Will this mix of Shimano 10 speed components work together? My goal is to cobble together a 1x10 groupset using some Shimano 105 5700 shifters.

From what I have read, I think that these components will work together, but I want to be sure before purchasing:

Shimano 105 5700 10 speed shifters
Shimano GRX RD-RX400 10 speed rear derailleur
Shimano Deore HG50 10 speed cassette 11-36
Shimano Deore T610 10 speed rear hub

I will be in a 1x configuration, so no front mech is required.

Will this mix of Shimano 10 speed components work together?

Sorry no, the 105 shifters and GRX derailleur will not work together.

Older Shimano 10 speed groupsets use the 'classic' 1:1.7 actuation ratio (length cable pulled / lateral cage movement). 11 speed groups required a different ratio to work properly. The newer 10 speed groups - Tiagra 4700 and GRX 400 series - both use the same ratio as the 11 speed groups, and are therefore not compatible with the older 10 speed groups.

Shimano publishes extensive specifications an compatibility information for their products. The latest compatibility information is here: https://productinfo.shimano.com/#/com. If you look at road rear drivetrain compatibility you see that the GRX RX400 derailleur only works with Tiagra 47xx, 'Non series' RS405 and GRX RX400 shifters.

You can see that the HG50 cassette is explicitly compatible with the RX400 derailleur.


Bottom Bracket terminology - English BB, SM-BBR60 BSA, English 68mm, ISO/English & BB30 confusion My head is spinning with confusion on BB terminology, I'm hoping somebody can clarify things.

I'm interested in building a road bike with the Dengfu FM098 frame and an Ultegra groupset that I would like to purchase from Chain Reaction Cycles.

The frame is here:

http://dengfubikes.com/ROAD_FRAME/129.html

And from Chain Reaction the Ultegra groupset can be purchased here with some options:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/shimano-ultegra-6800-11-speed-groupset/rp-prod110818?utm_campaign=bazaarvoice&utm_medium=Default&utm_source=AskAndAnswer&utm_content=Default

or here with pretty much every conceivable option:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/shimano-ultegra-6800-11-speed-groupset-builder/rp-prod136551

So here is where the confusion begins.  The Dengfu link above lists the FM098 Bottom Bracket as "BB: English BB/BB30", I'm under the impression that this means a choice of an "English BB" or a "BB30" bottom bracket, is this correct?

Now considering the Chain Reaction Ultegra Groupset links, the one with fewer options does not list an option for BB, rather it states "Incl. Hollowtech II Bottom Bracket SM-BBR60 BSA".  The Ultegra Groupset builder with the many options has 2 choices for BB after choosing the Shimano Ultegra 6800 Bottom Bracket option, "English 68mm" or "Italian 70mm"

So I checked the Wikipedia page for BBs:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottom_bracket

The table towards the bottom (see the column heading "Bottom Bracket Thread Name") seems to imply that ISO/English & BSC (British Standard Cycle) and BSA all effectively mean the same thing, and that the shell with for these is 68mm.

At this point I'm under the impression that the Denfgu "BB: English BB/BB30" means a choice of an English Bottom Bracket or a BB30 Bottom Bracket.  I'm also under the impression that the Chain Reaction Cycles Ultegra Groupset with "Incl. Hollowtech II Bottom Bracket SM-BBR60 BSA" would match the Dengfu frame with the English BB option, since BSA seems to mean the same thing as English, and English seems to be 68mm, is this correct?

If not, would the Chain Reaction Ultegra Groupset Builder with the "English 68mm" option fit the Dengfu FM098 frame with the "English BB" option (supposing this is actually a separate option from the "BB30" on the Dengfu FM098)?

Sorry if this is a beginner question but BB terminology can be quite confusing!

Honestly I would try to get in touch with the company further, as their explanation of the bottom bracket makes no sense. And as is often the case with these companies, some things get lost in translation.

Bottom Bracket Standards

This could be a mile long explanation, so I'm only going to address the two in question here: BB30 and BSA. A couple good articles are here and here. The first one gives a nice little history of why the ^&%$@ we have to try to understand so many different standards.

English

This, I would have to assume is referring to British/BSC/BSA (acutally in some places on DengFu's website they refer to it as BSA and others as English). As explained by Sheldon Brown:

  B.S.A. (Birmingham Small Arms) was a major British manufacturer of firearms, and later of bicycles and motorcycles. It reached its peak in the 1920's. The standard thread sizes that B. S. A developed for its bicycles were ultimately adopted as the standard British (B.S.C.) sizes, which, in turn, were mostly adopted by the I.S.O.

So BSA is actually a thread pitch/diameter standard of 1.37"x24tpi for bottom brackets. This thread pitch is found in several widths (68/73/83mm and probably more) for bottom brackets, which describe "English" Bottom brackets. It also applies to things like freewheel and headset threading.

BB30

BB30 is a standard that was created by Cannondale to help create stiffer bottom bracket/crank interfaces. It utilizes a 30mm spindle (vs 24mm for shimano hollowtech II/GXP/FSA MegaEXO/etc). You may visit this page and click accept to view the (now open) patent. The frame must be 41.960±0.025mm in diameter and be 68.0±0.2mm wide at the bottom bracket. Effectively a standard 'English' BB shell but larger diameter with no threads cut. Also, do not confuse this with PF30 - BB30 has bearings directly in the frame that rest against a retainer clip.

This Frame...

Looking at the photos of the frame, this is definitely a pressfit bottom bracket as photographed, which would rule out English/BSA. Why they would ever say English/BB30 is beyond me. I'm leaning towards there was some translation issues and/or some confusion on the part of the person writing the web page. It is not uncommon to receive something that is not quite what you expected when you buy things like this direct from overseas. I would definitely try to get in touch with them further to confirm exactly what is going on.

BB30 to HollowtechII/GXP/MegaEXO/etc (24mm spindles)

If it is BB30, what are your options? As far as I know Shimano doesn't make a BB30 compatible bottom bracket. This would be a bottom bracket with 42mm OD bearings x 24mm ID. Here's a few options in order of my preference:

Probably your best bet in this particular case is something like this adapter from FSA, although I don't have any experience with them as far as reliability. This would allow you to choose a standard BSA bottom bracket with the component package and actually be able to install in the frame.

Praxis makes a bottom bracket that would work. As well as Rotor. I feel this is preferable if you weren't already forced to buy a BSA bottom bracket as having less parts floating around is generally more reliable.

Wheels MFG makes lots of cool stuff in the USA and they make delrin adapters that will reduce the ID of a BB30 bearing to 24mm (hollowtech II). Probably less desirable in your case, as then your hollowtech II bottom bracket is useless and you have to buy a BB30 bottom bracket.

Also, press in bottom brackets require bearing presses and can be pretty tricky. Usually not tools that the home mechanic has around.

once again: I would strongly suggest getting in touch with these folks before buying anything. The lack of clarity is really not confidence inspiring. Maybe they do offer the frame in two different BB options, but that doesn't seem particularly likely to me.


Can't remove crank arm on older Mercier I'm rebuilding an older Mercier and have decided to tackle the bottom bracket. I've read a few articles and watched a few videos on how to remove the crank but none of them look anything like what I've got on this bike.

Basically, there are bolt threads on one side and a 'nub' on the other side that would indicate that this is what I would remove the crank arm with, but I'm not having any luck removing the bolt.

I've attached a picture as I'm sure I'm probably not using the correct terms for some of these parts.

What you are looking at is called a "Cottered Crank". The shaped cotter pin holds the crank in place and they can be next to impossible to remove without significant effort or a cotter pin press.

Sheldon Brown has an excellent article on removing cottered cranks using a hammer and pipe, which is a method I have used before, albeit multiple decades ago.

When you get it off you may want to consider replacing the bottom bracket and cranks with a more modern design that is easier to maintain, unless this is a restoration job and you want to stay true to the original.


Can a double loop cable stand up to cable cutters? I am curious about this, and I don't see this question anywhere on here, nor via Google.

I want to know if a double loop cable can stand up to wire cutters, because they don't seem like something a cable cutter couldn't defeat.

Maybe I'm wrong, but before I lock my expensive bike up at a Walmart for some quick shopping, I'd like to at least know that someone's not going to come along with cable cutters and successfully take my bike.

By double loop cable, I am referring to the cable that has a loop at each end, so as to be combined with a padlock or U-lock. The one I have is tiny, only measuring...

Forgive my measuring tactics here, I am using a penny, which is approx. 19mm. The cable's "cross-sectional diameter" is about 1/5 of that, so I estimate the CSD of the cable is roughly 4mm. I'm skeptical on whether this cable is safe, whether this cable is standard-sized, and whether DL cables can even stand up to manual cutting tools.

Thanks for any information provided.

Short answer: no.

I've cut a 10mm stranded cable using normal straight-jaw wire cutters in under a minute. 4mm I expect I'd cut in one go, in whatever time it took to put the side-cutters onto the cable plus a second. The 10mm cable I cut with sidecutters because that's the tool I had handy, so I just nibbled a bit of the plastic cover away and then cut one strand at a time using the very tip of the jaws. It was mildly tedious, and the leverage was all wrong for the first few. Once I'd cut about a third of the strands I could work two or three uncut strands into the jaws a bit more and cut them more easily.

As you point out, a stranded cable is trivial to cut with the right tool, and even a very heavy one (more than half an inch thick) can be cut with hand tools in a couple of seconds. Small versions of those cutters look like any other pair of pliers and a good set will cut most bicycle cable locks in seconds. A heavier set looks like bolt cutters and are usually rated to 3/4" or 1" cables. Or you can buy battery powered versions of those for more money.

An armoured cable is harder to cut because there's steel segments surrounding it, and usually they're an inch or so in diameter specifically so you need a physically larger tool to cut them. But the segments can usually be crushed by a bolt-cutter style rope cutter and then the internal cable cut.

The other obvious answer is a disk grinder. They're loud and obvious, but these days battery powered grinders are cheap and readily available. And they're quick - under a minute, likely under 10 seconds for most cables.

Most bike thieves will have one or more of these tools available, and the trouble with the pocket-able plier shaped ones is that they're very easy to carry just in case.


