Category: Maintenance
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Steerer Tube Cutting: Aesthetic Choice or Performance Necessity?
You’re standing over your bike, staring at the steerer tube like a bad decision you haven’t quite committed to yet. It sticks out, awkward, like a kid wearing a suit three sizes too big. A tower of spacers looms above your stem, stacked like unpaid bills. And you hesitate. Because cutting it feels permanent, like…
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The Self-Taught Bike Mechanic: Screw the Shops and Fix It Yourself
You ride your bike to work, you feel the wind in your hair, and your legs hum with the rhythm of the pedals. But then… a flat tire. Or worse, the chain snaps. So you drag it to the shop, wait for days, pay through the nose, and leave with the gut-wrenching feeling that you’ve…
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Shifter and Brake Cable Lifespan: When To Replace Them
You don’t think about them. You squeeze, you shift, and they obey. Until one day—snap. Now you’re coasting down a hill at 40 km/h with a useless brake lever and a prayer. Or worse, you’re grinding up a climb, trying to shift to the big ring, and—pop—your derailleur cable gives up on life. You do…
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Handlebar Tape and Sweat: How Salt Buildup Affects Grip and Longevity
You ride. You sweat. You grip those bars like they owe you money. And all the while, your salty, electrolyte-laced human juice is soaking into the tape, creeping under it, and slowly turning your beloved handlebars into a crusty, corroded relic. It starts with those little white salt crystals. Harmless, right? Just wipe ‘em down.…
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Waxed Your Chain But It Still Rusted? Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
You waxed your chain. You followed the instructions like a good disciple. You did the degreasing, the washing, the drying. You even whispered sweet nothings to it as it lay there, bathed in its liquid armor. And yet, here we are. Rust. A brand-new chain. A crime against cycling. What went wrong? 1. You Didn’t…
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Don’t Cut It Yet: 7 Ways to Free a Stubborn Seatpost at Home
Your seatpost is stuck. It’s fused, practically welded to the frame. Divorce court isn’t an option, and you’ve tried everything short of dynamite. Days have turned into weeks, and now your neighbors avoid eye contact, concerned by the rhythmic sound of your muttering from the garage. Relax. You’re not the first cyclist to encounter this…
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Read This Before Throwing Your Carbon Post In an Alloy Frame
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Here’s an important tip: Before installing a carbon seat post in an alloy frame, apply a thin film of carbon assembly paste on the seat post to increase friction (reduce clamping requirements) and eliminate the chance of galvanic corrosion. Otherwise, the carbon seat post may get stuck in the frame,…
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One More Bike Maintenance Mistake Exposed (don’t be stupid)
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends It’s time to expose one more bike maintenance mistake that rookies might be doing (or planning to). Can you guess what it is? Lubricating your cassette Yeah. That’s correct. Some people actually think that should be done. The reality? The cogs of a bike cassette do not require any lubrication. …
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One More Annoying Bike Problem Demystified
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will demystify one more bike issue that rookies face from time to time – a cassette/freewheel that wobbles. The Causes In most cases, that culprit is among the following: The Cassette/Freewheel Isn’t Secured This is the first technical issue that has to be ruled out as it carries…
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Shock Pump = Great Birthday Present
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends I woke up 2 hours earlier today “by accident” and decided to make myself useful and write a short piece for your favorite site – rookiejournal.com. Tomorrow, I will go to a birthday party of a fellow cyclist. To be ultra-honest, I don’t like loud gatherings, but friendships must be…