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Do stocked tubes go rubbish over time? I'm stocking tubes that I found in discount. One of my friends said that tubes get old over time. Do Butyl tubes do this? If it is true, what are storage tips for stocking them? And they came packed with a powder-like solution, how does this work? <Q> Yes, they do degrade over time. <S> Unfortunately, various brands and different storage conditions yield different results, so I'm not able to give an estimation of how long can you safely store a tube. <S> How ever, I can recommend the conditions that appeared to give best results. <S> The tubes I could use after long time of storage without problems where those that I kept in my room, which being in a tropical country, had temperatures of 15°-25° Celsius. <S> They where obviously far from paints, solvents or oils, where taken out of bags and kept on a small plastic basket. <S> Those that came in a cardboard box, where kept in the box. <S> Also, at buy time, they where dark gray and with a subtle shine. <S> Negative results where obtained with tubes that where kept outside the house, in a dusty environment and subjected to humidity but not direct sunlight. <S> (And there were paints, oils and solvents nearby, though not in an enclosed storage) <S> Also, tubes that had dull surface and where very dark (i.e. black) at buy time where the ones that failed shortly after installed, almost regardless of whether they where used immediately or after a time stored. <S> Due to this, I suspect that they where already chemically damaged <S> (And today I'm reluctant to use/buy a tube that looks this way). <S> Another observation is that Tubes I stored inside of plastic bags where found stuck to themselves and with a sticky or gooey surface after a year or so. <S> Upon inflation (outside a tire) <S> those tubes that where badly stored shown one or more of the following tale signs: - They stretch irregularly, with bulges, instead of uniform diameter. <S> - Crackled surface. <S> - Irregular surface (different color and/or texture in certain spots). <S> - Apparent punctures, i.e. what visually appeared to be holes but did not leak when water tested. <A> On long enough time scales (many decades), sure. <S> Rubber-y things oxidize (seems like drying out, but it's different). <S> On more practical time scales (several years), keep them cool and protected from UV light and ozone. <S> They'll be fine. <A> I've wrenched at lots of centuries and multi-day rides and very often we get people coming in for mechanical help because they flatted, put in their spare tube and discovered it too <S> was flat. <S> The problem was the tube was sitting in the seat bag along with a multitool and other items. <S> Over time the multitool would rub a hole in spare tube. <S> This is also why presta valves come with a little plastic cap - it's to keep the metal tip from wearing a hole in the tube.
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One semi-related tip: wrap the tube you carry with you in a sock or leave it in the box.
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Thinner tires for my Mountain Bike I know little about all of this, so, go easy on me. I've got a mountain bike, fairly light in weight and rarely ever used for anything other than road use. The current tires say 58-559 / 26x2.35. Is it possible to go for thinner tires with the same Rim and how much will this affect the ride? <Q> What you want for road use is slick tires -- <S> tread and knobs are bad for road use. <S> You have 26" (ISO 559) rims, so you need 26 x (something) tires where (something) is a number in decimal form (e.g. 1.75). <S> Going for smaller tires will lower the bike a bit, and smaller tires have to be run at higher pressure <S> (so you'll get less cushioning). <S> There will also be changes in rolling resistance <S> (You may want to read the whole "Tech Info" column on the right side of the Schwalbe page). <S> As for how small you can go, technically you can mount pretty much any 26x(something in decimal) tire on, but the rim width should ideally be of the right width so the tire doesn't roll off or increase the risk of flats or rim damage. <S> I'd probably look at something with a puncture protection belt, like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus (26 x 2.00 will likely be one of the larger slicks they sell, and you can likely go narrower depending on the rim width). <A> It is possible. <S> For typical mountain rims, the low limit is somewhere around 28mm. <S> Some differences from mounting narrower tires are following: <S> Less cushioning from tires: Smaller tires can not absorb as much shock from from curbs, cracks in the pavement, etc. <S> Quicker steering: With wide tires friction resists steering more than with narrower ones. <S> Depending on the geometry, the bike will be either more agile or feel nervous. <S> Smaller rotational inertia from lighter tires will add to the feeling. <S> Rolling resistance: It is true that for similar tires with similar pressure the wider one has lower rolling resistance. <S> However, narrower tires can be made more flexible and use higher air pressure so the difference is not that great. <S> For example, compare the numbers for 4 bars with narrow tires and 2.5 bars for wide ones: https://www.fietsersbond.nl/sites/default/files/test_schwalbe.pdf <S> Reduced height: The entire bike will be a centimeter or two <S> lower Looks: <S> Large empty spaces in forks can look strange to some people. <A> I regularly switch between my 26 X 1.5" road tires and my 26 X 2.5 inch mountain tires with no issue, they both fit on the rim just fine.
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On the other hand, smaller tires can be made with more flexible casing and absorb small vibrations better.
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Website with bicycle only paths in Europe? Does anyone know of a website that has a map of bicycle paths in Europe that are bike/walkers only, i.e. no cars? <Q> OpenStreetMap <S> (a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world ) has a very up to date and accurate cycle route layer available. <S> I have used it before in Europe to plan large trips. <S> There are also lots of online add-on services that allow you to use the cycling OpenStreetMap to plan cycling routes and run them either on smart phones or on GPS cycling computers. <S> Garmin has even used the service to create the specialized maps on their Edge GPS cycling computers. <S> Some example services include: BikeRouteToaster Garmin Connect ... <S> more to come (or add them in the comments) <S> As a side note, other proprietary services such as Google maps also have good (and constantly improving) cycling maps. <S> I however personally find OpenStreetMap is a little more up-to-date and accurate, likely due to the fact anyone can submit a fixes and new pathways. <A> It does have a few indication that states what type of road you have : Trails Bicycle-friendly roads <S> Dedicated lanes <S> Dirt/unpaved trails <S> So you might check those dedicated lanes. <S> An other option would be to use Strava's Global Heatmap where you can see where people are cycling the most. <S> You can't really see what you want exactly (dedicated lanes), but coupled with Google's map, I find it's a good start to plan a ride. <A> A lot of roads in Germany and Austria are bicycle only. <S> Usually these are less frequented roads, turned into bike tours. <S> Then there is a very nice road from Lienz in Austria, to Italy. <S> http://bicyclegermany.com/ <S> http://hikebikemap.org/ http://www.fahr-radwege.com/ <S> (Austria) <S> http://www.eurovelo.org/ <S> http://www.suedtirolerland.it/de/rad-mountainbike/fahrradwege-in-suedtirol/ <A> There is one site that might help you with bike (and other) paths is GPSies <S> (Tracks for Vagabonds) which has a loot of nice features such as: web & mobile site available in 24 languages, metric/imperial system discover routes (supposedly 3,5 mil tracks) (by foot, by wheel, with animals, by motorcycle, on water, in winter...), browse/search recommended routes near your location for different activities (hiking, walking, cycling, mountain biking...), option to create, upload or edit your tracks and it works with following maps: <S> Open Street Maps, Open Cycle Map, Sigma Cycle, Sigma Topo, Hike Bike Map, Google Maps, ESRI) <S> last but not least are mobile apps for Android and Iphone. <S> (I couldn't test them because I'm unfortunately on WP :D) <S> One thing I like is their route creator that seems easier to use than (for example drawing and exporting tracks) on Google Earth. <A> Check out http://trailforks.com/ <S> which is a pinkbike trail platform. <S> A huge database where people all around the world share their local trails, with short description, photos, videos and exact location and length through google maps. <S> I live in Greece and <S> it has helped me find some nice trails close to me. <A> For the Netherlands you might use https://www.route.nl/routeplanner <S> There <S> (the Netherlands) you can benefit from an extensive bicycle paths network that are marked by signposts thorough the country. <S> One simply plans a route between two points and marks the knoppunten (knots) numbers along the way. <S> Then simply follow the signs. <S> At each knot you find a map with the surrounding, some other routes (with distances between the knots) <S> should you plan to follow a different route. <S> All routes are bicycle-friendly. <S> Vast majority is a separate bicycle path. <S> Sometimes it is a marked bicycle lane. <S> One might also try the LF-routes ( Landelijke Fietsroutes - country-wide bicycle routes) from https://www.hollandcyclingroutes.com/long-distance-cycle-routes
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Google Maps has a Bicycling overlay that can help you.
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What is the benefit of fat tires on pavement? This year in my area, I've seen a lot of people using fat tires on paved bike paths and roads, when there was no fat bikes before. I also see a lot of these bikes in grocery stores. It is summer, so there is no snow. I'm curious of the benefits of a fat tire beyond the obvious off-roading capabilities. Is it just a weird fad or is there some benefit of a fat tire vs a hybrid or a road bike? <Q> If someone only has the resources for one bike, and they chose a fat bike because they like the versatility, you can understand why they would take that bike to the store. <S> It's easy to argue that a fat-bike can go off-road, on the snow and sand, and of course to the store. <S> A road bike cannot do all of that. <S> Also, wide tires are generally more comfortable. <S> I could shed some weight and increase my speed a little by running ~30 <S> mm tires, <S> but I choose to run 40mm tires most weeks because they handle bumpy roads and gravel with comfort and ease. <A> For most of the people who I've seen ride them <S> it's because they're harder to push. <S> The 4" fat tyres also have thicker walls, so flexing them takes more effort, on top of the greatly increased angular momentum. <S> That means that commuting to work takes more effort. <S> If you're trying to get fit, that's what you need. <S> It's worth noting that many of these people also ride their fat bikes off road, sometimes quite ridiculously so. <S> Australia is well supplied with "ridiculously off road" and a lot of that can't be ridden with skinny little 2" tyres. <S> IME <S> the comfort of 4" tyres is not much greater than 2" tyres, but the 4" ones are much harder to push. <S> 4" also lose traction more easily on hard surfaces because of their (generally) harder compound and lower ground pressure. <A> I train a lot on my fat bike usually on rides from 50-70 km (30-45 miles), typically on a lot of hills on and off road. <S> The benefit is that when I get on my carbon road bike I notice an improvement in power and endurance. <A> Since I have owned my fat bike (with 4 inch tires) I have not ridden my mountain bike. <S> The fat bike is a little heavier pushing - but when I add more air pressure I cannot tell the difference from my mountain bike. <S> On the Fat Bike it's all about air pressure for different riding. <S> On pavement add max air pressure for less rolling resistance. <S> The 60 tpi (120 tpi ride better for lighter riders) tires ride awesomely and with the right air pressure out-corner the mountain bike - more contact rubber on the corners - I guess. <A> There isn't any advantage to riding fat tire bike on the street. <S> 20psi is max for the tire and riding long distance is not good ideal. <S> I built my own fat bike and it is great bike for trail ride, but for the street isn't good bike to ride. <S> If you really want challenge put 5" tire with metal studs on your bike (snow and ice riding).
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What you're witnessing is probably a mixture of convenience and all-around-increased popularity of fat bikes, rather than actual 'benefits' A lot of people don't have the luxury of owning multiple bikes: one for the road, one for grocery trips, one for cross country, etc.
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Cassette & crank combo for commuting Okay so I've been reading about gear ratios and what not all morning and I can't make any sense of it. Some of it is registering but it's still kind of over my head. I'm ordering a Tiagra group set for my commuter bike. It will be around 10-15 miles a day (5 days a week) carrying approximately 35 pounds on panniers. The commute will be mostly flat, couple small hills and some easy elevation increases. I used to cycle quite a lot (200 mi/wk) but haven't ridden in a year due to time constraints. So my options for the cassette are: 11-25 12-28 12-30 From my understanding I would want to go with either an 11-25 or 12-28. The 11-25 would be more for speed/power and 12-28 would offer a wider range of gears (i.e. lower gears for climbing hills)? Crankset options: 39/52 34/50 (Compact) Crankset I have no idea about, this is where I keep getting lost with everything. Any advice or recommendations would be very much appreciated. <Q> 50x12 lets you do about 55km/h (35mph) <S> pedalling at 100rpm. <S> Since you say you're commuting, mostly on the flat, with a non-trivial load, you're not going to get any real use out of a bigger gear than that, so an 11t cog or 52t chain ring won't have any advantage. <S> However, having a small ring of 39t or a biggest cog of 25t will hurt you if you have any steepish hills (say, 5% or more). <S> That points towards a compact crankset and either the 12-28 or 12-30. <S> Honestly, there's not much difference between the two for the terrain you describe. <S> The 12-30 gives you an extra big gear, which is nice if you're going up any big hills <S> but you say you're not. <S> The 12-28 has slightly shorter gaps between the cogs, which makes it slightly more likely that you'll have that perfect gear at any given time. <S> You might also want to consider secondary uses of the bike. <S> If you think you might start going for rides at the weekend, the presence or absence of hills on those rides might push you towards the 12-30 or the 12-28. <A> If you have a bike you can ride now, I'd suggest putting its gear configuration into an online gear calculator (I'm kind of fond of this ) so that you can see the ratios and spacings of a bike you've ridden and compare them with the options you're considering for your new bike. <S> For me, I'm most interested in a gear that feels good for cruising on the flat and a good hill climbing gear (for me this means one where I can spin pretty close to my "normal" cadence). <S> I also really like Jasper's analysis of the step between the chain rings, that seems like a helpful way to think about cranksets. <A> Some math: the bold numbers are turns of the rear wheel per turn of the crank. <S> 39/52 crankset: with 11-25 cassette: from 39/25 = 1.56 to 2/11 = 4.73 with 12-28 cassette: from 39/28 = 1.39 to 52/12 = 4.33 with 12-30 cassette: from 39/30 = 1.3 to 52/12 = 4.33 <S> 34/50 crankset: with 11-25 cassette: from 34/25 = <S> 1.36 to 50/11 = <S> 4.55 with 12-28 cassette: <S> from 34/28 = <S> 1.21 to 50/12 = <S> 4.17 with 12-30 cassette: <S> from 34/30 = <S> 1.13 to 50/12 = <S> 4.17 <S> In general, the 34/50 crankset will give you a wider range, because 50/34 = 1.47 <S> > 1.33 = 52/39, i.e. with the 34/50 crankset, the larger chain ring has 1.47 times more teeth than the small one vs. 1.33 times more teeth with the 52/39 crankset. <S> As @Batman states, you'll probably not be using the smallest cog (11t) <S> that much, so we're left with 12-28 or 12-30, and I don't think that there's much of a difference between them.
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From the bike that you know, think about what you'd like to improve – say a higher climbing gear, or maybe a couple of options for a cruising gear (especially if it is windy where you are).
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Building bike from scratch: why more expensive than pre-built? I was going to ask about the pros and cons of building one's bike from scratch , but I came to the conclusion that I'm not going to do it (asking and building). Now my question is: why is it (usually, if we leave the silly high-end prices alone) more expensive to build a bike from scratch? <Q> The sale price falls between what the customer is prepared to pay and cost plus. <S> (If the cost plus is more than what the customer will accept, it's not worth doing business). <S> Complete bikes are a highly competitive market, and this drives the price down to very close to cost plus pricing. <S> It's the high volume, low profit part of the business. <S> The accessories and parts are the high profit part that keeps them going. <S> Bike parts are not competitive. <S> Most bikes sold never get to see a new part except accident damage, and individual parts are relatively cheap, so the consumer cannot save that much by shopping around. <S> Even for the small percentage that replace worn out parts, shopping around is hardly worth the savings (unless you go online and buy on the world-scale market). <S> On a world scale, the likes of wiggle show just how much profit is in parts, yet they represent a very small percentage of bike parts sold. <S> Most parts are sold and installed at shops. <S> As such, they have little volume buying power and probably pay more for parts than the manufacturers, or pick up the end-of-life parts the manufacturers no longer make and stock. <S> Comparing to computers is not correct. <S> If you look at what's happened, laptops and all-in-ones are a lot cheaper than boxes and the modern PC equivalent of the pre-assembled bike. <S> Try building a laptop or all-in-one from parts and see what it costs. <S> Your "custom built PC" is now the equivalent to that "silly high-end" bike. <S> Years ago, the market for parts for a PC was a very competitive one with many manufacturers. <A> You don't get bulk buying discounts for each part. <S> Certain parts are only made for OEM bikes. <S> You have to put it together (and possibly get the frame prepped at the bike shop), which can add labor costs (since the work is not done in say, Taiwan). <A> I have built a few bikes for less than already built cost. <S> If you add the cost of the personal time, it has to be more a labor of love than a financial gain. <S> It took over a year and hours of looking on line, E Bay, Craigs List and retailers for the best deals on individual components and buying only when I thought the price was the best I could get. <S> What I finished with was about half the cost of the bike assembled. <S> I also gained the skills needed to repair almost anything on the bike and an understanding of how everything works. <S> The reason for the up charges on components are as stated by others, volume pricing and the five or six hands that touch the part before it makes it to the bike shop. <S> Every layer of the supply chain makes a profit and the price goes up per unit. <A> Economy of scale, bulk discounts, underpaid Chinese laborers. <S> One of those. <S> RE: building your own PC. <S> Yes you can sometimes save money doing that too (on higher end rigs) <S> but if you just want 'a cheap PC' it would be almost impossible to top a pre-built Acer or Dell...and literally impossible if you factor in things like Windows licenses. <A> Because you are only buying 1 of each component. <S> These are not for sale to you. <S> However, building your own bike allows you to select exactly the components you want. <S> As for PCs, once it was possible to build for less than a complete PC, but now the price of PCs is so low, that's not really possible anymore. <S> The exception would be a high level gaming PC.
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A bicycle manufacture buys thousands of the same component and thus gets huge discounts. Most parts are sold and installed at shops and the labor cost will not change shopping around. You have to get retail packaging instead of bulk packaging. Most consumers do not have the skills or desire to install parts themselves, let alone diagnose a fault. Have a look at wiggle stock - you will not often get exactly what you want - you will get usually something very close - unless your bike is a year old - because they are an 'end of run' outlet shop. It takes a lot of time and research to do it. Sometimes, some components on a bicycle are the bicycle manufacture's own product, such as hubs, bars, etc.
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My tube lose air once inside Tyre and mounted on wheel? I am getting this weird experience.My tube holds the air when removed from wheel and tyre but lose it once in tyre mounted on wheel.I removed it 4 times and checked for bubbles in water bucket.No puncture.Air holds even for days out side wheel and once it is inserted in Tyre ,mounted on wheel and pumped the air,it lose in a min .What could be the reason?Some ghost/spirit playing games?I am really puzzled . <Q> Check the rim for protrusions - is the rim tape misaligned? <S> Are there any lumps/bumps? <S> Any spoke ends prodruding just a bit too far? <S> Check the inside of the tyre/tire for lumps and bumps too. <S> Are you using a presta valve in a schrader-sized rim hole? <S> Could be opening a small hole there when pressurising. <S> Do you always put the tube in the same way around? <S> Try flipping it to move any weak point around. <S> Hmm - "weak point" raises a thought... <S> They're consumable; I guess your current one has done its dash. <S> Don't want the weak point to turn into a blowout. <A> In normal course ,similar like yours but presently within a min after pumping air. <S> So found the issue and will fix that puncture again .Hope <S> it would solve the issue. <S> There was no leak in valve at approximate 15psi air in tube. <S> Thanks all for your suggestion. <A> How fast? <S> It is completely normal that you lose pressure. <S> My road bike goes from ~100psi to ~80psi over the course of a week with its current tubes.
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Perhaps you should cut your losses and just fit a new tube. I checked the tube outside the tyre and wheel again by filling more than 15psi air ,as per the suggestion by Daniel R.Hicks and found one recently fixed puncture was leaking.
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Biking against traffic on a one-way streets in Europe My recent experience with new Google Maps shows that it constantly leads me against traffic on a one-way streets in Europe in general and in Poland (where I live) in particular. Are there any laws or regulations for this? I assume Google wouldn't set a track that would violate local laws. But, on the other hand, it seems quite unnatural for me to bike against traffic on a one-way street. And recently I have found a typical one-way street with a typical one-way signs on both ends: And each sign was additionally labelled with a special label saying "Bikes excluded", which would suggest that biking against traffic on a one-way streets is strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated. <Q> In Holland, were I assume cycling is much more common than in Poland, the kind of traffic sign you describe are abundant (see example, "uitgezonderd" is Dutch for "except for"). <S> The same rules seem to apply in Poland, though I cannot find a reliable source for Polands cycling laws. <S> As to why Google Maps suggests those routes remains a mystery, but it doesn't seem to happen only in Poland, see this link <A> Just to add to FatHippos answer: <S> The same applies to Germany. <S> In my home town there was a survey of all one-way roads between 2004 and 2010, which resulted in most of them now being open for bikes in both directions. <S> These roads are also marked explicitly with a sign like the one you describe. <A> There is also a Czech version of allowing you to bike 'the other direction'. <S> Biking against the one way direction is not much of a crime here and where the traffic is low, it's usually tolerated. <S> I'd advise against biking the wrong direction in traffic heavy places like city centers, though, even when it's allowed. <S> These signs (and corresponding regulation) is still a novelty here <S> and you can get into some difficult situations in a narrow place with an overstressed truck driver or a distracted car driver used to this street being one way all his life. <A> In France, the sign was made explicit and a special contraflow lane was added. <S> All roads where you can cycle against the flow on a one-way road is marked with this sign: <S> This is a very common occurrence in cities where cycling is popular! <S> See this wikipedia article for a bit more background, although the french version is more extensive. <A> This sign is also common in france; it means no entry except for bicicles. <S> (source: fubicy.org ) <A> In UK it would not be allowed unless there was an additional sign stating otherwise. <S> The same rules apply to all vehicles on the road. <S> I don't think Google maps necessarily actually always accurately provide the best route. <S> For example from my house it would better to get off the bicycle and cross the park on foot than cycle around the roads to get to the train station. <S> Also, provided you have a free permit, you are allowed to cycle on waterway towpaths in the UK but Google map apps doesn't know that.
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And cycling against traffic in a one-way street without the sign is indeed illegal.
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Biking to the airport / leaving a bike for a week I'd like to try riding to the airport or to public transit when I travel. Does anybody do this? Any suggestions for how to secure a bike if you're going to need to leave it for a week or so? <Q> This isn't uncommon in our neck of the woods. <S> If you're a light packer, taking your bike the the airport can be a huge money saver. <S> If your airport doesn't have a bike locker, bring two trusty u-locks with you. <S> Use one u-lock to secure your front wheel and down-tube to one pole, and the other u-lock secure your rear wheel to another pole (please, never use a cable lock unless you're hoping to file an insurance claim for your bike when you get back into town). <S> Try not to use your favorite bike if you have more than one. <S> Either leave fancy accessories and lights at home or take them off and take them with you when you arrive at the airport. <S> If your seat post uses a quick release, I would recommend replacing it with a bolt-on clamp. <S> This won't guarantee your seat (or other bolted on parts) is safe from a well prepared perpetrator, but the majority thieves are looking for a quick and easy score, and will skip over your well-secured components in favor of lower hanging fruit. <S> (photo borrowed from lifehacker) <A> I left my bike at the airport for a week and would do it again. <S> It seemed to be the safest place in the whole city, safer than my home. <S> It depends on where the bike racks are; here in Edinburgh they are right next to the entrance to the departure check-in hall. <S> It's inside the vehicle perimeter, and a security guard stood with a submachine gun next to it. <S> There are probably also numerous security cameras watching the whole entrance area (and unlike most urban cctv, they are properly monitored!). <S> But any decent D-lock requires a power tool. <S> Now imagine the thief who drives his pickup truck through the security crash barriers and then takes out his noisy angle grinder right next to a submachinegun-armed security guard at the airport. <S> I think he would be done for more than attempted bike theft :-) <S> An airport, even without any special bike security arrangement, has all the features of a very secure place. <S> Lots of people at all time, regular security guard patrols, cameras, access control, etc. <S> So I really wouldn't worry too much, as long as you have a solid D-lock that needs bigger tools. <S> Then it might be you who will be in trouble with airport security.... <A> I have previously left my bike in Paris Beauvais airport (BVA) which is not equipped for bicycle parking at all. <S> I only found out that there is no dedicated bicycle parking when I arrived. <S> The airport is ~90km from where I live <S> and I had 2 hours until take off, <S> so cycling back home was not an option. <S> I locked the bike to the fence on the inner side of the car park. <S> Only had one D-lock with me, so did the best I could with it. <S> I was only away for a weekend. <S> Bike was in place and intact when I came to pick it up: Planning to cycle to BVA next weekend again. <S> I will most likely use 2 or more locks.
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If you only use a cheap lock that can be picked or cut with small tools, then your bike is at risk wherever you leave it. But leave your bike only at a designated bicycle parking area, don't lock it to any other railing or lamp-post like you would do in any other place.
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Any experience with spokes breaking on new Trek 720 touring bike I have a new Trek 720 Touring bike with about 1000 miles and have broken two spokes on the rear tire in the past two weeks and haven't yet added the weight of panniers. This is a 24 spoke wheel and I'm told Trek doesn't have a 32 spoke wheel for this application. I'm concerned for when I begin my cross-country touring in another month and adding another 30-35 # over that wheel. This Trek model is new this year...anyone else out there have similar problems? I've traveled 1000s of miles without broken spokes until now. Any diagnosis? NOTE - Trek has issued a recall for this particular wheelset Trek Recall Notice for Bontrager Approved TLR Disc 700C 24H Front and Rear Wheels <Q> To close this out and give an answer specific to this model of bike; no this is not a usual amount of spoke breakage, Trek have issued a safety recall notice for this wheelset based on the rate of spoke breakage and the risk of the broken spoke then getting caught in the brake caliper which could then cause a serious accident. <S> Trek issue this warning: <S> DO NOT RIDE YOUR BICYCLE UNTIL <S> THE WHEEL HAS BEEN INSPECTED <S> Do not ride this bicycle until yourdealer has inspected the bicycle to determine if it is affected bythis recall. <S> All the details can be found here: Trek Safety Recall Notice for Bontrager Approved TLR Disc 700C 24H Front and Rear Wheels <A> The wheel was probably badly built in factory and/or not adjusted when you bought the bicycle. <S> Anyway 24 spoke wheel is very odd component selection for touring bicycle, and I would get myself decently built 36 spoke rear wheel, if I were in your position. <A> I had the same problem with my Trek 720 disc. <S> I paid for the first spoke to be repaired at a nearby bike store. <S> The second spoke broke approximately one month later. <S> I took it to the store that I bought it and they gladly repaired it for free. <S> The service guys agreed with me that this should not be happening. <S> They told me if another spoke breaks, they would contact Trek to replace the wheel. <A> I have a Trek DS 8.6. <S> I ride C&O Canal and GAP with panniers. <S> 3or 4 of us who ride have bought new Treks in last 3-4 years. <S> All of us have had broken spokes and wheel issues. <S> I have long distance cycled for 40 years and have loved my Treks until recently with multiple recalls and broken wheels. <S> Have not experienced this with the older bikes. <S> Feel something is wrong somewhere. <S> I always have bike serviced before rides and feel these problems must be defective materials. <S> The price is not cheap but the bikes seem to be unreliable!! <S> Disappointed
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If you break a spoke, it could engage the brake caliper and you could beinvolved in a serious accident.
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How do I know what is wrong with my brakes? My brakes are not powerful anymore, it takes a few meters when fully pulling my brakes for my bike to come to a stop. Which means that the brakes'pads are touching the wheels but not enough. So, my question is: how do I know if I need to change the brake pads or give more tension to the cable? <Q> How thick are the pads? <S> Are these rim brakes or disk brakes? <S> For rim brakes, the block (rubber) will get worn away over time so you should adjust the cable occasionally, <S> but well before the block is so thin that the shoe (the metal backing) starts to scrape on the rim. <S> For disk brakes it's essentially the same but the pad is thinner and made of harder material. <S> The manufacturers usually give a number how thin the pad can become, something like 0.7 mm. <A> With fully pulling you mean the lever touches the handlebars? <S> Simply tensioning the cable and checking the pads should be enough. <S> You should also make sure the cable is properly clamped on the brakes. <A> There are several things that could be causing the problem (in rough order of likelihood): <S> As others have pointed out, the shoes (or pads if you have disk brakes) may have worn to the point where they need to be replaced or the brakes need some adjustment. <S> Many caliper brake systems have a quick release to create some slack in the cable for changing the wheel. <S> If the release is in the open position that you will have very little braking power from the affected brake (or none in the case of cantilever or center pull brakes). <S> Common locations for the quick release are at the anchor bolt on side pulls, at one end of the straddle cable for cantilever or center pull brakes, or at the brake levers themselves. <S> Something may be contaminating the rim or disk preventing the pads from developing as much friction as they used to. <S> It is also possible that a part was damaged in a crash or during handling of the bike. <S> Check that the brakes move freely and return easily when you apply the lever.
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The brake cable may have stretched or slipped.
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How does riding on bumpy road while suspension fork locked and without slow down effects? Is urban riding on bumpy road while suspension fork locked and without slow down harming to my bike or me? I don't care about my comfort so much. I don't want to slow down or to lose energy. <Q> On a bumpy but fairly level road, absent any suspension, energy goes three places: <S> Friction between tire and road Wind resistance Vibrating your body up and down <S> The reason #3 is a factor <S> is that you jiggle as you ride, and that absorbs a lot of energy -- the more you jiggle, the more energy is required. <S> You can add front and/or rear suspension to reduce jiggle, but the suspension itself absorbs energy, plus it tends to make pedaling less efficient. <S> So it's a tradeoff -- at some point in the transition between smooth and really rough roads it probably pays, in terms of energy efficiency, to unlock the shocks. <A> No, it's not harming to you whatsoever. <S> On the contrary, riding on bumpy stuff with a rigid fork is good for your upper body fitness. <S> Your bike will be fine. <S> Installing skinnier tires would be a good move if you wanted even more efficiency, and didn't mind the discomfort that came with it. <A> As you have a suspension fork, I guess your bike should be at least hybrid to mountain bike. <S> Most hybrid start off with 32 mm tyre upwards (or 1.25 inch). <S> At around 38 mm upwards (or 1.5 inch), you can take on most of the pot holes, provided that you are not crashing. <S> I have <S> a road bike and the difference in the shock absorbance of 23 mm tyre and 28 mm tyre on 700c wheel is already monumental (although it is not enough to mount curb or drop potholes), just to show you that wider tyre is very good and absorbing some potholes in urban area. <S> I also have a mountain bike, rigid fork with 26x1.5" tyre and never worry about pot holes. <A> Nope, and riding with it locked is quite beneficial in certain factors of riding, and if you have a locking suspension, you are very lucky compared to me, who has a bike without it. <S> Seeing as many web sites have covered this, I'd thought I may as well throw some info out there. <S> Imagine the fact that I have 22mm tyres on my road bike; you should have about an inch and a half. <S> Not much of a difference? <S> In terms of absorption, I can swap my tyres for 25mm and feel a huge difference in comfort and less shock through the frame. <S> If you have an inch and a half or even just an inch, you should be more than perfectly fine, <S> no matter what terrain. <S> I mean, come on, I ride a road bike off-road on bumpy-ass terrain.
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You can reduce jiggle by using lower air pressure in the tires, but this increases tire/road friction. The bike will not break from simply having your suspension locked; It still absorbs impact, just in extremely minute amounts.
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How should the brakes on a child's bike be adjusted? I picked up a child's bike from the recycling center - and I was going to give it to a financially strapped worker that I know. The brakes could easily be adjusted to be quite a bit stronger - but I'm wondering if that's a good idea. (It looks to be for someone aged 4-7.) I don't know how feasible it is for a child to go over the handlebars, or if poor handling skills (well, compared to an adult) could cause them to crash with the "better" adjusted brake. It would be understandable if someone so small wasn't very good at choosing a power on a tightly adjusted piece. So, what should I do? What do shops/stores usually do? <Q> With young children is very rare for them to have the hand strength to cause a problem with brake strength. <S> Their hands are small and weak, giving small reach hence low level action in the brake handle. <S> Children bikes are built using cheap components (Even the components on the best children bike rate just above BSO adult bike components) <S> The bikes for my boys (now 11 and 7) were always adjusted with both brakes giving maximum possible braking. <S> I would be very surprised if a front brake being too tight would cause a crash, unless it was grabbing and not braking progressively. <S> Further - the kind of crash needs to be considered. <S> I would <S> rather my boy went over the handle bars through too much brake force than under a car though not enough..... <A> You have to make a distinction between the front and rear brakes. <S> For a bike that small, I'd go with a weaker front brake. <S> The kid won't be going fast enough to warrant big stopping power. <S> The rear brake isn't as important. <S> I would leave it however it is. <S> It might be worth noting that with a strong rear brake, most kids will lay down a lot of rubber and wear the rear tire out quickly. <S> That said, if the brakes really don't bite the wheel at all, then yes, they do need to be tightened. <S> In other words, if it's really easy for you to squeeze the brake lever to the point where the lever hits the handle-grip, the brakes are too loose. <A> When I was about 8 years old I was riding very fast and stopped short with the front brake, I went flying over the handlebars headfirst into the pavement <S> (I wasn't a light kid either, I was actually one of the huskier kids), my helmet may have saved my life that day, I still needed stitches on my face though. <S> It gave me a lifetime lesson about always riding with a helmet on and about using the front brakes carefully.
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Strong rear brakes aren't dangerous, but strong front brakes (when in inexperienced hands) can cause a crash. From firsthand experience I would say weaker front brakes and stronger rear brakes.
