My Bike Has Been In Storage—Is It Safe To Ride?

Take your bike to your local bike shop for a quick safety check. They can determine if it is safe to ride or needs any additional maintenance. Ask them for an estimate first before the work is done. They can call you if they discover something major in the inspection process. The cost of a basic tune-up is approximately $50 to $75. Don’t assume just because you haven’t ridden your bike that it is still tuned-up. Grease and chain lubrication can dry over time, and cables can loosen up if bumped or moved around.

Tern Turns E-Bikes Into Compacts With New GSD

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Urban transportation specialist Tern Bicycles will debut the GSD at Eurobike. This is an e-bike that, says Tern, “defines a new category: ‘compact utility’. 

Bringing utility into compact (electric) bikes means that the GSD is designed to carry two kids, a week’s worth of groceries, or 180 kg of cargo. However, it’s only 180 cm long—shorter than a Dutch city bike.

Folding technology

With Tern’s best-in-class folding technology, it packs down small enough to fit in a VW Touran or an urban apartment. It adjusts to fit riders from 150 – 195 cm. A Bosch Performance motor, with up to two batteries, powers the GSD for up to 250 km. It comes fully equipped with integrated lighting, rack, mudguards, double kickstand, two XL panniers, and even retractable passenger foot pegs – everything needed to shift to a bike-centric lifestyle.

The GSD comes standard with an 80cm integrated rear rack and side panniers with a total capacity of 62L. The GSD fits two children in Thule Maxi child seats or one adult passenger. Additional carrying capacity can be added with lower deck supports, a rear tray, and a front tray. Tern will open source the frame attachment point dimensions so riders with an interest can also design and build their own custom cargo accessories.

Robust parts

To withstand loads up to 180kg the GSD is fitted with robust parts like Magura 4 piston disc brakes, custom 2.4″ Schwalbe Super Moto-X tyres, Boost thru-axle hubs, and custom 36mm width double-joined rims.

The GSD base price of €3,999 (USD 3,999) includes a pair of 62 L Cargo Hold panniers, and a Bosch Performance mid-drive in 400 or 500 watt hour configurations. The US version will be available in 400 or 900 watt hour configurations.

Tern will debut the GSD at the upcoming Eurobike. The bike will be available in stores in the first quarter of 2018.

Ofo Lands In Austria

Chinese bike-sharing titan Ofo Inc announced on Monday it has landed in Austria, as the company ramps up the its efforts to expand the booming cycle empire into the overseas market.

The move marks the firm's latest move to fulfill its ambitious goal to pedal to 200 cities in 20 countries by the end of this year, as competition with its top rival, Mobike Technology Co Ltd, intensifies in the global market.

Dai Wei, founder and CEO of Ofo, said they saw great potential for Ofo's environmentally-friendly and affordable dockless bicycle services in Austria.

"Station-free bike sharing is our pioneering concept and has changed both the sharing economy and transport options in cities across the world. We recognize the demand for this type of public transportation and want to solve traffic problems in urban areas,” Dai said.

Ofo said after reaching an agreement with the city of Vienna, capital of Austria, it would begin a one-month pilot phase in the city to allow all users to ride the yellow shared bikes free of charge.

After the pilot phase, the company will deploy a full fleet of 2,000 bikes across Vienna. Users will be able to ride the shared bikes by simply scanning a QR code printed on the bike via the downloaded app and paying 1 euro ($1.2) per hour online on their smartphones.

Martin Blum, managing director and representative for cycling matters, Vienna said the station-free bike-sharing service was "the biggest innovation to public bicycle transportation methods ever".

"We are working in close cooperation with local authorities in order to ensure that Ofo becomes a valuable part of the range of transport on offer to Vienna's citizens", said Fred Dong, Ofo launcher for Austria. "We are excited about launching our service in Vienna, to make the city even more bike-friendly. We hope that we can advance our Austrian expansion further."

Founded in 2014, Ofo offers riders convenient bike-sharing services that allow users to rent and park the dockless shared bikes anywhere they prefer, while complying the local regulations.

Which Material Is Right For You?

It depends. Many factors—your style of riding, your weight, your sense of adventure—all play a role in your choice of material. The following paragraphs explain the different types of material commonly used on bikes. A few bikes out there are made of exotic metals, but that's another discussion entirely.

Carbon (High-Tensile) Steel

Steel is the most commonly used material in bike frames. Carbon or high-tensile steel is a good, strong, long-lasting steel, but it isn't as light as its more high-tech brother, the steel known as chromoly.

Chromoly (Chrome Molybdenum) Steel

A workhorse of the industry, chromoly is a light, strong steel. When it is butted and shaped to take off excess weight, it can deliver a fairly light frame that will last through years of hard use. Chromoly is responsive and offers good flex while maintaining its form.

Aluminum

Having come a long way from the oversized tubes of old, aluminum is now less expensive and very widely used on today's bikes. It's light, strong and stiff. With proper design it can give a solid ride for climbing, or lively handling in tight situations.

Titanium

Lighter than steel but just as strong, this more-expensive metal is found on high-end road or cross-country mountain bikes. It flexes so well while maintaining its shape that some very high-end bikes use the metal itself as a shock absorber.

Carbon Fiber

Take a bundle of parallel continuous fibers and bind them together with glue. This creates a ply. Several plies are made up to form a laminate (just like plywood). And the laminate, if designed right, can be very tough. It's also light. So why aren't all bikes made out of carbon fiber? It tends to be brittle. The fact that metal can bend and regain its shape is what makes it last. Because of this, carbon fiber bikes are built even stronger than needed.

How to adjust the gears on your bike

Problem: Gears won't shift up or down perfectly with one click

Solution: This is most commonly caused by stretched gear cables and you will need to re-index your gears. The second video in this article explains how.

Problem: Gears are well indexed but the chain keeps dropping off of either end of the cassette or chainrings

Solution: This is most commonly caused by poorly set up derailleur limits and these will require adjusting. See the third video for an explanation on how.

Problem: My rear gears are properly indexed, but the chain shifts too far in one direction

Solution: If the chain won't run to the bottom of the cassette and shifts over the big cog into the spokes (or vice-versa), it sounds like a bent rear hanger needs straightening or replacing. If you've been in a crash or damaged the bike somehow, this is the likely cause. The final video below explains how to do this.

Problem: Down-shifting is fine but upshifting is sticky or slow

Solution: When were your cables last replaced? Dirty cables and housing can cause slow or inaccurate shifting. 

Problem: Chain slipping, jumping and generally misbehaving

Solution: Inspect your cassette, chain and chainrings for wear. Can you see a pointy shark-fin-like profile on your cog teeth or chainrings? We're sorry to say, but that sounds like you may need to replace your chain, cassette and chainrings.

Indexing your gears

If the gears on your bike are properly indexed, each click of the shifter will cause a single shift up or down the gears, front or rear. If you find you’re skipping a gear or that your shifting is getting stuck, then there’s a good chance you need to adjust your indexing.

Indexing problems can be caused by cable stretch, which is a normal part of the bedding-in process for new bikes or cables.

Check that a bent or damaged rear derailleur isn't to blame first. If it's all good, here's how to index or re-index your gears.

Biyclce factory :www.oceanbicycle.com