Wahoo KICKR 2018 and Shimano Sora 11-32t 9-speed compatibilty At present, I own Specialized Allez e5 Sport which has the default Shimano Sora cassette (11-32t) and rear derailleur.

I'm planning to buy Wahoo KICKR (for long-term, given more bike(s) will come), so my doubt is that is my current bike even compatible with the trainer, given that Wahoo does provide the 1.8mm spacer.

Your bike should be compatible per wahoo:
"The KICKR uses an 11-speed compatible Shimano freehub body, but you can install an 8, 9, or 10 speed cassette with the proper spacers."

https://support.wahoofitness.com/hc/en-us/articles/204281874-Difference-between-10-speed-and-11-speed-KICKRs-

You should be fine installing the 1.8mm spacer on the kickr along with a 9-speed Shimano cassette. The same spacer is needed for installing 10-speed Shimano cassettes. Just make sure there is no play in the cassette after installing, if there is, you should be able to get different sized spacers from any bike shop as needed.


Helmets for big heads This question was posted on the excellent BikeHacks website:

  I don't have a hack, but a question. My head measures 66cm. I can't find a helmet that fits. Even ones that go to 66cm are too small. I've considered looking into motorcycle helmets. Any advice?

I'll post a link to this question under the blogpost.

Try multiple shops. Try multiple brands and models.

Head shapes vary, so it's possible that one "66cm" (26in) model will be too small and another "66cm" model will fit.  It's worth trying multiple shops since most shops will only stock one or two brands of helmet and only carry one model intended for larger heads.  Having an idea whether your head is long or wide might help. It's hard to measure your head properly with a measuring tape, however.

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute website has a page about helmets for large heads that gets updated when new models come out.  It seems that 66cm is the largest size for bicycle helmets.

If you can find any sort of multiple options, a helmet that fits lower on your head and wraps more around the sides and back is better than one that perches on the top of your head.

If you can find a motorcycle helmet that fits, that should provide as much or more protection as a bicycle helmet.  I believe motorcycle helmets are measured against a higher standard.  The problem with motorcycle helmets is that they're heavy and tend not to have as much ventilation as a bicycle helmet, so it might be uncomfortable.

Note on sizes: 66cm = 26inches = XXXL = 8 1/8 UK = 8 1/4 US = 9 1/2 FR. Those last few are hat sizes, but many helmets seem to have the hat size type sizing info easier to find.  Look for helmets with those sizes or larger.

I have big head issues, but luckily most of the big-head helmets do fit.  I've had good luck with the "Specialized Max" line even though the official sizing printed on it is smaller than my hat size. I think they're a more rounded rather than circular shape on the inside and that makes all the difference. I'm not recommending this model for you, however, I'm recommending you check out the big helmet options at multiple shops.


Disc brake freezes up The rear brake freezes up on my bicycle.  Never the front which I don't understand.  It is not that cold out either @20 degrees.  This is the first bike I have owned that has disc brakes.  My cantilever brakes never did this.

Are you using cable disc brakes? If so, is the rear caliper mounts to  the chain stay or the seat stay?  If it is the chain stay, the brake cable will likely dip down then run along the chain stay (see picture).  If the brake caliper doesn't not have a cable boot (most systems except Avid BB7) water can enter and get trapped in the cable housing.  If there is water in the cable housing, when it is freezing out your rear brake will quite literally freeze up.

This won't happen on the front brake because the cable housing is vertical so water will continually drain out.  This is also true for rear cable disc brakes mounted on the chain stay.

Solutions

If you bring your bike inside to thaw, then you can hang the bike rear wheel down to let the water drain from rear brake the housing.  If this doesn't fix the problem (water cohesion may retain some water in the system) you can also try evacuating the water with oil (then the drain the oil out of the housing to reduce the amount of dirt that will be attracted).  Finally, failing all else, you can replace the cable and housing (but riding in the rain will send you right back to where you were when it freezes again).

This is an unfortunate side effect of mounting a brake caliper on the lower (chain) stay and not fully sealing the cable housing. As an aside, mounting on the chain stay makes it easier to mount rear pannier racks, which is a much more difficult task when mounting the caliper on the seat stay.


"Training Wheels" for Starters After numerous attempts to ride my cruiser bike without falling, I have ordered a set of "training wheels" for my bike.  Yes, I took the pedals off and practiced on grass and all that, but just could not get the hang of it.  The very last time I had training wheels on a bike, I was 7 years old, so this was not an easy decision for me. I am 59.

My question is this: How will I be able to tell when I no longer need the training wheels?  When I was a kid, the training wheels actually lifted off the ground after awhile, indicating that I wasn't even dependent on them (so my parents took them off).  I became quite proficient at riding and hope to be again, so this is important to me.  Any ideas?

Please do not write in and tell me not to install the wheels - I agonized over this so long, and am only doing it as a last resort.  Please just advise based on the assumption that these wheels are going on the bike.  Thanks.

Please do not write in and tell me not to install the wheels - I agonized over this so long, and am only doing it as a last resort.

I know you don’t want to hear this, but at least for children there has been a trend in recent years to skip training wheels completly. It just leads to children trusting in them and never learning to balance. Where did you find strong enough training wheels for a grown adult anyways?

Just like Daniel R Hicks in the comments I suspect the bicycle for being at least partly responsible. I’ve never ridden one of those cruiser bicycles myself but the seating position generally looks horrible.

Can’t you borrow a more normal bicycle, adjust the saddle height (hiiiigh!) and ask someone to assist you i.e. keep you steady so you can reach speed? (it’s much easier to balance a moving bicycle)


Are there any rear derailleurs compatible with Shimano Tourney RD TX 80 I need a new rear derailleur for my Claud Butler Urban 200.

I have looked at the old one and can see it is a Shimano Tourney RD TX 80 -7.

I have found these quite hard to get and I am wondering if there are any other models that would be compatible for my bike?

Any ideas?

Thanks

You just need a 7 Speed derailleur? Shimano RD-TX35 7spd should work it is the current derailleur used on the bike as it is specd. HEREBut I would also go to your LBS and have them see, they might have a better ability to locate the same one you were using.


How do I find a replacement rear axle? My back wheel stopped free wheeling so we took out the back wheel and opened the hub to find that the axle is bent. So we threw away the axle and thought to replace wheel. Now I know the axle can be replaced but i don't know the dimensions of the axle i had.

i looked at the specifications for my bike but i couldn't find any detailing on the rear axle length and diameter. my bike is: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/xtc-27dot5-2-2014

How can I find a replacement for my rear axle?

Your bike appears to have "Giant Tracker Sport Disc" hubs. They appear to use cartridge bearings. Additionally, some service manual PDFs found online make it appear axle removal is a somewhat involved process, and so your axle removal may have disturbed some bearings. It also appears to use a proprietary axle type but I'm not 100% on that.

Take your bike to where you bought it or another giant dealer, as they'll have the specialized tooling needed to fix your bearings and will be able to order a new axle.


Does a three foot passing law actually require drivers to give three feet? Utah has a three foot passing law that states:

  Title 41 Chapter 6a Section 706.5

  Operation of motor vehicle near bicycle prohibited.

  An operator of a motor vehicle may not knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly operate a motor vehicle within three feet of a moving bicycle, unless the operator of the motor vehicle operates the motor vehicle within a reasonable and safe distance of the bicycle.

Are three foot passing laws in other states worded similarly to this?

This particular phrasing seems to legitimize excuses such "I didn't know you were there" or "I didn't mean to pass so close" or even "three inches seemed like a reasonable and safe distance to me."

Is there something about the specific legal meaning of the words that makes this law more concrete than it seems?

See also: What is the 3 foot law and which states have it?

This may not seem very concrete to you, but if you think about it, it is very powerful indeed.

Imagine a collision between a car and a bike. With no such law in place you might expect there to be some argument about whose fault it was etc. etc. and as cyclists we all know from experience who's likely to come off worst...

However you put such a law in place and when you have a collision, the motorist has broken the law by default because they couldn't have been the required distance. I'm sure there would be circumstances where the motorist could argue that the cyclist was riding like a dick, but they would be forced to make that argument, you wouldn't start from a 50/50 position.

People have been talking about this kind of thing in the UK for years in order to make cycling safer, but nothing has ever been done. In fact I think this is the first form of words I've seen that achieves this goal.


Brooks saddle angle dilemma I recently got a Brooks B17 and am having trouble finding a comfortable angle. If it's level, I tend to slide forward. If it's angled up to the point where I don't tend to slide forward, I feel pressure on my perineum. A worrisome amount of pressure.

I haven't had such an issue with other saddles (plastic based saddles with cutouts).

With the Brooks I've compromised so it's angled slightly up, slight tendency to slide forward, slight pressure down there.

Q: I'm hoping when it breaks in the tendency to slide forward will be reduced, that my sit bones will create indentations that reduce the forward slide. Anyone know if this will happen? Any tips?

It's a touring setup, saddle about as high as the bar tops.

I noticed the same thing when I first got a B17. I fiddled with various angles and so forth, but in the end I found it's mainly just a matter of getting used to the smoother feel of leather as compared to the plastic you're used to. You slide over leather more easily, especially if you wear typical bike shorts, and this gives you the sensation that you're going to slide forward since you're not used to a smooth surface. But you won't. Your position in the saddle is maintained by your arms and core no matter what sort of saddle you have, not the saddle itself. The smoothness of a leather saddle is actually a benefit, not a drawback, and you'll come to appreciate it if you give it time.

Yes, breaking in helps a bit but it's not necessary. Just getting used to the new feel is all that's necessary.

After a lot of trial and error, I ended up setting my saddle perfectly level just as I had with my plastic saddles. The temptation to tilt the nose upward just because the material is smooth should be resisted, as you've already discovered.


