Strength training during structured sweet spot base phase training plan 2 weeks ago, I started using trainerroad for structured turbo based training - it's going well but I'm keen to improve my top end power (10 second power or so), and from what I understand the best way of doing this is to use heavy weights and do squats and variations of squats.

Is there a good guideline for what workout I should do? I don't want to overdo it and compromise my gains from the base training plan I'm on.

Current TSS is 216. Each week tends to consist of 2 medium-ish 1hr sessions and 1 1hr30 session which is harder at the weekends.

My guess is I should just do a 20 minute weight workout every week, very heavy but not outrageous. Enough to make the legs really really burn but not so much I lose form.

I'm new to structured training on the bike so could do with some guidance.

Ultimately top end power comes from a combination of strength and muscle coordination (i.e., muscle recruitment patterns and mental focus). Strength training can be an important contributing component, helping develop your fast twitch (type II) muscle fibers which provide the required strength, but it will not guarantee top end power. You will also have to practice the coordination and mental focus required to produce high end power (i.e., > 1000 watts) on the bike (i.e., the specificity principle). The ability to focus and fire as many applicable muscle fibers as possible to complete a task is what often sets the pros apart from everyday riders (Martin et al. 2016).

In terms of weight training itself, form is probably far more important than weight lifted. Most will focus on the weight as it is an easy to compare metric, try to avoid this pitfall as it often leads to bad or less than ideal form (even if you avoid "outrageous" weights). Light weight does not mean less of a work out as you can make lighter weights “heavier” by focusing on explosive power/speed, which is however something that should only be done after first mastering the form which itself can take a considerable amount of time.

Squats, lunges and other such exercises need a healthy dose of glutes to be done correctly and on average cyclists have notoriously poor glute development.  Its too bad as the glutes are important muscles acting as an antagonist for the hip flexors.  Many cyclists suffer from chronically tight hip flexors, which can often be fixed with basic glute exercises. Glute recruitment during pedaling is also important for generating the big power you are looking for (high end power is not all quads).

Being that you are a cyclist and probably sit a lot (many of us are forced to with modern lifestyles) its probably a pretty safe bet that your glutes could probably first use some development before you even jump into things like squats.  If and when you feel that you are ready for squats (also consider other exercises like lunges, both straight on and lateral lunges - another huge weakness in cyclists), I would start with very light weight and focus on form and how your hips are functioning. The body is very adaptable and can find a way to "complete" a task using poor form.  This is where a good trainer is key, to ensure you are performing the task properly.  I would not simply go to a gym and start squatting weights with the hope of cranking out 1600 watts on the next club sprint. This is something honed over time.

If you start with poor form you will not only train muscle imbalances, but you will also be reinforcing poor muscle coordination often associated with poor form. This in turn will result in poor functioning, which can eventually lead to injury (e.g., lower back) and a long road to recovery as now you have to fix the injury,  retrain your muscle firing patterns, which is no small task in of itself, and then finally train the correct muscles and muscle firing patterns themselves.  So again it would be advisable to work with some professionals to ensure you start your program properly.

Also keeping the weight light and focusing on form (e.g., can you feel your glutes working, how are your hips functioning, what is your lower back doing, when do your quads kick in, how is your knee alignment, etc) you can also master when to work in strength training into your current routine.  You will likely need enough rest prior so that you can do the strength training well, you also likely need sufficient rest afterwards so that you can perform well on your next bike training session.  For example killing yourself strength training in the morning followed by a interval or sprint interval training in the afternoon probably isn't always a good combo - but could be depending on your abilities and goals.

Some people can handle a high back to back workload days, while others cannot.  It really depends on your fitness, genetics, age, diet, mental focus, personality... the list goes on.  If you have a power meter you can measure first hand how you respond to different work out structures, allowing you to fine tune your routine.  This is essentially the type of services a good coach should provide as part of the for pay service.


What is the width of Giant CR41, 32-hole rims I'm tuning up a 2010 Giant TCX 2 which has Giant CR41, 32-hole rims as the only information I can find. There's nothing printed on the rims themselves either.
Right now it's using the 700 x 35c Kenda Small Block Eight folding 120TPI tyres that it came with but I'd like to change to slicks and have found some 28c's that are an amazing deal.

As per Sheldon Brown I'm likely ok putting on 28c's since they fall within the range of rim where you'd find 35c's but not always.

My ability to measure this at home is limited by my lack of a ruler. Surely this information is available somewhere.

I went and bought a ruler. It's 13mm.

I'm kind of surprised they'd stick a 35mm tyre on a 13mm rim out of the factory. I'm going to stick 700 x 28c conti GP 4 Seasons on it unless someone points out a clear reason not to. Sheldon Brown's guide says 25 should be a max for that rim, but it also grants a bit of room for error and this rim was fine with 35's...

This also means that CR41 isn't necessarily a material/feature code and it's possible the TCX and TCR use the exact same rim.


What to do when there's no more adjustment room on disc brakes I just built up a new frame and discovered that, due to slightly different geometry the rear disc caliper can't be adjusted so that it doesn't rub. Basically I've got them all the way over to one side and it's still not enough. Can I fix this without getting new brake calipers? They're Shimano BR-M406 hydraulic caliper BTW.

Ӎσᶎ's answer was the method I went with. I just got a washer from another hub (I didn't want to use a plain old steel washer from the hardware shop because I was concerned it might be too soft, though that might not be the case) and put it on the axle next to the cone. I did that In January and it's done about 4000k without any problems since then.


Source of John Deere line of children bicycle tires? My son's bike is 12 inch children bike with the John Deere tractor theme to it.  Aside from the paint, this line of kids bikes have some rather beefy, large square knobby tires.  As with any children's bike, the back tire needs replaced (due to rider and coaster brake).  I'm having trouble sourcing these tires and the only information the side wall is given me is "Yida".  Here is a amazon link to the 16 inch version of this bike which has the same kind of tires on it:

http://www.amazon.com/ERTL-John-Deere-Heavy-Bicycle/dp/B0007WOHZA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1380045299&sr=8-3&keywords=16+inch+john+deere+bike

While I replaced the tires with standard off the shelf tires, I'm looking for some more information about the company and or the tire itself.

Very inexpensive rebranded bike with very inexpensive tires which you can't source individually. Nothing wrong with that given that it's a child's bike, but that is the situation. Your chances of finding that exact tire are slim, and there's no really compelling reason for you to hunt it down anyway.

The product you can get off the shelf is going to be at least as good and likely better. There's no issue with mixing and matching different tread patterns front and rear beyond aesthetics.


Saddle for beginner rider! I havent ridden a bike since I was a kid. And now I just purchased a second hand one to go to and from work and I found the seat like sitting on a block of wood. It was horrible! What is the best seat to get? I was going to get a large padded one but now after reading some posts saying they were no good, i dont know what to do. I know nothing about this. Please help me. Thanks!

As @Kibbee stated give a little time. Don't expect to be able to do a one hour ride and be painfree the next day. Try to increase your saddle time gradually over a couple weeks. You can do several short rides a day to toughen-up the sore spots. The saddle may not be the only issue. Did you consult with anyone about bikefit? The bike may need some adjustments to fit you correctly. If after a few weeks your body is still complaining take your bike to your local shop. Have them look at your bike and the saddle. Explain to them where the pain is and ask for help in choosing a saddle that fits your body. Most shops will give a fit or comfort guarranty for a certain number of days.`


What does self-support mean during touring? Please, justify each item/action you take/do to qualify to be self-supportive during touring. My problem is independent touring around the world. The term self-support per se means no extra luggage, among other things, because you cannot carry them.

  UPDATE I will award the bounty to person who makes my hope possible: I
  want a new clearer community wiki
  -format so that no-one will get credit and everyone are free to make edits,
  without creating duplicate answers and
  keeping this question clearer and more
  accessible for future users. If there
  is no willing mod, I will reward the
  bounty to a person that makes the
  largest contribution to find
  self-supportive tips on this site or
  other sites, appropriate to touring.

Discussion in meta here.

Self-Supported Touring

I do most of the obvious things - I have a hammock, stove, basic first aid and bike repair equiment, carry food and water etc. As I often tour in places where there are no shops and that motor vehicles can't go this is necessary. I do get food parcels and other necessities posted to me and pick those up along my route. Having a cellphone/internet device makes it easier to arrange those drops. I use a digital camera rather than film, but that's become the norm.

Extra or unusual things I do:

carry a small solar charger to recharge my phone and music player
eat roadkill from time to time (it's free and environmentally friendly). In NZ where it's legal I've also carried a slingshot to kill pest species and eat those too.
use a hammock rather than a tent because it's more flexible and less obvious, so it's easier to free camp
wear long sleeved shirts and pants rather than using sunscreen (personal preference, but also more sustainable/self-supporting)
use a liquid fuelled stove (in NZ) or fires (in Australia) rather than disposable gas cartridges to get more cooking per kg of carried weight. It often hard to find fuel for a cooking fire in NZ even when it's legal to use one.
I use public transport to get to and from tours. Or I just ride from where I live. Since I don't own a car that's easy for me, but I meet a lot of people whose "cycle tour" involves driving further than they ride.
shop mostly at supermarkets rather than tourist shops or corner shops to save money. In Australia especially it can be 1Mm or more between supermarkets. So I often carry food for a week or more between shopping expeditions.

My experience is limited to countries where I already speak the language and have citizenship rights so I haven't faced any of those issues. But my tendency is to learn the language etc anyway, and since I'm a geek citizenship has not been especially hard to get. When you're young a "working holiday" visa is often easy enough to get and is worthwhile (since it lets you work legally).

I do cycle tour as a holiday, I regard it as a break from my normal life. I usually quit my job, stop renting somewhere to live, give away or sell my spare possessions, and go ride my bike for a few months. I've worked hard to get into a position where that's possible.

