Did a full drivetrain upgrade on my e‑fatbike, since the original 10‑speed 11–36 cassette was completely inadequate for a bike this heavy that’s meant for off‑road use. Swapped it out for an 11‑speed 11–51 cassette, along with a new derailleur, chain, shifter, cable, and housing.

At this point, brakes remain the only component I haven’t installed myself - though that’ll probably change soon, because these SRAM Level brakes are total trash.

If you have a bike problem and you wax your chains, and you really dislike the idea of your connecting link being unwaxed, or having to wax it then scrape the sides to assemble, do this and dip it. All you need is thick wire and pliers/cutters.

I’m having a really odd issue with my e‑fatbike (Bafang M400 mid‑drive). When I’m on the two largest cassette cogs (lowest gears), the motor briefly cuts power once per crank revolution. It’s a clean on‑off “tick,” almost like the system thinks I stopped pedaling for a split second.

I first noticed this after switching from a 38T front chainring to a 30T. At that point it only happened on the largest cog, never on the others.

I figured it might be caused by the undersized chainring, so I put the original back in and swapped the original 1x10 drivetrain for a 1x11 and went from a 36T largest cog to a 51T. But no - the issue still persists. Now it happens on the largest two cogs. Whether I’m soft‑pedaling or pedaling hard against the brakes doesn’t seem to make any difference. It still “ticks” once per revolution.

I’m out of ideas at this point. Torque sensor, maybe? I have another identical bike with a 1x12 drivetrain and an 11–50T cassette, and it doesn’t do this, so I doubt it’s a compatibility issue. Must be something sensor‑related? With the assist turned off everything runs perfectly, so it’s not mechanical.

EDIT: Upon further inspection it seem that the moment the power cuts out seems to perfectly sync with the wheel speed magnet going past the sensor on the chainstay so I'm like 95% sure that a faulty wheel speed sensor is the issue here. I have a spare part ordered so I'm not sure yet but unless there's a 2nd update to this then it solved the issue.

What's your home setup?

The gear range on this 10-speed 11–36T cassette is completely insufficient for a heavy e-fatbike like this, so I’m upgrading to an 11-speed 11–51T.

Also, I was surprised to find out that the Shimano Deore RD-M5100 derailleur, while it does have a clutch, doesn’t have a cage lock.

It seems like truing stands are either <$100 or >$500 (entry level Park tool TS 2.3) in Canadian dollars.

Are there any decent options that are <$200 or $250 for home use?

The cheap ones seem to have wildly mixed reviews.

I'm looking for a spare derailleur hanger for the Triban RC520 GRVL (Decathlon brand), and the one they list on their site is NOT the correct one (per numerous reviews on international Decathlon sites, but also just visually/dimensions).

Here's what they sell:

Does anyone know if this hanger goes under some other name or model? I've seen other hangers (for other bike brands) listed by number (i.e. "#67").

I've gone over numerous websites that list hangers, and this style just isn't there.

As an added note, the derailleur is a Shimano 105 (RD-R7000), and rather than one side being bolted on, the end of the hanger slides between two "fins", and then a bolt goes through everything.

Any help or direction would be appreciated.

EDIT: Getting close! My good friend Ali seems to have a match:

FINAL UPDATE: Decathlon Canada was able to solve this mystery for me! The part is on their website, but not under "derailleur hanger" as you might expect, but as a "derailleur dropout" and doesn't list the RC520, despite being the exact part: https://www.decathlon.ca/en/p/8611184/derailleur-dropout-edr

As an alternative, I could use the other one they sell + a Shimano "Bracket Axle Unit" P/N Y3F398020, but I'd rather simplify and will wait for stock to return on the standard part.

Is that a know Clarks M2 problem or I have to tight something? It's just a ciinder that should stay there due to its bottom part I guess

Above or below the locknut washer?

So, my Ninebot Max e-scooter has a "loud" front wheel, and when I spin it, the bearing sounds "dry".

I have replacement bearings, but then I noticed this:

When I spin the wheel by hand, it will keep spinning SUPER SMOOTHLY and... no joke... can keep spinning for over 10 minutes! To me, that sounds amazing, and now I'd rather not change the bearings.

Does this make sense? I would imagine the same can happen on a bike wheel.

Should I just leave it? LOL

Hi again. I've got most of the leaks sorted in my gravel bike's new tubeless tires, but they're still going flat, now in about 5 minutes. I did the soap test to determine where the leaks are, and the only leaks I can see are right at the base of the valve stem.

Searching for this online, most answers were "it's the tape". But these wheels are only about 1 year old and the hole at the valve looks clean / flat to me.

I am using Stans valves and have about 4oz of sealant in there right now, if that helps.

Is there any way to resolve this, short of completely re-taping the rim?

Thanks!

Now I have LT, SL-V5010-10, 10s + LT, RD-V5010-LX, 10s and i was wondering if I can keep the shifter and only change the derailleur from ltwoo to shimano

I found the attached schem for Shimano, is there something similar for other brands or a table that collects all major brands products?

Hello Wrenchers, I took the plunge to tubeless this week on my 2022 Cannondale Topstone gravel bike. Getting the tires on wasn't too hard (just messy). I used parts from my local bike store, including 2 new WTB Riddler "TCS" tires, a new valve for each tire, and about 3 ounces of Stans sealent in each tire.

But now that they're on, they're both very slowly leaking. I did the soapy water test and I can see about 5 spots on the front tire and 2 on the back tire where bubbles appear (not at the valve).

Any tips for fixing this?

Thanks!

EDITS: Added a couple of things...

Hello! After I removed the rear wheel from a bike with a Shimano Nexus gear system to repair a puncture, I am having problems reassembling the rear wheel and its gear system: After screwing in the black screw (framed in yellow in the photo), it can be turned further without resistance. The gear shift can be easily removed from the wheel nut (pink arrow in the photo) instead of being firmly seated again.

I have repaired punctures on the same wheel before, removing and refitting the wheel in the process, but have not had any such problems.

I have not opened the gear box and cannot see any obvious damage. Any ideas what could be wrong?

I recently got a "new" bike to replace my stolen one, and my one complaint about is that the lowest gear is still too high for some of the hills I ride on. Now, I counted 26 teeth on the largest gear on the cassette. Can I just get a new cassette with more teeth, adjust the derailleur and be done?

As a novice, I come seeking wisdom.

I have an old Rockhopper that I'm looking to strip down to the frame and rebuild into a commuter. I've been learning a lot about gearing and all that, and have been researching parts. I see that there are a lot of 1x10 groupsets and a very small number of 2x9, but nothing really with a lower number of gears on the cassette.

To my untrained mind, a 1x10 would introduce more stress and flex on the chain than a 2x5 would, especially while riding on the extremes. And, with a 2x5 setup, you could (probably?) have better ratios - I'm thinking it should be possible to set it up in a way where one chainring is better suited for climbing, and the other for higher speeds.

Yet, I don't see any 2x5 or even 2x7 sets out there. What am I missing?

Another question: would it even be feasible to custom-build my own drivetrain with a 5-gear cassette, to use with 2 rings on the front, and if so, how complicated would it be?

I serviced the motor about a year ago and didn’t notice anything alarming inside. One of the bearings was a bit dirty and rusty, but I managed to clean and lubricate it, and the noise doesn’t quite sound like a bad bearing.

I can only hear it on alternating pedal pushes. If I just jump on one pedal, there's no sound, but if I shift my weight from one side to the other, it appears. I'm starting to suspect it might be coming from the motor mounts - maybe there's some flex and it's rubbing against the frame - but I'm not sure, and I don’t really know what to do about it either. Sometimes the noise disappears entirely, while other times it gets exceptionally loud.

All I know for certain is that it's not the pedals or the cranks. I cleaned the mounting surfaces and bolts with acetone, but that didn’t help. Then I tried the opposite and greased them, but that didn’t make a difference either. At this point, I really don’t know what to try next. I’d rather fix it myself than take it to a bike shop.

The bike is GZR Black Raw and the motor is Bafang M400

Greetings fellow fediverse bike-wrenchers; I want to talk about the Zyklop Mini today.

I love it and it's the best tool I've ever bought, bar none. With the (optional) bit check it stows nicely in a trousers pocket, apron, or ride bag/jersey pocket. It makes tightening up almost every bolt on most bikes trivial even when they're tucked nicely in some bullshit aero location. It lives in my 'everynday' bag, and it sees use almost every day. On rides I've adjusted almost every contact point on my bike with it. It even manages to deal with my brifter bolts in their almost stripped state.

Bonus points because it's also a great fidget.

Is it cheap? No. Is it worthwhile? Yes, very. I used generic 1/4" bits and bought the bit check case on eBay for pennies to save myself some pain.

What are your well-worth-the-money/never-leave-home-without cool tools?

Dave Rome's stuff is great anyway - but the Wheels MFG mat with bearing sizer is especially nice; it's a pretty affordable quality of life upgrade for a workshop. Certainly easier than a ruler or whatever shoddy calipers your boss has bought you...

Those of you with knowledge in the Way of the Bicycle, I need counsel.

Let me begin by saying I know nothing about how to repair a bicycle, and mine is a cheap one for cycling in the city.

One of the bearings of my front wheel said life is not worth living and broke down to pieces and flew off.

The shop tells me I need a new wheel. I took the ailing creature back home, removed the wheel and the axle, and found myself with the situation shown in the picture.

Is the piece at the top, still around the axle, part of the fallen bearing or part of the axle? It won’t budge, and the other bearing is impossible to remove because well, it turns. Because it is a bearing.

Do I need a new wheel? A new axle maybe…? I was hoping to save a lot of money by replacing the bearing myself, but it looks worse than I thought.

Thanks beforehand!

EDIT

Thanks so much for all your advice!

Tried the flathead screwdriver and WD-40 to get the inner bushing out, but it was impossible. 

In the end, I got both -the bearing and the inner bushing of the bearing- out with the help of a bench vice, a hammer, and some personal frustrations.

The axle looks good and so does the thread. 

I’ll now check the rest of my bike for any non-repairable issues, and if nothing appears to be wrong, I’ll buy two new bearings (the one I have left has “6000-2RS” on it) and go to my local repair café, because they way you all describe it, putting on the bearings is delicate business.

Here are also some photos of the hub and the spokes linked to it. I think everything looks okay with the wheel, which is why I found odd the full replacement. I want to believe it is simply because it is easier for them.

As the title says! I have a fixie and after a period of riding brakeless, it's time to install a front brake again. Mainly because I use it for endurance/audax as well and I'm not doing that brakeless. I don't have a death wish yet... For balance, looks and grip, I'm installing a lever on either side (Tektro RL520, nothing too fancy shmancy). I have flared drop bars, and I'm figuring out how to properly mount these. Anybody has some tips? Thanks!

I ordered two new tires, or mantles I believe is what they’re called. One looked fine and I mounted it on my bike. The other one looks quite warped. It’s not soft but rather pretty sturdy, so I worry it wont sit correctly if I try to install it.

I’m a newb to this, first time I even changed a tube by myself. So let me know if I need to add more information.

Thanks!

Edit: thanks everyone! I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Hello.

I have a problem regarding choosing new tyres for my e-bike. I have narrowed the choice down to 2 options:

Kenda Kraze

Pros (from reviews):

• Looks cool
• Strong rubber (lasts long)
• Cheaper (total: 85€)

Cons:

• Stiff ride
• Slippery when on smallest amount of sand
• Lower profile (makes a gap between fenders and the tyre itself)

Schwalbe Super Moto-X

Pros:

• (Looks like) better in rain and not affected by debris on the road
• Comfier ride

Cons:

• Expensive (total: 115€)
• Worse looks

I can't make up my mind on which ones to buy, because I really like the look of the Kendas, but am worried about their performance in rain and the ride quality.

What would you recommend?

This is a Schwalbe studded winter tire I bought a few months ago, and I'm not sure what exactly I did to get it like this but for some reason the bead seems to be warped or stretched. It doesn't want to fit my rims. There's a small section of the tire that's popped out of the rim, and when I try to lever it back into place the bead pulls out further down.

I've tried this tire on two different rims with the same results, and to make doubly sure it isn't the rims I put on one of my old Schwalbe Marathon tires which fit perfectly. Both tires are 40-635 700b.

Is this repairable? I don't have much experience dealing with tires but I find it unusual that this tire seemed to be fine until now when I changed out the wheel.

Edit: Thanks for support! Right now my plan is to try and replace the grease in the hub with something known to work in low temperatures.

So I got some new wheels for my commuter and on my first ride, after ~3 miles it feels like I'm getting some chain skipping - I wasn't - then soon after the hub completely stops engaging and I walk home.

Never had that happen before. Thought it might be a cold temperature issue but bringing the bike indoors overnight didn't seem to resolve it right away, but eventually something did. A short test ride later and the hub froze up again.

They're Hunt wheels, I reached out and they said it's unexpected but probably not because of the cold temperatures (about 20F). They sent a new set and the exact same thing happened on the first ride, about the same distance.

I'm leaning toward it being a temperature thing, and they just have too thick of a grease in the freehub that is getting thicker in the cold? If this is the case, would it be simple to pull apart, clean, and replace with a different grease?

I hate driving to work, so I'm tempted to try and pick up a hub locally this weekend to swap (if that's possible, I've never tried and haven't looked into standards or anything).

If it is a temperature thing, it can get to -40F here, and I (usually) still bike to work in those temps, so let me know if there's anything I should "shop for" in a replacement.

If anyone has any other ideas what could cause this, let me know! I'm worried I used the wrong cassette or something dumb that I don't know about (Hunt support didn't seem to think so). I suppose there is the chance that I just got 2 bad sets in a row.

More info:

• HUNT 4 Season Gravel wheelset
  • Shimano/SRAM HG Splined
• Cassette: Shimano CS-LG300 CUES LINKGLIDE HG 9sp Cassette 11-41t
• The wheel's freehub came with a spacer for compatibility with different cassette types and I am not using the spacer: A guide on when to use the spacer

For what it's worth, Hunt has been great to work with