Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley As you may already know if you’ve been reading this column for awhile, my wife Deb and I do a fair amount of RVing. As I type this we’re enjoying the lovely rolling hills, lush fields and forests in Missouri. Every day on our RV adventures I try to get out for a ride. Usually the bikes travel on a hitch rack at the back of the RV protected by a zip-up Formosa 2-Bike cover, which I reviewed back when I bought it. I highly recommend a cover like this that fully zips up because you never know what the weather or route holds for you. Only a short dirt road detour will cover your two wheelers in dust if they’re not fully covered. I’ve also reviewed the three hitch racks we’ve used over our RVing years. Both with our Lazy Daze Class C RV we have now and with our previous rig a Roadtrek Agile SS Class B built on the Mercedes Sprinter platform. Here are those reviews in case you’re in need of a nice hitch rack: Kuat NV Rack Hollywood Racks TRS Rack And the one we use now, the Saris Edge For this trip where we’re driving from our home in Santa Cruz, California, around Missouri and then heading back on Route 66 to California, we decided to leave Deb’s Specialized Levo e-bike at home (because she didn’t think there’d be time to ride it – too many planned activities). So, with only my Trek Checkpoint gravel bike along, it made a lot of sense to store it inside the motorhome, especially because the second bed on most Class C motorhomes that’s directly above the driver and passenger seats up front is just the right size to accept it. The only thing is, that in order to get it up there and down from there easily for my daily rides, the front wheel needs to come off. You should be able to make out how nicely the bike fits up there in the photo. Don’t worry it’s strapped in place and can’t fall. When you carry a bike with disc brakes on most hitch racks, the wheels stay on the bike. This ensures that nothing changes with the disc brake adjustments, unless you have the misfortune of somehow banging into and bending a rotor. But you’ll probably only make that mistake once. In contrast, when you have to remove the wheel or wheels of a bike with disc brakes for traveling, several annoying issues can occur. Experienced disc brake users know what can go wrong and how to avoid it, so if that’s you, after reading my tips, please add any you’d like to share with beginners in a comment. They’ll appreciate it. Do not push down or weigh the bike when removing thru axles to remove wheels. It makes it more difficult to remove the axle and also to install them. Just hold the bike so it can’t fall over as you loosen and remove wheels and reinstall them. I do not recommend turning bikes upside side down or laying them on the side to remove and install wheels. Tip: If you run into a thru axle that will not loosen no matter how hard you try, it’s probably frozen due to dry threads or corrosion. Luckily, most thru axles have hex holes in both ends, which lets you use 2 wrenches to break the axle free. Be sure to turn the wrenches together, and both in the same direction. To do this, stand on the left side of the bike (the non-drivetrain side), turn the wrench on that side counterclockwise to loosen and remove the thru axle. Don’t get confused and turn the wrench on the right side of the bike the other way. Turn it in the same direction as the other wrench. Be sure to put a little lube on the thru axle threads once you get it out so that it won’t freeze again. (But do NOT let any lube get on the rotor.) Do not leave the thru axle laying on the ground after removing the wheel and drive away without it. Instead put it back in the frame of the bike. Just thread it in enough so that it can’t come out on its own. If you crank it down, you could flex the fork or rear stays out of position. Do not leave the removed wheel(s) anywhere it could get damaged. I’ve seen wheels laying on the ground driven over by people not realizing the wheel was under their car. Put it where it’s safe. Do not pack the disc brake wheel(s) any way it could get damaged. In the photo of my Trek inside our RV, I hope you can see that the front wheel has the rotor facing up, and that one pedal protrudes through the spokes. The wheel can’t bounce out and land on top of us when we’re driving this way. But, if I left the wheel like this, the rotor would definitely smack into the pedal damaging the rotor and the pedal might damage the rim or spokes even. So I cover the bike and pedal with a blanket and then