Dave Rome's stuff is great anyway - but the Wheels MFG mat with bearing sizer is especially nice; it's a pretty affordable quality of life upgrade for a workshop. Certainly easier than a ruler or whatever shoddy calipers your boss has bought you...

Those of you with knowledge in the Way of the Bicycle, I need counsel.

Let me begin by saying I know nothing about how to repair a bicycle, and mine is a cheap one for cycling in the city.

One of the bearings of my front wheel said life is not worth living and broke down to pieces and flew off.

The shop tells me I need a new wheel. I took the ailing creature back home, removed the wheel and the axle, and found myself with the situation shown in the picture.

Is the piece at the top, still around the axle, part of the fallen bearing or part of the axle? It won’t budge, and the other bearing is impossible to remove because well, it turns. Because it is a bearing.

Do I need a new wheel? A new axle maybe…? I was hoping to save a lot of money by replacing the bearing myself, but it looks worse than I thought.

Thanks beforehand!

EDIT

Thanks so much for all your advice!

Tried the flathead screwdriver and WD-40 to get the inner bushing out, but it was impossible. 

In the end, I got both -the bearing and the inner bushing of the bearing- out with the help of a bench vice, a hammer, and some personal frustrations.

The axle looks good and so does the thread. 

I’ll now check the rest of my bike for any non-repairable issues, and if nothing appears to be wrong, I’ll buy two new bearings (the one I have left has “6000-2RS” on it) and go to my local repair café, because they way you all describe it, putting on the bearings is delicate business.

Here are also some photos of the hub and the spokes linked to it. I think everything looks okay with the wheel, which is why I found odd the full replacement. I want to believe it is simply because it is easier for them.

As the title says! I have a fixie and after a period of riding brakeless, it's time to install a front brake again. Mainly because I use it for endurance/audax as well and I'm not doing that brakeless. I don't have a death wish yet... For balance, looks and grip, I'm installing a lever on either side (Tektro RL520, nothing too fancy shmancy). I have flared drop bars, and I'm figuring out how to properly mount these. Anybody has some tips? Thanks!

I ordered two new tires, or mantles I believe is what they’re called. One looked fine and I mounted it on my bike. The other one looks quite warped. It’s not soft but rather pretty sturdy, so I worry it wont sit correctly if I try to install it.

I’m a newb to this, first time I even changed a tube by myself. So let me know if I need to add more information.

Thanks!

Edit: thanks everyone! I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Hello.

I have a problem regarding choosing new tyres for my e-bike. I have narrowed the choice down to 2 options:

Kenda Kraze

Pros (from reviews):

• Looks cool
• Strong rubber (lasts long)
• Cheaper (total: 85€)

Cons:

• Stiff ride
• Slippery when on smallest amount of sand
• Lower profile (makes a gap between fenders and the tyre itself)

Schwalbe Super Moto-X

Pros:

• (Looks like) better in rain and not affected by debris on the road
• Comfier ride

Cons:

• Expensive (total: 115€)
• Worse looks

I can't make up my mind on which ones to buy, because I really like the look of the Kendas, but am worried about their performance in rain and the ride quality.

What would you recommend?

This is a Schwalbe studded winter tire I bought a few months ago, and I'm not sure what exactly I did to get it like this but for some reason the bead seems to be warped or stretched. It doesn't want to fit my rims. There's a small section of the tire that's popped out of the rim, and when I try to lever it back into place the bead pulls out further down.

I've tried this tire on two different rims with the same results, and to make doubly sure it isn't the rims I put on one of my old Schwalbe Marathon tires which fit perfectly. Both tires are 40-635 700b.

Is this repairable? I don't have much experience dealing with tires but I find it unusual that this tire seemed to be fine until now when I changed out the wheel.

Edit: Thanks for support! Right now my plan is to try and replace the grease in the hub with something known to work in low temperatures.

So I got some new wheels for my commuter and on my first ride, after ~3 miles it feels like I'm getting some chain skipping - I wasn't - then soon after the hub completely stops engaging and I walk home.

Never had that happen before. Thought it might be a cold temperature issue but bringing the bike indoors overnight didn't seem to resolve it right away, but eventually something did. A short test ride later and the hub froze up again.

They're Hunt wheels, I reached out and they said it's unexpected but probably not because of the cold temperatures (about 20F). They sent a new set and the exact same thing happened on the first ride, about the same distance.

I'm leaning toward it being a temperature thing, and they just have too thick of a grease in the freehub that is getting thicker in the cold? If this is the case, would it be simple to pull apart, clean, and replace with a different grease?

I hate driving to work, so I'm tempted to try and pick up a hub locally this weekend to swap (if that's possible, I've never tried and haven't looked into standards or anything).

If it is a temperature thing, it can get to -40F here, and I (usually) still bike to work in those temps, so let me know if there's anything I should "shop for" in a replacement.

If anyone has any other ideas what could cause this, let me know! I'm worried I used the wrong cassette or something dumb that I don't know about (Hunt support didn't seem to think so). I suppose there is the chance that I just got 2 bad sets in a row.

More info:

• HUNT 4 Season Gravel wheelset
  • Shimano/SRAM HG Splined
• Cassette: Shimano CS-LG300 CUES LINKGLIDE HG 9sp Cassette 11-41t
• The wheel's freehub came with a spacer for compatibility with different cassette types and I am not using the spacer: A guide on when to use the spacer

For what it's worth, Hunt has been great to work with

Got tired of bad shifting and brake rub, when going between my two wheel sets, and the home trainer

So time to shim it all in place

No wonder the shifting was bad, I have to shim one of the cassettes 1.25

In the thumbnail is my freehub after running a new set of wheels for 1700 km. From how I understand the "anti-bite" feature, it should prevent the cassette from gouging further into the soft metal of the splines, by taking up those forces on the strip of steel on one of the splines. And that seems like a reasonable idea, since further gouging beyond a cosmetic issue would prevent removal of the cassette.

My question is whether the higher torque caused by a mid-drive torque might one day overwhelm the steel strip, resulting in a locked cassette to the freehub. So far, I don't see any evidence of the strip giving way, and I'm normally under the assumption that the allowable torques of standard bicycles -- although tested by ebikes -- should still tolerate this sort of application.

Does anyone know of scenarios where the anti-bite strip fails in-situ? Note that this isn't a particularly pricey freehub, and I mostly built up this wheel as a long-term test to see how long it would last. For when it does fail, I plan to rebuild with a DT Swiss hub, finances allowing.

https://imgur.com/a/XNxpoGh

I bought this but it doesn't really fit:

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/unior-suntour-freewheel-remover-3-4-tool/137598206/p

This is to help get off crank bolts. I swear I've seen it around but I can't find who makes it right now. It's a 8mm hex/allen (kinda stubby), and it has 15mm flats just outside that so you can put something like a pedal wrench on it. Might be kind of skinny flats.

I thought this might have been made by pedros, but I don't see it on their site. I assume this would be steel construction by whoever makes it.

My use case is that I have a medium size portable tool bag, and the regular 8mm hex is fine, except when it isn't. And i dont carry ratchets, let alone a big one. But I carry a beefy pedal wrench, so the 15mm flats would be perfect for this. Any leads?

Edit: I found it! EVT makes it. https://www.efficientvelo.com/tools/knuckle-saver-pedal-wrench-adapter

Hey guys,

I'm looking to possibly upgrade the shifters on my 90s MTB from grip shifters to friction thumb shifters.

I'm currently eyeing the microSHIFT SL-M10 (https://www.microshift.com/models/sl-m10/), which is listed as being compatible with Shimano MTB 2/3×10.

Currently have a 7 cog cassette using an Alivio 7 speed derailleur. I also have a Deore LX M567 (8 speed) derailleur available, which would be a nice upgrade if compatible with the friction shifter.

Here are my questions:

1. Would that 10 speed shifter work with lower speed derailleurs?

2. What advantage, if any, would i get with a friction shifter listed for 8 or 9 speed derailleurs?

3. On the SLM10 shifter, it's got an indexed mode, too. Would that work with 7 speed, and if so, are limits set by the derailleur or do these things have hard stops built into them?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: I ended up spending a little (a lot...) more and getting a pair of Rivendell Silver2 shifters + thumbie mounts. Really nice quality and a beautiful ratcheting system. Loving friction shifters!

So... I discovered that I can still get parts for my mid-90s MTB, which is the bike I use for everything hauling, winter, and off-road.

Initially, I was thinking of upgrading to more modern parts, but the components have been so good that I'd rather just refresh them.

I did order a "new old stock" crank/chainring, which I'm really excited about. Since I wax my chain, I don't see me ever having a need to replace it again.

But, I'd like to get a front and rear derailleur that are in better condition.

Both are the original Shimano Alivio RD-MC10 and FD-MC10, which I can still buy as used parts (which look like they are much better condition than the ones I've got).

But I'm curious to know if newer models in this series would be directly compatible with my existing cassette/chainrings and grip shifters. Things like the MC11, MC12, etc.

Does anyone have a clue? It's hard enough to find information about vintage bike parts, but I figure it's worth asking before I go with the same ones.

Hoping someone can offer some advice. I'm working on a late 80s Raleigh Montage, 88 I think. It has a u-brake on the rear which dates it.

Anyway I have it all stripped down, including the cup and cone bb.

The only thing I can't seem to remove are the headset cups, as the headtube is slightly flared on the inside top and bottom, so I can't get the tool to make contact with the edge of the cup.

What am I missing here? How do I get these out?

Hey! I had a minor crash the other day. Luckily I was unhurt, but unfortunately my “brifter” (new word for me) took the entirety of the hit.

Over the past year I’ve been learning about bike maintenance, and now have a decent understanding in some areas but not shifters/brake levers and associated cabling. So… the silver linings is that now I get to fill that gap!

I’ve tried to research how to resolve my current brifter-less situation. I have a Kona Rove DL 2021, 1x11 gearing and SRAM Rival 1 group set. I have the following questions:

1. Where can I find a replacement SRAM Rival 1 brifter!? I’m in Finland, and can only seem to find the SRAM Rival 22 or SRAM Apex 1. I don’t believe the SRAM Rival 22 is the same product, but all my searching directs me to it and it seems to look identical.
2. If I cannot find a replacement SRAM Rival 1 brifter, what are compatible (/best) alternatives (<200€)?

Then, once I have a replacement brifter, is my understanding of the easiest replacement process accurate?

1. Disconnect both the derailleur cable and brake cable
2. Unwrap handlebar tape
3. Remove derailleur cable and brake cable via broken brifter
4. Remove broken brifter

Reverse process with new brifter and cables. And does anyone have any “gotchas” or tips for me to bear in mind?

Thanks for any advice!

Here's the bike I have: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/mirage_tour.htm

Here's the tires I want: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B6BXF43T/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3QGN5CVWB8NQ6&psc=1

I recently moved and there's less paved trails and more rail trails. I want a wider tire, but can't figure out if it will fit on the rim, within the fork/frame, or within the brake pads. I measured and 38mm looks like it should fit, but I figured someone else might know more than me. All the products and stats are listed on the site.

Also: I get it, it's not the best bike/tire combo on the market. Cycling is only really a side hobby for me, so don't shame my choices. I love my bike and the price I paid for it.

I have some cotton velox rim tape but it's not very sticky and so I'm struggling to apply it to my rims.

Can I just use a few dots of superglue here and there to stick it down?

The upgraded model has the same low-end adjustability and a wider wide vs the old style. Yet, it's only compatible with 27.5 - 29"?

Typo?

I've got 32mm wide tires on my road/gravel bike. Currently looking at TPU tubes and I've got two options:

• 32-47mm
• 18-32mm

So, is it better to get one over the other, or will they both work equally well? Never used TPU tubes before, so I wouldn't even have a reference to compare these.

I have an aluminum Brodie Revel bike that I've attached a kids seat to. Is it safe for me to mount a double kickstand like the one in the link to this bike? It doesn't have a mounting plate, and someone told me I should only attach these to steel bikes or it will break the frame. Any insight would be super appreciated!

I couldn't find almost any tutorials on how to disassemble or service this particular eBike motor (Bafang M400), so I just started removing screws and pulling out parts while taking a ton of pictures.

I found two dirty, rusty bearings that I cleaned and re-greased, along with all the gears, and then put it back together. Not only did I manage to avoid breaking it, but the noise seems to be gone as well. This was by far the most intimidating bike repair I've done so far. I've serviced every other part before, but I hadn't dared to touch the motor until now.

It also turns out that the motor is much better sealed than I expected, so I'll happily continue doing deep river crossings with the motor half submerged in the future, just as I have done until now.

I had no idea that cromoly tubes were so expensive so Im now looking for alternatives..

a generic question I have is, does it really matter on what I use of its not for a competition setup?

I mean I dnt care if its relatively heavy.. my initial thoughts was using stainless steel tubes or even construction rods but everyone online seem to recommend only using cromoly..

edit: ordered 5x25mm wtainless steel tubes for 15eur (1.5m) the same in cromoly couldnt find them under 70eur..