Where can I find a 130 bcd single speed chainring with 58 or 60 teeth?

I've been looking for the same thing for a while. Rotor makes a ring that might be of interest: A Q-Ring (oval shape to maximize power stroke) in a 56t in a 130bcd.  That ring goes up to a 59t at the largest point. They say that it is effectively a 58T ring.


Buying a used higher quality bike vs a lower quality new bike

For the most part, bicycles have terrible resale value, which means that you can usually get a really good deal on a used bike. As for the condition of the components, one can't say without actually seeing them, but quality components should have a much longer life than 1500kms. That said, inspect for obvious signs of wear (there should be almost none), and see if you can find out why the bike is being sold.

As PeterH points out, some parts do need to be replaced with greater frequency, such as brake pads and maybe even the chain and rear cassette. Also, check to see if the bike is stolen with the local police or ask the seller for their original invoice / receipt.

Used really is a great way to get the most bike for your buck.


Rat a Tat noises coming from my bottom bracket area. Please help!

I think it's the single speed freewheel.

I've just been through almost exactly the same thing with a brand new Cross Check SS. From day one I had a fast, regular clicking when pedalling, about 4-5 noises per pedal revolution. I could sometimes get it to calm down by pedalling backwards a bit. I was convinced it was the bottom bracket too, until I got the whole crank section rebuilt and it didn't help.

Eventually found some forum posts that described a problem with some SS freewheels, e.g.:

http://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/436916-freewheel-noise-while-pedaling.html
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/general-cycling-discussion/whats-knocking-my-single-speed-211923.html

My bike came with a 17 tooth Shimano freewheel. I got a White Industries freewheel instead and it's been a dream (although the normal ratchet noise when freewheeling is louder now).

Could you try a fixed cog or another rear wheel to eliminate the freewheel?


Connect Trekking Bike Brakes to Road Bike Lever

You can increase the cable pull of a road lever to work with a V-Brake by using a Travel Agent


Why should I not coast while training (even after intervals)?

The reason (and I'm no medical expert) is that it acts as a gradual cool-down period after the hard exercise. During any exercise it is good to cool-down by still moving and exerting less effort. Keeping the muscles moving helps remove lactic acid from the muscles (which contributes to cramping) and keeps the blood flowing. Also sudden changes between hard pedaling and stopping can make your blood pressure change more quickly.  It is better to make gradual transitions.

Basically, for all the same reasons that you should cool down for a few minutes after any strenuous exercise. In intervals, you are just doing it over and over. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooling_down


Transitioning mountain bike into city commuter bike

Short answer: Yes, you can.

The rims on most mountain bikes will support a tire as thin as 26 x 1 inch. 26 x 1.25 is virtually guaranteed on any mountain bike at all. (As long as it is a 26" wheel bike.")


I would start by downloading the manual for your model of trainer from https://www.cycleops.com/support/product-manuals

If its the sort of trainer with a cassette and you remove the bike's rear wheel to train, then you'd clean it like a normal wheel/cassette.

If its roller-based and presses on your rear tyre, then there's probably very little that can be done to clean it.

Either way, soapy carwash, a soft brush/sponge, and a gentle shower of water is probably fine.   Don't use high pressure on any bearings or seals.

As for servicing, probably only useful if its got a problem like squeaks or graunching under use.


Why is my Diadora Traccia's rear tire rub against the frame

There's no such thing as a "left axle" and "right axle": your axle has snapped in two. Replacing it yourself will require specialized tools for the bearings and to remove and replace the rear sprockets: unless you think you'll use those tools again in the future, it's most likely cheaper to get a bike shop to do the repair for you. Or look to see if there's a bike co-op in your area.


MTB tyre sizes are very variable, and the only way to be sure what size you will end up with is to read online reviews and/or see it mounted on a wheel in person.

mattnz is indeed correct in his comment that size can even vary between models from the same manufacturer.

The Conti Mountain King 2(and the XKing that shares the same carcass) in 2.2" flavour are well known to come up small and are generally considered to be a 2.0/2.1.  No need to be concerned though, as they are generally well thought of as XC tyres.

With these two tyres i'd be more concerned about getting the correct rubber variant of rubber compound (either the PureGrip or BlackChilli) than the true size of the tyre.


What's the advantages of bigger wheel? I feel that it's more forgiving on rough road, giving that the tyre width and pressure are the same.

The main advantage is, as you suspect, that a larger wheel does not drop as far into potholes, and generally suffers less from rough roads. That's purely geometry, as seen in this comparison of an ordinary wheel and a child's bike (1.8m high vs 500mm):

For similar reasons the larger wheel will have a lower rolling resistance, both because the casing flexes less at the road surface and because the wheel bearings rotate more slowly.

The disadvantages are significant, however. The larger wheel is less rigid laterally (for the same flange separation at the hub), heavier and has more wind resistance (larger frontal area). Those reasons prompted people to build small wheel bikes, but as is so often the case with good ideas, the UCI banned small wheels in response to Moulton's design.

As far as using larger wheels today, we do. Mountain bikes are increasingly using 622 wheels instead of 559 (the "29er" size), and it's becoming increasingly hard to find cheaper road bikes with anything other than 622 wheels (we had a question recently about where to find 650c/571mm wheels). Note that I'm only talking about safety bikes here, ordinaries use larger wheels because they have their pedals locked to the drive wheel so the only way to get higher gears is with a bigger wheel.

The wheel size is unlikely to increase as peoples average height does because everyone is small at some stage, and it's much easier to build a large bike with small wheels than the converse (Moulton's and  folding bikes take that to the extreme, using 406 or even smaller wheels for adult bikes). So there will always be a market for smaller bikes, and economies of scale mean it's easier to build a ridiculously large frame with small wheels rather than building your own, unique, large wheels.

If you do want to build a bike that way, I suggest looking at unicycle parts because they have the same gearing problem as ordinary bikes, so they have rims and tyres up to about 36" (ISO 787mm). People do build bikes with those wheels:

But as you may guess, people wanting to go fast use small wheels. Almost every open speed record is held by a bike using small wheels, and only UCI records are set with larger ones.


What is the reference unit of the kgf reading on the Park spoke tension chart?

Kilograms force. It is tension equal to a weight of that many kilograms pulling on the spoke under earth gravity.


The part which is broken is called the flange of the hub, however these aren't replaceable. You'd need a whole new hub or wheel.


Will I need a new derailleur when changing to a higher ranged cassette?

There are two aspects to the derailer that come into play here. One is total capacity, which is the total amount of variance in chain slack the derailer can accommodate while keeping the chain taut. Single ring setups such as yours with any kind of "traditional" range cassette (say 12-32 as opposed to whats on some modern 1x bikes, like 10-50) come nowhere close to exceeding the total capacity of even a short cage rear derailer, so you're probably good there.

The other factor is how large of a largest cog your rear derailer can clear without running into it and grinding in that gear. Derailers vary on that spec but many road derailers of the last decades max out at 28, while mountain rear derailers all accommodate at least 32 and go up from there depending on the model. There are various hack-type tricks that can buy you a little more clearance, like running the b-tension screw backwards or putting in a longer one, but many derailers still won't go up to 32 even then. The dropout design can also be a factor. Wolf Tooth Roadlinks and similar products are another hack, and exist to make road derailers do exactly what you're trying to do, but they degrade shifting somewhat and for your needs it would be potentially more cost effective to just buy another derailer at that point.

So in other words, if you want to switch to 12-32 and you have a road derailer now, you should probably buy a mountain derailer. The "optimal" choice would a short cage one that still has the large cog clearance you need, which aren't super common but do exist.

Alternatively you might seriously look at whether 53 is the right tooth count up front for what you're doing. Is 53-14 a gear you use to good effect? Will 53-12 be? Another route you could go is a smaller ring, which has the advantage, presuming your cranks have one of the more common bolt circle diameters, that you could get a modern narrow-wide ring and have better chain retention. You can use a gearing calculator to compare what different combinations would give you.


How can bum / testicle / inner thigh pain from a saddle be prevented?

First, do you have cycling shorts w/ a chamois? If not, I would highly recommend them. As a note, they are your underwear (ex: do not wear undergarments and then put on the shorts).

Second, how did you choose your saddle? Was it fitted through some type of measurement system ala bontragers inform system or specializeds BG system? How much did you spend on the saddle and was it appropriate for the style of riding you are partaking in?

Third, does your bicycle fit you properly? Have you had it fitted?

So, there are a few points that you could answer to give me some help. I cannot recommend a saddle because everyone is different but I can recommend a brand that provides some type of measurement system for choosing your saddle.
As well, if you are wearing cycling shorts a nice chamois butter might help with the chafing.


What are some oft-cited benefits of electric assist on a mountain bike?

I don't know about "oft-cited", because I haven't actually seen any cited. But distinguishing these standard electric assist bicycle from the  "electric trail bikes" that have been round for a while, I can guess some of the advantages compared to an unpowered MTB:

For the Rider/Purchaser (not necessarily the same person)

ability to ride places they couldn't otherwise get to
more ride options with a fitter partner ("together time" in many couples)
unique bike. For a while at least, no-one else is like to have one of these.
easier riding. You can stay unfit, but still go mountain biking
for off road touring, ability to carry/tow more gear

For the manufacturer

more profitable, because it's a small market niche
less competition
opportunity to "lock in" retailers by requiring brand-specific parts and test equipment
easier vertical integration via the same mechanism (more of the parts are from one manufacturer.

I suspect the market for basic, obvious MTeB's is more couples and families, allowing them to go out for a ride together that's more interesting than just easy laps around a well-formed trail in a park.

Of course, none of this is actually new. The first power assist mountain bike I saw had a bunch of lead-acid batteries bolted to an early mountain bike, and that would have been before 1990. I've been seeing what look like reasonably capable MTeB's in catalogues and online for quite a few years.

