How much hop is correctable, and beyond which point should a rim be replaced? I have an aksium wheel that is somewhat damged. I'd estimate that there is about 3 - 4mm of hop (meaning that the rim extends at this point? or that there is impact damage at that point?) at one point in the wheel.

Generally speaking, how much hop means that an aluminum is too damaged to repair?

The answer depends on the reason for the "hop" and your desire for perfection.

A wheel which is out of round due to incorrect spoke tension, rather than impact damage to the rim, will have no trouble being repaired, even with far greater than 3-4mm of deviation by detensioning all the spokes, and re-tensioning them evenly, essentially re-building the wheel.

A wheel which is out of round due to impact can be made round with that much deviation, or more, but it requires having the spoke tension be unbalanced. If the spoke tension on a wheel is unbalanced by more than a few percentage points, then the wheel will not remain true and round. It may, however, remain safe to ride, and only require more maintenance than normal to keep it straight and round, or it may not be safe at all.

That is something only a skilled mechanic or wheel builder can tell you, and only after re-tensioning the wheel.

Since it is a factory built wheel, I assume either that you tried to true and tension it yourself, or that there is impact damage, because it should be round from the factory.

I hope that helps.


Difference between UD, 3K and 12K carbon finish? What does UD, 3K, 12K carbon mean and how do they differ?

UD, 3K and 12K specify the carbon weave pattern. 3K means there are 3,000 filaments per "tow", 12K means there are 12,000 and UD means unidirectional (no pattern):

The construction of bike parts is always UD, only the top layer when naked can be specified to these different finish types. Also there is usually an option to choose between matte or glossy. Matte results in more stealthy look, glossy will make the pattern pop:

When the frame is painted it's UD underneath (usually branded frames are all painted).

As for physical properties, UD is the strongest, then there is 12K and last 3K. The finish is only the top-layer so the differences are only cosmetic.

You can also encounter a 18K weave (usually on road rims) which looks like this (glossy/matte). Its similar to 12K (but a bit bigger) and you can also see how a seam looks like:

12K is well recognisable from distance, 3K and UD you can differentiate when standing closer and they also usually look better up close than 12K (there are more visible irregularities in 12K weave than 3K up close). This is how 3K looks up close:


What's the smallest travel case for a full suspension 26er? I want to travel with my full suspension 26er MTB. It seems like I should be able to pack it pretty small since the largest part of a road bike is usually the frame itself.

If I can unbolt the frame into two pieces, I feel it would take up no more room than the wheels would (which are small, being a 26er).

What's the smallest bike box I can get for traveling with this bike?

It's pretty hard to recommend a size without knowing the details about your frame, etc.

For ideas for shipping and sizes you might stop at your local bike shop and check out the boxes the manufacturer uses to ship the bikes.


Bullhorn bar + STI brake/shifter I'd like to install a bullhorn handlebar on my existing hybrid bike and would prefer to continue using my flatbar Shimano STI R42O gear/brake lever system rather than a bar end brake/shifter solution. I have a 2/8 gear configuration and caliper brakes.

I've been researching it for a couple of hours now and it seems as though this may not be possible. Why? Is it to do with the space required for mounting the brake/shifter? Or is it simply down to the market not providing compatible bullhorn bar and shifter ring diameters?

If you have flat bar shifters, most bullhorns have a different diameter than flat bar shifters use. But you can find bullhorns which have the same grip diameter as flat bars and clamp the shifters on (though these are comparatively rare). Then you have to make sure the ergonomics work for you.

My suggestion if you want a few more hand positions is to buy some bar ends. Ergon makes some fantastic ones, albeit a bit pricey.

Edit: I saw STI shifters, which normally is just used for the drop bar brifters, so the remainder of the answer may be useful for that.

The bullhorn diameter has to match (and most bullhorn bars satisfy this, though you can also get bullhorns for mountain diameter). Worst case, you can always cut a drop bar to get a bullhorn.

The bigger problem though is that you have to shift -- the STI shift motion is pretty hard to pull off on anything other than a standard drop bar. The cable routing is a bit weird, and its not necessarily the case that you'll be able to fully use the brake lever when using STI shifters depending on how its installed (actually thats probably the biggest problem -- you don't need shifting but you do need good braking). Also, the ergonomics of a STI hood were designed for a drop bar

People have done this though and some people like it. Bar ends and aero brake levers are neater to route and likely easier to shift/brake with though.


Protecting beater bicycle from scratches and rust I have a beater commuter steel bicycle that is subject to all kinds of weather, abuse and a lots of scratches. Several hot-spots on the frame have appeared over the time where most of the damages and corrosion happens.

I was thinking of protecting those spots by:

removing rust
applying a layer of 2 component epoxy (have G-flex at hand) to seal the steel
after epoxy cures, wrap it with self adhesive silicon tape to protect epoxy from UV exposure

Does this sound like a good idea? Some better, cheaper, quicker, more durable solutions?

Even though it's a "beater bike", I'm guessing you really want to keep it around for a while.  If that's the case, I believe the best protection for it would be to paint it.

Strip the frame down (take all the components off) and thoroughly wash it.

If you want to do the job yourself, sand the frame down to remove any rust spots.  If you have too much rust and you think epoxy might be in order, you can do that - but I suggest being extremely cautious at that point.  If the rust incursion is that bad, you may very well have structural damage that could cause a nasty crash - or worse.

Use "Frame Saver" and spray the inside surfaces of the frame down with a liberal coating while it has been disassembled.  Clean the surfaces again, Use rubbing alcohol to remove any oily deposits.

Use a quality exterior paint.

Alternatively - almost any autobody shop that has a paint booth can paint the bike for your fairly cheaply.  They might even have sand blasting facilities/capabilities to make cleaning the metal easier.  If you don't care about the color - just have them paint it when they do a regular paint job - and it'll be even cheaper since they don't have to clean their paint guns for a tiny batch color job for the bike.

Smaller/independent shops will tend to be a lot more willing to work with you on a project like this.  The big shops tend to not be too friendly to "side jobs" like this.

I've had steel frames completely stripped via sandblasting, and professionally painted with powder coating, including two layers of protective clear finish, then baked in an oven for 2 hours.  The cost was $130.


Correct clamped quick release lever direction Which direction is the correct way for the QR lever to point when closed and why?

I have found both upwards and backwards on different parts on the SRAM website even for the same forks.

I have also been partial to many heated debates, in addition to being exposed to very opinionated bike mechanics’ views around this question.

Personally I prefer backwards, thinking that it has fewer snag opportunities and the aesthetics of the logo work better.

The rear axle potentially has even more view points.

I’m specifically interested in mountain biking. You see the forward clamp fairly often. Whilst neat, this tends to collect grass and shrubbery as you go.

There is only really one rule - position the lever such that it is protected from being opened by hitting or snagging on something.

Straight forward or down is not a good idea, obviously. A rear lever pointing straight back is not good either as a collision with the front wheel of a bike close behind could potentially open it.

Rear levers protected between chain and seat stays is probably OK, maybe more vertically behind the seat stay is better. Front levers angled back and up behind fork legs is probably good.

Otherwise position the levers wherever is convenient.


How to decrease belly fat while cycling? I've been cycling for about 1.5 yrs now doing about 1.5 hrs on a daily basis. I've been able to tone my muscles but I cannot lose my belly fat. Does anybody have any idea to decrease belly fat while cycling?

You cannot outride (or outrun or out-any-other-exercise) a bad diet. On top of that, decades of research shows it's impossible to "spot-reduce".

Your options are:

Eat some combination of food that results in fewer calories in. Shoot for somewhere between 200-500 fewer calories for moderate weight loss.
Ride some combination of harder and longer while maintaining your current intake. Harder could be adding hill climbs and sprint intervals. Longer would be adding a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend or something. This is hard to because as soon as you start riding harder you will want to eat more. It takes strong self discipline. It also assumes your diet isn't horrible to begin with.
Do a combination of the first two.
Forget everything above and start saving for liposuction or any of the other modern body sculpting surgeries. Personally I'd rather spend that money on a nicer bike and continue to try to ride the belly off, but to each their own.

Outside general weight/fat loss, strength and endurance exercises targeting the area will tone the underlying muscles, but will have little to no effect on your spare tire.


What are the hallmarks of 90s cycling? I just asked a different question about a very 90s GT rage road bike I picked up- polished aluminum and all. I might have to trash it and so I'm looking into other frames for the components. The other question is here.

What bicycle qualities and aesthetics scream 90s for y'all? What would go into a 90s restoration project? In my head I see lots of splatter bar tape, polished aluminum or titanium, lots of garish and ugly colors.

I'm not asking for specific frame recommendations, but photos and bikes as examples would be cool!

Here's my 90's bike - the main period features are

Earlier alloy construction, with fatness in the downtube.
Group set, Shimano RSX and exage brakes.  The RSX brifters lack trim support, so badly set up transmission makes a takka-takka-takka sound when in bad combinations.  So 90s.
Too new for sissy brake levers, too old for cyclocross interrupter brake levers
Seat post diameter of 26.2 mm (because 25.4 mm was too small)
No frame pump mounts - they're 80s.

Unsure -

This bike still has a quill stem and a threaded fork, which would have been old-school even at the time.
Pedals - the period originals weren't with it, but Look clipless would be right.  Platforms are probably okay too, but SPD would be seen as too much MTB.
Seat - this one was probably a replacement.
Rear wheel cutout - this bike looks a little tracky/tri because of how the rear wheel tucks into a cutout in the seat tube.  This is not a 90s thing, its an overall design thing.
FD connector - this one has a braize-on mech rather than a band-on one, due to the cutout.  Is this a 90s styling?  I don't know.

Please make comments to refine this answer.

EDIT I think  @ebrohman may have identified some of the defining style characteristics of a 90's bike.

