David Marshall

Merida makes good light road bikes at a reasonable price. The Tiagra groupset is great until it is time to sell, then you will wish you had a 105 or Ultegra. I have a 2006 904 with a 105 groupset and I am still very happy with it. Done about 6000km and would not dream of parting with it. Have had a few other makes that I have been happy to let go. Good luck with your new bike!

I have two. The one I use most I picked up on a Mr Price Sport markdown sale for R9-99 (I think the full price was around R100-00). It works like a dream but is a little big to carry in races. The other is a lighweight RavX which was R115-00. Not as firm as the Maxed one but works fine. The secret with this type of tool (and any other which works on threaded components - like a crank puller - is to oil the threads before use.

Saddle height, when measured from extended pedal to top of the saddle, should be 109% of the rider's inside leg measurement (measuring straight along the crank and seat tube. If measuring from the center of the crank bolt it will be inside leg measurement * 0.889. Saddle setback is best measured with the rider seated on the bike (level) and relaxed with the cranks horizontal with the floor. A weighted line held on the side of the knee (mid joint) should pass vertically through the pedal axel/ball of foot. If you are alone you can get the approximate position by using the following formula (inside leg measurement minus 76.5cm)/4+6cm. This is the distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the vertical line dropped from the front most point of the saddle. If your current set up close to these measurements I doubt your action is due to the bike setup. In any event I would not be too concerned because you obviously were in front for him to make the observation!

Can be from dirt but if persists likely to be chainring wear. I 've only had problems with the middle ring and changing it sorted the problem out. As you had a new chain on I would suspect the ring.

Second hand frames do not sell well (my opinion). I am not familiar with the demand for Specialized but I doubt that you will get that price.

Works most of the time. I once had hassels with an older FSA crank that was supposedly 9 and 10 speed compatible (skating on the small ring when on the higher gears at the back) but sorted it by using a different brand of chain.

I don't think you will have much joy in welding it. You need really top notch technology and skill to a proper job because the heat of the weld will weaken the surrounding area.

R6000 won't get you a new bike but should get you a great second hand one - choice is yours but I would not go less than a bike with 10 speed 105 groupset and not more than 5 years old and obviously in good nick. You look like a medium should suit you but (to me) fit is important so I would get measured first - and then stick to your guns! No matter how good a too large or small frame looks - walk away. Good luck. There was a link posted to a spreadsheet for estimating bike size and fit which was great but I can't find it now. Will PM it if I do.

I think it could work. My reasoning being that the derailleur will do what the cable tells it to do so providing both the shifters and cassette are 9 speed the movement of the derailleur should correspond. I won't put money on it though, maybe Johan can help?

I've learnt the hard way (4th bike in two years). Fit out weighs everything - especially weight and definitely price! Found peace of mind and top speed on 2006 second hand mid specked aluminium bike. Cost under 4000. You are right. For the average biker brand names and top of the range components only come into their own when selling.

Run the new chain around the largest gear on your cluster and the bigest chain ring on your cranks WITHOUT going through the rear derailer. With the chain held in position as if it were under tension allow an extra full link (Two half links = 1 inch) if you are using a pin to connect the chain or a half link if you are using a speed link to connect. Just be sure to check that the end links are correct for the join (ie one with inner plates and one with outer plates for a pin and both with inner plates for a speed link) so you may end up with the chain 3 half links longer when held in this position.

I've only used Woodmead and have been impressed with price and service. The only let down I've had was a supplier problem and not the store. Of all the LBS's in this area I go there first.

I would rather go with the data dot system. It is the components rather than the frames that have resale value, especially when the bike is a couple of years old. Personaly I don't think much stolen stuff is traded on the hub - there is just not the volume of quality parts being sold. The target bikes are high end MTB's so we should be seeing more shocks, groupsets etc and although there are lots of for sale posts very few fit this category.

You guys are busy tonight. I open a post with no replys and by the time I've had my say I'm 4th in line!

No real difference between road and MTB pulley wheels in my opinion. Some MTB pulleys have bearings instead of bushes, supposedly to operate better in dirt and mud but I prefer bushed pulleys myself - you can ride a lot further on a worn bush than a shot bearing. The top and bottom pulley wheels look the same but the top one is slightly narrower than the bottom. This allows some lateral movement on the pulley bolt as the chain moves. There should be no play on the bottom one as it should be held directly under the relevant sprocket when you shift with the RD. I assume that getting this wrong could significantly affect shifting performance but I'll bet there are a lot of bikes in use where this is the case.

I'll bet a new cable and new cable housing will solve it but check out the plastic cable guide under the BB shell as well.

There should be lateral play on the top wheel and minimal play on the bottom. Although the wheels look the same don't mix them up.

Long shot but maybe your headset is too tight or not seated properly? Next I would have a good look at the fork to see if it is symmetrical.

We need a bit more detail as to which type of headset you have. If it is a threadless headset (that is the steerer tube on the shock does not have threads) it is usually tightened with the cap on top. This usually has a bolt with an allen key head going through it into a star lock nut/washer contraption that jams inside the tube. Some of them have an expanding bung instead and then the bolt usually expands the bung and the cap itself is threaded to tighten everything up. Make sure you tighten the cap before you tighten the stem bolts. Check that the steerer tube is not flush or proud of the stem. It must be recessed a couple of mm to allow the cap to be tightened - it may be that the clamp section on your new stem is slightly smaller than your old one and the steerer itself is preventing tightening. If this is the case you will need to add an extra or bigger spacer below the stem. Check out the ParkTool website to get the details for your specific headset. Good luck.

Love my D'arcs - never tried Rudys.

I agree, don't change until you have to. I have a bike with an eight speed 105 and it gets around just as quick as my 10 speed.

I ride both a full carbon and a alu/carbon mix. Both are mid level bikes and although the alu/carbon is slightly heavier I would choose it over the carbon if I could only have one of them. I would suggest the following: If you haven't already, have a bike setup done on your Trek to make sure you know exactly what geometry you need and then look for a second hand carbon bike to suite. If you are unhappy, after a while, you can sell it without the loss of trying to resell a "new" bike.

I have had the same. Eventually found out that that the seating of the head tube and lower cup was not good. Some mechanic had actually burred the surface of the cup with a punch to "fit" it. Obviously did not last. I did a temporary repair with plumbing ptfe tape and it has lasted for over 6 months but Prof. JB suggested that I use a sliver of aluminum from an imported beer can as a more permanent solution. Maybe your problem has a similar cause?

I have two second hand bikes with 105 cassettes on. One was rocking and slightly loose even though the lock nut was torqued correctly, so I stripped both and found a spacer on the one and obviously missing from the other. Fitted a ceramic washer I had lying around and now it is fine. Could be your problem?

The length of the derailer cage you need is determined by the size of your largest gears. Road bikes with a low gear of 25 teeth use a short cage while MTB's with larger gears tend to use long cages. Steerer tube length should relate to the riders position rather than the head tube length. You can either add or remove spacers to get the right length before cutting the tube. There must be some point at which the tube length can be "too long for the frame" if the frame is far too small for the rider. On carbon road steerers it is considered unwise to have more that 40mm of spacers between the top of the headtube and the bottom of the stem, but I haven't a clue as to how long you can go with aliminum. If the steerer is too short you can play around with stems with a steeper angle to compensate.