Cycling Review » Uncategorized

Cutting Carbon Fibre Equipment

tejvan — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:07:57 +0000

If you are looking to reduce weight on your bike or make it more aerodynamic, you might want to cut carbon fibre equipment. For example, some time trial bar tubes may be too long. Cutting ends of off, may save the odd second.

How To Cut Carbon Fibre?

It is not easy to cut carbon fibre. But, your best bet is a fine hacksaw blade, which should cut through the equipment.
The trick is not to exert a lot of pressue, like you might cutting wood. If you exert a lot of pressure, the carbon fibre can crack. Let the blade do the work, not your force.
Note: Cutting carbon fibre will emit carbon dust, which is bad for your health. Use a safety breathing mask. Might also be worth having vacuum cleaner on near the cutting equipment.
To file carbon fibre, use glass paper.

Checking Brakes on A Bike

tejvan — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:12:19 +0000

It is important to regularly check your brakes, both front and back. You never know when you may need to make an emergency stop. On some hills, brakes need to be in tip top condition to keep your speed under control.
Pull on brake levers. The brake pads should hit the rim without too much effort. If it takes too long adjust the cable to improve braking performance. Also check how much you need to pull the brakes to actually exert a stopping power on the bike.
Check the Brake pads for wear. Often they have a mark for where they should be replaced. Note, brake pads should not be used down to the last bit of braking material.
Also check there are not any bits of gravel or grit in the braking pad as they will scratch the rim.
On standard cantilevers and vee brakes squirt some WD 40 or lube at the back of each pivot to protect from rust and keep them working well.
You can also spray the top of side pull brakes to prevent the mechanism from seizing up. Be careful to avoid getting grease on the rim and brake blocks as this will prevent you from braking effectively. It can sometimes be difficult to wipe away oil from brake pads.

Brake Pads at Wiggle

Cycle King

tejvan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:50:13 +0000

Cycle King in Oxford. Cheap and cheerful – Stack ‘em high sell ‘em cheap

Cycle King claim to be the country’s largest independent retailer with 27 stores across the UK. The main thing you notice on visiting Cycle King is:

The distinctive bright colours (just think of McDonalds for bikes and you get the idea)
Really Cheap prices
Huge numbers of Bikes
Nothing you would particularly want to ride away with

You can’t doubt the fact that Cycle King target the budget end of the market. Some of the bikes on sale are really cheap; you almost wonder how bikes could be made so cheaply (cheap labour in China probably plays a part)

If you’re looking for a solid middle of the range road bike or better, Cycle King is not the place for you. If you are looking for the cheapest possible bike and you don’t particularly mind quality, Cycle King is just the ticket.

I was bought a wheel from cycle king, I think it ended up costing about 20. It weighs a lot and the quality feels pretty low, but, I wanted a cheap wheel to replace a broken one.

Cycle King has an extensive range of children’s bikes, some of which come with special themes like Dennis the Menace.

Review of Bike Bags

tejvan — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:40:09 +0000

Bike bags provide a safe way of transporting your bag by plane or other form of transport. Generally bags are a little lighter, cheaper and more flexible than bike boxes. If you want extra security for you bike, you might be better off with a bike box.

Deluxed Padded Bike Bag

600denier PVC coated polyester with 10mm padded wipe clean interior.
Reinforced base with plastic skis and easy rolling skate wheels.
Dimension 23cm x 128cm x 88cm.
-£76.49 from Pro Bike Kit

ProRace Deluxe Bike Bag.

Made with deep layers of padding, reinforced with steel. This provides a good value mechanism to transport your bike.
Is 5.7Kg in weight
Comes with wheels for easy transportation.
Can fit frames upto 62cm
Bike Bag at £89.99

DHB Bike Bag

At only £129.99 the DHB bag offers excellent value because the bag involves a reinforced plastic outer covering. Protecting you against the worst of bag handling at our major airports..

DHB Bike Bag at Wiggle