Options for what to do if the star nut is spinning? I've been working on getting my mirrors to sit still when riding.  They screw into a rubber block that presses out against the inside of the handlebars which backs off over time.
So I bought some small star nuts and they seemed perfect for this purpose.
from https://www.tartybikes.co.uk/headset_spares/tartybikes_star_nut/c57p10541.html
Installation went fine, using a suitable sacrificial bolt and some firm taps with the hammer.  BUT on tightening the bolt, I felt the tension drop, and felt and heard grinding noises from inside.
Turns out the whole star nut was spinning like a blade inside the bars, cutting a slot and producing aluminium flakes.
What are my options for saving this?  The bolt won't back out, and there's not enough space to get something in and hold the starnut.

To resolve this situation, there are several options each with advantages and disadvantages (ie risks)
In my personal case it was a combination of multiple causes

The star nut hadn't been quite hammered home far enough, so the second line of "leaves" was still on the outside of the tube,
The tube was an aluminium handlebar that had been trimmed short.  So the internal wall thickness increases toward the center, unlike a bent steel handlebar.
The ID had been reamed out in the past to try and give more space for clamping the old rubber handlebar mount, but only to a depth of about 20mm.  The starnut had got to that lip and not gone any further.
Due to a turn in the bars, the mounting bolt was a little too long, and ended up threading through the starnut and bottoming out.  This pushed the bolt end sideways before it was tight, forcing the starnut back out a little, giving it less purchase on the walls and then it was free to spin and grind the inner walls of the bars without backing out.  I had locktite on the threads too, which didn't help the bolt to backout, even though it had not set.

Answer:

If you can't get the bolt to undo and you can hear the starnut turning, attempt to lock up the starnut by pulling it sideways, and twisting.   Assumes the topcap is not squashed down onto the steerer.
Another suggestion was to gently "crush" the outside of the tube so it constricts the starnut.  However this would be immediately fatal for a carbon part, really bad for an aluminium part, and only has a chance of succeeding with steel which will probably be permanently deformed by this action.  I didn't even try this.
If there's some level of bolt outside the top cap, you might get lucky by hammering it into the steerer, to help seat it enough to resist the bolt's undoing torque.
Decide what's more important or harder to replace, and use a drill to remove the other thing.  Drilling through the bolt cap would let you save your top-cap, or the mirror's arm in my case.
Once you can see the star nut then there are many more options.

Simply seating it further into the steerer tube will probably secure it nicely.
Do inspect the ID for scoring though - if its cut badly then this steerer and probably the whole fork is toast and needs replacing.
If its a straight steerer, you may choose to drift the starnut down and out the bottom of the fork.  Though this will likely ruin the starnut.
Lastly, you can use a drill bit and drill driver to shred the core of the starnut.  Once sufficiently thinned, the whole thing should fold up with long pliers and drop out by gravity.

Here's the bolt that had to be thinned and rethreaded to fit the starnut.  It was originally an M8 bolt for a motorbike.

Here's the starnut after it had been hammered home properly - there's a good 5mm of overlap now.  I also gobbed in a lot of epoxy to help lock things down, and then cleaned up the threads with an M6x1.0 tap.

Other options that I didn't try:

drilling through the bars to offer access to the starnut.  I felt this would weaken the bars even more right at the point where it was scored.
Trying to feed something in from the other end - with a steerer tube this might have worked, but mine was a wiggly set of bars with no real access.  And the other side had a star nut in it already.

One Month Later
The starnut failed internally after I whacked the mirror on a railroad crossing while negotiating a chicane.  The threaded core came loose from the two spring-steel "flowers"
I tried peening the flange to resist movement, but spring steel isn't malleable.  I considered epoxy but that was going to be hack.
Since I had a spare, the only fix was to remove the whole thing and replace.
I drilled out the core's flange, using a 9mm twist drill at an angle so the core wouldn't rotate.  Once they were sepatate, a 10mm twist drill caught the first spring steel flower and pulled it right out.  An M6 bolt in the core and a crowbar was enough to yank the the core out.  The inner flower got pushed well into the handlebar and is now unreachable around a curve, so there it stays.
The replacement starnut got scratched up with a file, and then I slathered the entire thing with 2 part epoxy before hammering home like the previous one.   The epoxy should help resist the rotational forces.
Future?  If it fails again, I will turn a ~20mm plug of aluminium, drill and tap for a M6 bolt, tap it into the bars and pin in place through the bars, under the bartape.  I might even contemplate using a left-handed thread for the main bolt.


Modern road bike 8 spd vs 9 spd - what are benefits and is it just about the speed? I am a little struggling on whether to go with the 8spd or 9spd models for my very first entry level road bike. Based on the spec, which I surveyed among the following bikes, the 9 spd model is almost identical just as 8 spd model. However, I was wondering if there's more benefits or differences than just the speed.

9sp

Bianchi Via Nirone Sora
Bianchi Nirone Dama Sora
Giant Contend 1 (tubeless)
Specialized Allez Sports

8sp

Bianchi Via Nirone Claris
Giant Contend 3
Specialized Allez

For making things simpler from marketing perspective manufacturers upgrade not only groupset with the next level, but many other components too. So overall in this price range you should not only be getting more gears, but lower weight, more reliable and higher quality components, better brakes etc. It could be even the difference between bottom bracket standards and chainsets which could make your life a little bit easier when it comes to service effort / service range.

Regarding speeds - more gears just give you smaller gaps between them, you can see it yourself that both 8 speed and 11 speed cassettes could provide you the same range of 11-28 or 11-32 (hardest gear size - easiest gear size), so going flat out or going uphill should make no difference. except the weight savings.

So answering your questions, you need to count in more factors to be able to make a choice. What's your expectations on a bike? How long do you want to keep it? In my opinion in this price range you get good value for money each time you pay a little bit extra. At the same time I'm sure it's possible to find Tiagra if not 105 bikes for the same price if you look for less mainstream brands, buy online or wait with the purchase to make it during autumn/winter season.

UPD: also would like to loop in the factor of resale value. I believe for lower spec road bikes it's usually quite low, while I can see people sell Ultegra bikes for something like 75% of the new price, when it comes to Claris I can see ads with only 50% of the price of the new. So at the end buying slightly more expensive groupset could save you some cash, worth checking out your local market of used bikes to make a decision.


Can I rotate cleats between left and right shoes? If one foot's cleat wears quicker than the other due to riding style, is it a good idea to switch them after a certain time to extend the lifetime of the pair?

I see from your other question that they're Look Keos.

As they're plastic, they're going to wear quicker than a metal cleat, and yes, you could swap them around.

However, I think a better strategy might well be to replace them one at a time as they wear out.

Plastic stuff doesn't really like being repeatedly removed and reattached in most situations and you need to keep them in the correct positions.


Vibration and wobble after replacing chain I'm having a bit of trouble getting my back wheel on after replacing my chain.

There is a wobble once per revolution. It wobbles such that, if viewed from above, it appears to spin straight for most of the revolution then veers to the right briefly then back to straight.

Further, if I spin the wheel fast enough the entire bike vibrates a LOT. It is fixed-gear so the crank and chain are spinning at this time as well.

My procedure was as follows:

Spin wheel to confirm there is no wobble before starting any work
Break old chain off with chain tool
Connect new chain around frame (but not over the cogs yet)
Loosen both nuts on back wheel so I could get the new chain on properly
Put chain on over the cogs
Tighten non-drive side nut so front of back wheel is angled a little away from drive-side
Tighten drive-side nut with half-inch slack in chain (in each dir. vertically)
Loosen non-drive side nut, let it land where it wants to, re-tighten
(The last three steps were following this guide

My searching so far suggests that the wheel may be out of true, but I believe it wasn't to begin with -- is it possible my procedure above caused it to go out of true?

Is there anything else I can check?

The axle is a single piece and it has 2 functions. The first is to secure the bike to the frame but it is also the stationary part of the hub that transfers the forces on the frame to the wheel through the wheel bearings.

Since the axle is a single piece, Tightening the frame to axle bolts could be tightening the hub to bearing torque. The wheel will feel gritty when you rotate it.


Bent a chain link back into alignment. Will it hold? Yesterday, my chain dropped off the chainring and one of the links got bent sideways (didn't take a picture). This caused the chain to skip whenever this link would go over the casette.

I used pliers to bend it back into alignment. It's not skipping anymore, but I'm wondering if the chain link is compromised now and will fail under load (e.g. on an uphill, probably in the worst possible spot to get stranded).

I don't currently have a chain tool - should I buy one and remove the affected link? Should I replace the chain altogether (it's still new, only got ~600 km on it)? Or should I just keep riding?

Picture of the affected link after I've bent it back:

Your chain is very likely weakened because the joints between the outer plates and pins will have been deformed. Yes it will fail when you are applying maximum torque, likely when you are goin uphill. The problem isn't so much being stranded, it's the nasty crash you'll have when that happens.

You can't just remove an inner and outer link because the chain will then be too short. If you previously replaced the chain and have a few spare links after you cut it down you could splice in a few links.

Personally, I'd just replace the chain.


Wald basket legs too short for cruiser -- how can I install the basket? I recently purchased a large handlebar basket, a Wald 139-WW for my cruiser, a Trek Pure. I'm having trouble installing the basket.

Context: The basket attaches using hooks on the basket to the handlebars (no problem there), as well as using legs that from the bottom of the basket to the axle of the front wheel. The legs can attach to either fork eyelets or one can thread the quick-release through the legs, no problem there.)

Unfortunately, the basket legs are too short, by about an inch and a half.

The shop I purchased the basket from isn't of much help, and my LBS doesn't stock longer legs. Wald doesn't make longer legs, although they're willing to send me a second set of legs I can modify and attach to the existing legs -- if I can wait until they can send them out in two weeks.

I'm a little leery of attaching the basket legs to, say, P-clamps on the fork. Stability and strength are important here. Has anyone here attached a similar basket to a cruiser? Can anyone think of a way out of this, or should I give up and return the basket?

I've seen both P-clamps (a.k.a. brace clamps) and the similar, ratcheting versions used. This is actually the preferred method for some front racks on bicycles without rack braze-ons on the fork. As long as they're the right diameter, and there's a little rubber (even an old tube) between the fork and the clamp, it should work fine.


