Online turbo / spinning resources Where can I find free online spinning or turbo classes? Ideally videos, but just audio or even an annotated playlist would do.

There's also The Sufferfest.  I haven't tried these out yet as I need to get up the courage to try out my new rollers.


Shimano 105 5600 derailleur compatability with 105 5700 11-28 casette My current cassette is a 105 5600 12-27 the front is a 105 5600 53/39. I want to go compact so will the Shimano 105 5600 rear derailleur support the 105 5700 11-28 cassette?

As long as the 5600 and 5700 cassettes contained the same number of gears, the two cassettes will be interchangeable. They're both 10-speed, so you'll be fine. You'd have had problems going from a 9- to 10-speed, or going from a 10- to 11-speed. The reason in each case would be because of chain width.

update - as @jimirings points out, the RD-5600 is spec'd to only support cogs with up to 27 teeth, so it is possible there may be problems, although I'd have thought it unlikely. (In fact I too am riding a "28" cassette with a "27" derailleur and have not seen any ill effects.) If you're really concerned about this, possible workarounds would be using a different variant of the CS-5700, or upgrading to an RD-5700. If you're willing to spend to upgrade your crankset, the additional cost of a rear derailleur is quite small.

Incidentally, if you're wanting to go compact, why are you changing to rear mech? I mean, its no problem if you want to do this, just as long as you realise you don't need to do this.

To go compact, you can just replace your current crankset with a FC-5750, or even with an FC-5650 if you can find one. Try looking on eBay, you may find a bargain.


should the chain be uniformly tight on a fixie? I have a Continuum fixie. I try to tighten the chain and in some areas the chain is nice and tight and when I rotate the pedals in other areas the chain is loose.  My question is should I be happy with it being tight in some areas and not in others?
Thanks
Sheila

A little bit of variation is normal, yes. If the chain is so loose at the loose point that the chain falls off I'd call that a manufacturing or assembly defect and take the bike back to where you bought it and get them to fix it.

In more detail the issue is exactly centering the chainring on the bottom bracket/crank, where normally the chainring is not perfectly round or perfectly centred. You can often tweak this a little by slightly loosening the chainring bolts and using the tiny amount of play between the chainring and spider to get a slightly better fit. Loosen the bolts, rotate the crank to the tightest point, pull on the chain to shift the chainring, repeat. You'll almost certainly not be able to entirely fix the problem, but you will probably be able to reduce it.


When is Cyclometer useful? Some call it speedometer or odometer but I mean the thing to measure velocity, trip distance and such things. When you come up with a usage-case, please, point out the function which you use. The only thing where I may need a speedometer is to know when to lubricate e.g. after every 500km and to know the speed not to break speed limits. So very simple cheap one should be enough.

Not sure about terminology, whether speedometer, odometer or cyclometer. The first ones just return the cheapest units:  ~2.75USD (ebay) and 5.04USD (dx), perhaps Chinese are abusing the language or different English.

Speedometer = device which measures speed.

Odometer = device which measures distance traveled.

Cycle computers can normally do both (plus many other features you may or may not need).

Are they absolutely necessary for cycling?  No, but they can be quite helpful in many cases.  When riding long distances (e.g. touring, randonneuring), it's often important to know how far you've traveled, so an odometer comes in handy.  You may be trying to determine where you are on a map, how far until the next turn, how far to the next town, etc.

If you're training, being able to track your performance over time can also be handy.


Replacement for SR Suntour XCC, 48/38/28T, 170mm alloy crankarms? I recently bought a revolution cross 1 and after a week I've bent the middle chain ring quite badly and the outer one a bit, I think by spitting a big rock out from the front wheel and unfortunately it then smacked right into the crankset.

I was a bit surprised (my own fault for not checking) to find that the chain rings are riveted and so I now have to buy a new crankset. I've looked around for other square taper BB cranksets with removable chain rings, but what look like higher quality components say they are for 8/9/10 speed cassettes and I have a 7 speed freewheel.

I'd like something that will not bend on contact with a rock ;) Failing that something I can swap out the chain rings on without buying the whole shebang.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Tom.

If you want something nice, using an 8/9/10 crank here shouldn't be a huge problem but it may take some fiddling to work well. If it says 10, you will probably have to use .6mm Wheels Mfg spacers or similar under the large and small rings to avoid chain rub in some gears. Putting on an 8-speed chain will also help eliminate that problem and should still work fine with your 7-speed freewheel and FD. Narrower than that and it won't work well with your FD.

Shimano Acera FCM-361 or the Suntour XCE mentioned in the comments are other options that would be drop-in replacements unless you needed to change spindle lengths. The Acera takes 126. It would be nice to assume that going from one Suntour crank to another very similar one that the spindle needed would be the same, and it's probably true, but I wouldn't be shocked if it isn't.


How much smaller frame is ok? I'm looking to buy my first MTB and I had an online calculator tell me to get a 17.5". My measurements are height: 177cm and leg 76cm.

Thing is, I found a bike that I REALLY want, but it's the last one and it's a 15.5" hence the good price. If I don't get this particular one I'll have to get something significantly lower spec as this is massively discounted.

I don't intend on doing really long rides ever. Maybe 2 hours max.

1.5" difference doesn't seem that much.. Will this be ok or am I about to waste allot of money?

You can use a bike that's "too small" or "too big" without too many problems, so long as you set it up properly for your own biomechanics.

Try using this fit calculator instead: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

Compare the bike you really want with the results of the calculator. It will give three separate options, and provide you with a rough idea of whether the bike is likely to be a reasonable fit for you.

1.5" doesn't sound like a lot, but in the world of bike fit it can make a massive difference. Ideally you want to work around things that don't fit by changing components, but you need to know first if changing the components will help.


Is there a special 3/32" chain ring for single speed/fixed gear bikes? Am I able to use what's called an "Outer" chain ring in a single speed application?  Something like this

https://www.modernbike.com/sugino-48t-110mm-standard-chainring

Thank you.

There are 3/32 chainrings made specifically for single speed use, but chainrings intended for double cranks will work just fine if they fit your crank properly and are on the correct chainline of course.


Are there any differences between Shimano 10-speed connecting pins? I am looking for connecting pins for Shimano CN-5600 and CN-5701. I found some on eBay but are for Dura Ace. Are they compatible?

The chains in question are super narrow HG which are 5.88 mm wide.

Yes, despite other differences between chain models (directional vs not, IG vs HG, etc), there is only one model of Shimano replacement pin for each speed generation of Shimano chain.


Can I fix my very small bike with a bike fit? I used this bike for about 140kms and when my last 55 km ride was over I was feeling pain in my elbows and numbing on my arms so I started looking into my bike size and fit. It is a new bike so I probably made a mistake on the size I bought. It is a 55cm frame and I am 6 feet. Do you believe it can be fixed?

It does look very small for your length, but getting a longer stem could help. I also suggest you make sure that the seat post is long enough. If you raise the seat to a comfortable height and the seat post is too short, you risk damaging the frame as it concentrates too much stress on the top part of the seat tube.
Try with a longer stem and some other small tweaks. If it doesn’t help, you might want to consider replacing it with a larger size.
Another thing to consider is replacing just the frame; a second hand bike frame need not be all that expensive, and all the other parts are always the same size regardless.


Kickstands "designed for steel frame" While looking for a rear kickstand, I came across one which says "designed for steel frames".

Besides carbon frame which I am pretty sure cannot be "squeezed", is there a real difference among steel frames and aluminium frames that can account for different stands, or is it more a commercial thing?

It's easy to design a rear kickstand for a standard steel bicycle since all you need is a strong clamp on one of the chainstays.

For carbon, the clamping mechanism has to be designed carefully because it can neither compress the stays too much (carbon is fragile in compression) nor can it scratch the carbon too deeply (if the fibers fray, the whole structure weakens).

Aluminium is in between. The main concern with alu is that the stand can crimp or bend the chain stays if the bolts are clamped on too tight, or if there's too much of a load on the bike (full panniers) and all that stress and force is concentrated in one area.

If your bike is both expensive and made of either alu/carbon fiber, I'd either forgo using a rear kickstand, use track stands, or use center-stands that use the bridge between the rear chainstays and bottom bracket for support.


FSA Omega BB30 spindle comes out of drive-side crank I have a Cannondale CAAD Optimo Disc Tiagra that came with the FSA BB30 bottom bracket and the FSA Omega BB30 50/34 crank set pre-installed.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the chain started slightly touching the front dérailleur at one specific part of the revolution (right when I start applying torque pedalling down with my right foot). I took the crank set out and found that the spindle has slightly moved out from the drive-side crank (the one that it's supposed to be permanently attached to) and was a little wobbly. I applied a couple of hits with a hammer and brought it back in; assembled the crank set back to the frame and the problem was gone. Unfortunately, after riding a couple of miles the same problem re-appeared.

Has anyone had any experience with spindle sliding out of the drive-side crank and know how this could be solved? I tried removing the spindle out of the crank so that I could apply some glue and slide it back in but it doesn't seem that it can be removed, it simply slides out ~2.5mm and subsequently causes some lateral movement of the crank set.

Any help and opinions will be appreciated! I attach a photo of how it looks like. You can see how far the spindle should slide in normally.

I've dealt with a bunch of these. There is no fix and you should stop riding it for safety. It's unclear what if anything causes it.

Getting an adhesive to fix it doesn't seem likely to me. You would need to get in and clean it, which isn't possible without doing major surgery on these. The contact surfaces will be mashed and it will be difficult to get the bearing contact face square. And most importantly, the interface is supposed to be a permanent press fit. The strength of this type of interface when it works as intended is much greater than what you could expect to get out of holding the same parts together in mangled form with epoxy.

Contact FSA or your dealer for warranty.


What should I use to lubricate my kickstand? The kickstand that came with my bike is rusty and is difficult to adjust. What should I use for lubrication?

Grease. You want a lubricant that will stick around. WD40 is a degreaser and is designed to penetrate, lubricate then evaporate. Which is great for removing something that's stuck. But for a kickstand you want it to keep working for a long time. So, grease.


