Depending on what you mean by "should", you possibly "shouldn't" be riding on the pavement.

After parking or walking on the pavement, I move back onto the road in a way that's similar to setting off from/in a parked car.

Stand on the pavement/side-walk, side by side to my bike.
Lift the bike down onto the road, close to the curb, facing in the correct direction (i.e. with the traffic)
Look to make sure there's still nothing coming.
Mount the bike (standing on the side-walk, holding the brakes, swing one leg over and sit on the saddle, with the other leg still on the side-walk)
Now I'm on the bike, and the bike is on the road: stationary, and at the curb, and now ready to move off when traffic permits.


Your only option is judicious application of force.

I'd find a way to clamp the saddle down with the nose up against an immovable object, then push the end of the rail forward with something until it clears the lug and can be slipped down and back into it's hole.

Using a length of 2x4 wood held somewhat like a handlebar may be effective at allowing you to push the end of the rail with enough force.


What brands of handlebar tape match the Brooks B17 Aged saddle?

Brooks makes leather bar tape for some large amount of money (I think 75-100 USD), which matches their saddles.

They also make a cotton bar tape in a similar color (for some large, but not as large amount of money).


Why am I breaking a ridiculous number of spokes?

Generally, repeated issues with broken spokes indicates either damage to the rim, meaning that the metal hoop of the rim is physically bent while under no tension, or that the spokes are at the end of their fatigue life.
Any wheel has an expected use life, and usually, you will wear a track in the aluminum rim from braking forces before the fatigue life of the stainless steel spoke becomes an issue. However, if the rim is damaged, as referenced in your previous question, then the tension of the wheel cannot be evenly consistent, because some spokes must be tighter than others in order to hold the rim true and straight. If our wheel is unevenly tensioned, it allows a far greater amount of movement of each spoke during the revolution of a wheel, and this stresses the spokes beyond their designed strength. And you break more spokes.
If the rim is not bent, the same issue applies, except it is smaller movement of the spokes over a far greater period of time which has pushed the spoke beyond its useful life.


You want the rim strip to just cover the flat bottom of the wheel. You just need to cover the spoke holes. If the rim strip is too wide it will climb up the sides of the wheel and potentially interfere with the tire bead seating properly.


How long is it safe to store new tires before they degrade in quality?

It depends on the storage conditions. If kept at room temperature, not excessively humid or dry, and kept in the dark, they can be stored for a long time. Oftentimes for years.

Your best storage bet is to wrap them in plastic and stash them in the back of a closet. I've kept high-end tubulars for two years that way and that rubber is much more sensitive to storage/dry rot compared to puncture-resistant tires.


What's the most efficient riding style for losing weight?

The answer to this question is dependent on a number of factors, but the short answer is just 'yes'.

If you are purely looking for weight loss then the equation is calores in minus calories out equals delta, and so long as the delta is negative, i.e. that you burn more than you consume, then you will lose weight. It's just simple arithmetic.

So, in the first place, just eat the same as you have ever done and do more exercise, then the weight will come off.

To do more training, though, will also require a balanced diet. If you up your training load without changing your diet, you will get more tired and notice other negative effects. You'll be hungrier, you'll eat more, it's not as easy as just upping the workload.

What you're actually asking is about making this weight loss more efficient, maybe even drastic, and getting the bang for your buck. So if you sprint, on a higher resistance, with higher cadence, then your heart rate will be higher and you'll burn more - but you'll be able to maintain it for less time. But if you try for a low cadence, with low stress, you'll maintain for a lot longer, but you'll burn less quickly. You'll lose weight either way, but you'll also do it differently and prepare your body differently.

To do this properly, you'll probably want to work just below the anaerobic threshold, this is the point at which the body is still able to consume enough oxygen to assist the work through using sustainable sources within the body (i.e. fat stores), but without all that pesky lactic acid being produced (and burning other sources, e.g. muscle). This is the point where many endurance athletes will try and aim their training (also known as LSD - Long, Slow, Distance), to sit for extended periods at a heart rate set at a maintainable point. You'll need a heart rate monitor and a means to test yourself. For a reasonably trained athlete, this will likely be around 150 bpm.

For what it's worth, my rule of thumb is that I'll burn about 40 calories per mile almost irrespective of speed ... but if you really want to lose weight, go running. I reckon I burn about 120 calories a mile when running.


As other have commented since you can fill the tires with another pump the issue is not your tires. If you bought it at your LBS (local bike shop) I would bring it in and have them demonstrate its' proper use. If they  can't get it to work they should replace it at no charge. While the listed capacity is 160psi, the amount of effort required to generate the pressure will vary with pump design. A larger diameter pump will require fewer pumps to inflate a tire but with more effort. While not as much of an issue with a floor pump the difference can be considerable with a small pocket pump.


What's the logic behind this chain length estimation method?

Big-big and through the dérailleur is the most chain you'll ever need as you can't shift to any gear which takes more chain than this.

You will then need to add some links to take into account the extra chain required to go through the dérailleur.  2 links is the least amount you can add and when the rear mech is as stretched out as it would near maximum extension, the chain doesn't need to be much longer to accommodate this.

Theoretically you could put the chain on big-big and through the dérailleur and try and gauge how long the chain should be for the mech to be almost fully extended but not quite, but by doing big-big plus 2, you should get a similar result.

On your side note that each method gives different results, this could be because there is no correct answer.  The big-big plus two gives you a safe chain length in that if you were to shift into big-big there would be sufficient chain to do this.  If you don't cross-chain, you could get away with a shorter chain length, but risk damaging something if you were to shift into big-big.


Steel frame can be set out to accommodate a 135 mm rear hub without substantial effort (bear in mind that the dropouts will need to be realigned).
With a rear derailleur the chainline is not an issue (in my opinion) as long as it is not kept on the most outside cogs in the rear.

You can also play with the chainline by mounting another crankset (different offset) or changing the bottom bracket spindle (you mention that it is threadless, you don't say which type is it exactly, cartridge bearings vs cup and cone).

What is often an issue in such conversion (I personally dropped one frame and kept it as fixie because of that) is whether all the derailleur cable eyelets and shifter bosses are available. Also you'd need the derailleur hanger or a suitable adapter.

Have you considered internal gearing hubs? There are Sturmey-Archer or Shimano models widely available with up to 8 gears if I'm not mistaken.


Interesting question. I don't know if there is a better way but I can offer a couple of suggestions.

There's a thread over on BikeRadar where someone is wanting to stitch two FIT files together, there's a suggestion to convert to TCX then manually merge the files using a text editor.

http://training.bikeradar.com/forum/longest-day-road-challenge-324/combining-separate-garmin-files-into-single-ride-152481

The posts within the thread indicate that the suggested method works.

Your case is obviously more complicated since you only have the one FIT file to start with.

So, you can manually create an activity to represent the last chunk of your ride. Garmin Connect supports this, although I don't know how functional it is. I do know that Garmin Connect will allow you to export your activity as a TCX, as I have done this. I can also suggest the site rideWithGPS, which is my preferred portal. RWGPS will allow you to manually create an activity (including drawing the route on a Google map, let you to enter start/total times, and then export it (as TCX History).

You need to register with RWGPS but I don't think you need the pay account to do anything I've suggested.

Whichever way you choose, by the end of this process you should have two TCX files that you can merge.

In passing, GPSies.com is a great site for format-to-format conversions, although in your case you'll get your resulting TCX into Garmin Connect no problem.

One thing I would ask is that you let us know how you get on - I've never needed to do this but I'm a big Garmin user and there may come a day when I'll want to know this myself

Good luck!


Can I intentionally overfill my hydraulic brakes to adjust contact point?

No - that would lightly pressurise the system all the time.

From https://www.sram.com/avid/setup-guides/hydraulic-brake-setup

  Note: The Contact-Point Adjustment DOES NOT move the pads.

Instead you want to try the reach adjust, and try tweaking the caliper mounting bolts so the caliper is aligned how you want it.


Looking at the ABCE Tour website has a section specifically about the dress code.  In the photo section you can see what others have been wearing in the past.  Some of the past attendees even wore jeans and t-shirts.  So it shouldn't be to difficult.  Check out your local second hand and thrift store if you want to purchase something specific for this event.


There is little research on the impact of crank length on power output in cycling. There are some lab studies, and they seem to show that even for crank lengths significantly shorter or longer than the norm, the metabolic cost to maintain a specified speed or power output in the lab doesn't change. Importantly, some of these studies included lengths ranging from 120-160mm at the short end to 190-220mm at the long end. Sometimes, the very shortest or very longest cranks seem to be more metabolically costly. However, it could be that the human body is fairly adaptable to different crank lengths, and most people can accommodate a given crank length if it's not too far outside their optimal one.
That said, there may be some reason to prefer shorter crank arms. Professional road cyclists seem to be trending in that direction, and I believe that professional triathletes are doing so as well. One stated reason is that, emphasis mine:

According to Trek Precision Fit program manager Matt Gehling, shortening the crankarms and moving the saddle forward means the rider’s legs aren’t coming up as high at the top of the pedal stroke, which then allows riders to drop down lower up front for better aerodynamics, all of which can be done without losing power.
“The big reason the team wanted to try it, and this was at first focused on time trial bikes, was to get their front ends lower,” he said. “A time trial position is the worst thing you can do on a bike for your hip angle, and that is why triathlon bikes come with steeper seat tube angles and shorter cranks; both of these things open the hip up more.