rest the wheel on top so it’s padded all around and protected. Do not lay disc wheels down with the disc brake rotor facing the ground. They protrude and can get damaged if they strike something even if it’s the rotor on the other wheel if you’ve removed both. Do not let the disc brake rotors get near anything that has lubrication on it such as the drivetrain parts.If they make contact with lube, be sure to clean the rotors with a solvent before reinstalling the wheels because any lube on the rotors will be transferred to the brake pads, which could ruin your braking. Do not squeeze the brake lever once the wheel(s) is removed. Doing so will put the brake “on” making the brake pads come together and you may not be able to get the wheel back in. If you have a tool like Park’s PS-1 Disc Brake Pad Spreader (or you can make something like it), you can gently wiggle it between the pads to get the needed gap back. Tip: If there’s a chance that the brake levers might get squeezed by someone or somehow, a nice thing to carry is some disc brake pad spacers. These little plastic shims are put in between the brake pads so that the pads won’t close if/when the levers are squeezed. Do not force wheels back into the fork or frame. You might have a short window of time to fit in a ride and be in a rush to put the wheel(s) back on. But, if you try to force them into place, you can ram the rotor into the pads knocking them out of position, or even bend a rotor. Also, the wheel axles need to find “home,” the place where the holes in the axle line up with the holes in the dropouts (frame ends). Everything needs to line up for the thru axle to slide through and thread in. So take your time and watch carefully as you install wheels. Pay attention that the rotor goes between the brake pads and that the axle slips into its seats on both sides. Then without putting any pressure from above on the bike, you can thread in and tighten the thru axle. Do not overtighten thru axles. If you overdo it, you can put too much load on the hub bearings which might lead to premature wear. To get it right, you can go by your bike manufacturer’s recommended torque if you can find it. And if you have a torque wrench along to check. A common range is 10-15 Newton meters. Trek gives 10 Nm for my Trek. I don’t use a torque wrench to tighten thru axles, I go by experience having tightened many. 10 Nm feels like a good firm tightening with a standard 6mm hex key. You can feel that it’ll go further if you really crank it or put your weight into it, which you don’t want to do. As I mentioned earlier, you can make this article even more useful by sharing your traveling with bikes with disc brake tips in a comment. Or just traveling with bikes tips would be helpful too. Thanks in advance. Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
I’ve never seen a thru axle with hex fittings in both ends. 1 of 4 disc brake bikes in our house has the front axle inserted into the wrong (left) side. I rarely get it right when I go to remove that front wheel. With an axle with hex fittings in both ends of just have to turn the axle backwards to remove it. Jim Langleysays
That’s a good point Syborg, thanks. I should have written “some” thru axles have hex holes on both ends. All my bikes do but going back to when thru axles first came along and even today there are lots of different designs you might run into. Thanks! Jim Kenneth Piercesays
I use a small square of plastic styrofoam and wedge it between the brake lever and handle bar. Don’t have to worry about using brake block wedge. Jim Langleysays
That’s a nice tip Kenneth! Thank you! Jim Aarosays
More reasons I refuse to even consider buying a bike with disc brakes. Been traveling for over 20 years with rim brakes, never any issues. None. Brakes always seem to stop me when I need them. Camilosays
Being a regular traveler with bikes, I agree with your comment. We traveled for years in our RV with rim brake bikes. We do have hydraulic disc brake bikes at home, but when we wanted to buy new gravel bikes dedicated to stay with our RV which we keep in another state, I was very hesitant to go that route. At the time it was nearly impossible to buy a rim brake bike in the “gravel/all road” category which we were looking for. So I purchased relatively inexpensive fully mechanical bikes to keep on the RV. Simple mechanical shifting and mechanical disc brakes. The mechanical disc brakes work great – I can’t say they perform any differently than the hydraulic for the type of riding we do. Being mechanical, they’re totally on-the-road repairable with parts and tools that I can keep on hand or find anywhere. No bleeding to be concerned about. No exotic electronic shifting parts. Don’t get me wrong – hydraulic brakes and electronic shifting are great, but not critical and certainly not as simple and easy as mechanical stuff if you’re on the road. Edsays
