/BQG/ - Bike Questions General

I built a wheel today that has a radial outward kick that just won't seem to go away with any combination of tightening spokes immediate to the kick or manipulating spoke tension at the diametric opposite of the kick. Do I just go ahead and redo the whole thing? Rim is circular and it was fine before I pulled it apart.

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I'm looking to buy a new commuter, will this be sufficient? I don't trust amazon reviews

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AYCY15Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=marketorder-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00AYCY15Y&linkId=21dcc28c07515ccbea126bf3201b5c8c

>>1043959
It'll fall apart in less than a month.

>>1043959
$550 for a 2x7 bike with no size options? I'd avoid it. It also doesn't have any commuting amenities like rack/fender mounts which you may not need but are very useful to have.

>>1043962
>>1043961
Are you guys just trying to justify your purchase of a bike that's as expensive as a used car?

>>1043959
it's fine as long as you maintain it right

>>1043954
keep tightening the spokes under the hop
and screw the 'diametric opposite' crap
there's no way its not moving *at all*, you probably just aren't being aggressive enough

and get a tensiometer

>>1043964
He doesn't have to spend more money, he needs to spend it more appropriately.

>>1043959
>those wheels are going to be completely and utterly fucked in no time flat, and you're getting ripped off like mad if you pay > $150 for that thing

get something off craigslist that is made of actual bike parts, has a chromoly frame, and has somewhere to mount a rack, fenders, and a couple water bottle cages

>>1043950
I really like DTSwiss rims; I've never had a problem with one. 20mm internal diameter will work great with anything you'd consider putting on a gravel/adventure bike, from 700Cx28mm road bike slicks up to the widest mini-MTB 45mm wide tires.

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On a scale of 1-10, how retarded would it be to buy an very old department store road bike like this Murray here and outfit it with all modern components?

>why the fuck would you want to do that

Because I have a soft spot for things that are hated through no fault of their own.

>>1044184
To clarify, I don't mean that exact bike. I mean the concept in general.

Got an early mountain bike I'd like to put pegs on the back of to double my human carrying capacity. Typical 135mm rear dropout spacing.

Longest 10x1 axle I could find was 185mm. Which isn't long enough for pegs + axle nuts.

Whats the path?

>>1043959
It'ts really overpriced and the wheels are crap.

>>1044184
9

>>1044184
It would be hilarious to put 9150 Di2 and some Boras on a piece of shit Murray. I approve.

>>1044192
ebay has 190 ones but if you put someone back there you are likely gonna be poppin mad spokes yo.

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Fuck, I think I cross threaded it.

>>1044261
what's with the goop around the pedal spindle? did you weld it to the crank arm?

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>>1044261
A BMX is a toy not /n related. So is MTG. Don't they have a board for manchildren?

>>1044264
>Don't they have a board for manchildren?
most of them
probably including here desu

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>>1044184
Its been done before - fine to do it for a laugh if you don't mind squandering some time and cables to build a bike that you'll ride exactly twice and photograph once.

>>1044192
carrying people on pegs is a really bad idea, if you want to carry a kid you're better off with a trailer or a child seat that attaches to a rear rack; to carry an adult you really need a tandem or a heavy-duty trailer.

>>1043964
A $550 bike plus $100 worth of accessories can give service for 50+ years with maintenance that can be a little as $100 per decade.
Compare that to a $550 car which at that price is probably a used clunker that's going to last maybe 1 year before it requires repair or replacement that costs at least another $500, and then there's the regular purchase of gasoline to consider...

when you factor the attendant costs in, even an expensive $2000 commuting bike is a solid investment because they're extremely inexpensive compared to other kinds of vehicles when you factor in maintenance costs and service life.

>>1043959
The downside of Amazon/Walmart bikes is that they're never assembled correctly. That said, they work just fine as commuter vehicles IF you (or someone you pay) checks that all the bearings are correctly lubricated and adjusted, that the wheels are properly tensioned, and that the brakes and shifters are setup correctly. Otherwise, if you just ride the bike the way it comes, you're likely to break things or wear parts out fairly quickly and you'll be spending money on service that would have been better spent on getting a nicer bike in the first place.

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>>1044268
you right

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>>1043950
where would you ride on a street like this?
would you just take the entire lane?

>>1044303
yeah, not taking the lane on a street like that is stupid dangerous

although in general, if there's another way to get where you're going, avoid roads like that

>>1044184
Whatever you do, don't use external-cam QRs on horizontal dropouts like the moron who set up the bike in your photo.

I'm looking at getting a Bridgestone rb-2. Do you know if I can fit fenders on it? I used to have a bianchi strada lx and I couldnt fit the fenders on there at all unless I got smaller tires but I don't wanna do that.

>>1044341
A better question would be how do I tell if I can fit fenders?

>>1044345
Maybe try to find pics on google and see if anyone have fenders, or finding a close range pic in which you can see the clearance of the fork-brakes.

Hello, dumb question here

I've gotten my first bike (first time rider), and I'm fine with it now, I can go fast and its fun
Except I feel like I can't turn properly, I can turn the handlebars slowly and turn that way, assuming I have a lot of space, but if I turn even slightly sharp then the bike jags out and I feel like its going to flip/I'll fall

Is this normal on bikes or am I just a noob

>>1044427
You're supposed to turn by leaning your body, not turning the handlebars.

>>1044428
so do I throw my weight onto one side?

>>1044429
Lean more than throw, you're not trying to take a motorbike through a chicane. But that's the general idea, yes.

>>1044429
Not all of your weight suddenly, just lean a bit.

>>1044431
>>1044430
Another dumb question, when I get on the bike, the pedals are often in a bad position where you can't push down and cycle off easily, and I can't turn the pedals into a good position with my feet when I'm stationary, this makes me stupidly almost fall off the bike till they're in a good position and I can pedal normally

Is this me being stupid/new again or just something i have to deal with

>>1044438
Can't you just turn your pedals backwards to a position you find comfortable to start pedaling from? Or is your bicycle a "fixie"?

>>1044438
Keep one foot on the ground and use the other foot to push the pedal up (backwards freewheel, assming it's not a fixie) into a starting position.

It was weird to have to think about this today after using clipless for so long.

>>1044438
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/starting.html

Hey guys, I got a quick question for you.

I spend a lot of time riding my motorcycle and in teh world of motorcycles, it's commonplace to seek out challenging and twisty roads since it's fun to take the corners aggressively.

I have also noticed that cyclists usually seek out these same roads so it has always been something I wanted to try.

Is this considered to be any particular genre of cycling? I am guessing I can't just go buy a generic bike to do this. What kind of bike would work? I have no idea how tire size, frame material, weight, etc.... plays into this type of riding

>>1044459
Uh, that's too vague. What kind of corners?, mtb or road discipline?.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhBPFr3RRso

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4aMTp6-WKU

>>1044461
Paved roads. Usually in mountainous regions.

Kinda like these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFaAqS2f18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfOAxCVbhd8

>>1044461
btw I think the best thing about cycling are the climbs. Nothing like triying to climb fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4mmID18Uw4

>>1044459
It's simply called "descending". It is usually done on road bikes as a reward for the big ass climb you just finished. But then there's also people who just hitch a ride to the top, and have bikes that can't even be properly ridden and are just rigged for fast descending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ehLlNL7pZ4

>>1044462
In that case, any non triathlon/tt road bike could work.

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>>1044465

Why are bike saddles so damn shit

My ass is crying in pain

>>1044478
Just get a Cloud 9 Cruiser saddle.

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>>1044478

>>1044478
Probably because you got one that wasn't the right size for your sitbones, nor you set it up correctly.

>>1044478
You need a saddle that fits you, maybe your ass bones are wide or narrow enough to not fit on your saddles, try different shapes and try also women's saddles because they are made for wider hips.

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>>1044444

witnessed

>>1043950
is there any training program/manual available in the united states for safe transportation-oriented biking approved by some official sanctioning body / experts who know what they're talking about?

>>1044496
there probably is, but the problem you will rapidly realize is that none of the cagers have read it.

assume all cars do not see you. figure out what all the cars are doing, or what all their possible movements could be. only make a move if you can beat them or coast and wait for them to go, then go behind them.

you're playing chess. their pieces are more powerful and potentially (usually) faster. your piece is the knight--you can out-maneuver them.

>>1044499
yeah i've been using a bike for my short/medium distance transportation needs for years now. i'd just feel safer having the "official" or certified training. so far all i know is what i learned on bicyclesafe.com, assorted internet posts, and personal experience.

and i still freak out about some idiot just running me over from behind. i can't think of anything i can do to avoid that besides being visible.