Regardless of the needs of professional athletes, because shorter cranks reduce  the range of motion required at the knee and the hip, they might make overuse injuries less likely, as discussed in the first Cyclingtips article I linked. This blog post by Ridefar and this blog post by a bike fitter both make that association, although do note that this is based in their personal experience.
One of the limits of lab studies is that they are a highly controlled scenario, and they only measure things in the short term. Expert opinion posts can be based on longer-term effects, but one of their weaknesses is that now, everything is uncontrolled - a rider's increased power or injury recovery might have happened for a myriad of reasons unconnected to different cranks. Moreover, experts and their clients are also vulnerable to the placebo effect.
One possible harm of shorter cranks the cadence to maintain a certain power is increased. This means that at very high power outputs, some athletes might have their cadence climb out of their optimal range. However, people can attempt to adapt to this, and most people don't absolutely need to maintain very high power outputs regularly. Riders should be aware that to keep all else equal, going to shorter cranks requires raising the saddle and moving it slightly backward, as discussed by Lennard Zinn (albeit he is discussing the opposite scenario).
I'd probably do the following:

Many serious cyclists benefit from periodic bike fits anyway. If you get one and the fitter indicates that you should shorten your cranks, then do that unless you can see a reason not to. Naturally, give yourself time to adapt, but if you have pain as a result, you should revert. Knee and back pain have many causes, but they sometimes result from cranks too long. If your thighs hit your stomach when in the drops, that might be another objective indicator that you'd benefit from shorter cranks.

In the absence of anything objective, there doesn't seem to be a strong reason to get shorter cranks unless you were changing the cranks for another reason, e.g. getting a power meter, getting a new bike, upgrading the whole groupset.

If you're at equipoise between two lengths, then the balance of upsides and downsides seems to indicate you'd favor the shorter cranks.

If you're very short or very tall, then the common range of cranks is centered around the meat of the bell curve. You might want to experiment with shorter or longer cranks as you are able. For example, I'm a 5' 5" male rider, and I've been successful on 170mm cranks, but I did get a deal on a set of 165mm cranks with a power meter, so I am trying them. Conversely, if you're much taller than the norm, e.g. over 6' 6", then you might not want to choose cranks shorter than the norm. In fact, Lennard Zinn makes custom long cranks (and bikes) for very tall riders, and his experience seems to be that very tall cyclists benefit from very long cranks. Nevertheless, height alone should not compel you to immediately switch.

A digression: the Marginal Gains podcast has an episode titled "Granola and Cargo Cults." The upshot is that in the absence of objective data, we tend to do what our opinion leaders do. This led to a bunch of teams at the Tour de France adopting granola for breakfast because someone in the top team was doing that. Amateur athletes should be wary of following professional athletes just because we want to emulate them or to be seen emulating them. They are a lot fitter and more flexible than us mortals, for one. Hence, adopting the slammed stem position is a choice with a lot of downside for many amateur riders. With shorter cranks, on careful consideration, the balance of upsides and downsides does appear favorable.


As Kibbee suggests, the wrong size valve.
A badly-formed valve hole in the rim.  It's not that unusual to find that there is a "lip" of metal at the hole that will cut into the tube.  This requires a bit of filing with a small round file to correct.
Running the tire flat or with very low pressure.  As an under-inflated tire rolls on the ground it tends to "walk" along the rim, tugging on the valve stem.
Poor tube installation technique.  Most importantly, inflate the tube slightly before installing -- just enough that it rounds out (though it should still be limp).


Accessory to raise handlebars (on a bmx)

I'm presuming you've already raised the handlebar as much as the obvious adjustments will allow.

There are solutions, but precisely which one depends on the style of the of the headset.  If you have an old style threaded headset then you need to replace the quill/stem with a new, taller one.  You can often, at the same time, get one that changes the "reach" of the bar, if you wish.  (But unfortunately the available selection of different old-style stems is small and getting smaller daily.)

For a newer threadless headset, you can get an extension to go on top of the steering tube to allow the stem to be mounted higher up, and/or you can replace the stem with one that rises at a steeper angle.


Must cyclist yield to car turning right across a bike lane into driveway?

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

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


Cable/cord near brake level is extremely loose, brake doesn't work

Yep, the V-brake is improperly assembled.  The curved metal tube is supposed to "catch" the end where it touches the rubber accordion thing in the notch in the dohickey attached to the right-hand-side brake arm (which is on the left in your picture).  Either it got knocked out (possibly while the bike was being put into/taken out of your car trunk) or the notch has spread (unlikely) letting the tube slip through.

Here is a picture of how it ought to look.

(Note that the brake is designed to come apart at that point.  This allows the arms to be spread apart to make it easier to remove the wheel for service.  In fact, it's not too unusual for a repair tech to forget to reconnect this after servicing a bike.  Or it may have been loosened to remove the wheel while transporting.)


Snapped powerlink, new powerlink or new chain?

Depends what is damaged.

Clearly the powerlink needs replacing if it broke or snapped.  They tend not to just "come apart" under load but theres a small chance it never closed right.

Look at the end links in the chain, that would connect to the power link.  If there is excess play in those end pins then it may be time to replace the chain.

If the chain is worn and you can feel play in all the links, then just replace it.  Chains are consumables.

But if the chain seems okay then just replace the powerlink with a new one, and buy a second new spare one for your toolkit.


I think the first step would be to work out what is causing them to fall out of alignment. Possibilities include:

Vibration when riding causing fitting screws to loosen or parts to rotate
Leaning your bike against something when parked
Someone leaning their bike against yours or tampering with them

In case 1, you can remove the screws and refit them with some threadlocker (a weak glue that keeps machine screws/nuts in place, usually blue in bike applications).

In cases 2 and 3, the stays may be getting bent or fastenings rotated, in which case all you can do it be careful how you park the bike and where you leave it.


Drop handlebars with drops that don't fit. Replace or adjust?

It looks like you're treating it as four positions: tops, hoods, vertical part of drops, horizontal part of drops.

Compared to my bike, your bars seem to be rotated forward, and the levers seem high up the bars. It strikes me that you might be able to try rotating your bars back and move the levers further forward. This would make the hood part of your bar flatter, in the photo when you're holding the hoods, the bar there seems to be going down-hill, and the hoods are going up-hill, but with by rotating the bar and moving the levers, that area would be flatter.

And, you'd end up with one 'in the drops' position where the bar would be angled at about 35/40 degrees, and you might well be able to both fit your hand there nicely and be able to reach the brakes from that one position.

I'm not sure if this Surly has the same handlebars, but whatever they are, they definitely seem to be rotated back more as I described. The ends of the bars seem to be vertically under the tops: http://lockouttoout.blogspot.com/2010/11/surly-long-haul-trucker-54cm-bike-black.html


Interesting tool.  I haven't used one but can sympathize after breaking many tire levers with my old tire+rim combination.  It's no fun being in the middle of nowhere and snapping a lever while fixing a flat.  I've since switched tires (and later the rims) and can now roll the tires over the rim by hand -- what a difference!

Unless you plan on taking this tool with you on rides, you may want to look at tires that are easier to work with (if this one is new, you can probably exchange it at your LBS).  Otherwise a single flat could end your ride.

For beefy plastic levers, I'm now using a set of Pedro's.  They're about 3-4 times the size of the ones I had before and were strong enough to wrestle my bad old tires back onto the rim before I switched.

To avoid pinch getting flats while putting the tire back on, try putting a bit more air in the tube.  This will make it hug the inside of the tire instead of getting caught between the tire and the rim.


Will strapping salsa anything cages on my suspension fork damage it?

Jeremy at Cleaveland Mountaineering has a similar product to the anything cage and a shows a regular suspension fork as one of its uses.
http://cleavelandmountaineering.blogspot.co.uk/p/everything-bags.html

He also has a degree in mechanical engineering, so if there were a problem i'm pretty sure he wouldn't be recommending it.

From my own perspective, the vast majority of force the load is going to apply to the fork will be vertical and simply cause the lower leg to slide up and down the upper.
Fork lowers are also by nature pretty robust as they have to resist the twisting forces applied under braking etc.


My bike keeps making this grinding noise around the back wheel/casette/chainring area when I get speed on a tech/ jump trail

There are many...many potential root cause for the noise.
Firstly, you mentioned that you had it serviced. It could be good if you describe what kind of service it entails?
Many a times, shops claim full service but it's just a wipe down. (in my country)
If the service is complete, there shouldn't be any noise right?
Let's assume from here that the service is a wipe down.
Secondly, the drivetrain.
Was the cassette installed properly? - If not, the cogs may not be fully engaged in the freehub body and cause some slippage.
Was the chainring installed properly? - At speeds, a little anti-squat can cause your chainring to rattle.
Is the chain too long? - Exacerbates the anti-squat effect. + of course chain slap.
Is the derailleur properly indexed? - If not, at jumps, the chain might be forced to shift or rub against the next cogs excessively.
Thirdly, the wheels.
Is it only freewheeling that you hear the noise? Or does it happen at high speed pedalling too?
Is the tyre bead seated properly in the rim bed?
What's the lacing pattern on your wheels? - could it be that the spokes are rubbing under constant fluctuations in tension at speeds?
Lastly, the bottom bracket.
Is it installed incorrectly? - This is the least likely root cause, as it'll cause problems regardless of speeds.
Hope you understand that like doctors, just because it hurts, doesn't mean the doctors know what syndrome you have. I believe that more information is needed. :)
Also, I didn't even mention the rear shock (I'm guessing there's one). By itself, it requires so much TLC, and that's a whole new topic already.


Derailleur tension pulley thread damaged by vibration?

It was almost certainly due to repeated removal and re-torquing. Aluminum threads on lightweight bike parts just give up the ghost sometimes in that way even when not mishandled per se.

Plastic bushing-type derailer pulleys really don't much attention in terms of lubrication. I put in a drop of lube every once in a while just to keep them quiet.

One could probably helicoil the stripped cage, but I'm obsessed with helicoiling things :).


Upgrading stock front derailleur - Will Shimano Deore work with 3x7 gearing?

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


Problems with gears after re-attaching front chainring

I had the same issue (taking cranks off, pulling / cleaning bottom bracket, replacing it only to find that the front derailleur didn't match up no matter how much I adjusted it in and out) - it turns out that the cranks weren't tightened fully, allowing / causing the chain ring to stick out slightly farther than tolerances allowed for. The solution was to crank it down using a torque wrench - find the torque specification for the crank bolts (mine was 40 ft/lbs amazingly) and crank them down. You'll be surprised at how much difference this can make.


What is bad with using the wrong cable housing?

spiraled brake housing would compress when shifting which would diminish the accuracy and using lengthwise cables for brakes can't handle the stress and split wherever the tension is too great.
this article explains as much: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/To-The-Point-Shift-Cables-2013.html


Replacing Tiagra 9-speed shifter with 9-speed 105 or Sora shifters

You can use either the Sora or 105 shifters (all the cable pulls will match). Sora 9 speed has the proper ergonomics (instead of the silly button that it used to use on 8 speed), so its a good shifter.

As for if you will notice any performance difference, both should shift fine (if the 105's are indeed in good condition) [if you're racing, maybe you'll notice a difference], but the ergonomics may be very slightly different between the tiagra-105-sora levers (but you'll get used to it) [it wouldn't surprise me if the current Sora levers are a slight modification of the 9 speed Tiagra levers due to trickle-down].

I'd probably suck it up and buy the Sora levers personally - brifters are too finicky/fragile in crashes for me to be comfortable buying used ones off eBay unless the price is very good.

My guess is the bike shop guy wants you to go 10 speed which will involve replacing a whole bunch of stuff, hence the upturned nose. Or general cyclist snobbery.


Is there a permanent (non-emergency) patch/boot for a tire, NOT for a tube?

It is not clear from your answer if "tiny hole" means your tubeless sealant has a problem sealing it or that your inner tube is bulging through.

If the hole is really tiny, you can patch it with a tube patch. There are also dedicated tubeless tyre patches that are the same, but bigger and thicker. If the hole is really "tiny", they should work. If not, they could bulge through as well.

If the hole is bigger it can be sewn together. That can be then covered with a patch from the inside and with a polyurethane glue from the outside.

Only you can assess how dangerous that particular hole is and non-emergency such a repair can be. The higher pressures you use the worse it could be. Thin road tyres with 100 PSI and thick MTB tyres with 20 PSI are something completely different.


It's possible to put smaller wheels into a bike frame but I can't see why you would want to. Bike frames are designed for a certain size wheel, so putting smaller ones in will affect the handling.

You've already mentioned the brakes not working correctly, which is a fairly major factor. Pedals may or may not hit the ground, but you'd certainly have less ground clearance.

You haven't said why smaller 26" wheels are better. A bike with 26" wheels might be better for what you want to do, but just fitting 26" wheels to a bike made for 28" wheels is not good idea for the reasons above.

K


Can I make Shimano XTR Shadow 2008 work with road shifters and hydraulic disk brakes

There is no hydro STI that can do the first idea. It would need to be an old cable pull 10 but hydro, and that doesn't exist.
The first obstacle with your FC-M970 in BB86 idea is even if you jank it together with spacers, the bearing contact areas of the spindle won't be in the right place. Also you'll be taking a component where one of the reasons it's so expensive in the first place is the machine work done to remove material everywhere possible, and then you'll be adding extra leverage to the spindle in a place it wasn't designed to take it. Someone may make a conversion BB that does it better, but then you're eating into the money you're trying to save.
Providing you solved the above, published chainline for FC-M970 is 50 and 46.9 for GRX 2x10 rear ends. So you can make that work if you accept having bad chainline. You are also sacrificing Q and will be spending money on rings that play nice with a road FD, or accepting bad performance of ones that don't.


This is actually a mountain bike, despite the name (hybrid referring to having a battery, it seems).

You need a 700c (29", ISO 622) rim with a 135 mm OLD hub (a mountain hub spacing) and mounting for discs (your existing rotors are centerlock, so unless you want to use a different rotor or adapter, you should get a hub with that). Width compatibility is another thing to look for -- very wide tire on very narrow rim and vice versa are not good combinations. The freehub should be compatible with your cassette.

Note that a wheel that looks extremely out of true can often be made to work well with a bit of adjustment -- unless you're sure the wheel is a gonner, I'd try that first.


A couple of tips I learned when winter commuting in Calgary:

Depending on how much salt gets used on the roads where you live, using a good quality car wax on the frame will go a long way towards rust prevention.
A squirt of WD-40 on your chain, cable pivot points, etc. will displace any water that's collected there.
Keep your chain well lubed with a good quality wet lube (not a dry lube – dry lube is useless in the winter).
Always always always make sure your rims are clean after a ride. You collect a lot more road sand and grit on your rims during the winter, which will shred your brake pads quickly.
Fenders are a godsend for keeping both you and your bike clean.
Make sure you have good, strong, bright lights. The sun goes down early this time of year!
Not maintenance releated, but: when it gets really cold, layered clothing is your best friend.

Bike commuting through a cold winter is a badge of honor. Wear it well!


Upgrading cassette - what do I need to be aware of?

As far as I'm aware, Shimano and SRAM cassettes are interchangable, at least in the 8 and 9 speed range. Your derailleur should be fine.  As far as the chain goes, depending on how worn it is, you might want to replace it with a new one. Mixing a worn chain with a new cassette is a sure way to wear out the cassette prematurely.

Also, this is a good upgrade, as long as you don't do too many hills, as you'll be losing a few of the easier gears.  I recently did a similar switch, from 11-32 to 12-23 with an 8 speed groupset and noticed a huge difference. You aren't making as drastic of a change, so I'm not sure if you'll notice it as much as I did, but having a single step between adjacent gears makes finding the right gear quite a bit easier.


Finding a rim to swap in on a damaged wheel

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


Chain lube clean like wax but last like oil?

From a practice perspective, what kinds of lube do you guys use? I
  just want to spend less time cleaning and more riding...

I DO NOT RECOMMEND PRODUCTS BELOW, JUST AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

I use squirt dry lube. your chain stays very clean and it's long lasting in good weather conditions. if it does rain or in winter squirt has a low-temp dry lube for cold & wet conditions.


I would suspect that your rim tape isn't up to the job of spanning those nipple holes against the pressure of your tubes.  Tubeless's big selling point is lower pressure, but your tube is double that pressure.
Additionally, those holes do look quite large - visually they are almost out to the ledges.  It may be worth searching the web to see if this brand/model of rim is known for puncturing here.  It might be a model that uses plugs over the nipple holes, but they haven't been fitted.
After you peel off the old tape, I'd suggest deburring the holes with a fine needle file or deburring tool or similar, for peace of mind if nothing more.  It doesn't take much effort.
My personal preference would be for the rim tape that comes as a loop, not in a roll.  Most of the major tube manufacturers make rim tape, and it should be sized for your rim diameter and width.  This stuff is stretched over the rim and will shrink back down to a tight fit, so it can't slide around the rim.  You can stack rim tape to a point as well, as long as it doesn't interfere with the tyre bead.
Example (not a product rec):


Could I switch tires on an MTB to tires with less friction if I mostly use the MTB in a city environment?

You can certainly switch to a more appropriate tire. Schwalbe Big Apples are a popular choice -- I use their 26x2.0 tires on my mountain bike. They roll well on asphalt, and are quite functional on packed dirt and gravel. They're not suitable for loose dirt/gravel, rocks, roots, etc, you'll need a knobby mountain bike tire for those.

The only real downside to this plan: If you intend to ride your bike in the city, and often ride trails as well, you'll quickly tire (pun intended) of switching between your mountain tires and your city tires. If you reach that point, you might consider buying a separate set of wheels and keeping the mountain tires mounted on one and the city tires on the other.


What's causing soreness in front upper thigh?

It's very difficult  to diagnose this kind of pain without being far more directly involved in the situation.

However, the immediate issues that come to mind are:

Check the level positioning of the seat. It is possible that either due to ineptitude or lack of care, when the saddle was mounted to the new post, it was not mounted in a position properly level to the ground. In some situations it may be acceptable to have the seat tilted slightly nose down, but most saddles are designed with the idea that they will be level to the ground when the bike is sitting on it's wheels.
Grab the saddle nose with one hand, and the aft of the saddle with the other. Does it rotate side to side more than 2 or 3 millimeters? That kind of movement can cause friction in unusual places. See to it that the tension on the seatpost is adjusted to minimize the play, or replaced with a better quality post, if adjustment is not an option.
Did you also change the saddle at the same time you changed the post? A wider saddle nose, or a wider seat cushion on a saddle can cause friction in the thigh area as well. If the saddle was not changed, and you didn't have these issues prior to the seatpost change, this isn't likely. But worth mentioning.
Make sure the saddle nose is straight in line with the top tube of the frame. If it is misaligned, it can cause friction or pain.
If none of the are the case, check the seams in your cycling shorts. A bunched or pinched seam can cause that as well, but then it would have nothing to do with the seatpost.

Let me know if that helps, or try to give more detailed information, and I will do my best to help.


Differences Between Shimano Ultegra & 105 Drivetrains

If you're planning on doing a reasonable amount of Kms I wouldn't purchase anything with less than 105 on it. The groupset tends to reflect the quality of the bike your purchasing. If it comes with a mix of 105 and Tiagra, then it is probably aimed at the recreational rider who might take it out once every other week.

As for 105 vs Ultegra, some parts may make a difference. I don' know the full implications, but I would really take a 105 and ultegra out for a ride and test the shifting speed and precision. I expect the ultegra will shift a little quicker and smoother.

Personally I run SRAM force and love it. It isn't for everyone though as there is only one paddle that shifts up and down based on the length  of your push. With that said, on the cassette I can shift up 3 gears at a time; taking me from 12 to 32T in 4 throws of the lever.

I know in Australia $2k will get you a reasonable bike running 105; and we are one of the most expensive places in the world to buy bikes.


Depends a little on what conditions you ride in, but the basic steps are all the same.

Take the bike outside.  If you have a leather saddle, remove it.  If you have a bike computer then remove that too, as well as any bags or tools.
Rinse the bike with a shower setting on your hose.  Do not use any sort of jet.
use biodegradable dishwash and warm water along with a car-cleaning cloth, or an old dish brush.  Get the soapy water into every crevasse and cranny.  There are a lot of them.   An old toothbrush helps too.
Then rinse the dirty soapy water off, and see the areas you missed.  Repeat the soapy bit on those areas.
Once the bike is rinsed off, dry it in the sunlight.
Then you need to relubricate the chain using a suitable chain lube.

If your tyres are messy, a stiff bristled brush can help (some muds or cow pies are really hard to shift)

If you want to get all fancy, apply some tyre black once the bike is totally dry.  Avoid getting any on your rims or brakes though.

That leather saddle?  Proofide it according to the instructions on the tin.

NO PRESSURE WASHERS!  This can drive water and dirt into bearings.
Instead, take your time and eyeball your whole bike while cleaning.


Check out the Michelin Pro 3. 700 x 23c, folding bead.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/michelin-pro3-race-tire


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


Unfortunately there's not many aspects to truing wheels this question doesn't touch. Also unfortunately, figuring out what's going on with a given heavily used wheel with issues and then making it as good as possible are both beyond-the-basics wheel work skills.

Yes, it's possible to set yourself up for a bad situation here. The main ways you would do that are by allowing some spokes to be too loose (making them prone to go all the way slack, which both allows the nipples to unscrew and makes the wheel less strong/stable), having them all too loose (making the whole thing weak and prone to going out of true), or having some or all of them too tight, which can cause fatigue cracking.

It is critically important you understand and are able to spot the difference between truing a rim that's in good condition (would be flat and round if it were a bare rim with no forces acting on it) and truing a damaged rim (would be not perfectly round or flat instead). In the former case you're equalizing spoke tension on each side to make the wheel true. In the latter case you're creating intentional tension disparities to make the wheel look true and limp along having a greater or lesser degree of the above mentioned issues with too-tight or too-loose spots, and it usually won't stay true under touring conditions if there's very much of this going on at all. (Although conversely, wheels can handle some amount of this without incident.) Making this distinction empirically is one of the few things tensiometers are reallly good for. Doing it without one is fine too, but generally takes some experience to be confident about.

It's worth noting here that it's common for even rims in good condition to force you to have a little bit of tension disparity and/or out-of-round at the seam.

It's also worth noting that in the case of a rim with some radial damage only (flat but not very round), if you must keep going with that wheel, it can be reasonable to make the spoke tensions equal on each side and just accept it's not going to be very round, which you'll probably feel while riding and will require rim brakes to either be backed off or adjusted around the warbling tire, and never let the pads touch the tire. There are a lot of wheels running around the world with minor versions of this problem.

Wheels that are sufficiently overtensioned and/or unevenly tensioned can in fact give out under high speeds or from side loads, and a loaded up touring bike is a very probably venue for this to happen.


if the crack is at the spoke bed, and hasn't spread to the side of the rim yet, it's probably not going to explode immediately (if it's on the sidewall, tire pressure can cause it to burst, which will almost definitely make you crash).
However, there's a good chance that the spoke will eventually pull through the rim, and there's also the fact that once aluminum starts to fatigue and crack, the damage tends to spread relatively quickly, which means the rim could fail on you entirely, probably without any additional warning.
You didn't say when you next planned to visit the LBS, but I'd recommend taking care of it within a week or two at the most.


Alternative for campagnolo rim brake release

Closest thing out there is the Shimano SM-CB90 in-line brake QR, which exists to be paired with direct mount road calipers but would solve this problem too.


Modification for cycling with one functioning hand

So I don't know much about the disease you mentioned - but if the symptoms are caused by the strain on the wrists and hands, then I have a perfect but expensive solution: Switch to a recumbent. There is no weight on the hands, ever, on all recumbent types.

Under seat steering handlebars allow the hands to rest next to the torso in a very relaxed fashion and pretty much straight, like hanging down beside the torso except the whole arms are angled somewhat towards to front.
Above seat steering handlebars probably allow for more variations on the grip, but I think the posture is overall slightly less relaxed, you can't let the arms just hang down as much.
Center steering recumbents with no handlebars (or handlebars not used for steering but only to mount brake handles) don't need any arms at all (well, if you mount coaster brakes), but more control of the rest of the body and are probably harder to ride.

I'm pretty sure all of those types also exist in three wheeled versions if the disease further progresses and makes balancing too hard.


What does vulcanizing solution in patch kits consist of? Can I buy it?

The manufacturer sells said "vulcanizing solution" in quantities of 25g tubes through 1 gallon cans, so you should be able to buy it in larger quantities. Indeed, a quick search of Amazon yield 8 oz cans (or slightly cheaper), and while I couldn't find it on something well known like Amazon there are other places that sell the 1 gallon quantity. However, as many of the reviewers on Amazon point out, an 8 oz can should be a lifetime supply, and won't dry up nearly as quickly as those little tubes.

As far as what it is, that's a little harder to figure out. Checking the MSDS, we find only that it consists of 40-70% trichloroethelyne, an organic solvent. That doesn't really solve the problem, as that's just the solvent used.

To address the question of rubber cement, if we follow your link to Wikipedia, we find that it's generally a non-vulcanizing cement, while the tire patch stuff definitely claims to be vulcanizing.

Moving on, we can think about what the traditional solution to closely held trade secret formulas is. And the tool that was designed to solve that, though only does so imperfectly, is the patent system. Maybe we can find something in a patent filing.

A quick check over on Google Patents yields something promising, Cold self-vulcanizing rubber compositions; however, upon reading the patent, it's a three part mixture, and the process involves things like "the rubber used is a natural rubber, partially depolymerized by mechanical working and peptization with diorthobenzamidophenyl." I don't know about you, but peptization with diorthobenzamidophenyl is not exactly something I feel like trying to cook up with common household substances in my basement.

Reading further on, we find some further promising patents like Tire repair with cured patch or Tire repair by "patch only" method, but they all also involve discussions of the following form:

  Suitable vulcanization accelerators include, but are not limited to, thiazoles, sulphenamides, guanidines, thiourea derivatives, amine derivatives, and combinations thereof. Examples of these include, but are not limited to: N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazyl sulfenamide (CBS), dibenzylamine (DBA), N-N'-diphenylguanidine (DPG), Dicyclohexylamine (DCHA), 2-mercaptobenzothiozyl disulfide (MBTS).

As well as references to entire books on rubber and the process of vulcanization: 'Rubber Technology, edited by Maurice Morton, Chapter 2, "The Compounding and Vulcanization of Rubber," 3rd edition, 1987'

None of these appears to have any kind of description of a single readily available material or combination of a few that could be mixed together to work; they all appear to be fairly intricate, specialized compounds consisting of a variety of ingredients.

So I think that the 8oz can on Amazon is probably your best bet. I've heard some people claim you can just use regular rubber cement, but given that there are big cans of the "vulcanizing solution" readily available, my instinct would be to go for that.


Daily Adjusted Seatpost for Trainer Bike

Just buy an inexpensive metal seat post, and if eventually it wears out it wears out. That seems to be your least expensive option. Especially if it's just a trainer bike.

Just lube it up with either a little bit of oil or odorless teflon grease.


Rockshox Reverb dropper seatpost squashing from new

If I lift the bike up by the saddle, the post extends a bit if it’s not already at the top of its extension.

Yes, it is normal. reverb works like that.

  It drops up to 1 cm

Also possible and fine.

Just do regular maintanance and it will last.


You can try saturating the shifter internals with wd-40, which may help. You're not going to find replacement parts, so they're typically not repairable.

7 speed shifters from Microshift or in Shimano's Tourney line or SRAM's Attack! line are compatible, so I'd suggest just spending the 10-20 bucks and getting one of those instead. The SRAMs are grip shifts, as are some of the Tourney shifters. The SRAM ones are probably a bit better quality (note the Attack! name; regular SRAM shifters will not work). The Microshift shifters and Shimano Tourney shifters will be easiest to find.

That being said, my 7 speed bike had the shifters go after higher quality than the bargain basement Shimano shifters weren't so easy to find (altus/acera+). I ended up moving to 8 speed and getting a good quality shifter.


What road tire should I buy for my new cyclocross

It really depends on how much your budget is. Usually tires with lower rolling resistance comes a bit, if not alot, more expensive. Sk if you are just going for a pair that's cheap. I think it's best if you go for a 700x30. Since this one has the least amount of tire against the road.

I'm also trying to figure out why you don't want to invest in another set of wheels for commuting? Which in that case would mean you can try a road bike tire. A 25 or 28 road tire wouldn't be bad for a cyclocross bike, and I guess it is also ideal for local urban commute.

Again, it is up to you.


This is a link to the 2013 SRAM fork oil chart. It includes the Totem. It's a PDF of a fairly complicated chart, so I can't post the info directly. I'll try to summarize it later today.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDywRkKVjrPeHRNVWJXS3ZhRzA/edit?usp=sharing

This is the updated 2013 pdf which includes the TOTEM RC2 DH DPA, listed as the 2-step.

It is confirmed by SRAM (owner of Rock Shox) that the 2-step and the dual position air use the same oil specs.


In addition to the comments about using a blue thread locker (or red if you plan to never remove them), I would wonder if a different material of machine screw might have more friction in the threads as well.  Stainless steel may have had threads cut too smooth to provide enough grip.  Additionally, if it is a flathead or philips type screw head you will not be able to put much force on it, even with both hands turning a screwdriver.  Using a hex head or star head with a ratchet can get magnitudes more torque, just don't strip the threads.
PS:  I now realized with the idea that stripping the screw from overtightening could happen on a new screw could still apply to the old screw.  If you've really tightened it with all you've got its likely that the threads have been pulled out and your screws are now more like toothpicks.


How can I measure cadence without attaching anything to the bike?

The RPM Cadence Sensor from Wahoo can track your cadence based on the motion of your foot. On the product page it specifically mentions the following

The RPM can be worn on your shoe for spin classes or use with multiple bikes

Here's an article explaining how it can be used to track your GPS usage.  It's important that it is mounted in the correct orientation.
I'm not sure if there are any other cadence sensors on the market that work solely off of motion as opposed to the traditional magnet based sensors.
EDIT:
I found that Garmin makes some accelerometer based candence and speed sensors that attach using rubber bands.
Here is a similar product from Saris
I found that the best way to find these products is search for "magnetless cadence sensor".


Canyon Yellowstone 4.0 suitable for women?

The distinction between women's specific and regular bikes isn't a hard rule, and you don't need a women's specific bike for a woman. Many women use standard bicycles without any problems, though just like men, they may need to tweak stem length, handlebar height, saddle width and height and position (usually, women's geometry bikes have a combination of this, along with a shorter top tube (and more sloping) and different head tube angle+length and seat tube angle+length - theres also a healthy dose of marketing). The idea is that women have longer legs, shorter torsos and arms for a given height and wider sit bones in general. There are also some men who use women's geometry bicycles, but this is rarer (primarily cause men's bicycles are more common, and better looking). Men using "women's seats" is decently common though.

If it fits her well, there aren't any problems. If it doesn't fit her well, look at other bikes (not necessarily women specific).


Is Ultegra 9 speed compatible with Sora 9 speed?

Yes, and Yes. Brifters will work fine and the cassettes will work fine. You can use any 9 speed Shimano road components in the drivetrain (crankset+chainrings with appropriate bb, chain, cassette, derailleurs) and the rear derailleur can be a <10 speed mountain derailleur as well. The chain can be made by KMC/SRAM/Shimano/etc. and the cassette can be Shimano/SRAM as well. I'd also run new cables+cable housing in the process as well, obviously.

In fact, the shift from Ultegra to Sora in this case might make the bike feel even better (contrary to PeteH's comments). This is due to trickle-down -- the features of old Tiagra/105/etc. have slowly moved down to the lower levels, so you get the good ergonomics and stuff of new Sora.

As for a general thing, I'd probably just get any 9 speed Shimano/SRAM cassette in the future which has the spacing you like, as well as a SRAM/KMC chain for 9 speed (these come with quick links which are less annoying than the inane Shimano rivet). I don't see the point in scoping out for Ultegra-grade parts for this bike unless it makes you feel good -- just a waste of money given the past 16 years of engineering, since people will be hawking them at higher prices for people who just have to have the complete set. A Sora grade chain will be fine, though.


Name in English of different parts and tools

We have a terminology index here that should help you with the more common names. Please feel free to suggest anything that is missing (we do try to keep adding things that are missing)

Unfortunately it doesn't currently have the things you're asking about. The part you've shown is a freewheel, and the tool is called a freewheel remover. You also need a chain whip to hold it in place while using that tool. (edit: no you don't). Note that there are several different types of freewheel removal tools because there are different types of freewheels. See this blog post, for example.

Also, modern bikes tend to use cassettes rather than freewheels. The difference is explained here by Sheldon Brown and here's a picture from his site showing the important bits:


What hand signals work best for cyclists in the US?

Actual legal signals:

Left Turn - hand out straight to the left (with palm forward (not down or up).  I'll often point with two fingers to help convey the message.
Right Turn - hand out straight to the right; mirror of the left turn.†
Stop (or slow) - Left hand straight down with palm flat.

Commonly recommended but not necessarily exactly what the law says:

Merging - Point at the lane position you're merging to.  Looking over your shoulder in the direction you're going to merge can also help make drivers aware you're planning to merge.  Or point straight, the same as with a turn.
Straight forward (at intersection) - point forward.

† In most of the US, left hand straight up (palm forward) and upper arm straight to the left to signal a right turn is a legal alternative or the legally preferred signal, but many drivers will misinterpret it. I highly recommend using the right hand straight out to the right version (either with palm forward or pointing with your fingers), since many people are either unfamiliar with the left-arm-straight-up signal, or misinterpret it (perhaps even as a rude gesture).


Upgrade my Globe Vienna for commuting and distance riding, or look for a new bike?

You mentioned long distance ridding.  Here is what I would be thinking about:

Comfort

When I think about comfort there are two things that I think about.  Most importantly I think about handlebars and more specifically how many places you have to put your hands.  Drop bars are nice because you get three positions, but I don't like drops when I am riding socially.  Check out the handle bar page to have a look at your options.

Also thinking about your saddle will be pretty important.

Point: probably it is possible to upgrade your bars and saddle to achieve a more comfortable ride

Speed

Put on some slick tires
Weight of the bike is important (especially in hilly areas)
How aerodynamic can you become on the bike?

Cargo

Will you want to mount saddle bags?
How many water bottles can your bike hold?

Other

When I do longer rides I usually bring along a friend.  What will your friends be riding?  You don't want to have a bike that is too fast (or too slow).
What kind of terrain are you going to be riding over?  Do you want to have slick tires (and narrow wheels) or wider tires?  Will you be riding in winter?  Most road bikes do not have enough room for studded tires.
Are you going to leave you bike locked up outside (while you are at work, getting groceries, etc)?  You don't want to have to worry too much about your bike.


(This is more a collection of thoughts to help youtowards an answer, than an actual answer)

If wear at that point causes the shoe to sit a touch lower in the pedal, and the rubber sole to press against the metal, you'll get extra friction.  My shoes are wth me, and show a similar wear spot; perhaps on your new cleats it's just not yet obvious.  And that spot might actually contact something.  I could believe so from about 4:46 into this video (M324s, but the mechanism should be very similar) and also from my own shoes (used with M424s)

Because I ride on M424s comnbined with walkable shoes, I had to file bits off the pedal to stop them binding against the shoes.  To find where they were binding I dampened the sole and dusted the pedal with coloured chalk, then clipped the pedal (off the bike) to the shoe held between my knees.  I could then see where the chalk stuck to the shoe. You might try something similar, though it might be easier to see where the chalk (alternatively talc) rubs off the shoe.  You may not be able to make the problem go away with the file as your pedals don't have much material, but a light trim of the sole in the right region might help.

Which foot do you unclip more?  The one that shows the trouble?

You can also try throwing some light grease over all the metal parts.


Why so many headset spacers on some expedition bicycles?

Having received an answer from Oxford:

  As regards spacers, cycle tourists want/need a low stand over height,
  so that their bikes handle nicely and so that they can stop easily and
  grip their bike between their thighs when fully loaded. However, many
  cycle tourists want a head-up relatively high front end so that they
  can see into the middle distance without getting a stiff neck. For
  those cyclists who come from a road/700c background, they typically
  want a lower handlebar setting at the front, so the number of spacers
  is less, so generally its not an issue.


Can I convert the brakes from rim to disc

No.

You would require new wheel hubs with a disk rotor mount, and you would need a fork and a frame with caliper mounts.

Once you replace the fork, frame, and wheel hubs, its not economical.

Instead, shout yourself to some new rim brake pads.  Good kool-stop ones will improve your braking and it feels like a decent upgrade, for much cheaper.


