Help finding headset I have only been able to find a headset that measures 1-5/16" on the small end of the bearing cup that goes into the headtube on the bike. All of the bearing cups I've found are 1-3/4" on the large end and take a large diameter bearing. The headset bearing cups I have 1-5/16" bearing cup o.d. but the large end measures 1-5/8". Where do I find a headset like that?

Cane creek has a headset finder  table on their website. You can search by dimension or bike brand and model.


Can you use a SRAM 10-speed Powerlock with a Shimano chain/drivetrain? I just bought a pair of SRAM Powerlocks for 10-speed chains. The packaging says that they can only be used with SRAM chains. Will anything nasty happen if I use it with a Shimano chain and cassette?

They will work fine together- same if you swap the brands around. I've done this many times for myself and for others with no issue and it's common practice amongst bike shops. This is strictly marketing & legal covering of their own asses. If you look at Wippermann Connex Link compatibility they say that the one link is compatible with SRAM, Shimano, and Campy. They're all so close in terms of the spacing that interchanging their quick links doesn't make a difference.

As an aside, those Wippermann Connex quick links rock. Tool free installation and removal, and it's almost impossible for them to come undone while riding.


Rear derailleur moves to much for each click - tried everything Two years ago I build a bike (flat bar) with SRAM 1x11. Around a month ago the rear-derailleur broke (guide pulley broke).

I bought a new rear derailleur: Shimano 105 RD-5800-GS.

After installation shifting got bad. The rear derailleur moves to far for each click, so sometimes it changes two gears for one click. It only takes 8 clicks to move the chain from the inner sprocket to the outer - and only 8 clicks to move it back. In other words it seems like the derailleur moves around 5 millimeters instead of 4 millimeters.

I have another bike (road bike) with Shimano 105 5800 group (2x11). I tried to take the wheel and the rear derailleur from that bike to the bike with the problem. It did not help - problem was the same.

I bought a new shifter: "Shimano XTR SL-M9000-R Rapidfire Plus Shifting Lever - 11-speed". Problem was still the same after installation. (Cable was also changed).

I bought and installed a new derailleur hanger. Problem is still the samme.

I have not had any crashes.

I think I have tried everything. Any ideas, what can I try ?

So you originally had a have a SRAM 1x11 derailleur and matching shifter then swapped the rear derailleur for a Shimano 105.

That is your problem right there. Shimano derailleurs are not compatible with SRAM shifters. The length of cable the shifter pulls for each gear change is different between SRAM and Shimano (and between Shimano road and mountain groupsets at 10 speed and above). That's why the derailleur is moving the incorrect distance for each gear shift.

You need a SRAM derailleur that is compatible with your SRAM shifter. You can replace the guide wheels in all but the cheapest derailleurs, so you could fix your original SRAM derailleur and re-install that.

Or you could of course replace the shifter with one compatible with whichever Shimano derailleur you choose to run.


To what extent am I responsible for stones flicked by my tires? Every now and then when I ride over a peanut sized stone the tires squeeze and accelerate it to the side at up to 30m/s. So far I have only hit a building and a car which ended up with a scratch. Am I responsible for the scratch? What if someone got injured?

There are three parties involved:

A. You (the bicyclist)

B. The driver

C. The local/city/state/federal agency responsible for road maintenance

If the road was in good condition and the car was following too closely to you, then the car might be at fault. That being said, in the USA, many states require that windshields be covered under the 'no-fault' portion of the insurance, so the driver will have it replaced by their own insurance company.

If you were riding in a manner either negligently or deliberately that might kick up rocks, then you might be responsible.

If the road was poorly maintained and you and the driver were both acting responsibly, then the city/state/local agency may be responsible - although many times they have immunity.

Which party is responsible is determined by the situation as well as the traffic laws of your country.  Ultimately, a jury or administrative judge would figure out where to find fault if it came to that.

In the case of a building, since it obviously can't move, you might be the responsible party unless you can blame the city/state for the poor conditions of the road (an argument which would be weakened if you commuted regularly on that section and thus knew that the conditions there were poor). Whether you are liable and for how much again depends on the laws of your country.

Note that you don't ask how to avoid this, but here are some thoughts:

Increase or decreases tire pressure. There's a sweet spot in which tires pling rocks. Either increasing or decreasing your tire pressure may put you out of the plinging zone.
Get wider or thinner tires. Same as above.
Slow down or speed up.
Avoid that section.


What are the typical range of maximum braking friction forces? There are many non-bike applications which benefit from using bicycle hardware. Case in point, there is a long and rich tradition of using bike  parts in aviation. One particular area of interest is using bike brakes as a weight- and cost-optimized braking solution for many types of spinning shafts.
However, before prototyping with these parts it would be good to understand what are their operational limits.
While there are some good references for the maximum deceleration which can be reasonably attained by a bicycle (it seems that ~0.7g is a typical value), this does not address what are the brakes' ultimate force limits.
I am interested in understanding what are industry ball-park figures for the friction force on disc as in the below image. Please note that this is separate from the braking force a rider experiences, which is the road pushes tyre/tyre pushes road.

Questions

What are typical ranges for maximum bike rim and disc braking forces?
How is this affected by off-the-shelf brake pad material?
What is the force difference (absolute or relative) between hydraulic and cable actuated disc brakes?
What is the force difference (absolute or relative) between hydraulic and cable actuated rim brakes?

P.S. I realize that torque is ultimately what is being transmitted through the wheel to the tire, but the torque arises because of drag forces generated by the brake. So if your answer gives torque specs please reference the diameter so I can convert to force.

What is the relative difference between hydraulic and cable actuated disc brakes?
What is the relative difference between hydraulic and cable actuated rim brakes?

Generally speaking - hydraulic brakes offer more modulation.  There's more "hand-feel" between the initial bite and through to full-on braking.
Whether its disk or rim is less important - the rim brake can be treated as a really big rotor.
Cable actuated disk calipers tend to be single sided, so they have one moving pad and one stationary pad.  These can work fine, but they have to flex the rotor subtly when braking.  A hydraulic disk caliper, and any kind of rim brake will bring both pads to the braking surface.
A good rim brake can easily exceed a mediocre disk brake of any style.  Which is better between a good rim brake and a good disk caliper is still undecided.  Disks have a weight and aero penalty, but don't depend on a planar rim.


Campagnolo QS Front Derailleur/Shifter Compatability I have older Campagnolo Chorus 10-speed shifters. They are marked 'Carbon BB System'.

I am replacing my front derailleur and have a spare 10-speed Record QS front derailleur. QS stands for Quick Shift. I understand that the QS system changes the ratio that operates the derailleur.

Will an older non-QS lever work with a QS front derailleur?

In short the answer is Yes.

From the installation & maintenance manual

  The new QS Ergopower controls provide for fast operation and a lower shifting force if used with the new QS front derailleurs.

  The QS Ergopower controls and the QS front derailleurs can also be used with non-QS Ergopower controls and front derailleurs.  However in this case please note that:

  QS Ergopower controls with non-QS front derailleurs could require a higher force to effect shifting.
  Non-QS Ergopower controls with QS front derailleurs will require at least two lever movements to effect shifting.


How to fix small wobble in rear wheel? My rear tire has a small wobble that I have not been able to get rid of.

When you put the bike on its back, and spin the rear wheel you can notice that it moves about 3mm to one side once every rotation. The small wobble causes series discomfort when braking from high speeds (I have disk brakes) since it makes it feel as if I am braking hard once per rotation causing me to jerk back and forwards a bit.

Any idea on how to fix this?

I have taken the wheel off and ensured that it was correctly aligned, yet this did not help.

Because you said you have disk brakes, it is unlikely that the unevenness is in the rim/tire. It must be something at the hub. Because you said it is visible at the rim, it is not a bent brake disk (unless you have both rim and disk bent). It is also unlikely to be loose bearing cups, though I would have checked them as well. When the wheel is not rotating, try to wobble it sideways with your hand. If it does wobble, tune up the hub.

The last possibility is that the wheel's axle does not sit properly in the dropouts, i.e. it is not installed correctly as the whole unit. Loosen the quick release skewer or nuts that hold the wheel and make sure that you've pressed it all the way in the frame's dropouts before closing skewer or tightening the nuts again.


Safely overtaking pedestrians When riding on bike paths or mixed-use paths, there are usually pedestrians walking along them as well. Pedestrians tend to be somewhat unpredictable; they may suddenly turn around or step to the side.

What is your preferred method of warning pedestrians when you are overtaking them? I've been taught to say "on your left" or "passing on your left", but many times when I've tried that, the pedestrians have misinterpreted me and stepped to their left, or turned around to look in a way that actually caused them to move left as well, putting them closer to my path.

More recently, since my current bike came equipped with a bell, I've tried the approach of just ringing my bell once to indicate that I'm there. I worry that this might indicate to pedestrians that I'm impatient to pass them, and I recently had someone yell at me to "say something" when I did so.

What is your preferred method safely overtaking pedestrians you are passing? Verbal warning, a bell, no warning at all and just giving them a wide berth at low speed?

Probably the most important thing isn't what signal, but when you signal.  Try to give the pedestrians several seconds of warning. I've notice that many cyclists don't give the pedestrians enough time.  The pedestrians you're about to pass need to hear the signal, look around trying to figure out where the signal came from, decide with their friends whether to step right or left, move to the side, decide that the other side is better and move to the other side...  And that takes a few seconds...  ringing your bell when you're 10 feet (3 meters) back and moving fast doesn't really help.  This may mean needing to slow down on paths in general, and especially needing to slow down (or at least stop pedaling) as you approach pedestrians.

Bell.  From a good distance back.  And maybe again when getting closer if it didn't look like they noticed the first time.
"Good Morning (pause) Bicycle" as a vocal warning.  (adjust the first part as appropriate).  That way you get their attention with the greeting, then once they're paying attention tell them that you're a bike.

What I usually do is ring the bell ("ding") when I'm a good distance back, then again twice ("dingding") if I'm getting closer and they don't seem to have noticed.  I do this whether they're in the way or not, to warn them not to suddenly step into my way.  If they did have to move, or especially if had to go to some effort  (holding a dog back, keeping their child on the right side of the road, etc) I say "Thank You" and smile as I pass. Otherwise I just say "good morning" or something like that.

