Pedal wrenches, there are all kinds.  No matter the type of pedal wrench you use, try this technique to beat that tight pedal and impress your friends.  Described as if the tires are down and the bike is propped upright.

Take the pedal you are removing and spin the crank so the pedal is forward, close to the front wheel.  Take your pedal wrench and install it on the pedal so that the angle between the wrench and the crank arm is acute, or less than 90 degrees.  This positioning or the pedal wrench will allow you to apply force in somewhat of a downward direction.  Remember to use the end of the handle so you get as much leverage out of the wrench as possible.  Watch your knuckles during this, chain rings can be hell.

A couple more things. Since the left pedal has a left thread and the right pedal is standard righty tighty, this technique will work for the left and the right pedal.  Also, if you can position the wrench at an angle between like 20 and 40 degrees, the job gets even easier.  I say “like” because I just made those numbers up with no actual measurment at all.

Pedal wrench bliss is around the corner!

There are a number of reasons to remove one or both of your bike’s disc brake calipers from it’s fork or frame.  Standard practice for bleeding the brake or most front suspension servicing.  When shipping a mountain bike sometimes it helps to remove the brake caliper from the fork and spin the fork backwards.  This little number can save valuable inches when squeezing a big bike in a box.

I’m getting off track.  The point is, a disc brake caliper is bound to come off at some point.  If the brake is a post mount type, you should find yourself some valve stem nuts.  Valve stem nuts are the round nurled things that thread on to presta valve stems and come with most bicycle tubes.  Valve stem nuts just happen to thread nicely on to the bolts that hold the caliper to the fork or brake adapter.

When you go to remove the caliper, loosen both bolts a bit, but before you remove the second bolt, pivot the caliper slightly and thread the valve stem nut on the removed bolt.  Careful not to let any hardware escape during the maneuver.  Even if the brakes don’t have washers or those angle adjusting thingys, you can utilize the valve stem nut just to hold the bolts in the caliper as not to misplace them.

Valve stem nuts.  Love ‘em.

I have nightmares about loose stems on bicycles. Besides the financial liability possibly incurred from a mechanic’s carelessness, there is a terrible guilt associated with such an occurrence. Even more so when injury results.

So here’s the hint. Whenever you have a stem loosened while still installed on the bike, rotate it severely off center. It’s a good reminder that the stem is loose and you can be sure to tighten the stem after you’ve aligned it with the front wheel.

I found an article in the Park Record recently regarding the Fort Collins Bicycle Library in Fort Collins, Colorado. I thought I’d fill you in a bit.

With an e mail address and an ID, you can get a Ft Collins Bicycle Library card. The cards enables locals and visitors to borrow bicycles for as little as 1 hour, and as long as 5 days. When you’re finished with the bike, lock it up at a designated drop spot, then return the key. Pretty simple.

The Ft. Collins bike library opened in April of 2008, and since then has rented bikes to over 500 people from all walks. They hope to soon increase their fleet of recycled bicycles to accommodate more users. Check out the website, www.fcbikelibrary.org.

Some other bicycle libraries I found online.

Arcata Bicycle Library, Iowa City Bike Library, New Brunswick Bike Library

My experiences at the Tour De France are some of the greatest in my life. Watching it on TV is OK, the commentators are pretty entertaining. But it could never compare to finding that perfect spectating spot, watching the peleton whiz by, then finding a cafe to watch the finish on TV. Trust me, the French coverage is way better than ours!

Of course, a flight to Europe right now is around $1000, and our dollar is exchanging at a near record low. Makes taking weeks to follow the Tour a bit tough for most of us. The Tour of Utah requires a bit less expenditure on the spectator’s part.

The Tour of Utah offers many of the elements that make the bigger race in France so awesome to be a part of. Seventeen top level cycling teams represented by 120 riders make for great racing with lots of colorful kits. The racers will ride for a $75,000 purse and a new car, over 5 days, 342 miles, and a lotta climbing.

The Utah bike race is a must see for everyone. The start and finish will offer a festival like atmosphere with music, food, drink and some of the nicest bicycles you can’t even buy. Out on the race course you can find a nice spot to watch and cheer. Watch your toes, the bike mechanics in the support vehicles drive kind of fast and aren’t really looking out for you. Take some snacks, water, libations, and something to sit on and the day is sure to be a treat.

The Tour of Utah is August 13-17.

Stage 1 Sanpete to Nephi.

Stage 2 Ogden to Salt Lake City.

Stage 3 Salt Lake Downtown Criterium

Stage 4 Park City to Snowbird

Stage 5 Miller Motorsports Park Time Trial (Tooele)

Tour of Utah Website

As I realized that CyclistVillage.com is a MySpace for bike people, I felt a sense of relief. Since I’ve already burned my social networking candle at both ends with MySpace, I couldn’t possibly waste a significant amount of time surfing CyclistVillage…………We’ll see how that goes.

The idea seems like a good one, a place to cyberly interact with people of similar interests. I hope the smaller platform will keep a sense of usefulness that MySpace loses in it’s exhausting amount of junk correspondence.

We’ll see if I can make any interfriends.

www.cyclistvillag.com/thepedalwrench

You have a rim, you have a hub, and now you need to decide what length spokes you’ll need to assemble a usable wheel with them. If you plan on buying spokes at the local bike shop, it may be easiest to have them come up with the appropriate spoke length. If you like to figure things out yourself, you can find help on the web in many forms.

Any spoke calculator you find on the internet will require you to enter some information. Just how much information depends on the web site’s spoke calculator and the popularity of the components of your wheel. Popular rims and hubs can often be chosen from a list. For these, the needed values will be provided with the exception of the number of spoke holes and the number of crosses your spokes will be laced with.

Having to measure for the needed values isn’t the end of the world. Some of the web sites will help you through the measurements but you will need a sliding caliper and a tape measure to get those measurements.

Here are some spoke calculators and information about wheel building you may find useful.

DT Swiss This happens to be my favorite, probably because it’s the easiest. Sign in as an anonymous user.

Sheldon Brown

spokelength.com

United Bicycle Institute

wheelpro.co.uk

appliedthought.com Great instructions!

Good luck building!

For the second year in a row, I got to hang out with the Cannondale guys and fix bikes along the coast of California, all in the name of raising money for AIDS research, education, and awareness. The $11.6 million the AIDS Lifecycle 7 raised this year should help the cause.

I wish I could count all the flat tires I fixed during the week, I’m sure the number would be in the hundreds, as I’m positive I did over 20 a day. The miles my left arm pedaled as I shifted through bikes’ gears also took it’s toll. By the time the riders reached L.A., my arms were weak and useless.

The amount of tubes that got thrown away along the route was unfortunate. I wish I had the ability to at least get them recycled, but transporting thousands of bike tubes would require some special arrangements. Maybe next year we could make those arrangements, or maybe have a contest to find creative uses for the tubes that won’t hold air. The crowd that rides the AIDS Lifecycle is a creative bunch and I’m sure the contest would be a hit and produce some entertaining results.

Second only to flat tires, worn pedal cleats plagued many riders, some multiple times during the week. The cyclists wearing mountain bike shoes with walkable cleats were laughing at the riders with road bike shoes waiting in line for new $20 cleats. Cannondale’s technical support team had a hard time fulfilling the need for Look Delta, Look Keo, and Shimano SPD R cleats for the poor soles(pun) that didn’t have cleat covers to walk around in.

All in all, a great week playing with bicycles. The faces I recognized from last year were great to see again, and I hope to see this year’s new acquaintances next year. I hope everyone heeds my warning and brings there mountain bike shoes and pedals, but I’ll certainly be there to change your worn cleats out for you. See you then.

A good portion of knowing the answer is knowing where to find it. Of course this holds true when you’re trying to fix a new malady on your trusty steed or even on the most basic things like installing a cycle computer. In most cases the people that wrote the instructions have performed said task more than once or twice. I recommend reading the directions twice before beginning anything. The guys at Park Tools have fixed a few bikes and that’s why their Big Blue Book of Bike Repair is so darn good. Aimed at the home mechanic, the book offers easy to understand explanations of bike repair tasks accompanied by helpful photos.

Product description:

A new book on bike repair from the company that wrote the book on bike repair products. Calvin Jones, Education Director at Park Tool, provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for keeping any road or mountain bike running smoothly. From tire repair and derailleur adjustment to wheel truing and bottom bracket replacement, The Big Blue Book of Bike Repair provides both the novice and veteran mechanic with the information needed to perform nearly any repair. Special topics such as tool selection, bike cleaning, and on-the-trail repairs are also covered, and an appendix at the back of the book provides valuable reference materials. Up to date with the latest technology, The Big Blue Book of Bike Repair is packed four hundred photos, as well as repair tips garnered from the author’s 30 years as an educator and mechanic.

A great book to keep in the tool box or next to the bed. Buy it here.

For the fifth year in a row The Pedal Wrench lends it’s chief bicycle repair instructor, KC Gaudet, to the Park City School District.

From pcschools.us:

Save time, money, and maybe a trip to the bike shop! Keep your bicycle running smoothly and safely. Learn the proper way to clean and lube your bicycle, basic fit, basic maintenance, and emergency repair. Bring your bike to this hands-on class. Tool list provided in class, plus information on where to ride. Both road and mountain bikes are welcome. Limit of 10 people.

Registration and More Info