Showing posts with label bicycle maintenance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bicycle maintenance. Show all posts

13 July 2024

Howard Sutherland R.I.P.

 Yesterday I wrote about how, in the old days (You get to say things like that in midlife!), when putting together a bicycle drivetrain, you didn’t have to worry much about compatibility. One company’s derailleurs worked with another firm’s shift levers, and it didn’t matter how many cogs were on your freewheel.

The bad news was that such compatibility didn’t extend to other parts of the bicycle. There was—and is—a dizzying array of seatpost diameters, for example. Oh, and good luck finding a replacement for that “Swiss” threaded bottom bracket. Velo Orange offers modern sealed bearing bottom brackets in it and other “obsolete” configurations, but they might not fit your crank.

Back in the old days (!) many bike shop employees and owners weren’t aware of those, and other (non)compatibility issues. And when the ‘70’s Bike Boom exploded in the States, shop mechanics and managers came across bikes and parts they’d never seen before and didn’t know what they needed in order to assemble or repair them.

A certain mechanic was working at the Missing Link Bicycle Cooperative in Berkeley, California. Henoticed the problems I’ve described and how grappling with them was keeping shops from running more efficiently—which, he thought, was keeping people from enjoying cycling.

So what did he do? He compiled data on all sorts of bike parts and wrote a book he self-published.

If you’ve worked in a bike shop during the past half-century, you’ve used it or its six subsequent editions. Even if you haven’t worked in a shop, you might have owned and used it.

If Tom Cuthbertson’s “Anybody’s Bike Book” was an my introduction to bike repair, then Howard Sutherland’s “Handbook for Bicycle Mechanics” brought my knowledge and helped to elevate my skills to a shop level. It’s often been called the bike mechanic’s “bible.”


The first edition of Cuthbertson’s book came out in 1971, at the dawn of the Bike Boom. Sutherland published the first edition of his volume two years later, as the Boom was nearing high noon, if you will. Such books were very important for American cyclists and bike shops because much generational or institutional knowledge had been lost during the previous half-century or so when few American adults cycled. Much of that knowledge survived in Europe and Japan, where people cycled for transportation and recreation. But, in those days before the Internet, it was difficult to find.

So cyclists and bike mechanics certainly owe a debt of gratitude to Howard Sutherland, who passed away last month at 75. A memorial service will be at 10 am (Pacific time) today in the Berkeley City Club.

Fun fact: He had a brother who predeceased him and a sister who survives him. Their names? Mac and Beth. You’d think their parents were Shakespeare scholars or actors.

06 February 2023

A Doorway To Easier Bike Repairs

Basically, there are two kinds of bicycle repair stands.

One, which you see in most well-equipped shops, is strong and stable.  It allows for a great degree of adjustability of the bicycle's position.  They are not, however, feasible for most home mechanics as they are heavy, immobile, impossible to store--and expensive. They also take up a lot of space.

The other kind, is smaller, lighter and less expensive. Not surprisingly, however, it's less stable and adjustable and not as strong. 

The Altangle Hangar Connect aims to combine the best features of both types of racks.




Constructed of high-quality aluminum tubing anodized in orange or black, this new rack can be set up "in almost any standard doorframe," according to the manufacturer.  The tubes have rubber feet to protect the finish of the doorframe, and the Hangar stays securely in place. The clamp offers 360-degree rotation with 12 lock-out points, which allows the bike to be angled into whatever position is most convenient for the task at hand.  The clamp also adjusts to fit a wide variety of seat post diameters.





Best of all, the Hangar Connect folds to 4.5" x 4.5" x 19.5" and weighs only 7 pounds.  So, I could store it in my closet with my cycling shoes and stiletto-heeled sandals (which I haven't worn in I don't-know-how-long). The only feature of a big repair stand the Hangar Connect doesn't capture is its strength:  The HC is not recommended for bikes that weigh more than 50 pounds.




Its regular retail price will be $340, but Altangle--which also offers other bike tools and acessories--is offering it for $272.  They promise:  "We commit to a 30-day, no questions asked, return policy.  Decide the Hangar isn't for you?  No worries. Get a full refund.

09 June 2014

A Pre-Ride Checklist

Some of you may be experienced cyclists or mechanics. So the information in this post may not be new to you.

However, for those of you who haven't been cycling for very long, or are afraid to adjust anything on your bike (When I first started cycling, someone told me "derailleur" is French for "don't try to fix this!") I found this handy little infographic. It shows you what to check before you embark on a ride.

Even if the information is "old hat" to you, I thought you might enjoy the infographic just because it's nicely done:

From BicyclingHub.com