What to do when a car turns into a side road (etiquette)?

As you're in Ontario the following references are official.

Look at the picture at the bottom right of Toronto's Understanding Bicycle Lanes -- here's an excerpt:

In summary, stop behind or pass to the left of the turning car.

I generally expect drivers to see what's happening out the front of the cars, but never expect them to know what's happening to the side of their cars.

In the illustration above, for example, I guess the driver is looking forward (at the intersection which they're turning into), not looking sideways (at the space between them and the sidewalk where it says "No").

Ditto at stop signs and stop lights, by the way. Especially if it's a truck, beware of pulling up close to the intersection squeezed between the truck and the sidewalk: because if the truck turns right without seeing you're there you'll be squeezed between the truck and the street furniture; so hang back in the bike lane away from the intersection (give them space to turn if they're going to), or even temporarily take the lane (occupy the car lane) behind them until traffic starts moving again.

See also this page, Car Bike Collisions | Motorist Right Turn, which says,

  Motorist turning right collides with cyclist travelling in parallel direction

  Key problems:

  motorist overtakes cyclist just before turning right
  cyclist tries to pass to the right of right-turning motorist
  cyclist riding on the sidewalk fails to stop and yield to turning vehicles at intersection

  To avoid:

  look ahead for turn signals
  watch out for drivers slowing down in preparation for a right turn
  stay away from the driver's "blind spot" (near the right rear wheel)
  do not pass right-turning drivers on the right
  use the road, not the sidewalk, to be more noticeable to motorists

What if cyclists are behind me; what if there aren't?

On a ski slope it's the job of people up-hill to stay out of the way of people down-hill. I reckon the rule's similar for cycling in traffic, not to mention driving, i.e. do what you need to and count on cyclists behind you (if there are any) to not run into you (I don't know, maybe that depends on where you are and how fast you're going).

But use hand signals when you change lane, and ideally also when you slow i.e. when you're about the brake, that's what you can do for them.


Dual gear cable setup for aerobars and handelbars

Almost all derailleurs are pulled by cables. To be able to operate one derailleur from either of two shifters, or one brake from two levers, you'll need some mechanism to split the cable.

As always, while Stack Exchange usually asks us not to recommend products, I can't answer this question without mentioning some particular products. These aren't recommendations. Please do further research on your own.

Take caution that the item you need does not appear to be a common component, and there doesn't appear to be standard terminology. That said, this item by Jtek will do exactly what you ask. It appears to work with either derailleur or brake cables. They call it a cable splitter. I have never tried one, so you may need to buy at your own risk. You would need to purchase an STI shifter for your base bars (i.e. the bullhorn bars).

Just by looking at the pictures, I don't think the system will have a huge increase in cable drag, which is what I was worried about. The bigger worry may be that the system is depicted with older Shimano levers that route the derailleur cables externally. Since the late 2000s, Shimano have routed the cables under the bar tape, as SRAM and Campagnolo. With that orientation, you may need to mount the cable splitter further back so that you can route cables straight in from both the base bar shifter and the bar end shifter (i.e. the one on your aero bar end) into the splitter. You may need to experiment with the setup. I would suggest calling Jtek.

Note that the term cable splitter can refer to items that help you disconnect and reconnect cables on S&S or Ritchey travel bikes, where the bike frame itself breaks into two to pack. You don't want this sort of cable splitter unless you have one of these travel bikes. I have a feeling this usage is the more common one, so look at what you Google.

The term cable doubler can refer to systems which enable you to pull one lever to actuate both brakes simultaneously. Problem Solvers makes a brake cable doubler that will do this, or will enable you to actuate one brake from either of two brakes. I haven't investigated thoroughly, but some may use this term to refer to the component you need.

Last, answering for completeness: you could get electronic shifting. It is expensive. It's not objectively worth it for most cyclists. When Dura Ace Di2 came out, many people derided it as an answer looking for a question. They had a point. But first, it really was quite a good answer! Second, and more relevant to you, it does in fact enable you to mount satellite shifting buttons in multiple locations on your handlebars.

This answer has implications for adaptive cycling. If you have a hand amputated, or if you've lost fingers on one hand, you'll seriously benefit from some type of adaptation enabling you to shift or brake from one shifter. Even for able bodied drop bar cyclists, it can help to be able to shift from multiple locations when crossing rough terrain.


Is running 46t front chain ring with an 11t on the back such a huge disadvantage for flat cat 4 crits?

Normally, I think most racers have a tendency to be over-geared, but in your case you may find yourself under-geared.  That said, if it is your first crit, just race what you have, the experience is the most important thing. I am also a bit suspect of the win off the front by a first-timer strategy.  If you have the opportunity to win, take it, but don't be disappointed if the race turns out to be much different than you are currently envisioning.

Anyway, some reasons why you may be under-geared:

Efficiency

When using a chain drive, Big-Small gearing combinations are not as efficient as Big-Big.   You could be putting your drive train losses as high as 5% running such a small gear on the rear cassette.  I suspect you will also be racing a cyclocross bike (which will be a disadvantage), the efficiency loss will be another disadvantage.

Surges

The pacing of a crit is not as constant as a time trial or cyclocross race.   Often there are very fast surges, and your peak speed can be quite fast if you choose to close the gap between groups. I am not sure where you got the peak speed of 58.3 kph (a friend I assume).  Speeds can change from year to year and by rider strategy.  Peak speeds of 60-70 kph are not entirely uncommon, especially if the course has a downhill section or there is a strong tailwind on the day.

A Note on Strategy

Riding off the front on your own in a crit is a pretty tall task.  Doing it at an average speed of 48 kph is pretty monumental.  That would put you into the realm of a top-end professional.

My honest advice is to skip this strategy altogether.  Rather focus on your position with in the peloton, keep moving up, and stay near the front, but don't ride at the front or off the front. Your goal should be not to do anymore work than is absolutely required to keep a good position.  Don't chase down breaks or initiate breaks.  Wait... as painful as that sounds.

Count your laps, know when you're 10 laps out, then start moving to the front.  Sit in until you are two corners out, then get ready to go, follow anyone moving up. Don't do anything more until you are 400 m out.  Then give everything you got and see where you finish, you might surprise yourself.  90% of sprinting is positioning, timing and reading the race.

Standard Gearing

Standard gearing is 53/39 on the front, simply because the speeds are much faster in a group than on your own.  That said, even in Cat 1/2 I only ever rarely used a 53x11, even in crits where the speeds can often average 55+ kph on faster courses.  A compact gearing (50/34) will likely be fine.


What gloves work well for winter riding?

Bike-specific full-finger gloves are generally going to give you more dexterity, allowing you finer control over shifters and brake levers. They'll also have padding in the places you need it when riding. However, very few of these gloves will be warm enough for winter riding.

The best solution I've found is to ride with a few layers of gloves, using full-finger gloves as the outer layer and thin gloves as the inner layers. On longer rides, you may need to pack several pairs of gloves and switch off as you need to warm up and cool down.

Wind is your biggest enemy when riding in the cold, and your fingers will get cold. Options to prevent this include thicker gloves (like ski gloves), although these will make your hands clumsier; and lobster-claw gloves, which keep groups of fingers together. (Essentially, these are mittens with a split making you look like a Vulcan about to tell someone to "live long and prosper".) I haven't had to get one of those - yet.

Here's what I use, and why:

(click this image for a larger version)

Upper left: Regular cycling gloves

I'll use these, usually with glove liners underneath, when riding in slightly warmer winter weather.

Upper right: Glove liners

These are about the thickness of denim, but can be rolled up like a small pair of socks. I usually take them along for that reason along, but they serve well under regular cycling gloves or even full-finger gloves.

Lower left: Full-finger cycling gloves

I used to bring bulky ski gloves along before I got these. The full-finger cycling gloves  I have are made by Gore, and are super-warm (more so than those bulky ski gloves) and water-repellent. It's a bit of a squeeze to fit liners under them, but it works well. The disadvantage of these gloves is that I can't work my GPS or phone easily with these on. They're also overkill when I'm not riding, or if I'm riding slowly.

Lower right: Conventional winter gloves

These are good for off the bike on a tour, or when the Gore gloves are too warm but the liners/half-finger gloves are too cold. These are also excellent for snowball fights.


spinning handle bar grips - can it be dangerous

In my humble personal opinion, I don't see it being an issue unless you are in an extreme situation such as downhill or freeride stuff, it which case it could result in a crash. Even then I feel like a good lock on grip is just fine and when tightened I have never spun one.

According to WTB is can be dangerous though as their newest line of grips is aimed at stopping exactly that.

  Rotated grips. They end rides, dreams, and winning seasons. So, we solved the problem. In doing so, we also created a more comfortable grip, which utilizes a tapered inner-grip cylinder that interfaces directly with PadLoc-ready handlebars to eliminate rotational slippage entirely. It’s so unique that we applied for US and international patents. And yes, it rules – riding hard with comfort should have been figured out long ago – fortunately, we nailed it. Ride it to believe. Never go back. Locked comfort perfected.

Although i can see the comfort side of their design i feel like they have created a solution to a problem that wasn't a very big one.

With that said i do feel like spinning grips could be potentially dangerous in the "perfect storm" sort of circumstance, especially with it in mind that if they can spin they could potentially slip off as well if your really yanking on them in the turns...

However, under normal everyday commuter and similar conditions I don't think it is something to stress about unless they are loose to the point of spinning freely. Lock ons are proven to work, as is using hairspray between the grips and bars for a little extra grip.


how can you index a 9 speed 11-46 tooth cassette if the gears arent equally apart

It sounds like you're talking about the tooth difference, and not the horizontal spacing between cogs.  Most cassettes are "uneven" in this sense.  It does not affect indexed shifting, so long as the derailer can accommodate the max number of links difference and can "reach" as high as the largest cog.


Is the Shimano UN55 bottom bracket in 68x122.5 and 68x127.5 sizes JIS square taper?

It is JIS.

Shimano doesn't have separate Italian taper cranks, and it does not make sense to them to make BBs that do not fit their other products. Italian taper has been practically obsoleted since Campagnolo switched to two piece cranksets in the 2000s. If you manage to find one now from a competent vendor, it will be clearly marked as one.

