Is it possible to loosen or crack the tire when I change a broken tube?

Yes, you can definitely damage the rim and tyre. But normally you just pinch the tube. The little dents you make have sharp edges which are not good for the tyre, and you might possibly poke your tool through the sidewall, but it's extremely unlikely that you will break the bead of the tyre. You might even crack the rim by excerting too much force (this is normally a problem for people who resort to metal tools after breaking plastic tyre levers). But if you're using that much force, you are doing it wrong.

Tyre levers are cheap, buy some. Michelin (almost flat, yellow rectangles) or Schwalbe (blue ovals) are the better brands IMO.

The "magic" technique bike mechanics use for removing tyres is to pick one point on the rim, pull the tyre out at that point, then run your other hand round pushing the bead into the slight depression in the middle of the rim. That gives you extra slack at the hand that's pulling out, making it easier to get the tyre off. It also makes sure the rim isn't stuck to the tyre at any point, and makes sure the bead is disengaged from the hook of the rim. I usually use a tyre lever for that so that any rough spots or objects embedded in the tyre don't end up in my hand.

Look at a rim cross section to see what I mean:

Two things to look at: the hooks that "grab" the bead to hold the tyre in place, and the slight curve that creates a low spot for the bead to sit in while you're getting the tyre off. Done this way I often don't need tyre levers except for running one round the rim to loosen the tyre.


They are unstable because of how your weight shifts on the bike when you move to the aerobars. Hybrids are not really designed to have aerobars, the geometry doesn't really lend itself to that.

My suggestion would be to get rid of the aerobars, and get handlebar extensions for the ends of the bars, much like you see on many mountain bikes. This will allow you to switch between different hand positions, while still keeping control and weight distribution where it should be.

Bike geometry- The main difference is in the seat tube and head tube angles. As you go from a hybrid (upright riding posture, slack seat tube angle) to a road bike (slightly more leaning forward, steeper seat tube angle) to a time trial frame (leaning on forearms, even steeper seat tubes), you progressively move the weight on the frame further forward.

There are also differences in how the bottom bracket is placed in relation to the ground/seat, etc. that are designed to produce a more comfortable ride.

As the weight shift forward happens, the handling of the bike is different. TT frames are notoriously poor handlers compared to road frames, and hybrids handle much different than a traditional road frame.

So when you move forward on the hybrid like you would for aerobars, you are moving the weight/center of gravity out of the "sweet spot" for the frame, and handling deteriorates as a result.


How do you prevent your lights switching on in your bag?

Get a box to put them in, remove the batteries or get something else.

The NiteRider UltraFazer 3.0 LED (available at Wiggle) has the lock-out switch to prevent accidental turning ons. This is a relatively rare feature which is crazy given that lights are invariably carried in bags.

Although that is a new feature to the model. You can send them back for a refund if you get the old model with no quibbling needed.

You should always carry two front (and rear) lights anyway.

As for the back, the basic Cateye and Smart ones seem to survive the bag experience. This is because the switch is placed close to the bracket and is not what gets squashed first. Again, two rear lights, one mounted on your bag is a very good idea.

The Cateye models deserve the IgNobel award for bike lights because you have to hold the switch down for an age of seconds for them to turn off, but for turning them on just a quick dab will do. Then you have to flick through a dozen flashing modes to get something sensible. They should have it the other way round - a three second push to turn them on, straight to the sensible flashing mode and a single push to turn them to full beam and another press to turn them off.

Anyway, the UltraFazer is affordable lighting - not the brightest, but waterproof, good side-lighting and a sensible switch.

Also worth checking at your preferred online retailer are the 'Exposure' range. These have the twist option rather than a switch to turn them on and off. These lights are also available in the better-appointed LBS and, given their price, you may want to look before you buy.


Which countries have employed rail biking in their armed forces?

From the Military History Journal (Volume 4 No 1 - June 1977) there is an article entitled BICYCLES IN THE ANGLO-BOER WAR OF 1899-1902, by D.R. Maree, which seems to fit this question.

The 'War Cycle' carried several men on the coupling-framework in addition to the eight riders,
 could be fitted with a Maxim gun, and was capable of a speed of over 48 kmh.
 Photo: Africana Museum

  A special 'War Cycle' was built for use on railway lines, and a prototype of this 8-man bicycle can be seen at Fort Klapperkop Museum. It was introduced into South Africa by the Royal Australian Cycle Corps and had a detachable rim which was fitted to the pneumatic tires, enabling it to be used on rails. When the rim was removed the bicycle could be used on normal roads. These cycles were used for reconnaissance, for carrying despatches, checking the railway line for demolition charges, and also for removing the wounded from a skirmish taking place near a railway.


Where can I find information on Kent 700c Eagle Ridge axle nuts, I want to buy Hexlox

The quickest and most reliable way to find out for the bike would be by measuring directly. The Hexnuts come in M9, M10, or 3/8 sizes and then all are said to take a 6mm Hexlox. From reading here: https://hexlox.com/collections/hexlox-compatible-extras/products/hexnut-wheel-nut-lock

Extract from same page:

  FRONT WHEEL:
  most Front Wheels use M9
  If your Front Wheel Nut fits your rear wheel or its for VanMoof, Miche and DuraAce, use M10 For vintage bikes please double check.
  3/8 is rarely used. Best to check your axle diameter.

  FOR REAR WHEEL:
  most Rear Wheels use M10x1mm
  Fits all Single Speed and Fixed rear wheels.
  Also suitable for Rohloff, Bion-X, NuVinci, VanMoof Front and Rear, Miche Front and Rear, DuraAce Front and Rear.

  FOR SHIMANO ALFINE/NEXUS.
  Select: Rear 3/8 - Alfine/Nexus
  (3/8' x 26tpi)


Let's start with some quick maths. I'm guessing the roller has a diameter of 40mm based on the picture. Since it's in contact with the tyre, whatever speed your speedo reads is how fast that roller is going. But it's 40mm in diameter. So, at 72kph / 45mph we have:

Speed = 72kph = 20m/s
Diameter = 40mm = 0.04m
Circumference = π d = 0.125m
Revs per second = 20 / 0.125 = 160 Hz (9500 rpm)

The magnetic rotor is bigger, perhaps 100mm diameter, and we want the centripetal acceleration:

a =  v² / r
  = 20² / 0.05 = 800 m/s² (about 80G!)

Note that that scales with the square of the speed. So at 108kph / 70mph you're going 50% faster but the force on the outside of the rotor is 2.25 times bigger (about 180G).

1. In what ways do magnetic trainers commonly fail?

The one you care about is overspeed. Either explosion due to too much centripetal acceleration, or an imbalance causing the shaft or mount to break. It looks as though your one failed that way, either through the trainer being knocked at some point or being slightly out of balance when it was made. I've also seen bearings fail through overheating, although that shouldn't happen now because bearings are so much better.

2. Was there anything I was doing wrong that caused the failure?

Possibly going too fast, possibly going too far. If the flywheel was slightly out of balance it would probably fail eventually regardless of how slowly you went, but if you look at the centripetal acceleration, since that depends on the square of the velocity so does the "wear" caused by being out of balance.

3.  Are newer trainers designed better and/or can they accommodate a greater speed?

Possibly, and I would hope so. It's been a few years since I broke one, but I've never been a world class cyclist and I have broken two different trainers simply by putting too much power into them (one admittedly at about 1300W). The problem is, to some extent, intractable. People want cheap, light, quiet trainers, but those trainers have to somehow get rid of 500W or more of power for as long as you care to sit on them. Doing that in a light, quiet, cheap container is hard.

4. Would another type of trainer (fluid, wind, etc) failed like this?

Probably. If you bought one with a bigger fan or other dump zone, no. But that would mean the old school "bike wheel with fan blades riveted on" that people hate so much. One alternative that would work is the "pedal powered generator" setup that the green kids are so fond of building, because they usually have bigger flywheels that consequently rotate more slowly (and as I keep saying, the problems go up with the square of the speed, so twice the roller diameter means 1/4 the force). But they're big, heavy and expensive compared to a trainer, and you have to build your own if you want that power output (commercial ones seem to top out at about 200W - I keep looking because I'd like one rated to 500W).

5. Can I get a replacement flywheel?

That's up to the manufacturer.


installing cotter pin cranks - pin isn't flush

For a correct installation the top of the pin does not need to be flush with the crank.
The last picture in this how-to article is of a correctly installed pin and it is not flush.
As long as the flats of the pin make correct contact with the spindle and the pin goes through far enough to have threads sticking through the nut it's OK.

Keep in mind,

  You cannot get a cotter tight enough by tightening the nut: you must use a press or a hammer. Cotters are made of fairly soft steel, so that they won't damage the axle. If you try to tighten them just by turning the nut, either you won't get them tight enough, or you will strip the threads.
  After a cottered crank has been re-assembled, the bicycle should be ridden for a few dozen miles, then the cotter re-tightened with a press or hammer. If this is not done, the cotter will probably loosen up. If the bicycle is ridden with loose cotters, the motion of the crank will cause the axle to cut notches into the cotters, and it will become impossible to tighten them.
  https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html


XCM is an entry level fork - typically found of bikes at the low end of the price range. Its not hard to imagine you have out grown the fork and it is limiting your enjoyment and performance while riding.

The only way to tell if a better fork is needed, (or is that wanted?) is to take a bike with a better fork for a ride. The main consideration is how much money are you prepared to spend. However, if you take a bike out with a better fork, it will almost certainly be a better bike in every other way as well - so be careful of the comparison - you could esily set yourself up to be disappointed.

To make a measurable difference, you would need to install a fork that was of far better quality than the rest of the bike, and much of shocks improvement (hence the money) would be wasted by the bike.

It is rare that a fork upgrade (as opposed to a replacement of a faulty fork) makes sense - the manufacturers build a bike to a cost and the quaility/performance of components match. Forks are very expensive - probably more than the bike is worth. 80mm travel is not enough for serious trail riding - you might push out to 100mm without upsetting geometry too much, but that is still low by today standards.

