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Bike Noob
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I’ve only been at this since the summer of ‘07, so I still consider myself a newbie — hence the name of the blog. My experiences as I get back into serious cycling might be of interest and use to others who are getting into the fun and challeng
Recent Posts Tagged With 'Maintenance'
Bike shop advice
Just coming off a depressing weekend, bike-wise. I’ve had a nagging virus of some kind for several days, which has left me very congested. So, to give my meds a chance to work, I decided to take the weekend off from riding. However, that meant ...
Tune-ups — how often?
After last weekend’s incident with the broken derailleur, I got to wondering. It’s been awhile since my bike has been in the shop for any kind of maintenance, and about 11 months since its last tune-up. While I do minor routine maintenanc...
Sometimes it’s not what it seems
I showed up for the Sunday morning B ride feeling somewhat apprehensive. The rear tire on my bike had a noticeable warp. It wasn’t really a bulge, but the main tread of the tire got off center at one spot. I was worried it might fail during the...
Patched tubes vs. new ones
Last weekend, I flatted on my Saturday morning ride. I was only two miles from home, and was too worn out to change the flat then and there, so I called my wife and had her perform sag duties. That evening, in the cool of my kitchen, I pulled out the...
When to replace a tire
My saga of the hard-to-seat tire got me thinking about tire replacement in general. As I said, I felt it necessary to buy a new tire because of my upcoming MS 150, and I wanted it in time for last weekend’s 52-miler. The original tire was new...
Mounting a new tire
I set a record the other night. It took me a full hour to get a tire mounted on a wheel. I bought a new tire to replace one that had some severe cuts on the tread. Since I had a 52-mile ride coming up Saturday, I didn’t want to risk anythin...
Bike maintenance
I spent a very satisfying hour this afternoon putting a new piece of equipment on my bike. It’s a new cyclocomputer, wireless, with cadence and lots of other data that I didn’t have on the last computer. I’ll post on it after I&...
My sick bike
One of the requirements of the MS 150 is that bikes be inspected at an MS 150-approved bike shop. Luckily for me, the shop where I bought my bike and have it serviced is one of those. I called, and asked to make an appointment to bring the bike i...
CO2 — A new top post
Here’s a minor milestone for the Bike Noob blog — there’s a new King of All Posts. “CO2 cartridges or a pump?” from July 29, 2008 has overtaken “Smoked by an Old Guy” from April 16. “CO2″ has ra...
Seating a balky tire
I’ve gotten pretty good at fixing flats, especially in light of the rash of them I’ve had lately. The other day, I was itching to do a ride, but the tire had gone flat the day before, so I had to fix it before getting out. No problem. I...
