Rear derailleur max capacity exceeded? My MTB is a Lapierre X-Flow 512 2012. It has a Shimano RD-M980-SGS 10v rear derailleur which has a total capacity of 41t (see official specs). But it comes with a 11-36 cassette and a 24-42 crankset (see bike specs).
I can calculate the capacity of my bike: (36-11)+(42-24) = 43t.
So the max capacity of the rear derailleur is exceeded by 2t, which I find strange for a stock bike as Lapierre is a pretty serious brand. But everything works well and never had any issue so far.

Is that a common thing that bike manufacturers ignore the max capacities of rear derailleurs?
What are the potential (good or bad) effects of exceeding the max capacity?
If I increase again that capacity to 45t by mounting a 44t chainring (which can have a chainguard) instead of the original 42t chainring, do I risk breaking anything?

A common observation is that Shimano sets conservative limits to capacities of its derailleur products. Many people, including myself, run bigger than allowed cassettes with no problems. Additionally, there are aftermarket adapters available that are designed to help exceed the nominal capacity of certain road and MTB derailleurs.

Is that a common thing that bike manufacturers ignore the max capacities of rear derailleurs?

I do not know how common this can be. In any case it is the bike manufacturer's liability to provide a whole package (the bike) that is safe. They ought to test all chosen parts to work nice together, or else face frequent recalls.

What are the potential (good or bad) effects of exceeding the max capacity?

In the worst case, a too stretched (or too compressed) derailleur may start touching other components it is not supposed to touch, which will lead to its destruction. In a better scenario it has its internal components subject to increased mechanical stresses, resulting in increased wear. Finally, the thing may simply refuse to shift to the cog that is outside its range at all, or would take a long time to shift.
Good effect: you can have a wider gearing range on your bike without having to buy a new derailleur.

If I increase again that capacity to 45t by mounting a 44t chainring (which can have a chainguard) instead of the original 42t chainring, do I risk breaking anything?

It really depends on how tight your derailleur is now at its extremes, and how you ride it. If you do not intend to ride with badly cross-chained combination 44 front - 36 back, your derailleur will never "know" that you've gotten a bigger front chainring.
Do not forget to get a longer (+2 halflinks) chain.


How to choose the right size bike? This question is one that I'm sure has been beat to death, but I am new to bike riding. Ideally I would have bought the bike at a local bike shop and been fit for the perfect bike. However, the prices at the local shops where I live are pretty steep. So this is my predicament.
I am approx. 5'6" to 5'7" (Please resist the urge. I know I'm a manlet.)
My inseam is roughly 29.5".
The frame size of the bike I ordered is 50cm and the sizing chart is below.

Did I get the right size?

Since you are new to cycling... I would say you made about as good of choice as you could have given the information.  I know two people 5'7" and one likes 52cm frames and the other 48-50CM frames.  The point is, the difference is subject to preference based on body type (e.g. short legs-long torso vs long legs-short torso).

Once you get the bike there will be a number of adjustments (seat height, seat position, handlebar height) etc that can be made to dial things in just right.

Finally, really try to understand the frame geometry of this bike so if and when you get your next bike you are vary familiar with the specs what you like what you wished was different etc... so you make the best possible choice in the future.


Group Set Swap, Tourney to Claris I've just bought a used road bike. after I arrived home I noticed one of the chain ring teeth was snapped.

I have a spare flat bar bike which I believe to be much newer than the one I bought.

Because of that and the snapped tooth I've had the idea of replacing the parts with parts from my old bike, rather than investing in a new chain ring.

Can you give me your thoughts please?

More images at
http://imgur.com/a/w5IZr

That chainring doesn't look particularly worn from this angle. The wear would make the teeth look less symmetrical and more like shark fins. That shorter tooth allows the chain to leave that ring more easily when you change gear.

Ensure the chain is not worn out using a gauge (see http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/bicycle-chain-wear-explained-46015/ for what types of gauge are available and how to use them). If you grab the chain at the front of the chainring and pull it away from the crank spindle, you shouldn't be able to get more than about 1mm of gap between the chain and the dips between the teeth.


Hill riding: What gears are usually the most comfortable? I've read this and this and I understand the good ways and the bad on how to ride up hills. In fact I consider myself a good hill climber (roadie), but some of the guys I ride with are beating my KOMs because of their gearing. Two of them are now on 32s whilst I only upgraded from 25 to 28. Yeah I know, I should have gone up to 32 as well to match. BUT, I reckon my 28 with the right gearing on the front will make all the difference. So what are good gearing ratios to determine the right gears for both front and back, so that I can keep my cadence around 70-80 or 90 and still have decent speeds (more then 15km/h)?
Do I have to provide personal specs, weight, etc?
Thanks

It's not about numbers, it's not about this many teeth should be in the front and this many teeth in the back. There's no right answer here, and no one on this forum can say what your best fit is. It's 100% your responsibility to find out what works the best for you and what lets you achieve your ideal cadence and beat your mates up the mountain.


Front derailleur never alligned So I'm working with the park tool tutorial but I've done it a couple of times in the past.
When adjusting my Shimano Deore Front derailleur (height and rotation) it lines up great but when I tighten the mounting bolt the whole thing "banks" inwards and so the cage bottom rises and touches the chain.

How to i set the height and tighten the mechanism with affecting the other rotation "axis" of the derailleur?
are there always combination of cogs (front and back) that will cause the chain to run against the cage?.

now some photos. it is very hard to create a stable reference angle with the phone and without a tripod but you will get the idea.
This is the chain on the first (small) chainring when the bolt is tighten:

And this is the chain still on the first (small) chainring but now the bolt is almost fully loose, so in fact, nothing changed with the actual position of the mount:

(please ignore the mud.... that's later on the list)

Well, for one thing I would suggest trying to fix this problem while your chain is on your largest (highest) gear. Not only will you not have to worry about the cage hitting or being too close to your cranks, but usually I find that by making it fit with my chain on that highest gear, the other gears pretty much sort themselves out.

For securing the dérailleur to your frame, I typically aim for 2-4 cm above my largest chainring. After fixing the height, adjust your limiting screws on the dérailleur so that the cage is about 2 cm from the outside of your largest chainring and again about 2 cm from the inside of your smallest chainring (the first gear, smallest gear.)

Now, unfortunately (and especially if you're running a Shimano group set, there will most likely still be some noise from the chain rubbing against the dérailleur cage. This is something that most riders just have to deal with. I personally try and keep the noise to a minimum by making sure my chain is clean and lubed well so that it glides through the cage easier and quieter.

Good luck fixing your problem!


Ghetto Tubeless w/ Gorilla Tape on a BMX Bike or Dirt Jumper - Good Idea? Why or why wouldn't you go tubeless on a 20" BMX or DJ bike?

Got a lot of pinch flats recently and was look for a better solution than having to buy a tube every day/

I was considering doing the gorilla tape method on my 20" single wall BMX... is this a bad idea?

From my research, I've found:

Tubeless Cons

Sidewall takes a beating in BMX / DJ causing the tires to burp (more dangerous, could cause crash)
Sometimes you want higher tire pressure (BMX street riding) and tubeless is not good for high pressures

Tubeless Pros

Lighter (by a little)
Easier flat maintenance
Better against thorns than a tube
Is able to run lower tire pressure for more grip
Cheaper in the long run (tubes are ~$10 a pop)

I mostly dirt jump with my BMX, so I see more pros than cons. Any experience or thoughts?

Your pros list for tubeless is highly debatable.

Tubeless are less likely to puncture and more likely to self seal if they do puncture, so you have to fix less often, but.... Fixing a tubeless puncture that did not self seal is a workshop job, not a field job. MTBers running tubeless carry spare tubes so they can get home if they puncture.

Weight - much less a concern for DJ and BMX bikes. In reality, most riders could afford to loose 100 times more weight than the difference tubeless makes.

Cheaper in the long right - very doubtful. Tubeless require a slime top up every 3 - 6 months.  Tubes are a one off lifetime cost.

As is you cons list.
Maintenance - 3-6 monthly slime topup vs an occasional squirt of air into a tube.

Cost - slime is not cheap.

IMHO tubeless for a DJ or street BMX makes little sense as the single big advantage - running lower pressures to get more grip cannot be utilized.


Tightening a nut too much Often guidance will be given to tighten a nut to "20 ft. lbs. (27 Nm)" or something along those lines.

What's the best way to ensure you tighten things up, but don't over-tighten?

Is there any way to do it other than by measuring the force?  If measuring, how do you measure?

You use a Torque Wrench.  You set how much pressure, and when you tighten to that pressure, the wrench will "click" and not tighten the nut/bolt any more.


How do I determine shock compatibility? I have a Trek Fuel EX 9 2013 with shock DRCV FOX FLOAT CTD 7.25" x 1.875" and I want to know if Rock Shox Monarch RT3 184mm x 48mm (same that FOX in inches) for Trek bikes is compatible.

There are the compatibility list:

Fuel EX 29 2014
Remedy 26/27.5 2010-2014
Remedy 29 2014

Both shock are designed for Trek bikes, but is strange that Fuel EX 9 2013 is not in list if Remedy is compatible.

Thanks.

The 2 dimensions listed for each shock are;

The eye to eye length (sometimes listed as i2i, this is the distance between the 2 mounting points)
The shock stroke, i.e. how far the the shock shaft will move

If the two shocks have the same eye to eye length and the same stroke then the Monarch will physically fit into the frame and allow full travel without fouling the frame (See note below).

The other thing to consider is the damping tune of the shock. Shock manufactures produce a variety of shock tunes to suit different suspension designs (and a large company like Trek might even commission custom tunes). While this will not stop a shock from working in a frame it may result in undesirable handling. Typically the damping tune of a shock can be altered during a service (full service not air can service).

In your case I would expect that the Monarch will be just fine. Be careful to check the clearances before riding.

Note: some shocks are wider or have a piggy back reservoirs. Care should be taken to make sure the new shock does not foul the frame at any point during its travel. Typically you would do this by removing all air from the shock and cycling the suspension by hand and checking the clearances.


Major differences between Hardtail and Full Suspension mtn bikes I'm curious as to the big differences in the feel and ride of a hardtail vs a full suspension mountain bike. Also, which types of riding/trails are each better suited for?

It is as simple as full suspension feels like suspension on both wheels and hard tail feels like the front only.

Use the full suspension for more and bigger bumps.
Also for landing jumps.

The hard tail is lighter and the pedal action is more efficient.
The frame is stiffer laterally (more efficient).
The rear shock on a full suspension will absorb part of the pedal energy (very little as it is designed to minimize this).
For lighter bumps.
The tail will get bounced around (much) more than full suspension.
Bouncing a real wheel is typically not going to drop you but you are not getting traction.

You will typically see downhill riders on full suspension.

On single track it goes both ways.
Your preference and the nature of the single track.

Trials riders will ride hardtail.

Some tricks like a bunny hop are easier on a hardtail (I think).

If you are learning technique then I would go hard tail as it more forces you to pick a line.

If you want to bang through some ruff stuff then full suspension.

Tend to take harder falls on a full suspension as you can go faster on the bumps.
And when those bumps are rocks it hurts.
And when you ding a $1500 frame it stings.

If you are going to get full suspension then get a good one.

In looking at cost and weight of FRAME ONLY.
I am going to compare Niner as that is what I ride and what I know best.
Hard tail frame: Ross 9 large frame weighs 1,680g and retail list for $899
Soft tail frame: Jet 9 large frame weighs 2,980 and retail list is $1849
Now those are higher end frames and the difference is $1000 and 3 lbs
On the mid range the difference might be $400
Don't buy a low end full suspension!

My two cents:
Don't buy full suspension for your first mountain bike
Learn technique on a hard tail
There are lots of times when you going to want to ride a hard tail
Make it your second bike and be ready to spend some coin
The guys and girls riding a full suspension for what it is are good and are on $3000+ bikes

My three cents:
Upgrade your hard tail to tubeless and go 2.25 (or 2.4 in the rear if you can) in the rear
Not the same but at lower pressure you get less bounce (for NO weight)
And you get the grip of conforming to rocks and roots
And you get no pinch flats
For less weight than the full suspension


How to fit BB bearings to install Ultegra Crank on road bike Wilier Cento 1 I've bought a used Wilier Cento 1 carbon road bike frame (not the new Cento1SR, but the previous model). Now I would like to transfer all Ultegra 6700 groupset components from my existing bike to it. My current bike has narrower bottom bracket frame body than the Cento 1 so it uses Ultegra BB that extends from the frame. Something like this:

Wilier Cento 1 on the other hand has a wider bottom bracket body which says Wilier Oversize Bottom Bracket as seen on the image below. It's about 92-94mm wide (I haven't precisely measured it, but you know what standards are out there). This is how it looks like with fitted cranks (in this case Campagnolo):

The main question

I know I have to buy some additional BB bearings and plugs to put them directly into the frame but I don't know whether this is a kind of PressFit system so I would require some special tools to correctly install these bearing into the frame or are they just snuggly put in so I can actually do it myself without any extra tools?

Edit: frame is BB94 not 386

Your hollowtech bb wouldn't work as you correctly identified you'd need BB386 pressfit bottom bracket, (see exploded diagram below)you'd just need to make sure the bb you choose is compatible with your chainset and yes ideally you'd need a bottom bracket press to fit this or alternatively your lbs would fit it.

You'd need something like a bb reducer spacer kit to change your bb from bb386 to bb30...
bb386/30 converter kit

and then the pressfit bb30 bb that will accept you ht2 ultegra cranks.
FSA Reducer

bb press tool
See Also... How to service a bb30 bb


Replacing stem bolts Rather than replace the stem on every rusty bike I come across, I want to replace some stem bolts which are rusted, cheap original ones. I know they can differ in size a bit so I would get some that fit nicely the profile of the existing stem.

Are there any specific requirements for bolts to do this job? Can I just bulk buy some stainless steel socket head cap screws?

In particular this is for other people's bikes, or refurbishing ones to be sold. I would maybe try things out on my own bike but don't want to take any risk with someone else's.

Most jobs on the bike I would be more confident about subbing bolts in, or they usually have better lasting bolts, but stem bolts seem really safety critical to me but often rust and deserve replacing. Am I worrying where there is no need?

Most bolts should have their tensile range marked on them somewhere, often stamped inside the hex cap. There should be a short number - 3.6, 8.8 etc.. Even a fastening rated as low as 3.6 is capable of 27 tons per square inch, more than 300n per square meter. A stainless steel M6 can probably handle 1.25 tonnes, the aluminium you're bolting into / through will fail before that.


What holds back refinement of self-energizing bicycle brake designs? Existing examples, that I've come across at least, are generally a mess and ride more like early proof of concept experiments than something that should ever have been put in the hands of normal people. They're difficult to modulate and add what feels like an arbitrary and unpredictable amount of power to the braking system. This impression of them became more or less entrenched, and that's essentially the last we've seen of them.

But why did it end there so decisively?

In the canti design, instead of completely replacing the pivot with a helical interface, why can't you combine the two? I.e. have a traditional pivot doing most of the work but with a helical interface with a very short, controlled amount of travel layered alongside it to amplify the power up to a certain point. Or, similarly, in a disk brake, couldn't you have traditional pistons but at the end of them there's a little track angled on either side towards the rotor for the pad to get pushed down, similarly adding a controlled amount of braking power?

Power assisted brakes that amplify the amount of force applied to a bicycle wheel hasn't taken off because the idea doesn't provide a large enough a benefit of increased stopping power and saved energy required to stop to counter the cost of R&D.

Cars have mechanical assistance because of the amount of force that is needed to bring that much mass to a stop is not possible with the amount of leverage and force a human can safely do alone.  To get the vehicle to stop in a safe distance, you need to exert a huge amount of force onto the wheels to get the car to stop.

Bikes with their human passengers require much less force to stop.  Stopping power is sufficiently amplified through mechanical leverage and friction materials - enough to easily lock up a front or rear wheel with a slightly tighter squeeze of your hand.

My impression of an enhanced brake system on a bicycle is that your range of power application would be narrow due to the limited range of motion in your brake lever. Your brake lever already moves so slightly from no-braking to full lock that a device that amplifies the amount of power applied throughout that range would send your brakes from 0 to 11 near instantly.  Of course you could tweak the device to be more sensitive - or - just use mechanical brakes and not worry about a more complicated system.


Lost left crank arm crank end cap What parts do I need to put this back together?

I've lost some pieces going for a ride but I'm not sure what exactly. I think I'm missing the end cap to the crank and maybe a spacer.

I was heading out and the left crank arm came loose, around 180 degrees to where it normally would be. When I unclipped from it the whole arm came off the bike.

I've put the arm back on but it feels like the chainring & pedals are a bit loose. There's probably about 1cm of play laterally where the cranks move together so I think there might be a missing spacer.

What parts do I need & what do I need to do to get everything back together?

There are two bolts (pinch bolts?) on the crank which are still in place, but were loose.

The bike is a 2019 Giant Fastroad SL-1. I think the bottom bracket is Shimano.

Shimano Hollowtech II cranks use two pinch bolts to secure the crank to the axle. From your picture it looks like you have those. You are missing the plastic end cap, and you may possibly be missing a washer that sits between the crank and the frame. There is no spacer, the play is probably because the crank arm is not fully on the spindle.

To install the crank you just slide the crank on the axle (you may need to drive it home with a mallet), hand tighten the end cap to set bearing preload (this is important!) then do up the pinch bolts to proper torque with a torque wrench.

Park Tool has a great article and video that shows you how these cranks go together: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/crank-removal-and-installation-two-piece-compression-slotted

However, you may have a serious issue. The crank slides on to splines on the axle, and should not be able to rotate even if the pinch bolts are loose. If your crank arm became loose and rotated 180 degrees the steel axle has likely significantly damaged the internal splines of the alloy arm. If this happens the crank will not stay tight on the axle and will work its way off again.

Update following more info and pics from OP:

The crank splines don't look too badly damaged, so I'd give re-installation a try. If the crank comes loose again then you'll want to replace it.

I checked the RS400 crank manual and there does not seem to be a washer between the arm and BB bearing. You need an end-cap obviously. Googling for 'Shimano Hollowtech stop bolt' yields end caps for various crank models, but not RS400, I think a basic plastic one will fit. A bike shop can help you get the right part of course.

Installation is straightforward but there are a couple of things that must be done right.

Setting bearing pre-load with the end cap. A special tool is needed The Shimano part is TL-FC16, they only cost US$5.
The pinch bolts must be done up simultaneously and to the correct torque, for which you need torque wrench.

You can do the basic assembly and get a bike shop to check it and use a torque wrench to do up the bolts.

If you end up replacing the crank Shimano RS400 cranks are relatively inexpensive (I once bought an older used set for US$35 on Ebay). However, what I would do is upgrade to a proper Tiagra crank to match the rest of the drivetrain (RS400 being a slightly lower level, and cheaper 'non-series' item).


Alleviating pressure from coccyx with padded shorts I recently started biking again after 5 years. However, I had endured unusual coccyx pain when I had a longer than usual ride (~11 miles). I even had my skin chafed/torn where the tailbone meets the saddle which made me think that I might have had too much pressure and friction in the coccyx area while riding.

I'm planning to purchase bike shorts with a padded chamois and/or a new saddle such as Rido. Since I can't afford both at the same time, my question is, would the short make a big difference in alleviating pressure from coccyx or should I consider changing my saddle first?

My bike is a 2015 Trek X-Caliber 6 with a Bontrager Evoke 1.5 saddle. I ride both on the road and the trail but the painful ride was on the road.

Biking shorts could help but it's good to understand some things. First is that your coccyx shouldn't be touching the saddle or minimally if it does. A lot of people make the mistake of getting a cushy bike seat to alleviate such pain. The problem with squishy bike seats is that your sit bones sink down into the saddle and all the squishy stuff packs into your crack and starts pushing on stuff up there. Imagine a really hard seat - your sit bones contact the saddle and nothing squeezes up into the soft area. Of course, between the bones and this hypothetical hard saddle is tissue and skin which can get irritated and bruised. Which is why we have padded saddles. Appropriately padded saddles.

So the first thing I'd suggest is trying a new saddle. Something firmer and made out of quality materials. Stock saddles can be pretty bad.

The chamois in bike shorts is like a second pair of socks on a hike. It adds a layer of padding and friction relief in that bones/tissue/saddle interface.

In short, bike shorts might help but the right saddle alone will enable you to comfortably complete an ~11 mile ride without butt bruises.

Caveat - exceptions to all of this if you are anatomically abnormal in any way, I am particularly thinking of overweight.

Caveat no. 2 - it takes time to get used to being back on the bike. Your butt is going to scream at you if you over-do it and cause some tissue bruising. And if you do that you aren't going to want to get back on the bike. So take it easy!

And oh yeah - look at saddles with anatomical cut outs, those work really well for some people.

And oh oh yeah. Some stores have a test program where they mail you like ten saddles and you ride all of them as you like in order to find one that fits. http://www.sportfit-lab.com/bike-seat-demo.html. WTB also has a ten-pack that they sell shops - shops that have that should rent you a saddle for a week for like 10 bucks.


What's the purpose of soft pedaling? Is there any advantage to soft pedaling over coasting?   Does it provide any power to moving forward?  Is there any aid it gives to your leg muscles recovering?

By this do you mean pedalling when unnecessary (and without increasing the bike's speed), for example, on descents?

I will do this on long descents just to keep my legs turning over and to prevent them getting too cold. But I will mix it with coasting.

There is a theory that keeping the legs moving will keep your blood flowing and help pump lactic acid out of the muscles. I can go along with this as I've felt the benefit, or at least I think I have.

I've also heard it argued that it's advantageous as regards making your technique smoother, but I don't think that's particularly proven. But no personal experience, I've never really concentrated on my technique to that extent.

Further, you can talk to racing cyclists who will often say that soft pedalling is preferred when riding in a peloton, purely because coasting implies to other people that you're about to hit the brakes. Again, no personal experience. I know some of the regulars on here are either racers or ex-racers, maybe they can confirm?

In terms of speed (or power) surely it makes no difference, purely by the definition of "soft pedalling"?


Is a spacer needed for the drive-side when installing a bottom bracket kickstand on the NDS? I saw this kickstand on eBay:

It mounts on the bottom bracket. When installing this, should a spacer also be installed on the other side of the bottom bracket?

Right now, my crankset is a Shimano 105 FC-5700 with the inner chainring removed and my cassette is a 10-speed 105 11-28T. I was just wondering if a spacer would be added to the drive side, would that affect the chainline much?

These are intended to clamp around the cup itself.

Spindles have essentially zero spline engagement to lose. You can't really put spacers under road outboard BB cups.


Dynamo Lighting Systems I'm thinking about ways to put a tail light on my trailer (a B.o.B Yak). Our primary use for the trailer is carrying dogs and running errands around town – so I really like the idea of having lights that I don't have to think (much) about.

One idea would be to build a wheel with a dynamo hub, another would be to wire the trailer tail light to the dynamo on the bike. Peter White has some gold plated Supernova connectors that seem like they'd make it pretty easy to connect & disconnect.

So, the question is: could a second LED taillight (B&M Toplight or the fender mount Secula) be added in parallel with the bike's taillight? Or, are the LED lights designed to pull the same load as the older filament lights?

Yes, you can absolutely run two tail lights off a hub dynamo, and a few people do. I've done it, but only as an experiment when I happened to have two tail lights. Modern LED rear lights draw much less than 500mW, because otherwise they would be unreasonably bright. My "500mW superflash" battery rear light draws about 100mW continuous, varying from about 80mW to 150mW (I was going to run it off the dynamo but it all got a bit hard so I gave up and just use batteries in it).

Typically with a dynamo the design used to be 5W with 0.5W going to the rear light. But these days dynamos are more accurately thought of as current sources, with 500mA and about 50mA going to the rear light. However LED front lights will be able to take 500mA since with LEDs they have an internal current limiting circuit (and they have to work if the rear light fails or isn't installed). In practice the voltage limiting is often missing specially so that people can draw more power from the dynamo than the 5W traditionally available. This is how you get front lights with USB out (which draw 6W or more), and why if you're running two headlights you typically put them in series rather than parallel.

The design issue I see is grit getting into the female plugs when you don't have the trailer on the bike. You might need blanking plugs of some sort of avoid that (if those are common 5mm banana plugs you could use cheap plugs for that).

What gets me about this setup is the hassle of the extra wiring, since it's most often the wiring that fails with dyno lights. I would be more tempted to buy some Eneloop NiMH batteries for the low self-discharge feature, and use battery lights. Or buy some with built-in lithium batteries for the same effect. The lights on my trailer are just my last-generation bike lights put on the trailer and basically ignored. Eneloops will last most of a year without charging and still be usable, so I just recharge them when I remember.


Help identifying a 1980s Shimano 600 road bike Under the bottom bracket is a plastic piece with Raleigh on it. It has mavic ma40 wheels, cinelli handlebars, Shimano 600 2x6 gears, it weighs exactly 10kg (EDIT: without chain, derailleurs and front qr skewer), has shimano 600 brakes, a steel frame and has campagnolo top tube/friction shifters. I cannot see a serial number anywhere on the bike. Thank you for any help.
Harvey

Edit: I'm not just asking what year it is, I would also like to know brand and model if anyone knows since I cannot find a serial number.

Based on the style of lugs and overall frame style, My guess is a 1980 Raleigh Competition or Competition GS. It looks like one that has had the frame stripped and then polished.

Similar to this one seen here:


Crack in aluminium rim? I recently discovered this horizontal line on my double walled aluminium rim (Triban road bike), pics attached, and was wondering if this was a crack or just a manufacturing artifact. Could anyone confirm if they've seen something like this? To me this looks too perfect a straight line to be a crack. Any ideas/opinions would be appreciated.
Many thanks
JJ
left side -
right side -

That is the seam where the two edges of the rim were jointed.  Cracks, as you have noted, do not form in such a perfectly uniform way.
As long as the edges remain closely butted together as they currently are, you are good to go.


How can I charge my phone while cycling? I have an HTC Hero, which is a great phone, but the battery life is pretty poor if I'm using the GPS and music player on it as well. The phone uses a mini-USB connection for charging, and I have a Powermonkey portable charger just in case my phone runs out of juice.

But for longer rides, the extra charge and a half I get from the Powermonkey might not be enough - what other good options do I have? Either to charge the phone, or the Powermonkey, when cycling.

Three options that I know of:

AA cell phone charger (which you're already using) -- uses 2 or 4 AA's to recharge your gadgets.  I use an Energizer model to charge my GPS for rides over 12 hours.  Of course you need to carry enough batteries for the length of your ride.
Solar charger -- can be mounted on a handlebar bag, a rear rack or hanging from your pack and typically has mini-USB connections for cell phones etc.  No batteries required but won't help much on a rainy day.  I've seen a variety of these at local outdoors shops.
Dynamo hub charger -- this is probably the most expensive option, especially if you don't already have a dynamo hub.  I'd like one of these (already have the hub) but the AA charger has been fine so far.


Compatibility of Tiagra 4700 shifter with MTB front derailleur I am aware that with the introduction of the Tiagra 4700 groupset Shimano now uses the 11-speed road cable pull ratio also for their 10-speed road systems. Therefore a  Tiagra 4700 right shifter is only compatible with Tiagra 4700 rear derailleurs and 11-speed road rear derailleurs.

Because I would like to run smaller chainrings in the front for my 2x10 setup I need to use a MTB front derailleur. Is this possible with a Tiagra 4700 left shifter or did the cable pull ratio change there as well? If not: Can I use a Sora ST-R3000 left shifter from their 9-speed road groupset instead? What are my options? Which MTB front derailleur would I have to use with which road STI shifter?

With doubles this sort of setup can usually be made to work reasonably well. There's at least one bike I know of on the market with the exact setup you describe, the 2019 Salsa Fargo Tiagra, and it does work. Putting a triple STI on a mountain front triple crank and derailleur is where it gets bad.


English vs Italian bottom bracket - chainline considerations I'm planning a new build and for the first time, I'm working with a frame that requires an Italian bottom bracket. My question isn't specific to the build, but a general question about chainline.

Given the same crankset, say Shimano FC-6400, the corresponding English BB would have a 113 mm symmetric spindle (i.e. 3H or D-3H), while the corresponding Italian BB would have a 115 symmetric spindle (i.e. 5H or D-5H).

Why would the spindle lengths be different at all? Why wouldn't the Italian BB spindle have the bearing shoulders further apart by 2 mm while keeping the 113 mm length? Would the chainline not increase by 1 mm in this case? If so, how should this be accounted for?

As you have mentioned, the point of having a variety of spindle lengths is to allow selection of a BB which creates the proper chain line, while ensuring proper clearance from your frame. (Typically 51 mm from BB center to the center of the chain ring set.

The assumption that using the Italian BB mandates a wider BB spindle is not correct.  You should have no issue using a 70 mm x 113 mm Italian BB.

That said, you are unlikely to notice any difference in shifting performance from a 1 mm difference in chain line, unless your original BB was already significantly offset (incorrect).  It's just not enough difference to matter.  So if you already have the 70 x 115, use it.  You'll be fine.  If you still need to buy the BB, order a 70 x 113.

To directly answer what I think is your main question, There is no reason for the spindle length to change, except the convenience of using parts which are already on hand.

I hope that helps.


At what point does a road become too busy/fast to ride on safely? Upfront, I'm willing to admit that I have some nervousness when it comes to commuting by bike that I need to get over. However, I want to know if all of that nervousness is unfounded, or if some of it is valid.

I live in the Southeastern U.S., where bikes aren't really regarded as things that belong on the road at all. This is a map from this article published on Wired in 2015:

As you can see, the Southeast doesn't fare too well. My specific question, though, is about roads like these (image credit: Google Maps):

I've ridden on 4+ lane roads before, but never with a speed limit higher than 35 MPH (~55 KPH), and often with a bike lane. The speed limit on this road is 55 MPH (~90 KPH), and this road and others like it (with no bike lanes) would be unavoidable on my commute. Are roads like these safe to ride on or is the speed of traffic too fast?

Edit: Sidewalk Clarification

Since a lot of people have mentioned sidewalks as a potential option, I figure it's worthwhile to add some details. First, the sidewalk on this road is not consistent. There are multiple spots where it just stops and then resumes 30 or 40 feet later. In other places, it stops and resumes on the other side of the road... but without a crosswalk to get there. Secondly, I checked our state laws, and riding a bike on a sidewalk is illegal.

As an aside, like many U.S. states, we also have an FTR (Far-To-the-Right) law, meaning riders can't take the lane (except for in a few circumstances). The state really isn't bicycle friendly.

Determining an acceptable risk level is really a subjective personal assessment, no one can tell you whether or not something is of an acceptable level of risk.  As such I will give you my judgement criteria for riding on roads shared with automobiles.

I avoid roads without a large shoulder or bike lane.  While many still advocate for taking a lane, the failure mode (e.g., a rear collision) presents too much of a risk in my opinion.
I avoid large speed differentials, I would qualify vehicles traveling over 50 kph as having a large speed differential.  This reduces reaction times as the closing velocity is quite high, which can lead to accidents.  I don't trust that most drivers are doing an effective job of scanning the road ahead of them.
I also try to avoid roads with much traffic, either by riding in off-times (e.g., 5 am) or sticking to largely unused roads. This further reduces the risk.
Finally, roads with good sight lines and acceptable closing speeds are preferred over roads with bad sight lines and higher closing speeds. (Thank you to @gerrit for the suggestion.)

I also ride away from traffic whenever I can so I tend to mix in a lot of dirt and asphalt.  For very quiet rural roads with low speed limits I am happy to forgo criteria (1) because there are fewer interactions with vehicles and you tend to stick out like a sore thumb in that scenario. But I also mitigate this further by only using these roads in good weather conditions (e.g., not at night in the rain).

In terms of line of clear sight I feel this only provides some safety as it still requires drivers to scan ahead and recognize objects.  Many do a poor job of this, or the search images they are looking for do not include cyclists so they can miss an utterly obvious rider at the side of the road.  This is why I put line of sight last.

From my criteria I don't think you need a critical assessment of your photo.  I would suggest looking at alternate routes (perhaps ones that are less direct) or look on sources such as Open Street Maps, as they have a good cycling path maps including off-road/dirt paths  that can be used to tie together routes so that busy and dangerous roads can be circumvented.

At least where I live, this has been a good strategy.


Can someone tell me if my bike is rare? I have had this bike for a while, it was a gift to my mother from my grandfather. Neither of us have been able to find it online or anything. On the frame it says "Swift-20M Folding Bike Patanta. It was made in China and offers 6 speeds. If anyone knows what it is, can you tell me how much it is worth, if anything at all?

Sorry it doesn't look like anything particularly special.

The rear wheel is very likely a freewheel as opposed to a more modern cassette and freehub.  That means you're unlikely to find a replacement that has much bigger or smaller gears, so its hard to ride up steep grades, and its easy to spin out riding fast in a tailwind.

Fortunately it appears to have normal plastic platform pedals.  Many Chinese folding bikes have folding pedals, which are okay for gentle riding.  You shouldn't stand on folding pedals, and they have a disconcerting flex under load.

The frame looks like steel, confirm that with a magnet.

The hinge clamps look to be threadded, which is a bit more reassuring than a bifold clamp like some bikes have.

In short it looks like a loverly bike, ride it and enjoy it, and you can use busses or trains or cars for part of your journey, and then ride the last bit.


Just replaced axle on rear wheel. It is loose at first but as soon as I ride it, it tightens and wheel no longer rotates. Help! Yesterday, the axle on my rear wheel snapped. I spent today trying to replace it with a new axle of same length. Before doing so, I checked bearings, and they seemed ok. When I put the hardware on the new axle, the axle spins (although feels a bit gritty), but as soon as I ride it, something tightens and the axle no longer spins, and I need to push the bike, dragging the wheel.
What have I done wrong?
? Is it likely there is damage to the bearings/hub that I haven't spotted?
? Perhaps I have put in too many/too few ball bearings? (I didn't count them so have replaced with what looks right). Should they sit snug, some slightly above the others, or all on same level with slight gaps?
? Have I not used the lock nuts appropriately?

I have sometimes made the mistake of not tightening the locknuts enough, causing the rotation of bearings to drag the cone, tightening it enough for the bearing to bind.
The solution is to properly tighten the locknuts.
I'v been also in the situation of not having the right tools to remove the freewheel, which makes it more difficult.
What I've done to correct the situation is to properly locate the freewheel side cone on the axle, and then tighten it with its spacer and locknut when out of the hub. For this stage the axle and nuts must be free of grease and oil so they are more likely to keep the setting.
With this sub assembly done, put grease on the bearing races and put the balls. Grease is thick enough to hold them temporarily (I do not use the bearing cage in order to fit as many balls as possible. Also, some freewheels have a center hole so small that a cage can not be installed through it.)
Insert the axle from the freewheel side and thread the oposite cone. Adjust the preload and tighten the locknut of that side.
This last step can take a bit of trial and error for the once-in-a-while home mechanic.
My criteria for setting the preload is: Axle does not move side to side if trying to wobble it with my hand. If I try to spin the axle it is doable but won't spin freely (due to grease viscosity). Upon installing the wheel on the bike, it must not move sideways but should spin freely.
The worst case I had was actually a hub that was too worn and had damaged races, so at one point during usage, a ball broke and bind with the cone, dragging and tightening so much that it bent the center tube of the hub. (cheap steel hub).
Bottom line is check hub races, cones and balls for damage. Balls and cones are cheap, if you find surface damage or cracks or any deformation, change them. Some hubs, even some cheap ones have replaceable races. So, if possible and economically feasible, change then when damaged.


Replacement front wheel for Fastroad SL-1 2019 I'm looking for a replacement front wheel for a Giant Fastroad SL-1 from 2019.
I'd like to replace it with the same wheel or something with similar specs if possible.
The wheel is labelled as a SR2-Disc, has 28 spokes and is running a 700 x 28 tyre. I'm not sure about the depth. Some other markings on the wheel are ETRTO 622x17 .
I'm running with inner tubes so tubeless isn't a requirement for me. I'd definitely like to avoid downgrading any other specs though.
LBS who retail Giant thought that this part isn't sold as a replacement, and that a generic wheel won't come in a spoke count that low.
Could I get an an idea of what similar wheels I could use or how to get the same wheel as a replacement? I'm a bit lost.
Thanks in advance!
https://i.imgur.com/4192IUZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/d76Q9YZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/AOjbIfz.jpg

Giant tends to use its own branded rather than 'name brand' components.
If you bike store thinks they cannot get a replacement wheel from Giant I'd try contacting Giant customer support yourself. It seems unlikely that Giant cannot provide a replacement wheel for a recent bike model.
If you cannot obtain a replacement Giant wheel, obtaining a replacement that is identical in specifications and similar in appearance should be easy. 28 spoke front wheels certainly are available (and that's not a particularly low spoke count). 'ETRTO 622x17' is the specification for rim diameter and internal width in millimeters. 622mm diameter wheels are also known as '700c'. I think from the FastRoad SL-1 webpage the hubs are quick release rather than through-axle. The other specification needed is whether you have 6-bolt brake rotor mount or Shimano center-lock.


Can I mount a wheel with a narrow hub to a wide frame? Suppose I have a 120mm hub with a long axle, that I want to mount in a frame with 130mm dropouts. In principle, it seems to me that this should be fine, but I want to confirm this. One immediate issue I can see is the spacing for things like a disk brake caliper will be off, but again, adapters for this seems to be fairly widespread. I also imagine that spacers on the axle might be needed to keep the wheel centered when inserting.

This question looks at a similar issue, but the suggested answers amount to "buy the correct width hub". Supposing this is not possible, is it really just as simple as buying some spacers and making sure the wheel fits snugly and evenly? Am I missing something important here?

The simple answer is yes, you can add washers to the axle and shove it in. If you put all the washers on the chain side the disk brake will still work without modification, at the expense of a crappy chain line (assuming you have derailleur gears - with a singlespeed you'll probably have to change the BB or you'll often drop the chain). Or you can space both sides and the disk caliper with washers as well to even things up (spacing the rotor is fraught as the washers all have to be exactly the same thickness and you can't buy them that way. The failure mode here the the rotor deforming under load and possibly locking your wheel up). It will be almost as strong that way as in the right size frame, assuming your washers are flat and the nuts are done up tightly.

The reason you shouldn't do this, especially with a disk brake, is that there is a surprising amount of force applies to the rear wheel of your bike. By adding spacers you're adding longer levers to the little 10mm axle that has to cope with those loads. Since the initial lever is very short, even a small increase can have dramatic effects.

Think about the left hand side. In normal use the wheel bearings are only 10-15mm away from the dropout. Changing that by 5mm makes it 15-20mm. Which is ok if you started at the 10mm end of the scale, but going from 15mm to 20mm with a design rating of 15mm... not so good.

You will probably get away with this because there's so much excess built into most bikes. They have to be designed to cope with 120kg dudes sitting on the seat as they ride off curbs, so your average 80kg bike nut is just not going to stress the bike the same way. So by spacing out the hub you've shrunk that margin of error, rather than immediately breaking something.


Are 22mm tires too thin for commuting? I recently switched from a mountain bike to a road bike with 22mm tires for commuting.

I noticed right away that I could not do the things like hop over curbs with this new bike. I also got flats. Lots of flats. I would get 1 flat per week, and I got good at patching tires. After a few weeks of this i got Tuffy tire liners and haven't gotten a flat since. I patched up all holes in my tires from inside before putting them in (and they were a pain to put in).

I still have the following fears:

If I am going fast and I hit a small (less then 3" bump), I might get a pinch flat.
I cannot ride off a curb onto the payment without wrecking my bike.
I cannot hop curbs.
I must check my tires after every ride for glass lodged in them and take it out with tweezers.
If there is a sizeable hole (from glass) in my tire, I must use a patch kit to patch it up.
I must always ride at 120psi per tire (I weigh ~200lbs).
My stopping power compared to the mountain bike is really really bad (especially in the rain).
I must pay extreme attention to the road and go around bumps.

Should I be worried about these concerns? Are 22mm tires too thin for commuting?

Followup:

Well, after about 2 months of daily commuting on the road bike I have this to say in the defense of my earlier self:

My biggest issues turned out to be:

My bike lock which I used to attach to my bike created a lot of vibration which in turn made it impossible for me to hear any noise my bike was making. One time I rode on a flat for a few minutes because I couldn't hear/tell it was there because of the vibration/noise. This incident made me think that flats on a road bike were undetectable.
I rode clipless which scared me in traffic.

I've since started to carry my bike lock in my backpack so now I can hear my bike. I've also replaced my awesome clipless pedals with regular ones which made me feel much more comfortable in high traffic. Not fearing death actually made me faster with regular pedals in the city.

Commuting on the road bike is a blast. I love passing everyone, and now that I figured out how to properly use both brakes, I can actually stop almost as quickly as I could on my fat tired mountain bike.

Most of your fears are unfounded or way overblown.

  If I am going fast and I hit a small (less then 3" bump) I might get a pinch flat.

Pinch flats do not occur on tires that are properly inflated.

  I cannot not ride off a curb on to the payment and not wreck my bike.

I do this on both my commuter and my racing bike. Just do it gently and not violently.

  I cannot hop curbs.

I do this at slow speeds with no problem.

  I must check my tires after every ride for glass lodged in them and take it out with tweezers.

Easier is to just not ride through glass. I've never had to pick glass out of my tires after three years of commuting by bike.

  If there is a sizable hole (from glass) in my tire I must use a patch kit to patch it up.

Yeah. But again, you shouldn't be flatting this often. I made it 6,500mi on my last pair of tires.

  I must always ride at 120psi per tire (I weigh ~200lbs).

Ride at whatever the printed range is on the tire itself. Some road tires are fine at 85psi. Usually this involves topping up air once every week (for 120+psi tires) or two to three weeks (for 85psi tires).

  My stopping power compared to the mountain bike is really really bad (especially in the rain).

Your front brake should be more than capable of hurtling you over the handlebars if slammed shut at speed. Braking power will be significantly impacted in the rain, however.

  I must pay extreme attention to the road and go around bumps.

Way overblown. Don't go plowing into 5-inch potholes, sure.

If you're having this many problems, you're probably treating your road bike like a mountain bike (why are you having to hop curbs so often — it's a road bike, not a sidewalk bike) and you probably have worn out and/or bargain bin tires. Get some decent tires with puncture protection and chill out a bit.


how to calculate square tapered BB spindle length when coming from external threaded bearings I want to move from 50/34 crank to 46/30 crank.
currently I have tiagra 4600 crank which is using external threaded bearings.
The crank which I am planning to buy "FSA Tempo Adventure 46/30" takes square tapered BB.
I want to know how I can buy correct spindle length carriage BB in first attempt.
One way I think might work is, 68mm + (external BB width * 2)
PS, I also have old 124MM and 122.5MM worn out BBs to test the crank on my road bike.

The spindle length is defined from the crankset, not the frame. There is no relationship between your Tiagra (external) and the future FSA (tapered). You should find with the FSA crankset the data of the required spindle length.


Trouble Removing bottom bracket. Is it my Tool? I'm having trouble removing my bottom bracket.  I'm using quite a bit of force as far as I can tell. But neither side is budging. The bike is a 2011, and I've never removed the bottom bracket, but it's all aluminum, so I doubt the problem is with rust.   It's quite difficult to keep the tool from slipping out.  I've used this tool before on another bike without too many problems, but I just can't get it to work, and I don't want to strip the cups or do something destructive as this is my good bike.

On the Park Tool website it says you can use a skewer to hold the tool in place if you have a hollow axle, but I don't have a hollow axle. I noticed that my tool works differently than the one on their site, and that the wrench is quite close into the bottom bracket. Mine mounts on a socket wrench, with a 1/2 adapter, and therefore is quite a bit out from the bottom bracket.  There are pictures below to illustrate the situation.

Update

I was able to remove the non-drive side by using my vise grips to grip the tool closer to the bottom bracket. The drive side still won't move, but the vise grips are slipping, not the bottom bracket tool, so I think I may just replace the tools if they have something better at my local bike store.

Assuming you've got the right direction you're turning and its still not budging, use some penetrating oil and/or  borrow a breaker bar/vise (and use it carefully).

One of the things with your style of tool vs the park tool style of tool is that you can't get as much torque on.

In the case of aluminium, its conceivable that theres some corrosion, but dissolving it or heating it might be tricky depending on other types of materials involved.


Rear brake cable temporary fix possible? (Please see edit below; problem might actually be with brake lever)

I'd like to know if a temporary resolution is possible for my stuck rear brake cable.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EmGB78BphkK4k27j4BNouMpIK31A31ST/view?usp=sharing

I'm taking it into the shop but the soonest they can take my bike is Tuesday.  I have no experience in bicycle repair.  The bike is only half a year old, but I've been riding it in winter.  I clean the brakes (excluding the pads) every one or two weeks with a soft bottle brush and diluted dish soap. I have never lubricated any brake parts yet, though.

Edit: I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.

Edit 2: The problem was the cable or housing, not the brake lever.

From the video, it looks like the cable has frayed inside the outer housing or something like that. I doubt there's anything you can do except get the bike shop to replace the cable.

Although most of the braking comes from the front brake, I woudln't recommend riding the bike in this state: you'd have no back-up if anything went wrong with the front brake.


Removing an internal headset before pulling the fork? I'm completely taking apart a 2014 Kona UTE (for fun, and to clean it, but nothing wrong with it). I'm not sure how to proceed with the fork. It is now "bare" (no wheel, no cable, no handle, no handlebar, nothing), but does not come loose.

The headset is listed (non-officially, but recent models have "FSA N0.10" as well) as being "TH ZST No.10". I believe the full reference is "FSA No.10 Semi Integrated Internal Headset 1-1/8Inches 8.2mm Top Cone ZS44, XTE1600". I'm not familiar with internal headset, so I've looked around:

The service doc says nothing about how to install / uninstall it,
Some site says that it's "just" supposed to come loose,

Pull fork from bike. It may be necessary to use mallet and tap top of steering column driving fork downward. Once fork is driven down as little as 25mm (one inch), lift fork back up and remove center cone from adjusting race. Remove fork.

Some other site says that I'm supposed to remove the cartridge, like so:

But, as of now, the fork does not move, not even one millimeter (I mean, it can spin, but I can't move it up or down).
Am I suppose to force with a mallet gently, or is there something else that needs to be removed before trying to have the fork come loose?
EDIT: some other solutions are suggested here, like "whack[ing] the steerer from the side a couple time", or "a tiny little flat bladed screwdriver in the gap, and carefully pry one edge up". Also, this post gives the terminology quite clearly.
Update: I give up. I've tried many different techniques, and the fork never moved. Since it is not damaged and work properly, I give up, and just leave it like it is.

This is the compression ring. It does the same thing as the silver one on the Colnago in your picture.

Your fork is stuck because it's wedged in too tight.
You need to whack the top of the steerer hard with something that won't hurt it, and you need to have the fork off the ground while you're doing that. Hit it as though you're trying to send it flying out of the bike. Support the frame under the top tube or down tube with your other hand. You're trying to move the steerer inside the compression ring. Using a rubber mallet or dead blow on the end of a steerer will usually hurt the tool. A block of wood is a good idea. You can tape it on if you run out of hands.
Digging out the ring by putting a screwdriver in the slot can also work, but could also tear it up if it's really tight. There's some advantage to doing it this way if you can because then you're not hammering on your bearings. But it usually doesn't work, and upper headset bearings have an easy life anyway.


Longer stem, need to re-cable? When I got my bike built, I chose a 60mm-long stem. It's a single-speed bike with front and rear cantilever break (cyclocross model.) After riding on the bike for a couple of months, I have decided the stem is too short and I want to replace it with a stem that's 100mm long.

Is it likely that I can easily swap the two stems, or will I have to mount longer cables for the brakes?

I went from a 60mm to a 100mm stem and there was no need to re-route the cables. As pointed out in the comments (thank you all for the comments!), this is not general and it really depends on how much cable there is. Fortunately in my case, there was enough.

On a related note, I had to add a spacer on top of the stem, because the new stem is lower than the one I had beforehand.


What different frame materials have been used? In response to yet another frame materials question, I thought it might be useful to start with a more answerable question. One answer per material please, with an example of a bicycle frame using that material.
Please use the format I've used in my answer(s) to make it easy to compare materials.
I see no harm in having all 400+ steel alloys listed if someone wants to do that, but "steel" must specifically be low-grade mild steel rather than a specific alloy. Likewise for aluminium, titanium, magnesium and other metals.
For composites, including metal composites, I would again prefer specific examples with details (there's a big difference between steel reinforced concrete and kevlar/polyester composites). I would also love to see weird and wonderful bikes included.
Materials
(ie index to answers. Please update links as you add an answer):
Metals

Aluminum Bikes

Aluminum
Scandium - Aluminium alloy

Steel Bikes

Columbus Steel  (not written yet)
ChromeMoly Steel (not written yet)
Gaspipe Steel
Ishiwata Steel  (not written yet)
Kaisei Steel  (not written yet)
Mild Steel
Reynolds Steel (needs extension)
Tange Steel  (not written yet)
Vitus/Super Vitus Steel  (not written yet)

Titanium
Beryllium
Gold (pure)  (theoretical)
Magnesium (not written yet)

Organic

Bamboo
Bones
Wood Bikes

Carved Wood
Plywood (composite)
Wood (complete frame and bicycle)

Cardboard (not yet written)
(https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/44582/20060)**

Composites and Polymers

Carbon Fibre
Flax fiber (90% flax, 10% carbon)
Plastic

Layout Specific

Cables aka Tensegrity or Tensional Integrity
3D Printed (not yet written)

Bones

Density average 1.84 g/cm³ for dry bone.

This would be a pretty bad material for a bike frame, and its quite likely that any bone bike really has a metal core in the middle.

Advantage

Shock factor, or as part of a costume ("Death rides a Pale Horse")

Disadvantage

Bones aren't particularly structural by themselves.  A skeleton is made from tendons and cartilage and soft tissues as well.
Durability - bones that dry out get brittle and will snap easily.
Intolerant - A crack could go from a minor hairline to a full break very quickly.


Rear axle for Alexrims DC 4.5 Disc 26" MTB wheels w/ Formula hubs I've acquired a pair of old Alexrims DC 4.5 Disc 26" MTB wheels with Formula hubs, but the rear wheel is missing the axle. I've been reading various posts about how to measure / replace the axle, but haven't found anything that makes me confident enough yet to buy a replacement. Is there an easy way to tell what size / type I need?

I initially presumed I would just need a standard axle for 5mm QR skewers, but when I measured the internal diameter of the hub it was 12mm. So is this hub actually designed for a 12mm bolt thru axle?

Any advice or pointing in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

If the hub has a smooth, straight-walled 12mm diameter hole through it, yes it's for a 12mm through axle. (A 'through axle' isn't really the axle of course, it's a fastener that goes through the hollow axle in the hub.)

If this is the case, there are through-axle to quick release adapters available that you can use.

BTW, have you checked that the hub width is correct for your frame?

UPDATE: Nope not through-axle. Just missing axle and bearings.


Bags for longer touring I am planning to go on a 2 week touring trip in a few months and I'm looking for some bags/panniers to buy.

What are your recommendations regarding the capacity of the bags (considering the length of the trip)?

Also, do you have recommendations for any specific bag?

EDIT:
I will pass through towns or villages each day, so I don't need to carry a lot of food/water. I will be carrying a tent and a sleeping bag, some tools and clothes.

Short answer based on the little information given I'd guess two larger panniers would be enough, especially if the tent and sleeping mat is strapped on top.  Watch out for the heel clearance, especially with the largest ones.

Long answer and rambling: The length of the trip doesn't matter as much as you'd might think.  It really depends on how much you'll going to pack.  The truth is that probably a beginner will back more than an experienced bicycler tourer because you have to figure out for yourself what items and luxuries you'd like and which ones aren't of value to you.

Make a list of the things you would like to take along.  Maybe get some feedback from experienced tourers and have them review and comment on your list.  Take their suggestion with a grain of salt, since it's really personal what one takes along.  Then judge from that how large of a panniers you need.  Don't over stuff them if possible.  Not only will it be harder to get your things out of the bags but you also need some room for food purchases during your trip.  Often people stop at a grocery just before the campsite to stock up on food for the night.

Don't carry water in you panniers.  Two or three water bottles in cages should be plenty.  You wan want to take a small water bladder along if you go through the occasional area where extra water is needed (i.e. campground where drinking water isn't available).

Ortlib and Arkel are some popular pannier bags but really any sturdy pannier bags will work.  Some people even mount kitty litter tubs as pannniers to their rack.  Ortlib bags are by default rain proved but they also don't have external pockets and aren't breathable.  Most other bags including the Arkle need a rain cover for rain. BTW, try choosing a color that improves your visibility (yellow or red instead of black).

A main thing to keep in mind is to balance the weight evenly between the sides.  If carrying much you can also mount a front rack.  This will also distribute the weight off your rear wheel.  The goal with front racks is to keep the center of gravity low.  So lowrider front racks are often preferred.

Some alternatives to pannier bags are trailers (single wheeled like the bob trailer or two wheeled child trailer), frame bag (especially popular with mountain bikers in conjunction with handle bar rolls when riding narrow trails), or just tying everything onto your rack.

[links are just for clarifications, not for endorsement]


8 speed chainring with single speed 1/8" chain Can I use a chainring designed for 6/7/8 speed with a single speed, 1/8" chain?

The rear wheel only has a single cog - no derailleurs.

If you want to use a 6/7/8 speed chainring on a single-speed or internally geared bike I think that will be fine.

You can't use a 1/8" chain with a front or rear derailleur obviously.


Fitting a display to an ebike kit I have an voilamart ebike kit, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7FJ8ZY/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1
Is there an LCD display I can add to this kit, I've had my eye on this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LBZ6KFN/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A18NQE175QQAZM&psc=1

Most probably not.

There’s no standard communications protocol for motor controllers and displays. Each manufacturer has their own system.

Adding to this, you’ve listed a controller which could have come from any dozens of factories using any number of generic designs. It’s not even clear if your controller has display support — looking at the wiring harness on the listing  I don’t see a lead for a display controller:

But many times the listings are incorrect and you get something else in the box, so who knows?

Unless you can find someone who says it works or who has tried it, there’s no way of knowing. That said, many things on amazon have a 30 day return policy so you could be the first.


Are 700 x 28 , 700 x 32 and 700 x 35 tires interchangeable? I have a cyclocross bike with Alex ATD 470 Disc rim with TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) currently mounted with Vittoria, Cross XN, 700 x 32c tires. However tires are a bit worn out and I want to be driving a bit off road during the winter.

My question is whether the 700x32 tires would be interchangeable with 700x35 for winter and with 700x28 for summer?

Thanks in advance. I understand that technically this should be possible, but whether it is okey to do that, since I believe that in certain occasion I would have to overinflate tire ( 700x28 ), right?

You can (theoretically) mount any 700x(something) tire on any 700c  (ISO 622) rim. However, you need to make sure the frame (and brakes if rim brakes are used) can clear the tire without rubbing.

You generally want to match the rim width to the tire though -- too narrow or too wide of a tire on a rim can lead to tire/rim damage or bad handling.

In your case, the rim width is 17 mm and the chart linked above says 25-37 should all be fine.

As for overinflating, why would you overinflate? You will use a higher pressure with a narrower tire, but overinflating means putting too much air in. And this can be bad for the rim. The right tire pressure is not whats written on the sidewall of the tire -- in fact, you'll almost never use that much pressure. We have many questions on tire pressure setup, so I encourage you to use the search feature to look at some of them.


Puncture-proof 20" tires? A friend is about to buy a second-hand Dahon Vitesse D7HG with the usual 20" wheels.

Since she knows nothing about bike mechanics, doesn't want to learn, and that bike has a Nexus 7 hub gear system, it's probably a good idea to go for puncture-resistant tires.

Before I go ahead and get a couple of Schwalbe Marathon Plus, are there other brands I should know about?

Thank you.

If you want something that really is absolutely puncture-proof:  http://www.greentyre.co.uk/bicycle-tyres.php

But they are extremely hard work to fit and, more importantly, they combine the harsh feel of a small hard tyre with the high rolling resistance of an underinflated tyre, and they lack grip. (At least that was my experience with some 700c ones years ago; they might have improved, but I doubt it. But I was getting punctures several times a month until I fitted them. I went back to standard tyres when I changed my commute route. The Marathon Plus wasn't available then.)

Review of another similar puncture proof foam filled tyre (doesn't have a 20" size available, but gives a second opinion on the merits of such tyres): http://gearjunkie.com/flat-free-foam-bike-tires

For normal pneumatic tyres Marathon Plus is about as close to puncture proof as you can get. They can be quite stiff to get on and off though (nothing like as bad as the GreenTyres though).

http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/why-do-boris-bikes-hardly-ever-get-punctures/

There are other 20" tyres with a puncture resistant belt, the Primo Comet for example, or the Panaracer Minit Lite "PT Shield", or the Marathon Supreme (lighter than the Plus), but I don't know of anything else as resistant as the Plus.

It won't really protect against pinch flats though. Either teach your friend to check her tyre pressure and use a pump, or do it for her.


Can I replace hood covers on Shimano ST-2300 brake/gear levers? I'm looking to buy a replacement cover on my right brake/gear lever which is a Shimano ST2300.

I've found a 'Shimano Bracket-Cover Hood Dual-Control-Lever R9150/R9170' Road-Bike on AliExpress, but I'm not sure it will fit. What are your thoughts please? Kind regards, James.

An ST-R9150/R9170 hood is not going to work on an ST-2300 shifter.

R9150/R9170 is Dura Ace DI2 - electronic shifting.  This is an ST-R9170 shifter:

ST-2300 looks like this:

Note the significant differences, especially in the "cap" area, where the ST-R9170 hood extends forward over the top end of the shifter, where on the ST-2300 that same area is a hard Shimano logo.

Your best bet is to look for ST-2300 hoods on large online retailer and auction sites...


What (kind of?) brake lever is this? I'm curious as to whether or not anyone knows who makes this brake lever or if anyone makes one like it. I know the bike in the image is a Montreal-based company called Bassi that primarily sells through the shop in the same town called "C&L Cycles" however I emailed them and received no response. I appreciate any and all help! Thank you!

Here is another image of the brake lever on the bike

It's almost certainly a Gran Compe SHOT LEVER two handle brake lever. This description matches quite well and there's some comments on Bike Forums.

Simply, both levers operate the same brake, but on a narrow bar where you don't have room for two levers for two brakes it's a good compromise.


Converting from V-brakes to Disc Brake without existing mounting holes I have an Electric Bike with rear brakes which are not as strong as front disc brake (countless amount of tweaks never solved it well without rubbing the wheel too much).
So, I am looking at converting to disc brakes

Is it possible? Using which products?
I was thinking of a start with those two:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MTB-Disc-brake-flange-disc-tray-adapter-screw-thread-switch-disk-disc-tray-refires-disc-brake/32312668990.html

And since I cant post more than 2 links, search on AliExpress for "brand new hs1 brake rotors" - the one from "Store:Carbon-Bicycle Co.,Ltd" for 9$ is the one that was recommended.

But I lost contact with the guy who guided me to those once in a train, so I don't know how to proceed what else do I need...

The frame is made of aluminium, and below you can see pictures of the read wheel, to understand the construction and my options...

Note:
The question referred to: Disc brakes on leader doberman which has no tabs and adaptors

Deals with question on how to piece together parts for the specific branded Doberman frame, while in my case, I am not entirely sure which parts do I need, and my frame is Chinese generic no-brand frame, making it much more difficult to find the correct parts that would fit together well.

In general, on electric bikes, the rear hub is an essential part of the electric motor/drivetrain in order to power the bike and is very different from rear hubs on standard 'manual' bikes.

Because of this, in order to have a rear disc brake system you'd need to replace your hub (or whole wheel if this isn't possible) with one that has disc brake rotor mounts. You won't be able to use the screw on aluminium one linked to in your question.

Secondly, you'll have to install a retrofit device onto your frame to mount the disc brake caliper. These are available with vary degrees of quality but looking at your frame, you'd need to remove the pannier rack which I assume you probably don't want to do.

I think it may be fruitless to pursue this conversion to be honest and if you have a disc brake on the front of your bike this is where to majority of effective braking should be happening anyway - simple rule is that you should use the front brake to slow your bike down until the point where you can use the back brake to bring your bike to a stop.


Tube Patch or tubeless plug For a quick on the trail temporary fix can I use a tubeless tire plug on my tube tire? Just to get me back to my car? I'm an 84 year old new biker (electric) so forgive me if this is dumb question.

A tubeles plug will not hold in a bicycles inner tube.

A tubeless plug is a short string of butyl rubber. About 1 cm in length and 2 mm wide. To fix a punctured tubeless tyre it is pushed with an awl into the hole. Together with sealant in the tyre it is good to seal cuts of up to 5 mm.

The inner tube's walls are too thin and too stretchy to seal it that way. The reasons are similar to those in my answer on sealants in inner tubes: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/64642/30402

Fixing a clincher tyre that contains an inner tube with such a patch will not seal the puncture. Air would still escape through the valve hole, gaps in the rim, along the tyre bead, and countless other spots.

Fixing a small hole in clincher tyre when an inner tube still holds air is not necessary. The tyre itself doesn't need to be air tight. It just needs to hold the tube inside and provide a good contact patch to the ground. The plug cannot fix large holes in a tyre (check tyre boots). In such a case the threads of the carcass are ripped and the tyre loses the strength it requires to resist the pressure of the filled inner tube.


Removing smooth bolt pedals? Let me begin by saying that yes, I am trying to unscrew the pedal in the correct direction. It is the right side pedal, I am attempting to turn it counter-clockwise.

So here are the pedals I have:

Now, they look like they have a nice textured part that you can grip when installing or removing them. Unfortunately, that is not the case. That knobby part is actually part of the pedal. It rotates with the pedal itself.

The threaded portion of the pedal that screws into the crank is completely smooth. As in baby smooth. There's nothing for a wrench to grip. I have a pair of pliers that are just a tiny bit too wide. I'm going to see if I can find a narrower pair.

The first pedal came off easily. It just unscrewed. This one seems a bit more "stuck". Other than getting a smaller pair of pliers, are there any good tricks to removing pedals like these?

There should be a hex socket at the end of the axle, inside the crank. Use a long hex wrench to unscrew the pedal.

The textured part is for disassembling the pedal.


Seat post size on Schwinn Loop The seat post (and the saddle) got stolen on my Schwinn Loop. I've searched everywhere but I haven't been able to find the diameter/size of the seat post so I can look for a replacement online. Any piece of info would be appreciated.

Sorry to hear about your loss.    Is this your bike?

The manual is at http://media.schwinnbikes.com/media/uploads/blog/files/S14-Folding-Owners-Manual.pdf and is utterly useless.

From a review I found "[the loop] has perhaps the longest seat-post I’ve ever seen on a bike so no doubt it will be able to accommodate very tall people with ease. "  So that means a 400 or 450mm long seatpost.

As for the diameter of the seatpost - you can use calipers to measure, or take it into your local bike shop.      It could be anything from 25.4mm to 34mm with 27.2 and 30.something being more common.  0.2mm difference will make the seatpost wobble and wear faster, so got to get the right measurement.

Regarding the seat (saddle)  the review mentioned its a particularly horrible experience, and that the saddle should be your first upgrade.  So that's positive.

First consideration is that it may happen again.  So you need to plan some precautions before parking up your bike.

Pitlocks - replace the seatpost quick release with a bolt that needs a special tool to undo.  Buy this at the same time you buy the seat and post.
Plain old bolts rather than Quick Releases

Downside of these is it makes the bike harder to fold up cos you'll need to carry tools.

Given its a folding bike, you might consider folding it and storing it inside from now on.


Bike choice for snow commuting I'm currently living in Holland, Michigan, and we get quite a bit of snow (lake effect from Lake Michigan). I purchased a Giant AnyRoad CoMax this past summer which is great for commuting in all seasons other than winter.

This past week, however, I attempted to commute with 1-2" snow on the ground and dumped it four times in two commutes (ouch! my hip still hurts), so I don't think that's an option for the winter. It's mid-December now, and I'm already getting cabin fever, so here are the options I'm considering for Winter/snow commuting:

1) Snow tires for my spring/summer/fall bike: This is the option I'm least inclined towards for at least two reasons, for one, when riding on my other seasons bike in the snow I got the idea changing the tires alone will not be sufficient for 1+" of snow, and for two, to avoid changing tires often this would require a 2nd set of rims (and 2nd cassette, brake rotors, etc.), at which point I'd suppose it would be better to get a second bike altogether.

2) 27.5" or 29" mountain bike: This seems to be the best option. I don't need something super high end, rather I'd be looking for something mid-range that could be used perhaps 30-40 times a year when there is snow and will get me where I'm going, for example here are some possibilities:

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/revel-2

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/revel-29er

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/atx-lite

3) Fat tire bike: This is the option I'm least considering as these seem to be very expensive, and I'm not sure huge tires are necessary for light snow.

4) Any other suggestions?? (other than moving to California which is not an option at the moment)

I guess the decision really comes down to which size/type of tire is best for commuting in 1-2" snow with possible occasional ice patches, 27.5" or is 29" necessary/suggested?

I've got about 20,000 miles experience commuting in Alaska snow.  There are really 3 kinds of snow to deal with:  deep & fluffy, hard & icy, and slush.

I have two bikes, a Pugsley with Large Marge tires for deep snow, and a Kona 29er for everything else.

The trick to the Pugs is deflating the tires so they track right.  10psi in front is maybe too much, add a little more for the back. That makes a slow commute.  When the snow gets over 2-3" of thick stuff the Pugs comes out.

Otherwise it's the Kona with Nokian Gazza Extreme studs. Pump them up hard and they cut through to the hard surface under the goo.  Ice is no biggie, it's like riding on gravel.  The springtime deep slush will shoot out through the open deep tread pattern and you can pretty much just ride straight through it without tire deflection.  I recommend studs on your boots for ice riding too, when you put your foot down you'll need the traction at intersections.

Flat studded pedals, disc brakes, GOOD bright flashers, and you're set.  Saran wrap taped over your helmet vents keeps your head a little warmer too.

Try a camping headlight under your helmet.  Look at drivers at intersections and they see your beam, and see you.

Enjoy!


How do I know I should replace the chain? I have been riding a folding bike in the past. I have never replaced its chain.

Recently, I have bought a second handed road bike for $500. I am afraid of the chain breaking suddenly.

How do I know I should replace the chain in advance?

The most common way is to use a "Chain Wear Indicator Gauge" tool. (google for product pages).

If you don't have access to (or don't want to buy) one, you can use a ruler: http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/chain-care.html


What are UCI categories for cyclocross events? Having more than 10 years of MTB experience, I want to try my first CX race. However when I google for CX events in my country, the results contain some scary codenames called UCI C1 and UCI C2. In MTB enduro races you know that you have pros and amateurs riding the same course, just separated by the start times, so there is no worry to lag behind. In cyclocross it's a different story, I'm afraid to make a joke out of myself or even worse, ruin someone's run if I'm choosing a wrong event. So basically, how do I know if I can try one of those events? Do those events require some kind of bureaucracy (UCI license) to enter?

These are quite high-profile events. I think you do need a license, C1 and C2 are pro categories.

From a random website:

  What does UCI, C1 and C2 mean?

  That means some of the world’s best cyclocross racers will be right
  here in Rochester racing at the Rochester Cyclocross in Genesee Valley
  Park!  Including a bunch of current and past national champions, the
  competition will be fierce – so don’t miss a second of it! UCI stands
  for the “Union Cycliste Internationale”, they are based in Switzerland
  and they are the worlds governing body for professional cycling. C1
  and C2 refers to the level of international event – C1 is the highest
  level ( there are only SEVEN of these in the USA).

https://rochestercyclocross.com/frequently-asked-questions/

There should be non-UCI races around. In UCI races you have to have a frame with the right UCI-approved sticker and 33 mm tyres.  In amateur friendly races the riders are often not eliminated when lapped and can use wider tyres or even other types of bikes.

Note that in America there are often amateur categories as "side races" taking place on the same course during tha same weekend as the C1 and 2 races.


Should I buy a mountain bike, what size should it be? My bike is becoming old and I'm upgrading.

Where I live half the roads are offroad/gravel, half of them are really old asphalt that has pot-holes in it. I'm thinking of buying a mountain bike, because they look really cool (that's not the main reason ofc), and as I've heard they're pretty nice to ride offroad, but I'm not sure about normal road use.

Do they need a lot of maintenance? Oh, and what size should it be? I'm 180cm which is about 5'11" for you Americans. My budget's about 200-300 euros, is that even enough for a good mountain bike that will serve me well for years?

We can't really say what kind of bike you should buy, you should buy the bike you will ride, that is the most important thing. Many (most?) people will want to have both, a road (or gravel) bike and a mountain bike. Some people will want to hove both a hardtail mountain bike and a full suspension mountains bikes. They are different machines for different purposes.

If you want to have one universal bike, a hardtail mountain bike is good for that. So is a gravel bike. The preference is really individual. No-one can make that decision for you. I have both (not at the same place) and the are of use largely overlaps.

Mountain bikes with suspension require the maintanence of the suspension system. That is the job for a bike shop for most people, it is more complex than the maintenance of bikes without suspension. It should be done regularly. There are tutorials available, but even with that most people won't want to do it themselves.

The size can really only be selected after you chose the bike model you want. Follow the manufacturer recommendation, try it if you can, ask the bike shop if you can. But when buying online I would follow the manufacturer,  you probably do not have enough free money for a bike fit. Your size will probably be medium for many bike frames (for MTB 19" or 20"). But surely not for all.


Hydraulic brakes feel loose I have a bike with Avid hydraulic brakes. The levers feel loose and at the end of pushing it, there is a "soft" feeling (like when V-brakes pads aren't adjusted properly).
As I understand, it's air inside the pipes. Is there something I can try to do to fix it without opening it / refilling liquid?

You can try this suggestion:

press your brake lever and keep it there using a zip cord (cable tie)
position your bike so that the hydraulic tube runs upward and so the brake lever is at the highest point
leave it that way overnight.  In the morning try the brakes out.

This technique is supposed to allow trapped air to move upward into the reservoir again.  This worked for me:)

I saw this idea on YouTube, thanks to GMBN for this clip


Correct spoke for '82 Nishiki Sport I have a 1982 Nishiki Sport steel frame road bike.
I broke a spoke on the rear wheel.
I would love some specific recommendations for the correct spoke to replace it with.
27" x 1 1/4" wheel, 32 spokes. The manual says that the spokes are "080 GA UCP Finish"

If you still have the old spoke and both/all its parts then that can be used for measuring the length.

If that's not possible, as per Daniel's comment, then remove the next spoke that goes to the same side of the hub as the broken spoke - this is important on the rear wheel because the two sides can vary by several millimetres.

If you're buying one spoke, get three and clearly label the spares.  There's a non-zero chance that others will break having been stressed a bit more, and a ~40 year old spoke has probably been around a while.  You don't need a whole box of 50, but they can come in lots of 18 which might work out a good deal. Owning at least one spare spoke helps protect the ones on the bike :)

You'll also want to find the same:

overall shape - its probably an unbutted spoke, meaning its the same width all the way down the length.  Some spokes can be described as double butted or even triple, depending on how they taper.
Ends - the thread at the nipple end is universal, so that's okay.  The hub end is very likely to be a J bend with a mushroom head, this is 99% normal too.
Profile - its also likely to have normal round spokes, not fancy bladed or aero spokes.
Finish - spokes from the 80s could be shiny chrome or polished finish, or utility galvanised finish.  Black spokes weren't very common.  You might choose to match the finish.
Nipples - they can round off over time, faster with a slack-tolerance tool.   Consider getting some new brass nipples with your new spokes.  That said, I've often reused the old nipples without issue, other than the risk of rounding.
Spoke prep - Almost a paradox, spoke prep is an assembly lube and friction increasing agent at the same time.  It helps ease the two together, and assists the nipple to not back out under use.   Personally I've never owned the right stuff but some spokes come with threads pre-dipped in spoke prep.  I've used copper-clay assembly paste and it works fine for me.

Regarding tools, check the Related questions on the right.  There will be ~2 special ones you require, maybe 3, and some optional ones.

It is possible to calculate spoke length using a calculator like https://leonard.io/edd/  but there are a lot of measurements needed, which can be hard to do when the hub and rim are built into a wheel already.

To err on slightly too long is better than slightly too short, IMO.  You can always file a spoke end flush with the nipple, you can't make them longer.

Aside - consider adding some of the new-style clip-on spoke reflectors.  They can help balance your wheel when put in the right places, and more importantly, they work a lot better than the yellow rubbish plastic ones.


Purpose of this screw on my mountain bike's (BCA 29SC) rear dropout/derailleur and how to fix? so recently I have been having problems with my bike: the wheels tended to slip out of the dropout and rub against the frame of the bike. However, I had found a way to fix (reorient) the wheel everytime it did so. Atleast I thought I did. I would loosen this screw and the bolt next to it (to be able to reorient the wheel) and then fix the orientation. However, this problem kept persisting every time I rode. Once when I was reorienting, I unscrewed the screw a little too much causing what it was holding (a metal washer like thing that I assume helped the wheel stay in place) on the other side of the dropout to come loose and fall out. The screw that I had the accident with is below marked by the red rectangle
How do I fix this?

The derailleur you are using has an integrated adapter claw. A rear derailleur hangar claw. The bolt you have circled is used with a special washer to properly orient and secure the claw, which puts the derailleur in necessary position and alignment to the cogs for good shifting. This bolt has little to do with the axle alignment of the wheel and once it is in correct position with it's special washer/nut and secured, it shouldn't be loosened.  Occasional inspection and possibly re-torquing the bolt to an appropriate tightness is all that is necessary after install.
Typically with a claw hangar the special washer/nut has a rounded side which has a lip of metal around it's radius. The rounded end fits into the rounded end of the frame's right rear drop out--this helps position the claw hangar correctly.  The lip around the perimeter, sits on the inside of the drop out, following the arched perimeter of the end of the dropout.  Tightening the bolt into the washer/nut brings this lip tight to the inside of the dropout and acts to secure the claw hangar to the frame.
When you want to adjust the wheel, you need only loosen the larger axle fixing nut. Loosen both the right and left axle nuts, center the wheel fully in the drop-outs. The axle will be touching the claw's fixing washer/nut on the right. The left axle may have a bit of gap between the closed end of the dropout and the axle. This may be necessary for proper wheel alignment and centering.  Tightening the axle nuts up again, go back and forth, right to left, more or less tightening the nuts up together. This preserves the centering of the wheel since one side is not becoming overly tight compared to the other side which can cause deflection of the wheel in the dropouts.
For clarity, I've included a photo of a universal derailleur hangar with the same fixing system as your integrated claw hangar.  This highlights the specially shaped nut which sits in the end of the dropout.  The hangar is then fixed in correct position by the clamping force of the lip at the inside and body of the hangar outside as they are drawn together by the tightening bolt.


How dangerous is a very out-of-true disc brake wheel? While walking to work this morning my eye was caught by an odd movement on a bike passing me several metres away.  The front wheel was far from true laterally, though it didn't look out of round.  It was on a basic hardtail/hybrid with front suspension with disc brakes; it was fairly close but not rubbing on the rather wide forks.

If we assume that this wasn't due to impact causing weakening I couldn't see, how dangerous is it likely to be?

Another danger of riding an out-of-true wheel is cornering.  When on the straight, the wheel may be "round" while wobbling from side to side.

But when leaning into a corner, the bike is no longer vertical, so that out-of-true in the rim is translating to an out-of-round as well.  So the wheel of the bike will be rising and falling ( "oscillating" ?) sideways at roughly twice the wheel's RPM.

Effectively that could make the wheel loose traction much easier on the faster corners, or even at moderate speeds if the corner has any treacherous features like dampness, dust, sand, gravel, or even painted lines.


What are the most important accessories for a new biker to get? I am a new biker and am going to be commuting to work on a hybrid. There are many cool accessories that help you carry gear, bike at night, track your rides, make adjustments and quick repairs like fixing flats, and more. It's very cool that there's so much that one can do to 'pimp their ride' so to speak but it can be overwhelming and it's hard to know where to start, especially for those (like me!) who are working on a budget and who needs to pick and choose because they can't afford to buy a ton of gear. My question is, where to start? In your view, besides the obviously necessary safety items like a bike lock and helmet, what are some of the must-have accessories that would be most important or most useful for a new or returning biker, and why?

Note: I know that there's already a question on the most useful accessory category. I want to focus on the most important accessories for a new biker, especially city bikers.

bike
helmet
lock
puncture repair kit or spare tube and a mini pump
multi-tool
lights
first-aid kit