SRAM Twist Shifter Paired with Shimano Rear Derailleur I'm planning to buy an 11 speed twist/grip shifter from SRAM (because they're the only one who offer 11 speed twist/grip shifter) for my vintage Japanese ladies bike but I'm quite confuse if it will be compatible with Shimano's 11 speed road rear derailleur. Why Shimano if there's a SRAM? I want my bike to have silver theme as possible, so I end up with shimano 105 silver RD. I didn't found any 11 speed with silver color in other brands.

Sorry for the noob question. I just started learning about bike components.

No, SRAM grip shifters will not work with a Shimano road derailleur.

The SRAM 11 speed grip shift units I found online use what SRAM calls x-Actuation which means a derailleur actuation ratio (length cable pulled to derailleur movement) of 1:1.12. Shimano 11 speed road uses 1:1.4.

Source for this info: https://www.artscyclery.com/science-behind-the-magic/science-behind-the-magic-drivetrain-compatibility/.

However, I think you probably have deeper compatibility issues that I should point out. If your bike is vintage then is will have narrower hub width than modern bikes, 120 or 126mm perhaps vs 130 or 135mm. An 11 speed cassette will not fit on a narrow hub which makes me think you actually have a lower speed bike. As the number of sprockets increases the spacing decreases, therefore you cannot use a 11 speed derailleur/shifter combination on a sprocket cluster with less than 11 sprockets, as the sprocket spacing will be wrong.

The basic rule of derailleur and shifter compatibility is the shifter speeds need to match the number of sprockets, and the derailleur needs to match the actuation ratio the shifter expects.


What can I wear in the cold weather to be able to bike to work (where I don't have a shower) I've already read the answers to this question and learned a lot!

But my question is a bit different, I bike to work almost everyday, not a long ride, a few miles, a bit hilly a bit road side...

My problem is if I wear a lot I sweat and I don't have a shower at work, but I can't tolerate the cold either (I live near Washington DC, we have some cold and specially windy days, and I leave fairly early in the morning).

Any suggestions, to what I can wear (on top of my not formal clothes that I wear at work) to keep my warm and dry without making me sweat?

Needless to say, I am a very amateur biker!

The general consensus I've seen is that you should expect to be cold for the first twenty minutes of cycling in the winter. If you're dressed warmly enough that you're not cold for the first twenty minutes, you'll swelter.

If your ride is under twenty minutes (this is just ballpark), you can simply dress warmly and remove clothes once you arrive at work. However, I suspect your ride is around twenty minutes long (given your description of a few miles). This gives you the unfortunate choice of 1) be warm initially but sweat towards the end of the ride, or 2) be cold initially but reach a comfort temperature right as you arrive at work.

I'm not sure there's a good solution if your ride happens to be right around this long. You might try dressing lightly enough that you're comfortable by the time you reach work, but try to get your temperature up before leaving by sitting next to a fire or a heater vent.


Back wheel skidding out On my cycle to work this morning I noticed my back wheel was skidding out as I was going up a fairly steep hill. It did it enough that I thought I'd probably gotten a flat, however upon inspection it seemed fine.

I'm a bit of newbie (perhaps done 25 rides on my new-ish road bike) - am I right in thinking my back tire maybe just needs a bit more air in it? It seemed pretty pressurised although some of the bumps I went over today seemed a bit more more shocking than normal.

Are there some other things I should look for? I wasn't turning very hard at all when it lost traction.

Cheers,
John.

Update - details here:
http://www.sportstracklive.com/track/detail/johnhunt/Cycling/159913

Update2:
Yes, I do wear cycling shoes that clip into the pedals, and it did happen at a particularly steep point on the hill. I guess I ought to try and stay seated a bit more - just after the previous two hills it's a lot easier to attack up the last one.

Check the tyre pressure anyway. You should be within the limits printed on the tyre. I would be a little surprised if low pressure caused sliding, normally it's high pressure on a rough surface that causes your wheel to skip across the top of the bumps and move sideways when it's airbourne between bumps. In that case lifting your bodyweight slightly with your legs can help soak up the bumps and increase traction.

But if you were unweighting the rear wheel by standing and pedalling hard that's not too unusual. Try to avoid it by pedalling more smoothly, ideally from the saddle.

edit: at that speed I think it's just basic bike handling skills. As you ride more that will be both less likely to happen and bother you less when it does. It might help to play on gravel a bit (possibly on a MTB or old bike). If you really want to push that along either mountain biking or bike polo are good ways to improve your bike handling.


Specialized Pitch 2017 clicks like its changed gear but hasnt I purchased a Specialized Pitch 2017 basic model 1 1/2 weeks ago.

When I'm in gear 13 (most comfortable gear to ride on), and put extra pressure on the ride (standing up, pedal faster, harder) it feels like the rear gears have slipped a gear.

It makes the customary 'click' but I've checked both before and after and the chain is on the same sprocket. I have even turned it upside down but cant replicate it under pressure.

I know there are bedding in issues, but this shouldn't be the case under 5-6 weeks or 100 miles (160 km).

Would anyone know what the issue is?   I have it booked in for a service next Saturday so will keep an eye on it this weekend and next week. Just hoping for a quick fix before I have to take it back to the shop.

This is likely caused by your one of your derailleurs (probably rear) being very slightly out of alignment, which is not unsurprising for a new bike.  Cables tend to stretch slightly* during the break in period on the bike and they're responsible for keeping the derailleurs aligned.  This is a large part of the reason that bike shops will encourage you to bring the bike back in after the break in; it's expected that the breaks and shifters will need some tweaking at that point.

In the mean time, as long as it isn't ghost shifting and you aren't too bothered by the noise itself, I wouldn't worry myself about it.  The bike will be fine for the few days until you get the service done.

*Interestingly, "cable stretch" is a bit of a misnomer.  In fact, most of the change is caused by the cable housing compressing under load.  The end result is the same, however, and describing it as "cable strech" is more intuitive to most people.


Is torque relevant for steel/aluminium? Where do I find torque specs? When you are not dealing with carbon, is torque relevant?

I've never seen it mentioned on the hundreds of answers here, or the hundreds of how-tos I've read elsewhere.

Should I just tighten everything "hard enough"? If not, what's the best way to find the torque specs for old parts?

Here's a page that tells you everything you want to know about torquing bike parts. It's by the recognized leader in manifacturing bicycle specialty tools, including one of the more popular torque wrenches. (Park Tool)


Why aren't hub/drum/roller brakes suitable for touring? I've got a Dutch town bike with Shimano IM80 roller brakes. They're brilliant. Maintenance free, clean, and effective.

I've been looking at getting a long range touring bike for an initial 3 month camping/hostel trip to Japan, and so I need a more suitable bike. It's probably best that I stick with what I know and like, but it seems that everyone says roller brakes just won't do it.

Why is this? Here's a summary of the issues and my initial thoughts.

"They can't cope with sustained braking on descent."
Is this because of temperature? The cooling fins on a Shimano IM81 roller brake are huge compared to disc brakes. Why is this a problem?
"They can't handle heavy loads."
I give lifts to adult passengers on the back of my heavy bike (a total weight of at least 150kg) and while braking performance is affected it's not catastrophic.

I would really appreciate answers that address the technical performance and safety issues that mean hub brakes aren't recommended. I'm aware maintenance (particularly in the field), weight, interoperability, and style are other factors that need consideration independently from the operation. Thanks!

Their main problem is your first bullet hypothesis: They can't cope as well with sustained braking on descent, as that is where brakes are challenged the hardest.

Even with the extra cooling fins, on a long descent, the brake may overheat, and may catastrophically fail. Riders using roller brakes have reported the brakes getting hot enough to ignite the internal lubricants inside the hub when making descents on tandems or loaded bikes.

Even if you had cooling fins the size of the wheel, you are generating heat inside the hub, and that heat has to travel out to the fins, which is surprisingly slow. Going down a mountain, you theoretically could have your hub start on fire, while the outer parts of the cooling fins could be cool to the touch. Disc brakes don't have that as the source of the energy is at the caliper which is on the outside of the rotors, but even then those have failed from overheating too.

The weight aspect on its own isn't too big a deal, even with heavy loads,
you can only slow down so much before you are completely stopped. However, when descending, you can drag the brakes and build up heat faster than it can be dissipated, and combining a descent with a heavy load doubles the demands on the brakes.

Ultimately, every bicycle brake system turns kinetic energy into heat, and has a maximum wattage it can operate at continuously. What increases the wattage is greater deceleration or greater loads.

If you were touring across Iowa, you'd be totally fine. Japan is pretty mountainous. If you are going to only be traveling where the terrain is pretty gentle, you'd probably be OK. If you are going into the mountains though, you'll want a different brake system.


Experience with Panasonic Dynamo hubs? I'm starting to spec out a dynamo hub wheel build for light touring/randonneuring. Was planning on going with a Shutter Precision hub, but just stumbled on these Panasonic hubs on sale at Soma for $21. While that seems suspiciously cheap, they retail for around $100 at other online sellers, which is on par with the SP hub I have picked out (plus I know I've seen some pretty insane deals on Soma in the past).
Just wondering if anyone has experience with these Panasonic dynamos (in terms of overall quality, but also with regard to how serviceable they are).
Don't want to pass up a great deal just because I'm suspicious of a sale price, but obviously don't want to pay for a full wheel build with sub-par components.

I've built quite a few of these. They work very well. They are bulkier, heavier and marginally less efficient than the SP hub but have a good reputation for reliability.
As far as servicing goes, due to the complexity of the electronics within the hub and the necessity for components to be perfectly aligned, dynamo hubs are usually considered a closed box that you send back to the manufacturer or a specialist for service. You can of course change the bearings but it's easy to end up with a hub that no longer functions as a dynamo.
Kasai have just released a field servicable dynamo hub that is, as far as I am aware, the first of its type and the only one available. However, these things are generally reliable when not abused so I'm not certain it's the big selling point it's supposed to be.


