes a surprising amount of difference.


Schwinn AC Plus Performance Carbon Blue spin bike pedal removal What tools do I need to remove pedal from crank arm?

I assembled pedals to wrong pedals to the crank arm. Right pedal to left and left pedal to right.

I can't remove it. What size crank puller do I need to remove?

To remove a pedal from a crank arm is merely a matter of unthreading it.

Most pedals use a pair of flat surfaces just outboard of the crank.  A normal adjustable spanner may fit, but the proper tool is a thinner pedal spanner with a width of 15mm

Pedals may also have a hex driver socket on the inboard end of the shaft.  This might be a 6mm, 8mm, or 10mm hole and is driven with an allen key.

Some pedals have both flats and hex hole.

The "Crank Puller" is the wrong tool for the job.  A puller works to remove the crank arm from the bottom bracket, and would look like this:

An auto gear puller is also the wrong tool.  You need to unthread, not pull-off.

Since you've crossed the threads, its likely that the crank arms are damaged.  It is possible the pedal threads are also damaged.   And the amount of damage will increase the further in you got the pedal axles into the cranks.

You need to back out the pedals, clean all four threads, and inspect closely.  It will take a lot of force to undo this, though not as much as it took to get then in.

Next time something takes that much force on your bike, stop and check.  While some actions do require force, threads are not one of them.

As for recovery, you are probably up for new crank arms, and perhaps pedals.

As an alternative, you might be able to retap the threads using the proper sized (and handed) threadding taps.  However if there's not enough meat left in the crank, another alternative is to helicoil the holes.  For this you'll need a pillar drill (not a hand drill!) and the right helicoils, in both handed-orientations.  This is something a quality LBS can do.


Clip-on to temporarily convert Look pedal to stand-on style? I have a road bike with look style pedals, and I am looking for an attachment I can clip-in to the pedals (where my cleats clip in) to provide a platform so that I can temporarily use ordinary shoes to pedal.  I find this convenient if I have to lock up/walk somewhere after so I can wear whatever walking shoes I want (I can't walk in my look cleats and don't want to convert to SPD).

I don't know of any commercial attachment, but there are at least two other ways you can solve the problem.

Mikes linked to a DIY solution for eggbeaters.  You could easily do the same with Look-style clipless pedals.  Just buy a spare pair of cleats for and bolt them to a piece of wood or plastic.  You'd need to drill three holes in the flat support piece, but you can probably buy all the hardware (including cleats) for under $30.  The disadvantage of this method is that it would be difficult to properly weight the clip-ons so that they rest in a convenient orientation when you foot is off the pedal.  You may have noticed that Look pedals always sit with the front pointed upward.  This done intentionally so that you can simply slide your shoe and cleat forward into the pedal to clip in.
I know that the question asks for something to clip on to the pedal, but it seems like the real problem you're trying to solve is "How can I walk around in the same shoes I ride in?"  For that, I would propose an alternate solution: cleat covers!  These are rubber covers which fit over the cleat, available at just about any bike shop in a variety of generics and brand names.
You can, of course, also use the pedals as-is with your street shoes.  For "short" distances (every rider is going to disagree on what short means in this context) I find this works acceptably well.  I place my feet on the pedals the same as if I were wearing cycling shoes with cleats. In other words, I use the top of the pedal and place the ball of my foot over the axle.

Walking around in cycling shoes with cleat covers can be a little awkward at first because your toes are pointed slightly upward (the covers have to go over the cleat, obviously, so that adds even more thickness to the front of the shoe).  Most people get used to them pretty quickly, though, and it's really not a big deal.  One thing you can try is walking on the balls of your feet.  Normally that wouldn't work in cycling shoes because the cleat is smooth and slippery, but with cleat covers you get just as much traction as you would in regular shoes.


What is the function of these 'bulges' on the frame? A friend brought me an old frame that he found on the roadside on bulky waste day (is that a thing outside of Austria and Germany?).
The rear wheel was gone, the front one bent beyond repair, but the rest of the bike was in quite good condition. From the parts on it (a complete Shimano 105, 2x7 groupset) I guess it's from the early 90ies.

The interesting feature on it, one that I have never seen before, are these "bulges" on the main tubes (top tube, down tube, and seat tube).

The feature is visible on the second photo, and in the third image I have made a crude sketch of the cross-section of those tubes.

Does anyone know WHY they are there? Is there some engineering idea behind that? Is it just an optical feature?

PS: I thought that maybe it was some kind of identifying feature of the manufacturer, but I can not find any information about a bicycle manufacturer "Oberriet" (see photo nr. 4) at all. This just made me even more curious.

My best guess is that you have a frame made of Gilco Design Columbus tubing used on Italian bikes in the 80s. I could find no mention of Oberriet bike brand anywhere. Maybe a small custom frame builder that didn't get much (any?) coverage.

This frame tubing looks a lot like yours

In researching Colnago came up often as a bike maker that used shaped tubing.

  In response to criticism that his frames were not stiff enough, next Colnago experimented with ways to change the behavior of frame components. In 1983, he introduced the Oval CX with an oval-shaped top tube to add stiffness. He then experimented with various crimped-tube frames which became production models as their top of the range frames, beginning with the "Master." Later "Master-Light", Master Olympic and Master Piu extended the range. Colnago built a frame from Columbus tubing used by Giuseppe Saronni to win the world professional road race championship in 1982, and afterwards a short-lived collection of bikes were badged with the Saronni name. In 1983, Giuseppe Saronni would go on to win the Giro d'Italia stage race on a Colnago bicycle wikipedia

Later in the same article there is a list of steel frame bikes with descriptions of the tubing along with production years. From your drawing the tubing has six ribs which could be a tube set used on the Regal 1986.

I don't think your bike is a Colnago, I think it is a bike made from a similar Columbus tubing set. The answer to the "why did they make it this way" is - as mikes said in comments - stiffness.

Even today the Colnago Master is made with shaped steel tubing.


top tube angle on steel and carbon road bikes You generally see the top tube on steel bikes being parallel to the ground, whereas on a lot of carbon bikes it's angled. Why is that?

(my observations are obviously limited, but it seems like a trend)

Pictures for comparison:

The only real advantage to a compact geometry road bike is for the manufacturers. Since standover- which is the distance from the top tube to your crotch when you straddle the bike with your feet on the ground- is increased, one size of frame will fit a wider height range of people and therefore the manufacturer does not have to make as many different frame sizes. This is valuable for aluminum and steel bike frames, but pays off the most in the world of monocoque carbon frames as each size requires its own mold(s) and for higher end bikes, its own layup schedule. Final fitting is done with saddle height & fore/aft position along with steerer stack height, stem length & angle. Ultimately there is no difference in fit between compact and classic road bike geometry.

Compact geometry frames use ever so slightly less material in the frame, but primarily they are just the new aesthetic of road bikes as compared to those of the 1980s era and before, and that era of bike was typically steel.


Can I use Shimano STI brifter with 11 speed mountain derailleur? I'm considering a 1x drivetrain for a gravel bike. Shimano hasn't yet released a road/gravel solution to the market that incorporates a rear derailleur with a "clutch" (that keeps the chain from bouncing as much). Except for some of their mountain derailleurs, e.g. SLX.

So my question is, is such an 11 speed Shimano derailleur compatible (i.e. same "pull" as) their 11 speed STI shifters (such as Ultegra 6800)?

I did find an answer for 9 speed Shimano, indicating compatibility, but I'd like to know about 11 speed.

Thanks!

No. The cable pull is different starting with 10spd mountain. In Shimano-land you presently do this with a Jtek Shiftmate 8, Wolf Tooth Tanpan, or other actuation ratio converting device. Using a di2 MTB RD with di2 STI also works. In either case there's not a great solution to the left lever being either mismatched or a heavy, expensive shifter sitting there not hooked up to anything. SRAM has three native 1x road groups with non-Doubletap lefts and clutch that get specced on all the bikes that actually come this way.

Edit: Another related setup presently available is the TRP Hylex di2 adaptor kit, which integrates a di2 climbing shifter with the right Hylex lever, which can then control an XT or XTR RD with clutch.


How can I tell which road bike components/groupsets are better? Shimano has new models of their groupsets every year but the lines generally keep the same names. This makes it difficult to figure out what year/version a particular bike has. Is there an easy way to figure this out and also determine which components/groupsets are better than others?

For instance, if I have Tiagra derailleurs from 2009 would they be better than Sora derailleurs from 2010 for a road bike?

Typically the majority of their yearly R&D is spent on their top of the line group, then they will trickle down it's technology to the next lower group, and continue that way, so usually, this years tiagra is close to last years 105, etc.   The major thing to look for is # of speeds in a group, weight, and finish.

