The long-anticipated move towards disc brakes on road bikes finally looks to be here. Iain Treloar explores the pros and cons of this consumer-driven change. We’ve been talking about disc brakes on road bikes for a couple of years, but their adoption has happened in dribs and drabs rather than a flood. At first, mechanical
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Iain Treloar runs you through the process of breaking, sizing and fitting a bicycle chain. Chains are beautiful in the simplicity of their function, but surprisingly complex in their construction. Each link consists of a matching pair of outer and inner plates, two rollers and two pins. A standard derailleur chain will have approximately 57
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Iain Treloar investigates the mysterious, often bamboozling bottom bracket. Illustrations: Karl Hilzinger. There are few parts of the bicycle more mystifying than the bottom bracket, hidden away in the base of the frame. For the vast majority of your riding, you won’t even notice it—it should just get on with the job of allowing your
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It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the many parts of a bike—and easy to ignore the state of your bike altogether—but this simple and speedy bike check draws the eye through all the most important areas. While more useful as a diagnostic aid, the ‘M’ check helps you to become aware of many of the
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Iain Treloar demonstrates how to keep your drivetrain clean and crud free. Prevention is better than a cure, and the best way to reduce the amount of wear on your drivetrain is by keeping it clean. There are a couple of tools required for this, so we’d suggest adding those pictured above to your arsenal if you haven’t already.
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A brief guide to diagnosing of drivetrain noise. Words by Iain Treloar and illustrations by Karl Hilzinger. Skipping Cable tension of rear derailleur Shift to smallest cog at rear (closest to frame), then shift up one gear. If it doesn’t shift, turn the barrel adjuster anti-clockwise until the shift happens fluently. Derailleur hanger bent If
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Simon Vincett opens a window on the wonders of wheels. Of all the parts of your bike, wheels and tyres make the most difference to performance. How fast you accelerate, how aerodynamic you are and how much you can carry are just some of the aspects of riding that are heavily influenced by your choice
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On-the-run wheel repairs can be surprisingly effective, writes Stephen Huntley. Discovering a wobbly wheel while out on a ride is annoying. Depending on how great the wobble is, it can lead to your tyre rubbing on the frame (possibly causing a hard-to-fix sidewall puncture), your tyre may rub on your brakes (very annoying when
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Iain Treloar gets geared up to explain the secrets of chains, gears and ratios for road bikes. Gearing has gone through a number of variations over the past 10 years. On mountain bikes: a wide spread remains king—generally a triple chainring on the front, multiplied by between 7 and 11 gears on the back. Recently, however, this has started
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There’s more than one way to bring new life to old bikes, Damian Antonio and Bart Sbeghen look at two innovative projects bringing joy to riders old and new. In a gritty corner of a government-housing car park in Waterloo, in Sydney’s inner west, from behind a well-tagged roller door, a bike workshop comes to
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