I have traveled overseas with my padded Airline bike bag and I always remove my rotors- they are center lock! Then wrap them securely in padded wrap. May be an extreme solution – but that way they won’t be damaged. Michael Percysays
Perhaps the best example I have ever read as to why I continue to ride with rim brakes. Why would I opt for a heavier bicycle (unless possibly if you fork out $15-20K), that is far more vulnerable to damage/maladjustment, and more complicated to travel with or repair. Over the 50+ years I have been cycling, road, mountain bike, tandem, I’ve never had a braking issue of consequence. No, I’m not being paid to negotiate 10%+ mountain passes with lots of switchbacks at 60-70mph, and have to brake hard repeatedly at the turns. Nor do I make a habit of riding in torrential rain. I dare say 95% of the riding public has no need for disc brakes either, and I’ll bet a good percentage of those discs are badly in need of adjustment at any given moment. We have taken a simple, elegant, and cost efficient machine, and made it into a ridiculously expensive (for something moderately high end) and heavier complexity with disc brakes and electronic shifting. Feel very sorry for me on my early 2000’s Gerolsteiner team issue Roubaix, and gasp – only ten mechanically shifted cogs to choose from (how can I possibly manage?). Perhaps I have to spend an hour a year on brake maintenance at almost zero cost, and the only battery I have to think about is in my taillight. The consumer is at the mercy of an industry working overtime to make bicycles as complicated and expensive as possible with virtually zero benefit for 99.5% of that market. What would I change on my road bike were I to redesign it? Perhaps to cantilevers, such as on my 1995 Merlin Ti mountain bike – just so I could run wider tires than 28mm. Big Ring Bobsays
Great tip about using two allen wrenches. This Spring our club had the experience of having two riding partners flatting on the road. After figuring out that the lever on the thru axle of a Trek can be removed and used on the other axle, we could not release it. Handle on the tool was just too short. After working at it for 20 or so minutes, we finally got it to loosen up by putting an allen wrench in the right side. Never thought about using two allen wrenches in unison. That was Case 1. Second situation about 3 weeks later and we could not remove the axle on the road. Fortunately, this bike had tubeless and we were able to maintain enough pressure in the tire to get to a bike shop. My observation is that you have hit 3 major maintenance points: 1. Lube the threads very carefully making certain none of the lubricant gets near the brakes. 2. Don’t overtighten the axle when installing. 3. Use two wrenches when it is locked in. In each instance, it was a rear wheel that gave us issues. I suspect that is because they are more subject to the weather and environmental elements. Once every month, I now remove my thru-axles, lightly lube the threads (I use Phil’s) and I do the same for my pedals (another place things can get sticky). Regarding traveling with the bike, I have center-lock rotors, and I remove them from the wheels. I place each one in a kraft envelop to prevent contamination and to also label front and rear. This way I keep the rotors matched with the brake pads they have burned in with. Jim Langleysays
Thanks for sharing your tips Big Ring Bob, great stuff! Jim doug kirksays
No problems with air in the brake lines with rim brakes either. No special tools needed. And now the major suppliers have screwed us rim brake users further: Shimano and SRAM no longer offer electric shifters with cable operated brakes—even cable operated disc brakes. Disc brakes may be the hot ticket for racers but they are a needless and complicated concept that allows manufacturers to raise prices to ridiculous levels. In 1972 a full on Paramount racer with Campy Super Record cost less than $500. Bet you would go 99% as fast as on a $15,000 carbon wonder bike. Nowadays one carbon wheel costs more. Camilosays
