What's new at sheldonbrown.com
We have added to our page about on-road repairs. There is now a quick list so you can check which particular tools you might need for your bicycle, and we have covered some additional tools.
The basic on-road repairs will get you home or to the next bike shop on your bike, almost every time. If you can’t find the time or inspiration to learn them yourself, you might ride with someone who did!
We have a major revision to our article on truing wheels, referring to some new tools and additional techniques. There are several new photos. Enjoy.
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).
Information has been added to the Creaks, Clicks and Clunks page to help you diagnose several more problems. The page now covers more types of cranks, the noiseless lurches and bumps which occur due to tire damage, chain too wide for the sprockets, worn-out bottom bracket bearings, chain rub on front derailer…
The article on special spoking patterns for use with extra-large hubs (for example, electric bicycle hub motors) has been improved with patterns which avoid twisting the hub shell for two of the hub and rim combinations. The article includes all the information needed to use Damon Rinard’s Spocalc (also on the site) to calculate spoke lengths for these patterns.
Check the level of spoke tension by ear — unless you are tone deaf, a musical pitch reference (pitch pipe, tuning fork, smartphone app etc.) is all you need to tell whether you have brought spokes up to the appropriate level of tension when building a wheel. It’s faster than using a tensiometer!
The page for Damon Rinard’s spoke calculator has been revised, with an updated list of online spoke calculators, several comments and links, and better formatting. Now also includes links to spoke-calculator apps for iOS and Android smartphones!
New article on spoke patterns which avoid excessive spoke angles
with large hubs such as electrically-assisted bike hub motors.
New page on how to measure a hub and rim to get the numbers to enter into a spoke-length calculator.
John has written an article that just might get you rolling again.