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Why do riders not take advantage of other riders misfortune Today on the Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali attacked while Chris Froome was having mechanical difficulties. According to the commentators and Froome himself, that's something you just don't do. Apparently it's seen as unsportsmanlike. Where does this come from, and why would a rider not take every advantage possible in order to win the race? I understand why it would be in bad form to do something like that on a casual group ride, but it seems like any advantage you could get in a professional race would be fine. It's especially interesting because Nibali lost a lot of time in the first week due to mechanical problems and a crash. It seems from comments surrounding the occurrence today that it's only bad form to leave the race leader behind when he has a mechanical problem. Can somebody please explain this to me. In any other sport somebody who has an equipment malfunction is just supposed to deal with it, and nobody is going to slow down for them. <Q> This compilation of articles on the subject goes into a lot of depth and sources some examples and opinions of some very notable cyclists themselves. <S> http://bfc.sfsu.edu/cgi-bin/unwritten.pl?Dont_attack_when_your_rival_suffers_bad_luck_-_Cycling <S> "I don't know when it evolved," said Phil Liggett ... <S> "It's been a gradual thing, this so-called unwritten code. <S> But now it is understood. <S> You don't attack a fallen man. <S> "The unwritten rules among elite bike riders hold that a rider should win through effort and talent, not through misfortune on the part of competitors." <A> There is no rule saying you must wait. <S> But that behavior comes from understanding the sport's first principle. <S> The UCI regulations say Section 2: bicycles <S> Preamble ... <S> The principle asserts the primacy of man over machine. ... <S> So cyclists are meant to be competing against each other, not each other's bikes. <S> It's a fine line. <S> If you want to read more,see UCI CYCLING REGULATIONS GENERAL ORGANISATION OF CYCLING <S> AS <S> A SPORT PART <S> 1 GENERAL ORGANISATION OF CYCLING <S> AS <S> A SPORT <S> (pdf). <A> You have some very good bicycle answers. <S> This is more unwritten rules in other sports. <S> Many sports have unwritten rules and I would argue they are good for the sport. <S> Typically it is about sportsmanship <S> and you let the players address it rather than than try and address it in the rules. <S> These unwritten rules rarely rise to the level of a tradition as they do in bicycle racing. <S> The closest thing may be leaving center court together at Wimbledon. <S> In hockey you have enforcers. <S> In baseball if you show up a pitcher you are likely to get an intention hit by pitch the next at bat. <S> In car racing pits loan tools and parts and are not required to. <S> In basketball you have trash talk but in golf you don't. <S> In skating and many sports competitors will coach each other even during competition. <S> In soccer they may tank a free kick if they felt the penalty was not correct. <S> would rather race. <S> Permission to ride first through your home town is a self policed and fall back to the pack has not always been honored. <S> Not going to argue if it is a good practice or not for bicycle racing <S> but I am for let the practice be the practice. <S> If the riders want to do it in their sense of fairness then let them. <S> If I hold back I only penalize myself (and team). <S> Let a team decide not to honor the practice some day. <S> And I think it is good for the sport and spectators. <S> soccer example <A> It's also considered to be deeply unprofessional. <S> You might gain an advantage that one time but after that everyone would be gunning for you. <S> The professional courtesy you extend to a rider will one day be returned to you.
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You answered your own question: it's not sporting behavior. Also every rider has bad luck at some point. In bicycle racing on the final day if there is a clear winner they just ride and a tight battle for 2nd and 3rd In pretty much all sports there is a sense of fairness that practiced and not part of the rules.
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Safe to shorten a dual-pivot caliper mounting nut? I have a 2006 Specialized Langster. Unfortunately the brake bridge is not deep enough to insert the shortest caliper mounting nut I could find (10mm). The head of the nut should insert all of the way into the brake bridge, and the head of the nut should be supported on the interior shoulder of the brake bridge. Instead the nut sticks out and won't insert all of the way into the brake bridge hole, and the end of the nut rests against the thin rear shoulder of the brake bridge. This means the head is completely unsupported. ie the nut is too long for the brake bridge. I could potentially fix this by grinding down the mounting nut so that it is about 8mm long. This would allow the nut to insert fully into the brake bridge and be supported at the head of the nut. But I'm wondering if grinding down the nut is safe to do? Do you think it would weaken the nut or cause it to crack over time? Also the threads would have to be chased. This might be hard to visualize but take a look at the mounting nut on your rear brake caliper. You will see it fits nicely into the brake bridge and inserts all the way, with the head of the nut resting against the brake bridge creating a secure mounting point. I contacted Specialized and they won't treat it as a warranty issue. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks. Edit : Actually, I am talking about the mounting nut rather than the bolt. Modern brake calipers mount using a 10mm or longer cylindrical nut with a larger diameter "head" and smaller diameter inner hollow "cylinder" which is threaded on the inside. The outer diameter is the "head" of the nut and it presses against an interior shoulder recessed in the brake bridge which acts as the load bearing surface. The inner diameter is a cylinder which fits through the brake bridge and threads on to the caliper mounting bolt coming through the other side of the brake bridge. Everything works on most bikes. But in this case it appears the brake bridge is not deep enough to fit even the shortest available (10mm) nut. So as far as I can tell the brake bridge is simply built wrong -- the brake bridge has a square center drilled out "box" section welded on that is simply not deep enough. Since Specialized won't warranty the frame, I am stuck with figuring out how to grind down the nut safely, while preserving its threads and hopefully keeping it from getting overheated, brittle and developing stress cracks over time. This is what I am hoping you can help with! <Q> To shorten a bolt, get two nuts with the matching thread. <S> Screw them onto the bolt and "lock" them together (tightened against each other) such that the nut surface farthest from the head lines up with the place where you want to cut. <S> Then unscrew the nuts and dress up the bolt threads with a fine triangular file. <S> If instead you want to thin out a nut, again fasten two nuts to a matching bolt and lock together. <S> Have the nut face you want to cut away facing "out", and have the nut screwed onto the bolt to the point that the bolt end is nearly flush with that face of the nut. <S> Use some sort of grinder to grind away the desired amount of the nut. <S> Then "unlock" the two nuts and screw them farther onto the bolt (to clear the threads), then off. <S> Work a fresh bolt through the nut several times from both directions to assure the threads are clear. <A> I believe you are taking about a bolt, rather than a nut ( nuts hold bolts onto things ). <S> Anyway, you aren't going to damage the bolt if you file it down or cut it with a metal cutting saw, it's done all the time. <A> I decided to punt and just have the bike shop grind down the nut. <S> The head mechanic at the local shop sounds confident that he can grind down the nut to fit without over-heating it (and making it brittle etc.). <S> I actually looked at another, older Bianchi frame I have <S> and I see that the rear caliper nut has been ground down on that bike too! <S> Perhaps this is more common than I thought. <S> Sure doesn't seem like good engineering though.
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Place the bolt in a vice (taking care to not mash the threads) and use a fine-toothed hacksaw or other cutting device to cut the bolt off flush with the nut surface.
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Help identifying this frame? I was told this was a Cinelli frame although it's clearly not. The fork seems to be original but I'm not sure of what it could be just by looking at its dropouts and lugs. The seat post is 26.8, english threaded and there is a "suntour pro" stamp on the dropouts.I would seriously be glad if anyone could help! frame, dropouts, windowed lugs and fork crown serial number oh! sorry for the weird rendering on the photos, my iphone has become senile. <Q> I solved the puzzle. <S> Although Caloi is a brazillian brand, they ordered 200 bikes from Suntour in 1985 for their racing teams. <S> It came originalli with suntour shifting group, sugino cranks and nitto handlebars. <S> It's such a rare ride over here, it's a shame <S> the paint is no longer original and i have no access to a full range of the components <S> , I really like to looks and weight of the frame. <S> It was only made in this nice blue color. <S> A better look at the lugs on the top tube Thanks for the chase, folks! <A> The photo quality could be better, but it looks to me like it is a mid-range Japanese-made frame from the mid- to late-1980s. <S> photographed in this thread . <S> If you ask this question in the Classic & Vintage sub-forum from which I linked the above thread, you'll likely get a quick and accurate answer. <S> I wish I could tell you more, but I don't recognize the semi-wrapped seat stay lugwork, though I'd wager someone at BikeForums will know much more. <A> I think I used to own the same frame. <S> It's (if it's similar to my frame) a Mitsubishi Shogun type frame, although most pictures are not showing with the lugs and same head-tube. <S> Please bear in mind that frames vary between years, not just models. <S> This is not my bike, but it's the same frame: https://rideblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/shogunrestore06.jpg?w=640&h=480 <S> Hope this helps. <S> Not saying it's this frame, but it looks very similar.
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It's hard to tell for certain just from what I see in the photos, but the lugs appeared to be thinned toward the ends, which is again not something you see on low-end frames. It's a Caloi Triathlon. The rear dropouts are not stamped, so it's not a low-end frame, and the single shifter boss on the downtube is for unitized Shimano or Suntour shifters, like you can see on the bikes
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Can I run a 10 speed cassette on an 11 speed wheel, but also keep running 10 speed on a 10 speed wheel? I bought a second hand cyclocross bike (running Shimano 105) and I ... love it. I've been doing some short commuting on it as well, but the nobbled tires are copping a pounding. I've got a spare set of 11 speed wheels kicking around home that came with my road bike that I upgraded. My question is, I want to put some wide road tires on the 11 speed wheels and keep the CX tires on the 10 speed wheels and just swap the wheels in and out depending on what I feel like doing. Obviously I'd prefer not to have to tune the gears every time that I swap the wheels. I haven't tried yet because I don't have a spare 10 speed cassette. What's the best minimum fuss solution? <Q> Use spacers on the 11 speed wheel to put a 10 speed cassette on. <S> See your hub manufacturer's page for details, but its normally a 1.8(5) mm spacer (which comes with the hub, <S> but you can buy separately) and a 1mm spacer (sometimes; which you'll get with the cassette). <S> See this page for a table of some common cases. <A> I bought a Shimano Ultegra 6800 wheelset (11 speed) to put on a 10 speed 105 5700 bike. <S> The wheel came with a 1.85mm spacer. <S> However you need to slightly adjust the derailleur and the rim brakes. <A> I still live in a 6-speed world, but… <S> I think it would work. <S> Do you have the tools to take the 10-speed cassette off and try it on the 11-speed wheel? <S> The easiest thing might be just to try it. <S> The place where you may run into problems swapping the wheels is with the placement of the cassette. <S> If both cassettes are in the same location (the small and large cogs are in the same position relative to the centerline of the bike) then both should line up in the same way with the derailer and things should be good. <S> In theory it seems possible that with different hubs you might end up with the cassettes in slightly different locations and the shifting wouldn't be spot on. <S> This might be a bit dicey if the 10-speed is the one that needs to move, but I don't think it would be. <S> You will need a spacer behind the cassette (on the side towards the spokes).
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If that happens you could (in theory) fix it by adding spacers of the right thickness to adjust the position of one of the cassettes.
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Best bike for distance, best bike for speed I am biking the Pacific Coast from Vancouver, BC to San Diego this September. I am looking to purchase a new bike, but I am struggling with the choices. I enjoy racing with friends on weekends. On an average weekend, I might bike 80 miles and will sustain and 25mph pace. I regularly participate in relaxed races, like the Portland Century. I also bike to work. In an ideal world, I'd purchase a race bike and a touring bike, but unfortunately, I cannot afford both. I need to purchase a bike that is capable of making a 1850 mile journey, but also sporty and speedy enough to satisfy my weekly needs. I'm really lost and I'm not sure what bike fits both these requirements. Any tips, pointers, or advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Few other tidbits of information:- I could potentially purchase a trailer for the trip, so I don't have to purchase a bike that has bIke bag capabilities. - I'm willing to sacrifice comfort on my trip for a bike that will meet my needs in the future. Thanks! <Q> I have pretty similar cycling needs as you. <S> I love to race, but still commute over 250km per week in bad weather, so I needed a durable, sporty bike, on a budget. <S> After doing a LOT of research, I bought a Verenti Defense WR2.1 Sora 2015 . <S> Hope <S> this answer helps, I have done over 4000km in 4 months on this bike in terrible weather (Ireland) and have also mounted rear and front panniers. <S> Therefore, in my opinion, this is defiantly a sporty bike as well as a workhorse. <S> P.S. Comes with mudguards, rear rack mounts, <S> 25mm tires (only had 2 punctures so far), etc. <A> Stevens Namura, Focus Mares AX 3.0, Ridley X-Bow, Rose PRO DX CROSS … <S> Use it with 23mm road tires as a road bike. <S> Install a rack and some 32mm tires (Schwalbe Marathon Racer, Vittoria Randonneur Hyper) for touring. <S> Some people would also add fenders and a dynamo hub. <S> My longest trip was 3200km through Scandinnavia with ~12kg of camping equipment on the rear rack of my Focus Mares 2009. <S> Perfect if you are touring light and fast. <S> For more luggage weight or “relaxed” <S> riding you’d probably have to start with a real touring bike like the Surly Long Haul Trucker (long chain stays for more luggage, eyelets for a lowrider rack on the fork, robust steel frame …). <A> I personally hate panniers on my bike, especially the front, so I would certainly go the trailer route and make the bike one I could race with. <S> Racing bikes are generally divided into two or three types. <S> Criterium bikes are the most twitchy and stiffest, often with very low handlebars. <S> Road racing bikes are a bit mellower, like what riders use on the Tour de France. <S> Some manufacturers sell Paris-Roubaix bikes built a bit tougher and often with some sort of shock-absorbing construction to make the ride more comfortable but with the same geometry as the road racing bikes. <S> Any of these bikes would be capable of the 1850 mile ride you're going to do. <S> It might be nice to get a reversible stem so that it's easy to have the handlebars higher for the long rides and lower for racing. <S> For longer distances I like the bars approximately level with the saddle or an inch lower than the saddle. <S> For racing I like them about 4 inches below the saddle height. <S> For frame materials, carbon fiber is king. <S> Of course it's expensive; you can't have everything. <S> Steel and titanium are close seconds, so if you're on a budget, go for steel. <S> Aluminum can be okay, but it's a harsh ride compared to the others so the long rides will be more fatiguing. <S> More important than frame materials are the brakes and shifters. <S> 105 is functional too <S> (I haven't tried the 11sp 105 <S> so I can't pass judgement on that), but I would rather ride a harsh aluminum frame with Ultegra than a nice carbon frame with anything less than 105. <S> To be clear <S> - Ultegra <S> = great, 105 = good, Tiagra and under = unacceptable. <S> Maybe I'm elitist, whatever. <S> I got my wife a new (previous year) carbon BMC with Ultegra for $1800, just as a point of reference for pricing. <S> Hope <S> this helps <S> and I hope you have a good trip on your new bike!
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Get a randonneur or cyclocross bike with eyelets for a rack. I've ridden steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon and there's something about carbon that allows it to be stiff and compliant at the same time. Ultegra is my minimum and if I can't get a new bike with Ultegra at the price I need, then I would buy used.
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MInor (I think) dent in top of Orbea Alma top tube - frame ok or no? UPDATE : My lbs mech / owner (same guy) looked at it this AM, says it is good to go, 'ride the hell out of it', he 100% backs it up. And FWIW re: the specifics of this frame and why it's purely cosmetic, he tells me that the top of the top tube, in that area, isn't the load-bearing part (the sides of the top tube are where the material's beefed up and takes the load). Which makes logical sense to me, for this frame anyway (I wouldn't speculate about other frames, I think frame-specific knowledge is key here). The sides of the top tube show zero signs of the impact, no bending / warping, etc etc. Good to go. Anyway, thanks to all for the input, much appreciated! Ride on...-cw 2015 Orbea Alma alum frame top tube, looking front left to back right. This pic gives the best angle on the contour - the sides of the top tube feel unaffected by this dent, and you can see from the black center line bisecting the tube that the majority of dent is on the left from the left shifter pod, so what you see here is the worst of it I think. Any general impressions regarding whether I have killed this frame or not would be much appreciated, thank you - <Q> Aluminum is more durable than many people think (you know they build airplanes out of the stuff?!) <S> That said, I would carefully look at the areas where the tubes are welded together. <S> Use a bright light and look for any small, hairline cracks in the paint. <S> Most of the aluminum bikes I've seen fail usually snap at the welds (outside of horrible crashes of course) <A> I'd say that's fine to ride. <S> Seems like got created by applying distributed pressure over a pretty big area. <S> Therefore no chipped paint etc. <S> Even if that cracks apart, I wouldn't expect the entire bike to fall apart immediately, you still have the lower tube supporting stuff together:) <A> It is a very minor dent but horizontal mid tube is not a good spot. <S> Creasing a tube does reduce the strength. <S> Even if that section has lost 50% strength it would take a lot for the bike to fail. <S> If you land hard enough to bend that frame you are probably going to crash anyway. <S> Frames that break or bend were typically crashed hard. <S> If your body landed on the top tube that would be the first point of failure <S> but if you land on the tube hard enough to bend it then ouch. <S> Once you stress aluminum past the yield point it does fail rapidly but not technically catastrophically (it does bend not snap), <S> Look at this video for the just ridding along (jra) scenario. <S> That dent is like the opposite of the jra scenario. <S> But is shows you that it takes a lot. <S> Notice <S> once it deforms then it fails petty rapidly - that dent is the start point for the deformation. <S> Pinkbike Visits <S> The Santa Cruz Test Lab Video <S> In summary I ride it <S> but I just don't ride it hard and don't do jumps. <S> It would take a hard crash for it to fail. <S> I don't foresee any scenario where it fails on a ruff section and causes you to crash.
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A hard landing or hard bump is where that would likely be the first point of failure. Just off the picture I'd say it's fine. The rest of the frame is there and even 50% strength on that section is a lot as most bikes will take a lot.
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My rear disc brake makes noise when I ride fast I have a full suspension mountain bike with disk brakes. When I ride fast, my rear disk brake starts to make a noise similar to the one you would hear when sharpening a knife. It happens when I don't brake. If I brake, the noise disappears, I only hear the smooth braking sound. I presume something is wrong with the rear tire - visual inspection when it rotates fast shows that it wobbles. I tried to demount it and mount it back again two times, but no success - still wobbles. Can the non-aligned rear tire cause by disk brake to be noisy when I ride fast? Shall I simply buy a new tire, or could the solution be elsewhere? This is an update - with videos showing the wobbling tire. https://youtu.be/_9Wor0KFL34 https://youtu.be/Bju-LyKCOi8 although it seems to be redundant now, as Jackson and Rider_X already suggested other solutions. Thanks guys :-) <Q> With disk brakes the disk rotor is attached to the hub and not to the rim <S> so a wobble in the tyre is unlikely to be the cause of the noise. <S> What I'd be looking at is the following: Are the rotor bolts tight? <S> Is the rotor warped? <S> Are the brake pads worn? <S> Is one or both of the pistons sticking? <S> Is the calipar aligned properly? <S> 1 and 2 you can check easily. <S> For 3 remove the pads and make sure that there is at least a couple of mill of braking compound left and that the springs (if present) are in good shape. <S> For 4, with the pads removed check that both pistons are extended by an equal amount; alternatively with the pads still removed push the pistons back (carefully with a soft implement not a screwdriver) and then squeeze the brake lever, do both pistons move in and out evenly? <S> Be very careful not to push the pistons out to far! <S> How you sort out a sticky piston is going to depend on the type of brake you have. <S> For 5 look at the disk rotor as you press the lever, does the rotor displace to one side? <S> If it does this indicates that the pistons aren't applying equal force to the rotor - this could be a mis-aligned caliper or it could be a sticking piston so you'll need to check 4. <A> when there is a problem with noise and visual inspection, it's best if you could make a video and post it to, say, youtube. <S> But if the wheel is wobbling, you need to true it (if the rim is wobbling, too). <S> Also check if the wheel wobble when at rest, simply by using hand to push and pull the wheel side-way. <S> If the wheel also wobbles, the cone might need to be tightened. <S> If you are sure the problem is coming from the brake, check if the disc rotor is straight by simply looks at the gap between the brake rotor and the disc brake. <A> The "sharpening a knife" sound you describe is likely the rotor lightly touching the brake pad (as mentioned in @Jackson's answer). <S> This can happen if the rotor slightly is out-of-true (i.e., slightly warped) and the caliper isn't perfectly aligned. <S> The sound can also come and go depending on how warm the rotor is. <S> As you add heat the rotor (e.g., from braking) <S> this can cause any out-of-true deflection to be more pronounced causing it to touch the brake pad with more force and hence a more pronounced sound. <S> In terms of you only hearing the noise at speed, you may have braked earlier adding heat which increased the rotor deflection. <S> Look to @Jackson's answer for some remedies (i.e., caliper alignment, are the pads fully retracting, getting the rotor trued). <S> Having a rim and or tire that are not running true should not impact the operation of your disc brakes.
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When you hear the sound, stop, spin your rear wheel and look to see if the rotor is running true or has a deflection.
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Is a used 1998 LeMond Buenos Aires worth $450? This is the bike I'm interested in buying: http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?year=1998&brand=LeMond&model=Buenos+Aires . The bike is in good condition upon inspection and a test drive. Is it worth $450? What things do I need to look out for when buying such a bike? If I were to get it, what should I look out for when using it? <Q> It's a well speced bike, Reynolds tubing is top quality. <S> Given the 1998 price tag of $1300, I would say the current price is good. <S> Watch out for rust around the bottom bracket covers and cable stops. <S> It's 8 speed, so still easy to buy chains and cassettes for. <A> I'd say probably not unless it's been significantly upgraded. <S> I am always wary buying used carbon, but used carbon that is far more than a decade old would worry me. <S> If the fork (in particular) goes, you'll likely be paying more than the worth of the bike to replace it, even with a cheaper non carbon fork. <A> I have a LeMond Zurich of similar vintage (2000). <S> Bike is a dream to ride. <S> To me, that's a fair price ... <S> and you get to ride a bike with a true champion's name on it.
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Early model carbon forks can wear also. It will be harder to ride than a modern bike, but not by too much.
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BSO identification for amateurs I'm a biking amateur, but I've been wanting to upgrade and get more serious. Just recently, I was gifted a pretty new bike and I'm wanting to figure out how BSO it is so I can either upgrade it or get rid of it get a new, nicer bike. What should I check to tell how much of this bike is cheap BSO material and how much will last? I'd really like a part-by-part list so I can replace them or decide if it's not worth it. <Q> On a bike older than about 20 years, one would first look at the frame, in two places: The joints. <S> Better quality frames would be "lugged", with the steel tubes brazed into fittings (called lugs) that secured the joints. <S> Cheap frames would just have the tubes welded together. <S> (Welding, as used then, would destroy the thin, high-strength steel used in better frames.) <S> The dropouts. <S> Cheap frames would have rear dropouts that were quite clearly just stamped from sheet metal, while the front dropouts would be similar, or would simply be slots cut in the ends of the flattened fork tubes. <S> Better quality would use forged dropouts. <S> These days the dropouts are still a tell, but not nearly as reliable as before. <S> And frames are often made of materials other than steel, and even steel can now be welded, using a rapid-weld process originally developed for aluminum frames. <S> (Though a good-quality lugged steel frame is still a thing of beauty.) <S> This was true 20 years ago and is still true. <S> Well, I'll take that back -- one more thing: <S> Twist shifters are highly suspect. <S> They are cheap and have an extraordinarily high failure rate. <S> There presumably are some good quality twist shifters, but they're the exception. <S> Make that two more things: With a multi-speed bottom bracket, check the material used to make the chainrings. <S> Very often BSOs have steel rather than aluminum chainrings. <S> A better quality bike may have a steel "granny" ring, but the others would be aluminum. <A> Is the bottom-bracket a cartridge unit? <S> (googling this should give you an idea of what one looks like) <S> If it's not, you definitely have a BSO and you should install a cartridge bb. <S> Look at the hubs. <S> What brand are they? <S> If there is no brand marking on the hub body (or skewer) it's a bad sign. <S> If this is the case, you should probably replace the whole wheel, because the rim likely isn't worth <S> it's salt <S> either. <S> I really haven't had problems with cheap shifters and brakes. <S> Cheap derailleurs will work well as long as they're adjusted correctly, same with cheap rim brakes. <S> If the brake pads wear out, change them for something nicer, but before then don't bother. <S> Are the cranks steel or aluminum? <S> If they're steel, they will work, but changing them is a good idea. <S> I second DRH's point about 1-piece cranks, but bear in mind that there are many junk 3-piece cranksets too. <S> DRH made some good points about the frame, but IMO as long as you weigh less than 200lbs, a cheap frame will be okay if you're not riding on rough stuff. <S> Upgrading the frame is in the same vein as upgrading the cranks. <S> You could stick with the BSO-grade stuff, but you'll enjoy the bike a lot more if you upgrade. <S> Same deal with the tires, too. <S> Cheap, heavy ones will work, but the bike will be faster and more comfy if you upgrade. <S> If your bike has full-suspension you should change the frame. <S> Seriously, you don't want full-suspension on a cheap bike. <S> If the fork is a Suntour, I wouldn't upgrade, but if you're feeling rich, get a Rockshox. <S> If the bike has a horrible Zoom or similar fork, you should upgrade to at least a Suntour or install a rigid fork. <S> If your bike fails all of the quality tests I mentioned above, you are probably better off selling the bike than you are trying to upgrade the components. <A> Possibly one of the easiest way to look up if a bike is a BSO or not is google it or look at where it was bought from. <S> Walmart/Target/ <S> Kmart/etc. means BSO. <S> The brand is also easy to tell. <S> Most non-bso's in the US are made by Giant, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale. <S> Some brands are a bit harder since they sell both BSO and non-BSO (e.g. Schwinn, which does their non-bso's under the name Schwinn Signature bikes).
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If your bike has a front suspension it may be worth upgrading. Other than the frame, the most obvious identifier of low quality is a one-piece crank. It used to be easier to tell BSOs from "real" bikes, but now the technology is changing so rapidly, and it's much harder.
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Tips for cycling while pregnant, and is it safe? To clarify, I am asking this for my wife! Blog articles and other webpages differ on the question of the safety of pregnant cycling. Most seem to think that it is okay, but some think that a pregnant woman's balance will become skewed in late pregnancy. Does anyone have experience or knowledge that would shed light on how concerned we ought to be about that? Sample of webpages: 1 , 2 (there are more but I have insufficient reputation to post them all) Additionally, does anyone have advice about comfort for pregnant cycling - does it get uncomfortable on a bicycle for a pregnant woman and are there good ways to mitigate against that? And is the baby well cushioned against vibrations? Snippets of wisdom as well as full answers appreciated. <Q> This would have to be one of the most opinion-based questions we could possibly have, and one of the most important to deal with in a sensible manner. <S> Firstly, it must be said that what is safe depends on the woman's own behavioral history, and the state of the pregnancy. <S> Some competitive sports ban obviously pregnant women from participating, not through any risk to the woman or child, <S> but because she has two advantages. <S> She has a greater blood supply, and competitors are likely to "go easy". <S> I recall this was the case when I played competitive squash. <S> The mother of my children cycled (on a road bike) until month seven in both pregnancies. <S> With her extra blood supply, she would leave me behind on the hills! <S> She only stopped when her belly was hitting the top bar. <S> It should be said that both pregnancies were completely normal. <S> She did discuss cycling with her Ob, who agreed that since she was already a cyclist, she could continue, but that she should be sensible and stop if problems developed. <S> She cycled about 60km (38 mi) in 3 or so rides per week. <S> She did find her balance changed. <S> By doing the activity continuously, she adapted to that. <S> My recommendations are Listen to the obstetrician. <S> You chose this person for their guidance, for a reason. <S> Always ride in familiar, safe places, and with a buddy. <S> Ignore those who use emotional blackmail in their arguments. <S> This is an emotive topic; it needs clear factual arguments to form a balanced decision. <S> Every activity involves risk, including no activity, and being wrapped in cotton wool. <S> Enjoy! <S> PS <S> The great Sheldon Brown's alter ego Carapace Completed Umber also wrote about Riding while pregnant . <A> Unlike riding horses, there are no body movements that are dangerous for pregnant cyclists in any stage of pregnancy when riding on roads. <S> Mountain cycling is not as safe <S> and I would certainly talk that over with a Dr or midwife. <S> How do car behave around cyclists and how safe are the roads and paths for cycling. <S> The risks of falling and being hit by a car are greater, the chances of it happening not much. <S> I have to add that most Dutch women ride bikes to get places, the percentage riding bikes for sports is much lower, although likely still higher than in many other countries. <S> I do not see cycling as sport but as transport. <S> There is an old joke in the Netherlands: How do you transport five children on one bike? <S> One in a seat on the handle bars, two on the rack on the back and the other two in mommies bellies. <S> (Only work with twins, of course.) <S> This was nothing special back in the days and now it is quite common to see mothers transporting two kids and have one on the way, families with four or more are rare. <A> Thank you for advice. <S> Thought <S> I'd post what happened to us in the end. <S> My wife is still cycling (at 27 wks) from time to time although of course being more tired makes public transport more appealing. <S> We spent New Year in the Netherlands, as it happens, and I enjoyed seeing the child-carrying solutions there. <S> Of course, Dutch cities are planned around cyclists so it is a very safe place to cycle.
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She certainly should not be taking up new active sports. Only cycle if already a regular, confident cyclist. In the Netherlands all or almost all pregnant women ride through most of their pregnancies. The risks are mostly the same as any other road user in your area.
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Best Tires for Cannondale Bad Boy 4 I'm just getting into biking and last week I just purchased a Cannondale Bad Boy 4 from REI. They still have it in the shop as I'm in the processing of moving and they agreed to hold onto it for me. My question is regarding tires. I purchased the bike as an urban commuter vehicle as I've just moved downtown and am planning on using it for my commute to work. I also plan on taking it on some longer rides now and then on the city greenway (paved path), to get groceries, or to see friends. Nothing super long, maybe 10-20 miles max. The vast majority of my trips will be much shorter though, 1-2 miles through downtown. I noticed the bike comes with "smooth" tires (not sure the right term for them), which appear (to me) more like long distance touring tires or something. Should I ask REI about switching out the tires with something with a bit of tread? I'm a bit concerned about running into rain on my commute and slick conditions. The guy at the shop told me that the ones on the bike "should be fine" for what I'm looking to use the bike for and that I should just be sure to be careful in wet conditions. He said if I wanted to, I could get some "gator skin" tires down the road to have as another option. But I don't think I'd be interested in storing and/or switching out tires on my bike. I'd rather just have one set of good tires and stick with that. Anyhow, what do you think? Based on my situation, should I stick with the smooth tires or see about switching them for something with a bit of tread on them? I'm more concerned with safety than lightning speed. Thanks for any insight! <Q> Bikes don't have enough speed / surface area to hydroplane. <S> A slick does as good as tread in the rain. <A> You only need tread on soft surfaces like mud, snow or gravel where the tire can sink into and interlock with the ground. <S> Low tire pressure helps for the same reason, because the tire can cling to the ground and runs smoother. <S> Unless you have really rough tarmac where some kind of interlocking can happen, a slick, high pressure 23mm tire will have as much grip as a 50mm mountainbike tire. <A> I switched my badboy 2 to schwalbe marathon plus tires to get just a bit of tread for extra grip in wet conditions (and extra leak-proof ness! <S> Not unimportant in a bike for daily use!). <S> There is always some grit or dirt on the road and in the wet some tread <S> just gets you a bit more grip in those cases. <A> +1 for Schwalbe Marathons - practically a staple for commuters. <S> For a slightly different angle maybe look at Surly Knards? <S> I have one on the front paired with a Continental Cross King on the back of my cross bike <S> and I use that set up for gravel, road, fire roads, forest trails and pretty much anything inbetween. <S> IMHO <S> the Knard is the most versatile tyre I've ever used. <A> I've been riding the Bad Boy for 4yrs now in Atlanta. <S> Very bad roads and sidewalks. <S> Up and down curbs and haven't had a problem with the slick 28s. <S> In fact I've had a hell of a time wearing them out <S> so I can get 38-42s with a little tread. <S> I want to go fatter because I have broke a couple spokes. <S> So that would be my advice for your riding. <S> Something a little fatter. <A> The slicker your tyres the better "grip" on the road because there is more tyre surface in contact with the road. <S> Tread actually reduces the tyre surface in contact with the road.
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Only thing I wouldn't use them for would be thick mud as they don't have enourmous amounts of tread.
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Campagnolo chainring bolt stuck to crank I have a Campagnolo 11 speed Athena setup. I am enjoying a noisy creak which I suspect is located in my chainring bolts. I have replaced all of them, except the one that screws the chainring to the crank. That one is stuck. I tried to unfasten it, but I messed up the bolt. My hex key can not grip it now. Do you have any ideas on how to solve this? <Q> I would underscore taking it to a trusted local shop to remove the bunged screw. <S> A creak from the chainrings will almost always be heard when pedaling on both sides. <S> This will also be the case with the crank bolt as well if it isn't properly torqued. <S> In one case it was the right LEVER that wasn't tight enough. <S> In another the front derailleur. <S> But shoes and cleats are the most common. <A> You could try using a brand new hex key, some brands may be slightly larger than others. <S> You could see if a slightly larger non metric hex key, or hex key bit can be hammered into the recess. <S> For example, a 7/32" hex key is about 5.6mm. <S> I believe some nicer metric hex key sets come with 5.5 mm sized keys. <S> If you can buy or borrow a dremel tool, you might be able to cut a slot in the head of the frozen bolt that you can fit a plain tip screw driver into. <S> Another alternative is to drill out the bolt and use an easy out. <S> Before trying to get it out, I'd put the cranks in an oven and put it on 150 to 200 degrees. <S> Aluminum has a coefficient of thermal expansion much greater than steel, and so this will make the bolt a slightly looser fit in the hole. <A> If you make it worse, that's false economy. <S> You could slot it with a Dremel, but before I did that I'd try a Torx bit first. <S> Unless you protect the area around the bolt and have some solid Dremel skilz, I'd say the chance of marring the chainwheel and/or crank is pretty high if you go the Dremel route. <S> You might try penetrating oil, followed by some heat, followed by some more penetrating oil, etc. <S> Be careful not to overdo it; I would start slowly, and go slowly. <S> I should note, I'm not a metallurgist, but I would think that too much heat is as bad as not enough. <S> Too, I've never tried this , but it might give you some ideas.
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Sometimes it is possible to force a Torx bit into a stripped Allen/hex-headed screw, and if the bit is short enough you might be able to force it in using a clamp of appropriate size. Personally, considering the cost of a replacement crank and/or chainwheel, I'd probably take the bicycle to a trusted local bike store and pay them to fix my mistake. But I would also suggest that if you've tightened the other four that your creak is NOT coming from the chain rings but probably from either your pedal, your cleat or your shoe. Also if you haven't lubed the chain for awhile you can try that as well. Heating the bolt with a butane torch lighter or propane torch could help, but I would not put the whole crank into the oven.
