How to get a bike from one city to another in the U.S

I've never shipped a bike, but I moved from Canada to Europe with my Surly Cross-check in a box last year. When the box came off the plane it looked like it had been run over by a truck and left out in the rain, but the contents of the box were 100% undamaged.

Hold on to your pants, this is gonna be long!

Shipping a bike is cheap and easy, but make sure to do it right.

As I'm sure you have found out airlines require you to have your bike in a box or a case. Cases are expensive. Most bikes are shipped to bike stores in a cardboard box in various stages of assembly from just a frame to a full bike with some parts removed for transport. When they unpack new bikes they have to get rid of the boxes so hopefully you can find a nice store that will give you one for free or sell you one really cheap, like 10 bucks or less.

If bike stores are no luck then furniture and appliance stores and bed stores like Sleep Country are great sources of large, strong, and free cardboard boxes and large strong plastic mattress bags, both of which you'll need. These stores are also usually overflowing with bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts, little air filled plastic bags, and all sorts of other packing materials and are usually willing to give the stuff away if you want to root through the dumpster. Also recycling depots are always overloaded with cardboard, all free. Just think creatively and you should be able to find all the materials you will need for free in our mega-packaged and plasticized world.

So here's how (I think) you should pack your bike:

Materials List

Large strong cardboard box that will either fit your bike or can be easily cut and folded to make the right size box. Mattress boxes, fridge boxes, and large flat screen tv boxes are perfect. Just try to choose a box that is as long as your bike plus a couple of feet, and as tall as your bike plus a couple of feet, so you can have plenty of room to fold over the ends, top, and bottom. Just think of how you would size up a piece of wrapping paper before wrapping a present. I hope you are good at wrapping presents.
More flexible (but still corrugated) cardboard that you can roll like Xerox paper box type cardboard.
Lots of newspaper, bubble wrap, styro-wrap... whatever you can scrounge for padding and space filler. Plastic shopping bags make great padding and can usually be had by the thousands from friends who would love to get rid of the bags of bags they have in their hall closets or kitchen drawers.
Several rolls of 2" clear packing tape. Usually sold by the 6 pack pretty cheap or else sold per roll for the small price of an arm and leg at the UPS store, post offices, U-haul and other 'specialty' packing stores.
good box knife and/or good scissors

Procedure

Bike preparation:

You have three options:
a) leave the wheels on the frame and make a box big enough for the whole bike, or
b) remove the wheels and package them in a separate box, or
c) a combo of the two, which is what I did (remove front wheel, leave rear wheel on and pack it all in one box).

Check with the airline for fees per box and weight restrictions on the boxes to decide.

remove pedals (and crank arms if you wish to package them separately but this isn't necessary IMO)
release the tension on your cables but leave them attached, so basically just crack the nut so the cable is for sure slack and then re-tighten gently to just hold the cable there. You mention this is a fixie so likely no shifter cables but maybe a brake cable, maybe not.
loosen stem and turn handlebars 90 degrees to they are parallel to your top tube. If you have drop bars or aero bars you may want to remove them all together, they can be placed inside the triangle of your frame when you pack the bike, but if you have any cables it is easier to leave them on the stem.
push seat post down into tube all the way but leave the seat on the bike, it is a good spacer against side impacts.
air down your tires but leave them spongy enough that you could just ride them. This will allow them to expand and contract during the flight but keep them seated on the rim during packing and transport

Padding

I am going to assume you are using one box but if you decide to ship the wheels separately then just don't put them back on the frame.

remove wheels
using the more flexible cardboard cut a strip the width of your top tube and long enough to go around a couple of layers thick. Roll the cardboard around the tube firmly and tape in place, tabs are sufficient but you can wrap right around with the tape if you wish. Don't be stingy with the layers, put three layers if you want, make sure the cardboard goes right to the butt joints at either end.
repeat this process for the down tube, seat tube, stays and fork arms. Basically just cover all the long and delicate parts of your bike with a nice thick roll of cardboard. If you are putting your wheels back on the frame make sure you leave enough space so they can fit back on, depending on how thick your cardboard is maybe you'll only get one or two layers on the stays and forks.
do a similar wrap on your handlebars and cranks but use bubble wrap if you have some, or just a few sheets of newspaper. Hold in place with a tab of tape.
bubble or newspaper wrap other exposed sections of the bike if you wish such as brakes, stem, tube junctions
replace your wheels and tighten them on firmly. They should fit snugly between the cardboard padding.
if you managed to get a hold of a good solid plastic mattress bag (double or queen should do) then I would bag the bike and tape it shut. If for some unknown reason the box is left out in the rain or snow, or something in the luggage gets all over it you have an extra layer of protection.

After this your bike should be pretty well padded, time to put it in a box or build a box around it.

Boxing

Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, stick and jab... oh right, cycling. This kind of depends on whether you have a bike or mattress box that is already close to the right size and whether you are leaving your wheels on or not. I will assume you are building a custom box and leaving the wheels on.

IF YOU ARE TAKING YOUR WHEELS OFF, PUT A SPACER of some kind between your forks and stays where the axle would be to keep them from getting squished together if the box is compressed for some reason.

ALSO - MAKE SURE YOU EITHER REMOVE AND/OR PUT A BLOCK, SPACER, OR SOME KIND OF PADDING around your rear derailleur (if you have one, fixie riders can ignore this bit), otherwise you risk having it broken or damaged by careless airline tossers.

A block of wood like a piece of broomstick taped in place works fine, or perhaps you have (buy or scrounge from an old bike) a couple of solid axles that you can just pop into the dropouts, with one set of nuts inside the fork screwed out gently against the fork and the other on the outside screwed in gently against the fork, sandwiching the forks/stays in place.

Scenario 1 - you have a mattress box or bike box that is the right height and length and just need to drop the bike into it.

layer the bottom with a mass of firmly balled newspaper
lower the bike into the box
starting at the bottom pad around the wheels until the bike will free stand in the box. Firmly balled newspaper or bubble wrap is best.
once the bike is standing nicely you can begin to fill the rest of the space.

Styro peanuts, those air filled spacer bags, and bubble wrap are great for this. Loosely balled newspaper is excellent padding too. If your bike is in a clean(ish) plastic bag then extra clothing is good padding and space filler, and might cut down on the size of your checked luggage or carry on. Bulky items like jackets and pants for example. Or put your clothes in bags as well perhaps.

if you have removed the handlebars now is the time to place them in the triangular space and fill around them with packing.
bike parts that you have taken off such as pedals and cranks can be wrapped and places strategically in the empty spaces. Bike tools (to put it back together), tire pump, helmet, and other accessories can also be wrapped and used to fill the space.

When the box is full of packing to the top, close the top flaps and tape every single edge and seam closed. More on this later

Scenario 2 - you have a large box like a fridge box or mattress box that is way too big and you need to custom make a box.

measure how wide your bike is at its wides point, usually the BB or handlebars
cut the box along one corner so that it can unfold and lay flat on the floor. Choose the largest side and lay the bike on its side on top of the box leaving enough room so that the top parts of your bike (seat and handlebars or stem) are below the top edge of the box by the WIDTH of your bike PLUS 4 inches. You are going to fold the top of the box over eventually and this much space will allow you to fold the top over completely making the box wide enough for your bike with 2 inches of space on either side of its widest point. Mark a line across the box at the level of your tallest part. This is where you will fold the box to make the top.
make similar measurements and mark lines on the box where you will make folds for the bottom, and then for the top again, cut off any excess cardboard. Don't worry about the length yet, you just want to wrap around the bike first.

Creasing and folding these large strong boxes can be difficult to do in a straight line. One way is to pick the box up on edge and use the corner of one of your walls as a straight edge. Stand the box up flat against one wall with the line against the corner and fold the box around the corner. This should give you a good fold and not take too much effort. If you have a big table or long counter top you could use that too.

make all your folds so that you have a box with open ends and an open top.
once the box is folded it should be easy to mark, cut and fold the end flaps and then tape them shut so that you can lower the bike into your new box.

I recommend making all of your top flaps and end flaps the full width of the box. This makes each end a double layer of cardboard and also makes taping the edges together much easier because you can just butt the folds together and tape tightly. True, the sides and bottom are still a single layer but... meh.

So now you have made a box just the right size for your bike with the top flaps still open. Proceed as above under Scenario 1.

A Note on Taping

Here's how I tape closed a box that I want to be strong and secure for shipping.

close your flaps and use tabs (4-6 inch long strips of tape) to firmly hold them together. For a bike sized box I would have at least 6 tabs on each end.
once an end is made, tape each corner along its length with two strips of tape, first off setting the tape slightly to one side, and then to the other. Lay the tape strip lengthwise along the edge and then fold it over, off set to the other side and repeat. This gives each corner a double layer of tape.
once the top is closed and the flaps are secured as I just described I would now tape right around the box 3 or four times. To go from top, down the side, under the bottom, up the other side, and across the top again. Three or four strips evenly spaced. Do the same from end to end 2 times as well.
if any of the seams or corners still seem weak at this point, tape the heck out of them.

Labeling

Check with the airline again regarding any restrictions (or requirements) on labeling but I put my name on the box in big black sharpie as well a safe 'return' address. At least if the bike got lost it would get back to my folks place and I could have it shipped again. If you know your destination address then put it on there too, kind of like you would address an envelope.

Add labels like 'This End Up' with arrows or 'Do Not Lay Flat' to keep the box upright so they won't lay it flat and pile stuff on top of it.

'Do Not Squish'
'Do Not Bend'
'Fragile'

may also be useful.

Well, that's all I can think of. If your bike gets damaged after packing it this securely then I think you will have a pretty good insurance case against the airline.

Oh and on that note get insurance on the bike for the trip, possibly through the airline, and take pictures of the bike during various stages of packing to prove your efforts and show that it's really yours.

Paranoid enough?

Good luck and Bon Voyage!

ps. If you're traveling with the bike, remember to pack the tools needed to put your bike back together.


My front wheel has some play which drives me crazy

If the play is in the wheel, a thought is that the bearing cup in the hub body is loose.  How that would be, I am not sure.  If you can tighten the cones to "too tight", that rules out a broken axle.  Grab the axle and see if you can get it to move.


