Does the fox hunt game exist professionally? I've just recently seen the new Tomb Raider movie and during the start of it, Lara is working as a cycle courier. Some members of it want to run a game called fox hunt, where you can win money if you manage to outrun the hounds.

The objective of the game, the fox is given a fake fox tail that is attached to their bike and a paint can which is punctured to leave a trail for the hounds to follow. The fox is given a head start and the hounds need to try and capture the fox by taking the tail off the fox's bike. If the fox manages to outrun the hounds and the paint can runs dry, the fox wins. They do this game in central London and isn't shown to be a fully legal game. The entire sport is done whilst riding their bikes.

Question is, has this game ever been done in a legal/professional context? If so, what examples of this competition are there? Are there also official rules for the game?

I've never heard of a fox hunt race in particular, but there is an extensive racing culture among bicycle couriers. These races are usually alleycat races, and generally involve riding to several checkpoints in sequence, sometimes performing tasks at those checkpoints.

Searching YouTube for bicycle messenger races, alleycat racing, and similar terms, will bring up many videos.

See also In Race of Bike Messengers, Potholes and Bad Manners Can Be Costly, a New York Times feature about the North American Cycle Courier Championship, a rare sanctioned race for which the city closed streets.


15g / 1.8mm spokes compatibility I usually use double butted 2mm spokes that are 1.8mm in the middle.
In the past, though, I have used 1.8mm straight guage spokes when I was able to drill the holes in the hub flanges myself to a smaller diameter of about 2mm in order to fit the smaller spokes.
However it seems like almost all commercial hubs have holes about 2.5-2.6mm for use with 2mm spokes.
Is it ok to use 1.8mm spokes on normal hubs drilled for 2mm spokes? I still have some 1.8 spokes and I would like to use them.
If not, why do 1.8mm spokes exist, because I don't see any special hubs drilled to fit them? 1.8mm spokes are easy to find, but hubs with special spoke holes are not, so does that mean it's okay to use 1.8mm spokes in normal hubs? Is there a certain largest diameter of spoke hole that is recommended (i.e. no larger than 2.5mm)?

The exact size of spoke holes in hubs is a little all over the place. There is some history involved, as well as dynamics with how manufacturers bias things for different most probable use cases.
Spokes with 1.8mm elbow areas used to be more common. The ubiquity of 2.0/1.8mm as the default butted spoke profile in particular is a fairly recent thing in the history of bikes. The 1.8/1.6 profile used to be way bigger, and a case for it can still be made in many applications. Aerolites and CX-Rays with 1.8mm elbows are still fairly common within their niches.
Manufacturers hate doubling the number of things they need to produce or creating compatibility gotchas (or at least some do, or used to, or whatever), so hub manufacturers are incentivized to make their holes work with both. There are no hubs I can think of that are 1.8mm-specific, but there are a number of higher end road hubs that are sized down small enough to barely work with 2.0 and be ideal with a 1.8. The holes on these are in the 2.3-2.4mm range.
Building such a hub with 2.0s is not a big deal for a handbuilder. It makes the spoke feel a little tighter going in and requires good aggressive technique to get them conformed around the flange, but it's commonly done and not remarkable. For a wheel production center it's a different story though. Human and machine hub loading both work better with a little more generous sized hole. 2.6mm is kind of the baseline for most modern hubs, but a lot of the most common OEM type hubs have 2.7mm-2.8mm holes. Some makers probably feel caught in the middle between the technical versus commercial advantages of each.
Running a 1.8 in a hole more optimized for a 2.0 doesn't have critical disadvantages. In my experience the main deal with it is that it takes more work to get the groove as established as it's ever going to be during the build process, since the mismatch in diameter means the elbow is going to dig in more. A fair number of wheels are built this way without major disadvantages.


Is fluorescent clothing effective? I read recently that fluorescent clothing was not effective at all at night.  If this is the case, how effective is it during the day, and should I stop buying tops that are fluorescent to use on my daily commute?

There are several terms around this subject. A key thing here is reflectivity (or more specifically retroreflectivity), rather than fluorescence. Fluoresence is the property of a material where it absorbs light at one wavelength, e.g. ultraviolet sunlight, but then reflects back light from the visual spectrum. This is most useful in daylight conditions, using the sunlight to create more human visible light.

Everything (well, almost everything) is reflective to some degree, mostly diffuse reflection where light hits a surface and scatters, but this reflection goes in many directions and breaks apart into many wavelengths. Alternatively there is  a property called retroreflection which reflects light back to its source, in contrast to mirror (or specular) reflection which just bounces off, as light does with a mirror, in a single opposing direction. Hence a person near the light source, e.g. a driver in a car, sees the retroreflective surface.

Thus in terms of visibility, you don't just need flourescent material at night because there isn't enough light in the usable spectrum, so a yellow jacket isn't going to be any more useful than a white t-shirt. So while they'll both be more visible than something black, in order to stand out in a driver's headlights, you need retroreflective material to actively react, rather than passively reflect.

[Possibly related: visibility at night, using electroluminescent wire]


If I currently have 700x23/25C tires on my bike, will 700x35C winter tires fit? I understand that the first number is the tire diameter, so on that part I know it will fit, and that the second number is the tire width and that's my main concern.

I want to put winter tires on my bike and all the studded winter tires that I find are 35C. Will they fit on my wheels if I currently use 23C and 25C?

35c might be a bit too wide for your rims, maybe 32c would be a better choice. They may fit your wheels just fine, but they may or may not rub on the chain stays, seat stays or the brake caliper.

35c tires are not only wider, but also have a larger outside diameter than than their smaller counterparts.

If you have enough clearance on your frame & calipers, you should still consider how big of a change in size you want to try.

Consult the chart below to help determine if they will fit.

From Tire Sizing Systems

  Width Considerations

  Although you can use practically any tire/rim combination that shares
  the same bead seat diameter, it is unwise to use widely disparate
  sizes.

  If you use a very narrow tire on a wide rim, you risk pinch flats and
  rim damage from road hazards.

  If you use a very wide tire on a narrow rim, you risk sidewall or rim
  failure. This combination causes very sloppy handling at low speeds.
  Unfortunately, current mountain-bike fashion pushes the edge of this.
  In the interest of weight saving, most current mountain bikes have
  excessively narrow rims. Such narrow rims work very poorly with wide
  tires, unless the tires are overinflated...but that defeats the
  purpose of wide tires, and puts undue stress on the rim sidewalls.

  Georg Boeger has kindly provided a chart showing recommended width
  combinations:

  Which tire fits safely on which rim?

   Note: This chart may err a bit
  on the side of caution. Many cyclists exceed the recommended widths
  with no problem


Should I get a 18/25 tube or a 25/32 tube? I have a 25mm size tyre and I'm ordering some inner tubes on the net.

So far, I seem to have a choice between either the 18/25 range or the 25/32 range.

Both would fit but would one size be better than another?

Would the 25/32 tube heavier to accommodate the 32mm tyres and would the 18/25 size tube would be easier to puncture because it's at the maximum stretch?

Or would this be largely negligible?

It doesn't matter.

The difference in weight is practically non-existent, and puncture resistance is a property of the tire.

You may be able to pack an 18/25 in your spare parts kit a little easier than the 25/32, but that still isn't much of a big difference.

Just get whichever is cheaper.


Missing Link -- which one, 7.3mm or 7.1mm? KMC has two versions of their Missing Link, one that is 7.3mm and one that is 7.1mm. Both are advertised for 6/7/8 speed.

The only difference appears to be the pin length, but it's unclear if you had a non-SRAM/KMC chain, what you'd measure to make sure you got the right chain.

How can you measure -- or otherwise tell -- which Missing Link you should get?

Look at the box that your chain came in -- 6/7/8 speed chains will either be 7.1 mm or 7.3 mm pin length.

The SRAM chains are 7.1 and Shimano are 7.3. KMC notes this on their website. Get the one that matches your chain brand (and if its KMC, get the one KMC suggests). Wipperman's lineup seems to be a mess -- some of the 8 speed are 6.6, others are 7.2; it might just be an error on their website though.

The 7.3 mm missing link is known as the "KMC MissingLink I" and the 7.1 mm one is the "KMC MissingLink II". The 9's are 6.6 mm and the 10's are 5.9mm (which may be useful for someone who is confused with a higher speed chain, or another manufacturer's chain).

In practice, a lot of people use another manufacturer's quick link (KMC/Wipperman/SRAM) with another manufacturer's chain. I've used SRAM 8 speed Powerlinks in Shimano chains without problem. However, official manufacturer guidelines is generally to use their link closing method -- Shimano, use their special rivet, SRAM use the provided Powerlink/lock(for >9 speed), KMC is usually links, etc. But, normally, you get a link with the chain, and carry whatever link for emergencies; any of the links on the market for the right number of speeds will do for emergency repairs.


How to approach driver after near-miss? I have plenty of near-miss incidents. Most of the time I just awkwardly cycling along with the 'near-miss' driver* (urban, so plenty of traffic lights). And it truly feels awkward!

This time I tried to approach the driver, just to say if he/she ok. The problem with near-miss is that I am usually shaken, for obvious reason. I believe the driver would feel the same. So I thought it would be best for both to stop and talked about it, make sure that both of us is OK to continue the journey, rather than keep thinking about the incident.

One time, the male yells at me I shouldn't be on the road, albeit he was in the wrong?? Another time, the female driver bursts into tears saying sorry??

Is approaching driver after near-miss is a bad idea??

*'Near-miss' drivers in my area are usually considerate, but they are human and prone to making mistakes. If he/she is inconsiderate, I would just shrug it off. This question is not about angry driver at all.

On the whole I think it is best to not approach drivers when out cycling.  Sometimes a 'near miss' is unintentional, sometimes it is due to carelessness and sometimes it might be intentional.  The trouble is, from a cyclist point of view it is often hard to tell which it was.

