Tag Info

I'd maybe ask the cyclists themselves - maybe ask them to bring useful spares and have an amount of petty cash on hand to reimburse them. They might be able to bring in old lights (let's face it many of us always leap to the newest kit and have drawers full of old kit lying around). The basic tool set should include tyre levers, an adjustable ...

First up, I'd strongly recommend switching to clipless pedals. I had the same discomfort issues you're describing with normal shoes and toeclips and find clipless pedal so much more comfortable and secure (therefore safer). When comparing and evaluating clipless pedal systems, some of the more important attributes are: Float - This is the property where ...

You should use a rearview mirror because: It allows you to look behind you by moving just your eyes. This will help you not accidentally swerving into the traffic coming up behind you you're trying to get a look at. You can (almost) look behind you and in front of you at the same time because it just takes a small eye movement rather than a huge head ...

Other things are more important than the "equipment" -- A secure place to lock up bikes Room to change, and, ideally, showers A place to store bike clothing, etc Space (maybe a workbench) for making repairs such as tire repairs In terms of "equipment", probably the pump is the most important thing. Beyond that, simple tire repair tools, a few wrenches, ...

I'm going for a bit of an exhaustive list here. I would make up a toolbox with: Tire Levers* Patch Kits* Tubes in a few sizes: 26inx1.75, 700x23c, 700x28c, 700x32c Quick links for 8/9/10 speed chains. Chain Lube* Multi Tool with the following (Preferrably full size versions of all this, but a multi would suffice for most basic stuff)* Allen keys (needs ...

An argument against the use of mirrors is that when you turn your head to look behind you prior to moving across a lane of traffic for example, any drivers behind you will see your head turn and get some indication you're going to do something; whereas with a mirror, the drivers behind you don't see you checking the traffic and assume you're riding straight. ...

There are basically 3 rack options: Roof mounted Trunk mounted Trailer hitch mounted In the "trunk mounted" category there are those designed for conventional trunks and those designed for hatchbacks. In all three categories there are racks that support the bike with both wheels on and "fork mount" racks that connect to the front fork to provide ...

I don't think there are premade kits but other things that would be good would be: Spare tire tubes Tire tool Chain lube Pedal wrench With so many different types of bikes, it can be hard to have custom tools. But your list along with these extras, you should be good to go!

For cycling across China you want a reliable bike that is unlikely to give you trouble, and which can be repaired with "local" resources if it does. Forget about "lighter" wheels -- you want reliable wheels, and a pound less weight (if that) from a lighter wheel will not make any difference. And I'd stay away from a geared hub, unless you can find one that ...

Assuming you want to keep it as compact as possible I'd suggest: A pump (preferably a floor pump) with presta/schrader capability or an adapter. Tire levers and patch kit A multitool A chain tool if the multi does not have it. Chain connector Adjustable wrench, pedal wrench. Pliers Battery charger / powered usb ports. Clean rags First aid kit for minor ...

The best lenses to get peripheral vision are going to be contact lenses; which I can highly recommend for cycling. I wear continuous-wear ones, where you put them in at the beginning of the month and take them out at the end. However when you're not used to contacts (or they're quite cheap) you run the risk of losing them to various factors (e.g. wind, ...

I ride about 2500 miles per year, mostly road. At one time, I used SPDs (Shimano SH-51), but I got knee pain from a misaligned cleat. In addition, I prefer to ride with my feet slightly pronated (heels in, toes out, like a duck), so I felt like I wanted more float from my cleats. SPD cleats offer around 5 degrees of float. Too, the shoes I had for SPDs were ...

Who doesn't take at least a passing interest in beautiful members of the opposite or even the same sex? We all do to varying degrees. Theoretically a mirror could help out with such window shopping, it could also help out getting one's hair and make-up right, much like those vanity mirrors they have in car sun-shields.

Pretty objective but I'll give you my opinion and my reasons. I prefer hitch mount racks for a variety of reasons: Hitch racks sit in the slipstream of your car and thus you get better gas mileage than a roof rack. Roof racks take a noticeable hit on MPG even when there's no bike mounted It's harder to forget that you have a hitch rack attached to your car ...

Your question is very general but I can start the ball rolling by telling you about a short-distance tour I did over a couple of days last summer. Think is was about 350km in the end, on tarmac roads, over 2 1/2 days, staying in hotels overnight. Bike was a road bike, but was an audax bike rather than a racer. It had mudguards, a rack and I had SPD ...