I don't usually prepare physically for a tour, I just pile up the stuff I need and go. The first week is slow and hard, after that I get fitter and start riding further and faster. Usually I lose ~5%-10% of my bodyweight while touring and come back with more muscle as well. I suspect that means I'm fat and lazy...


Add hand positions to flat bar MTB I'm trying to make a more road bike from my old GT Avalanche (26 hardtail), `cause I've bought a new one for trails.

I had a 100 km ride last weekend and found that I really lack hand positions on the handlebars. What are my options? I don't want to buy a drop bar, since it's quite expensive and can cause problems with brake levers and shifters. Are there any good alternatives?

Bar ends are as cheap or expensive as you want and easy to fit. Being unfashionable, you may be able pick up a set for nothing from a local bike co-op or recycle center to try.

Other add on's that you could try are bolt on aerobars.

Butterfly bars used by tourers could be worth looking into, although these are not widely used outside that circle so can be hard to come by or expensive.

Before spending too much money consider selling the bike and buying a road bike with drop bars for the same money. For no net cost, you will have a much better bike for the longer distances.


Shimano hydraulic disc brake lever and caliper compatibility My bike has Shimano BR M775 brake calipers and BL M775 brake levers.
The right lever for the rear brake has a broken screw in the reservoir, so it needs replacement.
As BL M775 is no longer available here, my second thought is to get the latest XT levers - M8000.

However after I asked this question about Shimano brake hose compatibility
 I realize that the newer models use a different type of brake hose (BH 90), with a narrow bore, as opposed to the older BH59 with wide bore.

What does this mean for compatibility - will "narrow bore" levers work properly with older "wide bore" calipers?

Ok, I upgraded and I might as well provide an answer for my question, in case anyone else is interested.

The bike is now sporting a BR M775 rear caliper, a BL T8000 brake lever (XT three finger model) and a BH90 narrow bore hose and everything works perfectly.
Putting the bits together was completely straight forward.


Chain pops off guide pulley when pedaling I re-installed new tires for the first time yesterday. Now I'm having problems with my rear derailleur. The chain keeps popping off the derailleur guide pulley when I pedal forward. I can re-seat it easily but it just keeps popping off. Pics (and a video) below.

Disclaimer: this is a piece of crap bike that I got for free so thats why it looks like garbage. Also I am new to bike repair so I almost certainly did multiple things wrong

I think the chain is not tensioned enough. Since you did not change the chain, or the crank, just the tires, the wheel position seems to me to be the culprit.

From the last picture it looks like the axle was farther behind (see paint chipped ... or at least I am seeing it, maybe it is an artifact?)

So, release the nut, slide the wheel more to the back in the guides and then close the nuts. Setting the gear in the small rings (back and front) should help you pushing the wheel back.


Narrow tubeless tire on wide rim A recent trend toward wider tires (cf Heine, "Performance of Tires") also led to wider rims and a closer match of rim and tire widths.

In the past it was considered that tires need to be considerably wider than their rims. For example, Sheldon Brown requires at least 40 mm nominal width in a 23 mm rim (measure between inner flanges). ISO 4210 (cf Mavic) requires at least a 37 mm tire on the same rim.

As a recent example, my new bike (2017 Merida CX 600) came with a 700x23C rim and 32-622 tires. This choice of the manufacturer suggests it is a safe combination. The rim lacks hooks though (see below), which might make it comparable to a narrower specification.

New developments, such as tubeless, hook-less rims, and tubeless tire beads made this question more complicated then it was a decade ago. This merritts to discuss this beyond Brown and ISO 4210.

What is the smallest width a tubeless tire may have to be mounted on a rim of given width?

I was googling a similar thing and stumbled across both this question, and an interesting article from mavic:
https://engineerstalk.mavic.com/en/the-right-tyre-width-on-the-right-rim-width/

Towards the bottom of the article are some interesting tables for not only tyre size vs rim width (internal) but also pressure:


Shimano Alivio M4000 vs Altus M370 shifters I'm planning to upgrade my shifters to Alivio M4000. My old shifters are Altus M370. My question is will this make a significant differrence on my shifting? I'm running Altus M310 FD with Alivio M4000 shadow RD

When you upgrade shifters (provided you have the right compatibility), you're paying for (or trading off between):

Lower weight
More strength/durability
Reliability

In the sense that Alivio > Altus, you should be getting some of these.

However, if your shifters and what not are in good condition (i.e. good cable runs, shifters in good condition, derailleur in good condition), I don't think you'll notice (much).


Front wheel lifting on climbs on my Mountain Bike I've got a full suspension XC/AM 29er mountain bike (Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Pro). I'm running a size small frame with an 80mm stem with about 7 degree rise.  Bike seems like a good fit for me. I do run the seat a touch lower than optimal for more room to move on sketchy sections (no dropper post) but still not so much that my legs scream on flats and climbs.

However on a lot of climbs, even ones that are not super steep, my front wheel seems to pop up quite a bit. This makes me have to foot down unexpectedly when the climbs are rooty or rocky. I try to get as close to the bars as possible when I'm digging hard, but I feel like something might be better done with bike fit than bike english.

What should I try to set up the bike to avoid this?  I switched from a slightly longer 90mm stem due to the feeling I was going to OTB on sketchy terrain, so I don't want to play with lengthening the stem much.

Things I considered:
Raising seat (would require a $$$ dropper since I'll need to lower it for sketchy sections).
lowering stem (I've got about 20mm of spacers to work with below the stem)
Flipping the stem (not sure what this will do to handling on steep descents)

What's going to be the most effective way to change the setup to avoid or reduce the lifting effect?

I had the same problem on a regular non-suspension bike on the road, if the slope is steep enough.  The main cause is technique, and its exacerbated by your suspensions.

As you push down on the leading pedal the bike wants to rotate the other way, like you're lifting the handlebars and pulling a wheelie.  Your suspension is probably acting as an amplifier for this.

This leads to decreased traction on the front wheel, so turning becomes interesting.

Main Solution is to pedal more steadily in a circle, rather than stomping down on the foremost pedal.
To a lesser extent, you can also:

Lock out the front suspension, or dial it down a bit in bounciness.
Move your body weight forward on the saddle, or get off the saddle completely.
Remove weighty things from the rear of the bike - I found moving my full water bottle to the forward bottle cage had a noticeable impact.  Consider moving toolkits etc.


Potential risks of sitting upright on the saddle during a daily commute I ride my bike to work Monday through Friday, about forty minutes both ways.  The elevation changes a bit but not too much.  I'm not a huge fan of holding the handlebars, and I often ride with no hands for as much of the distance as I can.  I know this throws off my balance a bit (and a large bump is more likely to throw me off my bike) but beyond that should I be worried about how this affects my muscles?  E.g. could I be straining them/stretching them in the wrong way?  In general is it bad to consistently ride using that posture?

Of course, you will have less control over your bike if you don't hold the handle bars, especially if something unexpected happens (like a truck coming out of nowhere at full speed for example).

Regarding sitting upright, you are very lucky to be able to keep your back straight like that, most people have a bad posture, and are not comfortable sitting upright on bar stools for example (or any chair without something to hold your back). Being upright like that uses your lower back muscles and your core more generally, which is a very good thing. Also you will relieve potential stress in your forearms, because they are not resting on the bar (with your weight).


How many spokes for a single speed road bike? I want to buy a handbuilt wheelset from a local bike shop and I am in front of the decision of how many spokes I want to put on front and rear wheel.

The application of the wheelset is a singlespeed bike, to be used mostly on paved road (I have another wheelset for gravel) by an 80Kg rider. The rear wheel is going to be built with a track hub with a White Industries freewheel.

I was thinking of lacing 32/32, but then I read the following on Sheldon Brown:

  If you have the same number of spokes front and rear, either the front wheel is heavier than it needs to be, or the rear wheel is weaker than it should be.

Does this still hold on modern rims/hubs? What's the number of spokes recommended for my setup? Do all combination make sense or only some of them? For instance, is 28 front/32 rear ok?

If you have the same number of spokes front and rear, either the front wheel is heavier than it needs to be, or the rear wheel is weaker than it should be.

In general, that's still true.

The rear wheel generally is subjected to much greater stresses than the front wheel - the rear wheel normally supports about 60% of the combined weight of the rider/bicycle combination along with all of the power transmission.

The only time a front wheel is normally subject to greater stresses than the rear wheel is under braking, where the front wheel takes most of the stress.  But braking is normally a fairly smooth force that is less stressful than bearing weight over bumps or the peak stresses of transmitting power from the pedals to the road.  And for rim brakes at least, the stress on the wheel is a lot less as there's no torque on the hub and spokes like there is on the rear wheel, where power is transmitted from the chain to the road via torque through the hub and spokes.

Note that was likely written before disk brakes.  Disk brakes change things because the braking force has to be transmitted through the hub and spokes to the rim.  So you don't want to to have a 32-spoke 3-cross rear wheel with a 20 or 24-spoke radially-laced front disk brake wheel (pretty much a normal configuration for my rim-brake road bike 32/3x rear, 20-24/radial front).

But I suspect with a front disk brake, a 32-spoke 3-cross rear paired with a 28-spoke 2-cross front would be fine.

Overall, though, having a few extra spokes on the front wheel isn't going to matter much.  If I could save $50 or more by buying an off-the-shelf 32/32 over a custom-built 32/24, I'd personally use the money on something more useful than a few less ounces of spokes.


How many chains before the cassette is replaced? If you change your chain at recommended interval (using wear indicator), how many chains should you get through before the cassette is replaced?

This is really going to be different for each person. If you replace your chain early enough, there should be very little wear on your cassette and you can go more chains between cassettes. If you let the chain go for a long time, you pretty much have to replace the cassette with the chain.  Each one should be replaced as they are needed depending on wear.  The amount of wear on the cassette is going to depend a lot on your riding style. If you spend a lot of time in one gear, that sprocket is going to wear out. If you use all the gears evenly, the cassette as a whole will last more miles.


Home-made sealed freewheel? Is there any way to do a home-made sealing on my freewheel?

Is there any material recommended to do it?