When approaching a driver after an incident it is difficult for the situation to not become confrontational.  In my experience it is therefore safest to try to remain calm and just get on with your bike ride.  Approaching drivers after an incident has never resulted in me coming away from the incident feeling better, and has never improved my enjoyment of the bike ride.  Generally incidents result from something outwith my control, and I find it best to just forget it and get back to enjoying riding my bike


Does an SPD-SL AND SPD compatible pedal/shoe exist? I am soon going to buy a pair of pedals (and new shoes of course) for my road bike (mostly used for commuting, and short-ish rides (40-50 miles/80Km).

Most important to me is being able to walk in my cycling shoes BUT ALSO, be able to cycle my bike without needing to wear my cycling shoes. (Ideally, both are equally as important...ideally.)

I am currently torn between a pair of SPD OR a pair of SPD-SL pedals, and then the required shoes.

Ideally I am looking for a pair of SPD-SL pedals, so I can ride my bike sometimes without my bike shoes without killing myself. Something like the Shimano PD-R540 SPD. [1]

They have a resonably large platform for the foot, which helps when wearing "normal" shoes.

Then I am also looking for a pair of SPD off-road shoes, something like the Shimano M076 MTB SPD Shoes.[2]

The reason I say these is they have some grip, and the cleat is slightly recessed, not the make/model.

So to my question. It can be asked in either of two ways:

Does an SPD/SPD-SL pedal exist?

OR

Does an SPD/SPD-SL shoe exist?

All advice welcome.

[1] http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/road/product.-code-PD-R540-L.-type-.pd_road.html

[2] http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31536

Maybe a better option than an SPD-SL pedal would be something like the PD-M324 from Shimano.

It's a dual sided pedal, one side flat, with no cleat required, and one side SPD. They don't make an SPD-SL version of it, though.

An SPD-SL pedal, because of the depth of the cleat retention area of the pedal doesn't really offer good, safe traction in trainers. of course it can be ridden that way, but it's not your safest way to go, even on gentle rides.


Prevent xtracycle hooptie rattling noise My Xtracycle hooptie rattles around when I go over bumpy roads when I don't have a passenger.   Does anyone have a suggestion on how to keep it from rattling?

I did move it to the most narrow position which helped but it still rattles around a bit.

Generic image of a Hooptie from xtracycle website

You have several options, and not one is going to be the correct one, so wiki it is.

Use old inner tube inside the mounting clamps.  Looks like there is some standard U-shape pipe clamps on the underside?
Grease the side rails where they slide into the main body.  I would do this anyways because getting those ball bearing latches apart later is a pain.  It may reduce the metal to metal contact.
Black electrical tape on the side rails.  Related to #2, if you stretch the black tape enough, it may get thin enough to wrap around the ends and insert them into the main body.
Bar tape.  Somebody else suggested this, but wrap the whole top with bar tape.  You won't be able to take the sides off after (unless you do something else), but at least your kids won't complain about the cold, wet metal.


2 size bearings for hub which side of hub gets the bigger or smaller bearings? The rear axel is a Kung Ten W5ER from a 1999 Trek 4000. The freehub was sticking so I was taking the axle apart to free up / clean / lube the freehub.

I noticed after it was apart that there are 2 sizes of ball bearings for the axle, and I don't know which side gets the bigger bearings.

I know I'm in trouble, any ideas out there?

Most hubs are same size both sides (9 quarter inch bearings). If they aren't, normally its the smaller ones on the freehub side (slightly smaller than the other side, maybe by a 32nd of an inch) and the larger ones are like a quarter inch and on the opposite side.


What speed of wind gust will cause a cyclist to swerve by 1m or more? Today's weather forecast for London predicts gusts of 45mph. While there are many factors in determining whether its safe to ride, the possibility of getting blown into oncoming traffic rules out a ride.

Given a typical road lane width of 3m, and assuming I cycle in the middle of the lane, I'd like to know what speed of wind gust could push me close to the centre of the road.

Having ridden near Bristol this morning in a similar forecast gust speed, I'd say you're right to be worried, but keeping aware of the wind direction and speed can make a huge difference.  For example: passing side roads on your left, if the wind is coming from the left, you may want to aim slightly towards them so that you get blown back towards the middle of your lane (swap left/right for US readers).

Considering my ride this morning: I was lining up for a left turn at a T, then was suddenly closer to a right turn position as the gust coincided with me leaving the wind shadow of a house.  That was probably a sudden smack of 45mph wind broadside on, I'm tall and ride a hybrid with a rear pannier, and tend to sit up tall approaching that junction to see better (also loose clothing, so close to worst case).  It probably moved me 1-1.5m sideways.  I was already braking and unclipped.

If you're already riding in the middle of the lane you're in a good position.  But don't forget that when that wind is in your face you'll be doing something like walking pace, so you have to balance your right to the road with the behaviour of drivers, and that balance is shifted both because of your reduced speed and the worse-than-normal effects of close passes.  Taking the lane, but not slightly left of centre would make a big difference here.

Also:

Use your ears - you can normally hear a gust coming before it hits you.
Remember that when around queued vehicles the wind may change unexpectedly and you may lose most of your headway.
Don't forget that you will be going more slowly than normal, giving you more time to react (some of that wind will be in your face).
Don't fight to hold a perfect line - if drivers can see you being blown about they'll give you more room (I'm not saying exagerrate it either).


Which brake is most expendable? I'm thinking of removing a brake(front or back) to reduce weight and simplify my bike. Which brake is most expendable? Its your average fixie road bike.

Keep your front brake. It does the most work, it will stop you much faster than your rear brake ever could hope to. Take a look at a motorcycle, the front brakes are always much larger than the rear. Whenever you brake, on a bicycle, motorcycle, in a car, more weight is transfered to the front wheels, so the front tire has more traction to stop you with.

That said, sit down a minute and think about what you're going to do if you remove your rear brake, and one day your front brake stops working while you're going down a hill. Right about then you'll wish you had just put up with the extra 400 grams of weight.


Great biking cities and routes in Europe? I just returned from a great weekend of biking in Berlin.  Riding there was pure pleasure due to the number of bike lanes and easy day routes to interesting sites around the city.

I know this is not a question with a single correct answer but I would love recommendations on other great biking cities in Europe?

The Copenhagenize Index ranks the top 20 cities by bike friendliness in 13 categories. It's a world-wide index, but most of the top 20 are in Europe.

The European cities that made the top 20 are:

Amsterdam (54)
Copenhagen (52)
Barcelona (45)
Berlin (41)
Munich (40)
Paris (39)
Dublin (37)
Budapest (36)
Hamburg (36)
Stockholm (33)
Helsinki (31)
London (31)
Vienna (30)


Why are some leather saddles laced at the bottom and should I do this to mine? Some Leather saddles, such at the brooks b17 imperial have holes at the bottom for lacing.

What does lacing a leather saddle do and should I (or when should I) do this to my own leather saddle? Should I adjust the saddle tension bolt before considering lacing or do they solve different issues?

As a leather saddle wears out, it tends to sink and become softer in the middle while splaying out around the edges. This, naturally, makes the saddle uncomfortable and uneven. Lacing a saddle is a way to revive it and return it to its natural shape, or at least something close. You should lace your saddle if you find that it has become too soft.

And incidentally, many people punch holes in their leather saddles for this very purpose if the saddle didn't come with them.


How can I raise my handlebars when there are no spacers above the stem? I have a threadless setup with no spacers above the stem.  What is the simplest way to raise my handlebars?

One or more of the three options

Change the stem to one with an angle, with such a short stem height gain will be limited.
Replace the bars with a riser bar, these will give up to 40mm, maybe more of you shop around
A stem extender (proviso -  not on a carbon steerer).

Presuming no carbon parts (bars, stem or steerer), replacing these is well within the capabilities of of anyone who is moderately DIY capable with basic tools (Hex keys should be all you need).


Stop my front brake lever screws from vibrating out? One of the most common maintenance tasks on my Mongoose Tyax Super is to tighten a small screw in my front brake level. It shakes loose both due to use, and from a habit I picked up riding in Cambodia, where I "tick tick tick" the level as a subtle alternative to ringing a bell when passing pedestrians.

I assume that I could use loctite or some tap/adhesive, but I'd still like to be able to remove/clean/replace this screw. I like to adjust it between downhill and commute (I like less travel and more give on downhill). Any tips? Cheap solutions, and retail solutions?

Loctite Blue 242 is a light duty, adjustable, and removable loctite designed for jobs like this one. It will prevent vibration from loosening your screws without preventing the adjustment you need for your brakes.


Badly rusted suspension fork I have a $300 MTB used for commuting. It has been three years now, and the rain and snow have said their word. Two weeks ago I disassembled the fork and spent a good one hour with the sandpaper, removing rust. Still some was left. It has been two rainshowers from then. Yesterday I had another look and ... it is not promising.

I have move aggressive means of removing material (so that there will remain no rust) - a grinding wheel. However, I am afraid to use it, as I guess it will be weakening the tubes too much. I do not seek top performance - it is a no-steal bike (for example the handlebar is visibly bent).

Below are the two pictures. Should I clean the rust? How? How reliable is the fork currently? How long does it have left?

This is obviously (from the images) a suspension fork, and a very low-end one. Suspension forks are heavier than their rigid counterparts, but the trade-off is that they absorb shocks. These rust spots MUST MEAN the fork has long ago COMPLETELY LOST its ability to work properly as a suspension. As a result, you are carrying useless extra-weight, are not getting a suspension effect, are risking some worse failure along the way, and are risking some crash/injury.

The surface presenting the rust is the surface where sliding occurs (the "telescopes"). This surface must be perfectly smooth and shiny, and the rust shown necessarily means it is not, and never will be, as new again. Grinding will remove dust, but will not make the surface smooth nor prevent more rust to build-up afterwards.

My suggestion: sell the fork for metal recycling, and buy either a new suspension fork, or a rigid fork.

Hope this helps.


Will the shimano Zee M640 fit my bike I have the carrera vulcan it has the Clarkes  exo hydraulic brakes.I what to swap the clarkes for better ones so will the Zee M640 fit my bike if not what other braks will fit my bike

Shimano Hydraulic brakes are often sold as a kit, with the hose already connected to the caliper and lever and the system already bled. These kits are listed according to which hand the lever is for (the front brake's lever can be on the right or left according to country and preference) , whether the caliper is intended for the front or rear (the caliper body is usually the same but the fittings can vary) and hose length (to allow for different frame sizes and suspension designs/travel).

