Changing 23mm tyre to 25mm - considerations?

The two things to consider when increasing tire size are compatibility with the rim width and frame/fork clearance. Inner tubes fit a range of tire sizes.

15mm rims will easily take 23 or 25mm tires. Check that your frame has sufficient clearance for an extra mm or two on either side (some tires are a bit wider than specified width) at the brake calipers, fork crown and chain stays. I'd be very surprised if the frame does not have clearance for 25mm tires.


Left to their own devices many will cycle at a cadence (a measure of how fast you spin) that approximates cadence of walking, an RPM of about 50-60.  So the fact you prefer a slower leg speed is not unusual. Trained cyclists will often have a cadence between 80-110 and up to 200 for sprints (track).

  Is there something bad about a cycling style in relatively higher
  gears?

Generally, many believe that pedaling at too high of a gear and too low of a cadence can cause more muscular and ligament stress.  Whether or not this bears out in terms of experimental evidence I am not sure (does anyone know of some experimental evidence?).

A confounding factor on this is an individuals neuromuscular responses (i.e., how well they fire their muscles for the activity of pedaling in circles).  People that are not "good" at pedaling will often pedal more slowly and their inefficient pedaling patterns may also be responsible for higher muscular and ligament stress.

  What causes such a cycling style in the first place?

Generally, a faster cadence has been born from performance considerations. Cycling is not a natural activity.  It is an activity we invented that co-ops a lot of our mechanical and neurological pathways used for walking (e.g., corrective steering, steering into a fall, is very similar to walking when you step in the direction you are falling).  As such we need to train our neuromuscular responses to be more tailored to an activity like cycling.  Everyone who spins fast specifically trained to do so.  Most who train and cycle lots prefer to spin faster.  That said, there are some trained athletes who pedal relatively slower (although likely still faster than a non-cyclist).

In terms of an "optimal" cadence there is still a lot of debate (e.g., Ansley and Cangley 2009) as it depends on what you are optimizing for (energetic costs, muscular stress, perception of effort, peak power).

Most will optimize based on perception of effort.  If you have not trained your neuromuscular pathways for the cycling motion it will be less developed and a slower cadence will likely feel more optimal.  As you ride more and your neuromuscular pathways become more efficient (i.e., you are better at recruiting muscles for the pedaling action) and a faster cadence will likely feel more "efficient."

Of course this is a somewhat anecdotal assertion. I haven't personally run experiments tracking peoples progression from non-cyclists to cyclists. I have however accumulated years of observations from running cycling clubs. And as always there is lots of individual variation and the possibility of exceptions.

In the end it is best to pay attention to your body and choose a pedaling speed that bio-mechanically work the best for you.


Replacing rigid fork with suspension fork

Technically yes. You would need to get a fork with a straight steerer (looks like its standard 1 1/8") that was long enough for the frame, probably a 9mm QR dropout (although you wheel is a solid axle, not QR).  You would be best with a fork of 80 or 100mm travel or you would upset the bike geometry.

However, a fork will probably cost as much as the bike, and a good fork that makes the upgrade worth while will cost twice as much. Unless you have a fork from a donor bike or lying around, its not worth it as it would be cheaper to buy a used bike with suspension.


11/10 speed cassette remove 2 cogs to fit 9 speed hubs

This will not work. The sprocket spacing decreases by about 0.5mm as the number of sprockets increases. The difference sounds small but you would get awful shifting and indexing problems at the largest and smallest gears.

BTW:  8, 9 an 10 speed cassettes all fit on the same width freehub body. 11 speed road gets slightly wider.

You'll have to look for a 9 speed cassette with the large sprockets you want. Beware you will get big jumps between gear ratios which could negate the benefit of the low gear ratios. Opinions expressed on this site about how well Roadlink or other hanger extenders work are varied,
so don't expect the setup to work well straight away.


If you are still in your warranty period bring it in to the dealer your bought the bike from and ask them to replace the cable. It is unlikely that anything you have done in normal use would have caused this. At this point it is a relatively easy fix. I have worked on shifters where the cable has been used breaking a single strand at a time until complete failure. It left a birds nest of cable ends that wouldn't pull out in either direction. If they aren't willing to fix it under warranty still have it repaired.


Do I need to bed in my disc brakes again after I clean rotors with alcohol?

MY personal opinion, based solely off experience and guesstimations is that they do to a degree but not to the extent that a new rotor and pad combination would.

My reasoning is that one of the main components in brake pad bedding in is heat. The heat build up helps to evenly distribute pad material to the rotor surface. One of the reasons many people say you should not come to an abrupt halt while bedding in new pads/rotors is it can make an uneven distribution of material where the pads come to a stop.

The tiny particles that are transferred, spread and disperse more evenly when heated and become harder to remove once cooled which accounts for the poor performance when the disc pad comes in contact with a non level surface resulting in micro vibrations and horrible noises.

While a full bed in procedure is not necessary, the surface of the rotor has taken on a slight change and will require a few passes of the pad to essentially resurface the rotor on a microscopic level. While the rotor feels clean to the touch and looks shiny and new, microscopic sediment is still left behind where the alcohol has carried it and then evaporated. Therefor a decrease in braking power occurs until that sediment has found its new home in the microscopic nooks and crannies of the rotor and or pads.

This however does not require the same about of heat as bedding in an all new rotor does though as the majority of the surface has already been heated, cooled and smoothed down by the general use of the brake, but there has been a microscopic change to the surface.

So while i don't think it is necessary to go through the entire bedding in process, i would just air on the side of caution and use your best judgement for the first couple of miles/stops ridden/performed after cleaning.


With wire (and spokes) a larger number for gauge is a smaller diameter.

This is why the metric conversion seems the other way around.

14 / 2mm is the larger diameter here, and yes, it's at the ends, or rather, the hub end.

Straight spokes are straight, single butted are thicker at the hub end, double are thicker at both ends, and triple butted are thickest at the hub end, narrow in the middle and slightly thicker at the nipple end. Says Sheldon.


Convert a compact (double) to a triple front chain ring

In order to change the crankset from double to triple, you will have to replace following things besides triple crankset.

Left brifter to triple from double
Front derailleur to triple
Bottom bracket with longer axle
Rear derailleur with larger capacity if it's short cage

The left brifter (aka STI lever) is the most expensive component. If you don't change the front D, shifting on front is bad if lucky, and the cage may hit the chain. If you don't change the bottom bracket, there is a chance that the inner ring may hit the frame. If it clears the frame, the chainline is bad anyway, so you need a longer crank axle.

For deciding what rear derailleur to use, you need to add up the number of teeth differences of cassette's largest to smallest, and the teeth difference of front's outer and inner ring, and the total has to be smaller than the capacity that the rear D can handle.

So, you'd be looking at at least a few hundred USD dollars with just components, and if you don't do the work yourself, you'll need to pay for the work which is probably another 100+ USD.


Geometry question: shorter stack with same reach?

Don't just look at the stack and BB drop, consider the steering geometry as a whole (chainstay length, BB drop, head angle, front-center [BB axis to front wheel axis]) which will affect how the bike handles; and the cockpit geometry (stack and reach) which will affect your position. Cockpit geometry and steering geometry are interrelated obviously, a bike with a long front-center will have a long reach for instance.

The Grade geometry is really long chainstays, long front-center and a slack head angle (FYI, I own one). The stack is quite high too. If the CX frame you are looking for has a very high 57mm BB drop I bet it has traditional CX race steering geometry as well: short wheelbase and steepish head angle. You'll very definitely feel a big difference between the Grade and and a trad CX frame like that.

I'd really hesitate to use a race geometry CX bike for touring. The high BB moves your center of mass higher up and the short frame and steep head angle make for quick steering - not what you want for loaded touring. I don't think you'll want a low stack that results in a leant-forward rinding position for long days in the saddle either.

There are plenty of gravel frames out there that are shorter, have 1/2 degree steeper head angle and a little less stack than the Grade. That's what I'd look for for a touring adventure/gravel bike.

BTW you don't need a high BB for 650b wheels, as the point of using those is to run larger tires (45mm+) than you can with 700c rims. The difference in whole wheel diameter between a 700c with 25mm tires and 650b with 45mm tires ends up being quite small.


Is having a disc brake on a single speed bicycle a bad idea?

Well, there are lot's and lot's of commuter bikes with internal hubs and disk brakes. I see
no reason why a single speed wouldn't work as well.

A google search for "single speed cx bike disk brakes" turns up this beauty.

http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/nature_boy_disc

There are low budget models out there as well. Nashbar 29'r Single Speed

Swobo makes one, you can build a Surly Straggler up as a single speed.

Getting exactly what you want will likely cost a bit more, but that should be
for you to decide if it is worth it. If you're going to commute in the rain,
my opinion is that a disk brake is well worth the extra expense.

I'd go to a different bike shop.


11-speed cranks on 10-speed bikes almost always work without issue. The reason is that the width jump in that generational change is the smallest because it's one of the speed plus-oneings that was done primarily by making the cassette longer rather than the spacing a bunch narrower. See chart from bikegremlin.com

10 speed cranks in 9 speed bikes often make you need to drop in chainring shims to avoid the chain rubbing in certain gears. 11 to 10 rarely has that problem. It's still possible, and the reason is short chainstays where even the right crank would barely not rub. It's usually tri/TT where you see that most. So, it is possible you need to drop in one or two sets of 0.1mm microshims on each chainring bolt, which several companies make. You could do one set premptively because 0.1mm is basically half the width difference, and the shifting will only improve, but it's not usually necessary.


