A list of the last 100 comments (mostly questions and answers) on this website:
The article was great. Can you shed some light on how to clean and lube a chain. On a single…
For what it’s worth: my Shimano LX triple FD can move as close as 39.5 mm. That is: the distance…
Thanks for the correction. 🙂 I’ve edited the reply.
“The derailleur is tuned and has some – – – -” Relja. Which make and model of FD are you…
A derailleur is tuned and has some extra left-right movement that is limited using the low and high limit screws.…
Many of these FDs are rather tightly packaged and no shop is likely to let me take it out, fiddle…
What kind of shifters are you using? I don’t think that you’ll find a manufacturer’s prospect that says a FD…
Exactly. Can anyone tell me of one that comes to 41mm? “Giving it a go” is ridiculously expensive if the…
Hi Rik, 130 mm OLD rear hubs are often seen on road bikes. As far as the front chainline goes,…
Hi Relja, Awesome! Thank you. David
With a 130 OLN rear and a 9 speed cassette I found my chainline to be 41mm. That’s where I…
Hi David, I’ve edited the original reply – but just in case, here’s the link again: https://www.enve.com/product/carbon-hub/ I don’t know…
Hi Relja, Thank you for your response. I’m thinking I’m going to have to buy a 12″ wheel and hub…
The Shimano SIS-SP41 shifter cable housing has been pre-lubricated over its entire length with a special silicone lubricant. This reduces…
Hi Jozef, Basically – that’s it. Getting the rear shifts just right using friction shifters is a bit easier on…
So… using simple friction shifter without indexed clicks and without cable length pull limitation is compatible with all RDs? Shifting…
Hi David, Short answer: I don’t know. Long answer – some ideas to consider: Apologies in advance for the Tarzan-English.…
Hello! This is a request for help. I searched your website for Balance bikes and found this thread. From the…
Hi Sean, Thanks – glad it could help. 🙂 Relja
Your site might very well be the most informative site on the internet. It is certainly the best and most…
Hi Leandro, I don’t think that the FD would mind if the tooth difference is reduced. Problems could occur if…
Hi Relja, I want to change my 36/22 crankset (i don´t like the big 14t jump) to a 36/24 or…
Thank you very much for clearing this up, I will just rebuild the BB with 22 new balls and new…
9-speed shifter won’t shift over all the 10 speeds (only 9). Will it work properly over the 9-speeds? I doubt…
Hello Christopher, In my experience, a vast majority of bottom brackets use eleven 1/4″ bearing balls on each side (each…
Will a 9 speed alivio shifter work with deore 5120 rd, 10 speed cogs, and chain?
Question I just completely stripped a Roadmaster 18 Speed 26 inch wheel frame. When I removed the bottom bracket, It…
Hi Anthony, I would avoid aluminium nipples in the first place, if matching brass nipples can be sourced. Aluminium nipples…
Nice explanation – thanks. Is there something you’d recommend to stop the galvanic corrosion of Al nipples in a carbon…
Hi Max, See if you can recognize whether your cassette’s splines match any of the freehubs depicted in the rear-hub…
Hi, I bought a wheel on the flee market and the cassette has 8 splines with equal distances. Is it…
Hi Ed, I’d prefer the bars to be in front of the steering column. At least a bit. There is…
Can a threadless stem be mounted on the inside of the steering column istead of outside(furthest from the rider) my…
there are special alloy spacers that are made to fit cassette freehubs,this allows you to use a custom 5,6,or7 speed…
another tip when cutting brake cable housing with dremel tool put a thin nail inside the housing when you cut…
its sad to see the way the bicycle industry is now going,very expensive bicycles that are just too hard too…
Thanks. 🙂 Sheldon has been a great resource and inspiration: Sheldon Brown’s legacy
am now trying pressol household oil,its mineral based and does not contain acids or anything that will harm a chain,its…
Hi, Haven’t tried that combo, but yes, it makes sense – the numbers add up. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.…
In my experience, most oils are too viscous (“thick”) out of the box, so they attract too much sand and…
i have been reading about chain lubes on many sites even been reading about industrial chain lubes and just about…
Hi Relja, Thanks so much for the great work! You are the new Sheldon Brown, I constantly reference your website…
just an update to trying gear oil it got too messy and turned into a grinding paste,will keep trying a…
I got a Wake 780mm aluminum bar to mount on FOMTOR stem and it was a perfect fit. This is…
sorry for the typo mistakes but i am not google i am human
if you are new to bicycles then the most important thing to do is get a proper bike fit either…
Hi, I’m pretty sure that this RD will work with a 46T cassette. Shimano has always been very cautious with…
i actually prefer one chain ring at the front and a custom 5 speed cassette at the rear,my front chain…
Hello Rich, 11-speed MTB RDs won’t work very well with GRX shifters. So yes, you would need a matching travel-adapter.…
I am looking to upgrade a gravel bike combination and wonder if this will work. The bike comes with the…
Hello Luca, On bicycles with rear suspension (if your has that), rear brake can pivot around the wheel as the…
Hello, I have an issue where at nearly all speeds, my m6100 4pot deore brakes are completely silent, however at…
Correction The pedaling is smooth AND NOISES for approximately 150 kilometers.
First of all, I’m sorry for the bad English. I use a homemade mixture, candle paraffin, liquid paraffin, xylene, molybdenum…
in australia alot of people just throw old bikes into the street when they cant be bothered to fix them,i…
if you want to degrease anything including chains kerosene or mineral turpentine is the best there is on the market.petrol…
when it comes to bicycle bearing grease i just use a general purpose ngl 2 grade,thats a perfect thickness to…
i have used moly grease,that was too messy and got too much dirt,i tried sewing machine oil and that was…
grease on a bike chain just gets too messy and attracts to much dirt,i have used grease but find its…
we are all looking for the perfect chain lube but i dont think there is one,more important to lube chain…
HI, I read your article and it prove most useful. I measured my seatpost diameter and it turn out to…
Hi Marko, For all I know: Spindles are not replaceable on a vast majority of cranks, so I’d be amazed…
Hi Chris, Some hubs have interchangeable freehubs (DT Swiss models come to mind). For some, a Shimano freehub will fit,…
Hello ….. I bought Pro Lite bracciano A42W wheels where the freehub Campagnolo is installed, and I have Shimano all…
Can I just replace spindle length on the Cannondale Hollowgram SiSL2 Crankset BB30 to fit on BB30a. Or is there…
Hello Harry, Those cranks should work fine with the 9-speed drivetrain. As for the chain length – it depends on…
Hello, Thanks for the very good and knowledgeable feedback. I agree with everything you said. I wrote something similar in…
Hello, I have a shimano FC TY301 48-38-28T on a 3×8 gear trekking bike and would like to keep it…
Small note, I see you recommend the Wera Rostfrei screwdriver. While Wera does indeed make really nice, good quality screwdrivers…
I forgot to attach the link. https://i.postimg.cc/HkH17S2H/IMG-20210412-181158.jpg
Thank you very much for your faat response. Regarding the tight spots, my only concern is at the rear rim…
Hi Billys, Measure the rim-s inner width and check table 2 to see if it will nicely fit the rim.…
Hello and thank you for the article. I would like some help. I have shimano rs 11 622*15c with gp400s2…
Hi, BB30 cranks should fit BB386EVO BB, if the spindle length is matching. I’d check with SRAM to be sure…
Hi! Thank-you for this wonderful website. I have a SRAM Rival 1 42T 11-speed crankset on my bike. Unfortunately I…
What a great post and dialog. Thank you very much. Given me lots of tuning advice.
I have re-measured, with two brand new high/mid-end 11-speed cassettes: Road CS-R8000 (Shimano 105) MTB CS-M7000 (Shimano Deore SLX) The…
Hello Nicolas, I don’t know about Sunrace. And I will double-check with Shimano cassettes. This does call for it as…
Hello Rejla, It’s perfectly clear, thank you. The great spider of MTB cassette is like “curved” up the flange of…
Hi, There are several solutions to this gearing problem. I’ll number them for easier reference in case of any follow-up…
Hello Nicolas, A good questions. I will edit the article when I find the time, to make that clear. Briefly:…
Useful page! I am stuck with a Trek Marlin 7speed and trying to figure out if I can improve it…
Hello Relja and many thanks for your website ! I just have one question. You wrote about 11 speed :…
Hi, For threads and other stuff that aren’t bearings, i.e. for preventing seizing, I recommend using anti-seize (mounting) paste. Aluminium…
Hello, I have Mobil XHP222 lithium grease. Is it safe to use on aluminum parts? I have an aluminum full…
The short answer is: I don’t know. Longer one: I’m not 100% sure. Even longer, with an explanation: When doing…
glad to have been of assistance. i must say, reading your analysis has led me to change my thinking about…
I like to say: “one good measurement is better than a thousand expert opinions.” This article explains the important fork,…
Do most bikes have a 1 1/8 or is anything smaller? I’m wanting to upgrade my forks bjt make sure…
i find shimano stainless steel cables the best on the market,these ones hardly ever break and they never stretch much,i…
i ride a cromemoly steel bicycle made in 1992,trek racer .this bike never lets me down and i like the…
if you see a cable labled shimano sis and it has a spiral pattern it is a modern road bike…
all shifter cable has long straight strands,no spiral pattern at all,and shifter cable housing are much tougher than brake cable…
not all cable housing is the same,cables labled shimano sis are much stiffer cable housing and its basically used for…
Thanks , gave me a little more insight .
hello there relja,sounds like your road bike setup is very similar to mine,i still ride a cromemoly steel bike from…
just a follow up to my post the shimano hg40 chains are very good for 7 speed shimano hyperglide cassetts…
i usually use either velox or zefal rim cloth adhesive rim tapes as these have never failed on me,the secret…
Indexed shifters need all the help they can get. Hyperglide cassette with a Hyperglide chain does help. Though, my road…
Hi Vince, I already wrote in great detail about various different chain cleaning methods, their pros and cons. You can…