OK, I don’t know why I keep going on Facebook Marketplace. Every time I do, I end up getting irritated by people listing their bikes for ridiculous prices.
Perfect example: This guy is trying to sell his Trek Domane SL 5 Gen 4 for more than the price of a brand-new SL 6 Gen 5. Seriously?
And then there are the listings where people can’t even be bothered to include the frame size. You have to scroll through all the photos and hope they took a picture of the frame showing the size. How hard is it to include that basic information when you’re trying to sell a bike?
I just don’t get it. Some of these listings are absolutely ridiculous.
Here’s the actual description from this one:
2025 Trek Domane Carbon SL5 Shimano Di2
“Upgrades Handle Bar Zipp Sl80 new tape Bar 38 Cable Free.
New Specialized Gravel tire 38. Tubeless Ready. Comes with the original road tires 28. Extra inner tube and one CO2 with kit. Less 25miles ridden. 100% good conditions.”
Apparently, we’re supposed to pay more than the price of a brand-new bike and play detective just to figure out what we’re buying.

Hey everyone! I know this might be a stretch, but figured I'd give this a shot here.

I'm a 41-year-old gay guy living in Columbia, MD, and I'm looking for someone interested in being the captain (front rider) on my tandem bicycle. I'm blind, so while I can pedal just fine, letting me steer would probably make for a rather exciting ride. 😂

I recently got a tandem, and I'd really love to find someone to get out and enjoy it with. You don't need to own a bike since I've already got that covered!

Ideally, I'd love to find another guy around my age or younger (20s, 30s, or early 40s) who enjoys cycling, being outdoors, and having good conversations. I'm pretty social, love to laugh, and would enjoy finding someone I could ride with regularly, whether that's casual rides around Columbia or eventually some longer rides.

You don't need tandem experience, although being a reasonably confident cyclist is important. We can figure out the tandem-specific stuff together.

I'm not looking for someone to volunteer their time out of sympathy. I'm looking for a genuine cycling buddy, someone who enjoys the experience as much as I do. If we become good friends along the way, even better!

And yes, I'll actually do my share of the pedaling! 😂

If you're interested, feel free to comment or send me a message. I'd love to chat!

Thanks!

Is it ok to use the same axle grease I’ve been using on my cars for the bottom bracket of my bike? If not, what type of grease do you use?

Completed my goal of riding a century.

Rode 100 miles in 6 hrs flat of running time not including 3 hydration stops of roughly 10 minutes each. The group ride took place in Puerto Rico’s north to west coast with some rolling hills. There was a heat advisory for the day (avg. 91 degrees F and heavy cross winds).

I share my observations for anyone attempting this feat. A lot of what I’m about to share has been well-documented.

I’ve been biking regularly for 2 years. In the past 3 months I averaged 150-170 miles a week, 4 times a week. Rides averaging each between 30-60 miles, including hills. I’m about to turn 66 and consider myself fit. I had a 60 miler the week before over the mountains and felt great.

Previous longest ride a year ago had been 78 miles when I cramped badly and didn’t finish. I attribute heat and poor hydration as the main causes.

You’ve all heard this before but hydration and nutrition are key for successful completion.

There’s no way you are able to carry by yourself on the bike all you need. You have to make stops to hydrate/nutrition and use the bathroom. Plan ahead if you ride alone.

For this ride I had a large 24 oz main bottle and a smaller 14 oz. Overall I drank 3 or 4 full main bottles with Liquid IV electrolyte solution, 6 14 oz water bottles during hydration stops and at least 2 Gatorades. For nutrition I carried in my shirt raisins/prunes/and 2 Belvita breakfast cookies. I also had power gels and fig bars.

Worked well to rest 4 gels in the top tube for easy pick up.

On the bike I took sips every 15 minutes and had something to eat on the go every 30 minutes. There were 3 hydration stops with the group during which I stretched, and replenished fluids. During the last 20 miles I filled up the smaller water bottle with only water so I could cool myself off.

Last 15 miles were the hardest. Hands/wrists and feet hurt. I felt some discomfort in the seating area. No cramping. No numbness. But far worse was that the mind started to play games. I never thought I couldn’t finish but during one section of the coastal ride I lost focus confusing the section with another part of the coast in the east. This disorientation lasted for 30 seconds but left me surprised. Felt safe to keep following the group leader.

I had not planned for the extreme heat. 91 F air temperature and 104 F on the road are not jokes. Staying hydrated is the priority.

The pacing of an experienced group ride leader worked great. You have to bike slower than you would a 40 or even a 60 mile ride. I rode mostly in zones 2-3. Never in the threshold. I never surged and conserved energy throughout.