I believe the 2010 Sora(3400) set is a 9 speed, where the 2009 tiagra is a 9 speed - the major difference is the thumb button of Sora(3400) versus the finger paddle of Tiagra(4500), a substantial difference.

the quality goes 2200 < Sora < Tiagra < 105 < ultegra < dura Ace


New to bicycle riding. Questions about adjustments and upgrades I just got my very first bicycle. At 30years old, I never ever rode a bicycle. I walked into a Walmart, bought the nicest looking mountain bike I could find, a 26" Havoc Men's Mountain Bike.

My first week was horrible. Trying to balance on a bicycle, falling off several times etc. Second week, I would almost die of exhaustion from riding 400meters.
Now, after about 6 weeks, I do about 5miles a day with ease.

I have now realized from a lot of the comments here and on YouTube that I was really using an entry level piece of metal. I have plans for a huge upgrade but while still learning to build endurance, understanding the little bits and pieces of increasing speed etc, any advice on what I can do right now to upgrade this present bicycle to make it more efficient? Anything I should consider doing?Anything I may have left out?  Any helpful tips etc.

Thanks.

Leave your current bike alone, save your money for the replacement bike.

To make a significant difference to the current bike you'll probably have to spend a significant fraction of the original purchase price and face major headaches figuring out compatibility of components. Leave it original and sell it when you get the new bike.

If you do want to spend some money on making cycling more pleasant, look at some clothing items or accessories.

A few updates:

One change that you might consider is replacing tires with ones more suited to the surfaces you are riding on. I.e., if you are riding on pavement or flat good quality gravel you can fit semi-slick tires. You don't have to get expensive tires, moderately priced ones will be fine.

Keep the drive train clean, lubricated and adjusted properly to extend the life of the sprockets and chain and keep it as efficient as possible.


Is the 30 teeth chainring on Campagnolo Mirage 52/42/30 crankset replaceable? I have new (for me) 2008 Orbea Onix TDi with existing 50/34 front crankset.
My shifter is 3 steps - to switch from 1st to 2nd I have to click twice.
All parts are Campagnolo Mirage.

Climbing the hills on it for me is too hard - I'm 230lbs. I've just ordered a new 52/42/30 Campagnolo Mirage crankset. But I have a feeling that 30 teeth still won't be enough.

Can I replace the 30 tooth chainring with let's say 26 to make climbing easier?
And if yes, which one would you recommend?

Thank you.

The bolt circle diameter for recent road triples is 74 mm, which allows something around 23 teeth. Looking at the catalog of Specialites TA, their smallest chainring is 24 teeth.

In addition to triple crank, you will need a triple compatible front derailleur and very probably a long cage rear derailleur. There are multiple discussions about chain capacity on this site, search for them.


Campagnolo rear mech with Sram groupset Is it possible to install a Campagnolo Record 11 speed mechanical rear derailleur on a bike that is otherwise equipped with a Sram Force 11 speed groupset?

Has anyone ever used a similar setup and if so, how did it shift?  Were there any problems in mixing the two brands?

No. it won't shift correctly - SRAM must be used with appropriate SRAM levers, Shimano with compatible Shimano levers, Campagnolo with compatible Campagnolo levers.
Each manufacturer has their own ratio for cable recovery to derailleur movement, each company has their own strategy for coping with the fact that the angular movement of the chain sprocket-to-sprocket across the range of the cassette has to vary slightly.
Shimano and SRAM manage the latter mostly in the lever, Campagnolo split the management across the lever and the cassette spacing, which contrary to most internet chatter is not the same as Shimano / SRAM and nor is it constant.


Remove a hub gear or buy new wheel? I have recently come into possession of a Coventry Eagle that I want to turn into a single speed bike.

The Coventry Eagle has a three speed internal Sturmey Archer hub gear, obviously on a single speed this isn't wanted or needed.

Being a frugal sort is it possible to remove a hub gear and keep the existing wheel? Or should I just get a new rear wheel?

I know I can just set it in the gear I want it to be in and leave it at that but the hub gear adds considerable weight to the back of the bike, and also ruins the look I am going for.

I carry out almost all of the maintenance on my bike and fit new components as and when needed. I can and will learn new skills if needed.

This is a project bike intended to pass time and be a bit of fun, so keeping costs low is slightly more important than the time taken. However if it gets to a point where I am getting nowhere with something and it stops being fun I will seek professional help / buy something more suited to the job.

As a side note:

I want the bike to have a similar riding position as my road bike, so I will most likely have drop bars on it.  If 700cc tires would make this easier to achieve then the removing of the hub gear becomes a mute point.

is it possible to remove a hub gear and keep the existing wheel? Or should I just get a new rear wheel?

If you remove the hub, what is left? A rim and some spokes... if your goal is to reuse as much as possible, you could possibly lace a new hub to the rim. The problem is that it is pretty unlikely that the spokes will be reusable. Going from one hub to the next, you can occasionally with some decent planning get that to work. With an internal hub going to an externally geared hub it is pretty unlikely as usually internal hubs have a large hub body and very tall flanges. This causes them to use very short spokes that would never reach the flanges of a standard hub. You could look into it, using online spoke length calculators, and see if there is a hub that would let you reuse the spokes.

However, building a wheel this way is not a great introduction to wheelbuilding! Used spokes, used rim.. it will all behave differently and go together with more difficulty than new parts due to inconsistencies and wear.

If you would like to take that on AND you can reuse the spokes, it will probably be cheaper than a new wheel. If you can't reuse the spokes, it would end up being cheaper to just buy a new rear wheel (not even taking into account that you may get a small amount of money for the current rear wheel).


How is the width of drop bars measured? I'm looking to replace my current drop bars. I like the width just fine and would like to get a new set that is the same width (or at least close to it).

How is the width measured? Is it the overall outer width? The width between the center of the bar ends? The width between the inner edges of the bar ends? The width of the flats up until the curve? Something completely different?

The most common measurement I've seen is c-c (centre to centre), the distance between the two horizontal tops of the drops, running parallel with the stem and behind the hoods.

If that doesn't make sense, see the following image.

Image credit bikerumour.com

However, you're right to check this as not everyone does it this way. The internal or external sizes might also be interesting if you're wondering how much space the bike will take to store or what size bar bag might fit between them.


Can I put a 9mm axle hub with a Shimano roller brake into a 3/8" fork? I have a Gazelle dutch bike which I want to upgrade with a front dynohub. It currently has a Sturmey Archer drum-brake hub dated 1988, which I believe to be a SBF model. I bought a wheel with a Shimano DHC6000 plus the accompanying roller brake. I only now noticed that it has an axle with 9 mm diameter and the currently equipped Sturmey Archer hub has a 3/8" axle. That means the old one is about 0.5 mm thicker.

Can / should I put that new wheel in? Will the extra spacing in the fork dropout mean any problems, especially safety wise?

Any free space between axle diameter and clearance width of dropout sides can exacerbate problems with maintaining the correct tension between the dropouts when the wheel is installed. The last thing you'd want is to hit a bump, pothole, etc... have the front wheel fall out of those dropouts and put you into a faceplant or worse. Bikes are subjected to immense levels of vibration on every ride and those vibrations will work to loosen any weak fasteners. BTDT

There are aftermarket spacers designed for MTB applications that will adapt a 9mm skewer to a 10mm hub/dropout (typical of rear dropout clearance) and that 10mm converted to inches is .394" (3/8"=.375")

You might also find some aluminum or steel spacers at a local hardware/home improvement store. Measure out your skewer diameter and dropout width to be sure of what you're looking for.


Would Tri-Bars be advantageous for a 260 mile 2 day event At the end of August I am organising and completing a solo 2 day bike ride for charity that will be around 260 miles in length.

The longest I have ever done is 105 miles in one sitting, about 6 and a half hours in the saddle.

The first day of my event will be about 175 miles and I am estimating about 12 hours saddle time.

I was wondering if using Tri-Bars would be advantageous with regards to the extra position it will give me, or would I be better sticking to the ~4 positions I currently have on my drop handles?

I have never used Tri-bars before but have a pair in my garage. My bike is a Felt F-85 road bike with quite aggressive geometry.

I would suggest attaching the bars and doing some test rides.

Is your bike, with it's aggressive geometry, stable when using them?
Are you comfortable using them?
Does this new position provide some relief, or is it just more annoying?

I think you're the only one who can determine if they'll be an advantage to you. In general, I'd think the extra position would be an advantage.

Even with 4 positions on your standard drop bars, being able to take weight off your hands and put it on your elbows might be a welcome relief, even if it's just for a short period of time.


Front hub conversion Shimano HB-M756L XT to Thru-axle Has anybody converted a Shimano HB-M756L XT Front to a 15mm thru axle?

The problem is that my bike fork has 15mm holes for thru axle but I have a new/nice set of QR wheels. I need to either convert the hub (change the bearings and etc) to a 15mm and use my original thru axle or use two spacers in the fork holes in order to fit them and use QR.

Not possible. Convertible hubs are made to be that way, and no Shimano hubs are. There are no generic adapters or spacers that can do this.

