Look at page 23 and 24 of the manual and follow the directions for measuring tire rollout. Measure your front tire and select the wheel size on the chart that has the closest measurement to your tire. There can be a big difference in the circumference of different brand/model tires even if the stated size is the same. Measurement of the actual tire circumference will give you the most accurate readings. As far as placement it makes no difference. As long as the magnet on the spoke triggers the pick-up it will count revolutions. The computer does the calculations to convert the data to mph, distance etc. My preference is to mount it as close to the axle as possible. On a mountain bike this keeps it out of the mud and away from branches.


assembling brackets and front crankset: how many spacers and orientation

The cup marked L goes on the left-hand side of the frame (the non-drive side) and consequently the cup marked R goes on the right-hand side. Make sure you tighten the cups in the correct direction (the drive side cup is reverse threaded) and be sure not to cross thread the frame.

As for the spacers, I presume that the frame has a bottom bracket width of 73 mm (although you should measure it to be sure), and you're going to use a front derailleur that clamps on to the seat tube. In that case, the Shimano service instructions for FC-M583 state that you should use one 2.5 mm spacer between the frame and the drive-side cup.


How to find a replacement and replace a broken kickstand?

Managed to find replacement kickstand that would fit my bike. In my case it was Ursus rear  kickstand with 18mm fixing plate (there are also ones with 40mm fixing plate). Very simple to install with just two bolts.

Here is the catalog of Ursus kickstands:
https://ursus.it/products/urban-city/kickstands/


Which are better for reproducible power output: Mag- or Fluid-trainers?

The power-speed curve of trainers are subject to variations during a ride and from ride to ride depending on various factors including:

heat build up in the resistance unit and tyre
tyre pressure
press on force of the roller against the tyre
the tyre used, and
wear and tear of the unit.

Some of course use a direct drive rather than a roller pressed against the tyre.

Any of these things can and do affect the relationship between wheel speed and power demand. Some changes occur over minutes, and some occur over weeks, months and years.

What's more important than the shape of the resistance curve is having a trainer which provides:

a modestly realistic ride feel, which generally comes from having a trainer with higher inertial load (heavier/larger flywheel and/or one that rotates more quickly). Mag trainers often don't provide a realistic feel and as a result your ability to sustain power may be compromised. Everyone is different of course but in my experience I was able to hold far high power output on a quality high inertia trainer than I ever could on a low inertia mag resistance unit
consistently reproducible resistance from ride to ride, IOW the set up required for resistance to be consistent from day to day is easy to replicate
not subject to much heat based drift in resistance once an initial "warm-up" period has settled the trainer/tyre, and the warm up period is not long (e.g. 10-minutes). Some units are much better than others and some the resistance will increase with heat, others will decrease with heat
has a sufficient range of resistance load for your personal fitness and training needs

There are of course a whole range of other factors to consider with trainers (cost, robustness, ease of use, service and support, portability, size, weight, stability, noise, compatibility with your bikes, use with online and other software training aids etc etc) so I'm just talking about those relating to the nature of the resistance and ride feel.

To measure power output consistently though, you'd really need a good power meter. If you do have a good power meter, then of course the need for day to day consistency of the trainer power curve lessens somewhat as you'll have a better means to assess actual load. Even so, good ride feel is important and may make a difference to the power you are able to sustain.

If you have a reasonably predictable resistance trainer, then it will suffice for the purpose of assessing larger changes in fitness, but as fitness gains become more marginal (they do eventually), then the error in measurement means this method will no longer be suitable, and you'd need a better means of tracking fitness changes if that was important to you.

I can't specifically comment on individual trainers, but there are definitely trainers that are far more predictable in their resistance than others and also provide for a realistic ride feel. Examples of good trainers I am aware of include the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and the old Lemond Revolution but there are no doubt others.

Of course the training you do doesn't need to be so precise wrt intensity, as being at the right overall level matters far more than being at a precise wattage.

Finally, while some trainer resistance curves are more linear and others are more curvilinear, I suspect that over narrow wattage bands, the curvature is not so high as to enable greater precision beyond those error factors I've mentioned.


Are there any route planning/mapping apps or websites that can show a chart of cumulative ascent?

Starting from any route-planning tool that can export GPX, you can do this on my website. It's more about the mapping and planning rides for Veloviewer Explorer, but I've added a graph showing cumulative ascent below the map that displays multiple GPXs. Multiple rides can be plotted, automatically colour coded to match the map.  Processing is handled on your own machine using javascript; nothing is uploaded to my server.  Just drag and drop the GPX onto the map.

The code is also available at GitHub under the most permissive of licenses.
Originally I took this as an interesting challenge to my spreadsheet skills.  The spreadsheet I created (xlsx, original LibreOffice ods) takes a GPX file pasted into one sheet, and displays on another sheet a graph of cumulative elevation, as well as calculating the distance at which you've done half the climbing.
It doesn't attempt to parse the XML of the GPX file; everything is done in cell formulae.  This means that each track point is assumed to look like this and to not have a timestamp (so it works for RideWithGPS and Strava routes, but not Komoot).
<trkpt lat="51.53166" lon="-2.4620100000000003">
    <ele>57.870000000000005</ele>
</trkpt>

This is what the output looks like:

I'll probably write something in javascript as well, and host it; that would allow the route to be displayed on a map.


Mechanical Engineering Designing/ Analyzing Stress in the beam members of a bicycle

"Lords of the Chainring" might help. It's been a while since I've looked at my copy,  from memory it was more focussed on dynamic balance but I vaguely recall a section on basic frame analysis. The fact that people spent a long time trying to come up with simple(ish) equations for forces on a bike frame and failed repeatedly suggests to me that once you get past very simple approximations you're probably not going to succeed at all. Hence the popularity of FEA and iterative prototyping.

The forces on a frame are quite complex, and I'm not sure there's any part of the frame that could be analysed as two force member. The Slingshot bike had a cable downtube but that was an interesting bike to ride (twisting the handlebars visibly moved the front wheel sideways). Remember that there's torsion as well and bending and tension going on in most joints.

Looking at carbon fibre layup patterns will probably give you a better idea of the forces because fibre has very directional strength and is laid to resist the actual forces. Metals are homomorphic and gain a lot of unnecessary strength in a bike frame from being thick enough to deal with highly directional forces.


It depends on the type of hub, but most commonly you'll need a 15mm and 17mm cone wrench.  A picture of the hub would be helpful.


Are saddles supposed to bow inwards when sat upon?

Yes, this is how saddles work. If you find yourself sitting on the rear edge of the saddle and sliding forward, you probably need a seatpost with more offset.

You might also be interested in SDG I-beam design. It has been around for more than 10 years and while not unpopular enough to be out of production, it also hasn't replaced the traditional rails design.


What kinds of tools do I need to do bike maintenance, e.g. adding a rack?

The mainstay tools are really wrenches and allen keys, certainly these will be all you need for something trivial like fitting a rack.

But the more you get into things, there are a myriad of different tools around, often which can be used for one and only one task. For example if you want to get the cranks off you need a crank puller, of which there are a couple of different types. To change a cassette, you need the right lockring (possibly a half-a-dozen or more of these). A special tool to break a chain (you replace chains relatively regularly, compared to other maintenance). Another too to swap out a bottom bracket, a rig to check how true your wheel is.....

The good news is that you're not (certainly as an individual wanting to maintain your bike) going to want all of these tools at once - they can be collected over time. And if looked after they pretty much last forever.

I don't know whether you'd count these as tools (I would) but I'd say it is definitely worth buying, up front, tyre levers and a pump, so you're able to change a tyre and repair a puncture. These, unfortunately, are the most common tasks you'll need to perform.


I believe that this link at Halfords is the same model you have. As links to online retailers are often impermanent, I'm reproducing one of Halfords' pictures of the bike, focusing on the front fork. I chose this picture in particular because it appears to confirm that you have a quick release fork. The page stated that the Virtuoso had Shimano Claris, an 8-speed groupset.

Tacx's description of the Flux S says that it comes with a quick release, and that it's compatible with quick releases, so on that score you are good to go. One thing to note for the future is that most current disc brake bikes come with thru axles, which do the same thing as quick releases but have different dimensions. I may be mistaken, but it does not seem that Tacx package thru axle adapters with the trainer. They would be available for purchase aftermarket if you upgrade your bicycle later on.
The freehub body was described as being compatible with 8 to 11 speed Shimano cassettes. You would want to either get a second 8s cassette to use on your trainer, or to remove the cassette from your rear wheel to put it onto the bike. Unless you want to bring the bike and trainer to your local bike shop (LBS) every time you want to change things over, you should get the necessary tools - a lockring tool and a chain whip - and learn to do it yourself. For now, it would be simpler to just buy a second cassette and have the LBS mount it. I believe you will need to put a spacer on the freehub body to enable it to run 8 (or 9 or 10) speed cassettes, and I think the spacer usually comes with the freehub body. So, don't throw away any of the stuff in your package just yet.


Do glueless tube patches work as well as glue ones?

They work ok - if you are just riding around town, they would probably be fine. If you are on a ride out in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't count on these. The ones with glue work significantly better, to the point where I wouldn't buy the glue-less ones.


Campagnolo crank spider inter-compatibility between 'standard' and 'compact' chainrings

No, compact chainrings have 110 BCD (bolt circle diameter) while standard chainrings have 135 BCD.


Shimano Tiagra 4700 10 speed lever only shifting 9 gears

By removing the cable from the derailleur and operating the shifter while applying tension to the cable by hand you have proved the shifter is the problem (unless the cable is hanging up somewhere, it's best to do this test holding the cable as close to the shifter as possible).

Sometimes shifters can get a bit of dried grease or dirt in them that prevents a pawl from catching on a ratchet. Unfortunately they cannot be disassembled as they are riveted together.

Soaking with WD40 or equivalent and/or blowing out with a compressed air hose can reportedly clear the contamination.


getting the crank arms off an old bsa bike

Use a length of conduit or other metal pipe or some other kind of brace to transmit load from the crank to the ground, so that the hammer impacts are not going right into the bearings. Then hammer it with everything you've got. Try to go for fewer strikes and more power. It's a press fit you're overcoming; it's supposed to be stuck.

