Riese Muller with Bosch performance CX not engaging immediately

The 2020 Bosch performance CX firmware update does change the algorithms for adaptive support in addition to increasing low-cadence torque.  It intentionally 'ramps up' the amount of assist more slowly than it did before when starting out/pedal pressure is low to get a more natural "bike that helps you" and less "pushy" feel.


Are there downsides to cross-top brake levers? Compatible with all mechanical-hydraulic disc brakes?

I am a maker of custom bikes for kids and small adults. I am a heavy user of the interrupter-style levers, even for main brake levers. The main reason that I use them is that they are easy to adapt to a custom bracket which fits smaller-diameter handlebars and smaller hands. Another great benefit, they are some of the lightest levers available, period, at as little as 45 grams each in stock configuration. I am familiar with both Tektro and various clones.
To answer your questions,

It is not likely to decrease the braking efficiency of the main levers. I doubt you will notice a difference. Technically there could be some more friction from the cable flowing through the lever, but the lever itself should have less compression than brake housing. To minimize friction, consider using lined end caps such as those available from Jagwire here: https://jagwire.com/products/small-parts/lined-end-caps
These types of levers are "road pull", so they should be compatible with your Hy/RD road calipers
Tektro is a safe option but the various clones available on the market seem almost identical in function and even in appearance. Do be advised that many of them come in strictly left-hand and right-hand versions, according to the shape of the lever itself. This could be important if you plan to put the lever in an odd location, or in a "reversed" configuration.


What are the most effective methods of bicycling advocacy?

Rails-to-trails, LAB and others are all great groups who do a lot of good, but not necessarily in your area.  Like the saying goes, "Think globally, act locally".

The best form of advocacy is to ride as much as you can.  In the developed world we tend to look at cycling as recreation or a hobby.  As such, many participants drive their bike to the place where they ride their bikes.

The more visible you are to your friends, neighbors and co-workers as a cyclist, the better.  The more you ride for transportation, or utility the more 'credibility' you have with those around you.

Begin in your local community. If you ride to the store, restaurant, or library and there is not a convenient place to lock your bike, talk to the manager.  On a couple of occasions I have mentioned to a manager that I and other cyclists like a particular restaurant but we don't visit as often because there is nowhere to lock our bikes other than a chain link fence, or a tree.  Two 'strip malls' now have bike racks.

Finally, your town or county may have an advocacy group already - join - be active.


[A photo would help] Is tire's cord actually damaged, and does air escape from the hole? If cord is OK, «'tis but a scratch». Use sealant to cure it, it is meant to plug holes several millimeters in size, and it should be there anyway for a tubeless setup.

If it is an actual hole, you can try using some sort of a tire boot, starting from those offered commercially and ending up with a multitude of DIY solutions e.g. a folded money bill. It is supposed to work with an inner tube. I do not think you will be able to continue using that tire in a tubeless mode.

Given that a road tire has very low air volume, any blowup after tire boot's failure will empty it in no time. Finding oneself with a missing tire while having speed of a typical road race's descent is not the brightest perspective. I would recommend retiring that tire.


Do I need a new tire pump or can I fix my old one?

You're not going to be able to fix something like a pump: you won't be able to buy spare parts for it and, even if you could, you could probably only install them using the manufacturer's tooling.

However, the fact that your pump and pressure gauge disagree doesn't tell you which one is wrong. Maybe your trusty old pump is actually right and your new gauge is inaccurate. Maybe your pump really is old and worn out.

If your two devices each measure in a consistent way (e.g., one always reads 10psi lower than the other), then just learn the translation between them. Assuming you're not running at close to the maximum pressure of your tyres, it doesn't really matter if you inflate to 80psi or 90 psi, as long as the results are comfortable to you. If you're happy with the state of your tyres when you pump them up to a certain pressure as measured by your pump, then keep doing that and just be aware of the different number your pressure gauge will tell you. It doesn't matter if they're not real pounds per square inch (or bar or whatever scale you prefer).

If you want to decide which one is wrong (and it might even be both!), you'll need to use multiple devices. Can you borrow a pump or gauge from somebody else? Your local bike shop, for example, probably has a pump they'll let you use.


Bike frame rusting immediately, cheap frame?

The fact that the frame rusted and the paint came off over 12 years is probably the fault of the paint not the steel. Even high quality strong steel alloys rust. Also, the conditions in a shed may look dry but there could be high humidity. The frame you have may not be the best, strongest steel alloy, but if you like the frame it’s worth refurbishing.

If you strip steel down to bare metal it will react with oxygen and water in the air. You need to protect the metal with some form of oil or primer paint.

If you want the frame to look nice you’ll need to prepare the surface carefully and apply primer coats, color coats and clear coat. You can find many resources in how to do that in the internet.

What I would do is protect the frame with WD-40 or similar while removing paint and sanding to get a good surface, then thoroughly clean with solvent and apply the first primer coat in one session. You don’t want the environment to be too humid or cold when you are doing this.

Update: I read through your question again and saw you mentioned rust on the inside and holes in the frame. You can remove rust inside with rust remover chemicals, but if the frame has holes all the way through (rather than pits) it's likely junk.


Identify tandem frame with no LK99040060

IS that the only number listed?  I looked on a bike registry and found nothing, but it may not include tandems, or there is another number stamped on the frame somewhere.  This site: https://bikeindex.org/serials  give pictures and descriptions of different locations for that stamp to be.  But I have not found a registry for tandems or that just says it includes tandems.

I am sorry that I could not help more!  Good luck :)


What bottom bracket removal tool do I need?

It's just the regular old 20-spline cartridge type tool, i.e. Park BBT-22. I have seen a few like this, although I don't really know what the deal is with them.
While there are now an enormous number of outboard type BB tool spline patterns, internal cartridge BBs pretty much exclusively use either the Shimano-originated 20-spline tools or the smaller Campy spline pattern.


Should be a drop-in replacement.

Presumably you have a Hollowtech external bearing bottom bracket in a 68mm shell. Latest generation Shimano cranks all have 25mm axles that fit in Hollowtech BBs.

11 speed crank will work with a 10 speed chain.


What should I do with a cracked titanium Lemond Tete De Course frame?

Getting it fixed may cost more than the frame is worth and there's no guarantee it won't crack again. My husband's titanium Litespeed road frame cracked on the head tube twice. The first time, Litespeed replaced the frame.  The second time (cracked in almost the same spot as the first one) Litespeed said the frame had exceeded the "lifetime" of the lifetime warranty. He took it to a couple of welders but they said it would be $600 - $900 to fix (weld on a new head tube).

He gave the Litespeed frame to a welding student for parts/pratice and replaced it with a cheaper aluminum frame. Since he's not racing, he's not worried about a few extra ounces of weight in the frame and if it breaks he's only out a couple hundred dollars instead of a couple thousand.


As a rule, don't. The discs will be self cleaning in all but the very worst condition. Cleaning increases the possibility of contamination with oils that ruin the braking performance.

If you do decide to clean them, you must be pedantic about preventing oils and other contaminants getting on the rotors and pads. A simple wash with a hose, keeping direct pressure away from the calipers, should be all that is needed.

If you want to clean the disk further, use a clean cloth or paper towel. Isoprop can be used but should not be needed.

To clean the outside of the caliper, wipe down with a clean, wet cloth.  If the caliper is clogged up, I would remove the wheel and disk pads and gently take to it with just water and a slim brush (The ones you get to clean straws or tubes of drinking bladders are good).

Wash the pads in water, using a clean brush or cloth to remove excessive dirt then reinstall them.

Be cautious of soaps and other cleaning fluids as these can leave contamination. Use a plain detergent.

Keep the compressed air away from the brake calipers.


A replacement crank set will likely be your best bet. As once you drill out the rivets the structural integrity (what little it has) will be effected and eventually your new chainring bolts you install may wallow out and deform the holes cause a slight play, from there the slight play will gradually get worse until something snaps under force and you will be right back at this very place. Beyond that i don't know how you would remove and reuse the actual crank arm.

Bottom line riveted crank sets are made to be replaced when they wear out. Could you drill and use it? Probably.. well maybe.. but i wouldn't consider it a wise move. I think you would be better suited to look into a replacement and possible upgrade to one that has removable rings.

After all the time and effort put into converting the old one and hoping it holds you could just replace and forget about it. As others have said in the comments you should also check your chain and rear cassette or freewheel for wear as well. If your chain is worn it will not work as well with a new crank and will cause it to also wear prematurely.


Can I attach a 40 spoke hub to a 36 spoke rim?

"Perverse" is what Sheldon Brown calls this sort of wheelbuilding, but it apparently can be done. There are even video tutorials for a 32-36 mismatch, which might help you. Unless you really need a sturdy rim, you could look into using a 32-hole rim as a 4:5 pattern might be simpler than 9:10. You need several sizes of spoke for such a build.

Another option worth a look is trying to get undrilled rims, though they're probably expensive.

I have heard of people building wheels ignoring the spoke hole offset from the centreline, or filing out the holes if the offset is slight. Doing that on a 20-hole rim would mean you'd have to drill every other hole - but be careful as the valve hole could easily be a problem (most but not all of my wheels have it halfway between spokes). I'd be wary of such an approach personally.

I don't suppose the front is 40h is it? Building a new front wheel and putting the old front rim on the back would be a neat solution if it is, but 40h front wheels aren't common.


I think it's likely that the frame is just to large for you. A medium frame is generally too large for a person 5'4" (approx. 162cm) in height.

What's going in is that distance from the saddle to the bars is likely too long, causing you to have to lean forward too much, which is causing your pelvis to rotate forwards also.

When sitting on a bicycle saddle properly, the bones at bottom of your pelvis should be taking you weight on the wider, rearmost part of the saddle. There should not be pressure on the perineum or points further forward. When the pelvis rotates forward weight is transferred from the pelvis onto the perineum. Apart from being painful, that cuts off blood supply and pinches nerves which causes numbness.

The proper solution is to get a frame a size (or two, depending on your body proportions) smaller. A potential solution is a significantly shorter stem to pull the handlebars back and allow a more upright riding position.