Check out Wheeltop electronic shifting groups. They are unique in that they offer a mechanical brake option for the electronic shifting levers. You could then use them with rim brakes or mechanical discs. Another very interesting feature is that the shifting is programmable to the number of sprockets you have. I believe it’s programmable from 6 to 13 speeds. I am very intrigued and will probably get a set next year to try out on one of my road bikes. I have three – one 8 speed and two 10 speeds. There is no other electronic option that I could easily use on any of these. David Champlinsays
that 1972 Paramount actually about $350 (4x the Varsity I bought then!) (https://schwinnbikeforum.com/SLDB/Adobe/1972%20Consumer%20Catalog.pdf) would cost about $4000 in today dollars. Which will get you a pretty decent (not WorldTour level) bike today. My hydraulic disks need much less maintenance than the (many mfg) rim brakes I have had. Obviously different riders but rim brakes almost useless with carbon wheels. especially in the wet. It’s easy to overtighten thru axles. They don’t need to get honked down. See the tiny wrench Trek provides on theirs. Merlinsays
A friend drove me to a recent ride. We both use disk brakes. His bike rack inside of his van was amazing. It would slide out #1. After removing my front wheel and replacing the through axel, he inserted the plastic piece in the disc brake. Then the surprising part. The bike rack had small clamps mounted which would clamp on the through axel to hold the bike upright. We slid the rack back in and away we went! Camilosays
Those are called fork mounts and are available in many different types for thru axle and quick release forks. You can easily make your own fork mount bike carrier for the back of a large SUV or a pickup truck. Simply get fork mounts and bolt them to a 2×6 board or similar. Camilosays
To keep the pads from clamping together if the lever is accidentally pressed when the wheel is off, the spacer shown in the article should be standard practice, all the time. Sure you can respread them but it’s a hassle and you really do need the tool. An easy to find alternative if you don’t have the actual spacers is a toilet shim that you can find in any hardware store. These are the little plastic shims that are used to level a toilet on the floor. They’re the right size, cheap and they work perfectly. Jim Masonsays
Much easier with bike upside down as long as your on a protected surface. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
Now 91 Fri 94 Sat 95 It’s a heavyweight showdown at Lehnhoff Stadium tonight as unbeaten Alamo Heights (3-0) takes on Clemens (2-1) on Thursday Night Lights. by San Antonio Living TOPICS: Autumn is on its way, and now is the perfect time to adjust your skincare. Tarra Hardeman from Carmel Soap was here with some tips and tricks to tackle dry skin. Seasonal transitions can be tough on the skin, so now is the perfect time to re-evaluate your skin care to make sure your skin stays hydrated. Tarra talked us through her process to making her popular glow scrub. She includes wonderful plant oils, powders, and most importantly turmeric. The turmeric helps give you a wonderful glow, it's great for brightening the skin, blending blemishes, and more. SPECIAL OFFER: FREE FALL SOAP BAR WITH $50 PURCHASE WHEN YOU MENTION 'SA LIVING' SPECIAL EVENT: 40+ SKINCARE WORKSHOP SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH 2-3:30PM 555 WEST BITTERS ROAD, SUITE 108 SIGN UP AT CARMELSOAP.COM 210-233-9453 THE CARMEL SOAP COMPANY 555 West Bitters Rd. Suite 108 CarmelSoap.com Social Handles: @carmelsoap
KERALA LOTTERY RESULT Friday 01-08-2025 LIVE: Suvarna keralam SK-8 lottery is one of the 7 lucky draws held once in a week. The Kerala Lottery “Suvarna Keralam SK-14” lottery draw is conducted today on August 01. Every lottery has an alphanumeric code to identify it, and the Kerala “Suvarna Keralam SK-14” lottery code is “SK” because it includes the draw number as well as the code. The first prize winner of lucky draw will receive Bumper 1 Crore Rupees. Scroll down for the complete winners list of Kerala ‘Suvarna Keralam SK-14 lucky draw. Trending Photos Kerala Lottery Results Friday 01-08-2025 LIVE: The Kerala State Lottery Department will announce the Suvarna Keralam SK-14 results on Friday, August 01. The draw will take place at 2 PM at Gorky Bhavan near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. Participants have a chance to win big prizes, including Rs 1 crore for the first prize, Rs 30 lakh for the second, and Rs 25 lakh for the third. The draw will be conducted in front of an independent panel to ensure fairness and transparency.