Regarding your experience buying online, it does not sound like the vendor did know what they were doing.


Is there any difference between road and mtb discs?

The specific word you need is 'rotor'. If you search for 'Shimano 105 disc brakes' you tend to get the calipers rather than the rotor (which is confusingly actually the 'disc' part).

The latest 105 series rotor part name is SM-RT70. See the Shimano 105 series page.

There will be other rotors that are compatible with 105 calipers, in case you need a 6-bolt rather than a center lock version.

Calipers don't come with rotors because different sizes are required for different applications or preferences.


Loose axis of Shimano Deore FC-M591-S Hollowtech II

Two things, if you take off the drive-side (R) of the crank and the 'axis' moves while you hold onto the chainrings, then the crankset needs replacing (or at the very least, this drive-side part).

Secondly, if there is too much play in the 'axis' while it is still in the bottom bracket, then the bottom bracket cups are probably worn out and will need replacing. I've heard it is possible so service these cups by taking off the plastic rings, but never tried it myself. The cups are usually inexpensive.

Square taper bottom brackets usually last longer but are heavier.

I'm assuming these are already attached to your frame, so you'll need a tool like this too:


How much of a difference will I notice going from a Mountain bike to a road bike?

You will find the journey a lot less effort, as you are dramatically reducing the weight of the bike.
You will also be able to accelerate much faster, as the rolling resistance will be reduced through the use of thinner tyres.
Your gearing is likely to allow for faster speeds as well.
If you previously had suspension, you will notice the ability to accelerate, brake and turn is much better, and more precise.
You will rapidly learn how uncomfortable bumps are so you will have to get used to dodging round stones, potholes etc.


Yes- structural integrity and your own well being. 4mm is a lot of metal to remove in the scheme of things. If I were you I would be looking for a long reach brake caliper instead of modifying the dropout by removing material.


Why are higher-end freewheels so much louder when coasting?

Most of the noise comes from pawls on the freewheel hitting against the splines on the engagment surfaces which makes up the racheting unit.

Some reasons for the noise between freewheels?
Tension on pawls could be higher causing more noise as they glide over the engagment surfaces

High end freewheels have more pawls and engagement points than lower end freewheels, so there are more ridges in the engagement surface and more pawls hitting the splines on the engagement surface. The reason this is desirable is that more pawls and engagement points means faster engagement when you start pedaling.

Different grease (or less grease) could also be used inside higher end freewheels that is less viscous and provides less resistance, allowing the spring action of the pawls to cause more noise as they float over the the splines on the engagement surface since they are less restricted by the grease.

Of course there are exceptions to these.  Some hubs don't use your standard racheting mechanism and use a 'roller clutch' instead. The roller clutches tend to be very quiet, but are more prone to failure.Here's a good description of how those work.  http://pardo.net/bike/pic/mobi/d.winners-hub/index.html


Why do left pedals have inverted thread?

The reverse threading is to counter precession, not friction from the bearings. The wiki page explains it well (and I doubt I could): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_(mechanical)


Shimano Cassette 10 Speed Teeth Selection

The problem is the Tiagra 12-28 is kind of special as it has a more gradual transition between ratios and less aggressive gearing all the way to the middle of the cassette, where the 105 and Ultegra cassettes with a similar total range have a less gradual change and drop much more quickly into more aggressive ratios.

We can compare the tooth counts to see this:

                 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10
-------------------------------------------------------
Tiagra  12-28:  28  25  23  21  19  17  15  14  13  12
   105  11-28:  28  24  21  19  17  15  14  13  12  11
   105  12-27:  27  24  21  19  17  16  15  14  13  12

I personally found that 2 tooth difference in gears 3/4/5 to be highly noticeable for casual riding, especially gear 3, as I personally use that with the big ring up false flats.

This seems to be true of all of Shimano's higher end road cassettes.  I would hazard a guess that these are viewed as being more "race" oriented, where you need to tackle a couple steep sections then you would drop back quickly back into the standard race gearing on the flats.

The closest match to your current 12-28 is a  12-30:

                 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10
-------------------------------------------------------
Tiagra   12-28:  28  25  23  21  19  17  15  14  13  12
Ultegra  12-30:  30  27  24  21  19  17  15  14  13  12

However I am not clear on the max sprocket of the 5700 derailleur.  I have seen it listed as 28T in some documentation, more in other.  Perhaps this could be separate SE question.


The product you are looking for is called "headtube adaptor" or "headset reducer". Once you know the name, you should be able to find them online.

If the headset is in good shape, there should be no reason to replace it. Rebuild usually refers to cleaning, greasing and adjustment, and possibly replacing bearing balls.


Repairing Shimano front shifter ST-EF41-L

Can anybody suggest where to get these small plastic parts?

Buy a new shifter.  Shimano does not sell replacement shifter parts, so the only way to get parts is to buy another shifter.  And it's a lot easier to replace the old broken shifter with a new one than it is to take apart the new one, remove the needed parts, and reassemble the old shifter with the new parts installed.


SR Suntour CR9 suspension cartridge removal

To answer my own question; I used a bearing puller carefully, and it came loose. The cap was only pushed over the rod for about 1 mm, so applying some force by hand may have been enough.


What are the most comfortable endurance bib shorts these days?

This is completely dependent on your body dimensions (the exact shape of the relevant parts) and the exact way you sit and move your legs and the rest of the body. Everyone is different. There is no other way then to try riding in some bib shorts and see if they work well or not. That may even change if you get or loose some considerable amount of body fat or muscles in those areas.


Adjusting the pads is a normal part of maintenance for mechanical disc bikes.

I have a tektro mechanical e-Bike that is ridden with rider+cargo > 200lbs  8 mi/day with 4 steep (> 50 meter elevation change exceeding 20% grade) hills.

I move the adjuster for the moving pad in one "click" weekly when filling tires and readjust the static pad monthly.  I invested money in buying a set of long ball-end hex wrenches, and stopped trying to work a mini bike multi-tool through the spokes to get at the adjuster, it's not really a big deal.

Moving pads in weekly or even twice weekly depending on just how heavy and hilly your idea of "very" is, does not seem extreme.


It's a Mongoose Detain frameset. Originally retailed for around 200 dollars at Walmart as a complete bike.

Comparing the op's frame to the one above it's clear they're not the same if only because the backwards circle has a double seatstay sort of thing. Anyway, the frame matches a google image search so I'm 99% sure I'm right


Given the added details in the question, I'd probably agree with @tommy_o's answer and @armb's comment, but would also say this:

It sounds like you do not currently ride and are looking to start. If this is the case, I wouldn't be tempted to spend too much money first time around.

Obviously you need to spend enough to be comfortable that what you buy is not going to fall apart. But beyond that, your scenario will probably go one of three ways.

You'll end up using the bike just for commuting. In which case 30 miles a week is not heavy use and you don't need any kind of special bike, you just need some tlc every now and again, so there's no point spending lots of money.
You'll end up riding the bike while the sun shines, then leaving it in the garage when its cold or wet or you're running late or you just don't feel like it today. Eventually it'll live in the garage, growing cobwebs and rust. In this case obviously any money you spent on the bike in the first place is lost, so there's not much point spending a lot in the first place.
The third option is the most interesting, and this is what happened to me. You'll use the bike for commuting and will enjoy it so much that you'll start using it more and more at weekends. And as you cycle more, so you will develop tastes, for example for road cycling or off-roading, trails etc. And its very possible that you'll want to get yourself a bike that is more appropriate for your taste. But of course the difference between then and now is that what the time comes, you'll know exactly what type of bike you want and you won't need anyone else's opinion, least of all a bunch of strangers on SE. So again, I'd buy a cheaper bike now, just one that does the job, with a possible view to buying another bike as and when want to take that next step.

By way of example, the bike that got me back into cycling, I bought from a local bike shop who were having a clearout. It was a reputable make, had a Shimano groupset, but beyond that was nothing special (and frankly I wouldn't have known if it was!). It was old even when I bought it new. Cost me just under GBP100 (USD150ish). So not a massive investment. And I used it for commuting roughly the same distance as you.

After two years of commuting I'd had great use out of the bike, it had paid for itself many times over, but I was ready for something better. In my case it was a no-brainer to upgrade to a fixie - not even a second thought.


Oversized tyres and teaching my son to measure!

Regarding diameter: You can't put 26" tires on a 27.5" rim, which it sounds like your son wants to do. I can guarantee with absolute certainty that the new tires will not work because they're the wrong diameter.

Regarding width: We don't know the width of the rims on your son's bike.
Also, rims can handle tires across a range of widths. It is possible that the 2.1" tires on the rims now are at the outer limit of the rims' range, but we have no way of knowing. I'd look at the rim and look up the manufacturer's guidelines online.
Regarding removing the existing tires: do you have tire levers? There are numerous videos showing how to remove a tire. Here's one.


Can you add oil to a hydraulic disc brake reservoir without bleeding the brakes?

There are 2 types of hydraulic brake systems, referred to as open systems and closed systems.

Open systems have a reservoir, with a cap, usually on the brake lever, above the master cylinder.  These systems, when proper care is taken, can have fluid added, or hoses trimmed without rebleeding the brakes.

Closed system brakes, like most older Hayes brakes, (HFX-9, Nine, Original Hayes) can't add fluid, because the only access to the fluid reservoir is through the bleed ports.

Whether you can add fluid or not, if your brakes need to be bled due to water or air contamination, then simply adding fluid will not fix your problem.  If you have a simple fluid leak, with no contamination, then it may work, although you should also look for the source of the leak, and fix it.

Bleeding a brake is not a difficult task, and usually requires few, if any special tools.  If your brakes need to be bled, look up the manual, and give it a go.  You can't really do any permanent damage, and if you follow the directions, you shouldn't have any trouble, anyhow.


Should I be able to peel off a glued tire patch?

No, you shouldn't be able to peel a patch off, regardless of if its a glued or glueless patch.