The lever clamp is almost always about 22.2mm (7/8th inch).

The caliper mount on the frame or fork will be IS-mount (bolts from the side) or post-mount (bolts parallel with the rotor).  M640 brakes are natively post-mount.

Adapters are available to fit PM calipers to IS mounts. Adapters are also used if a larger rotor is used. The normal rotor sizes for calipers without an adapter, or using a "+0mm" adapter for mismatched mounts, are 160mm at the front, 140mm at the rear.


Breaking and reconnecting modern chains I started riding in the eighties back when derailleur chains didn't come with quick link connectors (master links).  Since that changed I've been using my chain breaker to get new chains to the correct length and then use the quick link to connect it.
I have a SRAM 8 speed chain that's pretty new that I need to remove and reinstall on the bike.  I don't know if disconnecting and reconnecting the quick link is a good idea.  Any reason I can't do things the way I did back in the eighties and nineties?  Have modern chains changed?

Shimano chains are still connected using the connection pin and the chain tool. There is nothing wrong about it, just use the special pin. But do not do that for chains that are not made for this and for which there are no special connecting pins available.
So, use the quicklink for SRAM chains. The Shimano pin will probably work, but one does not know how reliably. Some SRAM chains even use special hollow pins or what not so use the approved joining methods.


Specialized tri-spoke rear wheel free hub replacement? I'm looking to replace the free hub on my Specialized tri-spoke rear wheel.

Can't seem to find a model number,and would love to put an 11-speed free hub.
Hope for some help?

Depending on the hub you have in the Tri-spoke, you could just simply replace the freehub body to an 11-speed. E.g. Campagnolo makes an 11-speed freehub body shich is compatible with Shimano Hyperglide. Search for Campagnolo FH-BUU015 and you should find quite good deals on it.


If the B-screw is too loose, would it significantly increase wear? After installing an 11-34 cassette, it makes a grinding noise even though the B screw is all the way in. The grinding sound happens only when using the largest gear. Does the grinding sound mean that one of the jockey wheels is being damaged?

I use it only on steep hills which means most of the time I won't hear it. Once my fitness improves, I plan to switch it to a smaller one.

Sounds to me like your Rear Derailleur simply can't cope with a 34 tooth rear cog.  You could replace the cassette with a 32 or 30 tooth maximum, perhaps find a smaller upper jockey wheel, or simply don't use the 34 tooth gear without drastic need.

My folder has similar problems with on its largest cog because the top jockey wheel is interfering with the cassette.  The teeth in the jockey wheel (pulley) directly touch the cassette's teeth.  I simply put up with it, because both are wear items and will be replaced in due course.


Front wheel tube slowly leaks air After I changed tires to conti 4 seasons in my road bike, the front wheel has been leaking air very slowly. I've changed tubes some 3 times already, and it keeps happening (after a couple of weeks). The tube will keep some pressure for about 3 to 4 hours before it's noticeable. Submerging the tubes in water doesn't help to find leaks, and the back tire is fine. I checked several times and found no sharp objects inside the tire.

The only thing I did find a bit weird was that the rim tape was not exactly on the center on one point, and would not stay in the center easily (it kept climbing the inner wheel).

There are two ways for air to leave a tube - an actual slow leak in the rubber or a faulty valve.

Since you've checked the tube and changed it. this could be a technique thing where you're pinching the tube creating a small hole that is not big enough to show up in a water test.

Try inflating your naked tube to a pressure of about 10 PSI.  It will double in diameter, and could burst if you go too high.   Mix some dishwash liquid into your lukewarm water to help break surface tension.  Put the tube into the water, starting at the valve, and work around the whole thing.  Flex the tube back and forth and take time.

A slow leak is hard to find, but its probably there somewhere.

Last chance is your tubes are all super-light and the air can permeate the surface.  If this is the case, buy heavier tubes.


Rebuilding wheel using 284mm instead of original 281mm spokes? I bought a new rear hub, same exact size as old, original spokes were 281mm however spokes i bought by mistake are 284mm, can i still use them to rebuild? I have deep double walled rim with lots of extra space for the spokes to stick out, however spokes have thread smaller than the spoke diameter and spoke does not screw past spoke cap, so i don't know where the extra length will go?

Spoke caps i bought are not same length as original, bought two variants - first is longer and second is shorter than original spoke cap, does it matter?

The new hub means you'll need to do re-do your spoke calculation anyway, unless it's the same dimensions.
Nipples of different lengths have different amounts of thread. The only good way to address that fact is to take an ERD measurement based on the nipples you'll be using. Published ERDs are always simplifications for this reason.
If 281 was a good size spoke for a given build, good defined as having nearly complete thread engagement, 284 would be way too long, and into the realm where running out of threaded length would be probable.
If you have a shop local with a production type spoke machine like a Phil or Morizumi, making your 284s into 281s is a fast job. I've done this sort of thing for people with mis-ordered spokes before.


How to remove a stuck seatpost? I bought an old bike. However there is one problem with it. The seatpost is stuck and I can't take it up or down ... and it's too high for me that my back hurts. It seems that the old user made it this way and I need to find a way to take it off or replace it somehow. Any ideas please?

Edit: do I have any chance with it? I need to note that when I got the bike I didn't find a screw that holds/locks the seatpost ... so I got it exactly as in the picture.

Pics for the seat.

Leaving out the back story - which is emotional - here is how I got an alloy seatpost out of a Columbus SLX (steel) frame.

I got a bunch of optimistic advice and it all failed me.

I tried:

Penetrating oil such as WD-40, Hard core penetrators like PBlaster and Kroil, Freeze spray, Hammers, and giant levers.

I was down to the last resort - sodium hydroxide, aka lye, aka drain cleaner.

I melted the seatpost out with drain cleaner. If you are going to do this you can't just buy drain cleaner. A lot of drain cleaners are not 100% sodium hydroxide. Get the pure stuff. This stuff is dangerous - use precautions. I wore safety glasses and huge gloves everytime I handled this stuff and I handled it a lot. This process takes time but if you persist you will get results with little more effort that the effort of mixing the lye and pouring the mixture.

What you are going to do is flip the bike upside down and pour lye down the seat tube so that it hits the seatpost and melts it from the inside. Lye is corrosive to aluminum, it does not affect steel. I cut the head off of my seatpost which in hindsight I would not do again. Seatposts are usually hollow and cutting the head off reveals an open hole which the lye runs out of. I plugged the hole with plumbers putty of all things. I also spring some leaks near the binder bolt so I plugged those with plumber putty also. Also my frame had holes in the top tube for cable routing so I plugged those also. I recommend experimenting with water to check for leaks! The water-test is also helpful to determine the volume that you want to use.

I pulled the wheels and fork off of my bike when I did  mine because I did not want anything flopping around and also I wanted all aluminum away from the lye. You need to pull the bottom bracket because that is where you pour the lye. So with the bike upside down bike such that the seatpost is the furthest down, big gloves and eye protection donned, and your lye mixed according to instructions you pour the lye into the bottom bracket filling up the seatpost. Rinse out the container with water many many times and rinse your gloves many many times. At this point you can put your ear to the bottom bracket and you can hear the chemical sizzling. After a while - day or days - you will pour the lye out and pour some more in. I am not a chemist and I do not know how lye works, maybe if you agitate the stuff every few hours it works better. I just made sure to leave it in for at least a day and I never left it in for more than a few days.

Pour the old stuff out and pour some new stuff in.

Wait.

Repeat.

So about that hole which is revealed when you cut the head off of the seatpost. On the one hand this is something you need to plug constantly. Because of this you might not want the hole. On the other hand it makes draining easy. I got to where I would pull the plug over the slop sink, replug the hole, and pour in the fresh stuff.

The hole is also nice to access because you can see if the stuff is working - the hole gets bigger, gets jagged, etc. So you might want access to the hole during the melting.

Eventually you will get a nicely corroded seatpost which is still stuck in the frame. Now it is hacksaw blade time.

Take a hacksaw blade, just the blade, and stick it into the seatpost hole and start cutting the seat post. These are long vertical cuts that run the length of the seatpost. You are basically cutting the round seatpost into pieces of pie. This is extremely tedious work and you will second guess yourself, thinking that you are sawing into the frame but eventually you will get a complete cut and you will realize that cutting the aluminum seatpost is very different than cutting steel.

Now you are making the vertical slices when you have time, and then plugging everything and using lye over the course of days and in between cutting sessions. The more mangled things get the more difficult it will be to keep the lye in the tube. Eventually pieces of the seatpost will come loose and you can pull them out with pliers. Keep going until everything is either corroded away or yanked out. What is left will be very rough. I recommend some files and then something attached to a drill, like a cylinder hone or perhaps a barrel hone:

You use that to clean up the inside of the seatpost.

When you are done give your frame a good shake to make sure that all of the bits are out, then rinse again with water. You might take this opportunity to apply framesaver. You are ready to put everything back on, using grease liberally.


Does anybody recognize this MTB frame? I just got this frame for a few bucks and I wonder if it is from a known manufacturer or not. I often find bikes with similar design aspects, but not this frame. There was also a Marzocchi 55 ETA from 2008 sitting in there, so I guess the frame has a similar age.

Edit: Assembled bike, after a paint job.

If I had this frame, I would look again at those frames that most resembled it. Rather than a tiny manufacturer that nobody anywhere can recall, it's much more likely that a relatively sophisticated frame like yours is a pre-production model, or a sponsored rider version that differs significantly from the commercially sold model. That's why you can't find that exact frame elsewhere in order to identify it.

I think you've already seen a picture of the descendant or tweaked version of this frame, but you didn't realise the connection, you only noticed the differences.

The frame having no frame number is another pointer to it being most likely a custom-built for a pro rider or being a development model, not a production bike. Some machines in these categories have no serial no. at all, some have a low number, or just initials, or a combination of both, often stamped in an unusual place on the frame.

Someone who was around the racing circuit when this frame was current might remember it - the marks of extensive use seem to indicate that it might have been raced at some time.