If you're looking to go minimal footprint, with no storage, why not go no bag? These definitely have downsides, but they fit under anything, with any type of clothing, or sport. Camelbak VeloBak Hydration Jersey or Camelbak Racebak Hydration Vest Downsides include water which must be cooled, or will heat to body temp. Check out the linked reviews.

I use a mirror (a CycleAware Reflex) because, as others have said, it allows me to see what's coming behind me. Where I ride, the "bike lanes" are little more than poorly maintained pavement on the side of the road. So when it is safe, i.e., no traffic, I ride to the right in the roadway. I tried bar-end mirrors and glasses-mounted mirrors, but I didn't ...

I'm adding my voice to those for mirrors. I've used a bar-end mirror for some time while riding with 1) a child trailer attached 2) a companion on another bike behind me most of the time (I was the pace setter due to the trailer). It's invaluable, and I sorely miss it while riding my other bike, with or without a trailer attached. The model I've used: ...

From my experience frequently carrying bikes, skis, roof boxes, and even 55 gallon drums on my roof rack, I've found that they pretty much all give a hit to the gas mileage, but the configuration doesn't really matter as long as you don't do anything ridiculous. However, a fairing helps cut down on noise tremendously.

Basic aerodynamics, as I remember it from many years ago, would say the only one of those options that would be different from the others would be the front wheel off, but as to whether that would be worse or better I don't know. With the bike angled down, the seat may have greater drag, and the top tube is no longer horizontal so my guess would be that ...

With no training in the mountains it'll be quite painful I suspect regardless of what bike you have. If it were me I'd just take my road bike with panniers containing a bit of food etc. My Trek 1.5 2011 cost between 500-700 quid and is, in my limited opinion a fantastic bike. I can't say that's the best solution, but I'd confidently take my trek up those ...

I'm not gonna ding you with a "duplicate question", but see, eg, Creaking from cranks/spindle. How to fix? . And there are several others. Creaking is a fairly common problem and can be due to a number of causes: The crank arms shifting on the crank axle. (This is by far the most serious of the conditions, since, left untreated, it can result in ...

I think your two main criteria should be: comfort and reliability. On a tour, both of these factors have a big effect on your speed as well as your enjoyment. With that in mind you should probably aim to get a steel (or possibly aluminium frame). The good news is that steel lasts well, so buying second hand is a good option. Obviously check for signs of ...

Unless I'm stark blind, I see no one has mentioned anything about energy bars or protein shakes, or even facilities to cater for the making of the latter. I'm sure that a few riders already do use them, and may find it convenient to do so in work, instead of at the week end. Maybe that wasn't what you were thinking about, but it's worth a thought, to a ...

The Look Keo's are very popular, but until recently they had a problem in gritty areas, because the contact edge would erode quite quickly. Newer versions have a metal strip added there, so look for that if this is an issue. I'm currently riding Mavic pedals very similar to the Looks, but I wouldn't recommend them. The cleats wear twice as fast as my ...

As a large rider, I personally prefer Look pedal systems, as they have one of the larger platforms to connect my feet to the pedals. (SPD-R, and Speedplay potentially are getting closer in size). The classic SPD is nice on Mountain Bikes, as it hides nicely in the shoe sole (which Look most definitly does not) and you can walk in them off the bike. ...

Adidas sells a series of sports targeted glasses called Evil Eye. These can be fitted with inserts to correct whatever is wrong with your eyes (within some limitations). There's one insert with quite small corrective lenses and one with larger, the larger is more expensive. You will have to pay extra for the corrective glasses. The corrected field of view ...

go to e-rudy.com and check out the "rudy project rx interchangeable" sunglasses (http://www.e-rudy.com/index_inner.php?group_id=1&cat_id=11). i got a pair in may of this year and i totally love them. they "wrap around" my face like no other perscription lenses i've ever seen. contact lenses may be your best bet, but there's a certain amount of hassle ...

I'm planning on getting a pair of Performance Radial II glasses with inserts. They are much more affordable than a lot of prescription or insert sport glasses. You can also order inserts through Performance Cycles. I haven't used them yet, so my recommendation is coming second hand--the reviews seem decent. They come with 3 color lenses--clear, orange ...