Forearm pain during and after cycling I've been riding for a couple weeks after years of not sitting on bike in order to strengthen my health. I've been commuting to my work and school (12km/7.45 miles from my home) about three days a week and then resting/waiting (because of seasonal rains in my area). About three weeks ago I've started to feel ache in my right forearm in area highlighted in picture and it continues to ache for a couple more days when I lift something heavy or twist my hand or sometimes even without cause. After about ten days it has gone, but when I got on bike three days ago again, it has started again. Sometimes I also feel numbness or cramps in fingers in my right hand, but when I take off my hand of bike and stretch my fingers for a couple of seconds, it will go away.
Any suggestions what could be the cause of the forearm pain? I will see my local orthopedist in a week, but I don't trust him much as he is pretty lazy to even properly diagnose something. The only thing that has crossed my mind is that my handlebar is too low for me.

There are multiple possible causes for this kind of pain.

Of course, you should see a medical person in case something more serious is going on than our amateur diagnosis suggests.

In general, this is a kind of overuse injury. This can have different causes (and each would have slightly different symptoms). Part of the reason is that you've taken a break and those muscles are just not as strong as they used to be. Common causes are

The most common cause is your seat too high relative to the handlebars, leading you to put more weight on your forearms. This would be more common for mountain bikes and flat-bars, and seems more likely given the posted diagram.
Another cause to gripping too tightly. You could be gripping the handlebars too tightly, or trying to do too many jumps, etc. This can also be due to repeated hard braking.
You could be overstretching the tendons / muscles, by riding with your wrists low so that your hands are higher than your wrists, or with your wrists bent to the side so that each wrist is bent inwards or outwards. This is more likely on a road bike if you ride with your hands "on the corners" a lot. Or perhaps if the handlebars are too narrow.
Even stranger, it can be caused by pushing too hard on indexed gear levers. You would probably know if your enthusiastic gear changes were causing it.

EDIT

Often the solution to this kind of problem is suggested by the diagnosis but requires some experimentation because the the result of a change can be hard to predict. Everything is interconnected, so changing one thing without full understanding can have unintended consequences. If you make changes yourself then be vigilant for other issues.

Taking the bike to your LBS to get them to check your position is recommended.


What can I do to pedals to help kids or smaller riders use the bike We recently bought a recumbent tricycle second-hand for our special needs daughter (catrike pocket). The bikes pedals are a little bit out of reach for her (~4 inches). These bikes are expesive and we purchased it knowing that it did not fit her currently but that she would grow into it.
We can sit her a little further forward with some foam in the seat but the pedals at their farthest in rotation are too far. The pedals are also adjustable but not short enough still.
It was suggested that I could use some wood blocks attached to the pedals but that idea raises more questions i.e. I should put blocks on both sides of the pedals in case she loses grip and can find them again..
Are there any other DIY suggestions on how I can make the pedals accessible to a rider whos legs are just no long enough yet.

There are always options.
 From OP's link, showing boom and bolts.

Shorten the boom, if you can.  There are two pinch bolts in the main frame, under the boom  Back them both off and see how much can be inserted into the frame.  You probably already did this, but revisit it and see if there's extra length to be saved.  Perhaps the inner tube bottoms out, and you can get some distance back by trimming the end that is inside the frame.
Downside Its really hard to extend again in the future, so be miserly at cutting.  Or try the other options before whipping out the grinder.
from https://tadpolerider2.wordpress.com/tag/tadpole-trike-boom-adjustment/

Block the pedals with wood.  This will get you closer, but the full distance would need 4 inches / 100mm of wood on each side.  Example:

Shuffle the seat forward even more.  Hard to be detailed without knowing how your seat is mounted.  The backrest can often be adjusted for tilt but that doesn't move the hips forward which is required.  You might find that reclining the back counterintuitively helps push the hips forward.

Thicker cushion - Adding a "tailbone cushion" between the hard and soft layers of seat might buy you another half-inch or 12mm perhaps.

Crank shorteners - the cranks are not the problem, its the distance to your bottom bracket (front bracket?)  and therefore the pedal the farthest away from the rider.  There exist bolt-on crank shorteners which will move the pedals closer to the BB axle line, effectively bringing the frontmost pedal back a bit.
Shorter cranks are common on recumbents.

You can also drill and tap cranks to make them shorter permanently, though this is risky and requires some excellent machine shop skills to get the hole angle right, and the threads tapped in straight.  My adult sized `bent has 160 mm cranks, which were professionally shortened by a previous owner and you have to look hard to tell.  Depends on having enough metal in the right place too.
Most pedals are 9/16" thread with 20tpi which is weird (18tpi is common but incompatible)  and only common on bikes, and the left pedal is left-hand thread, ie backward.  So its not a home-shop job.
Given this is a kids bike, it may also have 1/2" pedal threads, though your specs link doesn't say.

More info at https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/64370/19705

You don't want to use swinging crank adjusters like the Pulse Swing Cranks; they will do the opposite of what you want.


Increasing the size of tyres on a hybrid We are planning on doing some mountain biking in a few weeks time and we'd like to get some wider tyres for my wife's hybrid. I know there are similar questions and answers out there on this topic, but I need some specific help to make sure I buy the right tyres.

The bike is a Ladies Scott Sportster 50 2015, the best website I could find with a fairly accurate spec is here

It's currently got Kenda K-180 700 x 38c / 30TPI tyres on it, which are fairly good all rounders and capable of running on clean forest paths but I don't think they would handle anything heavier.

It's got disk brakes so there isn't a clearance issue there, but I have noticed the frame is generally narrower than true MTBs, here are some photos i took of it.

Has anyone put larger, knobblier tyres on this kind of hybrid? whats the largest I can get away with? - I'm also slightly confused by all the tyre sizing, I'm sure someone told me this is a 27.5" tyre, but 700 seems to mean 29" on a lot of websites.

Any advice is very much appreciated, Thanks.

For a 700c tyre you would be replacing it with a 29" MTB tyre.
The best way for you to determine what size tyre you can get to fit is to simply measure the gap between chain and seat stays as these are the most likely areas to cause problems with clearance.

Providing you don't want to ride anything too gnarly (i should hope not on a hybrid), a 700x35C cyclocross tyre could give you a much more grippy/knobby option without needing more clearance.  Something like this maybe?


Inflating toddler tires I got my toddlers bike second hand & it looked like tyres were a bit flat. We brought new tubes & when I went to replace them I found that the current ones inflated.  It seems that I can pump & pump & still no more pressure is added past certain point. I.e., one can still depress a section of a tyre so the sides meet.  When daughter is on the bike it looks like there is no air. With a single finger & minimal pressure I can flatten the tyre to the rim.

Is this normal or what am I doing wrong?

Might be that both tubes have punctures, perhaps because they are old and have cracked.

Might be you are not getting the pump on the valve properly. Most kids bikes use the wider Schaefer type bales, made sure you are using the correct pump head.

You can try taking the bike to a local bike shop, the usually have a good floor pump with s pressure gauge for free use.


Lube new sealed bottom bracket (BB-UN55) I have a new sealed bottom bracket, a Shimano BB-UN55.  Does it come with lube, and if so what kind of lube would that be?

I assume it's already lubed, because how would you lube it without taking it apart.

There's a little oil on the splines and spindle, but that might just be to keep it from rusting while it's sitting on the shelf.

(This is my first time working with a sealed bottom bracket; up til now it's been all cup-and-cone.)

Cartridge (and threaded external bottom brackets) come properly lubricated with appropriate grease. Just install in your bike and enjoy.

Cartridge units can’t be disassembled to service the bearings. The seals can be removed on certain external units which allows the bearings to be cleaned and re-lubed.


How to eat properly when cycling in extreme heat? In the US, we're in the middle of a heat wave. Temperatures are topping 100 degrees F and up in some areas. When touring, how should one's eating and drinking before and during a ride be changed to deal with heat like this?

If I don't chicken out, I'll be touring this weekend. I've ridden in temperatures like this before, but I'd like to make sure I'm not missing anything obvious.

The usual way I deal with heat is to drink lots of water, eat properly, reapply sunscreen more often, and don't ride too hard; conserve energy and take a break during the hottest part of the day. (Noon to three, in my experience.) I keep my helmet padding wet, and make sure to eat salty food. However, I'm not sure if I should eat and drink the same kinds of things.

For during-the-ride food, I've packed dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, energy bars, and I have five water bottles that I keep topped off.

I'll have a camping load - around 40 pounds of stuff - and I usually keep a pace of around 10mph.

This ride will be mostly on the roads, in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, so there won't be all that much climbing.

Specifically:

Do I stick with protein the night before the ride and carbs after, or does the heat bring different requirements to the table? I'm a vegetarian when away from home, so that restricts what I can eat for my lunch breaks.
In the past, I've eschewed sports drinks, but is important that I ingest electrolytes? Should I start looking into sports drinks?

It is extremely important that you eat and drink properly when cycling in extremes of temperature.

In Dubai, where riding in the summer means riding regularly in 50c temperatures, this is a major problem.

Eating is less of a concern than hydration, but you want to avoid dehydrators, like alcohol, in your food. You also want to watch what spices and additives are present in your food, like high salt content, but your standard diet as noted (High protein  the night before, and carbs after a ride and assuming unsalted nuts and trail mix) should be fine to ensure energy. (Too much salt in one go can upset the stomach by drawing water into the gut, especially if you're already dehydrated. So it needs to be in small doses.)

Avoid sugary drinks, stick mainly with water, and electrolyte replacement drinks with low sugar content.

Desert survival expert Marjorie Woodruff recommends drinking a few ounces of water every 1o minutes if water is limited, and a minimum of 1 liter every 45 minutes if water is readily available. Electrolyte replacement s fairly essential, but can be accomplished far more inexpensively using a product like Elete Water because it can be carried easily, and a very small container is an effective add in to about 25 liters of water. It's mostly tasteless, but in our experience here in Dubai, very useful.

Proper clothing is essential. Cover your skin. Do not rely solely on sunscreens, as they do not prevent dehydration, although they are better than nothing. Better yet, do both.

Another essential in hot weather cycling, especially while touring, and deadly essential if touring unsupported is the ability to recognize and understand what is happening when you are affected by heat, and what it feels like.