Always plan on having to replace the cotters. They don't necessarily get too mangled or bent to re-use but they often do. Replacements are still pretty available, although there are multiple diameters (I think 4). You re-establish the press fit with a hammer or press, never via the nut - it can shear the cotter if you try. Sometimes you have to file new cotters to make the angle right (make the cranks 180 degrees apart) if you only replace one of them. The other very important thing is to re-tighten the nut on a freshly installed cotter after a break in period at first, say 50 miles.

Despite being a pain, they do work and all you really need to work on them is a hammer and piece of pipe.


Removing square taper bottom bracket cartridge after stripping notches

I had something like this on an old folding bike.  The owner said that he had it installed by a gorilla using loctite threadlocker.

So the fix was to use leverage, but to control it so the tool did not slip.  We had the non-drive side off and removed the axle, and reinstalled the shell temporarily.  There was some threadded rod through the BB, and we used a stack of big washers to spread the load.  This held the BB tool (a park HCW-4).   Then we used a pikey hammer to gently turn the cup.

Sounds like you have the cranks off but neither side cup.  So your best option is to rig up something using the BB itself as the shaft that holds the tool in place.  Some washers, or a short buttpipe/bushing might be all it takes.

As promised, here's the tool I made for taking off a cup that is stuck.

Here's the normal bottom cup tool with two flats on it.

Completed tool ready to turn:

Photo of it without the middle tube in place:

Making the two washers - started with large 2" washers from the junk drawer.  One needed an 8mm hole in the middle for the crank bolt, and the other need a 26mm hole to clear the BB axle.  Somewhat rough way to do it, but it works.

The purpose of this is to hold the correct too in place while you apply leverage.  Also means your fingers are nowhere near the pinchy bits.  When working alone you can now use hand leverage, and then a progressively increasing series of hammer taps to work the cup loose.

NOTE the drive side cup is left-hand threadded.  So turn it the opposite way

If you're talking about the cup on the non-drive side, then its often a different fitting, with a lock ring.  You can either do exactly as illustrated, but use a park HCW-11.    Or you can use a pair of stiltsons or some sliding lock-jaw pliers on the locking ring part.


How to tighten v-brake pad without turning it out of position?

I usually just grab the pad with my fingers, and carefully apply torque in the opposite direction of the torque I apply to the screw. The two torques must be roughly equal (very roughly), if you apply too much torque to the pad, you are going to turn it the opposite direction.

It is not enough to grab the pad and try to hold it in place, you have to apply torque proactively to stop the first bit of movement before it happens.

Done right, you can tighten those screws very securely without rotating the pad.

Of course, you need to position the pads properly first, which is easiest to do by applying the brake, adjusting the position of the pads with the brake applied, and fixing their position by tightening the screws with your fingers. You don't really need any torque at that point, as you are just fixing the position. It's when you take out the wrench to tighten the screw for good that you need to apply the counter-torque to the pad with your other hand.

But, of course, a hexagonal surface to grab the pad with a wrench would be nice...


Can I upgrade to newer groupsets despite my frame not supporting internal cable routing?

Internal cable routing is not a requirement, as long as you have functional cable stops on your the frame, you should be able to cable up a newer cable group set without issue. In fact it should be easier than internal able routing, which can be quite fiddly to get the cabling to pass through restrictions.

The primary advantage of internal routing is aesthetics, followed by straighter cable lines and less maintenance (because of protection). The latter two are possible, but are not a guarantee with internally routed cables as it largely depends on the design of the frame, and some of the recent internal routing schemes are clearly prioritizing electronic shifting over internal cables.

A good example of the importance of implementation, is my winter road/summer gravel bike, which has decent internal cabling lines and for the most part is well sealed against the external environment, except for one weak spot which allowed water to dribble into the rear shift housing and pool inside the internal tubing by the bottom bracket. The pooling also brought fine grit and eventually cause  shifting to deteriorate substantially. It took me a while to track down the problem as this small area was hard to access and I only determined the issue after replacing all the internal tubing (as a last ditch effort).

With externally routed cabling I would have been able to track down and fix much easier, as it is easy to access all points.  If you ride in poor conditions, and you don't have full length external cabling, there are also ways to better seal external routed shift cables (e.g., Shimano's cable end cap seals) making external routing more robust to poor conditions.

That just leaves aesthetics as the primary benefit of internal cable routing, and maybe straighter cable lines, but recent frame design seems to be negating this positive.


As Daniel R Hicks pointed out; that style of brake caliper can be a pain to work with, however there are a few things that you can do:

Make sure that the calipers can rotate side to side, they're supposed to be able to do this.

This is intended to work as a self centering system.
Imagine the brake being set up off center(where one pad is much closer to the rim than the other). When you hit the brake one pad is going to the hit the rim first. In the case of the brake pivoting around the mounting bolt the other pad will be forced toward the rim. If the brake is fixed at the mounting bolt, then the frame will resist the force coming from the pad/rim interface, and you will essentially be braking with only one pad.
The mounting pivot usually consists of an acorn nut and locknut system. The locknut sets the appropriate pressure on the brake arms to eliminate play while allowing the system to loose enough to pivot smoothly.

Make sure all of the pivot points are smooth

Clean out the pivot points as best as you can and apply a little oil(chain lube works fine)
I wouldn't take the calipers apart, even if you know what you're doing, it's a pain and usually not worth it.

Finally, you can re-bend the springs to center the brake

This is best done with the Park Tool OBW-3
Bend the spring when the brake is mounted. Make small adjustments, and keep re-checking to see if the brake is centered. You want fatigue the spring as little as possible.
Be careful doing this! Old springs are usually oxidized and you can snap them when you re bend them. It is also possible to snap the washer that clamps down on the spring.


Changing '75 international to clip in pedals and shoes

I would just pull one pedal off each bike and go to a bike shop.  Go with the right pedal as the threads are normal.  I seriously doubt either has odd threads that you cannot find clip pedals.  You would just get compatible (or same) pedals for each bike.   Pick a pair of shoes that walks OK.  A mountain shoe is going to walk better so you should get mountain pedals.  Shimano SPD and Crank Bros Egg Beater are two popular types.

A hard soled shoe (without clips) designed for biking with larger platform pedals is also an option.   They don't bike as well but they walk a whole lot better.  Five Ten is a brand.


Is it possible to make a larger bike fit a smaller person?

A couple of things to tide you over:

Obviously, put the seat down as far as you can. If the post can't go any lower, you might see if you can get a shorter post, or have the current post "chopped" to a shorter length (although that will probably cost you).
Move the seat as far forward as possible. To do this, you loosen the seat from the post using a hex-wrench; move the seat up, and then tighten back up. To really get the most possible, you can even try tilting the seat forward, although this might leave you feeling like you're sliding off of the bike (this is what my wife did to fit into her antique 3-speed).
You can loosen the handlebars and turn them upward, so you're not as stretched over the frame. To take it one step further, you can remove the handlebars, turn them around, and put them back on backwards ("bull horn" handlebars), but that will require re-taping and doing some more serious cable adjustments. It sounds like you just want to make a quick fix without too much work.

In general, being 3" too short for a bike probably isn't too bad. All of these fixes will lead to the overall fit changing. Stay on the lookout for someone who looks a tad too small for their own bike, and maybe you can engineer a trade at some point!


Need Help Deciding What to Do With Bent Front Rim

Its impossible to answer this for you. The LBS who fixed the wheel is in the best position to give the advise you seek.

My motto here would be 'If in doubt, throw it out'. If it was the rear wheel my answer might be different, but front wheel failure tend to be more catastrophic and most often occurs when you load the front wheel - think what happens if you tacho the wheel under heavy downhill braking - is it worth the risk?

Additionally if there are loose spokes from straightening the rim, you are probably over loading other spokes. This along with increase rim flexing  will almost certainly start to see spoke failure at some future time. How long the spokes will last and any ones guess.

If me, I would get a price from the LBS for new rim or wheel. I might look for a used rim or wheel (e.g. asking around my local cycling club, Craigs list etc), riding the one I have till I found something in my price/quality/value range.


Is there a front derailer clamp diameter that is near 29.6 or 29.7mm?

Looks like Saint Sheldon was right, but elsewhere.  http://www.sheldonbrown.com/schwinn-braze.html says under 1962 to 1978: Schwinn Fillet Brazing In the Bicycle Boom

  The fillet-brazed CrMo frame construction of Schwinn's second class of lightweight bicycles - the Superior, Sports Tourer and Super Sport - was unique. The production flow for these bicycles began with frame fabrication in the handbuild part of the Chicago Schwinn factory; a low-volume production area. Frame tubes were mitered in a jig by machine, and then the remaining fabrication work (brazing, filleting, braze-ons, and finishing) was done by hand. The seat and down tubes, as well as the top tube on the largest frame sizes, are slightly oversize at 29.5 mm in diameter. Schwinn called this tubing "1 1/8 inch diameter."

You will be hard-pressed to find a new FD for cheap these days.    Modern components tend to be more 31.8 or 34.9 mm.

Your best option will be to find a used 28.6mm on ebay and carefully file the clamp to fit your tube profile.  A 25.4mm FD would just need a lot more filing to achieve the same fit.

A less-pretty option would be a 31.8mm clamp and then shim it out with a lot of additional material, but that will be uglier, and potential flex under tension will make shifting worse.

You could also use a braze-on adapter and a separate FD mech.


Something sounds loose but can't see what

One possibility is that a bolt through the bottom bracket shell is too long and is touching the spindle of your crankset. As the crank spindle rotates, it sets this bolt into vibration, and the frame along with it, at certain speeds.

Check to see if you have a cable guide at the bottom of your bike. If you do, see if the bolt that attaches it to the frame is long enough to reach inside the bottom bracket shell.

Some other diagnostic things you could do:

Remove the chain and coast down a hill, pedaling at different speeds. Does it persist? If not, focus on the chain.

If you have one available, swap the rear wheel. If this cures it, focus on the wheel and cogset.