Using Engine Starter Fluid to Decontaminate Brake Pads I have some hydraulic disc brakes, and for one reason or another they get contaminated. My dad (who's worked on cars for ages) told me to use engine starter fluid, but I'm kind of skeptical about this. I know they make some brake cleaners, but would starter fluid accomplish the same task without negative side effects?

Seeing that starter fluid could contain any number of things, I wouldn't.

You can simply use isopropyl alcohol. Very cheap, typically most grocery stores would stock it and you want to get as simple and pure as possible. ie. don't buy the scented ones.

In liquid form, you can easily use a toothbrush and give them a good clean. It will decrease and get most grime out and put you back to step 1 of bedding in the pads. I have use this a number of times to clean off even DOT 5 from pads.

With isopropyl alcohol it doesn't matter if they are sintered or organic pads and any excess isopropyl alcohol will simply evaporate with minimal residue. The key is to brush and 'wash' of as much as possible and not to simply soak them.


What's this part of the bike, and is it safe to alter it? The video shows someone installing a gps bike tracker, however there is not much room in the top of the head tube, so he hammers down what's already in there in order to make room for the tracker.

In this video, (starting at 1 minute 30 seconds)

I wanted to make a custom gps tracker for my bike as I'm into electronics, but I have no idea what this 'hammering' does. What is this part he's altering? And is it safe to do so?

What he hammered down is the star nut.  It's a gription (yes I made that word up) device that serves as an anchor point in the steer tube to allow the top cap to properly compress the headset during a headset adjustment.  Old or damaged star nuts are often driven all the way through the steer tube to remove them (that's why your steer tube is open at the bottom).  They are generally only hammered in a short ways because being longer serves no purpose.  In this case, so long as that GPS unit is as stiff as a steel bolt and allows for proper compression during an adjustment, it should be fine.


Do Italian frame sets use different sized components to bikes in the USA? I want to restore an Italian made bike but I am not sure if components I buy in the US will fit.

Some Italian bikes have a metric BB thread but I have a Bianchi that has the standard BSA imperial thread so it's very difficult to tell unless you have thread measuring gauges. There are still a lot of BB assembly manufacturers making Italian threaded versions. As for any other parts they'll have standard European or Japanese (DIN or ISO) metric threads. Steerer tubes are usually imperial and seat posts invariably have a metric equivalent to the imperial parts.


What are the dangers of the tyre/inner tube bursting? Is there a danger if the tyre or the inner tube suddenly burst?

The main danger can be an immediate loss of control.

Depending on when/where is happen, that loss of control can be minimal if going at slow speed to kill you if it happens going downhill at high speed.


How much "play" is normal in a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub? I inherited a bike with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub (Sturmey Archer AW, from 1984).

I am very familiar with free-wheels and cassete hubs, but this is fairly new to me, although I did some research on the internet, I couldn't find anywhere that had a hub spinning.

In my case, I am probably going to disassemble it (I have seen some videos, it won't be easy but is doable).

Finally, the question:

I noticed that there is a (IMO) fairly big amount of "play" (is this the term?) when I rotate the cog counter-clockwise (direction of coasting) and then rotating clockwise (drive).

I would say it is about 2 cm of "play".

Is the amount shown here too much, or is this normal?
Animated gif showing the hub play

I still can't find my working three speed hub, but from memory, and from trying a working five speed, then as far as I can tell from the gif, that's normal.


Adjust reach on Ultegra ST-6510 levers? I'd like to adjust the reach (distance from the drop bars to the brake levers) on my Ultegra 6510 levers.  The Shimano instructions don't mention the ability to adjust this at all, which seems odd to me, since even basically junk mountain bike levers are adjustable in this way. Is there a way to adjust this on these levers? Is it "normal" for road levers to not be reach adjustable, or is this just a Shimano thing? From searching around a bit, it looks like you can use "Specialized Slim Shims." Is that the way people typically adjust the reach? Anyone have any better "home-brew" way to make them adjustable?

The Specialized shims are probably what you will end up using, however, before ordering them up, see if there is anything you can do by changing the location of the levers on your handlebar.

Drop handlebars can be adjusted in a multitude of ways. You can adjust the overall angle and slide the levers forwards or back to compensate for a change of bar angle, to keep the hood position where you are used to it being. Sometimes you can push the levers mounting position forwards/down, to interact differently with the curve of the bar to give a shorter reach. How exactly this works with your bike depends on how 'anatomical' or 'track style' your bars are. This will involve a lot of adjustment of bars, levers, cables and tape, but it is something you may want to investigate.

Alternatively go with the Specialized shims or simply rely on the fact that you can always reach your brakes if the threat is scary enough and slacken them off a bit so that, once you have got the lever, you are not working it with your fingertips to effect useful braking.


Can you reattach an SRAM powerlock? An advert for their PC-1031 chain on chainreaction said the Powerlink Powerlock was one time use only; you couldn't attach the chain, detach it and then attach it again without a new Powerlock.

I understand Powerlocks probably only guaranteed the first time, but in practical terms does it really work that way? Do chains usually snap if you try to reuse the Powerlock?

For 9 speed or below, SRAM sells the Powerlink, which is a reusable way of opening and closing a chain. You can open and close these a few times, at least for the life of a chain.

For 10 speed and above, SRAM sells the Powerlock, which is a one-time use way of closing a chain. It is not designed to be opened and closed, and it is not suggested that you re-use it.

Do people re-use Powerlocks? Sometimes. Do they get away with it? Fairly often. Do they come apart? Also reasonably often. Would I recommend it? Of course not -- they're cheap, just buy a new one each time. It's generally going to be worth the potential costs of dealing with chain failure when you're out riding.

If you want to use a quick link for a 10 speed+ chain thats able to be opened and closed repeatedly, try the KMC Missinglink for 10 speed chains or the Wipperman Connex link. Both are designed to be reusable. (*)

(*) Officially, chain manufacturers don't recommend mixing brand X's chain closing mechanism with brand Y's chain when X!=Y, but people have generally found it safe to mix quick links between manufacturers. So, with this in mind, I'd still recommend the KMC or Wipperman if you want to detach and reattach the chain repeatedly.


Torque wrench doesn't click I have a new and calibrated torque wrench that is for 2-15NM. When I'm tightening a bolt it doesn't seem to click even at 2NM no matter how hard I turn.

I tried using it against a same size hex key as the bolt by holding the hex key firmly and then it seems to click at fairly light pressure, but not when I'm actually tightening the bolt. What could be wrong?

I see 3 possibilities, it’s not clicking because you aren’t turning hard enough, it’s clicking and you aren’t noticing it, or it’s broken. (Edit: 4th possibility it's a kind of break-in behaviour of the tool and the click is very gentle to begin with. Not sure why but seems to be what OP is reporting in comments. go carefully.)

I tried clicking mine at 2Nm holding the hex bit by hand and couldn’t do it. I had to twist the whole head of the torque wrench. Above 4Nm it’s quite hard to lever the head to click without an actual bolt to lever against.

I think you should try out a whole range of torques on suitable bolts, as well as finding another known torque wrench to compare against. Maybe seek out whoever calibrated it if practicable.

Edit: caveat; if one is a new user of torque wrenches go carefully with torque. A torque wrench will/should tell you when you achieve the torque spec., but it won't stop you tightening the bolt further if you continue forcing it. Excessive tightening can damage bolt threads.


Do I need to remove & service integrated headset bearings when replacing fork? I'm replacing a suspension fork on a bike with 1 1/8" integrated. I'm following these steps

As the fork slides down, have an assistant hold the lower bearings, so they stay up inside the frame. Try to extract the bearing complex intact. Hopefully, the bearings will be in a bearing clip.
Once the fork is extracted, remove the top bearings as well.
Once the old fork is out of the steering tube, clean and lube the inside of the steering tube. Make sure the surfaces where the bearings sit aren't pitted
Using a degreasing solution, clean the bearings, cups, and clips. A good technique to get dirty gunk off free-rolling bearings is to roll then between layers of paper towel. The towel will pick up the gunk.

These instructions seem to apply to a Standard headset configuration, not an Integrated configuration. The bearings don't seem to come out, at least they certainly don't fall or drop out as the article cautions.
So, I've removed stem, spacers, headset cap but not the bearings.
The old fork slides right out and I can slip the new one right in, so far so good.
This other answer suggests that headset bearings rarely, if ever, really need to be serviced.
Questions

Do I need to (or rather, should I) attempt to remove the headset bearings (i.e., to attempt to clean them)?
If so, do I need a Park Tool RT-1 to do this? Or can I use a metal rod or a wood dowel and a hammer (with caution, of course).

If your headset bearings are cartridge - in a sealed unit as opposed to exposed ball bearings held loosely in a cage. The cleaning and re-greasing of the bearings  does not apply to you.

Although it is also known for some people to remove the seal over their sealed cartridge bearings - to clean and re-grease and then pop the seal back over them.

But generally - you don't need to do this.


Protecting bike attachments such as lights against theft I was wondering what one could do to keep his bike attachments from being stolen. On Monday two lights were stolen off of my bike. I only had them for a day. It was the kind that has a rubber "strap" of sorts that goes on the handlebar. I only really care/want to know because they were fairly expensive...

Take the lights and anything else thats likely to be stolen off your bike.

For things that can't be removed easily, you may want to use something like Pitlock security skewers (or security bolts) or glue in ball bearings or similar into the head of the bolts (which will make them hard to remove when you need to remove them, but a casual thief can't remove them easily). Also, make sure you know how to properly lock up your bike (which has been discussed at length in other places on this SE).


Frame-mounted basket options Team,

I recently acquired a Yuba Mundo cargo bike, which is wonderful, but I would like a little more storage room when I have passengers on the load space in back. It has these two mounting points for a front basket on the downtube and top tube.

