What is the difference between I.S., post, and flat mount disc brake mounting standards?

IS mounts (also frequently called IS tabs, disc tabs, etc) are unthreaded eyelets 51mm apart that bolts run through parallel with the hub axle. In almost all cases the brake caliper is then bolted to an adapter that has one set of threads for the IS mounts and another 74mm apart for the caliper. (There are a few caliper models that omit the adapter. Shimano, Hope, and Magura have all made brakes like this.)
IS has one clear upside: all the threads are in a relatively cheap and easy to replace adapter. The disadvantages are that it's more mechanically complex and expensive since there's always an adapter, and the design of the standard is such that the same adapter doesn't adapt the same caliper to the same rotor size front and rear. A adapter for 180mm in the front is an adapter for 160 used in the rear, for example.
With IS, outside of a weird custom fork, 160mm is the smallest size you can use in front, but all bikes with rear IS mounts can take a 140mm adapter.
Post mount places two threaded M6x1 holes 74mm apart on the frame or fork in the orientation that a caliper can be bolted to directly without any adapter, or with a post-mount adapter in between along with its supplied long bolts if a larger rotor is going to be used. The most common setup is for the minimum rotor size (the size you'd get the caliper positioned for if no adapter was used) to be 160 front/160 rear on most mountain bikes and 160 front/140 rear on most road and cross bikes, but all sorts of exceptions exist, i.e. downhill forks with 200mm minimum rotor sizes. Although it's seldom denoted this way by frame manufacturers, post mount is really a group of standards that you could call "140mm post mount", "160mm post mount", etc.
Post mount is mechanically simpler, cheaper, and arguably more elegant. It has the disadvantage of putting the threads in the frame/fork, which introduces some risk of difficult or impossible to repair damage resulting from carelessness or low-quality parts. It's acceptable to helicoil a stripped post mount in most circumstances, so the actual risk of ruining a bike forever with one overzealous tightening is small. I've done this repair a number of times, particularly on certain low-end suspension forks where the thread quality was poor to begin with.
Post mount does not have IS's issue where the geometry is different front and rear. A +20mm post mount adapter does the same thing on both.
Facing a rear post mount on the chainstay, where they often are now on road/cross bikes, usually requires an offset facing tool to reach in and do it without bonking into the seatstay. If all manufacturers and dealers were well equipped and did their jobs right, this wouldn't make a difference for consumers. As it is I feel like there's a relatively high proportion of bikes like this sent out into the world still in need of rear post facing, but I don't have any proof.
Post mount has increasingly become the norm, probably because it's simpler, cheaper, and inherently more structurally efficient.
IS and post mount adapters are mostly dimensionally interchangeable between brands. It's wise when mixing brands though to take a close look that the pad contact looks how it should; weirdness does occur in this regard sometimes even though on paper it shouldn't be able to.
Flat mount was designed for road bikes and has become the standard there due to its weight-saving and aero construction values. It has now spread to XC mountain bikes. It was designed by Shimano and has now been adopted by everyone else. As the name indicates, flat mount puts the caliper closer to perfectly flush with the frame or fork.
Whereas IS and post mount take the same brake calipers for the most part (the exception being adapterless IS-specific brakes), flat mount is a new caliper standard altogether. Adapters to put post-mount calipers on flat mount frames and forks exist, but in individual cases it's possible for hose/housing routing or frame clearance issues to make it ugly or unfeasible. Adapters to put flat-mount calipers on post or IS mount and forks frames exist, but face spatial constraints that may make using them impossible or impractical in a given application.
Flat mount calipers have the mounting threads in the caliper itself. Flat mount only is compatible with 140mm and 160mm rotors for either front or rear. (It's likely that somebody will break this rule someday, as in the front particularly there's nothing physically preventing it.) There are two completely types of flat mount adapters, for front and rear. A front fork adapter (called a 'mount plate' in Shimano parlance) is always used. It's switchable for 140 and 160 by flipping it around. The adapter is first installed onto the caliper in the desired orientation using flush-mount bolts. The fork has threaded mounting holes that the adapter then bolts to through the holes at either end of the adapter.

In back, flat-mount compatible frames use bolts going through a frame member, typically the chainstay, to thread directly into the caliper if a 140mm rotor is used, or an adapter for 160mm.

Flat mount in an of itself is a design that did a  good job of minimizing the number of adapters that may be needed, with the flippable front adapter that's always used and a choice of either no adapter or a +20mm adapter in back, for a very minimalist total of only two parts, but there are also 4 different flat mount to post mount adapter caliper permutations (140 and 160 for both front and rear).
Rear flat mount installations require the bolts to be exactly the length needed to protrude through the frame member, which vary in size, with a certain amount of length left over to engage the caliper or adapter threads. Some manufacturer feature a special tip on the end of their flat mount caliper bolts that fits a safety retention clip, creating a situation where bolts can't simply be trimmed to length if the caliper is to be installed as intended by the manufacturer.
At the moment flat mount adapters are interchangeable and universal between brands as far as I know. Hopefully it remains that way, but there's nothing stopping someone from releasing a brake caliper that's an exception.


First off, can you explain a bit more about how you "don't feel very good"?  Do you feel at all queasy?  Do you feel especially weak?

Also, how often do you exercise so intensely, and how long have you been doing it?

And how long does this period of feeling unwell typically last?

Anyway, there are several possibilities (though most apply to rides longer than 15 miles):

-- Dehydration.  Especially in warmer weather you need to drink plenty of water or other fluids.  We've had arguments here as to how much, but it's not a bad idea to down a 21-oz bottle of water every two hours or so, as very rough guide -- more in hotter weather.

-- Low sodium.  Again, in warmer weather it's quite possible for someone who exercises intensely to sweat off so much salt that the sodium levels in their body are not sufficient.  (This effect can be doubled if the individual consumes an extremely low-sodium diet.)  This results in fatigue and lethargy, and in extreme cases can be life-threatening, especially if mistaken for dehydration (which has similar symptoms) resulting in "water intoxication".

-- Low blood sugar.  When you exercise you first consume the sugar in the blood stream, then the liver and muscles start converting stored glycogen to sugar.  Several other mechanisms kick in as well.  Especially in someone who has not trained extensively, this mechanism may not be able to supply the body with enough sugar and low blood sugar can result.  In addition, some people suffer from what's known as "reactive hypoglycemia", where blood sugar drops paradoxically after a meal, after exercise, or at certain times of the day.

-- Ketosis.  If blood sugar gets too low for too long the body begins to burn fat and protein directly.  This results in the production of ketones which are released into the blood stream.  This again results in an unwell feeling, including nausea, extreme fatigue, lethargy, and "brain fog".  (Ketosis in particular will knock you on your butt for 2-3 days if it gets bad.  Most other conditions listed here you can recover from in a few hours at most, if properly treated.)

-- Blood pressure fluctuations.  Some people experience fairly extreme changes in blood pressure after exercising.  This is usually short-lived, but can produce a wide variety of symptoms, from pounding headache to fatigue and fainting.

-- Neurotransmitter fluctuations.  It's well known that exercise (especially intense exercise) causes the release of a number of neurochemicals.  This is cause of the so-called "runner's high".  And, of course, when one is "high", one will eventually "come down", and the result is a sort of "withdrawal" from the endorphins produced while exercising.

My guess is that you're experiencing a combination of slightly low blood sugar and the neurotransmitter "withdrawal", maybe combined with a touch of dehydration.  Eating some sweet or starchy snack every 30-60 minutes while riding will help to level the blood sugar (and if it's a bit salty, all the better). Drink a cup or two of water with the snack.

And when you finish the intense part of the ride, take a leisurely spin around the block or whatever for 5-10 minutes to "cool down" -- not your temperature so much as your endorphins.

(You can, of course, experiment with different combinations of the above to try to narrow down what's the primary cause of your particular symptoms.)

But (though the doctor's checkup is never a bad idea) I wouldn't worry about it too much.  After all, you've just participated in the second-best activity a man can experience, so a little let-down afterwards is to be expected.


Why does my freehub body have such shallow lockring threads?

The right hand one appears to have been assembled incorrectly. You may be able to fix this by pushing the bearing home with a suitable press but you'd be better off referring the problem back to the supplier of the part who will likely exchange it.
Which of the two routes you take depends very much on where the part came from and how you want to spend your time. It is very frustrating when new parts arrive in this condition!


Mountain bike rain coat / jacket (packable, not for winter)

Recently introduced by 'Altura' (the poor British man's 'Endura') is the 'Pocket Rocket':

This jacket is distributed by Zyro and widely available in British bike shops. Visit a stockist and try for size wearing what you expect to be wearing underneath, i.e. more than a T-Shirt. Remember that when buying from the LBS you may pay RRP rather than 'online price', however, you won't pay postage, have to wait or be bereft of a coat if a seam goes and you need to take it back. (Altura seams are pretty good b.t.w.)

Available in black, yellow or red versions of hi-viz, the reflective parts of this jacket will dazzle on-coming motorists. A neat feature are the thumb loops that enable you to keep the sleeves tucked under your gloves.

IMHO a lot of 'breathable' does not work, so there is no point bothering with it. There is some rating of breathability for this jacket, but you can expect some 'boil in the bag' aspect. Waterproofing is claimed 100%, just what you asked for.

A pack-to-nothing jacket is truly useful to just have. It is also nice to have a relatively plain jacket without any fancy colours or extra seams. This jacket keeps it simple. The pack size is exactly what you want, i.e. very small:

You can dangle it on the handlebars if you are in casual clothes and without a bag. If you get this jacket, expect people you know to want to permanently borrow it. Also expect to see other people on bikes with a jacket remarkably similar to yours.


You need a cable cutter. All of the companies that make tools for bikes make them. Here are a few options:

http://www.parktool.com/product/professional-cable-and-housing-cutter-cn-10
http://pedros.com/products/tools/brakes-and-shifting/cable-cutter/
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1030380_-1___400625

As some of the other answers/comments have pointed out, it's a good idea to stick an awl (I use a fine-point nail set for finishing nails) in to the cut end of the housing after the fact to clean it up.