Confirming that this is a wet-glue patch that has failed to stick?  Possible causes for failure of a patched tube

You didn't clean the tube properly
you didn't buff the tube properly
There is a ridge in the tube which is in the way, has left a tunnel of weakness under the patch
its a latex tube not a butyl rubber tube
The patch was cheap and/or nasty, or possibly old, or damaged by heat/sunlight.
The rubber cement was cheap (watered down or just not very good)
The cement was really just a glue (cheap again)
The cement was old, more-so if it had been sitting around open for a while since your previous puncture fix.
You didn't wait long enough for the cement to dry - 10 minutes is my normal wait time.
You didn't spread the cement out far enough on the tube.   It should make a wet area bigger than the patch.
You stuck the patch on upside-down, so the wrong side was out
When unpeeling the patch backing you touched the surface, and left finger oil or other contaminants enough to interfere with bonding
You didn't press the patch on firmly to the tube.  I use a tool as pictured below, but a round coin works well too.  You have to roll it over the whole patch, back and forth over and along the edges
Did you inflate the tube outside the tyre?  Without restraint, the tube will stretch, which causes extra strain on the cement.

These aren't likely to be the cause of the patch peeling off

You missed the hole completely, or far enough so that it was to the edge of the patch
The hole is too big to be patched.  Cuts over 5 mm generally mean a new tube, and holes more than 2 mm in diameter tend to not patch so good.

EDIT: Other points I missed
 * patching in the rain or dampness - water/cold stops the cement from curing as quickly, and being wet makes you hurry.

Personally I'm not very good at punctures, I have a success rate of 2/3 repaired okay if I start patching a tube.

In a pinch, I've successfully cut a round piece of spare innertube, buffed and glued its innerside, waited 10 minutes and slapped it on the buffed and glued inner tube.    It worked perfectly and is still on the bike today.

I know yours isn't a glueless patch, but for completeness:

By comparison, glueless patches are really glorified stickers.  They don't bond to the rubber of the tube as well as one with vulcanising fluid/cement.  But they're also a lot quicker to buff, slap on and ride more.  Their maximum pressure seems to be lower too, so bad for roadies on 100psi, workable for MTB on 30psi.


How should I adjust fenders/mudguards that catch on the tires?

Front Fenders typically mount using a mounting bracket at the fork crown and a couple supporting members from the fender to the fork legs themselves.  Since you are dealing with a bike that was presumably designed to utilize the fenders you have, I would suggest that if the rear of the fender is rubbing, detach the supporting members attached to the fork legs (one on each side) re-position the fork crown bracket such that the rear does not rub... (note it is not too uncommon to have to bend the bracket a bit to get the positioning you need)  Then re-connect the lower supporting members.


Pro's:

May be a quick roadside fix.
May be able to fix without removing tyre.
May last a long time.
May offer protection against a second puncture in the same wheel.

Con's:

Expensive for a puncture.

Bulky and heavy.
Only one can per tyre.
Wouldn't be suitable for some punctures and would be a waste if you didn't realise this.

This fix may work for a long time, dependent on the sealant and whether it degrades. Silicon sealants do not degrade quickly.

This type of system is good for small punctures where you can quickly identify the cause and eliminate it. If you have a large puncture (such as a tear or a cut) the sealant may not be able to effectively seal it and once the air leaks you would not be able to re-inflate it.

Also it's best practice to ensure you remove the cause of the puncture before inflating a flat tyre. This generally involves removing the tube and checking the tyre so you're not actually saving that much.. If you don't do this you may get a subsequent puncture.

If you are that adverse to fixing a tyre in the rain or at night use a preventative treatment rather than a temporary repair such as this. Use slime tubes (or fill tubes with slime) or move to tubeless and use a sealant such as Stan's. I ride single track twice a week and have put a single scoop of Stan's in each tubeless wheel 6 months ago and have yet had to remove the tyre. I occasionally add air (probably a month ago and this week) so I know I have a leak somewhere but it hasn't required me to fix it yet.


How to keep my hydration pack tubes and valve from freezing?

The trick is to blow the water back up the tube and into the reservoir right after you take a drink.  This will keep your tube and bite valve from freezing.  This works well even at below freezing temperatures when skiing.


STI shifter sometimes doesn't catch in cooler weather

WD40 will work, for awhile, but in the longer term it'll work against you since it's a poor lubricant and will work to prevent future lubing. Spraying some penetrating oil into the ratcheting mechanism is the way to go, long and short term. Gaining access by working the brake on the shifter and spraying, using a long neck attachment for better aim, into the little hole, opposite the cable side, that you can see when applying the brake, leading to the gear ratchet will do the job. Zimm's confirms this, as does my local bicycle shop.

I just did this on an Ultegra gear shifter, using "Super Lube", and now the shifter works like new. After it evaporates it leaves a extremely thin layer that is highly slick.


Shimano Tourney "Rapid Rise" Rear Derailleur Installation

AS you have found out Rapid Rise systems reverse the derailleur spring and direction of positive pull from the shifter. The idea was to make it easier for inexperienced riders to quickly change to lower gears.
You just need to reverse what you would do on a normal derailleur setup:
If you detach the cable the derailleur cage should want to move to the most inboard position over the largest sprocket as you turn the cranks. If the cage does not do this then you'll need to check for an obstruction or the lower derailleur limit adjustment may be incorrect.
Put the shifter in the lowest gear position, then attach the cable. If you are unsure about which end of the shifter range is low or high - when the shifter shifts towards lower gears it should pay out cable, when shifting to higher gears it should pull in cable.


Possible to repair a pushed in braze-on?

Bosses in aluminum frames are typically rivet nuts, aka "pem nuts", which have a head that should be too large to slip back into the frame.

For your frame, it sounds like the Park Tool directions for securing bosses on carbon frames should work equally well.  The top mount on the seat-tube is also the easiest to repair using this method, so you're in luck.


Can I replace the crank on a Raleigh m20 with one from a Schwinn Ranger?

If they're both the same interface, then it should be okay.

There's a fair chance they're both square taper, so you'll need a 14mm socket and a puller to get the good crank off.

You might have problems with the chain line, and the front derailleruerueure will need aligning.

How did you mess up the crank on the raleigh originally?

How's your bottom bracket?  While the crank is off you may as well service it.


The part is called centering sleeve. The easiest way to install it is leaving it to the place where it is shown on the screen shot, then pushing it down with a headset spacer as far as it will go and finally installing the dust cap and pushing with it.

It is not supposed support any load, even if it accidentally did with the old fork. Instead, the bearings are adjusted with the headset cap and held in place by clamping the stem around steerer tube.


Is this cracked rear derailleur safe to use

Define safe.  Are you just worried it will fail or that you will get hurt?

It is going to fail all the way and sooner rather than later.

If it jams into the rear wheel it might damage other stuff (like spokes).

The safe bet is to just replace it now.

If it jams into the rear wheel it might cause you to get hurt.  If pedals jammed might cause you to fall then yes in that respect you could get hurt.

Save it for parts.


Most modern road bike rim brakes only have clearance for 28 or 30mm wide tires. Unfortunately I’m not aware of any real gravel or cyclocross tire with less than 30mm width. With disc brakes some road bikes have clearance up to ~35mm width.
Edit: I should add that older brakes and frames have less clearance, the ability to fit 25 or 28mm tires has really only become commonplace in the last few years. Older (or more race oriented) bikes are sometimes limited to as little as 23mm.
Your best bet is probably Panaracer’s GravelKing SK (small knob) which is available in 28mm width and does have some tread (tiny knobs).
However, I don’t think the tiny knobs are going to make much difference for grip (maybe on grass or relatively firm mud).
Low tire pressure is going to help you much more. I’d just get a high quality road tire (e.g. Conti’s GP5000) and run it at as little pressure as possible.


Proper Weight input for a indoor power meter

Your weight is used for calculating your power to weight ratio (W/kg).

Weight of bike/clothes/other gear is not taken into consideration. It is considered that these things weight about the same for every "pro" cyclist. So you should use your own weight because everybody else is doing that. This way you can compare your results with your competition.


Difference between Campagnolo quick release skewers

With respect to @fandango68, there are a number of misstatements. This part appears correct:

Type 20 - Shamal Ultra, Eurus, Zonda and Neutron Ultra Wheels
Type 40 - Vento, Khamsin and Khamsin CX Wheels
Generic - everything else

I added links to stores that sell the first two types of skewers. I can't find a generic level of Campy skewer. Also, the post may have missed one yet fancier class of Campy skewer for their Bora, Hyperon, or Bullet wheels.
It appears, from browsing Internet catalogs, that the Type 20 skewers and the Hyperon-level ones are an internal cam design, meaning the cam mechanism that closes the skewer is shielded from elements. The 40s appear to be external cam, as corroborated by this post on Velocipede Salon. There are probably some material differences between all the levels of skewers, but I have not physically held any of them. My last pair of Campy skewers is a pair of all steel Record skewers from the 10s era, about the mid 2000s - the nuts, the cam housing, every thing is made of steel. They're heavy but very pretty and functional.
From looking at the catalogs, I would guess that the current high-end Campy skewers probably have some plastic/composite in non-structural places, e.g. the endcaps might have a metal clamping surface surrounded by a plastic nut. I believe this would be true on Shimano's skewers also. I don't know what material Campy's external cam skewers use; I would have to guess that there may be more plastic. This is a guess, I have not personally handled any current-gen Campy skewers.
External cam skewers are usually lighter, but they can get more easily contaminated, and they take more effort to close. More reading at these links. Some prefer internal cam - I'm starting to lean this way.
https://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/angryasian-death-to-crappy-quick-release-skewers-36417/
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a20048321/3-quick-releases-that-wont-fail/
Last, there is absolutely no reason to

... only use Campagnolo skewers on Campagnolo wheels, as per the above.

Campy skewers will work with anybody's wheels, provided the hubs take quick release skewers. Heck, Campy skewers on Shimano wheels will work, and vice versa (the two companies are long time rivals). Also, I haven't really seen this:

it's ridiculous to think a Campagnolo skewer is also marketed specifically to the number of cogs on your cassette - 9, 10 or 11 speed variations! It's just marketing spin.