Will a 9 speed front derailleur work properly with a 10 speed sprocket? I am pretty near done my current bike build project, just missing a front derailleur. I can't think of why front derailleurs would need to be compatible with different numbers of speeds, given that the width of the sprocket will be about the same for an 9 or 10 speed cassette.

So will it work? I bet it will.

edit, FYI: I have this installed and it has been working fine with a front derailleur marked as 9-speed for about 6 months.

As long as your front derailleur matches the number of gears on your front chain ring (2 or 3) you should be okay.

That being said, you may run into issues with different manufacturers or groupsets working well together. Are you using the same make / manufacturer in the front and rear? (e.g., I know Shimano makes both a 9 and 10 speed version of the 105 groupset and I am fairly sure the front derailleur is the same).


What to do with a frozen bike? My bike was outside and it snowed. I thought it was ok because it was undercover but the tarp broke and now my bike is covered in snow.

I had 3 locks on it, 2 of them came off but one is frozen. I moved it inside now and am wondering what I should do?

I want to protect the bike from rust and corrosion. I'll start by knocking the snow off it, then wiping it down with a rag. I have a space heater that blows hot air I can point at it. Any parts in particular I should look out for, like cleaning the chain? It's a road bike.

Let it air dry (and/or wipe it dry as much as you can) and move on with your life. Don't put it near a heater, cause that isn't good for the rubber stuff. Re-lube the chain.

What gets you in winter is not so much the snow/ice, but the salt (which doesn't affect your bike if its just standing there). In this case, if you have the time and space to bring the bike in for a prolonged period of time (say, overnight), you can wipe down the frame with a damp cloth, maybe clean+lube the chain and drivetrain and other parts you would do routinely (e.g. brake pivots if you're using V-brakes; I usually have to take the v-brakes off and clean the posts and what not at least a few times in a winter).

Also, note that you can't rust out an aluminum bike, and this shouldn't really have caused a problem for a steel bike. A lot of people have bikes (steel or otherwise) which they leave out through winters and salt and survive fine for decades.


Quad chainring (4x12)? Does anyone yet make an affordable quad chainring?  I would love to see a 4x12 with my staggered cog idea such that all 12 gears are shifted progressively using the 4 chainrings.  Each chainring would engage only 3 cogs.  I think the "double shifting" would be quite easy.  On the gear indicator (1 thru 12), every 3rd gear could be marked with a different color number to indicate to the rider that a "double" shift is required next.  Generally when the rider settles into a good pace on reasonably flat pavement, he/she will only be using 1 chainring and using the 3 gears for it to fine tune the cadence.  For example, if the chainrings are labelled A,B,C and D and each cog for each of those chainrings is labeled 1 thru 3, someone might be using C2 gear but shift to C1 for a slight headwind and C3 for a slight tailwind.

I think it is a good and interesting idea and would look cool too.

I played around in a spreadsheet and came up with these ratios:

20/40 = 0.5
20/33 = 0.61
20/27 = 0.74
28/31 = 0.9
28/26 = 1.09
28/21 = 1.33
36/22 = 1.64
36/18 = 2
36/15 = 2.4
44/15 = 2.93
44/13 = 3.38
44/11 = 4.00

Notice that the 15 cog repeats cuz the difference between the 36 and 44 chainrings is close enough to 20%.

Also notice the overall spread of the gears is a very wide 8 with a very low 1st gear (0.5) and a reasonably tall high gear (4.0).  That should cover almost any situation for the average rider.

You could do this for the front with a Mountain Tamer Quad (which is an adapter which turns a triple into a quad) and an appropriately chosen front derailleur. The chainline issues become more severe than they do with a triple.

For the rear, you could use a 12 speed internal gear hub (Sachs Elan) or go up to 14 with a Rohloff Speedhub with a chain tensioner.

The question is why would you want to do this (like all your questions)? With 3x9's or 2x11's there are more than enough gear combinations that its pointless for riders to have more. With more gears, things have to be machined more carefully and become less robust as well. You need a good gear combination, not the perfect combination (though Nuvinci makes a CVT for bicycles). Also, who in their right mind looks at the cassette when shifting? Nobody. On top of this, front derailleurs are crude and sloppy devices just by how they work -- with 4 chain rings, you can get one to work depending on the chainring spacing, but probably not well.

So, while you could run a 4x12, it would be utterly useless for anyone who wants to ride.


My hydraulic disk brake pads are rubbing too hard on the rotor after taking the wheel off so these are Shimano saint hydraulic disk brakes and i took the wheel off the other day to clean it, put it back on, and for some reason the pads are rubbing overly hard (without actually pulling the brake lever. So the front wheel wont spin too well, ive had another couple of rides with it, but is stil the same... the pads are rubbing too hard.

The wheel might just be inserted slightly differently than it was before. That happens especially with quick release skewers. With thru axles the wheel insertion is more consistent.
Try to open the wheel, wiggle it a bit and close it again and see of the position changes. You might get it aligned well.
If it does not help, you may need to re-align your brake calipers.


Cleaning and maintenance I have a gearless bicycle. I ride it about thrice a week. Its spokes are rusted. Any suggestions to clean the rust?
Also I need some good technique to clean the bicycle with rags and household material. Please help.

Spokes - a "steelo" or other brand of pot scrub.   Use warm soapy water, because the dirt is generally dirt not oils.   Its hard to get up in by the hub where the spokes cross - you might find a toothbrush useful.   If its a rear wheel, remove the freewheel/cassette first, and for either wheel try to not flood the bearings.   Use clean water to rinse.   You may need to check the truing of your wheel after cleaning too, the flexing may move a nipple or two.

If the rust doesn't move, you can upgrade to a brass wire brush, similar to what is used to clean barbeques.  Brass is softer than steel so it won't damage your spokes, but it may damage the alumunium rim or hub.  Prevent rust returning by brushing on a rust-fixative solution and letting it reoxidise the rust to white/black iron oxide instead of red/brown rust.   Then coat with some grey spray primer.   All this is easier to do if the wheel is disassembled, but that's a massive undertaking on its own.

If the rust is anything deeper than a surface skim, you'd be better off with new spokes.  Examine the bend at the hub for rust and wear too - that's a common place to break.

Remove anything electronic before cleaning, lights and computers etc.

For the rest of the bike, wash it with another bucket of warm soapy water.  Use a rag for the big areas, and a 1 inch twist of rag to pull through tighter areas.   That toothbrush can be used in fiddly areas like derailerus.  An old dish scrubbing brush can be good for getting dirt out of tyre treads.
Don't wash the brake pad surfaces directly, and do remember to rinse any soap off the braking rims.

If you have disk brakes, your last step should be to clean the rotors with Isopropyl Alcohol.

Finally for the pedantic, you can use tyre/tire black on the tyres (again mind the braking rims)  and a suitable leather or "car interior" treatment on a saddle.

If you're still making it better, consider a paint touchup on any part that needs it.  A flick of black spray paint on the handlebars does wonders for the look.

Put the bike to dry (both water and paint) and when its dried, re-lubricate your chain and any pivot points.

Do use the opportuinity to look for anything wrong on the bike - preventative maintance then follows.


DIY "recumbent" trainer I have some back issues and my doctor recommended to use a bike with a chair  instead of a seat post. I have a old bike that I used for a trainer. I plan to cut the front part of it, turn the remaining part around (so the pedals turn in the right direction) and build a seat in front of it.
I'm trying to build the seat in front of it, to use as an indoor training rig.
Here is a simple schematic:

However, I'm having trouble figuring out the exact geometry of the seat. Can anyone recommend some resources/plans ?
The D size is fixed, I cant cut more from the bike seat post to lower it. I'm interested in determining the A angle, and the B/C sizes.
Edit:
Just went ahead and cut everything from the bike except the rear wheel support and the pedals. First mistake: cut the D part too low, the pedals hit the ground.
However, after cutting, and sticking a 20mm board under D, it's almost usable with a kitchen chair.  Only problem is that the trainer gets away from you when you push on the pedals, and lack of back support.
HTH

Atomic Zombie has a bunch of DIY recumbent bike plans, many of which are based on cutting up existing bikes. This one seems like a reasonable starting point. I think that sitting in a regular chair might not give you full leg travel--recumbent seat bottoms are pretty short by comparison.


Are anti-pollution masks effective? In Toronto when the temperature goes above 30 degrees Celcius (90 degrees Farenheit), for a few days and without wind, there is smog.

I find the smog irritates and makes it difficult to breathe in through my nose. Worse, if I breathe in though my mouth instead of my nose then it hurts my bronchial tubes.

A related question is, Is pollution a problem in urban cycling? - which says that it is a problem, but doesn't ask whether a mask or other anti-pollution measure is effective.

Might a mask help me for this situation, i.e. breathing on the hottest days? Are they effective and are they usable? If so what type or brands or models should I look for?

I get this question once in a while (working in Danish Cyclist Federation). It seems to be based on the idea that commuting by bike will expose you to more pollution than commuting by car. I have seen no research that proves this. However, I have seen research indicating that the opposite might be true. Some was in danish, but here's some in english and french (links to pdf's at the end of this article): http://www.pollution-china.com/Blog/More-exposed-to-pollution-in-a-car.html

You should also consider the possible danger of wearing a mask while being physically active. There has been little research in this field that I'm aware of but there could be a risk of creating negative pressure by obstructing the airway which has been known in some cases to produce pulmonary edema. We (again Danish Cyclist Federation) sent some masks to some danish specialists who concluded that the risk was very small, but since pulmonary edema is a very serious thing, I still want to lead your attention to this. Maybe you can find some research (I would be interested to hear about it).

Also keep in mind that if the research on "in-car pollution" vs "on-bike pollution" cited above is true it is much more important for car drivers to consider wearing a mask than it is for bicycle commuters.

On top of this comes all the additional beneficial factors that bike commuting produces.

Happy cycling.


What makes a comfortable wheel? I rode about 5000Km on Mavic Ksyrium Elite Wheels and changed them for inexpensive Prime race wheels.

