Bike Questions & Answers

Karl Stadtmueller does his cycling in Rural New York City on a “Classic” alloy Vitus, but he damaged the forks and wants to know which carbon forks would be a good replacement. Question: I have a Vitus 979 which is 25 to 30 years old. I weigh 150 pounds and rural recreational ride from 30 to 100... 

Ben Willett in Louisville, Kentucky has just got himself a bargain of a bike from e-bay. His only problem is that he needs a seat clamping bolt and wants some pointers as where he could find one, this is what we think: Question: I just bought a bike off of eBay and will need a bolt for my seat. This... 

Jorge rides spring and fall in Indianapolis and he wants to keep track of his pulse. He is considering a strapless heart rate monitor; we are not sure about this and explain why. Question: I will like to buy a wireless/ strapless heart monitor wrist type. What would be a good unit? Hi Jorge. I have only... 

Ted Cherry has an enviable decision to make; he can’t make up his mind to buy either a Dogma from Pinarello or a Tarmac SL3 from Specialized. Tough choice! Question: With so many different bikes available and so much hype from various manufacturers that suggest that theirs is the best, etc., an actual... 

Mark in Florida wants to raise his handle bars by putting more spacers under the stem, but he needs to know how to do it; so here are our directions: Question: Just purchased a giant composite racing bike and please would some one post how to properly remove and adjust the carbon stem (raise it up)... 

Another quick question from Lee Joo Mong in Singapore. He is having problems with his tire sizes and wants our advice. Here we go again! Question: It seems selecting the tyre/tire size is top secret around. I enquired with many shops, and a couple of tire manufacturers. They all said 700X23C is the right... 

Lee Joo Mong in Singapore is one of our regular readers and question askers; he is thinking of fitting longer cranks and wants some advice on adjusting his saddle position with the new cranks. Question: Any harm if I replaced with longer cranks for more torque, and adjust the seat forward so that my... 

Cesar A. Palermo in Fort Collins, Colorado wants to know more about the Fuji CCR2 road bike, but can’t find any reviews. We have been investigating the Fuji and this is what we have found. Question: Reviews about Fuji CCR2, I can’t get to much information I’m considering buying one, no... 

TJ Lemon in South Africa has a Scott Genius mountain bike, but is not sure if his position is correct as he feels too far forward on the bike. He wants our thoughts on his bike, here they are: Question: I feel that my body weight is too far forward making me less confident with stability. The bike was... 

Dave, Jorge and Benjamin all have a similar question about which would be the best bike saddle to sit on? Tricky one, but here are our thoughts: Question 1 from Dave: I have just bought a road bike and want to know what the best gel saddle is when it comes to a comfy ride? Question 2 from Jorge: I am... 

Dee wants to get back on the bike after a bit of a break, he does have a back problem and wants to know what bike we would suggest would be best for him. These are our thoughts. Question: Hi, I have two questions. I would like to purchase a bike again after many many years, owned a Fuji back in the day.... 

Dan Ford has a very difficult question to answer, which bike should he buy? His choice is between the Cervelo R3 and the Specialized Tarmac Pro SL, two of the best bikes available….a tough choice! Question: I am looking to buy a new bike next spring. Which is a better buy the Cervelo R3 with Ultegra... 

Allan Hardy has a pair of Sidi carbon shoes and wants to know which shoe plates (cleats) he will need for his Speedplay Zero titanium pedals that will fit the pedals and the shoes. Question: have just ordered some Sidi carbon Mega, need to know what cleats I need for them to match Speedplay Zero Tit... 

Peter Skellern in the UK has a Velomann heart rate monitor and wants to know how to use it on two bikes and where to buy an extra sensor. After a lot of investigation here is what we found. Question: I have a Velomann 1.2HR cycle computer. The instructions say that it can be used with two bikes, but... 

Tod Baker has bought a second hand bike which has a wheel magnet and wireless sensor fitted to it; he wants to know how to tell which computer they will work with? We give him our suggestions. Question: I bought a used bike with a wireless computer sensor on the front wheel & fork but the previous... 

Richard Gardella lives in Rockland County, NY and he is getting ready for the cold weather, he wants to know which jersey we would recommend to keep him warm this winter. Question: Can someone recommend a warm winter jersey? Thanks, Rich. Hi Richard. If you want to stay warm it is best to wear lots of... 

Benjamin buys his bikes from e-bay; this is great and cheap way to get a bike. This does have problems and one of them is that the gears, chain, cassette and chain rings can be worn. Question: I’ve purchased several 70’s Schwinns off eBay and was wondering why (when I put on a new chain),... 

Scott Davis is thinking of spending some money on a new frame, he wants to know our thoughts on whither he should be buying a carbon or an alloy frame. We have covered this subject before, but here we go again. Question: I’m thinking of update next year to better road bike. I am thinking of spending... 

Neil in Toronto has put his hands on a set of FSA carbon cranks for his son’s bike. His question is whether or not the crank set will work with his Campagnolo gear set up? Question: I got a great deal on a FSA carbon crank set. I’m building a new racing bike for my son. My question is..Will... 

Aliyu in Nigeria has a very interesting question that we have never been asked before! Sex and cycling, how dose it affect your performance? How to recover? And how long will it take? We try our hardest to help! Question: Please I want to know the effect of having sex to a cyclist, how to recover when...