Build a Better Bike

Spring fever comes to everyone (but especially bikes)

Bikewagon — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:28:46 +0000

There’s a change in the air; it’s called spring. Remember? It’s when the sun comes back, birds reappear, and you start hearing a cry for help from behind that pile of sleds and skis in the garage. You know the voice. It’s an old friend. And with a tinge of guilt, you realize just how far you’ve let the relationship deteriorate. After all, you were practically attached at the hip just a few short months ago. Now it’s come to this: your beautiful bike, prostrate on the cement floor, covered in dust and your kids’ old snow pants. Will it ever forgive you?

Thankfully, it will, but not without a little tender loving care on your part:

Make sure you have the right supplies. Do you have a repair stand? How about a bike cleaning kit? Both will make the spring tune-up much easier. Oh yeah, the right bike tools really help, as well.
Give it a safety inspection.The good folks over Total Bike have put together a great little inspection guide for you, along with a shorter pre-ride checklist to help you get it running smooth and safe to ride.
Give it some grease. Unfortunately, WD-40 alone won’t cut it if you really want your bike to be at its best and keep working well. You’ll need some heavy-duty bike grease as well as some thinner, specialized lubricants for your chain and its friends.

As always, check out Bikewagon’s guides and video tutorials for extra help on the tune-up. And if you have any tried-and-true tips for getting your bike ready for spring, share the love and leave a comment below.

This Bro’s got some smooth moves!

Bikewagon — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:24:58 +0000

Bikewagon video tutorials are up!

Bikewagon — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:36:46 +0000

We have some video tutorials up, with more on the way. Check them out. And, as always, let us know what other topics you’d like us to cover.

Cold-weather riding gear

Bikewagon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:25:47 +0000

Have you gone outside lately? It’s getting cold! That doesn’t mean you have to put the bike away for the year, though. When it comes to clothing and gear that will keep you warm, there are plenty of options out there. Besides the obvious jackets and gloves, here are a few cycling-specific items you might want to try:

Balaclava: Excuse me? a ball of what? No, no. A balaclava is one of those cool, tight-fitting face masks that covers your nose, mouth (don’t worry, there are breathing vents), ears, neck and head. Basically the only things left open to the wind are your eyes. They are usually neoprene, or a combination of neoprene and fleece. Intense, huh. You can also get face masks that just cover the bottom half of the face.
Arm warmers: Sometimes a full undershirt is just too much. Cover your core with a couple of layers of clothing and you’ll be too hot. But without layers, your arms are left exposed to the chill. Cycling arm warmers are tight-fitting sleeves that block out the wind and cold. And if it starts to warm up mid-ride, they’re super easy to remove.
Knee warmers: It’s the same idea as the arm warmers. You want to keep your joints nice and warm, so you can pedal smoothly and avoid pain. And if it gets too hot, just take them off.
Booties: These booties aint for babies. They’re big neoprene overshoes that keep the wind and cold out of your cycling shoes. Cycling booties have holes for cleats, so you can still use your clipless pedals, and they come in various lengths when it comes to ankle coverage.

If you’re an expert in cold-weather riding, let us know your secrets and leave a comment below.

Phone/iPod-charging Hub!

Bikewagon — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:22:15 +0000

Check this out: Now you can use a generator hub for more than just a headlight. PedalPower+ makes a hub with a DC output, so you can actually charge your phone, iPod, GPS or whatever small electronic device you might take on a long ride (sorry, the curling iron is just too much). They even make a universal cable that converts AC dynamo hubs into DC. How sweet is that?

Well, Bikewagon is actually the first company in the ol’ US of A to offer these products for sale, so check out the PedalPower+ brand page on our main site and see what they have to offer!

Bikes in Vegas

Bikewagon — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:02:37 +0000

The Bikewagoneers are heading to Nevada.

Interbike ‘09 is next week, and we’re taking a camera (for both video and still shots) to capture all of the latest cool bike technology. So what would you like to see? We’re going to try and find the sweetest new bike parts in the industry, so let us know if there’s something you’ve heard about and are dying to see. We’ll try to get the lowdown on whatever it is you’re interested in, and then we’ll post it on our special Interbike page. Oh, and we’ll see if we can’t give you a sweet deal on it, as well.

Truckload of new parts!

Bikewagon — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:41:10 +0000

We’ve been busy over here at the Bikewagon lately. “Busy doing what?” you may ask. Well, if you haven’t visited the site in a few weeks, you’ll notice almost 6,000 new parts online. That’s right, 6,000! That’s one heck of a lot of bike parts and accessories. Check it out by clicking on the link on the sidebar. We’re fairly confident you’ll find something you need. (Yes, we realize that “want” and “need” are pretty much synonymous in the cycling world.)

Avenir Escape Pod 55c.i. Bicycle Saddle Bag, *Limit 5 per Customer at the 1 cent price.

dalepmajors — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:27:52 +0000

Avenir Escape Pod 55c.i. Bicycle Saddle Bag, *Limit 5 per Customer at the 1 cent price.

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It’s Bicycle Repairman!

Bikewagon — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:16:13 +0000

Because we all need a hero sometime in our lives…

Get an $80.00 Limar Helmet for $32.00!

dalepmajors — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:03:29 +0000

Here is a deal for the next 100 people that buy Limar helmets from Bikewagon.com. A While Back, we bought over 2000 Limar Helmets for a SCREAMING deal, and have been selling them for about 50% off. Here is a coupon to get an added 20% off that discounted price!

Coupon Code: “Wear a Helmet!”

See the helmets here:

http://www.bikewagon.com/Limar/c235012-1-3/

- The Bikewagon Team

Informative Links about helmet use:

http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm

http://www.sccfd.org/forms/pamf_helmet_brochure.pdf