7-speed MTB cassette on 8/9-speed wheel hub, where does spacer go?

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

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

Hope that helps.


Fixing hydraulic disk brakes, what to check first?

If they are SRAM/Avid hydraulic brakes, you're screwed. The DOT 5.1 fluid attacks the o-ring seals, and makes constant issues. Storing the bike for a while, upside down or vertically, will also cause issues. If they are Hayes or Tektro, same deal with the the DOT 5.1. This means don't spend money on them, replace with a Shimano M596 or better. They use mineral oil, which is much better with rubber, moisture, and expansion. They also have the fewest issues of any other mainstream product out there, by far.

Now, SRAM currently allows a no-questions asked full replacement warranty with all current models. I don't recall how far back it applies. If 10 years, maybe not. But, still worth a try. Ask a reputable LBS to make the call to SRAM on brake warranty. Thing is, you're getting another SRAM brake, which will do the same thing again.


What is the purpose of the little wings on caliper brake pads

They are to help guide the wheel/tire into place when you have to change the tire. Especially when in a hurry such as during a race.


Information about fork travel should be present in marketing materials to a bicycle. If you are looking at a web shop page, such information is usually hidden somewhere in the lower part of a page.
Alternatively, the travel is usually specified somewhere on the fork itself. If you could see the bicycle in person or ask the seller, that would be the most reliable method.
The provided picture is in quite low resolution, which does not allow to recognize the brand of frame, fork, or other essential details. Neither it helps to see any inscriptions on the fork.
Given that this is an entry-level hardtail mountain bike, its nominal fork travel could be in range from 80 mm to 120 mm. Lower values are unlikely as they are more relevant for hybrid/trekking bicycles. Longer travel is unlikely because longer travel hardtails are less popular and typically more high tier. I'd wager it has 100 mm of travel, as it is the most popular value for such machines.
Whether it is not worth buying anything or not is up for the potential buyer to decide. I doubt we can give you an advice here, especially given how little information about anything is given.


Its a chain hanger.  Purpose is to hold the chain when you take the wheel off.

The idea is to support the chain and stop it falling through itself, making a tight loop and shortening the life of those links.

They're not common on carbon bikes any more, but handy on any working bike.

Don't forget to undo the chain after reinstalling the wheel and before riding away.


Specialized Pitch 2017 clicks like its changed gear but hasnt

This is likely caused by your one of your derailleurs (probably rear) being very slightly out of alignment, which is not unsurprising for a new bike.  Cables tend to stretch slightly* during the break in period on the bike and they're responsible for keeping the derailleurs aligned.  This is a large part of the reason that bike shops will encourage you to bring the bike back in after the break in; it's expected that the breaks and shifters will need some tweaking at that point.

In the mean time, as long as it isn't ghost shifting and you aren't too bothered by the noise itself, I wouldn't worry myself about it.  The bike will be fine for the few days until you get the service done.

*Interestingly, "cable stretch" is a bit of a misnomer.  In fact, most of the change is caused by the cable housing compressing under load.  The end result is the same, however, and describing it as "cable strech" is more intuitive to most people.


I was googling a similar thing and stumbled across both this question, and an interesting article from mavic:
https://engineerstalk.mavic.com/en/the-right-tyre-width-on-the-right-rim-width/

Towards the bottom of the article are some interesting tables for not only tyre size vs rim width (internal) but also pressure:


Is it appropriate to carry furniture with bike and suggestion for equipment

Based on the photos on the Christiana website I think you'll be fine. The exact law I'm not sure of, I can't find a translation of their bike laws online.

It seems that people do carry big loads on bikes there, which isn't surprising given the strength of their cycling culture. You have the right idea about not doing it in rush hour.

The generic load carrying questions are easier to answer. I suggest not loading with the centre of gravity as high as your photo because it means you can't ride on roads where there's a side slope, and cornering is harder. But if that's the trailer you have, that's the trailer you'll use. Just be careful.

I would build or modify a trailer that's as wide as I can get down the paths in the area, once you have somewhere to live. I have built trailers more than a metre wide and not had problems, and in both cases I have built them so I can have a flat platform over the wheels, which lets me have loads wider than the trailer easily.

(big) (big)

(same trailer, flipped upside down to use a second set of dropouts. Or just load it so you can have a higher layer of stuff that sticks out more)


I have tried twisting the link concerned (to iron out the stiff link -this will work for a day at most) and I have taken out the link (PLus 2 on either side) and replaced it with unused links from the original packaged chain (again this will work for a day or two and then back to the original problem)

It sounds as though whatever you're using to join the chain is not working properly. Are you using the Shimano snap-off pins when joining the chain, or are you pushing rivets out then back in again? If the latter, your rivet tool is apparently not up to the job.

This question discusses using the tool properly and has other tips.

My suggestion is to buy some SRAM power links or other tool-free chain joining links and use those instead. They're useful of themselves, but the real advantage in your case is that they don't need a tool and I've never seen one become a stiff link. They're only a few dollars each, and while you need two that's still cheaper than a new chain and cassette.


Is torque relevant for steel/aluminium? Where do I find torque specs?

Here's a page that tells you everything you want to know about torquing bike parts. It's by the recognized leader in manifacturing bicycle specialty tools, including one of the more popular torque wrenches. (Park Tool)


Subtle click on left Shimano 4700 STI brake lever when applying brake while moving forward

Sounds like it could be one of several things:

Loose headset. This is the most probable as it's not uncommon to need to re-adjust the headset as the bike breaks in a little, and it also fits with it being the front brake that's causing this and doing it a little bit with any amount of motion, but not otherwise. You can google "loose threadless headset" and get all the info you need about the topic, but the fast way of determining that it's the headset versus anything else (pad play in this case) is standing beside the bike, locking up the front brake lever with one hand, putting your other hand's fingers right over the gap between the stationary and rotating parts of the headset, and using your body weight to rock the bike forward and back, feeling for any undesirable movement at the gap. Check both the headset uppers and lowers. Lifting the front wheel off the ground a couple inches and dropping it is also a pretty good test on a rigid-forked bike that's not too junked up with accessories, although if there's any clunking you have to then differentiate whether it's from the headset or front hub.
Play from the front pads moving in the caliper. Most or all disc brakes have some degree of this, but usually the amount you can feel while riding is on the very subtle side, and it's also not usually an acquired problem, i.e. it stays the same for a given brake or set of pads. If you determine that this is what it is, there's nothing you can really do about it.
Theoretically, loose caliper or rotor bolts. Easy to check, and you'd be getting brake rub.


Are all side-pull road bicycle brakes compatible?

One thing to look out for is the size of the drop from the bolt securing the brake to the frame, and the brake blocks, to ensure the new brakes will fit in such a way that the blocks line up with the rims.

Probably if you have a newish bike, then any new brakes you buy will be of the same dimension as new brakes. But it's worth making sure they'll fit - more here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/calipers.html#reach

I recently bought an old steel frame and had to get some long-reach calipers as my spares were all short-reach and the blocks would have clamped on the tyre, not the rims.


Choosing the proper bearings for replacement

Bearings are of standardised dimensions. In your case 6902 is 15 x 28 x 7 (inner diameter x outer diameter x width) and 6903 is 17 x 30 x 7 (which you probably got from Google).

Thus, dimension-wise, as long as you stick to the original dimensions, you're good to go. In other words, you can safely replace these bearings with others of the same size (6902 and 6903) but different brand and type. For the types, those are used in the industry (full source obtained from https://www.astbearings.com/bearing-closures.html):

ZZS - Removable non-contact metal shield retained in the outer ring with a snap wire.
ZZ - Non-removable, non-contact metal shield retained in the outer ring via crimping, or pressing.
2RS - Molded rubber seal. This type of seal is Buna-N bonded to a steel insert.
2RU - Molded rubber seal, non-contact. This type of seal is Buna-N bonded to a steel insert.
2VS - Molded Viton seal. This type of seal is made of Viton bonded to a steel insert.
TTS - Glass reinforced PTFE seal is retained in the outer ring with a snap wire.

You would want to have 2RU or 2RS since they provide the best protection against moisture at the affordable price. The "non-contact" (2RU) means that the seals are not making contact with the inner ring ("shaft" part) - less friction but less protection against dust and moisture.

Concerning the ABEC scale you can read on https://www.astbearings.com/bearing-tolerances-precision-levels.html - there are apparently more parameters than ABEC rating only that determine the longevity of the bearings. Nevertheless, what I've heard from the rollerskates world - not always the higher ABEC class, the better. The bearings rated higher have slightly more resistance but they benefit from less play. Rollerskate riders recommend going not higher than ABEC 5 as going higher introduces too much resistance in rolling.


Replacing BB, but found mountain + road cranks and am confused

To use a 68/73mm bottom bracket in a 68mm bottom bracket shell, you use more spacers than the 73mm shell (normally 2 x 2.5mm spacers extra). Or in other words, you leave some spacers out when using it in a 73mm shell.

If you have a 68mm shell and road cranks, your best bet is to use a 68mm road BB. The dimensions are just a little different on the cups, as explored in this question here. The differences are slight so plenty of bikes could have a mountain HII bb with road cranks, normally without issue, but if you're wondering which to buy, I'd go with the proper road one.

Don't forget that creaks can come from lots of places, don't forget to check things like your headset, QR skewers if fitted, saddle rails etc.