How to fix new chain that switches gears when pedaling backwards I just recently replaced a chain that got incredibly beat up in the winter (it was rusted, and practically stiff when I removed it.)

I removed links from the new chain to match the length of the previous chain. The previous chain was the manufacturer installed stock chain.

It is a 3*8 - 24 speed configuration. I usually leave the front derailleur on 3, and make all adjustments on the rear.

If my bike is on the 4th cog or larger (so 4,3,2,1), the chain will "slip down" to the smaller cog if I pedal backwards.

So for example, if I am in 3x4, and I pedal backwards, the chain slips to 3x5. It corrects itself as soon as I start pedaling forward. If I try to pedal backwards any farther though, the chain just wraps around on itself and falls off.

The bigger the rear cog (for instance 3x1 or 3x2) - the slower I need to pedal for it to slip.

All comments & answers are much appreciated :)

I consider it standard practice to replace the rear cogs at the same time as buying a new chain. If you don't the rear cog's teeth start to look like shark fins after a while and your chain will "climb". Esp. when pedaling backwards.

Edit: worn cogs, even if they don't cause immediate problems, will stretch your chain causing it to wear out quickly.


What's the definition of a Mixte? What makes a mixte frame? Further, what's the etymology of 'mixte'?

A mixte is a step-through (low top tube or "ladies") frame with 3 sets of stays instead of the usual 2.  The usual is that the middle set of stays run all the way to the head tube replacing the top tube, but there's some where the top tube is still a normal single tube.  The traditional mixte has those axle-to-head stays straight, but I've seen designs where they're bent to give an even lower standover height.  They still retain the usual chain stays and seat stays. This design keeps the frame strong and doesn't require a longer seat post.

I believe the word itself comes from french and means "mixed" as in "mix of women's and men's styles" or maybe even "unisex".  Anybody around here speak french?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_m.html#mixte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step-through_frame#Mixte


Training for 150 km race in 2 months practicality and plan I've just got into road bikes and want to prepare for a sportive race which is coming up in 2 months and is 150 km. My goal is just to complete the total distance within the 12 hour time limit given.

As of now I ride (16 km in 45 min)/day for 5-6 days a week and have decent fitness level but not too great . Apart from this I don't really play any sport but I jog (8 km in 45 min)/day everyday.

The terrain for the race and where I am going to practice is completely flat. I can devote 1-1.5 hours a day on the weekdays and much more on the weekends for training.

Is it practical for me to be able to take part and complete the race. Also can anyone suggest a training plan for me.

The OP needs to cover 150km on flat surface within 12 hours. It's the average speed of 12.5 km/h.
Even if we are more realistic and allow for one hour break every 2h15', we end up with four stages of less than 38km each to be ridden at the average of less than 17km/h.
If we put some challenge into the event and, let's say, set on the average speed (excluding stops) at 20km/h, we are talking about riding for 7.5 hours effectively with the total of 4.5 hours of breaks. And 20km/h on a modern road bike on even surface is "walking pace".

For someone that does 45 mins jogging every day it's totally doable, however certain conditions apply.

First of all make sure that your road  bike is properly fitted, i.e. the handlebars are not too far from the saddle. On the weekend have a 50km ride within 2 hours. Check how you feel (muscle pain and lower back pain). The very next day have another ride for 50km in 2 hours. Do you experience muscle pain? Work on your nutrition. Lower back pain? Bike fitting needs to be improved (most likely your stem is too long forcing you to stretch too much). Any other pain? Work on your position. Repeat every weekend until no sufferings on the second day occur. You have 7 iterations, that's a lot.

Make sure the gear you have is 100% in order so you don't loose time on technical stops. If no on-the-spot technical assistance is provided during the event, provide yourself with one. What I'm using is:

spare tube
bicycle pump
tyre patch set (check if the tyre rubber solution is not expired)
dog bone wrench
basic mutlitool with chain break device
spare master link for the chain (I discourage you from using power link as it needs pliers for disassembly), should your chain break in the middle
latex gloves in case you need to perform dirty fix and you don't want to ruin your handlebar wrap
ductape (1 meter strip wrapped around some object, even bike frame)

Except for the pump and ductape you can easily fit the rest under the saddle in a saddle bag.

Use proper clothing, i.e. padded shorts and cycling jersey (large pockets on your back), helmet, gloves and sunglasses. Don't forget sunblocker, you don't want sunburns ruin your day. Ride "naked" - the underwear will make your sitting parts sore very quickly.

On the day of the event take good care of proper nutrition. Slow carbohydrates for the breakfast will give you strong foundation for the whole day. For the race take some power bars or ginger bread snacks and a lot of hydration (e.g. isotonic drink in tabs that you will dissolve in water topped up as you go). Eat regularly, even if you don't feel like. The same for drinking. And don't check the current results too often. The more frequent you check your distance the slower you go, perceived.

Why I'm writing this? Last weekend I've ridden Eroica for 160km. I'm not an athlete (my BMI is around 27, fat percentage around 18%). For the past 5 years I was jogging 2 times a week on the average, distances between 5 and 12 km. The longest bicycle trip in one day was less than 100 km.

My preparation for the event (except the technical details I've described above) during 2 months prior to the event was:
  - ride between 50 and 60 km once a week in less than 2h30'
  - do running exercise for 45mins once a week

One week before the event I did 2 consecutive days riding which went well.

I rode the route in less than 8 hours of effective cycling and in 11 hours total (scheduled stops on the route and technical difficulties) with the average of 19.9km/h. Eroica consisted also of unpaved roads and 1567 m elevation gain (measured by strawa was more than 1800).
And I could easily ride 20km family ride the following day.

 TL; DR;
You training schedule is ok, have couple of test rides of 50km  and good luck!


Rear cassette shifting I replaced my free hub body due to pedal slippage. I also replaced rear cassette and chain for regular maintenance. Since then the problem started and I replaced shifter and cables as well as rear derailer. I am out of ideas. I know how to properly set high and low range and adjust index. Once the index is set for gears 8-4 or so, gears 3-1 shift too quick and the chain ends up in the large ring when the shifter says it’s in 3 or 2 and the last shifts to 2 or one are incredibly tough as the cable is so tight. If I loosen the cable to allow a smoother shift in gears 1-3 gears 6-8 don’t work together.

The rear cassette and chain is 8 speed, the same part number as previously installed.

You have an SRAM X4 8-Speed shifter. The description says:

  Featuring our proven ergonomics and award-winning 1:1® Actuation

and adverts in e-shops say:

  Compatible with ESP (1:1 ratio) rear derailleurs only.

The pull ratio for Shimano rear derailleurs is 1.7. It is not compatible. You need a different shifter or a different rear derailleur (like the X4).


Derailleur twitching in low gears I had a mild spill today on my new bike, which put the (Tiagra) derailleur cage a little bit out of line. With some bending and eyeballing, I got the two jockey wheels lined up 'almost' perfectly parallel with the cassette, and shifting is okay.

My problem is, when I shift down to about the 3rd largest gear and larger, the cage 'ticks' when pedaled about 240 degrees (not in the same spot, just after about that much pedalling). I watched the cage and what's happening is, the chain starts to drift to the right (outside) of the lower jockey, and then, for some reason, one end of a link rises up off the jockey, and the cage pulls back a little bit like it's trying to get in position for a shift. It doesn't go far, though, and by the time the bunched link gets off the lower jockey, it loosens up and the tension drops out of the cage, causing it to relax into position again.

None of this happens on smaller gears. What's going on here? Can I fix it without shelling out cash for a whole new derailleur (was basically new)?

From what you say the chain tension is now too high.

There should be a screw that adjusts the tension of the tensioning spring. Sorry I can't tell you where it is: none of the images I can find show it. Check out these sources.

Before adjusting anything take note of the position of each screw, then find the one that you think adjusts the tension and turn it one whole turn and test the result. If it messes up something else, it's the wrong screw so turn it back again. If it changes the twitching and clicking it's the right screw, so adjust it until the it's as good as you can get it. Keep track of how many turns you make, in case you need to start again. If that happens try adjusting in smaller steps.

Edit: see also the links in this answer.


Is this rim safe to ride? Picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll skip right to it.

Here's a closeup view:

Wheel is about 3 months old, has under 500 miles on it.

Take a look at the specs for the rim (or tell us what kind of rim you've got). There are two ways to join a rim. One is to weld the joint, the other is to use a sleeve inside of the rim extrusion that aligns the ends.

If your rim is welded, then I would be inclined to agree with Carel. But it if is sleeved then it seems likely that what you're seeing is a slight imperfection in the alignment of the ends

There is no need to "adhere" the ends of the rim to each other. The load created by the spokes put the rim in compression. There is no tendency on a built wheel for the ends of the rim to pull apart. The point of welding or sleeving the joint is to keep the ends in alignment.


Shimano 7 speed with click shift not enough range. Can only get 4 of 7 gears The indexing shifter (lever for down, click for up type) doesn't seem to have enough range to cover the entire 7 gears. Limiting screws are all the way out. If I adjust the cable I can get 4 lower gears or 4 higher gears or anywhere in between, but only 4 gears.

The shifter display will only go down to 4th. It's like there just isn't enough range in the shifter to cover all 7. The dérailleur can move the full range.

The bike was bought almost new with very minimal use and as far as I know the gear set is original.

The problem is for sure in your shifter. Make sure both levers can move freely at any gear (i.e. are not hitting against brake lever mount or other accessories).

Also make sure that your shifter's inner mechanism looks fine, parts move freely. If not - consider lubrication.

Disconnect cable from the derailleur, take shifter off the handlebar, shift to the lowest gear and try shift 7 times up. If you can't so the only option is to replace it to proper 7 gear shifter.


Can a normal bicycle be adapted as a draisine (to use on abandoned railways with the tracks in place)? For a long time I've wanted to rent a draisine and ride it down an old abandoned railway.  There's dozens of places in Scandinavia where one can do so.

Source: Jonas Andréasson, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Dresinsykling på Flekkefjordbanen

Alternately, is it feasible to adapt an ordinary bicycle as a draisine?  Preferably in an easy way so I can ride to an abandoned railway, attach some stuff, and continue onto the railway.