Sometimes, when people refer to Campy, they'll state the number of speeds to help readers approximately place the groupset era. Shimano has model numbers (e.g. DA 7700 is early 2000s, 9s Dura Ace), but I don't recall that Campy does this. However, if I said 10s Campy Record (like I did above), you know that this refers to components from the early to late 2000s (roughly).
I suspect that fandango may have seen people say this, but it definitely is not a technical issue. Skewers from any era will physically fit into the OP's wheels if the dropout spacing is correct - since about 8-speed, road bikes have had 130mm dropout spacing, so "8-speed" Campy skewers will work with any road bike that takes QR skewers that's been built since that era. I don't recall that Campy skewers are specifically marketed to work with a particular number of speeds. If their literature implies that, just ignore it, it's BS, and most people who are familiar with bikes know this.


Legal to ride bikes on sidewalks in Seattle?

It would seem that cycling on the sidwalk in Seattle is legal:

  Section 11.44.120 RIDING ON A SIDEWALK OR PUBLIC PATH.
  Every person
  operating a bicycle upon any sidewalk or public path shall operate the
  same in a careful and prudent manner and a rate of speed no greater
  than is reasonable and proper under the conditions existing at the
  point of operation, taking into account the amount and character of
  pedestrian traffic, grade and width of sidewalk or public path, and
  condition of surface, and shall obey all traffic control devices.
  Every person operating a bicycle upon a sidewalk or public path shall
  yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian thereon, and shall give an
  audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian.

-- Regulations for Bicycling and Driving with Bicyclists, Seattle Department of Transportation


Suggests that 19mm is the upper limit for 45mm tyres but should still work.

If you have any choice, 23mm wide rims would be better.  Depends if in the future you want larger than 45mm wide tyres, or smaller.


How to route shifter cables along frame to a Rohloff external gear mech?

As you have a steel frame, you will get the best result if you have a competent framebuilder add the appropriate brazeons. There are two sorts of brazeons that one could use:

Cable tie guides, where the cable housing is fixed in a groove with a small cable tie (looks much better than a big cable tie around the entire tube!)
various shapes of short tubes or rings, where the cable housing is fed through

Have a look at Ceeway for what is available (or talk to your framebuilder).

For a visually pleasing end result, the frame will need a new paint job after adding brazeons.


25 degree rise stem vs 6 degree rise stem with taller head tube - how is handling affected?

The weight distribution is affected only by the location of saddle and handlebars related to the wheels. It does not matter whether it is by higher rise stem or higher head tube.

The difference that might affect handling is that system of frame with high head tube and short stem is stiffer than one of lower head tube and longer angled stem. You can feel the difference when pedaling hard, but any modern stem will be far stiffer than old-fashioned quill stems used to be.

There is a financial difference, is your fitter recommending custom frames?


Can PROMEND cleats match Fizik Shoes and Look pedals?

You know the debate between OEM and aftermarket parts in auto insurance and repair? There’s a bit of that issue going on here, but I would generally come down more on the OEM side.
Exustar and Xpedo are two companies that make pedals and cleats based on Look’s Keo system. I don’t know if these are/were licensed copies, where they went to Look and paid a fee, or if the Keo system is off-patent and no licensing was involved. Those two companies are well known, however. In fact, James Huang at Cyclingtips actually recommended using Exustar cleats with Look pedals.
I am not aware of Promend having such a history with aftermarket manufacturing. At a casual glance, I saw their stuff being sold on Aliexpress, so I’d assume they’re based in mainland China. I recently was browsing Amazon, and I saw a bunch of SPD-SL cleats being offered by off-brand manufacturers (I believe the SPD-SL patent expired recently, so this is presumably legal) as well. With any non-OEM part, here are the ways it could vary from the OEM version:

The physical dimensions of the part might not be identical. If you read the Cyclingtips article, Huang essentially says that the Exustar cleat has different dimensions than the OEM cleat, only in that case it’s an advantage. It eliminates the side to side rocking that some people have reported.
The tolerances of the part could be different. Tolerance is frequently used as a synonym for variance in this setting. Here, the parts might vary in size more than the OEM stuff, e.g. you have more cleats that are a bit too small, and fit sloppily.
The materials could be different. Perhaps the plastic is poorer quality and wears faster.

Without a history, I would assume that the Promend cleats will fit in your Look pedals. However, given the lack of history and the fact that they’re probably a low-cost producer, it’s more likely that they will not work as well.
I don’t necessarily mean this post as a condemnation of aftermarket parts in cycling. There are numerous known good aftermarket parts. Kool Stop pads for rim brakes are one - in fact, many posters flout this site’s rule against product recommendations in this one case, because they are objectively that good. For chains, KMC are known to produce decent chains. YBN is less well known in this space, but I have read good reviews of its chains and quick links. Jagwire does produce good cable sets. All these units are either more cost effective than OEM equipment and still perform close or equal, or in a few cases they may actually be better.
As to the cleats, I realize that the off brand stuff is half the price of the OEM cleats. Nonetheless, OEM cleats are still cheap, as are cleats from the known good aftermarket manufacturers. And they are one of your contact points with the bicycle, and you don’t really want your cleats squirming around in ways that they shouldn’t (I.e. exhibiting play) because the tolerances were poor or because the plastic was junk. Life is too short to use junk aftermarket cleats.
This is not a knock on manufacturing in China, either. The Macbook Pro I'm typing this answer on was made in China, and it was made quite well apart from the issue with the butterfly keyboards - but that was a poor design choice, and that originated with Jony Ive at Apple HQ in California. Most carbon frames are manufactured in China, and the cream of the crop factories produce really good frames. With high quality items produced in China, someone has researched which factories to use, they presumably do some of their own quality control in addition to any QC done at the factories, and they are willing to put their name and address on the Internet and to stand behind their products. Who on earth is Promend? Do they offer a warranty? My issue is more with products from anonymous sellers on Aliexpress.


What is the relationship between tyre pressure and weight?

It's not about energy to accelerate the bike to speed, but the energy to keep it there. For bicycles the kinetic energy is a small part of the total power output of the rider (typically under 10m/s = 36km/hour and 100kg, and e=1/2 m v² = .5 * 100 * 10² = 5000J or watt-seconds. So a casual rider putting out 250W could reach 36kph in 20 seconds, assuming no friction)

The relevant factor is rolling resistance, not weight. On a flat surface there's a more or less parabolic relationship between tyre pressure and rolling resistance. The region you're talking about is the low side of the curve, where more pressure in the tyre gives lower rolling resistance. The losses here are mostly from deforming the tyre, so riding underinflated is costing you money in increased tyre wear as well as time through riding slowly.

There's also a relationship between total weight and optimum tyre pressure. Vittoria have an online calculator and there's a simpler one here with a link to the papers it's based on. Basically, more weight means more pressure and it's not a linear relationship.

To answer your question, then: assume we're in a linear part of the curve just for simplicity{1}, with 80/100 of the pressure you need 80/100 the total weight. Assuming an 90kg rider with a 10kg bike = 100kg total at 100psi, that means you'd need a -10kg bike to keep the same rolling resistance at 80psi (90kg rider -10kg bike = 80kg total). Or alternatively, starting with a 90kg+10kg at 80psi bike, you could carry an extra 25kg at 100psi and have the same rolling resistance (100kg * 100 / 80 = 125kg).

From experience though, increased tyre wear is not a big factor. At one stage I was only riding about 8-9km each way to work so I dropped the tyre pressure on my slick tyre MTB to compensate. Tyre lifetime was still determined by tread wear and didn't seem to drop - it definitely wasn't halved, for example. Bike handling was compromised a bit and I did get more punctures (n~3, though)

{1} this is obviously not true, but it makes the maths possible. The real curve is very complex and specific to a particular tyre. It's also affected by road surface and riding style, among other things.


Can I replace my 1/4" wheel bearings with slightly smaller ones?

Are you sure you're putting in the right number of balls?  Generally, when a bearing is new there is about a half-ball space left when you have a full complement of balls.  As the bearing wears this gets to be closer to a full ball's space.  It's easy to see the space and think you should put in another ball, but you don't need one.

(To hold the balls in place, of course, dab some grease into the race.  Place the balls in the grease, and install the greased cone.  This makes it fairly easy to reassemble a hub.)


You may be able to adjust the friction. Adjusting the tension in the cable probably won't help.

This is a bit of a known issue with some combinations:

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/1069395-shimano-rd-5701-hard-shift-friction-shifters.html
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/components-wrenching/shimano-friction-shifter-adjustment-183941.html

Unfortunately you're unlikely to be able to find a weaker return spring to fit.


Can Shimano Claris R2000 shifters be paired with Claris 2400 derailleurs?

Yes, you can use any 8 or 9 speed rear derailleur (with the traditional cable pull ratio, but SRAM 1:1 does not matter here) with 8 speed shifters. The same for the front ones. That includes these two Claris generations.
Your combination is compatible.


Start with short sleeves, arm warmers and a light jacket and layer.

Everybody has different tolerance for temperature changes, but here is what I normally wear on my upper body.

65°F (18°C) or higher: Short Sleeve Jersey
55-65°F (13-18°C) Short Sleeve Jersey with Arm Warmers
45-55°F (7-13°C) Short Sleeve Jersey and a Jacket/Windbreaker
35-45°F (2-7°C) Short Sleeve Jersey, Arm Warmers and Jacket - or Long Sleeve Jersey (see below)
Below 35°F (2°C) PolyPro Base Layer T-shirt and a combination of the top layers...

My primary decision on whether to use arm warmers or a long sleeve jersey is what the temperature it is forecast to be when I head home.  If I think it's borderline or will be warm enough I pick the arm warmers in the morning so I can ride in the short sleeve on the way home.  I have about 25 short sleeve jerseys, 2 lighter and 2 heavier thermal fleece long sleeve jerseys. I rarely wear the LS above 35-40°F.

Also - for flexibility you may want to look at a convertible cycling jacket where the sleeves can be removed.  That gives you additional options like using the full jacket in the morning, and using it as a vest on the ride home.


What kind of freewheel/cassette is this?

It's called a Helicomatic. The idea was to make a freewheel that does not need a lockring that has to be torqued tight. The helical splines make the freewheel tighten itself.

Amazingly we had this exact question about a month ago, so I flagged this as a duplicate question.