The slow change I'm seeing is that there are more "MTB parks" and so on with very easy trails, so it's more realistic for someone who rides with assist on the road to also ride the easier trails. The technology is also there now to conceal the motor to a large extend, reducing the reluctance of unfit people to buy one and go out riding with their fitter mates. At some point that tech crosses over with outright cheating in races, which we're also seeing more of now.

What we have been seeing for a while is "electric trail bikes" sold as  "electric mountain bike", with the huge benefit over a petrol "trail bike" is that the former doesn't need registration and can often be ridden in areas where motor vehicles are banned. This is also why they're controversial with many MTB people, as they allow silent, very fast, and unexpectedly heavy bikes to use MTB tracks.

There are two differences between those and power assisted bicycles though. Bicycles in most countries are limited to 200W or 250W, where trail bikes are usually 1kW or more. The second is the key "assist" word. The bicycle can be ridden without power assistance, the motorbike can't be. That makes the difference between an "electric mountain bike" and a power assisted bicycle pretty simple - if it's under 250W and you can ride without the motor, it's a bicycle.

There was a case in NSW where a cop told someone on a "pedal scooter" (looks like a motor scooter, has pedals sticking out the sides) to turn the motor off and pedal it a few hundred metres, which the rider was unable to do. Ticket issued, court case lost.


Road bike shipped with one of the brake cable heads disconnected from the brake lever

You probably won't need to unwrap the bar tape - simply release the inner wire from the pinch nut/bolt on the brake, possibly pull off any end cap crimp, and pull the wire all the way up and out.

Retwist any loose strands of brake cable so it lies flat.  I suggest you use a drop of superglue now on the very end to keep it all together.  When set, carry on.

Then squeeze that brake lever, peer down the hole and feed the glued end through the brake's stop, and then into the inner cable.  It may go easy, it may take a very long time to get it in the hole you can't see... there is no guarantee that the holes line up.

One trick is to use another length of brake cable, and feed it up from below temporarily.  Then when you see it come up into the brake lever, use that end to guide the proper brake cable into the unseen outer.

If you can't get it within 10 minutes, give up and unwrap the bartape on that side.  It should unwrap from the middle so its not too bad.  You'll probably need some tape to close it up again when done.   It may help to very-slightly dirty the bar tape before unwrapping, so you can see where they overlapped.  Perhaps a pencil dragged across the underside of the bars where it can't be seen.

When you do get the wire through, remember to seat it in the brake's pinch bolt, and adjust the brake as required.  And test before riding.

Good luck!


What tools to bring for road side chain maintenance

Taking a piece of chain can be useful one day, but what is the likelihood? I say take a multitool with a chain-breaking tool, that you verified you are actually strong enough to use (some have very small leverage) and a quicklink. That's good enough for normal rides, unless you are going for a week on your own. Many other people don't take anything. Assess the dangers yourself. On a road bike you are less likely to do more than breaking a single link, on a mountain bike it may be more likely, depending on the kind of your riding.

If you are so worried that you need a full piece of chain you could also nee some spare spokes, tools for removing your cassette (including a wrench with enough leverage) or even a spare rear derailleur (apart from the usual spare hanger). And your torque wrench in case your stem or saddle becomes loose. Ad you will find out it is simply impossible to stuff everything in your saddle bag. Especially if you planned to take two spare tubes as well.


Bike tires only inflate up to 30psi with foot pump

I don't think it's likely that there's a problem with the valve or tube. You should check it with a separate pressure gauge and try a different pump.


Upgrade compnents to fix "Everest" brand BSO/MTB

From some quick searching, it seems that "Everest" is a department store brand. Most upgrades that you would really notice would probably cost a significant portion of the value of the bike. Other than making sure it's in good mechanical condition, I wouldn't recommend putting much money into this bike.  Make sure the chain is oiled and there is the correct air pressure in the tires.  Make sure the gears and brakes are adjusted properly and work well.  Even something simple like a set of tires or new brake mechanisms could easily cost $50+.  Just ride it and have fun with it. Save up your money for a better bike.


The "lockring spacer" (so labelled on Shimano Exploded View diagrams and other technical documents) is a very thin metal washer or shim between the lockrings of higher- end cassetes such as XT, Ultegra, and the like. Normally it is held captive on the lockring,  and based on Q and A from other forums (see example here: https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=122213#p1235924) this little bugger is often installed unseen or the inexperienced-but-fully- prepped-with-technical-manuals mechanic is given lengthy pause as the search for this "spacer" commences.
It is included with the appropriate cassettes in it's correct position.  As mentioned, higher end cassetes utilize this washer/spacer/shim between lockring and first position, high, sprocket as a means of protecting the integrity and functionality of the serrations of the associated lockrings, which in these upper-tier models is not steel but rather aluminum-alloy. This thin little washer then, "protects small peaks of those serrations getting worn off by cassette removal and replacement."   A more in-depth reasoning: "There are about 100 teeth in the serration and the screw thread is ~1mm pitch which means that each 'click' results in ~10 microns (less than half a thou') more compression. However the serrations are about 250 microns high which means that with metal spacers in the cassette, the lockring may never tighten enough unless the metal shim is fitted. Plastic spacers are more elastic which allows the lockring to tighten more easily. However with plastic spacers in the cassette they can 'relax' over time which results in a reduced clamping force and can often allow the lockring to go up about another 1/4 turn once the thing has been installed for a while (enough to cause problems with indexing accuracy in fact). Metal spacers don't relax but both metal and plastic spacers can wear thinner if the sprockets start to move around (which they will do, all the time, if the lockring doesn't provide an adequate clamping
force)."
So there's some light shed on the very slim shim. Look (closely) for it on your next top-end cassette.


How can I know my brake fluid needs changing?

The suggested interval to bleed your brakes seems to different among manufacturers.
While  SRAMs techdocs explicitly mention to replace the fluid every year, Shimanos techdocs (p20) does only recommends to replace the oil if it becomes severely discolored. For recreational use, I think you're safe bleeding once every two years but depending of the usage and storage it might be quicker.

Magura on the other hand claims their Royal Blood oil (p21) does not age. I've ridden an MTB having HS33 brakes with 10 year old oil and indeed had a firm braking experience.

Are there any changes I can notice in my brakes that will let me know its time to change the fluid?
Replacing the fluid before the regular maintenance can be required if air got in the system. Magura suggests to replacing the oil if:

the brake does not respons immediatly when the brake lever is actuated
pressure point is not clearly defined, it is spongy or does not remain constant
the brake hose has been changed

If you have multiple bikes and like to do some own maintenance, it's even worth looking into buying your own bleeding kit. Shimano has nice technical documentation and there are various videos online giving you a feeling how to bleed your specific brake type.

Small sidenote, regarding storing your bike: ideal you put the flat and upright, so there is less chance for air coming in the brake system. While transporting the bike be sure not to press the brake levers without having the wheels in your bike, as it can cause the pistons coming out too far.


Hydraulic brakes with time trial levers?

The Magura RT6 and RT8 Hydraulic TT brakes have been available (if somewhat unusual) since last year. They are a solid system which is compatible with most current TT frames.  The RT6I've only seen as an OEM product.  The RT8 seems to be the retail version.

Hydraulic STI levers from Shimano are expected on display at the Taipei Bike Show, going on this week, and an announcement from SRAM is expected in late May.

The photo below is a pre-release Shimano Hyddraulic STI lever seen last February on Rabobank pro rider Michiel vd Heijden's cyclocross bike.


The first thing to note is "Does the 8 speed hub clear the dropouts ?"

You may be able to spread the frame if steel. Since you're likely going from a 120mm to 130 mm (which is 2 sizes - 120->126->130), you should be cold setting it.

The second question would be "Can the brakes reach the rim?"

Unfortunately, to my knowledge, nobody makes a 5 speed cassette. You'll have to get a 7 or 8 speed cassette and tweak the limit screws on the rear derailleur so you shift in the appropriate range (if indexed, and the sprocket spacing matches the indexing [ I don't think it will, since a 5 speed freewheel should have 5.5 mm, while a 7 or 8 speed cassette 5 mm] ). Alternatively, if you have friction shifters (or can deal with friction shifters), set the limit screws, throw on an 8 speed chain and friction shift.

However, Velo Orange makes a cheap wheelset which can take a freewheel, and plenty of 5 speed freewheels are still around (e.g. IRD). (Note that you can get 126mm, 130 mm).

My recommendation would be to cold set the frame to a 130 mm hub if you can and use your shifters in friction mode after adjusting the limit screws appropriately with a 7 or 8 speed cassette. If you don't want to cold set the frame, then buy a wheel with a freewheel hub of appropriate spacing (likely 120 mm if it came with a 5 speed freewheel - 120 mm hubs are still made, but I don't know who sells complete wheels so it may need to be built to order), buy a nice 5 speed freewheel from IRD and move on with your life. This will allow you to use indexing if you have it. The latter would be your only option if your frame is not steel.


Deore Derailleur w/ Tiagra STI Shifter Compatibility

I was working off of the general hypothesis that a 9 speed mountain derailleur would have the same pull ratio as the 10 speed STI shifters.

That's true, except for Tiagra 4700, which rather inexplicably uses the 11 speed pull ratio.

See https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/52277/24228

  Presently there are two different 10-speed Tiagra generations, 4600 and 4700. (So the STI from one is ST-4600 and the other is ST-4700, etc). 4600 uses the same classic actuation ratio that all pre-11-speed Shimano road groups used other than first generation Dura-Ace. 4700, however, is an oddball group. It's 10-speed but uses the new 11-speed actuation ratio


Good substitutes for WD-40 in emergency situation?

Actually, WD40 is a poor penetrating oil -- Liquid Wrench, et al, are better.  But the Coke trick works, supposedly because of the phosphoric acid.  Another one is to heat the part -- eg, get a piece of iron hot in a fire and then hold it against the fastener for a minute or two.  Works best if you can actually heat the female part of the connection, but tends to work even if you must heat the male screw.  Sometimes heating and then dousing with water will break a part free, if heating alone doesn't do it.

Of course, be careful of any plastic parts, and avoid overheating bearings.


