How to reassemble a Shimano Alivio Shifter I need a diagram on how to reassemble a Shimano Alivio Shifter.  I just can't seem to get it right. I even disassembled the other shifter to see how it all fits together and now I can't get it assembled again either!  A diagram or instruction manual will help!

It just so happens I had one of these land in my garage for a fixup today.  So I've taken some photos of how it went.

tl;dr Answer Root cause lubrication. The pawl for up-shifting wasn't engaging the teeth.

This is for a Right hand shifter, for the REAR mech.  I assume a Left shifter for the FRONT mech is similar inside, with fewer teeth.

Remove the inner wire - it gets in the way during disassembly.  If its at all rusty or hard to pull through, then dispose and fit a fresh one.  They're cheap.  Leave all the outer housings in place unless they need replacing too.
Remove brake/shifter from handlebars - this probably means removing the grip and anything else in the way.
Clear your workspace - don't want to loose any parts.
Remove FOUR screws - two screws from underneath, one shouldered screw from on-top by the brake adjuster, and the brake reach screw.  Also remove the inner cable adjuster by unthreadding it, but don't lose the loose spring. Put aside.
Using a spudger or a flat screwdriver, separate the top cover near the brake wire adjuster.  It should rotate up around the 7 segment gear display and look like this one apart.
  Note this shows an inner wire in place - I've used a short piece as a demonstrator.  The clear plastic 7 slot display is on the main body in this photo.  It should slide out easily, and fit it to the cover instead.
Next lift off the small white nylon lever from the center of the main shaft.  Put aside.

Remove the last philips screw underneath.  Put aside.
With a suitable sized spanner, remove the big black hex bolt underneath.  You'll need to keep your finger on the other end of the main shaft, because the nut will rise out of its recess and simply spin.  Then remove bolt and nut, put aside.  You can take off the bottom cover too.

The brake lever and other bits of plastic should just come off now.  Put them all aside.  We want the main guts of the shifter, which look like this:

Now you have to find out why its not working.  For me, I could shift to a higher gear, but not to a lower gear.  The cause was this pawl around the back, that was not dropping down into the teeth and pushing.

So I fixed mine by washing with a small paintbrush and turpentine, allowing it to dry, and then wiped in a small amount of Lithium Grease using a finger.  I could have sprayed it but then these photos wouldn't work too well.

Reassemble is the reverse process.  Start by refitting the thin plastic ring, and then work down towards the bottom.  Insert main bolt.
Then flip the whole thing, and refit the bottom cover then the brake lever.  Make sure to get them lined up like this and that there are two holes the inner cable will pass through to get out - they have to line up.  Also, in other angles the upshift/finger lever will obstruct the brake or the bars.

Tighten up the main bolt (not too tight!)
Refit the white plastic pointer thingy.  This is best done in 7th gear like this:

With the display window fitted to the top cover, slide the display window into the bottom cover. Once its home, you should be able to click down the rear of the top cover.
Reinstall 4 screws and the cable adjuster.  Fit an inner cable and test.   Note if you don't have an inner cable, testing might get it stuck!
Refit to bike, recable, and all the usual things.

By Murphy's Law I had to do the left hand shifter too the next day.  Process was identical but mirrored left for right.  There are only three positions on the left shifter, so far fewer teeth on the internal cogs.

No pics of the left shifter because someone else had used adhesive glues to stick several broken pieces back together.

The underlying problem was identical - a pawl was stuck in a position where it could not contact a tooth.  Turps and lube was the fix.

One thing that messes me up is trying to count the effective positions, in that you don't count Clicks or Presses of lever.  Instead, the first position is #1 and one click takes you to position 2 etc.  So a three position left shifter has TWO clicks.  I spent an embarassingly long time trying to find the third click.


How to separate ODI grips from lock on clips? Are there any tricks to separating ODI grips from lock on clips. I'm worried that if I go at them with a screwdriver I'll end up damaging the clips.

If you put a flat blade screw driver into the bar whole with the blade between the clip and the grip and gently pry it away from the grip by leveraging on the opposite side of the clip, it should pop off. Or just pull hard with your hand.


How to tell if a tire should be replaced? I don’t know how old this tire is. There are small cracks along the sides. In the inside the rubber coating is stripping and peeling. Is this tire still usable? Air has been going out of my tube rapidly lately, in about a day, but I’m not sure it’s from a puncture, maybe a bad valve.

A tire's job is to (not a complete list):

Stay attached to the rim
Protect the tube from damage
Contain the pressure inside the tube (this is why the pressure rating is on the tire and not the tube)
Provide a good connection to the ground

Tubeless tires also do the job of the tube.

The tube's job is to:

Hold air

In the drawing below you have a "Clincher" tire.

A simple guide on the essentials of wheels, rims, and tyres

You have two different problems.

Your tire is badly oxidized which compromises it's ability to do all four of the things listed above. You need to replace the tire.
Your tube is leaking air. This has nothing to do with the condition of the tire. You need to find the leak and replace or repair the tube.


square taper bonded to crank arms I have had a terrible time trying to remove crank arms from the square taper spindle. The tool used correctly just was forced out and stripped the threads. The left-hand side was about half off and I managed with some cutting to get it off. The drive side with hammering and cutting and even drilling so far has not yet been removed. On closer inspection inside the interface after some cutting, it seems that the two metals steel spindle and aluminium crank arms have almost been bonded together. What causes such a thing to occur???
Is it dry mounting? overtightening with pneumatics? I have noticed this is a feature on decathlon bikes as even removing the crank arm screws was very difficult and involved power tools. Is this a common flaw of the square taper system or is it an incorrect mounting procedure by the manufacturer? If I am to attempt to stick with this system and replace the crankset do I use anti seize mounting paste in future or grease or abandon such system for the external bottom bracket ie hollowtech.

You just need to use a thin layer of grease to prevent bonding between steel and aluminum. Also if you’re having great difficulty when removing the crank arms, spray some liquid wrench in there and wait. Make sure that the puller is fully screwed onto the external crank arm threads to avoid stripping as opposed to partially screwing them on. Finally, remember that force over time means that applying less force over a greater period of time is equivalent and often greater than a large amount of force applied all at once I.e. strong arming. What that means is that you can set up some tension on the puller and leave it, and just keep applying a little more tension if it still won’t budge. Almost like magic, it will give way eventually.


What is preferred lacing for PowerTap wheel build? I've done quite a few wheel rebuilds to make them stronger, but haven't built up a wheel around a PowerTap (SL+) yet. This will be for a training set for a fit triathlete. Raw weight is not an issue, but he's probably putting a few watts done for hours at a time.

My inclination would be to do my "standard" rear wheel build, drive side X3 and non drive side Radial, but wonder if there are pros/cons to other lacings when power is involved.

According to the FAQ on their website:

  Note: PowerTap hubs must be laced with a minimum 2 cross pattern to avoid damage to the hub and maintain the warranty."

That suggests that making the non-drive side radial could lead to warranty issues. Radial lacing does stress the flange more than tangential lacing so many hub manufacturers do not allow it. To work on a driven wheel it also needs a certain amount of torsional flexibility in the hub which large-flange solid hubs don't have (Rohloff, PowerTap for example).

I would go with a ye olde traditional 3x lacing, and lean more towards 2x and bladed spokes than other options if the rider wants to spend more money.


Chain lube that won't repaint my legs? Because I have sometimes spent a lot of time digging around for bike parts and only discovering the existence of something awesome after many hours of browsing, I'm wondering whether there could exist a type of chain lubricant that wouldn't be so dirty. On my current bikes, even if I roll up my pants, I'm bound to get greasy dirt somewhere (assuming I don't have a chainguard).

I could imagine that the tradeoff would be that this has to be applied more often or something (thus being less widely known because lay people want worry free bikes).

The answer is not really. Chains are dirty and they get you dirty.

Dry lubes tend to be better than wet lubes in this regard, but they'll both quickly get your legs dirty. But dry lubes are normally not considered to be good for wet riding.

You can clean your chain periodically (e.g. Park Tool CM-5.2 Cyclone (TM) Chain Scrubber, which clamps onto the low tension part of the chain, runs the chain through a pool of cleaner with some foam and bristles to scrub it as you back pedal), and relube it, but the crud from road and stuff will make any lube dirty quite quickly. Some more elaborate and thorough ways of cleaning a chain (with considerably more work) are outlined here.

The other options are chain guards or full chain cases (possible with an IGH if you need gears) or belt drive. And tying your pant legs helps a good amount too.

Edit: I've added some notes on chain cleaners from some chain manufacturers (Shimano, KMC, SRAM). Follow at your own desire. Many people use chain cleaning machines like the Park Tool CM-5.2 or remove their chains and soak them in a solvent for a bit, but manufacturers are generally against this. YMMV. FWIW, I own a CM-5.2, but I don't use it very often.

KMC does not recommend the use of a chain cleaner like the Park Tool CM-5.2 (in the CG-2.2 kit):

  Clean your chain after every ride, especially after riding in the wet.

  Always use a piece of dry cloth to clean the chain.

  Do not forget the sprockets, front changer and derailleur pulleys.

  To remove mud or sand, use the bristle brush (which comes with every 120ml packing of KMC’s chain lube Pro), use light soapy warm water, if necessary.

  Do not use acidic or alkali based detergents (such as rust cleaners), these can damage the chain and may cause breakage.

  Do not dip your chain in (aggressive) degreasers - they remove the remaining grease from the chain’s bearings, and may cause cracks. They are also bad for our environment.

  If the chain is really dirty and difficult to clean, besides using a brush for the inside, try putting some solvent on a cloth and use it to clean the chain’s exterior.

  Try to avoid a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This will instantly ruin your chain.

  Some lubricant brands advise you to completely degrease the chain, KMC does not recommend this.

Shimano recommends wiping the chain with degreaser.

  In dusty conditions you can wipe off the outside of the new chain with a rag that is wet with a gentle degreaser to keep dirt from sticking to the grease.
  and
  Maintenance interval depends on the usage and riding
  circumstances. Clean regularly the chain with an
  appropriate chaincleaner. Never use alkali based or acid
  based solvents such as rust cleaners. If those solvent
  be used chain might break and cause serious injury.