This article from the Mayo Clinic has a pretty thorough examination of exercise in hot weather, and what the dangers and effect are.

  How to avoid heat-related illnesses

  When you exercise in hot weather, keep these precautions in mind:

  Watch the temperature. Pay attention to weather forecasts and heat
  alerts. Know what the temperature is expected to be for the duration
  of your planned outdoor activity.

  Get acclimated. If you're used to exercising indoors or in cooler
  weather, take it easy at first when you exercise in the heat. As your
  body adapts to the heat over the course of one to two weeks, gradually
  increase the length and intensity of your workouts.

  Know your fitness level. If you're unfit or new to exercise, be extra
  cautious when working out in the heat. Your body may have a lower
  tolerance to the heat. Reduce your exercise intensity and take
  frequent breaks.

  Drink plenty of fluids. Dehydration is a key factor in heat illness.
  Help your body sweat and cool down by staying well hydrated with
  water.

  Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. If you plan to exercise
  intensely or for longer than one hour, consider a sports drink instead
  of water.

  Sports drinks can replace the sodium, chloride and potassium you lose
  through sweating. Avoid  alcoholic drinks because they can actually
  promote fluid loss.

  Dress appropriately. Lightweight, loosefitting clothing helps sweat
  evaporate and keeps you cooler. Avoid dark colors, which can absorb
  heat. If possible, wear a light-colored, wide-brimmed hat.

  Avoid midday sun. Exercise in the morning or evening, when it's likely
  to be cooler outdoors.

  If possible, exercise in shady areas — or do a water workout in a
  pool.

  Wear sunscreen. A sunburn decreases your body's ability to cool
  itself.

  Have a backup plan. If you're concerned about the heat or humidity,
  stay indoors. Work out at the gym, walk laps inside the mall or climb
  stairs inside an air-conditioned building. Understand your medical
  risks. Certain medical conditions or medications can increase your
  risk of a heat-related illness. If you plan to exercise in the heat,
  talk to your doctor about precautions.

  Heat-related illnesses are largely preventable.

  By taking some basic precautions, your exercise routine doesn't have
  to be sidelined when the heat is on.


Chain wear due to standing while pedaling Does standing up while pedaling increase chain wear (lengthen chain) faster than pedaling while seated?

The amount of force required to plastically deform a steel chain is much more than a human can exert, even if you embedded the rear wheel in concrete so that all the force went into stretching the chain, rather than turning the wheel.
Chain "stretch" is 100% caused by wear, with grit in the chain grinding down the rivets and sideplate openings. Standing up to pedal has nothing to do with it. If the chain is dirty and its parts are moving relative to each other, the parts will wear down.


Freehub has some play I just got a new Zip 303s Wheelset and the freehub has some play that you can see on this video. I am not sure whether this is normal or not.
Could you help me here?

I got answer from the support:

Due to the tool-free nature of endcap and freehub installation, there can be freehub play when the wheel is not installed in the frame. If you encounter the same movement when the wheel is in the bike, please contact your shop for service/warranty assistance.

Since the cassette is not wobbly when the wheel is installed everything is fine for me.


After an accident, what next? Cycling home in the dark a car pulled across me to enter a super market car park. Apparently the car that let him cross didn't remove their full beam so he didn't see me in the cycle lane and I hit the side of him.

Apart from the initial shock I'm basically OK. Hip & shoulder feels a little bruised but thats about it from what I can tell.

Bike for the most part from what I can see also seems mostly OK apart the handlebars.

We exchanged details etc a witness also stopped and gave me her details. And I had a friend come and pick me up as I was a little shocked.

The driver admitted fault and seemed genuinely concerned and offered to pay for damage to the bike, it sounded like he was a cyclist himself.

I'm not planning on any injury claims as apart from a bruised/sore hip and shoulder for a few days I reckon I'll survive.

My bike is basically my workhorse for commuting and everything in between so the quickest possible turnaround with the least path of resistance to having it fixed would be the most ideal.

Should I just take my bike to a local shop have them look it over and quote me then contact the driver, I may need to pay for it to be inspected first? Or should I go via their insurance? How fast do I need to act etc. I probably won't be able to get to a bicycle store before Friday.

(I tried to add a photo of the handlebars but apparently I need 10 points first).

Report it to his insurance company first. Period.

If for whatever reason the driver decides to renege on his admittance of fault and declines to pay damages to your bike, you're basically screwed if you're past the insurance company's reporting threshold. However, do not sign any paperwork the insurance company asks you to (which may limit their liability or waive some of your rights) and inform them that you're having a bicycle shop prepare a quote for damages.

After you've contacted the driver's insurance company, take your bicycle to the nearest shop and have them fully inspect the bike and quote you for any necessary repairs. Ask them to be thorough and include the cost of absolutely everything that may have been damaged in the crash: wheel re-truing, handlebar tape rewrapping, etc.

When the bike shop gives you a quote, give it to the person who hit you. If he reimburses you, then you're done. If not, you'll have to work through their insurance company. It's probably best at that point to contact your own insurance company and see what steps they will take to help you receive payment.


When not in use, How should I store my tubeless tires? I have a bike setup with tubeless mountain bike tires.  I tend to ride about 20-25 PSI.

How should I store my tubeless tires? Does it matter what pressure I store the tires at between rides? Should it be Higher/Lower/Same than regular riding pressure? Any differences for 'Ghetto Tubeless' setups done with a splayed tube and sealant vs UST? Any difference for tubeless fatbike tires?

From what I can gather, you should do a few things when storing tubless tires:

 Pump them up to riding pressure before storing.
 Check the tire pressure every couple weeks and keep them pumped up so the bead stays sealed.
 Spin the tires regularly to keep the sealant mobile.
 If the tire looses it's seal while being stored or the sealant dries out then you may want to clean the rim and tire bead and add an ounce or two of fresh sealant.


What should I carry on day trips for emergencies? While commuting or touring I use a off road trekking bike with racks, a water-proof bag and some tools in case of flat tyres.

In my day trips I prefer my fitness bike and I want to be "fast and light" so I have no racks and bags. In my saddle minibag I have only a multitool and a tube. What else should I carry (e.g a pump) and with which way?

In my opinion, minimal set of what to carry:

Bare Minimum: (able to call a taxi and pay them to get you to a bike shop or to home)

Cell phone.
ID (I prefer both a photo ID such as driver's license and something useful to emergency personnel like a Crash Tag/Road ID. So I can buy a beer at the halfway point and have something useful in case there's an accident and I'm unconscious)
Some form of payment (cash, atm card, credit card, whatever)
Water (bottle in a bottle cage)

Optional, but I'd never leave home without these: (because a flat tire is your most common problem)

Pump, or CO2 valve and a couple CO2 cartridges, or a pump with the CO2 valve and 1 CO2 cartridge. CO2 is faster and smaller, but you can basically only handle as many flats as you have cartridges.
tire levers (2 is easier, 1 might be sufficient)
1 spare tube
patch kit (pre-glued patches or patches and glue)
Any tool needed for wheel removal (not needed for quick-release hub)

Optional, but I always have for a ride longer than half an hour: (dealing with most problems)

Energy bar or some other sort of small portable food item (low blood sugar when you need to pedal for another hour sucks).
Small multitool that can adjust brakes, derailers, and at least temporarily deal with saddle issues. Also good to include chain tool, spoke wrenches...

Really optional, but I usually have these: (and they're all quite tiny)

A couple nitrile gloves, so you can deal with drivetrain repairs more cleanly. Especially if you have handlebar tape/grips in any color but black.   Useful when doing any chain repairs, but also comes in handy if you encounter a medical incident along your route.
A masterlink for your chain (if chain breaks, use chain breaker in multitool to remove broken link, masterlink to put chain back together and avoid your big ring until you replace the chain)
Medications. I usually have a few Ibuprofen and a couple Benadryl. Ibuprofen for aches and Benadryl in case I get stung by something I'm allergic to. (not allergic enough to need epipen)

Basically, the most likely problem on the road is getting a single flat.  The next most likely is getting two flats (running through some glass that gets both tires or not getting the first flat quite fixed right).  So you need to be able to handle a flat and preferably two.  If you have a few small bills (or an energy bar wrapper) you can use one to temporarily patch the tire if there's a big hole in the tire itself.
I like having 1 tube and a patch kit because swapping a tube is faster (especially with slow leaks) and it's possible to get a flat you can't really patch (too big, valve stem sheared off while pumping, etc).
After that everything else is much less likely to go wrong.  Brakes having an issue or the saddle sliding back are possible.  Running out of energy is possible. But those other non-flat things are unlikely enough that being able to call a friend or taxi or something like that is a sufficient backup plan.
That's a small enough set of things you can carry it in a jersey pocket or saddle bag. Pump can mount next to the water bottle cage or might fit in the bag.


What tint colors are most useful for cycling sunglasses? There seem to be a lot of different lens options for sunglasses, and there must be objective differences. For example, I've seen golf lenses advertised as filtering out blue light to improve reading of greens, but this would not seem to have any benefit for cycling. What particular tint colors are most useful for cycling sunglasses?

Would it be adequate to stick to neutral-colored filters (which would presumably be ideal for enjoying the scenery), or do any particular colors provide a significant advantage? Do photochromic (a.k.a. photochromatic or Transitions) lenses vary the darkness ideally, or is it really better to have multi-lens glasses with a few different colors?

Related questions: Sunglasses for commuting? (which asks for recommendations for brands/models of sunglasses), What are the features that I should seek in cycling glasses? (which asks for which features are desirable in general)

There are many factors that influence choices. -  terrain you ride, sunlight intensity, shade effects etc, and personal preference. A quick internet search will give you technical answers on what colors do look here .

For me personally, I mostly Mountain Bike, I live in New Zealand, which has extremely high UV light levels. Therefore I do not venture out for more than an hour without some protection. I will use different glasses for different rides, but only because I have them. For use while riding, the all rounder is Yellow, for other things as well, I would head towards amber. If correct color perception is important, then you will struggle to get glass that work as well as Yellows/Amber's - especially in low light.

The advantage of the blue filters (blue blockers) is they lift depth perception and contrast - maybe roadies don't need it, but off road MTB it is a definite advantage.

Clear - I use these where protection from things other than sunlight is desirable (insects, sticks, dust etc), and maximum use of available light essential - mostly night riding.

Yellow - I use these a majority of my riding. Do a great job at smoothing the transition from shade to full sunlight (i.e. I can see into dark forest from bright sunlight). On bright days, let too much light in for comfort (But still protect from damaging UV). Mine are specific sports style - not really a fashion accessory....

Amber - Similar to yellow, but filter more light, making the shade a bit darker. Probably my most versatile sun glasses - use them when the yellows will look dorky -rides with family, beached etc.

Blue/polarised -  Better color perception so I use the driving, fishing and general wear. Mine are pretty much towards the "fashion" end of the style range, not good for riding - too dark for forests.


Specialized bike store or general sports shop I plan to buy a new bicycle.  Is it better to buy it at a specialized bike store or at a general sports shop?

In case it matters, I live in Vienna, Austria.  I know very little about bicycles in general.   The bicycle is intended to be used in the city to get me to and from work, and so does not need to be fancy or sophisticated at all.  Better can mean cheaper, better quality, more reliable, more likely to find what I need, and/or other aspects that may be relevant.

I'm not sure about Austria, but here in the UK many general sports shops are no more than outlets for Nike and Adidas clothing. If you are someone who knows very little about bikes, I'd suggest that this would be riskier than going to a specialised bike shop.

The only thing that would possibly make the general sports shop more attractive would be price. But you live in a capital city, so surely there are enough outlets to keep prices competitive?

So I would say that if prices are similar between general shops and bike shops, then its a no-brainer to pick the bike shop because they'll (likely) have a higher level of expertise, in terms of listening to your requirements and proposing a suitable bike. People also place value in building a relationship with their lbs - this may or may not be important to you, but certainly it can't harm.

If you are tempted to go to a general store, for price or any other reason, maybe you should at least apply some due diligence. What should you do if there's an aftersale problem? What do they offer when its time for a service? for example. Some "general sports shops" (such as Decathlon, do you have them?) will also have in-store bike mechanics, which would at the very least give you some confidence that they are able to maintain what they sell.


What can I do about a cracked frame? I noticed the other day that my frame has a crack in it! I believe that it's my seat post causing the problem. A couple of questions really, a) how serious is this? and b) can it be repaired?

Edit: I've added a picture of the height of the seat-post to give some extra context on whether or not the frame is too small for me. I've never thought that the seat was crazy high or anything; is it?

It's hard to tell from the photo ( is that large vertical streak said crack? ), but if your frame is cracked, don't use it. Riding on a cracked frame is risky as it could result in a catastrophic failure / injury / death.

It looks like that's probably a steel frame, so find a local frame builder ( not your buddy who's handy with a welder ), and depending on the damage they may be able to repair it for you.


Why is my stem shim angled? This is what my stem shim looks like:

Why is it angled like that? Does it have a purpose?

I lowered my handlebars and with that angle it looks hideous. The stem sticks out over the spacers now. When it was at the top with no spacers below it looked fine.

I came across this article that somewhat explains why it is angled.

Basically what it does is provide a slight angle without having to use a stem that is adjustable.

What it fails to mention is that you can't place spacer rings above the stem meaning your handlebars must be at the top of steerer tube. Too add to all of that nonsense you have to use a top cap that has a hole that is off center to accommodate the angle.

It seems really stupid to me but if those extra few degrees of angle are what you need to dial in your fit then I suppose having an angled shim would be useful.


How do I prevent a tube valve from fusing to my rim I have a 20" Sun Rims CR-18 rear rim. This rim has a cylindrical metal sleeve that goes through the valve hole. Not sure where that came from, as I inherited the rim with the bike when I bought it used.

When I was changing the tires after riding this bike through the New England winter, I noticed that the valve on my tube was stuck to this sleeve in the rim. I used locking pliers to attempt to wiggle the valve free, but instead, it sheared off the end of the valve and left the rest of the valve fused inside the rim.

I had to drill the remainder of the valve out. When it eventually dislodged, it released some gray powder.

What caused these two parts to fuse together like this, and how can I prevent it in the future?

Sounds like galvanic corrosion. If you're somewhere that salts their winter roads, this is why people ride beater bikes.

A fix might be to smear the valve stem and around the valve hole with a thin layer of RTV silicon or possibly a grease to stop the two surfaces coming in direct contact.

Combining brass and aluminium is generally considered incompatible

You might prefer to choose tubes that have rubber up the sides of the valve stem (not uncommon on Schrader but rare on presta) or some tubes use stainless steel valve stems.

To be honest, I'm surprised there aren't more corrosion problems between alloy rims and brass valves.


Snapped powerlink, new powerlink or new chain? If your chain snaps at the powerlink, do you need to replace just the powerlink? Or is the entire chain comprised?

Depends what is damaged.

Clearly the powerlink needs replacing if it broke or snapped.  They tend not to just "come apart" under load but theres a small chance it never closed right.

Look at the end links in the chain, that would connect to the power link.  If there is excess play in those end pins then it may be time to replace the chain.

If the chain is worn and you can feel play in all the links, then just replace it.  Chains are consumables.

But if the chain seems okay then just replace the powerlink with a new one, and buy a second new spare one for your toolkit.


Shimano Cassette Change I have a Shimano compact double on my road bike with an 11-28 Cassette (50-34 Chainrings).  I would like to change the cassette to 11-32.  Is that possible and if it is are there other components I need to change?

You'll need a new chain, since the chain will be slightly longer.

You need to see what the ratings of your rear derailleur are. It has to have enough capacity (i.e. the capacity rating has to be greater than or equal to large chainring - small chainring + large cog - small cog) for your setup. It also has to have appropriate ratings for the largest and smallest cog (i.e. the smallest cog rating has to be <= your smallest cog on the cassette [this is practically never a problem], largest cog rating has to be >= the largest cog on your cassette). If your RD meets these, great.

If your rear derailleur doesn't meet these, well, you need a new one. Here you have to match the cable pulls. Shimano 7-9 speed have the same cable pulls between road and mountain so you can use any RD in the 7-9 speed case, if you have 7-9 speed shifters. Shimano 10 speed mountain uses a different cable pull than Shimano 10 speed road (which is the same cable pull as 9 speed).


Cross threaded/stripped bottom bracket I installed a new sealed bearing in my bottom bracket. Unfortunately after tightening it most of the way, it jammed and I realised I'd cross threaded it.

I then removed it and reinstalled it. It tightened up no problems and seems secure now. I went for a short ride and it appears to be working fine.

I am going to use this bike as a fixie build and am planning to put a fair amount of effort and expense into the frame, so I don't want to continue with this bike if I've damaged the bottom bracket significantly. This link indicates that I may have done irrepairable damage.

So my questions:

Given that it now appears to be fine, how can I tell if I have damaged the bottom bracket?
If it is damaged, are there methods to repair it, or should I discard the bike and get another donor bike? I don't want to put a lot of work into this frame and then in 12 months discover that it's not usable long term

You probably didn't remove material when you cross-threaded the bottom bracket shell in.
If it's a steel frame, you can cut new (correct) threads with the correct taps. The taps are quite expensive, (they have to line up, and one is upside down, find a shop or local framebuilder who has one.

Baring that you should chase the threads : grab old steel bb shells, cut two triangular grooves in them. You want a perpendicular cut on the trailing side of the thread. (Ask the internet for images of a thread chaser). Fill the grooves with thick grease, thread them in and out wipe it down and you're done.

You can wrap some teflon tape around the threads to make them tighter as well.

Either way you probably shouldn't "invest" money on this frame anymore, maintain it and once you've ridden it through, turn it into a shop stool.


Adjust a Shimano 105 9x rear derailleur Please help me (re-)adjust my .Shimano 105 9x rear derailleur of my ancient Shimano 105 3x9 gruppo.  It's a RD-5501, as my research seems to support.

The prequel: After working fine for many kilometers, the pulley cable came loose. I re-installed the cable, of course.

But ever since, the rear derailleur seems to shift randomly into a neighbouring gear without me moving the shift levers. It seems to happen mostly when the chain is on the "middle" cogs; when I shift into the largest or smallest gear, the chain stays on its cog just fine.

The last procedure I tried was as follows:

Loosen cable
Chain on greatest sprocket in front, smallest cog in the rear;
2.1. turn the crank and loosen "high" screw until the chain starts rattling
2.2. tighten the "high" screw until the rattling stops
Turn cable tensioner to most-"loose" position
Install pulley cable
Chain on middle (!) sprocket in front, largest cog in the rear;
5.1. tighten "low" screw until rattling starts
5.2. loosen "low" screw until rattling stops
Try out all other cogs - all gears seem to shift nicely.

Still, when I ride only a short distance, once the chain is on a middle-ish cog, 4th to 6th, it jumps to the next cog intermittantly.

What am I doing wrong?

I think the problem with your procedure is that you are adjusting the limits but not adjusting the indexing explicitly. Try working through the detailed procedure that Park Tool recommends. There is both a video and written instructions on this page.

Check your derailleur hanger is straight. A special tool is required to do this accurately, but you can eyeball it by picking up the back of the bike and looking down the chain. The derailleur cage should look like it is parallel with the chain rings.

Another possibility is that your derailleur is getting worn and has developed some slop. There may be play in the parallelogram pivots, or the top jockey wheel has excessive play (although note that top jockey wheels normally have a few mm of lateral movement).


My cassette model name doesn't seem to fit the actual cassette description.. (CS-HG50-9 and CS-HG500-10) I have a Ridley Fenix classic bicycle that I bought second hand online.
(all components are Shimano Tiagra)

A year has passed and I figured I should really change the chain and cassette altogether. I didn't want to buy all the parts from the LBS since they're really overpriced so I decided to check the model name and just buy it online.

The first really weird thing I noticed was that the model name was CS-HG-9 but I had ten gears on the cassette.

Here's a photo:

I thought this didn't really matter if I just bought a 9 speed cassette instead but then I saw that it's not recommended to put a 9 speed cassette if I have a 10 speed shifter.

