How do I setup these brakes? I recently bought a bike from bikes direct (The kilo TT stripper). Its a fixed gear bike that came with a front and rear brake. I was able to setup everything but the brakes.

The brakes are: Front/Rear Tektro R350 aluminum dual pull, Gloss Black finish
The levers are: Front/Rear cross top Tektro RL570 aluminum, Gloss Black finish.

Here are some pictures

These are the brake cables and housing that I have

and of course the brakes

Congratulations on your new steed, and great work putting it together! Looks like a nice ride. Long post follows, but I've tried to edit it into something a bit more manageable. Here goes...

Before you start

You mentioned you were able to set everything up but the brakes. Forgive my impertinence, but before you go further, can I just check that you greased everything thoroughly before assembly?

Chainring bolts
Freewheel, sprocket, and lockring threads
Pedal threads
Crank bolt threads
Stem bolt threads
Seatpost
Handlebar clamp area

It might seem like a ballache, but you'll thank yourself in a year's time when you want to take something off to clean or change it!

Right, onto brakes...

Tools

Heavy-duty cable cutters. Ones with very stout, sharp jaws. While it looks like plastic, the cable outer is actually made of coiled metal, and if you try and cut it with inferior tools you will blunt them, and make a mess of the cable.
Selection of allen keys
Pliers

Method

Let's deal with the front brake first...

Remove the inner cable from the outer, if you haven't done so already, and set it aside. You don't want to cut this until you've dealt with the outer. Nothing makes you feel more stupid than cutting the outer to size with the inner still inside!

Your second picture shows little metal sheaths that pop over the ends of the cable outer. These are important, so don't lose them. They help stop the outer fraying and pulling. Take one of them off for now and inspect the end of the outer. If it is cut nice and neat, great. If not, make a fresh cut (it might take a couple of goes to get a nice clean edge).

Take a small pointy thing (biro tip works fine) and wiggle it around inside the end of the outer, to make sure the opening is nice and wide and smooth. Then re-attach the metal sheath. One end of the outer is now prepared. Now you need to hold it in place against the barrel adjuster on the brake lever, so you can judge the length of cable you will need. Back off the barrel adjuster as far as it goes (so that it protrudes as little as possible). Avoiding any sharp bends, manipulate the outer gently around so it traces a smooth curve from the lever to the barrel adjuster on the brake caliper. Give yourself an extra inch or two, so you have a bit of reserve if you mess up the cut. Repeat what you did with the lever end of the cable, with the caliper end (i.e. cleaning up the hole and re-fitting the metal sheath). Almost there!

Now turn your attention to the inner cable itself (the bit you set aside and didn't cut yet). Now ideally you should lubricate the inner cable with a bit of oil or light assembly grease. Cooking oil will work fine at a push. This just helps protect the cable from rust. Give it a good rub all over. Next, feed it through the hole in the brake lever and out through the barrel adjuster, and slide it into the piece of outer you just cut to size. Feed it all the way through. The nipple on the end of the cable should sit neatly in the recess around the hole in the brake lever. The cable outer should be sitting snug in the barrel adjuster on the opposite side of the lever. Take the end of the inner cable and feed it through the barrel adjuster on the brake caliper itself, from top to bottom. Now seat the cable outer in the "cup" of that barrel adjuster. Pull on the inner cable from the bottom and the whole thing should snug right up nicely. At this point it's worth tightening up the barrel adjuster on the caliper too (so that it sits as low as possible).

All that's left is to adjust the caliper and clamp the cable behind the little plate on it (the slightly ridged bit held on with an allen bolt). To do this, first close the quick-release (the black plastic lever in the bottom right of your third photo) on the caliper, by rotating it downwards. This should help orientate the cable clamp correctly - the allen bolt head should be pointing horizontally outwards. Look from above and you will see a little groove in the metal plate - the cable feeds through here. Slide the cable through the groove and tighten the allen bolt just enough to stop the cable pinging back out and hitting you in the eye.

Next you need to make sure the brake caliper is centred nicely - squeeze the arms together and double-check that the pads are evenly-spaced from the wheel rim. Bear in mind that the pads themselves won't be positioned very nicely straight out of the box, so you may want to shift them about a bit until they align nicely with the braking surface on the rim. It is imperative that the pads do not come into contact with the sidewalls of the tyres. Otherwise you will eat through rubber and blow out your tyre very quickly indeed! More fine tuning can come later, so don't be too precious about it. But if the brake is noticeably off to one side, loosen the mounting bolt a bit and centre it up. Tighten the mounting bolt again afterwards.

Pretty soon you're going to wish you had a third hand... so grab a few strips of gaffa tape to make life a bit easier. You need to pinch the caliper arms together so that the pads almost touch the rim - leave a gap of about 1 to 2mm on each side. This is where gaffa comes in handy - you need to hold the arms in this position while putting tension on the cable, while simultaneously tightening the clamp bolt. Grab the bottom end of the inner cable with some pliers, and pull on it. Hard. Maintain this tension while you tighten the clamp. Don't over-tighten yet - you don't want to squash and damage the cable in case you need to loosen and re-clamp. (Doing this many times in the same place will cause the cable to fray, and strands will snap, and then it's toasted.)

Give the lever a gentle squeeze - not too hard, or the cable will slip - and verify the brakes are doing their thing, and that both caliper and lever return correctly when you release the lever. All OK? Great. Then let's tighten the clamp bolt some more. Tighter than you may first think. Give the lever a good hard squeeze to check it's not going anywhere. Only when you're totally happy, go ahead and cut the excess cable. Leave a few inches of excess on - this gives you something to grip with pliers if you need to tighten the cable later on down the line. Having said that, you have barrel adjusters on your calipers and your levers, so you should be fine. Rather than re-clamping the cable when your brake develops excess play, open up these adjusters as the pads wear and cable stretches. Finally, you should have some little ferrules (technical term: metal doohickies) that slip over the end of the cable. If not, your LBS will give you a few for free. Crimp one onto the end of the cable so it doesn't fray.

Done! On to the rear brake...

That's about it. Lather, rinse, and repeat for the rear brake. Just make sure you leave enough length on the cable so you can turn your handlebars properly without stressing it.

Since this is your first time fitting brakes, take it easy and test them in a quiet car park or something, starting off gently. Once you're happy they're working effectively, give them some real hard tests too. If all is well, you're golden.

I should also add this - get a knowledgeable friend, or your local mechanic, to check them over for you - better safe than sorry.

Finally, to avoid squeaky brakes, toe the pads in a tiny bit so that the leading edge touches the rim first.

Best of luck!


Wheel position in track-style horizontal rear forkends I recently acquired a cheap used single speed bike with track-style horizontal rear forkends.

My question is, how far back in the forkend can I safely position the wheel, before it is too far back?

I recently replaced the chain and made it a few links longer, but I'm wondering if I made it too long and need to remove a link in order to move the wheel farther forward.

Where it is now is perfectly safe.

You can even go as far back to the blue line (where no part of the nut crosses the line).

Just want you to check whether there is a screw/bolt in the red arrow? I'm pretty sure there should be, but from the picture, it looks like it might be missing.

In general, you want the axle to be central to the dropout, if you have it too far forward, you might find it hard to install or remove the chain to take the wheel out.

There is also some element of changing how the bike rides by changing position of the axle. Further back is more stable in a stright line, further forward is better at cornering/changing direction. Although how it affects the rider is pretty minimal, if at all noticable.


Higher cadence or lower cadence for long distance cycling I am going to ride long distance like 200 km on my hybrid. I am not sure if I should pedal in a higher cadence (a lower gear, pedaling more frequently) or a lower cadence (a higher gear, pedaling less frequently) for the same distance.  Or should I mix between both?

Can anyone please suggest?

100 RPM minus your age.  (Only half kidding.)

80-90 RPM is a good target for younger, fairly serious bikers.  When I was in my 20s-30s I could do that for several hours.  As I get older (I'm 63) I find it harder -- 70 RPM is probably closer to my "optimal" speed now, and I drift down toward 60 if I don't keep at it.

One rule I tell folks that I think is good for almost all environments, whether flat-out or casual, uphill or down, is to never pedal slower than you're breathing.  Keep your cadence at 1-2x your respiration rate.

If you're riding along lazily with a resp rate of 30 you can get away with a cadence of 45, but if you're resp rate is 60 your cadence should be at least 60, maybe 80-90.

Similarly, if your cadence is 90 and your respiration rate only 40 then you should be using a more difficult gear.


Ordered a pair of Fizik R4s a size too big. Will it make a difference? About a month ago I ordered a pair of Fizik R4 shoes, they recently came in and I was ecstatic that that looked so good IRL. So ecstatic that when I saw the 12 on the side of the box I didn't realize it was for the UK. I normally wear size 12 or 11 1/2 depending on the brand. Will wearing a complete size larger make a difference in terms of how many watts I can put out or put me at a higher chance of injury?

Everyone will agree that it is best to have shoes that fit properly.

If the shoes don't fit perfectly, it's better to have shoes that are a bit too big, rather than shoes that are a bit too small. As we warm up our feet swell slightly, and if the shoes are too small then the blood circulation can be restricted. That can lead to cramps or numbness.

The issue with shoes that are too large is that the foot could move inside the shoe, causing blisters or other injuries, and reducing power transfer.

If wearing an extra pair of sox and cinching the shoes tightly stops any movement, then you'll be fine.

One concern you may have is cleat position. With shoes that are only one size different, I don't think that will be an issue; you should be able to position the cleats as usual. And research has shown that our preferred cleat position is largely a matter of tradition, and make extremely little difference for power transfer.


Short cage derailleur: how to find out maximum sprocket differences? I'm building a kind of new bike and would like to put a triple or compact crankset on it.

I've still got this NOS huret derailleur set (front, rear and shifters) laying around which would match the bikes flair pretty well; but I'm worried it won't fit.

How can I calculate the maximum size difference in front and rear sprockets this derailed can handle (by looking at it's dimensions).

The derailleur model is the Huret Svelto. I'm looking into buying a crank with 34t and 48t sprockets and have a 7 speed rear cassette of 13t - 24t (but these are loose sprockets and can be changed).

What is your advice?

