Frame sizing: "medium" vs. inches vs. centimeters

Essentially, bicycle frame sizing is inconsistent and possibly insane. Try the bikes out. Don't rely on a single number for the size.

Theoretically the size given is the length of the seat tube, but there's a lot of inconsistency in how that's measured.

Usually a frame size given in inches is a mountain bike frame and a frame size given in centimeters is a road bike. A mountain bike frame will have a higher bottom bracket in order to clear obstacles better, and may also have a lower seat tube (to lessen the odds of your crotch colliding with it when dealing with rough terrain), so you can't simply convert one number to the other. If you look on that chart and compare the "hybrid" sizes to the "road" and "mountain" sizes you'll see that hybrid cm is close to road cm and hybrid inches is close to mountain inches.

Even within a single basic bike type there can be a fair amount of difference in the bottom bracket height, which directly affects standover height.

Basically, mountain bikes and road bikes have two different sizings and you need to find out the appropriate size for you in each. Hybrids seem to sometimes be sized like road bikes or like mountain bikes, but the frame geometry probably doesn't really quite match up to either style of bike and they may report the sizing as what matches the other style or as the actual measurement. There's a lot of variation in hybrid geometries because there's a lot of different sub-types of hybrid intended for different kinds of riders.

Because the manufacturers aren't consistent, you really need to try the bikes out to find the right size bike. Two bikes of the same basic type may be the exact same height but have different top-tube lengths and therefore fit you differently. If you're an experienced rider you might be able to work out what you need to know for a bike given the full geometry information that many manufacturers publish, but the single number size will never be enough.

See also: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html


How to improve braking with hands on hoods?

Braking is always stronger from the drops than the hoods, as you noted only your lower fingers have mechanical advantage when braking from the hoods, when braking from the drops you have much better mechanical advantage for all your fingers.

That said, when properly set up, you should have no problems locking up both wheels on gravel from the hoods. You should also have no problem locking up the rear on asphalt.

Ergonomics

There are a lot of factors that can affect brake effectiveness, how you set up your handlebar (ergonomics) can be one major component.  These include:

Brake hood position: if the hoods are angled down, or the brake hoods and bars are angled down, it will be harder to brake effectively from the hoods. You will however be able to brake effectively from the drops.
Handle bar reach: If the reach is set too far it can make braking difficult to get a firm grasp on your brakes from either the hood or drop position.
Bar height - If your handle bars are too low you may also find it hard to brake, raising the bars can improve your reach as well as making it easier to brake from the drops.
Brake reach adjustment: Many road shifter/brake (i.e., brifters) come with reach adjustments which can be used to shorten the reach slightly.
Brake hood ergonomics: Each brand has slightly different ergonomics, and at times slightly different pivot locations for the brake lever. The ergonomics has also changed over time. I personally found mid 2000 Shimano brifters never braked well from the hoods, newer Shimano ergonomic design has improved this greatly, but some of the lower tier models still use the old design and pivot point location.

Observing some pictures of your set-up and your set-up in use would help


The trick is to remember how pedals are designed to grip.  Decent pedals should grip your foot from going forwards or backwards, as well as obviously holding your weight.  The only direction they don't grip is upwards away from the pedal.  The trick is to rotate the pedal so that it's allows you to grip in the direction you want.  You rotate your feet towards 45 degrees and you will be able to actually grip your pedals to pull up the back end of the bike.

Keep in mind how the pedals grip and you shouldn't go far wrong.  Assuming you've dipped the front of your foot the action you need is effectively pushing backwards and upwards at the same time to lift your rear wheel.  Don't dip it so much that you end up going off the front of the pedal though.  The backwards push should keep you gripped on the pedal while the upwards action lifts the wheel.

As you said, there are plenty of videos out there.  This one explains it in a way that roughly matches how I figured out how to do it.  The relevant part is about 2:10 in.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/video/2011/feb/21/danny-macaskill-video


Is it possible to use a 9 speed rear shifter with 11 speed cogs/cassette? Is there a disadvantage?

It depends.

Rear derailleur lever geometry, shifter cable pull and clicks amount control rear derailleur lateral movement amount. Let's assume that there are 11 cogs with distance of 10mm between each other and derailler moves 10mm every click. 11 speed cassette might have the same width, which means 10% lesser distance between cogs, so it's 9mm. When otherwise 10 speed configuration would shift over such an 11 speed cassette, some gears are going to shift kinda successfully because 10% over one step might not introduce much of positioning error. But over ten shifts the error would be equals to one whole speed, so issues are bound to happen somewhere. I've used non-real-life values for example purpose. These differ between manufacturers and individual part models.

The said above also means that it might be possible to find components combination that allow you to use rear derailleur and cassette designed for different amount of speeds. Some real life examples:

SRAM mtb 9 speed shifter makes Shimano 10 speed mtb rear derailleurs compatible with 9 speed cassettes. There's no shadow+ for 9 speed, so some people choose this option because of price or weight.
Shimano 10 and 11 speed rear mtb derailleurs are compatible.
It's possible to modify existing derailleur so it moves less or more. Some people has modified 10 speed Shimano mtb derailleurs to work with otherwise 9 speed Shimano 9 speed drivetrain. Basically, they've routed the cable through hole drilled slightly closer to the cage, which changed lever geometry. I think the same can be done to increase the lever length with some spacers.
The shifter indexing cog can be replaced. There are some companies that shift such cogs that transform 10 speed shifter into 11 speed. DIYing cog should be possible too.

In your case, without modifications and assuming you are going to run same manufacturer components, 11 cogs would cause poor shifting with jams or skips. I'd rather not do that, but if you are mechanically talented, you can always try luck with existing gear mods.


The resistance is likely caused by friction in the cables/housing or something to do with routing. It's a bit suspicious that it's happening in both shifters though.

To track the source of the resistance down, start by detaching the derailleur, pull the cable put some tension on it and work the shifter to test for stiffness. Work towards the shifter taking the cable out of housing sections and retesting at each step.

If the shifters them are binding up under tension, you should be able to replicate that when you have the cable out of all sections of housing, emerging directly from the shifter.


What is the usual value of a Fit bike pro bmx second hand?

$50 max. First, take some real photos of the bike. Fix the lighting and photo the drive side. I can't say that loudly enough, NDS photos baffle me.

Fitbikeco has a fine reputation but that looks to be a pretty old model. (Do you know what year it is? That is obviously helpful.) Strikes against it just based on the photos:

Not microdrive (correct me if I'm wrong).

Cranks and bottom bracket are throwaway.

Frame is probably hi-ten (to get $100 plus for a used bmx you're gonna need cro-mo).

That front tire is some sort of bargain store replacement.

The way the brake cable and straddle are sagging makes me question the maintenance history.

That seat is at least three generations behind.

You don't name any components which means that are all stock with no upgrades/replacements.

You might get $50 if you're in a small market and someone has $50 max to spend on such a bike and they don't feel like negotiating or waiting (for you to drop the price when it doesn't sell).

But good luck. Clean it up, lube it up, take some good pictures, and write a solid ad.


Chain skipping under increased pedal torque

Since you replaced the cassette and chain already, it could be your (front) chainrings that the chain is skipping on.

Check if the teeth are significantly worn (shark tooth shaped) and if the chain rides up the teeth under torque. If thats, the case, then your chainrings may need replacing.


Why do modern mountain bike forks no longer use boots on fork stanchions?

As technology goes, seal and wiper advance to the point that boots on fork stanchions becomes obsolete, for both economical and practical reasons.

The seal has advanced to the point that air suspension fork was possible and economical, leaving alone keeping dirt and grimes off the suspension.

So the answer is Technical obsolescence

Edit: And as @DeletedUser points out in a comment, the boots could cause more harm than good by holding moisture and dirt against the forks in places where they aren’t visible to the user.


Can I put a 8 speed bike on a Elite Suito 11 speed direct drive turbo trainer

Yes, you can also use your 8-speed cassette on 9/10 or 11 speed hubs. They just ignore it as 8-speed is something too cheap and people using such a trainer would probably have something "better".
You need to use the same 1.85 mm spacer you would use for 9 and 10 speed cassettes on the 11-speed hub. If the spacer did not come with the trainer, you have to buy it.
The frame should also be perfectly compatible.


Opposed cone chainless progressive 24 speed gearing system using belts, has it been tried?

CVT transmissions using conical pulleys and a V-belt are common on mopeds, scooters, and very small engined cars. One of the advantages is in the name: a continuously variable transmission with literally an infinite combination of gear ratios.

Why wouldn't you want this on a bicycle? At least the system on mopeds uses centrifugal linkages to provide the "automatic" transmission and is quite heavy and requires a relatively high RPM (much faster than most bicyclists can spin their pedals).

Furthermore, there is quite a lot of slippage caused by the v-belt especially in low gears and thus a lot of transmission power loss. For mopeds, this is actually a positive as it acts as a limited slip clutch but most bicyclists would object.

The second part of your question asks why this couldn't be done with stepped-cones. As you can tell from your photo, this would be an incredibly wide transmission. Fine for a lathe or mill (or whatever object is in the photo) but totally unsuited for most bicycles.

tl;dr: Too heavy, too complex, and  too much power loss for bicycles.

Remember, people want their bicycles to be simple, lightweight, inexpensive, and reliable. You could get a higher efficiency, lighter system using a gates belt on a rohloff hub.


How much hydration is enough hydration during long rides?

When I first started doing longer distance rides, the rule-of-thumb I was told was "drink a bottle every hour."
Obviously, that's a very rough figure, and it's going to depend on a lot of factors, including how much you're sweating (a combination of workload and heat+humidity), how much you weigh, and just generally how much fluid you personally need.  The first time I did a century (160km/100mi) I was loaded touring and it was very hot; that day I drank 9l of water on the road, and still needed to keep rehydrating that evening.
But to get to my point.  After many years of riding, I've found one of the best indicators that I'm getting adequate hydration is that I keep regularly needing to urinate; if I find I'm going more than 2.5h without needing to relieve myself, I'm getting dehydrated.  Again, there's a certain amount of knowing your own body here, and my numbers won't be the same as yours.  But if you're doing a long ride, you're going to need nutrition; metabolizing nutrients (especially protein) produces water and metabolic waste products you need to get rid of.  If you're not doing so regularly, it means that your body is starting to hoard water and you need to drink more.


