Are there any tricks to make "U brake" stronger? I rebuilt a kids bike. I had the wheelset and calliper/U-brake replaced. Parts that I used are not cheap parts, lets say its more of mid range parts for BMX, normally made of alloy. I made sure the calliper is installed properly and brake shoe are aligned with the rims.

Still the brake is weak, even on a road that is 15 degrees it won't stop. For me it looks like the brake shoe is slipping and not having a good hold on the rims even if its perfectly aligned. I tried pouring soda on the rims to make it sticky but still no good. Any ideas?

Update: I already did try to degrease the rims and used more expensive brake shoe(Baradine brake pads) still no good. Brakes did improve but not what I wanted. I have to give so much pressure on the brake lever in order for it to stop, when I say so much pressure I feel like the brake lever and the cable wire is about to snap.

The easy solution is usually better brake pads. If you're using $2 brake pads, or just old worn ones, you're not going to get very good braking. Spending $10 on a pair of decent pads can make a huge difference.

As well, make sure the brakes are set up properly, especially if you're using two finger (short) levers. With new cables, true wheels and minimum clearance between pads and rim you'll be able to put maximum force on the brakes.

If everything is properly rigid you shouldn't see anything flex when you apply the brakes. If you do, maybe look at a reinforcing plate (called "brake bridges"). Many older U brakes already come with those. It's a U or C shaped plate than goes over the top of the brake to reinforce the pivots. They're also used with V brakes but shouldn't be necessary if the bike is built properly. Old mountain bikes and BMX's often just had U brake or V brake pivots added to a frame designed for calipers, and the tubes would bend or twist when the brakes were applied. That made the brakes no better than calipers in many cases.


What is the max weight a standard bycycle would take? I would like to get back into cycling again, however over the last couple of years I have piled a few needless pounds on. I currently weight 178kg (392 lbs), would a standard bike frame withstand my weight? I'm hoping to loose substantial weight hopefully by cycling each day as I've never been much of a runner. But do I need to loose this weight before I start cycling. I had been looking at the Carrera Vengeance Mens Mountain Bike 2015 - 22".

178kg would put significant strain on most off the shelf bicycles. Most critical parts would be wheels, bottom bracket, crank set, and suspension if any.

I would suggest that you go to your local bike shop and have custom assembled bicycle for you with:

wheels 26" with at least 36 spokes, best quality double walled rims, best quality spokes and good wheel builder
robust steel frame with no suspension
wide tires
bottom bracket and crank set with external bearings like Hollowtech II, or better


Servicing DT Swiss 240 FRONT hub this is my first post here. How can I service a DT swiss 240 front hub, as in remove the adapter ( end cap ) to get to the insides? Do i need a special tool? Does it even need servicing? There is plenty of info out there on how to service the rear hub and I have already done that but I can't find anything on servicing the front hub. Please help.

The DT Swiss 240s front hub is a sealed bearing hub.  Service includes removing the endcaps, removing the bearing seals, regreasing the bearing cartridge, and then reversing the process.

There are no special tools required.  The end caps are a friction fit, and, while they are tight, they will remove by hand.

If bearings are damaged, replace the entire cartridge.

This does require special tools. Or at least, strongly recommend them.:)

One last thing:  If there is nothing wrong with the hub, no service is required.


Is it more difficult to mount non-tubeless tires on tubeless-ready rims than non-tubeless-ready rims? In the summer I bought an e-road-bike that has tubeless-ready rims. I wanted to change the tires to better ones, so I bought a pair of Continental GP 5000 (non-tubeless) 28mm tires, and installed them on to the rims.
It was a very hard job! I even punctured one tube in the process.
Yesterday, I finalized a 36-spoke replacement wheel for the e-road-bike, because I was not satisfied with the stock non-Shimano hub and the spoke count of the stock wheel (28). The replacement wheel uses a non-tubeless-ready double-eyeleted rim (DT Swiss TK 540).
I mounted a GP 5000 28mm tire on the replacement wheel, and it was very easy!
I started to think whether this could be due the tubeless-readiness properties of the rim. Are all rims similar? I.e. is it always hard to mount a non-tubeless tire on a tubeless-ready rim and easy to mount a non-tubeless tire on a non-tubeless-ready rim?

There is always the potential for tolerances to make a particular tire, rim, or combination hard to mount.
A rim being tubeless or not per se does not dictate how hard it is to mount a tire on. Tubeless rims aren't made tighter, i.e. their target diameter for the bead is not a larger number than non-tubeless.
There has always been a cat and mouse game in cycling where no manufacturer of tires or rims wants their parts to be subject to tires blowing off. So sometimes they make decisions that nudge things in the tighter direction; ie smaller bead seat diameter for tires and bigger for rims, and truly difficult mounting situations can result. You can find some tubeless parts that show this phenomenon, but it's not categorical to tubeless. It's probably less common if anything if I had to guess.
In practice, almost all problems people have mounting tires on to tubeless rims relate to them not being deliberate enough in getting the beads sunk in the middle well of the rim. Doing this all the way around is how you make the final tight spot easy. This has to be done on purpose with tubeless rims in a way it didn't so much before.
If you gathered data you might find that tubeless rims had a larger BSD on average and are harder to mount by that definition. Or, you might find that the tighter tolerances are working in both directions, and average BSD is the same. That data doesn't exist. Another definition of which is harder to mount is for which type is it more common to encounter a rim with a BSD that's simply too large and has to be brutally fought to get a tire onto. In my experience that would be non-tubeless, presuming one has good technique with tubeless center wells, as above. I very rarely have that struggle with tubeless rims.
You'll read that Conti road tires err tight and there may be some truth in that, but only to a marginal effect compared to the difficulties you'll encounter if you don't do the above.


Do I need a chain breaker tool to install a new chain on my bicycle? Do I need a tool, or will the chain have the correct length? For example, my biggest cog in the rear is 34T and the biggest chainring at the front is 42T and the chain has 116 links. Is a chain with 116 links enough? What should someone consider about the length when buying a chain?

You need a chain tool. All drivetrains are different. The chainring size (or the big ring size if a 2x or 3x drivetrain), largest cog size, and chainstay length all influence the length of chain needed, and all bicycles differ in these parameters. 116 links is a standard length that suffices for the longest required chains on most bicycles. Hence, that length will provide just enough or too much chain for most bikes.
Naturally, you can outsource that task to your local bike store. Each person's inclination for doing their own work and maintaining the necessary tools is different. Changing your chain is easy enough, and many cyclists should expect to do it often enough, that I think a chain tool is a worthy investment. However, your bike store will be more than happy to check for wear and install a new chain, although their workload may affect how quickly they can do it (NB for people happening on this answer in the future: there is a global pandemic now, and bike stores are working overtime since many people want to get their bikes fixed plus they often have to reduce capacity to let their workers stay at a safe distance, so this is not a trivial issue as I type this. We are, we hope, at the beginning of the end of the pandemic.)


Can't find information on Suntour XOR 100 fork This Rockrider 540 MTB description says it has a Suntour XOR 100 fork. I am not able to find it on the Suntour website.

Anyone knows what does XOR stands for?

"XOR" stands for nothing, it's a typo in "XCR". Here's a review of this bike where you can read the model clearly on photos and the XCR aggregate page on Suntour's website.


How do I move my chainring without moving my crank arm? I recently did a 1x10 conversion on my mountain bike. I replaced almost everything on my drive train except for my crankset. The single chainring (104 BCD, 34T) fits onto my drive-side crank arm in the position where the large chainring used to fit (used to be 3-speed in the front). This causes some severe cross-chaining (if it's even called that on a 1x) when my chain is on the biggest cassette ring.

How do I move my chainring closer to the bike frame and therefore more to the center of the cassette? Can I buy spacers? Do I need to move my drive-side crank arm itself? Do I need to replace the crankset entirely?

If your bike was previously set up with three chainrings, then the new single ring should be placed in the middle chainring location (i.e., on the inside of the four mounting points of the crank).  Assuming that this is a somewhat ordinary mountain bike, the previous middle chainring was likely a 32t, so the new 34t single ring should fit with sufficient clearance between the ring and the chainstay.  This should substantially reduce your cross-chaining issues, although it is worth noting that a 1x setup will never have as straight of a chainline in either the lowest or highest gears as a properly used 3x setup.


MTB levers on a road bike conversion I've got a Raleigh Olympian road bike I use for commutes and my neck is killing me (congenital problem). So I want to put gull wing cruiser bars on this bike, with mountain bike levers in the center area near the stem, leaving the original brake calipers and tube-mounted shifters in place. I know this sounds ridiculous and I also assume plenty of people will say, "just buy a commuter hybrid", both of which are moot points. Is it possible?

You can definitely do this. Take a look at something like the Nitto Albastache bar that Rivendell sells – or peruse their handlebars section and see if there is something that looks better to you.

The tricky parts are the size of the center clamp area of the handlebars and the areas where the brake levers clamp to the bars. There are many choices… Older road bikes tend to have a 25.4 mm center area, newer ones may be either 25.4 or 26.0 mm, your stem has to match. Some stems are 26.0 mm with a shim to take them down to 25.4. Brake lever clamp sizes are also different between mountain and road bikes. You'll want to pick your bars and then select brake levers that will fit them.

The other thing you'll need to be aware of is that brake systems have two varieties of "pull" – how much cable movement it takes to actuate the brakes effectively. Caliper brakes like you have, and cantilever brakes (which are common on mountain bikes) use a "short" pull. V-brakes use a "long" pull. It sounds like you need short pull levers. They may also be described as levers for cantilever brakes.

If you like the Albastache bar it has the advantage of being sized to take road levers (23.8 mm diameter where the brake levers clamp on), so you avoid the expense of a new set of levers. It also has the possible downside of a 26.0 mm clamp area, so the money you save on levers may go towards a new stem.

Ditto also makes a bar they call the Albatross which has a similar shape a 25.4 mm stem clamp and takes takes brake levers with a fairly standard, for mountain bikes, 22.2 mm clamp size.

It seems really likely that you'll be able to find something that works without having to spend a big pile of time or money.


Convert a compact (double) to a triple front chain ring I've a giant defy 3, compact. My front chain rings are capput and need replacing. Could u easily change to a triple chain set, they are currently 34 and 50. I've already just re placed the chain and cassette when I noticed the front was a mess when looking to change my bottom bracket.

