Can I copy my u-lock key? I have an OnGuard u-lock with only one key.  I contacted OnGuard about getting a backup, but it requires a serial number which was included with the original packaging.  The number is not on the lock or key itself.

So now I'm wondering if some locksmiths can copy such keys.

I realize this description is inadequate, but for what its worth, the shaft of the key is fairly rectangular.

Not sure what kind of key is used on your specific lock.  The only image I can find of a OnGuard key shows it to be a slotted key similar to recent automotive keys, so most locksmiths should have the equipment to duplicate it.  The only question is whether they can get the correct blank.

Locksmiths can also duplicate the barrel-style keys used on many older bike locks, if they can find the right blank.

But I see a cheap OnGuards available at Target for $19.95 (with others ranging up to $80), while the new key is likely to cost upwards of $10.  So it may be best to just buy another lock (which comes with at least two keys, sometimes four).


Is my headtube unusually long? So I was looking to exchange my fork to Suntour one and red that their steerer tubes are just 255mm length, is that too short for my bike? Does anyone even sell forks with longer steerer tubes or is the 255mm standard? And is my headtube unusually long at 215mm?
Also manufacturer calls my headset zero stack:
HEADSET - 1-1/8" Zero Stack Threadless

Based on the image, I will assume this is some kind of 61-63CM or XL to XXL trekking/hybrid bike. If true, no, your head tube is not unusually long for the size and type of bike you have.
You also say you want ligher. Replacing what you have with any suspension fork, but especially with a basic one, won't do that.
If you really want to go with a cheap suspension fork, the main way to handle this situation I know of would be one of the RST 300mm steerers, which to my awareness can be transplanted into most or all of their straight 1-1/8" 700 hybrid/trekking/urban type forks. (It's been a while since I've had to mess with this so I don't know the current compatibility rules in their lineup for what can and can't take the 300mm aftermarket steerers they sell; you would need to do that research to be safe.)
Otherwise your off the shelf options would be various rigid forks, which are easy to find in 300mm.


Rubber on wall mounted bike hooks is wearing away. What can I use to cover them so my wheels don't get scratched? Vinyl covered wall mounted bike hooks coating is wearing away due to use. What can I use to cover them so my wheels don't get scratched?

Using These type of hooks:

@rclocher3's electrical tape is the easier way to go, but I often use strips of old tube to wrap things of this nature.  To keep the wrap in place I dab some vulcanizing fluid hither and thither along the underside.  This saves electrical tape for electrical things, is perhaps a bit more rugged than tape, and also provides fodder for people who would mock me on stackexchange.


How far should I be able to bike? So, I'm 18, have been riding my bike for years, and I was wondering how far I should be able to ride.
Originally, I just used my road bike to ride from and to work, four miles each way.
In the last month or so, I've been riding after work, an average of 12 miles a day, at 14 or so miles an hour. Should I be riding further, faster? Or possibly going slowly for much further? How can I determine the best workout? My goal is eventually to be able to bike 80 miles or so, and I'll see where I go after that.

Here's an eBay link to the bike I'm on

54cm Aluminum Road Racing Bicycle - Black 21 Speed Shimano 22lbs

Answer: as far as you need to and want to.  20 miles with rest breaks should be a good starting target.

I did this - my first "big" ride a year ago was 20 km total, and it completely exhausted me.  A year later I'm doing a 116 km ride.

The best technique is many little steps.  Pick places that are ~10 miles away and do a round trip, stopping in the middle for a drink and snack.  Then up the distance after a 4-6 weeks or forgo the stop in the middle.

Also do a "scenic tour" when coming home from work.  I do 3km to work, and 10~20km on the way back.  I prefer to have a calm ride to work and do the exercise on the way home.

Track your rides with something like http://strava.com/    Run the app on a fancyphone and it will keep all your records for you like average speed and best time on segments.  Stats and leaderboards are a good motivation.

Make your rides useful - if you need to go somewhere for a purpose, allow the time to ride rather than drive.  Exception being if you need to be presentable/not sweaty.

Make your rides safe.  Avoid the scary roads, have bright clothes, lights etc.

Remember its not just distance.  You should spend time grinding up your local hills, and whizzing down them too.

Set yourself significant goals with rewards.  I started with a MTB, bought a real (used) road bike on completion of an event, and now I'm preparing for Le Race, which is 100 km with ~4km vertical.  When I complete that I'll consider buying a brand new road bike.

All this can help you increase your distance and speed and decrease your recovery times.


bar end shifters on drop bars - why not run the cables all the way to the stem? The typical touring bike with drop bars and bar end shifters shoots the shift cable out the bar tape, right under the curve like so:

My bike is like this. It would be cleaner to run those cables all the way along the bars under the tape and have them come out alongside the brake cables. What's the problem with doing it like that? Too many curves in the cable makes too much cable drag?

At some point I'll re-cable everything - what would be the downside of running the shifter cables all the way to the middle of the bars under the tape to where STI shifter cables emerge?

(FWIW the way the cables come out as it is now, dealing with those cables when riding is a minor issue. But it's still an issue - there are times when you must open your hand to move it from here to there on the handlebars. Possibly the bigger issue to me is handling the bike when not riding, locking it up, etc.)

It will work, but you will add considerably more housing and 2-3 more bends in the housing.  The additional bends will introduce friction which will affect shifting performance, but it should be usable if the cable and housing are good quality and you avoid damaging the cable during installation.


Should you use GT85 on your chain? I've been told by various sources that WD40 is bad for your chain so have avoided using it. I've seen people using GT85 on their chains but I'm not really sure how the two products differ. So my question is, should GT85 be used on your chain? Or, does it have the same damaging effects as WD40?

It appears that there are several products under this name, a general-purpose solvent/protectant and a dedicated bike chain lube.
Reviews on Amazon are rather mixed... One fellow claims no better than WD-40, others appear to like it.
Chain lubes are always controversial and seldom tested in a rigorous manner.

WD-40 is essentially a cleaner/solvent and has no  more lubricating ability than say...Kerosene.
The best chain lube I ever tried is sadly not being made any more... Schwinn Factory Wax.

Clean-running, persistent, and according to testing by Bicycling magazine, among the top for wear and abrasion resistance.

To my way of thinking, keeping the chain clean and free of built-up crud and goo is as/more important than what sort of lube used.


Chain hops off cassette sprockets when I stand-pedal When I pedal while standing, the chain hops off to a smaller cog. This happens when I "tilt" the bike, as we do when stand-pedal. I am not really sure why this happens, but I think the chain is loose. Is the solution to get a new chain, or is there something I can do?

I lean against getting a new chain, since my current one is ugly and rusty (I have not maintained it very well over the winter!)

You've got a 'stretched' chain that needs to be replaced.

If the chain has been in this condition for some time, and I suspect it has, I always recommend replacing the cassette at the same time. The reason being that a worn chain wears down the cassette and a new, unworn chain, will fit the old worn cassette poorly and the skipping will continue. I had to learn this the hard way, with multiple trips to the bike shop.

As usual, Sheldon has already laid the issue out in depth:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html#wear


When did bicycle chains go back to being bushingless? The original bicycle chains were of a "bushingless" design, then later they came up with a roller chain design that utilized bushings, this was later updated again to the chains we are used to today that are again of a "bushingless" design.

Wikipedia says the following which I find to be incorrect as KMC's higher end chains such as the SL DLC series as well as Sram and Shimano chains are all "bushingless" and are likely the most prevalent in the industry.

  With these limitations in mind, the Nevoigt brothers, of the German Diamant Bicycle Company, designed the roller chain in 1898, which uses bushings, and it is the prevalent chain today. Whether it be single rear cog (for example coaster-brake singlespeed or with an internal-gears hub), fixed-gear (such as track bikes and modern urban "fixies") or multi-speeds with derailleurs, all modern chains in use today are of the "roller chain" design. Although it is still possible to order lower cost "bushingless" chains from China today, with generally lower manufacturing costs across the board, bushingless chains are generally considered undesirable and not prevalent

Wikipedia

Sheldon Brown also says that new chains are of a bushingless design,

  The major revolution in chain design has been the introduction of the bushingless chain. The first of this type was the Sedisport (now made by SRAM), and it has acquired such a good reputation that other manufacturers have copied the design.

Sheldon Source

At what point did this most recent change to a bushingless design occur?

There is a book written by Frank Berto titled The Dancing Chain - History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle. The fourth edition was updated in 2012. On page 368-369 he discusses chain design and chain types. Apparently, the 1981 Sedisport chain was the first bushingless chain. Its main feature was that it shifted better than bush-roller chains and also better than the Shimano Uniglide introduced in 1976. At the time, I guess 5 gear sprockets were the rule. With increasing number of gears over time, the bushingless chain took over from that point.


Choosing the right bike size I'm looking to get the Trek Domane 4.3 and debating between a size 54 and a 56. One shop I've been to told me I'm a 56 and another said 54. According to Trek's sizing chart I'm 56.
I am 5 9" with an inseam of 30.5". Which is the right size for me? Btw, I prefer not to replace any parts or make modifications to the out of the box setup. It should also be noted that I prefer comfort over performance.

There are a ton of info online!

for example:
 http://www.ebicycles.com/bicycle-tools/frame-sizer

Performance usually mean right size and also same comes for comfort. I don't know why you think that this things are in opposite ways.

If you feel like 56 is too big and 54 too small go for the smaller. Also what use you will give to it ?  Smaller frames are better for more aggressive driving like in a urban enviroment.

I know some cases when in a store seller advised wrongly in order to remove some last year(o more) stok. So be careful with this. It may happen in some small stores where the seller is also the owner.


Can anyone tell me the specific year and model of this Benotto bike? I’m inexperienced and just wanted to work on refurbishing this as a side project but thought that knowing what I was working on was a good place to start.

Only other identifying factors are a partially obscured serial number starting in T and ending in 219.

Otherwise I believe this is 90s or later but I’m unsure of anything else.

It is an early 90's steel rigid MTB.

That model of BIOPACE chainring dates it to 1989-1993, as does the Shimano Exage groupset was released first in 1988/9 with a last year of 1993.  These parts can be replaced, but given the bike's lack of wear they're probably original

The plastic spoke protector isn't broken so it has not had a hard life.