Upgrading the whole bike is a much better idea. Put the money you get from selling the bike and the amount a fork would cost into a new (or even better - used) bike.


How does fork offset affect bike handling?

Offset primarily affects your mechanical trail - that is, the distance between the imaginary straight line going through your head tube down to the ground, and your tire’s contact patch. Normally, the contact patch is behind the steering axis, hence the nomenclature “trail”.

Image from Wikipedia
Increasing the fork offset will bring the contact patch forwards, so trail is reduced.
Decreasing the fork offset will bring the contact patch rearwards, so trail is increased.
Trail affects the steering, as it is basically a measurement of the amount of influence your steering inputs actually have on the contact patch.
Also related are the effects of wheel flop generated by your head tube angle and fork. Since your HTA is (hopefully) not vertical (90°), your wheel will pivot side-to-side when you turn the bars, which adds stability. Among other reasons, this is why head tube angles get slacker as MTBs get more aggressive. Furthermore, fork offset is measured perpendicular to the steering axis. Since your steering axis is angled because of the head tube angle, the fork's offset actually has both a vertical and horizontal component referenced against the ground. The vertical component exaggerates the influence of wheel flop on the steering.


Can I fit 3 x9 speed crankset to 3 x 8 speed cartridge

Yes, there are no complications with running a 9 speed crankset on an 8 speed drivetrain. You can see image below that some 9 speed cranks are even listed as being 9/8 speed cranks. You shouldn't encounter any problems, but you will have you readjust your front dérailleur to make room for the larger ring, and double check your chain length on big rings after it's installed.


How do I know what is wrong with my brakes?

How thick are the pads? Are these rim brakes or disk brakes? For rim brakes, the block (rubber) will get worn away over time so you should adjust the cable occasionally, but well before the block is so thin that the shoe (the metal backing) starts to scrape on the rim.

For disk brakes it's essentially the same but the pad is thinner and made of harder material. The manufacturers usually give a number how thin the pad can become, something like 0.7 mm.


Understanding the bike geometry through riding

What would be some good examples of test cases to assess the impact of
  these parameters?

Build a testbed bike that has adjustable parts covering the different parameters you care about. Instrument it appropriately and measure the changes to the factors you care about as you vary the parameters. This is necessarily vague because there are upwards of 10 variables that affect more than 10 output parameters. This is the reason your question is being marked as "too broad".

For example, a number of people have built bike frames with variable headset angle and attached front forks that have variable axle offset. That allows much experimentation with rake and trail. But the outputs measured are typically "how it feels", because it's very difficult to measure the second and third order effects you're likely to care about, especially since the primary measurements (typically 6 axis acceleration) are very noisy.

Another reason your question is too broad is that each of the questions implied above has been the topic of multiple PhD research projects, from "how do I smooth the output of my accelerometer" to "how much slop is acceptable in the bearings of my headset".

  My aim is to be able to ride a bike, and exactly pin point to the changes
  that need to be made in a particular order to meet certain expectations.

If you can't precisely specify the expectations it will be impossible to meet them. You need numbers here, and both precision and accuracy. Ending up with "head angle must be 78.24°" means you need a minimum of four significant figures at every stage right from the expectations. So "I require not more than 4.123N of input force at the centre of the handlebar grip to maintain the centre of mass in a straight line path when hitting a 45.01° barrier 100.4mm high at 12.62m/s" would be an example of one test case or "expectation".

There's a book called "Lords of the Chainring" that analyses all these factors in combination, and it is arguably the definitive work on the topic (I don't think it's as complete as the author does, but there is nothing better that I'm aware of). The author used to teach an engineering course in the subject and has extensive experience both theoretical and experimental (from years of students experimenting and reporting results).

I have a copy and have used it to design bikes, but I decided that in most cases it was more effort than could be justified for my garage builds. I still use it to get an idea of the desirable values for a particular design, but I've also discovered that I can comfortably ride bikes that are on the fringes of what Bill says is stable. This might not be true for you.


You should be able to "sight" this fairly well.  Get close to the front sprocket and align your eye such that you're just looking down one side of the front sprocket towards the rear.  Moving your head back and forth sideways very slightly the same side of the rear sprocket should flicker into and out of view.

Or you can use a long metal ruler, placed against the side of the sprockets.  With perfect alignment (which isn't really necessary) the ruler will fit flat against both sprockets simultaneously.


Will this fork crown race installation tool work?

Yes, it will work; I have used similar tools successfully.

The page says that the tool is 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) of tool steel.

You use it as the hammer, gently tapping the race into place.


Bike Rack (w/hitch) - Any easy-to-remove anti-wobble bolts/pins?

For my Allen rack, I decided against using that bolt.  My hitch has 2 holes in it for securing, and the smaller one is the same size as the bike rack.  I ended up just getting a locking hitch pin from a local store and it works fine.  I believe that the pin I got had a sleeve that fit over it for the larger, more commonly used hole.


Terminology: Is there a technical term for the paired wheels on tricycles?

I have been in the recumbent business for over 10 years and have not ever heard a technical term to distinguish the pair of wheels versus the single wheel. As there is so little standardization it would be difficult to describe the wheels without ever running into someone misunderstanding. I used to manufacture front wheel drive two wheeled recumbents and already got into problems since 'my' front wheels were really rear wheels (135mm hub spacing) and 'my' rear wheels were actually front wheels (100mm hub spacing). Then I started to experiment with trikes where I used a delta setup with a single powered wheel on the front (still 'my' front wheel that was still actually a rear wheel) and two single-sided hub wheels.

Whenever I had wheels made I found it best to describe as much detail as possible (and still sometimes got reversed quantities) and I did the same in my shop.


Shimano Hollowtech II bottom bracket: milling the frame necessary?

The term for preparing the bottom bracket shell in this manner is called facing, and yes, it is necessary for all outboard bearing bottom brackets for proper function.

To understand why this is, lets compare a hollowtech type system to a square taper cartridge.

In the square taper, all the bearings and rotating portions are contained into a rigid metal casing, which is then screwed into one side of the bottom bracket shell, and a cup is threaded into the other side to hold the metal casing in place. If the bottom bracket shell's surfaces aren't perfectly flat to each other, it just means that the casing will be just a tiny little bit crooked with respect to the shell's optimal placement. However, all the bearings will be spinning around perfectly in the metal casing. At worst case, if the shell is very poor, there can be a little play between the casing and the cup, and the bottom bracket will creak when you pedal. An annoying problem of its own, but the bearings will be just fine.

On the other hand, with a hollowtech system, the two bearings aren't held together by the rigid metal casing. If the bottom bracket shell isn't faced properly, the two bearings won't exactly line up. Then, when you try to adjust the bottom bracket, one portion of the bearings will be too loose or too tight, and as the crank spins around the bearings will alternate between too loose or too tight, rather than being just right all the time. This will wear the bearings out faster and drag somewhat compared to a proper installation.

Now with all that said, it's not like the BB is going to spontaneously explode if you don't face it properly, you'll just wear the bearings out faster. If you already have a crankset laying around and you don't put a ton of miles on the bike, it might not really matter in the long run, but only you can decide that for yourself. If the frame is 20 years old, I would expect you to have a square taper crank on it already, and so there really isn't any benefit to switching to a hollowtech setup, in my opinion.


Ball bearings replacement for Windsor 4500

You should replace them with the exact same size that are already in there.  If you don't know what size, take it to the local bike shop and they should be able to tell you the size you need and order them for you.  It's likely they are sealed cartridge bearings in which case you can't replace individual ball bearings, and you have to buy new cartridges. Although I wonder why one would have to replace them after only 2 years of use. Unless you've ridden the bike a lot more than the average person would ride it, they should last much more than 2 years, especially if they are sealed cartridge bearings.


Front derailleur has too much resistance

The FD needs to have a firm spring, because it has to operate against the full chain load when pedalling.  By comparison, the RD operates on a piece of chain under no tension, and the RD is putting the tension on that length.

So you need to check the inner cable that runs from the handlebar shifter down to the FD mech.  If its bright-shiny silvery then that's good, but if its dull and rusty then that's not good.  A new inner cable is cheap, a little fiddly to fit, and will "bed in" over the first month of use.

Second is the outers - could be someone's fitted a new inner cable but not changed the outer(s) and they're scraggy on the inside.  You should be able to feel this when pulling the inner back and forth with your hands.

Finally - the handlebar shifter.  Its not unknown for them to clagg up with rust.  They're reasonably expensive to replace.  More-so if yours is integrated into your brake lever.  Needs to be the same number of speeds as the rear cassette.


Why can compact frame in road bikes be made in less sizes than the traditional frame?

The claim is pure marketing and does not make any sense at all, unless you only care about standover height. It is true that Giant has smaller selection of sizes than competing manufacturers, and Giant might use the claim to explain why, but even their own models are not consistent with the explanation:

High end Giant models have 6, not 3 frame sizes. This is not that many less than competitors who have 9 or 10.
Giant has a series of non-compact "aero" road frames. These also come in 6, not 9 or 10 sizes.

On the other hand, smaller selection of sizes reduces tooling and inventory costs. If a sponsored athlete requires a bike outside standard selection, it is easier to provide them with custom frame than mass produce the wider selection of sizes.


can down tube shifters be used with a gear set of 21 gears? (3x7)

You're going to have a few problems most likely. For example, you need to probably respace the rear dropouts to get a 7 speed wheel in (assuming its a right size/close enough size that you can get the brakes to work). Then you have to make sure the triple clears everything on the new bike. Then, you have to make sure that the FD can be mounted on the new bike and can shift a triple (they're different between doubles and triples) and the RD can move enough to get through all the gears (which also probably means swapping the RD's).

Once you have all that, with friction shifters, all you need to check is that they can pull enougyh cable to shift the FD appropriately and the RD appropriatley (i.e. from small to large).


How can I avoid crashes on my urban commute? Tramlines and CBD sections especially

3- How should I deal with "bicycle forward stop" boxes?

