Cycling Hacks Team

We, the Cycling Hacks Team, are a group of expert cyclists and enthusiasts. We’re here to point you in the right direction using our in-depth guides to help you find the best gear and equipment. We give our honest opinion and helpful recommendations on each product. We can help you fall in love with cycling as much as we do.

Essential Bike Tools: Buyer’s Guide for the Beginner Mechanic

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essential bike tools

Updated 11/20/16

DIY bicycle wrenching might sound intimidating, but consider this: Having a few essential bike tools and the skills to perform basic maintenance will not only save you significant cash in the long run, but could also save you from a long walk home if you snap a chain or pop a spoke in the middle of nowhere.

There are a few basic bike tools that every cyclist should own, some aren’t even bike specific (ie: they can be found cheaply at a hardware store). Every cyclist should know how to lube a chain, fix a flat and properly clean a bike. In fact, a cleaned and degreased bike should be first on the list before a tool ever touches it.

The right tools will help you replace a chain, cables and housing, as well as adjust brakes, remove a cassette or straighten misaligned wheels. I suggest pairing this guide with a bicycle maintenance book such as The Big Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance or the recently updated Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance and, if in doubt, always consult your local bike shop before attempting a hero move that could compromise your bike or result in more repairs.

Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair | Amazon
Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair | Amazon
$4.01

Learn to repair your bike with this powerful book! Each job is carefully explained in a way that makes sense to a novice mechanic and the experience wrench person. Each repair or maintenance project has easy to follow steps, complete with photographs, examples and helpful tips.

Buy at Amazon.com
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08/22/2022 10:46 pm GMT
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Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance | Amazon
Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance | Amazon
$18.69

This is the world's best-selling guide to bicycle repair and maintenance. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes, Lennard Zinn's clearly illustrated guide makes every bicycle repair and maintenance job easy for everyone.

Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
08/23/2022 05:30 am GMT
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The Scary Truth About Cheap Road Bikes

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cheap road bikes

When I first started cycling, I had commitment issues, meaning I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, so I scoured the internet for cheap road bikes and made my purchase.  It was fire-engine red with 14 speeds, though it didn’t always shift into all of them. At the time, I thought I’d found a great deal and I went cheap to ensure I wouldn’t regret the purchase.

But that was a huge mistake.

First-off, the bike was difficult to put together. The shifting was always wonky and a couple of times I was left nearly stranded on the side of the road. It was a monstrosity and because of its excess weight, I always felt slow and out of shape. I had it for about a year before I finally stopped riding it because of frequent knee pain, something I later found out was due to the fact that the bike didn’t fit me well.

With that bike, I quickly discovered that with cycling, you get out what you put in. You can either have a junker car that’s unreliable, but saves you some cash or you can spend a little more for something that’s safe and a blast to drive. Cycling is no different.

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Get in Gear: How to Choose the Best Road Bike Components

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road bike components
They’re called groupsets, drivetrains and components, but they all refer to the group of parts responsible for shifting and braking. Choosing road bike components is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when buying a new bike or upgrading an existing one. Do you go with mechanical or electronic shifting or use a compact or standard crankset? We’re inundated with options, but it pays to take the time to match your riding style to the right components. It could mean the difference between spinning confidently up a hill and feeling constantly bogged down in your easiest gear.

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What to Look For in an Entry Level Road Bike

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entry level road bike

If you’ve started looking for an entry level road bike, but feel paralyzed by so many choices, you’re not alone. Buying your first road bike is a big decision. But knowing what to look for in a new bike is half the battle. Here are some considerations that will help lead you to the perfect ride, along with a few of my favorite bikes for beginners.

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How to Lose Weight Cycling: Simple Hacks for Weight Loss

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how to lose weight cycling

Weight is often at the forefront of a cyclist’s mind. Some get into cycling to lose weight and others need to maintain a certain power to weight ratio to stay competitive in the sport. And then there are those of us who enjoyed one too many coffee and croissant stops in the off-season and need to get things dialed in. Whatever your reason, here are a few tried and true ways for how to lose weight cycling, plus a couple of lesser-known weight loss hacks to speed up the process.

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Cut the Funk: How to Clean Water Bottles in 5 Simple Steps

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cleaning your cycling water bottles

In an ideal world, our cycling water bottles would magically transfer directly from our bottle cages to warm water and dish soap. But in reality, half-full water bottles roll under car seats or get stuffed in gear bags. How do you save your favorite bidon when it’s succumbed to a sticky mold attack? Follow these simple tips for quick, easy water bottle cleaning. 

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Learn This Secret Training Weapon: How to Ride Rollers

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how to ride rollers

 

Let’s face it: crashing your bike on the living room floor is pretty embarrassing. But that’s just what happened the first time I tried to ride rollers. So how do you stay upright while getting in a great workout and sidestepping some awkward bruises? Here are my favorite tips for how to ride rollers — plus 3 free roller workouts.

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Numb Fingers No More: The Best Winter Cycling Gloves

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winter cycling gloves review

 

 

Cold, numb hands will end a ride quicker than flatting a tire without a spare tube. But finding a glove that not only fits, but also blocks wind, rain and a biting headwind is a daunting task, which is why so many cyclists have a stash of unused gloves.

We tested the most popular winter cycling gloves, with the intent to weed out gloves that turn into sweaty finger furnaces or morph into wet bricks in the rain. Click here to jump to our comparison chart or keep reading for our best winter cycling gloves review and recommendations.

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