You can try getting a bike store to try to fit the bike to you, including playing with stem length, but personally I'd look for a replacement bike in a smaller size. Try some different bike stores and see what recommendations you get for sizing and fit.

At least in most US states bicycles stores are considered essential businesses, and bicycle business is booming. You may easily be able to sell your current bike to offset the cost of a replacement.

Updates based on photo and info in comments:

As others have said saddle height is too high, your arms are straight in the first photo and your ankle is raised with the pedal at the bottom in the second. Elbows should have a bend and foot should be flat with a slight knee bend.

Given that, you actually look a quite cramped on the bike. Notice your back is straight and the angle between your arms and body is less than 90 degrees. Your knees look very close to the bars. I think the fore-aft saddle position is way too far forward, it should be set to get the pelvis in the right position relative to the feet NOT to adjust reach to the bars. Set the saddle height properly, then with a pedal straight forward your kneecap should be vertically above the pedal axle.

I think excess saddle tilt may in fact be causing you to sit too far forward on it moving you pelvis bones off the wide part at the rear.

The whole bike does not look obviously big for you, so this looks salvageable. What I would do is sort out your saddle height position and tilt first, and get you sitting in it properly. Then figure out where a comfortable bar position is for you, then achieve that with a shorter stem and possibly shorter reach bars. You can also rotate the bars back a little to get a comfortable angle of the drops under your hands

It looks like you want to be in a less aggressive, more upright position so your bars will be approximately level with the saddle, which is totally fine. Once you are feeling more comfortable on the bike you can work on some back flexibility and lower the bars if you want.

You may want to enlist the help of a good local bike store to help you get set up right. You may not have to pay for a proper bike fit. A good store should help you get these basics sorted out if you buy a new stem and bars through them.

Here's a good video on basics of bike fit. Contrast your position on the bike to those shown in the video.


What regulations apply to bicycles in New York City, USA

Ah ha, some how I got it lol. It was a round trip, but hope help those ppl aware of this

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bicyclerules_english.pdf


Forward thinking for riding through winter

I would go for the equivalent Marathon non-spiked.
Look online for 'crud catcher' instead of mud guard - offers great tyre clearance
During the winter its best to run full length inner and outer brake cables so you reduce the amount of moisture inside. Just readjust to the new rim and make sure that the pads aren't worn out. Otherwises just replace the pads.


6 speed derailleur works for 7 speed cog?

Shimano derailleurs marketed as 7, 8, 9 speed (and in addition, 10 speed road), can be interchanged in any of those speed drivetrains. Six speed is included in there as well, it's just not common to see. So yes, a six speed rear derailleur will work correctly with 7, 8 or 9 rear speed systems. The derailleurs in these speed groups will all move the same amount based on the amount of cable pulled by the shifter. A limitation of the derailleur can be the size of smallest and largest rear cogs it can handle.  So you might put a six speed derailleur in a 9 speed drivetrain with an 11-34 tooth cassette, and it may shift in the middle of the cassette just fine but will not be able to get the chain on the extreme cogs because it's not designed to handle such extremes which don't exist in a 6 speed system.  So, it's not totally correct to say, ya you can use any of these derailleurs in any of these speed drivetrains because other considerations are necessary to address.
In general, a 6 speed derailleur CAN work in 7 speed drivetrain.


It could be an easy fix, or a new brake. Are you prepared to trash your travel plans over the cost of new brakes?  Given the time frame, I would either hand it over to my LBS, or put on a new brake and sort it out when I got home. Time frame for sourcing a new brake means any hiccups and you won't have time to sort it unless you buy from your LBS. Your best option is probably get the LBS to do the work as well.

If you replace the caliper on its own you will still need to bleed the brakes. Replacing the entire brake assembly, if you get one with the correct length hose, should require no bleeding. Shimano (Don't know abut others) ship with the hose detached from the lever so you can install into the frame if needed. Installing a new brake is much simpler than bleeding, especially if you run the hose on the outside of the frame.

Only thing you really need to decide is what quality brake to buy. Your could go cheap - say MT365, with the plan to fix up the MT500's later, or use this as an opportunity to upgrade to M596 or better. (Going to M596's you should also upgrade the disc rotor to the narrow shimano version - MT500's use the wider Shimano rotor)

I recently needed a new back brake in a hurry and got discounted MT365's with a view that the $US20 cost could be saved by waiting for a discont on XT's. I still have not upgraded, the 365's are not great brakes, but for the rear give me enough power an modulation for my style riding.


Can Press-Fit Bottom Brackets be used in a Threaded frame

You can't put a pressfit bottom bracket in a frame not designed for pressfit bottom brackets.

Your best options are:

Taking the bike to a bike shop and seeing if the threads can be salvaged
Use an universal threadless bottom bracket like the Velo Orange Grand Cru threadless bottom bracket. And buy a square taper-compatible crankset.
Follow this question's advice.


E-bike rims: can I use them on my touring bike?

Does that rim state a load? How heavy are you touring? Not much of the strength of a wheel come from the rim anyway, at least as regards vertical loading. MTB touring can put extra shock loads on a wheel compared to road touring.

A rear e-bike rim has a lot of stress on it, and not just from the unsprung mass of a hub motor but the shorter spokes. So it might be good, but the actual load could easily be less than a loaded tourer.

The e-bike I've ridden is about 30kg bare. That's less than the luggage when I went bike camping. The rider is almost always the heaviest part of the system.

The toughest wheels are probably those built for touring tandems. 40 spokes are common, 48 not unknown.


Two broken teeth in Shimano 105 crankset

If it was mine and I damaged it riding, moving, storing etc. I would try to de-burr the edges and see how it shifted. In your case any modifications you make means you own it. Contact either the shipper or the vendor and forward the pictures to their claims dept. If you exhaust all avenues and are stuck with it, try repairing it then install it. If it works  to your satisfaction monitor it for premature wear. If the shifting seems less than optimal replace just the large ring and it should work like new one.


Replacement for an old FD-M760 front derailleur

Shimano used the same actuation ratio for all rear derailleurs up 9 speed on mountain bikes, and I'm pretty sure the same holds for front derailleurs. That means you can use any  8 or 9 speed front derailleur to replace a 9 speed M760.

I'd go with a FD-M4000 Alivio or FD-M3000 Acera if you want a new unit. Older 9 speed derailleurs will work if you can find one in good condition.

Note you'll need to match your mounting type: braze-on vs clamp-on; and top of bottom pull. If clamp on you'll need to know your down tube diameter and may need an adapter.


The usual causes for this:

Presta valve in Schraeder hole without proper reinforcing grommet.
Valve crooked, or being forced crooked at the expense of extra stress on the tube/valve joint by riding with pressure too low.
Burrs around valve hole. Knock down and replace with a neat bevel with swivel deburrer, tapered reamer, small round/needle/rifler file, or sandpaper.
Pump technique allowing the force to get taken in part by this area of the tube/valve instead of bracing the pump against your hand or a solid object. Usually involves a frame pump or mini pump.
Tightening the Presta nut too tight once the tube is inflated. (I.e. reefing down on it. Snugging reasonably firmly is fine, although it does add stress to the material that can only do ill over time.)
Tube too large or small for the tire, causing a stress riser in the valve/tube joint under pressure.

Less common reasons, more in the realm of theoretically possible:

Age. Tubes last more or less indefinitely but they do age out sometime, and the area around the valve is a likely spot since it's less supple and flexible. I've had tubes I've kept going many years without any of the above factors fail this way.
Valve hole a little larger than ideal, causing a lesser version of the "Presta valve in Schraeder hole" problem.
Simple defect.


It's some combination of:

QR springs not pointing the right direction. Try removing them completely while working on this, which can also help with the next thing.
Relatively thin steel dropouts not playing nice with this combination of QR skewer and axle ends. If the axle ends are poking through the dropouts and touching the QR nut or cam, or doing so as the whole thing presses together, it won't clamp right. This can happen sometimes putting new hubs and QRs on old steel frames. Solve by using a more traditional kind of QR, i.e. a steel internal cam one, and measuring to corrobrate you are well away from this being able to happen. Taking away the springs completely can sometimes be the quick fix to this problem.
Cam surfaces on the QR need lubrication. Put a drop of oil on the barrel that the lever pivots around.
The QR has some worn parts not seen in the photo, like the plastic bushing part.
You're undertightening the QR. Lubrication can help with this, or not, since external cam QRs are basically bad.
If your dropout alignment is wrong, for example by way of putting a 130 or 135 wheel in a narrower rear end, the QR is now needing to flex the dropouts back into being parallel before clamping happens. This can cause or add to the problem.
You've got horizontal dropouts and the external cam QR isn't providing enough holding force.


Assuming the fitter correctly positioned the saddle set back for you, moving the saddle forward could result in more knee stress and the potential for repetitive stress injury.  Keep an eye for early signs.  Your knees, hips and IT bands could all show signs.

Typically, the recommended order of operation in the fit is to first set the saddle height and setback, then set the handlebar reach. Saddle position is considered one of the most important positions for overall performance.

I find it interesting that the more shorter reach setup relieved back pain. Usually a stretched out position affects the shoulders and neck. You should also look into if you have back and hip flexibility issues.  Fit can accommodate flexibility issues, but shouldn't be a substitute for addressing the underlying issues as they likely affect other aspects of one's life.

This is rampant speculation (take with a grain of salt), but do you sit a lot?  If you slouch a lot while sitting you may have impacted your back and hip flexibility, giving you a more rounded back riding position and a shorter reach.

As a final aside if you carry a load on the bike, shifting the pacement of the load ahead of the handle bars can return some of the handling characteristics.


Bike lights with beam cut-off to avoid dazzling drivers?

I have actually dramatically improved the cutoff on my 1200 lumen dual LED (just for reference) with a sort of brim made out of aluminium plate.  On road I run it on minimum brightness (guessing about 1/4 -- 1/3 power). On pitch dark bike paths I do change the angle a little as well as turning up the brightness.

