| Title | Description | Author |
| An Introduction to Cyclocross | Cyclocross has been around since the 1940's or so, and was originally a way for road racers to maintain their fitness level through late fall and early winter. It was started in Europe where it has remained consistently popular.
The race course is usually a mix of grass fields, dirt roads, relatively short asphalt sections, some sand, some mud or stream crossings and several forced dismounts and running sections.
Cross racing requires a combination of mountain biking and road racing skills and fitness.
To read the full article click here | Harry Wolfson |
| Secret Attack | Most cyclists stand on the pedals to initiate a sudden acceleration in speed. The problem is every other rider can see that you are attacking or struggling. Learn to be able to jump or accelerate while sitting. Practice by starting from almost a dead stop and getting up to top speed while staying in the saddle entire time. Like anything else it takes a bit of practice however those who ride track or a single speed should be able to do this with little or no practice. | Wallace Wormley |
| Remember 26inch Tires Wear Out Faster Than 700c | I commute to work on my old mountain bike with slick tires. Because the wheels have a smaller diameter they wear 10-20% faster than 700c tires. Do the math it takes 20-40 more wheel revolutions per mile for the smaller diameter wheel. | Wallace Wormley |
| Do carbon handlebars and seatpost really make a difference? | I have spent a full season with carbon bars and seatposts on both my road and my commuter bikes and have noticed a slight difference in damping vibration for the handlebars and little or no difference for seatpost. Well at least my bike looks good! | Wallace Wormley |
| Octalink vs ISIS | This year I switched from a Shimano Dura-Ace / Octalink set-up to a FSA Energy / ISIS bottom bracket on my road bike. After 5 long seasons with the old set-up and 6 months with the new one I have to say that the ISIS set-up is better. Here are the reasons why: 1) The number of bottom brackets and cranks to choose from is great. 2)There is a larger surface area between the splines and the crank arms which feels stiffer to me. This could be due to other factors. I waited several years before switching to ISIS so that all the bugs were worked out and that there were enough companies making bottom brackets and cranks so that there were plenty of options and choices. I think that all the companies that worked on the ISIS project have raised the bar in regards to bottom brackets and cranks and thus have built a better product than either Shimano or Campy. Earlier this year Shimano released the new Hollowtech II for the road market and some people feel that this new set-up is even better than my pick mentioned above. Doh! | Wallace Wormley |
| Seat Clamps welded vs. clamp | Ever wonder why some new Ti and aluminum frames use a seat clamp (e.g. Litespeed) and others have the clamp welded as part of the frame (e.g. Moots)? To make the clamp part of the seat tube area requires welding the group of tubes at the seat clamp without using too much heat which can damage the frame. This requires a very skilled welder and/or thicker tubes. A clamp is easy to manufacture/buy. The weight difference between the 2 options is negligible. So, the two decision most companies face when determining which style they will use comes down to cost or strength. Most companies do not think the extra cost to manufacture a welded seat clamp is economical. Others doubt that a welded seat clamp makes the bike better/stronger. However, high-end bike manufacturers and custom frame builders are always looking for that one thing that makes their product special. | Wallace Wormley |
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