Ugly - case in point
Minimalist - nothing that's not needed for going fast
Materials - There's nothing wrong with a good steel frame, but by the 90s steel was the cheaper end of the market.  Aluminium alloy, and titanium had their blips, and right at the end of the 90s is when carbon was coming in.
Unconventional - The standard diamond frame was pretty much defined, so new materials and the new possibilities then became available.  Consider my bike's brutal downtube, which lead on towards hydroforming of aluminium we see in today's MTBs.


130mm hub on 135mm frame I'm looking to upgrade the wheels on my touring bike to a lighter set of road wheels. The frame is aluminum.  According to Sheldon Brown you should be able to just put extra spacers between the locknut and cones and that's it. Apparently only  2 or 3 mm  sticking out past the locknut is enough to to properly secure the wheel.

Is the above procedure really advisable? Would it be a better idea to take the existing 135mm (146mm actual) axle from my existing wheel or would it make no difference and I would be better off not doing such modifications to a new wheel?

The reason I'm thinking of doing this is because all the 135mm wheels I've found seem to be disc brake wheels, and the rims have no braking surfaces.  The only other option seems to get a custom wheel build which will bring up the cost of the wheel quite a bit and basically eliminates the ability to buy anything at a discounted price.

The QR (on the outside of the dropouts) and the locknuts (on the inside) are what hold the wheel in place - you could have the axle ends flush with the dropouts and it should be fine (Sheldon describes this setup somewhere, with only the skewer going through the dropout, to allow perfecting chain tension on a fixie with vertical dropouts) - but 2mm axle projection vs 4 or 5 makes no difference. Definitely DON'T "spring" an Al frame to fit a hub of different width - generally ok with steel if it's only a few mm. If you want a wheel that's not available off the shelf, don't be afraid to build your own - it's really quite straightforward, again SB has the clearest instructions I've found (at least, they were what I started with) and you will very likely end up with better wheels for less money that a factory wheelset.


Sheldon Brown's writing? This question has been nagging me for ages.

I've read a lot of Sheldon Brown's site and actually tend to use bikes from the 70s-80s because they're more economical for daily use and especially for a student like me. But I've noticed that some of his opinions can be controversial (his discussion of "lawyer lips"), can fly in the face of industry practices (that all leather saddles, 'properly cared for', are better than any plastic saddle), questionable (that the Peugeot UO-8 makes for the greatest touring bike of all time) and then, sometimes, his opinions seem on a troll level, which I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but have caught myself falling prey to them. A lot of his material is either very enlightening (his discussion of brake usage) or helpful in that you simply can't find the topic anywhere else on the web.

So the question is, is Sheldon Brown's site really the one-stop for all knowledge pertaining especially to older bicycles, or should he be taken simply as a prolific writer who wrote on a great many topics and should be taken with a large grain of salt? I guess the real question is, how much do bike mechanics especially and others depend on his work, or is it simply a convenient online resource for people new to the sport?

Sheldon Brown was a good man, a good cyclist, and he spent an inordinate amount of time writing answers for everybody to questions that every new cyclist has.

In a lot of ways, his answers were pretty dead on. However, like any person with the energy and commitment that Mr. Brown showed with his site, he was very opinionated on a number of issues which are controversial now.

Because he was also among the first cyclists to use the internet to spread his ideas and knowledge to anyone willing to listen, his ideas are often treated as canonical, even when time and science have moved on.

As with any science, new ideas and equipment overtake the old, and new methodologies, for fitting, for bike construction, and for fitness are tested, and either adopted or discarded.

There are cyclists who adhere to what Mr. Brown said on any topic, regardless of the evidence to the contrary which is available now. But then, there are dogmatics in any religion, and cycling is a religion for many.  And if cycling was a religion, then Mr. Brown was its first, or at least best known, Internet age missionary.

He deserves respect for his efforts, but not dogmatic adherence to his viewpoints.

Try his ideas and use what works.  If something doesn't work for you, discard it, and find something that does.  He would be the first to tell you to think for yourself.


Tying tether on old luggage rack I've got a bike with an ultra-old luggage rack which isn't of the kind which has a cheap spring-loaded "clasp" but rather an elastic tether which is permanently attached to the frame at the front and is held in place by its own tension on a metal hook at the back:

However, while working on the bike, I removed the rack and now don't know how to properly wrap the tether so that it stays tight: It used to have some sort of "sailor-esque" smart looping method which kept the hook at the end taut, but my landlubber self undid the knot and now doesn't know how to tie the tether properly, so now there's a huge amount of extra slack and the whole bit is loose. What sort of knot-fu do I need to make the tether taut on the rack?

No knot is required - you just need to take up the slack in the bungee / elastic.  Something like this:

That way you can unhook the bungee for strapping over a large thing but its still tense enough to hold itself down when empty.


Trying to identify some very old Magura rim brakes I'm looking to identify some very old rim brakes.  I bought this bike used, and have now ridden it for enough miles that I strongly feel the need to replace at least the brake pads.  No evidence that there is a problem, just a gut feeling that 5000 miles is plenty for one set of pads.

So, I'm attaching pictures.  I once did some research and think I discovered "Magura Move!" in some website archives from well before 2000.  But, the Magura forums look pretty dead, and I would guess I'll get more eyes on the problem here.

I'm looking to replace either the pads, or the entire system with a new one.  I'm also considering the possibility of completely retiring the bike these are attached to.  What I need to know is how likely I am to find new pads for brakes that may be twenty years old, and if not, what measurements will help me ensure that I'm getting a new set appropriate for my bike?

Magura hydraulic rim brakes are a quality product. They still make these and many of the older models are sought-after in the retro mountain bike scene. They are durable and perform very well. From your pictures it seems you have direct mounts on your frame specifically for these brakes, this is now most common on trials bikes.

The brake pad fitting is the same throughout the range, many 3rd party manufacturers produce replacement pads for these brakes and they're no more expensive than other brake pads. Kool Stop, Kashimax and many others are widely available. Google for "Magura Rim Brake Pads"

To remove the pads, remove the wheel and pull them out of the holder. To replace, just push them into the holder. It's that simple.

They may also benefit from being bled and having the fluid replaced. Bleeding and re-filling sounds daunting but it is possible to do at home and the kit is usually inexpensive. Youtube has many videos detailing the process.

Overall, these are good brakes and barring mechanical failure, they should provide you with many more miles of trouble-free usage and good performance.


Swapping STIs for barends -- what issues are likely to arise? I'm planning to swap shifters and brake levers from one bike to another. One bike is a randonee with STI brifters, and the other is a Surly Long Haul Trucker with barends and separate brake levers. Both bike have 9-speed drivetrains, and are less than two years old.

The Randonee is my bike, the LHT is not; a guy I used to ride with has agreed to the swap. (I prefer barends, he prefers the STI shifters.) The ideal way to do this would be for us to both bring our bikes to a mechanic and have the shop do the swap on the spot, if we can find a time that works for all three parties involved.

Are there any potential pitfalls I should be aware of? I'm assuming we may have to replace some cables -- one bike is a larger frame than the other -- but are there any mechanical issues that are likely to arise? Are there any parts I'm likely to need to replace?

The inimitable late Sheldon Brown left us a great post on shifters and gearing and compatibility.  The highlights for this kind of swap are:

For the bike getting the bar end shifters:

Likely no problem.  If the rear shifter is indexed but the indexing doesn't match the gearing then you can usually switch to 'friction' mode.  May be annoying if you are not used to friction shifting, but will be functional and you will get used to it in a ride or two.  You may even find that you like being able to 'trim' a shift like you can with friction shifters.
Bar End front shifters are usually friction anyway, so no problem there.
Cables will probably have to be rerouted and bar tape replaced.

For the bike getting the STI shifters

Gearing must match.  You will run
into trouble installing 9-speed STI
shifters on a bike with an 8-speed
cluster.  The derailleur will usually
work with multiple cog counts if it's
reasonably modern. The indexing/shift
distance is controlled by the index
gears inside the shifters.
Front shifters are indexed as well, and may only work with certain
chainring sizes/configurations.
Again you will probably be re-routing cables along the
handlebars and replacing bar tape.

Brake Levers

You can also run into issues swapping the brake levers.  Brakes differ in their 'pull length' so levers that work with center-pull cantilevers like I have on my touring bike won't work if I move them to my old beater mountain bike that uses direct-pull V-brakes.

Here again is Sheldon Brown on Cantilever Brakes - scroll down for the compatibility info.

Summary

If the cog counts are the same and the brake pull is compatible then I say go for it.

I like working on bikes, and live close to a bike shop so that if I need a part it's a quick jaunt. If the gear counts match for the bike this is exactly the kind of thing I would find 'fun' to tackle.


Pain in center of hand I've recently started biking serious amounts (to me, anyways, 12 miles or so ) and I've noticed a pain in my right hand, near the center of where the wrist connects to the palm. It hurts when pressure is applied, and sometimes otherwise. Could this be from biking? My first thought is carpal tunnel, because I also work on computers for a living, but I'd really like to avoid having carpal tunnel.

This is most likely because you are putting your weight right on the median nerve (see first picture).  Padded gloves may help a bit, but I suspect your hand position is more likely to be the problem.

Other common hand nerve problems with riding can compression of the ulnar nerve, which will present itself as a different area of sensation than what you are experiencing (second picture)

If you are using road bars

I remember you were riding a road bike in the Legs are very weak question.

Next time you ride, watch how you place your hands on the handle bars. If you are using road bars, beginners often place their hands right on the bend between the Tops and the Ramps (see second picture).  This would put pressure directly on the median nerve.  Try riding on the tops, ramps, hooks, and drops instead of the bend between the tops and ramps. It is also good to rotate through the four hand positions rather than using  just one position.  You may also find that adjusting your cockpit dimensions can make some of all these positions more accessible and comfortable.


cancer survivor and fitness I am a two-time cancer survivor ...head/neck and lung (they removed a lobe in the second instance) ... I have been biking for a couple of years now (I bought a fixie, since it was cheap and I wasn't sure I would be able to cut it), and I try to ride three or four times a week, but in the range of 5-8 miles each session.  I like to think this is helpful in terms of overall fitness and breathing, but haven't found anything to confirm this. Always trying to expand on distance, but so far stuck in this range.
 Thoughts?

A perfectly reasonable question.

Cycling is gererally thought of as being an excellent way of keeping fit. It is seen as beneficial for cardio- health and for leg muscles (not so much for arms), and is low-impact on joints. On top of that I would add that the benefits are proportional to the amount of effort you put into it.

Of course, how safe this exercise is for the individual would depend on the individual themselves, their existing fitness etc. and any pre-existing medical conditions. An individual should discuss any proposed fitness regime with their doctor. So where your question becomes impossible to answer is how reasonable your fitness regime is for you, and any improvements you could make. But that holds true across the board.


Replacement battery for Cygolite Milion light? I have a Cygolite Milion 200 light purchased in 2010. Its battery is taking a long while to charge these days.

I wrote to Cygolite, and they say they don't have a replacement battery for it.

The Expilion battery looks to have the same form factor.

Does anyone know definitively that the Expilion battery fits, or does not fit, the Milion?

I found the model number for the Milion battery via a search on the Wayback Machine. It's 426-44LN, which is different than the Expilion battery.


How helpful are neon/led lights on the rims, while riding at night? Recently I saw few cyclists at night with blue neon lights attached to the spokes on their rims. They just kept one each at the back, so it wasn't that effective.

But having at least 2 of such lights (both front and back) can make a rider very visible at night and avoid possible dangers.

The riding style I am talking about is for both commuting or trailing at night.

How effective are these lights?

The motion of the light is what does the work, the colour is less important as long as its bright.  A valve light will describe a "flattened corkscrew" through the air and is obviously different to any other vehicle on the road - which means you get perceived by driver's conscious brains not just their subconscious or autonomous brains.

These things are brilliant because they're not powered, and reflect a lot of light.  They're also lightweight and forgettable.

http://www.dx.com/p/bike-wheel-spoke-abs-safety-reflective-tube-reflector-grey-12-pcs-228130#.VplvhW8y-Cg

Check your legalities too - here its illegal to show a blue light on the road at any time unless you're police.   Likewise green lights are reserved for doctors on urgent medical callouts (although this is very rare now.)

Anyone can run a flashing or steady yellow light in any direction, but red lights can only show to the rear and white lights can only show "in the direction of motion" which is why car reversing lights can be white.

The same rules go for reflectors, which means my white spoke reflectors are "technically" illegal because they can be seen as white from the rear.

"Ice white" headlights are in a fuzzy area, as are illuminated adverts on buses and taxis that feature these specific colours.


Maximum carbon steer tube length? When cutting a 1-1/8" to 1-1/2" carbon steer tube, what is the maximum length you can leave outside the head tube and the stem clamp? Is there a maximum? How would you determine what the maximum steer tube length for you frame could be? Does it make a difference if the steerer is 1.5" on the bottom?

In general manufacturers each give specific numbers for this, and it tends to be 30-55mm of total spacer between the headset and the stem. Beyond that there isn't really a universally agreed upon rule of thumb. I would use the number 30mm lacking any specific recommendations, including any large conical spacers that are part of the headset. (In other words, the big spacers or the headsets that use them as a top piece don't let you "cheat" here; what's in question is the distance between the upper headset bearing and the bottom of the stem). 30mm is conservative, but this really is a good area to do what the fork maker tells you.

The maximum steerer length for a given frame gets into the stack height of various stems and whether you're running a spacer above the stem (a good idea unless you're using a compression plug that reinforces the clamp area, in which case some manufacturers recommend against it), so it's probably not the most useful number. You need to know your stem's stack height to determine it. It's that number plus the stack height of your headset plus your headtube length plus the spacer limit plus about 3mm if you're using a 5mm spacer on top of the stem, or minus about 2mm if you're not.

It doesn't make a difference whether the fork is tapered or not.


Disk brake brakes work poorly after annual maintainance The disk brakes practically don't brake anymore. If I pull the brake lever as hard as I can, the wheel still turns if I push the bike forward.

Is this normal? Do they need a "brake in" period?

UPDATE: It's a mechanical brake, and the levers are properly adjusted. If I pull the brake lever, I can see the pads pressed against the rotor, but the wheel still turns slowly If I push the bike. This was not happening before.

The maintenance was done at a local bike service, I don't know exactly what they did to the brakes, but the rotor seems to be oiled up.

If the pads have oil on them they need replacing. The discs can be cleaned if done properly and carefully. If the LBS did the work, take the bike back and they should put it right.

From the sound of it, I would also be looking for another LBS. If they cannot service brakes and keep the oil off they are at probably sloppy - but even the best shops have the odd incident. However, as they returned the bike to you in that condition, it is dangerous, they have let poor work out the door. My future custom with them would be in serious jeopardy.....


Install tube sealant, Schrader? I have normal tube sealant that I want to install in my bicycle's tubes.

My bicycle's tubes have Schrader valves.

Will someone here please provide total-noob friendly instructions on how to do what I want to do? Thank you.

To install the sealant you will need to remove the valve core. Insert the tool into the valve and unscrew the core.  Your sealant container may include one built into the cap of the container. My SLIME container came with one. You can purchase a valve core tool for a few dollars at an auto parts supplier or Harbor Freight. Deflate the tire, remove the core.  Follow the sealant manufacturers instruction in regards to amount of sealant, reinstall the core. Inflate the tire per the sealant makers direction.


Tips for having partner drive support. I am hoping to get some tips and suggestions for having a partner drive support for long rides (training or touring).

Is it best to plan spots that they will meet you and can get to your location of needed (before moving on to a next location)?

We often see documentaries and shorts shot from a following vehicle but I assume that having someone follow close with the hazard lights on isn't quite safe (or legal?).

For those of you who have driven out arranged for a partner to drive support, how do you logistically do so?

Is this for a group of riders or just one rider?

I'll share the experience I had from a big group cross-roads biking event I was part of as a Cyclist, so you can take ideas and maybe create a better plan for yourself.

We were going to cycle across country from north coast to south coast. So first we departed from the country's capital city towards the ride starting point. Two busses for the riders and support personnel, two trucks for the bikes and other items (advertising banners, podium structure, etc). Also a couple of small vehicles.

Once we got to the starting point, the busses served as logistics vehicles, carrying everyone's luggage, and support personnel with food, drinks and tools. The busses departed before us and parked a few kilometres ahead in a previously selected point. (Each bus in a different spot). After a while the busses departed again, overtaking the cycling group and repeating this a few more times. The stops where somewhere like 15-20km (10-15 miles) apart.

The smaller vehicles were also carrying food and tools, but they where going back and forth, sweeping the whole span of the cycling group. And a police officer was riding a motorcycle behind the last rider. The smaller vehicles would drive forward up to a certain point, then go back until they find the motorcycle behind the last rider and then drive forward again, sweeping for stranded cyclists who could not get to the next support point (bus) by themselves. If necessary the vehicle would pick up the rider and bike and take them to the bus. If possible, mechanical or medical support would be delivered by this smaller vehicles.

The whole ride spanned seven days over nine cities. Every stage was from one city to another, (except one stage in which we visited one city just for a few hours ant then continued to a second city). Each day every rider would unload his/her luggage from the busses for the sleep over and load it again the next day.

All the vehicles would be driven at normal road speed and stopped either on planned spots or to help a stopped cyclist, but wouldn't be driven at cyclist speed. The only exception would be the cop's motorcycle at the back of the group.

Each cyclist would ride a his/her own pace, except the pros, who would form peloton. The exception would be that the arrival departure points where a few kilometres outside the city. To go from/to these points to/from downtown, the whole group would form a tight peloton lead by a police car and would travel at around 20km/hr taking the hole lane.

I think this form of logistics worked very well for a group of near 100 riders.

If I was to plan a vehicle supported long ride for a single rider (or a very small group), I would set the car to depart some minutes behind me, calculating to meet me on the road near the mid point of the distance towards a next planned stop point, and repeat.

The distance between the stop points would be what the average of the group would ride in one hour. That means that the car would depart so they meet the group in 30 minutes after the riders started, would drive past us and wait nearly 30 minutes for us in the next stop point.

I hope these ideas serve your purpose and that you are abe to adapt some to your needs.

EDIT: As noted in one of the comments, the support car itself may suffer a failure. It may be obvious to say that the support vehicle shall be in the best operating condition, and must pass a mechanical revision prior to the ride, as with any car-travel activity.

However, I think there are at least two possible alternatives:
1) Is to let the riders depart first and the car attempts to get to the next stop almost at the same time as the cyclists, thus remaining behind the riders all the time.

2) Let the car go first, and the riders would catch up at the next stop. If any rider suffers an accident or a failure for which she/he can't get over, then the support car shall be asked to go back to pick them up.

The planner of the ride must adapt the strategy according to the probability of bike/rider/car failure and to the capability of the riders to fix common issues, or known rider health issues. For example, if no rider carries flat fixing tools, then it is better for the car to reamin behind the riders at all times. But if the riders carry tools and food, then for a little more of a thrill the car can be let ahead of the riders.


Low profile tire suggestion for 27 x 1 1/8 wheels I recently purchased a Japanese vintage early 80s Zunow bicycle. The wheels rim are Araya 27" x 1 1/8 and I need to replace the tires. After some research and recommendation from my local bicycle shop we ordered the Panaracer Pasela but my fork doesn't have enough clearance for them.

Any similar experience or recommendations on other brands of good tires with lower profile I could try?

There’s really no such thing as a low-profile bike tire, AFAIK. All bike tires take on a circular cross-section when inflated. You’ll need to use a narrower tire. Another more expensive option would be to switch to 700C wheels, which would give you another 4 mm of clearance (and a better tire selection).

Cool bike, btw.


