There isn't much I can't fix or service on a bike, but I will freely admit that rebuilding a single speed coaster brake hub is not something I am very good at. Seriously, every time I try to rebuild a coaster brake hub, it commits suicide shortly thereafter.

Since many of you have been asking for information on this matter and I wouldn't be a reliable source to provide it, I have found a couple of great sites that can help you out. The first one is a step by step total rebuild from Steve Litt. Extremely well detailed and with lots of photographs. You can find the article here: http://www.troubleshooters.com/bicycles/1speed/1speed_overhaul.htm

The second valuable resource can be found at ratrodbikes.com's how-to section in the discussion forum. Member new_dharma and others have posted some diagrams of many hubs and this could also help you out. The information can be found here: http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1162

There is one thing that I can contribute in your quest to overhaul a single speed or any other coaster brake hub:

• Prepare a clean working surface, no piles of little knick knacks that can be confused with tiny hub parts.
• Use a rag to cover your working surface that will prevent parts to bounce off into the 5th dimension of your workshop, never to be seen again until just before you move after selling the house.
• If you have a camera, be smart and take pictures as you dismantle(This one applies to anything you ever decide to take apart for the first time, trust me.).

These 3 little simple steps will save you a lot of headaches and should keep your money out of the cursing jar! Don't rush things and you'll be fine.

Until I find a hub to rebuild and find the time to try Steve Litt's steps, this is the best I can do for you. Good luck to you all.

Til next time ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

There isn't much I can't fix or service on a bike, but I will freely admit that rebuilding a single speed coaster brake hub is not something I am very good at. Seriously, every time I try to rebuild a coaster brake hub, it commits suicide shortly thereafter.

Since many of you have been asking for information on this matter and I wouldn't be a reliable source to provide it, I have found a couple of great sites that can help you out. The first one is a step by step total rebuild from Steve Litt. Extremely well detailed and with lots of photographs. You can find the article here: http://www.troubleshooters.com/bicycles/1speed/1speed_overhaul.htm

The second valuable resource can be found at ratrodbikes.com's how-to section in the discussion forum. Member new_dharma and others have posted some diagrams of many hubs and this could also help you out. The information can be found here: http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1162

There is one thing that I can contribute in your quest to overhaul a single speed or any other coaster brake hub:

• Prepare a clean working surface, no piles of little knick knacks that can be confused with tiny hub parts.
• Use a rag to cover your working surface that will prevent parts to bounce off into the 5th dimension of your workshop, never to be seen again until just before you move after selling the house.
• If you have a camera, be smart and take pictures as you dismantle(This one applies to anything you ever decide to take apart for the first time, trust me.).

These 3 little simple steps will save you a lot of headaches and should keep your money out of the cursing jar! Don't rush things and you'll be fine.

Until I find a hub to rebuild and find the time to try Steve Litt's steps, this is the best I can do for you. Good luck to you all.

Til next time ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

With my last post on safe riding, I was a bit surprised to stumble upon this little video a few days later on Youtube. You don't see much on the first watch, but the slow motion replay shows you in detail what happens to this moron. He was a rear seat passenger in a car and he opened the door so he could hit a kid riding his bicycle. I'll let you discover for yourself what happens next.



I have no clue if the dude was hurt badly or won a Darwin award. In fact, I don't care.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

With my last post on safe riding, I was a bit surprised to stumble upon this little video a few days later on Youtube. You don't see much on the first watch, but the slow motion replay shows you in detail what happens to this moron. He was a rear seat passenger in a car and he opened the door so he could hit a kid riding his bicycle. I'll let you discover for yourself what happens next.



I have no clue if the dude was hurt badly or won a Darwin award. In fact, I don't care.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

With my last post on safe riding, I was a bit surprised to stumble upon this little video a few days later on Youtube. You don't see much on the first watch, but the slow motion replay shows you in detail what happens to this moron. He was a rear seat passenger in a car and he opened the door so he could hit a kid riding his bicycle. I'll let you discover for yourself what happens next.



I have no clue if the dude was hurt badly or won a Darwin award. In fact, I don't care.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

I’ve done many articles about bike maintenance, but one area that I realize I haven’t addressed is safe bicycle riding. You can have a properly maintained ride, but if you are not careful out there you could be killed or maimed.

So the first thing you must have in mind at all times in your head when riding your bike is this: BE ALERT AND BE AWARE.

BE ALERT

I don’t care if it’s a beautiful sunny day on the bike path and traffic is light, if you don’t pay attention to what you are doing with your head in the clouds and your eyes on the pretty birdies, you open yourself to whatever will happen to you. Unconsciously riding your bike anywhere but in your driveway is THE recipe for disaster. Keep tabs on what is moving and not moving around you. Look ahead and anticipate what the other guy might do, may he/she be a pedestrian, driver or even another cyclist. Keep an eye on the road surface as well, missing manhole covers and crater sized potholes can seriously ruin your day. This might sound complicated and impossible to do, but consider that you have an unobstructed view of everything, your rate of speed is a lot more manageable than a car or motorcycle and, if your brakes are in good condition, you can stop pretty quickly on a very short distance.