Low-height rear rack for Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bike

The Biologic Portage Tern seems to fit the bill.


Deterrents against partial (component) theft

For quill stems, you can use a rubber cement to glue a ball-bearing into the socket on the stem bolt, making it so you can't get at it with an allen key.

You'd obviously want to use a glue that can be removed with a solvent, so that you'd be able to do regular service.


How to cope with boredom whilst cycle touring?

As I may have given away in the comments, I'm not a fan of sensory deprivation when you're as vulnerable as you are when you're on a bike. I don't think there are many scenarios where not being able to hear as good as you possibly can is safe on a bike — but you may not agree and safety really isn't the point of this answer.

My belief is that when you listen to music, you are isolating yourself. Same applies to an audiobook or a podcast. You may as well go the whole hog and watch a movie while cycling on a turbo trainer. The moment you ride with music, the music has become your concentration. You're only going to enjoy the ride as much as you enjoy the music.

Throw the music away and engage with your scenery. Listen to birds, weave potholes, count squirrels... Whatever you do, just enjoy the majesty, the unimaginable effort that went into creating what you're cycling past.

If you can't do that (and can't swap squirrels for the homeless, potholes for bullets — I have no idea what your area is like!) change your route so you're going somewhere that does interest you. Otherwise, as I said before, you might as well be on a trainer doing something that does entertain you.


Can you help me identify my bike please?


What type of bicycle rack should I buy for my car?

There are basically 3 rack options:

Roof mounted
Trunk mounted
Trailer hitch mounted

In the "trunk mounted" category there are those designed for conventional trunks and those designed for hatchbacks.

In all three categories there are racks that support the bike with both wheels on and "fork mount" racks that connect to the front fork to provide stability.  Fork mount is especially handy for rooftop racks since it eliminates the need for some sort of vertical support which is unstable and hard to attach.  But fork mount only works if you have a quick release on the front wheel and nothing such as a front rack that interferes with mounting.

There are arguments for/against all styles.  The rooftop units require some strength and a bit of "tallness" to use, but are otherwise the most flexible, and capable of carrying 4-5 bikes.  They do produce the most wind drag (and lost MPG) on long trips, though.

It may be hard to find a trunk-mount unit that suits your car.  And a trunk mount unit is generally only well-suited to a single bike, maybe 2.

Trailer hitch units are pretty good -- easy to get the bike on/off, able to handle 2-3 bikes and not too sensitive to bike style.  But they are not particularly stable on rough roads, and they of course require a car with a (fairly heavy-duty) trailer hitch.

(If you decide to get a trailer hitch installed to accept a bike rack, try to get a 2-inch "class 3" one, rather than the smaller class 2.  This improves the stability of the rack.)


What is a cheap puncture-proof tire against tackweed?

Forget the slime, thornproof tubes, and tire liners.  IMO, the best puncture protection for under $40 are Vittoria Randonneurs.  I've had excellent luck with them.  I had a pair of Gatorskins before the Randonneurs, and trust me, Kevlar belts do not work as well.  Because the Kevlar is a woven material, very sharp objects can penetrate between the Kevlar fibers.  Happened to me at least six times with the Gatorskins over a two year period.  Blackberry thorns, glass, and even staples penetrated the Kevlar.

Also, since you say you're not very versed in bikes, I have to wonder if you may be pinching the tubes when mounting them, or leaving whatever punctured the tube in the tire, allowing the next tube to be punctured as well.  Are you checking for any sharp objects poking through the inside of the tire, or for any burrs along the inside of the rim?  I always try to find the puncture in the tube before removing it from the rim, so I can concentrate on that area of the tire for a closer inspection.


What caused my cycling shorts to get damaged during washing?

These look like normal wearing patterns of cycling shorts, unfortunately.

My last 3 shorts (last five or six years) had to be put away because they became "transparent" right in the regions where they COULDN'T be transparent, even though they were still pretty much rideable. But it was very unconvenient to go inside convenience stores, for example.

I noticed this has a lot to do with which parts undergo friction with the skin, and stretching/unstretching during regular use. I suspect some chemical reactions from sweat and other skin substances might be involved. Probably the washing procedure might influence the speed or visibility of the process.

As a final observation, in general the highest the quality ones (as perceived at purchase time) tend to last much longer before the transparency effect ensues.

Anyway, you probably need new shorts.

Hope this helps.


What solutions are there for a tyre that won't stay seated?

I have had this problem with two different Schwalbe tires now. On both of these tires one of the bead cables/wires seem to have become undone. Not sure how to describe it. If each of the two beads is made up of several wires wound around each other, then on both tires one of these individual wires was poking out of the bead. It was very easy to spot because on both tires it was sticking out several inches just on the inside of the bead. No apparent length wise gash. Rather, it seemed to me as if one of wires had become unwound and migrated over time, I assume, as either a wire individually, or the whole set of wires, resulting in one wire being located parallel to the other wires but outside the tire proper.  Both wires were on the inside of the tire. Sent a picture to Schwalbe and received replacement.


What happens if you neglect front suspension maintanance?

It will seize which is why you are feeling the stiffness you are right now. It will also probably handle rough roads less effectively.
I would recommend doing the maintenance and that way you could get another trouble free decade out of it or just keep riding it until the wheels fall off of it figuratively speaking.
I am surprised the fork seals have held so long, but at this point I think the fork oil is thicker and probably helping the seals keep the oil in place. I doubt it will leak oil unless a seal breaks from a catastrophic failure, which is hard to predict.


Ultegra is still hollowtech II. It seems like the Defy 2 in the UK has a pressfit bottom bracket for hollowtech II cranks, while in the US it has an usual threaded hollowtech II bottom bracket. In any case, you need a hollowtech II compatible bottom bracket, which you already have (Tiagra is Hollowtech II only).

Just remove the current crankset and put in the ultegra crankset.

Aside: This guide from BikeRadar summarizes bottom bracket standards.


Replacing quick release wheel with ebike - motored wheel

Yes, probably and maybe.   I'm unfamiliar with your bike model, but I have run my own ebike front motor for a couple years.

To answer your question - the old wheel is quick release, but the replacement one will likely be a bolt-on wheel.  It is possible to use quick release adapters, but wheel nuts are more secure and will hold the anti-spin washers better than a QR.

The main problems stem from design of the front forks and power of the motor.  As your motor powers on, the torque is transmitted through the axle.  Over time the dropouts get chewed out.

What is the wattage of your motor?   Anything under 300 watts doesn't have enough impulse power to cause a problem.  If you have over 500 Watts then a torque arm will help keep your forks working.

Here's an image of a torque arm - it helps distribute the rotational energy into the fork rather than just through the dropout.

Do you have disk brakes?  Your motor kit has to have bolt holes to support the rotor in the right place.   This is not an issue for rim brakes, but your rim brakes need to be working perfectly to cope with the extra speed and momentum.


Shimano 600 downtube shifter installation

The Shimano Techdocs site has installation manuals and exploded diagrams of Shimano components. While it's possible your shifters may not be on the site, you can probably find a set that's similar enough.


Stack and reach are a 'system' of alternative bike frame measurements always used together. They are supposed to be meaningful absolute values, unlike seat tube length (or 'effective' seat tune length, where top tubes are not horizontal).

They are based on two datum points: the bottom bracket axle axis and the top of the head tube. Stack is the vertical distance between those two, reach is the horizontal distance.

If you have a meter long ruler (or a tape measure and something long and straight) and a level you can measure the stack and reach of your existing bike and make a comparison to the Slate geometry.


Are 52/34 chainrings compatible with an 11/32 11speed cassette

The combination of rings and sprockets you can use depends on the specs of the derailleurs, specifically the total capacity of both the front and rear derailleurs and the max sprocket size of the rear derailleur.

Front total capacity is just the max difference in size of the small and large chainrings, measured in teeth.

Rear total capacity is the max (difference in size small and large chainrings) +  (difference in tsize small and large cassette sprockets), measured in teeth, and represents how much chain slack the derailleur can take up. You really do not want to exceed this as large-large rings sprocket combinations can damage the derailleur.

The Addict 20 comes with 105 R7000 series with a medium cage 'GS' rear derailleur. The front derailleur has 16t capacity which means you nominally can only have 52/36 or 50/34 chainring combinations.

The rear derailleur has a max sprocket size of 34t and total capacity of 39t so you could swap the 11-30 cassette for an 11-32 or 11-34.

Some people report that 52/34 is workable, and with a 11-30 or 11-32 cassette you would not exceed the TC of the rear derailleur.


You own a power meter - just fit it and go for a hard ride.

For others who don't own a power meter (and lets face it, they're not cheap)

Its a poor data point, but a chap at work has a power meter and he can compare this number with strava's estimated power.  We've compared ~three races and strava's number was high or low by up to 30%

So your 230W could be as low as 160W or as high as 300W.  Repeated tests will help narrow the range.

Another analogue solution is to ride hard for ~20 minutes to the point you can say words but not a whole sentence.  Then use Strava's estimator on that segment.  Repeat.

If you have a Heart Rate Monitor, try and hold your heart rate at around ~90-95% of your rated maximum, which is about 220-(your age in years)


how many spacers do I need for a 83mm bottom bracket and a 142x10 hub?

83mm bottom brackets were designed specifically for use with a 150mm rear dropout width. You would be able to shim the bottom bracket across 5mm to bring it to where it would sit on a 73mm bb to align the chain line but you would be pushing your non drive out 10mm which would have an anatomical impact on the rider. This is a significant amount of q-factor imbalance and could quick become an uncomfortable bike to ride.

The simplest solution is to swap the crankset for a 73mm version.


Why would hydraulic disk-brakes become sluggish in cold winter? Just an incident or due to the cold?

Hydraulics are the same for car brakes, as for these style brakes, as anywhere else in the physical universe.

Liquids have an amusing property that they do not compress well, if at all.  (They do of course compress, but not very much in the grand scheme of things, and it takes a lot of pressure to noticeably compress them).