For the inner cable, the cable cutters will cut it cleanly with no prep or clean-up needed.  If you're going to use a pair of regular wire cutters, then you'll want to use the solder trick mentioned in other answers.

That being said, you really should replace the housing when you replace the inner cable.  It's rare for the cable to be worn to the point of needing replacement without the housing also needing to be replaced.

Alternately, you can use a Dremel tool with the cut-off wheel. Some people swear by this approach:


Accessory mount extender for curved bar: stem bolts vs double clamp

Most batery lights can be tilted a few degrees. The mount of your Spanninga light looks exactly as if it may be tilted as well. Check by removing the light, and look for a screw inside the bracket. If there is one in the centre, sligthly loosen it, tilt the light, and tighten again.
If the bracket cannot be tilted, consider to return the light. It appears you bought it most recently and might still return it. Then get one of the countless lights that can be adjusted properly. That will be cheaper, nicer, and more reliable than improvising a mount that fits.
I do not recommend to mount anything to stem bolts. That may work well, however, in the slim chance that it doesn't the consequence could be serious. I rather do not introduce another source of failure to fasteners of my bars and stem. If you need it at the stem, get a stem with a dedicated light mount. They are available in limited sizes and tend to be expensive premium products.
A utility bar clamped with two clamps will be even more difficult to mount as they would mount to angled bars.


I have a 1975 Peugeot UO18 that I turned into a commuter. I replaced the wheels with 700c contemporaries. The UO18 is the mixte version of your UO8 road bike, so almost all the components are almost the same.

Like you, I found that the original Mafacs sucked so I replaced them with Tektro R559 Long Reach Brakes. These had the requisite 55-73mm reach that I needed to fit my smaller 700c wheels. You'll find that the main issue is that most contemporary road brakes don't have the right amount of reach so it's very slim pickings.

A note about reach (from the comments): With my  700c wheels, I'm near the limit of 73mm required reach in the front and 70mm at the rear. With 27" you should be in the middle as the 700c is 8mm smaller than 27". You can measure your current reach quite easily with a ruler. I tossed my mafacs so can't help sorry.

I am using them with the original brake levers. I really should get contemporary levers but right now I can't ride this bike so it's in storage.

PS: please, please do change the stem on your bike if you have a one piece aluminum one. They are known to snap with horrible consequences.


Pedaling overhead with front vs rear hub motor

Assuming both wheels are the same radius (which they usually are) and that you're not skidding (which you usually aren't), both wheels rotate at the same speed and accelerate at the same rate. So, purely in the terms you mention in the question, it makes no difference.

If there is any difference, it will come from differing designs of front and rear hub motors.


Is there an inherent problem with expanding chainring drives such as Veridrive and WaveTrans?

Yes, there are problems.

Not only do the mechanisms have to be complex, as you can see in the videos, but they have to be very strong, too. The moving parts of the chainring drive has to withstand the total force the rider is delivering, because the input to the pedals will try to drive the expanding elements inwards. Complicated precision mechanisms, high strength, and low weight is a combination that is rarely found together for reasonable prices.

Compare that to a derailleur system. In a derailleur based drivetrain, the derailleur doesn't see any significant loads. All it really has to do is to move the chain from side to side. That's about it. It can be a little tricky when you are shifting under load, but pins and ramps on chainrings and cogs can do the job to ease the load on the derailleur.

In the expanding chainrings, that has to bear the brunt of the entire rider's power output.

Ever had a brake cable slip through the binding bolt while braking? That was only with hand power. Imagine standing on the brake lever, imagine how much of a hassle it would be to make that connection rigid enough. Furthermore, imagine trying to shift under load when you have to overcome the force you're putting to the pedals.

You still need a chain tensioner on the drivetrain too with these systems so there really isn't any benefit apart from novelty.


Can I put a 700 x 35 tire on a Cannondale Quick 2 that has a 700 x 28 tire?

Unfortunately manufacturers tend not to publish max tire sizes, and ties of nominally the same width can vary quite a bit in actual width.

Checking the Cannondale web site shows that the Quick 2 model comes with nominally 30mm tires as standard. You can probably go up to 32mm with no problems but there may not be clearance for 35mm.

The place with the least tire clearance is typically between the chainstays. Measure the installed width of your 28mm tires and see of there is an additional 2.5 or 3.5 mm or clearance between the tires and frame.

You can also consider running a lower tire pressure on poor surfaces for better comfort and traction.


Convert 9 speeed Campagnolo Ergo Levers to 10 Speed

It is not too difficult to rebuild campy leavers - although a extra set of hands can be handy for one of the steps where you need to hold a spring in position (there is a trick to it). You can get the parts if you ask around local shops or online and you can convert from 8 to 9 to 10 speed provided the internals are the same type - you should be OK as you have the 9 speed ones, 10 speed and up may different. The G springs were about $10 when I last braught a set and I have seen the cam/ratchet part online for arount $50 - but that was a while ago, and in Australia.

Look up the book "zin and the art of road bike maintaince" or rebuilding ergoleavers section on http://www.campyonly.com/ (right at the bottom). On the campagnolo website there are manuals that include exploaded diagrams of all their components and part numbers, and when I last looked had the ergo leavers had listed the part numbers you need to change the number of speeds.


Derailleur Hanger replacement for GTS R5 road bike frame

My local bike shop and I'm sure most others have a large "deraileur hanger" wall chart from Wheels Manufacturing or other supplier. The 170 plus pictures are life sized. All that is required is a visual match. Wheels Manufacturing has a database on their website but doesn't list a GTS R5. I would either visit your local shop or contact Wheels Mfg.com customer service dept.


What is the proper position for quick-release levers?

Rule #41 Quick-release levers are to be carefully positioned.:

  Quick release angle on the front skewer shall be an upward angle which tightens just aft of the fork and the rear quick release shall tighten at an angle that bisects angle between the seat and chain stays. It is acceptable, however, to have the rear quick release tighten upward, just aft of the seat stay, when the construction of the frame or its dropouts will not allow the preferred positioning. For Time Trial bikes only, quick releases may be in the horizontal position facing towards the rear of the bike. This is for maximum aero effect.


A big reason to use panniers around town is that it keeps you from getting a sweaty back on a commute. If you're dashing around a city all day couriering you'll get sweaty with our without a backpack, and you're not smartly dressed to start with.

But loading and unloading a rack takes time, and the whole point of bike couriers is to be quick. A few seconds at each end of each job adds up. You've somehow got to get the delivery to and from the bike as well, so loading food into a backpack or parcels into a messenger bag should save time.


Well configured cantilever brakes should give you good stopping power. Start by making sure that the braking surface and the surface of the pads are clean. You can clean the braking surface with steel wool, and the pads should just need to be roughed up with a coarse sand paper.

Make sure that your pads aren't below the minimum wear line.

Cantilever pads are harder to adjust than most other kinds of bicycle brake pad, but the principle is the same. The pads should rest one or two millimeters from the rim when not engaged. See here for a better run-down on how to adjust them than I could supply:
http://sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html


At any intersection that has marked turn lanes, I position myself inside the outermost turn lane, inside the line enough that I can't be squeezed between a turning car and one going straight.

I then proceed through the intersection on a slightly wider path than the car will take so as not to impeded traffic any more than possible, and head for the bike lane.


New Park Tool truing stand doesn't seem to be calibrated, calibration seems off out of box

The 2.2 is not for directly measuring dish, a shop will use a proper dish measuring tool(for time and repeatability) and there are techniques for the home gamer that lacks a dish tool that involve flipping the wheel over in the stand and noting the difference. The caliper is for measuring lateral warp or wobble and radial eccentricity(wheel hop) Only one side of the caliper is needed at any one time, the reason the 2.2 has two sides is that it is sometimes more convenient to adjust to the left and other times to the right especially if you want to improve a slight dish issue while straightening a wobble. Also some folks like to work from the high spot side and others prefer the low spot side. In the high production shop I worked (I'd do about 40 rims per shift, and there were 4 wheel stations) we often bungeed, or jammed with a small wrench/stick, one side of the caliper wide open to make inserting the wheels faster.


Bearings jammed up even though there is play

You've given the cause in your first sentence.  I've got a cheap new rear wheel.

Cheap wheels tend to be not as good as better wheels.  So the bearing surfaces are not quite as exact in their tolerances as a more refined hub.
Is it possible that you have swapped the cones side-for-side ?

At these scales, its impossible to see visually whether its the cup or the cone which is out.

Lastly - did you change the bearings?  Are they the right size?  Are they all the same size?   You might be better to simply replace all the bearings with new ones, that way they're the same batch and thus size.

Rear wheel hubs should be 1/4" bearings (about 9), and front wheels are 3/16" (about 10)   I'm guessing you have loose ones, rather than those in a retainer.  Either is fine, loose ones are more fiddly but technically better.

The bearings looking like they are on top of each other is probably happening as you unscrew the cone, not while its spinning.  There is simply not room for a whole bearing to jump another one, even when its got a lot of play.


Can a front wheel have a different number of bearings on each side?

It's not unusual for an asymmetric shaft (on some rear wheels or solid-crank bottom brackets, eg) to have different numbers of balls in one side vs the other. But it's a little unusual for a standard front hub.  And if there's intentionally a difference then there would be a small but visible difference in the size of the races as well.

Likely the hub was serviced in the past and one ball was lost (or you lost one somehow).  But it's not really terribly serious.  It's often recommended (as a general rule for ball bearings) to have "a full race minus one" vs having the race completely full, and your typical 10-ball bearing can survive reasonably missing 2-3 balls (though that's not ideal).

However, since you have things apart it would be worthwhile to replace the balls.  (Don't mix old and new balls.)  See if ten fit comfortably.  If they fit, and there's still room for a fingernail between them, then use ten, otherwise go with nine.


Lube new sealed bottom bracket (BB-UN55)

Cartridge (and threaded external bottom brackets) come properly lubricated with appropriate grease. Just install in your bike and enjoy.

