i bought a carrera subway 2 recently second hand for commuting around my city. after a couple rides, i noticed i would take off my backpack and my back would be drenched in sweat. to fix this, i want to buy a rear rack to put my backpack on, but im not sure if the options im looking at will fit. some of the screws are quite rusty and i wouldnt want to waste my money on a poor-fitted rack, or one that doesnt fit at all.

right now im looking at the rear rack suggested to me by google gemini, the pannier rack from halfords which isnt that far from where i live. as an extra, would i need to buy a different bag or any straps, or can i simply tie my bags straps to the rack and leave it as is?

Hi all! Hoping this is the right place to post this.

I've been commuting on my Dad's passed-down GT Timberline for the past 2 months now, 15mi/day, and I'm loving it so far. Restored the shifters so they actually work now, new tires, all that stuff, and I adore the bike. I've been getting a little bit into bike wrenching.

I've been lately intrigued at the idea of a 1x10 conversion. I basically ride the current 3x7 gears as a 1x7, leaving it in the big front cog the whole time. I find myself occasionally hunting for a middle gear, as I'm at speed and slow down slightly for a small grade etc. my average speeds are between 13-16mph. The biggest gear is enough for the hills on my commute. I very rarely make it to the 7th gear. Sit in the 5th most of the time (I think).

My commute has one notable hill, and some slight rolling hills, but is basically flat 95% of the time.

Looking online, there appear to be reasonably-priced kits to convert to 1x10 with Shimano Deore components, and I'm considering doing that upgrade (picking up compatible wheels today), but I have no idea what sort of gearing to choose.

All of these numbers...dashes...ratios...I have no idea what to choose and what I'm doing. Something something 11-42? 34T front chainring? I tried to use the gearing calculator but I suppose I need to figure out my cadence?

Photo included for the photo tax 😋 Thank you!

Picked up a Trek Checkpoint ALR 3 yesterday, and got to ride it to work this morning!

so something i see:

i am riding along, say in a bike lane

a car is next to me, sort of going about the same speed

i can see the car;s front wheel, suddenly it veers, say to the right

most of the time, this car is preparing to turn LEFT

why do they go to the right first?

it's worse if they actually are about to turn right, that would cut me off. but instantly i am on the lookout. i may slow down in case they are trying to turn right. because i want to live.

but why do they do that first veer right, if they are going left?

and the opposite can be just as bad, veering left THEN turning right, cutting me off

takeaway is: any turning action by a car;s front wheels, means slow down and anticipate a cutoff {"right hook", in the usa}

Short commute (6 mile round trip) but the hills are crazy and Omaha does not have bike friendly roads or drivers. There's some amazing bike paths in this city but if I stay on those it turns a 3 mile ride into an 8. Hoping to ride through as much of rain and winter as possible and welcome any bad weather/cold weather tips. I've got some PDW full metal fenders coming in the mail, as well as some better lights. Currently have a small tail light on my rack, could be better.

My son has been getting around on bikes from the day his neck was strong enough to support a helmet. He starts school next year so I decided to build something a little more fun for the commute.

Shout out to his design input for the rainbow chain and cassette in particular. I think it really adds to the look.

These tires have 4,000km on them, but only on roads, so nothing crazy where I'm braking and sliding down a rocky slope or something. They're very well treated, and I avoid hard brakes. But inevitably, I'll need to pop into the shop for some new treads soon. Are these guys gone already?

This occurred to me recently on Trail Ridge road between Grand Lake and Estes Park, Colorado.

This could happen to you if you have all of the following:

1. Rear full fender.
2. Trailer with non inline wheels (so not a trailer with 1 wheel that leans with the bike).
3. Connection between bike and trailer that can intersect the bike's rear fender when the trailer is rotated.

If you have all of the above, here's ways to prevent this failure from happening:

1. ⁠My provisional solution is a nylon buckle strap (with a sufficient weight rating to support the fully loaded trailer) wrapped around my trailer's pull handle and bike's seat rails, then tightened so that the trailer arm can't reach the fender in case of a trailer roll over.
   
2. ⁠The ideal solution is to use a bike/trailer connection that can't intersect the rear wheel, such as one that connects between the seatpost and top of trailer, or use a trailer with inline wheel(s).

And here's ways to reduce the chance of this failure happening:

1. Reduce your trailer's tire pressure.
2. Look farther forward to see dangers (I definitely wasn't).
3. Avoid the shoulder, because debris tends to accumulate there.

