I am switching from a MTB (with pretty old, but still fine, SPD cleats) to a CX and am in the process of picking pedals. I won't be driving the MTB at all anymore, after that, and have switched it to non-cleat anyways, because I prefer it that way on slow, technical routes.  Do I want to worry about converting the shoes to the road cleat system? Or is that just a big hassle ending in an unhappy compromise? The point would be primarily to not have to go and look for new shoes (as the old ones are still well fitting and have not been used much), and just switch out the system.
122641
I am interested in buying some pedals I can clip into for my bike. I currently ride a mountain bike/hybrid but I ma looking to get a road bike next year some time.   What are the differences between road pedals and mountain bike pedals? Are road pedals suitable for my hybrid/MTB if I am only riding on roads?
66063
I have a bike (Surly Crosscheck) that is used for commuting and cyclocross. As it's a bit older and disc brakes were not legal for 'cross until recently, it has cantilever brakes for optimal mud clearance.  They also kind of suck for commuting in a rainy city with panniers.  I have been debating doing a conversion to discs for this bike, but I don't really know what I'd need to replace, so a list would be highly helpful, then I can price it out and decide whether or not I should just buy a new bike... Possibly I could also keep the cantilever on the rear and just go with a disc on the front for good stopping.  Presumably the wheels and front fork at the least would need to change. As would the brifters as those probably pull differently. What else would I need?
28116
I've ridden road and mountain bikes for years, and this is my first year riding as a part of a team (and actually doing races).  I've been stuck at nearly the same level of skill when descending and would like to improve.  Sure, there are some  I can read, but some are dated, and who has time to read a whole book?  (said only partially tongue in cheek)  Vague tips like, "ride with faster riders" are not needed - I ride with fast riders, and on the descents they're immediately gapping me at the first switchback.
41636
I'm thinking of changing the 9-speed Tiagra rear mech on one of my (road) bikes to something, still Shimano, but 10-speed.  The obvious replacements I'll need are cassette, right-shifter and chain. But I reckon because of the narrower chain I'm also looking at a new chainset and rear derailleur. However I think the front derailleur and left-shifter should be safe (still keeping the front mech the same). Ditto the bb, regardless of whether I need a new chainset  Has anyone actually done this conversion and is able to confirm (or put me right)?  Thanks  Update  Decided in the end that going from 9- to 10- was too much to spend all in one go. But I used a service as an excuse to change the cassette (to a 9-speed ultegra) and the chain (dura ace) at quite minimal cost. Can upgrade other parts as and when, although I'm basically looking at Shim's 6500 range here so all quite dated now.
37794
When it comes to fixing bikes, i'm not to crash-hot. I can clean grime, oil the chain and put it back on if it falls off. However, when it comes to the inner tubes I usually rely on someone else to get me another tube and put it on for me (I can put them on, but in that sense I'm too lazy). So, today, when I went to pump up the tyres I found they had a puncture and I would prefer to change them as I haven't ridden this bike in a LONG time, only I'm not sure if there has to be a certain size tube. Help? Please? :)
45911
Today I disassembled my current fixed-gear, and reassembled all the parts in another frame, which I am considering to purchase.  The current owner of the frame warned me that it might be too big for me, and I agree with him. Even though, I think it has good cost-benefit, so I decided to do a test-ride.  I noticed the final geometry and rideability was pretty good, and since the frame has a long headtube (which I desire) I guess the inseam problem might not be so important considering the main goal is randonneuring, where "riding" characteristics are much more important than "mounting and dismounting" characteristics. Most probably the bike will receive a drop handlebar, even though I like flat bars a lot.  Below is a photo of the current set. There are 6cm of seatpost visible, and I might want to lower an aditional 1cm. The main reason I want to somewhat stubbornly keep the frame is that I liked riding it, didn't see any major problem except for a slight touch of the upper seatstays between the thighs, but that tends to disappear since I felt the need to put the saddle a bit more forewards.  What I am asking is:     Even considering the frameset is ridiculously larger than I would   typically choose, if I like riding the bike, is there any problem that   I'm not considering, a reason NOT to keep the frameset?   I'm 1,88cm (6'3") tall, and have used 56cm bikes, this one is 64cm (seat tube, bbc to top).  Thanks for any insight!
61524
I'm an occasional biker. I bought a mountain bike (nothing fancy) with the idea that I might use it off-road or on mountain trails (of which there are many here in Calgary). However, since I've bought it I've done nothing but bike in the city on streets and paved bike trails.  Is there anything worth doing to my bike to convert it to something more suited to urban biking? In particular, the tires have me wondering; they have large rubber off-roading lugs that surely aren't doing me any favors on pavement. I'm not looking to spend a tons of money on a retrofit, but will do so if its worthwhile.
114206
I have a 9 speed specialized sport comp road bike.  my chainrings are 50 x 34t and i wanted to possibly change them to a 53 x 39t to increase my speed. it has shimano cassette/components and a truvativ iso flow crank arm. my question is would most 53x39t chainrings match up with my crank? or would it be better just to get a whole new crankset?
