Any question answered...

That ... how do I say it ... fugly?

Winter bike cranks:

• BSA / weather proof BB standard that fits into BSA threads
  
• Black
  
• Ideally 130bcd
  
• Low Q-factor
  
• Cheap
  
  

I know you know all about q-factors @mdcc_tester - what make should I be looking at?

How low a Q factor do you need? And is this for something geared or single speed? If the latter, I'd go for Alfine, even though the Q factor is 176mm.

Single N/W chainring, which I already have in 130bcd, 11 speed at the back.

176mm! That’s got to be the biggest q-factor on the market. Ideally I’d match my road bike on which I was fitted. 145.5mm Campagnolo.

Looking to convert a road wheelset to singlespeed and im not sold on the usual 2 spacers fit all conversion kits as its highly likely the chainline is gonna be off.

I know VeloSolo do these kits but i cant help but think that there might be a cheaper way about it?

So i've been wondering, what size are the spacers on these kits, could I just use some standard 1" or 1 1/8" spacers and a cog from the cassette?

How about some black, Ultra Torque Veloce cranks then?

^Campag is where it's at for low Q @dbr...

I think those S-Works cranks I’ve got on the SubFive are pretty narrow too. I read somewhere that SRAM are 150mm...

You offering? Couple of issues - UT aren’t very weather proof and Campag have silly BCDs that don’t work with N/W chainrings.

Ah, sorry, forgot the 130bcd part. And no, not offering.

Get some plastic waste pipe and cut to size.

Sram S500 could be the solution then. Cheap, black and 145mm Q factor.

👌🏻

i've been wondering, what size are the spacers on these kits

1.37" internal diameter. As mentioned above, some cheapskates have used 40mm PVC pipe, but the saving seems so trivial that it's barely worth the effort

I'd go for Alfine, even though the Q factor is 176mm.

Where are you getting that number? I have Alfine on the tandem, and they seem to be the same 147mm ish as the Tiagra cranks they are based on.

EDIT: Calipers deployed - I'm getting ~154mm for the FC-S500 single guard type, I think from the EV the double guard type should be +6mm on the Q

German webstore listing. Couldn't find anything in the Shimano tech docs or anywhere else through Google. But it does seem high, yeah.

Has anybody ever crowd funded/beg borrowed steal a public bike dock? (boris bikes, nextbikes...)

I am trying to get one for the park where my work is...there are thousands of people working there. Right now public transport terminates in Belfast city centre, and it's another 1.5 mile walk.

I think the demand is there, it's only 6K moving costs with no maintenance. Unfortunately landlord and where I work are tight as ducks arses. I don't have 6K no, I can chip in a bit but not that much.

i cant help but think that there might be a cheaper way

Trialtech are slightly cheaper, although it's a pity that neither they nor Velosolo has had the good sense to rip off Endless's idea of using Fibonacci numbers, so you have to pay twice as much for imported parts if you want the optimum way of dialling in your chain line

Corima pads are junk, the cork hardly does anything. I use Campag pads on corimas and they stop great and most importantly are also red.

Is this ruined?

I'd ride. Let me know if you're binning it ;)

Could one convert a road bike to 1x (say 50t/10-40) and then use the spare left-hand front shifter paddle to operate a dropper post? How much cable pull is required to operate a dropper post? Is this something pros might do eventually? Has anyone got a spare dropper post/bike who could give it a go? Seems like it would be great on gravel/CX stuff.

I reckon that'd work fine, I used a front mtb shifter for a couple of rides.

there are examples of this already using sram groupsets

main issue is going to be finding a dropper seatpost that fits the frame, and a frame that has the cable routing for the seatpost