Bike Forums - Good Source of Information

There may be some folks here not familiar with the rec.bicycles USENET newsgroups, and the extensive FAQ that they keep in reference concerning all sorts of biking info.

Anyway, just in case not everyone knows about it, here is the FAQ URL:

http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/index.html

These are the covered topics

1 Introduction

2 Index

3 Administrivia
3.1 Abbreviations
3.2 Gopher and World Wide Web access
3.3 Archives
3.4 Posting Guidelines
3.5 Electronic Mailing lists
3.6 Posting Guidelines for rec.bicycles.marketplace

4 Rides
4.1 Maps
4.2 Touring supplies
4.3 Taking a bike on Amtrak
4.4 Travel with bicycles - Air/Rail/Other
4.5 Warm Showers List
4.6 Touring Europe Guide
4.7 More information on Amtrak and Bicycles
4.8 Getting Weather Information

5 Racing
5.1 Tour de France Jerseys
5.2 Major Tour Winners 1947-1990
5.3 Rating the Tour de France Climbs
5.4 How to follow the Tour de France
5.5 Tour de France Time Limits
5.6 Tour de France Points Jersey Competition
5.7 Bicycle Racing Movies
5.8 Guide to Spectating at the Tour de France

6 Social
6.1 Bicycling in America
6.2 League of American Bicyclists
6.3 Rules for trail riding
6.4 Commuting - Is it possible for me to commute by bike?
6.5 Commuting - How do I choose a route?
6.6 Commuting - Do I really need to look that goofy?
6.7 Commuting - Do cyclists breathe more pollution than motorists?

7 Marketplace
7.1 Marketplace hints/guidelines
7.2 Bike Trailers
7.3 One Less Car T-Shirts
7.4 Panniers and Racks
7.5 Clothing materials
7.6 Seats
7.7 Women's Saddles
7.8 Women's Bikes
7.9 Bike Rentals
7.10 Bike Lockers
7.11 Bike computer features
7.12 Recumbent Bike Info
7.13 Buying a Bike
7.14 Kid's Bike Clothes
7.15 Repair stands
7.16 Updated Bike Locker listing
7.17 Electric Bikes
7.18 Cycling loaded: bags, panniers, and trailers

8a Tech General
8a.1 Technical Support Numbers
8a.2 Using a Quick Release
8a.3 Workstands
8a.4 Workstands 2
8a.5 Working on a Bicycle Upside-down
8a.6 Where to buy tools
8a.7 Common Torque Values
8a.8 WD-40
8a.9 Sheldon Brown's web pages

8b Tech Tires
8b.1 Patching Tubes
8b.2 Mounting Tires
8b.3 Snakebite flats
8b.4 Blowouts and Sudden Flats
8b.5 Blown Tubes
8b.6 Tube Failure in Clinchers
8b.7 More Flats on Rear Tires
8b.8 Tube and Tire Casing Repair
8b.9 Presta Valve Nuts
8b.10 Rim Tape Summary
8b.11 Talcum Powder for Tubes and Tires
8b.12 ETRTO numbers for tire sizes
8b.13 Tires with smooth tread
8b.14 Rolling resistance of Tires
8b.15 Wiping Tires
8b.17 Clinchers vs. Tubulars
8b.18 Tubular Fables
8b.19 Tubular Tire Repair
8b.20 Gluing Sew-up Tires
8b.21 Another way to glue sewup tires
8b.22 Folding a Tubular Tire
8b.23 Coiling a Wire Bead Clincher
8b.24 Measuring the circumference of a wheel
8b.25 What holds the rim off the ground?
8b.26 Making a tubular tire
8b.27 Things to check after a flat
8b.28 Mounting Tubular Tires
8b.29 Presta vs Schrader valves

8c Tech Wheels
8c.1 Stress Relieving Spokes
8c.2 Anodized vs. Non-anodized Rims
8c.3 Reusing Spokes
8c.4 Ideal Tire Sizes
8c.5 Tied and Soldered Wheels
8c.6 Machined rims
8c.7 Wheel Bearing adjustment

