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RIDE SCUFFS ON RACE DAY ~
 New tyres
have a glaze that is very slippery. Run a brand new pair
of racing tyres for the last two practice runs on the course to
scuff them in. That will eliminate the greasy film and your
tyres will have the maximum traction just when you need it, for
all those gnarly tree roots. |
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BABY POWDER THOSE TYRES ~
Run baby powder inside
your tyres. It helps the tubes float better and keeps them from
binding in the tyres and pinch-flatting. Also use when putting a
new tube in and putting a new UST tyre on?. When fitting an old
or brand new tyre, slightly in-flat the tube. Remember to start
from the valve stem and work around. Keep the tyre logo next to
the valve stem, so next time you can find it faster especially
if you are rushing under race conditions. |
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SECRET FORMULA ENERGY DRINK ~
As used by a member of the Bicyclemania.co.uk
mountain biking
team.
Discovered by chance as all good things are, the secret recipe
is as follows.
[1] 1 x High five energy powdered drink ( must be
blackcurrant )
[2] mix with Buxton mineral water. (must be con
gas/fizzy to you & me)
[3] And hay presto human rocket fuel...!!! |
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USE THE RIGHT TYRE PRESSURES ~
The tyre
pressure makes a difference with everything on your bike. If
your tyre pressure is low, the bike feels lethargic. Here's a
scale to go by, If you're under 100 pounds, riding
cross-country, use 30 to 35 psi of pressure. If you're 100 to
125 pounds, use 35 to 37 psi. If you're 125 to 150 pounds, run
37 to 42 psi of pressure. If you're 150 to 175 pounds, run 37 to
45 psi of pressure. And if you're over 200 pounds, use 50 psi or
more. If you're riding a trail where there are a lot of rocks,
run higher pressure. If you're riding a downhill bike with wider
tyres and full suspension, go five pounds less than you would
with a X-C bike. If you're getting pinch-flats go up in
pressure. And here's another tip, when climbing on a long rocky
trail drop the pressure, so the rear tyre moulds to the contours
of the trail. |
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THE BEST BICYCLE MEDICINE ~
Purple
Extreme is an advanced, high performance, synthetic bike
chain lubricant.
It provides
excellent protection for chains, open gears and exposed metal
surfaces subjected to severe loading. In addition, it works
extremely well even in abrasive, cold, wet or acidic
environments. Purple Extreme's additive technology forms a
slippery, super-tough, synthetic film on metal surfaces that
protects drivetrain parts far beyond the ability of conventional
oils or waxes.
www.fine-adc.com
Now there's a
chain lube tough enough to stand up to any conditions you can
ride in.! |
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GRIPPING GRIPS HARD TO GET ON &
OFF SORTED ~
As all bikers one
day will find out, getting handle bar grips on or off is not so
easy. Unless you know cunning little top-tips you'll be
struggling like a demented cat & most likely to have blood
running from your paws too. (1) Hairspray, use a screw
driver, lift the end of grip, spray down shaft, twist & turn
off. (2) Hairspray bar & inside if grip and twist & turn
it on sorted. (3) Put new grips in Very warm water,
soften up, stick on (Don't be a Muppet & stick them in the
kettle) wear padded gloves. |
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FITTING TUBELESS TYRES THE EASY
WAY ~
Squirt a
small amount of Fairy liquid around the inside of the wheel rim.
Spread it around the rim with your grubby fingers, then wash
them, see how clean you are now. With clean dry hands it will be
a lot easier to work the tyre onto the rim. If you don't know
where the fairy liquid is kept in the kitchen, try using WD40
it's just as good at doing the job. Always pull and stretch new
tubeless tyres before trying to fit them. |
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GET OFF TO THE RIGHT START ~
Practice starts to find
the best gear, crank angle and off-pedal tilt that allows the
quickest lock-in. Rehearse a few starts during the morning
warm-up and stick to the procedure at the start line kick-off.