My Trek Madone sl7 gen 8 worked beautifully and is as comfortable as I had hoped for. Lucky to have had no flats (I run light butyl tubes on Conti GP5000’s).

Would do it again!

I know that some companies invest in mountain bike trails such as Trek, SRAM, and Shimano, but I don't get why they don't seem to show up to try and make cities safe places to bike in. It's literally core to their business of selling bikes. Most of us here may all like our fancy kit but that's not the shit that keeps the lights on. Maybe they're doing this work, but I have yet to see a single major manufacturer put their weight behind cycling infrastructure. And if it has happened around you, who was it and what was the project?

Been biking around a lot more recently, but I'm starting to be convinced people just get enraged seeing bikes.

I normally bike on the sidewalk (legal where I live) because it's generally safer than the road because I dismount when it's crowded, stop at stop signs, dismount at crosswalks, all that sort. And I got cursed out this morning even when I slowed down, gave a warning I was passing, and went entirely around the guy onto the nearby grass anyway to be extra sure.

Sure, I can get on the road, but then I have to deal with cars honking at me for being slow, having people shout things as they drive pass (already happened several times), and all the insanity of that.

Am I crazy? Not really feeling like I have a lot of options and I don't exactly like pissing people off...

I don't know much about bike mechanics, so this might be a stupid question, but gotta ask.

I've been looking a† titanium bodies, but instead of buying a prebuilt one, I started wondering if I could get a custom frame and just transfer the parts from the current Domane, mainly because I am struggling to find the right geometry for me and the current Domane 50 size fits me perfectly.

Is this within the realm of possibility at all? If so, what should I be asking the cutworm frame manufacturer to do? I've been looking at Waltly, for example.

Please don't laugh too much, help this novice here.

I understand I need to swap out the bottom bracket. But is the 1.3mm chainline a major issue? I am also running a record FD, its braze on.

Any other Campagnolo alternatives? I am looking to go with subcompact and shorter arms that can't be found on the older 12 speed stuff. Are they still making the chorus cranks as they have the smaller rings but can't find what I want anywhere in stock

I love white cycling jerseys. They match my bike (white red and black) and my socks and shoes, and they look super clean imo. However, I've finally squeezed into an XS after wearing S my whole cycling life, and they fit much better (if it zips it fits, and there's finally no creases and loose bits of jersey). I'm committed to the XS small life now.

The new problem I've run into now is that my new white XS jerseys are a bit too see-through for my liking. Is this just a thing that is a thing and no one really cares about? I don't mind so much on the bike, but the chest hair being visible feels a bit much on a cafe stop.

I live in Perth, Western Australia, so I'll be cycling in a hotttt climate in summer. Darker colours would be less see-through, but white is going to be the best for heat reflection in the height of summer (I work late nights, so early morning rides before the sun comes up or the heat really kicks in are not really an option most days).

What are people's best solutions for this, while still staying cool (both literally and figuratively)? Shave the chest hair? Deal with it? sleeveless undershirt?

Hello Everyone,

I made a site to keep track of registration and race  dates for Hill Climb events like Mt. Washington, Ascutney, etc.

It is free, has no ads, and is not monetized in any way.

Right now, except for Mt Washington, the site uses last year’s dates.  If you would like to be notified when   registration and race dates are officially confirmed, there’s an optional email box you can drop your address into. Otherwise just periodically check the site.

If there are other Hill Climbing events that I should add, let me know.

The link is in the comment below

It's a Boyd wheelset, but I can't find the model for the life of me. I'm guessing 2010-2013 range? Would really appreciate any help!

https://imgur.com/a/pn0EXCA

I just bought a used Saris H3 without end caps assuming Saris delivers replacement parts to the UK - they do not - and I can’t see any alternatives online.

Does anyone know how I can acquire the right 142mm thru-axle end caps in the UK? Or have I just bought an expensive paperweight?

This march im doing a 400 miles gravel park race, east texas showdown.

The one piece of gear I'm stumped on are lights. I'm going to try to ride straight through the night. This may be the only time I do something like this so not ready to commit to a dynamo.

My current lights I only use for riding ~1.5 hours at night or the start of a morning ride.

So I'll need a way to have enough light for riding safe and going all night. Open to just swapping lights or finding lights with swappable batteries.

Just want to get some recommendations.

Edit: Just now reading about bottle dynamos. Does anyone have experience with that?

I am into road cycling for ~2 years and would like to know if there is any piece of equipment for up to 120€ (or $) you got that really changed how you trained
It can't be more expensive than that but if its around that amount I can try to find a deal somewhere.

The equipment I already use (that I therefore won't need)
- bike computer
- clipless pedals
- glasses, helmet
- bibs and shirt
- good tires

I am considering getting a heart rate strap or sport watch, however I am wondering if it's worth it and maybe there is some product I haven't considered yet.

