Winter, summer, off-road, on-road, gravel, mud, rain, and heat… all these things can affect the best choice of bicycle chain lube for your type of riding, in addition of course to your budget. So, what is the difference between wet lubricants and dry lubricants? What is Hydrodynamic lubrication? Are Ceramic lubricants an appropriate choice? I try and answer these maintenance questions… What Is Chain Lubrication For? Before getting into the details of types of bike chain lubrication, it is worth considering what exactly chain lubrication does. Principally, it reduces the level of friction by creating a layer of lubrication between the chain rollers and plates; it is what prevents that horrible grinding and squeaking sound that you get with an unlubricated chain—a sound that is predictably highly inefficient. However, chain lubricant adds an element of inefficiency itself, called 'stiction'. Stiction is the stickiness factor that chain lube creates; the feeling you would have tr
The best-selling Scicon Aerocomfort Bike Bag has received some significant design updates. With thru-axle compatibility, added protection, and an overall lighter weight—the Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 is even more of a market-leader than before. Back in 2013, I reviewed the Scicon Aerocomfort 2.0 ( read the review here ). That bag has had some significant use: for transporting bikes on planes, trains, and even yachts. With many of my bikes now having thru-axle designs though, the Aerocomfort 2.0 had required some questionable 'bodging' on my part to make it usable. I was therefore relieved when the new 3.0 was released—this new design is much improved. Thru-Axle Compatibility One of the biggest differences with the Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 Bike Bag is that it will accommodate 12 mm thru axles on the front and rear of the patented suspension frame system. To fit thru-axles, you simply remove the QR inserts in the suspension frame, then use your bike's existing axles t
The market for disc brake pads for gravel bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes is saturated; there are hundreds of different brands producing disc brake pads claiming to last longer and perform better than the competition. So, what is the difference between a set of low cost disc brake pads from eBay/Amazon versus the high-end pads from SwissStop? Are SwissStop disc brake pads worth the extra money? To find out, I have been doing some extensive disc brake pad testing over the last few months. October to February is obviously a period of wet winter riding, and I have been testing the following list of brake pads on road, gravel and mountain bikes—to create the ultimate test for any disc brake set-up. The disc brake pads on test: SwissStop Disc 34 RS (Shimano Road/Gravel) SwissStop Disc 32 RS (SRAM Road/Gravel) SwissStop Disc 31 E (MTB SRAM Avid) Superstar Sintered Shimano Road Disc Brake Pads (Shimano Road/Gravel) SOMMET Resin and Semi-Metallic Disc Brake Pads (SRAM Road/Gravel
Cable actuated disc brakes get a lot of bad press. There is some justification for that — most of the systems lack the modulation and performance of their hydraulic counterparts. There is however one set of cable disc brakes that shines above the rest: the TRP Spyre SLC Disc Brake. This lightweight and sleek cable disc caliper excels in both design and functionality. My Kona Private Jake arrived in 2016 with a set of TRP's Spyre-C disc brakes fitted as standard. Those brakes worked very well for over 25,000 kilometres of use and abuse; I rode the bike for daily commutes (including a salty daily ferry journey), and I rode the bike fully loaded over the highest cols in the Pyrenees on the #CoastsandCols tour. The Spyre-C took all this abuse in hand and always produced the stopping power I demanded. This year, with the Kona Private Jake hitting a 25,000 kilometre anniversary, I decided it was time to upgrade and replace a number of the parts. To be honest, most of the component
Way back in 2015, I did my first review of a Bellroy Phone Pocket; since that day one of these svelte leather wallets has been in my trouser or jersey pocket wherever I travel or ride. My last Bellroy All-Conditions Phone Pocket has travelled across continents, been on hundreds of local adventures (and countless trips to the shops) — last year it had its eighth birthday, marking a quite extraordinary level of everyday durability. Given the unquestionably high quality of the Bellroy Phone Pocket, I was excited to hear of its re-release into the Bellroy range, following a few years hiatus. Whilst my original All-Conditions Phone Pocket is far from finished, I decided this updated and improved Version 2.0 would smarten things up in my everyday carry, and I was intrigued to see the new design developments… The new All-Conditions range includes two sizes of the legendary Phone Pocket, as well as the All-Conditions Card Pocket. The three new designs feature a sleek and elevated style, with p
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