Thus your hand started breaking force is transmitted direct to the brake, through the medium of the fluid.

If the fluid is getting viscous, due to cold weather, it might become thicker, and thus less responsive to your hand pressure.

The reason to bleed air out of the system is that air compresses very nicely, thank you, unlike a liquid, and so destroys the hydraulic principle in use.   Bleeding in this context means to release any trapped air inside the hydraulic cylinder.

Same as in car brakes.  First the air compresses, absorbing much of the energy being applied to brake, until finally the liquid starts to transmit the energy.


LED headlight eating away at power output of USB charger

A hub dynamo is typically rated at 6V/500mA, and most lights will use all of that. Modern LEDs give you a lot more light from that power, but it's still nowhere near as much as the high powered battery lights you can buy (so if the manufacturers could get more power into the lights they would probably offer it as an option).

So the extra power you're getting into your phone comes from the "sometimes you can get more power" part of the dynamo specification, not the guaranteed part. In reality most dynamos will go well over 6V once you're moving at a reasonable speed, and the regulator you haven't installed is mostly to prevent incandescent lamps from burning out when that happens. With LEDs a better regulator has to be built into the lights because LEDs are more sensitive to the exact voltage/current they get.

This answer gives more links to information about how much power you can get.


This isn't FH-RM30. It's a freewheel hub. MF-TZ31 is a freewheel and the drive side axle hardware pictured is that of a freewheel hub. Also the skewer and dust shield type (thick and inflexible) are non-Shimano.
As you indicate in the comments, the dust shield can't go over the thin spacer. So therefore the thin spacer needs to be next to the cone. The shield should be able to fit over the locknut by itself.
Always make sure the drive-side cone and locknut are torqued hard against each other before beginning reassembly.


Is there a guide available for determining pedal/cleat combinations?

Those look like Shimano mountain SPD PD-M545 pedals:

Looks like a pretty good match to the picture on the Shimano site, but if you don't see a Shimano logo on them, they could be third party compatible pedals.

The cleats look like this:

I'm not aware of a guide that compares all pedal styles, but there are not that many pedal types in common use and most styles are different enough from each other that you can easily tell the difference between them.


which suspension seatpost for a granny who wants a comfortable ride while cruising the neighborhood

I'm afraid questions seeking product advice are off topic here:

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic

Questions seeking product, service, or learning material recommendations are off-topic because they tend to become obsolete quickly. Instead, describe your situation and the specific problem you're trying to solve.

However, my advice would be to investigate the possibility of running larger, higher quality tyres at a lower pressure before experimenting with suspension seatposts.

Larger tyres, with more supple casings, run at lower pressure conform to the surface much better and greatly reduce the impact of road imperfections.


I would not touch the bearings without the correct tools. You may get them apart, and will probably get them back together, but won't be able to adjust them very easily and won't be able to get the lock nut tight.

For a novice, with the right tools, the job can be a but fiddly as getting the adjustment right will take a few goes. Without the right tools,a novice will likely take two steps back for each step forward.

Given you do not have the tools, you have a few choices - by far the best is leave them alone if they wheel is running smoothly.  If you establish the bearings NEED fixing, be prepared to buy new cones and bearings and the cups could be hosed - you won't know till you get them apart what needs replacing. Two ways to do the job are to give it to your LBS, or buy some tools.

If you choose to buy tools, its possible to pick up cheap tool kits that are although a low quality, will give the home mechanic all the tools needed for about 95% of repair jobs.    e.g. here Keep in mind cheap kits cost the same as one workshop quality tool, so be gentle - if things are rusted or over tight, they may do more damage than good.


This is quite tricky, given a trombone is not a nicely shaped instrument. You can try some larger racks, or mount some plywood or something to a smaller rack to try to get a more stable surface to carry the trombone (or be able to build something that allowed carrying the trombone like a pannier), but I doubt it will be very good, especially with all the additional stuff you want to carry. I do know some cellists who have strapped their cello to their backs and ridden (somehow), but I don't think it was a particularly stable or safe solution.

The real solution I think is for you to get a cargo bike. One thing you might want to try is to do an Xtracycle conversion - the Freeradical was a kit which allowed you to extend a normal bike into a cargo bike (but is currently not being sold -- you may be able to find an existing bike/kit somewhere thoguh). Unfortunately, cargo bikes like the Surly Big Dummy and what not are not exactly cheap (and are not normal bikes), but your use case is pretty much what the cargo bike was designed for.

An example of a Freeradical conversion is:

and a xtracycle carrying another bicycle

Note that there are other styles of cargo bikes out there, like the Civia Halstead:

Another option is to throw the trombone and what not into a small trailer, such as one of those children's trailers like this (a cheap one will be about 150 bucks):

or attach a regular bike trailer like the Surly Ted (about 700 bucks for this model, but there are cheaper ones):


Is there a minimum weight limit for mountain bikes for USAC riders who are not UCI?

My understanding is that UCI and USAC use the same minimum weight limit for bikes, but for USAC this only applies in certain circumstances. Taken from this document from USAC:

Bicycles must meet current UCI technical regulations at
events that select 17-18, U23 an
d elite riders for international
competition or national teams. A
ll bicycles used in Federation
National Championship (for age
17 and older riders) and NRC
races must comply with
the current UCI regulations
.

In other words, if the event you're racing in is not a qualifier for an international event or for a spot on the national team you can disregard the weight restrictions.
For completeness, should one of the above situations be applicable to you, my understanding is that the minimum weight for your mountain bike is the same as it is for your road bike, which is 6.8kg/14.99lbs. However, I must admit that I could not find a black and white answer to confirm this assertion. I think this is largely due to the fact that the nature of mountain bikes is self limiting in terms of this restriction. Unless you have something especially exotic in your stable you're not going to even approach the minimum weight that is explicitly defined for road, track, timetrial, and cyclocross bikes.


Praxis BB convertor into 2018 Supersix Evo

From what I understand, you shouldn't have to touch the cables to change the bottom bracket.

I have used the M30 Praxis BB30 (not your PF30, but similar) without issues.

Your current bottom bracket shouldn't have issues with the cables and neither should the new one.

The hollowtech tool won't fit. You have to get their tool.

As a cheap alternative, you could use mold grips, but this risks damaging the cups, and frankly, it's not worth it.

If you're not 100% confident, you should take it to a bike shop, you don't have as much room for effor with pressfit bottom brackets, in terms or damaging the frame, incorrect bonding and misalignment.


I have a trekking bike. Should I buy a road bike to train for a race?

Yes, you will need to have a road bike in order to properly train for a Triathlon. The ergonomics of a road bike a totally different to a mountain bike and you will therefore have to set aside some extra time for your body. You may at first feel discomfort when riding as you won't be used to the bike, but that'll go away very quickly.

As to whether you should buy a bike right now or not: I would say wait until autumn time when bicycle retailers will be cutting their prices in order to get rid of the current season bikes. I got my bike for £240 and it was Originally £600.


What makes one road tire have a less "bouncy" ride than another?

Main aspect is tire flexibility. This is given by tire design, rubber formula, casing tpi as someone else stated, and the amount of rubber used to construct the tire.

The more rubber the stiffer the tire.

The higher the tpi the more flexible the tire. When a bump hits the tire, the casing is responsible for holding the rubber together and avoiding the tire to explode like a balloon. The casing spreads the load among the threads near the hit spot. Some of the load fades from one thread to the next until some thread is rather unaffected. With high tpi casing, there are a lot of threads available, but they are also thinner, so they can stretch a little bit more and with more independence from the adjacent threads. These threads effectively absorb the shock. With low tpi casing it works the opposite way: threads are fewer and thicker, they stretch less, so they are less capable of absorbing the shock and rather transmit it to the rest of the tire structure. (Something like comparing thick denim against soft cotton fabric for t-shirts)

Regarding rubber, there are many formulas, each maker claims theirs is the best, but there is always a compromise. Soft rubber has better traction but adds rolling resistance and has less durability.

As per design, there are a lot of factors (casing tpi is rather a design decision), among others: ply count, thread type, etc. I have more experience with MTB (I only have one road bike and is the less ridden of my bikes), but the same aspects are comparable to some extent. In MTB the thread design affect how stiff the rider perceives the tire: if the spacing between blocks is as much as the width of these blocks or bigger, the blocks  have more "range" to flex, cushioning a little bit more. This effect is also increased as the block height increased. A tire with smaller inter-block space and/or shallow thread gives the blocks less flexing options so the tire feels stiffer and with less rolling resistance.

The anecdote for context: I do not have much experience with road, but something similar happened to me with a hard tail mountain bike. I had installed some generic 26x2.1 tires, which where made of a thick and hard rubber. They here heavy but had very good traction both on pavement and offroad. These where HARD tires, they don't even lose their shape when completely deflated, and can stand the weight of the bike w/o air pressure, i.e. you wouldn't notice the tire is punctured if you just see the bike parked around...

The new tires were almost the same size visually, bot with lower and smaller thread. The rubber is way softer and the walls where a lot thinner. The tires are also very light, and foldable. (WTB Motoraptors).

As you stated, the bike feels a lot more comfortable, let's say it is more "forgiving" to your butt and spine regarding bumps and holes in the road. I felt the difference in my wrists also, the new tires gave me less vibration to the handlebar.

Both tire sets where used at about 40 psi, neither set had front or rear specific tires. The bike is a hardtail with some 110 mm air fork that is rather stiff and I use the bike to commute in a very hilly city with very bad pavement and also use the bike in trail mtb. I have even ridden some Downhill trails with this bike. The saddle is narrow and with thin padding.


The left to right side tension numbers you have are thoroughly normal. 70%-ish is where a lot of disc wheels land.

Once you're actually building the wheel, as opposed to planning it, you're only looking at the more tensioned side to see how close you are to your target tension. The other side falls where it falls. Since you're within the recommended range now, stopping would be perfectly reasonable. The extra 10kgf on the drive side would buy you more strength but also a little less fatigue resistance in exchange, plus you're in the range where windup can be a handful. (Sometimes while learning, builders can overshoot tension and make the wheel unstable, even to the point of ruining it, but this rim is likely far too stout for that.) It's not a totally marginal amount of strength gained, especially if the wheel is going to see the kind of riding where it will die by violence before it ever dreams of cracking from fatigue, but there are tradeoffs either way and you'll gain some experience in making the call either way.

