Any question answered...

Someone’s gotten a bit carried away with the machining but,

https://www.tensile.net/tensile-2624-trials-specific-disc-hubs.html

tri­als-specific

Tartybikes are the go-to for trials, they have a range of bolt-on disc hubs.

And they're nice people.

Agree on the tartybikes recommendation, I only specified the Tendile ones as I’ve used them myself.

Not too much trials specific about them, but there’s no supplementary bearing shielding provided by the hub so all weather use does see me go through bearings at a fair pace.

Why do urban fixie skidders ride around on -20° (or more) stems with riser bars? Surely it results in either a flexier or weightier system than a flat stem and bars?

I have some hope enduro wheels. I'd like to remove the graphics but they're etched (I think) onto the rims so you can't just peel them off. what's best? black rattle can? super strong chemical? ta

flat stem and bars

Flat bars are literally the ugliest thing ever (not talking about wide (MTB) bars obviously).

Okay, but you know what I mean. Like this one - the drop at the stem is basically the same as the rise on the bars

1 Attachment

Those Cinelli stems are silly, I agree. Well, the people that run them. Usually with a lot of spacers like in the picture. Remove the spacers and get a stem with an angle that puts the bars in the same position as they are now. Can still be a negative angle stem. And keep the risers.

Is it possible to swap out the Campagnolo freehub on this Mavic wheel to Shimano?

https://imgur.com/a/GXBgt

Time for me to get together a list of parts I want for my custom touring bike, we have decided on either 1x10 or 1x11 groupset with flat bars and it seems Shimano is the cheaper and arguably better option that SRAM.

Any suggestions? Most places seem to only stock 170mm or 175mm as the crank arm length as part of a set. Is getting each part individually the only way to get 165mm? And there doesn't seem to be that many choices for 165mm anyway?

My bike fit says I need 165mm and it's what I have always used...

I'm guessing 170 will be the forum suggestion.

that would make a big enough different thought, wouldn't it? I already have a fair bit of toe overlap as it is with 165mm, Ted has already adjusted the design to try and minimise it, so woukdn't using 170mm creat a chain reaction? And wouldn't it make the bike fit not fit anymore?

Apologies maybe my post was slightly misleading, I need 165mm... (now edited)

A solution would be to get an 'upgrade kit' without a crankset, and buy something fancy in 165 separately. If set on 1 X, I'd probably go GX eagle or something else with a huge aftermarket rear cog

Shimano M7000 is also great value, upgrade kit is only €115 on bike-components

Bike24 has a full M8000 group in 165 flavour, XT is a little expensive to tour on, mind

https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=138900;menu=1000,2,16

I've never had a bike fit, so take this in the lax spirit in which it's given.
Although moving from 175 to 165 helped my knee pain tremendously many years ago, moving back to 170 about 10 years later didn't seem to adversely affect me.

Does anyone have one of these I could have/buy please? I dont want to pay £10 for three when I only need one.

@Cycliste has this problem - trying to buy groupsets with 165mm cranks. The only advice I can give is to shop around - they are out there, although they're unlikely to be the best deals out there. It's usually a case, I think, of finding out how much a complete 165mm groupset will cost, then working out how much a groupset with a set of cranks which are too long and a suitable 165mm crankset will cost and guessing how much you can get for the brand new crankset you don't need.

might this be of interest?

http://www.bikepacking.com/gear/peoples-liberation-drivetrain/

$474! I feel like a real People's Liberation Drivetrain would be a second-hand triple crankset converted to 1x (£20) and then whatever you can afford at the back. You can do 1x10 for like £100 total with a €30 11-42 and second hand MTB shifter/derailleur off eBay.

^ This

'Get XT, it's worth it over SLX'

What's wrong with a chinese 30t and 10spd 11-42 sunrace?

In the authors defence, they do explicitly state that it is a quality+price project, not simply how low can you go

Remember, the objective of this game is affordable excellence, not simply the lowest price.

Yeah, I get that. That cassette and crankset seems like an extravagance to me though when a triple and 10-speed is so much cheaper.

To my shame, despite having ridden in London for a few years now, I barely know where to start maintaining/fixing my bike (this could also go in the 'I confess...' thread). I usually wait for a puncture, roll it to the shop, and get the drivetrain/brakes tightened up as part of that job. Then every now and again I pay for a service. My mechanical knowledge is basically zero.

I'd love to be able to service my own bike - but my commuter is pretty non-standard (auto hub gears, backpedal brake). So I can't really rock up to a beginner class where none of the lessons actually apply to my bike.

Where's the best place to learn to maintain a strange bike as a complete maintenance noob?

I know CTUK to bespoke sessions, which they seem to think are best in my situation, but they're pricey. I'm not counting them out, but anyone else got any ideas?