Bicycle shifter, brake cable, and housing standards
What standards for bicycle shifter and brake cables and housing exist. What are the differences. How to tell, what to pay attention to.
Standards
Bicycle industry standards – for bearings, derailleurs, shifters, etc…
Front chainring mounting standards
Bicycle front chainring mounting standards – according to the number of mounting bolts and diameter of the circle they are spaced along.
Bicycle handlebar dimension standards
Updated: 16/09/2020. This post will give overview of bicycle handlebar size standards, in terms of stem mounting area as well as grip mounting area (or bar wrap area for road “drop” bars). Other important dimensions of road bike bars are explained in the post about road bar geometry, while important considerations for flat bars are given … Read more
Bicycle stem size standards
Updated: 17/08/2020. Table of contents: 0. Introduction 1. Types of stems ….1.1. Quill stem ….1.2. Threadless stem 2. Important dimensions and how to measure ….2.1. Handlebar (clamp) attachment diameter ….2.2. Steering column attachment diameter 3. Stem dimension standards ….3.1. Handlebar clamp dimension standards ….3.2. Steering column attachment dimension standards ……..3.2.1. Threaded stems ……..3.2.2. Threadless stems … Read more
Bicycle cassette (rear chainrings) standards
Updated: 30/03/2020. This post will explain bicycle rear chainrings standards. Since in cycling literature a term “sprocket” is used to refer to rear chainrings, that term will be used in the remainder of this post (and most other on this site). In cycling terminology, term “chainring” usually refers to front chainrings only. Contents:1. Introduction2. Sprocket … Read more
Bicycle drive chain standard dimensions
Updated: 05/06/2019. This post will give overview of bicycle driving chains standard dimensions. Each chain has three important dimensions: pitch, inner diameter and outer diameter. 1. Bicycle driving chain pitch Chain pitch is the distance at which the pins are placed. It is measured by measuring the distance between 3 links, then dividing it by … Read more
Headsets [03] Headset bearings standards – SHIS
Updated: 25/11/2018. Previous two posts have explained the names of steerer parts and how to measure the important dimensions. This post deals with headset bearings standards. If (re)packing a (new) headset with loose bearing balls, see: Standard bicycle bearing ball sizes. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Marking rules (format) 3. Standard dimensions …3.1. Head tube inner … Read more
Seatpost diameter sizes (standards)
Updated: 09/09/2020. This post explains what kinds of seatpost diameters are most commonly used and how they are measured – to avoid mistakes when purchasing, or changing seatposts. The post deals only with diameter (width). The length of the seatpost depends on frame geometry (design) and size – i.e. how much the saddle needs to … Read more
Standard thread dimensions used with bicycles
Updated: 09/09/2020. ISO standard defines dimensions of thread – by diameter and pitch. This post provides a list of standards most commonly used on bicycles, with explanation of most common use. Tools most commonly used for (un)screwing the bolts and nuts of the given standards will also be noted (also by ISO standard), for both … Read more
Standard bicycle bearing ball sizes
Updated: 24/12/2019. Bicycles usually use ball bearings. Modern cartridge bearings come as a closed unit – with balls and races packed in a single unit. However, many bicycles still use older, cup and cone system, where balls can (and should) be replaced with new ones when servicing bearings. This is the case with most Shimano … Read more
Short overview of threadless BB (press fit) standards
Updated: 09/09/2020. This post will give a short overview (list) of threadless (press fit) BB standards. For each BB standard there is an overview intersection of BB cartridge and frame’s BB shell where BB is inserted to, followed by it’s dimensions. Look here for explanation of all the different BB standards. BB30 Shell width: 68 … Read more
Bicycle tyre sizing and dimension standards
Updated: 15/10/2020. What do size marks on bicycle tyre package mean, how to “read” them, which bicycle tyre size can fit a given rim? This post answers all those questions, providing an easy, uniform, standardized way to tell a tyre (tube and rim) size using ISO (ETRTO) standards. For detailed tube sizing gude, see: Bicycle … Read more