It looks like Campagnolo did make an 8 speed freewheel, but it seems like there isn't a good source for old freewheels or compatible cog spacing ones.

There are plenty of Shimano-compatible freewheels in 8 speed that are easy to find (made by sunrace among others), so this is likely what you're going to end up with. So, for the rest of the answer, I'll assume the freewheel is Shimano compatible. The same things would hold if you had a cassette.

In order to adapt the Campagnolo shifters+derailleur to work with the freewheel, you'll need to throw a JTek Shiftmate 1 into the mix. Or, if you're only getting the Campagnolo shifters and using a Shimano derailleur (<= 10 speed road, <9 speed mountain), you can use a JTek Shiftmate 4.

For full details on all configurations supported by JTek Shiftmates see this link.

Now, also note that you may run into some issues with putting the freewheel onto the bike.

While the threading of the freewheel onto the hub is going to be the same, you need 130mm rear spacing (which if you have a steel frame and have less spacing, you'll can spread the frame). You'll also need enough axle length to be long enough. You might also need to re-dish the wheel and maybe play around with some spacers. Also, note that 8 speed freewheels are more prone to breaking axles than lower speeds.

Depending on what you're comfortable doing at home, you may want to leave this job to the bike shop depending on how much needs to be done.


Glued grip has rotated, won't rotate back

It seems a bit unusual to me that your grip would be actually 'glued' to your handlebar. Typically grips hold themselves in place, but I'll take your word for it. =]

If your grip is in fact 'glued' in place, the adhesive is likely mediocre quality, and rotation you're experiencing is due to heat from your hand and/or the outdoors slightly softening the glue.

You may be able to un-rotate the grip by heating it with a hair-dryer, and therefore softening the adhesive to a point where you can move it by hand. Be careful not to burn or melt the synthetic leather, though!


The paint scheme looks like that of the 2009 Giant Defy Advanced 1
Check out https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/value-guide/product/3050124/
bikepedia.com and bicylebluebook.com have lots of info on bikes by year and model.
Here's the 2010 Giant Defy 1, which again looks very similar, with a few minor differences in the paint scheme: https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/value-guide/product/19422/


Mountain hubs are the same for 8, 9, 10 and 11 speeds. 11 speed cassette is wider, but instead of making the freehub body wider, the largest cog hangs slightly over the freehub body. This means that it is possible but not likely that there is clearance for derailleur with 9 or 10 speeds but not 11.


compatible Shimano 3 speed left shifter (model: ST-EF51-AL)?

That's just a mountain Shimano triple flat bar shifter with a V-brake lever.

You can buy any left hand shifter which is marked for triples from the Shimano mountain lines: Tourney, Alivio, Acera, Altus, Deore. You may need a separate brake lever, which has to be sold for V-brakes and flat bars (it will look like the existing brake lever). Microshift also makes compatible ones, as does SRAM under their Attack! line. You can also use a friction shifter (cheapest option, eg. Sunrace SLM10).

As an example, you can use the Shimano Acera SL-M310 shifter combined with the Shimano Acera BL-M421 brake lever.

Go to your local bike shop, and they should have a ton of these parts on hand.


Are plus forks a suitable alternative to fatbike-specific forks?

Here are potential issues that may or may not arise from such solution that I see.

Geometry changes. As it has always been, control that the head tube angle of the bike changes in a way that does not worsen its handling. I, for one, use 27.5+ wheels and tires with a fat bike fork made by Surly originally shipped for 26" wheels with 4.8" tires. However, the vendor in this particular case states compatibility with 26", 27.5" and 29" wheels, and so far it was so good.
Clearance issues. Yes, a 27.5+ tire alone would fit; but would all the mud and snow sticking to the tire fit? I've had situations in my life on some bikes when either rear or front wheel got clogged with a mixture of clay, grass, sand and dirt, or sticky snow, to the point the wheel stopped rotating until cleaned.
Tire width variation outside of vendor specs. The actual installed width of a tire depends on the width of the rim used, and it could be wider or narrower than specified. So your 4" can become 3.8" or 4.2" in reality.

For the rest, a trail fork should be as good as a fatbike fork, or even better. For example, RockShox Bluto is considered by some to be "noodly" because its stanchions are just 32 mm and seem to be derived from a cross country fork. So a narrower fork with 34 mm stanchions could be stiffer.


How to commute by (electric) bike in excessive heat

You mentioned that you rented an electric bicycle, I am assuming you still need to put in efforts and the motor just provides pedal assist.
Most pedelecs are limited to providing assist only up to 25 km/h.
Beyond this speed, the motor is cutoff and the rider has to put full effort to maintain the speed.
If this is true for your case, you will get the best outcome by maintaing speed just below 25 km/h.

Also watch your cadence, choose a gear that is not too hard or too easy so your body uses cardiovascular and leg muscles optimally.

You also mentioned you leave office at noon, so it looks like you are only concerned with the ride back home.
If sweating is your only concern, keep your self hydrated and go on anyway.
I would still advise you to follow your instincts and slow down or stop if you are feel exhausted.
Take a shower once you reach home and cool down for a few minutes.
Ensure you do not shock your body with too much of a temperature difference though.

The following are generic points which can help further.
Midday temperatures can reach 40°C in summer, where I live.
I plan my rides to avoid the hotter parts of the day.
My work hours are mostly fixed so commute to office is easy.
See if you can adjust your timings for this season if you are working in shifts.

I switched to riding in cycling shorts/jersey and change of clothes at office instead of riding in work dress.
Along with a good pair of sunglasses, a wet handkerchief under my helmet and another around the neck are useful accessories.
For longer rides, I found that squirting small amounts of water on my face from time to time feels good.

Another advice i started following is to ride slow for the last 5 mins etc. to allow my body to cool down.

When I have to go out in the afternoon or if there is any uncertainty in the duration i might have to spend outside, i take the public transport.
Car/bike pooling is another option that is still quite eco-friendly.

I keep myself hydrated with plain water, and with sugarcane juice or tender coconut water for longer rides.


It does indeed sound like your bearings are shot. In some cases a worn bearing (if it's very worn) can cause the stator (non-rotating part of the motor/dynamo) to start rubbing against the rotor (the force the tire exerts on the dynamo pushes the rotor/rotor axle out of alignment causing it to rub against the stator in very bad cases. This would increase the amount of sound more than just a worn bearing.

Note: in some cases a slide bearing/plain bearing/teflon bearing will be used in which case you can't easily service it when it's worn, you could look for replacement parts but it's unlikely they will be available. Bearing type I am referring to can be seen in this image:

From what I've read so far there are two types of bottle dynamo design, one where the stator core (soft iron core) is positioned around the rotor such as in this image:

Disassembly of this type can be seen in this video:

And another type where the winding of the stator and the core are positioned around the rotor, as can be seen in this video:

I am not quite sure what type your AXA HR dynamo is but in practice it doesn't matter much.

They appear to be relatively easy to disassemble judging from the disassembly videos posted above. You could firstly check for play prior to disassembly as suggested by @carel . After disassembling (if there is play/the bearing feels bad) you can take out the bearing, clean the balls/cage(if present), clean the bearing races, apply new/clean grease. And reassemble. You could theoretically replace the bearing but you'd most likely be better off buying a new dynamo when considering the part/labor cost.

I could not easily find bearing replacements specifically for the HR Traction but if you measure the ball diameter you can find those ball bearings seperately and replace them, but do keep in mind the bearing races will probably also be worn and these are in general non replaceable parts. So you will most likely not get it as good as new by replacing only the balls. Tool used for measuring ball bearing balls:  You can also use a caliper or micrometer if that's all you have.

What you could perhaps also try is to loosen the nut that secures the cap of the dynamo a bit, if that is over tightened than I believe your bearing will also be too tight (just as a headset bearing can be too tight and will cause the bearing to not run smooth at all). Try loosening it a bit and see if it runs more smoothly/quietly afterwards.

Also make sure to clean the dynamo properly, even though sand/grid getting under the cap or even in the dynamo is quite unlikely, it could be considered a cause of excess noise depending on how the bike is used (in muddy conditions I could imagine sand getting under the dynamo cap).

In my experience it is quite normal for bottle dynamos to make some noise, you will definitely know when they are engaged due to the sound they produce. So they won't be fully silent, for that you'd need a hub dynamo.

There are many alternatives to axa HR bottle dynamos, they are quite common in the Netherlands: here are a few: https://www.internet-bikes.com/zoeken/11506779-11506787/?search=dynamo


The risk is that you'll need to spread the pads before you can re-insert the wheels. You can get disc-brake spacers to keep the pads separate for transport, and I recommend using them.


Based on your photo, thats a new chain on an old chainring.

The gap between adjacent rollers in the chain is called the "pitch" and is exactly half an inch for a bicycle chain.

Your chainring's teeth have worn so they're effectively further apart than a half-inch, so the new chain cannot mesh with it for the full length.

The proper answer is to replace the big chainring, but given you've called it entry-level then there's a good chance its rivetted together, not fastened with chainring bolts like a higher-level chainset.    You may be up for a whole new crankset.

The other option is to ride it as-is.  Drawback is that your chain will wear quicker and chainring has fewer teeth in contact, so it will also wear quicker.  Eventually you'll suffer from chain slip, where you stomp on a pedal and the whole thing will spin forward potentially dumping you if not seated.

I'm guessing this is an entry level bike and you've worn out a cassette and chain on your commuting (Great work there btw)  You might be able to pick up a used crankset on ebay/etc for cheap, or consider this a sign that you're now a committed commuter and plan/budget towards the next bike, based on what you know.


How can I tell a bike is safe after a crash?

The easy way would be to get a qualified bike mechanic to take a look at your bike for less noticeable problems.

It's not safe to ride a bike if the frame has been noticeably disfigured.
Re-adjust the wheel to be aligned to the handlebars. The wheel tends to twist after crashes.
Go through the final safety inspection you would normally go through, check the tyres, brakes. Replace the brake cables if they are frayed.


How safe is v-brake system with handbrake and coaster brake for child going downhill?