Step 1:

Get used to bailing out.

Put your bike in first gear. Ride very slowly, then give a (small but sharp) upwards jerk on the bars as you do a hard downstroke on one of the pedals. Stay seated. You should have the power to pass the "tipping point". When you do, put your feet down so you don't fall on your butt.

Do this until it feels completely natural and easy, and you have lost all fear of tipping over backwards. This is the real reason for this step, hopefully you won't be needing to bail out at all.

Step 2:

Learn to feather the rear brake.

Now, instead of bailing out, give a light pull on the rear brake lever. The first time you do this, the front wheel will probably slam down uncomfortably. Keep doing it until you can save yourself from going over backwards but not so abruptly that you can't continue the wheelie.

Step 3:

Add speed.

What's the highest gear with which you can reach the "tipping point" while staying seated? The higher the gear, the easier it is to sustain a wheelie.

Bailing out is a bit tricky at higher speeds, but hopefully you'll never need to.

Tips

Doing wheelies on a long climb is a great way to practice while reducing the monotony. And you don't have to use the brakes to slow yourself down for the next wheelie.

A front suspension makes learning much more pleasant. It makes landing so much more comfortable.

Staying seated cannot be stressed enough. A wheelie is not a manual, learn the difference. When you're getting started with wheelies it might help confidence and control to lower your seat a bit, but make sure you still have the power to pop the front wheel high.


Yes, all the 10-speed Shimano 34/50 Hollowtech 2 cranks are more or less drop-in replacements for one another. ("More or less" only because they could be subject to very small differences in where the rings fall, so adjusting the FD may be necessary.) You don't need to change BBs if the old one isn't worn out.


Is it possible to replace bearings in Shimano XT bottom bracket cups?

It isn't recommended by Shimano, but some shops use a bearing puller to slide them out of the bottom bracket. I don't know if Park Tool makes one, but you should be able to find one at a specialty hardware store. Once you get them out, you can service or replace them.


Are sealed bearings equal to cartridge bearings in single speed hubs?

I'd take a cartridge to mean an entire unit, with bearings installed permanently and not intended for any servicing beyond a grease/lubrication.

A Sealed bearing would describe the seal around a bearing race, whether it be a ball bearing, a needle bearing or an angular contact bearing or whatever.  Some bearings are described as "shielded" or "double lip sealed" which adds drag.

Generally drag is to be avoided because it costs watts, but on your mud bike or commuter that's less important.  A track bike wants to minimise drag at all cost, and well-adjusted cup and cone bearings are perceived as lower drag than any sealed or shielded bearings.

So IMO a cartridge bearing would be one that doesn't have loose balls, and the "sealed" bit means how resistant it is to water ingress.

Sealed cartridge bearing from a front wheel hub:


You need enough spacers behind the cassette so that when you tighten the cassette lockring there is no play of the cassette on the freehub. Probably 0 on 10 speed freehub, at least 1mm for 10s on 11s FH. The cassette shouldn't touch the frame in either case, so having a spacer shouldn't have prevented you installing the wheel or cause misalignment. If it was the cassette touching the frame that stopped you mounting either wheel there might be scratches to evidence this but it seems unlikely.

As commented, check that the wheel fits without the cassette fitted at all. Also check that the axle locknuts are tight (i.e. that you can't unscrew anything from the axle with your fingers). Check that there is an even length of threaded axle exposed on both ends (roughly 4-5 mm).

The most likely suspects in my experience, however, are the springs on the quick release skewer. Presumably you have had to remove the skewer to change cassette spacers. If you put either of these on backwards then they can obstruct the axle entering the dropouts at all, and will cause the wheel to be out of alignment if it does go in, maybe causing tyre rubbing on the chain stay. The springs have a narrow end and a wide end and the wide end goes on the outside on each side. The spring never sits over the threaded axle. There's a picture on http://bicycletutor.com/remove-install-wheels/
If you were doing this correctly all along then I'm all out but this might help someone else


Showing a photo of the brake calipers would help, but from your description I'd check such things:
Make sure that brake cable runs in Bowden housing freely. You can try lubricating it, but if there is any friction, no matter if from worn inner sleeve or frayed cable, whole set should be replaced.
Second thing is to check springs on calipers and their mounts. Sometimes plastic housing breaks and do not keeps spring properly. In such case some replacement is needed. But first check those springs adjustment. There are small screws at the bottom of calipers to increase "opening force" of caliper.


It is possible to fix both latex intertubes for clincher tyres and latex inner tubes inside tubular tyres.

Whether you'll be able to do it, depends on your ability to do it.

As you suggest, using a patch made from another latex tube and glue will work. This webpage suggests using tubular rim glue instead of normal patch glue for better results.

That webpage also gives detailed instructions on how to mend a punctured tubular tire.


You should just pull the pads out and see how worn down they are - or if they are really dirty. Sometimes it helps to get some rubbing alcohol and clean the pads and rotors.


Brifters for Shimano Acera M3000 9 speed

According to this article on Bikeradar, "Current 9-speed road components are backwards compatible with older 9-speed road and mountain bike components, excluding the aforementioned exception" as well as "Current 9-speed Shimano mountain bike components are compatible with older 9-speed road and mountain bike components, excluding the aforementioned exception". In this case, the exception is pre-1997 Dura Ace componentry,  so that shouldn't be a concern for you. This means that you should have no compatibility issues at all regarding shifting. The pull on Shimano road levers will be fine for the Tektro Novela brakes as well.

While you won't have any compatibility trouble just swapping the shifters over, you may find that the gearing is far from ideal for a road bike. 44-11 is a very low top gear for a road bike, so you might find that you want to swap the crankset with two chainrings as well. You will still be able to use your rear derailleur, but this will mean that you need to add a front derailleur to your bike and a new chain as youlr currrent one will be too short as well.


A heat gun is best for shaping plastic, but if it deformed in the sun then a hair dryer will probably work too. Depending on the shape you may want to have a heat-resistant surface on hand to press it against as you heat it; in my experience plastics can become a bit uncooperative and bend in strange ways when heated. Good luck!

Citation: My personal experience from working with reshaping a variety of plastics.


Rotors bent very slightly but no rubbing. Is driving safe?

A slightly warped or bent rotor may cause some brake pulsation. The rotor can be straightened with a Park tool DT-2 truing tool. I have had good luck using a large adjustable wrench. Close the jaws around rotor and gently bend the rotor. You most likely won't get it perfect but you can get it back to usable condition.


Front derailleur sticking, not shifting. Will soaking in solvent damage parts?

In some derailleurs such as Shimano Tiagra, a small metal nub against which the spring presses is prone to breaking off. In such case there won't be any tension on the spring which could explain the symptoms you're experiencing.


Where can I get U.S. size 15B SPD clipless shoes?

I feel your pain…

One place that I've found that seems to stock large shoes is Bike Tires Direct. Both Shimano and Sidi seem to make models that go up to at least size 52. If you don't want to order from the US, you could still use their listings to find some candidates and then ask your LBS what they can order for you.

The shoes will come in two styles "road" and "mountain." Road shoes have a flat sole that the cleat mounts onto (and thus are quite unpleasant to walk in). Mountain shoes have a recess for the clear. Road shoes often use different cleats than mountain shoes (three-bolt vs two-bolt). Cleats usually come with pedals, not with the shoes. You can also buy cleats separately.

So find out what kind of cleats your bike needs and then get shoes & cleats to match.


Just tightening the screws will not resolve the issue. There is a precise but quite simple procedure to follow. You can find a number of very good explanatory videos on the internet. GCN has a recent one on unboxing that specific bike that might be useful.
The usual procedure takes three steps:

Undo the pinch bolt(s) on the stem, normally two, left and right on the stem by one turn

Tighten the top bolt until play disappears while the bar still moves freely from side to side. This requires some sensitivity.

Tighten the pinch-bolts with the recommended torque!!

Then recheck the free movement of the bar and re-adjust if required.


Chain replacement - how many links 114/116?

It doesn't really matter -- either way, you'll be shortening the chain (this is true for almost any regular bicycle drivetrain). So I'd order whichever is cheaper; You can't really splice 11 speed links back into a 11 speed chain reliably, so having spare links on hand doesn't justify buying the longer chain.

The easiest way to size the chain is simply to count links and match it with the oldchain. Then, break it appropriately and install on the bike. You can do this by putting both of the chains on a piece of newspaper, then pinching the links together to count them. But if you're changing chainring/cassette sizes, you may want to use the largest cog+chainring method (see also this link which also presents a simple formula if you want to just measure the chain with a tape measure).


Do I need a chain breaker tool to install a new chain on my bicycle?

You need a chain tool. All drivetrains are different. The chainring size (or the big ring size if a 2x or 3x drivetrain), largest cog size, and chainstay length all influence the length of chain needed, and all bicycles differ in these parameters. 116 links is a standard length that suffices for the longest required chains on most bicycles. Hence, that length will provide just enough or too much chain for most bikes.
Naturally, you can outsource that task to your local bike store. Each person's inclination for doing their own work and maintaining the necessary tools is different. Changing your chain is easy enough, and many cyclists should expect to do it often enough, that I think a chain tool is a worthy investment. However, your bike store will be more than happy to check for wear and install a new chain, although their workload may affect how quickly they can do it (NB for people happening on this answer in the future: there is a global pandemic now, and bike stores are working overtime since many people want to get their bikes fixed plus they often have to reduce capacity to let their workers stay at a safe distance, so this is not a trivial issue as I type this. We are, we hope, at the beginning of the end of the pandemic.)