The current cassette (which works well for me) is 12-28T and I found a CS-HG500-10 cassette online which is 10 speed 12-28T cassette (seems perfect for me).

My questions:

Will the CS-HG500-10 fit without any issues (with an HG 10 speed chain)?
I wasted time and money because of the incorrect model name, is it really incorrect or am I just confused?

There are usually little compatibility problems for nine or ten speed cassettes. You may choose from a large set of cassettes that work for you.

Shimano, SRAM, and Sunrace use the same standards. (The exception are Campagnolo. If there is a a cassette with a 10 teeth cog it would require a specific free hub body.)

The length of your rear derailleur's arm limits your choice of largest cog. You may check the capacity of your derailleur online. Or count the teeth on your present largest cog. Use that count as upper bound.

The lock ring of all these cassettes is interchangeable. We may never found out why yours has a different designation as the cassette. It might be as trivial a reason as a spare for a fumbled original part. Simple consequence: don't rely on it without checking.


Wobbly wheel - spokes or bearings A little while ago my son's bike had a wobbly rear wheel. I tightened up some spokes which improved the problem but didn't remove it. Eventually I took it into my LBS who immediately diagnosed a problem with the bearings.

My question is whether a wobble caused by loose spokes looks different from a wobble due to a problem with bearings.

Thanks

Chris

If you spin the wheel by hand with the bike off the ground, then side-to-side wobble is also called "out of true" and is caused by spoke tension, or an impact while riding.  Wheel going badly out of true on final tightening

On the other hand, if you hold the non-spinning rim in your hand and move it left/right while mounted in the bike, there should be no play discernible or visible at the axle.  If you feel motion sideways, then its bearings malajusted. How do I know if my cone/cap/bearings need to be adjusted?

A wheel can have both, or ideally neither, or either.


Why does coaster brake hub growl when coasting but not when braking or pedaling? I have an old two-seater recumbent trike with coaster brakes. One of the rear hubs rumbles terribly when the bike is coasting. When the brake is on, or when pedaling, it doesn't make a noise. I assume it's some bearing giving out, but it just had all the bearings replaced not long ago. Also, it's impossible to tighten up without making at least a slight grumble, so the wheel is slightly loose on the hub.  What to do?

I don't know that I have the wherewithal to just replace the wheel... it's a bicycle hub with thick motorcycle spokes and rim and motorcycle tires. 20". I'd likely have to have a custom wheel built from scratch, plus find someone to cut small spokes.

I had an exact same problem and I think I found a cause for it. As it's sold, an inner surface of a hub body on the drive side is smooth. As a clutch jams itself inside of the hub body while pedalling, the serrations on the clutch make grooves on this surface. Then, when You coast, those serrations and grooves spinning around each other make that awful noise. Hope I helped :).

Żelu


Kickstands and mountain bikes Why is it that many people often recommend against using kickstands on mountain bikes? Does it have something to do with offroad riding (perhaps something could get caught there?), or are kickstands a problem with suspension frames, or what?

Most bikers riding MTB specifically do not have kickstands. They simply drop a bike on the ground, or lean it somewhere, when they need to park it.

Why is that? Is the added weight really that much of a trouble?

If, by stands, you mean bike mounted kickstands, then the reason most mountain bikers don't use them is three fold:

Safety. The kickstand is usually a relatively cheap piece of metal, bolted on wherever it will fit. Its shape and style lend themselves to ending up in your wheel or otherwise damaging the bike, if they are not secured to the frame so they can't accidentally deploy themselves while riding a rougher trail.
Weight. If I pay a ridiculously large amount of money to buy a light weight, high performance machine, the last thing I want to do is pay extra to make it heavier. So that does play a part, but I wouldn't say it was the key factor.
No need for it. As you mentioned, most riders are perfectly comfortable dropping their bike on the ground wherever they pause for a minute or two, and dealing with cleaning and fixing any damage that may cause when they get home.

I hope that helps.


Bottom bracket question? I have a sram red crank set that uses a bb30 bottom bracket I want to use this crank set on my fixed gear bike wich needs a threaded bottom bracket would I be able to use this bb that works for my frame and bb?

No, that's a BB386EVO bottom bracket. There is no way to do this with a normal BB30 crank because the spindle isn't long enough.

BB386EVO cranks are 30mm spindle cranks with longer spindles that can go in both BB30 frames and threaded shell frames with BBs such as the ones you link to.


How do you measure your cadence? I see lots of cadence-related questions on here where people cite fairly specific cadence rates.  How do you calculate your cadence exactly?  Do you just set a one-minute timer on your bike computer and count them manually?

If you don't have a cycling computer to do this for you, you can just count the top (or bottom) pedal strokes on one side for 15 secs and multiply the strokes by 4. That'll be your cadence. It's close enough for the casual cyclist.


Storing spare tube under saddle bag The saddle bag I own has two elastic loops on the underside.
From reading this question on long-term storage of tubes I can see tubes don't like changing temperatures (not really a problem in Ireland as the temperature doesn't vary too drastically) or direct sunlight.
If I were to wrap the tube (to protect from the elements and sunlight), would under the saddle bag be a suitable place to store it? At the moment I keep it inside the saddle bag but I would like to have the extra bit of space if at all possible.
I only cycle ~100km per week and it's a cheap spare tube so it's easily replaceable. (Doesn't need to offer long-term protection).

I'll sum up some of the comments with some concerns that you need to address:

Excessive moisture
Temperature changes
Abrasion and movement
Access

Simply wrapping the tube in something non/semi-porous and opaque will help keep it safe from the elements, but not from temperature changes, but it sounds like that's not going to be too much of a factor. You should also consider any bits of dirt, water, road, mud that are going to be kicked up from your rear wheel under the saddle bag. This could cause some excessive wear after you installed the tube in the tire unless you clean it first.

As a few of the other comments have stated, you may want to consider other means of storing your ride supplies. You've got a spare tube but do you have a pump? Is it a frame pump or small enough to store in a bag? Tire levers and a multitool are also going to take up space. I'd recommend looking at either a larger bag or purchasing something like a hydration pack (CamelBak, Dakine, Osprey, etc.) to store your tools, clothes, food, and whatever else. That way you can plan a variety of rides without needing to awkwardly stow tubes, pumps, and anything else on your bike!

EDIT: (Kudos to Chris H) If you've already got a way of storing all that,you want to make sure it is secure and protected from dirt. It doesn't need to be sealed completely, as you want to make sure any moisture such as condensation can evaporate.


Are mountain bikes good for urban riding? I'm planning to buy a bike - mostly using it in the city on a daily basis - sometimes long roads - But I want a cool bike and I think mountain bikes look very cool.

I would like to know how mountain bikes do on normal roads, especially in the city? Is it more tiring than a regular bike, or what are my other options for city commuting with the occasional touring ride?

For the past few years, I have commuted on a road bike for most of the year and on a mountain bike for late fall through early spring. My commute also involves both classic road-riding and more urban-style riding.

What I've Found

I've found that I prefer the road bike by a significant degree. Living in a hilly area, it is always a pleasure to drop the excess weight of the shock system, the efficiency loss due to bouncing and flexing, and the wide tired of my mountain bike come spring.

I can finally take my backpack off and put on panniers, which keeps my back from getting as sweaty and is generally more comfortable. My fenders work better to keep the mud off me. It is an altogether more enjoyable experience.

If I could ride my road bike in the winter, I would. Hard to do in the snow, unfortunately, especially when it comes to the turning bit.

What I Lose

However, when I switch to the road bike, I feel I lose some peace of mind. On my road bike, whenever I see a patch of sand at a corner I've got to take, whenever I ride in the rain over fallen leaves, I worry that I will lose traction and fall.

Furthermore, I've been run off the road before and gotten close to it several times and I feel much safer and more comfortable on my mountain bike knowing I can ditch the road and jump into the rough easily if necessary.

On my mountain bike, I don't fear to hop up or down the curb to, for example, avoid a runner in traffic. I can take shortcuts over uneven terrain, hop a few stairs, and be on my way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I recommend finding a bike that fits your specific needs. If you can only have one bike, find the bike that allows you to do everything. If you live somewhere that gets significant snow, if you live in a place with terrible roads and worse drivers, you may need that mountain bike. If you live in a city with as many shortcuts and stairs as potholes, you'll love the "Go Anywhere" ability. If you live in a very hilly environment, you'll love the climbing gear on your MB. If you have any interest in actually mountain biking, keep in mind that a mountain bike can do both while a road bike has to stay out of the trails.

If you live in a more suburban area, or somewhere as flat as Kansas or The Netherlands, or if you live somewhere with nice weather year round, a road bike is the way to go. The ride quality will be higher; you will feel light as a feather, fast as a Ferrari, and much more efficient than on your MB.

TL;DR:

Mountain Bike: true go-anywhere ability, safety sdvantage
Road Bike: better riding experience, faster, more efficient.


Bicycling 36 km per day in city traffic is feasible? I am planning (still in planning phase since last 1 month :( ) to use bicycle as my commute to and from office.

My office is around 18 km away from my home. Almost half the road will be full of traffic. Everyone in my family has already told me that 36 km per day will be too much and I wont be able to continue cycling for long time.

I am aware that initially it will be tough to go 36 km per day but I think after month or so my body will get used to it.

So I am wondering how much km do other people go per day? What are your experiences about cycling? and 36 km per day is too much distance?

Update : Finally I bought one cycle against everyone's suggestion (family members and friends) and started cycling to the office. I must say it is a tough job to start cycling after 10 years but I am enjoying it. It takes me almost the same time to reach office. On my motorcycle I used reach office in 40 minutes and on cycle it takes me around 50 minutes. Dust, pollution and other people yanking horns from behind is the biggest headache for me now. I hope that I will get used to it :)

Thanks everyone for your encouragement, suggestions and answers.

I have a co-worker who rides into work on a ~30 mile one way trip. It's no problem for him because he's a good cyclist, has a good bike, and is used to that kind of distance. He's got his saddle worked out, his form is good, his lights are good, and he knows his route.

