The difference between a good chain tool and a cheap chain tool.

I recently received a question in the post about fixing a broken bike chain, here it is:

"I must be doing something wrong here--I am trying to replace an old, rusty chain from a mountain bike. I bought a new chain and a chain tool, but I can't figure out how to use the chain tool. I am lining up the chain with the guides on the tool, but the pin will simply not budge. I have checked, and double checked to make sure that the tool is aligned with the pin, but nothing happens. Just to verify that it wasn't the rusty chain, I also tried using the chain tool on the new chain, but the pin barely budges. I actually used so much force that the guides on the tool bent.

So, the question is--how much force is needed to remove the pin from the chain links? From your video and others on the web, it looks relatively easy, but when I tried it, it was near impossible. Do I just need to get a higher quality chain tool? (The one I bought was from Wal-Mart for $6...) Or am I doing something totally wrong?

-bustabuckt "

Well first off you shouldn't waste your chain tool on a rusty chain that you will throw out anyways. Cut it with bolt cutters, a hacksaw or a suitable power tool if you happen to have it. If you don't have that option, you should at the very least lube up the link that you will break prior to using the tool on it. Align the link and tool pin properly and use any amount of force necessary.

Now let's address the last question, should you get a better tool? The short answer is yes. There is a definite difference between a cheap Chinese chain tool and a quality tool like the Park's CT-5 at $20 pictured above on the left. The steel used is of much better quality and you can actually feel the closer tolerance of manufacturing when using it's smooth pushing action.

The $6 Chinese model, pictured above on the right, is made of much cheaper material and when you use it, you actually feel the rough action. It's as if every part is fighting you not to do it's job when using it for it's intended purpose.

Now both of these tools are mine and if you think that the oldest one with the most chains opened is the Park CT-5, you are wrong. The $6 cheapo on the right was the first chain tool that I bought 17 years ago for $4 actually and I've opened hundreds of chains with it. These tools are made to last between one and four chains only but there is a way to make them last longer, lubrication. I used automatic transmission fluid on the thread and pin of the tool every time I used it. The friction from pushing on the pin can sometimes create heat that won't help things with that cheap metal they use. I bought the Park tool 5 years ago because I figured I was overdue for a nice chain tool. I still keep the cheapo around as a spare for when I waste an hour looking for the good one somewhere in the mess that I call my workshop.

So bustabuckt, it's time for a new chain tool. You can't go wrong with a quality item like the CT-5 by Parks but if you can't, a cheap one will do fine just as long as you baby it with some lubrication and don't expect much from it.

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

Don't ride your bike on the sidewalk.

Ever! Pedestrians own the sidewalk and it is very dangerous to ride on them as if they were bike paths. I always take my chances on the road and never use sidewalks. If I absolutely have to, I get off my bike and walk the required distance.

Besides, they're not always safe even for us. Take into consideration what happened to this guy!




Until next time, do ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

I want to ride my bicycle!

As I write these lines, my legs are burning and I'm sweating like a pig. This was all caused by one great ride, how sweet it is! Recent events in my life has made me evaluate what I really want out of it. Riding my bikes every chance I get has been one of them.

I've realized that in the last three years, you have been witness to my building a fleet of 6 bikes that I love riding with each one having a specific purpose. Only problem is, I haven't been riding them all that much. Shame on me!

I've been riding a lot in the past few months and rediscovering the joys of getting around on 19th Century technology and the pace of those times. It's incredible what you see when you take the time to enjoy the experience and you are not in a rush to go anywhere. I also make it a point to take a different route every time. Just today I came across a great bunch of folks who were giving a free music concert along the railroad tracks. No chance of this happening while driving along in the car.

Riding a bike is freedom for me, no insurance, no plates, nos gas and you can go pretty much anywhere you want. Mind you it's not all roses all the time. Rain and flats being two of the most annoying pitfalls of bicycling in my opinion. Both happened to me one night 2 weeks ago at the same time in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully I was prepared and all went well.

Where am I going with all of this? Nowhere, just wanted to share the experience and maybe kick myself in the butt to get you guys some more how-to articles in the next couple of days. I guess I needed to get my groove back on and turning some pedals helped.

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)

MONTREAL BIXI BIKE , THE NOBLE SCAM

Back in April 2008 while riding at Critical Mass, two friends decided to go ahead and try to motivate more people to get on their bikes in Montreal. Melanie Gomez and Peneloppe Riopelle got some help from their friend Jean-Michel Simoneau, a webmaster of sorts, to slap together a blog and promote cycling. They called it "À Vélos Citoyens" (To your Bikes Citizens).

They started to post, linked the blog to their Facebook page and even created a group with over 1400 members. Then one day they came up with a scoop on the blog, a spy photo of the upcoming City sponsored self serve bicycle program bike, now known as the "Bixi". A lot of people couldn't wait for this program to get off the ground and there was a lot of buzz around it.

Now here's the kicker, turns out these three people don't exist. An article published by cyberpress exposed the whole thing as a scam. The PR company, who is really behind all this, doesn't think so, they say it was a viral campaign. All of a sudden, the three "crusaders" don't have an account on Facebook anymore and the blog is now labelled as the official Bixi blog. I learned today that this is called "astroturfing" where someone emulates a grassroots movement to sell their stuff.

It's really too bad, the Bixi is a noble cause and I don't feel that this fact alone permits someone to scam people into wanting the product. Right now I feel violated as much as I find the scam absolutely brilliant. I guess you learn something new everyday.

The Bixi program officially started in Montreal on May 12 2009 in the downtown core.

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :) (I actually am a real blogger)

BICYCLE FRAME EXTENSION PART 3

I finished the extension, hooked up the brakes and installed the fender. I managed to cobble up together a rack from some steel brackets and a piece of flooring. Right now, I'm at a loss to make this rack work and bring it into a real practical mode. I have one problem: WEIGHT!

This bike would be great at doing double duty as a battleship anchor. It weighs a ton. I guess it's what you get for building it yourself for free. I was expecting this of course and I had changed the wheels from the original steel jobs to alloy to get at least a little break. Going up any incline, this bike will remind you that it's no Ally McBeal. The other side of the medal is that whenever you point something that heavy downhill, it doesn't require much effort from you to go fast.

Handling is a bit weird but the bike is very comfortable. The addition of V-Brakes was a good idea as well. All and all I am pretty happy with my monster since it will make me grow legs like the Hulk in no time. :) Now if I can only figure out this rear rack thing!?!

Until next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry :)