-
Bike Theory For Dummies: Cottered And Cotterless Cranks Demystified
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today’s lesson from the series Bike Theory for Dummies (BTFD) will tell you everything you need to know about cottered and cotterless cranks. Let’s start with the basics. Cottered Cranks Cottered cranks go back to the ’70s. They attach to the bottom bracket spindle via a wedge inserted into the…
-
BMX Cranks Analysis
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I am going to analyze the two types of BMX cranks – 2-piece and 3-piece. Let’s start with the basic definitions: Two-piece cranks (2PCs) are made of two distinct parts – a “free” crank arm plus a crank arm with a spindle attached to it. Three-piece Cranks (3PCs) include…
-
Bar End Shifters = The Classic Long-distance Choice
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Long-distance cyclists are not as crazy about new technology as the MTB and road racing maniacs. Instead, the main priorities are reliability, serviceability, and convenience rather than speed. For that reason, many equip their adventure bikes with bar-end shifters (BESs). Below is a list containing detailed characteristics that make bar-ends…
-
Carbon Cranks? No, thanks. I got metal.
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends I will make this post quick. In short, I don’t think beginners should invest in carbon cranks. The benefits (the main one is lighter weight) just aren’t worth it when you account for the price and the availability of decent alloy cranks. The table below compares the weight of aluminum…
-
A Must-Know Presta Valve Characteristics and a Genius Hack
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will share with you a few important characteristics of presta tubes and a hack that you may find helpful in extreme situations. Presta valves /French valves/ are strategically made slimmer than Schrader (auto valve) and Dunlop so that they can work with the narrow, deep, aerodynamic rims seen…
-
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,…
-
A Must-Know Peculiarity of Road Levers
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I am going to reveal a peculiarity of road levers that every road cyclist has to know. Regular road levers are engineered for short-pull brakes and should not be combined with V-brakes. Short and Long Pull Brakes Mechanical/cable brakes divide into short and long pull depending on the cable’s…
-
The Worst Dropouts For a Fixie Conversion
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends Today, I will talk about fixie conversion as I know this is a hot topic in the cycling community. One of the most important things to know is to never use a frame with vertical dropouts(VDs) to build your fixie. VDs make it very difficult if not impossible to properly…
-
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. …
-
Aero Spokes Can Go To Hell (as far as I’m concerned)
from Rookie’s keyboard Hello, friends I have a confession to make – I think that Aero Spokes (ASs) are simply not worth the investment/trouble. You can call me a hater if you want, but this is how I see things. Standard spokes are just fine for 99.9% of the population. But let’s not be too…