Rim shot? Goes badly out of true at medium tension

Yes.

Once the rim has taken a set (ie it is really bent), you can only true it so far with tensioning spokes.  Too much tension will strip nipples, or can even snap spokes outright.

You did right by backing off all spokes till they're all loose.  Then use brute force to "straighten" it once you've identified the areas of the rim that are out.  A large flat surface helps, or another rim that is known to be true.  Flip things over and over, use elimination to identify the bad spot/s.
The straighten the curves.  This is sometimes done using a street drainage grate as a lever or plain old stomping, like this:

As long as you can pressure the high and low spots and make it "flat" then it could be trued from scratch.

If its really dead, then its dead.

However you say the rim looks fairly flat with the spoke tension all slacked off.  That's puzzling, and I'd recommend a close look at the rim nipple holes.  Could be some of them are a bit softer metal than you might want, and they're moving under pressure.  Also check the hub end of the spoke to see if there's any damage to the flange.

Unless there's something really good about the wheel, it can suck up a lot of time and still come out with a sub-par wheel.

I have about 4 spare wheels for various bikes - as you come across good ones, then keep them.

I have a seriously dodgy wheel where one spoke has no tension at all.  It goes out of true if I so much as finger tighten that one spoke.  Its perfectly ride-worthy for me, but I'd not put it on someone else's bike without fully sharing the problem.   As a rim brake wheel, true is more important than spoke tension.

Separately, I've wasted 4 hours trying to true up a front wheel for a give away.  In the end I swapped the hub and spokes to another rim, and got the assembly and truing all done perfectly in 30 minutes.


Can I use my nitto campee rack on my bike?

Yes, you can stretch a rack, but not by very much. Whether you can stretch these out to fit depends on how much you need to stretch the rack. This rack is made from steel, which flexes a bit, but take care not to stretch it too much or that could put too much stress on the welds.

Another thing to be careful of: With the rack stretched a bit, are the allen screws into the bosses on the bike frame going in properly? If the screws and the threads in the bosses are clean, the screws should go in very smoothly. Be aware that lateral stress on a screw can cause damage to the boss threads in the frame. Since you're screwing into the horse, this is less of a concern, but it's still an issue.

Also, for troublesome screws, try cleaning the threads of the screws, and the threads of the rack bosses. It's amazing how many problems are caused by dirt in the threads. A drop of lube on the threads may also be a good idea.


Yes you can reduce the pressure and it will remain safe (cyclocross isn't a high speed high turning force type of racing).

Your biggest issue will be pinch flats and rim protection.

Weather and ground conditions should drive your pressure choice as well. The muddier the track the more traction you'll need.

I'd look at 30-35 psi to start and try the track on that.


Can you brake and operate gears at the same time with MTB Dual Control levers?

The answer is yes.  That was a complaint about the setup from many riders that often your would accidentally shift while trying to break.  The problem is worse when you are trying to brake while the front end is jumping all over the place.

I had a friend with the setup on a Kona Stinky Primo back in the day and I tried it on one shuttle run.  I decided it definitely was not for me.  I was told you can get used to it enough that the instance of accidental shifts is close to zero, but I am not sure I bought into that theory.


Can the length of disc brake hose influence braking power?

This sounds like an incomplete bleed. If you hang your bike vertically, try pulling the rear brake lever after it has sat overnight (front wheel up). if it feels extra bad that confirms it. Or if you notice that the brake feels better after a few 'pumps'.

That said, I had noticed with my SLX brakes that the front and rear had a different 'feel' possibly. Not that they acted differently at all, but felt different through the stroke of the lever. I thought it was possible it was the factory bleed, which wouldn't be the case for you, but perhaps there is something to it. Or possibly a difference in friction in the Pistons in the caliper or lever somehow.

On my Jamis dragon actually (separate M675 from above), I think the front brake ended up with too much oil from the factory bleed on the front. I couldn't get the pads open enough to not rub the disc. I put a bleed block in the caliper and opened the bleed screw on the lever and that pressure alone pushed a bunch of oil out. I closed it up and everything worked as it should have. Possibly something similar has happened in your case, but too little oil? (this could happen if the Pistons were too far retracted in caliper/lever not fully open during bleed)

side notes: Of course the front lever is going to provide more stopping power as it has greater mechanical advantage. Also some bikes have a larger front rotor. And never rule out quality control.


How to prevent knee/shin guards slipping?

The top strap should go above your calf muscle, and it should be tight enough to not fall down.  Don't depend on stretchy elastic.

Do they reach down to your instep or do they sort of float?  You might get some benefit by tucking the bottom of the guards into your socks.

Another option is tape - http://www.hockeymonkey.com/hockeytape.html  would do the job.

The only knee guards I wear are sports style tube ones, not armour.  However I do wear thin gloves all rides, and have worn elbow pads in a MTB race.


This is not a problem at all.

What you see quite often is that riders use tires with a lighter tread and harder rubber compound on the rear of the bike to get the benefits of good grip on the front and less rolling resistance on the back. A common example combination would be to use the grippy Schwalbe Magic Mary on the front and the faster-rolling Hans Dampf on the back wheel.
(I am not affiliated with Schwalbe, I just don't know the names of similar combinations of other manufacturers.)

Sometimes, this also includes using a slightly thinner tire on the back wheel. A small difference is fine, though I probably wouldn't go as far as using a heavy downhill tire on the front and a skinny gravel tire on the back ;-)


To answer the auxiliary part of your question first, the 35/43 does not indicate a range of rim widths, but rather an approximate range of compatible tire widths. This is expressed in mm which is why it's the same for ISO and the French sizes.

The "C" is indeed historical. Back in the day, a 700c tire and rim combination was such that the overall circumference was 700mm. There were also 700a, 700b, and 700d sizes. "D" was the widest tire size and in order to achieve the overall 700mm diameter, a smaller rim was used. Vice versa for 700a's.

Nowadays, we generally refer to a 622mm rim as a 700c and mount basically whatever tire size on it we want (within certain limitations) and don't worry about the overall diameter.

I have personally never noticed a "C" or any other letter in an ISO size, but then again I pretty much ignore that. Despite the fact that the ISO is the International Organization for Standards, the de facto standard in bike sizing is the old and admittedly misleading French sizing.


Are there any light mounting products that is adjustable?

One option for front lights would be to replace them with torches and rubber/velcro mounts such as below, these would be interchangeable and fit pretty much anything - I have even got my iPhone on to one.

As for rear lights you may have to invest in 3 sets of the same light. alternatively in the past I have had to DIY mounts using elastic bands in emergency (not long term solution).

Otherwise consider carrying the lights with you! in the long run it's probably more sensible to have one set that you can keep track of battery wise and condition wise.


I don't own quadcopters nor fly them, but for something of that price, a hard case, filled with foam cut to size, seems to me the obvious choice.

As for how to mount the case on the bike, I'd probably make an S-shaped hanger

_
 |
 |_|

to hang it off the back rack—probably on the right side, so I could still lay the bike down on the left side. Or put it in a handlebar basket or a pannier, if you can get one big enough.

If the case-and-contents is small enough and light enough, you can alternatively carry it in a backpack. For any significant weight, getting the bike to do the carrying is preferred.


SRAM chain with Shimano cassette and crankset?

I run SRAM chains on my bike that has Shimano cogs.  It's by choice, as I prefer the SRAM "Powerlink" to the Shimano scheme.


Is there any reason for the rear frame and bottom bracket to be asymmetric?

The bottom bracket shell does not really stick out more on the drive side, it's symmetrical around the center line of the frame. The non drive side bottom bracket shell and chainstay are just more built up.

On reason is providing clearance for the chainrings on the drive side.


Do I need sensors to see real time data (speed and cadence) on Strava Live?

Strava (Premium) can determine your speed using GPS data, although GPS can be less accurate than a dedicated sensor because it jumps around a bit.

There's no magic way to determine cadence without a sensor, except maybe counting it in your head.


You want stainless spokes and aluminum rims. As suggested in the comments you can check the rims with a magnet – and also by appearance steel rims will probably be shiny. But steel rims are kind of rare, most likely you'll have aluminum on any reasonably priced bike.

For the spokes it may be hard to tell with a magnet. I think the easiest way to tell would be to look closely. Stainless spokes will have no finish and will be "good looking" – no, or minimal rust (sometimes steel from machining will leave some residue that will rust, but it will be superficial, color but no significant oxidation). Steel spokes will have some kind of surface finish to prevent rust. You can probably see the finish and some rust or minor damage to it. Finally look at the heads of the spokes. Name brand spokes like Wheelsmith, DT, or Sapim will be marked. Wheelsmith uses a 'W', I think DT uses 'DT', and I'm not sure about Sapim. If you see one of those marks it is a decent chance that the spokes are stainless – as long as they aren't the dull gray of a galvanized (zinc coated) spoke.


Is it really necessary to loosen/unmount handlebar while packing bike?

Two reasons, one major and one a little more subtle.

Majorly, most adult bikes won't come close to fitting in a standard, non-oversize bike shipping box if you just turn the bars and fork as you describe. What counts as oversize and how much more it costs will vary depending on where you are in the world and the carrier, but you'll need a significantly bigger box and that will generally be more expensive.

Second, if you have the fork turned in the box, only one fork end will be contacting the bottom, which will prevent the fork from being able to sit flat on the bottom of the box and will cause loads on the box to have more of a tendency to side-load the fork, the direction it's weak in. The normal way of sticking a plastic fork block in the fork ends which then sits flat against the bottom actually does a lot to keep forks from getting crushed.


Do you mean water is in the tire - between tire and tube - or in the tube?  The only way for water to get in the tube would be via the valve (or, very rarely, if you rode the punctured tire flat for an extended period).

Water between tire and tube is no big deal -- should work its way out quickly.

Inside the tube should probably be drained (requiring removing tube from tire) and would be most likely due to water in your pump (or a compressor used to fill the tire).  Cycle the pump a few strokes before putting it on the valve, if you've ridden in the rain recently, and make sure any compressor you use is drained regularly.


What is the markup on bikes sold in stores?

This can vary a good bit based upon the brand, quality of bicycle sold, and the agreement reached between the shop/brand. In general more volume=better deal, higher end=lower markup percentage (but higher dollar amount as the overall cost is higher as well).