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Fixing rear-wheel puncture on belt-drive bike I just bought a bike that has a Gates Carbon belt drive and am wondering what I will need do to remove the rear wheel when I get a puncture in my rear tyre away from home. The dropout looks like this: The centre part of the dropout on this side of the bike (and not the left side) is clearly removable. The rear of this removable dropout has a triangular shape that wedges it in place. My guess is Disconnect brake cable to allow room for tyre to pass them. Disconnect shifter cable from hub. Do nothing with the belt tensioner? Loosen it? Loosen nuts holding rear axle. Remove two recessed Allen (hex) bolts from removable dropout Pull the frame apart slightly so the dropout can move forward? Move the belt out of the way through the now open slot in the frame. Pull the wheel out rearwards. I don't like step 3 a lot. I've read the belt tension is important and I'm not confident of getting it correct when replacing the wheel. But if I don't loosen the belt tension first, step 6 may cause damage. Is this procedure correct? <Q> It looks good except I think you will have to loosen the tensioner. <S> You won't have to spread the frame. <S> It is unlikely you can reinstall the tensioning assembly with tension on the belt. <S> Due to the complexity of this kind of flat repair you may want to consider some type of puncture prevention be it tires, tire liners etc. <S> I have used a technique of repairing a puncture without removing the wheel. <S> In this case a rider on my local trail had a flat, bolt-on wheels, and no wrench. <S> You flip the bike upside down. <S> Work one edge of the tire off the rim. <S> Pull out the tube and patch and replace as usual. <S> Instead of working your hands around the wheel you spin the wheel as you work your way around. <S> It appears in the photo that you may not have to remove the shifter cable. <S> There may be enough slack to work it around the frame and effect the repair. <A> I don't have to break the chain to get the wheel off my single speed <S> and you should not have to break the frame to get the wheel off a belt. <S> Just loosen stuff up, slide it to the side, and work stuff out. <S> That big drive on the front by the pedals - that belt can come off of that <S> and it gives you enough slack. <A> You don't need to remove the wheel from the frame (of any bike) in order to fix a simple puncture flat. <S> The only reason you'd have to remove the wheel is if you couldn't patch the tube and would need to replace it.
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You can just pry off the tire with the wheel still attached (after loosening the rim brake if applicable), and patch the inner tube while it's still on the wheel. When the recessed allen head bolts are removed you risk damage to the very end of the threads due to the belt tension.
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What's the difference between road bike disc brake wheels /cyclosross wheels? What's the difference between road bike disc wheels / cyclocross disc wheels ? <Q> And tend to be sturdier. <S> Are you buying the wheels for a road or cyclocross? <A> The real difference to look for is the axle width and connection method. <S> A "standard" road bike has a 130mm/10mm rear axle and 100mm/9mm front axle thatboth use a standard quick release. <S> If a set of wheels matches those dimensions and has disk brake compatible hubs, <S> then any difference between road/cyclocross disk will only be in the variousdetails of the build and rim width/depth. <S> However, many of the newer road/cyclocross bikes with disk brakes are using different axle widths and connection methods. <S> Often the rear hub axle is 135mm/10mm, and many CX bikes are now coming with through axle mounts. <S> Thesekinds of specs were previously only found on mountain bikes. <S> Many hub manufacturers ( especially on the pricy end ) now provide exchangable caps to allow you to switch between connection styles. <S> But before you spring for those fancy carbon wheels, you should verify that the axle widths/stylesmatch your current bike. <A> Road wheels will be more likely to be more aero with aero bladed spokes, and possibly 4 less of them. <S> Deeper section rims are more common on road wheels than cx wheels too out on the start lines.
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Cyclocoss will tend to be wider to accommodate the wider tires used in cyclocross.
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Larger sproket on a single speed crankset? I recently bought an urban bike that comes with a single gear crankset with a 42 tooth sprocket and an 8 speed rear with 12-36 teeth. I would like to swap out the front sprocket to a larger one to gain more top end speed. I'm thinking 48-53 teeth depending on what I find. I wonder how I would go about doing this. Can I just screw off the 42 and attach a 48 to the existing crankset and then lengthen the chain a bit? Or would I need to purchase a new crankset? Would I need to adjust the rear derailleur if I run a larger front sprocket? <Q> You'll have to wait until you get the bike & measure the distance between the holes, using this method . <S> Then you can order the appropriate size chainring. <S> Such as those here . <S> 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. <S> You should not need to make any adjustments to the derailleur if you are only changing out the front chainring. <A> This is a fairly standard looking crank, chainrings should be readily available in a variety of sizes. <S> When I searched on the specs the pictures and listings didn't match, so you'll have to measure to be sure what you have in front of you. <S> However, you might want to actually try riding the bike as it is, turning your legs at a fairly standard 90 rpm <S> is around 40kmh with the top existing gearing. <A> The general answer is, "yes, you can change chainrings" – chainring is bicycle talk for the front sprocket. <S> There are some that don't make it easy to remove a chainring or where replacement rings are hard to find. <S> To know for sure you'd want to have the bike in hand and check – unless you know the make and model of the crankset that comes with it. <S> All of that said, I think it would be a good thing to hold off for a while on changing anything. <S> In general (again) pedaling at a higher speed (meaning higher RPMs which cyclists call cadence) is easier on your knees and overall endurance. <S> So I'd encourage you to experiment with the existing setup first. <S> At 70 RPM, which many would consider to be on the low side, your top gear (42x12) will give you about 32 km/h (20 mph) and up at 90 RPM you'd be doing <S> 40 km/h (25 mph). <S> Those are respectable speeds on the flat. <S> Downhill you'll be able to go faster (if you want to), but at some point you'll "spin out" and find that you can't pedal fast enough to push the bike any faster. <S> If you do decide that you want more speed (or more speed at a lower cadence) then you have two options: A larger chainring in the front (which will make all of your gears higher), or One or more smaller cogs in the rear (which will make the individual gears higher). <S> You could go to a cassette with 11 teeth on the small cog which would take you up to 35 km/h at 70 RPM. <S> The advantage of changing cassettes is that the interface is pretty well defined (unlike chainrings where there are lots of little gotchas) and the cost is lower (in general). <S> Over time you'll wear out cassettes, so you'll be changing your's from time to time anyway. <S> If you want to play with possible gearing scenarios the HTML5 Gear Calculator makes it quite easy to see what the impact will be.
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The easy way to make this change is to buy a new cassette (the set of rear gears). The more specific answer will depend on the actual crankset the bike is built with.
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Presta valve pump or presta adapter I have a bicycle with Presta valves. Should I buy a Presta pump or a Schader pump and a Presta-to-Schader adapter? <Q> You don't actually have to decide :-) <S> For bicycles you want a pump that is capable of pretty high pressures (at least relative to a car) and most bicycle pumps can do either Presta or Schrader valves. <S> Many floor pumps have a reversible head (two heads in one). <S> For frame pumps it is common for the pump head to be convertible between Presta and Schrader. <S> They are very light. <S> If the rest of your world is Schrader then it might be more convenient to just put adapters on both of your wheels and pretend that they have Schrader valves. <S> Moving the adapter around on a regular basis will probably get old. <A> You should buy a presta pump, especially if your wheels already have presta valves. <S> But one fitted with a pressure gauge as well. <A> Why not both? <S> Any good track pump will support both valve types. <S> Do get one with a gauge though. <S> Your on-bike minipump will probably support both types as well, though gauges are rare. <S> On the off-chance you want to use a car pump, having one of these in your first aid or tool kit is a good idea, or leave it on the wheel permanently as a cap. <S> http://www.dx.com/p/presta-to-schrader-valve-adapter-converters-random-color-pair-90730#.VkOU_G_4ugo
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Unless you have a reason to support Schrader valves life will probably be simpler if you have your pump set up for Presta valves, but I think it is a good idea to also carry a Presta-to-Schrader adapter with you.
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Looking for an old fashioned bicycle with coaster brakes & hand brakes for a woman I am looking for an old fashioned style bicycle. I had a bad accident on a new bicycle and I feel safer with with an old-style bike. I've never crashed before and I've been riding bicycles for over 40 years. <Q> They are still made! <S> Try a search for "bicycle coaster brake. <S> " You can narrow it to a "woman's" frame by adding "mixte" or "step through" or "woman's" to the key words. <S> If you want gears add " <S> 3-speed" or "internally geared. <S> " <S> Those searches will get you quite a range of bikes – from retro beach cruisers to very modern urban bikes. <S> Once you find some that appeal to you, post some links. <S> There are plenty of folks here who can help you evaluate the differences between them. <A> The bike you seeks is probably not available off-the-shelf new from a bike shop. <S> Your best bet is to find the bike you like with a coaster brake. <S> Make sure that a) <S> the rear rim is "hand-brake" compatible (chances are it will be rim brake compatible <S> I have never seen a coaster brake hub with disc mounts!) <S> and b) the frame and fork have mounts/posts for brakes (although you can also change the fork!). <S> Have a shop add hand-brake (add a rear for sure and a front if you need one) which will likely be a V brake or cantilever brake. <S> You could go the other direction and find the bike you like with the hand brakes you seek and change the rear wheel to one with a coaster brake. <S> Of course this wheel needs to be compatible with the hand brake. <S> If you explain what you want to a bike shop they will guide you through the above steps. <S> EDIT: I think Sheldon Brown built a bike with a bunch of different brakes on it. <S> I will look for it and post here if I find it. <S> EDIT 2 <S> : The better answer includes a primer on the different kinds of hand brakes. <A> I thought I'd collect some (US centric) links to help find this kind of bike <S> Google shows many people sell bikes with coaster brakes. <S> Schwinn has a wide selection. <S> Huffy also has a good selection. <S> Target stocks many. <S> Kmart does too. <S> Many of these bikes are quite cheap, and qualify as BSOs . <S> You get what you pay for. <A> You could try the following brands, some have roller brakes with Shimano Nexus hubs etc..best option would be to speak with a dealer in your area for the following brands: <S> Achelle BikesSimcoe BikesPure City Bikes (step through) <S> Benefit of these is, its a more upright ride vs. leaning in position. <S> In addition, you can attach panniers to these bikes to integrate the rides into your daily errands etc. <S> Also, some come with chain guards and coat guards which is very helpful so you dont always have to ride in racing gear or perform daily maintenance. <S> Good Luck.
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If you are trying to do this without a shop's intervention then I suggest posting some models of bikes with coaster brakes and members of the Stack will tell you if they are hand brake compatible.
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How to estimate price of an old CrMo frame? So it happened. My old good CrMo friend got hit by a car and the blow was heavy enough to affect the whole frame. Now the car driver is expected to pay back the expenses but I am not sure how to estimate the price of such an old frame. It is a road bike frame, order-made in Japan somewhere in nineties and all I know is its serial number. Can take pictures of some particular parts if it helps for the estimate. What are the signs of high-end or a low-end frame, so that I know how much to ask? Where to look? Pictures: <Q> In this sort of negotiation, typically you end up meeting somewhere in the middle. <S> You provide a number, the other side provides a lower number, and the actual number is somewhere between those two numbers (possibly close to what the other side offered initially). <S> Even if the number you supply is accurate and well-supported, I'd wager they will offer less. <S> If I was in your shoes, I would start with the cost for a similar bicycle today. <S> Call the shop back and ask for a price, and spec the bike with a similar level of modern components. <S> If it was Ultegra, ask for Ultegra. <S> Clearly this is just a starting point; they will certainly not pay this amount. <S> I would also look for roughly equivalent mass-produced bicycles that could serve as a back-up. <S> Do your homework, and with any luck you can find some comparable bicycles from around that time which have been sold or are for sale (eBay, or some equivalents). <S> Here in the States, one Web site that might be of interest in a situation like this is BikePedia ; one could use a site like that to collect some data points of the costs of comparable bicycles. <S> Since your bicycle was not brand new, I wouldn't expect to get anywhere close to the true replacement cost, but don't help the other side by low-balling the value of what you've lost. <A> I would go with the replacement cost of the frame. <S> Find some equivalent CrMo framesets and look at prices. <A> Photos of the overall frame and its details (photos of the dropouts, the lugs, the fork crown, and any decals would be especially helpful) along with any information you have on the components on the frame would help us give you an idea of the quality of the bike. <S> As a guide you might find these posts, on bicycle quality , helpful. <S> The author is looking specifically at vintage bicycles. <S> I'm not sure how liability law works in your part of the world, Japan I assume, but in the US it would be reasonable to expect the driver to restore your bike to its condition before the accident. <A> If there is decal of the manufacturer, you might be lucky to find the man who made it, and with serial number you might ask him original price, and how much he would charge for repair or substitute frame. <A> What sort of damage did it do? <S> IF it was cosmetic it might not be covered. <S> I was hit by a car once and the damage wasn't severe enough to be compensated. <S> It will be hard to estimate value of the bike without knowing the make and model. <S> However, from your description it looks like a Miyata . <S> To estimate the value of the bike is another matter: <S> How do I value my bicycle? <S> If the model year of the bike is less than 1 year you should insure the bike for purchase price. <S> *velosurance.com <S> You can search Bicycle Blue book <S> If your bike is in the database it will be a good estimate for it's current insurance value. <S> I hope this helps. <S> I checked out Wikipedia and found a guide to Miyata serial numbers to verify the claim. <S> The serial numbers for Miyata Bicycles Made in Japan Since 1972, according with the first letter on the serial number: A 1972 B 1973 C1974 D1975 E1976 <S> F 1977 G 1978 H 1979 <S> I 1980 <S> J 1981 <S> K 1982 L 1983 M 1984 N 1985 <S> O 1986 P 1987 Q 1988 R 1989 S 1990 T 1991 U 1992 V 1993 W 1994 <S> X 1995 <S> Y 1996 <S> Z <S> 1997 <S> Miyata is known for making frames for other companies.
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Bikes with earlier model years should be insured for fair market value, or what it would cost you to purchase the same modeled year bike as your original bike.
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Should flywheels on stationary trainers be replaced periodically to avoid catastrophic failures caused by fatigue? I have owned a Computrainer stationary trainer for 20 years and recently had the flywheel shatter, sending shrapnel through the walls and ceiling of my basement, as well as into my hamstring. Should flywheels on stationary trainers be replaced on a regular basis to avoid fatigue-induced failures? How often should a flywheel be replaced? <Q> Apparently you are not the first victim of this problem: <S> http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1237585 <S> I suggest you should also submit an incident report to the CPSC (assuming you are in the US). <S> Since you were injured you may also want to talk to a personal injury lawyer. <S> RacerMate's website claims they offer an "indestructable build". <S> The manufacturer should provide guidance on the safe use and maintenance of their products. <S> I'm sure they are aware of this type of failure. <S> Update: the currently shipping Computrainer flywheel is apparently made of copper. <S> That sounds like it would be less prone to shatter. <A> This is not an answer to your question but rather an update. <S> Racermate has announced a recall for all "blue" flywheels, and they are replacing them. <S> Here is the announcement and a form to get the replacement: http://www.racermateinc.com/blue-flywheel-recall/ <A> Should flywheels on stationary trainers be replaced on a regular basis to avoid fatigue-induced failures? <S> How often should a flywheel be replaced? <S> It seems to me that a better solution is some sort of bulletproof housing. <S> Periodic replacement seems impractical in real life. <S> Two, it might not be possible for a consumer to replace the part; it might be made worse. <S> The description on the accident is horrifying.
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For one, the replacement interval is not consistent and will depend on a number of environmental factors.
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Is klunking the father of mountain biking? Is attacking downhills with coaster brakes where the sport of downhill mountain biking originated? Or did mountain biking and klunking grow up side by side? <Q> Klunkers were developed by customising early beach cruisers on 26" wheels (Schwinn predominantly) by spreading the rear dropouts to make them multi-geared and adding moto handle bars and brakes due to their durability and strength (brands such as Magura were initially moto brands). <S> The term klunker was used to describe these built up bikes on cruiser frames. <S> This style of bike and mountain riding first appeared in Marin County, California in the mid 70's prior to the first purpose designed mountain bike appearing in 78. <S> If you look at the proponents of the early mountain biking movement and design; Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly, Tom Ritchey and Keith Bontrager (there are going to be many more....) <S> all were active in Marin <S> and it's surrounding counties at the time. <A> The story is complicated and can't be confined to a couple of paragraphs. <S> That's why I wrote a book about it: <S> Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking. <A> Hard to be definitive. <S> But I thought it started with Gary Fisher and others on cruiser bikes with coaster brakes <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Fisher , the Repack Races. <S> He went on to develop the first mountain bikes. <A> I have since discovered that the answer is indeed yes. <S> Men like Joe Breeze and Gary Fisher tools their old 50s and 60s schwinns and added balloon tires and two brakes, after the Repack left many with smoking coaster brakes. <S> Tom Ritchey made the first mountain bike for Joe Breeze, and they eventually built the first mountain bikes or sale as well as coin the term. <S> In 1981 the first mass production bike came from Specialized with the Stumpjumper. <S> What started as coaster braking a cruiser down some dirt path eventually became an Olympic sport. <S> While, as Daniel pointed out, bikes had been ridden off road way before that, it was these men that invented the word and the sport.
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Klunker as a term is synonymous with early mountain bike (as it is currently known).
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What is mysteriously slicing the inside of my tubes? For about the last year, I've had a problem keeping my bike on the road. Originally, my rear tube went flat when the tire was punctured by an office staple (don't ask me how a regular office staple could have been positioned properly on the road and puncture all the way through the tire while I was riding, I can't figure that out either). Since then, every time I replace the tube, it lasts for maybe two weeks and then goes flat again. Each time, the tube gets this mysterious slice along the inner side. Here is a picture of one of these slices. It's very faint; only deep enough to puncture fully through the tube in a few places. This is a picture of the inner side of the tube. The slice is almost halfway down from the seam and runs across the length of the tube shown here. My patch is covering the largest hole, but doesn't solve the problem. The first time I saw this, I figured it was something to do with the rim. However, this slice (which is usually about 20cm long) appears in different locations relative to the valve on every new tube. So if it is something to do with the rim, it isn't anything that would be in a fixed location on the rim. I also thought it could be due to installation error, so I made sure a few times I had professionals at the shop do the installing. Same thing; about two weeks later it would be flat with a slice like this through it. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the tire itself, since no part of the tire is in contact with this part of the tube. Given the time it takes to form, it looks like something is gradually cutting into the tube and, after about two weeks, finally manages to wear through it. I've washed the rim thoroughly and run my fingers along it to check for slivers. Nothing. I thought maybe it was the rim strip, the edge of which contacts the tube. That's still my number 1 guess, but if that's it, why is this slice only along a ~20cm section of the tube (I've checked the rest, no slice) and always in a different place along the rim? Why wouldn't it either be in the same place or along the entire tube if it were the strip? Anyway, this mystery has me stumped and has cost me a fortune in tubes and bus fare (what with a bike no longer being my commute option). To try to mitigate it, I've tried using self-sealing tubes, which obviously didn't work perfectly (lasted an extra few days though) because they are more suited for punctures on the outer side of the tube. My next thought is trying puncture-proof tubes. If I can't figure out how to stop these slices, I figure puncture-proof tubes would be thick enough to give me a few extra weeks per tube. For the record, the bike is a Trek 3700 with 26X2 wheels and I usually pump the rear wheel up to about 45-50 psi. TL;DR: What's causing these slices in my tubes? How can I prevent it? <Q> I agree with your diagnosis: it must be related to the rim tape. <S> Take it off and inspect it and the rim below. <S> If you don't find anything obvious, buy new, good quality rim tapes, check there are no sharp edges, and reinstall. <A> Your solutions have all pretty much been said, it seems to be a problem with the rim. <S> This happens a lot with v-brakes especially, so be aware. <S> Speaking of brakes, I also wanted to mention that you might have a look at your own. <S> Usually an overlooked source of the problem, brake condition/position can play a crucial role in your tyres lifespan. <A> I would personally get the rim tape of and give it a good inspection and clean. <S> If you suspect anything from that, replace it. <S> I would also check spoke tension in case your wheel is knackered and spokes are pushing through. <S> This shouldn't be the case and if it is, you need a new wheel. <S> Having said that, you may have a bit of spoke protruding through the nut in to the body of the rim, you might be able to swap it out for a new spoke. <S> Check the tyre too. <S> If, as you say the offset from the valve changes each time, think what else would be aligned differently after a puncture repair? <S> Inspect the bead, carefully run your finger or better still some sort of cloth that easily catches. <S> Something that acts like silk does but don't use silk unless you're minted. <S> Replace the tyre, they're relatively cheap and if you're spending all your cash on tubes then you may as well try and eliminate one element sooner rather than later. <S> More of an aside, your patching could be better. <S> You want the glue to cover a decent area that extends beyond the patch size and let it dry before applying the patch. <S> By doing that you'll get an instant grab on the patch (so get it lined up well) and press it down thoroughly working from the centre out. <S> The feathered edge should be less likely to peel up then <S> but you'll still need to coax it off the backing a bit. <S> Use the chalk to dust the whole area afterwards.
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However, instead of just checking the rim tape, check the whole inner rim to make sure there are no metal shards or other pokey things embedded in the bottom or inner walls.
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Full Suspension MTB or just a new Frame Currently I have a hard tail that I love, but I know that as I get more into mountain biking I'm probably going to want to upgrade. But I'm still pretty new to the trails. I'm wondering which you all think (this question is opinion based) I should buy: a Full suspension bike or just a full suspension frame, using the old components I have. I have a Diamondback hardtail, so yeah it's pretty cheap but I like what I have and the fork seems pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Also, I'm trying to keep a low budget (like under $1000) <Q> I think first you should read up on the price point people recommend staying with a hard tail. <S> Below that figure (about $US2000 depending who you speak to) <S> Soft tails are heavy with poor rear suspension performance. <S> Almost always, the most economic way to upgrade is to sell the current bike and buy a second hand one. <S> The BD (if its the bike I am thinking of $500ish price point) does not have components worth putting onto a a ST frame worth riding. <S> If you are new to MTB, and enjoy the bike you have, stick with the bike you have and start saving until you get a bank balance that lets you truly upgrade - not just a sideways or downwards shift. <S> Riding a HT needs skills that you can get away with not having on a ST. <S> These skills make you a better rider and a HT is the best way to learn them. <S> Don't upgrade till you are sure its the bike limiting you <S> riding - most riders get much more improvement for a lot less by upgrading themselves rather than the bike - get some training - a coaching session or four, read mags and books, or watch few MTB coaching videos. <A> This is a very common dilemma. <S> You should ride as much as you can on your current bike. <S> Wear that thing out. <S> Your legs and lungs will get stronger every ride because it's probably heavy and not quite perfect. <S> Starting out is incredibly tough, but if you can keep your dedication up by riding once a week for a year <S> THEN you should upgrade to a better bike. <S> It's just too easy to spend a load of money and then let the bike sit around. <S> Ride as much as you can <S> , read as much as you can (MTBR forums, BIKE magazine, etc.), talk to other MTBers and then ride some more. <S> I had a low-end Canondale hardtail that kept blowing out the front shock. <S> From there I went to a medium-end Canondale Moto 5 full suspension bike that was super heavy <S> but the price was right used. <S> I rode that for about a year. <S> Finally, I upgraded to a Yeti SB-66 with nice components. <S> I've been riding it for 3 years and it's an amazing bike. <S> It was a pretty hefty investment, but I have gotten my money's worth out of the beast, and I really love having an amazing bike out on the trails. <A> It might seem daunting if you don't know much - but <S> the gears and brakes should work, suspension should bounce smoothly without creaking, and basically no play in anything that slides, hinges, or spins. <S> A good first test for play is to pick up the whole bike and shake it! <S> Any few little niggles on the "new" bike can probably be taken care of immediately with bits off your old, and when you have a day spare with some rags, brushes, and WD40, you can get whatever's left ready to go right back on ebay or sell to mates.
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One good route when you already have a bike with working components is secondhand.
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Electric bike: Do I need display? I'm planning to buy an electric bike kit. However, I don't really like adding the display for aesthetic reason. However, the display (either LED or LCD) has function on/off and low/mid/high power on some model and this confuse me. Can I just have BLDC motor, controller, battery, PAS, and brake sensor and hope it will work? <Q> If you are building your own kit, you can do whatever the heck you want. <S> Without blinkenlights , it can be hard to diagnose problems, especially on the road. <S> Is your e-assist not working because the battery is low or dead? <S> A bad main power connection? <S> Maybe the brake-cutoff switch is broken, etc. <S> etc. <S> If you are aesthetically against the blinkenlights, you can design your own enclosure that is more modest, use dimmer LEDS or tape over them, or relocate them to make them more discrete -- perhaps under the saddle where you can still check them when problems arise. <A> Well I just use my 48V 1000W electric bike rear wheel 26" without lcd display. <S> No problems. <S> No worries. <S> On throttle, there is battery power display "full, half and empty". <S> There is another signal on battery display as "5 red dots" when press. <S> I can understand how far I can go by first test ride by using these signal. <S> Throttle can go slow and fast as you want but pedal assist system go full speed. <A> The LCD is useful to control the power of the PAS, on traffic you will need to control the power and the PAS works always on full power.
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The reason pre-built ones have them is both safety and convenience -- you want to know when the e-assist is on for safety reasons, what power mode you're in, and how much power you have left so you're not stuck on the road.
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Which option; cx bike or mtb and road bike? I've done my research and i've narrowed it down to 2 options for me Option 1: buy a low-end cyclocross bike for $1200or Option 2: buy a low-end road bike for $800 and a low-end mountain bike for $400 My budget is $1200I want a bike that will allow to me ride on the road and on the rough trails.Please don't suggest a touring or hybrid bike because i don't want the relaxed geometry. I want to go fast. I'll be using these bikes for fitness and fun, not for commuting. So which option would be better for me?Would a low-end road bike be better on the road than the low-end cyclocross? And would a low-end mountain bike be better on the trails than the low-end cyclocross bike? Thank you for your input <Q> I want a bike that will allow to me ride on the road and on the rough trails <S> I guess we can't be sure what you mean by "rough trails", but if you're talking about what I call "rough trails", <S> a CX bike just isn't going to do it. <S> i don't want the relaxed geometry. <S> I want to go fast. <S> Relaxed geometry and high speed often go together off-road (think DH bikes). <S> On the road, a $1200 CX is not going to be as good as a $800 roadie, but that's only because of the knobby tires. <S> If you wanted one bike to do both jobs, I think a mountain bike with ~1.75" semi-slicks would be better than a CX. <S> Plus, that won't cost you $1200. <S> A side note: <S> No matter what you end up getting, you should buy used. <S> You'll get much more bike for your money. <A> First I would not characterize a $1200 CX as low end. <S> Yes since they are typically sold for race the starting point is around $1200. <S> But overall I would not call that a low end bike. <S> It is going to have solid frame and mid range components. <S> I would take $1200 CX with knobby tires on the trail over $400 mountain. <S> Not going to have a front shock on the CX but <S> not going the have a very good front shock on $400 mountain and low end components. <S> On the road with same tires going be pretty close between the $1200 CX and the $800 road. <S> With knobby tires the CX is not going to be a good road bike but with knobby tires <S> the road bike is not going to be a good road bike either. <S> The main difference here is with two bikes you have two different sets of tires. <S> I own two CX and two mountain. <S> I ride 3 miles to the park for some technical riding the CX kills the mountain. <S> Most of a technical ride is not technical and the CX dominates. <S> In the highly technical sections yes the CX is slower <S> but I can typically still ride the section. <S> At a slow speed 5 mph versus 3 mph is still just 2 mph over short period of time. <S> On the road the CX has 3-5 mph advantage the whole time (even with knobby on the CX). <A> Go for the 1200 CX bike. <S> Reasons for this I would give: <S> You can swap the wheels/tyres on a CX bike and its effectively a road bike. <S> MTB's are terrible on road <S> I've got a CX bike which I ride on-road in the winter, and would definitely recommend them <A> The answer depends in large part on what type of riding you will be doing. <S> On the road, are you planning to join local group rides? <S> If so, what pace do they ride? <S> When you say "rough trails", do you mean rocky/rooty singletrack? <S> Or, poorly maintained gravel roads? <S> How much elevation is there in your area? <S> Personally, I would pick a cyclocross bike that has clearance for 40mm or 45mm tires. <S> Something like a Salsa Vaya or Warbird. <S> The Vaya is listed as an "adventure touring" bike, but has ample tire clearance, drop bars, and should serve well for a mix of terrain. <S> The Warbird is Salsa's gravel race bike. <S> Lighter weight, more aggressive geometry, but still enough tire clearance for moderate single-track, gravel, and pavement. <S> The Warbird is a bit out of you price range, but you should be able to find a 2015 on clearance, or something similar used.
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With CX tyres on you can ride the majority of the off-road terrain you'll come across A $400 MTB is unlikely to be very good, unless you find a second hand bargain I think your best option is the road-mountain combo.
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Road Brifters with MTB Derailleurs I've just bought a lovely Surly touring frame and I simply stuck all of my mountain bike components on it. That means I've retained a flat handlebar. I'd really like to stick drop bars on though and change to road "brifters" without changing the drive train. I've tried Googling this and it seems to be complex issue so any advice would be most welcome. I have Shimano Alivio gears, front and rear plus a Shimano Diore crank (with the external bottom bracket type). The rear is a 9-speed cassette (11-30) while the Diore triple crank is a 48-36-26. I really want to stick with this, not just because of the expense of buying a whole new drive train but also this set up gives me a really low bottom gear (30 on rear 26 on front) for getting up hills with a fully laden touring bike. I understand I may need a new front derailleur but I may be able to get away with keeping the rear derailleur and using a ten-speed brifter such as a Tiagra with the 9-speed cassette. Is this right? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. <Q> I don't see any problem with doing this on your bike if you use Shimano drifters. <S> Generically there are two areas you'll need to consider: <S> The actuation ratio of the shifters, and The brake pull. <S> You should be OK here. <S> You don't mention which Surly touring frame you have <S> so I can't be specific, but <S> if its a Long Haul Trucker or Disc Trucker, your odds are good that the brakes will be compatible as well. <S> With cantilevers you'll be OK as road and mountain versions use the same pull. <S> V brakes will be a problem, they are not common on road bikes and the pull is different. <S> I don't think know of a set of brifters for V-brakes. <S> Similarly with discs, make sure that you are have, or are willing to switch, to road discs. <A> It mounts bar end shifters on the front of brake levers and offers configurations for Shimano compatible 9/10/11 speed setups and use a friction shifter for the front (you wouldn't need a new front derailleur). <S> I've been running these on my cross check for quite some time and they are reliable and shift well if you prefer to mostly ride on the hoods. <S> The disadvantage is that you can't shift from the drops and you can't hide the shift cable routing under bar tape. <S> They are way more convenient than traditional bar end shifters, though those may also be an option for you as well. <A> 9 speed road gears and 9 speed mtb gears are cross compatible (unlike some 10 speed etc!) <S> but as others mention, you may have brake compatibility problems. <S> If you are running discs, you could fit road versions of cable disc calipers, but it will add expense. <A> I just pulled this stunt in an attempt to have a better touring arrangement. <S> I have a Shimano Deore 3-speed crankset <S> (I don't know the actual cog count). <S> Upon installing Shimano Claris 3x8 brifters, I got everything to work smoothly except the front derailleur (back derailleur worked like a charm on my current 8-speed cassette). <S> The issue I am facing is the cable pull length of the STI <S> is too short to match the range required of the Deore (I can shift from the lowest to the middle chainwheel, but no higher, and also not back to the lower one!). <S> To conclude, with the caveat of potentially replacing your front derailleur/ crankset, this move is not unreasonable. <S> [I will update with the necessary replacements I end up making when I do.]
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Just make sure you find the model with the right brake levers, they have short pull (road brakes) and long pull (mtb brakes). If you want to run drop bars and don't care if you actually have brifters or not, I've had a really good experience using Gevenalle Shifting system. Shimano 9-speed road and mountain derailers use the same actuation ratio.
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Does the valve have to be straight when replacing a tube? I've just replaced the tube on my bike and when I pumped it the valve wasn't particularly straight as can be seen in the image below. What I'm wondering is do I need to remove the tube and straighten it before use? I assume it wouldn't be any harm to do so but if there is nothing wrong with the way it is I'll save myself the effort. I'm going to be cycling it in the morning so I said I better ask before I do. <Q> It should be straight out, perpendicular to the rim. <S> Otherwise you risk damaging the tube. <S> When the valve stem is at an angle the valve isn't free in the hole – it is trapped by the edges of the hole where they bind the stem. <S> The edges of the hole may cut the stem which will be moving a little bit as the tire and tube flex over bumps and the like. <S> There will also be an area of the tube that isn't supported by the rim (or that is stretched more than the rest of the tube) near the valve stem. <S> That area is likely to be a weak point in the tube. <S> And one more thing! <S> As pointed out in the comments below, there are conditions – such as the tire moving on the rim – that are likely to further stress the tube as it passes through the valve hole. <S> If the valve is initially straight any angle of the valve is an immediate sign that something is happening. <A> Straighten it. <S> All you have to do is let the air out, push the valve in straight and then re-inflate it. <A> let ALL the air out, and pinch the tire on both sides all the way around to free it from the wheel rim as it may be sticking on there - <S> then it should usually slide when you yank it
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You may damage the tube near the base of the valve if you leave it as is when the tire takes a hit.
