bike mechanics

My new chaincase came from Hoopdriver Bicycles and made by Velo Orange. Not cheap but good quality.

Us North Americans tend to underestimate the lowly chainguard (and fenders for that matter) on the bicycle. I'm a firm believer in clean pants and figure it can't be all that hard to produce a good chainguard that's going to keep them clean. Instead we've now got plenty of "city bikes" on the market (commendable for sure) that still lack a good chainguard. For example, Linus and Public bikes are two popular city bikes being seen all over Toronto. They've got fenders, racks, upright handlebars and simple, rational gearing. Yet they still lack a proper chainguard. Instead all they do is protect pant legs for just a small part of the turn. If your pants can still get oily or get jammed in the gears why bother at all?

I had previously blogged about my first attempt at clean pants using auto loom to cover the chain. It wasn't a failure though it might require occasional replacement of the loom as you can see how mine cracked (though it still worked), or find more flexible loom.

I wasn't sure how it would stand up in winter so I decided to splurge for the chaincase.

My homemade chain cover

I'm always tweaking my bikes. For some time I've been looking for a good chain cover; something to protect my pants while riding my trusty city/beater bike, which was born as a 80s Norco yellow mountain bike and which I overhauled. Somehow I ended up going to an auto shop to whip up what you see in the photo above; a chain hugged by some wire conduit.

My current chain guard came from CBN's DIY tool rental where I installed it a couple years ago. It sort of works but I still get oil on my pants when the wind picks up and blows the fabric into the chain at the bottom. Or worse, the fabric gets caught between the chain and the chain guard. So I've wanted something better for some time, and I thought I was finally onto something better but cheap.

By the Bicycle Commons

Parts Unknown is closing after 18 years in Kensington Market to make way for a condo development. Martin Reis took some great photos.

People taking a look around at the deals (including Mike the Bike, another "back alley" bike mechanic in Kensington Market).

Stepping into the shop, surrounded by frames and parts.

George.

Jane's Dad: Jane's dad poses with donated tools

Jane Tooley is well-known among the cycling community. Her bright smile, her energetic personality and her all around nice attitude has won her many friends.

Friends of Jane also know that she is a person who likes to help out with causes, lots of them. This summer Jane went to Namibia in southern Africa to volunteer in a bicycle store with an organization called D.E.E.P., Disability Economic Empowerment Project. Here is how Jane explains it.

"The project was stared with a shipping container sent over from Canada full of bikes, tools and a work bench. basically, they emptied out the container and turned it into a successful bike store in just three years. The catch is that they didn't have the best tools to start out with and after three years of wrenching, the tools they do have are extremely worn down.

It is honestly a wonder how everyone continues to stay positive and fix bicycles. Where wrenches are concerned, all they have is a barely functioning 15 wrench, an 8 a 10 an 111 and a socket 9 and 15. One Phillips screw driver. The freewheel remover, chainbreaker pin, cone wrenches and allen keys are essentially useless. No pedal wrench, vice grips, cable cutters, truing stands or headset wrenches. I gave them my two spoke wrenches since they only had the multi-size kind. In short DEEP is in dire need of tools."

Toban Black, sent us these photos he took of the Community Bicycle Network space. It just so happens I'm on the board there. I encourage everyone to give it a try: let the mechanics fix your bike, or learn to fix your own.

"Streets are for People"

"In the Community Bicycle Network space

Outside the Community Bicycle Network space

Rosie the bike mechanic

Bicycling

"WOMEN + CYCLING"

"Bikeshare"

When I took these photos, I was just dropping by the Bicycle Network space (but, regrettably, without photographing the mural around the entrance). I since have added brief remarks to a few of the Flickr posts that the above thumbnails link back to.

I live in London, Ontario, myself. The images will mean more to residents who have more experience with the Bicycle Network. If anyone wants to type about those experiences, this post is a place where you can do that.

(If you know which artists made the work shown here, I would appreciate it if you would name them to help me to give them credit.)

I happen to know who did which photo, as they appeared in the two calendars that CBN produced a few years ago.

(Photo: sniderscion

An article on shift gears effectively was forwarded to us recently by an anonymous I Bike TOer. We agreed this might be useful for our readers (and if they still can't get the hang of it they can stick to single speed bikes).

The author is a bike mechanic that realized that an experienced cyclist was complaining to him about his gears but realized that they did not know how to properly shift their gears. So he rode around with him and came up with some tips:

Tip one: Pedal at a brisk pace. It’s better to pedal at a brisk pace using the easier to pedal gears than to muscle the harder gears more slowly. This technique will increase your stamina over a longer ride and will enable you to accelerate more quickly if you need to "jump". I promise you’ll still get a good leg workout. A brisk pace on the pedals also improves the shifting.

Tip two: And this is hugely important. Lighten the pressure on the pedals when you shift. Keep them turning, but don't be muscling down on them while you shift. Lightening the pressure on the pedals significantly smoothes the gear change, reduces those grinding noises when you shift, and lengthens the life of your drive train. You’ll have to anticipate your shifts a bit as you approach the hills, but it only takes a beat to change your gears on a hill once you get your timing down.

Noah Richler gives a run down on the tune up for spring in The Star. He covers the flavour of various bike shops including an interesting story about how personal the service at some shops can be.

Yes, spring means bicycles means freedom means exercise means the open air. ...

It's a good reminder that if you don't do your own tune up, you better get your bike into the shop before it gets any warmer and sunnier.