  You should periodically wash the chainrings/sprockets in a neutral
  detergent and then lubricate them again. In addition, cleaning the chain
  with neutral detergent and lubricating it can be an effective way of
  extending the useful life of the chainrings/sprockets and the chain.

(From Shimano SI-09R0A-002-00)

From SRAM Technical Manual 2010:

  Clean dirty chains before oiling. Do not use any acidic agents. Cleaning agent must be rinsed off after a few minutes with water. Apply oil after chian is completely dried.

  Regular lubrication will extend the chain's service life. Apply oil to the chain links rollers and allow to work in.


DBS 10 Speed Conversion - Bottom bracket? I have dismantled and thrown away the old parts of this DBS 10 Speed bike I'm converting to a fixed-gear. Yesterday I received a 48T Espresso crankset, but now I wonder which bottom bracket to get. The shell width is 68mm. Can anyone help me to get the right size for a bottom bracket?

The bike as I found it originally

The bike after I have stripped it down

This may be one of those bikes with a weird scandanavian bottom bracket, called a fauber bottom bracket.  Not even sheldon mentions this style on his site.

You may need to get an adapter to adapt this to fit english thread bottom brackets
http://fixedgearbikes.blogspot.com/2010/04/fauber-bottom-bracket-adapter.html

The link will send you to a finnish website, so you may need to call (the owner speaks english) to place an order.

After putting in the adapter, you should be able to use any standard english bottom bracket. Just want to make sure you get the right spindle length on the new BB.  107mm should probably work if you're running the chainring on the outer facing side of the crank spider, 110mm if you're bolting the chainring to the inside of the crank spider. Probably wouldn't be bad if you got a longer spindle than you needed though.  Your crank may come with specs for a preferred spindle length.

See wikipedia entry about bottom brackets for more details.

Here is another link to fish for info:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/372038-Swedish-Norwegian-Bottom-Brackets-One-piece-cranks


Can I switch 44 teeth Chainring to 50 teeth System: Shimano Claris 2000, 1x8 speed.

The answer is maybe. Mostly depending on if you will have enough clearance on your chainstay. According to this chart, a 44 tooth chainring would have a diameter of 184.6mm, while a 50 tooth chainring would have a diameter of 208.8mm, that's an extra 12.1 mm (24.2mm ÷ 2), or just under a half inch of clearance over what you would have already.
If you don't have enough clearance, you could get a bottom bracket with a slightly longer axle. Although you shouldn't push it too far as you will have problems with the chainline if your bottom bracket axle is too long.
See the image below to see how a larger chainstay could have problems with chainstay clearance. Also, as mentioned in the comments, you will need a longer chain.
According to this answer. You should keep about 4mm as minimum clearance between the chainstay and the chainring.


Homemade handlebar tape? Because road bikes are usually ridden on smooth surfaces, the pedals scraping against the asphalt/gravel/cobblesones/tree roots/sand/mud/dead branches seem to protect the frame and drivetrain against damage. However, the handlebars, instead of projecting metal butts to the inhospitable environment, offer the gentle bar tape of the drops to absorb all the kinetic energy.

At 10EUR/pair, this turns out to be a rather expensive consumable.

One solution I can imagine is homemade bar tape. Some kind of fabric perhaps?

Another would be some protection for the exposed parts of the handlebars, possibly including the very expensive STI levers.

How can crashing with a road bike be made more economical?

If you want to make your bar tape last longer, there are a couple approaches you can take: repair it when it is damaged, or invest in longer-lasting bar tape. Even though it seems like it might be harmless, I would not use improvised bar tape, or no bar tape, or some flat, non-absorbing tape like household electrical tape, as it is actually an important component for both comfort and safety.

Along with the seat and the pedals, the handlebar is a primary contact point between you and your bike. All of the vibrations your bike feels are transmitted through these contact points. If you try riding a bike without bar tape, your arms will feel those vibrations much more than they would with something to absorb that shock, your arms will get tired much faster. At best it is uncomfortable to ride like this, and at worst it is dangerous, and can make it difficult to use your brakes properly.

Cheap tape will fray, dry out, or fall apart sooner than nice bar tape. If it does start to fray or fall apart, or if you crash and damage part of it, you can wrap electrical tape around the damaged area to repair it. This will usually hold as long as you need it to.

Personally I have started using synthetic leather bar tape (Brooks) as it is much more durable than the cheap stuff (2 years old, used almost daily, little sign of wear), and does a really good job at absorbing that vibration. It is heavier and thicker, though, so it's probably not what you'd want to put on a racing bike.


Saddle Wash and take care and Maintenance Can I wash saddle with soapy water? How can I take care of my saddle?

My saddle is the GT MTB Saddle, which is made from synthetic materials.

It depends on the type of saddle.

Leather saddles should generally be kept away from water and conditioned periodically. There are many pages on maintaining a leather saddle such as this one and this question and this FAQ from Brooks -- see the documentation that came with your saddle (or find the details from the manufacturer.

Plastic/Vinyl/other synthetics are generally quite hardy and should be fine with a gentle soap and water (but check with the manufacturer of the saddle -- yours may be different). They generally don't require any upkeep. While probably not ideal, I normally use a Clorox or Lysol wipe on my saddle when I wake up and find that a squirrel has defecated on my saddle -- I'm not entirely sure what makes squirrels like bicycle saddles.


Is bicycle Helmet really effective? Sorry  I am new in bicycling , but I think  the head is least like to be in contact with any other things during crash normally down from head rather the head might come in contact in other vectors . So I am curious how effective bicycle helmates are .

Bicycle helmet is to protect the head, which has the most important organ in human. You could still live a normal life even with broken/ lost limb(s). But a head injury could change your life forever. A helmet is like a wall between life and death. The priority goes by protecting the most important thing to you first (i.e. your life), not by preventing the most common injury.

Having a priority list, you could fulfil the ' safety pyramid' for extra protection, e.g. helmet, arm/leg guard, gloves, boots. However, it is impractical to get a full body armour for just cycling. The risk of body injury that could lead to life and death situation whilst cycling is rather small. Thus, this is often ignored.

As Frisbee also mention, the brain is also a very sensitive organ. Yet, a seemingly  'minor' damage to the brain is often lethal. Therefore, the head needs protection, albeit a small possibility.

I have witnessed two head injury accidents (while cycling) in my life. One happened a few building block away from my house. It was a classic cornering accident type. The person lost balance (clipped the pavement), and hit her head directly to the pavement (no helmet). She unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene.

The second incident happened on the street. The person was riding in a freezing condition. It is with such unfortune that the person lost control on a straight road and hit his head on the raised curb. He is fiancé of my wife's friend. He is still in coma at this moment (since 3 years ago).

Needless to say, your argument is flawed. It is similar to a statement that: 'I have never been in an accident that an airbag is activated, so is airbag redundant?'


Biking against traffic on a one-way streets in Europe My recent experience with new Google Maps shows that it constantly leads me against traffic on a one-way streets in Europe in general and in Poland (where I live) in particular.

Are there any laws or regulations for this?

I assume Google wouldn't set a track that would violate local laws. But, on the other hand, it seems quite unnatural for me to bike against traffic on a one-way street.

And recently I have found a typical one-way street with a typical one-way signs on both ends:

And each sign was additionally labelled with a special label saying "Bikes excluded", which would suggest that biking against traffic on a one-way streets is strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated.

In Holland, were I assume cycling is much more common than in Poland, the kind of traffic sign you describe are abundant (see example, "uitgezonderd" is Dutch for "except for").

And cycling against traffic in a one-way street without the sign is indeed illegal. The same rules seem to apply in Poland, though I cannot find a reliable source for Polands cycling laws. As to why Google Maps suggests those routes remains a mystery, but it doesn't seem to happen only in Poland, see this link


Bottom bracket cup doesn't fit on non drive side I'm replacing the crankset and bottom bracket on my old steel frame road bike, which looks like this one, so I'm guessing it's from around 1985.  I picked up a 68 mm square taper bottom bracket and found that I couldn't fit the non drive side bottom bracket cup in.  The drive side is fine, but the other one can't fit in at all, even with all the other parts removed (to ensure nothing was getting in the way).  The old one (from a cottered crank) fits in fine and rotates without problems, and there doesn't seem to be any deformation or damage.  Do I simply have the wrong part? Is the possible the part is defective?

Here is a picture of the bottom bracket. I don't have calipers so I couldn't get a decent measurement, but the left cup seems bigger, and the pictures seems to confirm this.

Is it possible that you bought an Italian threaded bottom bracket for an English shell or vice versa?

For the two scenarios above, compare the two cups of each bottom bracket to themselves (ie old to old, new to new) by placing them outside down on a flat surface. Now look at the threads. Do they pitch in the same direction or opposite? If the threads pitch in opposite directions then you have an English bottom bracket, which is more common. If they pitch in the same direction, you have an Italian bottom bracket, which is less common, but can be mistaken for English as the drive side cup has the same pitch and TPI as an English drive side cup- the width is just a little different. Here's the best ASCII diagram I can muster:

Italian drive side
||
||/////|
||/////|
||/////|
||

Italian non drive side (same thread direction as drive side)
||
||/////|
||/////|
||/////|
||

----------------------

English drive side
||
||/////|
||/////|
||/////|
||

English non drive side (opposite thread direction as drive side)
||
||\\\\\|
||\\\\\|
||\\\\\|
||

It would be easy to mistake an Italian BB for an English one (or the other way around) as the drive side cup would thread in fine and the width is very similar. Once you get to the non drive side is where you would run into trouble, which matches up pretty well with the problem you described.


What bike have I bought? Can anybody help me identify this bike? It's a Claud Butler with Reynolds 531 steel - that's all I know.

This is a standard English manufactured sport bike probably from the mid-60's.

It used freewheel type hubs and from what I can see you appear to have modified the rear wheel with a seven speed freewheel. The original rear triangle spacing was probably 125 mm and the seven speed uses a 127 mm spacing. Usually someone would re-space the rear triangle and put a spacer on the right side of the axle and normally they would not re-center the rim. This would cause the wheel to be slightly off-center in the stays. It usually had no deleterious effect.12speed


Can I put a 10 speed 11-36 cassette on a Road Bike with a 50/39/30 crank? I have a road bike with a Shimano 10 speed 105 group (2007).  It has a triple 50-39-30 crank. I want to put a 11-36 cassette maybe the Shimano Deore XT CS-M771 10-Speed Cassette  (Note: I can’t find an 12-36 cassette for sale).  The way I understand capacity  I would need 45t (50+36=86 30+11=41 86-41=45).