1) It's for show, just like the carbon fiber insert on my Leatherman Skeletool CX. See this question.

2) It's fine for touring provided its in good condition. However, you may still want to get a different seatpost depending on the adjustments available on this one.


Sounds like the easy solution is going to be get an extra long lockring. Wheels Mfg and another company I can't remember both used to offer them. I believe current Chris King ones are longer than average but I couldn't come up with a number.

Double check your wheel dish is right, because if it happened to be way over to the right, it could cause or contribute to this problem. But it would have to be extreme and you'd probably notice.

Another approach would be lacing tricks. I'm assuming it's 3x now. FH-M756 is the sort of hub where the shell has a fairly large smallest inscribed diameter and so torsional loads can be handled all by the left flange if you want, meaning you've got all sorts of options for half-rebuilding it, but not knowing where exactly the rub is I won't speculate what would be best in terms of being able to solve the problem while giving up the least bracing angle. The lower a cross number you choose, the further away from the hub the cross will be, and it's usually the cross area where you don't have the clearance you need in these situations. Just making it 2x or 1x on the drive side could very well solve the problem. There's also options that involve moving some or all of the drive side spokes to being heads-out, which also threatens to reduce the lateral strength of the wheel.


Can one upgrade cable fork remote to a hydraulic fork remote? (Rockshox Pushloc to XLoc Sprint?)

It is possible to upgrade on some fork models yes.
You will need to check the fork compatibility though to be sure. Check the SRAM site for a quick idea if your model is/was available with the Xloc. Else you need to get your fork serial to a dealer and ask them if it's compatible.

Then remember, that it will require the the compression damper parts as well. You can't simply swap the cable and lever parts.

When you consider the cost, it hardly ever justifies the exercise(add labour). You may just want to look at the cable maintenance part of the old system, save the cash and then later spend the money on a different fork all together.


Probably the most important point is that it should be dirt cheap. Particularly if you're like me and try it briefly, find that it's uncomfortable when you have to involuntarily dismount and never reassemble it after a move.

Other than that, large wheeled unicycles are apparently easier to learn on. They are also faster (assuming ungeared), but not as maneuverable.


Why does Fox specify to fix the lever in an upright position, on a Rhythm 34 fork that uses a Through-Axle?

Most likely the manual writing team knew they had to specify a 'safe' QR position so the company would be covered legally. In consultations with the engineering and legal team they decided that in front of the fork leg was the safest position, or at least the position that a company lawyer could defend as the safest position in the case of a lawsuit.


Is there an adaptor for a quick release wheel on thru axel hub

Usually, switching axle standards is accomplished by switching end caps on the hub. Whether this is possible or not entirely depends on what hub you have. You will need to do some research on whether your new hubs have convertible end caps.
I believe there’s generic adaptors available to shim down a 12mm thru-axle down to a 5mm QR skewer, but that’s the opposite use case from your intention.


How to replace brake lever from integrated shifter?

I don't know the answer to ST-EF50 in particular, but usually the lever blade (the part that broke here) is indeed able to be mechanically removed and reinstalled, given the willingness to go that deep with disassembly. However, Shimano doesn't sell replacement lever blades for many or any brake levers anymore, and definitely not the more entry level ones such as this. If you were able to replace it, it would tend to need to be an exact matching part; there's nothing like standardization for this. So that suggests that if you are able to replace it, it's going to be by way of a blade scavenged from another of the same unit. The good news is that ST-EF50 is one of if not the most populous flatbar such part from the last decade or so, so a lot of shops that keep broken shifters and derailers for cannibalization may have one in a bucket somewhere.


Delicate items would probably survive best in a small backpack.  Your body acts like a natural shock absorber so anything strapped to your back should get the smoothest ride, especially if you're out of the saddle for the bumpiest sections.  Remember to keep the pack light though.

Put heavier items like milk on a rear rack, rear panniers or ideally on a trailer.  On your back they can get really tiring and on a front rack they can really destabilize your front wheel (even worse for something that sloshes around).

Fragile and heavy?  (e.g. jars, glass bottles)  Put them in a carrier on the rear rack, but make sure they're well padded from both the bike and each other.


Peter White has an excellent page on Studded tires.

To quote (answering questions 1,2) him: "Q: Why do Nokian tires have a tag stating that you should ride the tires on paved roads for 30 miles before using them on ice?

A: It's because Nokian is very sloppy in how they install the studs, and doesn't take the time to ensure that every stud is fully seated in the tire tread before shipping it. With some studs partly hanging out of the tire tread, if you ride them hard, the studs can easily fall out. Riding them "easy" is supposed to help seat the studs. Of course this as all just bovine excrement, and those half seated studs can still easily fall out."

On question 3: A few studs missing won't make much of a difference but if a lot of them are missing you lose the advantage of the studs (but you still have the advantage of softer winter rubber).

Also relevant: "Q: How can studs fall out of the tire tread?

A: The main reason studs fall out is riding too aggressively on pavement or on rocky trails. You cannot use studded tires on dry ground the same way you would use summer tires. On ice, you can ride as hard as you dare without damaging the tire or losing studs. But when you reach a bare patch of ground, you must take it easy, lest the studs be ripped from the tread."


What does the Cycliq "Universal" Adaptor connect to?

The two circular holes will mount to a Go-Pro type mount. This is clever as the Go-Pro mount is available for a wide variety of surfaces include suction cups, helmet mounts, sticky mounts, handlebars, selfie poles and the like.

Notice the adapter has two tabs and a hole.  That's a "downward" facing part, so its to go into a matching part with three tabs and the bolt/nut for retention.

Here's a gopro camera showing the two downward tabs in clear plastic:

So your adapter is intended to have the circle side facing upward, to mount the Cycliq light onto a gopro mount on the bike, not to mount a camera.


How should I negotiate price with bicycle salespeople?

Don't expect much until you know the guys that work at a bike shop. I bought my first road bike (a single speed) from my not-so-local LBS because it was on sale (45 miles from my house, with several bike shops in between). In the process, I discovered that I got along well with the guys that work there. In return for our growing relationship, they started giving me pointers about maintenance, and discounts on accessories (computer, bar tape, etc).

When I referred my father-in-law to them to get a bike (he's a doctor and doesn't have the same price constraints that I do) they gave him a pretty good deal because I sent him. I have no doubt that when I've saved my pennies enough to budget for a new bike I'll get as good a deal as they can offer me, without having to ask for a deal.

Most bike shop employees and owners could make a lot more money doing something else, but own/work at a bike shop because they love cycling. I appreciated the desire to stretch your dollars as far as they'll go, but nobody is entitled to special deals without earning them.


Where can I buy a Bianchi Pista Concept?

This is only a partial answer, but the Bianchi dealer locater shows several dealers in London. I'd call around and find out what the ballpark is in terms of cost.


Planting a foot when cornering: when and how?

While a "dab" isn't exactly the most graceful of techniques it's useful to save yourself from a spill or wipeout. What you need to ask yourself though is whether you leave a foot out because you're not sure what's going to happen when you turn or because you plan on going fast enough to slide around the turn. Sometimes the slide is unexpected and should just quick plant a foot and move on.

On the other hand, you're going to get a bunch of trail builders and riders who say that any slide is unwarranted and damages the trail. Generally this is true, but hardpack trails with dust on top or a little gravel are very easy to slide on and don't damage the trail at all. Mud, loam, and other loose soils are more prone to being disturbed by excessive sliding.

As for the proper technique for a dab, it's very dependent on your riding style. Here's a general breakdown of the timeline for a turn:

See the turn: Look ahead and see a tight/loose corner. Begin evaluating how you want to take it (eg. at speed, slow and upright, or sliding).
Begin the turn: Lean the bike towards the inside of the turn, pushing your weight to the outside pedal. Keep your inside foot relatively light.
Back tire breaks loose: Knowing when this will happen requires experience with your tires, so practice sliding in a parking lot or gravel road.
Plant foot: Remove your inside foot and place it slightly ahead of where you currently are, in the direction your moving.
Push through the turn: Push a bit with the inside foot, kind of a cross between a kick and step. This should keep your bike position or possibly move you a little more upright.
Re-engage and continue: Plant your foot back on the pedal and pedal out of the corner.

And that's more-or-less how it's done. Watch a bunch of Trail/AM/DH riders do it and you'll get a sense of where in the turn you should expect a plant.

Last bit, as you get more confident riding push more speed into the corner. You'll find that some spots where you previously needed to dab, you'll clear no problem due to the added force keeping your tires in place.


Front brakes need to be further apart to fit the front wheel through

Here's an annotated rotated version of your photo:

To get the wheel in:

Pull the RUBBER BOOT to the right, slide it along the INNER CABLE toward the PINCH BOLT
Squeeze the BRAKE ARMS together at the top.  This allows the NOODLE to move to the left, permitting the YOKE to swing away from the NOODLE.  When the bike is upside down like yours, it may need a hand.
Release the BRAKE ARMS and they will rotate outwards a lot under spring pressure.
Now you can install your wheel

To close the brakes back up:

Make sure the YOKE is dangling downward, toward the tyre.
Squeeze the BRAKE ARMS together, and hold in place with one hand.  An assistant might be needed here.
Manoever the end of the NOODLE into the hole in the YOKE.  Once its seated, gently release the BRAKE ARMS and they should hold their position.
Slide the RUBBER BOOT back onto the end of the YOKE to protect the INNER CABLE.

Do this as soon as you finish putting the wheel in - its very easy to forget and ride off with no brake otherwise !

Other initial setup tasks that will be needed:

You need to adjust the brake pads - they're not at the same height so at least one of them won't be on the rim brake track on the wheel.
The arms appear to be leaning to the bike's left.  There will be a tension adjustment near the brake arm's pivots - either a small philips head screw, or a small hex socket.  When releasing the brake lever, the two arms should move out from the wheel about the same distance.
Also, your brake lever in the initial photo looks like its on the wrong side of the bars - brake levers should be inside your fingers, not at the base of your palms.


