All Questions
60
votes
50answers
5k views
Terminology index
It would be helpful to have a common place to list terminology, I'll start it off
Some Rules
Make sure you only put one term per answer!
Try to include an image if applicable
Include sources that ...
14
votes
8answers
2k views
How much maintenance?
How much maintenance does a bike need?
Specifically, in this question (with this answer) I asked about a commuter bike, which is to be ridden 40 km every weekday, in the city. And apparently for this ...
20
votes
5answers
2k views
What bike+equipment for a long daily urban commute?
In the (distant) past I commuted 6 km (more than half an hour) each way, on a cheap bike with big knobbly tyres.
Soon I'll have a new commute: 18 km each way, daily. That's much further than I've ...
9
votes
7answers
5k views
What to use to clean your chain (and cogs)?
I've just tried cleaning my chain and cogs with some really hot water and washing-up liquid. I also used a toothbrush, j-cloth and a non-scratch scourer. After over an hour of some serious elbow ...
43
votes
21answers
5k views
Is listening to music dangerous while cycling? [closed]
This wouldn't apply to riding technical trails or anything challenging, but are there any reasons to eschew the tunes while riding? Noise canceling earbuds would probably be hazardous to myself and ...
31
votes
13answers
2k views
How do I gear up a bike for winter riding?
I live in NYC and would like to ride to work during the winter as well. What should one do to a mountain bike? a road bike? If you can also show products that you actually use that would be great.
22
votes
8answers
1k views
Best bike lock
I recently lost the keys to my lock and had to borrow a bolt cutter to free my bike. It was a bit of an eye opener to realise a) just how easy it was for the bolt cutters to cut through my D Lock ...
15
votes
13answers
13k views
Different kinds of Handlebars
What different kinds of bike handle bars are there? All kinds welcome, the common and the nameless.
If possible include the pros and cons of the bar
One bar per post
17
votes
2answers
2k views
How to know when to change a chain?
A bike shop employee used a tool he said would check the wear on the chain, and said that it should be changed.
He said it took a measurement that meant the chain had expanded, but it is still hard ...
6
votes
2answers
563 views
How to maintain chains during touring?
I think requirements are reusable, simple, small-size and things-to-easily-to-carry. There are exotic answers with chain clearers and other things that do not qualify to me simple. Perhaps, the ...
4
votes
4answers
653 views
A test ride for a new bicycle
Update... What should I actually do on the test drive? The LBS has been kind enough to allow me to try out a brand new bicycle.
What things should I consider when test riding bikes that I am ...
38
votes
8answers
2k views
When or how often should I replace my bike helmet?
I’ve fallen a couple times, but no serious damage is visible on the helmet except for a couple divots here and there.
Should I consistently be replacing my helmet after a certain amount of time? ...
10
votes
13answers
1k views
What are the most important things to bring on a ride?
On one of my recent ride, my bike broke down. My rear derailleur got pushed into the rims and broke. Since I have never gotten stuck like that before, I've never bothered to take anything with me ...
22
votes
7answers
1k views
What should I look for in clipless pedals and shoes?
I am just thinking about investing in some clip-in pedals (and presumably shoes). I want to use them mostly on my older road bike but in the future I might want to move them over onto my mountain ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Equipment needed for Frame-building?
Since misunderstood question here, a new question with narrow scope. So what are equipments need for frame-building?
30
votes
3answers
1k views
Periodic Maintenance Task for Bike Commuters
What are the periodic maintenance tasks (weekly, monthly, annual, every X miles) that anyone who relies on a bike for transportation (typically in urban/semi-urban environments) should be performing? ...
29
votes
21answers
2k views
How can I make my bike (and myself) visible at night?
By winter I will be commuting on my bike at night. How can I make my bike as visible as possible to all car drivers?
24
votes
6answers
802 views
How to get a bike from one city to another in the U.S
I need to mail a bike from Portland, Oregon to Austin, Texas. I know that you can get free bike boxes from many bike stores, but how do you pack a bike to ship by mail or to check as baggage on a ...
17
votes
11answers
4k views
SPD shoes that look like normal shoes
We all know that SPD shoes can be worn off the bike (that is why they were designed), however there are not many SPD shoes that you would want to wear off-bike. There are even fewer (if any) SPD shoes ...
24
votes
15answers
8k views
Toddler bike seat vs. bike trailer?
Our 2.2 year old toddler seems very interested in a random, abandoned bike seat we found, so we're considering some method of letting him ride with us. But I am not sure whether to get ...
A bike ...
18
votes
7answers
618 views
What are important items for a touring first-aid kit?
When riding long distances, either solo or with groups of people, it is obviously necessary to carry a first-aid kit in case of a crash or other injury. What are the most important items to pack, ...
37
votes
18answers
933 views
What is the best method to teach a young child to ride?
My daughter is just about ready to start to ride a proper bike.
I am loathe to get her a bike with training wheels/stabilisers, as just about every kid I see with them just relies on them and doesn't ...
2
votes
2answers
499 views
Bike fitting experiences
I just recently went through a Specialized BG Pro-Fit (was about $200), and have to say that I'm super happy with the results and experience. The fitter was telling me about some others out there ...
23
votes
14answers
3k views
I wish to get fit, therefore should I have a heavy bike?
A lot of people seem take up cycling to get fit, and they'll talk about how light their bikes are.
However, as I understand it, a heavy bike uses more energy to pedal it. Should someone that wished ...
4
votes
1answer
624 views
What is the technical name for this nut-bolt thing with inner hubs?
Its size is 2.2cm times 1.5cm. The width of axle is 0.92 cm (measured on the curved area, not probably the right way to measure) for axle in the hub Shimano Nexus SG 8R20 (12mm stop washer but cannot ...
0
votes
7answers
448 views
Cheap prototypes for bicycles?
Got the idea to this question from this one, guiding in framebuilding.
I cannot jump directly to welding before I have a cheap working prototype, due to tight budget. In architecture of houses, they ...
16
votes
8answers
598 views
Where to find good bicycle maintenance info?
If there is a good book what would it be? I'm pretty sure I can find stuff on YouTube (any particular user?). Any blogs out there?
76
votes
21answers
36k views
Why ride a fixed-gear bike?
I must confess, I don't know much about bikes. Until fairly recently, a bike was just that thing that I rode to work each day. I've been slowly learning more about bikes but I still have some newbie ...
39
votes
33answers
2k views
What do you wish someone had told you before your first commute?
Four times a year I teach a workshop called "Be a Bike Commuter" for the local university's community education program. It's mostly based on my experience and information from the League of American ...
26
votes
11answers
4k views
What type of tires can prevent goatheads?
We have a lot of goatheads1 in our area, and they have a tendency to do something like this to bike tires:
Unfortunately, I ride a road bike (specifically a Kona Dew), so I have much smaller, ...
23
votes
15answers
2k views
Locking your bike in public areas
I recently saw a small clip about how to securely lock your bike.
I was wondering what are your tips for minimizing the chances of getting your bike stolen.
...
20
votes
5answers
1k views
Recommendation for panniers used off the bike a lot
I'm looking for panniers. I mostly just potter around town, and am not planning any cycle touring so my main criteria is that the panniers should be easy to carry around off the bike. Built in ...
17
votes
11answers
875 views
Most suitable and tasty ride food?
I ride relatively long distances on a road bike on Sundays, usually around 90-100 miles and have experimented much as to what to eat. Here's what I've found so far.
Soreen - tastes good, full of ...
17
votes
13answers
3k views
What is a good iPhone app for bikers?
There are tons that are out there for recording routes, and such. There's also the physical mounting. Is the iPhone actually good/useful for bikers?
12
votes
4answers
988 views
What kinds of brake designs exist, and what are their general pros and cons?
Here are the ones I'm aware of:
Center Pull Cantilever
Slightly better braking than side pull brakes.
No recentering problem.
Relatively rare
V-Brakes
Cheap to produce.
Similar in braking power ...
16
votes
18answers
572 views
Bike sharing services and systems
What are some bike sharing services out there? I know that there have been some in Europe. Here's wikipedia's entry.
This is one that I heard of recently in NYC.
...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I improve my stamina?
Generally I'm doing a lot of sports, (volleyball, hiking, soccer, swimming, etc.) and while hiking I have no problem to do 3000 meters or more in a day (uphill ;)) but when I go mountain-biking I have ...
28
votes
3answers
15k views
How to use drop handlebars properly?
This might seem like a really basic question, but there's no harm in asking. I've never had a bicycle with drop handlebars. I've always had sort of standard horizontal bars with only one hand ...
16
votes
9answers
20k views
What pressure should I run my Road Bike tyres at?
There's a question for mountain bike tyres but I can't seem to find anything on here for road bikes. At the moment I'm running at around 90psi. Is that too much? too little? Also, am I more likely to ...
16
votes
7answers
6k views
What pressure should I run my Mountain Bike tires at?
Should I run my mountain bike at the suggested PSI/Bar on the tire/rim? Or should I run it a bit lower? Or is it more about conditions? Should I run lower if I am running on softer terrain?
14
votes
2answers
760 views
How do I lubricate my chain?
I know I should lubricate my chain regularly. I got some lube at my LBS; how should I apply it? Do I just drip some on one spot, and turn the pedals around a few times to spread it out? Drip it all ...
13
votes
8answers
4k views
How can I clean sand off my bike chain?
Recently went for a ride in the forest, there were sections of sand and I can clearly see sand on my bike chain now.
How can I clean this off effectively? There are chain cleaning "machines", but ...
7
votes
3answers
420 views
What are the features that I should seek in cycling glasses?
I am seeking eye protection for cycling. I don't know if I should buy glasses or goggles.
4
votes
6answers
813 views
Recumbent, diamond-frame or trailer to move heavy things?
Heavy things can be a lot of books, full beer cans, construction woods and other misc in a place where I cannot use a car and the trip is long and suitable for riding. So which one would you favor? ...
21
votes
3answers
9k views
How do I know when to replace my tires?
The treads on my road bike's 28C tires are almost completely gone—they only persist along the shoulders of the tire. Do the treads matter? What is a good indicator of when the tire as a whole needs ...
13
votes
3answers
480 views
Winter maintenance before putting bike in winter storage?
What kind of maintenance should I do before putting my bike into storage for the winter? Are there any special considerations for storing it? Does temperature matter? If it's hanging on the wall ...
9
votes
2answers
328 views
How should I clean salt out during Winters?
Pretty simple question but I think some recommendations would make my chains a bit long-lasting. So when should you do something to your salted chains? When the chains already look rusty, can you use ...
5
votes
1answer
415 views
What is the effect of adding weight to a wheel vs adding it to the frame?
There are claims often made that, eg, "An ounce of weight at the rims is like adding 7 ounces of frame weight." This is "common knowledge", but a few of us are skeptical, and our crude attempts at ...
1
vote
3answers
854 views
Can a (relative) beginner adjust spacing on a 501 cromo road frame?
Have acquired a cheap old Peugeot road bike from ebay; nice cromo frame, but it needs a new rear wheel and unfortunately I didn't check the dropout size before buying.
It has an OLD of ~120mm, but I ...
19
votes
8answers
16k views
How do on-road mountain bike speeds translate to road bike speeds?
When cycling on roads on my mountain bike, I generally get around 10-12 miles per hour on a flat surface.
What sort of speeds can I expect to get on a road bike?