Is it possible to convert a suspension fork to rigid by drilling it? I have been given a Falcon MTB. I've sorted out all its troubles but the front suspension fork is worn.
When using the front brake the slack in the tubes make them judder. Is there anyway I can "solidify" the fork as I don't need suspension. Can I drill it back to front and put a bolt through or something like that?

DO NOT DRILL HOLES IN YOUR FORKS

That would weaken them substantially and run the risk of them breaking under stress (e.g., when you hit a pothole). A broken fork will probably put you in the emergency room, and potentially the morgue if you're unlucky with vehicles nearby.

Hopefully, other answers will address how to fix your forks; worst case is replacement, which isn't crazy-expensive for rigid forks.


Sturmey Archer SRF5W lateral axle adjustment I have some irritating Long-Shen rear dropouts (deep semi-circular lips around the outside) which are causing problems with fitting a Sturmey-Archer SRF5W internally geared hub.  I would like to shift the axle from the left to the right and would like to know if this sort of lateral adjustment is even possible.

I've looked at Sheldon's instructions for dissassembly and am loathe to take the hub apart unless it's even theoretically possible that it will work.

Anyone had any experience with SA hubs in doing this?  I have about 1cm spare on the left that I'd like to have available on the right by shifting the whole hub body over to the left.  Thanks.

Hmmm, I think I may be able to answer my own question with a negative.   After browsing some more I found Aaron Goss's post about stripping down a very similar hub.  The axle has a raised portion in the center which would prevent lateral movement.....

I'm going to have to figure out something else.

Perhaps just sourcing a longer axle.
EDIT: Unfortunately I have the longest axle available (see p.56 of S.A. catalogue 2012-2013, which indicates 175mm is max axle length)

Alternatively having a framebuilder cut the dropouts off and replacing them with something saner.

EDIT: Or perhaps bodging up a replacement for the fulcrum arm with it's integrated locating washer ( HSJ905 on p.41 of catalogue).


Build endurance on small hills I've got a bunch of small hills on the paved roads that follow along rivers by where I ride. They might be a few hundred meters (more or less), so it takes some effort to keep the same pace (or close). If I'm trying to build endurance, should I try to shift more or try to stay in the same gear a little longer? Is there a rule of thumb for how much you should shift in this case? I'm a novice rider with a decent road bike.

To build endurance, ride farther. Do repeats on hills. Shift to maintain a more or less steady cadence as you climb.


Is it possible to glue or patch tire sidewalls? This morning I discovered that my commuter folding bike had a bad flat tire, and I ran out to buy a new tube, no problem.  I didn't notice until after I'd changed the tube that the tire sidewall was beginning to crack.

I need this bike for my commute tomorrow, and am not going to be able to get a replacement tire on short notice.  Is there anything I could do to reinforce the sidewall to minimize the chance of a catastrophic flat tomorrow?

I saw something on Answers.com about supergluing tears in tires, but I don't know if that's good advice or not.

You need to "boot" the inside of the tire with a dollar bill or purpose-made tire boot or some such.  You shouldn't glue the boot in place, but you may use a small dab of glue to keep it from shifting while you install the tube and inflate the tire.


heart rate monitor / arrythmia How do people with arrythmia manage the problem that most bycicle heart rate monitor devices cannot measure accurately their heart rate?

I can't speak to the specifics of arrythmia, but I will challenge the presumption a HR monitor is needed at all.   Its entirely possible to train well without gadgets. If you feel the need for a gadget, a power meter would give a majority of cyclists the same advantages, if no more, as a heart rate monitor.

At the elite level, some people now believe that power meter and speed/distance (for runners) supersede the need for heart rate monitors altogether, and many more are less extreme, believing that heart rate is still a useful tool to complement power meters, but not as important as power meters. Combining the two devices does give better results, but requires an awful lot of skill to analyze and understand the results and translate the information into better training outcomes.  Much more skill than most individuals have, or want to be bothered with. This area is the domain of professional sports scientists and coaches and elite athletes where seconds over hours makes a difference.


Is it ok to trim down a tube patch? I got a 700x18-23 inner tube that just got punctured. The small round patch on my patch kit is a bit wider than the inner tube itself. Is it ok to cut around the patch so it fits?

An added question: when buying an inner tube,  should i buy the smaller 700 x 18-25c, or the 700 x 25-32c for my 25c tires?

Don't cut it. The patch is thinner at the edges and cutting leaves a thick sharp edge where it can tear. Roll the tube sideways and you can glue first one and then other edge. There are smaller patches that are made for narrow road tubes.


Can I use friction shifters with a clutch style rear derailleur? Can I use friction shifters with a clutch style rear derailleur like the 2014 Shimano Deore M615 Shadow Plus?  Or does this put extra tension on the shift cable that will cause slips with a friction setup?

This is a good question. I speculated about this over the weekend and came to two conclusions.

Friction shifters were designed for narrow(er) rear cassettes. The largest cluster I've ever seen a friction shifter work on is 8 speed. I don't think it will pull enough cable for you to access all the speeds in your ten speed cluster. EDIT: As an insiteful commenter noted, the cluster is only 1.8 mm wider for a 10 speed than an 8 speed so it should pull enough cable for your needs.
Trimming will be more difficult than with index shifting. The industry has added several gears and not much space to the rear triangle. The result is thinner gears and chains, so dialing in the rear trim will be more difficult.

So, will it work? Probably. Is it ideal? Probably not, but it's worth continuing research about the topic. Just my 2 cents.


Best way to mount a big backpack to rack? Title says it all. I have a 65L backpack and would like to mount it on bike rack so it's most convenient to ride with and doesn't catch much air friction.

Currently I'm doing this (sorry for the bad photo quality (it was intended to describe something else) but you can basically see it - putting the big backpack across the rack and securing it with two rubber straps):

Problem is that the backpack of course isn't very stable and takes a lot of air friction. I'd like to fix the greatest possible amount of this.

So, the question -- are there any better backpack mounting methods I didn't think of that would allow me to securely attach the backpack preferably in "vertical" or "lenghtwise parallel with the bike direction" position? Or, is there any equipment or special rack that would allow me to do that without some advanced rubber strap magic? :]

Thanks a lot!

I would suggest splitting the weight in half and putting it low on your bike for stability.
Here is my daily commuting configuration (2 matched 6 gallon plastic waste baskets mounted by hose clamps to a standard bike rack.) (Your emptied backpack could be rolled up and placed on top if you need it for off-bike use.)


What is a good way to mount / secure a regular backpack, while commuting? This is a purely commuting issue.

I have an around 3km route to the office, and a regular backpack (laptop, accessories, notebooks, ...) which is not a problem to carry around during autumn and winter months, but in the summer the back of my shirt quickly becomes sweaty from carrying it, and carrying it only on one shoulder isn't so good stability wise, while on the road.

I'm looking for advice, what would be a good way to mount it to a bike, or securing it in some way so it lasts throughout the trip, so I don't have to carry it on me.

I've tried securing it to my rear rack with "bungee ropes" (those elastic ropes), but it tends to slip to the side during the ride, and I'm afraid it might fall down.

Bike: Author Reflex SX trekking, with rear rack installed.

Edit (Clarification of what I'm looking for): Solutions for carrying regular rucksacks, like baskets that can be secured to rear rack, or side baskets (I've yet to see examples of those), or some solutions that would enable securing a backpack directly to a rear rack, but in a way that enables me to quickly clamp/unclamp it. I'm also not interested in buying specialized bike backpacks/panniers, but wish to carry my current one.

Option 1

Your bike has a parcel rack on the rear - I'd suggest exploring modifications to that rack to hold your existing backpack more securely.

Bungee cords are good because they have tension, holding the hooks on.  And the length will somewhat adjust for bigger or smaller loads.

Downside - they do slip and move under vibration.

Answer - either make or buy a mesh of bungees to hold your existing bag on top of your rack.  Something like this:

I'd secure the rear edge and one side to your rack and organise the hooks so they secure to your seatpost, and to the other side of your rack, forming a nice mesh.  Each hole should be too small for your bag to slip through even at full stretch.

The shoulder straps on your bag may hang off the side.  Just position it so they don't.  If the straps hang through the structure of your rack then line the underside of the rack with some firm PVC scrap plastic (also, that's a decent mudguard too.  Or you might want to drape the shoulder straps over your seatpost before securing the mesh down.

Perhaps use carabiners instead of bent wire hooks, for added security.

Option 2

You have a rear rack, but its not good enough.  Use the rack to carry a cage like this:

Picture shows two, but you could easily just ahve one rack on whatever side you prefer.  The pictured bags aren't required either - they're more for grocery shopping.

Advantage is that it takes a heck of a bump to throw something up and out of the cage.   They will also "concertina" when empty and take up much less space.  Also good for keeping long skirts out of the rear wheel!

Downsides are added weight and they're not rated for heavy loads.

Option 3

You have a rear rack, why not add a matching front rack too ?

This shows a front basket on a rigid MTB.  These work well and can carry a lot more weight because of the bottom struts.  A bike with front suspension can't carry as much cos the struts would change length.

Advantage, your stuff is right there in sight at all times, its not going to jump out of the basket, and also you can access it easier.

Downside, the handling of the bike might change - it depends how close you can get it to your head tube and how long your stem is.  Plus the brake cables can sometimes foul the basket.


What is the lever on the head of my floor pump for? I have a Wrench Force floor pump.  There is a lever on the head of the floor pump which can be moved into one of two positions.  What is this for?

The pump automatically selects the correct valve and there is a separate button near the pressure guage to release pressure so it is for neither of those functions.

You press the chuck onto the valve, then pull the lever up to lock the chuck to the valve.  Otherwise pressure could blow the chuck off on higher pressure tires.


Why using a puncture repair kit instead of a new inner tube? I am a casual rider (~30 km commute as often as possible) in an urban setting.

Reading this SE site to learn about biking (the resource is extraordinary, even though I don't understand every technicality) I see that one of the suggestions given on a regular basis is to have a puncture repair kit.

I ride with a spare inner tube and used a kit maybe 30 years ago - I thought it was an inferior approach to just swapping the inner tube (because you need to find the hole, prepare the kit, glue etc.). I see that I was apparently wrong.

What are the reasons to recommend a kit rather than a spare inner tube?