Anyone can find some previous try documented?

Will I fail miserably if I try to source a sealed component with the same diameter and reuse the seal? What exactly is the seal?

Just a little of background: After fixing my freewheel, it does not spin with grease. So I used chain lube. It works, but for a little more than 2 weeks only.

UPDATE 1: more info.

  The focus of the question is: wheel hubs and other parts with MUCH
  more stress are sealed alright. Why freewheels can't?

It's a 5 speed Shimano freewheel. I was considering replacing it with a 6 speed since my shifter and RD works fine with it. but looking at the options, i refuse to give money to freewheel manufacturers! It's all crappy. even the high end models. Also, the gears are like new yet. bearings has no imperfections. it's just a matter of lubing.

So, I did open and serviced that freewheel (didn't take pics as I did it overnight alone and was aiming for speed so i could get some sleep).

At first I greased the hell out of it and closed. It spinned as bad as when it was dry and dirty (it has 12yr)

Then I reopened, cleaned it all again with 90% oil. Applied just enough grease to barely hold the bearings in place for assembly (an invisible film) and right after closing it up again dropped a bunch of 20w-50 engine oil and a bunch of chain-L oil (the snake oil of bike chain lube.)

It's spinning like new. but after 2-3 weeks, i often get one or another small chain drag when backspinning the pedal very slowly. No issue at all, but a sign that it's not perfectly lubed again. and will only get worse.

Tip

If the gears are not worn but the freewheel does not spin:

remove wheel
let if lay down with the freewheel cogs on top
use a spanner tool to remove the cap on the freewheel
drop oil in there
close it

As you can see, it's pretty easy to oil the freewheel. and all bike shops I ask about sealed freewheel and freewheel maintenance say that, 1. there's no sealed model. 2. you HAVE to do this oiling twice a year. 3. There are no consensus to which kind of oil.

As far as the increase in drag after a few weeks, I reckon the Chain-L oil is to blame for that. As far as oils go, it's not all that heavy, and over a few weeks can migrate out from where it needs to be inside the freewheel.

One of my favorite things to do with an old free wheel is to soak it in degreaser/solvent/parts washer overnight. Then, use rags and compressed air (or opening it up, if you like tiny bearings in abundance) and clean out the degreaser. Once the freewheel is bone dry, slowly dribble in some Phil's Tenacious Oil while spinning it. Ill often set the freewheel onto a freewheel tool in a vice and spin it with one hand while holding the Phil's bottle in the other.

The dry freewheel will ratchet very loudly, but you'll hear it quiet down as the very thick oil begins to penetrate. Once you start to see some oil come out the other side you know you're done.


Should one pedal over a mild slope? I do a bit of cycling these days, as in nearly 50 km a day.

I do a ring-route. And, there is a mild slope, safe enough to sprint on, and roughly 2 km long with at a worst-case 400 m line of sight visibility without any turn.

By the time I get there, I am a bit tired as I have to climb an ascent to get there.

Should I keep pedaling on such a slope or just sit, steer, control the cycle and then use the momentum in the later part to go another mile or two without much exertion, or should I pedal on the slope so that I can carry on with that momentum over a longer distance.

P.S.: Usually I am not too tired to keep pedaling there. So, I can continue to pedal.

Because wind resistance is proportional to velocity squared it takes more power to go from 30 to 32 than from 15 to 17.  So you get more bang from your pedal power at lower speeds.   If it is a relatively short downhill and you have considerable speed you are typically better off coasting and then pedal when you get to a flat or flatter section.

So you are better off exerting yourself on the lower speed ascent.  Then recover on the downhill.  It might be 2 minute recovery or 20 minute recovery.  If you notice racers typically go all out on the ascent.

If you went up the hill at 8 mph and down the hill at 13 mph compared to a constant 10 mph you would have about 5% more wind resistance.


Is it harmful to shift RD while climbing standing? I'm just learning to climb standing, and I find I'm often guessing wrong about which gear to use; plus there are times where I'm accelerating up the hill and just need to shift up. Upshifts under power usually cause a loud clunk, so I sometimes "rotate easy" through the shift, but I'm not always that patient or adept.

My question is:

Are full-power rear upshifts while climbing standing BAD for components, or is that a typical expected usage?

I'm still on my "learners" bike, an older MTB triple, and for now I'm still a heavy rider - 230 lbs. I'm actually not too worried about hurting this current bike, but would really like to avoid ingraining bad habits that I'll regret on an eventual new road bike.

I assume I'm putting a more stress on chain and derailleur - the shifts sure clunk pretty loudly.  So far, no actual shifting problems.  Is it just a matter of keeping an eye on chain stretch, or is this a practice I should minimize?  (It's sure fun to accelerate up a hill though!)

Postscript (6/25/2011): Hmm, look what happened to my rear wheel today.  I'm not saying this is due to standing upshifts, or even just climbing standing in general.  And it is a 20-year old MTB I bought used 2 years ago, so history is unknown.  But hmm.  I think I'll spin more and stand less :-)

Will you damage components?

Probably, if this is a repeated pattern, yes.

When standing to climb you will be in a higher gear than when seated climbing. This means the cadence of your legs and pedals is slower. Add to the slower cadence the fact that you are powering down hard to accelerate uphill and there is significant power going through the chain and derailleur over a chain moving too slowly. If you are hearing loud clunks, that is unlikely to be good for your bike's components. It may not result in immediate failure, but is increasing wear and could result in failure later on. Rather than chain stretch, you may get a link failure and chain snapping, or you may damage parts of the derailleur if you do this regularly under high power.

An alternative approach to changing gear while standing

Once you have got the bike moving at a speed where you feel the cadence is too quick standing, try going back to a seated position. It will probably now feel too slow to change up. This will also allow you to use different muscles. If you can still accelerate up to a speed where the cadence is too fast and you want to change up, then do so with the pedals spinning quickly but with a moment where you apply slightly less power.

General advice on hill climbing

As you change up, move to standing to maintain momentum and to account for the lower cadence of the higher gear. If you can still accelerate in the higher gear - repeat.

You may also find this article on How to Climb a Hill on a Bicycle a useful reference. Although he concentrates on maintaining momentum and the theory of when to attack to optimise energy efficiency through the hills rather than how to change gears..


How can I remove the stripped plastic cups of a bottom bracket? I have a 2 frames with FAG bottom brackets (can't tell the exact model from the outside, but something like this):

(datasheet here) in various states of destruction

Bike 1

I didn't have the tool so I tried turning the cups with a wrench, completely stripping off the notches and then tried to hammer as much of the plastic out with a screwdriver, but I'm not getting anywhere. One suggestion I've read is heating the spindle in the hope that the plastic can be easily removed, so I put a soldering iron into it, without much luck (heat doesn't really dissipate from the spindle.

Bike 2

I now have a proper tool that fits the notches, but it slipped during turning and partially also stripped the notches (plastic vs. metal … surprise). I managed to get one cup turning – I thought – but only the outward facing part came off, with the inner tubing still inside the frame.

What other methods could be used to remove the bottom brackets? It's important that I save the frame; the brackets can go to hell for all I care.

FAG bottom brackets (BB) with plastic mounting rings are very common in Germany. The cartridge bottom bracket is really good and resilient, however the polyamide (PA) mounting rings are horrible.

As you found out there is a tool to turn the splined outside (rosette shaped). It is inexpensive and easy to get in Germany (< 10EUR). However, unscrewing the PA mounting rings often fails. The polymer material conforms to the thread and all its imperfections and thus has too much friction in the thread. The bulk of the material is not strong enough to transfer the momenta needed to overcome this. As a consequence it is very easy to simply twist off the entire outer part of the cover including the splines or mangle the splines.

I had to remove such brackets before. In one case I could remove the mounting ring on one side of the bracket with the tool. It is easy then to take out the cartridge and get out the other shell. If one side fails, be very careful with the other one. Try to use penetrating oil, use plenty of it and give it a lot of time to enter. Make sure you turn the correct way.

both mounting rings stuck

failures

Recently I had a bike where both mounting rings were stuck*. In my case the mounting rings were pressed in. My frame had no threads whatsoever in the bottom bracket shell. I will briefly describe what I did and then continue with how I think it could be done better. Starting with my entirely futile first attempts.

I supported the frame well on wooden blocks and used a mallet to hit the spindle. This had no effect whatsoever.
I used a clever arrangements of a vise and wooden blocks to push the spindle.
I removed the outer part of the mounting ring, which serves as dust cover, with a woodworking chisel. I removed more PA material to form a 45 degree face until the outer edge of the cartridge shell was accessible. I selected a deep socket with the same outside diameter as the cartridge. A short length of any pipe would do. I placed it over the cartridge and tried above two methods.
I repeated the same on the other side.
I drenched all gaps with penetrating oil, let it stand overnight, warmed everything with a heat gun, and tried approach 3. from both sides.

None of above attempts moved the BB a bit. I removed the dust covers from the cartridge, removed the bearing balls, and took out the spindle. This left me with the empty cartridge shell, held by the remnants of the PA mounting rings, stuck in my frame's BB shell.

I tried to saw through the shell of the cartridge by inserting a saw blade and mounting it in a hacksaw.

After wasting two mediocre quality saw blades and lots of toil I gave up. The races of the BB bearings are directly in the shell of the cartridge. The steel around it is hardened through. It is not just surface hardening. I did not want to invest into a diamond coated saw blade. Nor did I have any means to grind through the shell (which would be more than tedious without a power tool that could access the narrow apertures. Don't let the deep cut in the picture mislead you, the cut is only deep where the steel was not hardened.

success

What finally led to success was the following approach:

I chiselled off all of the PA 6 material down to the edge of the cartridge. I applied plenty of penetrating oil in a widened gap that worked as a funnel. Then I heated the cartridge shell with an excellent heat gun and a small propane torch. I used a socket (see 3) as punch and a wood working clamp to press out the cartridge, changing sides repeatedly.

