Do I need a torque wrench?

Getting torqued off?
That sound...if you've heard it before; you already know what I'm talking about. The subtle crackle of a carbon handlebar or seatpost bowing to the pressure of an over-torqued bolt. Or perhaps you heard the sharp snap of an aluminum stem clamp or steel seat clamp bolt - either way they're all unpleasant but preventable.

One could argue that the Torque Wrench has become the most valuable tool in a bike mechanic’s toolbox.  Can you assemble or fix a bike without one?  Absolutely.  But, what other tool helps you complete that work with the confidence that you’ve got every bolt tightened to manufacturer’s specification, without being so tight you’re damaging the parts?  That’s where the value lies: A torque wrench is cheaper than replacing a $200 seat post or $350 carbon handlebar!

You see, today’s ever-lighter aluminum and carbon components are still strong, but less tolerant to improperly applied torque. Historically, our frames and parts were so strong that the bolt was the weak part.  More seasoned riders will remember having to regularly replace seat binder bolts (and I even carried a spare in my seat bag on my first road bike).

Tubeless Cyclocross Tire Tips

Part of a series I'm calling Tires 101 with lots of great info to consider when looking for new tires.

GOT LESS (TUBES)?
There have been lots of comments back and forth between my readers about switching to tubeless for road and cyclocross. This is a guest post of sorts - an acquaintance was nice enough to write his thoughts down and share his info with us.

With cyclocross season right around the corner you might find this info helpful. There are tons of different combos of rims, tires, and tubeless products. We hope his insight into what worked for him last season for him will help with a few questions you may have. Here's what he had to say:

This year I have been racing cyclocross on road tubeless Shimano Dura Ace 7850sl wheels.  Just a quick search on Google will show that while Shimano is silent on using their road tubeless system wheels for cyclocross, there are plenty of others either talking it up, or talking it down.  What I will try to do here is describe the problem, tell you what has worked for me, and perhaps more importantly, tell you what hasn’t worked — and the lessons I learned from the experiments.

Dura Ace PD-7900 Pedals - First Impressions

Less weight, same great pedal A quick update before the weekend. Shimano’s latest pedal offering arrived last season – the new Dura Ace PD-7900 in carbon composite.  Now that we've had our hands on them and they've seen some miles; here's our thoughts. Published weight is 248 grams per pair (124 g. each) which officially enters Shimano into the light-weight pedal game.  

Bike Mistakes - Part 2: Chain and gears

This is the second in a series on common mistakes on your bike...

SPINNING WHEEL, GOT TO GO ROUND...
One of the big ideas behind this series is to pass along solutions to the things that we commonly see in a shop; many of which can end up costing a lot of money to fix if left unattended. This time of year, as bikes are being brought back out of storage (many of which having been ridden hard and put away wet...) one of the things we see commonly is a worn out drivetrain.

So, the causes of worn drivetrains vary - but can all usually be traced back to a stretched chain. As you ride your bike; the chain stretches and the distance between the pins gets greater and often the bushings will wear as well. Over many miles of hard riding, the chain wears the gears to match this new spacing. Dirty, dry, or otherwise poorly maintained drivetrains only accelerate this effect.

Bike Maintenance Made Easier Series

Notice I said easier and not easy. 

However, for the most part the hardest thing about properly maintaining your bicycle for long life is just being diligent about doing it. It gets exponentially harder when you neglect it - only demanding more time for cleaning, lubrication, and adjustments. I hope the following posts will give you the guide and motivation you need to be on your way to a smoother, cleaner, longer-lasting bicycle and a more enjoyable ride.

Have a question? Want me to cover another topic or think I left something out? Leave a comment!

• Pre-ride Checkover - Steps to a safer, smoother, more trouble free ride
• Post-ride Checkover - Quick steps to keep your bike happier, longer
• Bike Mistakes Part 2: Chain and Gears - How to care for your drivetrain for longer life
• Bike Mistakes Part 2.5: Chain Lubrication - The #1 thing you should be doing and the right ways to do it
• Basic Home Tools You Need - What tools should you have at home to save money and keep your bike out of the shop between tune-ups

Bike Term Dictionary

This is a Glossary of sorts I've compiled over the years that will be occasionally updated.  Think of it as your Bike Dictionary. Bookmark it and use it often. Don’t know what something means?  Look for it here.  Can’t find it?  Write us or leave a comment and we’ll create a new entry.  We hope this is a great service that we can all keep improving.  Enjoy!

Sorry, I’m not going to even try to keep this in alphabetical order…

Road Bike Terms-

Cadence: The revolutions per minute (rpm) of your cranks as propelled by your legs. Often used as a measure of efficiency (higher cadence is usually deemed more efficient) or as a guide for gear selection.  In road cycling for the last decade, 90 rpm is considered a benchmark cadence.

Fascinating Article on Tire Testing

Part of a series I'm calling Tires 101 with lots of great info to consider when looking for new tires. 

CHOICES, CHOICES...
Our choices in the tires we ride are possibly among the most subjective we make. There is often very little empirical data (except maybe price...) that is involved. More commonly our "data" is along the lines of "my buddy says they're the fastest tires he's ridden" or "she said she didn't get flat tires for a year". When  you really stop and think about it though - there is a lot of highly personal variables involved in those statements. Let's cut through the clutter.

I've long admired cyclingnews.com's James Huang's technical writing and referred to it often as the best in cycling journalism (although - VeloNews has really stepped it up lately).

One of his latest pieces highlights a tire testing facility in Finland that seems to finally be coming up with some good data on tires in real-world type scenarios and less-so in the controlled laboratory conditions of older tests.  The article has some fascinating facts and data; confirming some long-held thoughts and theories of my own and surprising me on a few areas that I had accepted as fact which it seems were not.

FIRST - THE CONFIRMATIONS:
     -Wider tires are faster due to less energy lost in casing deformation.  The study specifically cites 25 mm tires versus 23mm tires.

What Size Bike do I Need?

DRUMROLL PLEASE...

Answer: it's complicated...

 I received a question from a reader in the comments section this summer and I've finally written an article in response as I promised.  (Keep using comments, folks - I do read them and respond when I can - but I have a family and a full-time job; so this "hobby" of blogging sometimes takes a back seat).  Here's the question; my responses; and the article.  Enjoy!    

Greg G said...

Matt, I'm beginning to shop for a new bike, but there's so much to choose from, with barely perceptible differences really. Can someone get fitted for a new bike without knowing precisely what brand they're going to buy? Since no single shop carries all the possibilities, it makes this a much tougher process.  

Matt Magee said...

Greg- Excellent question. Something I should probably answer in more detail with a dedicated post. Thanks for the inspiration. Now, the short answer is: This is actually where you should start! However, we must clearly define that there is a difference between "fitting" and "sizing".

Why Cyclists Need GPS

...and this is not a sales pitch disguised as a new story.  Really thought provoking - this one.  I may have finally been pushed over the ledge toward getting one myself after reading this.

I ran across this story during my almost-weekly "try-to-catch-up-on-the-news" trip to bikeportland.org. Jonathan ran a story he'd received as a tip from a friend (I guess this story is going viral...) about a pro cyclist who'd been hit by a car. Basically, the route and telemetry data from the rider's Garmin Edge 500 GPS unit served as a sort of "cycling black-box" to prove where he was and where he had come from at the time the incident occurred in order to support his side of the story. 

Certified Master BG Fit Technician

Done. :-)

(Photo: Andy Pruitt, Boulder Center for Sports Medicine; Me, insignificant;
Mike Sinyard, Specialized Bicycles)