Insight the bike

This post is to keep the index of the bike knowledge from internet. and  keep updating 

(All the pictures and links are from internet )

=========================== bike hubs ==============================

Most of time, when people buy the first bike, more attention paid on the frame material and the level of the component, and take it for grain that all the wheel is the same, just rolls. Therefore, almost all the entry to "intermediate"  which cost $1000 to $2000 bike, equipped very basic wheelsets.  However , wheel sets, which only consist of hub, spoke and rim, plays an very importance role of performance of the bike. It's said for recent 40 years history of bike, the performance maily gains from the improvement of the wheel sets. The intermediate to high end wheel sets can easy priced more than $1000, even hubs itself can cost more than $200 each.

   What is the difference?  How a hub can enhance the performance through the material, structure and maintenance?  The 28 hub's review Hubs review give an insight of 28 popular high end hub.

How the things work

white industries front hub adjustment

white industries rear hub adjustment

========================== Frame material =============================

  What's really make a difference of the bikes?  Stiffness, Lightness and Riding quality.

  For a frame,  Better one can be stiffer so that transfers the power more efficient,  lighter for more responsive and easier to ascend, more importantly ,   more comfortable to ride with.  And of cause also aesthetic, cost and maintenance  etc. are other issues need to take into consideration.

 The steel , the traditional material,  considered better riding quality with a little weight penalty.  The lugged steel frame has traditional aesthetic. the cost can be low or bloody high based on what type of steel tube used and who built it.

The titanium is consider similar attribute with the steel and just better due to the lightness and stiffness. titanium usually exclusively build the high end bicycle.

Aluminium, now become the low cost material for the bike frame, it can be light, but not always, it;s considered not have the high riding quality.

Carbon fiber is a better material due to its stiffness, lightness and ride quality but expensive and not easy  to repair when damaged.

here is the basic knowledge to understand the bike frame material.

========================== wheel building ===============================

It's said, you wouldn't fundamentally understand the bike until you build the wheel by yourself.

 The resource how to build a wheel set.
 And the book           the art of wheelbuiding.
                                  The Bicycle Wheel
 Some popular race wheel sets review        best road wheel upgrade from bikeradar.com.

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crankset review   (Scotch-Weld™ DP-460)