First is the shift ratio of my 2007 Shimano 105 10 speed shifters compatible with the derailleurs listed below:

The Shimano Deore XT RD-M772-SGS Shadow Rear Derailleur appears to have the 45t capacity but is rated for 34t max cog.

The Shimano XT RD-M780 Shadow Rear Derailleur SGS is rated for a 36t max cog but only has a 43t capacity.

Harris Cyclery list their Shimano XT RD-M772 Shadow SGS Rear Derailleur Top Normal as having a 36t max cog, this may be an error or what they have successfully run.  They want full list price of $129.95.

Most likely yes, the M772 will work.  As you have already calculated, the capacity is within spec, and the maximum sprocket size is out of range by just 2 teeth.  In my experience this is very likely to work, so long as the rear dropout on your frame is not especially near to the axle, and so long as you tighten the "B screw" more than normal with a smaller cassette.

Whatever you do, don't buy a "Dyna-Sys" model, because they aren't compatible with your shifters.  This rules out the M780.

Also note that with the super-low gear of 30x36, you do somewhat increase the chances of breaking a rear spoke (or the chain) if you put a large amount of force into the pedals with such low gearing.  This isn't a big concern, but don't get carried away with it unless your body weight is quite low.


Mavic Road UST Repair I have a small cut in the rear tire on a road Mavic tubeless tire. Is there a way to patch this, or do I basically just have to buy a new tire?

update

So I took the tire off the rim and saw that there was no pool of sealant inside, so I added more and aired it up, it plugged the leak after a little bit, and I've had it sitting with 100psi in it for a couple hours and it hasn't leaked. I'm kinda sketched about riding it, but also don't want to spend $80 on a new tire as this one only has a few hundred miles on it.

[A photo would help] Is tire's cord actually damaged, and does air escape from the hole? If cord is OK, «'tis but a scratch». Use sealant to cure it, it is meant to plug holes several millimeters in size, and it should be there anyway for a tubeless setup.

If it is an actual hole, you can try using some sort of a tire boot, starting from those offered commercially and ending up with a multitude of DIY solutions e.g. a folded money bill. It is supposed to work with an inner tube. I do not think you will be able to continue using that tire in a tubeless mode.

Given that a road tire has very low air volume, any blowup after tire boot's failure will empty it in no time. Finding oneself with a missing tire while having speed of a typical road race's descent is not the brightest perspective. I would recommend retiring that tire.


Is there a difference of spacing between cogs on a 7 speed cassette vs a 8 speed cassette? Is there a difference of spacing between cogs on a 7 speed cassette vs a 8 speed cassette?

When I got a new wheel (upgrade from freewheel hub), I tried to get a 7 speed cassette (SRAM) for it, but the local shop didn't have the spacers for the hub.  Instead I swapped it out for a 8 speed cassette (SRAM), but kept the 7 speed shifters (shimano EF-51).  I have a few gears in the lower and middle gears where the chain constantly tries to jump between.  The higher gears are fine.  The issue mostly went away when the tension on the cable was adjusted, but not completely.  I noticed it may have moved the issue to another part of the cassette.

Update Soon after posting this I replaced the cassette with a proper 7 speed and all the issues went away.

Yes, there is. Shimano/SRAM & compatible seven speed is 5mm cog-to-cog, and eight is 4.8mm. Generally what you're trying to do here can't be made to work very well. There are some tricks that without any additional parts can increase the movement of the derailer, but not decrease it. Also if you have a true 7-speed-only chain (not common anymore but they exist, KMC Z50 is one example) it won't work well on 8.

A shop not having anything to offer to make the conversion work is pretty unfathomable. The "correct" spacer is a 4.5mm one, but the only thing that makes it correct is that's the number that locates the cassette exactly where an actual Shimano 7-speed hub would, so you could theoretically swap wheels without adjusting the derailer. Any other stack of correct internal diameter spacers in the 4-5mm or so range will still work, so if this shop was too new-stuff-oriented to have a 7->8 spacer, they should just sell you a 2.5mm bottom bracket spacer (ubiquitous modern shop item) plus a 1.8mm 10->11 hub spacer (ubiquitous modern shop item). That will work perfectly.


Replace Crankset Claris with 105 Can I replace Shimano Claris crankset FC-2450, 50/34t for Shimano 105 53/39t?

The FC-2450 uses a Octalink bottom bracket. A newer 105 crankset would be a Hollowtech II, so at the minimum you'd need a new bottom bracket. You'll also need to make sure you can position the front derailleur for the change in teeth (probably can), and probably get a new chain to account for the extra teeth.

That being said, if you want a bit of change in gearing, changing the cassette rather than the crankset is probably easier and cheaper.


Effect of drinking coffee before riding? I'm 173 cm with about 45 kg weight (underweight). In the same ride of 30 km with short but steep uphill and downhill, if I drink coffee I tend to feel better when riding, but about two hours after the ride I would feel weak and shaking. Note that I drink about 150 ml moccachino. I don't feel like this if I don't drink coffee.
Is there an explanation to this? Am I maybe intolerance of coffee? Maybe I don't eat enough? Personally I don't really enjoy the taste of anything other than moccachino.

A recent documentary on the BBC in UK covered some aspects of ingesting caffeine prior to exercise. A written summary is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/23hqLh1TYQqZdql7GkqQZ1L/which-types-of-exercise-benefit-from-caffeine

Without reviewing the science in detail, it basically suggests that for endurance type activities, caffeine blocks receptors in the body, leading the brain to "perceive" less pain and fatigue, allowing someone to exercise longer. The article states an optimum amount of caffeine to be 3mg per kilo of bodyweight (somewhere between 1 and 2 large cups of filter coffee for average man / woman). To experience the benefit you should drink the coffee approximately one hour before starting the activity, and the effect will last for "a few hours". If you regularly drink a lot of coffee (or take other sources of caffeine), it is likely the impact will be reduced.

Your experience may just be the effect of the coffee / caffeine wearing off, plus any lessened impact due to the amount of caffeine you ingest on a daily basis.

Of course, other factors may be causing your fatigue, but your question specifically asked about effects of coffee / caffeine.


Trouble with tension adjuster screws on 2012 Kona Unit Here is the drive side screw on my 2012 Kona Unit:

The problem is the screw is very difficult to move and adjust tension.

It's so bad that I stripped the hex head used to adjust the tension, although it may be hard to tell in the photo.

Fortunately, I figured out a workaround to get the screw moving again:

I can snug these nuts together with a couple wrenches, and then wrench one of them to move the desired direction.

It appears that something is going on with the threading. After the screw moves through the frame, the threading on the screw looks different, it is sort of 'flatter'. I could not capture a good photo of this.

My question is, what to do next to fix the problem of the hard-to-adjust screw? I would like to replace the screw itself, at the very least because the hex head is stripped, but also because the threading on the screw could be the problem, or maybe the screw is bent? I just hope it is not the threading on the frame that is causing trouble. Basically, I just need one of the adjuster screws from this:
https://www.probikeshop.com/en/gb/kona-cmphcc-derailleur-hanger/84435.html
But not the entire hanger assembly. Any ideas where to go to find something? Should I try the hardware store?

I ended up taking the frame into the LBS, and they removed the old bolt from the frame using my work-around. I purchased some replacement bolts from the hardware store, and with some lubricant, they slide into the frame nicely. It seems like the old bolt was damaged, and the frame is fine.


Where does the energy loss in cycling go proportionally? If you are biking on level ground with no wind, I understand that there are losses inherent in your activity which you provide effort to overcome  (if you want to maintain a steady speed):

Air/wind resistance
Rolling resistance
Friction losses
?

I am wondering if there has been any significant analysis into what percentage of the overall energy exertion goes to which loss. Something like "70% of the energy loss is due to X, 15% to Y" etc.

I know that this will vary based on the type of bike, tire pressure, posture, speed, wind speed, etc, but I am curious if there has ever been an in-depth analysis into the breakdown of energy loss in cycling.

I care about far more than just drag, which is the only variable the related question addresses.

Yes, there has been tons of in depth analysis on this, and the equations are rather simple so you can answer the questions for yourself given different scenarios using the Equations of motion for cyling

Assuming you are on a road bike, on a flat road, with reasonable tires, the vast majority of energy is overcoming aerodynamic drag, about 70-80%

After that, the rolling resistance of the tires will be the biggest power draw, at around 20%

You will notice that doesn't leave much room for anything else! Next up would be total drivetrain losses are typically in the 2% range.

Of course as you go uphill, energy begins to be spent overcoming gravity, changing these ratios.


How to tell if a chain should be replaced with park chain checker when it doesn't fit? I have a park chain checker CC-3.2 which has two sides to indicate when a chain reaches .5% and .75% wear.

However, since I often have some filthy chains due to off-road riding and daily commuting and multiple bikes, I lose track of which ones are worn a little and which ones are worn a lot, Especially after a winter of commuting in salty east coast slush, fine sandy spray from the rainy season, and dirt/sandy stuff flying off my tires from rail trails and singletrack. I've definitely had chains worn well over 1%.

So, Other than performance issues, when neither the .5% and .75% sides of the chain checker fit, how can I tell whether a chain is relatively new (and not well worn) or whether it's really worn (probably past 1%) just using my super basic chain checker?

Does it fit differently or is there anything specific to look for while it's sitting on the chain?

To rephrase: If I have two chains, one with say 0.25% wear and one with 1.25% wear and neither chain allows the indicators on the Park CC-3.2 tool to drop between links, how do I tell the difference? Can I do that by just looking at the park chain checker?

As Argenti Apparatus indicated the "go" / "no go" wear gauge such as the CC-3.2 indicates that the elongation has not yet reached 0.5%.  If you want some sort of measurement below that (i.e., 0% to 0.5%) you will need to use a different gauge such as the CC-2, measure the inter rivet difference via a ruler, or use a pair of Vernier calipers to measure the roller to roller difference then convert it to a percent stretch.

Using Vernier Calipers

My preference is for the Vernier caliper approach as I could it to give very reliable and repeatable measurements if done right.  Methodology can be found in this answer.

Example of an inner link measurement (10 links apart)

I use the lookup table below to convert an inter-roller distance 10 links apart to percent stretch (calibration methods can be found here)

Predicting Service Date

I then periodically take a few measurements to predict service dates using a regression approach, such as the example below for a KMC X11-SL chain.  As you can see wear rate is fairly linear so extrapolating outside observed data range isn't too problematic (assuming we use the chain under similar conditions).  In this case, the regression model predicts it will be time to change the chain at about 3,250 km.   If you want to get even more complicated it is fairly straight forward to add confidence intervals to the prediction, then check again at the lower confidence bound.


Greasing a roller brake in a difficult spot! I have a Gazelle cargo bike with Shimano Nexus roller brakes. I know these need to be greased fairly regularly. Unfortunately the bar from the carrier is right on top of the hole for adding the brake grease. Does anyone know of some sort of bendy tube or a way of getting the grease in the hole without dismantling the whole of the front wheel. I'm not mega bike savy so I'd not feel very confident about unscrewing the whole lot to apply the grease. Thanks in advance.

According to this answer in reply to a question about what grease to use with Shimano roller bakes, it's important to use the proper Shimano roller brake grease and to apply it into the hole properly. The Shimano grease comes in a tube with a nozzle that facilitates proper grease application.

  Very important to follow the instructions that come with the grease - main point is to insert the grease tube nozzle at least 12mm into the hole otherwise the grease will not reach the actual braking surface.

Simply pushing grease into the hole will not be effective. Some sort of extension made from rubber or flexible plastic tube would work as long as it can be inserted into the hub far enough.

I don't think you are correct in the assertion that roller brakes need to be greased often. According to the Shimano instructions grease only needs to be added when the brakes are not working well or are making noise.


Asymmertric Wheel Valve Stem Hole Placement I have just purchased a new bike. It came with Fulcrum Racing 700 Disc Centrelock Wheelset. I noticed the valve stem hole machined into the rim is off centre. I queried this with the technical desk of the company I purchased the bike from and was told that it was correct. Apparently, due to the asymmetric construction of the wheel it is produced that way to add more material on one side of the rim and thus increase its strength. Your thoughts/comments/is this BS or is it correct?

Yes, it's normal, a quick google gets many hits dating back several models/years

It's mentioned in this review:

https://road.cc/content/review/234000-fulcrum-racing-5-disc-brake-wheelset


Riese Muller with Bosch performance CX not engaging immediately since the firmware in my ebike engine Bosch performance CX gen 4 has been updated, I am noticing a strange beahviour, that is, when pedalling, the engine (or the rear wheel pawns) will not engage immediately.
Similar to this. Sort of a gap before the engine kicks in. The issue will show in a very perceivable manner when riding:

When the bike is moving already, you stop pedalling
The bike keeps moving
You start pedalling again - this is when the defect is perceivable

Now, I am not sure 100% if this was happening before, as the firmware update, which added more torque, might enhance a beahviour which wasn't initially perceivable with less torque.
So I went to an authorised Bosch service support, and they got in contact with Bosch in Germany, who asked them to make some tests, but from their point of view there's no issue on the engine.
The man at the service thinks that the issue could be due to either:

A different freewheel pawls number in the rear freehub and the engine ones
A low freewheel pawls number (31) in the rear freehub. As for this, the man said that freewheel pawls in professional grade freehubs can go up to 400, ensuring the "grip" is immediate without any gap when you begin pedalling.

I really don't understand why this "gap" was not noticeable before the engine firmware upgrade, but I am quite unhappy as for this feeling...
The chain has been replaced two weeks ago after 1400Km, and it's difficult to say id this defect happens when the engine is off. The bike shift is a derailleur.

The 2020 Bosch performance CX firmware update does change the algorithms for adaptive support in addition to increasing low-cadence torque.  It intentionally 'ramps up' the amount of assist more slowly than it did before when starting out/pedal pressure is low to get a more natural "bike that helps you" and less "pushy" feel.


What is the difference between city (urban) and mountain bike helmets? Is there any substantial difference between city (on the left) and mountain bike helmets (just examples)?

I understand that cycling in mountains is different in terms of risks from city commuting, however, my impression is that the safety standards do not distinguish the two.

In my case, I am looking for a helmet for city commuting. Can one say that a city helmet is provably safer in this case? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

In my impression the differences are:

Look: as a commuter/city biker you don't want to appear as colourful weirdo / stick out in the supermarket. The colours are therefore more casual. (I actually heard the industry believes one of the main reasons people don't wear helmets is their looks, and invested into designing them like beanies; I myself believe they are compared to scooter helmets unpractical - you cannot store them on the bike and have to carry them around)
Ventilation: as commuting is not considered a sport, you're expected to sweat less and in need of less ventilation. Some commuter helmets have (similar to ski helmets) even closable vents. Bear in mind, outdoor sport is biased towards nice weather. Commuting is done in any season. Probably many sport cyclists just skip rain cycling, where a commuter doesn't want to compromise safety (helmet) and a dry head (hat).

All studies concerning safety and protection don't indicate a difference. But some reports point out that the (European) safety standard for bike helmets has its flaws: only central hit from the top is tested, no side coverage tests, impact corresponds to a fall from 1.5m height (5 feet) and speed somewhere around 20 km/h (12.5 mph). The report claimed that side impact and higher speed impacts are where high price helmets and low price helmets differ, but it didn't get more specific. I am not aware of a safety difference as function of target user group.

EDIT: It appears the report I meant is not online anymore. There are traces of it here https://erfolgsebook.de/teuer-oder-billig-fahrradhelme-wiso-zdf/ (it was German public television who're not allowed to keep their material online).


Back wheel spokes keep breaking Bike was new around a year old. 8 of the back spokes broke and it went out of true. I had those repaired with a slightly stronger but spoke but now 2 more have broken including one of the thicker ones and it's out of true again.
I have a kiddie seat on the back and am wondering if this is somehow contributing to the breakages. Is there anything I can do to get a very strong spoke?
They are all breaking at the j hook location.

Usually spokes don’t break because they are too weak but because they have too low or uneven tension.

Even tension will distribute the load among several spokes. High enough tension will make sure that spokes are never unloaded completely since spokes should always be under tension. When a spoke is unloaded it can come loose or rub against the hub or other spokes. Even if it rubs or unscrews only a teeny tiny bit on each rotation it adds up. To ride 1000km you need about half a million rotations of the wheel.

Mixing spokes is a bad idea: The stronger spokes will stretch less, which contradicts the goal of distributing the load.

If the wheel is worth it, have it properly rebuilt (or learn to do so yourself, at this point you can’t make it worse). If the wheel is cheap it usually makes more sense to get a new one.


A two successive wheel trailer ; would it work? (followme-tandem) TL;DR Why does the followme-tandem have the kids front wheel off the ground?

I'm looking into the followme-tandem, which attaches a child's bicyle to the back of an adult's bike to make a trailer-bike. The child's front wheel is elevated from ground. I deduce from the manual that the connection swivels up-down around the adult's rear axis and left-right around a joint between the bikes.

I'm wondering why the product is designed to raise the front wheel in the air?

Would the bikes be difficult to ride if also the kid's front wheel would touch ground?

(The reason I ask is: I doubt I could support the extra weight in addition to the child seat and panniers I'm already carrying on my rack. So, could I not set up the follow-me so that the front wheel is in contact with ground, thus not needing vertical support?)

EDIT: Answer to my specific problem: There is no need to worry about supporting the extra weight. As long as the tandem is connected directly onto the axis of the parent's bike, the trailer produces no torque around the back axis! The weight goes directly to the wheel.

The follow-me tandem lifts the front wheel of the child's cycle off the ground because that's the only way to have stable handling on corners.

I made some primitive drawings to explain. Note that in these simplified drawings, the radius of the curve is exaggerated.

When the two bicycles are going in a straight line, it would be fine if there were four wheels touching the ground. The connection has to be rigid otherwise when the parent brakes, the child would ram into them.

Once you get to a corner, if the connection were rigid and the child's steering were locked out --  the front wheel doesn't have enough traction to actually force the turn. The three tracked rear wheels would force the front wheel to skid before it could make the bike turn. You also can't lean into the turn because of the three rear wheels.

But say the front wheel had infinite grip and the parent infinite strength -- the only way the rear would turn would be for the rear tires to lose grip, whipping the child around and maybe off the bike.

If the connection were rigid and the child's steering wasn't locked out, it would  look like this when traveling at speed. The parent's rear wheel is likely losing traction and skidding laterally at this point:

What would happen if the child's front wheel wasn't locked to the trailer attachment? Again centrifugal force would make the trailer act like a giant whip, jackknifing, and throwing the child off. Note the magnitude of the centrifugal forces acting on the rear bicycle would be greater than even the strongest of superlemur children and they would not be able to hold the handlebars straight to force the rear into alignment.

What happens if we have a hinged attachment but lock out the child's steering? Here, it would work but there's a lot of lateral force acting on the front tire of the child's cycle going around corners because it can't track properly. The worst case scenario is that it would actually roll the tire off of the wheel rim. The front wheel would eat the tube, lock, and the child would break their face on their handlebars. Not good childrearing practice.

Followme's design: By putting a hinge in the trailer attachment and by lifting up the front wheel, the bikes track properly. In my diagram, the child's green front wheel indicates that it's part of the trailer attachment and is now locked in position. There is still some centrifugal force (as with all trailers) trying to cause a jackknife but it is relatively manageable as long as the parent doesn't try to corner and brake hard at the same time (bad parent!).

Fine print: Images copyright by robokaren, cc-by-sa. And yes, I know that centrifugal force does not actually exist, but is a fictitious inertial force. However, it's still handy when explaining things to lay people. And yes, lemur children do have much grippier hands and feet than human children.


How long is chamois cream meant to be effective? In the context of long rides*, how often is chamois cream meant to stay useful (whether measured in hours,km or whatever)?  I typically don't carry it on the road, but wonder if a top-up might make the end of a ride more comfortable.

*To give a example of what I mean by "long": my longest single day ride so far was just under 20 hours/just over 400 km)

It massively depends on the brand/consistency of the cream, how much you use, and the weather conditions.