I would avoid anything like "on your left"; most people will move right when you say that, but a small percentage will just hear the "left" and move left instead.

Also, avoid horns: they confuse people.


Can I carry my tandem on a bumper carrier? I would sometimes like to transport my tandem by car, and it would be convenient to use one of those "strap-on" bumper carriers.  Is it feasible to use this type of carrier?

If it sticks out from the width of the car DO NOT carry the bike in the bumper carrier. If necessary, take both wheels out but take no chances, anything wider than the car is a danger to yourself and others, think about motorbikes.


What shifters are compatible with the 8 speed cassette and Deore derailleur on my Trek 6500 ZX? The top half of my right shifter fell off on a trail the other day, so I need to replace it, but I'm not sure what my options are.  The bike is a 1997 model Trek 6500 ZX with an 8-gear rear cassette and Shimano Deore derailleur.  I can't tell what model the existing shifters are - they don't have gear indicators and the only identifying marks are the word "Shimano" and "8s".

Any 8-speed Shimano mountain bike shifter will work. All Shimano 8-speed shifters use the same cable pull.

Addressing what model your actual shifters are, a `97 8 speed MTB with a 'Deore' drivetrain probably has Deore XT M739 and Deore LX M569 parts. (See the Shimano Wikipedia page which includes a timeline of MTB groupsets.)

You could narrow down the exact model you have, then try to find a lightly used or old stock replacement on EBay. Googling for 'M739 Shifter' for instance yields images that you can compare to what's on your bike.

Many shifters from about this time were combined shifters and brake levers. If you have cantilever brakes be aware that the brake levers for cantis and linear pull (v-brakes) are different. Newer shift-brake combos will be for linear pull brakes and will not work with cantilevers.

I don't think Shimano currently makes an 8-speed groupset above Tourney level. But you could also look at newer 8-speed shifters from the Alivio/Acera goupsets.


Proper term for 2/3-bolt compatible shoes I've just managed to find some shoes that are compatible with both 2-bolt SPDs (that I use) and 3-bolt (I'll be using a setup with Look cleats for a single velodrome session).  But it was really tricky tracking them down. Is there a proper term for these shoes?

Some that didn't work:

Multi-cleat
2/3 bolt (this was how they were listed on some sites, but wasn't searchable on the same sites

I'm asking mainly for reference and in the hopes that an answer will provide a key for the next person in my position

I'm not aware of a widely accepted term for multi-compatible shoes. Different manufacturers and retailers will probably each have their own way of referring to them. Not all retailers list that a shoe handles both, or even show a picture of the sole, which is frustrating.

FWIW, in my experience, shoes that handle both 2-bolt and 3-bolt cleats tend to be more at the low end; you won't find a lot of options at the high end, where paper-thin carbon soles and weight minimization militate against putting extra holes and two sets of backplates in.


How to properly ride over ripples on gravel roads (washboards)? On certain back-country gravel roads, a combination of erosion and tire-tread seems to create these 4-inch ripples that can repeat for long stretches of the road. Riding over them at any speed at all creates a horrible vibration that is, to say the least, extremely uncomfortable.

However, not only is it extremely uncomfortable for me as a rider to be jostled around in that manner, it also can't be good for the safety of my bike.

Is there a proper way to go over these annoying ripples without damaging either me or my bike?

stand on pedals
knees bent (not straight) keeping your butt 10-20cm from the seat
your hands should be very relaxed on the handlebars (your body should be supported 95% with feet and just 5% with hands)
keep your back straight (do not hunchback)
look ahead
enjoy

This works on all bicycles.

sketch from http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-Edition/dp/0736083715


How bad is cross chaining? Accepted wisdom is that cross chaining is bad and that we should never do it. However, most of us set up our bikes so that we can run any gear combination. Invariably, I'll occasionally look down and see that I'm running my big chainring against one of the bigger cogs.

Is there any measurement of how much faster equipment will wear out from cross chaining, or energy loss or whatever?

The only study I know of concluded that cross chaining in relatively modern 9spd gear systems at the angles typical of bicycles had no measurable effect on the efficiency of the gearing system.

Even back in the bad old days of 52/42 with five cogs in the back, I never worried about cross chaining. Use the gears you like and replace the chain when it starts to show wear and your relatively expensive cogsets will last a very long time.

Riding with a worn chain destroys gears, not cross chaining.


Occasional chain slipping/skipping - is it possible for the hub to be at fault? So I have this problem for a while now, at first I thought its badly indexed gears, worn chain, worn pulleys, bent hanger etc, etc. But after changing majority of stuff still have this slipping stuff.
It feels like chain jumps/slips every once in a while and I get like 1/4th circle of free spin on cranks.
So my question is, is it technically possible that the hub is at fault?
Since:

Gears indexed well
Shifts very well
New chain
New pulleys
Derailleur good condition
Rear cassette good condition (still pretty newish)
Chainring good condition
Hanger not bent
Frame not bent

Had this problem with old chain too by the way.
Sram 1x11, sram nx x-sync chainring, kmc x11 chain, shimano deore xt derailleur, sram pg1130 cassete (11speed), shimano FH-RM35 hub (still stock, but bicycle was 11 gears stock too)

Yes, the hub can be at fault. The freewheel mechanism pawls may be sticking in the retracted position, or the pawls and teeth are worn and the pawls are slipping out of the teeth.
You can try to confirm this by having a friend ride behind and to the right of you and watch the cassette area (in an area free of obstructions where you can do this safely). They should be able to see if the cassette spins when the slip happens. If it does the hub is at fault.


What is making my tire squeak without riding it? I have a Skullbone (HBB) bike. I aired up my tires and now it’s making this squeaking noise when I turn the wheel right to left (not when riding it). I’ve never had this problem before. I aired the tires up to 48 PSI. Can anyone tell me why I’m getting this noise?

This can occur as the rubber compound deteriorates over time.
I personally had this problem this year when I used some MTB tyres that had been unused for 3 years.  Fortunately for me i took it for a ride (being very cautious with grip levels) and when I was done, the squeaking was gone and grip was restored.


Help to find the right tyre for my Scott ebike I bought a bike just over a year ago and towards December I went into my local Halfords looking to replace my tyres and was told that my wheel size (he checked on the tyre that is currently fitted which says 28x1.75) is very old and they don't stock them any more. I thought this was very strange since it was bought as a 2019 version ebike but I contacted Scott, the bike maker, and was told that the size is actually 700 x 47c so I should find something in that size - they even suggested a tyre to me which was 700 x 45
My question is this, my current tyre which was on the bike when i bought it is 28x1.75 and Scott is telling me that i should put a 700x47c tyre on my bike as that was what they were made for. From my research it looks like these sizes are similar however there does seem to be a difference... Would this even work?
Also if my bike was made for 700x47c tyres, can anyone imagine why I'd be sold one brand new, just been built in the cycle shop (Cycle Republic) with different tyres?
To add a little more confusion to this (for me at least) the rims which the tyres are on say that they are 622x25c!
This has had my head spinning for days trying to figure out all the numbers. Can anyone please give me some insight?
My desire is simple, I have a set of tyres on my bike which are 28x1.75 and ideally i would like to replace them with something like a mtb tyre (as the tyres on my bike currently are) yet the problem is I can only find slick road bike tyres which is not what I want as I often go off road on my ebike. I have run the tread down on my current tyres so they almost look like road tyres as well now, so I'm urgently in need of a new set.

There are many questions here about this topic, but: bicycle tires (mostly) all have both an official ISO designation, which is a pair of numbers "XXX-YY" where XXX is the diameter of the bead and YY is the inflated width. If you look, you'll probably be able to find something like "622-45" somewhere on your tire.
Tires all also have at least one nominal or colloquial name, and usually more than one, and there are many instances where one of those nominal names looks similar or identical to a different size's nominal name. There is some geography and chronology at play with the whole thing.
622 is the bead diameter for 700C, 29", and the more common of the two 28" sizes. Some countries are still hooked on the 28" naming convention for what the rest of us know as either big 700C tires or in some cases little 29" ones. The other 28" size is a different bead diameter (635) altogether, and is regarded as fairly common in some parts of the world (Netherlands) and totally weirdo in many others (North America). Tires are not usually made in market/region-specific versions, so ones that might wind up sold in northern Europe and thereabouts often have all the pertinent size labels on them, the stereotypical examples being trekking, touring, and urban models from Schwalbe and Continental. It is confusing and that's why your startled shop person was confused.
The 622x25 on your rim is telling you its internal width. Internal width is the most important determinant of what your width options are that will fit on your tire.
There are many tires now made in the 700x40s "monster cross" category that should work well for you. Your bike may or may not be able to take something larger, like a 29x1.95 or 622-50 or whatever the heck, depending on its clearances. Your wheels can take them. It is wise to stick with ones that are intended for e-bikes; while not mandatory, the distinction is meaningful because those tires are overbuilt to take the constant high torque of ebikes. There are sufficiently burly tires that don't necessarily call themselves out as ebike tires that would also be fine, but there are some that would be too light and supple for the application too.


Are Penny-Farthings Legal to Ride on Public Roads (UK) Are Penny-Farthings legal to ride on public roads in the UK?
Note: For laws regarding riding Penny-Farthings on public roads in other countries-ie "US" or "EU"- please start a new question with the same title and just replace "(UK)" with the "(US)", "(EU)" etc... so things are logically ordered into taxonomies. It will be a tangle otherwise...