The difference in ride comfort is huge. The Mavic wheels provide a very harsh ride. The prime wheels are very smooth.

I use the exact same tires (Continental GP4000S II) on both wheelsets at exactly the same tire pressure (90psi). Nothing else changed on the bike.

This left me wondering as to what exactly contributes to a comfortable wheel. The Prime rim is deeper than the Mavic rim. So it should be radially stiffer and provide less comfort instead of more comfort.

My own thought is that the biggest contribution in wheel comfort is provided by the type, and maybe the number of spokes. The Prime wheels use DT Swiss Competition spokes. The thin middle section of this spoke will move radially more under load than the robust Mavic spoke, thus absorbing more vibrations. This would imply that the same rim with a higher spoke count would be less comfortable.

Would this be a correct assumption? Can somebody shed some light on this?

I see two possible explanations.  One is psychological and one is physical.

The psychological one is that these are the new toy, so you want to find a reason they are good.  This effect is much more powerful than most people are aware of, let alone willing to admit.  It validates your decision to buy those wheels.  If you want to disprove this, you can hide all the distinguishing marks on the wheels (very hard) and see if you can tell the difference.

The physical explanation is that you can find a transfer function from vibrations on the ground to vibrations on the points you touch the bike, the saddle, the handlebars, and the pedals.  I suspect the saddle is the most important as you have your legs and arms to damp the vibrations from the others.  The wheels only contact at the ends of the axle, so if the frame damps some frequencies we can ignore those.  A more rigid wheel will transmit higher frequency vibrations to the frame, which will show up at your contact points unless the frame damps them.  There is a belief in the community that rigid is good.  Generally, a more rigid wheel will absorb less energy in flexing than a less rigid wheel.

The energy lost in the flex of the wheel is one part of the rolling resistance of the bicycle.  There are many others.  At normal riding speeds air resistance is dominant so reducing rolling resistance is not as productive as it looks.  If you are a racer a tiny edge is important.  As a recreational rider, I would like a comfortable ride.

All of this doesn't answer the question your are asking-how can I look at the specs of a wheel and identify the comfortable ones as opposed to the harsh ones.  I would have thought most of the damping was in the tire, so there wouldn't be much difference in wheels, but I haven't tried any besides the ones my bike came with. I suspect on average you will get more comfortable wheels if you buy cheaper ones, but that is based on my thought that high end wheels are oriented for racing, so want to minimize energy lost at all costs.


Help Identifying Sun Cruiser Tandem Bike I was gifted this tandem bike and would love help identifying the brand, model, and year on this! Can anyone help?
Thanks so much!

There's been a bike company named Sun making tandems since before WW2.

Brand: Sun
Model: Cruiser tandem
Year: Unknown - probably 1990-2010 range.

The bike looks nice and comfortable to ride, with wide plush tyres, and relatively high handlebars/low saddles it will give an upright ride.
That bike is not built for speed, but for getting out and around in pairs.
The V brakes front and rear, with no third brake suggest its not really for touring, and the timing chain on the right-side with one-piece bottom brackets shows its an entry level bike.
In the Trendy category, it could legitimately be called a 1by because its a single chainring and probably 7 speed derailleur at the rear.

All in all its a loverly bike and would be a pleasure to ride.  Especially in these days of pandemic.
It would also make an excellent platform for a cargo bike conversion, should that be more use to you.
As per Carel's comment, the two cranks are at different positions in their cycle.  A conventional tandem has both cranks in identical parts of their rotation, so that both riders are pressing the same side crank down at the same time.
This makes for a better "feeling" else one rider's cranks push themselves forward at the wrong part of the stroke, and also when cornering.  Though this bike probably doesn't corner aggressively, it is still possible to get pedal strike. To fix this, just unship one end of the sync chain, rotate a crank to match the other, and refit the chain.  There is a chain tensioner under the keel tube which will allow the slack needed for this simple tweak.


What kind of suspension do I have and how do I make it more soft? (I'm quite small) My suspension is very stiff, I would like to know why and how to make it better for my size. My bike is a 24" Muddy-Fox Impact hard tail. I went to a trail with friends and they were OK but I was not, please help!  I have tried putting oil on the outside even trying to breakdown the suspension by letting my big friend ride it but did not work.

I've googled and found this bike on Amazon.  Its also listed at a UK site.

Second site lists this at £160 so its firmly in low-spec price range.  Most likely the front fork is based on elastomer and/or a coil spring.

Some questions that discuss the internals of a fork:

What options do I have when replacing my fork's elastomers?

and this question states typical sag values which you should measure on your bike.

What maintenance does a front suspension fork need?

If you get on the bike and the suspension doesn't sag by 10-25% then you're simply too small and light for the suspension, and softening it could require removing some elastomer or replacing the springs with softer ones.

A more expensive option is to replace the fork with a better one, but this will cost significantly more than the rest of the bike.

As a pseudo-fix you could try adding weight to the front of your bike, with a handlebar bag, front drink bottle cage, or even just getting off the saddle and leaning forward more.


Finding dropbar's exact measurement I have a GT Grade and I'm planning to swap out the drop bar for something with a smaller reach. It's really easy to find the specs of the replacement bars, but harder to find the drop, reach, and width of the current bar.
The description from GT is this (no measurements): All-New GT DropTune Super Light, double butted 6061 alloy, 16° flare
So, looking for to see if anyone knows how to find the exact measurements.
Thanks.

A traditional road bar isn't flared and has a straight section at the ends of the drops, which is set parallel to the ground to define a default bar rotation for the purpose of measurement and new bike setup.
From that rotational angle, the conventional way of measuring it is:
Width = center to center at the ends of the bars
Reach = horizontal dimension of center of bar at stem clamp to center of bar at forward-most point
Drop = vertical dimension of center of bar at stem clamp to center of bar at end of drop
A lot of current bars don't have the clearly delineated straight section at the ends of the drops that is used to communicate a default angular position as above to measure from. Of these, it's pretty common but not universal for the orientation of the graphics to be an attempt at doing the same job, i.e. when they're pointing straight ahead, that's your default angle. Other times you have to play games with angling the bars such that the measurement of the drop and the reach suddenly both become a whole number in CM, and that's the angle to measure from. Other times you have to just arbitrarily set it to what looks the most reasonable. It's an inexact thing on many of the swoopier contemporary bars, which is annoying.
For measuring width on a flared bar, you're just holding a tape measure across the tops at the beginning of the bends. This is almost always going to be near a whole number in CM, which is what the bar is "trying to be."


Will an Ultegra bar end shifter work with MTB derailleurs? Such as Shimano acera, deore; or SRAM X5, X4 etc...
I'm thinking of adding this http://cyclingabout.com/index.php/2011/12/use-barend-or-downtube-shifters-for-bike-touring/ (handlebar and whatever is in it) in my MTB and change shifters and brakes if needed. But I would like to know if those would work with the back and front dereailleur I have already installed. I gave some examples cause I'm yet to buy the MTB with one of those derailleurs :)

Most Shimano components are compatible with the Ultrega and Dura Ace bar end shifters, so long as they are specifically for 8 speed or 9 speed systems (you can use a 9 speed shifter on a 7 or 8 speed cassette, but not the other way around). If you're fussy about indexing, it may take some adjustment, but friction shifting is fast, reliable, and cheap! (If I remember correctly Ultrega and some of the Dura Aces have a friction option, while a few Dura Ace models have only indexing). You will run into issues with 10 speed Shimano bar end shifters, especially with the front derailleurs. (Make sure that the shifter is compatible with triple cranks if you have a triple.)

Sram mountain derailleurs, however, DO NOT work with most bar end shifters! I've never actually tried it, but I've read in numerous places that they are not compatible (even with Sram bar end shifters).

Additionally, there are numerous other manufacturers of bar end shifters (Rivendell Silver Shifters, for one). Many different mounting options exist, including Paul Thumbies, which allow shifter levers to be mounted on top of the bar, as well as a bracket by IRD for mounting to the stem.

Here, again, be aware that road handlebars have a larger ID than mountain handlebars. A bar end shifter made for road bars will not fit inside of a mountain-specific bar.


Why 2021 top-tier road bike are so dark? Is black/dark better looking or good looking is nothing at all anymore? Why 2021 new road bike are so black and dark? And, most of them, the bike brand is even invisible.
The kind of color makes the bike looks like a "semi-finished product" (un-painting product).
Not only one big bike company does so, many major bike brands do so.
I am a buyer and I hope to know if it is a new trend and the reason behind the trend.
S-Works Tarmac SL7 2021

S-Works Diverge

Giant Advenced TCR SL0 2021

Cervelo Caledonia-5

Canyon Ultimate CFR Disc Di2

BMC Timemachine SLR 01 Frameset

You can find more and they are really dark, don't they?
Is it better looking?
Why bike brand should be hidden?

The short and, I am afraid, only answer is "fashion". The "tan" walls on the tires that are present on the two first images are another trait of the fashion.
There is nothing wrong with that, but, if you really are on high-end bicycle market, there are smaller manufacturers and third-party companies ready to customize your frame paint. Customization services like Orbea MyO come directly from the vendor.

And, most of them, the bike brand is even invisible.

Personally, I am fine with that: I hate being a moving advertisement for anything.


Are bananas still a good food to carry when cycling? I am very much an old school cyclist and I always carry a banana with me when I go on rides longer than an hour.  In the past I have found them ideal - they easily fit in my jersey pockets, the wrapping is biodegradable (if I accidentally drop it when riding), high source of potassium to stop muscle cramp.

Should I change my ways and ditch the bended yellow pill for a more modern fare?

There is an interesting Q&A on independent.co.uk (though it dates from 1995) talking about bananas and tennis...

  Q. Witnessing players at Wimbledon
  chomping their way through pounds of
  bananas between games prompts the
  question: who began this sporting food
  fad and are there sound nutritional
  reasons for the players' preference
  for bananas to other fruit or food. In
  what other sports (leaving aside lunch
  and tea breaks in cricket) do the
  participants eat during the course of
  play?