As a general rule a Short cage derailers should only be used with a single front ring, medium cage with double front rings and a long cage for tripple.

Naterally this can be effected by the amount of travel your bike has at the back.  If it is a full suss then as the rear wheel moves through it's travel the chain line will get longer, placeing more tension on the rear derailer.


MTB gear xx1 repairable? I have an XX1 cassette, and broke the cog with 24 teeth, is this replaceable or repairable?

So you broke the 24T cog in the middle of the cassette? If that is the case i don't think it will be repairable. You may check with Sram Warranty though dependent on circumstance. I have had good luck with their warranty program in the past.

My reasoning for saying that it is not repairable is that on the XX1 cassettes,  the cluster is machined from one solid piece, except for the largest cog which is made from alloy rather than steel So they are not all independent cogs, but rather one large intricately machined piece, making single cog replacement impossible unless it is the largest cog.

From Bike Radar:

  Many of the lessons learned from developing the Red and XX cassettes were applied to XX1. 10 of the 11 cogs are machined from a single block of tool steel. Manufacturing begins with a bell-shaped forged blank. This blank is placed onto a lathe that removes a significant chunk of material and leaves the blank with a stair step profile. Next, a CNC machine removes more material by carving the teeth, shift ramps and the 16 pins that are used to secure the 42-tooth aluminum cog to the steel cassette body.

From Pink Bike


Gear cable head stuck in Shimano Sora lever During the replacement of gear cable (Shimano Sora 2017 brake/gear levers), I incorrectly threaded the gear cable, gave it a little tug, and now the head of the cable is stuck in the lever housing, wedged between the wheel which adjusts gear position and the housing.

My removal attempts thus far have totaled around an hour, and have included trying to lever out the head with a small allen key, and trying to hook a string around it.

Has anyone had this problem before?  Is there a way to dismantle the lever to an extent where this would become accessible?

In the interests of closing the question I'll answer it.

I took it to a shop and the mechanic managed to pry it out using a tool a little like a screwdriver (but with a pointed end) while applying pressure to the cable.


Dropper seatpost oscillating - relation to rear shock I have a full suspended bike with a dropper seat post :

I had a dubious setup of my saddle and of the seat post at the blue circles, that I solved, but now when I ride on flat, with the coil of my shock set up quite rigidely (to ride on road) the dropper seatpost oscillates, in the plane of the bike, from front to back, exactely at the red circled region, on which I have no power.

Do you think the dropper seatpost is damaged or ? Other question : could this front to back oscillation damage the rear shock as it make it work more that if there woudnl't be any oscillation in the red region ?

Remark : the dropper seatpost is a KINDSHOCK LEV INTEGRA, 31.6 mm, 150 mm.

So you are basically saying the upper part of the dropper post is loose in the lower.

There is definitely something broken, possibly a bushing between the upper and lower has broken or worn out. Without knowing the specific model it's not possible to give more advice, you may be able to find a manual for your specific model that provides a drawing or list of parts

The suspension will not be affected at all.


What makes WD40 work well for grip installation? I've been using WD40 for installing grips for as long as I can remember.
Don't know where I got the idea, but this just works for all MTB-style grips I tried: spray WD40 inside, which makes it easy to slide them on. Then wait a couple of minutes. For some reason the WD40 seems to dissolve and/or react with the rubber compound.
Anyone know what exactly goes on?

Any liquiid-fluid works for grip installation.  The liquid temporarily decreases the surface friction between the grip and the bar, and then departs.
Personally I use soapy water which evaporates over time, leaving the slightly tacky soap behind to discourage twist in the grip.
WD40 has some mild petroleum products in it which may damage some rubber compounds. I've never seen that myself, but I don't spray WD40 on grips either.  This might subtly texture the underside of the grip at a microscopic level (this is a guess)
WD40's lighter components would flash off over some hours, leaving behind the waxier protectant layer which acts as a weak glue, same as the soap I use.

My other tool for removing grips is a very long thin flathead screwdriver.  Poking it in at the end between bar and grip allows a channel for the fluid to move along the length of the grip, where it dissolves the residue from installation. and some sharp twists makes the grip loose all the way around.


Kona Mahuna 2013 headset change question. I have a Kona Mahuna 2013 and I got a tapered fork as well as a new wheel and now I'm looking for advice on changing my headset to accept tapered forks.

I've been looking and I believe that this headset should fit correctly in my bike. According to the specs, it has an FSA No.10 ZS44 semi-integrated at the moment, stock. I just want to make sure before I would get my headset and it installed correctly in the shop with all the reaming/facing/etc. required.

Thanks!

The best place to find what headset you need is the Crane Creek headset finder.

Unfortunately in your particular case I thought the Mahuna has a straight 1 1/8 head tube and if so (correct me if I'm wrong) and therefore won't be able to take the tapered fork (easily, people have tried different things). Tapered steerers fit in tapered and 1.5 straight (with a reducing top headset) head tubes.


Clipless Pedals Brand Identification I purchased a set of used clipless pedals. They are somewhat unique in that they do not use a spring mechanism, but instead have a rubber block / set screw to provide tension. The problem is even with the screw completely backed out, the pedals are still nearly impossible to get out of (I've actually had to remove the shoe because I couldn't unclip).  I'd like to replace the rubber (I read that this was a problem with some Onzo pedals with a similar design), but I don't know the brand. The dust caps just say 'CM'.

Can anyone identify the brand, maker or supplier for me?

I have two pairs of shoes with different cleats - and two bikes with different pedals. Both pairs of shoes work well on one bike, but with one set of shoes the cleats jam on the other bike.  There are several brands of pedals and cleats that have varying degrees of compatibility. Replacing the rubber is unlikely to fix the problem of the cleat not releasing.

On top of this, there is also single release (Shimano SH51 and SH52) and multi release cleats (SH55 and SH56) cleats -  Single release will let you unclip with a horizontal rotation only, where as multi release let you unclip with a diagonal, horizontal or upwards pull.

Check you cleats - if they are single release, I would replace them with multi release as a first step. You may end up needing to try several different cleats, so a trip to the LBS might be the quickest way to find something that works.

From SPD / SPD-R / SPD-SL cleat application table :

SM-SH51 for single direction release,and for “Easy step-in” feature
SM-SH52 for PD-M858 and other SPD pedals except PD-7410 or PD-6500
SM-SH55 for multi-directional release except PD-M959 / M540 / M520
SM-SH56 SPD Cleat Sets Multi-directional release for PD-M959 / M540 /
M520

Wellgo also do cleats that some claim are Shimano compatible, but other's say can be hard to get out of some Shimano pedals. They come in 98A (common), 99A and also I have seen a TB51A (but its not in the catalogue). Crank Bros and Richey have cleats that look similar, no idea about compatibility.


What bottom bracket would i need for my Specialized Allez Sprint 2020? So i'm planning to build this bike up using Ultegra R8020 but i'm not sure what bottom bracket i would need. When I purchased the frame I was given these "cups" but im not sure if this is a good alternative solution. The bearings that are preinstalled have Enduro 6806 ABEC-3 written on them.

It's a BB30 frame with a normal BB30 bottom bracket in it. The adapters you picture are 24mm spindle adapters that plug in and reduce the ID to the 24mm that Shimano cranks want, and put the face to face spacing where they expect.
The other way to do it is use one of the press-in threaded inserts like the FSA one, into which you can then install a threaded bottom bracket, or use a thread-together adapter BB.
Since you already have these that's probably reason enough to do it that way. They're simple and work but have the drawbacks that they maintain the longevity and creak issues BB30 can have.
The 24mm BB30 adapters I usually use completely take the place of the BB30 bearing shields that the BB comes with. I can't tell if yours do or not, so you'll need to see what fits best and seems to provide correct spacing for the cranks.
Many BB30 frames have internal routing schemes that render the plug-in adapters the only practical choice due to access or interference considerations.


Putting 8-sprocket cassette on a 18-speed bike I have an 18 speed and want to swap the wheels out, but the new rear wheel has an 8-sprocket cassette and the one on the bike has a 6-sprocket . I plan on swapping them but just for fun I tested it out without swapping them and the 8-sprocket rides just fine even though two of the sprockets will never be used.

Would it cause problems to ride with the 8-sprocket or can I just leave it on and won't experience any differences?

As long as you're running a narrow six speed chain, there shouldn't be any issues as the width on those is the same as a seven/eight speed chain. You may want to adjust the rear derailleur and you can probably hit all eight speeds on your cluster. If you have index shifting you will need an eight speed shifter.


How important is shoe weight? Please do not confuse this with general weight on your bike or rotating weight. I'm onto about something completely different.

Logic tells me that everytime you do a pedal stroke you need to lift your foot along with most of the legs weight on the upstroke. The heavier your foot and shoe, the more energy you need to expend to lift it. On the other hand, a heavier foot and shoe will create more force on the downstroke.

Assuming you were on a home trainer with 10kg weights attached to each of your feet how would it effect your power output and pedalling style?

What if you ride out of the saddle? High cadence vs. low cadence?

You are correct that the weight of the shoes cancel out each other for the rotation part. For an extreme example of the same effect, check out Falkirk Wheel, which lifts 250 tons of water and boat using same amount of water as counterweight.

The shoes are not usually centered on pedals, but the axle is under the ball of foot. If hypothetical heavy shoe has even weight distribution, you will have to support the weight of the heel. That weight does not do any work, and it would be possible to design a gear train similar to Falkirk Wheel that maintained the pedals level without outside forces.


How old is this rear steer skip tooth tandem? How old is this Tandem
Rear Steer
Skip tooth
??

This looks like a prototype or maybe even a home-made version due to the way the horizontal cross tube for the second rider looks unevenly cut off just before reaching the first rider's seat post.

Dating will be a bit of a trick - the angles of the down-tubes don't match anything I can find on the net with a cursory search, but rear steer tandems were popular as far back as the 1890's in quite a few designs.  Prices seemed to average around $150 USD. Many got recycled/refurbished in the 1930's and later, usually with upgraded seats and tires/wheels.  The seat in the picture doesn't look more than 50 years old.

Brands names that I have come across are Colsen and Geneva.

The cranks remind me of pre-1940's bikes with the spindly crank arms, as opposed to tapered cranks that are more commonly seen today.