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Would Putting BMX Bike Brakes on my Road Bike be Ok? I am a bit of a bigger guy (260lbs) and I'm not too confident with riding my bike at higher speeds just yet. Mainly because I feel as though my brakes, (Stock V brakes that came with my Specialized Sirrus) are just not beefy enough to adequately perform under the stress I put on them. I do not ride my brakes. I try to use them only when necessary. But I am a bit bigger than other people, and I feel like my pads will wear out faster because of that, as well as feeling like I'm putting them through too much. The other day I was at my LBS and I noticed a set of BMX brakes that seemed a bit more sturdy. The pads were twice as thick as my ones I have now. The brakes appeared to be caliper brakes, and just appeared to be better than my stock v-brakes. My question is, given that the sizes matched and I technically could switch them if I wanted too, would that be the best option? Or should I simply buy some larger pads and maybe change my brake cables? (P.s. Unfortunately I don't have the model of my current brakes or the ones I saw at the shop, I was just looking for some general advice.) <Q> Not easily. <S> V-brake levers pull twice as much cable as a calliper brake levers, so you'll not be able to swap them without swapping the levers too, and these are often attached to the shifters, so you'd end up swapping an awful lot of parts. <S> Additionally V-brakes are mounted to a pair of bosses on the seat stays & fork legs whilst calliper brakes are mounted to a hole in either the bridge of the seat stays or fork crown, you might have these holes on your frame, but it does leave the ugly V-brake mounts unused. <S> Although BMX brakes seem to use the 2 boss mount like V-brakes, I'm not an expert in BMX <S> , that's more my brothers area. <S> As an aside, what makes you think the BMX stuff will be better? <S> BMX stuff is usually designed to be robust rather than the absolute best. <A> Typical BMX brakes are u brakes and require 990 posts. <S> Road bikes don't have these posts (nor do mountain bikes or hybrids). <S> If you can't see the posts look at the position of the posts. <S> U brake posts are above the rim. <S> Cantilever posts (your v bakes) are below the rim. <S> V brakes can stop you. <S> You might need better brakes or better pads <S> but I bet that some practice pushing the limits of your front brake will get you confidently stopping on dimes. <A> I am a big guy at 100 KG, (was bigger 120 when I started biking) and we have one advantage while braking - which is ballast, or weight transferance. <S> The most braking you can do is 100% on the front to the point where the rear wheel has almost zero weight. <S> Any more braking <S> and you're over the handlebars <S> and/or the rear wheel is going some direction <S> its not supposed to. <S> So, get your backside off the seat, stretch out your arms, and stick your bum out. <S> Hang it out the back like you're mooning someone behind you. <S> Drop your shoulders as well, and brake hard on the front brake. <S> If you feel yourself rotating forward, modulate your tension on the front brake lever. <S> This is the most effective braking you can do on a bike, regardless of the brake type. <S> Maximum duration should be about half a minute, the limiting factor here is the temperature of the rim/pads leads to brake fade on a long downhill.
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Your V-brakes are almost certainly good enough.
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Is my stopping dangerous when Idaho Stop is de facto but not legal? I've been bike commuting in the East Bay Area of California (5mi/day, plus public transport) for a few weeks now. I recently attended an in-class safety course, where I learned the fine for not stopping at a stop sign is $250, AND a point on your drivers license (some people were there to remove this point, so people do get cited). Since then, I've been mostly obeying the stopping laws. But, another takeaway of that class was the importance of predictability. I feel like stopping puts me in danger when I seem to be the only one to do it. If no one expects me to stop, I am worried about bikes and cars not properly anticipating it, and my being involved in a collision. I know, it wouldn't be my fault legally, but it sort of is my fault because I'm knowingly being unpredictable by stopping, yet do it anyway. And of course, it doesn't matter who was right, I don't want anyone to get hurt! My plan is just to continue to stop, per the law, but I thought I'd check with you all. I don't have enough experience to know whether this is a valid concern. Thanks! ( Idaho Stop : Treating stop signs as yields, and less pertinent to this question, stop lights as stop signs.) <Q> When it comes to stop signs, I live by some simple rules: <S> If it's a multi-way stop and there's another car waiting or just arriving, I stop. <S> If I can't clearly see or judge what I'm riding into, I stop. <S> If it doesn't feel right for some reason, I stop. <S> If there's a cop there (or a history of cops), I stop. <S> I don't necessarily clip out and put my foot down, but I stop. <S> These rules have worked for me pretty well. <S> But one thing I've never worried about is my safety, when I stop . <S> I've easily ridden 100,000 miles on the roads, including the East Bay, in all kinds of conditions. <S> There are plenty of things out there to worry about, but that isn't one of them. <A> I'm not sure why you think it puts you in danger. <S> My rule of thumb is that I will only do the Idaho stop when I can seeall the roads at an intersection far enough to know that a car <S> won'tshow up before I get through the intersection <S> and I can't see any cars. <S> I've been riding in the East Bay for 15+ years <S> and I've never felt like my stopping at stop signs has endangered me in any way. <S> The most dangerous part of your ride is always going through the intersection, not what happens before or after. <S> FWIW, there is an effort to make the Idaho stop legal in California that has fairly serious backing in the legislature. <S> 1 <S> Rule of invisiblity: Never assume a car will see you and yield the right of way. <S> The traffic laws may be on your side, but the laws of physics are not. <A> Stop. <S> Or at least slow down a lot, so that you look like you're taking care. <S> Such signs are not really cyclist friendly. <S> But if you don't take any notice of them then it reinforces the negative view many of the motor vehicle drivers have of us. <S> Also, police officers generally have some discretion. <S> It's only if they're bored or what you do is particularly blatant that they'll take the time to book you. <S> If you are doing what the sign says, I think that's behaving predictably. <S> For other's reference: Idaho stop . <A> Many or most other cyclists don't stop: but, other cyclists can get into 'accidents'. <S> One advice, if there's a car or bike behind me then I use a hand signal (in lieu of a brake light) to indicate that I am about to slow to a stop. <S> Unusually once on my commuting route (in Toronto), there was some bicycle police (who were giving traffic tickets to any cyclists who weren't stopping at a four-way stop sign). <S> I figured that these police, being professional city cyclists themselves, could answer my question and so I asked one of them, How much stop do you want to see, in a bicycle? <S> I wanted to know whether he expected to see a dead stop, or a rolling stop. <S> His answer was, Intersections are the most dangerous place when you're a cyclist. <S> I see cyclists blowing through a stop sign without even looking . <S> so look , both ways! <S> Twice ! <S> I thought that was a really good answer, explaining the reason for the law, not just repeating the letter of the law. <S> So, primarily : Look both ways (twice), before you enter the intersection. <S> If you have to slow down or stop in order to have enough time to take a good look, well them's the breaks. <S> Secondarily : If you wouldn't even notice a policeman you weren't looking hard enough; and if you do see a policeman and don't come to a complete stop, then you're just making their job harder. <A> If you don't want to break the law... stop. <S> If you want people driving cars and trucks to respect you... stop. <S> If you don't want to risk a minor mistake of attention getting a cyclist killed... stop. <S> If you are riding your bicycle to get exercise... stop. <S> Just because you are pedaling your ass somewhere <S> does not give you the right to run stop signs. <S> Just because other people don't stop at stop signs, that does not give you the right to run stop signs. <S> Get the laws changed, until then, stop.
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And if you see a policeman, then come to a complete stop. I don't think I've ever been in a situation where I felt less safe stopping than not stopping. In general the less urban parts of the East Bay are cycling friendly, but if you go by the rule of invisiblity 1 , I think you'll be fine. What I want to see is people looking , before they enter an intersection:
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Can I secure a 12v battery to my bicycle to charge it? And then attach a 12v horn to it? I'm from the Netherlands, so I mean a Dutch style bicycle, as in: Then I want to attach a 12 volt horn to it. I could just put it in the basket. It doesn't necessarily need to be charged while pedaling, or it can just be partly charged, but just that it runs out of power a bit slower. Then I'd like to attach a horn to it. Would this be possible? <Q> I think you're on the wrong track looking at batteries because they're heavy, stealable, fragile, and bad ecologically. <S> Its steerable <S> so it always sounds in the direction you're looking. <S> Plus it needs no batteries, and best of all it plays a customised noise, from "OI!" <S> to "LOOK OUT!" to "STOP!" <S> That was a serious suggestion, but if you want a horn consider an airhorn something like http://deltacycle.com/airzound-horn <S> It refills from a bike pump and is lighter than a battery, plus no drag from a generator/alternator. <S> My own experience - I put a small 1.2AH 12V battery inside a disposable 600 ml bottle, and used a small car battery charger to charge it. <S> This worked well, but loses a drink cage. <S> My electric bike has 3x 7AH SLA batteries. <S> They are in a frame built from light angle aluminium and rivets. <S> This replaces the main drink bottle cage and works fine, but probably overkill for your requirements. <A> Here's the setup I have on my commuter bike: 12v <S> motorcycle horn <S> 12v cctv backup battery (1800 mAh lithium, ~150 grams) momentary switch mounted on the handlebar with <S> an old bike light clamp 5.5mm power plug and a couple feet of wire <S> The motorcycle horn is pretty loud and I mostly use it to get the attention of drivers who are putting me in danger. <S> I also have bright lights and cycle defensively, but sometimes you just need a loud horn to cut through a driver's oblivious daze. <S> The 1800 mAh battery is plenty for my commute (15-20 minutes each way) and will definitely last through several loud honks. <S> Due to the rather obnoxious nature, I haven't tested exactly how long it will power the horn. <S> The cctv batteries have a two nice features: separate power input and output <S> so I don't have to unplug the horn to charge the battery, and an off switch so the battery doesn't run down in storage. <S> I plug in the battery at night, same as my light batteries. <S> The momentary switch is a little red push-button model. <S> I drilled a hole in an old plastic bike light mount to attach it to the handle bars. <S> I can reach it pretty easily with my thumb when I need it. <S> The wiring is pretty simple, just old speaker wire soldered in place with a little silicone caulking over it to keep the connections dry. <A> The charging bit is not easily done. <S> Most bicycle dynamos / dynohubs produce 6 VAC (the actual voltage varies depending on speed; if they follow the German StVZO requirements, they produce at least 3 watts). <S> The nominal 6 VAC is relatively easy to rectify to 5VDC for a USB charger, but in order to charge a 12VDC battery, you would need to rectify and step it up to 13.2 VDC. <S> You'd most probably have to build the circuit yourself as I do not know of any off-the-shelf devices that will do this (there are IC chips that will do this, but you'd have to build the circuit yourself). <S> It would be much smaller and lighter than a 12VDC lead-acid battery. <S> Alternately if for some reason you're set on lead-acid, you could get a 6VDC lead-acid battery. <S> The charging voltage for these is 6.6 VDC <S> so it'd still be a bit tough to get your dynohub to charge it safely and efficiently, but it's doable. <S> There are as I said, 5VDC horns. <S> Resources: <S> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/dynohubs.html <S> http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/shimano3n70.asp <S> http://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/verlichting/stvzo/index_en.html
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What you could do is to charge a 5VDC USB lithium-ion battery pack (using a variation of the USB Bike Generator circuit ) and then use a 5VDC->12VDC step-up to power the horn (or to get a 5 or 6 VDC horn). Firstly, you already have an airhorn installed in the middle of your face. I also put a car 12V-->USB adapter in the mouth of the bottle to run my camera and cellphone. The battery and horn are pretty light weight and considering all of the other stuff I'm carrying to work, doesn't make much difference in pedaling effort.
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What is the purpose of a serial number? It seems like pretty much everywhere I look, serial numbers can't do the things that it seems they should be able to do. They can't help people figure out what bike they have. They can't help at all when recovering a stolen bike, unless you have the bike's number linked to your identity somehow (good luck finding the bike in the first place). It seems like the only thing they're useful for is warranty fulfillment. You take your bike to the shop, and they check the serial number to make sure that it's the same one you bought from them three months ago. Is this the only intended purpose of a serial number? <Q> If a manufacturer found they had a quality problem with a batch of products (e.g. bikes but equally cameras, phones...) <S> the serial numbers would allow identification of the substandard units. <S> If you've recorded the serial number of your bike and a bike thief is caught with bikes in their possession the serial number should help you get it back. <S> This has happened a few times recently around here. <A> A common use of serial number is to prove ownership. <S> If you don't have the serial number linked to your identity then that is your problem. <S> My shop registers the serial number. <S> If they don't put it on the receipt then force them to write it on the receipt. <S> On a used bike write it down and take a picture with your residence in the background. <S> My local police will let you register a bike and they will check serial number of any bikes recovered against that list. <S> Stolen property reports are sent to pawn shops. <S> You find your bike at a pawn shop. <S> If you have proof of ownership of THAT bike they will return it to you. <S> In my state they have to hold property for 2 weeks before selling. <S> You suspect a neighbor stole your bike <S> and you take a picture of your bike in his / her garage. <S> Take that to the police and they will investigate. <S> Without a serial number you cannot prove that is your bike. <S> You see your bike on CraigsList <S> and you call the police. <S> If police won't meet you then go to the buy take the bike and call the police. <S> You see your bike on eBay and buy it. <S> Prove to PayPal <S> you bought your stolen bike <S> and they will take action. <S> eBay does not want to be in the stolen property business. <S> A serial number may not slow them down from stealing it <S> but it sure slows down selling it, aids in recovery, and help convict criminals. <S> A common scenario is they will take a van of stolen bikes to another state and sell them there. <S> I buy a bit on CL and if they have out of town plates I walk. <S> If they cannot give me a credible history on the bike I walk. <S> Another user of serial number is fraud detection. <S> Is it even a valid serial number? <S> Is it the correct frame for that serial number? <S> Multiple bikes with the same serial number - definitely some counterfeiting going on. <S> Proof the property property was stolen. <S> If the police raid a garage or warehouse because they suspect goods they have hard evidence that bike is stolen property. <A> Just like a VIN number on a car, your serial number helps authorities determine who the lost or stolen bike belongs too. <S> Also, it does help the store you purchased the bike from, as well as the company that made the bike, in keeping track of warranties, who owns the bike, the address where the bike belongs, <S> e.t.c. <S> Think of your serial number the same way as you think of registering your car. <S> As a side note, using the serial number for finding out information about the bike such as make, model, year, e.t.c., may work sometimes, but it is not genuinely a reliable way to find out that information. <A> I recently had a cycle stolen, the copper (I'm in England!) who came to take the statement, wasn't at all interested in taking the serial number, he reckoned they're never recovered / returned that way and a photo of it was far more useful. <S> When it was initially stolen, I couldn't find the booklet I'd written the serial number in, so I called the supplier (one of the big online places) and they told me they didn't track serial numbers and there was no way to find it out if I didn't make a note of it. <S> I think they have a lot more to do with security theatre than actual security.
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The main function of a serial number is to prove that you own the bike. It makes us feel like they're less likely to be stolen, without providing any real protection against.
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Get a tubeless to seat It takes a volume of air to seat a tubeless. Even if you lube the tire it takes a volume of air to get it to pop onto the seat. Cannot deliver that volume with my floor pump. At the shop they remove the core to the presta and have this conversion tube they put over the open stem with a compressor on the other end. <Q> UST UST rims are designed to be able to be inflated with a floor pump. <S> The rim profile has an inner channel. <S> The tyre bead should be placed in this as per the picture when you begin inflating the tyre. <S> When it reaches a high enough pressure it pops into place <S> and you can continue to seat it easily with the pump. <S> Tubeless Ready <S> Tubeless Ready have a shallower rim bed that require far less volume to inflate with a floor or CO2 cartridge. <S> This is trickier with a floor pump and people often remove the valve core to allow a higher volume of air in. <S> Once the tyre is suited you can also to remove the core to add sealant. <S> Ghetto Setups <S> If you are using any other tyre/ rim combination <S> it's really just luck if you're going to get a tyre to seat with floor pump, compressed air or ever at all. <A> It's very difficult with a floor pump. <S> [ ] Source: <S> Wikimedia commons <A> I use a tubeless inflator. <S> My skills and track pump will not seat a large volume tyre, just can't get enough air thru, I've managed 23/25mm road tyres, but nothing bigger. <S> My inflator is a Bontrager Flashcharger, but there are lots of similar products on the market these days. <S> They all work in a similar manner, charging up a cylinder of air and releasing it in one go by pulling a lever or turning a valve. <S> I find it better than a compressor as it's cheaper, portable, doesn't need power, replaces my track pump and has never failed to seat a tyre. <A> Need to have a compressor. <S> Remove the core <S> then just press a schrader fill up end on the stem. <S> I have had to take a couple to the shop and this worked for me today. <S> This is more a problem on older tires where I break the seal to add sealant. <S> I am gong to buy an injector so I can add sealant without breaking the seal.
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If you don't have a compressor, you can use a CO2 cartridge (or two or three) inflator to quickly give that burst of air/CO2 that you need to seat the tubeless. You can also add sealant before inflating with USTs. It depends on what type of tubeless standard you are using.
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How do I calculate calories burnt using my bicycle's weight? I've just finished a long bicycle tour on a loaded touring bicycle, and I'm interested in calculating the number of calories I must have burnt over the trip. However, all the calorie calculators I come across don't take into account the weight of the bicycle, which means the data must be a significant underestimate. So, what is the calculation used to calculate number of calories burned on a bicycle ride, and how can it be modified to take into account the weight of a heavily loaded touring bike? <Q> To be honest, you're really asking this question too late. <S> If you had asked before your tour, I believe the easiest way you could have measured it would be to find a cycling app which takes your weight and your other physical information. <S> Then you simply weigh your fully loaded bike and add that weight to your own, then the app would measure your total calories burned. <S> (Even this would only be a rough estimate). <S> However, there is no solid answer to this question. <S> As I said before, you would have been better off asking this prior to the trip, as there are dozens upon dozens of factors needed to give you an accurate BALLPARK of how many calories you've burned. <S> (I.e. Speed, terrain, average gradient, food consumed while on your trip, average power output, length of time spent in the saddle, cadence, over all distance, e.t.c.) <S> This method would be fairly inaccurate, but without the factors listed above, I believe it's the closest you would get. <A> You can't. <S> Calories burnt depends on your speed, elevation change, and your body composition. <S> e.g. riding at 30mph burns more than double the calories per hour than 20mph. <S> The calorie calculators just make a rough approximation, and their margin of error is significantly greater than the difference between their assumed bike weight and yours. <S> Just take what they provide as an estimate, or supply your weight as being your actual weight plus the extra weight on your bike and call it good. <A> I recently saw a site which gives a calculation, and shows formulas, which will take in to account the weight of the bike: <S> http://www.tribology-abc.com/calculators/cycling.htm They combine the weight of the rider and the bike to get a total mass mtot and then this is multiplied by a rolling resistance coefficient Cr and acceleration of gravity g to get a rolling resistance force: <S> Rolling resistance <S> Frol = <S> mtot g Cr. <S> A separate calculation gives the air resistance force; <S> These are added to get a total drag force, then multiplied by the speed to get the power required. <S> You can change the rider weight, bike wt, drag coefficients, uphill slope, etc. <S> A final calculation estimates the efficiency of the cyclist in converting food calories (kcal) to delivered pedal energy in kilo-joules (kJ). <S> For example, using the default parameters, increasing the bike weight from 15 to 30 kg increased the calories from 577 to 589 kcal for a 60 min ride. <S> Another site which also discusses this is http://www.cptips.com/formula.htm <A> If you're able to upload the ride to Garmin Connect , or Strava , you can get an estimate of calorie burn on the basis of speed, elevation, and so forth. <S> If you were wearing a heart rate monitor, the estimate from Garmin will be much more accurate , but unfortunately at this time Strava does not factor heart rate into their calorie estimate . <A> I'm just going to ignore fancy apps, gps, and physics all together: Figure out how many calories you consume on a typical/non-exercise day and multiply that by the days in your bike tour. <S> Subtract that from the amount of calories you consumed during the tour, and that will be a pretty good estimate of how many calories the actual biking required. <A> An old thread, but it's still disturbing to see how many people think heart rate monitors are going to tell you much of anything with respect to calorie burn, and who think bike weight won't matter. <S> I suggest you disregard everything these people say about calorie burn and other topics as well. <S> Basic physics tell you how much energy it takes to move a given mass a given distance on a given slope. <S> It also tells you how to factor in various factors such as drag and friction. <S> Mark29's link is excellent. <S> You should be able to figure roughly where you and your bike are such that you can get a decent estimate. <S> If you doubt me on this please see a physicist or a physics professor. <S> The other very good option would be an accurate power meter that includes or is coupled to a recording device to keep track of your output for the entire ride. <S> This will eliminate any need for you to determine any of the more difficult to measure items like your total air drag and bike friction, because your specific energy output required to overcome all of these, as well as to move your mass and the bike's mass is totaled for you.
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I suppose if you wanted a very rough estimate, find a calorie calculator online, input the total weight, (you and the loaded bike), take the distance traveled, and the estimated total time in the saddle.
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Shoe covers (or other tricks) for commuting in shorts I commute to work by bike, very often in casual shorts and waterproof North Face sneakers. Provided I don't want to change my clothes (in particular I don't want to get SPD etc.), is there a good way to keep my feet dry when it's raining? In particular, would shoe covers be of any help? My impression is that most of the rain gets into my sneakers by streaming down along my ankles/socks, which is why I have doubts if shoes covers would be of any help when I cycle in shorts (but I've never really used them so please correct me if I'm wrong). In case it's of any importance - if I wear the same clothes and just go for a walk/jog, then my feet stay dry for much longer. Ideal solution would allow my feet to stay dry for a similar amount of time when I cycle. <Q> if I wear the same clothes and just go for a walk/jog, then my feet stay dry for much longer <S> Do you have mudguards (fenders) on your bike? <S> If not your feet are in the spray from the front wheel and will get wet unless you wear over-boots. <S> Or gumboots. <S> For cycling when the roads are wet mudguards make a huge different to your comfort. <S> You'll stay dryer because the rain will only hit you from above, rather than spraying up from your wheels as well. <S> Gary. <S> Ray's answer deals well with the actual shoe cover question. <S> What I would add is that plastic bags and rubber bands work well as a short-term solution for one trip, but they don't last long. <S> But that might help you decide whether shoe covers are worth having at all. <A> The main thing that would determine whether or not a particular brand or style of shoe cover will help would be the closure around your ankle, above the top of the shoe. <S> A standard, non-cycling over-shoe or shoe cover like those made by Totes and other manufacturers will usually cover most of the shoe, but the opening is wide and water will run down your leg into the shoe. <S> A cycling specific shoe cover will usually have some kind of opening in the back that zips closed. <S> When you place your foot into the cover it zips partly up your leg and will stop most of the water from running into your shoe. <S> I personally use neoprene covers, but covers of other materials may work just find as long as they close relatively tightly against your leg. <S> If the closure is not quite tight enough, wearing an old-fashioned terry cloth sweat wrist band above your ankle and under the shoe cover would help absorb any water that leaks in. <S> I have a set of 2" wide reflective bands with a terry cloth backing that I occasionally overlapping the top edge of mine if I think the rain will be torrential. <S> Since you are wearing a shoe that is not cycling specific, you will likely want to visit your local bike shop or outdoor retailer to try the covers on. <S> If you buy online based on the size of your shoe you will likely want to order a size up at least to account for the additional sole support and padding in a normal shoe. <A> I used to ride in almost exactly the same gear as you <S> (gym shorts rather than casual shorts), so I know where you're coming from. <S> The mudguards (US: fenders) help a little, but not if it's actually raining while you're riding, as you basically ride into the rain drops. <S> It's not the shorts, cycling tights/running leggings will do the same. <S> Even waterproof overtrousers are of limited help as the headwind from riding tends to push them against your shin. <S> And you get so hot <S> you'll be almost as wet from sweat ("breathable" kit <S> doesn't work too well with a film of wtare on the outside while you're actively sweating ). <S> I haven't tried shoe covers but would only consider them in the winter -- in summer (even UK summer) <S> I'd rather get rained on than boil. <S> One thing that I found was that after riding for 40 minutes in waterproof shoes I could at least wring my socks out and sometimes pour the water out (you can't always stop pedalling for puddles, e.g. a little dip on an uphill). <S> In hot weather (sometimes with sudden downpours) I wore sports sandals, and the water just went straight through and out the other side. <S> Now I've got SPDs <S> I've got ventilated shoes (even on the sole) and the water can't accumulate. <S> Either way a change of shoes/socks on arrival is probably appropriate, even though you have a .ac.uk homepage listed and can probably wear what you like. <A> Like you say, your feet get wettest from the rain running down your legs and into your shoes. <S> The only way to stop this is a shoe cover system that seals at your ankle. <S> I don't know of a commercially available system like this <S> but if you are truly serious you could make something with bags and rubber bands. <S> Suggestions about fenders are well and good but on more than one occasion I've had the wind just right that an entire fender-load of water poured into my shoe. <S> You are fighting a losing battle. <S> The better bet is to keep dry shoes at work or carry some with you. <A> Although I personally wear overshoes and SPDs, the best you can really expect in a prolonged downpour is that water enters your shoes slowly enough your feet can warm it up - they'll still be wet eventually, but not cold. <S> I suspect the best system for casual clothes is actually to stick a rain cape/poncho over the top - the cycling-specific ones are designed to attach at the wrists, so they cover you completely. <S> You should still get mudguards if you can, both to stop your front wheel spraying your feet, and because it's much better for your drivetrain.
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My suggestion: Go for shoe covers when it's cold, but in warmer weather choose shoes that can't fill up with water (also maybe no socks).
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When should I replace the brake cable? Here is the picture of the cable from my rear V-brakes: As you can see it's worn down. Should I replace it now or is it safe to use it for some more time? <Q> Yes, at least one strand has broken. <S> Looks like this happened where the cable was previously under the fastening bolt. <S> Since then, the cable has been let out, maybe to allow for new brake pads? <S> It would probably last a while before more strands break. <S> But a new cable is only around $5. <S> It's very important to be able to stop your bike reliably, so I would definitely replace it now. <S> It's an easy change to make, cables ends normally slot in fairly easily to the brake levers on V-brakes. <A> Yes - replace it as soon as convenient. <S> You might go another year or two with it in that state, but its a couple of dollars for a straddle cable. <S> Check the front one too, and consider replacing both cables. <S> While you're at it, give all the brake cables an eyeball, and if you find any damage then replace them all. <S> A pair of inners costs under $20. <S> They're brakes - they have to work when you need them. <A> Derailer cables operating an indexed derailer wear out much faster than brake cables, and in fact brake cables can go a long time before needing replacement. <S> However, while a broken derailer cable is inconvenient, a broken brake cable is dangerous.
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I would replace it right away. Brake cable replacement, including the labor, is cheap--certainly when compared to the cost of an ER visit.
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Winter boots or neoprene covers? I'm looking at options for new winter footwear and am split between buying new boots (must be look/3 bolt, which seems to constrain options somewhat) or buying covers, specifically the neoprene style which zips up the back and exposed ones' cleats through the bottom. I'm weighing pros and cons and would like to get others' thoughts as to their own experience with boots vs. covers. Also, I have wide feet and would need boots that fit accordingly (like a Lake wide or Sidi Mega) - not asking for a product recommendation but this constrains options and is an important consideration for me. Covers Pros: Cheaper than new boots Cons: They must be taken on and off Aesthetically, they aren't pleasing Durability is a question New Boots Pros: Durable Possibly more cold & water resistant More aesthetically pleasing Cons: Cost Possibility of hard break in Possibility of worse fit than ones regular shoes Limited options for Look compared to SPD <Q> For pure road-riding: Neoprene covers over normal road-shoes are the best as long as you don't have to put a foot down too often. <S> The cleats are prone to clogging in snowy conditions. <S> But then you wouldn't certainly get on a bike. <S> On the other hand, ankle hugging covers keep the rain running down the legs into the shoe, which could happen with insulated boots. <S> For cross-country riding or commuting: Specific insulated and waterproof (membrane-type) shoes with profiled soles for MTB-cleats and MTB-pedals are a very reliable solution. <S> And the shoes are more wear resistant than covers if you need to walk longer distances and there is less trouble to put them on and take them off. <A> My advice: when in doubt, focus on warmth and dryness. <S> Covers keep the wind chill out of your shoes (down to a certain temperature) but not snow, slush, grey winter slop, freezing rain or that salty spray from your tires. <S> Once your socks are wet the rest of your winter ride is misery unless it's a short ride. <S> I use <S> Lake insulated winter cycling boots, which I bought several sizes too big to allow room for two layers of wool socks underneath. <S> MBT cleats and pedals are designed to shed mud (or snow) so use them. <S> Covers work well enough in dry conditions in late fall or early spring but for icebiking I don't think they make the cut. <A> To me, it's not an either / or choice. <S> I would be aiming to get both, over the longer term. <S> When planning to ride consistently through the winter there are also other considerations, some that help keep your feet drier and warmer (you may already be doing some or all) <S> The first thing is fit mud guards / fenders, or have a winter bike. <S> Mud guards greatly reduce the amount of wheel spray that hits your feet and body. <S> For example, for wet weather commuting I use my touring bike with mudguards. <S> It may seem obvious, but try to avoid deep puddles. <S> Don't swerve violently because that can cause falls, but try to look ahead and go around the deepest parts. <S> It's wet weather riding. <S> Ignore aesthetics. <S> See rule #9 . <S> Get the bike set up for the conditions. <S> MTB pedals are generally better for such conditions, as others have said. <S> Boot covers do wear out. <S> I consider them as consumables, and an extra layer of protection. <S> Winter boot are also good, but an extra cost that can be deferred. <S> As an extra point please make sure you always use lights and wear bright clothing to make yourself as visible as possible.
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MTB-cleats and pedals by design cope better with adverse conditions like mud and snow.
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Combining Shimano RS500 crankset with Stages Shimano 105 5800 I've been thinking about getting a power meter for a while now. I finally decided I would get one, but now I realise that Stages only starts at the Shimano 105 level. I currently have a Shimano RS500 Crankset ( 50 x 34 ) and I'm very pleased with it, so I don't feel a need to replace the whole crankset with a 105 5800. I also have no plans to upgrade anytime soon to Dura Ace or something like that (the rest of my bike has the 105 5800 set), so I don't think I should buy a higher lever crank arm from Stages. Now, I know something about bikes, but not a lot. It seems that what I have (RS500) looks compatible with the 105 crank arm (just judging by the looks), but I would like to be certain before I spend this amount of money. My set: http://www.bikester.be/398351.html Stages I would like to get: http://www.powermetershop.de/en/stages-power-meter-shimano-105-5800 Kind regards and thanks in advance, <Q> Many individuals are running non matching hollowtech II stages crank arms with no ill effects. <S> Stages themselves cites this as OK. <S> Note the Dura-Ace crank below. <S> Crank Compatibility: <S> All Shimano Hollowtech II road cranks Go ahead and purchase with confidence and enjoy cycling with power. <S> I run an Ultegra 6800 Stages on a 6700 Crankset personally. <A> Interesting topic as I just got a DA 7900 Stages and I'm looking to pair it up with a FC-RS500 crankset as well. <S> so long it is a Road crankset and not mixed with MTBs ( one source say from Tiagra to Dura-Ace and others include Sora). <S> I guess the confusion comes in when the FC-RS500 is a non-series road crank. <S> My FC-RS500 is actually paired up with a Ultegra 6600 non-drive crank I had in spare parts because I'd thought it'd be lighter and stiffer since it was hollow forged all around rather than a milled crankarm. <S> I've ran that set-up on a Shimano external bottom bracket for hundreds of miles without any issues. <S> As for an unbalance weight, I don't think should be a major issue. <S> When Shimano engineers are designing these cranksets they do take it in consideration as an overall design <S> but I hardly see it as detrimental unless you're spinning 200rpm? <S> Just imo. <A> I think you should go ahead and replace the crankset. <S> If you don't, you risk ending up with an unbalanced pair of crank arms (unbalanced by weight, never mind aesthetics). <S> Here's a picture of your current set: <S> http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222396443/1339/Shimano-RS500-11-Speed-36-and-46t.html <S> And here's 105 5800: <S> https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/shimano-105-fc-5800-s-crankset Note that while the two look somewhat similar in terms of the crankarm sculpting, the back side of the non-drive arm is certainly not similar. <S> Your RS500 arm has a "trough" running along its backside, which the 105 5800 arm does not have. <S> This trough firstly prevents Stages from being likely to support the RS500, and secondly makes it clear that the engineering of the two arms is not that similar. <A> Also the Garmin Vector 3 is a very good power meter. <S> They are very easy to install and they are accurate enough, if you will not make a sport science study.
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Stages say that all Shimano non-drive side crankarms can be mix matched with any Hollowgram II Currently the pedal based power meters are my first option.
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What are the benefits of removable presta valve cores? Once again, I spent some quality time debugging a slow leak and found out it was a loose valve core. I tightened it with pliers, but it raises the question, is there a situation where it is useful to be able to remove the valve core? Also, have replacement valve cores been available at some point, and do the cores have a standard thread or is it manufacturer-specific? <Q> As others have mentioned one reason is to make it easier to installed slime/sealant into a tube or tire. <S> Typically you'll take the valve off, and use an injector to put the slime into the tire. <S> For tubeless tire setups, removing the valve core allows a higher volume of air to quickly get into the tire when you are first blowing it onto the rim. <S> Some types of valve extenders used by people with deep profile rims thread into the valve core threads. <S> Another reason to have removable Presta valves is they tend to be somewhat fragile so being able to replace a busted valve vs. having to replace the whole tube could potentially save a little bit of money (or allot of money if we are talking about breaking the valve core on a $150 tubular tire.) <S> The valve cores should be consistent from maker to maker. <A> With a core in place the slime would likely foul the valve and make it inoperable. <S> Otherwise, I think the removability is more an artifact of the manufacturing process – and as you've noted, not necessarily a feature. <A> Serviceable: Can get clogged with debris and can go bad <S> Install Slime <S> I pull the core and save it when I throw away flats. <S> On a new tube tighten it down before you install and if it does come loose <S> I use just a tiny drop of Loctite. <A> You can carry a patch kit, but if you break the central pin while working on the tube it is of no use. <S> Procure a couple from wasted tubes and carry them in the instrument pack and you won't have to come back from deep wilderness on foot. <A> The accepted answer briefly mentions deep carbon wheels. <S> I will elaborate. <S> 50-60mm deep wheel are common in many road races, and triathletes and time trialists will go as deep as they can, probably all the way up to 90mm front and a full disc wheel rear. <S> I believe many valve stems for <S> performance road tubes are around 48mm in total length. <S> This won't offer enough valve on even a 40mm deep wheel. <S> Tubes with longer stems are available, e.g. Vittoria makes a 60mm valve stem. <S> However, even this isn't enough for the deepest wheels, and manufacturers would have to maintain more SKUs (stock keeping units, i.e. different models) of their high end road tubes. <S> Valve extenders are a solution. <S> Two versions exist : one where you just open the presta valve, screw the extender on, and leave it, and another where you remove the core, insert it into the extender, and then screw the extender on the original presta valve. <S> Having a valve extender can also simplify your spare parts logistics. <S> Many riders may train on one set of wheels, and race or do harder rides on deeper race wheels. <S> Those who do this would either need to carry a spare tube with a valve suited to their deepest wheel, or just carry a valve extender of suitable length.