How to adjust seat saddle and saddle position for knee pain? I understand that a seat too high can cause:

hips rocking trying to extend to pedals
pain in the back of the knee

And that a seat too low can cause:

can't fully extend legs
pain in front of the knee

Here's my problem: I'm getting a little bit of front knee pain AND my hips rocking back and forth. It suggests my seat is both too high and too low at the same time!!

Perhaps my saddle position is too far forward, making the seat feel like it's too low, therefore aggravating my knee. Should I try lowering the seat height but also moving back the seat position?

While it's true that your hips rocking indicates that the seat is too high, there is a different rule of thumb for knee pain related to the fore and aft position of the saddle.  It's easy to remember:

If your knee hurts in front, your seat is too far forward.
If your knee hurts in the back, your seat is to far backward.

The most important thing to remember is that small changes can make a big difference.


My front deraileur needs adjustment after every ride I have a Cannondale Women's Adventure 1 that I got this spring and have been riding on local (paved) trails every weekend. I started off riding about 6 miles a weekend and recently have progressed to 20-25 miles in a day.

About halfway through a ride, my front derailleur seems to need adjusting, I have to wiggle the shift knob to get the chain to change gears. For example, if I'm in 1 and go to 2, I have to pull the knob slightly ahead of 2 (between 2 and 3) to get it to change. To go from 2 to 1, I have to adjust the back gears a few times, or sometimes backpedalling will get it to change (but that's hard to do on a hill).

I keep taking it to my LBS (where I bought the bike) and they adjust it so it works fine in their parking lot, but again after riding for a few miles it's messed up again.

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong in technique or if there's something wrong with some piece of the bike, nor do I know enough about what's wrong to find anything that's helpful. It can be adjusted to shift correctly, but that adjustment doesn't stay for very long.  What should I be looking for? Or, could I be somehow doing something when riding to cause this problem?

Some specs on my bike that might be relevant:

Shifters
Shimano Revo Twist Type

Cog Set
Sunrace CSM66, 11-32, 8-speed

Chain
KMC 8-speed

Front Derailleur
Shimano M191

Rear Derailleur
Shimano Alivio

Sounds like you are getting slack during the ride.
This will happen with new cables but if you get it every ride something then else is going on.

My thought is that your barrel adjuster is not holding.
Does it look like this?

The barrel adjuster should have a lock nut or something to hold it in place.
Mark the position with tape or a marker and see if it moves during the ride.

The M 191 is a lower end Shimano but you should certainly expect much better performance than this.

And congratulations with getting up to 20-25 miles a day.


Lemond Revolution - Upgrading 9s Cassette to 11 Speed I currently have a 9 speed cassette on my Lemond Revolution trainer. I just purchased new bike which is 11 speed and want to use it on my trainer. Is there a way I can do this? I have looked everywhere for an eleven speed upgrade kit from Lemond, but they no longer make them.

The Lemond manual might answer this question with an odd footnote on page 19, which states "11-speed components will fit, but may not allow full use of the cassette." Assuming you own the same model, that is. http://www.lemondfitness.com/files/fetch/revolution/300223-RevolutionOM-RevB.pdf"


Bracket Bottom type and how to remove it? I can't seem to find what kind of bottom bracket I have on my bike and how to remove it to put some grease on/in it. My bike is a Schwinn Cadence 2006 mountain bike.

Right side (crankset side) above

Left side above (with a bit of threading)
Any help would be very much appreciated ! Thanks.

This looks like a standard British bottom bracket with a fixed cup and adjustable cup.
This article gives a good overview of how to service. It looks like your lockring is missing. Also, it doesn't look like you'll be able to use a pin spanner on the adjustable cup. Not clear from the photo what kind of wrenching affordance the cup has, but it should have some kind of wrench flats, so possibly this kind of tool is what you need. Also note that the fixed cup can be extremely difficult to remove.


Will running an LED designed for batteries on a NEXUS dynamo hub damage the LED? I have a question about LEDs on 6V Shimano dynamo hubs. I built up an old Schwinn with a Nexus dynamo hub, and the headlight I'm using is based on an LED 6V headlamp. The LED is a Chip-on-board design, and I've wired it directly to the two terminals on the hub without using the frame as a ground.  I have the pulses set up to alternate between the headlight and the tail lights. The light works great, but I wasn't aware that the Shimano dynamo is putting out reverse-polarity pulses as well as the ones properly oriented to light the LED. Is this bad for the LED bulb? Will it burn out prematurely because of the reverse pulses?

Reverse pulses at low voltage probably won't damage the LED, but the COB (chip on board) that gives the flashing modes might not be able to cope with the full reverse voltage.
The problem is that the hub dynamo is more accurately a constant current source, and will supply about 500mA. One common trick is to run two 6V lights in series off a hub dynamo, and most dynamos will give full brightness from both... they put out 12V. The actual voltage you get out of it might be clamped by a zener, but it's unlikely to be a 5W zener that can take the full power of the hub forever. Not that you want that anyway, it's extra drag.
I have run bare 5W star LEDs straight off a SON hub dynamo (well, with a diode and capacitor to reduce flickering) because they're designed to take 500mA and that's what the dynamo supplies. It worked really well, just using a chunk of aluminium channel as a heat sink/weather sheild/reflector. I don't really know about longevity, after ~10,000km/a year or so I got a proper light cheap so switched to that.
So if your 6V LED is actually a 1W light it might be getting 12V or more. Whether it survives that is anyone's guess. Worse, even a 5W light is likely to be getting +6V on that half of the wave, then -12V on the other half when it's not drawing any power. I suggest a basic diode or bridge rectifier in series, capacitor in parallel to give you DC.


How to create tension in old upright handle bar levers / U brakes? I have an old bike with a front brake "Weinmann Symmetric". It was not working very good as it stood in a garage for 20 years.
I bought a new cable and new brake pads.
I tried to pull as much as possible from the cable, while bringing the brake pads to the rim and the tightening the cable. But when I pull the brake lever it does not pool the brake nor return to its position.
This is the brake:

The cable installed, the flash made it a little bit red:

When I activate the brake it stays like that without pulling the brake:

The cable attachment to the brake:

Update:
I tried to put a new cable housing with the same size as the old one and a new cable housing around 3-4inch longer. I still get the same result, the cable does not move at the end.
I made a little video where I don't even have the cable attached to the brake because I don't want to destroy the cable with so many tries, but it is possible to see that the cable does not move at the end. I don't know if its possible to insert videos here so I'll just put a link
https://imgur.com/a/7aH7IMh

Well done for adding the video link - I saw the problem immediately.

The problem is in a brake lever. The body of the lever must hold the outer housing and pull the cable through it. Your housing goes through the lever body and touches the lever, and is pulled by the lever along with the cable.

You are missing the barrel adjuster mechanism on the lever that the housing fits in to but cannot pass through (it has a smaller hole for the cable).


Recourse for Reckless Drivers? I was just now pedaling home in the bike lane when an oncoming car made an abrupt left turn in front of me. My rear tire locked up as I braked hard and narrowly avoided a collision.   The driver parked in a parking lot, and I considered confronting him but didn't think anything useful would result.

I would really like to be able to report such an incident right when it happens, especially if the driver is parked and police can talk to them.  Is there any recourse I can take when something like this happens?  Would it help if I had a helmet cam to document the incident?

This happened in Florida, USA.

Depends on your location.  Unless there is direct contact or injury you're wasting your time calling the police.    Here in New Zealand we can report a bad driver on the local police website, providing all possible information.     Your jurisdiction may have something similar.

Cameras are "after the fact" information.  They don't stop anything from happening. I've found that a lot happens outside the camera's view.  Behind and beside are areas where bad thing happen.

Personally I've found the best answer to be avoid dying or getting injured.  There's nothing like seeing the problem and avoiding it.

A good loud bellow can be cathartic too, but there's no guarantee the driver will understand or even hear it.  Modern vehicles have excellent sound insulation, to the point where emergency services vehicles can be almost inaudible.

Here's an example of proactive problem avoidance - I did not get doored, and the camera lets you lot enjoy it.

The particularly bad quality U-turn just before this footage was indicative of an unskilled driver, but it was too small to see on screen.  Cameras are not as selective as the human eye at perceiving details.  But post injury/death they could be invaluable to prove what happened, and who was in the wrong.


Is this a collectable bicycle? Would appreciate any help in trying to identify this bicycle. HRSBO 71091

That looks a lot like the bikes in some bike-sharing programs (take a look at this one, from Stockholm City Bikes). The two "prongs" at the end of the front "basket" would be used to lock the bike in place at one of the stations. The panels in the back are often used for advertising.


My cycle's gears don't change properly At the rear wheel gear, the gear does not change from the 7th gear to the 6th gear when i change the gear in the handlebar once. But the next time i do it it changes. So, if the manual in the handlebar shows 5th gear,it is actually the 6th gear. What should i do?

It sounds as though your cable needs to be adjusted.

On the rear dérailleur there will be a barrel adjuster where the cable enters the mech. You can increase the cable tension by rotating the barrel adjuster anti-clockwise and loosen it by (you guessed it!) rotating it clockwise.

By getting the cable tension right you should be able to get more accurate shifting.

Park Tools have a great guide to this on their website. You want section 6 on that page, which deals with indexing (the process of achieving accurate shifting).


Hydraulic Disc Brakes Maintenance I have Hayes Nine hydraulic disc brakes on my mountain bike. I have recently replaced the brake pads and after that it seems that the pads are almost touching the rotor.
How can I adjust it?

I have come across the term "bleeding the brakes", but not exactly sure what it involves and if it applies here. Is it complicated? any special tools required?

On my previous bike I had cable disc brakes and the maintenance was pretty straight forward, but the hydraulics seem like a black magic to me.

Thanks

You need to bleed your hydros when they get a squishy feeling. They should be pretty close to the rotor, but if they are rubbing a lot, then you could try to recenter the pads around the rotor.

