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Never Throw V-brake Levers Away
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends Ok. I am not even mad. Ok. I am slightly mad. Today, I put hydraulic disc brakes on a bike originally equipped with V-brakes. Yes, it sounds weird. But both the fork and the frame had disc brake mounts and V-brake bosses. And the conversion didn’t create any problems for…
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On Cycling Fashion
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends Anyone who’s cycled for a while knows that it’s not just about the bike – your clothing matters too. The question is to what degree are we going to follow the trends? And who are we following them for? Honestly, sometimes cyclists get a bit too carried away with weird…
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On Hub “Transplants” (yet again)
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends It’s time to discuss another bike hub “transplantation” due to the popular demand. Yesterday, I was asked if hubs are road and MTB-specific and whether you can install the latter on a road bike. This post will answer that question. Rear MTB hubs are wider than rear Road hubs designed…
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Everything is possible..with the right knowledge
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends It’s time for another Bike Theory Class. Today, I am going to talk about the possibility of equipping a single-speed bicycle with additional gearing. Many people think that this isn’t in the realm of possibilities, but that’s not really the case. In other words, there are workarounds. If the dropouts…
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Simple Doesn’t Always Equal Cheap…(especially in the bike world)
from Rookie’s keyboard What’s up, friends? I’m about to reveal a somewhat irritating side of the biking world. Very often we have to pay a little more than we want for components and accessories that honestly don’t require a lot of engineering or expensive materials. And yet the price tag makes you wonder. One of…
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On Rim Width (know your numbers)
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, It’s weird how little some people in the bike industry know. It’s understandable to be ignorant if you are just a rookie starting out, but when you are part of the system, you gotta know bikes at least to some degree. Yesterday, I called to order new rims for a client…
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It works, but should you do it?
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Nice afternoon, right? Anyway, today’s session at the bike shop came with a dilemma once again. I had to replace a worn Magura rotor. All I had lying around were SRAM models. (We are expecting a delivery next as we are low on supplies). To be honest, if it was…
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Why I Prefer Steel Over Carbon Forks
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends I have a confession to make. I genuinely prefer steel forks over carbon. Why? Because steel forks better “springiness” than carbon while being much tougher. The only downfall of iron forks is that they are heavier. But since I am not a weight weenie, I care not. Some will say…
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The Magical Compatibility of Road Shifters
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends My shift ended. I did my bike commute and now I am in front of my 15-year-old laptop ready to write another bike post. Today, I decided to talk about the compatibility of road shifters with non-road derailleurs. Are you ready? Let’s go. Index shifting Modern shifters are indexed. This…
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An Annoying Caliper Brake Issue (solutions)
from Rookie’s keyboard, Hello, friends What’s up? Here at Rookie Journal’s Headquarters, it’s time for another post. Today, I will talk about a super common caliper brake problem that many rookies (and advanced cyclists) may face. So, what is it? I call the it Slow Release Symptom (SRS). Here’s the full description: You squeeze the…