what exactly are we supposed to look at in the photo? the speck by the C?

The tear near the rim

Is it a tear or just excess rubber from when the tire was manufactured?

I don't know if it's actually threading underneath it, but I see something like that. Doesn't seem like excess rubber but more like actual tears. These tires have been sitting for a while is it possible that this could happen if not taken cared for?

It looks to me like the thin strip of rubber that covers the bead is peeling up slightly. I've seen quite a few tires do that and don't think you should worry too much about it.

Every Conti GP4000 I have used was like that

every conti i owned has done that

Alright, thanks!

Good. Thats happening to my gp4ks also.

ccccccccccccccombo breaker

quickest c-c-c-c-ombo breaker in internet history.

dont even worry about it.

sorry, i mean i'm using 28, but i'm using weinmann DP18 wheels.

That's absolutely nothing to worry about. That's just how conti made the tire, the inner material overlaps with the outside. It's like the bane of everwear's cracking over time but for contis. I've been riding my ancient gatorskin for the past 2 years like that, but worse and all around the tire on both sides and it just wouldn't die; it shouldn't affect it's life either considering the bead of the tire is solidly encased all around with the rubber of the tire. It starts with a gradual unraveling of whatever is holding that together at first and it spreads to the entire circumference of the tire eventually.

Dear Scrod, is it sacrilege to run black bars with a silver stem?

I'd imagine that once you tape the bars very little of the bars will be left showing making it less of a problem

/notscrod

Dear Scrod,

I currently ride an old (2002?) fuji track that i put a threadless track fork on (30mm rake). it has road geometry, ~73/73 degree angles. been looking at a new frame, maybe a bikeisland kilo tt, i get bored real quick =(

what differences, if any, will i see with the kilo tt's tighter geometry?

Yo Scrod, I need bike mechanic advice.

I just recently swapped my dura-ace cranks to a new bike. Cranked down the bolts, it developed play in the NDS crank arm. I kept trying to crank the bolt down, no matter how tight it was the arm still moved. I eventually figured out that it was the drive side arm being loose that caused the play. After tightening it every 4 or so miles the drive side would loosen up. Today I finally applied some blue lock-tite but I'm wondering if this is a specific problem IE, BB, Crank bolts, damaged arms that I could resolve to ensure this wont happen again

Unless it was a beater, I most likely wouldn't do it.

My first guess is that the interfaces on your crank arms are damaged from a combination of riding while they are loose and ham-fisted overtightening.

Scrod,

My mother-in-law asked my son "what is retrogression?" because he has one of the stickers on his helmet.
My son's reply - "Clint Eastwood."

Profit.

That rules. Expect to see a new shirt with ol' Clint's pic on it very soon. He may even be wearing corpse paint.

Scrod,

What relation do Clint Eastwood and the word 'retrogression' have? Am I just missing something?