Seeking advice: single speed conversion, Fuji ultimate road bike (old!) - Which kit? Which chain? etc

A bike this age will have a freewheel type hub (as opposed to a freehub). Sheldon Brows says a BMX freewheel can be used to replace the existing 5 speed freewheel. Hopefully the chainline would then align with your inner chainring, but you may have to re-space the rear hub and re-dish the wheel.

See https://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

BTW the term cassette is generally only used to refer to the stack of sprockets used with a freehub, not a freewheel.

The tools you need will include a chainwhip and the appropriate freewheel removal tools. Park Tool Company has a good set of videos on freewheel removal and installation that includes identifying the appropriate tool. Link below.

I believe that BMX freewheels will come with a sprocket designed for a  1⁄8 in (3.2 mm) chain as also commonly used on single speed bikes, so that's the chain you'll want. You will need to look for a 1⁄8 in chainring that fits the crank spider. The existing rings will work fine with that chain - you'll want to check whichever ring you want to use for wear of course.

While we're talking about the cranks - your bottom bracket is likely to be worn out so you'll want to service and potentially replace that.

I can't see the dropouts in the pictures you included but you'll need a way to tension the chain properly. If the dropouts are slots that allow the wheel to be moved front to back you are good, otherwise you'll need an add on chain tensioner of some sort.

Park tool:


Why are battery-powered lights so popular?

The main advantage, in my view, is that you can more easily add/remove battery-powered lights.

Why this may be desirable:

Theft resilience. I take my lights off the bike and carry them with me if I'm parking my bike outdoors for longer than a few minutes. Caveats: This can be more of a downside than a benefit, depending on your situation. (I can't imagine a thief taking the time to steal a generator-powered light, but I'm sure it happens sometimes.)
Flexibility. I don't bother to take my lights with me unless I know I'm possibly going to need them. If I used a generator-powered light, I would be pretty much stuck with it all the time, even if I'm only going to ride during the day. Caveats: This is, however, not much of a positive thing, unless the lights you use are particularly heavy, or you happen to be a "weight weenie".
Interchangeability. I can swap my lights between my bikes very easily. Most decent battery-powered lights have an adjustable removable clamp that you can use to attach the light to any style of handlebar/seat post/other tube that you could possibly want. This means that I only need one set of lights that I can use between all of my bikes. Caveats: If you don't like to spend an extra 5 minutes swapping your lights every time you want to ride a different bike, this is not a plus.


Yes, different. There's at least one company doing colorful ST-R9000 hoods.


A common observation is that Shimano sets conservative limits to capacities of its derailleur products. Many people, including myself, run bigger than allowed cassettes with no problems. Additionally, there are aftermarket adapters available that are designed to help exceed the nominal capacity of certain road and MTB derailleurs.

Is that a common thing that bike manufacturers ignore the max capacities of rear derailleurs?

I do not know how common this can be. In any case it is the bike manufacturer's liability to provide a whole package (the bike) that is safe. They ought to test all chosen parts to work nice together, or else face frequent recalls.

What are the potential (good or bad) effects of exceeding the max capacity?

In the worst case, a too stretched (or too compressed) derailleur may start touching other components it is not supposed to touch, which will lead to its destruction. In a better scenario it has its internal components subject to increased mechanical stresses, resulting in increased wear. Finally, the thing may simply refuse to shift to the cog that is outside its range at all, or would take a long time to shift.
Good effect: you can have a wider gearing range on your bike without having to buy a new derailleur.

If I increase again that capacity to 45t by mounting a 44t chainring (which can have a chainguard) instead of the original 42t chainring, do I risk breaking anything?

It really depends on how tight your derailleur is now at its extremes, and how you ride it. If you do not intend to ride with badly cross-chained combination 44 front - 36 back, your derailleur will never "know" that you've gotten a bigger front chainring.
Do not forget to get a longer (+2 halflinks) chain.


Single speed conversion chain keeps derailing rear cog under load?

Some possible culprits:

cog and the chainring are not in line.
rear hub is not tight enough and twists under load (see 1.)
chain is stretched or cogs worn out - so the chain doesn't 'seat' well in teeth
what the shop says - chain not tight enough


Inconsistent shifting issues after changing wheel

There are many variables that you should look at when switching rear wheels, and wear is not really the first place to look, nor is the tire type.
The first area is the hub - are the hubs the same? I am going to assume that both wheels have the same number of cogs on the cassette (which eliminates the 8/9/10/11 speed differences), or you would be having other problems. Hubs can have slight positional changes, millimeters, for the freewheel, depending on the manufacturer, so the cassette will seat in a slightly different location on each wheel, relative to the centerline.
The second is the cassette. SRAM and Shimano cassettes have slightly different spacing, Shimano and Campagnolo have much larger differences in spacing - you want to stick with the same brand cassette for maximum compatibility. Also, road cassettes and mountain cassettes have narrower and wider ranges of gears, respectively...if you have a 12-32 on the mountain cassette and a 11-23 on the road cassette, you will have a load of extra chain when running the road wheels, and that can cause shifting problems.
When switching between wheelsets, at a minimum, you will need to make slight adjustments to the rear derailleur...or you will need to swap chains (or remove a section of the chain, which you can do easily with quick connects), it more than likely will not be a seamless transition.


Brake levers for Dia Compe centre pull brakes

I've used Cane Creek levers with old MAFAC racers which are pretty similar. However,
the MAFACs allow you to adjust the length of the cross cable which allows you to tune the brake force.

It's my understanding that all road caliper brakes use roughly the same cable pull so that all "standard" caliper levers are interchangeable. Where you need to be concerned about the cable pull is caliper vs V-brake levers. This question covers
that difference.

Direct Pull (V-Brake) vs. Center Pull Cantilevers (pros and cons)

As always Sheldon Browns site contains lot's of useful information for older bike
technologies.

http://sheldonbrown.com/calipers.html


Is it okay for this wire/cable to be hitting my pedal?

Your picture isn't exactly clear but it looks like the cable with crimped ferrule from the front derailleur.

If it is hitting your crank arm as you pedal, the cable is too long and needs to be cut shorter with a new ferrule crimped to the end. Any bike shop should be able to do that procedure for little or no money.

Just do not try to cut it shorter with wire cutters; shifting/brake cables are very tightly stranded and need a very sharp, bypass-style, cutter to make a clean cut. The crimped ferrule is paramount to prevent fraying at the cable end.


I have a few questions about frame repair, seat adjustments, and rims.

Yes, it is possible to powder coat a frame.  They most likely wouldn't put new decals on.  You can usually find replacement decals online, shouldn't be too hard.  The powder coating process is a bit involved, and probably will not be cost-effective.  But if you want to spend the money, it's definitely possible.
First, let's get this right.  You're looking at "wheels", not "rims".  Sorry to be pedantic, but the terminology does matter here.  Single speed means what it says.  It has spacing/cassette body/freewheel threads for a single speed set-up.  Sometimes this can be adjusted(at great effort) to work for multi-speed systems, but more often it can't.
Had a hard time following this at first.  I think you're talking about a seatpost clamp.  First, there's nothing "classic" about one that takes an allen wrench.  Those are a bit more secure(if your bike is locked up somewhere, people will be less likely to walk up and steal your seat), and road bikers tend to change their seat height less frequently.  There are Quick Release options available for most sizes, as long as the clamp isn't integrated into the frame.


Mixing Dura Ace 9000 drivetrain with ultegra?

I believe Shimano uses the same cable pull ratio for all 11 speed groups, so 11 speed DA derailleurs and 11 speed Ultegra shifters should work just fine.


Can a tire that blew off a rim be safely used on another rim, and under what criteria?

I have a MTB where the tyres can simply be removed by hand once deflated.  The tyres are at 50~60 PSI normally.  But I can feel that they engage the clincher bead fine when inflated.

My guess is that your tyres never hook into the rim properly, and then overinflating found that area of the bead that wasn't fully seated.

As for the social side, as long as you clearly advise the recipient that you're giving them away, because they didn't stay seated properly on your rims then its the recipient's choice whether they use them or not.  I wouldn't want to see anyone hurt, but they'll be adults and can make their own choices.  Just help them to make an informed choice by sharing the history.


Two wheel sets, one bike - best approach?

If you are running V-brakes then you will need to make sure your second set of wheels have the same rim width as your existing set. Otherwise the brakes may not line up properly.

Your complete shopping list:

Wheels
Cassette
Spoke Protector (highly optional!)
Rim tape x 2
Tubes x 2
Tyres x 2

When swapping the wheels over the gears should not need re-adjusting each time. You can also go for a different range, e.g. smaller closer ratio more suited to the commute. Your existing wide-ratio chain length should work fine. Depending on the level of wear of the chain you may want to get one of those too. You can check how far the chain has 'stretched' by putting it on the outer chainring and then pulling it at the point nearest the front. If this pulls forward 5mm or more then it is worn. This is a rule of thumb, you can get the posh tool for measuring chain wear or measure it with a ruler.

The other main benefit of two wheel sets is that you can service one set properly without being bereft of your bike. Not many people do it for mountain bikes, road bike owners tend to do this more in practice. The crucial thing to get right is the rim width, if your bike is a recent model then you can sometimes get replacement wheels from that bike manufacturer rather than have to get something specifically built up. Obviously if you are running disks then any wheels will do.


That bike is a Swabian brand from Konrad Kotter (who had until 1982 and again in 1987 the professional racing team Kotter's Racing Team) that later went over to Albuch

The Albuch Kotter logo now looks like this:


What is this sheet of clear stickers that came with a new MTB?