For me, a small amount of Assos cream will last 4-6hrs in normal conditions, but if its particularly hot (and hence sweating a lot) or if its rainy it lasts much less.

There are some products that are much more durable (morgans blue solid for example), but are also not easy to wash out of shorts again afterwards.

I never carry any with me on a normal ride, but it is always in my day bag if i'm doing a supported tour.  If I was doing something properly long like PBP or LEL i'd definitely take some.


Road STI with MTB Derailleurs Not that this question hasn't been asked to death but I'm experiencing very poor shifting, here's my setup:

Shifters: ST-5700 (10-Speed Road)
Derailleur: M6000-SGS (10-Speed MTN)
Cassette: Sunrace CSMX3 11-42T (10-Speed MTN)
Adapter: Wolftooth Tanpan Inline 10-Speed (Mounted on cockpit)

My issues are shifting up into the middle ranges 18 - 24t, it's not very precise and I need to click the lever a little over. Then there's shifting down into the 11t which it struggles at times. Is there a way to solve this? I've tried mounting the tanpan on the derailleur, adjusting the barrel adjusters for better indexing but the shifting is never crisp and precise.

Shifters: ST-5700 (10-Speed Road) and Derailleur: M6000-SGS (10-Speed MTN) will not work - the pull ratio is different.  You need a 9-speed Shimano MTB derailleur.  A 9-speed derailleur works directly with older Shimano 10-speed shifters, and shifting will be "normal".  (IIRC, some of the newer 10-speed, sub-105-level shifters use a different pull ratio.)


Coaster brake question I have recently bought a bike with a coaster brake. After over 50 years of cycling with brakes on both handlebars I am finding it difficult. Is it possible to change a coaster brake for a conventional back brake on the handlebar?
Noreen

You can’t actuate a coaster brake with a brake leaver/cable, if that’s what you are asking.
You’ll have to install a normal, hand actuated brake and brake lever.
Apart from coaster brakes there are generally two types of brakes: Rim brakes and disc brakes. For rim brakes your frame will need rim brake mounting points and your wheel needs a rim with braking surface. For disc brakes you need a frame with disc brake mounting points and your wheel needs a disc brake hub.
For brakes with cables (i.e. not hydraulic), cable stops welded to the frame would be nice but a continuous cable housing works as well.
It’s quite likely your frame has mounting points for rim brakes. If you are lucky your wheel also has a rim with braking surfaces.


Steering Retrospec Speck 20" I just received the Retrospec Speck 20".

I'm a 69 y.o. 5'8, 160 lb woman and thought this simple bike would be easy to ride (single gear with rear pedal backward brake).

I could not ride it because the handle bar had me going 1 to 3 ft left or right despite my efforts to keep it straight. A friend, who doesn't like these bikes in general) thinks the straight handle bar is a big part of the problem.

I'm thinking of returning it but it is easy for me to fold & keep in my trunk (my last bike was stolen from our buildings bike room). Would you know if the handle bar can be changed on this bike?

I know a front brake can be added and would do that as well. Thanks for any advice.

  Stock image of this bike

I've never ridden one of these bikes.

I response to your question, I Googled to check it out. The reviews are not flattering.

But to answer your question, I see that the angle of the steerer and front forks looks very steep. I'm not surprised that it feels like you're all over the place. Combined with the narrow handle bars, it would take a while to learn to control it - so I do agree with your friend.

Wider handlebars would help, but check that it still folds correctly with them on it before you pay for them.

If you can practice riding somewhere there is plenty of room, with time you should be able to learn to control it.

But if possible, I would return it, and invest the money in a better product.


Chain slipping between frame and gears I have a bike that I use for getting from place to place. The only problem is, the chain periodically slips off the gears and gets stuck between the frame and the rear wheel gears. Almost like my bike thinks there's one more gear there. It's pretty scary when it happens in an intersection because it locks my pedals. Any advice on how to fix it?

What is likely happening (which David and Daniel describe the fix to) is that your rear derailleur has become maladjusted and is moving the chain further outboard--and off the sprocket cluster--than is necessary for your particular cassette or freewheel. In a sense it does "think" there is one more gear since the current adjustment is allowing the derailleur cage more movement outboard than is necessary  and the chain derails into the space between the small, high gear cog and the frame dropout.

The fix is relatively simple and straightforward.  One has to "limit" the movement of rear derailleur's cage so that it can only move out as far as the last, high gear cog and no further.  The two limit setting screws are paired together and typically can be found at the back/rearward end of the rear derailleur.  Almost always, regardless of brand or model of derailleur, the manufacturer has designated each screw with an "H"--for high gear, small cogs or "L"---for the low gear, large cog side. The ends of these screws act on different aspects of the derailleur's parallelogram causing the derailleur cage to move in or out a few millimeters so that the upper jockey wheel gets in good alignment with the small cog at the outside and the large cog that's furthest inboard.  The end-setting of these screws will ideally find your jockey wheel running straight down from the outside edge of the small cog and straight down from the center of the large cog.  These two positions define the limits, high and low respectively, of the rear derailleur.

It's a good idea to release all cable tension from the rear derailleur by loosening the cable pinch bolt and allow the cable to go completely slack.  This takes cable tension out of the equation as this can generate a false high limit if the cable prevents full range of outboard movement the derailleur spring can cause the cage.   With the chain on the largest chainwheel and smallest cog (the highest gear), manipulate the H-limit screw so that the upper, jockey wheel of the derailleur cage comes in line with plane of the outer edge of the small cog.  Turning the H-limit screw clockwise will move the jockey wheel more inboard (which based on your derailling problem is the direction you'll need to go).  Counter clockwise rotation of the limit screw allows more outward movement of the cage.  Again, the H limit setting should be where the middle of the jockey wheel falls in line with the outside edge of the small cog. You can now re-tension the cable and secure with the pinch bolt.

Next is low limit adjustment with the chain in lowest gear (small chainwheel, largest cog in back). Turn the L limit screw such that the jockey wheel  comes in line with the center of the large cog. Clockwise movement of the L screw moves the derailleur cage to the right, counter clockwise will cause the cage to move left. When you have reached the desired limit on this low end, push the shifter as if to shift to a bigger cog to make sure any movement caused by this overshift doesn't bring the cage too close to the spokes.  When these steps are completed, the limit screws are set and no further manipulation of the screws should be attempted. Indexing of the gears and and other shifting issues should be handled with the barrel adjusters.


How do I remove this Ksyrium hub body? I want to get into this hub to lubricate the bushing. Every instruction I see on the Internet says to use a 5 mm Allen and a 17 mm wrench. But there is nothing to put a 17 mm wrench on. There is the internal nut, but I can't get a wrench on that; it is behind the hub shell. Do I have a different version of the wheel? Or am I missing something?

I believe on this one you put a 5mm wrench in both endcaps and turn counterclockwise. You're trying to get the drive-side endcap off. If it's the non-drive one that breaks free first, there should be a larger size allen fitting in the end of the axle that will be exposed when you take it off. Stick the 6mm or 8mm or whatever it is in that and then you can get the other endcap off, and then the freehub should slide off. Careful not to lose any of the pawls or springs.


Designing Bike Trailers – Especially the hitch and load I'm taken with the idea of the Wide Path Camper, but not with the weight or the cost of getting one delivered to the US, so I was thinking it would be a fun project to try my hand at designing and building one.

I'm looking for information and/or experience on trailer design – especially the connection to the bike and considerations around the total weight of the trailer. I assume at some point it becomes important to put brakes on the trailer.

There are a few of these trailers around, even some that are made in the US, including some from a company that sells multiple options (although they may have stopped, everything is out of stock on Amazon and not on their website). Most are DIY, and some have fairly detailed instructions available.

This how to make a cargo trailer question probably answers half of your question, so I'm going to focus on the other parts.

It's worth spending a lot of time reading and researching, and I suggest contacting people who have trailers like this and asking for their opinions. If you're lucky someone will give you one (admittedly in the "if you come and pick it up" sense), but that could be a good way to start your first camping holiday with it. Travel to the trailer with your bike, grab the trailer, then ride home. Sure, if it turns out to be a dumb idea you may want to abandon it after a few thousand kilometres, but that's cheaper and easier than building your own then discovering you don't like it.

I also suggest that you buy a standard bicycle cargo trailer first as they're much, much cheaper than any camper trailer that you buy or build. Tow that around for a bit, use it for your grocery shopping, take it camping. Think of it as a cheap testbed for your ideas about bike camping. Because it is. If you don't like towing the trailer, you find you can't easily tow even the 30-50kg those trailers are rated for, or you discover other problems, you won't have wasted much time or money on the camping trailer.

On that note, watch for the sunk cost fallacy, with other buyers and especially with DIY builders. DIY has an awful lot of "I built this, I put in a lot of work, it must be a great thing that I have built".

Materials

The Danish one looks as though it's rotomoulded, purely because getting something that big injection moulded would mean a million dollar mould. If you want that sort of custom plastic work done, it's going to be a lot cheaper to import one from Denmark than build it yourself. Even if you own a rotomoulding factory.

That means building it some other way. Corrugated plastic is easy to work with, fairly strong, resilient and cheap, and it also insulates more than nylon tent material does. But the easy way to do this is the buy a tent and put it on a trailer - that's what the "Kwik-Kamp" ones do. Heavier, but not much better, would be sheet metal, probably aluminium because it's easier to make things lightweight with it (steel can be just as light, but that takes more skill).

The choice really comes down to what you have available, and what you're comfortable working with. Being able to weld steel tubing will make the whole process much easier, even if you use plastic or wood as your sheet material. A steel chassis and hitch will be simpler than trying to build from other materials.

Design

I would start with a simple flat two wheeled trailer that can carry your camping gear. Go camping with that and see how you like towing a trailer. Then add 50kg of water to it (because water is cheap and easy to get), and go again. If you're not comfortable towing 100kg, the camper trailer is not for you.

Then I'd build a basic, big, trailer probably like my "megatrailer"

That was only 1.5m long, but it would be pretty easy to make one 2m long, enough to fit a narrow mattress on. You could even make a divan base for it to carry your stuff, or just a wooden base and a box on top, then strap the mattress on top of your stuff. As long as it doesn't rain. But this is a prototype. Maybe also do one trip with a fridge or oven box on top of the prototype, to give you an idea of how wind resistance will change before you get too carried away with building.