The only oddities are the aluminium(?) fitment under the downtube (kinda like a bottle cage but not and the rear brake location, down on the chainstay is unusual.

Nice bike! You should enjoy riding it... but first check the tyres - I see lots of cracking on the sidewalls. They may be OK for now. Also check the brake pads, cos they can harden and not brake you effectively.

I'd totally ride your bike (no hidden message there, it looks sweet.)

Sheldon Brown says "An Italian company that moved to Mexico. Some of the Italian examples are exquisite"  which is quite a compliment.


What is the difference between a bike dock and a bike rack? Are the two terms synonymous, or are they different? I've always tend to refer to the "racks" at which you can lock a bike as a "bike rack," but recently, when I started to use bike rentals, I've been hearing more and more of "bike dock," e.g., "check out the bike at bike dock #6" or "please return the bike to bike dock #5," etc...

In the context described, I believe that bike docks are specific to bikeshare systems. They lock the bicycle in place, and the locking mechanism is integrated into the docks. Each bikeshare system tends to have one main model of bicycle and the docks are specific to that model. Some bikeshare systems are moving to a dockless format, where you would park the bicycle in a reasonable location, the lock is integrated into the bicycle, and a user would use the app to locate and unlock a bicycle.
A rack (in the context of the question) is just a metal loop that you would lock any bike to. You could even lock a bikeshare bicycle to a rack. However, you are paying for that bikeshare bike, so it would probably be best to find the dock closest to your errand or destination and end your rental there. The bikeshare systems are not intended for rentals lasting several hours; they work best when you ride point to point and then the bicycle becomes available for a different user. Hence, their pricing systems make it expensive to take out a bike for several hours.


What's the most efficient riding style for losing weight? I plan on setting up my bicycle with one of those devices that holds the rear tire and gives some resistance so I can exercise through the winter.  I think it's called a bicycle trainer.

When using one of those for weight loss: Is it better to ride for a long time on low resistance or at a low speed?  Or is it better to ride harder, spinning your legs faster or with more resistance for a shorter amount of time?

Sorry; there isn't even an exercise tag on here.  Feel free to retag as appropriate.

The answer to this question is dependent on a number of factors, but the short answer is just 'yes'.

If you are purely looking for weight loss then the equation is calores in minus calories out equals delta, and so long as the delta is negative, i.e. that you burn more than you consume, then you will lose weight. It's just simple arithmetic.

So, in the first place, just eat the same as you have ever done and do more exercise, then the weight will come off.

To do more training, though, will also require a balanced diet. If you up your training load without changing your diet, you will get more tired and notice other negative effects. You'll be hungrier, you'll eat more, it's not as easy as just upping the workload.

What you're actually asking is about making this weight loss more efficient, maybe even drastic, and getting the bang for your buck. So if you sprint, on a higher resistance, with higher cadence, then your heart rate will be higher and you'll burn more - but you'll be able to maintain it for less time. But if you try for a low cadence, with low stress, you'll maintain for a lot longer, but you'll burn less quickly. You'll lose weight either way, but you'll also do it differently and prepare your body differently.

To do this properly, you'll probably want to work just below the anaerobic threshold, this is the point at which the body is still able to consume enough oxygen to assist the work through using sustainable sources within the body (i.e. fat stores), but without all that pesky lactic acid being produced (and burning other sources, e.g. muscle). This is the point where many endurance athletes will try and aim their training (also known as LSD - Long, Slow, Distance), to sit for extended periods at a heart rate set at a maintainable point. You'll need a heart rate monitor and a means to test yourself. For a reasonably trained athlete, this will likely be around 150 bpm.

For what it's worth, my rule of thumb is that I'll burn about 40 calories per mile almost irrespective of speed ... but if you really want to lose weight, go running. I reckon I burn about 120 calories a mile when running.


Relationship between punctures and tube pressure What could be the relation between a bicycle's inner tube getting punctured and the pressure of the tube.

Are they directly proportional? I.e, if the pressure of Bicycle tube is higher then it has higher chance of getting punctured.

It's not going to be directly proportional. Leaving aside the quality of the tyre and what it will be rated for, the shape of the graph is likely to be a U shape:

at the lower pressures the tube will be susceptible to puncture because it cannot repel sharps adequately, in addition really low pressures might let you trap the tube between the road and the rim.
as the pressure increases, the tube and tyre will combine to actively repel sharps: the external object will need more and more pressure and exertion to break through, so becomes less and less likely to be able to do so
at some point, though, the tube's pressure becomes so high, that the risk of a blowout increases: flaws in the tyre, the tube, especially around the valve, are more likely to be exploited, also that collisions e.g. with potholes, will be harder to accommodate.

It's not going to be as simple as that, but might work as a general rule.


How do I troubleshoot a cycle computer? I have a cheap velo cycle computer made by cateye.  It is a simple read out of velocity and clock and has no fancy functions at all.

It worked fine for months, and then started "blipping" to double my speed.
That is, if I was doing about 20 km/h it would blip to 30 or 40 or 60 and then drop back to my real speed.  I disregarded this and keep riding.

A month later it starts cutting out, reading 0 km/h or numbers like 6 or 9, where I am riding at about 20 km/h on the flat road.

I check closely - battery is okay but I change it anyway.   No water anywhere, no rust, no damage, nothing wrong.

Now it stops completely - only shows a speed for a few seconds then back to 0.

The clock works fine, shows the correct time all the time.  Head unit has not been dropped.   Yes it has been ridden in the rain but that is what these are designed for and there is not water mist inside the screen.

How do I troubleshoot my bike computer?   I know is not a Garmin or wahoo or any flash thing, but is only a year old.  Probably out of warranty and I want to learn how tofix it.  Or to stop from breaking the next one.

Computer is like this one   https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nz/en/cateye-velo-5-function-computer/rp-prod26194   with wires, not cellphone or GPS.

First of all, try changing the distance and vertical alignment between the sensor and the wheel-mounted magnet.

If that doesn’t help, the sensor (or its cable) mounted to the fork is probably broken. Check the cable for any visible damage. I think the sensors are usually cheap&simple reed switches to detect the magnet. If you have a multimeter you could try measuring the resistance between the two contacts of the cycle computer’s mount. It should toggle between zero and infinity when you pass the magnet in front of the sensor. If it doesn’t do that it confirms a sensor or cable defect.

Your best choice is a replacement part, but if you are handy you could try replacing the cable and/or the reed contact.


Seating the rear derailleur cable housing Unpacked road bike. Assembly is simple enough, except that the rear derailleur cable housing is not in its groove (I'm sure there is a specific term).

Here is a picture.

No matter how much I tug (manually), the lower part in the picture—whatever it's called, housing endpoint?—will not fit in its seat, or "groove".

The brakes need no adjustments out of the box, and so I'm assuming the derailleurs are likewise already tuned and I don't need to disassemble, say, the screw holding the end of the cable near the cogset.

What's the trick?

Set the shifter to the slackest/highest position.
With the bike's rear wheel off the ground, put one hand on the body of the rear derailleur and push while turning the cranks with the other hand.
Push the derailleur until it shifts all the way up to the biggest cog and let go of the cranks and the derailleur.
Put the ferrule in the housing stop.
Turn the cranks a few times to let the rear derailleur return to the smallest cog.


V-brake caliper arm not retracting after hard braking When breaking lightly it doesn't happen, however when clamping hard it gets stuck. Whenever I bring the bike to a complete stop I have to manually un-jam it.

Here's a video:

It looks like there's dirt in the hinge. When you brake hard, the arm reaches the dirty region and sticks there, and the spring can't force it back; when you brake more gently, it doesn't get into the sticky region. Detach that arm, clean it and re-lubricate it.


Removing lockring/ cups off head tube on vintage BSA bike I finally managed to get the SOB crank arms off the bike. It took a spare seat post and 100mm enginners vice, and perseverance.

Anyway I'm on the home striaght now in terms of getting the bloody thingy painted finally.

I want to know what tools I need to remove the BB and the cups off the head tube?

Here are some photos of what am talking about

Park HCW-11 wrench to remove/adjust the BB cups:

https://www.parktool.com/product/adjustable-cup-wrench-hcw-11

RT-1 to remove the headset cups:

https://www.parktool.com/product/head-cup-remover-rt-1

or just a long flat head screwdriver and hammer to gently tap them out.


Are heavily worn rims safe to use on trainer? I've got a wheelset with heavily worn rims.  This was a cross wheelset used for riding in pretty sloppy conditions all the time.  This was a rim brake based wheelset and used with cantilever brakes.  Now the braking surface is rather concave. It's worn enough that I feel like riding on the road would be unsafe due to risk of failure.

I was considering just using the wheels on my trainer, where I would no longer need to do much in terms of braking (and won't actually be going anywhere).  Do you think this is safe, or should I just go out and buy a cheap / heavy wheelset for indoor training?

I don't see why not, unless you plan on braking while on the trainer? Theoretically you could still have a rim failure because the wheel/tire pushes against the resistance wheel. However, this is a constant tension, not sudden impacts. If a spoke were to become loose though, the rim could fail and the wheel could implode, but since your on a trainer it's not really all that dangerous (besides picking bits of wheel out of your drivetrain).


Please help me identify my bike I have recently bought a house and found this bike in the garage. I'm currently thinking of giving it a full service, but I'm not a super expert on it and therefore I'd maybe like to take it to a shop. That said, if I take it to a shop, they'll charge me about £50 at least, and if the bike is a really cheap one, then I may not bother...

Is it worth getting this bike serviced by a bike shop? What servicing will the bike shop do that I cannot easily do myself

Astra was the Beacon Cycle house brand, according to Sheldon. As @Blam and @Daniel R Hicks say, it's a mid-range 80s bike (that's a compliment)! The lugs, while nothing special, aren't drainpipe thick - this is a good thing. It was probably built well. Crankset may be Stronglight, and the derailleur and front mech are probably Sachs-Huret. Basic components that go on and on and on.

I can't tell you much more than that, I'm afraid. But it's in excellent condition, so it's a keeper. Since you don't want to spend lots of money on it, it makes an ideal candidate for practicing maintenance skills!