>>1044496
>>1044501
There are training courses and instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists, but frankly if you've been riding for a few years already you wouldn't get much out them. What the league material covers, from what I have seen of it:
1. verifying your bicycle is mechanically safe to operate
2. making sure the rider is comfortable operating the bicycle
3. teaching basic rules of the road (if you've gotten a driver's license, you learned these then)
4. Practicing basic bike handling skills
5. Practicing quick turns and emergency stops
6. make sure the bike is outfitted with lights and reflectors before riding at night or in low-light conditions

#5 is probably the only thing of use to you if you've been riding for a couple of years, and you can do that on your own at any time, the point is to practice those skills so that in a dangerous situation you can respond without panicking.

>>1044507
i did my own emergency stop training from what i read on sheldonbrown. basically pulling hard on the front brake and shifting my weight back so i don't flip. is there anything more i should know?

>>1044513
That's pretty much it for e-stops, if you want to take it to the next level you can keep practicing on increasingly challenging inclines/surfaces (the ultimate challenge is doing an e-stop on a slick surface and keeping steady behind the front wheel even as it slips).

For steering, just practice countersteering - you already do this instinctively, but if you practice doing it intentionally that will increase your skill level and make you better prepared for challenges.

One thing I've learned that Sheldon doesn't mention is that in the case of a rear wheel skid, you can avoid crashing in many cases as long as you keep pedaling through the skid with consistent cadence and power output, so practice that as well.

So I have a 90s rigid mtb, how do I go about getting the most out of it- it currently has mismatched wheels/tyres after the front got stolen. Other than replacing brake pad, proper tyre pressures, adjusting derailleur and lubing the chain, what else can I do? Replace the wheels/tyres?

>>1044552
pretty much, the other regular maintenance things you should do is make sure the wheels are true, and that all the bearings (headset, bottom bracket, hubs) get cleaned and repacked with fresh grease ever few years. Replacing the mismatched wheel might not make any difference unless you've got a heavy/low quality wheel on the bike right now, but choosing appropriate tires for the kind of terrain you ride on most the time will go a long way towards making your riding faster, more efficient, and more controlled. Show us your bike and tell us more about where you ride it if you want specific recommendations.

>>1044553

The front wheel is relatively new, the rear I think is pretty ancient, has somewhat old more knobbly tyre on it as well- replacing at least the tyre, or tyre and wheel is probably the best bet. I changed the BB recently and put on a new rear derailleur and cassete, might change the brake pads and then see how it goes. Might post pics and similar at some point to get any more recs, you guys are way more knowledgable than me

>>1044552
Fresh set of cables and outers will make the braking and shifting feel a lot nicer if they haven't been changed in a few years.

>>1043950
>700c tire on a 26" rim wheel
I don't get this meme.

>>1044577
That's not even possible, what the hell are you talking about

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>imouto 3 years younger goes biking with me
>decides to wear yoga pants
>she has a really nice ass
>mfw I slow down and fall back behind her because I'm "getting tired"
Got a boner just thinking about it.

>>1044577
The rim comes in 26/27/5(650B)/and 29(700c)

>>1044583
Good, is she cute?

>TFW you scrape your rim and you have no idea how this happened.

Should I worry or do anything about it?

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>>1044613
Forgot picture.

>>1044615
Sandpaper.

>>1044618
I can't tell if you're fucking with me or not.

>>1044621
Not him but you'll want to sand it so there's no burrs sticking up as it'll wear your pads on one side a bit quicker. Other than that it's nothing to worry about.

I want to chuck an 11-32 cassette on my road bike, I'm pretty sure I have a short cage derailleur. I quick google says this should still work. Will I need to get a longer chain though? Currently have 11-28T

>>1044636
Depends, but if you never shift big-big it won't be a problem. If not being able to do that bothers you, then adding a couple of links might be a good idea.

>>1044615
That's a major stress riser and could cause spontaneous wheel collapse. I wouldn't ride around on that at all.

How do I get over the fear of dogs ripping me to shreds mates?

Bunch of loose dogs or dogs that can jump their fences in my neighborhood, sometimes I'll have to ask one of my parents for a ride instead of riding.

I've been bitten once in my life and it was traumatic as fuck, my heart races just being near them. What do /n/? I yearn for the safety of a cage sometimes... but these dags...

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>>1044711
A doge is not gonna bother you and if it does you are on a fucking bike- just pedal you glorious winged faggot.

>>1044711
Some time ago I read that a guy carried bear spray on his bike rides because he used to have problems with dogs. He got attacked one day by a pitbull and he killed him with the spray because it looks like a small % of dogs are allergic to those sprays.

>>1044444
>>1044443
Oh yeah that helps

I find it annoying that I have to get the pedals in a starting position every time I start off. Is there any way around this

>>1044712
I don't have full use of my left arm/hand because of the dog bite I got when I was a kid. I need to get better at handling a bike before I can be confident I can just out sprint a dog. I hate living in this ghetto area, no one cares for their dogs and they are all aggressive because of shit owners but if you even think of harming their dog they'll come out and try to hurt you or pull a gun on you. There are dogs fighting in the streets often but animal control was called and they got the biggest ones out but still I am afraid. Really fucks with my GAD but riding in traffic or anywhere else is fine, I wish I could just move 2bh but I'm poor as fuck.
>>1044719
I will look into this, hope it's not illegal to use on the owners as well if they come at me.

I am not one to bring identity shit into /n/ but I'm a 5'4" trans woman and I don't need anymore attention. I wouldn't stand a chance against a dog if I fucked up trying to out ride or facing off against a pack with spray.

But yeah, maybe I'll pop some Xanax and spin to win against these damn doggies. oh well, thanks guys

f

>>1044722
Eventually it will become so natural you don't think about it

What do you guys think about getting a flat bar road bike? I was pretty set on getting the Giant SLR fastroad slr 1 but now I'm considering drop bar bikes.
This is for getting around on campus at my college
My biggest worry about the drop bars is that the way the bike racks are setup, it looks like a drop bar bike can get locked in if another flat bar bike parked next to you

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>>1044623
>>1044618
Thank you, anons.
>>1044642
Wat.

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My 10 speed cassette won't fit in these fucking Ultegra rims I just bought. What's with these fucking weird splines?

>>1044884
it's for 11 speeds, either buy 105 5700/5800 cassette, shifters, chain and derrailleurs and convert to 11s or sell the wheel and buy one that will take an 10s cassette

or you could remove the hub from the wheel and rebuild the wheel with a hub that will take a 10s cassette but since you didn't even know about the difference between different speed freewheels i wouldn't go into buildin wheels unless you're willing to invest time and money into learning how to build wheels because you'll fuck up a lot of things

either way you learned something the best way possible, fucking up, have you not?

>>1044826
>flat bar road bike
ew

>>1044889
>105 5700
my bad this groupset is actually 10 speed, if you want to convert to 11s buy 105 5800 (or ultegra or dura ace but $$$)

>>1044889
>>1044892
10 speed cassettes can go on 11 speed freehubs, you just need a spacer. It seems like he has a different problem and the cassette won't go on at all, either the splines are damaged or he's trying to put a Sram or Campy cassette on it.

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>>1044884
What group of 10 speed cassette did you buy?

My old road bike came with a funky shimano free hub body that was all aluminum. Too keep the cassette from eating in to it too quickly shimano made the splines taller than the standard splines. I ordered a Tiagra cassette to replace the worn out 105 cassette that was on it and the tiagra would not fit over the splines. It took me a long time to figure out wtf was going on. For whatever reason Shimano stopped leaving extra clearance on the cassette to fit over the splines when they brough tiagra to 10 speed. Anyway I just had to buy another 105 cassette. I took a pic way back then to post of forums when I was trying to figure out what was going on. The tiagra is on the left and the 105 on the right. You can clearly see the difference.

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I can't remember the model number for the hub but I'm guessing it is the same damn thing. Picture of mine with it's tall ass splines.

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>>1044940
Ah, fuck me bro, it's exactly the same fucking hub. I'm trying to put the newest Tiagra groupset. I'm either going to try and sell the wheels or just send it back to the guy who sold me the wheelset. He kind of fucked me over since he didn't know (or didn't tell me) that a standard cassette wouldn't fit and that the front wheel is pretty banged up beyond repair and can't be trued (pic related). Live and learn I guess. Thanks for the help.
>>1044894
It's a Tiagra cassette.
>>1044889
Naw. It's an Ultegra SL Wheelset. Used and too old to be 21 SPD. I did fuck up big time tho.
>>1044939
Fucking Shimano fixing what ain't broke.

I was at the bike shop to test ride a bike today. On the test ride, I felt kind of stretched out on the hoods but cramped in the drops. I also felt myself sliding forward on the saddle a lot. Does this mean the frame is too big for me? There was less than half an inch between the toptube and my groin when I straddled it.