Once that works I'd add the real "camping box" to the design. I would be tempted to make a complex folding version just to keep the towed size down. Hinge across the back or front to halve the length, then tilt the front wall back to reduce air resistance, and if possible tilt the sides in too. Having flat walls that are trapezoidal, so the erected shape is a truncated rectangular pyramid, might make it possible to fold the walls completely flat while travelling.

One variant of that would be to find a tent that is the right size and shape for your trailer, build a topless box base that's the size of the tent, then glue the bottom of the tent to the base and cut the floor out. That way you have a fairly waterproof cover for your box, and it should be easier to set the tent up than without the trailer. Downside is you're still sleeping in a tent.

I would be tempted to push the "box" up a bit, possibly to around a metre. That way you have enough structure to lean on the fixed wall while you're sitting in it, and with a bit of design effort it could still be fairly aerodynamic. You could possibly do a "pop top" style camper based on that, or the more modern wall lift variant - two boxes that nest, so when you lift the outer one that is the roof, it exposes more and more of the inner walls until eventually you reach the join and it's fully erect. That gives you completely solid walls and potentially a very weather-resistant design, but obviously at a significant weight penalty.

Another option would be to copy the A frame style pop top campers

That has the advantage that you know the design works, but it would need to be fairly large to give you enough headroom. But possibly you could vary that design so that it worked better in small scale.

Wheel Size

There's a good reason why the Wide Path photos show 406 wheels all round. Trailer wheels, and the rear wheel of the towing bike, experience significantly more side forces than most bike wheels. You will need to take that into account. I use 406 wheels for most of my bikes for this reason, and also partly because it's a good idea to pick a size and stick with it. Having to carry two sizes of spare tyres and tubes while touring is just annoying.

To get the lateral strength you can either make the wheel smaller (406 size), the flanges bigger or the hub wider. Fatbikes, IGH and motorised hubs are other solutions to that problem. You can, of course, combine them - a fatbike with 406 wheels and hub motors might barely have spokes at all, so getting strong wheels would be easy (lacing them up, maybe not so much)

Power Assist

One option would be to design it around 300-500W of solar panels, and use an electric bike to tow it. That way you can go further, faster with the trailer and as a free bonus you have power when you're camping (not much, but charging phones etc will be easy, and you'll be able to run a light).

I met a guy who is riding around remote bits of Australia using a fatbike and a trailer load of panels. He uses a tent, but the idea is there.

Travel Limitations As you've already realised, you're not going to be taking this on a plane or bus. Ever.

Size is going to be an issue in other places too, unless you already know everywhere you want to take it and know that there will be metre-wide gaps everywhere. Unfortunately many "bicycle facilities" have barriers specifically to stop vehicles that are wider or longer than a normal bicycle from using the facility. So if your design is wider than the usual 800mm or so bicycle, you either need to be able to lift it over a 1.5m high fence, or roll it backwards until you can find somewhere to turn round.

The fact that most camping trailers can't do that makes me wonder how serious the owners are about cycling - I suspect that most owners ride short distances on flat ground on known roads. If that's what you want, this could work really well.

Other Random Observations

I've done a bit of cycle touring on odd bikes, including a tandem recumbent trike, and on one trip I had both the trike and megatrailer. We quickly discovered that with the trailer our speed dropped from about 20kph to about 10-12kph, and the other cyclists were generally no faster with the trailer (they were usually faster than the trike without it). Touring with a big, heavy bike starts to get tedious after a while.

Sam, the solar trailer guy above, started out with a home-made tadpole solar power-assisted trike. After a few thousand kilometres he decided that he really, really wanted something that could detach from the solar panels and be ridden independently. Your camping trailer will have that advantage, but it's worth keeping in mind that you will want to lock and leave the trailer at times. Resist the urge to build a heavily customised towing bike that is hard to ride without power assist.

But you may well find that you're better off with a custom towing bike. Lacing narrow-ish rims onto fatbike hubs will give you unreasonably strong wheels, and with the camper putting big side loads on your rear wheel that may be really useful. You might also find a Pinion bottom bracket gearing setup solves a lot of problems around where you attach the trailer, and how you get the extra-wide range of gears you will hopefully need (if you're unlucky it will handle so badly that typical MTB gears, only with unusually small chainrings, is ample for the 0..20kph speeds your rig is capable of).

Designing it to be dismantle-able into bits that can be shipped might be well worth while. Not so much "easy to reassemble" but just "break it down, ship it home, get on the bus, worry about it when I get there" scenarios. You'll possibly only do that once, but if you do need to bail on a ride not needing to hire a box trailer or truck to move it may greatly simplify things. It's better than just setting fire to it, however good that might feel at the time.

Finally, I do think this could be a really good project, but I would suggest testing your "tow a big heavy trailer on tour" abilities first before committing too far to the idea.


How can I remove very stuck headset spacers (alu/carbon) Working on a bike that has had significant indoor turbo usage, (i.e. a lot of sweat has run down the headset) and corrosion has bonded the aluminium spacers to the carbon steerer. The steering is stiff and notchy such that the bearings must be replaced, but the spacers are well and truly stuck in place.
I have tried getting some boiling water on the spacers, wrapping a boiled cloth on there, I spent a few hours dripping lemon juice down the gap (I think I read that on Park Tool), I've tried WD40 and have tried turning the top spacer with slip joint pliers (water pump pliers) as hard as I can, but no progress.
I will not want bang on the top of the carbon steerer any harder and the alu piece on top is proud because the bung is seized in place also (still functional). My experience and exploratory taps say that no amount of hitting on top will free this headset up.
How can I remove these very stuck spacers without damaging the frame or fork? I'm hoping for a proven answer because if I continue but damage the spacers further without getting them removed then I potentially make the bike unsafe and so unrideable.

Update:  I am still looking for an answer. Nothing forthcoming just yet. I'm thinking that somehow cutting through just the spacers, maybe with a rotary tool, would do the trick, a-la DavidW's answer in the first comment.  Maybe cutting not quite all the way through and then forcing the ends apart to pry them off. I asked in my trusted local shop at the time and they said they would do something similar but were too busy to take it on.

I went ahead with the rotary tool (Dremel) and general cutting disc. I cut two grooves side by side in the top spacer and prized one of them open with a flat screwdriver. Once the aluminium is thin enough, it will snap open with a little click, so it isn't necessary to cut all the way through. I carefully cut a little deeper each pass and tested with the screwdriver, managing to find the point it would snap open with the tool never touching the carbon steerer.

The top two spacers were removed in this manner, but I didn't want to cut through the silver spacer or conical spacer as they would be awkward to replace. That meant I couldn't cut vertically through the third spacer using the 38mm cutting disc. See below, I cut vertically as far down as I could and then ground away the spacer with a horizontal cut until enough was removed to snap open the spacer. That was the hardest part with the rotary tool to avoid damage to the steerer below but with patience it was doable.
It looks a little rough photographed up close, but it was careful and patient work with no damage to any carbon parts and minimal nick to the silver spacer.

Now I could remove all the spacers and had just the compression ring to remove. This had seized onto the steel inner race of the top cartridge bearing, meaning the whole assembly was still stuck together. I tapped the steerer tube down to raise the ring up and cut through the steel race, minimising touching the compression ring to preserve it. I didn't want to drive the fork all the way down in case the metal would gouge the carbon. The ring did get a little roughed up by trying to prise it up beforehand, so this was treated afterwards with a file to remove the burrs. They were really stuck together and even off the bike it took some force to separate them.

I don't think the spacers were bonded to the steerer by corrosion, but rather the gap that would let them spin was packed with the white yuck, so they were jammed in place. Once the spacers were prised open they slid off quite easily. If they were bonded on it would have taken much more force. The compression ring however was (galvanic?) corroded into place and meant that tapping down the steerer would have been futile while spacers were still jammed on.
The old bearings were removed and everything else cleaned up nicely. New bearings and spacers went on and the steering felt like new again.


Despite removing and greasing it, my pedal still won't rotate - I can't figure out why Yesterday out cycling on muddy farm roads, my right pedal seized up and stopped turning (the crank turns fine, but the pedal itself doesn't turn to stay parallel with the ground, making cycling difficult because my foot keeps coming off). I assume it got grit/mud in it - at one point the road was flooded and the bike got immersed up to the top of the chainring - but I've removed the pedal, rinsed, dried and oiled the threads, and replaced it, but it's still really stiff. I'm fairly confused as to why - there was no visible mud even before cleaning. Any thoughts? I used a generic bike oil - would getting penetrating oil help?
It's a new bike (Sirius X 3.0) - this is my 10th or so ride, no issues hitherto.
Edit: as per the comments/answers, I realised it is the locknut - it doesn’t appear to be removable as you can see in the image, and WD40 doesn’t appear to be helping. I suppose taking it back to the shop is the only thing to do if the pedal can’t be disassembled.

If it is a 10th ride on a new bike, I would take it to the bike shop. This might be some problem that is covered by the warranty.

Otherwise:
If you oiled the threads, it should not help much. Those threads just keep the pedal on the crank. There will also be other internal threads inside, but they keep the pedal together.
You have to disassemble the pedal, if it is at all possible, and inspect the bearings. Hopefully it will be enough to clean them and grease them. Better with a grease, not oil.
Penetrating oil, especially stuff like WD40, might get it released inside, but might also dissolve the grease.


How does waterproof rating translate into rain intensity? I'm trying to understand what the waterproof rating means in cycling clothes. I understand the "science" behind the test, that is if a jacket is rated at 5000mm waterproof it means if you put a column of water over the fabric the water will leak only over 5 liters of water or above that pressure.
What does pressure have to do with rain intensity? Are we talking about about the pressure the rain hits the fabric? But even then it doesn't add up because light rain shouldn't be expected to hit a lower pressure than a storm.
What about the liters? Will ever get 5 liters of water over my jacket all the same time?

This isn't really cycling specific, but I'm not sure it's worth migrating to Outdoors.

  What does pressure have to do with rain intensity?