BE AWARE

Being aware is not just about your surroundings, it is extremely important, but it is also about being aware of yourself and your bike. What kind of rider are you? Fast, slow? In what condition is your bike? Good brakes, gears working properly, anything about to break on it that you are aware of? Take all these things into consideration before that first push of the pedal. I ride around on a big cruiser sometimes with very bad brakes (for my taste anyways) and knowing that fact I will ride it very casually at speeds that I know it can stop fast…relatively speaking of course. You will never catch me doing stupid stunts in weekday traffic on that thing!

Here are other things to consider:

BIKE PATHS AND CYCLING LANES

Ah yes the safety and convenience of bike lanes…NOT! Even the best case scenario of the protected and dedicated bike lane that physically keeps vehicle traffic away from you has it’s dangers, just imagine what the painted line on the ground variety is like. The list is long in both cases: Opening car doors, unconscious morons on foot using or crossing without looking, Lance Armstrong wannabes, kids sent there by there mothers with their tricycle doing donuts, kids or regular brain-dead cyclist weaving from side to side, parked maintenance vehicles or moving vans, rollerbladers taking both lanes to skate, wheelchair type scooters, and a whole bunch of other things that I’m sure some of you could add. Keep this in mind next time you go for a leisurely ride. The one that freaks me out the most are the mothers walking their baby stroller right in the middle of the path, I think these ladies failed their physics class since a rider and bike moving at 30 km/h can cause serious damage if they or their baby gets hit. Hopefully that rider will have read this post an managed to avoid her in time.

BEING DOORED

This has never happened to me, but I’ve had two close calls. From what I’ve gathered when talking to victims of this type of incident, deceleration is instantaneous and extremely painful. One cyclist ended up in intensive care last week clinging to life after being doored. She bounced off the door and was projected onto incoming traffic and got hit by a truck. When riding next to parked cars, keep an eye inside the vehicles and side mirror to detect movement inside. If you can’t see the inside of a car because of tinted windows or other reasons, take for granted that it is occupied and prepare to evade or stop. Keep an eye on the traffic behind you at all times. I’ve equipped all my bikes with a decent bell so that when I see movement in a car I ring it to make sure the occupant is aware that I’m there. So far it’s worked wonders.

STRATEGY AND TACTICS ON THE ROAD

When riding with traffic you have to take some precautions and adapt your way of riding. Never ride facing oncoming traffic, it’s a myth that it’s safer. Drivers find you out of sync and might not react well, at night your red rear reflector or light is not visible and neither are you. Avoid sidewalks at all cost, it is dangerous for pedestrians and illegal in most places. Don’t forget to keep an eye on what’s happening behind you and keep your ears open. Use all the feedbacks from the road, may it be visible or audible. Never forget that in a hitting contest the car will always win. If you have priority and a driver decides otherwise, don’t insist or you might get killed to get your point across. When you get to an intersection and there is more than two cars competing for the right of way, play it safe. Stop, sit up on your saddle and cross your arms over your chest. This way the other users will see that you are not going anywhere. You can now wait until they’ve all settled their arguments, in a matter of speaking, moved along and safely go through once the intersection is clear. Those few seconds that you’ve waited will insure that you can ride on instead of wasting some precious riding time in a hospital bed. Blasting thru stop signs and red traffic lights is of course extremely suicidal. At least take the time to slow down and look both ways.

SOME PEOPLE HATE YOU

Yes it’s true. Either it’s because we look different, save money on gas or just because we seem to enjoy ourselves and the world, some people find this offensive in the sense that everybody should be as miserable as they are or they are simply stupid period. This type of idiot can try to aggress you with his/her car or throw things at you just for the hell of it. In this type of situation it is imperative that you avoid and evade immediately. Your first priority is your safety and survival, Police reports and arguments will have to wait for later. A car as tons of horsepower, but you are extremely mobile and you can go anywhere. Go places a car can’t go or follow you, keep moving and if you have to, even consider going against traffic. Once you’re in a safe place you can call the Police if need be.

RIDING AT NIGHT

Bikes usually come equipped with reflectors and most people think that this is enough to get by when riding at night...WRONG! Nothing beats a good front light and a red blinker in the back. LED equipped bicycle lights are now available in both red and white. They are inexpensive, easy to find and don't require a cumbersome dynamo to slow you done. If you want total visibility at night, throw in a lime yellow safety vest and only a total blind man or idiot won't see you. There is no technical reason why you should ride at night without being visible. Reflectors are only good so a driver can notice you seconds before he/she plows into you.

LAST WORD

In your mind, prepare yourself for any and all problem that you might encounter while riding. You would be surprised at the difference it can make in any situation. Lastly I will quote a Montreal bike courier who once told me this: “I ride as if I was invisible.” That means that you always take for granted that nobody sees you and you ride your bike the proper way, defensively.

Til next time DO ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Update

Here's a copy of an email I received from one of our readers telling of his experience and I think it is worth sharing here. So here it goes:

"I consider myself a very safe and alert cyclist based on many years of riding a motorcycle with the attitude that "everyone out there who can get me, will" and always having an exit plan. I commute 14 miles each way 2-4 days a week to work. I have since given up the motorcycle after my dad lost his life to a drunk driver riding the motorcycle on which I learned.
One situation I never anticipated caused a friend of mine a broken jaw and over a year's worth of surgery. Road conditions were excellent: sunny, dry, and clean roadbed. There was a nice bike lane and the street was long, straight, relatively flat with infrequent cross streets. My friend was in front of me on a road bike, me behind on my Vision recumbent. Traffic was heavy and stop and go while we were cruising along at about 12 mph. A medium sized panel truck stopped in traffic just ahead of us, but since traffic was stop and go we didn't think anything of it. However, the panel truck driver had actually stopped to allow an oncoming truck to turn left into a business driveway (i.e. in front of the panel truck and across our bike lane). The turning truck accelerated and roared in front of us, giving us no time to see him and stop in time.
My friend's jaw hit the bottom edge of the turning truck's flatbed. His jaw was broken and he endured over a year of oral surgeries including a length of time with his jaw wired shut. Had I been in front, I would have gone under the truck due to my lower riding position. I shudder to imagine what that would have been like.
I am used to watching out for traffic turning in front of me from behind, in front, and the sides, which is common at street intersections whether there is a bike path or not. What I learned from this experience was be very wary during stop and go traffic when obscures my vision of oncoming traffic.