Modern road bike 8 spd vs 9 spd - what are benefits and is it just about the speed?

For making things simpler from marketing perspective manufacturers upgrade not only groupset with the next level, but many other components too. So overall in this price range you should not only be getting more gears, but lower weight, more reliable and higher quality components, better brakes etc. It could be even the difference between bottom bracket standards and chainsets which could make your life a little bit easier when it comes to service effort / service range.

Regarding speeds - more gears just give you smaller gaps between them, you can see it yourself that both 8 speed and 11 speed cassettes could provide you the same range of 11-28 or 11-32 (hardest gear size - easiest gear size), so going flat out or going uphill should make no difference. except the weight savings.

So answering your questions, you need to count in more factors to be able to make a choice. What's your expectations on a bike? How long do you want to keep it? In my opinion in this price range you get good value for money each time you pay a little bit extra. At the same time I'm sure it's possible to find Tiagra if not 105 bikes for the same price if you look for less mainstream brands, buy online or wait with the purchase to make it during autumn/winter season.

UPD: also would like to loop in the factor of resale value. I believe for lower spec road bikes it's usually quite low, while I can see people sell Ultegra bikes for something like 75% of the new price, when it comes to Claris I can see ads with only 50% of the price of the new. So at the end buying slightly more expensive groupset could save you some cash, worth checking out your local market of used bikes to make a decision.


Disc brake pads - steel vs aluminium back plate

Some Tektro calipers use a magnet to retain and position the brake pad. The magnet is part of the caliper piston so the pad backing material would have to be steel.Most hydraulic brake pistons are aluminum to reduce weight and resist corrosion.If your pistons are aluminum I would use the aluminum pads due to the possible corrosion caused by the disimilar metals (steelpad against an aluminum piston).


It's a knob that allows you to switch the shifter between SIS mode and friction mode. I discovered that here where they have images of the user manual for this shifter or a similar one:

SIS stands for Shimano Indexed Shifting, which is the type of shifting most riders of newer bikes are familiar with - clicking between gears by number. Friction shifting means the lever moves smoothly and you learn to find the correct gear by feel. If you've ever ridden an older road bike (the kind that often has downtube shifters), you've probably experienced those.

As always, Sheldon has more info.


Why is it important to wipe excess lubricant off your chain?

The primary purpose of chain lube is to lubricate the rollers and other internal parts of each link, not to lubricate the outside. Excess lube on the outside of the chain will get dirt stuck to it, that dirt will slowly work its way into the rollers that you're trying to protect, and dirt inside will grind away at the internal parts and wear out the chain faster.

I wouldn't use toilet-paper (WC-paper), as that's usually pretty flimsy and will leave bits of itself behind. You don't want to wipe with something that will leave anything behind. Use a lint-free rag of some sort.  I either use a worn out dish towel or a worn out sock. A sturdy paper towel would probably be fine.

I interpret "to wipe" as meaning to rub an absorbent cloth against all 4 sides of the entire length of the chain, such that there's only a thin coating of lubricant left behind (no visible drops).  I would usually wait a few minutes and ride the bike around to give the lube a chance to penetrate into the internal parts of the chain, then wipe off the outside of the chain.


These are SPD-R pedals. SPD-R is Shimano's older road pedal system, and its cleats have different bolt pattern than either SPD or any other road pedal. The cleats are still available from some online shops, but you need either old SPD-R compatible shoes or an adapter plate to use them.


Does sealant in tubeless tyres slosh around?

Tubeless sealant has the consistency of roughly soy milk. If you take a tubeless wheel and shake it, you should hear the sealant sloshing around (and if you don't, chances are it's time to add sealant). You need to have liquid sealant to help seal punctures; if its solid and dried out, it won't be mobile.

Will you hear it when riding? No. There are far louder noises in normal riding, particularly wind and tire noise anyway that would prevent you from feeling it.

Will you feel it? No. There's not much sealant in a tire -- on the order of tens of grams; it doesn't have the mass or speed of movement or consistency for you to notice that it does move (it's not like you're putting a bunch of ball bearings in the tire -- its a sticky yet relatively free flowing liquid).


Looking for Bar-end shifters (Shimano Golden Arrow)

Generally speaking, friction shifting works fine as long as you have the skill to shift, and that the shifter can pull enough cable to cover the whole width of movement needed.
Bar end shifters can be friction, indexed, or switchable between both.
Your existing derailleurs are probably fine to use with any friction shifter.
The linked Golden Arrow ones are quite vintage and will command a high price to find in decent condition.


No, you will not ride faster in any meaningful way unless you're doing time trials at an elite level where mere seconds (or less) of improvement are gained through optimizing a long list of equipment (with clothing in the middle of that list). As always, the overwhelming determinant of performance is training.

The real reason for wearing a jersey is the following:

Sweat management. Wicking fabric has to lie against to the skin to actually wick the sweat and transport it to the exterior where the wind will evaporate it quickly.
Pockets in rear. Pockets are useful. The only place you can reasonably put them is in back.
Long rear. It looks better when you're hunched over the bike.
A zipper. So you can regulate temperature.
Fitted + Flat seams. Flapping fabric is annoying on a ride and seams tend to painfully rub on long rides.


You will want to look at the active ingredients of the degreaser to see if it contains any strong solvents.  You will also want to consult your dealer or manual for the type of paint coating on your bike.  The name degreaser is a bit of a misnomer; it contains an oil that dissolves oils within the medium which allows a majority of the dirt to slide away.  However, degreasers leave a thin layer of oil no matter how much water you spray on it which is why you cannot paint over degreased surfaces.
Solvents only leave a film of solvent which eventually evaporates into the air, leaving a bare surface.  However as they generally have high chemical energy, these are what can pull off finishes.
I would try low abrasive dry cleaners like baking soda or bleach powder (Comet) first as it will slightly abrade and maybe even polish your paint rather than risk dissolving it.
See Applied Science's video for details on different cleaner types application which is extremely useful in more than just cleaning vehicles.


The closest thing I have seen is the WeeRide Kangaroo that places the child in front of you.  the support bar attaches to the seatpost and to the head tube, so if you had a second seat post you could leave the bar attached to that end and just connect it at the head tube.

I don't know of anything that attaches just to the seat post, as the physics involved would cause pretty high torsional force at the point of attachment.

See this related question on toddler seat v. trailer for other child carrying options.


How to install a saddle on a seatpost with a top facing bolt

You use the front bolt to set the angle first, then torque the rear bolt. Sometimes a few times to get it right.
The front bolt is adjusted with the thumbdial or a lever put into one of the holes in the thumbdial (eg 2.5mm allen key) when the rear bolt is fully slack. Hopefully it won't have blue loctite on it but if it does, you should remove it and replace with grease.
The thumbdial is shown in the second photo, the black, splined part on the bolt.


GT MTB - New tires - same size front/rear or a mix? (based on my needs below)

Looks like a good tire for both uses. The speed king would be faster on road, but not as good off road.   If your off road is tending towards non-technical and dry hardpack, consider speed king. Size down not matter - narrow for more road/hard pack, wider for more technical off road conditions.

Consider something like speedking rear and raceking front. With more weight (70%) on the rear, the rolling resistance is relatively more important on there ear. The race king ont he front will provide more predictable traction for steering and control when off road.

One thing to watch is sealed/paved roads, especially when wet.  As you lean into a corner, you transition onto the nobbly shoulder and loose traction when you most need it. Something like the speed king can catch an unwary rider out.

Ideally you have two bikes, second best is two sets of rims, one for off road and other for on road.


Are children's helmets with styling less safe?

Sad to say, I think with children the main injury mechanisms are falling off their bike at low speed or getting hit by a car. Both are blunt force trauma that the helmet can mitigate with little sliding.

Contrast against a road or mountain bike going downhill at 50 kph and wiping out at a corner.


Drilling and cutting rack mounting bracket arms

I've got a very similar rack and avoided cutting the arms only by using one screw per arm instead of the two in your first picture (at the rack end). Crossing the arms over and using one screw per arm shortens the effective length still further. You might need to bend them a little bit they're definitely designed for that. I actually ran with only one arm on that rack on one bike, as the left arm interfered with the brake unavoidably. On my similar rack the arms are stainless steel and cutting/drilling seems like a bit too much effort (my drills are probably not sharp enough).

I've fitted about 10 racks across 6 bikes. Nearly all have needed some sort of modification, or fittings swapped between racks.


The side to side you're feeling is that your headset is binding up. This can either be because it's too tight or because you've put some part of the headset in upside down (i.e. a bearing cage or installed the cups the wrong way around) or something is out of alignment. It is especially a problem on the bottom cup, when the headset is under load and can't micro-adjust the wheel as you ride.

Check everything is seated properly and in alignment (try putting a sheet of paper between the cups/races and the frame. Check all your bearings are clean and lubricated and nothing is installed backwards.

When tightening your headset you want it tight enough that there is no play, and no tighter. To check for play put the bike on the ground, hold the front brake and push/pull on the handlebars. Then do it with the wheel turned 90° left and right. Ensure you're not tightening the top race when tightening the lock nut.


Is there a certain size tube for my tyres?

Each tube reference size fits a certain number of tire sizes.
For example, I ride 700x23c tires and my tubes are 700-18-23c.

So just find out the size of your tire (should be written on the sidewall) and go out for a tube that will hav this tire size in its fitting range.

Be careful about the valve specification too. get a tube with the same valve type as your previous tube/as your wheel supports : http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_u-v.html#valve


Mountain bike tires going bald after few weeks

'Decent' MTB means different things to different people. What are the actual tires' make/model and sub model?