756 XT far predates 15mm. There's no room for a 15mm axle in there.


do I need to change my disc if the brake pads got oil on them In trying to change the brake pads on my mountain bike, I managed to get oil on my new pads and empty out all the brake fluid, and consequently also get some oil on the disc. I took the bike to the shop and they are now telling me I need to change the pads and the disc. I can understand the pads, but do I really need to change the disc or is the guy (girl actually) just scamming me. The disc is not soaking in oil, from what I can tell it just has a bit of oil here and there.

First of all you need to tell the LBS (local bike shop) that the disk can be "fixed". Then you need to find another LBS because they are either amateurs or are simply trying to make you buy stuff that you don't need.

You need to remove the oily disk from the bike and use a bike degreaser or alcohol on it to remove all oil. Rub with a clean dry cloth or kitchen paper and repeat. While finishing the process avoid touching the disk with bare hands on the face where the pads contact it because fingers leave grease as well.

Regarding your pads, these can be "fixed" as well in case they are sintered. You'll clean them using a degreaser or alcohol and slightly grind them (let's say remove ~0.2 mm of surface) with a thin sand paper. This will make sure that the pads are like new. Then you'll do whatever you do when using new pads (bed them in).

If the pads are not sintered but are organic then the above process may not do the work because organic pads can suck some oil inside (like sponges but not that much). I've heard of people boiling the pads in a frying pan with tap water and a bit of dishwasher soap but I don't know whether this will work. If you do that make sure you don't inhale any of the steam and also use an old pan which you'll never ever going to use again for cooking.


What are the most basic parts of a bicycle which cannot be upgraded over a period of time? After reading this question: Cheap MTB with future upgrades v/s costly fully ready MTB, I myself had a question.
What are the most fundamental parts of a bicycle? What are the things which we have to look for in a bicycle prior to buying which needs to/can be changed over a period of time but cannot be upgraded? I know we can change derailers, drivetrains, and stuff but is there a part in a Bicycle that cannot be changed/upgraded over a period of time?
I am not the best to phrase a question so to further explain my question, I'll try to provide few examples.
Example #1: There are two cycles - Cycle A's frame is made of Steel and Cycle B's frame is made of Aluminium. We know that frames made of Aluminum are generally stiffer than steel which saves few fractions of a second count. Let's say I bought a Steel Framed Bicycle and want to make it more track-oriented and save a few microseconds off. I cannot have a stiffer frame because I cannot upgrade the material of the frame. If only someone would have told me that I should have invested more on a bicycle which had an Aluminium frame because I cannot change it.
Example #2: I want to install a larger size of rims from 26" to 27.5" because Larger wheels hold more speed than smaller wheels due to rotational inertia and more grip because the larger wheel has more rubber touching the ground. Let's say my suspension is not allowing me to fit the larger wheels which would not allow me to harness the advantage of more speed and grip. If only someone told me to get a cycle with bigger wheels.
Example #3: I want to upgrade the derailer from 24 to 27. I know it's possible, thanks to Bicycle Stack Exchange, I got good guidance for the upgrade and got lucky with the fact that my cycle allowed me to upgrade the derailer. If my cycle didn't have space for a 27-speed crank then it would not have been possible for me to upgrade. Let's say I bought a 21-speed bicycle because it's cheaper then I mostly wouldn't have had any space for a 27-speed crank or even a 24. I would have been stuck with my 21-speed until I buy a new cycle.
I am so sorry if you find these examples very silly. I made up these examples and personally I don't have both the issues. My bicycle is made of Aluminium, has space for a 27.5" upgrade and has a newly upgraded 27-speed derailer, crank, and shifters but I am a noob when it comes to cycling and who genuinely wants to ask this question. Are there any other factors such as these which I should consider before buying a new cycle so that I won't regret it?
I am trying to curate a list of these factors from your expertise which needs to be considered before buying a bicycle to prevent anyone from making a mistake that cannot be rectified in the future. I know I did a bad job explaining the question so edits are happily welcomed.

Certain parts of a bicycle are more easily upgradeable than others, while other types of upgrades require special tools, much more money investments or are limited to whatever standards are used in its design. For some parts, the opportunity of an upgrade coincides with the older part being worn out; in other cases, the replacement is not warranted by this fact.
Let's go from the easiest replacement to the hardest ones. I'll organize them in tiers.

Non-essential stuff that does not affect key function of a bicycle: lights, bells, fenders, phone holders, cycling computers etc. These can be replaced very cheaply and easily.

Contact points: pedals, handlebar grips/tape, saddle. These parts are often a part of one's personal preferences and get swapped immediately after a purchase of a new bike. Many bikes are sold without pedals for this reason, and some people argue the same should apply to saddles and grips.

Regular wear and tear items: chain, tires, tubes, brake pads, cables, bottom brackets. One can upgrade to a lighter chain when replacing a worn one. Tires are often subject to personal preferences the same way as pedals are. One can prefer lighter or sturdier, narrower or wider, smoother or knobbier, all black or tan wall etc. tires depending on what and how they ride. On tubes, one can buy lighter or sturdier ones, or even go tubeless as an upgrade. The same applies to pads and cables: there are aftermarket products which are better in performance/longevity.

Hard wear and tear items: cassettes and chainrings, braking discs. It takes more time, but ultimately, these parts wear out and are bound to be replaced/upgraded. Here compatibility issues are becoming more prominent (even though they already play role in the earlier tiers), and not everything is clearly compatible with everything else. Some parts are likely to be of limited availability. As an example, replacing an 8-speed cassette with 11-speed might bring you to the next tier of costs/troubles, as it will drag everything drivetrain-related with it.

Non-wear components that are at higher risk of breaking: derailleurs, brake calipers and levers, shifters, wheels. Normally these parts do not get worn per se, but they run higher risks of being damaged in minor crashes. Replacement options are often limited by the bicycle design. E.g.: there is no easy way to switch from QR-skewers to through axle hubs unless the frame supports it. Similarly, no safe way to put disc brakes on rim-braked bike.

Non-wear components that are at low risk of breaking: handlebars, cranks, forks, frames, headsets, seatposts. Unless you have a specially nasty hard crash, these parts do not wear out. Replacing them is always justified by the owner's desire to "upgrade" something in any meaning of the word (even if that means changing the color). At this point, the compatibility is the main issue: there are dozens of seatpost diameters and lengths, a hundred of headset dimension combinations, many frame sizes and innumerable variations in geometry, several handlebar diameters and lengths etc. etc. Unless something is explicitly compatible in every aspect of its parameters, it is not.

The presented classification is not universal of course. Certain items can be moved up or down a bit. For example, wheels with rim brake surfaces are rather at level 3 (i.e., eventually worn out). For some people, bottom brackets live for years (thus being on tier 3 or 4), while others replace them every season (tier 2), and so on. I am likely to have forgotten a lot of essential parts as well.


Are there dynamo powered front flashing lights? I have a bright battery powered front light and I'm looking for a flashing "be seen" front light that's connected to a dynamo so it's always on whenever I ride. Standlight would be ideal, but isn't necessary. I would be connecting it to a bottle dynamo.

I know about all the Reelight options so don't need suggestions of those. I'm also not interested in DIY solutions.

I understand why most dynamo front lights are solid, but am hoping someone knows of a flashing one I just haven't managed to find yet.


Chain is reluctant to shift into hardest gear on rear cassette I have a Giant Escape, with Shimano Acera gears (3 speed on the front, 7 speeds on the back). When the chain is in the hardest gear on the front cassette, then it is reluctant to shift into the hardest gear on the back cassette, otherwise it works fine.

When shifting from 6th to 7th, it stays in 6th while making a rattling sound for anywhere from 1 second to a minute, before changing to 7th.

I've tried decreasing the gear chain tension until it is basically slack when in 6th, but this doesn't help. I also don't think it is the limit screws (it was working fine before) and it shifts fine when not in the hardest gear on the front.

Also, this started when I had the rear wheel replaced 1 month ago.

Edit:

This only seems to happen when I'm riding the bike, when it is stationary and I am pedalling by hand, everything works fine, for some reason. Also, I've tried replacing both the inner and outer gear cable.


What map / navigation / bike direction apps are available for the iphone for commuting / urban cycling I'm switching from an android phone to an iphone soon. I use the google maps bike directions all the time to figure out how to get to friend's houses, restaurants, bars and navigating around a new city, usually with no pre-planning on a computer.

On my droid, I just bring up google maps, type in an address, and get bike directions.  However, the iphone doesn't have bike directions on the maps app.  What is a good native app alternative for the iphone?

I'm not trying to track my rides. Just trying to figure out how to get from A to B.

Update:
It does seem that the cycling layer and bike directions are serviceable in a pinch on the google maps website when viewed on the iPhone or android device, but a native app would be more desirable.

Edit: June 2014 : Google Maps on the iPhone does support bicycle routes.

Have you tried "Get there by bike"?
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/get-there-by-bike-interactive/id457288250?mt=8

The few times i tried it i had good results.

