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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