UNITED KINGDOM
Intro
I ride a 50" Penny-Farthing almost daily on the UK's public roads, both individually and as part of groups in daylight and evening conditions.
Before venturing out onto the UK's roads when I began my Penny-Farthing journey, I asked myself this very question. And when people see me on my PF, many will invariably ask me: "Is that thing legal to ride on the roads?!?!?"
Initially had to piece together an understanding from a gazillion different sites. This answer hopes to centralize this research into a single comprehensive, authoritative PEER REVIEWED source for riding Penny-Farthings on public roads in the UK ONLY. And save the reader the grief of hunting-down this information across many sources.
Please alert me to errors or omissions you may spot in the comments section and I'll revise the answer accordingly.
SHORT ANSWER:
"Yes", but only if you observe all the traffic laws you're required to riding a regular "safety" bicycle (those odd things with symmetrical wheels) and your Penny-Farthing has the minimum safety equipment required by law (see "LONGER ANSWER" for specifics).
LONGER ANSWER:
Governing Laws on Cycling:
A Penny-Farthing is a bike, albeit a direct-drive bike without symmetrical wheels, but nonetheless still a bike and subject to the same laws as any other bicycle ridden on Public roads.
The (5) key Laws relating to bicycles - ALL bicycles - are:

The Highway Code: When interpreting the Highway Code, the words MUST and MUST NOT imply a legal requirement. Anything not so qualified is advice. HOWEVER: If you're ever involved in an accident and find yourself in court, your failure to observe best-practice as advised in the Highway code could go against you; only a downside in not heeding advice in the Highway code if you are cycling on public roads.

THE HIGHWAY CODE, Northern Ireland: Northern Irish Penny-Farthing Riders be guided by this.

The Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1983

The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989

The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005

The Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2015

Older Penny-Farthings manufactured before these laws were enacted can be outside of them. However, most Penny-Farthings manufactured in modern times WILL necessarily be subject to ALL these laws.
The guidance in this post is based on prevailing laws at the time of writing. Laws changes over time, and with the rise of "e-Bikes" I expect cycling laws will be revisited in the near future. Future readers are advised to give me a heads-up if anything becomes out of date and I will revise this answer accordingly.
Obedience to ALL Traffic Laws:
Braking/stopping on a Penny-Farthing brings challenges one doesn't encounter riding a "safety" bicycle where you can put your feet on the ground at a halt. Nonetheless you still must stop at red signals, yield to traffic on your right at roundabouts and signal changes of direction. If you cannot perform these fundamental operations competently on a Penny-Farthing, even if your PF is appointed with all the correct equipment which is described below, you shouldn't be riding it on the public roads.
Brakes:
Regulation 7 of The Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1983 defines the legal requirements for brakes on a pedal cycle. As a Penny-Farthing is a "fixie"- a direct-drive bicycle where only one wheel is operated by the pedals. 7(1)(b)(i) of the statute requires only a SINGLE braking system.
UPDATE: I asked Roger @ unicycle.com- who is the manufacturer of the popular UDC Penny-Farthings of which I'm a rider of- to review my answer for correctness and he states that  Rule 9.1 trumps Rule 7(1)(b)(i) in respect to brakes on a "fixie".

9.(1) Nothing in Regulation 7 or 8 applies to -(a) any pedal cycle so constructed that the pedals act on any wheel or on the axle of any wheel without the interposition of any gearing or chain;

Front Wheel Brake: So according to Regulation 9.(1)(a), as the the pedals of a Penny-Farthing are affixed directly to the wheel to drive it in the absence of gearing, then negative resistance on the pedals is the only braking mechanism we require.  As a practical matter, it would be highly undesirable to have a mechanical brake on a Penny-Farthing's front wheel in any event due to the risk of doing a "header" and going over the handlebars if such a brake was applied too quickly and/or aggressively.

Rear Wheel Brake: Although a braking mechanism is not required by law as the small rear wheel is not driven by the pedals or gearing, Penny-Farthings DO have at the very least a rear brake: the rider's heel. This is achieved by the rider standing on the mount peg and applying their heel to the rear wheel. This method may sound crazy, but it's proven and has been in use as a braking system by Penny-Farthing riders since the beginning. Newer, modern Penny-Farthings such as the UDC MK 4 ship with a calliper brake on the rear wheel. Nonetheless all PF riders should familiarize themselves with technique of braking the rear wheel with their heel!

Testing & Inspection of Braking systems by Police: Regulation 11 of the same statute provides the mechanism for the Police to inspect any cyclist's brakes are legal. Police as a general rule do not randomly stop cyclists and checking their brakes. I expect the Police will do so if you are either involved in an accident or they observe you cycling out of control.

To learn more about Penny-Farthing braking mechanisms, go HERE

Rear calliper brake on a UDC MK4 PF
Lights & Reflectors:
"The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989" governs the lighting cyclists will be required to have. The "Explanatory Note" section of which details that "sunrise" and "sunset" now replace “daytime hours” and “hours of darkness” which included a half hour before each. Thanks to @thelawnet for the correction- well spotted!
I ride my Penny-Farthing frequently at night, so I not only meet the legal minimums for lights, I seriously exceed them. ;-)

Lights: Lights are NOT required when cycling in daytime. HOWEVER: If riding your Penny-Farthing (or any bicycle) between 30 minutes BEFORE sunset and 30 minutes AFTER sunrise, it must have:

Front Light STEADY: Light must be WHITE in colour and emit STEADY light OR

Front Light FLASHING: Whether a flashing light is approved depends upon whether it has additionally has a steady mode. If NOT, a flashing light CAN be used IN LIEU OF a steady white light.  If your flashing light DOES have a steady mode, then it's only approved if it conforms to BS6102/3.

One flashlight set to steady the other to rapid flashing

Rear Light: RED rear facing light affixed to it. NOTE: I bought a red rear light that incorporated a reflector in it.  So even if the batteries died while I was riding at night, the reflector would STILL work.

Note Rear Red Light incorporates a reflector that works even when light off

The spine is too thick for most light mounts I got around the problem by using a silicone band bought on Amazon to attach; works perfectly.

Reflectors:

Pedals: Required to be fitted with amber reflectors.
Rear Reflector: A RED rear reflector required to be placed between 250-900mm from the ground. My rear Red light incorporates a reflector, so killed two birds with one stone
OPTIONAL: I put strips of silver reflective tape up the back of my Penny-Farthing's spine. Doesn't look bad and anything I can do to increase visibility I will do.

Bells:
I couldn't find any reference that states a bell is a legal requirement, but you'd foolish to cycle without one. And if it's true that it's a legal requirement to SELL bicycles with a bell (haven't been able to track down a link to this yet), the odds are you already have a bell anyway...
EXCEPTION: Northern Ireland: a bell IS a legal requirement in NI, unlike the rest of the UK.
Cycling on Drink or Drugs: Highway Code Rule 68
If you toodle home from the pub pissed on your Penny-Farthing and are caught in such a condition by the Police, it can attract a £1000 fine. Although technically your vehicle license can't be endorsed with points or directly lost for cycling unfit, you could still lose your vehicle license.
And if you are involved in an accident, I'm sure whatever cycling insurance you have will likely be invalidated.
Who doesn't like toodling to a pub on a their Penny-Farthing for a pie and a pint? Just take care not to over-do it...
Insurance:
Unlike a motor vehicle, cyclists are NOT required by law to have liability insurance. HOWEVER, strike some pedestrian who steps in front of your Penny-Farthing listening to music with their earbuds and you'll wish you did. And stopping a Penny-Farthing is a bit more challenging when responding to the presentation of a hazzard.
Important Considerations:

EXCLUSIONS to Look For: If the policy excludes direct-drive cycles- ones where the wheels are not driven by gearing as with a "safety" bicycle- then your Penny-Farthing would NOT be covered.

Cycle Appointed with all Legally Required Safety Equipment: Ensure all the lighting, braking, and other safety equipment required by law is present and working condition. If the Police inspect your Penny-Farthing (or any cycle) after an accident and anything is found amiss, I suspect an insurer will jump at the opportunity to deny you coverage.

Group Insurance vs Personal Policy: Many cycling organizations offer liability insurance with certain memberships. Getting group cover via an organization is less complicated and will likely provide better cover with fewer exclusions than taking out an individual policy. Also, if you can support organizations that advocate for cyclists, why not?!?!?

I emailed British Cycling- who provides my liability insurance with my "Ride" membership- and directly asked them:

I ride a Penny-Farthing- which is legal to ride on the UK's public roads.  However, this is a direct-drive bicycle- the pedals are affixed to the wheel and drive it directly in lieu of gearing. Is this covered under my membership liability insurance?

They replied IN WRITING to this question that it WAS:

Yes I can confirm you are covered on a penny farthing.

So now I am 100% bullet-proof if anything happens.  I'd suggest asking for such a confirmation before agreeing the policy so there's not grief later if you're involved in an accident riding your Penny-Farthing.
So I can confirm AT LEAST British Cycling DEFINITELY provide Penny-Farthing cyclists liability insurance with their "Ride" membership.
Addition sources consulted to prepare this answer:
In addition to the other links, I've consulted the below sources:

https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/community/featured/cycling-and-the-law
https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/whats-legal-and-whats-not-your-bike
https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-library/regulations/construction-use
https://www.cyclinguk.org/lighting-regulations


Decoding Chain Descriptions When you see chains advertised, they are specifically noted to be for 11-speed or 10-speed bikes or something similar. Does this mean the they are for bikes with any front cog configuration but only 11 or 10 cogs at the back, and if so, how can that be?

I do not understand how the rear cassette dictates the type and length of chain to purchase, when I would assume the front cogs make more of a difference in length of chain used. Am I simply looking at it wrong, am I missing something or is there really nothing more to it?

The description is of the chain width. There's quite a lot of history, but the short answer is "they make chains narrower to fit more gears in".

In order to fit more rear sprockets in without making the rear wheel ludicrously wide manufacturers have crammed them closer together. To make that work they've made the chain narrower, limited mostly by material strength (for a given cost and manufacturing complexity, anyway). One consequence of this is that front chainrings also have to be narrower, but there's enough tolerance there that you can usually run a chainring one step wider than ideal and get away with it. Running a narrower chainring than you need will almost always work, but since they're usually more expensive that's not often done (except for people running 7 speed setups where the cheap chainrings are 8/9 speed these days)

Most chains are the same length when sold, with extra links discarded when the chain is fitted. Most bike shops have a bin of those offcuts and use them to replace broken links or if someone is especially poor they can stitch together a full chain out of the bits (it's very slow and many modern chains are not designed to be assembled without special joining pins). The problem is for people with folding bikes that often have longer than usual chains, as the standard size is frequently a few links sort of what they need. Recumbents obviously suffer from this to an even greater degree, taking between 2.5 and 3.5 chains. SRAM and others sell chain in rolls which mitigates this problem, but obviously you'd need to be using a lot of chain to justify buying it 100m at a time.