Yuba sells a basket designed to work with this system, but I'm not entirely keen on it. Is this a standard system that other manufacturers make baskets for, or is this a Yuba proprietary system?

Yes, that's a proprietary system.

That said, front racks and baskets that mount to the head tube are very stable. The rack basket doesn't flop around when parked and it doesn't affect steering when you're riding. Unfortunately there aren't standard head tube mounts (Brompton has one design for example). Until a standard emerges, this is the best we can do with. The only downside aside from the price is that you can't easily hang large front side panniers because they would interfere with steering.

Most off the shelf front baskets and pannier racks mount either to the handlebars or to the pannier mounts on the front fork and suffer from said mentioned floppiness.

Tldr: it's proprietary but worth shelling out for.


Top speed for Cannondale Bad Boy I have a 2015 Cannondale Bad Boy 3. I'm planning on making a trip tomorrow that goes across a very long, fairly steep road (It's almost completely straight).

I've had the bike for about six months, and I absolutely love it. I trust the construction and control of the bike, but everything has it's limits.

Hopefully someone would be able to tell me what a "safe" top speed is for the bike. I've personally hit just under 40Km/h on this bike on a different downhill, much shorter than the one I'll be riding tomorrow. I just don't want the tire to fly off while I'm cruising down this hill.

I'm going to have the bike serviced tonight. The tires are the standard Schwalbe Kojack. They're still in good condition, and everything else is stock from the factory.

Thanks in advance for any help!

If you are expecting a number, sorry can't give one.

However these are the variables you will have to consider

Bike - some bikes shimmy at high speed.  This can be caused by minor unbalancing like a yellow spoke reflector, or a small variation in rim weight and balance.
Wind speed and direction - side gusts have a greater impact at speed.
Traffic - Cars can get in your way, plus they act a bit random when cyclists start doing unusual things
Road - a descent often goes down a hill, and tends to wind in and out of valleys and bluffs.  Your line of sight can be quite limited by the hillside or vegetation.  So a corner may cry out for shortcutting, but you run the risk of going head-first into an uphilling vehicle or other rider.
Weather - road temp and dampness will affect tyre grip.  Heat will cap your ability to cool down by sweating
Reaction time - as you move faster you cover more ground.  Means you need to anticipate better and to predict further ahead.
Wind - if you go fast enough you get cold ears and eyes, nose, fingers and toes.  Also, the passing wind can set up a howl or whistle as it passes your helmet straps.  I find this may be one cause of my gradual hearing loss.

Ultimately the limiting factor is likely to be your Confidence, and the point at which you reach for the brake levers.

To calculate your likely downhill speed, you need to know your CdA, your input power, and so on.  A website like http://bikecalculator.com/  helps give a guesstimate.

One example, assuming you're putting in 50 watts of power (and that you're not spinning out the gears) you weigh 90 kilos, your bike is 10 kilos, the grade is 5% down, there is no wind relative to the ground, its a 10 km long segment with an air temperature of 25 degrees C and its 1000 metres above sea level (not sure if thats start or finish elevation sorry)  and that you're in the drops the whole way, you'll be doing 62.7 km/h and do the whole thing in ~9.6 minutes.

If you don't pedal at 50W you'll do 60.9 km/h and do the whole distance in ~9.86 minutes, so 17 seconds slower.

Of course these numbers are completely calculated, so you play about with the inputs.  EG a 250 kilo rider on a 50 kilo MTB bike would do 81 km/h on coasting ?

On most downhills you spin out your gears quickly.  http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html is another good calulator for this.

It shows that a 52 tooth chainring with an 11 tooth rear would give you 71km/h at 120 RPM, assuming normal road wheels.  Thats really fast pedalling and feels crazy.  At 90 RPM that same gear combo would be 54km/h.  Hence why I used 0 Watts in the previous calculator, meaning coasting.

Lastly - do ride with something like strava or some other recording tool to measure how well you did.  This also gives you fairly accurate proof for next time you do the ride to compare.

Doubtless there will be strava segments defined so you can compare your output with other riders too.

And ultimately, your time to ride UP the hill is just as interesting :)


How to achieve a tighter turning radius? I'm having trouble making the rather tight turns on one of the tracks I ride on. I am already leaning inward while I'm turning, but very often either I still can't turn sharply enough, or I lean too far and end up wiping out, especially when I'm turning at high speeds.

So my question is, are there any riding techniques that I can use to help me achieve a tighter turning radius?

Some tips:

Look at where you want to go (the exit of the turn) and not ahead or at your front wheel.
Slightly turn your hips and waist to point to where you want to go (the exit of the turn). Also, thinking that you want to point your belly button there helps achieve this movement.
Outside foot down (pressing the bike down), inside foot up.
Outside hand pulls, inside hand pushes.
Lean the bike slightly more than your body.
Lean your body less than your bike. Try to keep your head horizontal to the ground though.
Trust the tyres and commit to the turn.
Don't touch the brakes.
Make sure you don't loose the front wheel. If it washes out then you are done. You ensure that by maintaining pressure on the handlebars. So keep your weight in the center of the bike (don't crouch back to the saddle).

Also, it is obvious that new tyres help.

Lastly, when you approach the exit of the turn start pedaling again to gain what you've lost while cornering.

Note that the above tips is what I do on mountain biking. There is a possibility that tip #4 doesn't apply to road or track bikes, but I am not sure.


Rear rockshox thru axle. How to remove it if skewer got broken off? Hello, im new here, how can I deal with this issue any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Assuming your axle looked a little like this before the break.

Purchase a new 12mm thru axle of appropriate width for your bike. It is nothing to do with RockShox on the rear axle. Check your bikes spec on the internet or original supplied manuals.

Unscrew the handle from the new axle and use that to undo the splined axle from the original. Once you have done that replace the handle on the new axle and install on the bike.

A couple of issues.

The splines on the original axle might not be the same as the new one unless you get exactly the same brand. If you have access to a LBS this might be the time to use one instead of internet mail order.
Rear axles are sometimes fairly tightly screwed in. Ensure you are careful to not injure yourself or ruin the spline by skidding off the unsecured handle when removing it. Wrap the handle in a rag and apply pressure along the axis of the axle with your palm. Maybe lie the bike flat to do this task. A soft mallet may come in handy to break the initial friction as well.


How do you tune a suspension air shock on a bike for light riders like me? I recently got a new bike from Dicks Sporting Goods. I am pretty light and the suspension doesn't even go down. I want mine to be bouncier so this is why I am posting this question.

Looking at the specs it does not appear to have an adjustable air shock. Bikes at this price point typically use either a coil spring or a gas strut (similar to the type that holds the hatchback open on a car). The dampening rate is set by the manufacturers design. In some cases larger frame sizes will be stiffer than smaller sizes. The reason being that if you are taller you typically weigh more and need a stiffer suspension. This also means that if you are tall and thinner than average the suspension will be too stiff. Some forks will have a plastic knob that when turned counter-clockwise will give a slightly softer ride. You can try to soften the ride by lowering the pressure in the tires. This can only do so much before you start getting flats from pinching the tubes.


What are the current options for short crank arms? I have knee problems, and I've noticed that the seat position that makes it possible for my leg to not be absolutely straight at the bottom of the stroke causes my knee to pop up a bit higher than my hip at the top of the stroke, and I can feel it. Biking should not cause me more knee pain than downhill skiing, but it does. I think that switching to a shorter crank would help. For my leg length, about 155mm-160mm looks about right, according to the various calculators I've seen linked here.

However, I'm at a loss for actually finding said crankset. Has anyone run into moderately-priced (under $400) cranksets that are either built with short cranks or have them available to be attached?

I'd prefer a 3-ring mountain bike set with fairly wide gear spacing(?), since I'm more of a woods and gravel trails tourer than road racer, and this place is really hilly :)

Alternatively, are there any ready-made women's/older children's bikes with crankarms in this range?

There aren't many options out there for cranks shorter than 165mm. Your best bet is to buy a set of longer crankarms and get them shortened at a service like Bikesmith Design.

Also, if you are legitimately having knee problems, I'd suggest that you find a professional fit service in your area and have a fitting done. The length of your cranks may not be the issue, but it may be the size of your frame, position of seat, etc. Online calculators can be good, but a professional service will certainly address these issues in a more targeted way and perhaps save you from spending unnecessary money, modifications to parts and perhaps save you a lifetime of pain or discomfort.


How is the Bikight aluminium chain tensioner installed? Bikight tensioner

Is it perhaps installed next to the wheel, in the inner part of the frame?

That device looks like a chain tensioner that replaces the rear derailleur when converting a frame made for a derailleur drivetrain to a single speed setup. Hence, it would be mounted with a bolt in the derailleur mounting hole.


How to find a model number that replaced an old Shimano part Is there some listing of Shimano component model numbers that can help me find a currently-manufactured part that is equivalent to an old model number that is no longer being manufactured?

In particular, I'm looking to find a currently-manufactured replacement for a Deore LX V-brake, model number BR-M570.

This brake pivots around an internal sleeve built into the brake arm rather than pivoting directly on the cantilever brake post. I need something like this since my brake posts are corroded and will not be a good bearing surface.

I hate to say this, but You're going to have to make a trip to your local bike shop. Chances are, if they're in the US, and they carry Shimano parts, they buy from Quality Bicycle Products (QBP). The company has an online catalog which you can search part numbers both active ant inactive, as well as related models. This catalog is only accessible to bicycle shops, and not the general public (though feel free to open your own shop, we only need more of them :-) ).

They'll be more than happy to assist you there, and hopefully find you an answer.

Now, buyer beware that this is only a guess, but based upon the internal levering mechanism that you describe, the BR-M580 looks to be the successor in the LX parts line. I see the same mechanical features, but from an upgraded parts standpoint. Like I said, only the parts shop will know for sure.

