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The Weird Compatibility Of 11-speed Hubs (part 1)
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends Today’s lesson is about 11-speed cassettes and their overall “weirdness” from the perspective of compatibility. I think that many of you will be interested to learn the technicalities below. Let’s go. Cassette and Freehub Body Width MTB Despite what one may naturally assume, the widths of 8/9/10 and 11-speed cassettes…
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The Magic of 9-speed Derailleurs (some secret tips)
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I am going to share a little secret that you might not be aware of regarding 9spd rear derailleurs. Of course, if you aren’t a rookie, you may already know the info. The secret? Well, you can effectively combine a Shimano’s 9spd RD with 7 and 8 cassettes. However,…
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An Important Thing To Know About Narrow-Wide Chainrings
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will shed some light on narrow-wide chainrings as they are becoming increasingly popular and many rookies wonder whether they can be combined with a variety of chains. Narrow-wide chainrings are thin because they’re built for multi-speed bikes with cassettes/freewheels. Therefore, by default, you have to use a chain…
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Strategies For Dealing With “Runaway” Spoke Nipples
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will teach you how to deal with annoying spoke nipples that fall into the rim and refuse to get out. That’s a fairly common issue that you will face when re-building a wheel. (And by the way, thank you for the nice e-mails, lately.) If a nipple falls…
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“Transplanting” An MTB Cassette The Right Way
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends I decided to start a post during my lunch break. I don’t think I will have time to finish it, but let’s see. Today, I will talk about “transplanting” an MTB cassette on a road machine as some of you may have more than one bike and wonder whether you…
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An Important Tip For Commuters On Carbon Bikes
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will provide a few tips for people who plan on using their carbon machines for commuting. (It turns out that there are many individuals with similar plans). Cargo Transportation There are two ways to transport cargo – on the bike (e.g., panniers) or on your body (backpack). Any…
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One of The Craziest Wheel Conversions I’ve Heard About
from Rookie’s Keyboard Hello, friends Today, I am going to talk about one wheel conversion that I was asked about in a comment a month ago, namely putting 26-ers on a 700c frame. Overall, I’m against it. Obviously, a 700c frame has more than enough clearance for 26-ers as it’s designed for bigger wheels. But…
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A Peculiarity of Shimano Di2 That You Have To Be Aware Of
from Rookie’s Keyboard Hello, friends It’s Monday a.k.a. time for a new lesson here at RookieJournal.com – the site that helps rookie cyclists get their bike theory to the next level. Today, I’ll tell you a few peculiarities about Shimano Di2 that you have to be aware of if you’re planning on purchasing the setup.…
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A Rookie Mistake That Future Dirt Jump Owners Could Be Making…
from Rookie’s Keyboard Hello, friends Yesterday I overheard a conversation between two parents who were observing a group of kids making tricks on dirt jumpers. Their exchange made me realize that regular people don’t know the difference between a dirt jumper and an MTB. And how can you blame them? Dirt jumpers (DJs) are extremely…
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Don’t Do This Conversion If You Have STI Shifters
from Rookie’s Keyboard Hello, friends Today, I am going to talk about a conversion that some uneducated rookies might try to do, namely – trying to mount brake-shifters such as STI on non-drop bars (e.g., risers, flat bars…etc.). I am about to tell you why this isn’t ideal and save you a lot of time…