For most things, you can just wipe the bike down with a wet towel or sponge and it will be about as green as you can get and adequate (well, as green as you get would be to leave it dirty). Some dish soap and a hose (on shower setting, not jet or super soaker or whatever) if its really dirty. Don't use a pressure washer or something since you might get dirt into bearings or crevices.

If you want to use degreasers, citrus degreaser should be biodegradable depending on what brand you get for the chain. Park Tool among others make a convenient little thing you clamp onto the chain to clean it.

One link to look at is Park Tool's guide.


How do you tell what model of bike I have?

Assuming this is an Eddy Merckx, you can tell a lot about it from its serial number, which should be stamped on the underside of the bottom bracket. There are a few serial-number decoders online. Here's one. The one confounding factor is the "CR" seatstay caps. Merckxs usually (but not always) had an "EM" cap. That orange was a popular color for Merckx bikes, but usually there was a blue panel on the downtube, not seat tube, and I don't think they ever were pinstriped.


I'm looking for options for carrying 2 children on the back

Maybe you'd be interested in a moederfiets (dutch for "mother's bike).

This page appears to be selling them:
http://www.tmannetje.nl/index.htm?errors/404.htm~mainFrame


How do you make an end-capped gear cable?

If this is a 3 speed Sturmey Archer or similar system you need a replacement cable. It will come complete with the cable and housing with the ends installed. There are universal replacement cables available (I have one on my 35 year old Raleigh). The shift adjuster ferrule has a clamp/pinch nut attached so a standard shift cable can be used. Checking several on line retailers shows most of the replacement cables (non NOS) use this universal setup


Does it only click with the QR closed and tight? Tighten the QR only tight enough to hold the wheel in place and spin the wheel. If the click is gone the QR is so tight it is compressing the cones. It may take some trial and error to find the sweet spot where the wheel feels too loose off the bike but just right when the QR is compressed.


Should I check puncture-resistant tires for glass etc.?

Even if the glass doesn't work through the puncture proof layer (which it will, eventually), it's still a good idea to check once in a while for cuts etc, especially in the side walls, which almost never have a puncture proof layer. It's a "better safe than sorry" approach, but it takes all of five minutes to check both tires, so in my opinion that's time well spent if you know what happens when the tires blow out on a descent or, in your case, running a green light very late.


How to remove a seized bottom bracket from a titanium frame?

If you are absolutely positive you know the direction of the threads, then an air operated impact wrench will do wonders.  I'm amazed at the difference when I remove threaded rear cassettes from my single speed wheels.  Removal by hand requires a long breaker bar, and a second person to hold the wheel from spinning.  Impact wrench is brizzzppp and done.  Its much easier to hold the tools tight to the work piece this way.  With long breaker bar, that's not so easy.

Again you need to know which direction is which.  (thumbs up to Daniel R. Hicks)


Tubes are quite forgiving, you should get away with it without much trouble.  I've seen a 24" tube survive on a 26" wheel.

Don't worry about the listed sizes, you've got an unusual wheel diameter and can't necessarily expect all tyres widths to make it onto the list. But the tube will be quite stretched (1 1/8 being smaller than 1 1/4 or 28<32) so you may be marginally more likely to get a puncture than you would with a tube of the right cross section.  Probably not enough that you'd notice on the tyres you've bought though.  You might have to fiddle about a bit mounting the tube and tyre, perhaps inflating it into the tyre to get everything on the rim without pinching the tube.


Are Allen key or Security Key skewers appropriate for bikes with rear facing horizontal dropouts

It depends on how aggressive you ride. If you are a casual rider and rarely do many jumps or drops then they should work just fine. I am a pretty aggressive rider and have snapped more than my fair share of skewers trying to keep the wheel in place. I have also snapped a number of hollow axles because they are just not strong enough for the riding I do. So I switched to solid axles which are stronger (ultimately cheaper too). I have never had a problem with theft since I lock my both wheels with the frame.

If solid axles are not what you are looking for, I like the pitlock (that doesnt have the hex outer body), they can both be removed by a determined thief with a pipe-wrench, but the inactive side is smaller and harder to grip. Either one will hold the wheel in place about the same though.


I think the simple reason is that the drivechain hadn't been invented.

In 1818 the dandy-horse or draisine was invented. This was similar in shape to a modern bicycle, but without pedals. Riders would scoot along with their feet.

If you want to go a bit faster, especially on any kind of incline, then you need a better way of putting power in. Without a drivechain the only option is pedals connected directly to a wheel. The larger the wheel, the bigger the gearing. The circumference of these wheels was measured in inches and is why you may still hear gear ratios described in gear-inches.

Of course the large wheels were unwieldy and limited by the length of the rider's inside leg.


http://www.bikeramble.com/do-you-need-a-helmet-spain/  says

Well, the short answer is: it depends.

There is a mandatory helmet law for cyclists in Spain, but it is seldom enforced.

Are you required by law to wear a helmet in Spain?  Yes. But there are four notable exceptions:

You don’t need to wear a helmet in Spain if you are in an urban area.
Since 2004, it has been mandatory to wear a helmet for all cyclists outside urban areas. It is not required in urban areas. In 2013, it was made mandatory for all cyclists, everywhere, to wear a helmet, even in urban areas. This was met by opposition from council bodies and the new law was quickly overturned. However, it is still necessary for under 16’s to wear a helmet at all times. The definition of “urban area” is quite loose and everything bigger than a couple of houses should qualify.
UPDATE - This exemption was deleted in 2015 and NO LONGER APPLIES. You didn’t need to wear a helmet in Spain if it was too hot.
What classifies as too hot? Probably anywhere in the south of Spain from May-September, or all of Spain from June-August. The exception applies because wearing a helmet in extreme heat is pretty uncomfortable, and would completely deter some from cycling at all.
You don’t need to wear a helmet in Spain if you are going up a hill.
Convenient as I usually find that if I’m not in an urban area, and it’s not that hot, I’m going up a hill.
You don’t need to wear a helmet in Spain if you are a professional.
Get paid for cycling a bicycle? Great, then you are probably already subject to hundreds of rules, one of which is that you must wear a helmet at all times!


Why is cycling on a road so much faster than cycling on a cycle path?

Given the same day and the same rider and otherwise equal conditions, riding on a tarmac road vs riding on a gravel cycle path, the road will be faster.

Why?

It's about the rolling resistance of the surface.

This page gives a good breakdown of the physics involved in working out how much power you need based on various inputs.

But basically, a rougher surface offers more rolling resistance to your bike tyres, so you need to put more power in to sustain the same speed. Given you're likely to put out a constant power (since we're assuming identical rider and conditions) on both track and road, since there is less resistance, you'll go faster on the road, the 'spare' power will come out as speed.

Given identical surface, then you have to look at what else is different in the route. There's a 0.2 mile difference in distance, but, what's the ascent and average gradient of both routes? Plot them on bikehike.co.uk (or the mapping tool of your choice) and see what the difference is.

A local route to me on the Trans-Penine Trail turns out to be a 2% gradient, though it looks flat, on gravel. The road route near by has some sharp hills, but has downhill segments and a much smoother surface, so is faster on my MTB and far faster on my road bike.

Also, on the road are could be benefiting from the drafting effect of cars possibly, whereas on the cycle trail you might be cutting the air yourself, that can account for a 20% energy saving.

And finally, for now, there's always the right of way, if you're having to slow on the cycle trail to negotiate slower cyclists or other route users, whereas on the road you're the slow thing people are moving round.


Would you prefer slightly long handlebar for bikepacking?, TourDivide

The tour divide is a long event riding 10-20 hours a day for over two weeks.
Your biggest priority should be comfort, your bars should be set to a width that is most comfortable for you.  Any small amount of discomfort with the position after a 1 day ride will be much worse by 15 hours into day 3.
If you are fortunate enough that your body will tolerate and/or adapt to a wide range of positions, you should then think about how your bar width is going to interact with the rest of your kit.  For example some bar bag designs interfere with your brake levers if your bar is narrow.
And what about other accessories you may want bar space for (gps, power bank, tri bars, feed bags)?
Once you answered these questions you will have your answer.
And as is the nature with bike packing you may only find out what is going to work well for you after you've experimented in training.


What are the differences between road rims/wheels and hybrid?

Hub Width

On road, mountain, and hybrid, the front hubs are 100mm in width. On road bicycles the rear is typically 130mm, where on a MTB it is typically 135mm. Measure this from your old hub, and DON'T stretch/force a different hub width.

Wheel (Rim) Diameter

The most typical road rim is a 700c which will mean the bead seat diameter of the rim is 622mm, and the typical mountain bicycle will either have 26" (559mm BSD), 29" (622mm), or one of each. There are many non-typical sizes, however, so see Sheldon Brown's Tire Sizing Page.

While some of this is rim sizing, it's the overall wheel size that matters - note that 29" MTB and 700c rims have the same BSD, but are unlikely to work well or fit at all (without serious brake modifications, to say the least).

If you want to see what various rim/tire combinations look like visually to compare them to your current setup, you can pick various ones (and see the resulting measurements in mm) on a site I built.

Brake Compatibility

You're either going to have rim brakes, which require rims specifically made with a braking surface and additional strengthening in that area (read: a bit heavier), or disc brakes which require a hub that can accept a disc rotor (and matching disc mounts on the frame and/or fork).

For best results, if you have rim brakes and don't plan to upgrade, get a non-disc hub and rim brake designed rim, and if you have disc brakes then get disc compatible hubs and rims without a braking surface (disc brake rims). This will lessen the additional (unused) weight and likely shave off some cost as well, but it is possible to have a rim brake rim with a disc hub.

With some road-style (caliper) brakes, you may have to adjust or even replace the brakes if you vary too far from their rim/tire clearance capabilities, so for best results stay somewhat close to what you had (or have the possibility of replacing brakes as well). V-Brakes, cantilever, and disc brakes are more forgiving on rim/tire size variances.

Tire Width

This is the most tricky part on a hybrid, as their tires (and thus rims) are typically somewhere between a MTB (1.8", 1.9", 2.0", 2.1", 2.3" being common) and a road bike (18mm, 20mm, 23mm, 25mm and 28mm being common). You'll need to use a caliper where the tire fits through the forks and frame to get a handle on your maximum size (allowing for some clearance) and then selecting a desired tire width up to that maximum.