Cartridge units can’t be disassembled to service the bearings. The seals can be removed on certain external units which allows the bearings to be cleaned and re-lubed.


At 6'6" you're probably going to be looking at the top end of most manufacturers size ranges, road frames of 62cm and above are the range you'll be looking at.

I said "probably" though, you would do best getting yourself to a local shop that knows something about fitting people to frames. Being so far from the average height I'd not risk buying something offline without having tried sitting on anything, particularly as it's your first road bike.


Are there any downsides to cheaper biodegradable degreasers?

I use a generic citrus degreaser from Home Depot (largest home improvement stores) that costs $2.99 a bottle. Works fine, does not damage the bike.


Any brand link that is rated for a 7 speed chain will fit. Sram refers to there's as a Power Link, KMC calls it a Missing Link other are quick connect. What is important is that it not the type with the "U" clip that it together. That type is only for non derailleur bikes.


Does anybody manufacture extra-wide (3E/4E or EEE/EEEE ) wide road or mountain biking shoes?

Sidi make a wide fitting version of their shoes.

I have a pair of Sidi's and they have been the best fitting, most comfortable shoes I've ever found. From their website:

  Mega sizes are cut with more material throughout, and a larger-volume heelcup. Mega sizes roughly correspond to a EE/EEE width on the Brannock sizing scale.

Possibly still not wide enough for your needs but they're worth checking out.


Switch front and rear tire for distributing wear

You may have flat-spots on the rear tyre and I am not sure whether I would want that on the front. Plus you will be spending a lot longer with the tyre levers if you 'rotate' them. Valves are a bit sensitive too - mess with the tyre/tube too often and the valves can 'waggle' out of the tube. Personally I would let the back one wear out and replace it when it is 'done'.

But this all changes if you are on a long-distance tour. If you were going from Sierra Leone to Somalia, dodging lions and land-mines, then you probably would not find too many places on the way to stock up on fresh Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. Therefore, on the long tour, you would do well to 'rotate' the tyres (giving them a good inspect) on a regular basis.


How to get grease out of my brake rotor holes

I'm sure someone will be able to provide a better answer before too long, but my solution for this sort of situations is baby wipes. I've used them on various parts of bikes (and babies) and they work really well - I think it's mainly thanks to their ability to hold/absorb substances. Things to bear in mind:

We use pampers sensitive and I assume most brands will give you similar results, but I do note that pampers sensitives are fairly flossy in texture whereas some brands like huggies are more cloth like. Hope it's ok to use brand names on stack exchange?
I imagine it may take some experimentation before you find a way of dealing with the shape of the rotor, feeding wipes through holes, getting into awkward corners etc.
You may also find they leave some floss on, it might be worth clearing that so that you don't jump from the frypan into the fire - the wipes may have not been tested under the pressure and temperature present in disc brake systems. If the floss is synthetic it could melt under heat and become harder to remove.


Can you use an Alfine 8-speed "disc" hub with a non-disc wheel?

If the wheel is built with the appropriate rim (i.e., a rim with a braking surface) you should be fine. The hub simply has the mounts for a disc brake, one does not have to be mounted.


Why can't Yellow Jersey change hands on last day of Tour De France?

Tradition, and the layout of the final stage.

Tradition holds that the last stage is a victory parade for the GC contender, and the yellow jersey. Cadel Evans rode a good part of the 2011 final stage, once in Paris, with champagne in hand.

In addition, the layout of the stage, a 95 km flat ride finishing with multiple laps around the Champs Elysees, and culminating in a bunch sprint, rarely allows the opportunity for any major time to be gained. So unless they are within seconds, as in the 1989 Greg Lemond win by 8 seconds over Laurent Fignon, the last stage will rarely play a part in the GC standings.

As is stated in the description of the stage on the letour.fr page today:

  Every other time, it has been a road stage that has been decided in a bunch sprint, except on four occasions. Those exceptions were the victories taken by Alain Meslet in 1977, Bernard Hinault in 1979, Eddy Seigneur in 1994 and Alexandre Vinokourov in 2005. It is incredibly hard to get a telling gap on this stage when breakaway riders are always within sight of the peloton.”

If you know that a breakaway will not gain you minutes, why risk the ire of the other riders, and your public by messing with the traditions of the race?

One of the things that has always brought an audience back to this race above all others are the traditions of fair play and honorable conduct that are embodied by traditions like the one that allows a crashed race leader to regain his time by the other riders, before the race continues. These unwritten traditions are not rules, but they make this race special.

Combine the two, and you will rarely see a major change on the last day. It can, and does happen. Just not often.


It's unclear how much rust you're talking about, but it's unlikely that a bike could develop serious rust on a chain in 5 months unless left outside with no maintenance.

I've dealt with some pretty rusty bikes over the years (especially when I spent a spell working on donated bikes for Christmas Anonymous) and I've never seen a cog that was so rusty that it was unserviceable.

The chain, of course, is a different matter, but generally rust on a chain is of little consequence unless it causes "stiff links", and that won't happen on a bike that's used regularly.

I'd recommend that you switch to a slightly less "dry" lube (or at least give the chain a few squirts of regular oil every now and again).  Also, if you've been cleaning the chain at all, be a little less diligent cleaning it -- it's not necessary to get it shiny bright, you just want to get off the crud.

Otherwise don't worry about it.


How can I find the perfect handlebar height?

Raising handlebar height is very easy to do, but you may need parts.

There are a number of ways to raise a handle bar. You can also move the seat forward, use a shorter stem or narrower bars to get a similar effect.  Note however than any change can have an effect on handling of the bike.

No parts ways:
Spacers: If there are spacers above the stem, put these below the stem.

Seat: Moving the seat forward will have raise your torso.
With riser bars you may be able to rotate them, depending of sweep.

Narrower bars - you can trial narrower bars just by moving the grips and shiftier/brake levers inboard. If you like it, you can cut the bars down. The current trend in MTB's is wide bars and short stems, so its almost certainly possible to go narrower.

Parts way:

Stem - stems are very easy and quick to swap. When buying a bike, the shop should be prepared to swap stems around and let you try til you find one you like. To get yourself sitting higher, a steeper angled and/or a shorter should be tried.

Bars - raiser bars are a good way to go, they come in various heights.

Stem riser - these bolt onto the steerer tube and effectively increase the length


Shimano Ultegra chaninrings on Truvativ Elita Tandem crank

I can't say for sure if the chainrings work on that crank in your particular configuration. It sounds like they should.
Keep in mind that road triples are inherently troublesome (though some might disagree with me) and require a little more mucking with to get adjusted. If your front shifter doesn't have trim/half shifts between full shifts, you may need to let out the cable on your front derailleur a little and actually let the chain drag slightly against the cage when in those extreme gears on the cassette. This will keep the chain off of the shifting pins of the big chain ring. Not real awesome but it might be the best you can get away with on your current setup.
It also sounds like your chainline is not optimal. Are there any spacers between the bottom bracket shell and the outboard bearing cups? If so, you may need to move one to the drive side. If not, don't add them.
Worst case you may need to go back to Truvativ rings. Hard to say for sure as it's always difficult to diagnose bikes over the internet.


Dynamo, Difference between trans am and tour divide

In 2014, Mike Hall finished the TABR ~20 hours ahead of the second-place finisher.
Dynamo hubs impose a drag of 1–6 W when they're disengaged, and 1–25 W when engaged. There's a fair amount of variation between hubs, and in the loads that different headlights impose on them, and the loads vary with speed.
Ride Far has an analysis of how much time dyno hubs would be engaged in a bikepacking race and how much net loss they'd impose. This analysis is in terms of the TCR, not TABR, but even allowing for that difference, it seems that a dyno hub would add 2 hours or less to Mike Hall's time.
There are a lot of unknowns here. Did Mike Hall waste any time charging lights or other electronics when he would have been riding otherwise? Can we compare his performance in 2014 to performances in other years?

I think it's fair to say Mike Hall would have won TABR 2014 with an impressive time even with a dyno setup, and I'm surprised to learn he didn't use one.
The problem with relying on public facilities to recharge your electronics is that charging is slow, even if facilities are guaranteed to be available exactly when you need them. Headlights that might only deliver one night's worth of useful light (or less) can take 5 hours to charge (I'm looking specifically at the B&M Ixon Space). Even high-capacity power banks with modern fast-charging capabilities (which didn't exist in 2014) can take 4 hours to fully charge, but could be used to recharge a headlight several times.


I'd avoid doing this.

Basically, you do a light (typically wet) sanding by hand (very carefully), prime it with an appropriate primer (maybe a few times) and then paint over it with an appropriate color. However, since the sanding has to be done carefully (since its easy to destroy carbon fiber by sanding), you're going to end up paying someone a lot of money to do this (since it takes a lot of time to prep the frame).

You can't really use chemical strippers or other techniques that you'd apply for aluminum and steel frames can destroy the carbon fiber. You also can't do things like powder coating for the paint step, since you have to heat the frame to the point where the carbon fiber can be destroyed.

If you're really insistent on doing this, there are shops which specialize in repainting carbon fiber. But, they'll charge you an arm and a leg due to the amount of labor they'll have to put in to prep the frame for repainting.


So I did my first race to today and here is my take on first race strategy.