The tyres will be shot, so you should buy some new ones (nothing fancy). I can't tell from the pictures if they're 700c or 27", but the tyre size will be marked on the sidewall. If in doubt, just take one to your LBS.
Check the spokes by giving them a squeeze - if they feel a bit loose, you might invest in a spoke wrench (inexpensive) and give each one a quarter turn, but no more. The wheels might be a bit out of true, but if they're within 2 or 3 mm, just go with it.
The brakes will probably be very mushy and not return well when released. A new set of cables is highly recommended. If you're unsure how to fit them, see this post. Blast some oil into the pivots of the levers, too. Addendum: Fitting modern adjustable brake shoes, with modern pads, will really improve the braking performance! Those old pads will be dry and hard, and even when new would have been vastly inferior to today's compounds.
While you're at it, I would remove and dismantle the brake calipers. Clean them thoroughly, and lubricate any and all washers and pivot points, especially the point where the springs contact the arms (friction here can prevent old side-pull brakes from staying centred).

Don't be afraid to tear down the brakes; just be methodical and document each step, so you reassemble them correctly. When you put them back together, the nuts on the centre pivot should be pretty tight (to eliminate the arms wiggling around from front to back), but not so much as to cause the brakes to bind.

The headset might feel a bit gritty when you turn the handlebars. It may also be loose - if you squeeze the front brake and rock your weight backwards and forwards on the handlebars, you will feel the fork moving around in the headtube. If either of these symptoms are apparent, you might as well learn to service the headset!
Same goes for the hubs - if they feel gritty, or if they have any play, you might as well give them a new lease of life...

For about £30-£40, you should be able to buy a new pair of tyres and brake cables, a tube of grease, some new ball bearings, a pair of cone spanners, and a big fat headset wrench. With those few bike-specific tools, an adjustable spanner, and a few household essentials (rags), you'll be able to service it no problem.

Just get stuck in! You can't really go wrong with a sunny afternoon and a cold beer. Sheldon tells all!

Final word to the wise: As it was manufactured by Motobecane, some of the tube diameters and threads may be non-standard. Do not lose the seatpost!


any gps improvement on smartphones with barometer? I know that smartphones gps have problems with their accuracy, especially with altitude. But I heard that the Galaxy Nexus has a barometer that theoretically is used to improve the accuracy of the gps.

Anyone has used it to track any route? It can compare (in accuracy) to a mid-range bicycle gps device?

Barometric altitude is far more accurate than GPS over several hours IF you have it corrected for the air pressure. Air pressure does not vary quickly.
So if you calibrate a barometer to a known altitude (using a marker, sign, map, or very good GPS fix) it is much better than GPS for measuring an altitude profile


Help Me Understand My Bicycle's Gears I've recently started commuting with a bicycle (Giant hybrid bicycle).  I've been trying to learn a little about bicycling to make my commute easier and my time on the bicycle more enjoyable.  Please forgive me for using the wrong terminology.

I've read that I should keep my pedalling speed mostly consistent and use my bicycles gears to adjust my speed.  The problem I'm having is understanding the 'how'.

My bicycle has 3 gears on the front of the chain and 8 gears on the back.

Low gear == easy to pedal
High gear == harder to pedal

What I've found is that the gears don't follow a very logical (to me anyway) progression and because of that - I don't know how I should be shifting.  Currently, I've been keeping my front gear in the middle and using the back shifter to change between gears 3-7 or so.  I'm only use about four gears on my '21 speed' bicycle!

I'm also pretty sure the salesman said it was a 21 speed bicycle - but by my count there are 24 combinations.  I know (now) that I'm not supposed to have the front gear in the lowest position and the back gear in the highest (and vice-versa) but that seems to leave 22 gears.

How should I be shifting?  Should I really use all 21 or 22 gears?  I haven't done the math but it really feels like there is a big amount of overlap between the gears.  I hope this ascii art will make sense to someone.  This is just how it 'feels' to me.

----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----
------------1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----
--------------------1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----

Does that make sense?  Is it right?

It feels like there is overlap between the three front gears and that to shift the most 'smoothly' I'd need to constantly change both gears.  But this seems really complicated to me.

I've ridden bicycles with only three gears and I found myself thinking 'More would be nice' - but now I'm overwhelmed.  I'm also questioning if anyone really benefits from so many gears?!

Don't overthink it. Since you've got a triple, you're probably right to be in your middle ring most of the time That's normal.

In the middle ring you should have access to the whole cassette/freewheel in the back, though you might get a little extra noise as you approach the extreme gears in either direction.
You'll use the big chainring when you're going downhill or your on flat ground and in a hurry. Stay out of the biggest couple of cogs in the back when you're in the big ring up front. This causes extra strain and extra wear on the drivetrain which can result in premature failure.
Your little ring up front is your climbing ring. Use this for hills, or as your bail-out ring when you're totally out of energy. Just like big-big is a no-no, so is small-small, so stay out of the smallest cogs in the back when you're in the smallest ring in the front.

Regarding your hunch that you've got a lot of overlap between gears, you're absolutely right. Think of each ring as a gear range (climbing for small, normal use for middle, ass-hauling for big). If there were no overlap between the chainrings you would either A) have far fewer gears in the back or B) have a range of gears in the big and small rings which were far too small or far too big to be usable.Think about how big the jumps between gears would be if there was no overlap at all! Trust me, it's not what you want. Typically, you'll find yourself Shifting the front in one direction and immediately afterwards shifting the back in the opposite direction so that it feels like you've only skipped about a single gear in either direction. In time, you'll come to appreciate the overlap between gears in the different chainrings.
Finally, if you really want to see how much overlap you have, you can divide the front rings by each of the back rings to get a ratio for every gear combination. There are fancier ways of doing this, but for your purposes this is the easiest and most straightforward.
EDIT: Here's a pretty good article on Wikipedia about bicycle gearing if you'd like to get more in depth.


Delta compatible shoes and KEO pedals I am planning to by these cycling shoes which claims "Restriction of use:Only compatible with Delta Pedals and Cleats".

Reading up about Delta and Keo I understand that Keo pedals and Delta cleats are not compatible and vice versa. However, I could not find if the Keo cleats can be fit on these shoes.

So I guess my question is, if I buy these shoes and Keo pedals+cleats, can I fit the 3-hole Keo cleats on to the 3-holes in the shoes? In other words, are the dimensions and size of the 3-holes same in Keo and Delta?

Hope I make sense. Thanks!

Hole positions for Keo and Delta are exactly the same. I've switched over 3 years ago and the shoes didn't cause any problem.Even Shimano cleats of the 3-hole type have exactly the same pattern for the holes. And with the adapter Speedplay cleats will fit too.


Knowing what size bike to look for I am presently riding a hybrid that apparently is a bit too small for me, and I'd like to replace it with a road bike. Having ridden this improperly-sized bike for as long as I have (about 8 months, including one MS150), I am interested in making sure that the next bike I buy is properly sized.

The sizing numbers published for different bike models are only somewhat helpful, because a 54cm bike, even of the same type, will fit different people depending on who made the bike. It would have been more helpful if the sizing was listed as a range of heights for riders (such as, "best fits riders from 175 to 185 cm").

Somewhat complicating the issue is that (as I have mentioned in another question) I am chronically short of funds, and there is a high chance that I'll be buying something off of Craig's List or some other such place. I don't want to waste the seller's time by trying the bike if there's any chance that I won't buy it. I'd much prefer to know when I show up to make the purchase that the bike is manufactured for a rider of my height.

The same goes for mail-order. If I go this route, I want a reasonable certainty that the bike is made for someone my size. I don't want to deal with the hassle of returning a bike that doesn't hit my own personal Goldilocks zone.

I'd also rather not trouble bike shop personnel to let me try a bike to see if the sizing is right unless I'm ready to buy from that shop (possible but by all means not certain); I like to think that I'm a golden rule sort of person and using their time in this way seems too much like taking advantage of them. However, if this is considered by them to be a cost of doing business, then it's not a show-stopper.

That all being said, what's the best way to go about finding what size bike will fit me best? (If it helps to be more specific, I'm mostly interested in a road bike.)

While Michaels answer is the more correct one, I found ETT or effective top tube length quite useful for me when buying second hand. It is easier for the seller to measure, and was more useful to me than the seat post height since that is trivially adjustable and my upper body is smaller than it should be for my height..

Edit: The effective top tube length is the horizontal distance from the top tube/head tube junction to the seat tube. This measurement has become significant as more and more bikes are designed with sloping top tubes. (from https://www.bikecad.ca/effective_top_tube_length)


Do mountain bikers yield to hikers? I've seen rules and graphics online that basically say that bikers are to yield to hikers. Is this the generally accepted rule, and if so, how do you define "yield"?

Background
The areas I normally hike are wilderness areas (US) so I don't encounter cyclists very often. Yesterday I found myself on a trail that is very popular with mountain bikers and can honestly say that while hiking uphill I think that most of the cyclists barely bothered to slow down to allow me to step off the trail.

Coming down and normally being approached from behind they would slow and pass with comment like you normally would on a multi-use path.

I'm not being critical of the behavior of the cyclists - and in general I found them to be courteous - but it seemed that the expectation was that I would get out of the way, especially while I was hiking uphill.

The usual trail etiquette rules are, basically:

Cyclists yield to everybody
Everybody yields to horses
If you're both cyclists (or both hikers, etc), somebody going downhill yields to somebody going uphill

So as a pedestrian going uphill on a narrow path, the cyclists were supposed to yield to you.  However, if you looked like you were stepping off the trail, they probably assumed you wanted to let them pass.

Yield means something like: slow down to the hiker's speed, and if needed pull to the side and let the hiker pass, and depending on conditions would likely mean needing to stop entirely.

See also:

http://www.imba.com/about/rules-trail
http://www.imba.org.uk/WhereToRide/TrailEssentials.html (the UK says "Give Way" instead of "Yield")
http://www.romp.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=8#hikers

Cyclists that don't yield on trails scare other trail users and eventually lead to controversy over cyclists on the trails and possibly closing or limiting access for cyclists to those trails. For instance, Mount Tamalpais was important to the original development of mountain biking, but cyclists are now banned from many of its trails.


Where Can I Find an Inexpensive Bike Stand Clamp Are there any recommendations for where I can buy an inexpensive bike stand clamp? I do not know what they are exactly called but the actual part that the bicycle is held onto in a work stand.

If you are looking for just the clamp, and want something produced commercially you are going to have a hard time finding something inexpensive (at least by my budget).  A Google search for Park Repair Clamp turns up a number of options but they are generally $100 and up.  You can pick up a decent stand for that much.

The best deal I could find was a brand I'd never heard of:

Sette Workbench Stand (or this search)

Your other option would be to build your own stand:

DIY Bench Mount Bike Repair Stand

Work Bench Repair Stand with Angle Adjustment

Hopefully you get the idea...


Is it worth buying a lighter bike? If so what kind? I've started cycling recently and am clocking decent mileage now. The only problem is, the bike is very old and weighs just shy of 20 kg. It's a heavy one!  It also has Kenda Kinetics tyres, I think they are made mainly for off road so not the fastest.
My main goal with cycling is to cycle 40 miles to a target destination I have.  So far I have gotten to the point where doing 20-22 miles is pretty doable for me now.  My best is 33.5 miles, after doing that one I was really lacking energy towards the end.  I live in a place where "High" is in the name, it's full of hills and coming back to those hills after doing that kind of mileage is killer, especially on my 20 kg bike, towards the end I was feeling like the 40 mile is not possible, but I had the same feeling when first doing my 20 mile runs.
It sucks as I wanna keep training to get myself to the 40 mile mark and I think I can get there eventually, but probably not this summer.
However, what I want to understand is whether it's worth me buying a new bike or not.  Will I notice enough of a difference, given that I can now do 20 miles with ease on my heavy bike?  Or do you think I should just suck it up and try to reach my goal with my heavy bike.  Am I just being an unreasonable amateur blaming the heavy bike?
My route:
Generally, a lot of my route is on the road, but some parts of the route are off road for several miles, with lots of twigs, tree branches, stones, other tree crap all over the floor, you can hear them crunching as the tyres go over them and at points the rear tyre or front tyre slips sometimes, as there is so much crap on the floor that it's hard for them to grip.  I'm not sure whether it's worth getting another bike, as I would ideally get a road bike but I don't think it can handle the route, my downhill bike has good chunky tyres for it but the weight is killer.
EDIT Feb 2021: I ended up buying a new carbon fibre hard tail, that weighs under 13 KG, it is a world of difference.  I can't believe how heavy my old bike is in comparison, I didn't realise how heavy it was until I got this new bike.
For anyone with a heavy bike, upgrading to a lighter bike is definitely worth it, especially if you live in a hilly area like me!

IMHO, it's not the weight that is hurting you the most. While weight makes a difference and a lighter bike would be much better, it's too common in cycling world for people to use weight as a proxy quality and performance. Any twit with scales can measure it.  That said, there is no doubt more suitable bike would make longer trips faster, and a better quality bike even more so, but only you can decide if the cost is worth it.
Weight only affects hills and acceleration. For a long ride mostly on the road we can practically ignore the effects of acceleration.
On the hills, lets say you shaved 10kg off the bike, your total weight is now 75kg instead of 85kg. From this calculator, a 100M climb over 10km will take 38 minutes on the lighter bike vs 40 minutes on the heavier bike. Using these rough numbers, the calculator comes up with figures that are close enough to help you decide "Is it worth it"
However, resistance and power loss from a bike such as this are a big factor that cannot be ignored.  New tires that are a hybrid might be more suitable—a bit of lost time in the forest for faster riding on the rest of the trip might be a trade off. Something like Schwalbe Hurricane would be a goods starting point.  The shock and fork should be tightened as much as possible, since I doubt they have lockout.  Your position on the bike, getting more aerodynamic would make a big difference—bar ends could help with this.
While the perfect bike for you sounds like a gravel bike, there is no need to head down the path of very expensive to get a significant improvement in performance. A hard tail 29" MTB running something like the Hurricanes would be ideal and handle the forest section with ease. A drop bar bike running 35mm tires would be good if you are a skilled rider and happy to take the wins on the road for some drawbacks in forest sections.
Before buying, ask around and see if someone you know has a bike they may be prepared to lend you for a couple of rides—you might be surprised who has an old bike in need of an outing...


How many lumens (lm) should a front light have? I need a front bike light for pretty quick night riding on roads beside the town. I found one that has 120lm, 30lux, and 92m shining distance.

Is it enough? What parameters should a good front light have?

A front light needs to have both enough lumens (brightness) and have those lumens pointed in the right places - dictated by the reflector and lens. It also needs a battery (presuming its not dynamo powered) to last the length of the ride with some reserves. Addition things to consider are ease of install and removal from bike and mounting location, and battery size ( do you need to charge after every ride, or once a week?) .

More Brightness is easy to cheap to achieve and easy to sell (Mines bigger than yours), and very easy ti lie about "6000lumen". Reflector and lens is design is hard to achieve and hard to sell "Its not the size, its what you do with it that counts"

There are plenty of cheap Chinese lights on ebay that will do a good enough job for under $50, closer to $20 - they work on the "Bigger is better". For a better light in every way, you need to move away from these to a brand name light costing much more to something that has some brains behind the design.

My budget dictates cheap Chinese lights and accepting the poor light distribution  My $25 lights claim 1200 lumen, probably have 600 and its all pointing to a high intensity spot with very little out to the sides.The battery is claimed at 4400mAH, I have measured it at  2000mAH, but do get the claimed 2 hours on high.

As already suggested, refer to the BikeLightDatabase,


Should I make any adjustments for steep bumpy down hills? I'm pretty new to biking, and lately I've been really enjoying riding down a relatively steep hill with a few bumps so you can get pretty fast. But I never got around to riding down the steeper bits because it felt like I was going to tip forward.

Is this normal or should I make some adjustments? I have my saddle height to standard so my knee is straight at 6 O'clock, the suspension at its most "open" state and high gears. It is a mountain bike.

The adjustment needed is to lower your seat. Your seat is currently set for road riding where pedaling efficiency is important.

The idea when Mountain biking is to maintain the center of gravity over the Bottom bracket. As the down hill gets steeper, you need to shift weight back to achieve this, as the uphill gets steeper, move weight forward.  The seat post in a normal climb position prevents the required weight shift.

The weight shift has to be done by moving the whole torso. Assume the 'Attack position' (google is your friend) - This correct riding position is arms are bent, elbows out  (ideally forming a C when looking head on to the rider) and torso is relatively level, legs straight but knees not locked (i.e. very slightly bent - knees bent is common advice but gets miss interpreted).

(IMHO his knees are bent too much. This amount of bend requires a lot more effort in the quads than needed.)


Is a fitting worthwhile for me? I'm a guy with banged up knees. I'm trying to decide if it is worthwhile for me to splurge for a high-end bike fitting or go with a more ordinary fitting or skip getting a fitting altogether.

Background

One of my knees is missing a whole lot of articular & meniscal cartilage.
I'm experiencing knee pain while going for relatively short distances (at the beginning of the ride & after 10-12 miles).
I ride with Speedplay Frog pedals. I'm turning 49.
haven't had a fitting since January 2012.
I don't race or do group rides.
If my knees were solid, I'd like to do social rides or even go touring.
I ride a Surly LHT & use it for commuting & shopping.

It is more accurate to say I "used" the bike for those purposes. I'm pretty much not riding now because doctors have told me that knee pain=fresh damage. I have the option to get 1) a run of the mill fitting similar to the 2012 fitting from a well-regarded bike shop or 2) get a fitting from a physical therapist who works with racers, triathletes, etc. I've been to a lot of physical therapists & surgeons without much result at this point. (Most seem have expertise with runners but none have any background with bikes.)

My last fitting was useful but I can't say it was ever quite right. I had joint issues back then which likely made the fitter's job impossible. I went back to the fitter a few times without much success. I mean, there are only so many adjustments you can make to the seat position right?

At this point, I'm looking to avoid throwing more good money & time after bad. Maybe I should just get platform pedals? I keep seeing posts pointing to clipless pedals as causes of knee issues.

Perhaps I should just get a recumbent to limit knee strain?

Hi everybody,
Thanks for the rapid & thoughtful responses. I was very interested to read about Power Cranks and Highpath engineering's split cranks. Here is some more background & some responses to the recommendations:

I have 150 mm crank arms mounted.
I am slow on the cadence. My core is weak so my pelvis wobbles at higher RPMS.
I’m sure I need work on my pedaling technique. When I try to pull up on the pedals, I end up with tendonitis behind the knee.
I’m happy to warm up with a gentle beginning to a ride but I’m getting pain pretty much pulling out of the driveway, before I have a chance to start the warmup.
I don’t really trust the physical therapist/fitter I found. He works with a sports medicine doctor I found & both run a “factory” practice. They move you in & out on the clock. I have some complex medical issues & neither showed any appetite for exploring them during a recent evaluation. My sense is they are there to make money & serve racers. I won't get either of them any publicity & so am not useful. I've run into providers like this before. They have the skill to help but maybe not the will.
I’d be happy to see someone other than the PT/fitter but have had little luck in finding someone  with expertise in both bikes & rehabilitation.
I did find a fitter at the bike shop who worked for a couple years as a physical therapy assistant. I could see him as well.
Based on the above do any of you have further thoughts?

My advice is that you consult a sports medicine specialist, for example a physiotherapist, especially one who specializes in knees.

Once you find such a person, find a second. Sometimes you just don't get along with them. For me, I have to feel I can trust the person, and get honest discussion of the options and the pros and cons.

While bike fit may be an issue, it's only one approach. Other things to be considered are

gearing. Perhaps you just need to pedal at a higher cadence.
power and speed. Perhaps you're just trying to pedal too hard for that knee.
technique. Perhaps pulling up more would reduce the load on that knee.
crank size and cleat positions. These can both have an effect on knees.
warmup and cooldown. Getting symptoms at the start sounds like lack of warmup.

Find such a sports medicine specialist, and work with them as they evaluate your options and manage your progress.