A high margin would be 40-45% (66-80% markup), low end would be around 20% margin (25% markup) in my experience (as an employee). so for a $500 bike a 40% margin is $200, $300 original cost to the shop. In markup terms, a $500 bike that costs $300 wholesale is 200/300 = 66% markup.

Keep in mind this is not profit. Many bikes take an hour or more of labor to assemble, and this is before factoring in base costs of space, utilities, tools, etc.


BB30 to BSA frame conversion with internal cable routing?

In the first picture it looks like the holes are simply machined to decrease the weight of the adapter without compromising strength. My only concern with the frame and adapter would be tolerances because you wouldn't want it to fit too loose.

The second picture definitely looks like a bb30 frame but without calipers it's impossible to know the diameter and width for sure.

The gold/red tubes you see on the bottom are the internally routed guides for the rear derailleur cable and rear brake cable/hose. Since this frame has a lower compartment where the cables route, you will not have any issues with internal cable routing with any bottom bracket combination.


Lowering the hand position will essentially move your shoulders forward and down, in an arc.  This will put your head further forward, and you'll have to look up slightly more.  It will also put more weight on your hands.
If you currently ride with your elbows slightly bent, then they will end up straighter.
This will also very slightly rotate your pelvis forward too.
I'd suggest confirming your saddle height is good first - assuming you're riding on the road, then it should be high as possible but not enough to make your hips rock side to side.  If that happens, lower it by a few mm.
Also if you're riding on road only, you don't need the wider handlebars.  Narrower bars let you fit through traffic gaps better, and will be slightly more aero.


Bike GPS computer with real-time elevation profile

i use my mobile phone and bought a universal bike phone holder which sits on the handle bar,i use 3 different apps (not at the same time) strava, relive and komoot, all have a free app or paid subscription  personally i prefer strava because you can download the data to a pc then upload to relive to create an videomap of your trip, photos can be included along the route


Alpinestars hasn't made bikes since around 1996. This is definitely not one of their 90's frames. That being said they do sponsor mountain bike teams and make clothing and gear. It is not unheard of for these companies to get lower end frames from the manufactures of the brands their teams ride and have them branded for them. My guess is that is what this frame is.


Should I lubricate rear derailleur wheels

Usually if they're turning as you describe with high resistance, they're either gunked up and need cleaning or they're put together wrong. They should spin very freely without any added lubrication. Grease would probably tend to do as you say and attract dirt, but a thin coating on the outside of the bushing isn't going to ruin anything if you want to try it. I do a drop of light lube at the gap of each one to keep them running quietly, but it's usually a negligible difference either way.


Start with safety.  Wear a good helmet and get some good lights.  Leave a spare charger at work.

Practice the commute on a Saturday.  Ride in get lunch and ride back.  If you are mobile on Sunday then you are good on Monday.

If you can leave a car at work and lock your bike safely then you can split some days.
Monday you drive in with the bike and ride the bike home.
Tuesday you ride in and drive home.
Wednesday you drive in and ride home.
Thursday you ride in and drive home.
If you drive in Friday problem you don't have the car for the weekend.
So haul your bike home on Thursday.
On Friday you ride or bike both ways.
This lets you build up.
In a few months you should be riding both ways.
If you are totally out of shape then it take a couple months.

At 7 miles each way you are kind of in a dead zone.
I am in my 50s but I ride a lot and for me 7 miles is 30 minute sprint and I recover in 10 minutes.
It is perfect as it does not take a lot of time but is a legitimate workout.
Out of shape it is an hour each way and you might not recover by the time you ride home.
Even for a strong rider more than 15 miles each way starts to become a time management issue.
But I would rather be on a bike an hour than in car an hour.


Advice for resuming riding after illness?

There are stages to recovery from any illness (or injury, for that matter).

After surviving the incident and any medical intervention, we hopefully get to the rehabilitation stage. At this point, we're usually weak in a muscular sense, and feeling weak too.

The type of rehabilitation we undertake now has a big bearing on the end point we get to. It's all about goals. Do your goals match your rehabilitation therapists goals? If there is a mismatch between your goals and their goals then you will find the whole process quite frustrating. So have a good talk with potential rehabilitation therapists about what you want to achieve, what they think about that. If they think you're crazy get them to explain, or recommend a colleague. Patient - therapist communication is key.

Let me digress into few small anecdotes before returning to some recommendations

In my 20's I had a knee injury. The injury was responding to treatment, and the physiotherapist I was seeing wanted to measure my knee strength. Strapped me into a machine and said "push as hard as you can". Bang! Total recurrence if the injury. They omitted "without discomfort".
Another knee injury. Surgeon discusses options with me, and says "We could operate, but since you're not a pro athlete I don't recommend it". Good call. I learned to play squash much better than before, because I kept on my toes more.
Tore a calf muscle last year. Right through. My physiotherapist is a former pro footballer, a high profile guy. As my physio for 30+ years, we understand each other well. He knows my goals, my particular level of pain tolerance, my particular level of determination. It's a close relationship. He tells me straight what the prognosis is, how much work it will take, and how much time. Working together, I was back cycling in six weeks. But a year later, not back to full strength. Perhaps it's to challenge me, but he says I'll never get back to full strength.

The point I'm trying trying to make in each of these is that rehabilitation is a partnership. Each therapist has their strengths, weaknesses, interests and focus.

To get to your goal, you need someone whose goals match yours. More importantly, someone who admits where their knowledge or experience ends. And a willingness to call in others who may have the necessary knowledge or skills to help you. So you'll have be open about your goals, and openly search for a therapist who you can really relate to. Communication is key

Oh, and one more thing. Indoor training has come a long way. Check out BKOOL and Zwift.


When registering keys, which number is the Kryptonite key#?

I directly contacted Kryptonite customer service for an answer to this question.

I quote directly:

"The number that you need to register is just the SS followed by 5 numbers. The L code is used at the factory and is not needed."

Hope this helps!


Fitting a vibration-proof bell for drop bars

If your screw head is actually a nut, like the picture looks like, replace it with a nylock nut. If that is not possible, thread lock fluid like blue Loctite works nicely.


Does cannabis affect cycling performance?

Are you asking about the immediate effects while high or long-term effects?

I can't find any unbiased, well-cited sources except for one from the British Journal of Sports Medicine which basically says that doctors should try to keep athletes from using cannabis due to its possible dangers. However, some sources (of unknown quality) claim that it may help with some sports due to e.g. its ability to help people get into a pseudo-meditative state (which assumedly helps with e.g. long-distance running). Others claim that its ability to lessen the perception of pain may be of benefit in some sports (e.g. in combat sports).

However, cannabis use has been more or less uncontroversially proven to slow down nervous-system response (c.f. "Cannabis use and cognitive dysfunction") and so it can be dangerous to use when reflexes are necessary for one's safety (i.e. such as when riding a bicycle). Moreover, smoking cannabis is still smoking --- the long-term health consequences of which are hard to overstate.


How do I change the rear tire on old Raleigh "Tourist" 3-speed

This is where a 60 second Youtube  video is worth 1000 words. The adjustment takes less than a minute. There are a couple methods. If it is shifting ok now, mark the threaded rod where the cable attaches. Place the shifter in gear 3. Loosen the jam nut 1/4 turn, just enough to allow the cable end to unscrew from the threaded rod. with the cable disconnected, remove shifter chain guide nut. It may be separate or part of the axle nut. Remove the wheel as you would any other nutted axle. Reinstall the repaired wheel. You can reattach the cable screwing the cable end up to the jam nut. Tighten the jam nut. To check the adjustment. Place the shifter in 2nd gear. If you look at the shift chain guide you will notice two observation holes on the sides. If properly adjusted you should see about 1mm of the straight rod exposed. If more than 1mm is exposed loosen the jam nut on the cable end and expose a less of the threaded rod and tighten the jam nut. If less than 1mm is exposed loosen the jam nut and screw the cable end to expose less threaded rod.


It’s possible you have a bent or broken axle, which is the only reason a skewer would rub against the hub. Disassemble the inner hub and inspect.


What would be the "definitive" formula to calculate chainstay length from sprocket size, chainring size and number of chain links?

Unfortunately my crummy draw tool won't let me place the lines very accurately, but this is the idea:

The radii describe right angles to the two chain lines.  I'm pretty sure the two wrap angles on the two sprockets will add to 360 degrees.  The upper quadrilateral has been divided into a rectangle (if my lines were square) and a right triangle.  The hypotenuse of the triangle is the chain stay length.  The short side is the large sprocket radius minus the small sprocket radius.

From the chain stay length and the sprocket radii you can compute the straight chain length and (with a bit of trig) the two wrap angles.  Given a wrap angle and a sprocket radius you can compute the amount of chain on the sprocket.


Uneven oil on stanchions - brand new bike?

Check that the right side seal is actually tight to the stanchion. Perhaps you just got one that is too loose fitting. Generally, some level of oil leakage is normal, but too much is definitely a problem: there’s only ~10mL of oil total in each leg acting as lubrication, and you really don’t want to run out. You could also test the seal by leaving the bike upside down overnight and seeing if any more oil makes its way out.
Additionally, you could bring the bike back to the shop you bought it from to get fixed under warranty. A fork service kit is like $20 and includes new wiper seals.
@Paul H The damper is totally sealed from the lower leg, which is where the bath lube oil sits. The oils are different viscosities anyways, so mixing them would be bad. If that is indeed damper oil (which is tinted red/pink) leaking out, OP has some serious issues.


Extraterrestrial thing found in my suspension fork!

It's an elastomer damper, see figure 6 on the image below. Without a damper, the fork would bob uncontrollably like a pogo stick, which is not good at all when riding a bike. Elastomer dampers are a sign of low-end forks, while more expensive forks use oil damping or other forms of damping. You can replace the stock piece of elastomer with less rigid or shorter one to adjust the fork feel.


I went to my local bike shop and they advised me to open up the shifters and give them a good spray inside with wd40, since it could be caused by the internals getting clogged up with dirt and grease.

This worked great and I can reach all the gears now, just need a little adjustment and then I'm good to go!