Take off one brake rotor. Pedal at various intensities somewhere safe. Sometimes various conditions will cause a subtly dragging rotor to start vibrating. Put it back on and try the other.

If none of that is to blame, I would concentrate on the bottom bracket bearings and the crankset/chainrings. Take them all off, clean, inspect, regrease, tighten to specs.


How old is too old for aggressive cycling?

I'm 65, and doing 60-70 miles a week on local roads, trails and hillsides. I'm not a kamikaze biker anymore, but it's still wholly worthwhile. Injuries just take longer to heal, and I'm not so patient anymore.
You're only in your 30s and you're wondering if you're too old? Find a safer sport, buddy.
Ironically, I'm wondering when I'll be too old. Not even close, yet.


This type of cross gear configuration is frowned upon for normal riding. Mostly likely the creaking is caused by the extra stress caused by the chain putting stress on one side of the gears and chain. Lubing the chain and re-greasing the rear axle (if it is not sealed) could also help, as this creaking may be symptomatic that they are lacking. But the real take-away here is to avoid this type of gearing combination.


This kind of failure is typically caused by excessive wear on the brake surface of the rim.

Every time you apply your brakes, you are polishing small amounts of metal away from the rim. Eventually, the rim gets too thin and weak, and will crack, like you have seen in your photo, from the normal inflation pressure of the tire.

In general, this means tht the rim has been used beyond its life. If it is a new, or lightly used rim, it may be a manufacturing defect.


Is there such thing as a freewheel that doesn't click?

As already said, Shimano used to manufacture Silient Clutch rear hub. But that has been stopped a few years ago, so if you manage to source one - you are lucky man.

I used to have one of them and it was truly silent. It was heavier than standard shimano LX hub, but it was silent and with instant engagement.

Also I used Chris King hubs. If you put a lot of grease in their mechanism - they also become silent.
Pretty much with most of the freewheels, if you put a lot of thick grease in them, you'll silent them for some time. Unless you ride Hope hubs -)

I've heard about Stealth hubs - they are claimed to be silent, but I never had a chance to try them out.

You might as well read this thread about silent hubs for further information.


Yes - you have limited yourself to two front chainrings.  Most likely you'd choose the big and middle, leaving you a useless granny ring.  This could be removed for weight savings.

As a rider of a 3x7 who is also a poor climber, I love my triple and it lets be spin at 90 when a "modern" bike is mashing 60 RPM.

Consider returning the shifters and get what you really need, or go to a 2x7 and forgo steep climbs.  Or you might be able to set the shifter on small and middle rings, then use something else to pull the inner wire more so the shifter mech pulls out to the biggest chainring.  A wedge between frame and exposed downtube wire?  Would look silly.


This is the best test of chain wear I know of: it's in german, but the graph should speak for itself. His comment: "Chains were used under subjectively similar conditions - with exception of SRAM PC69 which, in nice conditions, lives for 1500-1800km"

Personally I think I rode unknown KMC, Shimano (probably HG-53), and afer having stumbled upon said findings, the Record C9. Different chains definitely have different lifetimes (and failure modes: some tend to tear, some lengthen quickly thus unusable). I have very good experience with C9, however, it is harder to mount (no missing link), and apparently it is incompatible with some slightly worn chainrings, but I'm not sure there. I posted a question on that problem here. IIRC, with me, Shimano chains wore fastest, KMC were somewhat better, maybe in the 2000-4000km range. The C9 lives some 10000 km for me. However, you seem to be located in the USA, apparently it's quite expensive there.

With cheap no-name chains I'd guess it depends on your luck. A bad quality chain will wear maybe in a couple 100km, and may tear.


I want to get rid of the front gears on my Scott Aspect 740 2016, what size sprocket would fit the stock cranks

I think you meant your crank is a FC-MT300. That's a triple with 104/64mm BCD, symmetrical 4 bolt and 44/32/22 rings.

Any chainring that fits the 104mm BCD spider will work.

The cheapest option is to just keep the middle ring (you'll just need shorter chainring bolts if you take the outer ring off.)

Personally, as the 740 is only a 9 speed in the rear I would not ditch the large and small rings to make a 1x9, unless you live in a flat area or don't tackle hills and pretty much always ride on the middle ring anyway.

If you are thinking of swapping the rear derailleur, cassette and shifter as well, you will almost certainly be better off selling the 740 and buying a new bike that is designed as a 1x11 or 1x10.

Update:

There is currently FC-MT300 and FC-M3000 cranks in Shimano's Acera range (as afar as I can tell from searching in their line up docs). Either way they both have the same BCD and bolt pattern so the advice above is good.


Will 2x11-speed front derailleur work on 2x9 system?

The short answer is yes, it should work.  I like to refer to Sheldon Brown's site because it tends to be clear and fairly technology-neutral.  It has this to say:

Pretty much any front derailer will work with any modern chain system.
It is true that the cages have gotten slightly narrower to match the narrower chains used on systems with more rear sprockets, but this is rarely a problem in practice.


Can the back axle be replaced without removing the gear cassette?

It is possible to do this, at least with some cassettes/freewheels, either in an emergency where you don't have the right tools with you (but see here for a small cassette tool), or where you can't easily find the right freewheel remover for an old bike.

If you are at home, it isn't urgent, and you have a modern freehub, don't bother with this, just buy the proper tools first.

Use a cone spanner and normal spanner on the non-drive side to loosen that locknut, then remove the locknut and nut. If necessary (because the drive side locknut undoes and you can't reach the cone), hold the axle with a vice, or vice-grip wrench - you will chew up the thread, but you were going to replace it anyway. (If you have to reuse the cone and locknuts, undoing them over a chewed up thread may damage their threads, so try to avoid that.)

(If the axle is broken, you don't have to undo anything, just pull half out each side.)

Withdraw the axle and drive side cone from the cassette (this is where @Daniel's "in some cases the cone may be larger than the hole in the cassette" may make it impossible).

Clean the cups - it is a bit awkward doing one inside the cassette, but not impossible.

Tighten the drive-side locknut and cone against each other, hard. Insert the axle. Do up the non-drive cone slightly tighter than you want it to end up. Do up the locknut, then tighten the cone and locknut against each other. If it ends up wrong, undo, adjust, and repeat. It is tedious to do this without being able to use a cone spanner on the drive side, but it is possible. (You can put a spanner on the drive locknut, but if it becomes unlocked, you'll have to take the axle out and start again.)


Adjusting a triple front derailleur after removing largest chainring

The chain line expected by a double front derailleur is basically what comes with the largest two chain rings on a triple.  Since you are using the smallest two chain rings, the double front derailleur will not shift optimally.

Instead, I'd suggest keeping the triple front derailleur in place.  Using the limit screw -- as you already have -- is the best option.  Given that you are unable to use the trim shift, at the moment, I believe that you may want to back off the limit screw just a bit.  In doing so, you'll allow the front derailleur to move outward a little more, which should allow the trim to work properly.


Can I ride a triple front chainring with no front deraileruer

This is generally a YMMV case -- some chainring+cassette+frame+rider combinations do OK with this, others really need a front derailleur/chain guide for this to work.

My suggestion to ride it without the front derailleur is to get the chain as straight as possible (put the bike on a stand, and try different gear combinations until you get the one that looks the straightest) and be smooth with your riding. This will probably be something like the middle chainring in the front and something in the middle in the back.


It think it's a Swiss bike.

The top tube says Velo Sport Walpen Fiesch.

Walpen is a Swiss surname from Valais in Switzerland.
Fiesch is a municipality in Valais in Switzerland.
There is/was a Swiss bike company called Moor, which on older bikes carry this head badge:

I found an old German eBay listing in the Google web cache for this bike in Berlin, which doesn't give much more info, but the bike was also bought in Germany.

  26" MOOR MTB, Retro, Vintage 54cm. kaufen in Deutschland

  Preis: 100 €

  Details

  Erstellungsdatum:
  21.04.2016
  Anzeigennummer:
  456744407
  Art:
  Herren
  Schlagwörter:
  26 Zoll Shimano

  Beschreibung

  Verkaufe ein sehr schoenes und originales MTB der Marke MOOR 26 Zoll, RH von 54cm,mit ,21 Gänge.komlett Shimano Deore ausstatung,Lichtanlage und Schützblech Das Fahrrad ist gebraucht aber im sehr guten Zustand,Preis 100 Euro

And of course "SFMK CSCM Service Garantie" points to Switzerland too.


How much time takes for hydraulic disk brakes to cool down?

The rotors cool very quickly (under 30 seconds for glove-meltingly hot to ambient).  But the caliper can hold heat for some time, I'm very surprised at your 20min claim though - there's so little thermal mass.  Modern disc brakes use an 'open' system which involves a reservoir with a metal diaphragm in, so when the fluid gets hot and begins to expand, the diaphragm expands rather than the pistons close.  However this will only work to a certain point, after that your brakes will 'fade'.

In my experience this usually boils down to the rider feathering the brake, i.e. letting the pad lightly touch the surface - not enough to slow you down noticeably, but enough to gradually generate a huge amount of heat over the course of a run.  You'll be doing this without realising, I did, for years!

Often it can be helped a lot by adjusting the lever: Lessen the lever reach and shorten the bite point.  This will have the effect of lessening the modulation (which you don't need much of in DH) and lowering how far your brake finger (one finger for DH, you need the rest to hold on) has to reach to rest on the lever.  The latter point has a big psychological effect because your hand is closer to being a fist and therefore feels like you have more grip - it's hard to grip a bar hard with an outstretched index finger, your body naturally wants to pull it in.

If however, you get to the point where your brakes have faded, you will have to compensate for the larger fluid volume.  To do this you will have slacken the bite point off until it feels the same as it did.