Unless you are a solid road or mountain racer don't even think about
staying with the leaders.  The pace is fast.  It is faster than you
can ride.  It was two gears faster than I thought it would be.  For non a racer I am a good rider and in very good shape.  I got lapped 30 minutes into 45 minute race.  Even on the 4/5 30 minute race I got lapped on my second to last lap so it got turned into my last lap.
Bring chap stick
Don't over eat
Don't drink the night before the race - it was Halloween and I went
on the Critical Mass ride
Bring water as the event may not supply water - it was a well run event
but the park did not have water
On the last 2 or 3 laps they will tell you how many are left.  If you
get passed by the leader then that is a lap.
Ask questions.  Riders are are very helpful.
If you are over 40 and not experience then you don't really have a
good option.  You may have a 1/2 the field Cat 3 or above in
masters.  And in 4/5 you are going against 20 year old legs and lungs.
Just have fun.
If you are in the last race and they serve beer then stash a cup
before the race as once the Cat 1-3 hit the keg they drain it.
If they cheer for you to ride the sand pit or other hard obstacles and
they are not a racer it is because they want to see you crash.
Heckling is a big part of the sport.  Don't wear a yellow jersey -
especially your first race.
If you are coming into a section that you are going to need to hit
the brakes then coast a little longer and use less brakes.  There are
going to be sections of course where you don't brake and go
all out.  Use the downhills to recover.
When you get passed they will tell you what side they want.  And you
will hear them.  On a corner just go wide.
Once you get passed is when you can learn.  Watch their lines.
Watching from the sidelines is not the same.


How accurate are altimeters in bike computers?

The bike computer is based on the relationship between altitude and air pressure. Even though it has 1 meter resolution, it is still constrained by the air pressure around you. About 11.3 Pascal difference in air pressure is counted as one meter.
One thing to consider is that most houses have a slight 10 Pascal negative pressure caused by the ventilation system. Thus, if you bring the bike indoors, you may see its altitude raised by 1 meter and if you go out of your house with your bike, you may see its altitude reduced by 1 meter even though your house does not have a 1 meter ascent in its doorway.
Another thing to consider is that pressure can drift over time. I rode for 1.4 hours (1 hour 24 minutes) when pressure was drifting 40 Pascals per hour. This was 56 Pascal total drift. It should theoretically cause a 5 meter difference in the altitude (the endpoint of the ride was the same as the starting point). It gave exactly this difference. (Actually, I started the bike computer outdoors and when ending the ride outdoors, it gave the 5 meter difference; when I brought the bike indoors it gave 1 more meters of difference due to the 10 Pascal negative pressure I explained.)
This 40 Pascals per hour pressure drift is typical for changing weather. I looked at a one month long historical graph of air pressure and only twice in this month did the pressure drift faster than 40 Pascals per hour. So my example ride of 1.4 hours did have a truly changing weather. Most rides of 1.4 hours give less than 5 meters of altitude drift.
There are some ways the cyclecomputer is helping you to avoid unintended pressure drifts.
Firstly, good cycle computers (such as this Sigma 14.16 STS) store the current altitude when going to sleep and recalibrate automatically when waking up from sleep. Thus, you will not get pressure drift if the bike is parked for a long amount of time (my example 1.4 hour ride actually had a 2.5 hour long time being parked inbetween at another location than my home -- I didn't count it for the ride length).
Also, good cycle computers allow you to set several home locations and their altitudes. This Sigma 14.16 STS has two such home locations. I set one to the altitude of my home and the other to the altitude of my workplace. It is very easy to reset the current altitude to be any of these home altitudes. Good cycle computers also allow you to set the current altitude to be anything albeit with a bit more button presses than resetting to one of the home altitudes. So if you know your current altitude and are willing to take some time to enter it to the cycle computer, you can do so.
However, the total climbed amount is a very ill-defined and inaccurate concept if riding in a non-mountainous area.
For my 1.4 hour long ride, a local map service gave 471 meters of climbing. Google Maps gave 188 meters of climbing. The cycle computer measured it as 301 meters of climbing out of which 1 meters was the outdoors-to-indoors drift and 5 meters was the ambient air pressure drift so without drifts it gave 295 meters.
Why the difference between local map service and Google Maps? Why the difference between a map service and cycle computer?
The difference between local map service and Google Maps is probably due to Google Maps having less accurate altitude data in my area. If it is using a coarse altitude grid, it is not measuring every single small hill. Thus, it gives less total climbed amount due to the inaccuracy of the data.
If we take the 471 meters of total climbing given by the local map service as accurate, why does not the cycle computer measure the total climbed amount as 471 meters but rather measures it as 295 meters (plus drift)?
The reason is what you count as a hill. The cycle computer having 1 meter resolution cannot count hills smaller than 1 meters as a hill. Also, counting a 1-meter hill as a hill could cause some minor variations in local air pressure to increment the total climbed amount counter even though the terrain was completely flat!
Thus, the cycle computer must set some threshold. I don't know what the threshold of this Sigma 14.16 STS is. The cycle computer then counts only hills larger than the threshold. If riding in a mountainous area, it gives very accurately the total climbed amount. If riding in very flat terrain, you might want to count even the smallest hill which the cycle computer doesn't do.
Also, air pressure varies between 96 000 Pa and 104 000 Pa typically near the sea level. Thus, the maximum amount the cycle computer can reasonably drift is about 700 meters. Of course this can only occur if the variation between 96 000 Pa and 104 000 Pa occurs when riding the bike. If it occurs when parked, the cycle computer doesn't count it. So it is extremely unlikely to ever encounter this 700 meter altitude drift, but in theory it is possible.


How rideable is the Long Island Expressway service road?

I would avoid the LIE Service Road At all costs during rush hour.

A couple of friends of mine have actually been issued tickets for riding on the service road. It seems to be illegal according to the New York State Department of Transportation.

Additionally many of the bicycle deaths on Long Island have occurred on the service road. We rode the service roads in a pack during rush hour cars with driving very fast and there is very little no shoulder in most areas.

It can be really treacherous during rush hour which typically starts at 2:30 p.m. and lasts until 7 p.m.


How should I finish the dynamo cable connection from SON coax to an SP connector?

You don't have a choice about needing to cover the bare strands. So you are going to need to get a piece of heat shrink for the outer that when shrunk will be able to play nice with the hole in the connector. The connectors are only a few dollars if you screw one up (aside from the hassle of getting a new one) so I think the answer is don't be shy about using a teeny drill to enlarge the hole as needed. Before shrinking on that piece of heat shrink, you're going to take a larger piece and put it up on the full-section wire to cover the split part. Put it out of the way, shrink on your piece that covers the bare strands, then bring the bigger piece down and shrink that on in the area where it splits. The clear part is fine to be out in the world.
For the polarity question, presumably you are asking because this is a piece of Schmidt coax that's integral with one of their lights. In that case the outer is the ground.
Edit: I didn't think of this earlier, but another way you could do it without having to do anything "weird" would be get some normal one or two strand wire and then a matched set of spade connectors, 2x each male and female, then install the wires into the connector as it intended and put the male spade connectors on the other end, then prep the Schmidt wire the same way you would as for a Schmidt hub. There are B&M male and female spade sets that have a double crimp that prevent stress at the wire crimp that would be ideal for this.


Is it worth wearing a headlamp when cycling as well as having a bar mounted light?

This is always going to be a matter of opinion but here are some reasons why I think the answer is "yes":

Cornering: you don't have to be cornering hard for a bar-mounted light to point the wrong way, and cornering is a time when you really don't want to hit a pothole.

Signaling to others: if a bus starts indicating out while you're alongside, lifting your head to flash their mirror is quite effective.

If you come off in the dark: you don't want someone to swerve round the bike towards your head. (my head torch has a rear light as well, thanks to my modifications).

I also like the fact that when riding with my bar light quite dipped (e.g. on a busy, two-way but unlit bike path), I have hands-free control of how far in front the road is illuminated, and can avoid dazzling people coming the other way while still illuminating the road ahead.  I use a head torch with a narrow beam.


I'm not familiar with the Ronin in particular, but I have the Tubus Tara on my Salsa Fargo, which has a very similar front fork setup, and it works fine. I had to use all of the provided spacers to get the rack to clear the calipers, but that's it.

It can be a little tight and finicky getting everything lined up when mounting the rack and taking it back off, but it's not a big deal if you're not doing that very often.


Simple advice: don't do it.

You'll need to replace a lot of components because the derailleurs and brakes used on flat-bar bikes aren't compatible with the levers typically used on drop-bar bikes.
You'd end up with a bike that doesn't handle very well because you're moving the handlebars to a completely different place and the rest of the bike geometry doesn't match that.

Sell the bike you have and buy the bike you actually want. If that doesn't fit in with your finances, a second-hand bike is almost certainly a better option than trying to convert your existing bike.


Traveling long distances on a bike seat is almost always going to be uncomfortable when your body isn't used to it. Give it time.

But also, consider taking your bike with you to have a professional make sure the seat and the bike fit you. Some people have managed to permanently damage their blood vessels ( I won't go into detail ) by improperly sitting on a bike seat. Call around to see if there's a bike shop near you that can help and ask how much they'll charge you.


How long should a well maintained chain last and what can I do to prolong its life?

A new chain has factory installed lube inside on the bushings and pins. It is a thicker, stickier lube than anything you can put back on the chain after a cleaning which is that thorough.

I love that you take time to maintain the bike. Definitely check your chain checker, as Daniel said, but on your next chain, try relaxing the maintenance a bit.

Clean the chain by spraying a light citrus degreaser on a rag, folding the rag in the palm of your hand, and running the chain through the rag. This will clean the exterior and the accessible bits without soaking away the internal factory lube.

Once clean, lube the exterior of your chain with a quality lube (I like Boeshield T-9 or Dumonde Tech yellow) and wait 15-20 minutes. Then wipe off all excess lube.

Starting with your new chain, do that for the first 6 months, or until your fresh lube job sounds unlubed again within a few on the bike hours.

Once that is not working, go back to your current method. I'd say do the complete strip and relube once a month, with the process described above on the in between weeks.

After your next chain, let us know if and how your mileage changed.


If this is a quill stem—with both a horizontal member and vertical member that fits in the steerer tube—the part that fits in the steerer tube will have either a wedge or expanding bolt at the bottom, which is how it locks inside the tube. You need to loosen this at the top of the stem and make sure the wedge/bolt is loose at the bottom.


Can I use V brake levers for U brakes (side pull calipers)?

