In the old old days of cycling (when I was 25 or so), everything was made of steel and forged aluminum. Back then we needed torque wrenches. In today's age of carbon, you really need a torque ...
Do you want to install (and uninstall) your fork on your bike? If so, you need to get the crown race on and off. There are tools for sale that represent the incorrect way to tackle this job. Here ...
Also known as steerer cutting guide, or fork saw guide, I prefer miter block, because I cut a lot more than fork steerers with it. This tool is in almost constant use—frequently seen in the jaws ...
Two times in 20 years has a bike I've worked on failed during a race: my own, in a race I traveled around the world to get to; and one ridden by Lance Armstrong in a national championship. But, I'm ...
Updated from its original publication in 2004, this article is the answer to a Slowtwitch Forum user who once posted: "[Blank] the car, I'm putting a bike workshop in the garage." His post asked for ...
What follows herein is the bike tinkerer's list of essential tools. Any less and you're a caveman. All these specialty tools can be had for quite a small sum compared with the many thousands a pro ...
I was the lone industry observer invited to the wind tunnel testing of the finished S5 product. I took copious notes, in order to describe the mechanics of the wind tunnel process.
The common wisdom is that wheel mass, since it is rotating, counts "doubly bad" as compared to non-rotating mass. There's a grain of truth to this common wisdom, but it doesn't tell the ...
Cervelo took several superbikes to the San Diego wind tunnel last month and tested them all exhaustively and comprehensively. Slowtwitch was there for the entire exercise. Here's the first of ...
We need to overhaul extension shapes. After much experimentation, what have we learned? The spatial relationship between armrests and extensions is important, and, no more horizontal grips.
How often are bikes spec'd from the manufacturer in ways destined to give the customer a fighting chance of riding the bike successfully without swapping parts?
At about 51cm or 52cm you enter a size range where just about everybody's bikes are built with 700c wheels. Here, there's a convergence of geometry, but a divergence in handling.
When you get to the 58cm size, tri bikes diverge geometrically. Why? Because they can. The height of these bikes is similar, one to the next. But in reach, there's more of a divergence.
What is important? What ought to matter? The answers depend on who you are and what are you're trying to achieve. You are a tri bike's designer, for the purpose here; good steering geometry the ...
Are you 5'6" or shorter, or have an interest in one who is? Here is an assortment of small tri bikes, and where they fall along the geometric gradient of long, short, tall and narrow.
In about a month, I'll have two bikes in my garage: a P3 and a Slice. The P3 was an output, that is, it was the result of a process. The Slice was an input: It commenced a process. Confused? ...
This, a companion to "What's in a tire," describes the difference between butyl and latex tubes, and also the calculus of tire pressure, and how to choose the right pressure for a race course.
Chrissie Wellington rides hard. Very hard. And very fast. But does her position fall in line with what we teach and preach at Slowtwitch U, or is she an outlier bucking the trend?
Let it never be said that Slowtwitch doesn't tell you where the rubber meets the road. We deconstruct the tire and explain what conspires to give you good flat protection and low rolling resistance.
The question is more common among road riders than triathletes, but is probably more impactful on the latter group: what crank length should you ride? The answer is counterintuitive; probably the ...
About a week a go Normann Stadler went to the Retul studio in Boulder, CO to get accurately fitted on his Scott Plasma 2. Bike fit is a crucial thing and even fast guys like Stadler may have space ...
Last year I wrote a series of articles about the most underserved segment of the handlebar market. I described the state of the shorty bar, offered some opinions, and reported on the best current ...
Welcome to a new series: Why you're not comfortable. If you're not comfortable speaking in front of crowds, sorry, we're not addressing that here. But if you're not comfortable on your bike, read ...
There are several companies that say they have rubber nobody else has. Let's take a look at those claims, and the rubber they're using, and see what we can glean about the state of materials in the ...
