I ride with Speedplay Zero pedals/cleats. I believe they're so named because of their zero-resistance float. You can adjust their range (heel in and heel out limits), and within that range your foot has unrestricted movement. One reason I chose this setup is because of the conventional belief that solid (no-float) clipless pedals can cause chronic knee problems. I don't know if they actually do, but I trust that these won't hurt my knees, and I'm really happy with them on two of my bikes. FWIW, I wear Fizik shoes, and I'm very pleased with them too.

klhada, I hope you get it figured out. There's nothing wrong with toe straps, but clipless is so much better overall.

I'd go Cutthroat if you're looking at singletrack style riding, maybe some bikepacking, more gnarly trails.

I'd go Warbird if you were just looking for a gravel bike for fireroads, light touring, less gnarly trails.

The Cutthroat looks like you could throw flat bars on it and ride it like a mtb if you wanted to, but turning those huge tires on light gravel or bike trails would get old fast and I'd want something speedier.

Anyone know if the Sram doubletap brake hoods will fit on the S500s? I can't seem to find replacements online.

Yes they will, you need the non-hydro version.

Both the smooth hoods from the 10-speed generation (originally supplied) and the newer 22 hoods (with the textured top webbing) will fit.

Can anyone attest to whether a 55 or 58 cm Bianchi San Jose is a better fit for a 6'-tall, shorter legged, longer torso person? I swear that bike has the most perplexing geometry on the planet.

*looks at geometry chart* ...Pass.

^Yep, it's a head scratcher.

Ah thank you. Textured might be worth a try.

I'm missing a race for the sugino 75bb...can I pack the bb with loose ball bearings without the race? Would that mess up the spindle?

Worst case scenario I buy the tange bb or sugino 75 sealed bb....but this would save me money if I can pack without the race.

You're missing a cage, not a race. The race is the grooved surface (in the case of loose bearings: one in the cup, one on the cone) that the balls roll against.

You can install a loose ball bottom bracket without cages, no problem. You just need to use plenty of grease to hold the balls in place in the cup during installation. The only catch is that you have to add extra balls (I think two*, in the case of the Sugino) to make up for the extra space left over since the cage fingers are no longer taking up space between the balls. The good news is that you can buy top of the line grade 25 balls cheaply and easily, for example here. Go ahead and replace all the balls at once instead of adding to the old balls; otherwise you risk uneven rolling/wear with a mixed set.

*You want about one ball's width left over when the balls are packed around the cup race.

Thank you for the correction. I already bought 20ct 1'4" grade 10 loose ball bearings about a week ago. So you're saying I should replace the bearings on the other cage as well? Good to know that I'm able to pack it without the cage.

Is white lighting grease okay to pack the bearings in the bb?

Ah, I thought you still had the balls from the missing race (dunno why I thought that), so I meant to totally replace them instead of just adding to them on that side. It's not strictly necessary to replace the balls on the other side, but I probably would. In fact, I'd probably go cageless on that side too, to keep things balanced.

You just want a good, waterproof grease, so White Lightning will work well. Good luck!

Ah good call on the cage less on the other side! Thanks again scoho! I'll see what I can do haha

what are the tools I need to buy in order to take apart and service an older threaded headset? I tried a quick google search and even parktool's site but it wasn't explicit plus they basically ignored the "threaded" word in my search.

Depends on how fancy you want to get. You can buy headset wrenches in the specific size of you top lock nut, or you can get away with using a large crescent (adjustable) wrench. Some of the top races have wrench flats of a different size than the lock nut so you need a wrench to hold that as well (during assembly). But some top races have knurled edges instead of wrench flats, and those can be held with a big pair of channel locks.

Most likely you will need a 32mm spanner for the upper adjustable cup, such as the Park HCW-15, which also has a 36mm at the other end. As squid said, just use a large crescent wrench for the top lock nut.

Hmm, when I brought my bike in to the shop to get the headset inspected and replaced, i coulda swore i saw him use some sort of hook shaped tool with a notch on the end to loosen something (lockring of some sort?)

Was also thinking of getting this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A2RNBXAVQ4OOHG
which should be helpful for pretty much everything, yes? Or is having a individual blue handled one of each more elegant?

Those wrenches are for working on your hubs and are way too small for your headset. Did you read my post ?

I did but wasn't looking at numbers apparently. Duly noted. (we still need the small wrenches for both mine and my wife's wheels though heh)

Yeah those are for your hub cones. They are made very thin for that purpose. They don't hold up well to being cranked on, so don't use those for regular nuts.

need a new SS freewheel. 17t i think. i only have experience with my ACS crossfire that the LBS got for me. what other brands are out there and readily avialable? amazon prime is helpful.

Can we get a picture? There are many different kinds of old threaded headsets and not all of them use the 32mm. As you have seen, your mechanic had to use a lockring wrench on it. And as Squidpuppet said, some don't even have wrench flats. But you say you want to replace it, so this may mean nothing because a new headset will take the 32mm wrench.

I will take a pic when I get it back from the LBS. They are currently replacing the headset. But I want to be able to do it in the future, and I also have another even older threaded one (1974 Raleigh - project bike) that I will need to service in the coming months.

This reminds me of Shimano's headsets with scalloped locknuts which I had to deal with recently.

You can actually do this with the 32mm end of either the HCW-7/-15, no need to buy the obscure specific tool. Just don't hamfist it.

Since I'm upgrading my entire drivetrain, what would make a good, servicable 1/8" chain with a quicklink?

(time to stop talking about this and place the order already!)