To do this:

Loosen the bolts attaching the brakes to the fork (or the adapter).
Grab the corresponding brake lever and hold it in place. You can use a rubber band for that, and it will free up your hand for the next step.
While the lever is held, the pads are pressed against the disc. Now tighten up the bolts you just loosened.
After you have tighten them back up, release the brakes. Spin the wheel to test if the discs still rub.  You might need to do it again, but this should minimize the amount of rubbing.


Is it possible to add disc brakes to a bike with caliper brakes? I have a Felt Z80 road bike like the one pictured below. Would it be possible to add disc brakes instead of the caliper brakes it came with? I don't plan on getting a new bike for awhile so I thought this would be a beneficial upgrade because I ride in the rain from time to time.

I suppose my other question would be, if it is possible, would it be worth it?

2 parts: front and rear.

For the front, getting a new fork with disc brake mounts is not that impractical if you are serious about disc brakes. You will have to get a new hub or wheel anyway. The front does most of your braking, so that may be all you need to upgrade. Get a mechanical brake that is compatible with your cantilever style brakes and you won't have to change your levers. I did this on an old touring bike of mine, and the improved braking in the front only was great and all I needed, even fully loaded on long descents.

For the rear, there are a few disc brake adapters on the market if you do a search. But they are heavy, flexy or both, compared to a frame mount. You can try them, of course, but I don't think they will give you the benefit you are looking for, esp. for the price of the adapter, new/updated wheel, brake, rotor, etc.


Getting a tire off the rim - 37-622 Ive tried everything and can’t seem to get the tire off the rim. I’ve double checked the bead and it’s loose. I pushed the beads into the centre.  I’ve tried warming up the tire. It almost seems the tire is smaller than the rim. I try and use the tire leaver to lift it but it almost seems to grab both beads at the same time. I can’t lift one bead up over the rim edge. I really don’t want to take it into a shop as I’ve changed other tires quite easily. I also tried the front tire Incase it was just an issue with the rear one I was working on. Natta. Any suggestions?

Soap and a bunch of muscle power did the trick. Thanks so much everyone.

Counterintuitively, one pump of air in the tube may help separate the two beads of the tyre, allowing you to grab just one with the tip of your tyre lever.
I have a bunch of tyre levers, and some are good while others are dreadful.    See if you have one with a flattish front, not a spoon or bill shape.
It can help to use some cable ties or velcro straps to squash the tyre into the rim's internal valley.  Then work your way around the tyre pushing the whole thing into the rim whilst moving the excess around the circumference to the opposite side.  This is generally how one would fit a new tight tyre like a Marathon.  You're doing the same process in the same order but aiming to get the bead off.
Last resort, if the tyre's dead you can cut it off but this means the tyre can't be reused,


Does riding a cyclo cross bike carry a large aerodynamic penalty when compared to a road bike? During club rides I find myself getting dropped by riders with the same weight and power but the main difference is that they are riding road bikes and I am on a cyclo cross bike (with road tyres and wheels).

Is it my position on the cross bike or is it almost impossible to make a sensible decision with out knowing my co efficient of drag area?

The current bike I have is a merida cyclocross 3 with cantilever brakes (pictured).

On a cyclocross your CD (drag coefficient is not much different).
You are the same basic shape.

It is a little taller so you have a bit more more frontal area

Are you sure you are the same weight and power? Would any of them be willing to swap bikes and test.

I get dropped on rides on my street CX but it is because I am just not as strong.

Based on your comment I think you are confusing CD with area
Drag = CD x Area x Velocity x Velocity

If you are getting dropped while drafting as a team (they are not trying to drop you) you cannot blame that on aerodynamics.
The guy(s) in the front have more more drag than you even if you are sitting a little taller.
If you are getting dropped you are not helping the team.  Take a shorter turn when you are in front.  Try and line up behind the next tallest rider.


XC helmet for road biking, or road helmet for XC? I'm not a very serious biker in either category, I need a new helmet and I'm thinking that I would rather spend $200 on one awesome helmet rather than $100 on two just-good helmets.

I understand that an XC helmet will have more padding and a road helmet will lighter and more aerodynamic. One one side, I feel like added protection of the XC can't hurt, but then the aerodynamic thing comes into play. Also in favor of the road helmet, I don't think I ride crazy enough trails to merit the XC helmet. I mostly ride mild to moderate single tracks in the woods of New England.

For a road helmet, I've been searching for a few hours and I've found that POC makes a road and XC helmet based on the same design called the Octal. In the road bike variant, it comes with MIPS.

For an XC helmet, I've noticed a few models come with GoPro mounting systems with quick release in case of a collision. I do a lot of night time XC riding and I love the idea of putting a flashlight on that. The Bontrager Lithos and a few Lazer helmets have that feature. I'm not sure how odd they'll look or if the visor wind resistance will actually be a problem on the road bike.

Are there any better middle ground helmets that I'm missing? Am I risking my safety more one way or the other? Should I change my mind and buy two instead of one?

I've been riding with a Trek Vapor for over 10 years. Anything is an improvement!

There is significant debate over the statistical benefit of wearing a helmet or not. My guess is most of use wear a helmet just in case the "Helmets are safer' camp is right but wonder if they really are.

I cannot imagine the difference between helmets from a safety perspective being statistically significant. "Road. XC etc are just marketing terms - the helmets meet standards, and these tell you how much protection you get. Much better to sell two helmets and make twice the profit, easy to do by making them look different enough that peer pressure has people buying a helmet for every task - I bet someone sells a "Commuter" helmet and a "Bike Courier" helmet somewhere.

You have not mentioned the most important aspect of helmet purchase - fit. A helmet that fits you is significantly better than any stickers as to what standards it meets.

Presuming then you are choosing from a range of helmets that meet published safety standards, and are happy with the manufacturer as far as their honesty around this (Many standards are declarations of conformance rather than independently tested), choose a helmet that fits first, and has the features you are after second.


are OEM parts of lower quality? I've heard many times from experienced riders that OEM parts (parts that accompany a complete bike) are of lower quality than the exact same aftermarket parts (parts bought separatelly).

Is this true?

The usual justification is that that's the way a complete bike can have a low price so it is affordable.

My judgement says that companies (both part providers and complete bike sellers) would not get into such trouble to save a couple of dollars.

Edit: I'm talking about high end MTB bikes with high end parts, such as http://www.ridefox.com/product.php?m=bike&t=forks&p=36201 or http://www.bosmtb.com/en/forks/dh/detail/produit/idylle-sc-/5.html and my question regards exact same models.

If the model numbers are the same, they will be the same parts built to the same specs. Of course, there are production line variations.

If there are slight variations in the model numbers, they may be the same or they may be slightly different (typically slightly cheaper) to prevent exact comparison to the regular part as Daniel R. Hicks said in a comment. This is because a manufacturer can do a large order for a part specific to OEMs which may be branded some way or slightly cheaper to them or not come with certain accessories or warranties which the manufacturer sources from other manufacturers (which can cut some costs, and possibly increase or decrease quality).

This ability to do bulk purchasing is the primary way that complete bikes are cheaper (they're buying 10s of thousands of cranksets or whatever without retail packaging or manuals or stuff, when you're buying 1 in a nice box with a warranty pamphlet and installation instructions and stuff, along with a markup for the shop). Naturally, its convenient to give the OEM and Retail versions different model numbers to keep things straight (for example, the OEM version's warranty is typically through the complete bike manufacturer, not the part manufacturer and may be shorter than the retail version, and it keeps stock easy to keep track of). This can be substantial - If you walk into Radio Shack for lets say a LM741 op amp, they'll charge you at least $1.50 for one of them (they don't do bulk discounts). My usual retailer for these type of parts, Digi-Key, sells the same part (possibly made by a different manufacturer, but I know to be of essentially same quality) for $0.70 each without the retail packaging (just cardboard boxes filled with foam and the chips in them) if I buy just one at  a time, and for $0.28 each if i buy in lots of 1000 or more. Thats around 19% of the price I would have paid at Radio Shack, for a bit different packaging and just getting it in bulk from a wholesaler (certainly, digi-key is marking this up as well. If I were a huge company, I could probably skip them and go straight to Texas Instruments or whatever, and order my 1 million op amps at an even lower rate!). The complete bikes also often ship essentially assembled correctly, so you further save money on the total cost of the bike by not having to pay as much time for a tech at the LBS to do things. This is known as "economies of scale". [To drive the point home: As Kibbee points out in a comment, this is why the "losing money" articles news sites often run on electronics are faulty - the sum of the costs of parts to a consumer whose only buying a few of each part will be higher than the cost of the device, but when you're buying large quantities of each part, the sum of the costs will be significantly less. Those articles do make for great click-bait though!]

To quote Surly on this: "Can I get the same stem/crankarm/saddle/handlebar as the one that came on my Surly complete bike?"
"No, we don't offer most of the stock parts that come on our complete bikes. These parts are sourced from the manufacturer directly and aren't usually available for purchase, but in most cases you can get something darn close or even better from your LBS"

(Surly is owned by QBP, so they can source a lot of stuff from QBP at a very good rate, which can bring down costs at little to no quality penalties versus using other manufacturer's parts, and can do custom runs for similar products that would be sourced from QBP without accessories or fan fare)

Remember that a lot of bicycling things on part quality is in people's heads. If I took a Deore derailleur and made it to say it was a Tourney derailleur and people saw it, a lot of people would say it performed inherently worse than one that I hadn't scratched out the decal on. Also, there is variance in manufacturing and riding conditions, so sometimes you get a part which lasts longer than others in the same batch or model or comparable models. It would be near impossible to get a statistically significant sample telling you that aftermarket parts are different than the parts with the exact same model number supplied to bike manufacturers (I highly doubt it exists). Also, when someone pays for something, they often believe it to be better than the "free" thing (there was a Newsweek article about 6 years ago talking about how colleges priced themselves higher so people would believe them to be better). We see this all the time with other products in our lives, such as badge-engineered cars among other things. Finally, remember that a lot of people replace things as they break, when typically the parts aren't running well anyway, lowering the perceived quality versus the replacement, even if they are the same part.

