The Wheel Dish

As a fitter, I’m often asked, “Who really needs a custom bike”? Over the last 20 years, I’d estimate that no more than 5% of the riders I’ve fit need something custom in order to have a bike that will be comfortable and handle well. Perhaps another 5-10%

Bikes are in some ways like clothes – most people can get something “off-the-shelf” that fits well enough to make them happy. If you’re serious about fashion or serious about cycling, however, fit gets a bit more complicated. In many cases, a rider will be “in-

Used bikes are a great option for many riders. You’ll save some money and give a long-lived machine new life. That said, purchasing a used bike can be difficult. Every year at Durham Cycles we see students who’ve purchased used bikes that are too large or too small; that require expen

Bike shops are often asked why they charge one or two hours of labor to assemble a bike which is described by the manufacturer as “90% assembled.” Watch the video and read the post below to see what goes into a typical bike assembly at Durham Cycles.     So if it take

While under certain types of load, carbon fiber is significantly stronger than steel, titanium, or aluminum, it generally does not handle clamping force as well as other frame materials. A carbon fiber seatpost, for instance, may easily handle the rigors of Paris Roubaix, but will cra

Below is the handout from our recent “Safety in Numbers” seminar. Do you have “DOs” or “DON’Ts” to add to our list? Send us an email through our contact form. Gran Fondo Manifesto: Group cycling is a healthy, fun, and enriching activity, but i

Have you changed your shifter cables recently? Shimano and Campy riders should change rear shifter cables every three months under heavy use (200+ miles per week), every six months under light use. You may get longer out of your cables, but if you want to limit the risk of cable failu

In this blog I am going to explain some fundamentals of triathlon bike fit. Along the way, I will explain how a road bike can be successfully configured for triathlon use, but why a road bike should never be converted to a true triathlon fit. What follows can largely be considered an

Installment 2: Wheel Building Tools (Read Installment 1) Wheel building is often described as an art, not a science. In part, the description is accurate because artisans were building excellent wheels which maximized the properties of available materials long before those properties