How can I tell if a tire contains slime?

To find out if there is sealant inside the tube,

cut it open - kinda terminal for the tube
take it off the rim and deflate it then squish the tube with your hands.  It will feel more slippery than an empty tube
Hang the deflated tube up for a night and the sealant will pool at the bottom.  You should be able to feel it through the tube
If the valve core is removable, remove it and stick the end of a matchstick or toothpick through, see if it comes back damp.

Generally weight alone won't tell you, because there's only 20-50 grammes of sealant in a tube, when a tube weighs 5 times that.


Wheelbuilding spoke tension vs lateral truing

The rim is probably not made by the very best of rim manufacturers.
I have found that I can create a radially and laterally true wheel where the variation of spoke tensions is around 150-200 N. I use DT Swiss TK 540 rims. DT Swiss is a well-known reputable rim manufacturer and makes high quality rims.
I suspect your rim has not been built to such a high precision.
I think 300 N variation might still be barely acceptable for low-weight riders not riding hard on narrow high pressure tires, especially if you tension the spokes such that the average spoke tension is according to the manufacturer's spec and not such that the maximum spoke tension is according to the manufacturer's spec. Also spoke count helps -- anything below 36, and low tension variation becomes more critical.
For me, I weigh over 100 kg and ride hard on narrow high pressure tires. 300 N variation in spoke tensions would be way too much for me because the loosest spoke would repeatedly go slack and the nipple would self-unscrew, destroying the wheelbuild.


How to repeat the success of Salsa Marakesh when mixing MTB and road components?

I sell that bike at work. The road/mountain FD mismatch functions very badly. We've had to replace the front derailleurs with road models. The total throw of a road shifter isn't enough for it to shift well and not have rub anywhere. It's terrible.
It can be made to kinda sorta work if you accept rub in the lowest gear. But, that shouldn't be acceptable. And the adjustment is totally finicky, i.e. the exact opposite of what one would want on a bike one may have to fix in the middle of nowhere.
There is no alternate cable mounting or trick. It's just a mistake on their part.
The really unfortunate thing about their choice to spec it that way is Shimano's latter-day road triple FDs, which are designed for 50/39/30, have no trouble performing acceptably with 48t trekking-style triples as long as the middle to large minimum tooth difference is respected. I believe the 22t total difference on a 48/36/26 pushes past the printed max total difference to do this on every pertinent model, so maybe that's why they consider it off-limits, but I've never seen that be an issue in practice, and if it was an issue, all it would amount to is chain rub on the bottom of the cage in small/small.
For a 44, you really need a mountain FD. The profile of a cage intended for a 50 will leave you with an overly large gap at the tail even with the FD down as far as possible, which in turn will cause iffy performance because of the limited contact made with the chain during shifts, as well as some risk of derailment from the excess gap.
There is a milieu of questions one can ask about making STI work with a road FD on various not-as-intended cranks and chainring combinations. These can be difficult to answer because in a lot cases the answer is it can function to some greater or lesser extent, but with a hit in performance, and whether the result is acceptable is up to the user. If you wanted to lose the adapter but give up the minimum on your low gear, you could switch your rings to 24-36-48, along with a road triple FD, and it would probably work okay as long as the rings were good quality and ramped, but it would be noticeably chunkier to shift, and it's pretty common to need a chain catcher in that setup. You may be able to get 22-34-46, or -48, to work okay, but both can have their issues too. It's a grey area.


What is the theory behind a gravel bike?

GCN had a funny take on this recently: Gravel bikes exist because mountain biking is now boring. Or to give slightly more nuance, mountain bikes make it so easy to ride over difficult terrain that they remove the challenge.
Coming at it from the opposite direction, road cycling may be losing some popularity because A) roads in many places are poorly maintained due to austere public-works budgets, and B) motorists are motorists. Which creates some demand for something that you can ride on bad roads/roads that motorists don't drive on.
Gravel bikes generally are designed for a little more comfort and stability than a road-racing bike--more in line with a road "endurance" bike. Hence the more upright position and slacker angles. Some people ride gravel bikes with fat slicks—I don't think you can make any sweeping judgments about tires, other than they're fatter than road tires.


Can I use a hybrid bike tire on my mountain bike?

So long as the tire diameter (rim size, as stamped on the side of the tire) is the same, and the width is no more than about 30% wider or narrower than the original, and so long as the tire doesn't create interference problems with the frame or brakes, it should be fine.

So in your case you need a tire labeled 26, with a width of roughly 1.3 to 2.8.  But likely if you go much wider than your current tire you'll experience interference problems.

Whether the tire is labeled "hybrid" or "mountain" or even "road" makes no difference. (Though certain types tend to come in certain sizes -- you won't find many 26 inch racing tires, eg.)


Getting a Brompton on and off a plane without going broke

You get what you pay for - you cannot travel heavy (A bike is traveling heavy) and cheap. Traditionally US has the highest baggage allowances in the world, international travel outside the US (cattle class), a baggage allowance of one 20kg bag is common. Excess baggage is often calculated at 1% of a first class airfare per kg or something similar. Most airlines have concessions for sports gear.

This is the main reason why there are still Travel agents. They should know this stuff and have access to much better travel planning tools than you do. Their business model today is stepping in when google (an patience ) fails.

Second part is shop (and you get what you pay for) better travel insurance, and read the policy before you need to claim. You seem overly concerned about getting your bike damaged or lost, to the point its stopping you in your tracks and you are not enjoying the travel experience (planning being a part of that).


Any help with the History of Guaranty Quality Supreme Fleetwood Bicycle 1963 – 64

According to the Everything Murray Bicycle your serial number:
M9501JX26172612 (Not sure about the "J". Best I could tell from the picture)
indicates that
M9 = 1969
The "X" begins a string that indicates who the bike was made for.
For example "X13" would be a Murray branded bike.
If you ordered enough bikes from Murray they would put your brand on the bike.
"X7" = BF Goodrich
"X10" = Westernflyer (Western Auto)
"X12" = All Pro (Kmart)
Your bike is "X26" so according to the chart it was made for "Guaranty (Guaranty Bicycle Company - St. Louis Mo.)
The Guaranty Bicycle Company or Guaranty Cycle Co. was a shop located in St Louis Mo.
Here is a scan of their 1952 catalog. The badge on the cover is an older version of the head badge in the picture
At one time they were able to buy enough bikes from Murray to have their own brand.
According to the USPTO the Guaranty trademark was owned by Donald O Rehm and it expired in 1996.
There is no bike shop named Guaranty Cycle Co. in St Louis today. I can find no information on the history of the shop.
Hopefully this information will enable others to find more details.


Shimano 11 speed MTB cassette on an 11 speed road hub, which spacer should I use?

For 11s MTB cassette on road 11s HG hub, use 1.85mm spacer.
Bike-Components.de lists the following:

1 mm: Thickness: 1 mm Application:

using a 10-speed (Road) cassette with aluminium spider (e.g. CS-7800, CS-7900) on an 8-/9-/10-speed freehub
using a 10-speed (Road) cassette on an 11-speed (Road) freehub (1 mm + 1.85 mm) Manufacturer Part Number: Y-1Z807000

1.85 mm: Thickness: 1.85 mm Application:

using a 8-/9-speed cassette (Road) and an 8-/9-/10-/11-speed cassette (MTB) on an 11-speed (Road) freehub
using a 10-speed (Road) cassette on an 11-speed (Road) freehub (1.85 mm + 1 mm) Manufacturer Part Number: Y-4T724000


Anyone know what a replacement Disc pads might be for Tektro HD-R290?

Tektro has on their website a Brake pad finder tool.  Entering your brake model number offers several compatible brake pad models.  There are options for both resin/semi-metallic and metallic compounds.  The above linked page has itself a hyperlink to an option of buying pads direct from Tektro.
Yes, Shimano brake pads can also be used.  Your Tektro pad model numbers that can be used with the HD-R290 brakes are E10.11 & A10.11.  Shimano brake pad model numbers that can replace these are B01S and M05.  Tektro's higher performance pad option is model number P20.11 which can be switched out for Shimano's G01A, G02A, GO3S, & G04Ti.   There are a couple other Tektro pad models that can be used with the HD-R290 (see results of the pad finder), however those models aren't listed as having a like Shimano pad.


Just got another used women's Giant bike. This is a Sedona. Any way to tell year, and model?

bikepedia.com
bicyclebluebook.com
maybe 2010 plus or minus? "W" is the women's model suffix for Giant


Shimano new shifters needed to replace 105 10speeds

The ST-R4600 is a Tiagra model of shifter that is 10 speed but follows the the engineering of all Shimano 7, 8, 9, and 10 speed road shifter/derailleur's having a cable actuation ratio of 1.7:1 (derailleur) and the shifter pulls the necessary amount of cable.  With the release of Tiagra 4700, the shift actuation changed to be like 11 speed road despite remaining a 10 speed group set. It's generally felt that Tiagra 4700 components are only compatible with other 4700 parts.
A newer model of shifter for 10 speeds is ST-R460. It may be easier to acquire this 10 speed shifter as the 4600 is out of production and used or NOS is the likeliest options to get one of those. You only need the right shifter as left shifters are the same


Bottom bracket needing repacement more often in a single speed bike

It is inevitable than with more radial load, bearings will have lesser lifespan. The only alleviation to this is to get good quality bearings.
If you notice a decrease in your bearings' lifespan, check if you've fitted your bottom bracket properly and specc'd everything to more or less proper torques indicated. If bearings fail regardless, there may be misalignment either on your bottom bracket unit or the BB shell itself. (more likely the latter)
Due to the larger forces inputted, the misalignment's effect of degradation is aggravated.
@juhist 's option for outboard-bearing bottom brackets only serves as a non-direct solution and masks any genuine issue the drivetrain has.


how to remove oil from mtb disk brake at home

I use Carplan Brake and Parts Cleaner, purchased from my local auto parts shop. This contains about 30% IPA (isopropanol) and 70% Naptha.