Many manufacturers use the same tire mold for different tires with different characteristics. For instance Schwalbe make a range of tires (e.g. Nobby Nick, Racing Ralf, Rocket Ron) with various tread patterns for different terrain. With each in this range you can get various sub models. Apart from light weight vs puncture protection, there is 'Performance' and 'Evo' rubber compound. Evo does not last long, but holds on like a pitbull with a bone; Performance lasts longer, but is less grippy.  (Using Schwalbe as an example here, not a recommendation)

If it is a high end bike, it's likely come with tires built for grip in loose surfaces, not longevity on paved surfaces. These tires have a soft rubber and wear very quickly on paved surfaces. 200 miles from MTB tires is not great, but not unexpected if they are a 'race' model.

For your next set of tires, look for ones designed for hard/paved surfaces, and unless you need (or want) the 'race' performance, go for model designed for longevity.

Most tire manufactures have good tools for tire selection on their web site, otherwise your local bike shop (LBS) will be able to recommend a tire suitable for the riding you are doing.


When Campagnolo introduced their 11 speed high end groupsets they re-engineered the chainset and introduced 'Micro Precision Shifting' and that new bottom bracket design amongst other features. Whilst they were at it they put the new (and thinner) chainrings on the 9/10 speed groupsets, including yours. Not that yours is compatible with 11 speed - you would have to replace the chainrings for that.

And yes, they have created a bewildering array of parts that are a compatibility minefield, making one suspect Shimano are not so bad after all...

Your BBB chainring is for the earlier 9/10 speed systems and sadly won't fit. Your best option is to put the 53T back on there until you can devote the man-months needed to research, afford and buy a genuine 50T Campagnolo MPS chainring.


Those style of saddle clamp only slip like you described if they’re loose. Make sure you tighten the side bolts really good (it’s hard to break those things) and use threadlocker.
A better option is to buy a 2-bolt (also known as “infinite adjust”) seatpost. Those use a better design where that slippage is not possible. Simple aluminum posts are not too expensive. Make sure you get the right diameter and length for your bike.


These are SRAM inline hydraulic hose connectors, an article on Bikerumor mentions these are supposed to be OEM only:

  We mentioned that the new Connectamajig will be offered for use with
  this, and it’s aimed at the OEM manufacturers to ease assembly line
  efforts. SRAM’s product managers were careful to point out that it’s
  not really designed to be a quick disconnect for travel frames, it’s
  primarily to make installation easier.

If you look at photo above, you can see the male part, so I'd look around for it. Also, if you are building a brand new Specialized out of the box, I'd try to connect their customer support or wherever you purchased the bike from for assembly advice.


"Inches of travel" refers to how much the shocks can compress before hitting their limit. The more inches of travel the shocks have, the large an impact they can absorb. More travel does not automatically mean that one bike is better than another. Different riding styles and different trail conditions will require different amounts of travel.


Can I put a 10 speed 11-36 cassette on a Road Bike with a 50/39/30 crank?

Most likely yes, the M772 will work.  As you have already calculated, the capacity is within spec, and the maximum sprocket size is out of range by just 2 teeth.  In my experience this is very likely to work, so long as the rear dropout on your frame is not especially near to the axle, and so long as you tighten the "B screw" more than normal with a smaller cassette.

Whatever you do, don't buy a "Dyna-Sys" model, because they aren't compatible with your shifters.  This rules out the M780.

Also note that with the super-low gear of 30x36, you do somewhat increase the chances of breaking a rear spoke (or the chain) if you put a large amount of force into the pedals with such low gearing.  This isn't a big concern, but don't get carried away with it unless your body weight is quite low.


Some good guidelines are here, courtesy of Sheldon Brown.

Assuming you have the right freehub body for Shimano/SRAM-style cassettes on the FTS-X, you just (probably) need a 4.5mm spacer behind the cassette.


"Cyclist's Palsy" shouldn't happen at all. Find someone competent to help you fit your bike. My first suggestion is the nose of your saddle it too low causing you to lean forward and put pressure on your hands. Whatever the cause, you need to find it and fix it before you do permanent damage.


Upgrading from TRP to Shimano disc brakes

You might want to start by checking out this thread.

The Ultegra brakes will be flat mount. It sounds like your frame has an IS mount, and your fork has a post mount. AFAICT, there is no such thing as an adapter for flat-mount brakes on a post-mount fork, nor for flat to IS. Yay standards!


Proper "Bed-in" Procedure assuming pads and rotor are brand new per manufacturer's instruction (SRAM, Shimano, etc all recommend this method with slight variations).

This should be done prior to the first ride of the bike, shop employees should do this after assembly and prior to it being on the sales floor. 95% of Big box stores to do not.

Clean the rotor with alcohol, this is not the most important step, but it is recommended by SRAM as well as some others, but is more of a perfectionist approach as is #2.
Visually inspect brake pads for debris, dust, contaminants etc from shipping.
Select a large flat area where you can safely ride at approximately 20MPH (30 kph)
Begin by riding about 10-15mph (15-25kph) and firmly apply brakes until walking speed is achieved DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP  Repeat this process approximately 20 times.

- Coming to a complete stop builds excess material in the spot the pad comes to rest, imagine pushing a dry erase eraser over a white board full of black marker, where it stops it leaves a build up of the ink it has removed, the physics are similar.

Now repeat this process but at a higher speed, around 20+ MPH (30+ kph), and very firmly apply the brakes until a walking speed is acheived, DO NOT STOP, repeat this process 10 times.

NEVER LOCK THE BRAKES UP DURING THE BED IN PROCESS for the reason described above.

-This is why casual riding does not do the job, as stopping or having to stop can ruin the entire process.

Allow the brakes to fully cool before additional riding.

The bed in process works by heating the pads and rotor which helps to apply a smooth and consistent transfer layer to the rotor. Locking the wheels up while braking during this process cause one area to be slightly heavier in deposit than others, which after every pass and stop in that position more is deposited in that one spot which eventually leads to shuddering of the brakes due to the microscopic varying of thickness.

Rim brakes do not require this procedure as the interaction between rubber and metal is much different than metal to metal (or organic) compounds. Rubber brake pads do not require as smooth as surface and are much more forgiving with surface imperfections. Thus is the reason they don't squeel and squeek nearly as bad as disc brakes.

Rubber is also a lot easier to transfer to the rim surface because of it's pliable nature, and it requires less heat to achieve this, the heat that is gained by following the above procedure is instrumental in transferring metallic substrates.

Any extra rubber that builds up on the rim surfaces will be quickly worn away in the next several passes of the wheel, metallics that have been heated, transferred and then allowed to cool (it happens quick) are a lot harder to remove as they have formed a stronger bond.

This can be explained as such: melt a piece of rubber and allow it to drip onto a piece of sheet metal and allow it to cool, now do the same with metal and try and remove both... you get the idea.

Some people also douse the calipers with cool distilled water afterwards to help the cooling process, but i personally am not a fan of this nor do i recommend it.

Sources include:

years of industry experience on the distribution side

Related Reading:
 - SRAM
 - Village Cycle


Campagnolo: Can I run an 11 speed chain on my 10 speed chainrings?

Very likely yes this will work fine.  The main risks are

that it is "out of spec" by the manufacturer so a warranty claim might be rejected
11 speed chain is narrower than 10 speed so the FD's cage will be a little wider - meaning the shifter has to move a little more to nudge the chain over
the tolerance changes can increase the risk of a dropped chain on the inside, between, or outside of the chainrings.

Though I've successfully used 9 speed chain on what started as a 5 speed triple chainset, and its still working fine (though its friction shifting which may disguise some shifting issues.)


How can I remove very stuck headset spacers (alu/carbon)

I went ahead with the rotary tool (Dremel) and general cutting disc. I cut two grooves side by side in the top spacer and prized one of them open with a flat screwdriver. Once the aluminium is thin enough, it will snap open with a little click, so it isn't necessary to cut all the way through. I carefully cut a little deeper each pass and tested with the screwdriver, managing to find the point it would snap open with the tool never touching the carbon steerer.

The top two spacers were removed in this manner, but I didn't want to cut through the silver spacer or conical spacer as they would be awkward to replace. That meant I couldn't cut vertically through the third spacer using the 38mm cutting disc. See below, I cut vertically as far down as I could and then ground away the spacer with a horizontal cut until enough was removed to snap open the spacer. That was the hardest part with the rotary tool to avoid damage to the steerer below but with patience it was doable.
It looks a little rough photographed up close, but it was careful and patient work with no damage to any carbon parts and minimal nick to the silver spacer.

Now I could remove all the spacers and had just the compression ring to remove. This had seized onto the steel inner race of the top cartridge bearing, meaning the whole assembly was still stuck together. I tapped the steerer tube down to raise the ring up and cut through the steel race, minimising touching the compression ring to preserve it. I didn't want to drive the fork all the way down in case the metal would gouge the carbon. The ring did get a little roughed up by trying to prise it up beforehand, so this was treated afterwards with a file to remove the burrs. They were really stuck together and even off the bike it took some force to separate them.

I don't think the spacers were bonded to the steerer by corrosion, but rather the gap that would let them spin was packed with the white yuck, so they were jammed in place. Once the spacers were prised open they slid off quite easily. If they were bonded on it would have taken much more force. The compression ring however was (galvanic?) corroded into place and meant that tapping down the steerer would have been futile while spacers were still jammed on.
The old bearings were removed and everything else cleaned up nicely. New bearings and spacers went on and the steering felt like new again.


Dropper posts are not much different when it comes to bike fitting when you think about them being at their full extension. You should reposition a seat post to such an insertion depth that the saddle's position is comfortable for you to pedal. Then, there are issues of the saddle being at its lowest position (on full suspension frames it might occasionally touch the wheel), but they are really secondary at most.
Unless you have a post that is literally integrated into the frame (and KS Lev Integra is not, it is a separate unit), you can loosen the seatpost collar and move the whole unit up and down and then re-tighten the collar. In your case, you should try sinking the seatpost deeper into the seat tube.
There are limits to how deep a seatpost can be sunk, of course. For regular seat posts, it is the curvature or butting of the seat tube, bottle bosses or other geometrical properties of the frame. For dropper posts the limiting factors are same, plus one more limit is the presence of a seatpost collar which is thicker than the rest of the outer tubing.
You should try lowering your post as low as it goes in the frame. Most likely it will stop at its own collar pressing down at the frame's seat post collar/binder. If then, at its full extension, the saddle still feels too high, you are likely to have a frame too big for you.
From this point, you can reposition the seat post as a unit a bit higher until you find the best setting for you (keep it fully extended when doing so). As you correctly noticed, even a single centimeter makes huge difference, so feel free to experiment over time. As usual, be sure to not violate the minimum insertion depth marking on the seat post (or at least 10 cm).