Another alternative, but i have not used yet. http://www.bikemapsapp.com/


Front hydrulic disc brake keeps going soft I have some shimano disc brakes on my mtb. I have noticed every now and then the front brake lever goes soft. so much so I can't even fit one finger behind the brake lever.  However pump it then I can just about fit two? It seems to keep happening as well.

What could be wrong

As mentioned in comments you should get the brakes bled.

Doing it yourself is not hard, and there are many videos on YouTube showing how to do it. Park Tool has some very good how-to videos and articles. Here is the page for brake service.

Just make sure sure you get the correct kit and fluid for your specific brakes.


How bad is this damaged lug I have noticed a little crack in one of the lugs of my gazelle steel frame. I hav not ridden it since, because I am worried it will break.

Here are some pictures. The lug in question is the one connecting the downtube and the steering tube. And the crack is located at the bottom.

I know it is not in class A condition but it would make an allright work horse for errands and such.
Do you think this crack is critcal? Or will it be ok as long as I am not doing downhill challenges?

Thanks!

If you're talking about the crack running from the opening down into the fillet, that doesn't appear to be likely to seriously affect integrity (though I'm sure there are some here who will disagree).  The lug in that area is reenforced by the steering tube, so there's very little stress at that point.  (In fact the crack may have been there since manufacture -- it looks like a touch of braze was placed over the crack at some point.)

But you do need to be concerned that the crack might propagate over time and turn sideways in the fillet area.  That would threaten integrity.  So you should check the crack regularly to be sure it's not getting worse.

But before integrity is threatened the crack would have to get significantly worse.  Even then, failure would be unlikely to be catastrophic -- unless you're totally out of it you'd notice the joint flexing before it went entirely, and a bike can remain rideable (though I don't recommend it) even with the downtube entirely separated.


Efficient gear shifting I've recent purchased a road bike bit of a classic with the downtube shifters, lugged steel frame etc etc.

Before I mainly road my fixie, thou I do have another geared bike, but it left a bit to desired; just had the top tube indexed shifters, which were a little off to say the least. So between the both of them I never really bothered much with changing gears.

Now I hear a lot of the whole:

"spinning is winning"

I want to improve two things, my endurance and cadence.

I want to know what way to change gears in an efficient manner as to maintain optimal power output.

A situation that comes to mind:

Coming up to a hill to climb

--Fixie it was a cause of momentum is your friend ass off the seat and sprint on them pedals.

--What should I do on a geared bike and what are the signs of doing it right?

Other situations

Starting from standstill?
Coming to a stop?
Long prolonged climb?

If you want to improve your efficiency and endurance on your bike there are several strategies that you can use to accomplish that.

The "Spinning is winning" concept is only partly about when and how you change gears for a given situation. It is about making sure you use the mechanical advantage of your bike's drivetrain to ensure that every bit of energy you burn goes into making you move forward, faster.

For most cyclists, 90 RPMs cadence is an efficient balance point between speed and energy loss. And it can be remarkably hard to maintain that cadence in all situations. The "Spinning is winning" concept pushes that even farther. 100 to 110 RPMs is common for those cyclists following that track, and Lance Armstrong was well known for staying in 120 to 130 range.

In order to improve your metrics in this area, you need a way to measure them. If you don't have one, get a good wireless cadence capable cyclometer. Preferably one with training software included. I usually recommend the Garmin products, but they aren't cheap.

Then ride your bike. Try to maintain a cadence of 90 RPMs, regardless of your riding situation, once you're up to speed. That means when downhill, on flats, or uphill, your legs should always be moving at about the same rate.

This can only be accomplished by shifting your gears efficiently. As we move into the base of a hill, there is a natural tendency to set the body to engage with more power, to slow the cadence, and grind it out. Instead of doing this, increase your cadence slightly to build momentum for the hill, and as your cadence drops 10 RPMs below your goal (approximately) shift to a lower torque gear, and it should rise back up to your goal cadence, or slightly higher.

If you always pattern your shifts to keep your cadence consistent, you will find better aerobic fitness, and better efficiency on the bike, come naturally.

And once you can do it easily at 90 RPMs, move up to 100 as a goal, then 110. It will work.


Busting on inflation - is the issue the tube or the tire? I have a mountain bike and just replaced the tires and inner tube. The tires recommend up to 65 psi. When we hit about 55... the tube popped. Is the issue likely the tube... or could the tire have an issue that caused the tube to pop on inflation?

This has happened to me on occasion (especially if I bought a cheaper tire). Mark the tire and rim before dis-assembling the wheel. Any temporary marking will do. When re-assembling the tire line up the tire/rim marks. If the tube pops in the same, or near, place - then it is (most likely) the tire.


derailleur P-screw/B-screw does absolutely nothing I know dérailleur adjustments are frustrating, but this is the 4th day i'm working on this... i stop working just before the rage kicks in and leave everything to continue another day :)

The problem is: on the lowest (smallest) gear on front, the guide(?) gear from the dérailleur will grind on half the low (larger) gears on back. on the middle front gear (have 3) only the lowest (larger) gear on back grinds.

This is what I have:

http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=3f73f16c-1a7e-46c5-ab73-f21755e71b08&Enum=108

That is not my picture, but the distance from the guide gear to the lowest rear gear is almost the same. it makes a wicked noise on pedaling.

The steps I did last, was to start all over again.

moved index to highest (small) gear. i.e. less pull on cable.
removed cable from derailleur.
left P-screw half inserted.
loosened H-screw (bottom) until it stopped moving outward.
screwed in H-screw until it aligned with highest (small) cog.
pulled the derailleur arm with one hand down and into the wheel
adjusted the L-screw (top) until arm stopped moving to the wheel
screwed in L-screw until arm was aligned with Lowest (big) cog.
let go of arm
adjust cable fine tune to be almost fully inserted in thread
secured cable on derailleur with almost no pull.
pulled cable to remove slack.
re-tightened cable again with almost no pull.
tested index shifting with front on middle gear.
adjusted fine cable pull screw for tight second and penultimate gear shifts.
noticed grind on lowest gear (large).
screwed in P-screw. nothing changed. rage.
tried with front derraileur on highest (small) gear. grinding now on half the low gears on back. more rage.

What am i doing wrong here? What else can control the proximity of the guide pulley/gear and the low gears other than the P-screw?

If the derailleur is old, the internal spring which is meant to swing the derailleur out away from the cassette might be worn to the point that it is no longer able to keep the derailleur far enough out. You might be able to replace the b limit screw with a longer screw in order to make it work.


one side of brake pad retention problem (i.e. attached to rim) my front wheel brake pad (only one side) is still attached to the rim after I released brake lever. How do I fix this problem?

I believe it is a cantilever brake.

If it's v-brake you should have screws regulating spring tension on each brake arm, try to screw in a little bit one on the side where pads stays attached to the rim.


What skills must cyclists master to succeed at racing? In addition to power, stamina, endurance, what skills must you master to succeed in professional cycling?

If you are not familiar with road cycling it may seem like simply a feat of strength/endurance, but there are also a number of skills required.

Skill: Group Riding

Riding in a peloton at speed around corners is difficult.  Often you can be at 65km/hr with 100+ other cyclists around you with only inches to spare while entering a series of corners.  In this situation you often get contact and there is pushing.  You have to be strong on the bike so that you can push back or take a hit without crashing.  This is not easy.  Sometimes opposing riders with deliberately nudge your handle bars in a corner to push you out of position, you need good balance to absorb and push back to hold your position.  You also only have inches to do this before you hit someone else in the peloton and potentially start a crash.

You also need to anticipate how the group moves, if you react too slow you will quickly filter to the back to the group, which is the worst place to be (riders in the back often get yo-yo'd as the group surges and slows).  You will then have to make repeated efforts to get back in or to move up. You can save a lot of energy and effort if you ride smart within the group.  This means constantly making micro tactical decisions.  Over the course of 200+ km race, all these little decisions can mean the difference between whether or not you can put in that last big effort to break from the group and take the win (a la Vino).

Such a constant effort of positional awareness takes a lot of continued focus (our next skill).

Note - I know you said avoid discussion of tactics, but you also said tactics in terms of how the stage is progressing.  Before you can get to that point there are quite a few essential group riding tactics you need to learn.

Skill: Focus

Road racing is about being able to endure pain.  The more pain you can endure the faster you can perform.  There have been points where I thought I was going to have a heart attack because I was pushing so hard. You have to be able focus through this or you will lose your position and potential opportunities.  A good practical example is closing gaps.  Often breaks will get off the front of the peloton and if you want to join you have to jump the gap.  This can be very hard to do when the peloton is at speed.  It requires commitment and focus to sustain the effort needed to get there, as this will typically be an anaerobic effort.

