Touring Bikes, the low-down.

Bike touring may just be the ultimate bike related adventure. There's just something so cool about the freedom of a self propelled adventure through woods and towns while breathing the fresh air of new places

Since bike touring season is upon us, we figured we'd write a little breakdown on what makes touring bikes special. Touring bikes need to be able to do a few things really well - carry all your gear, carry all your drinks, carry you in comfort over long distances. For a frame to accomplish these things it generally is different from road and cross bikes in a few ways, so I took some pictures for comparison.

First is a Surly Disc Trucker touring bike

and second is an Orbea Aqua road bike

*please note, if you click on any of these images they will enlarge so you can actually see what's going on.*

-Longer wheel base and chain stays-
These two things work to make the bike handle more smooth and stable which is good when you're carrying a lot of weight. In addition to that, the longer frame also absorbs shock better, leaving you feeling less beat up after a long day riding. Last little benefit this geometry tweak adds? The longer chain stays puts your rear pannier further back making it less likely you'll have problems with your heels hitting them aka: "heel strike". The geometry in general is also a little more relaxed and upright because that's more comfortable over long amounts of time. If you look at the above pics these things are totally visible.

 -All the water bottle bosses-
If you're going to be able to ride endlessly through the day you're going to need to keep hydrated and have a good way to carry your drinks. Because of this touring bikes generally have braze-ons for three bottle cages. Usually the third goes on the under side of the down tube (as pictures above), but it can be anywhere it will fit.

-Multiple rack/fender mounts and Reenforced Eyelets-
So many. A standard touring bike can have up to 8 sets of eyelets/mounts. You need to have options right? Also, If you look at the eyelets on a single speed urban bike versus the eyelets on a purpose built touring bike you will be totally impressed with how burly the ones on the touring bike are. This is because a lot of weight will likely be carried on a touring bike, so those eyelets need to be super strong and hold up over bumpy roads and hundreds of miles all while under load. An eyelet breaking is something no one wants, so they are designed to withstand pretty serious abuse. With these two pics, the touring bike has two eyelets as holes in part of the frame, and the road bike doesn't even have any. If you look at the larger images of the bikes up top you can see all the eyelets and water bottle braze-ons, too.

-Other things-
Touring bikes tend to be made of steel because steel is easily repairable. Many have 26" wheels because that size is a lot more common in the more remote areas of the world, making it less likely you'll be completely stranded by something as small as a flat tire. The wheels also usually have more spokes than road wheels because it makes them stronger. Lastly, they usually have a wider gear range and fatter tires which help make a larger variation in conditions comfortable. All of these things serve one basic purpose, to reduce the chances you'll get stuck somewhere because your bike failed you.

So there it is, what makes touring bikes different, special and absolutely destroy at their jobs. Clever stuff right? Show this to the next person who scoffs that you have so many bikes, maybe they'll get why people who like bikes tend to have more than one.

Spring Forward

It's that time of year again. The days are getting longer and so are the shop hours.

We will be open from 11am - 7pm Monday through Friday and 11am - 6pm on Saturday. Still closed on Sunday - sorry!

Stuff We Love: SKS Seatpost Fenders

Fenders may not be the most gorgeous or exciting accessory you can buy for your bike, but they are definitely one of the most useful.  Just ask any cyclist riding around on a rainy day if they want to have the wet and muddy butt they almost surely have. No one is going to be like "Yes. I love walking into work/class/the grocery store with a wet and muddy backside." No, they're going to be like "This is terrible and why I don't like riding my bike unless it's sunny, dry and 70 degrees out."

Well riding can be comfortable in any conditions if you have the right setup. Enter the SKS X-Tra Dry. It is a plastic fender that clips onto your seatpost with an adjustable strap. It's wide enough to catch pretty much all errant flying debris, really easy to switch from bike to bike if you have more than one, and is also great for group rides so you're not spraying your friends behind you. Another great use we've realized? It's awesome for mountain biking. Mountain bikes and fenders have never been a good mix (suspension, wide tires, general getting-caught-on-stuff), but by just clipping this to your seatpost all that is no longer an issue. Group snow rides? Even more fun when you manage to stay dry!

A Mysterious Door

Guys, there's some for real Alice and Wonderland wrong-sized-door foolishness going on in the shop this week...

We've tunneled into an alternate Bicycle Revolutions universe and before long the shop is going to have a whole new look, but what will it be? ANY GUESSES? What should we do with the mystery room? And what on earth is in there that the ginger bullet so enthralled with in this pic?

Comment below and maybe if you have an awesome enough idea we'll cry and beg the contractors to make it happen. All you can eat taco nook!

New in the Shop: Chrome Knurled Welded Bags

Chrome Industries has just released a new line of bags called the Knurled Welded line. Of the four bags in the line, two are two strap packs and two mount to your bike racks. These bags were designed to be all-weather commuting bags, and Chrome managed to find a way to make them even more waterproof than their other bags which is fairly impressive.

