I’ve got this version by BSC Tools which is very nice.

I like having the right tool for the job, but I just drilled a hole in an old mech hanger.

I’d be even less inclined to change a set of headset bearings before they needed to be. I don’t think I’ve *ever* worn out a set of headset cartridge bearings.

For those commenting “I’m just disappointed that there are 12 year old kids riding ebikes.”.

I ask why?

For me, I’ve always found bikes to be kinda magical. Using nothing other than your own power, they multiply your natural limits many times over, and allow you to travel further under your own steam than would otherwise be possible. Bikes are also often the first real freedom that we get – and being able to places untethered from electricity, and the feeling of accomplishment for having gotten there entirely by yourself is a huge part of that. Even now, I find it enchanting that I can get on a bike and go basically *anywhere*.

It seems a shame to deprive someone of that voyage of discovery.

I bought a workshop box of 100 gear cables years ago, also a workshop bottle of chain lube (3.8l) – I’m not getting through either of them any time soon (especially since I’ve started waxing chains).

I’m also good for bar end plugs, bar tape, headset spacers, puncture repair kits, cable ferrules.

Are you sure your tape is good and your valve is sealing properly?

Once I’ve gotten something to start to seat, I’ve never had major problems getting it to seat all the way with just a track pump.

Yeah. I’ve often wished shops had a “just round up the basket to the threshold” option, rather than having to piss about finding something for 5p to save £5 or whatever on postage.

I’ve had a basket sitting at £55 for about three weeks now.

TBH, I hadn’t realised children riding e-bikes was a thing. Seems a shame really… where’s the learning curve?!

Not so much the learning curve, but it seems a shame to limit their exposure to the magic of bicycles.

I can’t remember what it was now, but one glass backed phone I had was so slidey that it would routinely jump off tables all on its own.

You’d probably have more luck claiming that you identify as a robot, and find being asked to prove that you are not a robot is offensive and discriminatory.

I’ve just been scaning back through the stories here and I don’t think I’ve detected any use of a chain tool on a road bike. Selection bias aside, I’d be expecting at least someone to have broken a road chain. Is it really that rare?

Three posts up from yours.

Last year, on the Bryan Chapman audax.

After the initial blast, I normally find I need to take the pressure up to at least 80psi to get Schwalbe Ones to seat fully.

If they’ve decided they only want to run a tiny amount of heating to save money, I can’t see that running extra electric heaters is going to go down well.

50psi probably isn’t enough – I’m kinda surprised it even starts to seat at that pressure. I’ve got a Giant tubeless inflator, and I normally take that up to 140+ psi, and even then, sometimes it can be a bit of a faff.

How do ypu wear them out ? Mine last ages .

I often wear shoes out before the cleats. Probably over 10k miles on the current road/gravel set.

The thing I have noticed about ebikes is that they enable people who don’t normally ride a bike to do a decent day out in the hills and enjoy themselves.

Why would that be a bad thing?

Noone said they were a bad thing.

I don’t entirely get why every thread about e-bkes seems to descend into some sort of attempt to either justify or condemn them in a black-and-white style.

I don’t think anyone on this thread has been condemning ebikes.

But claims that riding a regular bike is somehow harmful to your health (with claims of research) are frankly irresponsible.

Ok perhaps I didnt phrase that quite correctly, but as you get older high intensity wont get you the best outcome for your training.

That’s very, very different to stating that hard efforts are somehow harmful.

but I think there is now research that shows as you get older max efforts etc can do more harm than good for your heart.

Links please.

 I don’t think maxing my heartrate on the bike (or anytime) is healthy for a mid forties dad with a bit of a belly.

Where on earth does this idea come from? Probably more at risk for not hitting your max heart rate.

I like many other cyclists are probably skinny fat.

This seems like a really weird assumption

Date formats. Big endian.

The only time with 1x when a chain is now dropped is when the drivetrain is worn out, 2x or 3x used to be multiple times a ride – even worse on proper rough terrain.

I think that’s a lot more to do with clutch mechs than nw chainrings.

Are you trying to navigate pre-planned routes, or selecting a destination and having the device plot a route for you?

Yeah, I think an older second hand bike might be the answer I’m looking for.

So, I’m basically mulling over long distance bikepacking setups, with enough road/fireroads that I want the big gears*, but also enough real mountain biking that a gravel bike is the wrong tool for the job.

The classified hub looks like a neat solution, but it really fails for me in having a proprietary cassette. I could live with it failing and being locked into one ratio, I couldn’t live with being unable to get any kind of replacement cassette in a hurry.

* I know most people do fine for really long distance stuff on 1x, but I find big gears more comfortable – I don’t really care if it’s all in my head.

The problem you’ll have is modern derailleurs are designed to move the top jockey wheel away from the cassette as you move into bigger gears.

Shimano make 2×12 MTB groupsets, so I don’t think that’s so much of a problem as finding a frame that’s compatible.

Would a classified rear hub and 1x give the gear range the op wants?

Yeah, it’s something I’m considering. But I really want the efficiency of larger sprockets, especially over the drag of an internal geared hub.

Is the range really much better compared to 10-51?

Yes.

If you’re running SRAM, can’t you fit a band on axs front mech to pretty much anything with a seat tube? No need for cable routing.

Perhaps, but I think a lot of things have weirdly shaped seat tubes (particularly at the bottom bracket junction), or seat tubes in an odd position.

Some predictable responses.

I have 1x, 2x, and 3x bikes – I ride them all, I do kinda know what I want, even if it’s unconventional.

1x is great for trail centres, but for multi-day, all-day, mixed terrain things, I kinda want the range and efficiency of a front derailleur setup.

Before I placed my order I asked if a pack contained a single quick link, or a pair, as I’ve generally seen them sold in 2’s. I was told that a pack contains a pair of quicklinks.

If I’d asked if a pack contained a single or a pair, and was told a pair, I’d expect two sets. If it just said a pair, with no qualifying context, I’d expect a single set.

Anything under £135, and AliExpress should collect VAT, and there’s no additional customs duty to be paid.

Refunds for issues have generally gone smoothly for me, but, unlike eBay, I’ve found that the AliExpress team generally side with the seller, not the buyer. Spent ages fighting with them over a parcel that evri lost – eventually gave up and disputed via PayPal.

in the ambient light conditions inside a tent, not in direct sunlight.

I don’t think any solar panel will work like that.

Guy in Bikescene (Spesh store) told me the same thing at the weekend. I knew the frames were lifetime warranty, but he said bearings too. Wonder if that’s a new(ish) thing.

Wording of the warranty explicitly excludes bearings as a wear and tear item.

https://media.specialized.com/support/collateral/0000109731-warranty-uk-en.pdf

One thing that is easily missed is that Specialized offer a lifetime, no-questions-asked bearing replacement policy. Which is nice.

This is the first time I’ve heard of this, and Google doesn’t come up with anything about it. Are you sure you’re not thinking of Santa Cruz? https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-GB/warranty/claims

If you don’t need offline maps, bing maps has an OS layer.

Also, as an interviewer and many-times interviewee, I can guarantee that made-up or contrived responses are immediately obvious.

All that really says is that you can only spot them if they’re immediately obvious.

You do get bullshit questions at interviews but IMO this is not one. Its a effective tool and a standard question

I disagree, it’s like IQ tests, it’s a test of how good you are at behavioural interviews, not how good you are at actually doing a job. If you’ve not come across them before, you’re pretty much guaranteed to fail, as interviewers can’t parse answers that aren’t phrased in a standard format.

The 18T ones are pretty indestructible ime. Most reliable of all the freehub designs by far. I had one that was still going strong after probably 18 years.