KERALA LOTTERY RESULT 01-08-2025 AUGUST TODAY: SUVARNA KERALAM SK-14 BUMPER LOTTERY PRIZE DETAILS
LUCKY WINNING NUMBER FOR 1ST PRIZE OF RS 1 CRORE IS:RV 514226
3rd Prize Rs.5,00,000/- [5 Lakhs] (Common to all series) RO 288477 (CHERTHALA)
2nd Prize Rs.30,00,000/- [30 Lakhs] (Common to all series) RX 949034 (KAYAMKULAM)
1st Prize Rs.1,00,00,000/- [1 Crore] (Common to all series) RV 514226 (GURUVAYOOR)
The Government of Kerala’s Lotteries Department manages the prestigious national lottery game known as the Kerala Lottery, which is conducted in a legal manner. For this, the Kerala State Government established a distinct lottery department. The Lotteries Department is the only entity in charge of all lottery-related activities. One of the country’s most established lotto games is the Kerala Lotto. When the lottery first began, each ticket only cost one rupee, and the top reward was fixed at Rs. 50000. A few fortunate candidates are offered the chance to win the prize money each day. Step 1: Visit the Kerala Lottery website. Step 2: Choose the ‘Lottery Result’ option. Step 3: Once you do that, a new page will appear, and you should select ‘View.’ Step 4: Finally, click on the ‘Download’ button located at the top right corner of the page to access the PDF file. There will be a 30 percent tax deduction from the amount you have won. You have to pay 10 percent amount as the commission of the agent. These are the amount that will be deducted from your prize. Stay tuned for live updates on the Kerala Lottery Result for August 01, 2025. It’s crucial to note that online purchasing of Kerala lottery tickets is prohibited, carrying potential legal consequences. Engaging in such practices may lead to penalties imposed by legal authorities, as the state government strictly prohibits online selling and purchasing of lottery tickets.
The Kerala Lottery Result for Suvarna Keralam SK-14 Bumper is set to be drawn today. The public can view the Winning Number post at 2.55 pm during the live broadcast of Kerala Lottery Today. The announcement for the Kerala Lotteries Result today, dated August 01 2025, is expected to follow shortly. Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news andworld News on Zee News. Thank you
September 18, 2025Rhoda GistloverDaily Travel and Scholarships Tips0 The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced its first major revisions to the naturalization civics test as part of a broader effort to strengthen the nation’s citizenship process. Naturalization is the procedure through which foreign nationals become full U.S. citizens. The newly introduced 2025 version of the exam aims to more accurately evaluate applicants’ understanding of American history and government, ensuring they are fully aware of the rights and duties that come with citizenship. USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser explained that the changes will help guarantee that only qualified candidates who possess sufficient English skills and civic knowledge can successfully naturalize. “Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted a Federal Register notice announcing implementation of the 2025 naturalization civics test,” Tragesser stated. “This assessment meets the statutory requirement to measure an applicant’s grasp of U.S. history and government and reflects our ongoing commitment to maintain the integrity of the naturalization process.” Background Earlier signals from the agency hinted at broad immigration reforms, including updates to the H-1B visa program and the naturalization exam. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow has said the H-1B system needs a complete overhaul to better support the domestic workforce, stressing that the visa should complement rather than replace American labor. He also noted plans to revise the citizenship test required of prospective citizens. Currently, immigrants study 100 civics questions and must correctly answer at least six out of ten to pass. During the first Trump administration, that threshold temporarily increased to 12 correct answers out of 20. New Measures for Applicants The updated approach includes: USCIS indicated that further steps to reinforce the naturalization process will be revealed in the coming months. Key Visa Policy Changes for Nigerians Alongside the test overhaul, Washington has also adjusted several visa rules affecting Nigerian travelers Shorter visa validity: As of July, most non-immigrant visas including B1/B2 (business/tourist), and student or exchange visas (F, M, J) now carry a single-entry validity of only three months. Social media disclosure: Applicants for F, M, and J visas must list every social media username used in the past five years and keep their profiles public during the application process. New immigration fees: Effective July 22, 2025, USCIS added a $100 filing fee for Form I-589 (asylum applications) plus a $100 annual charge for pending cases. Employment Authorization Document (EAD) filings now cost $550 for first-time applicants and $275 for renewals. Special Immigrant Juvenile petitions (Form I-360) require a new $250 fee. These charges are mandatory and non-refundable.