Practical cleaning routine for a commuter bike

Overview
As needed or as inspired, rinse off bike with water, clean with soapy water and degreaser, wipe down, rinse off. In practice, I do this every month or two or... of commuting. And yes, there are advantages to cleaning your bike; a clean bike will last longer, perform better, and serve as proof of the love of a proud owner.
Materials

rags
sponges
bucket filled with warm water and soap
scrub brush with plastic bristles
simple green or citri-solve in spray bottle
lube

Methods

Rinse bike off with water
Liberally apply soapy water to entire bike with sponge
Wipe dirt off everywhere except drivetrain with sponge
Wipe dirt off drivetrain with a dedicated greasy sponge
spray drivetrain with degreaser
wipe down drivetrain with rag
rinse again
apply lube to drivetrain
remove excess lube with rag

Notes
this answer focuses on cleaning the bike, but cleaning is also a good opportunity to check the bike for mechanical issues, including worn or loose parts:

tires
brakes
bolts
all other parts, including frame


There may be something that I don't know about, but if the crank fits on the bottom bracket, and if the chainring is reasonably close to the position of a middle ring on a triple chainring setup, then your chain line should be fine and everything should work. A lot of bike targeted at young riders have a single front ring and 7 or 8 gears in the back.

The chain line is the most important thing to consider, since you don't want excessive torque on the chain when you are in either the lowest or highest gear.


Can the Shimano front derailleur prevent a gear of my bike from working?

Your front derailleur is probably just badly adjusted, although there may be issues with the shift cable or housing, or potentially even the shifter.

I'm not sure if by 'chainring 1' you mean the innermost or outermost. If outermost the cable is probably just too slack so the shifter cannot pull the cage outward enough. If innermost something is preventing the cage from swinging inwards, perhaps too much cable tension or something is jamming it.

Adjusting front derailleurs can be a bit tricky as cable tension, limit screws and alignment all potentially have to be dealt with. Park Tool has a good series of videos on derailleur adjustment that walk you through the steps and explain what each adjustment does. Front derailleur video is on this page. It's a good idea to go through these steps as if the derailleur has been knocked out of alignment no amount of adjustment will fix it.

You can work through that but it's not entirely guaranteed to produce success. If you are a real bike novice find a good local bike repair shop and have them fix the problem. It would be a good idea to have them check the rest of the bike at the same time, especially brakes and rear shifting.


Are there big differences in maintenance/care between different types of clipless pedals?

Shimano pedals are usually brought up as a good beginner pedal because they are readily available just about everywhere, have several low-cost options, have standards that much of the industry follow for cleats and cross compatibility, and require little maintenance.  As you said, they don't get clogged up easily, but it can happen.  It just takes a LOT of mud.


Your current weight is at the high end of the limits Trek puts on their bikes. Here's the relevant section from the Trek FAQ:

Rider weight limit of 300lbs:

Hybrid bicycles with 700c wheels, tires larger than 28c, and flat
handlebars
City bicycles: hybrids with special equipment, cyclocross bicycles:
with drop type handlebars, knobby 700c tires, and cantilever or disc
brakes
Mountain bikes of all types including: standard, race, cross-country,
heavy-duty, trail, all-mountain, freeride, and jumping bikes of both
the hardtail and full suspension variety.

I suspect that other makers have similar limits. You don't say much about your riding style, so it is hard to be very specific, but there are some things to keep in mind:

Take time to find a bike that fits you well, it will be much easier to keep riding if you are comfortable.
Make sure your wheels are well trued and tensioned, the biggest cause of wheel failure is probably spoke breakage caused by spokes that are too loose.
Find a frame that will take wide tires and use them – wider tires will be able to support your weight with lower pressures which reduce the chance of pinch flats and rim damage. Wider tires will also make the bike more comfortable and by running at lower pressure will reduce the stress on your rims.

Good luck! If you're starting with a bike in decent condition and aren't riding it too hard, I'd guess that if you take care of the items I mentioned above the bike will do just fine. Your weight is going down after all. I wasn't as heavy as you when I started riding again – but I was up there (on the far side of 260). I started on the bike I had – an old steel Trek 530 frame with 32 mm tires (the biggest I could fit into the frame). I'm starting to think I'll be able to break 200 this year.

If you're looking for ideas about getting started on riding again, I'd highly recommend Grant Peterson's book Just Ride. There is good thinking about riding for the joy of it and also some ideas to get you thinking about how to exercise effectively.


I would suggest first deciding what kind of bike you'd like. Road vs. Mountain vs. Hybrid.

Road - more aggressive positioning (lean more forward) for aerodynamic benefits. Thinner tires.
Mountain - more upright, sturdy/heavy. Wider tires for offroad
Hybrid/Cross - something in between. Usually road type bike with clearance for slightly wider tires.

In your case I would suggest a used 90s steel mountain/hybrid bike. There are millions of them around and all over craiglist. Make sure the bike fits well (ie. you can adjust the seat/handlebars sufficiently to be comfortable).

A bike such as this (mountain/hybrid) should also have lots of eyelets for attaching fenders/racks/baskets to carry stuff.

Craigslist is a good way but if you're not very familiar with bikes you should try to find a friend who can help. That way they can go with you to look at any used bikes and make sure it's decent. If that's not possible, hopefully a local bike shop can help and not try to up sell you. There are many, many used bikes in your price range so don't let a shop try to talk you into a new bike.

Another option is to ask local bike riders you run into what they like about their bikes and let them point out stuff. I don't think there's a serious bike rider who wouldn't spend hours discussing bikes.

Hope this helps.


Where can I get a sprocket that works with a standard bicycle chain that mounts onto a 5/8" bore rod?

If your grain mill is a prototype, I would make a sandwich of steel plates (ie really big washers) and clamp it all together.

        | <-- sprocket
      | | |  <-- two steel plates
   ==||=|=|=|======= <-- shaft
      | | |
        |

Getting the alignment perfect might be hard and require tweaking, but this temp solution allows you to undo it and make adjustments.

Consider welding it in place. - this would have to be perfect, and it does make replacement of the cog difficult.  But it won't move or slip on you!

Final thought - if you don't want a rigid shaft, consider cannibalising a freewheel or freehub.  I'd consider slapping a whole freewheel cassette on, and using an appropriate gear.  This way the machinery can move forward on the freewheel but not backward.  Clamp it up between two cone nuts on the threadded shaft.


Shift into the lowest (innermost) gear. This removes the cable tension as much as possible without undoing the pinch bolt and removing the cable
Loosen the bolt that clamps the derailleur to the seat tube, rotate the clamp so the the cage is it's parallel to the chain rings, then re-tighten.
Make sure you do not move the derailleur up or down the seat tube. Usually there is a line of dirt that build up next to the clamp ring so it's easy to see the derailleur position.
You may need to re-adjust the derailleur indexing after straightening it out. The Park Tool guide walks you through that process.


An XC MTB should certainly be workable for what you want. Depending on the trails and your skill level a cyclo-cross bike would also be a reasonable choice as well.
There are lot's of bikes like this on the market now.

http://www.konaworld.com/jake_the_snake.cfm

If the trails are mostly packed dirt with few rocks, then a CX bike works pretty well off road and will generally be a much nicer commute bike. The rougher the trail, the more suspension helps.

In terms of getting an XC MTB, the key things to look at are the components and quality of the fork. At that price range I would look for a good quality Fox or Rock Shox fork that used an air chamber. Shimano SLX or XT components or the equivalent SRAM ( Nice chart here http://www.choosemybicycle.com/in/en/bicycle-tips/know-your-bicycle/sram-mtb-component-hierarchy )

The important thing to remember is that you won't get it exactly right the first time around. Until you're out there and riding you really can't know exactly what the right bike for you is, and the right bike will change over time as you gain fitness and skills. Components from the major manufacturers, even at the entry level are all of very high quality these days. As long as you get a bike that fits you, it's pretty hard to get the wrong bike these days. Take your budget and reserve 30% for getting upgrades and tweaks as you learn more about exactly the kind of riding you like.

The one caveat is extremely cheap bikes sold at large retailers. Basically, you get what you pay for.


You need to have the appropriate mounts on the fork, the rear of the frame, and you need hubs that can accept disc rotors.
My understanding is that some older MTB frames and forks had mounts for both V- and disc brakes. This was when the industry was starting to shift towards disc brakes. While I'm not familiar with MTBs, that might have been in the early 2000s. If you don't have the correct frame mounts, then there's obviously no way to proceed at all.
Even if you do have disc mounts on the frame and fork, I suspect your hubs were rim brake only, so it would be quite a costly upgrade. It's likely more economical to sell the bike or repurpose it as a commuter.


Is it safe to use a bike tire that was on a wheel that got tacod?

It should be perfectly safe to re-use the tyres.  Many tyres are stored folded/twisted in their packaging to save space.

I would however recommend carefully inspecting each tyre first, checking for damage to the tread area, sidewalls and tyre bead.


After some thought, and experimentation, I will suggest my own answer.

How to remove

I see two ways:

Without special tools

Use the pipe wrench just enough to wiggle the bushing a few millimeters out. Then use a screwdriver and a hammer to hammer it out.

With a puller

With a rather small "puller". Possibly together with this plate that can close around the boss behind the bushing. The diameter of the rod on the puller might be greater than the inner diameter of the bussing. In that case, I hope it is possible to insert a threaded metalrod into the inner threading of the boss, and then press the puller-rod against the thinner inserted rod.

The two devices need to be in appropriate sizes, and I was able to find that online in my country.

How to fix the deformed boss

Maybe I was lucky, but it was no problem at all. I just pinched on the "ends" of the oval, with the same pipe wrench. After my first attempt I was able to slide a new brake arm on, without any resistance. If that had not worked I would have used a sanding tool, maybe a Dremel.


what to do during the week before a century?

What to do:

Eat well, but don't overdo it.  A hearty meal the night before and a solid breakfast the morning of the ride are a must.
Stay well-hydrated.
Get plenty of sleep.  If you've been burning the midnight oil lately, cut back on your riding and catch more z's.
Feel free to ride, but go for less distance and intensity than you normally would.
Lube your chain (and clean if needed).
Check your tires for any debris like glass or wire that might work it's way through during the ride.
Top up the air in your tires.
Check that your brakes still work properly.

What NOT to do:

any high-intensity rides or workouts
another century (disregard if you normally do centuries on a regular basis)
major mechanical changes to the bike
any bike fit adjustments
buy new shoes

(Assuming you've got the base training in already, of course)


What benefits in bikes like "trek", "cannondale", over "merida" and such?