Wikipedia has a useful description and link to more detail. Key info:

6 speed - 7.8mm (all brands)
7 speed - 7.3mm (all brands)
8 speed - 7.1mm (all brands)
9 speed - 6.6 to 6.8mm (all brands)
10 speed - 6.2mm (Shimano, Campagnolo)
10 speed(Narrow) - 5.88mm (Campagnolo, KMC)
10 speed(Narrow, Direction) - 5.88mm (Shimano CN-5700,CN-6700,CN-7900)
11 speed - 5.5mm (Campagnolo, KMC, Shimano CN-9000)


How do I force my body to use triglycerides while training? I am an amateur road cyclist (5'9" and 80kg) and happen to have a high level of triglycerides and VLDL.

I am trying to understand how the body uses fats as fuel on a ride and how I can force the muscle to use more fats than carbs on a ride.

Does L-carnitine help or is it a myth?

I'm studying professional nutrition and work in a clinic where the doctors get similar questions. One major tip is to eat more healthy fats and oils to get your body used to burning more fats.
Foods like nuts, avocados, olive oils, and fatty fish. Grapefruit is also highly recommended.
Link http://www.wikihow.com/Burn-Fat

Side Note: The muscles don't burn fat directly. They run on stored glycogen (condensed glucose) and blood glucose. When that runs out they call on the liver to convert it's stores of glycogen to glucose and send it via the bloodstream to to muscles. The liver then works to replenish its glycagen stores with the easiest energy source available (your last meal or two).
If you've been eating lots of healthy fats and oils the liver will adapt to being more efficient at burning those. Thus, when you do a lot of exericise the liver will use more body fats to make glucose for your muscles.

Reference: Principle of Anatomy and Physiology, by Gerard Totora and Bryan Derrickson.


How hard is a category 2 climb? I am moving to Ojen Spain for work for 3 months and will be biking to marbella and back.

I have put the ride into mapmyride.com and it says that the ride is a cat 2.

Climb  Start    End      Length   Start Elev  End Elev  Avg Grade
Cat 2  0.00 mi  3.44 mi  3.44 mi   80 ft      1073 ft   5.5%
Cat 5  4.34 mi  4.95 mi   .61 mi  920 ft      1034 ft   3.5%

I am not a stranger to road bikes, I worked as a messenger when I was a kid and used a bike for commuting just about everywhere I have ever lived.  I started riding again about a month ago on a stationary going as hard as the thing will let me for an hour at a time to at least try to acclimate my legs a bit again.  (can't ride in Dubai really, you will end up as a hood ornament)

How much will this climb affect me in the beginning?  I know this is subjective and everyone is different.  I don't expect this to be easy at first, I guess I am just wondering if this hill will absolutely destroy me in the beginning?

I am asking because it is sight unseen and I haven't ridden in probably 5 years.

For someone who hasn't been riding much, this climb will be brutal. But you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll make progress. Even though you might fail the first time you go up, this ride seems like a great challenge.

Last year I coaxed a friend to start riding again. After a half dozen easier rides, we attempted a mountain climb similar to the ride you're describing. On his first attempt, he only made it about a mile up. On his second attempt, he made it to the top, and on the third attempt, he made it up without weaving all over the road. When you think about it, it's amazing how quickly you can rise to the challenge.

It's probably impossible to adequately prepare on a stationary bike because the feeling of a real climb is different. It will definitely help if your aerobic fitness is already pretty good, but a stationary bike can't really prepare you for the feeling that you're about to start rolling backwards even though you're pushing as hard as you can. :)

By the way, the gearing on your bike will make a big difference. If you can find a bike with a "compact double" or triple crankset, then you'll have an easier low gear available to you, which will make for a more enjoyable ride. A low gear will let you pedal at a faster rate which will avoid wearing out your knees or leg muscles.


Water in my back tire I commute 17 miles to and from work each day on a road bike, and I recently picked up a puncture. This was no problem. However, on my ride to work this morning it was raining rather heavily and there was a lot of standing water on the road. I have somehow managed to get water into my rear tire. I was wondering if this is normal and should I deflate the tire and let the water out?

Should I also get a new back tire? I can’t see any holes in it and the inner tube only had the smallest of holes in it.

Do you mean water is in the tire - between tire and tube - or in the tube?  The only way for water to get in the tube would be via the valve (or, very rarely, if you rode the punctured tire flat for an extended period).

Water between tire and tube is no big deal -- should work its way out quickly.

Inside the tube should probably be drained (requiring removing tube from tire) and would be most likely due to water in your pump (or a compressor used to fill the tire).  Cycle the pump a few strokes before putting it on the valve, if you've ridden in the rain recently, and make sure any compressor you use is drained regularly.


ETRTO size tolerance - can I mount a 62-203 tire instead of 54-203? The title says it all.
Cannot find any 54-203 where I live, but plenty of other sizes for 203 rim diameter.

The first number refers to the tire width: 62mm versus 54mm for the tires you're looking at.

Will this tire fit? Probably but...

The tire will fit on the rim but the question is whether the larger tire will fit in the bicycle safely.

Manufacturers are infamous in misstating tire widths so your current tires may be less than 54mm (2") and the 62mm tires may be larger.

Because you're looking at going larger you need to check if there is sufficient clearance for the new tire which should be about 4mm wider on each side and about 4mm taller.

So my recommendation is to check the amount of space you have in all of the places the tire passes the frame/fork. For example with the fork I will check clearance to the side AND between the tire and the fork crown.  For the rear wheel I will check at the seat stays and chain stays. Again checking both vertical and horizontal clearance.

To check clearance I use the two flat sides of an allen wrench as a feeler gauge. For a bike which will be running a 54mm tire you'll probably want a minimum of 10 to 12 mm of clearance for mud so I'd be using a 5/8" (15.9 mm) allen wrench to check clearance with the current tire.  If the bike won't be used in muddy conditions then you can certainly go with less clearance to the frame.

If OTOH you opt for a slightly narrower tire then it'll fit fine.


Do any bike sharing schemes provide a way to rent or share helmets along with the bikes? Do any bike sharing schemes provide a way to rent or share helmets along with the bikes, either in a kiosk or through an arrangement with local businesses?

None of the schemes that I've used (London, Vienna, Boston) or am aware of provide them, and in most that I'm aware of it is rare to see helmets in use at all, despite the fact that most recommend them and in several cities riding without them is illegal.

Have any of the cities that have cycle hire schemes come up with a convenient way to provide helmets along with the bikes in a way that's consistent with the "use and forget" philosophy of the schemes?

In Melbourne, we have a bike share scheme. You can buy helmets for $5 from various outlets and then return them for a refund of $3 (they are then cleaned and reused).

Despite this, many people are saying that Australia's compulsory helmet laws are responsible for the lack of success of the bike sharing scheme.


Convert old road bike to comfortable commuter I have an rather old road bike, that I'd like to convert to a comfortable commuting bike. The bike should be used for everyday commuting (< 5km) and occasionally day tours. I'd like to keep the old sporty, clean look of the bike, but add some comfort.

Therefore I'm thinking about changing the tires, handlebar and the saddle at first and, if it works out, doing some visual changes later.

Is it possible to use the frame of a road bike build a commuting bike? Or is the posture too different to make a rather good commuting bike out of it?

This is what the old road bike looks:

And this is about the direction I'd like to go:

That's a nice looking bike, it seems like it would be a great start for your project. The big question is whether or not the bike fits you – if it does it will be worth considering what else you could do to make the bike into a dependable commuter / day touring bike.

Start by trying to get the saddle and handlebars into a position where you are comfortable on the bike – in general this means getting the seat high enough that you're using your legs efficiently and your bars high enough that you have a comfortable posture and a good distribution of weight between your hands, feet, and crotch.

The general approach is to:

Get the saddle level and as high as you can and still be able to ride without rocking your hips from side to side. Grant Peterson describes the process in his book Just Ride starting on page 140 (if you're thinking about starting to commute by bike the book is worth the read, see if your library has a copy). Start a little to high and work your way down, maybe half a centimeter at a time. Looking at the photo you may also want to adjust the saddle back towards the center of the rails.
Find a comfortable place for your handlebars. Start by putting them at the same height as your seat or even a bit higher. Then as you ride notice where you want your hands to be – notice how you place your hands, test out what it would feel like if the bars were a bit higher or farther back by holding on with the tips of your fingers. As you adjust the bars up be mindful of the location of the "minimum insertion line" on the stem. You may need a stem extender or a long stem.
Notice where you want to sit on the saddle. Do you find yourself inching forward on the saddle, or moving towards the back edge? If the movements are small you can accommodate this by sliding the saddle forward or backward on its rails. You don't actually have a lot of latitude here. Your position relative to the pedals is relatively fixed by the ergonomics of pedaling. So if you find that you would really like the saddle closer to the bars, the solution is to move the bars back towards the saddle. This means getting a stem with a shorter reach or possibly a different set of bars. For now you may be able to change your hand position or just notice what you'd like.

You may want to do some reading about bike fit. Here are some good resources:

Grant Peterson's articles on fit on the Rivendell Bike Works site.
Peter White, whose site is another great resource for bike commuters – he has lots of great information on lighting, tires, wheel building, and gear for commuter bikes, has an article on fitting bikes that you may find useful as well.
The Four and a Half Rules of Road Saddles is an article worth reading if you find that you just can't get comfortable on your saddle – the quick summary is to make sure it is level and wide enough, then consider harder and flatter.

So far you goal is to figure out if you can make the frame fit you and to spend as little money as you can in the process. Don't go out and buy a "comfy" saddle or a fancy new stem – just use what you've got and figure out if you can make this frame suit you. Check around to see if there is a bike shop that sells recycled parts – if you need to get a different stem, used is the way to go while you're sorting out what size you want. Also some of the better bike shops will guarantee the comfort of the parts they recommend to you. That can be the way to go if you decide you need a new saddle or some other expensive part.