TobyPortland, OR"

Thanks Toby for sharing your experience.

Gerry

I’ve done many articles about bike maintenance, but one area that I realize I haven’t addressed is safe bicycle riding. You can have a properly maintained ride, but if you are not careful out there you could be killed or maimed.

So the first thing you must have in mind at all times in your head when riding your bike is this: BE ALERT AND BE AWARE.

BE ALERT

I don’t care if it’s a beautiful sunny day on the bike path and traffic is light, if you don’t pay attention to what you are doing with your head in the clouds and your eyes on the pretty birdies, you open yourself to whatever will happen to you. Unconsciously riding your bike anywhere but in your driveway is THE recipe for disaster. Keep tabs on what is moving and not moving around you. Look ahead and anticipate what the other guy might do, may he/she be a pedestrian, driver or even another cyclist. Keep an eye on the road surface as well, missing manhole covers and crater sized potholes can seriously ruin your day. This might sound complicated and impossible to do, but consider that you have an unobstructed view of everything, your rate of speed is a lot more manageable than a car or motorcycle and, if your brakes are in good condition, you can stop pretty quickly on a very short distance.

BE AWARE

Being aware is not just about your surroundings, it is extremely important, but it is also about being aware of yourself and your bike. What kind of rider are you? Fast, slow? In what condition is your bike? Good brakes, gears working properly, anything about to break on it that you are aware of? Take all these things into consideration before that first push of the pedal. I ride around on a big cruiser sometimes with very bad brakes (for my taste anyways) and knowing that fact I will ride it very casually at speeds that I know it can stop fast…relatively speaking of course. You will never catch me doing stupid stunts in weekday traffic on that thing!

Here are other things to consider:

BIKE PATHS AND CYCLING LANES

Ah yes the safety and convenience of bike lanes…NOT! Even the best case scenario of the protected and dedicated bike lane that physically keeps vehicle traffic away from you has it’s dangers, just imagine what the painted line on the ground variety is like. The list is long in both cases: Opening car doors, unconscious morons on foot using or crossing without looking, Lance Armstrong wannabes, kids sent there by there mothers with their tricycle doing donuts, kids or regular brain-dead cyclist weaving from side to side, parked maintenance vehicles or moving vans, rollerbladers taking both lanes to skate, wheelchair type scooters, and a whole bunch of other things that I’m sure some of you could add. Keep this in mind next time you go for a leisurely ride. The one that freaks me out the most are the mothers walking their baby stroller right in the middle of the path, I think these ladies failed their physics class since a rider and bike moving at 30 km/h can cause serious damage if they or their baby gets hit. Hopefully that rider will have read this post an managed to avoid her in time.

BEING DOORED

This has never happened to me, but I’ve had two close calls. From what I’ve gathered when talking to victims of this type of incident, deceleration is instantaneous and extremely painful. One cyclist ended up in intensive care last week clinging to life after being doored. She bounced off the door and was projected onto incoming traffic and got hit by a truck. When riding next to parked cars, keep an eye inside the vehicles and side mirror to detect movement inside. If you can’t see the inside of a car because of tinted windows or other reasons, take for granted that it is occupied and prepare to evade or stop. Keep an eye on the traffic behind you at all times. I’ve equipped all my bikes with a decent bell so that when I see movement in a car I ring it to make sure the occupant is aware that I’m there. So far it’s worked wonders.

STRATEGY AND TACTICS ON THE ROAD

When riding with traffic you have to take some precautions and adapt your way of riding. Never ride facing oncoming traffic, it’s a myth that it’s safer. Drivers find you out of sync and might not react well, at night your red rear reflector or light is not visible and neither are you. Avoid sidewalks at all cost, it is dangerous for pedestrians and illegal in most places. Don’t forget to keep an eye on what’s happening behind you and keep your ears open. Use all the feedbacks from the road, may it be visible or audible. Never forget that in a hitting contest the car will always win. If you have priority and a driver decides otherwise, don’t insist or you might get killed to get your point across. When you get to an intersection and there is more than two cars competing for the right of way, play it safe. Stop, sit up on your saddle and cross your arms over your chest. This way the other users will see that you are not going anywhere. You can now wait until they’ve all settled their arguments, in a matter of speaking, moved along and safely go through once the intersection is clear. Those few seconds that you’ve waited will insure that you can ride on instead of wasting some precious riding time in a hospital bed. Blasting thru stop signs and red traffic lights is of course extremely suicidal. At least take the time to slow down and look both ways.

