Compact Crankshafts

Compact Crankshafts

A bicycle's crankshaft drives the chain of your bike as you pedal. Most bicycles come equipped with either a double or triple crankshaft. A triple crankshaft gives you a greater lower range of gears, allowing you to pedal uphill.

Compact crankshafts are not new, but are just coming into popularity. They also give you a better lower range, but take away a bit at the higher range, unlike the double or triple crankshaft. The upside is that it is lighter weight than even a standard double. The downside is that you don't get as great a lower end as a triple would give you and you do lose that bit at the high end.

So, if you need better low end gears on your racer, but don't need all that a triple would provide, a lighter, compact crankshaft could be your answer.

Shimano Bike Parts

When it comes to bike parts and brand loyalty, you'll find many different opinions. Do your research by checking online sources, reading reviews, talking to experts in cycle shops, and asking other cyclists for recommendations.

- A highly recommended brand is Shimano. Shimano bike parts have contributed to the world of bicycling. Engineered for performance, Shimano bike parts will reduce stress and make more efficient use of energy.

Bicycle Parts Noises

What was that?! Sometimes a bike can be a very noisy machine. And, when it is, it's letting you know its bike parts need some attention. Stop and listen to your bicycle. Here are some common noises and solutions:

• If your seat clicks when you shift your weight, tighten the top of the seat post that holds the seat
• Water in the bearings of the bottom bracket will get loud over time, so have them repacked occasionally
• Noisy wheels? Look for loose spokes to tighten or check your tires for stuck debris

Regardless of whether you're riding with a rigid or suspension fork, if its noisy, take it to the shop for a check up.

Bicycle Accessory Gifts

If there's a cycling enthusiast in your life, there's no better gift than a new bicycle accessory. There are so many cool gadgets and gizmos for bikes and riders that promote comfort, provide a practical use, and just make riding more fun. Some neat choices include:

• Heart monitors
• Glasses
• A bright new jersey
• Tool kits
• Water bottles
• Reflectors
• Seat covers

- If you're unsure what type of bike accessory to get for someone, you might want to think about getting them a gift certificate. There are even gift certificates available on some online retail sites.

Check Bicycle Parts Regularly

There's nothing worse than finding yourself on the road or trail with a break down or accident. To avoid such a situation, here are a few bicycle parts that should be checked every couple of weeks for damage and wear and tear:

• Look for loose nuts, bolts and spokes
• Clean and lubricate the chain
• Inspect your headset and wheels for wobbles

- Sometimes it really pays to keep a few spare bike parts on hand for quick home repairs

Shock Absorbing Seatposts

Ouch, that smarts! If your seat is uncomfortable while riding, look into seatposts. Shock absorbing seatposts are one bicycle part that has been growing in popularity as more and more bikers look for greater comfort on the road or trail.

Seatposts are affordable and offer options to suit personal needs:

• One looks like a seatpost and contains a spring that slides up & down in line with your bottom bracket

• A more complicated design absorbs bumps by moving the saddle horizontally instead of up and down

- With the first, the height of your seatpost changes; with the latter the distance to the handlebars changes. It's all a matter of personal choice.

Women and Saddle Comfort

Men and women are different! Everyone knows this but did you know that you can buy special bike parts to work better with your anatomy? There are some sports in which the differences in the way men and women are built really make a difference - one of those sports is cycling. The good news is that there are so many bicycle parts to choose from that can make riding more comfortable for specific body types.

- Women are built for bearing children so their pelvis bones are set wider apart than men's. With a narrow saddle, these bones are outside the sitting surface. Women should swap any saddle that isn't wide enough for one that is wide enough to support the width of those bones.

Pre Assembled Bicycle

If you're buying a pre-assembled bicycle, it's a good idea to ask whether you can have a free check-up for the bike (doing this allows you to check on all bike parts, making sure they are in good working order and adjusted correctly). After all, you don't know how long it's been sitting in the store or how many times it's been test driven.

- Most bike parts are fairly universal and most service people can give it an effective go over.

The Best Helmet

What's the best helmet to wear? It's a helmet you want to wear. Almost every helmet available today has a sticker saying that it meets all safety standards and requirements so all that remains is personal taste.

Many popular helmets (such as Giro Helmets) offer assorted styles and colors to cater to individual tastes so go out and find yours. If you love the helmet you choose, chances are you'll feel better about wearing it.

Fitting A Bicycle Helmet

A bicycle helmet is a necessity, however, if it doesn't fit, it not only won't protect your head. In fact, a helmet that doesn't fit can potentially even do harm by hitting other body parts or wrapping around your neck.

- If you are unsure of how to fit a helmet, it's best to buy it at a bike shop with knowledgeable salespeople. Your helmet should never be crooked, tipped back, or have loose straps

Bicycle Helmet Standards

Almost every sport or physical activity has its risks and cycling is no exception. If you're looking for assurance that your child's helmet is truly good protection, you can rest assured. Bicycle helmets are manufactured to specific standards that were drafted by committees made up of scientists, engineers, doctors, manufacturers and advocates.

Helmet standards are based upon research, studies, actual experience, and rigorous product testing (the process can often take months or even years and are updated as new materials and technologies are introduced).

Replacing A Helmet

A helmet won't last forever! Most information stresses how to buy and fit a helmet, but few discuss when to replace a helmet. Your helmet should be replaced if:

• You've taken a fall• It's aging
• The technology has changed
• It lacks the sticker telling you it complies with industry standards for safety
• If you can't adjust it to fit properly

- Wearing an inadequate bike helmet is about as useful as not wearing one at all. Keep your helmet up to code and stay safe while riding.

The Proper Use of Helmets

Getting your child to wear a helmet is only half the battle. Getting them to wear it right is a whole other story. If you are not certain whether or not your child's helmet fits, ask their doctor.

Most pediatricians can tell you whether a bicycle helmet fits your child properly, or whether it is adjusted properly so why not bring it with you to your next well-check. Have your child put their helmet on during their check-up and ask your doctor to assess its fit. You'll get good advice and hearing a doctor stress its importance could potentially make an impact on your child.

Helmet Laws

There is no federal law in the United States that makes it mandatory to wear a bicycle helmet, but 20 states and more than 125 localities have helmet laws—and with good reason. Head injuries account for 75 percent of bicycle related deaths and permanently disabling injuries. So, if you've been riding without, run to your nearest bike shop and pick one up.

- When buying a helmet, look for a label or sticker that says the helmet meets the requirements of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or those of one or more of the organizations that set bicycle standards like ASTM, Snell or ANSI.

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Bicycle Frame Materials

Bicycle frames are generally constructed out of steel, aluminum or titanium. Each type of frame has its own benefits and drawbacks to weigh:

• Aluminum frames are light and flexible, but won't survive an impact well
• Steel frames are less flexible, but will survive an impact better than aluminum
• Titanium bicyle frames are generally a durable choice all around, but is the most costly of the three

- Before buying a frame, make a list of the things that are most important to you. Use online resources to find further information on specific frame types and don't make a rushed decision (you're likely to have your frame for a while).

The Proper Bicycle Frame Size

Want to calculate the correct bicycle frame size for your body size? The frame size is measured from the seat lug at the top to the center of the bottom bracket. If you divide your height by three, or subtract 9 inches from your inseam length, you'll get your proper frame size.

- While you can compensate for a smaller frame with a higher seat and headset, you should never make do with a too large frame that doesn't allow adequate groin clearance when straddling the bike – the consequences are much too painful.

Bicycle Frame Maintenance

Don't throw your investment away! You've invested a good deal of money in a bicycle frame—you should maintain it. Not taking care of your bike will eventually ruin it.Without proper lubrication, your bike will corrode and work poorly.

So, after you wash your bike, lubricate the chain, derailleur, brake pivots, and any place where cables enter of exit housings (don't neglect to wipe off all excess oil).

Never Clamp Your Bike Frame

Given the beatings we often give our bikes on the road or trail, we tend to take for granted the strength of our frames. In many ways, however, they are fragile and need special care. You should never clamp anything down on the finished surface of your bike frame (if you need to clamp your bicycle for storing, repairing or for transport, clamp the seatpost, wheels and fork tips).

- It's not just the paint you need to worry about—many clamping devices apply a great enough pressure to dent or break lightweight tubing.

Bike Frame Warranty

Think before you add to your bike. Modified and customized bicycles seem more the norm these days than off-the-shelf ones. As we strive for greater comfort and performance, it's not unusual to change and add to our bikes.

- Before you blithely touch the frame of your bike, consider the fact that if you modify your frame in any way, it will most likely void your warranty.

Bicycle Fork Adjustments for Women

Women, because of their anatomy, have different fork adjustment needs than men. Women carry more weight in their hips, leaving less weight over the bicycle's front end than men of the same size. This usually makes it more difficult to initiate the fork's movement. As a result, a women is less likely to achieve optimum comfort or control.