Rim Width

This needs to match the desired / compatible tire width, see below (from Sheldon Brown's site).

If all of the above match, the wheel is good to go (with perhaps some minor brake adjustments).


What is the widest range IGH available? (and how does it compare to derailleurs)

The Rohloff "500/14 Speedplay" has 14 gears and a difference of 526%, so the fast/high/hard gear is 5.26 larger than the slow/low/easy gear.

So this is roughly equal to a MTB 24/34/44 triple and a 12-34 rear cassette, which would have a range of gears of 519%

An advantage of the IGH generally is that the gears are sequential so there's only one action to move through the range.

An advantage of the derailleur bike is that the gears are closer together in broad swathes so you have smaller jumps between gears.

Neither MTB nor Rohloff bike has the high gears of a fast road bike, like a gear of 52front/11rear but there are not a lot of times when such gears are needed outside of racing and fast downhills.

Much more reading at https://www.rohloff.de/en/experience/technology-in-detail/gear-range-comparison/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohloff_Speedhub


You could probably rent a Wacker ( yes, that is the real name ) at a local construction equipment rental store. It is a tool that ground construction workers use. It is basically a really heavy steel plate that an engine sits on. The engine vibrates the whole machine and the weight and the vibration compact the ground very tightly.

You'd have to work in layers. Don't expect to compact the whole mound all at once. That is not the way it works.

The giant rollers on freeway construction sites do the same thing.


Assuming the wheel is good (is fully seated and centered properly in the dropouts and is true; if you spin it along its axis, there shouldn't be lateral movement) you shouldn't be running a tire that rubs on the frame. This can eat out the paint of the frame, the frame, and/or the tire.

Try moving to a different tire (possibly a smaller one, like a 700x23) if the wheel is good. Remember that you need some space between the tire and the frame, since the bicycle flexes under load (damaged frames can flex more than the undamaged frame, so might be something to check up on).


My left STI shifter has 5 positions for a double crankset?

As @Pete said in the comments, front derailleur shifting needs a partial-shift positions. That stops the chain rubbing on the front derailleur as it moves across the cogs at the back of the bike. As you shift across the chain bends coming off the chainring and the path it takes through the front derailleur changes.

So normally there will be an extra part-shift on each gear for a double chainring (four positions) and the middle of a triple has one each side for a total of seven. Five doesn't make a lot of sense, but without playing with your exact shifter it's hard to know where and how big the shifts are.


Presuming you were thorough with your cleaning and the rotor was left with no residue of any kind (I achieve this on rotors I suspect of being oil or greased contaminated by either using brake cleaner or by finishing with alcohol if I'm using detergent/soap), and also presuming the front caliper isn't having a fluid leak that's causing oil to immediately contaminate the system even after cleaning (pull the pads you just installed and check everywhere for oil, particularly behind the back plates where the pistons contact), it sounds like a lot of the symptoms of the front rotor being glazed.

A glazed rotor is caused by overheating and will cause both noise and diminished power. There are ways of sanding down and breathing new life into them, but just replacing them can often make more sense, especially on a basic one with some years of regular use on it anyway. You could do a simple test and swap your rear onto the front, assuming they're the same size.


Is there any other size tires that will fit on a 27 x 1 1/4 rim?

You need 27 x (some number of inches given as a fraction). So 27x 1 1/8 would fit, 27 x 1 1/4 would fit, etc. Other sizes won't fit. As dlu's answer points out, an easy way to get this right is to ask for ISO 630 tires.

That being said,  27 x 1 1/4 tires are still made in plenty by brands like Continental, Bontrager, etc. so your bike shop should easily be able to order one for you in a few days, or you can buy them online.

See Sheldon Brown's page for details on how tire sizing for bicycles is a mess.

"Brown's Law Of Tire Sizing:

If two tires are marked with sizes that are mathematically equal,
but one is expressed as a decimal and the other as a fraction,
these two tires will not be interchangeable."

Sheldon has another interesting note: Very old (60's) 27" rims had straight sides versus modern hooked sides, so they can't run as high pressure. However, he says if you get a tire which says hook edge rims only, you can put it on an older straight rim, just not at as high of a pressure.

Finally, tubes for 27 x 1 1/4 tires are a different matter. You can use 700c tubes in 27 x 1 1/4 tires (The right size should be 700 x 28-32 ish -- the boxes will be marked accordingly depending on the brand).


30mm bottom bracket and 30mm spindle axle compatibility, should it go in by force?

There is no difference in the fit expected based on road vs mountain.
I thought I would be able to provide tolerance numbers from the original BB30 technical documents put out by Cannondale. They used to be at www.bb30standard.com, which is defunct now but can be found on Wayback. However, turns out it seems to have only ever had shell dimensions. The spec seems to have left the specifics of spindle and bearing tolerances to manufacturers.
Generally speaking, it's a pretty tight slip fit, same as you're used to. I understand that you've measured with calipers and gotten 30mm exactly for both. With higher precision tools you could see more of the story, i.e. if something is out of round or if the parts are actually requiring a press fit or what. (Note that among commonly encountered vernier calipers, some have .05mm precision and some .02mm, which could be enough to make the difference in this case, which it usually doesn't with anything bike.)
I've encountered similar situations where it took some force to get it all together, but if it was a press fit I would be unwilling to do that unless Rotor told me it was how it was supposed to be, which I don't think it is.
Hammering in the spindle is not a good idea because side loading the bearings like that can damage them. It's the peak loads from hammering that can do it, and knowing how much is too much is a guessing game. Gentle taps are probably okay, especially if it works, but I still don't love it. I believe the notion is that radial bearings are supposed to be able to handle 10% of their allowable radial loads in the lateral direction. Usually when it's tight I try to walk the spindle into the first bearing by wiggling it up and down with force behind it. I deal with a lot of BB30 and do not find myself having to hammer cranks in basically ever.


Considering a Trek FX 7.7 - What else should I look at that is similar

Both the 7.5 and 7.7 are great bikes. An alternative would be a Specialized Sirrus. I have owned 2 Sirrus' and loved them. I only upgraded to a Specialize roubaix so i could participate in competitive road biking.

The difference between the 7.5 and 7.7 is pretty big. 7.7 has much better road worthy components and will be several pounds lighter.


You would probably want a shoe that's designed for an SPD clipless pedal. In my experience most gym spinning bikes use an SPD type pedal. As long as your road bike has SPD pedals, you can use the same shoes.

I suggest going to a bike shop or outdoor store with a good selection of cycling shoes and try on a few pairs so that you get a good fit. Good fit is subjective, so that's why I say to try on a few. Mountain bike shoes are probably the best option. They look like sneakers and have SPD mounts. Also, the SPD cleats are recessed in the tread of mountain bike shoes, which makes walking more comfortable. In addition they work just fine for occasional road bike riding...that is as long as you have SPD pedals on your road bike...

Now that I think about it. It's possible that your gym spinning bikes are equipped with "Look" type pedals. If that's the case, you'll need a road shoe with cleats that match your road bike. I travel a lot and take spinning classes when I travel; and very rarely run into spin class bikes with Look pedals. So, odds are, you want an SPD compatible shoe.

For the typical spin class bike, you can adjust...

The seat height
The seat fore/aft position in relation to the handlebars
The handlebar height

Often, but not always, the spin bike will feature a double-sided pedal. Typically, one side is "strap in" and the other is quite often SPD cleated.

So, when you get to your spin class, make sure that the bike is adjusted correctly. For me, I try to duplicate my road bike as closely as possible. Otherwise, and especially if you're new to it, the spin class leader should make sure that you have made the correct adjustments on the bike.

And how to choose the shoes? Complicated? Not really. With the OP criteria, just get a pair of good-fitting mountain bike (SPD) shoes, and you'll be fine.


Looking for bike trailer with pedals for a disabled, older adult

Disabled cyclists are cyclists and so they would like some control over steering, braking, or pedaling.

It's tough to design a strong singlewheeled adult-sized pedaled trailer because of the weight involved (50-200kg; 100-400lb) with adult riders. That's a lot of stress on the hinge-joint that connects the trailer as well as the front rider if  the rear rider doesn't have the ability to balance themselves. As a result, rear adult-sized trailers tend to be two wheeled and not pedaled, but this doesn't meet the requirements for pedaling (not to mention steering and braking). The same goes for designs where the disabled rider is carried in the front but has no control over steering/braking/pedaling. They are just passengers, not cyclists.

Trike pusher: One of the things that my adaptive cycling center does is use a regular recumbent or hand cycle  tricycle  for the disabled cyclist -- and attaches a regular upright cycle onto the rear as a pusher cycle, with a non disabled stoker.

The design is simple. The pusher bicycle is a regular bicycle and take the front wheel off. Then get a truck-bed bike mount (the component in the middle) and mount it on the rear axle of the recumbent. Mount the pusher bike to the recumbent and voila, you have an easy way to create a recumbent tandem that allows a non-disabled cyclist and a disabled cyclist to ride together. The disabled cyclist in front doesn't have to pedal if they don't want to, but they do have control over steering and most of the braking power.

The advantage of this design is that at the end of the day, you can separate the two bikes which retain the ability to operate separately. This also makes storing and transport much easier. It works on adult tricycles as well as delta trikes. Tadpole trikes require a little more work (a solid rear rack).

Another option if you have the space is: have you considered getting a tandem or sociable? I ride a tandem recumbent tadpole trike as well as sociable quad at my local adaptive cycling center. Lots of fun for both riders, who can be of differing abilities and neither needs the ability to balance.

Finally, as I said, my adaptive cycling center places a tremendous amount of emphasis on the control and autonomy of the disabled cyclist. We actively reject the notion that getting passively pushed around in a wheelchair-rickshaw is cycling.

If you google image "adaptive cycling tandem" you can get some other ideas.


You don't have to spend $2K on a bike that will be faster, lighter, easier to ride and generally better than your 25 year old bike. (I'm assuming the US here as you used mentioned dollars).

That said, if the old bike only needs minimal maintenance that will not be expensive to do so, get it into a satisfactory condition and ride it for a few months. If you stick with it, then consider a new bike.

