Unthreaded bottom-bracket update

Ashtabula bottom bracket
Ashtabula bottom bracket

Major update to the unthreaded bottom bracket cribsheet: several additional ones covered, broken links repaired. yes, everything from Ashtabula one-piece crank BBs (as shown in the photo) to the Klein Team Super to eccentrics for tandems.

LED headlight update

Additions to the page about LED headlights — lots of new information, about why lights which are well-designed for nighttime use can be good as daytime running lights, but some that are impressive in daylight don’t do so well at night; about ultra-cheap lights, how to make them pay for themselves adn which kind is preferable; installation and adjustment.

A pair of ultra-cheap bicycle lights
A pair of ultra-cheap bicycle lights

Sheldon’s Journal and an anniversary

A selfie of Sheldon from 1971
A selfie of Sheldon from 1971

Sheldon started keeping an online journal on November 8, 1998. He posted synopses of his thoughts and activities, comments on books, films, TV shows, and music both live and recorded. He wrote his final note on the day he died, February 4, 2008, 9 years ago. The first page, from 1998, links back to a “1975 Retrospective,” which links in turn to a “1971 Retrospective.’

He used the photo here in the 1971 retrospective — a selfie — from 1971. Sheldon was way ahead of the crowd with selfies!

Update on direct-pull brakes (“V brakes”)

Shimano Parallel-Push V-Brake
Shimano Parallel-Push V-Brake

Sheldonbrown.com makes a point of providing information which is hard to find elsewhere and which will help keep older bicycles working like new — or better. Shimano Parallel-Push V-brakes have a very nice feature in that the brake shoes approach the rim squarely rather than rotating, with the risk of damaging the tire or diving under the rim. Reader Paul Rintoule has kindly sent in information on how to refurbish Shimano parallel-push direct-pull brakes to stop them from squealing, even though Shimano parts kits are getting very hard to find. This information has now been added to our page about direct-pull brakes.

Raleigh Twenty page expanded

Our page about Raleigh Twenty bicycles has been expanded with two new sections, about the hinge and the rear rack. Find out why the humble and disdained Pletscher rear rack works great on a Twenty, and how to make a replacement for a missing hinge key.

Sheldon Brown's 8-speed Raleigh Twenty bicycle
Sheldon Brown’s 8-speed Raleigh Twenty bicycle

Spocalc spoke calculator and Web page updated

Update to Damon Rinard’s Spocalc Spoke calculator — new advice on fatbikes and hub motors, more spoke calculators for mobile devices added to the list at the bottom of the page, correction of a minor math error (display of bracing angle for radial spoking).

Major update to Shimano 8-speed IG hub page

Our page about Shimano 8-speed internal-gear hubs now includes information on the new hub models. The table listing hubs has a new column indicating which cassette joint or motor unit works with each hub, and which hubs have interchangeable internal parts.

Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub
Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub
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