Now onto the actual question; the process. The shimano parts website holds a database of some of their part numbers. I simply searched your part number preceeder, the series, and the line (eg "BR-M DEORE LX") and I sifted through the disk brakes, and found similar pad brakes in a higher line.


What tension should the front derailleur cable be when setting it up? I'm attempting to setup my front derailleur. I've slackened off the cable, adjusted the L screw so the derailleur just clears the chain. What position should the adjusting barrel on the handles be set to and how tight should I pull the cable before tighten it to the derailleur?

I seem to be getting rub in the middle gear at the front, but no run on the top and bottom cog.

There's not a set, single tension that works for all bikes. It's just trial and error.

You need to pull it pretty tight before clamping it to the derailleur. Probably as tight as you can. Usually I find that's still not tight enough, so I screw the barrel adjuster down all the way before putting the cable in and then open it up until the tension is correct.

Assuming that you do in fact have everything else set up correctly: if the derailleur is rubbing on the outside of the chain, you need a little more tension. If it's rubbing on the inside, you need a little less.

Also, if you've swapped any parts out, you may be having some compatibility issues. Derailleurs have minimum and maximum chainring sizes. If you're just a smidge over or under those sizes, you're almost sure to get some rubbing.

If you can find it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to look at the owner's manual for your particular derailleur.


How to fix tubeless tire leak at rim seam I bought a Cannondale Fat Caad 2 that came with tubeless ready rims and tires— the rim is even pre-taped.  I’m converting to tubeless currently — removed tube, installed valve stem, put 120ml of sealant in the tire, inflated the tire to 30 psi to seat it, rolling the tire.

Testing with soapy water, it’s sealed everywhere except for at the rim seam. It’s actually leaking through the seam at the groove where the small bubbles in the picture are and slightly at the bead where the big bubbles are.

Will this seal after rolling the tires for a few days or should I open it back up to do something, and if so, what?

The fix ended up being very simple. After inflating the tire to 30 psi to seat it, I decreased the psi to 15 and rolled the tires like normal over the next couple hours.  Then I dropped the psi down to my running pressure of 5 psi.

The problem simply seemed to be that 30 psi was too high while the sealant was sealing the gaps.  15 psi seemed high enough to push it into the gaps and low enough to let it seal.


Is it safe to ride a dual suspension bike in sub freezing temps? I have a Giant VT3 with dual suspension and I'm thinking of using it as a winter bike is there any special care I should take before heading out into the cold?

If you're riding in temperatures that are only a few degrees below zero, I wouldn't worry too much. As suggested elsewhere, make sure you keep a closer eye on maintenance (brushing off snow/ice, lubrication, etc).

The colder it gets though, the greater the risk that drivetrain components will fail. I've had at least free hubs, where the pawls would stop engaging (i.e. no forward propulsion). I'd say that all your parts will be more brittle in such conditions, so take it easier on your bike than you would normally.

Also, I've heard anecdotally that it's better to store your bike at sub-freezing temperatures if you ride regularly in the cold. The reasoning is that the snow and ice on your bike won't melt and find it's way into moving parts. This will be more important with the pivots on a dual suspension.


Which chainguard (or alternative chainring) for a Shimano FC-M 510 crankset My commuter bike is equipped with a Shimano FC-M 510 crankset,
the teeth configuration being 44/36/22. Unfortunately, the largest
chainring has no chainguard attached to it (and also no holes), so that
occasionally my clothes gets stained with the chain lube.
As far as I can see, one can still buy original Shimano chainrings for this model
that do have holes for attaching a chainguard, e.g. here
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Shimano/FC-M540-9-speed-Chainring-for-Chain-Guards-p14246/
(it's for M540, but is listed as compatible to M510). According to the manual, the original Shimano part no. for the chainguard itself is Y-1C618000, yet I couldn't find even a single online store in Germany that still sells those chainguards.
So my question is, are there other chainguards that are compatible to Y-1FM98100?
Perhaps I could just buy a chainring with a chainguard from a different Shimano crankset model, that would still work with the remaining parts of my M510? I understand that it might not work 100% perfectly, but usually I don't switch gears so often and the bike is for commuting only (within a city), so it wouldn't be a major disaster. The current drive train consists of Deore XT FD-M738, Deore XT RD-M761, CS-HG51 and CN-HG71c. I'm familiar with adjusting front and real derailleurs (did it myself multiple times) and have all the necessary tools. I just don't know how far different parts of Shimano cranksets are compatible or incompatible with each other.

Many thanks for all the tips. I ended up buying a new FC-M540 chainring with holes (since my current one was already quite old) and a chainguard that is actually meant for FC-T671/FC-T781 (Y-1MP98070). Needless to say that the chainguard fits perfectly to the FC-M540 chainring, although officially they are listed as incompatible.
Everything works perfectly, I didn't even have to adjust the front derailleur.


Can I convert freewheel hub to use cassette? I'm converting a 1989 Trek 830/Antelope MTB to a commuter and it has a freewheel. Can I convert it to a cassette with the same hub?

No, it is not possible. You need to replace the entire hub, and the easiest way to do that is to replace the entire wheel.


How to choose protective cycling gloves? Yesterday I failed to make a turn and rode into a thorny bush, which cut my hands.

I have often feared similar situations. For example, when descending, I often need to take a difficult line, in order to evade some hanging vegetation in one half of the fire road. I fear that a wound on the wrist at high speed can make me lose control.

So I am looking for some kind of protective gloves. I do not need any padding on the inside. Rather, I am looking for:

Cut resistance. To resist thorns on the trail and cuts from sharp rock, should I find myself on the ground.
Breathability. Riding for 10 hours in the sun is already exhausting, the gloves should not wick sweat and become wet rags.

Does such a product exist? What features and marketing slang to look for when purchasing?

Look at Downhill MTB gloves, they are meant for folks who are likely to crash in the brush and often have padding on fronts of fingers and knuckles and leather palm protection.


maxle lever is very loose I have a Whyte T-129s and the lever on the maxle is now very loose when putting the wheels back on. It no longer holds in place - is it possible to fix this?

EDIT this is a maxle - its a thicker axle, at 15mm or 20mm up from the 9mm of a QR with a skewer.  This adds stiffness and strength.

I don't think all Maxle's are the same, but I've had two different types and each could be tightened in a slightly different way.  With one (I believe an older design) there is a 2.5mm hex bolt on the lever end which you can tighten/loosen to affect how tight the lever is.

See an example of this here:

http://www.bike-manual.com/brands/trek/om/assets/pdfs/09sram_maxle_cengdfjnp.pdf

On the other, the lever could be tightened by pushing the end in and twisting.

Explained in this article about half way down:

http://www.bikemag.com/gear/news-rockshoxs-pike-is-back/


Brooks B-17 isn't breaking in, how to accelerate the process? I have two bikes with Brooks B-17 saddles on them:

My full-frame touring bike: The saddle has a nice patina of age, having been used for several tours and some commuting.
My Bike Friday Tikit folding bike: This one doesn't get used for rides of nearly the same length, mostly because I can use the bike with the nicely broken-in saddle. Also, this bike has a more agressive posture than the touring bike, and I keep more weight on my legs than on the saddle; could this be part of the reason the saddle isn't breaking in?

I've been using proofride about every six months on both saddles. I've had the Tikit for over a year.

The question: Is it possible to break in or age a B-17 more quickly? Right now, it feels more like plastic than leather, and isn't comfortable for rides of more than ten or fifteen miles.

Alternately, would attempting to age it and soften the leather damage the leather? Maybe a B-17 is the wrong saddle for this bike?

Wouldn't the simplest answer be to switch the saddles between the bikes?  You'd probably end up using the less used bike more and the less broken in saddle more too.


Can I use Shimano Claris shifter to my Shimano Tourney road bike Planning to upgrade my road bike and buying a Shimano claris because my bike shifter still thumb shift

Can I use a 8 speed Shimano Claris shifter to my 7 speed Shimano Tourney ?

No. The sprocket spacing gets narrower as the number of sprockets goes up - to keep the cassette width constant (until 11 speed where it gets slightly wider).

An 8 speed shifter will not index correctly as it is pulling cable length increments for 8 speed spacing not 7 speed.

Tourney isn't really compatible with any Shimano components in the levels above it, so a better route to go would be to replace the entire groupset (you can probably get away with not upgrading the crank).

Many people in this community feel that Tourney level bikes are not worth spending money on upgrading, and it's better to sell them and buy a whole new bike a step up.


Is my bike too big for me? I recently bought a bike online for use in college and after trying to get on the bike, and I think it's too big. The problem is that I'm pretty small. Like 4'11", 27" inseam small. Little legs, yes. I tried to find a bike with a smaller frame (that wasn't a kid's bike), so I went with a 43 cm single speed/fixie from Critical Cycles.

The recommended height range was 4'9-5'2, and I figured that everything seems to be fine when I ride it, with the handlebars and seat on the lowest setting, but I can't stand over my bike. There's no clearance between my crotch and the top tube and judging from how I feel about it and what a lot of people on the internet say, this isn't good. Recommended clearance is at least an inch right?

It's a little bit of a hassle to get on and off the bike, but like I said, it's OK once I'm actually on. My biggest concern is the potentially frequent stops that I might have to make along the bike paths at my college, in the event that I might not be able to properly stop and get off the bike, which is dangerous since there's a lot of bike traffic at my school.

I'm pretty new to biking, and realize that I might've bought the wrong kind of bike or size, but it's a little hard for someone of my size to find a bike for someone so short like me, but I also don't have that big of a budget (typical broke college student).

Is there anything I can do to make this bike work? If there isn't, I suppose I might be able to buy another bike more suited to fit me, although I'm a bit stubborn and don't really want to. However, I really need some suggestions (preferably on the more affordable side), so...please help?