6106
I'm moving to a city where I can ride a bicycle to the grocery store, coffee shop etc. I want to purchase a decent used bicycle. I'm leaning towards a bike that's in between a "10-speed" or road-bike and a mountain bike. What should I look for when choosing a particular bike?  I've never purchased a used bicycle. Other than classifieds (e.g., Craigslist), what types of places can I look? What other issues should I consider, such as size, visual appearance, leaking tires, etc.? How can I make sure it's not stolen?
2561
I have a gravel bike with an MTB setup. SRAM GX rear mech, SRAM XO shifter, 1x11 system, Shimano disc brakes. How would I go about replacing my flat handlebars with road bars?  Alternative 1 Get a hold of a Shimano 11-speed shifter, a brake lever and a Jtek Shiftmate to convert from Shimano ratio to SRAM.  Alternative 2 Get a hold of SRAM 11-speed road shifter and brake lever. Also need new hydraulic brakes which are not compatible.  Alternative 3 Get new mechanical disc brakes. Get SRAM shifters with mechanical levers.   So what is the best alternative? Or do I have more options?   And can I use SRAM GX rear mech with SRAM Apex or Rival shifters without a ratio adapter like Jtek Shiftmate?   Much appreciated. Cheers!
28337
It's an old argue on forums, still cant get it. What is the (real, that worth the money and time for ordering from abroad, in my case) difference, let's say between  shoes and some kind of old school skate shoes (the fat ones, like )?  P.S as far as I know most dirt BMXers are quite happy with regular skate shoes.
12411
We are planning on doing some mountain biking in a few weeks time and we'd like to get some wider tyres for my wife's hybrid. I know there are similar questions and answers out there on this topic, but I need some specific help to make sure I buy the right tyres.  The bike is a Ladies Scott Sportster 50 2015, the best website I could find with a fairly accurate spec is     It's currently got Kenda K-180 700 x 38c / 30TPI tyres on it, which are fairly good all rounders and capable of running on clean forest paths but I don't think they would handle anything heavier.  It's got disk brakes so there isn't a clearance issue there, but I have noticed the frame is generally narrower than true MTBs, here are some photos i took of it.    Has anyone put larger, knobblier tyres on this kind of hybrid? whats the largest I can get away with? - I'm also slightly confused by all the tyre sizing, I'm sure someone told me this is a 27.5" tyre, but 700 seems to mean 29" on a lot of websites.  Any advice is very much appreciated, Thanks.
37696
Hi I have original mtn bike tires of 26 x 1.95 on my bike but would like to change to smaller hybrid tires can I use 26 x 1.75 or must I stay with same size. Thanks
28261
I have heard that one ought to turn the pedals at 90rpm. However, I do so much slower, especially while standing, and would like to understand the argument behind this number (or any other number). So:  What is the optimal cadence of a cyclist. Why? Does it depend on the terrain? Does it depend if the rider is sitting or standing upright? What are some possible consequences of deviating too much from the proposed number?  Possible duplicate of , but I didn't find there the "whys" except for "it will grind your knees." However, I find riding upright with slow cadance no more demanding than walking up a hill with a backpack.
99445
I'm fairly new to bicycling; apologies if this is a standard question but I couldn't figure out how to phrase it to search for it elsewhere.  I ride a KHS Urban-X with Kenda Kwest tires (just what it came with). I've gotten barely any use out of it since owning it, and it's been resting comfortably in the living room through the winter, so I decided today was a great day to get back on.   So I unscrewed the back tire cap, and began to hand-pump air into the tire. All seemed to go well, and the tire held pressure fine, but when I removed the tire pump, the pin appeared to remain pushed down slightly, and air flowed back out of the tire. I looked, and this is what I saw:    Several narrow gashes that appear as if the rubbed was ripped, cut, or separated somehow.  Questions   Is this a common occurrence? Again, I've ridden on this bike very little and thus filled up the tires even less. We have no animals and no bugs around that I know of that would gnaw or chew on such material. Is this fixable, or is my tube completely shot? It would seem to me that the latter is the case. Is there anything I can do to prevent this in the future? I use a hand pump but am gentle; would a stand-up pump be a better choice?  Do bike tires come with a standard warranty for cases like this, or do you know of any brands that do? If I have to purchase new tires, I'm going to purchase Is there any kind of "off-season" maintenance that I should be performing on my bike that could prevent things like this?   Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
108754
Every time I have my bike serviced, the bike shop sets up the gears on a stand in their workshop. The gears change perfectly on the stand, but when the bike is on the road, the rear derailleur doesn't change smoothly, and some gears are jumped.   I've fiddled with this myself, but can't improve over the default setup. Is it possible, or does this mean the Shimano gearsets are worn/the springs worn out on the rear derailleur?
50337
I have seen competitive (amateur) cyclists with oval chainrings (front). What is the deal? Are they just for showing off, or is there a practical gain from it (different force transfer).