I deal with a "bicycle forward stop" box by using it (and being grateful that the city planners have started to arrange things for bikes). For example if cars are stopped where they should be (out of the box) and the light's red, I move into the box. It's there for me.

[I'm in Toronto where people drive on the right.]

A bike-specific stop box only happens on the roads that are designated bike routes. On the right of the box I'm in the designated bike lane (so not in any car's way, except if the lead car is hoping to turn right across the bike lane, in which case that is one scenario that the stop box is intended for, and I don't mind if they wait two or three seconds while I move off, they'd have to wait for any pedestrians anyway), and on the left of the box it's because I'll be turning left across the traffic (like any other vehicle turning left, and sometimes in a lane for left-hand-turning only).

My being in the stop box doesn't slow people behind me (on the right I'm in a bike lane, and on the left it's the on-coming traffic that's preventing the left turn; and fwiw my acceleration from a stand-still is no slower than a typical car's). The point of the stop box is to make me visible to people starting off. I like to think that (me being visible) is better for all of us: that even drivers don't want to participate in an accident with me.

I don't rarely see cars contesting them. My reaction to such a car (same as e.g. a car that's stopped in my pedestrian crossing) is to look at and make brief eye contact with the driver, looking through their windscreen. I want to see what they they look like, what/who the person is. I'd like them to see me too, to know that there's another person, outside their car. Hopefully when they're aware that it's people and not just vehicles on the road, they'll be a bit careful about their driving.

No more than that: no rude gestures, I don't want to anger people. Also my seeing who they are helps to keep me calm (and not e.g. demonize the car).

Most of my route (18 km near downtown) is bike lane, or lightly-trafficked residential street. I have two intersections though, where I need to make a left turn (across traffic) that I'm not happy with. One I don't like because it's turning across tram lines; another because it's 'arterial' roads, one without a bike lane, where cars hustle each other across a wide intersection, and I find it difficult to move across the curb-side traffic into the other left-turning lane. For those two intersections, I get off and walk across as a pedestrian. If that's what it takes to feel safe, then why not.


NO

The derailleur holds chain tension.

At a minimum your would need a chain tensioner.
And it would need to line up with A gear.

Single speed and fixie have horizontal dropout to adjust tension.


What are good bicycle review and comparison sites?

There's http://www.bikeradar.com/ which is linked to 4 magazines: Cycling Plus, Mountain Biking UK, Procycling and What Mountain Bike. As a result it carries various bike and gear reviews from the magazines as well as some which are only online (I think).

As all of the magazines are UK based the site obviously has a British bias.


http://surlybikes.com/parts/hubs_v1 says "This is a common size so it’s easy to find replacements should the need arise or to swap axles if, for instance, you have a QR axle and want to go solid", so it should be easy enough.
Based on the photos, you might want some cone wrenches even though with cartridge bearings there aren't actually cones as such. As the Surly page says, you still need to adjust the load on the bearings when you do it up.
http://sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/conewrenches.html


I think of three kind of mud guards that fit the description: musguard, quickfix, and fender bender.

An other solution is the ass saver, but this is not what you are looking for.


Which spokes should I get for an Expresso Coaster Brake with a Velocity Deep V 700c

Since you live in the Hague: There is a good chance these guys have experience with espressowheels. For a more general answer: just go to a bike shop with the hub and rim and they'll be able to help you.


Is it possible to convert Deore Crankset FC-M612 to single speed?

Yes, it is possible. Just unscrew the bolts holding the smallest ring.

However, the chainrings in double and triple cranks are designed for easy shifting. With single chainring, it's a good idea to change the ring to one that has been designed to keep the chain on. So-called narrow wide chainring is one design to accomplish this.


I bent a rim, what kind of new rim should I buy?

You say you want to replace the rim, but unless the hub is something special, or you're going to rebuild the wheel yourself, it's probably cheaper to replace the whole wheel.

If you're replacing the rim, apart from approximately matching the rim width (see Sheldon Brown) you also need to match the number of spoke holes if you want to reuse your hub, and it's a good idea to replace the spokes that have been damaged. If you have rim brakes also need to make sure your new rim has a braking surface.

If you're replacing the wheel, you need to match the hub type and size. The type could be quick release (QR), thru axle (of which there are a couple of sizes) or nutted with dropouts (again multiple sizes). The relevant size is the over locknut distance - the width of the hub. You also need to know whether your old wheel used disc or rim brakes, and if did, what type and rotor size.


Long slow distance is great for building up a strong aerobic base (circulatory and respiratory systems), if you have the time. However, unless you choose good rides it can be boring and few people would consider doing it on an indoor trainer.

For those who don't have that time, there's a century training plan in Chris Carmichael's Time-Crunched Cyclist and most people would consider a century long-distance.

However, if you're not so concerned about getting a great time, then the amazingly-simple way to train for longer rides is to go out and ride, each time slightly increasing the distance. A bit more detail on long-distance riding is given on YACF.


I am certainly no expert in shocks, only ever stripped one model a couple of times...

Is the shock holding pressure?  If so, its the wiper seals leaking not the aircan seal - check the damper body for scratches/damage. If not external damage I would re-service the shock pay special attention to the damper body condition and that the damper seals were correctly reassembled.

If the shock is loosing pressure, it will be the aircan seals. Check the internal surface of the aircan for scratches.


The outside diameter of the brake rotor rubs against the caliper

You're not missing anything. Sometimes this just happens.
There is a bigger question at hand regarding what aspects of the relevant parts dimensions are truly standardized, and which are the kind of informal follow-the-leader standards the bike industry often uses. It doesn't really matter and I couldn't write that answer.
Use up to 2mm or so of shim/washer on each bolt. Normal M6 washers are fine, or you could use fancy ground ones if you have them. Make sure the bolts keep at least 6mm of thread engagement and use longer bolts if not. Other than that, all you care about is the pad contact on the rotor. You are shooting for no overhang of the pad, such that the entire pad face is contacting with no potential for a lip to build up as the pad wears.


Chamois cream is useful if one is getting chafing from rubbing inside a pair of shorts. I've found it useful in high humidity.


Help me identify this specific Giant XTC

I'm going with some generation of their ATX mountain bike.  The 890 ATX comes to mind. One aspect that will likely give us the best idea is those cool lugged frame accents where the top and down tubes meet the headtube.


Looks like a great candidate for a rebuild and learning experience.
The sticker on the downtube clearly says "CroMo" meaning an alloy of steel with trace amounts of chromium, manganese and molybdenum.  Either way its still steel, but a different alloy.
I have a concern in the stem - it looks to be very far out of the threaded headset, so do check that it is installed far enough.  You should not see any trace of the "minimum insert" marking.
Also, someone has fitted the saddle backward and then rotated the seat post which is causing the extreme up-angle.  Flip the saddle, rotate seatpost, and it will be a lot more comfortable.
Depending on the age, you may need new brake pads and/or tyres.  But the chain may come back with some flexing and lubrication.
I'd spend as little as possible to make it work, then get some distance on it, and see what still needs work if anything.
As for age, its a tough one.  The slight dropped seat stay is generally quite a modern feature, but the brand, rake of fork, canti brakes all call out 80s touring bike but with a replacement stem and bar.   Its an intriguing bike and will be a nice ride when done, assuming its a good fit for you.


Unwinding the spring, as the article states, will make the hub to shift when you're going faster.

Without touching the internals, the hub will shift at the same speed, no matter how high the cadence is. By changing the chainring-cog ratio you adjust the cadence at which the shift-speed is obtained.

So the answer is no, there is slight difference. By doing what you propose you can make the whole set shift at higher cadence, but at the same angular velocity of rear wheel, so at the same speed.

If you want to shift at higher speed without modifying the hub, you need bigger wheel (if possible).


Magura rim caliper and Shimano hydraulic road lever compatibility

Yes but not optimal/recomended.
Technically, the lever will push the caliper pistons, but Magura's disc levers, such as the MT5, push a different amount of fluid than their rim brake levers, such as HS11. And the shimano levers have a more similar push to the Magura disc levers. So it won't be optimal.
In trials riding, they say you shouldn't mix disc levers with the rim calipers as there is a large chance for the brake to fail (even if it's a momentary minimal slip) when you need them the most.
In normal, non action sport, conditions it will probably be ok. It just won't feel as good as matching the road levers to the disc caliper.
If you choose this method, (same goes for the MT5 caliper) make sure that you choose the correct fittings for each end, otherwise you risk fluid leaking and no more braking.
As a little side note, Magura did release drop levers for rim brakes called HS66.


32mm tires with v-brakes is a very common configuration on hybrids. You should have no problem with this.


How does one adjust the equivalent of the barrel adjuster on the XTR RD-M9000 rear derailleur?

Page 19 of the linked Dealer Manual shows the barrel is in the shifter, up on the bars.

From https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-RD0004-09-ENG.pdf

If yours doesn't have one, are you using a different/wrong or off-brand shifter?  You will need to fit an in-line barrel adjuster like this:


Can Shimano Claris use 11 speed cassette?

No, that will not work. The latest generation R2000 Claris groupset and it's predecessors are all 8 speed systems, so you can't select 11 sprockets on the cassette.

If you are thinking that you can use the 8 of the 11 sprockets, that won't work either.

A quick explanation of the differences between different 'speed' groupsets: the sprocket spacing on 8, 9, 11 and 11 speed systems gets progressively closer, the sprockets narrower and the external width of chains narrower also. Proper positioning of the derailleur over each sprocket is controlled by the incremental length of cable pulled by the shifter and the actuation ratio of the derailleur (the ratio of cable length pulled to lateral movement of the cage).

So, an 8 speed shifter, even with a 11 speed derailler, won't position the cage over the sprockets on an 11 speed cassette properly.

Additionally, the 11 speed Ultegra derailleur isn't compatible with the 8 speed Claris group. Shimano 11 speed road derailleurs have a different actuation ratio than 10 speed and below. Using an 11 speed derailleur with 8 speed shifters and cassette will give you trouble with indexing all the sprockets properly.