If you don't have many bikes, it may be easier to visit your local car mechanics' workshop and ask to use a little of theirs.

If you have contaminated the rotor, you will also have contaminated pads. There is a procedure to restore pads using brake cleaner, an oven and a blowtorch... This isn't worth the effort and risk, so buy new pads.

You don't have to buy your caliper manufacturer's own pads, so long as they're the right shape; I've had no problems using Clarks and Ashima pads.


How does brazing and welding not ruin the heat treat on steel tubes?

tl;dr heating chromoly to brass-brazing temperature doesn't really change it, at all; the steel was born hot and heating it back up does nothing to it other than oxidizing the surface if you don't protect it with flux. For special proprietary exotic steel tubes heating them up may or may hurt or it may help; there is no rule.

There is much wrong, and not-even-wrong information on this topic. If it helps, I build bicycle frames, by both welding and brazing, and I'm also a materials engineer.

The first problem is use of the word "heat treated" which is almost meaningless, because there is an unlimited spectrum of heat treatments and material responses, and all steels are processed through heat treatments. So the question of the topic really isn't an answerable question as-posed.

I can guess the thought process behind this question, and I will try to explain the common thought process which is not really wrong but is not even wrong:

In terms of carbon steel, a simple steel which is common, and which is sort of the "canonical" steel, if carbon content is in a range considered "high carbon", then it can be hardened by heat treatment. Then you can use it as a knife or needle or a file or saw blade or use it cut other steel. So hardenability is important technology, and it's possible to understand this without knowing much metallurgy. It is true, for such high carbon hardened steels, if you overheat a piece of hardened steel afterwards, like a knife or something, it loses its hardness and can be ruined. This is probably why people think heating up steel is somehow "bad".

Incidentally, there is nothing magic about "red hot". Steel turning red doesn't signify any material change has taken place. It just turns red when the combination of temperature and the sensitivity of our eyes overlap. Steel turns red when it gets to 800C, but so does literally every other material. Some steels can maintain hardness at red-heat, and some will lose hardness before red-heat. The color is just the color, it doesn't mean anything is changing in the steel.

This is all not very applicable to bicycle tubes because hardness is not an important property for bicycle tubes. Most bicycle tubes can't be hardened in the first place. Common steel frames are either chromoly or medium-carbon steel. Neither steel is particularly hardenable. So there's no real hardness to be lost here. "Hardened" is actually slang for any number of morphological transformations.

Default, basic chromoly is normally supplied in a "normalized" heat-treat condition. It can be welded with a variety of processes most notably the classic gas welding with mild steel filler. It can then be used without further heat treatment and gives very good service with no propensity for cracking if welded properly. It is also possible to weld with chromoly filler with post -heat treatment, but it's a rare process since welding with mild steel filler is so satisfactory. Chromoly literally exists because it is a supremely strong steel which is also very weldable steel.

Any brazing process is less hot than welding. There is no problem heating chromoly to brazing temperature for any reasonable time. It doesn't become weaker. As mentioned above, the steel doesn't have any hardness to lose. Nothing is really happening to it. If you quench hot orange-hot chromoly in water it will harden to a limited extent and can cause stresses or possibly be a liability for cracking, but nobody does that. Don't get scared if you see somebody quench hot chromoly braze joints though because as long as the steel is cooled down below brazing temperature quenching is harmless. Basically as long as it's not glowing at all it's cool enough to quench in water with no harm.

Let's now talk about other steels. Within bicycle frame history, there are/were some fairly exotic steel tubes which are specifically heat treated for strength. There is crossover between hardening here and the treated steel is actually harder, hence marketing describing some tubes as "hardened" or "heat treated". In this zone, we have ventured away from classic chromoly, and all rules are gone. For those tubes, if you want to preserve the properties, you have to observe certain conditions. Otherwise, you will let out the magic and end up with something only as strong as classic chromoly, or probably worse because it might crack or something. But there is no generalization possible; it depends completely on the individual tube and manufacturer instructions.

Tubes with special heat treatment were often silver brazed with lugs. Usually, they don't get hot enough to impact heat treatment this way, so the tube is not really changed. But check the datasheet because it depends.

Some tubes are designed with heat treatments, which, somewhat like chromoly itself, are actually designed with welding in mind. If you follow a certain welding process then the tube will end up with a certain heat-treat state after welding. An example is the famous "air hardening" Reynolds tubing which basically means you can weld it and you don't need a heat treatment oven to heat treat the whole frame afterwards; supposedly, it will return to a planned state of treatment after welding, which is supposedly/hopefully still stronger than regular chromoly. This steel exists so that Reynolds could (over-)sell their fancy steel not just to makers of lugged frames but also to fabricators who welded. But it only works if you follow the correct process, and it's mostly rot anyway since ALL steels from the cheapest department store mystery-steel to the most exotic have the SAME STIFFNESS, and almost all frames are built for stiffness, so stronger material is not as advantageous as the marketing can make it sound.


Where to get new front brake release for Fuji Sports 12

Remove the part altogether and replace it with a brake cable stop such as this one
found at http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/brh27.jpg

and insert a release such as this one

found at http://bicyclehabitat.com/images/library/large/shimano_sm_cb90_1_13_z.jpg


Burley trailer hitch, classic or alternative?

I had one of these that had, at the end of the towing arm from the trailer, a moulded plastic part that fit in the angle between the seat stay and chain stay tubes, it then had a hinged part that was tightened down onto the seat stay. It only took 30 seconds to fit or remove. Having said all this I do not know if this it the 'classic' or 'alternative' system.


the BSA 1.37" on the BB lockring is for British Standard (association?) more commonly noted as BSC, for British Standard Cycle.  I know these can be swapped out, but looking at the grip shifter and Nexus rear hub, those were early 80's-current, the crank is made to look like a cottered crank, but it's cotterless.  I'm going to say this is more modern than it's pretending to be, grease nipple notwithstanding.  I don't personally know the last time Brooks made that "hat pin" seat...  Just some reference points to look at.


How I can remove this freewheel (without "destroying" it)?

Take the wheel to a bike shop. With the tool, its only a 5 minute job.


Trainer tire for Specialized mountain bike with a Cycle Ops

You can use a tire that is narrower than the regular one for use on a trainer. You can even use one that is nominally too narrow for the rim as the tire is not supporting any weight or resisting cornering forces. As along as the tire is not narrower than the outside of the rim it will work.

Also, if you can’t find a trainer specific tire you don't have to use one, any road tire with no tread or a light tread pattern will work.


What size is the upper bearing on a 2013 Trek Speed Concept 7.0?

I got the answer from Carl an Engineer at Trek. Turns out it is:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=6040711#p6040711

  that's the upper headset bearing PN for all SCs, 2010-present, with the external steerer (aka bayonet style) fork. it's a custom
  bearing, so I'm not sure you'll find it anywhere other than through
  your Trek dealer.

  1st generation SC 7-series bikes (which technically were model years 2010-2013) that had a standard stem on a 1" aluminum fork
  steerer used a 1" cane creek upper bearing, PN 428420 from your Trek
  dealer.

I wanted to buy it online so I found it by the Cane Creek model #

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/?post=4773430#p4773430

  The original SC7 upper headset bearing is a standard 1" threadless
  headset bearing with 45deg chamfers...your Trek dealer can order PN
  428420...Cane Creek PN is BAA0004K.

Ordered part BAA0004K from Amazon. That should do the trick.


What do I need to grease when assembling a new bike?

This is for your specific bike.

Must grease:

Pedal threads
Seatpost unless frame or post are carbon, then must apply carbon prep
instead

Things that usually have an adequate amount of grease or other prep pre-applied, but should be checked and greased otherwise:

BB threads
Stem bolts (many are pre-loctited and don't need extra lubrication if
so)
Crank bolts

Things that are nice touches to grease, not critical, and probably won't have it pre-applied:

RD pivot bolt
Chainring bolts
Cassette lockring
QR shafts and threads
Brake pad mounting hardware
All headset contact surfaces, i.e. the bearing surfaces and
compression ring.

Also it's ideal to put carbon prep on the stem contact of the steerer. Not utterly critical, but it lets you feel good about running the minimum torque value for the stem binder bolts.

The "not critical" items are all good ideas to grease to prevent future issues with corrosion. The post and pedals are less negotiable; issues with seizing are very likely without lubrication. That's a factor on the other ones too, but the other thing you're trying to achieve by greasing threads is to make sure correct thread preload is applied. Anti-seize can be used instead on any of the threads. It's way messier, which is why it's not as popular, but is more specifically formulated for both jobs, so you won't get in any trouble using it and there are good arguments for its superiority.


Off-bike? You might try out plyometric exercises. Plyometrics can help you improve your agility and power. In addition, you'd probably want to work on core strength.

I think that plyometrics would be helpful since BMX races are relatively short and rely a lot on agility and sprinting power.

You also mention that the track is too muddy for riding. So, you could do sprint intervals on pavement. Sprint intervals will improve your stamina and speed. An example would be something like this:

Ride easy for 10 minutes
Sprint for 30 seconds and work your way up to 2 minute sprints
Ride at a comfortable pace for 3 minutes
Repeat the sprint/comfortable pace cycle 4 to 6 times
Finish up by riding at an easy pace for another 10 minutes
Do this 2 or at most 3 times a week but NOT on consecutive days


Stop my front brake lever screws from vibrating out?

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


How can I determine the model year of my GT Talera bike?

Assuming you own it, try registering the bike on the GT website at http://www.gtbicycles.com/can_en/bike-registration
You'll need to provide contact info of course.


Community Wiki: Which public transport networks allow you to transport a bike?

New England

Massachusetts

The MBTA in the Boston area has bike racks on a fairly substantial number of the busses (70%, according to the web page). The Red, Blue, and Orange line subways, and Commuter Rail allow bikes outside of peak hours.

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority in Western Massachusetts (Amherst/Northampton area, with several colleges) has bike racks on their busses.

New Hampshire

Manchester Transit has bike racks on most busses. Some busses have bike racks which accommodate three bikes.