If you cannot comfortably straddle the bike with your feet on the ground it is too big. The bike you have appears to have a nearly horizontal toptube.  As others have said try to return it or at least exchange it for a model that feels comfortable. A model with a slightly sloped top tube may give you a better fit. Don't make your decision based on the stated frame size. Test ride the bike (or several) before making your final choice.


Remote drop seatpost cable route What are some  options for a seatpost remote cables on frames without a pre designed route?

I'm considering a dropper post but would only do this if I was able to mount a remote as I like the continuous flow of being able to change things on the go.

The bike I spend most of my time on at the moment is a steel hardtail which under the top tube has a route for two gear cables and a brake hose (FD-RB-RD). I'm wondering if there was anyway to snuggly attach two lines to the brake hose hangers or if there is another tidy and safe alternative?

It partially depends on where the cable comes out of the post. If it's from the top you can route the cable across the bottom of the top tube and up to the handle bar or down the seat tube and up the down tube. On the other hand, if the cable comes out of the bottom of the post, you can try to go out the bottom of the seat tube and up the down tube.

What is also becoming more common on frames without designated routing for dropper posts is to run a 1x setup and re-use the routing for the front derailleur cable for the dropper cable.


Does wearing a backpack weaken your jumping technique? I mountain bike about 4 times a week. I like to do jumps, but I wear a water backpack (water bladder, camelbak, whatever you'd like to call it). I wear it because I find that a water bottle doesn't hold enough water for me to do a long ride without having to stop to refill. My backpack holds about 100 oz of water, plus a multi tool, sunscreen, bug spray, my phone and keys, and maybe a snack or two. This means that it is heavy. I would guess that when full it is about 20 pounds. My friends tell me to take it off when doing jumps, but I find that it feels a bit awkward to take it off because I lose a significant amount of weight from doing so.
I haven't noticed any sort of difference in how easy it is to clear a given jump when my backpack is on/off, but the technique I use definitely is different when I am wearing a backpack because it adds 20 pounds hanging off my back.
Does NOT wearing a backpack actually make jumping easier, or does it just make it more comfortable? Does anyone know of a different solution to carry both a good amount of water and tools without needing a backpack?
EDIT: I forgot to say that my backpack has two straps, one that buckles at chest level and one that buckles at waist level, although no matter how tight I make it the bag still flops around due to all the tools and just stuff in general that I store in it.

You have more control over weight on you than on the bike, so long as the pack is fitted nicely and doesn't bounce around too much. This doesn't just apply to jumps but all the time, as your bodyweight is part of your control but weight on the bike is passive.  Imagine rolling over a tree root on a hardtail or even rigid forks.  Weight attached the bike must lift over the frame, but if you're off the saddle and riding properly your body and backpack float over the obstacle, barely rising.
Moving a few kg/10-20lbs between frame and body is noticeable. I'm a perpetual mountain bike novice but ride a lot on road.  On the MTB (hardtail)  I either use a hydration pack similar to you, or copy my road kit: a litre bottle of water, tool bottle in a 2nd cage, and saddlebag on the bike.  Even at my level (no big jumps, but the effect holds even for bunny-hops) bike handling is easier with the weight on my back, though it's fatiguing on a very long ride.  This makes sense.  When your weight is on your feet and hands rather than your saddle (i.e. most of the time when riding technically) your bodyweight is sprung on your legs - so is the backpack.  When you jump, you launch your body into the air and the bike follows you.  You launch a backpack with you, but extra weight on the bike has to follow you.


No trim and can't shift into small chainring I have the dura ace 7900 front shifter and derailleur and after my shifting cables have been replaced I have noticed the following.

I cannot trim anymore. The chain jumps onto the big chainring with only 1 click. Previously I could shift into the big ring with 2 clicks.

I cannot shift into the small ring. Well I can but the chain stays on the big ring while I pedal. Only after I turn the cranks for a while the chain drops into the small ring.

I can rule out worn cables and housing since those were replaced right as this problem came up.

I have tried adjusting the cable tension with the barrel adjuster but that yielded no results.

Any ideas ?

Sounds like you have a bit too much cable tension in your new configuration.

Usually cable tension is tuned with the barrel adjuster you mentioned, but if you cannot get the tension low enough with it, you'll need to loosen the bolt that attaches the cable to the derailleur, give the cable just a bit more slack and try again.


Are the Shimano BR650 brakes really Ultegra spec? Many ebay and other online vendors advertise the long-reach Shimano BR-650 brakes as being "Ultegra" series.

However, looking at them they don't seem like they are top-of the line or really all that different in manufacture from 105-line Shimano brakes.

The brakes themselves don't seem to say Ultegra on them anywhere but I haven't seen a box for them. Anyone know why they are listed as Ultegra?

Edit: and if they aren't, what series are they? Deores? Altimas? OEMs?

No, these brakes have nothing to do with Ultegra.

A lot of unscrupulous Ebay sellers put unrelated keywords into the title to get more search hits. It's against Ebay rules, but it's pretty widespread, unfortunately.


Fitting component group set to bike I received a Trek One Series 1.2 Alpha 100 and want to replace its components completely. I am trying to make sure I order the correct parts and sizes. How and what do I look for when buying new parts to make sure they correspond correctly.

As you mention upgrading to 105 I assume you are looking to upgrade the groupset only. If you want to upgrade wheels and other things as well you'd probably be better off selling the bike and buying a new one with the components you want.

Bicycle groupset components are extensively standardized so there are only a few things you need to know to ensure compatibility. On a rim-brake road bike it's even simpler that more modern hydraulic disc brake bikes. Basically you can just order a 105 version of each groupset component you have now. Shimano helpfully provides extensive documentation, the easiest way to look at the various options in a grouset and to see which components are compatible which each other is to look at the Line-Up pages. Here's the one for the latest 105.

However, there is a issue with upgrading to 11 speed 105. I'm assuming this is the bike that is equipped with a 9 speed Sora groupset. The rear wheel likely has a 10 speed and below compatible hub rather than a 11 speed compatible hub. The splined freehub body that the cassette slides onto is 1.85mm wider on an 11 speed hub. If your current cassette has a ~1.85mm spacer behind it you have a 11 speed hub.

If you don't have aa 11 speed hub you have a couple of choices: go for 10 speed Tiagra, buy a new rear wheel or make a 11 speed system work on a 10 speed hub. Some 11 speed cassettes will fit on a 10/9/8 speed hub, but they are all wider range ones with large inner sprockets. The Shimano 105 GS long cage derailleur will accommodate an 11-34 cassette (officially, many people say it will work with a 11-36). I'm not sure which 11 speed Shimano cassettes fit on a 10 speed hub so you are going this route you'll need to do some extra research.

If your bike has an FSA crank the bottom bracket will need to be updated along with the crank. If you have a '2-piece' Sora crank with the axle attached to the drive side crank and external bottom bracket cups threaded into the frame the 105 crank will fit in the bottom bracket cups, although of course you may choose to upgrade the bottom bracket anyway. I'm not sure if older Sora cranks had a '3-piece' type with a cassette type bottom bracket, if you have one of these you'll need to upgrade to 105 external bottom bracket cups.

For the Trek One Series you need rim brakes obviously, you want the 'dual pivot' style not direct mount. You'll need to determine if you need a 'band clamp' front derailleur that clamps on the seat tube or 'braze-on' that attaches to a lug on the seat tube (these lugs were brazed on on steel bike frames, hence the name).

The other choices are crank ring sizes and cassette range. If you are a beginner you'll probably want a lower range 'compact' 50/34 crank. If you live where there are hills you'll want a wider range cassette and long cage GS derailleur.

If you are installing all the components yourself there are great resources online for learning how to wrench on a bike. Park Tool is the best IMHO. Also, Many online bike retailers offer groupset kits that include everything you need for an upgrade, that are cheaper than buying all the parts individually.


Are my pedals greased correctly? When I spin my pedals by hand they spin very fast and long, almost like a fidget spinner, making a sound too. I somewhere read that this means that the bearings are 'dry', and that pedal spin should be more 'buttery', like they shouldn't spin very long, and have more of a dampened, silence feel to it. Is that correct and do I need any special grease? I got a tube of "Grease with Teflon" from Decathlons BTWIN brand. Would that work?

From your description yes, your pedals sounds to be not greased properly.
If you please could post a photo from different angles, it would be easier to provide further advice.

In general, if there is a possibility of disassembling, you should do this and repack the bearings, the same way as you would do with cone hub.

For temporary solution or if the pedals cannot be disassembled in non-destructive way, a thin grease or even chain lube may be suitable, but then the pedals should be greased as often as you lube your chain.


Suspension fork - Can you leave them locked for a long time? My bike's two years old (about 1800km on it, almost all road and bridleway) and kept in a garage. Back in November or so I locked the front suspension fork for road-riding, and over the winter probably did about 50 miles in short ~7 mile jaunts. A couple of weeks ago I tried to unlock my forks, and while the lockout lever moves ok, the forks appear to remain locked; they absolutely refuse to budge even a mm.

I've not had my forks serviced to date. The dealer is saying its because I had the forks locked for several months and neglected to have them serviced. It has always worked quite well.

I think the fork is a "Merida M-510, 100 mm, LO" (This looks like it) - although google finds nothing on that, so I guess its a rebranded something.

So my question - what's likely happened to the forks? Is it something I can fix (and how?)? Is it likely to be a manufacturing defect? And of course, does locking for a long time (even if unused for most of that time) cause issues?

Note: I've read the questions on here about fork maintenance; none of them mention locking for prolonged periods.

Thanks!

Without knowing more details about the fork (coil spring vs air spring) it is hard to recommend anything other than getting it serviced at your LBS.

With that said I know on my MTB with fox float forks, that if I leave it upside down for a while it won't lockout properly. Usually because the oil has displaced within the chamber.

Maybe try flipping it upside down overnight and then seeing if that helps.


Can you reverse the sprockets on a cassette to lengthen its lifespan? I know my bike's rear cassette needs replacing, but before I do that, is it feasible to dismantle the 8 sprockets to reverse their spin? Can you increase the lifespan of a cassette by letting the cogs wear and tear the other way?

Assuming you have Shimano-compatiple Hyperglide cogs: No, you can't.
The cassette body is not symmetric, the cassette fits in only one position.
You could resort to adapt the cogs with a file, though. But shifting will be problematic at least, the cogs have certain indents to make shifting smoother.


What is this crank and BB on this bike? And how do I take that sort of crank off? I have a 2009 Cannondale Six Carbon 3, which supposedly has a BB30 bottom bracket and a FSA Gossamer non-BB30 crank set. It looks like this:

I'm having some creaks when I pedal and I'm trying to see if taking off the crank set and regreasing might fix the problem. Going to YouTube and watching videos for a 'FSA Gossamer' crankset, everyone is just unscrewing a single bolt in the side of the crankset and it self-extracts. However, when I unscrew the only bolt that looks similar, the bolt comes right off really easily but nothing happens with the crank:

You can see in the picture above that now you can see right through the bike itself, so it seems there's nothing additional I could screw that would self-extract that crank. There is, however, some bolts on the arm itself:

Do I need to loosen these bolts to take the crank off? I toyed with that a little, but it wasn't coming off easily, and I didn't want to force anything without knowing it was the correct way.

Thanks for any pointers you can give!

The bottom bracket is a external bearing type in a threaded bottom bracket shell. I think it's likely a FSA Mega Exo as it's paired with a FSA crank, but could possibly be Shimano Hollowtech II.

You have removed the bearing pre-load cap, which does not retain the crank. To get the rank off undo the pinch bolts. On Shimano cranks there is a little tab of metal in the slot that fits into a groove in the axle. This needs to be removed to slide the crank off. Not sure if FSA cranks have the same feature.

The crank will probably be quite hard to get off the axle, a few tabs with a mallet may be needed.


Is this rim still safe to use? I bought it this way without the seller noting the issue, so experience from riding with these is zero. Rims are Ritchey Girder OCRs. The crack is pretty small, but noticeable, and I will be running Maxxis DTHs on it, so I will pretty much load the inner tube with 70-80 psi or maybe even more. The crack runs unto the inside of the rim. The brake surface is still thick and deep and I doubt that it's worn out its lifespan.
I just want to know if I can still use these in the long run without compromising safety. I know a crack on a rim is stating the obvious and if I'm skeptical, it would be smart to just buy a new rim, but I'm in need of a well functioning bike as the pandemic restricts public transportation, and buying a new rim just doesn't fit my budget right now.
If I can repair these, how would I proceed? These rims are too beautiful to let go, and it would be nice if I can do something about it.
I shined a flashlight through the crack and it seems that light does not seep through it, if ever that helps. I will inspect it further to see if the crack I saw from the inside is just from the paint and not the aluminium. By any chance, if it is just a deep surface scratch, will the rim still be usable for a long time or so? If it helps, I won't be using v/u brakes.
Picture of the supposed crack in the inner part of the side wall:

Sorry, those rims are trash (or wall art).
I'd chase down the seller and demand your money back, and report them on whatever sites they were advertising on for selling items in a known dangerous state.
The crank may be small now but it will propagate in both directions and get bigger. Cracks on thin section aluminum cannot be welded as the heat will destroy the heat treatment state of the metal around the repair.


Front Friction Shifter Problem I have friction shifters and for some reason the front one gives me a bit of trouble. It tends to return to its most untensioned state. So say I want to shift to a higher gear, it will try to drop me back down to my lower gear. My guess is I might need to lube up the cable and shifter. Any other known solutions?

With friction shifters this is usually caused by one of two problems:

Loose Shifter Screw: Friction shift levers usually have a wing-nut-screew used to adjust the tension and friction of the lever against the mounting housing.  Tighten this screw, but not too tight or else you can't move the shift lever.  You can also take the shifter apart (noting carefully the order of the parts) and clean everything with degreaser.  DO NOT LUBE - you are trying to regain friction, not remove it.

  Edit re. ʍǝɥʇɐɯ  - After you adjust everything you may find that the shifter screw continues to come loose almost immediately - in that case you may want to use a little 'adjustable/removable' Loctite on the screw, assemble, and let it sit for a while before using.  That should help hold everything together.

Cable Friction: Often there will be one or more points of friction on the cable route.  This could be in the housing, or in the routing channels under the bottom bracket.  As you apply pressure to the pedals the frame flexes, pulling the cable one way, but then the friction stops it from sliding back.  Check and clean your housings and routing points, especially at the bottom bracket.


How do you remember which rack you have left your bike in? I have more than once had to spend time looking for my bike at the station, what’s your method to remember the rack you put it in?

Do any town have a system of numbering or labelling the bike racks so it is easy to find your bike?

Use your phone to take a photo of your bike location, being sure to get some easy to find landmarks in the photo as well. E.g. if you had just taken the photo above and your bike is the front centre one, those two trees should be fairly easy to find again when you come back.

If it still takes a while to find (or the search area is very big) and your phone has GPS, you can probably tag the photo with the location as well.


Can you help me identify my bike please? Bought this bike off a friend, but it has been repainted and I am just curious as to what kind of bike it is.

Seat, and both tires are not stock. I have replaced all of those since I bought it.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I have been researching the serial number hoping that I may find something. But haven’t. In case that makes any difference the SN is rcy10010578


Bottom bracket feels rough, should I replace it My bottom bracket feels rough when I turn it with my fingers. I don't notice any problems when it's all assembled, but it's definitely not smooth like the other parts of much bike like my pedal axles. It feels like there's sand or dirt in the bottom bracket. Do you think it's time to replace it? It's a cartridge bottom bracket (Truvativ PowerSpline) so I don't think it's serviceable.

Here's a video of what it sounds like. The picture quality shouldn't matter, but you should be able to hear the sound. You might need to jack up the sound or wear headphones to hear it best.

It sounds to me like the bearing are dry. While you might get a few more miles out of it, I would replace it. As you stated it is a non serviceable bearing assembly. You have most of the work done already so why put it back together only to have to take it apart later.


Charging eBike Battery with Solar I need some advice / info on solar charging an eBike battery. We have two RadRovers from Rad Power Bikes. They are powered with a Panasonic Dolphin 48V, 11.6Ah Lithium-Ion battery https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/replacement-parts/products/radrover-battery-pack.

We are planing a road trip from the North West US down south and would like to extend the range of the bikes. The specs say that the range is between 20 and 40 miles depending on how you ride. We are planning on using the low pedal-assist setting as much as possible, so we should be able to get to 40 miles or above.

We are bringing a second battery so we should be able to count on 70 to 80 miles a day. With that said, I’d like to rig up a solar set up to extend our range even further. Ideally, we’d have it set up so that the solar panel is plugged directly into the battery being used to extend the range.

I have found these 100w folding solar panel that will work for us https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071YP7X4F/ref=psdc_2236628011_t3_B01M28W7KR.

We can attach this to the rear of the bike with a frame. However, the panel will be fixed in a flat horizontal position, and will not always be in direct sunlight, but it’ll still be better than nothing I figure. If we can get just a little extra boost in between plugging in for a recharge, its worth it. My question is, is it possible for us to plug directly into the battery that is currently powering the bike? If not I’ll just charge the spare battery while in transit, but the first option is preferred. Also, what additional equipment do I need to achieve this? I know I need a controller, but I am not familiar with how this works exactly. A link to an ideal controller would be much appreciated.

Finally, if I then want to change the solar charger over to this laptop battery to charge it on occasion https://www.voltaicsystems.com/v72, would this same controller be used? How would this work.

I really appreciate any advice and info you can give us.

A 100 watt solar panel is nominal watts under ideal situations. You'll be lucky to get 25 watts/hr tied to the back of your bike - and this would be only for a few hours of the day, from 11a to 3p.

Given that your bike is likely using at least 100-200 watts/hr even on low pedal assist, you're only going to gain 5-10% more range over the entire day. From experience, even with low pedal assist, its highly unlikely you'll get anywhere near the maximum (or even middle) advertised range of the ebike.

There is a further complication that  your battery management system won't allow you to charge while biking. Many if not most don't.  So you can only charge the spare pack and you'll have to figure out how to convert the solar panel to the right D.C. voltage and amperage for your charger. If you overcharge or overvolt, a poorly design lithium pack can go up in flames.

It'd be much easier and safer logistically to just bring another spare battery pack or two. I assume you'll be pulling trailers and as a result your mileage will be even further reduced but it means you can carry more. Just load up your trailer with spare packs and bring multiple chargers. Forget solar, it's not worth the hassle. The one exception would be to use solar to charge your iPhone/iPad and other electronic devices -- it's relatively easy to find small solar chargers that have USB leads.


Swapping out my front and rear derailleurs I have been having trouble adjusting my gears correctly, so that they stop making noise and grinding in one spot or another.

Every time I set the high, the low goes and then fiddling with the cable length blows everything out.

I have a 2014 Giant "Boulder 2" which came with a Tourney TX55 rear derailleur and a Tourney TX51 front derailleur.

I purchased a Tourney TX35 rear derailleur and a new Sora 3500-B x2 front derailleur, thinking this might solve the problem, but I'm now just stuck with questions.

Will the Sora fit as my front derailleur in place of the original Tourney FD?
Will the Sora be a better option than the original Tourney FD?
Is it worth changing over to the other new Tourney TX RD, as I don't think there is anything wrong with the original?
I would like to upgrade both derailleurs, but what should I buy and what would be the next level up?

Sora is a road groupset. Road front derailleurs are all bottom cable pull (I believe), your bike (and most mountain bikes) is top cable pull, so that is not going to be compatible.

I don't think swapping a derailleur within the Tourney range is going to make very much difference. You will probably get much more value out of having a bike repair shop adjust the derailleurs properly.

Currently the Shimano mountain groupset progression is Altus then Deore (between those two, Alivio and Altus were offered in the last few years as well).

Upgraded components will work better. You have to decide if it's worth it for you. Bear in mind that Altus and Deore are 9-speed groupsets so you'll be replacing derailleurs, shifters, cassette, chain, cable and housing at the very least. Your rear wheel hub may also have an older style 'freewheel' system rather than a 'freehub' system, if so you will not be able to upgrade.

Often, with bikes at the cheaper end of the spectrum, upgrading components is not worth the hassle, and just getting a better bike is the preferable option.


Sources of vibration at high speed in and around rear wheel I’m experiencing vibration somewhere in the rear half of the bicycle when descending at high speed (say more than 30 mph), and I haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause. Everything looks fine, everything I’ve tried wiggling seems solid, and nothing seems to be getting hot except the brakes and rim.

I’d like help figuring what, if anything is wrong.

I could try to describe my observations in more detail, though I hesitate to do so for two reasons. First, they are all fuzzy and potentially misleading, since it’s hard to examine the bicycle while it’s moving 30-40 mph, and it makes me nervous so I slow down and the vibration stops. Second, it seemed like it could be useful to have a checklist of things to look into when experiencing such vibration, that isn’t limited to my particular problem. (If it’s more appropriate for this community, I’ll edit this question to add my observations.)

Note: I've included things not at the rear of the bike as sometimes we think something is coming from one area when it's actually caused by another.

List of things I would check:

Wheels true and round without rubber (check dishing too, but unlikely to cause vibration)
Adding rubber (tire and tube) and inflating does not take wheel assembly out of true (some tires seem to float from side to side a bit and this can make things wobble a bit at speed.
Wheel attachments such as reflectors don't lead to excessive imbalance.
Accessories such as pump, water bottle, lock are firmly attached.
Check entire wheel assembly: spokes, skewers, bearings. Everything should be free of cracks, dents, bends. Parts that move should do so smoothly (bearings, freewheel). Things that should be straight should be straight (spokes, skewers).
Pawls inside freewheel engage and slip smoothly and correctly.
Frame is intact, no cracks or bends. Especially the chainstay and seat stay.
Fork is intact, no cracks or bends.
Headset is installed correctly, no play in steering.
Seat post is intact, no cracks or bends.
Seat post is tight to frame.
Saddle is tight to seat post.
Finally I would check the bottom bracket area. This gets a lot of torque and abuse so give it another look for cracks or fatigue.

Still a problem? Get an experienced rider that is comfortable descending to ride your wheel. Find a nice straight descent with no traffic.


Servicing full suspension bike after long period of not being used I bought a new bike about a couple of years ago, rode it about a dozen times and haven't been on it since.  Should I perform a full service on the bike (replace seals, oil, bleed the brakes, etc.) before riding it again?

I would service the suspension. If the seals have dried out (a safe bet), and you go on a dusty (or muddy) trail ride, it seems inevitable that material will make it through the seals, damaging your stanchions, among other things.

After a friend passed away, I was tasked with selling his old bikes. His FS bike had be sitting idle for about four years. I cycled the suspension and everything seemed fine. But the next morning, all of the shock's oil was sitting in a pool in my garage.

However, if you inspect the seals and it appears that they're still in good condition and you're only going to stroll through the neighborhood, it might be fine.

The brakes might be fine, but I would definitely verify their function around the neighborhood a few days before I took it out on the trail. And then the again the day after that to make sure that all of their seals haven't failed catastrophically like my friend's shock seals.


Difference between Shimano HG and XT cassettes I'm looking to build a 1x10 commuter bike.

Want to decide between these two cassettes

XT series:

http://a.co/d4ez069

HG series:
http://a.co/j4z8KFn

How do they differ?

I still haven't bought chain and crankset.

XT is shimano's MTB line - and its second below the XTR line.  It weighs a claimed 275 grams, and can be split in the middle to remove a medium cog and add a larger one on the end.

HG is also a MTB line, but ranks somewhere below XT.  It weighs more at around 430 grams, and therefore is more solid.  It cannot be tweaked, but will be more robust and less prone to breaking.

In 2016, the Shimano MTB group lineup is something like this:

Lowest TOURNEY, ALTUS, Acera, ALIVIO, Deore, Deore LX, Deore XT, XTR Highest

By comparison, the road groups are

Lowest A050, Tourney, Claris, SORA, TIAGRA, 105, Ultegra, DURAACE, Highest

A further breakdown can be found at http://productinfo.shimano.com/#/lc/1.7

To clarify - here's shimano's current line up, according to shimano, from the link above, which is dated 2016 and titled "Product lineup"

Note this is from the PDF linked from that page.

Answer My advice would be to get the cheaper heavier cassette and a new chain at the same time.   They are wear items, and should be replaced periodically.  Some indication that the light one was perhaps too light for the amount of power some riders were generating.


How is infrastructure for bicyclists designed, and how does it evolve? Question: How is infrastructure for bicyclists designed, and how does it evolve?

Related questions to prompt more detailed answers:

When is the right time to build bicycle roads?
How is the budget evaluated for new bicycle facilities?
Is there some way to verify the budgeting premises for bicycle projects?
How are different facilities evaluated?
Are there stages which a city goes through to get a superb bicycle infrastructure?

Longer term considerations:

Suppose the fundamental city plan for cargos and cars is to produce a smooth flow of traffic. Is it easier to plan long-term bicycle road investments together with other roads?
You cannot take every point into account at the start, so how do we make improvements to existing facilities?
How do we make sure progress doesn't stop or reverse?
Is there a way to avoid only reactive fixes (something gets improved only after fatal accident)?
Is the improvement chaotic or a linear progression?

In most places the answer to your main question is "very bureaucratically", usually involving multiple government departments and a lot of competing interests. It's a part of town planning, which is itself contentious in most places. Even without the sort of natural input that, for example, Christchurch is currently experiencing.

My experience is that even when national governments are involved detailed planning tends to be done at a very local level. This contrasts with major roads where there is usually a government department who is responsible for them. So national funding ends up in the hands of local government who design, build and maintain bicycle facilities in their area.

Ideally the work is overseen by someone with both qualifications and experience in designing good cycle facilities, with public involvement during the scoping and design stages. This is when cycling organisations can be very influential both in terms of what route is chosen and the detailed design that can make it a stunning success or a miserable failure.

Budget works two ways. The "how much do we have to spend" is usually a political question and is influenced primarily by lobbying your government representatives. The "how much does it cost" is in theory an engineering question, but is often determined by political considerations, specifically the "it must be able to support heavy maintenance vehicles" requirement that can mean a cycle facility costs the same as a standard roadway instead of less than 1/4 as much. Local government and roading engineers are usually very keen on this for two reasons: it gives them a "free" access route (they don't pay for it, cyclists do), and it pushes up the apparent cost of cycle facilities (so they have to deal with fewer of them per dollar in the budget). In some situations this does work the other way, where the builders go "cycleways are cheap, let's put them everywhere". Smart property developers do this as they can still call them roads (and they look like roads on the plans), but they're cheap to build.

Evaluation is complex because there are many different ways a cycle facility can be evaluated. From how good it is to ride on, to accident rates or population health, to maintenance costs, to political benefit (or cost), just about everyone will have their own way to evaluate a cycle facility. This is a contentious issue that my local BUG addresses with our local council almost every year. Even though we have a cycling team in the council infrastructure department we have to fight to keep them as well as maintain existing facilities and build new ones.

The broad progression that I'm used to is:

no cycle facilities.
national government makes funds available to local councils for cycle facilities, and local government wants those funds.
they paint "cycle facilities" onto existing roads and build a few recreational facilities to get that money.
local cyclists are pressing for better facilities.
Eventually council appoint a part-time "cyclist appeasement officer" to deal with them, who also has a budget. This gets spent on making cyclists more visible, usually by printing maps of the facilities and flyers saying how good cycling is.
Over time the budget increases and the focus changes to off-road facilities that actually go places.
a council employee in the road-making department is designated as something to do with bicycles ("cycle facilities coordinator" or similar),
eventually this office gets onto the list of "people who have to be consulted before road changes happen".
Around this time cycling becomes something that politicians mention during elections
over time politicians settle more onto the pro-cycling side.
a mayor/governor who is a cyclist is elected and suddenly a key question for every single transport project becomes "how does this help cyclists?"
Over time this becomes the dominant paradigm across the nation,
eventually Dutch is legislated as one of the national languages.

(note that places move both up and down the list over time - it's not all win-win-win)

A few local examples. This is my councils transport page featuring bicycles and pedestrians with their own headings. If you read the strategy you can see that the local BUG had some effect. Also note the "sustainable transport" menu of the left of that page. In Sydney where I used to live they now have a "Manager, Cycling Strategy" and a heap of content on their web site.


What to do when a snake is in front of you? I was coming out of a corner and saw something on the road about 10 meters up but only from about 5 meters I realised it's a snake trying to cross the path.

I panicked but didn't really do anything. Fortunately, it crossed the past quick enough, I just ended up so annoyed/scared.

What's the best action in that situation? Accelerate as hard as you can, while trying to avoid it? Or aim for it? I was too afraid that if I stopped it might chase me.

Stop. Back up if necessary. Don't risk running over it. Snakes almost never chase people, they will only attack if they're cornered or you're lying very still (for very large snakes that eat things the size of people).