I would suggest looking closely at the frame, even the underside, for any marks that show names or numbers.  Might be hard to do as the paint looks a lot newer than the bike and may have filled in the letter/number stamping on the frame, or any mounted/welded/riveted ID plates.

It's not too far off from the late 30's Colsen models, so I'm making an educated guess it is at least pre-World War 2.

update:  looks like I found the exact same bike at this eBay link: http://goo.gl/yxirV8

added by Nul: Seller says: "looks as if it's been repainted at one time. the wheels and tires don't look right for this bike, although the rear wheel sprocket is skip tooth. seats are not original. one pedal is different from the rest. i do not know what kind it is, there is no badge. i did find a serial number on the bottom of the front pedal shaft housing. the number is in the photo, looks to be #46556. there are a few dents here and there. buy them when you see them!!"

Photos from auction (added so they're not lost when link disappears from ebay)

Auction closed on 30th June 2016 with a hammer price of $699.99 USD


Need to know the wrench size for 10.9 screw My pedal just unscrew. It has a hexagon-headed screw with '10.9' screw label. Anybody knows what size of wrench I need for this screw?

10.9 is the type of steel alloy used, not the size of the hex key (aka allen key) you need.

Get a set of hex keys (almost surely a metric set is needed, given that its on a bicycle) and then try them out to see which one fits. I'd guess its something in a 3mm, 4mm, 5mm or 6mm range.


Clarification on the steerer tube torque of the stem bolts On my stem a label says "All max. 8 Nm" next to the handlebar clamp bolts.

This is the only labeling:

On the internet I found other values ranging from 20 - 30 or even 10 - 30.

Refer to:

This list (List of Torques in German; translate the Page or Look for "Vorbau")
The Parktool PDF in this answer

Shall I assume this torque for the steerer tube bolts too?

It's about these two (not the top one):

I went with 15 Nm and think I'm OK with that.

The specified torque in your case most likely applies to all four stem plate bolts, and most probably to its two steering tube bolts, that is, only to all bolts sitting in the stem itself. 8 Nm is an adequate value for an aluminum stem.

Many other bolts on the bicycle typically require less torque values (other things sitting on the handlebars typically need around 5 Nm, and usually even less), and only a couple of places do specify values larger than 10 Nm (a cassette lockring and some crank bolts come to mind).

  I went with 15 Nm and think I'm OK with that.

Because those two bolts likely clamp a steering tube made of steel, you are unlikely to have damaged anything (yet) by overtightening. I would strongly suggest you to obey the specification, undo both bolts and lower their torque to 8 Nm. If you have a carbon steering tube, there is a risk that you have already damaged it.

There are no benefits in exceeding recommended torque values. It does not make bolts less susceptible to loosening under vibration; use retaining compound or grease to prevent that. It does not help with preventing rotation of components (e.g. stem around the steering tube) if the tolerances of involved components are correct.

Overtightening can, however, decrease life span of components (fatigue cracks slowly developing under the stem) or damage them straight away, and/or damage threads on either stem or bolts, causing them to loosen.

P.S. The word "all" has always been vague in meaning, as nobody can tell what is not included into the "all".


Stationary bike "clicks" when pedaling - crank axle is moving sideways. How can I fix this? I've got this stationary bike, a York C202, which has developed a problem - namely it "clicks" when pedaling. This is highly annoying, as there's nothing I seem to be able to do about it.

I diagnosed the fault as per: the pedal crank axle moves sideways by about 1mm every revolution of the cranks.

I have no idea how to fix it though. I was googling around for different types of bottom brackets, but this bike seems to use some custom one.

There's a nice diagram of all the parts involved on the last pages of the PDF manual.

The C Clips are inserted into grooves on the axle itself, so I can't move them - it seems logical that it should be possible to either move the bearings further apart (screw them out of the frame by 1mm) or put some "placeholder" between the C Clip and the bearing.

However - the C Clip rotates against the bearing, so it wouldn't be a secure fit for any contraption.

Can you advise? How can I fix this? I imagine I'd need some special tools for the job, which ones will I need?

The bike has individual cartridge bearings -- not at all standard for a "real" bike, and a bit unusual for even an exercise bike.  (In fact, though I've seen a half-dozen different types of exercise bikes taken apart I've never seen anything like this.)

But it's not a terribly complicated setup.  The C-clips hold the axle in place.  The ring against which the C-clips ride is the inner race of the bearing and rotates with the axle.  If you can find a bushing (washer) of a suitable diameter and thickness it can be inserted between the C-clip and the bearing -- fairly easily accomplished by someone with moderate mechanical abilities.  You should only need the bushing on one side.  The one thing to be wary of is to get the crank arm back on tight, as a loose crank arm quickly destroys the mating surfaces.

A well-equipped hardware store should have a selection of bushings (and some spare C-clips, should the one on there be damaged or go flying across the room).

(There is also an old mechanic's trick:  You could work some coarse string into the gap, twisting it around the axle several times.  It should stay in place fairly well, without anything to secure it, especially if you dab on a little grease or petrolatum.)


What caused my cycling shorts to get damaged during washing? On a ride yesterday, I noticed a spot on my shorts where the fabric felt rough. After washing, the problem became much worse, and there are major areas of damage on both the front and back of the shorts. The following picture shows a close-up of a section of the shorts on the front near the chamois. If I look at the shorts closely, it almost seems like there are short little threads of elastic sticking out.

I've never put the shorts in the dryer, and I'm not aware of anything I've done wrong. Is this sort of damage common? Are there any mistakes in care or handling that are likely to have caused this, or is it a manufacturing defect?

These look like normal wearing patterns of cycling shorts, unfortunately.

My last 3 shorts (last five or six years) had to be put away because they became "transparent" right in the regions where they COULDN'T be transparent, even though they were still pretty much rideable. But it was very unconvenient to go inside convenience stores, for example.

I noticed this has a lot to do with which parts undergo friction with the skin, and stretching/unstretching during regular use. I suspect some chemical reactions from sweat and other skin substances might be involved. Probably the washing procedure might influence the speed or visibility of the process.

As a final observation, in general the highest the quality ones (as perceived at purchase time) tend to last much longer before the transparency effect ensues.

Anyway, you probably need new shorts.

Hope this helps.


What is the widest tire for the 27.5+ width rims? Assuming that there's a line between fat wheels and plus sized wheels (which I am not sure of), then, where would this line be?

I read that a 3.5" tire is considered a "plus" one. Like http://plusbikes.com/first-look-panaracer-fat-b-nimble-27-plus-tires/

A 4" wheel, as far as I know, is a "fat" one.

Where's the border? Is there one? Does this have sense?

I'll venture a guess that currently there are two lines defining the "plus" range you are talking about.  Anything under 2.75 to 3 inches will likely be defined as a regular MTB tire.  These were often called "fat tires" until Surly popularized the Endomorph, which made the term "fat tire" fall out of favor for regular mountain bike tires.

The original Endomorph was (I believe) a 3.7 inch tire which sort of starts the current range of "fat tires" and goes up.  "Plus" tires are a relatively recent thing that Surly also had a big hand in (look up the Krampus or the Knard) that consists of tires to big to fit the frames of most regular mountain bikes, but still a bit smaller than the current "fat tire" market (3.7 inches and up).  I'd say the current "Plus" range is maybe 2.7 inches to 3.7 inches.

One of the current uses for the plus set that I have seen is running 29'r plus tires and wheels in a 26 inch "fat bike" frame for summer or hard trail conditions.

Again all of these definitions may change as the market and common tire sizes change, but I believe that's about the current state of things.  When looking at these setups perhaps the most important thing to consider is what size the frame will be required to fit the setup.


Are rotor bolts designed to shear? I was toying about with a disk brake for the first time and managed to shear two bolts clean off while reassembling.

Curiously, both tore the head off, leaving the threadded shaft in the tapped hole in the hub.  I was able to remove the shaft using bull-nosed pliers both times.

Looking closely at the remains, the head has torn off where it fastens to the shaft.  Is this a weak point by design?

No, I was not using a torque wrench, because I don't own one.  This is high on my list of wants though.

Low-profile button-cap socket screws do have a design weakness. The button reduces the amount of material around the head and the recessed hex or Torx socket also does the same, exactly at the interface of the screw body and head.
In this zoomed in portion of your larger photo, you can see just how little material connects the head to the rest of the screw:

You have to be careful with following the torque recommendations with low-profile heads, especially if you're using a torx bit in a regular socket wrench. As a side note, this is a great guide for bike component torque specs. Rotor bolts shouldn't be overtorqued -- and need to be torqued to the same amount -- to prevent the rotor being warped.

Two things you can do:

Torque wrenches are cheap and you should have two: one low-range (<11 Nm) and one high range (20-6 0Nm).  Beam-type torque wrenches are more accurate than uncalibrated, cheap clicker-type torque wrenches. In terms of the low range, many automotive torque wrenches don't read low enough for bike componentry, especially carbon frames. Brake rotors are supposed to be torqued only to 6.2 Nm for Avid, 2-4 Nm for Shimano. This is a cheap US$25 wrench that goes from 2 to 10 Nm (88 in/lb, you have to do the imperial correction manually). It's great for the smaller components on bicycles or for carbon frames. I used it for my own recent disc brake upgrade.

If you can  find a Torx or hex screw where the threads don't go up all the way to the head, it's a bit stronger. But you have to be careful that this doesn't limit the depth of material that is being retained. Disc brake rotors I believe are 1.6~1.8mm thick when new so you should only have about 1.25~1.5 mm of unthreaded shank. This one is too long:

Note that you may not be at fault. The drunken lemur who initially assembled your hub and rotor might have applied too much torque at the factory, fatally weakening the screw. So when you redid the brakes, you were working with a weakened component.

As an addendum, even though button cap screw heads are inherently weak, the zoomed-in photo at the top and here seems a bit extreme in just how little material there is -- the torx socket seems recessed even further than normal. So don't rule out a manufacturing defect in the screws themselves... although one also shouldn't rule out that it may be a design feature and not a bug -- designed to prevent you from overtorquing the rotor bolts and warping the rotor.


