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May 13 |
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Cannot fit pump nozzle properly to the presta valve of my tyre That pump, and especially the head looks quite similar to the pump I own. On mine, you have to put it quite far on to the valve to get it into the right position. I always test by pushing the release valve to ensure it has a decent lock, if it's not on right, the release valve doesn't work. |
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May 12 |
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exploding inner tubes The OP states that he rides them into the mountains. I'm don't ride in the mountains, so don't have any experience on this, but when going up to higher altitude, the lower pressure on the outside would result in a higher (relative) pressure on the inside of the tire. Since there is less atmosphere pressing back on the outside of the tire, the inside air presses harder against the tire and rim. I'm not sure how much of a difference this makes in the actual scheme of things or if its enough to make the tire explode. |
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May 12 |
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Looking for a solid MTB/hybrid bike for my girlfriend Yeah, I don't recommend buying a complete bike online since it's so hard to get the right fit. The same "size" from different manufacturers or even from different models on the same manufacturer will fit and have very different handling characteristics. Go to your local bike shop and make sure she takes it for a good test ride. |
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May 12 |
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Bags for longer touring What are you planning on carrying? Will you be carrying a tent or sleeping in hotels? How many days of food do you plan to carry? How often will you be able to go shopping for food or other supplies? It will help if you add a little more detail about the tour so we can give better recommendations. |
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May 11 |
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Thinking of quitting due to dangerous driving Yeah, you would have to trust the person you're riding with quite a bit. Probably something you have to work up to. Start off slow and work your way up. |
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May 11 |
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Thinking of quitting due to dangerous driving A quick Google indicates the there are blind/partially sighted events in the velodrome for the paralympics, so this is a possibility to consider. Even if you aren't interested in doing it competitively. Although from reading it seems that (at least some events) are on a tandem with one sighted rider. Seems to bring up other possibilities. |
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May 11 |
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Where can I find a square tapered bottom bracket for my TREK Navigator 200? A couple weeks doesn't seem unreasonable. Just ordered some parts and the shop said it would be about a week, but it could be longer because they wait until they can fill up an order. They have to pay shipping costs too. If you want a part the next day they will probably place an order, but be prepared to pay for the extra costs they incur. What is odd is that they can't tell you the price. I can't see why they would be willing to even order a part that they don't even know the price of. How could they expect you to even buy the part once it comes in if they don't know the cost. |
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May 10 |
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Disabling back-pedal brake I think the coaster breaks and internal hubs work amazingly and are hassle free right up until they fail. After that, adjustments or fixing can be a big chore. While cable brakes and gears will require more frequent adjustments, but are easily fixed by anybody with a little mechanical aptitude. |
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May 10 |
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Why is cycling on a road so much faster than cycling on a cycle path? Same thing in a lot of places. Normally the "cycle path" is actually a shared path for pedestrians, roller-bladers, cyclists, and many other forms of transportation. Even when they are well maintained, smooth asphalt, it's difficult to go fast for more than couple hundred meters before meeting up with some kind of obstacle which will slow you down. Also, they tend to follow the "lay of the land" in order to make them cheaper to build, so you'll often find lots of turns, bends, and small hills which will again impede your progress. |
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May 9 |
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What happened to pumps? From what I remember with screw-on fittings, a significant amount of air was let out when unscrewing the fitting. So you'd have to pump them up a little bit extra to account for the air you would lose when unscrewing the pump. Maybe that's just the pumps I was using though. |
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May 8 |
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Disabling back-pedal brake I would think that the coaster brake (or back pedal brake) would be easier for someone new to biking to get the hang of. They are often found on children's bikes. I don't see how the coaster brake can be much of an obstacle for the new rider. |
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May 8 |
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Improving metabolic efficiency I have a very similar experience to you. On my 50 K evening rides I almost always feel like eating, even though I usually rush and have dinner before the ride. I'm interested to see if there's anything that can be done. Although I wonder if I'd want to get ride of my fast metabolism. I can pretty much eat whatever I want without putting on too much weight. |
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May 6 |
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Rim width / tire section tolerance? And althought measurements were more standardized than they used to be, it's important to note that tire measurements aren't entirely accurate. It used to be quite popular for manufacturers to (for instance) sell 24mm or even 23mm tires as 25mm in order to claim they had the lightest tires of a certain size. (from the same Sheldon article which was linked to) I'm sure these kinds of shenanigans still go on to some extent. |
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May 3 |
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How to ride to work without sweating? Yeah, humidity is a killer. The average humidity in Montreal last summer was over 60 degrees, and it's not uncommon to have days with 90%-100% humidity in the summer. Which is why I recommend that most people should just bring a change of clothes to work. Since I started biking, I don't know why I didn't bring an extra shirt when riding the bus. It's impossible not to sweat in those conditions. Source for humidity information |
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May 2 |
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How to ride to work without sweating? You won't be able to do it without sweating. I live in Ottawa, which has a similar climate, and when the temperature is 35+ degrees, you can't even walk without sweating, let alone ride a bike. Wear proper biking attire and carry your work clothes in a rear pannier. |
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May 1 |
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Is there anything I can do to prevent snakebites (pinch flats)? Don't cram larger tubes in there. They are more likely to get caught between the bead and the rim. If you have 700/23 use tubes that state 700x18-700x23, or 700x20-700x25, or anything where the tube has 700x23 in the range, don't try to use 700x25-700x28 tubes. |
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May 1 |
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What is the braking (stopping) distance for bicycles? @JamesBradbury Yeah, Remember to be careful depending on which bike you're riding. On my commute I usually have a rear pannier with 10-20 lbs of stuff in it. When it's not there I definitely feel the difference when breaking, and notice that the back wheel lifts very easily. |
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Apr 30 |
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Is there a reason why one's calfs would ache on a Turbo or Spinner, but not when riding on the road? Also worth mentioning is that on a trainer, you most likely don't stop pedaling. On a regular road bike, there are almost always situations where you are going to stop pedaling, at least briefly. Be it going around a sharp bend, going down a steep hill, or just because you're drafting off somebody and pedaling would mean that you run into their back wheel. |
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Apr 30 |
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bike racks for outdoor use at a school When looking for a public bike rack, its important that the rack should be designed such that backing in and locking through the back triangle/seat tube and wheel is the intended locking configuration. This is the most secure way to lock a bike. Locking only by the front wheel is terrible, and most locks, especially u-locks do not have the length to go around the front wheel and the main triangle (which even if they did, isn't optimal, because the expensive rear wheel is still vulnerable). Also, consider a rack that can accommodate many different sizes of bikes. |
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Apr 30 |
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Is there a reason why one's calfs would ache on a Turbo or Spinner, but not when riding on the road? Overheating is definitely a problem. I had my trainer in my unheated garage over the winter. It could be 5 degrees in there, but by the time I was done a 40-60 minute ride, I was quite comfortable in regular cycling shorts and jersey. Also I found that I would more often put the bike in a harder gear than I would on the road. |