>>1044939
>>1044940
Shimano used an aluminum freehub with taller splines on DuraAce 7800 (1st gen 10-speed), and I think a 6600-series Ultegra wheelset also had the tall splines (but not the individually-sold Ultegra 6600 freehub). All 7800 and 6600 cassettes had the tall splines to fit on these hubs.

Shimano reverted to the "standard" height splines on 2nd gen 10-speed with a titanium freehub body on 7850/7900 and a steel one on 6700.

It's a one-model compatibility issue that will bite you if you're not well versed in Shimano lore - ESPECIALLY that it was on the Ultegra *wheelsets* but not the FH-6600 freehubs.

>>1045035
Well, fuck me sideways. Should I just sell the fucking wheels or try to find someone that could modify(sand them down to standard height?) the splines?

>>1045042
>modify(sand them down to standard height?) the splines?
Why on earth would you try to do that? Ultegra 6600 cassettes are still easy to find NIB/NOS. If you want to keep the wheel, buy a CS-6600 and sell the Tiagra cassette that you bought.

>>1045044
Because I don't want to be forced to buy overpriced NOS cassettes for the rest of the wheeslsets life?

>>1045042
Just get a new hub and save that one as a reminder not to buy stuff without thorougly investigating it first. Plus it's somewhat a part of cycling history.

>>1045042
after seeing >>1044946 just fucking take them back to whoever sold them to you

if you want some decent budget wheels just get the campy vento with shimano hub

>>1044443
offbyone kenobi

>>1044723
shit son

can someone explain how to use gears?

I have 3 on one side and 7 on another side, I understand this gives 21 gears, but it doesn't work in the logical way I expected it to

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>>1045191
The goal when choosing gears is to make it so that you can pedal easily, without straining your legs or having to stand up on the pedals all the time, but not geared so low that you'd have to turn the cranks impossibly quickly to make the bike go faster. The gear you should use will vary according to the terrain you're riding on - high gears for going downhill fast, low gears for going up a steep hill or over rough/loose sections offroad.

The gears on the front (3 in your case) provide relatively large jumps in the ratios between the gears, while the difference between all of the seven gears on the back is much smaller. You'll use front gears to shift to a smaller chainring before starting a big climb, use the rear gears to make fine adjustments when the hill you're climbing gets just a little bit steeper/shallower.

There's not really any specific rules about how you have to shift, because it depends so much on where you're riding (and how strong you are). Learning exactly what gear to be in and when to shift are things that you'll learn with practice. The only technical thing you should be aware of that's more specific than 'do what feels right' is that you should avoid cross-chaining. See pic, it's when you're in the big-big or small-small combinations, you want to avoid this because it takes in those combinations the chain is having to bend/twist a lot, adding friction inside that drivetrain that you have to fight.

>>1045194
thank you

>>1045191
also see http://sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

Just got a $120AUD trek/Bontrager gift card. Any advice on things worth spending it on?

Do you guys recommend greasing spoke threads before building a wheel? Roger Musson says to oil them in his book but it seems to me like grease would be better than oil.

>>1045191
>>1045194
>no specific rules about how you have to shift
I'd say, be on a gear that makes you comfortable. At least that's how I roll.
Also, downshifting before a stop is fun.

>cross-chaining
>x1
One of those is meme and should not be taken seriously.

>>1045191
How did you expect it to work?

>>1045304
Does the bontrager ballista interest you? That looks like a cool helmet.

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>>1045279
>tfw you found the last forum post Sheldon made before he died

Last thing the community heard from him was him helping out a random scrub. He was too good for us.

>>1045340
It does. I feel a bit self conscious rocking aero gear when I don't ride that fast though. I'll check it out next time I'm at the lbs. Other suggestions welcome.

>>1045315
interesting question.

I also would like to know this.

>>1045315
Sheldon recommends a little grease on threads and holes. Though it doesn't really make a difference whether you oil or grease them.

>>1045191
>>1045318
>Also, downshifting before a stop is fun.

thisthisthis

with derailleurs (as opposed to internal-gear hubs and the new Pinion thing) there is no shifting without cranking. the motion of the chain going around the gears in conjunction with the derailleur pushing the chain sideways is what moves the chain off the current gear onto the next one. (you can see little "ramp" shapes carved into some of the teeth on the cogs which facilitate this)

in other words, you can't shift when you're stopped, and shifting when you're going slow (in a high gear going uphill, e.g.) could take longer than you may be able to handle before you lose leg strength to push the crank through the shift.

the upshot is: read the road/terrain and downshift when approaching stops or climbs--anticipate that you will need the shift before you actually do (once you're used to it, you do it so fluidly that you don't really think about it anymore)

this tactic buffers the overall philosophy of "spinning is winning."

happy cycling!

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I have this project mtb hardtail frame and I got a cheap suspension fork for it.

I noticed that the steerer tube is just a little bit too short for an average stem.

If I got a bmx stem the steerer tube's length wouldn't be a problem anymore because in general bmx stems have pretty low stack.

Will I die if I install a bmx stem and a motocross handlebar? Stem clamp is 22,2 mm and the motocross handlebar is 22mm.

The reason I'm planning on doing this because I could just get any bmx stem and a normal motocross handlebar. That would then take less effort than trying to find a low stack stem for a normal OS handlebar.

>>1045315
>>1045390
>>1045391
If you look around a bit you can find every possible opinion on this subject: grease, oil, linseed oil, locktite, "spoke prep," at nothing at all, special locking nipples - there's an advocate for every option.

There are three main schools of thought on this:
1. a lubricant will prevent spokes and nipples from seizing in the future, and allows for smoother wheelbuilding with less spoke wind-up
2. a thread locker will prevent spokes from unwinding if one side of the wheel comes loose
3. why bother? wheels do just fine without either - but we'll use spoke prep sometimes because it sounds 'pro' when we tell our customers about it

Personally, I tend to think option three is most correct, it doesn't really matter, particularly if you're careful about how you build wheels and store your bikes properly. When wheelbuilding at home I use a tiny dab of grease on the end of each grease because... well why not? I've already got plenty of grease and it's a simple precaution even if it's not actually necessary or useful in any measurable sense. And when I worked in a shop that subscribed to the linseed oil theory, I used linseed oil, and it didn't do any harm (or good as far as I can tell... maybe it made a tiny difference for MTB wheels that are going to see lots of lateral loading, maybe).

>>1045394
If you can find a bmx stem with the right angle/length, go for it. Otherwise, I would see if you can find a different headset with a lower stack height.

>>1045395
interesting, thanks.

In terms of building, I've only done it once and I did grease them.

but I've been truing my wheels for a few decades now as-needed, and I always put a drop of oil on all the nipples before I start because if not the spokes just wind up and it drives me fucking crazy.

so, in my mind, option 1 was the way to go as it should act as a wind-up preventative towards the inevitable event of having to true the wheel later.

but then, after time and weather, maybe it gets washed or frictioned away? it should prevent that, though, right?

>>1045394
just get a low rise bmx cruiser handlebar. usually found on 24" bmx. Width is variable to standard width and rise is 2-5" normally.

>>1045400
>after time and weather, maybe it gets washed or frictioned away? it should prevent that, though, right?
That's the problem - there's no scientific evidence one way or the other, only anecdotal evidence that could be influenced by myriad factors.

>>1045403
right on. good posts.

>>1045360
He was truly a great man
I hope he has a nice tailwind and smooth roads up in heaven

>>1045394
There are quite a lot of 35mm height stems which is pretty similar to a BMX stem (I had a quick look at a few and they were 30-35mm) and there are even some 30mm ones. For a low stack headset Chain Reaction Cycles do a 22mm one for external cup frames and it's really cheap, made by Brand X. It's loose ball and might not last as long as more expensive ones but you're not going to find anything lower.

>>1045360
h-how do you know it was his last post?

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>>1045429
http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/385022-will-freewheel-work.html

Because it was made the night before he died.

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>>1045430
oh. I thought you were saying the link in the post you were replying to at sheldonbrown.com/gears was the last one he wrote, but I see you wrote "forum post." the way you used "you" to not mean "the poster i'm replying to" but as yourself threw me off.

anyway, I read the thread. it was sad. thanks for the link.

so long, Captain Bicycle ;_;

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Are Java frames /n/ approved? I'm look at this one that goes for around 250$ and comes with a carbon fork.

>>1043950
My new boots have some sort of issue with the cleat screws. They seem tight but work loose. I guess that locktight or something will fix that but in the meantime, I've lost a few screws.

I've had no luck looking for replacement screws, anyone got any advice?

SPDs btw

>>1045410
>smooth roads
Are you sure he even wants smooth roads?
He rode a road bike cross-country across a mountain!