The bike shop was Ralph Colemans Cycles in Taunton, very helpful staff!


You can install an inline cable adjuster. There are several companies that make them.


Is it OK if my brake pads are not “just” touching the rotor in my cable disc brake bike?

Yes, saying to make it "just touching" is kind of misleading. If you can get it adjusted so there's some gap and it never touches but the brake is adequately grabby without danger of bottoming out against the bar, that's a good place to be.


Difference between brake pads on road and MTBs

When you open the quick release on your caliper brakes, the brakes open wider to allow you to release your wheel quickly without deflating your tire. Longer brake pads could then touch the frame or fork and chip the paint. Some people even trim down their canti brake pads to avoid this scenario and sometimes in an attempt to reduce brake shudder.

Additionally, most v-brake style pads come with a series of washers (one concave and one convex that on either side of the brake arm you bolt to) that allow some angle adjustment which allows you to set the toe in and angle of approach on your brake pads without bending the brake arms.  This is available on some brake pads intended for caliper brakes as well, but the washers tend to be much smaller. The extra washers may also prevent you from removing the wheel without deflating your tires.

But will these pads stop you? Yes


Why does the chain misalign in the lower pulley when shifting to the small front cog?

Because you're cross-chaining -- creating a bad chain angle.  With any dual derailer bike the chain angle is straighter if you use big front cogs with small rear cogs and vice-versa.  And with bikes with lots of rear cogs the chain angle can get bad enough to cause this situation.

Basically you need to learn to avoid cog combos that create a bad chain angle, and, in particular, when down-shifting on the front you should generally be at least 2-3 cogs away from the smallest on the rear (given you have a 10-speed rear).  (Keep in mind that you should tend to do this naturally if you're making good use of your gear range -- slowly shift down (larger cogs) on the rear as difficulty increases, then shift the front when you're fairly far "downshifted".)

In other words, don't try to muscle ups a hill in a high gear and then downshift with the front when the effort gets too much -- take it in steps.


How to safely dispose of extra chain lube

Depends where you are located.

Where I live in the US the county has a hazardous waste disposal facility that takes used oil - usually from people changing car and lawnmower engine oil.

As an aside, soaking a chain in lube to get it clean will not be very effective. Clean a chain with a de-greaser or solvent (preferably a  environment friendlier citrus based one), then re-lube.


There are no circlips securing the bearings on the axle tube. The QR endcaps should be held in the axle by their o-rings. If these have been allowed to move apart (e.g by an inadequate or loose skewer), the overall width of the knurled surfaces that contact the frame will be more than 135mm. Assuming no damage to the endcaps or axle, pushing these back in should be enough.


I would fix the derailleur on the gear you prefer (perhaps middle one, to get most of rear gear properly working) as the derailleur don't interfere to leg movement. Take in mind that in few months you can change your mind and start using front gears too.
Edit: To remove it you will have to unbar the chain, then open the screw (9mm wrench or 4mm alem depends on derailleur model) on other side of the derailleur. Then return the chain to place.


YouE planetary motor is having problems how do I pinpoiont the problem?

The specs reads: max. 36 volts
I switched over from SLA 36 volts to li-ion 42 volts.
Some assured that it's within tolerance but I suspect that these Chinese controllers are also on the cheap side and aren't as robust to take on that much more above tolerance continuously.

I got my new controller and now everything is back to the way it was.
I got this controller:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/36V-48V-350W-Electric-Bicycle-E-bike-Scooter-Brushless-DC-Motor-Controller-/172878396579?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=IvO9vJ

I tested the throttle to make sure that it was giving the proper ohms. Check
I tested the magnets by short circuiting the 3 phase power for the motor a felt a turning resistance. Check
I bypassed the ignition and the brake switches, connected the throttle, then the 3 phase wires and connected the controller's self-learning wires and then the power.

Before I was able to connect the hall sensors the motor was turning at about 1/4 power and I discovered that in learning mode it learns to know what direction to turn the wheel and gauges the throttle resistance.

When the controller is powered and you disconnect then reconnect the learning mode wires while the motor is turning the motor will turn in the opposite direction. Also, in learning mode, if you turn the throttle the controller will learn to add more speed based on the change of resistance of the throttle. I went full throttle and it slowed the motor but another twist and it accelerated the motor. It figured out how it should react to it.

I hope this can be useful for those who need to figure out replacing a new controller.


How bad is switching derailleur gears under load?

The answer heavily depends on the groupset construction/generation and personal perception of what is "bad", among other factors. Below are a few aspects that I am aware of.

Switching gears in the traditional bicycle drivetrain assumes there is a momentarily side load on the chain, twisting it and forcing it to jump/fall from one cog to another. The chain is very flexible in one plane, but has limited sideways flex before the metal becomes too stressed. In the worst case, "Unspeakably Bad Things" is one of links of the chain breaking because of that excessive side load. Usually, bad shifting manifests itself as horrible metal clunking and abrupt pedal jerking, but nothing breaks (yet).

Aside from the chain, similar side load is experienced by the cassette and chainrings. Similarly, a potential for bending individual teeth on them exists.

The probability of a mechanical problem during shifting can be increased by several factors. Among them are: front-shifting while loading the pedals, back-shifting while pedaling hard, weak pin in the chain, fast shifting over many gears at once causing the chain to twist too much; misaligned derailleurs; worn drivetrain components; bad luck.

Older (more than ~40 years old) cassettes were made of plain cogs without any features to help shifting. Recent cassettes and chainring have ramps and pins that assist shifting, making the opportunity window for chain overload smaller. Most modern MTB cassette designs were reported to greatly alleviate the problems with shifting under load in either direction, according to many reports I've seen on the net. Even for cheap Deore 12-speed cassettes, it is said to be safe to shift without taking it easy on the pedals.

Your description of events "to pick up speed, stop pedaling, then switch gears, then continuing pedaling" applies to internal gear hubs, but not to the cassettes/derailleur designs. In order to complete the shift, one must keep the chain moving over the cogs, which means pedaling (even if with less effort) during the whole shifting process.

In terms of practical advice, I'd say that there are several situations.

It is usually safer to shift to smaller front or rear cogs while pedaling hard than the other way around.
It is usually safer to shift at the back than at the front under load. The twisting angle at the cassette is usually smaller than it would be at the chainring.
It is recommended to be conscious about shifting when pedaling uphill. The pedaling torque is the highest in such situations. If possible, one should choose the right gear combination just before starting the uphill movement, at the trajectory's lowest point. Making such predictions requires some experience.
Similarly, never shift while standing still. The torque is high at the starting point, the chain may be cross-shifted over multiple cogs, making it more twisted than usual. If you cannot safely start in current gear, it is safer to lift the bike and pedal "it in the air" with your hand to complete the shift.


Why some companies stop supplying frames to pro teams?

You have it backwards. You seem to think pro bike teams are looking to purchase frames from suppliers, and all the supplier needs to do is offer a decent discount. It's the other way around - most pro-tour bike teams require payment from the supplier if they are to display decals, and needless to say the gear will have to be supplied without cost.

You will often see a rider on a certain team has insisted on bringing his favorite saddle, which will then have all decals and logs removed if the supplier doesn't want to pay, or the team already has a primary supplier for that part. You will also see them removing logos from tubular tires made specifically for the cobbles, where most the big-shop tire sponsors do not have a suitable tire. As well, you may even see a team using old frames from a competing brand for a cobble stage where the current frame sponsor did not supply a suitable frame - in this case, the frame will either be rebranded or have branding removed.

In short, I think the lack of diversity you see is more a fault of the sport and the economics of it, not the fault of niche frame manufactures. Big high-revenue bike companies can afford to bet on multiple teams, while betting on one team may be a too risky proposition for a niche player (especially a team they can afford to sponsor).


Suspension fork - Can you leave them locked for a long time?

Without knowing more details about the fork (coil spring vs air spring) it is hard to recommend anything other than getting it serviced at your LBS.

With that said I know on my MTB with fox float forks, that if I leave it upside down for a while it won't lockout properly. Usually because the oil has displaced within the chamber.

Maybe try flipping it upside down overnight and then seeing if that helps.


App to find the shortest route with the least amount of climbs?

Strava has this feature in the route planning tool.

In the header, you can see it has toggle switches for popularity (pretty nifty if the area is new to you), min-elevation (what you're looking for), and manual.

Here is an example of how it works. The below route is between two points in Palos Verde, CA - a notoriously hilly (fun) area.

Min Elevation OFF:

Min Elevation ON: Here's the route with the same end points and the feature turned on -- a savings of 348 feet of elevation gain, but an extra 2.5 miles of riding.


Did I just ruined my rear shock? fox float :(

Really it could be anything, from oil weight to actually damaging something in the shock, to merely a seal issue (allowing easier internal air movement).

If you did not change the seals but it was dry when you opened it up and you opened it because you heard rubbery noises when you compressed it, then i'd be putting my money on it needing some internal seals changed.

Alternatively your shock might be totally FINE! You might have just messed up your shock pump gauge and be seeing the wrong pressure. Borrow another shock pump/guage etc to check.

The good news is you probably haven't ruined it, in the sense you need another shock, but I wouldn't go riding it until you figure out what's wrong.

The bad news is that we can't REALLY help you without actually having you photograph the shock as you take it apart and put it together again, in extreme detail.

It's unlikely that nothing went wrong (unless it's just your gauge showing the wrong pressure all of a sudden); you would still get similar travel from the unlubed shock, it just wouldn't be as smooth.


Choosing a grip is a matter of personal preference. If you're worried about the fact that the Nexus shifters require a smaller grip on one side than the other (due to the shifter taking up room), you can get grips that are made to mate with an internal hub shifter like the Nexus.

Alternately, since these can be difficult to locate, you can cut down the grip on one side with a hacksaw blade. That's what I did on one of my folding bikes, and it worked fine.

Just be sure to cut the grip in a straight line. You can mark the location of the cut with masking tape or painters tape before sawing to get an even edge. The edge will be slightly rougher, but since it'll be sitting up against the shifter it won't be very visible. If you want to cut down a non-locking grip, you can probably do something similar.