If the threads were resisting, and you didn't put the wrong cup in the wrong side(!) then the threads in the frame may need 'chasing' with the proper tool. Doesn't take very long in the LBS if you don't have the tool (expensive). A clean thread typically accepts a new BB cup being threaded all the way in by hand. A rough thread however will feel tight and need some force.

I like installing a BB into a cleaned thread, threaded by hand, so that I'm confident it is not cross-threaded.


Do you know of tubes that are fully flat-proof?

Yes, they're usually solid rubber and they're very heavy, hard to fit and have a lot more rolling resistance than you're used to. Companies like "airless tyres" make them, and I suggest trying to fit them yourself before taking them to a bike shop and paying whatever they ask to have them fit the solid tubes.

You can also get puncture resistant tubes that have thicker walls than normal tubes, and while they are heavier than normal tubes they're nothing like solid tubes. They also don't work very well. You're better off with puncture resistant tyres.

Finally, you can get sealants that you pump into the tube that will leak a little then seal, like Slime. Tubeless tyres use a similar sealant, but swapping to tubeless is a major change and there are many sites describing that process


Read this. The QR skewer when done up increases the bearing pre-load. Correct bearing adjustment requires a slight wobble when the wheel is off the bike, which stops when the wheel is installed and the QR Skewer done up.

Its a bit of trial an error getting it right for the first few times..

It may also be incorrect bearing size - are you sure you used the correct bearings? - or the broken axle may have caused damaged the hub bearing faces - did you check those before assembly?.


Rear derailleur bent (not derailleur hanger)

It is entirely possible the derailleur is bent. In shops the usual order of operations when something appears tweaked back there is to address the hanger alignment first, and then if the derailleur is still misaligned to assume that it itself is tweaked. Usually you can see it when holding the bare derailleur and sighting the mounting surface versus the cage (they should be parallel), but it can be subtle.

However, the step that hasn't been done here is taking a derailleur alignment tool to the new hanger and corroborating that it actually is in perfect alignment. Some sources say or imply that a new hanger is an automatic cure-all, but that's not necessarily true, especially because 11-speed really has almost no tolerance to imperfect hanger alignment. Some correction may be needed even when it's new. That said, if it's the same misalignment as was present before, that makes this being the problem less likely.

Bending things back manually to get you by in lieu of a shop, a new derailleur, or an alignment tool can sometimes be successful.

A no-special-tools hanger alignment consists of poking a 5mm wrench (3-way wrenches work well for this) into the pivot bolt and giving it the business. Sighting the parallelism between the guide pulley and the smallest cog can be helpful. Were you to do this, I'd do it with your old hanger because it's more sacrificial. Remember that you're working in all the directions, not just up and down.

One can attempt to use the same method to compensate for a slightly bent derailleur, again just reefing until things look parallel.

Sometimes with derailleurs the bend itself is all in the cage and can be manually worked out to some extent, although on a skeletonized aluminum cage like this, that's less likely to work.


Rear wheel is loose and wobbles at even the tightest setting

It's hard to see from the video exactly what is loose. However, you are presumably tightening the quick release properly so any looseness in the wheel must be from the bearings in the hub.
I see you have a 7 speed 'cassette'. It's quite likely that you actually have a 7 speed freewheel and relatively simple cup and cone style hub bearings. If that is the case you can attempt bearing play adjustment yourself.
In cup and cone hubs the axle is threaded, ball bearings are held between 'cups' in the hub and 'cones' threaded on the axle. Bearing play is adjusted by tightening of loosening the cones.
Here's an RJ the Bike Guy video where he's adjusting bearings after replacing a bent axle. It's a front wheel but it should give you and idea of what is involved. You can search for other videos or guides of course.
You'll need some special thin wrenches to adjust the cones and locknuts.


Simple brake test, pulling the brakes and pushing the bike by hand

There are two tests for each brake. With the bike stationary, squeeze the levers hard to make sue that nothing is on the verge of breaking or has been mis-assembled. That test may seem silly but it reliably detects cables that are frayed to the point where they're dangerous, and also cheap shitty brakes (which will fail when you do this).

You can't effectively test braking power without having someone on the bike.  The force required far exceeds most people's arm strength (could you catch someone thrown at you at 30kph?). So, jump on the bike and grab one brake then the other, rocking backwards and forwards while you do so. That tells you whether the brakes work at all. If they do, start riding, then tap the brakes as soon as you're moving enough to do that without falling off. Make sure you're riding somewhere that a: you can fall off safely and b: you can stop safely without using the brakes. The whole point of these tests is that they might fail. If you're confident the brakes work reasonably well, find a quiet street or carpark and do more of those tests, speeding up slightly each time.

A good bike shop will have someone other than the mechanic that worked on the bike do this test (and a bunch of other tests) after they service every bike. Once you've done it a few times it becomes fast and almost second nature. Swing a leg over the bike while holding the brakes firmly, rock it a little, tap the brake as soon as you're rolling. That helps avoid nasty surprises.

If you have a front disk brake and not a through axle, that first tap will also tell you whether the front wheel is seated firmly in the fork. It will do that by lifting out of the fork, so it pays to keep that in mind (yes, disk brake mounts were designed for through axles on motorbikes, then the design was copied straight to bicycles with no thought whatsoever. My  bikes normally have the calliper on the right hand form blade, in front of the fork, so this can't happen)

Adjusting the brake depends on what sort of brake it is. Do a little research to find that out, then use the search box on the top right to find instructions for your brake (most likely it will be a V brake, but disk, calliper and cantilever brakes are all common too). Poor performance in the wet is normally a consequence of cheap brake pads, poor adjustment, or poor brake design (in that order, but you can suffer from all of those at once)


Can i fit 26 x 2.3 tyre to 559 x 19c rims?

It will be on the squirrely and unstable side, especially if ridden aggressively, but this combination was common when narrow MTB rims were more fashionable and ubiquitous, so it will in all likelihood function without major incident. You can do it but probably shouldn't.


Why are rear shocks at a 30 degree angle and the mud-guards so high?

What's above the rear wheel for vertical shocks to mount to?

It's pretty clear from the provided picture that the fulcrum for the rear wheel is near the bottom bracket. An upward force against the rear wheel will cause it to lift, reducing the distance between it and the mount point of the shock, allowing the shock to resist that movement.


Multi directional release pedals for road bicycling?

You can put road pedals on a mountain bike and mountain bike pedals on a road bike. They're just pedals -- all that needs to match are the diameter+threads on the pedal. Of course, you may not look cool using pedal X on a road bike but you will look cool using it on a mountain bike and vice versa (but this is peripheral).

The main thing with any clipless system is to practice -- its pretty unnatural feeling to be clipped into a bike when you start. You will fall and thats part of learning. (Practicing cliping and unclipping on some grass while riding or just in a doorway or trainer clipping in and out repeatedly while stationary may help) But after riding for a while, it will be like second nature. Ski bindings release either by twisting (like bicycle clipless systems do, though for reasonable sized feet you can only twist one way -- twist your heel outward rather than inward) or by some forward force (which doesn't really make sense as a regular release mechanism due to the pedaling action on a bicycle).

That being said, there are a few adjustments you can make with a system:

Cleat position: You can move cleats back and forward a bit to make it more comfortable. You can also change the angle of the cleat to some extent depending on shoes and cleats.
Float: You can adjust the float (which allows your foot to move a bit, measured by angle) on pedals by either using different cleats or adjusting the cleat depending on the systems.
Tension: You can adjust the tension (how hard the pedals hold the cleat) normally by some small screw on some pedals. Setting it at its lightest setting will normally allow most people to take their foot out without much work even forcing it.

I'd start by setting the tension to as low as possible when learning and using a float setting to something not too high and not too low (the low end is normally fixed (0 deg) and high is normally 15 deg ish, but how well this feels depends on the pedal). For Look cleats, I'd suggest the grey or red (4.5 and 9 deg resp.) rather than the black (0 deg) to start with, but you'd have to try different float to see whats good for you.

There are many clipless systems on the market (Shimano SPD, SPD-SL, Crank Bros Eggbeaters, Look, Speedplay, etc.)-- some are harder than others. For example, many Shimano SPD pedals can be clipped from both sides and can have recessed cleat (so you can walk in the shoes easily), but SPD-SL can only be clipped from one side and portruding cleats (hard to walk). "Mountain biking" systems tend to be a bit easier than "road" systems (and many road bikers run the "mountain" SPD system). You may find one system works better for you than another, but you have to try them. Working with your local bike shop is best for this, because trying many at home is expensive. A bike fit may also help get you in the right position with clipless.

In the comments, Kibbee has pointed out two products which may be relevant: Shimano makes "multirelease" cleats for their SPD system, which are easier to release by rolling or twisting your foot in any direction. Shimano's Click'r system also is designed for getting in and out of easy.

Finally, clipless is not for everybody -- if you're perfectly happy with platform pedals or for some reason clipping in via toe clips, feel free to continue using it.


As an opener to your question....

Femur length.
Theoretically. The longer the femur - the longer the crank length.
The old pros used to favour the longer crank lengths 175mm to
180mm being common. Iirc Pantani who was a short rider even
favoured a slightly longer 172.5mm for reasons of leverage as you
mention above. There has been a trend towards shorter crank
lengths - which lend themselves to a slightly faster cadence.
Natural cadence speed.
Most riders find when they switch to shorter cranks, their cadence
increases.
Flexibility.
A longer length will bring the upper leg at the top of the stroke closer to the abdominal cavity.