This brake setup would probably be the safest for a five year old, which is why its so popular. It would be rare for a child of five to be able to brake hard enough and go over the bars with V brakes.
V brake front + Coaster brakes are common on children bikes because children generally do not have the hand strength to operate brakes properly, but you need two brakes and it helps them learn to use hand operated brakes  while still having one that is effective. Expensive hydraulic disk brakes would be effective, but too expensive to be practical on kids bikes, and risks over the bars and front wheel loss of traction type accidents far more than weaker brakes.
One big advantage of coaster brake is it is nearly impossible to go over the bars, yet possible to lock the rear wheel (need for new tires makes it expensive with some kids). To get the brake to work, you have to press back on the pedal, transferring weight to the rear. Any weight shift forward, needed for a over the bars,  release the brake.


Should my aftermarket frame have a serial number on it?

I would be surprised if any quality frame does not have a serial number. Many manufacturers warn against frames with no number, or numbers scratched off, so your concern is somewhat valid and you should follow up on it. Also reading http://fbmbmx.com/products/frames/fbm_warranty.php suggests the frame should have come with a warranty card.

Photograph the frame with the receipt and send it to them, specifically expressing your concerns. They will confirm fairly quickly if its genuine.


Here's a video that explains how to adjust your rear derailleur. Since you didn't mention adjusting the high gear or low gear adjusting screws, this may be your problem area. Sometimes it's best to start with all adjustments in a "neutral" condition before you attempt to "fine tune" the derailleur. It would benefit you to tell us the brand and model of your deraileur syatem the next time you have a problem. Even different models from the same company, can have their little "quirks" ofetn learned by experience rather than instructions. Hope this will help you out! Good luck!


Two important aspects are; the intended use the frame was designed for and the shock measurements.

Intended use:
Frames are designed for specific use in mind regardless of what you want to do with it. This design accommodates specific types of shocks. Whether Air, Coil or a combo or a 'piggy-back' shock. Some design are more flexible. For example my enduro design will struggle to get a Cane Creek Double barrel in. But then I've also seen many where people have mounted shocks upside down or back to front because it works.
Be realistic, measure the space available while sprung and also when compressed.

The shock's (and parts') size.
Two key measurements here. Eye-to-eye (length of the shock) and Stroke (the amount of displacement) length.

Eye-to-eye is measured from the middle of one mounting eyelet to the middle of the next.
Stroke is the difference in shock length between fully compressed and fully extended. In other words the total movement the shock can accommodate. This is not the bike travel figure but instead the movement that gives you the bike travel.

Those are your most important 2 measures.
However, take note of the mounting hardware. The bolts have a specific width and does the  bushings/spacers. You need to know if the new shock comes with mounting bolts/kit that will fit. You may be able to reuse the old set if they compatible. You may also need to use a bearing tool to get them out. But it varies.

Yes, you can do it yourself. You need to remember to release all the air/compress the coil etc. If you haven't done this before, you best ask your LBS if you can have a look while they do it for you.


Setting up a bicycle for someone with restricted knee articulation

Look at Power Cranks.  They are a crank set with the ability to freewheel independently of each other.

It allows a slow build to fully articulated movement if additional rehab is still a goal, and using each crank independently means using a bike is still possible, even if doing so uses a pedaling motion which would be awkward for someone who had an option for full movement.

They also have adjustable crank lengths on each independent arm, which would allow you to use a shorter crank on the leg with the limited movement.

They are often used as a rehab tool, are a real, readily available, and not ridiculously priced product, and are install-able with normal bicycle tools.

One caveat: They are shifting to a new poly carbonate fixing cap. If you order, I recommend requesting the old alloy fixing caps. The last set of poly caps I installed broke easily.

FTR, I have installed and used this product, and have no relationship with the manufacturer, nor will I be compensated in any way for this post.


26 x 1.75 front wheel will work on a bike with a 26 x 1.95 rear wheel size?

Provided the wheel fits into the bike and you can use the brakes, it'll be fine to use.

People run different tire sizes on occasion, and in some cases even different wheel sizes (e.g. 69ers and 96ers which have a 26" and 29" wheel).

In some applications, its even desirable to put a bigger tire in the back since it carries more weight than the front. This can give some more comfort, e.g. for touring.


Each type and size of tire has a different pressure range. The range is written or embossed right on the side of the tire.

The actual pressure you choose is dependent on what you are using the bike for, the road surface you ride on and your general preference. A safe choice the middle of the specified pressure range.

Lower pressure will give a bit more comfort, higher pressure gives slightly less rolling resistance. Beware that too low pressure can make the inner tube susceptible to punctures caused by hitting a bump hard (known as 'pinch flats').


Thought I should update this just in case anyone's been looking (probably not so much in summer!).

I got a good deal on a B&M Cyo plus. This has a switch and standlight. The rear light connection is switched AC. I bought the cheapest standlight equipped rear light I could find with no switch.

The front light comes on and off with the switch as you'd expect. The capacitor holds charge for weeks on end so you pretty much always have light when you need it.

When you switch off or stop the rear light will stay on until the capacitor drains. This is mildly irritating but slightly less annoying than having to faff with two switches. The other downside is you have to cycle for a while before it'll stay lit when you come to a stop (my first turn on my commute home is only a couple of hundred metres from the office so there's never enough charge to keep the light on).

As for drag, I can feel the change when I flick the switch while cycling. Not significant but enough to make me glad I can switch it off!

Overall I'm extremely pleased with my dynamo powered lights and wouldn't go back. Still can't understand why no one is selling lights as matched pairs with a single shared switch and capacitor though!

Thanks for all the answers.


The cantilevered dropouts date it from 1989 to 1996, the threadless headset to the later end of that. Based on a quick look through the catalogs here, it looks like a 1995 R700, their entry level triathlon/TT bike, which was sold that year with a polished aluminum frame and black fork. That's making the assumption that it wasn't converted to tri-bars later in it's life. It was had a 2x8 (16 speed) drivetrain, not 3x8 (24 speed), but looking at the picture it looks like you may have miscounted the speeds, I see a double not a triple. The brake levers also don't match, but that's an easy switch so they could be aftermarket.


Is my VIS 180 the 50 Lumen or 70 Lumen Version?

That is definitely the Vis 180 70 lumen. This is the new packaging that L&M just debuted in late 2014 when the 70 lumen model came out. They sent the new design to the packaging manufacturer just before they got the Vis 180 upgraded to run at 70 lumens, so the white insert says 50 lumens when in fact it's 70 lumens (as shown on the outside sticker there). Another way to double-check is the flash pattern. Does the pulse turn all the way off at its least-bright point or does it only go to about 20% dim? If it goes all the way off, it's the 50 lumen version, if it stays part-way on throughout the cycle, it's the 70 lumen version. You can see a video comparing the old and new flashes on the full Vis 180 review on the bike light testing site I run.

To clarify on the packaging, all of their lights that are in a series come in the same packaging within that series. So if you buy an Urban 350, the inset has info about the whole Urban line, including the 350, 500, 650, and 800. When you bought the Vis 180, you got info about the Vis 180 and the Vis 180 micro, because they're sold in the same package with a different label on the outside.

The Cygolite Hotshot puts out much less total light, but has a more focused, intense beam than the Vis 180. The total output of the Vis 180 is much higher. I personally use the Vis 180 as my primary taillight in steady mode, with a secondary (less bright) light in flashing mode. Your proposed setup could work well too. Having two lights is always a good idea!

So, you almost certainly do have a legitimate Vis 180 2014 70 lumen version. One thing to be aware of is that the eBay seller is likely not an authorized reseller, so your warranty may be void:

  Light & Motion provides warranties against manufacturer defects for 2 year starting from the date of purchase from a Light & Motion Authorized Dealer. While the warranty is non-transferable and does not cover failures from misuse or battery issues beyond one year, damaged lights can usually be repaired for a nominal fee. Proof of purchase required for warranty support.

They have more information specifically about buying from eBay here. I would suggest you inquire as to whether the seller is an authorized dealer – in my experience, L&M have excellent customer support, but you may be SOL if you bought from an unauthorized source.


Replaced chain, bike makes grinding noise?

As you have a master link, removing the chain should be easy.

My guess - you threaded the chain in the wrong way through the rear derailleur. There are a couple of metal extrusions between the rollers, intended to keep the chain from jumping.

With the chain still attached, look at the part of the RD I have tried to mark with "1" and check if the chain is rubbing against anything there.


Phil Wood is probably your main option for an upgrade, but at least it's a good one. They have stock options of 135 and 145 but considering the bike, I would just order a custom spindle to match what you have exactly. Pull the cranks and measure; don't assume the 138.5 is actually exactly right in this case.

You could also do measurements and potentially play the odds whether the 135 will work well enough. There are questions here about this. Note that sometimes there's an element of not knowing until you try on 1x systems when you move the front chainline in, because it can be unpredictable when issues with the chain wanting to catch when in the smaller cogs can result. Phil square taper BBs are unique in that they can be tuned for this if needed by offsetting them in the frame, but you ideally don't want to do that since it offsets the Q as well.

I don't know why they use this spindle length. My guess is the rear hub spacing is an extra wide, proprietary size. Depending on what's going on with why it's got a 138.5 square taper with proprietary cranks (or at least looks that way) in the first place, there may be some possibility of upgrading cranks as well if you wanted.


The size is 32-630, also known as 27" x 1 1/4. It is slightly larger than the common 28" or 700C tire.


How do you tighten a Hope seat post quick release?

Just the same as with quick release levers for your wheels, these are essentially a nut on one side with a bolt through it, with the lever attached to the bolt on the other side.
You can damage the clamp itself or what it is clamping, such as your frame or the seat post, if you over tighten it.
To get the correct tension (from too loose), you should open the lever (red arrow) fully, and tighten the nut (blue arrow) a little and reclose the lever (red arrow). Do this until it is at the proper tension.

