Jim Langley

By Jim Langley Jim’s Tech Talk Last week’s column on ways to store road bikes elicited helpful comments and an interesting question we’ll look at today. But first, a couple of folks asked for photos showing hanging bikes on hooks. … [Read more...] about Is it OK to Store Disc Brake Bikes Upside-Down? 

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley This week’s topic comes from RBR subscriber Kevin Meyers, who asked: “I have an 11-year-old Co-Motion Robusta tandem. I have used it for racing and training. Should the bottom brackets be replaced after so many miles? So many years?” … [Read more...] about Tandem Bottom Brackets

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Obviously, CO2 inflators are wildly popular and fascinating, too! Believe it or not, last week’s Tech Talk about these tiny ride-savers - which was actually an article from 2017 (because I was away RVing and riding in beautiful Half Moon Bay, California) - now has over 50 comments old and new. … [Read more...] about Your Great Comments and More on CO2 Inflators

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Before we get rolling with this week’s TT, thanks for the interesting and helpful comments to last week’s discussion about whether bottles are safe to drink from. For example, Bob Williams shared that Camelbak actually has bottles with nozzle caps in their Dirt Series (https://amzn.to/3cLxRXF) which I didn’t know. And there are more great … [Read more...] about SRAM eTap Group Now With Wider Gearing

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley You might recall that back a couple of Tech Talks, we reviewed a biodegradable bicycle bottle from Elite. It being one of the first pollution-fighting bidons we’d seen, we awarded it our highest rating of 5 stars. The review is here if you missed it: Elite Jet Water Bottle and Vico Carbon Cage Review. … [Read more...] about Are Bicycle Bottles Safe to Drink From? 

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Last Wednesday and Thursday, something extraordinary happened. The marketing company Echos Communication partnering with fellow agencies OutsidePR and Exact Change put on a virtual bicycle show for journalists, calling it the REVEAL Global Media Conference. … [Read more...] about Highlights from REVEAL’s Virtual Bike Show 

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Elite Jet Water Bottle RATING: Hot: 100% biodegradable (3 months - 5 years)Safety “blow-off” cap to prevent dropped bottle causing a crashOdorless & tastelessBPA-freeCertified food-safe Max-flow and easy to open/close nozzleRidiculously affordable … [Read more...] about Elite Jet Water Bottle and Vico Carbon Cage Review

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Recently, I’ve assembled several new road rockets and was happy (and impressed) to see that almost all of the components have the torque (proper tightening specifications) etched right into the parts and in conspicuous places so you can’t miss them. Such as, on the bottom bracket cups and the hydraulic brake hose connectors. This is super … [Read more...] about Which Torque Wrenches Should You Own?

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Noises, like ticking coming from somewhere on the bike can ruin even the nicest ride. First it’s annoying, then you wonder if it’s going to cause a bigger problem or worse, something’s going to break. … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Finding and Fixing a Ticking Noise

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley In the comments on last week’s Tech Talk, which was about fixing the recalcitrant derailleur hanger on my friend’s Pinarello - was a good observation from Don Macrae. Today, I’m going to reply to Don and to some of the other interesting tips and points from you. To read the first article and all the comments go here. … [Read more...] about Derailleur Hanger Alignment Tools & Techniques

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley When my friend texted for help with the balky shifting on his beautiful Pinarello Dogma, I had a pretty good idea what the problem was. He babys his road rockets, so I was sure it wouldn’t be worn or abused components. … [Read more...] about Fixing a Difficult Replaceable Derailleur Hanger