Then once you close the gap you need to focus again on damage control.  You just did a huge anaerobic effort, you can't breath, and all you want to do is rest, but the group you just caught has collectively decided to jump again.  You need strong focus to work through this and stay in the draft of the break group you just caught.  If your focus slips for even a second a gap can form, meaning you will lose the draft and the gap will widen.  You will then either need to do another anaerobic effort to crawl back in (even more focus) or you will fall out of the lead group and get eaten up by the peloton.

Losing focus for a split second at the wrong time in a 3-4 hr race can mean the end to your day. Lets say for example your concentration waned and you fell out of that lead group.  You now lost your draft and are in no-man's land.  The peloton is now fast approaching and actually surges as it catches you.  Before you know what happens you are going straight through the peloton and out the back before.  Now you are off the back of the peloton, with no hopes of crawling back in.  Your day is done, you have just pulled a hero to zero because your concentration waned for a few split seconds.

Other sports such as Baseball and golf also require great feats of intense concentration.  The exact type of concentration differs, but if you cannot focus you will not be a strong racer.

Skill: Knowing your body

This may seems silly to mention, but professional cyclists are incredibly in-tune with how their body functions.  Because races are so long you have to pre-emptively eat and drink.  Waiting unit you are hungry or thirsty is too late, by this point your metabolism will be slowing down and will take time to recover meaning a period of reduced performance. Eat and drink too much and you will feel bloated or sick.  It is a difficult job to know the exact amount to eat and drink and when.  This skill often takes a number of years to hon.

Skill: Being Anal Retentive

Road cyclists are often made fun of for being anal retentive, and it is a deserved title.  That said, it is also a very necessary skill.  Riding a bike is not a "natural" activity.  We didn't evolve to cycle, as such you have to train and practice to be good.  The better the training and knowledge of the finer details the faster you will go.  This can be everything from muscle recruitment (how you activate your leg muscles and core muscle through the pedal stroke), to your position on the bike, to having your equipment in optimal working form (I swear cleaning and keeping the derailleur pulleys in good working order can gain you 20 seconds in a 10km TT).

A strong performance often happens when you get all the ducks lined up (including tactics).  To do this you have to have a little streak (or a lot) of anal retentiveness.


I'm a 5'9 male- is this 51cm frame road bike too small? looking to get into this and after a fair bit of looking I've found this bike. Photos here: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1245748386

It says 51cm frame and Medium, but everything I can find online suggests that a medium mens should be 54cm ish? Just wondering if anyone has had experience with the brand or could suggest whether it may be suitable.Thanks!

Most answers to this question will advise you to test the bike, read about fitment, etc. But let’s cut through that - are your body proportions roughly average? If yes, a 51cm is too small for you. 54 is a good target.


Headset wobble after tightening I own a Cannondale Super Six 105 (Ultegra now) Carbon 2012 bike and I can't stop the wobble in the headset.  If I tighten down the top cap (with 6mm hex) I can get rid of the wobble (hands on the drops holding brakes - headset has a fair bit of play) but I cannot move the wheels freely with the handlebars.

I stripped it down, cleaned it and assembled it again but its still wobbly after tightening the inner 5mm allen key.

Do I need a new headset  ? It's KP044 I think.

The bearings move around nice and easy but the compression ring feels very rough to touch.

The bike is 4 years old, 30,000+km cycled on it, I'm not sure whats wrong -

(1) I didn't tighten properly
(2) headset needs replacement or
(3) bike is old and something wrong with frame.

Would a new KP044 fix it for me or could the bike be kaput ? Also if I cycle on (1-2 weeks) with a wobble will it do damage to the frame ?

Some pictures

I don't know if the pictures are much of a help but everything is there except a bit of a rough corner feel.

It sounds as through you loosened the compression nut inside your carbon steer tube, which you should not have done.  That bolt (the 5mm inside) should be tightened once during installation and is not touched for a headset adjustment (or than to perhaps check it is still tight).  When you loosened that bolt, you made it so that the top cap will simply pull the compression nut up, rather than pull the fork and compress the headset bearings.  Tighten the interior (the 5 mm inside) compression nut in place, then restart your headset adjustment process and hope that you haven't damaged the headset by riding it improperly adjusted.

By comparison, a fork with a metal steer tube will generally use a star nut.

These are hammered into place and will not move up.  The metal wings cut into the tube and allow the top cap to compress the headset.  This setup is inappropriate for a carbon steertube since it damages the carbon.


Are runners or pedestrians allowed to use the bike lane? This morning on my commute I encountered a runner in the bike lane I was riding in.  This irked me because:

The bike lane was on a busy street, with three lanes of motor vehicle traffic in each direction.  (I was northbound on Embarcadero in San Francisco, for those of you familiar with the city.)  To go around the runner I had to enter the car lanes, which makes me a little uneasy.
There is a very wide sidewalk available to runners and other pedestrians along this street.  There were no obstructions on the sidewalk, and it was not choked with other pedestrians.  In other words, there was plenty of room for this runner to run on the sidewalk.  (I'm guessing that he didn't want to run on the concrete sidewalk based on the misguided belief that the asphalt roadway would be easier on his joints.)

So when I was about to pass the runner, I called out, "You're in my lane!"  His reaction was... not positive.  He started yelling and cursing at me.  I don't know exactly what he said; probably something about runners being entitled to use of the bike lane, too.

So my question is this:

Do runners or other pedestrians have a legal right to use the bike lane (not that SFPD would ever enforce this even if it were a violation), especially when there is a sidewalk available?  If this varies with the jurisdiction -- and it probably does -- then I suppose I'm most curious about what the law says where I do all of my riding, in the San Francisco bay area.

(Irrelevant detail: I'm a runner myself -- I do a lot more running than cycling, in fact -- and I've run on this route many times.  I really have no sympathy for those who want to run in the bike lane, just because I feel like the sidewalk is perfectly adequate for runners when it's available.  I don't ride my bike on the sidewalk, after all.)

Most US State and Local laws are based on the Uniform Vehicle Code and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines. They will normally have a phrase like:

  Where sidewalks are provided, it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway.

And a phrase like:

  Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the shoulder on the left side of the roadway.

So, the short answer is "no", but may be different wherever you are.

The longer answer is that just like cyclist are allowed to take the lane when conditions warrant, pedestrians are allowed there when conditions warrant.

Ultimately we are all trying to share a limited amount of space. Courtesy from all parties is always appreciated, and usually returned.


9 of 10 on 7 speed freehub I recently acquired a set of wheels that have a 7 speed freehub. the freehub is not long enough to accommodate an 8/9/10 speed cassette.

After reading Sheldon Browns post on 9 of 10 on 7 ..

  Any 7-speed Shimano Hyperglide Freehub will actually work with 8 or 9 sprockets, without any modification! What you need to do is to use 8 of the sprockets from a 9-speed cassette, with the 9-speed spacers -- or 9 of the sprockets from a 10-speed cassette.

I am hoping this means I will be able to take a 10 speed cassette, remove the smallest sprocket and end up with a 9 speed cassette that will fit my 7 speed hub.

I would like to know if this is actually possible, if anyone has done this and knows it works? - and also, with this configuration, will I be able to use an indexed 9 speed shifter + chain and the spacing be okay?

If you use a 10-speed cassette, you'll need to use a 10-speed shifter as the spacing between cogs needs to match the amount of cable pulled by the shifter. If you want to use a 9-speed shifter, then use a 9-speed cassette and take out one cog. Also, You probably don't want to take off the smallest cog since it's the one designed to mesh up with the lockring. Any other cog (including the largest) should be fine.


Are there Dynamo powered, rear flashing lights? I run a SON hub dynamo and have recently upgraded my front light (the old light and the dynamo are ~10 years old). The new one is much brighter than the old and has a USB outlet for charging stuff, so I'm very happy with that (Lumotec Eyc).

What I want from a rear light is something like the "superflash" red LED lights, but any kind of blinking would be acceptable. Ideally I'd like one that has both constant and blinking LEDs but I have enough power available to run two, so I'm willing to keep my existing light.

I run my dyno lights constantly, day and night, so having an "off" switch is not necessary (and slightly undesirable), I'd be quite happy with a light that simply flashes whenever power is applied.

But with much searching I have not been able to find anything. I am specifically not interested in the "reelight" things, they will not work for me (and I recommend against them in general, they flash too slowly and too dimly). This thread on bikeradar didn't turn up anything. I suspect part of the problem is that blinking bike lights are not legal in Germany, home of all the good bike light manufacturers.

But I would love a link to one that I can buy, if anyone has one.

(edit in comments) People suggest I DIY, but this question arises from my attempts to DIY. I have built my own bike lights before, and it's hard to make something robust and reliable. Waterproof is a particular issue. Since the original question I have run a light designed for two AAA batteries off the rectified and smoothed dynamo output for a couple of months. Despite my efforts to seal around the hole where the wires went in the light failed after about 3 months of winter riding.

I'm currently running the SeeSense motion sensing battery light and liking the fact that I only have to touch it when I take it off to charge it - it goes into standby automatically when the bike isn't moving. But if I charge it, it stops flashing and has to be manually turned on once charging stops. So I can't possibly use that as a dyno powered light.