Thanks for advice.

In order to change the crankset from double to triple, you will have to replace following things besides triple crankset.

Left brifter to triple from double
Front derailleur to triple
Bottom bracket with longer axle
Rear derailleur with larger capacity if it's short cage

The left brifter (aka STI lever) is the most expensive component. If you don't change the front D, shifting on front is bad if lucky, and the cage may hit the chain. If you don't change the bottom bracket, there is a chance that the inner ring may hit the frame. If it clears the frame, the chainline is bad anyway, so you need a longer crank axle.

For deciding what rear derailleur to use, you need to add up the number of teeth differences of cassette's largest to smallest, and the teeth difference of front's outer and inner ring, and the total has to be smaller than the capacity that the rear D can handle.

So, you'd be looking at at least a few hundred USD dollars with just components, and if you don't do the work yourself, you'll need to pay for the work which is probably another 100+ USD.


Looking for a cycling jacket for Fall/Spring I am looking for a cycling jacket for fall/spring.  Depending on how well it works I may use it through (part of) winter as well.

I did a bit of shopping last night and purchased this MEC SuperMicroft Cycling Jacket.

I brought the jacket home and began having second thoughts.  I am thinking about returning it and continuing my search.  Here are my requirements:

Cuts the wind
Will not become like sauna inside making me soaking wet
Has good road visibility
It doesn't have to be extremely waterproof but being able to fend of a light shower would be nice

My main concern with this jacket is the breathability.  It has pretty big armpit zips.  It is made out of "Super Microft™ microfibre polyester, which is soft and quiet like cotton but tightly woven and treated with durable water repellency (DWR) to shed water".  It feels like the fabric will cut through the wind well but might leave me very wet inside.  The jacket does not have any kind of back vent which may be problematic.

I am riding in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  It has been pretty wet here lately.  I haven't riddin in the rain too frequently but the roads are always wet (thank you fenders).  The temperature I want to use this coat in would be about +7C to -2C and maybe colder if I can layer correctly.

Open questions:

What do you use when cycling in cool weather to keep the wind from chilling you and keeping the moisture away from your body?
Does anyone have any views on this jacket?  Would your recommend something else?

I also live in Ottawa, and the last week I've been wearing this MEC Cycling Jersey, along with another regular jersey and a cotton white T undershirt underneath.  This has been sufficiently warm for my 20 minute commute.  My arms get a bit cold, because they only have 1 layer, so I think I may pick up some arm warmers if it gets too much cooler, but I don't think it's really necessary. Other than that I don't have too many problems keeping myself warm.  I find that using lots of layers really helps to cut the wind, without compromising breath-ability.  As far as other clothing goes I have the Roubaix Tights which are worth every penny.  Have kept my legs toasty warm, while not making me sweaty, even in the cold (-1 degree C) we had this morning. Like the jacket that @geoffc mentioned, they have different material on the front and back.  The front blocks out the wind, and the back lets your legs breath and lets some of the heat out. Only problem I have is keeping my hands warm.


What make/brand is this bike marked "Challenger" and "Resistance"? I'm trying to find what kind of brand/make my bike is so I can find more information about it. It might help me determine if I should buy a new bike.

All I can tell from looking around my bike are the words 'Challenger' and 'Resistance'. It's a hand-me-down mountain bike, I haven't got a manual or receipt for the bike so I suspect there must be some way of finding out otherwise.

I've searched for 'Challenger Resistance' on the web and the best result I received was from an auction on eBay of an identical bike. Here's what my bike looks like:

I'd like to know how to identify bikes. I think that would be more valuable then If someone told me what brand I have.

The usual method of identifying a bike is what you've done.

The brand and model are usually part of the decals on the frame.

My bike, for example, says Scott on the downtube, and CR1 Pro on the toptube near the headset.

It is Swiss made, and the model stands for comfort road 1, and Pro tells you what parts were on it originally.

If there are no decals, an experienced mechanic or shop owner can usually identify most common frames.

Your bike is very basic, at best, and most people would not consider it safe for use on off road trails. I would recommend looking for a shop quality mountain bike. You will enjoy riding more, and that is what it's all about.  Feel free to ask if you need more information.


Is it a problem to have tires of different width? I received a new tire for my bike. I believe this is a "Hybrid bike" in English and looks more or less like that

image courtesy of Wikimedia

I use it to commute, 50% on bike paths and 50% on easy forest tracks. I have a normal pace (say, 15 to 20 km/h) without any special acrobatic maneuvers.

The problem is that this tire, mounted on the front, is thinner than the one on the back (significantly, I would say it is at about 2/3 of the width, leaning towards 1/2). The size of the tires are:

front: 28x1.4 (ETRTO 37-622)
back: 622 (28x1.60-700x40C)

Sorry for the difference, one is from a photo of my tire, the other one is from the command details. I can have a look at the tires tomorrow if the measurements above are not sufficient.

Is this an issue? Specifically: can this be dangerous? As I mentioned, I drive carefully but some unexpected moves (hard break, sudden change of direction) are always possible and these are these I fear most.

I mostly know the consequences of having a narrow tire vs. a wide one - I am happy with both widths and their features. The question is about having two that are different.

I already carefully did ~50 km and did not see anything special in the way the bike behaves, but the problem may be in some specific situations (wildly guessing)

37mm / 1.4" vs 40mm / 1.6" is not a very big difference. There should be no problem for casual riding.

I'd keep the larger tire on the back as the rear wheel supports more rider weight.


Can I leave a suspension fork upside down? I currently have my mountain bike disassembled, I broke a tire and needed some space in my room. The frame is resting upside down on the saddle and handlebar.

The fork itself is a Rock Shox SID Dual Air (pretty old model, I guess 2001). As this fork relies - to my best knowledge - only on air, storing it upside down shouldn't be a problem. Am I correct, what about other types of suspension forks?

You will not damage a suspension fork by hanging it upside down. Although the fork is air sprung it also uses oil for dampening in one of the legs. Oil may leak if your seals are degraded. The seals in suspension forks are made to ensure they don't react with the suspension oil. The oil will actually help lubricate the seals.

This is the same for coil (spring based) forks.

Once you refit your fork it will take time to settle back to its original state.


Front brake is nearly impossible to squeeze, and and the brakes also wont release I'm having trouble with the brakes on a bike I just bought from someone used. The front brakes are pretty much impossible to squeeze with my hand, (and I played college tennis I have pretty decent grip strength) and basically nothing happens no matter how hard you squeeze. Also if you can squeeze the brakes hard enough they don't release, they stay stuck up against the wheels. I don't know much about bikes but I'm happy to answer follow up questions I have tried adjusting the cable longer and shorter, and I've tried adjusting the brake pads as well. Please help!

I assume your bike has rim brakes, not disc brakes. It is most likely that the brake cables and brake housings have rusted. This creates a lot of friction inside them, making it hard to affect the brake arms by pressing the levers, or reverse.

If this is the case, you should replace the cables and housings with new ones. It is cheap to do. Their regular replacement is in fact a part of bicycle (bi-)yearly maintenance check-lists.

Given that the housings are in such a bad condition, I would also pay attention (and money, to a bike mechanic) to other consumables on the bicycle to make sure nothing is excessively worn or plain broken and thus creates safety risks. Check shifter cables/housings (most likely as rusted as the brakes), brake pads, chain, tires.


Very narrow gap between pad and brake rotor I have just retired my Tektro brakes (13 years of service) and replaced with a pair of cheap Shimano MT200.
I have a problem with extremely narrow gap between the disk and pads. The gap is so narrow that it makes it near impossible to adjust brakes for no rubbing. Also any amount of dirt that gets on the disk during winter ride is guaranteed to cause a lot of noise.
Brakes don't appear to be overbled. Pistons can be pushed all the way back into the caliper when pads are removed. Also lever freestroke distance appears to be usual. For contrast I compare this to another bike that has SRAM brakes on it. Lever travel is about the same but SRAM brakes have about 3x times as much of a gap between pads. It appears that for the same amount of lever travel SRAM calipers advance/retract 3x distance of Shimanos... This cannot be right.
It is difficult to take a picture of but here is a sketch:

What I have tried and checked so far:
Wheel off + pads off + push the pistons all the way back.
Makes no difference. Calipers can be pushed all the way in without a proble, Leveler bottoms out. After doing this, the bite point is lost and it takes a few pumps of the lever to let the calipers adjust and "find their place". After calipers are in place, the problem is back - gap is too narrow.
Re-bleed
I am no stranger to bleeding brakes. Done everything by the books. But for this particular subject it is important that I bled the brakes with pistons fully pushed back and largest bleed block (that fits) in place. This should make sure that the system is not overbled... I obviously don't pressurise the system.
No improvement
Rotor thickness
My rotors are original from Tektro and I thought that maybe rotor thickness is different between Tektro and Shimano, but it does not appear so. Rotors measure 1.8 mm with a digital caliper...
Caliper tilt (pad not parallel to disc that makes visual gap smaller)
Nothing to say here, calipers are mounted straight. I readjusted them a few times.
Running out of ideas here. Any advice appreciated.
UPDATE 2021-05-10
About 2000 km later I can confirm that the correct answer was "just ride it". The problem was there for a while but eventually went away (around 1000km mark.

Its unclear to me what the actual problem is, apart from your feeling the pads are too close.
If they are not pulling back far enough and rubbing the disc all the time, it could be
stiffness just from being new and unused. Install them and ride...
You could try to lube the piston and seals (remove pads, squeeze out pistons and drip oil on them then work them in and out a few times a few times. Personally I would not bother unless I had a few miles on them and still had problems.
The issue of winter grime between the disc and pads will not go away or get better with a bigger gap.


what benefits do tubeless tyres bring to a 29er trail mtb? I have a 2014 Whyte T-129s and am considering converting the tires to tubeless. They are already 'tubeless compatible', so this should not be prohibitively expensive, but I am wondering whether this will really result in a better performance?

Well, the main advantages of tubeless is that you can run lower pressures (which comes with better shock absorption and thus control) with less risk of flats (though you should always carry a backup tube). I'm not entirely sure on where the truth is in regards to weight, but I don't think its important. The disadvantages are still having to carry a backup tube and the extra complexity of installing the tire.

In any case, if you have tubeless ready rims, its relatively cheap to try running tubeless on your own, so I think giving it a shot is the best way to convince yourself that its worth it or not.


Grx chainring with XT/Slx RD What with the ongoing situation with the grx rx812 rear derailleur being out of stock, I was wondering if its possible to use an XT or Slx rear derailleur with a grx chainring?
For reference I have an slx m7000 11-40 cassette and a grx 1x11 42t chainring.
Thanks!

Not out of the box. Shimano road and MTB shifters pull a different amount of cable with each shift. Art’s Cyclery documented that Shimano 11s road shifters pull 2.7mm, and Shimano 11 MTB shifters pull 3.6mm. Thus, an 11s MTB rear derailleur will never shift correctly.
I have not used this particular cable pull adapter by Jtek engineering, but it claims to change the cable pull so that Shimano 11s road shifters can shift MTB derailleurs, and vice versa. This might be an option if you absolutely need to do this.


What is a modern equivalent to "fir el 201" rims What is a comparable modern-day rim to these "fir el 201" rims? I believe they came stock on a 1996 Bianchi Eros.

I need to replace the rims, and I am trying to gauge the quality that I am used to in order to set a baseline in my search.

According to BikePedia, these did not come stock on the Bianchi Eros in either 1996 or 1997. Since this bike came stock with Mirage level components, you're probably looking at a low - mid level quality OEM rim. Fir is/was a good brand, as is Ambrosio (which came stock on this bike). Finding a rim from Velocity or Alex Rims or Mavic just to name a few common manufacturers will provide you with a quality alternative that is affordable and readily available today.

To match the style, you are going to want to get a low profile or "box" style rim as opposed to a deep profile or "aero" rim. All of these companies and more have a style of rim like this.

You will definitely need to purchase new spokes and nipples for this, so make sure you know how to purchase the proper size.


Why use 54T (or bigger) chainring? In time trial races, I see people are using these big chainrings. Is 50/11 combination doesn't give enough top speed? What's the real advantage? I can only think of the negative, which is it makes the speed difference between two cogs wider.

EDIT: new info

I found this article One ring to rule them all: Tony Martin's Canyon Speedmax, stating another benefit of using large chainring:

  ... by running a huge front chainring, even Tony Martin will often have to use a larger rear cog, which will pull the rear derailleur a bit closer into the bike's center and thus slightly out of the wind, further reducing drag.

The chainring in the article is a 58T

UCI time trials are a class race contested in the tiny fractions of a percent, tiny differences in equipment become very important. Riders practice in wind tunnels to tweak everything from clothing to pedalling style, because a shift that gives an overall gain of 0.01% in speed can result in a win.

Considering more than just the top gear, the jump from 50/11 - 50/12 (the two highest gears) and 54/12 - 54/13 is noticeably bigger (9% vs 8%). That may well explain the change, even if it results is slightly lower peak speed, since it means that on slight slopes the rider has better gear options available. Note that on downhill sections the 54/12 rider has the 54/11 ratio available, where the 50/11 rider has no choice but to spin faster.

The difference between gearing 50/11 and 54/12 is about 1% (4.545454... vs 4.5). The larger chainring is bigger and heavier so it has more aero drag but lower mechanical losses (especially the loss difference between 11T and 12T is significant... but that loss should be less than 2% of the total power output). I suspect the human power output difference between those two at a given speed is less important than the comfort factor of being able to choose a gear that feels right.

It does not even have to translate directly into better average or total power output from the rider, as long as it gives a better time. Also possible is that it makes the rider feel faster, and that directly affects performance.

edit in response to imel96's question in comments: explain more about gear ratio selection (sorry, can't do tables here so you're seeing a spreadsheet turned into preformatted text)

When riding people care about pedal rpm, which is determined by gearing. Humans have a power/speed curve. The further from their optimum cadence they are, the less efficient they are (and in a time trial efficiency is what matters). The closer the gear ratios are, the closer to the right gear they can get so the closer to their peak efficiency point they can stay.

This wee table shows what's likely to be the next 4 cogs lower than the original question on the two cassettes we're discussing. The question I'm looking at here is "going up a slight rise, what gear options are available".

54/12 top gear
cassette cogs   ratio to next gear  Development (m)
12          9.05
13  92.31%  8.35
14  92.86%  7.76
15  93.33%  7.24
16  93.75%  6.79
average 93.06%

50/11 top gear
11          9.14
12  91.67%  8.38
13  92.31%  7.73
14  92.86%  7.18
15  93.33%  6.70
average 92.54%

The immediate answer is that the 54T rider can make a slightly smaller shift. Ratios let us ignore the actual gear and focus on the size of the shift. The 54T rider shifts to a gear 92.3% of their current one, the 50T rider drops to 91.67%. And that happens every time - on average the next lower gear is 93% for the 54T rider, and 92.54% for the 50T.

(it's possible that the 54/12 rider will keep the 11T small cog so they have a downhill gear, but we can ignore that for this comparison because in that case the 50/11 rider is out of options).

That sounds really minor, but remember that those riders are fighting it out in the fractions of a percentage point.


Resources for suspension setup and tuning? I recently aquired a full suspension bike. However, I have had a hard time finding resources which tell me comprehensive strategies for setting up the suspension (Air pressure, adjustment, dial settings) for my fork and rear shock. What resources are available (outside of individual product manuals) to teach me more about how to set up my suspension properly for optimal performance.

Sheldon brown just doesn't cover supension tuning for 5k wonderbikes, who would have guessed.

General for fork and shock:

pinkbike Tech Tuesday - Suspension Setup part 1
pinkbike Tech Tuesday - Suspension Setup part 2
pinkbike Tech Tuesday - Suspension Setup part 3
pinkbike Tech Tuesday - Suspension Setup part 4

troubleshooting a shocks behavior with the dials (it's from cane creek but applies to anything):

https://www.canecreek.com/resources/docs/DB_Quick-tune_Sheet.pdf


Can an upright bicycle be modified to deal with deteriorating balance? I am a 70-year-old, 5'3" woman in good health---my knees are a little achy at times. I want to ride around the neighborhood and do errands. I haven't ridden my bike in a long time because I am feeling slightly less balanced these days. Can my bike be modified to accommodate my balance, or would I be better off switching to a different type of bicycle, like a recumbent? Any suggestions would be welcome.

If your balance might be an issue now, then a trike makes a lot of sense.  The front end is like a regular bike, so you can have a basket.  And the rear has a low platform or tray between the rear wheels for carrying other things.
I would not recommend any bolt-on stabiliser wheels (big training wheels) because 3 wheels can all touch the ground, whereas 4 wheels only touch the ground when its perfectly flat.  So you can loose drive.
The "best" bike is the one you find comfortable and will ride.  That's totally subjective, so you would be best-served to try out some bikes in person.  Mail order doesn't tell the entire story.
One side note - some trikes have only one rear wheel connected to the pedals, and other designs have a rear differential to split power between both rear wheels.  If you can test ride both sorts that may show some differences to you.
Lastly, electric assist is possible nowdays.  The bonus, it saves your knees, but the electric bike should cost around double what the non-electric bike costs.   Otherwise the bike parts have been cheapened to hit the price point.  Also, an electric bike can get you deeper into trouble, faster.  Depends what level of "assist" you set.


BB30 bottom bracket won't stop clicking My mountain bike has a BB30 bottom bracket that was clicking under power. The bike is only a month old, so I figured, break in period, and I took the crank off and greased everything up with teflon grease. I coated everything I could get my hands on in the grease, and re-tightened the crank to the specified torque ( 430 inch pounds ).

Much to my frustration, the clicking is back when under power, after riding a mile or two. What is my next plan of attack?

Updates: I tested a different pair of pedals to rule out the pedal bearings ( no, I didn't swap left for right ). I tried tightening the chainring bolts several days ago, no changes there. The crankset is some sort of SRAM Truative triple. Unlike the cranksets I've owned in the past, there's a ring on the non-drive side with an arrow on it, I'm wondering if it's a suspect at this point.

The NDS bottom bracket cup isn't installed correctly in your photo; you have a 2-3mm gap between it and the frame when there should be no gap at all. If that's as far as it gets with the spec torque (40Nm usually) then remove it and check the threads on both the shell and cup for anything which would stop it going in all the way and clean anything you find off.


Rear derailleur speed number interchangability I have a bike with an 8-speed cassette and would like to switch to 9-speed cassette.

Can I keep my rear derailleur? which is a Shimano Alivio one?
I understand the indexing might mess up this, but I figure the indexing is handled by the shifters, rather than the derailleur itself!

Also, Saint Sheldon seems to confirm it is possible , is that really reliably so?

Apart from that, I know I will need a new chain to handle the 9 speeds, is there a consequence on the crankset? or do cranksets support all chains width?

You're right, indexing is handled by the shifters.  So if you replace the 8 speed to cassette with a 9-speed cassette you should be able to use the same derailleur.  But you will have to upgrade your shifters.  The only caveat with the derailleur is that it has to be long enough to accommodate the amount of chain slack generated by going from the largest gear to the smallest gear. This becomes a problem when trying to use a road derailleur with a mountain bike, which usually has a much bigger range of gears.


assembling brackets and front crankset: how many spacers and orientation Recently I bought a Bull's Black Adder 1 26 Inch frame and quite some time ago got a present Shimano Deore Lx FC M-583 crankset (brackets included). I know they are not a perfect match, but still would like to assemble together.

Question: (1) What's the orientation of the brackets?

Question: (2) How many spaces on the left and the right side do I need to put? There are 4 spacers that came together with the crankset..

Comments?

The cup marked L goes on the left-hand side of the frame (the non-drive side) and consequently the cup marked R goes on the right-hand side. Make sure you tighten the cups in the correct direction (the drive side cup is reverse threaded) and be sure not to cross thread the frame.

As for the spacers, I presume that the frame has a bottom bracket width of 73 mm (although you should measure it to be sure), and you're going to use a front derailleur that clamps on to the seat tube. In that case, the Shimano service instructions for FC-M583 state that you should use one 2.5 mm spacer between the frame and the drive-side cup.