Is it because

of the cost? An inner tube for my casual riding is a few euros, I needed maybe one or two last year
of the reusability? One kit probably serves several punctures but then I would consider having both - in the unlikely case I get a puncture (statistically from past years) I would use the spare, and have the kit in case of a second one.
of the ecological considerations?
of the weight? This is a good point but I do not feel the extra tube in my backpack over such a short distance

You have to remove the wheel to replace the tube. A repair can be done in the frame.

On older bikes without quick release, and with current gear hubs, electric hubs, Nuvinci hubs, belts etc, you need a spanner and oftentimes, the gear adjustment goes back different and needs fiddling with.

This reduces the advantage of tube changes. A fix is only 3 mins.

Hints:

Once opened, small tubes of glue dry out very quick, so I always have an unopened tube in my kit.
I also find that using the aluminium foil from the patch, over the tube opening, and screwed under the cap, keeps the glue alive longer.
real sandpaper beats the hell out of the useless punched metal scraper thingy
you should have a square of canvas or equivalent for covering splits in the tyre sidewall


Adding height to a banana seat I just got an addmotor m-66 r7, I am a bigger rider and am finding I need a just a bit more leg room between me and the pedals to make pedaling enjoyable since the seat is a stationary banana seat.
I was thinking of adding in a spacer of some sort between the seat and the frame to bump up the height of the seat.
Any ideas on a mod to accomplish more height?

You could try padded cycling shorts/pants, but that would add barely a centimetre.
Re-upholstering the saddle with a thicker cushion might help, but could be fiddly.  Adding a block of wood securely between cushion and frame might work too.
Ultimately the most authorative answer will come from the manufacturer.  I suggest you reach out to them and ask.

1-888-660-0868 0730-1800 PST timezone (they are in California, USA)
Email support@addmotor.com with photos, or even a link to this question
https://www.addmotor.com/pages/contact-us has a chat-window

I suspect this is more of an electric motorbike with barely-functional "decorative" pedals, and just there to satisfy legal requirements.  The footrest over the bottom bracket makes it seem like pedaling is not the intent.
If you get an answer, do please post back here to share for other future users who may have similar problems.

Another thought, if you slide yourself backward on the bench then that may give you more leg room, essentially riding it like a crank-forward bike.  Downside here is the handlebars get further away which might not suit your posture.


I've recently bought a 1980 Raleigh Royal I have some questions. (brakes & pannier) will a 29er rack fit 27x1 1/4 wheels, I've been looking at the axiom streamliner range as the frame has no specific mounts, although it does have an anchor point on the rear dropout.

The brakes are Raleigh branded weinmann alloy centre-pull as are the levers. However from the top of the hoods the levers feel very stiff, particularly the rear brake (left). Is there anything I can do without taking them apart? I.e. silicon spray into the pivot.

I think you'll find that a rack that fits a 29er is meant to clear a relatively large tire. So you're likely to have room. If you wanted to get a better idea you might be able to ask to measure the rack at your LBS or see if there are specs on Axiom's web site. Or you could ask on Amazon. The number you're interested in is the distance from the lowest dropout attachment point to the bottom of the rack over the tire. Then measure that same distance on your bike. Allow about a centimeter (1/2 an inch) for fenders if you think you'd like to use them.

Do the cables and housing look to be of a similar vintage to the bike? The rear brake usually has a longer length of housing and corrosion or junk (bug nests?) in the housing will drag on the brakes. As a quick check you could pull off the rear wheel and work the brakes several times – adding lubricant if you have some on hand – to see if they brakes start to free up. While you do this, watch the behavior of the inner cable, if it is hanging up on the housing you may see that it stays slack for a moment or takes up slowly when you release the brake lever.

If working the cable seems to help then the best thing to do would be to replace the cables. It wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the shift cables too. A little bit of lube on the pivot points wouldn't hurt either. Just keep it away from the rim and pads.


Broken fork bearing crown race stays this is my diy electric bike, but in the latest headset servicing (I had to change the seal of the top bearing), I noticed that I've a broken part on the top of the "bearing crown race stays".

The funny thing is that I found this picture of 2 years ago where the damage was already there, but since I was a noob about bike maintenance (and still I'm, but a bit less), I ignored that. The picture was made even before the conversion.

I did 5000km since then, and I didn't noticed any play in the headset, but is it safe to ride? What I should do to mitigate/fix this? Can this broke catastrophically someday? the bike is 10 years old.

This is the bearing crown race that goes on the bottom of the fork, and I can slide with my fingers easily, but still no play in there, as far as I can feel. This would need a replacement as well but I cannot find in the internet, this is a weird 1 1/8 threaded fork.

The broken section of the crown race seat suggests there is an air gap between the crown race seat and the steerer.
There's not enough information present in the photos to answer the question of the risk of failure.
Many unicrown forks have the blades welded to the steerer directly. Because yours seems to show a continuous diameter from the crown race seat down, it's hard to tell whether its got a crown race ring of this style:

or if the "crown" is one big sleeve for the steerer with the legs welded to the sleeve, the race seat machined into the top of it, and the steerer brazed into it.
If the steerer is one piece with whatever the legs are welded to and the part with the bad/broken joint is a separate crown race ring, then complete failure would be something along the lines of a very loose headset. Losing control of the bike in a dangerous way is conceivable if that happened.
If you do have a sleeve type design and this break has resulted from a gappy or incomplete braze/weld/bond between the steerer and the sleeve, that's pretty sketchy.
Your options are:

Try to find a suitable replacement, which could be difficult.
Just have a framebuilder make you a fork or fix this one. Normally this would be pretty crazy, but I don't know how much your motor kit costs, so maybe it's worth considering.
Transplant the motor kit on to a different basic folder. Might be the most economical.


Can a bike computer be used on the rear wheel? As the weather gets colder and colder, I find myself on a trainer more and more. The only way to gauge my workouts is by time, unless I set up the sensor for my bike computer on my rear wheel.

Will the computer work accurately on the rear wheel? Are there any disadvantages having it on the rear wheel?

Totally fine - its a good idea.  You'll need to move the sensor and fit a second spoke magnet (or move your front wheel one)

Another option would be fit an ant+ or bluetooth sensor and look at virtual ride tools like zwift, but they're not free.

Another option is count your pedal strokes and aim for 90 every minute, but that gets boring.


Should I use a master link? I just ordered a new KMC X10SL Ti 10 Speed chain for my bike.  And I am wondering if I should use a master link or not.

In the past I have had much trouble with them.  I used to use them on my 9 speed mountain bike, and the master link would fall of often.  It turned out that how the suspension compressed it pushed the chain backwards and the master link would pop out.

Now I'm changing the chain on my road bike for the first time.  It's 10 speed.  And it doesn't have any suspension.  Should I use a master link, or not?

My bike is a Scott CR1, it's their entry line carbon bike.  I ride it about 150mi/week.  A am concerned that using a master link on a chain like the one I ordered will be a problem because it may wear faster then the rest of the chain.  Is this true?  Or am I just paranoid?

The ones I've seen shouldn't wear any faster than the rest of the chain because the wear surfaces are the same - what's different are the side plates (and the notch around the end of the pin). If you look closely at how the powerlink is built it has the same elements as the rest of the chain, they're just held in place differently. The only time I've had problems with them was the old 8 speed ones when I used to regularly reopen them and they've become steadily easier to open until they were useless.

I found one report of faster wear here and a discussion here where Sheldon Brown actually measured things and concluded it wouldn't be a problem. The latter also features some good advice:

  Don't worry about it. Just enjoy riding your bike. Too many people get
  caught up in the most minute of details and for some reason I tend to
  think they spend more time thinking about what's wrong (or what could
  go wrong) with their bike than they do enjoying it.


Limits on tooth difference when replacing crankset Would it be possible to replace a 46/34 compact crankset to an even more compact 42/26 (SPA CYCLES TD-2)?
The bike is a Specialized Awol Elite, which uses a Tiagra groupset (except the crank which seems to be no-brand). Links below.

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s109p3383
https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/adventure/awol-elite/106555

Haven't gotten the bike yet, but I probably will if I can get the gearing down in order to do some loaded touring in hilly places. With 42/26 + 11/34 it should have a range of 21"-106", but I'm pretty new to all this gear calculation thing and I have no idea if that kind of crank is suitable for the AWOL. I know that I would need to replace the bottom bracket, but is there anything else to keep in mind / is it a bad idea?

One thing I noticed for the crank is "Recommended bottom bracket length 115mm", however Shimano's Hollowtech bb's range mostly in the 70mm range...

First, regarding the crank's bottom bracket recommendation:  The crank uses a square taper bottom bracket spindle, and would not be compatible with the Shimano Hollowtech II BB that may be currently in the bike.  You could swap out to a BB-UN50 or BB-UN70 from Shimano in a 68x115mm size, to fix the crank/BB compatibility issue if that is the case.

That leaves the tooth difference question. The first thing to check is the tooth capacity of the front derailleur. The bike in question uses a Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed front derailleur.

Shimano has a Product Info website which provides specifications and compatibility information by part type, model number and product series.

The relevant information for a Tiagra Double Front Derailleur is listed under the part number (which is engraved on the back of the actual front derailleur), in this case, the FD-4600 or FD-4700.

The information we are looking for is the maximum tooth difference between large and small chain rings.  This is identified as maximum capacity.

As you can see in the image below, the maximum capacity (tooth differential) is 16 teeth.

That means that a 42/26 should just be in the range of use for a Tiagra 10 speed double front derailleur.

The next category to look at is the top gear teeth, which is the recommended range of tooth count for your large ring.

As you can see in the image below, the recommended top gear tooth count for this derailleur is between 46 and 52 teeth. Now, you may be able to set it up and get it to work, but perhaps not as well as it should, or perhaps not at all.

I would conclude that this would require more changes to be compatible with a chain ring set that small.  Perhaps a front derailleur, BB and crank in all.

Or you may not be able to place a front derailleur low enough on the frame to be functional off a 26 tooth ring (for a double). I would think it could be worked out, but probably not with these parts.


Rear derailleur is messed up I have no clue what happened to my derailleur on my bike. I can ride the bike and after a couple of cranks the chain gets really lose and seems like it's about to come off so I stop pedaling and wait and then the tire does a couple of rotations and the chains tight again.

Chain looks too long to me.  Shorten the chain.

Not gong to guarantee that will fix the problem but it looks like part of the problem to me.