Shimano publishes extensive specifications and compatibility information you can consult to figure out what components work with each other https://productinfo.shimano.com/#/.


Lock jammed - key will go in and out but cannot turn

I've finally managed to unlock it thanks to the WD-40 penetrating oil, which the bike shop I bought the lock from advised me to use.

I suppose it was getting a bit rusty inside the lock mechanism, that's why the key couldn't turn.


What you are looking at is called a "Cottered Crank". The shaped cotter pin holds the crank in place and they can be next to impossible to remove without significant effort or a cotter pin press.

Sheldon Brown has an excellent article on removing cottered cranks using a hammer and pipe, which is a method I have used before, albeit multiple decades ago.

When you get it off you may want to consider replacing the bottom bracket and cranks with a more modern design that is easier to maintain, unless this is a restoration job and you want to stay true to the original.


Proper fork length for a bike with 5.5 inches of rear shock

The different lengths of suspension will affect the geometry by giving your bike a steeper (or not) head angle. Too much travel might make it tougher to pedal as well, depending on the fork's settings. A too long/short fork (compared to what it was designed to use) might put some unnecessary stress on the tubes and for that reason forks outside of a certain range void warranties.

The blur is designed for a 5.5 in / 140 mm fork. I'd suggest going to a local Santa Cruz dealer (if such a thing exists where you live) and ask them if 120 mm is fine too.


How can I inflate a presta tyre with just one hand

Get a better pump! Well, it seems the asker already has a good pump but I'll leave this here for others who might be having problems.

There are basically three types.

Pumps with a hose that screws onto the valve. Once it's screwed on, you can use both hands to operate the pump.
Pumps with a hose that grips onto the valve when you lift a lever. Again, once it's gripping the valve, both hands are free.
Pumps that you need to press down onto the valve to seal. The hand that's pressing the pump onto the valve also braces the pump against moving in the direction you're pumping with the other hand so, again, you're using both hands on the pump.

As you say, most pumps are designed to fit multiple valve types. In some cases, you'll need to either change a component in the head or use the correct side of the head so that the pump can lock onto a presta valve, which is narrower than Schraeder. (Actually, there are some presta-specific ones: my mini-pump that I take out on the road only does presta.)

You might find that a track pump is your best choice, since that allows you to pump the cylinder down with both hands, rather than pumping with one hand and steadying with the other. Of course, you can't bring a track pump with you on a ride.

Image from Wikipedia; there are plenty of other brands.


Does handlebar tape go inside the bar, under the bar-end shifter, when using bar-end shifters?

Most bar-end shifters require friction between the bar's interior surface to stay put, so no. Install the shifters securely and tape the shifter housing about where you would like it to emerge from the bar tape. You will end up wrapping over the first few inches of shifter housing before it loops forward and may require a bit of futzing to get it looking right.

Here is a lovely video showing shifters being installed on a drop bar.


Debugging an FD problem through three visuals

I'm going to assume you've got FD-R3000 and are pairing with a compatible road double shifter.

The anchor position is adjustible. Follow the procedure in the Shimano dealer manual for your model. It is available at si.shimano.com. There are only two positions so if you don't have the special angle-finding tool you can use process of elimination. Failure to use the right position can cause what you're experiencing. The two different positions slightly alter the lateral point on the arm where the cable is anchored, which tunes the total throw.

All the "long-armed" Shimano road front derailleurs have the quirk of needing a ton of cable tension. The axiom with them is that once the right anchor position is chosen and assuming compatible parts, setup problems are almost always due to inadequate tension. They don't conform to generic instructions for FD setup. A good procedure is start with the shifter and barrel adjuster in the slackest position, then use pliers, a fourth hand tool, or the inner limit to pre-actuate the heck out of the FD as you pull the cable tight while anchoring the cable, then add some more tension as needed with the barrel adjuster after that.

You usually must accept essentially zero clearance between the chain and inner cage in the low gear with these derailleurs.

Another compounding factor to difficulty adjusting the "long arm" FDs is that the cable is anchored in a rather bent position with them, which can make it difficult to simply loosen the anchor bolt and pull out more slack - the memory of the material makes it want to return to how it was. You can try making a marking on the cable where it was exiting the anchor previously in order to be more sure you've actually added tension.


Bontrager thorn-resistant vs self-sealing tubes?

I used to live in the Mojave desert and had that problem a lot. The only thing that seemed to work was a hard plastic strip that you can install on the inside of your tire, that's the first line of defense. Then I bought thick thorn-resistant inner tubes on top of that.


Best sources for inexpensive cycling clothing

We all like a bargain. Rich people don't get rich by paying top-dollar for everything and poor people sometimes have their purchasing decisions limited to what is in the bargain-bin. Whether rich or poor a lot of time can be spent hunting out bargains, however, all bargains are just another ploy to get some money from someone's pocket. Hence, rather than just scout for bargains it can pay to know a little bit about how a given product - in this case cycle clothing - gets to be marked down.

This answer takes that perspective into account.

Starting with what you see on the shelves, in the bargain bin or online, a lot depends on how tall or short you are. That is a huge factor in affordable bike-gear and here is why.

Most LBS suppliers bring in a certain amount with the start of each season in a mix of sizes - lots of medium and large and not so much x-small, small and x-large. Shops then purchase from the distributor so as to stock all of the sizes with the popular sizes in quantity.

Inevitably, as the season goes on, the popular sizes sell out leaving the less popular sizes, i.e. x-small and x-large. Then they go back to the distributor to re-stock. Somehow the distributor are always able to source the x-small and x-large sizes, however, they sell out of the popular sizes before the season's end (or not if that year's designs are not well received).

Hence, a popular item in a popular size will become very hard to find at some point. When this happens the shops with the x-small and x-large sizes left will have an unsellable product, taking up valuable shop-floor space. They then need to discount the product to get rid of it as soon as possible. Because the markup on clothing is high (and has to be because of the situation described), the shop can discount heavily the end-of-line items without making a loss.

Therefore, if you want discount cycle clothing it is best to be really tall or really short.

Another source of clothing that you might be interested in are places such as TKMaxx. Where do these places get their stock?

When a distributor brings in a new range of clothing they get a complete set of pre-production samples in all the sizes and colour variations. These samples are as good as the finished, production articles but not for retail - they are to show the retailers so that they can place their orders. The samples cannot be sold in competition with the retailers as that would upset the retailers. Instead these items have to be sold through a different channel. TKMaxx are the specialists in being able to sell such collections of one-off samples. They buy entire sample sets and sell them as seen at considerable discount. Therefore, you will want to keep your eyes peeled for whomever your favourite cycling clothing is distributed by and work out whom they offload the sample collection to.

The major online specialist cycle retailers - 'Wiggle' and 'Chain Reaction Cycles' in the UK only have so much latitude in how far they can go on prices. They do get specialist rates from the distributors but if they go below an acceptable price then the distributor can threaten not to supply them. In practice this works.

The big online retailers have costs and problems of their own. They only compete on one thing - price. Postage is at a preferential rate to them but it still costs, particularly when you buy all three sizes and return the two that do not fit.

Their own-brand directly-sourced without distributor clothing range is also a bit naff - akin to 'Woolworths Winfield' rather than 'Adidas' genuine originals. This may not matter to you, but people do sneer, myself included. Nothing marks you out as a cheapskate in the cycling world more than own-brand clobber from offshore, online-only retailers.

Also in the retail channel are grey imports. This is where a specialist cycle shop - maybe only dealing in high-end road bikes and apparel - goes to somewhere else in the world to get their goodies, bypassing the distributor.

This presents an interesting situation when things go wrong as the grey importer does not have the security of having a distributor to return faulty goods to. The distributor will see returned items as 'fakes' and not have anything to do with them.

In the UK there is 'Lidl' - a German supermarket that does cycle clothing from time to time. Funnily enough I am wearing some of their £10 SPD shoes right now. You have to wait for them to get a batch of cycle gear in and then it is not really quite as good as the real stuff. Many synthetic fibres are really bad for holding the bacteria that give you body odour, and I suspect that the Lidl clothing is of this ilk.

Given the many ways that the whole thing works, I highly recommend buying from your local bike shop if they have taken the time and effort to put a range of clothing together for their customers to try and buy. This is not the chain where head office have to approve every penny, this is the proper local bike shop where the owner manager is out the back or helping a customer, Allen keys in hand.

If you are wanting a deal and don't mind colours and a bit of shop soiling do ask them what have they got out the back that is in your size and that they are desperate to get rid of. They are bound to have something and, so long as they are not going to lose money on the sale, i.e. trade-price + taxman, you can probably 'take it off their hands'. This will still help the shop with their weekly cashflow, you will get to test the fit before you buy and everyone should be happy.


Can I charge an ebike from another ebike battery?

Yes in theory but the gain is not practical. You’re better off swapping batteries than trying to jury rig something.

Let’s do the calculations.

You note that the AC charger puts out 36VDC at 2 amps. That’s 72 watts per hour.

Even a modest eBike has an 8Ah battery, for a total of 36x8 or 288 watt-hours.

At 72 watt-hours per hour charging it takes four hours to charge. So you’re trying to fill your “gas tank” with a very tiny spigot, so to speak.

Your internal batteries BMS charging  may stop taking a charge well below the output of your external pack. My 36v bike for example wants to see 42v on its input. So you’d need a boost circuit.

Add to this charging inefficiencies which are usually on the order of 85-90% with each step and it’s not worth it.

So just get another spare pack and exchange when your empty. Or rebuild your current pack so it’s larger but scale the BMS accordingly.


Get your toolbox, get the 5mm Allen key and align the pads yourself. Make sure they are parallel to the rim and don't touch your tyre when in braking position.

5 minute job. Saves you tyres and pads.

Update re pictures: Thanks for posting the photos - makes it easier to identify the problem. It seems that your pads are not rubbing the tyres. The problem looks like it's in the pads themselves. These pads are the cheapest possible ones. And they are glazed up. I would just replace them for better ones. Or you can take the wheels off, get some sand paper and sand top layer off the pads. This will work, but it is likely that the pads will do the same again pretty soon.