Freewheel disassembly problem This is a cheapo Chinese freewheel, probably from a Walmart bicycle, etc. It's unusually heavy compared to my mountain bike's freewheel. I'm just trying to see if I can disassemble it. It's a learning experiment.  I've already figured out how remove the freewheel from the hub, and the gears (chain-rings) from the freewheel-hub assembly.  Now I'm trying to unscrew the central ring that allows access to the freewheel bearings and pawls. I can tell it's reverse threaded,  so I'm turning it the CW direction.  I have a pin tool for that spacing (which I normally use for bottom brackets), but the pins are too short to access the central ring's holes, b/c that central ring is recessed below the hub that the chain-rings slide over.  I've trying whacking a screwdriver tangentially in the CW direction, holding the tip against a hole. I get good purchase, not slipping, but the ring won't budge.  I've tried this with the freewheel installed on the wheel, and with it off the wheel & secured to the bench, locked in place with the freewheel tool and a wrench. I've never had any problems removing that ring on any other freewheel, it's just a bearing cone after all,  so what's up? Any ideas?

This is the OP, George_San_Jose.  I finally got it turning. I'm not exactly sure what the  critical step was b/c I tried a combination of ideas.  The solution was some  combination of a couple days soaking in thread penetrant, working the job w/the freewheel on the wheel,  and using a steel center punch (rather than a screwdriver) to whack the hole tangentially with a hammer. I expect the latter was the most important, as some of the impact-value from the hammer was getting lost in the plastic handle of the screwdriver.


Lighter bicycle locks not made of steel Nowadays there are so many different high-tech materials, so I wonder if there is a suitable material for bicycle locks that would be much less heavy than hardened steel. If there isn't one, can somebody explain from the perspective of materials science why?

The only non-steel material used in locks that I could find is Kevlar, but mostly just as a coating around steel, and from various reviews I don't get the impression that they are better or lighter than ordinary steel ones. My understanding is that kevlar has good tensile strength (so gun bullets can't tear kevlar fabric) but it doesn't resist being sawn or cut. Carbon fibres would presumably have similar issues, it's fairly easy to damage carbon frames if you compress them so a potential carbon fibre lock wouldn't resist bolt cutters.

So are there any light materials that would have the correct properties for a bike lock? And if not, why not?

There isn't all that much point.

We have a lot of knowledge on how to make steel tough. It's also pretty cheap. This basically makes it win-win for manufacturers: use enough tough steel in a good structure with a good locking mechanism to get a decent lock. It doesn't cost a lot and its easy to fabricate.

The weight of many good locks is not that much to begin with; the main design goals with a U-lock is to leave as little space as possible to get a jack in, hard enough to cut, and has a proper lock mechanism. So, locks like the Kryptonite Evo Mini line are very good for many locking jobs and don't weigh all that much (about 1.5 lbs for the Mini 6). So, there's not all that much point in reducing weight.

There are some locks which are not steel -- Tigr makes titanium locks, for example. But they're less well known and twice the price of a high quality steel lock, such the well tested Kryptonite New York Lock line. And the smaller units don't necessarily hold up.


Tips for participating in a large organized ride Organized rides are popular and seem to be increasing in popularity around the world. The rides are usually charity and fundraising rides, and are generally supported in some fashion. Typically, the support includes food/rest stops and mechanical support. These rides are where you have 1000 - 2000+ bicycle riders, on the same route, at ALL skill levels.

How should one anticipate for, and adapt to this type of ride?

Prepare to be outraged, but there was this as well...http://obra.org/posts/obra/show/74957

Here's the deal via Bike Portland.

If it really is an "organized" ride for thousands of riders of all skill levels, you don't really need to know/do anything special other than to be reasonably prepared for the time/distance of the ride, bring along water bottles, and bring money.  And maybe sun lotion on a sunny day, or rain gear on a threatening day.

But not all "organized" rides are that, and you need to be a little prepared for at least minor chaos -- having rest stops run out of water/food, maps or cue sheets that aren't especially accurate, etc.  More money, an extra water bottle, and a cell phone will get you through most of these.

Otherwise you need to look out for others in the ride, to protect both them and you.  If you've not ridden with a group before you should observe other, more skilled riders to learn a little bicycle group etiquette, and you particularly need to be conscious of the safety issues involved, such as riding too close together, riding 3-4 abreast in traffic, making sudden turns and stops without being aware of the riders around you, etc.

With that many cyclists there will be some idiots.  Don't ride like an idiot just because a bunch of other riders are -- do your best to set a good example.  And with that many bikes there will be some folks driving cars who will get frustrated and testy -- understand that they are NOT enjoying themselves motoring along at 5mph watching you guys clown around.  Show some consideration.

Oh, and bring some toilet paper, or (my preference) a small packet of "baby wipes".


Chain contact on rear triangle Hi can anyone help with some advice. I have built up a 2007 specialized big hit 2 and fitted it with a 32t narrow wide chain ring as that is what I've been used to riding. It rides great it handles great...but today I have noticed that the lower edge of the chain grinds into the rear triangle with very little clearance. Bearing in mind I am running it with an E13 SRS 32 chain device and shimano zee short cage derailleur. Is there a simple way round this or do I need to run a larger chain ring for more frame clearance. Any pointers would be great thanks.

32 teeth should be enough to clear the frame.  Even using a 30 Tooth (pictured below) there is still plenty of frame clearance. That's a different frame, but still, it looks like there would be plenty of room on any frame.

The following picture shows a 2010 Big Hit with a 32 tooth chainring, and you can see there is ample frame clearance. The chain device actually has to bring the chain closer to the frame. Perhaps your chain device what's causing the problem and it is bringing the chain too close to the frame. You should be able to use the bike without the chain guide as the narrow wide chainring should be enough to keep the chain on there by itself. or perhaps use a different chain guide that mounts on the top.


Peculiar feel when pedaling I ride an early 90s Scott Unitrack CST with the original Shimano Deore drivetrain it came with. Same as this one. When pedaling, the right pedal has a peculiar feel like a sudden inward jerk at a certain position, roughly when the right crank is parallel to the down tube. This is more noticeable when pedaling lightly. Looking down when pedaling, the right crank appears to stretch or play inward and outward. There is no detectable play when forced with hands.

I'm given to think a busted ball bearing in the crankset is responsible, but I would like to get your opinion about the cause and urgency of the issue before I take it to the shop.

If you can't feel it with your hands, maybe you should look at the pedal. One of my pedals does similar thing. When a crank was getting loose on one of my bikes it was felt with hands too, and when coasting. Also, it may be bent chain ring or broken tooth on a chain ring.


Why do only downhill mountain bikers wear full face helmets? A lot of cyclists are concerned about safety and having the proper equipment, but I have never seen a cyclist riding in the city with a full-face helmet, nor have I seen a full-face helmet marketed for city/road riding. Is there a reason for this?

I have a friend who broke several teeth after a tire got caught in some trolly tracks resulting in many thousands of $'s of dental bills, and know of another young woman who died in a similar incident after hitting her head on the curb. Both were wearing standard bike helmets.

If the full-face helmet offers more protection to more of your head, why wouldn't some people want that, even if they're not doing some ridiculous jump on a downhill or BMX bike?

vs.

I think there will be a significant subjective element to answering this question, but pressing on:

Full face helmets are relatively heavy
Full face helmets offer less ventilation that standard helmets
Full face helmets are less aerodynamic that standard helmets
Riders don't want to look silly or weird
Full face helmets are not marketed to cross country MTB, road or casual cyclists.

However, given that a few decades ago cycle helmets were rarely worn, but are now common; it seems plausible that in the future lighter, more ventilated helmets will be developed and become generally acceptable for less extreme forms of riding.


Changing cassette from 8 to 10 or 11 to meet the Shimano 105 5800 groupset I upgraded following parts to Shimano 5800 (front and rear derailleurs, crankset, chain, STI shifters). The last thing left to replace is 8 speed Shimano CS-HG51 cassette. Unfortunately I cannot index the new 105 5800 shifter with this cassette. I guess the space between the rear cogs are not the same as in 10/11 cassettes.
Could you please confirm that?
Also do I need specific 11 cassette for my Shimano 105 5800 group or maybe 10 would be enough? Changing to 11 would force me to change the hub as well, as it is only compatible for 10 cassettes.

Yes, 8/9/10/11 cassettes have different cog spacing.

You have several options:

Replace freehub body to Shimano/SRAM 11 speed compatible, if hub manufacturer provides such an option. It's 1.85mm longer than 8/9/10.
Replace freehub body with Campagnolo one. The trick is that all 11 speed cassettes are cross compatible, but Campy freehub body has same width for 10/11 speeds.
Use 10 speed cassette. This blog entry states that works good enough after some derailleur and cable tension adjusment.
Use 11 speed cassette without one cog and using additional spacer.


Installing a rear derailleur on a bike with a nexus 8 internal hub I have a Giant Escape N8.

Unfortunately the nexus 8 hub is damaged, the wheel is also damaged, so I need to replace the whole wheel and the nexus 8. The chain also needs to be replaced, and I suspect the front crank might be in for a change as well.

Can I instead install a rear derailleur in place of the internal hub, as I need to replace the whole wheel anyway? What would I need to replace to make this work?

This isn't going to be nice, because the frame doesn't have a  derailleur hanger built in, or routing for the derailleur (which you'd have to hack on with clamp cable stops or something).

On a normal frame, one would install either a derailleur with a built in claw (e.g. Shimano Tourney RD8153)

or an adapter claw (e.g. SunRace Rear Derailleur Adaptor Claw)

 .

(Pictures from Sheldon Brown's site)

But your bike doesn't have horizontal dropouts -- it has forkends. So, you could try a chain tug with a derailleur hanger on it:

This one is from Problem Solvers and is about 30 USD, but there are others from SunXCD, Origin8 among others. Then, bolt on a derailleur as usual.

Note that even if you get a derailleur on using the chain tug with derailleur hanger, you still need:

Wheel
Derailleur
Cassette/freewheel
Shifters
Cable routing


Multiple master links on the same chain Not so long ago I put a new PYC SP1101 chain on my bike, but several rides in I managed to snap the rear derailleur off, which also bent a bunch of chain links. No way I'm throwing a perfectly good, albeit now shorter than needed chain away, so I decided to replace the bent section with leftovers lying around. The chain has hollow pins, so I can't just pop one out and push it back, that only leaves master links to connect the fragments, which I should have three of (all are the same, included with PYC SP1101).

Are there any potential downsides to multiple master links to be aware of?

Nothing wrong with it other than aesthetics.

I have 3 master links on the 2.8 metre chain in my `bent.  Its glaringly obvious too cos the masters are shiny chrome and the rest of the chain is a dull cheap galv chain.

There might be a few grams difference in weight too, but realistically that's probably less than the weight of dirt on your bike.

Just use the same brand/style of master link, so you don't try and take one off the wrong way.


Ultegra 9-speed brifter upshift problem - beyond WD-40? I have a 2000 Ultegra 9-speed right/rear brifter that does not "release" the cable properly.

My initial search on this problem suggested that this could often be cured by flushing with WD-40. So I've done that, and the problem persists. But after comparing the operation of the right brifter with the left I got more insight on the problem.

It turns out that if I hold the outer lever vertical (i.e don't let it move), then the inner lever clicks and releases properly. But if I don't hold the outer lever, the inner one will eventually start pushing the outer lever around without the inner ever clicking.

So it seems to me that there is an arrangement like this:

Outer lever -> Inner actuator -> Inner lever

And there is supposed to be something between the outer lever and inner actuator that is offering resistance to the movement of the inner actuator so that the inner lever will be able to, umm... actuate the actuator.

So, is there an obvious adjustment or missing part that I should be looking for here. Or just more WD-40? It seems like the problem is not enough resistance, not too much, so it doesn't seem like a lube problem anymore.

This link may be useful to you if you really want to dig around inside your shifter; though it looks like it might require a few special Shimano tools. Also note that he only has full strip/rebuild info for Dura-Ace...though I would expect Ultegra to be substantially the same, differing mainly in the use of plastic instead of metal for some parts.

Also consider that it is pretty easy to find Ultegra 9 stuff on eBay and elsewhere, and it may be more time-efficient to just replace rather than repair.


Why do folding bikes usually have MTB components? Most of the folding bikes I've seen, which are used for urban commuting/recreation, usually have MTB components except for the big chainring. If they're going to be ridden most of the time on paved roads, why not use road bike components?

Great question!

I think the market drives this -- not necessarily just the folding bike market, but the component market.

Mountain bikes have been the predominant type of bicycle for the past thirty years. This has meant that every manufacturer has a line for very, very inexpensive mountain bike componentry. If you want to build up a bike on the cheap, you use mtb hardware.

Finally, related  is that most adolescent-size BSOs are also mountainbikes - which further drives down price on those components with the added benefit that they fit folding bikes better.

tldr: Most folding bikes are not sold by virtue of their component line (unlike road bikes) but on the basis of their folding mechanism. Most buyers will see "Shimano" gears and be happy -- not knowing it's the bottom end plastic Shimano for a BSO mtb.

 There is also some physical factors that also play a role, notably the  brakes. Most folding bikes have 20" or smaller wheels. Because the wheels are smaller, the tires have to be wider to provide resilience and suspension. The brakes also have to be stronger and "grabbier" because the smaller wheel torques on the brakes more. So you want cantilever or V-brakes for the reach around the fat tire -- or disc-brakes.  Final nail in the casket, you have to consider which brake handle styles have the right pull ratio given that folders don't have drops. One of the few folding bikes that has road-style caliper brakes is the Brompton  - and it has custom brake levers and has been heavily criticized for its poor braking. One of the few folding bikes with drops and calipers is the Tern Verge X18 below, which is a niche-niche bike.  So in general, considering cost and effectiveness, you end up with mtb style brakes and brake levers.   Christian Lindig has also mentioned the derailleur but there are some considerations there (long-cage mountain derailleurs don't work on stubby wheels) that complicate a response.


Road bikes for tall guys I'm looking to find out about any beginner road bikes for tall, and somewhat larger guys. I am currently 6'8" and 305lbs. Been losing weight a lot, so I plan to be somewhere between 250 to 265 sometime soon. I'm curious as to if there are any good bikes for a guy of my size, or if I need to have one custom made.

My previous experience on bikes have been mountain bikes, but nothing too serious (difficult to sprint on those). If anyone could be of some help I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

I'm 6 foot 5 or 195cm tall, with a weight of ~93 kg.

The most important thing is to find a frame that fits you - if you try to up-size a small frame, it means long seatposts with lots of leverage into the frame.  I've cracked two frames over time by doing this, and bent seatposts too.

So at its most basic, you need to get the right distance from your saddle-top down to your BB axle.  For me that is 840mm +-10mm.  If I can't get that set on a frame, its too small for me.  Note, I have proportionally longer legs than torso.

Once that's right, reach to the bars is next.  That is set via trial and error, I don't even know what my measurement there is.

At a guess, you're looking for a 60cm frame size or larger.  Rare and expensive, so you may have to take whatever's available.  Start with a used bike and see how it works for you before commissioning a custom bike.

And do let us know how you get on.


Bike Speedometer Accuracy What factors should one look for when purchasing a speedometer? Does wired vs wireless or anything else factor into its accuracy?

Most speedometers are accurate as long as you input/set the right wheel size!

I have used very cheap ones, and they allow me to set the wheel size in milimeters, and after checking the same path with two different cars, the difference is minimal compared to what I had with the bicycle (in a 25Km ride the difference was only 10 meters compared to the cars).

As for the wired and wireless, my opinion:

Wireless:

Advantages:

Less wires;
Portability (I can put it into another bicycle very
easily, no wires to worry about).

Disadvantages:

The wireless that I've used (cheap ones) normally have interference caused by the road "radars" (I don't really know the proper name), or even my mobile phone (if I put it close to the receiver);
More batteries needed! (since the emmiter is not connected and needs to send the signal via radio, it needs another battery, so two in total).

Wired:

Advantages:

No interference
Less batteries needed

Disadvantages:

More wires (most are very long and I have to make a small "pack" with the remainder)
Less portable (I need to take all the wires and refit them into the new bike)

I prefer the wireless due to the less wires.


Fork seized to frame: can I just hammer it down now? I need to service a headset of bike as it was initially not even turning without applying strength. And even then it would make an awful noise. I suspect a lot of rust in there.
I have removed the bolts and spacing rings, one more spacer at the bottom. And I am left with this

I have hit it lightly with a hammer, and wood cushion in-between. It has not bulged. I am about to hit it harder, but I do not want to do anything destructive. From the picture does it look like I need to remove more spacers?
Edit:
I have got my hand over removing the fork and putting it back together, after servicing the bearings and cleaning up. The end result is not good though, there is still friction, steering feels rough and there is noise from metal on metal scratching. I suspect it's the state of the top bearings. They seem to be loose ones as per these pictures

How shot do they look? I have never seen this type of bearings. Some of the "teeth" holding them look crooked and I suspect them of being culprit of rubbing.

To remove the fork the tapered spacer on the top need to be loosened. Tap the top of the fork (maybe a little harder than you have). Then push the fork back up into the seated position. This should allow some clearance between the tapered collar and the headset bearing. Removing the split tapered collar should make everything loose enough to disassemble. Lay all the pieces out as you remove them and take a photo. It can be confusing putting it back together as the parts only fit together one way. If the bearings are open caged type you can clean and regrease them. If they are sealed then they will need to be replaced.


Campagnolo Athena 9 speed compatibility? I own some NOS shifters, Campy Athena 9 speed, from 1998 i guess.
do you guys know if I can use it with any campagnolo front/rear derailleur?
how do I know what is compatible?

This page is incredibly useful for figuring this stuff out. Campy shifters with just about any front derailleur should be fine since they have micro trim.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Bicycles/Maintenance_and_Repair/Gear-changing_Dimensions#REAR_SHIFTING_TABLES


What's the shortest / easiest "granny gear" available? What's the range on granny gears - the innermost, smallest front chainring?

Gearing is commonly described in Gear Inches and to clarify, having your chain in the smallest front ring and the biggest rear cog results in the smallest gear.

Chainrings

The smallest chainring I've seen on a 5-arm crankset is a 20T, although 24T is a lot more common.

8-Speed cassettes

Shimano had a line called "Megarange" that was 11-34T.  I believe it's no longer manufactured but you can find them online sometimes.

SRAM has a cassette in the PG-850 line that is 11-32T that I believe is still available.

9-Speed cassettes

Shimano has a number of models that are 11-34T and one model that is 12-36T.

10-Speed Cassettes

I believe the biggest you can get is 12-27T.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all front or especially rear derailleurs will be compatible with these large range rings and cassettes. Check with the manufacturer - most have spec and compatibility docs online.

Out of curiosity I used a gear calculator to figure out what the gear inches would be if you actually configured a bike and could ride 20x36 on 700c wheels...an incredibly small 14.7 inches. That means every pedal revolution you travel about 46 inches, just over half the circumference of the wheel.


two grooves in wheel rim Schwinn midtown bicycle, when replacing brakes I see the wheel has many grooves as shown in picture. I do not remember how it was before. Is this condition normal for the wheel rim?
Photo of the old rim and the old brakepad:

Two images of the new rim:

These are wear indicators.
After years of braking, the surface of the rim will grind down to a point that these grooves will no longer be discernable. At that point, you should replace the rim.


Bicycle Trailer Hitch Design Considerations I have been pulling a bicycle trailer with my Surly Karate Monkey for approximately 3-4 years. I have been using cheaply obtained used kiddie bike trailers, usually removing the fabric and adding a simple, lightweight deck to support the loads I carry. Works great! The trailer is attached to the bicycle with the standard left side quick hitch. Its a simple design and more than adequate for light duty use. I have been progressively increasing the loads on my trailer and demanding more utility from the system.
I am in the process of designing a new hitch system and looking for design considerations.Surly makes a nice hitch system for their trailers. BOB also makes a nice trailer design. There are also trailers that attach to the seat post or upper frame area.
There's also this setup
What are the considerations for where to attach a bicycle trailer hitch? What is best for heavy utility trailer use versus pulling a kid to the park?
I am considering something of a hybrid trailer hitch that attaches to both sides of the axle and has a frame incorporating features of both the surly/bob going back to a single bicycle wheel. This single bike wheel would have a frame around it including an attachment point for the simple single point hitch to pull kiddie bikes. The idea is to reduce tongue weight of the trailer acting on the frame of my bicycle and increase the draft load I can pull. I would also be adding trailer brakes to the system.
Thanks for any input.