These are protective stickers for the chainstay, bottom end and some spots on your frame where the brake and speed cables cause frictions with the frame, scratching the colour.


Changing to a smaller wheel may cause other problems, such as needing brakes with a longer reach (that won't work as well), or the bottom bracket is lowered, so the pedals may ground around corners.
This bike is super small already - the fundamental problem is, as you have guessed, the wheel size, which governs the dimensions of the frame.
I would be looking at a bike with 26" wheels, or even 24" - they generally didn't make road bikes with these wheels, so you might need to adapt a mountain bike or a kids bike. It is quite possible to put road bars and gears on these frames.


How to fasten main cable to BR-CT91 (Shimano Altus) brake?

The cable is threaded underneath the L-shaped bracket, in the corner of the L. The cable is clamped between the bracket and brake body.

You may see a shallow slot for the cable in the bracket at that point.


IMO, this is fine. I base that answer on the fact that I've been running Avid BB7s on Shimano Centerlock rotors and they are also too low, and in fact abrade down into the arms a bit. After thousands of (touring) miles, this has caused no braking issues nor even any perceptible pinging, etc.
There is more on this here.
If you put in a couple spacers, you'll of course have a little less pad grabbing the rotor. Whether or not it's sufficient braking at that point will be up to you to judge.


Your training should really focus on three main components:

Fitness
Technique
Mental
Equipment

I ranked mental third, not that it should be considered near the end, but that getting the first two components in order should give you the confidence needed to tackle the third.

1) Fitness

As long as you can reasonably handle the bike, your fitness will be the most decisive factor.  There are three main fitness components:

Threshold power.  This is essentially how much power you can hold for an hour (the length of most CX races).
Sprint power.  This is used to sling shot yourself out of the corners and to grunt up short steep climbs.
Running.   For the times you are not on the bike.  You should try and get in at least one run every week leading up to the season.

2) Techniques

Mounts and dismounts. Practice these, lots! Depending on the series you may encounter many obstacles demanding a dismount. Proficiency here will be a big benefit.

You can practice this on a grass field, walk beside the bike and practice dismounting then high stepping over the saddle and onto the pedal in one smooth motion. Your dismount should should leave your cranks level with the right pedal forward, when you re-mount you want to smoothly step over the saddle and onto the right pedal clipping in and pushing down in one smooth motion.  This takes practice. you may also need to improve hip flexibility.  The ideal should be that you step over and into the bike with your right leg.

Once you can do the remounts smoothly at a walking pace, you can up the speed and start to practice the flying re-mounts. The technique is almost identical, except you land on the inside of your thigh and slide down your thigh onto the pedal.  You do not want to crash onto the saddle (if you value your reproductive organs).

In terms of dismounts almost everyone now uses a single dismount technique (there used to be a could different dismount techniques (e.g., stepping through on the dismount side) but these are inconsistent and high risk). The safest dismount is unclipping your right leg, bringing it over the tire and around to the outside of your left leg.  You will then unclip, landing on your  right foot.

Sliding the bike You will also need to get used to sliding the bike through slippery corners.  This can take some getting used to. Often unclipping the inside foot and being prepared to tripod can help, but unclipping slows down getting back on the power, so if you can avoid it then great!
Riding sand and mud if you have never ridden either on skinny tires (i.e., 700x33 not mountain bike tires) then you will need some practice. You will need to get your weight over the back wheel and let the bike float. You can only guide the bike in the general direction of where you want to go, its pretty hard to pick exact lines in the sand and mud.
Riding off-camber corners these are tricky, especially on wet muddy grass. Its really about learning how far you can push things until the bike slides out. You need to experience it to know where the limit lies.
Sharp corners many courses can have a number of short, sharp turns. Practice these, with special attention to carrying as much speed as possible through the turn and accelerating hard out of the turn.
Picking lines this includes picking the smoothest line through rough terrain as well as how to setup and execute both sweeper and sharper corners
Riding steeps many courses will have some short climbs that are almost wall like.  Practice riding these so you know ahead of time what it takes to climb these and whether or not you can climb. If not, you will need to dismount and shoulder the bike.
Shouldering the bike. There are about 3-4 ways to shoulder the bike which are optimal under different conditions and for different body types.  A youtube search should help there.
Carrying the bike.  Sometimes you only need to carry the bike a short distance (e.g., over barriers).  In this case shouldering is overkill. Here practice dismounting, then carrying the bike by the top tube. Make sure the saddle is to the outside of your arm, otherwise you will jam the saddle under your armpit limiting how high you can lift the bike when running over barriers.
Gear selection. Practice gearing down to an easier gear before a sharp corner so you can accelerate hard out of the corner. Similarly you need the correct gear before short sharp climbs.

3) Mental

A health reminder that this is actually all just for fun!
Realistic Goals
Visualizations prior to the event
Honest, non-judgemental assessments post race of your strengths and weakness.  This is a good life skill for many things. If you have a tendency for self-doubt or negative talk try not an let it enter here, its not particularly constructive and could be a bad habit worth kicking.

4) Equipment

How to set your air pressure. This is easily one of the most critical bike settings. The lower you go, the more traction you get, but the higher likelihood of getting a pinch flat or damaging the rim. If you are running tubeless you want to reduce the pressure until you start folding the tire over in corners, then adding just enough pressure to stop it from folding.
Tire selection - because CX is so traction limited choosing the right tire can pay huge dividends.
Keeping your bike in good running condition. Pretty self-explanatory.  If the wheels are rubbing the frame and it doesn't shift gears properly, it will be pretty hard to race.


What different standards exist for crank bolts into modern bottom brackets?

SunRace spec sheets show the crank bolts should be M8x1.0. The bolt diameter is 8mm and there is 1mm betwween thread peaks. This size is by far the most common. However there are other standards. Truvativ seems to have the most variations using M8, M12, M15 plus some self extracting bolts. If the bolts starts but binds it is likely the right diameter but the wrong thread pitch (most likely M8x1.25).


You may try looking into a noseless saddle. Some of the designs I have seen actually have cutouts or the sit bones in particular. Many people are dismissive of them (myself somewhat included), but they may hopefully be an alternative for you. Here is a completely random blog entry on the interwebz comparing several. There appears to be a large range of manufacturing quality as well as actual design effort, so I would resarch rather carefully before purchasing.

I would also strongly look into an alternative fit of some sort. Perhaps a more aggressive position that placed more weight on your hands (or other slightly non-traditional fitting) would be of benefit.  Professional fittings should always be looked at as a place to start.  Especially with past injuries or other less stereotypical anatomy, minor or major adjustments should be expected.  In the end it may not be one thing, but a combination of things (including perhaps time) that help things along for you.


That sounds like it should work, although I would be measuring to the axle nut, not the axle itself, as the axle may not have exactly the same amount sticking out of both sides of the hub (likely not an issue). If the rim is dished to the right then your driveside spokes are too tight and/or your non drive side spokes are too loose. Give everything about a half a turn- driveside loosened, non drive side tightened- and see where it gets you. Also, are you using a spoke tensiometer?
Let me offer an alternate method of getting your wheel trued up without a truing stand which might make things easier for you. Take your wheel (no tire) and drop it in your frame with the bike upside down, or put it in a workstand if you have one. Don't put the chain on. Attach a couple of zip ties to the chainstays or seatstays and cut them short, but not so short that they wont touch the rim. you can rotate the zip ties on the stays to get the closer to or further away from the rim to gauge how close to true you are and you can slide them up and down on the stays to see how close to round your are. That is basically the same way a professional truing stand works. When you are close on one side, flip the wheel around in the dropouts and repeat the process until you're happy with the results.


Hydraulic Disc Brake (how to choose correct model)

As Argenti said in comments - mixing levers and calipers is not recommended.

Magura's website is very informative on what Magura parts go with what Magura brakes and how to select parts. I did not find any Magura / Shimano cross reference.

There is a very nice explanation of the pros and cons for different hydraulic brake configurations to aid in decision making. Here is a chart describing 2 vs 4 pistions:

Two Piston vs 4 Piston vs Trail Combination (4 Piston Front / 2 Piston rear)

The page also has information on Magura specific rotors and brake pad performance and an interactive guide for setting up brakes.

Magura also makes a one finger aluminum MT4 compatible lever.


Inner tube valve cut from stretched rim tape?

Several fixes

If you have tools, smooth off the cut edge of the hole where the butyl rubber tube touchs it.  A tiny file, or careful use of sandpaper to take the sharp edge off would help.
Reinforce the rim tape with paper masking tape.  Two layers around the whole rim would reinforce the existing tape, with overlap 100mm either side of the valve hole.  As long as the tape sits in the well/valley and has no way to interfere with the tyre's bead/hooks then its okay.   To get the valve through, cut three slots across the hole making an asterisk pattern, and leave the flaps there to fold into the hole around the valve stem
Note, patching a tube hear the valve stem is challenging.  Consider buffing the area of the hole really well, and allow the vulcanising fluid to set for 10 minutes before applying the patch, with pressure.   If the tube doesn't test okay, then just replace it.   Tubes are consumables too.

The best fix is new rim tape, which is not expensive, and the newer sorts don't stretch much around the valve hole.  You might still need a new tube.


How can I keep spiders and other bugs off my bicycle?

Don't use poison. It will likely not work. Would you be able to remove a dead spider from your bike anyway? How would you know it was dead? Poison is bad for other insects and animals in general. It's bad for you. I believe it's against the spirit of biking too.

I don't think a bike cover will work for you. You will give spiders another place to hide. Even if it's very well sealed I can't see any reason why spiders wouldn't want to wander around your cover just as they wander around your bike. Unless it wraps around your bike tightly it will likely have creases that again will create perfect places for spiders to hide.

What you can do:

use your bike frequently,
clean your bike frequently,
carry an air blower for safe removal of stray insects from your bike without coming into direct contact with them (you might even be able to use your bike pump for that if you carry one).

My bike is my main means of transport and I have never encounter a spider on it. Perhaps because I never look for them. So as soon as you approach your bike just jump on it and ride ;-)


Shifters: ST-5700 (10-Speed Road) and Derailleur: M6000-SGS (10-Speed MTN) will not work - the pull ratio is different.  You need a 9-speed Shimano MTB derailleur.  A 9-speed derailleur works directly with older Shimano 10-speed shifters, and shifting will be "normal".  (IIRC, some of the newer 10-speed, sub-105-level shifters use a different pull ratio.)


Do kickstands damage the frame by being used?

I have 36 years of experience using kick stands on cro-moly (steel) and aluminum frame commuter bikes and several years working in a bicycle shop in which time I have never seen any such "warping".  Its the kick stand itself that may be in jeopardy when the bike is "laden down"; there are center balance kickstands for tandem and other heavy/awkward bikes.
The more likely damage you will get from a kickstand is from over-tightening where it is attached to the frame.


Is my bike capable of swapping for longer cranks?

Yes, your bike is capable of using longer cranks.
Longer cranks will likely cause more toe overlap, which is generally expected and widely tolerated on small-framed 700c bikes. Here is Sheldon Brown's opinion of toe overlap, from his online glossary:

On many bicycles, especially those with smaller frames and full-sized wheels, it is possible for the front fender or tire to bump into the rider's toe or to the toe clip. Some people worry a lot about this, but it is rarely a significant problem in practice.
The only time it can happen is when the handlebars are turned quite far to the side, as only happens at very low speeds.
Many, many people ride bicycles with fairly severe overlap with no practical problems, sometimes having to make a slight adjustment to their pedaling habits at very slow speeds.
On smaller-size bikes with full-sized wheels, it is usually impossible to eliminate overlap without causing adverse fit/handling issues.


Could someone help me identify this bike?

They were an Italian manufacturer, I'm not sure if the branding has been resold since the 70's as there are new bikes now with the same name.
They were used professionally and known for their lug ornamentation on some models.

There have been a few folks with similar questions here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/175841-vintage-viner.html


Anyone know of 3x7 brifters with internal cabling?

It's a hack, but you can do this with the current Claris ST-2400 3x8 levers using an alternate cable mounting position on many "classic" shaped Shimano rear derailleurs. (Make sure whatever you're buying says 3x8.)

Sheldon Brown goes into this briefly here. It tends to work fine in this combination (8-speed shifters on 7-speed.)

Note that all shift-housings-under-the-tape STI levers use the Super SLR brake cable pull standard. They pull slightly more cable and so if you hook them up to calipers not intended for them, the mechanical advantage will be skewed such that it feels firmer but is less powerful. It's not generally a dealbreaker and there are a lot of bikes in the world set up like this, but it is noticeable and I've seen the results be mediocre enough that I tend to avoid it when I can.


UK - What constitutes dangerous driving?

What metrics can I use to make a judgement call about whether a vehicle's actions are actually making me unsafe

The UK Highway code says they should give you as much space as they give a car, illustrations in the code suggest they should move completely into the next lane. At least one UK police force uses 1.5 metres as the minimum separation.
My old copy of the Highway Code has this illustration:

It appears that failing to give enough space to a vehicle being passed is usually prosecuted (if at all) as Driving without due care and attention, not Dangerous driving.
The Criminal Prosecution Service says:

There are decided cases that provide some guidance as to the driving that courts will regard as careless or inconsiderate and the following examples are typical of what we are likely to regard as careless driving:

driving inappropriately close to another vehicle;

The Highway Code
The UK Highway Code says

Rule 163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should
...
give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215).
Rule 212
When passing motorcyclists and cyclists, give them plenty of room (see Rules 162 to 167). If they look over their shoulder it could mean that they intend to pull out, turn right or change direction. Give them time and space to do so.
Rule 213
Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make.

The Road Traffic Act 1988
The Introduction to my old copy of the Highway code contains this section:

This code, between pages 3 and 52, is issued with the Authority of Parliament (laid before both Houses of Parliament June 1992)
A failure on the part of a person to observe any provision of the Highway Code shall not of itself render that person liable to criminal proceedings of any kind, but any such failure  may in any proceedings (whether in civil or criminal and including proceedings for an offence under the Traffic Acts, the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 or sections 18 to 23 of the Public Transport Act 1985) be relied upon by any party to the proceedings as tending to establish or negative any liability which is in question in those proceedings
the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 38

Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 says

Careless, and inconsiderate, driving.
If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.

Enforcement
Obviously, enforcement is diffcult and often insifficent. One example provides a guideline for the actual separation that is quantitative rather than the qualitative guide in the Highway Code.
An article "Drivers who get too close to cyclists face prosecution", The Telegraph 16 September 2016. says:

West Midlands Police force is thought to be the first in the country to proactively target motorists who flout laws requiring them to give cyclists at least the same space as vehicles when overtaking.
Anyone encroaching inside a safe passing distance, widely considered to be a minimum of 1.5 metres, runs the risk of being prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.

Video giving advice to drivers
See How to Overtake Cyclists


Best bang for the buck to improve a cheap fixie?

In that order (my opinion, of course):

Tires. Bad tires suck your energy and are prone to flats. Good tires can make your bike fly, sometimes even act as a suspension. As an extra, tires aren't actually part if the bike, so if you have good tires, you can use it in other bike(s);
Brakes and brake levers. This is safety and comfort. Bad brakes can make your hands sore, if you have to squeeze them too much to stop. Good brakes give you much more control of the bike than anything else. Good brakes are THE things that allow you to go really fast if you want/need.
Saddle and grips. These are contact points on the bike. In the end, all the bike-rider interaction flows through them (and the shoes you use to pedal, but they are not part of the bike). These parts alone can turn a very nice ride into a very painful one, and vice-versa.

I think if these are OK, it's possible to live with a relatively cheap bike, provided it fits and don't require too much mainteinance, which are also required for a nice biking experience.


Factors Involved With Tire Wobble When Riding Without Hands

A big cause of a high-speed shimmy-shammah is a mis-balanced wheel. You could also have an ovulated wheel from having the spokes tightened too much in a particular direction.

Another could be your headset bearing not being up to scratch with a lot of play. This also causes it quite often. Also, a bent frame will almost always make it impossible.

Also check your calipers are centred, as this rubbing on the wheel can cause unusual behaviours. Another thing to check is that the quick-releases are tight and that the wheels (front and back) are perfectly centred inside the frame dropouts. Check also that the fork itself has no kinks and hasn't got any play.

Also, make sure your body position on the bike (saddle height, angle, fore-aft adjustment and your handlebars) is optimal for you, as this will help your balance greatly. And, check the frame size is suitable for you. For example, I ride a frame-size smaller than I'm recommended to so that I have a high seatpost, and I can run slightly shorter cranks for faster speed, yet lower acceleration. (However, I can still achieve dank wheelies! :3 )

Forks are designed with a slight spring to them to absorb road vibrations, just like a leaf spring on old cars and vans. If a fork is made too stiff, it can be a challenge to do no-hands on a frame.

Honestly, it should merely take a bit of practice to do no-hands again on this bike, as I found out from going on a road bike to a criterium bike.


Black stripes on the disks usually means contamination. Disks should look shiny and clean.

This could have been picked up from the road e.g a splash of oil or diesel, or the callipers are borked and leaking fluid or oil depending on what Clarkes use.

Take the callipers off the bike and examine them. They will be dirty but shouldn’t look “wet” behind the pad or near the bleed valve or anywhere really. That would be a sign that they are leaking. If they are leaking they need to be fixed or replaced.

You need to decontaminate the disk by removing it from the wheel, sanding lightly with very fine grade sandpaper on a flat surface and cleaning with isopropyl alcohol. You can get the isopropyl from a car supplies store very cheap. It’s called brake cleaner.

The pads might be able to be decontaminated by cleaning  with isopropyl and sanding lightly. More extreme is setting them on fire (outside) with the alcohol and again cleaning/sanding but also likely is that you need a new set of pads. Organic pads soak up contaminants and emit them like a sponge.

You can tell if your brake lines have air in them if the levers are spongy/springy when you pull them hard. The bite point should be relatively hard in air free lines. Do this with the wheels installed, don’t pull your brake levers when there’s no discs between the callipers.

All these cleaning things are super easy to do at home with a hex wrench and screwdriver. There are many good YouTube videos on the topic. GMBN has a good one on decontaminating disk brakes.


Modify a front derailleur cage to allow for non-round chainrings like Biopace or Rotor?

For completeness, I ended up replacing the bolted-on brazeon mount with a band-on braze-on mount.

This allowed me to raise the derailleur by those critical last few millimetres.

If the bike had a brazed-on braze-on mount then I might have had to cut it off and file the seat tube to a round finish, but fortunately this Cannondale frame had a small bracket held on by two 3mm bolts into rivnuts.  The Rivnuts are still in the frame under the band.

(I'm wondering if I should have put two grub screws in the holes to seal them up and reduce rain ingress from the rear tyre.)

Here's the completed fitment:


How to make a lockable front suspension last longer?

Suspension forks with lockouts are the norm on any bicycle of quality in the current market.