Do any kits to easily convert a regular bicycle into a draisine exist?

Yes a regular bicycle can be adapted as a draisine or a railbike as we call them (to use on abandoned railways with the tracks in place)?

California, USA is big into this sort of thing. There are more books on the subject than websites to be sure of.

Although there are so many styles of railbikes out there, it would be quite difficult to know what would fit your needs, but I am fairly confident this site will be able to help you: Bentley Railbike CONSTRUCTION PLANS.

I take it, that you are looking into something like this:

They offer Bentley Railbike CONSTRUCTION PLANS for sale and they look like they are detachable, but you should confirm this with this company via email, writing or by phone to verify your needs.

  CONSTRUCTION PLANS include 6 pages of text with detailed construction sequence and parts list keyed to the drawings, plus 10 sheets of drawings with most parts rendered full scale.

  Easy construction - no welding or complex machining.
  Adjustable outrigger wheel height.
  Detach outrigger with 3 pins - folds after removal.
  Wheel guide lift lever.

  This is a proprietary design, and a patent shall be applied for in the near future.

  A LICENSE (plans included) to construct a railbike in accordance with these plans may be purchased for $25 (US DOLLARS).

A Railbike - LIST of Parts and Materials can be seen here.


Clicking front hub after overhaul I repacked a front hub I haven't worked on before and can't get rid of the clicking. (It wasn't clicking before I repacked it, just sluggish and overdue for an overhaul.) Bike is a 2016 Kona Sutra; hubs are Shimano Deoro.
I adjusted the cones so there was minimal play that went away when I reefed down the QR, and got constant clicking when I spun the wheel and put my ear next to the hub. Figured it was grease starvation. (This is the first hub I've owned that has dust covers you're not supposed to remove when cleaning and repacking. Not a fan; I like to see how clean the bearing cups are and know exactly how much grease I'm putting in.)
So I took the hub apart again and squeezed more grease on the bearings.
Re-adjusted for minimal play when lightly mounted, and none when reefed down. Clicking's reduced now, but still audible when I spin the wheel and put my ear next to the hub.
I gave bearings, cones, and cups a thorough eyeball inspection when I cleaned them; nothing dramatic there. (I suppose they could be pitted or brinneled at a magnified level, but I wouldn't expect that to cause this kind of noise.)
Any ideas? Thanks.
(PS: While researching this issue, I've twice found references to the same problem on Shimano hubs. One answerer said, "That's just Shimano; live with it." Another on the other post said approximately the same thing. Any thoughts about this, Shimano people?)

Does it only click with the QR closed and tight? Tighten the QR only tight enough to hold the wheel in place and spin the wheel. If the click is gone the QR is so tight it is compressing the cones. It may take some trial and error to find the sweet spot where the wheel feels too loose off the bike but just right when the QR is compressed.


How to remove pedal bolt with round, smooth head I'm trying to take the reflector off of some old French track pedals but can't remove one of the bolts holding the reflector on because the bolt holding the reflector onto the pedal rotates with its nut and it has a smooth, round head with no screw drive at all, so I can't find a way of producing any torque to remove the nut by holding the bolt in place. I even tried "clamping" the bolt head with some pliers by putting the head of the bolt against one jaw of the pliers while the other jaw was against the inside of the pedal itself, but the bolt still rotated freely even when applying as much pressure as possible with the pliers.

Additionally, when I removed the plastic reflector from its metal housing (which I'm trying to remove), a rusty thin strip of metal fell out (highlighted in green in the photo); Is this possibly some clue to removing the bolt?-- I had no problems removing the bolts on the other pedal, but I'm unsure of the internal "configuration" of the reflector, i.e. if the other reflectors on the other pedal also have this weird metal strip thing. However, I'm reluctant to remove the other reflectors to check because whenever I take anything off of this bike, there is a very good chance that it'll break in the process and I won't be able to get it back on.

I expect that when you try to turn the nut you'll rind that the round bolt head is eccentric on the bolt. Side on it looks like the sketch below, and means the bolt won't rotate once it's in the hole.

This is quite old school, and they're very easy to manufacture with only fairly basic hand tools. Imagine trying to cut a hexagonal hole into a pedal using only a drill and file.


Effects of design on speed? I'd like to understand more about how the design of a bike affects its speed (assume a normal, two-wheeled bike with gears).

Can I assume that weight has little effect, on level ground, except when starting and stopping? If not, why not: what is the effect and how big is it?
Are the two biggest factors wind resistance, and tire rolling resistance?

Can you point me towards data for the above:

Rolling resistances for various types/sizes of tire at different speeds
Wind resistances for different rider positions at different speeds

Specifically how much difference is there between e.g. a 700x23 mm tire, and a 700x32 mm tire at 90 psi?

I like to use an excellent power calculator to answer questions like these. Play with the numbers, and you can see the exact effects on wind resistance of different rider positions or changing the type of tire.

In short, at race speeds, wind resistance requires by far the most power to overcome. It ends up being anywhere from 85%–90% of your overall power expenditure. For example, with that calculator, it takes a fully-crouched 150lb rider somewhere around 650W to maintain a 35mph pace. Remove air resistance entirely and it only requires an astonishing 50W. At the same power output (650W), with no air resistance, the same rider could reach a ridiculous speed of 475mph.

Sheldon also covers the topic, providing an excellent cost–benefit breakdown for various aerodynamic improvements. And Wikipedia makes the claim that "lowering a bike's weight by 1 lb… will have the same effect over a 40 km time trial on flat ground as removing a protrusion into the air the size of a pencil".


Bicycle frame identify HELP A few day ago I got this bike from a friend for a restoration. He thinks it's bianchi but I am sure it's not. It has Wienman brakes, simplex derailleurs, 3ttt steam, ofmega hubs and ofmega crankset. Because of the age of the parts (1970) and frame details I think it's French Motobecane but can someone confirm or can be sure it's something else. Thanks

http://imgur.com/a/aYQfj

Old French bike parts have different size standards than Italian ones. See http://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html for list. Probably the easiest part to measure is the bottom bracket width, which is 70mm for Italian and 68mm for French bikes.


What previous Shimano road shifters are 10sp and exit cables under bar tape? I'm swapping out some parts on an old road bike I have to build it up as a winter/less cared about run around. Looking for what I can on auction sites etc., but the model numbers elude me.
I have a 10sp cassette and a compact double up front.
I need a pair of Shimano STI shifters for 10 x 2, and I'm looking for the models which hide the cables all under the bar tape.
So far I'm looking at 105 ST-5700 pair, and Ultegra ST-6700 pair. Is there a Dura Ace model, which I presume the Ultegra and 105 were originaly designed off, but from the year or so earlier?
ST-7801 appears to have the front inner side exit I don't want, and also the model number doesn't seem right to me but they never all made sense.
I don't know what the term for the cables exiting under the bar tape is to search for that, does Shimano have a particular marketing term for it?

Shimano calls this 'hidden brake and shift cables.'
https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/claris-r2000/ST-R2000-L.html
First on Dura-Ace 7900
There is a list of 10-speed groupsets here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimano#Road_groupsets
Then:

Dura-Ace 7900
Ultegra 6700
105 5700
(Tiagra 4600 does NOT have the hidden cables and is based on an older design.)
Tiagra 4700
(Not listed there and irrelevant unless you have hydro disc brakes, but ST-RX400)

7900 and 6700 are almost identical internally (both contain ball bearings). 5700 is a bushing design, as is 4700.
4700 is essentially an R9100/R8000/R7000 design; i.e. the brake cable/lever follows 'SLR EV' design, rather than 'New Super SLR'. It also uses the 11-speed RD pull ratio (along with GRX 10 speed), which pulls more cable and is therefore easier to setup and generally better. So you can use any 11-speed RD with this, or RD-4700/RD-RX400 10-speed RDs. But not the older 10-speed road RDs.
7900 revised the brake pull ratio, so your bike will stop poorly if you mix 7900 with brakes BEFORE 7900/6700/5700/4600/3500/2400, but you can mix it with newer design (symmetrical pivots on the arms, rather than one on the arm and one on the top - symmetrical design is called SLR EV), R9000/R8000/R7100/6800/5800/5810 brakes
I would go for the 4700 brifters rather than any older ones.
In terms of FD, assuming you will use band-on, then 4700 has the long-arm design:

the increased leverage here means it should shift better than the 7900/6700/5700, design

(note that 7900/6700/5700 introduced a new pull ratio, which as indicated above did not propagate to 4600, which was older.)
[also note that the long arm created problems with cable routing on certain braze-on frames, so they updated it again for the current R9100/R8000/R7000 series)


how to adjust the derailer - apart from the L/H limiting screws Pardon my newb terminology. My bike's chain will not stay on the H gear (the big ring) The front derailleur will not allow it.

I have loosened the limiter screw out to it's maximum and, still, no dice. Clearly there is more room to move, as I demonstrate manually:

I want to know what to attempt to adjust next. Clearly there is a bias toward the Low cog. Ideally I'd want to tighten that limiting screw so I'd have more room to manouvre in future.

Which of the other hinges should I try to work with next?

Every video I've found online so far only deals with those limiting screws.

You need to loosen the screw that holds the cable and pull that cable out a little bit.

The limiter screws that you've used so far are rather used to prevent the chain from falling off, and it's a finer tuning than you appear to need now. Thus it would be useful to level them out before pulling the cable. After you adjust the cable, take a few minutes to make sure the derailleur does not throw the chain over the outer gear.


How should one cross the IJ river with a bike? The IJ river flows through Amsterdam. Well, actually, it flows North of historical Amsterdam, but these days there's a Northern borough.

I've never been north of the river before, and I'm going there soon. I thought I'd take my bike, but they're not very amphibian, and it occurred to me I don't know whether I can safely cross anywhere...

OpenStreetMap shows a path but there doesn't seem to be a bridge there, nor a tunnel
There's the IJtunnel, but I don't know whether I can cycle through it, nor whether it's a good idea with the car smog
There are ferries, but I don't know whether these allow bikes and whether it's too pricey to be worth it.

What are my options?

(Yes I know I can just cycle around the bank and see, or also ask around, I'd just rather plan ahead.)