Pi Coin continues to face downward pressure as the cryptocurrency trades near historic lows. The token has dropped 7.4% in the last 24 hours to $0.354. The decline pushed Pi Coin below the critical $0.362 support level. This breakdown raises concerns about the token’s ability to find stable footing in current market conditions. Technical indicators paint a bearish picture for the short term. The Relative Strength Index has experienced a sharp decline, showing growing bearish momentum. The RSI has not yet reached the oversold threshold of 30.0. This suggests that a reversal may not be imminent despite the recent price drops. Pi Coin’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator is approaching a bearish crossover. The signal line is moving closer to crossing over the MACD line. This potential crossover would mark a shift in momentum. It could reinforce the possibility of further downside movement for the token. The cryptocurrency currently holds above local support at $0.344. If this level fails to hold, Pi Coin could test its all-time low of $0.322. A drop to the historic low would represent an 8.9% decline from current prices. This move would further confirm the bearish trend that has dominated recent trading. Despite the bearish indicators, some technical analysis suggests a different outlook. Pi Coin has formed a falling wedge pattern on longer timeframes. This pattern consists of two descending and converging trendlines. Falling wedges often precede bullish breakouts when the trendlines near convergence. The token has crashed from a high of $2.9935 in February to current levels. It attempted a recovery in May, reaching $1.6640 before resuming its decline. The May rally occurred after developers announced a $100 million Pi Network Ventures investment fund. This fund aims to support startups building on the platform. Pi Coin remains below all major moving averages. This positioning indicates that bears maintain control of the market sentiment. Several potential catalysts could influence Pi Coin’s future price action. The most impactful would be listings on major exchanges like Binance, Upbit, or Coinbase. Question Asked: What do you think of August 15? Will Binance list Pi? My Answer: I have addressed this question before. I do not think Binance is ready to list Pi in August, and I also do not believe the Pi Core Team is ready to be fully transparent about its Open Mainnet… — Dr Altcoin (@Dr_Picoin) August 10, 2025
Such listings would provide access to millions of global investors. Historically, cryptocurrencies have surged significantly following major exchange listings. Token burn announcements represent another potential catalyst. Last week, OKB price surged after OKX announced plans to burn tokens worth billions. Pi Network has launched several initiatives that have had limited price impact. These include Pi AI Studio and the Pi Ventures fund announcement. The cryptocurrency has also largely ignored the broader market rally. Bitcoin and most altcoins have posted gains while Pi Coin continued declining. A successful bounce from the $0.344 support could invalidate the bearish thesis. Recovery above $0.362 might trigger a breakout toward $0.401. The falling wedge pattern suggests potential upside targets at $1.0000 or even $1.6640. These levels would represent gains of 165% and 328% respectively from current prices. Pi Coin currently trades at $0.354 as markets assess whether the token can find support above historic lows. 📈 Futures & Crypto Trader 🔍 Sharing charts, strategies, & mindset tips to help you level up 🚨 Not Financial Advice Follow on X @Pro_Trader_Edge TLDR David Sacks has denied allegations of exceeding the 130-day limit for special government employees.…
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