Running over a snake is probably your worst approach if you don't want to get bitten. Not only do you have to be very close to the snake, you're going out of your way to threaten it. Almost any animal in that situation will try to attack you, purely to stop you killing them.

I've seen several snakes, one on my commute route. For me that's a chance to stop and go "Wow! A snake!" and maybe get my camera out so I can take a photo from a safe distance. But even snakes that aren't venomous are best left alone. Either because they're wild animals that you respect and want to encourage, or because the gap between non-venomous and harmless is significant. A bite or accidental impact from a snake can still injure you.

Also, many are protected, and I'm not sure whether being bitten by a venomous snake is actually worse than being prosecuted for interfering with one.


How to train for a long tour? Recently my interest was piqued with a very long tour: http://tourdivide.org/

Being time constrained by an 8 hour job, how does one train for a ride that will require 160 kilometers (100 miles) per day for 30 days?

I confess, I have not done this kind of ride. But I know a few folks who have done some long ones: Vancouver, BC to San Diego; San Francisco to the Mexican Border; the 999 Ride, and so forth.

I will tell you a few things they passed along to me.

You can get some really nasty saddle sores from this kind of riding. Make sure you have some really good shorts or bibs, and some good chamois cream. Once this kind of injury has occurred, it doesn't heal overnight. It also may help to get out of salty, sweaty kit as quickly as possible, and rinse/wash both your body and your kit. Some people are more sensitive to salt on their skin than others; if you're sensitive, take good care of your skin.
You will need to train hard for this. Since your link specifies that the ride is self-supported, you should train as you plan to ride. If you plan to carry panniers on your bike, for example, you should train with these. Fully loaded, even if you use bricks or weights or something.
Saddle time is essential, but you can use short-but-intense rides to help train. The people I know who do these long-distance rides know every steep, hilly route around here, and they ride them. Frequently. As in 250 miles per week (do the math on that, if you're averaging 10 mph because of all the climbing, that is a lot of hours on the bike).
Plan on carrying spare tubes, a spare tire, and extra spokes, especially if you have funky wheels that use proprietary spokes (Easton and Mavic come to mind). Make sure your wheels can do this kind of loaded touring.

You do not mention any particular experience with this kind of riding, so you may want to do some shorter rides-- 500 miles or whatever-- before attempting such a long, hard ride.


Fix/replacement for v-brake part I finally found out the answer as to why my v brake is not returning to open position.

If you look closely, the screw that is supposed to hold spring is not doing its job; the spring slips down when I try to apply tension. I'm not sure what that black plastic thing is called but I'm guessing that it must have a groove there in order for the spring to slide down under the screw.

Are there replacement parts for that or can that still be fixed? Or do I need to replace the whole v-brake?

When it's called anything, which it usually isn't, it would be something like a "spring carrier." What's going on here is fairly common to see on brakes like this. Mostly it happens when, as in the picture, the spring tension adjustment screw is threaded all the way in. Taking it out some, and then adjusting the other one on the other arm to compensate, may allow it to make contact with the spring nub rather than what it's doing now. If that doesn't work, i.e. if it's doing this no matter how screwed in it is, then taking the whole thing apart and bending the spring ever so slightly may work.

Replacement parts aren't available, although a much better complete brake is about $10US.


Why are puncture-resistant tires not used in professional races? Having used with great satisfaction puncture-resistant tires for more than 8 years, and having seen how it can happen than in professional races tires can be punctured, I wonder why are puncture-resistant tires not used from team racing in Giro d'Italia or Tour de France.

I am sure it is not for economic reason, but I cannot figure why.

To a racer, rolling resistance and handling top the list; durability is far down the list. The coefficient of rolling resistance (Crr) for a racing tire on typical French or Italian roads used during a Grand Tour is about .004, or even lower. The Crr of a puncture resistant tire can be > .01. Crr scales like gradient, so the difference between Crr's of .01 and .004 is like constantly climbing a slope of .006 (=.01 - .004), or slightly more than half a percent. On a 150km stage that's like climbing an extra 900m hill. No racer willingly gives up that much advantage, especially when there's wheel support from either a team car or neutral support (and for team leaders, a wheel swap from a team mate) should you get a flat.


Is there a way to measure tire pressure without using the valve? I'm trying to DIY a sort of a "smart rack" for a bike that can alarm me of problems like low tire pressure. Problem is that tire pressure is measured via the valve, which isn't a practical solution for this use case. Is there is a way to arrive at a similar pressure (doesn't have to be as accurate, but more accurate than the typical +/-20psi "squeeze test") via some device that works with the tire directly instead of the valve (something that squeezes the tire and or laser/ultrasound)? This is for personal use, so I don't mind if the solution relies on hard-coded tire/bike dimensions.

If you were prepared to use  Schrader valves, you could install TPS valves used in car and truck tires. Size and possibly weight might make this idea impractical, and is most likely to work with MTB tires.  I suspect that road tires would be too small. You can get external sensors that screw onto the valve, or you would need to go tubeless to use the (probably better) internal sensors (presuming you can get a sensor that would fit a bicycle rim).
With such a system, you would simply read the display and have a very accurate pressure reading.


Why are my gears moving but my wheels not turning? I have two bikes that when I pedal (yes I am pedaling in the correct direction) the gears turn freely, but the wheels don't.  One of them I was riding and it felt like it had shifted while I was standing on it, and the next thing I knew I was walking home.  The other one my friend was riding at the time.

Inside your rear wheel is what is called a free hub. It has a ratcheting mechanism that allows you to pedal backwards while conversely engaging when you pedal forward so to transfer pedal force to the wheel. I've been stuck on a trail more than once due to a free hub failing to engage.

Unfortunately your free hub is generally not servicable. Depending on the quality of the wheel, it is sometimes cheaper to just buy a new wheel vs paying someone to re lace your existing one.

Other than a broken chain, which would be obvious, I don't know of anything else that would cause your wheel not to move when you pedal forward.

Cheers.


Why are my brake pads completely eroding after one week I have a CUBE Attain road bike with a Shimano Claris setup. I've had the bike for nearly a year and tracked 1300 miles on Strava. I first changed the original brakes in November at about 900 miles ridden. Since then, I have gone through about 5-6 sets of different brakes. Just last week I changed the whole back brake unit cable and gave the rims a thorough clean. It seemed to work, but now today on inspection the brake pads are worn down and I can see the residue building up. My commute is 3 miles twice a day but only 4 times a week. I'm starting to suspect it's the rims, but I'm not sure.

What could be causing my brake pads to erode so quickly?

It sounds like you are buying unusually quickly wearing pads. 900 miles is a short distance from a set of brake pads, but 5-6 sets over 400 miles is really excessive.

Personally, I have had very good mileage and all weather performance with Kool Stop Salmon pads. The original pads from Shimano are not particularly good, but not the worst either. There are some other brands that have good reputation, but I haven't tried all of them.


Guidelines for building a road bike I am planning to build a road bike for 5-10km transportation purposes and I want to build it part by part because I only earn $30 to $60 per semi-month (monthly bills are included, that's what I earn exactly). This is my first time to build a bike. I used a BMX-type bike, given by my uncle, before but it was used by my cousin.

I also want it to have a disc brake. I heard it costs higher price but low maintenance.

Drive terrains are asphalt, with 50meter 30-40 degrees slope (highest possible).

Any suggestions where do I start?

A decent disc system is quite expensive - you need disc ready hubs, disc ready fork+frame and the actual disc brakes. A cheap/medium cost set of rim brakes (V-brakes) will typically perform as well if not better than cheaper disc brakes (and the maintenance is not hard). Thus, budget minded people should avoid disc brakes.

As for building a bike piece by piece, you'll typically end up spending more than buying a bike whole. Also, if you don't have experience with bicycles, you won't know which parts will fit together to give a suitable geometry for you (thus, buying a pre-built bike is a good idea) -- you need to know about standover, effective top tube length, all the angles involved, the Q factor you get with the choice of bb+cranks, etc which is hard to spec without experience or having a bike which is similar to what you intend to buy. Generally though, at the end of the day, you're going to pick parts based on your measurements and goals and then matching standards for each part. Park tool and Sheldon Brown are good places to start for looking on how to build a bike. Note that assembling a bike also requires some special tools (cassette tools, etc.), so you will be spending money there too. Thus, I do not recommend you build a bike part by part. (*)

If you're on a budget, you're better off buying a used bike (plus, you can test the fit and everything). For high slopes, you want low gearing (big cogs in the back and not too big things in the front). A used mountain bike with slick tires may be a good option (you don't need suspension on the road either, and this would make a good commuter and be cheaper than most road bikes -- think 80s Specialized Hardrock or similar). Also, your slope estimate is probably quite a bit off (20 degrees is quite extreme and rare to begin with!).

(*) If you live near a bike co-op, they might be able to give you access to the tools and people who can help you there, but it will take time and generally requires some experience anyway. Thus, I still stand by the idea that you should buy a used bike.


Bicycle rear hub sounding weird My rear axle broke about 2 weeks ago, and I replaced it with a new one.
I also replaced the ball bearings with new ones when I did this.

The issue I am having is when I'm going with a higher speed the rear hub is making some sounds as if there would be some friction there.

When I mounted the axle I tightener the cones so that the axle wouldn't wobble.
If I loosen the cones a bit it starts to wobble a bit.

What do you suggest I do in order to get rid of the noise? Should I try to let the axle a bit more loose?

Read this. The QR skewer when done up increases the bearing pre-load. Correct bearing adjustment requires a slight wobble when the wheel is off the bike, which stops when the wheel is installed and the QR Skewer done up.

Its a bit of trial an error getting it right for the first few times..

It may also be incorrect bearing size - are you sure you used the correct bearings? - or the broken axle may have caused damaged the hub bearing faces - did you check those before assembly?.