If you are not riding proper mountain bike trails, a hybrid bike with no suspension will be perfectly adequate.


You need a Stronglight or TA crank puller.

To identify which one you need, you'll have to either figure out the manufacturer of the crank or measure the ID of the thread with a caliper (a basic one is under $20 and useful for all sorts of stuff), making the correct allowance for the fact that you're measuring an internal thread. (In other words, that 23 or 23.5 number is going to be the OD of the external thread. The internal threads are a smaller number, i.e. the nominal thread size minus twice the thread height, and the thread height is probably around .5-.6mm, but I don't know that for sure because these are weirdo threads that aren't on standard dimension charts.)


How to remove non drive side cap on Vision 35 wheel

Hubs with a 5mm on each endcap work one of a few ways:

Each end of the axle has a larger Allen fitting hiding below the endcap that's used to get the opposite side off. This is pretty
common.
Wrench english is required to gain control over which one breaks
free. It's unfortunate this exists but it does. There are some hubs
where one end but not both have a hidden fitting, as above.

There are also some hubs where after removing one, the other, or sometimes either endcap, the whole rest of the axle assembly can slide or get bonked through. In some cases in wrench English designs, this afford the ability to grip the axle to get the other endcap loose.

I believe the shouldering configuration on a Vision 35 axle is such that with the right endcap removed, the freehub body will slide off the right side and the axle will slide out the left. I don't recall whether there are wrench flats in the end of the right side of the axle but if there aren't and if the wrench english approach doesn't work, another plan could be gripping the axle somewhere that cosmetic markings won't make any difference such as as the center with a close-fitting circumferential clamp or pedal/axle vise of a soft material, i.e. Park AV-5 or a damper service tool that happened to be the right size.


10 speed chain skipping on 9 speed cassette

This feels like a new chain on a worn cassette problem.  The fix is to replace the cassette, and soon before your chain suffers accelerated wear.
Assuming you have 9 speed shifter and rear mech still, the slightly narrower chain won't really make any difference while pedalling, and shifts might be slightly sloppier.
I run a 10 speed chain on a 9 speed cassette without issue, because its what I had at the time.


Tiagra rear derailleur and Deore crankset + derailleur compatibility

You problem comes with bottom bracket width and very likely chainline. The Author Ronin has a 68mm BB shell. With the Tiagra crank it uses a 'Road' type Hollowtech external bearing BB. If you fitted a Deore crank, which has a longer axle, you would need a 'Mountain' type Hollowtech BB with spacers. Without checking I don't know if the Deore crank has a wider chainline, but I suspect it does.

I think you are right you would need a MTB front derailleur, as the rings would be further outboard, but I strongly suspect there is a difference in actuation ratios between Shimano road and mountain front derailleurs which means the derailleur would not be compatible with the Tiagra road shifter.

With all the Road/MTB compatibility headaches,  I'd look at options for getting a lower gear ratio with a road crank. The popularity of gravel riding and adventure bike packing on drop bar road style bikes has spawned several 'sub-compact' cranksets. FSA currently makes a 46/30 crank which would get you under 1:1 with the 11-34 cassette.


Looking at the design of the brake pads, this appears to be a cheap generic pad that is then re-branded (in different colours) by various manufacturers.

Reviews seem to be mixed, with reports of the pad wearing quickly, but other reports of the pad lasting forever and wearing the rims out quickly.

I'd suggest that when it comes to brake pads, this is an area not to look for cheap replacements.  Either use the brake manufacturers own pads, or ones from well respected third parties such as SwissStop or Kool Stop.


As the comments have comprehensively pointed out, solid tyres have some significant problems.

I recently fitted a solid tyre from Tannus on my bike with the same goals as yours. I only managed to last a few weeks before I couldn't deal with the problems and refitted my standard tyres.

Pros

No flat tyres!

Cons

Rough ride - the ride quality was awful. Jarring and rattling constantly.
Poor grip - The tyre didn't have anywhere near the grip of a good standard tyre.
Somewhat loose attachment to the rim - there was a sensation of the tyre 'rolling' off the rim. It didn't ever roll right off and I don't think it would, but there was noticeable give where the tyre attached to the rim leading to this instability when cornering.
Flat spotting - I locked up the wheel to avoid a car in the first 10 minutes of fitting the tyre and it created a significant flat spot. I actually had to feather the flat spot with sandpaper because there was a very noticable 'bump' with every revolution of the wheel.

If you want to give them a try, this tyre from tannus would fit your bike. The item code WMI702H or WMI702S would both fit, but be a bit narrower than your existing tyre (32 rather than 38).


Why do my handle bars wobble from side to side?

I had the same thing on my 20in viking ebike. Mine was down to the folding tensioner on the handle bar release handle.I tightened that and it sorted out the problem.


If you're buying a new bike at a bike shop I'd do the following:

Ask yourself:
Do you know what type of riding you plan on doing?
Do you plan to race on this bike and/or commute on this bike?
Do you prefer a specialized bike or a versatile bike?
Do you have a strong preference to disc vs rim brakes?
Do you plan to use this with racks / fenders, does it have mounts for those?
What is your budget? How flexible are you on it?  Is it enough to get the bike you actually want?
Does your budget include accessories like a lock / helmet / bottle cages / fenders / racks?
How will you lock your bike? (don't use a cable lock if you're parking your bike in the city)

Ask the shop:
Does this bike fit me properly?
Does this bike match the style of riding I want to do?
How do this bike compare to other bikes made for the same purpose that cost more or less than this model?
Can I test ride the bike?
Do you offer a tune up with purchase?
What essentials should I purchase with this bike?
How much does it cost to install accessories at time of purchase?
What other maintenance should I have done and at what frequency? How much can I expect to spend on this?
What is the warranty period for this bike and it's components?
Has your shop checked the wheel tension and truing?


What is the name of the part by the right-hand pedal on to which the chain grips?

The entire assembly is called the crankset.

The ring with the teeth is called the chainring.

The crankset consists of the crank arm, the spider and the chainrings.
The chainrings bolt onto the spider which is the multi-armed piece connected to the crank arm.

The right crank arm and spider are often one piece. Lower-end cranksets are forged or riveted together, while higher-end (like the one shown in the question) are bolted. With bolted cranksets one can exchange only the chainrings; with monolitic ones the whole assembly has to be replaced once the chainrings are worn.


Sram cranksets, are there differences other than weights betwen models?

The major difference is the materials, such as steel or aluminum chainring, the level of aluminum used in the crankarms and the way they are machined. All of which does lend to the overall weight of the crankset. See below for a side by side comparison as well and pictures of each in which you can see the difference in the chainrings and the amount of machining in the backside of the crankarms.
Notice the NX and GX use the aluminum XSync 2 chainring, while the SX uses the Steel Eagle chainring. All of which have the same tooth profile to run Eagle chains.


How to pull a carbon seatpost out of a carbon frame?

For Aero seatposts, smack the saddle nose solidly sideways with your hand, you should hear a loud crack, this is the surface tension breaking.  Seatpost should then move OK.  Saw this done by ex-Pro who was Giant dealer on a Propel, made my life so much easier since I learned that tip


Waterproof. Not with a waterproof cover, but really, really waterproof, like e.g. the Ortlieb Messenger bags. That's the one thing that is paramount if you also want to commute in bad weather.

Size depends on what you carry. If it's just some tools, use a saddle bag. If it's a change of clothes, especially shirt and trousers, look for a larger one so you don't have to compress that stuff to much and leave wrinkles. If you also want to buy groceries on the way, as I sometimes do, a larger bag is also good if you don't have or don't want to use a rack.

Strap configuration should be such that you feel comfortable riding with it. This depends mostly on your size and what kind of bike you ride, i.e. how far bent over you ride. I have the classical rucksack design with shoulder straps, belt and breast strap, because I don't take the pack off hundreds of times a day but enjoy the fact that the pack stays where it's supposed to. (Edit: I ride a converted track frame with my handlebars >20cm below my saddle, so very bent over)

Color/design: Whatever you like. I picked mine for visibility, so black and dark colours are out for me, but that's really personal taste.


What is making my tire squeak without riding it?

This can occur as the rubber compound deteriorates over time.
I personally had this problem this year when I used some MTB tyres that had been unused for 3 years.  Fortunately for me i took it for a ride (being very cautious with grip levels) and when I was done, the squeaking was gone and grip was restored.


It looks like this Wicycle kit may fit your needs. You buy the dimensional material (metal bars in this case) to whatever size you need locally, and the specialized cargo hardware is included.


Can I cut the steerer tube with a pipe cutter?

A pipe cutter is an excellent tool for this application. Properly used it results in a perfect, burr free cut that is 90° to the longitudinal axis of the steer tube.  The outer aspect of the cut remains burr-free by virtue of the rollers smoothing the outer aspect of the workpiece as they pass over.  The tool, like any other, should be in good working condition with a nice sharp cutting wheel that is not deformed or dull.  The rollers opposite the cut wheel should be smooth and free of foreign material that could scratch the workpiece or cause the tool's cut wheel to not track true.  Size matters as well since pipe cutters are rated for different ranges of pipe diameter. Thus, a pipe cutter that includes 1⅛" diameter in it's working range should be selected.
Here is a link to a PDF file outlining the proper use of a pipe cutter.   A few things I'll add to this tutorial is that in order for the outside of the cut to remain burr free on completion of the cut, the rollers should follow the leading cutter wheel. It really doesn't matter which way you turn the tool for a proper cut, however.  Clockwise rotation with one's right hand aids the biomechanics of having to turn the adjuster clockwise every rotation or two.  Keep in mind that it's a process of scoring the metal with consecutive passes of the cut wheel and there shouldn't be excessive clamping force applied to the steer tube by over tightening the cutter's adjusting wheel.
Using a pipe cutter is not recommended for cutting a carbon fiber steer tube.  A fine blade hacksaw, a saw guide, and respiratory protection from carbon fiber dust generated by the cutting process are called for in this situation.


What is the difference between folding bead and wire bead tires?

