How Often Should I Have My Bike Fit Checked? Bike fit is as static or dynamic as you are. Things can change and your fit should change with them. Some of the reasons a fresh check on your riding position may be in order include the following: Your riding habits have changed – frequency, distance,…
Tubeless tires for cars were popularized in the ‘50’s. For motorcycles, in the ‘70’s. So, the road bike world felt a bit behind the times when 50 years had passed and we were all still riding on tubes. Heck, even lawnmowers and wheelbarrows seemed ahead of road bike tire technology in this regard. By the…
As Fit Werx heads into its 22nd year of providing rider first bike fittings and rider matched bike sales, it seems like an apt time to take a trip down the memory lane of cycling technology. Since our inception, a lot has changed in terms of the products and services we offer. In a number…
A Pandemic Accelerated Divide The pandemic has accelerated a divide that has been developing for years now in the bike industry. Many of the biggest bike companies are aggressively pursuing factory owned stores and more online sales over independent bike dealer representation. In some cases this will mean a new “Trek Store” may move into your neighborhood. …
The front derailleur has long been the bane of the mechanical components of a bicycle. While some perfectly set-up front derailleurs, like Shimano’s Di2, are immense improvements over what front derailleurs used to be, there is no escaping that the front derailleur is a rather primitive component by necessity. There remains room for improvement in…
Background and Old Position: Up until 2017, I spent many years testing and fine tuning my aero position. I was pursuing record; records where set-up details matter a lot. I documented a lot of this in prior posts. However, I stopped riding the position I had put so much time into refining a few years…
I hadn’t been on a velodrome in 4 years. I hadn’t raced in nearly as long as taking some time off turned out longer and while it’s a story for another day it’s been a long 2 years working to return to form. Here I was at masters track nationals in Trexlertown Pennsylvania again about…
While today’s gravel bikes see a range of component and gearing options, ranging from compact road to subcompact wide gravel, this was not always so. Just a few years ago, gravel road bikes all included a “compact” 50/34 crankset that was the same crankset as a dedicated pavement road bike had. In 2017 Praxis Works…
At the turn of the century, we published an article about rolling resistance on bicycles works. The article points out three main things: Rolling resistance is a valuable enough performance variable that you should pay attention to it. Narrower and higher pressure tires are not always better. Suspension and compliance help reduce rolling resistance. While…
By Jim Weaver, Service Manager Emeritus, Fit Werx, Vermont I retired as Service Manager at Fit Werx in Waitsfield, Vermont at the end of 2018. Shortly before retirement, I acquired a Parlee Z-Zero XD frameset. Spending just shy of 10 years building hundreds (if not thousands) of bikes, and servicing an equal number of client…
Ceramic bearings are often represented as the ultimate way to minimize rolling friction on your bike. The influx of ceramic bearing development into the bike industry sparked needed focus on reducing rolling friction in bearings. However, the reality of why some bearing designs are faster than others doesn’t always align with what is presented. With…
In the beginning, there was the cyclocross bike. Born in racing, but more often ridden in recreation, the cyclocross bike’s wide tires opened up roads previously unexplored by narrow high pressure tires. As time passed, the cyclocross bike evolved to adapt better to the gravel road riding thrust upon it. Wheel bases lengthened, head angles…