Hand numb during sleep after training ride

Could be a number of things causing this, as others have mentioned in the comments just moving your hands around during the ride might be the fix.
You didn't mention what type of riding you're doing, but as someone who had similar concerns after a decent MTB ride (around 50km), here's a few things I did and was advised to try

Worked on using my core to hold me up rather than putting all that weight through my arms and hands
Got a set of ergo grips with a little "shelf" for the heal of my hand and take the weight off my palms
Got some small bar ends.  In the long haul part of the ride gave me more places to put my hands
Raise the handle bar.  Puts you into a more of an upright position so weight further back
Narrower bar, again as per above
Shorter Stem, as number 4

I did 2 & 3 while training myself to use my core.  Now I'm back on normal grips and as long as I remember to move my hands around, problem gone


Why do low-quality bikes have horizontal dropouts, even though they aren't fixed speed?

I feel certain that the reason comes down to cost.  Quality frame builders surely hold the seat tube, chain stays, seat stays, and the dropouts in a fixture when being welded together.  But surely accurate alignment costs money: more expensive machinery, fancier robots, and more skilled workers.  And of course frames that fail the dropout alignment test must be rejected or reworked.  Having horizontal dropouts eliminates these costs.

After having spent years maintaining a series of cheap department-store bicycles (BSOs) with chromed-steel rims and bolt-on axles, I was thrilled the first time I took the rear wheel off my first quality bicycle.  A quick-release skewer!  Dropouts with exact alignment!  A wheel that stays true, even!  With the BSOs, half the work in any maintenance procedure that involved removing the wheel was getting the rear wheel alignment correct after reinstallation so that the brake shoes didn't drag on the rim.


How to convince fellow cyclists to follow the rules, like stopping at red lights?

Coming from Vienna, Austria where most of the people are known to be rather grumpy, I would recommend to avoid talking to people directly. I have made some rather bad experiences with this approach and very few successes.

I have read a Book about Psychology named "Die Kunst kein Egoist zu sein" by Richard David Precht, and as I remember he states something interesting:

  Everyone tries to maintain a good self image.  So, in the moment
  someone decides to break a rule, that someone declares for himself
  that this rule does not apply for him in this situation. For example,
  when he runs a red light, he already made the decision to, and in the
  same moment made an excuse for his action, to have a clear conscience.

So, in my Opinion, in the moment you speak to him, you break his peace of mind. I think he won't be to happy about it. He already made the decision, and in this moment you are in a bad position to talk to him.

So to convince folks to obey the rules, there should be better education for bicyclists (handouts, information, courses) as well as better infrastructure (like having crossings where you do not have to wait for one traffic light as a car but three traffic lights as a cyclist).  This can be reached if cyclists unite and advocate for this. If some cyclists know the rules and follow them, other cyclists will do the same. So be a great example! Our bicycle union in Austria has some flyers to give to cyclists, where a basic description of important rules is included. I only give these to people I know or people that look like it is their first day on a bike, but that also might be an option.

There will always be some gung-ho cyclists, but at least for me I am lucky that this people do not steer a car with the same gung-ho attitude.


Could I use a front rim to build a rear wheel?

In the days before factory built wheelset, rims where produced without being specifically for front or rear wheels. On most general-use standard bicycles it is still that way. The only difference was the spoke-hole count.

But many rear wheel rims today are no longer symmetrical, meaning the right side is different from the left. This is mainly due to the fact that with 11 or even 12 speed cassettes the dish of the wheel is very unsymmetrical and the angle at which the spokes reach the rim makes the spokes puts a lot of pull on the rim. This is being countered by positioning the spoke holes differently for the drive or non-drive side.

Although 36 holes was and still is the normal count on most bicycles, you could build wheels with 32 or 28 spokes, those being mostly used on front wheels, mostly for weight saving or aerodynamics.

Nowadays many rims are specialised for their use and designed for front or rear wheels in mind, mostly for aerodynamic or load bearing abilities and often with different spoke counts. Although with the advent of disc brakes the spoke count on many front wheels is on the rise. Disc brakes put about the same stress on front wheel as the drive puts on the rear.

But if you use one of the many 'standard' rims that are still in production, you may build a rear or front wheel with any rim.

Side-note: In the old days also front wheels would be built with thinner often double-butted spokes (1.5-1.2-1.5mm), while rear wheels had thicker (2mm) straight spokes.


A stretched chain will wear out gears (especially the rear cassette). You can see when this because the teeth get worn away to points - it's very obvious.

But it's very unlikely you wore out a chain and gears in 1000 Km. What is more likely is that the cable has stretched slight from new and the derailuer is out of adjustment so it is putting the chain slightly between two gears.   For adjustment details see - http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

To answer your question - No you aren't going to do any damage by using only one gear, if it's the correct gear. You are going to stretch the chain, and break more of them by being in too high a gear - just like in a car. You will also wear the chain faster by being in a 'bad' gear - eg on the inner front cog and the smallest back cog or (v.v.)


Kids bike front wheel falls to the side while on kickstand

Bicycle handlebars and fork are supposed to turn feely, so the fork turning to the side the bike leans is not a problem.

It may be the angle of the fork, weight of the bars or the angle the kickstand put the bike at that make it do this more than other bikes.

You can check the headset bearings (the bearings that the fork turns on) are loose by holding the front brake on and rocking the bike backwards and forwards. If you can feel the fork moving in the frame the bearings are loose, of you cannot feel any movement that are fine.


Based on other experience it should be able handle 11 Speed.
But because it's already discontinued, I've been able to negotiate to buy only the rim(WTB Frequency Team i23).


what oil for daily fork tube lubrication?

"Slick Honey" is actually a grease, not an oil. It will be applied to rubber seals which get in touch with the tubes and thereby with dust, mud, etc. The Rock Shox 5w/15 oil is maiused inside of the fork but also for the (foam) dust wipers within the rubber top caps of the fork.

Anyway.
Instead of "Slick Honey" you can also use "r.s.p. SlickKick Grease", "SRAM Butter" or "SRAM PM600 Military Grease" for service according to service intervals.
If the fork does not run smooth you could apply a bit of products such as "Finish Line Max Suspension Spray" after bike wash – but there are mixed opinions on stuff like that.

Personally I try to keep the tubes clean, wipe the off after every mud/dirt ride. If there is a week of heavy riding ahead, but last service is not too long ago, I sometimes apply 5w/15 oil on the tubes: http://enduro-mtb.com/en/how-to-the-quick-suspension-service-after-each-tour/

Happy riding!


Getting a dura ace 7800 derailleur to work with 10 speeds

The Dura Ace 7800 rear derailleur has two different positions for the pinch bolt/clamp that holds the cable in place.  One of these positions will limit the derailleur's range, and make it incompatible with 10 speed systems.

If you loosen the bolt, re-orient the clamp, and tighten again, it should work on your 10 speed system without any problems.


What are the pros and cons of different types of shifter cables?

Regular cables:

Pros:

inexpensive
easy to find

cons:

generally lower quality than slick ones
much of the time they are not pre-stretched, so they have to wear in.
heavier

Slick cables:

Pros:

initially slightly faster shifting
generally come pre-stretched
lighter

cons:

(a big one) once the coating wears off, the shifting becomes A LOT worse, and the cables need to be changed. This is fairly common if the housing isn't cut right or there is bend when entering/exiting a housing stop.
very expensive
installation is harder as the cables are more fragile
adjustment is more finicky

Stainless Steel Cables:

don't rust
slightly slicker

Galvanized:

Cheaper
more bendy


Are there any locking options that lock the drive train of a bicycle?

Wheel locks are an implementation of this idea. They simply prevent the rear wheel from turning, which is effectively the same thing.

Again, any thief with large enough bolt cutters will be able to effectively sidestep the problem without hassle. But worse than that, the odds of your bike being stolen while being immobilized like this are still orders of magnitude higher than locking your bike to something with a U-lock. Any thief can merely pick up the bike and run off with it (which is more doable than you'd think) or toss it into the bed of a pickup and be gone.

And that's simply what it comes down to. Locking the drivetrain doesn't provide any additional mechanism that a prepared thief wouldn't already be able to work around, and, while better than leaving your bike totally unlocked, is still far less safe than a U-lock.


Edited see comments below

This is from the BMC website. Cut-and-paste for reference.

  BMC’s frames are made mostly using UD carbon fibre. UD stands for
  unidirectional. Unlike more traditional carbon fibre products that use
  a woven carbon finish (criss-crossed finish like a woven piece of
  material), UD carbon is literally a piece of carbon material with the
  filaments all running in one direction. BMC’s frames are made from
  many different pieces of UD carbon that are woven together, similar to
  what is done in textile production. Some of our frames contain around
  350 individual pieces of carbon fibre that go into the mould before
  heating and curing takes place. These material sheets - some very
  small, some very large - are laid at different angles across each
  other to achieve different results: torsional strength, compliance
  areas, rigidity, and so on. The layup of these sheets is extremely
  important to the end result. This is actually the art of building a
  carbon fibre frame.

  On our unpainted frames, you  can see the result of these carbon fibre
  sheets overlapping each other through the clear coat covering the
  frame. We are actually very proud to be able to show this real effect
  on our frames. It shows not only the true workmanship of the frame,
  but also the resulting quality as the frame exits our moulds. Many
  bike manufacturers prefer to paint their frames because there are
  often many imperfections in the finish that need to be re-worked using
  a filler before waiting for it to dry, sanding it, and then giving it
  a final paint job (a bit like a panel shop). This is a cheaper way to
  finish the frames, ensures you have no reject quantity, and allows you
  to use less stringent production techniques.

  On unpainted BMC frames, when you look 'into' the frame, you see the
  actual quality of what’s on the inside – we are showing you our finish
  and quality and we are very proud of that.


My Serfas USL-5 raider usb headlight failed after rain, should I attempt user service?

Don't attempt user service.  The rubber front-piece doesn't give access to the body, the case body is tightly shut, and there is no way in through the power button.  All you'll do is ruin the pre-existing water resistance by damaging the seal on the rubber front-piece.

Do leave the light indoors in a dry area and allow natural movement of moisture to clear the light.  In some cases this will allow the light to return to normal functioning after 2-3 days or more.