There is a practice, commonly used in the electronics industry, known as "binning", where parts are tested, and higher performing parts are often branded differently than lower performing parts and sold at a higher price (and when there are more higher performing parts than necessary, they are often branded as lower quality parts. Overclockers in PC's, for example, often take make use of this for unlocking cores and extra performance and what not). However, it doesn't really make sense to do a binning for lower quality and higher quality things in the same model number and sell the lower quality ones to bike manufacturers - the parts in a bicycle are simple enough from a machining standpoint typically that they can be made amazingly consistent, so the variations aren't great, and this just adds complexity to the supply line as well as opens up the manufacturer to possible litigation.

If they are different models, then sure there can be differences in quality (you may fit a cheaper part for something not very important or a wear item or something that people aren't used to noticing (as noted in one of the comments) like a cassette or saddle (which is hard to choose due to personal preferences) or pedals (often thrown out for some clipless system on more expensive bikes) when build the complete bike, knowing that this will bring your costs down and the rider is going to replace anyway with something better once it wears out). You can save some money this way (and certainly, this is substantial for bicycles which are cheaper).

In any case, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it and would just ride things until they need replacing. Then just pickup whatever looks good and move on with your life.


Is there not enough shim on my suspension pivot? I bought month ago new full suspension bike "Kellys Beast 2013". When I maintained it, I noticed that there seems to be a shim missing on one rear pivot:

The most interesting that it is symmetrical and on the other side of the wheel is also an empty space for a shim. So I am confused.

Is there really a missing shim?

NOTE: The bike stands head over heels, so it's view from below.

It is very possible that during assembly, the pieces were missed.

Try to see if you can shift the seat-stay or chain-stay sideways on the pivot. If you can, you definitely need to find another bushing to fit in there.

If there is sideways play in that pivot, it will wear out prematurely. You'll also get all sorts of dirt and debris stuck in there, which will also wear out the pivot much quicker than if it were covered with a bushing.

Another thing you could do is go to a brick and mortar store that sells the same brand of bike and see if the bikes in the store are also missing them.


Does this trike have a spoiler for downforce? I saw a 1977 Masa Slingshot leaflet on ebay (source), copied below.
It has a lot of differences from a modern tadpole, in particular what looks like a "spoiler" on the front.
Is this similar to a spoiler on a sports car that is intended to provide more downforce to the wheels at high speed? Would that be effective / beneficial on a trike?  I have read that this design was intended for oval track racing, so I assume the riders would get up to a good speed, so maybe that makes sense.  I also read that with its long wheelbase a lot more weight went onto the rear wheel than on today's trikes, which also support the idea. And the brake seems to be on the rear wheel as well which seems consistent with that impression of weight distribution.
On the other hand, is this device just intended for something else? It actually isn't very wide or large in comparison to the frame, you'd think for relatively low-speed spoiler more surface area would have helped and looks like it should have fit. Would extra downforce even be needed? Plus, a larger "spoiler" might have acted somewhat like a fairing to reduce drag. (Is that actually all it really is, just an early or inexpensive / lightweight fairing design?)
Looking around I can find other images of these Masa trikes but very few which have that attachment. The few examples I did find lacked any explanation, though a forum post did use the same term "spoiler". No examples of modern racing recumbents or trikes that I could find had anything like this.

According to this post from an owner the wing is for looks:

Earlier models came with an aluminum ‘wing” over the front axle, probably more for looks than anything, and a bullet-shaped, sports car-styled rear mirror on the left side.

According to the post the trike was made specifically for on track racing against like trikes.

MASA was a Japanese company, but targeted the US with this form of racing. In 1975 they finally brought a few of these over here and did some exhibition races between their own staff. It never really caught on, but they still imported about 1500 of these into the US over a three year period.

and later

Since these trikes were focused on track racing only against like trikes, the lack of braking and their size was not a problem. Their wide, long front end was thought to be better protection for the rider.


Changing the middle chainring on a 3-chainring crank I have a shimano acera crankset (3x) that is 28-38-48 with a 8 speed rear derail. Now I was going to convert this bike into a SS but decided not to mess with it. Can I take off the middle chainring (38) and replace it with a 44 teeth chainring instead without any messing/adjusting with the front derail.? (I'll just be using the middle chainring)

You'll have to 'mess' minimally with the FD in a way that you'll have to adjust the min/max screws to lock the FD in position and (better) remove the cable. Leave the derailleur in place as it will act as a chain-guide.


Why do police bikes have suspension? This may be a dumb question but why would police bikes have suspension?

They mostly all seem to have suspension on the front forks.

They're not going to be jumping off rocks or anything, are they, so what's the point? Doesn't suspension just make them slower, heavier, more expensive, less enjoyable, and higher maintenance?

I say that as someone who has never experienced riding a bike with suspension.

Doesn't Why top touring bikes have no suspension forks? suggest they're valueless? But that's implausible because they're designed and bought professionally; so why?

The main reason I've seen is that police bikes are generic mid-price mountain bikes, and those almost always come with suspension. Even when they're decorated and packaged as "police bikes", they still seem to start out as mid-price generic MTBs.

This comes from the requirement that they be reasonably rugged, able to have police kit bolted on, be reliable, and affordable. Most velocops don't have the budget to start with a $5000 bike and then modify it to work as a police bike. And it's very hard to find a $5000 bike that would be a suitable starting point. But it's also moderately hard to find a $1000 MTB without front suspension.

In Sydney (Australia) at times the velocops get to buy their own bikes, with the requirement that they be able to have all the doodads the police like attached. So we have seen some variation, from cops who put their own money in (or repurpose other budget) to get decent bikes, through to a bunch of "police auction" specials which were ok, but it was amusing to see cops with official bikes that had had the serial numbers filed off. Still, most of those were mid-price mountain bikes with front suspension, because they want the heavy frame to get a bit more ruggedness.


Is cycling better than walking to lose weight? I want to lose weight. I commute to my office daily by walking 3 kilometers. If I buy a bicycle and use it for commuting (total 3 km daily), would it be better than walking?

This research claims around walking 334 kilojoules of energy expended for a 1.6km walk

Using the same 1.6km distance, if you cycled at 20km/h at 70watts (arbitrary but vaguely-plausible numbers), you would be involve around 20 kilojoules being "sent to the pedals". Assuming you are about 20% efficient, that would be 100kilojoules burned

For that distance, at a relatively leisurely pace, walking uses more energy.

However, there is more to it than that:

Cycling is a more efficient means of transport. Both methods may use similar amounts of energy, but cycling will be faster. This means you could cycle a longer route to work, "burn more calories", and still get to work at the same time.

Then again, cycling has it's drawbacks - it requires more supporting equipment (a bike being the main part, also things like a helmet, puncture repair kit, maybe lights, and of course somewhere to securely park the bike)

..but really, the most important factor is doing something. Maybe choosing cycling would mean you would spend months saving up the money before you even start? Or maybe you'll enjoy cycling, and start going on longer rides, for fun?

Finally, remember the natural reaction to more exercise is simply "eat more". It is hard and requires conscious effort to go against this (to increase exercise without eating more)


Can't Find My Derailleur Hanger My Derailleur Hanger broke and I want to replace it. However, I couldn't find any information about my bike or model or what kind of hanger I need to buy. The brand is Esperia and model name is Aria.

Here is the photo of the broken hanger:

I even tried calling the seller, they said they can't help me with that since they are just resellers.

So, I tried to check the bike to see if I can find anything helpful and I saw that speed gear was Shimano RD-2300. Is the hanger special to this Shimano model, If no how can I find the correct hanger for my bike?

Yours rotated looks like

Best I could find is http://wheelsmfg.com/derailleur-hanger-6.html
which is "similar" but the mount holes look too large, the duck bill is way wrong, and the curve is there but wrong.

The holes might kill it, but its possible the other parts aren't critical.

Don't bother with the emergency hangers for long term use - they don't last long and they don't work well.


My bike's adjustable stem keeps falling down My bike's adjustable stem keeps falling down. I tighten the nut as much as can but it seems no impact at all.

Is it the wrong nut to tighten?

What you have is an adjustable stem. The headset is the pair of bearings in the head tube that the fork steerer tube runs in, that allows the handlebars and fork to turn.

You are tightening the correct bolt, however, check that the nut on the other side is captive and not turning when you tighten the bolt. If it is not captive you need to hold the nut with another wrench as you tighten the bolt.

These types of adjustable stems usually have a a series of radial splines on the inner and outer parts that lock into each other when the bolt is done up. The splines - being made of relatively soft aluminum alloy - get worn down and deformed, and can no longer hold the forward part of the stem in place. If yours is repeatedly slipping the splines are probably very worn.

The solution is to buy a new stem. You can either find a replacement adjustable one, or knowing where you like the bars to be get a fixed one that replicates that position.

Replacing the stem is relatively easy and videos on how to do it are easily found. The tricky bit is preloading the headset bearings. You have to get this right or the bearings will be damaged when you ride, or in the worst case the bike will be dangerous to ride.

You also need to replace the steerer tube top cap. This is necessary to set the bearing preload. Even if you don't replace the stem the lack of top cap is allow water to enter the top of the steerer tube and accelerate corrosion.


How do I get a new chainring when my bike is so old, the manufacturer doesn't have the chainring (or crank) I need I need a new chainring but when I called the manufacturer they said my model is so old they don't have the part any more.

I've attached an image of the crank from the manual and a photo from my bike. Can someone tell me if it is possible to get this type of chainring, or an entire new crank?

How do I measure it to make sure it fits my bike?