Park Chain Sizing

Park chain cutting


Dent in titanium MTB frame, is the frame OK to ride? I have a early 90s Basso Ti Hardtail MTB bike (made by Litespeed I believe) which I bought from my room-mate back in the day. I've kept it going with regular maintenance and occasionally replacing various components. It's done duty as a mountain bike, city bike, commuter and child trailer hauler.

I recently decided it needs a complete rebuild and stripped everything off of it. In the process I found it has a dent in bottom surface of the downtube. The dent must have been there for years as I know I have not crashed it or smashed it into anything for at least a decade (I got older and spent more time on road bikes). I'm fairly certain the frame is OK as I've been riding it, but I'd like to verify that that it's not potentially going to fail on me.

I'm not going to be using this frame for any hard-core mountain riding with big impacts and I'm not a big guy - I weigh about 170lbs / 77 kilos.

such dents happen from rocks flying off your front wheel and hitting the frame.The dent doesn't seem big enough to be dangerous as long, as you don't do some hard-core mountain biking, just make sure to check it from time to time, if dent gets bigger you should replace the frame.


What will happen to a roadbike when rode on broken tar? I am planning to buy a bicycle (either road-bike or MTB). I personally prefer road-bike.
I have to travel on broken tar to reach a smooth tar road.
On an average I will cycle 200 km per week out of which 15% will be on broken tar (rugged road) with ups and downs.
If I buy a road-bike, it will be this.
I know the purpose of the road-bikes and the MTBs.

Is it advisable to buy a road-bike given this condition?
My main question is, will the road-bikes do good for 30 km, in a week, on rugged road?
If not, what will happen to the bike?
Can anyone please suggest?
Also please let me know if you want more details on the question.

What do you expect to happen?

Not quite sure what you mean by "roadster", but I assume it's roughly the same as a "road bike" in the US -- what would have been called a "racing bike" 30 years ago before racing bikes got all high-tech.

The main distinguishing characteristics of such bikes are that they have a more "aggressive" riding position, a lighter-weight frame, and skinny tires.  They'll also usually have "drop" handlebars, but that's true of many bikes in other categories.

All of those characteristics make it harder to ride on rough, uneven pavement, and the skinny tires can make it impossible to ride on really loose gravel.  But it's certainly possible to ride on ordinary "broken pavement", if you exercise a little care.

As to the bike, such conditions would tend to be rough on a carbon frame or exotic rims, but a bike of more ordinary construction (if you can find one anymore) should not experience extraordinary wear/fatigue.  You'd want a bike, first and foremost, with sturdy rims -- 32 spoke if possible, and at least 28.  And you should probably stay away from super-narrow tires.


My chain slips when I use an inappropriate gear, and the chain loosens when changing gears (most of the time). What should I do? As the title says, it seems like my chain slips way too often. This happens if I pedal hard, go uphill, or ride at an inappropriate gear (even when not pedaling hard).

Besides that, it seems like my chain loosens when changing gears. I am not talking about it loosening for a bit - I mean it doesn't even fix itself when I pedal. I need to change gears further for it to 'fix' itself.

What should I do?
Thanks.

Sounds like you need a new chain and cog. It is badly worn and can result in your injury.
As well as a service on the derailleur ( whole bike service would be best).


Will stretching make me slower? I have heard rumors that (excessive) stretching can hurt cycling performance. Specifically, stretching one's hamstrings and/or quadriceps supposedly reduces sprinting power. Is there any factual basis for the claim that increased flexibility leads to less power?  I would also be interested in evidence for the opposite: that loosening one's muscles leads to an increase in cycling performance.

Note, I am not referring to over-stretching related injuries (like a strain), but rather to the results of long-term, correctly-practiced stretching that leads to increased flexibility.

The subject of stretching is controversial and there is ongoing debate within the scientific community. There is actually no absolute answer until there is further research. Here is what current and on-going research indicates as to the question, "Is there any factual basis for the claim that increased flexibility leads to less power?".

Stretching and obtaining flexibility beyond your sport specific optimal range of motion is likely to decrease performance.
Stretching to optimize range of motion is beneficial, if tight muscles are the cause of sub-optimal range of motion.
Stretching may be necessary for individual cyclists in order to optimize aerodynamic positioning and/or to enhance riding comfort.
Stretching to prevent injury is not shown to be beneficial.
The timing of static stretching is shown to influence muscle power and therefore performance.
The benefits and drawbacks of stretching are sport specific.
Benefits of dynamic stretching/warm-up routines are inconclusive at this point.

More interesting studies from PubMed searches:

This one: "Overall, the evidence suggests that increasing range of motion beyond function through stretching is not beneficial and can actually cause injury and decrease performance."
And another: "...for sports with slow stretch-shortening cycle such as jogging or cycling, there is no scientific data showing a positive effect of stretching." However, negative effects are not showing up other than where one is increasing range of motion beyond what is necessary for a specific sport.

I did some searching on PubMed and other biomedical databases, using the search terms: flexibility, stretching, cycling performance, muscle power, etc, in various combinations.

There are no research papers coming up in searches that say a regular stretching program reduces sprinting power.
There is research saying that the timing of static stretching influences muscle power. See below.
There is also research saying that cycling performance can be enhanced by a flexibility program in cases where flexibility improves range-of-motion and/or cycling position. Such as time trials.

As a cycling and fitness enthusiast I feel compelled to figure this out. Since my last revision I found a recent, well documented book on the subject of stretching. The book is 'Dynamic Stretching' by Mark Kovacs, Phd. (The Phd is in exercise physiology).

The gist is:

Pre-event static stretching - Research shows that it can decrease performance in strength, speed and power activities. Some studies have shown decreases in performance by as much as 30%. (Pre-event meaning within 60 minutes of the event)

Static stretching as part of an ongoing training program - Improves range of motion and flexibility in the major muscles and joints of the body. Does not influence strength, speed or power except as to enhancing range of motion. However, there are performance benefits depending on the specialty of the competitive cyclist. For example, a time trialist needs to achieve and maintain an optimal aero position; a cyclocross competitor needs to get on and off the bike a lot; individual sprinters may need to improve range of motion, etc, etc...

Whew! A huge amount of misinformation and mythology on stretching is available. The book cited is focused on dynamic stretching, however the sections on the science of flexibility are well documented from numerous scholarly sources.


What kind of a nut is this holding my front wheels? What is this kind of a nut called? I have some rusty ones on a road bike I bought second hand and would like to replace the rusty bits myself if possible.

It's called an axle nut in bicycling parlance. In general terms, it's a type of flange nut.

Like most things bicycling, there's little standardization of these. The most useful reference is here at Park Tool's site.

It could be a 5/16 inch x 24 tpi, 3/8 inch x 24 tpi or 8mm x 1mm. Or some weird other variant. The likelihood of finding the right one at a hardware store is low and you might accidentally jam or cross-thread it if you force it. For example, some axle nuts are 26tpi which will thread part way then jam.

Your local bike shop will likely have a big box of old axle nuts that you can sort through. If they don't, find an bike shop that is older and dirtier. The less teeth the mechanics have (both oral and on their steeds), the better.


What might be causing my inner tubes to get rips behind the valve? I'm on my third inner tube now and it's always the same problem: an oblong shaped rip on the part right behind the presta valve. I'm at a loss since instead of the valve side, these rips are appearing on the other side. I've been told this might be because the innertube gets folded inside but I'm always making sure to massage and bounce my tires. I really don't don't what to do since it's always just at the same place that this happens.

I struggled with this once for a while.
One (duh) obvious thing to double-check. Valves usually have a little knurled and threaded ring. Be sure to remove that ring before inserting the valve through the hole in the wheel, and replace it afterward. Otherwise it's a way to push part of the valve body into the tire. The person writing this learned that the hard way.
Another (duh) obvious thing ... make sure the tire pressure is correct. If you don't have a pressure gauge you should get one. Best move: get a floor pump with a gauge.
Third thing.  Get yourself some talcum power, put a bit into the tire and spread it around, by rotating the tire in your hand. It will lubricate the interface between the tire and the tube to let the tube adjust its position within the tire a little bit. That helps the tube from bunching up.  Careful: Real talcum, not cornstarch powder. Talcum's a mineral with lubricative properties.  And like other minerals that come in dust-tiny sizes (asbestos) you REALLY don't want any in your lungs so be careful.
Handling the tire to spread out the powder doubles as a way to inspect it carefully for sharp stuff and other tire damage.


If I replaced the fork on my cyclocross bike with a track fork, what would be the effect on the bike geometry? If I replaced the fork on my cyclocross bike, surly cross check, with a track fork, what would be the effect on the bike geometry?  What would be the effect of the modified geometry on bike handling.

I'm assuming the track fork will be a bit shorter and with less offset than the current fork.  The crosscheck typically has a 400mm long fork with 44mm offset.  I considered swapping it with a surly steamroller fork which has a 375mm axle to crown measurement and 38mm offset Or a Milwalkee bruiser fork, which is the same length 400mm with 32mm offset, which would give me a trail at about 75mm on 32mm tires.

Less fork offset on it's own means more trail. The fork length and wheel size will also affect this though, so you'd need to get all the numbers and maybe draw it out to work out the final difference in trail.

More (longer) trail makes the bike more stable (especially at speed) but less manoeuvrable. Touring and downhill bikes tend to have more trail, while city commuter bikes or sprinting/criterium bikes have less.


Can a road bike's rear derailleur be used for either a 9 speed cassette or 10 speed cassette? I currently have a 9 speed 11-25T cassette on my road bike. I'm thinking about switching to a different cassette with more teeth on the climbing gear. The cassette I'm currently look at is a Shimano CS-5700 10 Speed Cassette.

Can I swap my cassette from 9 speed to 10 speed without swapping my rear derailleur?

Is a 10 speed cassette wider than a 9 speed cassette or is the spacing between the gears wider?

Do I just need to adjust the wire tension in order to alter how much the derailleur moves when shifting in order to accommodate for the difference in spacing?

The spacing between 9 speed and 10 speed is controlled at the shift lever.

A 10 speed rear dérailleur will work with a 9 or 10 speed cassette and shifter. A 9 speed rear dérailleur is not compatible with 10 speed.