Super-speedy sketch (go inkscape!):

The light body is about 60mm long, and the reflector is in approximately the right proportions.  I mocked it up with cardboard first, before using some 1mm plate - it's tucked away under the bars, under a front bag mount and all edge and corners are nicely rounded off.

The mounting underneath the handlebar is another issue -- overly reflective silver-grey brake and gear cables right in front of the light if it sat on top of the bars.

It's not quite as good as it was before I tweaked the handlebar angle. On (slight) riser bars using the riser as intended I had it tipped up on the left to illuminate roadside signs (UK).  I've twisted the bars so the rise points forwards at about 45° and the aim isn't quite what I'd like.

I promised pictures:

Side view

Front view

Illumination pattern (high ambient light levels)


I don't think you are missing anything. I think these frames were intended to be used with mountain bike triple chainrings. The fully built up version that Trek offers comes with Alivio/Sora 3x9 with a 48 tooth big ring.

If the 52 an 36 tooth rings are just hitting the stay you may find a 50/34 pair provides enough clearance (A 50t ring is 4% smaller diameter, 34t is 5% smaller). The 105 crank has a BCD of 110mm and 50/34 rings are available for it. This would be the cheapest option I think. You should be able to sell unused 105 52/36 rings and largely offset the cost of the new ones.

If a 50/34 does not look like it would provide enough clearance then there are sub-compact 48/32 cranks available (8 and 10% smaller diameter) and I thikg you should be able to find one that is compatible with the Shimano BB. Again, you can sell the unused crank to offset the cost.

Update to add info on chainring compatibility:

Chainrings with a difference of less then 16 teeth (52/36, 50/35, 49/32 etc) will work well with a Shimano road derailleur. A potential problem with small chainring pairs is lowering the derailleur enough. This can be a problem with braze-on mountings but is generally not a problem with clamp on. The limiting factor for chainring size on a crank is the bolt circle diameter. For compact cranks with a BCD of 110mm the limit is about 34. This is for the smaller ring obviously. You can mount a 48/34 pair but then you might have a problem of the high and low gear ranges being too close together.

With Shimano cranks you have to be aware of the differences between the groupsets: bolt pattern and the shape of the ring where it meets the crank body makes inter-groupset compatibility poor.

I think you easiest route would be to sell the 105 crank and get a sub-compact one. I note there is a Tiagra 48/34 option which will fit in your BB.


To add to Nathan's correct answer, the concept at work here is mechanical advantage. Different gear ratios offer different mechanical advantages, and let you divide or multiply your torque to suit different conditions.

It's the same with a car: you pull away from a stop in 1st gear in a car, not 4th, because the engine doesn't have enough torque to manage it in 4th.


The pros and cons of crank self-extractors

I have them on my Ultegra equipped nine speed bike and love them. They are especially nice when cleaning up the bottom bracket and crank/chainrings. Just a couple of quick turns with an allen key and off the the crank arm comes and goes directly into the cleaner. I wipe down the bottom bracket area and reattach the crank arm and it's ready to go. Easy peasy, takes maybe ten minutes if that.


Independent drivetrains on tandem bicycle

Here's a picture of a half recumbent tandem

from https://www.ucycle.com/merchant/2856/images/zoom/hase-pino-allround.jpg

Here is a link to a video of people riding a recumbent tandem.
https://binged.it/2TXkxJC
The video does a good job of explaining that the front crank has a freewheel mechanism that lets the riders pedal at different speeds. The front rider can also stop pedaling.

If this is what is meant as "independent drivetrains" then the functionality is in the crank rather than the frame itself.

The key to having a regular tandem like the recumbent tandem in the video is to find someone who makes a crank with a freewheeling chain ring. Like the old school Schwinn Suburban's from the late 70s with Shimano Positron FFS (Front Freewheel System).

Here's a link to a product for mountain bikes with a freewheeling chain ring
https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/hxr-easy-shift-crankset-allows-change-gear-without-pedalling.html

With this part - or something like it - any tandem frame builder should be able to get you going.


Need replacement cones for Shimano front hub

According to this Shimano TechDoc, the axle of HB-M475 (Front hub, 100mm OLD, 6-bolt disc mount) is M10.

If you find a different model number marked on the hub, Shimano techdocs are listed here.


Are there any high power bicycle generators?

Typically you need to purchase a light designed to work with a bicycle dynamo due to the power characteristics of a dynamo (lights need DC current).  A well sorted hub dynamo (I personally have had great luck with Schmidt hubs) can produce up to about 6W of power depending on your speed and the design of the hub, which is a reasonable amount of power to work with.  The 3W rating you read may have been a minimum power spec at a specified slow speed.

In terms of your overall goal of a 800 lumen front plus rear the answer is yes (with caveats).

Headlights

There are two headlight options (that I know of) that can output 800 lumen:

Exposure Lights Revo Mk1
Super Nova E3 Triple

I researched the Supernova E3 Triple a while back and they seem to do some impressive trickery to get that output.  Basically them seem to selectively turn LEDs on and off depending on your speed.  The full output will likely be at a reasonably  fast velocity (not sure of the exact numbers). Make no mistake either is a pricey option.

Tail lights

If you want to be fully dynamo powered you will need a dynamo specific tail light.  Both companies also taillight options and often you can use different brands of dynamo tail lights with a dynamo head light.  That said, in this case I would carefully research these possibilities as these high output lights as they are doing some funky things to get that max output, which may limit their compatibility with tail lights.

Note for Commuters

Finally, I would warn against using these high output dynamo head lights for commuting (your ultimate purpose was not stated) as both of these head lights shine above the horizon, like a car high-beam and the 800 lumen output also approaches that a car's headlight.  When you shine above the horizon it is great for seeing overhead branches (on the trail), but you blind oncoming vehicles and cyclists. Ever had a car drive at you with their high-beams on?

There are other dynamo LED options which have mirrors designed not to shine above the horizon (similar to a car's regular headlights).  These are often quoted as passing German road regulations.

In North America I don't believe there are any regulations for bicycle lights.  As such, I have noticed more and more riders using very high output trail lights (e.g. excess of 1000 lumen) on the road and blinding everyone with glee.  I have nearly crashed on a bike path as a result of being blinded (I couldn't see anything for a minute afterwards).  While not illegal, it is totally inconsiderate.

I may start throwing my metal water bottle at offenders this winter :-)


Are cable housings different for road/MTB/urban bikes?

Short answer is no.

In terms of normal bulk housing, it used to be that 5mm shift housings were more associated with mountain/utility and 4mm were more associated with road. Now 4mm has become more the norm for everything, although it's kind of a matter of perspective because there are a lot of bikes still running around with 5mm, and you can still buy 5mm. Either works on both, and the common ferrules both have the same OD (there are weirdo ferrules for weirdo frames that need smaller and larger ones, but that's a tangent).

As you've seen, there are various cable kits labeled as mountain or road, and groupset-specific in Shimano's case. There's a couple things going on here. The dimensions of the parts haven't changed - all the mainstream component groups can accept normal housings and ferrules without any adornment. But, the component makers and Shimano in particular seem to have developed certain really specific ideas about what combinations of nosed ferrules and sealing doodads are supposed to go along with which component group, and that's what their group-specific or road versus mountain distinctions are about. Jagwire and other cable set makers have kind of done the same thing. It's all pretty arbitrary in my opinion, but it's a debatable point. The exception is that Shimano is now pushing their slick coated cables very hard for road, and I think that's as it should because their under-the-tape shift routing STIs can have a lot of issues with excess friction being generated at the bar (and that's more or less the reason for the push.)

Also, as was mentioned in the comments, there's some notion that the pre-cut housing lengths in packaged cable sets correspond to road or mountain. Honestly this in my opinion is the biggest reason not to even pay attention to the kits that come with pre-cut housings; the world we're living in now is that bikes have all sorts of different housing/cable routing schemes even within their genres, and you need to just cut it to length and make it right.


The style of bars you referring to are drop bars.

Hybrid / city / multi-use bikes now come with both styles of handle bars.
Not endorsing this bike.  It is just an example. MultUseWithDropBars

One thing to consider is a used cyclocross and put touring tires on it.  It has drop bars and will take larger tires.  You can get great deals on used as many racers upgrade every season or two.  And this is the end of cyclocross season.  Or a used touring bike but you don't get as good of deals on used touring bike as you don't have racers flooding used market.  But if you don't know bikes then you can get burnt used. This is a cyclocross set up with 35mm touring tires that I use for training and crashing around the city.


Answer: as far as you need to and want to.  20 miles with rest breaks should be a good starting target.

I did this - my first "big" ride a year ago was 20 km total, and it completely exhausted me.  A year later I'm doing a 116 km ride.

The best technique is many little steps.  Pick places that are ~10 miles away and do a round trip, stopping in the middle for a drink and snack.  Then up the distance after a 4-6 weeks or forgo the stop in the middle.

Also do a "scenic tour" when coming home from work.  I do 3km to work, and 10~20km on the way back.  I prefer to have a calm ride to work and do the exercise on the way home.

Track your rides with something like http://strava.com/    Run the app on a fancyphone and it will keep all your records for you like average speed and best time on segments.  Stats and leaderboards are a good motivation.

Make your rides useful - if you need to go somewhere for a purpose, allow the time to ride rather than drive.  Exception being if you need to be presentable/not sweaty.

Make your rides safe.  Avoid the scary roads, have bright clothes, lights etc.

Remember its not just distance.  You should spend time grinding up your local hills, and whizzing down them too.

Set yourself significant goals with rewards.  I started with a MTB, bought a real (used) road bike on completion of an event, and now I'm preparing for Le Race, which is 100 km with ~4km vertical.  When I complete that I'll consider buying a brand new road bike.

All this can help you increase your distance and speed and decrease your recovery times.