It seems that you're asking about a BMX chainring. As far as I can see (I'm no expert in BMX) they are fairly standard. To be sure you'd neet to take three measurements:

the diameter of the hole that goes on the bottom bracket spindle (1)
the diameter of the hole that attaches to the drive-side crank (2)
the distance from the centre of the first hole to the centre of the second hole (3)

Have a look at the attached image with those measurements marked red:

As you can see, the measurement 3 is somewhat flexible with the chainring pictured.

With those three measurements you can visit couple of LBSes and confirm that you're purchasing the correct part.


Dual gear cable setup for aerobars and handelbars Is there a solution to set up gear shifters at the end bar of the aerobars and on the handlebars simultaniously?
It is just annoying when I am down in triathlon position and have to change the grip to go into another gear

Almost all derailleurs are pulled by cables. To be able to operate one derailleur from either of two shifters, or one brake from two levers, you'll need some mechanism to split the cable.

As always, while Stack Exchange usually asks us not to recommend products, I can't answer this question without mentioning some particular products. These aren't recommendations. Please do further research on your own.

Take caution that the item you need does not appear to be a common component, and there doesn't appear to be standard terminology. That said, this item by Jtek will do exactly what you ask. It appears to work with either derailleur or brake cables. They call it a cable splitter. I have never tried one, so you may need to buy at your own risk. You would need to purchase an STI shifter for your base bars (i.e. the bullhorn bars).

Just by looking at the pictures, I don't think the system will have a huge increase in cable drag, which is what I was worried about. The bigger worry may be that the system is depicted with older Shimano levers that route the derailleur cables externally. Since the late 2000s, Shimano have routed the cables under the bar tape, as SRAM and Campagnolo. With that orientation, you may need to mount the cable splitter further back so that you can route cables straight in from both the base bar shifter and the bar end shifter (i.e. the one on your aero bar end) into the splitter. You may need to experiment with the setup. I would suggest calling Jtek.

Note that the term cable splitter can refer to items that help you disconnect and reconnect cables on S&S or Ritchey travel bikes, where the bike frame itself breaks into two to pack. You don't want this sort of cable splitter unless you have one of these travel bikes. I have a feeling this usage is the more common one, so look at what you Google.

The term cable doubler can refer to systems which enable you to pull one lever to actuate both brakes simultaneously. Problem Solvers makes a brake cable doubler that will do this, or will enable you to actuate one brake from either of two brakes. I haven't investigated thoroughly, but some may use this term to refer to the component you need.

Last, answering for completeness: you could get electronic shifting. It is expensive. It's not objectively worth it for most cyclists. When Dura Ace Di2 came out, many people derided it as an answer looking for a question. They had a point. But first, it really was quite a good answer! Second, and more relevant to you, it does in fact enable you to mount satellite shifting buttons in multiple locations on your handlebars.

This answer has implications for adaptive cycling. If you have a hand amputated, or if you've lost fingers on one hand, you'll seriously benefit from some type of adaptation enabling you to shift or brake from one shifter. Even for able bodied drop bar cyclists, it can help to be able to shift from multiple locations when crossing rough terrain.


Could road rims be damaged by using v-brakes? I once heard that road rims aren't strong enough to deal with the force of v-brakes, is this true? What about your standard cantilever brakes?

Not true--the pad/rim contact force should be more or less independent of the brake design (assuming the pad/rim friction coefficients are about the same, as they will be if the pads are of similar material).

V-brakes tend to require more cable pull to actuate than other types, which does make them incompatible with road brake levers. No problem with the wheels, though.


Can hydraulic brake levers get hot when brakes overheat? If your hydraulic brakes get hot, can this heat ever travel to your brake levers. Can your levers feel hot or is this my imagination?

No, the thermal conductivity of brake hose/fluid is way too low.

I've run the numbers on this -- very roughly to make the calculations simpler.  I've assumed the hose isn't cooled by airflow for some reason and a solid hose or equivalently that the fluid has the same thermal conductivity.  Even the lever is assumed not to lose any heat to the air.  All these assumptions maximise the amount of heat delivered to the lever.

Lets assume the hose is PTFE, which decomposes above about 200°C and has a thermal conductivity of 0.5 W/m.K (the highest value I saw).  I'll take a hose outside diameter of 6 mm, length 1 m.  To feel warm the lever would have to get to something like 40°C, giving a temperature drop of 160°C at the point where the caliper end of the hose got so it it would be giving off toxic fumes, i.e. the absolute maximum.

Working this through, you'd be conducting 2 mW of heat to the lever.  If the lever is 100 g of aluminium with a specific heat capacity of 900 J/kgK, this 2 mW it would take 12.5 hours to warm by 1°C.

Some steels have 100× the thermal conductivity of PTFE.  Brake cables could conduct 200 mW for the same caliper temperature, and only take 7.5 minutes to warm by 1°C - but still an hour or two of non-stop braking to get from ambient to warm.


Is it safe to ride on cracked tyre? I have a cracked tyre on my Road bike. I think I put it in the gazebo and exposed it to the sun.

It's cracking along the tyre wall, in continuous fashion.

Would it be safe to ride on those crack tyre? As they are fairly new, I don't want buy a new one if it is ok to ride, i.e. no catastrophic failure.

The cracks will expose the internal structure to elements. So yes, they are not going to last as long as non-cracked ones but very probably not going to explode right away either.

The Nokia tires that used to be popular in my country developed cracks between tread and sidewall after a few months' use and could still be ridden for years afterwards. Your mileage may vary.


Upgrading my cockpit- brakes, stem and bars for longer reach I want to upgrade my cockpit so that I have a longer reach. I currently use it as my city bike. Its an old vintage HR bates frame. Currently the stem is a little short. I want to change the bars - flats, curlies or something else? What brakes are recommended?

Be aware, if you aren't already, that installing a longer stem will change the steering response - you will need to put in more effort to steer the same amount.

Another way of increasing reach is to change the position of your saddle. If your saddle has rails, then usually you loosen a bolt under the saddle and slide your saddle backwards.

Also, seatposts have a varying amount of layback/setback (the amount by which the saddle is offset), so you could increase reach by finding a seatpost with more layback.

If you don't want to change your seated position, then to counteract the effect of lengthening the stem, you can increase the width of the bars. I'd suggest remaining with flat bars for city riding, unless you want a more aero position. If you stay with flat bars then you can keep the brakes you have, and maybe refresh the cables and blocks for increased performance.

Another reason for sticking with flat bars is that the bike looks fantastic as it is - it would be a shame to change too much about it...


Has anyone ridden fenders in a Grand Tour? Has anyone ever ridden a bike equipped with some type of fenders in a Grand Tour, for even a short part of the race?

Are they UCI race legal?

If so, who was it, what was the race, and when did it happen?

Yes, for smaller ones. No, for full mudguards.
Tour de France
Here's Team Katusha using them on the ‘Paris Roubaix stage’ of the Tour de France in 2014, according to Stickybottle:

While mudguards are fitted to most bikes used by racing cyclists for winter training, it’s against the rules to use them competing.
Not only would they hugely slow down a rider, but mudguards and the apparatus that keeps them in place are simply deemed too dangerous for racing. They pose a stabbing hazard in the event of a high speed crash.
However, the top pro team Katusha today took to the start line of stage 5 of the Tour de France, with a wet and muddy day on the pavé in store, with mini mudguards fixed to their bikes.
They are a much smaller and neater structure compared to traditional mudguards.
They are essentially a simple one-piece flap that attaches to the saddle and should keep the riders’ backsides a little drier than normal.
Katusha has been using them since the start of this season but today’s TV exposure on the ‘Paris Roubaix stage’ of the Tour is the first time they’ve been seen on the biggest stage.
The team agreed a sponsorship deal this year with Sencillo Bikes in Spain, which distributes the mudguard flaps.
The company was undoubtedly praying for rain on today’s pavé stage; the perfect conditions to help bring their nifty little product to the attention of the global TV audience.

Giro d'Italia
Here's one of the photos on the sponsor's website from Giro d'Italia 2014:

Vuelta a España
They're still sponsored by them this year, here's their EDICIÓN KATUSHA 2016 for sale, blurbing:

Los guardabarros sencillo actualmente son utilizados por varios equipos y numerosos ciclistas profesionales de ruta en sus entrenamientos y en carreras UCI PRO TOUR como el RGACajaRural en la última edición de la Vuelta a España, por corredores del equipo UCI Pro Tour, KATHUSA en las carreras clásicas belgas, en Milán San Remo, en la Volta a Cataluña y varias más. Además de otros clubes y equipos españoles , belgas y franceses de otras categorías.

UCI rules
The UCI rules (PDF, 1.3.024, p.70) would likely forbid full mudguards as they would constitute a protective screen or fairing for the wheels:

Any device, added or blended into the structure, that is destined to decrease, or which has the effect of decreasing, resistance to air penetration or artificially to accelerate propulsion, such as a protective screen, fuselage form fairing or the like, shall be prohibited.


TRP HY-RD brake pistons won't retract to take new pads I'm replacing pads on my TRP Hy-Rd brakes. These are cable actuated hydraulics. Using tire levers, wrenches, etc. I have not been able to push the two pistons far enough apart to fit the rotor between the pads. I can move one piston, but the other follows, so there's no increase in the gap. I've tried pushing the pistons apart both with and without the old pads in place. Not having any luck. Any suggestions?

Detaching the cable reduced the pressure and allowed the pistons to both slide back.


What is the rear hub of a Giant ATX 2 2019/2020? My question is about the Giant ATX 2 2019/20 model. Is the hub a freehub for a cassette or a hub for a freewheel?

Freewheel have almost completely been superseded by freehubs and cassettes, however the Giant ATX is an inexpensive bike with a Tourney level groupset, so It could conceivably have a freewheel.

It's simple to look up the bike's specs and find out. This is the ATX 2 page at the giant site. The site says it has a Shimano MF-TZ500 14x34 'cassette'. The 14 tooth small sprocket gives us a clue that this is a freewheel.