Plastic screw with ripped-off head stuck in the frame

As the comments have stated, here's your options:

Screw extractor: Inexpensive and easy to use.
Drill: Use successively larger drill bits until most of the screw is gone.
Drill and extract: Drill a spot large enough to put something in the middle and pull it out.
Screw/Nail Extract: Lightly tap a nail or smaller screw into it and then try to unscrew the stuck body.
Melt it: Not really recommended but you could do it. Be prepared to retap the threads if things go awry.

Note, these are not in any order and some can be tried before others.


How can I use my small flashlight as my bicycle's headlight?

Can you maybe use zip ties to mount the handle to the stem, then attach the flashlight to the handle when needed? Can be tricky to get the angle right.
There are also universal flash light mounts, though I’m not sure they’ll work for the rather large diameter of yours.
In any case, please make sure to mount it in a way which doesn’t dazzle oncoming traffic.


How to repair / create a CF seat post clamp interface?

It's a bad idea to sand down or modify the carbon fiber of the seat tube. You don't know what you will do to its integrity or strength.

I would do some research to find out if a replacement aluminum seat 'cap' that accommodates the clamp can be bought, and the proper technique and epoxy type for bonding it in.

If you choose not to fix the frame, don't junk it. Stick it on Ebay with the appropriate disclaimer about the seat clamp. Maybe someone with the required know0how will but it up and fix it.


This is a screw-on valve extension for a standard Sclaverand (aka Presta) valve. They are usually fitted when short valves are used with high rims. But here the 3 or so threads visible next to the rim indicate that it may not even be required. Screw it off and you'll find the normal valve-head underneath. If you have a track pump with a screw-on chuck it may fit nicely, with a lever action chuck it could be fiddly.


A lot here depends on the "shape" of the imperfection.
I'd be looking for contact around something like three fourths of the circumference.
If you have contact most of the way around the shell, with a little "divot" gone so there isn't contact in one small area, it's probably not worth facing .5 mm off the shell to get contact on that last little bit.
On the other hand, if you basically have a "point" sticking out on one side, and essentially the entire rest of the shell is .5mm away from contact with the face of the shell, it's almost certainly worth cutting that spot down to get contact around most of the shell.
If it's a matter of the shell having been cut off slightly crooked, so the face is flat, but not square with the threads, I'd face it off so there was contact at least half (and as I said above, preferably more like three quarters) of the way around.


This model of Tektro brake uses a Shimano M575/M505/M445 brake pad - so I ordered the Shimano bleed block for these brakes (p/n Y8FZ05000) which did the job.


Upgrade cranks, chain, gears on a Carrera Vengeance MTB

ANSWER This is a bad idea.

Your bike has 24 gears total, so its probably a 3x8.  Thats three front chainrings and 8 cogs on the rear.

You could get more road speed by having a smaller small on the back, or a larger large on the front.  However the default rear cassette is 11-32 and 11 is as small as they go.  Your specs don't say what the front chainrings are, but on a triple MTB they're likely 26/36/46 tooth, or similar.   If you put a 50 tooth front chainring on, then the FD has to be able to get there.  Most simply can't handle more teeth.

If I were you I'd look at the gear cables and see that they're moving okay through the outers.  The inner wires should be shiny and slide easily.  A new set of inner/outers will cost you a lot less than a group and should help sort your shifting.  Also measure your chain for wear (ie stretch) and if its over 1% elongated, replace it and the rear cassette if it is worn or starts skipping.

You ride on the road a lot, perhaps you could consider a dedicated road bike?  If you've got the budget to buy a new groupset, you're within spitting distance of a complete road bike anyway.  And then your N is 2.

Summary: You're on a hiding to nothing doing expensive part upgrades on almost any bike.


Plastic taste in my backpack water bladder

Denture cleaning tablets - they leave a nice minty taste as well.  Locally we have a brand called Steradent (UK & Aus only by the looks of it) that I use to clean out bidons every once in a while to get rid of either stale or detergent tastes.


What actual problem are you trying to solve, or what experiment are you trying to perform, what question are you trying to answer, by making a prototype? E.g. architectural models may try to solve problems like, "What will it look like?" and "Is there enough space for the plumbing?"

However models, which have a different size and are made of different materials than the finished product, don't necessarily model/simulate the physical performance/behviour of the finished product (e.g. vibrations).

  For example, how do they plan weight distribution in their models? How do they beforehand see vibrational problems?

To experiment with physical properties like vibration, I'll guess they use full-scale prototypes, made of actual metal: identical to the finished mass-manufactured article, except hand-made one-offs instead of mass-produced.

You might be able to get by with a scale model (e.g. quarter-size), so long as it's made from a sufficiently similar material (e.g. welded steel). Using anything else (e.g. LEGO blocks or balsa wood) would not, I guess, be a useful prototype, because its mechanical properties are too dissimilar.

Another possibility might be a computer model.

On the other hand (as an example of a different problem being able to use a different kind of prototype) if you were trying to model the wind resistance instead of the vibration: because a thing's interaction with the air depends on its external/superficial shape, more than on mechanical properties like stiffness, for that you could use a different material.

In his autobiography, Freeman Dyson asserted that the reason why motorcycles are reliable is because there have been so many different generations of them since they were invented, with each new one building on and correcting the problems with the previous versions (he contrasted that with nuclear power stations, saying that there haven't been 100s of generations of those).


Different vibrating tone on a belt drive with a Shimano Alfine hub

Try more tension on the belt. It will help with the skipping problem and a tighter belt will change how the belt vibrates.

For internal gear hubs Gates recommends 35 – 50 Hz
Montague Bikes - Adjusting Belt Tension with an Eccentric Bottom Bracket

Based on this article you are adjusting the belt just 2 Hz more than the minimum.
This gives you some wiggle room to experiment with. Try 40 or 45 and test for changes.

I think, perhaps, the #1 problem with the Alfine 11 is belt drive. Lots of Alfine 11 bikes come stock with Gates. Not a single belt bike I have ever worked on came in with the belt tension high enough.
Sheldon Brown - Additional comments by Aaron Goss (toward the bottom of the page)
Note: the Alfine 11 is similar to the 8


I've never heard of that either. Surely useful to a manufacturer of tubes. I could see it being useful in that it might give you a real measurement of how much rubber you are getting. As you may know, bike tires and tubes are measured with nominal numbers that don't actually reflect the real size of the product accurately. So you might be able to tell how wide a tube is without the nominal numbering. Or, if the nominal numbering is accurate.

For example, I've noticed the more recent batches of innertubes we've had at our store are narrower for the same nominal size. This would mean a lighter, thinner inner tube in use (Any size tube will fill the same size space of the tire if possible, less rubber means it has to stretch more to fill the same space). And I've noticed a slightly higher rate of defective tubes. But I haven't actually measured anything, this is just my impression over a period of time. It's hasn't been an important issue.

Inner tubes in bicycles are sized quite approximately and one can usually fit the wrong size tube into a tire to make if work if you have only got that one option. I'm someone who would recommend a thicker tube, as I favour that reliability over the small weight gains. So I would use that information to pick wider, thicker tubes. Others might do the opposite and choose narrow for the weight savings. All of this is assuming consistent quality, which is a big if.

Anyway, I agree with you there is little need for this number to most people. I'm just expanding on the idea to show there could be some use for a very few. Mostly people who overthink trivial matters ;-)


Words for "bicycle" far in etymology from "two wheels"

Finnish: Polkupyörä ("treading wheel") or pyörä ("wheel") for short.

To disambiguate, and to endless confusion to non-hobbyists, the jargon term for wheel is kiekko ("disc"). Disc wheels are of course known as plate wheels or plate discs.


Broken Sturmey-Archer dual cable 5-speed shifter

It looks like these are mounted in the same way as downtube shifters. If that is so, many downtube shifter band clamps are available aftermarket for the frame, stem or handlebar. If you take the shifters off your clamp you should be able to compare photos of this type of solution
See examples:
https://www.bricklanebikes.co.uk/via-downtube-shifter-mount
https://southerndistributors.co.uk/product/quill-stem-shifter-mount/


How close do I have to be for effective drafting (while commuting)?

My opinion:

I don't believe you can effectively draft and have enough time to stop.  I don't know the exact aerodynamics (and I suspect it's affected by speed and wind), but if you watch any paceline or peleton, they're never more than a couple feet (about half a meter) behind the rider in front, often only a few inches (centimeters) behind. With a crosswind or larger groupings, they're even likely to have wheel overlap (where the front part of the front wheel of the following cyclist is next to the rear part of the rear wheel of the lead cyclist).

You can really only draft safely with the cooperation of the lead cyclist, who needs to signal back to you before starting to stop.

Do the math:

Let's put it another way:

If you're going 15 miles/hour (25 km/hour)
That's also 22 feet/second (6.9 m/second)
And if you're following 3 feet behind (1 meter) (a bit far for drafting)
You have 0.136 seconds (0.145 if you take the metric rounding version) to react to something that causes the lead bike to need to brake suddenly to avoid colliding.
If you're 2 feet (2/3rds of a meter), you have less than a tenth of a second.  If you're 2 feet and 20mph (32 km/hour) you have about 1/14th of a second to react.

Less than a sixth of a second to figure out that the lead bike is braking and to start braking, and that's assuming your brakes are as good or better than the lead bike's brakes.  If the lead bike has slightly better brakes (or wider tires, or grippier tires, or even just pulls the brake levers a bit harder than you do), you may simply have no reaction time available and a collision will be unavoidable.

In other words: you definitely can only safely draft with the full cooperation of an experienced lead cyclist who won't brake unless they've warned you or being rear-ended by you is better than whatever they're about to run into.  If you were going to go by hazards, they'd need to warn you about upcoming hazards and you'd need to pull back to 10 feet (3 meters) or more.

Avoid the door zone

Additionally, you should simply stay entirely out of the door zone so that opening car doors aren't much of an issue.  It's not unheard of for car doors to open very fast with no warning, so that nobody has enough time to avoid hitting the suddenly opened car door. I haven't checked the laws of every single state in the US (and definitely not outside the US), but in general the area that parked car doors can open into (the door zone) constitutes a hazard that you're not required to ride through.  When a bike lane is in the door zone I'll either ride the line on the left of the lane (if that's outside the door zone), or simply ride in the right wheel track of the car lane next to the bike lane.