Alternatively, if it is too tight, you follow the same procedure as above, but loosen the nut a little instead of tightening it. An easy to remeber rule of thumb is you want the lever to just be tight enough when closed for the seat post to not move.
As a side note, some people, and me included, leave the seatclamp just a tiny bit too loose on purpose for mountain biking, BMX and street trials, just because if I fall, I would rather my seatpost swist on impact rather than maybe damaging either the seat, the post or the frame.


This doesn't appear to be a current model--I can't find specs on this exact bike. This seems to be a house brand for Halfords, and I'm a little suspicious of a house brand, but that's just me.

The general advice given around here is that if the bike fits and you like it, get it. It doesn't matter who it was originally intended for. That said, this sounds like this bike is small for you.

A junior's bike might have lower gearing (junior racers have restricted top gears), although if this bike wasn't intended for racing, then maybe not.


Is it ok for the trunk bike rack to rest against the glass of a hatchback?

Being both a hatchback owner and a trunk rack owner, I can tell you yes...and no.

I've got a Saris Bones 3 rack and the feet have etched the window slightly. While the feet are of a more rubbery plastic, I think it's when there's dirt and grit underneath and moves (even unnoticeable movement) it grinds at the window. It usually cleans up pretty well, but I can tell where the feet marks are.

I would recommend putting a sock or other cloth over the feet (the body ones wouldn't hurt either). Also, make sure the contact point is clean, which means lossening or removing the rack to clean behind it.

Lastly, I've never had an issue with the rack slipping or moving, but most of the weight (even on your type of rack) will be going to the lower feet or bars.


Deep-Profile Carbon Wheels -- How to choose depth?

These 38/50/60/88 numbers are the 'depth' of the wheel's aerodynamic rim, in millimeters. Let's take 38 for example. This means that from where the tire meets the wheel, the rim extends an additional 38 millimeters towards the hub. When you see 88, that means the rim extends 88 millimeters from the tire.

Why does that matter? One of the biggest benefits of carbon wheels is the aerodynamics. They play a major role in how fast, and how efficiently a cyclist can ride. Think back to when you were on a ride with your buddies, and drafted behind another rider. It's much easier to keep up with them, because of the better aerodynamics when you are drafting.

Your spinning wheels are the biggest source of slow aerodynamic turbulence. To improve this, we build wheels with aerodynamic advantage as a top priority. The way we do this is to increase the 'depth' of the rim. The deeper the rim, the more aerodynamic the wheel will be and the more efficiently and faster you'll be able to cut through the wind. An 88mm deep rim is more aerodynamic than a 38mm rim, and will be faster in situations where aerodynamics are very important, like long fast solo riding and triathlons.

Why would anyone choose 38mm rims, if 88mm rims are more aerodynamic? The more a wheel becomes aerodynamic for going forward, the more it can be negatively affected by cross-winds, or winds coming from the side. Let's imagine you are riding with an 88mm deep front and rear rim. You will be able to go very fast because of the aerodynamics of deep wheels, but if a gust of wind comes from the side, that wind will push sideways against the large rims and push the whole bike sideways. This isn't such a big deal if you're riding alone, such as in a triathlon, but if you are riding in a group of cyclists, this sideways push could cause an impact with other riders, or at the very least it would require extra concentration from you.

What's the solution? A wheel with a 'shallower' rim depth, like a 38mm, will be less affected by crosswinds, but will also have less aerodynamic advantage.

If that wasn't enough, you must also consider weight. A 38mm deep wheel will be lighter than an 88mm deep one, because less carbon is used. A lighter wheel will accelerate faster and will be much easier to ride up hills. This means that if you are sprinting and hill climbing a lot, a shallower rim, like a 38 will be best.

Why do I see some riders with different front and rear wheels? Due to the fact that the front wheel can turn for steering, its more susceptible to cross-wind interference. The rear wheel is fixed in a straight line with the bike, so if a cross-wind hits it, the impact on the bike won't be as much. This means that you can use a deeper rim on your rear wheel without impacting handling as much as that same rim would affect the front wheel. Wheelsets such as the 38-50 to take advantage of this fact. This wheelset uses a 38mm front rim, and a 50mm rear rim. This way you can get more aerodynamic advantage without sacrificing as much stability in windy conditions.

How do I choose? This is the most difficult choice for riders looking to purchase new carbon  wheels. You must think about the situations you ride in. If you ride mostly hills you will want to choose a 38mm wheelset, if you are an all around rider choose a 50mm wheelset, if you are an all around rider looking for more aerodynamic advantage choose a 60mm wheelset, and if you are a solo rider, or a triathlete choose an 88mm wheelset.


Bicycle maintenance notes, technical book: do you have one?

Maintenance on a bike is much less than maintenance on a car. It is a much, much simpler machine with far fewer parts. As such there isn't such a thing as a maintenance schedule or service book.

That said, there are a few things you should do;

Tyres
Visual inspection and pressure check once per week.

Chain
The chain needs to be cleaned and lubricated. The frequency will depend on how much and how long you ride, as well as the conditions. I ride on average 100-150 miles a week and do mine roughly once per fortnight. In the winter when it rains a lot and there is salt spread on the road it tends to be weekly.

You should also check your chain for wear and stretching occasionally. You can buy a tool to measure the stretch. A decent chain will last anything from 5000-10000 miles or less if it isn't looked after.

You might also want to replace your cassette when you replace your chain, but this can be expensive. Again, if looked after a cassette should last 10000 miles easily.

Brakes
Check and adjust every so often, maybe once per month. Brake cables stretch and the blocks wear out and need replacing.

Gears
Once set up correctly gear mechanisms generally don't require much maintenance. On a new bike you may need to adjust after a month or so due to cable stretch.

Other components such as head sets, bottom brackets, wheel hubs etc are generally very long lasting and shouldn't require regular maintenance. In fact these mostly now come as unserviceable sealed units.


What derailleur hanger do I need for my Merida Speeder 200?

I contacted Merida and they told me that I need this hanger which has Merida product ID 2311004627.

Some other links to the same hanger (no affiliation):

cicloscorredor
cicliserino
ebay


Why don't standard bike chains have inner/outer combo links so odd chain lengths are possible?

Bike chains have to have some other method to take up the error (like horizontal dropouts or tensioners even on a single speed).

They'd still need this if the maximum error was halved, so you wouldn't really gain anything. Chains would need thicker walls as the  walls would no longer be in pure tension (the force would tend to straighten them). This would make the chain heavier and wider, neither of which is desirable. It would also be more expensive as parts would have to be stamped then bent rather than just stamped.


Can I fit rear panniers to a full-suspension bike with a dropper post?

The main issue is the load limits on those racks, and the second one is why those limits exist.

The Thule Pack ’n Pedal Tour Rack is claimed to take 25kg, the Topeak seatpost mounted racks will take 9kg. Thule seem to be selling rebadged Freeload gear? I have seen a Thule rack fail with significantly less than 25kg on it, and while being ridden fairly gently (very gently by full suspension MTB standards - think hiking track rather than singletrack), when the rider twisted the bike from side to side. None of the solutions of full suspension bikes are robust enough for harder mountain bike routes, and none will carry their full weight rating without really affecting the bike's handling.

The reason for that is that full suspension frames and components are not designed to take the extra force of the load, and often not designed to take much force at all where the racks attach. Ideally the rack will attach to a point that's designed to take a load but isn't being used for that load - V brake posts on a bike with disk brakes, for example. But regardless, if you have a lightweight bike and you load it up and ride it hard, something will break.

If you look at designed-for-touring bikes they usually have heavy frames, built in points to attach racks, and are sold with heavy wheels and beefed up components. At least compared to a fun bike or racing bike, which is what most full suspension bikes are. There are full suspension touring bikes, like the Bike Friday, but they are built very differently to mountain bikes.

The usual compromise is a hardtail - that gives you a solid place to attach a rear rack while getting some benefit from the front suspension.

How much gear you carry depends on what you mean by touring. To some people touring is accompanying a tour bus and support crew on short daily rides, to others it's riding the Canning Stock Route without a support vehicle. In many ways your weight budget will determine where you can go along that spectrum. You can also spend your way out of some of the problems by using ultra-light hiking gear to cut the weight you're carrying. As an example, I normally carry about 20kg of gear on month-plus tours, then another 10kg-20kg of food and water. For a weekend I'd not take cooking gear and minimise everything else to take about 15kg total assuming there's water en route, but that means accepting that if it rains I sleep in wet polypro and if we're delayed a day I go hungry (ie, trading weight for risk).

I suggest looking at some of the touring questions to get an idea of what exactly you want to do and what gear you're likely to need to do it.

Note on risk: if you're touring off road you need to keep an eye on your escape routes. Specifically, remember that you go much faster riding than you do carrying a broken mountain bike. If you break the bike late on the first day of a two day ride you might have to spend three days walking out (assuming you're unhurt). On-road touring is usually less risky because you can flag down a passing motorist and get a ride (or call a taxi).


Bananas

and as I need at least 15 characters, don't forget to eat bananas during your ride as well.


Shimano Dura-Ace 1st Generation Brake adjustment

Your spring is not right - its one or more of

bent unevenly
lost springiness with age
pinched
mounted not square in the retainer.

I've tried to show the difference I see here:

To be honest unless originality is a big thing, consider moving to a dual pivot brake caliper.  The old single pivot side pull caliper was always sub par.


The two differences will be that the multispeed bike has more air resistance from the drivetrain and the comparison of resistance between the ratchet in the single speed bike and the freewheel or freehub on the multispeed.  Both effects are rather small.  The rider/bike aerodynamics will dominate.


Troubleshooting Noise from Avid BB-7 Road Disc Brakes

To align the caliper, loosen the caliper bolts and bring the fixed cpad as close as possible to the rotor without rubbing. Then dial in the fixed pad so that it is as close as possible without rubbing. Then install your cable/housing, and begin adjusting.

To improve brake feel, pre-stretch your cable before making adjustments. Take the wheel out, out a pad spacer in (Pedro's tire lever works great, or any other non-metal object), and squeeze the lever as hard as you can ten times. This will seat the housing into the ferrules, as well as stretch the cable out.

If the pads are sitting in a "V", then the brake pad spring most likely needs replacing. You could also try spreading it open a bit first, but the springs are so cheap that it's worth it just to get new ones.