The requirements for hitches for single wheel and two wheel trailers are different.
3 types of rotation through this joint: Pitch, yaw, roll.
Pitch: as the bike transitions up to a ramp,
Yaw: to allow a flat turn,
Roll: A two wheel trailer will stay flat while the bike leans into corners. A single wheel trailer will fall over if it's not constrained.
The Surly hitch has the X-shaped component providing yaw and roll, and the axle ends have bearings in them to provide freedom to pitch.
The BOB tailer allows pitch at the axle, but the joint before the platform only has 1 degree of freedom, allowing yaw. The trailer can't roll independently of the bike.
The mounting point differences change the impact of the tongue weight on the bike dynamics. Seatpost clamps are simpler to design and use and allow tight turns without bike-trailer contact, but increase the torque created by the tongue weight. Mounting at the rear axle minimises the torque, but all the load will be added to the rear wheel, and the trailer has to be further from the bike to avoid contact with the bike or your heels in sharp turns.


Can I enter an enduro race on a hardtail mountain bike? I really like the idea of enduro racing but I cant currently afford an enduro specific bike.
Is it acceptable to enter an enduro event on an aggressive XC/trail hardtail mountain bike? Are there any rules against it or would it not be recommended due to the terrain?

Yes, unless they say no.

The "Spirit of Enduro" is to include all riders, of all abilities, on all bikes. Since there are guys who can ride crazy fast on a hardtail down a downhill trail, you can certainly ride yours in an Enduro race. However, you might be putting yourself at a disadvantage compared to the pro's or if you are looking to be competitive.

That said, if you take a carbon-fiber XC race bike to an enduro race, crash, and break the frame, that's your own fault. There is such a thing as having the right tool for the job. Taking an AM hardtail with a more raked-out head angle and med/long travel fork would be the best thing.

There's also the trail itself and this can vary widly. Within one race I rode trails that were fairly tame, but fast and flowy, to trails that were super steep and loose with a lot square edge rocks and whatnot. An all around trail bike will be a happy medium here. Plus, look at how much climbing you will be doing. A 2 hour pedal to the race start on a mushy 150mm FR bike isn't that fun (trust me, I did it), where as on a hardtail you'll just think of it as a nice warmup!


Modern long reach calipers on old bike, strong enough for safe braking from the hoods? Currently I am debating with what to replace the handle bars and brakes on an old bike. One option are drop bars. However, a concern is that braking from the hoods was unsafe in old bikes. However, I might be able to fit a recent Shimano front caliper and fitting levers (see below). However, the brake pads would be at the limit of the calipers reach at 57 mm.

Will modern Shimano levers and calipers provide enough two-finger braking power to safely ride from the hoods?

At the rear I shall keep the current Weinmann centre pulls. These work well enough for the back. Lever compatibility is another question, see the SE question on similar Dia Compe brakes.

Parts: Shimano BL-R400 levers and BR-R451 long reach calipers. Both are super SLR

Aluminium rims 622-19, 24 mm outside width

What reach is:

  The effective length of the arms of a caliper brake. This is measured from the centerline of the center bolt diagonally down to the middle of the brake shoe. Reach is commonly expressed as a range (allowing for the fact that the brake shoes are adjustable, typically over a 10-15 mm range.) For more information, see the article about caliper brakes.

From Sheldon Brown's knowledge base

I got the Shimano  BL-R400 levers for my bike and they work great with my Dia Compe centre pulls brakes so I see no reason why they wouldn't work with your Weinmann brake which is similarly designed.

Using the center pull brakes combined with the new levers provides ample braking power both from the hoods and the drops. I can't speak as to how well the braking would work for modern calipers.

That being said, the BR-R451 calipers are only "long reach" by modern standards. There are calipers with much longer reach available if you need them. The braking power shouldn't really be effected too much by the length of the caliper.  A longer caliper arm will tend to flex more, but the arm on the BR-451 isn't even really that long.  They have been designed by a quality manufacturer who would taken into account the longer arm and design the brake with the right type and amount of material to resist excess flex in the lever arm.


Regaining confidence to ride after an accident I was able to put my best friend on bike. Things went well for a several months. Then, unfortunately she was caught in an accident (the one caused by the so-called "target fixation"). Fortunately, she recovered from her injury.

The sad part is that she has lost her confidence to ride. She was enthusiastic for a ride anytime before the accident, but now she is afraid of going for a bike ride. It's even more so on roads she is not used to.

What are some of the ways to comfort her? Any books/videos you'd recommend?

I would try the following:

Professional psychological (of course, if she agrees...);
Riding in non-traffic areas (a sinuous park or countryside would be great).

I have already perceived that most people learn a lot of bike-control while riding off-road-like situations, so that they become much more confident to ride in traffic, because the learned extra skills keep them comfortable to ride in everyday situations.

Well, just a thought, of course it depends on other factors. My wife, for one, is very scared of traffic, and sometimes trying too hard to give support ends up being an additional way to create stress.

Hope it helps, and good luck!


Road bike gear common practices I recently got a new road bike. A really beginners one (which is what I am). It is a Triban RC120 with disc cable brakes.

I have two questions,

Are there gear-chainring combinations that I cannot expect to work smoothly? Or I should expect all of them to work just as fine?
When does the normal user change the chainring? When I am in the biggest gear in the smaller chainring and I want more, do I have to change to a smaller gear and then to the bigger chainring?

I believe your bike has a double crankset with 50-34 chainrings.

The general advice is to attempt to avoid cross-chaining, i.e. avoid the big ring and biggest 2-3 cogs in the rear, and avoid the small ring and smallest 2-3 cogs in the rear. There is actually some empirical testing that shows that these combinations create higher friction in the drivetrain, and they likely wear the chain and cassette out faster also.

I'm pretty sure that with almost all groupsets, you can expect the chain to actually shift to all the cogs. In the small ring and smallest 2 cogs, the chain rubs against the front derailer cage quite noisily, but the rear derailer does actually make the shift. In my experience, big ring and biggest two cogs are slightly noisier, and you can often trim the front derailer to reduce the noise (that is, the left shifter often can actuate a partial shift which moves the cage slightly, but not enough to go to the small chainring).

Practically speaking, it is fine to leave the chain on the big ring most of the time, and to shift to the small cog when climbing significant hills. I find that at most normal solo riding speeds, a 50t chainring leaves me in the middle cogs on the cassette. Thus, one rubric I use is that if I hear the chain rubbing the front derailer slightly, I'll downshift in the front (i.e. shift to small chainring, which decreases the gear ratio) and simultaneously upshift in the rear (i.e. shift to smaller cogs, which increases the gear ratio). With the small rings on modern setups (i.e. 34t or 36t), many riders will probably be in the smaller rear cogs on flat terrain, which is not optimal for reasons discussed above.

In the past, when typical gearing was 53/39 and cassettes had tighter ranges (e.g. 12-25 or 12-23 in the rear), riders may have been advised to leave the chain on the small ring most of the time. I certainly recall being advised to do this by people in my cycling club. I believe it was conventional wisdom that you wanted to learn to spin the cranks smoothly, at a relatively high cadence. I don't know that there was a lot of empirical basis behind this advice, i.e. it could just have been fashion. Most newer cyclists will pedal at relatively low cadence, and will probably work their way up to a more optimal cadence gradually.

NB: please read what Adam and Argenti said about overlapping gear ratios between your two chainrings.


Cyclocross bike as a touring bike I am planning to get a new bike specifically for touring purposes. Though there are special one out there (like TREK 920), I was wondering if anyone has experience of using cyclocross bike for this purpose. I am looking on TREK Crossrip 3 which has mounts for rear and front racks.
I have doubts, though, that those mounts will not be strong enough for the good racks (I am currently riding a tweaked MTB with rear Topeak rack which holds up to 25 kg of weight.)
Thanks in advance.
Alex

The Crossrip line isn't quite a cyclocross bike; its designed somewhere between a commuter bike and a cyclocross bike (more relaxed and heavier than most cyclocross bikes; also, rack+fender mounts). FWIW, I do know people who have used the Crossrip for light touring and a day to day basis and were happy. But if you'll be happy is a highly personal decision.

People tour on everything, from BSO's (e.g. what you find in Walmart) to touring bikes to old mountain bikes to cyclocross bikes to full suspension mountain bikes or modern hardtails to fat bikes.

The main characteristics you need to look for are:

Comfort (Don't want to be uncomfortable on long rides)
Stability/Load Capacity/Handling (You can carry the loads required without issue)
Repairability and reliability (Depends on what kind of touring you're doing)
Terrain (Can the bike deal with the terrain? An off road tourer may not be ideal for on road and vice versa)

The frame design (i.e. the geometry and materials), tires, saddle, handlebars all come into play for a particular rider for comfort. The frame design and riding position also come into play for stability; tourers often have long wheelbases. Also, where you can mount your loads (front rack, back rack, fork, etc.) come into play with stability and handling.

Repairability  and reliability depends on what you want to do. Some tourers like the Surly Long Haul Trucker have things like spoke holders to hold spokes that you can replace broken spokes and what not. If that's your thing, you should look for bikes with that. Also, wheel sizes depending on where you go (700c vs 26"), brake types (disc vs rim; poorer areas probably will make disc (esp. hydraulic disc) repair harder if anything goes wrong) and drivetrain (can you repair it if necessary or is it something thats not going to fail or whatever).

There are secondary concerns as well, such as if you have to ship the bike around or whatever (where S&S couplers or similar may be useful).

The canonical example of a touring bike for the road is something like the Trek 520 or Surly Long Haul Trucker. It's comfy and stable when loaded due to the geometry,  uses bar end shifters which are basically indestructible (unlike brifters, which can go in 1 crash), uses a reliable drive train and has beefy wheels so they can carry high loads reliably for long distances. The gearing is also chosen so that you have a low enough gear to lug heavy stuff up an incline, for example (lower than most road bikes). You have either rim brakes or mechanical disc brakes, which should be reliable and hopefully serviceable. Most are made from steel.


