PedalSmart.blog

Today's question: How does battery level affect SB20 power meter measurement? Let's do a deep dive and find out! My Overall Takeaways I recommend battery change interval to be 100-150 hours. Be careful with battery level estimates. Battery levels  do tell  when the battery is healthy (when 90-100%).  Estimates then to drop off after this . Nowadays, I use  BattView   to watch for when my PMs drop below 90%. This corresponds to around 150 hours and is a good time for me to replace my batteries.  Note: You may have different thresholds. If I had a really important indoor event, I would consider replacing batteries if I was near the 150 hour or 90% remaining threshold.  In-Depth Measurements Replaceable Batteries The Stages SB20 power meters have replaceable batteries. An advantage: No degradation of built-in batteries as the power meters age. A disadvantage: No ability to top up batteries to 100% whenever you wish. Battery Life CR2032 button cell b...

 TIGHTENING PEDALS - WHICH WAY TO TURN? Can't remember which way to turn the wrench? I have always used this method: 1. Turn wrench in the direction of the pedal stroke to tighten the pedal. 2. Turn wrench in the opposite direction of the pedal stroke to loosen the pedal. Same rule for right and left cranks . That means the left crank has left hand (reversed) threads i.e., clockwise to loosen, counter-clockwise to tighten. Of course, it works for the smart bikes too 🎉. 

THEY COST WAY TOO MUCH TL;DR Summary: I love having no pinch flats with tubeless road tires. Lower PSI allowed with tubeless also adds to riding comfort.  But... I remain disappointed that I can't find a tubeless tire with durability that matches dozens of mid-priced clincher tires. I've had low priced tires, like the Continental Ultra-Sport, last a couple of years and get to more than 8000 km. My tubeless experience has been far less stellar. LOOKING FOR DURABILITY At the start of the season, I bought a pair of mid-priced Vittoria Rubino Pro Tubeless tires. I avoided top line tires since I wanted durability over better rolling resistance. I was happy to consider an even lower-tier tire, but couldn’t find any. MY EXPERIENCE IN 2023 1. My first rear Rubino Pro failed rather miserably after 3300 km in June. It had more than 20 tread-wear-through failures. Note that the centre tire ridge still has plenty of rubber. Why so many "wear-thru" locations? My bad. I wasn't...

 TUBELESS PUNCTURE (ROAD TIRE; SELF-HEALED) A few days ago I got a typical tubeless puncture: a pin-sized hole that self-repaired and allowed me to make it home with no drama (aside from sealant sprayed all over my bike). What I did next is perhaps more controversial. 1. The hole was centered in the middle of tread. I marked the hole with paint as soon as I found it. That turned out to be good. After the sealant dried I could not see the hole. In any event, my concern remained: The puncture is no longer leaking but can I really trust it? I decided to do permanent patch on the inside of the tire. 2. After draining left-over sealant, I had to wash my bike and the tire thoroughly + add some drying time. 3. I used a normal tube repair patch that was additionally clamped lightly in a bench vice for a few hours. Aside: Let's face it. This is more work than fixing a tube flat. But given how few tubeless flats I get, I am not really complaining. I also do all this extra repair work at ho...

Minimalist Tool Kit While many people like to be “prepared for anything”, I have always strived to have the smallest and lightest toolkit that will simply “get me home”. For me this means:  fit flats reconnect broken chains adjust critical bolts and screws. In tube tire days, I needed a spare tube, tire levers and arguably a bigger pump for 120 psi tires. With a hooked bead tubeless configuration, I carry only a tubeless repair kit. I know, you can carry spare tubes but I find that to be impractical. Converting to tubes on the road takes a lot of time and is messy. Also, I use only hooked bead rim and TLR tires. They don’t come off the rim in a blowout like hookless rims commonly do. This improves the odds of getting by with just a tubeless kit. After many iterations, here’s what I settled on: 1. Old versus new: As mentioned above, just a tubeless repair tool and “bacon strips”. I carry only the hex wrenches I need (that’s 3, 4 & 5 mm since I have replaced all screws on my bik...

What's Your favourite Chain Lube? Asking random people for opinions on chain lubes is not going to tell you much. Poor chain hygiene will wear out chains over the course of months and thousands of kms. Few riders will be able to distinguish good from bad on their own. Not to mention wax zealots who are well intentioned but don't know that they must clean and re-wax every 300km (that's weekly for me) to get the stellar numbers that wax can achieve. Better news: Chain lube testing is getting better.  Zero Friction Cycling Lube Testing  is probably the best testing site out there. They test lubes over extended periods, in different dirt/contamination/touch-up/wetness conditions (called blocks), to simulate real world performance. Zero Friction is not only about watts (FWIW: I have zero interest in watts saved). Friction induces wear that forces you to replace chains ($100), cogs ($200) and chainrings ($600) faster than you need to. Use a good lube ($30) properly and you will ...

 MANY MAGIC LUBE METHODS Here's the thing about novel and well-intended chain lube methods: How do you know it works? Lubrication is a long game. Wear is measured over months and 1000s of kms. How can any one person tell if their method is valid? You might be personally happy but you really don't know if you're creating more drivetrain friction and wear compared to a more conventional approach. In the auto industry, we have independent testing so we can use the right lubricant, in the proper manner, for the correct time interval. I might think olive oil and WD-40 is a great crankcase lube. Testing will say otherwise. Not so in the bike world. Independent testing is scarce. ZERO FRICTION Many in this group know about https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/ . Good work is being done here. Understanding their testing protocols requires some work - but worth it if you ask me. SOME TAKEAWAYS ZERO FRICTION TESTING: Long term chain wear is their indirect indicator for fric...

 NOISY PRESS FIT BOTTOM BRACKETS My Cannondale 2010 era BB30 has been noisy for 10 years. I have tried multiple fixes. In the end: Two complete bearing failures and a damaged frame shell. All appear to be related to poor alignment of the bearings that induces movement between at frame shell junction. For BB30, and most press fit BBs, primary interference (i.e., the place where the bearing is supposed to be firmly seated and immovable) is between the bearing and frame. FWIW: Electric motors I have worked on, have the interference between the axle and bearing - with frame friction being lower. This is generally a better design - especially when you want quiet operation. Only Campagnolo Ultra Torque has this axle interference design. Go figure.  Long story short: My BB30 bearing had too much movement where it mates with the frame. I tried using red Loctite as a permanent fix. That only lasts a few rides. Same for pumping in large amounts of grease. REPLACEMENT SLEEVE I purchased ...