How to attach Wahoo Elemnt Roam central on a RITCHEY WCS C220 110MM BLATT stem

It sounds a bit like you want the computer mounted centrally and in front of the stem. As you know Wahoo computers all come with an out front mount that attaches to the handlebar. I think that you are looking for something that doesn't clamp there, perhaps because you have accessories. In general, Googling for "out front" mount should identify most examples of this type of mount.
One logical place might be above the stem and under the stem cap. I'm aware of one such mount made by K-Edge, but it doesn't extend far enough forward, and it would leave the computer right over the stem (i.e. it will be as if you strapped a regular computer mount to the center of the stem).

Some integrated handlebar/stem combinations have a hardpoint under the centerline, to which you can attach a spoon-shaped out front mount. I assume that if you had this type of handlebar, you would have said so. Nevertheless, it's included for completeness. "Spoon computer mount" may even be the correct search string for this type of mount. One example by Barfly is pictured below.

Finally, there is a class of mounts that attaches to stem bolts or stem faceplates. Some may be proprietary to a certain manufacturer's stem. I think Bontrager makes some mounts like this, and an Easton example is depicted below. The description for the Ritchey mount that Adam linked only explicitly mentions two Ritchey stems, so I think I'd put it in the proprietary subclass of this mount type. Edit: In fact, I had not noticed that the author has one of these two Ritchey stems, and in fact, I don't think the general purpose stem mounts described below will work at all in their case!

However, there are some manufacturers that may do more universal mounts. I am aware that JRC (in the EU) makes a mount like this, and it claims to be compatible with many 4-bolt stems. I believe they should supply longer replacement stem bolts for this mount. I think there are other companies like this. It turns out that Googling "stem out front mount" appears to bring up a number of these examples, at least for me.


How well does Mountain Bike body armor work?

Body armor works fairly well at preventing abrasions and cuts, but does not do as well against impact damage.  I wore a SixSixOne pressure suit for many years when downhilling.  Basically during all the slow and medium speed crashes it keeps you from walking away bleeding from rocks, bark and maybe small punctures (from exposed tree branches and such) depending on where they land.  It doesn't keep you from getting bruised (that much), and will do little to mitigate the forces you encounter during a high speed crash.  I still managed to dislocate my collar bone during a high speed crash in full armor.  However, I wasn't bleeding where my shoulder slammed into the tree, so there is that.  I'd sum up by saying body armor is NOT like a helmet for your body.  It will not protect your spine from a high impact crash, but it may keep the skin on your back from getting torn up.

As far as what to look for, I recommend the same things you's look for in any cycling gear.  It should fit well and be well made.  Depending on your riding conditions and weather, ventilation can be very important.  Even at 75F, my armor made me sweat like the dickens.  At 85F or 90F, I don't think I could have stood the heat, but I was used to riding in sub arctic (interior Alaska) conditions.


Chain Slip at front changing from large to small front chain wheel (with large cog at back)

I wouldn't expect to throw the chain inwards or outwards (at least on my 3x8 setup) if the limit screws are correct.  This is true whatever sprocket I'm using and even if I push the lever the wrong way (it's not unknown when I'm tired especially if I've recently been riding another bike).  That said you shouldn't be shifting like that as you acknowledge.  The tolerances are likely to be tighter with a 9 speed chain but I would say there's no harm in a light tweak of the limit screws and tension, in fact after a few 10s of miles on new cables or after other significant changes I tend to find that some adjustment is needed as things bed in.


Can you use a 8 speed Shimano shifter with a 7 speed cassette?

You can do that, the spacing is the same.

As already pointed, you're going to have a "phantom gear" on your shifter.

If you let gear number 2 on the shifter correspond to gear number 1 in the cassette, you should take care not to press too hard on the lever when you are already in gear 2, since this should overstretch the cable or the lever.

If you let the normal order until gear 7, and have an 8th gear on the lever as an "empty" or "ghost" gear, there is no danger to overstretch anything, but the shifter cable might become too loose, to the point of the housings coming out of their stops.

Anyway, the gear spacing is the same, and there would be any necessary damage in any part, except one of the positions of the shifter not being used.

Also, this could be a good alternative to upgrade the shifter, and only some time later to upgrade the rear wheel.

At last, have in mind that these systems are not in production anymore (as far as I know).

Hope this helps


Are there any 8-speed brifters with internal cabling?

The new Claris, called R2000, has internally routed brake and shifter cables, an improvement on a previous version, that still sported the externally routed shifting cables.
It is still 8 speed group, so in line with the op's wishes.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/claris-r2000.html

dealers manual, page 13, how to install shifter cable:
http://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-RBSL001-03-ENG.pdf


Hard and noisy Shimano ST-EF29 front shifter with brake lever

My initial suspicions would be either the indexing is slightly too far outboard, so that the cage is not quite moving far enough to push the chain positively down to the smaller rings; or friction on the shift cable within the housing is delaying or impeding the inboard movement of the cage on downshifts.

Try adjusting the indexing. Front derailleur adjustment is a bit tricky so I always follow Park Tool's front derailleur process.

Check the shift cable is running freely. Detach the cable from the derailleur, pull on it to provide so tension and work the shifter, the cable should pay out easily and smoothly on downshifts.


Which road rear hubs have 135mm O.L.D., disc brakes, are quick release and have at least 32 holes?

A few solutions:

FH-RS505 (discontinued), which is road 11-speed (note: fh-r505 is 10-speed, so not particularly worth seeking out)
any 135mm qr disc freehub such as FH-RM35 and a specific MTB-compatible cassette i.e. CS-HG800 or CS-HG700, not a CS-R- series cassette. Or indeed any random MTB disc 135mm qr wheel, which you can buy cheaply with disc fitting, and the same cassettes
buy a DT Swiss or similar brand 142mm x ta and then replace the ends for the qr

https://r2-bike.com/DT-SWISS-Hub-rear-350-Disc-Center-Lock-Road-for-12x142-mm-Thru-Axle-Freehub-Body-Shimano-11-speed-Road
plus
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/dt-swiss-conversion-kit-12mm-to-qr-rear/rp-prod23858


A road bike is more versatile. That would get my vote.


How to properly attach a "tag-along" bicycle

You mention four bolts, does your seatpost hitch look something like this:

By design, these can cinch up pretty tight against all size seatposts, in contrast to two bolt models which need the proper size shims:

However, with the four-bolt there are some caveats:

Do you have a carbon or aluminum seatpost? With both, you have to be careful as it's possible to crush the seatpost if you tighten the bolts too much. In these cases, you might want to ask the help of a bike store - they might give you some carbon fiber seatpost compound that will help with friction, as well as tighten the bolts using a torque wrench to prevent seatpost collapse.
If you have a steel seatpost, it's next to impossible for you to tighten the bolts too tight. If the bolt heads are stripped, get new bolts at your hardware store and get good quality steel ones (note: bolts with socket cap heads are stronger than the bolts with the button cap shown in the photo). Be sure to tighten in an X-pattern, just as if you were tightening the lug nuts on a car tire or the bolts on a head gasket. Rather than an allen key, you might want to use a hex bit in a socket wrench, you can get much more torque:

With the proper amount of torque on the bolts, it really shouldn't twist under normal circumstances. You could drill a hole to pin it, but that would weaken your seatpost.  Instead, you may try using some blue loctite on the bolts to make sure your bolts are not backing themselves out and a bit of the same friction compound used in carbon fiber bikes on the seatpost to add just a tad more friction.

p.s. When buying second-hand, always make sure your product isn't subject to a CPSC recall such as this one: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1998/CPSC-Riteway-Products-Announce-Recall-of-Bicycle-Trailers


Can I change the rear cassette on a folding bike?

I can't say for sure, but you have a decent chance of being able to just adjust the body screw on the derailleur to increase its clearance for the larger cassette (see "B-screw Adjustment" on this page).

As you've also noted, the chain will be tighter when in that lower rear gear, which might work but more likely than not you're going to have some difficulty shifting into low rear gear and/or front big chainring without making the chain longer. You can potentially just splice in another link or three (most LBSs will give them out for free, although make sure you know what type of chain you have -- probably standard seven speed) rather than purchasing a whole new chain.


Is it possible to mount a derailleur on this bike?

Sure.

Buy an adapter claw like this one (e.g. Sunrace SP550.):

The claw screws into the dropout, then you bolt on the derailleur as normal.

Alternatively, you can buy a derailleur with an integrated claw like several in the Shimano Tourney line (E.g. the Shimano Tourney RD3105; actually pictured, RD8153):

Note that you still have the issue of getting in a wheel with multiple cogs in the frame. This might require spreading the frame, if its steel (not a good idea on non-steel frames).

As mikes and mattnz point out in the comments, you also have to add cable stops and/or cable guides to the frame to route the shift cable. Or, run full length housing and use zip ties.  Problem Solvers among others make clamp on ones, and Origin 8 sells some zip tie-based cable guides you can use instead. You'll need to do a bit of searching and work probably to get the right routing, but they make cable stops that clamp onto the chainstays, the top tube, bottom tube, etc. A shop should be able to sort you out with these things relatively quickly. Other options might be to braze/weld on some.


Are carbon fiber rims susceptible to fatigue?

The answer seems to be that material engineers don't have a good understanding of carbon fiber composite fatigue I'm guessing because there is a wide spectrum of CFC layups using different epoxy formulations, fiber weaves and fiber/epoxy ratios. The article quoted below also says there are many failure modes for CFC whereas metal has just one: cracking.

From https://www.quora.com/How-does-carbon-fiber-CFRP-behave-in-fatigue

  technically they are pretty good, better than most metals. However their fatigue
  resistant properties are not used by the Aerospace industry. The issue is that
  composite fatigue is extremely hard to predict, with results having a very wide
  scatter. Basically we know they are really good, but cannot confidently quantify how
  good.


Skidding/skipping a fixie with ratio 48/16

the easiest way to start learning how to lock your legs correctly is to alleviate weight to rear wheel. The less weight on the wheel the easier it will be to skid. Lean forward (BE CAREFUL) and then try to lock your legs, think about where your legs are the strongest and try there.
Many people also do "hop skids" where you hop your rear wheel (lift it off the ground) and lock it while it is in the air, then return it to the ground while it is locked.48/16 isn't a bad ratio (pretty normal). you don't wan to dictate your ratio based on your skidding, you want it to be based off your riding cadence.


In all likelihood the parts you need weren't made by Vista. The only things that are likely to be proprietary might be an "innovative" bottom bracket or perhaps the fork and headset. Most everything else would have or could have come from a third party. If you can be more specific about the parts you're looking for we can probably help – or at least commiserate…


What is the minimum carb intake to not bonk (but also not put on weight)?
Simple Answer: 30-60g of carb per hour to not bonk (can't comment on the weight bit though).
*Real answer:
There is no calculable answer for these reasons:

The type of fuel you burn is dependent on the intensity of the
exercise (heart rate zones)
The amount of fuel you burn is dependent on your efficiency
The starting amount of fuel is determined by your diet and build

Fuel Type
At "walking intensity", you burn fat, and because fat is so energy dense even a very lean person could walk for days without running out of fuel and bonking.
At higher intensity, you burn a mix of glycogen store from your muscle and sugars being digested from the food in your gut.
At very high intensity, all energy is directed to your muscles and so your digestion stops and you will be relying purely on glycogen stores.
Note that fitter athlete will be putting out more power for the same heartrate, so how your body responds is specific to you.
This conversation is about carbs, so you would need to know the intensity at which you'll be cycling to know what fuel types you'll use in what proportions.
Fuel Amount
Every body works differently, and many variables go into how efficiently you can convert fuel into power output. For cycling, things like how good your bike fit is, your fitness level, your years of experience on the bike, injuries and flexibility can all affect your efficiency.
For this conversation, this variable is basically unknowable. Professional athletes might have a good idea of their efficiency, but it would be pretty rough.
Starting Fuel Reserves
You start your ride with your glycogen stores and the contents of your stomach. It is easy to control the latter by making the meal before riding carb-rich. Glycogen stores can also be optimised by carbo-loading. There is a university study (that I can't find right now) that demonstrated that in the 24hr before an activity, the athlete could more than double their glycogen stores by eating ridiculous amounts of carbs.
For this conversation, your general diet and you diet in the last 24 hours would be very relevant.
Conclusion
While there is a generally accepted minimum carb consumption to avoid bonking (30-60g of carb / hr), the specific question also required not having surplus energy intake an so to avoid putting on weight. The question requires an exact calculation, which is not possible.
Relaxing the constraint on "exact intake" but keeping with the spirit of the question, the suggested solution is to eat lots and ride even more.


Can a normal bicycle be adapted as a draisine (to use on abandoned railways with the tracks in place)?

Yes a regular bicycle can be adapted as a draisine or a railbike as we call them (to use on abandoned railways with the tracks in place)?

California, USA is big into this sort of thing. There are more books on the subject than websites to be sure of.

Although there are so many styles of railbikes out there, it would be quite difficult to know what would fit your needs, but I am fairly confident this site will be able to help you: Bentley Railbike CONSTRUCTION PLANS.

I take it, that you are looking into something like this:

They offer Bentley Railbike CONSTRUCTION PLANS for sale and they look like they are detachable, but you should confirm this with this company via email, writing or by phone to verify your needs.

  CONSTRUCTION PLANS include 6 pages of text with detailed construction sequence and parts list keyed to the drawings, plus 10 sheets of drawings with most parts rendered full scale.

  Easy construction - no welding or complex machining.
  Adjustable outrigger wheel height.
  Detach outrigger with 3 pins - folds after removal.
  Wheel guide lift lever.

  This is a proprietary design, and a patent shall be applied for in the near future.

  A LICENSE (plans included) to construct a railbike in accordance with these plans may be purchased for $25 (US DOLLARS).

A Railbike - LIST of Parts and Materials can be seen here.


New carbon wheel brake pads after use on aluminum wheel?

You can use them again, but you just need to clean them up. If there are any visible pieces in the pad, then remove those. After that, you just gently sand/file off the braking surface of the pad until you only have fresh rubber exposed.


Get some "Creep" or other penetrating oil (ask at Home Depot or Lowes and they'll point you right to it). This is similar to WD-40 but it foams a bit and seeps in everywhere. Apply liberally both at both ends where the U plugs into the bar as well as where the key fits in (key may turn without the tumblers moving completely).

This will likely loosen things up...a bit of patience and a bit of trying to move the parts around will usually work wonders.

If this fails, apply some more "creep" and use a persuader (hammer, etc).

If that fails, you're going to need a hacksaw and a couple of blades.

Good luck!
Note: This is karma's way of telling you that your bike likes to live indoors when it's not being ridden :-)


179cm, 85.5 inseam and Cannondale Scalpel Team M

For what it's worth, I have approximately the same measurements and race on a Large MTB very comfortably. I was previously racing on mediums and doing okay, but after I saw some race photos showing how contorted I was on those bikes; it convinced me to look into racing a large frame and I've been much happier ever since. Shortening the stem drastically improved handling and flickability of the bike in the tight singletrack here on the U.S. East coast.


Anaerobic training is without oxygen, so you are using the lactic acid energy system. This means to be going above 80% of your Max Heart Rate MHR (or above 8 on perceived exertion table (can barely talk)). If you are solely in the anaerobic region, you can only go for 2 mins (ish) at that intensity. This means you will need to be in between regions, so you are using both major energy systems (with and without oxygen) to last 7-8 mins (of last lap).

If you are to use perceived exertion rather than heart rate you basically have to go hard out the whole time. You have said that you get gassed on the first lap i.e. perceived exertion is high, this could be due to an insufficient warm-up as Slovakok mentioned. This is where heart rate is helpful, it is accurate and tells you exactly what you are doing. Other wise, you could do one lap and get gassed then once you settle in start to go a bit harder to match the perceived exertion of the first lap.

A good way to get into the anaerobic zone is to do interval training, maybe once a week you could do three laps with a rest in between each lap, go as hard as you can for one lap, then rest until your heart rate feels normal again, or you think you can repeat the effort (might be 5-10 mins rest), then next lap go hard again, then rest a similar time... The next week try to rest for less time and continue decreasing rest until you can do 2 laps at that intensity or something like that. Other things to try are hill sprints, plyometrics, time trials, and just training in the anaerobic zone as much as possible, also training's work differently for different people, so you need to find something which works for you.

Basically you should set some goals for where you want to be in x weeks, and remember that  to be able to race at anaerobic level you must train there as well. So just go hard or go home on that final lap i guess (in both training and racing).


Is it normal for my derailleur cables to cross over on the down tube?

This is one of those questions that can start arguments between bike mechanics--to cross or not to cross the derailer cables. Crossing appears to be becoming more common on new bikes, if the cables aren't internal, but it's also going to depend upon the bike. Smoother shifting is reported by some from crossed cables. I would talk to the mechanic at your LBS about it. There could be manufacturer recommendations or anecdotal experience driving the decision.


Why does coaster brake hub growl when coasting but not when braking or pedaling?

I had an exact same problem and I think I found a cause for it. As it's sold, an inner surface of a hub body on the drive side is smooth. As a clutch jams itself inside of the hub body while pedalling, the serrations on the clutch make grooves on this surface. Then, when You coast, those serrations and grooves spinning around each other make that awful noise. Hope I helped :).

Żelu


Is 20mm really the inside width of your rim? Would be unusually wide for a road bike (I think currently around 17mm are most common). If it’s really 20mm inside width you can mount anything from 32 to 63mm wide tires on that rim. According to Schwalbe as narrow as 25mm would also be okay: https://www.schwalbe.com/files/schwalbe/userupload/Images/FAQ/reifen_felgen_2020/Reifen_Felgenkombinationen_2020_EN.pdf
Of course you need enough clearance in the fork, frame and (if you have them) rim brakes. Very wide (and therefore high) tires can also increase toe overlap on the front wheel (i.e. your toes hitting the front wheel in tight turns).


While this is more a question of battery science in general, it should be stressed that most batteries don't like heat and should be stored accordingly.

Also worth mentioning that all batteries lose some charge over time, even when disconnected and properly stored. The rate of self-discharge depends on the battery type and since you mentioned the equipment being expensive, I'd bet on it having a li-ion battery. Frequently charging them to full is a bad idea because they will suffer damage if kept at full charge for long, plus they self-discharge rather slowly. Aim for 70% charge every few months instead.


How to maintain platform pedal bearings?

Some pedals are designed to be disposable, with sealed bearings as you mentioned. Usually these have a plastic dust cap (the cap you referred to) which is not easy to remove. If this is the case, you won't be able to do anything with the pedal, even if you get the cap off.

Typically, as you seem to know, if a pedal is designed to be serviceable, there will be some obvious way to remove the dust caps (i.e. wrench flats, special tool socket, etc.). The lack of any such feature makes me think that they aren't serviceable and likely have sealed bearings.

No guarantees, as I have never taken the cap off of one of these pedals to find out, but I don't think you can outright ruin the pedal just by taking the dust cap off. If the pedal is already not turning freely, then I don't see any harm in taking a look.

I see two possible outcomes:

Pedal has sealed bearings and will need to be replaced soon anyway, regardless of whether you damage it further by removing the dust cap.

OR
Pedal has loose bearings, so you can clean and re-grease the parts, then put it back together.

In either case, you should be able to just pop the dust cap back on afterwards.


As @Batman said in a comment, the main thing is to get the spoke count right. So count how many spokes each wheel has (they could be different). Next, measure the width of the rim. You'll need to take the tires off first. And look at the tires to see what dimensions they say they are.

Next, you'll need to make some tentative decisions. I recommend keeping things as they were, unless you have a good reason to change. Do you want similar width rims, or wider / narrower? Do you want deeper profile rims? Do you want to use a similar lacing pattern? Are you going cheap or $$$?

Now take the mangled wheel(s) to your Local Bike Shop and see what rims they have that match your criteria. Get them to double check your spoke count, and to recommend what length spokes you need.

Finally, since you mention getting rims and spokes, who is going to build these wheels? Building them yourself is not hard, but it can be a slow job if you haven't done it before. Most people just pay an expert.


