Mountain bike in USD 1,000-1200 range I am looking bikes like the Specialized Rock Hopper 29er equipped with lots of gears for versatility and the ability to stand up to trail riding in places where tree roots loom large.  What sort of bikes in this range stand out as good values that will be equal to this sort of duty?

While I have never owned one, I've heard from friends that 29ers are good for going over rougher or more technical terrain for xc riding.

When you say "lots of gears," though, you should be looking at which gears it has, not just that it has a lot of them.  For example, on my full-suspension bike I have a 10-speed cassette (the rear gears) that is an 11-36t, which means that the smallest gear is 11 teeth and the biggest is 36 teeth.  But when I was building my hardtail, I was choosing between a 9-speed cassette of 11-32t or 12-34t.  See, the 11-32t means you can go faster, but the 12-34t means you're trading top speed for easier climbing.  If you're doing more climbing, make sure the bike you're getting is geared for that.  Or just get bigger legs.

Also you want to take note of the chainrings (front gears).  You may find that you get duplication of speeds based on gear ratios.  I'm running a 22/33/44 on my full-suspension and a 22/32/42 on my hardtail.  Having 44 teeth on the largest chainring instead of 42 means that I have a higher top speed, but since I have a 44 and a 22, and my cassette has cogs that are 13t, 15t, 26t, and 30t, I get duplicate speeds that make it less than a 30-speed bike because 44/26=22/13 and 44/30=22/15.

As far as suspension goes, you'll want to check to see if the fork has adjustable travel and lockout.  I don't have adjustable travel on either bike, but it's something to consider.  As far as lockout goes, if you're riding xc, you gotta have it.

Consider brakes.  I think disc brakes are awesome.  I don't care much for rim brakes for mountain biking.  You can look at these cool answers about mtb brakes for more about that.

For shifters, I'm a SRAM guy for mountain.  I like the thumb-only shifters.  Some people like Shimano.  That's fine.  Just don't get grip/twist shift.

With all those things taken into account, make sure to ride the bike before you buy it.  If you get a bike on bikesdirect.com, you'll save some cash, but you may not fit on the bike.  If you go to your lbs, you may be able to find the bike you want and the one that fits you.  If you need a different stem or other component, they might even be able to swap the right one in for you and show you what's what on the bike.  You really don't want to lay out a grand for a bike that won't even fit you properly.

So when you take these things into account, you can go to the manufacturers' websites and compare technical specifications to what you need and then find the lbs that's an authorized dealer.  I think that's the best way to get the right bike.


Noise from bottom bracket I'm getting a strange cracking noise out of my bottom bracket. It started after I tried to pedal harder on a higher gear. What might be causing the sound? The bike is new and can it be the bearing?

The cracking noise can be produced by nearly any component of your bike.
The frame transmits the noise and it only seems like to come from your bottom bracket (or you think it is the source because of pedalling).
I had a similar problem with several of my bikes - in my experience it is normally a component which is not 100% tightened.
I would check following things:

are the quick releases tight enough (rims and seatpost)
are the screws tight enough (especially on the saddle)

You can try to find the noise by stepping on one pedal while the bike is standing still.


Mountain bike axle diameters Out of interest I would like to understand the benefits of having a 15mm or 20mm through axle over a 9mm QR (and a 10mm vs. a 12mm TA on the rear).

What difference does it make to the ride?

The claims are that the through axles offer a stiffer fork, giving more precise handling and performance, over a 9mm QR. 15mm through axles evolved as a lighter alternate to the 20mm ones - which are heavy and overkill for XC and most all mountain riding, with a similar weight to 9mm QR but the stiffer performance.

At the highest end (both bike and rider) I am certain the performance improvements are real and measurable. As you drop down in cost/ rider ability, somewhere there is a crossover point where it makes no difference - the forks performance (or lack of) smothers any real difference. The cynic in me believes that for all but the most elite on the most expensive bikes, the placebo effect of spending $1000's on new kit is more of a driver for the better performance than any real, scientifically measurable difference. Many reports I have read are similar to  "My shiny new $5K toy with 20mm axles is much stiffer and more predictable than my 10 year old $1K bike with 9mm QR. Those 20mm axles are the best!"

One definite advantage of through axles is that there is a documented and real issue with QR on front forks and disc brakes, where the front wheel is ejected under heavy baking due to the torque generated by the disc. This has been half solved with "Lawyer lugs" - the wheel stays on now, but can come loose. This is only a real issue for those with large disk rotors and those that fail to do the QR up properly. The average XC rider on 160mm discs will never see the problem.

A possible disadvantage of through axles are the removal and re-installation of wheels is harder, often needing tools (you can get QR through axles), making less suitable for field puncture repairs etc. You may need a new bike rack (if you use a fork mount style).


Can you use a wide range 11-42 cassette with a double crankset Can you use a 10 or 11 speed wide range (11-42, 10-42, or 11-40) cassette with a double crankset?

I know these wide range cassettes are typically built for a 1x setup on a mountain bike, but is there any reason why you couldn't pair this with a front derailleur and run it with a double crankset? I would assume to be running a type 2 clutch rear derailleur anyway to support the wide range and reduce chain slap on smaller cogs.

An 11-42t cassette as per the title, no. An 11-40t however as you mention, yes! Shimano has the answer here. So if you're not already tied into SRAM then I'd jump ship to Shimano. They have the answer to your question.


Need help identifying this Specialized bike Looking to purchase this bike, but wanted to verify what kind of specialized bike it is. Thanks in advance!

It's a 2018 Women's Specialized Sirrus Disc.

Also here, on the Specialized site


Need help debugging ebike: Laggy motor / inconsistent behavior My ebike has been acting weird lately, and I need help figuring out why. It's my daily driver, so I'm hesitant to turn it in for service, as that would probably take at least a month. The bike's one of these. It's built to follow Norwegian/European requirements, which means it has a pedal-assist sensor and a max speed of 25 km/h. It also has e-brakes, meaning the motor is disengaged at the slightest use of the brake handles. Settings are pretty limited with three assistance settings (low, mid, high), in addition to a walk-assist button and the on/off switch. It's mostly stored indoors, both at home and at work. It's only left outside for shorter periods of time when I'm visiting friends and family.

Some observations:

The motor sometimes does not work at all, and only provides assistance in short, inconsistent bursts, completely disregarding set assistance level.
The motor will be always on, disregarding the pedal-assist requirement, just blasting full throttle unless I squeeze the brakes.
The on/off button seems to work fine. As in, when the bike has the battery connected but is switched off, the motor does not engage.
Most of the time, the bike works perfectly.
Possibly coincidental, but the incidents have always happened on/after rainy days.
I first experienced this after leaving the bike unused while on vacation for 3 weeks.
All incidents have occurred on a fully or near fully charged battery.

Hypotheses:

This is somehow related to a wet battery-connection.
Pedal-assist sensor is broken.
Ebrakes are not working properly.

The battery and connector both look fine. I have not yet inspected the wiring or the motor itself. I am grateful for any assistance with how to proceed. Thanks!

The unusual bursts / full blast behavior could be related to your cadence sensor at the bottom bracket. Depending on the type, it could be related to water ingress  / corrosion to the sensing contacts, causing false pedaling to be registered. Also makes sense if it happens around rainy days as water might affect the sensing.

Do you have a throttle you can use to isolate the problem?


How do I change a road bike into a commuter bike? I have a road bike that I commute to work on, just a 9km trip each way.  I also have some tightness in my lower back, especially since I usually sit in front of a computer screen.  My wife wants me to change my road bike set up so that I am no longer bent over when riding, but have a more upright posture.  Can I change the stem and handle bars easily (and cheaply) for a flat bar configuration so as to turn my road bike into a commuter bike?

P.S. I am also planning on getting some panniers fitted, so as to take the weight of a backpack off me, but that will probably be another question.

You can probably change the stem to something shorter with more rise and not have anything else to change. This may be enough to relieve the back pressure and the drop bars will give you more hand positions which I've always found easier on my carpal tunnel.

Changing the handle bars to flat bars will mean you have to get a set of shifters and brake levers to go with the new handle bar style.

I'd also recommend that you get a set of full wrap fenders so you can keep the road spray to a minimum.

I'm a designer and programmer so I understand the issues around sitting all day. A better investment may be in your chair at the office and your desk. You're spending way more time sitting there every day than you are on your bike. That is the place that you can most likely get the most benefit by setting it up for a proper ergonomic workspace.


How Can I Increase My Braking Power? I've been reading a bit about riding and braking techniques (http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html) and I'm having some trouble pulling off the hard front brake.

I believe this is the style of brake that I have on my bicycle:

However, when I apply my front brake, with maximum force - it doesn't seem to be nearly enough to send me over the handlebars or skid the tire.  I slow down, but it seems to be fairly gradual.

I've adjusted my brakes myself (possibly, I've done it incorrectly...) but there is very little clearance between my rims.  My wheels both seem to have a very tiny wobble that prevents me from setting my brakes any tighter, but when I pull the brake it feels fairly soft, almost as if the cables have some stretch to them?

My real question here is what can I do to improve my braking time?  Does it sound like I've done something wrong.  I did have the brake pads replaced once before, but they appear to be in good condition.

First off, if anyone has mucked with the components on the bike it's possible that they exchanged either the brake levers or the brakes themselves and produced a mismatch where the levers are not capable of providing enough pressure.  But this shouldn't be a problem if the bike has all it's original components.

And if, when you squeeze the brake levers, they "bottom out" against the bar, that indicates that they're misadjusted or the cables are rusted/worn.  (If, due to wheel wobble, you can't adjust tight enough to prevent bottoming out then you need to get the wheel trued.)

But failing those, likely it's a problem with the brake pads.  First make sure they are squarely pressing against the side of the rim and have not gotten twisted to where they're making poor contact.  And check to see that the pads are not worn down to where the metal pad holder is close to hitting the rim.  (Note that the rear edge of the brake pad will tend to wear faster than the front -- simply because the pad looks good from the front does not mean it is good.)

If the pads are not worn out (and they don't have oil on them or some other such problem) then it's probably just a problem with pads that are too hard and you need new pads that are a little "grabbier".  This is, to a degree, a personal choice thing, as there are different pad materials with different characteristics (and most people don't like pads that grab too much), but it's also true that a given set of pads will get harder and brake more poorly as they get older and more worn.

One last possibility is that you have the rare case of steel rims (usually only seen on very cheap bikes).  Brakes don't work nearly as well on steel rims as on aluminum, and so for steel you need pads that are quite "grabby".


Puncture resistant 18" tires? I need to replace the 18" cheap Schwalbe iMPAC Streetpac 47-355 tires that came with my Birdy folding bike with puncture resistante tires. I almost never ride on country roads, so thinner tires are fine.

Does someone know of alternatives to the Schwalbe Marathon Plus 35-355?

Thank you.

The Marathon Racer is also available in 18". Won't be as puncture resistant as the Plus, but lighter.

(My (second hand) Birdy is still on the Mad Mike's it came with. My previous folders (20" tyres) used Big Apples, and I didn't have puncture problems, and the Apple is also available in 18", but it's fatter.)


Shimano TOURNEY FC-TY301 crank arm material I have spent ~30 minutes searching for a clue, maybe I'm getting old and dull...
Are the FC-TY301 crank arms made of steel or aluminium alloy?

The crank-arms are aluminium as of any Shimano cranks but the chain-rings in this case are steel. The axle is always steel.

If you have a unit at hand, it's easy to check with a magnet.

(Anyway, a magnet may be a useful item also in shop for a discrete test of a component or a metal frame for material.)


Will dual pivot caliper brakes work on cantilever fork? I have 26” tokyobike(used to be 650c) with tektro r369 which are long reach dual pivot caliper brakes. I want to change the fork so I can put wider tyres. Will the 26” mtb cantilever fork work with the brakes? Will the brake pads reach the rim?
I’ve post the pic of the fork I mentioned from ebay.
Thanks

You need fork with approximately the same axle to crown length (i.e. the fork legs are the same length as your current fork), with a proper brake mounting hole at the top of the forks. The hole in the forks in the picture is for mounting mudguards or fenders and is not suitable for mounting a caliper brake.


handlebar light (or mount) with ball and socket joint Is there a handlebar light or mount that uses a ball and socket joint or otherwise allows complete freedom to change where it points? I like to adjust my light depending on a # of factors. For example, as I approach someone on the trail, I'll adjust the light down and to the right to avoid blinding them. Sometimes I'll want it more up (in areas with branches at head level) or to the side (for an upcoming turn). And so on.

I've been unable to find a product providing this kind of adjustability.

In contrast, handlebar mirrors often have such joints. Currently, I rubberband a flashlight to the back of my mirror at night. The mirror joint has enough strength to hold the additional weight of the light and yet lets me adjust it just by pushing. No tools required. I've been doing this for a while so I could continue but it takes some attention - rubber bands only last a few days in the sun so I have to check them before each ride, and strapping it on is a bit of a nuisance. I'd prefer something that I could just snap on/off. Or maybe I just need to find some kind of "better rubberband" that is more reliable and stands up to weather? (I've looked for that too without success. Velcro won't work - it has to have some stretch because the mirror doesn't mate perfectly with the flashlight.)

Please don't suggest a headlamp. (I avoid headlamps. I've tried them. I regularly ride/run with others and they are frequently blinding me and each other, etc.)

Philips Saferide came with a ball and socket mount. The light has been discontinued though. Possibly you can get replacement mounts and adapt them: Philips page for holder.

Personally I'd look for something that uses a rubber strap to hold it onto the handlebar, loose enough that you can move it to point up and down, but tight enough to stay stable when moved. Adjusting the Philips ball and socket to work that way, instead of setting aim once and then tightening to lock, could be tricky.


How can I combine Garmin recorded track data with FitBit heart rate data? I have a Garmin Oregon 600 and FitBit Charge HR. Is there a way I can combine the GPS track from the Garmin with the heart rate data from the FitBit so that I can use it in a visualization tool like MyGPSFiles?

Also, if there is a way to do this by manually editing the files please let me know. I could turn this into a project and write a program to merge the data but I don't know what filetype would support this combination of data.

I would prefer not having to carry my cellphone, but would replacing the Garmin with a smartphone make it easier?

The GPX files produced by GPS devices are just XML so can fairly easily be edited by computer programs (and simple edits like removing sections where your GPS glitched out can even be done “by hand” with a text editor). The XML schema includes fields for all kinds of things, including heart rate.

It seems the FitBit Charge can export data in CSV format, which is also a simple-to-parse text format. Combining these with a script should be fairly easy as long as you know how to program and you use appropriate libraries for, e.g., handling the XML.

Make sure the clocks on your devices are well synchronised. A few seconds’ difference wouldn’t be the end of the world but you wouldn’t want more than that, I’d have thought.


Can´t remove BMX stem top cap bolt (won´t loosen) I was trying to remove the handlebar and stem of my bike in order to be replace them. The bike has got a BMX stem and the top cap bolt is spinning freely in both clock and counterclockwise.

Any idea on how to proceed to take it out?

Thanks in advance.

It could be that either the star fangled nut itself is spinning or the inserted threads in the nut are spinning.  If you take off the front wheel and look up the steerer tube can you see the nut?  Is it spinning?  It it is spinning just stick a long screw driver up there to hold it in place while you take out the top cap bolt.  You can hammer in a new star fangled nut on top of the old broken one.


What should I do about salt in V-brakes? I've been riding a lot thins winter in spite of unusually snowy, icy, and slushy conditions. While I know how to lube and clean my chain and can deal with other accumulated filth, I'm having trouble with my V-brakes.

When I'm squeezing the brakes, they work fine. That's the most important thing, but the problem starts when I release the brakes and continue riding. The brake arms aren't pulling the brakes back off the rims.

The brake arms have springy metal rods that are supposed to pull the brakes back when they're not being applied to the rims. Those springy rods are working as usual but the brake arms are firmly stuck and don't move back and forth freely. The force of my hands through my cables is enough to force them but the springy rods is not. I removed the brake assemblies and they're really resistant to swinging and salt encrusted at the ring where the motion happens.

I don't know weather there are bearings inside or just metal sleeves rubbing against each other, but I can't reach inside the mechanism to lubricate anything. I tried scraping the salt out and scrubbing with a damp cloth and that improved things but still isn't really satisfactory.

I'd like advice about what to do or any information about the internals of V-brakes. If it's just metal sleeves, I'll immerse them in warm water and rinse them out. If it's bearings, I guess they're not user-serviceable. Or maybe there's some secret I'm not seeing.

Help me out.

If @ Daniel R Hicks suggestion doesn't work you might need some more intense maintainence. Remove the brake cables from the calipers. Then remove the brakes from the bike, disassemble them completely. Clean all the salt and corrosion from the shaft and the pivot holes of the brake arms. Lightly lube the pivot points and shaft (I am partial to white grease) with a small paint brush. Reassemble the caliper and remount. You may want to do just the front first, that way you have the rear as an example if you get confused during the reassembly. Once everything is cleaned up, a periodic rinse and relube should keep things moving.


Single wall rims with disc brakes I'm building up a 36-spoke dynamo front wheel for a Mongoose Envoy cargo bike. It will be used casually for short trips, but I weigh 230 lbs and I may have a child or a load of groceries on. The stock tires are 60mm wide.
I have a 25mm wide, aluminum rim from an old Mongoose mountain bike, however it is a single-wall rim. I have never ridden or even seen an aluminum single wall rim and I want to know if it will be strong enough or if I should buy a more modern rim such as a Sun Rhyno Lite. As far as I know, disk brakes put more load on wheels than rim brakes and, since disc brakes didn't exist when this single wall rim was made, will there be a problem using it on a disc brake wheel?

Single wall rims on disc brake wheels aren't especially any more problematic than with a rim brake. It's a pretty cynical way for bike manufacturers to allocate parts dollars, so thankfully it's not super common.
Putting a single wall rim on a cargo bike is a bad idea though. Single wall rims are far less structurally efficient than double wall, typically manifesting as being less rigid and able to support less spoke tension. (Specimens do exist that go the other direction and are strong but very heavy.) Typical singlewall aluminum ATB/hybrid rims can't really be built to more than about 70 kgf before buckling in the stand or having major fatigue problems, compared to 100 minimum for even a basic double wall. That's a massive difference in strength. Also, 25mm external is very marginal for a 60mm tire.
A Rhynolite or Rhynolite XL is an okay choice, but the world has moved on from the days when they were a great choice for something like this. They're not disc-specific, and you do get extra strength for the weight out of a proper disc-specific rim.


What are these washers that came with my front wheel quick release? I just bought my first bike in probably a decade (Schwinn Discover hybrid bike). There is a quick release for the front wheel. The skewer had a nut, lever, 2 springs, and these 2 washers on it. The instructions explain all the other parts, but don't mention the washers. Any idea what I should do with them?

Those washers help prevent your axles from dropping out of the dropouts if your quick releases become loose. In the USA, the CPSC requires some sort of secondary axle retention device -- if you don't have "lawyer's lips," you're likely to have these.

With some solid axles, they also help a bit with the axle nuts not loosening by themselves.

With ebikes, they can serve as antirotation washers, preventing the torque of the hub motor from twisting the axle loose.

They should be flush against the outside sides of your forks, right next to the bolts. There should be a notch in the fork or dropout in which the indent fits. The photo is of solid axle rear dropouts so just imagine them in a vertical orientation with front quickreleases.


Wobbly bottom bracket on Radford, need guidance to replace I have an aluminium frame Raleigh bike that's been stuck at the back of my garage for a few years now. It has a wobbly bottom crank. I assume the bearings have gone, but A; I don't have the tool to get the crank out, and B; I don't even know if the crank can be replaced.
It has square things that the pedal stems attach to each side, and after I managed to force the pedal shafts off the crank, there was a thin nut (lock nut?) which I removed from the protruding thread. I don't have a picture currently, but the right side(where the thin nut was) looks like the left side of this picture;

which is a Tredz.co.uk Raleigh crank.
So how do I find out which crank I need and what tool I need to remove the old one? Also, do I need any extra tools to install the new one?
I'd love to get the bike working again, and the cranks seem to be pretty cheap.
Edit:
Here are the photos:

Update:
Thanks to you guys I could move forward with a better understanding of what I needed to do. For clarity, here are some better pics of the bike and the removed BB:
(click for original size)

I mistakenly thought it was a Raleigh, but that was my other bike. This one is a Radford. The new BB I bought looks a lot like the one I posted first actually.
Thanks for the help Guys.

What you have in the picture is a cartridge-style bottom bracket which contains the bottom bracket bearings. What you called the 'pedal stems' are the cranks.

Cranks should be removed from the square tapers on the bracket shaft with a special crank puller tool such as the Park Tool CWP-7. If you forced the cranks off by other means you have possibly damaged them. If re-installed on a bottom bracket they may keep working loose.

The bottom bracket is removed using a bottom bracket tool such as the Park Tool BBT-22 that fits into the splines in the cartridge body.


Could someone help me identify this bike? I would much appreciate it if someone could help me identify this bike? The decals says Viner, but I think the bike is from a different manufacture.

Here are some images:

They were an Italian manufacturer, I'm not sure if the branding has been resold since the 70's as there are new bikes now with the same name.
They were used professionally and known for their lug ornamentation on some models.

There have been a few folks with similar questions here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/175841-vintage-viner.html


35km commute possible? Currently, on every other day I commute to work which is a distance of 18km each way. I enjoy this ride but next year I may be moving to a place which will be about 35km from work. Questions:

1) Would it still be reasonable to commute this kind of distance each way once I have moved?

2) Google maps estimates that this distance would take 2 hours to complete. Would it be possible (depending on the bike and fitness) to do this distance in about an hour?

2) Google maps estimates that this distance would take 2 hours to complete. Would it be possible (depending on the bike and fitness) to do this distance in about an hour?

Given that most commutes have a number stops, to ride 35 km in an hour you would be having to be averaging speeds around 40 kph+ when moving (likely more depending on the length of stops).  This could be done by a very fit rider, on a TT bike every so often.  To do this level of effort consistently 2-3 times every week, week after week, into head winds and rain, while carrying a load (e.g., lunch and cloths) is incredibly doubtful.

If you can't spare more time, one option could be some of the high performance pedalec bikes. Some of very high-end ones these can sustain speeds of 45 kph and have ranges up to 80-100km. A few of these also do a good job matching your input power the profile so that you do not notice the assist (you just feel faster). Because you still have to work with a pedalec, it is still possible to get a good workout by modifying the level of assistance.

One additional considerations are your local laws. For example, in Canada I believe pedalecs are legally limited to 32 kph. So a 45 kph pedelecs may be illegal unless registered as a moped! Although there may be legal loop holes with how the bike provides assistance (i.e., no throttle).  I am no lawyer, so take this caveat with a grain of salt.


Is it acceptable to cycle towards the centre of the lane on blind corners? Some context: I live near a very congested main road, and everyone goes through the villages whenever it is blocked. If I am cycling, I have a continuous stream of cars passing me, even if they can't see the road ahead. So to prevent them overtaking (more for their safety than mine) I pull out more towards the centre.

I have seen that this answer says that it is okay to take the full lane when

  the lane isn't wide enough for a car to pass safely (to discourage dangerously close passing)

But my situation isn't about close passing, it is about passing that is dangerous to others, and consequently could be dangerous to be me.

Should I be "taking the lane" to stop people doing this, or is this not the right way to deal with it?

Just for reference, this is the road I am riding along, the worst point is half way, there is a sharp left then right.

Yes, you should absolutely be taking the lane, provided the car behind you will have time to slow down when you move to take the lane.

Passing too close, passing on a blind corner, passing that endangers others and yourself, these are all equally dangerous. This sounds like a dangerous situation all around, I highly recommend you record your ride so if someone does hit you, you can make quick work of the insurance claim.


Merida Matts TFS 600 original chain lube What lubricant does the chain of a Merida TFS 600 bring from its factory?

Typically, a chain uses a grease lubricant which is applied hot to the chain into every crevase of the chain before the chain is assembled. Its generally the best lube you can get on a chain, but its impossible to apply at home in the same way (contrary to sheldon brown) [aside from the fact that that particular formula is likely not sold]. Some more details from Shimano are here.


Spoke length allowance I used an online spoke calculator for, uh, calculating the spoke lengths that I need. The results of the calculator are as follows:

Front

Left - 276.5mm
Right - 277.8mm

Rear

Left - 275mm
Right - 273.4mm

The rims are WTB KOM Tough i35 27.5" with an ERD of 568mm. The hubs are Shimano XT M8110-B.
Thing is, LBSs here only have limited lengths for different tire sizes. For 27.5", they only have 270mm and 275mm. Will the 275mm work for my wheels or should I just go look for the correct lengths online?

The length is what matters, so if they claim to have the right length for a different wheel you could use those - but it would be a sign of a clueless shop.
Otherwise better to order the correct length.  275mm for that front right is too short, nearly 3mm under, while for the rear right you're either under or over. Many places stock 2mm increments; my local supplier does 1mm


How come some cyclists lean forward at a 45 - 60 degree angle and I don't? I just wanted to ask how come some cyclists when they ride they lean forward, with their arms straight, resemble a 45 to 60 degree angle (which looks cool by the way).

I have a hybrid bike and I wish I could get that look and it seems to be more efficient because some of the weight looks to be shifted in the front wheel compared with cycling on a straight back (90-80 degrees angle).

Is it the distance between the seat and the handlebars? Is that the reason they have to bend their body? Or is it something else?

To complement Neil Fein's answer, the rider's position is almost entirely controlled (given a particular rider) by the geometry of the bike.

Compare the following bikes. In the first image of a hybrid bike, the saddle is slightly below the handlebars. In the second image depicting a road racing bike, the saddle is well above it, forcing the rider to lean farther over to reach the lower handlebar position. In the third image of a time trial bike, the seat height and handlebar height have remained relatively unchanged, but the seatpost is at a much steeper angle and the intended grip brings the arms much further forward, forcing an even more horizontal position in order to put the hands on the bars.

Now look at the riders in this next series of images to better see the difference.

(source: bicycledutch.wordpress.com)

(source: www.flickr.com)

(source: bikesportmichigan.com)


Are there any good reasons not to remove cantilever brake bosses in order to fit calliper brakes? I have a steel bike, with cantilever brakes. I much prefer calliper brakes.
I'm planning to get the frame resprayed. Maybe this isn't such a great idea, but I'm wondering about having the cantilever braze-ons removed, in order to use callipers instead. To be clear (and to address some of the comments), removed by a frame-builder who knows what they're doing, not removed by me with a hacksaw in my garage.
It so happens that versions of this bike were also built with callipers. Perhaps that makes it a marginally less bad idea...
What do you think?

A framebuilder could do this in a sound way. The best approach is to do as much as possible cold, i.e. cut off the bulk of the posts and work the area back down to smooth with files and then sanding.
For the most part, it sounds like a giant hassle that accomplishes little and is founded on the misconception that cantis aren't good brakes.
One exception to that could be if there's something about the frame/fork design that made cantis a bad choice. For example, if overly flexy stays or blades were used, performance with cantis can be lacking. If this is the problem you're trying to address and you're willing to go to this length to do it, going to direct mount centerpulls like Mafac, Herse, or Paul would be far superior to a caliper in terms of braking power, assuming this bike has the kind of clearances that usually go along with cantilevers in the first place.
You haven't mentioned reach measurements, but in the more normal case that this is some kind of typical hybrid/touring/cx bike, it would probably need very long reach calipers to use the existing bridge and fork, although the bridge could in theory be moved. Those kinds of calipers are pretty mediocre brakes compared to a well set up cantilever. You'd be giving up a lot of function.
If you want the bike set up to not have any use for long reach, and again assuming it's a clearance-heavy bike now, then probably the best path would be replace the fork entirely rather than rework it, and move the bridge. That way you can use any reach-appropriate off the shelf modern caliper with a recessed nut front and rear without having to screw around with either adapting modern brakes to non-recessed nuts or working with the few extant options for stock non-recessed nut calipers.
I wonder if you're using basic smooth post low profile cantis and making the assumption that other types are equally hard to live with, or if the bike is set up to create excess shutter off the front brake. These problems are all solvable with less extreme measures and certainly with better results than an ultra long reach caliper.


Do I really need to use primer first? It's my first time trying my hand at spray painting my bicycle. Do I really need to spray paint with primer first?

I've already dismantled and sandpapered the bike and was thinking of giving it two coats of matte black instead of Primer.

I have extensive experience painting metal. Here are my rules of thumb.

Rough up the metal, lots of nooks and crannies ensure the primer will stick. Sanding or sandblasting is the best way to do this. As pointed out in the comments, aluminium should be roughed up "nicely" :)
Clean the surface with some type of alcohol after you're done sanding. After you've cleaned it, wear gloves when handling the frame from now on. The oils on your hands can taint the paint job.
I always double coat the metal with primer because metal is prone to oxidization. Effect is diminished in aluminium, but can't be too careful. If your bicycle frame is aluminium, you'll need a special type of primer. Ask the guys at the hardware store or a car repair place what they recommend.
Single component paint works better on aluminium.

In conclusion:

Primer is necessary for all types of metal
Special attention is needed for aluminium
The amount of effort you put into the paint job will show in the final product. Do it right once and your bike will look fine for years.


Garmin Edge Touring can't do car, walking, or straight-line routing directions? I previously owned an Edge 605, and recently replaced it with an Edge Touring.  One key feature which I can't figure out on the Edge Touring is Car or Pedestrian routing.  On the 605 you could choose "Car/Motorcycle," "Cycling," or "Pedestrian" routing.   The Edge Touring however only seems to offer "Cycling," "Tour Cycling," or "Mountain Biking."

This is a serious issue for me because I use the device in mixed environments away from home, such as a trip where I do walking, cycling, and driving on a single trip.  Whereas the best road cycling directions on the Edge 605 were actually given by the Car mode with Highways disabled, I can't figure out how to get decent driving directions on the Edge Touring.  Is it even possible?  If it's not possible on the Edge Touring, what about on the Edge 800, 810, or 1000?  This information doesn't appear to be listed on Garmin's own site, nor can I discern it from the various product reviews online.

Similarly I miss the "Straight Line" style navigation from the Edge 605--sometimes there is no known route but you still want the distance-to-destination and direction pointing to work; I have also failed to figure out how to do this on the Edge Touring.

If it helps, I am using the City Navigator maps for Southeast Asia...the map data is all there, just the routing capabilities seem lacking on the Touring model.  I also used some OpenStreetMap files in Asia which worked OK but again the device only offers bicycle routing whereas the old models offered car routing with the same maps.

There is a website called http://www.dcrainmaker.com please check out page http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/08/garmin-touring-computer.html for the full guide however to answer your question and encase it disappears;

You can also specify if you want to start the route from where you are, or from another point on the map.

Once you’ve given it some instructions it’ll go off and come back with three routes (it’s like Monty Python – everything is in threes).  It did take a bit of time (perhaps 2 minutes) to come up with the routes.  Each route is roughly the distance you’ve specified, and all routes come back to where you started.

You can select any given route option to get a map overview:
There are a number of settings around routing and navigation within the options (applicable to round trip routing and generic routing), including how the unit routes and whether it, for example, minimizes routes with hills. This point here is were you select routing mode. it's not everything you were after but should give you a good help towards it.

Full specifications for the device, versus other devices, are at the bottom of his page.


How are the wheels spokes laced in the bikes you buy at shops? Is there a machine that does the lacing  or does it have to be manual work?
And in the first case, what does it look like and how does it work?

Manufacturers will use machines to build the wheels, however on top end bikes the manufacturer will build the wheels by hand (a skilled wheel builder's work is considered better than that of a machine).
Your LBS will unlikeley have a machine to build wheels and this will be done by hand.

So in summary. New bike - wheel was most likeley build by machine. Repairs - wheel was almsot certainley built by hand.

As @arne said. You can search youtube for "cycle wheel building machine"


How to waterproof Shimano dynamo connector? I have a Shimano DH-3N31-NT hub dynamo with following type of connector:

Yesterday, diodes in the bridge rectifier of my front LED light exploded. While I was disassembling the light, I noticed that the wires inside of the connector were more than a bit patinated after some 7 months of use.

I'm wondering, what should I do to weatherproof the wires? The dynamo manual, as far as I can see, doesn't mention any weatherproofing steps.

I use ShoeGoo or Sugru (you can Google both brand names) for waterproofing connectors.

The advantage of both is that they are flexible and waterproof, but also relatively easy to remove in the field without any gooey residue (which tape tends to leave). I also find it hard to use shrinkwrap to waterproof connections where the diameter of the two parts is more than 1:2 in ratio, because of the limitations of the shrinkwrap shrinkage. Nail polish becomes very brittle very quickly.

For the dyno connector, I'd use ShoeGoo. Assemble the connector. Put just a very small (lentil pea) size on your fingertip and rub it in like caulking compound on the outside of all mating surfaces. You want to get into all the cracks but you don't want to apply too much and weld things together. . This ensures that you'll be able to still take it apart in the field.

The one exception is where the wires enter the connector body. I might put some ShoeGoo on the outside of the wire before sliding it fully into the connector to ensure that it's well sealed.

As Daniel Hicks has mentioned, some dielectric grease on the bare wires will help. You can get a tiny squeeze tube at the checkout counter of the auto parts store for under $2.


2 broken spokes same side, can I replace with one from the other side? I had an accident and now have 2 broken spokes on the rear wheel of my mountain bike. No bike tools, and no bike shops in the country with 29 inch spokes or rims.

Anyway I have removed the two broken spokes and have a badly warped back wheel. The two spokes are both from the same side, there is 3 intact spokes between them.

Given that there is no way to replace these spokes at the moment, if I took a spoke from the other side and replaced one of the broken ones would it help true the wheel? I need this bike, so I'm going to have to use it until I can order spokes from overseas but it's unrideable at the moment.

Would it be better to try and replace both with spokes from the front wheel perhaps?

I've read about spoke tools, but I don't have anything like that, is it possible to do this with normal tools?

Update:- Got the back rim unwarped, just a bit wobbly now, and managed to get into town with a replacement front rim off my girls bike. Couldn't find a 26, so hopefully will do better on Monday when more places are open.

Can you? Sure!
Should you? Well...
You say it's a mountain bike - what kind of riding do you do? If you're mostly doing commuting on smooth roads, you should be able to get away with it through careful riding, avoiding curbs, pot-holes and other harsh knocks. If you're riding off-road on even moderately bumpy terrain, I'd say that's a prescription for a wheel failure which will end up in another accident, and this time it may not be just the wheel that ends up broken.
As far as spoke wrenches go, when I last really worked on a wheel, the top of the nipple had a small slot in it where you could use a slotted screwdriver. It appears that they still do:
Shamelessly stolen from Bike Parts Place.com
You can remove the tire, tube and rim tape then use your screwdriver in this slot. I'd suggest that when you order your spokes you would want to order either a multi-size spoke wrench or a set of single-size wrenches (I just picked up a Parke Tools multi-size one last night for $10, the set was about $15) as that will make quick tweaks to truing much easier in the future. I'd also suggest ordering a few extra spokes, just to have them on hand should this ever happen to you again.
Since it's your rear wheel and that takes the majority of your weight, I'd suggest that you'd want to temporarily replace both of them with spokes from the front. Where from the front you'd want to pull them, I'm not certain - I'd hope someone else will chime in on that. Pulling them from right next to each other increases the weakness at that spot, but makes it easier to maintain true, while pulling from 180° from each other spreads the weakness, but makes it more difficult to true up.
As a side note, I'm curious where you are that you've got a bike with 29" wheels - I certainly don't know all there is to know about bikes, but that's a diameter I've not heard of before.


Pinch flats: hardtail vs full suspension. Differences? I ride a hardtail, and I wonder if a full suspension prevents pinch flats in the rear wheel. I don't get pinch flats; but I want to know what to expect from a hardtail vs full suspension. I'm a heavy man (100 kgs) and like to go fast (60+ k/h) in bad dirt roads (not downhill), and my main worry is getting a pinch flat (or blow out). I use 40 psi in my rear wheel (26x2.10).

Honestly this has more to do with how you let your bike "float" underneath you over obstructions than it does with rear suspension or the lack thereof. Since you can potentially go faster on a full suspension over rough terrain than you can on a hardtail I would say you're just as likely to get pinch flats. You just have to unweight the back of the bike and stay loose as you cross rocks/roots/whatever. That's a crucial key not only in reducing pinch flats, but in going faster over technical terrain as well.

Short answer, just as likely on either platform depending on your riding style.


Is it possible to upgrade a rear derailleur with an other model, same company Shimano and the same speed I'm planning to upgrade my MBT bike for a real one, well entry-level.
Talon 3 2019, which comes with these specs for shifters and derailleurs

Shifters: Shimano Altus, 3x8

Front Derailleur: Shimano Altus

Rear Derailleur: Shimano Acera

I was thinking, maybe I could upgrade the rear derailleur Acera for this one :

Shimano Deore SL RD-M591 SGS 8/9 Speed Rear. Is is possible or maybe Alivio ?

Thanks I'm new to this world, I just love biking and the derailleurs make a huge difference, I want a good one! Thanks a lot

Replacing the Acera rear derailleur with the RD-M591 is possible.  Despite being marketed as a "9-speed" rear derailleur (the 9 referring to the number gears/sprockets/cogs--all mean the same thing--that make up your rear cassette), the M591 will work.  It is of a higher class/quality of components that Shimano named "Deore."   So this Deore derailleur will work with your 3x8 drivetrain because all Shimano 7, 8 & 9 speed rear derailleurs share the same "actuation ratio," meaning these rear derailleurs move the same amount per mm of cable pulled by the shifter.  Thus, your 8 speed shifter will pull an amount of cable to make an 8 speed spaced shift and the Deore will move the correct amount--the same amount the Acera or even a 7-speed, Tourney-class, rear derailleur would.

Conventional wisdom states that upgrading components on a new bike (& even more so, on a used bike) is more expensive than paying a little more for a bike that comes equipped with a higher class of components already.  Especially if labor (your own or a bike shop's) to replace components is considered.  In addition, the trend in mountain biking is going to a 1x drivetrain (expressed, "one-by") where there is a single chainring in the front and 10, 11 or 12 rear sprockets in the back.  This eliminates the weight and maintenence of a front derailleur and shifter, and two chain rings.  As your biking develops and you learn how u like to ride, open it up to different things.

Your derailleur upgrade is reasonable. It will work.  One other thought is that you'll require the SGS caged (the longest option) M591.  While it's still the rear derailleur we're discussing, the reason for needing a long cage (the lower part of a rear derailleur that houses the two small pulley wheels) is related to having a triple chainwheel up front.  There's more chain to take up and keep tight between the large ring and the small ring and rear derailleur's cage must be able to handle that range.


Rear road bike Shimano cassette wobbling during freewheel On my road bike with Shimano stuff the rear cassette with all the cogs wobbles when I free wheel it.

It is very much like this video on youtube, except the bike I own is nowhere near as good or as pricey as the bike (my bike is like a $150-200 bike), and the wobbling on my cassette is much worse (I would describe it as oscillating)

Is this an issue? Is there a way to tighten the cassette so that that it does not wobble?

I've not seen a cassette that doesn't do this, IMO they all do it to some degree as the cassettes floats on its bearings unless the pawls are engaged. Some say it's by design perhaps to aid with gear changes etc.
I used to have £2000 road bike with custom built wheels that used to do the same thing,  it never caused any trouble even after many thousands of miles riding.
Unless it's causing specific issues I wouldn't worry about it.


How can I not break my sprocket next time My sprocket was doing loud noises and when I looked at it, it looks like this

https://imgur.com/gallery/kcISjFd

I bought a new sprocket but I want to know, what can I do to avoid these types of problems again?

Video of issue when installed on bike: https://imgur.com/a/ZCmyOmV

It was set up without a spindle adapter. There can't be any wiggle between the sprocket and the spindle, or else something like this will happen.


Troubleshooting Noise from Avid BB-7 Road Disc Brakes I'm trying to track down a dragging sound from some Avid BB-7 brakes on a Kona Sutra. The hub is a Shimano Alfine DH-S501 dynamo hub with an SM-RT82 Centerlock disc. The noise sounds like a dragging pad, but, so far, I've been unable to make it go away. Here's what I've done so far:

Trued the rotor – runout is < 0.05 mm measured using a dial indicator on the rotor in a truing stand.
Aligned caliper to the rotor by loosening the caliper mounting bolts, then tightening the adjusters to clamp the rotor between the pads, and finally retorting the mounting bolts.
Checked pad thickness (wear limit), the pads are tapered, the thickness is about 3.6 mm at the outside of the rotor and about 4.0 mm at the inside.
Checked the hub bearings – the disc side locknut was loose, but the cones seem to be well adjusted. In the truing stand I can cause about 0.1 mm of deflection at the disc with lateral pressure at the rim. That doesn't seem excessive…

As I was looking at the brakes, I noticed that the pads seem to be closer to the rotor at the outside (like their resting configuration is 'V' shaped). As I adjust the pads I start to hear dragging sounds well before the brake travel is reasonable (the lever will go all the way to the bars, and I can move the wheel by hand when the lever is bottomed out). There seems to be a reasonable (i.e., way more than the runout in the disc) amount of space between the pads and the disc where I can see.

I also noticed that the pads themselves do not sit parallel in the caliper. With the adjusters backed all the way out, I can get one side or the other to sit against the frame of the caliper, but the other is slightly angled. It seems like the spring is not pushing out evenly.

Any ideas about what I should do next? Should the pads be tapered / sit in a 'V'?

To align the caliper, loosen the caliper bolts and bring the fixed cpad as close as possible to the rotor without rubbing. Then dial in the fixed pad so that it is as close as possible without rubbing. Then install your cable/housing, and begin adjusting.

To improve brake feel, pre-stretch your cable before making adjustments. Take the wheel out, out a pad spacer in (Pedro's tire lever works great, or any other non-metal object), and squeeze the lever as hard as you can ten times. This will seat the housing into the ferrules, as well as stretch the cable out.

If the pads are sitting in a "V", then the brake pad spring most likely needs replacing. You could also try spreading it open a bit first, but the springs are so cheap that it's worth it just to get new ones.

P.S. The Alfine dynamo actually uses loose ball bearings, making it re-packable. It's tricky, due to the wiring connectors, but it's nice to be able to do it yourself.

Avid Brake Pad Spring


Maximum Brake Temperatures How hot does a bicycle disk get?  I’ve been working on heat rejection for auto/truck disk brakes with some success.  But the disk temperature needs to reach 700 degrees to be effective.  This seems a bit toasty for a bicycle disk.  Any thoughts?

As this pops up #1 on "mtb brake temperature" search, let us continue the answer of @Emyr. On descents the potential energy will be converted into the heat of the braking system, and then dissipated into the air. There are two main physical processes going on:

accumulation of (thermal) energy in the brakes, governed by P * t = C * M * DT, where P=power, t=time, C=heat capacity (of steel/aluminium, or whatever), M=mass of the disc, DT = change of the disc temperature from the ambient temperature, and

dissipation of heat into the air, governed by P = k * S * DT, where S is the area of contact, k is the convective heat transfer coefficient; so for given DT, there is a given power that will be radiated away,

Now the heat transfer coefficient is actually a "capability" depending on many things (like geometry), but also - and mainly, mostly linearly - on the airspeed. There are different values you can find, but I include some typical ones below,

so let's say it is 35 W/(K * m^2) for 16kmh and 70 W/(K * m^2) for 32kmh (and let's ignore the dependence of these coefficients on the temperature).
Now these processes play as follows. On a long descent the heat capacity will quickly be saturated, and all the potential energy lost will have to be radiated away, i.e. the temperature of the disc will go up until the point where the disc radiates away as much as is generated from the descent. Assuming 800W generated (typical biker on ~16kmh descent on somewhat steep slope, and both brakes working), and a disc brake of (2-side) surface (both sides together) 5 dm^2 = 0.05 m^2 disc area, we get to
DT = 400 / (35 * 0.05) =  228 °C
Of course, should the slope be less steep, and allow for same potential energy generated at twice the speed, we would get 114°C. That's why it is the steep slopes that "kill" the brakes.
Now before the steady state is achieved, the disc will store the energy as heat. Assuming the disc is 2mm in diameter, so 0.05dm^3 in volume, so 400g of steel [it is usually much less due to perforations], with heat capacity of 500 J / (kg * °K) we get roughly
DT = 2°C * t [s],
so without the convective losses the disc would warm up by 2°C per second. (Incidently, if your disc is worn out, say to 1mm, it will warm up twice as fast.)
One can now play with different "braking strategies" etc. but almost for sure the following will hold:

increasing the radiating area will help; S → 2S  leads to DT → DT/2 (use both brakes, and/or brakes that have somewhat greater area from which heat is dissipated),
you may increase the radiated power if you allow for a greater temperature (even for limited period of time), but only if the airspeed is the same; it is almost certainly a bad idea to get to "pulsate" by getting to greater speeds and brake to much lower ones (as at the point after the heat is generated, the airspeed will become low, and hence the transfer will be lower).
also notice that for a given slope, the generated power (potential energy lost), and the radiative heat transfer are both proportional to the velocity; hence the steady state temperature of the brakes will be independent of the (steady) velocity.

Let us finish with a view of braking/working disc, and the source of these simulations,

taken from "Thermal/Mechanical Measurement and Modeling of
Bicycle Disc Brakes", ISEA 2018, Ioan Feier and Robin Redfield.


What parts do I need to replace for my bike? I have a MTB (2000  Giant  XtC SE2) with a frame size of 17.5 that I haven't used for 10 years, I was a 5 ft 6 inch and 130lbs back then.

I'm planning to use it again , I'm currently at 6 ft 1 inch and weigh 200lbs.

Which is more practical? Upgrading some parts of bike or getting a new one?

Provided the bike has been kept dry in the intervening years then lube it up, possibly replace the tyres and you're good to go.  However I suspect the problem is your increased height, and to a lesser extent, weight. For your weight, the only things to consider are tyre pressure and maybe stiffening up the forks a little if that is possible.

However, to get the bike to suit your height will be tricky, a 17.5" frame is pretty small for a 6'1" person.  I'm 5'10" and my Specialized of the same size and era feels small after riding properly sized modern era bikes.  You'll probably require an extended seat tube and maybe a longer stem.  The cranks are likely to be 175mm anyway, so you'll have limited choices for anything longer.  But I think it'll end up being less than ideal, the highly extended seat post in particular being a weakness.

I think if you were to try a modern bike for size you'd find the long frame / short stem geometry and 27.5" wheels to your liking.  You're going to need to go to a bike shop to get the seat post and any other bits anyway, so there's no harm in trying.  If you don't like the feel of the new bikes, do up your old one so it kinda fits.  Otherwise shine it up and make back some money to help fund your new purchase.


Can this rear wheel be straightened or does it need to be replaced? This happened on a month old hybrid bike with 350km on it. I unluckily got the back wheel stuck in a grille when getting off a sidewalk. The wheel now wobbles a lot and keeps hitting the rear V-brakes on each rotation. The damage is isolated to this small region and I was wondering if this wheel could be straightened out, as opposed to replacing it.

That rim is dead.  You need to replace the rim at least.

Being Aluminium it won't straighten, it will crack if you un-bend it.

If you choose to continue riding it then you may get more punctures, and you will be damaging the rear brake pad with every revolution./

If the tube/tyre is still holding air then they're probably ok to reuse.


Why did my chain start coming off on the right side of the chainring sometimes when I am pedaling in high gear? I have a 7 speed bike with one chain ring. Recently the chain has started coming off the right side of the chainring occasionally when I am pedaling. My bike has about 2000 miles on it and is about 7 years old. I ride in the northeast in winter so it is exposed to road salt.

I think the chain is coming off when I am in 7th gear and the chain is angling in to the chainring from the right side where the smallest sprocket (7th gear) on my rear wheel is.

I suppose this angle is too steep so that the teeth on the chain ring do not fit into the spaces in the chain but hit the edge of the chain and the chain falls off.

I checked the crank and I don't think it is loose. I can't reproduce the problem deliberately.

I see on the internet some people change their chain at 2000 miles but some wait much longer. Could a worn chain cause the problem?

Is there any other likely explanation?

Why would this start to happen now?

Is there any way to fix it?

Thanks

Chains life spans have huge differences, depending on both conditions and maintenance and quality of the chain itself. If you have 2000 miles on the chain and it has been exposed to road salt, it is very likely that it has been worn out. If you are lucky, you can fix it by just replacing the chain, but if the chain is badly worn you may have replace the cassette and at worst case the chainring too.

If you have to replace the chain ring, there are so-called narrow-wide chainrings that are designed to hold the chain better in single chainring setups.


difference in rear hub widths? I've recently upgraded my road wheel set on my cross bike to a set of hope hoops which came with hope mono rs hubs. At first they required me to adjust the rear dérailleur so that the shifting was working properly after a few weeks I finally put my cross wheel set in realising that the rear dérailleur required adjustment again. Is this because the hubs are different sizes or my poor mechanical work. The rear hub on my cross wheel set is a tiagra 4600: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-tiagra-4600-rear-hub/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&utm_source=pla&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=uk&kpid=5360448791

road wheel set: http://www.hopetech.com/product/mono-rs-rear-hub/

A list of hub spacings is here. Obviously, you need to have a wheel which fits into the frame and matches the hub spacing (in some cases, you can squeeze a slightly bigger or smaller hub into a frame, such as for 27" -> 700c conversions, but this is peripheral).

Normally, when you swap a rear wheel to a different one, you will need to make slight RD adjustments - there are variations to where the derailleur sees the cassette.


Bike re-assembly gear and noise issues I had an old general purpose bike that I wanted to use exclusively with my new turbo trainer. I ended up taking it apart almost completely and of course I did not take pictures so re-assembly was a pain and still have issues now.

Gears don't really change in many positions and result in different types of noise. One gear position worked fine so I  just used that. Now however after about 200km cycling over a couple of months it started to make a noise almost like metal sparking. It's not constant but very frequent and gets worse with higher speed.

Cleaning, oiling, using WD-40 did not resolve the issue. Neither did inflating the tire (it was very low psi). I don't see any obvious wear from friction or other damage. The axis at the center of the wheel gets really hot after 10 min at least not sure if this was always the case and if it's normal.

Can anyone see any issue in the pictures? What else is worth trying to fix this?

First thing to do is check the rear wheel bearings. Get the rear wheel out and inspect the axle. If there is any play between the axle and hub or roughness or 'notchiness' when you turn the axle, the bearings are worn out. If you have a cup-and-cone style hub the bearings can be serviced. There are several online resources that show you how to do that. I recommend Park Tool's articles and YouTube videos. Some hubs have replaceable cartridge bearings.

If the gear shifting is not working, that could be due to a number of different things, including the issues with the shifter, but most likely poor indexing adjustment. Again, there there are number of online resources that show you how to troubleshoot and adjust indexing.

I note you have an older Shimano Tourney, which is is lowest level Shimano groupset, which does not offer great shifting in the first place.


Specialized Hardrock rear hanger I just fixed my first puncture on a recently bought Hardrock (Evans)and discovered that the rear hanger is not attached to the frame.  This made refitting the wheel a bit of a struggle.

There is a hole through locating stud so should it have a bolt going through it?

Cheers

If the hanger is still attached, there are two possible attachment options:

The most common - a chainring bolt
Two smaller bolts, often counter-sunk (I can't recall exactly, but it's not important)

With either option, it's still a standard part, something your LBS should have on hand.

Also, if the bike was purchased recently, the bolt that fell off the hanger is not caused due to an issue you caused, and should be covered for free (at the very least the labor should be covered).


Finding a rim to swap in on a damaged wheel I have a rear wheel with a 29" WTP STp i25 rim.  The rim is irreparably damaged, but the wheel is otherwise in good condition.  The spokes are not affected, the hub is great, and the wheel was pretty new when it was damaged.  It's been hanging in my garage as I mull over what to do with it.  I think I'd like to rebuild it.  If I could find an identical rim, I would (in very broad strokes) just need to undo the spokes (probably tying them together in such a way as to make the rest of the job a little quicker), re-lace onto the new rim, dish/tension, retension, voila!
The problem is that I can't find another one of those rims.  I can find a couple of i29 rims, I think, but not the i25.  So, my question:  For my brilliant scheme to work, don't I just need another rim with the identical ERD?  Or is there more to it?  My goal is to repurpose as much as possible of the current wheel into the new build.

Yes, you basically just need another rim of the same ERD. You actually have some wiggle room as long as you're tracking what the thread engagement was like on the first time and know which way to wiggle it. (Don't use aluminum nipples if you're going to have less than optimal engagement.) Also you can switch nipple lengths to have yet more options.
If it was an offset/asymmetrical rim, in theory that could throw it off and leave you with some spokes too long or too short, but it usually wouldn't make enough difference.
Looking way back in time, the "handedness" (offset orientation of the spoke holes adjacent to the valve) of rims didn't used to be universal like it is now, so you'd have to look at that on a vintage wheel you were doing this to.
Use new nipples. Rounding one off because of trying to save $2 wouldn't be good.
You can check how satisfactory the thread engagement is of the existing spokes, measure them, measure the hub, and then use all that information to calculate the ERD of your rim (or its ideal replacement) in reverse. SpoCalc makes it pretty easy to do that.


Replace jockey on old XT RD-M750 or change out to RD-572? I picked up a 2006 3x9 dual suspension MTB with XT RD-M750 rear derailleur and SLX Mega 9 shifters.  The RD has a cracked ceramic jockey wheel.
I'm converting to a 1x9 with 28T chainring (for smaller kid) and keeping the old Shimano 11x34T cassette.  Would this new setup get smoother shifting with:

Replacing the the jockey wheel on old RD-M750 or
Replace RD-M750 with RD-592 Shadow SGS?

Thank you for the feedback. The derailleur is still functional and I didn’t notice side to side movement.
The bike is a fixer upper for a growing kid who will likely outgrow it in 2-3 years. I’m on a tighter budget and opting to get new jockey wheels and some tuning on the derailleur. Then swapping out the 175mm crank that’s way to big for a 4’9 kid. Hope it works well enough to keep him interested in riding.

I presume you are referring to the jockey wheels on the RD. These are not called 'sprockets'. They are not ceramic, though the guide wheel has ceramic bushings, while the tension wheel uses sealed bearings
The M750 RD is all aluminium and in comparison M592 is part steel (so slightly heavier), and uses cheaper jockey wheels. However it sounds like your jockey wheels are used up.
The other thing is M592 is Shadow which means no top pivot, which is a common wear point. Both are good, probably the shadow design is better, whereas M750 is a better implementation of the non-shadow design.
A new Deore RD will certainly be much smoother than a worn out XT RD. XT is more durable and lighter, but a worn out part is a worn out part.
If the RD has not had much wear in the pivots, but the jockey wheel has merely perished due to age then, you could just replace the jockey wheels in the old RD. But you don't say, so I'm assuming it's very well used.
The best possible solution would probably be a new 9-speed Deore XT Shadow RD, but I'd be happy with any Shimano 9-speed RD personally. (don't buy a fake one!) If you did get the M592, then you could upgrade the jockey wheels to XT grade ones for higher durability/slightly lower friction. The few extra grams from the steel cage is not really a big deal.


Rear derailluer broken bolt I am trying to figure out the right part to replace this bolt that broke.  It went through the rear frame of bike into derailleur to a shimano dyna sys II unit.  I believe it is a hanger bolt but the ones I find online don't look exactly like it as it has a smooth portion (where the break is) that I don't see on the online.  Please see attached photoS and help.  So lost.

Thanks

This looks like the Syntace 142 mm X-12 axis bolt that also serves as the derailleur hanger.

See https://www.pinkbike.com/news/syntace-142mm-12-norco-2011.html

Syntace catalogue (there are several lengths):
https://www.syntace.com/en_GB/products/liteville/accessories-spare-parts/630/x-12-screw-for-derailleur-hanger-28.5mm

Photo Syntace

In shops (be sure to buy the right length):
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Syntace/X-12-Derailleur-Hanger-Bolt-p24466/
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/syntace-x-12-screw-for-derailleur-hanger-28.5mm-44555


How often should I have maintenance for my bike? I am a non-expert bike rider. I keep my bike in a closed storage during the winter and ride during the summer. Do I need to do some kind of maintenance at the beginning of each summer? Is it safe to start riding directly when the summer begins?

Have it looked over once decade, whether it needs it or not.

Otherwise, if nothing's giving you trouble, all you need to do is to air up the tires and put some chain oil (buy "dry" chain oil from a bike store) on your chain once or twice a season.

Assuming this is a multi-speed bike, to oil, first hold a rag on the chain and crank backwards to wipe off as much surface grime as possible.  Also wipe off the derailers.  Then slowly crank backwards while dribbling oil onto the chain.  Go over it 2-3 times.  Then wipe the chain again -- you only need oil on the INSIDE of the chain.  Finally, put a few drops of oil on the derailer idler pulley bearings and on the derailer pivots, and, again, wipe off any excess.

An occasional squirt of spray lube (eg, TriFlow) into the shifter/brake cable housings is also a good idea.

Be sure to check your air pressure at least every 3 days, or before each ride if longer.  It's a good idea to get a "floor pump" with a built-in pressure gauge -- much easier to use than compact pumps, and you'll not be so inclined to put it off as you would if you just use the gas station pump.


What race crown for a 3T Exloro fork? More than half a year ago, I bought a 3T Exploro Team frameset. To my big surprise, when building the bike, the fork's race crown is missing.
The brand of the head tube cups is Cane Creek.
Asking since my Google-Fu doesn't cut it this time...

When I looked at their site, 3T didn't call out numbers for the fork, but it would appear the frameset uses one of the more common contermporary setups, IS52 for the frame and therefore a crown race that Cane Creek describes as 52/40, the 40 being the OD classification of the crown race seat under SHIS nomenclature. Crown races like that are basically all the same and interchangeable, because they live in a world where they have to be stand-ins for forks that have integrated crown races, which are headset-brand-neutral. So if the above assumptions about your frameset are true, you're safe using whatever 52/40 crown race you can get your hands on, but the Cane Creek one that should match is their part number BAA0173A.


Do you know the make of this BMX bike? Do you know the make of this BMX bike?  The only identifying mark is a stamped M on the rear of bike.

 Picture of frame stamped on trackend/dropout at right-rear of bike.

Surprisingly this is enough info to give a lead.

http://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=1493 says

"Mongoose used the M on the drop outs of their frames in the early-mid 90's"
"Mosh stamps their frames with an old english "m"."

So your next step is to start browsing through http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/mosh/ and  http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/mongoose/ looking for a match.  There are over 5000 bike photos to compare - good luck!

Mosh logo on Downtube - can't find a photo of one on a dropout though.


How does increased upper-body strength affect riding, and which muscles make the biggest difference? I am a college student, in Air Force ROTC, and I bike for 1.5-3.5 hours a day.  My cardio and core strength are great, but I haven't found the motivation to build my upper body.  I'm a skinny build, so it will take some work.

My question is: how will increased upper-body strength affect cycling, primarily all mountain and freeride type riding?

On top of HOW more upper body strength affects riding, which upper-body muscles will make the biggest difference?

For AM and FR (All Mountain and FreeRide) style riding, a strong upper torso is a huge improvement.  Like your lower body, you want a lot of it to be endurance as well as strength.  Keeping the front end straight and using your arms like shock absorbers as much as your legs will eventually take it's toll.  I have been on many a mountain bike ride in the spring after hours of snow riding in the winter (much closer to road riding) and had arms that were totally shot after only an hour or so while my legs were still quite fresh.  My personal feeling is that my shoulders and arms (uppers and forearms) seemed to be suffering the worst.

One of the main overlooked advantages of a strong upper body is being able to pump (like a pump track) while mountain riding to maintain speed.  I've seen strong BMX kids roll multiple laps around a pump track without pedaling at all, while a competitive road guy barely made a lap before his arms gave out.  Much of that can be translated to trail riding where you can use your upper body to extend your legs.


Where can I find touch-up paint? I need grey touch-up paint for the headtube on a 2014 Whyte T-129s. How can I find out which colour exactly to buy?

To sum up some comments:

Contact the dealer or manufacturer for a specific color code or name
Search various paints based on a similar code
Get some touch-up paint from an auto parts store and use that

I would add that if you just go with regular touch-up paint, to make sure the gloss level matches the bike (most bikes have a high-gloss clear coat to protect the finish).

Also reference automotive touch-up guides to get an idea of how to best apply any paint (surface prep, etc).


The paint on my bicycle is damaged I recently painted an aluminum bike. I put the primer down, then the paint color, then a clear coat. I did all the sanding and everything that goes along with painting the bike. After letting it dry for appox a week after finishing the paint, I clamped it down on the bike stand. When I took the frame off the stand the clamp and dug into the paint. Anyone know why this is happening and how I can fix it so it doesn't continue to happen??

I'm no expert but having repaired the paint on several cars, I would think that a week from the application of the last coat should be long enough for the paint to cure if it was applied correctly. That said I would assume one of two things:

You are clamping the frame much to tightly. I had this problem when I first bought my stand. Buying a carbon bike cured me.
The application of the paint was too hasty. Possibly the primer or one of the early coats of paint did not have time to cure and adhere as it should. This would allow subsequent layers to shift when pressure is applied.


Why have my crank arms started corroding? I have a set of Rotor 3D cranks and I've just noticed that the non-drive-side crank arm is corroding at the end and around the pedal bore, beneath the surface finish.  The drive-side arm is fine.

I would estimate that these cranks have done around 100000 km in their lifetime.  Is it normal that they should start corroding like this?

I'm concerned that this pedal is never going to come out...

Why have my crank arms started corroding?

In the content of the post concern about corrosion between the pedal and crank is discussed.
Summary: The crank arm has been abraded allowing the aluminum to corrode (oxidize). The pedal and crank connection is corroding due to exposure to water or a water/salt combination.

The issue in the orange circle is abrasion followed by corrosion.
Something has abraded the black coating off of that area of the crank, exposing it to air and allowing aluminum oxide to form. In aluminum - as Criggie says in the comments - the oxidation forms a protective coating and does not eat into the metal over time like iron oxide, rust.
Causes for the abrasion seem to be identified in the comments as road grit. Something is rubbing on that spot.
The corrosion is natural for aluminum exposed to the air.
You could

lightly sand the abraded area, removing the corrosion and any paint that is not adhering to the crank arm
Tape off the rest of the crank arm
Use an appropriate paint to cover the area

The issue in the red circle is corrosion between the pedal and the crank arm. Pedal axles are made of steel, the crank is aluminum and they will seize up if something isn't done.
During assembly the pedal threads should have been lightly greased to prevent seizing.
It would be best to:

Remove the pedal
Clean the pedal - use a wire brush or steel wool on the rusted surfaces
Clean the crank arm
Put a light coating of grease on the threads
Reinstall the pedal.

The cause of the pedal to crank arm corrosion is exposure to water. Water is a solvent.

We need to take the statement "Water is the universal solvent" with a grain of salt (pun intended). Of course it cannot dissolve everything, but it does dissolve more substances than any other liquid, so the term fits pretty well. Water's solvent properties affect all life on Earth, so water is universally important to all of us.
www.usgs.gov - Water, the Universal Solvent

Water and salt is especially deadly.

The galvanic corrosion of aluminum is usually mild, except in highly conductive media such as slated slush from road deicing salts, sea water and other salty electrolytes. The contact area must be wetted by an aqueous liquid or humidity in order to ensure ionic conduction.
Fixing Corrosion Between Anodized Aluminum and Steel

Bikes can get wet but should not be left wet. A wet bike needs to be able to dry out or to be dried off.


changing 26 to 700 wheels on mountain bike? I have a nice colnago mountain bike w/26 wheels and disc brakes; am thinking of changing to 700 wheels as i am 6'3" and bike feels  somewhat small. would this negatively affect ride, handling, geometry...? i tried on  27.5 wheels  from other bike, and they do fit.i am just an older recreational rider and am wondering if this would work . thanks guys

So long as you can get the wheels in the frame with enough clearance and have the brakes work, you're OK.

Note that your proposed wheel swap may not give a significantly larger outer diameter of the wheel+tire (which if increased would make the bike a bit taller riding).

Now to what I think is the answer to your real question:
If the bike is feeling small, the wheel size is one (minor) portion of it; the rest of the geometry (top tube length, seat tube length, stem length, etc.) have a far larger effect than the wheel size has. So, you may need to switch frames.


Chain falling off inner chain ring no matter how L screw is set Bike is a relatively new Cannondale Carbon Synapse with the Ultegra 6800 groupset (although front chainrings are FSA).  Has about 1000KMs on it.

Bike has been great, but I went out on a ride today and about 40K in or so it started losing the chain off the inner front ring.  Prior to this it was tuned perfectly and then suddenly I couldn't pedal more than 10 rotations without the chain coming off (not shifting at all).

I took out my tools and adjusted the L screw to tighten up the gap and it still happened.  Then I thought I'd just keep out of the lowest rear gear so I could just get home (I was stuck going up a big hill).  Still no luck.  Must have tried 12 times and lost the chain every time within 10 feet of starting up again - making adjustments every time.  By the end of it both the front and rear derailleur were adjusted to be pulling the chain away from the inside brutally - just trying to get home. Eventually I had to give up and call for a pickup.

The only other thing I noticed was that immediately before this happened the rear cogs were getting funny - it kept wanting to shift down (before the hill - was in a higher gear so in the big ring at the font - didn't lose the chain, but was going all squirrelly in the rear).

I can't see what is doing it.  Chain rings don't have any bent teeth. Seems to only really happen under load. I can tighten up the L screw to the point where it is rubbing the chain and it still will manage to come off if I put any load on the drivetrain. I don't even see how that is possible but it is what happens.

I have no idea what is going on - any advice?

I have had this happen due to a worn rear derailleur spring.  the rear derailleur isn't able to take up the slack fast enough.  also check your chain line, bent rear derailleur hanger, front derailleur cage alignment.  see if you can fit a chain catcher on your bike.


Can I build a wheel with two different spoke types? Is it possible to build a bicycle wheel using a different spoke type for each side of the wheel? I am having some issues sourcing spokes, but I have found one set of DT Swiss Competition and one set of DT Swiss Revolution spokes in the correct lengths, and I was wondering if it was possible to mix them on the same wheel.

In Roger Musson's book Professional Guide to Wheel Building 7th Edition, https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php this is covered in brief (for a dished rear wheel):

The wheel can support more load before the left spokes go slack by making the right side spokes stiffer than the left and this is accomplished by using thicker (stiffer) spokes on the right and thinner (less stiff) spokes on the left.

But he also says any benefit is difficult to quantify and it's unproven if it makes a better wheel, before concluding:

I always use the same gauge spokes either side on dished rear wheels for the simple reason that the wheels work and I have no reason to look for a solution to a problem that does not exist.

It's a tiny section of a very thorough book, so not something to do routinely, but if you are looking to do this purely for spoke availability then yes you can if you were using the thicker spokes on the side with more tension.
In any other year I'd say don't bother, just persevere and find matching spokes from whichever seller (lots of online sellers can cut spokes down to length for you if you contact them) but 2020 is no ordinary year!


Trainer for recumbent bikes I've been thinking about getting a trainer for my M5 CHR. Wahoo Kickr seemms nice, but they do not recommend it for use with recumbent bikes.
Is it just because they lack the experience or would it be bad for any particular reason?

Anyone got good experience with other trainers for their recumbent bikes?
(Preferably zwift compatible)

The main reason that they don't recommend it for recumbent bikes is that it's much harder to make a universal fit for recumbents. Regular bicycles have far fewer compatibility issues regarding frame shape at the rear dropout. Some recumbent bikes will have tubes that mean that they simply won't fit on a kickr. If you can get access to a Kickr, the only way to know if it will fit is to remove the rear wheel and try to put it on the trainer. If you can fit it on the trainer and your frame has ~5mm of clearance (to account for flex and wobble as you ride) to the trainer, then there is no reason that it can't be used.

The stresses on the rear hub of a recumbent are not so different that a recumbent will be able to fit on the trainer, but should not be used simply because it's a recumbent.


Internal cable routing blocked on '80s steel frame. What are my options? I have a new-to-me ~80's steel frame with a rear derailleur cable that is routed through the chainstay. There's a blockage close to the BB end, and I'm wondering what my options are?

My assumption is that it's mud/dirt/etc. due to where it is, the fact that I cannot blow air through at all, and what it sounds when I jab it with a coat hanger.

This frame means a lot to me, so I'm very keen to get it working if I can.

Edits:

The frame is a (I believe) 1981 Concorde Acquila.
The chainstay holds a bare inner cable.
And pictures added (more for Criggie, rather than solving the
issue, though if click through and zoom in on the second picture you
can see the exit-hole on the chainstay)

I'm sad to say that I solved my issue by adding a clamp-on cable stop much like this one:

.

If going down this route an optional extra is to poke the blockage with such force and frustration that your poking stick (coat hanger) breaks off and is stuck forever inside the chainstay. I elected to go down this route, but my understanding is that it's not compulsory.


Buying a new rear wheel My rear wheel is very bent and I need a new replacement, but I'm not sure on which wheel I'm supposed to get for my bike I was told I could get a freewheel but I don't know what that means. I assumed it was like getting a new front wheel
This is the information I believe may be relevant that I know about my bike, it has:

Shimano Cassette CS-HG41 7 Speed 11-28T
Shimano BB-UN26 68 X 122.5mm - Shimano BBUN26
68 X 122.5mm
SHIMANO CHAINSET 48/38/28 170 M171

I believe the rim size is 700 x 38c - 28 but I'm not too sure so I have attached an image of the tyre below

"700 x 38c - 28 "  You have a "700c" sized road tyre, in width of 38mm and the rim is 28 mm wide.  This tyre size is also known as 622-38 because it is 622 mm across.

A freewheel and freehub are the two different parts that do the same job.  Your bike might have either, but not both.  This is how the cogs in the middle of the rear wheel attach to the wheel's hub.

If you replace the rear wheel completely, you can reuse the tube and tyre.  You will need new rim (28mm wide) and rimtape.  New spokes, and a new hub.  If the cassette and chain are unworn you can transfer them over.
Your cassette is a "shimano branded CS-HG41 with 7 speeds" so its not the old-style freewheel

  For other readers, if the current hub were a freewheel (screws off) then replace it with a cassette that slides onto the hub and is held on with a lockring.  This will mean a new chain.  Freehubs are technically superior to Freewheels.

Your bike has 7 speeds in the rear, so either stick with that or if you want more gears then you'll also have to change the right-side shifter as well.  Don't feel compelled to upgrade the number of gears.


FSA Comet (CKM-7158T) crank removal problem. How to? I am dissembling an FSA Comet crankset, and I have removed the self extracting bolt from the drive side. But I cannot remove the crank arm, it is sitting super tight.

I am hitting it pretty hard with rubber hummer, and it doesn't move at all. Is there any way to safely remove it? I'm affraid I might damage my carbon frame.
Thank you!

Use the self extractor. Most two-piece road and mountain cranks that have self extractors don't at this point feature any other real way to do it, even if a conventional type puller could in theory be made for them. FSA in particular has about a million different threads they use for the extraction threads. If tools for them all exist, they're not commonplace.


Identify possible Kona I recently found this bike at a thrift store and although it looks pretty haggard I'm thinking it is a Kona. Some help identifying the model and such would be appreciated.

Serial number is F712K1083 and nearby are the numbers 81-30 as well. I have no way of knowing what parts are original but on the side of the seat there is a K
I looked around online already and it seems similar to the Kona Kahuna but I'm no expert.

I gathered from some things I read that the serial number can be read as: F=Fairly Factory/7=1997/12=December but that's as far as I got. If that is correct, does the K stand for the model?

Thanks!

The K logo is definitely not Kona, my daily rider is a Kona Fire Mountain. KonIA (Konia) maybe? Lower end MTB manufacturer.

BTW my saddle and seat pole definitely NOT Kona. I broke and replaced them myself!


shaving your legs, arms, or both? I understand why cyclists shave their legs. I shave my legs. But as of recently have felt kind of funny that my legs are smooth and my arms are hairy. Is there a reason why we don't shave our arms too? Or are you supposed to shave both?

For cycling, there are only a few reasons to shave:

Massage - feels better without all the hair tugging.
Taping/bandaging - In the event of a crash, taping and bandaging is easier without hair. Additionally, wounds in general are cleaner when incurred without hair.
Vanity - Hair tends to cast shadows and blur the edges of well defined muscle.
Cooling - Hair is an insulator, so especially hairy individuals will shave for the cooling effect.

There are some sports where shaving is done for performance purposes (chiefly swimming), but anyone that tells you that in cycling is fooling themselves. My personal experience is that crash scars heal better and are less visible when shaved, but that may be an individual thing.


BB and Crank compatibility with Pressfit 86.5 The bike frame I'm buying says that It is Pressfit BB86.5 (road), What are my options in terms of bottom brackets and cranks? I would like to get a BB30 Sram Force crank is this possible?

Pressfit 86.5 is really PF86.

As outlined in this BikeRadar guide (or this from Problem Solvers), your crank options are: "Standard 24mm external-type (Shimano Hollowtech II, SRAM/Truvativ GXP, Campagnolo Ultra-Torque, FSA MegaExo, Race Face X-Type, etc), BB386 EVO".

The bottom bracket options are corresponding BB86 sized options.

You can't use a BB30 crankset/BB.


Freewheel replacement for a touring tandem bike I have an older touring tandem bike that we use to go on long trips. The gear setup is 3x7. I noticed that we hardly ever use the smallest 3 cogs on the freewheel (of course together with the largest chainwheel). We also struggle on the climbs, so I would like to change the freewheel to help us on the climbs.
The freewheel setup is 13-30. I am thinking or replacing it with something like 16-36 or similar. The problem is that I haven't found a 7-gear freewheel with such a setup. The only freewheel with a better setup that I've found is the Sunrace MFM300 7DV. But the difference seems to be major only on the largest cog (30 vs 34).
This is the current freewheel:

Do you know where I could buy a freewheel with a better setup for climbing than this?
Or would you recommend that I do one of the following?

Change the chainrings - from what I see, I would have to
change all 3 of them, as the screws on the smallest chainring would
not allow changing it with a smaller one. Seems to involved for my
bike repairing skills.
Change the back wheel entirely to support a newer, cassette style type of cogs. One problem is that
the back wheel is also fitted with a drum brake on the left side, no idea how to
properly re-fit it on a new wheel. Also, I would like to keep as many original parts as posible on the bike.
Changing the wheel's hub to a freehub to support a casette. This has the
advantage that the bike will stay with most of its original parts,
but would be really involved. Again, might be difficult to impossible to re-fit the drum brake.

Advices welcome, I'm not an expert bike tehnician.
Chainring sizes: 54-48-40.
Current chainrings:

Chainrings' Bolt:

Update a few months later
I thought it would be useful for anyone having a similar question to have an update on this question after following the very good advices that I have received here.
What I ended up doing: I replaced the right side crank and chainrings for a lower overall gear. Unfortunately I couldn't replace just the chainrings, as there was no way to fit smaller ones on the existing crank. I only replaced the right side because this is a tandem and on the left side there's the connecting chain. Finding a complete tandem crankset is difficult and more expensive, but fortunately replacing just the right side of it did the trick. The only difficulty was finding a crank with exactly the same length as before.
I also replaced the chain, as it was very dirty. Unfortunately this led to the replacement of the freewheel, as the new chain was slipping on the old one. I guess it was also worn out.
Although I couldn't avoid an upgrade spiral, I managed to bring down the gear ratios so now we can enjoy more difficult rides.
Indeed, replacing the crankset was quite easy and I might actually do it again if I notice that we need an even lower gearing.
Thank you for the advices!

I think in this situation, to avoid an "upgrade spiral", you will be better off changing your chainrings. Chainrings are not overly expensive and probably won't require new derailleurs or shifters.
I have been known to take apart freewheels and change the cogs. I've even re-spaced them or changed the numbers of speeds. But if you want an overall lower gear, you should probably change your chainrings.


How much slower should I expect to be in winter rides? I typically do ~100km rides (almost always alone). In summer, I manage average speeds of 30km/h or more. This is the first (of only three in total anyhow) winter in which I keep riding somewhat regularly in winter.
I did > 1000 km per month in the summer months, and around 700km (some of which indoors) in the winter months (but extra running etc.). So I would expect my form and fitness to be somewhat lower, but not dramatically so. For instance, average watts on the indoor trainer as well as times when going running are fairly constant. (My PM also shows fairly constant wattage on the bike.)
Yet, average speeds are more like 27-28 km/h at the moment.
(In my case, although I hope the question could be of more general interest, I also ride a new bike which I had hoped would be faster although it is an endurance bike, simply because it is more high level in terms of the frame than my previous fairly entry level alu one.)
My question: Is that an expected decrease in speed? If so, is it possible to break down this difference into different components (next to, possibly, less fitness)? I think of

typically more windy conditions, which hurts average speed
more layers of and less aerodynamic clothes
wider tyres (28mm insted of 25mm for me, also lower quality ones; also, the endurance bike maybe has somewhat less agressive geometry)
more rolling resistance on wetter surfaces
more careful riding style on wet surfaces (surely hard to quantify, but definitely applies to me)
I heard something about colder air implying more resistance
more energy needed to keep the body warm (although I rather overdress, I think)
psychology?
anything else?

This source goes into quite a bite of detail on the subject.
The three main reasons they go into are higher air resistance in the cold because cold air is more dense.  Increased rolling resistance as cold tires cannot deform as much as warm ones. They also mention the bulkier clothing causing more air resistance.
One advantage of colder weather is that you are less likely to overheat. This can increase performance.  I have felt this effect of being able to maintain my efforts longer on cool fall days, while cycling on my trainer is often more difficult as there is no air flow to carry the heat away.  Also, cycling on hot summer days can also be exhausting.
Just be careful not to overdress for the cold as having too many layers could also  make you overheat. It's ok to start off cold as you will warm up during the ride.


How can I upgrade a Shimano FC-TX70 crankset? I need to replace a Shimano FX-TX70 crankset, "DualSisIndex", 42-34-24.

However, I'm quite lost on the Shimano website, and I'm not so sure which part to choose as a similar replacement...

Would someone be able to help?

Thanks

You can nominally replace the TX70 crank with any 3x7 speed, square taper axle crank with the same chainring sizes (or different sizes if you want a different gear ratio range).

However, you need to make sure the new crank maintains the same chainline as the TX70. (Chainline is the distance from the centerline of the frame to the middle chainring, 47.5-50 mm for a MTB triple.) Different model cranks require a different axle length for a given chainline, so the challenge is finding the crank and bottom bracket specifications and matching them up. It's often easier to replace both the crank and bottom bracket as you can select a pair that give the correct chainline.

Shimano provides an extensive archive of specifications. I found the FC-TX70 in the 2004-2005 document. It says the FC-TX80 provides a 47.5mm chainline with a BB-UN25 D-NL bottom bracket. This is the only option given so we can assume your bike has a 47.5mm chainline. Finding the specifications for the BB-UN25 we see the D-NL version has an axle length of 122.5mm. The archive specification documents are very long, but you can easily use search to find the FC-TX70 and BB-UN25 product codes.

Looking at the current crank specifications and taking the FC-TY501 crank for example (again, use search to find the specs for that crank model), that crank provides 47.5mm chainline with a BB-UN100 or BB-UN26 bottom bracket, D-NL version. Looking up the BB-UN26, the D-NL version has a axle length of 122mm.

Bingo!

You can obviously go through the same process with the other current Shimano cranks, figure out which ones will replace the TX70 directly or will require a new BB.


Disk brake caliper fit, inboard width of calipers How can you tell if a disk caliper is going to fit on a given fork?  there is an inboard width of a caliper that determines how far into the wheel it is set, ie. make or brake compatibility with the wheel.

I'm assuming the question is about physical interference between the caliper and the wheel, namely the spokes.

The fork isn't the determining piece here, because a given wheel and rotor is going to want the caliper to be located in a certain position relative to the wheel. In most (maybe all) cases where there is an interference problem, changing the fork wouldn't do anything about it.

The way this has played out for the most part is that some calipers have come out and been found to have issues with interfering with spokes on some or many wheels once in the wild. TRP Spyres were an example; when they come out in 2012-13ish they constantly had issues with running into the spokes of bikes people tried to put them on. I believe they fixed something in that design in a generational change because I haven't seen the problem in a while.

There are no measurements that brake manufacturers provide that let you predict the issue. It's become an unusual problem, even with large flange hubs. For the most part it's going to take a very wide design like the Spyres for a problem to even come close to being possible. The standard practice is to basically ignore the possibility of a wheel/caliper interference problem until it bites you.