SOME PEOPLE HATE YOU

Yes it’s true. Either it’s because we look different, save money on gas or just because we seem to enjoy ourselves and the world, some people find this offensive in the sense that everybody should be as miserable as they are or they are simply stupid period. This type of idiot can try to aggress you with his/her car or throw things at you just for the hell of it. In this type of situation it is imperative that you avoid and evade immediately. Your first priority is your safety and survival, Police reports and arguments will have to wait for later. A car as tons of horsepower, but you are extremely mobile and you can go anywhere. Go places a car can’t go or follow you, keep moving and if you have to, even consider going against traffic. Once you’re in a safe place you can call the Police if need be.

RIDING AT NIGHT

Bikes usually come equipped with reflectors and most people think that this is enough to get by when riding at night...WRONG! Nothing beats a good front light and a red blinker in the back. LED equipped bicycle lights are now available in both red and white. They are inexpensive, easy to find and don't require a cumbersome dynamo to slow you done. If you want total visibility at night, throw in a lime yellow safety vest and only a total blind man or idiot won't see you. There is no technical reason why you should ride at night without being visible. Reflectors are only good so a driver can notice you seconds before he/she plows into you.

LAST WORD

In your mind, prepare yourself for any and all problem that you might encounter while riding. You would be surprised at the difference it can make in any situation. Lastly I will quote a Montreal bike courier who once told me this: “I ride as if I was invisible.” That means that you always take for granted that nobody sees you and you ride your bike the proper way, defensively.

Til next time DO ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Update

Here's a copy of an email I received from one of our readers telling of his experience and I think it is worth sharing here. So here it goes:

"I consider myself a very safe and alert cyclist based on many years of riding a motorcycle with the attitude that "everyone out there who can get me, will" and always having an exit plan. I commute 14 miles each way 2-4 days a week to work. I have since given up the motorcycle after my dad lost his life to a drunk driver riding the motorcycle on which I learned.
One situation I never anticipated caused a friend of mine a broken jaw and over a year's worth of surgery. Road conditions were excellent: sunny, dry, and clean roadbed. There was a nice bike lane and the street was long, straight, relatively flat with infrequent cross streets. My friend was in front of me on a road bike, me behind on my Vision recumbent. Traffic was heavy and stop and go while we were cruising along at about 12 mph. A medium sized panel truck stopped in traffic just ahead of us, but since traffic was stop and go we didn't think anything of it. However, the panel truck driver had actually stopped to allow an oncoming truck to turn left into a business driveway (i.e. in front of the panel truck and across our bike lane). The turning truck accelerated and roared in front of us, giving us no time to see him and stop in time.
My friend's jaw hit the bottom edge of the turning truck's flatbed. His jaw was broken and he endured over a year of oral surgeries including a length of time with his jaw wired shut. Had I been in front, I would have gone under the truck due to my lower riding position. I shudder to imagine what that would have been like.
I am used to watching out for traffic turning in front of me from behind, in front, and the sides, which is common at street intersections whether there is a bike path or not. What I learned from this experience was be very wary during stop and go traffic when obscures my vision of oncoming traffic.

TobyPortland, OR"

Thanks Toby for sharing your experience.

Gerry

Well I'm approaching the second anniversary of this blog in a few days and I thought it would be cool to do a little recap and let all of you know what's coming up. When I started this website I had no clue what I was doing, well apart from fixing bikes of course. :) If I had, I would have done a few things differently, but i guess that's what life is for. After all, success is a lousy teacher. I must say however that I'm very happy with the way things are turning out. I've met a bunch of people on and off line, helped a few on the way, helped participate in the rebirth of more than a few bikes and had a great time doing it.

A big "thank you" to all of you, you've made this blog what it is and I think it is more than appropriate to adorn this post with the picture of a reader's bike. The one speed you see pictured is the pride and joy of Johann from South Africa and if you can believe it, he crossed a 100km desert with it. He's planning a 2300km cross country trip next year. Awesome ride Johann.

I know that how to articles have been slow to come lately, but don't despair. I have one around the corner about replacing a rim the easy way stemming from my current Rat Bike Build Off project. Answering emails, comments on the blog and giving time at the local community bike shop has also kept me very busy. A recent email has also prompted me to start something I have been putting on hold for too long, a book.

I was contacted by a publishing agent to write a book about bike repair. The deal never came to fruition and I decided to go about it myself. Wow, talk about a mine field when it comes to publishing a book! My day to day job is a cake walk compared to that.

So in the spirit of Wikinomics and this blog, I've decided to publish it myself and make it available through here. No middle man, so I'll be able to offer it for donations. Just like Radiohead did with their new album, you'll be able to download it and give whatever you want. A hard copy will also be available through Cafepress for a decent price. The writing is all done(no copy and paste, all fresh text) and I'll use some of my vacation time coming up in the next weeks to take the pictures. That's it, I've just committed myself, so keep posted.


Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Well I'm approaching the second anniversary of this blog in a few days and I thought it would be cool to do a little recap and let all of you know what's coming up. When I started this website I had no clue what I was doing, well apart from fixing bikes of course. :) If I had, I would have done a few things differently, but i guess that's what life is for. After all, success is a lousy teacher. I must say however that I'm very happy with the way things are turning out. I've met a bunch of people on and off line, helped a few on the way, helped participate in the rebirth of more than a few bikes and had a great time doing it.