- Elastomer forks are great for women. These forks endure less static friction and work better for riders carrying less weight.

Making Bicycle Fork Adjustments

Elastomer forks are great but they won't do you any good if you don't set them up correctly. To make sure that your elastomer fork will perform, follow these steps:

- Push the protective rubber boot up to the top of the fork leg
- Place a zip tie snugly around the bottom of the stanchion tube
- Cut off the excess and pull the boot back down over the tie
- Go for a ride and make it a point to go over some bumps
- Peel the boot up and measure how far it has moved

Most elastomers should have 2 inches of travel. If yours moved less, soften your fork. If the fork moved too much, then adjust the other way.

A Bicycle Fork for the Large Rider

If you are a large rider, your bicycle fork will obviously be under a lot more strain than one under a smaller rider. Many people take for granted that any bike fork will hold their weight. The truth is, however, that not all bike forks are created equally - some are capable of holding more weight than others.

- For those who are over 200 pounds, its best to get a carbon road fork with a steel, aluminum or titanium steerer - a carbon-only fork will flex too much.

Off The Rack Bicycle Fork Adjustments

Off-The-Rack Bicycle Fork Adjustments
When you buy an off-the-rack mountain bike, its suspension fork will most likely be adjusted for a 150 to 170 pound rider. So, if you weigh more or less than that, you should change the adjustment. Without changing the adjustment, your comfort level and control over bumps will suffer, as will your fork.If you weigh under 150 pounds, explore your other options. You might want to think about having a bike built to fit your body type perfectly. If you're already set on a specific bike, however, you can have it customized to fit your needs.

Bent Bicycle Fork

If your bicycle veers to one side when you are either holding the handlebars lightly or when you ride with no hands, something is definitely wrong. One of the first things you should check is the condition of your fork to make sure it is straight and true. To find out if your bike fork is bent, do the following

• Stand behind your bike and place your wheels in line
• Take your bicycle by its saddle and wheel it around
• Pay attention to whether it rolls straight or pulls to one side
• If it still goes to one side, it is likely that your fork is bent

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Music to Pedal By

Go ahead and jam out to those tunes! Riding to your favorite music not only makes the trip more enjoyable, but will get you farther down the road.

Research has proven that both men and women who pedal to their favorite music ride 11% farther before fatiguing than riders who ride in silence.

Investing in an accessory like an Ipod or the featherweight Rio is a smart choice.

Both crank out hours worth of uninterrupted music (that you choose and download yourself) and are compact.

Camelbaks

One of the most important things to remember when riding is to stay hydrated.
Your body uses water to cool itself.

Through perspiration alone, you lose 1 liter of water per hour, and dehydration is a serious health hazard.

A Camelbak is a portable water storage system in a handy, compact backpack.

They are great way to maintain hydration in comfort without sacrificing performance.

When you've got fresh, cool water this handy, you'll drink more often.

Camelbaks come in many sizes, with different features, and price points.

No matter which one you choose, you'll be doing yourself a great service.

New Bicycle Accessories

-No matter how often you visit your favorite bike shop, it's amazing how many new accessories become available.

-That's because since bikes are so popular, it's a category with constant innovation and experimentation.

-Between 1996 and 2000, over 4,200 bike-related patents were issued-that's more than two bike patents a day

-Put your inventing cap on and don't be afraid to try to market useful, new bike accessories that you come up with.

-Bicycle accessories can be a lucrative business-the next new cool thing is never far off from making its way to the store.

Bicycle Racks

Nice rack! Bike racks are one of the most popular bicycle accessories around. And, just like your bike, your rack needs maintenance. If you've been traveling a lot with your bike lately, don't forget to care for your rack by

• Lubricating all locks, hubs, fastening bolts and knobs
• Inspecting your roof rack regularly for signs of wear
• Clearing off any debris

The better you treat your bike rack, the longer it will last and perform for you.

Heart Rate Monitor

Whether you ride for health and fitness or for the excitement of pushing yourself farther, a heart rate monitor (HRM) is a great accessory.

A wristwatch with a chest strap and electrodes uses radio waves to transmit your heart's electrical activity in beats per minute.

If you're looking to burn fat or ride faster, longer or harder, a HRM will help you maintain an optimum rate for what you're looking to accomplish.

It will keep you from both underachieving or overexerting.