Endurance geometry…

There has to be a catch phrase, buzz word, feature/benefit for just about everything these days.  A new bike model was launched by one of the big bike companies this week.  I have no doubt that this is the type of bike 95% of the riders on the road should be riding.  However, the fact […]

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From QRs to hub adjustment…

A comment yesterday on the quick release post got me to revisit another subject I had been meaning to write about.  What had originally inspired me to write about this was a new tool I received.  Anyone who has used the Park axle vise knows what I’m talking about when I say that even the […]

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Quick, release…

Everyone knows the story.  It was November, high in the Dolomites.  On the snowy Croce D’ Aune Pass, Tullio Campagnolo’s frozen fingers failed him in his need to loosen the wing nuts on his race bike as he attempted to remove his wheel to flip it to the other side for a different gear.  His […]

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Frame sizing…

Recently I sold a frameset to a Bay Area resident.  He’s also a member of an on-line bicycle related group.  After he picked up the frame and set about building it, he sent me the link of this review of the frame.  The summary of his first ride report was summed up with these two […]

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650b conversions…

Seems, the way it’s being reported, that 650b is set to take over the world (or a small slice of it) this next year. I think the segment that’s being targeted is a good one. Not 100% sure what that segment is called these days. It seems that with every 20mm increase in suspension travel, […]

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March frame special…

I thought I would come up with some sort of March special since folks seemed to appreciate the February tire frame special. After going off the deep end (maybe it wasn’t so deep) on the subject of brakes last month, I thought “brake special.” And that’s what the Black Mountain Cycles March frameset or complete […]

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You say you want a fat tire road bike…

Over the past week, I’ve seen several things posted on the interwebs that proclaim fat tire road bikes are coming to a bike shop near you. They are already here at Black Mountain Cycles. Been hear for over a year and I’ve been putting in miles on these for a few years. The Black Mountain […]

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The non-NAHBS report…

I had originally intended to attend NAHBS on the final day, but more important matters came up last minute – customers who wanted to pick up a new bike and a fun single-speed conversion that got picked up. And I heard that the show was actually sold out. Really? Maybe it’s a fire code thing. […]

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I just wanna lube my chain…

Recently, I’ve been seeing ads for a bicycle lube company posted – pasted is a better word – on Facebook. Facebook also now has made it so you see all the activity of your friends and what they comment on or like. I’ve since figured out that that ticker thing can be hidden, which makes […]

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What’s in a millimeter…

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about my not-so-new life in the bicycle industry is wearing out parts. You see, prior to this gig at the retail level, I was on the industry side which simply means I worked for a bike company in product development. This meant that every year, parts manufacturers released a […]

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Two for Tuesday…

Two pictures that is. First up is a photo of the new 12. The 12 is Vee Rubber’s new micro-block tire as you may recall from this post. I’ve had a few requests for confirmation that the new 29 x 1.95″ 12 tire fits up front on the Black Mountain Cycles cross frame. The answer […]

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Brakes, part II…

I thought this deserved a bit more attention than simply a comment to a comment. In reply to the post yesterday about disc brakes on road bikes, Wally had this to say: “There are bigger two wheeled devices with motors that use disc brakes extensively. So there is knowledge and expertise on proper braking technique […]

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