P.S. The Alfine dynamo actually uses loose ball bearings, making it re-packable. It's tricky, due to the wiring connectors, but it's nice to be able to do it yourself.

Avid Brake Pad Spring


Better solution for uncomfortably low bars: a stem riser, or taller stem?

Stem risers do work but have limitations. They increase the amount of force you can put on the headset (as does anything else that gets the handlebars further up), they can break (unlikely but possible), they add a little slop and they often creak (a consequence of the slop). If you're a strong guy with wide handlebars and you're prone to really grunting on the bars you're more likely to break a riser (or anything else), and will probably find the small amount of extra slop makes the bars feel loose (or as though they're about to break).

threadless:  quill:

I've generally suggested them as an interim solution for someone playing with bike fit, or for someone who wants a bigger frame but can't afford a new bike.

Right now I have a back injury that means I need a more upright riding position, and I've obtained that via a set of upright bars that have a bit of rise as well as the sweep back, and a stem with more rise (that I swapped off my old commuter bike).


What things to check on road bike after a long trip on poor roads

I think road bikes are actually more durable than a lot of riders give them credit for. Unless you were seriously crashing into potholes there should not be any damage (although you may have picked up some paint dings from loose gravel surfaces).

You can do a standard 'once-over', paying particular attention to the wheels:

If the dirty or muddy give it a wash and clean and re-lube the drivetrain and chain
Check drive-train and brake functionality
look for rattles and anything loose
Check for play in headset bearings
Check the rims are true
Look for dings in the rim flanges and scratches in the braking surface.
Check there are no loose spokes.
Check for damage to tire tread or sidewalls


A quick search turned up this post, in which the OP is having the same trouble.

It sounds like your crank is swaged to the chainrings, as in this image:

"Swaged" means the "spider" (the group of radial arms that hold the chainring) is press-fitted onto the crank arm.

A better design is to manufacture the crank arm and spider as one piece, like this:

It seems that on your crank, the connection between crank arm and spider has failed. With the bike upside down and the rear wheel spinning, the load is reduced sufficiently for the crank arm to turn the spider and rings. However, it is just metal-on-metal friction that allows this to happen. As you have seen, if the back wheel is stationary, the crank arm spins independently.

You need a new drive-side crank. I'd replace the whole chainset.

Edit: It sounds like you searched and found the same pages I did, and have gotten confused by the suggestions about Shimano's "freewheeling cranks". Rest assured, your bike will almost certainly not have any weird gimmicky technology like that. Just sounds like a not-so-common failure of a poorly-manufactured crank to me. Swaged cranks are cheap and nasty (no offence intended), but you can replace them with a forged set without breaking the bank.


Will mounting a camera on the handlebar instead of the helmet make the picture more shaky?

Cameras on bikes are a trade-off. I run my camera from the handlebars, but it can be very shaky particularly depending on the road surface: on a newly paved road it can be almost perfect, but on cobbles it's almost useless.

Certainly you can helmet mount, but then you can look quite silly. (The cuboid Go Pros on top of a helmet just look ridiculous.) There are some advantages though, it's definitely more stable (as @cherouvim correctly points out - your neck and body are great shock absorbers) and it means that you are getting the camera to record (more or less) what you are looking at.

If you're planning on being able to use the footage to report problems, then it is going to be much more flexible to be able to point the camera dynamically. The lack of a helmet isn't the end of the road though, I use a Contour camera and they've got headband, cap and helmet mounts - so while you'll need some form of headwear, it needn't be a helmet.

Some of the shake can be mitigated with a fast frame rate and post-production, but it'll be easier if it wasn't there in the first place and the best way for that is not to mount it on the bike.


Higher saddle height and pressure on palm

Rather than setting your seat height according to a formula, I recommend setting it through experimentation. The rule of thumb is that you should set your seat height so that when one leg is fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke, that knee should be almost but not quite straight. You should be able to pedal comfortably without rocking your hips in this position. Note that this height can change based on how much you ride, the fore/aft position of the seat on the seatpost, your age, etc. This is just a starting point--you need to repeatedly fine-tune your seat height to find what works for you.
Raising your seat without making any other changes is naturally going to rotate your torso forward so that you carry more weight on your hands, as you've discovered. You may simply get accustomed to this in time. You could also raise your handlebars to rotate your position back. Lots of cyclists (myself included) do wear padded gloves, and it's not a bad idea to try them, but these are more to smooth out shocks transmitted through the handlebars than to redistribute your weight. Either adapting to your position or correcting it is more important.


Is it a good idea to buy second hand bike model that has been discontinued?

Generally it's absolutely fine to buy a relatively new bike, and not worry about component availability.

Bicycles are not like cars that have specific components for each model, or at best some component sharing across a manufacturers models. In general, practically all bicycle components are standardized so that bicycles can be built up (or modified) with components from many manufacturers.

There is an increasing trend for some manufacturers to integrate the seatpost, stem and sometimes handlebars of some models into the frame design for aerodynamics or to facilitate internal cable routing, but the Orbea model you mentioned does not have this.


How to keep Presta valve insert from detaching after inflation?

I've had this happen with some tubes - Continental, maybe? Conti tubes are compatible with valve extenders, so the valve on them does come off like this. You're probably screwing the chuck on too tightly, and then the valve comes off with it.

Or maybe some tubes come with the valve not properly torqued.

And after it did come off, you probably didn't tighten the valve tight enough into the stem to stop it from happening again.  There should be small flats on the side of the valve portion that comes off - you need to use a wrench on that when you rescrew it into the stem.  Be sure to hold the stem with a pair of pliers when you do this to prevent the stem from twisting.  If you don't you can tear the tube.

Worst case, put Loctite on the valve threads if it keeps happening.


Why won't the front derailleur change into the largest gear after changing cranks?

The new crankset is not exactly in the same position as the old one, so you need to adjust the front derailleur. The internet is full of instructions for the procedure, so I am not writing a new guide here.


What is a suitable Gear Range for Biking on Flat Rail Trails

Comfort oriented hybrid bikes are good for recreational riding on smooth prepared trails without steep hills.

7 speed bikes are simpler, but without a choice of front sprockets you will want to be sure that the gear range they offer suits you. Getting a good test ride on any bike you are considering is recommended.

One thing I would avoid is front suspension. At the price range of the bikes you mention they don't provide much damping but do add weight.


Are convertible full face helmets as safe as regular ones?

Yes, some convertible helmets can be as safe as Full Face Helmets.

The safety standard for the protection of a full face mountain bike helmet is ASTM F1952 - Standard Specification for Helmets Used for Downhill Mountain Bicycle Racing. This covers the chin bar and a higher level of testing than EN-1078 (such as a higher drop height 1.2 to 1.6). En-1078 is the standard for road and trail helmets.

Purchasing a helmet meet this standards means they will be as safe as a proper full face. Choosing a helmet that doesn't hold the standard doesn't mean that it isn't as safe, but it hasn't been tested to that level and doesn't offer the same assurance. The standard has two levels, one for the chin bar and one for the helmet.

In order to get the same protection as a full face you'd need to find a convertible helmet that held both such as the Giro Switchblade. If you are happy with a trail helmet with a certified chin bar but EN-1078 certified helmet then something similar to the Leatt Enduro. If you want chin protection and not concerned by the standard then something similar to the Bell 2R, which simply holds EN-1078.

The reason behind the Bell 2R not holding the standard is suspected to be vents on the chin bar. Bell have said that they test to internal standards, which may meet ASTM F1952, but they haven't certified the helmet against the standard.


Why might a compact drivetrain be frowned upon?

While Machismo answers the question asked, the reason why there is that reaction is mainly a lack of understanding about how and why compact cranks exist.

Obviously, you can look at it and say to give us better climbing (easy) gears. But what many people miss is the rear ratio changes.

The race standard for many years was 53/12. That is, the hardest gear, made up of the largest tooth count in the front, and the smallest in the back, was a 53 tooth front chain ring paired with a 12 tooth rear cog.

A few years back, Shimano started making an 11 tooth rear cog. It was originally intended for pro racers and time trialists.

Somebody got out the calculator, and realized that with that 11 tooth rear cog now available, you could decrease the size of the front rings, and get the same gear ratio, or slightly faster. That decreased front ring size allowed better climbing ratios when paired with the large cogs on the cassette, but also maintained the high gear speed racers are used to.

Someone riding a properly setup compact crank, actually is pushing a harder, faster gear than the 53/12 "standard". That said, if you pair a 53 with the 11 tooth, it will be faster yet, but not often do you find the legs to push that combo.

I've included gear inch charts for both, so that you can see for yourself how it works out. If you are not aware, gear inches are a comparison to the effective diameter of a direct drive wheel, when gear advantage is accounted for.


Is it annoying to carry a backpack when riding a road bike?

Backpacks have a number of drawbacks when riding.

They can make your back sweaty.
The can interfere with your helmet/head posture depending on bike geometry and backpack size/design.
They increase the weight on your hands.

In general most people I know that complain about riding with a backpack "feel" the extra weight as pressure on their hands, not in their back.  Obviously your bike geometry and anatomy may vary.

Backpacks also have some advantages.

Their weight can be moved dynamically by your torso.  The extra weight is on you and moves with you.
You have less to do at your destination.  The backpack is attached to you and doesn't need to be removed when you arrive.
You aren't required to alter your bike.
The backpack can be used for other things besides cycling.

My personal opinion was that for short commuting (30 minutes or less of cycling) I prefer a backpack.  It's less to deal with and a short enough time that the extra weight on my hands didn't matter to me.  For longer rides I would not wear a backpack because the extra weight becomes noticeable.

Road bikes tend to have "longer" geometry and stretch you out.  This means you are holding your head up at a higher angle.  I would test your setup out before I committed to a road bicycle/helmet/backpack combo.  Many of the backpacks I have tried come up high enough that if you lean far enough forward, you can't actually raise your head all the way up with a helmet on, which isn't safe.