>>1045554
Have you tried searching google for 'SPD cleat screws'? Gets me plenty of results. Any LBS should stock them too.

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>>1045467
they come out of the same factories that also make frames for the big 3 in shenzen. You can get a full carbon "open mold" frame and fork for around $500.

ARe there any tips on maintenance after riding in rain and mud? It won't rust if I leave it?

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>>1045560
>chinarello
>dogpoo
>que onda

Why the fuck are roadshifters so goddamn expensive? I apparently snapped the base on one of mine a few months ago in a crash, but only noticed now that it was loose. Back then the brakelever was in a very awkward position but I just snapped it back and it seemed perfectly fine. Must have tore further over time or something. Now I see that these ultegra shifters are 230 euros. 105s are 150 euros. The whole thing is still functional and quite stable, just a bit loose. Im half thinking to just continue riding with it, but my considerate side says thats fucking retarded and dangerous.

Maybe glueing can help? taping? Fuck man I dont want to pay so much for such a simple thing.

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>>1045571
Rinse it off and dry your chain and fork stanchions if suspension. Actually just dry the whole thing ya dingus. Dont spray water into headset, bb, fork.

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My mom has an old department store bike that's been sitting in the vicinity of a dryer vent for about 15 years. It's gotten lint everywhere, including into the brakes, chain, and gears. The pedals and rear wheel still turn freely, however, and it was protected from the elements so the frame is fine. About how much effort (and money) would it take to rehab it to rideable condition? She's trying to decide whether to buy a new bike or not for light riding, and if it's cheaper she would prefer to keep the one she has already ridden.

>>1045592
Probably won't cost much, the components should be fine. The tyres probably will need to changed if the rubber is fucked. The rest is cleaning and putting grease/lube, and change the chain if it has rust, it should be cheap.

>>1045555
fair point, the man always loved a challenge

>>1045560
I WANT

>>1045597
Yeah, the tires are fucked, along with the front wheel. The rear wheel is still good however. Thanks, anon. That's definitely cheaper than a complete overhaul or even a good used bike.

Something under/near my handlebars is making some crunchy noise as I turn the wheel, what is this

>>1045613
Headset bearings?

>>1045615
Maybe, did dirt get in there or something?

>>1045616
Continued use without clean grease will eventually result in wear on the bearings, the crunchiness could be little bit steel bits and chunks that have broken off the bearings themselves.

>>1045617
It's pretty new though

If i have a hub from a 26in wheel and i want to put it instead on a 700c wheel, it should not be a problem if i just get the right size spokes, right? will any 700c spokes work or are there measurements i need to take? Also how difficult IS wheel building, anyways? I've been a bike mechanic for a couple of years now, but it's just one of those things i dont have a ton of experience with. Seemed like this would be a good chance to learn

>>1045624
Spoke length, depends on the size and width of the hub flanges, as well as the shape of the rim, and your desired lacing pattern. If you've never done any wheelbuilding before, reading the Sheldon Brown article is a good place to start.

>been a bike mechanic for a couple of years now
>no idea how spoke lengths work
how does this even happen?

>>1045625
I have never been in a position where i had to build a wheel for someone, nor have a ever had to service my own bike in such a way.

I wasn't thinking of the hub sizes, for whatever reason

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I have a triple Campy Veloce crankset on an older steel frame Bianchi. I'd like to put a new double compact crankset on it, and the new Veloce fits the bill nicely in terms of price and aesthetics. The only worry I have is that, looking at the manual for the cranks, my BB shell is 1mm narrower than what Campy recommends for these cranks.

Does anyone know if this is going to cause a problem, or would it still work? Unfortunately it is very hard to find compact or even mid compact cranks with the classic look to match everything else on the bike, so my options are very limited.

>>1045664
Cancel that- I figured my Bianchi would have Italian threads, but turns out it's actually English threaded, so the BB shell is within specs for that.

>>1045618
Did you ride in the rain? I had the bottom bearings get fucked super quick on my racing bike after getting it.

>>1045556
>Have you tried searching google for 'SPD cleat screws'?
The LBSs here don't (tier-2 China). SPDs aren't common, even Look aren't that common. It's MTBs all day erry day for city riding, no clipless.

My google/amazon/taobao wasn't getting anywhere but eventually I stumbled onto the right terms and 'SPD cleat bolt' got better results, I have some on their way to a buddy who can bring them back on his next run home.

>>1045560
>>1045575
My fucking sides, yo.
>>1045560
I don't want a carbon frame, tho.

>>1045664
It's very difficult to remove those cranks.

>>1045560
>>1045575
>>chinarello
>>dogpoo
>>que onda
>BS and not BSO
Should've gone all the way.

How tight should brakes be? If im going downhill should I be able to brake to a point where the wheels stop moving completely?

>>1045720
So I've heard. The new Potenza crankset which I have on my race bike has an updated version of the power torque system and are self extracting.

Unfortunately those Veloce cranks are the only compact cranks that I can find that still have the classic look I want.

>>1045742
I'd suggest the compass rene herse ones but they are absurdly expensive.
>>1045737
It's going to depend on how heavy everything on the bike is, but with both brakes engaged you'd bloody well hope so.

What's the normal wear and tear on ball bearings?
My rear wheel started making noise when freewheeling and developed a bit of play, so I sent it to the LBS for inspection/service.
They claim the body (I'm assuming this refers to the hub) is worn out and should be replaced.
The trick here is Danish consumer law; the customer may be entitled to the replacement of damaged wares, depending on the circumstances.
Hub in question is a Formula DC-20QR with a mileage in the 2000-3000 km area, going through its second salty winter now.

>>1045780
First, you really should find out specifically what's worn out - could be the freehub body they're talking about, and that's not the hub bearings exactly.

How long it takes to wear hub bearings down isn't easy to predict because it depends on lubrication, the quality of the seals, and use history - I've seen people on really crappy bikes that didn't come properly greased completely destroy their bearings and hub in a matter of months. On the other hand, I've seen quality hubs that haven't been serviced for at least 5 years and still look fine when you open them up.

As for getting a legally entitled replacement... trust the bike shop folks who are looking at your bike, this is an issue that can only be solved by looking at the part in person.

How do I adjust the return of my brakes? It's impossible to get the tension right on my rear brake because either they don't let go of the rim when I let go of the lever or they're just loosey goosey.

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I just got my shock pump in the mail today.

Question: Isn't that great?

I'm an out of shape fatty and I decided to start biking 4 miles to and from work everyday, I've never owned or rode a bike that wasn't a BMX one. Are there any good cheap bikes for commuting or would even some cheap junk from Walmart suffice?

>>1045807
If the brake arms move freely without resistace when there isn't a cable attached then it'll likely be a problem with the cables. Either the outers are gunked up inside, it's snagging somewhere due to a tight bend or kink in the outer, or the inners and outers are low quality and theres a lot of friction there. Check the calipers and brake levers move freely without a cable attached first though.

>>1045811
Buy used, rigid mtb with fatty tyres or road bike with clearance for 28-32mm tyres, 25mm if you are not on whale mode. Make sure the bike works and fits you, the rest is pedaling and losing grams.

>>1045811
90s rigid MTB

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>>1045811
English 3-speed. Reliable as fuck, sturdy as fuck, all the gears you need for a short commute like that. If you give them basic maintenance they will last forever.

>>1045814
>>1045815
How would I go about finding one? Just looking in my area online or should I look for bike shops and hope they have one or something? Thanks!

>>1045812
I just checked it and it seems to do the same thing even with the cable out.

>>1045819
>>1045812
Okay nevermind, I dripped some chain lubricant on all the moving bits and it seems much better now.

But I should probably replace the cable anyway.

>>1045817
>>1045816
Also they're generally fairly cheap if you're not trying to get a DL-1 Tourist, but that one's got fuckhuge tires and rod brakes, so it's probably not what you're looking for anyways.

>>1045817
Used stuff market, online or looking at stores that sell used goods, some bike stores also sells used bikes.

>>1045691
Yes I often do, how would that affect it?

>>1045825
Water getting into the bearing races:
-washing out the grease
-washing grit into the races
-making the bearings rust if they're cheap bearings.

>>1045817
>finding one
craigslist, bike coops, local bike shops with good used selection
beware that some of whats on craiglist is gonna be bs, and a lbs is gonna overcharge for everything

a small bike coop with some spare old beaters out back will probably be your best bet if you have one local

>type of bike
90s rigid mtb or old ten speed
can't really go wrong with either, just make sure the tires are good, the brakes work and get some chain lube and clean up the drivetrain

ignore the guy who said english 3 speed unless you want to walk up hills carrying a boat anchor

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>>1045829
Yeah, I should have mentioned. The 3-speed is only good if you're on a mostly flat ride or just one or two moderate inclines. They will eat up the flatlands like they're nothing, but you will die on any kind of actual hill.

