Bike Care Night, March 19, 7pm

If you've ridden at all this winter, your bike is probably a little gross. The roads have been coated in a slurry of salt, sand and road grime for months. Even if you haven't been riding this winter, your bike still needs some occasional TLC.

We're teaming up with Pedro's for a night of Bike Care. Wednesday, March 19th at 7pm, here at Hub Bicycle World HQ.  We'll be talking proper cleaning and lubrication, and why it's important. It's FREE and open to all. Come by for some knowledge, refreshments and hang time with other bike-minded folks.

What is Team Monster Truck?

Team Monster Truck is the team for people who like bikes and comradery. We do some racing, and lots of riding. Also practicing skills (CX and MTB) and #cannolifriday.

This team is just about a year old and I, for one, am really proud of how far it's come. I can't think of another group that's as welcoming, encouraging and enthusiastic as this one.

 If you are curious about cyclocross, mountain biking, road racing, bike camping, dirt rides, or eating cannoli follow the team on Twitter or Facebook (an official team website is coming soon, thanks to our very own Jessie C). Or stop by the shop on any Friday evening, you'll probably find a team member or two to talk with.

Spring Cleaning

It's a little optimistic to call this post "spring" cleaning, as it seems winter might never end, but we do have some cleaning out to do. We need to make space for new goods coming in, so all Bern helmets in stock are 30% off. 

This is good until what we have is gone. Right now we have a pretty good stock in just about every size, so jump on it.

For Sale: Fat Bike

It's true. It's time to find a new home for the Moonlander. I've got another fat bike project in the works and I have to make room.

The deal is- it's a bit of a frankenbike. All good parts, but none of it stock.

Here is the full parts list:

Surly Moonlander frame and fork- Small (16)
Crank Bros. Colbalt Directset Headset
Truvativ Hussafelt stem
Salsa Bend 2 handlebar
Alloy seatpost w/ old school style
Avid SD 7 brake levers
Avid BB7 brakes, with compressionless housing 
Surly OD Crank 36/22, 170mm 
Front wheel- Weinmann double wall, 100mm rim/Surly disc hub
Surly Larry 3.8 front tire
Surly Endomorph 3.7 rear tire
Rear wheel- Surly Rolling Darryl/Shimano Deore disc hub
Gripshift Rocket 9spd shifter
SLX rear derailleur

includes Evo Two Faces Pedal, and a basic saddle

It does not include a front derailleur, but it does have two chain rings and the adapter to install a direct mount derailleur. Just so you know.

If you or anyone you know has an insatiable need for a snow bike, it can be yours for $1150 or best offer. Give a call to the shop or shoot me an email if you're interested/want a test ride/have questions.

Salty

Ahh, winter. This winter has been cold and snowy, as expected, but also extra salty. I do appreciate that the extra attention paid to roads has made them safer to ride and drive, but it takes a toll on the machines that ride and drive on them.

Bicycles don't require a ton of regular maintenance. I didn't say they require NO maintenance, just a little bit. If you've been riding through this winter, there are two things you should do.

One- LUBE YOUR CHAIN.

I've gone over this before, but to review:

                   1. Coat the entire length of the chain with a bicycle-specific chain lube. We're using Pedro's in the shop these days.
                   2. Back pedal a bit to let the lube work itself into the chain. Or let it sit for a while (15min- 1hr). Or both.
                   3. Wipe off the extra with a rag.

Two- WIPE DOWN THE FRAME.

Bikes made of all types of materials are subject to corrosion. The chemicals used to treat winter roads speeds up that corrosion. You want to get that stuff off your bike.

A bike specific cleaner would be best- something that's going to be safe on all of the parts of the bike (we use Green Fizz in the shop). If you don't have that handy, a couple drops of mild dish soap in warm water will work. Either way- be careful around brakes and braking surfaces. No bike cleaner, and you don't like soap? At the very least, brush the salt off when it dries with a dry rag.

  

Just doing those two things, should take 10-15 minutes, tops, and will make your ride last longer, and pedal smoother.

Slacking

I'm having a great time. Which explains the lack of Winter Sabbatical blogging. Sorry. I have been keeping up Instagram.

Check it out if you feel so inclined.

Bukit Timah

I managed a successful MTB trip today. (I tried to go yesterday, but forgot to bring a map and got hopeless lost.) I rode over to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, where there's a nice purpose-built mountain bike loop. It seemed to me to be Singapore's Cutler Park- not super technical, well-loved (read: well-worn), and close enough to the city center.

The loop is well marked with just a few smaller loops that branch off the big guy. A friendly local showed me which trail would avoid a staircase of 12" (or 30.48cm since I'm a metric country). Some of the scenery was breath taking. I had my head down in concentration for a short but very steep climb, when I raised it,this:

Pretty alright.

On my way back to town I stopped in at Byx (newly opened in this location as of three weeks ago), located at the entrance of the park, and talked with Sylvia about the state of mountain biking in Singapore. She said there had been tons of rain in November and December, that did a number on the trails. During the rebuild process they sterilized some of the trails and took some of the challenge out. I could definitely see that, but still had a great ride. She also tipped me off to the Kent Ridge trail, which is supposed to have a flowy Super D trail in the mix. Yes, please. I'm going to check that out tomorrow (if I don't get lost).