You're paying some amount for the branding of the bike, as well as the bike shop to carry the branding and advertising it and supporting the bike after you buy it. A lot of components can be the same - for example, tons of major brand and non-major brand run complete Shimano 105 drivetrains and various other parts (they may have slight model number changes for OEM versions versus retail versions, but essentially the same stuff).

However, there can be some engineering differences though in the parts which are intrinsically the manufacturer's. This is typically the frame+fork - just because you make two frames which look kinda alike out of the same material doesn't mean that they are the same quality frames, or as well engineered as each other for lightness/strength/stability/etc. [Though I'm not saying that smaller branded products are necessarily worse-ly engineered. ]

Also, typically, the major brand stuff looks a lot nicer with better resale value if you're into that sort of thing.

It is worth saying that while some places (e.g. BikesDirect) advertise a lot of their frames as "compare to (name brand) at (much higher price)", there are trade-offs in what you get. The frame, for example, may have less nice joins, be a bit heavier, use a lower grade of metal, etc. , so its not exactly the same thing (in some cases, good enough, in other cases, a poor imitation). A lot of people often play the argument that all these bikes are made in similar factories in Taiwan or whatever, but they aren't (usually) coming from the same molds, and a factory can produce a decent spectrum of qualities and types of bikes. [Another thing to note is that places like BD don't have the overhead of a retail shop where  you may get a bike fit or having to hire people to stand in line and what not]

(Unlike in the car world, I don't believe that bicycles are often badge engineered anymore (Schwinn had a bunch in the 70s and 80s for the non-made in USA stuff). But you can get some good bikes from some brands which are cheaper than others.)

As for the price difference, a lot is knowing when to buy - if you buy at the right point in time, the price difference is a lot smaller than usual.


They make versions of their cranks, mostly sold through OEMs, with spindle lengths optimized for the chainline of a 135 rear end. You'll probably be fine, but may run into problems outlined starting on page 44 of this document. Chainstay length plays a big role in the likelihood of issues. The crank you have, if it's the normal Rival 22 crank, will not give you any choices for what front chainline it gives you, since it can't accomodate spacers under the cups.


Bike commuting on the Captial Crescent Trail in Washington DC

I commuted often on this trail for awhile and loved it.

Most of the trail is free of vehicle traffic and has bridges going over roads. It's a heavily shaded trail that can provide a nice respite from the sun during the hot summer. Potholes are minimal, though minor cracks from tree roots are not uncommon. Also, there can be quite a bit of debris on the trail after a good wind storm.

Not too far out of the city the path has a wooden ramp, in good condition, that last about 50 yards.

During the commuting hours, foot traffic exists, but I remember going at a pretty good rate with no issues.

There are a couple poorly lit tunnels, so you will want a bike light.


Looks to me like Shimano CI Deck gear indicators. They connect to the shifters with a little cable that pulls a dial to tell the rider what gear they're using.
https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/si/SI-6XJ0A-000-ENG.pdf
From the user's view:


Trying to spin the front wheel around may help but the stock image shows a light which will get in the way.   Also, I doubt you'll save 15 cm that way - the rake on most bikes is far less than that.

Changing to smaller wheels is unlikely to help either (though a creative thought) - your pedals will be closer to the ground and you're more likely to strike the pedal on the road surface.    You have disk brakes - if you had rim brakes then this would be impossible.   Ultimately, reducing the wheel size will not help because it does nothing to shrink the wheelbase.  That is - the axles are still in the same relative place.

Positive options

Ride your bike instead of taking the bus.  Perhaps you could buy a second battery to add to your range?
Consider the adage about "throwing good money..."  It could be time to sell this bike and buy one that matches all your needs - ie fits on a bus rack.

As a disabled person, are there any sources of assistance you can tap into to help fund this?  Not familiar with your country.

Good luck!


How to detach a cleat with a warped screw

The simplest thing to do would be to buy new cleats.
If you're absolutely set on re-using this cleat, there is a tool called a screw extractor that lets you tap a small reverse-threaded hole in your existing screw. You'll need a power drill to use it. You will at minimum need new screws.
You might be able to fit a hacksaw blade between the cleat and sole to saw off the old bolt, but that seems less reliable.


Dropout check/Components check Help a boy live his coaster dream!

A derailleur (or pulley-type chain tensioner) can't be used with coaster brakes. You also have vertical dropouts, so if you want to run something without a derailleur, you need an eccentric hub (which I don't think exists with a coaster brake -- the only one I'm aware of is the White Industries Eno) or eccentric bottom bracket (Phil Wood makes some). You can't just shorten the chain. You'll also need a new wheel on top of that (or at least a new hub) so that you can have a coaster brake. All in all, putting a coaster brake on a bike like this is not a good idea.

As for the bike being any good as is, that's in the eye of the beholder; it looks like it was a decent bike when it came out, so assuming everything is in working order it'd make a great commuter, for example.

If you really want a coaster brake, sell the bike and get a frame with horizontal dropouts.


Will bending the seat post two inches forward cause any unforeseen structural issues?

What are you are tying to achieve?  Is the bike too long for you?

Bending a seatpost will weaken it.

You can buy offset seatpost.
Most people use them to move the seat back I cannot see why you could not use it to move the seat forward.
But you are not going to pick up two inches.
Two inches would put you almost straight over the pedals - are you sure that is what you want?

And you can get a shorter stem for the handle bars.


Fork is noisy sounds like metal parts are loose

So I was wrong about the loose part in the headset. Changing the front wheel fixed the problem.
I tried fixing the old wheel, and one bearing jumped out straight away as I opened the hub. I think that was the loose part.


Can anyone identify the model/year of this Montgomery Ward bicycle?

This is a vintage Montgomery Ward, reverse pedal brake, now I could be wrong on this but the serial number C71967 that is on the rear stays is manufacture date, C=March, 71=1971, 967=where it was made, the actual serial number of this particular bicycle is located on the head tube, where the front fork is inserted, it should start with the letters HC, followed by 7 numbers, hope this is of some help, also the reflector on the front wheel might not be of this bike, I believe the ones that came with these bikes are the red and yellow mounted on a black oval body that slide and snap on to the spokes, yellow for the front wheel, red for the back wheel


How to pick the brake cable housing size?

5mm is the standard for bike parts made since I don't even know when, 1940s-ish.
6mm was an early MTB thing and is found on some 80s brake parts and frame housing stops. Don't worry about it unless you're working with a vintage mountain bike with overtly chunky housing and cables.
5.5mm is confusing the way a few manufacturers toss the number around. Basically, some special kit-type brake housings use it, typically braided or those with a braided outer, and they also need their own special ferrules, which will come with the housing anyway. There are no frames or parts that need or are designed for 5.5mm.
3mm isn't a thing.


Why can't my rear shifter shift into low gears?

It's a little unclear whether the shifter is refusing to get into the lower gears based on what the indicator is showing or if it's indicating lower gears than 5 but nothing is happening in back. Also I'm assuming by "lower" you mean larger cogs and that you don't have a Rapid Rise rear derailleur.

If the shifter is clicking from gear to gear but not moving the rear derailleur into the large cogs, it's likely you need a bunch more cable tension. This is one of the more common break-in type adjustments bikes need. There are plenty of questions here about this, but the basic process is loosen the RD cable, screw the barrel adjuster(s) on the shifter and/or RD in, and fasten the cable back so that you have all the slack taken out, barely taut, then use the barrel adjusters to fine tune from there.

If you mean that it's having a hard time getting into the small cog (the high gears), then check to make sure there's not a cable housing end hung up on either a housing stop on the frame or the where it enters the shifter or RD.

If you did happen to have Rapid Rise, either of the above problems can still occur, but the symptom that goes with each solution would be switched in terms of which end of the cassette you can't shift into.

Friction in the housings could cause this problem too but it sounds like you've eliminated that. Make sure you've checked all the RD housings - bikes can have 1, 2 or 3 of them depending on the design.


What is a good sandal type of cycling shoe for summer riding?

I bought a pair of Northwave Shark shoes this year which are SPD compatible and used them in the short British summer.  They have open vents on each side so are kind of sandal like.

Weird thing is that the site www.northwave.com, only shows these in the PDF catalogue and not in the Product listing.

I had been looking for some time to get this style of shoe so grabbed them when I could.


Is there a pump / Schrader valve adapter that prevent leakage during disconnection?

Much of the drop you see will be due to the reconnection, not the disconnection.

When you disconnect the pump you have 120psi in the tyre and the hose, gauge and a little bit of pump. This immediately drops to zero (as these are all gauge pressures). Most of the hissing you hear is this air leaving the system

When you reconnect the 0 psi in the hose etc. is averaged with the 120 psi in the tyre, weighted by their volumes (a slight approximation but it will do).

You can test this as you have Schrader. You can get a little tyre pressure gauge from a car parts shop that has very little volume inside (do the experiment at at lower pressure if it doesn't go to 120psi). Pump up the tyre. Measure the pressure with the gauge a few times, nothing the pressure each time. Connect and disconnect the pump. Measure with the gauge again. Repeat until you're convinced.


Rebound doesn't work on a Rock Shox Recon Air

Try to gently "tighten" the Allen setting all the way. Then try backing it out. I never hear clicks. I just feel them.


Suspension seatpost for mountain biking?

It is more common for modern mountainbikers to use adjustable, or dropper posts, rather than suspension posts, both on hardtail and full suspension bikes.

The difference is that a dropper post's length can be  dynamically varied with a lever press, but without pressing it there is no spring action what so ever. This way, the rider's center of gravity can be lowered on rough and steep descents, but pedaling efficiency can be returned back whenever needed at the post's full extension.

In contrast, a suspension post has a fixed length and saddle position oscillating around that length with help of a spring of some sort. It is typically used for comfort riding or touring long distances on rough roads.

No modern high-grade modern mountain bike known to me comes with a suspension post, but a lot come with a dropper post.

  Is it worth the money

It is only for you to decide.

  does it improve the ride quality?