If you have removed the rubber front-piece, carefully and gently use a flat nose screwdriver or plastic probe to lift the plastic body of the light and try to use finger pressure to cram the rubber gasket back into place.  It will be held by plastic alligator style jaws that come together when the body of the light reseals.  Just be gentle and keep at it and you'll get most if not all of the way there eventually.


Ways to combine Shimano M-615 SGS with 9-speed cassette and shifter

Shimano 9 and 10 speed mountain stuff have different cable pulls.

So, if you want to use a Shimano 10 speed mountain  derailleur in a Shimano 9 speed setup (i.e. 9 speed shifter + cassette) you either need to:

Buy a friction shifter, which obviously doesn't care about the speeds
Buy a device which can change the cable pull appropriately (in this case, a JTek Shiftmate 6 would work) and use a Shimano-compatible 9 speed shifter. Note that this will likely cost more than the 9 speed derailleur.

10 speed cassettes in a 9 speed system introduce another level of complication since the cogs are a different distance apart, and would require a different adjustment to cable pull. It'd be like you cascaded a JTek Shiftmate 2 and 6.


What are good sites/places to buy/sell bike parts for older bikes?


Is there a wheel which can use both disc brakes and rim brakes?

Rim brakes need an appropriate braking surface on the rim -- if you apply rim brakes to a rim which doesn't have an appropriate braking surface, it'll wear down the rims quickly to be unsafe to ride on (or possibly damage the rims in other ways).

Disc brakes need a hub that can mount a disc rotor.

As you can note from the two points above, they're basically independent requirements -- you can easily build a wheel which has a rim suitable for rim brakes and a disc brake hub so you can use disc brakes.

People do build and sell wheels with a disc brake hub and a rim suitable for rim brakes. These used to be more common than they are now since disc brakes are cheap, but you can still find them.

The question of why you want one is another matter -- in the past, it was relatively common to find bikes spec'd with rim brakes from the factory, but the frames were suitable for mounting a disc brake (for the user to upgrade). These days, a lot of bikes that would have come in that configuration have dropped the rim brake bosses and just gone disc brake only to begin with because the public expects discs.

In regards to the edit: " I want to get new wheels, and I want to be able to swap them between frames. I don't want to convert all my frames to disc brakes, but I do want parts compatible between all my bikes."

Obviously, you need to make sure all bikes can physically accept the wheels ( compatible frame spacing, rim size are the main things; if you had a more specialized case e.g. 1 bike using regular QR and another thru axles, you'd know about that and deal with it; EDIT: Carel has done more details in the comments for road bikes, for example).

But even assuming this is the case, you may not want to do this. Why? Usually, the (non-custom) wheels that are sold this way are on the low end of the quality spectrum (which raises reliability issues). If you are going to build custom wheels this way, you can get very good wheels BUT there is a decent likelihood that you could get a good disc wheel and a good rim wheel for less than the cost of going custom, unless you have special needs (e.g. you're very heavy).


SRAM Rival brake caliper screws/bolts are rusty, how to replace?

I can answer this question myself, having removed the screws, measured them, ordered replacements, got the wrong size, and so on.  So other people can learn the easy way!

The screws (or bolts?) are M4x6 button-head.  The threaded portion is actually slightly longer than the nominal 6mm on my set, closer to 7mm.  But if you buy M4x8 screws you will find that they do not fit, because while the hole they thread into is plenty deep, it seems to be untapped beyond a certain depth.  So 7mm is the absolute maximum threaded length for these screws, and you should buy M4x6.  I chose titanium ones, but stainless would be fine too.

If you want to follow what I did, you should also see my follow-up question which describes how a tiny ball bearing will fly out of your brakes if you allow the QR mechanism to come apart when you remove the screw: What size is the tiny ball bearing used in SRAM brake caliper quick release detents?


Shimano GRX lever with cantilever brakes

No. GRX levers are only designed for hydraulic brakes. All cantilever brakes that I know of are actuated by cables.
Edit: per Adam's comment, Magura does make hydraulic cantilever-style rim brakes, e.g. the HS33. However, these pair to Magura's own flat bar brake levers. I was not aware of this fact, and I didn't consider these brakes.
In Googling the Magura brakes, it does seem like some people used them on mountain bikes in the mid to late 2000s as disc brakes were growing in prevalence but many older MTBs had fittings for V-brakes. Thus, they might have sufficient power for cyclocross. However, to pair them with GRX shifters, I am not certain that the mineral oils that Magura and Shimano use as hydraulic fluid are completely inter-compatible. Mineral oil refers to a general class of hydrocarbons, so the composition and additives might differ between manufacturers. If they are not compatible, you would risk damaging the rubber seals or other components of the brake calipers and/or the shifters. A Magura rep in 2013 swore that the fluid they used then was incompatible with Shimano fittings. I have seen people on forums say they use Shimano oil in Magura units, but I am honestly not sure I would chance it. I'm more writing this out of general interest.


If you at the Sheldon Brown tire width chart,  you can see that there's only 1 width listed where 23 and 32 are recommended. On that page, he says using too narrow a tire can result in pinch flats and rim damage. If you think about the extreme case, where the width of the rim is almost as wide as the tire flattened out, then you wouldn't have much cushion between the rim and the road.

What is your reason for wanting to go with such a narrow tire? Wider tires are more comfortable and offend have less rolling resistance. the advantages of narrow tires are lighter weight, and more aerodynamic. however, the aerodynamics only matter at very high speeds, and a good quality 32 mm tire won't be that much heavier than a 23mm one. If you want to go a little narrower, you should probably try 28 or 25 at a minimum. A lot of racers are using 25 mm tires now.


What are UCI categories for cyclocross events?

These are quite high-profile events. I think you do need a license, C1 and C2 are pro categories.

From a random website:

  What does UCI, C1 and C2 mean?

  That means some of the world’s best cyclocross racers will be right
  here in Rochester racing at the Rochester Cyclocross in Genesee Valley
  Park!  Including a bunch of current and past national champions, the
  competition will be fierce – so don’t miss a second of it! UCI stands
  for the “Union Cycliste Internationale”, they are based in Switzerland
  and they are the worlds governing body for professional cycling. C1
  and C2 refers to the level of international event – C1 is the highest
  level ( there are only SEVEN of these in the USA).

https://rochestercyclocross.com/frequently-asked-questions/

There should be non-UCI races around. In UCI races you have to have a frame with the right UCI-approved sticker and 33 mm tyres.  In amateur friendly races the riders are often not eliminated when lapped and can use wider tyres or even other types of bikes.

Note that in America there are often amateur categories as "side races" taking place on the same course during tha same weekend as the C1 and 2 races.


If the derailleur still shifts normally, you may have nothing to worry about. It sounds like it could be a few things:

Does your rear wheel sit in a dropout, or is the length of the wheelbase adjustable front to back? If it's adjustable, it's possible that the wheel skewer bolt got loose and allowed the rear wheel to slide forward, causing excessive slack in the chain.
Your chain somehow stretched dramatically
The spring in your derailleur is shot


Storing commuter bicycle indoors during winter

Your bike would like the same conditions as you yourself would like - room temperature air and humidity.

Also bikes dislike being left salted - if your location salts the roads then rinsing this off after your ride is an excellent idea to preserve

If space is an issue, there are several solutions for small spaces.  If you have space up high then there are rope/pulley combos that raise your bike up.   Or you can hang them vertically from the front wheel from a wall hook.  Search sites like http://instructables.com for ideas on this point.

Apartments tend to be upstairs - do be careful of your bike carrying it up stairs or manoevering it in a lift/elevator.  Carbon doesn't like being knocked or chipped, so impacts are bad.

Does your apartment have any sort of storage locker?  If there are sufficient cyclists then there may be sufficient call for a shared space which is easier to access.  Plus the rest of the building occupants won't need to put up with bikes in the hallways.


Not enough clearance on road discs for rotor (rotor rubbing)

Many brakes just don't work very well with the squeeze-the-lever-and-tighten-the-bolts technique, despite whatever the manufacturer says. It's worth trying but also something that needs to be given up on quickly if it doesn't just work.

Centering it by eye using a white paper as backdrop is a normal thing to have to do. Don't overtighten the caliper bolts; 8nm is all you need and will generally let you avoid squirm.

While you have the white paper out, make sure to check out your parallelism, and get the mounts faced if needed.

You don't indicate how true the rotors are. Many need truing out of the box - again it's not necessarily how it's supposed to be, but it's how it is.

Unlike what's sometimes seen with DOT brakes, brand new mineral oil brakes such as this usually don't actually have issues with the pistons being overextended and not able to retract fully. You can double check that you're good on that front by taking the pads out and confirming that you're able to push the piston faces down level with where the pad will sit against the caliper body. If you can't, that's weird, but it would mean you'd need to either bleed the brake or potentially burp some fluid and then bleed if it doesn't go smoothly enough.


Fixed gear bike: when I stop the bike completely I can move the pedals back and forth very slightly is this normal?

The chain should not be 'as tight as possible'. There should be some slack. If the chain is over-tensioned you will accelerate wear on it and the sprockets, and increase the possibility of snapping it.

There will be some pedal movement when the rear wheel is prevented from rotating, due to chain slack and the fact that the spaces between the sprocket teeth are larger than the chain rollers.


Derailleur does not match up with chain after tube replacement

I think this was a pre-existing condition in your drivetrain that you just didn't notice before removing the wheel. Have you tried riding the bike and seeing if it functions as before, when the right way up and pedalling forward?

There does seem to be resistance in the jockey wheels in the derailleur cage. You can try removing, cleaning and re-lubricating them.


Fork bent on a flat pack bike - what to do?

Your bike (27.5 Orkan 21 spd. MB) sells for less than US$150 and is shipped flat packed. This puts it firmly in what we call BSO or bicycle shaped object territory.

At US$150, it’s hard to find a repair that isn’t going to cost half as much that the bike is worth. You might have the best success going to a bike coop and finding a used fork for $10-20 (or free) and learning how to repair it yourself.