After a few iterations this led to the plastic of the mouting rings to move out a little. I chiselled that off again. And repeated the procedure. Within about 20 minutes I was able to remove all of the cartridge.

method

Based on my experience I suggest the following approach.

A. cut away all of the PA mounting rings that stands out of the BB shell. In particular remove the PA parts that cover the cartridge.

B. remove dust covers from the cartridge bearings. Then remove bearing balls and spindle. Clean the inner part of the cartridge shell.

C. chisel away as much of the PA mounting rings as you can. In particular enough to form a depression that functions as a funnel to channel penetrating oil into the gap between PA mounting rings and cartridge. Fill it up with penetrating oil and let it all seep in.

D. Find an appropriate piston, eg a socket, and press out the cartridge with a vise or clamps. Excellent support on the other side is crucial here. Otherwise you will not be able to apply enough force (without braking the frame).

Repeat D alternating sides. This may wiggle out the cartridge. Apply heat to the empty cartridge shell. The melting point of PA6 is 220 C; the PA of the mounting rings might get soft at a similar temperature. Although, a much lower temperature might suffice if enough force is applied. Be careful not to set the penetrating oil on fire!


What kind of gear shifter is this? Single lever I have this old bike that I'm taking a look at (ie oiling and whatnot) for a friend. The bike is old (maybe 20 years old), with this type of a gear shifter for front derailleur:

It has a single lever/handle thing that looks like it should slide around to switch the gears.

Could anyone tell me what type this is? I need to fix it (because it doesn't shift), but I'm not sure how to approach it exactly...

I'd call it a thumb shiifter.   Guess its for the front derailleur, and on a bike that old its probably not indexed, which makes this easier.

Firstly is the gear wire loose?  Check them down on the frame and see if they're slack.  If so, the wire has snapped or the end has come off inside the shifter.

If you can't physically move the shifter then it could be jammed with wire or the "barrel", or just plain rusted.

That plastic bit on top is a handle- its the top of the tension screw.  If you undo it completely you'll be able to see into the mechanism for rust.  This is also how you'd get access to the cable to replace it.  Note your other-hand shifter is more likely to be indexed (ie click-stops at every gear position) so not directly comparable.

If the problem is rust, tell your friend to stop storing the bike outside.
If its a broken cable, that's a fairly straightforward fix, albeit dirty.


Converting an octalink bottom bracket and crankset to a fsa bottom bracket and compact crankset 9 speed i currently own a 2002 Giant TCR 2 and have been pleased but as i am approaching 60 and hills aren't getting any easier was thinking of converting to a compact crank.  I currently have a Shimano double crank with octalink and found a FSA OMEGA EXO COMPACT Crankset
175mm X 110MM BCD doe 9 speed The bottom bracket currently on there is an octalink 9.5 MM.  Will it fit, both brackets are the same diameter.  Thanks.

My current favorite reference on the mess that is bottom bracket compatibility is this BikeRadar article.

To summarize the BikeRadar article:
"Conventional Threaded: Standard 24mm external type (Shimano Hollowtech II [, Shimano Octalink], SRAM/Truvativ GXP, Campagnolo Ultra-Torque, FSA MegaExo, Race Face X-Type,  etc), square taper, ISIS, BB386 EVO" can all be put into the same frame.

To do the crankset swap, you'll need to put in the MegaExo bottom bracket and then install the FSA crankset (you can't just stick a MegaExo crankset into an octalink bb) [This will require things like adjusting the FD as well, but you'll likely be using your LBS to do this swap anyway, and they should take care of it]. Note that you may also want to get a bigger rear cassette to help with hills (this alone may be sufficient and significantly cheaper), or even switch to a bike with a triple (and less race-y).

Note that if you don't want to swap to a MegaExo BB, Shimano's Claris 2450 Crankset is an octalink crankset. And you may be able to take your current crankset and do some chainring swapping as well to get the desired effect.


Best rest length for "getting your seat" I am just getting back on my bike after a couple years and have quickly been made to remember that it takes time to get your butt used to the saddle.  I've read articles about "getting your seat" and all pretty much agree that more short rides will help you "get your seat" faster than few long rides.  They also seem to agree that a "short ride" in this case is about an hour (my typical training loop of about 15 miles takes almost exactly an hour right now).

None of the articles that I have read say how often you should ride during this "my butt is bruised" period.  I'm thinking every other day is about right for me, but I'm wondering anyone has more information on this?  Maybe I should be out every day?  Maybe every third day? 4th day? 117th?  I really have no idea.

I'm on a men's Trek 1.1 with a stock saddle... and a sore (not too sore, just normal beginner's sore) butt.

There is no one good answer to this question, because there are many personal factors which play in.

Your weight, your physical fitness, the quality of the saddle, and whether it fits your body well will all be a factor here.

In general, a short (sub 1 hour) ride every 3 days works well for most people.

Consider getting rid of your stock seat, and getting something more fitted and more stable for your body to adapt to it.

I hope that helps.


Garmin watch as a power meter I've a Garmin fenix 6 watch and was wondering can I use my watch as power meter if I connect my watch garmin bike sensors ?

There may be some confusion with terminology here. A power meter measures power, usually by measuring the strain in some drivetrain component (i.e. how much it flexes when pedaling). You need to physically attach strain gauges to the component. This is usually a crankarm or pedal spindle, but strain gauges have also been mounted to bottom bracket spindles or inside rear hubs. The Fenix 6 is a watch, and it's nowhere near the drivetrain, so it can't be a power meter. It can track heart rate by itself, and heart rate can also be used to pace a workout. (see footnote)
Power meters then broadcast the torque measurements to a head unit, usually a cycling computer we put on our handlebars (or, if you are a track cyclist where they are banned, you put them on the back of your seatpost). They usually broadcast over two protocols, ANT+ and Bluetooth (older meters may only use ANT+). In any case, the Fenix 6 appears to have ANT+ compatibility, as do a few other sport-specific smart watches. Generic smart watches like the Apple Watch do not have ANT+, so you can't use them as head units capable of displaying power (although most should be able to pair to a Bluetooth-capable heart rate strap). The ANT+ page for the Fenix 6 Solar, European model lists many power meters, including power pedals by Garmin and Favero, crank-based power meters from Quarq, Shimano, Rotor, and Easton, and, as an aside, One Giant Leap's Kayak Power Meter (to emphasize, this is for kayaks, as in the ones you use on water). Thus, you can use your Fenix 6 as a head unit if you don't want to buy a dedicated one. It should be able to pair to power meters in general.
Occasionally with technology, the devil is in the details. One Reddit post claimed that their Fenix failed to display the cycling dynamics (an advanced metric) from their Favero power meter pedals. There may be other relatively minor issues like this with other manufacturers. As a different example, Garmin's Varia rear facing radar warning system transmits over ANT+, and requires a specific software protocol. Wahoo very recently implemented the protocol, so now I can see the traffic warnings on my head unit, but Wahoo failed to let users see the battery's state of charge or the light's flashing mode. It could be that the Fenix lacks some implementation of one of the features on some power meters, but the core features (it will need both torque and cadence) would likely be present.
The OP asked if the watch could be used as a power meter if they connected it to unspecified Garmin bike sensors. The Fenix 6 is an impressive unit. However, as explained above, it can't read power by itself. Unless one of the other Garmin sensors was a power meter (e.g. the Garmin vector power meter pedals), the answer must be no. If you want to use your Fenix 6 as a cycling head unit, you would want to get a bike mount. If you are primarily a cyclist, I would normally recommend just getting a cycling-specific head unit, which will have a larger screen and cost less (perhaps a lot less) than the Fenix 6. However, the OP already has a Fenix 6 watch, and it would obviously be fine to reuse it as a head unit.
Footnote: other ways to measure power
It's possible to estimate power from air resistance, e.g. the Notio Konnect or the Power Pod. This requires a device with a pitot tube at the front of the bike. It's also possible to estimate power from chain tension. No active power meters do this, but Polar once made such a unit. In any case, the Fenix lacks any functionality that would get at either of these methods.


New to bicycles; Bad setup, bad bike, or too heavy? I purchased a Schwinn Meridian adult tricycle hoping to have a flexible means of exercise. After giving it a close look, I tried it with disappointing results. When pedaling from a stop, the chain sems to click and skip, and I can't get a full rotation wihout this happening.

Am I too heavy for this trike (350+) unmodified or is something wrong with it either from manufacturing or my assembly of it?

Some pictures:

The amount of slack I can get pulling the secondary chain upwards:

Overview of the chains:

EDIT: I can't add comments but thanks guys... I will try this and come back and confirm that it works if it does. I suspect it will. All it takes is a solid lean for the chain to fall off. I should've thought of it before, but having the frame slid out some seemed a bit sketchy to me so I ignored the chain part of it.

Edit 2: Ok, that fixes that specific problem. Thank you all. I unfortunately have other issues with this bike though. I may ask them later.

I would venture to say (and Blam confirmed with his link to the manual) that you have some excessive slack in that chain, and removing it would help.

In your first picture, where you're holding the chain, it looks like there is a lateral movement available on what appears to be the axle shaft, to the right. I'd loosen those bolts and try to slide the rear axle backwards to tighten up the chain. Since you have a trike, you'll have to move both sides of the axle evenly backwards to keep the wheels parallel to your direction of travel, or you'll end up with the tires scrubbing as you roll forward.

From the scratch marks on the frame, it looks like you may have played with this already, and if the axle is at its furthest rearward setting, you may have to move the intermediate axle (the left one in your two pictures) forward. Of course, doing so will introduce slack in the other chain. Since the other chain is likely connected to the cranks, which won't have any fore-aft adjustment, this may not work for you.

That leaves you with option 3 which would be to remove some links from that intermediate chain (the one you're holding in picture 1), then readjust the rear axle forward to accommodate the now shortened chain. To do this, you'll need a chain tool that will push the link pin out of the chain, then push it back in when you've taken out a couple of links. You can buy one (bring the trike with you, as different chains may need different size tools), borrow one from a friend, or take the trike into a shop which will have a stock of them in their shop. They probably wouldn't charge much to make a small adjustment like this.