I found this helpful site which explains the different types and compatibilities:

Mechanical bicycle brake compatibility

  Types of brake levers and calipers

  These are the brake lever types with their amount of cable pull per
  full lever travel (about 20 degree angle):

  V-brake (also known as Direct-pull, or linear-pull), 15 mm
  Cantilever (also known as center-pull and direct pull), 7 mm
  Old road, 7 mm
  New (SLR and Super SLR) road, 8 mm

  Here’s a list of mechanical caliper types with their ideal amount of
  lever cable pull:

  V-brake (also known as linear pull brakes), 15 mm
  Mini V-brake, 7 mm
  Cantilever (also known as center pull brakes), 7 mm
  Old  road calipers, 7 mm
  New road calipers (SLR and Super SLR), 8 mm
  MTB mechanical disc, 15 mm
  Road mechanical disc, 8 mm
  U-brake, 7 mm
  Roller brake, 7 mm

Conclusion

Regular V-Brake levers are not comaptible with U brake calipers


What will I need to consider when modernizing a pre-1990s steel frame?

I think it depends on your frame, I have a 1973 Peugeot UO-8 which I replaced the 27inch wheels with 700 28CC and even replaced the handle bars with modern alu bars from MEC. The seat is now a Brooks and because the seat post tubes on french bikes are smaller I had to use a BMX chromoly post. My bottom bracket is a new square one from Velo-Orange instead of the cotter cranks of old. I decided to go with a flip flop hub but it would easily accomodate a 10 speed cassette. I installed modern TekTro brakes to replace the original Maffac whcih where truly appalling. And altthough I am sure there is a way to convert the down tub shifters,  you would be better off sticking with newer shifter at the same location.

I upgraded and converted my steel frame becuase it is so rare that I find a bike that fits nicely and I really wanted a steel frame for commuting. You might just be going to the wrong LBS. I went to two awesome shops in MTL that where quite please to help out with this project bike. I do have to warn you that older parts for French bikes are not cheap. In total it cost me about $300 to convert the bike and I propbably spend another $200-300 a year on it in parts, tires, chains and BB (fixie is murder on the BB).

Good Luck and have fun with it.


We all easily understand the problems of under tightening a screw or bolt - if is too loose, things move, it ends badly and we know why. Most of us also know that too much torque can damage the components, and in extreme cases strip the thread of the fastener.  What many people do not understand is that bolts stretch when torqued. At the correct torque the bolt is elastic or springy, and is this elasticity that holds things together under vibration.

An over torqued fastener can be stretched too far and loses elasticity long before it breaks or threads strip - at this point, the bolt may not continue to hold the surfaces tight under vibration, and can work loose. As the bolt has been stretched beyond its elastic ability, it will not return to its original size and essentially stuffed - however you cannot see this visually. Here in lies a big problem - it came lose, things come lose because they were too lose, so people assume it needs to be put on, just tighter. Unfortunately, that over tightened bolt (which is now stuffed) will only hold if it is over tightened even more.

On cheap bikes with lots of steel (very forgiving material) and excess weight, its never a real issue - you can give a gorilla a power bar and not do much damage. The use of things like titanium and aluminium rather than steel for fasteners, along with the desire for weight savings means these components are designed with fine tolerances - hence its easy to over do it and the correct torque becomes critical.

Essentially if you bike is not a chain store special, over torquing will damage something - hopefully just the bolt that is easily and cheaply replaced. If you torque a bolt up to specification and it does not hold reliably, replace the bolt - no matter how tempting, do not over tighten it.


Not something I do often enough to worry about, but certainly a 'problem' I also have.... One solutiojn that comes to mind is write "Install" and "Remove" in the side of the handle you can see when installing and removing (My luck would be I would get it wrong way round).


Where does the energy loss in cycling go proportionally?

Yes, there has been tons of in depth analysis on this, and the equations are rather simple so you can answer the questions for yourself given different scenarios using the Equations of motion for cyling

Assuming you are on a road bike, on a flat road, with reasonable tires, the vast majority of energy is overcoming aerodynamic drag, about 70-80%

After that, the rolling resistance of the tires will be the biggest power draw, at around 20%

You will notice that doesn't leave much room for anything else! Next up would be total drivetrain losses are typically in the 2% range.

Of course as you go uphill, energy begins to be spent overcoming gravity, changing these ratios.


How to prevent hood covers from slipping up?

I've also got Sora brifters, and the hoods do eventually wear out. I replaced the rubber parts after about 2 years, maybe 20 000km, and several gear cables. They're readily available as spares, but be sure to get the exact model


What are the strengths and weaknesses of Rido saddles?

Yes, I think a Rido is worth trying in your situation. Of course, make sure your bike fits you properly, saddle height and tilt are properly adjusted, and so on.

I found my Rido saddle to be good for riding with padded shorts, but not so comfortable with street clothes. The saddles seem to be designed for moderate distance riding in a sporty position.

Of course, the only way to tell if this saddle will work for you will be to try it, but I think that a saddle like the one I had (see the picture) may work for you. When I rode the pictured bike for rides of half an hour to 45 minutes, the Rido took care of my chafing issues (the same as the ones you're having), since the saddle's nose is fairly narrow. When I replaced that bike with a Bike Friday and a Brooks, I replaced the Rido with the original saddle and turned this bike into a city pootling bike.


Shimano Hydraulic brake 90-degree angle hack

If you are willing to switch to a Zee, or Saint, brake the hose is connected at the caliper via a banjo-style connector, which allows for usually about 270deg. of motion around the axis of the fixing bolt. Many brakes use this kind of connector, but on Saint and Zee models, the fixing bolt is parallel to the caliper mounting bolts and pads, allowing the hose to be positioned at a 90deg. angle from the caliper, as seen from above. I'm not sure which direction you want the hose to point, but other brakes have the fixing bolt in other orientations. SLX and XT have it perpendicular to the previously mentioned models, so the hose pivots parallel to the pads. Tektro/TRP, Sram, Formula, and Hope all make brakes with banjo fittings. Check photos of the calipers, there's definitely something out there that cant point the direction you want!


Ergonomics - road cycling on mountain bike

If you're rocking your hips while pedalling then your saddle is too high relative to the pedals, for your leg length.
Raise your saddle until you do start rocking while riding, and then lower it a couple cm or an inch.
If you now can't reach the road with your foot when stopped, then you will need to lean the bike, or get off the saddle at a red light.
This is not specific to MTB, but having a saddle that high might make MTB riding less controllable.  If you ride off road, lower your saddle again by a bit.  Draw two lines on the seatpost to help find your heights when adjusting.


It's unlikely that anyone who has compiled that data would allow you download it.

Cycling News has a really good database at http://www.cyclingnews.com/teams

You can download rankings that include all the riders with name, country and age at http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/downloads.asp

Other than that I would try the UCI or each country's governing body, but it's unlikely they would have height and weight stats.


I would start by looking at the shift cable and housing. The housing may be flexing too much and the cable may be sticking in the housing. This causes cable movement at the shifter to not be reproduced at the derailleur. If you are replacing the shifter it's a good idea to replace the cable and housing at the same time.

Assuming you have a 2016 Allant 7.4. That bike came with 9 speed Acera shifters and a Deore rear derailleur. The EF65 shifter is a Tourney level component - that's at the bottom of the Shimano hierarchy. That may also be contributing to the problem. I definitely recommend going with a better shifter that matches the rest of the drivetrain.

If your bike repair shop has spent a month trying to get this right with no success I'd also consider trying a different shop.


Switching bars affects bike fit. So, you may not fit well to a bike when switching handle bar types, since the way you hold onto the bars changes - you may need a different stem length (and height) or more saddle adjustment than on your current seat post than is possible to get a good fit (if its even possible - it isn't always). Note that well adjusted drop bars actually let you use the drops, not just the hoods or the middle of the bar or whatever. Also, drop bars have a different diameter where the brakes what not clamp on, so you need new brake levers.

Drop bars give you multiple hand positions (which can convert to more aggressive riding positions), which is useful on longer rides (20 km is a pretty short ride), so you won't really see much gain and you will have to buy new brake levers. So, I wouldn't recommend getting drop bars. With a flat/riser bar, there exist bar ends to provide a few more hand positions (Ergon GP3 is the set I use on my commuter, but primarly for the sweet grips rather than the ends).

Here is some good reading on setting handle bar height and types of handlebars.

Totally unrelated, but wow that saddle is tilted downwards.

Want more fitness? Ride longer and harder. Multiple speeds may help with hills (esp if you have knee issues).


Change bike fit to reduce amount I "lift up" on my pedals

I would suggest that changing your bike fit to optimise the mechanics of riding a turbo trainer is somewhat cart-before-horse.
However to take it seriously for a moment, if you want the best possible bike fit for pulling up on the pedals on your trainer when the resistance goes up, this will probably involve substantially changing the current relationship between hip/shin/ankle etc. E.g. putting the upstroke of your pedal cycle where the downstroke currently is might do the trick. This may have... consequences for other, perhaps slightly higher priority, aspects of cycling.
I would not describe your issue as originating from poor bike fit or poor pedalling form. I would say it originates from doing something that you would never normally do in the course of riding a bike, and so that the solution is to... not do it (i.e., your option 2)


The tire got flat the third day of changing it

How much air did you lose? What types of tires/tubes/rim strips? What tire pressure did you start your ride with?

A few possibilities:

1) Did you replace the rim strip/tape in each rim when you replaced the tubes and tires?

2) You may have made a small hole in the tube when installing either by improperly using a tool to reseat the tire or by catching the tube between the rim and tire bead.

3) You may have a slow leak caused by something you rode over; a thorn, glass, etc. Or you could have a pinch-flat caused by riding over a curb or rock.

4) If the tubes have removable valve cores make sure they're not loose.


Bike comes with frame integrated bolt seatpost clamp - can I cut it off and use QR?

Yes it's possible to hacksaw the clamp bosses off and then file the seat tube round and smooth so that a quick release clamp would slip over it.

Before taking such drastic action - which will significant hurt the resale value of the bike if you care about that - perhaps try to find a QR lever and skewer that will work with the existing clamp bosses.


Can anyone help me with identify this Giant bike?

You should ask the seller for all the information you need about the bike, because a) they should know more than we do and b) if they can't give it to you readily then there is more risk that it is stolen. These things do happen!