  A. The sporting fad for bananas was
  started by sports nutritionists such
  as myself. The banana is rich in
  carbohydrate - an important source of
  energy for athletes and has
  significantly higher levels than any
  other fruit. Also, unlike most other
  forms of high-carbohydrate foods, it
  contains very little fat but is also
  high in fibre. The combination of
  fibre with the banana's three natural
  sugars - fructose, sucrose and glucose
  - means it provides a sustained boost to flagging energy levels, thus so
  many players at Wimbledon were seen
  eating bananas.

  Bananas are also an excellent recovery
  food for replacing potassium lost in
  sweating, something most players must
  have been suffering from at this
  year's tournament. - Jane Griffin,
  Consultant Nutritionist to the British
  Olympic Association, London SW17

Sounds like it would be good for long bike rides as well.


Uneven wear on brake pad This is one of my rear v-brake pads.
The wear is rather uneven.
Is the wear normal?

It is not unusual to see brake pads worn like this.
In order to keep brakes from squealing pads are often set so that they hit the rim at an angle.
This means that the brake pad will wear at an angle.
That being said - it does look like someone was a little over enthusiastic on the angle of your pads.

The arrow indicated the direction of wheel spin.
The brake pads are pictured at an extreme angle to make illustrate the point.
Pads should be "toed in" just enough to stop the noise and no more.


What is the difference between Light and Motion's Urban 800 Chainbreaker and Urban 800 Anchor Steam bike lights? The only difference I can see is the color, but their website lists them as separate products.
http://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/urban

Just the color. The products are identical. Light & Motion lists their different color variations as separate "products", probably due to some limitation of their store site engine.

Note that there is an Urban 800 Fast Charge version, which in addition to coming in different colors, actually is a different product physically.


Best sources for inexpensive cycling clothing I've been commuting to work this summer and have realized I need to build up my supply of activewear, but have so far been largely turned off by the price.

What are good sources of decent and inexpensive:

sweat wicking t-shirts (preferably nice enough looking to wear on their own)
quality socks, again moisture wicking and possibly with a little extra padding under the ball of the foot
padded cycling shorts
other necessities

We all like a bargain. Rich people don't get rich by paying top-dollar for everything and poor people sometimes have their purchasing decisions limited to what is in the bargain-bin. Whether rich or poor a lot of time can be spent hunting out bargains, however, all bargains are just another ploy to get some money from someone's pocket. Hence, rather than just scout for bargains it can pay to know a little bit about how a given product - in this case cycle clothing - gets to be marked down.

This answer takes that perspective into account.

Starting with what you see on the shelves, in the bargain bin or online, a lot depends on how tall or short you are. That is a huge factor in affordable bike-gear and here is why.

Most LBS suppliers bring in a certain amount with the start of each season in a mix of sizes - lots of medium and large and not so much x-small, small and x-large. Shops then purchase from the distributor so as to stock all of the sizes with the popular sizes in quantity.

Inevitably, as the season goes on, the popular sizes sell out leaving the less popular sizes, i.e. x-small and x-large. Then they go back to the distributor to re-stock. Somehow the distributor are always able to source the x-small and x-large sizes, however, they sell out of the popular sizes before the season's end (or not if that year's designs are not well received).

Hence, a popular item in a popular size will become very hard to find at some point. When this happens the shops with the x-small and x-large sizes left will have an unsellable product, taking up valuable shop-floor space. They then need to discount the product to get rid of it as soon as possible. Because the markup on clothing is high (and has to be because of the situation described), the shop can discount heavily the end-of-line items without making a loss.

Therefore, if you want discount cycle clothing it is best to be really tall or really short.

Another source of clothing that you might be interested in are places such as TKMaxx. Where do these places get their stock?

When a distributor brings in a new range of clothing they get a complete set of pre-production samples in all the sizes and colour variations. These samples are as good as the finished, production articles but not for retail - they are to show the retailers so that they can place their orders. The samples cannot be sold in competition with the retailers as that would upset the retailers. Instead these items have to be sold through a different channel. TKMaxx are the specialists in being able to sell such collections of one-off samples. They buy entire sample sets and sell them as seen at considerable discount. Therefore, you will want to keep your eyes peeled for whomever your favourite cycling clothing is distributed by and work out whom they offload the sample collection to.

The major online specialist cycle retailers - 'Wiggle' and 'Chain Reaction Cycles' in the UK only have so much latitude in how far they can go on prices. They do get specialist rates from the distributors but if they go below an acceptable price then the distributor can threaten not to supply them. In practice this works.

The big online retailers have costs and problems of their own. They only compete on one thing - price. Postage is at a preferential rate to them but it still costs, particularly when you buy all three sizes and return the two that do not fit.

Their own-brand directly-sourced without distributor clothing range is also a bit naff - akin to 'Woolworths Winfield' rather than 'Adidas' genuine originals. This may not matter to you, but people do sneer, myself included. Nothing marks you out as a cheapskate in the cycling world more than own-brand clobber from offshore, online-only retailers.

Also in the retail channel are grey imports. This is where a specialist cycle shop - maybe only dealing in high-end road bikes and apparel - goes to somewhere else in the world to get their goodies, bypassing the distributor.

This presents an interesting situation when things go wrong as the grey importer does not have the security of having a distributor to return faulty goods to. The distributor will see returned items as 'fakes' and not have anything to do with them.

In the UK there is 'Lidl' - a German supermarket that does cycle clothing from time to time. Funnily enough I am wearing some of their £10 SPD shoes right now. You have to wait for them to get a batch of cycle gear in and then it is not really quite as good as the real stuff. Many synthetic fibres are really bad for holding the bacteria that give you body odour, and I suspect that the Lidl clothing is of this ilk.

Given the many ways that the whole thing works, I highly recommend buying from your local bike shop if they have taken the time and effort to put a range of clothing together for their customers to try and buy. This is not the chain where head office have to approve every penny, this is the proper local bike shop where the owner manager is out the back or helping a customer, Allen keys in hand.

If you are wanting a deal and don't mind colours and a bit of shop soiling do ask them what have they got out the back that is in your size and that they are desperate to get rid of. They are bound to have something and, so long as they are not going to lose money on the sale, i.e. trade-price + taxman, you can probably 'take it off their hands'. This will still help the shop with their weekly cashflow, you will get to test the fit before you buy and everyone should be happy.


For Biking do Sneakers offer any advantage over Sandals? I live in a tropical country. We have only two seasons. A rainy season that lasts for 4 months and a summer lasting the remaining 8 months.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are 36 and 20 degrees Celsius respectively.

I ride my hybrid cycle almost every day for exercise.

The sneakers get wet during the rainy season and the feet get too warm during summer.

Therefore, I find it comfortable and convenient to wear waterproof sports sandals with back straps when riding my bike.

My question is do sneakers (sports shoes) offer any special advantages when biking over sandals?

Thank you for your advice.

1 advantage is in an accident it's harder to rip a toenail off.


How to adjust when i am 5'5 foot tall and having a 42 cm roadbike frame? Im planning to buy a roadbike frameset in my local store but they say that the size of the frame is 42cm and i am 5'5 should i buy that frame?

That sounds like an extremely small frame for you. In fact, it sounds like an extremely small frame, period—frames usually aren't sized that small.
Every manufacturer is going to have its own sizing guidelines, but in rough terms, I would expect someone of your height to ride a 52-cm frame.


Rekey a Kryptonite lock outside North America Kryptonite offer a re-keying service in North America for those who failed to register their keys and have since lost all of them.  I'm in Europe, and such a service is not offered here, I'm wondering if any good locksmith would be able to offer such a service or if Kryptonite use proprietary technology that wouldn't allow for general locksmiths to re-key.

The lock I have that needs a key for is the Evolution Series 4

Note that Kryptonite doesn't actually "rekey" the lock but instead gives you an entirely new lock and keys, in roughly the same series type as the one you sent in.

In that case, I think the best solution would be to find someone going back to the USA and sell the lock to them for (price of new lock in that series ) * (whatever hassle percentage discount you think appropriate) - $20 - $8.

You'd essentially be selling that person a new lock after they send it in: the $20  "rekey" fee includes shipping back to the customer in the domestic states and the extra $8 is because that person will need to ship the old lock back to  Kryptonite in the first place.

  Given that a new Evo 4 is around US$70 - you could sell the dead lock
  to someone going back to the USA for $20. They could send it in for +$20+$8 = $48 and get a
  new lock. The math isn't very good for the Evo 4 -- much better for
  the expensive NY series locks.


would I be able to put new rear wheel with 12mm x 142 axle on my 2007 RM Element 70 frame? would I be able to put new rear wheel with 12mm x 142 axle on my 2007 RM Element 70 frame in terms of dropouts compatibility?

The Element 70 has a 10mm x 135mm QR rear hub so the rear dropout will not be wide enough to fit a 12mm x 142mm wheel. The 12mm is the axle diameter, the 142mm the dropout width. New rear hub standards are not only larger diameter axles but wider hubs, front hubs are different in that you can use a thru axle with a shim to fit a QR dropout as the width did not change.


Should I use a narrower saddle on a road bike than I would on my hybrid commuter? I ride a hybrid  (Trek Fx 7.3) as a daily commuter and have found a 143mm saddle to be the right width for me.  However I am looking into getting a road bike for long rides and am finding 130mm saddles seem a bit more comfortable on them.

Since I am new to road bikes, drop bars, and the lower position I am having a hard time telling if the better fit is all in my head.  Would it make sense that the more aggressive stance on a road bike would result in your sit bones effectively being closer together than the upright stand on my hybrid?

Yes, a more aggressive stance requires a narrower saddle.

Your pelvic bone is a fairly complicated structure, but there's basically a triangle that you sit on with a saddle.  There's two bumps ("ischial protrusions") at the back end that take your weight if you're sitting with your back straight up (such as on a chair or the saddle of a cruiser or dutch bike). The front point of the triangle is the "pubic symphisis" which you don't sit on. Between there it's basically slightly curved like the bottom of a rocking chair.

Look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray237.png
Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray235.png
And here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Skeletpelvis-pubis.jpg

As you rotate your hips forward (for a more "aggressive" position), your hips should be rotating forward and your back staying relatively straight. Because of that, the part of that ischial/pubis structure that you sit on is more towards the narrow front part and the saddle should be narrower. This can also affect the desired tilt of the saddle.