Concord Area Transit has bike racks on most busses.

Nashua Transit has bike racks on all busses.

Advance Transit in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire (Hanover, NH, White River Junction, VT, the Dartmouth College area) has bike racks on many of their busses.

Vermont

CCTA (Burlington area) has bike racks on all busses, as well as bike lockers.

GMTA (serves rural Vermont, and recently merged with CCTA) also has bike racks on all buses.

The Amtrak Vermonter rail line (connecting St. Albans, Essex Jct. (Burlington), Springfield Mass., New York City, and Washington DC) now offers carry-on bike service as of May 2016. (There is a limit of 3 bicycles per train, a $10-$30 fee depending on destination, and bicyclists are asked to arrive early at the station)

Maine

METRO Bus (Portland) has bike racks on all busses.

Even busses with bike racks can only carry two bikes at once, which means that if many people use them, you may need to wait a while before finding a bus with space, and some of them have restrictions (such as not on express busses, or not when the busses are replacing a train). In general, I find it's best not to rely on being able to take bikes on public transit, but use it as a backup option for when the weather turns bad, you have an injury, or something of the sort, and you still want to take your bike home.


Met today traveling heroes, they offered excellent way to clean dirty chains, cheaply and world-wide-reusable -- a really good touring tip coming! Things you need are mostly-grocery-store stuff, good because you don't need to carry extra stuff and you cannot be sure of bike shops in all of your destinations.

Items

cooking oil
aluminium foil
some hand-bearable cleaner (found in any grocery store)
a cloth
a burner (tested below with normal stove)
a lubricant (the only exception, non-grocery store -stuff but you should have it anyway)
a brush

Procedure

put chains to the mixture of oil, cleaner and hot water (it becomes very black)
brush the chains to remove the hardest black while in the mixture
wash the chains with water and bin the black stuff
use a cloth to dry the chains
warm the chains in the aluminium foil (to let the water in the internals to evaporate and it is easy carry chains in the foil)
lubricate the chains as you wish

I can guarantee the tip works: the chains initially were in very thick black layer. I tried also Sheldon Brown's shake with coco bottle but it failed to remove the dirt, this gentler way with brush worked better. I tried the tip and my chains become like new, love it. So No to pling-pling degreasers and cleaning containers during touring, no extra stuff.


Finding the right bottom bracket crankset combo

Your bottom bracket is screwed into the eccentric. You'll be replacing the bottom bracket. The fact that it's in an eccentric doesn't affect the part choice. The eccentric is more like part of the frame.
To install FC-S501 you need any Shimano road Hollowtech 2 BB, as indicated by BB-SM4600 being the model called out in the Shimano exploded view diagram for it.


This is a different link than the Sram type of links. Here is a link to the directions I found that includes the HG-40 Quick link. Hope this helps!

http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/Chain/SI_0034B_001/SI-0034B-001_13_v1_m56577569830625422.pdf


Whether the cruiser style bike is suitable for the 'mountain bike trails' you are riding on really depends on exactly what those trails are like. The cruiser has pretty big tires so it should be able to handle rough surfaces just fine. If you are riding those trails and it feels OK, then it's OK.

Cheap bikes from big-box stores with Shimano 'Tourney' level components are not known for durable and reliable drive trains that will work every single day. If you want to try to make it work, learn how rear derailleurs are adjusted, it's not super complicated. Basically there are upper and lower limits that stop the derailleur pushing the chain off the sprockets, and an indexing adjustment that positions the chain correctly for each gear.

To address the issues you are having, have a bike shop check your derailleur cage alignment. The derailleur hanger can get bent which messes up how the derailleur feeds the chain onto the sprockets. This may be why you are can't shift into all gears and the chain is coming off.

Lastly, don't forget the shift cable and housing. If these get dirt inside them or damaged they can prevent proper shifting.

If you are going to get a different bike, invest in one from a proper bike shop with better components, or look for a better quality used bike.


Are you sure you have enough free space on the Garmin for a 85 MB file, even after removing the old map file? The Edge 520 has very limited storage of around 100 MB. That is also used by the stored activities, which can take dozens of megabytes if you never remove them.

I have used a 88.5 MB map loaded from the same site on my Edge 520, but I had to remove the activities from the device every couple of months. The device doesn't warn you when low on storage space, so you find out when it finally fails to store your whole ride.


It should be possible to repair the frame, the big question is whether you'll be able to find a replacement tube or will you have to make it yourself. Making the tube isn't hard, it's just messy.

The repair will involve cutting out the damaged tube, working out what else (if anything) is damaged, and paying careful attention to the other tubes. Then once you're clear on exactly what needs to be done (and that the person paying for it is happy with the price) you start. This may end up  cutting an undamaged tube so that the new tubes can be fitted, depending on just how rigid the frame is (it should not be that rigid unless you have a very short tube)

ideally dissolve the glue that holds the tube ends into the frame and pull the two tube ends out.
if not, cut/grind/scrape them out
clean up the lugs
insert new tube dry and make sure the frame is exactly true in the jig
pre-coat the lugs with glue
coat the tube ends with glue
insert new tube
carefully make one last check that everything is true and correct
wait :)

I would be tempted to use a slightly extra thick tube to get a little more strength, since you broke the last one. But that's a path that can lead you to completely rebuilding the frame.


The ideal gas law PV=nRT can be used to work out the increase in pressure, as there's no room for the air to expand/escape. Let's try some numbers. If pumped to 100psi at 17°C (290K) then heated to match a metal rim hot to the touch at 57°C (330K) the pressure would get to 114psi. The tyre should be able to handle that even if rated to 100psi. Even starting at 7°C and going to 77°C only gets you 125psi. Altitude adds a tiny bit to this if you pumped up at sea level - around 5psi for a 3000m pass.

Here's a plot of pressure vs. temperature assuming you pumped your tyres up at 0°C and ignoring altitude.  The upper limit of the graph is approximately when your tyres and brake pads would be smoking; you couldn't get that hot because the pads would misbehave long before that.

Heat also softens the rubber, making it more likely to fail, but it sounds like you should have been within sensible limits.

I've blown out a sidewall like this because of a sticking pressure gauge. A subsequent test suggested I'd put about 50% more in than I should have. If you'd overpressurised the tyre a little, then the heating could have taken it over the edge.

Maybe it's going too far for you, but randoneuring I carry a spare tyre. A boot is all very well sometimes, but I've seen a few tyres fail like this one and that won't go back together with a boot.

Long steady braking is sometimes unavoidable, but causes problems (including my own recent crash*). If you can, it's better to let the speed get up a bit then brake just before each bend or when otherwise needed. Spreading the heat between both brakes is also a good idea.

* I was on disc brakes. The resin holding the ceramic together in my rear pads melted, one of the front pads jammed in a wrong position and only engaged the rotor with one edge.  This may have been due to heat as well.  This all happened when I released the brakes to allow them to cool on a long steep straight descent.


How to build a combination hand & foot cycle

I think you can probably get a copy of the PET plans for free, if you ask nice.  It's a pure handcycle, but designed for easy construction, and they should have sources for the parts, etc.  You could perhaps adapt the design for your needs.


Can I fit 27.5 or 29 tires on 700c rims?

700c is the same rim bead-seat diameter ETRTO-622 and the same as road 28" and the same as MTB 29" (29er).
So yes, you can fit 29" tyres on a 700c rim (of course, subject to the tyre and rim width compatibility What is the maximum or minimum tire width I can fit on my bicycle).
Your confusion may stem from the fact that while it is common in the MTB world to call this wheel size 29" (the approximate outer diameter of the tyre), in road and hybrid bikes it is commonly denoted as 700c or 622 (the rim size) and the outer diameter of the tyre is often more like 28" just because the road, gravel or hybrid tyres are smaller.


E-bike battery charger making horrible noises, only works certain outlets?

Even though the design may be CE compliant, the unfortunate reality is that cheap manufacturers will still leave out "unnecessary" circuit components or replace them with fake ones when actually building it.  (RoHS just means it's free of lead and mercury etc etc, nothing to do with quality or usability of the electrical design.)

The components that are supposed to filter and reject electromagnetic noise are common victims since they're both expensive and it "normally" works just fine without them.

So if it works fine at home but makes weird noises at work, it seems more likely there's a failing connection in the electrical power system at your work putting a lot of noise on the line, rather than a problem with your charger.  (Other than potentially failing to reject an amount of noise that other DC supplies in the building seem to be handling, whether due to a lazy design or corners being cut in assembly.)


Chain rattling in lowest gear despite adjustment

Assuming you haven’t done so, I’d check that the derailleur moves freely and isn’t seized or gunked, preventing it springing inboard up against the low limit screw. You can peak at the screw tip to check.

Drip some oil in the pivot points and maybe spray light lube carefully on the mechanism, then exercise the FD manually with your hands a number of times to make sure it is moving freely. (No chain movement or cable tension).

It's worth measuring the chainline too and reporting back to ask if it’s in spec. for the B.B. spindle length possibility.

It might be that you can tweak the derailleur so that it isn't exactly parallel, but functions properly, i.e. no rubbing, shifts properly and doesn't drop the chain inboard or outboard from the chainrings. Try rotating the tail of the derailleur inboard just a little and see how you get on.


What cassette remover tool I should order for Shimano CS-HG50?

All Shimano cassettes, and all SRAM cassettes other than "XD" ones, have the same spline pattern.  If you search for "cassette lockring tool" you will find lots of compatible tools.  Virtually the only incompatible ones will be SRAM XD and Campagnolo, and they will be specifically labeled as such.


Is pressure of presta valve hard to read by design?

The problem is your pump's valve chuck. Some valve chucks press the valve's center pin, which lets the pressure from tire to pump and allows reading the pressure. Some other chucks, such as the one you have, do not do that feature. If pressure drops to near zero after every stroke, there may also a leak somewhere in your pump.

Replacement valve chucks are available, you can replace it if you do not want to buy an entire new pump.


Rear wheel not moving when axle nuts tightened

It sounds like the freewheel is hitting the frame. Can you see any contact between the outer cog and the stays?

