For those of us who live in the snow belt, winter bike storage is a yearly chore that has to be undertaken. Granted some of you still ride in the Winter, but I'm sure you use a beater bike or at the very least store part of your stable away from the elements for the season.Tossing a bicycle under the balcony or leaving it in the yard at the mercy of Mother Nature is a sure fire way to shorten a bike's useful life. We'll deal here with some of the preparations that should go into proper bike s... Read Full Story

Well I guess only crazy people don't change their minds and that's why I'm glad I didn't say I was pulling the plug for good in my last post. I guess I needed to get away for a while and that put things back into perspective.You can thank my 1956 Raleigh Sports for this return to bike blogging. I took it out of the shed yesterday to bring it in for a warm winter storage in my basement shop and it just hit me. I love bikes! What was I thinking? The sweet leather saddle, the old yet sexy finish... Read Full Story

Well it was bound to happen, I have nothing left! OK, maybe not but 2 brushes with death in the past six months has left me thinking (I survived being hit by a car while crossing the street on foot 4 weeks ago without any damage despite flying 10 feet in the air and landing on my back and head). After covering my legacy , my kids are well off in life without being drugged out or spending time in jail, writing a book about basic bicycle repair and this blog, I figured it was time to think abo... Read Full Story

Some months ago me and my buddies improvised ourselves into a film crew and tried to put together a how-to video to show you how to the stem and fork on a threaded fork equipped bicycle. I taught the result was disastrous, but my friend Bob managed to work some magic with his video editor and here it is. The sound is not wonderful and we have yet to figure that bug out.Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.Gerry :) Read Full Story

I recently received a question in the post about fixing a broken bike chain, here it is:"I must be doing something wrong here--I am trying to replace an old, rusty chain from a mountain bike. I bought a new chain and a chain tool, but I can't figure out how to use the chain tool. I am lining up the chain with the guides on the tool, but the pin will simply not budge. I have checked, and double checked to make sure that the tool is aligned with the pin, but nothing happens. Just to verify that... Read Full Story

Ever! Pedestrians own the sidewalk and it is very dangerous to ride on them as if they were bike paths. I always take my chances on the road and never use sidewalks. If I absolutely have to, I get off my bike and walk the required distance.Besides, they're not always safe even for us. Take into consideration what happened to this guy!Until next time, do ride safe and Godspeed.Gerry :) Read Full Story

As I write these lines, my legs are burning and I'm sweating like a pig. This was all caused by one great ride, how sweet it is! Recent events in my life has made me evaluate what I really want out of it. Riding my bikes every chance I get has been one of them.I've realized that in the last three years, you have been witness to my building a fleet of 6 bikes that I love riding with each one having a specific purpose. Only problem is, I haven't been riding them all that much. Shame on me!I've ... Read Full Story

Back in April 2008 while riding at Critical Mass, two friends decided to go ahead and try to motivate more people to get on their bikes in Montreal. Melanie Gomez and Peneloppe Riopelle got some help from their friend Jean-Michel Simoneau, a webmaster of sorts, to slap together a blog and promote cycling. They called it "À Vélos Citoyens" (To your Bikes Citizens).They started to post, linked the blog to their Facebook page and even created a group with over 1400 members. Then one da... Read Full Story

I finished the extension, hooked up the brakes and installed the fender. I managed to cobble up together a rack from some steel brackets and a piece of flooring. Right now, I'm at a loss to make this rack work and bring it into a real practical mode. I have one problem: WEIGHT!This bike would be great at doing double duty as a battleship anchor. It weighs a ton. I guess it's what you get for building it yourself for free. I was expecting this of course and I had changed the wheels fro... Read Full Story

From what I hear in the media, we live in hard times. I do agree that some parts of the economy are having it rough, but a lot of it is artificially created by media hype. Seems that talking about bad news sells, what a shame!For those of us fortunate enough to still have a job, it is imperative that we go out there and spend if we have to. I don't proclaim that we should over spend, but if you have the money and in need of something, well go out there and make some people work.If your pu... Read Full Story