Also, in general, if you're riding more aggressively, all that pedaling removes some of the weight from the saddle and makes any kind of rubbing against the saddle more of a problem, which are additional reasons aggressive road riders may want a narrower saddle.


Derailleur can't shift to 51-T sprocket. Deore CS-M5100 + RD-M5100 ISSUE:
When attempting to shift to the largest cassette sprocket, the side of the derailleur cage contacts the 51t sprocket, so the chain is not able to go up the gear.
WHAT I DID:
My drivetrain was in need of a replacement, so I decided to change to a 1x11 (from my original 2x11 CANYON Neuron AL 6.9 2017).

I replaced my SLX M7000, 11x42 tooth, 11-speed cassette with the Deore CS-M5100-11, 11x51 tooth.
Replaced my Deore XT Shadow derailleur with the Deore RD-M5100-SGS.
I also changed my chain and chainring, but that irrelevant for now.

ELABORATION:

The stopper plate properly contacts the B-tension stop on the derailleur hanger.
The limit screws are adjusted (so far as possible)
Shortened the new chain to zero point + 4 links + quick link
The B-screw is maxed, all the way screwed against the stop to push the derailleur back.
If I would pull the chain (making the effect if it would be shorter) the cage gets pulled to the front of the bike and clearing the 51t sprocket. Albeit, just. So shortening the chain is not the option, seems to me.

UPDATE:
I contacted Canyon, with my question if I might need another derailleur hanger/pad. They said this is the correct 11-speed hanger.
Manual RD-M5100-SGS

Not enough space between top of cage and 51T sprocket

Can't reach 51t, left side of the cage is touching the sprocket

Chain on the 10th sprocket

Chain on the smallest 11T sprocket, if the chain would be longer then there is no tension

In all promotional material, the derailleur hanger seems to be quite a bit more downwards and not to the back (unlike my derailleur hanger/pad)

Stopper plate in correct place between derailleur pad/hanger and B-screw.  B-screw is also maxed inwards.

current hanger

Turns out this derailleur needs a 'standard mount' derailleur pad/hanger. I have currently a direct mount.
The Canyon representative thought the SRAM hanger was for 10 speed.
To me, it is now clear that a 'SRAM' pad/hanger is the same as a Shimano 'standard mount'. So, I purchased the SRAM hanger (aka standard mount) from Canyon and it works!


Difficulty inflating my bike tire When trying to inflate my bike tire, I pump maybe 5 times then it gets difficult for me to pump because the handle is hard to pump?

It sounds like your pump is not on the valve properly, so instead of inflating the tire you're just pressurizing the inside of your pump.

Does your bike have Schrader valves (the kind you see on a car) or Presta valves (skinnier, with a kind of pointy top)?

If it has Presta valves, make sure the top of the valve is unscrewed.  There's a little nut that you can thread up, and you need to do that before you can put air in to the tire.

Also, try wiggling the pump nozzle around on the valve while you push down on the pump handle, you should be able to hear the change as air starts going in to the tire.

Image of a closed Presta valve:

Image of an open Presta valve:

Image of a Schrader valve:


Stem diameter question Changing to an adjustable Ritchey stem on my Trek 7.3. My bars are 25.4 and the stem I'm looking at is stated to be for 25.8-26. With this being half a millimetre bigger, will it still fit ok?

Many thanks!

No, it doesn't seem like much, but that stem won't fit your bars without a shim. Very wise of you to ask. Nitto (and probably others) make shims for just this situation. They cost about $10 US. The old standard for road bikes was 25.4 mm (for the most part), but there seems to be a move towards 26.0 mm.


Snub nose bike saddles I need to replace my bike saddle, a Most Ocelot that came with the bike, because the supporting rib (not the rails) broke about four inches from the nose, and it is starting to sag.  I'm only 145 lbs.  I am interested in a snub nose saddle, but in current circumstances, I can't visit a bike store, and I am interested in riders' experience with this style.  I mostly ride in the drops on 2 - 4 hour rides.  I'm not a racer.

Anybody have experience with these?

TIA

There are several companies making "noseless" saddles as well as snub nosed saddles.  Either will "work", as in, you can use them to ride a bike.  I had several riding friends who swore by the Spongey Wonder in particular.  I tried it and found that while it was possible to use, it wasn't for me.  These seats are sold with the idea that they don't contact the perineum and won't do damage to nerves or vasculature there.

A nose breaking on a saddle is fairly rare.  I have seen far more broken rails or shells than I have ever seen broken noses.  As mentioned in comments, I'd likely seek a warranty replacement if this was on a new saddle.

As for needing the presence of a nose, strictly speaking, it is not necessary to ride a bike.  However, it is an extra control surface that can be used in various positions to exert or maintain control of a bicycle.  That being said, I always prefer to ride a saddle that DOES have a nose.

TL;DR  If you have nerve or vascular concerns and have had issues with nosed seats, a snub nose or noseless saddle may be worth investigating.  If you are simply concerned with the idea of a nose breaking again, I would say it's a low probability event and not worth investigating alternate saddle designs over.


Not able to shift to largest Chain Ring - Lever not clicking, when cable is connected to FD After installing Shimano TZ 30 Front Derailleur, I am not able to shift from middle ring to big ring. I can successfully shift Shifter from 1 to 2 and even from 2 to 1. But not from 2 to 3.

If I disconnect the cable then Shifter clicks properly from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 2nd.

My Guess is that the tension is too high in the cable.

Question is related to a previous unansewered question Can't push lever to shift into big ring, lever will not move all the way. But with me the Shifter clicks when I disconnect the cable.

Before tightening(attaching) the cable at the derailleur end, make sure the you have released the shifter all the way.

Sounds like you may have had the shifter in 2nd position when you attached the cable, therefor you don't have enough cable 'left'. So without more details we can't tell whether you are shifting up or down.

In addition, when installing the cable be sure that the cable-tension 'screw' at the shifter end is turned in (almost all the way).

An easy way to check your cable function (before attaching it to the derailleur) is to pinch it with you fingers, at the derailleur end, instead of tightening the cable nut. Now when you shift gear you will feel the cable pull your fingers in. If there isn't a smooth action, you know you have cable(or cable routing) issues. If the motion is OK, shift down all the way and you will feel the cable extend at your hand, then you tighten the nut.


What components are recommended for entry level mountain bike? I am looking for an entry level mountain bike. I plan on using it on real mountain bike trails, not just unpaved trails and greenways.

Specifically, here's what I'd like:

good shifters/derailleurs that generally change gears in a predictable fashion
good front suspension
rear suspension would be nice if I can get it without entering the "prohibitively expensive" zone, which for me is basically the four-digit range (maybe $1500 if it's too good to pass up)
not opposed to a used bike
it's ok if the bike isn't super light or made of the same stuff as the space shuttle

And are there some important considerations that I'm totally missing? The purpose of the bike would be to noodle around some of the excellent trails in Utah County, so the bike would take a bit of a beating from time to time.

Here's the short list of should haves in mostly descending order:

Coil or air sprung fork with rebound adjustment, minimum of 80mm travel. Specs any lower than this aren't actually meant for actual mountain biking. Maybe a little unpaved riding, but not mountain biking. Replacing a fork is expensive. Buy a bike with a fork as described and the subsequent parts listed here will almost certainly follow.
Double walled rims. Single walled rims suck and you will trash them. Double-walled rims are almost always stronger and longer lasting, and often lighter.
At least an 8 speed drivetrain. I'm just talking about the cassette (the rear gears). Multiply that with the 3 up front and you've got 24. This will give you decently tight gear ratios and keep you clear of the low quality parts that come in 7 speed configurations. If you're willing to spring for it, go 9 speed as much for the quality increase as anything else.
Mechanical disc brakes. You can get by with V-brakes, but a nice pair of mechanicals (typically Avid BB5's or BB7's) will make a world of difference in terms of modulation. A word of warning though, some entry level hydraulics are worse than decent mechanicals. Make sure you try them and make sure they stop you before you buy. All disc brakes require a good handful of hard stops to achieve maximum power, so keep that in mind as well when test riding.
Freehub rear wheel. Stronger and more durable than the older style thread on freewheel type hub.
Cranks with removable chainrings. Cheaper cranks have riveted on chainrings which means when the chainrings are worn out you have to toss the whole crank. That's lame.

Here's what not to get if you're looking for best bang for your buck in a beginner/intermediate package:

Anything full suspension. Just don't bother at the low price point unless you have a really good reason. You'll get way more bike if you stick with a hardtail.
Anything other than an aluminum or maybe steel frame. Aluminum is going to be the most common, steel usually disappears at the intermediate-ish price points, and then re-appears at high end price points. Aluminum is likely your ticket.
Anything from a department store or anything from a brand that also sells at department stores. The brands that have fallen from grace have been bought up by big conglomerates and prey upon people with brand name recognition, especially at lower price points. Avoid.


How to stabilise the bicycle seatpost and saddle when it is all the way up? It is a standard column bicycle seat and I realised maybe I should have it raised to top (I can still stand the bicycle up using my toes) but the saddle rocks as there is no column to stop it moving and it doesn't have any other supports.

I don't want it fixed forever but still want the saddle to be stable, with minimal movement. How can I do that?

enter image description here

The movement is 1 mm. I will correct this later.

Your seat post is not all the way up, it's too far up.

If you need the saddle at that height you need a longer seat post. As mentioned in comments there is usually a 'minumum insertion' point marked on the post.

Don't ride the bike with the seat post too far out of the seat tube. It's dangerous as the seat post may collapse under you and you risk damaging the top of the seat tube even is that does not happen.


Why does my bike feel slow, hard to ride and wobblier now? I have a mountain bike with road tires, which I've use for commuting almost every day for over a year now but had barely used for the many years before. It has recently (~1.5 months ago) been serviced, which involved the brakes being adjusted and something being replaced due to damage which I believe was the headset, but I can't be sure because I just agreed to replace what was necessary and the conversation was not in my native language.

