Strip the Sticky Black Icky

Hi, I'm Dave, one of the production mechanics here at BicycleSPACE with a tip to help you keep your bike out of my stand.

Lubricating your bike will lengthen it's life and make your rides easier, but dousing your chain with lube will result in a layer of grit and goo that will wear out your drive train far quicker than necessary, causing poor shifting and skipping under load. Wiping off any excess lube on your chain will help prevent this problem, but if your drive train is already a mess of sticky black icky, you need to clean it before it wears significantly. The problem is that a rag won't do a thorough job cleaning your chain, especially in the bushings (the moving bits that allow your chain to “bend.)”

It used to be a pain to clean your chain after it got gritty. When I was a kid, I spent Saturday mornings cleaning and oiling my old Schwinn with a toothbrush and a pint jar of gasoline, lubing it back up with pungent 3-in-1 oil. Things have progressed since then and we have better, less explosive methods. My favorite solution is a mechanical chain cleaner, a device that scrubs the chain with degreaser—this isn't as scary as it sounds, nor as expensive. Park Tool produces an excellent little machine that snaps around the chain, cleans all four sides with brushes and a solvent (I suggest Pedro's Oranj Peelz, a natural, non-toxic solvent that smells of citrus), captures any stray metal shavings with a magnet and also has a sponge to wipe it clean as it emerges, keeping solvent in the gizmo and not on the floor, the bike, your hands, etc. A quick wipe with a clean, dry rag and you're ready to apply lube, wipe off the excess, and go for a squeaky-free ride.

Some people never clean their chain and their bike suffers for it.  If you care about your bike, consider giving it some needed attention and get comfortable using a chain cleaner.  The process only takes a short while and will help keep your bike in great shape.  

By Dave Rooney, Mechanic

I think I can, I think Icon

The other day, I went for a ride by myself. This is unusual for me, as I much prefer to ride with a group, or at least one other person. I find it easier to ride harder and longer with a little company, as well as more enjoyable. Well this time, I was not so lucky to have a partner.

Let me be a little more honest, I hate riding alone. As I am training for next race season, though, I had no choice. I needed to get out and ride, so I forced myself to. It was cold, and not in that crisp sort of way-- just a raw, unrelenting cold that I could not get used to, only fight against.

So I rode, by myself, listening to and watching my labored breathing as it turned to smoke as soon as it escaped my lungs. I thought about a lot of things, as one is wont to do when in isolation. Soon though, I started to realize that I was riding fast, and pushing my legs very hard. I started to feel a burn in my quads– the kind that signals a tightening of your muscles as they prepare for a harder effort. I felt good...

My thoughts turned then to my bike. It is new, relatively at least. It is aluminum, which is unusual for me as I have only owned carbon or steel in the last 8 years.  And it just feels excited, like it just wants to go– faster, further, more aggressively. It feels like it was designed for this, the solo ride in the winter, done only to prepare for some future goal. The kind of ride where you struggle to push yourself until finally you break through some subconscious wall to another part of your brain where you are a little more sinister, a little less concerned about your own well-being, a little more focused on that burn in your muscles.

By this point, you must be wondering what I’m getting at. Well the thing is, it is difficult to get to this state-- the jacket unzipped and flapping in the wind, tongue hanging out of mouth like a rabid animal, racing some demon up a hill in the depth of winter-- without the proper equipment. And I’m not talking about oversized bottom brackets and electronic shifting and hydraulic braking. I’m talking about a bike that disappears beneath you. The type of bike that responds to your input immediately and effortlessly, that moves smoothly and quietly so you can forget about it and just ride.

I ride a Jamis Icon. I got it a few months ago. As I mentioned, it is aluminum, which I was a little nervous about. Notwithstanding, it offers a surprisingly comfortable ride, while giving me everything I need in terms of performance to compete. Yes, it may be made up of plenty of acronyms and catch-phrases (BB30, Small-Batch Aluminum, tapered head-tube, blah, blah), but the bottom line is, the bike is great.

Know this: it is all about the ride. Not the name on the bike, not what it is made of, not the price-tag or what pro wins races on it. You know you found the right bike for you when you can ride yourself to the edge, overheat in the brutal cold of winter, be happy in your discomfort, all while forgetting entirely about what you are doing it on. For me, that bike is the Icon.

Stop U Turns on Penn

In response to a lack of law enforcement BicycleSPACE and local commuters took to the streets to demonstrate against the dangerous practice of illegal U Turns on Pennsylvania Avenue, America's Main Street. 

Video by Francis Tatem, Marketing Manager 

Lesly Jones

Meet Lesly, Car-free for the past 10 years, she's a Grandmother that doesn't mind knocking out a century every now and then. As an active member of Black Women Bike DC, Lesly hopes to encourage others to get involved in an activity that's brought her a lifetime of joy.