Another reason for this appearance - the brake arms are not correctly set up and one of the pads is dragging on the rim all the time, hence "burning sensation". This can be corrected by adjusting the spring: on the side of the brake arm should be a bolt - play with it, until the arms are coming to the rim at the same time.

Or if the brakes stop you well enough and don't drag on tyres/rims, just ignore them and keep riding - not a major problem.


It may seam counter-intuitive, but in the case like you describe a little grease may be the solution.

NOTE: If you have a carbon frame or seat-post, carbon specific grease and a torque wrench should be used. It's very easy to destroy a carbon frame or post by over-tightening when installing parts.

Remove the seat post and clean it and the inside of the frame thoroughly with a little degreaser.
Remove the seat post clamp if it has one (some frames have braze-ons through which the seat bolt is installed rather than a separate clamp) and clean the inside of the clamp and the outside of the frame.
Apply a very thin coat of teflon or lithium grease to inside of the clamp, and to the threads of the clamp bolt. I generally do not apply any grease to the outside of the frame.
Apply a very thin coat of teflon or lithium grease to the seat post and the inside of the seat tube - just enough to facilitate installation and inhibit corrosion.
Install the post and adjust the height.
Tighten the clamp to the manufacturers specification.

The cleaning should remove any grit or dirt that may have been working like tiny ball-bearings and allowing the post to slip. The small amount of grease on the clamp, frame and post should allow the parts to constrict and tighten evenly with out binding in one particular spot.

If, after cleaning, lubricating and reinstalling you still have a post that slips you may have a frame that has deformed, or a post that is slightly smaller in diameter than spec. You can try either replacing the collar/clamp with one that is a little "beefier" that can be tightened to a higher torque, or you use a shim like a piece of thin aluminum between the frame and the post.


Don't buy that XT groupset for that bike to solve those problems - it wont work.

XT is great, but it won't make your  bike more comfortable, and it wont make it better off-road. Worse, it wont work for that bike since it has V-brakes, and that groupset has disk brakes.  They are not compatible.

To make it better off-road you need (in this order) better forks, disk brakes,  better components (lighter and stronger) and lighter frame.

I agree with what others have said here: sell it, and upgrade the whole bike.  If you really can't do that, only go for SLX.


Monster-cross build on the road, will it be fun?

It will be a fun bike to ride, but it won't feel as fast as a road bike.

I've been building up variations of this bike for the last 15 years and there is simply no replacing the feel and acceleration of skinny tires and light wheels. Geometry also matters. Head angle, trail and wheelbase can be very far off the dimensions of a "normal" road bike.

Much of the "feel" of a road bike is not it's absolute top speed, but it's ability to accelerate quickly and be nimble in it's handling. Any changes you make in tire width and geometry will be compromises. The question that only you can answer is "Is it good enough?".

Tire choice will make a big difference in how fast the bike feels. Tires in the 35c range are all over the place in terms of weight, tread and rolling resistance. A light skinwall 35c tire with smooth tread can be reasonably fast and certainly makes bad roads and the occasional trip off the road's shoulder much easier. I really like having a bike that I can easily pull off into a dirt should and not worry about loosing control.


Using a cassette and derailleur with different sprocket/cog specifications

I don’t think anything bad will happen if you use a cassette with 12t smallest cog. At the worst shifting to it won’t work reliably but you probably don’t need the cog on the trainer in the first place (and using it often would wear it down relatively quickly due to the low tooth count).


Can i fit a 6 speed wheel onto a 5 speed bike?

Just because a wheel is buckled doesn't mean that it can't be fixed. You may want to take it to a bike shop. As for will the wheel fit, first note that you'll need 6 speed shifters unless you're using friction shifters.

As for the wheel actually fitting, you need to check the hub spacing -- for example, 5 speed rear wheels for road bikes normally use 120 mm spacing while 6 speed use 126 mm spacing. Measure your frame's spacing and buy accordingly. If the frame is steel, you can often cold-set it to take the wider wheel (which is what you'll likely need to do if you're going from 5 speed to 6 speed).


How to remove axle and bearings from a B'TWIN Triban Aero wheel

I can't say 100%, but this looks like the sort of hub where you just need to smack the ends of the axle sufficiently hard to drive the bearings out. Make sure you're bracing the wheel by holding the hub and not the rim.


Does climbing put extra stress on the chain, making it stretch out faster / higher break risk?

The amount of force you put on the chain makes it stretch faster and have a higher risk of braking. Climbing can sometimes mean more force, but it doesn't have to. If you have the right gearing combinations on your bike, you should be able to climb without putting an excessive amount of force on your drivetrain. If, however, you have a single speed or fixed gear with a high gear ratio, you can put quite a bit of stress on the chain. If you're up out of your seat and putting a lot of power into it using your full body including arms and legs, there could be a possibility of the chain breaking spontaneously. If you regularly check your chain for wear and replace as needed, you shouldn't have to worry too much about your chain breaking unexpectedly.


This is one of those questions where if you have to ask "should I do this?", the answer is "no". Carbon frames need to be specially reinforced (during manufacturing) in the areas that drilling takes place see, for example, this discussion, and you could create stress concentration points or otherwise compromise the integrity of your frame.
The words "catastrophic frame failure" are not ones that you want to hear, particularly from your hospital bed.


Identify this hub (similar to a Sturmey Archer rear internal gear hub w/ drum brake)

Appearance is alloy shell and 70mm drum which would be a Sturmey-Archer AT 5 , which was made mid 80's thru late 90's with dual lever shifters . A version was also made with just 3 gears .


Are the Shimano derailleurs sold on Ali Express genuine or fake?

You pays your moneys and you takes your chance

Answer Maybe genuine, but just as likely not.

Essentially by buying discount, you're circumventing any quality and control process from the brand owner.

Costs are a strange thing - what costs you $40 in the shop retail, might be sold on sale for 20% off and the seller isn't making a loss.  The various stages of wholesaler, importer, shipping, and so on repeatedly add a layer of costs - could be the original item costs only a small fraction of the sale price to make.

The specific items you're looking at might be any combination of

Quality legitimate parts, perhaps overstock or older designs that are no longer as popular.
Legitimate designs that have been built outside the brand's control, on the same production line (ie they were never official products)  This is sometimes called second shift or midnight shift product.
Legitimate items that have been rejected in some way, that have failed quality control for some reason.  Perhaps they're out of spec, or something wasn't done right in the build process
Second line product where a shadow factory makes the same item but on different machinery.  It may or may not have the same metallurgy processes as the authentic product.
Reverse-engineered product - Someone has taken a finished item and figured out how to make the same thing.  The designer would not be working from plans or specs, but from a retail product sample.
Outright fakes - where someone slaps a Brand's name on a generic component.  May have a real model number, or a completely fake model number.

How far down that hierarchy you're prepared to go is up to you, and might vary depending on the safety requirements.  I'd approximate that the more expensive are at the top and the less-expensive are lower.

Personally I have no problem with discount non-moving parts, like a reflector.  But for a wheel or brakes I'd buy original only whether new or second hand.


How to use Windstopper gloves most effectively?

They'll never provide as much insulation as ski gloves, on their own - they're not designed to.

They're intended to block the wind (so minimising the convection heat loss due to high airflow) but still allow you to breathe (which implies you still get the heat loss due to evaporation).

A wicking/insulating liner underneath will add some straight insulation too; if it isn't wicking or fairly open weave you'll lose breathability, but on the other hand an open-weave glove the wind would otherwise cut right through will actually be useful with these over the top.

For comparison, I sometimes wear a windproof shirt for running, usually in the winter: if I wear it over a singlet and it sits against bare skin on my arms, it doesn't add much (or any) warmth. If I wear it over a baselayer, it adds lots, while still being lighter than an equivalent softshell and more breathable than a hardshell.

tl;dr - use a thin, breathable insulating liner. Wool will probably work well.

Oh, and pay attention to the cuffs and your sleeves: any part of your arm not covered, even if it doesn't feel cold itself, will be losing heat that should be reaching your hands.


SRAM Apex 1x crank supports 44, 43 and 40 tooth rings. To get to 32 teeth you'd need a mountain bike specific crank rather than a gravel groupset crank I think.

Whichever crank you select should have appropriate chainline. Presumably you have a through axle, 142mm spacing rear hub. There are plenty of MTB cranks that provide proper chainline for that.

Apex 1x comes in either GXP for a 68mm wide shell or 68mm BB30/PF30 bottom bracket versions. What you'll need is a MTB crank that fits whichever of those two you have.

I note the SRAM NX crank supports 30 to 36 tooth rings and comes in GXP and BB30/PF30 variants and supports 63 and 73mm shells. If you have the GXP bottom bracket you may have to swap out the bottom bracket for a MTB GXP one that will fit on a 68mm shell with 2x 2.5mm spacers to work with that crank. I'm not sure how compatibility with 68 vs 73mm BB30/PF30 works, perhaps spacers are used on the axle. You can obviously look further into compatibility on the SRAM site.

Another possibility is to use a bottom bracket from Wheels Manufacturing or a similar product to convert from the frame BB standard to a different crank BB standard.


5~10mm rupture (crack) on my tire - should I replace it?

The tyre wall appears to be splitting or the layers are coming away from each other. Yes, that's bad because it will lead to failure of the tyre. Failure probably isn't imminent but you should replace it as soon as is practical; new tyres aren't very expensive.


Wheels don't move freely after installing pinhead skewers

The skewer isn't an axle so nothing rotates and it and there's no need for grease. It's more likely that the wheels aren't completely straight in the dropouts  causing the brakes or tyres to rub. I tend to tighten the skewers with the bike's weight on the wheels, rather than on a work stand. But you should also check the sequence of components again as well.

Finally the tab washer supplied with pinhead skewers these days may be the issue. The single tab goes in the dropout, after the skewer. It's just possible that even installed correctly this washer doesn't sit in the right place and misaligns the wheel. One of my bikes had pinhead skewers from new 7 years ago without these washers, with no problems; I've just added them (when fitting matching skewers to my new bike).


