I'm stumped by these newfangled SPD thingies....

I just bought a new pair of Shimano MT52 shoes, picked up some SPD pedals at the swap meet. And have new cleats that look just like these:



The problem is the bolts aren't long enough to reach the threads on the movable plate that goes in the shoe. I assume these are 10mm long (M5x10mm), or maybe 11.5mm. Either way ... too short.

Do they come in different lengths for different shoes?

I'm switching from the Shimano Look Compatible 105 Pedals I have been using since 1989 (Let me see, that's six bikes ... close to 100,000 miles). Want shoes I can walk in, and these are comfortable shoes.

Help would be appreciated.

Oh, and on that Chain-L lube? This is what my rear cog looks like after 10,000 miles on one chain and 1,000 miles on a new one (cleaned, of course):



Not bad.

Bill, are you measuring your chain for stretch on a regular basis? With as many miles as you have done you're probably learned that you need to do that. It's sadly not common knowledge though that a stretched chain will destroy the entire drive train.

People with old chains, please swing it in the shop so we can measure it. If we catch it in time we can save you roughly $150 in replacing parts. As a rule, someone who rides a lot should change their chain every six months.

On the way home from a run this morning I noticed a neighbor had a bicycle sticking out of his garbage can and of course I asked him about it.
1986 rockhopper with shimano M700 deerhead derailleurs, shifters, one set of canti brakes, and a nice looking specialized triple crankset with good pedals.

So, what is the range of the xt deerhead friction rear derailleur? The original freewheel was a 5-speed but I want to know if it will work with a 7-speed freewheel.
Also, I might be in the market for another set of M700 canti brakes. Sky?

That's a good find. I always part those out and keep the components for my projects. I love those cranks BTW. M700 Deore XT is Friction. In 1987 index shifting began for Shimano with the M730 series of Deore XT.

The only way to know if it will work with 7 speed is with trail and error. It probably will but you just don't know until you try. The low cog limit is 30t I believe.

Yeah, I'm sure I have more M700 brakes around.

The M700 shifters look cool but they take a back seat to Suntour shifters of that time as far as operation.

It's the same shifter mechanism as the microfriction Suntour Barcon shifters.

............QUESTION: looking into a new wheel set... dont know all that much so i was hoping i could get some input from some of you folks here...

i am looking for a 650c wheel set. i know that strong and light dont necessarily go together, but i would like to find something close to as light as what i have now, spinergy rev-x (already nervous about full carbon wheels & read some scary things so kinda wanna change) but i dont really know where to start. i commute 35 miles a day for work, so i need something strong, but i also like to ride alot for fun so i do want something light. i'v found im more comfertable with less weight because it feels more responsive to me, which is important. but i dont really know where the compromise puts me.

here are a couple things i'v been thinking of: .....any input would be very much appreciated!

1) hubs? ... so far it looks like the best value for the money are either, Dura Ace, Chris King, or Velocity.... ???

2) rims? ... i am particular to more of a deep v style rim. seems like it just makes sense with strength... and i do like mavic a lot! but i am also divided here as well. it seems like all the really good mavic stuff only comes as full wheel sets, hubs spokes & all & cant really order them separately? like this one...
http://www.mavic.com/en/product/wheels/road-triathlon/wheels/R-Sys-SLR
it seems like the other major players out there are zipp, reynolds, velocity, easton, but im just not sure of whats "really" road worthy... ?

3) spokes ? what is a good set up? how many? i prefer less aesthetically, but what is a good strength number 24/28? 28/32? double butted? bladed?

4) does anyone make any mag style wheels that are actually durable & light? i saw the areospoke by velocity, but they seem pretty heavy compared to spoked wheels.

.. .. . to say the least, i am just lost here & would really appreciate some input & perspective.

PacMUle:............QUESTION: looking into a new wheel set... dont know all that much so i was hoping i could get some input from some of you folks here...

i am looking for a 650c wheel set. i know that strong and light dont necessarily go together, but i would like to find something close to as light as what i have now, spinergy rev-x (already nervous about full carbon wheels & read some scary things so kinda wanna change) but i dont really know where to start. i commute 35 miles a day for work, so i need something strong, but i also like to ride alot for fun so i do want something light. i'v found im more comfertable with less weight because it feels more responsive to me, which is important. but i dont really know where the compromise puts me.

here are a couple things i'v been thinking of: .....any input would be very much appreciated!

1) hubs? ... so far it looks like the best value for the money are either, Dura Ace, Chris King, or Velocity.... ???

2) rims? ... i am particular to more of a deep v style rim. seems like it just makes sense with strength... and i do like mavic a lot! but i am also divided here as well. it seems like all the really good mavic stuff only comes as full wheel sets, hubs spokes & all & cant really order them separately? like this one...
http://www.mavic.com/en/product/wheels/road-triathlon/wheels/R-Sys-SLR
it seems like the other major players out there are zipp, reynolds, velocity, easton, but im just not sure of whats "really" road worthy... ?

3) spokes ? what is a good set up? how many? i prefer less aesthetically, but what is a good strength number 24/28? 28/32? double butted? bladed?

4) does anyone make any mag style wheels that are actually durable & light? i saw the areospoke by velocity, but they seem pretty heavy compared to spoked wheels.

.. .. . to say the least, i am just lost here & would really appreciate some input & perspective.

1) As for hubs the Dura Ace and Chris King are certainly awesome. They are expensive though. Best value would be more on the Ultegra or Shimano 600 side of things.

2)The Velocity Deep V's will be your best value and still really nice quality if you really want a deep V style rim. It's competitors are heavier and not built as nice. You're commuting so the ultralight carbon stuff would not be as appropriate and wicked expensive. I'm a pretty big supporter of the Velocity Aerohead front and Aerohead AC for the rear. Very strong and very light. Just a great setup.

3)The strongest setup is 32 spokes. You can certainly do 28 though considering you are doing a smaller 650c wheel if you like. Strait 14 gauge is you best bet. They are the best value too. Double butted could be done but are weaker and more expensive. I would stay away from bladed for this application.

4)Without getting into wheels that cost double the value of the and more it's just Aerospoke. But like you already mentioned they are heavier. I believe I have a front one in my warehouse.

You can keep the brakes only if the brakes you have, have enough adjustment in them to work. You have to put a wheel in there to find out. Usually though new brakes are needed.

Now, We can build you a custom wheel with a fixed/freewheel flip flop hub that has a 27" rim. That's no problem. The Sun M13II is a good rim for this.

When fixed you want to remove the rear brake or disengage the cable. This is for safety reasons. A rear brake on a fixed gear can be dangerous unless you are really really careful and used to that configuration. A rear brake is really not needed though since you legs can do the braking for the rear end and your front brake will take care of the front braking. Your front brake is already about 80% of your braking power anyway.

A rim is probably about $40 to $50. Then $1 per spoke and $45 labor. If you rim is in perfect shape we could re-use that. Anything less than perfect and you should get a new rim.

bikingbill:Afine 11 Speed Hubs are available now...

http://blog.harriscyclery.com/alfine-11-speed-hubs-in-stock/

I wonder if Alfine11 is heavier than the Nexus7?
Recently, I installed a Nexus 7 IGH and Shimano Dynamo hub with the Xenon lamp. This new wheelset feels like it's 3 times as heavy compared to the original wheelset+rear derailleur that came with the Cruzbike. I'm still test riding it to decide to keep this setup or not. I like the visual simplicity and the ability to shift at a full stop

Interesting. It's something to consider. The SON's have only slightly lower rolling resistance but cost almost three times as much. I am a bit curious about durability.

Haha, you're welcome. Glad you're happy.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure everybody's wheels where shinier than yours. :face-monkey:

The Sunlight pads are pretty thin. I'm running those on the back right now and they work pretty well.

The cartridge pads from a dual-pivot sidepull brake?

I just recently learned that my vintage Norwegian Kombi-lux splitable bike has a F&S Torpedo Duomatic rear hub

That would drive me crazy.

We have the spacers at the shop. The likelyhood of getting the magic gear that will not need a pensioner is unlikely. Sometimes if you are really lucky it works out but most of the time it doesn't. Even if it does the chain will stretch and there goes the perfect adjustment. A singleator will work but the cleaner and nicer way to go is with the White Industries ENO hub. I think I have a ENO wheel lying around actually from one of my old bikes. It costs quite a bit more but is really nice.

Another consideration is if you are planning to use a cassette gear in the back. If you are those are thin and tend to strip the cassette body's splines under a heavy load. It's best to buy a new gear that is meant for the task. It would be thicker at the base where the splines are. They don't cost that much. Other than that go for it. Single speeds can be a blast.

Mark, those cogs are too thin. There's not enough width to the spline and you risk damaging the spline of the hub. It's best to buy a Surly cog for that arrangement.

billd:Just curious. Why do you want to switch to downtube shifters?

I recently got a bike with down tube shifters and..at first wasn't to keen on them. Now, I'm pretty happy with them. Just makes things fun.

Mine are index shifting too.

William.:

PacMUle:............QUESTION: looking into a new wheel set... dont know all that much so i was hoping i could get some input from some of you folks here...
1) hubs? ... so far it looks like the best value for the money are either, Dura Ace, Chris King, or Velocity.... ???

I have King hubs on one bike and phil woods on another and now a hub with dura ace.

I also have a miche hub that rolls as good as any of the above and was much, much cheaper. Consider the Miche' hubs.

thanks man, i appreciate that!

So you are going to a mountain bike strait bar? Any Shimano 9 speed mountain bike trigger shifters will do the job. The cables are the same. MTB shifters will work just fine with the 105 rear derailleur. The front derailleur is the issue. Mountain bike front derailleurs and road bike front derailleurs work on a different cable pull rate. You may want to consider Paul Thumbies. The Thumbies are expensive after you buy the Dura Ace shifters that go with them but they work incredibly good and they also work with the derailleurs you have. Trigger shifters take a backseat to Thumbies, I've ridden all of them for more miles than I can count. Two of my modern mountain bikes have been switched to Thumbies, my custom Curtlo 29er and my Santa Cruz Superlight.

Jason, all you need to do is put your 8 speed cassette on the new wheel. It will fit no problem.

Has anyone tried building a chain with ceramic bearings?

It smells like Transmission oil if you ask me. It's a lot thicker than motor oil or trans oil though. Read this