The biggest problem he has is dealing with a locker room, and needing to move clothes back and forth. He usually drives in on Friday to haul his used up work clothes back his house.

The things I would focus on:

The logistics of clothes, weather, being clean, and your schedule.
Knowing how to fix a flat.
Having a back up plan when you wake up and it's raining/snowing/hailing outside.
Getting used to the mileage. If you've never really ridden before you'll be dealing with soreness, kinks, and gear issues.
Good bike maintenance. If you keep everything lubed up, fix little issues before they get big, and can do your own work (or most of it) you'll have a lot less problems.

I was riding my bike your distance to work when I was 14 years old, but I was also a competitive cyclist so the distance was nothing. A mid-range competitive cyclist can easily pack away 400 mile weeks in the winter so your co-workers are nuts that it's not possible given you have the body and bike to do it.


Road Bike or Mountain I have a 2014 Apollo Evade mountain bike that I have upgraded to ride on the roads for long journeys and commute. This bike now runs like a dream pretty fast for a bike that cost me £120 new plus £30 each for tyres (schwalbe city) and £50 each for lighter sports wheels. I roughly ride about 150 miles a week on average and have completed about 10k miles in 2 years. everyone I have spoken to suggest I should now upgrade to a road bike as it is more suited to my journeys but other than being lighter and quicker, what other advantages are there to me spending 5 times the amount that I have spent on my current bike? And I can cover 20 miles in 1 hour 10 mins on a MTB. And because of my good health and fitness I don't even feel tyred (ha ha) afterwards for riding something that quoted to be slow heavy and supposed to be used on mountains. What do you think is the best option stick with my MTB or go for a massive upgrade to a quality road bike? Please advise.

Salesman: Certainly you should upgrade you bike. You will go faster, further and leap tall buildings in a single bound. Woman will throw themselves at you, men will be intimidated by you masculinity.

Financial Advisor: Buying a bike worth 5 times as much to do the same job your current bike does is not a prudent financial investment. You should stick to the bike you have that is working perfectly well for you.

I cannot tell you who to listen to. What I will say is  £120 is a pretty cheap bike (BSO) and it would almost certainly be better to spend money on a better bike than upgrading it further. If you are happy with your current bike, I suggest start saving for a new one then ride the old one until buying a new bike is less about worry about what it costs and more about looking forward to riding a better bike.


Can anyone identify this frame possible brand Sergio? I bought a road bike frame with no manufacturers name and a barely visible sticker which I think says Nova, it has Sergio stamped on the seat stays where it meets the seat tube. The rear dropouts are campagnolo brev and it has cable guides welded to the top of the bottom bracket. There are no cable guides or mounts for shifters. Anyone any ideas?! Also got a box of parts with it, there's half a Shimano golden arrow groupset with it, and some old suntour derailleurs.  enter image description here

If the sticker looks something like this:

then it's probably Nova tubing and it might be a reasonably valuable bike.


If I use an 8 speed bar end shifter with the TT bar on my Allez, will I need to change any other parts of the drive chain? My current bicycle is a 2013 Specialized Allez C2. It has an 8 speed rear cassette. I'd like to put in a TT handlebar. It's a given that I'll have to change the brake levers, as well as the shifters and associated cables. Now, I spoke with a repair guy at Cynergy Cycles, and he said that there are no 8 speed front end bar shifters, so pretty much the whole drive chain would have to be replaced… I looked it up and found only one: a Shimano Ultegra SL-BS64 Shifter. Would that pretty much do the job? or would anything else need to be changed as well?

Pretty much any 8 speed Shimano-compatible bar end shifter will work if you're running a Shimano drive train (If you're running SRAM, you'd obviously need a SRAM compatible one).

Those will work, as will the ones from Microshift 8 speed among others. You'll need to re-run your cables, obviously, though.


Repair or Replace Shifters Two fold question. MTB has 7 speed cog and 3 chain-rings. Shimano Deore LX rear derailleur and Acera front derailleur with rapid fire shifters.

First, the right shifter will now only index four cogs. I've checked and adjusted the rear derailleur and even when cable is detached the shifter will only advance or descend four clicks. Is it repairable?

Second, can I replace the rapid fire shifters with grip shifters?

You can try saturating the shifter internals with wd-40, which may help. You're not going to find replacement parts, so they're typically not repairable.

7 speed shifters from Microshift or in Shimano's Tourney line or SRAM's Attack! line are compatible, so I'd suggest just spending the 10-20 bucks and getting one of those instead. The SRAMs are grip shifts, as are some of the Tourney shifters. The SRAM ones are probably a bit better quality (note the Attack! name; regular SRAM shifters will not work). The Microshift shifters and Shimano Tourney shifters will be easiest to find.

That being said, my 7 speed bike had the shifters go after higher quality than the bargain basement Shimano shifters weren't so easy to find (altus/acera+). I ended up moving to 8 speed and getting a good quality shifter.


Using WD40 for cleaning (not lubricating..) I plan on cleaning/re-greasing my rear derailleur this weekend, something I've never done before. I watched a video on youtube.. the guy wiped it clean first, then used a spray lube (dry I assume?!) to clean it.. I don't have a dry spray lube and wondered if I could just use WD40 to clean it, and then apply grease.

So two questions really:

Should I use WD40 to clean the derailleur?
After cleaning, should I apply dry lube then grease or just grease? If I apply dry lube won't the grease just slide off?

Cheers,
John.

I clean my stuff with Simple Green. Rinse. Simple Green. Rinse until clean.

I wouldn't use WD-40 if I were you though. I am not sure about the chemistry behind it but it is not a degreaser and there are plenty of other better options out there.

Don't use grease either. Use a light oil. And remove the excess. I keep an old toothbrush around to brush in all of the oil to make sure I have all the little pieces coated then wipe off any excess. Anything dripping or about to form drips is excess.

With grease and excess oil comes accumulation of dirt which is abrasive. By not using grease with is sticky and wiping excess oil you are effectively limiting the abrasives that stick to your chain.

I am not super sure of what you mean by 'Dry Lube' I think you mean either a Teflon based lube or lube that is meant for dry conditions. I have used Teflon-based stuff before and it was a pink, waxy mess. That could just be the brand though. All the bike shops around me use Tri-Flo. Thats what I use. I have a small bottle that has lasted for years.


How to test bike after upgrades? I've just finished my first 'big' bicycle related project in order to start and complete a small challenge of at least 100 days of riding a bike in 2017 :)

This project consisted of completely disassembling full suspension (aluminum) mountain bike to the last bolt, replacing bearings, switching from press fit bottom bracket to BSA/Hollowtech (adapter which is pressed into frame), upgrading entire groupset to higher end Shimano components, messing with hydraulic brakes (shortening hoses, bleeding), installing new chain, etc.

I know this is probably ordinary thing for someone who is  familiar with bikes and do this professionally, but this was my first time doing this and I'm a little concerned about safety (because I'm complete noob :) (To be specific, my biggest concerns are drivetrain, bottom bracket, chain length... as well as all other parts; except shocks for which I wasn't able to find service kits but they seem to be in good working order.) So far I've tested bike on a bike rack, I rode it in front of  garage and everything seems to be working properly.

However, since I don't want to crash and hurt myself I would like to know if there is reliable way to test what I've done... something like a checklist/guidelines for assembling and testing new bike?

Revised to make a more standalone answer, rather than rely on the context given by @FalseIdentity's question, and to incorporate some of the commentary.

As with all testing, we want to find problems, so we need to do things what will discover them. But we are also the test pilot, so we have to maintain safety.

Essentially, we need to test every aspect of the bike. Even though a bicycle is quite a simple machine, the list of what and how to test is fairly long.

The first thing to do, as mentioned in the question, is to systematically check that every part seems to be properly assembled and works, while the bike is on the work-stand or still in the workshop. So, as mentioned below, check the head assembly, the front and read brakes, the front and rear gears, the bottom bracket, the wheels. At this stage we are checking that every item is properly assembled and seems to work correctly. As @Criggie says, look at and wiggle everything. I find I need to explicitly carry out this step. Many is the time I've assembled a bike and discovered something later, because I had an interruption at some point.

The next stage is test the bike by riding it. We need to maintain safety, so the first thing is to test basic brake operation. And of course we want to test basic gear operations. We'll be riding back and forth in safe environment, and so we'll be implicitly testing the steering (head set) at this stage.

The first two things to test can be done together, then move on to the others

Start in a low gear, and test the brakes at low speed.
Test the gear changes to a higher hear, go a bit faster and brake harder. Listen, watch, and feel for anything unusual.
As you gain confidence that the brakes are working, build up to testing them with a full emergency stop. You don't need to be going fast, just brake hard. Be sure to test both brakes. Make sure the levers have full travel and don't touch the bars.
Now that you know the brakes work, test all the gears, changing up and down. First without any pedaling force, then under "normal" pedaling pressure. Stop the test if they are not perfect and go back to adjust them. Also see how they feel.
The next test is multi gear changes. Does it change through 2 or more steps at a time. This test depends on the level of gruppo you have. Cheapies have less ability in this area.
If all is well keep testing under more force until you're out of the saddle and changing to higher gears with the rear derailleur. A high end gruppo should do this flawlessly. The rider risk is dropping the chain; this can be painful so take care. A good derailleur should also cope with changing down under such high pressure but this tends to be needed less.
The big gear test is to change both at once. Again this is only for a high end gruppo. Use low pedaling pressure and drop from the big ring to the next smaller at the same time as you change up at the back. Don't do this out of the saddle or with much pedal pressure.
All through these tests you must have been riding someplace safe one way and turning back. Watch for stiff or loose steering.
Check the saddle height. Does it feel right? Be careful in your enthusiasm that you don't set it too high.
Notice how the pedals feel. If they feel loose, lumpy, or grinding then go back immediately to find and cure the problem.
Test the suspension. First with just your own weight, then with small bumps such as kerbs, then with bigger bumps and jumps. Does it feel right? Does it damp properly? Does it recover properly?
If lights or computer are fitted then test them. Computer sensors can be fiddly to get right.
Test the bell :-)


How to prepare a frame for a new paintjob I want to have my bike frame repainted.