Raising the bars on a stock Giant Escape Hybrid

If utility is more important that looks, a stem riser will get you a long way (well 50 - 80 mm, about 2 to 3 inches). There are various makers, but they all look more or less like this one. Prices run from about US $15 to $30. The riser and the existing spacers take care of the holding the headset, you don't need spacers under the stem with the riser – just the spacers between the bottom of the riser and the headset.

After that an adjustable stem like you suggested and/or bars with an upward bend will all help. Shortening the reach may also help.

Keep in mind that as you raise the bars you may find that cables are coming up short. You may have already done this, but a "trick" that works for me is to "visualize" where I want the bars by riding with my fingertips or even no-hands as I look for a place where I will feel comfortable. I've found that I can get very close this way and it's a lot less work (and money) than changing parts. Once I know about where I want the bars, I buy the parts to fit.


Is it a road dropbar or a MTB riser style bar? These two images should prove useful. If it is a mountain bike style riser or straight bar it's quite simple.

If it's a road bar most people (zipp) measure center to center of the drops.

Also if it is a Mountain bike were speaking of, most bars will be sold as 730mm or more wide and have pre-printed lines to cut them shorter. There is a lot of preference involved in bar length. I prefer a shorter length than a lot of people my size, some downhill guys prefer 800mm bars, too long for me, I'm good at finding trees! :P

A good reference if its a road bar is about shoulder width in the drops. This can vary with preference and riding style slightly but is a solid method for the best on bike ergonomics and comfort.


Are you sure you've got the cones locked against the lock nuts correctly? I have a front wheel on which it's not possible to tighten the lock nuts against the cones, and as a result it will almost entirely seize after about 5 miles.


I'd run it under a cold shower if the lint roller suggested in the comments (or not too sticky tape) didn't work. A helmet that can't take a cold shower can't take rain and is therefore useless unless you live in a desert (which Sweden, where it apparently comes from, isn't renowned for).

One further thing to try is a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment. Ideally you'd use reduced power or open a vent hole so you don't suck too hard.


Salvaging valuable parts from a broken vintage bike

Insurers make money by promising the customer coverage and then refusing to pay up

You do not need to accept their statements and valuations as indisputable facts.   Instead - get your own valuations and find replacements that are the same brand, spec, and age.

Answer Don't sell that bike - its evidence.  Take this to the next level and dispute the payout, described by yourself as a pittance.   Depending on your location, that may be a Small Claims tribunal or something similar.

Don't roll over because an insurer has done their damnest to not pay you your costs.

What you do with the payout is your business, buy a new bike or old bike or repair this bike, that's your choice later.


Electrochemical corrosion - bolts holding axles

Edit: I've incorrectly supposed the way the galvanic corrosion  between chrome moly steel and an aluminum alloy happens.  I incorrectly thought both metals would be corroded, however, in galvanic corrosion it is the only one of the metals that is corroded because it acts as the sacrificial anode part of the circuit. In fact, the other metal is imbued with corrosion protection as the cathode in this reaction.   One can compare the anodic index of differing alloys to assess the risk of galvanic corrosion when the differing metals are in contact.  The higher an alloy's anodic index, the greater the chance it will end up being the corroded anode.  However the risk of galvanic reaction is determined by the amount of the difference in two metals anodic indexes. A larger difference in the indexes of two metals, the greater the risk of corrosion of the one bearing the higher index. The risk is also mitigated by the environment the two metals will be subjected.  For the purpose of this question, it would be the aluminum alloy would be metal corroded in such a situation. Aluminum oxide is whitish in color and would look nothing like the red tones of iron oxide corrosion seen in steel corrosion.  Thus, seeing redish oxidation as the OP notes is not caused by galvanic corrosion, but does infer some sort of steel oxidation going on.  Unusual for such a new frame of corrosion resistant chrome moly steel.
Still a good deal of speculation here, but as the Cinelli Tutto's frame is "Columbus Chromor" --from the Cinelli Tutto website--which is chrome moly steel, it may not play well with the "random assemblage" of components someone has selected. Your rust issues may be caused by galvanic corrosion if the crankset is alloy explains rust around the crank.  Often the spider and/or the first few cogs, if not all the cogs, of a higher end cassette will be an aluminum alloy. At the dropout area, even with a low profile of material near the cassette, the frame or the wheel fixing nut could be the source of the rust stains around the cassette. I wouldn't think it to be the chrome moly steel, but???
I speculate too that the axles of the wheels may be an aluminum alloy. The Tutto is sold as a frame set apparently, and it's easy to make the leap that someone uninformed about the risks of galvanic corrosion has selected nice alloy parts and placed them in a steel frame with inadequate protection against such corrosion.  Perhaps even the wheel axles are aluminum alloy and reacting with the steel fixing nut.
I submit that a 2020 frame set could not yet be corroded enough to be damaged enough as to be unrideable if the parts are removed and the bike cleaned thoroughly.  As you've noted, environmental factors could catalyze the corrosion.  One can imagine one wet ride with the road spray and it's countless molecules of contamination left to dry in place, the grease separating the differing metals being washed away.  Good opportunity for galvanic corrosion to begin.
Disassembly is certainly in order and after cleaning reassemble with parts--whether same or a different assemblage--but with the appropriate amount of waterproof grease to form an effective barrier between the dissimilar metals.


What features of a mountain bike's geometry gives it different characteristics?

The shorter the distance between the bottom bracket and saddle lowers pedalling efficiency, but increases standover height which gives you more room to throw the bike around.  This feature gets more pronounced as the riding style the bike is designed for becomes more aggressive i.e. an enduro frame will sacrifice some pedalling efficiency for stability over very rough downhill terrain.
A longer top tube leans the rider forward centring the weight distribution more, this gives better stability in the air and over rough terrain, but causes the bike to feel a little less manoeuvrable because it's harder to pull the front up.
Shorter chainstays allow the front of the bike to pull up easier because the pedals are closer to the rear axle (the pivot point when pulling the front up).  Aggressive bikes that want the stability of the longer top tube often shorten the chainstays to keep the bike feeling more nimble.
A higher bottom bracket lifts the centre of gravity up making the bike more difficult to corner, but a low bike is a bike that scrapes rocks more...
A steeper head angle results in a more responsive, lighter feeling steering.

So to give an XC example:

A pure XC bike will have a large BB to saddle height to maximise pedal efficiency, therefore a low standover height, but this isn't too much of a sacrifice as an XC bike is not aimed at very rough terrain.
Often rather than a long top tube, they have a slightly shorter one and use a longer stem.  This keeps the weight forward so the front doesn't keep lifting when pedalling hard up hill, but keeps the steering feeling light (not always desirable...).
Longer chainstays for the same reason as above.
Steep headangle.

Whilst an enduro:

Will have a low BB to saddle height so it can be thrown around over very rough terrain.
A long top tube for the extra stability.  An enduro bike can't use the long stem trick to minimise the top tube length, because long stems make the steering feel 'overactive' which is horrible on rough terrain.
Short chainstays to mitigate the long tube.
Slightly slacker head angle because it makes the bike more stable when going downhill.

Most MTB frame styles have roughly the same BB height, as everyone wants a better cornering bike and it's difficult to pedal over rough terrain anyway.  The only exception I think of are pure downhilling frames, where a very low BB height is desired but to minimise pedal smashes, shorter crank lengths are the norm.

Headangles tend to quite steep on most MTB frames even on very different styles, for example XC and dirt jump frames have similar headtube angles.  Once again the notable exception are downhilling frames, which have very slack headangles; although this for improving stability when on steep descents (it's harder to go over the bars).

The above is an oversimplification.  In the real world the parts play off each other, and their characteristics will change as a bike moves through the rear travel (if it's got any of course).  Also the above are frame characteristics; the length of stem, width of the bars, length of cranks, height of forks, etc. all play their part in the overall feel just as much as the frame does.


Converting an existing cyclocross bike to disc brakes

Hydraulics for your drop bar bike might be difficult to acquire. I believe that someone made a cable actuated hydraulic brake ... it was downright terrible.

The clamp on adaptors are in my experience a nightmare. They allow for greater vibration and therefore terrible noises.

First, check your bike for disc tabs. If it doesn't have them you could have them welded onto your frame by a local builder. As well this could be your opportunity to upgrade your bike. Haha. As well it might be cheaper to simply purchase a new fork rather than have tabs welded on. Who knows?

Second, check your wheels. Do you have disc hubs? If not you will minimum have to rebuild your wheels with a new hub. Ensure that you can build the wheels in a nice dependable 3 cross pattern to resist wind up. Again, this might be the time to get a nice new set of wheels. Or the opportunity you have been looking for to start building your own wheels.

Thirdly, what shifters do you have? Does your crosscheck have barcons w/ independent brake levers or STI style shifters? If you have STI style shifters then AVID makes a bb7 road disc caliper. This caliper has had the pull adjusted to accommodate road set ups. If your setup features independent brake levers for the calipers the road bb7 is your best choice as well.

That's about all I've got for you. If I can think of more ... I'll be back.


Hybrid, touring, or road bike for new commuter?

8 miles each way is a reasonable commute.

In the city a pure road bike is not as stable.

You should test both flat and drop bars to see which is more comfortable for you.  Drop are a little more efficient but that is not a long commute.  For an uphill I think flat bars are fine.

A full touring bike is probably more than you need unless you are looking to mount racks and also using it for longer rides.  And you probably don't want rack or fenders loading it on and off bus and trains.

Look for mid sized tires (like 32mm).

A light bike is also nice for getting it on an off bus racks.

The also have styles of bikes called urban or city.

Even a mountain bike with street tires would work.  Not a first choice but if you found a good deal used.

A local bike store (LBS) will help you out with fit and selection. You can get some decent new bikes for $600.

If you are on a budget then CL but be careful.

I like a cyclocross bike fit with touring tires for commuting but maybe not the optimal for you.


Is this because the parts are incompatible?

