Bike Questions & Answers

Ken Sullivan wants to ride to work every day, but he is scared that he may puncture, making him late. His question is what is the best way to avoid punctures and about solid or airless tires. Question: I would like to ride my bike to work, but I can’t afford to have a flat on the way. I own a road... 

We have received two questions on 650c and 700c size wheels from Danielle and Kay, similar questions that we try to answer here. Danielle’s Question: I am having a steel lugged frame custom made. Due to my long legs and short torso, they would like to go 650c wheel set-up. Will the 650c wheels go away... 

Ernie Jung has a nice new Campagnolo 10 speed chain and now that he has it he doesn’t want to spend lots of money on the tool to connect it! He wants our opinion on what is his best plan for this most important link in the chain. Question: When I purchased a Campy 10 speed chain, I was not aware a... 

Frank in Miami, Florida wants to know more about shaving his legs and how others do it, plus he wants the inside information on how often Pro cyclists shave and whether they shave their arms too! Question: Can’t find any articles about legs and thighs shaving correctly. How much shaving in these... 

Richard Blackstone has a Bottecchia frame with Ultegra and he wants to fit a carbon FSA SLK chain set, his problem is that he needs to know if he has the correct specifications, we think he has. Question: I have a Bottecchia BZ sprint with Ultegra/FSA Omega crank set. I have purchased an upgrade crank... 

Nikola Nikolov in Bulgaria wants to know the best way to look after the rear gear, here are our suggestions for everyone because you must look after your equipment if you want it to last and do what it was made for. Hello I just bought a new rear derailleur, and I would like to ask you what is the best... 

This is a good question that we have never really addressed, Hugo Garcia has bought some new handle bars and worked out that a pair of 44 cm bars would be best, but he sometimes feels they are too big. We explain what you should be looking for when changing handle bars. Question: Recently I bought a... 

Andrew has good taste in bikes; he is looking at buying a Trek Madone 5.9 which we think is a great frame. His problem is whether to have it fitted out with either Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 or with SRAM Red? Here is our opinion. Question: I am buying a new Madone 5.9 and debating to put on dura ace 7900... 

Miles wants to know what gearing he should have on his bike; we discuss which chain sets and cassettes he should use on his “average road bike”. Question: Sam… For the average road bike … What size chain wheels (2) and rear hub gears do you recommend? …Miles Borden Hi Miles. This... 

Richard Lichty is thinking about a new carbon frame and has seen the Planet X frame sets; he wants to know if they are good quality for the price? We have done a little investigation and asked around, here are our findings: Question: Greetings, I’m considering the purchase of a carbon -fiber frame... 

Buying a new bike is great, but there are so many frames out there that it can be quite confusing to know what to spend your cash on. Sergio is in that position, he wants to know which to go for; carbon or titanium? Question: Samuel.. I want to buy a new bike, but I wonder which is better, a titanium... 

Dean Sims has a new wireless bike odometer and needs to know what measurement to log into it. We run through which is the best way to work this out. Question: I have an ascent wireless 4-line display. Does anyone know the setting for a standard road bike for the odometer? I think I have 26 wheels. Thank... 

“Should I spend more money on my bike equipment?” This is Rich Thompson’s question and its one we all ask when buying a new bike. We think he should get the best that he can afford and explain why. Question: Hello I am looking to purchase a new road bike. I am looking at either the Merida 903-18... 

Dave has a friend with a classic old Murray 12 speed bike and he wants to sell it. He wants us to tell him how much it is worth, this is very difficult so say specially as we don’t know how much it cost new. Here are our thoughts on second hand bikes. Question: My best friend has a 84 summer Olympics... 

Laura Boss has a 30 year old Fuji bike and her husband fitted new tires, she is worried that they might be the wrong size. We go through the possible tire sizes that could be fitted to her bike. Question: I have a 30 year old (or so) Fuji 10 speed bicycle (SPORT).  I think my husband may have accidentally... 

Jeremy W. Stone has Shimano 105 gears and has bought some new wheels and is considering changing his cassette, his question is whether he will be able to do this without having to make many adjustments to his present set-up. Question: Hello-I have a Shimano 105 R5501 rear derailleur and an 11-25 cassette. ... 

Donald in South Africa has a frame dimension question. He wants to know if it is better to adjust stem length as opposed to top tube or head tube lengths? This is a frame dimension and position problem and this is what we think Question: Is it better to adjust stem length versus top tube length and head... 

Fabrice le Bourhis has wheels with a Shimano hub, but has a bike with Campagnolo gears, the question is “is it possible to mix?” Here is our answer: Question: I have a Swordfish wheelset mounted with Shimano hub and my groupset is Campagnolo centaur 10 speed so no mix as you already no….so... 

Gilbert obviously has an interest in carbon frames and he wants to know what we mean when we talk about a carbon frame that has been manufactured with the monocoque method. We explain the differences Question: What does monocoque mean? Hi Gilbert, A monocoque carbon frame has been made in one piece,... 

Victor Valaitis has some nice Michelin Pro 2 Race tires; these have a slick tread so it can be difficult to tell when they are nearly worn out. Victors question is “how to tell when a tread on a tire is worn down so much as to be unsafe?” Here is our advice. Question: How do you know when...