Are there any community bike shops in the Netherlands? I'm a Canadian who's visiting the Netherlands for a few months. I'm awed by the strength of the bicycling culture here, but, to date, I haven't been able to locate any community bike shops. By community bike shop I mean a place where you can borrow tools and do your own repairs on site, for a small fee. Bikecollectives.org doesn't list any in the country. Given the number of cyclists here, though, it seems inconceivable that organizations like these don't exist.

Does anyone know of any community bike shops in the Netherlands?  (Specifically, one in Amsterdam or The Hague where I might be able to true my back wheel?)

I don't know any community bike shops in the Netherlands, never really heard it this although I understand what you mean.

What you will find, is a Repair Café. It's a place where people get together helping each other repair their stuff. Often there's tools of all kinds and you can usually bring a bike too. It has a big community aspect; you can use each others knowledge or tools and repair together.

You can find them on repaircafe.nl. There you have a Google Map which, although the website is in Dutch, you'll be able to use. There is more than 5 cafés in central Amsterdam. Click the link in the pin-popup and you'll get more info and opening times. (There is an English version of their website, but it doesn't contain more than some about.)

I think it is almost the same as a community bike shop. Except that a repair café usually has a short moment of coming together (you'll find meeting moments on the website) we as the shop will be open almost all business hours.


Will Shimano M6000 Rear Derailleur SG (medium cage) work with cassette other then 42t? I was thinking about buying Shimano Deore groupset to upgrade my ride, checking both older M610s and newer M6000s. The hitch is I want 2x10 set commuter flavor. That means narrow ratio cassette, like 11-25, 12-28 or 11-32. It seemed pretty logical to look for medium cage (GS) rear derailleur version since:

SGS (long cage) was designed with 3x10 in mind (as far as I heard).
I'll be getting transmission capacity like 26, 33 tops which feels too low for SGS with 43 cap.

However, if you look at GS version at Shimano's web site, you'll see:

Low sprocket_Max.    42T
Low sprocket_Min.    42T

As far as I understand it, I should not be using any cassette lesser then 11-42t, which is quite weird to say the least. So, have anyone got experience with using narrow ratio cassettes with RD-M6000-GS, or maybe give some build advice?

The min/max sprocket size spec of 42 does actually make some sense if you think about how the parallelogram of the derailleur works.

On derailleurs designed for large sprocket ranges the cage is moved a long distance vertically as it moves horizontally. At the inner position, the cage is too low and too far away from the axle to work with a small lowest gear sprocket.

That said, you could probably get away with running 2-4 teeth smaller than the specified minimum. If you want to go to a large sprocket of 30 or less teeth, you should be looking at a different derailleur.


Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Not Reporting Accurate HR Anymore With my first Garmin Edge 305, I got the cadence and heart rate accessories. Cadence is still humming along, but the heart rate monitor has been not accurately reporting heart rate over the past couple months.

Two battery changes and various attempts to wet the contacts and my skin beneath have not resurrected the reliability of the heart rate monitor strap.

Do you all have any further suggestions to try to get the Garmin Heart Rate Monitor working properly again, or is it time to just bite the bullet and buy a replacement heart rate monitor strap. If so, another Garmin-branded one or a different ANT+ heart rate monitor?

Given the battery changes, if you haven't washed the strap, try doing that, first with soap and water, then wipe with isopropyl alcohol. If you get no different response, replace the strap. BTW, I recently had to replace my Edge 305 because the PC drivers were blue screening my Win 7 PC. If you use the Garmin software at all, you might consider an overall upgrade. In addition, they've changed the design f the Garmin HR strap, so if you do decide to replace it, it will be with the newer soft strap, not the same as your original one.


Modifying Brake Cable to Fit? I have recently decided to replace my brake cables before a particularly long ride, since they haven't been replaced in a number of years.

The problem I have is that the stock rear cable on my bike has an exposed section and, as such, the new cable I have purchased (which has an outer casing running the whole length) will not fit in the groove.

What is my best option? Is there a preferred way to cut the casing on the cable? I.e. should I cut just enough off to pass the obstructions, or should I cut off a long section so the new cable is similar in appearance to the one I am replacing - an elongated exposed section.

Or better yet, are there cables available to purchase which will fit right out of the box?

Thanks in advance!

Cutting cables and housing is a bit of a pain in the ass (especially regular spiral housing for brakes). A Dremel with cutting disc or something like the Park Tool CN-10 is useful to cut the housing, along with a small file / punch to make sure that the hole is clear and smooth.

The rules for running cables are here and here, along with some directions for cutting. Even if you do get a kit (e.g. this), you will still need to do some cutting, since bikes are of different sizes. Assuming your housings were sized appropriately before though, you just need to use them to size the new ones.

Note that bad cable installation can drastically degrade performance / be dangerous if its on your brake systems.

The cable cutting tools may not be a worthy investment if you don't use them often enough, so you may want to borrow them from a bike co-op or just get a shop to do it for you.


Hub rebuild - cone dust cap conflict, hub integrated vs pressed on cone? I had to rebuilt the rear Joytech hub on my 2008(ish) Schwinn High Timber after I broke the axle:

My hubs have a integrated dust cover which consists of a rubber diaphragm that is pressed into the end of the hub and has a opening for the cone:

The cones on the new axle have dust covers on them (the old ones did not), but the opening on the hub is larger than most I presume:

At first I was going to remove the pressed on one from the cone.  I figured if I left them both on there then the rotating integrated one would be sliced apart from the sharp edge of the one on the cone.  So what should I do in this case, or remove the one pressed on the cone?  A quick look at the hubs on JoyTech's website suggest that all the ones with the rubber diaphragm do not use the metal ones on the cones.  Considering this, I'm leaning to removing the ones on the cones.

I just happen to have a new stock spare wheel for this bike that I'm going to use in the mean time.  Here is the photo of it as a reference:

I went with the original integrated covers on my hubs without the pressed on caps on the cones.  To remove the caps from the cones I just used a sock to sit on the dust cap and give it a good whack with a hammer and it came right off.  If my new cones ever do come with a large enough cover then I would probably go with that.


Pump head suitable for for small tires What is the best pump for small bike tires with narrow spokes?

The pump head we have is large and is hard to place over the valve on our 20 inch tire.

I've tried pump extenders but they are screw on and I always let out as much air as I put in when I unscrew them.

I'm happy to get a pump that only works with Schraeder if this makes it easier to find one.

It sounds like the issue that you're having is very similar to the one that time-triallists and triathletes have with disc wheels. Luckily they've come up with a solution for exactly that. What you're looking for is called a disc wheel valve adaptor, often referred to as a "crack pipe" for obvious reason due to its appearance. The most widely used and durable one is the silca version (https://silca.cc/products/disc-wheel-mini-chuck) because of the replaceable seals and tiny head which is easy to fit in the tiny space with the valve. There are plenty of options out there for less money as well such as this one by Fast Forward:
http://www.wigglestatic.com/product-media/5360051984/ffwd-valve-adapter.jpg?w=430&h=430&a=7


What is the simplest way to lower the gearing on my touring bike? I have a 2004 Jamis Aurora with a 52/42/30 triple and an 11-32 cassette in the back. 30x32 (25.3 gear inches) being the lowest gear is frustrating for the hilly terrain where I live (e.g., 7% grade average over several miles, with higher local steepness), and so I'd like to lower my gearing.

I'd like advice on how to most simply do this. The basic problem is that replacing any given part appears to have cascading compatibility issues which may or may not be solvable, and I'm becoming confused.

I do use the full range up to 52x11 (127.6 gear inches), but only on descents that are fast anyway, so I am happy to lose the higher gears and coast instead. There is essentially no level terrain where I live.

Relevant specs (all parts stock in 2004):

9 speed
Crankset: Truvativ Touro 52/42/30, 130/74mm BCD
Front derailleur: Sora 28.6mm, clamped
Cassette: SRAM 11-32
Rear derailleur: Deore SGS
Shifters: Tiagra
Bottom bracket: TruVativ sealed cartridge, 68 x 113mm

Options that I've found so far:

Add a larger cog in back, such as the new Shimano 12-36 cassette. As far as I can tell, this will require a new rear derailleur and a new chain, but that's it. This makes the lowest gear 30x36 (22.5 gear inches), 12.5% lower, and the highest 52x12 (117 gear inches). A downside is the excessive size of the rear cassette.
Replace the crankset, for example with a 48-36-24. This makes the lowest gear 24x32 (20.3 gear inches), 25% lower, and the highest 48x11 (118 gear inches). At first glance, this one is the most appealing, but it seems to also raise the thorniest compatibility questions; the ones I'm aware of so far are (a) finding a front derailleur which is compatible with both my road shifters and the smaller large chainring (one possibility), and (b) differing chainline offsets of road and MTB cranksets.
Swap in a lower granny chainring, say 24 teeth, resulting in a 52/42/24 crankset. My concerns here are (a) whether my derailleur can handle the 18-tooth jump between low and middle and/or the lowness of the granny gear, (b) the awkwardly wide jump between low and middle (75%, or about 5 sprockets), and (c) retaining very high gears that are feasible only for making a fast descent faster.
Swap in 3 new chainrings. This seems to raise similar concerns to item 2.

I think everyone has provided some pretty sound advice, especially Daniel Hicks and his recommendation to go with the quickest and cost effective option by replacing your chainrings! With a 130/74 BCD, an ideal setup would be to swap in a 24/36/48 which would give you a great range at a cheap price.

The front derailleur is probably the least necessary component on your bike and, while shifting compatibility is a concern, I would recommend swapping in your new chainrings and setting everything up to test for compatibility before spending more money on a new derailleur. I have used mountain FDs on road triples and road FDs on mountain triples with a variety of indexed and non-indexed shifters and have had very little trouble over the years. Really, the only requirement is ensuring that the front derailleur is a triple and has the correct seat tube diameter/pull direction. (Your cascade of compatibility issues is something I've dealt with, but don't worry! There are lots of manufacturers who design compatibility issues into their gear, but they generally don't cater to the average touring enthusiast.)

Since you have an SGS derailleur (long-cage) you shouldn't have any issue with chain slack. For touring, the Deore SGS set up with an 11-32 is a great choice. At most, you may prefer to remove 1 or 2 links just to clean everything up. (I ride in New England on 24/38/48 x 13-32 and even with a full load I maybe walk it once a year).