Don't tell the seller this, but the name is usually written on the frame. If they can't manage that much then consider walking away.


Shimano 105 R7000 left crank compatible with Sora FC-3550?

It is indeed HT2. The website mentions “2 piece crank construction”, which refers to this.
It should be compatible assuming the arm length is the same and the Q-factor is the same.


Can we use low-end front derailleur with an 11 speed crankset?

Any 2x front shifter has only two or three clicks and as long as the cable pull isn't wildly out of spec an X speed derailleur will work with an 11 speed crankset. If you have just a double in front the key thing is that the cage curvature match the size of the large chainring and you can mount the derailluer with the appropriate clearance (roughly 3mm between tooth tip and derailluer cage). I have successfully shifted 11 speed double chainrings in in 50/34, 46/30 and 38/22 with 9 speed front derailleurs and Campy 10 speed brifters. Having a chain catcher like the K-edge one helps a lot.

Triples are more fussy when it comes to matching derailluer cage and shifters.

It's almost never a question of will it work, but will it work smoothly enough for you. Mix and matching components will always require a bit more fiddling and likely will not ever work as smoothly as fully matched high end components. But it's just a bike, enjoy the ability to hack and bodge things while you can.


front wheel takes more impact than rear?

It's more likely a combination of the front wheel hitting before you had time to react properly and unweight it, and you also probably pushed down on the handlebars to shift your body back ready to do that. Even just the first could have been enough to pinch flat your tyre.

There's a whole lot of more factors, from the size and pressure of your tyres, what suspension (if any) you have, how you sit on the bike, how fast you were going and so on.

Mountain bikes have different travel balances depending on their purpose, and riding style can make a huge difference to what makes sense or what's desirable in terms of suspension travel. One factor is that it's simply easier to build a bike with huge travel in the front suspension and much harder to get the same at the back. There have been a few MTBs with an intermediate drive, for example, that runs up to a cog on the suspension pivot, allowing them tom have a longer rear swingarm and hence more travel. But if you want more travel on a front fork you just lift the headset up and have longer sliders. It's not quite that easy, but it's easier than doing the same at the back.


Why does a decimal sized 26" tire fit my rims but a fractional sized 26" tire doesn't?

You ask what to look for when buying MTB rims.

The most obvious thing would be ask for Mountain Bike tires (slick tires in your case) at the shop. Just using the words "mountain bike" is enough for any shop attendant.

Now if you want to take a tire and, just by looking, tell if it fits your rims, you must look for the ETRTO code, which states the inner diameter of the tire bead in milimeters, which is 559 for MTB.

So you have 47-559 (read right now from one of my tires) to be equivalent of 26x47 (47mm wide, or roughly 1.9)

Hope this helps


Need assistance identifying new wheel options for Araya VP-20 26x1.5 ETRTO 559

'VP-20' is likely just a manufacturer model number or similar.
On mountain bikes wheel and tire diameters are often referred to in inch sizes: 26", 27.5" and 29". Those measurements are nominally the diameter of the inflated tire. What they really mean is the tires fit wheel rim bead-seat diameters of 559mm, 584mm and 622mm. The ERTRO specification gives the rim bead-seat diameter in millimeters, in your case 559mm
1.5 is some form if measurement of the width of the rim, but it is unclear whether it is the outside total width or the internal bead seat diameter width. In any case a tire of a certain width will fit on a range of rim widths. See answers to this question What is the maximum or minimum tire width I can fit on my bicycle. You need a wheel with a rim bead-seat width that will work with the tire width you want to use.
Remember that you also need to consider specifications of the hubs. A front wheel with have a dropout spacing of 100mm. Rear wheels have different width depending on how old the bike is but could be 126mm, 130mm or 135mm.
An older bike may have a freewheel (sprockets and ratchet mechanism in a single unit that threads onto the hub). You can replace this with a wheel with a 'freehub' (ratchet mechanism in the hub, separate sprockets in a 'cassette') if the dropout spacing is 130 or 135mm.


In general, V brake levers are not compatible with sidepull brakes because of different mechanical advantage. Avid Speed Dials have adjustable mechanical advantage, so you might be able to adjust them for sidepulls.


How do you fix a puncture on tubeless tires?

When putting tubeless tyres on I would definitely recommend that you use a sealant such as Stan's if riding somewhere with thorns. This would be your first level of defence. The sealant would seal up a thorn (or other) hole quickly and painlessly.

You can repair a tubeless tyre with a vulcanizing repair kit, but reseating a tubeless on the trail is very difficult. It is virtually impossible to do without 'shop air' (I haven't tried CO2) so carrying a tube is important for any major leaks.

You can simply run a tubless tyre with a tube until you get somewhere to properly fix the tyre.

Like everything else in the mtb world there are two schools of thought on whether you leave the thorn in or remove it, I would remove it. If you leave it in it plugs the hole but then if you ever do need to put a tube in you risk puncturing that also.


Hydraulic Disk brake piston not fully retracting

I would try repairing them before binning them and purchasing the Shimano upgrade. If there is no obvious fluid leak around the piston the seals are likely in good order and you've got a sticky piston rather than a failed calliper. This is a simple fix:

Remove wheel and brake pads.
Using a flat headed item hold the working piston in.
Squeeze the lever, the non-retracting piston should be fully out.
While holding the lever wipe around the piston with a clean lint free cloth.
Still holding lever lubricate the retracting bit of the piston with a bit of brake fluid (DOT 4 or 5.1, not oil, as this may damage the seals and/or might work through the seals and mix with the brake fluid)
Release the lever and repeat lubricating 5 more times, the piston should now be retracting.
Wipe off any residual brake fluid from the caliper.
Use a brake block to push both pistons evenly back into the caliper. Pull the lever with the block in to align.
Refit the pads and wheel.
Realign the caliper.

Please note, never pull the lever when there's nothing in between the two pistons. It's hard to separate pads and near impossible to separate pistons without bleeding.

Juicy 7s were good brakes, if they aren't broken there's no point rushing out to replace them.


Weird sounds from Sram GX crank / shifters?

All of the rattling and popping appears to be coming from chain rub on the front derailleur, poor rear derailment indexing, and the chain jumping on the rear cassette sprockets.
You seem to have convinced yourself that the noises are caused by the crank bearings. That's highly unlikely and easily disproved. Take the chain off the chainrings and spin the crank - you should not hear any noises. Also check for play in the bottom bracket bearings and any 'notchiness' as you spin the crank.
To address the drivetrain issues, first check the chain is not over-worn (there are ways to estimate this but a $10 chain wear gauge is a good investment). Also check sprocket wear.
Check your front and rear derailleur setup. The Park Tool Repair Help site has easy to follow, comprehensive guides.
https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment
https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustment


How stay fit enough to make moderately hard rides a couple times a month?

The difficulty is you want specifically to train for endurance, but you want to do it in short bursts.

I'm not saying a few squats won't help a bit, but they won't do the job.  And trying to push too hard on a bike for a few tens of minutes might improve your aerobic capacity but quite possibly at the expense of your knees.  You also need to be in a similar geometry so the benefit of an hour or 2 of moderate pedalling on the recumbent while reading/watching TV will be limited.  However (almost) within your constraints that might be the best place to start.  Or drop the elliptical in favour of more bike time if you really don't want to increase your total time.

That's the fitness aspect; the soreness will only be dealt with by time in that saddle, or one very similar.  If the saddle suits you you don't need ages in it to keep yourself at a level suitable for spending 3 hours on it, but you do need to get on it every few days at least.

Anything you only do a couple of times a month will be hard, skipping anything over a week or two really hits your fitnesss for a specific task (a shorter figure even than that is often quoted, but in the context of an athlete's peak performance rather than something more casual).

I'd also suggest that particularly as you build up the long towing rides rather than walking at the end you take a decent break and ride again.  This will be tricky if there are uphills involved, in that case you might get away with a walk or 2 earlier in the trip.

One further suggestion given comments and other answers: switch one of your mixed exercise sessions per week to bike only from a month before your first ride/paddle trip to a week before your last of the season.


Funnily, we actually have many more new rims available with them now then in the early to mid aughts when they were at a low point and it seemed like Open Pros and A719s were the only rims with them. There are now also good DT, Araya, and H+Son rims with them, and maybe some others. They are not extinct.

The main thing they do is spread the load to both walls of the rim in order to reduce the risk of fatigue cracking. V-section rims, which have of course risen in prominence, tend to have (or can easily be made to have) a concentrated section of material at the spoke hole, which accomplishes a similar thing in a cheaper and potentially more weight-saving manner. V-section rims tend to not have fatigue cracking issues unless they're either garbage, way over-tensioned, or way under-weight for their use. For the most part you don't really see it on the nicer aluminum V type rims.

Double eyelets add weight and cost, are not immediately function-critical, and, most endangering of all, are invisible to consumers. So they have a rough time being something that manufacturers care to mess with.

It's worth noting that in a sense, when a box-section design is what you want, double eyelets actually are more relevant than ever. One of the major things that's happened with rims in the last decades is that materials (i.e. fancy niobium alloys) have gotten stronger but not more fatigue-resistant, or at least not at the same rate, and cross-sections have gotten bigger and stiffer with thinner walls. Those are some of the reasons there's more emphasis on building to a tension spec than there used to be. With a classic road rim, however much tension you added that the rim could still take structurally, you could feel safe knowing that it could also take it reasonably in terms of fatigue resistance. It was also easier to accidentally taco them in the stand from adding too much tension. There are rims running around now that are much stronger and stiffer, so you need to cap out your tension even though the maximum strength capacity hasn't necessarily been reached. From a design perspective, double eyelets can help you get access to more of that strength by adding fatigue resistance.


Is cranking bigger gear from dead stop bad for your legs?

No, there is no inmediate danger to your knees. Most dangerous thing can happen is the chain snaps and you ram your knees on your tee, or frontflip over the bars while still.