The width of the chain and the cogs is the biggest issue. The pulleys on a 10 speed dérailleur are narrower, and a 10 speed chain will not rest correctly on the jockey pulleys of a 9 speed dérailleur.

That does not mean it will not physically work, only that the shifting performance will be slow, you may drop gears unexpectedly, or have the chain skip unexpectedly.

Long story short, 10 speed should be 10 speed all the way throughout your bike for it to work consistently and properly.

Cable tension has nothing to do with cog spacing. That is designed into the shift lever. It is not adjustable, except by replacing the shifter.
I hope that helps.


What to do if you are about to get doored? I was talking to a bike messenger the other day, and he said something that surprised me: If you see a car door swing open in front of you and you can't avoid it, pull your hands off the handlebars and take the full impact. He said you won't lose any fingers this way.

Is this true? Is there a safer way to collide with a door?

Personally what I'd try to do if I saw it happening and had the split second decision making ability, would be start leaning toward the car (assuming the door was open enough) so that I'd end up slowing down by sliding against the side of the car and keeping any part of my body away from the sharp corner/edge of the door. If a passenger was getting out I'd use that body as a cushion, if not I'd try to get myself to go over the door frame as close to the hinge point as possible to avoid upper body injuries at impact though they may be sustained going over the door frame. This all assumes the door is more open than not.

Another thing you should do is practice a Quick Stop so that it's second nature when necessary. This is a technique where you get up off the saddle and get your ass behind the seat and even lower than the seat. The idea is to get as much weight over the rear of the bike as possible and then light up your front brake (this needs to be one fluid/fast motion). If done right, you won't endo. I've been able to skid my front wheel (not ideal, doesn't stop as fast as a rolling braked wheel), but skidding a front wheel is not an easy task and shows just how much weight you need over the rear of the bike. A Quick Stop really is a very quick stop.

The best thing you can do is ride left and watch for ANY movement inside parked cars, if you see any, either slow or go further left if safe to do so. If you're going the speed limit, take the lane and skip the bike lane entirely if it's a bike lane that's left of parallel parking.


Shimano Nexus 7 speed IGH, high gears tight shift I have the popular Shimano, Nexus 7 speed, internal gear hub. After removing the back wheel to replace the old tire, I've found that changing gears especially from 5 to 6 and 6 to 7 (especially the latter) is very tight.

It's however still possible, and all the gear shifting seems to work as it should, except the very tight pull required in the higher gears.
The gears are adjusted (the red dots point at each other perfectly in gear 4).

Any ideas what could be causing this, and/or what I could do to fix it back to normal?

I am a fan of the Nexus drivetrain. Just had to say that. Anyways, the symptoms appeared when you removed and reinstalled the wheel. There are a couple of washers on each side of the axle that aid in spacing and keep the wheel in place. Two of these washers are called anti-rotation washers. They have tabs that fit into the channel of the frame and are square in the middle so they lock into the hub. My guess is that these are not installed properly. Under torque (high gear out of seat pedaling) the hub is shifting in the rear dropouts. The Nexus are sensitive to misalignment. The washers have to be inserted properly. The tabs must fit into the frame.  Then the bolts have to be on tight, but not super-tight. Good luck!


What does 'tire clearance' mean? What does 'tire clearance' mean? Can you please explain with an illustration? Does it mean the distance between the tire and the fender?

Basically its the gap between the tyre and any non-wheel part of the bike frame.

Static clearance is almost exactly the same as the clearances you have while riding, as long as the wheel axle bearings aren't sloppy and the wheel doesn't move laterally.

The above picture is faked up but shows the approximate differences between a "normal road tyre" and a 40mm cyclocross tyre and a 2.1" MTB tyre.  You can see that any smaller tyre will fit, but bigger tyres need more space.

Here's someone with plenty of clearance, and they could easily go up a tyre size or two.

Here's a bike with almost no clearance.

That last bike might not even take the same size tyre from another brand, because tyres vary subtly, and that's not a lot of tolerance!

NOTE just to be clear - tyre clearance matters anywhere that the rotating tyre comes close to your bike frame.  So that's

Chainstays
Seat stays
Brake Bridge
Rim calipers if you have them.
Seat post (pretty unlikely to cause problems)
Mudguards/fenders
Rack supports (unlikely to be a prob)
Trailer mounts
Kickstands <-- ESPECIALLY loose ones!


Recommendation for easily breakable bike lock I want to purchase a bike lock which I can break easily if it gets jammed, preferably without any tool(or a very small/light tool which I can carry in my bag-pack).
I have tried two locks and both of them jammed after some time. Also, they are really heavy which I don't like.
I don't have much of a threat of a bike stealing where I live and just want to keep locks for my mental peace. But after having past experiences and getting the locks jammed, I really want to buy a lock which I can break easily.
Please recommend.
Thanks.

I suspect your question is framed from the point of view of your experiences.  Any weak lock that can be defeated by a tool in your pocket can be defeated by the same tool anyone else carries.

Instead of wanting a lock that is weaker, you might consider a lock that is more robust, AND to perform periodic maintenance on the lock like you would with your bike.  A routine oil does wonders to prevent crunchiness.
Consider buying a lock that has some way of shedding water, rather than collecting the water and rusting.
You might choose a lock with brass construction (brass doesn't rust) or perhaps stainless steel.
Another solution is to make sure the lock hangs in such a way that the keyhole is not facing upward.

If you really want a weak lock, get a velcro cable tie.  It provides no security other than against a snatch-and-run.  But its reusable, soft on the frame and won't scratch paint.    You can also clip your helmet's chin strap around the forks and through a wheel.   Security offered is basically zero.


Can I fit a RaceFace crankset with a SRAM bottom bracket (and how do I know)? I have a bike with a SRAM BB https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/bb-gxp-a1
I’d like to fit these cranks https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/race-face-ride-narrow-wide-10sp-mtb-chainset/rp-prod113370
How can I know if they will fit? Are there any other questions I have to ask before I can know for sure?

There is no information I can find on the Chain Reaction Cycle page that indicates what bottom bracket standard the crank requires. Seems the crank was originally sold with a Race Face bottom bracket and that bottom bracket was heavily implied (through the product images) to fit an ISO/BSA threaded frame of either 68 or 73mm shell width.
I checked the Race Face website and cannot find a product that is obviously the same. At least a few of their cheaper cranks are specified as having a 24mm axle. That definitely will not fit in a SRAM GXP bottom bracket as those are 24mm on the drive side, 22mm on the non drive side.
If you definitely want this crank to fit, buy a Race Face BSA bottom bracket as well, that will fit your frame and the crank will fit the bottom bracket.
It looks like the the Race Face BSA bottom bracket is the same dimensions as a Shimano HollowTech II bottom bracket, so you could try one of those, but I cannot absolutely guarantee it will work (there may be some variation in total width).


Does hub diameter or hub size have a notice able effect on the aerodynamic performance of a wheel set? If you were to change the rear hub on your hypothetical or real zipp 808 wheel set to a large diameter internal gear hub like a shimano alfine or a rohlhoff hub would there be a measure able aero dynamic effect?

There would be a measurable decrease in drag from removing external dérailleurs and gearing, however I would guess that the power loss through an internally geared hub would make such a setup slower rather than faster.

(I have no sources for this)


Dynamo cutting out after a couple of seconds This sounds like I've an electrical issue, but no idea of next steps.

I have a Gazelle Tour Populair with what I believe is a Busch & Müller LYT Lumotec Retro front dynamo-powered light.

When starting to move the light comes on, but quickly cuts off for the rest of the journey.

The shop have already replaced the light with a new one, and same issue.

Could it be a power build-up somehow?

You could try measuring the voltage the dynamo outputs when spinning the wheel. Strip two thin wires on both ends , insert them into the dynamo plug (plug which is usually present on the hub to which the wire going to the light Is attached), attach a multimeter and spin the wheel. If the voltage drops to zero/drops considerably after a few seconds whilst still spinning the wheel the problem is not with the dynamo and it's probably a short circuit/ground or bad electrical connection somewhere.

Example of what a dynamo plug/ connector might look like:
https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQyr8.png


Presta valve in a Schrader rim hole: How to use / do I need a rim hole reducer? I have a road bike here with 622-16 wheels and Schrader valves. As I needed to replace a tube, I found that most options in the 622-23 size use Presta valves.
I read around a bit and found people suggesting rim hole reducers as in Can I use a Presta tube in a Schrader rim? among other places.

This didn't sound too hard, so I went ahead and ordered Presta tubes along with these Mavic reducers.

Now that I have all parts in front of me, things are not as foolproof as I thought they would be. For one, the reducers are not symmetrical and can be inserted into the rim from either side. However, neither side feels like the clear choice. Rather, relying on the fixing nut of the valve alone seems not to be bad. Let me illustrate.

Hole reducer from the outside:

From the outside the reducer fits snugly, but on the inside it creates a bulge that the tube needs to wrap around.

From the inside, the hole reducer doesn't really fit, however. I might not be pressing it in hard enough, but in this way the valve does not get through.

Finally, I could just forgo the hole reducer. The valve comes with a nut that fits the drilled hole snugly. Is this sufficient to prevent the tube hernia mentioned in Can I use a Presta tube in a Schrader rim? ?

What's my best option here? Do I have to get another set of grommets or should I just stick to Schrader valves in this rim even though the choices are few?

With the Mavic adapters, the lip is supposed to go on the outside. They're not intended for use with single wall rims, hence the problem you're having.

On a single wall rim like yours with the relatively deep, narrow channel in the rim well between the reinforcing sections, none of the reducer grommets available are going to work very well. The other option are the aluminum ones, which are usually superior, but they install on the inside and here they wouldn't work.

Those Presta nuts that sink into a Schrader hole are bad news. They do nothing to prevent the core problem of Presta tubes in Schrader holes, which is stress around the valve from not being supported by the rim eventually causing the tube to rupture. Maybe on a single wall rim this is less of an issue, but I still don't like it.

Just use Schrader tubes. 700x23-25 / 27x1 SV tubes are perfectly common.


Replace v-brakes with rim caliper brakes with no center hole: adapter? I'd like to mount caliper rim-brakes on a rear fork where no center hole exists for that purpose. I'm trying to find the part underlined and shown in white on picture attached.

As you can see these rear Shimano calipers are fixed to this U- or horseshoe-shaped part that itself was tightened using the holes where normally 2 v-brakes are fixed.
I'm only trying to find this part online, but have no idea what it is called (whether in French or English or whatever...). Can someone please point me to the right direction ??
Thanks.

Note these are not product recommendations, these are examples showing the features you would need on a part to do this task.  I can't find one item with all the suggested features, so you may be up for modifying existing items, or making one from scratch.
Also note that most/all of these will make wheel swaps harder in that you probably can't fit an inflated tyre into the frame.

There were items in the past called Brake Boosters, that worked with Cantilever or U brakes to support the end of the mounting posts and to stop outward flex.

Problem here is they're only bolted to the end of the boss by one bolt, whereas for braking performance you would want the two ends of the booster to go over the mounting posts, just like a V/canti brake arm.
So you need much thicker metal too - a lot of what I could find was stamped steel or aluminium, which would have too much flex for a brake.  These seem to be from the BMX crowd, perhaps replacing U brakes. Contrast with this casting that is easily three-times thicker, and has a top hole intended for a caliper brake bolt:
from http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/rim-brake-adapter-for-fat-tire-bike.94912/
Here's another similar one from the side, but this one clamps around the fork's tines/seat stays, and does not use any bosses.  Since you have bosses it would be best to use them.
from http://buildesign.co.jp/kimori/front-brake-adapter/
from
http://buildesign.co.jp/kimori/rear-brake-adapter/


Can I replace a middle chain ring with one with different number of teeth? I recently upgraded my wife’s bike with a Shimano XT triple crankset. The number of teeth is 44.32.22t. However, the middle chainring on the recent XT crankset is carbon-reinforced, and I’d prefer not to trust in carbon for our primary cycling activity, which is long-haul touring.

From an earlier bike build, I happen to have a never-used Shimano middle chainring lying around, made purely from metal, but this one has 36 teeth. Is it possible to replace the 32-tooth ring with a 36-tooth one, keeping the crankset's other teeth (44 and 22) the same? Or do triple cranksets require some kind of precise ratio between the number of teeth on the three rings?

Assuming that the bolt patterns match:

This will work, as long as your new 36T ring has the right kind of pins and ramps to assist shifting the chain.  However, the shape and pattern of those pins and ramps is quite mysterious, and it's not guaranteed that you'll get good shifting performance from the 22T ring to the 36T ring.

The fact that both the crankset and the 36T ring are Shimano probably helps.

Since you already have all the parts on hand, it's very easy to try it out. If for some reason the 14T difference prevents shifting, you'll find out within the first minute of your test ride.  If it works at that point, it will continue to work.

The only other thing I can think of that might cause a problem is releasing the chain from the middle ring when you shift to the big ring.  I've seen some chainrings that had 2 teeth that were shorter than the others, to help release the chain at the right point, relative to the location of the ramps and pins on the larger ring.  But that was on a SRAM 2x10 chainset, so you probably don't have this problem.
If you do have those 2 shorter teeth, then the alignment between the chainrings is important.  If you install the 36T ring and it doesn't shift right, try removing it, rotating it 90 degrees, and reinstalling it.


Can i fit a 6 speed wheel onto a 5 speed bike? I have a 5-speed bike with a buckled back wheel. I have found one on the internet cheap, but it is a 6-speed wheel. Will it fit my bike? Will there be any adaptations needed to the bike to use this wheel?

Just because a wheel is buckled doesn't mean that it can't be fixed. You may want to take it to a bike shop. As for will the wheel fit, first note that you'll need 6 speed shifters unless you're using friction shifters.

As for the wheel actually fitting, you need to check the hub spacing -- for example, 5 speed rear wheels for road bikes normally use 120 mm spacing while 6 speed use 126 mm spacing. Measure your frame's spacing and buy accordingly. If the frame is steel, you can often cold-set it to take the wider wheel (which is what you'll likely need to do if you're going from 5 speed to 6 speed).


What cassete do I need to run with a compact crankset (50/36), to equal the same gearing as running a standard crankset (53/39) with a 11-28 cassete? Every new bike in my price range comes with a compact crankset, which I want for climbing, but I race and I need to keep the same top speed that I've had for sprinting and descending (I live in the mountains). So I'm just wondering what rear cassette I would need to use with my compact cranks to equal the same gearing as using a normal crankset (53/39) with a 11-28 cassete.

It's not possible. You'd gain lower gears, but lose your very highest gear. If you want to keep that highest gear, maybe you should look at a wider-range cassette to get there, instead?

If you were switching from a 53/39,12-28 setup to a 50/34,11-28 setup, it would work out well.

Switching your largest chainring from 53 to 50 basically shifts all your high gears about 1 notch lower.

11 teeth is the smallest cog you can get on a road bike cassette, currently. I've seen BMX bikes with a smaller gear on the back, but they're not cassette based.

You can compare gear ratios on a given bike (where wheel diameter, tire width and crank length can all be assumed to be a constant with simple division.

Assuming your 11-28 is 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-28, or similar:

53:11 = 4.8
53:12 = 4.4
53:13 = 4.1
...
39:21 = 1.9
39:24 = 1.6
39:28 = 1.4

50:11 = 4.5
50:12 = 4.2
50:13 = 3.8
...
36:21 = 1.7
36:24 = 1.5
36:28 = 1.3
... or if it's the more common 50/34:
34:21 = 1.6
34:24 = 1.4
34:28 = 1.2


A road bike with bad tires to gravel bike upgrade I have a road bike with tyres that aren't that great I want to upgrade for more wider and gripper tyres any recommendations?I desperately need it.The old tyres are Triban Protect 700 x 28 tyres. Tyre weight: 440g Anti-puncture protection Supple carcass for light weight Max pressure: 8 bar /116 psi. 48mm Triban inner tube with Presta valve

How much clearance do you have?
The rear tire has to fit between the rear seat stays, chain stays and rim brakes (if you have them). Front tire has to fit through fork and rim brakes (if you have them). A wide front tire can also increase toe overlap (i.e. your toes hitting the wheel in tight turns).
You’ll probably want to go as wide as you can. If you plan to ride in mud you’ll need more clearance.
Take a look at cyclocross or gravel bike tires.
On soft surfaces like mud or snow you’ll need knobby tires. On gravel tread is not that important. For maximum grip you should lower your pressure as much as possible.


Missing pin in replacement chainring, is it important? This is related to Worn out chainring or missing tension
Today the chainring arrived, but it lacks a pin. The pin is 15mm (0.59") long with a diameter of 4.1mm (0.16"). It is located in such a way, that it points away from the bike, but is covered exactly by the crank arm.

I believe that its function is to prevent the chain to get stuck between the chainring and the crank arm, should the chain jump outwards from the chainring.
I fear that I bought the wrong replacement.
I bought this one Shimano FC-M523 / FC-MT500-3 10-speed Chainring for Chain Guards but maybe should have bought this one Shimano FC-MT500-3 10-speed Chainring (40 tooth variant). The latter was missing a proper picture (has only the 30 tooth variant) and was out of stock in all the shops I searched for.
Now I'm believing that the solution to my problem would be either to buy Shimano Chain Guard for FC-M4050 / FC-M4000 or just ignore the problem. Maybe you know of any other solution.

I had the chain guard in the shopping basket, but when I read about its function on biking forums, they were saying that it's just to keep the trousers clean, so I ditched it. But maybe it does have the function of the pin, but all around the chainring, which sounds like a solution.
Any comments or recommendations on what I should do? I wanted to assemble it today so that I can use it tomorrow, but I guess I'd be OK with waiting a couple of days to have a proper solution.

Update: The wear of the chain drop pin is as follows, which leads me to believe that just ignoring it probably isn't a good solution.

New idea: Would going to the hardware store and buying a screw with nut a reliable option?

You are correct, the chain guard’s purpose is to keep your trousers clean. I guess in this case it also prevents the chain from getting thrown over the chainring or it fills the gap between chainring and crankarm to prevent the chain from getting stuck there.
You only need the pin or chain guard in case the chain gets thrown over the chainring.
If you adjust the front derailleur properly this shouldn’t happen. I’d just use it the way it is. You could try gluing a piece of foam or wood into the narrow part of the gap (if it’s narrow enough to catch a chain) just to prevent the chain from getting stuck there.
Edit: Regarding your idea to use a screw+nut: The problem with a screw+nut will be that the nut and screw head will collide with the chain. It could even be that the wear marks in your picture were caused by the chain in normal operation if the “valleys” of the chainring were worn deep enough.


What steps should I follow to patch a tube? I was wondering if I'm missing something when I patch my wheel, because I patched it yesterday and it had low pressure today.

This is what I did:

Released the air
Used 2 screwdrivers to remove the tire from the rim
Removed the tube with my hands
Inflate the tube
Took the tube into a bucket with water to see where the bubbles came from
Identified the puncture point
Let the tube dry
Filled the zone around puncture with a half milimeter layer of glue
Let dry
Took out the transparent plastic from the patch
Put the patch over the glue layer
Put pressure using hands
Put the tube in position on wheel (looking at where the valve should go)
Put the tire in position
Inflate the tube

It happened to me once before, but other times worked ok.

I would like to have a complete procedure to patch a tire.

Somewhat generic instructions for using a patch kit:

Remove the wheel from the bike, check for obvious damage to the tire
Remove the tube from the tire

You can use tire levers to remove the tire from the rim. Be sure not to add additional punctures to the tube by pinching it with the levers.

Note the orientation of the tube within the tire so you can trace down the puncture point.
Find the puncture on the tube

May help to put some air in it and use your cheek/eye to feel for leaks.

Once you've located the puncture, find the point in the tire where the puncture occurred and make sure there is nothing stuck in the tire (like a shard of glass) which will re-puncture the tube.

Assuming it is a puncture and that the tire isn't actually torn/worn through, you can proceed to patch the tube. If the tire is too damaged the tube will just pop again, so there isn't much point.
Apply the patch

Typically this involves gently sanding/roughing up the surface of the tube, applying adhesive compound, letting it dry for 5-10 minutes, and then applying the patch. Most patches I've seen have a brown side, and a black/brown side. The black/brown side stays upwards, the fully brown side is applied against the tube. Wait another 5 to 10 minutes for the patch to bond to the compound.
Install tube in tire

Inflate the tube slightly to make sure it holds air. Insert it into the tire, then mount the tire on the rim, one wire bead at a time. The first bead should go on easily, the second may require tire levers or strong thumbs.  Be very careful not to puncture the tube if using levers.