One possibility is that you dropped a spacer from the axle as you put it together.

Another is that the freewheel might not be threaded all the way back onto the hub and you should hand tighten it.  The first few pedal strokes will tighten it the rest of the way.

It's also very easy to get the freewheel cross-threaded onto the hub, which would keep it from going on all the way.  It might be possible to take the freewheel off and get it restarted.

In any case, a picture would really help, especially if it shows how much the locknut protrudes past the freewheel body.


Will grooves on seatpost cause rusting inside frame?

The best thing to do is apply a thin layer of grease to the inside of the seat tube and the outside of the post (only the part of the post inside the seat tube needs grease) and set the seat height according to what fits you.
The layer of grease will prevent the odd drip from causing rust.
If the bike is stored in a dry place after riding in the rain it will be able to dry out.
The bikes with seat posts rusted in that I've seen were the ones that were stored outside and never cared for.


replacing wheels on a hybrid running on 700c

Brakes, tyre clearance, and lowered ground clearance are the three points.

If you have rim brakes, give up now.  They simply will be wrong, and buying super-long reach brakes will be expensive and won't work very well for leverage reasons.  Disk brakes may work okay, provided the rotor lines up, and your fork spacing is acceptable.

Tire/Tyre clearance should be okay because your new rim would be smaller.  However 26" tyres are often 1.75 or 2" so there may be clearance issues.  You'd probably have to go for smaller and not knobby tyres.

The bike will be sitting lower to the ground now too.  This will increase the chance of pedal strike going around corners, and the break-over height will be less, so you could strike the big chainring on the ground easier.

Surprisingly the wheelbase length will not change.  So "handling" should be unchanged.

Finally, the aesthetics will look somewhat weird, but that's only a visual thing.


How do I encourage fellow riders not to yell in residential areas early in the morning?

If it is a club or organized ride contact the organizer and let him/her know the problem.  Usually there will be a communication mechanism that they can use to inform riders of the problem and corrective action. If no action is taken, and it is a huge problem, you can go one level up to the sponsors or a higher governing body (clubs are usually members of a larger cycling associations).  Usually sponsors or governing bodies don't want bad behavior associated with their respective brands, and will put pressure on the club or organization to quickly rectify the problem.

If it is an informal ride there will usually be a social media page (e.g., Facebook) used for communication (how else can you brag about the beating you laid down on everyone last ride).  You can use this to bring up your issue to "members".  If no action is taken, your next steps aren't as clear, but there are always option if you are creative (e.g., public shaming).

How far you want to go really depends how big of an issue it is to you.  For a  bit of rowdiness I would personally not go as far as I have outlined (i.e., I would just contact organizers), but I would for more dangerous behavior (e.g., chasing Strava segments on shared bike/walking pathways).


triple chainring with with single speed freewheel

On that particular bicycle you'll have to remove the chainguard. Depending on the configuration of that bicycle's drivetrain, you might have to swap crankset parts. Worst case, both crank arms, the chainring (for a triple), a new crank spider (if it's a separate piece), and the bottom bracket will need to be replaced.

It is possible that chainrings could be added on. It's difficult to tell without being able to see it in person.

Once you have that, you'll want to find something to act as a chain tensioner. There are purpose-built chain tensioners, but if one of those is not available, you can use a derailleur. Make sure whatever you're using can take up all the slack you'll have when you're shifted into your smallest chainring.

You'll also want to ensure that your middle chainring forms a straight chainline to your freewheel cog.

Another cyclist put together a 2x1 project with his Surly Karate Monkey here.

I don't know about the availability of parts in India, but if you find it's not feasible, you might consider finding a bike with a 3-speed internally-geared hub. It takes the chain tensioner out of the equation, requires no front derailleur, and comes stock on lots of bikes. Hub gearing isn't as cheap as derailleur gearing, but it's less susceptible to damage and corrosion and requires less maintenance over time.


Loctite 243 seems like the best bet, but 222 could work.
From https://www.henkel-adhesives.com:

LOCTITE® 243 is a general purpose threadlocker of medium bond strength. This threadlocker secures and seal bolts, nuts and studs to prevent loosening due to vibration.
LOCTITE® 222 is a low-strength threadlocker that allows the adjustment of screws including countersunk head screws and set screws. Good on low-strength metals which could fracture during disassembly


Where can I get a replacement drawbar for a bike trailer?

The mounting point is Thule ezHitch axle mount, so maybe it is an old Thule trailer. You can check al local dealer.

But...
I suppose it would be expensive to get that this way.
All you need is metal tube you can get in DIY store.
Undo rivets, drill holes as on the old one and you're done.
Local locksmith service should do it for you for reasonable price.


Why does my brake cable keep on coming out of my brake handle?

The brake outer cable and ferrule most probably popped out of the barrel adjuster on the brake lever.

This can happen when you panic brake if your brakes were a little out of adjustment -- basically you pulled in a ton of inner cable while you were saying "ohhhh mmmyyyyyyy" and then when you let go of your death grip, the inner cable went back out and as your brake liners were a bit sticky, brought the outer with it.

You should be able to pop the outer cable back into the barrel adjuster with just some arm strength. Backing the barrel adjuster all the way back into the brake lever (or on the brakes itself) will help. Many brakes also have a detensioner mechanism which is designed to make it easy to detension the brakes (so you can take the wheel off).

Once you get it back on, to prevent it from happening again:

Adjust your brakes so that you don't have to bottom out your levers in order to get maximum power <== most important
If you have the dough (US$5-15), get new brake cables (inners, outers) - this will prevent the stiction that makes it easier for them to pop out.

If you do #1 properly, #2 should be unnecessary.


Complete beginner's question: inner tube too big?

That tube should be the right size, based on the numbers.

If you inflate the inner tube outside of a tire it will generally balloon up quite a bit, becoming quite a bit bigger than the tire.

When installing a tire and tube you should generally just inflate the tube to the point that it "fills out" -- not really much more pressure than you could blow into it with your mouth.  Then the tube should fit comfortably inside the tire.

If a tube is too big in overall diameter there is a danger that it will "telescope" inside the tire (similar to "intussusception" of your intestines), resulting in a lump and, eventually, a split in the tube.  Having the tube inflated too much while installing it is one way you can get this situation.  (The other is simply having a tube that's too large.)


Sounds like your crank bearing. I had the same problem. It would only do it while I was riding. Drove me crazy. If it happens every crank rotation, this could be culprit


In plumbing and piping, a nipple is a fitting, consisting of a short piece of pipe, usually provided with a male pipe thread at each end, for connecting two other fittings.

  - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipple_%28plumbing%29

This is from the wikipedia entry on the plumbing and piping context of the word Nipple as suggested by Daniel R. Hicks' comment.

Can anyone elaborate on the etymology of this, or why this term for short pieces of pipe was used for spoke ends (perhaps proper piping nipples were used in the past)?


Does anyone recognize this titanium frame?

This frame has some features in common with this Fracesco Moser frame I saw. But there are differences, as well: the chainstays, and the fork.


What are/were the differences between the various Shimano square taper cartridge bottom brackets?

From semi-contemporary notes at the (seemingly inactive and archived) bikepro.com site: (circa 1996?)
"In 1992, Shimano released their sealed bearing cartridge bottom brackets for use with their road and mountain bike parts groups, this is the "UN" series of bottom brackets. The three, and the added Dura-Ace 7410 model, have some variations in their appearance and weights. The quality differences in terms of materials used, tolerances manufactured to or bearings used are less discernible.
We called Shimano headquarters in Irvine, California to ask how they differ. Robert explained that the more expensive models are made of better steel and bearings."
Further info was apparently unavailable.
The site also describes their findings from tearing down some of the BBs:
Regarding bearings:
"The UN-50, when you removed the outer rubberized seals around an aluminum washer, revealed seven approximately 4.5mm diameter steel balls in a plastic retainer. With both outer seals removed, you can look straight through the B/B unit. These outer plastic seals, and their integrity, ... are all that keeps the outer world shielded from the inner 7 steel balls. The UN-51, UN-71, UN-91 ... B/B all outwardly appear to have the same bearings as the UN-50 we tore apart for inspection."
Regarding other differences:
"The UN-51 is the successor to the UN-50 and least expensive of the UN bottom brackets. One obvious improvement Shimano made to the UN-51 was to upgrade the left bearing cup from a grey plastic part, which stripped and cracked, to a stamped and machined steel part. The central core of the "sealed" unit, which retains the bearings, is made of fairly sturdy steel. The exterior of this central core is smoothly turned, with the right side bearing cup pressed permanently onto the right side of the core. The right cup is made of machined steel that is colored Silver.
The spindle on the UN-51 appears to be made of cast Black steel that is turned on a lathe to perfect the outer dimension. It is solid, with the ends bored and tapped for the crank bolts to screw in. The left bearing cup is made of Silver colored steel, ..."
"The UN-71 is the successor to the UN-70, and is the specified Shimano sealed unit B/B for use with the Ultegra Road group and the Deore XT Mountain group. The core is made of steel with the area between the cups turned on a lathe to reduce the diameter and thereby the weight of the unit. The right bearing cup is made of Black colored aluminum and pressed permanently onto the right side of the unit's central core.
The spindle is made of hollow Silver colored steel, (appears to be the same one used in the UN-91), with the ends drilled and tapped for the crank bolts. The left bearing cup is made of aluminum,..."
"The UN-91 is the successor to the UN-90 and made specifically for the XTR and Dura-Ace crankset, because the B/B's shorter spindle length and of how deeply the arms recess over the spindle toward the bottom bracket shell. Shimano suggests that combinations other than these cranks are not possible for this B/B. The center core of the UN-91 is made of steel. Between the bearing cups, the core is turned on a lathe to reduce the diameter, and the weight of the unit. The right bearing cup is made of Silver anodized aluminum and pressed permanently onto the right side of the center core.
The spindle is hollow, made of a silver colored steel, like the UN-71, with the ends tapped for the crank bolt threads. The spindle appears to be cast because of the appearance of it's 2 degree tapered sides, and is then machined after to perfect the surfaces. The left bearing cup is made of machined aluminum... "


Can I add spacers to my cassette and crank to fit 3" tyres?