When you're done here you should have a bike that you can comfortably ride for an extended ride (well more than your 5 KM commute) or clear ideas about what parts you need to change to make the bike fit well.

With that done, here's what I'd look at next:

Wider tires: the wider the tire the lower the pressure you can run and the more comfortable and stable the ride. Look at the clearances around your tires – the top of the fork for the front and the front of the chain stays for the rear. You probably want at least 10 mm on the sides and you'll need at least 10 mm between the fork and the chain stay bridge to fit fenders. You may have to change your fenders to use bigger tires. Also, consider "puncture proof" tires like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
Effective lights: if you need or want to be able to ride at night you may want to upgrade the lights. Modern LED lights are amazing, they light up the road evenly and make you look like a formidable obstacle to cars. I highly recommend Peter White's site as a source of information about bike lights.
Handlebars & brake levers: depending on how and where you ride you may want to consider different bars. There are tons of options, Sheldon Brown has a useful article on handlebar types which also goes into the some of the problems you may encounter in the process. But don't change bars until you have the bike fitting well. One of the nice things about dropped (racing) bars is that the lower hand position can help you "get out of the wind" when riding into a headwind, and with the bars up higher the position will not be so awkward. If you find yourself wanting to use the brake lever extensions on the top of your bars, consider switching to cross or interrupter levers such as the Tektro RL720. They are much more positive than the lever extensions. Also consider getting a set of primary levers with a quick release to make it easy to remove your wheels.

If you need them fender and rack upgrades would be on the list. Looks like you already have a kickstand, so nothing to do there. Get a basic tool kit and a way to carry it and make sure you can lock up your bike. Have fun! Commuting by bike changes your relationship with your community – almost always for the better.


What is this stamped metal piece that fell out of a new hydraulic shifter? I’m finishing setting up a new bike, and right as I finished bleeding and shifting around the left shifter (r7025), this little stamped steel bit fell out.
It’s about 11mm in diameter and 0.5mm thick. I have no idea where it came from beyond “somewhere in the left shifter’s mechanism.” I couldn’t see anything obvious on the right shifter that looked similar and was hoping someone could ID this thing and might know where it fits back into the assembly so I don’t have to mess with it more than necessary.
For reference: it fell out as I finished positioning the brake lever after bleeding. It doesn’t seem especially related to anything hydraulic.

Providing the 7900 is the same, I’m sure it is but someone more qualified can chip in if it’s different.

How did it fall out ? Shimano have a proper tool for removing them.
Info from here Fawkes


Should I ring my bell before going around corners? I'm in a town in Bavaria, Germany and the local custom with the more dangerous corners is to honk a horn or ring a bell. Will this actually make me safer?

Currently I am cycling in a half-urban environment. Having moved recently, I find the new city's biking infrastructure to be fairly dangerous, with many intersections designed to be dangerous ("traffic slowdown") and with new, not-yet-well-known yielding rules where most people still speed through without slowing down to look first.

Knowing that the safest conduct would be very slow cycling (but impractical given the density of dangerous places), I've taken to auditory messaging, i.e. ringing my bell before dangerous places and corners, and I know quite some people who have upgraded their bell to a horn to gain some safety. On the other hand, I've spoken with a number of residents who find this excessive bell-ringing and horn-honking disturbing, especially the people living at these dangerous corners.

Does an auditory signal appreciably improve my safety?

You are from Germany so German laws are relevant. In this case §16 I StVO.

(1) Schall- und Leuchtzeichen darf nur geben
  1. wer außerhalb geschlossener Ortschaften überholt (§ 5 Abs. 5) oder
  2. wer sich oder andere gefährdet sieht.

Attempt at translating to English:

(1) Sound and light signals may only be used:
    1. when passing (overtaking) outside urban areas (§ 5 para 5) or
    1. when seeing yourself or others at risk

So if you see a danger you may use it.

For practical terms it depends, as always, on the situation. I like ringing my bell, but I'm cautious with it. Too often I have seen that people are confused and stop or go to the wrong side or something. There are a few corners though which are quite narrow where I can't see what's coming where I make it dependent on my speed whether I ring or not. If I'm slow enough to stop in the case of something coming my way I'm often silent. When I'm faster I warn people who might hide behind a corner. Often it is better to ring once too much and annoy some people than not ringing and having an accident.

Greetings from Munich, btw. :)


Noise when pedalling uphill? I have a bike that recently began riding again after many years.

It is a flip-flop hub. When on the fixie side, there is no noise. When on the freewheel side, there is a grind when riding uphill.

I greased it, but made no difference. What can I do?

Is it better to have the chain tight or slightly loose?

I get that too. My bike is about three weeks old so it has Nil to do with  bike age. I remedied by using teflon chain wax / lube. May pay to see if it's the pedals or the chain / derailers are all in good nick. Sometimes when a bike has not been ridden for sometime it needs a service or at least a inspection just like a car.


What tyres would be better suited? 32c or 35c I'm from, Kolkata, India, and the place isn't best known for its roads, at least. Thinking of getting a new bike.. But I happen to be someone who's got absolutely no knowledge about any, and I'm even yet to ride a geared bike!
I don't want to run into many punctures and still have a comfortable ride. The bike would mostly be used for commute and then for longer rides during the weekends (100 kilometres or more). I'm guessing if I have thinner tyres they're very likely to get punctured often. So I chose relatively thick tyres, but not too thick since that'd get me lower speeds.. Would 700×35c tyres be better or 700×32c?
The attached image I'd of how typical roads here happen to be, if there arises a need for reference.

Good wide tires don’t necessarily have bad rolling resistance. If you have to go slow because of bad roads it will slow you down much more (and be much more uncomfortable).
I’d consider going even wider than 35mm or at least get a bicycle which has the option of fitting wider tires.
I’m not sure what’s available in your area but I’d get something like the Schwalbe Marathon Racer or Marathon Almotion or Continental Contact Urban or TopContact.
Punctures are not directly related to tire width. Pinch flats are mostly related to low tire pressure (i.e. your pressure being so low that the tube gets pinched between tire and rim).


Cable adjuster recommendations My cable adjusters always seem incredibly hard to turn, sometimes requiring the extra leverage of a wrench. I'm looking to replace them when I overhaul my bike and replace my current groupset. Does anyone have a particular favorite, or are they all basically the same?

Since others have asked, this is a 700C road bike, and I'm looking to replace the inline adjusters, not the ones directly on the brakes and derailleurs.

I haven't ever seen an inline adjuster gummed up that badly. What normally makes any cable adjuster hard to turn is the cable outer jamming into the adjuster so that turning the adjuster just twists the cable outer. I add a bit of my universal tool (grease-based chain lube :) to where the outer enters the adjuster and give it a couple of seconds to penetrate before having another go.

What I suggest is taking them off the bike, taking them apart and greasing them. Grease both the threaded part and the cable entry.

In this pic you have the turning part in a shiny silver, and almost hidden inside it is the stationary part that's a darker colour. I would unscrew those parts and grease the thread, then also put grease in the end of the rotating part - into the opening at the bottom of the left hand part above. That way the end of the cable outer that goes into there can slip easily when you turn the silver part.


Mixing Groupsets: Front & Rear Can you use a (e.g.) SRAM rear derailleur with a SRAM casette with a (e.g.) Shimano front derailleur with Shimano Chainrings?

Anecdotal accounts say "yes, you can mix within reason".

The manufacturers, however, will generally say a firm "no". On the one hand, they would, wouldn't they? They're in the business of selling kit. With road groupsets, there is Shimano, the main player. Then there is SRAM, who make their components to be largely compatible with Shimano. Lastly, among the main manufacturers, there is Campagnolo, who are compatible with...Campagnolo. For mountain bikes, things are a little different. Shimano still dominate, more arguably,, but SRAM's policy has generally been to buy existing, established brands. At this point I'm guessing somewhat, but I think incompatibility is the general state. Campagnolo aren't even players in the mountain bike marketplace.

With all systems, the width of the outside of thechain really drives everything else. Hopefully you can imagine, as you start putting more and more gears on the back, each cog must sit closer to its neighbour, and so the thinner the chain must become. This follows through to other components also. One of the most critical things is the rear derailleur, which is designed to shift the chain a certain distance every time you change gear. You can imagine that only the derailleur made for that number of gears will shift the chain the correct distance. If you mix this, the distance will not be quite right, although we're talking tenths of mm here between each gear.  So whilst the shifting is not perfect, you may judge it to be "good enough" by your standards. In that sense, it's a judgement call.

Lennard Zinn, who has authored a few excellent books on bike maintenance, has also written quite a bit on mixing over on Velonews.


Can I swap my 49cm fixie frame with a 47cm, with every other part fitting right on the new frame? I have a 6ku fixie, 49cm frame. There is not much clearance between the top tube and me. So I wanted to buy the 47cm and change all the parts on that one, instead of purchasing a whole new bike. Is that possible? I'm guessing it is, because it will be the 6ku just a smaller frame. I ride the 49cm okay, but I know it would be more comfortable if it was a 47cm.

Just had a quick look at their site, there doesn't appear to be anything too special about these that'd cause problems.

However, it doesn't look like they sell frames on their own.

If you're changing to a frame from another brand then you'll have to make sure the following things are the same.

Bottom Bracket

There are a variety of styles for these, your's is most likely BSA threaded and 73mm wide. You need to make sure a replacement frame matches this to just swap the parts over. You can replace the cartridge in the middle, as this looks like a fairly standard square taper crankset, but finding the right one can take some thought.
Seat Tube Diameter

Seat tubes come in all kinds of sizes. Your's could be anything. To fix a mismatch here all you need is a new seat tube though, and these are pretty cheap.
Rear OLD, or spacing.

The space between the fork ends on the rear could be either 120 (almost certainty on a fixie) or 135mm. This should match, but you can bend a non matching frame or space out your hub to make it match later. This can affect your chainline.
Headset

Often frames come as a set with forks & headset, often not. If the new frame doesn't include a fork & headset the head tube of the frame will either need to match, or you'll need a new headset.