What should I do before I give it to the paint shop? How would they like to have it prepared?

A few tips:

Painters don't know anything about bikes. If the paint shop is not specifically a bicycle paint shop, they may still offer to strip your bike of components for you. Don't let this happen! Most painters are unfamiliar with the intricacies of bicycle mechanics, and may improperly remove or damage some components, or not know or have the tools to remove others. For example, I've seen the pressed-in cups of the headset get painted over on more than one occasion.
Remove all the components. If you're not comfortable doing this yourself, a bike shop will be able to correctly do it for you.
Make sure the painters are aware of what needs to be masked off. Areas with exposed threads such as the bottom bracket, water bottle cages, braze-ons for racks, fenders, or brakes should not be painted over! If the paint goes on thick, you might not be able to use these threads without re-tapping them.
Don't worry about frame prep. This is what the painters do know how to do. They'll know the right methods for removing the old paint, such as sandblasting.
If your frame is being sandblasted, worry a little about frame preparation. Figure out what quality tubing your bicycle frame is made of. If it's heavy and thick, don't worry about it. However, if it's a nice, lightweight tubing such as most Reynolds brands, the tubing is in fact very thin at some points, and should not be roughly sandblasted! If the 'sand' is not fine enough, it may dent or severely weaken your frame.


How are hub dynamo lights wired and why does a rear light cause the front to come on? I have a bike with a Shimano hub dynamo, a B&M Cyo switched LED front (LED) light, and a B&M D-Toplight rear (LED) light.

With the rear light disconnected, things work as I expect:

When switched off, nothing happens when I spin the front wheel
When switched on, the front light comes on when I spin the wheel, and the standlight stays on when the wheel stops.

But when the rear light is connected:

When switched off, the lights still come on when the wheel spins, but not the standlight
When switched on, the lights and standlight come on.

In fact only one of the two wires needs to be connected to the rear light for the above to happen.

So what's happening?  I thought I knew how dynamo lights were wired, but clearly I'm missing something.  I assume conduction through the frame is involved somehow.

This has happened on two bikes (with the same type of lights and dynamo); on one the guy in the LBS said the back light was faulty, and fitted a different one which fixed the problem.

Some other information: On one of these bikes, until recently there were different symptoms when the dynamo plug was wired the other way around (I swapped the wires at the dynamo).  It stayed off when switched off, but the lights were significantly dimmer than it should be.

Shimano hub generators have an electrically connected axle (stupid but fact, it comes from the time when bicycle lights were connected unreliably using a single cable closing the circuit using the frame). Even modern rear lights have this electrical frame connection, too (B&M Cyo is clean in that matter). This means your circuit is built of two cables and one frame ... which may cause interesting effects.

Make sure that the marked cable (on cable pairs one is usually marked with a white line) connects to the connector marked with the ground symbol ON EVERY COMPONENT (generator, front and rear light).

Another solution is opening the rear light and cut the electrical connection of the screws used to mount the light. This voids warranty but you do not need to pay attention on cable ordering no longer.


Regenerative braking for braking assist I want to add regenerative braking to my bike, not for energy recovery, but as a braking supplement/assist on long downhills. Is anyone doing this and how effective is it?
A 3 phase hub motor IS a generator when freewheeling. All that's needed to create braking resistance is a load that can be switched in on demand. In fact, a short circuit might be effective if heat buildup in the windings can be managed. As an electrical engineer, I understand this much.
My question is, has anyone done it and how effective is it as an assist, not the primary brake?
Joe

Dynamic brakes are used on electric trains (sometime true regenerative brakes are not used because dynamic brakes are far simpler). I think they may also be used on trucks to regulate speed on long downhill roads.
You’d need a generator built into a wheel, like a dynamo hub, but somewhat larger to provide greater braking force. Power is dissipated in large resistors with cooling fins much like the cooler on an PC CPU. Depending on how sophisticated you want to be you could include a controller circuit to vary the braking force.
The issue is that all this adds significant mass to the bicycle, and the generator will create a non-zero resistance even when off (unless you provide a clutch to disengage it). Given that by definition you need to ride this bike up a hill in order to descend it, is the trade off worth it?


Do "trailer bikes" help kids learn to ride a bike on their own? I'm considering getting a trailer bike for my 3 year old (image below) but want to know if it will help or hurt progression toward him riding independently.

He's amazingly fast on his Strider no-pedal balance bike but hasn't shown much interest in riding his 12" "real" bike with training wheels.  I'm hoping a trailer bike might help him bridge the gap but in the interest of getting him to ride his real bike independently, would the trailer bike help or hurt the cause?

Thanks

He is 3..... he will do what he wants to, when and how he wants. I had a lot of trouble getting my boy off trainers (We did not go don the balance bike path). After many attempts involving removing them and putting them back on, I gave up and decided when he is ready (or old enough his peers laugh at him), he will want them removed. One day he just came up to me and asked me to take them off.

Choose you battles carefully - only pick ones you will win, and only fight those that must be won. This is not one of those battles.

So should you get a trail along bike? If its to get him riding quicker/better/faster absolutely not. if its because its a fun way to spend time together going at pace you can both enjoy then its a great idea.

There are towbar attachments that clip to  a standard bike, lift the front wheel and give a similar effect to the tow along - but if you boy wants to go solo for a bit, unclip and away he goes.  When/if he get to tired to do more riding, clip him back in and you do the work. refer What should I look for in a "trailer bike"/"tag-along" bike for a child?


What's the checklist when buying a second-hand frame? I am buying a second hand frame (Dawes 201 hybrid) build up (first time doing that, so exciting).

I'm paying cash on collection, so can back out if anything looks wrong. What should I look for on the frame to make sure it's up to scratch?.

Best in sunlight. Bring towel so you can wipe it down. Inspect all tubes and welds. Any crack is bad. Some times a surface crack on a weld is OK. Press and pull on the dropouts. Check the bearing surfaces. Take a seat post with you to be sure it will insert.  Ask questions about the history.


XTR Di2 front derailleur mount for Cannondale Scalpel 29r Is there an adapter to mount a XTR Di2 front derailleur on a Cannondale Cannondale Scalpel 29r?
picture of stock mount

Images from BikeRadar:

Done a bit of looking about and it looks like your frame takes an E-Type direct mount. Since the new XTR Di2 front mech uses a modular mounting system you'd simply buy the E-Type mount, bolt it to the frame and attach the FD to this.

I've gone off the photo above to determine FD mount type. Looks like the E-Type to me, so the mount here should be all you need. The picture on Chain Reaction Cycles doesn't show the correct mount. It should look like the image below!


What's this red cylinder thing below the front axle? Criggie: What's the red cylindrical thing on the drive side of the front fork? Is it part of the timing system?
Carel: They used 'simple' speed sensors in those days, no GPS! It is the sensor with a magnet glued to one of the spokes.
Criggie: I know about those (I have basic cateyes on all my bikes) but the big red "cowbell" looking thing in the picture above is way larger than any bike computer magnet sensor. Was it a transmitter to trip sensor wires laid over the roadway for timing segments/climbs ?
Carel: My guess is an aerodynamic housing for a wired reed-contact. Electronics weren't that sophisticated and transponders had the size of car-radios in those days.
Criggie: That's about a hundred times too large to a reed switch. Even in 1999, electronics were smaller than that.
And its not at all aero hanging down when it could have been in-line with a fork leg.
What's that red dangly thing below the front axle?
Cross-loaded from: Jan Ullrich's TT bike in la Vuelta 1999: why the bigger rear wheel?

I put this question to a bunch of bandit-bike nerds, and their consensus is that it is a timing chip, similar to a toll tag.


Looking for 26 x 1.6 tires is there an alternative. I have an old bike that my wife would like to get back riding now that we are near a bike trail. The tires on the bike are dry rot and I need to replace. Tire size is 26 x 1.6 having troubles finding a match. Any alternatives?

The 1.6" width is oddball, but you don't have to use 1.6" exactly. The common sizes in that area are 26x1.5 and 26x1.75. The frame will probably have clearance for both, although 1.75 is obviously a little larger so you'll have to check if you want to go wider.


What pressure should I run my Road Bike tyres at? There's a question for mountain bike tyres but I can't seem to find anything on here for road bikes. At the moment I'm running at around 90psi. Is that too much? too little?  Also, am I more likely to get punctures running at higher pressure?  I seem to be getting a lot lately.


Is there a weight limit for my mountain bike (Mongoose 29” excursion)? I have a Mongoose 29" Excursion Mountain bike. I'm 310 lbs. Is there a specific weight limit for this bike?

Every bike has a weight limit. It's likely in the manual, but usually non-racing bikes are in the range of 250-275 officially (which is often conservative). Unofficially, people go (much) higher, but 310 pounds is probably okay (I'm not a lawyer; this is obviously at your own risk). The 27.5" Excursion has an official 250 lb weight limit according to google, and I'd guess this is about the same.

The key part is to be gentle with the bike; don't jump it off curbs, etc. and it's more likely to last. My guess is that the weak point will be the spokes breaking in the wheels, but a bike shop could handle the replacement.

A lot of heavier riders in your weight group go for rigid/front suspension mountain bikes; think Trek 820 (the mountain bike), old Specialized Hardrock/Rockhopper's, Giant Boulder's, etc. These are a bit better at taking hits and aren't really designed with too much weight optimization in mind, so they should be good options. Used ones aren't too expensive in this class (sub 100-150 bucks, probably). Since you already have the bike, I'd probably suggest using it until (if?) something goes wrong. Then, if you haven't lost some weight, try one of those options.

If you want to google for a term, look for clydesdale / athena riders; bikeforums.net and other places have sections devoted just for them (clydesdale being heavy men, athena heavy women).


Are shifters compatible with different derailleurs? Can I simply choose one shifter without taking into consideration the derailleur that will be used with it and vice-versa?

No, different maker or different model with different number of "speed" shifters have different pull ratio (i.e. the length of cable pulled by a single shift).
Usually it's safe to use different model with same number of gears from the same maker.