Hydraulic mtb-style brake lever on drop handlebars

Shimano's new GRX line include "sub-levers" that seem to fit your needs.

They are meant to be mounted on the tops of drop bars near the stem and run along the same hydraulic line as your main hydraulic lever/shifter. The product ID I believe you need would be BL-RX812-R (or -L if the left was desired)

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/grx-11-speed/BL-RX812-R.html


do all diamondback bmx bikes have a serial number on them?

Almost all bikes have a serial number on them.
Exceptions might be

A home made bike
A small bespoke framebuilder (rare)
A repaired bike where the part that had the number was replaced
A stolen bike, where someone has ground-off the number to inhibit identification.

A serial number is not overly useful, since you know the brand, hopefully the manufacturer has a system, or has records still, and lets you look them up.  More on serials: What is the purpose of a serial number?


The derailleur does look too high in your second picture. The bottom of the outer cage should be about 2-3mm above the tips of the teeth big ring when directly over it. The cable is probably too loose which is preventing the shifter from pulling the cage far enough outwards.

I'd run through a step-by-step adjustment process as front derailleur adjustment can be tricky to get right.

Start by disconnecting the cable from the shifter and making sure the derailleur can move through it's full range by pushing it by hand. The spring is quite stiff so there will be quite a lot of resistance.

Check that the shifter and cable runs freely. Pull on the end of the cable and  work the shifter. I'd also check the cable housing to make sure it's inserted into the shifter and frame stops properly. You may want to take the cable out and clean and lubricate it, or even replace it.

A complete description of the full derailleur adjustment process is more than can be provided easily in text here. There are numerous videos and articles on the web that show you how to do it, but the best by far I think is the one by Park Tool Company: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustment.

BTW, I think the tab under the cable shift bolt seen in your first picture should be rotated 90 degrees anti-clockwise, so the finger goes over the cable.


Can someone help me identify this old Shimano derailleur?

I can't find the exact model, but it looks very similar to this one that I found on VeloBase.
If you have the patience check out this list. Shimano starts around page 8.
I suspect it might be a bottom of the range version of a Light Action, but I'm far from an expert
EDIT:
I think it might be this one. You're fortunate I stumbled across this question when I was in the mood for a bit of a treasure hunt :)


What is the difference between Shimano 14-28T MF-TZ20 and Shimano MF-TZ500-6?

They're both freewheels, so likely the design has been around for decades.  At this price point in the market, noone really compares features, a user is more interested in specs like max/min toothcount and number of cogs.  Thats about it.

Specs are identical - they're both 6 speed with 14 tooth minimum and 28 tooth maximum cogs.

The TZ20 is probably a later version, possibly made in a different way to reduce manufacturing costs.  Notice t that the TZ500 has a black large cog, where the TZ20 has the same colour cogs all the way through.

Minor difference is that the TZ20 pictured has a black plastic spoke protector included in the picture, whereas the TZ500 does not show one.

As for being fake, that's always possible given the age of these designs.  But there's also minimal profit in these low-end low-value items, and realistically even a fake one should work fine.


Can I use a 3x10 or 2x11 front derailleur on a 3x11 drivetrain?

In case someone else finds himself/herself in my shoes, here's how it all turned out for me... so, the previous FD was a 2x9 Shimano Altus and it still managed to move the chain from one chainring to another. Since there was no 3x11 option with a different type of pull, other than front, i took a chance and ordered a 3x10 Deore SLX. Besides the usual min-maxes which cause chain rubbing, i also have some chain rubbing when on the mid chainring with the 2 largest sprockets. Otherwise, shifting is good, 9/10 it happens without any delays or the chain getting stuck between gears. I am still observing the behavior of the whole setup but as far as front derailleur goes, 3x10 seems to have ~93% compatibility with a 3x11 drivetrain. Thank you all for your time and answers.


I have recently been in a neighborhood watch training. Bike theft was one of the topic.

They showed us a footage where they asked a skilled thief to break various locks, from low end dental floss (10 Euro worth) to high end sturdy looking one (60 Euro). The thief was able to take rid of all of them in a matter of about 30 seconds, with few difference between flimsy and sturdy ones.

Bottom line: the only way to safely lock your bike is make it an hassle to remove all the locks with respect to the other available targets.

Use redundant locks (they will require more time to be removed)
Lock your bike where other similar bikes are available (thieves go for the low hanging fruit, unless you park a carbon frame 5000 Euro bike among steel 100 Euro bikes)
Make it hard for the thief to be unnoticed while working around your locks (don't lock your bike in a dark and out of sight alley)


The details depend on the exact trailer and, more importantly, on the bike.

There are lots of trailer couplers that simply go on the end of the rear axle and are clamped to the bike by the wheel bolt.  But on an e-bike with a rear wheel motor, you might have a cable coming out of the axle on the side you want the trailer.

If you google images for "bike trailer adapter" you'll get a bunch of ideas for adapters you can buy, and if you look for "homemade bike trailer adapter" you'll get a bunch more ideas for workarounds you can use if a stock item won't work.  Again, it depends on the bike and how much scratching or other damage you're willing to risk, but I see a bunch of pictures using hose clamps to attach something to the stays that a trailer coupler can then attach to.

We jury-rigged something on our cheap ebike many years ago: we didn't care about scratching and we figured it was pretty cheap steel but strong enough so we clamped the trailer coupler on with a U-bolt.

This is the best picture I can find of the bike with the coupler U-bolted to a seat stay:


Looking for info on replacing MTB derailleur

Looking at the Minelli web site it seems their bikes are fairly inexpensive, using Acera, Altus and Alivio groupsets.

The latest Acera, Altus and Alivio groupsets are all 9 speed so I have to assume you have a slightly older bike when those groups came in 7 speeds, Or you might have a Tourney derailleur I guess.

Basically, you will just have to find a compatible 7 speed replacement derailleur. I'm afraid you don't have much choice in terms of 'sturdiness' as 7 speed drive-trains are now the lowest level, cheapest offerings. The good news is that a replacement will be inexpensive.

If you want to upgrade the bike, don't do it a component at a time, just buy a new or used better bike. There are plenty of answers to questions on this site that show how drivetrain component upgrades inevitably require replacing most or all of the drivetrain, and sometimes wheels, which is very definitely not cost effective.


Best rest length for "getting your seat"

There is no one good answer to this question, because there are many personal factors which play in.

Your weight, your physical fitness, the quality of the saddle, and whether it fits your body well will all be a factor here.

In general, a short (sub 1 hour) ride every 3 days works well for most people.

Consider getting rid of your stock seat, and getting something more fitted and more stable for your body to adapt to it.

I hope that helps.


@Adam Rice is almost there, diagram and suggestion included for what to do now...

First, you need a curved 18mm diameter washer between the brake and the fork. Your brake is a Shimano clone, here is how the original Shimano drive works out:

Note that there is no serrated washer between the curved washer and the brake.

Secondly, you need a 27mm long pivot nut on the back. If your existing nut is 18mm then that is a front nut too, but not suited for your fork. If the nut is 12.5mm or shorter then it is for the back brake.

What now?

Visit your local bike shop on a quieter day of the week and ask for help from the workshop with your predicament. Either get the bike booked in (and expect to pay their minimum workshop time booking slot) or buy the 18mm washer + 27mm nut and do it yourself.

All bike shops have a drawer full of such parts, they may charge ~50p per nut/bolt/washer which is not representative of the cost of the bit or their time to find it for you.

If you are buying something else, e.g. treat yourself to a new track pump, then they may be more helpful and do you the washer/nut out of good will.


Spokes popping, chains jumping gears while not shifting and derailing when shifting, etc

Have you and the shop both checked the frame very carefully for damage?

It sounds as though you're probably too heavy or too strong for the frame you ride. Bikes are built light, and have a designed weight limit. But that limit is generally based on an average rider, so the stronger you are and the more you slog rather than spin, the more you have to allow as a margin over your actual weight.

It's quite possible that your long-term shifting problems stem from this - when you put the power in your frame flexes, the cable routing changes a little, and the gears shift. You can try crossing your gear cables under the down tube to reduce the size of the problem, but that only helps mask the problem, it doesn't fix it.

Over time you're also likely to crack the frame. Once cracks appear your frame will be weaker, and flex more than it used to. That will make the shifting problems worse. But the cracks will start out very small, and you'll need to clean the frame and basically polish it, then very carefully check for cracks in the paint in good light. One trick is to get contrasting touch-up paint and put that over any suspect areas, then once it's good and dry flex the frame. The touch-up paint will crack much more obviously than the underlying frame paint if there's a problem with the frame underneath it.

The solution to this is to buy a stronger bike. Especially if you're a heavier rider who tends to push big gears, you put a lot more stress on the frame than an average rider. You may find you need to add 10kg or 20kg to your actual weight and buy a bike rated to that weight.

(anecdote: I'm quite a powerful rider and have broken a stupid number of frames, and also handlebars. I've learned that carrying an extra kilo by buying stronger parts is well worth the effort, and my current lightweight road bike is between 9 and 10kg in "race trim", including disk brakes)


Damaged full-suspension linkage surfaces - creaking noises

I am not familiar with this specific bike, but it looks like the intention of the design is this: there's a big oversize bolt on each side, they go through the bearings, and then on the other side between the bearing and that threaded bit in the frame there's a spacer on each side, and the spacer's job is a.) provide a seal for the bearing and b.) connect the inner race of the bearing to the face of the threaded bit such that no metal-to-metal rubbing is occurring.
There's a lot of canned advice in the world to lubricate pivots of suspension frames, but it doesn't actually do anything helpful in many cases. There shouldn't be a metal-to-metal contact at all here. If there still is and the lubrication you've applied is all that's keeping it from being noisy and sticky, no that is not a solution and you will ruin the frame.
If the spacer was somehow out of place or fouled by debris before, and now that's been addressed and it's in place doing its job, yes you are probably good to go unless you've reduced or unleveled the surfaces enough to cause other problems, but you'd probably be able to see that. In other words if everything is tightening down firmly and you can get visual confirmation that there's an air gap and no metal-to-metal rub, that is what you're looking for.
In some cases it can be appropriate to improvise or fabricate hardware to make a suspension frame behave when its stock hardware isn't cutting it. A brand new bike is not usually when you want to be resorting to that, but the climate we're in is forcing such judgment calls. You do want the stock spacers because again (if my understanding is correct) they are acting as seals, but if they're not creating the gap needed then adding some kind of microshim (beer can, sharpie, scissors) might not be the craziest while you're waiting on replacement hardware from Canyon.