Before the service my bike was always a bit wobbly, but I always thought it was normal. Afterwards I realised why other people have to make so much less effort to balance when making hand signals.

At some point after the service my front tire seemed to be going down very quickly, but after checking for punctures and finding nothing I put the tube back in and the tire has held pressure well since. The problem is, since then I feel like I am constantly cycling with a flat despite the pressure being right, and my bike seems wobblier than ever before. I don't know whether I did something wrong when I checked the tire (never done it before) or whether it is something completely different.

Can anyone help?

If your headset was replaced due to crash damaged, well that's a pretty intense crash. I'm going to assume they adjusted it. They also adjusted your brakes. My guess is your problem is two fold:

1) The headset is adjusted too tight, making the bike feel like you have too put too much input into it to turn, and when it does it happens all at once. That would give a wobbly feeling.

2) Check to make sure your brakes are not touching the rim, nor are too close to the rim (less than 3 mm from rim to braking surface). The drag will make you feel like you are constantly pedaling harder.

Good Luck!


Fogged window on Shimano revoshift Shimano revoshift is fogged so gear number is not readable.  I’ve washed the outside with isopropal to no effect.  How to remove lens and or replace it ?

It might be possible to remove, clean and replace the cover. As Carel says, know you can replace the part before disassembly.

The Dealer's Manual for the REVOSHIFT Shifter seems to indicate the method for removing the cover.
Page 14 tells how to remove the cover.

Page 15 tells how to put it back on).

I left step 3 out for brevity. It tells how to remove and replace the cable.

I'd be tempted to leave it alone and shift by feel.


Why does my Rear bike tire slow down when Pedaling? I just replaced a flat on my rear road-bike tire. I had also tried to replace the rear axle, By removing the axle completely, to a quick release lock but realized the axle that had been installed with the bike tire wasn't hollow so put the old axle back on the bike, seemingly correctly. This morning i went for a ride and when I put any pressure while pedaling it felt as if the rear breaks were engaged. I checked to see what would happen if i pedal with the rear tire in the air and the tire seemed fine but came to a stop more quicker than usual but nothing too alarming.

It seems the problem only occurs when im siting on the bike and there is weight. I also noticed when i pedal the rear derailleur seems to tug forward and hug the rear cog set. im not sure if that's the issue...

Any ideas? I was wanting to save some money by not going to the LBS and learning and doing it myself. But I may have to go anyways.

Here are some images of the bike

By far the most likely reason is that you've over tightened the bearings.

Did you feel as if you needed 3 hands to get it back together? If not, you did it wrong. :)

As usual Sheldon has a pretty good writeup on this, but the basics are easy enough.

Put one side back together, tighten it up as best you can. Set the cone on the other side to the correct tension. Tighten locknut on second side without turning either cone.

The tricky part is the last bit. You need to hold the cones on both sides at the same time whilst tightening the locknut and you really need 3 hands.

You will most likely have to try a few times to get the tension just right. When it's done it should turn freely but not have any wiggle.


Should I replace the tyre or can I keep going? I just noticed a small tear in my Continental GP 4000s. It does not bulge out from the side. The tyre have been on for some years now but dont have more than 1000km on them.
I am worried though if I should change them or if I could keep going with them?

Edit: Thanks for all the answers!
Replacing the tire seems like the best thing to do. Especially since I mostly go greater distances whenever I go out cycling. I have a hard time seeing the damage actually myself, but there is no doubt that some of the structural components of the tire have been damaged.
I would gladly pay €30 (or whatever the tire costs) to decrease the risk of tire failure. After all, going out cycling is supposed to be fun and not to cause feelings of uncertainty.

It's difficult to tell from this picture, but it looks like the casing—the structural part of the tire—has been damaged, so it's just a matter of time before the tire fails completely.
Look at the inside of the tire. If the damage has penetrated all the way through, I would stop riding on that tire. If it hasn't, you might be able to get away with gluing in a "boot" (a small piece of old tire) to reinforce this spot. But based on this picture, I think replacing this tire is the smart thing to do.


Adivce on what to do next with crunching / slipping gears About two weeks ago I took my bike to the local bike shop to get serviced. It was previously slipping gears under load and at the end I couldn't use the lowest gear going up hill it would just slip constantly.

I mentioned the crunching / slipping to the guy at the counter.

When I went to pick up my bike I was charge $170 bucks for two new set of brakes, replaced one bolt type thing which was apparantly shredded (called a cone or something along those lines) and to have all the gears properly set. I was also told that the rear derailleur arm was bent and this was straightened.

The bike only cost $100 from a reliable friend who only rode it ocassionally and the bike is 3 years old. So the service was comparitively costly compared to the cost of the whole bike.

In the past few days it has started slipping again under load which is what it was doing previously and it won't hold gear at all when in the very lowest 1 1 combination it always slips to 1 2. It is also very noisy when I sit in my average riding gear which is either in 4th or 5th in the rear gears. The crunching is slightly dangerous because it can happen taking off from traffic lights or when I put extra pressure on to leave an intersection / roundabout etc. when cars are waiting behind me.

The other thing is when I picked up my bike I asked about the slipping and the response was kind of like "ah, yeh, ah, that should be OK now" which sounded to me like they didn't take it for a significant ride after repairing.

On the other side, these guys are supposed to be reputable, they have been around for a few years and the bike is not a supermarket bike it was actually purchased in their shop and in their defence the bike worked and sounded like a dream when I took it out of the shop so it is possible they did take it for a test ride even if they didn't sound convincing when they said so.

I'm only an amateur so it is hard for me to describe what the problem is, it's like a split second crunch and it doesn't move down or up gear. Sometimes it feels like it is just slightly out of gear and then after riding for 2 minutes it will crunch for a second and then it will not crunch again unless I change to a different gear. Sometimes I can just sense that it isn't quite right and swith back and forward between gears. Although, when I look down at the rear gears it all looks settled even if it doesn't feel right.

I'm also not sure if it is the rear derailleur cogs where it is slipping or the gears, I have no idea because I can't visually spot it and can't tell exactly where the sensation is.

I would appreciate any advice on what my next steps should be?

That sounds like the rear cogs are worn, the likely fix is a new chain and set of cogs for the rear (you have to replace them both at the same time otherwise the problem will persist, perversely even worse).

I suspect the bike shop fixed/replaced the stuff that was obviously visibly knackered and hoped for the best.  In truth I suspect they needed to do what they did plus replace the cogs and chain, but they were hoping that wasn't the case because the bill would have been even higher.

In my experience bike shops don't tend to actually ride the bikes so they can miss stuff I wish they wouldn't.  That's one of the reasons I learnt to do my own maintenance.

In general the trick with bike shops is to check your bike before you sign off on the work, i.e. I ask to ride my bike around to test it before I leave the bike shop (and pay).  If I do find I still have a problem after leaving the bike shop  and paying I go straight back and explain the problem and say it's not quite sorted yet.  They are normally very reasonable and will sort the problem without additional charge, assuming it doesn't require new parts.

Your best bet is to go back to the bike shop and explain the problem isn't quite sorted and if possible demonstrate it to them.  It will cost more money though, it sucks but unfortunately bikes aren't generally that cheap when it comes to maintenance (compared to the initial cost of the bike).


Will Shimano Acera 8 speed derailleur work on 6 speed freewheel? I want to get a higher quality rear derailleur from the Tourney which I have right now(it broke). I want a Shimano Acera RD-M360-SGS. The problem is that its 8 speed. Will it work on my 6 speed freewheel?

It will work, at least with respect to the crucial functionality of correctly aligning the chain with the frewheel cogs, because all Shimano rear derailleurs intended for between 6 and 9 gears have the same derailleur shift ratio (equal to 1.7), which is the ratio between the sideways movement of the derailleur and the amount the cable is pulled. This means that both the Tourney and the RD-M360 derailleurs will move laterally the same amount for the same command of your shifter, so both will correctly align the chain with the frewheel cogs.


Does an adapter for a flat mount caliper to post mount fork exist? I have a CAAD12 disc which I'd like to fit SRAM Force 22 hydraulic to. I've been a bit enthusiastic buying things without really researching all the pitfalls of the different bits and bobs that go into disc brakes and compatibility thereof.

So, it turns out that the CAAD12 fork is post mount, but my calipers are flat mount. Is there an adapter to fit a flat mount caliper to a post mount fork?

From bikehugger.com

  What about fitting flat-mount calipers to post-mount framesets? Think again. No such adapters exist, and if I were you I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for them to appear. It’s probably not geometrically possible.

Sounds like from that site that it's pretty much not even possible to get it working. Best option might be to sell your old calipers and get some new ones or see if anybody in your area is looking for a trade.


Carbon wheels set or new groupset? Currently, I'm running on Claris 3x8 speed drivetrain. I'm planning to either upgrade the groupset or a carbon wheelset.

I dislike the groupset because of it's heavy and loud but usable but I want more gears in the rear.

I'm leaning towards carbon wheelset because it could save major weight and its more aerodynamic.

Any thoughts?

You should evaluate your objectives.  What advantage do you feel a new wheel-set or groupset would provide?  If your objective is to ride faster, then I would suggest you invest the time in building your aerobic base and physical strength with interval training and some resistive weight training.   If your objective is to look cool then do what you wish but it is unlikely that
 1. a stock carbon aero wheelset exists for an 8spd hub
 2. it would be cost effective to have a set of wheels built with your existing hubs.

Also,  your stopping power will be compromised in wet weather if your bike has rim brakes.

A bike is not like a car where an upgraded component can improve performance. You are the engine and there are minimal gains to be had with components perceived to be better. A pro cyclist or strong amateur can outperform most on a $100 big box store bike.


Is an overhanging roof shelter enough to safely leave bike outside? So I’ve built a shelter to keep the rain off my bike and intend to  keep it outside most of the year. It’s just a sloping corrugated plastic roof to keep the rain off it.
Will this be enough do you think? I could also put a tarp over but wonder if it’s better having the air and just being protected by the rain. Not sure if the condensation will do damage if I leave it uncovered.