Note also that this is the exact place where the whole third power of the smallest inscribed diameter thing comes into play in a major way for a newer wheelbuilder; getting that extra 10kgf out of 1.7s and still having a windup free finished wheel is well within what a skilled wheelbuilder can do, but it takes practice to get there. Presuming your tensiometer is telling you right, you won't be able to do it successfully without good overshoot and backlash technique. The reasonable limit for a 1.7 even for an expert is probably about 130, and in practice most applicable rims max out at 120 like yours. In comparison, if they were 1.8s it would be much easier, and 2.0s make it trivial. Yet on the flip side, the nagging irony is that thinner spokes mean more elasticity which means more innate resistance to rim fatigue, which brings the choice to go for more strength closer to being all upside. Most of the time, it would be the right thing to do in a professional setting I feel.


The Tourney RD TX-35 should work fine. All Tourney level derailleurs work with 6 and 7 speeds (sprocket spacing is the same). The 35 without the extra hanger tab looks much less cheap in my opinion.

I agree with suggestion made in comments to replace the cassette and chain at the same time.


Seat Post Binder - Fuji CF1 - circa 2008

The Fuji Aloha is a Tri-bike with a aero shaped seat tube, therefore a generic replacement binder for a regular circular seat post will not work,

You will probably have to contact a bike store that carries Fuji products (at the time of writing that is Performance Bikes) or Fuji Bikes directly to order a replacement.

Update - because apparently neither Fuji nor Performance can help.

If a replacement really cannot be found, you could try finding a machine shop that will do custom small orders. A competent shop with a small CNC machine should be able to create a binder using the damaged one as a pattern.


I would like to upgrade my Shimano disc rotors from 160mm to 203mm. How to pick the right rotors?

To upgrade rotors you'll need to change the disc brake caliper mount adaptor too. This is specific to your fork but as you currently have 160mm disc, you'll need to an adaptor to move your caliper out for the 203mm rotor to fit. See this post for a little on that.

For what disc to get, it all depends on how much money you want to spend. If you're just using the bike for commuting, just get the cheapest shimano disc you can find, if you want it for mountain biking, are worried of disc heating up and can afford it, then get a more expensive one with cooling fins and specific metals for that.

Depending on what you do with the bike is what should determine the size of the rotors, if your rear disc is working fine and doing it's job, there is no need to get a biggest rotor. If you want more stopping power or are having problem with them overheating, then get a bigger rotor on the rear.

There is nothing to say you shouldn't have different size rotors front and rear.

When you're getting a new disc though, you need to check the disc width is compatible with your brake. If you have a Shimano brake, then getting a shimano disc makes sense. If you want a diffent brand disc, double check it's Shimano compatible before buying.


What Innertube is needed for my Schwinn Men's Volare 1200 Bike, 700c, Grey

Bike tyre sizing is a horrible mess.

Your wheel is a 700c - that means the diameter of the whole wheel.  you have to get a tube that is a 700.

The second number on the tube relates to the width of the tyre, and is often given as a range.   Racing tyres are 18-23 mm, the next band is often 25-35,

So you need to read the writing on the sidewall of your tyre and see if its a 700-28c or similar.

It doesn't matter what width of tyre the bike came with, what matters is the width of tyre on the bike now.

Refer to How are tire sizes measured? for more info.


How to route cables aroung the head tube?

There is no right or wrong way but it is designed to ensure that shifters work efficiently with the derailleurs. The route of shifter cable is determined by the cable routing and stops on the bike.

Using the Hardrock as the example there are two cable routes and a brake line route under the top tube. The shifter cables sits to the right of the the brake line and the order from the right is FD-RD-RB. The FD cable needs to sit on the right to allow the correct angle to run down the back of the seat tube. As the front shifter is on the left side and rear on the right in order to correctly seat in the stops the cables must cross the headtube from the handlebars. The FD and RD cables also cross where the top tube and seat tube meet.

By default the brake line is on the left, in many right hand of the road driving countries the rear brake will be on the right hand side and therefore you have no choice but to cross the head tube.

I have a bike that has no crossing at the head tube apart from the front brake line which doesn't rub. The cable set up from the right is RD-RB-FD. This actually causes more cable rub on the headtube than one that crosses.

I don't worry about cable rub, I own bikes to ride, not look good or retain resale value.


What is the best way to secure a bike on a bus bike rack?

Put your lock through the wheel so the bike isn't rideable. It's harder to run carrying a bike than not, making it easier to catch the thief. Sure, they may break or bend a spoke if they try to jump on and pedal away, but if they do try that they'll come to an abrupt halt and be much easier to catch. The other advantage of that is that other cyclists can easily move your bike to remove theirs. You can also lock the bike before the bus arrives, speeding up the loading process.

Adding your own tie-down to the bike may be enough, since whoever steals it has to discover and remove that as well, giving you more time to get out and grab them. I suggest using it as the lock above - wrap an ocky strap through a wheel and the frame, hooking one end where you can get to it easily, then when the bike is on the rack attach that end to the rack. That way it's fast and easy for you while the bus is waiting, but slow and annoying for someone trying to steal your bike.

I use locking QR skewers on my bike, so I can lock my wheel to the rack and the wheel is already locked to the bike. But that takes time, and can mean I have to unlock and remove my bike in order for someone else to get their bike off, then I have to put my bike back on and re-lock it. I only do this at night or when it's a long trip, and after I've asked the driver. Usually they say yes, and often shuffle bikes so mine is on the bus side of the rack and won't need to be moved. I've had a driver wake me at my stop when we arrived because I was exhausted and had gone to sleep on the hour-ish bus ride. I made a note of that driver's name and rang the bus company to tell them how great the driver was, because Australia doesn't do tipping and positive feedback is rare enough that it's likely to count.

You could use a cable lock looped through the rack, and that's one of the few places a cable lock might actually work - the bus driver isn't likely to stop while someone cuts the lock off... unless they stop specifically so someone can because you're not supposed to lock your bike to the rack. But without locking the wheels to the bike it's usually difficult to lock the bike to the rack with a D lock.


Can someone help me identify this bike frame?

I can't comment but I would if I could. Bike thieves have a tendency to sand frames down. The fact that you live in Seattle, a city with many bike thefts coupled with  the fact you got a multi thousand dollar bike for $100 points towards it being stolen. You should check local classifieds for people looking for their bike.


What is better, Average speed or long distance?

It depends what sort of bike fitness you are trying to build, your current level, and your riding history.

I'd start by saying that simply trying to maintain a high average speed is a poor training method for anything, and I think you'd struggle to find a coach that advocated such training.  It simply produces fatigue without actually going hard enough to produce significant training stimulus.

Long slow distance (LSD) will predominantly build your endurance and your ability to burn fat as fuel rather than carbohydrate.  If you are targeting long distance rides then these are an ideal starting point.

If you are more interested in shorter events like 90 minute criteriums/XC mtb then building a large endurance engine is not so valuable, and you are better off targeting short hard efforts (2x20's, 5x5's, 30/30s etc) to build your speed.

For most people, a combination of both is going to be best to become a strong all round cyclist.  There are any number of 'sportive' training plans on the web that will help with this.  British cycling have a range of Training Plans for beginner to advanced that are free to download.


You have a Shimano Positron shifter and derailleur. If you didn't know you own a bit of bicycle gear shifting history. See Sheldon Browns Shimano page and look for 'Positron'.

Simply googling for 'shimano positron cable' should produce some hits. There appear to be some cables for sale on Ebay.

You should probably try to find out more about the Positron system, especially if there are different variants that might require different cables. I think there were at least a couple of models.

Update 1: I did some google image searching and I believe you have a Positron II Six Speed.

Update 1.1: Further research reveals it's a Positron FH Six Speed. Positron II was 5 speed.

Update 2: Looking at how the cable is attached to the shaft, I think it is soldered. You may be able to re-solder the cable using a small butane torch. Or even use high strength epoxy to glue it back.


Jumping - What happens if you pull your back/front brake in the air?

If your wheel is spinning hard in the air, and you apply a brake hard, the rotational momentum has to go somewhere.

However your wheel is rotating forward, and stopping it will make your bike rotate so the front drops.  Often that's not what you want.

Also the time available is really small and your reaction time shortens the effective window too.

If your wheels are not spinning fast then there's no stored momentum there so applying the brakes will do nothing.

The question you didn't ask is "What happens if I land with the brakes hard-on?"   and that generally means badness if you land with any forward momentum.

The front wheel will be locked so it will either make the brake slip or it will make the tyre slip on the ground, starting a front-wheel washout.  There's also a chance your front wheel will turn sideways which will lead to a taco  or a complete OTB (Over The Bars).  Doing this is most likely to put you in hospital or worse.


Is it safe to re-use old spokes when re-lacing?

Generally yes. As Daniel points out, spokes wear and if you have a good number of miles on the wheels it's a good idea to replace if you have to rebuild.

A 3x build like you mention will have wear at the crossings as well as at the hub flange and at the rim. If you reuse you will be adjusting these wear points slightly, but only by a very small fraction and I would guess that the end result would be a higher chance of spoke failure.

Also, unless you are replacing with an identical hub, the dimensions will likely be different and will probably require a different length spoke.

Happy Riding.


If I use an 8 speed bar end shifter with the TT bar on my Allez, will I need to change any other parts of the drive chain?

Pretty much any 8 speed Shimano-compatible bar end shifter will work if you're running a Shimano drive train (If you're running SRAM, you'd obviously need a SRAM compatible one).

Those will work, as will the ones from Microshift 8 speed among others. You'll need to re-run your cables, obviously, though.


Why are so many technical aspects of cycling so subjective?

As far as outside testing goes, Friction Facts is an independent company that does exactly what you ask for, testing components against each other to find out what is best, including chains in a variety of conditions (new, re-lubed, wet, dirty, etc).

The top manufacturers presumably have unpublished data, considering that bikes continue to get faster and lighter. This research probably does contain blind spots, and I haven't seen a lot of manufacturer's recommendations about detailed advice on how to maintain a bike.

In addition to this, a quick google search for "research bicycle efficiency" turned up a significant amount of published research about cyclists, but not about bicycles.

I think the reason there are so many arguments on the web about the best way to do anything is that people just like arguing, although you could certainly argue otherwise.


To install the sealant you will need to remove the valve core. Insert the tool into the valve and unscrew the core.  Your sealant container may include one built into the cap of the container. My SLIME container came with one. You can purchase a valve core tool for a few dollars at an auto parts supplier or Harbor Freight. Deflate the tire, remove the core.  Follow the sealant manufacturers instruction in regards to amount of sealant, reinstall the core. Inflate the tire per the sealant makers direction.


Can I swap Semi-Metallic brake pads for Sintered Metal Brake Pads?

Yes you can do this, and no, you don't need new rotors.

I had the same issue with my CX bike in that it didn't brake as weel as my MTBs, so I swapped to metallic pads.  They do work better, but IMHO, the biggest difference is whether you are using hydraulic or cable disc brakes.  Cable are simply not as good as hydraulic.


Can regular bike forks be modified to allow front drivetrain setup?

To cold set a regular fork by 30+ mm would no doubt weaken it far too much to use. The better starting point would be something like a 135 mm fat bike fork, common sizes are also listed in the Sheldon brown table you linked.

Notice however, that three of the four pictures you found feature extensive modifications to strengthen the fork or supporting frame to handle the pedalling forces. None of them will have off the shelf forks, they will all be custom made, along with the whole frame; they have totally different riding positions to a regular bicycle.

If you are serious about getting a bike with front wheel drive, it’s worth doing properly which would mean sourcing something specially designed for the purpose.


Shimano 10 - 11 system hub compatibility - MTB

Can I use Shimano 10 speed MTB system on this hub?

Yes, you can, but a 2mm spacer might be need.

10 speed Shimano MTB cassettes require same freehub body width as 11 speed. Meanwhile, Shimano road-specific cassettes are ~2mm wider. To be sure, I'd measure freehub body width (36.75 on that pic). If it's about 37mm, that means rear hub can accomodate wider 11 speed road cassettes and you will need a spacer for sure. Otherwise, you can put a 10 speed cassette as is.

On a side note, Novatec (Joytech) produces a wide variety of hubs, same models can have both XD, 10 and 11 freehub body options.


Can Lezyne Stainless-12 chain tool handle be used as tire lever?

Based on lezyne's site specs, that 12 tool is not meant to be used as a tire lever.

I would say, having had a lot of experience using make-shift tire-levers while on the job as a bike messenger, that it would damage your rim, and cause aggressive wear to the tire sidewall (leading to side-wall blowout).

Save yourself the $20-80 in tires, and the $100+ in a rim/wheel. Buy some Pedros from your nearest bike shop.
http://pedros.com/products/tools/wheel-and-tire/tire-levers/

http://www.lezyne.com/product-mtools-stainlesstools.php#.VSkorJFVhBd

12 style:
"TOOL BITS:
    Hex 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm      Star Shaped T25
    Phillips-Head       Chain Breaker: (9/10/11 speed)
    Spoke Wrenches: Mavic Mtv, 3.22, 3.45"

Note: They explicitly list the 20 as having a tire lever, which is clearly a different tool.


How do I get a new chainring when my bike is so old, the manufacturer doesn't have the chainring (or crank) I need

It seems that you're asking about a BMX chainring. As far as I can see (I'm no expert in BMX) they are fairly standard. To be sure you'd neet to take three measurements:

the diameter of the hole that goes on the bottom bracket spindle (1)
the diameter of the hole that attaches to the drive-side crank (2)
the distance from the centre of the first hole to the centre of the second hole (3)

Have a look at the attached image with those measurements marked red:

As you can see, the measurement 3 is somewhat flexible with the chainring pictured.

With those three measurements you can visit couple of LBSes and confirm that you're purchasing the correct part.


You're really asking two questions here:
1) Do road tires lose air more quickly?
And 2) Do tubeless tires lose air more quickly?

First off, let's talk about the different ways that tires can (and do) lose pressure.

Obviously, they can lose pressure through a poor seal, either on the valve or where the tire seats to the rim on tubeless tires.

Tires also lose pressure through permeation. This essentially means that air molecules escape between the molecules that make up the casing (i.e., tube or tubeless tire). This is true of all tires, not just bicycle tires.

And of course, there is always the possibility of a slow leak caused by a puncture.

No matter what the reason for air loss, a tire at a higher pressure will lose air more quickly than a tire at a lower pressure. Thus, if we assume the same type of tire, materials, etc: road tires lose air more quickly than cross tires, and cross tires lose air more quickly than mountain bike tires.

Additionally, air loss is also more noticeable on smaller tires because any air that escapes represents a larger percentage of the total volume of air. So, if you have a 26x2 mountain bike tire and a 700x23c and inflate them both to the same pressure, they will initially lose the same amount of air at the same rate. However, since the air lost in the road tire represents a larger percentage of the overall volume, the pressure will drop more quickly. And as the pressure drops, the road tire will lose air more slowly, but the pressure will still drop more quickly than the mountain bike tire due to its significantly greater size.

Air loss is also exacerbated by thinner walled casings. This means that (again, assuming the same materials) lighter and thinner tubes will lose air more quickly than heavier and thicker tubes.

Now, I don't have a lot of experience with tubeless, but given that caveat...

Tubeless tires should in theory lose air less quickly than tubes due to the thickness of the casing and the fact that people typically run them at lower pressures. I have heavily stressed "in theory" here because it is certainly possible that tubeless tires are more permeable than tubes and because of this, some balance is achieved.


Unless you see a very different Google Maps in the UK than I see in the US:


Upgrading 20 year old road bike's groupset

I agree with the folks who suggest that you stick to the 9-spd Ultegra, especially since it already has index shifting and "brifters" (you can brake and shift at the handlebar without moving your hands from the hoods). If it's looks you're going for, you can always clean up the parts, and if the anodizing is a bit worse for wear, you can always use some oxalis acid to take it off and polish the pieces to a mirror finish. Tiagra is second lowest on the Shimano line (above Sora) and Ultegra is still their second highest. The quality of the craftsmanship still doesn't compare, even in 20 yrs. There isn't much of a difference between 9 and 11 on the back, except that 11-sp components last shorter time because they are thinner and more fragile. If you do want easier ratios, why not swap out the front rings for compact ones? Just my 2 cents.


Is it possible to convert a press fit bottom bracket to threaded?

BB30 and PF30 have press-in adapters available that have ISO aka BSA aka English threads. They do work but they mostly exist for the purpose of being able to run a certain crank that you wouldn't otherwise be able to, and to a lesser extent to address creak. (I don't have a very refined opinion on how good they are at doing the latter).

BB86/92 and conceptually similar pressed standards (BB90, 95, others) are by nature too wide for this sort of approach to work.

You can make a very effective bearing press for all types of press-in bottom brackets out of threaded rod and some nuts and washers. If you got the right diameter rod to interface snugly with the bushings in the Park BBT-30.4 or 90.3 (for example), you could just get those and skip buying a shop-type press, and you'd have lost nothing but a little bit of speed. (Improvising tools to do the whole job for cheap is kind of a larger discussion and I'm tempted to write more, but it's probably off-topic for this question.)


Well, I tried soaking it with WD40 and then re-lubing it with spray lithium grease.  No improvement whatsoever.  So I took it to the LBS, which declared it DOA.  They say they've seen this before with Shimano shifters.  Some internal part gets even slightly bent and the shifter fails completely.  And they're not really serviceable, so that means replace it.

This was a one-month old high-end shifter.  It was never damaged or misused.  Next bike will sport SRAM or Campy components.  They use half as many parts, work just as well, and can be field serviced.

So thanks for the answers.

UPDATE: Contrary to what I'd been told about eBay purchases, Shimano honored the warranty and replaced the shifter.  I spoke to a customer service rep about it first because I was told I needed an RMA to return it, but that's not true either.  Simply fill out the warranty form available on their web site and ship the item to them with the completed form.


Rain, hail, and snow don't hurt a chain. Salt makes it rust, and dirt wears it out.

Salt: You won't get all the salt out without removing the chain from the bike. The chain is doomed. You can, however, easily delay this till spring with regular application of wet chain lube. A bit of rust won't hurt if you ride regularly.

Dirt: Given that the chain only has to last till spring, a quick clean with a chain cleaner (as suggested by @meager) once every few hundred miles will be fine. 1 minute of cleaning, 1 of re-oiling is enough.

Come spring, splurge on a shiny new chain. If your budget is really tight and you don't want to buy a new chain every year, keep the old one for next winter. When you take it off, give it a really good clean (off the bike), soak it in oil and store it over summer.

However, there are a lot of reasons why a new chain every year is a good thing.


A simple 1x conversion would only need a new narrow wide chainring (and probably shorter chainring bolts).  Narrow wide chainrings in 104BCD (which is the required size for the model you list) are available from USD10 if you order a cheap chain ring directly from China.  You can continue to use the crankset you have, as well as all other components.  After you installed the new chain ring you remove your front derailleur, the shifter cable and your left hand shifter and you're done.
if you make sure it's a narrow wide chainring (or some other shape that is designed for 1x) for most riding you would likely not need a chain keeper (although it doesn't hurt to have one).  The shape of these chainrings will make sure the chain doesn't drop to the left or right of the chainring.
For more "complicated" 1x conversations you would want to review your gearing after loosing 2 chainrings.  In that case you would need a new cassette and potentially a new rear derailleur depending on the new cassette.  However you mentioned your intention is to simplify the bike while being happy with the current gearing (seeing you never shift the front derailleur).


Yes this is possible.   First up I'll be completely blunt

If you're editing your ride to make it look faster, then you're only cheating yourself.