Having a bit of something to smooth road chatter is always welcome. Think about the trade-offs however: higher weight, higher cost, need for maintenance, and occasional return spring action smashing the saddle into your crotch (a spring saves kinetic energy only to give it back later). For mountain biking, where road chatter is not an issue, I would always prefer a dropper or even a classic rigid seat post to a suspension post. For a 100+km gravel road ride, I would go with a suspension post.

I want also to add that a suspension post is likely redundant on a full suspension MTB because there already is a spring at the rear of the bike that should provide similar, if not that pronounced, effect. For hardtails, modern frame designs attempt to build limited amount of flex into rear parts of frames (seatstays) to fulfill the same purpose of filtering out the road chatter getting to the saddle.


Give them a try.

The main reasons they used to fail, if my boyhood memories are accurate, was incorrect installation.

When installed firmly they would last for years.

The important thing is proper support for the bike and pedal arm while installing the cotter pins. The pins must be hammered in firmly, without transmitting any of the hammer impact to the BB bearings. Destroying the bearings was common. After installing the pins firmly the nut on each should be tightened to hold them firm.

If you have a source of the correct cotter pins then trying will not cost much. If you find them to be too much trouble then you can always such to plan B: a square taper BB.

The Spirit crank and chain rings were integrated, so you'd need new rings of you replace the BB.


RevoShift doesn't move cable between 6 and 7

Revoshift and gripshift have to be the cheapest, nastiest, most accountancy-driven parts on any bike.  They don't appear on mid-range or higher, only on bottom-entry level bikes.

SRAM and Rohloff twist shifts are much better, so its not a concept problem, its a design and materials problem.

Your best option is to buy a 7 speed pod shifter, which might also be called a thumb shifter, or even fit an old-school friction shifter with enough range.

A Shimano Altius M310 shifter as pictured should work perfectly for you, and its really cheap.

Do consider replacing the gear cables inner and outers at the same time, because you may-as-well.


Are there measurements of road bike tire friction coefficients?

There absolutely do exist tables of tire friction coefficients; see here for an example -- but friction coefficients may not be exactly what you're looking for.

I don't know of any specific tables that measure lean angle and here's why:  we do know some of the factors that affect rolling resistance. They include tire construction materials, type (tubeless, tubular, or clincher), tire width, tire pressure, road temperature, road surface, inner tube material (butyl or latex), rider weight, and, because of interactions between road surface and these other variables, sometimes speed. Because these affect rolling resistance, they will also affect maximum lean angle.

Many of the tables that show rolling resistance coefficients were measured under controlled conditions in a lab, using rollers of known diameter and known surface (smooth or bumpy) driven at a known speed. However, some tables are calculated from field tests on real roads. Although the roller test values and field test values may differ, comparisons made by those who have done both show that the relative ranking of tires is almost always preserved (that is, if tire A has lower resistance than tire B on rollers, it almost always has lower resistance than tire B on the road).

Measuring rolling resistance is possible for interested riders, but it's not easy. It's akin to measuring aerodynamic resistance -- in fact, if one is doing field tests outdoors on real road surfaces, the common methods of measuring aerodynamic drag also provide a measurement of rolling resistance drag. The easiest method for outdoor field tests uses an accurate and precise power meter available but it is also possible to do without a power meter (though at greater effort and time). That said, if you have a power meter and a set of rollers with a front wheel stand, you can measure tire rolling resistance yourself, without the complication of the aerodynamic drag component.


Chain slipping on 10 speed Deore XT with new cassette, new chain and new chainrings

Are you really sure it’s not jumping to the next cog? Sounds most likely with new parts.
I’d check that:

the cassette is correctly installed and tightened (it needs 40Nm tightening torque which is a lot)
that all links of the chain move freely, especially where it’s closed (I hope you’ve used a master link or a dedicated closing pin). If you’ve used a closing pin, make sure it’s flush. If it’s a master link, make sure it’s fully closed.
that the rear derailleur or derailleur hanger is straight and not bent.

Hang the bicycle somewhere (or put it upside-down), pedal with your hands and closely observe the chain as it moves. Check that everything shifts smoothly and precisely.
If the chain is actually skipping under load it should be much worse on the smallest chainring.
Regarding:

Also, a few weeks ago, I noticed that my deraileur bolts fastening it
to the frame were very loose before this happened and I have tightened
it to ensure that it is consistent. I was amazed that everything
worked as well as it did with one of the bolts being very loose.

I assume you mean the derailleur hanger (which is usually fastened with two bolts)? It’s mainly held on by the rear wheel’s quick release axle which firmly presses it to the frame. Usually you can actually see the derailleur hanger move slightly when you tighten the quick release.

The chain was shortened to the same number of links as the last chain.
The larger of the new BBB chainrings has 2 more teeth than the
original Shimano

I hope it’s not too short now. Make sure the derailleur is not fully extended when shifting to the biggest cog while on the big chainring.


A pedal is made of two major components.

The pedal body, which is where your foot presses.  This part rotates around the pedal axle once per crank revolution.  It does not rotate with respect to the ground or your foot.
The pedal axle, which supports the body and threads into the crank arm.  The axle does not rotate with respect to the crank arm, but does rotate wrt to the ground and to your foot.
Sundries like bearings or bushings to reduce friction.

This is a modern pedal cutaway to show the axle (sometimes called a spindle or shaft.)  The pedal body should turn freely on the axle with minimal finger pressure.  A good shove of the body should make it spin around from 1 to 10 times.   Modern cheap plasticky pedals may only move a part of a turn.

Your hire bike probably had seized bearings in one pedal, making the body locked to the axle.  The quick fix is to add light lubricant in both sides if possible.  If that doesn't fix it, the hire shop should have quickly swapped out the pedal with a spare.   If they were plastic pedals then sometimes they crack in weird possibly hard to see places, but locking the bearings is a common consequence of damage.

Causes - bikes ridden in the wet/salt/grit/sand and put away dirty.  No bearing system likes dirt.   A good clean and relube can save a lot of pedals, but some are just too-far gone.


Wheel going badly out of true on final tightening

From the lack of detail in your question I'm going to assume you don't have a tensiometer. If you do, please tell us what tension you're actually using and what the limits for your rim are.

edit The "final half turn" is, as Andy points out in the comments, scary. That will give you an extra 100-200N of tension at a time when you should be working in selective 1/4 turns (ie, some spokes get tightened 1/4 turn, others get loosened 1/4 turn) or even smaller increments. It's also something that will stretch spokes (ie, they'll tighten beyond their elastic limit and become permanently deformed). You can't undo that, you have to replace the spoke as it's permanently weaker than it should be. And it's not necessarily the spoke you were turning when the problem became obvious that has stretched. A spoke giving like this will produce the minor taco problem you talk about.

Building wheels without the proper tools is hard, and you have to expect to make a lot of mistakes. Completely redoing an old wheel is harder because you have spokes that are bent and some may have deformed as well as dirty threads and nipples that may be partly seized in the rim. Much online advice says "it's easy" but is specific to small wobbles recently appearing in a reasonably new wheel. You're well past that now.

What you're trying to achieve is perfectly even tension on each side of a straight rim. To do that you either need to measure the tension or do extra work to make guessing the tension easier. There are various approaches and I'll make suggestions for each:

nipple feel. You guess the tension based on how hard it is to twist the spoke tool/nipple. For this to work you need to have clean threads and clean, even seating of the nipples in the rim. Very unlikely to work on older rims without eyelets unless you take the wheels apart and clean the nipples before oiling them and reinstalling. You can fake this to some extent using a degreaser and penetrating oil but if you also have rim brakes cleaning up afterwards is both crucial and difficult (you'll need to use a light solvent to remove the oil).
Using this method your problems above may well be caused by one or two sticky nipples that feel tight in the rim, meaning the spoke is looser than you think it is.
Spoke pinging/musical method. This can actually work, but relies on the length of the spoke section you're pinging being the same for all spokes on one side, and your sense of pitch being accurate. IME I can get a 1-2% variation by stress relieving a wheel, and 5% by pushing spokes back and forth. But I have perfect pitch so I'm excessively sensitive to changes like that. I have seen someone build a wheel this way and get nice even spoke tension. It was ~10% off the tension they wanted, but it was even and the wheel worked fine for years afterwards. Using this method your problem is that you're not getting the pitch as accurate as you need. Maybe go round and push all the spokes the same way then ping again.
Position is all. Don't worry about spoke tension, just get the rim straight. This can work, much as buying a lottery ticket can make you rich. It's just that unless you happen to have even tension when the wheel is straight it's going to go out of straight very quickly. By iteratively straightening and stress relieving you can eventually get a wheel that will stay straight for a while. The more you iterate the longer it will stay straight, as long as you keep refining how you define straight. People doing this often talk about needing to get wheels straight to better than 0.1mm. Using this method your problem is that you're missing half the picture, spoke tension is also important.

These days a Park Tensiometer (TM-1) costs about the same as the labour for two wheelbuilds. I suggest making a truing stand out of an old front fork and buying the tensiometer rather than buying a truing stand and not having a tensiometer, if you're looking at spending money.

This question is more encouraging about the pitch method and is worth a look.


The claims are that the through axles offer a stiffer fork, giving more precise handling and performance, over a 9mm QR. 15mm through axles evolved as a lighter alternate to the 20mm ones - which are heavy and overkill for XC and most all mountain riding, with a similar weight to 9mm QR but the stiffer performance.

At the highest end (both bike and rider) I am certain the performance improvements are real and measurable. As you drop down in cost/ rider ability, somewhere there is a crossover point where it makes no difference - the forks performance (or lack of) smothers any real difference. The cynic in me believes that for all but the most elite on the most expensive bikes, the placebo effect of spending $1000's on new kit is more of a driver for the better performance than any real, scientifically measurable difference. Many reports I have read are similar to  "My shiny new $5K toy with 20mm axles is much stiffer and more predictable than my 10 year old $1K bike with 9mm QR. Those 20mm axles are the best!"

One definite advantage of through axles is that there is a documented and real issue with QR on front forks and disc brakes, where the front wheel is ejected under heavy baking due to the torque generated by the disc. This has been half solved with "Lawyer lugs" - the wheel stays on now, but can come loose. This is only a real issue for those with large disk rotors and those that fail to do the QR up properly. The average XC rider on 160mm discs will never see the problem.