The route that you highlighted on the map is the ferry route. It operates 24/7. It allows bikes and it is completely free.

More info about ferries in Amsterdam.

There is also bridge on the east of Amsterdam.

And there are plans to build bike tunnel close to IJ tunnel.


UK - What constitutes dangerous driving? So today a big tour bus pulled into the bus lane in front of me. In the process of doing so, they came pretty close, within an arm span. Then, further down the road the traffic slowed them down and I passed them. When they caught up with me they passed within an arm span again.

They never actually touched me, and I didn't have to swerve or stop suddenly to avoid them. Nonetheless, it didn't seem particularly safe; not having driven a tour bus I don't have any idea how confident the driver could be in pulling this off, but it felt dangerous.

What constitutes dangerous driving? What metrics can I use to make a judgement call about whether a vehicle's actions are actually making me unsafe, as opposed to just alarming?

What metrics can I use to make a judgement call about whether a vehicle's actions are actually making me unsafe

The UK Highway code says they should give you as much space as they give a car, illustrations in the code suggest they should move completely into the next lane. At least one UK police force uses 1.5 metres as the minimum separation.
My old copy of the Highway Code has this illustration:

It appears that failing to give enough space to a vehicle being passed is usually prosecuted (if at all) as Driving without due care and attention, not Dangerous driving.
The Criminal Prosecution Service says:

There are decided cases that provide some guidance as to the driving that courts will regard as careless or inconsiderate and the following examples are typical of what we are likely to regard as careless driving:

driving inappropriately close to another vehicle;

The Highway Code
The UK Highway Code says

Rule 163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should
...
give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215).
Rule 212
When passing motorcyclists and cyclists, give them plenty of room (see Rules 162 to 167). If they look over their shoulder it could mean that they intend to pull out, turn right or change direction. Give them time and space to do so.
Rule 213
Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make.

The Road Traffic Act 1988
The Introduction to my old copy of the Highway code contains this section:

This code, between pages 3 and 52, is issued with the Authority of Parliament (laid before both Houses of Parliament June 1992)
A failure on the part of a person to observe any provision of the Highway Code shall not of itself render that person liable to criminal proceedings of any kind, but any such failure  may in any proceedings (whether in civil or criminal and including proceedings for an offence under the Traffic Acts, the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 or sections 18 to 23 of the Public Transport Act 1985) be relied upon by any party to the proceedings as tending to establish or negative any liability which is in question in those proceedings
the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 38

Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 says

Careless, and inconsiderate, driving.
If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.

Enforcement
Obviously, enforcement is diffcult and often insifficent. One example provides a guideline for the actual separation that is quantitative rather than the qualitative guide in the Highway Code.
An article "Drivers who get too close to cyclists face prosecution", The Telegraph 16 September 2016. says:

West Midlands Police force is thought to be the first in the country to proactively target motorists who flout laws requiring them to give cyclists at least the same space as vehicles when overtaking.
Anyone encroaching inside a safe passing distance, widely considered to be a minimum of 1.5 metres, runs the risk of being prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.

Video giving advice to drivers
See How to Overtake Cyclists


Release brakes Giant OCR4 2006 I like to put 28c size tires on my Giant OCR4 2006 (which I second-hand bought recently), but these old Tektro brakes don't have this useful release switch modern brakes have. I tried loosening the fine tuning bolt marked (marked as 1 in the picture). But this doesn't open far enough for 25c+.

Is there supposed to be an easy way of releasing the brakes in case I get a puncture? The only way I can think off is taking the brake blocks out, or loosening the table tension bolt (marked as 2 in the picture).

Or is my best option just buying some new brakes if I want to run bigger tires?

There are two ways:
1. Deflate the tyre, put the wheel in, re-inflate. I had to do like this in the old days.
2. There are tension release devices you can put in the cable-housing. Shimano amongst others sells those for their direct-mount rear Dura-ace brakes that don't come with release levers. (item SM-CB90)
The alternative would be new brakes indeed.


Is there a name for fingered (non-fingerless) gloves that have open parts for the back of the hand? I couldn't find a picture sorry but I swear I've seen em before!

I'm talking about gloves that have fingers but also vents/gaps at the back of the hand to let the sweat evaporate. Your fingers get cold, but your hands get sweaty. What are these kinds of gloves called?

Driving gloves? Fancy Ferrari version

I don't think I've seen cycling specific gloves in that configuration. However, if you want full finger cycling gloves, there are Mountain bike gloves used for racing that ventilate pretty well due to the lightweight fabrics used. They don't have an open back, but otherwise work well.


The drivetrain on my bike needs replacement, given the cost, do I just get a new bike? Probably best to not go through the specific components on my bike, however, the sprockets, chainset, jockey wheels and chain need replacing due to excessive wear. Coupled with that, the cables are in need of replacement too. The rear rim is wearing a bit thin so a new wheel might also be prudent.

I have done some back of the envelope calculations and the parts bill alone comes to 2/3 the price I paid for the bike originally. Hence, do I just get a new bike? If I do, can I just throw the old one away without any qualms about wasting what is a nice bike, albeit worn out?

I think the appropriate question is not what you paid for the bike, but what it will cost you to replace it. Almost any bike can be repaired (although the grandfathers axe problem also occurs).

I think it's worth doing the quotations yourself. Go over the bike properly and work out which parts need to be replaced, what tools (if any) you will need to buy, and what that will all cost. Then look at the cost of a working second hand or new bike. One advantage of the new(er) bike is that it doesn't have to be the same as your existing bike - if you've been wanting a bigger frame or something the new(er) bike can have that. Of course, a second hand bike will probably also need bits fixed up, which is something to add to the cost.

My expectation is that unless your current bike was fairly good to start with that a new bike will work out cheaper. But if you enjoy working on your bike you should count some of the cost as entertainment (I am building a four poster bed and selling it to my partner this way :)


What are typical max speeds for pro downhill races? Looking videos like Red Bull Rampage or Mega Avalanche make me wonder about the speeds attained by those pro bikers. How fast they go in straight line sections?

The differences are quite significant from race to race - each track is different. Also events such as Rampage are not too much about speed. The top speed may vary between 55-65km/h on tracks such as Mount Sainte Anne up to around 80km/h in Pietermaritzburg which is known for high speeds achieved. Of course all assuming good weather.

Also these speeds are kept only for a few seconds (in the best case), the average speeds come around 30km/h mark course and weather dependent.


At what height should I have my seat on a road bike? I am currently riding a loaner from my brother in-law, and I have set the seat height based upon feel.  I was wondering though as to how I can set it to the right height for me to ride more scientifically?

I will also need to set it back to his height when I give the bike back in a weeks time.

There are a number of ways to determine the seat height for a road bicycle. But you should also pay attention to how you feel while riding your bike at different heights. In addition, it is important to consider your entire position, not only the seat height. Finally, if you are riding a lot, change your seat height in small increments over time to avoid injury.

Here are some of the popular methods for determining seat height:

There should be some bend in your knee at the bottom of the stroke;

your seat is too high if you should have to wobble your hips with each pedal stroke to reach the pedal.
Your seat is too low if your thighs hit your stomach

Sit on the bike, put your heel on the pedal, and your leg should be fully extended. This provides a good starting point
Another good starting point is Greg Lemond's recommendation from "Greg LeMond's complete book of cycling" states that the distance from the top of the seat to the center of the pedal should be 0.833 times the distance from the floor to your crotch, measured with your back and heels against a wall. If you use clipless pedals, subtract 3cm;
if you drop your heels at the bottom of the pedal stroke, decrease the height and if you point your toes, increase the height  relative to these recommendations.
When you need more control (crit racing, urban cycling, bicycle polo) lower the seat; for more power (hill climbing, time trialing), increase the seat height.

Again, once you get these starting points, you can adjust until it feels right. I would also suggest getting a professional fit, especially if you ride a lot or are planning to purchase a new bike. Probably the most important attribute of a new bicycle is it's fit. A proper fit will do more for your riding enjoyment, skill, and speed than any component or frame material (excluding department store bikes).

Some good online resources include:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

http://www.caree.org/bike101bikefit.htm

Here is a list of references found in the chapter on Body Position for Cycling from the book "High Tech Cycling" by Ed Burke. The entire book can be read at google books.


Chain loosening over time (Fixie) I've ridden a fixed gear bike for years now, but I've only just questioned if I have been doing something wrong when adjusting the chain.
You see, I have to tension the chain (pulling the rear wheel back) every now and then, roughly once a month because the chain becomes very loose with regular riding.
At first I tried to keep the chain as tight as possible, so that there's pretty much no latency in the pedals when the bike is stationary (don't know if this is the correct expression) but then I read somewhere that doing this with fixed gear bikes can damage the drivetrain, and you should actually have a little latency and thus a slightly loose chain.

In short, my questions are:
Is it normal that I have to tighten the chain probably at least once a month because it gets too loose with casual riding, no more than a 100 miles per week?

Is it correct that with fixie you shouldn't keep the chain too tight because it can ruin the drivetrain?

Is it correct that with fixie you shouldn't keep the chain too tight because it can ruin the drivetrain?

That is mostly correct. Given that the circularity of the chainring, bearings and rear sprocket are never ideal, there will be a position through a full crank's rotation when the chain is the most tight, and a position where it is the most loose. It is recommended to find the tightest spot and tune the chain tension to be just right in it. Then, just in case, you can find the loosest spot and make sure the chain won't hop off the teeth if shaken in the second position.

Overtightening a chain would not give performance benefits while simultaneously it would start pressing both chain and chainring excessively, not benefiting their wear life.

  Is it normal that I have to tighten the chain probably at least once a month because it gets too loose with casual riding, no more than a 100 miles per week?

If it is not the rear wheel axle sliding forward because of a low torque on its axles or because of bad nut design/quality, then it is the chain. You would have noticed the axle sliding because the rear wheel would become misaligned in the rear dropouts and the tire would start rubbing one of the rear chainstays.

It is possible that a chain of poor quality would wear faster than desired, effectively "stretching" itself and thus becoming loose on the drivetrain's teeth over time. I've read reports that so called half-link chains used in BMX are quite prone to it. Try using a better, possibly more expensive chain.