Folding versus wire refers to the material within the bead or 'edge' of each side of the tire. Foldable bead tires use kevlar in most cases (I think) and tires with each type are entirely compatible with the rim size that the tire is designed for (in the absence of a manufacturing defect). Folding bead tires have a few advantages (in my opinion):

Somewhat lighter
Easier to store (can be refolded by flattening the tire and folding it into a bundle)
Bead has more stretch to it, so mounting the tire is usually less difficult

For these advantages, you will probably pay more for a foldable bead tire when a tire model includes both options. Also, wire bead's also appear more often as the OEM tires on lower end bikes.


Ragbrai 450 - 500 miles

This fully supported ride (SAG wagons, ambulances, emergency transport) is always the last full week in July. The route varies every year. You start on the west side of Iowa with your back tire in the Missouri River and end with your front tire in the Mississippi. While called a party ride in some circles, note you average 70 miles a day, each & every day, for a full week. It starts on a Sunday and finishes Sat afternoon. There is an optional century loop one day of the ride. Typical climbs of 12,000 to 20,000 feet over the week.

The ride is physically challenging. You need to have completed at least 1,000 miles of training. The roads you ride on are typically closed, no traffic in either direction except for ambulances. Occasionally the road is only closed in the direction you are traveling. Police are usually stationed at every intersection. Ride registration covers your camping gear transportation, ambulances, camping, and entry to various events. (There is a concert in every overnight town you stay in.)

The ride has about 10,000 week long riders, 3,000 - 5,000 day riders and probably 3,000 bandits. Weeklong riders enter a lottery to win a place in the ride. (The lottery for this year is already closed, but you can find people selling their spots after the lottery results are posted.) Day passes are available for quite a while yet. For this years route visit:

http://www.ragbrai.com


What is the best approach to an again and again wobbling rear wheel

Unless the cost of a new wheel that's suitable for you plus any other repairs the bike might need is greater than what the bike is worth to you, than the answer by far is get a new wheel.

Folks in your weight range who ride a lot tend to need an especially strong and reliable aftermarket wheel. The stock advice is to get a handbuilt one. The reason for this is that a good handbuilt wheel has a number of processes done to it that make spoke breakage and loosening much less of a factor, to the point of never occurring if everything goes right. But that sort of wheel is usually around twice the price of a replacement wheel that at least has the fundamentals covered for what you need (strong rim). A conscientious mechanic installing that sort of wheel on your bike will see that you would be best served by handbuilt and be able to do some of those steps on a cheaper machine-built wheel without adding a bunch of time. (The big example being making sure the spoke tensions are high and balanced, and stress-relieving them).

The cost of handbuilt wheels can be considerable, but another way of looking at them is they're not really optional if you ride enough and are heavy. Otherwise one is liable to spend several times their cost getting the stock one fixed, as you've experienced.

Swapping the cassette on to a new wheel in and of itself and adjusting the rear derailleur if needed is easy and will work as well as it did before, more or less regardless of drivetrain wear. If you need a new drivetrain and feel it may not all be worth it, that's a separate consideration. It is true that new rear wheel time can be the moment where a bike is deemed not worth fixing.


Increasing the size of tyres on a hybrid

For a 700c tyre you would be replacing it with a 29" MTB tyre.
The best way for you to determine what size tyre you can get to fit is to simply measure the gap between chain and seat stays as these are the most likely areas to cause problems with clearance.

Providing you don't want to ride anything too gnarly (i should hope not on a hybrid), a 700x35C cyclocross tyre could give you a much more grippy/knobby option without needing more clearance.  Something like this maybe?


The only easily replaced part are the tires. The rims look too wide to fit actual road racing tires, but you can probably find something with lower rolling resistance.

Other than that, this is not a road bike in the usual English sense of the word and can be turned into one only by replacing everything. Consider getting a suitable used bike instead.


Hose Clamp Salsa Watter Bottle Cage to Rigid Fork with No Sliding (Gravel)

Hose clamps should be more than adequate, although they will chew up the paint on your forks. You might consider an intermediate layer (could be as simple as electrical tape) to protect the paint. And of course give the setup a shakedown ride, and monitor it during the big ride.

There are strings that are stronger than fishing line (you can get carbon-fiber or dyneema yarns), but it wouldn't be feasible to tie them with sufficient clamping force.


Which kind of test has bike parts to pass to be sold?

There are quite a number of standards that should be adhered to.  The list below comes from the references section of the Bicycle page on Wikipedia

The TC149 ISO bicycle committee, including the TC149/SC1 ("Cycles and major sub-assemblies") subcommittee, has published the following standards:

ISO 4210 Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles
ISO 6692 Cycles – Marking of cycle components
ISO 6695 Cycles – Pedal axle and crank assembly with square end
fitting – Assembly dimensions
ISO 6696 Cycles – Screw threads used in bottom bracket assemblies
ISO 6697 Cycles – Hubs and freewheels – Assembly dimensions
ISO 6698 Cycles – Screw threads used to assemble freewheels on bicycle hubs
ISO 6699 Cycles – Stem and handlebar bend – Assembly dimensions
ISO 6701 Cycles – External dimensions of spoke nipples
ISO 6742 Cycles – Lighting and retro-reflective devices – Photometric
and physical requirements
ISO 8090 Cycles – Terminology (same as BS 6102-4)
ISO 8098 Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles for young children
ISO 8488 Cycles – Screw threads used to assemble head fittings on bicycle forks
ISO 8562 Cycles – Stem wedge angle
ISO 10230 Cycles – Splined hub and sprocket – Mating dimensions
ISO 11243 Cycles – Luggage carriers for bicycles – Concepts, classification and testing

Other ISO Technical Committees have published various cycle relevant standards, for example:

ISO 5775 Bicycle tire and rim designations
ISO 9633 Cycle chains – Characteristics and test methods

Published cycle standards from CEN TC333 include:

EN 14764 City and trekking bicycles – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 14765 Bicycles for young children – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 14766 Mountain-bicycles – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 14781 Racing bicycles – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 14782 Bicycles – Accessories for bicycles – Luggage carriers
EN 15496 Cycles – Requirements and test methods for cycle locks

Yet to be approved cycle standards from CEN TC333:

EN 15194 Cycles – Electrically power assisted cycles (EPAC bicycle)
EN 15532 Cycles – Terminology


Bike transport while touring - would a folding bike be better?

I don't think there is a simple answer.  It depends on the touring you want to do and your tradeoff between transport trouble and riding trouble.  My wife and I went on a guided tour in Spain where we rented bikes from the operator but one couple brought their own DF (diamond frame) bikes.  They had a fair amount of trouble transporting the bikes-on the airline they were oversized cargo, they couldn't take the high speed trains, and getting taxis from arrival to the hotel was a challenge.  On the other hand, they had bikes they love.  The same operator does more challenging tours where the majority of clients bring their bikes.  This wasn't even touring as the operator moved all the luggage once you were on the tour.
I suspect once you have decided to bring a DF bike, the rest of the gear is big and heavy but doesn't make it too much harder to manage.  You need somebody to help you with luggage and once you have transport for the bike and a helper for luggage you can bring what you are willing to ride with.
If you get a bike that is easier to transport than a DF you are trading bike performance for ease of transport.  Depending on the tour you are doing I suspect the ease of transport is elusive.  If you carry 20kg of gear when riding, can you carry the same 20kg plus the bike when you are going through airports, taking trains, etc.?  If not, you may save the oversize baggage handling but you still need someone to help you.
I don't think a more transportable bike is silly, but I think you need to consider the whole transport approach.  If you get a smaller bike, the consistent thing may be to pack much lighter to get the ease of transport.  Do you want to do that?  How many changes of clothes does that allow?  Are you camping?  I suspect it is hard to justify a smaller bike if you are camping.  On the other hand, with a light load you might make the transport easier.


Ultra durable MTB for heavyweight rider (370lbs)?

As you probably know specific product recommendations are off topic here. However, three recommendations:

Overbuilt wheels, heavy duty rim, 44 or 48 spokes.
The biggest tire you can run, especially on the rear.
Consider a full suspension bike. A 90kg rider coming off a big drop is going to generate as much force as you will going over a pothole.

Props for your efforts to keep riding.


Many axle nuts for an internal gear hub will fit directly without modification. If yours does not, then there are options to fix that, similar to the set from Tacx below.

As with many issues with trainers, there is a solution available for this issue.

This is a set of accessories designed to fit most solid or thru axle bikes.  You would need to make sure that you get a set that correctly fits your bike.

Details of the accessory kit here.


Helmet headband is getting wet from sweat

Most helmets (certainly the last 6 or 7 I've owned) have the pads held in by velcro so can be removed and washed or replaced. A lot of people I know wear either a headband or a "buff" (google it, it's a brand name) to help a bit with the sweat.

All that said, I'm surprised your helmet pads don't dry out. I also live in Luxembourg and I can ride morning, noon and evening and each time come back to a mostly dry set of helmet pads.


FSA MegaExo crank tensioner bolt, can I use any 12mm bolt?

I'm inferring you have one of the FSA 19mm cranks with a Shimano-style pinch bolt and slot arrangement to secure the left crank to the spindle.

Any 12mm bolt that can make contact with the left crank can do the job of setting the BB preload. Under normal circumstances that bolt does nothing while riding. However, it does have the secondary function of keeping your crank from falling off for a while if the pinch bolts come loose. Maybe a random bolt and some washers would do the same, maybe not.

The 19mm BBs are not the greatest. I do feel like they get a slightly unfair bad rap because usually riders who burn through them also never adjust them. It's somewhat a matter of opinion whether it's worth it to keep 19mm FSA cranks going. New cranks tend to give you a relatively good deal on fresh chainrings, so that's part of it, but making good use of them needs a new chain and cassette.


Can I under inflate bike tires to reach a 15 percent drop?

You can try to lower the pressure further, but 2.8bar (40PSI) is already quite low for a 38mm trekking tire. Expect snakebites (pinch flats), increased rolling resistance and cracked sidewalls. There is no hard limit and if your rims are wide enough, handling shouldn’t suffer too much.

You could upgrade to wider tires if your rims, brakes and frame allow for it.

More flexible tires (e.g. cyclocross tires) would be a bit more comfortable and better at handling low pressure. However, they are generally less puncture resistant.