After a second look, it looks like the slotted frame that holds the secondary chain is a separate piece that can be pushed backwards to tighten up that chain. Loosen the bolts holding the intermediate axle (on the left), then push that slotted frame backwards to tighten the chain (again, make sure it's even to keep your rear wheels parallel to the direction of travel), then tighten. Confirm this with the link to manual in Blam's answer.


Microshift Advent rear derailleur cable pull ratio? What is the pull ratio of the MicroShift ADVENT rear derailleur?

I like the gearing of their 11-42 9-speed cassette and 47T derailer's capacity, but not the ADVENT road shifter(s), and investigating what other (road) shifters can be used. Naturally MicroShift says "none" :)

ANSWER The numbers aren't available, but it is not an existing standard.

Their own advertising at https://www.microshift.com/en/product/sl-m8195-r/ says

  Compatible only with ADVENT rear derailleurs
  Not compatible with Shimano or SRAM

Also found this quote from a microshift guy named Patrick  February 20, 2019 at 2:05 pm

  Proprietary cable pull actually wasn’t our first choice. microSHIFT has always played nice with cable pulls in the industry. (Check out our thumb shifters and bar end shifters) We have been Shimano compatible for a long time, but we don’t do it this time for good reasons.
  The early prototypes were designed around traditional 9-speed cable pull. It shifted very poorly. The leverage arm on the derailleur just wasn’t long enough to move the chains up the bigger cogs. This proprietary cable pull pulls more cable to have smoother shifting and have a stronger clutch at the same time.

Details:

Turns out this is not a common microshift part that duplicates the specs of an existing Shimano or Sram system.  Instead they've produced a 1x system with 9 speeds stretching from 11 tooth up to 42 tooth.  Its not a full groupset, only includes a rear mech, shifter, and a cassette.

Advent is chain agnostic - meaning it will work with any 9-speed chain.
Rear mech has a clutch like all the other new models.
Cassette fits a Shimano HG freehub body, so no new wheels required.

Note the rear mech looks different - the cable path is barely a right-turn compared to a 180 degree turn of other mechs.  If your gear wire came down the chainstay it would be a straight cable path into the rear mech.

Aside - I don't know how this would work if you wanted a double or triple chainset on the front.  That would not be a part of this groupset so it will be Shimano or Sram or whatever, and will use a different cable pull again.  Upshot: the left and right shifters on your bike will be different brands and probably styles.

Though I successfully run several bikes with a friction shifter for the front and whatever for the rear mech - no bother at all cos you're never changing both simultaneously.


Does a helmet become useless after it slips from the hand and hits the ground? I have a STUDDS motorbike helmet purchased 10 years back which I wear even today. I have not met even one single accident, but several times due to my carelessness the helmet has fallen off my hands and landed on ground with a thud!

Now, I wish to know whether after a slip from the hand should a helmet be replaced?

Answering your general question:

PROBABLY not, according to Snell Foundation:

  "I dropped my helmet! Do I have to go buy a new one?"

  Generally the answer is probably not.  Helmets are one-use items, but are quite durable otherwise, at least the ones we certify. Frequent dropping or spiking   a helmet on the ground, or other hard surfaces may eventually degrade the helmet's performance.  Similarly if the helmet falls to the ground at highway speeds unoccupied, the owner must be aware that some degradation may have occurred.   In general, the real damage comes when the helmet contacts an object with a head inside.  The Foundation recommends that if you are participating in an activity that requires that you wear a helmet, you avoid hitting stuff with your head.  It can be difficult to readily determine if a helmet has been damaged, and the protective capabilities compromised without a thorough inspection by a trained professional.  Some manufacturers may provide this service or direct you to these others that can perform these inspections.  The Foundation recommends that if you suspect your helmet may be compromised, then replace it. If the helmet has been involved in an impact while in use, replace it.

But for your actual helmet you should have not any doubts - throw it away. As for motorcycle helmet it is very old. Even when new, your helmet presented worse performance than contemporary mid-end products.

Note for off-topic voters:
It is off-topic.

but

It is very important safety issue.


Bottom bracket creak I've recently bought a second hand carbon bicycle. The bottom bracket was making a creaking sound under pressure, so I took it to a shop and they put in new bearings.

But after 1 or 2 cycles it was back again. The shop sent it to a carbon frame specialist to see if it was cracked but it came back with no problems.

If I hold the bike with 1 hand and put pressure on the left pedal and crank it makes the same noise. The pedals came off my other bike and were not damaged.

Is it possible that the left crank arm itself could be cracked and causing it?

I want to get an idea if possible before I purchase a new crank arm as they are quite expensive. The only other worrying thing is that on Sheldon Browns site they say that if the left arm creaks under load that could be a sign the frame is about to fail.

Its an Sram red press fit bb30 by the way.

Just a guess, is the bike a Cervelo? They are notorious for creaking, but are hardly unique.

I agree with the above comment about bearing movement inside of the frame. It is maddening. There are several ways to solve this:

Instructions:
Do not go back to the LBS you've used earlier. Nothing mean but they seem to lack the experience to figure this out, unless they just like selling you stuff.

Keep your cash. I seriously doubt that your crankarm is damaged. Even if I am wrong you can buy a new Ultegra crankset for far less than what you are hinting at for a single crankarm.

If you changed the cassette (which are pricey) you should also change the chain (which are relatively cheap). They wear together. It's cheap insurance, but will have nothing to do with your creaking noise.

Solutions:
If it is the BB30 shifting inside of the bb shell there are several options. Most frame manufacturers have what are essentially shims that press into the shell, and then the bearing presses into them. There are exceptions, and it is less common on the newest bikes, but they do exist for this reason. A good LBS will know and understand this.

If it is a direct fit into the frame there is a locktite product that will fill the gap, solidify and end your creaking nightmare. It will likely void the warranty, but that warranty went out the window a long time ago. I've never used on a bike (but have on other situations), it but have read good things about it.

Chainring bolts. Are they loose? Have you taken them off, cleaned them carefully and used thread locker on them? They can make some strange noises as you pedal.

And on the off chance, how tight are the quick releases levers on the wheels? I had a Bianchi that had the classic BB noises and behaviors. I was in the middle of nowhere and confused to how this could happen so abruptly. On a whim I tightened the rear wheel really tight, and it went away. Only with those wheels and that bike together did I have that problem.

Good luck. Always check the cheapest and easiest stuff first.


What sort of oil/lube is "Shimano Internal Hub Maintenance Oil"? https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Internal-Hub-Maintenance-Oil/dp/B00O58QCQY

I know what it is for. But what is it composed of?

I am not 100% sure for Shimano but my Rohloff Hub used SAE 80 weight gear oil.  I can't imagine shimano has magic that isn't covered by the SAE standard.


Can I replace my self-energizing brakes with regular cantilevers? I recently bought a used tandem and am going to be tuning it up over the winter.  It's a Yakota Twin Peaks (i.e. 20 years old) and it has Scott-Peterson Self-Energizing brakes.  I haven't taken them apart yet, but all the descriptions online say the same thing: they have a helical thread as the pivot, so when the pad touches the rim and is dragged forward, the pads are forced inward onto the rims with more force, increasing the braking power.

What I'm wondering is whether there are conventional cantilever bosses under there or did the SE brakes require something special?

For my purposes (pretty gentle cruising on the tandem with my daughter on the back), I don't think I need any extra stopping power, so I'm thinking of replacing the SE brakes with regular cantilevers.  But before I dive in, I'd like to find out more about what I'll find if I start taking them apart.

The Scott-Peterson SE brakes used standard canti bosses. You're probably safe to replace them with standard cantis or V-brakes (what type of levers are you using?).


Sora front derailleur set up I'm trying to get my front derailleur to stop rubbing in the high gears, smallest sprockets. To do this I am attempting to follow this guide by shimano:

http://bike.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/SORA/SI_5GR0A_001/SI_5GR0A_001_En_v1_m56577569830614926.pdf

It says that when in the largest chainring it should be possible to adjust the derailleur so that it is 0-0.5mm aways from the largest chainring on the side furthest away from the bike. This however is not possible and seems to have been set by the lbs simply by putting the cable at very high tension to push it over so it doesn't rub. I believe this may be slipping or stretching and causing the rub to return.

What's the correct way to do this? Is this normal or is the derailleur being dysfunctional?

Wow what a horrible guide.

Tightening the gear cable while in the highest front gear is very tough and will only hurt your fingers. I recommend putting the front dérailleur into the lowest gear and tightening it that way. This is much easier!

As for your specific problem, in all my experience you can never not get 'rubbing' (if by rubbing you mean the chain running through the dérailleur over hang and brushing it).
However, you will notice that the brushing varies depending on whether the back gears are high or low. Since this varies the angle at which the chain 'points' to the back gears.

So the solution:
Since you will always have brushing (a tiny bit at least), you just seek to minimise it. Put the back gears in the most used gear before tuning the front dérailleur.
For example on my touring bike I'm usually in my third highest gear at the back, unless going up hills or firing down them. So I tighten my front dérailleur cable while the back gear is as such, this means I only get front gear rubbing when the back gear is perhaps in the very low gears, thus causing the chain to 'go backwards' at a different angle.

If you want to spend a ridiculous ton of money on a fancy dérailleur you can mitigate this, but there's really no need.
For mountain bikes the most common gear back gear is the lower one. If you're not sure which  you've used most, clean the cassette of a bike you've used well, and look at the wear on each  cog.


Do I need to buy a special stand for my front wheel when using my turbo trainer? I have seen available special "stands" (please tell me the correct terminology) to be placed under the front wheel when using a turbo trainer.

I normally just put a copy of the phone directory down on the floor, opened in the middle to hold the wheel in place.

Should I lash out and buy one of the specialised devices?