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I think the big benefit of a removable core is that it makes it possible to add "self-patching slime" to the tube.
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Would Lowering my Handlebars Help my Performance? I ride now with pretty decent comfort, I have no real back/neck/shoulder pain. As I ride now I feel decent, but I feel as though I might be in too much of an upright position on the bike to get the best performance. I have been considering lowering my handlebars in hopes that it might tweak my position a little and help give me a little extra power on the pedals. I first was going to try moving a spacer or two,(5cm) to see if that might help. Then I considered flipping my stem, but the angle at which my stem sits might be a little to extreme. Basically I'm just wondering if adjusting my handlebars would help me performance-wise or if it would really just be a waste of time/effort? If it would help, which way should I go about adjusting it? <Q> If you are looking for pedalling performance, adjusting the seatpost (up and down) and the seat (back and front) is the answer. <S> There are literature about adjusting seatpost so you can look them up on the internet; youtube also have many video demonstration. <S> In general: the less up-right position, the better the efficiency. <S> This helps a lot when you are riding at high speed (noticeably at speed 20 mph+ or 35 kmph+), or against the wind. <S> However, there is always a compensation for riding aggressively: you tire out quickly the smaller the handle bar, the better the efficiency. <S> The best efficiency is when the arms are shoulder length apart, just similar to the riding position on aero bar. <S> arms at some angle also lower your riding position and improves efficiency. <S> Your bike looks like a hybrid, which gives out that you mostly ride in urban area. <S> Adjusting handlebar height is thus beneficial because you are likely to hit 20 mph+. <A> You can lower the bar first by flipping the stem. <S> Judging from the angle of your stem it will lower the bar by at least 5-7cm (2-3 inches). <S> Which is already a good start <S> The next step would be to migrate the 2 spacers from below the stem to the top. <S> With two spacers on top it might look a bit awkward but there is no technical argument against doing it. <S> So far you've changed nothing on the bike and you can revert to the previous setting at any time. <S> Safety advice : <S> Working on bar and stem can lead to serious injury if not done properly, so make sure to tighten any screw at the correct torque and to re-adjust the headset correctly. <S> There are plenty of videos on YouTube, the Park Tool site and advice on Sheldon Brown's page how this is done. <A> Define performance? <S> Top speed, efficiency, handling? <S> If you lower the bar you will be more inclined with less frontal area Unless you have some really strange air flow you will have less aerodynamic drag Drag = <S> CD x Area <S> x Velocity <S> x Velocity CD is the drag coefficient and it can also change with position but it should be pretty constant Because of the velocity squared aerodynamic drag comes more into play at higher speeds <S> But if you take drag out then upright is <S> more mechanically efficient Even racers climb up on the bars <S> In almost all situation a bike handles better in a more upright position <S> So in summary on performance of lowering the bar <S> You should have a better top speed <S> It may or may not be more efficient overall <S> It might be a less efficient climber <S> Will probably handle worse <S> Consider what the bike was designed to do and adjust for FIT more than performance. <S> The bike is clearly designed to move the two spacers <S> but I would not do more than that. <S> If that does not feel good (fit) then don't do it. <S> If you are looking for speed performance then consider a second road bike with drop bars. <S> The bike you have now is designed for agility and comfort. <A> I know this is an old post, but for those who are following it: migrate a spacer from below the stem to above it FIRST. <S> This will be the least change from your original position. <S> If that works, then move another spacer, then another, until the stem is "slammed:" all the way down. <S> The next move would be to reverse the stem, but then put it back on top of the spacers. <S> EXCEPT that this particular stem is at a sharp angle. <S> Go to a bike shop and get a lower angle stem. <S> That's the one modification that will cost money -- all the rest are free.
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Adjusting handlebar height is more about efficiency.
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Are there any sub $100 gps devices that can export a gpx file I am looking to ride with strava, however as a teenager I receive very little to no money regularly and I do not have a smart phone. I would like a device that tracks my ride via gps and exports a gpx file so I may upload it to strava. It must cost less than $100 AUD. <Q> Instead of an actual GPS device, I would recommend buying a used smart phone, (The Strava app itself only works on either iPhones or Androids). <S> A "Nothing Special" used smart phone you can usually find for maybe 40 bucks, depending on the model and brand. <S> Download the app and just take the phone with you wherever you ride. <S> It's not a fancy system, but it works. <S> This is the method I use now. <A> It's a little more than 100$, but you could have a Garmin Edge 20 for 130$. <S> Maybe wait a little for a special or something <S> *. <S> According to the post it's a good little computer <S> and I personnaly enjoy using their Edge lineup. <S> (* the website has a 10% anything coupon with their partner <S> , might be worth a look, that would bring the Edge 20 to 117$, might not work for everything thought) <A> I'm surprised that nobody suggested to use an inexpensive hiking GPS, such as a Garmin eTrex 10 (US$ 89.99) or eTrex H (many available on popular online auction sites for US$ 50 or less). <S> They have the same high-accuracy GPS chip that more-expensive GPS devices use, and they have excellent battery life: 20 hours on a pair of AAs. <S> The downside is that uploading to Strava is more complicated; a cable and a computer are required. <S> I use the computer program GPSBabel to download from the GPS and output a GPX file, which can then be uploaded to Strava. <S> There are many other programs that can also do the job, including free software from Garmin for those running Windows. <S> (Always remember that a GPS is a backup to a map and compass when backpacking.) <A> I picked up a cheap android phone wiht a cracked/broken screen for $5. <S> No sim or cellular service is required to get GPS service, and I don't care if it gets dropped. <S> A USB battery might help if the internal is weak or small.... <S> without battery the little 1500 mAh phones run strava for about 4 hours.
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I'll grant that a second-hand smart phone running the Strava app is easier to use, but an inexpensive hiking GPS is water-resistant, a lot more rugged than a mobile phone, and can also be used for backpacking. GPSBabel can be a pain to learn how to use, but it can upload or download from nearly any GPS device, and it can input or output nearly any GPS file format.
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Food to keep in pannier long-term until it's needed? For long planned cycles, I'm able to plan to feed myself. But sometimes in the evenings I leave work and just decide to set out for an extra half an hour's cycling about for fun - then four hours later I'm up a hill in a strange tiny village wishing I had something to eat. But this situation only comes up once every few weeks. I've been trying to think of good ideas for 'emergency snacks' that I can just put in my cycling bag and forget about for weeks until I need them; It should survive being knocked about a bit and sometimes having heavy stuff dumped on top of it (so not biscuits or bananas). It shouldn't expire for at least a month or two. Ideally it wouldn't add too much weight or take up too much space. My best idea so far is a couple of those half-size tins of fruit (like peach slices) with ring-pull tops and a tea spoon. <Q> Which means they're there when I really need them. <S> The expiry date printed on them seems to be imaginary, I've eaten them when the foil wrapper is intact but so worn that it's hard to make out what flavour the bar is supposed to be. <S> One subtle advantage is that they're flexible, so you can wedge them into a corner of a bag and they'll conform to the space available. <S> I often shove one in with the rain cover on my backpack and camera bag, so if you carry a rain jacket you could probably put one in that. <S> In my experience carrying sugar is a waste of time - it just causes insulin surges and makes the whole experience less pleasant. <S> I go from hungry to hyper to hypo to wondering what I just did to myself. <S> Shopping hint : In response to Daniel R Hicks' comment above, if I'm shopping at a generic chain store that seems to have what I want, I'll buy one each of the more likely options and eat them over the next few days. <S> Or open them, taste them, and bin them if they're not at all what I want. <S> When I find one <S> I like <S> I'll buy 10 or more of them, ignoring the shelf life, and just eat one a ear or so later to make sure they're still edible. <S> They're manufactured as effectively sterile bar, and they're so energy-dense that anything growing in there will have a hard time unless the package opens and water gets in. <S> Honey and jam work exactly this way - the high sugar content and low water content means anything that tries to grow has the water stripped out of it <S> and it dies. <S> That's why I still have a stock of powerbars that are probably 10 years old, and I'm not sure how many I have because when I bought a bunch ten years ago I stashed them all through my camping/hiking/touring gear and they still turn up from time to time. <S> It's easy to find an inconspicuous place to carry something, but that also makes it easy to forget when unpacking :) <A> Clif Bars do a good job for this. <S> I keep some in my bag for exactly that purpose. <A> I really enjoy gummy type food (e.g. PowerBar Gel Blast or Cliff Blocks ). <S> They have multiple flavors and taste OK. <S> It won't replace a full meal, but it does keep me fueled up for longer rides. <S> These gummies usually have an expiry of +1 year and can take the sun and heat without melting. <S> Some of my packets did a 6h ride in full sun in my back pocket without melting and still being eatable. <A> Do what the cowboys did- carry beef jerky <A> Tinned fruit is not really very high energy density, or very satisfying. <S> Amongst the tinned stuff, creamed rice might be a good one? <S> There's some good chunky soups, and pre-flavoured beans around too, and while they're nicer hot, they're quite edible cold if needed. <S> Others have pointed out various bars. <S> Even when they look like muesli, they're commonly 30% sugar, which is not bad for snacking while cycling, but not great if you're talking about an emergency evening meal. <S> If you look for it, some supermarkets have pumpernickel loaves, which are a very high density bread. <S> It's commonly a european export product, so <S> it's usually sterile-packaged such that if it's not too hot it'll last for months if the packaging isn't punctured. <S> Probably better in a plastic container or something though, to stop it being knocked around. <S> I like it with peanut butter. <A> I usually buy a box of meal replacement bars and distribute them through my bags. <S> They seem to have a decent mix of sugar, complex carbs, and protein. <S> Often times I'll eat half one day and finish it the next day. <S> I've got some that are probably past the date by a few months, but they always seem to taste fine. <S> They don't always do the best in the sun though unless you get the cookie dough, or peanut butter something or other. <S> Those are pretty much a block of mealy paste. <S> Those ones don't taste super awesome, so they might last in your bag a bit longer ;) <A> I've never eaten one <S> but I've seen military MRE 's (meal ready to eat) for sale before now. <S> Probably very long shelf life and designed for a soldiers backback so a pannier shouldn't be a problem. <S> More substantial than a bar too. <A> Trail mix. <S> But make sure it has few nuts and more fruits/sugar.
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I like to carry PowerBars, because they taste sufficiently foul that I'm never tempted to eat them just because I'm bored or peckish.
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How to identify galvanised and stainless cables? Recently I bought some stainless steel gear and brake cables. I have 3 packets of cables from 3 Ebay shops. How do I identify if they are genuine stainless steel cables or if I've been ripped off? Using a magnet - 2 packets stick to the magnet, galvanised cables also stick to magnet with similar force. Can I use anything from my kitchen to test the cables. Something like vinegar, lemon juice, cola or even bleach. I could rub them with something abrasive and then leave the cables in salty water for a period of time. Any ideas? <Q> If you really want to test, you can cut a small piece of cable on each and put them in bleach. <S> Stainless steel would corrode with rust forming evenly. <S> The (correctly) galvanised area will likely to be white. <S> A little note: <S> For your time testing, just buy a better cable from a reliable shop next time <S> The reaction may produce harmful gas, don't put them indoor or unventilated area <A> im not sure if the cables might be to thin for you to notice, but the easiest way todifferentiate between stainless steel and galvanized is to look and see what the metal looks like. <S> stainless steel looks particularly shiny, and it also feels really smooth. <S> galvanized steel, (due to the galvanization process), looks kind of scuffed or foggy, and it does not reflect light very well. <S> Galvanized also feels a little bit gritty, as opposed to steel which, again, is smooth. <S> If you can't tell by eye, try putting some pictures with your question. <S> Good luck! <A> My assumption would be that you purchased them from eBay because they were cheap. <S> If that's the case just use them. <S> If they work, they work and you've saved some money. <S> The time and effort you are investing to "test" the cables could probably be saved by just spending a bit extra next time and purchasing from a source you consider reliable.
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Galvanised steel would mostly corrode on the cross-section of the cable (where the cut is made). Some of what you are talking about to test the cables may damage them, or leave them vulnerable to premature wear.
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Are carbon hubs a good idea? I'm beginning to see manufactures making carbon hubs and am wondering if they have the potential to perform better than conventional metal hubs or if they are just a way to save a couple of grams of weight, possibly at the expense of performance. Edit: These are the hubs I was originally asking about, manufactured by enve. They have a full carbon shell and flange. The flange is not drilled, the holes are molded as such. <Q> Which hubs are you thinking about? <S> It would be very hard to make a carbon hub flange strong enough to withstand spoke tension, assuming you are building a wheel with conventional spokes. <S> Most carbon hubs I have seen use aluminum flanges, and the few which offer significant weight savings are ultralight equipment not for general use. <S> Carbon probably won't replace the axle, bearings, freehub, or quick release, either. <S> So you're talking about a few inches of tubing being carbon instead of aluminum, and you're trading the one-piece hub shell for something assembled. <S> The hub is subject to considerable stress from riding <S> so it's not an area where it makes sense to compromise. <A> If you want to make a very large flange hub (to produce shorter spoke lengths and produce a stiffer wheel), bonding a large metal flange to a carbon hub shell is not a bad idea. <S> If you try doing it with a one piece design, the larger shell (coming from the larger flange) would likely make the hub heavy. <A> Does a carbon brake lever perform better than an aluminum? <S> I am pretty sure a carbon hub is purely for weight and not performance. <S> Frame and fork is a case of carbon also has performance benefits. <S> Carbon has flex and damping characteristics that many people prefer over other materials. <S> In a hub you just want rigid and strength - I think.
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Making the shell out of carbon instead has the the potential to preserve the advantages of a large flange without the drawbacks of having an overweight heavy metal shell.
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Any detriment to hanging a bike by its front wheel? I came across the below image today and thought it a great idea for storing bikes. However I wasn't sure if literally hanging a bike by its front wheel might cause undue stress to either the wheel itself or the front forks. Has anyone else done this to no ill effect? In the image below the back wheels don't even seem to be touching the floor, which I would have thought would take some of the weight. <Q> You'd have to calulate the actual forces to be 100% sure <S> but it's not going to be a problem: forces on front wheel/fork/headset while e.g. just sitting on the bike, braking or landing jumps will be (much) higher than the force applied from hanging it. <S> That being said, I do note at least two problems with this setup: first, good luck getting one of the center bikes out without touching or getting stuck in another bike. <S> Second: from the picture it seems like you'd have to hold the bike with one hand then use the other to attach it. <S> Ok for a roadbike, but for anything heavier that is just hard. <S> Usually these systems have an open 'C'-shaped fixed hook into which you simply hang the bike which is much more convenient. <A> Bike shops frequently hang bikes in a similar way. <S> And when I lived in small house in the inner city, I hung all of the family bikes in a similar way for years, without observing any problems. <S> It's remarkably easy to get the bike up onto the hook or peg, when you learn how. <S> Those in the picture don't look as easy. <S> The rack I built used big butcher's hooks. <S> Edit : <S> Bike wheels are designed to carry the bike's weight plus up to 100 kg of rider. <S> They work by the spokes being in tension, with the load distributed around the wheel. <S> This Cyclingnews Maintenance & repair article shows the tension of the spokes for various rims. <S> The minimum spoke tension from all the wheels in the list is 51 "kg force" (500 N). <S> The maximum tension described is over 175 kg. <S> Conclusion : hanging a 20 kg bike by the wheel is a non-issue, even if the load is carried by a single spoke. <A> I've done this before and it worked out nicely. <S> I never had a problem with the forks (even with shocks, though if they are expensive shocks you'll want to lock them first), headjoints, anything. <S> Turning them to face the wall (so its like they are riding up the wall) makes it easier to get them in and out. <S> Even with a 40lbs. <S> crappy, huge BSO-grade MTB <S> it wasn't hard to stow or recover. <S> Maybe my (tiny) wife would have found it more difficult, but anyway 40lbs. <S> isn't very heavy* and its about as heavy as bikes get. <S> Not sure if I would do this with racing rims that have huge gaps between spoke sections, but then again a racing bike is ~1/3 the weight of a 40lbs. <S> pile of poo -- so it probably wouldn't be an issue even then. <S> [ <S> *I mean 40lbs. <S> isn't heavy to lift or carry ... <S> 40lbs. feels enormously heavy and sluggish to ride when you're used to slipping around on something 1/3 the weight!] <A> There shouldn't be a problem with this. <S> As was said, bike shops do it all the time.
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Even a lightweight wheel needs to be strong enough to hold the bike and cyclist. No, there are no problems with doing this.
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Why is my bike slipping gears? I have a 1997 Gary Fisher Tassajara that got a complete overhaul and tune-up at a bike shop a year ago. (to the tune of $180, but some of that was new tires- I'm the original owner) I ride between 4 and 8 miles on logging roads and easy dirt trails several times a week, and didn't have this issue until late Spring. The slipping started infrequently, but has gotten much worse in the past two months. It doesn't slip in the highest gear, and I can sometimes find a lower one that will work for me- but other times I end up having to put the chain back on mid-ride. I'm a little worried about the chain or gears actually breaking while I'm out in the wilderness alone, so have limited my backwoods trail-taking until I get this issue taken care of. <Q> When your bike was overhauled they likely replaced the shifter cables. <S> The result is the derailleurs don't shift as accurately as they should. <S> It is a fairly simple process to readjust them. <S> There are many on line tutorials that will show you how to do this yourself. <S> If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself <S> your local shop can help you. <A> When riding in wet/dirty terrain it's important to make sure your chain is well oiled and operating smoothly. <S> If it feels stiff in a couple places after cleaning, lubrication, and a ride around the block, it might be time to replace it. <S> A thorough cleaning and good lubrication only works if your derailleurs are aligned properly though. <S> Check your derailleurs and make sure they aren't overshooting the correct gears. <S> Cables stretch and often times I find myself tuning my derailleurs at least once after new cables are installed. <A> This is a textbook cable tension issue. <S> Since you stated that your highest and lowest gears are working well, I assume that the middle gears are the ones that are slipping. <S> You could take it back to the bike shop and explain this to them <S> and they'll surely fix it for you. <S> Given the time that has passed since they last touched it, they'll probably charge you. <S> If you want to just fix it yourself, use the thumb and index-finger adjusters either up near your shifter or down at the derailleur. <S> First, shift to a gear that slips, preferably the most centered gear on your cassette. <S> Looking down onto your bike from above, or from behind the back tire, align your eye with your chainline and your cassette. <S> Twist the cable tension adjuster to increase or decrease the cable tension and watch the derailleur move away from, or toward your spokes. <S> Center up the line that the chain is running by watching your cassette and the derailleur pulleys. <S> These will likely be very small adjustments! <S> Center it up and then jump on and go through the gears. <S> If you get it close, then use the adjuster up near your shifter to fine tune it while you pedal. <S> Bike shops should know to stretch all cables when they are installed and test ride everything, but this is a good thing to know how to do.
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If you can't get it, the cable might have stretched to the point where it needs to be reset at its anchor point at the derailleur. If the chain isn't clean and lubricated it will feel like it "slips". The cables will stretch over time.
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Is it Ok to lock or unlock my suspension fork while riding? When I need to switch the suspension fork, should I stop before switch? <Q> Similarly, you would not try to change the position of a deadbolt on a door while the door is partially open. <S> See <S> Do I need to take my weight off the bike to lock out the suspension? <A> Hydraulic lockouts can be activated on the fly. <S> Mechanical ones can't (in theory), because you the fork has to be completely extended. <S> I can activate my mechanical lock on the fly by pulling up on the stem with one hand and turning the lock with the other hand, but it's a little dangerous:) <A> You can just switch while riding along. <S> Obviously, (assuming no bar mounted remote) you have to be going at a speed at which it's sensible to take one hands off the bars <S> to open/close the fork. <S> If you forget to unlock the fork and head down a descent you might want to stop/slow down a lot to switch it in that case. <A> Unless you have a bar-mounted lockout, there is of course a small risk involved in taking a hand from the bar, bending down and flicking the lockout, but other than that I can't see it being detrimental to the bike in any way. <S> All the lockouts I've tried require the weight to be off the fork though which usually necessitates a slight front-end lift to allow the lockout to be turned, so you probably have to account for that. <S> I certainly wouldn't do it in any kind of tricky terrain, or when travelling at speed, but I lock mine out or re-enable all the time on the move. <A> I'd assume it's something you could, but you probably shouldn't do. <S> Kind of like shifting a car into gear without being stopped, you're <S> just gunna wear your hardware that much faster.
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Yes, you should generally stop and set the suspension to an uncompressed/unloaded position before you switch, especially if it's a cheaper lockout. All forks can be unlocked on the fly.
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Do Bike stores allow you to ship a bike to them to assemble? I live in Orlando, Florida, and I am stuck with no transportation besides public buses, taxis, etc. as my bike literally fell apart in pieces in the middle of a road. I am looking to purchase a new bike, but I would need for it to be professionally assembled. My question is would most bike shops work something out where I could ship it directly to them for assembly, so that I do not have to walk with a bike box for a few miles. <Q> I think there are two questions here: 1 - Can you have a bike professionally assembled by a bike shop? <S> In my experience (having done this a couple of times) it will typically cost the price of their "pro tune" or equivalent - the service when they break the bike down and put it back together. <S> $2-300 say. <S> Bike shops can be a bit sniffy about this, but getting to know your local tech staff will help make things easier. <S> 2 - Is this a good idea? <S> Depends why you're doing it. <S> If you've got a frame or components you want to put together - say you bought a particular rare steel frame that you want your gruppo from your other bike on...then it can be a great option. <S> If it's about buying a high-end bike for cheaper - it <S> may be a good option but check where you're sourcing from. <S> If it's about buying a cheaper (say sub $500) bike for less than you can pay in an LBS - I'd say a crazy false economy. <S> Instead, buy a second hand bike on CL or similar and save $100 or so to get it checked out by your LBS. <S> Slightly aligned to the point above - if I'm a bike mech, being asked to work on a cool steel frame or a high-end bike from a brand I may never have worked on is pretty cool. <S> Being asked to spanner a cheap bike from Walmart is going to make me feel pretty crappy about myself and question why I work in the industry. <S> The level of work I do is likely to be commensurate with how the work makes me feel... <A> In my experience, bike shops don't make much money off of turning wrenches. <S> It then follows that they don't typically care for some bike that you chose to buy online instead of from their showroom, which is where most of their money is made. <S> If you buy something that doesn't align well with a particular shop, i.e. an overly cheap bike and a shop that deals a lot with higher-end stuff, they might not want to associate themselves with such an inferior product. <S> Cheap shifters and derailleurs, for example, can be impossible to dial in. <S> One can not expect even a seasoned mechanic to be responsible for cheap metals that bend under pressure as their eventual imperfect performance could then be associated with his work or his shop. <S> As a second example, cheaper rims can be a nightmare to true; as is expecting them to remain so. <S> All of this being said, however, just go into the bike shop and explain your situation to them. <S> If you're ordering something that they think is worth their time, then expect to pay at least $100 to $125 for them to properly assemble it and tune it. <S> They might even be able to show you something there in the shop that is comparable to what you're interested in! <A> My local bike shop has a posted price of $80 to assemble a bike as received in a box (presumably bought over the internet) and $200 to assemble a bike from a frame and set of components. <S> One of my friends bought a frame and groupset (quite a nice one) and they were happy to do the work. <S> You should talk to the specific shop you are thinking of and see what they say. <S> The same shop has free lifetime adjustments on any bike you buy from them, so you need to figure that into your calculation of the economics. <A> Yes many bicycle repair shops offer assembly service. <S> Of course they would also like a shot at your business for the bike. <S> You will generally get more free service from a shop where you purchased the bike, so there is some value to that. <A> I just called a couple of local shops about assembly, one was very straightforward and easy to talk with and gave a simple price. <S> One was like these guys above, a lot of double talk nonsense. <S> I'm going with the straightforward. <S> Assembly is pretty simple. <S> The answer should be too. <S> There are many good online bike sellers and the box arrives needing assembly. <S> I called a shop near me as i am in the same situation with public transport. <S> Best wishes fellow foot, bike and pub trans commuter.
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The time that it takes to work with a cheap bike is not worth the shop's time. Perhaps you could call your local shops and ask if you could have it delivered to them for assembly.
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How do I fix a loose saddle? My seat on my bmx turns literally on every bump. If I tap it it'll turn and normally fall off.. The teeth on the seat look to be fairly worn. I don't really want to spend any money as it's just a bike for riding dirt jumps. I was thinking of glueing it but is there any other way? Cheers :) <Q> Slap some JB Weld on that stub and shove it in the post. <S> Let it sit for one day. <S> Smack it around a little and if it doesn't pop off you'll be good to go. <A> Its not exactly clear on what materials are involved. <S> It looks like the top piece was designed with an interference fit, and pressed into the tube. <S> I'm guessing aluminum (or is that zinc?) <S> top piece and steel tube? <S> ($$$) <S> If it's aluminum to aluminum, it would be possible to TIG weld the two together. <S> Obviously you'd have to remove the seat from the mount, and the tube from the bike frame first. <S> Have you talked to folks who do welding repairs? <S> It may cost a lot less than you think. <S> I know of one welder whose motto is "Tricycles and kitchen chairs have always been free..." <A> Your not going to find a replacement seatpost that works with the seat. <S> It may be worth trying to glue it together, but that will only work for any length of time if you prepare the surfaces properly. <S> You'll need to use a wire brush to get down to bare metal. <S> The the seat half you can use a wire wheel in an electric drill or Dremel, the inside of the seat post will be more challenging as you'll need a narrow brush and will have to do it by hand. <S> The surfaces will also need to be cleaned with a solvent. <S> You could easily spend more money on tools and materials than on a new cheap seatpost and seat. <S> Find out if you have a bike cooperative near where you live that refurbishes old bikes. <S> They are often a good source of cheap parts.
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It's possible to braze dissimilar materials together, but it takes some significant prep work. You could save some costs by removing ALL the paint from both parts within two inches of the joint before bring them to the welder.
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My rear wheel shifts in the dropouts, what could cause this? I weigh 175 lbs. and I can put some good torque into my compact double (I'm riding a steel frame). I'm having trouble with my wheel coming out of the dropouts, or becoming misaligned. It's a big problem. Are the wheels to blame? I already took out the dropout adjusters, and tightened the quick releases about as much as humanly possible. What can I do? Wheels are a big investment, I know this because the the wheels are brand new. The axle rests about half way through the drop out. Is this to blame? Maybe the axle isn't long enough? There is knurling on the quick release and on the outside of the hub. <Q> Maybe you could use marker or some kind of fresh ink, paint the dropout, install everything and then observe if paint transfer was uniform. <S> If you have spare wheel (or you can borrow one) ideally without QR try installing it and see if problem persists. <S> If the problem persists, than the issue is on the frame side, or in the way you are tightening. <S> Otherwise, it is on the QR side. <S> Lastly, I have to ask this, are you sure you are installing and tightening QR right way? <S> (finger tighten, and then use lever on QR to get a good tight) <A> The dropouts look like good quality chromed steel, i.e. quite 'hard'. <S> I realise the QR skewer is brand new, but if it's not great quality the serrated (?) <S> nut faces may not be hard or 'sharp' enough to bite into the chrome. <S> I'd suggest trying a better skewer, or possibly using sharp toothed washers between dropout and nut: <A> I had a similar problem with my brand-new tri bike. <S> My issue was it had adjustable dropouts so you could snug the tire (depending on tire of size) <S> right up to the frame for maximum aerodynamics. <S> We ended up sanding off the plating on the dropouts and putting carbon grit in between the dropouts and frame, which has worked beautifully for two years now, including adjustments for different tires. <S> Use some citrus cleaner or equivalent. <S> Try roughing up the outsides of dropouts with a low-grit sand paper?
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Check the alignment of dropouts, and if QR mates with dropout with full surface on both sides. In my situation, the anodize plating on the dropouts was so smooth, as was the carbon finish on the frame, there just wasn't enough friction to keep the dropouts from moving horizontally. Looking at your pictures and assuming you don't have an axel issue, my only suggestions are: Make sure dropouts and QR nuts are clean and free of grease.
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Standing to pedal is extremely tiring - should it be this difficult? I've gotten back into riding fairly recently. I used to ride a bicycle a lot when I was younger - the single-speed, steel-frame deal with coaster brakes. I'm now riding a Fuji hybrid. When I was younger, standing to pedal was the thing to do. However, now when I do it, I can't really sustain it for more than four seconds, literally; my quads ache and I feel as though I have absolutely no endurance for this. This happens not only on hills, but on flat as well. Sitting to pedal has been alright for the most part. I'm able to climb hills in low gear (even though I'm really not good at it yet) and I can pedal well on flat ground. Standing is just a different story, as it takes it out of me so incredibly quickly that it's an almost useless technique. Am I doing something wrong? Might I need to adjust my handlebars to be higher or something? (My saddle is at a correct height, but perhaps when I stand, I'm having to lean too far forward to keep my hands on the bars?) Or is this common and it's something I'll just need to get over with practice? Don't get me wrong - I know that these things do come with time - but it doesn't seem to make sense that I get tired standing to pedal even on flat ground... Thank you. <Q> Standing up on a bike, especially when you lack fitness, is a good way to go " anaerobic ." <S> Put simply, that means your body is working so hard, it can't get enough oxygen. <S> You can only do that for a short amount of time, which for most people is in the range of 10-30 seconds. <S> Then the lactic acid build up in your muscles becomes too painful <S> and you are forced to ease up. <S> The solution is simple. <S> You need more strength and fitness. <S> If you like to ride fast and/or climb hills, you can't avoid the anaerobic zone completely, but you can move it a little farther away by getting good fitness. <A> Pedaling while standing always takes more effort; we do it when we need the extra boost. <S> When you were <S> younger and rid[ing] a bicycle a lot <S> , you were also fitter. <S> I'm guessing you have had a sedentary job for a while, so now your whole system needs to build up again. <S> This is, unfortunately in our modern world, normal . <S> As with any strength / fitness program, take it slowly. <S> So ride regularly, gradually increasing the distances. <S> Ride while standing from time to time, <S> gradually increasing the number of pedal strokes or distance. <S> When you are feeling that you have some strength and fitness, you can look into interval training , or other training methods. <S> You can also look at our training questions for more guidance. <A> The frame size and shape could be an issue too. <S> And some frames may do the transfer less efficiently when standing than when sitting. <S> Have you tried stand-pedaling on a different bike? <S> Try borrowing one, you may decide that it is time to buy a different frame. <A> When I started riding again, after many years, standing was very hard – like couldn't do it hard. <S> My legs ached as soon as I started and it was really hard to control the bike. <S> Now, a year and change later, I almost enjoy it. <S> I often stand to push up the last part of a hill or to do a short hill without shifting. <S> My advice would be to find opportunities to push your self (maybe without standing), notice the signs of getting fitter and from time to time do a bit of standing. <S> I think you'll find that it gets easier. <S> I find that if the gear is too low standing is much harder. <A> Have you tried it on other bikes? <S> I own one bike on which I can not really ride standing up while I can do it on others, just because of the position (and size) of the handle bars and the pedals. <S> If it is really 4 seconds max, I would say that you will not find it easy to ride standing up on this bike, not even when you have build up your muscles. <S> And sometimes it is the combination of rider and bike.
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Of course, building up muscles will help, but some bikes are just not build for standing up. Some frames transfer your effort more efficiently than others. Keep riding, and keep riding hills. It's easy to cause injuries by being over-enthusiastic. Also, make sure you're in a high enough gear when you stand.
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Are there any online bike route planning options that allow 5-10 mile incriments? I would like a bike route going from Camas, WA to Onalaska, WA. I would like something that is the shortest distance with as few streets and turns as possible. Both the routes I find at Google Maps and Mapquest have about 4 dozen different roads. I am not kidding, see for yourself. I would also like to print this out in such a way that I can mark each 5 mile point. I want to know when I have hit 5 miles, then 10, then 15, all the way up to 90. Finally I would like to avoid the freeway as much as possible, especially since it is probably not legal for me to travel on parts of it via bicycle. If there is a printed map I should buy for this instead, please provide the details, including where I can buy it online, and if it is not available to buy online, where I can buy it in the Vancouver, Washington area. Thank you! <Q> In general, I don't think there is a tool right now <S> that does exactly what you want, but you can get close. <S> It sounds like you tried Google Maps, and hopefully when you did you clicked on the Bike Route option to see the suggested route. <S> That is not going to minimize the different roads and turns because it is optimized for safer, lower-speed roads. <S> One nice thing about the Google Maps bike route tool is that the printable directions/details are formatted very much like the route tip sheets I make for myself when going for longer rides in new areas. <S> You can also use veloroutes.com to create your own routes, see elevation profiles, export to google earth and create the same google maps navigation directions mentioned above. <S> A search for Camus turned up this route for instance (not quite what you are looking for but it give you an idea of what you can generate). <S> For your specific starting point and destination you may want to check with your local bike shops for any Washington specific route maps or publications. <S> The sports or travel sections of your local library or bookstore are another good place to look for books or maps that have long-distance cycling routes. <S> You are in luck for part of your route though - <S> The section from just north of Toledo to a little west of Longview sits on the Adventure Cycling Pacific Coast Trail . <S> Adventure Cycling routes and maps are some of the best I have encountered. <S> The maps can be a bit pricey, but are well worth it for their detail . <S> They typically show convenience stores, bike shops and rest/camping areas. <S> There are other Adventure Cycling Routes in Washington and all over the US. <A> Like Gary said, finding something that does exactly what you want may be difficult. <S> However, I like to use ridewithgps.com to plan my routes. <S> It's optimized for cycling routes (so keeps you off freeways and can use bike paths if available) <S> and you can have distance markers and points of interest markers along the way. <S> I only use the basic plan. <S> Their paid plans may have some extra tools that might be useful for your needs. <S> Here's an example Camas to Onalaska . <A> Try the Strava route planner. <S> http://www.strava.com/ <S> and you install an app on a iphone or android phone. <S> It will give you a moving map while riding showing you where you are, and where the turns are. <S> The route planner can be told to "prefer popular roads" or to minimise distance or minimise elevation change. <S> Plus you can get a "global heatmap" that shows you where other people bike. <S> Its free to use, with some payware features for people doing training. <S> I've used the free side for a year now. <A> Of course a routing application can only do so much, but http://brouter.de/brouter-web/ is great and you can adjust the parameters (e.g. penalities for turning, elevation, primary streets, tracks etc.).