A new, less tall saddle perhaps?

That is possible, but it is likely to win you just a couple of mm, and your choice of saddles will be very limited.

Thicker pedals?

Maybe, but thicker pedals are also heavier and more likely to experience rock strikes. Again, you are unlikely to gain more than a couple of mm at most.
Shorter cranks would also be a "geometrical" solution, but they create new bike fit issues (e.g. knee pain) to tackle. Not to say that new cranks may cost more than a new dropper.

Is the travel of the dropper post adjustable?

The best way is to consult with the manufacturer. Some dropper posts on the market, especially newer models with travel values bigger than 150 mm, are internally adjustable; more "classic" designs, to which KS Lev is likely to belong, were not designed with that in mind.
If you are mechanically inclined, you can always try to clamp an internal shim on the post's shaft to limit its travel. Please don't cut your frame's seat tube to make it go lower!
I've found evidence of people achieving the desired effect by enforcing a new extension limit externally:

I ended up tying a wire from the seat post clamp bolt to the seat rail to limit how much it can go up. It's kinda ghetto, but works!


Cage Length (Rear Derallieur) and Total Capacity

There's a huge disadvantage for a Dahon and any other small-wheeled derailer bike, which is that the cage is gong to be unfortunately close to the ground no matter what you do, and having a longer cage than necessary makes the problem worse.

Shorter cages also manage chain slap better and are lighter.


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


Can I use slider dropouts on my track dropouts?

If your rear spacing measures 115mm it might actually be designed as 110mm or 120mm. See here for standard hub spacings.

120mm freewheel hubs should be available, but you will only be able to fit a 5 speed freewheel onto it. If the frame is 100mm and steel you can probably expand the spacing to 120mm - see the page linked above for how that is done.

You will not be able to buy a 120mm hub with a disc rotor attachment. Disc rotors take up space, so hubs and frames had to get wider to accommodate them and keep the spoke flanges separated enough to maintain wheel strength.

Personally, I wouldn't trust a disc brake conversion kit period, especially one that relies on a couple of tabs in the slot dropout to resist braking torque like the one you included a picture of. A decent set of rim brakes should be plenty powerful enough.

Also, the kit pictured moves the rear wheel attachment out of the actual frame dropouts. Again, I wouldn't trust that particular kit. There are slot dropout derailleur hangers available that keep the axle bolted in the frame.


My opinion is that the smaller balls could theoretically be smoother. The larger balls could be more durable. Seeing as how a typical low tech headset lasts a very long time if installed, adjusted and maintained correctly, I doubt it makes a huge difference. The exposed part of the race may be slightly more visible if appearance is a critical factor.


Is pollution a problem in urban cycling?

Rank, Folke and Jespersen (2001), "Differences in cyclists and car drivers exposure to air pollution from traffic in the city of Copenhagen", The Science of The Total Environment, 279:131-136

  teams of two cyclists and two car drivers in two cars were equipped with personal air samplers while driving for 4 hours on 2 different days in the morning traffic of Copenhagen. The air sample charcoal tubes were analysed for their benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) content and the air filters for particles (total dust). The concentrations of particles and BTEX in the cabin of the cars were 2–4 times greater than in the cyclists’ breathing zone, the greatest difference being for BTEX. Therefore, even after taking the increased respiration rate of cyclists into consideration, car drivers seem to be more exposed to airborne pollution than cyclists.


Why do all riders in the Tour wear WHITE bike shoes?

They don't. Here are some links to examples:

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tour-de-france-shoes-gallery/
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/top-5-custom-road-shoes-at-the-tour-de-france/
https://cyclingtips.com/2019/07/photo-gallery-the-best-shoes-of-the-2019-tour-de-france/

You can see some blue ones, yellow ones, orange ones, black ones, purple ones, etc.


Latest 105 and Tiagra iterations at this moment are 4700 and 5800. Both have same crankset design, so I don't see why left crankarm wouldn't be compatible. I'd figure you would be more concerned about color mismatch. There's also a slight weight difference, but I doubt most riders would notice it.


Cosmetic or structural damage to Carbon Crank Arm

A lot of carbon cranks are running around like that. It's almost certainly harmless. If you can dig a fingernail in and feel jagged fibers that might warrant smoothing it down or filling it in and sealing it, but for the most part it can be ignored. Some people use something like heli tape to protect that area. That's reasonable if you're doing the kind of riding that causes impacts here to begin with. If it's bugging you, you can get an opaque protection sticker to cover the damage.


Don't overthink it.  For casual weekend riding a 40-year-old Huffy will be quite serviceable.

It's important, if you possibly can, to actually ride the bike you're thinking of buying, to check it for fit and comfort and to get an up-close feel for "fit and finish".


Converting from V-brakes to Disc Brake without existing mounting holes

In general, on electric bikes, the rear hub is an essential part of the electric motor/drivetrain in order to power the bike and is very different from rear hubs on standard 'manual' bikes.

Because of this, in order to have a rear disc brake system you'd need to replace your hub (or whole wheel if this isn't possible) with one that has disc brake rotor mounts. You won't be able to use the screw on aluminium one linked to in your question.

Secondly, you'll have to install a retrofit device onto your frame to mount the disc brake caliper. These are available with vary degrees of quality but looking at your frame, you'd need to remove the pannier rack which I assume you probably don't want to do.

I think it may be fruitless to pursue this conversion to be honest and if you have a disc brake on the front of your bike this is where to majority of effective braking should be happening anyway - simple rule is that you should use the front brake to slow your bike down until the point where you can use the back brake to bring your bike to a stop.


How can I teach an 18 year old girl to ride again? (Not ridden since 7)

I would go for the same way I taught my kids to ride. Take the pedals off and let her scoot around until she gets comfortable with the balancing part. Put the seat low enough so that she can touch flat footed. This will allow her to gain confidence and not worry about falling. Once the fear is gone, the rest should come reasonably quickly.


Will a bike stand that holds one wheel damage my bike?

I'm guessing from the way you worded this "pressure on a group of spokes" that there is in fact pressure on spokes when you put your CX bike in this rack. Assuming that, then yes, this rack can cause damage to the wheel. The most likely issue you would have is that the wheel would go out of true and you'd have to true it up. My bigger concern would be your CX bike getting bumped when another bike is being put in/taken out. With the spokes already hitting, you could now bend one or more spokes and the truing process just got a lot harder.

That said, I've racked my bikes in racks where there was a bit of pressure on the spokes for short periods without issue. Long term, you may want to find a better spot for the CX.

Directly answering your question though, a stand that only holds one wheel can do so without damaging the bike...it just needs to be wide enough.


Looking for lightweight somewhat inexpensive flatmount brake calipers for a road bike shipped from North America

If you can't wait for shipping, then your only option is to go to your local bike shops and see what's in stock now.
Brakes are important - I'd suggest politely not focusing primarily on the price, and instead prioritise compatibility, function, and availibility over appearance/price.
Your other option is to shop on your local auction websites, whether that be ebay or craiglist or gumtree, etc.
And try to have a a backup plan too, in case your primary plan doesn't work.


How do I fix scratches that go into an aluminium frame?

My road bike is aluminium and I got a couple of scratches from a car rack too.

Fortunately, rust is not a significant problem.  Your options are

Leave it, and admire the battle scars.
Hide it with decals or accessories or tape.
Gently spot-sand and then use some nail polish or similar to hide the damage.  Generally takes two applications, sometimes more, to build the depth of colour and hide the silver.  You want a colour as similar to your paint as possible.  Don't bother touching up stickers
Full strip and respray - this is significant amounts of work and expense.

For completeness, if your bike was steel I'd say spot sand and prime with undercoat, then apply enamel touchup paint in a suitable colour.

If it was carbon fibre, I'd take it to an expert in carbon repair for a check.  Deep scratching that touches the fibres could be a weakness.

The first two images show chips in the topcoats, which revealed the bright white undercoat.  Possibly a poor preparation procedure, which make the top coat separate easy.

This last picture shows a length about 70 mm where all the top coat had come off.  Its got ~3 layers of $2 shop nail polish in place and seems to be holding the edges of the original paint in place pretty well too.


A few things to do to isolate the problem to the bottom bracket:

Make sure you also hear the noise when standing up (Yes, I know you replaced the seatpost, but it might be the seat. Maybe.)
When you pedal hard, you also exert more force on the handlebar. Try yanking the handlebar every which way while stopped. See if you hear anything.
A while back I had a frame with a crack in it, and I'd hear a creaking sound when pedaling hard, always from the same pedal position. But, a clicking sound like you're describing probably wouldn't come from a frame fracture.

Bottom brackets (especially cartridge units) can make strange sounds when they're starting to wear out (even if they feel fine). That's what my money's on.


Fixed (inside) front disk brake adjustment

This is an entry level bike. As few specifications are available I'll give you some generic adjustments. You question is a bit confusing as the pad closest to the fork is called the outside or outboard pad, the pad that is closest to the center of the wheel is the inside or inboard pad. If the rotor drags in only one spot you need to tweek the rotor. I use an adjustable wrench closed tight on the rotor. Gently push just enough to feel movement, then recheck. On cable operated disc brakes the outside pad is pushed into the rotor by the caliper piston. The inside pad does not move when the lever is pulled. The outside pad deflects the rotor slightly, just enough to make it rub the rotor. The initial adjustment is made by loosening the caliper mounting bolts. Center the caliper so there is an equal gap on both sides, tighten the screws. If you can't see a gap between the rotor and pads they may be set too tight. If you look through the spokes you may see an adjusting bolt on the backside of the caliper Rotating the screw clockwise will move the inside pad closer to the rotor, counterclockwise moves it away from the rotor.