Or you could just donate the bike to the bike coop and they’d use it for donor parts. Or give it to someone as a project bike. The reality is that to get to the US$150 retail price point, the bike is value engineered to the hilt (likely $50 total landed) so is built with the absolute cheapest components and as a result isn’t  worth much. The reason amazon refunded your money is that the shipping back to them is more than the bike is worth.


I agree with @ojs answer on point (1), you can just cut it with a hacksaw but with the exception of point (2) "the common consensus seems to be at least 5 cm of insertion" - the standard minimum insertion mark on a seatpost is 100mm, double this. You may get away with a bit less, like ~90mm or maybe even 80mm but 50mm would seem very much on the short side to me.

The general idea is that the seatpost should extend a decent amount beyond the bottom of the top tube. 5cm is unlikely to accomplish this on most bikes. He may have been thinking inches.

I'd leave this as a comment on his answer rather than an answer on its own but I don't have the reputation and it is an important issue for safety.


Wheel with Centerlock hub for disc brakes and rim for caliper brakes

I've used such wheels for some time on my hardtail. First with V-brakes back and front, then switched to disk brakes as the frame allowed both types of brakes. I cannot say that I have experienced any issues with such wheelset.

My centerlocks hubs even came with plastic covers on disk mounting surfaces so that they would not become dirty when no disks are present.


Is this brake cable alignment correct or problematic?

Frames and set us do differ so sometimes you can't use the built in cable routing without making the cable bend at an unrealistic angle. This can be resolved by leaving a bit more cable so it can (in your pic) loop a little under the chain stay and then probably miss out that cable route. However, saying that, looking at the pic the rubber housing makes the angle look particularly severe and it probably won't be that bad.

I would offer up the cable and see how it looks and if you are worried about it I would just use some tie wraps on that section.

Alternatively there may be a better brake that suites so check what brake came as standard and see if the angles look any different.


Seatpost mounted luggage rack on carbon frame

For the sake of argument, let's suppose you weigh 70 kg, and 60% of your weight is being carried directly over the seatpost (the rest being on your hands). Let's further suppose that you have 10 kg of gear cantilevered out behind the seatpost, with its center of mass being 30 cm away.
In terms of what the frame "sees," the seatpost rack would move your combined center of mass backward by 58 mm. This would be about the same as if you started with your seat fully forward on the rails, and moved it fully rearward and carried the additional load on your back. My guess is the frame can handle that kind of loading.


What tyres would be better suited? 32c or 35c

Good wide tires don’t necessarily have bad rolling resistance. If you have to go slow because of bad roads it will slow you down much more (and be much more uncomfortable).
I’d consider going even wider than 35mm or at least get a bicycle which has the option of fitting wider tires.
I’m not sure what’s available in your area but I’d get something like the Schwalbe Marathon Racer or Marathon Almotion or Continental Contact Urban or TopContact.
Punctures are not directly related to tire width. Pinch flats are mostly related to low tire pressure (i.e. your pressure being so low that the tube gets pinched between tire and rim).


How does a double-headed bicycle pump work

A small piston or diaphragm is centered by a light spring when pressure is equal and this allows a little air passage opening exposed on both sides. Any pressure imbalance causes the the mechanism to move slightly to one side which closes the low pressure passage and fully opens the passage on the high pressure side.
In physics and engineering this is called an unstable system, a small change cascades to a large change.
The empty tube issue was because the pressure difference was less than the centering-spring preload.
The mechanism could also be a ball rather than piston or diaphragm. Same basic concept as the piston but it uses a ball to close a hole on the low pressure side. In this case more air volume escapes from the open side so the ball gets blown over to that side and plugs the hole which causes pressure to build on the closed side and keeps the ball in place.

It is actually a pretty clever bit of kit, simple, reliable, easy to manufacture.


The ball-end wrenches are really handy when there's an obstruction in front of the bolt, since they can be inserted at a slight angle.

But since the contact area is smaller, you're slightly more likely to strip the hole. So I would use a regular wrench when possible.


Bottom bracket feels rough, should I replace it

It sounds to me like the bearing are dry. While you might get a few more miles out of it, I would replace it. As you stated it is a non serviceable bearing assembly. You have most of the work done already so why put it back together only to have to take it apart later.


Front drum (was disc) brake only works when going backwards (!)

There are two possibilities:

1.) The roller brake mechanism and internals are completely seized. Based on the level of rust on the outside of the brake, there is a strong possibility that there is rust inside as well.

Shimano roller brakes do need to be in fairly good condition, and have the correct Shimano grease in them to work well. If the brake had a very thick type of grease injected into it, it may have gummed up the brake completely.

The Shimano Nexave roller brakes, are technically serviceable, but are not warrantied by Shimano if opened up. They are designed as a complete unit; replacement internals are not available, and must be scavenged from other brakes. Most shops will typically not service the internals; know that if a shop is willing to, there are no new parts going into the brake.

Nexave brakes are fairly inexpensive, and any good shop should be able to supply you with a replacement, and install it as well. Despite my normal recommendations to overhaul existing equipment, this is one instance where replacement is the best route.

2.) You are possibly missing a spacer/locknut between the brake drum and the frame.

While this is not your exact brake, the parts are similar. You may be missing item #2.

It looks as though the end of the fork blade may be contacting the drum, and exerting pressure on the drum, preventing it from springing back. Be sure that there is the appropriate locknut holding the brake unit in place, and the over-locknut dimension is 100mm.

This is only likely if the hub has been overhauled, and the brake was put on incorrectly, with the locknut missing.

The reason the brake works while rolling backwards is that the drum is being pushed in the "open" direction, loosening the internals (from whatever is making them stick), and allowing the brake to operate normally.


You will need a crown race reducer.

1-1/2" -> 1-1/8" is a pretty common size. The 1-1/4" -> 1-1/8" that you are looking for is rarer but it probably exists. Maybe the de-evolution from Chris King.

If you can find that part, the existing bearing can stay.

Also do some research on the Problem Solvers headtube reducer; you would just use the bottom piece. If you use this, you can use the existing crown race (and bearing obviously).


Why does this bike have bosses on the bottom of the down tube?

I would have to assume those are the...

  Extra Features:
  Tyre clearance for up to 700 x 45c with full mudguard and rack mounts

...that are mentioned on their website. Too far apart and to close to the tire to be anything else really.


Can I fit road tyres on a cyclo cross bike?

Yes, you can! It looks like that bike comes with Mavic CXP23 rims, which can fit down to 19mm tires I think. You would defiantly have no problem with 700x23 tires. I'm surprised it comes with 35, that seems a bit wide for those rims, but you should be OK.


Refurbishing mountain bike - left standing for couple of years

Now then, seeing as it's been in a garage, it's obviously collected dust. Not too far off being collecting enough to seize some bearings. First, wash the bike clean. I mean, make it very clean. You don't want to work on a dirty bike that'd make any new parts dirty, as well. warm water, washing up liquid and a sponge is great. Clean from top to bottom, not the opposite way round, as it makes two job for yourself. Once you've done that, rinse it. A pressure washer is fine in this case because we will be servicing the bearings anyway, so it doesn't matter. If you weren't going to service the bearings, don't use a pressure washer, or avoid bearings and other sensitive parts, as you could blast out all the grease.

Nip down to a local bike shop (LBS) and buy some good quality degreaser, Teflon grease, chain lubricants that vary in styles (wet environments, dry environments, etc) and try to get hold of some good cleaning equipment in your house or, again, shop. Tear up some small or old clothes, too, as these are something you would not be able to live without.

I do this every two weeks, but this is something to do every year or so. It also is suitable for much older bikes:

Take apart all your bearing-containing components. Yup, that's right. Headset, Bottom Bracket, Wheel Hubs, Pedal Axles, you name it. Strip it all down, degrease it, re-grease and reassemble. Tighten and adjust so there is no play, and no binding. That's the harder part done...

Replace all the cable inner and outers and make sure they are adjusted; PROPERLY!

Check ALL OF YOUR BOLTS. If you're feeling extra-kind, take them off and re-grease them, then reassemble it all again.

Take out your seat post and re-grease it. You would be surprised how much this can help you out in the long run... Do the same for the "steering wheel" (handle bars, was just wondering if anyone gets the reference). Take them out the stem and re-grease where it would contact the stem. Again, this WILL help.

Please, for the love of GOD, please check the wear on your brakes and tyres. I have lost a few friends due to them having literally no brake pad left and running metal on metal, and I mean, they died during crash incidents.

Other than the super-basic lubing chain, bleeding hydraulic brakes, pumping up tyres and realigning your handlebars and saddles, that's really it.

If you're lazy, just get the bike shop to service the bike.

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DO:

-Check that the wheels are aligned

-Wipe off excessive grease/lubricants. This will collect dirt, turn into a grinding paste and literally sand your components down.

-Use good/great quality components. These may not last any longer than cheaper parts, but they reduce wear and tear on other parts, and they feel much nicer for slightly longer.

-Dry the bike after washing it. A dry towel, a microfibre cloth, even an air compressor. Dry the bike.

-Make sure the degreaser has been cleaned off and dried. What's the point of putting grease on de-greaser? IRONY OVERDOSE!!! IRONY OVERDOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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DON'T:

-Leave your tools out after you've finished. If you do, you should not be owning them. Treat them like you care about them, otherwise they won't last long. And, you'd probably lose them when you really need them.

-Use a pressure washer on freshly-serviced bikes. Not unless you want to have to service the thing again in a few weeks.

-Buy parts from people on eBay with low amounts of feed back. If they have thousands of positive feedback, buy from them. If they send you something faulty and refuse to allow you to send it back, you can open a case. Almost every time, you'll get to send the product back free of charge. They won't lose an account earning thousands of pounds over a twenty pound tyre set. 5/10 times, they'll let you keep the item and refund you fully!

-Don't always trust a bike mechanic at a bike shop. They told me that I had a damaged shifter which would need replacing. Took the part home, looked at the cable and saw it wasn't seated correctly. Reseated the cable and worked like new. Left negative feedback and demanded an explanation, they shut down. DON'T TRUST ALL BIKE MECHANICS UNLESS THEY CAN PROVE THE PROBLEM!!!

Have fun with the bike servicing! Hopefully it'll work like new. Don't forget, if the chain and cassette is worn, replace them. Or, just replace them for the hell of it. The bike will feel much better.