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You can also search veloroutes.com by location to see if anyone has a route like yours.
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Road bike tires that are ok on sand I've got an old Trek 1200 road bike circa 1995 with down tube shifters and mostly original components. These days, I mostly ride it on my summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard where most of the riding is on pavement but occasionally I'll want to venture down a sandy road. I currently have smooth 23 mm tires that I fill to 115 psi. These are terrible on the sandy roads! Can you recommend tires for a road bike that would do better on sandy roads? UPDATE: These are sandy roads that cars and mountain bikes would have no problems going down. It is a mixture of packed dirt and shallow sandy areas. Sandy roads are not that long, no more than a mile here and there. UPDATE2: I bought two of these 700x28 Kenda tires . This worked for the front but was too big for the back. I'm going to return one and get a 700x25 for the back. People on Amazon say these tires run big, so other 28 tires might work on this bike. <Q> On sand you'll need wider tires that do not dig into sand as easily as well as some tread pattern to prevent sand grains from rolling under your tires. <S> 23mm is too narrow. <S> Measure the forks, if they are wide enough you can use cyclocross semislicks. <S> I have seen an old Trek road bike with cyclocross tires used in a race, so it might be possible for your bike too. <A> Biggest tire you can get in it. <S> I doubt you can find a sand or even dirt type traction tire at 30 mm or less. <S> So go with a touring tires. <S> Install flat and pump them on the bike. <S> Front to back may not be the same. <S> You would be lucky to get 30mm and hopefully 28mm. <S> Problem is that even 30mm is terrible in soft sand. <S> In packed wet sand even a 30mm is marginal. <S> For soft sand a 2" is a minimum. <S> In cyclocross the technique for riding sand is in the saddle, hands up on bars, and head up. <S> The idea is to keep as much weight off the front tire as possible. <S> Keep the font end lite and go with the flow. <S> You will get pushed around and you need to relax and go with it. <S> Even 10 yards in soft sand is lot of work. <S> In a more packed sand I would guess the same technique. <S> Standing does not seem to work very well in sand. <A> As other answers have said, wider tires and lower tire pressures can help. <S> Technique is the other half of the solution, because it can be used with your current tires and with wider ones. <S> The first thing is to do when you encounter the sand is ride straight. <S> The deeper the sand is, the more it grabs your wheels. <S> Small steering movements can have big consequences. <S> But very shallow sand can be slippery. <S> So avoid turns. <S> The next thing is to slow down, until your skills with sand improve. <S> With better skills you can go faster again. <S> The next thing is to maintain a constant speed. <S> In deep sand, if you want to stop then just stop pedaling, or use the rear brake. <S> But to get through deep sand you have to keep pedaling. <S> After getting into the sand, you may need to stand to apply enough power to maintain that constant speed. <S> See this other answer and the discussion with @ChrisH that follows it. <S> And see this answer by @Rider_X.
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Hitting the sand with speed helps but you need to be comfortable with sand for that. Narrower touring tires are an option too, get the widest that you can fit. If you want to sand then look for a used mtn bike.
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Bottom bracket creaking only when pedaling hard. When pedaling with a decent amount of force a very loud creaking sound can be heard coming from the bottom bracket area (it is very loud when standing on the pedals). It makes a creaking noise on each foot's down stroke. So with both feet pedaling equals two creaks per full revolution. If I unclip either foot and pedal with only one foot, a creaking noise will be heard once per revolution (on the down stroke of the pedaling foot). If I pedal softly, no noise is heard. Things that I have done so far, yet the problem remains: Changing pedals, regreasing their threads and making sure they are tightened. Tightening chaining bolts. Replacing the actual crankset. Taking the crankset out, cleaning all the old grease and regreasing. Making sure the crank arm is tightened correctly. Is there anything left besides it being the bottom bracket causing the problem? I haven't had a chance to inspect that yet because it's a pressfit and I don't have the proper tools to take it out and reinsert it. <Q> It seemed like it was from the bottom bracket area because it was in sync with my pedalling <S> but I put a dab of grease near the contact points of the skewers and the noise is gone. <S> So if anyone else is having similar problems, check your skewers first because it's a lot easier than taking your cranks and bottom bracket apart. <A> Since you said it happens while standing, that eliminates the seat post + saddle (which are often causes of creaking which are attributed to the bottom bracket). <S> You've also eliminated the crankset+pedals. <S> Pressfit systems are notorious for having creaks, so it's likely the bottom bracket (to the point where its considered "normal" in some cases). <A> It took me 4 days to realize my "BB creaking" was actually my 1/8th halflink chain "stretching" :/ <A> Had exactly the same thing. <S> I took off the chainring and cranks and regreased and tightened everything. <S> Still creaking. <S> Took off the pedals and refreshed and cleaned them up and tightened them back on, still creaking. <S> Hope this helps someone. <A> The proper tools shouldn't cost more than £60. <S> If you think you'll be needing them in the future then it may be worth while investing in them <S> as £60 is roughly the cost of having a shop <S> do it twice. <S> If you don't want to buy the correct tools you can knock the bearings out easily enough with a block of wood and a hammer. <S> Considering this is likely the source of the creaking then I wouldn't worry too much about damaging the BB further during removal. <S> Reinstalling the new BB can be done with a length of threaded rod, some large washers and some nuts. <S> Do you know which style of pressfit <S> BB you have? <S> PF30, BB86 etc? <S> You should be able to find the tools you need locally. <A> I tried everything atound the bottom crank area. <S> Drove me crazy. <S> In the end it was the derraileur hanger fixing. <S> Greased and tightened them and creaking gone. <S> Sanity restored
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Frame damage (e.g. cracks) can cause creaking too. Eventually I found it was the rear derailleur hanger bolt was slightly loose and was creaking against the frame, grease and tighten and noise is gone, relief. Turns out it was the rear skewer of all things causing the creaking! Given how much tools for dealing with pressfit cost, it's probably going to mean going to a shop.
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How do people ride road bikes without fenders? I want to buy a bike. The road bikes look very gorgeous. However I noticed that they come without fenders to protect from water! I was really surprised for that actually and that made me wonder about how do people protect themselves when driving on wet roads. When one drives on a wet road then you get smashed by water and your clothes get dirty. So how do people protect themselves when driving a road bike?! Are the tires somehow made that they prevent water? Or what is the secret?! <Q> Most road bikes are the equivalent of an open-top racing car. <S> You just don't ride them in the rain. <S> And if you do, you are expected to be hard core enough that a little rain isn't worth the weight and aerodynamic drag that the fenders would cause. <S> And there's also a reason that hardcore racers wear sunglasses during the day or transparent glasses in the evening -- they help keep bugs and rain out of your eyes. <S> And as many people note, you'll be soaking wet from sweat anyway if you're riding hard. <S> That being said, there are some slim fenders that can attach to some road bikes -- although many/most road bikes currently being sold come without fender eyelets and are so aerodynamic that there isn't enough space between the wheel and forks/stays to put a fender that would work a darn. <S> If you want fenders but like the road bike drop-bar style, look at expedition/touring bikes or cyclocross bikes. <S> Or, if you're like many people, you instead have a beater commuter with fenders that you ride in the rain <S> and you keep your gorgeous carbon fiber racer for sunny days. <S> One can never have too many bikes . <A> You will get wet if you ride at speed on a wet road without fenders. <S> I think you can find fenders to fit almost any road bike if you want them, but otherwise I can think a few things that mitigate the problem: <S> Change clothes shortly after the end of the ride, and wash and dry yourself if facilities are available. <S> Wear tight cycling clothes. <S> You will still be wet, but you won't have the sensation of repeatedly touching wet fabric. <S> Wear clothes made with fabrics designed not to hold much water and to dry quickly. <S> Put lots of energy into cycling. <S> This will generate heat. <A> You just buy the fenders and put them on. <S> I'd say most non-race bikes will have them, and ones which are commonly used for commuting or touring will almost definitely have them. <S> Then you buy a set of fenders, and bolt them on. <S> You can also use clip on mudguards and fenders (e.g. to the seatpost), like the SKS X-board and SKS X-tra dry. <S> This style clips onto the downtube in lieu of a front fender: <S> This style clips onto the seatpost as a rear fender: <S> Another style is this (from Planet Bike): <S> These don't provide all the benefits of a proper fender (e.g. protecting the drivetrain) but block some of the mud and water and can be mounted on any bike, even a mountain bike: <S> Finally, some people just get wet and dirty or don't take their road bikes out in the rain. <S> Note that road bikes generally don't throw up as much crud up as mountain bikes since their tires are smaller. <S> My road bike has a SKS X-tra Dry seatpost rear fender, and the front is just plain. <S> It uses 700x28 tires, and I find that the front doesn't throw all that much up that I care about it too much. <S> The rear is pretty well covered by the seatpost fender, so I don't have skunk stripe. <A> This is a big issue here in the UK, where it rains rather a lot. <S> And on the minor roads particularly you don't just get wet, but covered in mud, de-icing salt and other gunk - not great for you or your bike. <S> Fortunately at least some manufacturers are waking up to the fact that mudguard mounts on road bikes are a really good idea. <S> Some such as the Specialized Roubaix, use very discreet "hidden" mounts that are almost invisible when mudguards are not attached. <S> The Focus Paralane even comes with a set of 'guards included: For bikes without dedicated mounts there are two main options: <S> SKS Raceblade long Crud Roadracer Mk3 <S> You will need to make sure there is enough frame clearance to fit them. <S> So to answer your question - you don't have to!
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Some road bikes have fender eyelets on the fork and near the rear dropouts (newer eyelets are a bit hidden to preserve the aesthetic on some models). Wear waterproof / water resistant clothing, ideally breathable to allow water vapour from sweat to escape.
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Are braking vibrations a sign of the end of the life of a wheel? My mountain commuter (2008 Schwinn High Timber) has picked up a vibration in the front wheel under braking. I'm worried that this is a sign that the rim is end of life. I checked the V-brakes and they do have some slight play front to back (about a 1 mm at the top of the brake arms), but the bolts for them are still tight. I have found a few spots on the wheel that looks like a pit, or possibly environmental damage, but not enough of them to justify the vibration. Is it possible that a rim will warp into a wavy pattern (I highly doubt it)? This rim does not have a wear indicator when new, but will they put something in the rim that will be exposed when worn? It is a Alex "X101" (best geuss) Rim single wall alloy, but since it is a BSO OEM, it isn't listed on the website. I have put 15000 km on it with 2/3 of it being daily commuting. My commute home involves braking from speeds of 50 kph for red lights and a turn on a 3.5 km stretch. I have to ride the brakes for a short but steep downhill section while escorting the kids home. The wheel is still true and the bearings are in good shape. I'm on my 3rd set of brake pads (oem, over the counter bike shop, and now KoolStop dual compounds used for 2000km). I'm a all weather rider, but I keep the bike clean. I don't get to ride in nasty slushy snow, but roads are heavily salted here that will linger for weeks. I'm planning on changing the wheels out anyways here in a few months for other reasons, but I just want to make sure I'm not going to kill myself in the mean time. <Q> Is there any kind of wobble or unevenness in the rim? <S> There shouldn’t be more than about 1mm of wobble. <S> If there is a noticeable wobble the wheel might simply need truing. <S> Are the brake pads properly aligned? <S> They should wear evenly over the whole surface. <S> You can measure rim wall thickness with a caliper gauge. <A> I had a case where my front brake would stick at one point of the rim. <S> I complained at my local bike shop and they scrubbed the rim with a soap/degreaser suggesting it could be surface contamination. <S> It fixed the problem. <S> This is an easy and cheap thing to try. <A> I found the solution to my vibration issue. <S> This bike has Continental Touring Plus tires on it which have a interesting multi panel construction that has radial ribs on the outside: <S> However, in an effort to at least clean up the looks of my bike I tucked the left over brake cable back behind the brake arm. <S> Well after a few weeks the pad has worn down far enough that the end of the cable is touching the tire right along the radial ribs. <S> This is the cause of my vibration. <S> I was able to verify it visually and by the sound it made striking it. <S> It looks like the brake pad is out of alignment for some reason. <S> I noticed that it was rubbing the tire a few weeks back and fixed it, but Looks like it moved back. <S> In this case it will hit the ribs as well, but since I haven't noticed it then, I don't think it was the issue this time. <S> I'm not going to mark this as an answer since it doesn't answer my original question. <A> If you have side-pull caliper, cantilever, or linear-pull brakes and they are not engaging both sides of braking surfaces at the same time, your wheel may be getting pushed one way or the other. <S> At that point, you're at the mercy of the collective spoke tensions and strengths, so vibrations and stop power will vary. <S> I've only ever let mine get so far out of alignment that I noticed any vibration under braking one time, but centering calipers is part of my cleaning routine now.
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A sign for rim wear is also if you can measure a deformation (change in rim width) between zero and maximum tire pressure.
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What size innertube for 35mm tires? (or: get innertubes on the big side or small side?) If you had 35mm tires (Schwalbe marathon supremes to be specific) would you get innertubes speced as 28-35mm or 35-42mm? Or whichever is cheaper? <Q> Either will work . <S> Use what your prefer. <S> Smaller will weigh a bit less and be easier to install. <S> Larger won't have the tube stretched as much, so hypothetically could survive a puncture better. <A> Smaller tube is better. <S> Even significantly smaller (eg. 20-25 mm inner tube in 40 mm tire) will work just fine. <S> Other way around it might be hard to fit the tube inside the tire even before inflating tube. <A> It would be better to use a 28-35mm tube vs the larger. <A> It depends. <S> If you're on the limits of your rims with these tyres and could only go one way with your next set, get the tube that would fit those. <S> My previous tyres were 35s <S> and I knew I would probably replace them with something a little thinner <S> so I made sure to get the --35 size target than the 35--. <S> Tubes are amazingly forgiving. <S> The bike I got recently to fix up turned out to have a 24" tube on a 26" wheel, and it held.
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A smaller tube also makes it easier to install. If you have another bike for which one size is also suitable, get that one.
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does anyone still make competitive chromoly frames for road biking? Chromoly frames can be constructed relatively light if the quality is high enough. Does anyone know of any brands that concentrate on making modern chromoly frames for entry level competitive cycling? i.e. litespeed is to titanium as x is to chromoly Thanks! <Q> The best place to start would be all-city: <S> http://www.allcitycycles.com/bikes/space_horse or Lemonde as a second option: https://lemond.cc/#!/bicycles <A> Bianchi still sells the Vigorelli 105 as well as other steel bikes. <S> With an MSRP of $1800, it's a little pricier than some other Shimano 105 bikes on the market, but it's not too expensive as to be unreasonable. <S> According to this article , it weights 20.59 pounds, which isn't super light, but probably won't be a big deal at the amateur level. <S> 105 level components are more than acceptable for entry level racing. <S> They also have the Volpe with Tiagra components for $1300 and the Lupo with Sora level components for $1050. <A> http://surlybikes.com/bikes/pacer/bike_info <S> Zinn Cycles is in Colarado, so maybe close to you? <S> http://zinncycles.com/Zinn/index.php/test-page/classic-custom-series/merano-st
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Surly is more known for touring and off road bikes, but they do have a cromoly road bike or just hte frame There are still plenty of custom frame builders around.
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Should I worry about a chipped carbon mountain bike frame? The other day while I was racing my Specialized Stumpjumper I noticed a chip on the frame. It's on the rear support bar right behind the seat post between the rear tire. My teammate who is a mechanic said its just outer damage, they tapped along the frame without hearing a change in pitch. Others agreed. I brought it into the bike shop the next day and they said that I shouldn't ride the bike and were willing to sell me a new frame. Are they just trying to get money out of me or is it really cracked? <Q> The problem is liability. <S> Plus they want to sell you new frame. <S> I would go with your team mate the mechanic. <S> See if it grows. <S> Even if it does fracture and you fall <S> I bet it will not be your first fall nor fatal. <A> Cabon fiber has evolved a lot and, contrary to some retro-grouch hysteria, is actually really tough. <S> Don't worry about a chip. <S> Even if it went through the paint and took a nick of carbon fiber out, you're fine. <S> The seatstay especially is a part of the bike where you won't have to agonize over it. <S> A nick is nothing, and you've had a mechanic look at it. <S> Here's a dude wailing on a carbon fiber fork with a big steel hammer: <S> https://youtu.be/6QNRpSkTGoA <A> The worry here is that what seems like a simple ding on the outside could have caused some delamination of the frame on the inside, which in turn would cause weakness. <S> In general, a structurally intact laminated frame tube will make a clicking noise if you tap it with a coin. <S> A damaged one will usually make a duller thud. <S> Notice <S> I said in "in general" and "usually". <S> This method is not an exact science and is no substitue for proper analysis if you are really concerned about it. <S> Other than that <S> , if you really want to be sure then it needs better analysis by a professional. <S> Possibly an x-ray. <S> If it is badly damaged enough that it should not be ridden, you might not even need a new frame. <S> Carbon frames can be repaired . <S> Like Frisbee said, the bike shop is probably worried about liabililty. <S> If it was the fork/downtube/toptube rather than a seatstay I'd be more concerned. <S> If they fail it's not just your frame that will end up cracked. <S> You'll likely have some cracked bones and teeth too. <A> I cracked my Mountain Bike carbon frame last year. <S> It was replaced under warranty. <S> You could see a visible crack. <S> If the frame still feels solid in the area of the paint chip it is probably ok, and the damage is just cosmetic.
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If you flat out broke a seatstay, it wouldn't put you over the bars or anything crazy. I also have a Carbon Road bike that I have crashed a few times and has a major paint chip out of it, but is still structurally sound. That being said, for what sounds like just a minor chip I'd go with your mechanic friend's advice and just keep an eye on it. Any shop is likely to tell replace as they don't want the liability of it breaking and you getting hurt. It should sound the same along the full length of the tube. This next advice may not be useful for your seatstay scenario, but if it is a larger tube you can get access at you could try to take a look inside with an Inspection Camera .
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Switching from a dérailleur to a gear hub I'm upgrading an old bike with a five speed dérailleur system which I'm trying to convert to use a three speed gearhub from Shimano. I have assembled the wheel, I know how to set up the gearhub itself, but there's one question that bothers me: the chain. Currently, the dérailleur pulls the chain and keeps it in tension. When I install the gearhub wheel, the dérailleur itself is ought to go away, but as I understand I need to keep the chain tight. Should I make it shorter or install another pulley? Is it possible to somehow reconfigure the dérailleur to pull the chain as a temporary solution until I do it properly? <Q> "Old" bikes – those from before the '80s or so – usually have horizontal dropouts that allow maybe 2 or 3 cm of fore and aft movement. <S> That should give you enough room to tension the chain. <S> I would think that a 5-speed bike would date from this era and be built with horizontal dropouts. <S> Failing that, you could set up the existing dérailleur as a chain tensioner – either by leaving the shifter in place (and remembering to leave it alone) or by removing the shifter and cable and setting the limit screws to hold the dérailleur in place. <S> You can also buy chain tensioners that are just "unshiftable" dérailleurs. <A> I have a Shimano Nexus 7 internally geared hub. <S> When replacing my chain, I have a chaintool to remove the pins to shorten chains, which usually start out the length intended for a dérailleur. <S> When the chain starts to wear, I move the wheel back a bit in the horizontal dropouts. <S> See Sheldon Brown's entry for dropouts . <S> I can't tell from your picture what kind of dropouts you have. <A> Sounds like you know the chain will work with the sprocket on your hub. <S> You will need to shorten the chain, if you use the same one. <S> It's usually better to get a new chain, and make the chain just long enough so that it has a cm or so play with the back wheel a little forward of the middle of the dropouts. <S> As the chain wears (some say stretches) you will have to move the wheel back, until the chain needs replacing. <S> It should last a long time.
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If that's the case then you can probably don't need a chain tensioner, just adjust the chain length so that it is long enough that you can get the wheel into the dropouts and short enough that you can get the tension right before you hit the back of the dropout.
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Can the top tube on a mens bike be cut off? I want to cut the crossbar on a mens bike to make it easier to get on and off. Will it damage the bike? <Q> This is downright dangerous and should never be done on a bicycle someone intends to ride. <S> The top tube is integral to the strength of the bike. <S> First, make sure you're looking at the right size of frame. <S> If its too big, it's going to be hard to get on and off from. <S> You can buy a stepthrough frame or a mixte frame if you want something easier to get off and on, or a recumbent bike. <A> Yes it will damage the bike. <S> Frames that have that top tube rely on that bar for structural integrity. <S> Other bikes with step through frames are built to add rigidity elsewhere. <A> When you sit on a bike with a traditional diamond frame, your weight on the saddle pushes the bike down and this force is resisted by the wheels where they contact the road. <S> The tendency of the bike to "sag" in the middle under your weight is resisted by the top tube – without it the seat and handlebars would be forced towards each other by the reaction of the wheels to your weight. <S> I'm not sure if an adult could even sit on a bike with the top tube removed, there would be a large bending load on the downtube. <S> Frames that are built without a traditional top tube (for example mixte and step-through frames) use other means to resist this tendency and are not (generally speaking) able to be as strong or as light as the diamond frame. <S> One of the very wonderful things about bicycles is the elegance of design that goes into creating light, strong structures. <S> Every bit has a purpose. <A> Nope! <S> The force on the down tube/seat tube connection would be too strong. <S> You'd break the frame right there and crash horribly.
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The frame can buckle or worse when you try to ride it.
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Is there anything concerning about buying a half-price "test helmet" from my local bike shop? I just bought a Lazer O2 helmet and am loving it, but I got it half price from my local bike shop because it's a "test helmet". This means that people who want to test ride their bikes use these helmets, but the person I talked to mentioned that this helmet was not used very often. It is white and has the words "test test test..." printed over a top portion of the helmet- it does not look like a sticker. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with these types of test helmets and if there is anything I need to be concerned about. It doesn't seem like the helmet is any different from the regular O2 helmet, other than the print on the top. Thank you! <Q> A recent study investigated the impact performance of 675 used helmets (some as old as 26 years) without signs of damage. <S> (They collected 1500, and eliminated helmets with signs of damage). <S> They all passed, except four. <S> Three that failed were only made to meet the old ANSI standard, and the only newer helmet to fail was a recalled model. <S> The fact only 4 failed, and those 4 had other issues, this suggests if you don't see visible signs of damage on a modern helmet, it is probably okay. <S> In fact given the large sample size and consistent ability to pass the impact testing, I now have a lot more confidence in the quality of modern helmets than I did before. <S> For your helmet, makes sure to carefully inspect it. <S> If you don't see visible signs of damage you are probably fine, assuming that the helmet was properly manufactured (i.e., NOT a grey market helmet), that it has passed all the modern certifications (i.e., check for the certification stickers), and that it was not a recalled model. <A> Helmets are one of those pieces of equipment where you want to err on the side of caution, keeping your head in good condition is high up on the list of priorities. <S> Personally, I wouldn't be able to trust a 'test' helmet. <S> Even if it looked okay <S> there's a strong possibility that someone, somewhere along the line, dropped it, and it could potentially be damaged enough to not hold up as well as it should in a crash. <S> Whether or not you're comfortable using it depends on your own opinion on levels of acceptable risk, accepting that there's a chance it could be slightly damaged, and the trustworthiness of the person who said 'it was not used very often.' <A> Say I had the choice between a spanking new $45 retail helmet and slightly used $90 helmet for $45 that looked to be in perfect shape. <S> If I liked the fit of the $90 helmet <S> I take it every time. <S> My experience is cheap helmets <S> just don't have a good fit. <S> I have an expensive POC that I know the safest helmet <S> but I still wear a lighter helmet most of the time because I like the fit and weight. <S> I am way better off than no helmet. <S> Even it it had been in a fall with no visible damage <S> it is still way better than no helmet.
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Because all of the helmets were used, some of the 675 would have been incurred some slight damage (e.g., being dropped, or bumped through regular usage) without showing direct signs of damage .
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What does the number 3500 stand for on my Trek bike? I know that the higher the number the better the bike. My dad has a 4200, so I was wondering what kind of improvments are made to make his bike better? And also what does the number 3500 stand for on my bike? <Q> Over the past several years, Trek has been phasing out the __00 line of bikes. <S> The higher-numbered bikes are going to come with better components. <S> They've been basically giving non-number names (X-caliber, Marlin) and larger wheels to those bikes from the top down. <S> All that's left at this point <S> is the rim-brake equipped 3500. <S> I suspect it will disappear shortly. <A> Trek used to have numbered series of bicycles. <S> The first digit indicated which series. <S> 1X00, 2X00, <S> and 5X00 were road bikes. <S> 3X00, 4X00, 6X00, <S> and 8X00 were mountain bikes. <S> 7X00 were hybrids. <S> The second digit usually gave you a general idea of the component trim on the bike. <S> 1200 was spec'd <S> out nicer than 1000, 3700 <S> nicer than 3500, 7700 nicer than 7100, and the rest. <S> Within the same category of bikes (say, mountain bikes), 4-series bikes were generally nicer than 3-series bikes, with 6 beating both and 8 at the very top. <S> The extra 00 on the end is just a marketing tactic, not unlike Chevy and Ram using 1500-2500-3500 designations to top Ford's 150-250-350. <S> Not all of Trek's bikes at the time had purely numerical naming conventions, and not all of the numbered bikes followed this rule. <S> There were (and still are) <S> a handful of bikes with 3-digit numbers for names. <S> The 820 is a bargain bin high-tensile steel recreational mountain bike. <S> The 520 is a chromoly steel tourer. <S> The more recent 720 and 920 are aluminum tourers. <S> The ones that aren't straight digits are often a name followed by a number. <S> The Marlin line has the models <S> Marlin 5, Marlin 6, and Marlin 7. <S> Marlin 5 is the base model, bearing Tourney components and mechanical disc brakes. <S> The Marlin 6 gets Altus components and Tektro hydraulic brakes. <S> The Marlin 7 gets a mix of Altus and Acera components, hydraulic brakes, and a lockout fork. <S> So generally speaking, higher numbers still mean better bike, <S> but it's not as straightforward when comparing different lines of bikes. <S> As for your 3500? <S> While the 3-series is no more, the 3500 still remains to fill the price point gap between the hardly-better-than-department-store-bikes 820 and the entry-level 29er (or 27-fiver, depending on your height) <S> Marlin 5. <S> During the years of the 3-series, the 3500 and 3700 filled the gap between the 820 and the 4-series. <S> Trek just hasn't gotten around to giving it a more inventive name yet. <S> It's lighter and more capable than the 820, but will have difficulty keeping up with its Marlin and X-Caliber older brothers over rough terrain. <A> I did a search for Trek 3500 and found this page describing it. <S> The details page gives the components they used. <S> I then did one for Trek 4200 and found an archive for old Trek bikes, but didn't see a 4200 anywhere, even if I shifted a year or two.
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What 3500 "means" in terms of what bike shops will convey to customers is that it's a good recreational bike for light-duty trails and comfortable cruises around the neighborhood.
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New D-lock failed locked up This doesn't appear to be a dupe of any of the stuck lock issues -- I've only been using the lock for 3 days and the key turns fine. It's an Abus Ultra 410 which locks at both ends and only one end unlocks. I suspect there's a spring or something failing to return the bolt to the unlocked position at the other end. Unfortunately this is the bottom end of a D-lock that's locked round both chainstays and a rather solid post, so gravity is against me. The shop where I bought it are trying to help, but I'm looking for ideas as well. There's no room for a bottle jack (deliberately, and not that I have one), and I don't have a cordless angle grinder available. I do have the key (both of them in fact). <Q> It turns out that one of the bolts doesn't retract with the locking mechanism (the lock is bolted at each end rather than a hooked end and a single bolt). <S> Here's a full writeup <S> in case it helps anyone with similar difficulties (I couldn't find much online). <S> With gravity to help, the lock works OK,* but with the dodgy end at the bottom it doesn't unlock. <S> This probably explains why I had no trouble before, but this time the bad end was lower than the good end (though almost horizontal). <S> I couldn't lift the tail of the bike on the rack because there was too much (including another bike) in the way. <S> In the following pictures the red tape marks the bad end. <S> Locked then unlocked with the bad end at the top -- <S> all OK: <S> Locked then unlocked with the bad end at the bottom -- <S> bolt still visible: <S> According to the manufacturer tapping the end nearest the faulty bolt should free it up. <S> Actually it's not enough just to tap the end (I used a large adjustable spanner), you have to jiggle the key (in and out of the unlocked position) while tapping away at it. <S> That was less tricky on the bike than testing for this post (but scuffing the paintwork isn't a worry on this bike). <S> Pressing the bolt with a finger and no shackle makes this obvious -- you can't push the pin in with the key fully in the unlocked position, only in a position where it doesn't stay by itself (almost fully unlocked). <S> I also managed (off the bike, and only the first time) <S> the get a shim into the relevant hole with the lock unlocked and jiggle everything to free it up. <S> There's not much clearance to do this, the drinks can shim had to be bent just right. <S> * <S> It got worse while I tested it to write this post. <A> Have you tried a well-aimed hammer blow while the key is turned in an attempt to use inertial force (instead of spring force) to move the latch piece? <S> Start with taps at first. <S> Have you tried some lubricant injected into the latch hole, in combination with #1? <S> If both fail, then you have to go with brute force. <S> An angle grinder is the easiest way to get a D lock off, especially a well-built one like the Abus which uses hardened steel. <S> Fortunately, one leg is free so you only need to cut the other leg off <S> (otherwise, you'd have to make two cuts): <S> Is there a power outlet located within extension cord range? <S> Is it close enough that you could get a motor vehicle nearby <S> and use an AC inverter to power a regular grinder? <S> Have you seen if your local police force or city/university grounds crew can remove the lock for you? <S> They often have to tools for when they need to impound illegally parked bikes. <S> Tool rental shop Locksmith (note that they might charge through the nose for a site visit) <A> Just to confirm, I had the same problem with the Abus 410 this morning. <S> Much easier with two people than trying to wiggle and hit the lock at the same time.
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Tapping fairly hard on the end of the lock with a hammer where the bolt wasn't retracting whilst my other half wiggled the key in the lock sorted the problem in a few seconds.
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How many lumens (lm) should a front light have? I need a front bike light for pretty quick night riding on roads beside the town. I found one that has 120lm, 30lux, and 92m shining distance. Is it enough? What parameters should a good front light have? <Q> A front light needs to have both enough lumens (brightness) and have those lumens pointed in the right places - dictated by the reflector and lens. <S> It also needs a battery (presuming its not dynamo powered) to last the length of the ride with some reserves. <S> Addition things to consider are ease of install and removal from bike and mounting location, and battery size ( do you need to charge after every ride, or once a week?) . <S> More Brightness is easy to cheap to achieve and easy to sell <S> (Mines bigger than yours), and very easy ti lie about "6000lumen". <S> Reflector and lens is design is hard to achieve and hard to sell "Its not the size, its what you do with it that counts" <S> There are plenty of cheap Chinese lights on ebay that will do a good enough job for under $50, closer to $20 - they work on the "Bigger is better". <S> For a better light in every way, you need to move away from these to a brand name light costing much more to something that has some brains behind the design. <S> My budget dictates cheap Chinese lights and accepting the poor light distribution <S> My $25 lights claim 1200 lumen, probably have 600 and its all pointing to a high intensity spot with very little out to the sides. <S> The battery is claimed at 4400mAH, I have measured it at 2000mAH, but do get the claimed 2 hours on high. <S> As already suggested, refer to the BikeLightDatabase, <A> Given you can get some decent lights up to 300 lm for under $50 then step it up. <S> For the most part you get what you pay for in a light. <S> BikeLightDatabaseHeadlight <A> When you're comparing lights it makes more sense to look at the lux rating. <S> Lux is the measure of "light density" – how brightly an known area is lit up by the light. <S> Lumens measure the light output. <S> You can think of lux as measuring how effectively the lumens are focused on the road. <S> So it helps to have a way to compare beam patterns as well as light output. <S> The lights that I'm most familiar with are German dynamo lights. <S> The Busch & Müller <S> Cyo light puts out 80 lux in relatively wide pattern. <S> It is a very nice light to ride with on dark roads – it feels like a car with good headlights. <S> The beam is well controlled, cars don't seem to mind it, and I get lots of positive "that's a really bright light" comments. <S> The light (without a dynamo hub) costs about $100. <S> If you ride much at night it is totally worth it – I run mine all the time, in the daytime it helps to make the bike stand out when you're riding in the shadows on bright days.
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On thing to keep in mind is that a given output in lumens will produce a greater lux reading if the light is a tightly focused beam and a lower rating if the light covers a larger area.
