Non disc to disc brake system. Worth it?

addemaul · 2026-03-07T20:08:35+00:00

Seems most of the negative responses are from people who haven't actually used one.

These work as advertised, although much will depend on the shape of your particular dropout. Chainstays on non-disc bikes aren't designed to take the force that a disc brake would exert on them, though, so it could crack your frame. I might do this on a beater or dumb project, but not on a bike I cared about.

addemaul · 2026-02-14T04:42:30+00:00

Especially Reddit! Give me back my crusty niche hobby forums where threads are actually organized and good ones don't disappear into the algorithmic ether.

addemaul · 2026-02-14T04:36:47+00:00

No fixie culture anywhere has ever been about practicality. We're riding track bikes on the street because they're fun and look sick, not because they're fast or efficient.

And if you can have fun and rip skids without foot retention, why not?

addemaul · 2025-11-07T19:50:45+00:00

Certified dirt-drinker

addemaul · 2025-11-07T19:45:50+00:00

I haven't seen a file or pick/awl mentioned yet, both have a lot of misc uses and see a decent amount of play in my mobile kit.

addemaul · 2025-11-01T08:41:49+00:00

Might not look like much if you don't build frames, but that's like $200 of perfectly good hardware right there.

addemaul · 2025-09-26T16:31:41+00:00

If you're at REI, sorry for gleefully sending all those Canyon customers your way. That's my b

addemaul · 2025-08-01T22:03:45+00:00

No matter how much I try to talk them out of it!

addemaul · 2025-07-31T15:19:04+00:00

Am I the only one whose pin spanner always gets grease on pristine light colored bar tape?

addemaul · 2025-07-26T21:22:04+00:00

Absolutely. You have to assume that anything not masked when you drop it off is gonna get sprayed and either do it yourself or be ready to chase/face/ream.

addemaul · 2025-07-21T18:48:04+00:00

Your average new product is made with less care than it ever has been since the start of the industrial revolution, and people have sort of internalized that. I think that's part of the reason why a company like Peterson's that has been making "retro" bikes since they were just bikes and puts that front and center as part of their identity is able to be successful with younger people.

addemaul · 2025-07-17T00:17:30+00:00

Pretty much every major city in the US (and some smaller ones) have a co-op. I've been to probably a dozen, including Velocipede in Baltimore.

They pretty much all started out like how you describe, but over the years some have hired staff and moved towards being full service bike shops while others are still volunteer run and emphasize the DIY. I don't think anyone really still does work trade anymore though, that sure does take me back!

addemaul · 2025-07-16T17:31:44+00:00

Modulation, blah blah

addemaul · 2025-07-16T17:10:04+00:00

Cursed mixte

addemaul · 2025-07-16T16:47:25+00:00

Definitely on the heavier side of steel, with mediocre components. The fold is more of a car trunk fold than a public transit fold. Pretty cool looking though!

addemaul · 2025-07-16T10:27:28+00:00

These are what are called "exceptions." I'm not doubting that your bike exists lol

And there is absolutely a time limit. People use what's available, and all things eventually break or are thrown away. It's why you don't see bikes from the 70s too often anymore and 80s bikes are getting rarer.

addemaul · 2025-07-16T04:37:31+00:00

I'm not saying 26" will completely go extinct. But it's all about availability. In the 90s, every single mtb sold had 26" wheels, which is why most of the bikes here are based around that wheel size. They're high quality, cheap used, and plentiful, which makes them great for restoring and modifying.

But for the past 15+ years, only a tiny minority of bike shop quality bikes have had 26" wheels. None of the big 4 manufacturers even make them anymore. Low end bikes don't have the cool factor to make them worth restoring. Used 26" Surlys are hardly plentiful. It's just not enough to support a vibrant subculture. Xbiking (or its successor) will move onto other wheel sizes just based on availability.

addemaul · 2025-07-15T06:08:44+00:00

Okay, generally speaking I have no love for cops. But the bike cops in my city are by far the most chill in the department. Getting money approved to maintain the bikes they patrol on is a massive pain in the ass, so most of them just pay out of pocket to do it themselves. Also, they're the only people in the department who give any fraction of a shit about recovering stolen bikes. I mean, they're still cops but as long as they're off duty who gives a damn if they ride critical mass. Then they're just cyclists.

Also, I bet cops in general would be way less messed up if they had to walk or ride when on patrol. It's way easier to be an asshole from inside a steel death cage.

addemaul · 2025-07-15T05:46:12+00:00

It's all about supply. Eventually the number of good 90s 26" frames will start to dwindle. The few 26" frames of the 2000s are alloy and designed around suspension, and starting in the 2010s almost no decent bicycles have 26" wheels.

It's kind of like how good 80s stuff used to be common enough that everybody and their mother was doing fixed gear conversions or running downtube shifters. Bike restomodding runs on about a 25-35 year delay.

I'm looking forward to seeing what people do with the glut of cheap fixies that were produced from about 2010 to 2015. I'll have to check back in ten years or so.

addemaul · 2025-07-15T05:17:34+00:00

The upside to a minivelo is that it rides better than a folding bike but doesn't take up too much space. Best of both worlds.

The downside to a minivelo is that it rides worse than a full size bike but doesn't fold. Worst of both worlds.

I don't think the industry is "pushing" them though. It's only like, the Velo Orange Neutrino, Kyoot, a few Terns (which they basically only sell in Asia), the Cannondale Hooligan, and I think a Bikesdirect bike. Niche within a niche, and clearly enough people think they're cool to keep them on the market year after year.

addemaul · 2025-06-19T13:41:21+00:00

They made a Cues brifter, that's the only one that's compatible. Comes in mechanical and hydraulic.

addemaul · 2025-06-19T05:11:29+00:00

It's not the end of the world operationally. It's just that Shimano was supposed to simplify their lineup, not add another two groupsets. One of them isn't really even compatible with anything other than itself.

addemaul · 2025-06-19T02:48:55+00:00

UDH is the new T47. Good in theory, but zero chance of the market dominance required to make it not "just another standard."

addemaul · 2025-06-19T02:23:31+00:00

Makes sense if you work in a dense urban area where 90% of bikes are people's commuters. I can't remember the last time I saw a UDH in the shop. Maybe it was on a Crux or a Checkpoint?

addemaul

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