Did I purchase the correct brakes for my Huffy bike? Did I purchase the correct bike brakes for my Huffy bicycle.  I just put the back set on the back and no matter how hard I squeeze the brake it is not tight enough to stop bike.

If anyone know please help thanks.

Firstly you need to confirm the material of your wheel. If your wheels are carbon fiber, you need to use the professional brake pads made of cork which are normally labelled as "use for carbon rims".

If your wheels are aluiminium/alloy or steel, use pads made of rubber.

Secondly you need to confirm the brake type of your wheels. The mountings for V brake pads and caliper brake pads are different.

Your photo shows pads for an older bike with caliper brakes.

Please take a picture of your brake and add it to the question.


Chain loses grip under load in higher gears When pedalling  in higher gears, the crank or cassette seem to completely lose grip for a second, then grip then lose it again. I could probably pedal all day in 1st and any front ring but when start to go in 6/7/8th it will do it.

This is not a gear change problem, all gears change perfectly and when the bike is on the stand everything works perfectly.

In order to try to cure the problem, the front and rear derailleurs have been renewed including cables, the chain renewed, the derailleur hanger also, but the problem remains.  I tried swapping the back wheel with known good one off another bike to eliminate the cassette, but the problem stayed the same.

The front crank has a tiny bit of play but the teeth look ok - none obviously more worn or broken than others - the biggest ring on the crank has been bent and straightened, not perfect but it has been working fine previously like that, plus the problem exists on the two smaller rings too.

Any help appreciated

The comments above are probably correct; if your chain is new, then the issue is likely a worn cassette. Because they wear out as a pair, chains and cassettes are often replaced simultaneously. A new chain on an old cassette can lead to skipping, just like an old chain on a new cassette can lead to skipping.

Another possible cause of "losing grip" could be a damaged or missing pawl inside the freehub body's ratcheting mechanism. If, for example, one out of your three pawls is chipped or has broken off, the freehub will engage fine under light load, but heavier force (like pedaling hard in higher gears) can cause the hub to "freewheel" briefly in the wrong (pedaling) direction.


Pistons are aligned only without pads in I've reset the pistons (after taking the pads out) of my XT hydraulic brakes, and made sure they do extract evenly when operating the lever.
After putting the pads and the wheel back in (and adjusting the bracket mount to a symmetrical position over the rotor), the left piston extract much more than the other one, which was the reason i wanted to reset it in the first place.

Any ideas why?

If the pistons extract evenly without pads but uneven with pads, one of the pads is giving more resistance. Try to clean the whole inside of caliper and check the pads and how they fit inside..


Is this aluminum "rust" in my frame? I found an aluminum bike in the trash and it seems like it has been exposed to the rain, especially because some of the metal is slightly rusty.

The frame is a different thing, because altough it is made in aluminum, it has worm-like bright shapes, with a small relief (when I pass my fingers it isn't as smooth as the rest of the frame).

This:

So, my questions:

Is this "rust"? (I know aluminum doesn't have corrosion like steel does, but this is IMO somekind of corrosion).
Is this a damaged in a point that it is dangerous to use it again?
Can I solve it? (I tried sanding a small bit and it takes care of it, of course the shine is gone in those bits).

Yep, "raw" aluminum develops a layer of corrosion fairly rapidly.  Thankfully, unlike with iron/steel, the corrosion is "tight" and eventually develops to a thickness where additional corrosion is prevented (in normal circumstances).

The corrosion can be prevented by either coating the aluminum with a lacquer-like coating or "anodizing" it.  Anodizing is a process where the aluminum is dipped in an electrolyte solution and a current is run through it, to develop a layer of "super corrosion" that is smooth and fairly hard/scratch resistant.

I'm guessing the bike was lacquered and the coating is breaking down.  Once one little spot of breakdown appears, the corrosion below will push up the adjacent areas, creating a growing spot that turns into the "worms" you see.  There is no structural problem as a result of this -- it's purely cosmetic.

The thing to be concerned about would be if there were any spots (particularly around the joints) where a salt-like crust was forming.  This would indicate that the aluminum is "crystalizing" in the weld, and fractures, if not already present, are imminent.


Misshapen inner tube, is this evidence of it being incorrectly fitted? I recently fitted new tires and inner tubes (Continental 700 25c). Today I had a fairly slow puncture, going flat in around 20 mins. I removed the tube and found that the puncture was at the edge of what appears to be a defect in the surface of the tube, at the point where the top seam meets the edge of this apparent defect.

Is this most likely caused by the tube being pinched or folded somehow when installed? I'm guessing that I've done something wrong here, rather than there being any issue with the tube itself.

Would you have scratched the tube, it wouldn't have taken 20minutes to go flat (95% of the time you simply cannot inflate a tube that is scratched during installation).

This is mostly some sort of storing issue, you usually got that when hanging your inner tubes on a hook. It's a rather common thing to observe in second-hand tubes that don't go directly from the box to the wheel, the rubber get compressed and once inflated you get this weird look.

Or you can, but it's rarer nowadays, have this in a brand new tube, just being caused by non homogeneous rubber distribution, it happened to me sometime ago.

Most of the time and from my experience if the deformation is not to pronounced (and it does not seem that way here) it should not cause any problem since the inflation will simply fit the shape of the tube into the tire.

It's uncommon but with bad luck the deformation could cause a hernia to happen but then again with a hernia your tire would have not taken 20 minutes to go flat (usually goes boom and flats out in 2 seconds).

I would go with deffective tube rather than wrong installation here.


Possible to fit 7 Bikes in a Van/SUV? I am going on a long 200 mile tour over 3 days with six other people. We are riding down to Washington DC and then renting a car to drive back. We thought we could rent a Van or SUV and have two people drive that and fit all the bikes in it if the seats fold down. Then Rent another car for the rest of the people to fit in and drive back.

The bikes will mostly be 26 inch tire bikes with medium to large frames. Two of the bikes will be large framed 700cc tired bikes.

Any suggestions if this is possible?

remove the wheels
spin the bar
turn the fork 180 to pick up a bit
remove the seat with post
remove the pedals (this is also for damage control)
use boxes for padding
wheels on top
deflate the tires

I think I could get 7 in my 4 Runner but it would be close.

You could even drop the fork and leave the cables attached to put the bar in the triangle.


Rear brake doesn't work When I pull the rear break lever, the cable contracts, but the lever doesn't return to its original position. How can I fix this?

If this is not enough information, please let me know. I will post a video or something.

If it's just the wire that's not working, I'd replace the housing and cable for that wire to make sure there is no gunk or anything keeping it from moving freely.

If it's the brake, and it is a rim brake, the first thing to do is play with the screws that are on each arm of the brake. The farther in the screw is, the more tension is on the brakes spring which will help pull it back out. See if you can tighten that enough to get it moving enough.

If not check the mount points on the frame. A lot of the times there's a spring hidden inside the mount point which helps provide the return force for the brake. Generally it's three small holes in the frame which the spring will go through one, and then the spring is also pressing against some plastic housing, so if the plastic is damaged you'll need to get a new brake. If it doesn't looked damage, try changing it to a different hole to provide more return force and grease/clean the whole thing.

I'm speaking only generalities though, a picture or name of the brakes would be great.


How can I tell if my wheels need replacing due to rim wear? I have v-brakes which have started to groove my rims. What is the surest way to know if they need replacing?

Most rims have a little dimple or a groove (called wear indicators) for detecting rim wear. When this dimple or groove disappears, its time to get new rims. If the wheel physically damaged, take it to a LBS for an assessment on if it needs to be replaced or can be repaired anyway (e.g. cracks, dents, etc.).

If your rim doesn't have wear indicators, take it to a bike shop, and they'll measure the rim widths with a caliper and check for deformations. I don't have a good threshold for what thickness would be considered acceptable, but I'd err on the side of caution.

If your v-brake is grooving your rims, are you sure brake pads are still good? If you hit the metal back plate, they'll start destroying rims. If the groove is on the brake pads (due to the wear indicator or misalignment), you can sand it down if theres still enough material left, or just put on new pads.


How to tell when disc brakes are worn? How do I tell how worn my disc brakes are and what are the consequences of letting them wear too low?

You need to replace your pads when they are about 3mm thick including the backing plate. You should be able to see how thick they are with your wheels off but you might need to remove them from the callipers to be sure. See the manufacturers site for details of how to remove and fit the pad - its normally an easy job.s

If you do need to change the pads on hydraulic brakes you need to make sure the pistons are all the way back, otherwise there won't be enough of a gap between the pads and the disc. Its best to do this while the old pads are fitted by using a flat bladed screwdriver to push them apart.

The other thing to remember is that the new pads will need bedding in before you use them in anger.

If you do wear the pads all the way down they won't stop you very well and they will make a mess of your discs.


Compatibility of bar end shifters and 10 spd Tiagra I want to try an aero bar type set up, with bar end shifters on my 10 speed Tiagra road bike, do I need a particular bar end shifter to do this?

With Tiagra in particular this answer is different from if your bike had any other 10-speed group.

Presently there are two different 10-speed Tiagra generations, 4600 and 4700. (So the STI from one is ST-4600 and the other is ST-4700, etc). 4600 uses the same classic actuation ratio that all pre-11-speed Shimano road groups used other than first generation Dura-Ace. 4700, however, is an oddball group. It's 10-speed but uses the new 11-speed actuation ratio, resulting in a situation where ST-4700 is currently unique in Shimano's history in terms of number of clicks (10) and amount of cable pulled per click. No other shifters interchange with ST-4700, including any of the bar-end models. So if you have 4700-level Tiagra the answer is no, there's no way of doing this. You would have to also get a new rear derailleur from any other 10-speed road group, like for example RD-5600, RD-5700, RD-6600, RD-6700, RD-7800, or RD-7900. Then it will work. (The front derailer will be friction so no issues there - otherwise it would also have a cable pull issue.)

It hasn't become clear yet whether more 10-speed groups with 4700's cable pull will be released, but I wouldn't wait for a bar-end version.