What are wheel tension relief machines called?

I can't find a current reference or photo, but we used to have one at my previous shop. If I remember correctly it was manufactured by J.A. Stein, but that may be wrong. It was a professionally made copy of a popular homemade wheel building tool.

It was called a Stress Relief Box. It consisted of a 6 inch deep box, about 3 inches wider than a 700c rim. There was a a hole cut just about 2" smaller than the rim in the top of the box, so that when a wheel was set on top of it, the rim was supported, but the spokes and hub were not touching anything. There were inserts to allow use with smaller wheels as well.

There was an metal arm that straddled the wheel, which looked like a taller, and wider version of the Park tool dishing tool, with a lever that allowed pressure to be safely placed on the center of the hub.

In this version, there were no hydraulics, but it would appear similar to a hydraulic press, or there could be more versions of them. There were lots of homemade ones, so there is also a possibility that it was a DIY version. I know a guy in Seattle who was working on a Arduino controlled version which was supposed to allow you to set a tension level.

The one we had worked well, and required minimal setup, although it took up space. I haven't seen one in any shop since, and I can't find a current reference, so it may be off the market.

This a very rough diagram of what it looked like:


I need help on how to make my bike faster

There's a nice gear calculator at Sheldon's site. I did a quick calculation for you, and at 50/12, at 90 RPM, you should be going 47.4 km/h.  If you upgraded your front chainring to a 54, and your back cassette to go down to 11, at the same RPM you could go 55.8 km/h, which is a significant increase.  You can play around with different options on the calculator to see how much it would help to get different gearing combinations.

You might find that you won't get much extra speed out of bigger gears as your bike has a somewhat upright posture and therefore you'll be quite limited in what kind of speed you can get.  I think that 50 km/h is plenty fast for a bike and that you should just focus more on going faster on the flats and uphills.


E-bike tires are designed for heavier loads, and faster speeds. Comparing Marathon Plus regular with e-bike version, e-bike has deeper tread, two layer puncture protection, and rubber mixture optimized for higher speed. E-bike one also has max load 6kg higher. For 28 x 1.75 Shwalbe says that regular weights 1100 g and e-bike 1150 g. When I was choosing tires for my bike (about a month ago), e-bike ones felt much heavier, so I am sceptical about this data point.
My conclusion is, you would be paying money and using more mass for some features you would use, like enhanced flat protection, and some you will not, like optimization for heavy mass at high speed.
That said, I am really heavy and I can and want to go relatively fast, so I ended up choosing Energizer Plus Tour, designed for e-bikes, for my regular bike. And I am happy with that choice. Like you, I am mostly riding city, some gravel and light offroad now, and it works all right.


Stepper motors have very poor maximum RPMs and dreadful torque at high rpm. Also, controlling stepper motors requires a special controller and it's hard to find high amperage controllers. High-amperage stepper motors are also very expensive.

There's really no advantage to using a stepper motor. You don't need its precision (you can tell a stepper to rotate CW 145 degrees then back CCW 32 degrees, but why would you need that in an e-bike).

Go with an appropriate brushless motor.


Are Ultegra 10 Speed Sprockets available separately?

Not possible. Shimano makes some replacement 11/12/13t cogs available for Dura Ace, Ultegra, XTR, and XT, and that's it.


If period correctness is not an issue, a modern cassette hub is the better choice. The problem with old freewheel design is that it puts the drive side bearings in the center of the axle where the weight of the rider can bend or break the axle. Modern hubs either put the bearings to the end of the axle or use an oversize axle that can take the load. Other benefits of modern hubs are that because the freewheel mechanism is part of the hub, you don't have to pay for new one when the cogs are worn out, cassettes are easy to replace because they don't tighten themselves when riding and finally, there are lots of affordable decent quality cassettes to choose from.


The conclusions you've drawn from your research are correct. There are racks that are specifically rated for child seats, and they attach to the bike's frame into a pair of rack stays near the seatpost as well as near the rear axle. Any rack rated for touring or hauling heavy loads reliably will use these attachment points at minimum.

A child seat should be mounted on a rack that attaches firmly to the frame of the bike - which usually includes the seat stays near the seatpost. There are racks that attach onto the seatpost themselves, but these are lightweight racks, generally meant for bikes that need a rack only occasionally, or for road bikes without rack braze-ons; such "seatpost racks" are designed for easy removal and attachment, and are not designed to hold more than the weight of a daypack. Mounting a child seat on one of these would be horribly dangerous.

I sincerely hope that you've misunderstood your shop. Attaching a child seat to a seatpost rack would probably break the rack and then harm the child. I suggest avoiding any shop that gave this advice.

But I find it difficult to imagine that even a marginally competent LBS employee would recommend this. Is it possible that what the shop said was to get a rack that attached to the frame near the seatpost, as well as near the rear axle?

Does your bike have attachment points in these locations? from your question, I'm guessing it doesn't, and I'd seriously reconsider and use a trailer instead of a child seat with your bike.


How do I find the right size of bottom bracket?

It would still be helpful if you posted a photo, but I think I can answer without it!

The first major dimension of a bottom bracket is its width. If you have a metric ruler or tape, simply place it underneath the bottom bracket shell. There aren't a bunch of standards super close together so you'll easily get this one right. 68mm is really common and would make your project very easy to complete, but it's ok if it's different.

Like @Criggie said, the 1.37x24T measures the threading. Threads are the next most important dimension, and yours is standard English which is very easy to replace.

Like I said in a comment, your old spindle was probably asymmetrical, but new ones are typically symmetrical. To get your correct spindle length, you need to measure from the center of your spindle to the outer edge of the drive (or right) side. Double that number and you'll have the correct new spindle size. You'll probably want a pair of calipers for this, but the $5 ones at the hardware store are more than sufficient.

I did a quick google and your bottom bracket is probably a Sugino. All I did was type in "SCM 3UB bottom bracket" to get there. This is a Japanese part that is likely NJS spec'd (criteria for use in Japanese track racing) so it very well could have an ISO taper and not a JIS. See here from Sheldon to understand these terms. If your measurements are perfect and your crank won't slide on to the right place, this is the next culprit. If this BB is ISO, and your replacement BB was NJS, then your crank arm was probably about 4mm off from where it needed to be.

Did you already get the fixed cup out of the bottom bracket shell? If you didn't, I'd just take it to the LBS for help. They can do all of these measurements (including checking to see if it's NJS or ISO) for you, and that way you only buy one bottom bracket- the one that fits.

Good luck!


Speedometer = device which measures speed.

Odometer = device which measures distance traveled.

Cycle computers can normally do both (plus many other features you may or may not need).

Are they absolutely necessary for cycling?  No, but they can be quite helpful in many cases.  When riding long distances (e.g. touring, randonneuring), it's often important to know how far you've traveled, so an odometer comes in handy.  You may be trying to determine where you are on a map, how far until the next turn, how far to the next town, etc.

If you're training, being able to track your performance over time can also be handy.


Do city bikes and hybrid bikes have different frame geometries that cause a performance difference?

There is no formal definition of city bike or hybrid bike so this question is hard to answer, especially as 'hybrid' can mean many very different  styles, some of which are slower than some 'city' bikes.
This is a more recognized style, the 'Dutch bike'

The rider is very upright, and there is an enclosed chainstay and mudguards to allow normal clothes to stay clean. Up to about 10mph the upright position doesn't slow you down because wind resistance is minimal at low speeds.
The Dutch bike may also be very heavy. On flat ground this is almost irrelevant, but it is unhelpful in hilly areas.
The gearing is typically an 3-speed hubgear. Whereas derailleurs are up to about 96% efficient, the IGH will be less efficient, however this is typically over 90%. While the drag is perceptible, this is not significant.

In many cases the slow speed will be down to the choice of tyres. A classic 'city' or Dutch bike should not get punctures on the 2km ride back from the pub, and so heavy, puncture-resistant tyres are much more important than shaving 5s off the journey time.
If you fit a Dutch style bike with racing tyres then on flat ground at 10mph then it should not be noticeably harder to pedal than a racing bike. However air resistance grows with the cube of speed, so at 20mph you will be creating a large amount of air resistance.
The most important factor in resistance is not particularly the 'aero' of the bike, but the rider's position. The term used is CdA, which is drag * area.
If you compare the Dutch bike above to this time trial cyclist

then the area exposed to the wind is much greater. In addition, it is obvious that a slippery lycra-style suit bent over parallel to the direction of travel, and an aero helmet is going to disrupt air flow much less than an almost completely upright cyclist on a Dutch bike.
Refer here: https://www.gribble.org/cycling/power_v_speed.html
Basically if you are happy to travel around 10-12mph or so then a very upright bike is suitable. If you want to travel sometimes at 20mph then an upright bike is a big waste of effort.
It is possible to get a lower position on a flat bar bike with a different handle bar. The Jones H-Bar is one design that allows a crouched position on a flat bar bike.

In addition other modifications such as a lowered stem could help with this.
In terms of your question then the geometry of a city bike is going to be much further from a road bike, so not suitable for say 'leaning into corners', and not very 'fast' in handling, but this isn't really what is slowing you down, which is overwhelmingly tyre choice at lower speeds and then body position and clothing at higher speeds.
If you just want 'low maintenance', then remember that something like a Rohloff is extremely efficient as much as derailleurs, very low maintenance, and can be fitted to racing-style bikes.
This is more a 'gravel' or 'adventure' posture than racing, but it should be faster than your flat bar hybrid (Shand Stoater w/ Rohloff IGH)

It's very expensive of course, but if you have money then you can have your bike built how you want - don't expect to find a cheap racing bike fitted with a cheap 3-speed hub, but if you want a low maintenance bike with IGH and a faster speed than bolt-upright Dutch style, then looking at something like a touring bike might be helpful.