So what exactly does "knurled welded" mean? Well in regular waterproof bags the seams are always the weak link. You can't sew something without punching little holes in it, and little holes aren't exactly great at keeping water from getting places. Chrome and most other bag companies have found clever ways to make the seams all but completely waterproof anyhow, but the knurled welded approach is different. Waterproof fabric is always made of some sort of melt-able material. Knowing that, think about a grilled cheese sandwich. How many times have you tried to peel one of those open after it's been cooked and the cheese is all melty? It isn't coming undone, at all. That thing is fused closed, and no matter how hard you wish you could reposition the slice of tomato in there it's not going anywhere. If you think about it, Grilled Cheese Science makes the perfect waterproof seam and that's exactly what Chrome has done with these bags. Not only did they cook and fuse the seams together like a good old fashioned grilled cheese, they made them slightly textured (or knurled) so they can't pull apart even when a lot of lateral force is applied. Smart and smarter. Add a roll-top and you've got a bag you could fill with iPhones and throw in a river without concern. Ok maybe some concern just because, you know, they might sink.

The attachment system for the rear rack was really straightforward and only minimally fussy to install. Once I got it on there it didn't rattle at all and getting the bag on is really easy but also visibly quite secure. Slap it on and it will silently and securely carry your stuff wherever you go. The tote designed to sit on your front rack is even easier, you just clip it in place with two quick release buckles and you're done. No sweat.

We've got all four bags in store so you can investigate the pretty clever rack attachment system in person. Chrome does it again. Seriously, what crazy utilitarian thing will they make next?

Winter Bike Maintanence Tips and Tricks

We've had quite a winter so far here in Philadelphia, and our bikes being covered in salt and unidentifiable crust is evidence. Sand, salt, ice, snow, grime and the ever present usual Philly filth is on every single road in the city. While we might think the cold in our face is the worst part, our bikes would definitely disagree. Our bikes are a valuable tool and if you treat them right in the winter months you can save yourself some costly repairs in the spring.

 - Clean your bike -
This may sound like no-brainer mixed with nuisance. It is incredibly important to keep all the moving parts clean and free of debris so they don't wear out quicker, but who wants to clean their bike every time they use it? The trick to remembering and actually doing it is making it easy on yourself. It may not be glamorous, but just leave a rag inside your door. You'll get to wipe off your bike before you get all comfortable and don't feel like it, plus it's way easier than cleaning it once everything has dried and crusted up. A damp rag is enough for light daily cleaning, and for a deeper clean we stock Green Fizz and Bike Lust which are both made specifically for cleaning and polishing up your whole bike.
Important places to clean up: Brakes, around the bottom bracket, under the headset and anywhere else that looks particularly gross that day.

- Lubricate your chain -
The chain is the unsung hero of your bike. It's not exciting, but it literally is the singular most important part when it comes to turning your efforts into forward motion. They get super dirty in wet, grimy conditions which is terrible for not only the chain but the entire drive train. Luckily for you, cleaning and lubing chains is easy and when done right isn't even very messy.
How to: Lean your bike against a wall. Pour any biodegradable degreaser onto a rag and hold it around your chain with one hand and pedal backwards with the other hand to run the chain through the rag. Now that the loose grit is gone, it's time to lube it. We sell various chain lubes here at the shop such as T9 and Chainj which are inexpensive and are made specifically for bike chains (WD-40 may seem like a decent alternative but it's designed to be more of a solvent than lubricant). The aerosol T9 even has the added benefit of preventing corrosion when sprayed into your frame and other steel parts. To apply lube, drip it onto your chain while pedaling backwards with your right hand. Now wipe the excess off and you're done! This will keep the moving parts working better longer for sure and only takes 10-15 minutes max. We recommend doing this once a week for daily commuters.

- Put thicker, tougher tires on -
This is good for two reasons; if you ride in gross conditions you'll have more control, and tougher tires will less likely strand you with a flat tire you'll have to freeze your fingers to fix. If you have more control you're less likely to fall and hurt yourself or damage your bike, and if you don't have to worry about flat tires as much you'll be more likely to ride your bike often and with confidence.

- A note about full fenders -
Ok, so this isn't really bike maintenance BUT full fenders have a number of maintenance related benefits so it seemed fitting to include them. If you use full fenders (generally $45 and up here at the shop), you have less cleaning to do on your bike because the fenders not only keep you dry and clean, but they keep your bike mostly dry and clean, too. They catch the road grossness before it even gets on your bike which saves you time cleaning and makes riding less messy all around.

Your bike does a lot for you and is a piece of equipment you've likely invested hundreds of dollars in. By doing these small but important things throughout the winter it will thank you for sure.

Limited Edition Chrome Bags in stock!

Chrome has released their newest limited edition bags and we're lucky enough to be on the list of exclusive shops that got them! Not only did we get two of everyone's favorite Citizen messenger in their Reflective Camo 2nd Issue fabric, but we also got the Barrage, their new two strap bag which is some serious business.

The new camo fabric is overlaid with a glass bead print which reflects light from up to 100' away so it's built in visibility when you need it. All these bags are made in the USA, are super tough and guaranteed for life. The new Barrage is a waterproof, rolltop bag with a built in external cargo net for transporting those things that either too big or too gross to put inside your bag. What a good idea right?

Come in a check them out! We can even show you how cool the reflective print looks by shining some of our high power bike headlights at them.