Posts

Diagnosing a Creaking Sound From Your Saddle Rails
A persistent creak under the saddle ruins even the best coastal ride along Sydney's Northern Beaches or the climbs around Brisbane's Mount Coot-tha. Riders…
How to Install a Kickstand on a Carbon Frame Without Drilling
A kickstand makes a bicycle easier to live with. It keeps the frame off muddy ground at a café, prevents a loaded commuter from falling against a fence, and…
How to Lubricate Bike Headset Bearings Without Removing the Fork
A dry or gritty headset can make steering feel stiff, notchy or reluctant to return to centre. In many cases, you can refresh the upper bearing and improve the…
How to Fix a Warped Disc Brake Rotor With a Piston Spreader
A rubbing disc brake rotor can make a bike sound broken even when the problem is minor. A slight bend, uneven pad wear, a sticky caliper piston, or a wheel…
How to Safely Remove a Stuck Bottom Bracket Cup With a Blow Torch
A seized bottom bracket cup can turn a routine drivetrain service into a serious workshop job. Corrosion, dried grease, thread damage and years of…
How To Adjust Bike Pedal Float With Cleat Shims
A good clipless pedal setup should let your foot rotate naturally while keeping the knee, ankle and hip tracking comfortably through the pedal stroke. When the…
Replacing a Cracked Hydraulic Brake Lever Body Safely
A cracked brake lever body is a safety issue, but it does not always mean the hydraulic circuit must be opened. On some bicycle disc brake systems, the damaged…
Why Your Rear Wheel Skips Under Power: Diagnosing a Worn Freehub
There's nothing more frustrating than pushing hard on the pedals halfway up Mount Coot-tha, halfway through a lap at You Yangs, or midway up a fire trail in…
Adding a bell or horn to drop bars without cluttering the cockpit
Cyclists riding drop bar bikes often discover too late that adding a bell or horn is not as straightforward as it sounds. Drop bars already host brake levers,…
How to clean your bike's drivetrain using soap and a brush
A clean drivetrain shifts more crisply, lasts longer, and quietly saves you money on replacement cassettes and chains. The soap-and-brush approach strips away…