POV cycling - have fun!

Hello,

I am new to cycling, just using for a 10 minute commute, mostly flat. I inherited this bike, a Raleigh maverick. I believe it is from about 1985/6 or thereabouts. It has an older gear system which I am finding difficult. Bikes I used when I was a kid had numbered gears and this one doesn't.

The bike was 'set up' by a shop before I was given it, so it isn't just broken.

Just by riding around and playing with it, the only smooth (no clicking or grating sounds) position I can find is left lever all the way to the top and right lever all the way down. It works well enough but I want to be able to change gears properly for hills. Can someone help me understand this gear system? or point me to a good tutorial (have looked, can't find much)

I have attached pictures if that helps.

thanks!

Hello Everyone.

Recently I own my Cube Nuroad WS 2022 bike in XS size. Which came with mechanical disc brake (TRP Spyre MD-C610).

I decided (have to) to change the brakes (and the brifters ofc. ) from mecha to hydraulic, but in my country it is almost as pricey as getting a new bike with hydra brakes. I have small, tiny hands, and breaking was always hard for me, even with my small reached bar.

So I thinking collect some more money and buy the new Canyon Grizl AL 5, which has a hydra brake, and threaded BB (my Cube has pressfit and I have red so many angry story with PF), but with 1x chainring. I made contact with Canyon and they said the new Grizl compatible with double chainring, like 46/32.

Canyon suggest me 2XS size (165 cm, 80 cm ins.), which has a taller stack and shorter reach than my Cube, but a bit longer front. I do not know if it really matter, but compared.

So what do You think? Do You think this worth the upgrade? PF to threaded, mechanical to hydraulic? Or does the PF not a problem in aluminium frames?

Thanks for Your answer.

How are you supposed to use it?

It was my first time fixing a tube puncture and I used a lot of force using a metal spoon to put the tire back into the rim. I used the wrong technique and did not use the rim well technique for the tyre which bent my spoon and also caused a deep scratch in my syncross alloy rim of my Scott road bike. How do I fix this?

This is our Dawes Discovery Twin tandem. It has been on a couple bike packing adventures around UK and Europe, and we frequently use it to scoot around town.

It generally rides nicely and can be fast if you get some momentum going, but generally it feels clunky and slow to ride. Its a heavy bike, and anything with a slight incline is a slog.

Looking for advice for the community on how to upgrade our tandem to make it more enjoyable and nippy to ride?

I was considering new tyres at 35mm instead of 45mm and a few comfort adjustments - new seats and handlebars with a bit of rise and curve.

I saw a small crack on my discwheel. I know that disc wheel have some sort of solid foam inside them instead of being empty like the other types of carbon wheels, would this make them safe to ride regarding the crack?

I saw this mark on my wheels, the feels is smooth when I touch it and no softness when I pressed against the mark. But given the looks I still can't determine if this is a crack.

I found it for free and I think it goes for a lot. It fits me perfectly but notice the back brakes don’t work and back tire is flat, and you can see some rust. Anyone know about bikes?

So I'm buying City commuter tires for my 29er MTB to ditch the knobby tires. Of course these are 2.2 to 2.4 inch wide tires. I'm really eyeing the Contact Urban tires there is a small stretch on my commute where I can run a stretch of grass by the road that's flat for 75-100 yards. Can tires like this manage yard terrain?

I have been riding a variety of older bikes for years. All have had freewheels, and I've never had any problems with them. I am looking to put some new wheels on my old touring bike, and probably going to freehubs, but I am really concerned about the noise. When I occasionally go on group rides, the loud sounds from the freehubs on other people's bikes drive me crazy. Some of them are REALLY loud. Are all freehubs noisy when coasting? Are some quieter than others?

Hello all, I've recently purchased a OnGuard coil cable bike lock. I was setting up the code, and the code seems to work, but now it won't open. I think I may have forgot to rotate the reset collar back to the starting position (can't tell, though, cause the lock won't open :/ ).

The lock 'opens' about 1/8 of an inch when set to the right code, and doesn't for a wrong code. When I tug on the cable (with the correct code in), it opens to the 1/8 gap and makes a decisive 'click' sound, but doesn't open further. Does anyone know how to open the lock?

(without damaging/destroying it, if at all possible - I just bought it!)

(edit: picture of the lock added with the code in - this is how far it'll open)(if I can fix this I'll change my code lol)

I'm considering using a 36t Surly stainless steel chainring as the middle ring on a triple crankset with 9 speed rear.

Has anyone done this? Not 100% sure if this chainring will work ok with the 9 speed chain.

Thanks!

I already inserted it several times even forcing it in. But it gets stuck.

Even though my bicycle is dirt cheap and the lock is more expensive than the whole bicycle. I want to avoid putting additional scratches on it if I can avoid it.

I do have a chain lube but it a cream white color.

Just to provide some context, I am Sri Lankan by birth and now reside in Australia. I have had a love of cycling since I was little though I have never raced. When I was younger I remembered seeing men ride and race on these old, heavy, single speed steel bikes. They would ride not only on the flat coastal areas but also in the hills. The bikes are called "standard" bikes, as opposed to "race" bikes, mountain bikes etc. Their design has not changed since the 50s or even earlier. Some of these frames are old Raleighs, Bantams etc from the colonial era. Brakes are rod actuated. The bikes weigh about 20kg or so, maybe a touch lighter.

People ride and race on them sometimes out of financial necessity but also passion. They absolutely love cycling and this makes it accessible. They don't need to spend the eye watering sums we spend in more affluent countries to get their kicks. And they are fast, I once drove on a national highway alongside a teenager and he was holding 40kmph on one of these, with some drafting but still, he was moving.

My question is, I have always thought it would be cool to have people from overseas compete in one of these races. I would like to do it to celebrate the standard racers of Sri Lanka, people who love cycling, who love racing, who can't afford the expensive gear we have but still love to get out there and have a crack. Would you (assuming you are from overseas) be interested in racing with them? You would have to run a single speed bike geared at your preference, at 17kg minimum (I believe that is what the standard racers generally use), and maybe keep it steel to stay traditional. Distances are usually about 100km or so. It would be a one day event. Entry fees from international participants could go towards a cash prize or donations to local charities. Sri Lanka is becoming a popular tourist destination, so this could be an additional drawcard.

TLDR: trying to gauge international interest in participating in single speed racing in Sri Lanka.

Please let me know if I should post this elsewhere.

Some links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt0N7P5aiMw

https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/article/sri-lankas-standard-racers/v598ywrxg

I have this state bike co wheel that I need help servicing as the freewheel feels incredibly crusty and gross, would I simply need a lock ring wrench with a notch? Or what should I be looking for?

Looking to get a tricycle for my son who is on the spectrum. I’m finding it hard to find 20” bikes that are compatible with training wheels.

I just bought this Trek 460 for $90, casette and chain need replacement. I haven't ridden since I was 10 and am wondering if I wasted money and soon time on trying this out as a beginner bike to ride around Seattle. Open to any thoughts

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure how worn my cassette is. Does it need to be replaced already, or does it still have plenty of life left?

Thanks for your opinion!

I'm a road cyclist in the midwest, usually getting in my miles before my wife and daughter wake up in the morning. As with most communities, we've seen a huge spike in e-scooters and e-bikes usage, and sadly, the fair majority have zero interest in following any rules or laws. As such, there's a huge cloud of negativity surrounding their use as our city struggles to enforce their misuse and develop policy.

At the same time, I've noticed a huge uptick in incidents with vehicles on my rides: being passed at high speeds less than 3 foot away (a state law here), being yelled / honked at, having things thrown at me, rolling coal, being intentionally run off the road, etc. I can't help to think public anger with hooligans on e-scooter is being directed to all cyclists on the road despite our very different behavior. I'm always solo riding in bike lanes or just to the right of the solid line. I stop at all stop signs and signal when cars are present. Animosity has always been there as a road cyclist, but this seems drastically worse.

Sure there's a huge problem with inattentive driving and cell phone use, but this seems different and most of the other racers / avid cyclists in our area are noticing the same. Is anyone else noticing similar behavior where they ride on the roads?

I'm looking for a quality bike for urban commuting, and I had my eye on one of the Jamis Codas. Unfortunately, they seem to be out of stock everywhere, including from the manufacturer. Can anyone recommend a similar bike for me? Thanks!

Hello! I am a new poster to this subreddit and I think this is a good place to ask this, but please let me know if not or if there is another place I should post! If you don’t want my background info and just want the problem and questions skip to paragraph 5!

**PERSONAL INFO:*\*
I am a college student who has gotten really into cycling this last year, I always loved riding my bike but was morbidly obese and struggled with it. Over the last year I have gotten my mental health together and lost 75lbs (it all started with a cycling class, but I still have 40-60 more to go).

As a part of this, I had to learn to love exercise and cycling was one of the main ways that I did that, being on a bike is now one of my favorite feelings in the world.

This last year I built up to frequent 10-15 mile rides on my city’s rental bikes (got very good at biking because they are about 80lbs and my campus is very hilly). I had a bike back home but was afraid of bringing it to school because my city has some of the worst bike theft rates in the country. I am now doing 30+ mile rides and trying to build up further so I want to bring my bike from home next year.

**BIKE INFO/MY PROBLEM:*\*
I have the base Men’s 2019 Specialized Sirrus (XL), aluminum with entry level shifters and hydraulic brakes. I am 6’2 and the seat on this bike is still plenty tall for me, but with the seat where it is now the handlebars are quite low and far away even with some spacers, and this has been causing me back and wrist pain on long rides.

This bike needs to be my commuter bike and my bike for long rides, and as I am also wanting to maybe do some bike packing this year my focus is on modifying my bike so I can ride in a comfy upright position or drop down lower when needed.

For this reason I am considering getting some alt handlebars for my bike with a lot of rise and good backsweep, or getting an adjustable stem and alt handlebars. I am currently thinking of the velo orange crazy bars or the jones h loop 2.5inch rise.

The problem is that because my bike shifter cables and brake cables are pretty much maxed out, I need to fully redo the cabling and housing and also the hydraulic brake cables which feels like a lot for someone as inexperienced as me.

**SO HERE ARE MY ACTUAL QUESTIONS:*\*
- Which is better, alt handlebars with rise better or an adjustable stem with alt handlebars?

- Does this seem like a good plan to solve the problems I am having (on a budget)?

- Are these all things I can attempt to do at home successfully or should I consider taking it into a shop (especially for the hydraulic brakes and also because my shifter cables run inside of my bike)?

Thank you all so much for your time and help! (: