Road Bike Rider Cycling Resource Guide

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

Jim Langley

Beginners’ Guide to 2X Shifting

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Two episodes back, we covered chain drop fixes on bicycles with a single chainring. These bike drivetrains are commonly called “one-by,” written 1X. They’re the popular choice today on “gravel bikes” - essentially road bikes designed as much for dirt as for tarmac. And, a few 1X bikes have made their way into the pro-road racing peloton, … [Read more...] about Beginners’ Guide to 2X Shifting

Staying Safe from Distracted Drivers and Those with Negative Attitudes

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley I’ve been a member of our local bike club, the Santa Cruz County Cycling Club since I moved here in 1982. Good members make a good club, so when I’m asked to contribute something I try to help. And this time, I think what I was asked to provide will interest you, too. Our club newsletter editor, Grace Voss, asked if I'd like to write an … [Read more...] about Staying Safe from Distracted Drivers and Those with Negative Attitudes

Mid-Season Bicycle Check-Up

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley It’s August, which means some of the best pedaling of the year is ahead for a lot of us. The days start to cool off, the roads get quieter as the summer vacationers pack it in and there are more fun rides on the calendar. But wait! If you’re been knocking out the miles all season long, it’s likely your trusty two-wheeler needs a little … [Read more...] about Mid-Season Bicycle Check-Up

On Pedal Threading and Safety Checking Crashed Carbon

Jim’s Tech Talk Jim Langley Today’s topics come from an unexpected page on the Road Bike Rider website (at least to me), so I’ll start with an explanation. Like road riding meccas - Bend, Oregon and the tri-state area of NH, VT and MA are two of my favorites - the RBR website has almost endless ways to take a wrong turn following one article after another until you end … [Read more...] about On Pedal Threading and Safety Checking Crashed Carbon

Helping John Lower his Gearing

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley At Road Bike Rider, we have a special service called Ask The Coach. It allows roadies to ask any of our experts almost anything and receive a personal reply from an RBR editor if they are a premium member. Even if you're not a premium member, we do our best to answer, or might respond to it in the form of a column. … [Read more...] about Helping John Lower his Gearing

Inspecting ICAN Cycling’s Aero 40 Chinese Carbon Wheels

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley A few months ago, I wrote a story about ICAN Cycling’s Chinese carbon wheels, the Aero 40s. These 40mm profile Toray carbon tubeless-ready aero clinchers weigh only 1,314 grams and cost only $640. Lots of roadies looking for inexpensive carbon wheels have discovered that they’re widely available on eBay.com. While at RBR, we knew this, we … [Read more...] about Inspecting ICAN Cycling’s Aero 40 Chinese Carbon Wheels

Setting Up My Park Tool BX-3 Toolbox

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Last fall, while camping, which always includes riding, of course - I needed to lubricate the rear brake cable on my Litespeed. When I went to yank my trusty Plano toolbox (photo) out of the RV storage compartment, the box’s plastic handle broke off. Upon further inspection, when I flexed the box and drawers I discovered that the whole … [Read more...] about Setting Up My Park Tool BX-3 Toolbox

A Classic Finishing Touch

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Every spring it’s one of the most-read cycling magazines, so you may already have seen Bicycling magazine’s 2019 Buyer’s Guide issue (all-white cover, which reminded me of the Beatles). It hit the newsstand back in March and arrived in the mail even before. If you read closely, you might also have seen a couple of small pieces by me on pages … [Read more...] about A Classic Finishing Touch

Unboxing ICAN Cycling’s Aero 40 Chinese Carbon Road Wheelset

Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley A couple of weeks ago, we received an interesting request from a new company to us. It was from Rita Müller, the COO of ICAN Cycling. ICAN is located in Shenzhen, China. They sell carbon bicycles, frames, components and wheels. Rita asked if we’d like to test and review their new superlight tubeless-ready carbon Aero 40 clincher wheelset … [Read more...] about Unboxing ICAN Cycling’s Aero 40 Chinese Carbon Road Wheelset