When you start changing components such as your crankset you have to deal with special tools, frame clearance issues, bottom bracket fit, and Q-factor (the horizontal distance between your pedals). Mountain cranks have smaller BCDs but have much wider Q-factors which, for some people, can cause knee and hip irritation (which is exacerbated by long rides and clipless pedals). Long story short, if you are comfortable with your bikes ergonomics on long rides, leave it (or give yourself enough time to work out the bugs before attempting a 2k fully loaded).

Otherwise, take things one step at a time. If smaller chainrings don't give you enough oomph, throw on a new cassette which is quick and has few compatibility issues (12-36 is a common low touring range). More compact road cranks have a 110/74 BCD which won't help you on the low end (though, if your leg length permits a longer crank arm it might provide a very small advantage). Some mountain cranks have BCDs as low as 58mm x 20t, but I suspect that this option may be more trouble than it is worth. Some handy online gear resources include: rivbike.com, velo-orange.com, universalcycles.com, and sheldonbrown.com.

A cheaper way to ease the inherent suffering of long, steep climbs would be to trim some bike fat and touring load (a good technical and philosophical resource might be The Ultralight Backpacker by Ryel Kestenbaum or Just Ride by Grant Petersen). Some people might recommend trimming some actual fat, but we live in a world where everyone gets to ride a bike, not just 130 pound-25-year-olds. (No offense to the 25-year-old cyclists out there!)


Are Shimano Claris brifters compatible with 90's Shimano 600 parts? Is Claris backwards compatible with older shimano 600-tricolor? Can i just switch ill working parts with Claris since they are both 8 speed groups?

Yes, all Shimano 8-speed shifters and rear derailleurs except Dura-Ace are compatible. Road and off road front derailleurs have different cable pull, but since both 600 and Claris are road component series, they are compatible too.


Can I attach a 40 spoke hub to a 36 spoke rim? I just discovered a crack in the back rim of my mother's bike and I'd like to replace it. The trouble is that the hub is 40 spoke and I cannot find a 40 hole rim that would fit the bike and would be less expensive than buying a new bike.

However I can find plenty of 36 hole rims that are perfect (other than the fact they have 36 holes).

I was wondering if there are lacings that are safe for connecting a 40 hole gear hub to a 36 hole rim.

I would rather not replace the entire wheel because it would, due to the rather antique internal hub currently in use, likely mean adding a derailleur, replacing the gear-line and replacing the chain, which just seems a little overkill.

"Perverse" is what Sheldon Brown calls this sort of wheelbuilding, but it apparently can be done. There are even video tutorials for a 32-36 mismatch, which might help you. Unless you really need a sturdy rim, you could look into using a 32-hole rim as a 4:5 pattern might be simpler than 9:10. You need several sizes of spoke for such a build.

Another option worth a look is trying to get undrilled rims, though they're probably expensive.

I have heard of people building wheels ignoring the spoke hole offset from the centreline, or filing out the holes if the offset is slight. Doing that on a 20-hole rim would mean you'd have to drill every other hole - but be careful as the valve hole could easily be a problem (most but not all of my wheels have it halfway between spokes). I'd be wary of such an approach personally.

I don't suppose the front is 40h is it? Building a new front wheel and putting the old front rim on the back would be a neat solution if it is, but 40h front wheels aren't common.


Would an original Abloy padlock and [toughened] chain make a good bike lock? Why are bike locks so fancy, so specialised?

Would a small padlock, e.g. original Abloy make a good bike lock when connected to a chain?

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abloy (first image)

Are there some common attacks that this combination protects particularly poorly from?

Chain may have to be of toughened (motorcycle) variety.

P.S.

Video from Germany testing similar concept with a much heavier lock:

10 seconds with boltcutters- either on the chain or on the padlock, and the thief will have stolen your bike. There are reasons why bike locks are designed the way they are- to stop/prevent this from happening.


Does anyone know the age of this Legnano Bike? Does anyone know the age of this Legnano Bike?

The frame number reads FC670

Thank you to everyone thats replied.

I now nothing of the history of the bike or Legnanos in general tbh and certainty wouldn't know about originality of it. The crank is a double ring, which is manual to change which I've not seen before. 60's frame with 70's bits maybe??

according to this site:

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/Legnano/serial_numbers.htm

Can't be too sure, but i would guess it's manufactured around early sixties. Probably 61 or 62.


Best bike with foot brake I am looking to buy a bicycle with a front disc brake and a rear foot brake.  I am asking this because I have mild muscular dystrophy and lost almost all of my grip strength so it is very difficult for me to stop with hand brakes.  Maybe there is another solution other than a rear foot brake and I am open to other suggestions.  If not can you recommend a good bike with a rear foot brake.  I would like the 21+ gear option but I am not sure this is possible.  I don't want to go too expensive but I want a good bike.

A coaster brake is really your only option for foot-operated braking, and most complete bikes sold with coaster brakes have the coaster as the only brake. My experience is that mixing hand and coaster brakes takes some getting used to, and most people don't want to bother.

This limits the selection of coaster brake bikes to mostly cruiser and city bikes. Most of those are single-speeds or 3-speeds. Both Shimano and SRAM offer 8-speed internally-geared hubs with coaster brakes, but I don't know whether any current production bikes come with 8-speed coaster brake hubs from the factory.

If you wanted to have a more versatile bike with a wide range of gears and a braking setup that includes a front brake, one way would be to have a rear wheel built using one of the 8-speed hubs. The considerations for that include:

The frame would have to be able to accommodate an internal or single-speed rear hub. This means it would have to have either horizontal/track type dropouts or an eccentric bottom bracket.
Most internally geared hubs are limited to one chain wheel in front and one cog in back, so you're limited to the number of speeds inside the hub itself.
Both the Shimano and SRAM hubs come only in 36-hole drilling, not the more popular 32-hole. This would somewhat limit your rim choices.
The derailleurs, chain wheels and cogs from the derailleur drivetrain would become surplus, along with the rear brake and its lever.

If you wanted to start with a bike that's really close, the Breezer Uptown 8 or Downtown 8 come with 8-speed hub gears and hand brakes for both wheels. You could purchase the coaster hub and have a bike shop rebuild the wheel, keeping the rim, shifters, cog and chain wheel. I wish I could say that you could just buy a kit to convert from one type of brake to the other, but to my knowledge, the hubs have different internals. Current cost would be a $600-800 bike, $200+ hub, plus labor. You could probably sell the old hub and get a little bit back.

Another option might be to get a cruiser with an 8-speed hub and add a disk brake, but this would require replacing the fork and front wheel. Probably more cost-effective but more of a challenge to find a compatible fork. Too many variables to estimate what that might cost.

Good luck in your search.


What determines crank length? Without getting really technical what determines the length of the cranks that you would use on your bike? I was wondering if longer cranks without being ridiculous would act as a fulcrum and make climbing easier in a higher gear ratio.

As an opener to your question....

Femur length.
Theoretically. The longer the femur - the longer the crank length.
The old pros used to favour the longer crank lengths 175mm to
180mm being common. Iirc Pantani who was a short rider even
favoured a slightly longer 172.5mm for reasons of leverage as you
mention above. There has been a trend towards shorter crank
lengths - which lend themselves to a slightly faster cadence.
Natural cadence speed.
Most riders find when they switch to shorter cranks, their cadence
increases.
Flexibility.
A longer length will bring the upper leg at the top of the stroke closer to the abdominal cavity.


Lowest Gear Out of Whack Yesterday, I was having this problem.  Taking the advice, I messed with the barrel adjusters.  Now, every gear is working great except the highest gear and lowest gear.  I put my bike in the highest gear and I can still click the shifter once more, but nothing happens.  When it comes time to shift down gears, I have to click the shifter once before shifting has any effect.  In the lowest gear, the chain jumps.  I have to hold down the shifter to stay in gear there.

Here's a video that explains how to adjust your rear derailleur. Since you didn't mention adjusting the high gear or low gear adjusting screws, this may be your problem area. Sometimes it's best to start with all adjustments in a "neutral" condition before you attempt to "fine tune" the derailleur. It would benefit you to tell us the brand and model of your deraileur syatem the next time you have a problem. Even different models from the same company, can have their little "quirks" ofetn learned by experience rather than instructions. Hope this will help you out! Good luck!


Aluminium Aerobars on Carbon Handelbars Since I want to build up a new bike with road or gravel handelbars and aerobars I try to get as much information about it as possible.
Now I have just watched a video where the person in it says (at 00:55) that it is not recommended to use aluminium aerobars with carbon handelbars. I am just wondering why that is (maybe because they want to sell more of the cost intensive carbon stuff). Both can make scratches on the handelbars but if you tap it both should not. Any ideas why this should not be recommended?