Q-rings shifting chain not smoothly hitting the teeth

Big ring's height relative to the front derailleur cage should be optimal. With oval (not round) rings, this is impossible to set for the entire ring's rotation. As you probably know, the FD cage height is set with the oval ring in it's highest position (otherwise it would rub when this ring's part comes "along").

In addition to this, oval ring is moving up and down (relative to the FD cage) as it spins - which I suppose doesn't help fast shifting.

Having said that, you should be able to set good shifting even with oval rings, perhaps just a little bit slower than it's the case with (really, completely) round rings.

It is possible that, after riding with proper front shifting, you notice a less-fast front shifting. Unless it takes a whole pedal turn more to shift - in that case there is some problem.

Do check FD height and alignment, movement limit and movement when shifting - is it all correct. New chainrings could be slightly further in, or out for that matter.

Also check chainrings and chain for wear, if you haven't already.


Would learning to ride a unicycle boost biking skills?

Here's my contribution: There is one bicycling skill that improved a lot after I learned unicycling: Riding the bicycle with no hands.
Before unicycling I could ride the bike with no hands in a straight line and do wide turns.
After unicycling I was a lot more confident to go over obstacles and do narrow turns.

Now when riding some long distance biking, I often leave the handlebar for a while to straighten by back and relax. Even in uneven or difficult tracks.

Apart form that, it contributes to your leg strength and general balance.


Why does the chain tension vary as pedals are turned?

Possible causes:

There is "play" in the bottom bracket bearings, this could also explain the clicks. Usually this is quite noticeable, and you can check it by grabbing the crank-arm and trying to move it sideways. Usually this is not the cause for variable chain tension on singles;
The chainring is "eccentric", either because of haveing been tightened off-center, being manufactured off-center (some defect or poor quality), or damaged. The best way to check is to suspend the bike or turn it upside-down, then slowly spin the cranks do see if it looks off-center. If it is badly assembled, you can try to loosen the bolts and recenter it manually;
The sprocket might be off-center. This can be very subtle, but you can see the difference between the sprocket or the chainring being off-center depending on how many times per turn the chain reaches its tight spot, since the sprocket has a much smaller diameter;
The chain itself can be unevenly worn out, or be uneven from factory. This can happen with very cheap chains, and can cause even a combination of slight unevenness of chain, sprocket and chainring to create a somewhat "random" pattern of tightening and loosening of the chain as the bike rolls.

As for the consequences, I would say that the main problem would be to adjust the rear axle too tight, as this would cause excessive mechanical stress on the drivetrain, or to assemble it so loose that it falls off. Except if you ride fixed or coaster brake (when the lag while pedalling backwards would become a bit annoying), there is not much problem in letting it a bit more on the loose side (enough not to reach an overtight position).

Also, if you use good quality chains and replace the chain often, the rest of the drivetrain tends to "age well" while wearing, because the teeth tend to "even out" in the process. But if you use crappy chains, even good quality gears will suffer a lot more...

Hope this helps!


Can I fix my Park Tool CCP-22 - the round head came off?

I would contact Park Tool's customer service and inquire about warranty replacement.  Their hand tools have a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects to the original purchaser.


Probably the most important thing isn't what signal, but when you signal.  Try to give the pedestrians several seconds of warning. I've notice that many cyclists don't give the pedestrians enough time.  The pedestrians you're about to pass need to hear the signal, look around trying to figure out where the signal came from, decide with their friends whether to step right or left, move to the side, decide that the other side is better and move to the other side...  And that takes a few seconds...  ringing your bell when you're 10 feet (3 meters) back and moving fast doesn't really help.  This may mean needing to slow down on paths in general, and especially needing to slow down (or at least stop pedaling) as you approach pedestrians.

Bell.  From a good distance back.  And maybe again when getting closer if it didn't look like they noticed the first time.
"Good Morning (pause) Bicycle" as a vocal warning.  (adjust the first part as appropriate).  That way you get their attention with the greeting, then once they're paying attention tell them that you're a bike.

What I usually do is ring the bell ("ding") when I'm a good distance back, then again twice ("dingding") if I'm getting closer and they don't seem to have noticed.  I do this whether they're in the way or not, to warn them not to suddenly step into my way.  If they did have to move, or especially if had to go to some effort  (holding a dog back, keeping their child on the right side of the road, etc) I say "Thank You" and smile as I pass. Otherwise I just say "good morning" or something like that.

I would avoid anything like "on your left"; most people will move right when you say that, but a small percentage will just hear the "left" and move left instead.

Also, avoid horns: they confuse people.


Persistent front wheel squealing: Replace the fork? Switch to disk?

I switched from an aluminum fork to carbon and the brakes howled like crazy. I went the usual route of cleaning, adjusting etc. What worked is counterintuitive, but I toed the shoes out. The noise went away immediately. I read somewhere that it can have something to do with the harmonics of the carbon fork.  So I have the rears toed in and the front toed out and there is no noise.


Rear axle sizing for wheel set, compatible with both 142mm thru axle and 135mm quick release?

135 QR and 142x12 thru axle are two wholly different standards with no intrinsic cross compatibility.
They both locate the cassette in the same place relative to the frame centerline, or in other words they give the same chainline. 142x12 is essentially the iteration of a thru axle rear end that didn't change anything else about the parts that would play nice on the rest of the bike, coming out of the long period where 135 was the only game in town for a disc bike.
All that said, it's extremely common for aftermarket 142x12 wheelsets and hubs to have 135 QR adapter endcaps either included or available. These are all proprietary to the hubs they're made to go in. It's pretty common for them to be included and I believe that is the case for the DT wheel in question.
Whether the freehub body is XDR or XD or HG or Microspline or whatever is immaterial to the frame the hub is going in. All that matters is either endcap availability or native compatibility with the standard the frame is made to.


Braze on or what sort of clamp on a Cinelli frame?

The Cinelli spec for this bike lists it as "clamp on" and your picture definitely shows a clamp on style front derailleur.

While it does seem like the factory build comes with a Cinelli branded clamp, if the frame you are buying is missing that part, you shouldn't have any trouble with a campy clamp, like this one:

If you are buying a a new campy gruppo, make sure you get the clamp on style front derailleur.  You can find just this part as well on ebay or an online parts supplier.  There are also adapters for braze on to clamp on style derailleurs, in case you found a good deal on a used campy gruppo with braze on front derailleur.


First Hand Ride Comparison Vittoria Corsa G2.0 vs. Continental Grand Prix 5000 Clinchers 700X28

You probably know the size of the tires will make a significant difference in the attributes you're looking for. If your GPs are wider than your R3s, there will be a difference in traction, puncture resistance and rolling resistance.
Another big consideration is if you are running a tube or not. If you are tubeless, both the 5000 and the R3 come in a 32mm size. I find the product lineup on Vittoria's website is confusing: online vendors list a "G2.0" while Vittoria only show a "Corsa" in their lineup. Assuming these are both the same, the Vittoria only comes tubeless in a 28mm. It will ride significantly differently than a 32mm, which will have better traction and fewer pinch flats, and many will contend lower rolling resistance (that's complicated). If your plan to continue to use a tube, you've probably seen you can get the Corsa in a 32mm.
Sounds like you've read other info about tread. Cars have tread to move water away due to a phenomenon called "hydroplaning" in which the car floats on the water. Bicycles do not go fast enough to hydroplane, so tread does not provide any benefit. If anything, it's probably worse. However, it does help with debris, though I'd be skeptical that the narrow tread of the Corsa provides any benefit. I have a bike with Grand Bois Hetres and I've noticed no traction benefit over my previous Gravelking or Pari-moto slicks.
There is a site called BicycleRollingResistance.com (BRR) which tests the rolling resistance and puncture resistance for many models of tires. The tester was disappointed in the tubeless G+ 2.0 and in their tests it was almost 4w slower than the tubeless GP5000 in the same size and inflation. The Continentual in it's tubeless configuration is the 4th fastest tire they've ever tested (all tests are conducted with a tube; butyl, I believe).
While I personally have not ridden the Corsa, I have ridden other Vittoria tires. My bike (recently stolen, sad face) was a Look 585 on which I ran Vittora Corsa Speed tires with latex tubes. They are the fastest tire ever tested by BRR and I found them to be a sublime revelation. I don't know if I was faster (though all my fastest Strava times were aboard them) but they ran incredibly quietly and smoothly.
I also recently had a chance to do a few test rides that had Vittoria Corsa Controls, in 30mm. They are a teeny bit heavier than the G2.0s, and about 1W slower according to BRR. I first rode a Cervelo R5/Reserve 50 and then an Open Min.d/Enve 3.4. Both were running the Corsa Controls. I was slow on the R5 and the ride was rough. I was fast on the Open Min.d and the ride was smooth. So in this case, the frames/wheels overwhelmed the effect of the tire, though often the opposite is the case. My point being that the Corsa G2.0 will not be so outlandishly bad or good that it will make/break a nice ride on a nice bike :)
I personally am considering the GP5000s or a Schwalbe Pro One TT. The latter is very fast according to BRR and I like that Schwalbe has a tire recycling program. However, the Schwalbe is only available in a 28mm so I may very well opt for the GP5000 to get a larger carcass.