This bike looks like it has threadless headset, most are these days, be sure to get a matching frame or you'll need to replace forks & stem too.
Steerer

The steerer of your current fork may not be long enough if it's cut to size and the new frame has a longer head tube.

Other than that, most things should be ok. There's no guarantees though.

However, the easiest way to sort this out would be to sell this one to someone taller and buy yourself another in the correct size.

Buying bikes whole is always much better value and you're not going to have to buy a hundred new specialist tools to get the job done.


Why do cyclists use thin bottles? I got very frustrated when shopping for bicycle bottle holders because I almost wasn't able to find thick ones (ie, larger, longer, or higher capacity). I just found some and immediately ordered them, hoping they will turn out okay. But why was this so difficult?
I keep seeing pictures and videos of cyclists putting 3 bottle holders on the frame between their legs, and sometimes I even see bikes with 4 bottle holders somehow fitted to the fork. Clearly, tourers are not content with fitting one or two bottles to their bikes, 500 ml or 950 ml (the largest I was able to find in a brick&mortar store) each.
So why are virtually all bicycle bottles so small, especially given that tourers basically live on their bikes and that cycling is a sport that really makes people sweat? I get that they cannot be super long because otherwise they wouldn't fit in the frame, but why are all the bottles 7 cm in diameter, not like 10 cm? That'd be more than double the volume at the same height and if you can fit a 950 ml bottle and a 500 ml bottle inside a normal frame, that increase would get you to 3 liters.
I never did touring and plan to start my first tour soon. I only ever did daily trips and carried big bottles in my backpack. But someone told me that carrying a backpack is a terrible idea when touring. So if there are problems I'm running into by going for big bottles, please tell me.

Inertia.  Bottles are about that big because that's how big bottle cages are, because that's how big bottles are.... repeat.
Another cause is that a 10cm bottle would be larger and harder to hold/easier to drop while riding.  Most riders would drink while rolling on the bike, so its potentially bumpy, with a layer of sweat/sunscreen/rain making things a bit slippery too will add to drops.
Lastly - added width will poke out into the airstream more, contributing to a drop in aero efficiency.  There are some expensive bottles that are deeper vs their width but they cost a lot (hundred dollars a bottle ?!)  and their overall capacity is probably no-more than a regular bottle/bidon.

The width also limits the chance of clipping one's bottle with your feet while pedalling hard.

Later: you reminded me of the Growler Cage - its designed to hold a 64oz jug (about 1.8 litres) and the vessel is between 4" and 5" wide (100-125mm) depending on material.  You'd want to avoid a glass/ceramic one, and would choose stainless steel or plastic.
Also be leery if you're transporting anything across boarders/state lines or into a jurisdiction with different alcohol laws - even when filled with water, these look like they might hold booze and could attract legal and/or criminal attention.

Downsides of this is that its enormous, adding significant mass to your bike and only held on by two bottle cage screws.  Those might be enough for a single bottle, but this is ~twice the weight and has more leverage on those same bolts.
Also, as reported these are likely to hit your feet, pedals, or cranks on every rotation.  That gets annoying really fast.  I'd expect to tap it with my calf muscles or trousers too.


Rebuilding a rear wheel My rear hub is damaged. I have not yet inspected the source of the damage, but the wheel is moving sideways when rotating (a LOT), plus I rode it like this for about 35km. Therefore, I find it probable to soon need to replace the hub.
The rim and spokes are new (couple of months of commuting). I suppose I wouldn't be running in the "old spokes new hub" problem.
I know that rear wheels are dished. Also, I have trued rims, using V-brake as a guide.
I would like to do the repair (replace the hub) myself. However, I do not own a truing stand, neither a spoke tension wrench, and find those quite pricy to purchase just for this one job.
Here I found a gem of an explanation of how to do it. Here it is concluded that without the tools, this is impossible. Here it is mentioned that experience can substitute the tools (I have none, unfortunately).
My question is "is this doable". The wheel is the cheapest around, so ruining it won't be a big deal. The wheel will be tested on a commuter bike, and not for some off-road dangerous activities.

Edit:
So I inspected the wheel and the hub is just fine. However, I have 4 broken spokes, manly loose ones, and the wheel is out of true. Sounds easy to fix!

Edit:
Thanks for the discussion. I think I will purchase 24 cheap spokes and see what happens, for the learning experience. Maybe next month there will be a question around "how do I replace my rim".
Also, thanks for the references:

Sheldon
Mike T

This is very doable!

I'm midway though building my fourth and fifth wheels for my own bikes from scratch with no more than an upside down bike, the internet and a spoke key (or screwdriver to begin with).

There are a number of different lacing patterns to choose from depending on your own preference and possibly the length of spoke available to you.  There are also a number of websites which will tell you what length the spokes will need to be, though in this case you can just measure the existing ones.

Definitely don't by cheap spokes (unless they are good quality spokes for a great price).  My third wheel lasted less than one day because two spokes snapped within 20 miles.
It could be that this was down to a poor build but my first two wheels are still good after 500 miles with no adjustment required (using ACI plain guage spokes).

Once you start getting towards tension (you can pretty much feel how tight they should be from a built wheel) focus primarily on any vertical movement before lateral as this is much more difficult to correct when at full tension.

Put the wheel under tension before assuming its completed.  When I think I'm true I squeeze the spokes together with my hands, and check true again. Then I attach the wheel to a bike and walk it around whilst applying some pressure to either the seat or handlebars depending on the wheel and check true again. THEN I go for a ride around a car park and, you guessed it! Check true again!

Its not a hugely difficult task to complete, but a very difficult one to perfect.


Deep-Profile Carbon Wheels -- How to choose depth? I'm doing research for a future purchase of new wheels (for everyday riding) for a 2012 Cannondale CAAD10 Ultegra. I want to spend ~$1000 (give or take $200 or so). In my price range I've found: Boyd Cycling, Williams Cycling, November Bicycles, and Soul Wheels (a bit over price range). They all offer similar wheelsets for a similar price. Are there any other reputable brands I should be looking at as well? I'm specifically looking at carbon clinchers.

I live in Sacramento, CA (very flat city), am 6ft tall, 130lbs.

Two questions:

Now that I've identified some different brands, how do I choose between the brands?
How do I choose rim depth (38mm vs 50mm vs 58mm seem to be the commonly-used ones)?

These 38/50/60/88 numbers are the 'depth' of the wheel's aerodynamic rim, in millimeters. Let's take 38 for example. This means that from where the tire meets the wheel, the rim extends an additional 38 millimeters towards the hub. When you see 88, that means the rim extends 88 millimeters from the tire.

Why does that matter? One of the biggest benefits of carbon wheels is the aerodynamics. They play a major role in how fast, and how efficiently a cyclist can ride. Think back to when you were on a ride with your buddies, and drafted behind another rider. It's much easier to keep up with them, because of the better aerodynamics when you are drafting.

Your spinning wheels are the biggest source of slow aerodynamic turbulence. To improve this, we build wheels with aerodynamic advantage as a top priority. The way we do this is to increase the 'depth' of the rim. The deeper the rim, the more aerodynamic the wheel will be and the more efficiently and faster you'll be able to cut through the wind. An 88mm deep rim is more aerodynamic than a 38mm rim, and will be faster in situations where aerodynamics are very important, like long fast solo riding and triathlons.

Why would anyone choose 38mm rims, if 88mm rims are more aerodynamic? The more a wheel becomes aerodynamic for going forward, the more it can be negatively affected by cross-winds, or winds coming from the side. Let's imagine you are riding with an 88mm deep front and rear rim. You will be able to go very fast because of the aerodynamics of deep wheels, but if a gust of wind comes from the side, that wind will push sideways against the large rims and push the whole bike sideways. This isn't such a big deal if you're riding alone, such as in a triathlon, but if you are riding in a group of cyclists, this sideways push could cause an impact with other riders, or at the very least it would require extra concentration from you.

What's the solution? A wheel with a 'shallower' rim depth, like a 38mm, will be less affected by crosswinds, but will also have less aerodynamic advantage.

If that wasn't enough, you must also consider weight. A 38mm deep wheel will be lighter than an 88mm deep one, because less carbon is used. A lighter wheel will accelerate faster and will be much easier to ride up hills. This means that if you are sprinting and hill climbing a lot, a shallower rim, like a 38 will be best.

Why do I see some riders with different front and rear wheels? Due to the fact that the front wheel can turn for steering, its more susceptible to cross-wind interference. The rear wheel is fixed in a straight line with the bike, so if a cross-wind hits it, the impact on the bike won't be as much. This means that you can use a deeper rim on your rear wheel without impacting handling as much as that same rim would affect the front wheel. Wheelsets such as the 38-50 to take advantage of this fact. This wheelset uses a 38mm front rim, and a 50mm rear rim. This way you can get more aerodynamic advantage without sacrificing as much stability in windy conditions.

How do I choose? This is the most difficult choice for riders looking to purchase new carbon  wheels. You must think about the situations you ride in. If you ride mostly hills you will want to choose a 38mm wheelset, if you are an all around rider choose a 50mm wheelset, if you are an all around rider looking for more aerodynamic advantage choose a 60mm wheelset, and if you are a solo rider, or a triathlete choose an 88mm wheelset.


Does a Tern Cargo Rack fit on a Bike Friday NWT (whilst accomodating Ortlieb Backroller Classic Panniers)? I was wondering, whether a Tern Cargo Rack fits on a Bike Friday NWT with a Sram Dual Drive 27 whilst accommodating Ortlieb Backroller Classic Panniers. The problem with rear racks, the Sram Dual Drive and Ortlieb Panniers on a Bike Friday NWT is that most rear racks are low (green line) and narrow. The low clearance between the top of the rack and the internal gear hub and the narrowness will cause the panniers to "sit" on the gear hub (the blue line is longer than the green line). I suppose this is also why the standard Bike Friday rear rack is very high (the pink line is longer than the blue line):

Picture modified from bicycletouringpro.com.

The Tern Cargo rack is also low but quite wide. I am wondering whether it is wide enough to give enough space to the sides so that the Ortlieb Panniers sit next to the Sram Dual Drive hub rather than on top of it. I found a report on BikeForums.net but it didn't contain any information on the Sram Dual Drive and Ortlieb Panniers specifically.

Yes, a Tern Cargo Rack fits on a Bike Friday NWT and a Bike Friday NWT can be equipped with both, the Tern Spartan front rack (see Bike Friday NWT with Tern Spartan Rack (front)) and the Tern Cargo Rack (rear).

However, one should be careful if the Bike Friday is equipped with a SRAM Dual Drive. The Tern Cargo rack may not be wide enough to prevent large panniers from touching/sitting on top of the clickbox (blue) of the internal gear hub. A modification of the Tern Cargo rack can solve this problem (the green line is the height between the bar to which the panniers are attached and the clickbox of the internal gear hub):

To prevent the panniers from touching the clickbox of the SRAM Dual Drive internal gear hub I widened the Tern Cargo Rack at the bottom. For this, I choose wider screws to increase the distance between the screw thread in the bike's frame and the bars of the Tern Cargo Rack. To maintain stability I inserted a second perforated steel sheet. I don't really know how to describe it very well but I hope my pictures do the job of explaining:

The Tern Cargo Rack also does a very good job in terms of protecting the fenders when folding a Bike Friday NWT.

And finally, a photograph with mounted panniers which shows the gap between the clickbox of the SRAM Dual Drive internal gear hub and the mounted pannier.


Upgrade my Globe Vienna for commuting and distance riding, or look for a new bike? I've been cycling for about six months now, and am looking to get into some distance cycling and want to get my speed up on my commute.

I currently ride a Globe Vienna
and was wondering if it was worth upgrading my current bike or just biting the bullet and buying a new road/racing bike.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

T

You mentioned long distance ridding.  Here is what I would be thinking about:

Comfort

When I think about comfort there are two things that I think about.  Most importantly I think about handlebars and more specifically how many places you have to put your hands.  Drop bars are nice because you get three positions, but I don't like drops when I am riding socially.  Check out the handle bar page to have a look at your options.

Also thinking about your saddle will be pretty important.

Point: probably it is possible to upgrade your bars and saddle to achieve a more comfortable ride

Speed

Put on some slick tires
Weight of the bike is important (especially in hilly areas)
How aerodynamic can you become on the bike?

Cargo

Will you want to mount saddle bags?
How many water bottles can your bike hold?

Other

When I do longer rides I usually bring along a friend.  What will your friends be riding?  You don't want to have a bike that is too fast (or too slow).
What kind of terrain are you going to be riding over?  Do you want to have slick tires (and narrow wheels) or wider tires?  Will you be riding in winter?  Most road bikes do not have enough room for studded tires.
Are you going to leave you bike locked up outside (while you are at work, getting groceries, etc)?  You don't want to have to worry too much about your bike.


Most effective way to improve cantilever brakes I have a Dawes Super Galaxy touring bike with cantilever brakes, and I'm a bit worried about the stopping power of the brakes when I start loading the bike up with kit to go touring. But I don't know what the most effective method to improve the braking power would be.  I've listed below some options I would consider, but I've also included what I don't know which could affect each measure.

Change the brake blocks. Perhaps more expensive brake blocks are much more effective.
Check your brake adjustment. Perhaps there are common and simple mistakes people make when setting up cantilever brakes.
Change to newer cantilever brakes. Perhaps the old style cannot be fixed and it's best to go for more modern cantilvers.
Change to a different type of brake. Perhaps cantilevers as a whole just aren't very good and my forks are compatible with a different brake style.
Buy new rims. Perhaps my rims are made of a notoriously slippery material and changing anything about the brakes will never have that large an effect.

I'd be grateful if people could point me in the direction of finding out which is the single biggest change I can make for better braking performance.
A few notes:

I tried to follow this park tool video when setting up the brakes: Brake Caliper Mounting & Adjustment - Cantilever Smooth Post

I have these brake pads as spares but I haven't fitted them yet: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-blocks/aztec-control-block-cantilever-brake-blocks/
My current brakes look more like this than this - i.e., long arms which stick out horizontally rather than starting vertically from the bosses before curving out.
I have these brake levers, which have a setting compatible with cantilevers: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-levers/shimano-sora-blr3000-flat-bar-caliper-brake-levers-222mm-clamp-black/

Pad quality makes a huge difference on rim brakes. While the spares you have may be better than the old pads, they're still going to be far worse than a good pad, especially in the wet.
I have a BSO with early V-brakes that take canti pads, and have been pleased with these Kool Stop Eagle 2 dual compound.  The dual compund (soft and hard) is key to all-weather performance. I use similar pads on my hybrid with proper V-brakes; both the stopping power and the wear are far better than with cheaper pads.   XLC make some dual compound pads that stop well but wear faster than those Kool-stop pads.
When setting up cantilever brakes,  pay particular attention to:

The pad clearances. Set them almost as close as possible to the rims at rest; true the wheels if you find you've got to back off the pads to avoid touching the rims at certain points in the rotation.
Setting up the straddle cable for maximum mechanical advantage (from about 3:50 in your Park Tools video).  This is about how hard the pads press the rims for a given hand pressure, but good mechanical advantage shortens the travel of the brakes, hence needing the pads to rest close to the rim.
Do make sure that the straddle cable can't drop onto the front tyre if the main cable snaps, especially if your tyres have plenty of tread - a mudguard or reflector bracket can prevent the wheel suddenly locking up from a dropped cable and causing an unlikely but serous accident.

With good pads, well adjusted, cantilever brakes are almost equal to V-brakes in stopping power; the main advantage of V brakes is their simplicity.
The Galaxy series has been around for a long time, so your bike could be quite old (on the other hand it could be from last year).  If it's an old model, not only could the pads have hardened with age, there's a slim chance the rims are steel which is rubbish for braking. I'm not sure it was ever sold with steel rims (and almost certainly not with steel rims and canti brakes), but on an old bike I'd check anyway.


Purpose of this hinge component found on the pinch-bolt of front brake? I'm thinking that it provides extra tension to the brake line. Would this hinge be set in it's "down" position when installed (as seen in the picture)? If so, wouldn't that be considered a risk in the case that if the hinge flips up during rides, the cable gains slack, thus losing brake-pulling capability?

The lever pointed down is in the closed position and is how the manufacturer intended for the brakes to be used. The brake pad clearance should be set in this position. If the brake cable is routed correctly and the lever fully closed (and not damaged), tension on the brake cable will further lock the mechanism in place as it is on a slight angle causing the lever to be further pulled closed under braking tension.

The lever in the up position opens the caliper arms up wider to facilitate wheel changes.

Some people flip up the lever as a lazy way to get extra brake pad clearance when the rim gets out of true, but it isn't the best idea. That said, the brakes will still work, but are generally less effective with the lever positioned up.


Need some advice about purchasing a used Cannondale I am looking into purchasing a road bike to commute everyday and I am a rookie when it comes to bikes. I don't want to purchase a crappy bike from a supermarket but I don't have the budget for a brand new brand name bike. I found the second hand 2003 Cannondale R600 CAAD5 below:

The guy is asking $300 for it. It looks in good shape but it's a fairly old bike. I saw that it retailed for $1200 brand new.

Some more info from the seller:

Shimano 105 components
Triple chainring
9-speed drivetrain
Bontrager anatomical saddle
700c Gipiemme wheels
700x23c Specialized tires
56cm frame with a 31.5" standover height

Are you physically near the seller?  The single best thing you can do is go see it, inspect it closely, and then get a leg over the bike.

Test Ride  That way you'll know instantly if its a "no-way" fit bit sitting over the bike.  A good  seller will let you take it for a ride too.  Ideally an hour, with some mixed surfaces, and a small climb/descent to get an idea how it goes.   Its common to leave something behind, like your drivers licence or similar ID as collateral, or sometimes the seller might come for the ride with you.

Components by buying used you're going to get an older groupset. And it will likely have some wear in it.   9 speed parts are available, but you might not find high end duraace or ultegra level.   105 is a perfectly good workhorse generation and even tiagra and sora and claris are useable.   I might think twice about spending money on non-branded stuff, or tourney groupset.

Brakes Most modern bikes will have dual pivot rim brake calipers.  These are superior to single pivot calipers.   But expect to replace brake pads basically straight away.

Wheels Start by looking at the brake track.  Ideally it should be straight and not scalloped/curved.  Some scalloping will be evident on most wheels, but too much and the wheel is worn out.   The rims should run true, and all spokes should be present.  Bonus if you get some spares with the bike - they can be pricy on these low spoke count wheels.

Transmission triple chainsets work okay, and are a necessity for some of us.  There are snooty road riders who look down on triples as being for "bad climbers".  In the same vein there are 1x users who do the same to double-chainring riders.   In terms of hills a triple generally gives you more grannie gears at the low end for going up big long grades.  If your commute has hundreds of metres of climbing, you'll appreciate it.  For flat use, you're likely to stay in the big chainring all the time and only change gears at the rear.

It should change gears smoothly and reliably.  A little bit of clatter means it needs a tune.  A lot of pressure required to change means it needs new cables.  Can be a bargaining point.

Tyre clearance Modern trend is toward wider tyres at lower pressure.  That this bike has 23mm tyres means only that it will fit 23 and smaller.  You might find that a 25mm won't fit safely.

Tyres are kind of irrelevant.  As long as it has some, and they're not dry rotted you'll be okay.  These are consumable items, so when you start riding more you'll figure out if they're suitable, or if the next ones should be larger, or a different tread.

Commuter features The yellow colour is good - there are too many black bikes that blend into the background, which is a bad thing.
Depending on your climate and commitment level, items like mudguards/fenders, rack, lights, and reflectors will be required. I doubt that bike has mounts for full mudguards, nor space under the brake caliper for the guards.  But then if you live in a dry place or if you have a wet-weather option, then this may not bother you.
A Rack is for carrying stuff to/from work.  You might prefer a backpack, its up to you.
Night riding will ABSOLUTELY require lights and reflectors, of which this bike has none.
Security too - even though its 18 years old, its still stealable.  You'll need to park and secure it safely, or bring it inside at work.