Most really good quality forks or rear shocks which are equipped with a lockout are also equipped with a blow off valve which release the lockout when it hits a bump which exceeds the pressure the lockout valve can support. This is designed to save your shock in an emergency.

More basic forks, or older forks may not have this blow off feature, and may therefore sustain damage if more than very minor obstacles are hit, at speed, while the shock is locked out.

Even if you have a very good fork, it is advisable to use the lockout for its intended purpose, which is to increase efficiency when there is no need for the suspension, and that means that you should avoid riding rougher terrain with the lockout engaged.

Also, if you do force the blow off valve to trigger, you often need to service the shock before riding again.

Suspension is one of the more sensitive components to proper maintenance and tuning. If you treat you fork right, it should last just fine.

One thing many people fail to realize is that suspension warranties are conditional on you doing the required maintenance. For most shocks that means rebuilding them once a year. Check your manual if you need the maintenance schedule for your particular shock.


what make and model is this bike please?

This bicycle is a Micargi Mustang.

See this Google search.

An an image from this website:


Assuming your talking about the older Sun EZ-1 recumbent, the weight limit is 300lbs. You would probably be alright as most weight limit are a "lawyer number" meaning that is not the maximum capacity but for legal reasons they set it at that.

If you do get it i would recommend replacing the wheels on it at some point as the ones that come on it are so-so. And a heavier duty set of double wall rims and decent spokes would hold up a lot better over time if you'll be using it a lot. The wheels that come on them are Weinmann 519's which are a generic single wall rim.

The good thing is most the parts are very similar so if you need something as a replacement more than likely they are still being produced and available.

The company has sense changed it's name for recumbents to Sun Seeker, and is the house brand of J&B Importers a national parts distributor who also owns Origin8. The newest owners manual for the EZ-1 Classic (very similar) can be found here


Wobbly wheel/hub even when I tightened the cones

I ran into this issue on my bike recently. It could be a bent axle, damage on the inside of the hub, or both. If the axle is true, you will need to replace the hub or a whole new wheel. Good news, a new MTB wheel is relatively cheap, on the order of about $50-60.


Wheel building - how to tighten spokes to have perfectly equal tension

Don’t obsess over it. Perfect is the enemy of good enough.
Something like ±10% spoke tension deviation is perfectly fine. For lateral and radial truing about ±0.5mm is fine. With lower quality (or damaged) components it will be harder/impossible. On the front wheel you have more margin since it’s symmetrical, has less spoke tension and is less prone to broken spokes. On the rear wheel asymmetrical rims can help because then you need less tension on the drive side and can put more on the non-drive side. Again giving you more margin (and/or a stronger wheel).
Experience and a methodical approach will help you get there faster. For example when you find an area which is laterally out of true you shouldn’t only loosen or slacken one spoke but work on both sides (i.e. loose one side by half a turn, tighten the other by half a turn) and include the neighboring spokes as well. Be aware of spoke wind-up and account for it (easier with bladed spokes). Stress relieve early.
On my first wheel some nipples broke prematurely. I suspect that turning them countless times abraded and damaged them. Now I always use grease on the nipples (where they contact the rim) and try to get it done in as little turns as possible.


What is the size when folded of the ORI M9 or Mezzo D9?

This article states the following.

While the D9 doesn't fold quite as small as a Brompton (690x685x360mm to the Brompton's 550x580x280mm)

So the Mezzo D9 folds down to 690 x 685 x 360 mm. Which equates to 27.17 x 26.97 x 14.17 inches.


Why does shifting under power affect shift quality?

There may be other factors that affect "shift quality", if I understand what you meant correctly, but the most significant by far is “direction of force applied.

Basically for a gear to change the mechanism just pushes the chain “off rail” enough in the direction of the new gear. When the chain has a higher tension applied on it the derailleur doesn’t have enough strength to push the chain “off the rail”. (Derailleur is the name of the part the pushes the chain)
If you still haven’t understood, imagine a line stretched between two fixed poles, if it is loose and you push it to the side it will move some, if it has a higher tension and you push to the side with the same strength and direction than before it will move less. And the tighter the line the less to the side it would move. A gear system has a minimum distance that it needs to move to the side so it can change gears.

More advanced, modern and obviously expensive have over time placed gears closer to each other and shaped individuals to make the “derailing” need a smaller push in a new direction, requiring less strength to push the chain and as a whole make the process more smooth.

If you didn’t understand something just ask.


Can you use a SRAM 10-speed Powerlock with a Shimano chain/drivetrain?

They will work fine together- same if you swap the brands around. I've done this many times for myself and for others with no issue and it's common practice amongst bike shops. This is strictly marketing & legal covering of their own asses. If you look at Wippermann Connex Link compatibility they say that the one link is compatible with SRAM, Shimano, and Campy. They're all so close in terms of the spacing that interchanging their quick links doesn't make a difference.

As an aside, those Wippermann Connex quick links rock. Tool free installation and removal, and it's almost impossible for them to come undone while riding.


Yes, some people still patch their tubes
I've worked sales at a bike shop for three years, and patch kits are still one of the most common small items for us to sell. It still makes sense from an money perspective--a patch kit is $2 and can fix 10 tubes, while tubes are $10 dollars each (for good ones, at least).


Assuming a bicycle with a conventional rider position, the rider cannot be positioned any lower because there has to be a certain amount of clearance between the cranks and the road. As wheels shrink, the frame has to extend downwards to reach the axles, so you are not really removing structure that causes drag, you are replacing it with something else.

Smaller wheels have higher rolling resistance, at some point that become significant compared to aero drag.

There are a host of other practical reasons, for instance:

As the driving wheel decreases in size the gear ratios have to increase to maintain the same distance travelled for a turn of the cranks. This is why folding bikes have huge chainrings.

Small wheels are less stable, as anyone who has ridden a Razor scooter knows.


The front wheel itself (for rim brakes) should be symmetric and can be installed both ways, unless you can find direction marks printed directly on its rim. The tires, however, can have recommended direction printed on them, which you should follow.

For fully slick tires both directions are equivalent. For tires with tiny tread it is not as important as it may seem, but you should still follow the rotation arrow printed on them in order to not look like a novice. For tires with aggressive tread the direction is important and, interestingly enough, the same tire often should be installed differently depending on whether it is on front or back wheel (then there are two marked rotation arrows on it).


I recommend against filing out the bolt holes. You will not be able to get to holes round enough with a file and the bolt surfaces will not engage with the crank properly. You could try drilling the holes slightly bigger but I'd still be worried about getting the hole diameter accurate enough.


Identify control on left-side of Sun Recumbent Trike model EZ3 handlebar

Based on the specs at https://bicycleman.com/sun-ez-3-ez-3-ltd-recumbent-trike/ your trike has a triple front chainring and a 7 speed cassette in the rear.

The three-position control will be to adjust the front chainring while riding, so the bigger one is "harder" and the smaller one is "easier"  Which one you choose depends on the terrain, but the middle or bigger chainrings are common, with the middle and smaller ones used on slower climbs.

Your right-side handlebar will have a 7 position shifter for the cassette at the rear.  This is more of a fine control, whereas the chainrings are a coarse control.

In automotive terms, the rear cassette is a gearbox, and the chainrings are a transfer case letting you select between high-box, middle-box, and low-box.  If manual truck transmissions are confusing, just ignore this paragraph :)

Aside - your bike may have "parking brakes" too, which is relatively unusual for a bicycle.  Pressing the button on the brake levers will hold them in place, stopping the trike from rolling away.  You wouldn't want to press them while riding.


They fit, in the sense that you can install them in the frame (if the axles are correct, hub width is correct, etc). The problems are:

The bike stands a few centimeters closer to ground. Which means less ground clearance for obstacles and cornering. Frames designed for smaller wheels take this into account
Less trail at front, which affects steering
Lower gearing because of smaller wheel radius
You still have the long rear fork of frame designed for 29" wheels and the associated weight distribution and clumsiness.


What is the difference between hub-cone type rear hubs?

There can indeed be significant differences in the manufacturing tolerances, quality of materials, quality-control processes, etc between manufacturers, or between the lines of a given manufacturer. No one would pretend that Tiagra parts are on par with Dura Ace parts (in fact people have found that Tiagra-grade chains are out of spec when new).

For all we know, the off-brand hub may be on par with Shimano's, but the point is that we don't know. There's a cyclical (heh) relationship between a brand's reputation and the quality of its products. We use the brand name as a shortcut instead of researching a product's materials, reject rates, etc (much of that information being proprietary anyhow); the reputation is built on quality, and if the quality declines, in theory the reputation does too.

There are ISO standards for hubs (and other bike parts) that limit how far out of spec even a shoddy manufacturer could go.

The real question is not whether there is a difference, but whether you're willing to gamble that the difference is unimportant, or that the value of the time you spend researching the cheaper option to reassure yourself is less than the price difference—assuming you accept that the more expensive option is "better."


Thinking of putting wider tires on intro Scattante w330...thoughts?

Oh yeah, definitely put some 28s on there. They'll give you better traction, better handling ( especially on most commutes ), and more comfort. Go for a nice, durable city tire.

Whatever you do, don't try to save money on tires, spend a few extra dollars on high quality tires and you'll never look back. Nice tires will last longer, perform better, and save you time and money by preventing flats. If you buy cheap tires, you'll just end up spending even more money on tubes.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/continental-sport-contact-tire-700c

Edit: Try to make sure the tire you choose fits your frame, your local bike shop shouldn't have any trouble helping you with this.