>>1045836
fair enough, if you live somewhere flat then a 3 speed is pretty good

so I know pressfit bottom brackets are generally shit, mine is making a slight noise (creaky noise) that doesn't sound too bad, should i be worried or is this shit okay?

i wish I could go back and buy a baiku with a normal fucking bottom bracket

thanks memedale for your meme cx bike with bb30

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>>1045868
also how bad of an idea would be to convert it with this? I wanna go tour with my bike but I just don't trust this fucking piece of shit bb30 that it came with

>>1045870
>also how bad of an idea would be to convert it with this?
It's a splendid idea - except grams. And you'll have to make sure there's no direct carbon-aluminium contact. It has to be sealed with lacquer or something, or it will rot and potentially damage the frame. I've toyed with the idea of permanently expoying one of those in place into nice-but-fucking-pressfit frames when I've seen them on sale cheap. So far I've resisted the urge.

Recommended bike bag for a 20 inch folding? Want something to protect the bike but also to protect other things from it. Easier carrying is the primary goal though. Side pockets to hold small tools or collapsing reusable bags are a plus.

>>1044304
How do you determine roads that are safe to take full lane?

And how do you take full lane correctly? What do you do about cagers who want to pass?

>>1045870
>>1045872
I'm pretty sure that is supposed to be glued into place. Or at least loctited. It's supposed to be a semi-permanent conversion. There's a plastic one that only works with external bearing cranks that is supposed to be more replaceable.

Also bike creaks can come from lots of places that sound like the bottom bracket but aren't. And you will read about horror stories about how bad a BB30 frame is because the owner replaced the BB 15 times and it still creaks. The reason probably being that it wasn't the BB that was creaking. But on a BB30 frame, people blame BB30 no matter what.

>>1045916
> when to take the lane
If there isn't a wide enough shoulder to ride on with a good couple feet of space between you and cars passing in the lane, or a dedicated bike lane that's in good shape and wide enough, you need to take the lane.
Legally you can take the lane whenever you need to for safety, and unless there is enough shoulder or bike lane space, and the shoulder is well paved, it is usually much safer to take the lane.

Cars are more likely to hit you from passing too close and too fast, you're less likely to be rear-ended, and turning traffic can't see you on the shoulder.

> take full lane correctly
Position yourself so that its obvious people don't have space to pass in that lane or you'll get buzzed constantly.

> what do you do about cagers who want to pass
If someone has been behind you for a bit, and there's a place to pull over into the shoulder briefly, it can be nice to do that to help people pass. The danger you have when taking the lane is drivers get very angery when they have to slow down for more than a few seconds, so you have to relieve pressure every now and then.

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Is this a good deal? I want them for my 8 speed road bike.

Also, can someone hook a brother up with a Ribble/Merlin's coupon?

I'm moving to a city with a population of ~95,000 and a density of 4750 people per square mile
there are buslines and a bit of specific bike infrastructure

I should be able to bike to work,

but do you think I could be able to get rid of my car 100%?

>>1045925
if you don't have to travel out of the city and you have a rack and panniers for grocery shopping, then I don't see why not

>>1045924
Everything seems fine except for the shit tires; sub-$30 roadie tires are a waste of time

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>>1045929
Fixed. I also chose the 32c gatoskins because the bike in question is a Masi CX that I use for road riding and commuting.

So I rebuilt my rear wheel and the dish is off by about 4mm, but the offside spokes are already pretty loose and the drive side spokes are already pretty damn tight (10–15 and 21–25 respectively according to my Park tension gauge).

I think I can shave another 1 or 2 millimetres off the error without having the frame touch my cassette by swapping the locknuts which are different widths, but where am I supposed to make up the other 2mm?

t. total novice at everything bikes

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>>1045953
you need to dish the wheel properly. you cant have an uncentered rim for things like tire clearence, alignment/handling, breaking if using rim breaks, etc

did you do your spoke lenght calcs correctly?

rims sometimes have two diffent spoke exit angles in thier hole drilling. on some rims its quite obvious because they are offset from the center line. on others it can be hard to tell.

if you have laced them up with the spokes going to the wrong side then you will have to one by one fully loosen a spoke and move it forward one hole. then tihten it back up.

>>1045742
Potenza silver is pretty nice

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Can I use an 11 speed front ring for a 1x10 setup with a 10speed chain? Got this and a 42t expander cog all for under $40.

I needed to commute on me bike in very poor conditions last two days and it came off pretty darn dirty in snow-mud and that salty shite they throw on streets. How best to clean it up? Which parts should I give more attention? Why are mini-V brakes so unfriendly and do I really need to deflate every time I'll need the wheel off?
Thanks in advance.

>>1045923
That's the trouble for me,I try to concede lane space when it's safe but sometimes people just don't care and will honk and pass any way they damn well please. I've basically never seen a situation where a car won't try to pass me. Don't know anymore if it's me or them, maybe I'm just bad at managing lane control. But on the other hand, I live in an area where non-car travel basically doesn't exist, where I tell people that I biked somewhere and the responding look is a mixture of confusion as to why you would ever do that and surprise that you're even alive. So it could always just be my shit town. I dunno. Either way, I've all but stopped taking the lane as it doesn't seem to make a difference save for making the drivers behind me angrier.

>>1045998
Can't you just unhook the cable from the brakes?
The drivetrain is probably the most important thing.

>>1046000
Also I should add that I can't even think of a two-lane road around me wide enough for several feet of clearance, unless you ride in the shoulder with all the uncleared road debris (and shoulders are inconsistent too). But as I said my town is carland usa, we barely even have sidewalks. If we have a planning division then I don't think they want anything to do with pedestrian traffic.

>>1046001
I literally can not do that. The arms have too little travel (unlike the regular V's I used to have on the old bike).
Maybe I'm doing something wrong here.
Cheers.

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>>1045998
Hose it down, wipe with a clean rag, lube drivetrain
As for the mini-v's, can't you just lift this little pivot thingie?

Can you put varying widths of tires on the same wheels?

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>>1046017
Yes, there's a fair width range you can use.
More than likely you'll be limited by what actually fits in your frame.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/5984107148.html
How'd it possible to be so lightweight

>>1045811
>>1045817
Back again, what brands should I be looking for? I'm on Craigslist right now but I don't know what I should be searching for. I found a 1995 Kona mtb that looks in decent condition for $200, would that be good?

>>1046087
Post your height, budget and location and we can find you a nice one
Though a Kona for $200 sounds good

>>1046088
5"9 manlet near Coral Springs, FL. $300 is my max but the less the better, right now I just need remotely decent commute bike. I went to a bike store but the cheapest they had was a $450 girl's bike.

>>1046090
First off, I went through the Miami CL, so I'm sorry if some of these are too far away from you

These are the kind of bikes people usually mean when they recommend a 90s rigid MTB

https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/5941177520.html
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/5974600024.html
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/5910358989.html (ignore the "women's" tag, it makes no difference)
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/5961627599.html (wouldn't go for this one because ancient suspension = no good)

Then there's hybrid bikes, with slightly larger wheels and a more speed-oriented geometry
https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/bik/5926907785.html
https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/bik/5987657783.html
https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/bik/5943635953.html

And then there's road bikes if you GOTTA GO FAST
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/5982980549.html

As usual, try to test ride any bike before buying, and see that nothing wobbles/rattles/clicks/whatever, and brakes and gears work as intended.

As for the Kona, I'm assuming it's this one
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bid/5975399498.html
First off I don't trust pawn shops. You can't know the origin, the shop owner probably knows jack shit about bicycles, and I doubt they'll let you ride it.
Also I wouldn't risk getting a full-suspension 22 year old bike.

>>1046065
That bike doesn't weigh anywhere near 10 pounds, probably closer to double that if not more.

>>1046097
Unfortunately most of these are half an hour or more away which is only doubled by the awful traffic, I'll try to look into some of them though, thanks.

>>1045872
Okay, I'll look into it. I guess I'll need the adapter, the bottom bracket and what else?

>>1045919
Mine is the bottom bracket for sure, I take the bike every so often to the place I bought it from and they remove it, clean it, grease it and put it back together and the noise is gone for a month or so. After that it comes back, this is the third time and I'm tired of having to take the bike to a shop.

>>1046103
Oh, you're in Miami? Then yeah, a 3-speed would work out for you fine.

https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/bik/5980647065.html

There's a Tourist for sale as well, but that thing's fucking huge so I wouldn't recommend it for you.

>>1046113
Miami's an hour away from me but my city is part of one of it's counties if that makes any sense. It is still mostly flat around here though so I think it's still fine.