Changing 7-speed Shimano cassette to 10-speed

EDIT As ojs points out in the comments below, the freehub's width of 7-speed systems mismatches those of 8- to 10-speeds. This means the rear hub/wheel has to be changed as well, in addition to everything listed below. Clearly a cost of such change now would exceed the price of a half new bike.

It would require changing the complete drivetrain and the rear wheel.

However, the good news are that a freewheel coming with 7-speed Shimano cassettes is compatible with 10-speed systems, so you won't need changing the rear hub/wheel.

The reason why the complete drivetrain has to be changed is that the front chainrings may not be working well with a narrower 10-speed chain.

The rear cassette has to be changed for obvious reasons to have more cogs
The rear derailleur has to be changed because of a different cable pull, range and tolerances required by a 10-speed system.
The rear shifter has to be changed to have 10 indexed positions and matching cable pull
The shifter cables/housings might be preserved, but they are cheap and it is recommended to change cables periodically to have better shifting experience, so it is highly recommended to get new ones.
The chain is to be changed because 10-speed chains are narrower, and a 7-speed one will be too wide and will jump all over the cassette.
The front chainrings are spaced to match a wider 7-speed chain. There is little possibility it will work nice with a narrower chain.
The front derailleur matches the front chainring spacing.
The front shifter goes away together with the derailleur.

What you need for drivetrain parts is called "a new groupset" — a name that encompasses all the parts I've mentioned.

Converting the rear wheel to a new hub would require a complete wheel rebuild. Oftentimes it means that buying a new complete inexpensive rear wheel would be cheaper.


The circlip and master cylinder are not shown in the Expanded View or Dealer Manual. I looked up EV-BL-M975 for a lever I own which I know uses a circlip and that document doesn't show it either.

I don't think Shimano intend for the levers' hydraulic internals to be serviceable, whereas many of the reservoir covers and seals, lever blades, pivots and other parts are listed with part numbers.

A machine shop may be able to identify a compatible circlip by examining the other lever. As Shimano's hydraulic brakes seem to be compatible throughout the range, I expect the cylinder diameter will be identical and the same circlip will be used.

If the circlip was pulled out, it's likely the groove will be damaged. Personally, I would buy a used Shimano hydraulic brake lever (any model should work but it's best to get one which uses the same fitting size) and fit that.


The First photo shows a Gipiemme brake bridge. This part, like the SunTour dropouts, has been selected by the frame builder but doesn't really help to identify the builder.
the tubing on the main frame has been brazed in an unusual style most often associated with Peugeot. The frame is probably not a Peugeot.
Most likely it is from a small volume custom framebuilder or possibly even a decent home or work project. Ultimately it is very unlikely that you will determine the true origin.


Will wearing a backpack on my chest make any difference on my health?

I am not aware that wearing a backpack is bad for your back when cycling. I've been doing it every weekday for the past 8 months without ill effect. Perhaps if the backpack is very heavily loaded it's different. I do know that a lot of people just don't like wearing backpacks when riding.

Wearing the backpack in front seems like it would put loads on about the same points on your skeleton as wearing it in back, with the added problem that it would interfere with your legs' movement unless you're in a very upright position.


Looking for components needed to route 3 cables on top of toptube for cyclocross bike

If you are going for less maintenance, you may just want to go with full housing. My exposed cables (on my top tube) get water, mud, grime and need to be replaced at the end of each season of cross racing. Extra maintenance during to keep them lubed up.

I would go full housing and use six of these: http://problemsolversbike.com/products/clamp_on_cable_guides

Other things to think about once past the top tube...

Front derailleur routing:

While not the best image (but best I could find of my older CX bike) you can see the routing of the front derailleur will need a cable stop near the top of the seat tube. Mine uses a pulley below the derailleur. You can use the backstop you put in the question.

Clamp on pulley: http://problemsolversbike.com/products/cross_clamps_pulleys

Rear derailleur routing:

Does your frame have stops for the rear derailleur on the seat stay or the chain stay? As the rear derailleur cable comes down the seat stay from the top tube, my cross bike goes to open cable and then back to housed cable for the curl to the derailleur. You'll need something here as well to either route the full cable down the seat stay or more clamp on cable stops.

Rear Brake routing:

If you are using Cantilever brakes (center pull), you will also need a cable stop for the brakes. You can get a seat post mounted clamp or even a seat tube clamp that has the center pull cable stop. Found one here.


Bicycles riding in pedestrian crosswalks -- Houston

I suspect that the answer here would be to use some common sense.

I'm not sure anyone would condone cyclists riding along the pavement/sidewalk - intersection or not. This is a risk to pedestrians, and generally gives cyclists a bad reputation.

But, as a motorist, what are you going to do? Drive into them?

I'm pretty sure that in most any jurisdiction, that would put you in the wrong.

Even if you did so accidentally, when you had right of way, I'm pretty sure you'd find yourself in a position where you'd have to prove your innocence, rather than someone having to prove your guilt.

Driving is a social activity in that, like it or not, we have to share the roads with other people. Try not to let the fact that some of those people (whether on 2- or 4-wheels) are idiots, ruin your day.


Can I run an internal dropper post on a small size 2014 Giant XTC Advanced 2 (2014)?

The frame does not have dedicated dropper post holes for routing the cable internally, as you have correctly noted. Here are the options that I can imagine in this situation.

Attempt to draw the cable via the bottom bracket via existing holes. It is hard to tell if you could pull this off, without seeing close-up shots of the area. I've never seen a "blind" seat tube, there is always an opening to the BB to at least drain water. But it does not mean that there is space to drag a cable. Besides, the sharp angle at which such cable would bend when transitioning to the downtube might cause friction in it compromising the action of the dropper post.

Drill a new hole in the seat tube to get the cable out of the seat tube, and route it along the down tube. All associated risks that come with such unauthorized frame modification are known.

Find a dropper post with external routing. This obviates the need to fish the cable out of the seat tube, as everything is routed externally along the top tube.

Find a wireless dropper post. This solves all the issues with the cable. I used a Magura's wireless post on such a frame that did not have provisions for internal dropper routing. The culprit here is of course that it is more expensive than rather affordable Brand-X seatposts. RockShox's wireless posts are even more expensive. The biggest issue I see is that your frame has 27.2 mm for the seatpost diameter, which is not the most popular size, and I do not know if any wireless dropper posts in such size exist.

In my opinion, the third option, an externally routed seatpost is the most reasonable one, especially for seat posts with the 27.2 mm diameter.


How to get rid of hub play in XTR FH-M975?

The advice that there should be play in a QR hub before tightening the skewer is true for a very high percent of QR bikes in the world because they have standard M10 or 3/8" steel axles, which flex under the load applied by the QR.

Many higher end hubs have oversize axles, usually aluminum, that see little or none of this flex and need to be adjusted as such if they're adjustable. FH-M975 is certainly in this camp, as are a lot of Shimano's higher end hubs from the last decade.

A good test whenever there's uncertainty is to adjust it so there's the smallest perceptible bit of play and observe what happens as you close the QR lever down. It's moving 180° and it should start hitting resistance at 90°. What you want in an axle that does flex is for there to be play remaining at the 45° point but for it all to be taken up in the last 45° of movement, or the last quarter of its total movement. That will give you an essentially perfect adjustment on any QR hub and is also a test for whether the axle stiffness is such that it gets compressed meaningfully from QR forces. In other words, if you find that the play is unchanged from QR compression, you should then go back and adjust it so that all play is removed off the bike.


Very loud cracking/creaking sound on the bike?

It was the rear suspension bearings, I placed WD40 on them and it was fixed. It seems that they were stiff enough to be jumping around same as a stiffly creaky door rather than actually turning.


Can you use a wide range 11-42 cassette with a double crankset

An 11-42t cassette as per the title, no. An 11-40t however as you mention, yes! Shimano has the answer here. So if you're not already tied into SRAM then I'd jump ship to Shimano. They have the answer to your question.


How can I keep improving after my first 30km ride?

You've got off to a great start, well done. Several answers tell you how to improve quickly, and they're not wrong. But you'll see plenty of improvement just by riding often, occasionally pushing yourself, and resting when you feel the need after a hard effort.
Riding daily to work/school/college if reasonable, with something for fun some weekends is hugely beneficial. It's how I got started, and now I do rides of hundreds of km, having never used a training program. Especially if it's winter where you are, don't feel guilty about not riding if the weather is bad. In the long run enjoying the ride is a good thing, while making yourself suffer is likely to put you off - the time for that may come in the future if you start thinking about specific goals of speed, distance, etc.


Lost power when chain is not lubricated properly

New, factory-lubed chains have about 7W of losses at 250W power:

https://www.ceramicspeed.com/en/sport/inside/test-data-reports/chain-efficiency-vs-run-time/

Looking at their other tests with various other loads it seems to be a relatively constant ~3% of losses independent of the input power. In their chain lube test even the worst lubricant only has 9W of losses and the best has 3.8W.

As Daniel pointed out in the comments, how much higher the losses of your rusty chain are depends on how bad the situation is. I’d be less concerned about efficiency and more about longevity. It sucks to have to replace a chain every 800km just because you never lubed it. In fact, longevity is probably directly related to efficiency and friction. So if your unlubed chain lasts only 1000km instead of 3000km its friction is probably three times as high.


What's the difference between a Cannondale F29 Carbon 3 and a Cannondale F29 *Flash* Carbon 3?

They look like the same bike to me. Its just different shops listing them in different ways.

As far as I can tell, the specifications are exactly the same, but those shops have listed the parts in different ways. eg one has listed both hubs together, the other has them separately. And one specifies what saddle it is, the other doesn't. Both shops are showing the same photo.

Checking the 2013 Cannondale website, it just lists the F29 CARBON 3, no mention of "Flash". It looks like Flash was a brand used for the 2012 range, but for 2013 it is has been abbreviated to just "F".


Feasibility of bike frame design by a layperson

Interesting question and way of looking at it.