8d Tech Chains
8d.1 Lubricating Chains
8d.2 Chain care, wear and skipping
8d.3 Adjusting Chain Length
8d.4 Hyperglide chains
8d.5 SACHS Power-links

8e Tech Frames
8e.1 Bike pulls to one side
8e.2 Frame Stiffness
8e.3 Frame repair
8e.4 Frame Fatigue
8e.5 Frames "going soft"
8e.6 Inspecting your bike for potential failures
8e.7 Frame materials
8e.8 Bottom Bracket Drop
8e.9 Bent Frames
8e.10 Aligning a Fork
8e.11 Stuck Handlebar Stem

8f Tech Moving Parts
8f.1 SIS Adjustment Procedure
8f.2 SIS Cable Info
8f.3 STI/Ergo Summary
8f.4 Cassette or Freewheel Hubs
8f.5 Cassette or Freewheel Hubs take 2
8f.6 "Sealed" Bearings
8f.7 Ball Bearing Grades
8f.8 Bottom Bracket Bearing adjustment
8f.9 Crank noises
8f.10 Cracking/Breaking Cranks
8f.11 Installing Cranks
8f.12 Biopace chainrings
8f.13 Indexed Steering
8f.14 Roller Head Bearings
8f.15 Brakes from Skid Pads to V-brakes
8f.16 Brake Squeal
8f.17 Electronic Shifting
8f.18 Bearing Seals
8f.18 Sturmey-Archer 3-Speed Hubs

8g Tech Accessories
8g.1 Milk Jug Mud Flaps
8g.2 Storing NiCad Batteries

8h Tech Ergonomics
8h.1 Seat adjustments
8h.2 Cleat adjustments
8h.3 Adjusting SPD Cleats
8h.4 SPD cleat compatability
8h.5 Shimmy or Speed Wobble
8h.6 Soft Bicycle Saddles
8h.6 Black vs White Helmet - Thermal Test
8h.8 Ankling, a pedaling style

8i Tech Misc
8i.1 Weight = Speed?
8i.2 Traffic detector loops
8i.3 The Continuously Variable Transmission
8i.4 Alenax Bicycle
8i.5 Stuck Pedal Removal
8i.6 Removing Pedals
8i.7 Bikecurrent FAQ
8i.8 Fretting damage in Bicycle Mechanics

9 Misc
9.1 Books and Magazines
9.2 Mail Order Addresses
9.3 Road Gradient Units
9.4 Helmet FAQ now on-line
9.5 Terminology
9.6 Avoiding Dogs
9.7 Shaving Your Legs
9.8 Contact Lenses and Cycling
9.9 How to deal with your clothes
9.10 Pete's Winter Cycling Tips
9.11 Nancy's Cold/Wet Cycling Tips
9.12 Studded Tires
9.13 Cycling Myths
9.14 Descending I
9.15 Descending II
9.16 Trackstands
9.17 Front Brake Usage
9.18 Slope Wind, the Invisible Enemy
9.19 Reflective Tape
9.20 Nutrition
9.21 Nuclear Free Energy Bar Recipe
9.22 Powerbars Recipe
9.23 Calories burned by cycling
9.24 Road Rash Cures
9.25 Knee problems
9.26 Cycling Psychology
9.27 Mirrors
9.28 ==> Powerbars NO more ---> homemade -- YES!!!
9.29 Lower back pain
9.30 Saddle Sores
9.31 Group Riding Tips
9.32 Riding in echelon
9.33 Mirrors II
9.34 Thorns aka Puncture Vine
9.35 Gyroscopic Forces
9.36 Going over the bars
9.37 Yet another powerbar recipe
9.38 Custom Jerseys
9.39 Iliotibial Band Syndrome and Patelar Tendonitis
9.40 Staying up in a crash
9.41 Applying Merlin Decals

10 Off-Road
10.1 Suspension Stems
10.2 MTB FAQ available
10.3 Installing new rear derailleur spring
10.4 A Brief History of the Mountain Bike
10.5 The Mike Vandeman FAQ
10.6 Ode to a Usenet Kook

There is good background info on the TdF and climb ratings.