Help identifying this frame? I was told this was a Cinelli frame although it's clearly not. The fork seems to be original but I'm not sure of what it could be just by looking at its dropouts and lugs. The seat post is 26.8, english threaded and there is a "suntour pro" stamp on the dropouts.
I would seriously be glad if anyone could help!

frame, dropouts, windowed lugs and fork crown

serial number

oh! sorry for the weird rendering on the photos, my iphone has become senile.

I solved the puzzle. It's a Caloi Triathlon. Although Caloi is a brazillian brand, they ordered 200 bikes from Suntour in 1985 for their racing teams. It came originalli with suntour shifting group, sugino cranks and nitto handlebars. It's such a rare ride over here, it's a shame the paint is no longer original and i have no access to a full range of the components, I really like to looks and weight of the frame.

It was only made in this nice blue color.

A better look at the lugs on the top tube

Thanks for the chase, folks!


Are my gears setup backwards? I have a trike with Shimano shifters. There are 3 gears in the front and 8 gears in the back. Gears are changed by rotating wheels found on each handlebar. The gear shifters have a window telling me which gear it is set to.

When the chain is on the largest-sized gear in the front, the sifter says "3". When it is on the smallest-sized gear, it says "1".

But the opposite is true of the back gears. When the chain is on the largest gear in the back, the shifter says "1". And when it is on the smallest gear in the back, it says, "8".

Are my gears setup the wrong way?

No, it's set up the right way.  (In fact, because of the way the front and rear gear systems work, it's essentially impossible to set them up backwards: you'd have to re-engineer the whole system.)

Think about it in terms of how many times the wheels turn for each turn of the pedals. When you change to a larger-sized cog at the front, the chain moves farther for each turn of the pedals, so the rear wheel turns more times.  When you change to a smaller-sized cog at the back, moving the chain the same distance causes the wheels to turn a greater number of times.  So, in both cases, moving to a higher-numbered gear causes the wheels to rotate more times for each turn of the pedals.


Cross tires that work on street and trail I recently when on the trail with my cross bike it has Vittoria Zaffiro 32 tires, didn't take long to washout. Is there a tire out there that will work equally well on the dirt and the street since I use this bike to commute but trails are close.

There are many, i can't recommend one because that is not what the site is for.. However look for one with micro knobby center and more aggressive shoulder knobs. Something that when going straight on pavement will offer low rolling resistance but has plenty of bite in the corners. Many brands make them.

One other approach would be to decide which is more important or more frequent for you and lean more towards that style of tire. For example if you are more concerned with riding trails and not so much with the extra effort they will require on pavement then go for something knobby but densely spaced such as something like this:

or this

Or if you are more concerned with smooth rolling on concrete but want a little bite on the random occasion go for something more like this with a smoother center.

or this


Can a counterfeit Shimano chain be used on an authentic Shimano drivetrain? I accidentally purchased a fake CNHG901 HG-X11 Chain for my Shimano 2x11 M700 Groupset because my original chain already had 0.75 wear. I was naive and stupid to think that I'd actually get a legitimate chain for the amount of money that I was paying. My question is, since the option of getting a refund is already out, is it actually safe for me to use this chain on my bike or am I better off not using it at all.
Additional info: I found out the chain was not authentic through this video:

             where I found many differences between my chain and the one in the vid. Mine had engravings on both sides and not just one, it came with a quick link but not an instruction manual like in the video, and cost about 50% the price of a legit chain.
(The chain in the YT video is not my chain, the video is an actual unboxing of a legitimate shimano chain, I used the video to compare the chain I got and the chain in the video.)

You can normally use chains from other legitimate vendors, be it SRAM or KMC or something else. You do not need to use Shimano™® chains only.
But no-one can tell you whether your chain is of sufficient quality. Only you can inspect it, measure it and try it. We cannot do that.
I am not even 100% convinced it is actually a fake chain, but I will just take is as a premise I am answering to.


I just replaced my cassette, do I need replace the 2 month old chain? I replaced both my cassette and chain in July (2.5 months ago).

For some reason my chain started skipping when I was in the smallest cog in back. I took it to a shop, they could not find anything wrong. They measured the chain and the cogs and said everything looked good, but since it was not working they suggested I replace the cassette and chain again.

So, I bought another cassette and another chain. I just put the cassette on and the bike works great.

Should I put on the new chain too? Or save it for a while?

Thanks,

If it works great, leave it alone. Measure the chain every few hundred miles and install the new one as soon as the one you have on now is worn beyond spec.

And, when you have a few minutes to spare, read this: http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.htm


Should I feel self-conscious wearing cycling shorts to school? I cycle to school and intend to wear my new Lycra shorts for my commute as they are much more comfortable. But I want to know if I will look dumb wearing the tight shorts, as my legs are only average and I'm only 15, and also if it will be weird stripping down to no underwear when I get changed in the locker room at school.

I'm currently a senior in high school, so I understand your concern about style. In my opinion, and that of all my friends, wearing lycra shorts to school looks ridiculous, no offense. I don't know how far your commute is, but when I take my road bike to school, it's only 3 miles, so I just wear regular shorts and bring another t-shirt I can throw on so I'm not all sweaty and throw a pair of sneakers into my bag so I'm not stuck wearing cleats all day. If you have a longer commute, just put a pair of basketball shorts on over your lycra shorts. It looks good, feels fine, and others can't even tell you have lycra shorts on underneath them. Baggy cycling shorts don't look much better than lycra when you're in high school, even just for your commute.

As far as changing in the locker room, that should be fine. I've done the same thing plenty of times. If you're self-conscious about it, you can always use a shower stall or something so you have some privacy.


What kind of fork could i fit on my bike What's the max amount of travel you guys think i could install on this kind of frame geometry? I have the same bike as the image. It comes with a suntour 100mm fork and a really stiff rear shock coil. The bike is designed for XC, but i would like to hit some bigger jumps on it. Aluminium frame. The bike model is Berg Trailrock 100x

I wouldn't consider anything over 140mm. beyond that, you're really messing up your geometry and endangering your frame.

Keep in mind that your frame's limits are really determined by how much you weigh. If you're 140 pounds, the frame will take much bigger jumps than if you're 240.

You say that the rear shock is really stiff. It seems there is an imbalance in stiffness between the front and rear suspensions. If you don't have the preload on your Suntour cranked all the way up, you should try doing so before upgrading.


Ouch, I'm really sore. Should I take a break for a while? How long? I was in to cycling quite a lot in high school,  but was unable to and/or really lazy in college.

I've been getting back into cycling lately, doing a 65 miler two weekends ago, a 25 last weekend, and a 45 yesterday, in addition to biking to work (about 3.5 miles up a large hill in the morning, the same distance almost without pedaling on the way back) 6/10 days of those weeks.

Woke up this morning and I'm really really sore everywhere. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to just "cool it" for a couple of days?

First off, if the soreness is such that you feel painful stabs when you move/stretch the muscles you definitely should rest for awhile (at least several days, maybe up to 6 weeks), and perhaps should see a doc.  This can be a sign of tendinitis, muscle pulls, or a muscle disorder, and continuing to exercise in such conditions can lead to permanent damage.

General soreness/stiffness, on the other hand, is believed to be caused by microscopic muscle injuries that, as they heal, tend to strengthen the muscles.  For such discomfort you need to take is easy for a day or two, until the soreness/stiffness abates.  However, moderate exercise (well below your max effort) to keep yourself limber is often advised.


How can I find the year of these Giant XTC 2 bikes? New to mountain biking so please forgive my ignorance. I’m trying to figure out the year of these bikes and having trouble as the components don’t match what I’ve been able to find doing online searches. Ultimately trying to figure out how much these are worth. Also if they are worth keeping and upgrading components?
Giant XTC 2
Serial under the frames:
gf880474 / gf870317a
WTB bike seat,
SRAM X-5 Shifter,
Rock Shox Dart 3 Fork,
WTB Crossroads tires,
MX4 disc brakes,
One has Shimano the other has Truvativ cranks

bikepedia.com has a lot of data, sometimes a bit incomplete. https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/ is my other quick-n-dirty go-to site.  Take the values with a grain of salt, since the virus-caused biking craze has driven up prices on everything bike-related.
Looks like those bikes might be 2008 or 2009 Giant XTC2s, although truvativ is listed as the stock crankset, and the color pattern seems to be the inverse of the one listed. I've noticed in these refs that alternate color patterns are often not listed, and bike shops often swap in/out parts on new bikes to fit customer preferences.  The stock rims are listed as WTB in 2008 and Mavic in 2009.
They look good to me -- solid entry-level hardtails; what would you try to achieve with "upgrading" versus just making sure the drivetrain etc components are functional and in good shape?
(based on updated info from OP)
The Dart 3 IS a basic entry level fork (but not an even cheaper "fork shaped object") and IIRC uses a coil spring rather than a fancier and much more expensive system like an "air shock".  You would spend many hundreds of dollars to move up to a significantly better fork; at this point, I would just ride the bikes. You'll learn how to do basic maintenance, and certainly identify features/quirks of the bike that you do like, and some you don't. 6 months or a year down the road, you'll know what type of riding you like, and have an idea of what bike features will support that. Then you'll be able to make an intelligent decision on what to do with these bikes or perhaps get another.
Here's what I would do:

Certainly get a new chain; keep the old one to line up with the new one so you can shorten the new one to the correct length.
Clean off the front derailleur (and rest of bike), but FD function is usually not affected by surface rust.
Have someone with knowledge evaluate whether the front chainrings and rear gear cassette are worn and need replacing along with the chain. Have them evaluate whether the shifter and/or brake cables need replacement. Have them evaluate whether the tires are safe or need replacing. Have them evaluate whether the wheels are safe or need fixing. This is an excellent opportunity to find a Local Bike Shop (LBS) that you can trust with questions and fixes beyond your knowledge. A "bike tune up" should cover most of these questions, but replacement parts will be extra.
Get grips, pedals and a saddle that you like. They're all straightforward to install, but getting the old pedals removed and new ones installed is much easier with a big "pedal wrench" which will run $25 or so.

Books I've found helpful and easier to use next to the bike than a tablet:
"Zinn and the art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" You can save a lot of money by getting the 2010 (earlier) edition, which still covers all the technology in your 2008/2009 bikes.
"The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bike Maintenance" by Downs (also cheaper as the previous edition)


Is hydroformed tubing good? I've recently saw that a bmx frame was hydroformed.Is it better than not hydroformed?

