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What is the single most useful tip you've learned on BikeForums?

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Old 10-22-14, 02:55 PM
  #26  
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I've learned a heck of a lot. BF inspired me to collect and restore and resell (flip) bikes, though I don't do it any more. Best of all, I've made some true, real-life friends. Only problem is, I wonder where they are now. Oh well.

If I have to list a single fact, it's that Panaracer still makes very nice tires. I learned of the Pasela here, and I like it a lot.
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Old 10-22-14, 02:58 PM
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chamois cream BEFORE embrocation
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Old 10-22-14, 03:00 PM
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Don't fall in love with French bikes.
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Old 10-22-14, 03:04 PM
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Don't mention H--mets.

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Old 10-22-14, 03:15 PM
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That tubing and pedigree are not necessarily guarantees of bike enjoyment.
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Old 10-22-14, 03:24 PM
  #31  
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All bikes are pretty much the same and have been for > 100 years. The big differences are mostly in the minds of the nitpickers.
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Old 10-22-14, 03:28 PM
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I've also learned not to read noglider's signature.
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Old 10-22-14, 03:29 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by gaucho777
For me it's a toss-up between the powers of oxalic acid and Khatfull's Aluminum Polishing thread.
+1 on Khatfull, and for me the most often used tip is the use of aluminum foil to remove rust!

And one other thing - that there is this great community of people out there that you can turn to for help when you need it.....thanks all of you for your help and guidance over the years!
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Old 10-22-14, 04:05 PM
  #34  
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How to do an STI conversion , and also, how to buy a great bike for $50 or less !
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Old 10-22-14, 04:05 PM
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Cinelli

..and how to talk to girls.
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Old 10-22-14, 04:14 PM
  #36  
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Aim for squirrels---that's what they expect a predator to do. Try to avoid them, and they may end up in your spokes. I forget who posted that tip, but it's golden.
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Old 10-22-14, 04:35 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by upthywazzoo
That tubing and pedigree are not necessarily guarantees of bike enjoyment.
That I don't need the latest and greatest high tech bike.
A C&V dumpster dive bike can be just as fun, and surprisingly competitive.

It's the motor, not the bike.
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Old 10-22-14, 04:47 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Squeeze
I've also learned not to read noglider's signature.
This thread is better than it looks from the outside!
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Old 10-22-14, 04:58 PM
  #39  
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Best tip?
Sheldon Brown dot com.
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Old 10-22-14, 05:09 PM
  #40  
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I can't remember which of these I learned here as compared to the bits I knew already, but these are most appreciated:

Posting about what touch up color should I use for a _____ and getting a perfect answer
Retro roadies with shimergo
8 of 9 on 7
OA
Experienced opinions on tires before buying
Seat of the pants comparisons of tubesets from Reynolds, Columbus, Ishiwata, Tange, Vitus, etc
Drop bar MTB's
How to patch latex tubes
Using your gloved hand to knock sticky stuff off your tires before a flat
Half stepping in a modern world
Talc
The dollar bill trick

I'm sure there are others I've forgotten...
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Old 10-22-14, 05:13 PM
  #41  
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I learned how to do standard maintenance and overhauling procedures.

I'm not very mechanically inclined, but with the assistance of many very helpful forum members, I'm not afraid to take on many tasks.
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Old 10-22-14, 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by auchencrow
x2
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Old 10-22-14, 06:10 PM
  #43  
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Old 10-22-14, 06:21 PM
  #44  
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I learned to always keep a tab open to urban dictionary to decipher the abbreviations.
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Old 10-22-14, 06:38 PM
  #45  
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Bikes are cool, even the dumb ones.
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Old 10-22-14, 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by thenomad
chamois cream BEFORE embrocation
Wut
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Old 10-22-14, 07:08 PM
  #47  
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Don't worry if you miss a good deal. There is another one about to happen....
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Old 10-22-14, 07:21 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by upthywazzoo
That tubing and pedigree are not necessarily guarantees of bike enjoyment.
This. My favorite bike right now is hi-ten throughout.

On a similar note, that Schwinn made bikes below 45 pounds that weren't Paramounts (and that they made bikes below even 24 pounds that weren't Paramounts) Nobody ever told me about the Volares, the Super Le Tours, The Voyageurs, or any of the chromoly bikes form the 80's, and I rarely see any of them on the streets. Now I look out for these.

-That fabric tape over cork is incredibly comfortable

-How to tape your bars in two different directions so the edges never roll (this one is so important that I'm in the midst of re-taping all my bikes to be like this. I taped one bike in one direction recently and regretted it the same day.)
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Old 10-22-14, 07:43 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by cobrabyte
do tell...
It's surprisingly hard to put into words how the drivetrain noise changes according to whether it needs to be trimmed right or left. Maybe it's a difference of timbre? I would say that when RD needs to be trimmed left (toward larger cogs), the sound has more treble. When it needs to be trimmed right (toward smaller cogs) it has more bass. There also seem to be differences in the frequency of whatever clicking noise might occur.

It's probably more complicated than this, but I've found that simply knowing a difference exists, and then listening to the drivetrain accordingly, allows you judge the trim direction pretty accurately.

Maybe someone else can articulate this better. Anyway here's a picture of the bike I was riding while thinking about this.
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Old 10-22-14, 08:13 PM
  #50  
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learnt that: NDS shot of a bike is pretty useless

Last edited by orangeology; 10-22-14 at 08:17 PM.
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