EDIT - THIS WENT AWAY in 2017ish.     However I know strava's app sometimes just stops.  If you have a damaged ride in strava, then use  the SNAP tool at http://strava-tools.raceshape.com/snap/  Feed in the activity ID number which is in the URL when you view the activity.  Then you can tweak portions of your ride back to fit.  SNAP will let you download a GPX file, which can then be uploaded to Strava.com with the upload file function.  Please note, you will end up with two rides, and it will say "Atul rode with Atul" which is wrong.  Once you're happy the new ride is good, delete the old ride.

If you've got a ride that was seriously truncated, and SNAP won't let you tweak it, then you have more to do.
Android Users

Open Google's timeline at  https://www.google.com/maps/timeline?pb   then click Today and see how your ride path was - if its no good then give up here.

Click the gear icon in the bottom right corner and choose "Export this day to KML"  save the file called history-2017-01-28.kml

We need to massage the KML fle to GPX format.  First time I did this was manually with lots of copy and paste which was horrible.  But since then someone's created    https://kml2gpx.com/
which does a fair job.

So upload the gpx file to strava, and then use the crop tool to trim it down.

Since google only takes a location point once a minute, compared to strava's 0.1-10 points/sec the track is a lot chunkier.   Use the SNAP tool as mentioned earlier to get it back on track.

Apple Users
I have no idea - does apple have any tracking like google?
Newton / iBike / powerpod
Grab the Isaac software from http://www.ibikesports.com/support/isaac-software-downloads/  and see if it can help.
Garmin / other bike computer
If your dedicated hardware has munched the ride, you may be stuffed too.  Check out forums - there could be a way to get some info back.
Last Resort
You can create a track in Google Maps and "save as" a KML which can then be massaged into a GPX file.  This is long and tedious, and your times will be completely made up.
Last-Last Resort
A GPX file is only an XML formatted text file.  You can generate one by hand with a text editor.  The format can be seen by downloading an existing ride.
Good to "make up" your distance.  You set a point at every turn and give it a time.  Elevation can be omitted.  I have used my gopro footage as a timebase to figure out offsets between turns/points.  This will produce straight lines between corners with a steady speed between them.  Also, you won't match many segments because of a lack of points
Ultimate Final Last Resort So your best plan is to

Obey rule 5, and go do the route over again.


How to use a single caliper truing stand (vs dual caliper)?

When truing a wheel (such that the rim lies in a plane perpendicular to the axle) it is only necessary to measure against one side of the rim, as rims have a uniform width around their circumference (assuming there are no dents in the sidewall.

The other aspect of wheel geometry is correct dish (rim lies in a plane exactly halfway between the axle shoulders). Another question here indicates that the Park TS 2.2 needs calibrating to achieve correct dish. I believe most wheel builders use a separate dishing tool to ensure dish is correct.


The blue thing is a 3 position lever, which controls how fast the air moves between the two chambers.  Looking at it directly,

LEFTmost position  is FIRM, ie pointing at your drive side.
MIDDLE position (ie straight down) is MEDIUM
RIGHTmost position is OPEN, ie pointing to your left while riding.

(There's a chance I have that backward.  Test it out first)

So you need to set the lever to OPEN, and set the sag on your rear to about 25% when you're sitting still on the bike, with all your normal riding gear.   This is easier with 2 people.

You can press the small black nubbin on your pump to release air from the shock.  Its straight below your gauge in the first photo.  A brief press should make a Hiss and allow air out.

Some shock pumps have a two-stage connector, where the first thread engages the outside of the schrader connector, and then the second slowly lowers a "presser" into the release in the middle of the valve.  This is to minimise pressure loss when connecting and disconnecting the pump.

  At this point you should be able to release air from the shock, and add more by pumping.

I can't find your pump model - the nearest Giant is https://www.giant-bicycles.com/nz/control-mini-shock-1  but that looks quite different.

The manual for your shock is at https://www.ridefox.com/dl/bike/605-00-139-FLOAT-DPS-Tuning-Guide-white-revB.pdf


Has anyone ridden fenders in a Grand Tour?

Yes, for smaller ones. No, for full mudguards.
Tour de France
Here's Team Katusha using them on the ‘Paris Roubaix stage’ of the Tour de France in 2014, according to Stickybottle:

While mudguards are fitted to most bikes used by racing cyclists for winter training, it’s against the rules to use them competing.
Not only would they hugely slow down a rider, but mudguards and the apparatus that keeps them in place are simply deemed too dangerous for racing. They pose a stabbing hazard in the event of a high speed crash.
However, the top pro team Katusha today took to the start line of stage 5 of the Tour de France, with a wet and muddy day on the pavé in store, with mini mudguards fixed to their bikes.
They are a much smaller and neater structure compared to traditional mudguards.
They are essentially a simple one-piece flap that attaches to the saddle and should keep the riders’ backsides a little drier than normal.
Katusha has been using them since the start of this season but today’s TV exposure on the ‘Paris Roubaix stage’ of the Tour is the first time they’ve been seen on the biggest stage.
The team agreed a sponsorship deal this year with Sencillo Bikes in Spain, which distributes the mudguard flaps.
The company was undoubtedly praying for rain on today’s pavé stage; the perfect conditions to help bring their nifty little product to the attention of the global TV audience.

Giro d'Italia
Here's one of the photos on the sponsor's website from Giro d'Italia 2014:

Vuelta a España
They're still sponsored by them this year, here's their EDICIÓN KATUSHA 2016 for sale, blurbing:

Los guardabarros sencillo actualmente son utilizados por varios equipos y numerosos ciclistas profesionales de ruta en sus entrenamientos y en carreras UCI PRO TOUR como el RGACajaRural en la última edición de la Vuelta a España, por corredores del equipo UCI Pro Tour, KATHUSA en las carreras clásicas belgas, en Milán San Remo, en la Volta a Cataluña y varias más. Además de otros clubes y equipos españoles , belgas y franceses de otras categorías.

UCI rules
The UCI rules (PDF, 1.3.024, p.70) would likely forbid full mudguards as they would constitute a protective screen or fairing for the wheels:

Any device, added or blended into the structure, that is destined to decrease, or which has the effect of decreasing, resistance to air penetration or artificially to accelerate propulsion, such as a protective screen, fuselage form fairing or the like, shall be prohibited.


Using a 10 speed Shimano 105, do the shifters ever wear out? Should I get a spare just in case?

Many shifters can are used for the whole lifetime of a bike. They are also pretty expensive.
It is also very likely that there wilm be replacement 10-speed shifters available in future, but it is true that Shimano switched to a different cable pull.
Anyway, given the price of the shifter and the lower likelihood of needing to replace it, I would NOT buy a spare just in case. If you were really unlucky, you might be forced to buy also a new rear derailleur in the future. But at that time, if the shifter is worn out, the rear derailleur might well be as well and a new RD is cheaper than an unused shifter in the cupboard.


How to I make my rim brakes stop making loud ugly noises ?

After greasing my chain, some grease got on the rim of my tire.  It made a terrible noise while braking.

Sand grains that has gotten stuck in the brake pad can also cause screeching noises.

I recommend try to make sure there is no debris around the brakes.  Also make sure the rim is very clean.  Scrub it down to remove all oils, greases and debris.


It's possible that your head tube was ovalized when the wreck occured causing a gap. Also keep in mind that head tubes come in many sizes. Your fork may be the wrong size.

See this Wikipedia article for more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headset_(bicycle_part)


Rust on the surfaces of the pads & disc could cause extra wear & noise, or if bad enough reduce the effectiveness of the brakes. If there is enough present that you can see residue on your finger after rubbing the surface, I would suggest cleaning with a stiff bristled brush or a kitchen scrubber & isopropyl alcohol (some people have recommended automotive brake cleaner too). There will probably still be some rust coloring on the pad, but it shouldn't be enough to cause a problem.
After cleaning, you should really inspect the metal around the pad too to make sure it is not corroded to the point that it may not fit the caliper right or could possibly break.


Yes, you do need to replace the tyre. It can burst any time. You just leave the bike somewhere, hear a loud bang and that's it. If you are lucky. If you are unlucky, it happens when you are riding it and you crash because the bike is no longer controllable.


Does riding bicycles reduce sperm count?

There are studies that link cycling to Erectile Dysfunction. A quick Google will point you toward further reading. I'm afraid I don't know what the link is (or indeed whether there is a link) between ED and sperm count.

The link between cycling an ED is because of pressure exerted on parts of your body while riding. You therefore won't find it surprising to learn that people will suggest one saddle design over another, with this in mind. How much substance there is in any of this......it's all subjective.

I think that, in general, though, the health benefits of cycling (helping to prevent e.g. heart disease) are considered to outweigh the risks. ED, for example, is in most cases temporary and reversible.


Why are bike frames getting so much bigger

From metallurgy for cyclists:

  a tube's diameter increases (D), the stiffness increases to the third power of that number (d is the inside diameter). Comparing a one-inch tube and a two-inch tube of equal wall thickness., the fatty is going to be eight times as stiff as the little weenie tube. And the weight will only double. Now does the ride of those Kleins and Cannondales start to make sense?

So wider diameter tubes actually allow for less material to be used for the same amount of stiffness, making for a lighter bike with a similar ride.


Pedaling at different gear ratios on flat terrain: what's the point?

First, different people have different optimum cadence.  So that's one thing that explains different cadence between different cyclists.

Second, to travel at any given speed requires a certain amount of power.  You can get more power by pushing harder at the same cadence, or you can pedal faster at the same level of force (or you can pedal harder and faster..).

Ever lift weights?  Pick a weight you can do ten times, but no more.  You can't lift ten times that much once, can you?  You get much better endurance at lower levels of force.  It's the same with pedaling a bicycle - for a given power level, most cyclists get better endurance by pedaling faster at lower levels of force, at least up to a point where your muscles start getting less efficient because they can't contract fast enough.  There's actually a good bit of research on this, and there are physiological reasons why it's true.

But in general, if you want to go fast for a long period of time, it's better to pedal easy and fast than it is to pedal hard and slow.

It's tough to get used to at first, but after a while it will feel a lot more natural.  Just get something that measures cadence and you can start working on riding at higher cadences.