A nice advantage of the specialized stand is that it will keep your front wheel pointed front. So you won't have to expend energy keeping it that way. A brick or telephone directory (or anything that's just level and the right height) won't do that.

A piece of wooden plank will, after you hack away at it with an axe a few times right in the middle. If you're looking to save $20 it's the perfect solution.


Replacing rapid-fire shifters with 105 integrated shifters I have a Fuji Absolute 2.0LE with straight handlebars, mini-v brakes, rapid-fire shifters, 3 chainrings, 9-speed Tiagra derailleur. I found a set of drop bars with Shimano 105 integrated brakes and shifters that I'm considering swapping on.

I'm ok with bike maintenance -- done plenty of brake, spoke, derailleur adjustments, but I've never done the full cabling that (I think) would be required here.

My questions: Are the shifters and brakes compatible with my bike? How big a job am I looking at here? Will I need any special tools?

Let me know if I can provide more specifics or pictures of anything.

Assuming your bike is specced out as per these pages: 9 speed Tiagra (which is presumably 4500 series), Shimano SL-R440 shifters, triple chainring, Tektro mini v-brake calipers.

Any Shimano 9 speed triple drop bar shifter/brake units will work with the 9 speed Tiagra derailleurs. 'Flight Deck' refers to Shimano's computer integration with buttons in the shifters and does not identify the units you have.

Mini V-brake calipers also work with road brake levers, unlike regular full length v-brake calipers.

Be aware that flat bar frames generally have a longer reach geometry than drop bar frames, as flat bars don't position the hands as far forward as drop bars. You'll need a short stem to compensate for that. A short stem will speed up the steering a bit as the bars need to move a smaller distance for a given angle of rotation of the fork and front wheel.

Replacing all the cables and housings is not technically necessary but you will be replacing a a big enough part of them that you might as well go head and replace everything. Retain old housings as you can use some of them to cut new sections to the proper length. There are plenty of good guides available such as this video from Park Tool. A special cutter is needed to cut housing and cable and alternative is a Dremel type tool with a metal cut-off wheel as this does not squash the housing (although it does melt the inner lining which need to be cleaned up).

Update based on additional info provided - OP has 105 shifters.

If you have the older pre 2006 5500 9 speed series I'd say it would be better to get something newer. Tiagra 4500 or Sora 3500.

If you have 5600 or 5700 series 10 speed triple shifters an option is to upgrade to a 10 speed cassette. The Tiagra 4500 derailleur will actually work in this setup as all Shimano road groups 10 speed and below used the same derailleur actuation ratio (ratio of cable length pulled to lateral cage movement).

If you have 11 speed shifters that trick will not work as the actuation ratio is different and most 11 speed cassettes will not fit on a 8/9/10 speed hub. If you determine the shifters are not compatible you can of course sell them on ebay to finance the purchase of an alternative.


Need help identifying bottom bracket I need some help identifying my bottom bracket. One of the bearings is in a very bad shape and needs to be replaced.
Bottom bracket photos

It appears to be a standard square drive sealed cartridge type bottom bracket. It looks as if it came apart. Normally  the bearings are not removed from the shaft but are removed and replaced as an assembly.  If you measure the width of the frame where the bearings were removed you should measure 67mm or 73mm. Measure the length of the square driveshaft. The length will vary depending on the bike type, drive train etc. The other option is English or Italian thread. Most likely it is English but you can't tell from the photos. The options are to look on-line for a bottom bracket that matches your measurements or bring all the pieces to your LBS (local bike shop) and have them measure and match to something in your price range.


What's that frame ? I can't find anything about it anywhere I've got no idea what frame that is, or when it's been made. If anybody knows anything about it please let me know

"Teker" seems to be a name related to pants and motorbikes.  A good google search phrase would be "teker road bicycle -pants -motor"

I found two bikes with the same brand listed - the logo is identical too.

https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/teker-pro-team-36400
https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/teker-6800-36250

Both have shimano 600 series components, which were released in DuraAce in 1983 and discontinued in the early 90s.

Thing is, your bike looks newer than that - based on appearance I'd spec yours at late 90s through to early 2000s.

Not a good answer, but its a start.


I have a bicycle frame that is not stamped and I can't figure out how to identify the brand of it Serial number EY121000136 it's a 20 inch bmx bicycle

By checking in the database of stolen bikes my guess is that it is a Raleigh something. A picture would help, though, to confirm this guess.

On top of the reason of the questions being closed will probably help you answering yourself your question.


Why can't I ride my city type (folding) bike uphill? I'm a newbie when it comes to biking. I don't plan on taking it as a very serious hobby; I'm really more of just a leisure rider who enjoys touring around town, but I'd also like to be able to drive efficiently.

I bought a Doppelganger Spiegel 214 a few days ago, and I really like it. However, I'm currently finding difficulty driving it uphill. I can't tell the slope angle exactly but I think it's somewhere above 30 or 40 of a decent stretch of road (maybe around 10-15 meters) that I'm finding a hard time driving on.

I'm not sure if it's because I don't know how to shift gears and that I'm using the wrong one, or my legs aren't strong enough (yet?) or my bike just isn't up for it. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Folding bikes have a very limited gear range because they usually have only a rear derailleur. From the manufacturer's website, your bike has:

20" wheels with 20x1.5 tires
52T chainwheel
14 - 28T rear cassette

Running this through a gear-inch calculator shows that your highest gearing for going fast is 66 gear inches and lowest gearing for going up hill is 33".  Your total range is 33-66" or 2x.

Link: What are gear-inches?

In comparison, a bog-standard 700c hybrid bike at the bike shop with 3x9 speeds is going to have around 24" on the low end and 116" on the high end -- a range of over 4.8x. It's going to be both much easier going uphill on the hybrid (24" versus your 33") as well as much faster downhill and in the straightaways (116" vs. your 66"). Standard (big) bikes also have full length cranks - sometimes our folding bikes come with kid-size cranks which also reduces leverage uphills.

You can do some things to improve the overall spread and to reduce the gearing to make it easier to go uphill. You could replace the 14-28T 7-speed cassette with a 11-32T which has a larger spread so it would help a bit going downhill as well as uphill. In addition, you could reduce the size of your chainwheel from 52T to something like 48T to again help with the hills.  I'd recommend against an 11T sprocket on a 20" wheel as there will be a lot of wear on the teeth and so you'll chew up your chain and sprocket really quickly.

With a more reasonable 13-34T cassette and 48T chainwheel, for example you'd get 27.5" - 85" gear inches which should be enough for many purposes.

You're limited in modding by the capacity of your rear derailleur -- and if you swap it out with a long cage, it may drag on the ground on corners. The standard Shimano Tourney 7-speed on your bike seems to be ok - most models in that series are specced for 11-34T capacity. I should also note though that some sprocket/chainwheel/chain lengths may no longer allow the bike to fold smoothly or result in the chain derailing when you fold, so you'll need to fiddle a bit.

If it were my bike, I'd look at the terrain and make the decision. For my Brompton, for example, I got a smaller chainwheel as I live in a hilly neighborhood and needed the reduction in gear inches and don't mind my top-speed being limited. I had to take a few links out of the chain but it still folds ok.

Finally, I should note that even at the same gearing it's harder to go uphill with a small-wheel folding bicycle than it is a full-size bicycle. Our tires are smaller so they have less stability (less gyroscopic effect/leverage); our cranks are shorter so we have less leverage; and our steering is squirrelly so it's harder to go in a straight line.


Little bit of water under plastic cover on my shimano shifters I've had my bike for a month or so and just gave it a clean. There is now a little bit of water trapped under the shimano shifters clear plastic covers. Is this a problem? Will it disperse eventually? Was going to ping off the covers but was not sure if they would go back on easily or the correct way to get them off.

Any help appreciated, know very little about bike maintenance!

You don't need to worry about that.

There are nearly no components on your bike -- except for the hub and bottom bracket bearings -- that are sealed to be more or less waterproof. Most of the components are totally fine with water on or in them.

Especially for your shifters: their internals are mostly made out of plastic so no need to worry. As they are built in some half-closed way, there may be some water condensation in some corners, which is no real problem. The water may disappear as soon as the weather is warm enough and the bike stands in the sun for some time. It also may reappear, but as said, it's not a real problem, just some matter of optics.


Is movement in my bottom bracket an issue which requires attention immediately? TLDR; my bottom bracket has movement when it shouldn't but no other issues / sounds / clunking. If I'm riding a few miles a day, is this likely to break catastrophically, or will it last another year or two issuing the odd warning sign?

This is different to the question: Riding on a failing bottom bracket - what could possibly go wrong? as mine doesn't experience clicking.

I have an old (20 yrs) mountain bike. The bottom bracket has play in it, one side can move up and down 1-2 mm - I am guessing this is simple wear.

There are no other issues, no creaking, no stiffness, other than the movement.

I cannot replace the bb unfortunately, tried to remove the crank arm and it pulled the thread out instead of the arm! I also suspect I'd have issues getting the bb out too. Bike is worth next to nothing, but this is an advantage as it makes it less likely to be stolen.

Assuming this is simple wear, will I get warning signs before it dies, or will it just unexpectedly die on me?

I understand there is no definitive answer to this, given the lack of info/data on the issue, but would appreciate answers from those with experience of this.

Edit: this is a sealed unit, so one side screws into the frame and the other has a plastic screw(?) to hold it in place. No adjustment of cups is possible as far as I am aware.

To clarify, there are no sounds coming from the bottom bracket.

I'd suggest you try tightening the Non Drive Side cup and see if there are any improvements.

You don't even need to remove the crank for this.  The right tool will just slip on, or you can get away with a big spanner and some plumber's sliding jaw grips.

If this helps the problem even a little, a proper clean and regrease will help a lot more.

The risk in not doing this is that there will be damage done to the cones in your BB, and if metal flakes off the inside surfaces where the bearings run, then its toast and you will need a replacement.  A cartridge bearing is relatively cheap these days, and is well worth doing even on a beater bike.