I have an Origin rear light and I've seen that it can be charged via usb and also have the lights on  at the same time. If you want to have it powered by a Dynamo, what you could do is have the Dynamo connected to it the whole time on the bike and be lighting at the same time. That could be a way to pull it off and never have to take it off. Also, if you have daylight, the lights could be off and charging so you can use it when the night comes. Good luck.


Alfine shifter cable tension increases over time I have a Shimano Alfine 8 hub. I am aware of the need to keep an eye on the shift cable tension, and readjust periodically to ensure that the alignment marks on the hub are lined up.

The strange thing is, over time (on the order of a couple of months or so) the cable tension seems to increase.

On other cable-actuated components (brakes on this bike, brakes, shifters on other bikes I've owned), the cable tension tends to loosen. Cable stretch and, on brakes, pad wear lead to a need to tighten up the cable a bit now and then, before eventually something needs replacing (whether the cable or brake pads or both).

Why on this installation, would I keep finding that the cable tension needs to be loosened periodically?

Is there some other explanation other than that I somehow am accidentally brushing up against the adjustment knob and routinely increasing tension, which then needs to be backed off periodically?

I'll note even some potential problem causes that might sound stupid, but in my experience, even a quaified mechanic can sometimes make a mistake, and not take something trivial into consideration, so not wanting to insult anyone's intelligence by stating some "stupid", or "I obviously checked that" potential problems, it is what it is: a simple troubleshooting list of the top of my head, based on the previous experience:

Numbers 2) and 5) are what I'd first suspect. But I woul check everything, especially when there is a problem.

1)
Is the hub assembled properly, with all the parts in place?

2)
Is the wheel fixed properly within the dropouts - no movement?
Geared hubs have special washers that prevent the hub from turning even slightly - if these are not seated and tightened properly, a small, one degree hub rotation of the hub (under chain tension when pedalling) could increase the cable tension). That, with most other stuff is nicely explained here: Sheldon Brown's page about geared hub setup and maintenance.

3)
Are the bars and the shifter lever fixed properly?

4)
Housing used should be for shifters, not brake housing - brake housing changes a bit more in legth as the cable running through it changes tension.
(pictures and explanation of the shifter/brake housing differences)

5)
If the shifter cable passes beneath the bottom bracket, it should pass through a guide, not along the metal of the frame's bottom - if it doesn't, flexing of the frame can move the cable sideways, changing its tension.

6)
Routing the housing should be done properly - making it as short as possible, but without too many total direction change (extreme example is making a full circle, even with a gradual radius - it will create a lot of friction and setting up the cable tension would be difficult, as well as shifter operation).

7)
Frayed cable, or dirty/damaged housing might cause the cable to stick.

8)
Are you accidentally moving the cable adjuster? :)
Some have a locknut, most don't. A simple marker could be a way to see if it's been moved over time. Movement from road vibes is not likely, since the barrels usually have to overcome the barrel spring tension in order to be moved over small "grooves" - most have that sort of mechanism. Even if they don't, bolts tend to loosen through road vibes - moving towards lower tension, which in this case would mean barrel adjuster turning inwards, loosening cable tension over time.


Can a Sora 9 speed rear derailleur short cage support a 12-36 cassette single chain ring 56T? My 20 inch folder has a single chain ring of 56T and a 11-28T cassette, 9 speed Shimano sora 9 speed Rear Derailleur short cage. I want to change the cassette to 12-36T for some hill routes. Based on my understanding the Derailleur capacity needed is
biggest chain ring - smallest chain ring + (biggest cog - smallest cog)
= 56 - 56 + (36 - 12) = 24.

I am not sure the capacity of the short cage Sora 9 speed, because different source gave different info. And they all assume a double or triple crank set which is not the case here. So will my RD support a 12-36T cassette?

I've done this. You need to fit a small nut on the end of the longer B screw because the change in angle means the screw misses the frame. the nut essentially widens the screw.


Remove chain guard from bottom bracket What tool do I need to remove the black plastic cup that is holding
the metal holder for my chain guard?

I can rotate the metal part but the cup is not moving.
While googling I could not find anyone that used the same mechanism.

The splined retaining ring is standard for internal bearing cassette type bottom brackets.

You need a bottom bracket tool such as the Park Tool BBT-32. Googling 'bottom bracket tool 20 tooth' will yield other options. You will also need a suitably  large wrench of course.

Be aware that the right hand ring is a left handed thread. You also need to remove the left hand ring first as the right hand ring is integral to the bottom bracket cartridge.

Check out this YouTube video that shows how to remove the rings and bottom bracket cartridge.


Repairing a twisted front rim in emergency? The front rim got somewhat twisted. I do not have here the rimmer or the small tools to adjust the pins. According to my friend's version, the outer tire and the inner tire are in fine condition. The twisted rim apparently resulted from riding the bike with plastic bags inside the tire about 10km due to a flat. I think the story of fine-conditioned inner/outer tires sound too good so there may be more problems with the tire. It is at least a fact that the tire rim is twisted.

Some emergency tips to adjust the rim?

is it easy to do a rim with proper tools on the road?
can I use 26" rim to the front wheel and 28" rim in the position of back tire?
can the 28" bike use 26" tires of the proper width? The bike has outside derailleur and rim brakes.

It is a professional's job to true and tension a wheel. One worth learning to do for yourself, but not one to jump into without knowledge and the proper tools. No it is not easy to do on the road, except as an emergency " get you home" fix. Very likely, a amateur attempt to fix it on the road will result in more damage.

In addition, a "somewhat twisted" rim from riding without a tube for an extended period usually indicates a problem with the metal of the rim being physically bent. In order to true a wheel, you add tension to each spoke until the rim is straight and the wheel is round under high tension. But if the wheel doesn't start straight, the spokes will not be tensioned evenly, and the job will not last for more than a few hours, or days if you are lucky. It requires skill, and quality tools, or you will make the damage worse. I would suggest in the future, walking the bike om, rather than risking this kind of permanent damage.

If you have disc brakes, you may be able to run different sized wheels in the bike for an emergency, but it will change how the bike handles, and may affect the safety of riding the bike.

If your bike has brakes that grab the rim to stop, then you must use the original size rim to replace it, because otherwise you will have no brakes.


What is this mountain bike? I saw this bike on some Instagram account I follow. Can someone tell me the name of it because I can’t seem to find it anywhere?

enter image description here

As people already mentioned in the comments, it's old good Kona Stinky. For me this is a symbolic bike, Paul Bassagotia, one of the pioneers of the freeride scene, used to ride on it before moving to Scott. You can find more detail on specs it had here: http://www.konabikeworld.com/08_stinky_w.htm

And here we can see Kona's older catalogue, including older Stinkies http://www.konabikeworld.com/tech/catalog/catalog_2k4.htm


What are the thicknesses of different two-bolt bike shoe cleats? I've been riding with Shimano SPD pedals/cleats for a while now and I really don't like the way the cleats scrape against the ground (or floor) when walking. I have heard that both Crank Brothers and Time Atac cleats are thinner, but I've not been able to verify this. None of the stores around here sell either one (only SPD).

What are the actual thickness measurements of the various cleats? If you have either Crank Bros or Time Atac and a caliper, can you measure it for me?

SPDs can be clear of the ground, depending on your shoes.

I use SPDs with Specialized Cadet (discontinued) and Giro Rumble shoes, which are fully recessed.  I walk a few km a day in them, and have been known to run in them.  On a perfectly flat surface the cleats don't touch the ground when walking on either of them, but they often find bits of grit or uneveness in the ground, which can make them sound like tap-dancing shoes. The only time the cleat is even close to a problem for grip is on tactile paving, especially if running.

Dirty cleats will always risk dirtying carpet; after oiling the clipless mechanism of my pedals I'm very careful to avoid wearing my SPDs on carpet.

With the M424 pedals I use, I've had to file a bit of the plastic cage off; if you had similar pedals and thinner cleats you might need to remove more (though the Cranks Brothers Mallets seem to have grubscrew studs you could remove).

Here's a picture of the cleats on my Giro Rumbles, showing the 2 mm that the cleats are clear of the ground, and just how much rubber would have to wear away to reduce this


What's a good website for logging cycling trip data? Whenever I go cycling I reset my bike computer (measures distance, speed, time, and various statistics based on these quantities, such as average speed) and set up my Polar training computer (measures heart rate, time, and various statistics based on these quantities, such as average heart rate).

When I get back I log basic statistics---date, duration, route, average speed, max speed, heart rate info, and a short description---into an HTML file that has gotten rather large.

I've been wondering whether there's a site, with nice user interface, that would allow me to log these data online? Ideally one would be able to see the aggregate distance and aggregate duration within various time periods, etc.; it would also be good to be able to log routes on a Google maps-like map which one could then share with others.

I realize this question is only tangentially related to cycling; still, this seems to be a relevant place to ask the question.