Following your edit here are some additional points

wobbling pelvis and pain at the back of the knee are both symptoms that your seat is too high.
just as an idea, you could try a topical warming agent (ointment) to help with the warmup.

In an earlier version of this post I suggested Voltaren, recommended for me by my physio. I think that was unwise of me - you should obtain professional medical advice. Voltaren is an anti-inflammatory drug, available under prescription in the US. Some researchers warn against it's use.


Cheap solution to vertical bicycle stand I would like to know if there is a cheap way to put up my bikes vertically on a wall (like a hanger that I could put my bikes' wheels on).

I am doing this because firstly they are taking to much space just being parked there... Secondly I have heard people say that the tire gets destroyed if the bike is left for a little while unattended, which is the case.  I have three bikes that I use. The one is used every third day or so, the second one once in two weeks and the third one, almost never...

How do you suggest I build this vertical stand for three bikes for under $20? I have googled this to see if someone has found a way but I only saw some really complex stands and hangers, as well as expensive products.

Free wood from pallets could easily be fashioned into racks that can be fastened to the wall with butterfly bolts.  Also, consider looking for solutions at http://www.bikehacks.com/


Looking to buy a bicycle for exercising and recreational activities, that will fit in a car Exactly like the title says :) Well, I know how to ride bicycles, and I know they have 2 wheels, pedals and some gears, but almost nothing more than that :)

Now, I want to buy a bicycle and was lost between the options available in the market. I don't want a professional bicycle and I'm not planning to race with it... all I want is a bicyle that I can use for exercising and recreational activities, and is more advanced than delivery-boys bicycles :)

One more thing, I have a saloon/sedan car, and I very much prefer if that bicycle can be fitted in the trunk (maybe one of those that can be folded)

I'm not looking for "Bicycle Buying Guide for Dummies" :) what I'm looking for is some guidance on what to look/ask for when I go hunting for a bicycle :)

Thanks in advance.

First off you will need to have a think about what kind of riding you want to do. For roads you'll want a touring bike, and for off road, a mountain bike. The key differences are:

Weight - riding rough trails and off road requires a strong frame. This will impact weight
Suspension - again, this adds weight, but can be essential on really rough terrain
Wheels and tyres - on the road smooth tyres require less effort, but off road you need grip

Then you'll want to find a good local bike shop (LBS) and ask about sizes. They will be able to advise on frame length, handlebars, seat type etc to suit you.

EDIT as mentioned below - get a helmet!

For fitting in a car, as long as you can remove wheels (these days you can get all types of wheels with quick release mechanisms) you should be able to fit them. In a saloon car you may need to be able to drop back back seats.

At begineer level, you really don't need to think about much else as far as the bike is concerned, however you will want to get lights, a bike lock and other accessories such as a speedometer (maybe gps), water bottle, and also things like cycling gloves (your fingers can get very cold on a long ride) and cycling shorts (again, for a long ride, the padding can be very important!)


replacing stolen rear wheel. compatability question I recently had my rear wheel stolen, it was a 7 speed. In looking to replace it, most cassette/wheel combos I am finding are 8 speed. The shifters are old suicide shifters and the deralier is congruent with them, so I imagine as long as the cassette is the same gear or higher (7/8) Ill be ok.. True?

The 7-speed cassette standard has been functionally discontinued for new wheels.  Most new wheels come in 8-10 or 8-11 speed compatibility.  Since the 7-speed cassette bodies were shorter, you can install a 7-speed cassette on a 8-speed body using a 4mm spacer behind the cassette.  Alternatively, as you said, you can use the 7 shifter on an 8 cassette, you'll just have to tune out one of the gears with the limiters and cable tension.


Fitting a bottle cage I have an old steel frame Peugot road bike that I want to fit a bottle cage to. It has braze-ons but I'm not sure how to mount it. Can anyone advise? Pictures uploaded.

looks like plastic or rubber plugs in the braze-ons. Try to remove them — I think there are a threads under them.


What are good bicycle workouts for a runner? I am a runner. I run half and full marathons along the year. All of the runners know that they should cross train and the best cross training is cycling. After achieving my long term marathon goal I will try to run triathlons.

So I need some bicycle workouts or full programs for training. Are there any specific workout types for cycling as cross training?

In the same way you train for your running you'll likely want to vary the rides you do on your bike.  Bicycles offer you the same options like:

Tempo ride: stay just below your lactate threshold
Interval training

Find a long flat section of road
Go above your LT for a bit, then a little below for a bit (stay above 70% of LT)
Many times this is 1 minute "on", 2 minutes "off"
Eventually you'll want longer intervals of 5 minutes "on", 8 minutes "off".

Find some terrain

My personal favorite.
Bikes cover so much distance while training that you can just pick different routes and go

Mountain biking

The terrain is constantly forcing you up and down, you're performing dynamic moves
You max your HR, then coast, then jump a log, the 5 quick intervals over hills, etc.

Slogging away miles on a bike probably wouldn't translate across sports as well as you'd like so I see your best benefit to come from strengthening and just plain having fun!


Shimano STePS Di2 Shifting with Alfine 11 - will it be ever automatic? The Shimano STePS with Di2 and Alfine 8 received a firmware update this year, which enabled automatic shifting (it was not automatic before).

Does anybody know if Alfine 11 models will receive any firmware updates to switch automatically?

This FAQ from Shimano only mentions the Alfine 8. http://shimano-steps.com/e-bikes/europe/en/service

I got one answer from Shimano via Facebook (July 2017), but this is NOT CORRECT.
https://www.facebook.com/ShimanoEbike/

"Hi,
Do you know if the Shimano Alfine 11 has automatic shiftin possibilities with the STEPS systems?
I to ask in many local shops, but they didn't know, I asked bike builders, but they didn't know. They only have bikes with Alfine 8, for which the automatic shifting works. I've looked into forums, checked your Shimano websites back and forth, but I didn't find any information.
I would be considering to buy a new bike with Steps and Alfine 11, if it has automatic shifting. If not, I would stay with Alfine 8. However, in our hilly city, Brussels, the Alfine 8 often feels not enough in range.
Thank you and kind regards,"

"Thanks for contacting. Shimano Alfine 11 speed hub is available with Shimano STEPS, but Alfine 8 isn't. Unfortunately automatic shifting is also not available yet in combination with STEPS. We can't guarantee this will be in the near future.
Kind regards,
Team Shimano"


Ultegra R8000 crank spacer Does the Hollowtech II Ultegra R8000 crankset need to use spacers?
I just converted my bike from Praxis to Shimano (finally I have the whole groupset!). I had to replace the BB and cranks (duh) for this upgrade, I bought both brand new. Neither came with any spacers, I've installed the cranks and there was some rub on the front derailleur and the crank arm, which I've alleviated by turning in the front derailleur limit screw however it's awfully close.
Reading online there seems to be a lot of conflicting advice, this post says I need 3 spacers (2R, 1L), same with this post. Others say this crankset needs no spacers (3rd comment). My old Praxis cranks were wider and did have a single spacer on the drive side so maybe I should add one to the new setup.
But the question then is how many do I add, what size do I buy, where do I buy from. I've found 2 vendors (Amazon, eBay) that sell 2.5mm spacers for 68mm bb (my bb is 68mm), is that right? do they need to be Hollowtech II spacers? will any old one do?
Is the bike safe to ride without the spacers? it's going into the shop in a week to have the threaded brake reservoir screw removed & replaced + new front caliper so I will only be riding it on the trainer this week, should I sack my training off for a week to wait for spacers to arrive and fit before putting any miles on it? I've done a test ride and the bike is riding well, alot smoother than the praxis (probably because those bearings where knackered) and all gears appear to be indexed and performing as i'd expect.

Shimano hollowtech comes in various sizes. The links you posted was for a mountain bike. Mountain bike crank spindles are for 73mm frames, so they need spaces for 68mm frames.

Shimano road crank spindles are for 68mm frames. A BSA (normal British threaded) bottom bracket, doesn't need any spacers, you just thread the cups on and then put the cranks in.

I suggest you watch a tutorial on how to put on a bb and crankset and make sure you follow the manufacturers torque and grease recommendations. When in doubt, get a local bike shop to fit it or take in some food and drink for them and ask them to have a quick look so double check your work.

Also, Shimano have excellent online document on which have all of this information and more. I think your BB and crank should have come with instructions on all of this, unless they've stopped physically including.


What are the bumpy parts around the spindle of some pedals? Does anybody know what the bumpy part near the threads of this pedal are for? They look like they might fit a special wrench, but I can't find any that would fit.

I feel like I must be missing something, and that I've seen these bumps around, but never understood their purpose.

The 'official' tool that engages with that bumpy collar is the Shimano TL-PD-40 bearing shaft removal tool. It's a plastic tool designed to be used with a larger wrench, or a vice. Here's a pic:
TL-PD-40

If you're interested in servicing your pedals using this tool and others, here's a how-to from Park Tool: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/spd-pedal-overhaul


What is the Optimal Tightness for Learning to Ride with SPD Pedals? I recently switched the pedals on my road bike over to the SPD clipless system. The pedals I got have an adjustable spring. Tightening the spring increases the force required to twist one's foot out, while loosening it does the opposite.

Initially, I set the tightness as low as it would go. I have ridden the bike every day in the last week without issue, and without even the prophesied falling (though I'm sure my time will come!).

Today, while biking uphill against a strong headwind, my foot detached from the pedal, and I nearly lost control of the bike. It seems to me that this is the result of pedaling vigorously while also swaying a bit to keep my balance. This also seems like exactly the wrong time to have one's feet come loose.

This event makes me think I should tighten up the spring. At the same time, I have had several near falls where I forget to unclip at a light, but was able to quickly unclip after stopping and catch myself.

I have two questions:

1: Is it more dangerous to set the tension too high or too low?

2: What sorts of schedules might be optimal for gradually tightening up the tension while learning to use the clipless pedals?

My preference is to start with the pedals wound right back so your feet fall out if you even think about unclipping. But from my experience of novices most people will fall off at least once due to being clipped in. Regardless of how loose the pedals are.