I find it helps to completely deflate the tube to get the last bit of the wire over the rim. There are some good tutorials on getting the last bit of the wire onto the rim, which can be tricky to do without damaging the tube.
Inflate tube, checking again for damage/bulges/splits as you approach full pressure
Ride away


How can I inflate a presta tyre with just one hand I'm trying to inflate my bike with thin presta tyres; but the pump I'm using is universal, it fits loosely.  I need to keep one hand in the valve in order to inflate but on reaching 50 psi, I need both hands to push the pump thus I can't hold the valve in place.

On another note I've searched online and there doesn't seem to be any presta specifc pumps, all are universal, which implies they fit loosely.

What are your suggestions?

Update 2:  The pump works fine on the other tyre, stupidly straightforward.  I'm not sure why on this tyre doesn't work.  The tyre looks fine, and in fact was almost at full pressure when I tried to fill it; but lost all the air while trying.  I'll replace it and I'll let you guys the outcome.  Thanks all so far.

Update: I bought a £50 pump I still have the same issue, see pictures:

Get a better pump! Well, it seems the asker already has a good pump but I'll leave this here for others who might be having problems.

There are basically three types.

Pumps with a hose that screws onto the valve. Once it's screwed on, you can use both hands to operate the pump.
Pumps with a hose that grips onto the valve when you lift a lever. Again, once it's gripping the valve, both hands are free.
Pumps that you need to press down onto the valve to seal. The hand that's pressing the pump onto the valve also braces the pump against moving in the direction you're pumping with the other hand so, again, you're using both hands on the pump.

As you say, most pumps are designed to fit multiple valve types. In some cases, you'll need to either change a component in the head or use the correct side of the head so that the pump can lock onto a presta valve, which is narrower than Schraeder. (Actually, there are some presta-specific ones: my mini-pump that I take out on the road only does presta.)

You might find that a track pump is your best choice, since that allows you to pump the cylinder down with both hands, rather than pumping with one hand and steadying with the other. Of course, you can't bring a track pump with you on a ride.

Image from Wikipedia; there are plenty of other brands.


bike for surfing: hybrid vs beach cruiser vs fat I’m looking for a bike to take my surfboard (6’6”) to local surf breaks.  I would be biking 1-4 miles on a concrete or asphalt beach path that gets some sand on it.  What’s a good bike for this purpose? Hybrid? Beach Cruiser? Fat?

All of those bikes would be fine, at least for a while. You can find pictures of board carriers on all those bikes.

The problem is that salt water destroys bikes. It's why beach cruisers are as cheap and simple as possible, if they actually get used by the ocean they will either require washing or rust out in a year or so.

A Fat bike would be a really good choice if riding on the beach itself is part of your plans. You can't really ride a beach cruiser in deep soft sand. However, fat bikes are more expensive and you'll need to be diligent about washing the bike if you want to keep your investment. Theft is also an issue, fat bikes are more likely to be stolen than a cheap rusty beach cruiser.


Will my rear derailleur handle a 11-30 I am riding a 11-25 9 speed and want to swap to 11-30.

I have a 105 derailleur and a triple front crank.  Will the rear 105 take the 30t?  From what I have read, I think that since I have a tripe up front, the rear 105 should be either a medium or long cage?

Road RDs of this era only came in short (SS) and medium (GS) cage. You presumably have the GS now, which generally is what goes along with a triple.

If it's RD-5500 or RD-5501, regardless of cage length, its specified max large cog is 27t. Sometimes by either maxing out the B-tension screw or swapping in a longer one (M4x0.7) you can coax them to go somewhat larger. 28 usually isn't a problem. 30 might be. It depends on the exact shape of the dropout. If it doesn't work, the penalty is the large cog grinding to a greater or lesser degree against the the pulley when in the lowest gear.

Usually there's no way of telling for sure how well it will work until you put it all together and try it.

The other issue is that depending on what's up front you'll probably be exceeding the total capacity, which basically means you'll have to live with slack in the small/small combinations once you've put a chain on that's long enough to safely accommodate the new large/large combination. This entails some risk of sudden derailment and all accompanying dangers to life and equipment if you accidentally shift into the slack combinations.


The bike Weight and Performance gain for Lightweight riders? I keep hearing people saying:

  The bike weight isn't a problem, rider is.

My girlfriend is only 48 kg, and a mtb hardtail usually 13-15kg (full suspension would be more like 18kg for an older one), which is already 25% of the total mass.

Is there any huge difference going from 15kg bike to 7-8kg?

I would like to acknowledge the points that others have made:

Cycling/pedalling skills (sorry, not applicable in this question, but
good to know)
Weight/Cost/Performance dilemma (choose 2 out of 3, and this question
chose Weight+Performance)
Power output / Acceleration and Speed difference with respect to Bike
Weight's difference

Edit: It is performance vs bike weight, please avoid adding other unknown parameters. It is worth mentioning those for the benefits of other cyclists, but please do not focus on unknown variables.

Edit2: I agree that in real world, you need to take into account other variables. However, my approach is focusing at the bicycle (not cyclist, and in my subjective view, I certainly cannot tell my gf to get fit to ride the bike I made for her...), then whatever components is not feasible for "real-world", replace it with inexpensive alternatives.

In context of this kind of discussion - weight and cost are the same thing - the more you spend on  a bike, the lighter it is (with diminishing returns) and you cannot talk about weight without talking about how much money you have and are prepared to spend (sometimes not the same). The context of this answer is a targeted weight of a 7-8kg MTB.

No weight does not matter - or more accurately, it matters far less than most people imagine it does. If you are trying to build a 7-8kg MTB, a hair cut will be providing cheaper $/gram than bike upgrades. For most people, losing 1000g in body weight is cheaper than losing 1000g from your bike, as is gaining a little bit more fitness. Do you ever arrive home with water in your drink bottle, or snacks in your pocket - that 100mL of water is 100g you spent $100s to get the super light carbon bike.

A well coached rider on a heavy bike will out perform an unskilled rider on the lightest bike on any mountain bike trail. Learning to ride will increase your enjoyment, endurance and speed far more than spending money on a lighter bike, and unlike a lightweight bike, it's something that lasts a lifetime. For a vast majority of riders I have met, a weekend coaching session would provide immeasurable improvement in riding (speed, endurance and enjoyment) compared to the spending money saving weight - yet many people never spend a dime on coaching after forking out $1000s on a 'faster' bike.

Clearly at some point - you are a finely tuned elite athlete with no more body weight to lose, you have been coached till your riding form is used in reference videos, you have trained till there no more training you can do, a light bike becomes the only way to go faster.  There is also the mid way - you want to go as fast as you can and a lighter bike will make an instant improvement, why not - if you have the cash, there's no reason not to.

However, other things come to play. They do not build light bikes with cheap bearings and poor quality shifting. Much of the gain attributed to weight is actually improved efficiency in the drive train, better geometry and in the case of MTB, shocks that get more energy into forward movement. Lighter bikes are usually less durable than slightly heavier bikes - sponsored riders do not care about it, but they are not the ideal bike for a weekend warrior

I am by no way advocating heading out and buying the heaviest bike in the shop. What I am advocating is looking at your own financial situation, your riding desires and being absolutely honest with yourself as to why you are aiming for a 7-8kg MTB. Probably the best advice I was once given (as a non competitive weekend warrior) was "Buy the heaviest bike your ego will let you ride".


Replacing BB, but found mountain + road cranks and am confused Last year I bought a Norco Search 105 Hydro (https://www.norco.com/bikes/2018/dirt-dropbar/gravel/search-aluminum/search-a-105-hydro/) and from the beginning had bottom bracket creaking. Brought it back and they put in a 2mm spacer and creaks went away for the season. About half way through this season, they came back.

I tried to remedy myself, pulled off the cranks, pedals, bb and cleaned it all up and re-lubed and assembled. Was good for a ride or two and creaks again.

So I thought maybe it was the bb itself so went to purchase a new one but this is where I am confused...

Frame is 68mm
Original BB is a Shimano threaded mountain SM-BB52 (68mm)
But cranks are a road pair Shimano FC-RS510

I can't seem to find a 68mm mountain BB, everything is 68/73 which doesn't work with the road cranks because I need the spacers but then the road spindle isn't long enough. I bought a BBR60 (road BB) but the threads where resisting and I didn't want to force it so I returned it.

Any advice on how to move forward? I'm confused why they chose to a put a mountain BB with road cranks? Also should a road BB work in this setup? Did I just need to give threading it a little more muscle?

To use a 68/73mm bottom bracket in a 68mm bottom bracket shell, you use more spacers than the 73mm shell (normally 2 x 2.5mm spacers extra). Or in other words, you leave some spacers out when using it in a 73mm shell.

If you have a 68mm shell and road cranks, your best bet is to use a 68mm road BB. The dimensions are just a little different on the cups, as explored in this question here. The differences are slight so plenty of bikes could have a mountain HII bb with road cranks, normally without issue, but if you're wondering which to buy, I'd go with the proper road one.

Don't forget that creaks can come from lots of places, don't forget to check things like your headset, QR skewers if fitted, saddle rails etc.

If the threads were resisting, and you didn't put the wrong cup in the wrong side(!) then the threads in the frame may need 'chasing' with the proper tool. Doesn't take very long in the LBS if you don't have the tool (expensive). A clean thread typically accepts a new BB cup being threaded all the way in by hand. A rough thread however will feel tight and need some force.

I like installing a BB into a cleaned thread, threaded by hand, so that I'm confident it is not cross-threaded.