You can't just get a derailleur and cassette to make this work the way you want. The components are designed as part of a system with parts that are designed to work together, at least according to SRAM.

You will want a rear derailleur that matches your SRAM Red shift levers.
According to page 2 of this chart:
You can get gearing of 11-32 or 12-32 with a range of front chain ring sizes if you use the mid length arm of the SRAM Red 22 rear derailleur. This would be a derailleur and cassette purchase (I'm assuming your bike came with a short arm rear derailleur) that would get you closer to your goal, but not all the way.

To get to 11-40 or 11-42 and have all the parts match you'd have to go with a different parts group.
According to page 3 of the chart linked above the Force 1 or Rival 1 shifter, long cage derailleur and cassette will go to 42.
You'll also need a longer chain.


Getting into biking -- choosing between choices

Specific recommendations are off topic here, but my general advice would be to start out looking at the big, ubiquitous brands: Trek, Specialized, Giant, Cannondale etc. that your local bike stores offer. Those are are all 'solid' and dependable brands.

These brands offer a wide range of models at a range of price points. The local bike stores will have a good selection of models and sizes in stock, allowing you good choice and the ability to test ride many bikes to figure out what you want. Bike store staff will be able to give you plenty of good advice on picking a bike. You'll also have good post-purchase support and a good warranty.

If you have local bike stores that offer other brands consider them by all means. The most important thing is to be able to test ride a bunch of bikes to determine the style you want and the size you need.


Are folding bikes less efficient than full sized bikes?

The factors that affect bike efficiency are:

Weight
Mechanical power train Losses
Aerodynamic Drag
Rolling resistance

For a touring bike, the difference between a folding and regular bike are all lost in the noise. Smaller wheels tend to have higher rolling resistance and the bike might be a bit heavier, but for touring it just doesn't matter that much.

I think what is happening is that people remember the terrible heavy small wheeled bikes they had as kids. ( Why we give 50lb people 30lb bikes is a mystery..) They associate the relative amount of work those bikes required with your "small" wheeled bike. And yes, if a folding bike was 50% or more of your body weight it would be a lot harder to tour with.


Along with checking position on the bike it's worth checking to see whether the reach can be adjusted on your brakes in case you're over-stretching your hand. Check the angle too - stand behind the bike and reach the bar, extend your fingers straight forward following the line of your arm and adjust the lever to meet under your finger(s).


Does the tire tread reduce the likelyhood of getting a puncture?

It depends. Tread pattern affects puncture probability in two opposite ways:

Slick tires often, but not always, have thinner rubber, which offers less protection.
Knobs are generally too thick to be punctured through and put some distance between ground and the flat parts of the tire, but on the other hand the part between knobs may be very thin.
Tires with grooved tread may be punctured because small pieces of gravel or glass get stuck in grooves and eventually dig through the rubber. This happens very rarely with slick or knobby tires.

In your case, you should be worried about pinch flats, which happen when the tire is pinched between a rock and rim. 28mm may be just enough for smooth cobblestone roads but is very narrow for rocky or soft terrain.


Headset can't tighten enough without stiffening steering, damaged bearing retainers?

should I just get down the local shop and have them replace the
  retainers? Or would it be better to replace the entire headset

Replacing the bearings and retainers is cheap and easy (you should be able to do that yourself), you just need to work out what size you want. Since you have all the parts, measure the size of the ring and the bearing diameter and match it up with what you see online. Then you have two options - take just the bearings to the shop and buy matching new ones (if you can get there easily without your bike); or ride down and buy replacements that match your measurements. I would try that first.

If you want to pay the shop to do it, it's not a complex job but fundamentally anything a mechanic does takes half an hour because of the time to get the bike up and look at it, then test ride and return it. So you're looking at half an hour times whatever they bill mechanics out at, plus the $10-$20 cost of the new bearings.

The counter-argument is that a whole headset is only $40, and you could upgrade to a sealed bearing one for little to no extra cost. If you have a few tools that's relatively easy, although a length of threaded rod and a few nuts that fit it makes pressing the new cups in easier. Some shops don't bother stocking replacement bearings because the price difference to the customer between just bearings and new headset is small, and the cost of someone coming back and saying "still ugly, new headset" is more than the profit on the job. Viz, the mechanic time is, say, $50 either way, but the bearings are $20 and the headset is $40. Is it worth paying an extra $50 if you're wrong to save $20 if you're right?

That equation changes dramatically if you're doing the work and the bike shop is easy to get to. Then it's purely $20 vs $40.

(edit) I disagree with the comment. Modern frames and headsets are designed not to need a viciously tight fit into the frame, so removing the old headset should take a few gentle taps with a drift rather than any real force. Older steel frames with steel headsets were often designed to be very tight and required considerable force to remove. With those it was sometimes necessary to re-ream the head tube to fit a new headset in. These days, especially with an aluminium frame, while it's easier to dent or bent the aluminium, you also need much less force to remove or insert the headset.

Doing the work yourself should be straightforward. I find that often I can twist the headset cup and work it out just with my hand, or tap it out using a drift just working round and round tapping the drift with a small piece of wood. Similarly, inserting the new one can often be done just by pushing on a piece of wood resting on the cup, but it's safer to use a length of threaded rod and some big washers or a couple of bits of wood drilled appropriately. The point of that is to make sure you're pushing the headset in exactly true so you don't deform the cup or score the frame.

This is another time when "if you find yourself using a hammer on a bike, you're doing something wrong". The hammer is essential if you have a proper headset removing tool but a bad idea otherwise.

http://www.parktool.com/product/head-cup-remover-rt-1


A mixte is a step-through (low top tube or "ladies") frame with 3 sets of stays instead of the usual 2.  The usual is that the middle set of stays run all the way to the head tube replacing the top tube, but there's some where the top tube is still a normal single tube.  The traditional mixte has those axle-to-head stays straight, but I've seen designs where they're bent to give an even lower standover height.  They still retain the usual chain stays and seat stays. This design keeps the frame strong and doesn't require a longer seat post.

I believe the word itself comes from french and means "mixed" as in "mix of women's and men's styles" or maybe even "unisex".  Anybody around here speak french?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_m.html#mixte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step-through_frame#Mixte


Extra screw after removing front wheel (plus enclosed hub brakes)

That is a fender (mudguard) mounting bolt. The hole in the bolt slides over the stay that attaches near the axle, and the threaded part goes through a bracket, normally on the mudguard but sometimes at the axle end.

The reason for that is safety - if the mudguard or stay gets caught in the wheel the stay pulls through that hole in the bolt rather than jamming in the wheel and stopping it. So you have a noise and rubbing rather than being thrown off the bike.


Will a Miyata 912 be able to take wider tires/bicycle racks/fenders and still handle well?

You're right on the money in terms of commuting upgrades. Buying used bikes is a great way to go about acquiring a ride, but sometimes bikes need a bit of refitting for commuting.

I took a look at the 1981 Miyata Catalog. Models from year to year are generally similar, so this should be accurate for most late 70s early 80s 912s. This bike is described as a "fast sport rider for racing-oriented cyclists," meaning that it isn't going to fit fat tires, fenders, or racks too easily. What is important is the distance between the tire and the frame.

You may be able to get away with a 700c x32 tire and narrow, metal fenders. Metal fenders are a bit more expensive than plastic, but can be bent to fit into tight places. Note that most fender manufacturers specify 10mm clearance between the tire and the fender, so as to prevent a pebble or twig from tearing your fenders off. There may or may not be braze-ons for fenders or racks, but that is easy to get around. Lots of bike shops sell metal clamps that secure everything to the stays quite well.

If you're comfortable with the largest possible tire being ~32mm, go for it! Understand, however, that bikes designed for skinny tires and no fenders may be difficult to fit. If you decide not to, look for Touring or Sports-Touring models which always have clearance and braze-ons (In this catalog, the 1000 and 610 are both touring models).

One alternative option that will require more work is to convert the wheel size from 700c to 650b. This will involve new wheels and long-reach brakes, but it will allow you to run fatter tires and fenders with no issues.


What's the cause of this kind of tyre damage?

Another possible cause is misadjusted rim brakes where the brake pad makes contact with the tire's sidewall.


Can I replace a quick release skewer by something that needs a wrench to open?

There is a list of products here
https://www.cyclingabout.com/list-ways-theft-proof-wheels-secure-components-locking-security-skewers-seatpost-locks/
Loosely:

A set of skewer ends designed to make your wheels unremovable unless you turn your bike upside down, which would be hard without removing the bike
Various proprietary tools that mean your wheels are unremovable without the right tool
Slightly more deluxe versions with the manufacturer making dozens of different tools/keys so that there is no chance a thief will carry them around

In general you won't be able to replace your skewers with bolt thru axles unless the unlikely event you have fancy hubs that are designed to take a bolt on axle.
E.g. https://www.hopetech.com/products/hubs/accessories/axle-conversion-kit/
I suggest something like this
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/mpart/road-allen-key-security-skewers-930614
Is a reasonably cost effective solution


Switching brakes from mechanical to hydraulics. Disk rotor question

Yes this will be fine.

The only caveat I can think of is rotor thickness, if you look closely on a rotor or read the manual, you should be able to find the minimum thickness.

This is different for different manufacturers but shouldn't affect a hydraulic disc brake, they automatically adjust for pad and rotor wear and will happily clamp a pair of new pads together with no disc in between.

See this question about pad material. I wouldn't worry about that either.


How can I interpret the intent of and respond to cars behind me honking?

Broadly, not a lot. Legally it's probably technically unlawful on several grounds (horn not used as a warning device, causing alarm, loud noise, possibly harassment), but they're all petty offences and unlikely to get a useful response from Police. If it happens in front of a cop they might pull the motorist over for a chat, but that's unlikely.

My answer to "Is there a polite way to take the centre of the road without antagonizing motorists?" might be helpful as it has links and some anecdata.

  In my experience, no. The problem is that however polite you try to be you're taking the lane so you're in their way.