A big "thank you" to all of you, you've made this blog what it is and I think it is more than appropriate to adorn this post with the picture of a reader's bike. The one speed you see pictured is the pride and joy of Johann from South Africa and if you can believe it, he crossed a 100km desert with it. He's planning a 2300km cross country trip next year. Awesome ride Johann.

I know that how to articles have been slow to come lately, but don't despair. I have one around the corner about replacing a rim the easy way stemming from my current Rat Bike Build Off project. Answering emails, comments on the blog and giving time at the local community bike shop has also kept me very busy. A recent email has also prompted me to start something I have been putting on hold for too long, a book.

I was contacted by a publishing agent to write a book about bike repair. The deal never came to fruition and I decided to go about it myself. Wow, talk about a mine field when it comes to publishing a book! My day to day job is a cake walk compared to that.

So in the spirit of Wikinomics and this blog, I've decided to publish it myself and make it available through here. No middle man, so I'll be able to offer it for donations. Just like Radiohead did with their new album, you'll be able to download it and give whatever you want. A hard copy will also be available through Cafepress for a decent price. The writing is all done(no copy and paste, all fresh text) and I'll use some of my vacation time coming up in the next weeks to take the pictures. That's it, I've just committed myself, so keep posted.


Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Once again it's time for THE build off of the year over at the very friendly ratrodbikes.com discussion forum. To my wife's great chagrin it is also time for me to build another bike. This time I will be using a modern Chinese made cruiser frame that I reviewed last year called The Chief. The bike frame is in almost new condition and in keeping with the rules I am not modifying it. I have slightly scored it with sandpaper, sprayed with Krylon white anti rust primer and layed down two coats of Krylon red over it. It now sits to dry and i will be applying multiple coats of Krylon epoxy clear as soon as weather permits (I'm outdoors you know). This also keeps in with the rule that the builder must apply the paint himself, no fancy thousand dollar paint jobs here.

So go over to see the other builds here: http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=24

Or better yet, sign up and join us in the fun. Last build off winner was karfer67 who ratted out a vintage Schwinn delivery bike. Anything goes folks, within the rules of course. :)

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Once again it's time for THE build off of the year over at the very friendly ratrodbikes.com discussion forum. To my wife's great chagrin it is also time for me to build another bike. This time I will be using a modern Chinese made cruiser frame that I reviewed last year called The Chief. The bike frame is in almost new condition and in keeping with the rules I am not modifying it. I have slightly scored it with sandpaper, sprayed with Krylon white anti rust primer and layed down two coats of Krylon red over it. It now sits to dry and i will be applying multiple coats of Krylon epoxy clear as soon as weather permits (I'm outdoors you know). This also keeps in with the rule that the builder must apply the paint himself, no fancy thousand dollar paint jobs here.

So go over to see the other builds here: http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=24

Or better yet, sign up and join us in the fun. Last build off winner was karfer67 who ratted out a vintage Schwinn delivery bike. Anything goes folks, within the rules of course. :)

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

One great way to get your ride in running order is to join a local community bike shop. These places are run by volunteers who can help fix your bike and teach you how to do it yourself at the same time for a very reasonable price. They don't all work the same way and their hours might not be as many as regular bike shops (volunteers remember)but you are sure to find some good help. Community bike shops are also a great place to get your hands on used parts at the fraction of the cost compared to new ones.

Apart from the nuts and bolts, they are a great place to make new friends who share your passion for the two wheeled wonder. If you want, you can also become a volunteer yourself and join them in spreading the knowledge that you've learned. I am listing some shops here that I know of around the world, if I'm missed yours, please email me and I will add it to the list. If you don't have one in your area, I suggest you might look into starting one. I have enjoyed helping out people at the Mile End Bike Garage here in Montreal for the past year and recommend the experience to everybody with the knowledge.

Montreal, Canada

Right to move

Mile End Bike Garage

McGill's SSMU Bicycle Collective
3600 McTavish Street, room B-04

Vancouver Canada

The Bike Kitchen

USA

Phoenix

Omaha

Charlottesville

Bellingham WA

San Francisco

Iowa City

You can also check out the Bike Collective who list many community bike shops around the world: http://www.bikecollectives.org/

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

One great way to get your ride in running order is to join a local community bike shop. These places are run by volunteers who can help fix your bike and teach you how to do it yourself at the same time for a very reasonable price. They don't all work the same way and their hours might not be as many as regular bike shops (volunteers remember)but you are sure to find some good help. Community bike shops are also a great place to get your hands on used parts at the fraction of the cost compared to new ones.

Apart from the nuts and bolts, they are a great place to make new friends who share your passion for the two wheeled wonder. If you want, you can also become a volunteer yourself and join them in spreading the knowledge that you've learned. I am listing some shops here that I know of around the world, if I'm missed yours, please email me and I will add it to the list. If you don't have one in your area, I suggest you might look into starting one. I have enjoyed helping out people at the Mile End Bike Garage here in Montreal for the past year and recommend the experience to everybody with the knowledge.

Montreal, Canada

Right to move

Mile End Bike Garage

McGill's SSMU Bicycle Collective
3600 McTavish Street, room B-04

Vancouver Canada

The Bike Kitchen

USA

Phoenix

Omaha

Charlottesville

Bellingham WA

San Francisco

Iowa City

You can also check out the Bike Collective who list many community bike shops around the world: http://www.bikecollectives.org/

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

I’m always surprised to see that often times people are riding multiple speed bikes and are completely clueless about how to use them. Then I realize that not everybody as the sacred knowledge to decipher these gears, shifters and all possible combinations. I can understand that all this can be a complete mystery to many of you, so let’s go ahead and solve it.