On a sidenote: A more relaxed and active riding style helps a lot. Try to avoid potholes or at least get out of the saddle!


Bilateral asymmetry in pedaling is well-known and long-studied. You can see the abstract of a review of what is known about bilateral asymmetry in running and cycling here. During cycling, bilateral pedaling asymmetry is common, and not fixed at a particular split: it varies with cadence, power, duration, and your ride goals. Another article that is highly cited is Smak et al. (1999), which found that bilateral asymmetry varies with cadence. The asymmetry appeared to decrease within increasing cadence, though the power was held constant so it could as easily have been a story about crank torque.

In summary bilateral asymmetry appears to vary for each individual depending on his or her cadence, power, crank torque, and level of fatigue. This appears to be normal. It is unclear that one can easily alter one's pedaling symmetry or asymmetry, nor is it clear in cycling that small amounts of pedaling asymmetry lead to injury (since the asymmetry is so common).

As an aside, non-constant asymmetry has the potential to affect measurements from "single-sided" power meters.


Why such a dramatic drop in power when the handlebars are lower than the seat?

I agree with the biomechanical hypothesis already mentioned by @DanielRHicks.

Every joint/muscle-group has an optimal range of motion and an optimal max-force/max-power position.

I am the same height as you, and the distance you mention is pretty short indeed, as measured on the bikes I ride.

There seems to be necessary to analyze the "cockpit triangle" of your bike: bottom-bracket/saddle/handlebars: in the hypothesis that, lowering your bar, you get an angle between torso and thighs that is too acute, then the correction of the problem would be opening that angle.

That could be made in two ways:

Rise the handlebar (which apparently is the opposite of what you want to do);
Move all your upper body front by putting a longer stem AND moving the saddle forward a bit, so that you feel the pedals "more behind" than in the current position.

As observations:

High power output (a.k.a FAST) bikes, with aggressive riding position, tend to throw the rider over the bars, so that the torso weight can counter-act the torque on the pedals, and also be more aerodynamic. It is common to see such bikes with high, forwarded and sloped seats (extreme example: time trial bikes);
If you just put a longer stem without bringing the saddle forward, you get in a more "superman" position, actually DECREASING the torso-thigh angle that we would want to increase.

Finally, there are mysteries in finding the perfect position on a bike. Perhaps even sub-conscious factors of varied nature might contribute for a sensation of "not-right". Unfortunately, only self-analysis and trial-and-error are the guaranteed key to salvation in this case, although some professional advice would be always welcome (a.k.a. bike-fit).

Hope this helps!


Conceptual: Bike Lights built into Grips

You would be entering in a very busy market with no obvious advantages. Let's look at the two types of LEDs that you might use:

If you're using inexpensive and low-power 5050 LEDs (15 lumens@350mW; usually ganged in groups), then you could power the lights off button cells (two CR2032s would power one 5050 LED for about 3 hours; 3 x 5050s for one hour) but even ganged you really don't have enough lumens to be compelling against $5-10 strap on lights.
If you're using high power Cree type LEDs (300 lumens@3.2 watts), you can charge more but you are going to run into problems with battery life, installation, charging, and optics with your design.

Analysis

I don't see sufficient depth/space in the design for sufficient optics. Again, not a problem for 5050s since they are so weak and diffuse. But for high-power Cree-types, you need beam forming reflectors and optics. The consumer won't be able to aim the light laterally with Crees (unless you have movable optics inside). The angle at which handlebars are bent viz a viz the stem is variable -- from straight-straight to a small bend to a severe bend.  Not a problem for 5050s with diffuse lighting, but people at the higher price points of a Cree want a sharply focused light that goes in front of them.

Second, assuming you use Crees and 18650s, how are you going to charge them? For removable lights, you can just take them off and bring them in the house to charge. Many bikes are stored in sheds without power. Having to string a charger and micro-USB cable all the way to handlebars is going to be undoable for many.

Finally, regardless of Crees or 5050s, the positional relationship of the lights to the brake/shift levers is unclear and installation may be difficult. BMX trick bikes might not have brakes but most consumers will want lights on a street-legal bicycle. If your lights are in the grips, they'll be obscured by the brakes -- and your design is incompatible with grip shifters. If your lights are located further inward, inside of the brakes/shifters, then the consumer has to take the grips, brakes, and shifters off to install -- and you'd have to find a way to get your power (if using Crees) from the battery inside the bar to the lights. Installation would involve drilling the bar or tucking the wiring under the grip and past the brake/shifters. Not something that your average parent could do, so you'd have to add the cost of shop labor.

So because of these issues (optics, charging, battery life or installation difficulties) I don't see how you're going to be able to do it with Crees. You might be able to do it with 5050s but with the amount of diffuse light you're going to get out of it, I think your price point for 5050s is < $50 for a pair, which is going to be tough to make any profit for you.

Additional back of napkin calculations for those who wanted to know if it's possible with 18650s:

Using a single Cree XP-G driven at 1000 mA (250% luminous flux; about 300 raw lumens), you are burning 3.2 volts × 1 A = 3.2 watts.  A high quality 18650 is 3.6 Ah × 3.7 v = 13.3 watt-hours. Boost driver efficiency at 85% gives you 11.3 watt-hours, so you have just under 4 hours of time with an 18650 at full (250%) power.

Mountain bikes have a handlebar diameter of 22mm. 18650s have a nominal diameter of 18mm (i.e., 18-650) but are often closer to 19mm actual because of the insulation and power protection circuitry). It's a tight squeeze. It won't work with many drops.

14500 lithiums would fit for sure as they're the same dimension as AAs (14mm D x 50mm L). However, they only have 900 mAh (fake ones will advertise more but are fake) which is 3.2 watt-hours or about 3 watt-hours after booster. So just about one hour of full (250%) power with one 14500, but you can serially gang the 14500 into two or three, depending on the curve of your handlebar (which would limit which bars it could fit into).


We don’t give specific product recommendations but the following general advice should help reduce rusty chains:

don’t store your bike outside. If you do, put it under a breathable cover. Morning dew is a considerable source of moisture so check your bike in the early morning to see if it’s wet.
wipe down your chain after it gets wet. Having a dedicated shop rag for your chain helps
if your oil-based chain lube washes off too easily, try a wax-based lube or vice versa. Ask the staff at your local bike shop what they recommend for your local climate and terrain
if all fails, try a chain that has corrosion resistance as a feature. Note that nothing is corrosion proof and you’ll still have to do all of the above

Or, accept that some degree of rust is part and parcel of having a working bike (as opposed to a display bike), note that rust only accumulates on the non-moving and non-wearing side plates of the chain, keep it lubed where it matters (internally on the bearing surfaces) and be happy.


If I am using Bar End Shifters, is there a compelling reason to change the old brake levers?

Well, you don't have to… That said, Tektro makes some very nice and inexpensive levers – both drop bar levers (RL340) and interrupter levers (RL720) which are much more effective than suicide levers. At the very least, I would take off the suicide levers, I've never had good luck with them. The problem that I had with suicide levers was that they had so much flex in them that it was hard to get good braking unless your wheels were perfectly true and the brakes were adjusted very close to the rim.

Found an extensive discussion on suicide levers here.


Can't get the drive side bottom bracket cup out

The drive side on most bottom brackets is reverse threaded. That means you have to turn it clockwise to loosen it.  If you don't care about destroying it, and are just going to replace it anyway, you can try this trick that I found, which seems like it would allow you to get a lot more leverage.


I doubt you're getting snake bites in a 22mm tyre unless it's very low on air. Even then it's not likely.

Snake bites have a distinctive two-hole pattern so you can check. It's more likely that you're getting ordinary punctures. There may be tough 22mm tyres, but most this thin are designed to be light. There are certainly anti-puncture options at 25mm which should fit, but may be a touch slower.


Look at the thread on the exposed cup. That tells you which way you need to turn the cup to get it out (there are multiple standards here, and one of the key differences is that some use left hand threads instead of the usual right hand). It looks to me as though the top of that cop should rotate to the right to remove it, in which case it is a left hand thread.

You should be able to fit a spanner onto the raised part on the cup nearest the camera in that photo. Preferably a large spanner with nice sharp edges on the jaws, since the flats are not very deep.

The other side possibly has a couple of holes rather than more flats like this side. In which case you can use a pin spanner or a hammer and chisel to tap it out. Or, as Sheldon suggests, just put a big bolt through and use that to turn the cup.


Your hub has a normal freewheel, like described by Matt Adams (ratchet with pawls).

There are some models which have spring-loaded cylinders mounted around "tilted" teeth: when you spin it to one side, the cylinders slip. When you spin it to the other side, the cylinders are caught between opposite surfaces, and torque is transmitted by friction (there is no positive engagement between parts).

Lots of backpedal-brake rear-hubs have this system.

Shimano had a Deore LX named "Silent Clutch" with this mechanism, but it was heavy.

Also, I know at least one model (American Classic) which instead of the spring to load the pawls, have a rotary disc to engage and disengage the pawl, and a tiny hair-sized spring which act as the freewheel for this plate. It is a very silent and low-friction system:


Do I need to shorten chain when fitting a new smaller cassette?

As the smallest cog and smallest chainring have not change changed size, the chain length will be no worse than it was previously.  With the smaller large cassette cog, you may find you can shorten the chain, giving better small/small tension.  The difference (presuming a reasonably sized chain to begin with) of dropping a link will be minor enough I doubt I would bother.
However, as pointed out in comments by @Craggie - when fitting a new cassette, its usually false economy not to fit a new chain. In that case, make the new chain the best size for the new cassette.


As the comment mentioned, if there is an issue it will be with the fork.  The rotors are designed to withstand the additional braking loads.  However, for what it's worth, I've always felt that larger rotors were easier to bend in a crash.  There's more area to strike on a rock or something, and you get better leverage on the rotor.  But there are plenty of people who think that's just superstition.

I think you might find that you don't need the larger rotors, though.  I switched from BB5s to BB7s (and then to SLX hydros), and felt that the BB7s stopped harder than the BB5s, even at the same rotor size.  And I was using crappy levers, too.


I got a new inner tube but it's letting air out

This is hard to tell from the outset, but:

Have you checked the inside of your tire before you put it back on? If it contains a piece of glas it will puncture the new inner tube. Just remove it in that case. The only reason to replace the tire would be if it is worn down and for that reason you can expect to have another puncture soon.
You might have damaged the new inner tube when fitting it. You will need to take it out again and inspect it and it will become obvious, if that was the case.
The valve could be the problem especially if the loss of air is very gradual. Put the inner tube into soapy water to find the leak.

In summary: take out the inner tube, find the leak, and inspect the inside of the tire before putting in a patched or new inner tube.


Friction Shifter Rear Derailleur, Not Holding Low Gear

It may not be a bent derailleur, but a bent derailleur hanger. You can buy the park tool derailleur alignment gauge and bend it back to shape or have a shop do it for you.

After that I would check the cable tension, disconnect the rear derailleur cable and make sure that the chain stays on the smallest cog to start and then slowly the tension appropriately to make sure it shifts in to all gears properly.

Also, check to make sure you don't have a loose bolt on your friction shifter that is allowing too much play in the lever, which may let it slide out of the desired position.


There is actually a real gain from this strategy. By rotating 2 (or 3) chains you extend the life of rear cogs (cassette) and it will last all your chains. In case you use one chain, you may need to replace cassette together with chain.

As of front cogs, they last longer, but you will get a more even wear.

Speaking of drawbacks - regularly taking off your chain you can make your PowerLink (or other brand) a bit more loose and have a higher risk of it failing under a load.


I guess you need to be methodical about discounting possibilities.

It sounds like bearings slipping around but a lot of rattles and clicks sound similar on a bike.

Have you got any spare pedals you can put on to see if it's them? Even just borrow a mate's set for 10 minutes.

Given that it always seems to be at the same parts of the pedal rotation I would discount the rear of the bike since the alignment of everything there varies with gearing.

Check for play down at the bottom bracket.

Make sure the axle doesn't shift side to side and that the crank arm on the non-drive side is sitting snugly enough to the bottom bracket.

Take the crank shaft out and check the bearings yourself. Are you short of some balls in there. Did the bike shop do as they said?

Get a new bottom bracket. They're often cheaper than you'd expect and fitting them isn't too bad. Even fitting press-fit bearings is easy with some threaded bar and some big washers. Of course your LBS can do this too.

I've had some creaks on my bike which happens to be carbon but because of this, the seat post noise seams to travel and sounds like a bottom bracket creak. It turned out to be fixable with a wipe down and some carbon paste in the end. Do something similar just in case. It certainly can't harm.


I'd like to fit a suspension seatpost but have only 9 cm between saddle and frame - is this enough?

As Daniel R Hicks says, it depends on the seatpost.
There are some seatposts that offer "passive" suspension—they have no suspension mechanism, and rely on the flexibility engineered into the seatpost's materials (always carbon fiber, AFAICT). From what I've read, these don't do much good. The suspension effect with these will depend on the amount of seatpost sticking out (more material to flex), so even if they do work, they won't work as well for you.
There are a few "active" seatposts that do have suspension mechanisms. Cane Creek has one where the mechanism occupies 70 mm of seatpost length, so that should fit. Redshift sells one that is bang-on at 90 mm maximum insertion depth.


How can I fix bad elevation data in a GPS log?

Try http://www.gpsvisualizer.com. In the parameters set "Add DEM elevation data" to "From best available source". This will replace the recorded elevation with elevation data from a database, which should be more accurate.

Edit: Try this other sub-page of the same site to upload your .gpx and then download the fixed .gpx
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/elevation


Multimodal - Packing a bike for a trip with several different transport stages

This is how I travelled with budget Wizzair from Malmoe to Warsaw:

Three bikes were wrapped with stretch foil, with almost no disassembly, just handlebar turned by 90 deg.

One bike was totally disassembled, including derailleur removal, and put in soft bicycle-bag.

No damages were observed.


What is the widest tire for the 27.5+ width rims?

I'll venture a guess that currently there are two lines defining the "plus" range you are talking about.  Anything under 2.75 to 3 inches will likely be defined as a regular MTB tire.  These were often called "fat tires" until Surly popularized the Endomorph, which made the term "fat tire" fall out of favor for regular mountain bike tires.

The original Endomorph was (I believe) a 3.7 inch tire which sort of starts the current range of "fat tires" and goes up.  "Plus" tires are a relatively recent thing that Surly also had a big hand in (look up the Krampus or the Knard) that consists of tires to big to fit the frames of most regular mountain bikes, but still a bit smaller than the current "fat tire" market (3.7 inches and up).  I'd say the current "Plus" range is maybe 2.7 inches to 3.7 inches.

One of the current uses for the plus set that I have seen is running 29'r plus tires and wheels in a 26 inch "fat bike" frame for summer or hard trail conditions.

Again all of these definitions may change as the market and common tire sizes change, but I believe that's about the current state of things.  When looking at these setups perhaps the most important thing to consider is what size the frame will be required to fit the setup.


I have two pairs of shoes with different cleats - and two bikes with different pedals. Both pairs of shoes work well on one bike, but with one set of shoes the cleats jam on the other bike.  There are several brands of pedals and cleats that have varying degrees of compatibility. Replacing the rubber is unlikely to fix the problem of the cleat not releasing.

On top of this, there is also single release (Shimano SH51 and SH52) and multi release cleats (SH55 and SH56) cleats -  Single release will let you unclip with a horizontal rotation only, where as multi release let you unclip with a diagonal, horizontal or upwards pull.

Check you cleats - if they are single release, I would replace them with multi release as a first step. You may end up needing to try several different cleats, so a trip to the LBS might be the quickest way to find something that works.

From SPD / SPD-R / SPD-SL cleat application table :

SM-SH51 for single direction release,and for “Easy step-in” feature
SM-SH52 for PD-M858 and other SPD pedals except PD-7410 or PD-6500
SM-SH55 for multi-directional release except PD-M959 / M540 / M520
SM-SH56 SPD Cleat Sets Multi-directional release for PD-M959 / M540 /
M520

Wellgo also do cleats that some claim are Shimano compatible, but other's say can be hard to get out of some Shimano pedals. They come in 98A (common), 99A and also I have seen a TB51A (but its not in the catalogue). Crank Bros and Richey have cleats that look similar, no idea about compatibility.


This is pretty much expected behavior.

When you're pedaling forward, the top half of the chain is pulled tight by the tension from your pedaling, and the lower half is held in tension by the derailleur.  The derailleur is also very close to the rear sprockets so it can guide the nicely-tensioned chain onto the proper gear.

When you pedal backwards, you pull on the bottom of the chain which pulls the derailleur forward.  That creates chain slack.  Some of that chain slack shows up on the top half of the chain as the chain links get dumped off the front chainring into space on the way backwards.  If you watch the chain closely when you pedal backwards, you can actually see the top of the chain go slack and flop around a bit.  So when you're pedaling backwards there's nothing on the top side to maintain tension.  A slack chain will flop around and there's nothing on the top side to guide where the chain lands on the rear gears.  So the loose flopping chain is free to go where it wants.

Derailleur-equipped bicycles are not designed to be pedaled backwards. Pedaling backwards is a great way to drop your chain, especially if you do it suddenly and hard.


Can you remove the chain missing link too often?

Yes.

Most sorts of reusable link generally have a "snap in" position that the link pops into when you pull on the chain.  Between normal chain tension and design, the link should stay in that position.  However, with repeated use, you can wear the portion of the link that is tight enough to keep the link in the running/together position.  This means the link may become easier to get off, but will also be susceptible to coming uncoupled when the chain has less tension on it.

Your individual mileage on a quick link may vary, but generally they are much less expensive than a whole new chain and the reduced cost (to you) by keeping your drivetrain clean will likely be worth it.


Replacement for SR Suntour XCC, 48/38/28T, 170mm alloy crankarms?

If you want something nice, using an 8/9/10 crank here shouldn't be a huge problem but it may take some fiddling to work well. If it says 10, you will probably have to use .6mm Wheels Mfg spacers or similar under the large and small rings to avoid chain rub in some gears. Putting on an 8-speed chain will also help eliminate that problem and should still work fine with your 7-speed freewheel and FD. Narrower than that and it won't work well with your FD.

Shimano Acera FCM-361 or the Suntour XCE mentioned in the comments are other options that would be drop-in replacements unless you needed to change spindle lengths. The Acera takes 126. It would be nice to assume that going from one Suntour crank to another very similar one that the spindle needed would be the same, and it's probably true, but I wouldn't be shocked if it isn't.


Bike Hydraulic Brakes constantly pressing against the rotor

There are a number of things this could be.  Your rotors could be bent, your wheels could be improperly placed in the dropouts, your pads could be failing to contract, your brake calipers could be improperly adjusted, or your pad engagement point adjustment knobs could be failed or improperly adjusted.

It's likely not a bleed issue (brakes that need to be bled are generally "soft) unless someone injected enough fluid in your brakes to make them permanently partially contracted.

Your best bet is probably a trip to your LBS to get it sorted out.  You could also try the assembly steps here (for your brakes) or find a resource that explains how to adjust hydraulic disc brakes.


Freehub has started slipping, what can I do?

It can happen that the pawls get sticky and cleaning helps. Here's a couple of guides:

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/freehub-service
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how-to-overhaul-your-freehub-23757/

Cold also makes it worse, but this covers much worse temperatures that the UK:
http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/freehub.htm

(And while it's true that "flushing with solvent has not been a reliable substitute for full disassembly", if the freewheel isn't engaging at all, just drenching it with WD-40 can work as a short term fix until you get round to a proper job.)


How to release brakes to install front tire

The intended method is to unhook the cable from the far cantilever in the photograph. Hopefully the straddle cable end fitting has a wedge-shaped bit sticking out of the back of the calliper, as visible on the far left here: .
Squeeze the two brake arms together, and pull on this wedge, and lift the metal cylindrical part out of the slot. If there is no wedge shaped piece, push the cable into the caliper to free it. Some straddle cables have a piece of metal on the cable to help you do this but I can't see one in your photo.
There is video and pictorial explanation here: http://www.madegood.org/bikes/repair/open-a-cantilever-brake/


Why are cassettes replaced more often than front chainrings and derailleur jockey wheels?

