On my vintage steel bikes..the steel frame sets, cinelli stems, and bars all circa mid to late 80s. The track bike was all from 1984 or so (outside of the chain and cog). Even the Schwinn branded Panasonic tires, tubes were original and the benotto tape was NOS and model correct!..Until Yacks destroyed them with he-man quads. The fact that his spooky frame and SRAM stuff lasted this long is a testament to those components' quality.

I have broken just bout everythin there is to break on a bike....mind u it all started in the 90's with the MTB scene when R & D entailed drawing something on a napkin, CNC-ing it, giving it to a customer and making the sign of the cross the second they turned around

anybody have an opinion on if there is enough of a difference in a dura ace chain over a 105/ultegra chain to make it worth ~$40?

Will Kalbacker said:

anybody have an opinion on if there is enough of a difference in a dura ace chain over a 105/ultegra chain to make it worth ~$40?

you will not notice any difference between a Dura ace and Ultegra chain.

an interesting tech faq that, en route to answering some tire pressure questions, provides a great example of how we non-engineers make a lot of incorrect assumptions about our equipment's inner workings.  http://www.velonews.com/2017/03/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq-science-tire-pressure-rim-width-heat-buildup_433214

in cycling there is so much pseudoscience, marketing speak, and statement-of-personal-anecdotes-as-objective-proof that it's nice to see zinn whip out equations every once in a while...

twoyacks said:

for shits and giggles....what is the oldest component currently on your bike?
Looking at mine...10 years on the original SRAM brifters

My Cyfac is rolling on a 1990 36-spoke, box-section-rim, wheel that I have no more markings to remember what parts it was build with. It weighs more than my entire set of carbon wheels. Perfect for parking on the street, because whoever tries to steal it will get a block before they give up carrying this boat anchor. 

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/other-sports/team-gbs-brilliant-but-broken-bikes-mean-riders-will-be-on-old-frames-at-world-championships-a3504616.html

The UK Track team literally broke all the bikes.

Is that a cracked jockey wheel or are you just happy to see me?

my rear tire has been slowly losing air for several days. i pump it up and it stays at that psi for a while, but air will slowly escape over 12-24 hours. i checked the tire and it seems fine. i changed the tube and checked the valve, and still air escapes. 

any ideas?

latex tubes?

Anyone know what kind of headset bearings the older FTB's have? Mine are toast and I'm not sure what to order

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/category/bikes/cyclo-cross/product/review-van-dessel-full-tilt-boogie-39913/

@twoyacks no regular butyl tubes

happened to me once. the padding strip in the wheel shifted.

http://www.neugentcycling.com/product35.html
Ummm with our discount these would be about $715
who's gonna get a set of 1000 gram carbon tubular wheels???? 

Will Kalbacker said:

my rear tire has been slowly losing air for several days. i pump it up and it stays at that psi for a while, but air will slowly escape over 12-24 hours. i checked the tire and it seems fine. i changed the tube and checked the valve, and still air escapes. 

any ideas?

Likely one, or a combo of, these things:

-. Crappy tubes
-. Crappy installation
-. Something small still stuck to the tire
-. Something on the rim (like the rim strip, suggested above)

Also, how much air are you loosing over how long? 

If it is in the 10ish psi range, then that's totally normal. All tubes/tires loose air.

Jules said:

Is that a cracked jockey wheel or are you just happy to see me?

obligatory joke about too much POWAH!

@Will Kalbacker
 This happened to a brand new tube a few weeks ago and it turned out to be the smallest pinhole along the seam.  Guess it is a mfg defect.  I pumped it up outside of the tire and could feel/hear the air escaping slowly, but fast enough to figure out where it was happening.  On the wheel, I guess the hole at higher PSIs was pushed up against the tire so the hair didn't escape as fast and the tire held air for a few hours rather than minutes.

thanks guys i'll take a closer look 

eloy said:

Will Kalbacker said:

my rear tire has been slowly losing air for several days. i pump it up and it stays at that psi for a while, but air will slowly escape over 12-24 hours. i checked the tire and it seems fine. i changed the tube and checked the valve, and still air escapes. 

any ideas?

Likely one, or a combo of, these things:

-. Crappy tubes
-. Crappy installation
-. Something small still stuck to the tire
-. Something on the rim (like the rim strip, suggested above)

Also, how much air are you loosing over how long? 

If it is in the 10ish psi range, then that's totally normal. All tubes/tires loose air.

@Will Kalbacker

Eloy hit on most everything.

If it is the tube, then you should be able to find the hole by submerging the tube in water.  Put enough air in the tube so it has shape and some firmness, fill up your sink with water.  Start at the valve and submerge 5-10" sections of tube until you find the hole.  

Do it with the second.

With the hole found, you should be able to orient the tube to one of two places where the hole could be.  This is also another example of how always orienting the tire label in the same place (by the valve hole) can make finding tire issues easier.

^ more like too much time spent riding (and failing to ride) stairs

i filled the tubes and put them in the sink and found the leaks (teenie tiny pinholes) in the same place. i do keep my tire label lined up with my valve so i thought i nailed where the problem was. i took my tire off and examined the spot thoroughly but didn't see anything. i spent 20 minutes going over the entire tire and still didn't see a thing. very mysterious. 

i threw some spare tires on to hold me over until the bulk order comes in. 

so my rear brake wasn't giving me much braking yesterday.  removed pad to clean and it appears to be missing a chunk?  not normal.  i will say that i was experimenting with cheaper pads from a lower price point manufacturer.  going to see if they'll warranty it and will give more details later

you are an unbelievable penny pincher when it comes to bike parts...So these pads crapped the bed and u want a warranty?
if there is one piece of your bike you don't want to scrimp on it's your brakes....good luck with that
  

Brendan Rigby said:

so my rear brake wasn't giving me much braking yesterday.  removed pad to clean and it appears to be missing a chunk?  not normal.  i will say that i was experimenting with cheaper pads from a lower price point manufacturer.  going to see if they'll warranty it and will give more details later

I would do the same...& Put them on blast on social media of they don't replace the defects

agree with Yacks. what a waste of time and money. just go buy a good solid brand, pay more.

they've already shipped me a replacement no questions asked.  would buy again!

if you....live to tell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzAO9A9GjgI

as a follow up, I think the pad failure may have had something to do with some chain lubricant that found its way onto the pad.  you're supposed to replace pads anyway if that happens (although you could try to sand off the contamination).  manufacturer sent me full bike's worth of replacement pads for free, however!  http://www.truckerco.com/

would buy again.  in the meantime however i've already ordered swissstop pads through redbeard, haha

Spooky got some new Phil Wood wheel bearings yesterday and had both hoops re tensioned....apparently I am highly negligent when it comes to maintenance (according to my wheel builder)...It's not like I was going 45 mph down the hill in Prospect on Sunday with this wheel....oh wait....

https://www.instagram.com/