My suggestion is that you clearly take the lane (being assertive makes harassment less likely) and use daylight-bright rear lights. The lights are fairly affordable (see Nathan's bike light database) and I find they do help.

Going faster will help, if you can match the speed of the other traffic. Since most cyclists can't do that, going faster just makes your life less pleasant. And slightly more dangerous, because "the faster you go, the bigger the mess" (NZ and Ireland anti-speeding campaigns, both feature graphic images).

And to address gender since it seems important to some people: the evidence is mixed between "no affect" (Queensland, Oz) and "women get treated better" (the UK Walker study). Here're some typical quotes:

  Of 1830 respondents, 76% of men and 72% of women reported harassment in the previous 12 months.

(Queensland)

  {overtaking drivers pass closer to cyclists} when the rider wears a helmet, rides away from the edge of the road, is male, or when the vehicle concerned is a bus or heavy goods vehicle.

(UK)

One thing to remember is that the differences Walker found were small - 1.35m vs 1.40m passing distance. There are other studies, once you're past the first page of this google search it gets interesting.

This report cites references when talking about passing distances and how far from the curb you should ride, and talks to police and cycling advocates:

  As cyclists we should be confident in taking up as much of the lane as we feel we need to in order to be safe. At a minimum we should ride 50cm from the curb but we should be confident in using more of the lane if the conditions dictate it — as a result of roadside obstacles, upcoming intersections, narrow lanes, potholes or any other factors.


Are tubeless tires the solution to frequent flat tires?

I wouldn't go for tubeless as a first attempt to solve the problem.  Tubeless might be a good solution for skinny racing bike tyres, which are rather prone to puncturing.  But you really shouldn't be having much of a problem with punctures on a hybrid bike with 32C tyres.

Tubeless usually requires new tyres.  If you're going to buy new tyres, there are plenty of options such as kevlar-lined tyres that are very puncture-resistant. (Schwalbe make various kinds such as Marathon that are well spoken of by cyclists in much rougher environments than the road; other brands are available.)
You might want to consider tyre liners as a first line of defence.
Honestly, that many punctures in such a short time suggests that you're doing something wrong.

Are you making sure that whatever caused your puncture has been removed from the tyre before you fit a new or repaired inner tube?
What do the punctures look like? If it's on the inside of the tube, it's a problem with a spoke. If it's two separate holes on the sidewall (a "snake bite" or "pinch" puncture), it's because you hit a kerb or pothole too hard with under-inflated tyres and pinched the tube between the rim and the road. If it's a single hole on the outside, you ran over something sharp. If it's at the valve, either the valve hole in the rim has sharp edges or you didn't install the tube properly (the valve should be at right-angles to the rim, for example).
An unfortunate feature of cycle lanes is that road debris naturally migrates to the side of the road, where the cycle lane is. Cycle at least a couple of feet from the kerb to avoid the worst of it.
Avoid potholes as far as possible; ditto drain covers, manholes, etc. Make sure you always know what's behind you so you know when you can cycle around them. If you can't avoid a pothole, lift your bottom slightly off the saddle and cushion the impact by letting your knees flex.  Avoid puddles wherever possible – you don't know what hazards are under the water.
Speed bumps are just potholes in reverse so be careful there, too.  A common arrangement in the UK is to have the cycle lane bypass the speed bump, with a raised kerb between the cycle lane and speed bump, to force vehicles over the bump.  The kerb means that street sweepers can't get to the cycle lane so, again, it fills with puncture-causing debris.
Make sure you're running your tyres at the correct pressure.  Too soft and you'll get pinch flats; too high and minor damage can turn into a flat.

Also, you should definitely consider repairing your inner tubes. It's easy, saves a lot of money and the repaired tube is just as strong as the original. Also, it helps you diagnose the problem, as discussed above.


Is my bike safe to use if cogs and crank is not that aligned?

Derailleur bicycles are regularly ridden with more than twice the misalignment of what you have. They have to be ridden this way, because you can't fit N cogs into the space of 1 cog, well unless N=1. So some cogs have non-straight chainline.
Usually you can even backpedal these bikes with no ill effect.
If you have a chain tensioner, your bicycle differs from a derailleur bicycle only by having N=1. The only possible problem I see that if the chain tensioner does not have a clutch or the front chainwheel is not of the narrow-wide type, it's possible to drop the chain from the 38-tooth chainwheel.
So I'd classify it as safe. I'd not classify it as convenient (unless there's a clutch and narrow/wide chainwheel) since it's likely the chain drops someday forcing you to get your hands dirty in dirty black chain oil.


Converting 3×7 speed into a 2(chainrings)×1(sprockect)

Without a rear derailleur one cannot switch gear on the front chainring. The length of the chain would differ between chain rings. The derailleur compensates this by running the chain a longer path that may be shortened by moving the derailleur arm. It also tensions the chain due to its spring, which hold the chain on the chainring.


Shimano Ultegra 6800 front derailleur tension problem

The rotational position and height not being exactly right would cause this. Shimano now has a more specific procedure then in the past to establish them, which you can see starting on page 5 of the dealer manual.

If following the procedure in their manual to a T doesn't work, the other thing you may be looking at is a situation such as Lennard Zinn describes in his column on 11-speed Shimano road FD setup where the cable anchor has to be set in an unorthodox position going over the top of the bolt. The dealer manual demonstrates this as a thing you're not supposed to do on the page 14, the two graphics on the right hand side of the chart. It may be worth a try.

As is pointed out further down in that column, problems with these derailers almost always revolve around not having enough cable tension. All aspects of the setup have little if any margin for error and they need as much cable tension as possible. They also need the low limit screw set super close. That  0-0.5mm inner cage clearance number on page 15 of the manual is one that's been around for a while and used to be more or less unrealistic, but they mean business now. It has to be all but touching, and it will work better if it's almost kinda sorta touching (the "0" end of the range). Usually it's the case that if you set it up in the stand for the chain to just barely touch the cage sometimes in the low gear, it won't rub when you're actually climbing because the chain is under so much more tension.


Disk brake squealing after bike shop changed my pads. Is it enough reason to ask them to re-service (for free)?

This isn't necessarily unusual for fresh disc pads.

Give it a solid 20 miles. Then if you still have problems coming to a stop, take it to the shop and have them look at it. Even still, it's not necessarily something wrong with their work. It might be, if they were clumsy and didn't align things properly or left oil on the pads. But a little noise isn't enough to convict them.


When you buy a frame, they state the wheel type (it should have the right hub spacing for frame, braking surface (disc/rim brake) and rim size for the type of wheel the frame was intended to run and the size of tire you are intending to run) and tire clearance with it. Note that the tread pattern also affects clearance - if you have very aggressive tread or studded tires, you may not be able to fit the tire even if its the size they state. If its not stated, all you can do is get the frame and test a wheel+tire combination you want to use (your LBS will be helpful for this).

Some brands are known to have big clearance for tires, such as Surly (they market it as "FFF" - Fatties fit fine). Generally, the type of bike also affects clearance (fat bikes > mountain bikes > touring road bikes or cross bikes > road racers, for example). Most road racers won't clear a 700x35 tire, but most touring bikes and cross bikes will have no problem. A lot of 700c hybrids will also fit the 700x35 tire size, so the types of bikes which fit this tire size are pretty wide.


I don't know anything about bottom brackets, but I found this document which says (on page 16):

Shimano cartidge-bearing bottom-bracket spindles are marked with letter codes that correspond to different length spindles. These codes and the corresponding spindle lengths are:
Code Length
MM 107mm and 110.5mm
LL 113mm
D-H 115mm
YL 116mm
XL 118mm
ZL 121mm
NL 122.5mm
EL 127.5mm


Wahoo Kickr with a 10 speed cassette but my bike is running Shimano 11 speed, just fit an 11 speed cassette?

Presumably the Kickr has a '10 speed' 34.95mm freehub body rather than a '11 speed' 36.75mm one.

Some wider-range 11 speed cassettes come with a 1.8mm spacer and will in fact fit on a 10 speed freehub body. The larger sprockets allows the spider to overhang the inboard end of the freehub body without the sprockets interfering with the spokes (which you of course don't have on the trainer).


Suggestions for braking with severe osteoarthritis in both hands

A coaster brake for the rear comes to mind as a main brake. Refer Sheldon Brown ), however for safety you need more than one brake.  A high quality MTB disc brake is designed for low force i.e. single  finger for normal use, and high end come with a vast array of lever adjustments so you can get the levers close to the bars to reduce the reach needed.
With Hydraulic disc brakes only need to provide hydraulic pressure from a hose to make them work, it may be possible to fabricate something that allows you to generate the required hydraulic pressure from something that suits you hand ability, you may find a specialist who already has such a device.


Overtightned the rear derailleur cable clamp. It is now blocked

I would back off the bolt in a manner similar to your second image. With a small screw driver pry the clamp away from the derailleur toward the head of the bolt. When the clamp is free, you will notice a small "nub" protruding from the derailleur. The purpose of this nub is to prevent the clamp from rotating when it is tightened. My guess is your clamp is on the "nub". This is preventing the clamp from seating against the derailleur and holding the cable in position.


Is it normal for the chain to slip in an 'extreme' gear?

In that extreme cross chain configuration you have the maximum amount of chain for the derailleur to take up.  And you also have the least amount of chain tension.  Combine that with on the least number of teeth engaged and you have the configuration that is most likely to jump.

Should it jump no.

It is a shop problem - maybe.

In just 11 months the spring in the derailleur could have weakened.

Or if you ride on the small gear in the rear even a bit it will wear and new chain might skip.  But given it does not skip on other front gears I would chalk it up to chain tension.

The shop may have too many chain lengths.  In biggest front and rear could a chain length be removed?

Cross chaining a road bike or the first two chain rings is something that happens.  But on a mountain bike in the granny gear that extreme cross chaining is just not something that should come up.  I would not put that kind of stress on a chain even to test.