Nope.

For the cassette: the cassette mounts on the freehub body. The position of the freehub body on is fixed on the hub. Besides, there is no room for the cassette to move outwards as it's inside the frame.

For the cranks: depending in what width bottom bracket shell you have, perhaps there might be a solution using a crank with a longer axle and a wider bottom bracket but you really don't want to do that because you'll end up with a very bad chain line alignment.

I'm actually surprised you have not run into lack of tire space between the chainstays before hitting the chain.


Normally I would not expect this at 15C-17C, its something that happens at 5C.

Presuming the case is sealed and was dry before closing it up, the cause is because the inside of the case was warm with high humidity before being taken into colder air. Most likely the warm air inside your home is damp, or the case has been sealed up for a while. When taken outside, the air in the case cooled, and was no longer able to hold the water vapour so it  condensed on the coldest part - the lens that points away from you as that gets no body heat.

To prevent this, leave the camera case open when in storage, and store in a dry location (stuffed in you gear bag with your damp cloths and shoes form the last ride is really not a good idea). If the temperature changes is high - e.g when I head out on 0C degree morning, I leave the camera and case open in cold outside air before sealing it up for the ride, ideally for at least an hour.

An alternate, if conditions are suitable, is to use a non-waterproof case that has massive slots  to allow airflow.


What is a good bike-to-lock ratio in price?

Totally depends on the person and how much you're willing to lose. One of the main things you want to do is lock properly -- an expensive lock used poorly isn't very good. And you usually just have to be harder to break than the competition.

For U-locks, you can take out even higher quality ones relatively easy if there is a lot of room left in the lock by either using a jack or having a lot of free space to take out an angle grinder. And you may not want to steal a whole bike -- after a whole bike, going for the wheels or a seatpost+saddle are good options. So, if you bought something like a Kryptonite Evo Mini 5 and used it just for the rear wheel inside the rear triangle to a good bike rack (they'd steal your front wheel and seatpost; nobody's going to saw through the rim), you'd likely be better off than using a New York Lock through just the front wheel (they'd remove the front wheel and steal the rest of the bike), for example. Poor quality cables are easy to remove and same for thin chains (just use bolt cutters).

Your locking scheme should make it difficult for someone to remove the lock. For example, lock your bike to something that can't be easily removed or the bike lifted over it (e.g. a well placed and secured bike rack, not a flimsy sign). Make sure to use good quality locks which are non-trivial to cut. For U-locks, make sure to leave as little space as possible to get a pry bar in. You can use a small U-lock to just catch the rear wheel on a standard diamond frame to the lock and have very little space left and secure the rear wheel and frame. The front wheel can be caught with a cable or another U-lock. Seat can be done with a small pad lock+cable or something, or you can use security skewers. Just putting the U-lock through the frame isn't a great idea since someone can still easily walk away with wheels and seatpost+saddle. See these links from Kryptonite and Sheldon Brown for some more details. You may also want to use a heavy chain in lieu of one of these U-locks, since that requires different tools.

For what its worth, I use a Kryptonite New York Lock Long Shackle and a Fahgettaboutit (which is about 160 dollars of locks) on bikes worth under 300 dollars. But I use them properly, and I park on a college campus where, like most of them, bike theft is a problem (and I can't really afford losing my bikes). I use the good bike racks, and use the Fahgettaboutit to catch the rear wheel and the long shackle to catch the frame and front wheel (or reversed, depending on the rack). This leaves very little space to remove the rear wheel (and a hard lock to break), and makes it too much effort to remove the front wheel. However, if I was in the middle of some random small town or something, I might just be able to get away with a 10 dollar lock on the frame or even just a frame lock. You should be able to get a feel for whats necessary in your area by looking at well locked bikes in the area. And if you can bring your bike into your home, all the better (this means in a place you have complete control; not something like a communal garage where you still need to lock).


The new fork has a greater rake ... but the handling of the bike is now really unsteady and twitchy.

The greater rake reduced the trail.  The trail the distance between where the pivot axis of the fork meets the ground and where the tire meets the ground.  The greater rake moved the front wheel forward, towards the pivot axis of the fork.

It's like the front wheels on a shopping cart.  The wheel points in the right direction because of the force from having the contact point behind the pivot axis.  A smaller trail reduces the forces that keep the bike going straight.

See the Wikipedia article on bicycle and motorcycle geometry:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_geometry#Trail

  The other issue is that it's suddenly really difficult to get the loading right on the headset, a sixteenth of a turn in either direction and it's far too loose or far too tight.

That sounds like the bearings might not have been properly installed - an incorrect crown race (wrong angle?) or something like that.  How do you know they moved the old crown race over?  They're not hard to get off with the right tools, but a little impatience during removal can result in a bent crown race. Maybe they cleaned off all the old grease and didn't re-lube it when installing the new fork?

Without details, it's almost impossible to do anything other than guess at the cause of this problem.


Yes, this does.

Another option is to re-thread the cranks if you take it to the right bike shop, and then install a standard pedal.


Are all Shimano 10 speed cassettes compatible with each other?

All Shimano and SRAM cassettes up to 10 speed are broadly compatible.

They all use Shimano's Hyperglide II freehub body spline pattern.

Cassettes with the same number of sprockets have the same sprocket spacing, sprocket width and overall width.

So, you can replace a N speed Shimano/SRAM cassette with any other N speed one that has a range compatible with your drivetrain (min and max sprocket size and within total capacity).

At 11 speed Shimano and SRAM road and mountain drivetrains diverge in sprocket spacing, but retain compatibility within those two categories.

The chain length may need to change but a new chain should be used with a new cassette anyway.

FYI you may find you need to adjust your derailleur when swapping wheels, as the two hubs wont quite laterally position the cassettes identically.


Is passing traffic on the cars' passenger side ("Undertaking") with a bicycle frowned upon in the UK?

As the previous answer states, you're perfectly within your rights to continue along the cycle lane in this situation, regardless of any cars to your right.
Some junctions even have advanced stop lines (see rule 178), which are explicitly designed for exactly this purpose: allowing and encouraging bicycles to pass beyond the stopped cars and position themselves in front of other traffic (this is generally preferable, as it makes the cyclists much more visible to drivers).
You should of course still maintain awareness of the traffic (especially if there are large vehicles such as HGVs or buses, which often have significant blind spots), and be prepared to make a quick stop if it appears that a vehicle is about to cross the cycle lane.
But not only is this allowed for bikes, in the specific situation you're asking about - passing traffic which is stopped at a red light - it's also perfectly fine (and indeed expected) for cars to undertake.
See Rule 163 of the highway code:

Rule 163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should:
[...]
stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left
[...]

(my emphasis)
Note also (admittedly now getting some way from the original question) that the points in rule 163 are governed by "You should", not "You must". As explained in the Wording of the Highway Code, that indicates advice rather than legal requirements per se (failing to follow the advice can lead to liability in an accident, but isn't prohibited in itself).


Older Shimano Ultegra Shifter compatibility

Any Shimano compatible 9 speed road shifter like the Sora you linked will work. While it will be visually different it will perform the same function. The last of these models were produced in 2007. While the Sora shifters you are looking at may be lower on the hierarchy list, they are likely equal to or better than your nearly the 20 year old technology you currently have. As new improvements are introduced Shimano eliminates the oldest technology and everything moves down a tier. Latest version of Ultegra is the previous version of Dura-Ace and it all moves down the line. My guess is you will be satisfied with a new Sora shifter.


My rear cogs (not sure on the correct name) turn at force even when stationary.

It's not normal to be able to move the pedals forward without moving the wheel. There must be something wrong with the ratcheting mechanism on the rear wheel.

On a brand new, original bike from a reputable brand, this is simply unacceptable, a defective part and should be covered by the warranty.

However, on low end bikes, a warranty may be non-existent and for the price level, it may not even worth the hassle.

A note on terminology:

The ratcheting mechanism may be built into the hub, then it is called a freehub and the cogs are a one piece unit. If the ratchet is built into the cogs, then they are called a freewheel. Only the rear gears are called "cogs". The front gears are called chainrings, and together with the arms that hold the pedals -the cranks- they are called the crankset.

I know from experience that some low end freewheels have cogs press-fit into a central piece. Sometimes they are made of soft metals so the joint can slip under the force of the pedals. If this is the case, then you can upgrade the freewheel. Shimano freewheels are affordable (in most places). Changing a freewheel is not complicated but requires a special tool to unscrew the freewheel from the hub.

Make sure the slippage occurs on the freewheel, because, similarly, a low end, poorly built crankset may suffer from the same kind of problem. (pedals/cranks slipping respect to the chainring(s)).

A freehub is very less likely to suffer from this, at least on reputable brands, but with low end manufacturers you can never know...

Another, very unlikely possibility is that the mechanism is clogged with dirt or too thick grease. Since the bike is new, dirt is unlikely. If this where the case, the solution is to have a qualified mechanic take the mechanism apart, clean and reassembly while aplying fresh grease

Another possibility is that even though you just bought the bike, it was assembled a long time ago, (several years) so part of the solvents in the grease evaporated, leaving a thick, gooey paste that may be sticky enough to keep the internal pawls to engage the saw tooth on the body of the freewheel/freehub. However, this is very unlikely on a reputable brand bike, it may happen on low and very low end bikes (which use cheap lubricants). When this happens, the bike doesn't make the tic-tic-tic-... sound when coasting, and the pedalling action feels "spongy". If this happens to the freewheel, it may be also the case with the hubs, then the wheels won't spin freely and the bike feels harder to pedal than it should. If this where the case, the solution is the same as previous case: take apart, clean, apply fresh lube and reassembly.

On bikes with freewheel, this part is screwed into the hub, Sometimes it is not tightened when assembled so the pedaling action tightens it. Nonetheless this should happen only once and the freewheel won't perform a full rotation respect to the wheel.


I think your question is "can I go as fast as the speed limit of the road if I'm not using the electric motor?"  The answer, in Ontario (thank you Google) appears to be yes.
The "Ministry of Transportation" of Ontario has a page on electric bikes as well as a FAQ, both of which say that the bike can't exceed 32km/h.