And remember to make sure those pedals are serviced well, it
could make or brake a race win. |
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LEVER GRIPS ~
Keep all
parts tight on your bike but not overly tight. Constantly check
them. Tighten your levers so that they won't move while you're
out riding, but leave them just loose enough so you can move
them with your hands in the event of a crash. That way they
won't break when you crash. They'll move on your bars instead of
breaking, and you can reposition them with your hands when you
get back on your bike and resume racing / riding. |
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HOW TO KILL CAMELBAK BLADDER
BACTERIA ~
[tip 1] After a
ride rise the bladder out thoroughly with water and then place
the bladder in the freezer until you need it again. As the water
freezes, it does not allow bacteria chance to form & therefore
create mildew or any other form of mould, so sterilizing tablets
are not required. (tip by Mud-Junkie)
[tip 2] The next top-tip is to stop the bladders inside
walls from sticking together. Don't buy an expensive CamelBak
insert, just pop in two Zip-ties zipped together and bobs your
uncle the Zip-ties will keep the bladder walls from sticking. (tip
by Bicyclemania trailfinders)
[tip 3] On a hot day, try popping a couple of ice cubes
into the bladder before you set off on the trail. That way you
will have a nice cool drink to help you on your way for at least
an hour. |
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HOW TO MOUNT A COMPUTER SENSOR ON A LEFTY FORK ~ (The cheap
way)
Thumbnailed picture >
There are
one or two companies offering Lefty computer add-on's at a price
for your bike. But here at Bicyclemania.co.uk we show & tell you
how to do it the cheaper way, but just as effective. Turn the
sensor up-side-down & zip tie it to the disc brake calliper
making sure it is squared, so it will not rub against the wheels
spokes. For the best results use two small size zip ties & pull
them tight with pliers. Wrap the computer cable around the brake
hose in a spiral fashion. Use insulation tape to secure the
cable
to the brake hose wrapping the
insulation tape all the way up the brake hose. Line the computer
sensor up with the computer magnet. You can still remove
split-pins & change the pads without taking off the sensor &
that's it, sorted. |
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WHERE TO GET YOUR 'HEAD' SERVICED
~ (The HeadShockDoc)
As a HeadShok or
Lefty rider, you already benefit from the low weight, low
maintenance, unrivalled stiffness, rigidity & excellent tracking
the system offers. Everything is integrated within the 1.5"
compatible
headtube. (including the headset) That's all well & good
when it's working perfectly-but what happens if things are not
running sweetly..? Ever wished for better servicing or a
reduction in service intervals..?
HeadShockDoc.com
aims to do just that & offer additional 'hop ups' not
offered by any dealer.
(Cannondale authorised or not)
www.headshockdoc.com |
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KICK THE HAYES DISC BRAKE DRAG ~
Anytime you
do maintenance on your Hayes disc-brake pads, Push the pads back
in using a 10mm open-ended wrench, reinstall the pads and
remount the calliper, leaving the bolts loose. Then using two
.015-" feeler gauges, put the gauges between the disc and pads
on both sides. Then squeeze the brake lever while snuggling up
the five-mm calliper mounting bolts. Remove the feeler gauges
and squeeze the lever a couple of times. Visually make sure the
disc is centred in the pads. This gives more lever throw and
creates less chance of the disc rubbing while riding. |
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CHEAP CABLE - CUTTERS ~
You do not need
special tools, like cable cutters. All you will need is a
lighter and pliers.
[1] heat the cable with the lighter until the cable turns
black
[2] cut the cable with some pliers where you heated it
[3] the cable will not fray, it's as easy as that, job
sorted .....cheap as chips. |
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WARM UP AND WARM DOWN ~
You see them all doing
it half an hour before the start, and all you do is just mince
around. Well try it. All you have to do is quite simply pedal up
and down the track or road and get your body up to operating
temperature. You will not expend all your energy doing this,
it's a good way of making sure your body is ready for the mad
start and you don't pass-out 2oo yard's down the course. And
remember to warm down after the event too. |
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FORCE FEED YOUR CHAIN ~
Let your
bike chain dry off over night after that wash. If you lube up
the chain immediately after a wash, the oil will lock in the
water and moisture inside the links. Place the oil across each
roller from the inner run of the chain. When you start pedalling
the centrifugal force will help lube the rollers. |
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SAVE YOUR ENERGY GOING UP HILL ~
When you
are climbing, concentrate on relaxing your upper body and
pouring all your energy into your legs. Bouncing wildly around
on the saddle and jerking on the handlebars will waste your
energy levels and cost in climbing speed, so try and stay
relaxed and focus on keeping it all nice and smooth. |
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EASY WHEEL REMOVAL AND
RE-INSTALMENT ~
Flick the
right-hand shifter into top gear. Undo the V-brake system and
then turn over the bike, lay it on it's back. Remove the rear
nut/quick-release. lift and pull back the rear Mech. Then lift
out the wheel keeping it straight so you don't damage anything.
Repeat to re-install the wheel. If you have disc brakes, try
inserting a piece of cardboard between the pads when
transporting the bike this will stop the pistons moving to far. |
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CHAIN HOLDER ~
Try this top-tip when you need to work
on your chain try hooking together two points of the chain to
create a little bit of slack when you come to splitting the
chain, it will make the job a lot easier to do.
Try using some
thing like a spoke, coat-hanger, or any stiff wire.
Just bend it into
shape and clip in into the two ends of the chain. |
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ZIP - TIE BLEEDING BRILLIANTS ~
Here's another brilliant top-tip,
apply this tip when you are servicing your disc brakes. After
you have bled the brake system tire a zip-tire around the brake
lever for a few hours, or better still leave over night. The air
in the system will travel up the pipe to the reservoir making
your braking system spot on
Do not grab a handful of front brake, or you could become
air-born |
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SHOCK SET - UP (Secrets) ~
Set up
your shock sag for one-third of your travel on downhill bikes,
20-25 percent of the travel on cross country bikes. If your
shock makes any unusual noise like clunking or hissing, call
your manufacturer, it needs servicing. An eyelet can come loose
from the shaft, a seal can be blowing, and the mounting hardware
can come loose. If a bolt is loose it can break.
Try
www.cvi.co.uk
{ they service the lot } Tel: 01405 760030
Or e-mail>
service@cvi.co.uk
Or try Mojo:
www.mojo.co.uk |
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