Again, if the chain seems "loose" to your taste but you cannot throw it off the drivetrain's teeth by hand, it is unlikely it will come off during riding. In that case, let it be for a while.

And again, do not forget about regular maintenance of the chain, that is, replacing it after it has worn and become longer by 0.75% of its original length.


2mm clearance between the chainstay and the rear tire I use a pair of club roost cross terra (27 1 3/8) on a vintage raleigh bike (maybe it's raleigh record). Originally the bike had 27 1 1/4 tires.
If I'm correct, 1 1/4 is 32mm wide and 1 3/8 is 35 mm wide.
The clearance between the chainstays and the rear tire is 2mm on both sides. Is this acceptable?
The brakes are just fine and I only use the bike for daily commuting.

Clearance is clearance.  It will work fine until your wheel goes out of true, or you ride in conditions that produce 2mm of extra width on your tire (mud, snow, etc).  Or alternately some combination of the two.  Depending on your frame material (I am too lazy to look yours up, but I'll assume steel) it will probably rub on almost every ride at some point when you flex the frame enough for it to touch.


Removing Rust on Chrome Rims My wife has a 1980 Schwinn World Tourist that has a good frame and is mechanically sound.  The rims have developed rust on the rims even though it is in the garage.  Is there a good way to remove the rust or any rust remover that works well on chrome wheels?  Please do not recommend Coke and aluminum foil.  I have tried that and it does not work (I used the same method shown on You Tube videos).
Granted, the bike is not worth much, but with the rear baskets, it looks like the "wicked witch of the West's" bike and has character.

If you want to keep the steel wheels, you need to remove the rust and stop it coming back.

For Pinheads of Rust

Strip off everything that is not metal (tyre/tube/rim tape)
Poke at the big rust spots, look for rust under the chrome.  You need to expose the rust to treat it
Sand off any large lumps of rust with sandpaper (this is tedious)
Treat the whole wheel surface with a rust resolver like "Rustbuster" which is an acid.  Use gloves and eye protection - this stuff dissolves skin nicely.
Allow it to dry/cure overnight
Next day, sand any lumps of black rust ready for painting
Immediately prime the whole wheel, spraypaint works well.  Then immediately wipe the primer off the chromed parts because it won't stick there anyway.
You can try applying a spray chrome paint last.  Avoid the brake track, it won't last there.

Personally I used grey primer and simply left it at that.

Significant Rust

If the rim is too rusted then you're up for some more in-depth work.  If flakes of chrome come off because of rust underneath, then its significant.  The rust will have penetrated under the chrome, and its very hard to get to.  So the fix is to take it all off.

Disassemble the whole wheel, loosen all the spoke nipples, remove the bare rim hoop.  Order replacement stainless steel spokes and brass nipples.
Send the rim hoop to a commercial shotblaster for cleanup, with whatever product they recommend.  Could be glass pellets, walnut shells, sand, or similar abrasive powders.
While these steps are happening, service the hub with new bearings etc.
Once the whole rim is bare metal, get it commercially rechromed.  A proper chrome expert will know the appropriate grades to use so the brake track works.
Reassemble with new spokes and nipples (you may as well do it right) on the fresh hub.

Upgrade for Safety

Personally?  I'd scrap the steel wheel, and replace the whole rim with a modern alloy rim.  This will make braking work much better too.

Downside, is that modern 700c wheels are a few millimetres smaller than your existing 27" wheels.  So the brakes have to reach a bit further, and you need new tyres.  Your spare tubes should be okay though.


What size chain for Shimano CS-M7771-10 (11-36T) cassette? What width chain is compatible with this cassette?
I've seen non-Shimano chains online claiming compatibility with all Shimano 10-speed cassettes but their stated widths (nominal? actual?) don't have the same width as the Shimano 10-speed chains, though I'm not sure if even they are compatible with this cassette. So I clicked on the QR code of the little sheet of paper inside the box and opened the Shimano "users manual" (UM-1M90A-003). It is a single page with absolutely no useful info on it.

There’s no need to worry about specified width. The bottom line is that any 10 speed chain from a reputable manufacturer (Shimano, SRAM, KMC, Wipperman) will work fine with a Shimano cassette.


Help Identify North Woods "6 Speed" Tandem? I came across a North Woods "6 Speed" tandem at a yard sale, and am trying to track down its provenance:

Unfortunately, the closest I've come across is Northwoods bicycles (no space), which are sold at Wal Mart.

Is North Woods different from Northwoods? Is there any name for this tandem apart from "6 Speed"?

For what it's worth I picked up a NORTHWOODS SAFARI on Craigslist about 2 months ago. Mine is also a 3x6. It has a sticker from "Scotts Cyclery"  of Willimantic,Conn.  The sticker is not the typical square type that is on the seattube. This one runs along both seat stays.  A clue that it may have been a low end bike is that it says "quality bicycle" on the headtube badge and was made in Indonesia. I would do a little preemptive maintenance. Most lowend bikes I have worked on seem to have little if any grease in the bottom bracket, headset or wheel bearings. Just use it and enjoy it.


What different standards exist for crank bolts into modern bottom brackets? I bought a SunRace bottom bracket (BBS18). It didn't come with crank bolts, but since all the other crank bolts and bottom bracket I've used have been compatible with each other, including with other new cartridge-style bottom brackets, I expected that this would be compatible with the bolts I already have.

It isn't.

The crank bolts I do have went in a few turns, then the threads bound. I can force it, but this will start to damage the threads. They clearly have a different thread specification.

What different specifications exist? (And what bolts should I look for in this particular case? It's a M8 x P1.0 thread; how are these bolts likely to be described by cycle component retailers?)

SunRace spec sheets show the crank bolts should be M8x1.0. The bolt diameter is 8mm and there is 1mm betwween thread peaks. This size is by far the most common. However there are other standards. Truvativ seems to have the most variations using M8, M12, M15 plus some self extracting bolts. If the bolts starts but binds it is likely the right diameter but the wrong thread pitch (most likely M8x1.25).


Where to get replacement bolt for rod brakes Well, I did it again: While working on a bike with rod brakes I lost the bolt which connects the two "actuating" rods to each other (I have no idea what these parts are even called; The measuring tape is in centimeters):

Here are the nuts securing the thing:

Where on Earth can I get something like this?-- is this even possible, or did I just ruin my last bike purchase in a record two weeks?

I guess that's an adjustment nut of rod brake.

Not trying to recommend a product but if you search for rod brake nut, and look for something with this similar shape, you will find them being sold on-line (still).

http://www.highnelly.ie/brake-parts/rod-brake-lock-nut.html


Is it possible to have a 11-42 cassette with a 3x9 drivetrain? I am planning on building a 3x9 cassette. I already have a 9 speed hubs and 11-42 cassette and an alivio m4050 combo shifter.

Yes it is possible.
It will be a nightmare on your chain and arguably not a good idea.
If you want to use a 9 speed rear derailleur with a max tooth of 36t, you can make it fit a 42t cassette with a derailleur hanger extender such as the Wolftooth Goatlink

Your biggest problem will be the front 3 rings. You will find that if you may have problems when crosschaining. Although, you could argue that you should never be doing that anyways.


Identification from a youtube video I need help with identification.  I really like the style of the bike, but can't find any information about it.   Does anyone know ?

I think its strikingly similar to a VanMoof Electric S or an S2 bike.

Note the panel in the forward part of the top tube but aft of the headtube.
Crankset and Mudguards are very similar to the VanMoof pictured
The name "alex" is some aftermarket decal and a distraction.
Its likely a European bike or design, because it has a front dynamo hub to make electricity while riding, and permanently fixed lights.

Simple differences:

The grey bracket on the seat tube is a holder for a kids seat.  Personally I'd recommend a different style, but that's my preference.
That front basket must be some kind of optional add-on made for the bike.  It clearly fastens to the elongated "prow-tube" (?) and relocates or duplicates the on-board integrated front light.

They're pretty pricey electric bikes overall, with a strong hipster appeal.

Further reading https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/29/17404180/vanmoof-s2-x2-price-date-specs


Maximum Descending Speed This is a hypothetical question but I'm curious.  Assuming an endless, freshly paved road with no turns, what would be my maximum speed?

EDIT
My question is too general so to help I'm adding some extra assumptions:

19 degree slope like Baldwin St.
Tuck is hands on drops, back horizontal as described in this study
Still air conditions (no head/tail/crosswinds) winds
No special suit, just normal warm weather road kit

The question has been changed since this answer was posted.

On an 85° grade you would approach terminal velocity for a sky diver of about 120 mph.

It does not need to be endless. You approach terminal velocity pretty quickly.


Would you prefer slightly long handlebar for bikepacking?, TourDivide I'm about to cut my handlebar to 620mm or 640mm
I have 620mm handlebar with minivelo and I'm very much tailored to the size.
However, I've read wider handlebar is better for controlling..
Mike hall (below) seems to be riding with slightly over-sized handlebar to me.. I'm not sure though

edit - mike hall is the current record holder for tour divide.

The tour divide is a long event riding 10-20 hours a day for over two weeks.
Your biggest priority should be comfort, your bars should be set to a width that is most comfortable for you.  Any small amount of discomfort with the position after a 1 day ride will be much worse by 15 hours into day 3.
If you are fortunate enough that your body will tolerate and/or adapt to a wide range of positions, you should then think about how your bar width is going to interact with the rest of your kit.  For example some bar bag designs interfere with your brake levers if your bar is narrow.
And what about other accessories you may want bar space for (gps, power bank, tri bars, feed bags)?
Once you answered these questions you will have your answer.
And as is the nature with bike packing you may only find out what is going to work well for you after you've experimented in training.


Where is the rear wheel quick-release mechanism on my bike? Below are two pictures of my road bike's rear wheel (from the left and the right-hand side). As you can easily notice the tire is flat, and I suspect the tube needs to be changed since it's an old bike.

So I need to remove the rear wheel first, but all the videos on Youtube that show you how to do that work on a quick-release mechanism (which is quite straightforward).

I wonder how I can remove the wheel in my case (and what's the name of this model of release)?