Full suspension or hardtail for offroad in South Wales

Yes there are a few full suspensions in that range, they will be heavy, and mid to low level parts. Saving a bit longer and waiting (hard i know) Maybe £1200 - 1500 would get you much further.

Your current bike is 17kg. a £1000 bike may only save you 1 - 2 kg. A nice hard tail within your budget would be very light (12 - 13kg)

Another option would be a 29er. the bigger wheels, and high volume tires will really help with overall comfort and capabilities on rocky technical trails, while still being fast and lighter than the full suspension in that range (but likely still 14 - 15kg)


Should I grease pins when re-installing them on cottered cranks?

Yes. The grease will aid in installation as well as later removal.


why can't you use park tool shift cable cutter to cut hydraulic cable

The comments OraNob and Batman said are spot on. A cable cutter uses shear force (focused crushing) to cut through the metal wound wires in a cable housing but still requires some clean up because of this. This is why you need to go back and reform the inside wires with an awl and clean up the edges with a file or sanding pad. A plastic hydraulic line can easily be cut with a sharp blade or razor. A brake line can not, you could cut it but it will mar up the blade and deform the cable creating more friction when the cable is reintroduced.

You can't sand a hydraulic line because it will introduce particles into the fluid which could then lodge and build up in the moving parts of the brake system.

Also the plastics that are used in hydraulic cables don't do well with being smashed and reformed and could hairline crack if crimped and then reformed. If it did crack you would have to start over and try again, a vicious cycle. All it takes is a tiny crack to allow air into the system and turn your brakes to mush.

The hydraulics lines are made to perform under pressure, pun intended, and doing the above creates a weakened area that may lead to cracking at the fittings. They won't be easily visible but could allow air to slowly be introduced to the system.

When I have serviced my brakes, I cut the hydraulic line with an X-acto knife, a razor would work equally well. I put it on a hard wooden work desk that has a 90º angle cut into it. This way i find it very easy to cut a straight line in the hose. I used a sawing motion to be sure that I wasn't crushing the housing at all but this may be overkill. If you cut at an angle it can also cause a bad fitting connection that may lead to air in the system.


How to maintain the bicycle after a commute, when not home?

Do nothing.

Yes, nothing. Unless you are biking wearing a hazmat suit through some corrosive volcanic crater where it rains acid.

Rinse it off, at home when it's convenient, or it is especially dirty. Give a more thorough cleaning once a year in the spring. Lube the chain occasionally when it begins to make some noise. Other than that, you really don't need to screw around hosing your bike off so much. Just ride, it'll be fine.


If one of the side plates of the chain is falling off, you need a new chain.

Chains are relatively cheap, and get one with a master link so you don't even need a special tool.

It may be possible to push it back on, but it'll fall off again real quick, probably taking the other side with it.  This is false economy.  You should also start a maintenance log of when various tasks were done, same as a car logbook.  Chains should be replaced periodically, before they chew into the cassette.


20x2.175 may be some arbitrary numbers on a rim, but it isn't a size or measurement.
Reasonable widths for a 2.4 start at around 23mm inner width or 28mm outer. This includes what most would consider all real street/dirt/park rims. Plenty of frames and forks in the world won't take a 2.4. Most of the time it's fairly straightforward to predict that based on the clearance you have now. It can also easily be a case where you have to dial the chain length to make it work.


Which Shimano Centerlock Rotors Work with Avid BB7 Mountain Brake Calipers?

There are two different issues here; firstly the rotor width, and then the rotor spider.
I have a spreadsheet of all Shimano's disc brakes (excluding the 1970s models) here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19BJHVS0SvaW-xWd_gmYZuNQlYWgO0M58Um57g8HR29c
check the 'rotors' tab
Essentially the very first Shimano disc brake (post 1970s) in 1999 was made by Grimeca, and was part of the Deore XT M750 series; BR-M755. The Rotor was a six-bolt design called RT75. It was a hydraulic brake.
The next disc brake was the mechanical Deore M515, in 2000. I'm not really sure who made this, but it's a fairly generic design and uses pads that are used on Clarks and Tektro brakes. The same pads are still used on all low-end Shimano brakes today. This came out with RT50
Centerlock was first released in 2002 and was part of the XTR M960 series, hence RT96. There was now a Shimano-specific brake pad, which was narrower (in terms of how far they extend into the diameter of the rotor) than the generic ones used on the M515 etc.

cf. the generic pad used on M515 etc.

The rotor was still a fairly generic design:
RT96:

cf.
RT75

The real change came with the release of XTR M975, in 2006, and RT97. The pad design did not change, but now Shimano was ready to release rotors that only worked with their 'narrow' pads. (the narrow pad design above was changed in 2010, to add support for fins)

And since a 'narrow' pad was standard, Shimano could use less steel for their braking track, and more carbon fibre spider or whatever, saving 10g for XTR users but making everyone else's life more difficult:

Anyway, since the early days Shimano insisted on making a cheap rotor out of non-hardened steel that would wear out quickly if used with sintered pads. The introduction of their new 'high-end narrow' vs 'low-end wide' rotors, pads, and calipers meant that they could eliminate the hardened rotors for the wide calipers. Hence the last such design was SM-RT63, released in 2005. All subsequent 'wide' rotors were non-hardened.
If one compares the SM-RT54 with SM-RT64

Then the braking track is 'wide'.
It seems to me that Shimano set out to create their own ecosystem, incompatible with anyone else's. The problem with SM-RT64 is that it might work with a given third-party brake given that it does not use any plastic parts near the braking surface, but given that the braking track is narrow, it might mean that the third party brake ends up doing something like this, but reversed (i.e. instead of the incomplete contact being on the outside of the rotor, you end up with it being on the inside of the rotor):

Therefore it seems that Shimano's 'narrow' brake rotors are probably best used only with Shimano's 'narrow' brake calipers.
Other than seeking out old rotors such as RT63, it strikes me that Shimano's cheaper rotors (anything numbered below '60' essentially) work just fine, and they are quite cheap, albeit that they should wear out quickly if used with a sintered pad.
Alternatively there are a number of third party centerlock rotors , such as Jagwire, TRP, SRAM 'Centerline', etc.


I nicked the tip of the taper on a bottom bracket spindle. Is it still safe?

I'd reuse that spindle. The tips bear the smallest load. A nick near the center of the spindle would be more significant


The QR (on the outside of the dropouts) and the locknuts (on the inside) are what hold the wheel in place - you could have the axle ends flush with the dropouts and it should be fine (Sheldon describes this setup somewhere, with only the skewer going through the dropout, to allow perfecting chain tension on a fixie with vertical dropouts) - but 2mm axle projection vs 4 or 5 makes no difference. Definitely DON'T "spring" an Al frame to fit a hub of different width - generally ok with steel if it's only a few mm. If you want a wheel that's not available off the shelf, don't be afraid to build your own - it's really quite straightforward, again SB has the clearest instructions I've found (at least, they were what I started with) and you will very likely end up with better wheels for less money that a factory wheelset.


Where and when was my Schwinn Traveler made?

The serial number is for a Japan manucatured Schwinn.  The serial number format is Bridgestone.  "I" is for the ninth month(September) and the first digit, "6" is for the year of manufacture 1986.  This matches somewhat with the headbadge date of day 022(January) and year 7(1987), which is supposed to be when the bicycle was assembled.

Schwinn must have used more than one Japanese manufacturer, including Panasonic.


How long can I ride my bike with a worn cassette?

In my experience, skipping in certain gears at the rear is the first sign.
Usually in the most used sprocket.

Then the chain becomes worn - and perhaps starts to snap - and when you order a replacement - it skips all over the place because it is being run on an overly worn drive-train. You might be able to salvage the old chain and run it for a bit longer - but sooner or later - you have to bite-the-bullet and buy complete new drive-train.

But if your current drive-train is happy and not exhibiting any malfunction (keep that chain clean and oiled) - you could go for many many many miles on it.


Effect of raising handlebars on a fat bike

Generally fat bikes seem to have the bars at about the same height as the saddle, which the Fat Caad complies with. If you personally want the bars a little higher that's fine.

The Caad stem length is quite short so it has limited potential for raising the bars. Riser bars in conjunction with a different stem will help.


Do I need a special rack for my Schwinn Ascension hybrid bike with disk brakes?

There is nothing special about that bike that necessitates any special rear rack. You'll want to make sure that the bottom bolt that attaches on the disc side is not so long that it pokes the disc but that's true with any frame.


They have totally different bolt patterns, 96mm asymmetrical for 8000 and 110mm asymmetrical for 5800.


A few years ago I ran across a recipe that Team Garmin uses (or did at the time). It's boiled potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt. If you wrap it up right it's easy to carry, unwrap and eat while riding. I'm not sure how many of these you could carry. I've tried it on medium rides (40 to 50 miles) and they were great. I can't find the text of the original recipe but here is a video that shows how to cook and wrap them.

They are very cheap, they do require that you have some water to get them down, but the olive oil helps a lot. The potassium in the potato is great and they digest easily. I'm not sure I'd eat 5 or 6, but perhaps as one or two of the 5 or six snacks you go through.


What sort of oil/lube is "Shimano Internal Hub Maintenance Oil"?

I am not 100% sure for Shimano but my Rohloff Hub used SAE 80 weight gear oil.  I can't imagine shimano has magic that isn't covered by the SAE standard.


I have found before that if you decide to do the quick release up tighter than usual it can tighten up the bearings a little too much and you might hear a fairly regular noise as the wheel rotates. I'm not sure I would call it a 'scratching' noise, but maybe that's it. Try a looser quick release adjustment. If the noise remains the same then you can rule this idea out.


bike grease got on my wall. best way to get it off?

Probably best to start with something mild and work to more harsh until you find something that works. It's probably also best to test in a non-conspicuous area on the same wall just in case something unexpected happens. You can start with just soap and water, and see how that does.Then try dish soap. If that doesn't work, you could try the magic eraser things. They do sell generic ones which people claim to work (never tried them) which could save money if you need to do this a lot. I think these actually remove a thin layer of paint, so you should probably be careful with these.