Looking at the Shimano page for the MF-TZ500 we see that it is indeed a 7 speed freewheel.


Are faceplates for different shimano brifters compatible? I got a used brifter and the faceplate fell off. I am pretty sure it was a 105. It works well enough but it looks shitty.

Does anyone know if I can just order whichever shimano brifter faceplate, and it will fit? If that was the case, I might just get one to match my other brifter (a tiagra, I think).

Short answer:

No they are not. Each model, and usually each year requires a specific face plate.


How to learn wheelie on MTB I'm stuck on learning wheelie. I've read a few tutorials and watch some videos and now trying to repeat that. But I only able to raise front wheel for a second and half-rotate pedals. I prefer to use the highest gear (instead of low or medium) for this trick because it is easier to keep balance and also pedals feel more rough so I can stay on them while pulling the handlebar.

I thought that problem can be with my bike, so I've even set a shorter stem. It almost didn't help.

So what can you recommend for mastering the technique of wheelie?

Step 1:

Get used to bailing out.

Put your bike in first gear. Ride very slowly, then give a (small but sharp) upwards jerk on the bars as you do a hard downstroke on one of the pedals. Stay seated. You should have the power to pass the "tipping point". When you do, put your feet down so you don't fall on your butt.

Do this until it feels completely natural and easy, and you have lost all fear of tipping over backwards. This is the real reason for this step, hopefully you won't be needing to bail out at all.

Step 2:

Learn to feather the rear brake.

Now, instead of bailing out, give a light pull on the rear brake lever. The first time you do this, the front wheel will probably slam down uncomfortably. Keep doing it until you can save yourself from going over backwards but not so abruptly that you can't continue the wheelie.

Step 3:

Add speed.

What's the highest gear with which you can reach the "tipping point" while staying seated? The higher the gear, the easier it is to sustain a wheelie.

Bailing out is a bit tricky at higher speeds, but hopefully you'll never need to.

Tips

Doing wheelies on a long climb is a great way to practice while reducing the monotony. And you don't have to use the brakes to slow yourself down for the next wheelie.

A front suspension makes learning much more pleasant. It makes landing so much more comfortable.

Staying seated cannot be stressed enough. A wheelie is not a manual, learn the difference. When you're getting started with wheelies it might help confidence and control to lower your seat a bit, but make sure you still have the power to pop the front wheel high.


Quick - Maybe Question on changing gears Not looking for a overly technical answer here just a very simplistic one I quess.. When switching gears is it best to try and keep both front and rear gears either high or low (Depending) I mean we wouldn't want say front low and rear high or other way around would we ?

Thanks

On most bikes you typically just need to avoid the two most extreme cross-chaining scenarios: (A) the largest front chainring and the largest rear cog and (B) the smallest front chainring and the smallest rear cog.


Incorrect number of clicks on SRAM MRX gear shifter I purchased a bike with a "7 gear" SRAM MRX 200-70 gear shifter. However, the SRAM gear shifter only clicks 6 time (corresponding to 6 gear changes).

Is the SRAM gear shifter faulty, and in need of replacement? Or can I make an adjustment to access the 7th gear?

Note: when the cable is completely slack, I can still only hear six clicks.

You should only hear 6 clicks: 1->2 , 2->3, 3->4, 4->5, 5->6, 6->7 when shifting up on a 7 speed system, and reverse the arrows when shifting down.

If you can't shift through all the gears, check that the derailleur is not bent, you have adequate cable tension, the low and high limits are set correctly (these should be a set once and forget it thing) and then play with the indexing adjustment (the barrel adjuster at the derailleur). See this link for more details. If your cables are old and rusted or kinked, you may need a new shift cable as well.

If you just purchased the bike from a shop, they should adjust it for you for free if it was recent.

Note that these are cheap shifters, so if there is indeed something wrong with the shifter (e.g. you meant to say you were only hearing 5 clicks), you're going to have to throw it out and buy another one for around 15 dollars.


On Shimano disk brakes, are both pads supposed to move? I have Shimano disk brakes (cable operated, no hydraulics), they are still pretty new.

I noticed that under braking, only one of the brake pads moves inward.

Is this how they are supposed to work? Or are both pads expected to move?

I do know there is an allan-key screw that I can move to adjust the brakes, but I don't know if both pads are supposed to move when braking.

Many mechanical cable-actuated disc brake calipers do indeed move only a single pad when the cable is pulled. I believe Shimano mechanical disc brakes use this design. Unlike rim brakes the disc pads can be adjusted to run very close to the rotor, so the active pad does not have to move very far to pinch the rotor against the static pad.

Hydraulic brakes typically move both pads. If you have hydraulic brakes one piston may be stuck. If your bike is new the shop you bought it from should sort it out for free or as part of a post-purchase tune-up. As you mention a pad adjustment screw I'm fairly certain you have mechanical brakes though.


How to find track/Keirin races when travelling? I'm going to be in Japan for a few weeks in January and was wondering if there are any Keirin races I might be able to attend.  Do they run year round? How would I go about finding a schedule?

List of upcoming keirin races:
http://keirin.jp/pc/raceschedule

List of velodromes in Japan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Velodromes_in_Japan and http://keirin.jp/pc/jyolist

If you need help translating the page, Google Chrome's auto-translation is pretty good.


What size are the screws used for water bottle mounts etc? There's one size of bolt that's used all over modern bikes: water bottle mounts and the braze-ons for racks leap to mind. Whenever I need a few, I take one to the hardware store and sift through the boxes of bolts until I find one that matches. I foolishly never write the size down.

What size are they? I'm only concerned with the width and the threads, not the heads or the length.

Strictly speaking the answer should be M4, M5 or M6.  This specifies the threading as well* (M4x0.7, M5x0.8 and M6x1 is implied, where the thread is given in mm/turn).  The hex key for turning them will also have a size in mm, always smaller than the diameter, by how much depends on the head shape.

I would say M5 are the most common, based on a very small sample size.

*There are technically fine and extra fine metric threads, but you won't find them on a bike or in a hardware store.


I need help adjusting Marzocchi dj3 2011 I want to increase my fork length but I don’t want to change the sag or travel or rebound.

The forks are on a Rocky Mountain frame and I want the bottom of my hard tail to be parallel with the ground and not pointing down in front.

I might not understand the question correctly but I don't think you can make that fork longer. The manual for the Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 3 (click the "Tech" tab) has a lot of great information but does not indicate a way to make the fork longer.


How to stop air leak when disconnecting inflator from Schrader valve? People say that the pin must be pressed down in order for the air to get in. But when I try to remove the pump head by unlocking the lever, too much air leaks before I get to remove the pump.

I do two things - I overinflate the tyre by about one stroke of the track pump, and if the pump has a lever I flick it off pretty smartly.    However my pump at home is a thread-on track pump and doesn't have any issues with pressure loss when slowly unscrewing the hose from the valve.
Also, try another pump.  Borrow one from another cyclist, or check the LBS for an air line.  Some bike fixup workstations have a pump built in too.  Last resort is to try a car air pump at the local service station, though they can be quite brutal.
If you use a track pump, leave the handle in the up position while disconnecting the hose head from the valve, and you'll see the handle fall under its own weight.  I bet the HISSSS of air moving stops at the same time the handle bottoms out, suggesting that the released air is coming from the pump not the tyre.
Lastly for self-reassurance, check your tyre pressure by hand before removing the pump hose, and again immediately after.  You'll have a good-enough muscle memory for the pressure needed by your thumb to dent the tyre's tread.  I expect it to have exactly the same perception of resistance to your thumb before and after hose disconnect.

Minor clarification - the pin does NOT need to be pressed down in a schrader valve to add air.  If the air in the hose is high-enough pressure to overcome the internal tyre pressure plus the spring pressure, then air will go into the tube (barring no leaks or sticky valves)


Thru axle for rim brake road bikes As more and more manufactures release disc versions of popular road frames, I am seeing more and more road bikes with 12mm thru axles.  I was wondering if there is a reason for not just doing away with quick-release and converging the disc and rim versions of very similar models, say the '18 BMC team machine which has identical geometry for both rim and disc for instance, to both use a thru axle.

I know the wheel change speed argument against the thru axle, in so far as it can take longer to pop out a wheel to replace it in a race.  Aside from this, and looking at a more comprehensive view that takes into account non-racers, is there a reason to not equip all road bikes with through axles?

The arguments for are compelling; a stiffer, more secure front end being the main.  While this is more important when dealing with asymmetric torque from a disc rotor being applied to the hub, I think it is still valid and likely beneficial without disc brakes.  Granted, I have never ridden a thru axel bike that wasn't a disc, it seems like it would be superior even with rim brakes.

Are there any reasons not to build road bikes with through axels, even if they are not disc brake equipped?  Is this a trend we might see as manufactures produce more pairs of very similar road disc/non-disc models?

Are there any reasons not to build road bikes with through axels, even if they are not disc brake equipped? Is this a trend we might see as manufactures produce more pairs of very similar road disc/non-disc models?

It makes very little sense to produce a rim brake bike with thu-axels.  What wheel set would it run?  Custom? Almost all thu-axel wheel sets on the market now come with disc specific rims that cannot be used with rim brakes.

I would ask what is the advantage to non-racers of having a rim brake frame with thru-axels over a disc frame with thru-axels?

Brake modulation? A good hydraulic disc brake has much better modulation than rim brakes.
All weather braking - this one is no contest, disc brakes.
Wheel compatibility? - you will need to stick with QR then as this is the most common road wheel interface.
Familiarity? - If they want to keep with a brake format they are already familiar with I doubt that they would suddenly want to switch wheel interfaces and have any extra wheels they already have rendered useless.
Weight - QR interface wins again.

The only "advantage" to the rim + thru-axel seems to be steering response (although some would argue that this is a myth), with the main disadvantages of brake performance and basically no compatible wheel sets.

If the industry produced such a bike, even more people would be lining up complaining that they are producing a completely unnecessary bike configuration.