I have a Burley pet/cargo trailer and when I take it to the store, I use a long (~ 3 meter) cable with a loop on the ends. I loop the one end around itself on one wheel, loop it around the hitch bar, thread it through the spokes of the  other wheel, loop it around the hitch bar again, then lock it through my bike's U-lock.

It's not super secure since the wheels have quick releases (as does the hitch bar), so it wouldn't take long enough to pop them off and untangle the cable from the hitch bar, but it's a mild deterrent against a quick "smash and grab" theft.

Plus they'd have to leave the wheels behind, which would make the trailer pretty useless, especially if the thief is going to try to sell it so he's probably not going to want to have to buy replacement wheels.

On the downside, it's just a 10mm cable, so wouldn't take much work for a thief to cut through it.

I wouldn't want to leave it parked all day like this, but for a shopping trip with bike rack in a high-traffic location near the front of the store, it's worked out fine.


Replaced my crackset, chain keeps popping off the small chainring under load

Assuming you have a 10sp RD 350 SS short cage (R350 GS seems to be a 9 speed item), you have possibly exceeded the total capacity and are not getting enough chain tension.

Capacity with 48/34 rings was 48 + 36 - 34 - 11 = 39. Capacity with 46/30 rings is increased to 46 + 36 - 30 - 11 = 41. AFAIK, only long cage derailleurs for triple rings have that much capacity.

Do you really need a 30t small ring? Would increasing it to 32t - to decrease the total capacity - be ok for you? Alternatively you could think about replacing the derailleur.


Look at the tire. it will have a size on the sidewall. Something like 29" x something or 26" x something or 700/700c x something. Tubes are sold with a range of sizes like 700c x 20 mm - 25 mm. You just need to be within the range (or close to it).

Alternatively, you'll find a number like ISO/ETRTO 20-622. The 622 is the wheel size in ETRTO standard (in this case, 700c for common people), and 20 is the tire size. So the above 700 x 20-25 mm would work here.

I'd guess that you're running a 29er with a 22 mm rim width, so you'll need a 29" x something tube.

Also, check the valve -- the common ones are presta (little screw you have to undo to pump) and schrader (like a car). You'll want to match this with the rim (use whatever is in the rim already).


How do I prevent a tube valve from fusing to my rim

Sounds like galvanic corrosion. If you're somewhere that salts their winter roads, this is why people ride beater bikes.

A fix might be to smear the valve stem and around the valve hole with a thin layer of RTV silicon or possibly a grease to stop the two surfaces coming in direct contact.

Combining brass and aluminium is generally considered incompatible

You might prefer to choose tubes that have rubber up the sides of the valve stem (not uncommon on Schrader but rare on presta) or some tubes use stainless steel valve stems.

To be honest, I'm surprised there aren't more corrosion problems between alloy rims and brass valves.


What cleaner and oil should I use on my bike chain

For the casual rider the simplest approach is to go to a bike shop and get a bottle of "chain oil".  Apply the chain oil fairly liberally (drizzle it on while cranking the chain backwards, if the bike has a freewheel), then wipe the chain with a rag (while cranking backwards).  If the chain is REALLY dirty, repeat.

For slightly more aggressive cleaning (on a derailleur bike), get a "chain washer" and the associated solvent.  Fill the washer and clamp it on, crank backwards for 30-60 seconds.  Wipe with a rag.  Apply chain oil.  Wipe.  If you're riding daily this is probably what you should use, every week or two.

There are the obsessive types who still remove their chains and boil them in kerosene or whatnot to clean then, but that's kind of silly (and dangerous), since chain washers have become available.

Note that chain oil comes in "wet" and "dry" varieties.  "Wet" is for wet weather, and helps prevent corrosion in the wet, while "dry" is for dry weather and doesn't pick up dust nearly as fast as "wet" (and hence keeps the chain cleaner).  And there are "do-all" and "in-between" varieties.  Just pick what seems to fit your riding conditions best.

Do note that, even if properly lubricated, chains wear out.  You should get a "chain stretch gauge" to measure the wear of your chain, and replace it when worn to about 0.8.  Running a worn chain damages the sprockets.


Noleen ATS Comp 26 Front Fork Shocks - Oil Needed?

Bikes that sold in the price range of the Zed were sold with very simple front suspensions. The forks consist of a spring (sometimes only on one side), some type of plastic slide or bushing and some rubber bumpers on the end of the springs. Very few service parts, if any are available. There is no rebound adjustment (this is the rate that the fork extends after compression). The preload adjustment is done by tightening a long bolt that passes thru the spring and shortens the spring as the bolt is tightened. The usual cause of failure is rust on the uppers or the plastic bushings wearing out. If you have completely disassembled ,cleaned and relubed both sides it is likely as good as it going to get.


No, there's no way of getting a singlespeed freewheel onto a cassette hub or a singlespeed cassette cog got onto a freewheel hub. ENO freewheels mostly exist to provide a high-end, high engagement rate option for hubs and trials cranks that need a singlespeed freewheel.


What criteria should be considered for choosing an e-bike for commuting?

You might want to give us an idea of the distance but my wife has recently bought a freego hawk for a commute of 11km each way (about 2/3 your distance and flatter).  The specs and list price are not disimilar.  She's a little taller but this is a fairly forgiving frame layout.

She gets 2 days round trips with the battery still showing 1/4 to 1/2 full, pedalling all the way, and it's knocked about 1/6 off her commute compared to a mountain bike with city tyres after doing that for some time, and is still less tired.  Note that in the UK the motor must by law cut out if you go >15mph.  This extends the range at the expense of speed, as does the lower wattage motor generally used here.

If your girlfriend could ride it on a normal bike (MTB/city bike) in the same sort of time google says without practicing (~1.5hours), she might get under an hour on an e-bike assuming traffic lights etc don't take up too much of the time.

If she'll be stuck behind other bikes or in traffic then it won't be much quicker than riding normally.

Some questions for you to consider:

Why an e-bike? Speed compared to pedalling/beat the traffic/likes to ride but no shower available?
Do you have somewhere secure to keep it at street level, with power?  You'll be charging every day or max. 2, and it's a lot heavier than a normal bike.
How much is she planning to pedal? If not at all the range will soon be used up, especially with the climb.
Who's going to look after it? Will she be stuck if it's in the shop for a minor service?
Is she happy to ride in that traffic?  If she's got a bike, then try it on that, perhaps in one day, back the next if it's too far, or just check out the worst bits in rush hour.  The roads look very different outside a metal box.

On balance e-bikes are great for commuting in many but not all situations, and can carry quite a lot of load without increasing the effort too much.


Tubeless tyres deflating - serious problem or just because I don't have sealant?

Is this just because I haven't got around to adding sealant yet...?

Yup.

The sealant plugs the very small air leaks in the casing and between the rim and bead. The tire will leak down substantially faster without it.

Despite the fact that it's not the subject at hand, it's worth reinforcing what brendan said: make sure you're running tubeless specific road tires for road tubeless. Standard beads- both steel and kevlar- stretch, and without a tube to bind them in place they will stretch enough to climb over the rim and blow off suddenly and catastrophically. You can get away with non-tubeless specific tires at the lower pressures used by mountain bikes- Stan's made their initial mark on the industry by providing conversion kits for non-tubeless rims and tires. But you cannot get away with that at road bike tire pressures. Road tubeless tires use a carbon bead that doesn't stretch, and therefore doesn't blow off the rim. That is the critical innovation that took so long to come around and make road tubeless possible.


Is a 22 inch road bike appropriate for a 5'9" person?

Unfortunately it is not possible to give you a definite answer.

A typical road frame of that size (56 cm) is usually too large for someone of your size (175 cm).

However, the bike may not be typical. Neither is there a typical rider. A bike that feels too stretched out for one rider may be just not cramped for another, assuming about the same height for both.

For a definite answer you either have to try the bike out. Or compare the geometry of the bike with a bike you already know.


Has a bike been made with a rear derailleur above the chainstays?

The derailleur needs to guide the chain into the sprocket - which means it goes on the bottom.

The tension pulley needs to go on the slack side of the chain - which again means it goes on the bottom (the top side of the chain loop has the drive tension).

If the drive train was reversed, you could do it. Put the drive wheel in front and steer with your butt - like this.

US Patent 6588786 has what you've described. Bonus: you don't have to steer with your butt - cables link the handle bars to the forks. I found this while googling for 'front drive bicycle'.

Here's another configuration:


Why does my Shimano Deore SLX dérailleur not rotate into the expected (vertical) position?

The solution turned out to be very simple - after the first 5° of sweep, if I push extremely hard, to the degree I feel a breakage is inevitable, another ~175° is indeed available. The amount of torque required to burst past this apparent stop is enough to make a 20kg e-bike creak against the maintenance stand clamp! Interestingly if the anti-slap clutch is off, the sweep is even harder to make, and there is almost a scratchy, harsh resistance to the movement. I thought the clutch was meant to make it harder when it is On, not when it is Off, but mine is the other way around.

During my investigations, I tried to remove the fascia plate to examine the clutch. There are three hex bolts, arranged in a triangle formation; I removed two, and managed to wear away the hex key slot for the third, and I may need now to drill that out. I have decided not to investigate this further.

Given my findings, I was finally able to replace chain - I used a bungee cord to keep the dérailleur forward, so the quick link could be fitted. However it feels like it may be worth replacing the dérailleur unit entirely - the chain is now clanking in a way that it did not before, and it is under far too much tension. I wonder if the chain snap caused the dérailleur to fly back so violently that it has broken the clutch.