Feasibility of keeping an Electrical Bike in poor (wet) storage conditions

It would depend on the bike itself.
The electronics on a high end e-mountain bike are pretty much waterproof, and the bike itself is susceptible to the same issues as any bike from rain etc.

Regardless, any bike will have its life and service intervals shorten by being left in the rain.

I'd suggest a small shed to store the bike in or at least covering it with a tarp would help a lot.

but ultimately no, e-bikes cant be left in the weather with no adverse affects like you could with a car.


Where can I find a bulb for my vintage 70's generator light?

This is nothing more than a standard dynamo front bulb - 6V 2.4W is what you really need (the rear is 6V 0.6W). Most Northern European bike shops carry screw-in Halogen versions of them for 'Union' brand headlamps of your vintage:

If you are not running the rear light from the dynamo then you need a 6V 3.0W bulb in the front. (2.4W + 0.6W = 3.0W).

The problem with the simple two-bulbs-in-parallel circuit is that if you remove one light (e.g. a broken wire) then too much current goes through the remaining bulb and it blows.

Think about it, go to the bike shop when you have a problem with the bike, not the electronics store or the car-parts store or the aromatherapy store. The staff in the bike shop do know a thing or two, they have heard of bicycles running dynamos and, even if they don't have spare dynamo bulbs to hand, they do have a supplier that they can get them from for you in a reasonable period of time for a price that will not cover their time dealing with your enquiry.

I suggest you visit the LBS first, they may only be able to get you the 2.4W version, if they can get you the 3.0W version then get it and a flashing light for the back. In that way you will have a rear light that works when you stop, more light up front and less likelihood of blowing the bulb (because there is no rear bulb to blow).

Alternatively, get a new front headlamp unit for the dynamo, these may be special order from the bike shop, however, such a unit will have niceties such as a better reflector and lighter construction.


Toothed plastic cup on bottom bracket got sheared off - still removable?

From the look of it, the drive side teeth may yet offer some hope.

The first thing I would do is get some penetrating oil in the threads to maximize your chances of being successful before the teeth get destroyed completely. Apply it around the outside and see if you can get it to weep in, and you can use your BB cable guide's mounting screw hole to apply it from the inside. I use Finish Line Chill Zone and I'm very liberal with it and I recommend this approach as the cold shocking and thermal contraction/expansion seems to do a lot to break up corrosion and get oil worked in. Let it soak 24 hours and then clean and de-grease the outside where the tool will be engaging.

It's not clear whether you're dealing with corrosion here. If you're confident you're not you can skip that step, but it does look to me like the drive side teeth are offering you one more go, whereas doing this once all the teeth are completely gone is one of the more truly difficult things I've come across working on bikes, so making the most of any remaining attempts would be wise.

You need to rig up a way of holding the tool on to the splines tightly. If the spindle is hollow, you can use a quick-release skewer for this, and potentially some washers depending on what kind of tool you're using. Otherwise get a suitably long M8x1 bolt and some washers. Get the tool as lodged into the splines as you can. Tap it in with a hammer or use the quick-release/bolt setup. Then use a long adjustable wrench on the tools's wrench flats. Make sure you're going the right direction, clockwise to loosen the drive side for most bikes.

If that doesn't work, you're probably looking at needing to smash or ram the cartridge through the plastic cups or something similar.


27 inch tires significantly harder to change than 700c

Without looking at your wheel, I will have to guess that it isn't the diameter of the wheel that is causing the problem but rather the rims. Some rims come with deeper channels than others. The 2 example cross sections bellow will show you the difference I am referring to. The rim on the left has a deep channel where the tire bead can sit as you remove the tire from the opposite side of the rim. The rim on the right has a shallow channel where squeezing the tire to the middle does little to help you as you remove the tire.

The purpose for the differences is that the more shallow channel gives you a stronger rim at the expense of making it harder to remove the tire. The deeper channel allows you easier tire removal but compromises the strength of the rim. My front rim is like the one on the right and it is a TOTAL pain in the butt to change tires!!

What I use are the Parks Tools Tire Lever, it takes a lot of abuse but is really gentle on the tires/tubes. It will still pinch if you are not careful. Deflate the tire COMPLETELY, slide everything to one side and lift only one bead of the tire over the lip and hook the lever to a spoke. Keep doing this inch by inch using a new lever each time (there are 3) until that one side of the tire comes off, then pull out only the tube. Getting it back on is about the same, but I use dish soap to lube the tire and rims, helps a lot!


You're exactly right, drag should be measured in units of force, like Newtons. However, although there are small differences in the gravitational constant across the surface of the Earth, a reasonable rule of thumb is to assume it to be constant. Accordingly, drag force in Newtons is proportional to kilograms by a constant term very close to 9.8 m/sec^2, so 1 N of drag force is approximately equivalent to "100 grams of drag."

That said, I try not to use "grams of drag" and instead use Newtons of force. But, as you've undoubtedly seen, many others (including bike manufacturers and wind tunnel operators) do use "grams" so in order to promote effective communication, I'll switch to using a term I know they'll understand.


What's the maximum size for low-rider bags?

Starting this year I have been front loading two panniers on my commuter, with a reasonably large load (laptop, papers and project books, clothing (work and change) and food).  For what I have learned is that there isn't a single answer to how large you can go and depends on a number of factors:

Q1: Pannier Size

I actually run rear panniers (and/or a computer pannier similar to your linked one) on the front (Orlieb rear panniers), and have been through three different low-rider front rack set-ups until I found one that worked with these larger sized panniers. The main problem for me was the smaller sized front racks didn't properly support a larger rear pannier (see Other Considerations Item 3).

This was a difficult process as this is a somewhat non-standard setup the on-line information information was inadequate at best.  For example, I started with a Tubus Tara, which does not properly support larger panniers (as suggested by one of your LBS), but the Tubus Duo (you need fork that has inside and outside eyelets) has the lower rail positioned about an inch lower than the Tara which does support larger panniers.  NO WHERE was this mentioned in any of the Tubus literature.  I figured it out by going to a local bike shop and holding up different racks to my bike and my panniers.  No one in the various bike shops had any idea about these differences, as the standard touring setup is to run smaller panniers on the front, with a larger load in the back.

I also tried top platform racks like the Surly Nice rack, which did a good job of supporting larger panniers, but I didn't like how much it flexed when trying to steer under heavier loads (this makes balance difficult).  The higher pannier position compared to a lower rider made the bike feel less planted.

In the end answer seems to be a lot of trial and error, with little help out there because it is a non-standard setup.  You will need to ensure your rack can properly support your pannier size and that you can properly fix the pannier to your rack (see Other Considerations Item 3). If one set-up doesn't work, don't give up hope you may want to try a different rack or pannier combo.

Q2: Max Size

By size I assume you are talking about weight (as your first question asks about size). As suggested by other answers it really depends on if the bike still handles well  (see Other Considerations Item 1).

Other Considerations

While you didn't explicitly ask for general advice, I feel it is worth adding the following general notes about front-loading only as it is a rather niche approach:

Steering is affected by front loading, it works best with a bike designed to front load.  There seems to be two approaches here, (a) a low trail geometry (e.g., Soma GR) and (b) shifting the riders weight farther back by default so a front load balances the weight distribution (e.g., Specialized AWOL).  If your bike is not designed to be primarily front loaded  (e.g., Soma Saga) front loading will make the bike sluggish and hard to steer, this gets worse as the load increases.
You will need to ensure your panniers are evenly loaded or your steering will pull towards the heavier pannier.  Carefully loading is less of an issue when touring, just part of the preparation like packing down your tent, but to can be a hassle when commuting.  When rear loading the panniers, uneven weighting has a much smaller effect on handling.
Fixing the pannier properly to the rack is also critical in a front loading set-up.  If you only partially fix the pannier (or the pannier is not properly supported) it can twist into the spokes.  If it jams, it will result in a rather nasty crash.  The same scenario in a rear-loading configuration is much less dangerous as in the worst case it will simply result in a skid and a damaged wheel or pannier. When commuting and tired in the morning it is easy to make mistakes such as not properly fixing the pannier.
So why even front-load?  If the bike has a front loading geometry the ride quality is much better than rear loading.  Climbing out of the saddle feels very natural and similar to a bike without a load.  Plus it is easy to skid/slide the rear through corners.  Killer style points!


Rekindling a love for cycling after an accident

Since having a car-on-bike accident last year due to me performing an Idaho stop, and the driver not stopping at all, I feel like my riding habits have changed a lot, and I realized how bad other people's riding habits tend to be.  I don't always put my foot down when getting to an intersection, but I usually come to a stop and do a trackstand for a split second to make sure things are safe.  Commuting on roads definitely isn't as fun as it was before the accident.  I'm definitely a lot more alert when riding, even though, like you, I don't really feel anxious, afraid, or stressed when riding.

This year I've altered my commuting route a bit to stay away from busy roads.  Partly because I feel like getting away from traffic is safer, and partly because it's an easy way to pad my trip with extra distance, which is something I've wanted to do anyway.

I definitely recommend finding a group to ride with if you don't currently ride in a group.  Seeing some friendly faces and having somebody to push you to ride faster/harder can be a great motivator.  Having plans with friends to ride means that it's harder to just cancel if you don't feel like it, because they expect you to be there.

I think the best thing is to just get out on the open road, away from traffic and other distractions. Having a route where you can cycle for a long period of time without having to stop can be quite enjoyable and relaxing.  The rides where I have to stop every 2 minutes for a light definitely aren't enjoyable, and I do them out of necessity.  The rides where I'm not going anywhere and just riding for the sake of riding my bike are what really bring out the enjoyment in cycling.


Magura rim brake does not work well on a new rim

As it turned out, the problem were not the brake pads. The issue was cause by the fact that the new rim is slightly  narrower. The brake cylinders still touched the rim, but were the already nearly fully extended out. This lead to the particular situation that the brake started breaking lightly, but full force coupled not build up, because the two cylinders had reached their maximum extension before that.

The fix was easy: I moved the brake cylinders (in the released position) further in and now they are gripping the rim again properly.