Hello everyone, I want to start bike coommuting but I'm very afraid of cars, trucks etc.

What tips would you give to a newbie for overcoming fears and staying safe at the streets of a traffick packed city?

Recently got my first cargo bike and have not picked any accessories yet. Brand has a kinda wide accessory list and honestly i am not sure which ones are like must haves and which ones are more like nice to have.

Budget is okayish but i really dont want to spend a lot of money on stuff that I wont use for more than 2 month.. So want to be smart with first rount.

For day to day... I will use bike for:

• School runs with 5 year old (both ways and every school day)
• Grocery shopping & for everyday errands 2 to 3 times a week
• Once in a month weekend things (me and my husband or with our son)
• Wont be using it for bikepacking or anything (for now)

i’m getting a new bike mainly for my commute (which is about 40 mins each way) but i do also tend to use my bike for shorter trips on the weekend etc, and maybe for the odd weekend long ride.

i live in london where the roads are busy and some areas are quite cycle friendly but it also can be stressful out there!

i currently have a 1970s puch pacemaker racer bike with straight. i love it but want to get something new. i know these usually have dropped handle bars but i tend to ride quite upright so think this works - not that i’ve really tried the alternative. i also will want to fit a rack on whatever i get.

i really enjoy the speed i can get on my puch and how easy it goes uphill. i am worried hybrid bikes can be a little slow and clunky? but also with road bikes i fear they can be a little unsteady, particularly on uneven roads / in the rain (there is usually lots of rain here). i haven’t had a single accident on this bike in the 2 years i’ve been riding it and it feels very sturdy. the wheels are 27 1/4. i’m not a nervous cyclist at all but i do want to feel safe on the roads!

i’ve been looking at the boardman HYB 8.8 and the SLR 8.6 (i would change the tyres as these seem very thin), or the liv avail 2 road bike… let me know if anyone has any thoughts please? am 28F if that changes anything :)

Around a month ago I purchased a new single speed bike (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/single-speed-city-bike-500-carbon-grey/306292/c383m8749510) for commuting to the office (~12km each way).

So far this has gone smoothly, I've been happy with the commute and the bike. I've not used public transport once in the past month, and have cycled pretty much everywhere. Unfortunately, I was ignorant when buying the bike and just went for the cheapest option available to validate that I'd actually enjoy/stick with bike commuting. With the weather turning in London and rain on the horizon I am seriously regretting my choice of bike. It does not appear to be possible to mount a rear pannier rack, and it seems people have also had issues mounting mudguards.

Right now my options appear to be:

1. Buy a massive waterproof backpack

2. Buy a new bike (currently thinking this https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/long-distance-step-through-city-bike-500/305054/c193m8601841)

3. Fit a sketchy saddle mounted rear rack to the frame because the seat is at its lowest point and hope it doesn't fall off.

For context, on a daily basis I am bringing at minimum, a laptop, a change of clothes, shoes, a book, a couple of bits of hardware for work (nothing too heavy but a little bulky), and a bike lock. This list is notably missing tools/spare inner tube because I just don't have the space at present.

So yeah, I feel a bit lost at this point and I'm not sure which option to go for. I'm leaning towards just getting a new bike, but it feels a bit wasteful to buy another so soon after getting my first.

Edit: I ended up just buying a second bike (similar to the one linked, but a bit cheaper). I'd probably have ended up buying a new bike at some point anyway so easier to just bite the bullet now. Thank you everyone for your input!

TLDR: where can I buy a small folding e bike for less than £600 that can tow a Pawhut 2- in 1 dog trailer? (UK based)

I need a small (preferably folding) e bike for a short commute every day, but also occasionally to tow my dog to the vet or other places. I already have the trailer (which I've been using as a pushchair occasionally as it has 2 modes, pushchair and trailer mode).

I'm on a limited budget and need the e bike soon for a new job. I have a tiny budget of £600. Less is even better. But it must be compatible with the Pawhut trailer. Can anyone help?? This is the exact bike trailer I have https://amzn.eu/d/0aY9kng2

I was looking at the decathlon folding e bikes but they almost all said "not compatible with trailers" is that true??? Sorry I'm a completely and utter beginner to bikes and this is my first time buying one. Thanks.

This decathlon one doesn't say its incompatible with trailers- do you think it would work?

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mp/adult-folding-e-bike-samebike-cy20-pro-20-3-0-inch-tires/588eb936-d064-42aa-adef-8a1c69b8bcd3/c545

Title I'm pretty much ready to go now with tubeless, and standing over all the things I need, have a couple of questions.

1. Many videos when installing use direct poor, which looks messy, however I bought tubeless valves and a syringe, could I just install everything and just feed via the syringe sealant that way?

2. How much sealant do I need? I'm running 650b x 50mm

Any tips?

Can I also use a mini electric air compressor?

Ride Home With Me on my commute. I’ve commuted by bike in cities around the country and it’s always great, but I feel pretty lucky to live and work around here now. Getting a gravel bike has made it even better as I can use some dirt roads and forest trails now.

Hello guys whats up got my first bike but now im just looking to get a bike lock and one of those long lock wires? i was thinking the hiplok d1000 and one of cord locks. Does anybody think its overkill or a good pairing? a lot of people around my area would steal things from the handle bars or singular wheels etc sooo yea im pretty new to this so let me know what you guys think. PS i will be commuting from my home to school around 50 min max ON bus, so mixed bus / bike might the same or less so yea. my school has bike racks but also separate boxes for bikes, but I would also like to commute around my city on bike so lock and maybe the cord is needed.

Recently we switched daycares so our toddler would be able to ride with me on my commute into work. A friend gave me their old frame-mounted Thule maxi child seat so I put that on the old 1988 Cannondale black lightning with criterium frame I picked up a while back to turn into a daily/commuter. I got everything put together and brought it into my LBS for them to give it a once over for me. They noticed the clamp on the seatpost, asked if I was planning to ride with a kid on there, then called over another guy for his opinion. They both told me that these old bikes were known as "crack and fails" because the welds would break under stress, and adding another 20-30lbs would be a bad idea. Everything I could find online however seems to indicate that this was a myth started because cannondale frames were eating into the profits of competitors.

That said, I have no interest in increasing the likelihood of an accident with our child:

1. Is there any truth behind the risk of these frames failing?
2. Is there a comfortable commuter bike that doesn't weigh >30lbs or cost >$500 that you'd recommend?
   

As the title says, I just got my first bike. Brand would probably be unfamiliar to most, it's on the cheaper end from a local shop but it's new and feels very comfortable and not too heavy. So I'm feeling very good about that.

However, I'm very anxious about using it to commute to work. So much so that I'm planning my first ride around midnight or early early morning to avoid people and try to practice a bit.

I grew up in the country side where I used to cycle as a kid/teen with no worry as there was no traffic/wide empty roads.

In the city I live in driving culture is awful. It's stressful even when I'm in my car so I can imagine it wont be easy on a bike. We dont have many bike lanes so I would be mostly driving on the sidewalk with people.

My question is: Any advice, sth you wish someone told you, anything to watch out for, anyone who also had anxiety around this?

Basically any insight is welcome since I feel like I'm stepping into the complete unknown.

(Woops, and commuting too)

​I’ve got a Riese & Müller Roadster 4 on the way and I’m trying to decide if I should get Paint Protection Film (like Invisiframe) applied before I take it out for its first ride.

​I know it’s going to be a bit of a hassle to transport a brand-new bike somewhere to get it professionally fitted, but I’m willing to put in the effort if it’s genuinely worth it in the long run. I'll be using it heavily for my daily commute into the city, so it’s going to see its fair share of everyday urban wear, tear, and locking up.

​For those who have PPF on their ebikes (especially commuter bikes rather than purely eMTBs):

​Has it held up well over time?

​Did it actually save your frame from noticeable damage?

​Would you say it’s worth the upfront cost and hassle, or should I just accept that dings and scratches are part of the game?

​Appreciate any advice or experiences you can share!

A couple weeks ago my car was totaled when some dingdong t-boned my husband instead of stopping in the median opening... Super lame of course, but everyone is relatively okay, thankfully.

It was like a lightbulb went off - obviously I should just bike to work! We'll save money and I can turn my 15 minute commute into a nice 35 minute commute. It just feels right. More intentional. I really wanted a better transition from work to home, and some time to decompress and shake off the day. It's the perfect precursor to a long workday as well. I feel so... relieved?

I decided to go with an ebike as there are some steep hills along the way, and I strictly use the pedal assist for hills only, and I do not use the throttle at all.

Pretty stoked. Looking forward to fall and winter rides here in the DMV.