I'm not a composites engineer. However, I'll attempt to explain.
Some carbon bars can take clip-ons
If a carbon fiber handlebar or a carbon fork steerer can withstand the force of your stem clamping on it, then chances are a handlebar could also withstand the force of aero bars clamping on it, assuming it was designed to do so. I've found several carbon handlebars that specifically claim to be compatible with clip on aero bars in general, like the Bontrager XXX aerodynamic handlebar. This bar's tops are flattened for aerodynamics (laugh if you want, but it actually makes a small but measurable difference). I suspect the bar would take clip ons in the rounded center section. The ENVE SES aerodynamic handlebar is compatible with ENVE's own clip ons, which are designed to clamp onto the flat section. Specialized makes its own version for International Triathlon Union (ITU, where drafting is legal) riders of the Venge aero road bike, which has aerodynamically shaped bar tops as well. And, naturally, many carbon bars are round, and some of them, like this Bontrager Pro handlebar, claim compatibility with clip on aero bars.
As a counter-example, consider the 3T Superleggera (Italian for super-light) handlebar. The Limited and Team versus weigh under 190g per bar and explicitly say they are not compatible with clip-ons. The 240-250g Pro version explicitly says it is compatible with clip-ons.
If they don't say they can, assume they can't
I'd wager that if a carbon handlebar's literature does not specifically state compatibility with clip on aero bars, it is not compatible. I would assume that its clamp area is only reinforced right where the stem clamps. So, the presenter in the Global Triathlon Network video isn't entirely correct, but she's definitely not wrong.
Recall that carbon frame tubes are not designed to withstand clamping, and frames can be damaged if just clamped in a repair stand. If a carbon handlebar wasn't designed to safely take clip-ons, it might not have the necessary wall thickness or other structure to not crack under the clamping force, and I would assume that it was not designed to withstand clip-ons.
Why would not all carbon handlebars be able to take clip on aero bars?
@mattnz linked to The Rules, which is basically a tongue in cheek style guide for performance-oriented road cyclists. He correctly stated that Rule 54 says not to mount aero bars (unless you're in a mountain time trial). The Rules are definitely intended to be tongue in cheek. However, aside from fashion and peer pressure, there's a substantive reason for roadies not to mount clip on aero bars: your control over your bike is reduced considerably when in the aero bars. Hence, I'd argue that you should not use aero bars if in a paceline or even if you are riding with a large group of riders, barring explicit prior agreement (e.g. you are doing team time trial practice and you all agree that the first X riders will stay in aero bars). If you are in a sanctioned mass-start road race, you're not allowed to have clip-on aero bars at all.
I'm not sure how high the demand for clip-on compatibility is among many drop bar riders. In my experience, most riders don't mount them. Hence, some manufacturers might assume they don't have to design their carbon bars to accept aero bars. This might not be a sound assumption.
What about light aluminum bars?
This discussion raised a question for me: should we assume that aluminum handlebars are safe for clip-ons? I recall that the lightweight aluminum handlebars of the early 2000s may have had specified weights of 220g or less, whereas claimed weights seem considerably more for most aluminum bars today (e.g. the lightest alloy Bontrager handlebar seems to have 260g claimed weight).
I do not recall if lighter aluminum handlebars were rated for clip-ons or not. It does seem possible that the lighter bars may have been pushing the limits. If they were aggressively butted (i.e. their wall thickness was different through the length of the bar), then it's possible the area by the stem clamp got butted to a lower thickness and that it wasn't safe for clip-ons. However, I don't really have a way to confirm this right now.
In any case, I suspect that people looking to buy a light bike today would either use carbon handlebars, or else they might not bother with light handlebars entirely. There may no longer be a demand for or a supply of ultralight aluminum bars. The ones that remain probably do have sufficient wall thickness to accept clip-ons.
Side note: internal view of a carbon handlebar
I suspect the stem clamp area on carbon handlebars is much thicker than the rest of the bar. I'm pretty sure I see that in this video by Luescher Teknik, an Australia-based carbon fiber testing and repair expert who cut his teeth in the aerospace industry. (Vid should start at about 6:10 in, and it shows a cut-up 3T carbon handlebar.)


Chain tensioner (or tug) for single speed QR dirt jump bike? Recently i have started to learn no foots on dirt jumps, but i have noticed my cranks can sometimes spin in the air leading to some dodgey situations.

I believe having more tight chain would solve or help solve my issue of ghost peddling. But as i have a QR rear (with horizontal sliding dropouts) i am unable to get it tense enough by hand. Is there a way i could get some sort of (BMX style) chain tensioner?

Cheers.

Wrong approach.

On a single speed bike the chain needs to be tensioned properly. If you tension the chain too much - either by sliding the rear wheel back too far or apply too much force with and external tensioner -  you will massively accelerate wear on the chain and sprockets and make it much more likely that you will break the chain.


what should ibe the first thing i upgrade on my bike? i have a specialized hardrock 2011. i want to improve the capabilities of my bike but am on a budget so cant get a new one. I would like to upgrade the fork, brakes or gears and im looking for something in the range of £50-£150. anyone have any suggestions as to what to do?

I just happen to be a self serviced mechanic who is used to the budget limited upgrading process.

I start assembling bikes from the frame up, so the first thing I get is anything that is able to roll and is pedalable.

From that point, use it as much as you can, (this is where you are now) and start evaluating with parts are you pushing harder toward its limits. While you ride, pay particular attention to how often you bottom the fork, how often you find yourself out of gears (either high or low), if you make too much effort while braking or whether flexing of some component is too annoying.

Before deciding to replace some part of your bike, be sure that it can not be serviced or adjusted. For example some forks can improve performance changing internal springs or elastomers, changing the oil grade or moving spacers to change travel. All of these are operations better performed together with deep maintenance. Also, be sure to readjust anything that is adjustable, (preload, rebound or others) as your body changes (get heavier/lighter, stronger) and your technique evolves.

Also be sure to re true your rims and check if all spokes are in good condition. Check adjustment and condition of bottom bracket, headset and pedal bearings and cleats (if applicable). Make sure brake pads are also in good condition. Check rotors and cables or hoses as needed.

When you perform the appropriate maintenance you can optimize your bike's performance, so you can better decide where to invest. Also you eliminate the possibility that something that can be solved with a simple, inexpensive exchange makes you spend your money on a less necessary or less wanted feature. (Good brakes are an example: my LBS is crying to me to upgrade to hydraulic disc brakes, but I'm just as happy with mechanical brakes in one bike, and v-brakes in another, I just have to clean the pads and rotors/rims periodically, with the savings I bought a fork, which I really needed and really enjoy.)

Personally I think the fork is one component that can change the bike handling radically, any other component will have a more modest impact in riding (Assuming they all are performing correctly). A good fork will enable you to descend faster, with more precision and confidence, but also won't steal your energy when pumping up a hill.

Any of the major bearings (hubs and the bottom bracket) is also a good upgrade. If yours are really cheap or are really beaten up, you can get a significant improvement. Basically you'll be faster while exerting the same force or you'll end up less tired at the end of a ride. However, if you are already on mid-range hubs or BB, and yours can be serviced, just do so. Upgrading will be expensive but not as significative (you won't feel that much of an improvement).

Drivetrain is a delicate topic. It can be a huge advantage, but it can also be very expensive. Going from a 8 speed setup to a 9 speed one is very expensive as the price gap is significative and you usually have to change several components at a time. Be sure first if rear derailleur can be serviced, for example, can you buy new pulleys for it at a reasonable price? Before deciding to upgrade, be sure your problem can not be solved by a similar  component. For example you need more climbing gears and have an 11-28 8 speed cassette, chances are you can get away with a 11-32 8 speed cassette, but your LBS may say you "have" to upgrade to 9 spd.

My final advice regarding upgrades on a budget is: since you have a rideable bike, your upgrade is not an emergency, so, plan to upgrade something, make a list of brands/models that fit your application and if none of them is a bargain, wait for one that is (I'm not saying you wait forever). Usually you can get really good prices during inventory clearances, or you can buy OEM parts (they were part of a complete bike, but were removed in the store because the client upgraded with the purchase, or the store decided to sell the bike by components). With OEM components you get lower price because you get an item that may have installation marks and almost sure you won't get packaging or manuals.

While you wait, save money to increase your budget. And also, talk to friends and acquaintances, you may get lucky (A friend once just gave me a fork, it was dented and the LBS advised him to replace it).


MTB wont shift into 7 My new MTB wont shift into 7th gear or the smallest cog as some call it.I made sure it was in the 3rd cog on the left side to avoid chain crossing.Also there is a weird noise coming from the chain at the 7th setting on the shifter.

If all other gears are working fine, then probably you should adjust H screw only. If doesn't help, then you should adjust INDEX barrel. See Rear Derailleur Adjustment


Are there sirens/horns that are like a car horn? I am going to start commuting on my bike, but I often use busy roads that are not cycle friendly and cyclists are not often noticed. I need a horn to be noticed. (and to vent my anger without losing my voice!! - I'm joking here. One of the only highway code rules I remember is "DO NOT sound your horn aggressively". If only car drivers knew that one!)

Is there any horn out there that is battery powered but does not sound like an alarm system, or has more than one sound? I just want to press it and have a sound like a car horn.

Are there any cheap ones out there that do this (I do not mind buying from China).

Here are a few loud horns:

The hornit:
A shop I used to work at sold these and they are extremely loud - around 140 decibels, but they sound like a loud beep rather than a horn. It takes 2 AAA batteries. Costs $45 US. The nice thing about this one is the button to press is remote, so you can have the horn on your fork or wherever.

Airzound: http://deltacycle.com/airzound-horn
This one is slightly less loud (115 db), but it has more of a honk to it and requires no batteries - it takes air pressure through your standard bike pump, so there's virtually no cost beyond the initial investment. this one is slightly bulkier as you have the horn itself, the air cannister, which looks like a water bottle, and the tube that connects them. A friend of mine has one and he says it's pretty effective.

There's also this kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lansey/loud-bicycle-car-horns-for-cyclists
I've never seen this one in person, but the kickstarter can explain it for you. It has 112 db sound and sound the most like a car horn. it's $95 US though.

GaryE also showed this one:

  I use a bike horm from another Kickstarter project. It has a friendly sound and a very loud
  beep: ORP Smart Horn –  Gary E

The loudness is 98 db, but this one also has a light included


Ritchey carbon MTB fork dropout wear I was inspecting my carbon fork dropouts and I noticed the deformation of the edge on the outer side of the right dropout that makes me unhappy. I don't know what is the reason of this issue. Here are the photos:

Maybe the diameter of the nut is too little and the pressure is higher than on other three surfaces?
How to eliminate the further growth of this issue?

Looks like you may not be closing your Quick Releases quite tight enough, and they are causing the wear.  Here's a Park Tool blog post about it:

Wheel installation


Shimano 105 ST-5500 gear sensor mechanism I have a pair of Shimano 105 levers and would like to know what sort of mechanism is inside the shifter to track what gear it's on?

Is it a potentiometer? Or maybe small switches?

Also, does anyone know the pin-out of the 4-pin cable that connects the shifter to the Shimano's computer?

Here's a screenshot of part of the instructions (Shimano pdf) that appear to match your levers.

You're right, there is a 4 pin cable in there, but I have no idea where you'd find out what the pins do. I strongly suspect it's a classic +power, +signal, -signal, -power layout but whether it's analogue or digital I don't know (it might just be a potentiometer). You would need to take it apart yourself and have a look, sorry.


What's the purpose of the Weeride Copilot "safety" tabs? I just bought a used WeeRide Co-Pilot bike trailer. It's pretty good except for one little feature(?)

These tabs stick out on the side, and I'm assuming they're safety tabs to help you not run over your child, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. If I try to make a low-speed turn in our road (about 16') it will twist my seat around. It's less maneuverable than my regular bike trailer due to that fact.

Is there any real reason that I shouldn't follow through with my plan to grind them down/off so I can make turns safely?

I think the only real reason why you shouldn't remove them is that if you're moving the whole thing (without anyone on it) and it violently crashes against itself (say you pick it up to store it and it slips) then the safetly tabs will take the damaage and potentially save the rest of it.

Apart from a case like that, if you're safe with how you use it, the safety tabs can be removed.


Hydraulic disk brakes vs hydraulic rim brakes I am considering buying a new bike and have two models in mind. One features hydraulic rim brakes from Magura and the other has hydraulic disk brakes. Despite searching on the Internet and asking bike repair stores, I haven't found much information about pros and cons of one type compared to the other.

The common points I am aware of:

very good braking power
relatively hard to service yourself, almost impossible while on the road

The differences I am aware of:

I guess that hydraulic rim brakes are more sensitive to rain/mud/etc. (although I am not even sure, given the huge amount of pressure applied)
It's easier to remove your wheel with Magura rim brakes (in case of puncture for instance).

Some more specific questions:

Does the braking feel similar with both kinds?
Ease of service?
Ease of finding spare parts in remote places?
Difference in braking power?

I'm looking for general differences but a bit of context might help: the bike will be used for commuting and randonneuring, so mostly on roads and sometimes on gravel paths.

Some arguments in both directions:

Avoid disc brakes on a bike with quick release (QR) rather than through axles.
On the front loosening of QR by brake action may be a safety concern.
At both ends it is often difficult to position wheels with QR reliably enough to ensure there is no disc rub.
A QR equipped bike might be more convenient with rim brakes.
Six-bolt rotor bolts need to be tightened with exactly the same torque. One needs a small torque wrench or key for that. Uneven torque may lead to slightly warped discs and disc rub.
It is much easier to keep the brake surfaces of disc rotors clean than those of rims.
Riding in the wet may cause brake noise with disc brakes as well. Rain rides on lose surfaces usually kick up enough dirt to the rear disc to cause constant rub and noise.
Disc brakes allow much nicer rims. In particular carbon rims.
Magura rim brakes require mounting posts like cantilever brakes. There are no levers for drop bars. This rules then out for most road bikes. However, SRAM offers hydraulic rim brakes. *This is not correct, see comment by @stijn.
Don't restrict yourself to Magura when considering disc brakes. That they offer the best rim brakes and the best hydraulic system for rim brakes does not necessarily translate to disc brakes. For example, heat stability of their brake fluid might be an issue for discs while it does not matter for rim brakes.


How do I measure the size of my bicycle frame? From what point to where do I start measuring? I suspect the bike I'm trying to measure is a 56cm because I usually ride a 54 and this is slightly too big, but I want to be sure.

Centerline of the bottom bracket hole to the top of the seat tube (where the seat post goes in).


What are the differences between a seatpost-mounted and frame-mounted rear rack I am in the market for a rear rack. I noticed that there are two categories of rear racks:

Seatpost-mounted rear racks, such as this one:

And frame-mounted rear racks, such as this one:

I'm trying to decide between two of these two types of racks. I would like to know what are the pros and cons for each type of rack. I noticed that the frame-mounted rack is advertised to be able to support a heavier load. In that case, why would someone get the seatpost-mounted rack over the frame-mounted rack?

The advantages of seat mounted racks are that they  don’t require rear dropout rack lugs; some of the seat mount racks have quick release levers so you can easily take them off (while racing or transporting the bike, etc), and are many times the only option for a rear suspension bike.

The disadvantages of seat mount racks are numerous:

max luggage weight is limited
many regular panniers that require a bottom (dropout) hook won’t fit
some are designed only for proprietary bags and bag mounts
they are often heavier (thx @michael)
minimum seat drop becomes limited
you can’t use many seat droppers and suspension seatposts as there isn’t enough clearance
seat post damage is possible
doesn’t fit some oval, rhomboidal, or oversized seat posts
if you have a round seatpost and even a modest weight on the back and you take a spill or even do a modest spin-turn, it can be enough for the rack to spin the seat post

Source: had a Specialized hardrock hardtail back in the day and had a regular rack on it. Switched over to a seat mounted rack at one point as I thought it looked cooler and it does, but quickly realized it was most just looks.


What kind of lubrication is used on Electra Townie 8i chain? I just got a new Electra Townie 8i and notice that the chain appears clean and silvery.  Is it supposed to be lubricated and if so, what is recommended lubrication?

The chain is a KMC Rustbuster - it has a special coating on the plates and waterproof grease inside the 'bushing-less' bits. You don't have to do anything to it until the rust-proof coating wears off from the inside of the plates. Therefore, don't do anything to the chain - applying 'WD40' style lubes will only displace the grease by emulsifying it. Wait until this time next year and, if the chain appears 'orange rust coloured' after a ride in the rain, pop some medium flavour oil on it, sparingly.

Maybe Electra should have some words in the instruction manual as they have included a rather special chain that you are lucky to own.


Bike Rack from Apartment's Underground Carpark Removed - Is building management liable? My question is somewhat similar to  Whole Bicycle Rack Easily Removed! Is the provider liable?, however, in this case, it was from my apartment's bike rack, which is managed.

I live in an apartment building that is managed by Meriton. We have access to a secure underground carpark, that is normally only accessible by swipe card. My road bike was locked up in one of the bike racks that are provided in this carpark.

This morning, I discovered that thieves have apparently unbolted the entire rack, and taken my bike (but left two other bikes on the rack there):

I reported it to building management immediately, and apparently they're aware the racks are removable, and nothing was done to secure the bolts. My question is, is there anything I can do to hold the building management liable, based on their installation of the rack?

If you are insured make an insurance claim and they will follow up on any legal liability someone else might have, but you get a replacement bike quickly.

If you are not insured, you are in a lose/lose and maybe lose some more situation. You can accept that your bike got stolen and get on with life. Or you could sue a large property investment company and spend the next few years in a legal battle you cannot afford to lose digging a deep hole that is only getting deeper. Regardless of legal liability, the cost means they will laugh at you with the response "My pockets for legal fees are deeper than yours, see you in court and raise you costs". Given the risk they will win, and seek costs against you, they don't really care about how much they spend winning because you pull out - and when you do, they will seek costs anyway.

The only realistic option is ask nicely, or if your country has the concept of a small claims tribunal where you can bring a claim without paying lawyers.

As far as answering your question - apart from the fact that would be providing legal advise, its not answerable without seeing your contract and knowing what part of the world you live in.


Factors Involved With Tire Wobble When Riding Without Hands I recently upgraded road bikes from a heavy one (25lbs+, 25mm) with thick tires to a very light one with skinny tires ( 16 lbs, 22mm ).

One thing that changed noticeably was the loss of the ability to ride without hands, which I like doing on LSD [long, slow, distance] riding so I can stretch out my spine every once in a while.

What are the factors involved with whether or not a tire starts to wobble when riding a road bike without hands?

A big cause of a high-speed shimmy-shammah is a mis-balanced wheel. You could also have an ovulated wheel from having the spokes tightened too much in a particular direction.

Another could be your headset bearing not being up to scratch with a lot of play. This also causes it quite often. Also, a bent frame will almost always make it impossible.

Also check your calipers are centred, as this rubbing on the wheel can cause unusual behaviours. Another thing to check is that the quick-releases are tight and that the wheels (front and back) are perfectly centred inside the frame dropouts. Check also that the fork itself has no kinks and hasn't got any play.

Also, make sure your body position on the bike (saddle height, angle, fore-aft adjustment and your handlebars) is optimal for you, as this will help your balance greatly. And, check the frame size is suitable for you. For example, I ride a frame-size smaller than I'm recommended to so that I have a high seatpost, and I can run slightly shorter cranks for faster speed, yet lower acceleration. (However, I can still achieve dank wheelies! :3 )

Forks are designed with a slight spring to them to absorb road vibrations, just like a leaf spring on old cars and vans. If a fork is made too stiff, it can be a challenge to do no-hands on a frame.

Honestly, it should merely take a bit of practice to do no-hands again on this bike, as I found out from going on a road bike to a criterium bike.


What kind of grease is that? So I just managed to remove the fork from the old frame I'm renovating. In the headset bearings, the grease looks odd!

See these tiny metal balls? At least it looks like that... Is that on purpose, is that debris? The races do not seem to be damaged. If I reuse the same headset, should I try to find the same type of grease, or any waterproof grease would fit?

That is old grease with debris in it, this will be shavings of the bearings and their channel.

Before re-greasing the headset you will need to degrease it to remove all of the old grease, otherwise the old grease will attack the new grease rendering it less effective.
Then once degreased you will then need to clean out all of the degreaser (again so it doesnt attack the new grease) and dry it out.
Then you can add the new grease, the thicker and gloopier the better


Best rear view mirror to purchase? I have seen a lot of different types of Rear View mirrors. Ideas on which mounting/type is most used and why? ie: sunglass frame mounted, helmet mounting, handle bar mounting, or others. I ride both mountain and road bikes, obviously I don't feel the need as much on my MTB. Ideas and suggestions appreciated

It will really depend on what you prefer, but here are some recommendations based on my experience...
Helmet mounted

Terrible. Absolutely worthless. In order to see traffic behind you, need to have you head at just the right angle. You end up having to tilt your head side-to-side in order to get a good view of cars behind you. I also tend to be pretty rough with my helmets when I am not wearing them (strapped to backpack, hooked on bike frame, regularly dropped, etc), and the mirror just ended getting beat up.
I imagine that glasses-mounted-mirrors are the same, by I have not used them.
Drop bar mounted

I used one of these once. It was ok, but you need to lower your head to check traffic behind you. It's easier to tilt your head to the side to check traffic. I do not recommend.
Side handlebar mirrors

I have not used these, but on a cruiser/bike with relaxed riding position, they might be nice. In theory, you could just move your eyes to the side to check the mirror. However, you run the risk of getting these knocked off by other cyclists, pedestrians, car mirrors, etc.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the best method for being aware of traffic and cyclists behind you is to evolve highly specialized ears over 100s of years, allowing you to pinpoint the exact location of other road users just keep your ears open, and cautiously glance behind you from time to time. You don't have to worry about the depth perception problem,  and you don't have to worry about having blind spots in your mirrors.