A possible disadvantage of through axles are the removal and re-installation of wheels is harder, often needing tools (you can get QR through axles), making less suitable for field puncture repairs etc. You may need a new bike rack (if you use a fork mount style).


Switching the position of brake levers for a bike ordered from another country

With the setup you have shown here, it looks like you could unclamp the brake levers from the handlebars, flip the left and right, clamp them back on, and be done. The fixing bolts would be on top rather than the bottom, but if you can live with that, that would be the simplest method.

Normal road-bike levers located on the drops are often specific to the left and right hand, so this approach wouldn't really work. You'd also need to rewrap the bar tape, at minimum. So in that case, you'd need to re-run the cables and cable housings, which is what you are proposing.

This is not a difficult maintenance task, but having the right tools makes all the difference.

Tools

a cable cutter, ideally a "bypass" cutter that leaves clean ends.
a "4th hand" tool to tension the cable correctly. Not strictly necessary but makes the work easier.
Allen key--4 mm or 5 mm to lock the cable to the brake arm.
Pliers

Parts

2 new brake cables. Brake cables are different from derailleur cables, so make sure to get the right kind. You might be able to get away with the existing cables if there's enough excess left after you snip off the existing cable endcaps.
2 brake-cable endcaps

What to do

Snip the ends off the existing cables and pull them out through the brake levers.
Swap the cable housings between the left and right levers.
Brake cables usually have a mountain-bike tip at one end (looks like a small cylinder going sideways to the cable), and a road-bike tip at the other (looks like a sort of teardrop inline with the cable).  For these levers, you'll want to keep the road-bike tip, so cut off the mountain-bike tip.
Thread the cable. Finger-tighten the fixing bolt on the lower brake arm and leave your allen key hanging in the bolt.
Use your 4th-hand tool to pull the cable: hook the cable grabber onto the excess cable below the lower arm so that the cable grabber is at the bottom, butt the other side up against the lower brake arm, then squeeze.
Once the brake pads are within a few mm of the rim, tighten the cable fixing bolt.
Cut off the excess cable a few cm below the fixing bolt, then slide on the cable endcap on and crimp it with pliers.


Determining if there is too much chain tension on 1x setup with XT clutch derailleur

Shimano 1x groupset manuals differ in chain length instructions from the general procedure that Park Tool provides in their repair help - the Shimano instructions say to add more additional links. That makes sense as in a 1x setup a derailleur needs to deal with less sprocket/chainring teeth difference than a 2x or 3x.
Looks like your chain is a bit too short, and that might be causing the issue. AFAIK, chain length should not affect tension very much. Derailleur springs are designed so that they deliver reasonably contant-ish tension over the range of movement of the derailleur linkages. You may be bumping up against the limits of the derailleur though.
I'd fix the chain length i.e. size it according to Shimano's instructions. That will either fix the issue or rule that out as a cause.


The NDS bottom bracket cup isn't installed correctly in your photo; you have a 2-3mm gap between it and the frame when there should be no gap at all. If that's as far as it gets with the spec torque (40Nm usually) then remove it and check the threads on both the shell and cup for anything which would stop it going in all the way and clean anything you find off.


Consider how you feel when a fellow cyclist approaches you will full beam straight ahead. It's pretty blinding, even for a moment, and especially off-road when your eyes aren't used to it.

So in a park:

Dim your light to its lowest setting (within reason).
Put it on steady beam. Flashing is more visible but also more annoying and
disorientating.
Physically push it forwards/downwards so it's pointing towards the ground, not into anyone's face.

If you do this then it doesn't matter whether you illuminate pedestrians or for how long.


Chain slipping in cassette when under load, could a different type of cassette work better?

The chain will typically slip under the following conditions:
 1. the chain is worn out (this can be measured with a cheap tool,
    or by your LBS).
 2. the cassette is worn out
 3. one or more of the chainrings (the cogs on the crankset) is worn out
 4. the chain and/or cassette/cogs/pulley wheel are dirty and full of oil/road-grit/gunk.

These can occur simultaneously - a dirty chain causes rapid chain wear, a worn out chain causes the cassette to wear out.  If you have been riding with a slipping chain for long, you are very likely to have worn out both the chain and the cassette and will have to replace both.


Why Are The Fingers Attached On Some Cycling Gloves?

It's used to pull the gloves off without them going inside out. Don't pull too hard, or they will rip.  A gentle even pull should be enough to remove the gloves.


Can I use Shimano STI brifter with 11 speed mountain derailleur?

No. The cable pull is different starting with 10spd mountain. In Shimano-land you presently do this with a Jtek Shiftmate 8, Wolf Tooth Tanpan, or other actuation ratio converting device. Using a di2 MTB RD with di2 STI also works. In either case there's not a great solution to the left lever being either mismatched or a heavy, expensive shifter sitting there not hooked up to anything. SRAM has three native 1x road groups with non-Doubletap lefts and clutch that get specced on all the bikes that actually come this way.

Edit: Another related setup presently available is the TRP Hylex di2 adaptor kit, which integrates a di2 climbing shifter with the right Hylex lever, which can then control an XT or XTR RD with clutch.


Does a fat tire ride softer than a skinny one at the same pressure?

After reading the answers here and becoming more curious, I found this article, which agrees with @Daniel.

to briefly summarize it, they found that at the same tire pressure the narrower tires deflected more and had a lower stiffness (force over displacement)

A curious finding is that a difference of 1 bar (14psi) makes more of a difference that a 5mm tire change. I suppose the problem becomes that with a 23mm tire there is only so much room for compliance. Additionally, they found that tire width had very little effect on small bumps (8mm in this test) and that the main factor was tire pressure:

  at this point it seems that for bumps smaller than the tire diameter, the shape and size of the bump is driving the stiffness more than the effective width of the tire itself.

That article also links to another article which discusses the sensation of tire stiffness as an expression of hoop stress, which they call casing tension. To me, this seems like a much more logical explanation as to why a wider tire will feel stiffer at a given pressure (again agreeing with @Daniel). I would suggest reading the article, but I did my best to briefly explain the end result. Essentially, the equation for hoop stress is based upon wall thickness, diameter, and pressure.

  Wall thickness = the thickness of the tire casing

  Mean diameter = the tire size
  [cross sectional area of tire]

  Pressure = the pressure the wheel is inflated to

Maintaining a constant casing tension and wall thickness we can solve for pressure and see that the pressure is inversely proportional to the diameter.


how much of a difference does bike weight make when trying to maximize the bike's top speed?

The weight of a bike has virtually no effect top speed. It takes very nearly the same amount of effort to maintain a speed of 30 mph on a 20 lb bike and a 30 lb bike on flat ground. The biggest factors that come into play at high speeds are aerodynamics and rolling resistance ( slick, efficient tires ).

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/05/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/tech-faq-does-bike-weight-matter_220429

That said, is top speed what you're really worried about? Probably not. Even if you like to bike fast, I truly, truly doubt you should be concerned with top speed. You'll probably enjoy a bike that accelerates quickly and feels nimble. Unless you live in a flat, remote area, in which case you probably wouldn't want a single speed, you're probably going to be accelerating and maneuvering more than you are achieving top speed. And again, these factors don't necessarily correlate with the weight of the bike.


Do whatever works, really.

The problem with the container of water approach is that it requires a container of water. It won't damage the tube. Also, if you need to patch the tube, you have to wait for the wet tube to dry. So, I'd generally recommend doing this last (usually leaks are not subtle enough to need the immersion), but no harm going there first.

The usual technique I use is to try to blow up the tube a bit and put the tube near my upper lip if I can't find the leak by ear or feel it around the tube with my hands; the upper lip area is pretty sensitive, so its pretty easy to detect it. Try to be systematic about it, like start with the valve and go clockwise. If you jump around all willy nilly, you'll take longer to find it.

Sometimes you get leaks that are too slow for that, and generally in those cases, you end up replacing the tube anyway.

You can also trace the leak by checking near the valve (a common culprit; if its the valve itself in a Schrader valve, you can spit on it and check for bubbles) as well as running your hand along the tire to see if anything is there. If you make sure to align the label of the tire (e.g. where it says "Continental" or whatever) over the valve, its easy to work back to where the leak is if you find something (since the label and valve are in the same position, the position of what you found relative to the label tells you where the leak is on the tube).

See this page as well. It also covers what leaks mean stuff (if you have a thorn in the tire, chances are that's your cause, for example. Snakebites are often insufficient tire pressure. If you have a leak on the rim side of the tube, chances are theres something off with your rim tape, etc.).


Campagnolo Ergopower Chorus 9 inaccurate shifting

The Ergopower shifters have a part called G spring that eventually wears out. The symptoms are inaccurate shifting and less sharp clicks, just as you are experiencing. The part is still available, not expensive and relatively easy to change.

I would not replace the shifters with Xenon, as it is generally much lower quality and doesn't allow downshifting multiple cogs at a time like other 2000s Ergopowers.


Shifting problems after removing and replacing rear wheel

Per your comments, looks like you just needed to re-seat the rear wheel.  To be fair, I will say there are things you can do while changing a tire that may cause problems like this.  But having to adjust the disc brake, then the shifting acting wrong is a dead giveaway that the wheel went back in a bit of a different angle than it came out.


Another (?) which-frame-size-to-choose post

From your description, you're a little taller than me with a little longer inseam and shorter torso.  I'm usually comfortable on both a 56 and a 58.  I fall somewhere between the sizes.  For gravel riding, I would probably err to the shorter bike just to have a little more control.  For pure road riding, I'd probably err to the taller one for better lumbar stretch(if you're in the more-flexible camp).  Fitting is such a personal thing, it's almost something best seen in person, or tried and felt.

Does the shop there have any road bikes in those sizes that you can test ride just to get a feel for it?


Bicycle helmet is to protect the head, which has the most important organ in human. You could still live a normal life even with broken/ lost limb(s). But a head injury could change your life forever. A helmet is like a wall between life and death. The priority goes by protecting the most important thing to you first (i.e. your life), not by preventing the most common injury.