No modifications to the motor to allow it to exceed a power output greater than 500W and a speed greater than 32 km/h.

But this seems to apply specifically to operating the bike on motor power, though it's not clear from the quote.
Digging a bit further, the governing law (the "Highway Traffic Act") defines a "power-assisted bicycle" as:

“power-assisted bicycle” means a bicycle that,
(a) is a power-assisted bicycle as defined in subsection 2 (1) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations made under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada),
(b) bears a label affixed by the manufacturer in compliance with the definition referred to in clause (a),
(c) is fitted at all times with pedals that are operable to propel the bicycle, and
(d) is capable at all times of being propelled on level ground solely by using muscular power to operate the pedals;

That appears to defer to a parent law (the "Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada)") in the parent jurisdiction.  The relevant portion of the "Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations" states:

power-assisted bicycle means a vehicle that:
(a) has steering handlebars and is equipped with pedals,
(b) is designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground,
(c) is capable of being propelled by muscular power,
(d) has one or more electric motors that have, singly or in combination, the following characteristics:
   (i) it has a total continuous power output rating, measured at the shaft of each motor, of 500 W or less,
   (ii) if it is engaged by the use of muscular power, power assistance immediately ceases when the muscular power ceases,
   (iii) if it is engaged by the use of an accelerator controller, power assistance immediately ceases when the brakes are applied, and
   (iv) it is incapable of providing further assistance when the bicycle attains a speed of 32 km/h on level ground,
(e) bears a label that is permanently affixed by the manufacturer and appears in a conspicuous location stating, in both official languages, that the vehicle is a power-assisted bicycle as defined in this subsection, and
(f) has one of the following safety features,
   (i) an enabling mechanism to turn the electric motor on and off that is separate from the accelerator controller and fitted in such a manner that it is operable by the driver, or
   (ii) a mechanism that prevents the motor from being engaged before the bicycle attains a speed of 3 km/h; (bicyclette assistée)

So the actual requirement in governing law is that the motor can no longer provide assistance beyond a speed of 32km/h, not that the electric bicycle can't go faster than that.


The frame tube around the cup may have been 'ovalized'. The fork can exert considerable leverage on the bottom of the head tube.

The bearing cup needs to be pulled out and the frome inspected. Specifically you need to check if the tube recess for the cup is still round. This can be done with a good set of digital calipers by taking inside diameter measurements at right angles to each other.


Endomondo!!!! Free your endorphins : )

I love this app!!! I have used it to track over 1,000 miles of cycling this year. The android app is just a small part of the entire service. With endomondo you get

challenges with your friends
live updating of your route
global challenges
personal bests summary
teams
more

With their great android app you get the ability to track

duration with option of auto pause
distance
speed
avg. speed
calories
heart rate
average heart rate
listen/control music
view current position and track on map
view previous workouts
set goal and get mile by mile updates on progress

I personally really enjoy being able to use my bluetooth heart rate monitor with this android app.

http://www.zephyr-technology.com/9600.0112.html

All my workout info is then updated live to the endomondo website where I can later inspect my workout in detail. If you are looking for a service/app to track your rides/workouts you have got to give this one a go.


Fixed-gear vs single-speed for clipless pedals

Track standing at intersections is more about showing off than about being quick off the stop line. By the time you can track stand consistently (btw, you can learn to do this on a freewheel bike, too), you will have mastered clipless pedals and you'll be able to clip and unclip very quickly. Other than that, riding fixed vs. SS is a matter of taste. Do you like to coast down hills?


recommended clothing for compromise betwee office and and biking home on a race bike?

"The facilities for changing clothes aren't there"

Yes they are, it's called a bathroom or a toilet stall, you don't have to have a locker room to swap a pair of pants, just wear your lycra for your ride and pack your clothes in your bag. Then change in the bathroom when you get to work.

Other than that, I once had a suit that was made out of wool-lycra, they're a little more expensive, but the material was certainly stretchy.


What features to look for in a replacement gear cabling?

For better or for worse, Shimano has been pushing coated cables as the default option for their road groups for a while now. There are two 10-speed Tiagras; 4600 came with normal uncoated stainless cables and the more current 4700 comes with Optislick cables, their more basic coated option. All the 11-speed groups come with some type of coated cable.

Coated cables aren't strictly necessary but are more a response to the fact that with smaller cable pull numbers comes increased sensitivity to friction. The same is true for lubricated housings, which are a mixed bag in that compared to running cables dry, they will tend to make things work really well up front with the downside that over time the lubricant can attract and hold in contamination.

One of the compounding factors, which also prevents a universal answer, is that a lot of bikes have bad cable routing and need all the help they can get to have functional shifting. Coated cables absolutely help in these cases. STIs with under-the-tape shift routing always have some extra friction to contend with, and depending on the bar and mounting position it can get pretty ugly, another reason for coated as de facto.

If you're working on your own bikes then there's little harm in trying basic stainless slick and seeing how you like it. If you need to maximize performance up front then coated is basically how you do that.

Putting a new cable in an old housing in a pinch is fine if you need to replace it because of fraying or a kink or something like that, but housing is cheap, has a major impact on performance, and the philosophy of pre-lubed modern housings is pretty much to replace it liberally to keep performance up.


Can I use a seat-post clamp/collar on the seat-post itself to prevent slipping?

You would be best served by first going to you dealer for advise. I am unsure why you would change the seatpost, as this may provide more salient information regarding your problem.

That said, if you really want to use the seatpost mentioned, it sounds undersized. You can buy seatpost specific shims. I again would recommend going to a LBS as they have the ability to best gauge the correct size shim, and order it for you. CF frames do not handle stresses that they weren't designed for well.


Shifting can't keep up with my acceleration

Remember, very few road racers are giving it hell from a standing start. The vast majority of the time they are traveling at a fairly high rate of speed as they approach the end of the race (With the lead out for the sprint, positioning, etc), so the need to jump multiple gears is very limited.

Other times where quick acceleration is needed is to jump a gap or catch a potential breakaway, take advantage of a person lagging on a climb, things of this nature. Again, they are traveling at speed, not from a standing start.

The reason that you have to jump gears is that it is easy to push the gears (low torque), but you quickly speed up past the point where the gear is effective, and depending on your cassette, you may have already almost passed the speed where the next gear up is effective.

Also, road racers often swap gearing in their cassettes, but this is to match the gearing to the terrain. If you are going to be in a mostly flat race, there is no need to have a 28 tooth large cog in the back, so they might go with an 11-20. Conversely, if there is a lot of steep climbing, they may swap to some kind of 12-28 (or greater) configuration.

Track bikes (Which would have more relevance to short burst from standing starts in some of the events) have no gearing, they are fixed.


SRAM Red 53/39 10spd rings and 172.5 crank work with 11 speed cassette upgrade?

11-speed chain is narrower than 10-speed. You keep the crank but you must put on 11-speed rings which will most certainly fit judging by the pictures on SRAM's website. The shape of the cranks remains the same and the BCD is identical, of course.


What components are required to upgrade from a 14 speed to 24 speed?

First, make sure your bike is fit properly - with a bad fit, your efficiency is likely lousy.

More sprockets is not necessarily going to make you go faster/easier - changing gear appropriately and becoming more physically fit will (along with better selected sprockets sizes - we went ages before the Gillette razor-blade increase in rear sprockets...). Most of the more sprocket drive trains are driven by hype.

You may need better choices of sprockets, but certainly, with a 2 x 7 setup, you have enough choices that it should be fine (for example, if you were touring, a 11 cog in the rear would be useless - you'd want a range of larger cogs so you could move the stuff you're lugging around). A 24 speed would need a 3 x 8 setup which means new crankset, new front derailleur, possibly new bottom bracket, new cassette and new shifters (these are the real killer if you want brifters; bar ends or downtube or friction shifters somewhere are cheaper) assuming you could get the chainline and what not right (the RD will be fine if you stay shimano). At this point, with a cheap bike like the Mirage S (400 dollars), you're better off just replacing the whole bike, since parts and labor will cost more than the bike is worth/costs (you will also need some tools you might not have, like a crank puller and cassette tool and cable cutters and what not).

If you're going for a sprint tri, you should be in decent physical shape, so I'd look at fit or just spend some time getting used to the gearing - whenever I haven't ridden my road bike in a while and I get back on, I feel like its geared way too high, but after a few weeks, I feel fine.

If you want to change something and you're sticking to this bike, your best bet is to just change the cassette to something with a wider range of gearing. This may necessitate a new rear derailleur (go wide range (marketed with a SGS code) from Shimano). I guess a new chain may be needed as well if you're using weird gear combinations. I suggest you go to your LBS and see what they'd recommend for a new cassette if you want something easier, given the terrain you're likely to ride.

TL;DR: Don't do this. Either get used to the gearing, put on a larger rear cassette or get a new bike. More speeds isn't necessarily better, knowing how to use them and picking the right speeds is far more valuable.


The most common measurement I've seen is c-c (centre to centre), the distance between the two horizontal tops of the drops, running parallel with the stem and behind the hoods.

If that doesn't make sense, see the following image.

Image credit bikerumour.com

However, you're right to check this as not everyone does it this way. The internal or external sizes might also be interesting if you're wondering how much space the bike will take to store or what size bar bag might fit between them.


Does it matter how far backwards you can spin your drivetrain?

I don’t think it’s a good indicator. Plenty of viscous lube and lightweight (-> low inertia) components can easily mean that a high end bike spins worse than a 20 year old bike with dry and rusty bearings.
The most important thing is friction under load, which is hard to measure. But you should make sure that bearings spin with little force (to make sure they don’t have excessive preload), that they don’t have any play and that they turn smoothly through the full 360°.
To check if the hub’s free wheel mechanism has excessive friction, spin the rear wheel. If you have quick release axles, make sure they are not excessively tight. To check if it’s the bottom bracket bearings (more likely) take off the chain and spin the cranks. If it’s neither of them it has to be the rear derailleur.