The rating is indeed from the hydrostatic head test, and doesn't translate directly into rainfall, but there are approximate conversions like this. The conversion is indeed related to the average peak impact force, but it's probably a fairly rough heuristic rather than a formula, and it doesn't directly address issues like whether the seams are taped.

  Are we talking about about the pressure the rain hits the fabric? But even then it doesn't add up because light rain shouldn't be expected to hit a lower pressure than a storm.

The impact force is probably correlated with droplet size, and light rain will tend to have smaller raindrops. Strong winds can obviously also drive raindrops harder into the fabric. Finally, peak force isn't reached until the surface layer is completely wetted, which will happen more slowly if at all in light rain.

Most waterproof fabrics have water-repellent surface treatments which will encourage droplets to simply roll off - this is the system that breaks down when the surface layer is completely wetted: if incoming drops hit a stationary layer of water they impart most of their momentum (creating an effective hydrostatic head on the underlying membrane), instead of beading off the fine surface structures and rolling away.

Footnotes:

as Criggie says, the water-repellent surface treatment (or DWR = Durable Water Repellency or whatever) needs maintenance. Some are refreshed by cool ironing, and some need chemical re-application.

After-market treatments by Nikwax or Granger are also useful, and do note that washing with detergent (rather than soap or Nikwax TechWash or whatever) can further impair proper function.
I mentioned the effect of surface wetting on the hydrostatic head, but it also impedes evaporation through the membrane. They're only breathable while there is air outside the pores to absorb vapour.
Breathable membranes are anyway unable to keep up with hard efforts, at least in high-humidity rain conditions.

IMO for low effort activity like walking or slow cycling, you don't need an expensive breathable fabric anyway, as mechanical ventilation is sufficient (ie, wear a poncho or use an umbrella).

For high-effort activity, you're just choosing between being drenched in sweat and drenched in rain. A water-repellent windproof and anything underneath that stays warm when wet, without getting heavy or uncomfortable (ie, not cotton) is generally lighter and cheaper.

The conditions where breathable waterproofs are actually beneficial are roughly

when you don't want to carry an umbrella or mechanical venting is for some reason unsuitable (maybe high winds)
low external humidity conditions such as snow rather than rain


Shimano Metrea ST-U5060-R compatibility So I'm trying to find out if Shimano Metrea ST-U5060-R would be compatible with any Shimano 11 rear derailleur?

Also, would it also be compatible with the T4700 Tiagra derailleur since it seems to be using a 11 gear pull ratio (even though it's a 10 speed derailleur).

Or do you really need to stick with the Shimano Metrea derailleur in order to use that shifter?

Same question with the front derailleur.

The Shimano compatibility charts say that Mattrea ST-U5060 is compatible with RD- R9000 (Dura Ace), R8000 (Ultegra) and R7000 (105) front and rear derailleurs.

Here are the compatibility charts -

Rear drivetrain: http://productinfo.shimano.com/#/com/3.7?cid=C-453&acid=C-454

Front drivetrain: http://productinfo.shimano.com/#/com/3.7?cid=C-453&acid=C-455

Unsurprisingly according to Shimano Tiagra 4700 appears to only be compatible with itself. However, if someone has tried Tiagra derailleurs with 105 or Ultegra shifters (or vice versa) and knows it works, then Matrea shifters will work too.


How can I keep my bike safe in my garage? I just got a brand new bike.  I keep it in the garage, but my wife has a habit of leaving the garage door up.  Right now, there's nothing in my garage that I can really lock the bike to.

How can I keep the bike at my house instead of in the hands of a thief?

Try a floor or Wall anchor system, then lock the bike to that.

http://lockitt.com/lockdown.htm


Suggested tire pressure for an "overloaded" bike I've got very old (10+ years) Author Mystic bike. It has 26" x 1,95" tires with suggested pressure set to 2,9-4,5 bar. Currently I have inflated them to 3,4 bar. I'm around 120 kgs and riding on such tires brings no problems for me.

I'd like to start riding with my older daughter in bicycle child seat. She is less than 20 kgs (near border weight for that child seat).

Answers to this Duru Can Celasun's question assured me, that in general my bike should handle our together weight of 140-150 kg without serious problems. Though, we may already talk about overloaded bike with such weight of user.

Here, I'd like to ask, what would be perfect tire pressure for both my lonely rides (120-125 kg) and for together trips (140-150 kg)?

Generally, the tire pressure range marked on the tire is somewhat loose - the marketing department wants a big range since it will sell better, the legal department wants a small range so liability is lower and the engineers have something probably bigger than whats marked on the tire as safe. Your tire pressure should be high enough that you don't get pinch flats but not give a harsh ride. The links in the recommendations show roughly what tire deflection should look like. Note that lower pressures are generally more comfortable.

150 kg on a bike is a lot - most companies will mark this as higher than the max weight for their non-touring/cargo bike models (so you're on your own legally). That being said, I have carried a lot more on bikes marked significantly less, you're on your own with that.

As for tire pressures which are best, you have to find this out on your own - its dependent on terrain you're riding over, your daughter's stomach, etc (and the best tire pressure (which is largely subjective, hence why I'm voting to close the question) will depend on the load on the bike so if you wanted one pressure, you'd have to trade off between the no daughter and daughter rides).

There are some recommendation charts and manufacturer recommendations to start with - tweak your tire pressures to your liking.


Change Shimano Ultegra R8000 crankset I'm considering getting a Canyon Endurace which use a 52/36 Shimano Ultegra R8000 crankset. As I plan using the bike for long, multi-days ride it would make sense for me to have an easier ratio. Is it possible and not too expensive to switch the crankset to a smaller one? Ideally I'd like to have a 46/30, but it's in the Shimano GRX range so I'm not sure I can.

Officially, you would need to use the corresponding GRX front derailleur.
This is because the GRX crank uses a wider chainline, which is the distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the midpoint of the crankset's rings (hat tip to the late Sheldon Brown for the link).

Shimano road double cranks use a 43.5mm chainline (for example, the R8000 crankset specification page reports this). As reported in the first link by Bikerumor, GRX spaced the chainline out by 2.5mm. Velonews reported (Lennard Zinn's column) that Shimano did this to better accommodate wider tires.
Unofficially, you might be able to use your existing front derailer, as Shimano's specifications are often conservative. You would move the limit screws accordingly. However, it isn't guaranteed that you would be able to move the derailer's range of motion outwards enough to shift, and it's possible you might experience more chain rub than you otherwise would. Given that front derailers are cheap, I'd recommend just buying the corresponding FD if you must go this route. Alternatively, you could consider a third party crankset, but these tend to be pricier than the corresponding Shimano option. Also, rider feedback tends to indicate that Shimano chainrings have better shifting than most alternatives.
It may be worth considering if you actually want an endurance road bike like the Endurace, or if you want a gravel bike. Many of these bikes do just fine on the road, and they are more versatile than pure endurance road bikes. Naturally, the answer could certainly be that you want an Endurace with sub-compact gears.
The type of front gearing you're trying to achieve is called sub-compact gearing (where "compact" usually means 50-34 chainrings, and "sub" denotes anything smaller, including 48-32 rings). Shimano has not yet addressed this niche of cycling, i.e. road bikes with sub-compact cogs. Campagnolo offers this type of gearing in one groupset (12-speed Chorus), and I suspect they plan on trickling it down to Potenza and Centaur (but I have no inside knowledge). SRAM appears to be moving to address this with their new Force AXS wide-range gearing options.


Do bike frames actually break so easily? I've been thinking of getting an MTB. Watching all those videos on YouTube of people doing cool stunts or even just riding in a forest off-road looks amazing - until I got to videos like this one:

I've seen lots of posts on how to prevent breaking a bike frame, and I completely understand that the maintenance of bike should be regular, but are all these broken bike frames only because of bad state of bike itself?

I've got some friends who have broken their new MTB in few weeks of riding, was it just coincidence?

My question is: do bikes actually break that easily? That may sound like a noob question because, yeah I am not into biking at all. And I am looking at getting an MTB. (I can drive bikes pretty well, on roads.)

Thanks for any comment, answer, upvote or downvote (oh and yes if you downvote tell me why so I wont repeat my mistake)

No, they are not, if used in a way they are designed to and regularly checked for health.

I think that a proper answer to your question should include statistical information on what percentage of bicycle frames (btw, why only frames? wheels, handlebars etc. break too) break over the time. The reason of a breakage, such as crash or manufacturing defect, should also be taken into consideration. However, I do not possess such information. So instead I want to warn you against being affected by the survival bias effect by only looking at "bad" examples. I want to comment on several points in regard to the video above, or any other bike crash footage.

We do not know how often and how hard these bicycles were crashed before they finally gave in. Damage, especially in carbon parts, is not easy to see without special equipment.
Quite a few crashes in the video were caused by front wheel detachment. That's not frame but fork issue or rather user installation error.
A couple of episodes demonstrate just direct crashes. Nothing is guaranteed not to break after that.
I am not sure that all of these bikes were used in their intended discipline. I've had bad experience riding an XC hardtail on an DH course.

The good thing is, even after all these crashes most of the riders were able to walk away from them more or less fine. That stresses proper use of personal protection.

P.S. Every bicycle user manual that I've read (and I am one of those weird people who actually read manuals to things) states that bicycling is inherently dangerous activity. Not just MTB but any cycling. So, wear protection appropriate to your discipline, know your skills and improve them, regularly take care of your bike, and have fun!


What causes the noise that race wheels make when you are not pedaling? A friend just got a new tri bike with Zipp wheels and they are loud when she is coasting.  What causes that?

Most bikes have 'freehubs', a design Shimano came up with that is brilliant because it places the wheel bearing outboard of the sprockets rather than inboard, as per the 'freewheel' design that preceded it. Inboard bearings place a shear force on the spindle when going over bumps that can break the spindle.

Anyway, Shimano patented the freehub, and rightly so. Their freehubs run reasonably quiet, (with a lower 'note' on the ones with cheap steel sprockets attached to them).

Other manufacturers are not able to licence the freehub design or are unwilling to pay whatever licence fees Shimano charge. As a result they have their own technical workarounds.

The pawls of a Shimano freehub are placed deep inside the freehub body, the noise they make when freewheeling is therefore insulated, i.e. quiet. Other makes place the pawls inside the hub (Campagnolo) or else they use ratchets instead of pawls inside the freehub body (DT/Swiss). Hence the different noise characteristics of these up-market, high-end freehubs.