This is a standard quick release mechanism simply grab the lever indicated below and flip it the opposite direction (green arrow). At which point it should loosen up a bit, then you can spin it around to the left to unscrew it further. You do not have to take it all the way out, just loosen it enough to be able to slide the wheel out. You can also hold onto the silver knob in your second picture to help unscrew it, that is how you adjust the clamping force of the lever.

When you have your wheel out to repair, be sure not to pull the brake lever as this will cause issues with your brake caliper as it will try and clamp down on the rotor which will not be there.

When reinstalling be sure to pay attention to the rotor as they can sometimes be tricky to line up with the slot in the brake caliper.

Also when closing the QR you should need to apply force from roughly the half closed position. Not closing the QR tightly enough, or not fully closed may cause it to open at an inopportune time resulting in possible injury.Thanks to @Alex for this addition.


Modify geared hub to fit a 110mm frame I have a kids' 18" bike with a fixed gear and a coaster-brake. I would like to replace the rear hub with a (preferably 3-)geared hub with a coaster brake as it is the kind of brake my kid is most comfortable with.

The problem I am facing is that it is an aluminium frame bike and it only would take a hub with 110mm OLD. Yet, all the hubs I am able to find are 116-120 (Sturmey Archer S2, SRAM T3, Shimano Nexus SG3C-41) or even 130mm (SRAM i-Motion) in width.

Is there any chance of modifying the Shimano Nexus or the Sturmey Archer hubs to fit a 110mm frame (e.g. by replacing the outer screw/lock nuts with narrower variants)?

I finally got it going using a Shimano Nexus 3 (SG-3C41). Looking at the pics, I figured that I could remove the massive outer distance nuts to make it fit a narrower fork:

This was not quite sufficient to get it to 110mm so I had to make use of an angle grinder to cut a couple of mm off the cone-shaped nut on the right side of the axle.

The most tedious part of it all was finding an 18" bicycle rim with 36 holes. I could not get one, so I ordered a 32-hole rim ending up with three different spoke lengths (3-crossed) in the wheel. It took me some effort to figure out of how to lace the wheel and seems to bring some durability / stability issues due to the difference in spoke tensions, but this is a kid's bike after all so great strain on the rear wheel is not to be expected.


Are there any adjustments for hydraulic brakes? I prefer stiff, touchy, on/off, brakes. When I was using mechanical disc brakes, I always adjusted them so that the pads were almost touching the rotor. This provided the short lever travel I was looking for, as well as great stopping power: I could lift the rear wheel if I pressed the front brake hard enough.

Now, I just got a bike with hydraulic disk brakes (SRAM Apex 1). They are rather soft by comparison. The pads don't touch the rotor until the lever has moved significantly. I can pull the front brake lever all the way to the bar, and I still do not get nearly as much stopping power as I did with the mechanical brakes with half the lever pull.

The modulation is great, but I would really like more stopping power and a firmer lever. Is there a way to adjust this?

In other words, I'm looking for something more like the third scenario in this image, and less like the second.

TLDR: Are there any adjustments for hydraulic road disc brakes (SRAM Apex 1) like there are for their mechanical counterparts?

There is no adjustment for modulation on the Apex hydro brakes, but make sure the lever reach hasn't been set too far in, which could screw things up. Also soft feel, lack of stopping power, and ability to pull the lever easily to the bar can always just mean they need to be bled.


Burping v/s bleeding hydraulic disc brakes: is it safe? I found a method for burping (get the air out of the circuit) hydraulic disc brakes in YouTube (see here). The method is:

1) Rotate/move the hand lever assembly until the reservoir cap is facing up and at level.

2) Take off the reservoir cap.

3) Slowly squeeze the lever repeatedly, until no more air bubbles come off.

4) Refill the reservoir with brake fluid.

5) Put the cap back on and return the lever assembly to his normal position.

To me it looks far more simpler than the standard procedure, and can be used in an emergency on the road (Obviously, it doesn't apply for replacing old fluid).

What problems can you see with this method?

You aren't assured of getting all the air out of the system.  If your bubbles are further down and this doesn't remove them, you may actually introduce more air than you remove when you replace the cap.
You won't effect a fluid change this way.
You won't replace the crush bolts and other pieces swapped at the true bleed that are        potential sources of failure.
If something happens and you bump/spill some fluid, you are SOL for replacing it.
If you have a leak that has introduced air, this may not help any.

Not to say this isn't a decent method to try for a home mechanic as an initial troubleshooting step if you are into it.  It may be done faster, with little to no cost, and may help some issues.  However, you are correct, it does have several shortcomings.


Can Latex inner tubes be patched? I've personally never ridden on Latex inner tubes.

If I get a puncture on a latex tube I'd prefer to be able to fix it, given they're a lot more expensive than regular butyl tubes.

My research suggests

No, nothing works, you need to replace the whole tube whenever it punctures
No, but you can knot them to isolate the hole and then reinflate for the ride home, where you replace the tube.

and

Yes, with regular tyre patches and vulcanising fluid,
Yes, with regular tyre patches and rubber cement
Yes, with latex patches cut from another latex tube, and rubber cement
Yes, pre-glued patches (ie "stickers")

But for everyone claiming one of the solutions works, someone else says that it doesn't work.

Is it possible to Patch a puncture on a latex inner tube?  and is the patch permanent or only a get-home fix ?

It is possible to fix both latex intertubes for clincher tyres and latex inner tubes inside tubular tyres.

Whether you'll be able to do it, depends on your ability to do it.

As you suggest, using a patch made from another latex tube and glue will work. This webpage suggests using tubular rim glue instead of normal patch glue for better results.

That webpage also gives detailed instructions on how to mend a punctured tubular tire.


7-speed MTB cassette on 8/9-speed wheel hub, where does spacer go? Sheldon Brown says "Add a 4.5 mm spacer before installing a 7-speed cassette on an 8-, 9-, or 10-speed hub", but doesn't seem to show spacer placement in any picture.  My direct experience is that the spacer below the cassette put the smallest gear so high that it didn't engage the hub splines.  So which is right, spacer below or above the cassette?

I have a 20 y.o. MTB triple with 7-cog cassette, and I recently needed the rear wheel replaced (warped and cracked).  Took it to LBS, they only had 8/9 speed wheels and so told me they had to add a spacer when mounting the cassette.  No problem, I know 7-speeds are old; "you should adjust the derailleur so it doesn't drop the chain", cool I can handle that.

WRONG?  This is where they installed the spacer, which I noted but had no idea at the time might be wrong. 1,2): LBS installed spacer below cassette, which led to 3) small cog NOT able to engage hub splines. (I verified spacer thickness was ~4.5mm.)

P1:

P2:

P3:

I assume the lockring friction was all that was keeping the small gear from spinning. Turns out I could spin on that cog just fine, but standing on a climb caused immediate movement and I guess lockring breakage. As soon as I stood up, I heard a bang and my feet fell out from under me; immediately I was falling forward over the handlebars and splashed on the ground with the bike on top of me (earning road-rashed arms and a fractured elbow, plus surgery for a plate and 6 screws).  I thought I had broken the chain, but it turned out to be fine.  Disassembling to put the bike in the car, I noticed the small cog was hanging loose and the lockring was gone.

RIGHT? Playing around with the assembly aferwards, it looks like on top is where the spacer should be placed, or at least fits best.  4) Smallest cog engages hub splines as it should; 5) the tabs in the spacer just barely contact the splines.

P4:

P5:

Sheldon Brown says "Add a 4.5 mm spacer before installing a 7-speed cassette on an 8-, 9-, or 10-speed hub", which does imply it should go under the cassette, but as my pictures show, ABOVE the cassette seems to make much more sense.

So am I right and LBS wrong?  Or am I missing something?

FYI I haven't taken the wheel back to the LBS yet (still piecing together what the failure mode was) but will eventually.  Still deciding how upset I am.

UPDATE (7/13)

I cleaned some of the grease off and took some better pics.  First to clarify P3 above, there
was a very thin spacer between two smallest cogs, I assume to set correct gear spacing.

P6:

P7 shows the buildup of parts on the hub, with the 4.5mm spacer underneath.  First 6 cogs, add gear spacer (splines completely hidden), add 7th cog (no spline contact, it just spins). P7:

And the same buildup on the original 7-speed hub; P8:

What's more interesting is these pin heads protruding from the bottom of the cassette; side shot shows how much cassette is held off spacer by pins. P9:

Because I have these pins, do I need a different kind of spacer, one with recesses?

A spacer to convert an 8/9 speed freehub to  7 speed freehub goes behind the cassette, between the hub shell and the cassette. Most cassette lock rings will not bind on the spacer, they will go inside it if you place it on the outside.

In addition, the aluminum used in most cassette spacers is too soft, and would compress under direct compression from the lock ring. It would not stay tight.

Hope that helps.


Buying a new wheelset online: Do they come ride-ready? I am thinking of purchasing a new wheelset for my road bike. Do wheels ordered online usually arrive ready to ride, or do they require some construction?

Depends on where/how you purchase them and the quality of the wheel, but generally pre-built wheels need a check-over for appropriate spoke tension/truing out of the box. You can either check this yourself or pay a bike shop to do this for you.

You can avoid these checks at your own risk, obviously. But, I wouldn't recommend it, especially if they aren't high quality wheels to begin with.


How can I replace an oversized Chater-Lea bottom bracket with cotterless cranks? I'm building a tandem at the moment. The frame appears to be threaded for a 1.45" Chater Lea bottom bracket.
I'd like to fit a modern bottom bracket. Any ideas? Here's my ideas so far:

Threadless cartridge bottom bracket: Shell ID is probably way too big for these, but maybe make a sleeve to go inside? Will that give enough grip?

Machine a counter bore for press fit bearings: Doesn't leave a lot of material left on the BB.

Drill the ID of the cups to accept a JIS spindle: No idea how I'd calculate what size balls to use. Also cups are really hard so difficult to machine?

EDIT:
I should clarify, the question in hand is about the rear BB, which has a shell width of 74.5mm. Chain tension is not an issue, since the front BB is eccentric and I'm sure I've got a solution for that.

You can just buy Phil Wood bottom brackets for Chater Lea.