Yes. As groupsets with greater number of sprockets in the cassette were developed, the sprockets were spaced closer together to fit them in the space available. 11 speed road cassettes are slightly wider than 10 speed but the sprockets are still closer.
The chains for 8, 9, 10 and 11 speed groupsets are also not interchangeable. The chains get progressively narrower to work with the closer sprocket spacing.
What you'll need to do is mount a 10 speed cassette on the trainer. A small spacer is needed to deal with the slightly narrower 10 speed cassette on an 11 speed compatible freehub body.


I don't think 100kg should bend a decent axle. I have 7.000 km since I replaced my axle with a Point $5 one and it's still ok, on a freewheel 7-speed hub like yours. Definitely they should replace it on warranty. If not, you can replace only the axle with a better one.


Your bike appears to have "Giant Tracker Sport Disc" hubs. They appear to use cartridge bearings. Additionally, some service manual PDFs found online make it appear axle removal is a somewhat involved process, and so your axle removal may have disturbed some bearings. It also appears to use a proprietary axle type but I'm not 100% on that.

Take your bike to where you bought it or another giant dealer, as they'll have the specialized tooling needed to fix your bearings and will be able to order a new axle.


Shimano integrated shifter/brake: Cantilever compatible with V-Brake?

Generally road caliper and cantilever brakes are not compatible with "V"  brakes levers. You have a few basic options. Find a single shifter and reuse your brake lever, find an integrated shifter for canti brakes,( likely a rare find), up grade your brake to a "V" brake. Your local shop may help with some used parts. In my area used brakes go for around $10. This is for arms, pads and a cable noodle. You should see an improvement in braking with the "V" brakes.


I contacted the manufacturer and they said to  use a hammer from the drive side which worked perfectly.


How long will a battery last in a Garmin GSC 10?

Right now I am at 159 hours of riding time on the battery which came with my GSC-10.

Garmin's stated battery life for the GSC-10 is 1.4 years at one hour of riding per day which works out to 511 hours. (See page 51 of the Edge 500's Owner Manual)

On the interweb I've come across two different suspected causes for low battery life on the GSC-10:

Some (mostly older?) GSC-10's are susceptible to corrosion due to incomplete sealing of the circuit board inside the GSC-10. If this occurs battery life is shortened due to an internal short which causes the battery to drain more quickly than normal.
If you store your bike with either the cadence or speed magnet lined up with the sensor, the GSC-10 may not go to sleep after a short period of inactivity like it is supposed to. This seems to result in faster than normal battery drain.


The frame looks like a 2011 to 2013 Schwinn Madison with many component changes.

The Madison was made in 1985, through 1987 as a lugged track bike.

In 2007 the Madison was an chromoly welded fastback frame and threadless headset.

This frame is similar to yours but it does not have bottle mounts.

In 2011 the Madison went to dual bottle mounts and threaded headset with many other component changes.

Your frame looks like this one.
This style was made until 2013 - if BikePedia is to be believed.

Further research
Schwinn has sold, and is currently selling, bikes with a "track style" frame in the "Urban" category that looks similar to the bike in the original post with a variety of names. Over the years there have been a variety of components and sometimes differences in frame angles.

I was unable to find a 2013 Schwinn catalog.

Keep in mind that the brand name "Schwinn" is owned by Dorel Industries which owns several other bicycle brand names, like Cannondale, DYNO, Pacific, Roadmaster, Mongoose, Murray to name a few. It is possible for them to use the same frame with one of their other brand names for any given year.

The variety of names and years makes a single model / year identification difficult. There are many serial number decoders for older Schwinn bikes. I didn't find one for the newer bikes.


what benefits does a road bike give over a regular mountain bike for casual cycling?

I think a road bike gives you better efficiency so you can go further with less energy and do it quicker. This is because they are:

Lighter - Less mass to get up to speed and keep moving.
More rigid - less flex, so the bike itself absorbs less pedal energy, meaning when you pedal, more of that energy is used to propel you forwards.
Less suspension, as suspension on a mountain bike works by moving oil/air around, and that warms up - you're providing the energy to warm the suspension up instead of moving forwards.
Have higher gears, so you can go further for one revolution of the pedals.
Have thinner tires - For less contact and friction with the road that would slow you down.
Have higher pressure tires - So they squish less and don't use up energy.
Get you in a more aerodynamic position so you incur less wind resistance. But, this might mean you feel less comfortable.

You might get:

Fun from choosing one and getting bling'ed up with a new shiny bike you can show off and take pride in.
The buzz/addiction for cycling more and wanting to go on longer rides.
The ability to keep up with other road cyclists who you can be buddies with, especially if you join a cycling club.
Fitter because you cycle more so you live longer.
A strange desire to wear lycra which will show off your body better and may attract the opposite sex, and you might end up with a better sex life.


How long does it take for one to get settled on a new saddle?

A 100 km ride is too much to do on a new saddle -- I'd start with 30 minutes rides, hour tops; not too hard. You also need breaks between rides -- riding 100 km then 30 km every day after will probably start you sore and keep you sore.

The saddle won't really change appreciably (break in) as you use it; break in is really for leather saddles which can break in like baseball gloves over time (and even then, theres only so much that can happen -- it either will fit or won't). Either you'll get used to it after a few rides or not. Many better bike shops have a return period for saddles that is long enough that you can probably get in 5-10 rides to get an idea if its comfy or not.

It's a highly personal decision, with body type, bike type and clothing choices coming into play.

Also, make sure the saddle is properly adjusted -- this means adjusting angle, fore/aft position, height, etc; switching saddles isn't as simple as just putting the new saddle in exactly the same position as the old one. You may even end up adjusting the handle bars a bit; saddles can feel too narrow if you have to sit too far forward.


if I replace chainset and chain should I replace back cassette as well?

You'll probably need to replace the cassette as well.

Generally once the chain has worn ("stretched") a little, it starts to wear down all the gears (front and back) that it touches. If there's enough wear that the front chainrings need to be replaced, it's almost certain that the gears on the cassette that you use most are also worn enough to need replacing. Usually the gears on the cassette will wear faster than the chainrings simply because they're smaller (so each individual tooth gets more wear).

The new chain will wear faster if the cassette is worn out, but a chain is generally cheaper to replace than a cassette. It should only wear the chainrings if you let the chain wear go.

You can look for signs of wear on the cassette, it will mostly be in the form of the teeth being thinner, often with a sort of "shark fin" appearance (sloped on one side). It's likely some gears (your favorites) will be worn more than others, which can give you something to compare against. If you can see signs of wear you should replace the rear cassette.

If you replace the chain and chainrings but not the cassette, I suggest paying very careful attention to how the chain runs when you first put it on.  If there's any kind of roughness to how the bike pedals, any kind of noise coming from the rear end when you pedal, or problems with shifting the rear, then it's probably time to replace the cassette.

Another thing you can do if you keep the old cassette is check the chain for wear regularly. If the chain wears down ("stretches") faster than it seems like it should, replace the cassette.


How can I tell if my presta valves have removable cores?

Have a close look.

On a presta valve there is a wide threaded part that the lock ring attaches to. And a narrower part with the valve lock nut above it that the cap threads onto.

If the narrow part has two flat sides to get a tool onto, then it's removable.


Pros and cons of long and short derailleur cage?

Cage length is part of the derailleur design that determines it's total capacity - the ability to take up chain slack when shifting onto small sprockets or chainrings.

If you look at the Shimano rear derailleur specs page you will see that the the 'GS' medium cage models have a higher total capacity than the 'SGS' long cage models. Long cage models are generally for triple chainring setups or cassettes with very large sprocket size spreads.

When looking at a replacement derailleur you need to look at the total capacity and the largest rear sprocket supported. The total capacity needs to be equal to or more than: (difference in tooth count largest and smallest sprockets) + (difference in tooth count largest and smallest chainrings).

It's best to pick the shortest derailleur that meets your needs, the shorter cage has more leverage and tensions the chain better. They also have a lower profile and are less likely to hit branches or rocks or other obstructions on the trail.


My back wheel isn't connected to the gears

The bike is made by Univega and probably has a freewheel.

If the pedaling motion still works, I'd guess your freewheel is shot (the thing that the gears are on in the back). You have to remove it with a freewheel remover and put on a new one. This requires a freewheel remover tool and a large wrench or vise, so you might want to take it to a shop and let them check it over and swap the freewheel out.


There is way too much space! Tensioning the spoke is going to stress the bend into opening the angle and you risk several failures. The spoke may break at the bend. The spoke-hole will be ovalized or break open through metal fatigue. There's also the risk of the wheel going easily out of true.
Put a stainless washer on the spoke first before threading it through the spoke-hole to compensate for this lack of material thickness of the flange of your hub. It's quite a usual procedure.
I've mentioned stainless washers (with stainless spokes) because introducing another a different material may cause electrolytic corrosion


Why aren't vertical dropouts truly vertical?

Likely to clear the derailleur.  Angling the dropouts somewhat gives more clearance between the derailleur and the cassette as the wheel is being removed or installed.

While the derailleur could also be moved more rearward and upward to provide the same clearance, that would reduce the length of chain that engages the sprockets.


Can a belt driven bike be used in a hilly area?

Yes, the gearing should be fine. from http://www.sheldonbrown.com/nexus8.shtml the lowest ratio is 0.57 which is as low as many mountain bikes.

The belt is actually wider than a metal chain and has longer life, so should be more robust: http://www.conti-drive-system.com/pages/faq/faq_en.html.

But the internal hub has more moving parts, so is slightly less efficient than derailleur based system, meaning you have to pedal a bit harder. But for 450m of climbing, it should be fine.