Strava is the de facto standard these days.

Has some nice social features, like segments where your times are compared against others, friends and messages.

Training Peaks is more of a training log than a social platform, has some nice features for planning and talking to a coach.

Polar, Garmin, etc. have their own home made solutions. I've not personally used the Polar one, but Garmin Connect always feels half finished, I only use it to sync to Strava and Training Peaks.

And of course, there are a million others, but I think these are the biggest options.


is this derailleur short cage or long cage? I'm selling the rear derailleur off this bike, and someone asked whether it's short or long cage. I assume it's long. Is this correct?

Campagnolo derailleurs come in three lengths, short, medium and large.

To determine the size measure it. The centre to centre distance between the sprockets is 55, 72.5 and 89 mm and my guess is that you have a medium flavour rear derailleur...

How much are you selling it for, b.t.w.?


How do I prevent the rear derailleur from slipping gears? What's the best way to tune the rear derailleur of my bike to stop slipping gears?  It seems that every time I re-adjust it, the middle/upper gears are perfectly aligned, but the lower gears never stay put.  When I'm climbing up hills, the chain keeps slipping up/down a gear, and never stays put.

If your derailleur is adjusted properly, and you are slipping gears, it's usually a worn chain and rear cog. Take the bike into your local bike shop, and they can help you get replacements.


Can you help me by ID-ing this bike? I purchased this 75-80 road bike (my first), for about $80. Being in a bad shape and no decals… I want to restore and enjoy it.

Been trying to ID it several days now in order to start a restoration project and know exactly how to do it.

The frame looks french, components are Mafac Racer, Simplex derailleurs, Millard M M Atom quick release, Normandy hubs, Belleri handle bar, etc.

Here is a link to a forum I'm active and where there a re lots of details and observations about this bike - https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage-bicycles-whats-worth-appraisals/1175248-can-you-help-me-id-ing-bike.html

For now, it appears that this frame belongs to a manufacturer called Liberia of Grenoble.
Still, I'm not ruling out others like Motobecane, Gitane or St Etienne.

Can you guys help me ID it?

There were many brands of bikes sold all over the world with the same parts and the same lug work as this bike. I can't find anything distinctive enough to positively identify the brand.

The parts and the forged rear dropout indicate that this bike was not a bottom of the line bike. It has:

Stronglight 99 bis crank in a double chain ring configuration
Simplex LJ1000 T rear derailleur
Simplex SJ6011 shift levers made from 1979 to 1980
Simplex SJ A102 front derailleur 1979 to 1989
I can't see the brakes well enough to tell which Mafac Racer model they are.
The stamped fork drop out (at least it looks stamped from the angle I can see) does not match the rear drop out which makes me think the fork is not original.

Using Peugeot (link to U.S. Peugeot brochures) as an example (not saying this is a Peugeot) this component list in 1978 would put you at a top of the line PX10LE. The PX10LE in those years had chromed rear stays so a much less than perfect match but it's in the ball park.

Sheldon Brown has some advice on restoring French bicycles along with a list of makers (not that this bike is for sure French.)

Bottom line, it's a wonderful bike no matter what maker had their name on it. It has been long neglected and needs to be carefully restored.


Tightening a quick release wheel and having one spring I’m fairly new to mountain biking and I’ve recently removed a quick release wheel and I’m trying to reattach it. However if I tighten it too much it makes a squeak noise around the axle. Also I’ve noticed that I only have one spring and I’m sure I’ve bought it from the shop like that.

Anyway my question is should the quick release nut be tighten as much as physically possible? And also is it safe & normal for a bike to have only one spring (on the quick release)?

The springs simply keep the quick release (QR) skewer centered in the wheel hub, making it easier to insert the hub (and wheel) into the frame dropouts.  It has no safety function other than to facilitate seating the wheel correctly.  If the wheel is not seated correctly in the drops when you tighten the QR then you run the risk of the wheel coming out during a ride. That said, this is true whether or not you still have the QR springs.

When tightening the QR, it should be tight enough that the QR lever leaves a mark in the palm of your hand.

Finally, if you are getting a squeaky metal noise your single QR spring may be on backwards, or as pointed out by Daniel R Hicks' comment, the two springs could have gotten combined together. First check to see that you only indeed only have one spring and that two springs haven't gotten entangled.  When placing the springs back on the QR, the narrow end should point toward the hub, the wide end toward the end of the QR skewer. If the spring was installed backwards the wide end of the spring can get jammed into the frame and hub axle, potentially making a squeaking noise when tightening the QR.


Giant TCR SLR2 2015 vs Giant Defy Composite 2 2013 this is the first time i gonna buy and ride a road bike. Mainly use to commute everyday and exercise. I'm tall 5"3 and i'm looking for a bike which is durable,fast, better to upgrade later. And i got 2 options.

Giant Defy Composite 2 2013 Size Small ( 46.5cm ) i think. I got a deal on Ebay, it still new and i got price 1150 + 150 for shipping. So $1300 total. ( SRAM Apex gear,full carbon frame )
Giant TCR SLR2 2015 from a local bike shop. Original price $1500 and they discount for me so i only pay $1200 for a new one and i can choose the size...may be Extra Small. ( 105 gear, premium alluminum,carbon fork)

Today i went to the store and try the Aluminum Defy 5, and it's ok. I try the other bike Cannondale CAAD10 but I got more harder to control, may be the handbar more lower and different geometry. I didn't have chance to try the TCR because they didn't have XS or S size.

So now i have to choose one of it. Both of them must be fast, accept the counter price on ebay before it gone, or order TCR before Black Friday to have a good discount.
I also wonder does it hard to maintain Defy composite than TCR, the street in my place a lot of pump and sometime have to ride on pavel.

Looking for advise of you guys. Thank you.

As a general answer to this kind of question, I recommend that you buy from your local bike shop. While shops can vary, if they seem to provide reasonable service and the price is reasonable, it's worth buying from them for several reasons

the profit on your sale will help them stay in business - so they will be there when you need service.
many shops bundle clothing, shoes, helmet, bottles, lights, and such with the sale - so you end up with a better deal.
many shops will give you a free service and free adjustments - if you bought from them.

Since there will come a time when you need them, start the relationship now.


How To Get Started With Hand Cycling I sustained a knee injury about a year ago and it's looking like I won't be biking anytime soon.  I thought that a good alternative would be to get into hand cycling.  I am having a hard time finding information on purchasing a hand bike.

To give information about my situation:  I am still able to walk.  So, I need a bike that would work for someone with legs.  When I was able to cycle, I was biking 100 to 150 miles per week (occasionally more) and averaging about 18 mph.  My rides would range from 20 miles up to a century.  I see no reason why I wouldn't get into hand cycling enough to want to get up to that level again.  Does anyone have any advice, help, or resources to offer to help me find a proper bike?  Thanks.

Feel free to edit this answer to add more resources.

Hand cycling is a Paralympic sport, administered by the UCI. There are links at the bottom of the UCI page for all world regions.

Here is a link for Disabled Sports USA, describing different kinds of bikes and listing local chapters and a bunch of useful links.

The United States Handcycle Federation seems to be mainly about competition.

Cycling Australia has a Para-Cycling page, there is the Queensland Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association, and Wheelchair Sport NSW. I'm sure there are bodies in each state, but a quick search didn't locate them.

Good luck!


My crank slips I think I've got a 2015 premium bmx. When I start to pedal, the left crank kinda slips, if that doesn't make sense, let me siimplify it. When I pedal, it's like it doesn't grab the chain or something, like it pedals and moves the chain but the wheel doesn't spin, only at first tho then it rides fine. But only when I try to pedal from the left side. I also have a freecoaster, maybe that's why but I don't know

My son and I have had direct experience with this (he is helping me write this).  I realize this thread is very old, but I put this here in case others are finding it.
First, check the chain.  If it is worn too much (they elongate over time) it won't grab the teeth.
Second, Check the chainring,  Are the teeth sharp?  If so, you need to replace it?
Third, check the teeth on the rear cog.  Again, if the are sharp, you need to replace it.


Regarding information about wheel wobble I have some of those old fashioned mag wheels on a fixed-gear bike. The back one seems to wobble about like mad when riding. A random stranger even pointed out that he could see it wobbling about like mad. Depending on what tire I am using, I can feel it moving about like mad. At the minute I am using a 700x28 Tannus tire. Just wondering what this could be? Weak wheel? Buckled? If so how would you adjust it as it doesn't have standard spokes

There are two possibilities:

1) The wheel is moving at the hub because its bearings are failing or need adjustment. Lift the rear of the bike off the ground, grab the wheel rim and try to move it from side to side. If it can be moved, the bearings need to be looked at.

2) If the rim cannot be moved side to side, spin the rear wheel and look at where the rim passes the brake pads. If the passes closer to one or other of the pads as the wheel spins then the rim is bent.

If the rim is bent then I suspect it cannot be straightened on this type of wheel.