A roof is better than no roof, but not as good as an enclosed space because wind can blow through bring dust and dirt and moisture.
Sunlight is also a source of slow continuous damage.  For years I kept bikes under a carport that was also sheltered from the sun, and while they still rusted, it was much slower than if they were out in the weather.
If safety means secure-from-theft then a roof makes practically no difference.  If someone wants to steal it they will.
Airflow can be useful, but a closed dry space is good too.  You want to avoid a damp airless space because that's not good.


How comfortable would my 57cm circumference head fit in a 59cm - 62cm helmet? There's a nice, cheap used helmet on sale that is described as being 'large'. My head is 57cm, which is 'medium'. How well would this helmet fit (I guess it does vary between manufacturers), and how can I improve the fit if it doesn't?

I'd strongly advise against buying used helmets because you just don't know how well they've been looked after. If it's been dropped, it might be structurally compromised without your being able to see any damage. And, if you think about it, why would anybody sell a cycling helmet? I guess maybe if they've upgraded to something lighter and/or more aero but, in most cases, people will wear a helmet until they think it's worn enough that it needs to be replaced. If it's worn enough that the original owner doesn't want to wear it, you don't want to wear it either.

In any case, this one is too big for you. A circle with circumference 62cm has radius 9.9 cm and a circle with circumference 57cm has radius 9.1 cm. So, with the helmet centred on your head, you'd be able to move it roughly a centimetre in any direction.


Tandem position - front or back My ride buddy and I were "volunteered" to ride a tandem bike for a 40 mile, somewhat hilly, charity ride.

We're running into the issue of who should be in the front on the tandem. Both of us are capable cyclists who bike commute and do a lot of fast fitness cycling.

Main difference is that my buddy is a stronger climber.

So, what are the criteria for tandem riding? Who is the most effective "driving"? Maybe we should periodically swap? Should the "muscle" be in back or front?

(My experience, for context: my girlfriend and I have ridden tandems quite a bit -- in the last 6 months we put in a few thousand touring miles on our tandem, and we've been riding tandems for several years now.)

There are several factors to consider when deciding who's going to be the stoker (at the back) and who's going to be the captain (at the front):

The first and most important consideration is who's comfortable with what.  If one of you is a lot more trusting (or trustworthy), that's your primary consideration.
Another thing you should take into account is weight.  The person driving the bike should ideally be the heavier person.  This is just a matter of physics -- the heavier you are, the more you can affect how much the bike turns.  In a pinch, it's better to have a heavier person who can more readily avoid obstacles.  The better your communication and teamwork, the less important this is.
The last consideration is Geometry.  If the bike is built for a taller person in the front and a shorter person in the back (most tandems are), you should probably put the taller person in the front.  Assuming you're both at around the same fitness level, this should fit nicely with the previous rule, because taller people tend to weigh more. :-)

Tandems are a whole lot of fun, but you need to go into it with the right attitude.  With the wrong attitude, you'll hate it, and you'll likely make each other miserable.  Here are some tips:

Communicate more than you think is reasonable.  Especially at first, you should both be talking a lot.  The more you talk, the better it'll be.
Remember you're part of a team now.  If the cadence is good for you but bad for your buddy, it's bad for both of you.  You'll both need to adjust some and meet in the middle.
Be trusting.  If you try to do the other person's job, you'll both be unhappy.  Communicate your needs and let your buddy do their job.  (This is especially important for the stoker.)
Be understanding.  If you're driving and your stoker says they're getting nervous about how fast you're taking corners, slow down.  Yes, you're probably doing just fine, but riding with an unhappy stoker is going to make you slower in the end.  Conversely, if you're the stoker and the cadence is messed up, understand that the captain is probably doing their best to keep the cadence in tune -- it's not as easy as you might assume!
The stoker is in charge. This sounds weird at first, but it's important.  The stoker tells the captain where to go and when to turn; the captain figures out how to get there.  If the stoker says "stop", you stop.  In a situation where two experienced cyclists are riding together, this balance of power is crucial for everyone to remain happy.  The stoker is going to feel powerless by nature of their fixed handlebars, so the captain needs to give something back.

Tandems are fun.  They go bloody fast, and you've got somebody to talk to all the time.  You've got incredible amounts of power, and you can cruise at 30 mph with reasonable effort.  Don't forget to stop and enjoy the moments of speedy bliss, and you'll have a great time.

A couple of additions:

To answer the final portion of the original question, it doesn't matter who sits where in terms of strength.  You're both equally connected to the drivetrain, and can both give as much power as your legs will produce.
Don't periodically swap.  Figure out who's going to be where, and practice before the ride.  If you're going to be pack riding, be very very careful, as tandems aren't as agile as single bikes.
The stoker position feels bumps a lot more than you normally feel them on a road bike.  Part of this is their position directly over the rear wheel, and part of it is an inability to see the road.  Suspension seat posts are a good idea for the stoker position.  Most importantly, warn your stoker if you see bumps coming, and coast briefly so they can stand up.


My rear MTB tire keeps rubbing on this thing that holds the front derailleur whenever the rear shocks are compressed to a certain amount I just bought a dual suspension MTB. I have pumped up the rear shocks to the correct pressure, but whenever I’m doing jumps the rear tire just rubs against the thing that holds the cable for the front derailleur. You can see the paint is chipping a bit from the tire rubbing.

I have no idea how to fix this, the only way for me to stop the rubbing is just to harden up the rear shocks so it doesn't compress as much, or just to remove the front derraileur and cut the thing that holds the cable. Is there another way to fix this?

I am far from convinced the bike is stock, I would be surprised if any bike manufacturer or seller would ship a bike in this condition, even a cheap BSO. The rear tire is definitely not new, so its probably not a new bike.  What little I can see of the shock it looks out of place (Aircan shock on a cheap looking frame).  I therefore suspect the shock has incorrect stroke - e.g. 210 shock comes in both 50 and 55mm stroke.  A 55mm stoke where a 50mm is require would do exactly this, have the wheel foul on frame components when at full compression. The difference between 50 and 55mm stoke is often an internal spacer so it can hard to tell if the shock is correct just by looking at it.
Ideally find the bike make/model/year, look up the specifications and compare to the shock you have on the bike. If the shock has no measurements, let the air out and measure its length uncompressed and fully compressed to determine its stroke.
If you cannot confirm the requirements for the frame from make/model etc, and the shock is length is a common size with the longer of two common strokes, a shorter stoke will stop the tire rubbing when you bottom out.
If the shock is the correct size, then look at the wheel - its possible the frame is designed for 26" wheels and has had 27.5" fitted (maybe from new). This increases the diameter and would cause the interference you are seeing. You could install a 26" on the rear (Presuming disc brakes) which will most likely solve the problem.
Hacking the frame should be a last resort - however will almost certainly be cheaper than a new shock or new wheel(s).


How do I know if a given hardtail mtb frame is 'supposed' to have suspension forks? How do I know if a given hardtail MTB frame is supposed to have suspension forks? I read somewhere that if you want to convert a suspension bike to a rigid you need 'suspension corrected' forks which are longer. So I assume there are different types of frames based on if the forks are supposed to be rigid from the start and another design that is meant for suspension forks (?).
If that is true, assuming that I can't measure the slack angle of the frame, how do I know if the frame is designed for suspension forks or not?

Before suspension forks became commonplace, all mountain bikes were designed for a rigid fork. Fork length was sufficient to give good clearance between the crown and tire.

Suspension forks need to be longer than the minimum length rigid fork as obviously they need to compress without the tire hitting the crown. As suspension forks became available, frame manufacturers designed frames with higher headtubes to accommodate the longer suspension forks. Over the last few decades common fork travel length has gone from 20mm to over 150mm, and headtube height has increased accordingly. If you look at modern frames and frames from around 1990 it's easy to see how frame geometry has evolved.

So, one can say that a frame with a moderate to large headtube to axle distance is designed for a suspension fork. Modern mountain bike frames are designed for suspension forks with a specific travel and headtube to axle distance that results in a desired head tube angle. XC bikes have less travel and shorter headtube to axle distance, downhill bikes have more travel and hence longer headtube to axle distance. There are still bike frames that are designed for a shorter rigid fork: many fat bikes and minimalist rigid single speeds for instance.

I believe the term 'suspension corrected' comes from the early days of suspension forks when the previously typical rigid fork length used was shorter than contemporary suspension fork length. To replace a suspension fork with a rigid one, a longer 'suspension corrected' fork was needed to preserve head tube angle. Note that modern bike suspension is designed to 'sag' slightly with a rider on the bike. A replacement rigid fork needs to be the same effective head tube to axle length as the'sagged' suspension fork, i.e. slightly shorter than the uncompressed length.

What you really want to find out is what headtube to axle length and head tube angle a given frame was intended to have. If you know the brand, model and year, do some searching on the web, you might be able to find out what model fork it originally came with and what the length of that fork was. If you know the intended use of the frame (XC, enduro etc,) you can look up common head tube angles and use geometry to estimate the headtube to axle length.


what to do during the week before a century? I'm planning to do a century ride in the near future, does anyone have any suggestions on what to do in the week leading up to the ride (besides training - duh).

I was thinking inspecting your bike, carbo loading, etc?  What to eat? How to sleep? Should I be riding at all? etc

What to do:

Eat well, but don't overdo it.  A hearty meal the night before and a solid breakfast the morning of the ride are a must.
Stay well-hydrated.
Get plenty of sleep.  If you've been burning the midnight oil lately, cut back on your riding and catch more z's.
Feel free to ride, but go for less distance and intensity than you normally would.
Lube your chain (and clean if needed).
Check your tires for any debris like glass or wire that might work it's way through during the ride.
Top up the air in your tires.
Check that your brakes still work properly.

What NOT to do:

any high-intensity rides or workouts
another century (disregard if you normally do centuries on a regular basis)
major mechanical changes to the bike
any bike fit adjustments
buy new shoes

(Assuming you've got the base training in already, of course)


What should I consider when choosing a bike frame? In thinking about building a road bike from scratch, what should I consider when choosing a frame?