>>1046124
That's what I mean. You're in a part of the country that's almost all flat, so an English 3-speed would be perfect for you. They also have an internal hub, so they don't require as much maintenance. If you just want a commuter bike for short-distance flatland riding, you really can't do much better than one.

>>1046127
If it isn't obvious, I don't know anything about bikes. What does an English 3-speed entail and how can I tell if I found one when I'm looking at stores or something? What brands should I look out for, etc?

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>>1046128
The English 3-speed is the old utility bike. It's made of high-grade-but-lightweight steel, and it's got an internal 3-speed hub. The gears are on the inside of the wheel, instead of on the outside with a derailleur system. The main advantages of them are that they're extremely reliable, they're strong, and you can shift gears even when you're standing still. They're not really very good for long rides since they only have three gears, but that only comes into play if you're trying to do something like ride 30-50 miles in a single hitch at a fast pace. You can easily ride one for like 10 miles no problem if you're on flat land.

The hallmark maker for them was Raleigh, the former biggest bike company in the world. They had a bunch of other names under their control, but Raleigh was the flagship. They're still made by other companies, however, because the general concept of a 3-speed urban roadster still works. Schwinn is the biggest maker of them now with the Schwinn Coffee, but new ones are all going to be like $450+. It's much better to look to pick up an old English-built Raleigh (or equivalent) used. You get the same quality bike (if not better) for much cheaper. Local ones can be anywhere from $100-$300; I myself paid $160 for my Dunelt.

Sheldon Brown wrote a bunch of really neat articles about them before he died. This one is the overview, and it's also got a list of all the brands Raleigh had their fingers in over the years.

http://sheldonbrown.com/english-3.html

>>1046134
Also, another pair of advantages that they all generally had even if they're not inherent to the type is that they all came with chainguards and fenders. The chainguard is good because you're trying to commute on it so you don't want to worry about getting chain grease on your pants, and the fenders are good because if you're riding in the rain they keep water from splashing back on you off the wheels.

>>1046134
>>1046135
Thanks for everything, anon(s). I'll start looking into it all tonight.

I got a major case of chainsuck on my 6 month old bike. When I shifted the front gear to the smaller one, the chain wrapped around the bottom of the sprocket, turned upward and got caught between it and the frame.

The bike won't roll or pedal backwards. Should I take it to the bike store and get them to fix it and try to identify the root cause, or should I fix it myself? I tried yanking the chain out of the spot between the frame and the gear with my hands but I wasn't successful.

>>1046000
carrying a rifle slung around your back will do wonders to the attitudes of the drivers behind you

>>1046168
>choosing to live somewhere that you have to carry a rifle to avoid getting murdered by a cager on your way to work
why don't you move?

>>1046169
so, you think it's normal for them to threaten you with *their* machines, but you merely displaying your machine as a *potential* threat is out-of-bounds?

I mean, it can be just a .22 varmint rifle. It's just for show. Shit, just get a replica or an airsoft, it's lighter anyway.

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I'm planning to go on a ~2 weeks tour in may and I might be taking this bike.

is there something I'm misssing ?

the plan was to buy a sequoia until then but that plan has become a bit uncertain due to some financialy issues.

I'm selling my current kaffenback for additional funding for the sequoia and wanted to build this up as a inbetween bike and later city bike.

it's a diamond back ascent frame with a new steel fork with disc mounts , new headset and bb, a deore 2x 10 crank (may get upgraded because it's pretty old). right now it's 1x 10 slx stuff but I have a xt front deraileur and shifter lying around.
the wheels are entry level non series shimano hubs laced to mavic xm 117 rims. I might set them up tubeless.

I plan on using the pizza rack loaded with paniers and something on top + a giant saddlebag + what ever bags I can accquire until then.

the bb sits quite high so I'll robably add a third water bottle there to be officialy adventrue ready.

the real will get a disc adapter.

I will set evything up properly and test the more adventoures stuff thourogly before going on the 2 weeks trip.

am i missing something ?

>>1046200

I'll prbably use my s track pedals and the tires will probably change. I'd like something gravel / luight offroad fit tha's resonably fast rolling.

any input for bag companys would be great too.
I once saw a taiwanesee company that looked really promising/cheap but I can't remember the name

This is sort of a followup to my question in the OP. Aside from the option of building wheels (which would probably be something like 28/32 spokes), there is http://www.wiggle.com.au/novatec-cxd-alloy-clincher-disc-brake-road-wheelset/ this set available, which is right around 1500 grams. My current wheels are 24/24 spokes and have given me no problems, but for some reason 20/24 on a bike that's gets moderately loaded makes me a bit nervous. Am I worrying too much?

>>1046200
>>1046201
It sounds like you mostly know what you're doing.
If you want to splash out on tyres some fat >compass meme tyres will be useful all around.

>>1046203

nice I was hoping to hear that.
I've been curious about compass tires, maybe this is the time !

>>1046134
How are you supposed to lock you bike to a rack like this with a ulock?

>>1046231
The only way to do the sheldon method is to basically be a cunt and lock along those kinds of racks.

>>1046231
You lock it through your front wheel and have the rest of your bike stolen
Those racks are awfully designed

I have severe back/neck pains during and after any long ride

Can I minimise or eliminate this?

>>1046267
Unless you have a pre-existing medical issue, the source of your pain is almost certainly your posture on the bike. The height and reach to your handlebars needs to be adjusted so that you aren't straining or cramped. The best thing to do in this case is have someone who knows about bike fit look at your positioning on the bike, in person so they can see exactly what needs to change.

>>1046271
Yes my posture is terrible, I'll try this thanks

What's a good quality hub to replace the crooked scratchy chinese brand crap in my rear wheel? Preferably something older that I can find used for cheap. It is 36 hole.

Also wouldn't mind a single speed hub and freewheel if that's not too obscure.

>>1046231
That rack at least is at the corner of a park next to some benches that face the rack. It's really just a rest stop more than anything else.

>>1046231
Using your brain, and putting the rear wheel on the wide space instead of the thin ones. Or puting yor bike at one side and lock it into that support bar.

>>1046156
there are lots of things that could cause chain suck
as for getting the chain out, just wrap a plastic bag around it and yank the fucker while turning the cranks backwards
if worst comes to worst, you may need to break the chain, and it'll probably be damanged anyway, so you might as well replace it

the root cause is likely a poorly adjusted derailer or a very dirty and worn drivetrain

Are campagnolo components worth the price or are they just overpriced?

>>1046321
if you have an italian bike, they are obligatory

if you have any other kind of bike, they are luddite garbage

>>1046321
Modern shimano is arguably better than modern campag. They feel different in use though, some people prefer the shifting style and hood shape of campag, you're paying a premium for the name though. I have 8 speed campag on an old italian steel frame, mainly for style reasons but I quite like it. Being able to jump across the cassette in one movement is a nice feature.

>>1046321
campy feels nicer (imo) but it isn't as good technically

>>1046321
I bought Veloce brifters because they were cheaper than 105 and I'm really glad I did, I love them. Though the lack of compatibility between with from different brands is a nuisance.

>>1046267
You can minimize the pain by moving your head during the ride and leaving the hoods/drops to get an upright position while you move your head.

>>1046156
what you described is not chain suck. chian suck happens when worn chainring teeth have a harder time letting the chain go while riding and wraps it up. you remedy this with new chainrings and potentially a anew chain.

what you described is a bad shift. more than likely the front derailuer is not in ideal position. the chain likeley was stuck between rings or between the small ring and the bb shell. this caused wrapping similar to chain scuk. to fix this adjust the front derailuer properly, likely turn in the low limiter screw.

to get your chain free, pussh the rear derailuer cage forward so the chain is slack. yank the chain free with your other hand. if that does not work, you will have to break the chain. if there is a master link, you can do this no problem by wiggleing the masterlink loose, freeing the chain, then replacing the master link. if no master link, use a breaker.

shop might do this for free or something like $20

Want some decent cheap 700c wheels what does bqg recommend?

>>1046352
need more info. for what use? what breaking? what tire width? new/used? what spacing? what drivetrain needs? etc,

>>1046364
>for what use?

?

>what breaking?

Just ordinary single pivot calipers

>what tire width

Don't know desu... My current tyres are schwalbe marathon if that helps at all.

>new/used

Whatever is cheap. I am poorfag

>what spacing

?

>what drivetrain needs?

Eh dunno. I have a 5 speed shimano freewheel. 68mm cup&cone bottom bracket with cottered spindle. That's all I really know sorry.

I'm mainly just asking because my hubs feel shitty. I think the race inside the hubs are pitted badly. I mean I could track down new hubs which would be cheaper, but I don't know anything about products so I wouldn't have any clue what to get.

>>1046367
you have to decide if invesing in components like wheels is worth it, when the component may outvallue the bike. usually you do this when you love the bike, like sentimentalityy or perfect fit or whatever.

new wheels, even cheap ones are going to cost around $100. then you will need to do plenty of labor, remove tires/ttubes, pull freewheel and transfer it, adjust rear shifting based on potentially slightly shifted freewheel alignment, adjust breakes to new rim diameter. bare minimum, potentially more. freewheel removal will have to be done by a shop. sometimes they wont charge for that.

there is a posibility that your hub spacing is 126mm or some other obsolete size. modern road is 130mm. you can spread steel but you will break other materials if youtry to jam it in.

my recomendation is buy a new bike on cl for the $100 you would spend on new wheels. /n/ can help you find a very solid bike potentially. other recomendation is just overhaul with new grease and bearing. it may not be the smothest ride, but it wont seize up on you.

>>1046367
>for what use?
What do you use the bike for

>what tire width
If you don't know, look on the sidewall. 25mm? 28mm? 32mm? 35mm? Something else entirely?

>what spacing
Dropout spacing. Usually 126mm on old road bikes (7-speed and older), 130mm on newer road bikes (8-speed and newer).

If you have a bike with a 5-speed thread-on freewheel, you're not going to be able to find anything new unless you're also willing to upgrade your drivetrain, at least a little.

>>1046421
It has been overhauled with new grease and bearings, even new cones. The race in the hub itself is pitted and still feels like shit. I would like the bike to be running nice and smooth in every way.

>>1046423
>If you have a bike with a 5-speed thread-on freewheel, you're not going to be able to find anything new unless you're also willing to upgrade your drivetrain, at least a little.

Well shit, that's what I have. 5 speed thread on freewheel.

But surely there are good quality hubs that fit that description still floating around on ebay and whatnot. What models should I be looking for?

>>1046432
rebuilding a wheel from the hub and getting it true is not easy, and if you don't know what you're doing its gonna cost you at least $50 to get a mechanic to do it for you

you may be able to replace the cones in your hub and just clean the race on the cup well and get plenty more life out of it, you should probably just replace bearings a bit more often than usual

if you get a new wheel, get something modern with a freehub because it will make everything much easier and will make things easier upgrading in the future

>>1046444
I have built several wheels and have access to the tools needed (spoke wrench nipple driver truing stand tension gauge dish gauge etc) that is not a problem.

>>1046432
it doesnt matter how many speeds your freewheel is. you just have it taken off and then movi it to your new wheel.

based on what you have told us, you need a 700c freewheel 126mm spacing. this tends to be hard to find, but google found this

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-Weinmann-LP18-Set/dp/B006FCDMT8

this looks good to me anon. i would run it and $100 is what wheels like this cost new.

but dont buy if its not the right wheels. take a ruler and measure you the distance from the inside of one rear drop out to the inside of the other. that is the dropout spacing. correlating wheel measurement is called over locknut distance (OLD).

>>1046453
Hey thanks man. My brakes are actually Weinmann too and I hear they are a decent brand. I will check it out

>>1046449
if you can build it up yourself, then yeah you can probably find a decent hub that takes a threaded freewheel on ebay for not too much

there's really nothing wrong with freewheels, they're just obsolete which makes finding new pars a bit harder

>>1046449
for a wheel build i would get new spokes, new rims and vintage hubs from ebay assuming you need 126mm OLD. if you need 130mm OLD you can buy new hubs.

rims i like cr18 sun rims for cheap durable builds

https://www.amazon.com/SunRingle-CR-18-700c-hole-Silver/dp/B000AO7EYQ

spokes usually use double butted whatever brand and brass nipples

heres a rear hub that fits the bill from eaby
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Campagnolo-Record-Road-Bike-Rear-Hub-36-Hole-10x126mm-/401266117679

so expect $25 x2 for rims, spokes $0.25x 72 and hubs ~$30x2 = $125 plus labor

Hey guys anything good here https://helena.craigslist.org/search/bia

I'm 5'7 looking for something to commute with and have $450

Are 31 mm bars super strong and low in flex or are they just a meme?

>>1046499
Do you mean 31.8mm clamp diameter? That's the standard bar size now, and yeah they're a bit stiffer/stronger than the old 25.4mm/26mm standard.

>>1046486
Nope

>>1046170
>so, you think it's normal for them to threaten you with *their* machines
No, that isn't normal at all.
> but you merely displaying your machine as a *potential* threat is out-of-bounds?
Why the fuck should I have to carry around a "machine", an e-penis, a bang-bang toy, a big boy "only an inanimate object", or whatever the fuck you want to call it, just to avoid being murdered by hillbillies?
See
>>1046169
>why don't you move?

>>1046320
>>1046339
I took it to the shop and they fixed it for free, but my friends made fun of me for not just fixing it myself.

How normal is it to run different width tires in front and back? Any advantages or disadvantages?

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Reminder to put milk in your tires

>>1046536
For off road riding it's not uncommon, wider grippier tyre up front and a skinnier faster rolling one in back. Usually they have a different tread pattern though and the width difference is less of a factor.

>>1046486
>5'7"
I don't see much that's perfect for your height, but there are some options if you're willing to have something slightly too big and drop the seat and get a super short stem

>90s rigid
https://helena.craigslist.org/bik/5970420576.html

>OTS
https://helena.craigslist.org/bik/5956487657.html

>slightly shitty 90s rigid, but looks like it'll fit you
https://helena.craigslist.org/bik/5942731044.html

I want to buy a bike just for simple exercise. Nothing crazy. The road will be cement, with potentially tiny bits of sand on it from people walking past it with sandy feet. What's the cheapest you can go for a bike that'll work with this, without breaking in a year or something, and are there any recommended bikes? Thanks.

>>1046555
Look at Orbea, BMC, maybe Merida

If I add more teeth to the front coq will it be lighter or heavier to pedal?

>>1046578
Heavier for sure

>>1046578
heavier

If you had a 48t chainring and a 16t cog on the rear, that would mean that every time you turned the cranks in a complete circle you'd be making the wheel go round 3 times (48 divided by 16). But if you changed your ring to a 52t and kept the 16t cog you'd driving the wheel around 3.25 times, therefore it would require more energy to complete 1 full rotation of the cranks, because you're pushing the wheel to go 8% further with each revolution at the pedals than you did with the 48t ring.

>>1046432
>The race in the hub itself is pitted and still feels like shit

If you're going to throw the wheel out anyway, you can always try to take a dremmel/rotary tool with a thin sort of mushroom-cap-shaped grinder to the race. you need a steady hand and it won't come out factory perfect, but if you go around steady and slow around the whole race equally until the pits come out, you can get rid of them, provided they aren't deeper than the race needs to be for it's structural integrity.

the shape of the bit needs to fit the arc of the race pretty well. but it can be done, as a last-ditch effort, anyway.

>>1046561
>cheapest
>BMC

>>1046553
Alright thanks man, think I'm gonna go for the first one because it's pretty cheap.

Before I do tho I checked one last time and this was listed https://helena.craigslist.org/bik/5990973615.html is it any good?

I'm moving from a place where it almost never rains to a place where it rains a lot - any non-obvious things to keep in mind?

>>1046599
I've considered remilling the races but I figured if I hamfist the operation and cause the races to become non-circular, it will feel even worse than some pitting. However I guess I'll do it anyway because nothing to lose right?

>>1046676
Use marine grease if you're ever redoing parts on your bike that use bearings.

And maybe coat any parts on your bike that are susceptible to rust in Renaissance Wax.

>>1046609
yeah, that's not bad at all
it'll be kinda slow and heavy, but rock solid and should ride fine even on shitty roads

its also a pretty good height for you, which is important, fit matters more than anything else for comfort

look online or ask here for how to get it set up for you and expect to pay a bit of money to replace brakes and tires if needed

>>1046599
>>1046679
>re-milling hub races with a dremel tool
that's a really terrible idea, don't do that

You'd have to have superhuman hand-eye coordination to avoid doing serious damage to bearing surfaces that way - a slip up of less than a millimeter in the wrong direction would wreck the race irreparably. I've heard of some folks claim they can reduce the roughness of pitted cones by using sandpaper, and although that idea seems pretty dubious too (what kind of super-sandpaper is going to wear down hardened steel without many many hours of labor?), at least in theory sandpaper would wear down the race evenly without producing major flat spots or more damage.

Rode a fixie for the first time today. Holy shit, are they fun...

What are some /bqg/ recommended fixies? I must have one of my own.

>>1046684
>>You'd have to have superhuman hand-eye coordination to avoid doing serious damage to bearing surfaces that way

guess I've got superhuman hand-eye coordination, then

could anyone point me to a place where i could purchase the following rear wheel

>700c
>able to mount 28mm tires
>8 speed cassette
>disk brake mount

I'm just trying to get an idea of how much it would cost, and also i don't know much about buying wheels because i don't want it to explode on me sometime down the line

>>1046690
Fuji Feather or Dolan Precursa at the low end. There are a million cheap fashion fixies which are all terrible and just made to look cool but will fall apart and be terrible to ride.

>been getting "shimano" and "campagnolo" in captchas since I began visiting /n/

This happened to anyone else?

>>1046721
no

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>Chains
How important is it to use a 10spd Shimano chain on a 10spd Shimano drivetrain (cassette, shifter, rear der)? I ask because I can't get KMC chains a lot cheaper, but I don't want to bother if it will have a noticeable impact on my shifting.

>>1046705
Chain reaction or SJS both hanbuild fairly priced wheels. You can go as cheap or expensive as you like. Some advice, don't go for a quando hub over say a 105 just to save £15 or whatever.

>>1046776
It won't so long as you go for a good kmc chain. Same with anything. A sunrace mx3 cassette is just as good as the SRAM equivalent but they make some right shit as well.

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>>1046776
I dare say most people, including me, prefer the KMC chains. Shimano afaik still need a chain breaker and is a pain in the ass. Never used a Sram.

>>1046780
>>1046778
Thanks!

>>1046780
There's no law against using quick links with Shimano chains. They just don't come with one. Reuse the one you have.

>>1046780
That's changing with the new generation of Shimano chains starting with 9100. There will be no excuse not to use Shimano chains anymore. KMC is no longer cheap after the jump to 11 speed and SRAM lube is sticky shit.

Should jockeywheels be greased internally or left dry?

Going for that 0.01% drivetrain efficiency improvement yo

>>1046810
if it moves, lube it

>>1046810
>>1046863
Jockey wheels don't really need lubrication, the bushing inside is already a low-friction design without any lubricant. If you want to be anal about it and get that last little tiny bit of efficiency, I suggest either a tiny drop of oil or a dry lubricant like graphite powder. You should not use grease, or more than a tiny bit of oil, because those things can trap contaminants that will actually reduce efficiency.

>>1046810
deends on type of jockey wheel. most are metal axle on plasitc bushing. lube that one. some are ceramic on metal. no lube on those. some have sealed bearing cartriges. no need to lube those. and just a tiny bit of grease on the cylender axle

>>1046810
The cheap glide bearings are self lubricating metal sleeves. The posh (usualy aftermarket) sealed bearing type can't/shouldn't be opened and will remain lubricated for the lifetime of the bearing. Which is a lot longer than the lifetime of the plastic cog.

So, no. Leave it dry. Clean, but dry. A bit of teflon or graphite if you realy must.

Do shimano use the same freehub design for 11sp road and mtb?

>>1046923
yep, Shimano stuff is the same, it's SRAM that has the XD driver (to enable 10t cogs on 11sp cassettes)

>>1046925
ok that's good, because as far as I could tell the availability of dtswiss road db hubs was pretty limited.

Unless there's something else that's gonna fuck me in the ass.

>>1046926
mtb and road spacing tend to be diffetent. sometimes axle width.

>>1046923
>>1046925
>>1046926
>>1046927
QR road hubs are generally 130mm wide.

QR MTB hubs are generally 135mm wide.

Thru axle hubs are 142mm wide (both MTB and road?), or 148mm on newer MTBs.

If we're talking about just the freehub splines, Shimano uses the same splines for both road and MTB cassettes. That said, IIRC the Shimano MTB 11-speed ("Dynasys") crammed 11 gears onto the existing 8/9/10-speed width freehub by dishing the largest cog - this allowed them to maintain a wider spoke flange distance and therefor stronger wheels. Shimano 11-speed road just went to a wider freehub body.

So you can put an MTB 11-speed cassette on an 11-speed hub, but you'll need a spacer behind it as if it were a 10-speed cassette. But you can't put a Shimano 11-speed road cassette on a Shimano MTB hub; the freehub body isn't wide enough.

Since you mention DTSwiss, that's basically the only difference between their "road" and "mountain" hubs - one comes with the road-11 freehub, and the other comes with the 8/9/10/dynasys-11 mountain freehub.

>>1046937
Whoops, got my Shimano trademarks mixed up - "Dynasys" refers to something else, but everything else stands

>>1046937
That's good information, thanks.

The hub with is the same because we're talking disc brakes - the only problem is my bike is QR not thru-axle, although as far as I can TELL all of their TA hubs come with conversion kits for 100/135 QR (however that works given TA is wider??).

So basically tl:dr is front hub is interchangable, but rear is not.

How much of a real world difference does a semi-slick vs slick tires make when using on hardpack/light gravel?

I'm planning a tour across the US and I know not all the roads will be paved but the majority will be. I've never really ridden anything besides a MTB with knobby tires off road so I don't know what it's like trying to do it with slicks and if semi slicks are necessary/helpful and worth sacrificing the rolling resistance.

>>1046981
Semi could be the better option because they are better in rain coditions/wet road, and should be a bit better than slicks when riding offroad.

>>1046984
>Semi could be the better option because they are better in rain coditions/wet road
'no'
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#tread

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>>1046940
for TA on my wheels you just stick one of these red aluminum plugs on each side

>>1046981
Whether or not you need tread really depends on how you want to ride. Tread allows for faster acceleration/braking and cornering on loose surfaces, but a slick tire (assuming it's wide enough that you don't just sink into loose sand/gravel and lose all traction) is fine for rolling along on dirt.

If you were planning to do a majority of your trip on gravel roads, I would use a tires like Kenda Small Block 8s for the extra confidence. But if you're going to be mostly on pavement I wouldn't worry about it, your road slicks will do fine on the occasional gravel.

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>Dick Brakes

I have BB7 Disc brakes and looking down the rotor, I can tell the static pad was become tapered due to the initial setup of the caliper not being perfect.

Is there something I can do to adjust the caliper that will counter the tapering and allow the pad to wear evenly? They're still pretty meaty, and I'd prefer not to replace them outright.

>>1047042
You could straighten the caliper up, it'll just take a little while to wear the pad back to being flat. I don't know why Avid calipers have that angle adjustment, I think you can just swap the mount adapter to a regular one though and that way it'll always be straight.

Also, unless you have drop bars upgrade to some hydraulics. If you do have drop bars then switch to dual piston cable calipers like Spyres.

>>1047004
Thanks for the input. I'm not looking to break any speed records and I'm planning mostly to stick to pavement so I think I'll go with slicks.

>>1046981
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/why-we-dont-make-gravel-tires/

This has some interesting insight

>>1046999
What I'm concerned about is going the other way.

>>1047078
Not him, but convertible hubs use replaceable end caps so the QR ones won't stick out as wide.

What is some laughable cycling behaviour to keep an eye out for when I'm cruising along a bike path?

>>1046486
I live in Billings. Montana Craigslist fucking blows for bikes. Luckily I found a LBS that has good deals on used bikes.

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Comments from anyone who has used pic related (Assos cream)? Is it as good as I'm lead to believe or is it all hype?

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What kind of mudguard do I need if I want to stop my back getting covered in shit everytime on my commute?

Do you need one of those ones that cover the whole wheel or just something like pic related

>>1047214
full fenders are much better imo
small mudflaps just keep mud off your back
fenders protect your back, your legs, and most importantly, your bike's drivetrain
they can also look really sweet if installed well

>>1046352
Lurk eBay or visit a local used bike parts retailer

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At which point should I flick over from the 34 to the 50?

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what's up with the seatstay / chainstay connection on the sawol and sequoia ?
it's aesthetic af , but dose it serve a real purpose ?
more vertical flex or something ?

>>1047430
On 11 speed I usually try to avoid using top/bottom 3 to keep the chainline straight.

>>1047432
it has bent and thin seatstays to help make the ride smoother, so I'd guess its something similar, idk though

After about 7000 Kms, I replaced my cassette, crankset, chain and shifter cables all at once. Shifting is like new but the chain is still very noisy when I pedal. My derailleur hanger and cage are straight and the indexing is set correctly. My jockey wheels don't look worn either and I've cleaned and lubed their bushings.

What else can I check?

should i bike to work tomorrow, coming home i will face 20mph headwind and 40mph gusts

>>1047481
do it faggot

NEW THREAD >>1047494
NEW THREAD >>1047494
NEW THREAD >>1047494

>>1047476
>My derailleur hanger and cage are straight and the indexing is set correctly
Are you sure?
You could check the b screw I guess, though I don't see why that would cause much noise.
Is it the right width chain? (i.e. 9 speed chain for 9 speed cassette)

>>1047135
Chamois cream is a meme. Just wear good shorts.

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>>1047102
Pic related