Keeping your bike clean when you’ve not really got the room to do it is a pain. However, it is something that should be in your calendar at least once a month. It should be one of those things, you shouldn’t even think about having to do. “Oh, it’s the first of the month – [...]
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How I learnt to love punctures
I’ve never been a big fan of getting a puncture. I prefer to blissfully ignore the fact that it is an inevitable part of cycling. However, on a recent rainy ride, after 6 months free of punctures, they caught up with me with a vengeance. With my legs, feet, hands and pretty much everything else [...]
Bike lube: What’s all the fuss?
Keeping your bike well lubricated is probably one of those maintenance tasks that too frequently gets forgotten. But why does it matter? Which lubricant should you be applying? How frequently? Where? How much lube does a bike need? Why should I bother to apply lubricant? We’ve all been told we should keep our bike chains [...]
Free bicycle maintenance classes in London
If you want to learn the basics to bicycle maintenance then a number of free courses and workshops exist in London. They can help you reduce the cost of your bicycle maintenance by completing basic tasks such as replacing brake pads. Below is a list of the free maintenance workshops and classes I’m aware of. [...]
5 big sticking points that put people off maintaining their bikes themselves
Recently, we ran a survey on the topic of bicycle maintenance. I wanted to know more about readers thoughts so I can better serve them on this blog. The results of the survey are private (won’t be shared with any nasty marketers etc.) but I wanted to post up some of the early insights I’ve [...]
I need your help: 4 minute survey (finished)
Ever so often I like to reach out to readers of London Cyclist to hear about their feelings on a certain topic. In the past that has led to the London Cycle Routes eBook which was highly requested. This time I’d like to find out everyone’s thoughts on bicycle maintenance. Whether you love maintaining your [...]
Setting up your bike for winter
Winter cycling needs no introduction. It’s chilly and demotivating at times. But most of all, it’s a whole lot of fun, just like cycling the rest of the year. To keep riding through our English winter a few simple tweaks to your bike will make things easier for you and for your bike. Winter Mudguards [...]
Best bicycle toolkits
If you are getting more into your bicycle maintenance you’ll quickly discover you need a few extra tools that are not included in your standard B&Q toolbox. Especially when it comes to more advanced maintenance tasks such as hub bearing servicing. Although you could simply buy each tool individually, if you see yourself having a [...]
Suspension fork sag adjustment
One of the new repairs shortly coming to Bike Doctor is suspension sag adjustment. This is something that all mountain bike riders should do on a new mountain bike to account for their weight and riding style. It should also form part of an occasional maintenance routine. Suspension on a mountain bike reduces rider fatigue [...]
Putting together a flat pack bike
I believe the official term for this is “assembling” but as I’m a common man I’m going with “putting together”. A lot of people these days are tempted to order bikes online. However, there is often a fear of what will happen when the bike arrives. How hard will it be to assemble? Will something [...]
Summer bicycle slick tyres
I’m late getting my summer tyres on this year, mainly because I’ve not been able to get much recreational riding in and because, well, I couldn’t really be bothered. I posted in the winter, here, about changing my tyres from the factory settings to winter tyres and I’ve been thinking about changing them again. My [...]
Replacing hydraulic disk brake pads
Big thank you to Mark’s Cycle Repairs for helping me put this repair together for the Bike Doctor App (Already in iPhone version, soon to be in Android version) Mark offers excellent prices and repairs for all sorts of bikes and if you live in the direction of Kent (Orpington) specifically then you should check [...]
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Electric Bikes: It’s not Cheating, it’s Transport
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What happens if you have a collision with a pedestrian
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Tour De Latitude competition
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The London Cyclist guide to cleaning your bike even when you’ve not got the room to do it
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DHB Sync Waterproof Jacket Review