I personally own a `90s aluminium cannondale road frame, and the tyre widths is probably the worst point, followed by road buzz.   I can only fit 25mm on the front and have to do naughty things to get a 28mm on the back wheel.  Even then it risks rubbing and wearing the inside of the chainstay.

The road buzz comes from our road surface, which is chipseal (small sharp pebbles embedded in tar) and it can make one's hands go numb.  My handlebar gopro goes poorly, and worse at night because of the vertical shake.  On other bikes it works much better on the same roads.

Is it worth $xxx ?  Well you need to look for other bikes in your area and see what they're priced at, and compare that to the cost of a comparable new bike.

The new cost of that bike is irrelevant - its a nice bike, but its not a super highend race bike, while also not being a BSO from the supermarket.

Personally I think horizontal-top tube bikes look "normal" and the modern slopey-frames look like a dog scootching over the carpet.  But that's my opinion.  If it were taller I'd ride it.   And remember any bike beats walking.


2003 Giant Rainier MTB Leaking Shock Fluid? I have a 2003 Giant Rainier as shown here: https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/searchlistingdetail.aspx?id=38863

that appears to be leaking a little bit of fluid from one of its front shocks.  I think it has only leaked a few milliliters.

What would be the best & cheapest way to fix that?

Thank you!

The spec fork on that was the Answer Manitou Axel Super -  information here

From the 2003 Axel user manual....

  CHECKING OIL LEVEL IMPORTANT: Setting the proper oil level in your
  Fluid Flow damped fork is critical. Fluid Flow damping is located in
  the right leg of your Manitou AXEL fork. Not enough oil will allow
  foaming and reduce the performance. Too much oil will restrict travel
  and may cause damage to the system and create an unsafe riding
  condition. Finish reading this entire section prior to altering the
  oil level. To check the oil level on the Manitou AXEL, remove the
  compression assembly located in the top of the right leg (as you are
  looking at the fork from the rider’s position). Leave the left side
  spring stack in place to keep the fork fully extended. Use a tape
  measure or “dip stick” to measure from the top of the fork crown down
  to where the oil sits (Figure 2). The oil level for the Manitou AXEL
  should be per following table. Fork Model Oil Level Manitou AXEL
  115-125 mm (4.5-4.9”) NOTE: Use SAE 5WT fork oil suspension fluid
  only.

  Forks need regular servicing - anything as often as every 25 hours
  with seal replacement commonly being recommended at 100hours riding (I
  think Manitou had relatibvely long service intervals . Seal
  replacement and lower leg service is not too hard, but is a bigger job
  than many owners are prepared to tackle themselves.  A shop secive
  with seal replacement will be around $US100 (various with you location
  in the world).

The seals have gone - possible just from old age and wear. Given the age and value of the bike, its likely not worth the cost of new seals, especially if you are getting a shop to do it.  If you don;t want to pull the fork apart, replacing the oil is straight forward, but I would be tempted to do a lower leg service and then top up the oil regularly.

The oil leaking is a messy problem, but no causing functional issues as long as there is oil to leak out. If the leak stops its time to worry.


How to install a saddle on a seatpost with a top facing bolt I recently purchased a new bike and I am trying to swap the original saddle for my own. On my previous bike both bolts holding the seat clamp together are down facing, i.e. accessible from below the saddle. On the new Bianchi one of the two bolts is facing upward and only accessible through the saddle cutout. This is fine when removing the original saddle however my saddle does not have a cutout, so I have no way of tightening that bold. There is not enough clearance to get an Allen wrench in there. There is a knob-like thing on the front bolt, but I couldn't dream to tighten it to 1 Nm, let alone the 8-10 Nm recommended.
I would go and ask the LBS but they are so busy right now they can't help anyone (some are downright dismissive when asking for help). Any help, suggestion or reading material would be appreciated. Thanks

You use the front bolt to set the angle first, then torque the rear bolt. Sometimes a few times to get it right.
The front bolt is adjusted with the thumbdial or a lever put into one of the holes in the thumbdial (eg 2.5mm allen key) when the rear bolt is fully slack. Hopefully it won't have blue loctite on it but if it does, you should remove it and replace with grease.
The thumbdial is shown in the second photo, the black, splined part on the bolt.


Not enough space to adjust the caliper Today I have noticed that when I push the rear brake lever (hydraulic disc brakes) the rotor is a little bit bending , but it wasn't rubbing the caliper . I came to a conclusion that rotor is not centered in the caliper , and I tried to center it . I took the pads out , pushed the pistons , installed the pads back and even if I push the caliper all the way into the frame there is very little space between the inside pad and the rotor , and very big between the outside.
How can I solve this problem so that the rotor stands right in the middle of the caliper , I think this will also improve the braking power. I though to put some spacers between the frame and the rear adapter , but I am not sure if it is a good idea or no.

Depending on your brakes and their design, you may not want the rotor centered.

If both pads move when the lever is squeezed, then center position is correct.  However, if you have one fixed pad and one pad that moves you want the rotor to be as close as possible to the fixed pad (without touching/rubbing) so that it bends the least when the one moving piston is engaged.

Most brake manufacturers design their brake calipers with slotted grooves so that the brake unit can be adjusted.  Some Magura breaks are an exception to this and require you to adjust the rotor with spacers.  However, for most disc brakes, if you have the proper adapter and true rotor, these slots should be all you need to adjust the unit properly.


What should I look for when buying chain lube / lubricant? In the past, I personally have only used WD-40.

However, I have occasionally had my bicycle looked over at the locally run, free service sessions and most of the mechanics there use a hand applied type of greasy gel (I forget the name).

Questions:

Is WD-40 suitable for bicycle chains?
Would alternatives provide better chain longevity?
When shopping around for lubricant, what are the most important things to look for?
What do you use and why?

(optional added extra) Any tips for reducing chain wear?

This question leads to one of the great religious debates of the bicycle culture. Ask ten mechanics which chain lube is best, you'll get ten different answers. The honest answer is "it depends on your maintenance habits and the weather and your preferences, so you should try some different things until you develop an opinion of your own." That's tough to do without understanding what to look for.

The main species of chain lubricants you will see:

Oils of various viscosities. Often sold as 'wet weather' lube. Finish Line wet is an example.
Teflon in an evaporating solvent. Often sold as 'dry weather' lube. Finish Line dry is an example.
Wax in an evaporating solvent. White Lightning Clean Ride is an example.

Oil is a fine lubricant. It sticks on your chain fairly tenaciously in bad weather, so requires less frequent application. On the other hand, road dirt can accumulate quickly and turn into a nasty black paste, especially if overapplied. Wipe extra lube off the exterior of your chain after application!

The Teflon and Wax style lubricants have a lubricating substance in a solvent. The solvent lets the stuff flow, distributing the lubrication to the inner crevices of your chain, and then evaporates, leaving the lubrication where it needs to be. Then, like with oil, you wipe off the exterior of the chain. These chain lubes tend to leave your chain less messy, but can wash out more easily in rainy-day riding.

Take those considerations into account and pick whichever seems most suited to your situation.

As other answers have mentioned:

WD-40 does not make a great chain lube, what lubrication it leaves after evaporating is too thin.
Do clean your chain, externally with a rag at the very least, before re-lubing. If you do a thorough clean with solvent or degreaser & water, make sure your chain is completely dry before reapplying.


Dahon handle post hinge loosens too quickly I noticed that the handle post hinge on my Dahon Speed D7 now requires attention much more often than it used before. Unlike main frame hinge which remains tight for long after adjustment, this one now requires tightening at least once week, otherwise handle post becomes shaky.

Red arrow on the image below shows the 10mm nut I have to tighten to move that metal "foot" above a bit closer to the edge to the to secure the handle post when bike is unfolded.

(don't know if I managed to explain the process clearly enough, but Dahon bike owners should get the idea, I believe)

This is an old bike, but until last 4 or 5 months I only had to tighten that nut once a month or even less often. Now it's much worse and getting worse with time.

I have marked one of nut's sides to determine if the metal "foot" started to wear out quickly or the nut is somehow loosened moving down the screw. Turned out it is, something forces the nut to rotate at 60 deg or so every week, so I'm not actually tightening it but returning it where it belongs.

To be honest I don't understand the mechanics of this process (what makes it to unscrew) and wonder if this is something I can fix or I'll need a new handle post soon.

Thanks!

As with any critical fastener on a bike, the vibration and flexing forces from riding will eventually work threaded parts loose. Normally this is the sort of thing that occurs over a few months--not every week. Fortunately, there are a few options that are applicable to this and any other situation where threads work themselves loose. (Before you do anything, though, make sure that the rest of your steering components are safely adjusted.)

The easiest thing would be to buy a tube of Loctite (or comparable) thread locking compound. It is cheap and easy to find. You'll want to get a formula that isn't permanent so that you can make adjustments down the road. Back the nut off until you see some threads and add one or two drops those threads. Adjust the tension where it needs to be and let it sit for a little while. (Loctite is safe for threads mostly everywhere on a bike!) In less critical applications, beeswax is a great natural compound for securing threads and preventing corrosion.

A second option would be to replace your 10mm nut with a lock nut. These are nuts with a nylon (or similar) insert in the aft part of the threads which prevents it from working loose. Similarly, you could procure a lock washer which will prevent the nut from backing out when tightened properly. (It doesn't look like you have enough space for it, but a second nut behind your primary nut (called a jam nut) will keep the adjustment stable as well. Jam nuts are typically narrower than a standard nut so they use less threaded area.) Any well-stocked hardware store will have suitable metric hardware.

If those options fail you, you may need to take more permanent action. Either chemically (with a permanent thread locking solution), or mechanically by installing a castle nut. A castle nut has notches along one side to mesh with wire or a cotter pin that is drilled through the threaded bolt. The wire prevents the nut from backing off, but the downside is that this requires drilling a tiny hole straight through the bolt (which would require you use a drill press and lots of diligence). I really don't think you'll have to resort to this last option, but it works.

In any case, continue to be vigilant in inspecting those parts for wear and adjustment.