PROBLEM: Your handlebar tape loosens and shows gaps, especially on the top curves just behind the brake levers. SOLUTION: Re-wrap the tape starting at the bar end and finishing near the stem. When tape is wrapped the other way, from the center to the end, your hands push against the overlap along the top curves. This rolls the tape's edges and eventually opens gaps. … [Read more...] about How to Fix Loose Bicycle Handlebar Tape or Tape with Gaps
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Quick Tip: Keep Your Spare Tube in a Sock
This tip will help you protect your spare tubes. Follow my tip and you won't have to suffer the problem I did, many years ago. I was in a long mountain bike Enduro event and I got a flat tire. I found both my unprotected tubes, carried in my under-saddle bag, had suffered abrasions due to months of jiggling around in the bag. Holes had worn in the corner folds of both … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Keep Your Spare Tube in a Sock
How to Clean Bicycle Wheels
By Jim Langley We've talked before about washing bicycles after rainy rides. My advice was to remove the wheels to make the task of washing them easier. However, I didn’t provide complete instructions for cleaning wheels. Two thoughts made me decide to go into more detail today. First is the fact that wheels have become so much more expensive. So, sort of like wanting to … [Read more...] about How to Clean Bicycle Wheels
Mild Dehydration Does Not Impair Exercise
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Many years ago the Gatorade Sports Science Institute published a study showing that 46 percent of recreational exercisers are dehydrated (Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, June 2006). However, the study did not say that the exercisers were harmed by their dehydration, with good reason. … [Read more...] about Mild Dehydration Does Not Impair Exercise
Become a Faster Cyclist by Strengthening Your Weakest Muscle Groups
By Coach Rick Schultz As a cyclist, it's not so much that we're really weak in some key muscle groups. But it's clear that doing some specific things to address our three weakest muscle groups can have a profound effect on our riding. It's also clear that the "off-season" for many of us is a time when – even if we happen to live in one of those year-round riding … [Read more...] about Become a Faster Cyclist by Strengthening Your Weakest Muscle Groups