First off, I’ll explain what you have to work with, we’ll use the typical 3 gears in the front and 7 in the back to explain how to use your drivetrain effectively. On a multiple speed bike you have generally 3 gears in the front, called chain rings, and 6 to 8 in the back on the rear wheel. The front gears are controlled by the shifter on the left of the handle bar. The first one is the smallest and the easiest, it is often called the “granny gear”. That gear is typically used for climbing steep hills or getting people back on bikes like it did for me 16 years ago. The middle gear is the one that is used the most on flat surfaces while at cruising speed. The biggest and hardest gear is used when you are going downhill with the wind at your back.

Some of you more experienced riders reading this are probably going “what is he talking about?”. Remember that I am addressing the neophyte here and most people who get back on a bike don’t have the same legs as Lance Armstrong. Strong riders with many miles on their leg muscles can ride a bike from a dead stop using only the biggest gear or chainring. A newer or more casual cyclist would bust his/her knees doing this. So to recap, smallest gear = easy, middle gear = normal cruising, biggest gear = hard.

Now the front gears are used with the combination of the ones on the rear wheel that are controlled by the shifter on the right side of the handlebars. In this case, the logic is reversed, the first and biggest gear being the easiest and the last and smallest being the hardest to pedal. I will list some combinations that will make your riding easier and you will see that although you might have a 24 speed bike, in reality you will effectively use about 5 or 6 of them.

Climbing a steep hill

1st or 2nd gear in the rear, first gear in the front.

Riding on a flat surface or slight incline

1st to last gear on the rear, middle or second gear in the front.

Riding downhill

Last gear in the rear, 3rd or biggest gear in the front. (If you’re not scared. If so, stay in the middle gear)

If you are a new or recently returning cyclist with dead legs, you can stay on the smallest gear in the front and use all the gears on the rear wheel for all your riding. At some point you will develop more endurance and be able to move on to the middle one. Hardcore cyclists who ride thousands of miles a year will be able to do just about everything with the biggest gear only, but for the mere mortals like you and me, you should stick with the middle one.

One final note, always shift gears ahead of time. If you change gears while applying full power to the pedals, you take a chance of breaking your chain. Plan your shifts ahead of time and you’ll be ok. I hope I managed to explained this properly. Your comments and questions are, as usual, more than welcomed.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry J

I’m always surprised to see that often times people are riding multiple speed bikes and are completely clueless about how to use them. Then I realize that not everybody as the sacred knowledge to decipher these gears, shifters and all possible combinations. I can understand that all this can be a complete mystery to many of you, so let’s go ahead and solve it.

First off, I’ll explain what you have to work with, we’ll use the typical 3 gears in the front and 7 in the back to explain how to use your drivetrain effectively. On a multiple speed bike you have generally 3 gears in the front, called chain rings, and 6 to 8 in the back on the rear wheel. The front gears are controlled by the shifter on the left of the handle bar. The first one is the smallest and the easiest, it is often called the “granny gear”. That gear is typically used for climbing steep hills or getting people back on bikes like it did for me 16 years ago. The middle gear is the one that is used the most on flat surfaces while at cruising speed. The biggest and hardest gear is used when you are going downhill with the wind at your back.

Some of you more experienced riders reading this are probably going “what is he talking about?”. Remember that I am addressing the neophyte here and most people who get back on a bike don’t have the same legs as Lance Armstrong. Strong riders with many miles on their leg muscles can ride a bike from a dead stop using only the biggest gear or chainring. A newer or more casual cyclist would bust his/her knees doing this. So to recap, smallest gear = easy, middle gear = normal cruising, biggest gear = hard.

Now the front gears are used with the combination of the ones on the rear wheel that are controlled by the shifter on the right side of the handlebars. In this case, the logic is reversed, the first and biggest gear being the easiest and the last and smallest being the hardest to pedal. I will list some combinations that will make your riding easier and you will see that although you might have a 24 speed bike, in reality you will effectively use about 5 or 6 of them.

Climbing a steep hill

1st or 2nd gear in the rear, first gear in the front.

Riding on a flat surface or slight incline

1st to last gear on the rear, middle or second gear in the front.

Riding downhill

Last gear in the rear, 3rd or biggest gear in the front. (If you’re not scared. If so, stay in the middle gear)

If you are a new or recently returning cyclist with dead legs, you can stay on the smallest gear in the front and use all the gears on the rear wheel for all your riding. At some point you will develop more endurance and be able to move on to the middle one. Hardcore cyclists who ride thousands of miles a year will be able to do just about everything with the biggest gear only, but for the mere mortals like you and me, you should stick with the middle one.

One final note, always shift gears ahead of time. If you change gears while applying full power to the pedals, you take a chance of breaking your chain. Plan your shifts ahead of time and you’ll be ok. I hope I managed to explained this properly. Your comments and questions are, as usual, more than welcomed.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry J

Now that the seat is installed, it's time for the job that will rack your brain big time: chain management. On regular bikes this is pretty obvious, the chain goes straight from the chainring sitting in front of the rear wheel not too far ahead.