To expand on Jahaziel's comment, and address your point that you have 5x as many cogs at the back (though anywhere from 3x to 11x is common):
You don't use all your gears equally.
Most pedalling on most bikes suited to their riding conditions is near the middle of the cassette, with the more extreme sprockets for the steepest climbs or fast descents/flats. You only need to wear out one commonly used sprocket to need a new cassette. In my case it's always the 3rd or 4th, counting from the biggest, depending on the bike, though if I get to the point where I can feel that, wear is very visible on some others. This will have fewer teeth than (most of) your chainring(s).
Tooth count has a double effect - fewer teeth in contact to spread the load, and each tooth encounters than chain more often.
On all my bikes, though probably least the MTB, the cassette gets dirtier than the chainrings - more abrasive grit.
I suspect a further effect of sprocket size beyond tooth count: a worn chain/sprocket combination that doesn't mesh well is likely to do more damage when the chain is bent more.
The jockey wheels last longer despite being small and plastic for two reasons: much less contact force against the chain to cause wear, and they don't have to be very good to do their job


Can Shimano 600 front derailleur handle 3 chain wheels?

Usually racing front derailleurs like an arabesque will not allow the extra tolerance for a third ring. With that being said, the only way to know for sure is to try it.

One thing to keep in mind is that the spindle length on your bottom bracket affects this as well. While your derailleur may have the extra tolerance to fudge it in some cases, if your spindle is longer than shorter, then it may push your crank too far out for your fd to reach, even with the limit screws taken completely out.

To try it, just throw the crank and fd on. Take some bare cable and attach to the fd so that you can pull it with your hand. Take the two limit screws all the way out and manually induce pull so that the cage moves all the way out, to check for the large ring. Then just see if letting go all the way will shift back down into the small ring.

Generally, I'd say it won't work... trust me, I've thought of the same thing before. I always end up finding another 28.6mm clamp fd that was meant to support three rings.


How can a GPS with damaged screen be put to use?

I'd figure out the key combinations to start and stop recording, and enable .gpx track recording.

You could then plug it into a computer and extract the .gpx files, and then use tools to play with them:

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/ will let you upload the file and view it on a map
http://gpxdataanalyzer.com/ is a site I wrote that will analyze the file and return some analysis on it if you pick an activity (Flying, Driving, Hiking, etc.) I should probably add bicycling.
Any number of tools (including the Garmin software that comes with their GPS units) that will allow you to visualize the data 'off device'.


No need to cold-set.

I have a BSO with the same problem. The rear dropouts are about 6mm too close for the hub. I can just flex them apart and let the hub in.

The misalignment of the dropouts would be virtually nonexistent at 4mm flex.

If you remove your wheels often, and putting the wheel on is a pain, it might be worth cold-setting your frame. Other than that, don't bother.


How popular is the "Sold Secure" certification among reasonable-quality lock makers?

You might have a bit more luck doing things the other way around - go to the Sold Secure web site and read off a list of compliant locks. When I was buying, I took this approach, chose the locks and then bought them online.

Also, bear in mind that Sold Secure originated in the UK, so possibly lock manufacturers who sell mostly outside of the UK market might not consider it worthwhile to worry about this badge. But having said that, I can see right now the Sold Secure sticker on both Kryptonite and Abus web sites (two of the biggest names, neither UK-based) against certain of their locks.

As regards how useful the Sold Secure branding is, you should be aware that this is pretty debatable. I've heard the scheme described as a marketing scam by the insurance/lock industries.

That having been said, I have a bike insurance policy which specifies that I need such-and-such a grade of Sold Secure lock in order for the policy to be valid. So, putting aside the issue of how "good" the lock is (in terms of protection against theft), in terms of me complying with the insurance policy it is a no-brainer just to use a lock with this badge on it.

Note that Sold Secure also have a scheme that applies to motorcycle locks, if that helps you to find a stockist. I have a chain which is rated as "silver" for a motorbike, but "gold" for a bicycle.


To learn fixed gear, better start with high gear and then get lower, or the opposite?

In general I would recommend starting low. Your legs will go through an adjustment period and you may find that your knees get sore from a larger gear. After you've ridden for a few weeks pay attention to how you're riding. If you're in a hilly area are you struggling to get up the hills? Do you find that your cadence is regularly high enough that your hips are bouncing on the saddle? There are both indications that you should adjust your gearing high or low respectively.

It's can be cheaper to replace a track cog than a front chain ring so start with 16T in the back and then pick a chainring that gets you into the gear you're looking for. With any luck, if you do need to make an adjustment up or down switching the rear cog won't force you to change your chain length.


The cranks are always spun in the same direction and the threads are located so the cups don't get loose.

The headset does not have a direction where the spinning is happening and it is not possible to have self-tighning cups.

Also fork gives vertical load, directed into the threads. Also there is a big frontal load on the fork which will be transferred into single directional side-load on a thread. A thread can cope with each of these factors separately, but both of these, combined with constant vibrating, will eventually cause the thread to fail, especially in aluminium frame.


Can Garmin Edge 500/510 and 800/810 be charged while riding?

Just verified that the 510 can be attached to power while on/in use. It continues to operate. When the external power source is removed, it will give a message to that effect, but does not power down (like the nuvi/car versions do).

Note that you (obviously) have to open the weather seal to plug in power.

Also worth noting, the 510 will go into a different mode when you plug it into a computer. Unsure if it will continue to record, but the screen shows the computer attached so suspect not.

For long trips like you describe, a device like these http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=phone+battery+backup
should do the trick.


Yes! Well, sorta. You can get an approximation using.... ~~trigonometry~~

In order to get an accurate reading, you'll need to divide the frame up into right triangles. We'll assume that the top tube is horizontal, parallel to the ground. This makes everything much easier because you automatically get right angles. However, many bikes will have sloping top tubes, which complicates the work. The first step therefore is to determine what slope the top tube has. For this particular example, the chart gives measurements that strongly suggest the top tube is horizontal, or even downward sloping, so this method is likely viable, but double check anyways.

But anyways, assuming a horizontal top-tube parallel to the ground, here's your frame broken up into right angles and the proof for stack height:

We want to find the stack height, which is length l.

l = p = n

top tube and ground are parallel; therefore, the line segments perpendicular to them are congruent lengths, and because everything is either parallel or perpendicular, all their vertices are right angles.

∠EHC = EGC = 90°

As per the rule above.

∠ECG = 73°

This is the seat-tube angle, given by the geometry chart.

∠HCE = 17°

90° - 73° = 17°

k = 63°
cos(17°) = p / 63cm

cos is the adjacent over hypoteneus (♪ soh-CAH-toa ♪)

p = cos(17°) × 63cm
p = 60.25cm
now, because p = l, the stack height l must be 60.25cm.
∎
Here's the diagram again with all the measurements filled out:

Now calculating the reach is easy. We know the height of the stack is 60.25cm, which is one side of a right triangle with a hypotenuse of 63cm. Knowing this you can use the Pythagorean theorem to determine the remaining side, a segment of the top tube is 18.41cm. We also know the full length of the top tube is 59cm, so the remaining segment must be 59cm - 18.41cm = 40.59cm. And that's your reach!

Hope this helps, and hope my math isn't too bad here!


My SORA front derailleur cable broke (after gear change difficulties for several tens of kilometres, and ineffective cable length adjustments). I replaced the cable, but I still had to push the gear change lever very hard to change chain wheels (which is when I found this web page). The culprit was the plastic cable guide screwed onto the frame under the crank (GIANT Cross City 3). This guide had been cut through by the front derailleur cable and the cable had started cutting into the frame. After replacing this plastic guide ($3.00), as well as the cable, changing the chain wheel is almost as easy as when brand new.


What's the lightest complete road bicycle that meets UCI requirements (except possibly being too light)?

GCN did a piece a little while ago on a 4.28-kg bike. The frame is a Cannondale, but everything has been customized to get the weight down, including stripping the paint from the frame and replacing all the bolts with carbon-fiber equivalents (I hadn't even known there were carbon-fiber bolts!).


How many miles and/or commuting seasons will a modern internal geared hub last?

I bought a 700c Jericho hardtail in 1997, which came with a Rohloff 14 speed internally geared hub. I used it as a commuter for five years, at least 150 miles per week, 50 weeks of the year. That's 37500 miles. Even assuming I took a week or 2 out in there for whatever reason, call it 35000 miles. After that, I continued to ride it one or 2 days a week, for less strenuous rides. I have just sent it back for its first major service, other than lubing and cleaning the external components.

The Rohloff is a ridiculously burly hub. The Alfine, or the i-Motion9 would do well to match half that performance. But I'd say based on people I've sold bikes with Nexus or Alfine hubs, and how rarely we see them for service, and how much more rare it is that they need major service, that 20000 miles is not too much to expect.

The Shimano and SRAM hubs are both user serviceable, unlike the Rohloff, which should extend the useable life significantly also.

I was trying to find any formal service interval information, but both SRAM and Shimano say that aside from cleaning off the external parts, the hubs are "well sealed" and the service interval should be "long".

Sheldon Brown's site also says, "Service should be quite rare on these well sealed hubs."


Did you try adjusting it yourself? http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustment

Did you rule out the shifter/cable/cable housing causing problems? Try manipulating the cable tension by hand to shift it to see if this is the case and then work from the problem if it doesn't let you move the cage with reasonable cable manipulation.

If it doesn't adjust and the shifter is good, I'd just replace it with the same thing that is already on there (note that you need to get the right clamp and cable pull type for your frame, so you might as well order it from the bike shop if you don't know what clamp type and what not you need).

FD's are relatively simple parts that don't have a wide range of performance between grades, and its just about as cheap for what you have as with the lower group parts.


Can the Garmin 520 be charged while riding?

This thread contains all the information you would ever want to know about the Edge 520.  The bottom of Post #67 says that this is indeed possible.


Noticeably more Muscle on one leg than the other?

It's normal to have a small amount of imbalance on one side vs the other. Significant imbalance can be due to injury or neurological issues on the weaker side. If either of those apply, it's also common to have knee pain on the stronger side as it is trying to make up for the weaker side. Even after recovering from injury or neurological problems, it can take months for the weaker side to catch up, even longer without physical therapy.

