Maintenance and Repairs
« Previous EntriesThe Gu Package Flat Tire
Saturday, September 19th, 2009
While riding in the Nation’s Triathlon, I noticed a large number of empty Gu packages and other discarded gel wrappers on the course. They were thrown out by triathletes who chose not to put the wrapper back in their jersey pocket or bag after eating the gu.
THESE WRAPPERS CAN CAUSE FLATS.
Out of consideration […]
Homemade Wheel Truing Stand
Saturday, May 16th, 2009I discovered the above homemade truing stand in an article at Velonews. It is being used by the Cervelo Team mechanics at the Giro D’Italia. It is made from a steel fork with a second set of fork legs welded to it. The original fork ends are used to hold a front wheel and the additional […]
Patching a Tire with a Dollar Bill
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009The above picture was taken by Dave Miller and is found here on Flickr. I have gotten flats from nails in the road but never had the same nail (or screw) puncture a tire twice. However, a dollar bill can be used as a boot or patch for the tire. It should be able to […]
Ten Reasons To Bicycle With Duct Tape
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009It is a good idea to carry duct tape when you ride, especially during a multi-day tour. You don’t need an entire roll; just wrap about 12 inches of duct tape around a tire lever (as shown in the above picture), a pump or a U-lock. The tape weighs virtually nothing but can very useful for emergency roadside repairs […]
Road Bike Economics
Thursday, October 30th, 2008Why are road bikes so expensive? One of the primary culprits is the STI shifter (pictured above). Virtually all road bikes manufactured today, especially those from the top companies (Trek, Specialized, Bianchi, Cannondale etc) have STI shifter from either shimano or campagnolo . These shifters are complex and expensive components. I love the advantages of […]
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