Having a priority list, you could fulfil the ' safety pyramid' for extra protection, e.g. helmet, arm/leg guard, gloves, boots. However, it is impractical to get a full body armour for just cycling. The risk of body injury that could lead to life and death situation whilst cycling is rather small. Thus, this is often ignored.

As Frisbee also mention, the brain is also a very sensitive organ. Yet, a seemingly  'minor' damage to the brain is often lethal. Therefore, the head needs protection, albeit a small possibility.

I have witnessed two head injury accidents (while cycling) in my life. One happened a few building block away from my house. It was a classic cornering accident type. The person lost balance (clipped the pavement), and hit her head directly to the pavement (no helmet). She unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene.

The second incident happened on the street. The person was riding in a freezing condition. It is with such unfortune that the person lost control on a straight road and hit his head on the raised curb. He is fiancé of my wife's friend. He is still in coma at this moment (since 3 years ago).

Needless to say, your argument is flawed. It is similar to a statement that: 'I have never been in an accident that an airbag is activated, so is airbag redundant?'


Your understanding is correct.

Why do people ride them? Some random answers:

Maintenance is very, very low. You have to keep the tires and chain in good working order and, on a bike you ride on the road, hopefully some form of a brake. That's it.
On most velodromes, you have to ride a fixed gear bike, so if you race track, you have no choice.
There is something to be said for how a fixed gear will force you to develop a smoother pedaling style since you simply cannot stop. Due to this, they are somewhat popular for 'off season' training by serious road cyclists.
(Hesitating to mention this...) There is a certain segment of the population that loves retro and simple things. In addition to being possibly the most efficient people moving device that exists, the fixed gear bicycle can be an important fashion accessory.

Hard to get started/Hard to go fast?

Yes. Generally someone who has a road worthy fixie will have selected a gear that works well for the terrain and speed that they like to ride at. I've only ridden fixed gear bikes on the track, but I'd imagine for a city fixie, you'd optimize for a fairly low speed but someone who takes these more seriously can answer better.


Can I use WD40 and generic bicycle oil to maintain my MTB drivetrain?

You're basically using WD40 as degreaser (it's a very thin oil that will dissolve away thicker oily gunk) and then using chain lube as chain lube. This is fine, as shown by the fact that you've been doing this for ages and not had any problems.

The only thing I'd suggest is that there's no need to use "copious amounts" of chain lube. It doesn't take long at all to just apply a dot of lube to each link of the chain as thown in the video, then let it soak in for a  couple of minutes and wipe off the excess.  Alternatively, hold the nozzle of the lube bottle against the chain at one end of the rollers and use the pedals to rotate the chain once round, while dispensing a thin stream of oil, then repeat for the other end of the rollers. If your chain has a quick link or similar connector, you can use that to see when you've been round once. Ultimately, though, since you're wiping off the excess, the only question is whether you prefer to use less lube or less of your precious time.


Can a bike have both rim and disc brakes?

If you are asking one of each type on the bike, yes.  As disc brakes were becoming popular, many companies produces bikes with a disc in the front and a rim brake in the rear.

If you are asking about one of each type on a single wheel (three or four brakes total for the bike) yes that would also be possible, but there wouldn't really be a point.  Also common during the industry's transition from rim to disc brakes where frames that were designed for either.  Bikes on a manufacturer's less expensive spectrum would have rim brakes and for a few hundred more, the same frame could be had with disc brakes and perhaps nicer components.

If one was to actually install a disc and rim brake on the same wheel, there would be some obstacles to overcome (assuming you wanted to actuate both brakes with the same lever).  To make the brakes grip roughly the same (ie not one just one doing the work and the other making no contact) you'd have to make sure the actuation ratios or cable pull was the same for both brakes.  After that you'd need to use some sort of BMX style adapter to make sure both were being pulled by the same lever.  You'd also have to carefully adjust them to make sure they making contact at roughly the same time in the pull.  Finally you can expect that since disc pads and rim pads probably don't wear at the same rate, all the work would have to be redone often to keep the two working in unison.

All in all you'd be paying for twice as brake for a setup that would probably work less consistently than either brake alone and require much more maintenance than either alone.  If you were just wanting more stopping power, you could simply install a larger disc brake (AM or DH sized) and deal with much less setup.

EDIT:  I hadn't considered the possibility of a coaster + rim or disc.  Since a coaster brake would be actuated separately (by pressing back on the pedals) it could be potentially more useful and much less tinkery to maintain.  That being said ANY brake should be able to lock up a wheel so it still won't gain you anything except a safety backup in the case of your primary brake (whichever you chose to use) failed.

TL;DR Possible, but not worth the effort.


What statutes govern the directing of traffic by citizens in Massachusetts?

Yesterday afternoon during Friday rush hour, I came upon a 2 car head on collision at a blind curve in my area. I am a hospital employee and have training in emergency response so I stopped to help when I saw a young man clutching his eye.

I put on my poncho and did my best to make clear signals to drivers. All the participants were physically fine, but there was a heavy rain and if I hadn't acted, I suspect there would have been a 2 hour line of traffic at best or a series of further collisions at worst. There were no problems, and I left when the police arrived.

As I was leaving, a police officer thanked me but cautioned me that it was a legal liability. My thought on the matter is that if an accident had occurred, it would be because drivers ignored my signaling. So who knows who would be in trouble?


23 mm combined with 25 mm tyre in racing

I would be genuinely surprised if it made any real-world difference.  Some racers commit all sorts of voodoo... err... questionable practices on the off chance it might give them an advantage. In terms of 23 vs 25 mm tires, both sizes are frequently used by pro tour teams, if one had a distinct advantage over the other you wouldn't see both sizes being used at the same events.  It terms of aerodynamics, even for sizes up to 32 mm  there doesn't seem to be much difference in   aerodynamics drag.

In terms of comfort getting the right tire pressure for your body weight will likely have a bigger effect than 2mm gain in the tire width.

Other disadvantages include complications  introduced into the assembly and supply chain for the manufacturer, which would eat into profits.


What is the risk of bottoming out a fork?

Bottoming out of a fork CAN cause a failure of a fork. I'm speaking from my experience where I ruined 2 DH forks in a space of a week. Both by bottoming out on harsh landings. However, this might be a fault of the fork construction (both of them were the same brand/model).

While you are talking about XC and tame trail, I can't see the same things happening to you. I've bottomed out forks many times without failures. Bottoming out is not nice, but the forks survived in most cases (apart from the 2 above).

So go and play with the air pressure. You'll feel that air is lacking before you bottom out. Just pump some air in. Also, air forks are working as a progressive springs, so you'll need to try hard to bottom out 30% sag on 120mm travel.


Items reputed for making a bike easy-maintenance:

Internally geared hub (ie no derailleurs)
Enclosed chain case to keep the chain clean
Puncture resistant tyres (which can still puncture, just less often)
Somewhere clean and dry to store your bike at room temperature

NOTE the only bikes that are zero-maintenance are rentals/bike loan schemes, and race bikes that come with a team mechanic.  Both cost money.

Items reputed to increase maintenance requirements

Super light race bikes
Suspension on bikes, both front and rear
Derailleur-based gears
Rotary grip-shifters for changing gear
Bikes stored outside in the rain and cold


Early 90s would be my guess.   Do note that a 30+ years old bike and could have had a series of changes over time.

The steel spoke protector grabs my attention - they were a feature of 80s or earlier bikes.  Later ones were plastic.

The head tube is quite short - that has only been possible since the 90s and is still not that common.

The handlebars are neat - the top brace looks like BMX designs, and also brings an 80's style.

Friction shifting and cantilever brakes also strongly imply 80s and early 90s.

The bike looks like its a ROPA - ridden minimally and then put away for years.  So check the tyres and brake pads for hardening or oxidation, and replace if required.  There's some rust on the handbars, which is getting under the chrome.  This can be wire-wheeled off and then treated with rust inhibitor, then painted.  Generally the mirror chrome effect is damaged - personally I remove it completely before treating and painting.

Your original message referenced "ken light" but the painted decal shows "kenlight" without a space, and that appears to be an Australian bike company who made road bikes and BMXs as well.   Started in 1972,   it appears to now be based in Taiwan as the "kenlight trading corp"


Do studded tires make less than ideal railroad crossings worse?

I think you'll be fine. You might experience some slip, but not enough to cause you to come off the bike or get stuck, etc.

Three reasons I'll think you'll be alright:

Your tires are also made of rubber, not just metal studs and will deform while on/around the rail. This means that some portion of the rubber tire will be contacting the rail and providing grip.
If you have any speed at all your tire will cross the rail quickly and not spend much time trying to grip it.
The odds of both tires being on the rail at the same time, for any length of time, are pretty low, so the rear tire will be pushing forward or the front will pull enough to get you across it.

Now, there's a small technique that will help you out regardless of conditions and tires: the bunny hop. By lifting even your front tire over the rail, you've eliminated half of your traction problem. Getting the back tire up will pretty much erase the issue all together.


Assuming a 200 pound rider+bike+clothes+load and a tyre pressure of 100 PSI, and a nice even 50/50 weight distribution, then each wheel is supporting 100 pounds and should have a contact patch size of 1 square inch.

You could empirically measure this using a scale and a dry piece of paper, and a slightly dampened tyre.   Moisten the tyre and use its "footprint" on the paper.  Do the same with the rear wheel.  And then draw around the boundary with a pen.
Perhaps a dusting of talc powder on the tyre would work better than water.


What ingredients are necessary in a sports drink when you must drink a lot?

In the past I was used to buy sport drinks - like Gatorade - spending a lot of money and always in doubt about their efficiency.

But my sport Nutritionist suggested me a simple, natural and efficient recipe you can make at home for a tasty (and really cheap) sport drink:

500 ml water;
2 tablespoon sugar;
1 teaspoon salt;
Juice from one orange;

Just mix all ingredients in your water bottle and go cycling.
I start to drink always after one hour of cycling - when our body needs salt and some carbohydrates - and it does his job even on endurance races like Audax events.