Christmas Holidays ? We?re Back on the 3rd Of Jan

Bike Science is closing for our Christmas break from 5pm on Friday 23rd Dec. We re-open on Tuesday the 3rd. All our staff throughout the UK wish our clients a merry Christmas and a great new year. Why not prepare for your 2012 season with a RETUL PRECISION BIKE FIT £85 off in our January [...]

Source: http://blog.bike-science.com/2011/12/23/christmas-holidays-were-back-on-the-3rd-of-jan

cycling equipment

Winter Tuneup Projects

After a foot of snow falls in a couple of days, getting out on the bike is tough going, even on a fat bike! With limited daylight and nasty conditions making it hard to get in the saddle, it's a good time to tackle some more time consuming maintenance projects. Here's what has been keeping me busy in the garage this week.

Rust Protection
Most touring bikes out there are made of steel, and the wet winter and spring conditions can put the hurt to a steel frame and fork. JP Weigle Frame Saver only needs to be applied once every couple of years and does a great job of protecting the inside of your frame. The outside surface of your frame is protected by the bike's paint, but chips can expose portions of raw steel. Some bike manufacturers can send you a small bottle of touchup paint for this, but it might be easier to just run out to the store and pick up some nail polish that closely matches your paint scheme.

Drivetrain
After a season of riding, you may have some drivetrain components nearing the end of their lives. The chain and cassette tend to wear out quicker than other drivetrain components, so this is a good place to focus first. If the cassette teeth are looking very pointy, it's about finished and needs to be replaced. As for the chain, you can use a chain checker tool to see how much it has stretched, or look at how it overlaps your chainring teeth. If it doesn't sit flush against your front chainring it is ready to be replaced.

The bottom bracket is another drivetrain component that can wear out over the course of a season. If there is any play in the crankset side to side, the bottom bracket bearings are likley shot and you guessed it, it needs to be replaced.

Cables and Housing
It's amazing how much a new set of cables and housing can improve the quality of shifting and braking. Lately, I've been a huge fan of Gore Ride-On Sealed Low Friction cables and housing. This fully sealed cable/housing combo keeps water and grit from getting into your housing and around your cables and extends their life and quality.

Component Swap
As long as you're ripping parts off the bike left and right for cleaning and greasing, you may as well think about parts you want to upgrade or replace. For instance, maybe you want to give moustache bars a shot this season, or cut up your Brooks B17 to make it a poor man's Brooks Swallow.

Major mechanical undertakings can take a good amount of time, and you don't want to be in a rush through any of this, so don't expect to pound all of this out in one evening. If you're new to bike maintenance and want to learn how to work on your bike properly, check with your local shops or clubs and see if they have any bike maintenance clinics coming up. If you're a self taught individual, there is no shortage of bike mechanic books out there.

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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/01/winter-tuneup-projects.html

dhb cycling

Shack Sets Powerful Roster for The Tour of Switzerland

The 9-day long, 75th edition of the Tour de Suisse starts on Saturday, June 11th, and as usual, it promises to be a real shoot out, with many of the sports elite stars making their annual pilgrimage to the land of private banking, precise time pieces and great chocolate as the traditional tune up for [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/shack-sets-powerful-roster-for-the-tour-of-switzerland/

road cycling

Manuel Cardoso Takes Stage 4 at Catalunya 2011

After looking very strong so far in this year?s 91st running of the Volta a Catalunya ? he finished third in Tuesday?s 2nd stage – Team RadioShack?s Manuel Cardoso (POR) won Thursday?s 4th stage besting the field to the line in a bunch sprint in the town of El Vendrell, Spain. The 195 kilometer [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/manuel-cardoso-takes-stage-4-at-catalunya-2011/

world cycling

The first ride of 2012 in "Hockney Country" (aka the Yorkshire Wolds)

Approaching Middleton on the Wolds along an unfamiliar road Ooh, dear. I see this morning's online Independent report about the Yorkshire Wolds (and David Hockney's A Bigger Picture exhibition that opens at the Royal Academy on Saturday) is in the Travel section. Unless the intention is for tourists to travel the Wolds by bike, or [...]

Source: http://cycleseven.org/the-first-ride-of-2012-in-hockney-country-aka-the-yorkshire-wolds

cycling forums

Team RadioShack Stars Come Out for Basque Tour

As in past years, the stars are in alignment and ready to shine for the 51st running of the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, or the Tour of the Basque Country in northeast Spain. All of the riders of the entered teams have been announced for the 6-day romp in the steep Pyrénées [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/team-radioshack-stars-come-out-for-basque-tour/

descente cycling

Next Thursday -- Is Your US Representative a Cycling Supporter?

If you follow national transportation policy, one thing is clear -- federal investment in non-motorized, active transportation (aka biking and walking) is under siege. Next week, on Thursday, February 2, the transportation committee of the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to consider long-term legislation to fund transportation -- and the draft they will review completely eliminates all programs dedicated to biking and walking, including transportation enhancements and safe routes to school. These programs have been remarkably effective (and inexpensive) in spurring a cycling renaissance and more transportation options -- yet unlike every other major form of transportation, only biking and walking are targeted for complete elimination of their supporting programs.

If this concerns you and you want to take action, here are two options: (1) find out if your Member of Congress is on the House Transportation Committee and urge him or her to support an amendment to include bike-walk funding in this bill (here's an easy-to-use alert -- hit the "Take Action" button); (2) keep an eye on our blog or the America Bikes' website and you'll find out the status of the bill as it moves to the full House of Representatives (probably later in February -- here's a helpful timeline of the planned Congressional schedule). At that point, you'll be able to write and call your Representative, asking them to support the small but vital investment the federal government makes in active transportation for people of all ages.

Thanks for your interest and for taking action to make America a more bike-friendly country.

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JIM SAYER is executive director of Adventure Cycling Association.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/01/next-thursday-is-your-us-representative.html

cycling gear

Oliveira Wins the Time Trial Championship in Portugal

Portuguese rider Nelson Oliveira has just won the national time trial championships on the circuit of Pataias in Portugal. Things are really happening for the rider who is in his first year as a professional, riding for Team Radioshack. Just a little over a week ago Oliveira finished fourth in the Tour de Suisse time trial, [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/oliveira-wins-the-time-trial-championship-in-portugal/

tour de france live