Ask the experts

[XXX-er]

What is the best way to set up a road bike for flats. He’s burned through 3 tubes in 250 miles. Put some orange seal in them? I used to be a roadie, but have not owned a road bike in 25 years. Bought this for a kid in college.

what size of tire ? I found a noticable difference from upgrading to a 25mm from the 23mm my road bike came with

I had less flats/ more comfortable ride/ more control on sketchy on gravel paths with no real downside cuz I think they are just as fast

I would even go up a couple more mm if the tires would fit the frame

[Dantheman]

Someone should make a brake with a second bleed port on the caliper that allows you to cross-bleed the caliper. Oh, wait....

[Canada1]

what size of tire ? I found a noticable difference from upgrading to a 25mm from the 23mm my road bike came with

I had less flats/ more comfortable ride/ more control on sketchy on gravel paths with no real downside cuz I think they are just as fast

I would even go up a couple more mm if the tires would fit the frame

Thanks. I think he is probably riding this as aggressive as one of his Mtn bikes. Backcountry had Gator Skins on sale half price. I'm jumping him to a 28mm. It is strange how we have this solved on mountain bikes, but the roadies still have the same tech I was using 25 years ago!

[XXX-er]

when you think about it air in a fluid will rise, so isnt air more likely to end up in a lever ?

Are you really gona get air down thru the line to that caliper, doesn't it makes more sense to push fluid and hopefully the air bottom to the top ?

Sure smack the caliper/ lines/ lever with a srcewdriver to dislodge the air bubbles, have the bleed port on the lever sitting level and good luck !

my SLX the lever would go to the bar sitting on its side in the truck overnight but be ok after pumping the lever a few times until it sat in the truck over night again. Even tho buddy was a fairly thrifty guy he said we needed to push a whole syringe thru the system and he was right ... I gave him a nice bottle of wine

[XXX-er]

Thanks. I think he is probably riding this as aggressive as one of his Mtn bikes. Backcountry had Gator Skins on sale half price. I'm jumping him to a 28mm. It is strange how we have this solved on mountain bikes, but the roadies still have the same tech I was using 25 years ago!

well a few tubes are pretty cheap compared to new tires but otoh flats are inconvenient also there is more control with more tire

it has actualy changed my neighbor a former world class roady sez she raced on 19mm tubulars back in the 80's, I believe the trend is to bigger tires/ less PSI

[Mr. Toad]

Have you tried the Santa Cruz Syndicate method where they remove the caliper bleed screw completely:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=piWBVDh1pTE

Also note that they leave the ‘free stroke’ adjustment screw 1/4 turn from fully closed to make sure fluid doesn’t get blocked from moving between the reservoir and master cylinder.

Thanks for the link. Gotta respect a man with hands like those. Well, I’m giving up. I rotated, tapped, bled (8times total) to no avail. It’s time to pull out the ultimate tool, credit card. Thanks for all the input.

[Huskier]

Thanks. I think he is probably riding this as aggressive as one of his Mtn bikes. Backcountry had Gator Skins on sale half price. I'm jumping him to a 28mm. It is strange how we have this solved on mountain bikes, but the roadies still have the same tech I was using 25 years ago!

Make sure you spring for the hardshell variant. Full kevlar.

25 is faster than 23 at equivalent PSI. 28 starts to add heft.

Also I remember from my college days lots of biking down alleys littered with broken beer bottles. That's where most of my flats came from.

[JPaul]

Thanks. I think he is probably riding this as aggressive as one of his Mtn bikes. Backcountry had Gator Skins on sale half price. I'm jumping him to a 28mm. It is strange how we have this solved on mountain bikes, but the roadies still have the same tech I was using 25 years ago!

Can you tell if the flats are snakebite/pinch vs. thorn, glass, construction debris, etc?

For the former, wider tire/lower pressure should help a lot. No need for gatorskin.

For the latter (objects penetrating case), gatorskin is a great tool.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Can you tell if the flats are snakebite/pinch vs. thorn, glass, construction debris, etc?

For the former, wider tire/lower pressure should help a lot. No need for gatorskin.

For the latter (objects penetrating case), gatorskin is a great tool.

This. Gotta understand the cause of the flat before you can determine the appropriate solution. If it’s pinch flats, is he pumping up the tires regularly?

[XXX-er]

that ^^ is simple ... its a fucking teenager

make him walk

uphill

both ways

[Kootenai]

Just to add another option to the mix- Sunrace makes a 12sp cassette that fits on a conventional freehub. Might be your cheapest option considering the circumstances.

Back to the cassette debate. I picked up one of these for my XD hub and one for my older NX hub that uses the old shimano splines. They are like 70 bucks a piece and similar weights as GX. They take weeks to deliver since they are from China, but, it's a dirtbag option that beats the sunrace option. I haven't determined whether it will be quality, but it "looks" good. https://www.ebay.com/itm/334048161590?var=543068681952

[Dantheman]

Back to the cassette debate. I picked up one of these for my XD hub and one for my older NX hub that uses the old shimano splines. They are like 70 bucks a piece and similar weights as GX. They take weeks to deliver since they are from China, but, it's a dirtbag option that beats the sunrace option. I haven't determined whether it will be quality, but it "looks" good. https://www.ebay.com/itm/334048161590?var=543068681952

Got a link to the XD flavor? Where'd you get the weight? I didn't see it anywhere in the specs. Do they have anything in 11 sp XD?

[Kootenai]

Got a link to the XD flavor? Where'd you get the weight? I didn't see it anywhere in the specs. Do they have anything in 11 sp XD?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383449054137
Lists the weight as 535G. I was only looking for 12 Spd, but if you sleuth a little, I am sure you will find.

[J. Barron DeJong]

that ^^ is simple ... its a fucking teenager

Hey, I was good about pumping up my road tires when I was in college.

Of course I’m also an anal engineer with some degree of OCD, who was working in a bike shop at the time, so I probably fell way to one end of the bell curve when it came to maintaining my bikes compared to other college kids.

[teledad]

This. Gotta understand the cause of the flat before you can determine the appropriate solution. If it’s pinch flats, is he pumping up the tires regularly?

Yes. If he's getting pinch flats, the tire pressure is too low. At road pressures you can lose quite a bit in a day or two, even with tubes. Keep them pumped up and figure out what the right pressure is that keeps him from flatting (depends on tire width and rider weight).

If he's getting puncture flats make sure he's checking the inside of the tire carefully and not just flatting again on the same thorn or glass shard embedded in the tire casing. Generally you want to find out what's causing the flat and remove it - that can take time. Also if the tire is worn it'll get punctures more easily.

If he's patching the old tubes, make sure the patch isn't failing. A lot of the "glueless" kind will get you home but aren't a permanent fix.

[El Chupacabra]

I’m also an anal engineer

Heh

[mcski]

Heh

Toot toot

[J. Barron DeJong]

Heh

fuck

[bennymac]

I need new cranks

I have a Race Face Cinch 30mm BB92 Press Fit BB

when I look at the race face site it shows cranks with spindle sizes of 169, 190, and 136

how do I figure out which one might work?

(this is for a 2015 RM Instinct non-boost bike)

thanks!

[Huskier]

Anyone running carbon bars? Specifically oneup's?Every site I look to for reviews is glowing...but has paid review links that make me suspicious. Looking to minimize hand/arm pump on steep brake-bumped garbage

[J. Barron DeJong]

Anyone running carbon bars? Specifically oneup's?Every site I look to for reviews is glowing...but has paid review links that make me suspicious. Looking to minimize hand/arm pump on steep brake-bumped garbage

I’m running OneUp. Seem nicely made and haven’t had arm pump, but haven’t run any other 35mm bars, so can’t provide any A-B comparison.

[bennymac]

I have race face next R on one bike and oneup on the other

don't notice any major arm pump difference - but I ride harder rougher stuff on the oneup bar

if price were the same I'd go for the oneup

[HAB]

Anyone running carbon bars? Specifically oneup's?Every site I look to for reviews is glowing...but has paid review links that make me suspicious. Looking to minimize hand/arm pump on steep brake-bumped garbage

I haven't tried the OneUp (which does seem like it maybe could help, given the ovalized profile) but in general, 35 mm carbon is the exact opposite of what you want for minimizing harshness. A good 31.8 mm aluminum bar is the move.

[J. Barron DeJong]

I haven't tried the OneUp (which does seem like it maybe could help, given the ovalized profile) but in general, 35 mm carbon is the exact opposite of what you want for minimizing harshness. A good 31.8 mm aluminum bar is the move.

That’s likely true from a *technical* standpoint, but from a fashion standpoint you’ll be out of date and every other rider is going to point and laugh at you.

[XtrPickels]

Anyone running carbon bars? Specifically oneup's?Every site I look to for reviews is glowing...but has paid review links that make me suspicious. Looking to minimize hand/arm pump on steep brake-bumped garbage

I have the OneUps and I honestly can't tell the difference over the stock Pivot carbon bars that came on the bike. They're great bars, but not night and day different over what I had.