Do 6 speed flight deck shifters exist? I'm interested in changing my bike from downtube to flight deck shifters, however I'm struggling to find any 6 speed flight deck shifters. I have a suspicion they don't exist.

Thanks a lot.

I've never found a 6 speed brifter, but that's no proof that they don't exist.

You might get away with using a 7 speed brifter like a Shimano RSX  on the right hand side, if your rear 6 speed cassette is a Suntour Ultra freewheel with a 5mm spacing.

"Regular" 6 speed is a spacing of 5.5mm and that adds up quickly over 6 gears to 3mm which is halfway to the next gear and won't work
Spacing crib notes from Sheldon Brown's site at https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.html

You might choose to leave the front derailleur on a downtube shifter if you can't find the correct one for the left hand.

Downside about using a 7 speed brifter is that they are indexed, so you will have a dead or ghost click past the high gear, where the inner cable goes slack and your rear mech is held on the limit screw, which might not be quite the right position.  If that happens you just upshift once to get to the highest gear.

Your other option is to replace the rear hub, cassette, chain, perhaps the rear derailleur, and one or two brifters for something more recent.  This probably entails stretching your frame to fit a wider hub between the dropouts.

Finally  - after some searching it turns out Shimano's Flight Deck is a pair of brifters combined with a cycling computer/display, a wheel sensor, and a pedal/crank sensor.   The lowest gear count I could find was a 9 speed double and a 9 speed triple, so if you want this functionality you will need  a possibly expensive upgrade.


What is needed to change a set of wheels? + advice RE the cassette size I've found a set of wheels I would like to put on my bike and have a couple of questions about how easy it is to DIY the job & compatibility. I have a 2010 Allez Sport Triple and want to swap the stock wheels for some Fulcrum 1 Clinchers.

Principally my question regards the rear cassette - on the bike it is a stock Shimano 9 sp (from the Sora range I think). Will I need to change to a 10/11 speed for the new wheels? Will this require changing any other components or can it be just the cassette? **

** Note: This is something I'm considering anyway (probably Shimano 105/Ultegra [one can dream of top-level parts but there is a constraining factor called money in the real world], including a complete overhaul of all components inc. levers, cranks, dérailleurs etc.) because the Sora equipment leaves quite something to be desired and it is now quite worn.

Also grateful for any tips about knowledge or tools necessary for the job and other useful tips to be aware of.

Those wheels come either with a Campagonolo compatible freehub; or a Shimano/SRAM compatible freehub.

If you buy the one for Shimano/SRAM (as of this writing, out of stock in Wiggle), you'll be able to use your existing cassette. To quote @PeteH:

  "The 9-speed Shimano cassette that you already have, the total height
  of it is the same as the total heights of their their 10- and 11-speed
  cassettes. So any of them will fit onto a wheel, provided as @yivi
  says you have the correct freehub. Therefore you're not obliged to
  change from 9-speed."

Otherwise, you'd need to switch to a Campagnolo 10/11 cassette, and presumably change a few more things in your drivetrain for compatibility sake. You can mix and match (compatible) SRAM and Shimano components, but I think that for the most part Campagnolo is not compatible with them.

You do need to have the proper tools to do it though. A cassette lockring tool and a chainwhip

Then, it's as easy as this:


It is dangerous to bike with 5/36 spokes broken? I've got an old bike (not a sport bike, just an old fashioned granny bike).

The chain was super loose so I have to tighten it, the tires are fine. The rear wheel, although reasonable aligned for how abandoned the bike looks has 5 over 36 spokes broken (3 on one side and 2 on the other). I am using the bike but I am a bit scared it can break down at any moment.
Is that likely or not at all?

Definitely not recommended to ride a wheel with broken spokes. Even if the wheel does not catastrophically break and result in injury, the bike could leave you stranded.

If the bike is old and has not been maintained, you should get it inspected for other safety issues, especially proper functioning of the brakes.

There are a few questions on here about inspecting a bike for safety issues. Here's one I found after a quick search: Safety check for a used bike


How to compare old road bikes I'm looking for a retro road bike and found a Gudereit T30 with a steel frame, 12 gears, and Mavic rims.

How can I compare this bike to more common bikes to figure out its value?

Comparing the shifters and gears seems easy (DuraAce-Ultegra-105), but how do I compare the steel frame and wheels?

Some pictures:

http://cl.ly/image/1g1h2G0c2d2O

http://cl.ly/image/2b2m2G2l0J0w

A reasonable estimate can be found using a site like Bicycle Blue Book. This site is a database of used bike sale transactions going back for almost a decade, and has a number of pretty obscure manufacturers listed. You can even add upgrades you have made from the stock and get an estimate of how that changes the value, though it doesn't account for things like racks, fenders and lighting systems you would add to a bike to make it a competent commuter bike.

I've sold 4 bikes within the last 6 months, and all 4 sold within a reasonable range of what was listed on that site.


Protecting bicycle from sea/salty water I'm using my bike to commute between my work and home (~10km). In the middle of my trip I have to use a ferry and have to put my bike on the deck.

Within 2 weeks of the trip I could see my cassette and some nuts started to rust. Frame is aluminium and I didn't see any rusty spots on it. Since I've never used my bike this much in salty/humid environment I don't know anything how to protect it from rusting.

Is there any grease that I should use for nuts and other open steel surfaces to prevent rust?

Or should I just gently wash my bike every day after coming home ?

Rust on a cassette or even a chain is quite normal in this kind of surroundings is quite inevitable. Also it has little impact other than visual. More frequent wiping and greasing of the chain is one of the few remedies. Buy the cheapest cassettes so that it won't hurt your wallet too much if you have to replace more often than usual.

What is far more insidious would be rust or corrosion on hidden places like the insides of tubes for a steel or aluminium bike. Or the kind of corrosion that will fuse parts such as bolts. So you should take bits apart more frequently and apply a thin coat of grease where metal touches metal. You should also apply spray wax to the insides of the frame.

Keep an eye on seat-post, stem and handlebar. And get stainless and coated brake and shift cables.


Do the benefits of clipless pedals out weigh any danger they may pose the rider? As a newbie rider, I was asked by many experienced riders and bike shop experts if I was using clipless pedals yet?  The implication was you are not really a serious rider until you are clipless, sort of a rite of passage. No one ever told me you can break bones, but told 'everyone' falls a few times, count on it, and move on.

Are there precautions or conditions where one could or should not use clipless pedal products?

The previous year, I had ridden 1700 street and paved bike trail miles on a comfort bike and a Mountain tandem with Pedal Cages and never had an issue.  I incorrectly assumed I was ready to advance.  I purchased a new touring bike with Shimano M540's.

Here is an XRAY of the damage I experienced riding clipless.  It was an unexpected stop due to a flood closing a tame paved trail. Someone had painted a bright blue line from the trail up to where I fell (me standing in the picture).  It was my error in trying to ride around the obstacle and ended in the railroad ballast (2"-3").  I had un-cliped going up but the M540's re-clipped  I stopped at the edge of the ballast but was clipped.  My ankle twisted > 150 degrees. It was my third ride and fall clipless. It all happened in 10-15 seconds.

I know through good friends of two very much younger but very experienced  riders who were hurt much more severely than I due to clipless.

Should I try again with the beginner clips and different pedals, or as my son and wife tell me, are you crazy?

Revisited

Having just rolled over 2,000 miles this year with flat pedals on the road I can report I have found a solid solution for me.  I now ride with "Pin" Pedals available from several manufacturers I use (Xpedo MX Force 3).  These pedals have a grid work of short pins sticking up on both sides of the flat pedals. These pins rather lock my foot on the pedal preventing foot creep or shifting out of position while allowing for quick mount and dismounting as necessary.

Terminology is important here. Pedal Clips (refer here) are straps that tighten around the shoe. Clipless, such as SPD have a cleat - refer here
Toe clips are not common these days - but still used by some (touring and fixed hub bikes) more niche applications. I assume you are talking about SPD style clipless pedals, but the following discussion does not really change if you are using clips. I do not believe they are dangerous. However, there is a learning curve - it's similar to asking "Is learning to ride  a bike dangerous", in that you will get exactly the same answer. Do it in the right locations and take appropriate precautions, expect a few skinned knees and at very worst, a broken bone. Do it in the wrong location at the wrong time, at worst - death.
What precautions - learn to use them in the same place you would teach a person to ride a bike. Avoid heavy traffic - no point falling under a B-Train - and mountain trails with large cliffs along side the track until proficient (Unless you are wearing a parachute) . i.e. Use common sense. Practice clipping and unclipping - and don't venture too far from your safe area until you can do both without looking down (If you look down at you feet, you will fall off). Then - practice "emergecy exits" - Not needed so much for onroad riding, but MTBing, you often need to unclip without expecting it. Eventually you will be able to unclip at any time, without thinking about it.
Don't use mix the use of toe clips and clipless pedals - it will end in tears, as the exit methods used for of each is completely incompatible with exiting the other.
Where not use them - anytime a fast, unhindered separation between the bike and rider is likely to be needed - BMX, Downhill MTB and Trials riding come to mind. In some XC riding, it is advisable not to clip for some sections - depending on the riders confidence and competence, however most of the time an XC rider will be clipped in.
Some riders prefer flats - especially MTB - there is nothing wrong with that - don't feel forced into using clipless pedals.
Edit:
Updated in response to comments.
In response to you photo and attached picture - not an entirely unexpected outcome of a novice to SPDs riding rocky ground, as might be expected putting a novice bike rider on same ground.  Unfortunately you now have an additional couple of problems to overcome if you decide to go with SPD's. You will have a mental aversion to them, and to rocky ground - that needs work but is relatively easy to overcome compared to the other - If you go with SPD's your wife will be certain you are mad - nothing you do will change her mind on that....
I suggest not using beginner clips  - they will install a false sense of security "I'm on beginner clips, I can un-clip easily....".
However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with flats.....