Most Bmx riders use a equivalent cadence(I think this is the word) wheel to gear ratio, and almost every one rides standing up. Because part of the effort is made by gravity and your weight.

Just adjust the derailer in the front with the stop nuts and ditch the cable, so you can use your bike with a smaller sprocket. This is the poors man downhill chain guide.

byebye


Modern chains all have 1/2" pitch (distance between rollers), but there are several different widths. 1/8" is common for single speed and internal gear hubs, while 3/32" (and narrower in the case of are common for derailleur-based bicycles) though many single speed/internal gear hubs use a 3/32" chain (this depends on which cog+chainring combo is used).

You should check the cog+chainring for a marking of 1/8" or 3/32", and if it has one or the other, pick up a single speed or 8 speed chain respectively. Alternatively, take your old chain and a pair of calipers and measure the inside width between the plates of the chain and see what it comes out to. If theres a quick link in the chain, you can also note that 1/8" quick links have both pins on one plate whereas 3/32" chains have one pin on each plate.

If you take your chain to your local bike shop, they'll be able to sort you out quite quickly. Note not all chain tools can break 1/8" chains.

Once you've acquired the appropriate chain, you simply need to find the length of it, which will depend on if you're using a chain tensioning pulley or horizontal dropouts (the chain shouldn't be too loose or too tight, but the dropout gives you some wiggle room for length with this). You can also do this by just comparing number of links with your old chain as well.


Heavier Thicker Chains and Gears for Winter due to Salt?

Bike chains come in two sizes, 1/8inch (aka BMX chain) and 3/32inch (aka 9 speed chain). 1/8inch chains are designed for single speed or internal hub geared bicycles and the chain is designed in such a way that it can not be derailed from the sprocket. A 3/32inch chain is designed for a derailleur geared bicycle and is designed to ease shifting from one sprocket to another.

The thickness of the chain will have little if anything to do with how the chain behaves or wears due to road salt. People have many different views on how to keep your chain happy and prevent it from wearing, my advice would be to either invest in a full chaincase (for a singlespeed bike) or to dry and lube your chain after it has gotten wet.

The trick to lubing a chain is to use a rag to remove any dirt. Then apply a small amount of a thick bicycle chain oil to the inside side of the chain (the top side of the chain at the bottom side of the bike, or the bottom side of the chain at the top side of the bike, if that makes sense). Finally, spin the chain good and proper to get the lube into the chain (it's useless if it's sitting on the outside of the chain, it needs to work its way inside the links) and then use the rag to remove any excess.

Excess chain oil sitting on the outside of the chain will attract dirt which will cause your chain to wear prematurely.


Looks like you have a standard 'English' or ISO standard threaded bottom bracket shell. These have 1.37 inch (34.8mm ) diameter threads of 24 threads per inch. Common width for road bikes is 68mm You can easily verify this by measuring the inside diameter of the shell and the width.
You might also have a 'Italian' threaded shell that has slightly smaller threads. See https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-bottombrackets.html
For 'three piece' type cranks where the axle is part of the bottom bracket you also have to consider the axle length. Cartridge bottom brackets typically come in a range of axle lengths and the correct length must be selected so that the crank chainrings have the correct chainline (distance from center of the frame to the chainring).


How long should I expect handlebar tape to last?

Anywhere from a month or two to years and years; how long handlebar tape lasts depends on too many factors to really answer this with a number. Of course, how often you cycle is a factor, but how good the tape is and how well it's applied also makes a difference.

For example, gel tape is notorious for wearing quickly, as the gel gets pushed away from where you lean your hands. Good-quality cork tape without a lot of padding can be kept around nearly forever, unless you rip it or it starts to stink. Tape that's wrapped way too tightly can develop rips and cracks. And if you have cables routed under your tape, that can subtly move the tape around a little bit as you shift, causing you to need to rewrap or replace more often.

How much weight you put on the bars, how tightly (or loosely) you wind the tape, how good the tape is - all these will change how long it'll take until you have to change the tape or simply rewrap it.

One thing that's worth noting is that if you're wearing through the tape itself, you're probably putting too much weight on your hands or gripping the bars far too tightly. And cork or plastic bar tape that simply comes loose over time can be rewound.


Is a "run-bike" equivalent to a bmx bike with no drivetrain?

Are you thinking to get a small BMX and take the drive train off instead of getting a run bike, so you can put the drive train back on when he's ready? Otherwise I don't quite understand the purpose of the question, sorry.

If that is you're idea I'd suggest that's probably not a good idea. It's going to be difficult to find a BMX small enough for a two year old to easily put their feet down and run, and you're paying for extra components (chain, cranks, pedals, brakes) that you don't need. Unlike an adult bike those components aren't likely to be easily removeable, and it's likely to be a lot heavier and more clumsy for your son to use.

A run bike is going to be focused on what is most important at that age - teaching balance - and everyone I know who has had one has enthused about how easily their child was able to transition to a bike with a drive train after having a run bike. Also, because they tend to be quite well made and not abused, there's a healthy market in them on ebay, so you should be able to sell it relatively easily when it's time for the first proper bike.


How do I make the platform side of a Shimano PD-A530 multi-purpose SPD pedal less "slippery"?

Some people have modded the pedals to add set-screws which provide better grip.  Typically this involves drilling a hole, tapping it for threads, and adding a set screw of the desired length.

For example, here's an a530 with 2x set screws added:


The manufacturer has uploaded a video for the E114 stating that it is a triathlon bike.

             Argon18 Video on youtube.


Campagnolo Cambio Corsa primitive derailleur -- can it be recreated?

This system, the Campagnolo Cambio Corsa, or race shifter was introduced in 1946 and superseded in 1949 by the Paris Roubaix which used only one lever, vs. two and again in 1951 by the Gran Sport parallelogram derailleur, which slightly modified is still state of the art. The Cambio Corsa was probably only made for three years.

It is still possible to buy these parts, complete systems or bikes with these parts on sites like eBay. Keep in mind that the Cambio Corsa and Paris Roubaix systems require special toothed rear dropouts and can't be used on just any bike.

Even at vintage events like the Eroica it's rare to see them as the gearing is not suited to the routes.


What's a good second lock option for around the frame and wheel?

You have some options:

1) Ulock the frame and use a cable like the kryptoflex
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/products/ProductDetail.aspx?cid=1001&scid=1001&pid=1124

2) Ulock the frame and use security skewers like pitlocks or hublox
http://www.pitlock.com/
http://www.deltacycle.com/Hublox-Security-Skewers

3) Buy another ulock and double lock your bike

4) Go european and get a ring lock for one of the wheels and secure the other with the ulock. I'm not sure if you can mount a ring lock on the front, so you would probably need to secure the front with the ulock.
https://www.amsterdambikesusa.com/products-page/locks/axa-defender-rl-black/

I tend to prefer to use set of good security skewers with a ulock mostly for the convenience of carrying less stuff. Allen key skewers are also available but don't provide as much protection as specially keyed skewers like pitlocks.


There are a few things one can do to help stop the noisy rim brake.  The noise is caused by the resonance created when the pads contact the rim and a very fast oscillation of the pads' grip force on the rim occurs. A contaminated pad or braking surface of the rim can contribute to this effect.  Even the presence of water can cause an otherwise quiet, dry rim brake to squeel when wet.   So first and easiest things to try are a good cleaning of the rim's braking surface. Use some Isopropyl alcohol on a rag and use to wipe down the braking surface of the rim. Use plenty of alcohol and change to a clean area of the rag often while rotating the wheel. Make several passes on each side of the rim.  This will remove dirt and oils from the rim. You can do the same with the pads' braking surface.  After cleaning the pads, take either sandpaper or a bastard file and use it to rough up the braking surface of the pad.  The pads rubber compound can harden over time and get a dirty glaze. Using the sandpaper removes the old or contaminated rubber and exposes the cleaner, softer rubber underneath, creating a better braking surface.  A grippier pad on a clean rim changes the resonance frequency of the system which may stop the noise.
One of the best ways to stop the noise requires a little mechanical work on your part. Toeing in the brake pads so that during braking the front, leading edge of the brake pad contacts the rim first, followed closely by the trailing edge. This has the effect of preventing resonance from getting started.  To accomplish the toe-in, loosen the pad fixing bolts. On the back, trailing edge of each pad, loop a rubber band securely around the pad. This allows your hands to be free to manipulate the tool and squeeze the brake lever.  After the bands are in place, line the pads up appropriately to the braking surface of the rim and pull the lever. While continuing to hold the lever secure (you can use some string and tie the lever closed if you need both hands free) and while the pads with rubber bands are held fast against the rim, tighten the pads fixing bolt. Release the lever and remove the rubber bands. Your pads are now toed in since the rubber band held the rear of the pad away from the rim while the front was in direct contact as the brake pad was secured while held in this toe-in position. Using a business card or piece of cardboard paper between the trailing edge of the brake pad and rim  while the pads are loosened and the brakes applied, squeezing the cardboard between pad and rim. This creates the front toe-in which is held fast when the pad fixing bolt is secured back .
Brake pads are made from different rubber compounds which can be softer or harder, depending on manufacturer or use-type the pad is for.  Changing pads entirely to ones with a softer compound may alleviate brake noise.


Will replacing 26" suspension fork with rigid 29"

If you are keeping the same 26" wheel, the important dimensions are crown to axle height and rake.    Aim of the exercise is to keep the head set close to the same height from the ground as it is now, without affecting trail.

Rake affects trail which affects handling, so with a different rake you could get a bike that handles differently, in the extreme, becoming unrideable.

When comparing the crown to axle height, you need to account for the suspension sag (normally 20-30% of travel).  The difference in wheel diameter of a 29 over a 26 is 63mm, so a 29er fork will be around 30mm  higher crown to axle (presuming built for same tire size and not suspension adjusted).

You will not want a suspension adjusted 29er fork.

If you are replacing the wheel with a 29er, you need to account for the increased ground to axle height. Also when changing wheel size, you increase trail, although its probably not enough to affect handling.


