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Explaining “Cycling Hostility” Towards Others
Hello, friends I decided to make another post analyzing some of the psychological aspects of cycling. Here’s the reality of the situation – car drivers are not the only road users known for road rage. Many cyclists get angry too and display aggressive behavior ranging from verbal insults to physical confrontations. The driving factors behind…
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Flashlights On My Bike? (no thanks)
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends, It’s time to drop another post on RJ.com (I made a slight deviation from my posting schedule). Here’s the deal – I’m not a fan of running basic flashlights on a bike. I’m not saying they are worse than nothing…but they are certainly worse than a dedicated bike light. Why?…
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Let Me Educate You On Freewheel Thread Orientation
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends It wouldn’t be a “proper” weekend without a new RJ.com post, right? I have prepared another post for the cycling rookies out there. The focus will be on freewheels and their threads, to be specific. There are two types – multi-cog freewheels and single-cog. Multi-cog freewheels are a cluster of…
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Why I Prefer Mechanical Disc Brakes Over Vs
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Let’s get this Friday post started. Today, I will share a profound revelation with you (slight sarcasm here). I prefer mechanical disc brakes over V-brakes any day of the week. Why? The ultimate advantage of disc brakes (all types) is their consistent stopping power even in wet and dirty conditions.…
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On Inner Tube Longevity…
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends What’s up? As I like to say – another evening, another mini post. The topic of this nightly article will be simple – inner tube longevity. Well, an inner tube protected from external “stresses” such as UV light, petroleum fumes, water, and temperature changes can last over 8-10 years. Another…
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On The Comically Tiny Biceps and Triceps Of Most Cycling Warriors (don’t copy the pros)
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends This post will be slightly different as it won’t focus on a bicycle component. Today, I’ll talk about the common body type that many pros and amateur cyclists have. The usual build of road cyclists includes a flat chest, a thin narrow back, and gloriously tiny biceps and triceps. The…
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If your chain slackens when spinning in reverse, here’s the remedy.
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends I’ve developed the habit of writing for RJ.com at night, so here’s the nightly post. This evening I will tackle a fairly common scenario on older (or “unmaintained”) bikes. When you spin the pedals in reverse (and sometimes when you coast), the chain slackens (loses tension) and “rests” on the…
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Vertical Dropouts Are King In Most Cases…But…
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will dissect horizontal and vertical dropouts. The short story is that vertical dropouts are the overall winner for most people, especially rookies. I am not saying that horizontal dropouts don’t have their place, but their niche is simply smaller. The basic pros and overall feature of horizontal dropouts…
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Don’t Underestimate 26″ Wheels When It Comes To Speed
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Many rookies wrongfully conclude that smaller wheels always equal a slow bicycle. And while there’s some logic behind this statement, every bike theorist has to know that ultimately bicycle speed is a function of GEARING rather than wheels size. What does this mean? It’s simple. If largers wheels equaled more…
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Explaining The Presence of Composite Forks On Titanium Bikes
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Another lonely evening, another post on RJ.com. The topic? Titanium bikes and the somewhat unexpected material of the forks they are paired with. Can you guess what it is? Well…it’s composite or carbon to be specific. The main reasons behind this material choice are: Easier Customization Engineers and designers love…