For context: I am from Germany and you can collect points for your health insurance by doing sport, getting vaccines, etc. Those points you can use to buy sport equipment, pay for medical tests (and some other stuff that isn't important to mention). The product you buy can't be more expensive than the points collected, hence the restriction to 120€. The points are only valid until the end of the year, which is why I can't collect more.

anybody knows how wide they actually are? in mm

currently have lake mx 169 in 44, pretty nice, but want to go to BOA and Carbon sole shoes now.

Have in eye shimano rx 910 wide 44

but theres no chart with mm in wide

Hi everybody,

I’m looking to purchase an indoor bike trainer and although I did some research to see whether the cog + click or the cassette is better suited for me, I’m still conflicted on which to buy.

Do you guys have any opinion or personal experience on which is best? Or are there no difference?

Thank you so much everybody!

I want to add upper body movement to my stationary bike like how air bikes have those handles, i can't find any attachments though.

I’m new to the cycling world, but my friends are gradually trying to introduce me to it. I’m particularly interested in the Sava A7L. It looks fantastic, and the specifications appear to be very high-end. Should I wait for a Black Friday sale or purchase it at the current price of $1650?

Cannondale closing its Connecticut HQ and laying off employees. It's Dutch factory will also close. Part of a move by the parent company to consolidate its bike brands (Cervelo, Santa Cruz, and Cannondale).

https://www.cyclingnews.com/cycling-tech-components/cannondales-connecticut-hq-to-close-with-the-global-headquarters-moving-to-the-netherlands/

Hi all,

I’m generally a runner (don’t kill me) but I am interested in getting into cycling. My dad is very into cycling and it would be a good way to spend time together. I would also have the ultimate goal of an iron man 70.3 but making cycling a lifelong sport as well. My dad and a friend are saying I should go with the x lab RS7, which is around $2800 where I live. Do you think this would be overkill and should I get something cheaper to make sure I enjoy it prior to spending the extra money? More like the $1500 range would feel better from a financial standpoint but people are saying I’d want to upgrade stuff later anyways and to just get the better bike. Any help is appreciated!

TLDR is the X lab RS7 too much bike for a beginner?

Been cycling for a few years, and bought my first ever new bike. The bike itself is just fine, i just don’t know that it’s worth what I paid. I’ve never spent that much money on myself at one time, and I keep seeing completely adequate bikes on FB marketplace for half what I paid. I guess it’s just a learning experience, but hoping to hear I’m not alone in this.

Hi Bikies!

How do you clean the parts of your bike that get stained with grease, street dirt dark stain (obviously, without ruining the paint) like near your front crank and derailleur? I have tried with Clean Green and all that, and do not want to put mineral spirits or degreaser on my paint, unless there is some technique to do this safely?

Thanks!

I currently own a Cannondale SuperSix EVO SE that I absolutely love. SRAM Force AXS gearset, It’s a fantastic bike, but the reality is that about 90% of my riding is on pavement.
I recently swapped the original 38mm gravel tires for 32mm Continental GP5000s, which should make it an even better road bike.

I’ve been looking at dedicated road bikes like the Cannondale SuperSix EVO and Canyon Aeroad, and I’ve been tempted to pull the trigger.

I know my current bike is already more than capable of handling everything I throw at it. I’m not racing competitively, and I realize the limiting factor is probably the rider, not the equipment.
But I love cycling, I appreciate nice equipment, and the idea of having a dedicated road bike alongside my gravel bike is appealing.
For those of you who own both a high-end gravel bike and a dedicated road bike, was the second bike actually worth it? Did you notice a meaningful difference in performance and riding experience, or did you eventually find yourself favoring one over the other?

Another option I’ve been seriously considering is building a high-end steel road bike from the ground up. Something with a beautiful, classic steel frame but modern components, like SRAM Force or RED AXS, deep-section carbon wheels, and a modern saddle. I really like the contrast between traditional skinny steel tubing and aggressive modern racing components. It would probably cost just as much as buying another high-end carbon bike, but there’s something appealing about choosing every component myself and building a bike that’s uniquely mine. Plus, it would be a completely different addition to the collection rather than just another carbon bike.

Please note, the bike is sold as a single speed. If you want to use it as a fixed-gear, it has a flip/flop compatible rear hub. To switch to fixed-gear mode, you need to buy the screw-on fixed cog (24 TPI threading, 1.37” diameter, standard) and the locknut (24 TPI, 1.29” diameter). Then turn the wheel. You can get these spare parts on our website or in stores at one of our workshops.

That’s the bike specifications for a Decathlon single speed bike. What does all this mean? Thanks.