In our case, the chain has to make a few detours to get from the chainring to the rear wheel and must avoid a whole bunch of things on it's way there and back. Before you start making your chain management set up, make sure you install everything on the bike, brakes, cables and every little doodad that goes on there. You must know what will be in the way of the chain before you install it. Remember, we're not working with plans here! One of the easiest ways to bring the chain from the rear to the front is with black PVC type tubing. I use the kind that is put in the ground for lawn sprinkler systems. 100 feet for $12, it should last you a lifetime. Those types of tubes usually last one season, so all the extra is not for nothing. It is surprisingly quite, you just have to make sure you secure the tubing with a good amount of duct tape strategically placed so the tube doesn't move with time. Leave the very front and back of the tube loose so that the chain can move when shifting from one gear to another.



That takes care of the top part of the chain, now for the lower part or the return section of the chain. When the chain is moving in the lower section, it isn't under tension and we can get away with less strength in our deviation set up. I use a grinded rollerblade wheel secured at the old bottom bracket by using a front wheel axle jerry rigged on the left bearing cup. It holds pretty nice and is very quite. I allow the wheel some movement on the axle so the chain can remain more straight in its path back to the rear wheel. I also added another wheel which I made from an old printer bracket wheel that I attached to the clip that holds the front boom. I sandwiched an old derailleur wheel on it. I used that one to clear the top of the fork while the chain is on its way back to th rear of the bike. I could have used another rollerblade wheel type of arrangement there as well, but I already had that set up lying around.



Now at this point the bike can be powered. Before you start installing all the accessories and other little knick knacks, install a working rear brake and take it out for a ride to see if your prototype is actually functional. I did with mine and that's when I found out that...

IT'S A TOTAL FLOP!

Yes, sadly this is a possibility when you hodge podge a homebuilt bike together. Before I started this build, I figured there was going to be some flex when pedaling the bike caused by the rear suspension, but I wasn't expecting that much. The thing bounces around like a clown bike when under full pedal power from a dead stop. Climbing hills is just very hard labor and extremely slow. I had tightened up the spring on the cheapo shock absorber, but it wasn't enough.

Mind you, the suspension does its job while going downhill or when you're up to speed on the flats. But unless you want to train to get legs like Lance Armstrong, going on even the slightest incline is murder for your leg muscles. There might be a way to lock the shock when you need it or a better quality shock might work better, but I don't have the time or money right now. I need a working recumbent for a big critical mass event in 2 weeks. Not only does it need to work, it also has to be broken in, no time to do repairs on a big ride like that. So on with:

PLAN "B"



Plan "B" is my previous short wheel base recumbent that my son affectionately called the "Pocket Rocket". It is made from and old CCM mixte frame. It runs on a 20 inch rear wheel and a 16 inch front wheel. I had some elements like the front boom and brake bosses welded on by a welder for hire. Cost of the welds back then came to about $20. Next post will be about slapping the Rocket back together. Sorry about this let down, but things like these happen when you make stuff yourself from junk. Remember that practice makes perfect.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Homebuilt recumbent part 1
Homebuilt recumbent part 2
Homebuilt recumbent part 3

Now that the seat is installed, it's time for the job that will rack your brain big time: chain management. On regular bikes this is pretty obvious, the chain goes straight from the chainring sitting in front of the rear wheel not too far ahead.

In our case, the chain has to make a few detours to get from the chainring to the rear wheel and must avoid a whole bunch of things on it's way there and back. Before you start making your chain management set up, make sure you install everything on the bike, brakes, cables and every little doodad that goes on there. You must know what will be in the way of the chain before you install it. Remember, we're not working with plans here! One of the easiest ways to bring the chain from the rear to the front is with black PVC type tubing. I use the kind that is put in the ground for lawn sprinkler systems. 100 feet for $12, it should last you a lifetime. Those types of tubes usually last one season, so all the extra is not for nothing. It is surprisingly quite, you just have to make sure you secure the tubing with a good amount of duct tape strategically placed so the tube doesn't move with time. Leave the very front and back of the tube loose so that the chain can move when shifting from one gear to another.



That takes care of the top part of the chain, now for the lower part or the return section of the chain. When the chain is moving in the lower section, it isn't under tension and we can get away with less strength in our deviation set up. I use a grinded rollerblade wheel secured at the old bottom bracket by using a front wheel axle jerry rigged on the left bearing cup. It holds pretty nice and is very quite. I allow the wheel some movement on the axle so the chain can remain more straight in its path back to the rear wheel. I also added another wheel which I made from an old printer bracket wheel that I attached to the clip that holds the front boom. I sandwiched an old derailleur wheel on it. I used that one to clear the top of the fork while the chain is on its way back to th rear of the bike. I could have used another rollerblade wheel type of arrangement there as well, but I already had that set up lying around.



Now at this point the bike can be powered. Before you start installing all the accessories and other little knick knacks, install a working rear brake and take it out for a ride to see if your prototype is actually functional. I did with mine and that's when I found out that...

IT'S A TOTAL FLOP!

Yes, sadly this is a possibility when you hodge podge a homebuilt bike together. Before I started this build, I figured there was going to be some flex when pedaling the bike caused by the rear suspension, but I wasn't expecting that much. The thing bounces around like a clown bike when under full pedal power from a dead stop. Climbing hills is just very hard labor and extremely slow. I had tightened up the spring on the cheapo shock absorber, but it wasn't enough.

Mind you, the suspension does its job while going downhill or when you're up to speed on the flats. But unless you want to train to get legs like Lance Armstrong, going on even the slightest incline is murder for your leg muscles. There might be a way to lock the shock when you need it or a better quality shock might work better, but I don't have the time or money right now. I need a working recumbent for a big critical mass event in 2 weeks. Not only does it need to work, it also has to be broken in, no time to do repairs on a big ride like that. So on with:

PLAN "B"



Plan "B" is my previous short wheel base recumbent that my son affectionately called the "Pocket Rocket". It is made from and old CCM mixte frame. It runs on a 20 inch rear wheel and a 16 inch front wheel. I had some elements like the front boom and brake bosses welded on by a welder for hire. Cost of the welds back then came to about $20. Next post will be about slapping the Rocket back together. Sorry about this let down, but things like these happen when you make stuff yourself from junk. Remember that practice makes perfect.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Homebuilt recumbent part 1
Homebuilt recumbent part 2
Homebuilt recumbent part 3

Well it's been a while, but the snow has finally melted and the Sun has decided to come out. So it's time to build bikes again. In this post I will talk about 2 sections of the build, the steering column and the seat brace and seat, so off we build!

MAKING THE STEERING COLUMN

This recumbent has over the seat steering. This requires for the handlebars to clear your legs while they crank the pedals. I accomplish this by using a few parts from scrap bikes.

Part 1 is a stem that I took from a mountain bike. I removed the clamp that holds the handlebar and kept the sides so that I could attach the second part. Part 1 actually goes into the steerer tube of the fork, it's the main stem.

Part 2 is just a piece of frame from the top tube of a racer bike cut to lenght. I then drilled some holes so I could attach it to Part 1, the main stem.

Part 3 is a regular road bike stem that is shoved inside Part 2 and tightened up as usual. I chose a road stem since I wanted the handlebars close to me.

Part 4 is a pair of moustache handlebars that can usually be found on old roadster bikes. You can also use a regular flat bar. I chose these because that is my riding position of choice.

Get all this stuff together, bolt everything real tight and you have yourself a steering column for your recumbent. Did I mention bolt everything tight? Don't skimp that part for later.





THE SEAT BRACE AND SEAT

The seat brace was going to be a challenge on this suspended bent. I couldn't use the rear stays for support since they are moving. I found the solution in some left over tubing from an old bike rack. The tubes were pre-bent to shape. I flattened the bend to add some strength, drilled a bunch of holes in the tubes, bike frame and then I bolted everything together tight with nylon lined bolts. The seat is just 2 pieces of plywood slapped together with door hinges and bolted to the braces in the appropriate holes.

This set up is my worst looking educated piece of guesswork that I have ever done. Awkwardly, it is also the most sturdy! The seat will have some fine adjustement done later on and will be padded. The rear suspension will take most of the hits, but plywood is still not that comfy, it will be padded.



The next installement of this build will be about chain management. This is the part where you get headaches.

Remember that if you are building one of these things, overbuild and tighten every thing down hard. In this build alone so far I have 10 added combination of nuts and bolts not found on a regular bike. That means 10 other things than can go wrong, don't forget it.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Homebuilt recumbent part 1
Homebuilt recumbent part2
Homebuilt recumbent part 4

Well it's been a while, but the snow has finally melted and the Sun has decided to come out. So it's time to build bikes again. In this post I will talk about 2 sections of the build, the steering column and the seat brace and seat, so off we build!

MAKING THE STEERING COLUMN

This recumbent has over the seat steering. This requires for the handlebars to clear your legs while they crank the pedals. I accomplish this by using a few parts from scrap bikes.

Part 1 is a stem that I took from a mountain bike. I removed the clamp that holds the handlebar and kept the sides so that I could attach the second part. Part 1 actually goes into the steerer tube of the fork, it's the main stem.

Part 2 is just a piece of frame from the top tube of a racer bike cut to lenght. I then drilled some holes so I could attach it to Part 1, the main stem.

Part 3 is a regular road bike stem that is shoved inside Part 2 and tightened up as usual. I chose a road stem since I wanted the handlebars close to me.

Part 4 is a pair of moustache handlebars that can usually be found on old roadster bikes. You can also use a regular flat bar. I chose these because that is my riding position of choice.

Get all this stuff together, bolt everything real tight and you have yourself a steering column for your recumbent. Did I mention bolt everything tight? Don't skimp that part for later.





THE SEAT BRACE AND SEAT

The seat brace was going to be a challenge on this suspended bent. I couldn't use the rear stays for support since they are moving. I found the solution in some left over tubing from an old bike rack. The tubes were pre-bent to shape. I flattened the bend to add some strength, drilled a bunch of holes in the tubes, bike frame and then I bolted everything together tight with nylon lined bolts. The seat is just 2 pieces of plywood slapped together with door hinges and bolted to the braces in the appropriate holes.

This set up is my worst looking educated piece of guesswork that I have ever done. Awkwardly, it is also the most sturdy! The seat will have some fine adjustement done later on and will be padded. The rear suspension will take most of the hits, but plywood is still not that comfy, it will be padded.



The next installement of this build will be about chain management. This is the part where you get headaches.

Remember that if you are building one of these things, overbuild and tighten every thing down hard. In this build alone so far I have 10 added combination of nuts and bolts not found on a regular bike. That means 10 other things than can go wrong, don't forget it.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Homebuilt recumbent part 1
Homebuilt recumbent part2
Homebuilt recumbent part 4