We had those parking stands at my old workplace. They suck:

They make it impossible to lock  both the frame and a wheel with U-locks.
Fat wheels don't fit.
If they do fit, if someone or something (like a strong wind) pushes on your bike, it'll easily taco your wheel.

You should petition for better bike stands that are more secure.

In lieu of that, you could:

park your bike up against the wall and perpendicular to the stand, and use two u-locks to secure your front wheel and frame/rear wheel (even then, you'd need a pretty big u-lock to make it to the ground from the bottom bracket/rear wheel). You would take up about five parking places and might earn you some enmity
do the above, but remove your front wheel and lock it and the rear wheel and frame with a bigger U-lock
take your bike inside. When they complain, complain back about the parking stand
Find a nearby lamppost or parking meter
Get a folding bicycle


I have not just had them bend I have had them fracture.
I took my saddle to the shop thinking they would say "wow how did that happen" and the response I got was it happens all the time - that saddle is a few years old.
Aluminum will fatigue - low end seats have a limited life.
A steel or titanium seat does not suffer from fatigue (will not at nearly the level of aluminum).
Carbon also is reported not to fatigue but I don't have any experience with carbon railed saddles.
Inspect your rails on a regular basis for deformation or cracks.
If you go out the back and land your bumm on the wheel because the rail fractured it gets a lot easier to spend $100 on a saddle.

I think the seat position was also a factor as I had the seat all the way back.  What that does is create a longer lever from the back of seat to where the rail is clamped.  I also put an offset seat post on the bike so I got what I consider a better clamp position.


converting from MTB to hybrid, what should I consider

First, term hybrid is sometimes used for quite different bicycles (rigid or suspended front fork, caliper or canti rim brakes)

I think there are no big difference in maintenance. Maybe to check more often your wheels and spokes since they might be more stressed.

As for riding style, you have to go more easy on curbs, and all kind of holes on the road. Your brakes will be less effective, especially in the rain or snow.


Advice on carrying a video tripod on a bicycle, please

Racks have load ratings, and high-quality racks may be rated for 30–40 kg loads. Your tripod should be well within those limits.
How you attach it is another story, and you may need to get creative. A longtail cargo bike might be a better bet if you're routinely hauling long lenses and tripods.


Will a bashboard and 3 chainrings require longer bolts?

See on the triple ring, there is a set of bolts that look like yours going through the middle ring. There is a second set of bolts that hold the inner ring on, these days normally threaded into a second set of bolt holes in a triple crank.

The retro eBay set - I’m now wondering if the inner ring is bolted into extended parts of the middle ring. I haven’t seen this before to verify, it could work in your favour but not be easy to find.

Your crank has no second set of bolt holes to fit an inner ring, and I would expect it to be difficult to track down replacement rings which work like that retro set and also cost less than replacing the whole lot with an inexpensive new chainset.

That bashboard has been installed in place of the outer ring, which is unusual as you notice, the other set has it mounted to the outer ring. With an outer ring on as well, the bashboard would be flush against it and leave no room for the chain, plus obstruct the proper mounting hole for the bolt to fit in.

Finally, see how the bolts you have are recessed down into the slotted nut, whereas on the eBay example they are threaded nearly to the top of the nut. Looking from the inside. This means your bolts are already too short and are not fully engaged in the thread of the nut.

So to do the conversion you would need a new set of 3 rings, two sets of bolts and some way to modify and attach the bashguard with enough clearance for the chain. That’s if all goes well. It’s something you could look around for the parts to do it with and think about the time and money required vs buying a new or used set and swapping the whole lot.

There could be unforeseen issues like chainline, frame clearance etc. Just be careful not to throw good money after ‘bad’. (It’s not bad as such, but it’s not quite meeting your needs and the expression is almost right).


Can I fit v brakes on 2003 Marzocchi MX Pro Suspension Forks

Yes you can, but you need adaptors such as these.

Edit: To the best of my knowledge, all Marzocchi v brake adaptors are the same, but you might want to ask the eBay vendor just to be on the safe side :)


The first thing to say, is that your goal of a 6hr century "without too much trouble" is quite ambitious.  Many cyclists never manage a 6hr century, and even for some quite fit riders, they would really need empty themselves to do it solo.

Training protocols are something of a grey area at the moment, with most coaches still prescribing regimes based on some variation of the books from Friel, Coggan or Carmichael.

However new research over the last few years suggests there may be more efficient approaches.  As you have already found, HIIT shows good results for minimum time investment, although it is still far from clear which combination of work/rest yields the best results.

Polarised training regimes which are based on the intensity distribution of elite athletes have also shown good results, but there is limited information available on how this applies to athletes with less training and recovery time available.

Without a coach to decide for them, the best thing a self coached athlete can do at the moment is read/learn as much as possible, and then decide which approach they feel best fits their goals and restrictions.  Sadly there are as yet a lack of good books available that thoroughly discuss reverse periodisation, HIIT and polarised training.

To me, it sounds like you are already making good use of your available training time, but without making more time available for riding, I think you may struggle to reach your goal.


Modern long reach calipers on old bike, strong enough for safe braking from the hoods?

I got the Shimano  BL-R400 levers for my bike and they work great with my Dia Compe centre pulls brakes so I see no reason why they wouldn't work with your Weinmann brake which is similarly designed.

Using the center pull brakes combined with the new levers provides ample braking power both from the hoods and the drops. I can't speak as to how well the braking would work for modern calipers.

That being said, the BR-R451 calipers are only "long reach" by modern standards. There are calipers with much longer reach available if you need them. The braking power shouldn't really be effected too much by the length of the caliper.  A longer caliper arm will tend to flex more, but the arm on the BR-451 isn't even really that long.  They have been designed by a quality manufacturer who would taken into account the longer arm and design the brake with the right type and amount of material to resist excess flex in the lever arm.


Time trial carbon frame scratches. Should I concern?

Looks like you have had significant tire rub on the frame for a while. I'm surprised you did not notice the friction and drag.

If the abrasion is not all the way through the paint (the worst seems to be into the light colored primer) then you are probably OK in terms of physical damage. I might still be concerned about the possibility of heat damage, but if there does not seem to be heat damage to the paint the CFC epoxy is probably OK.

Presumably the bike did not always suffer from tire rub. Did you change to a wider tire? Have the dropouts been damaged? Looking at this image of a P2 on Cervelo's website  I'd say there is something significantly amiss that has let the wheel shift forward. [Edit: better picture provided by OP shows that the wheel has not shifted.]


Bike lock for a Mountain bike with easily removable wheels

Perhaps you might swap your current quick-release skewers by one of the many "anti-theft" alternatives (listed in my perceived order of security):

Pitlock (www.pitlock.com): these require a special shaped key to open. You carry the keys with you, and no thief could take the wheel. Neither yourself if you lose the damn key;
Velo Orange anti-theft skewers: a 5mm allen bolt with a pin inside. Need a special 5mm allen key with a drilled tip, to open. VERY clever... No thief in the world would have this drilled key;
Gravity-activated skewers, like this one by Zéfal: there is some moving part inside the skewers acting as a lock on certain bike positions. When your bike is locked to something else, it cannot be turned upside down so it's impossible to take the wheels away;
"Numbered padlock" style skewer: these have those infamous numbered dials. You have to match a secret code to open the skewer. Although one can try to guess the number, there are 1000 combinations on the 3-digit models. Don't know how they react to weather and dirt, though...

There are a number of other alternatives. The main idea is to replace the quick-release skewers for some anti-theft ones, so the wheels (and maybe seatpost) don't need to be locked, only the bike frame.

Hope this helps.


Name this small red plastic bicycle part

I believe the plastic part is similar to the one identified by number 21/22 in the diagram below. I don't have a name for it, though. I am also not suggesting that this is the exact model that is on this bike but I believe it is the same principle.


How do I calibrate my auto tension belt?

I suspect the tensioner is working correctly, but the sprocket is starting to wear and is not holding the belt teeth properly.

You say that when the belt was slipping previously, it wore the sprocket away. I would not expect a reinforced rubber belt to severely damage a metal sprocket so presumably it is of a softer material such as aluminum or a composite plastic that is subject to wear even when the belt is not slipping.

Inspect the sprocket and see if there are wear marks visible on the teeth.

It’s also possible is that the belt itself is worn as well.


To what extent should I insulate an electric bike battery during winter?

General advice is to store the battery at room temperature and install it in on the bike just before the ride. If the ride is under about 30 minutes the battery will stay warm enough not to be badly affected by the cold. For longer rides, a layer or two of insulation would not hurt (as long as it is not so  much the battery over heats).  Bubble wrap would be a great way to experiment and work out how much was needed and if it made a difference for your rides, but I would look at something a bit more durable in the form of an insulated zip up or Velcro cover for a long term solution.

When charging lithium batteries in cold climates you need to be careful. Never charge Lithium below about +5C.
 Ideally bring them up to room temperature before charging. Note this is the internal temperature of the battery - don't bring a battery that's been on a bike at -10C inside  and start charging after a few minutes when the case feels warm, I would give it a couple of hours.


Why does the Tour de France have a minimum weight limit on the bicycles?

The 6.8 kg limit is due to UCI regulation 1.3.019, which you can find here, and thus applies to all races sanctioned by the UCI. It was originally instituted in 2000 in order to ensure that manufacturers didn't produce racing bikes that risked structural integrity, to promote rider safety. At the time, with the then-current technology, that was considered a low weight and was in response to riders and teams drilling out metal components and using custom CNC'd components. Even then, it was recognized as a stop-gap regulation to ensure safe standards rather than imposing a complicated strength test (as you can see elsewhere in that document for the strength tests that apply to wheels. Those regulations were in response to wheels that failed resulting in rider injuries).

For at least the last 10 years, unsuccessful attempts have been made to update the 6.8kg rule with a structural integrity rule. Current bicycle frames made from composites can easily drop below the 6.8kg limit, and some teams add weights to the frame to get above the minimum 6.8kg threshold. A side effect of this is that the use of power meters and other instruments have expanded in the pro peloton since they can sometimes be added without much penalty.