First thing to do is check the rear wheel bearings. Get the rear wheel out and inspect the axle. If there is any play between the axle and hub or roughness or 'notchiness' when you turn the axle, the bearings are worn out. If you have a cup-and-cone style hub the bearings can be serviced. There are several online resources that show you how to do that. I recommend Park Tool's articles and YouTube videos. Some hubs have replaceable cartridge bearings.

If the gear shifting is not working, that could be due to a number of different things, including the issues with the shifter, but most likely poor indexing adjustment. Again, there there are number of online resources that show you how to troubleshoot and adjust indexing.

I note you have an older Shimano Tourney, which is is lowest level Shimano groupset, which does not offer great shifting in the first place.


What is the black piece above the bottom bracket on this bike?

It looks like a SWAT box (tube, co2, levers and multitool) see https://www.cyclingabout.com/2018-specialized-diverge-light-touring-bikes  from https://www.topvelo.fr/actualite-materiel-velo-nouveau-specialized-diverge-serieusement-rapide-serieusement-fun-3-993.html


You can generally go down in tyre width without a problem because frame clearance is not affected.

Going up to larger sizes needs more careful checking, but down is mostly fine.

Do note your rim does not have a "1.75" measurement anywhere.  Its more likely to be 20-25 millimetres in width across where the tyre seats to the rim

One possible risk is decreasing tyre width can expose your rim to damage from potholes and kerbs, but this would be at about half the tyre size, and you're not near that.


Is standing up and pedaling on multi-gear bicycles a bad idea

As (almost) always, the great Sheldon Brown has covered this particular topic. Standing while Cycling

  To Sit or to Stand?

  It is my belief that a great many cyclists stand up to pedal much more often than they should. I've often said:

  "If you find yourself standing to accelerate, on level ground, it is a sign that your gear is too high or that your saddle is too low."
  Standing pedaling allows you to apply more force to the pedals than is possible seated, because you can rest your entire weight on the driven pedal, and, even more, by pulling up on the handlebar, you can push the pedal with more than your actual weight...but is this a good thing?
  Pedaling that hard is very stressful to the joints, and to the bicycle, and usually involves a level of effort that cannot be sustained aerobically. Unless you have unusually good form, it also tends to involve a fair amount of thrashing from side to side, which is a waste of energy. The added stress flexes many parts of the bicycle, and the energy required to do this flexing is not usually recovered when the parts straighten back out.

  These extreme stresses also greatly increase the risk of breaking things. If a pedal, crank, chain, handlebar or handlebar stem should break under this abnormal stress (a very real possibility) you are almost certain to suffer injury in the resulting crash. Even a simple missed shift or the skipping of a worn chain can toss you to the ground when you throw all of your weight onto a single pedal. You should never stand up to pedal a bicycle that you do not know to be in excellent mechanical condition!


Can I change from a 26 x1.95 tire to a 26 x 1.75 tire on the same rim?

All roads lead to sheldon on this one... here is another question that discusses this issue in converse (how wide in this case).  In reality, the OP did not provide any ISO sizing data for the 2 tires nor the rim, so can't really answer. (but tentatively, yes, it should work fine)  How wide of tires can I run on a Victory Vision road bicycle?


What is the largest hole a tire can bear before replacement?

There's probably not a hard and fast rule as to how big is too big. It's going to vary based on tire width, pressure, the thickness of the tube, etc.

As someone mentioned in the comments on that other question, damage to the threads is the biggest concern. If the puncture goes between the threads like a sewing needle would through clothing, there's definitely no problem. If one or two of the threads gets damaged, probably still not a problem. At what point it's too many threads to be any good anymore though is pretty much a judgment call.

One thing that you can be sure of: If you put the tube in and fill it up, and you can see the tube from the outside of the tire; the hole is too big and probably needs a boot to get you home. And if it's that big, you need to replace the tire.


Where Can I Legally Ride Off Road in the UK?

In England, Wales and NI You can legally ride in lots of places:

On any bridleway
On any Byway open to all traffic (BOAT)
Restricted Byways (Used to be called RUPPs)
Permisive Bridleways
Dedicated MTB trial centres (of which there are now lots)

The first three categories of path can be found on your OS map, although the definitive maps are held by local area councils and the OS map can (very rarely) be wrong. Permissive Bridleways are open to bikes but are not often marked on maps, they are there with the permission of the land owner and aren't a statutory right of way.

In Scotland the rules are differnt and much more liberal - if there is a trail then you can probably ride it.  There is a good overview here as to the position in Scotland.

A good way to find your local routes is via your local cycling club if they have an off road section.


What should I be looking for when buying reflective lights for night riding?

Most reflective tapes are quite suitable. I've had good luck with 3M and Avery brands in general, but you need to strike a balance between cost and effectiveness. For example, SOLAS (safety of life at sea) tape is what is used on rescue buoys, life rafts, life vests... it is fantastically reflective and similarly expensive.

Other tapes have a finer surface, but still reflect very well. I would recommend only getting white tape as it is the most visible. In terms of placement, here are some ideas:

On the inside of your rims between the spokes. You'll have to cut individual strips that do not overlap the braking surface. (This is similar to Velocity's reflective rim coating except that it costs much less and you don't have to build a wheel around it.) Even better would be to cover one half of the rim so that when it rotates the effect seems to blink.
On the backs and fronts of your seat stays and fork legs.
On the backs and fronts of your crank arms to bring attention to your pedaling motion.
On pedals or toe clips for the same reason.
Your helmet and other accessories so you're visible off the bike as well.

Clean everything with alcohol or some other solvent (especially your rims) to help the tape stick. In my experience, you shouldn't expect to get the tape off so be confident about the placement.

Visibility is a great feature for night riding, but don't skimp on your lights! A bright headlight is an absolute must for any serious night riding as well as two taillights (one as a back up in case your primary goes dead.) Dynamo lighting is a smart investment if you're riding at night very frequently (but you'd still want to use a backup taillight.)


It is for adjusting the suspension on a medium to high-end mountain bike (fork), hence the lack of 'Presta' option.

Since you will be returning it, to keep the shop happy and get what you really need, consider getting:

A track pump with gauge and aluminium body. Look for one with a well
engineered head that does Presta and Shrader valves. The easiest
ones to use have a lever that you fold out to get a snug fit.
For the road, carry an affordable, light mini-pump with as few
movable parts as possible. The deluxe mini-pumps with dual-action,
fancy gauges and other features have a tendency to rattle apart,
rendering them useless when you need it.

Keep it simple is what you want with a mini-pump, it only has to get you home and you hopefully will have a proper track pump with gauge at home.


1987 Schwinn Tempo Maillard hub rear axle

Replacing the axle has worked, but the new axle takes un-keyed washers.  It's much harder to adjust pre-load correctly between the cone, washers, locknut, and quick-release.  Bikeforums.net suggest these hubs are garbage, so I am looking into building a new wheel.


The main reason for reducing spoke count is to improve aerodynamics. This usually goes along with a deeper-section rim, which makes up for the strength lost with the missing spokes. Generally when there are fewer spokes, each spoke is at a higher tension, although that's not always the case. Highly tensioned spokes are more likely to be pushed past their limits of elasticity, which leads to breakage.
Too few spokes will increase the likelihood of spoke breakage. I'm not sure if 24 is "too few" in this context. The effects of a broken spoke are magnified when there are fewer spokes--the wheel will go farther out of true.
The fact that you'll be using a dyno hub will not affect the sturdiness of the wheel. I think this comes down to how handy you are, and how risk-averse you are. You should at any rate be carrying spare spokes for an ultra event. You'll be buying a new hub and new spokes anyhow; you could buy a new rim for added peace of mind.


what power did alex dowsett put out during his hour record?

We cannot know exactly unless Dowsett's team releases it, but we can make a reasonable estimate. The most important unknown is Dowsett's drag area, or CdA, so below I have calculated the power needed to average 52.937 km/h for various values of CdA, given the assumptions noted on the figure. Notably, rho is air density in the velodrome and a trackside observer provided the estimate of 1.16 kg/m^3; Dowsett is listed as 75 kg for his "official" weight so 85 kg is an estimate of the rider plus bike plus shoes plus helmet plus suit; eta is drive train efficiency and for fixed gear bikes with a good chainline losses tend to be around 2.5%; and the coefficient of rolling resistance for track tires on a smooth wooden velodrome surface will be in the range of .0025 to .003. Thus, if Dowsett's drag area were around 0.195 m^2, his average power would have had to have been about 400 watts.


How do I get my hydraulic disc brakes working well again

Most likely cause if the disc and pads are contaminated. What did you wash it with? Many cleaners leave a residue.

Worst case the pads need replacing. The discs should be well cleaned before installing new pads - Use a solvent such as brake cleaner, methylated spirits or Isoprop alcohol, and rub the discs to be certain no contamination is left on them.

Best case is a good clean of the discs solves the problem. If this does not work, remove the pads and clean with cleaner and re install and clean disk again. If this does not work there are tricks with pads such as burning, sanding etc that might help - I won't cover how to do it here as its well covered elsewhere.

How far you go trying to restore contaminated pads is more a matter of how much time and effort is needed vs cost. Eventually (and quite early for me) patience runs out and as new pads are the guaranteed fix, its down to the LBS I go.


Why am I breaking Pitlock spring washers so frequently?

I reached out to Pitlock DE about this question specifically (I'm an authorized North American retailer since 2006) and heard this back:

  Regarding the question of your customer about the spring washers, I
  talked to our technicians. The spring washers are wearing parts in
  theory but they shouldn’t break that easily. If you press the key
  firmly into the lock when opening and closing it, the washer should
  really last a long time. We’re in close contact with a lot of
  customers here and seeing their and our own bikes, the washers have
  lasted years with fairly regular mounting and unmounting. The thing
  really is to press the washer down with the key when opening the lock.
  Of course, there can always be an issue with the washer itself.

So while this is a part that is expected to wear over time, the experience you (and the respondents in this post) are seeing is unexpected.

We do offer replacement spring washers on our site, here: https://www.urbanbiketech.com/collections/accessories/products/replacement-lockring

If anyone else is having an issue with unexpectedly high failure rate, please feel free to reach out to me directly (via our contact us page), and I can help rectify the situation with the manufacturer and/or provide an appropriate discount on replacement products.


What is a power meter and why do I need one?

Since you say you're looking to become a triathlete soon it's far too early to be thinking of advanced training aids like power meters.

The first few things to do (not necessarily in this order) are

join a tri club
enter a triathlon or two
join a tri training squad
observe your (comparative) strengths and weaknesses
get a well recommended triathlon book.
use a GPS app for recording and comparing your training and race efforts (eg Strava, mapmyride)
use a heart rate monitor to help find and track your training levels

It's easy to spend lots of money in the first blush of enthusiasm, only to find later that it was wasted.

Take it a little slower, and make sure you're getting good advice. When talking up a new sport it's easy to go about it the wrong way and cause early injuries, or develop poor habits or techniques that cause long term problems. This applies to all three triathlon legs.

In the case of the cycling leg, you need to get cycling advice from a seasoned triathlete. Triathlon cycling is quite different to normal road racing, especially as the distances increase. You'll be trying to avoid using the muscle groups that provide the drive for the run leg, using a much lower cadence than a roadie would, and using a different bike.

The time to consider a power meter is when you're at the stage where you have a training bike and a race bike, and both are worth more than your car.


How long does a shifter, rear mech and front mech last?

As the comments have stated, wear is going to depend on a variety of factors. If you maintain your equipment it can last for years. Generally speaking, parts will fail in order of material strength and usage. Jockey wheels on the rear derailleur become rounded as they are made of synthetic materials such as plastic that wear much quicker than metal. Next up are the cables and hoses connecting everything (technically you didn't ask about this, but they run into all the parts). Fine parts, such as the springs/tensioners in the derailleurs will also be susceptible to mud and grime much faster than the stainless cages. A shifter would probably be the last to go as it's action is fairly well contained within the shifter assembly and isn't really prone to wearing out as quickly.

Another important consideration is setup. If the cables are too tight or there's a misalignment and something is rubbing, it's obviously going to wear much quicker. If you follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule and regularly clean all the parts after riding in the rain, mud, or dust, you should be able to enjoy a long life on even bargain bin parts!


openbike.org (itself open) has inspired independent projects such as Jetrike (whose author makes plans available).
Expired patents may also count as open source because inventions must be fully disclosed. See for example a linked braking system from 1978, Calderazzo's US Patent #4102439, which makes it very difficult to flip yourself over the bars. (I read about this in Bicycling Science by David Gordon Wilson, Jim Papadopoulos, & Frank Rowland Whitt.)


Is there a name for fingered (non-fingerless) gloves that have open parts for the back of the hand?

Driving gloves? Fancy Ferrari version

I don't think I've seen cycling specific gloves in that configuration. However, if you want full finger cycling gloves, there are Mountain bike gloves used for racing that ventilate pretty well due to the lightweight fabrics used. They don't have an open back, but otherwise work well.


You could do this for the front with a Mountain Tamer Quad (which is an adapter which turns a triple into a quad) and an appropriately chosen front derailleur. The chainline issues become more severe than they do with a triple.

For the rear, you could use a 12 speed internal gear hub (Sachs Elan) or go up to 14 with a Rohloff Speedhub with a chain tensioner.

The question is why would you want to do this (like all your questions)? With 3x9's or 2x11's there are more than enough gear combinations that its pointless for riders to have more. With more gears, things have to be machined more carefully and become less robust as well. You need a good gear combination, not the perfect combination (though Nuvinci makes a CVT for bicycles). Also, who in their right mind looks at the cassette when shifting? Nobody. On top of this, front derailleurs are crude and sloppy devices just by how they work -- with 4 chain rings, you can get one to work depending on the chainring spacing, but probably not well.

So, while you could run a 4x12, it would be utterly useless for anyone who wants to ride.


Shimano TZ rear derailleur cable entry at strange angle causing wire rub

The bolt is mounted onto a moving part. As the cable pulls, the parallel plates will pivot around so the bolt becomes in-line with the adjuster.
The tension on the cable is greater when you're in the easier gears, which is also when the cable is straightest.


Buy a petrol kit off ebay and follow the instructions.   At that point you fall in a gap between cyclists and bikers, where neither group wants to know about you.

Or buy a new bike designed as an ebike.   Or buy a nifty-50 scooter/step through motorbike.

An electric assist motor is a better idea, the kits cost about the same.  Main difference is you're consuming power to charge, instead of burning petrol+oil.

Electric is much quieter too, whereas motorised bicycles are incredibly loud because of the small mufflers.

Electric kits tend to replace your front wheel, and have a battery bag that hangs on the frame or goes on a rear carrier, or inside a pannier or basket.

Good thing about electric is you're still a cyclist.

Here's my adventures with such a kit http://www.electric-bike-kit-forum.com/post2249.html


Is it practical to replace two sprockets on a cassette?

No, you will need to get a whole new cassette, the largest 3 rings are connected to each other, you cannot just purchase individual cogs. You may want to get a new chain as you will probably need to make a chain length change with jumping from a 25T to 27T or 28T largest cog.

Do you know if you have the SS or the GS?

With the SS (short cage) you can go as big as 28T, Shimano sells a 12-28 cassette.
With the GS (long cage) you can go as big as 27T, look for a 12-27 cassette.

Another option for easier spinning is a new compact crankset, Shimano comes as a 34/50, but you give up high end speed.

EDIT:

Added screenshot of the relevant tech info for the RD-6500. Hope it's helpful.

Although the derailleur has the capacity for 28t as an SS derailleur, Shimano never produced a 9 speed 28t cog. Therefore, as a practical matter, the 27t is the largest option available for the RD-6500 Ultegra 9 speed derailleur from Shimano. There are cassettes available from Interloc Racing Design which fill this missed niche.


Cyclocross tyre patching problems, bulging inwards

If you inflated the tire and the tire itself is indented at times, it is likely that you did not seat the tire correctly.  This means the tire bead is not sitting correctly in the rim.  The rim should have hooks to catch the tire bead. The tube should expand to many times its original size and will fill the volume made available to it.  As such, a tire that is not seated properly will present a different radius to fill making it look like the tire is indented.

Try deflating the tire so that is has a very low pressure then squeeze and pull on the tire to try and get it to seat properly.  Re-inflate, then check.

Also sometimes a high pressure can make the tire seat correctly.

Finally, if your rim tape has slipped it can interfere with the tire seating correctly.  Check to make sure the tape is in the proper location.


First rule of on-line bike ride tracking... every single one has secret-sauce that they use to tweak your ride data.

Strava ignores height information and simply plots your path's point locations on top of a map and that's how high you were.  This method is pretty flawed if your GPS has placed you 20 metres off the road and you're in a deep cutting or on the side of a mountain with a hundred metre vertical drop to that side.

I don't know anything about the Cateye services.

The only answer is to take their results with a big pinch of salt, and merely work on improving the difference between the rides.  Don't compare rides between different providers.


You'll have some things to measure, and some decisions to make.

First, you need to know what the threads on your cranks are.  There's a 99% chance they are 9/16" with a tiny chance of 1/2" thread.  You need to match whatever interface your cranks have.

You're committed to flat pedals, which does limit things a lot.  Don't rule out clipless pedals, or even combo pedals which offer a flat side and a cleat side.

Even in the flat world, there's also a choice between flat and dished (ie your foot has a little shallow bowl to sit in)  And you can choose the surface too, from plastic to rubber, to metal.  Most forms have a flat and a pinnned or studded interface too, which can be good or bad depending on your needs.

I suggest you pick a budget amount, and go into your LBS and look at what's on offer.


Why don't cyclists wear all-encompassing motorcycle-style helmets?

Some bicyclists do wear full-face helmets; in particular, downhill mountain bikers and BMXers will frequently wear full-face helmets, as the chance of a crash causing you to land on your face is greater.

The problem with full-face helmets is that they're hotter; your head is great for getting rid of excess heat, and the full-face helmet helps trap more of that in. Motorcyclists aren't pedaling furiously, and don't need to lose as much heat; heat management is essential for bicycling.

Furthermore, motorcycle accidents tend to happen at higher speeds. On a bike, you're pretty unlikely to wipe out at 60 MPH, while on a motorcycle, it's all too possible. Between the lower risk on a bike, the heat issues, and the extra cost of full-face helmets, for most people it's not worth it to wear the full face helmet on their bicycle.

Any safety feature is a trade-off, between the costs of implementing the feature and the harm or damage that it prevents. When the cost of implementing the feature exceed the expected value of the feature in harm reduction (taking into account the likelihood of the particular form of accident happening, and how severe the damage is), then it doesn't make sense to use that feature. People all assign different values to certain types of harm or damage, and also have different risks based on how they ride and what their environment is like. For some people, wearing a full-face helmet may be worth the extra expense and heat, but most people don't find it's worth that trade-off.

Sadly, for many of these decisions, we don't have enough information; there isn't very much conclusive real-world data on the efficacy of bike helmets, let alone different types of bike helmets.


Fitting brake cables on Tektro rl726 levers

Yes, you have to cut off the stopper you don't need.

In your case, cut the non-torpedo end. Take a look at the picture here: http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=58&sortname=Lever&sort=1&fid=3

Under "Specifications", "Brake Cable Type" it has a picture of the end you need to leave attached.

Happy Riding!