Controlling the state of bicycle components I tried to formalize the maintenance of a bicycle. Every component must be periodically checked using the following algorithm:

Begin
    1: Wait for appropriate time
    Measure the component wearout
    Is it ok?
        yes: go to (1)
        no:
            Is the damage critical?
                yes: replace
                no: repair
End

Every component has a method of measuring it's state. The best one is a special tool, giving the precise value of wearout. But not every one has it. I created a table for all the components I could think of:

|------------------------------+---------------------------------------------|
| Component                    | Measuring method                            |
|------------------------------+---------------------------------------------|
| Chain dirty, needs           | Visual inspection.                          |
| cleaning and lubrication     | Chain links become stuck to each other.     |
|------------------------------+---------------------------------------------|
| Chain elongation             | Special tool                                |
| Rear cassette gears worn out | Special tool                                |
| Front chain ring worn out    | ?                                           |
| Tires                        | Visual inspection.                          |
| Tubes                        | ?                                           |
| V-brake pads                 | Feeling of bad breaking. Visual inspection. |
| Disk brakes disks            | ?                                           |
| Cables                       | ?                                           |
| Fork                         | ?                                           |
| Oil inside fork              | ?                                           |
|------------------------------+---------------------------------------------|

There are more component that also require inspection and replacement.

Can somebody fill in the question marks in my table?

For most of your ?s, I would use visual inspection.

If you always check your chain for wear, the chain rings and cassette will last a long time.

Some brake pads, rotors and rims have waer indicator guides built into them.

Fork is greased, not oiled. Fork is inspected for cracking, a weak point is below the crown.

Frame should also be inspected for cracks.


Help identify Trek Multitrack 750 I just got an old, worn and rusty MultiTrack 750. I like the older MTB/ATB frames so I wold like to use this. The size fits me perfect but it rusty... What would you do?

I've looked in the old catalogues but can't find this bike.

If so I would like to make it useable but not necessarily with original parts.

Update. I filed away all rust and have been painting it myself.

That bike is a good find. The double-butted frames are more desirable than the TIG welded later models. It's unclear to me exactly why other than a general assumption of it being a higher quality frame.

As mentioned in the comments, something must be done to inhibit the continued oxidation of the cro-moly steel frame. Generally, two things must be accomplished: complete removal of the rust that has already formed followed by refinishing the now rust-free areas of bare metal with a high quality primer and paint.  Keep in mind that the best paint jobs result from meticulous surface prep.  After completely removing the rusty areas, use ever-finer grades of sandpaper in a stepwise fashion to bring perfect smoothness to the areas to be painted.  Removal of all dust, dirt and oils--any contaminants--–with a mineral spirits based pre-finish product just prior to priming is a key step that is often under emphasized but vitally important for a successful end-result. Here are some example videos/tutorials on that aspect of restoration.

I'd suggest the subsequent phase of a project like this is determining how the bike will be used a majority of the time.  This helps form the pool of possible component combinations to best suit the intended use. A good place to start would be whether the set up will have flat bars or drops, and the size and type of crankset.  These decisions then lead to your pool of derailleur/shifter options.

The Multitrack is a versatile creation that came stock with  a Shimano mountain power train that spun road- like 700c wheels and 38mm tires, which is approximately 10-13mm wider than road standard.  I'm certain the BB shell is 68mm and threaded  and a modern compact road crankset with outboard BB bearings should work equally as well as a mountain triple spinning around a square taper or splined cartridge BB.

This will be a fun and interesting project.  I love the fact that a quality machine may realize it's potential as a source of transportation, recreation and joy for multiple generations.


Another (?) which-frame-size-to-choose post Unfortunately in my home country (a small tropical island) I can't find a reseller that has stock of an adventure bike (also known as gravel bike).  I am about to order one online, but I am stuck on the frame size. I would like your opinion on whether you would lean towards the smaller of the two or the bigger.  I have included a picture of the geometry of the bike, the sizing chart of the manufacturer (red line is my height) as well as my size (as measured with instructions from competitivecyclist[.com]).

I want to use it for commuting (on tarmac), weekend rides (80km at around 30-35km/h) as well as multi-day bike packing rides (unpaved roads).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Measurements    CM

Actual Inseam 87.5
Trunk 59.5
Forearm   34.5
Arm   66.5
Thigh 62.5
Lower Leg 58
Sternal Notch 151.5
Total Height  184

EDIT
Thanks CardMechanic (I am not yet allowed to comment on your answer below).  Would trying another bike (a road bike) really be representative for this particular bike I am considering?  The geometry would be quite different right?

From your description, you're a little taller than me with a little longer inseam and shorter torso.  I'm usually comfortable on both a 56 and a 58.  I fall somewhere between the sizes.  For gravel riding, I would probably err to the shorter bike just to have a little more control.  For pure road riding, I'd probably err to the taller one for better lumbar stretch(if you're in the more-flexible camp).  Fitting is such a personal thing, it's almost something best seen in person, or tried and felt.

Does the shop there have any road bikes in those sizes that you can test ride just to get a feel for it?


Canyon Grail headset play I got new Grail CF SL 8 and my headache started when I realized I cannot make headset play stop.
After tightening all the screws to exact values I can still produce play on my steering wheel.
Description, I stand over my bike and hold both brakes fully. Then I start to push bike forward and backwards and I can see my forktube covered with cap going forward and backward (gap becomes smaller and bigger depending on the movement).
All the screws inside are:

2x rear to lock the plastic plate to the fork (fixate steering wheel)
1x top cover
1x transitional plate

https://www.canyon.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-canyon-shared/default/dw46151b4d/explosiondrawings/2020/grail/R061-01_R064-01-ME_BOM.pdf
Tnx for help in advance.

Just tightening the screws will not resolve the issue. There is a precise but quite simple procedure to follow. You can find a number of very good explanatory videos on the internet. GCN has a recent one on unboxing that specific bike that might be useful.
The usual procedure takes three steps:

Undo the pinch bolt(s) on the stem, normally two, left and right on the stem by one turn

Tighten the top bolt until play disappears while the bar still moves freely from side to side. This requires some sensitivity.

Tighten the pinch-bolts with the recommended torque!!

Then recheck the free movement of the bar and re-adjust if required.


cross chaining 18 speed (2 * 9) bike I have a 18 speed bike. There are two chain rings in the front and 9 cogs at the back. I am new to cycling and I wish to know which gear combinations should I avoid to prolong the life of the chain and gears and avoid cross chaining. So can someone help me please. The labels are like this:

(1-9) at the rear with 9 being the smallest
 (1-2) at the front with 1 being the smallest

can you please write down which combinations i should not use if i am conservative or wish to be on the safe side. thank you

Big at the front should generally not be combined with big at the back, for two reasons.

It forces the chain to use a non-straight chain path, (hence "cross chaining")
The derailleur spring has to stretch out forwards to allow the chain to be mostly on the cogs.

You also want to avoid small front and small rear, for similar but opposite reasons.

The chain does the same out-of-line crosschaining, merely in the other direction
The derailer has so much extra chain to take up that it ends up folding completely up and the chain can rub on itself passing around the two jockey wheels.  At extreme cases the chain can catch itself, and wrap itself around a jockey wheel.  This tends to bring pedalling to an abrupt halt.

Chains wear out no matter what you do.  Grit from roads, salt, and plain old usage wear a chain.  You're recommended to fit a new one every 2000 km, but different brands have different numbers, plus your usage comes into it.
If you ignore the chain then it will slowly wear out the rear cassette, and then starts on the front chainrings.  A $30 chain a year is cheaper than a new cassette and chain every two years.


How to build stamina and speed? I am a 28-year-old female weighing 13 stone [approximately 180 lbs] (overweight, I know, as I am only 5'1"). I've recently bought a mountain bike to ride to and from work (about 2 miles each way), but I'm struggling to actually do the whole journey on the bike, as I have to get off and walk. I also want to be able to do this journey in 15 minutes. I am asthmatic, but since I started riding a week ago, I'm finding I'm not as out of breath already (good start).

I'm just wondering how to build up strength, stamina and speed, as I am currently struggling on the smallest of inclines.

Thank you for all your answers/comments.  They have all made me feel a bit better.  I am going to go to Halfords on Tuesday to check everything is right height etc. The gears I'm struggling with currently but sure I'll find the right ones soon... hoping eventually I can get to work in around 15 mins.  I have started making sure I drink water about 500mL (1 pint) about 30 mins before I ride and start stretching my legs.  I am determined to conquer the hills going to and from work setting myself goals as I go up them.

You're doing it already. Time on the bike is what counts the most.

In the early days you will find yourself pushing up a lot of hills but in a few weeks you'll be surprised at how much better you're doing. When you feel like a ride is going OK, try to get a little further than before on the uphill bits - maybe an extra lamp post. That might be on a Monday after a weekend rest (or it might not). If you're feeling tired, don't stress,walk when you have to .

You'll build cycling muscles, which will make you more efficient as well as stronger. And your lung capacity will improve - it sounds like this is considerably more exercise than you used to do. Then, all else being equal, the weight will start to come down a little. I suggest you measure your progress - plenty of decent bike computer apps are free (assuming you've got a smartphone).


Sram thumb lever issue Is there anyway I can fix this for it to function properly again, or am I gonna need a whole new shifter? The lever is cracked and broken at the collar where the hex bolt threads in so I'm guessing I'm screwed because it obviously won't shift now it just pops off the bottom of the trigger shifter

It's unfixable.

Depending on the model of shifter you may be able to get a replacement part, or find a used replacement shifter on Ebay.


Is there something particularly wrong with exclusively riding a mountain bike in a city setting? I live in Davis, and I ride bikes simply for commuting around the university and around town. My last bike is a hand-me-down from my sister's friend over 6 years ago; it's pretty much on it's last leg. So my friend has offered to give me his relatively new mountain (?) bike from Walmart (high quality for Walmart standards). I must admit, I know next to nothing about bikes, and I really don't want to spend the time or money getting a different (road) bike. I just know this one isn't a road bike. Will it be sufficient, or should I look into something else?

The question of big box bike quality to one side, the question should be not whether it's "appropriate" to ride this bike, but whether you like it.

Are you physically comfortable riding the bike? If so, great! If not, there are several questions here about bike fit that may help you get comfortable on the bike. A bike that doesn't fit you will never be a good bike for you.

Is the new bike reliable and in good shape? Things to check: Do the brakes work reliably? Does the bike shift well? If not, bring it to a bike shop and have a mechanic look at it.

Mountain bikes are great at navigating potholes and are good city bikes because they accelerate quickly. (That last is great for when the traffic light turns green - zoom!) They're also easy to outfit for snow and ice.

If you're concerned with other cyclists' thoughts on what's "appropriate"... well, that's their problem and not yours at all. If you like the bike, I suggest you ride it and enjoy it.