Have you ever hurt your knee, leg, foot hip, or ankle on the weaker side? Any lower back problems? Sometimes nerve impingement can manifest itself as weakness without pain, but it's more common to have both.


That Castrol EP 90 has a gear oil viscosity rating of SAE-90? That is way to viscous for use on bicycle chain. Dirt & road grime is going to stick to it like crazy, wear out the chain & cause a lot of friction.

You need to use a bicycle specific chain lube. Which one depends on your riding conditions.

There are generally "dry" lubes & "wet" lubes.

Dry lubes are usually a solvent carrying a wax based lubricant. The solvent evaporates after application, leaving the dry wax in place.

Wet lubes are oil based without a solvent that evaporates away, thus remaining wet.

In addition, wet and dry lubes, as their names imply are best suited to wet & dry conditions. Dry lubes do not attract as much dirt as wet lubes, but wash off quickly in wet conditions. Wet lubes hold up to water much better.

Depending on conditions, a chain should generally be wiped down / cleaned ~100 miles or so & re-lubricated.


You're probably just still overcoming your illness. 2.5 weeks isn't really enough time to lose any noticeable amount of aerobic fitness for an average, healthy person.


Shimano 11-Speed Freehub onto 10-Speed Hub

No for a whole lot of reasons, the most decisive of which is that the 7801 hubs are among the only (along with WH-6600) ones Shimano's ever made that use a drive ring in the hub shell to engage the pawls, as opposed to the pawls and the ring they engage being all internal to the freehub body. In other words the design is completely different from any of the 11-speed freehub bodies.

The hub design from WH-7801:

An 11-speed FH-9000 Dura Ace, for comparison:

If this is one of the 20-spoke carbon 7801 wheels that take standard nipples, you could just swap in a new hub.

As for the larger discussion of whether this is possible with Shimano hubs:

Among the Shimano hubs that use a standard M10x1 axle, until 11-speed came along there was a frequently re-used, semi-standard 10-spline attachment scheme for the freehub body, so in many cases there is some freehub body interchangeability, at least in a pinch as there are some other considerations involved to make it work well. (The nonstandard/oversize axle hubs, which are numerous at this point, generally all need the exact replacement freehub body, although there may be some exceptions or hack possibilities now or in the future.) However, the 11-speed hubs using standard axles that have so far been released, FH-5800 and FH-CX75, use a version of the same design that has 15 splines on the hub shell instead, meaning no interchangeability with a shell with only 10 splines.

FH-5700, 2nd generation of 10-speed 105. Freehub body attachment representative of many other Shimano hubs:

FH-5800, 1st generation of 11-speed 105:


Is there any reason to keep original drive-train components together until they can all be replaced?

Breaking a master link, as already said, is not so common, and is usually not related to the chain wear. It can be related to loss of lubrication, for example when the chain RUSTS and gets some hard links that cause the chain to get entangled with the derailer while pedaling, for example. But only because it is worn, supposing it is clean and lubed, I'd say no.
Installing a new chain with an used cassette might be divided in two kinds of situations:

You install and the chain doesn't skip. This is the ideal situation, meaning you replaced the chain at the right time, and your cassette will last much longer (note: this is the recommended thing to do - use lots of chains with the same cassette, replacing them often as soon as they get some wearing);
You install the chain AND IT SKIPS over the cogs when you pedal. That means you waited too much to replace the chain. It might be very difficult or almost impossible to use the new chain and make the cassete wear "back to normal". In this case, it MIGH BE a better idea to keep riding with that chain for a bit more and replace it together with the cassette later (waiting too much can be dangerous, since the chainrings might get damaged in the process). Even when the chain skips, though, if it skips only while pedaling hard, and/or only on specific gears, it is usually possible to ride slowly in the beginning, and the skipping starts to disappear as the cogs wear, and everything might come back to normal.

So, the shop guy may or may not have told you the truth, depending on how much your cassette is worn. This is not an easy thing to do if he didn't measure the chain with a gauge, so it is possible that is obvously worn, or he has a very good eye, or he actually wants to sell you the whole kit. Besides, the need to change everything together is surely NOT true, since the expected is to change the chain often, so as to preserve the gears, which can last MUCH longer.

I would do the following: buy a new chain and try. If it works, it works. If it skips, I put back the old chain and keep the new one at home. When the time arrives, I change the cassette and then install the new chain.

(Finally, some crafty people are able to remanufacture the shape of the cassette teeth by disassembling the cassette and correcting the teeth shape with a round file, one by one. I did it successfully a lot of times, but it takes some skill and a lot of time and hand labor, sort of a masochistic hobby, but anyway it works and can save you some money or at least the trip to the shop.)


Fast touring bike / Roadbike with touring capabilities

The Surly Pacer is a good choice. My first real bike was a one, and I used it for commuting, training rides, and a two-week tour in Europe. Even though it wasn't "ideal" for training rides or touring, it worked great for me until I was able to afford more specialized bikes. The Pacer doesn't come with as many rack bosses as you'll want (one advantage of the cross-check), but p-clamps did the trick for me.

That said, about your individual concerns:

bar-end shifters are great for touring bikes

they are perfectly fine for traffic, you get used to them faster than you think
they are waaaay less prone to malfunctioning, which brifters are legendary for

30lb isn't really that big a deal for a do-everything bike

the extra 5lb is nothing compared to the weight of the rider and touring equipment
steel is probably the best choice for this type of bike regardless
it's easier / cheaper to upgrade the engine instead of the bike :)


50 miles is feasible but it will be hard work.  Think about how tired you felt after cycling 20 miles. Then cycle 20 miles again from that tired start and think about how tired you'll feel then. Then, cycle another ten miles.

The other answers give lots of good advice which I won't repeat. Since you mention trains and coming home every week, I assume that your plan is to cycle home on Saturday and then cycle back to the place where you work on Sunday.

While I think you can do 50 miles in a day, I doubt you can do 50 miles twice in two days. You should seriously consider taking the train one-way, so you're only cycling 50 miles once a week. This also has the advantage that you could travel home on the train on Friday evening and get more time there. The problem is that British one-way train fares are often almost as much as the return (e.g., when I take the train to visit my parents, the return fare is £104 and one-way is £103; no, that's not a typo, seriously, it's only a pound cheaper).

So, I propose this. One week, buy a return train ticket on Friday or Saturday and take your bike home on the train; cycle back to the place where your job is on Sunday. The next week, cycle home on Saturday; take the train back on Sunday. This works because the return half of your ticket is valid for a month. When you feel you can cycle twice in the same weekend, start doing that.


Can I use 26" electric hub wheels on a vintage road bike?

It's quite unlikely. The axle length (hub spacing) will probably be rather different.

Here's a list of axle lengths. The same page also discusses how you might get away with it on a steel frame with quite a lot of effort.

Then you get onto the wheel building, which isn't easy and had to be good for electric wheels with their greater stresses. The 26" wheels wouldn't reach your brakes, so I assumed you use the hub motor and your existing rims with new spokes.


Is there a way to check for non-visible damage on a carbon frame?

I've heard of people having their frames x-rayed, but for obvious reasons that's not very practical. The most reliable manner of checking a carbon frame for damage that I'm aware of is the old coin tap test. Get a quarter ( or whatever coin fits that form factor in your local currency) and go over the frame lightly tapping the edge of the coin against the frame. Intact carbon makes a distinct "clack", whereas damaged, delaminating carbon will have a much duller thud sound when tapped. Keep in mind that as the tubes change shapes and thicknesses the sound will gradually change. What you're looking for is a distinctly different muted report that abruptly changes within a very localized area.
Keep in mind that this is not a foolproof or exhaustive method of checking your frame and fork for damage, but it does work surprisingly well. I've found many a damaged frame this way.


What are the widths of Shimano 8, 9, and 10 speed cassettes?

I think these may be what you're looking for. FYI, a lot of this information is available with a little searching. Depending on what exactly you are looking for, you might want to look up a document for a specific cassette as the numbers might be slightly different.

Spacer widths (From Shimano tech docs)

8  Spd: 3.00mm
9  Spd: 2.56mm
10 Spd: 2.35mm (1.0mm for lower spacer)

Cog/Tooth Width (From Sheldon Brown)

8  Spd: 1.8mm
9  Spd: 1.78mm
10 Spd: 1.6mm

Chain widths (From wikipedia)*

8 speed - 7.1mm (all brands)
9 speed - 6.6 to 6.8mm (all brands)
10 speed - 6.2mm (Shimano, Campagnolo)
10 speed(Narrow, Direction) - 5.88mm (Shimano CN-5700,CN-6700,CN-7900)

*These chain widths are the standard widths, which I assume are recommended. I wouldn't go wider, but a narrower chain will probably work as some chains are cross-compatible.


Why is a TT national champion not allowed to wear his jersey in TTT

See rule 1.3.068 of the UCI regulations: "The national champion in the individual time trial is not authorised to wear the distinctive national champion’s jersey during team time trial events."

I do not know when this particular rule was passed but it does not appear to have happened in 2019 so it must have been earlier.


How can I fit a tapered fork to a 1 1/8 semi-integrated/zero stack head tube?

There are products like the Cane Creek 40.EC44/40.Bottom Assembly (Here's a press article on it and its kin, which should read first) which may work (I know its been installed successfully on some other Giant bikes, such as the Anthem, but not on your particular bike). Theres a lift of the front end by 5-10 mm, so its not a free lunch (aside from the cost of the unit and ancillaries). You should go to your LBS and test this actually works with this or a similar unit and the desired fork though, before you drop the money on it.


How can I convince my company to sponsor corporate cycling gear?

The easiest way to do this is centre it around a competition that a contingent of your BUG is competing in.  That way you can pitch around the competition and the exposure.  Even if it is just a big social ride.

Work out your team.  Work out the cost of the corporate uniforms.  Pitch based on the competition demographics (Hopefully it appeals to your company), also on the fact you have internal participants.

You won't have gear available for the whole company but this is the easiest starting point.  Then from there you can prove interest and say it is encouraging employee health.  Not sure where you are located but some companies jump on programs like this.

Good Luck.