What kind of tire will fit a Columbia touring 26 inch bicycle I have a girls 26 inch Columbia touring bicycle, its old. It needs new tires, on the tires is the size of 26 x 1 3/8 inch. Yet, all tires at Walmart are too small to fit the rim. I even went to a 27 inch and it was way too big. My question is (and I have searched extensively and found no answers) Will a Schwinn tire fit this bike? Or, will those 700mm fit.  Thanks

The tire brand alone won't help. Over the years bike makers and tire makers have invented an amazing range of sizes. It keeps us on our toes…

I'd guess that the tires you found at Walmart were 26 x 1.375 (or some other decimal size). You'd think that 1.375 and 1 3/8 inches would be the same. Alas, they are not. This question, Why does a decimal sized 26“ tire fit my rims but a fractional sized 26” tire doesn't?, explains in more detail.

What you need to do is to find a tire with a fractional size (or look for a tire marked 35-590 or 37-590 – this is an ETRTO/ISO tire size, the numbers are the width (35 mm or 37 mm) and the "bead seat diameter" of the rim (590 mm). Most tires will be marked with this number and it will let you be sure you're getting the right size.

Your local bike shop will probably be able to get these for you, or if you'd rather order online one place that carries a good selection is Harris Cyclery. The link will take you to their selection of tires.


Help to find the history of my 1900's Armstrong cycle :) Pretty new to the whole vintage bike thing so would love a bit of help finding the history of the bike I bought in Walthamstow, London, last year.

It's marked to be an Armstrong Cycle, Birmingham, which I have found a lot of information on, but mainly around the 'moth' models and tandems - I can't seem to place the 'Havana'. I'm looking to find the approx date of creation, and perhaps a bit more about it's stand-out features.

Here's some pics.

It's got the original seat, bell, lights and 3 gears - it's in great working order.

Any help would be much appreciated :)

Charlotte

From http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage-bicycles-what-s-worth-appraisals-inquiries/850018-1957-armstrong-havana.html it looks like it could have been made form 1957 to 1961 or later. It looks like it has a 3 speed internal hub gearbox, probably a Sturmy Archer, as it is British made.

Appears that Armstrong was part of a larger group by this stage, and the ealier design approach may have changed a lot.

If you look under where the pedals are (the bottom bracket), there is often a serial number which may contain the year of manufacturer. Or it could be stamped elsewhere on the frame.


What ingredients are necessary in a sports drink when you must drink a lot? Comments to this answer say e.g.,

  Can't stress enough how ... important it is to drink more than just water

... (and other people's comments then ask for details about the drink's contents).

The context is in answer to this question, How to ride when the weather is hot? -- to which people answer that it's no longer adequate to just drink water.

There's a related question here Formula for Homemade sports drinks but I don't find it informative.

My question is, what's the minimum ingredient list for a "sports drink", on a day when you should be drinking several liters?

For example, when I get home I drink water mixed with a cheap fruit syrup (i.e. some kind of sugar) plus table salt (i.e. sodium chloride).

Is that sufficient? Móż commented,

  Seriously, electrolyte drinks are just sugar, salt and flavour. Two of those things are very, very cheap.

Another comment was,

  Any sports drink powder will do. Basically sugar and electrolytes.

Upvotes suggest people think this comment is important:

  Make sure you get a real sports drinks, not lollie water sold as sport drink

Is salt sufficient as an electrolyte or is it important to have more (e.g. calcium, potassium, and/or I don't know what) during a ride?

What about other ingredients (proteins, amino acids, even fats, or whatever), do you suppose any of those are essential? Beneficial? Or should I take it that they serve to differentiate a store-bought product and maybe justify a high cost?

I get slightly inconsistent results from looking at the ingredients. Two of the products people recommended in comments were "Hammer" and "Rynopower".

Hammer for example has approximately (to within a factor of 2) equal quantities of each electrolyte:

Sodium (as Sodium Chloride) 80mg    4%
Chloride (as Sodium Chloride)   120mg   4%
Calcium (as Chelate)    100mg   10%
Magnesium (as Chelate)  50mg    12%
Potassium (as Chelate)  50mg    1%
Manganese (as Chelate)  500mcg  25%

Or:

Calcium (as Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Chloride)    100mg   10%
Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide)  50mg    13%
Manganese (as Manganese Gluconate)  3mg 150%
Chloride (as Calcium Chloride)  60mg    2%
Sodium (as Sodium Bicarbonate)  200mg   8%
Potassium (as Potassium Bicarbonate)    100mg   3%

Whereas Rynopower has much more sodium:

Sodium     333 mg
Potassium  85 mg
Calcium    40 mg
Magnesium  24 mg

The latter suggests to me, rightly or wrongly, that Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium are trace elements which don't need to be replenished in a big way en route (as long as your regular diet include adequate calcium); whereas the former implies that you need as much extra of those other elements/salts as you do sodium.

In the past I was used to buy sport drinks - like Gatorade - spending a lot of money and always in doubt about their efficiency.

But my sport Nutritionist suggested me a simple, natural and efficient recipe you can make at home for a tasty (and really cheap) sport drink:

500 ml water;
2 tablespoon sugar;
1 teaspoon salt;
Juice from one orange;

Just mix all ingredients in your water bottle and go cycling.
I start to drink always after one hour of cycling - when our body needs salt and some carbohydrates - and it does his job even on endurance races like Audax events.


Should I oil my seat post? In a previous question I asked how to remove rust from my seat tube/post. In the comments of one answer somebody said I should be oiling my seat post to prevent it from rusting into my seat tube, but I'm concerned this will cause the tube to slip when jarred.

Should I be applying a thin coat of oil to my seat post to prevent rust from forming between it an the seat tube? What sort of oil, if any, should I be using?

Greasing your seatpost will prevent problems like this:  "Removing Seat Post rusted into downtube".

Don't use chain oil, grease is what you want.  As whatsisname pointed out, all fasteners on your bike should be lightly greased.  This is what keeps them from corroding and seizing over time, becoming a real pain to remove.

If you have trouble with a slipping seatpost (like me), carbon grease is what you need.  Contains enough grit to keep from sliding, while still offering protection.


What powder is used inside an inner tube? I just cut open an old inner tube I had laying around and noticed there is a white powder in there. What is it? Why is it there?

It is talc, and it is used in the tube making process to prevent the inner tube rubber from sticking to itself.


How can I measure a saddle to buy something similar? I got on quite well with the stock saddle on my tourer, until recently.  That's not surprising as the plastic has broken.  The bike manufacturer isn't great for spares, and I'm sure I could do better, but how can I get something similar?  Try-before-you-buy from a proper shop isn't currently the option it normally would be, so it looks like I'll have to order  something. Are there features I should be measuring on the old one?  Most manufacturers seem to list very little in the way of dimensions, favouring a description.  There's plenty of information out there about putting the new saddle in the same place, but nothing much about getting one similar to the old one.

Summary:

There is no set of measurements you can use to compare seats between brands.
The best way to get the same feel every time would be to find a seat model you like that has an enduring reputation. You may even want to get a spare, just in case.

Details:
The seat a bike company includes on a new bike is most often the one they could get for the lowest price. It's almost impossible to find a match for these seats.
On more expensive bikes bike companies will specify something that is name brand and can be purchased again from various venders.
In either case if you get a seat that works for you it's almost a miracle. Bicycle seats are like shoes - they really need to be tried on. Some companies offer an easy return policy on seats so you can try out seats at home and return them if they don't work.
The measurement that pops up most frequently is seat width.

Every saddle should either come with a width measurement or can be measured.

Even seats with the exact same measured width will have different curvature, length, padding thickness, padding type, frame, design and flex.
Since there are so many factors in what determines how a seat feels some seat makers have web functionality/methodology asking you questions that will allow them to make suggestions for the correct seat. The Selle SMP "Saddle Finder" is one example. Another is the Saddle Finder for Treks Bontrager brand (not a recommendation) They base their recommendation on things like male/female, age, type of bike, type of cycling, frequency of riding and sit bone width based on pant size.
The information provided by seat makers is based on standards created by the seat maker that might help you pick seats that are similar within one seat maker's model range. It is unlikely that one makers information will help when comparing seats from different makers.
There are some seat makers and models that have been around for a long time.
The best way to get the same feel every time would be to find a seat model you like that has an enduring reputation. You may even want to get a spare, just in case.


Repairing Carbon / Aluminum frame My road bike is aluminum with a carbon rear triangle.  The carbon rear slides into the aluminum, and I believe was bonded with some sort of epoxy.  The pieces have begun to separate after 2.5 years and the company will not warranty the frame.

Is it possible to repair this by inserting epoxy into the gap and sliding the carbon back in place?  What sort of precautions should I take, and epoxy should I use?

If I can pull the carbon out further, should I sand the two surfaces before re-bonding?

I am posting this as an answer but it is more of a long comment. The information I have is from the place I trust to do carbon repairs. According to Hot Tubes aluminum and the carbon resin react. The aluminum must be sealed to get a good bond. The materials are not your hardware grade epoxy. If we were talking about a fishing rod or something that would not cause serious injury in the event of failure I would say go for and try to fix it yourself. My thought is there is enough information and the resulting horror stories of catastrophic frame/component failure to warrant at least getting a professional opinion.


Can I lace my hub with all inward or outward facing spoke heads? It seems conventional wisdom says to alternate inward vs outward spoke heads going around the flange when lacing a wheel, like this:

However, I'm wondering what the reason for this is, and if it has advantages or disadvantages for the flange, lateral stiffness, and/or lacing the crosses. It does look nice to have them all match, like this:

Is this 'bad'? Can it only be done in radial spoking? Could you have more lateral stiffness from all outside spokes, and/or less lateral stiffness from all inside spokes (because of more/less angle spread of the spoke angles)? The ideal answer would explain the pros and cons of:

Alternating Inward/Outward Lacing (Standard?)
All Outward (heads facing inward) Lacing
All Inward (heads facing outward) Lacing

The answer to "why alternate crossing spokes" is pretty much settled by the subtle suggestions from DanielHRicks and the direct and correct conclusions from the OP, in the very comments below the question.