Why did I feel like crap after racing against a car?

Breathing in the cold air probably didn't help, but what you describe happens to most people after doing hard intervals and only goes away with recovering.  As far as preventing it in the future, the only thing I can recommend is not maxing out and going anaerobic by chasing cars and going into zone 4/5 heart rate.

Edit for Clarification

When I refer to going anaerobic that means going above your Lactic Threshold. During the sprint after the car you were in that zone for a long period of time.  This is also referred to as Heart Rate Zone 4 or 5 depending on intensity. Those zones are used for high intensity training and can't be maintained for a long period of time.  Since your heart rate lags behind exertion you won't feel it right away, but you will after racing the car.  When you are riding on your own, you aren't pushing as hard as you were when you were chasing the car (think dogs chasing after a rabbit) which is why you wouldn't have felt it before.


Ways to lock my feet to the pedals, OR, Cycling shoe options for (really) wide feet

Lake makes several shoes in wide widths. I’m particularly partial to their sandals for my wide feet (but depending on what kind of club you’re aiming to join, they may not be the right look).


What should I look for when buying rollers?

What should you look for in a set of rollers?

Price
Resistance if you want it (Kreitler has a nice belt driven 'killer headwind')
Noise level, especially if you live above someone (I am not sure that even Kreitler can solve this problem without some dampening).
Size and weight - if you will be transporting them to races and have limited space.
Susceptibility to corrosion. Unless you don't plan to drip sweat, or plan to wipe them off well after each ride.... get rollers with a good corrosion proof coating.

Also make sure to read these two questions:

Should I buy a pvc or aluminum roller?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of turbo-trainers and rollers?

What sets the more expensive models apart?
Kreitler rollers are well known as the gold standard in rollers, and they cost two to three times as much as the more economical brands. Are they worth the investment? If you have the money, yes. Not only are they nicer, but they will last longer than other rollers. There are a few small shops that make rollers of similar quality at a similar or higher price. Kreitler makes a wide range of roller styles, and they are all of similar high quality.
Most of my roller time has been on a set of Cycle-Ops that I bought second hand for $50, and they were worth more than that. These are a great product, and I have logged about 90% of my hundreds of roller-hours on this set of rollers. They certainly can do the trick, but riding on Kreitler rollers is always a distinct pleasure. Kreitler rollers are luxurious to ride on and are definitely worth their cost.
Some specific differences:

Kreitler rollers are lathe turned alloy drums "to within 0.002" tolerance". This makes them evenly balanced and roll smoothly and evenly. I have not compared the weights of drums from different manufacturers, but Kreitler drums certainly feel like they have more inertia. Cheap rollers are often made of plastic. Even though CycleOps also uses lathe-turned alloy, they are not as smooth  (I would expect that the design has improved since my set was made 10 years ago). Kreitler drums are solid, including where the bands sit, whereas other alloy drums have plastic disks on the ends for the bands.
The frame on Kreitler rollers is sturdy and keeps the rollers parallel, which helps make the ride smooth. Of course all rollers have three parallel drums, but the sturdy construction of Kreitlers keeps the drums aligned during hard riding and over time.
High quality bearings and other parts
All of the above gives a butter-smooth, quiet, luxurious ride.


Most front wheel motors will work on the trike and will install in a very similar way. There are a lot of kits on ebay, ranging in price from a couple of hundred dollars up through sensible prices to quite silly. See this question for some opinions on the cheap kits.

Most crank motors will also work and be easy enough to install. This Sunstar kit, for example. The advantage is that it uses the gearing system on the trike, so it works better than a hub motor when the trike is going very slowly. The disadvantage is that it's a pedal-assist motors, so it only works if you're pedalling.

My suggestion is that you find a local bike shop that has experience with electric bikes, ideally one that sells kits, and get them to supply and fit a kit for you. While it's possible to do the work yourself, unless you have the rights tools and experience it's very easy to make mistakes and end up with something that's unsafe, doesn't work, or is unreliable.

You can also buy ready-made electric trikes like this one. It might easily turn out to be cheaper to do that than buy a trike plus a kit if you don't already own the trike.


Titanium fork vs suspension on gravel bikes

Frame and fork material
For a gravel bike without suspension, which is most current ones, a lot of the suspension and vibration damping comes from the tires. Beyond those, all frame materials can be tuned to offer more or less vibration damping. Carbon is more tunable than metals because it's not isotropic, i.e. it can be made so that its stiffness is not identical in every direction. However, that doesn't necessarily mean carbon has better damping than metal - that depends on the layup of the fibers and the fiber types selected. You could make a carbon frame ride harsher than a steel one, if you chose to do so.
Titanium and steel are considered to have a good ride quality, at least in the tubes that are commercially available. At least part of this is likely subjective, and some riders may perceive steel or titanium as riding more pleasantly than carbon. NB: I have a somewhat classically styled steel road bike, and a carbon gravel bike.
It is not really easy to compare the ride characteristics of the Bearclaw to more mainstream carbon bikes. The carbon bikes' ride characteristics will vary depending on what they were designed for. You would have to seek out reviews by competent and experienced reviewers. I generally recommend the crowd at Cyclingtips. For example, they assessed the Evil Chamois Hagar's (carbon) ride quality as poor, even "backbreaking", and the race-oriented Cervelo Aspero as similarly uncomfortable, saying that it was "brutal" on rough terrain. In contrast, they felt that the Santa Cruz Stigmata was much more comfortable.
I am not aware of reviews for the Bearclaw, but I'd caution that just because its titanium may not mean that it rides like other titanium bikes. While metals are isotropic and can't be tuned through layup like carbon fiber, a manufacturer can tune the ride by selecting different tubing diameters, thicknesses, and shaping. I suspect that the ride quality between titanium bikes is pretty heterogeneous. It's probably more homogeneous than the ride between different carbon bikes, but the ride quality alone should be able to vary substantially, as well as the bike's handling (due to geometry). That said, the sorts of people buying titanium or steel bikes tend to be seeking comfortable rides.
As to forks, as far as I know, titanium forks are relatively uncommon. As you mention, Bearclaw seems to offer a full titanium fork, and they may have done so for some time. Because of the variety of carbon forks available, and the fact that titanium forks are likely heavier than carbon for the same stiffness, I suspect titanium forks simply haven't taken off commercially. One possible rationale for a steel or titanium fork from a custom builder would be that they can select their own fork rake and length; otherwise, manufacturers will commonly spec one or two rakes across the full spectrum of frame sizes, which does mean that the way the bike handles may change with size. I'd expect a titanium fork to be good at vibration damping, but I doubt it's necessarily superior to a well-selected carbon one on an off the rack bike. Bearclaw appears to offer off the rack only.
Suspension
Suspension is still relatively rare on gravel bikes. Potentially, it can do two things.

More prominently on gravel bikes, it can isolate the rider from chatter. This reduces fatigue. Some bikes have front suspension only, like the Specialized Diverge. Generally, gravel bikes with built in suspension offer a lot less travel than mountain bikes. You could also put suspension in components, like Redshift's suspension stem and seatpost, or Cane Creek's suspension post.

Suspension forks and frames keep the wheel in contact with the ground over large bumps. This is important for mountain bikes. I am only aware of one current full suspension gravel bike, the Niner MCR. There are aftermarket suspension forks, e.g. the Lauf Grit, which I don't believe needs a frame with suspension-corrected geometry to mount. However, I'm not sure how much gravel cyclists need this type of suspension.

Here is a Cyclingtips review of the current Specialized Diverge, which as noted has front suspension. Testers rated it as very comfortable to ride. The review of the Niner MCR full suspension bike is also by Cyclingtips. The reviewer noted that the improvement in traction was tangible.
All else equal, I'd actually expect suspension systems to reduce efficiency, as they can bob as you pedal. One can tune the suspension (as I understand the issue, not having had much experience on mountain bikes) to minimize this. That is one minor downside: if you have suspension, you will need to tune it to your weight to achieve optimal performance. However, the more complex suspension systems do have greater maintenance needs. The BMC Urs has a softtail-like rear suspension that should require periodic cleaning and regreasing of the pins and bushings, and maybe occasional replacement of the elastomer damper. The Niner MCR's full suspension system should be much more complex to maintain. Interestingly, Specialized claims the Future Shock is fully sealed and doesn't require maintenance.
There's another complexity issue if we are talking about full suspension bikes. As a traditional suspension fork like the one mounted on the Niner compresses, your head angle steepens. The Cyclingtips team noted that the Niner's handling felt odd, "like a 29er mountain bike from yesteryear". Bike manufacturers looking to integrate more complex suspension systems will need to think about how the suspension interacts with the type of handling gravel cyclists are looking for, which tends to be different from what mountain bikers are looking for (although not exclusively; some gravel bikes like the Chamois Hagar, the Urs, and the Diverge borrow a lot of influence from MTB geometry, although they aren't identical).
Do note that not all front suspension systems cause the head angle to steepen as they compress; the Diverge's doesn't. The tradeoff is that the Future Shock is limited to 20mm travel. This would be clearly inadequate on a mountain bike, but the Diverge isn't a mountain bike.
It's worth noting that suspension is still rare on gravel bikes. I've written this assuming you were talking about a gravel bike with a suspension system more significant than just a seatpost and stem. As indicated, I'm currently aware of only one full suspension gravel bike. Current gravel bikes are trending towards as much as 700x45-50mm tire clearance, which is a lot of tire with which to cushion the ride. I'm not sure how much suspension is actually necessary.


Will 11 speed 55-42T Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 crankset will be compatible with an 8 speed 11-28T cassette and shifter?

Nominally no, an 11 speed speed crank will not work with an 8 speed drivetrain.

As the number of speeds (number of cassette sprockets) increased as new groupsets were released, the sprockets were narrowed and moved closer together. The outside width of the chain was also progressively narrowed so that they worked with the narrower sprocket spacing. This also meant that crank chainrings had to be moved closer together. An 8 speed front derailleur and chain will not shift at all well on a 11 speed crank.