Hydraulic rim brake with racing bike levers

SRAM call this 'HRR'.
https://cyclingtips.com/2015/06/sram-red-22-hydraulic-groupset-review/
http://www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au/news/sram-s-700-10speed-hydro-road-rim-brake-hrr-fitment-and-bleeding
Old parts, but 22 speed is new enough. Check that if you buy they are not subject to a recall.
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2014/sram-recalls-hydraulic-bicycle-brakes


How do breakaway helmet accessory mounts work?

My Light and Motion helmet light has two built-in weaknesses that seem designed to fail on impact, tearing the light away from my helmet and not allowing any impact torque to transmit through to my neck:

The light and battery plastic mounts (the plastic-to-plastic connections) are intentionally weak and will pull away with very little force
The velcro that connects the mounts to the helmets isn't very strong and would tear if there was greater lateral force on them

I haven't tested the breakaways in an accident (and don't hope to) but I can say that the light and battery have released when I've hit them on low ceilings in my garage, to my chagrin.


The Raidon is an air spring, oil damped fork. It sounds like an internal valve is blocked or stuck shut, and that is resisting fork compression and rebound.

Suntour does provide a range of servicing manuals and videos, but unless you are an experienced bike mechanic you should take the bike to a good local bike repair shop and have them deal with it. Suspension forks have very specific servicing procedures that must be adhered to.


Plastic fenders, yeah I would agree with you that they don't look good on a fixie.

However, I think metal is the perfect match for a fixie.  Might wanna consider Velo Orange.


No, just move any spacers from below the stem to on top of it.
Don't cut the steerer in case you want to sell the bike later, or even if you change your mind later.


Tubeless road wheels won't pump past 80 psi

Road tubeless tires have a pressure limit of 80-85 psi (depending on who you ask). I'll admit I'm surprised that this limit is self-enforcing in this way.

The fact that you're losing so much pressure in the course of a ride is obviously problematic—the air is getting out somewhere. I don't think you'd be losing that much air through the tire walls. If the tire walls are very porous, you should see a fair amount of sealant weeping through too, and you may need to add sealant until the weeping ends. There are kits for inserting sealant through the valve, if/when you need to do that. Is it possible you're "burping" the tire and losing pressure that way?

Seating the tires often requires a fast inrush of pressure into the tire to pop the beads past the "shoulders" on the floor of the rim; there are special pumps and pressurizable canisters for this exact purpose.


Changing from Shimano Road Double Chainset to Triple Chainset?

If, by "a straight swap" you mean "Can I change only the crank set, and no other parts, then the answer is in short, no, it will not be a straight swap.

If I read the question correctly, you are currently using a 52/39 double designed for 9 speed, and you want to install a 10 speed triple.

A triple shifter has 5 positions, not 3, because it requires additional "trim" positions which move the derailleur without actually shifting gears. This prevents the chain from rubbing as you get closer to extreme chain line angles. (Shifting into very large or very small cogs on both the front and rear gears at the same time.)

To do this job with 10 speed, you will need to change your shifters, front dérailleur
, rear dérailleur, cassette, chain, crankset, and possibly bottom bracket bearings.

If you use 9 speed, you will save the cassette, rear dérailleur, and possibly rear shifter.

I assume your purpose is to get easier climbing type gears? If so, consider using a compact double (50/34), possibly combined with a different cassette on the rear of the bike.

It should get you quite a lot better gearing, and will only require changing the crank itself, and readjusting the gears on your front derailleur.

I hope that helps.


What are criteria for a team to get UCI World Tour license for the next season?

After andy256's comment I have looked into UCI cycling regulations. To prevent link rot, I am also adding link to the Wayback Machine. (And even if this fails, it should not be that difficult to find the file on internet.)

It is mentioned there that licenses are awarded based on sporting, ethical, financial and administrative criteria.

Top 16 teams in the UCI World Tour team ranking automatically satisfy the sporting criteria. (2.15.011a) Two more teams are added based on the UCI points from their five best-placed riders in the individual ranking. The teams have a choice whether the riders from the season just complete or the riders contracted for the following seasons should be considered for this purpose. (2.15.011b)


Why do skinny tires require less pedal effort?

Your opening claim:

  Everyone knows (citation needed) that (at fixed rim diameter) tyres with smaller section require less effort to move around (at least on a paved road).

Is actually not true. Your next claim isn't true either. The contact patch area for a tire will be nearly the same regardless of what width tire is used, for a given pressure. If I have a tire that is pumped up to 100psi, and the bike and me weigh 200lbs, the contact patch between both wheels will be nearly 2 square inches. Pressure is force divided by area.

Your third claim is also not true, as static friction is roughly proportional only to the normal force, and it doesn't even matter, as when the contact patch is touching the ground, it's not even moving!

By varying the width of the tire, while the contact area stays constant, the shape is different, notably the patch gets shorter as the tire gets wider. This translates to less vertical displacement of the rubber in the tire as the wheel rolls. Ross Millikans answer describes, the deflection in rubber is the primary source of tire-related rolling resistance.

It turns out, that for fixed pressure, wider tires have less rolling resistance than narrow tires.

The key element isn't the width of the tire, it's the higher pressure. It is much easier to make a small high-pressure tire than a wide one, for reasonable weights and costs. Furthermore, because making a high-pressure wide tire is more challenging, it may require measures such as thicker treads that increase the energy cost of tire deflections such that it is a net negative over more deflection of software rubber, and so on.

I'm not even going to address your torque theory because you are obviously confused as to the forces at play.


Suitability of Giant Aero RS2 for occaisonal on-road mountain trips

If you're going on road, a hybrid should be fine (like the Aero RS2) - the gearing and tire size and handling should be reasonable provided you don't go too high on the weight. I'd probably not load it too much though (for that you want something intended for touring). At 30 kg of stuff though, I think I'd look for something more touring bike-y than the Aero RS2 - its part of Giant's casual series and carrying 30 kg of stuff isn't really in the casual realm and you could likely do better for 900 euros in that realm.

A more reasonable option overall would be to buy a bike that works well outside the week of mountain touring, and rent a bike for the week long mountain trip.


Switching to touring bicycle: Performance considerations

There are a lot of factors that go into your speed and efficiency, and this switch touches several of them:

Rider Position: Typically, a bike with touring geometry will have a slightly longer wheelbase, and lower bottom bracket. Along with other geometry tweeks, the result is that on a touring bike you are likely to be in a slightly more upright position, increasing your wind resistance.
Weight: As in your example, touring bikes can be 2x heavier or more. This doesn't make as much difference when you are already up to speed and on a flat road. Weight makes a huge difference in acceleration and climbing.
Rotating Mass: Some portion of that additional weight is located in your wider and heavier tires. This increases the rotating mass of your wheels and will also have a negative impact on your acceleration.
Racks, Bags, etc: Having panniers, handlebar bags, and other equipment attached to the bike, in addition to increasing the weight, will act like small parachutes and slow you down.

With all of those factors it's difficult to give you any kind of narrow estimate. I can tell you my experience, switching between riding a carbon-fiber racing bike with a small backpack, and a steel touring bike with one or two panniers attached. I find that over a 13 mile urban commute (relatively flat, but with a large number of potential stops) I am 15-25% slower on the touring bike. For me, much of that is a result of starts and stops (the acceleration effect mentioned above.)


Is there anything similar to motorbike roadbook holders for bicycles?

Personally I just use the map case on a handlebar bag (needs to be oriented properly to work), but here's a clever DIY solution by Raymond Parker:

Basically it's a piece of wire bent to prop the cue sheet at the right angle.  Put your sheet in a waterproof case or ziplock and a couple of binder clips hold it in place.  A shock cord keeps the whole assembly in place.  Full instructions here:  http://veloweb.ca/garagepages/sheetholder.html


Bike advice quick release thru axle lever videos included

It does not look good.
You may be better letting a shop give it a shot vs. risking damaging anything else. I am sure a good shop has seen this more than any of us here and will be able to try to get it out without damaging anything else along the way.
In the forums I saw it seemed like some drastic things had to happen like cutting hubs, etc.


You're better off getting on the phone to FSA as opposed to asking your questions here. If it's a common problem they'll be the ones to know and they'll likely be eager to set it right.

I can tell you that I've had no such problems with my Gossamer cranks in many years of ownership. If I were to speculate I would say that that is a defect and if the cranks aren't ancient (which they don't appear to be given your BB style) the manufacturer may well cover it.


Hearing a strong sound when hitting a curb

The technique is correct, ideally you are lifting the front followed by the back wheel so they clear the curb (the back wheel brushing the curb lightly is OK). This is known as a J-Hop or American Bunny hop.  The technique does take practice as the timing has to be accurate, looks of videos online that teach how to do it in sequences. The English Bunny hop is an alternate way - simple lift both wheels off the ground at the same time and land at the same time -  with enough speed you clear the curb. Both techniques are valid and have their place.

Often the noise comes from the the chain hitting the chain stay. If you are are on small cogs, its more likely to happen (more slack in the chain and close to the chain stay), if you have a clutch derailleur (and the clutch is engaged), it is less likely to happen.


I'm 40, and have back and joint issues that make getting up in the morning hard work.  If I get-up-and-go its terrible for the first half-hour.  So here's what helps me:

Full flexion of joints.  That means pushing your limbs to the ir comfortable maximum extensions then holding for a few seconds, then a little further.  Nothing rough.
A hot shower - where possible.
Warmth - standing in a sunny spot helps a heap, as does pressing a hot coffee cup against sore muscles.
Food - eat your damn breakfast!
Water - hydrate!
Warmup ride - Do a short loop or gentle out and back to get limbered up.  Not going hard, just getting fluid into your joints and heating the muscles.
Clothing - consider wearing a tighter compression top and pants.  These will get your muscles up to working temperature sooner.
Sleeping clothes - don't wear the riding clothes while sleeping - you want to relax not be constrained.
Gloves - I wear some home-made cotton gloves that cover 2/3 of the forearm. Again these help with keeping warmth in.

Getting sufficient sleep helps immensely.  Whatever helps you get to sleep is good too.  A plain sleeping bag is better on a sleeping mat, and picking somewhere without rocks/sticks is best.  I've never tried a camping hammock but some people swear by them.