Which tire is compatible with DT swiss c 1850 wheel

By way of background, the specified bike is a cyclocross bike. The rims have an internal width of 22mm. The bike was, as the OP stated, delivered with tires that are a nominal 33mm wide.
However, note that nominal tire width often doesn't equal to actual width (you can measure using vernier or electronic calipers), especially since rims vary in width, and there is a trend to wider rims on drop bar bikes. For example, I have a pair of Boyd Altamont rims with an internal width of 19.9mm. They have nominal 25mm Continental Grand Prix 4000 S2 tires mounted. These measure just over 27mm in actual width (by calipers). I have a pair of DT Swiss CR1800 rims, with a 22mm internal width. The 35mm Panaracer Gravelking SK's measured about 37mm as mounted.
I suspect the nominal tire sizes may be based on width when mounted on a rim with something like 15-17mm internal width.
Now, there are two parts to the question.
Can you mount any brand of tire to the rims?
The OP seems to have a misconception that only specific brands of tires can mount to specific rims. Fortunately, this is wrong. However, that sentence needs to be qualified a bit.
If you are mounting clincher tires with inner tubes, then for the most part, there are no compatibility issues. In some very rare cases, manufacturers may specify a list of compatible tires. There's no such list for DT Swiss rims. This situation is very rare, and it exists with some modern, hookless carbon wheels that usually have wide internal width.
I think this is irrelevant to the OP, but if he was mounting tubeless clinchers, then there may be some issues. The tire and rim size specifications for tubeless clinchers are still under development, and without a specification approved by the International Standards Organization (ISO), there may be cases where some tires don't fit some rims tightly enough to seal properly. However, there usually isn't a clear list. Riders in this situation may have to rely on anecdotal reports.
As an example of the above issue, Enve stated that its latest wheels require tubeless tires, even if you use an inner tube, and it specifies that some tires are incompatible, e.g. the otherwise very well regarded Continental Grand Prix 5000.
What width tires can you mount?
There is a potential duplicate answer to this part of the question.
However, the information currently present in that answer cites information provided by the ISO as of, I believe, 2015 or 2016. If you go by the chart in the accepted answer, then a rim with 22mm internal width was rated as compatible with 35 to 62mm tires (NB: these were probably nominal widths, rather than width as mounted). In other words, by the book, the tires originally supplied with the wheelset were not compatible. The OP should have crashed by now due to a tire blowing off the rim. And yet, here he is, apparently alive and well. (NB: if you have actually experienced a tire blowout, now would be a good time to say so.)
I think the ISO guidance in this case is conservative. Also, even in 2015/2016, 28mm performance road tires were not that common, and 22mm rims may not have been common on performance road bikes. We don't know if this standard was proposed based on comprehensive blowout testing, or if it was based on testing some common tire/width combinations and supplemented by expert opinion.
In practice, a number of current generation performance road wheels offer internal diameters of 21 to 25mm. Riders would typically mount tires with nominal widths of 25 or 28mm to these. Based on that, I'd argue that the OP can likely mount a 27-28mm road tire to the rims, assuming he is using tubes. I would prefer not to recommend a narrower tire, erring on the side of caution. In any case, 27-28mm tires should be more comfortable than 25s, and they should have comparable rolling resistance.
I am still skeptical of road tubeless setups due to the still-evolving standards and the very high pressures we would typically use. On the off chance the OP is thinking about a tubeless road tire, I'd reiterate this caution. I would then recommend at least a 28mm tire, and I would recommend that the OP not exceed 60 PSI (4 bar). Jan Heine, an engineer and the CEO of Rene Herse cycles, recommends this this as a general pressure limit. Zipp's recent 303S wheelset has a 23mm internal width (albeit it's of hookless construction), and for a 25mm tubeless tire, they recommended 61 PSI front, 64 PSI rear for a 165 lb rider, lower for wider tires.


Stuck lock-nut on one side of the axle, can't push the axle out from the other side

As this hub has pressed-in cartridge bearings, it means that the axle sits pressed into the inner races of both bearings and cannot be extracted without some sort of smashing process. This is meant to be done when your are about to change both bearings as they are not designed to be reused after extraction. All in all, it is expected that you are unable to extract the axle at this point.

The lock nut is unrelated to axle being "stuck". If you screw on two locknuts on another side of the axle again, you can use them to place a counter-action wrench and thus be able to unscrew the thing from the other side.


Why using a puncture repair kit instead of a new inner tube?

You have to remove the wheel to replace the tube. A repair can be done in the frame.

On older bikes without quick release, and with current gear hubs, electric hubs, Nuvinci hubs, belts etc, you need a spanner and oftentimes, the gear adjustment goes back different and needs fiddling with.

This reduces the advantage of tube changes. A fix is only 3 mins.

Hints:

Once opened, small tubes of glue dry out very quick, so I always have an unopened tube in my kit.
I also find that using the aluminium foil from the patch, over the tube opening, and screwed under the cap, keeps the glue alive longer.
real sandpaper beats the hell out of the useless punched metal scraper thingy
you should have a square of canvas or equivalent for covering splits in the tyre sidewall


How much unusual stress are you talking about?  The weight of the bike all on one leg of the fork?  Or the weight of a really large person leaning back against the fork?

If it's just the weight of the bike leaning "wrong" on the fork, I wouldn't worry about it.  That fork leg is built to handle a lot more stress than that in normal riding.

If it's worrying you, you could always pick up a cheap hub and quick-release skewer and put that into the front fork when carrying the bike in the car like that.  That way the stresses on the fork would be shared on both sides and much more match up what happens when you're riding.


How do I tighten this 10s Shimano splined freehub? 2008 Cannondale CAAD9 R5 - WH-R550

It's a 10mm hex. A ball end probably won't catch right if that's what you were using.


This is very doable!

I'm midway though building my fourth and fifth wheels for my own bikes from scratch with no more than an upside down bike, the internet and a spoke key (or screwdriver to begin with).

There are a number of different lacing patterns to choose from depending on your own preference and possibly the length of spoke available to you.  There are also a number of websites which will tell you what length the spokes will need to be, though in this case you can just measure the existing ones.

Definitely don't by cheap spokes (unless they are good quality spokes for a great price).  My third wheel lasted less than one day because two spokes snapped within 20 miles.
It could be that this was down to a poor build but my first two wheels are still good after 500 miles with no adjustment required (using ACI plain guage spokes).

Once you start getting towards tension (you can pretty much feel how tight they should be from a built wheel) focus primarily on any vertical movement before lateral as this is much more difficult to correct when at full tension.

Put the wheel under tension before assuming its completed.  When I think I'm true I squeeze the spokes together with my hands, and check true again. Then I attach the wheel to a bike and walk it around whilst applying some pressure to either the seat or handlebars depending on the wheel and check true again. THEN I go for a ride around a car park and, you guessed it! Check true again!

Its not a hugely difficult task to complete, but a very difficult one to perfect.


The gap you're talking about is more or less random and does not itself affect how symmetrical the Q-factor winds up being.

The quick visual check for Q symmetry is to eyeball against the chainstays, which is close enough in almost all cases to know whether there's a problem unless the frame either has an asymmetrical rear end or is smashed. To get an exact measurement, one uses the depth gauge part of a vernier against either the seat tube of a round-tubed bike or the back rim (after checking dish) for bikes with asymmetrical frames.


First road bike: mech disc brakes vs dual pivot sidepull brakes?

While specific shopping comparison questions are off-topic here due to their tendency to become obsolete, there is a perfectly good generic question here where these two bikes can be used as examples, so I will take that angle on it.
The two bikes in question have similar price points, but the braking system on the disc one is eating a lot more of the price tag. To compensate, it's a 7-speed freewheel bike in 2021 and has essentially the worst road bike components money can buy, and the unnamed brakes that are getting room made for in the price tag are probably themselves very mediocore. This dynamic is common with bikes: there's a must-have feature that stands out to consumers, so in order to fit it in at a given price point, everything else is downspecced to the point where the overall level of functionality is arguably worsened. Product managers who attempt a more balanced approach at the entry level price points, where there exists a greater amount of ignorance to be exploited, are punished for their integrity and don't stick around the business. The sidepull bike in question is more in that direction: something someone who knows about bikes would choose for themselves if that was the budget they were working with, but which lacks features deemed essential by a hype-driven market. (Few low-end road bikes are pure examples of this because of the massive impact of brifters on their price tag.) So if you do get it, you will have to live with the fact that you've chosen a bike with the wrong look and bullet-point features, and your only consolation will be that it's saner and better.
It is true that disc brakes have advantages for wet weather conditions, but people rode in those conditions avidly long before them. Meanwhile, getting and keeping bottom-end mechanical discs in good adjustment can be challenging for the novice, even assuming the brake in question is a good enough one where it's even possible (not a given), whereas sidepull caliper brakes tend to be much more approachable and easy to deal with in terms of common pad and cable type adjustments. It is very common for cheap disc road bikes out in the wild to be found with barely adequate or inadequate brakes.
Disc road bikes of all kinds, cheap or otherwise, have the advantage that they can take mudguards/fenders when a similar sidepull bike couldn't, or not with the same tire size. This may or may not be important to you, but it's a factor to consider. Contemporary cheap sidepull road bikes do often have "standard" aka 47-57 aka not short reach calipers that are capable of taking them if the tire is small enough and the frame/fork take advantage of the reach.


Saddle Wash and take care and Maintenance

It depends on the type of saddle.

Leather saddles should generally be kept away from water and conditioned periodically. There are many pages on maintaining a leather saddle such as this one and this question and this FAQ from Brooks -- see the documentation that came with your saddle (or find the details from the manufacturer.

Plastic/Vinyl/other synthetics are generally quite hardy and should be fine with a gentle soap and water (but check with the manufacturer of the saddle -- yours may be different). They generally don't require any upkeep. While probably not ideal, I normally use a Clorox or Lysol wipe on my saddle when I wake up and find that a squirrel has defecated on my saddle -- I'm not entirely sure what makes squirrels like bicycle saddles.


Tiagra 9 speed triple front with a 10 speed group

Yes, it will work, but you need to double check shifting range settings — stops — on the front derailleur.

I recommend use second and third positions of shifter for inner and outer rings respectively (not the first and second).

If you will use not only triple front shifter but also a triple front derailleur you must consider that shifting on double crankset with triple derailleur wouldn't be as fine as with double derailleur (because of triple derailleur frame form).