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First long bike ride: Determining the cause of saddle soreness I went on my first long bike ride yesterday - approximately 30 miles. (I know, it's cake to you grizzled road veterans out there, but I'm proud!) I had a great time and we took a fairly leisurely pace - approximately 10 mph or so. Lots of cycling and a lot of conversation. I didn't have any problems with energy or anything, but during the ride I was a bit sore in the saddle. Due to our pace, I was able to ease this a few times by standing in the pedals and pedaling infrequently. By the time we were getting back (the last mile or so) I was really feeling it, but today it seems to be okay. Overall, it worked well. I'm thinking that the soreness is probably just the symptoms of a longer ride (and me not being used to that). However, I figured I'd ask. How would I, as a relatively new rider, know when saddle soreness is caused by a bad (for me) saddle or bad saddle adjustment versus extended time in the saddle? Are there specific symptoms that I should be looking for? Edit: I'm looking for generalizations, as I know that specifics change with each rider and bike. An example would be something like, "if you have excessive soreness in your inner hamstring area, your seat may be too far forward", stuff like that. As it stands right now, I'm chalking this all up to the first ride, but I'd like to be knowledgable for future rides (and not ignore any potential warning signs I might miss). Thanks! (As a note, for anyone who might ask - I'm riding a Fuji Traverse 1.7. Everything's stock. I'm about 5'10", 5'11" with long limbs.) <Q> The first ride gives almost everybody soreness. <S> You should be using your sit bones with your saddle. <S> You can roughly measure this at home . <S> A too narrow or too wide saddle may give some pain (note this is not the same thing as soreness). <S> Also, you may want to invest in padded bike shorts. <S> Those help some people. <A> I'm going to disagree about padding and "getting used to it" a bicycle that fits well is surprisingly comfortable. <S> Fitting well means that the seat supports you by your "sit bones" (ischial tuberosities) and doesn't put pressure on the soft structures of your crotch. <S> Padding can actually make it worse. <S> The answer to this question, How to Judge Comfort <S> When Buying a New Saddle , and especially the link to the article from Cervélo Cycles on <S> The Four and a Half Rules of Road Saddles may help you think about adjusting your saddle or getting a new one. <S> That said, you will get more tolerant of the discomfort, but for now I'd use it to fine tune my seat and position on the bike. <A> Dirty little secret: Butt hair. <S> As you ride, friction tugs on the hairs of your butt, irritating them. <S> And at some point the hairs actually get kind of tangled and matted with each other, leading to extreme tension on the hairs. <S> Of course, eventually the most vulnerable hairs get pulled out from the motion, but you can bypass that step by shaving your butt. <S> (An electric razor or hair trimmer will do the job adequately -- blade is not needed.) <S> Be especially careful to get the area around "the crack", as getting the hairs on both sides of "the crack" tangled together is quite unpleasant. <A> I used to get sore and started getting numbness in my "private parts". <S> I researched it and found this is a massive problem, well researched, many opinions, and many people selling snake oil solutions. <S> I resolved my issues with a split saddle (with a big trench in the middle) which has the front of it tapering down. <S> This forces me back onto my sit bones and puts no pressure on the nerves suppling my "manhood muscles" (very important). <S> I presume etiquette on the group is not to mention specific brands - but I bought a high end saddle with virtually no padding <S> (padding has nothing to do with comfort) <S> that positions me correctly. <S> The is excellent. <S> I still get sore from long rides but only in the way you expect your body to get sore when you punish it! <A> Can you tell if the pain is from pressure or abrasion? <S> If it's pressure, then the it's probably because it was your first long ride. <S> It takes a while to get your butt "battle hardened" for longer rides. <S> Sadly, one quickly loses this after a week or two off the bike. <S> If it's abrasion, then check the saddle to see if anything is rubbing during your pedal stroke. <S> Also check your shorts/pants for fabric seams that could cause issues. <S> +1 to @batman's suggestion of padded bike shorts. <A> At that speed and distance you did a 3h ride. <S> Anytime you do the same thing for 3h that you're not used to doing, you will encounter some "adjustment soreness". <S> I am assuming you haven't done 3h rides in the past? <S> Even grizzled veterans have to work back into saddle time. <S> That said, get your fit double-checked by an experienced fitter. <S> Be sure to explain what you felt and when. <S> It's more a question of how proportional it is to your sit bones. <S> The key is that you want the BONES to be in supportive contact with the saddle and not your soft tissue. <A> Yes, it is unfortunately normal that if you start bicycling thatthis problem arises. <S> The German magic bullet against a sore bottom is Hirschtalg which is available here from xenofit. <S> They have translatedit as "stag fat", I hope that such a product is known in othercountries. <S> Another one is Sixtus Olympia Gesäßcreme which is quite famousunder professional bikers. <S> Disadvantage: It smells a bit like coughsweets.
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Also, a wide saddle isn't always the most comfortable. If it's a bit too high then your hips will rock as you pedal, causing abrasion and leading to unhappiness. (There is also, of course, the need to otherwise "toughen" the butt, but a amazing amount of the discomfort is due to the hairs.) You can also get a bike-specific padded liner and wear it in lieu of underwear under normal shorts/pants. Finally, check your saddle height.
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difficulty in shifting to lower gear on shimano (6 speed rear gear) I am new to using a bicycle with multiple speeds. I got this new bicycle 4 days back with Shimano 6 speed rear gears. I don't know much else about the components. There is no issue when I move to higher gear (2 to 3 , 3 to 4 and so on.) But I face issue when I try to shift gears from 5 to 4 or from 4 to 3 etc. The chain does not shift and it makes a sound. As a trick to get it to shift into the desired gear, I shift to next higher gear when the chain makes sound and then get back to desired gear. e.g. if I am riding in 5th gear and I want to shift to 4th I shift to 3rd for a moment and get back to 4th and then all's well with no more sound from chain. But I am afraid this trick may not be good and that I may be doing something wrong. So I request guys to suggest me proper way to shift to lower gears. I tried to find videos on youtube but they didn't help much. The videos show shifting should not be done while pedaling under pressure, so I followed this but shifting was still not smooth. <Q> There is a problem with the cable that links the shifter to the mechanism (rear derailleur) <S> The cable has become slack over time and needs to be tighter. <S> You can tighten it by turning a barrel adjuster if there is one present. <S> it might be as pictured and there might be one where the cable leaves the shifter on the handlebar. <S> looking in the direction of the arrow, turn the barrel adjuster anti-clockwise to make the cable tighter. <S> Make small adjustments, ie one quarter turn at a time. <S> You could search for videos to help. <S> It's straightforward when you know how, but difficult and frustrating the first time. <S> Your local bike shop would be happy to help you too. <A> Cheap stuff works as it costs. <A> If you can take this to a shop, get them to put it on a stand and show you how the gears should work after they adjust them.
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You either need to adjust the derailleur (specifically, the bowden cable tension) or consider a higher-level setup.
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What is the significance of tire minimum pressure? Its quite intuitive that tires have maximum pressure figure - inflate it more and something could explode. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that under-inflated tires result in snake bites. What puzzles me is that all tires indicate minimum pressure. This could be somewhat justified about DH tires, which tend to be produced with thick sidewalls and thick soft thread pattern, resulting in reduced pinch flats (among other advantages). However, on different cross-country tires I have seen minimum pressures from below 2bar to 2.7bar at least. Is this just marketing or does the number mean anything? Furthermore, how can the manufacturer know what the riding terrain and rider's style is? In my opinion those affect chosen tire pressure a lot more than sidewall thickness. <Q> The minimum pressure is an estimate that will most probably work for the majority of people in generic riding conditions. <S> Not going below the minimum pressure may prevent: loss of control due to insufficient traction <S> pinch flats burped air in case of tubeless tyre unseating rim bending on harsh hits tyre carcass premature wear rotation of the tyre/tube combo within the rim (can cause tube valve failure) <S> Of course, that number just an estimate. <S> An aggressive rider, a heavy rider, or a really rough terrain may require higher than the minimum suggested values. <A> There is a minimum amount of pressure required to keep the tire bead seated on the rim. <S> If the pressure is too low the tire could unseat especially while cornering. <A> This problem would be visible as rippling in the sidewall. <S> This stress results in the carcass grain becoming visible through the sidewall rubber over time. <S> I would not expect a standard MTB tyre to experience sidewall rippling at all if maintained above a minimum pressure appropriate for the load (i.e. a higher minimum pressure for heavier, faster or rougher riders).
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Even if the bead remains seated and no pinch-flats are suffered, an underinflated tyre will over-stress its sidewalls whenever there is a torque difference between the bead and the contact patch. Many fatbike tyres, designed to be used below 10psi, will develop visible carcass grain over the life of the tyre.
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How long will I survive? 5 wheel spokes missing What do you think, guys? Or should not I try it at all? <Q> Nope. <S> Don't ride it. <S> It's hosed. <S> You risk catastrophic failure riding this wheel, Other spokes will snap soon due to more load put on them and uneven tension. <S> That is if it's even true enough to not rub the brakes or chainstays. <S> If you've rode on this for a while, there is a chance that the existing spokes are over stressed and should be replaced as well. <S> I would rebuild the wheel with new spokes and rim if it was my bike. <A> Drum & disc brakes do put more stress on the spokes. <S> I can't tell if that's the issue or not, but <S> either way, it's time for a new rim and spokes. <S> You can save the hub. <A> Those are paired spokes, and there's a reason they pair them up. <S> If that was a rear wheel, I might ride it a mile or two if I had to. <S> But not a front wheel. <S> I'm really curious how you managed to break five spokes in one 90 degree section of that wheel. <S> That's not normal behavior. <S> There is something really wrong with that wheel.
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You could replace the broken spokes and have a working wheel if your rim wasn't damaged severly like it appears to be.
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Fracture in folding frame - safe to ride? I cycle every day because I live in a city and I find it a fun, fit and convenient mode of transport. I am not a cycling hobbyist, am only averagely fit and know pretty much nothing about bike engineering. So every year or so I take my bike in to the shop for servicing. The bike in question is a Dahon Jack - it's a full-sized frame folding model. So the frame design is a bit unusual. It looks like this: The last time it was serviced, a couple of weeks ago, the man in the shop drew my attention to a small crack in the frame. It's on the very top bar and has originated in the gap in the frame where the bike folds. Here's a photo: The two white lines on the tip of the crack are scratches I put there to see if it's getting any bigger. It hasn't in the two weeks since it was discovered. The guy in the shop said that while any frame crack is serious, this probably wasn't a big deal. Because it's a folding bike, the load is carried on the thick diagonal strut instead of the top bar. So even if that top bar does suddenly split, it's not going to cause the bike to collapse or throw me off. He advised me not to take it off-road (which I never do anyway) but that otherwise I should be safe to ride for the time being, unless the fracture grew significantly. Is he right? Should I get this bike replaced right away? If not, how long do you think it might be safe for me to continue to ride, and what warning signs should I look for to say it's no longer safe? <Q> Someone has to say live dangerously. <S> I would ride it. <S> Don't ride it hard <S> but you should not ride a Dahon hard in the first place. <S> I looked at how the bike folds and unfolds and that is not a high strength connection in the first place. <S> Bikes don't typically explode when they fail. <S> You get a bend and sometimes you don't even crash. <S> If it does die if you don't need a folder you can find decent used bikes for $400. <A> That looks like a failure from hoop stress, which is (likely) caused by over-tightened locking lever. <S> You can see the crack originate from the lock ring and propagating in axial direction. <S> I would not say it's safe. <S> You lost a safety measure, just like riding a bike with only one brake as an analogy. <S> It looks as though the frame is aluminium and that material fails catastrophically once the crack is initiated. <A> No frame fracture is safe. <S> You wouldn't know how stress in the frame will be redistributed and which point become the next one. <S> Especially if defect is located in frame's triangles. <A> I'd reduce riding as much as possible, and either replace it or go talk to a competent frame builder for a repair. <S> The more you ride on it, the worse it will get over time, even if that crack doesn't appear to change. <S> If you like the frame then its worth looking after and repairing.... <S> you're unlikely to find another identical frame, and it may have the same problems over again.
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Less frame repairing means it'll cost less sooner, leaving it later may mean more work which will increase costs. Just make sure you cycle slowly, as the folding bicycle was designed to do just the same. Please bear in mind that it is an unnecessary, albeit small, risk.
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what suspension fork should I get Thinking to get a Montague bike for mountain biking. The reason for a folder is easy storage and transportation. And reviews I read all say good things about their bikes. There are these models available: http://www.montaguebikes.com/compare-mountain-folding-bikes.html I have almost 0 knowledge on MTB, but based on my experience with other bikes, these frames are probably the same, only different components (except x50, which uses v brake so the frame/fork maybe different). So I am thinking to get the second least expensive paratrooper then buy a good fork later when needed. So what kind of fork can I put on this bike? Please let me know the points to consider (e.g travel, wheel size, etc etc remember I have almost 0 knowledge). I will be using this bike on off road, trails, etc but nothing too rough(jumping etc) in my mind. Or is the stock fork (SR Suntour. Suspension XCT V4. 80mm travel) already enough for my need? BTW, I want to get a decent enough fork so I won't upgrade soon after that (at least I hope LoL). So the fork can be a little more than my needs. <Q> It's a difficult question to answer as there are a lot of personal variables. <S> "Nothing too rough in my mind" being the biggest variable. <S> For a lot of flat or rolling terrain without many obstacles; rock gardens, gnarly roots, etc, I would say the stock fork is fine. <S> I have an old 26er with a similar fork which does fine on fast rolling trails but sometimes bottoms out on steep but abrupt drop ins. <S> However, to be honest, if I was worried about the fork being able to handle the terrain, I most likely wouldn't even consider riding a folding bike on it. <A> There are a number of points to consider when buying a mountain bike: Type of local terrain, are the trails near you flat or do you live in a hilly area. <S> Expected development in the sport, are you going to dabble or are you the type to jump in with both feet. <S> The type of riding you expect to do, are you interested in cross country (epic rides with long hard climbs and less rough stuff), trail riding (short way up and long way down, tyres mostly on the ground and some rough stuff), downhill (walk, car, truck or lift to the top - shortest way down regardless of the terrain) or something called Enduro which is all the rest mixed up. <S> Then you start thinking about the bike: Geometry - XC, trail and downhill bikes all have different geometrieswhich determine how upright you sit on the bike, match this to yourriding. <S> 27.5" is the new industry standard. <S> 26" components will continue to be produced but you'll see a focus on low and end parts with no mid range. <S> 29" good <S> if you want an XC bike or are tall, not really required otherwise. <S> Drive Train - Doesn't matter when starting out, but always buy the best you can afford Speak to your local bike shop they will help you understand all of this and find the right bike for you. <S> In terms of folding bikes, these should only be purchased where storage and transportation is your first thought and ease of riding or enjoyment is second. <S> They are good if you need something to ride at the end of a long car or train journey but not something for everyday use. <S> In terms of the Suntour Fork as you improve you will want to replace the fork with something that is a bit more forgiving and adjustable. <A> " if I buy that bike, will I be able to change to a fork with more travel (e.g. 100 mm), stock has 80 mm. <S> Will that change the geometry of the bike? " <S> A general rule of thumb when upgrading a suspension fork is to not exceed 20mm greater than the original travel. <S> This will ensure that the geometry of the bike is not noticeably altered. <S> I had a similar bike a few years ago that had 80mm of travel and upgraded it to 100mm with no noticeable differences regarding the geometry of the bike. <S> Having 20mm greater travel on a small travel bike will noticeably improve your ride, especially when riding on light trails. <S> If you are able to upgrade your fork to an air fork as well <S> (Brands : RockShox, Fox, Manitou) , you will achieve better small bump sensitivity than you would in a spring driven fork, and resale value would increase greatly. <S> SR Suntour forks are good entry level forks at greater travel lengths (ex. 100mm+) but struggle to provide good cushioning at smaller travel lengths. <S> Also try to look for a fork that includes a lock out, so you aren't bobbing up and down while pedaling up a hill. <S> Folding bikes are normally used only for road and pavement riding <A> Short answer <S> a basic's low end Montague will handle everything you have described. <S> I am a sucker for Foldies. <S> Love them. <S> Cheap ones suck. <S> You can put enough money into one to make it do anything. <S> The Montague has a stout frame that will hold up to most anything. <S> It does not fold to be very compact. <S> It's major strengths is that it is simply shorter. <S> Compared to good 20" foldies its folding is rather poor, it is relatively heavy at about 32 pounds and Montague charges high retail for most of the upgrades to the basic bike. <S> The base model, while relatively expensive and while using lower end components, is a decent bike and can be upgraded as your passions lead you. <S> You don't save anything by buying upgraded components at the onset, and you get to select what you add. <S> stock fork has a 438 MM axle to crown which is short and needs to be noted if it's replaced.
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I would not recommend riding a folding bike on trails, due to the lack of stability in the frame. The basic fork often doesn't have a lock out and this feature will improve your peddaling efficiency if you're on the road substantially. Travel - XC has the lowest travel, downhill the most Wheelsize - Doesn't make a difference when you're starting out.
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How to clean sweat-soaked handlebars/handlebar tape? I just moved to a new apartment in a more humid climate, and while fiddling with my bike trainer setup, I've noticed that my gloves and handlebars are soaked with sweat at the end of a ride on the trainer. I know that sweat is corrosive to metal alloys, so what should I be doing to clean off the handlebars (and handlebar tape) and prevent or limit any corrosion damage? Is this something I should even worry about? <Q> The salt from excessive sweating will corrode your headset bolts, bottle cage bolts, can corrode aluminum alloy in handlebars and can affect the paint on your frame. <S> Riding outside on the road is less of an issue because sweat evaporates more easily and the force of the air rushing by keeps the sweat from settling easily. <S> However, on a trainer, everything just runs right down off of you and on the bike and floor below. <S> Sweat can build up on and under the bar tape if you let it. <S> Google corroded handlebars, you'll find plenty of examples. <S> Replace the bar tape at least once a season, it will give you time to inspect the bars for any corrosion. <S> It's most likely to happen where there are scratches in the anodized coating. <S> In between rides, you can use a bit of water and tiny touch of dish soap to clean, be sure to rinse well. <S> Remember, use enough of water. <S> You want to pull out the sweat and not let it build up there. <S> The solution to pollution is dilution. <S> You can buy sweat guards which cover the headset and top tube to protect the other parts of your bike or you could just drape some towels. <S> Additionally, a little lemon pledge furniture polish is a nice touch to keep your frame shiny and moisture resistant. <A> Nope. <S> Bar tape is cheap enough to replace every couple years, and makes the bike look nice. <S> Throw your gloves into the wash periodically with your other riding clothes. <S> Sweat is slighly salty, but its not going to harm metal in a bike or human's lifespan. <S> The oils and grease from mechanical parts is more likely to affect paint than sweat. <S> That said, washing your bike is also good. <S> If you're unfortunate enough to live somewhere that heavily salts the roads in winter, then that will rust steel and to a lesser extent stainless steel. <A> 'Sweat is slightly salty, but its not going to harm metal in a bike or human's lifespan.' <S> Not true - I recently replaced badly corroded bars after only 10 months use. <S> I only ride on the road too. <S> I contacted the supplier who told me it was not covered by warranty due to 'poor maintenance'. <S> They advised me that I should wash the bike every time I rode it to avoid corrosion. <S> I now wash the bars and tape with copious quantities of water after most rides. <S> Hoping this will save the new bars.
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A good wash cleans that off and also helps preserve your bike.
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How to avoid/deal with exhaust fumes when riding in traffic I live in Chicago, and I ride through the downtown area and other congested streets to and from work every day. Often when I am at a stoplight, I am directly behind or next to several cars belching exhaust. I can't help but smell and inhale it. Sometimes I try to hold my breath, but I can't always hold it for long enough. It smells bad, and I do not wish to inhale carbon monoxide. Is there some great product out there, or maybe just some tips and tricks from other city riders, on how to avoid inhaling exhaust fumes while riding through heavily trafficked urban streets? Edit I believe my question is similar to or the same as the suggested duplicate about "how to protect yourself from pollution", however that question has no usable answer (The answer is basically "a gas mask would help, but of course you cant go biking with a gas mask"). I believe my question is not the same as "is pollution a problem" because I am not making/seeking a judgment on pollution, positive, negative, or otherwise, I am just attempting to avoid it/minimize my exposure. <Q> From The Guardian : <S> (I suggest you Click through & read the whole article) <S> "It’s a scenario familiar to any urban cyclist: you’re stuck behind a fume-belching bus or taxi, a choking diesel aroma wafting through your lungs. <S> You think: is this really the healthy option? <S> Cycling does remain many, many times better for your health than not cycling, even factoring in exposure to pollution and the risk of accident. <S> * than those using other forms of transport." <S> *(Emphasis added.) <S> I have read elsewhere (although I can't find the link now) that this lower exposure is due simply to the fact you are up higher than a person in a sedan, and the pollutants tend to sink. <S> Edit: <S> It's not so much that the rider is higher up, but that the cabin air intake of a car is effectively at exhaust pipe level <S> (Thanks @Chris H) <S> The science is out the anti-pollution masks, not so much because they are incapable of performing their advertised function, but because exposure levels are much lower for the typical cyclist than most people suppose. <S> Edit two: <S> I suspect general air quality should be more of a concern than incidental exhaust exposure. <A> There are two points to consider. <S> As explained by @renesis even though you are exposed to pollutants, your overall exposure does not appear to differ significantly from car drivers (note the study was carried out in Copenhagen, I am not sure automotive how pollution regulations compare to the US). <S> Because you are also getting exercise, your overall health outcome is likely better than remaining inactive inside a car. <S> That said, there are ways to reduce your exposure. <S> A 2008 study looked at the exposure by taking differ approaches to commuting: Choosing a low exposure route (i.e., longer and more out of the way, but less traveled by automotive traffic. <S> A faster (more direct) but in more dense traffic (shorter exposure period, but higher exposure levels). <S> Taking the bus (a positive control - buses tend to take direct routes on busy streets) <S> They found that accumulated exposure (i.e., total exposure over the course of the trip) was 54%-67% lower on a low exposure route. <S> The authors also suggest that riding in off-peak hour will further reduce exposure. <S> Strategies <S> The best way to reduce pollution is to avoid contact. <S> If you have flexible work hours, you may want to start work earlier. <S> I find if I come to work one hour earlier <S> (i.e., 7 am start rather than 8 am) <S> the amount of traffic I encounter is almost an order of magnitude less. <S> Depending on where you live and distances <S> traveled <S> you may want to scour your local maps to find routes that are on green-ways rather than with traffic. <S> In my opinion it is all about incremental gains (err... losses). <S> (Kind of like time trialing, but that is a different topic altogether!) <A> Because anti-pollution masks contribute to overheating (that's my experience), they are an option in colder climates or during winter. <S> Not only it is filtering the air, but is also warming it and your face. <S> Get a double-filter one for less air resistance (theoretically half - parallel air restrictions act just like parallel resistors). <S> Another point is that the vast majority of exposure to high-density car pollution is while waiting on a traffic light (there was an article about this somewhere). <S> Consequently - try to manoeuvre out of that. <S> If you are riding to the side of the road, you can learn the traffic patterns and when approaching a traffic light to slow down until you expect it to turn green very soon. <S> If you are riding like a car, in the middle of the lane, I suspect you could still manoeuvre your way to the front of the column, where I imagine the pollution buildup would be lesser than in the centre of the column. <S> And as my Ecology professor said - don't ride directly behind the bus :D
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To attempt to address the last crux of your question, it may be reasonable to say that you are already avoiding more exhaust just by biking & not driving, other than that; take a less heavily trafficked route & otherwise don't worry about it. What’s more surprising is that on two wheels you might even be exposed to less of the smelly stuff The good, if simple, answer from pollution experts is: yes.
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Do saddle ergonomics matter if you've got padded shorts? Those of us who try to bite off 50+ mile rides without padded shorts really have to pay attention to our saddle's shape and padding. With padded shorts, how much of a difference can you tell between saddles that, when ridden without padded shorts, would mean a large difference in comfort? I've never had padded shorts, so I'm curious. <Q> The short (pun intended) answer is "yes." <S> Or at the very least, "probably yes. <S> " <S> One of the big things that makes saddles uncomfortable is pressure on the soft tissues between your "sit bones" (the ischial tuberosities). <S> It may seem counterintuitive, but padded saddles can make this worse. <S> The problem is that the padding allows your sit bones to sink into the saddle increasing the pressure on your soft tissues. <S> Padded shorts won't do much, if anything, to prevent this and may actually make it worse. <S> What you want is a saddle that supports you sit bones with enough conformance to avoid pressure points around the bones, but without so much give that you end up carrying your weight all across your "bottom." <S> But a good saddle is a lot like a good hard chair – you can sit on it for hours. <S> You'll get tired of sitting before you <S> it becomes uncomfortable from the pressure. <S> In my experience the benefit of the chamois is in minimizing chafing, not in providing padding. <A> Like everything... it depends. <S> If you're doing short distances, pretty much any saddle is fine, with or without padding. <S> For longer distances, good shorts may help a saddle's shortcomings, and a good saddle will help make up for no or bad shorts. <S> But for the most comfort, a good saddle teamed with well fitting shorts works best. <S> Personally, I got the most benefit from tight cycling pants which helped to brace my knees, as well as a big orange coolmax pad, plus a good hard flat saddle. <A> Saddles are highly personal-- one person likes a particular saddle, but you may not-- <S> but there is a reason most cyclists who ride 50+ miles in one ride do so with shorts or bibs that contain some kind of chamois: it is more comfortable. <S> That said, does it mean a person can't go long distances without a chamois? <S> Of course not. <S> There are people in the world who can go long distances in their bare feet, too, but most of us wear shoes for various reasons. <S> Clearly there are some saddles which might be more comfortable if you don't wear shorts or bibs with a chamois, and it may even be clear what sort of saddles are more likely to fit the bill (stretched leather over a frame, like Selle Anatomica , or Brooks ), but I know riders who have found such saddles uncomfortable with a chamois, so your mileage may vary, no pun intended. <A> I feel like the padding helps a little bit as far as cushioning goes. <S> I generally have a lot less issues with chafing and its a lot easier to slide around on the saddle while wearing lycra. <S> I'll sometimes ride my SSCX bike to work in normal clothes and I can tell the difference even on a short ride.
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On a saddle that basically works, but where you find yourself getting sore around your sit bones, padded shorts may help. The bigger benefit for myself seems to be the bib/short material.
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Is it ethical to ride with races without being part of them? I find it tedious to spend half a day riding the dangerous streets of the city to purchase a mountain insurance, then spend money on race subscription and in then arriving early as hell on the start line to get my number. Provided I do not take any water or food from the checkpoints and I do not cross the finish line, is there an ethical reason not to ride with the race? <Q> Unethical, because you're imposing costs on the organisers anyway. <S> Apart from the obvious "if you get hurt they're going to help you", they almost always face costs per participant and often have a limit on numbers. <S> Violate those limits and the organisers will have problems. <S> You're also causing wear and tear on the track, equipment and marshals. <S> You can't pretend that away by saying "other people do it too"... <S> yes, and they paid for the privilege. <S> You're stealing it. <S> Not really ethical IMO. <S> This is another case where your exact marginal impact is low, but at some point one more increment like that will get the race cancelled or refused permission to do it again. <S> The other thing is that if you are involved in an incident and are deemed to be at fault, you will not be insured. <S> They'd most likely leave it to you to show that what you were doing was lawful. <S> But since most races take place on temporarily closed areas, that would be hard. <S> They close the area specifically to people like you. <S> For exactly that reason. <A> I’d say it’s <S> totally okay if the road is not closed for the event and still open for cars and other vehicles. <A> If it's a race with competitors who are trying to win, then I would definitely say no. <S> Like time travel, just being there at the same place and time can cause unknown effects on future outcome. <S> If you want to use the track, contact the race organizers and see if they want people to help out checking the track the morning or night before the race for unplanned obstacles or other problems with the route. <S> See if they need referees (not sure if this is the correct term in cycling) to follow the riders to make sure everybody is following the track and not taking short cuts. <S> Do you have any first aid certifications? <S> Maybe they need on-the-trail first-aid care for riders who get injured. <S> If it's a route without laps, they may even allow people to ride a safe distance (half hour or more) behind the actual competitors. <S> If it's a charity or other type of non-competitive road ride, and the roads are open to cars, then you technically have every right to be there, and although some may frown at it, there isn't really much of a reason not to go, <S> provided you are a courteous rider and don't use any of the facilities furnished to riders. <S> And "closed course" doesn't mean that the entire thing is behind a barbed wire fence. <S> It would be impractical for them to block off every entrance to a course. <S> A closed course is any course where they have made some effort to try and stop unregistered riders, vehicles, and pedestrians from being on the route. <A> Yes, that's highly unethical. <S> This isn't any different than banditing a marathon. <S> Race organizers go through quite a bit of trouble and expense to provide a safe racing environment, especially if the race goes over public roads. <S> By jumping into a race you're exposing race organizers, participants and yourself for liability and in some situations stealing "resources." <A> I contemplated the topic, visited a local XC/Enduro* race, asked the guys that organise it. <S> "Are riders without subscription and numbers hindering the race, they are not one or two but about 20%?" <S> " <S> No. <S> Why would they?" <S> My conclusion is that any cyclist without registration is no different than any other bystander . <S> Consequently, if the race organisers have taken strain to restrict outside personnel <S> **, then Mσᶎ's answer applies with full strength. <S> However: taking food or water constitutes theft, just as if a random hiker helped himself (optional) as unnumbered riders are not in a hurry for anywhere, they must help any racer in need. <S> as Criggie explains not subscribing for insurance and for the race does not help the race to be held the next year or the medical crews to be funded. <S> Those are supposed to be objective arguments, on the basis of which each individual can decide. <S> * - 100m positive attitude gain, 1700m negative attitude gain, mix of loose gravel road and singletrack of moist sharp stones; hikers, children, dogs, automobiles everywhere <S> ** - for example, I would consider a large warning sign a suitable restriction for hikers, or a police car a suitable restriction to automobiles <A> Would you ride that exact route on another day, when there was no race on? <S> I'd say stop being frugal and support cycling in your area.
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The race insurance won't cover you (obviously), but whatever insurance you have almost certainly has a an illegal activity exclusion. I think that any kind of closed course, even on the road, and even for a non-competitive rides is probably off limits. On the other hand, if travel is allowed, cycling is no more immoral than walking on the race course.
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Crank axle cracked on 1972 Centurion, looking for guidance on how to replace As I said, I have a 1972 Centurion. Today while riding I hit a pothole as I was coming down on my left pedal. I immediately felt like my pedal was moving around in ways it shouldn't. Stopping to look, I'd cracked the actual axle that the crank arms attach to. I'm looking for information on where I can buy a replacement part for this, how much it will cost, as well as how to carry out the replacement. Here's the actual crack: Here's the pedal looking all bent: <Q> The crack is in the bottom bracket(BB) axle. <S> This will at least need to be replaced. <S> If the crank arm(silver part) is not damaged this can be reused. <S> Something like a Shimano UN26 . <S> Any bike shop should be able to supply and fit a new bottom(price in my local area would be $30-50 supply+fit). <S> You do need specific tools to remove and fit bottom brackets <A> I would not ride that bike, as pictured. <S> How to fix it? <S> I shattered a cup on my old MTB. <S> The fix was to take the bottom axle into a bike shop and they couldn't supply the right part, so I bought a sealed cartridge instead. <S> It went in easily, needs no bearing tweaking, is waterproof and brilliant. <S> Only downside is you'll need these tools: 14 mm socket to remove crank bolts <S> /nuts <S> Crank <S> remover <S> to get the cranks off (do both sides now) <S> If you are handy, buy the tools and be set for life. <S> Otherwise get the LBS to do it. <S> A mid-range shimano one cost me $50 NZ and has been one of the best upgrades to my old bike. <S> BTW you ride a bike thats older than me - that's impressive. <S> Thank you for not contributing to the throw-away society. <A> If you're replacing the BB yourself, just make sure you get the right one. <S> You need to consider the following variables: General type <S> (we already know it's a square taper, so no problem there). <S> The width of the shell (the painted part) - that's easy enough to measure. <S> The length of the spindle (axle) <S> - you'll have to remove the cranks to get an accurate measurement. <S> The thread type. <S> Centurion was an American company, so it's probably English threading, but I can't guarantee that.
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Sliding lock pliers to remove the lock ring Big spanner to remove the cups Cleaning products and rags to clean the hole and threads A drive socket that suits your new bottom bracket cartridge so unless you plan on investing in some tools I suggest get a shop to replace it. There are many types of bottom bracket standards but it is most likely this frame has a 68mm English thread square taper bottom bracket which are the most common in pre year 2000 bikes.