The dérailleur has RD-M7000 stamped in the metal casing, but a cursory search suggests there isn't much support left for 10 speeds. I will have a hunt about to see what I can find that will fit.


Convert old road bike to comfortable commuter

That's a nice looking bike, it seems like it would be a great start for your project. The big question is whether or not the bike fits you – if it does it will be worth considering what else you could do to make the bike into a dependable commuter / day touring bike.

Start by trying to get the saddle and handlebars into a position where you are comfortable on the bike – in general this means getting the seat high enough that you're using your legs efficiently and your bars high enough that you have a comfortable posture and a good distribution of weight between your hands, feet, and crotch.

The general approach is to:

Get the saddle level and as high as you can and still be able to ride without rocking your hips from side to side. Grant Peterson describes the process in his book Just Ride starting on page 140 (if you're thinking about starting to commute by bike the book is worth the read, see if your library has a copy). Start a little to high and work your way down, maybe half a centimeter at a time. Looking at the photo you may also want to adjust the saddle back towards the center of the rails.
Find a comfortable place for your handlebars. Start by putting them at the same height as your seat or even a bit higher. Then as you ride notice where you want your hands to be – notice how you place your hands, test out what it would feel like if the bars were a bit higher or farther back by holding on with the tips of your fingers. As you adjust the bars up be mindful of the location of the "minimum insertion line" on the stem. You may need a stem extender or a long stem.
Notice where you want to sit on the saddle. Do you find yourself inching forward on the saddle, or moving towards the back edge? If the movements are small you can accommodate this by sliding the saddle forward or backward on its rails. You don't actually have a lot of latitude here. Your position relative to the pedals is relatively fixed by the ergonomics of pedaling. So if you find that you would really like the saddle closer to the bars, the solution is to move the bars back towards the saddle. This means getting a stem with a shorter reach or possibly a different set of bars. For now you may be able to change your hand position or just notice what you'd like.

You may want to do some reading about bike fit. Here are some good resources:

Grant Peterson's articles on fit on the Rivendell Bike Works site.
Peter White, whose site is another great resource for bike commuters – he has lots of great information on lighting, tires, wheel building, and gear for commuter bikes, has an article on fitting bikes that you may find useful as well.
The Four and a Half Rules of Road Saddles is an article worth reading if you find that you just can't get comfortable on your saddle – the quick summary is to make sure it is level and wide enough, then consider harder and flatter.

So far you goal is to figure out if you can make the frame fit you and to spend as little money as you can in the process. Don't go out and buy a "comfy" saddle or a fancy new stem – just use what you've got and figure out if you can make this frame suit you. Check around to see if there is a bike shop that sells recycled parts – if you need to get a different stem, used is the way to go while you're sorting out what size you want. Also some of the better bike shops will guarantee the comfort of the parts they recommend to you. That can be the way to go if you decide you need a new saddle or some other expensive part.

When you're done here you should have a bike that you can comfortably ride for an extended ride (well more than your 5 KM commute) or clear ideas about what parts you need to change to make the bike fit well.

With that done, here's what I'd look at next:

Wider tires: the wider the tire the lower the pressure you can run and the more comfortable and stable the ride. Look at the clearances around your tires – the top of the fork for the front and the front of the chain stays for the rear. You probably want at least 10 mm on the sides and you'll need at least 10 mm between the fork and the chain stay bridge to fit fenders. You may have to change your fenders to use bigger tires. Also, consider "puncture proof" tires like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
Effective lights: if you need or want to be able to ride at night you may want to upgrade the lights. Modern LED lights are amazing, they light up the road evenly and make you look like a formidable obstacle to cars. I highly recommend Peter White's site as a source of information about bike lights.
Handlebars & brake levers: depending on how and where you ride you may want to consider different bars. There are tons of options, Sheldon Brown has a useful article on handlebar types which also goes into the some of the problems you may encounter in the process. But don't change bars until you have the bike fitting well. One of the nice things about dropped (racing) bars is that the lower hand position can help you "get out of the wind" when riding into a headwind, and with the bars up higher the position will not be so awkward. If you find yourself wanting to use the brake lever extensions on the top of your bars, consider switching to cross or interrupter levers such as the Tektro RL720. They are much more positive than the lever extensions. Also consider getting a set of primary levers with a quick release to make it easy to remove your wheels.

If you need them fender and rack upgrades would be on the list. Looks like you already have a kickstand, so nothing to do there. Get a basic tool kit and a way to carry it and make sure you can lock up your bike. Have fun! Commuting by bike changes your relationship with your community – almost always for the better.


How to properly lace spokes in rim with offset holes

In your second photo, which shows the valve area, you see that the spoke hole left of the valve is offset down and to the right is offset up.
This is the opposite of how most modern rims are made. It's almost universally the other way. That's what's throwing you off. Variance here was once more common and wheelbuilders looked at this orientation at the start of the process, but people who learned recently and/or don't handle vintage parts much are understandably often lulled into skipping that step.
Ordinarily, from the perspective shown in that image, the first hole to the left will be running to the top hub flange (imagining the hub to be in its normal position relative to the rim) and the first hole on the right will be running to the lower. That will be opposite here. Also opposite will be which comes first in each pair of pushing and pulling spokes.
In other words, your "version 2" photo is right, but you're going to do the other flange's spokes in a way where you don't get spokes crossing under the valve. From the blue spoke to the right of the valve, you're going to find the next hole clockwise on the other flange and it will go to the next rim hole after that first blue one.


What does "Electronic Ready" mean on a Giant Frame?

Based on comparison with the Giant Defy Advanced line, it seems to mean that you can run an electronic drivetrain (such as Shimano Di2 parts) - you have to mount things like a battery in order for the shifters to work and what not, so the frame will need to have the wiring harnesses and battery pack mounted.

This link shows the TCR line in 2012 with this done.

What does an electronic drive train mean for most people? Likely, just an emptier wallet. But thats a different question all together.


Felt carbon steerer compression plug removal

@DWGKNZ was right, turned out that there was a 3mm hex at the bottom. Picture of the removed plug, upside down:

Thanks for quick and useful advice.


How to tell if 700mm tires fit 29" rims?

Three factors to check:
Factor 1. Diameter. If your wheel is a standard 29", then it equals 700c or 622mm. They are different convension name of the same diameter for different types of bicycle markets.
29" = 700c = 622
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29er_(bicycle)
Factor 2. Clearance
Since, 35mm is much narrorer than 2.25" (~57mm), the clearance will not be any problem at all. Your current bicycle frame will have much clearances to install 35mm tyres.
Factor 3. The specificiation of the wheelset
The final factor to check is to go through the specification of the wheelset.
The official specification will tell if the tyre width is compatible with the wheel.
For an example: MAVIC Crossmax Pro <-- A MTB XC wheelset
In the specification of it, you will see
#1 The RIM size is ETRTO size 29": 622x22TSS
#2 Recommended tyre sizes: 46mm to 64mm (1.8" to 2.5")
Since 35mm is narrorer than the official recommendation, in the case of MAVIC Crossmax Pro, it will be not recommended to install a 700x35C tyre.
PS. Please don't argue the marketing or not marketing with me. It is a free world. Anyone can try any not recommended combination as his/her free willings but I just can't give the answer of the kind.


Do road bike shoes offer an increase in power transfer over mtb shoes if the sole is a similar stiffness?

It’s probably more a matter of pedal systems than shoes. High end shoes in both categories will be pretty good and stiff.

I can only talk about Speedplay Zero (road bike pedals) vs. Look Quartz and Shimano SPD. The Speedplay Zero have a much greater area, have completly free adjustable movement sideways (as far as the crankarms allow it) and no play, tilting etc. whatsoever. Other road bike systems will probably be similarly good.

Road bike shoes will probably be lighter and have more openings for air to come in.

The only disadvantage of road bike shoes is that it’s really almost impossible to walk in them and the cleats suffer much more wear from it.


I would look for contamination of the pads and wheels. Oil residue from the roadway may have gotten on to the brake surfaces. Try to clean them with a mild cleaner. I typically use the blue glass cleaner. If the brake pads are several years old they may be getting dried out or glazed. You can try to resurface the rubber face of the pad with a file. The improvement if any tends to be short lived. Avoid sanding the pads with sandpaper as the grit can imbed in the pad and damage the rim. Also consider some performance oriented brake pads. The pad materials have different characteristics such as wet stopping, dry stopping, durability and price.


BB92 (Shimano bottom bracket) with SRAM 30mm crankshaft (X01 or XX1 BB30)?

BB92 is also known as PF41. The shell width should be 91.5mm and the inner diameter should be 41mm.

30mm:

According to SRAM's 1x11 frame fit specifications, the inner part of the XX1 "spider" sits 45.5mm from the centreline (Dimension W1). The equivalent dimension is 43.5mm for X1 cranksets.

MTB BBs compatible with Hollowtech 2 should have a fully-assembled width of 96.5mm. Road HT2 BBs should have a fully-assembled width of 91mm.

It won't be possible to fit SRAM 30mm cranks to a BB92-spec frame without permanently modifying the frame. There are various systems which use a 30mm diameter axle and greater lengths, including Rotor, Hope, and eThirteen.

GXP:

Many brands produce BB92/PF41 bottom brackets for GXP cranksets, but this combination is not common so many retailers won't have them in stock.

Hope offer converters to allow GXP axles to be used with their 24mm bottom brackets. These should not be used with Shimano BBs as they already have a plastic "top-hat" spacer between the bearings' inner casings and the axle, whereas Hope use bearings with a 24mm.