I think most any frame is going to suit you just fine -- consider size, riding position, cost, and weight. Outside of that, one generally doesn't have to worry about frame failures or anything of that sort, with the exception of crazy carbon racing frames.

I think this is the point where you go to a local bike shop and try a few of them out -- look at what's available, and choose one you like (that is, that you feel comfortable riding with).

As far as things like welds, you really don't have to worry about the frame failing on you. Better welds are lighter, but that's really the extent of it.


Explanation on the lineup of SRAM Derailleurs

SRAM's road hierarchy is essentially extremely simple:

Red eTap AXS cf. Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (1/2 x 12 electronic vs 2 x 11 electronic)
Force eTap AXS cf. Shimano  Ultegra Di2 (1/2 x 12 electronic vs 2 x 11 electronic)
Force cf. Shimano  Ultegra (both 2 x 11 mechanical)
Rival cf. Shimano  105  (both 2 x 11)
Apex cf. Shimano  Tiagra (both 2 x 10)

That's it. Five levels, no more, no less.
Other things mentioned:

eTap without the AXS, is simply old 11-speed Etap. It's not a separate level.
Red without the eTap is obsolete - SRAM deem their top kit is all-electronic. They don't make 12-speed road gear that's not electronic. Red is the former top-of-the-line mechanical, but is now outside the hierarchy. Formerly it would have been above Force mechanical, and below Red Etap.
S is not a groupset. It refers to odd parts (e.g., flat bar shifters for road groupsets, or triathlon levers) that are different quality levels. 900 = Red, 700 = Force, 500 = Rival/Apex.
the '1' designation is not a different quality level per se, but for example 'Apex 1' refers to a 1 x 11 system, which is of 'Apex' quality level but more expensive as it had hydrualic disc brakes, which is a feature, not a groupset level per se.

Other designations:

HRD - hydraulic disc brake
HRR - hydraulic rim brake

Note that SRAM offer discounts on their Rockshox suspension for MTB kit if specifying their drivetrain, but for road they are not as attractive as Shimano except at the 'eTap AXS' level, as that is wireless whereas Di2 is not. In addition, their 1 x 11 drivetrain is sometime specified as it may offer gear/brake combinations that Shimano do not.
Sram's MTB hierarchy is more complicated.
Previously:

XX - 2x 10-speed (hence XX) - renamed to XX1 after switch to 11-speed, 10-42t 1x
X.0 - 9-speed, later 10-speed - renamed to X01 after switch to 11-speed https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-x01-drivetrain-explained.html
X.9 - 9-speed - upgraded to 10-speed
X.7 - 9/8-speed - upgraded to 10-speed
X.5 - 9-8-speed - later also upgraded to 10-speed
X.4 - 8-speed
X.3 - 7-speed

X1 was a much cheaper 11-speed system:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-x1-drivetrain-first-ride.html
then GX below that
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-gx-drivetrain-review-2015.html
So you had:

XX1
X01 - only slightly cheaper
X1
GX

then NX below that, with the major cost saving of not using a 10t cassette, only an 11t one.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-announces-nx-1x11-drivetrain-2016.html
When Shimano moved to 12-speed it didn't change much, but they called everything Eagle.
This results in this hierarchy:

XX1 Eagle (with or without AXS), formerly XX1 and XX
X01 Eagle (with or without AXS), formerly X01 and X.0. Also X01 DH.
GX Eagle formerly GX and X.9. Also GX DH.
NX Eagle, formerly NX, and X.7
SX Eagle, formerly X.5
X.4
X.3

Note that that is 5 12-speed groupsets, where 3 use SRAM's 10t freehub, and 2 do not.
There is also EX1, which is priced between X01 and GX, but is 8-speed specifically designed for e-bikes.
By comparison, Shimano:

XTR
Deore XT
SLX
Deore

are four levels of 12-speed with a 10t cassette/freehub
Shimano's 11-speed Deore probably maps closely to NX & SX Eagle, in that it has an 11-51t cassette, whereas those use 11-50t.
Shimano sell both lighter and heavier components for XTR, depending on your goals (e.g. 4-piston and 2-piston brakes).
So XX1 AND X01 both roughly map to XTR, while GX Eagle is doing the work of THREE Shimano groupsets (XT, SLX, Deore-12 speed). GX Eagle corresponds to Shimano Deore/SLX (which aren't very far apart)
Note that Shimano have dumped Di2 for MTBs, so they have nothing to match AXS for MTBs.
Because SRAM released 12-speed before Shimano and grabbed lots of market share, they have milked their 'Eagle' brand by releasing steadily lower quality/cheaper 12-speed groupsets. SX Eagle is probably around Shimano's Alivio/Acera quality levels. Shimano don't need to make cheap 12-speed kit, as their 9-speed kit is very popular on new bikes, whereas SRAM is not. People looking for an alternative to Shimano for 9-speed bikes tend to spec Microshift.


I was able to find one study that comes close to addressing this: Age Does Not Affect the Material Properties of Expanded Polystyrene Liners in Field-Used Bicycle Helmets. You'd need to pay to read the whole thing, but the abstract and title are clear enough. It's not clear from the abstract whether the helmets tested had been exposed to UV or not.

According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, UV exposure is not a big concern because helmets are treated with UV inhibitors, and unless there's visible signs of cracking, talk of replacing helmets on a regular schedule is marketing hype.

The EPS foam makes up the bulk of the helmet, of course, but it's not the only part, and if the shell, pads, or straps are damaged or degraded, that might be a reason to replace it.


Which will wear longer, a single chainring with 11-speed cassette, or triple chainring with 8-speed cassette?

To all practical purposes, neither person is right.

Even if cross chaining wears out drive lines (highly debated), 1x11 cannot cross as much as 3x8. A correctly choose chain ring on a 1x11 means you will normally be in a mid rear cog, so in normal riding, very little cross chaining would occur. If you ride extremely hilly country, and often sit in very high or very low gears, then you will probably still have a similar chain angle to a 3x setup most of the time.

Chain wear and lifetime of drive chain comes down to a combination of regular maintenance, how much and in what way a bike is used. Within measurable parameters, a 1x11 will not wear out faster or slower than a 3x8. Over a large number of samples there might (although I have doubts) be a very small but statistically significant difference.

Why are you worried about wear. A 3x8 speed drive train is much cheaper than a 1x11, so replacement is cheaper.

There are valid reasons to go 1x11, and valid reasons not to, but wear is not one of them.


Why should I wear bicycle clothes made of spandex?

I thought spandex shorts looked weird too, until my wife bought me a pair with the padding. Now, I can't ride in regular shorts at all!

The shorts with padding help protect your sensitive groin parts, as well help keep you cooler and drier (preventing nasty sores) by wicking the moisture (sweat) away from your body. There's no binding or rubbing in the wrong areas, and all your jiggly parts are held securely in place.

And a big, important point about bike shorts - you wear them without underwear.

Jerseys also come in tight and loose fitting material - I personally prefer the loose-fitting jerseys (I'm not exactly skinny enough to wear the tight jerseys). Other than the moisture-wicking they provide, they also come in extremely visible colors, which is nice when you're out riding by yourself, especially if visibility is low.


What child seat would fit an old model Gary Fisher bike?

Your bike has cantilever brakes, which use a straddle cable and then the main inner cable pulls that.  Totally typical brakes for the age of the bike, and perfectly serviceable.   However the center cable has to run straight up to a hanger, and its not impossible that some brands of seat may foul this area.

Not quite sure what pins your LBS is referring to. The full-sized image clearly shows two lugs for mounting a rack (on either seatstay, just by the brakes.)  The photo cuts off at the bottom but you definitely have one lug on the dropout where the mudguard currently mounts.

Could be the bike shop was referring to your front derailleur cable, which is the wire going straight down the seat tube.  That could interfere with the clamp used in the next image.

So depending on your budget a rear mounted seat like this should work.

This one uses a permanently mounted clamp on the seat tube (black, behind rider's left knee in photo) and the two silver poles are the main supports for the child seat which is held suspended over the rear rack.

Downsides - the view isn't great for a kid, and they're always looking sideways which is bad for any kind of accident.  The rider can't see the child.  Also note the child's weight is more behind the rear axle than in front, so this unweights the front wheel a bit and makes the bike handle worse.

Also notice the rear tyre may just be low on air, but it also shows how much the weight balance is altered.  Adding a 5-10 kilo child plus a seat all on the back wheel is not ideal.

Personally I'd strongly recommend a mid-mount seat like this

Notice the child can see what's coming, and can hold the sleep pad, or can even fall asleep on it.

The downside is that the average and taller riders will have to ride slightly more bow-legged.  Most models do allow the seat to be easily removed leaving just a mounting bar in place, at which time the bike rides normally.

Some further reading for you:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/best-child-bike-seats-39715/


Front bag/basket configuration that works with butterfly/trekking bars?

I suggest you look for a bag or basket using the Klickfix system. There are a wide variety of handlebar bags and baskets using these mounts.

The Klickfix mount is about 85mm wide. It is designed to fit either side of the stem, so for a typical stem it needs about 20mm on either side. This section of the bar has to be mostly straight, though the mount will probably fit on bars at a small angle.

Depending on how big a bag or basket you are using and the angle/direction of the handlebars, you may find the curves or ends of the bar get in the way of the bag. If so, you can get the Klickfix "distance set". This extends the mount, so moves the bag a bit further away from the bars. Or you can adjust the angle of the mount, to position the bag above or below the handlebars.


Checking spoke tension without specialized tools

On a standard front wheel all spokes (both left and right) should (in theory) make the same musical note when plucked. A rear wheel is 'dished' to make room for the cassette. The non-drive side spokes will be at a lower tension (and pitch) than the cassette side.
If you can find a bike with the same spokes and lacing pattern use that as a guide. If not, any newish bike can be used.
Too much tension will damage the rim at the eyelets, whereas broken spokes are a sign of under-tensioning.


Larger sproket on a single speed crankset?

You'll have to wait until you get the bike & measure the distance between the holes, using this method. Then you can order the appropriate size chainring. Such as those here.

Rather than trying to lengthen the chain, I would recommend you buy a new one as you will be much less likely to have a tight or bent link this way.

You should not need to make any adjustments to the derailleur if you are only changing out the front chainring.