Here is the freehub body from a typical, recent Zipp wheel. As you can see they have not used the original (and totally excellent) Shimano design, the pawls are placed in the wheel, not the freehub-body. Coupled with the aforementioned 'guitar case' of the disc wheel a loud racket is made.


Map app for avoiding gravel roads I use Google for mapping out long distance tours in areas I don't know. Often it takes me on gravel roads. I can't tell from the app that is not really road bike friendly till I get there. This can really mess up my plans (since I may I have to back track and go around adding hours to the day and getting to my camping destination.

That said - any favorite apps for bike travel - camping? Maps?  (I do have warm showers!  Love it for emergencies!)

There is no tool that I know of that solves your problem for you.

The way I solve the problem of finding out what a road is like, is to

use Google maps to find a route.
then use Street View to check the roads at important points. Of course, if the road is gravel, Street View is probably not available.
if the route is not what I want, drag the route line to another road, and check that.

In addition (I didn't know about these and haven't tried them) there's Gravel map and similar sites that perhaps could be used to see where the gravel is, so you can avoid it.


I've decided on Bar End Shifters for my Vintage tour bike rebuild. I think I've got it down to these. Any reason to choose one or other? The contestants:  Shimano SL-BS64 Ultegra Bar End Shifter Set (8-Speed)  and Dia Competition Grand competition ENE bar end control.   Seem fairly similar and both well loved.  I'm aiming at pairing these with something like 26/36/48  and 7 speed  12-32.  Am I missing any good possibilities?

If you're friction shifting go with the Dia Compe. They have a ratcheting mechanism in them originally developed by SunTour to counteract the spring in the derailleur. This gives them a very even feel in both directions - you apply as much pressure to upshift as to downshift. They also look better on older bikes. The Shimano shifters OTOH rely purely on friction when in friction mode. This means shifting into lower gears takes more effort than shifting into higher gears. Of course the advantage of the Shimano shifters is that they also have indexed mode though you need an 8 speed cassette.


Concerned about SRAM SX Eagle I am currently looking at 2 hard tail MTBs, namely the Grand Canyon MTBs from Canyon, especially the

Grand Canyon 7.0 and...
Grand Canyon 8.0

and the difference seems to be 200 EUR which translates into the following major component differences:

SRAM SX Eagle vs Shimano Deore XT rear derailer
RockShox Judy Silver vs FOX 34 Rhythm fork
Rapid Rob wire-bead clincher vs Nobby Nic folding clincher tires (tubeless ready)

Now I have seen some posts on MTB forums and on Youtube that seem suggest the SRAM Eagle SX derailleurs fall apart very often and are very flimsy and unreliable, because they appear to be made out of plastic. The hate towards SX Eagle seems to be very strong on the forums. This got me worried, so I cancelled my order on the 7.0.
Does anyone have experience with the new SRAM SX Eagle 12 speeds?
Is it really that bad?

The exact spec differences:

Rockshox Judy Silver vs Fox 34 Rhythm GRIP

GRIP refers to the variety of damper, an IFP type

Rockshox have a similar damper type, which is called the Charger R or Charger RC, on some of its forks but not on forks like this.
Rockshox Judy refers to a 30mm stanchion with 'boost' spacing, and Silver means 'steel stanchions'. Note that 30mm vs 34mm means that the Fox should be significantly stiffer. In addition, it has the 'TK' or Turnkey damper.
TK damper is an unsophisticated design, which comes below the 'MotionControl' damper which itself is below the Charger R/Charger RC design in Rockshox line-up.
This is Turnkey:

Whereas this would be MotionControl, which these forks can possibly be upgraded to by changing the internals (but you'd need to check, as Silver is steel and has a different thread pitch to aluminium Gold)

The drivetrain spec is completely different:

SRAM have their 'low-cost' 11-50t cassette for HG freehub https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/cs-pg-1210-a1
Shimano have a full 10-51t cassette for all their 12-speed drivetrails (11-51t is relegated to 11-speed).

Because of the cassette differences, the Canyon 8 has a newer freehub design, Shimano's Microspline design, which is better designed when used with lightweight freehubs made of aluminium - the HG design tends to suffer damage when the freehub is made from aluminium. Therefore the MT410-B is likely to be more durable than the MT400, even though both are constructed in much the same way. Microspline is also required (or SRAM's equivalent) for use of cogs smaller than 11t. https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/technologies/component/details/new-tech-microspline.html
If you went with the 11-50t system then you'd not be able to upgrade to 10-50t without replacing your wheel or freehub. So 11-50t here is inherently a cheap-out given that the Eagle system is designed around a 10t small cog.
As you say, there are many reports of SX Eagle snapping in the upper knuckle, whereas Deore XT has a good reputation, and compared to cheaper derailleurs it uses sealed-bearing jockey wheels, which will have longer service life than cheaper ones.
As far as the tyres go, if you read the spec more carefully they are in fact Rapid Rob on the rear of the Canyon 7, and Tough Tom on the front.
These are OEM parts https://www.schwalbe.com/en/mtb-reader/tough-tom https://www.schwalbe.com/en/mtb-reader/rapid-rob which are designed for low cost.
Both of these have fairly minimal tread, though they are not said to have great rolling resistance because cheaper tyres will tend to use fewer different rubber compounds compared to more expensive ones, though it's no issue to change this.
The Canyon 8 has a Nobby Nic SnakeSkin Evo at the rear and a Nobby Nic Performance at the front.
https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/off-road_tires/nobby_nic_hs463
'Evo' refers to Schwalbe's highest-quality range, using three different rubber compounds, whereas Performance is a cheaper version. According to Schwalbe's specs, Evo has better rolling resistance, which is more important on the rear of the bike. This tyre is one that does not need to be upgraded, although some people might replace it for something with more or less tread, depending on their riding style.


Good books on mountain biking What books do you know about learning mountain biking.

I am an avid reader, and while I agree that the best way to learn is get on your bike and ride, I like to have a book to refer to and enjoy when riding isn't an option.

I have three recommendations:

Riding Skills: Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Lopes and McCormack - great descriptions, photos and diagrams. Can really help you become familiar with terms and techniques.  Now in it's second edition, so if you get it from the library you may want to see if they have the newest.

Maintenance: Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance - unless you are interested in shelling out $200+ for a shop quality repair guide, this the 'bible' of mountain bike maintenance. Again, there are multiple editions of this book.

Training: The Mountain Biker's Training Bible by Friel - A little dated now, and a lot of crossover with Friel's book The Cyclist's Training Bible.  Really designed for someone who wants to coach themselves to better performance; it requires some work on your part to develop the plans.

Hope you enjoy one or more of these.


to install disc brake Hi friends I have a hercules roadeo a100 and I want to install a disc brake to it. It comes with a disc brake in front and v brake in rear. So can I install a disc brake to it and how much it costs.

First make sure you have disc brake mounting tabs on the seat stays.

If you don't have those, then it's pretty much impossible. Technically still possible, but not without added costs that go well beyond what your bike is worth.

Also, you need to make sure your rear hub has mounting holes for the disc.

If you don't have these, you will need to replace the hub or the wheel.  In your case it would probably be better to just replace the entire wheel.

Your bike is pretty low end.  If you are having braking issues, first make sure everything is adjusted properly.  Then perhaps consider getting a higher quality v-brake with good brake pads. This upgrade will be cheaper and will provide more than adequate braking power.


How do I remove my Campagnolo Veloce rear brake caliper? I'm trying to remove my rear brake caliper to put a fender/mudguard clamp on. I've removed the rear nut and I assume the brake should then slide straight out. But it won't. It is definitely a little loose, it will rotate freely and has maybe 1mm of play, but even putting a reasonable amount of force on it, it will not slide out of the hole in the rear frame.

What am I missing? I assume I don't need to unscrew the caliper out of the frame.

Edit: Sorry about my woeful care of this question. I meant to put up some photos and explain in more detail, but didn't get around to it :(

In the end I unscrewed the "rear" nut (closest to the front of the bike) a little and tapped it lightly with a wrench and the caliper did come out. Turns out it was just a very tight fit. Thanks!

Seeing as you've removed the nut, you could try to insert a punch through the mounting hole, and gently tap it a few times to try and free it. I reckon there's dirt, mud, and perhaps rust in there that's causing it to stick. A picture would be useful if something else is amiss, but it's hard to imagine anything else.


My back wheel isn't connected to the gears I have an old bike it says Via Montega on the body if that helps. I was riding it earlier when the pedaling stopped resulting in forward motion.

I thought the chain might have come loose but it is definitely where it is supposed to be. The chain is attached and will shift gears but the back wheel doesn't turn. The wheel does spin freely if pushed. It seems like the gears and the wheel aren't connected but there is some sort of plastic guard between the gears and wheel so I can't see the problem.

Is this something I can fix myself with limited to know bike repair knowledge or do I need to take it in?

If so how expensive is it likely to be?

The bike is made by Univega and probably has a freewheel.

If the pedaling motion still works, I'd guess your freewheel is shot (the thing that the gears are on in the back). You have to remove it with a freewheel remover and put on a new one. This requires a freewheel remover tool and a large wrench or vise, so you might want to take it to a shop and let them check it over and swap the freewheel out.


What bike chain size do I buy? A friend gave me his old bike which I'm fixing up to use. It has no chain and I've never replaced one before so I'm wondering what size I need to buy to replace it.  The Bike is an Apollo Avio, it has 3 rings on the front chain ring and 5 on the rear cassette - from what I've read this seems to equate to a 15 gear speed bike, but I can't seem to find bike chains that would fit that spec... they seem to range through 7, 8, 9 and then 10 speed most commonly, am I missing something?

Looks identical to an early 90s MTB I ride.   That too was 3x5 for 15 gears total.
I found that 6/7/8 speed chain worked well enough with the 5 gear freewheel.
But after decades of wear, the moving parts were a bit sloppy so when an opportunity arose, I fitted a 9 speed cassette and freehub wheel, with 9 speed chain/shifter/derailleur and its going nicely.  The bike still uses the original triple chainring and shifter, so theres a 9 position deore right hand shifter under the bar, and a friction twist shifter over the left side of the bar.