Life In The Saddle

You have started cycling and have your first proper bike. As with many a new toy though, there are a few niggling problems—such as skipping gears, misaligned handlebars, or annoying punctures. You will need some home bicycle workshop tools—to avoid making a trip to the local bike shop every five minutes. These are your workbench essentials. Before getting on to the tools themselves, it is worth mentioning a good maintenance book—so that you have a reference point before getting to work. I have the Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair —an in-depth tutorial of all the jobs you are likely to attempt, as well as lots of colour photos. Another excellent choice is Leonard Zinn's Art of Road Bike Maintenance and Leonard Zinn's Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance books. Make sure you know what are taking on, before you start work. In this post, I outline my recommendations for a starter bicycle maintenance tool kit. These are the kind of tools that every cyclist should have ...

In my first  Home Workshop  blog piece, I wrote about  Essential Workbench Tools  that every bike mechanic should have; whether you are new to cycling or an experienced home workshop enthusiast. In this second piece, I look at the next set of tools in the spectrum—those required to perform 'intermediate' level maintenance on your bike; such as fitting new cables, cassettes, chains, and bottom brackets. These are recommendations for products that I would add to your wish list as you become more confident at servicing your own bicycle. Workstand – Feedback Sports Sprint Workstand A workstand is a vital investment as you increase your volume of home bike maintenance; it makes jobs far easier and will save your back from constant stooping.  I reviewed the Feedback Sports Sprint Workstand  in 2013, and it has remained in my workshop to this day. It folds up super small, it is made of lightweight non-rusting aluminium, and I am a great fan of...

Christmas is coming, and that means stockings! In this post, I thought I would feature fifteen of the best cycling products that I've tested over the last year. They are all ideal stocking fillers, which don't cost the earth and would be ideal gifts for anyone that is into cycling. From energy bars to tyre levers, there's a real mix... Bounce Balls Bounce Balls are tasty little energy snacks, which are packed full of natural goodness. They contain carbohydrate from rice bran and starch, and whey protein to keep your muscles in shape. As a Christmas themed option, the new Cacao Orange flavour is seriously tasty with a morning coffee! View the Bounce Balls range (Link) Tate Labs Bar Fly SLi Mounts Keep handlebars clutter-free with an out-front mount. These new SLi mounts from Tate Labs are the best that I've used; I have the Bar Fly Sli BAM to hold a GoPro and Garmin Edge on my road bike, as well as the SLi-D MTB mount on my 35mm mountain bike bars. There...

Winter is coming. That means rain, mud, bike washing and bike servicing, in abundance. A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Pedro's Degreaser and Chain Cleaner ; I was impressed, but after you've stripped your bike of dirt and dried-up lubricant, you need to re-lube and protect key areas, to keep things running smooth. The obvious attention point is your drivetrain, and in the past I've talked about Picking Your Pedro's Chainlube , to ensure you've got the right lube for your riding conditions. In this post though, I'm considering what you need to keep your bearings, bottom bracket, headset and hubs running smooth this winter... grease! The Bio-Grease from Pedro's is a friendly grease. I don't mean it's a smiling John Travolta. I mean it's kind(er) to the environment than most. It's bio-degradable and non-toxic, so there's less chance you're killing the fishes in the rivers, as it slowly washes out of your bearing races. I'm pl...

It's that time of year... Bike washing is no longer a once-a-fortnight activity, it is fast becoming part of the 'every-ride' routine. Mud, leaf mulch and not to mention road salt, will soon be covering our shiny bikes. It's time to bring out the big guns of the cleaning bucket... Review: Pedro's Pro J Degreaser and Bye Grease Degreaser The first thing to add to your cleaning bucket, is a high quality degreaser. I've heard of people using washing up liquid, brush cleaner and white spirit to clean chains before; but really, the most effective and safest bet for your bike, is to use a dedicated bike degreaser, from a well-reputed brand.  My current go-to option, is the Pro J Degreaser from Pedro's. It's a 'professional strength' product, which makes light work of caked-on lube, brake dust and road grime. Spray or brush it on, leave it for a few minutes whilst you work on other areas of the bike; then, give the chain, sprockets and cha...

Maintaining a smooth running drivetrain is one of the challenges of racking up many miles on a bike. It awards good recompense though, and a well cleaned and lubricated cassette and chain will provide a more efficient and quieter bike, whilst also helping to prolong the life of the components. Once you've ensured that your chain, chain rings and cassette are sparkling clean and dry (here's a link to my Bike Cleaning Routine ), it's time to choose your chain lube. There are a whole host of lubricant options available though, and how do you know which one is best for you? Should you opt for a wet lube or dry lube? Light oil or Teflon reinforced wax? In this post, I've picked out three of my favourites from the US brand Pedro's, and thought I'd talk through the differences between them, as well as why they are all good choices. Review: Pedro's Syn Lube - Wet Weather and Endurance Protection I'll start with Pedro's Syn Lube, because for the k...

A good set of tools, whether for the home workshop or for your saddle bag, are one of the best investments you can make as a cyclist. Buy cheap and I can almost guarantee you will have to buy again; and as cheap tools wear out, so too do they often wear out your bolt heads and risk damaging other components. Buy quality tools, and they may well last a lifetime. Pedros make high-quality tools; in fact they compose a significant portion of my home workshop tool-chest. The distinctive yellow label is a sure fire sign of quality; in this post I take a look at two of their innovative multi-tools and their floor pump... The Pedros Trixie Singlespeed Multi-tool I don't own a singlespeed at the moment, but I do own several old style bikes, which tend to utilise bolts and lock rings rather more than their modern siblings. Therefore, I've still found the Trixie a very useful bit of kit. The tool is precision cut out of one piece of metal; making it super strong and durable. T...