I had tire busts when I used tubes that were pre-filled with Slime: they burst within an hour to a day of installing them. When I switched to standard tubes and then added Stans No Flats liquid they were fine. This happened twice to me: very strange.

I always use Stans in my wheels: either MTB tubeless or commuting/road bike tubed. Is a bit of a hassle with Schraeder tubes because the tubes with removable valve cores are not so common (altho Continental sells). But I use a syringe and a tube to "inject" 50ml of Stans into the tubes: helps a lot with flats (although won't solve this issue).

Are you using really light tubes? I've found them more likely to cause problems if your rim/tire combination isn't exactly right. Also check that your tubes really are the right size for your tires: not just the diameter but the width. It might be worth spending a bit more and getting better quality tubes next time: I've found Continental good, and they offer a big range of tubes. Maybe you're using big fat cyclocross tires and tubes mean't for a road tire. They all fit, but will be much more stretched, and more likely to fail, especially if the rubber is not good quality and tough.

When you install the tubes, are you maybe pinching them? I partially inflate them and try to install just using my thumbs. Then I go around the wheel and roll the tire back and forth with my fingers and make sure the tube is not trapped under the bead: check both sides. Then I pump it up to max and possibly deflate it a bit if I don't ride it at max pressure.

I doubt it's your tires, but try taking them off and running your fingers around the inside: you can feel problems better than see them.

I also doubt it's your rim tape, but I often add a layer or two of electrical tape over it: especially if I am using high pressures.

If nothing is wrong in particular, I bet you can solve it by using better quality tubes.


What is the downside to me purchasing a road bike instead of a hybrid?

The real answer is that for a 9km ride, virtually any bike will do the trick. It's hard to be uncomfortable on a bike (that fits you) for that short of a ride.

However, I'm fully in the road bike camp on this question. Hybrids are, in my opinion, a compromise with no real benefits. Most people aren't going to ride them off-road (and most road bikes can deal with short periods of offroad travel without problems). Cushioned saddles look great to novices, but divert weight away from your sit bones and are all but guaranteed to be uncomfortable should you decide to ride longer distances (for this reason, I can't recommend leather saddles highly enough, particularly Brooks'). The knobby tires that come standard on most hybrids have poor road  handling characteristics, and actually result in less traction on the road in wet conditions (bicycles cannot hydroplane).

On the contrary, a properly setup road commuter will offer you more hand positions via the drop handlebars (on the flats, the hoods, and drops) compared to just one. This will be invaluable for longer rides where your hands fatigue from maintaining one position. They can come with wider non-racing tires (I commute on 28C Panaracer Ribmo tires, and haven't had a flat in over 10,000km). And appropriate commuting frames come with rack and pannier bosses, and many will have racks preinstalled.

So while a hybrid bike will work, an appropriately-equipped road bike would be better in that it will be able to adapt to your needs should find yourself wanting to ride longer distances or join faster group rides.


Hybrid/gravel bike mudguards/fenders with specific coverage

Not a great answer, but I did something like this on my old MTB.

This isn't a good photo because the mudguard broke (for other reasons) and when I repaired it, the linkages no longer move the same way.

However you can see that the original seatpost clamp was used around the seat tube (in yellow)

At the bottom, the tip is wedged into the triangle space formed by the kickstand bracket and the two chainstays.  It is not going anywhere.

On the plus side, these mudguards are cheap and common.  But they tend to get brittle and snap.

There's plenty of clearance, its a bit harder to see in the first photo so here's a downward shot.

Why did I do this?  Back then I had a rear parcel rack fitted, which was lined with a sheet of stiff plastic that extended backward quite a distance.  The only part not covered was where the canti brakes are, and the rack was lower enough so this wasn't a problem.


Continuing to use damaged cones in rear hub?

No it would not work. The pitt didn't form just because it was on the bottom, the pitt formed either because the cone came loose, or an abrasive got into the bearings.

There's an equal amount of force being applied to the top of the cone as there is to the bottom when your hubs are properly adjusted. Think of the components in a hub as a stack, the cup is both the top and bottom of the stack, and the balls and cone are sandwiched in the middle, put some weight on the top of the stack and the force is going to be evenly distributed through everything. Your theory would only work if you left some play in the hub, which would only destroy the cones faster.

Replace the cones and balls, they're cheap, and I imagine that you don't want to have a reputation of being a hack mechanic.


Hybrid bike how much should I inflate tyres

For the correct tyre pressure, you should have a look on the wall of your tyre.

Obviously different tyre manufacturers will mould their tyres differently, but here is an example (one of my tyres, I have raided the flour cupboard to make the marking stand out!):

So we have: Max. LuftDruck / Inflation: 4.5 Bar / 65 PSI

These tyres are Continental, a German manufacturer, and the word LuftDruck means (surprisingly) air pressure.

Note that this tyre is on my offroad bike (26") so will probably show different values to those on your hybrid (I'd expect 75psi or thereabouts, but you should check).

For the frequency you should check the pressure: some people will say every ride, I generally go for every week or two for the bikes I ride regularly, every ride for those I don't.


Your best bet for weatherproof and crash worthiness is going to be a pelican case. They have a whole series of cases for laptops.
http://www.pelican.ca/case_group_search.php?CaseGroup=Laptop

I've personally taken a 'hardback' case on a paddling trip and it held up great. Many pelican products also have a warranty against failure as well so if the product does leak you've at least got a new case and a replacement laptop.

If you get one of their other cases you can also lock the case which will assist in keeping it secure from a thief. Yeah it's not going to stop a determined person but at the least it will give you time to realize and change any vital personal information.

Past that make sure you backup your data with something like Mozy.com. At some point you'll have a drive failure no matter what.


How to ensure all muscles are engaged when pedaling

Striving for an objective answer, I would avoid venturing into the "get fitter hurr durr" types of answer.
Muscle engagement on the bike is very much dictated by various parameters including seat height, saddle fore/aft, crank length etc. You would find that lowering/heightening your saddle by an exaggerated amount engages different muscles and consequently causes pain.


What should I look for in an indoor cycle trainer?

I can't recommend any specifics offhand, other than I've used two different types of Tacx trainers and have been very happy with them. Both were in the $150-$200 range new.

A couple of comments though:

a & b: Virtually any trainer on the market is going to be pretty stable unless you are out of the saddle and sprinting. As long as it's not a really low end one if you are wobbling you might want to spend some time working on spinning smoothly. And most everything on the market will fold up a bit, though not tiny. Think something in the loose ballpark of the size of half a wheel.

c. If you're looking lower on the budget range, don't worry about not being able to switch the resistance mid-workout on the trainer. You can get a wide range of workout just by shifting gears on your bike.

d. (you didn't mention this one) Noise level. Some of the wind and magnetic trainers are loud. If you can try it out, great. The tacx trainers I've used were relatively quiet. The Minoura one I've used was painful.


Looks like a 70s/80s single-speed bike, or possibly a 3 speed rear internally geared hub at best.  Will be a steel frame and forks.  Those brake calipers look somewhat flimsy, and the plastic saddle is definitely non-original, possibly from a BMX or kids bike.

The cottered cranks are a really old design, which were common in the 60s and perhaps the 70s.

Its also possible it was a derailleur bike in the past but has had parts changed.

Unless you know its history, it only has value as a daily ride or scrap metal


Changing SRAM Rival brifters to flat bar - which hydraulic brake levers?

any SRAM 11 speed shifter should work, as the cable pull is the same

Sorry, that's not the case. SRAM MTB 11 speed uses 'X-Actuation' pull ratio (3.48mm / shift) whereas road 11 speed uses 'Exact Actuation' (3.1mm / shift). See here for extensive documentation of cable pull rations, sprocket spacing etc.

However, SRAM makes trigger shifters for at least the Force groupset.


upgrade my road bike, compatible parts to upgrade in phases?

I received a used road bike that functions, but not well.

Just to point out: If shifting works bad it’s usually a problem with friction in the cables, bad adjustment, bent hanger or worn chain/cassette. Even a relatively cheap Tiagra group works flawlessly when properly installed and adjusted.

I don’t see many options for a partial upgrade because the cassette-spacing has gotten narrower from 9-speed to 10-speed to 11-speed. So you can’t use 11 or 10-speed shifters with 9-speed cassettes or vice-versa.

Anyways, you’d probably have to install new cables and re-adjust for every step so it doesn’t make much sense.


Catching train on return trip in Sydney Australia

Since I do this style of trip fairly regularly, I'll answer, even though my experience is in New York, USA:

Taking a bike on regional/commuter trains on the weekend is usually very fine, so long as it is not a holiday.  Which days the train operator considers to be holidays are posted on their website, though not always very easy to find.  In New York at least, the full PDF schedule has a few trains marked as off-limits to bikes, and a few marked as especially good (able to carry many bikes).
Turnstiles are not used for regional rail in New York, though they are for the subway (metro).  Where present, the booth attendant can open the handicapped gate for you and your bike--facilities for wheelchairs are generally a boon for cyclists, which leads me to the next point.
Here, since there are no dedicated bike racks on board, we lay our bikes up in the spots designated for wheelchairs (assuming no wheelchair users are there, of course!).  Not every car has such spots, but every train does.  We look for the wheelchair symbol on the outside of the train to choose which door to enter.  Often there are folding "jump seats" in these areas which cyclists fold up to make room.  It is important (even technically required, though not enforced here) to use two small elastic "bungee" cords to secure your bike against against the wall (where there are sometimes small hooks or loops for the purpose).
No issues with transit employees regarding bicycles in my experience.  They've mostly been quite accommodating here.

One additional note: some train operators require a "bicycle permit."  My local example is the MTA Metro North system, which charges $5 for a lifetime permit.  You can pay after boarding the train, or buy it in advance.

Your mileage may vary quite a lot since we're on opposite sides of the earth, but maybe you or someone else will find this useful.  My experience is with the Long Island Rail Road, MTA Metro North, and New Jersey Transit systems.


Why is my chain so noisy after cleaning and lubricating?

Likely some coarse particles get in between the chain elements and also between the parts of the derailleur and the star wheels. After you cycle for a while those particles either fall out or get crushed into finer particles and thus the noise goes away.