Topic : bike maintenance

No two bicycle workshops are quite the same. Some are pristine, super-organized spaces run with a firm hand: everything has a place and everything is in its place. Others look like utter carnage, yet the resident mechanic seems to know where everything lives.

You cannot build a bike from scratch or service it properly without high-quality tools.

The rules of the road are left at the start line, and the police wave you on to speeds unheard of in built-up areas. It’s pretty remarkable that there aren’t more accidents. Sometimes it’s a miracle that everyone gets home in one piece — near misses are inevitable.

The wheel change is a pressure situation; practice and a calm approach is essential. It's the one time that a mechanic can really help his riders during a race. Good changes take a few seconds.

There is one thing that has always been and remains a part of the daily toil — bike washing.

A mistake by the pro team bike mechanic can cost the team the race

There was a time when adjusting a bike needed a lot of tools — even setting up a pair of brakes required hours of patience.