I'll be building from all new components and plan on just doing day rides of a few hours a piece, but perhaps few days touring.  I'm not really interested in racing at all—that's what cars are for :-)

I put together a bike from parts bought on eBay as well as locally, and it was very successful.  I was lucky enough to get a frame that fit me well; however, as it was a 1998 aluminum road racing frame (Cannondale CAAD 3), it is really, really stiff.  For riding just an hour or two that doesn't really matter so much, but longer rides are fatiguing due to the construction and materials.  Recently I rented a high-dollar Specialized Roubaix, and couldn't believe how much smoother the ride was.

Materials

Aluminum:  stiffest there is
Titanium:  reportedly a nice ride, but very pricey
Steel:  high-dollar frames will be very nice, forgiving; cheap steel frames will feel like you are riding on plumbing pipe, dead and heavy
Carbon:  expensive, although coming down in price; smooth ride yet agile feeling
Aluminum with Carbon fork and/or stays:  more carbon means more forgiving, smoother ride, more $$$

Geometry

Road race bikes:  stiffer geometry, more responsive, more fatigue; definitely the most common on the market
Touring bikes:  more relaxed seat & head tube angles, longer wheelbase, room for fenders, eyelets for mounting racks; harder to find
Triathon/Time Trial bikes:  DO NOT GET unless you truly plan to do a tri-  very upright geometry based on leaning forward onto TT bars, harder riding (unless you spend lot$ on carbon components)

Depending on how much you plan to spend, it may be worth it to pay about $60 to get a professional bike fitting.  The right fitter will find out about you, your goals, and your flexibilty to come up with the right shape for you.  If you have spent a lot of your recent years at a desk you may not have the flexibility to lean as much as the average frame wants you to do.  Also, different brands may fit you better or worse.  When Lemond bikes first came out, they seemed to fit people best who had longer torsos or lots of flexibility.


Recovery from surgery, and want to race in November I'm six months after a double ankle joint fusion surgery.  Both my surgeon and my physio have suggested cycling.  I have a wind trainer and have plinked my road bike on it and being working on my strength now for about four weeks.  I'm up to 35 minutes about fives times a week.  I am permitted to go onto the roads, but am still a little reluctant and am staying at home, inside, for the moment.  Plan to venture outside in the next week or so.

In November I would like to do the Source to Sea race in New Zealand--it's a 120 km road race.  I'm not too worried about racing, but I would like to complete it (it has a nine hour time limit).  I have never cycled that far, ever.
After five months on crutches, I'm not so fit, but I was a very active person doing swimming and rock climbing.  I'm 5'6", and about 125 pounds.
I was hoping for training tips and help.  Thanks in advance.

Welcome from a fellow Kiwi - love that area of the country. It should be a great ride - nearly all down hill and relatively flat, however keep in mind the short winter days make it difficult sticking to training schedules......

Between now an  November you have heaps of time to get fit enough for the event. It's 160km for the full event - more than big enough to be a challenge - 9 hours is a pretty generous cut off time,  - especially given the 600 vertical meter overall descent.  The top riders are finishing around 4 hours, so if you can make half their speed you still have time up your sleeve.

If I was in your shoes, I would start by pushing your training time out (preferably on the road, but wind trainer is OK to start with), until you can do 1 hour comfortable. I would use a heart rate monitor if doing indoor training to keep me honest. Outdoor I find it useful but not essential.

I would drop to no more than 3 days a week (With 1 day between - never back to back days). Once you have comfortably gone an hour, something like

Day 1 - Long ride - 5-10% longer each week, slower than race pace
Day 3 - Medium ride - 70-80% of above, slower than race pace
Day 5 - 30% of above at faster than race pace / sprints / interval training.

Optional - Only if feeling good and drop the instant you have any symptoms of over training
Day 2 - Nothing.
Day 4 - Very slow, easy ride.
Day 6 - Very slow, easy ride
Day 7 - Very fast, short ride or sprints- no more than 1/2 hour - ONLY of feeling really good.

The one key ride is the Day 1 - long slow distance. I would aim to be getting it to 140km about 3-4 weeks out from event. If you (honestly) aren't feeling up to it, don't train - over training is your worst enemy. You will drop training rides - it's OK. If you have more than 2 weeks layoff, then you will need to go back a few weeks and built up from there, otherwise, it won't hurt to miss a few, and will do more harm than good if you try to "make up" for it.

There is lots of plans an information out there - read up on a couple and cherry pick what suits you. Be very aware there is a lot of pop-science behind many of these "plans" - base on extrapolating the results seeing a .0001% performance improvement in an elite athlete and then applying that to "You will go faster if you......." Essentially read up on our own Arthur Lydiard - his work in the 60's is the foundation of most training schedules today.

It's essential to build endurance, then build speed.....


Is this bike salvageable? I have an old Peugeot Vagabond. It's been sitting out in the New Mexico weather for more than a few years. I'm wondering if it's worth trying to fix up, or if I should just go get a new bike?

I tried to get the chain off (yes, with a chain tool), but it's not going to come off without considerable effort. Both sprockets are very rusted. And the derailers. I know I'll need new cables, brake pads, cable tube things. I'm pretty sure the rims are still true-ish, but I'll probably need new bearings. The handlebars also are significantly stiff when turning. I'm thinking the only thing still salvageable is the frame.

Ask for more pictures if needed.

(Please suggest appropriate tags. I tried.)

It might be salvageable but the cost of:

new chain ($10)
new tires and tubes ($25)
rear cluster (maybe; $20)
new brake cables and pads ($10)
new derailleur cables ($10)

which is the minimal repair, is going to be around $75 in just parts, that’s if you get the dirt cheapest versions. If any of your bearings or hubs are seized, you’ll need to rebuild them which isn’t expensive in terms of parts (just bearings and grease), but is labor intensive and requires special tools.

You’ll quickly get to the price of a good used bike if you have to pay labor and even if you do it yourself, you’ll quickly rack up a bill.

I’d sell the frame to someone who wants to rebuild it and already has all the parts — or find a donor bike with a cracked frame that you can steal all the parts from.


1.875" bicycle rim width Last year I bought a used wheel set on marketplace from a guy that rides off-road/trail.
He said they were strong and since I intended to put an electric motor w/assist on the bike I figured it couldn't hurt to have a stronger wheel on front.
They are for 26" tires, according to him at the time, and they were/are very light and clean, but they measure 1 and 7/8 inches wide, compared to a regular wheel that measures (approx) 1.5 inches wide.
They are made by "Panther" but I can't find anything relative to them on the 'net, and I can no longer find his contact information.
Can anyone tell me what these wheels were intended for?
Will they take a wider tire than a "normal" rim takes (I was hoping also to put a 26x2.5 tire on them)?
I'd like to read/learn more about these rims.
If anyone can "catch me up", or direct me to where I can learn more I would be really appreciated.
Thank you

There's no such thing as a "normal" wheel. There are different rim widths for different purposes. These are probably older mountain-bike wheels.
Regarding tire compatibility: a given rim width will be compatible with a range of tire widths. Different manufacturers may have slightly different recommended ranges, but this and this are good starting points. Note that this is using the width across the inside of the rim, not outside. My guess is that you'll be OK with 2.5" tires, but I'd measure to be sure.


what does "pre-bled" mean in the context of a cable-actuated hydraulic disc brake I am shopping for disc brakes and looking at cable-actuated ones.  What would "pre-bled" mean in that context?

It means the brake caliper/housing/lever are supplied connected and ready to fit to your bike.  Additionally, the brake fluid is installed, and all the air bubbles have been removed.
So if you install without shortening the hose or running the hose internally through your frame, then its a mess-free task.
If you need to shorten a hose or run inside your frame for any distance, then there's a chance of introducing air bubbles inside the line which decreases brake effectiveness, and needs bleeding to get the air out.  Not a big deal, but its a process with steps plus you'll need some additional fluid and tools.

Your cable-actuated hydraulics are just hydraulic brakes with some additional cable between the lever and the cylinder.   So the pre-bled bit is the hydraulic part, however small the hose and fluid section might be, it comes filled with fluid and without bubbles inside.


How can I properly replace the hose on this older Schwinn pump? I have the following Schwinn bike pump. It’s pretty old, perhaps 30 years or more. I like it a lot.

Some years ago, I changed to Presta valves; for this I needed a new head. I got a Topeak SmartHead Bicycle Floor Pump Upgrade Kit, which is a replacement head and hose with a number of different adapters. Unfortunately, none of them fit this pump, so I just hacked off most of the worn-out stock hose and spliced in the Topeak hose (one of the adapters is designed for this).

Every so often, the splice begins to leak because the stock hose cracks a little. This is easily repaired by cutting off another 5mm and re-splicing, but obviously that's not sustainable.

Here are some close-up views of the threads, and also the gauge for ID purposes. That's a AAA battery for scale.

My question is: where can I find something that will screw into the threads in the base of the pump and somehow lead to a modern Presta pump head?

I think that the size of that thread is called, "1/16 pipe thread" Find local places that make custom hydraulic hoses and verify the thread.  Then ask whether they have a fitting that is 1/16 male thread by hose barb.  Then you could eliminate all of the 30-year-old hose.


Do I need to replace cranks after newly installed pedals torqued out along with some threads in my crank? I must have crossed threads like an idiot when I installed pedals for my new SPD cleats. After several miles of riding (~100-200 m), I suddenly got this inexplicable rolly, bumpy motion in my foot. The pedal looked skewed out of the crank arm. I removed it with my pedal wrench. Out came several rings of crank thread material. The pedal is fine.

The previous pedals that I removed were aluminum platforms and needed a dousing of degreaser and hot water to come unstuck.

I could probably screw the pedal back in with the remaining thread in the crank arm. Is this downright stupid to do?

EDIT: Some pictures and specs for further review

The pedal is a standard SPD Shimano road. I don't have the specific model number, I lost the box.

The crankset is an Omega FS6. It came prepackaged with my bike which was a rebuild. The former aluminum pedals were locked in there like a nightmare. The bike mechanic used thread sealant. Once I wrenched them off, I tried my best to clear out any offending sealant that remained in the threads.

Your cranks are pretty much toast, and even if you try to fix them, you'll always be suspicious of them and won't be able to ride hard without worry.

Toss them in the trash and get new ones, and be more thorough when reinstalling your pedals.