Here's my take: those in the bike world who would seem most qualified to design scientifically optimal frames, which involves both mastery of all the advanced fabrication techniques and materials that are now available and the motivation to empirically figure out the handling and ride feel elements that can be hard to quantify, and which suffer when you just make things more stiff ad infinitum, usually end up working for companies where all the actual design decisions get made from a marketing and immediate profit perspective. The main question they spend their careers answering is, "How do we stay in the black in the next 2-3 years?" That's not to say that proper engineers aren't responsible for making some good bikes or moving the needle of progress and knowledge in the bike world forward, but they are not the only ones who do, and the mainstream companies they work for wind up pushing back the wrong direction on the needle quite often as well.

Small framebuilders usually aren't proper engineers, they usually don't have access to the same range of advanced materials and techniques, and they work in environments where myth, lore, and intuition can have louder voices than scientific process, but they're usually in a better position to deliver optimized ride feel and handling experiences to the end user. A lot of the major trends and advancements in the industry get started by non-engineers working at a grassroots level. And, to answer your question, you can get started in that world by riding, reading, geeking out, taking framebuilding classes (usually 1-2 weeks), and participating in existing forums.

Some other important pieces:

Round tubes start to have some meaningful disadvantages for high level athletes in high level competition. For everyone else all the rest of the time, bikes based on round and simple ovalized tubes aren't stiffness- or weight-impaired in any meaningful way.

If one does want to mess with more physically dialed frames, you don't have to be an engineer. You can just start doing carbon layups in your garage. Yes, without training you probably won't be able to do it with the same level of sophistication an engineer could. But you also won't be hamstrung by a marketing department or the need to make a product that has mass market appeal or that works for pros. So whether you actually wind up with a product that's any worse than theirs is not foretold by your lack of a degree.


It was the freehub; when it is pulled away from the wheel while turning it makes the sound.  I guess putting the chain on the largest cog makes it pull the freehub slightly out.

I have not solved it yet: this freehub apparently needs a 11 or 12 mm hex key to be removed rather than 10 mm and 10 mm is the biggest I currently own.


top tube adapter for hitch mount carrier

Yakima and Thule and probably most other rack companies have top tube adapters. They all recognize the need to accommodate the sloping top tube/y frame/children's bike market. They will all function relatively the same. Unless you have an ultra lightweight delicate carbon frame/seatpost, which I don't believe your bicycle qualifies for that, you should be fine.

Most of them are adjustable so you can make them fit snugly and securely.


How often should I change road bike tyres?

How long a tire lasts depends on a number of factors, including what type of tires you ride, how much you weigh, the conditions you ride in, front vs rear tire, etc.  In general, a good set of tires will last a couple thousand miles.

When the tire is totally worn out, you can usually see threads beneath the rubber in places.  Alternatively, the tire may start to bulge in spots.  In practice, road tires rarely get to this point.  Much more commonly, they start accumulating a lot of cuts from glass and other debris in the road.  When you start getting disproportionately many flats, it's a good idea to replace the tire (you can use the tire longer, but you'll probably waste more than a new tire's cost in tubes).


Where are my barrel adjusters for my shifting cables?

Looks like there's an adjuster in-line, right before the cable enters the down tube.


First, replace the missing spokes with properly sized spokes.

Next, on the drive side of a rear wheel with derailleur gears you will need to remove the cassette, insert the new spoke(s), then replace it. That requires a special tool (there are several variations for different cassettes and freewheels). A bike shop can do this or sell you the correct tool.

You will always need the next special tool: a spoke wrench that fits the size of spokes you have.

While a truing stand is great, you can do some basic truing of a bike with rim brake by simply putting the bike on a stand. With disk brakes a cable tie round the bike frame or fork can be turned so the free end is almost (but not quite) touching the rim. Anything similar will work, you just need something close to the rim that lets you see the gap between that and the rim.

Let the air out of the tire.  Air pressure in the tire will push the tube against the turning top of the spoke head, and can puncture the tube.  Spin the wheel slowly and watch the space between the rim and the brake pad.  When you have found the centre of a an area that is listing to one side, use your truing wrench to loosen the spoke nearest to it on that side ¼ to ½ turn, and tighten the spokes on the opposite side an equivalent amount.

As long as you work in small steps and work slowly, it is safe to play around and figure out how truing works.  Patience is required.

If the rim itself is bent, it may be hard or impossible to true.


Exustar road pedals are compatible with Look cleats, so you need to make sure any new shoes you consider are also compatible with Look cleats. Luckily, shoes w/ Look compatibility are very common, but you will want to check specifically when downselecting which ones you want to buy.

Generally, when you buy new shoes, you should buy new cleats; old cleats which are worn or stressed may crack and cause, at best, an unhappy ride home or, at worst, a crash. If this is not your style (for philosophical or monetary reasons), be sure to inspect the old cleats very carefully or, better, have your Local Bike Shop (LBS) mechanics check'em out.

One consideration when buying new cleats is float; this is how much your heels can move side-to-side without unclipping, and is designed to reduce stress on / fatigue of your knees. Look cleats come with three levels of float: none; 4.5 deg. or 9 deg. Non-Look cleats may have different float ranges. Which is best for you is a personal decision, based on riding style, experience, fitness, physical structure, etc.

Another consideration is the type of Look cleat: the "old" / non-Keo version (Delta?) or the Keo-version. These are not compatible, so be sure to understand which you need. If you are not sure which you have, take your old shoes with you when shopping for new cleats.

The last issue you'll have to deal with is installation; mounting the cleats is easy, but positioning can be very touchy. Here again, unless you have a lot of experience, I would recommend asking your LBS to assist in this; it may cost a little bit, but it should make your riding experience much better.

A few resources which may help in your efforts:

Exustar cleats at http://www.exustar.com/product.php?t1s=13&level=1
The authorized Exustar importer in the US is QCycle (qcycle.com)
Look cleats can be found on their website (lookcycle.com)
Sheldon Brown (the font of all cycling knowledge) on knee pain at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#knees

Hope this helps.


Sunrace 10 Speed 11-46T cassette rear derailleur compatibility

Shimano 11 speed MTB rear derailleurs can officially handle up to 46 cogs and can be run with 10 speed trigger shifters since the pull and ratio are almost the same. I used to run RD-M9000/SL-M980 combo successfully. So you can use those with the cassette in question.

There's also Archer/XShifter electric cable drivers, these allow to run any RD given it can handle 46t cog, like RD-M9100 or SRAM XX1 Eagle.


There are several suppliers of universal derailleur hangers. The intended use is to mount a modern derailleur to vintage bikes. At one time the derailleur hanger was part of the derailleur and mounted under the axle nut. Cambria Bike.com Harris Cyclery both have several models that start at $1.00. You could also try to find one of the older derailleurs like a Shimano Tourney mega range that have the hanger built onto the derailleur they can be had for under $25.


Size advice needed for Revolution Country Traveller touring bike

The other question to ask is the length of the top tube and how that compares with what you have.  I agree with Kibbee that it sounds like with an 80 cm inseam, you should be on the larger bike.  Still, it is easier to get a long stem on a smaller bike if it fits otherwise.


There are basically two common sizes for pedal threads.

Almost every adult bike will have 9/16" threads, with the LEFT foot pedal being left-hand thread (ie, backwards), and the RIGHT foot pedal being right-hand thread (ie normal)

Children's bikes have 1/2" threads.  Just about all of them are one left hand and one right hand thread, but its also possible for small bikes to have two right-hand threads.   This is workable because your average small child isn't putting out high wattages.

There are some very rare cranks with 12mm or 14mm threads, but in reality you won't have one of them.   I'd be 99.9% sure its a 9/16" thread.

To be super-sure - take the old pedals with you when you go to buy your new ones.


Bottom bracket making noise, should it be fixed now or can I wait until regular maintenance?

There are several possible causes of noises you can get from your bottom bracket.

Bad bottom-bracket bearings
Bad pedal bearings
Loose crank arms
Loose bottom-bracket cartridge
Loose chainrings

Of these the loose crank arm (which may be silent or may be accompanied by a creak on each stroke) is probably the one needing the most immediate attention, since riding even 10 miles with a loose crank arm is enough to destroy the crank arm and crank shaft.  So you should either check that the crank arms are tight yourself (by torquing the fixing bolts appropriately) or have a bike shop do it.

After that, I've experienced most of the above, but probably the bad (or simply dirty) pedal bearings more than anything else.  Pedal bearings seem to pick up dirt faster than any other bearing on the bike (especially when offroad or riding on packed gravel), and unless they are well sealed may need regular disassembly and regreasing.  And I've had new, sealed pedals develop noises in as little as 200 miles (though the set I have now have been fine for probably 8000 miles, knock wood).

I did have the bottom bracket cartridge on my current bike start making noise after about 5000 miles (more of an occasional click than grinding).  On disassembly the (Shimano) cartridge was found to be badly rusted (even though the bike is only left out in the rain when commuting).  Replaced it with a SS Phil Woods unit.

The BB bearings went out on my old Nishiki after a few thousand miles, and on inspection it appeared that the cups had been poorly machined to begin with.  (This was maybe 18 years ago.)  Replaced the loose bearings with a Performance cartridge.

A bike with only 2000 miles on it should not need any bearing service, unless it's been seriously exposed to bad weather or other severe conditions.  But note that 2000 miles is about the expected life of a chain, and yours is probably due for replacement.


Is it possible to repair a dent on an aluminium frame?

In the near term it's reasonably safe -- the dent is not sufficiently deep to seriously weaken the tube (though one does need to be concerned about the integrity of the welds on the rest of the bike, given it's been in an accident).  In the far term (10s of thousands of miles) there's danger that the tube will fatigue and become weakened at the dent.  (The thing to watch out for is growing cracks in the paint around the dent, or at frame joints, though some paints will hide cracks more than others.)

As to repair, about the only thing I can think of is to have an experienced frame builder cut out the section and weld in a new one, or fashion some sort of sleeve over the dent.  But those solutions would also be subject to long-term fatigue issues.