A list of the last 100 comments (mostly questions and answers) on this website:
Hello, Relja! Can I use a Shimano Mt210 (3x) with a Deore M4100 (10 speed cassette, 11-42T)?
Hi Eugene, The rear 9-speed Shimano MTB shifter should work fine. The front shifter will most likely not be perfect,…
Hi, I’m planning to convert my very old Giant OCR2 – Shimano Tiagra 3×9 – road bike with drop bars…
Relja, I would also be interested in your opinion on thick silicone oil diluted with disc brake cleaner. jani
I really think chain lubrication it’s a matter of preference. Some people have a wicked obcession about having a clean…
“sintetic wood floor wax as lube” Sounds promising…
Hi Relja, “did you completely clean and degrease the chain” Yes, in a multi-step process. The chain was clean and…
Thank you! This was really helpful. I’m building myself a Trike and needed to figure out what to use for…
Hi Jani, Thanks for the detailed feedback. Out of curiosity: when trying the wax as a chain lube, did you…
Excelent article. congratulations!
I tried wax and wax based lubes. They don’t wear that long, they still require cleaning and I don’t think…
Hi Bob, I would rather not risk making the seatpost walls thinner (and thus weaker). But it is possible. Relja
disc brake tinner => cleaner speed link => Powelink paying no attention to typos
Relja, Thank you for detailed answer. Oil paint tinner The most common one (here in Hungary) consists of linseed oil…
Is it possible to sand down a 25.8mm aluminum seatpost to 25.4mm?
> I use Total LHM Plus for Shimano hydraulic brakes, but it costs several times more than chainsaw bar oil,…
How to Become a Bike Mechanic? To become a bicycle mechanic and land a job, there are some skills you…
Hi Jojo, The optimal chain length depends both on the chainring sizes, and on the chainstay length. I have never…
Good afternoon! I am using a 1X set up. My crank is 34T and my cogs 11T-50T. My chain is…
Hi George, Total LHM Plus (not selling it 🙂 ) has excellent lubricating properties and offers good corrosion resistance. Relja
You mention hydraulic oil. Does that mean that you can use the LHM (that i have watched you use in…
Hi Jani, Some interesting questions. 🙂 Paint damage? As far as I know, most bike paints aren’t oil-based – so…
I think findig the ultimate chain lubricant is almost like finding the Holy Grail. I read your 3 articles on…
Great explanation, thank you! This article just saved me a lot of time, I overhauled the wheels of 3 bikes…
Dear Relja I appreciated your comment that I fully agree. I have 2bikes (+1 of the 40s from conservative restoration…
Hi Erik, “Give me the metric system, or give me death!” 🙂 Joking a bit. 🙂 Anyway, when I turn…
I would love to know why every 25.4mm seatpost i have been trying to get for my vintage bike (need…
Ćao Ivice, Samo molba da se pitanja na našem jeziku postavljaju na verziji sajta na našem jeziku. Ovo je link…
Pozz Relja; nasao sam jeftino treking biciklo sa manje ostecenja. Treba zamjeniti zadnju felgu i cijeli srednji pogon zajedno sa…
Hi Raymond, Just to avoid any misunderstanding – are we talking about motorcycles or bicycles? If it’s bicycles – what…
Hi Aditya, I haven’t measured that – and don’t know if the info is available elsewhere. My current schedule is…
Hi Jeremiah, Side swing FD design is about mounting points, tyre clearance, and cable routing. In terms of shifting, I…
Hello, I was thinking about a new ProX o-ring chain for my dirt bike, but would like to know your…
where to find roller diameter or do you know for 9 speed chain??
Hi relja, I recenly bought a m3100 fd side swing for my mt300 crankset (44/32/22). I’ve read on the specs…
I prefer to state bicycle gearing in inches than ratios. Easier to understand. The lower your gear inch is, the…
Hi Nando, That’s an interesting line of thought, but I see a huge number of potential caveats. Without going into…
Interesting Article; it should be integrated by exploring the cost to manufacture a welded Steel or ALU frame vs Carbon…
Hi Mat, Thank you for the very constructive feedback. I’ll seriously consider it. To start – I think adding a…
I think your description is clear and concise. My only suggestion is the reordering of the information. For example, put…
First of all thank you for taking the time and trouble to post such a comprehensive article. It neatly puts…
Hi Handy, 105 5700 series shifters will work with any Shimano derailleur for up to 9 speeds. Along with old…
hi Is Shimano RD Altus M2000 9 speed works with brifter 105 ST 5700 2×10 ? Or it would rather…
Hi Jason, Thanks for the heads up. I’ve corrected the article. V-brake is Shimano’s term that is now most widely…
Shouldn’t the list labeled 3.1 V-Brake also read “Linear Pull” and not “Direct Pull”? And then 3.2 Cantilever be labeled…
Thanks for taking the time with all the details, Relja. I hear you about gravity! I am going to try…
Hi Noe, My road bike has 53/42 BioPace cranks, and I have a spare, like-new, set stashed in my garage.…
Hi Ian, It sounds like you got an old 9-speed standard lockring – for the 9-speed Exa-Drive. The newer 9-speed…
Thanks for the article, it is very informative. I am inexperienced but thought I’d give a try to fix an…
Good day Relja. The mysteries of Campagnolo Exa-drive cassettes keep coming up. I received the cassette that I ordered, but…
Hi Jim, For that to work, you’ll either need to swap both derailleurs for MTB ones, or to get flat-bar…
Hello Thanks for the article. I was wondering how I would determine if a mt bike shifter would work with…
Hi Tak, I’ve had good results with FDs that were up to 2 teeth off, compared to the used chainrings.…
Hi Relja, Wish I had read this article before buying some components! I appreciate the wealth of information in your…
I’m sticking with the old-school 53-42 cranks, but at the back, I’ve switched to a 13-34 cassette years ago. Gravity…
Thank you Relja. I decided to go for a Campagnolo 8 speed knowing it will fit. Had hoped to get…
Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Hi Ian, For all I know, Miche makes both Shimano, and Campagnolo compatible cassettes. “Primato 8 SH” is Shimano compatible,…
Thanks for explaining Campagnolo Exa-Drive , old and current. I do have a question, now that I know the type…
Option 1 works like a charm! One more addition, during the install i saw that FD is Microshift Centos. I…
Informative and very helpful!
Hi Gary, I think this video answers those questions: Connecting bicycle chains (quick links, pins etc.) Relja
I have an 8-speed 232-link chain still new-in-bag from y2006. I can’t see whether it came with a “pop-link”/”snap-link”. I’m…
Hi Terry, I did talk about that topic in the 4th chapter (“Double vs triple”) – but it’s probably not…
Pozdrav, 🙂 I would first try the first option – expecting it to work OK. With one note for the…
Okay lot of good information! One thing you did not touch on though is total capacity. I’m trying to put…
To better explain the adjustment: with an 11-speed KMC/SRAM/Shimano chain (5.65mm) on a Campagnolo cassette, you have to readjust the…
Nice article, compliments … but one thing I want to add: in the instructions (PDF viewable at Campagnolo) are the…
Pozdrav iz Makedonije Relja, Question regarding the Mix I am trying :). Currently i have Specialized Sirrus 4.0, Carbon frame…
I’ve messured the rear chainline and find 54mm. In the Shimano A070 crank’s manual recomend the front chain line in…
Check the clearance between each chainring and it’s nearest point to the frame in mm. Take the crank off and…
Hi everybody, I have a road bike 2×7 speed that uses Shimano A070 cranks model. The original square taper bottom…
on the cheap 10spd. bike is an old mid 80’s univega alpina uno. the setup did not work with a…
Haha. Yes. 🙂 They might even “discover” the friction shifters! 🙂
I have reasonable success with the following combination: Sunrace 11-40 8 speed cassette SRAM X5 8 speed shifter Shimano Deore…
presta vs schrader valve,if you do not like running presta valve tubes in your bicycle rims you can drill these…
Thank you Reija! It took me years to finally move on from 3×9, there is no way 1×12 will have…
relja, i just got around to reading your comments of 04 Apr, today, and found them quite enlightening. i agree…
Hi Louie, I like to joke that 1x drivetrains often “solve” problems that wouldn’t have even existed without them. :)…
Hi Reija I bought a Shimano 12 speed rear to upgrade from a 3×9 Shimano Deore group, I’m using the…
It should fit. An 11-speed road cassette won’t, but an 11-speed MTB cassette will. 11-speed MTB cassettes are designed so…
Thanks very much for your response, that’s good to know. Do you have any idea about the 11-speed MTB cassette…
Hi Leo, In my experience, a Shimano 11-speed MTB cassette works well enough with Shimano 11 speed road shifter and…
Hi Relja, Thanks so much for all this valuable information! I’m currently replacing my road bike’s (Giant SCR3) 8-speed components…
just another little tip,buy some longer screwdriver bits as well as these ones will also fit into a drill even…
Very helpful article thank you
i got a sidchrome ratchet screwdriver a few years back and this one has been very good Relja but like…
Roger Musson, in his book on bicycle wheel building, explains that only DT Swiss spokes have that problem (or a…
not sure how old the ones i have are, i got them yesterday, but they do go all the way…
Hi Mike, Could you recommend a model for a ratcheting screwdriver? I’ve had very poor results (poor durability) with Bosch,…
you can buy ratcheting magnetic handles for these loose screwdriver bits,a ratchet screwdriver makes work alot more easy especially if…
if you ever come across a very stuck bolt or screw,method 1=wd40 and hit it hard with an impact driver,method2=drill…
i never use single screwdrivers any more as they stopped making the worlds best ones years ago,i am not saying…
Hi Radu, Depending on how long the threads on a spoke are – I suppose that could be possible. It…
I have a spain 14mm nipple in hand, the problem you describe does not happen, the spoke does go in…
you will see alot of bicycle part makers including specs on most parts,these specs are a guide only but they…
i am having trouble finding a good durable tyre with reasonable puncture protection,i am looking for a 700×25 smooth tyre…
Hi Rich, I will edit the article as soon as possible. The article is related to systems with derailleurs, not…
Hi Zan, KMC states that their 12-speed chains are compatible, but I haven’t put that to the test. I would…
Thanks!