How do I raise the handle bar on this bike?

You can't, really.  It may be possible to get a few millimetres by adding another shim/spacer under the stem, but there's got to be a lot of steerer tube inside the stem too.

Your options are to extend the threadless steerer using an aptly named "threadless steerer extension" which look like this:
  from Are stem height extenders safe to use?

But simply raising the bars will move their position relative to the seat - they'll go up but will effectively be CLOSER to your saddle... that is the position won't move in an arc.  So your back will end up becoming more vertical.

You can get adjustable stems, but they're a little heavier because of the additional metal.  These are often used to dial in a fit and then you buy a fixed stem with the same effective angle.

Your third option is to replace the handlebars with something a little more "raised"  For example here are three different bars in the same brand, with various levels of "rise" but the same "upsweep"

Here's the difference:

 from https://www.pinkbike.com/u/LTP-Sports/blog/handlebar-dimensions-explained.html

Your best option here is to imagine where on the bike you want the bars to be, and then figure out how to get them there.  Smaller movements will be better than bigger movements, so sit over your bike and visualise.  Good luck!


Do merino wool base layers need to be skin tight?

I am also wearing a waterproof jacket over it which isn't very breathable

Well there's your problem.

The most wickable, breathable material in the world isn't going to achieve those properties if you put a plastic bag over it. If you don't want to be caught out in the rain, keep the raincoat in a backpack/messengerbag/pannier/whatever until it's needed.

Regarding how tight the base layer should be, I would say it should be pretty tight, especially when you first put it on because it will shrink up in the wash and loosen up considerably when you sweat in it. However, if it's a little baggy it's not the end of the world, it just wont wick moisture away as well.

Also keep in mind that everyone has different heat/cold tolerances. Two different people may require entirely different layers at the same temperature based on exertion, weight, preference, etc. If you're a hot blooded type, it might need to get a little colder before you put on a wool jersey. I know I'd catch on fire for anything above around 55°F


Is there such a thing as a cyclist philosophy?

Cycling is a varied experience including many different reasons to ride, such as commuting, fitness, or racing. Experience is further shaped by the type of bike and environment. The book Bike Snob tries to distill what cyclists have in common and presents the definition of a cyclist as someone who chooses to ride a bike even if they don't have to. The book further argues that there's no such thing as "bike culture". However, it also summarizes (in a humorous fashion) some of the types of cyclists and how they often view each other.

Even though there's no uniform bike culture, many individual people have their own philosophy. You may be able to find some biographies or autobiographies about cyclists who describe their own attitude toward cycling and how it changed them.

Of course, there are many groups of like-minded people who might share an approach to cycling. One website that often gets cited online is Velominati, which declares a list of rules for road cycling which they claim to be philosophical. This type of "philosophy" seems to be more about creating a sense of belonging than about any inherent truths about cycling--people want to be able to feel "in the club".

Given the variety within cycling, any universal philosophy would be limited to the vague notion of self-powered locomotion.


Why are tandem pedals mounted with the same position?

Sheldon goes into some detail on this.

Having the pedals 180° out of sync would lead to a couple of problems:

Starting off, as most people have one foot on the pedal and lean towards the other foot on the ground, including both people on a tandem.
Foot overlap.  There's often not enough room for the captain's foot to be at the back of the stroke and the stoker's to be at the front without them colliding.
You couldn't corner with the outside foot down, as the other person would have the inside foot down and strike the ground.

A phase difference of 90° is used sometimes.  The power is more even through the stroke but handling is worse at low speeds among other downsides.

Another post dicusses 90° out of phase and also slightly out of phase

The second article suggests that most people ride exactly in phase because that's how tandems are set up by default.  Changing takes some getting used to and a little fiddling so people need a good reason to mess with it.


Is a Surly front rack compatible with tubus mount for eyeless forks?

The rack and Tubus mounts will work together. You should double check that the Tubus mounts fit your particular fork. If you are looking for a porteur style rack (with the front platform), also consider the Specialized Pizza Rack, the Soma Fabrications Porteur Rack and the Velo Orange Porteur Rack. The Velo Orange rack doesn't even require fork eyelets.


Bikes which have 27 gears will have triple chainrings at the front. Three rings can be very useful to give you lower gears, typically when you might struggle at climbing, or carry a load such as when touring. For example, I have an Audax bike which has a triple chainset. Its by no means a thoroughbread in terms of performance, but its suitable for a wide range of rides including multi-day trips.

However if you're looking at a "racer" bike, it is far more common to find just a double chainset at the front. In fact, many manufacturers produce double chainrings which will give you almost the same range of gears (but not quite) as a triple - these are called compact chainsets.

A double chainset will be what gives rise to your existing 14 gears (2 rings at the front, 7 cogs at the back), or the 20 gears (2 x 10) you've seen. In fact both Shimano and Campagnolo (I'm not sure about SRAM, but these three manufacturers dominate the market) now produce 11-cog rear cassettes, which would give rise to 22 gears. But 11-speed cassettes are at the high end of their respective product ranges, and 10-speed is far more common.

Note that while a triple chainset will make climbing easier, that's not to say that climbing is not possible with just a double chainset. Far from it. You'll probably find that most seasoned cyclists (and all professional cyclists I think) will ride with a double chainset.

So in summary in a place with occasional hills, a double chainset will probably suffice. But definitely worth considering the "compact" option too to give yourself maximum flexibility.

Example

The current Shimano Ultegra chainset comes in triple, double and compact variants.

The triple rings have 52, 39 and 30 teeth.
The double rings have 52 and 39 teeth, so basically the same but without the smallest ring. You can imagine this might make climbing quite a bit harder (30% to be precise) on your legs
The compact has rings with 52 and 34 teeth. So the same "high gear" limit, but a smaller second ring to make climbing easier. Clearly the small ring isn't as small as the triple, so the triple will give you the easiest gears, but as I say compact is "enough" for most of us.


Good 9-speed cog configuration for touring and which low-cost quality cassettes?

First, in the front they are called chainrings, god knows why they need to have a different name, but they do.  The fronts can be sold as a set, but can just as easily be gotten individually.  I actually purchased a 26T chainring in the front for something like $10.  For chainrings you will need to know the diameter (in millimeters) of an imaginary circle that would pass through all the bolts that hold the ring on and also the number of bolts that hold it on.  Often there is one diameter that holds that smallest ring and another that holds the two larger ones.

In the rear, you don't need to know the diameter, just the number of gears.  Cassettes are often sold as a group and the two big names are SRAM and Shimano and for 9 speeds they are compatible with each other.  At the small end of the cassette, your current setup is about as small as you will find (11T), but if you are wanting more climbing ability they make big cogs up to 36T (or bigger if you want custom).  There is currently an option to go with 10 speeds but that will require replacing your entire drivetrain, not a cheap option.

Before you go replacing the chainrings, try the cassette first and see if that resolves you skipping issue.


How can I reduce back pain on a shared bike with poor shock absorbers

I seriously doubt that it's due to the lack of shocks, unless you have some really bad roads there -- many people ride bikes great distances with no shocks, skinny, stiff tires, and no real springs in the seat.

More likely your problem is with your posture -- seat too low, handlebar too low, handlebar too close or too far away, and/or pedals at the wrong angle to the seat.

Presumably you can adjust the seat height, so the first thing to try is to move it a bit higher.  When the seat is at the proper height your knees should be nearly straight at the bottom of your stroke.

Next, see if you can adjust the seat forward/backwards.  Being too far either direction can cause back problems, so try several positions.

You probably can't adjust handlebar height, but if you can, try raising it.


Using a UST wheel after a dent has been repaired

Are there any possible issues that I should be wary before riding this wheel?

No. Just go ride. Always have a spare tube with you.

  Should I be confident that there is unlikely to be a catastrophic failue?

The only catastrophic failure I see is if you hit the rim (e.g pinch flat very hard) again on the exact same spot. Then there is a high possibility that the aluminium will crack.

Don't worry too much. If you've pulled the rim dent back at 95% of the correct position then you have nothing to fear of. My rear wheel on my old bike had 9 (nine) of those straightened dents and I was using the ghetto tubeless method. No problems whatsoever. Here is a similar dent on my new bike just before fixing it: http://i.imgur.com/oMGab6L.jpg


WD-40 is mostly a solvent with a very light lubricant mixed in. It's great for getting stuck parts moving again. When you spray it on, the solvent dislodges whatever gunk may be causing the part to stick and then evaporates, leaving a light lubricant behind. This will allow the previously stuck part to move again.

The reason it is generally not considered a good bicycle lubricant is because it is a light lubricant. It's just fine for household items like door hinges, which aren't exposed to weather and don't get moved a couple hundred times a minute. But the lubricant is not thick enough to adhere to rapidly moving bike parts for any length of time, especially when you add a little bit of road grit and/or rain.

Some people do use it for loosening up shifters in the winter time (they stick when it's cold) or cleaning chains and derailleurs. You will notice in the answers and comments on the aforelinked question, and this one, that whether or not this is good practice is highly debatable. Some people will use WD-40 as a cleaner and degreaser followed by a bicycle-specific lubricant, with or without a cleaning inbetween, depending on personal preferences.

I don't have any experience with their bicycle-specific products, but they're a solid company that's been in the business of cleaning and lubricating mechanical parts for a long time. They also make Lava soap and 3-in-1 Oil, a product that was originally designed as a bicycle lubricant (although they did acquire both of those from other companies). I actually didn't know until I read this question that they were making bicycle-specific lubricants now. Given their history and the number of patents that they have to draw ideas and develop from, I'm certainly willing to give them a shot. The worst case scenario is that I have to clean it off and go back to my previous products.


Road Shifters, Mountain Rear Derailleur?

Won't work. Dyna-Sys uses a different pull ratio than Shimano road components, and the cassette uses a slightly different spacing as well. You could use a SRAM cassette, but that still leaves you with the derailleur issue. They do make 105 and Ultegra long cage derailleurs, however. If you've got a double up front, especially a double with proper cyclocross gearing (tigher ratio than standard or compact road), the long cage road derailleur should be more than adequate.