According to wikipedia, hydroforming is a cost-effective way of shaping ductile metals such as aluminum, brass, low alloy steels, stainless steel into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong pieces.

In reality, most aluminium frames are made this way. They start with a simple round tube and form it in more suitable shapes. You wil have to look hard to find non-hydroformed frames.


Am I too heavy for my Trek 7200 multitrack? I was wondering if I'm too heavy for my bike. I'm about 260lbs (118kg). I keep getting flats.

Being too heavy and getting too many flats may be separate issues... On one hand, weight will always seem to increase the rate of flats, as I have discovered by going cross country with 60 pounds strapped to my rear rack.

On the other hand, as long as you are not popping spokes, you are not "too heavy" for your bike.

To phrase this another way, this is not a bike issue, it's a tube-popping issue. If you're getting too many flats, make sure you're running the correct pressures, and maybe get some thorn resistant tires and or tubes.


Disc brake performance fluid I own a mountain bike with mechanical disc brakes that seriously lack stopping power. I've tried tweaking things and replacing pads but always fell short on performance. I ride more on the road but sometimes offroad. I was just wondering: Does a fluid for making disc brakes "grab" better exist?

Not that I have ever heard of. Any liquid on the rotor or pad would tend to act as a lubricant and get worn or washed off anyway.


Can I replace only the smallest cog on my rear cassette? I currently have a 12-30t rear cassette which needs replacing.   While I'm at it, I really want to switch to an 11 tooth to get the extra 9% in top speed.  But the problem is, even the most expensive (e.g. Ultegra) component that will work with my bike only goes up to 11-28, and if I stick to Tiagra I'm stuck with 11-25.  For long steep hills on an off day, it's really nice to have the 30 tooth.

So my second thought was, the bottom 2 or 3 cogs usually aren't fixed to the cassette, they are individual cogs that can come off.  So maybe I could get a 12-30 replacement, and then a single 11t cog to replace the 12t or maybe I could even drop the 13t so the stepping goes 11-12-14.  This would be ideal as I use the 12t and 14t heavily but I virtually never use the 13t.

Would this work?

From what I can see, I would also need an 11t lock ring.  I'm having a difficult time finding both a lock ring and an 11t cog which claims to be compatible.  For instance, I found one cog which claimed to only work various cassettes which were already 11-xx and which were 2-3 grades above my Tiagra components.

Update: I found this PDF file on the Tiagra CS-4600 which suggests I need part Y1YF01000 ("Lock Ring for 11T Top Gear"), and Y1Z81100N ("Sprocket Wheel 11T (Built in spacer type)").  But I can't find anywhere (for instance Amazon or Google Shopping) to buy these part numbers or the corresponding parts.

You can replace the smallest cogs on cassette.
For example see Sheldon Brown's Building custom cassette page.

  For example, Shimano doesn't make any true "corncob" (one-tooth-jump)
  cassettes for time-trialists or flatland riders. In 7 speed, the
  closest is the J (13/14/15/16/17/19/21).

  If you remove the 21-tooth sprocket from a J, you can make it into a
  13-19 corncob by buying an 18 to put between the 17 and the 19.
  Alternately, you could make it into a 12-18 by removing the 19 and the
  21, and adding a 12 and an 18.

There is also about MTB & Road compatibility:

  "Road" vs "Mountain" Hubs There is no interchangeability issue between
  "Road" vs "Mountain" cassettes and hubs as long as the number of
  sprockets matches. Although "Road" and "Mountain" hubs are no
  different as far as cassette fitting is concerned, they are different
  in terms of overall spacing. "Road" hubs generally use 130 mm spacing,
  while "mountain" hubs are 135 mm.

  "Mountain" hubs will likely be slightly better sealed against dirt and
  mud than "road" hubs, but this is rarely an issue in practice. The
  wider 135 mm spacing will generally result in a slightly stronger
  wheel due to reduced dishing of the spokes.


Add/remove sprockets on cassette to customize gear ratios I have a Shimano 105 10-speed cassette on my road bike, with sprockets 11-12-13-14-15-17-...-28 (I don't know by heart what comes between 17 and 28). I'd like to remove the 11, and put a 16 between the 15 and the 17 (because I dislike the gap between 15 and 17, and I don't use the 11 very much). I can find the sprocket: this one is for Ultegra, but I suppose it should work for my 105 too (http://www.rosebikes.nl/artikel/shimano-ultegra-cs-6600-10-speed-tandwiel-met-16-tanden/aid:119171).

Can I just take 11-15 off, put 16 on, then put 12-15 back on? Or is there something else I need to consider?

Alternatively I'm willing to buy another cassette instead, but I don't want to give up the 28. Are there compatible 10-speed cassettes available with 12-13-14-15-16-17-...-28 (or possibly even 29 or 30)?

If you want sram cassette (which should be compatible):
Sram PG1050 and PG1070 come in a 12-28 configuration matching what you need
12-13-14-15-16-17-19-22-25-28

https://www.sram.com/sram/road/products/sram-pg-1050-cassette
https://www.sram.com/sram/road/products/sram-pg-1070-cassette

If you want shimano
Buy two Shimano 105 ten speed cassettes (well, you already have one, so you're half way there). The 12-25 version has a 16t cog and the 11-28 has the other cogs you will need. Might be able to find a used cassette that has the cog you need.

Here's the options for Shimano 105 CS-5700 series
11-25 = 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-23-25
11-28 = 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-28
12-25 = 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25
12-27 = 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-27

See Shimano 105 cassette details:
http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bike/en/home/road/drivetrain/cassettes0/cs-5700.html

Shimano Tiagra Range has a 12-30 cassete, but it also does not have a 16t cog.
12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27-30T


Best Way to mount Wald rear folding baskets to the rack on a Batavus Fryslan I just got these awesome Wald rear folding baskets as an early christmas present from my Girlfriend.  The hardware they came with will not fit on my Batavus Fryslan Rack.  What would be the best way to mount them?

After posting this question, I got a twitter response from my local bike shop where I got my Batavus.  They suggested screw clamps, and I agreed it was the best choice and mounted my rack with them.  Urbanistic tea and bike is awesome!


Chain length when swapping between cassette sizes (11-28 and 11-23) Currently I am running a semi compact 52/36 up front and a 11-28 at the back. I'm planning on getting a 11-23 cassette for criterium races, and have the 11-28 for hillier rides.

Will there be any issues with chain length when swapping back and forth between the two? If I leave the chain length as is (optimized for a 11-28), will I run into any problems when putting the  11-23 in?

It should be fine.

The chain will be a little bit longer than necessary when using the 11-23, which may give some droop if you're running bad gear combinations (e.g. small chainring+small cog), but nothing serious.

Never run with a too short chain. A bit long is OK.


First time commuter needs advice I'm an out of shape 60 year old and have just purchased a bike for the first time in almost 30 years. It's a Giant Seek 3 hybrid and my intention is to commute to work on it at least 3 times per week.  It's about 7 miles one way and the route is flat,  paved streets, some of which have bike lanes.  I live on a hill so the start won't be a problem.  But, coming home will be about a 3/4 mile pull uphill with only one flat stretch of ~150 yards.

Can anyone offer me any help/tips on what I might need to get started safely?  Should I work up to the commute or "just do it"?

Thanks for your time.

Start with safety.  Wear a good helmet and get some good lights.  Leave a spare charger at work.

Practice the commute on a Saturday.  Ride in get lunch and ride back.  If you are mobile on Sunday then you are good on Monday.

If you can leave a car at work and lock your bike safely then you can split some days.
Monday you drive in with the bike and ride the bike home.
Tuesday you ride in and drive home.
Wednesday you drive in and ride home.
Thursday you ride in and drive home.
If you drive in Friday problem you don't have the car for the weekend.
So haul your bike home on Thursday.
On Friday you ride or bike both ways.
This lets you build up.
In a few months you should be riding both ways.
If you are totally out of shape then it take a couple months.

At 7 miles each way you are kind of in a dead zone.
I am in my 50s but I ride a lot and for me 7 miles is 30 minute sprint and I recover in 10 minutes.
It is perfect as it does not take a lot of time but is a legitimate workout.
Out of shape it is an hour each way and you might not recover by the time you ride home.
Even for a strong rider more than 15 miles each way starts to become a time management issue.
But I would rather be on a bike an hour than in car an hour.


Are Z-shaped cranks a good idea? I've stumbled across this kickstarter project, which promotes an original shape for cranks:

They claim a wider arc of useful push during rotation. While their main point is rendered moot by clipping systems, I remain unsure about their claim in general.

Can these really have a positive impact on power/torque? Is there any risk due to increased stress on some body parts?

If the aluminum is sufficiently stiff it makes zero difference -- the crank could be any shape (a disk, an S shape, etc), but the relationship between the two contact points would still remain the same, and that's all that counts.

The only effect the crank could have is adding a bit of spring to the crank, which might be good or bad for effective cranking.  But aluminum makes lousy springs, and if it flexes much it will soon fatigue and fail.

The risk to your body parts is getting cut by sharp edges when the crank fails.


How do I tell what width chain my used chainring needs? I bought a used crankset from my local bike collective. It has a single 44-tooth chainring and I intend to use it for a single speed conversion with a new cog and chain, but I need to figure out what dimensions of those latter components to buy.

Most advice I see online says that single speed and internal gear hubs use 1/8" chain, while derailleur bikes use 3/32" chain. Great! Doesn't help me here: I don't know what kind of bike this crankset came from. It's only got one chainring, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have come from a bike with a rear derailleur and 6 speeds (or what have you).

So, I resort to measuring. Is it as simple as 'if the width appears to be 3/32", that's what I need'? Or are there subtleties in the dimensions of the chain and the chainring that I need to look out for?

If it's 1/8" then a 3/32" chain will have to be jammed on to mesh, or not fit at all. The simple thing to do if possible is take a chain from a derailleur bike or even a scrap and physically try it.

1/8" chains and cogs/freewheels tend to go longer and on a singlespeed application, there is no downside (other than weight) to running them alongside a 3/32" ring, so you could also just get 1/8" for the rest of it regardless of what the ring is and call it good.