Other things you should bear in mind if you are serious about a 55/42 crank. You may not have enough chainstay clearance for the bigger rings, and you will need to check that your front derailleur will move up enough - some braze-on clamps don't have enough adjustment.


Sorry your stuff got stolen :/.

For wheels you need basically any hybrid rim brake wheelset with standard 135mm spacing and an 8/9/10 speed rear hub. That's most non-disc hybrid wheels out there that you'll find, as well as disc sets with non-disc-specific rims. Good deals on sets can be often be had online and at shops; that's generally what you should look for if you're trying to save money. For example, here in the US when I'm working with someone in your situation, the first thing I do is look at sets on sale at the major wheel wholesalers. There's a backstory there; that whole side of the industry has a fascination with getting complete wheelset sales, and they often overproduce and wind up slashing prices later.

The hub you link to is one such compatible hub of many. For the cassette, that one is a drop-in replacement for the original one, or you could take the opportunity to go to a lower or higher low gear if you wanted. (You could go to 11-34 with your derailers and cranks, but you may need a longer chain. But, a new chain is a good idea with a new cassette anyway to avoid skipping and premature wear.) That post should also be a drop in replacement for what came on the bike.


When it's called anything, which it usually isn't, it would be something like a "spring carrier." What's going on here is fairly common to see on brakes like this. Mostly it happens when, as in the picture, the spring tension adjustment screw is threaded all the way in. Taking it out some, and then adjusting the other one on the other arm to compensate, may allow it to make contact with the spring nub rather than what it's doing now. If that doesn't work, i.e. if it's doing this no matter how screwed in it is, then taking the whole thing apart and bending the spring ever so slightly may work.

Replacement parts aren't available, although a much better complete brake is about $10US.


I assambled rear wheel hub, but now rear wheel is not turning freely

You likely tightened the cones too tight.  Read up on the proper procedure for cone adjustment and be sure to grease it up well.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

OR

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/hub-overhaul-and-adjustment


When do I need more than one bike? How many bike is enough? How many bikes is too many?

If you have n bikes, n+1 bikes is the right amount of bikes to have. ;)

Realistically, I think 2 or 3 is adequate - a cyclocross or non-racing road bike can do the first two tasks (road ride + commute) provided it has rack and fender mounts, and one mountain bike is likely good enough for the trails in one's area (if you go somewhere else where another type of mountain bike would do very well, say a fat bike in the snow versus your hardtail which is adequate for your area's trails or whatever,  rent it for the trip). A third would be a winter beater (an old rigid mountain bike, most likely) or something to take to the shady parts of town.

Of course, enthusiasts can always justify more bikes (much like with lots of hobbies).

[There is also the community of monster cross'ers, who build beefed up cross bikes which you can take on lighter trails, so if the trails are light enough, you could do it all with one bike!]

Too many would be when it starts affecting parts of your life which you're not okay with,e.g. too much money in bikes, not enough space, not feeding your kids for a new bike, etc.


How should I transport Cannondale Bad Boy 5 INSIDE a BMW 4 Series Coupe?

None of the other answers deal with the OPs desire to keep the bike inside the car, i.e. not on a rack.

To put the bike in the car, you have to take off at least one of the wheels.

Pedro sells a "chain keeper" which is designed to keep the chain on or near the derailleur when the rear wheel is off:

This should help you considerably (along with old towels and maybe a moving blanket) to put the bike cleanly in the car with the rear wheel off.


How to setup triple front derailleur with a double crankset

As with many things bike related, it might not meet the specs, but that doesn't mean that it won't work.

Some questions that will help answer the question:

Are you using friction or index shifting for the front?  If friction (such as bar-end shifters) you should be fine.  If indexed, you might have incompatibilities with cable pull, especially if you're trying to use the same shifters or switching between a road vs. MTB derailleur.
Do the limit screws allow adjustment to the range of motion that you require?  If so, you might be OK, but it really depends on the number of teeth on your derailleur.

If you happen to already have the parts and have worked on bikes a bit in the past "just try it" usually works for me.  You might be pleasantly surprised.  If you have to buy the parts or pay for labor it might not be worth the trouble.

Far more information on the topic can be found here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/front-derailers.html


If you have a linear pull system (i.e. V-brakes), you need to have a long pull lever (*). V-brakes look like this:

Short pull levers are for regular cantilever brakes or caliper brakes.

If you need kids brakes, you're likely going to have to look in the parts bin at your bike shop or something. Specialized lists the hotrock 24 being spec'd with some Tektro levers, but I don't see anything specially made for kids on the tektro site.

You can try unbolting the existing brake levers at the clamp to the handlebars and changing their positions along the bar along with their angle (as well as possibly the handlebar's angle). As pointed out by mikes in the comments: "There may be a small set screw on the lever frame. It is near the cable entry point. By screwing in the screw you shorten the amount of throw the lever has. It brings the "start "or "at rest" point closer to the hand grip." This screw is known as the reach adjustment screw (or by some similar name).

An image from park tool:

(*) I recognize there are mini-v brakes (which are V-brakes which need short pull levers), but I seriously doubt you'd find one on a BSO like a Magna.


Sora R3000 brifters with the M4000 rear derailleur

Yes, the rear derailleur cable pull ratio, unlike the front one, is still the same. You can use any (7-)8-9 speed RD.


As you have mentioned yourself, the M70T3 uses a threaded post, while the M65T3 uses a knurled post that requires a screw on the V-brake or, more commonly, on a cantilever brake. In fact, the M65T3 is sold as a cantilever brake, and it is shorter and chubbier than the M70T3. If you have a V brake, you shold buy the M70T3.


The Alvio M4000 is a 9 speed shifter,
as long as your XT derailleur is a 9 speed version it will be fine


DIN stands for ‘Deutsches Institut für Normung’ which means ‘German Institute of Standardization’. DIN develops norms and standards as a service to industry, to the state and to society as a whole. It is a registered non profit organization which has been based in Berlin since 1917. It consists of nearly 1,700 members who include individual companies, associations, public authorities, and other organizations from industry, commerce, the trades and research. DIN members support standardization through membership fees and play an active part in the decision making process.
  Tech-FAQ

DIN 985 defines the parameters for self locking nuts or "Prevailing torque type hexagon thin nuts with nonmetallic insert".

There are a variety of standards for nuts, bolts etc. that have been created to assure a level of quality for a given task. The standard will designate dimensions, chemical composition and mechanical properties. For a given standard (933) there are property classes (4.8, 5.6, 5.8, 6.8, 8.8, 9.8, 10.9 and 12.9) with different chemical compositions and mechanical properties. The N55 specification does not indicate which property class is required. Generally, the higher the property class number the "stronger" the bolt.

If your hardware provider is familiar with a different standard there are cross reference tables available on line that allow you to find equivalents in whatever standard is available to you (EN, ISO, ANSI etc.). I'd be comfortable with even a property class of 4.8 for this application. The key is to get something that has been rated as opposed to something made by a company that does not even bother to rate the hardware.


Are Shimano Claris brifters compatible with 90's Shimano 600 parts?

Yes, all Shimano 8-speed shifters and rear derailleurs except Dura-Ace are compatible. Road and off road front derailleurs have different cable pull, but since both 600 and Claris are road component series, they are compatible too.


Wellgo make a variety of aftermarket replacement cleats and pedals for various systems, including Shimano's SPD and Look Keo.  They should be (almost) completely compatible with the equivalent system's branded cleats.  I've personally used Wellgo Keo-compatible cleats as a replacement for Look-branded cleats, and there were no issues at all.
Assuming you're talking about these Wellgo 6-degree cleats then the Keo equivalent 9-degree float should be a drop-in replacement.
The way I change cleats is to take a Sharpie and trace around the base (the heel-facing end) of the old cleat before removing it, and then align the new cleat to that line when installing the new ones.  It shouldn't require a fitter, since the plastic is as identically shaped as they can make it.
(Just to be clear, trace along where the cleat meets the shoe, as indicated in this picture.  This shape is dictated by the shape of the pedal, and any compatible cleat must have this exact shape here.)


What should I look for in clipless pedals and shoes?

Pedal Selection

Pick a system that will work well for your current and future use.  It's annoying to have different shoes for different bikes.  My experience is limited to Shimano SPDs and Crank Brothers systems -- both of these work very well for road and mountain biking.  The shoe cleat is similar for both systems and is fairly small, which means you can use it with shoes that allow recessed cleats.  Very nice to be able to get off the bike and walk like a human being rather than a duck.

If you're just starting out with clipless, definitely get double-sided pedals (some "road" pedals only clip in on one side).  If you think you might still occasionally use the bike with regular shoes, consider getting a pedal that also has a normal platform.

One other thing to keep in mind: float.  This is how much freedom your foot has to rotate.  Some folks like almost no float, others like/need plenty -- I need lots for my peculiar pedal stroke.  If in doubt, err on the side of more float, your knees will thank you.

Shoes

Like regular shoes, fit is very important so make that your first priority.  Remember that your feet swell later in the day so don't try shoes on first thing in the morning.

Also look at sole stiffness.  A completely rigid sole transfers more power, but is more awkward to walk in.  A partially rigid sole is a good choice for touring where you're not likely to pack a pair of normal walking shoes.  I have a pair of each but much prefer the rigid soles for normal riding.  Both pairs have recessed cleats.

Practice

Once you get your nifty new shoes and pedals: practice, practice, practice!  You need to be able to unclip on either side at a moment's notice.  Practice coming to a stop and unclipping -- better to get it right when you're not in traffic trying to stop at a light.  That said, you will probably still have a few falls.  It normally hurts your pride more than your body and this phase should wear off after a few months.


It needs to be bolted tight to remain attached, but the hanger is mounted on a collar so is always free to rotate as it’s designed to.

So yes to both, when it is bolted tight it is still free to rotate.

Normally a brake housing fits into rigid frame stops. These stops resist the force of the outer cable so all the cable force pulls on the brake where the inner cable is clamped. In this case, because the power hanger can rotate, when the cable contracts, the right brake arm moves as normal but the power hanger moves too (clockwise). This pulls on the secondary cable attached to the left brake arm, so both pads move towards the rim.