Crankshaft Replacement So I have an old Schwinn Crossfit MTB that Ive loved and had for a long time and recently wanted to fix and upgrade it a bit. I wanted to know about the crankshaft compatibility for it, as ill im able to figure out is that its a 28/38/48 Shimano Tourney, and I was curious if it was compatible with the newer ones of the same brand and name. Yes this is not the best bike, and its also not my only bike, but its more a sentimental thing and a good opportunity to learn more about replacing and figuring out crankshafts for more experience and future work. Thanks so much for your feedback!

'Crankshaft' if not the name of a bike component and is somewhat ambiguous (some people don't know the proper component names - no offense meant by pointing this out). You could be talking about the bottom bracket, which is the spindle connecting the cranks and its bearings; or you might mean the cranks themselves.

It's probably not worth upgrading components on an older inexpensive bike unless they are worn out or broken. Such a bike can benefit from a good servicing though.

On an older Tourney equipped bike you most likely have a bottom bracket with a square taper spindle that the cranks attach to. The bottom bracket will be an adjustable or cassette type.

On an older bike the bottom bracket may well be worn. If it does not spin freely or there is any play in the bearings it's worn (or needs adjusting). There are some guides available for servicing or replacing adjustable and cassette bottom brackets. Be aware you'll need special tools for removing the cranks and adjusting or removing the bracket. If you need to replace a cassette type (or replace an adjustable with a cassette) you need to know the bottom bracket shell with (68 or 73mm) and the spindle length. The shell width and threads are standardized.

If you are thinking about replacing the whole crank, consider replacing just the chainrings as they are the part that wears. If you really want to replace the crank you need one that is for the square taper bottom bracket. Any triple crank for square taper should be compatible.


Freewheel not engaging when temperature below about -20c/-4f. What is freezing? Is it moisture/slush in the freewheel that is not evaporating because I have to keep the bike outside all winter?  Then it might freeze when the temperature goes low enough.  How long would it take to evaporate if inside at room temperature?

If the pawls will not engage the wheel will not engage.

It could be moisture freezing.  More likely the grease is just more viscous (sticky) at lower temperatures.  If you really have a freewheel (not freehub) then it is likely not serviceable.  If it is serviceable then break it down and clean it.   There is grease for bicycles and also low temperature grease.  For sure you do not want to use a generic axle grease that is designed to handle high temperature.  Use a light (low temperature) grease and accept you will need to service it more often.  Use a lot to not give moisture as much room.

If it is a non-serviceable freewheel you might free it up with WD40 but that is not really a long term solution as WD40 is more a solvent than lubricant.

There are variations but this is the basic design


I can't shift to the largest chainring Please help. The derailleur seems to be fine, I'm suspecting the handle. I can't shift to the largest chainring at the front, it drops back to the second largest ring as soon as I release the shifter. I need to keep the pressure on the shifter in order for the derailleur to maintain its position on the largest ring, or else it will drop back to the second one.

Let’s quickly review how your bike shifts. Your front derailleur rests in the small ring position. When you move your left shifter to the big ring position, you pull cable, and that pulls your FD to the outside position. The same principle applies to the rear derailleur, which rests on the smallest cog, and gets pulled to the big cog. There's a ratchet inside each shifter that controls the amount of cable it pulls per shift.

The thing with cables is that they stretch over time. So, there may be a bit of slack in the cable, and your shifter isn't pulling as much cable as it should. This means your front derailleur doesn't move as far outward as it should. This happens with new bikes - I distinctly remember this happening on my first bike, and I was having trouble shifting both front and rear. The same issue will probably happen to your rear derailleur.

If this is a new bike, chances are the bike store asked you to come in after a few weeks for a free tune up - they’d adjust your cables. You can take them up on it. Alternatively, you can adjust your bike yourself. It likely seems complex at first, but the mechanisms are fairly simple once you understand them. Park Tools has a nice post explaining how to do this, and the post also has an embedded YouTube video. If it’s just cable stretch, you will only need to twist the cable barrel adjuster, and you can skip the bits about setting the limit screws.

Basically, righty tighty (I.e. turn clockwise to tighten) on almost all bolts on the bike. When you turn the cable adjuster clockwise, you push the barrel further in, which slackens the cable. Turn it anti-clockwise instead to tighten the cable.

If you have gone and adjusted your limit screws, you’ll need to re-adjust them carefully. The symptoms you describe can be explained by new bike and cable stretch, so I will not describe the limit screws right now.

(A previous version of this answer wrongly described what to do for just the rear derailleur. The title of the post initially said "cog", which is standard terminology for the gears in the back. We would say "chainring" to mean the rings on the crank, i.e. the front. The principle is the same, it's just that cable stretch affects each derailleur in a different direction.)


Do I need to replace my chain? I bought a new cassette last week and they said that I also need to replace my chain. I only used that chain for 4 months and only rode my bike every sunday for 50 kilometers at max. Do I really need to replace my chain? I used the ruler method on testing chain wear and it's still okay.

You need a chain wear gauge or other accurate chain wear/length measurement to be sure. Chains shouldn’t be used past 0.75% elongation. For modern 11 or 12 speed chains I’ve even heard 0.5%.
A worn chain will accelerate cassette wear, especially if the cassette is new.
On new chainrings a worn cassette can cause chain suck.
50km per week over 4 months is 800km. That’s usually not enough to reach 0.5% elongation unless you were riding in adverse conditions (e.g. mud, sand, dust, rain) with high power and/or didn’t clean and lube the chain.
If your current chain is only somewhat worn you could get a new one for the new cassette but keep the used chain for later. After the cassette has been through one or two chains you can use the used chain.


Which side should I pass other cyclists on a UK cycle path? I'm new to using cycle paths and seem to get dirty looks for riding on the left.

When driving along my usual commute this morning I saw others riding on the right and therefore passing to the left of each other.

Surely it's the same as driving? I'm also sure that the give-way markings when crossing roads are on the left.

Edit
For clarity, I am using a single off-road cycle-path as opposed to a cycle-lane.

Of course you keep left, overtake on the right and queue like a good British person at junctions!

However, there are no rules. In 2006 British Waterways, concerned at the popularity and over-crowding problems on tow-paths did a consultation to work out if they needed a 'keep left' policy. It was deemed that such a move would be unpopular and not adhered to (and certainly not policed). Therefore, if there is no keep left idea then overtaking on the right cannot be deemed to be against any code.

Most cyclists over the age of five seem to appreciate the 'keep left/overtake on the right' idea, however there are some scenarios where this goes out the window in deference to safety. Going over Kingston Upon Thames Bridge the cycle lane is two-way, but you would be a brave cyclist to stick to 'keep left' when joining the bridge to go south - cyclists heading north are wanting to join the main highway and are crossing past your path. Going on the right is the expected norm at that particular point and, with it, overtaking on the left...


How can I replace my rigid front fork on my 1993 Palisades Trail? I'd like to keep it as low cost as possible I'm trying to replace the front rigid fork on my Marin 1993 Palisades Trail with a suspension fork so that when I ride mountain trails I don't destroy my wrists. Does anyone have any suggestions on what suspension forks I can use to replace my rigid one with? It's a 26" tire with what I believe is a 24" frame.
Update: the steerer width is 1 1/8" inch and its threaded.

I am making the assumption that a bike as old as yours has a 1 inch threaded steerer. The steerer is the top tube of the fork that goes through the frame. Older 1 inch forks had the most rudimentary types of suspension. later models used a 1 1/8" steerer which are available and some were of good quality but unfortunately won't fit your frame. Even if you could find the best fork available at the time it would likely be showing its' age. The rubber parts in particular tend to harden with age and replacements if available bring high prices. You also need to be concerned with how a new fork will affect the bikes handling. A suspension fork will raise the front of the bike several inches. This likely to affect the bikes stability. You can try some less expensive thing first. Try lowering the front tire pressure ( high enough to avoid pinch flats but low enough to allow the tires to absorb some vibration), some thicker grips to absorb vibration, padded gloves. It will likely be more cost effective to buy a quality used bike that was designed for use with a suspension fork.


Can I ride faster with a bike jersey? I normally wear a cotton t-shirt when I ride. If I get a bike jersey, how much difference will the reduced air resistance make at, for example, 20 mph? I realize it's not possible to be precise, but I am wondering how much difference it makes.

No, you will not ride faster in any meaningful way unless you're doing time trials at an elite level where mere seconds (or less) of improvement are gained through optimizing a long list of equipment (with clothing in the middle of that list). As always, the overwhelming determinant of performance is training.

The real reason for wearing a jersey is the following:

Sweat management. Wicking fabric has to lie against to the skin to actually wick the sweat and transport it to the exterior where the wind will evaporate it quickly.
Pockets in rear. Pockets are useful. The only place you can reasonably put them is in back.
Long rear. It looks better when you're hunched over the bike.
A zipper. So you can regulate temperature.
Fitted + Flat seams. Flapping fabric is annoying on a ride and seams tend to painfully rub on long rides.


How to safely remove pump off presta valve? No matter what I try I can't seem to remove the pump off my threaded presta valve without injuring my hands on my wheel spokes.

I'm beginning to think I'm doing something wrong.

After unlocking, I just pull until the pump valve comes off.  Sometimes it is a fairly simple process.  Other times I have to use quite a bit of strength.  And the worse times I come in contact with the spokes and lose some skin.

Any tips would be appreciated. I own an Avenir Air Source Pro pump with a dual head pump valve.

I used to skin my knuckles every time I took the chuck off the valve.  Then I figured it out (pain is a learning curve accelerator).

Position the wheel so the presta valve is closest to you and pointed away from you.  Use your thumbs on either side of the wheel to push the chuck straight off (toward the hub of the wheel).

This prevents the presta stem from being bent/broken and limits how far you hands can move when the chuck pops off.  No more bashed knuckles.


Child seat: how to keep the child's head from falling forward? When my child falls asleep in the child seat, his head falls forward.
How can I keep his head back?

The child seat is a modern type with a back that can be tilted back to prevent that. It works, but only as long as the bike isn't moving. But at speed, the seat's movements from an uneven road surface and from simply pedalling will slowly but surely make his head fall forward. Short of replacing the child seat with one whose back can be angled even further back, what options do I have?

I thought of the whiplash protectors used in Formula 1 cars: somehow strap the child's helmet to the seat back. But that would be neither safe nor effective, as such a strap would only tug at the helmet (not the head) with the risk of slow suffocation or at least a helmet that slides into the neck and would no longer protect the head in case of an accident.

Let me add a fun photo: here, a cloth bag is hung from the helmet in an attempt to keep the child's head from falling forward. We did NOT actually do that, but it shows the idea.

Here is a solution that actually worked very well -- and during our testing it appears safe to use, seemingly also in the event of an accident. (If you disagree, please explain why!)

What we did was to loop a thick soft rubber band around the helmet's headband, and then secure the other end of the rubber band to the seatback using a bit of string through one of the shoulder-strap openings, to achieve a horizontal pull.

Earlier, we tried looping the rubber band through one of the helmet's air vents, but this caused problems: pulling the helmet back towards the neck revealing the forehead, and potentially putting upwards pressure on the chin strap. Evidently, the helmet's shell should be left alone.

Attaching the rubber band to the helmet's headband was much better. As you can see from the photo, it provides a very level pull (not angled) in the perfectly opposite direction of the force of the falling head. The length of the rubber band also allows sufficient freedom of movement so it doesn't restrict the child when he's awake. Since the headband is already designed to spread the pressure evenly around the head, it also appeared to comfortably spread the "hold-back force" (feel free to edit my lacking English).


Is there any available Strava statistics regarding rider's distance compared to others' per year? I'm writing an application and would like to know how my logged 22.000 km during 2017 stand compared to all Swedish Strava users.

https://2017.strava.com/en-us/videos/64f479a9bec7cd1793afe4322823092b99d462bf/

http://www.marcellobrivio.com/projects/strava-toolbox/?logout=1

This online app will let you connect to your Strava account and compare pretty much anything you want. It allows you to see some fairly interesting comparisons. You’ll want to connect your account and then scroll to “Strava Distance Ranking”. I’m not sure if there’s an option to narrow your search from “Worldwide” to “Sweden”, but hopefully this will help.


How to get a replacement crankset gear for Dahon P8? How can I get a replacement crankset gear for Dahon P8?  It is a 52 T with 5 screws.

I searched shops here in Belgium, but they have only an expensive whole assembly.

Any chainring that has the same bolt circle diameter (BCD) and the same number of bolts as your crank is compatible with your crank. The ever helpful Sheldon Brown has a page describing how to measure your BCD.  The way you do it is dependent on how many bolts you have so I won't go into the details here.

While a chainring may be compatible with your crank, there are other problems you can run into...

Depending on your chain, you may or may not be able to use a chainring that was designed for a different chain, e.g., a 9-speed chainring with an 8-speed chain. Many people do this with success while many others have problems. It's probably easiest to just get one that you're sure matches.

You also may have problems going bigger or smaller than your current chainring. Whether or not this is the case depends on your front derailleur and the amount of clearance you have on your frame. Derailleurs have a minimum and maximum number of teeth they can accommodate. Check the specs on your derailleur to find out what these are. The frame clearance is a bit more guesswork. It's kind of hard for me to tell from the picture how much of an issue it would be, but if you're going to go bigger you just want to be sure that nothing's rubbing when the chain is on the ring. If you're dead set on a bigger ring, you might be able to get a little wiggle room through spacers or a longer bottom bracket spindle but it's usually not enough to be worth the hassle.

As Benzo points out in the comments, the chain guides also limit the size of chainring that you can use. Consult with your manual and/or an experienced technician to determine what sizes yours will accommodate. Or plan on replacing those as well.


Replace v-brakes with disc brakes I would like to know whether I can replace my old v-brakes with disc brakes. Do I need to also change the wheels or something else?

You need to have the appropriate mounts on the fork, the rear of the frame, and you need hubs that can accept disc rotors.
My understanding is that some older MTB frames and forks had mounts for both V- and disc brakes. This was when the industry was starting to shift towards disc brakes. While I'm not familiar with MTBs, that might have been in the early 2000s. If you don't have the correct frame mounts, then there's obviously no way to proceed at all.
Even if you do have disc mounts on the frame and fork, I suspect your hubs were rim brake only, so it would be quite a costly upgrade. It's likely more economical to sell the bike or repurpose it as a commuter.


Can road disc calipers be mounted on a mountain bike? Are the mounting posts and position for road disc brake calipers the same as or similar enough to mountain bike disc calipers that you could put a set of road disc brakes on a mountain bike or vice-versa?

I'm aware that this generally requires road brake levers, and that you also need to make sure any drop bar levers are compatible with your derailleurs. However, my question here is narrowly about how you would convert the brakes of a disc-equipped mountain bike to something drop bar compatible.

If that can be done, what are the downsides to be aware of?

Are the mounting posts and position for road disc brake calipers the
  same as or similar enough to mountain bike disc calipers that you
  could put a set of road disc brakes on a mountain bike or vice-versa?

IS and post mount calipers are cross-compatible and can be seen on both MTBs and road bikes. Flat mount clipers, on the other hand, are a new thing that was designed specifically for road-type usage, with very limited presence on MTB frames (some small builders and Cannondale bikes). You can put a post mount caliper on a flat mount frame/fork using an adapter, similar to IS-to-post-mount.

  However, my question here is narrowly about how you would convert the
  brakes of a disc-equipped mountain bike to something drop bar
  compatible.

Certainly possible, but details depend on what calipers MTB has. Shimano hydraulic calipers are compatible between road and MTB levers. In fact, BR-R785 was an XT. I don't see why you can't just get a set of any Shimano hydraulic road levers and put them on. No idea about SRAM, though. You should also be aware that mechanical MTB/road calipers might have different leverage ratio, like BB7 does.

  If that can be done, what are the downsides to be aware of?

Except for existing parts compatibility I see no reason why anything might cause trouble. I'd be concerned about geometry though, drop bar will increase the reach significally, you might want a shorter stem.


Just bought 30 huffys cranbrooks for a bike rental business. WHAT PROBLEMS SHOULD I BE PREPARING FOR Be nice. I know these things are cheap. Just wanna be semi prepared.

Forty years ago Huffy bikes were actually pretty well made, just heavy, ugly, and not very nimble.  But now that everything is made in China, as cheaply as possible, it's hard to predict the quality.

First off, you need to keep the tires properly inflated.  This is a seemingly trivial but incredibly important (and often overlooked) maintenance item.

Also set up a schedule to check every bike for such items as bearing play (both hubs, crank, and headset) and chain slack at regular intervals.  And squirt a bit of oil on the chains at regular intervals.

Otherwise, wait to see what breaks.  A lot will depend on how your customers treat the bikes.  Be prepared for some bikes to be destroyed, and for others to disintegrate on their own.  Expect to use damaged bikes as "organ donors" for repair parts for more serviceable bikes.

The Park Tools website and Sheldon Brown's site are your friends.

(I do wonder what provision you have for adjusting seat height.  You may need to invest in quick release adjusters for the seats.)


fork steerer compatability a 1 1/8” Aluminum, 1.5 Taper Steerer will it fit on my frame?
 My frame is gt chucker 3.0 26er and the fork is manitou minute 26er [enter image description here][1]

If your headtube is 34mm in diameter then only EC34 Headset can fit in.
This means that you can only go as much as 1-1/8 inch fork.

Unfortunately there is no conversion kit that I have heard of for adapting 34mm headtube to 1.5 inch steerer.

If your headtube is larger than 34 mm, you might have a chance. Take a look at this doc: http://www.hopetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/HOPEHEADSETS2011Web.pdf


Would hydraulic disc brakes be easier on my hands than mechanical disc brakes? I ride MTB in a coastal town where all roads are dirt roads with lots of uphill/downhill. Nothing extreme, I just ride to relax and enjoy the landscape. I have mechanical disc brakes and after a 2-4 hours ride session my hands hurt (too much braking). I have never ridden with hydraulic brakes, but it seems to me that they will be easy on my hands. Should I change to hydraulics?

I have or have had bikes with mechanical rim brakes, mechanical disks (shimano deore), hydraulic discs (also shimano deore) and recently hydraulic rim brakes (Magura hs33).

The experience I had says that:

The force you have to apply depends on brake-system preload / elastic constant (lever spring + actuator spring), cable friction, and actual, braking, pad friction.
Pad friction means how much decelerating power you'll get for a certain force applied by the pad against the braking surface. Good quality pads brake more with less force. Bad quality, or dirty, or whatever-else-not-ideal pads require more force to get the proper braking power.
Cable friction means, the more cable friction, the more force will be irreversibly lost between the lever and the actuator. At extreme cases, with very dirty/rusty cables, you get enough friction that you get an absolute maximum beyond which no additional force on the lever creates aditional force at the braking surface. THIS IS THE MAIN PLACE WHERE HYDRAULICS MAKE A DIFFERENCE: they always have a very low (inexistent?) cable friction, and that doesn't change even after miles and months in the muddy rain, for example.
At last, system preloads mean the force you have to apply to the system BEFORE it even starts to break. For example, my Magura HS-33 has too much preloat at the lever, and if you ride lightly, only correcting speed now and then with the brakes, even so the hand gets tired, because even for a slight touch you have to overcome half the lever course of a relatively stiff spring preload, whereas on modern, race-oriented disc systems the lever action is so light that it seems like there is no actual brake connected to the lever (at least until the pads hit the disc, of course).

So, I'd say the hydraulic systems are well worth the upgrade, but unless some facts are taken into consideration, sometimes the magic might not happen, specially if the braking pads are not doing their job. Also, a v-brake with new and well tuned cables/cable-routers, killer pads and decent levers can beat most fancy disc brakes around.

Hope this helps!