The two remaining questions would be:

When is it possible to use non-alternating configurations, besides radial spokes?
In case of non-alternating configuration, should the spoke enter the flange holes inwards or outwards.

(I am, on purpose, not including the already much discussed pros and cons of using crossing vs radial.)

The first question is: there is also the SPIRAL configuration, shown in the picture below taken from the front wheel of my fixie:

(note the missing spoke at 2 o'clock...)

This spiral configuration is achieved when the spokes you have are too long for a radial lacing. Then you twist enough that they can fit. This is not so good, because it creates torsion in the hub's body, but I've seen that (and ridden that) a lot, and nothing terrible happened so far. Of course, it could not be safely used with disk brakes.

Now the good part: should the spoke run inwards (like the photo you posted and the photo I posted) or outwards? My answer would be: OUTWARDS, ALWAYS! I know that is pretty to see all those tiny spoke heads neatly arranged one beside the other in a pearl-collar-like pattern, BUT:

Outwards running spokes give a wider leverage to resist lateral forces. That means the same lateral force on the rim would cause a smaller variation in spoke tension.
It is a bit easier to insert spokes that run outwards (although in radial lacing it is not so important).
Most importantly: spokes running outwards touch the flange as they run to the rim, just above the elbow. That means the elbow is isolated from most of the flexion they would suffer whith the successive loading and unloading caused by wheel roll. This decreases fatigue significantly, hugely increasing the lifetime of the wheel.

So, the answer is your second option: All Outward (heads facing inward) Radial Lacing, UNLESS (!!!):

You use a hub for which the manufacturer forbids the use of radial lacing (most of them). Radial lacing might theoretically cause too much stress on the hub flange, since the force is applied in a direction where there is the least amount of material to resist the pull.
You use disk brakes (from previous answers, I think you're going to use those multi-mechano-power U-Brakes, so no problem).

(just for the record, the wheel in the photo I posted is opposite to what I am advising. That is because I already bought it that way. And I think the missing spoke - broke yesterday - has to do with this lame inward-running pattern.)

Hope this helps!


Coaster brake: concave sprocket orientation The sprocket for my coaster brake hub is shaped concavely in the middle, it is not symmetrical.
I've seen some people on Youtube who had it mounted on the hub facing inward, and others facing outward.
What is the purpose for this concave shape? What is the correct orientation?
(My guess is that you can flip it around to adjust the chain line, but I'm not entirely sure)

Video showing my hub:

Your guess is right, it's a way of dialing chainline. Most commonly you use it in the more outboard position. It's easy to just measure front chainline and both rear chainline options and see which position is optimal.


Is there a difference in having tires filled with CO₂ vs air? When you fill your tire with a CO₂ cartridge you are obviously putting CO₂ into it. When you use a pump you are putting air into it. Are there significant temperature variations that may lead to poor or better performance when using one or the other?

For instance, if you fill a tube with CO₂ and another with air at same temperature and then the temperature rises 10°F, will one be more likely to explode than the other? What precautions must be taken when using one vs. the other?

This is a debate that gets picked up on every bicycle forum known to man (okay, that might have been exaggerating a bit). Typically you start to ask the question when you notice that the morning after you have used your CO2 cartridge, your tyre is ridiculously low.

By no means am I a chemist but, as it has been explained to me, CO2 and butyl are more soluble than N2/O2 and butyl. Most tubes are constructed from butyl (fancy pants cyclists will sometimes use Latex tubes, haha). Due to the increased solubility you can expect that a CO2 inflated tyre will need re-inflating sooner than one you pump up by hand.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may98/895552329.Ch.r.html

While the explanation above is dealing w/ escape from balloons I am going to assume that we can take that information and apply it to our discussion.

Now, if i am incorrect (which I often am) please let me know!

I just noticed I didn't tackle the temperature issue. I do know that temperatures exceeding 50 degrees celcius (above 125 farenheit) can result in the potential for ... explosive fun, in regards to CO2 canisters.

http://www.stayfill.com

This company has a proprietary gas blend that won't leak from your tubes apparently ... ... ...


Identify the components of this bike I'm trying to identify, or find similar, parts on the bike in this video, specifically the front (three spoke) wheel, frame, and handle bars.

I looks like a Corima to me, but I may be wrong: http://www.corima.com/gb/produits/roues/default.cfm?family=roues_janteCorima for sale at http://www.lfgss.com/thread37288.html in plain black.

You're right about that being a nice ad - I like the video as well as the music.


Stiff knee, can I use a shorter crank on one side? My left knee is stiff and arthritic after 5 operations.

If I have the saddle high enough not to over-flex that knee, I can barely touch the ground ... as I am elderly and not very agile, this is not safe!

It was suggested to me that a shorter crank on the left side only would allow me to lower the saddle a bit without over-flexing my stiff knee.

Would it be practical to do this?

Thanks

(My bike is a Claud Butler Explorer 100)

Justin

Seems like a reasonable idea. Two things to consider:

Can you get a crank shorter enough to make a difference? Common crank lengths are 170, 172.5 and 175mm. (measured from crank axle center to pedal axle center). Shorter lengths are also available for some cranks, in 2.5mm increments.

I think you would have to do some experiments and measurements. Say you went from a 172.5mm crank (the most common length) to a 168.5mm one. That would allow you to drop the seat 5mm and keep the same amount of knee flexion. Is that enough to enable you to touch the ground safely?

Crank availability. I looked at a few pictures of the Claud Butler Explorer. Models at least a few years old seemed to have a 3-piece crank with a square taper axle-crank interface. That's good as the square taper is an old standard, so used but perfectly serviceable cranks are available, new ones are inexpensive also. The left are right cranks do not have to match, so you can use any that you can find in the right length.

Square taper cranks need a special tool to get off, but a good local bike shop can do it for you.


How to properly align the rear wheel to the bike (granny bike, single speed) I have an old bike in which the rear axle is like you can see in the pictures below.

It has pedal-brake. I've been struggling with the wheel alignment with respect to the bike. Each time I put it in, I align it as much as I can making sure the chain is straight (the cogs are aligned) and then I press the axle nuts as much as I can trying to keep that alignment. After a bit of cycling the wheel moves a bit in such a way that the front and rear cogs are not properly aligned, making the chain to go off the cog very easily.

What am I doing wrong? How can I solve this?

EDIT: could this chain tensioners fit my bike?

I suspect you either are missing the lock washer (toothed lock washer, picture follows) on the drive side or the one that is there is worn out. Place one outside of the dropout, between the dropout and the hanger for the rack/stand.

And the promised picture of the washer I meant:


Tire size / rear dropout incompatibility? Recently my commuter bike (cannondale quick 5) was stolen, so I decided to get an old road bike off of craigslist - a '91 specialized sirrus triple.  The guy I bought it from had bought it new, used it for about a decade, then hung it up in his garage until this past month. I took it in to REI for a tune-up and some new tires and asked if they could put on tires with a bit more traction, knowing that I'm accustomed to my commuter bike and probably wouldn't do too well with slick tires.

When they put on the new tires (I'm not talking knobby mountain bike, just a little bit of tread - Michelin City tires) they had me sign off that the change in tire size meant the rear wheel would have to not be completely in the dropout - currently it's about halfway in the dropouts and has scant 1/8" clearance from the rear brake assembly; if it was all the way in the dropout it would have no clearance whatsoever.

Is this (the rear wheel not being completely in the dropout) ridiculously unsafe?  I've never had to deal with this before, but it seems like this would be ridiculously unsafe.

Yes, it is unsafe. You should find a set of tires that will allow you to seat the wheel properly into the drop out.


Front rack for front suspension bike? What are some good options for a sturdy front bike rack (for carrying 30 to 40 pounds) on a front suspension bike?

Nothing is suitable for your requirements as-stated.

30-40 pounds is 15-20 kilograms.  That's like carrying two or three complete bicycles on your handlebars.  The weight will decrease the quality of your steering and will pre-load the suspension at all times.

That much added weight will increase inertia, make the bars slow to turn, and once turning will resist stopping.  So it will feel laggy and lethargic.

Additional weight also increases the chance of a front-wheel step-out on turning.  Normally a bike has a balance of about 40% of your whole weight in the front to 60% of your weight on the rear, or 40/60 to 30/70.  Adding 15 kilos on the front will make it 50/50 or worse, front-wheel heavy.

Experience it

For a simple demonstration to help make the point clear, go find something weight about as much as your heaviest intended load.  A half-bag of Cement, 40 blocks of butter, or 20 litres of water would be ideal (don't use small children as test weights, they're squirmy and loud when dropped.)

Then put the weight on top of your bars or on your forearms.  Stand over your bike, and try to shuffle or scoot your bike back and forth, and round a turn or in a circle.  Feels super unstable, right?  Especially if you bump through something that's not flat, or some gravel.  Now imagine that on the road ?

Alternative Solutions:

The bike can carry substantial loads.  Your problem is limiting it to "over a suspension fork"

1) Lock out the suspension fork, if you can.  Downside of this is that you're now riding with all the weight of a useless suspension fork.  To use your suspension, you'll have to unbolt the front rack completely.   Additionally, there's a chance the lockout will self-unlock, if you hit a large-enough impact.   This will upset any rack, because its mounting points have just moved in relation to each other.

2) Change your suspension fork for a rigid fork, and fit a normal front rack permanently.   Here's a heavy-weight front rack rated for "up to 45 lbs/20.5 kilograms"

  Notice how it bolts to the front wheel axles, and has mounts higher up that attach to your upper forks (ie where your bike has sliding stanchions)

3) Cargo bike!  Probably outside budget, but you could have a massive load carrying ability on your bike.  Some designs have the wheel out the front, some have two wheels, some have the load at the rear.

4) Bike Trailer - again not exactly what you're asking for, but at least this option is removable easily.  Most good designs use some sort of permanently mounted hitch on the rear axle which stays on your bike, and the trailer disconnects with a quick-release coupling like a car trailer ball joint, or some sort of kingpin like a truck trailer.

I personally use an old kid's trailer as a cargo trailer, and it works well enough.  Mine's rated to 20 kilos of liveweight, and I've found 50 kilos to be a comfortable maximum.  I have towed 100 kilos in it but that was ridiculous.

Options like Panniers and back packs aren't really suitable for that level of mass.  Backpacks really should be under 5 kilos, and ideally not even used at all.  Panniers (carrier bags) are generally cloth and are generally limited to 10-20 kilos depending on design and construction.

Final thought - depends a lot on what you're moving, but sometimes paying money for delivery works out better financially.  If you only get big things like this once a year, its hardly worth spending a lot of money on it.  Delivery fees can be surprisingly affordable or ridiculous, so plan ahead.


Who else makes H-bar Loop Handlebars? Jones makes a great pair of touring handlebars with a loop for mounting lots of accessories, but their prices are a bit steep ($120-$425). I'm building a mountain touring bike and I've been trying to find a comparable bar for a more reasonable price, but so far no luck.

Is Jones the only company that makes this style of handlebar?

Note: There are plenty of accessory mounts that can do the same job as the loop on the h-bar, but I'm not interested in those. I'm looking for this exact style of bar, or a significantly similar bar.

The answer is NOBODY. Jones is the only manufacturer of the closed loop H-bar.

After nearly a year of searching for a cheaper alternative I finally just bit the bullet and ordered the bar from Jones. It would have been better if I had ordered it sooner instead of holding out in hopes of finding an alternative manufacturer, I really got dinged by exchange rates for waiting.


How come pairs are slower than solo riders at the Transcontinental Race? As far as I understand, the control points are the same for pairs and individuals, so they both race a comparable length (the precise length will depend on the routing skill of the riders).

However the first man pair at TCR6 (Charles Christiansen and Nico Deportago-Cabrera) finished in 13d 20h 25m, whereas the first man individual (James Hayden) finished in 8d 22h 59m. Riders in pair should have an advantage as they are allowed to draft each other. There is also the advantage of morally supporting each other, which I believe it's very important in such a long race. How come are they slower instead?

The only explanations I can give are: higher probability of mechanical problems for the pairs and less competition in terms of riders that sign up. Or am I missing something else? Do they have more restrictive rules perhaps?

Note: This is being asked for curiousity, but I want to point out that I am a huge fan of Chas and Nico (the winner pair) and I have enormous respect for the spirit with which they approached the race.

Note 2: Here I am only talking about the minimum time of the riders, not average time (I don't have data for that).

Edit I looked into statistics of moving vs stopping time of the above-mentioned riders. Assuming that I am interpreting the tracker stats correctly, here is the info:

                  Chas-Nico    James
moving time       8:15:38      7:05:04
stopping time     5:06:37      1:18:24

This seems to validate @ChrisH's hypotesis in the comments that the biggest difference is in the stopping time.

I expect that the three main contributors are:

The solo riders are just stronger. There's more glory in the solo win so, if you are strong enough to, say, come in the top five on your own, it's probably better to do that than come in the top five as a pair.  For example, compare tennis: the really strong players concentrate on singles.

It's easier to look after yourself and know your own limits than try to figure out what your partner's limits are. At this level, the question isn't so much "Can I ride for another hour?" but "How motivated am I to ride an extra hour even though I feel like crap, and can I keep this up to the end?" It must be very hard to figure out exactly where on the scale your partner is.
For a trivial example if this, how often do you end up in the following situation? You and your partner/friend want to go out for a meal. You suggest restaurant A, they suggest restaurant B. You end up saying, "No, no, it's OK, let's go to B" while they're saying, "Really, A is fine. Let's go there."

Drafting doesn't give you much at the kinds of speeds the riders are doing.
The winning average speed (based on Wikipedia's statement that the race is about 3900km; averaged over moving time) was only about 23km/h (14mph); the leading pair was at about 19km/h (12mph). So, in reality, the solo riders go at their own speed; the pairs go at the speed of the slower member.

Plus, as mentioned in the comments, two bikes will have twice as many mechanicals.
The pairs category actually has less restrictive rules. The 2017 Race Manual says:

In  the  pairs  category  riders  in  the  pair  act  as  a  unit  and  may  share  food,  equipment,
information and resources
between themselves and help each other including riding in each
other's slipstream. No support is to come from outside the pair and resources cannot be
shared  outside  the  pair.    To  all  intents  and  purposes  the  pair  shall  interact  with  others
outside of the pair as if they were a solo rider.

In contrast, non-paired riders aren't allowed to slipstream or share information or resources. The same text has appeared in the manuals since at least 2014 (except for a completely trivial change of wording). I've not been able to find the 2018 manual but I assume nothing has changed, still.


Must cyclist yield to car turning right across a bike lane into driveway? While riding in the bike lane on a four lane street in Northern California, a car passed me on my left, stopped in the right-hand lane twenty to thirty feet ahead of me, and signaled to turn right into a parking lot driveway.

Who has the right of way in this situation? Am I required to stop in the bike lane and let the car turn across my lane, or is the car required to wait until it is safe to turn?

Note: I'm specifically asking about California law but encourage answers for all jurisdictions. While safety and biking defensively is important, my question is only concerned with the law. There is a similar question regarding cars turning right at an intersection, but none of the answers address driveways.

California Vehicle Code section 21717: Turning Across Bicycle Lane states that cars are required to enter the bike lane before turning.

  Whenever it is necessary for the driver of a motor vehicle to cross a bicycle lane that is adjacent to his lane of travel to make a turn, the driver shall drive the motor vehicle into the bicycle lane prior to making the turn and shall make the turn pursuant to Section 22100.


How do I fix a loose saddle? My seat on my bmx turns literally on every bump. If I tap it it'll turn and normally fall off.. The teeth on the seat look to be fairly worn.

I don't really want to spend any money as it's just a bike for riding dirt jumps. I was thinking of glueing it but is there any other way? Cheers :)

Slap some JB Weld on that stub and shove it in the post. Let it sit for one day. Smack it around a little and if it doesn't pop off you'll be good to go.


Coded gesture for "I am looking for a place to stop" When going downhill on mountain roads with no dedicated cycle path, it happens quite often that the cyclist becomes the head of a train of vehicles, as the winding road does not allow an easy and safe take over.

In such situation, I personally feel much safer if I can stop and let the train pass by (even though the drivers are not putting pressure, the idea of losing control of the bike while moving at 50-60 km/h with a lot of vehicles behind me is kind of scary).

I therefore search for a suitable place to stop like a parking area on the shoulder and when I find it I come to a stop there.

What I normally do to convey the cars behind me that I am scanning the road for a place to stop is to sit with my torso straight on the saddle, and then raise my hand before signaling I am moving to the side.

I am not sure this is easily understood by drivers, so my question is: is there a codified gesture for conveying the message: "I am looking for a place to stop?"

additional info

This question came to my mind after taking a two-way mountain road, with speed limit at 50 km/h and where my travelling speed was ranging between 30 and 50ish km/h.

I have this same problem on a couple of local descents.

There isn't signal that communicates what you want to say, clearly and succinctly.  Anything you try and do will take at least a hand off the bars and reduce your overall stability at speed.

Here's some options:

What you can do is stop pedalling, and pull to the side of the road so there is as much space available for the vehicle to pass.  THEN its up to the driver of the vehicle to decide if its safe to pass or not.   A car will need some hundreds of metres of clear space if they have to cross the centerline so don't bother if you're anywhere near an upcoming corner.
In fact if you're getting close to a corner, its sometimes better to clearly take the lane by shoulder-checking and then moving into the lane. This stops anyone from passing you in a dangerous way.
If I absolutely needed to show I was slowing to allow a pass, I'd probably do something like pull to the side as far as possible, maybe unclip my outside pedal and have both legs straight down.   If the shoulder was wide enough I would be very much off the roadway.  Downside is most hillsides lack in road shoulders so there's not a lot of space.  You can also try to look at the following driver and establish an eye contact - but they might think you're simply challenging them or something.
Lastly, another physical way to show you're stopping is to straighten your arms, lower your torso, and get off the saddle.     This will put your backside backward, and is a pretty clear indication that you're braking hard.  Mostly visible to other riders, someone in a car might not perceive it as clearly.

In some places, the painted centerline may stop the vehicle from being allowed to pass, so you might be wasting your time if the road is narrow.

Your other options are to get going faster, or to time your descent so it starts at the end of a car column with a space behind you.  This can be aggravating if the line of cars is slower than your descent.

HOWEVER...

At all times be safe on a descent.  Don't feel you have to push and outride your comfort zone/speed.  There's a lot of kinetic energy when descending, and if that transforms into friction or a sudden stop, then its a bad day.


What's the most useful style of chain gauge? I see that there are three kinds of chain wear gauge:
The basic kind. I'm used to using this kind:

The hook style. Supposedly provides an indication of how worn the chain is. I've used these and the idea makes sense:

Digital. This seems like overkill and designed to separate fools from their money:

Does anyone know the relative benefits of each? Is the simple kind generally good enough?

"Useful" is hard to define for everyone. For me, "useful" tends to mean "has a lot of uses". The very specific chain wear-checking tools you list above are "handy" in that they do one thing and they do it reasonably well. Useful? Well...if you need to do it a lot and/or it is difficult.

But there is a tried-and-true method using a simple tool that many people already own, and which has a lot of other uses: a tape measure or ruler with inch markings. You simply align an inch mark on one side of a rivet, then look at the corresponding rivet 12 full links away. On an unworn chain, the rivet will line up exactly at 12 inches. A worn chain will be more than 12 inches. On most bicycles, you won't even need to remove the chain to do this. And it works with virtually all modern bicycle chains.

Chain wear in general is a bit of a "religious" issue, but a rule of thumb if you must have one is: within 1/16 of an inch, no problem. Between 1/16 - 1/8 of an inch, probably time to replace the chain. Past 1/8 of an inch, you've probably noticed other issues in the drivetrain.

This (along with many, many other chain-related issues) is summed up nicely at Sheldon Brown's site (see 'Measuring Chain Wear', towards the bottom).


How to get water out of the frame? Now the (seatpost and QR) has been practically replaced by an (internally routed riser setpost) tightened with a torque wrench.

I disagree with the accepted answer here - sometimes above 1 liter of water accumulates. And stays there for a month.

But the old advice of "remove the seat, leave bike upside down overnight" is not practical anymore. Now what?

Barring a drain hole somewhere,  a drain hole allows air to move so equalizes pressure. A sealed system will create negative pressure with temperature changes and suck in water around moving parts. The bottom bracket or fork are the only other places a typical frame has holes that would allow water to escape.

Given these probably about as inconvenient to remove as the seat post, the only real option you have is a drain hole.

You could always upgrade :) to an external routed dropper so its possible to remove the post, or install a long enough dropper cable that you can pull the seat post, and either cable tie it in a loop after it exits the frame (I know, you are rolling your eyes right now.)

Question I have to wonder is where is the liter getting in.


Will mounting a camera on the handlebar instead of the helmet make the picture more shaky? I do a short commute in Paris (about 7 km / 30 minutes each way) and I am seriously considering adding a camera (maybe 2) to my bike to be able to report dangerous behaviour and also generally because it's fun and interesting.

I've seen a lot of great footage on the web but I wonder how they get such a stable picture. I guess that helmet mounted cameras produce an inherently more stable picture but I also heard of stabilizing software.

The thing is I don't wear a helmet and I would like to fix my camera to the handlebar. My bike (Cross Areal CR) has suspension in the front, however I'm not sure it's enough to dampen the road shake, though my route is mostly on smooth asphalt (some potholes, some old paved passages).

Does mounting a camera on the handlebar mean that I must invest in a more expensive stabilized camera or do you find that most cameras work just a well? Are there any tricks to getting a stable picture with such a setup?

Cameras on bikes are a trade-off. I run my camera from the handlebars, but it can be very shaky particularly depending on the road surface: on a newly paved road it can be almost perfect, but on cobbles it's almost useless.

Certainly you can helmet mount, but then you can look quite silly. (The cuboid Go Pros on top of a helmet just look ridiculous.) There are some advantages though, it's definitely more stable (as @cherouvim correctly points out - your neck and body are great shock absorbers) and it means that you are getting the camera to record (more or less) what you are looking at.

If you're planning on being able to use the footage to report problems, then it is going to be much more flexible to be able to point the camera dynamically. The lack of a helmet isn't the end of the road though, I use a Contour camera and they've got headband, cap and helmet mounts - so while you'll need some form of headwear, it needn't be a helmet.

Some of the shake can be mitigated with a fast frame rate and post-production, but it'll be easier if it wasn't there in the first place and the best way for that is not to mount it on the bike.


How to convert a multi-speed bike to single-speed with coaster brake? Now I don't want to take all the credit for this bike, but I'm pretty sure Trek must've lovingly had me in mind when they made this. I mean come on. This bike is awesome. Buying their beach cruiser was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Now I've got my eye on this puppy.

So speaking of the beach cruiser, I really liked that it braked when you pedaled backward. I also liked the single gear splendor. I'd rather be climbing in a single gear at 3mph than zooming past all the ladies in top gear. More time to ask them whether you're supposed to floss before or after you brush. Just kidding. But seriously. The answer is after.

Back on point, can you modify a bike to be single gear and do that backward pedal brake thing? Think Trek would do this for me if I requested it with my order? How hard is it going to be to custom mod my rig with tools and stuff?

The desired conversion is possible, but maybe Trek won't do it as a "default" service. You could consider going to the local bike shop and trade some of the bike parts (specially the gearing system) for a coaster brake wheel.

If your bike is like the one in the photo, you need to replace the rear hub, and get rid of the cogset, the derailer and the twist-shifter. You can do this at home if you have some mechanical skils, but replacing the hub and relacing the spokes is not very simple.

And if you're so chatty with the lovely ladies as you are when asking questions on the internet, they sure get a lot of talk! ;o)

EDIT: As Freiheit has correctly pointed, when you put a single cog and get rid of the derailer, something must be added to compensate for the almost inevitable chain slack. I suggest a tensioner like this, of DMR brand (with a bolt, to be placed in a fixed position, not a spring):

MORE EDIT!!!!
As people correctly pointed out, you CANNOT use a chain tensioner if you use a coaster brake. So the solutions are:

Use a chain tensioner but not a coaster brake;
Choose a magic combination of chainring and cog size (very difficult, might not give you a good gear ratio, cannot compensate for chain slack;
Use an adaptor (usually not the most robust solution, but ok for a cruiser if you really want the coaster brake):


Right Shimano SPD pedal clicks on down stroke I recently bought Shimano SPD pedals for indoor cycling on Zwift. I have not had them very long at all maybe a month.

Every downstroke I hear a loud click on my right pedal. I thought it may have been the cleat in the shoe because the position looked different than the left shoe. I made them match but I still have the issue.

My pedal:

It's a case of systematically hunting down the source of the click. As Andrew Henle said in a comment it's very hard to understand where a noise is coming from when you are riding on the bike. Once I was convinced I had a click in my bottom bracket but it turned out to be a slightly loose seat clamp.

Try wearing normal shoes and pedal on the SPDs (awkward, but can be done). That will determine if it's the pedal/cleat interface.

If it's still there check for play or roughness in the pedal bearings. Take the SPDs out and re-install your old pedals.

If it's still there then you need to start looking at the BB or drivetrain.


Choosing the right wheel size in my cycle computer I have bought the Campangolo Khamsin wheelset, and now I would like to set the right wheel size in my Trek Incist 8i cycle computer. Before I do the custom wheel setting, I would like to know what would be the best choice?

The wheel has ETRTO 622x15c printed on it.

The computer comes with the following wheel sizes defined:

700x20, 700x23, 700x25, 700x28, 700x32, 700x35, 700x38, 26x1.5, 26x1.5, 26x1.90, 26x1.95, 26x2.0, 26x2.1, 26x2.2.

So, if anyone here knows what would be the closest match I would be happy to know.

I have not had much luck with any of the preset settings (on my cateye computers) always using custom. Here is how I recommend to measure the circumference:

Inflate your tire to desired psi
Put a mark of chalk on the garage floor and bike tire
Sit on my bike and roll forward one revolution until the bike tire mark comes back to the floor
Mark the end position on the ground
Measure the distance between the marks on the ground, convert to mm (for the Cateye) and set the custom tire circumference.

I have found differences between different tires (both 700 x 25) and even differences with the same tire (air pressure difference).


What is the easiest to upgrade my chainrings from a double to a triple? I have a 2007 Specialized Tarmac Pro Double and I need some better gearing. I am doing more hill climbs and I feel that I need at least two lower gears than I already have. What would be the most efficient way to upgrade my bike. Would it be easy to get a triple chainring? Will I have to get a new derailleur? What else would I need to change?

You have a couple different options. I think the cheapest would be to switch to a compact crankset which would change the front chainrings from 52-39 to 50-34.  I'm pretty sure you could do this while still using the same shifter. Changing the front shifter is required if you want to go from a double to a triple, as is changing the front derailleur.  If you switch to a compact I'm pretty sure you can keep the same derailleur and shifter.

Another thing you'll want to look out for is the rear derailleur.  You currently have a short cage derailleur, and you may need a medium or long cage derailleur when you go with a compact crankset.

I don't think a triple should really be necessary on a 10 speed system.  I have triple, but I have an 8 speed cassette. I find in that case the triple is nice because you can still get lots of gear range while still keeping the gears close together, However, on a 10 or 11 speed cassette, this isn't really necessary.  I think that switch to a compact crankset is a much better option.

Also, according to This post, the maximum cog size of a short cage Shimano short cage is 27 and the total drivetrain capacity is 29.  To use a larger cassette, you would have to switch out the rear derailleur. If you used a compact crankset, you should be probably also replace your rear derailler for a medium cage, as your total capacity would be (50-34) + (27-12) = 31.  However, if you changed the cassette to a 12-25, you could get away with not replacing the rear derailleur and still getting a little bit lower gearing, although possibly not enough for your needs.


Rubber rings for attaching lights etc I have some lights and a cycle computer that attach using some sort of rubber or silicone bands (or O rings - don't know what they are called). I need some replacements, but I don't know what they are called!

Best I can find on (say) Amazon are O rings that look the same but seem to be only for plumbing - not long term daily use on a bicycle.

I need various sizes as I want to move stuff between bikes - which have differing tube/handle bar diameters.

The technically right name - or a recommended supplier - would be most welcome!

Have you thought about cutting an old inner tube across its length. Various thicknesses of cut give more or less stretch. Rubber versus latex, too many different size tubes to mention. Cheap as chips and your LBS will have an endless supply.


Are general-use ball bearings okay? I lost a ball bearing today. Is it okay to go to a hardware store and pick up a general 1/4 in. steel plain ball bearing to replace it? Performance is not a concern, only longevity of parts.

Ideally, no.  Bearing balls are of such fine tolerance that a random substitution is likely to be bigger or smaller than your existing ones.
The best solution is to buy a set, then replace all the bearings on both sides of the axle.  That way they've come from the same batch and will be all the same size.   You can get bearing ball sets from your local bike shop or just buy 20 of the above.
A proper bike shop won't even reuse a new bearing that has dropped on the floor by accident, they'd just get another from the same batch.

Why is size such an issue?   Imagine if your single replacement was slightly larger.  The two balls either side of the new one would not take as much load, and may be free floating due to the bigger new ball taking extra load.
This leads to extra pressure on one ball and premature wear and failure, and at least two balls simply sliding around and not rolling.  This generates wear because of a lack of preload on those balls.
Upshot is Spalling where the big ball looses chunks, which adhere to the race, and then peel off leaving dents.  When this happens, your cones need replacing and/or the hub is dead.
If the new ball is too small, the same thing happens but the new ball simply slides and the two on either side take more load.
In short, a set of new bearings is cheap, just do it.  You can get loose balls or you can get balls in a cage which are more convenient, either is fine.

On the flip side, I have sometimes used a spare bearing ball to repair an old donor bike at a fixup.  A kids bike that might only do a hundred miles travel in its entire life would probably be fine for this fix, compared to a race bike doing a hundred miles a ride, or a long-distance commuter who does a hundred miles a week.
A bearing ball in a bicycle is not a high-load nor a high-speed application, so physically the bearing ball would function at the RPM and temperatures of a bicycle hub.  The size and tolerance is the main issue.
So it's up to you and the expected longevity you expect from that wheel.


Do I need to shorten chain when fitting a new smaller cassette? My current cassette is 11-36 and I want to change it to 11-32.
Can I stay with my current chain or I need to modify my current chain to fit the new cassette?

As the smallest cog and smallest chainring have not change changed size, the chain length will be no worse than it was previously.  With the smaller large cassette cog, you may find you can shorten the chain, giving better small/small tension.  The difference (presuming a reasonably sized chain to begin with) of dropping a link will be minor enough I doubt I would bother.
However, as pointed out in comments by @Craggie - when fitting a new cassette, its usually false economy not to fit a new chain. In that case, make the new chain the best size for the new cassette.


Mountain bike freewheel replacement My freewheel pawls recently shattered and I was wondering if the new one I am about to order will work.

New freewheel at ebay

The only difference I noticed was the new sprocket is more spread out.

The new freewheel looks like a drop in replacement. Both are 5 speed 14-28 teeth. Removal tool splines are the same so you can use the tool you presumably have.

Not sure what you mean by 'spread out'. Sprocket spacing and tooth pitch are all standardized in the bicycle world so a sprocket with the same number of teeth will be functionally equivalent.


Does the size of a bike tire matter when going up and down hills? I am doing science fair and my question is if the size matters when going up and down hill on a bike. I looked all over your site and I couldn't find anything about the size of a tire for going up and down a hill, but I did find something about the size of a tire help for going on flat ground but I'm not sure if the same will apply for going up and down hill. Sorry for the bother but it would really help me out if you could answer my question.

I assume you're testing a tyre's width, not its total radius because that would change the rim size.
I'm also taking this as "how to design a tyre test " because otherwise you're asking for opinions, which would not be very Scientific, and would also be off-topic.
There's a lot of things to vary.  Good scientific tests try to fix all the variables except one, which may not be possible.
Assuming that adding weight makes a climb harder - that's easy to test by adding some non-functional weight, and timing it.
However testing if a wider tyre helps, will add weight as well, which we know from previous test will hinder the ride.  But how would you test if the wider tyre alone without the added weight is of benefit, or not.
To test "Is X better than more/less X"  will require you to isolate, or at least account for:

Weight, as already mentioned
rolling circumference  (A wider tyre has a subtle increase in the distance it rolls per revolution, which slightly changes the gearing)
tyre pressure (wider tyres have lower recommended pressures)
tyre rolling resistance (how much it deforms as you ride)
tyre grip
tyre wear
tyre construction (Ideally test a tyre that comes in multiple widths in the same model, and not test a commuter tyre against a race tyre)
road or off-road surface condition, dryness and grip and temperature
air pressure and temperature and humidity
wind speed and direction
rider' freshness, hydration, mood, enthusiasm, and total power output
aerodynamics of the rider and bike, and change.

So a well-designed experiment would see you testing one single change (tyre width)  with the same tube/bike/rider/course and to use a penalty weight in a fixed size container secured to the bike.
You might not think it significant,  but I changed from 47mm to 28mm tyres, which were 700g and 280g, so 800g saved between the two.
Also, you'd want to test a null case (where the grade is 0%)  as well as a range of uphill grades, and the same downhill grades.   Ideally you'd have a power meter to keep the rider's input power identical between test runs, and each run should be at least a minute long, with more adding to accuracy.   (though this depends on finding a consistent grade that is long enough)
Outstanding question:  Should you vary only one tyre, or do you change both?   When you finish your project, do please share the results here.


Suggested route across Long Island? I am contemplating riding from New Jersey, across the George Washington Bridge, across Manhattan, into Queens and on to work in Long Island.  I am already spending up to 2 hours on the drive due to traffic, and I think it will take me about 2.5 to 3 hours on the bike.  I am considering doing it one way.

My concern is possible routes across Long Island.  I only need to get out to Bethpage, between the Northern State/Southern State highways.

Looking at maps, it seems that my best option is Queensboro bridge (Aka 59th St, aka Koch bridge) to Queens Boulevard, and then stay on 25A which changes names, pretty much the whole way out there.

My concern is whether this is a rideable road.  Last summer I was lucky enough to be able to ride 30+ miles to Parsipanny, NJ, and riding along Rt 46 where it has a paved shoulder was a dream come true!  The trucks and cars zipping by just dragged me along.  A pleasure.

But I have never even driven Queens Blvd, and do not really have time to try it.

Google Maps, selecting bike routing has a convoluted, complicated, longer route, trying to hit parks and bike paths as best it can.

So to make this more relevant, I am looking for a good bike route, out of Manhattan and across Long Island.

I live in Astoria and bike over the Queensboro bridge to work in Manhattan, and back, every weekday. I've also biked all over the general area. Personally, I would not take Queens Boulevard. It's mostly a four-lane situation, and is not pleasant for cycling. It's complex and constantly changing situation that will have you going quite slow to watch out for cars coming from every which way. Not to mention some cars park paralell, and some in other directions. You have to watch for doors, and also getting backed into. If you have to cross from one side to the other at any point, good luck. I had to do that a few times when biking to Maspeth, and I just gave up and walked it at a crosswalk.

Bethpage is really far considering you are all the way in NJ. Biking in in the morning and using some other mode of transportation to get home is a good idea. Going both ways every day would be too much for most people.

I would suggest listening to Google Maps. Their cycling directions have done well for me, and the path it charts from 59th street to Bethpage looks good. You have to remember complicated directions, but the tradeoff is you avoid really complicated traffic patterns and traffic itself. You'll also avoid lots of traffic lights making you stop all the time.

Maybe I'll see you on the bridge. Good luck.


Shimano 105 R7000 drivetrain makes crackling sound I got an Shimano R7000 groupset and have the following problem:

After degreasing my chainrings (54 – 36) and the cassette (28 – 11), the drivetrain makes normal noise. However after around 30km, the rear cassette (or chain?) begins to make noise in the lower gears. It is very noticable in the 36 - 28 (the smallest gear), 36 - 25 (2nd smallest gear), and 36 - 23 (3rd smallest gear) combination. Interestingly, the 36 - 21 or any higher combination does not produce the crackling sound.

I made a video which illustrates the behavior. I‘m starting in the 36 – 21 combination which makes normal noise. When shifting in a lower combination, you can hear the crackling sound. At the end, I shift back in the 36 – 21 combination which is totally fine.

Questions:

Does anybody experience a similar behavior when the drivetrain is dirty?
Is there anything to fix this crackling sound?

Additional information 2019-07-09:

Indexing: I don‘t think the indexing causes the crackling sounds, because i experimented with the barrel adjuster and it had no effect on the crackling sounds - it only effected my shifting
L-limit screw: Is set correctly (see photo below)
Derailleur cage: In my eyes, it seems a little bit bent. It is the normal position of a Shimano cage? (See photo below)

Additional information 2019-07-30:

I changed the chain, no effect. Can the spokes produce such a pinging sound? If yes, how can I check spoke tension?

It sounds like your derailleur indexing is bad. The 'crackle' is the chain trying to climb the shift ramps on the next largest sprocket then falling off.

It may be that your derailleur indexing is badly adjusted. You can run through a rear derailleur adjustment process and see if this fixes the problem.

You should also check that your derailleur is aligned properly. The derailleur hanger can get bent so that the derailleur cage is not longer parallel to the rear wheel. If you pick rear wheel of the bike up and look down the line of the chain you can see if the cage is grossly out of alignment if it is not parallel to the chainrings. A bike repair shop can check and re-align the hanger.

Another possibility is that the chain is catching in one of the jockey wheels in the cage. If you hold the rear wheel off the ground and pedal manually you should be able to see this easily.


Clicking in a certain gear with SRAM drive train I have a new bike with exactly the same problem and same drivetrain (SRAM GX) as shown in this video:

             (not my video).
When pedalling with the chain on the 5th smallest cog, there is an irritating clicking sound. It is not loud enough to be heard on a busy road, but it is clearly audible when out in the quiet of nature. The cause is clearly visible in the video: one tooth on the 4th cog will pick up the chain and drop it back.
I live in a country where I do not speak the local language fluently, and I cannot get anywhere with the local shop. I gave up on trying to make the problem clear to them. I'm basically on my own.
What would you do?
Is it a good idea to just ignore the problem, and hope that it will go away once that tooth wears down? Will ignoring the problem cause damage (e.g. premature wear)? Should I try to push a warranty claim (I expect it not to be easy)?
It appears to be a rather common problem. There are many references to it online. The only suggested solutions I could find were to bend or grind that one tooth, neither of which am I ready to try.

The chain on a twelve gear cassette is very thin and the tolerances are close. Move the chain onto another ring and look directly at the cog as somebody turns the pedals. Look to see if the tooth is very slightly bent towards the larger ring by comparing to those next to it. Failing that, see if it is a machining fault, is the tooth chamfered in the same way as those around it. Note: some teeth are deliberately different to help the chain move across the cassette, but all should be slightly chamfered at the tip.


Brand new disk brakes are barely stopping the bike I just built a mountain bike with Avid BB7 brakes and Shimano V-brake levers. I used the exact same configuration on another bike, and it worked beautifully. But on this one, the brakes are just weak as hell. I know that disk brakes are supposed to have a short break-in period, but I'm way beyond that now, and still no change. What's going on and how can I fix it?

Avid recommends breaking those discs and pads in with about 30 or 40 deliberately hard stops in order to build up a good foundation. If you've gone through that process a couple of times and still no dice, there could be brake fluid on the discs or pads. Some water or isopropyl alcohol should take care of that.


Hydraulic disc brakes transportation I'm planning on packing my bike for transportation with both wheels off. I have SRAM Apex disc brakes on the bike. What are the risks if ever the brake leavers get squeezed during transportation ?

The risk is that you'll need to spread the pads before you can re-insert the wheels. You can get disc-brake spacers to keep the pads separate for transport, and I recommend using them.


Are chainring bolts interchangeable? I have an 11 speed Athena chainset, and I've stripped one of the chainring bolts.

It's £40 for a replacement Campag set! Can I just buy Race Face at £4.70 and expect them to fit?

No, you will need a set that is Campag compatible.

Some Campagnolo cranksets use special chain ring bolt that bolt through the ring and into the crank, at least behind the arm. The Athena 11 speed appears to be one of these.

One of the 5 bolts is longer than the rest. And unlike other brands, these bolt into cranks, not into a receiving nut.

This is a picture of a compatible set.


Are there road bike tires invulnerable to popping? I am a mountain biker now living in Minneapolis and so I bought a road bike, but I can't keep tires on it to save my life. I 'upgraded' to Continental Attack/Force tires, got a glass shard in the rear, and now just went over a pothole that popped both the front Continental and rear stock tires.

I haven't even been able to even ride a mile on it. At this point, I'll take heavier wheels with more rolling resistance just to be actually able to ride. Does anyone make solid rubber or non-pneumatic tires for 700c wheels?

These look neat, but they aren't being produced yet:

Side note: I like to drop and hop curbs (though I haven't even been able to attempt it on the road bike), there are frequently metal shavings or other sharp objects on my garage floor, and I live in a neighborhood with lots of cracks and potholes. Should I just give up on road bikes and stick with my mountain bike?

At risk of being downvoted, you don't want want solid tires. There's a reason that all performance tires for all vehicles are pneumatic. The decrease in compliance of a solid foam or rubber tire just doesn't compare to a pneumatic tire.
Look into a tire with kevlar reinforcement- most brands have them- or aftermarket anti-puncture tire liners that sit between the tire casing and your tube. You may even want to try a tire sealant like the one made by Stan's NoTubes, though if you're running tubes you'll need the kind with removable valve cores.
One last thing to note is that the number of flats you're getting may depend on what part of the road you're riding on. If you're riding to the right of the white line (assuming you're in the US), ie on the shoulder then you're going to get a lot more flats. The shoulder is where all the debris accumulates even if the road looks clean. For many road riders, especially those who are just starting and don't feel comfortable riding on the road, simply switching from riding on the shoulder to riding to the outside of the actual lane alleviates a substantial portion of flat issues.


How much cheaper is cycling than driving? How much does a rider spend, on average and totally, with the bicycle per unit-distance? And with the car per unit-distance? Are there any official or academical data?

I commute by bike around 8,000-10,000 km per year and based on my book keeping it is at about 1/5th (or less) the cost of running a car.  After accounting for paying for the bike (i.e., devaluation) and maintenance (e.g., consumables such as chains, tires, etc), and under the working assumption that I will sell and buy a new bike in 5 years time. I projected the total cost of ownership on a per month basis about $136.  By comparison the Canadian Automotive Association suggested running compact car will cost you about $735 per month after insurance, fuel, devaluation and maintenance.

As an aside, an interesting tidbit on bicycle cost of ownership was that consumables cost 3x as much as the cost of bike devaluation once you amortize over 5 years.

  NOTES

  All calculations are in Canadian Dollars and Local Bike Shop prices.  Clothing has not been included, nor has food costs.

  Feel free to change or modify the Google Spreadsheet as these calculations are for the higher end of the commuter spectrum.

Bicycle cost of ownership

This cost break down is for a higher end commute bike with high quality racks, fenders and lights (vehicular quality due to the need to ride at night down unlit paths).  These calculations assume the bike will be sold and replaced after 5 years of loyal service.

Below is a photo of the bike  used to derive the cost calculations. It is pictured carrying a full load that includes work cloths, shoes, change of bike cloths, rain gear, computer, various papers, and food for the day.

1) Fixed Costs

These are the costs of buying a new bike and adding all the necessary components to make it a proper transportation machine, then the amount of money lost due to devaluation over the 5 year period.

Full purchase price

This was for a steel "all roads" road/touring bike that could take racks.  Because most bikes in North America are sold naked, metal fenders and good racks along with "vehicular quality" lights were added to make this a complete bike.  This put the total coast at $3230

Devaluation

After 5 years the bike (and all components) will be sold for approximately 40% of its original cost due to the higher devaluation in bicycles relative to cars.  This gives us a devaluation cost of around $406 per year or $33.83 a month!

2) Variable Costs / Consumables

These costs will depend on how much you ride and under what types of conditions you ride in. These costs are for a temperate rain forest where 30-40% of the riding is on dirt roads or paths which wears parts faster. Replacement mileages are on my records and are averages rounded to the nearest 500 km.  Some are conservative estimates and have been indicated as such.

For the riding I do the cost in consumables is about $103 per month.

3) Final Costs

Just add (1) and (2) to derive the final cost.  On a monthly basis it will be about $136.41, compared to $735 for a compact car.  This is about 18.5% of the cost of vehicle ownership, i.e. the total costs of riding a bicycle per unit-distance are roughly 1/5th the total costs per unit-distance of driving a car.


Upgrading stock front derailleur - Will Shimano Deore work with 3x7 gearing? I'm looking to upgrade the front derailleur from a stock DNP-brand (the ones every big-box BSO has) to a nicer Shimano. The goal is to reduce play and flex while switching, allowing a tighter adjustment and crisper shifting on the front chainrings.

I think I want the Shimano Deore line, durable and stiff but nothing fancy, except that the full Deore groupset is based on a 10-speed rear cassette, while the bike currently has a 7-speed cassette and I'm not in much hurry to upgrade the full groupset (the only real problems I'm having with the bike are centered around this front mech; the other components, while by no means high-end, are getting their job done).

So, will a Deore FD-M610 work with the wider chain of a 3x7, 42-32-24 setup, or do I need to be looking elsewhere? I don't have exact specs on the chain at the moment, so I assume it would be the "standard" width for a 7/8-speed cassette which is in the 9/32" range.

A 10-speed FD will not work well. Mismatching FD "speeds" (inner cage width) with chain width usually gives poor results in either direction. In this case you would probably find it's impossible to get it to not rub somewhere. Just get a 7/8-speed Altus, FD-M313 for the current one. It will easily meet the goal you describe and play nice with the rest of the drivetrain without having to mess with anything else.


Nexus IGH reluctant to shift after applying load I ride a belt drive bike with a Shimano Nexus SG-C6001-8D IGH. I'm aware of the normal cable adjustment procedure (aligning yellow marks on the hub), I've done this.
When I ride normally, shifting is instantaneous and smooth. However, when I move off at lights, I usually use gear 3, and I've noticed that if I accelerate hard, the hub will not shift into gear 4 after I change it; instead, it only shifts after I go up to 5 (and then it immediately goes 3 -> 5, so gear 4 is effectively skipped over). Sometimes it also happens that if I shift 3->4 and leave it there, without going to 5, 4 will eventually engage after 5 seconds or so.
I should point out I don't attempt to shift under load; I accelerate in gear 3, release pressure on the pedals, then shift and continue.
As said above, this 3->4->5 shifting issue only happens when accelerating. If I ride normally at a constant speed, those gears have no issues.
I know for a fact the shift cable needs to be cleaned, there's likely water inside, as when it was -5°C/23°F outside once, the cable froze in its housing. Could this issue be caused by the cable, or is it a hub problem? I suspect the cable but I'm not sure why everything would be fine when not applying load. For reference, I'd estimate the hub has at most 5000km/3000 miles on it.

Yup - I've had this exact experience on an Alfine 11.  If you pedal in smooth circles and maintain the pedal pressure, its possible to shift a long way through the gears before the gearbox catches up.
At that point the gearbox will quickly move across up to 5~7 gears in one quick movement, which can be a massive drop in pedal cadence and is able to upset the rider's balance.  I had a couple of close calls because of this.
Upshot, an IGH is opposite to a conventional deraileur, in that an IGH needs a brief pause in the power to shift UP (to a harder gear) whereas your common bike transmission needs the rider to let off the pedals briefly while changing DOWN to an easier gear/larger rear cog.
You can also try accelerating with a distinctly choppy pedal stroke, which may help the fast acceleration or sprint start.
I never figured out whether this "delayed shift" was bad for the gearbox or not.  Mine lasted around 15,000 km before shifting went unreliable, and while there were always tiny flakes of brass in the oil, it never became more or less, over time.

SEPARATELY  The other thing I've noticed with IGH, both my alfine and a couple of 3 speed nexus bikes at work, is that the yellow lines aren't perfect.  You might find the bike's shifting improves if you put a half-turn on the adjuster away from "perfectly-aligned" but it could be in either direction.  Try twiddling the adjuster on your next ride, and see if it gets better being not quite perfect.
Lastly, also remember these hubs need service - an oil change yearly or every 5000 km is the shimano recommendation.

As for water in your cable, yes its definitely worth fixing that.  The water will cause rust and/or will collect dust/dirt and add friction  This will make the cable's movement sludgier, to the point the hub's spring can no longer overcome the resistance.
You could unscrew the barrel-thingy on the hub end, pull the inner out of the outer, blast some compressed air through the outer and follow it up with solvent, then a day later drop some oil in and let it dribble in.  Clean the inner cable too.
This depends on whether the inner cable can be reinstalled.  The inner cable should slide through the outer with minimal force, if you have to tug it then its gunked.
Last option there is a replacement of the inner cable and outer housing.  Not hard but fiddly to get the length exactly right.
Keep your bike inside, or at least under cover over night at a minimum, to prolong its life.


Rust from cassette and chain I was cleaning my chainring, chain and cassette with vinegar,
to remove unwanted grease but suddenly after a few minutes it suddenly turned slightly orange. It spread all over my rear gears.
I got worried so I put light oil; it worked but still has some light rust on it.
What should I do?

The rust is only cosmetic surface rust. I would ignore it.
In future, don not use vinegar as it is quite acidic. A proper degreaser will clean the chain and running gear without causing rust.
Oiling the chain is essential after cleaning, mainly to provide lubrication, but also the oil prevents rust. It is best to use a proper bicycle chain lube, as (what I think of )
a light oil is too light to provide the lubrication needed (much better than nothing if its all you have available).


Lower Top Tubes on Road Bikes My girlfriend wants to buy a used road bike as well.  She is pretty small 5'2'' with shorter legs so it has been tricky finding anything that would fit her.

She suggested that we should look at something with a lower top tube.  Ie something like this:

(Not sure why but the images don't appear to be working.  Here is a link: http://massachusetts.inetgiant.com/Boston/AdDetails/COUGAR-10-speed-women-s-road-bike-NH-MA-border/8075274)

I don't know why but this does not seem like a serious bike to me.  We want to do some faster riding but I don't know how to justify why this isn't a "fast bike".  (Or is it a fast bike?)

I know some benefits of having a regular top tube are:

the bike has less flex and will lose less power on each pedal stroke.  (Is this significant?)
The geometry is right for the person riding the bike.  If you buy a bike with a lower down tube you are not really solving the problem.  With a solution like this you will not be able to get your handle bars at the right height (ie: at the same height or lower than your seat post).

Question: Will a bike with a regular top tube be faster than a bike with a lower slanted top tube?  Why?

Frame flex. The step-through frame means that the seat tube has a bending force applied to the middle of it, so it has to be stronger and heavier than the same tube in a diamond frame. Usually the down tube is also beefed up. Even so, there will be more flex both laterally and longitudinally/torsionally. I've also not seen a decent lightweight frame in that geometry. If you want light in a step-through design perhaps look at a mixte frame instead.

You can get some seriously tiny road bikes these days (google). The real choice (IMO) is between 650c and 700c wheels. 650c wheels look better, make for a lighter bike and generally have fewer compromises. They are more of a scaled down full size bike. 700c wheels mean the bike looks stretched a little with the rider low down between the wheels. The advantage is that tyres are easier to find and the manufacturer already has jigs etc to build bikes around 700c wheels. Tyres are only slightly easier, these days Schwalbe and others make a decent range of 650c tyres (they're not just a track & time trial size) and shopping online means you can definitely buy them (your LBS should be able to order them in too).

To find one of those second hand I suggest checking out the second hand ads at your local racing clubs. Finding one in the giant mess of second hand bike ads has proved tricky for us in the past, mostly due to the overwhelming number of cheap crappy childrens bikes that pollute the search results. However if you want to sell one just approach short adults... you'll sell it very easily.


What bmx logo is this please? I was told it was an American rally but have been unable to find anything of that make. It was originally in chrome and has for some reason V brake lugs at the back.

Bmx panther originally made in colarado i recall.


What's your most useful cycle accessory? What is the most useful accessory you got for your bike? By useful, I mean something that improved the enjoyment or functionality of using your bike.

Note - I know this is a subjective question, but I ask it to generate a reference list of most useful accessories, as opposed to identify 'the best'.

One accessory per answer, plus a little explanation of why it would be useful. I've put my top two in by way of example.

Edit: This page is meant to list accessories you've found useful, not to record basic cycling concepts (as per this thread in meta). If you would like to write an entry about a basic cycling tool, component, or concept, please use the terminology index for that.

Fenders/Mudguards - front and back.  I ride all through winter and these help keep me dry. There's usually only one or two dozen times a year that I'm really riding in the rain for my morning or afternoon commute, but there's a good 3 or 4 months where rain comes through often enough that I'm riding through a lot of puddles.The rear fender prevents the classic skunk stripe, while the front fender primarily prevents splashing onto my feet and ankles.

These also help keep your bike clean and should help increase the lifetime of your chain/gears (or at least give you an extra few days before it's time to clean and lubricate everything when riding in winter).

I don't remember the exact model, but they're basically these fenders from Planet Bike that include a mud flap.


How to safely remove pump chuck from Schrader valve I just pumped up my tire, and then ripped off the valve when trying to take the chuck off, and consequently the air.

I've learned that I shouldn't twist when trying to remove the chuck, but what else can I do to make it easier?

Thanks

Ripping off the valve is a pretty rare occurence I think. If you manage to pull the valve off or even just spring a leak while removing the chuck then the inside of the rim (where the root of valve connects to the innertube and hits the inside of the rim) could be too sharp or the protective rim tape could be damaged or mis-aligned. This is the first thing I'd check.

Beyond that I think the top voted answer here to this almost identical question for presta valves is good concrete advice.
I would suggest you:

Make sure you unlocked the chuck properly.
Just pull straight away from de valve to get the chuck off (no twisting or bending or wiggling)
Be mindfull of the amount of force you use (both to avoid pulling the valve off, and to avoid slamming your hand into the spokes or something else as the chuck comes loose.


Ghost shifting with a nearly fully rebuilt drivetrain I’ve got an old Surly Crosscheck that’s been ghostshifting for awhile now. I’ve rebuilt most of the drivetrain to try to fix the problem to no avail.

I replaced the cassette, chain, rear derailleur, and cables but it’s still happening. The RD was originally a top normal Deore XT 9 speed, its replacement is a bottom normal XT 9 speed. The shifters are Ultegra bar-ends in friction mode (busted indexing).

It happens equally often when I’m really crushing it and when I’m spinning under low pressure. The chainrings are potentially bent/warped slightly? Their bolts are seized, haven’t been able to replace them. A shop bent them back to as close to straight as possible. I’m wondering if it’s the chainrings, or the bar ends not holding the cable in place, perhaps against bottom bracket flex (I’m 255lbs)?

Thanks for making it this far, I really want to figure this out—this bike has been with me through a lot over ten years, but this problem has caused a couple accidents and I’m shying away from commuting due to safety concerns.

Check the derailleur hanger alignment. If the derailleur cage is not parallel to the wheel ghost shifts can happen.

I'd also check alignment of the rear triangle and dropouts.


How can I check whether a fork is bent In the case of a crash hard enough to buckle a strong front wheel, how should the fork alignment be checked. The bike is a steel tourer and pretty tough.

Not having fancy tools, I would check for a bend in the direction of travel by measuring the wheelbase of the bike and comparing it to the original specs.  This would work for me, because I've never changed the forks on any bike I've owned, but it may not work for you.

Similarly, not having fancy tools, I would check for lateral bending by putting the bike on a stand, using a plumb line to make sure the down tube is vertical, and then using the line from the centre of the stem to check that it is centred between the front dropouts.


Seatpost maintenance : removing rust I have an aluminum seat post in a steel frame. The post was really hard to extract and I don't want this thing corroding on me.

You've discussed how to take care of the rust on a steel frame and on the use of grease to prevent corrosion.

Additionally, my seat post seems to be corroded (lightly).

Any tips on getting that off? Sandpaper/wire brush it off?

Sandpaper is overkill unless it's a very fine grit.  A wire brush would work but it's cumbersome to use on a round shape like that.  Steel wool is perfect.


Converting an SRAM Apex 2x10 to 1x10 I want to convert my bike to a 1x drivetrain (and move to a dropbar). It's a Commençal Le Route from 2013, full specs are here: mostly a 2x10 SRAM Apex Groupset (34/48 at the front, 11/32 at the rear).

The parts I'm planning to buy are:

SRAM Apex left brake lever
SRAM Apex 10/11 right lever
Specialite TA One 110mm (in French, sorry, to sum up that chainring is advertised as a perfect fit for a conversion)

Are SRAM Apex parts backward compatible? How do I know if the angle of the chain is going to be fine? Should I just go for a full 1x crankset?

Best

You should be fine with the parts you choose. Just be sure that you get a 10x Shifter as right lever and you are good to go.

You can adjust the chainline to minimize a too great angle. You should check if the chainline is better if the 1x chainring is mounted where currently the bigger chainring is mounted or where the smaller one is mounted.
Chainline is good if the chain has minimum angle on the 5th/6th sprocket.

You can't mount a too big chainring on the inner position. But you could check how much space is left from the small chainring to your chainstay and buy one accordingly. Depends on how big of a ring you want to buy.

Otherwise you could optimise the chainline according to the sprockets you use most of the time.


How would the "pros" bike this commute? I've been putting up some pounds and have a bike gathering dust at home =D

I normally commute by bus or carpool, but would like an opinion from some more seasoned bikers on how you'd tackle this commute http://goo.gl/maps/0ts21

My excuses are:

It's scary, for me at least, because the destination is at some big highway with trucks and everything racing at +80 km/h.
Bike lanes down here in .mx are not even a concept in most parts of the country.
No place to shower at the destination and the job is white collar.
Crazy hot weather, up to 40°C and above at times.

So the questions are:

Is this doable?
If so, how should a noob tackle it?

Thanks for reading and do share any insight you might have.

I took a pretty quick look at the map, but I'm going to make a kind of general suggestion: If this is a trip that you're only used to traveling by motor vehicle, you might fall into the trap of thinking that the route you're used to is the only route available. Bikes can go lots of places that cars can't, and lots of places that cars just as frequently don't.

If you're just starting out, I would suggest avoiding the highway; it will just be really un-fun and discouraging. What I might suggest is that you start taking your bike out in the evenings, and start looking for other possible routes. You could even do some of this on your drive home.

The heat and the lack of shower space is something that really depends on your comfort. You should be able to avoid the heat of the day, and you won't be out long enough to really worry about dehydration, but you might want to at least change your shirt when you get to the office, and have a towel or something to wipe yourself down.


Innertube fat on one side, skinny on the other I just bought a bicycle/bike tube (20"), when i inflate it, 1 side of it goes big/fat and the other just inflates normally, what should i do? , its happened with some of my other tubes.

You should mount the tire first and inflate second.

Tubes are not supposed to be inflated outside tires, they will behave like balloons but the material they are made of is not as stretchy.


Convert city bike to road bike I have a city or normal bike and I want to ask, that with the necessary modification except the frame, is possible to convert this bike in a road bike?

Depends what you mean by city bike and road bike.

If you mean converting a bike with flat bars to one with drop bars there are issues. Flat bar bike frames are typically longer than drop bar frames, because flat bars place the rider's hands closer to the head-tube than drop bar hoods or drops hand positions do. Also, compatibility of brakes, levers/shifters and derailleurs can be problematic.

It is very likely you would end up replacing a significant fraction of the components on the bike, and it would be more cost effective to sell it and buy the bike you want.