Some front derailleur have a trim for big to big.  This make sense to me as you may come to a stop but will get back up to speed soon.  And now you have maximum teeth evolved.  I don't know if trims comes in a 3 speed and it would make less sense as the outer is out further.  Even with a trim cross chaining puts more stress on the chain and other components and is not as efficient.

The question is not about specifically about cross chaining but here is a link.
Technical Details and Implications of Cross Chaining

Not the question but the smaller rear gears are going to wear the fastest as they share the load across fewer teeth.  So go for a larger front ring when you have choice. But still avoid cross chaining (a lot).


Why is Giant's older Roam 1 more expensive than the newer Roam 2 and 3?

Just like cars, things change between model years. Sometimes they spec up the bikes and sometimes they spec them down even with the same model number. And sometimes its for profit margin reasons or to improve sales next to competitors.

In this case, for example, the main differences between the same bike in 2 model years are a slight geometry change, a different brand of brakes and a slightly bigger tire.

As for different model numbers, they have different quality levels of components. Think of it as buying a car, with the base package, or the mid level package or top level package. Typically, you'll get some nicer components (better fork/brakes/drivetrain/wheels), though in some brands, there are more pronounced differences than different components bolted on to the same frame (e.g. the low end ones are made of aluminum and the high end ones are made of carbon fiber).

Now, for the real way to select a bike: the model year doesn't really matter -- a lot of people have 30 year old bikes which ride great. A used bike is a good starting point for people so they get to know what they actually want before dropping a large sum of money. And the best way to decide on a bike is to ride it to make sure it fits well and you like it. You can talk to the bike shop to see what models would fit for your intended goals.


For a long (25mile each way) commute, what kind of bike should I look at?

I would defiantly not rush out and buy a new expensive bike.  Here are the steps you should follow:

1) Try to make your bike faster.  There are  a few ways that you can do this but I am going to make two suggestions that will be cheap and easy.

Get slick (smooth) tires.  The should put you back around $60 but should give you a good idea of what a road bike might feel like.  The difference in speed will be shocking to you.
Put some bar ends on your bike these will help you to change your body position on your ride.  (More positions = greater happiness)

2) Before you buy a "new kind of bike" (ie: road bike, hybrid, etc) make sure that you try it.  I just bought an older road bike on craig's list for $20.  The bike was in very poor condition but it allowed me to figure out what riding a road bike is like.  I upgraded a few weeks later knowing what I really wanted.

If you don't know what you want I would mess around with your bike a bit and then buy a couple throw-aways.  I bet that you could do that for $50 - $200 (not including resale revenue) but you will know what you want before you drop the big dollars.


A modern saddle has a single rail on each side that starts at the nose and runs to the rear of the saddle. A single or double bolt clamp attach the saddle to the seatpost. The Brooks web site show some profile images of their saddles. The images show two  rails on each side of the saddle. They merge together at the nose of the saddle. They are reputed to be the most comfortable of the Brooks line. Be aware that the images show a double clamp to attach the saddle to the seatpost. This will require an old style seat clamp (Brooks part# BYB 105) and seatpost.


Can I replace QR front wheel with bolt-on?

If the threaded axle wheel fits in the dropouts and you can tighten bolts against the dropouts, there is no problem usung it.

If your rim is actually deformed, as in if you loosened all the spokes it would remain significantly untrue, then you will not be able to re-build a wheel with it.


I was in a collision the other day. What should I check?

I'd recommend not taking a chance you'll miss something and take it by your local bike shop. They have a tool that can correctly re-align a bent hanger...this is much more likely then the derailleur being bent. Also, the mechanics have looked at tons of bikes up close and will notice little things that you might miss. Many LBSs will do a post crash check for free (the one I hang out at will).

That said, here's what I check when someone brings me a crash bike.

Good look over of the bike in it's current state before I begin. I'm looking for signs of how the bike hit, scratches and the like. If I wasn't the rider, ask the rider how the accident happened. This will help me to focus more intently on some areas. Don't let this make you focus to the detriment of the rest of the bike. Before doing anything to a bike that may have legal/insurance claims make sure you document with photos...if appropriate get clearance from police/lawyer to start having the bike put back together.

Frame soundness. With the wheels off, carefully go over the frame and fork for any cracks, dents, bends, or scratches. Scratches are okay, but they can help pinpoint impact areas. Wavy paint can show where a frame is subtly bent. A tiny crack on the surface may be deeper/bigger under the finish. Most of the time we think of cracks in conjunction with carbon, but a aluminum (or even CroMo) frame can get stress cracks as well due to a collision. With metal bikes, bends and dents can weaken the integrity of the frame as much as a crack does a carbon bike. The bigger the dent or the closer it is to a weld, the worse.

On metal bikes, look at each weld carefully. A bad weld can hold for years and then separate due to stress. I haven't seen this on a bike frame, but I've seen it on other equipment.

Steer tube/headset - is it still straight. Often the handlebars will be pushed off straight with the tire. This can be fixed quickly (loosen stem, realign, tighten stem), but is another indicator of stress. If not straight, spend some extra time here. Either way, check that everything moves as smoothly as it did before. The angle/alignment/tolerances within the headset are small and a little bit of being off can cause binding. Loosening the compression nut (top of steertube) and re-tightening can often realign. If you haven't worked on a headset before, get a hand from your LBS to show you torque and order.

Brakes - quick and easy, are they damaged? Do they still work? Scratches are okay as long as the scratch isn't rubbing anything.

Drive train - the hanger (as yours probably is) is often the first casualty. Remove rear derailleur and check (LBS has the special tool). Next look to see if there's any damage (other then cosmetic scratches) on the RD, especially where the shifting cable is routed and tightened. Move up to the front derailleur. This can be bent pretty easily. Usually it can be bent back, be careful though...easiest to have a bike mechanic bend it back into shape if needed. Check the chainrings for missing teeth (note that on some cranks, there are supposed to be missing teeth to aid in shifting) or bends. Check that the bottom bracket is still tight and that the cranks rotate smoothly with no binding. Check the chain, ideally remove it and let it hang - that's the easiest way to see single link bends, it should hang straight...if you leave it on the bike, slowly rotate the cranks while watching the middle of the chain from above, you are looking for any bend - it will present as an angle between two links.

Seatpost and saddle. Saddle may have been turned, but even if not, I recommend completely removing the seatpost (mark the height for reassembly) so you can look for bends or cracks. If bent it won't come out/go in smoothly. If cracked, you need to get a new one and do a careful inspection of the seat tube.

Wheels - check for cracks in the rim, cracked nipples, bent or loose spokes. Take off the rubber and put on a truing stand checking for true, dish, and roundness. Check the rubber for skid wear and/or gashes.

Rider - keep aware of yourself for the next several days. You can miss that you also hurt something else because it doesn't start really bothering you for a bit. My last crash, my shoulder felt fine for a day then started bothering me...it was minor, but if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't have connected where/how the injury occurred which can be important to the doc if you end up needing medical intervention.


SRAM force upgrade from compact to standard 53-39

Yes, it is possible and fairly easy. You'll need to purchase a new chain in either route you go. You will also need to move and readjust your front derailleur.

You can purchase a new standard crankset and swap it out. You'll need to ensure that you get the correct version to match the bottom bracket which is most likely either BB30 or GXP and should be detailed on either your frame documentation on the frame itself or the bottom bracket.

If you do not have experience with this, you might want to bring it to a shop to actually switch out your cranks if you go that route to ensure proper installation.


Building bike from scratch: why more expensive than pre-built?

The sale price falls between what the customer is prepared to pay and cost plus.
(If the cost plus is more than what the customer will accept, it's not worth doing business).

Complete bikes are a highly competitive market, and this drives the price down to very close to cost plus pricing. It's the high volume, low profit part of the business. The accessories and parts are the high profit part that keeps them going.

Bike parts are not competitive. Most bikes sold never get to see a new part except accident damage, and individual parts are relatively cheap, so the consumer cannot save that much by shopping around.  Most parts are sold and installed at shops and the labor cost will not change shopping around. Most consumers do not have the skills or desire to install parts themselves, let alone diagnose a fault. Even for the small percentage that replace worn out parts, shopping around is hardly worth the savings (unless you go online and buy on the world-scale market).

On a world scale, the likes of wiggle show just how much profit is in parts, yet they represent a very small percentage of bike parts sold. Most parts are sold and installed at shops. As such, they have little volume buying power and probably pay more for parts than the manufacturers, or pick up the end-of-life parts the manufacturers no longer make and stock. Have a look at wiggle stock - you will not often get exactly what you want - you will get usually something very close -  unless your bike is a year old - because they are an 'end of run' outlet shop.

Comparing to computers is not correct. If you look at what's happened, laptops and all-in-ones are a lot cheaper than boxes and the modern PC equivalent of the pre-assembled bike. Try building a laptop or all-in-one from parts and see what it costs. Your "custom built PC" is now the equivalent to that "silly high-end"  bike.  Years ago, the market for parts for a PC was a very competitive one with many manufacturers.


Bending the chainrings back is a possibility, but what you want to avoid doing is bending them around when what's actually causing the problem is misalignment coming from either the crank or BB spindle.

If the warble on the rings is uniform across the three rings, that's a strong but not automatic indication of a bent or poorly aligned BB spindle.

If it's the larger two only but the inner is more or less straight, that's a strong indication that the crank spider tabs are misaligned, which is often a fixable problem. Spider tabs can be "trued" by removing the chainrings, taping something flat like a popsicle stick to the FD to use as a gauge, and bending them around using an adjustable wrench so they run true with each other. This is bending aluminum, which always introduces some risk of fatigue failure. Then put it back together and if that doesn't work, you can try working the individual spots on the rings back into alignment.

Just making it a one-by may be reasonable, but it can be difficult to get it to not drop the chain if you're not using anything to help keep it on. Good chainline is a must if you're going to avoid this, but it's not necessarily enough.


Front wheel DT Swiss C1800 vs CR1600, is it worth the extra bucks?

The main difference between these wheels comes in the freehub. The 350 freehub is a ratchet system, whereas the 370 is a pawl system. At the front there's not going to be much difference and you can save your money.