Category Archives: Bikes & Cycling

Everything to do with bikes and cycling.

Bicycling the Rough Stuff: The Pre-Ride Check

Stop trouble before it starts. Look your bike over to be sure everything is in working order before you head out.
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by Tamia Nelson | April 4, 2015

A bike—especially one that’s hauling gear or pulling a trailer along a rough unpaved road—is a complex machine operating under extreme load in a hostile environment. If just one critical part fails, it means trouble. Luckily, most mechanical problems are easy to fix or cobble together, even in remote areas, and as long as you have the tools to cope. But who wants to begin (or end) a trip with an unscheduled stop for repairs? I’d rather fix what’s broke at home, instead of alongside a mosquito-infested dirt track on the other side of Aintry (remember Deliverance?). That’s why I do a pre-ride check before heading out for rough rides or long treks. The idea’s to stop trouble before it starts. So look your bike over to be sure everything is in working order before you head out. Here’s my list:

Tires  Look for cuts, bulges, … Continue reading »

Gearing Up to Ride: The Big Picture by Tamia Nelson

There are those cyclists who travel light, and those who are prepared for anything that may come their way. Guess which I am.
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by Tamia Nelson | March 31, 2015

I always carry tools in my saddle pack, and I carry even more in my handlebar bag, along with a selection of spare parts. Here’s the complete rundown, beginning with the contents of my seat pack:

  • Spare tire tube
  • Self-adhesive patches
  • Tire levers
  • Hex wrenches (Allen keys)
  • Spoke wrench
  • Chain tool
  • Multi-tool (Leatherman knock-off)
  • Vinyl gloves
  • Cotton rags

And here’s what’s in my ‘bar bag:

  • Tire patch kit
  • Spare brake and derailleur cables
  • Combo Phillips & slotted screwdriver
  • 8mm Allen key
  • 8mm and 10mm combo open-ended wrench
  • Cone wrenchs (13-15mm and 17-18mm)
  • Combo wrench (31mm & 36mm headset spanner & 13-15mm cone/pedal wrench)
  • Lifu mini crank extractor
  • Bottom bracket tool
  • Stein cassette remover
  • Spare brake and derailleur cables
  • Inner tube sections (mostly for padding)
  • Vinyl gloves

And that’s not all. I bring other things as well:

  • Frame pump
  • Mini-pump (as a spare on long trips)
… Continue reading »

Be Ready for Roadside Repairs Far From Home

Even the best mechanic needs her tools when roadside repairs are called for.
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by Tamia Nelson | March 28, 2015

You’re 50 miles from home on your bike, enjoying a day-long ride through the countryside. You’re on your own. And then trouble strikes. It could be a persistent knock with each revolution of the cranks. Or a front derailleur cable that gives up the ghost. Or maybe you hit a deep pothole and sheared a spoke on the drive side of your rear wheel. What do you do? Pull out your cell phone and call someone to come and pick you up? Is there cellphone coverage where you’re likely to meet with trouble? A five-mile ride down the road brings me to a dead zone with no cell coverage, and it stays that way for another 25 miles. There are no other services to be found, either. There aren’t even many houses. Yet it’s a great place to ride, with paved roads and wide shoulders, challenging grades, little traffic, and beautiful scenery—rich woods, verdant wetlands, and rolling … Continue reading »

Freedom Isn’t Free: The Economics of Transportational Bicycling by Tamia Nelson

Advocates of cycling sometimes posit that transportational bicycles are a great value when compared to automobiles, and therefore, it’s more cost-effective to replace your car with a bicycle. But in regions like the one where I live, the economics and practicalities of going car-free and using a bicycle for transportation aren’t straight forward. Here are the main characteristics of places like this:

  • Rural economy
  • Widely spaced population centers
  • Limited-to-no public transportation
  • Harsh, highly variable weather
  • Hilly or mountainous terrain
  • Few (if any) bike shops
  • Roads in poor repair

Going Car-Free in Rural Areas  If you live in a rural area where public transport is limited or non-existent, you’re going to face a few challenges when (make that if) you go car-free. Services are very widely distributed, for one thing. It’s not uncommon for doctors, hospitals, schools, stores, and places of employment to be over 20 miles away from home. The local bike shop? Er…What local bike shop? With the exception of tire tubes and patch kits in a few hardware stores and the local … Continue reading »