Some wheels have hubs with adjustable bearings. Without knowing what exact wheel you have it's impossible to say if yours can be adjusted. If the bearings have failed then the wheel may be unrepairable.


What width tires will fit on a 1999 Trek Postal? I'm using my old Trek Postal (5200/5400) as my winter beater. I'd like to test some studded tires, such as the Schwalbe Winter700x30 Wire but I'm not sure if the 30's will fit as the largest I've ridden to date is a 25 (or 27?).

Has anyone ridden a 30 or know how to determine if they'll fit, especially with the aggressive tread and studs.

Thanks,
Matt

Tire for reference: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AAZFGVI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=313MZ1AZTU1DO&coliid=I19MD4W468VK20

Most likely not.

Most frames with caliper brakes can at a maximum take a 28 or really narrow and slick 30 (assuming a modern short reach caliper). A nobby tire will almost certainly not fit regardless of size. if there's a lot of clearance currently ( > 1cm), I would take it to your lbs and check with them.


Why aren't winter bicycles camping events common as the motorcycles one? Here in Europe there is a trend of organizing winter motorcycles rallies in wich the participants go camping in the snow, wearing furs and cooking on camp fires. The first and most important is the Elefantentreffen in Germany, but there are dozens of similar events, and several are still coming to light: as an example, Pinguinos in Spain, Agnellotreffen in Italy and so on. People comes from log distance, often driving for thousands of kilometers in the cold.
Part of the thrill is the difficulty of riding in the cold and snow and the necessity of creating strange patchworks on the motorbikes to keep the rider warm or to create motorcycle tyre chains for better grip on the ice. The motorcycle preparation before the event often goes on for months experimenting strange solutions and testing it on the icy roads.

I am a motorcycle and bicycle enthusiast and very often ride in winter. I can say that driving a bicycle in the winter is not only safer, but at least as comfortable as a motorbike, because:

You can use studded tyres, as there aren't tyre regulation for bicycles (while motorbikes have law-enforced tyre sizes and ofter there aren't winter tyres available for that size)
There isn't, at least in Italy, any bicycle ban in winter, while there are for motorbikes on icy roads or during snowfalls (ministerial directive RU\1580 of 16 Jan 2013)
You warm up yourself pedaling without having to rely on heated grips, heated jackets and so on
You can use bicycles designed expecially for snow (fat bikes)

While bicycles camping events are pretty common (an example is BAM, Bicycles Adventure Meeting here in Italy), I'm not aware of one of them that takes place in winter and in snowy places.
I think it is pretty strange, as I know several persons that would try something similar.

So, why isn't this format of events available to cyclists while it is for motorbike riders?

I haven't been in an organization that would have considered arranging such event and then decided not to, so this is pure speculation. I have a guess with two reasons: weight and competing activities.

First, winter camping requires much more equipment than summer: heavy sleeping bags, warm clothing, fuel, and taken to extreme a tent with stove. These are not fun to carry on a bike, especially when dealing with snow at the same time. Powered motorcycle lets you put all the effort to maintaining balance and helps with cutting through snow.

Second, if you are camping and traveling under your own power in snow, skis or snow shoes combined with toboggan for carrying your stuff are a better choice. Instead difficult adapting to snow, they have evolved just for snow and allow you go literally off the beaten path. A bicycle would be just trouble.

Third, not directly related to winter, there aren't many cycling events like motorcycle rallies in summer either. Mass events for cycling (or skiing for that matter) tend to be more or less race-like. With motor vehicles these would be very illegal.


What is the name of this type of bolt for the front crank on my bike? I recently had to take the front gear off of my bike and had some difficulty undoing the bolts. Because of their poor condition, I have decided to replace them. However, I have no idea what they are called. I've included a couple photos that show the bolts themselves and the holes they are meant to fill. I had to saw the end of one of them off to get it out, and the Allen key holes are circular, so really they do need replacing.

They're called simply chainring bolts. The tool to hold the other part while tightening is chainring bolt wrench.


What is a sign that my chain needs to be lubricated again? I just cleaned my gears, derailleurs, and chain. Lubricated the chain with Teflon dry lube. When will I need to re-lubricate again? Will I hear the chain make sounds? Do I do a visual inspection?

If you hear your chain squeaking you definitely need to re-lubricate it.  It's also a good idea to re-lubricate after riding in wet weather since the combination of road grit and water tends to strip away the oil/wax.

For more detailed recommendations, see this question:  "How often should I lube my chain?"


Unidentified items in bicycle tube repair kit What are these items in my bicycle tube repair kit for? I found them in several repair kits but I do not know what to use them for?

They are tube patches. Here’s the contents of one of my kits:

From top to bottom, we have,

plastic container
tyre levers to remove the tyre
crayon to mark the location of the puncture on the tube
sandpaper to roughen the tube surface prior to ‘gluing’
rubber solution to attach the patch
tube patches with a black front and a white backing. Remove one patch from the sheet then peel off its backing before you apply.
chalk to sprinkle over the finished patch to prevent sticking to the tyre after reinstalling

Now you know what they are you can get instructions online or in my case on the back of the tube of rubber solution


Frequent punctures, is my weight the problem? 2 road bike. The rear tire keeps popping. I have replaced the rear rim and tube. Every time I go for a ride I inflate the tire to around 70-80psi. I am on the heavy side (310 lbs). What are my options. A stronger tube if they make one. Or a different bicycle in which case what do you recommend?

Increased load (i.e rider weight) on a pneumatic tire does not increase the pressure in the tire. The contact patch on the ground just increases in size until the contact patch area x pressure = load (or the rim contacts the ground).
What might be happening is you are getting pinch flats when hitting bumps or holes. This is when the tire and tube are deformed so much by the impact that the tube gets pinched between the tire and the rim often resulting in two symmetrical holes in the tube.
You can try running higher pressure which will stop the tire from deforming as much. 70-80 psi is on the low side for a road bike 28-23mm wide tires.
If you have clearance in your fork or frame run a wider tire. Also if your wheels will support it consider running tubeless tires, which are of course not susceptible to pinch flats.
Trying to avoid bumps and holes in the road, and standing up slightly to absorb impact through bent arms and knees can also help avoid pinch flats.


New roadbike. Poor cassette quality control? I've just bought a new ROSE PRO SL 105 roadbike and took it for a spin. At first, i noticed a little clicking sound in the rear cassette. I thought that it only might need some time for the chain to sit properly. When I took a closer look at the cassette, I've noticed that some of the teeth look a little too sharp, unlike the others.

Is this something I should be worried of? It seems to me like a failure of the quality control. The rear cassette is a Shimano 105 CS-5800 11-speed.

If so, I will contact the support for the warranty claim. Do you have any experience how they will approach this problem? Rose is a manufacturer and also a direct bike seller like Canyon, so they have no retail stores.

Thanks in advance!

There does not appear to be anything wrong with the cassette. Shimano helpfully put some nice clear pictures of individual sprockets on the product page for the CS-58000 cassette.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/105-5800/CS-5800.html

You can easily see that the smaller sprockets have some 'chisel' shaped teeth.

Clicking at the rear derailleur usually indicates slightly miss-adjusted indexing which is quite plausible on a new bike. Check for that first.


How can I install a front brake on this kids bike? Coaster brakes are dangerous and confusing but they keep shipping kid bikes with them for some reason. How can I add a front brake to this bike?

Do not install a front brake to a bicycle that has not been designed for front brakes!!! A front brake requires a frame strong enough for front brake and a fork strong enough for front brake.
There is a quite popular bike sold in my area called Helkama Jopo. It used to be a coaster brake bike with no front brake.
Then, at some point of time someone working for Helkama thought it would be a good idea to switch the steel material of the frame to aluminum, and at the same time install a front brake. Unfortunately they did not design the frame to withstand the loads of a front brake.
The bikes started to fail (the frames cracked and separated in half during use). Some failures resulted in tremendously hurt riders injured for the rest of their life.
The manufacturer claimed that these failures were the result of incorrect use, i.e. jumping and doing wheelies with the bike. Not so!
There is a post in LinkedIn by a mechanical engineer analyzing the issue: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/miksi-jopo-hajosi-vesa-tiainen
Unfortunately the post is in Finnish, but the mechanical engineer showed that the failures were not due to incorrect use such as jumping and doing wheelies, but they were caused by the manufacturer's decision to install a front brake.
The manufacturer probably realized the mistake, and later front brake versions of the bicycle contained a slight alteration in the frame to prevent peak loads.
The manufacturer still today lies that wheelies and jumping were the cause even though they did a fix to the frame to allow front brake usage, and thus clearly understand that front brake caused peak loads in one part of the frame.
Your frame seems to be exactly the same type as Helkama Jopo, i.e. there are no separate top tube and downtube attached to the headtube. Instead, the top tube and downtube meet earlier and the unified tube attaches to the headtube. This design has exactly the same flaw as the Helkama Jopo design.
Your frame is not strong enough to withstand front brake loads!!!