How does a bike mechanic assess a bike ? How do we know what to work on? In this post we’ll explain how we inspect your bike here at Sidesaddle in order to figure out what repairs to suggest. This process would also work well for assessing a used bike that you are considering buying . Or you could do it to your own bike at home , before visiting a shop, so you’ll know what to expect. Sidesaddle is proud to start every tune up with the most thorough inspection in the business! Many of our customers report that after the suggested work, their bike feels better than when it was brand new. That’s because we do everything we can to make sure every aspect of your bike is at its best. The way a bike rides is determined by how all the parts work together, so if you fix 99% of the parts on a bike, but leave one small problem, that is what the rider will feel when they’re riding. It’s only by taking care of everything in a comprehensive and holistic way that you can get that magic happy bike
Posts
How to Choose a New Bike
Ready to find the perfect new bike? Congrats! Bike shopping is exciting. But it can also be overwhelming, especially if you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking for. With so many different brands, styles and sizes out there, plus all the technical specs and marketing jargon, it’s easy to get sucked into endless hours of online bike reviews and abstract comparison shopping. Before the internet, most bike hunts relied on trial and error: show up at your local bike shop, ride some bikes…and some more bikes…aaaaand more bikes at a different shop…and then maybe circle back to the first shop, and on and on. These days a bike hunt usually begins online. The web is a great resource for scanning all the offerings at a glanceand can help you start to zero in on what you’re after, but how a bike feels on the road is an X factor that no amount of research can replicate. But site after site after site–or ride after ride after ride–can be time-consuming and exhausting. That’s why we do it differ
How to Choose the Right Saddle
BIKE SADDLE 101 Your bike saddle is like your appendix: if it’s doing its job perfectly, you never have to think about it. If it’s not, it’s the only thing you can think about! Ideally, your saddle is the unsung hero of your ride, supporting your body without drawing too much attention. But in the real world, too many cyclists are painfully aware of the ways a saddle can make its presence known. In this post, we’ll get into the nitty gritty of what saddles are for (it’s more than you think!), how they relate to the rest of the bike, why they come in so many shapes and styles, and how to choose the best saddle for your body and riding style. Let’s go! What does a saddle do? The saddle–along with the handlebars and pedals–is one of three points where your body comes in contact with your bike. It supports the weight of your body while you ride of course, but it has less obvious jobs too. Your saddle allows you to control the angle of the frame with your hips and thighs, which is a subtl