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How do experienced cyclists know which gear they are in without an optical display? Most mid to high level mountain groupsets (eg SLX and X7) have shifter options without any display as to what gear is currently active. How do riders avoid cross-chaining and other unpleasantnesses, especially when riding in the dark or on rough terrain (i.e. when they can't readily take a look at the rear cogs)? <Q> I think its part of the attention to detail necessary at that level. <S> You almost never see them looking down to check (that would be showing a weakness and giving oponents an opportunity). <S> But if you mean can the rider say which cog they are using at the front and rear? <S> then the answer is that often we can't say. <S> Usually we know by memory which front cog we are using. <S> And as I change the rear gear, I know by the different feel of the ratio whether I'm near the top, the middle, or the bottom of the cluster. <S> I very rarely try to change gears past the last one. <S> The bike knows. <S> That's enough. <A> Cadence mostly. <S> The answer to your question is in the title. <S> Experience. <S> Same way motocross riders know what gear they are in. <S> The speed of the engine vs how fast they are moving. <A> One of my bikes has no indicators <S> and I'm less familiar with it than my other bike which has indicators and more years especially at the top. <S> But I don't find it to be a problem. <S> A combination of feel and a vague recollection of what I've done is normally enough for that. <A> I consider myself decently experienced, having ridden for many years, and my answer is that I don't have to know. <S> The numbers aren't important to me; it's all in how it feels. <S> Whatever speed I'm going, if I want to go faster <S> and I'm pedaling without feeling like I'm doing any work, I need to shift into a higher gear. <S> If I feel like I'm expending too much energy <S> (i.e. it's too hard to pedal), then I gear down. <A> For me noise is a good indicator of “bad” gears with cross chaining. <S> I also know from the speed when I have to change chainrings. <A> A lot of the time I don't… <S> Most of my riding is on an older touring bike with downtube shifters or a tandem with mountain bike type (the two button/lever kind) shifters. <S> So I know generally what gear the bike is in by effort and <S> like Michael says detect cross-chaining by sound. <S> With the touring bike shifter position tells me a lot about what gear I'm in <S> and I can read it by feel. <S> I also have a pretty relaxed attitude towards cross-chaining. <S> I know it is "bad" and try to avoid it, but I also don't worry too much about occasionally picking the "wrong" gear combinations. <S> I usually notice them due to noise or feel <S> and when I do I shift if I can. <S> If I can't a put a bit of money into the bike parts jar when I get home. <A> With todays 2- and 1-chainring cranksets, chain-crossing isn't a problem and with the cranksets where it may be a problem (which are rather rare in high-end groups) <S> the sound and feel are good signs of it. <S> So you don't really need to know which gear you're in. <S> well, +/-1 let's say. <S> I switched from Shimano Deore (with displays) to Sram X9 (without displays) some 5 years ago, and never felt the need to look down and check the gears. <S> So they are not this important, just a matter of changing habbits. <A> Experienced riders pick the right chainring based on the terrain coming up. <S> Then all they need to know is to go up or down on the cassette as needed. <S> If you've topped or bottomed-out then that section is over, time to pick a new chainring. <A> Use bar end shifters; you do not have to look at the paddles to feel the gear position with your hands. <S> The angle difference between index points is distinct enough, even when indexing ten gears, that you can just touch the paddle and know what gear you're in. <A> It's all cadence related. <S> No need to be a pro for that...
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And when you spend a lot of time on your bike you just start to recognise the gears by feel and are able to tell which one you're in... You don't need to know exactly which gear you're in, just enough to know (e.g) that if you want to drop a gear you need to drop a chainring. All the elite riders I have encountered just know . There's not a "right" gear to be in; it's relative to my current speed and how much work I feel like doing, or, in some cases, how much torque I need. On the tandem I can tell the extremes by the shifter behavior (it either won't let you pull cable or won't release anymore).
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How seriously should I take the maximum pressure rating of my cyclocross rims? I own a very nice cyclocross bike that I use for daily commuting. It is currently fitted with relatively wide cyclocross tires (Continental Cyclocross Race 35-622) that I inflate to 4 bar (58 psi). Since those tires are nearing the end of their lives and because I'm mostly riding on paved roads, I'm considering to switch to road tires (e.g. Continental Grand Prix 4000S II 28-622). However, I now noticed that my rims (DT Swiss XR 400) have a sticker saying "maximum tire pressure 4 bar" next to a pictogram showing a rim apparently broken at the weld. That pressure is of course hardly enough for any narrow road tires. My question is now how seriously I should take this limit. I have a hard time imagining how too high pressure would break the rim and how exactly it would fail. Sheldon Brown mentions on his page that maximum pressure ratings are often rather arbitrary and he encourages experimenting, but he's talking about tires there, not rims. I am willing to risk voiding the warranty on my rims or causing premature wear. But I would like to avoid the risk of catastrophic failure in the middle of traffic. <Q> DT Swiss publishes the exact document you are looking for: Manuals page / RIMS / Tire Pressure/Dimension (PDF) <S> The document specifies the maximum usable tire pressure based on rim and tire width. <S> More narrow tires allow for higher pressures. <S> For example, the rims in the question (XR 400, inner width 18 mm) are compatible with tires ranging from 23 mm width at 9.0 bar to 60 mm at 3.2 bar. <A> The reason that rims have maximum tire pressures is because the tire presses out at the bead seat. <S> This load is carried by the "bend" in the 'U' shape of the rim. <S> Higher pressures put more stress on the rim and, given enough pressure, will cause it to fail either at the bend or perhaps through the spoke holes if that is the weak point. <S> With rims designed for disc brakes, there is no need to build in extra material for wear from the calipers. <S> This means the rims can be lighter and potentially more fragile. <S> Since the manufacture thinks they can control the inflation pressure (or at the very least tell you about the limits on the pressure) they might choose to trade weight that goes into resisting inflation pressures for weight that handles riding stresses – assuming they are different. <S> I've never seen one fail (due to lack of experience, not because failures are unlikely, I'm not qualified to make that statement), but I imagine it could be rather messy. <S> I think what would happen is that the sidewall of the rim would start to separate from the rest of the rim. <S> The tube would help hold pressure for a while, but eventually the tire would unseat and that could lead to a rather nasty crash – especially if it happened on the front wheel. <S> The photo below looks like what I imagine could happen (and is described as an over pressure failure by some of the commenters). <A> I would suggest contacting the manufacturer. <S> They should be able to provide you with a chart indicating the maximum allowed tire pressure for different sized tires on your rim. <S> It is worth noting wheels designed for situations in which you typically run low pressures (cyclocross, cross country MTB) <S> do not need sidewalls as strong as wheels designed for rim brakes. <S> This allows manufacturers to produce rims that are slightly lower in weight with the tradeoff being a lower maximum allowable pressure. <S> Your wheels obviously are not super lightweight race wheels but a few years ago people were blowing out the sidewalls of their rims when seating tubeless tires on such wheels. <A> Clearly the safest route is to follow the label. <S> It is a rim designed for lower pressure. <S> Why not go with a road tire that will run at lower pressure? <S> The MICHELIN <S> Protek Urban <S> 700x35C runs just fine at 4 bar. <S> I run an older version of that tire on my CX used as a commuter and it is a nice ride at 4 bar. <S> I like wide tires on a commuter. <S> You said mostly paved roads. <S> The other option is another set of wheels with road tires and use the current wheels for off road. <S> It is odd that that they just list pressure but that is common. <A> I used a pair of DT Swiss TK540 and both cracked all the way through the center when I was out on tour after about 6500 miles. <S> Not sure at which point when the cracks first started appearing as the rim was lined with tape. <S> but when the wheels needed truing and the spokes were at the end, the mechanic discovered what was going on. <S> These were 29" mounted with Marathon Mondial 28x2.0 <S> The side wall did not fail but the center was cracked the same as in the above picture. <S> The tires were inflated to between 45 and 50psi <A> That is a rather disappointing pressure rating... <S> In this increasingly litigious world of psycho-lawyers, one can't be too careful. <S> I'll bet they can handle 8 bar. <S> If you plan to run your tires at 6 bar (for example), inflate one of them to 8 bar and let it sit for a day. <S> See what happens. <S> If it doesn't blow out then you're definitely safe at 6 bar.
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The force on rim is pressure plus size so it should take more pressure on a smaller tire.
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Replace rim because of 4 broken spokes? When replacing the rear brake pads I noticed that 4 spokes were broken and the wheel wobbles. I phoned a local bike shop and was told that they recommend replacing the wheel if more than 3 spokes are broken. I assume that this is a safety precaution but wonder if the recommendation is in line with common practice. I certainly have no desire to get thrown off the bike in traffic, but it also seems a waste to (probably) discard an entire wheel because it might be damaged and might fail at some point. This is a 27" road bike, inexpensive, which I ride for transportation in the city (Tokyo). The rear rim is a bit scored from waiting too long to replace the brake pad, which is another factor to consider. To clarify slightly, it probably would be cheaper to replace the wheel as suggested below. My objection is more of an ethical one -- tossing something useful into a hole in the ground seems irresponsible. Difficult to avoid though, the way things work right now. <Q> On a reasonably built and loaded bike (which is how I hear you describing your bike) with well built wheels I would expect the wheels to last a very long time. <S> With that in mind, several broken spokes with no obvious cause are a red flag. <S> My first thought would be inadequate tension leading to flexing and fatigue. <S> If that is the case, other spokes will likely follow. <S> With a damaged rim, it might be worth biting the bullet and buying a new wheel – or if you have a good hub, having it rebuilt. <S> If you're inclined to do the work yourself, replacing spokes isn't too hard and the tools are reasonably inexpensive. <S> There is a knack to truing wheels, but you'll be starting from a reasonable place and all you will likely need to do is to tension the new spokes. <A> Its your call - depends on how you ride. <S> I've replaced at least 15 spokes in a 26" MTB wheel, but always one or two at a time <S> and I still ride that wheel today. <S> If you were a racer with fewer spokes on the wheel, then absolutely a new rim. <S> Since its a city bike, much less of a problem should it degrade. <A> No one can give you a definitive answer that it is safe. <S> I find Japanese bike shops to generally be very conservative in terms of safety, which is why they're recommending replacement. <S> That being said, if it were my own bike I would replace the four spokes, retension and retrue the wheel and see what happens. <S> If it continued to break spokes, I'd junk it. <S> But this is contingent on you being able to: 1) source spokes of the right length and type; and 2) rethread the new spokes, true your wheel, and retension everything correctly. <S> At minimum you need the right spoke wrenches and this would also be much easier if you had a truing stand and tension meter. <S> In any case, since it's a lot of trouble, why not just plunk out the $100/¥10,000/100 euro for a new wheel? <S> At least you'll be able to keep your old tire and tube. <S> I've also found that if you can find a grimy old bike shop, they might sell you an old wheel for much less than a new one. <A> You can replace unlimited spokes if the wheel is in good condition. <S> It does require experience and special equipment, but for a bike shop it is straightforward. <S> Spokes cost the equivalent of a few dollars each. <S> With labor, it should be about $30-$40 at a good bike shop. <S> I'd be more concerned about the rim scoring. <S> BTW, it's not going into the ground. <S> A bike wheel is easily recycled. <A> I blew three spokes on a 27" Weinmann wheel in April, and I think I commuted for 3 days on it before I realized that I'd blown the spokes. <S> Weinmann wheels have an excellent reputation, including those from a 1986 Schwinn. <S> However, there is a rule that old wheels are no match for old bikes and old bicyclists. <S> In looking at the wheel and spokes, LBS mechanic [whom I know and trust] said that metal fatigue was the culprit. <S> I could have paid to get the spokes replaced, but I'd be gambling that I'd blow another <S> spoke in a week or two. <S> I decided instead to pull the 27" wheel from my wife's old road, a 1989 Schwinn, have it mounted, and the wheel trued. <S> I rode on it until mid June--when I blew a spoke on that wheel and <S> the rim bent badly enough that the tire rubbed on the chain stay. <S> Eventually, I bought a new wheel, and upgraded from a bolt-on to a quick release, which produced a bit of extra cost. <S> If the wheel is "older", get a new wheel.
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Wheel repairs are reasonably easy, but take time and bike tools and the knack to true the wheel. It depends, and upon a number of things. No one wants to be responsible for any harm that comes to you (or your bike) if the wheel fails catastrophically.
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How stay fit enough to make moderately hard rides a couple times a month? When I have time I like to get my bike and canoe out and do a day trip. Doing a mile or two is not hard but a good day trip is between 8 and 14 miles. When I started at the beginning of the year 6 miles was all I could do before leg muscle fatigue (and butt soreness) did me in. Now at the end of the season I can just make 14 miles in 3 hours with a bit of walking the last few miles. I did a 22 mile bike only trip last week with similar results near the end of it. So I am guessing 1 bike/canoe mile =~ 1.5 or 2 bike only miles. I usually bike/walk straight through as going down the river is much slower (2 or 3 mph) and getting to the planned boat ramp before dark is critical. The trails are mostly rail to trail and unpaved. Friction, wind resistance and towing an extra 100+ pounds up a gentle slope, are the major impediments. I find a casual pedal of about 5 or 6 miles an hour to be the most effective. My scheduled exercise time is an hour, 3 mornings per week. Which include free weights, elliptical and recumbent stationary bike (wife's choice for our home gym). I found several related questions they all pretty much say to ride about 2/3 of your hard ride a few times a week. I am looking for a solution that will allow me to do a really hard 20 minute exercise that equate to a 2 or 3 hour casual pedal. Related Questions I wish to get fit, therefore should I have a heavy bike? How can I improve my stamina? Does spin class prepare you for a long bike ride? How long does it take to be ready for a multi day ride as a newbie? Training involved to ride 175 miles (281 km) in a day Help for a 169 mile bike ride Training Advice for Road Cycling And because I am over 50- Age-specific information for cyclists <Q> The difficulty is you want specifically to train for endurance, but you want to do it in short bursts. <S> I'm not saying a few squats won't help a bit, but they won't do the job. <S> You also need to be in a similar geometry so the benefit of an hour or 2 of moderate pedalling on the recumbent while reading/watching TV will be limited. <S> However (almost) within your constraints that might be the best place to start. <S> Or drop the elliptical in favour of more bike time if you really don't want to increase your total time. <S> That's the fitness aspect; the soreness will only be dealt with by time in that saddle, or one very similar. <S> If the saddle suits you you don't need ages in it to keep yourself at a level suitable for spending 3 hours on it, but you do need to get on it every few days at least. <S> Anything you only do a couple of times a month will be hard, skipping anything over a week or two really hits your fitnesss for a specific task (a shorter figure even than that is often quoted, but in the context of an athlete's peak performance rather than something more casual). <S> I'd also suggest that particularly as you build up the long towing rides rather than walking at the end you take a decent break and ride again. <S> This will be tricky if there are uphills involved, in that case you might get away with a walk or 2 earlier in the trip. <S> One further suggestion given comments and other answers <S> : switch one of your mixed exercise sessions per week to bike only from a month before your first ride/paddle trip to a week before your last of the season. <A> You may find Grant Peterson's books Eat Bacon, <S> Don't Jog and Just Ride <S> helpful. <S> He is a big proponent of maintaining fitness with short bursts of intense work. <S> The essential idea is to choose an exercise regime that triggers the release of growth hormone to build muscle. <S> I found the books quite enjoyable to read and his position makes sense – and seems to work for me. <A> The only way to build endurance is to spend time building endurance. <S> The only way to get into biking shape is to spend time on your bike. <S> Sprinting for 20 minutes will build strength, but very little endurance. <S> You're not going to find any shortcuts here. <S> Put away the canoe, put down the weights, stay off of the elliptical and spend more time on your bike.
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And trying to push too hard on a bike for a few tens of minutes might improve your aerobic capacity but quite possibly at the expense of your knees.
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To Cold Set or Not To Cold Set? I have a Trek 620 (Reynolds 531 lugged steel frame) from the mid-80s the rear dropouts are spaced at 126 mm. I'd like to be able to run an 8- or 9-speed cassette and I was wondering about the issues involved with running a modern road hub with 130 mm spacing without adjusting the frame spacing. It seems to me that the rear triangle would have the ability to flex 4 mm without needing to be cold set – at the expense of a small misalignment of the dropouts. Are there problems with doing this? Other than the slight hassle when installing the rear wheel? Would it impact the value of the frame – the bike is a rider, probably not a candidate for a restoration (frame could use repainting and I'm not sure the components are original, the wheels definitely are not)? <Q> No need to cold-set. <S> I have a BSO with the same problem. <S> The rear dropouts are about 6mm too close for the hub. <S> I can just flex them apart and let the hub in. <S> The misalignment of the dropouts would be virtually nonexistent at 4mm flex. <S> Other than that, don't bother. <A> I've done this by putting an 8 speed free-hub wheel with a 7 speed cassette into a bike that had a 5 speed freewheel wheel. <S> The only issue is wheel fitting/ <S> removal - a bit of leverage to separate the dropouts and the wheel tucks in nicely. <S> If you needed to do this on the road <S> Murphy's Law may ambush you and make it fiddly. <S> Mounting the wheel square is awkward - I use a clamp on the brake lever to close the rim brakes, one hand where the tyre passes the chainstay, and the other hand to close the quick-release. <S> Functionally it works fine for me, I'm riding that bike in a 12 hour relay this weekend. <S> (Post-race edit) <S> My 12 hour relay is over, and I noticed that the rear quick release was not great at holding the wheel. <S> Every second lap (2x 13 km) <S> I had to realign the wheel because it had started to rub on the left chainstay. <S> Off road riding exaggerates the effect of distance - I could probably do 500-1000 km on the road to get the same loosening effect. <S> Collectively I think the not-quite-parallel dropouts plus the dropouts were never intended for QR <S> so have no lips or roughenings, and the intense workout of carrying my fat arse down undulating singletrack made the rear quick release slacken off a bit quicker than normal. <S> For me checking that QR is now part of the maintenance check. <S> If it gets really bad I will return to a solid axle with normal nuts. <A> There's only 2mm on each of the rear triangles has to move. <S> Sheldon Brown has an elaborate system using strings to make sure that the motion is symmetrical <S> but I think this is rather overkill for anything but the most expensive/vintage bikes. <S> I cold set my 1975 Peugeot UO-18 to use a 9-speed cassette with no issue.
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If you remove your wheels often, and putting the wheel on is a pain, it might be worth cold-setting your frame. Depending on your monthly mileage and the road conditions, it may never be an issue for you.
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Replacing quick release wheel with ebike - motored wheel I intend to upgrade my FireFox Sniper V to electric, by replacing the front wheel with a motorised kit wheel. My question is that the wheels (both) are quick-release: is it safe to motorise this bike. ! - the motorised kit wheel is bolt on type. <Q> Yes, probably and maybe. <S> I'm unfamiliar with your bike model, but I have run my own ebike front motor for a couple years. <S> To answer your question - the old wheel is quick release, but the replacement one will likely be a bolt-on wheel. <S> The main problems stem from design of the front forks and power of the motor. <S> As your motor powers on, the torque is transmitted through the axle. <S> Over time the dropouts get chewed out. <S> What is the wattage of your motor? <S> Anything under 300 watts doesn't have enough impulse power to cause a problem. <S> If you have over 500 Watts then a torque arm will help keep your forks working. <S> Here's an image of a torque arm - it helps distribute the rotational energy into the fork rather than just through the dropout. <S> Do you have disk brakes? <S> Your motor kit has to have bolt holes to support the rotor in the right place. <S> This is not an issue for rim brakes, but your rim brakes need to be working perfectly to cope with the extra speed and momentum. <A> Yes, it is safe, because motorized wheel will be firmly attached by the bolt mount. <A> Have you perhaps looked into going with a rear wheel motor or even better a central drive, (Bafang-8Fun- has great affordable models now at different power levels.) <S> that will allow you to really leverage the bikes gearbox with the motor to make it a "Real" hybrid Bike-electric... <S> As it is the speed increase to 20 <S> + mph means you should perhaps look into Hydraulic or mechanical disk brakes with decent rotors, Stopping is EVERYTHING on an Ebike and if you are in city stop -go traffic <S> I think they're better. <S> The law allows upto a 750watt motor (Federally)but a 36v (or 48v) <S> 500w <S> mid drive <S> , I think would be the better solution and perfect power level to still allow you to retain the 'Bike feel.' <A> Lucky you ;) <S> As for myself, living in New York, USA (Brooklyn,) <S> I know that by United States Federal Law <S> etc <S> BUT In New York City ALONE, they are currently illegal by city code, to rid on public streets, (Though a Law to revise that, is currently doing the rounds in the NY State legislature.) <S> It's also legal <S> I believe in NY Parks on paths (e.g NYC's Prospect or Central Parks <S> (It's not so easy to find a current definitive standard Ebike guide to post @the moment that is correct for EVERYWHERE in the world, BUT if I find one I will again update this answer to include it) and obviously private ' <S> off road' areas are good too... <S> Rear wheel <S> quick releases axles are not as sturdy as a through axle but for a 500watt or 300w motor, like yours, it should be fine and likely won't need a torque arm either, unlike a front wheel hubmotor setup, in which case I'd advise installation of the Torque arm to support the stress on your forks... <S> About the disk brakes, I Hope you will consider getting brakes with electric motor cutoff switches, they are not that expensive (For Mechanical @least) and when paired with decent rotors 160mm or better 180mm, will really enhance your braking, as your not fighting the motor too and are therefore a quite vital safety feature for an Ebike in my opinion.
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It is possible to use quick release adapters, but wheel nuts are more secure and will hold the anti-spin washers better than a QR. All Ebikes under 750 watts are legal WITHOUT a License, Insurance
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Will panaracer 27.5x3.5 tires on Velocity Blunt 35 rims fit on a Medium Surly Karate Monkey Frame? Will panaracer Fat B Nimble 27.5x3.5 tires on Velocity Blunt 35 rims fit on a Medium Surly Karate Monkey Frame? I doubt there will be any clearance issue on the front fork since it can hold a 29x3 surly knard with plenty of space. However, I'm not sure about the rear triangle. <Q> Yes. <S> http://surlybikes.com/gallery/karate_monkey/karate_monkey_b <S> It took me a while to confirm that these were indeed the panaracer fat b nimbles due to the low resolution of the image. <S> However, it's definitely a panaracer, and there are only so many models that size. <S> Like BEVR1337 said, I may have some issues if using a front derailleur, it looks like this should clear the frame fine. <A> I have a 2015 Karate Monkey and have a 27.5 Fat B mounted on a velocity P35 rim and it fits on the rear. <S> Have not had any issues riding trails. <S> I have a Surly Knard <S> 29x3.0 mounted on a WTB Asym i35 rim on the front, plenty of clearance. <S> Next I'm planning to build another WTB i35 29 with a 29 Fat B in the rear. <S> Hope it fits, might be tight. <S> Will let you know. <A> From Surly the maximum tire clearance on a 29er is 2.55". <S> I don't think this will fit between your seat stays. <S> If you ran 700c you could get probably get wider clearance on the rear. <S> Here's an article on how to measure tire clearance. <S> According to Surly, when you put the wider tire on the Karate Monkey, there's an issue of it rubbing the front derailleur. <S> They make a spacer for that if that becomes an issue for you! <A> Also take into consideration whether you will only ride your bike on dry soil. <S> If mud on the tire shall be possible you need much more clearance. <S> Once I had my rear and front wheel fully blocked when pushing the bike through heavy mud although in clean state I have more than 1/2 inch of clearance around the tire.
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Rims appear to be velocity duallys which are a bit wider than the blunts, so if it is a good fit with these rims, the narrower blunt 35s should be totally fine. When you really start pushing the limits of tire width, you'll notice any wobble in the wheel because it'll rub your frame! After reading a bunch of other forum posts from other sites asking the same question, I never read anyone going wider than 2.5" on a 29er.
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Storing commuter bicycle indoors during winter I got myself a road bike that I intend to ride occasionally during winter (mostly for commuting). I live in an apartment, so storing the bicycle in a dry and cold place such as garage is not an option. I know that frequent temperature changes may lead to rust on steel components. My bike has double-butted alloy frame and carbon fork, so no rust hazard there, but other parts may be compromised. On the other hand, keeping the bicycle near a heating device may cause damage to tires and/or other rubber components. Just to discern from a similar question : my general concern is related to frequent extreme environment changes (wet and cold outdoors vs. hot and dry indoors) and their impact on bicycle maintenance/performance. So, what are the usual tips for storing a commuter bicycle indoors, during winter? <Q> Your bike would like the same conditions as you yourself would like - room temperature air and humidity. <S> Also bikes dislike being left salted - if your location salts the roads then rinsing this off after your ride is an excellent idea to preserve <S> If space is an issue, there are several solutions for small spaces. <S> Or you can hang them vertically from the front wheel from a wall hook. <S> Search sites like http://instructables.com for ideas on this point. <S> Apartments tend to be upstairs - do be careful of your bike carrying it up stairs or manoevering it in a lift/elevator. <S> Carbon doesn't like being knocked or chipped, so impacts are bad. <S> Does your apartment have any sort of storage locker? <S> If there are sufficient cyclists then there may be sufficient call for a shared space which is easier to access. <S> Plus the rest of the building occupants won't need to put up with bikes in the hallways. <A> Most modern bicycle components will withstand an amazing amount of variation. <S> As background, I have had several commuter bikes that regularly go between a 70F heated building and temperatures of -40F outside. <S> Issues WILL arise if you take a wet bike out into the cold. <S> However, given time to dry inside and keeping everything relatively clean, I haven't ever had any major problems. <A> It's not the temperature changes that cause rust, but humidity, especially in combination with salt. <S> Let the bike dry completely whenever possible. <S> I store my steel bike indoors both at work and at home (in unheated but above zero garages), and try to avoid salted roads (which is not always possible). <S> It easily survives the winter. <S> It also depends on the kind of steel we talk about: Stainless steel parts need quite a lot of salt and water to corrode. <S> Steel frames (and any other steel parts) should be protected from the outside (paint plus oil/wax) and the inside (most easily with oil). <S> Also some aluminium alloys corrode quite easily. <S> Protect them with grease/wax/oil.
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Chromed steel parts (often some small parts on the components) rust more easily but a thin layer of grease/wax/oil helps a lot. I do, however, recommend that you allow time for the bike to dry in between taking it out and keep the bike as free as possible from salt and grime (which will accelerate wear of your components). If you have space up high then there are rope/pulley combos that raise your bike up.
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Is it normal for a presta valve to unscrew into two pieces? I have a Continental Road inner tube with a threaded presta valve. I also have a threaded bike pump which I screw onto the valve to inflate the tube. When I try to unscrew the pump, the uppermost part of the valve unscrews and detaches from the main body of the valve and all the air rushes out. Is it normal for a presta valve to be separable into two parts like this? How can I prevent this from happening? <Q> The correct answer is yes <S> and no. <S> There are in fact two types of Presta valves: One where the core can be removed. <S> Those are often used with tubular tyres so that the inner tube can be filled with a sealant (latex) fluid. <S> Normal and cheaper tubes have Presta valves where the core cannot be removed. <S> There is a special tool to be used for handling the core although like @Michael said the (careful) use of pliers also works. <S> Another reason for a removable core is the possibility to use valve extensions with high rims. <A> Yes it is normal. <S> You can carefully tighten the valve core with pliers or special tools . <S> Medium strength Loctite helps a lot too. <A> It happens to me every time I buy new tubes. <S> You just tighten the valve and it won't happen again.
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Some higher quality tubes also have removable core valves for the same purpose.
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How to use bicycle gear ratios In a 21 speed bicycle, which is the fastest gear ratio. Smallest on front and largest on back or vice versa? <Q> It depends on your cadence (number of times you're turning the chainrings). <S> In practice, you will not be able to keep up the same cadence on all gear combinations, so depending on the cadence you can keep, a smaller chainring in the front and a larger cog in the back may end up being faster (since you can use a higher cadence) than a larger chainring and smaller cog (which, if you could spin at the same cadence would be faster, but you can't). <S> You can use this calculator to see what speed you get for a given cadence for the chainrings and rear cogs on your bike. <A> The 'fastest' combination of gearing will be the largest chainring in the front to the smallest cog in the rear. <S> For a simplified example of why this is so consider a front chain ring with a diameter twice that of the corresponding rear cog. <S> For every full rotation of the front ring the rear cog will experience two full rotations, and since the cog is attached to the wheel you will travel two full rotations of the wheel. <S> If the rear cog was one quarter the size of the front ring, it would travel four roatations for every single rotation of the front ring. <S> In this manner it can be seen that increasing the size of the front ring in relation to the rear cog, or decreasing the size of the rear cog in relation to the front ring, will result in more rotation of the wheel and a larger distance traveled for each pedal stroke. <S> Therefore, it is possible to travel faster for a given cadence (rate of pedalling). <S> Of course, in practice if you try using your 'fastest' ratio to go uphill <S> you won't get very far because you'll be unlikely to produce the necessarry force on the pedals to achieve roation. <A> the fastest gear ratio is largest front and smallest rear, <S> usually 44 front 11 rear means the wheel turns 4 times faster than the crankset. <S> Smallest front and largest rear is slowest, only for climbing big hills
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If you fix the cadence, largest chainring (gear in the front) and smallest cog (gear in the back) will be fastest.
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How do people store bicycles in London? I just moved to London. They seem to have a decent bike culture but I just spoke with a letting agent about renting apartments and she said that most apartments don't allow bicycles inside and most streets don't allow bicycles chained outside. What do I do?! Or, to better fit the general nature of this site, what do people in London generally do with their bikes? Only people who have private gardens ride bikes. Bring the bike inside anyway. Maybe get a folding bike. The letting agent is lying. There are definitely some flats that allow bikes. None of the above. <Q> Would you be forbid to bring a crank set or a pair of wheels or a bar set into your apartment? <S> Why would you be forbid to bring those things assembled in a certain way into your apartment? <S> Read your lease very carefully, or get a lawyer and ask him or her about your situation considering your lease. <S> If you can tell they are going to be giving you a hard time about it don't even bother, look elsewhere. <S> Having a bad landlord and/or building owner is a whole other problem in and of itself. <A> In my experience, it seems fairly standard practice for the tenancy agreements supplied by agents to forbid the storage of bikes in properties. <S> I have always just done so regardless, though I can understand why you might want to avoid clearly violating the terms of your agreement. <S> I'm fairly sure that your landlord (unless they are live-in) is required to give you notice before visiting the property. <S> I think they would probably have difficulty proving that you're storing them there if you remove them before any visit. <A> As a former and occasional landlord, I can see why folks would try to forbid bikes in building. <S> They have a nasty habit of leaving gouges in hallways and doors right about the height at which pedals are when they're carried. <S> But such things are really best handled under general prohibitions against damaging property and assessing damages against security deposits, etc. <S> etc. <S> In any case, private landlords have considerable leeway in terms of what we can forbid as long as it doesn't go against anti-discrimination laws. <S> So you may run up against a lathed-plaster wall if you try to go the legal route. <S> You might be most convincing if you show them your nice little Brompton, all folded up and in a slip cover, and thus not at all likely to bash a huge dent in the owner's 15th century, polished wooden bannisters.
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To add to Michael's comment if it's your property you can't be forbid to bring a bicycle into your apartment, unless it's somehow unlawful to be in possession of said bicycle. If you can meet the building owner or property manager and ask, indirectly, about bicycles, do so and get a feel for their attitude about it.
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SRAM Force 22 chainset in an otherwise 10-speed SRAM setup I notice that SRAM web site still lists "regular" 10-speed Force chainset as one of their products. However, my attempts to find it for sale online came up with almost nothing. It seems to be "barely" available at some places, but the chainring/BB/crank length combination I'm interested in (50/34, GXP, 172.5mm) proves to be impossible to find. Hence the question: what about SRAM Force22 chainsets? Will they work in a 10-speed setup? Specifically, with regular SRAM Force front derailleur and shifter? <Q> If you are prepared to move down to the SRAM Apex model, you can still get a 50/34 172.5mm version http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/sram-apex-white-gxp-compact-10sp-chainset/rp-prod83674 <S> The first question and answer here indicates that an 11 spped chainring will work with a 10 speed chain: http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/03/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/technical-faq-10-11-speed-drivetrain-component-compatibility_362722 <A> Yes you can use a Force 22. <S> I have a Force 22 GXP and a RED 22 BB30 crank. <S> I've run both successfully on different bikes - one with a Mavic 11 speed free-hub, running a 10 speed cassette with a spacer, the other with a regular 10 speed free-hub and cassette. <S> I usually do this in the winter to run a 10 speed tubular wheel & knobby tire combo at low pressure on my 11 speed. <S> But, it will still work. <A> At our shop, we have used the front crank interchangeably for months on end on multiple bikes. <A> I just installed a FORCE 22 50/34 crankset on my old SRAM Force 10 spd equipped bike. <S> Used to have SRAM Rival Crankset. <S> I can not see any indications on why this would not work. <S> I'm a mechanical engineer as a profession as well.. <S> SRAM says the PC1051 chain is not compatible with Force22 chainrings, but it works fine so far. <S> I think SRAM in this case tries to make you upgrade to 11 spd all over. <S> Not necessary, but clearly a PC1170 chain vill not work so good with my 10 SPD cassette.
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Yes, it is possible to use a 22 chain ring on an otherwise 10 speed SRAM drivetrain. What you don't get with the 'regular' non '22' Force front derailleur is the yaw technology that helps with chain rub.
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Fixed gear wheel NOT stopping when feet stop. Any ideas why? I have a Pure Fix fixed gear bike. I've been riding it in single speed mode for a while but recently decided to flip the wheel and make it a fixed gear. My problem is that when I try to stop moving my feet on the pedals, the bike wants to keep moving forward. Like the momentum of the movement is causing it to be extremely hard to stop. The wheel doesn't just stop, and the pedals push back against my feet. That means I'm having to put a great deal of force on the pedals in order for it to just slow down! Aren't fixed gears supposed to do exactly what your feet do? I used to have an old bike a long time ago and it was really easy to stop the tires from turning, making skidding or braking a breeze. <Q> That bicycle you had long time ago had rear brake (actuated by pedals turning backwards), the one you have now has no rear brake <S> and you have to fight force of inertia with your feet to stop it. <S> One might be tempted to add that this is the exact reason why brakes were invented and added as standard equipment to bicycles. <A> To stop a fixed wheel bike, you have to be going relatively slowly, and put your body weight into resisting the pedal. <S> Its almost like pulling the front wheel up. <S> Idea is to get more pressure on the back wheel so it grips. <S> Personally, I've used the front brake properly all my life, and back wheel stop makes me think of preschoolers stopping their direct-drive bigwheel tricycles. <S> Are you expecting the bike to stop like a BMX or something else with a coaster brake, where pedalling backwards activates a brake inside the rear wheel's hub? <A> It's down to the gear ratio too, I used to ride 48 or 50/ 18 or 19 something like that. <S> Top end speed was important to me <S> so I ran a front brake as I could not lock my legs on these ratios <S> Guys I knew did the no brake thing and ram much lower gear ratios, but subsequently were much more spinney when flat out. <S> .. <S> 20 at the back was largest commonly available....stick a 42 or 40 on the front, see how you get on!
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Braking with the chain on a fixed gear is unlike any other manoeuvre in riding a bike, because as you slow down, your momentum change unweights the rear wheel, making your actions less effective. My opinion is that brakes are not optional equipment on any bike.
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