After a week or so, or when the learner starts complaining that they're unclipping unexpectedly, I crank the tension up to normal levels. I'm not a fan of any kind of gradual change. I do err a little on the loose side while they work out what tension they prefer, but not in a smooth change fashion. It's a step to "firmly fixed" in one hit.

I suspect it's more dangerous to have the tension too tight - at some point anyone will be unable to unclip without damaging themselves - your ankles are not particularly good with twisting forces.

What I did find when I was learning was that there are time when I twist my feet in the pedals without realising it, so I was unclipping unexpectedly not because of pedalling force per se, but through half unclipping then pedalling. If you're off the saddle and throwing the bike around a bit, you may well have been pulling sideways out of the pedal. Don't do that :)


What kind of rags to clean drivetrain? Currently I'm re-reading through Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. He mentions using rags to clean the chain, cogs, jockey wheels and the rest of the drivetrain. Just wondering what kind of rags people use. I generally use the blue shop towels. They work OK but they're still paper so I have to be careful that the chain doesn't shred them and I get little chunks of paper all over the drivetrain. I thought about buying a pack of cotton rags from Costco but seems like these would get expensive since I'd basically get one use out of a rag.

I live in a wet climate and use wet chain lube.

Whatever you have to hand.  Generally chains are filthy, so I use cloth rags whose next stop is the bin.  I don't wash rags for reuse - by the time they're down to cleaning chains, they're pretty dirty already.

I do use a clean paper towel for the last wipe of excess lube.

I've never bought rags in my life.  I simply recycle old towels and clothes.

Great

Towels/towelling
Cotton
Calico
Corduroy
Cheesecloth / muslin
Linen
Paper towels
Velour
Natural fibres are generally pretty good for cleaning.

Adequate

Polyester
nylon   tends to repel water, and be quite thin
Lycra
sacking / burlap     tends to be quite thick and somewhat scratchy.
Wet Wipes

Poor

Fur     - drops fibres like wool
wool    - tends to be dropping little fibres when its old and worn down.  Better to compost pure wool, or unpick it to a string (see below)
lace    - too many holes
silk     - too thin
leather   - not very absorbent.  Reuse in other ways instead.
Tissues / toilet paper      - can't handle the water and break down quickly.
Sailcloth    TOo hard and not absorbent.  Better reuse elseways.
PVC and other waterproof layers - not absorbent
Most artificial fibres are poor for absorbing.

Yarn / wool - has use as a "gear floss" for getting dirt out of your cassette between the cogs, but is less useful elsewhere.

Feel free to raise comments with corrections, or just edit directly.


Feeling of friction on back wheel. Wheel nuts on too tight? The bike is an Avanti Discovery 8 which is a hybrid with a 8 speed Shimano in-hub gearing system.

The problem is I feel like there is definite friction on the back wheel. Spinning it freely it just doesn't travel as far as the front wheel and pedaling feels slightly impeded.

Obviously, brakes are easy to check and they're fine. There is no noise whilst coasting either, so I don't think it's the bearings.

I was wondering could it be something to do with the wheel nuts being too tight? I had a problem recently where the rear wheel was moving forward slightly causing slackness in the chain. I'd fix it, but it would keep happening so one day I really tightened it as hard as I could (the slack chain had come off causing me to crash).

Could this somehow be putting too much pressure on the hub?

Torque on the axle nut won't cause this per se. Think of each axle nut pinching the dropout really hard between itself and the hub locknuts. On a typical hub, if the locknut were loose against the cone, and/or if the axle threads were poorly lubricated, then tightening the axle nut can cause the axle to rotate relative to the cones, ruining the bearing adjustment and adding a bunch of friction. Shimano internal hubs with their burly anti-rotation washers are normally immune to this though.

Front wheels generally always spin way more freely than rears. All the Shimano internal hubs are somewhat on the draggy side. If you're noticing it when pedaling, make sure the chain is lubricated.

Things that could cause it to be worse than normal: poor hub bearing adjustment, need of internal lubrication using the special Shimano oil bath, dropout alignment causing excess bearing friction/wear, bent axle, something physically rubbing against the hub/wheel/tire, and brake rub.


Load your bag or Load your bike? Probably, another debatable question from my side.

When carrying items while riding, like water bottle, repair kits, pumps, or other stuffs that you might need, What is the best option.... to carry them?

On your cycle at saddle bag, handlebar bags, or pannier bags or etc.
or, On backpacks, like hydrant pack, or simple travel pack.

While loading on cycle, it will increase the weight of the bike, thus affect a lot of things, like speed, traction, more reactive on corners. Like while using pannier bags.. it will increase rear weight, making it difficult on uphill.

Also while loading on backpack, it will tire you down fast if its a big load, decreases your flexibility, agility & etc.

So what is right way to do it?

Update:

The type of ride I generally, go to are commuting, mountain biking, & trailing. And the items I generally carry are

Commuting: Water bottle(x2), Laptop (17"), books, copies, repair kits, hand pump, few other accessories.
Mountain Biking & Trailing: Water bottle(x2), repair kits, extra tubes, hand pumps, candybars & few other accessories

I divide between two extremes:

Riding long distance with lots of stuff on good pavement: load the bike;
Riding short distance with not so much stuff and/or on rough road: load the back;

Of course, there are some additional considerations:

If the road is so harsh you must stand up to manoeuver (off-road, back-country, XC, etc.), load yourself. The bike suffers less (tires specially), and you can avoid falling from lost control;
If you have lots of gear and proper tires, loading the bike help to ride more stable and comfortable, since the cushioning effect of the tires (suspension) is enhanced by the added bicycle mass;
If you ride short, loading back is much more pratical. But if you are touring, loading the back becomes a huge source of discomfort and even health problems.

Tire choice is important, also. On a skinny-tire road bike, I would not feel safe or comfortable to put a rear rack in nothing but the smoothest of paved roads. In the other hand, I have already made loaded touring in roads that looked like the moon surface. How much is too skinny, or fat enough, depends on each person/bicycle/road.

In the end, the answer is "it depends", but I think the three (four?) parameters mentioned here are the most important about "what" it depends on, IMO.

Hope it helps.


Preventing red eyes after biking When biking, my eyes get red. Guessing due to dryness.

Usually, people wear sunglasses or glasses to block out the wind. Wearing them didn't help. Still red. Maybe more red if I wasn't wearing them.

This was at nighttime. It was cold. What suggestions do you have to prevent this problem?

Several solutions:

Clear cycling glasses (which you've tried)
A helmet with a windscreen / windshield / visor that'll help keep the wind and the light from streetlamps and cars out of your eyes
Saline or "liquid tears" eyedrops (helps with dry eyes, in the "Eye Care" section of your pharmacy)
Liquid tears with a vasoconstrictor (helps hide the appearance of red eyes, e.g. Visine)
Liquid tears with antihistamine (helps with allergies, e.g. Visine-A)
An oral anti-histamine (assuming it's because of allergies)

I have no connection with companies selling liquid tears. I should note that many optometrists recommend against regular application of anything except pure saline drops because your eyes become habituated to the chemicals (especially vasoconstrictors) and this can make the situation worse.


what is the ideal presta tube valve stem length I have noticed that presta tube valve stems come in various lengths. I always assumed the longer valve stems were to allow the use of deeper aero wheels. Why is it that many wheels in print ads seem to have what I would consider an excessive amount of stem exposed? Is there an advantage or disadvantage to usng a stem that is just long enough?

I think the valve should be as short as possible while still allowing comfortable inflation of the tire.

On the other hand, a longer valve usually "won't hurt", specially if you have more than one bike or your group of fellows use to lend spare tubes to one another during rides (happens a lot to me, but in shcraeder-equiped mountainbikes).

Hope this helps!


Shimano MF-Z012 5 Speed Freewheel Shims So after 35 years I have removed the Shimano freewheel from my original Puch racer, stripped and cleaned it and put it back together withoit losing any bearings.  Phew.  It was very gunged up.  But the two internal shims have been damaged and whilst I tried to realign them, the outer bearings bind when the lock ring is tight.  If I loosen it a bit then the freewheel works great again.  I cannot find a source (or size) for those shims - can anyone point me in the right direction. I have ordered an EBay freewheel replacement but really want to get the original working.  Thanks in advance.

I don't know of a source which sells these parts new, but...

As a volunteer at the local bicycle co-op we literally have a bins full of old freewheels and sell them for a few $$$.  If you have a bicycle non-profit near you, I would be surprised if you cannot find a couple similar freewheels which you could use for donor parts.

There are Facebook groups which cater to vintage bicycles and many folks in those groups either sell vintage parts or know others who might have a source.  Here are a couple:

The Vintage Mountain Bike FB Group

Vintage Cream FB Group

You could also check with some of the online groups.  The Velocipede Salon has A LOT of members who are (were?) long time bike builders, mechanics and shop owners.

Velociped Salon Group

Good luck with your search and feel free to contact me directly and I can see if the Co-Op has a similar freewheel.


Tire casing appears damaged The casing of my back tire appears to be damaged. There is one spot where it is torn, and the tire bulges out when the it is inflated. I want to know what causes this so that I don't do the same thing to my new tires. Also, if there is a way to fix this, I'd like to know how.

Age is the most common cause of this sort of failure -- the tire cord simply breaks down.  It's worse in white-wall or "skin-wall" tires where black rubber does not cover the sidewall.  This allows sunlight, ozone, and any petroleum fumes in the air to attack the gum rubber holding the sidewall cords together.

And, of course, under-inflation causes excessive sidewall flex and subsequent cord breakdown.  Combine it with age and the tire gets a double whammy.

Beyond those, it's possible to "bruise" the tire various ways.  Hitting curbs, eg, especially with under-inflated tires, can create a bruise in the sidewall (in addition to the danger of "snake-bite" tube damage).  Or the tire may damaged in storage when a garden implement is pressed up against it or some such.


QR Skewer orientation Sheldon Brown's site suggests that QR skewers should be installed with the levers on the left side of the bike, "so the derailer [sic] doesn't interfere with it" and that "Usually, the lever for the front wheel also is on the left side, but some Bike Friday travel bicycles fold more easily if the handle is on the right side".
Most of my bikes now have disc brakes, and it seems better to install the levers on the right side so that there's no potential of the handle fouling the brake disk, however remote that possibility may be.
If I don't have any problems with the QR lever hitting the derailleur, is there any other downside to installing QR levers on the right side of the bike (drive side)?
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html

This is one reason why we keep them on the left.


Misplaced tyre lever - alternatives? I misplaced my tire lever and it's very hard to change the tube of my mountain bike without a tire lever. I'm looking for alternatives if a tire lever is not available.

What I've found so far are:

Carve your own tire lever out of wood. (Did not try this, have no wood available)
Use the handle of a spoon. (Didn't work, spoon bent and scratched rim tape)
Carve your own out of the plastic handle of a knife. (Worked, but kinda ruined handle of knife and could be dangerous)

Are there any other alternatives in case this would occur again or if I encounter a similar situation on the road?

Prevention is the best cure.  I know it takes 2 tyre levers to deal with a flat on my road bike, so I carry a pair of decent ones (with some silver paint on them so they show up better by torchlight).  In addition I carry a third, old and worn but known good, because I've been known to snap plastic tyre levers (luckily at home). They can also ping off into the middle distance so a spare is no bad thing.  I might swap this third one for a metal lever if I can find the ones I've got tucked away somewhere.  Even if you could find (hard enough) wood, carving one requires a reasonable knife, which isn't part of a standard bike tool kit, though it is part of mine.

The fallback is other riders.  I'm sometimes out solo at all hours hence why I go so well equipped (though rarely to the extent of carrying cutlery) but on many of the rides I do there are other riders on the same route. Some of them are likely to be with or behind me even if most are far in front.  Even riding solo there are likely to be other cyclists around during the day.

Any rider can be struggling with a mechanical, and that's why you should slow down and check that a rider standing by the roadside is OK: one day it might be you, and looking after each other is the right thing to do anyway.


How do you know if you can trust your LBS? I've visited a lot of bike shops in my time.

There have been great ones, and scary ones. One thing I've noticed is that they all seem to have the best intentions. I've never had one deliberately rip me off, or damage my bike because they didn't care.

I have had shops be flat out wrong about things they still swear are true.

So, the question is, if you're new to the area, when you go to a shop for the first time, how do you decide if they are a good shop and you can trust them with your bike and safety and your wallet?

What brands do they stock?

As well as relationships with customers shops have to have relationships with suppliers. You will find that dealerships are not dished out so easily and only the best bike shops can have the best brands. This is for bikes and for components. A brand to look for is Specialized, does the shop have Specialized components? Customers will ask for Specialized by name and dealerships for components and bikes are limited, if they have Specialized then they have been established long enough to get the dealership. That is the situation in the UK but I do not know about everywhere else.

Appearances can be deceptive

Don't read too much into how cluttered or dusty the shop is. Few in the trade come from a merchandising background or have the time for ornate window displays. Tidy organised appearance is definitely a bonus but not the be-all and end-all.

How long do you have to wait?

We have all waited a lot longer in a bike shop to be served than seems sensible. Staff that care will be able to take a break from a complex touring bike sale to take money off you for that inner tube you just want to buy. Alternatively they will be able to point you in the direction of the products that you are interested in and make a promise to be with you soon. Because bike sales are so seasonal there will be busy periods when there are more customers than staff however a good shop will be able to mitigate walk-outs with simple P's and Q's.

Shops do not have the best interests of your wallet at heart

This may not be for the reasons you think. To you spending £100 on a bike might be big bucks but for the staff with a sea of bicycles in front of them £1000 may be nearer the mark for getting something to ride. When it comes to lights the set of £20 flashing LED's may be all you need but to the shop staff only the £150 brighter-than-the-sun light set makes sense.

It is for you to judge whether the shop is taking you for a ride or if the staff are on a bonus deal that means they get more money for fleecing you. There is no harm in being straight up and asking if they are working on commission if they are pointing you at the high-end products when you have walked in specifically after something more basic.

Equally, sales staff that lack confidence may not point you towards the better products. You may not care whether you spend £50 or £250 on a pair of shoes for that triathlon you hope to enter, what you don't want is for the shop to under-sell to you for you to end up with sub-standard products.

Don't expect the staff to be experts about everything

You may have pored over the catalogue all week and know the specifications inside and out, the shop staff may not have the time or the need to do that. You know information from over-browsing the catalogue, they have knowledge that means they only need the product knowledge necessary for what they do.

Some staff may be showroom only and be expert at sizing up kids bikes yet have no idea what chain you need for a nine speed or what pads you need for a vintage bike. They can even get a basic inner tube valve length wrong. Therefore make sure you know what you want in advance, don't rely on expert opinion in the shop and don't feel wronged if you know more than them about some particular thing.

Old parts off a repaired bike

Expect the shop to keep or bin parts that you have upgraded. If you have put your bike in for an inner tube repair do not expect the old tube back so that you can fix it. The same goes for a very expensive chainset. If you specifically want bits back then make sure you say so when the bike is booked in. It is standard practice in the UK for whatever happens to the old bits to be the bike-shop's prerogative, don't feel wronged if you do not get them back. Take a car analogy, if you took your car in for any work, would you expect the old bits back? No.

Workshop bookings

Most bike shops have a really bad system for workshop jobs. Spend some time on the phone and call your local shops to see what they can do for you. Do expect your bike to be wheeled in and out of the workshop into the rain to be potentially scratched and possibly damaged during that time it is in the workshop. Ask how your bike will be stored whilst it is booked in - nobody thinks to do that yet it is a big deal. You don't want your bike rustier and scratched more than before you booked it in for that simple service.

Also ask how long it is going to take. Then apply common sense if it is going to take a fortnight to 'change a tube'. This is not a question of trust, it is a question of workshop management. Some shops have a strict queue and it can get a bit long. Other shops will turn around what they can as soon as they can, ideally you want simple fixes, e.g. that cassette removed to be a while-you-wait task and not something you have to wait a fortnight for.

How well are the showroom bikes setup?

There is a tendency for bikes in showrooms to be somewhat loosely assembled. This is stupid as none of the bikes are at their best and it takes far longer to lazily assemble bikes to then have to completely check them over again. If the bikes are badly assembled in the showroom then they are not doing it right. Unless the prices are good go elsewhere.

One key indicator is the seat. Are the showroom bikes with the seats pointing at odd angles? This shows a lack of care and a lack of skill in the workshop. Coupled to that is a lack of understanding of what the customer wants - a comfy bike.

Some bikes, e.g. Brompton and to a certain extent Dahon, are fully assembled to top 'pre-delivery-check' standards in the factory. They don't need any further setting up. Showroom bikes should be to the same standard, every gear should work, every brake should work and every wheel should be properly in place. Handlebars may be twisted 90 degrees for space reasons and tyres may be soft due to inventory management reasons, however, all of the bikes in the shop should be in a ridable condition.

Is the shop part of a chain?

An owner-manager is more motivated than the hired-manager. He has to pay the bills every week and ensure the sales are taken care of properly. He will not stand for staff standing behind the counter and not assisting customers pro-actively.

On the other hand a hired manager of a chain will have career aspirations to make it into group management and a sales bonus to think of. A chain will also have a central warehouse and other bike sizes in other shops. Therefore the reputation of the chain is important.

You can get excellent staff in chains and single owner-manager shops. You can also get very bad staff. It is the luck of the draw whom you get to serve you. If you find that the salesperson is struggling, perhaps they don't actually go downhill mountain biking and know what you are after, in that case give them a break and ask if there is anyone in the staff team that knows a bit more about down-hill mountain bikes. This should not be taken the wrong way by them. Chances are that when you walked through the door their MTB supremo was dealing with another customer and he/she will be glad to spend time with you.

Do they offer to special order for you?

Not all sizes are stocked, not all parts are stocked. A good shop will offer to get whatever you need in, usually with less than a week turnaround. 'Sorry we don't stock that' is not a good enough answer, fobbing you off with the wrong product is not a good answer.

Can you test-ride a bike?

Bikes do get damaged with a ride around the block. However, for fast moving regular bikes there should be no problem with you going out on it to test ride. Expect to leave your keys and or wallet behind the till. Maybe expect an escort if you are comparing two bikes. Don't expect a test ride on the best bike in the shop though.

Can you borrow a spanner?

Shops should be able to lend you an Allen key to fit that water bottle that you just bought. If they cannot trust you with that then can you trust them?

What is in their car park at 9 a.m.?

Not all bike shop staff live and breathe bicycles. Chances are that the guy in the workshop is only working there to pay for his car. Ask staff if they actually ride. Although some say this does not matter, it does. Would you get a vegetarian working in a butchers to care about your sausages? Or a meat eater working in a organic-save-the-world-shop to have much of an opinion on lentils? Or an illiterate working in a book shop to help you find a good book about bikes? Or someone that hates music working in a record shop help you through the new releases?

If everyone in the bike shop drives to work then something is up. They too have heard the news about global warming, how cars give kids asthma, how the oil is running out, how dangerous cars are to cyclists, how wars get fought over oil and so on. Clearly they don't have the passion for the product to ride themselves. You have to ask why the bicycle is not good enough for them. They can live a long way away, be the older generation when motoring was aspirational or be one of those sad youngsters working just to pay for a car. Don't discredit them entirely for driving but bear it in mind.

What is in their car park after 9 a.m.?

Hopefully the shop has lots of customers and they all cannot be wrong to be shopping there. In some paces like the UK the success of a bike shop is pretty much down to if they have parking or not. Therefore the out of town shop with more parking, more warehouse space and a bigger showroom is a better bet but not always. Do ride out to the out of town shops and you will hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

What is their website like?

It can be hard for a shop to compete with the online specialists. However, does their shop clearly give the basic information. Opening hours? Brands stocked? A few words about the workshop? What their specialisms are? Do they give a first impression that is hopeful? They may not be experts at HTML - overlook that but not too much. The internet has been around for a decade or more, they should have some semblance of a webpage by now.

One area of trust is whether they do have a product focused website and if the prices match what you pay in the showroom. Go in with printouts and haggle if you get given a different price in the shop. Expect your trust to be diminished if there is no good reason for any discrepancies.

Conclusion

This question is as long as a piece of string. Opinions vary. Presented above is a far from exhaustive list of things to look out for. At the end of the day a lot comes down to personalities and whether you like the staff. That said there are things that may not come across in the time you spend with them and there may be good reasons for misunderstandings. Whatever, do support your local bike shop and be open to their service and expertise, not everything can be done online.


Rehabilitating leg warmers I have a pair of leg warmers, purchased from Performance Bicycle some years ago. They're still in decent shape, but the rubber or silicone layer at the top that holds them up has thinned. The warmers tend to slide down my leg these days.

Is there a way to re-create the layer that's meant to grip them to my legs?

This stuff is not expensive.  Simply unpick the stitching, and replace it.

The hardest thing will be doing the stitching in a way that will stretch, because a plain straight stitch will not work.  A fancy modern sewing machine can do these stitches, as can an overlocker.

Example pricing seems to range from a few dolleurosuid to tens of them.  It gets cheaper in larger lengths, with 50 metres being under $1 / metre.

https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-silicone-gripper-elastic.html  for example.  Keywords here are "silicon grip elastic"


triathlon handlebars for ultegra di2 I recently bought a Canyon AL 9.0 Di2 bike and would like to mount a triathlon handlebars on it. My ultimate desire would be able to have the gear switchers both on the triathlon and the bike's handlebars. My questions are :

(i) Is there gear to achieve all the above without cutting and soldering the wires and doing that type of nasty work

(ii) If it is not possible to have it the (i) option, maybe one can do it with cutting and soldering the wire?

(iii) Any suggestions for the handlebars for this type of bike? I have a rather weird body-geometry (with rather short legs and rather long torso).

Any comments are very helpful.

What you want are satellite shifters or the TT shifters.

I believe they just plug into the standard brake/shifters.


What are the differences between road rims/wheels and hybrid? I recently purchased a carbon fiber wheel for my bike. It turns out the wheel isn't right for my hybrid bike for a number of reasons: brake availability, hub diameter, rim width, etc.

So now I'm on the market for a performance rim that will fit my hybrid bike. But I don't know, when looking at the specs for a rim/wheel, what I need to look for to ensure this is the right wheel for my bike.

What are the specs / measurements / features that determine whether a rim is designed to fit a road bike vs. a hybrid/commuter bike?

Hub Width

On road, mountain, and hybrid, the front hubs are 100mm in width. On road bicycles the rear is typically 130mm, where on a MTB it is typically 135mm. Measure this from your old hub, and DON'T stretch/force a different hub width.

Wheel (Rim) Diameter

The most typical road rim is a 700c which will mean the bead seat diameter of the rim is 622mm, and the typical mountain bicycle will either have 26" (559mm BSD), 29" (622mm), or one of each. There are many non-typical sizes, however, so see Sheldon Brown's Tire Sizing Page.

While some of this is rim sizing, it's the overall wheel size that matters - note that 29" MTB and 700c rims have the same BSD, but are unlikely to work well or fit at all (without serious brake modifications, to say the least).

If you want to see what various rim/tire combinations look like visually to compare them to your current setup, you can pick various ones (and see the resulting measurements in mm) on a site I built.

Brake Compatibility

You're either going to have rim brakes, which require rims specifically made with a braking surface and additional strengthening in that area (read: a bit heavier), or disc brakes which require a hub that can accept a disc rotor (and matching disc mounts on the frame and/or fork).

For best results, if you have rim brakes and don't plan to upgrade, get a non-disc hub and rim brake designed rim, and if you have disc brakes then get disc compatible hubs and rims without a braking surface (disc brake rims). This will lessen the additional (unused) weight and likely shave off some cost as well, but it is possible to have a rim brake rim with a disc hub.

With some road-style (caliper) brakes, you may have to adjust or even replace the brakes if you vary too far from their rim/tire clearance capabilities, so for best results stay somewhat close to what you had (or have the possibility of replacing brakes as well). V-Brakes, cantilever, and disc brakes are more forgiving on rim/tire size variances.

Tire Width

This is the most tricky part on a hybrid, as their tires (and thus rims) are typically somewhere between a MTB (1.8", 1.9", 2.0", 2.1", 2.3" being common) and a road bike (18mm, 20mm, 23mm, 25mm and 28mm being common). You'll need to use a caliper where the tire fits through the forks and frame to get a handle on your maximum size (allowing for some clearance) and then selecting a desired tire width up to that maximum.

Rim Width

This needs to match the desired / compatible tire width, see below (from Sheldon Brown's site).

If all of the above match, the wheel is good to go (with perhaps some minor brake adjustments).


The new Copenhagen wheel - a worthwhile investment? I've been looking to reduce how much I sweat on my commute to work, and I've been looking into electric bicycles. Upon looking, I saw the copenhagen wheel: an all-in-one electric bicycle conversion kit. I'd prefer to go with the most cost efficent method. Does anyone have any experience with it? Is it more practical to buy a complete electric bike or to use a conversion kit?

Some of your questions are not answerable, so I will only focus on what can be answered.

  Does anyone have any experience with it?

No one has any real experience yet as the wheels are still on pre-order.  A friend pre-ordered nearly 2 years ago and is still waiting.  That said, you live near their headquarters (Cambridge, Mass) apparently you can demo a unit.

  Is it more practical to buy a complete electric bike or to use a
  conversion kit?

This depends on what you mean by "practical" and what your use case is.  If you are planning on long distance commutes (e.g., 40+ km) with a high assist level, then it will not be practical as the battery housed within the wheel may not provide enough range.

If by "practical" you mean easy to convert an existing bike, the answer could be yes if your bike matches their required specs.

For geared bikes your will need rim brakes on the rear wheel (no disc brakes) and a rear hub spacing of 135 mm (road bikes are 130mm and will not work unless you spread the frame - difficult and requires steel frames).  If you are fixed or single speed your rear spacing will need to have a standard track hub spacing (120mm).

You will also need a smart phone in order to interact and change the settings on the wheel.

If any of these are a deal breaker then it is not practical for you.

In terms of pricing it is very competitive relative to existing electric bike or existing conversion kits.  Assuming it actually ships and works as advertised.

NOTE: For those unfamiliar the Copenhagen wheel is self contained (battery and motor are housed within a large hub)  rear wheel which you swap out on an existing bike.  Assuming your bike (or bikes) is compatible, this makes turning an existing bike into an electric bike a relatively quick and straight forward conversion. All controls are done via a smart phone application and bluetooth


What is the typical angle between the derailleur post (seat tube) and top of chain? I'm building a (non-standard) bike and that means mounting a front derailleur in relationship to the incoming chain line (rather than selecting a seat-post angle visavis chainstay angle, etc.) So I'm wondering about the typical angle between the chain (on of the crank) and the derailleur mounting post (usually a seat tube). I've measured several bikes here (also non-standard, some standard) with my digital angle finder, chain in the middle of a triple ringset, and I get values from 68 degrees to 75 degrees. All shift fine. I'm wondering if there's a best practice reference here. Most of the seat-post angle stuff I see is in relationship to the chainstays, not the chain.

There is not a fixed angle between the front derailleur and the chain, because the angle of the chain relative to the bike changes depending in what front and rear sprocket it's on.

Chain stay angle range is a parameter specified for front derailleurs. As an example, see this Shimano specifications page for road groupsets. Chain stay angle is the angle between a line drawn from the bottom bracket axle center and the rear wheel axle center, and the seat tube (or a line from the BB axle center to wherever the front derailleur is mounted if there is no traditional seat tube).

If you place your front derailleur on a line at that makes an angle to the chain stay line in the specified range, you know the chain will be at an acceptable angle to the cage in any gear combination.


Can I inflate to 8bar? I am quite new in the world of urban cycling and I am liking it A LOT.
for the sake of curiosity I want my wheels to be as hard as possible, know how this feels and how my bike behaves.
As of now, I have a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25-622 28x1.00 (700x25C) tires with their complement bicycle tubes Schwalbe 28" 700C. They are the slimmest that I have found for my rims. The sidewalls of my tires are labelled with 6.0-8.0 bar 85-115 psi.
Unfortunately, I have twice tried to inflate my tires to their maximum pressure and the inner tubes blew out while inflating! It has been impossible for me to reach the 8 bar.
So I have the following questions:

Am I stretching the inner tubes over their limits? Cuz the 8 bar is a limit of the outer tire. Am I using the wrong tubes? Are there other tube-brands that can handle more pressure?
Is there a better tire/inner tube option/combination available for super-high-pressured-tires?

thank you

Safe pressure is limited by rim and/or tire strength, not the inner tube itself (and maybe by its valve, but that's not this case).

My guess is that your tire is little too big (or damaged) and inner tube comes out through gap between tire and rim and eventually explodes.

Please provide picture of blown tube ;-)


What is this crank part called? I recently had a Shun SS-8001 crankset fail. When taking it apart, I saw that the right pedal has a sort of stop ring that prevents the pedal, presumably, from unscrewing itself:

Now I need to find a replacement and I have no idea what this part is called. The pedal itself has a 35mm thread; this part seems to have a thread but also a tightening bolt. What keyword should I be searching for?

It's a bottom bracket bearings preload collar/adjuster. Just like other bearing pairs (i.e. hubs, suspension pivots, headset), bottom bracket bearings need a way to remove slack, so spindle won't move sideways. There's a thread on the inner surface, so when you turn the collar, it will move left/right along the spindle. The bolt fixes the collar in place.

If you are looking for a replacement, I'd measure the axle diameter and collar thickness. If it's 30mm/5mm, I'd try a Race Face one, or contact any Shun vendor and ask about separately sold spare parts.

Some crankarm/BB systems don't use this exact method, and some do. For example, Race Face cinch crankarms have almost the same looking collar:

SRAM has a similar tool as a part of their BB30 and now DUB crankarms:

Sometimes there's not enough space for a collar, so other options to preload bearings are:

Optional stack of flat shims on spindle and a wavy washer, here's a screenshot of Zipp Vumaquad manual, figure 3 shows a wave spring:

Shimano's Hollowtech 2 crankarms use the non-driveside arm bolt to preload the bearings: