Silence a Noisy Bike

Spokes and Valve Stem
TEST Check for loose spokes and valve stems. Otherwise, spokes may be rubbing the nipples.
FIX True your wheel. (For a video tutorial, click here.) Grease the nipples and spots where spokes cross. Matte-black spokes are apt to creak. If the valve stem wiggles, wrap it with electrical tape.

Wheel Skewers
TEST Open, then retighten both skewers.
FIX Lightly grease the frame dropouts and tighten your quick-release. And not just to kill the noise: A wheel could pop out while you're riding.

Pedal Bearing and Cleats
TEST Ride with another set of pedals.
FIX Grease your cleat. If the noise persists, retighten the pedals. If the sound is more of a pop, try cleaning and replacing worn bearings.

Seatpost and Saddle Rails
TEST Pedal out of the saddle to see if the noise stops.
FIX Grease your rails and post. Use carbon paste instead of standard grease for carbon-fiber parts.

Bottom Bracket
TEST Listen for a creak from below while riding. If chainring bolts aren't tight, they will click.
FIX Remove your cranks and feel the bearings. If they turn smoothly, remove the bottom bracket to clean and regrease the threads. If the frame's bottom-bracket opening edge is rough, take the bike to your shop.

Handlebar and Stem
TEST Lube all the bolts and contact surfaces.
FIX Clean, then grease contact surfaces and the steerer tube (use carbon assembly paste for carbon parts).

Hubs
TEST Wiggle your wheels to feel for side-to-side play. Hold the hubs and spin the wheels to ensure the bearings roll smoothly. If you suspect the rear wheel is the culprit, also check that the cassette is tight and the freehub bearings are in good shape.
FIX Most hub bearings aren't easily tightened or cleaned. Take the wheel to your shop.

Headset
TEST To identify continuous clicking, ride with no hands. To check for occasional creaking, stand over your top tube and keep the front wheel planted. Then grab the drops and pull up on one while pushing down on the other
FIX Clean and grease the bearings. If the head-tube surface is uneven, take the bike to your shop. For clicking, grease the cable housing mount.

Welcome Back - Seven smart ways to return stronger and faster after a layoff.

The standard recipe for injury recovery is usually six to eight weeks of rest, ice and Advil. But there are steps you can take to minimize lost saddle time and bounce back to become better than before. Here are the key ones.

Easy on the Vitamin I: For most of us, the reflex response to pain is to reach for a bottle of ibuprofen to reduce swelling. Killing pain is fine, says Andrew Pruitt, director of Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Colorado and author of Andy Pruitt's Medical Guide for Cyclists, but deflating inflammation during the initial stages of an injury may actually delay healing. Anti-inflammatories inhibit enzymes called prostaglandins, which promote circulation to the injured area and increase tissue permeability, so your body's repair-crew cells can come in and clear out the wreckage. For the first 48 hours, use Tylenol, which is purely a pain reliever, says Pruitt, "so you don't suppress the healing process." After that, anti-inflammatories are fine.

Move it: Resting doesn't mean immobilizing yourself in front of the TV for a Surreal Life marathon. Take it easy on the injured body part, but stay in motion to keep blood flowing, which will help you heal faster and maintain fitness. Try swimming, resistance training, rowing, or even riding the trainer.

Eat to heal: You may not be riding, but your body still burns about 10 percent more calories than usual when it's trying to repair an injury. "It's important that you feed your body what it needs to mend," says Liz Applegate, author of Nutrition Basics for Better Performance. She recommends boosting your intake of protein, which builds muscle and soft tissues, to 100 to 120 grams a day. Other essential recovery nutrients: iron, which builds blood, and zinc, to speed wound healing; both are found in lean meat, whole grains and fortified cereals. Vitamins A and C help make new skin and collagen, so stock up to help heal road rash. Finally, if you broke a bone, your body needs extra calcium to bridge the gap. Bump your intake to 1,500mg a day.

Use the one-to-two rule: For each week you couldn't train, spend one to two weeks rebuilding your base before returning to hard riding. So if you were off for three weeks, it could take as many as six before you can tear up the local crit again.

Start en masse, finish solo: During those first weeks back in the saddle, limit group rides, where you'll be tempted to push your pace. If you long for camaraderie, roll out with the group for the first few miles, then spin off to do your own thing when it turns up the heat.

Watch the warning signs: It's natural to feel little niggling twinges when you saddle up for the first few times. But that discomfort should dim as you warm up. Let pain be your guide: If it flares or stubbornly persists, back off. The single most common cause of reinjury is doing too much too soon, Pruitt says. Likewise, as you come back your body may be particularly vulnerable to overtraining. Now is the time to respect rest and easy days.


Root out the cause: If your injury is one of overuse, such as tendonitis, "don't jump right back on the bike without figuring out what went wrong," says Pruitt. Have a professional fitting to ensure your bike is set up to work with your anatomical alignment. Optimum body-to-bike harmony not only prevents chronic aches and pains, but also improves bike handling and performance, which may prevent the more acute injuries that come with hitting the pavement.

Selene Yeager, a USA Cycling certified coach, keeps you fit and healthy.

How to Wash Your Bike Four common missteps—and three tips to a fast cleanup

WHILE THERE ARE SOME OVERZEALOUS ODDBALLS out there who meticulously polish their headset spacers with Q-tips, most of us treat bike cleaning as a quick chore--if we do it at all. But in your rush to get the job done, you can make mistakes that could hurt everything from your ego to the life span of your components. Here are four bike-wash bummers to avoid--and three tips to make tidying up a cleaner experience.

TOO-QUICK START Don't skip the initial rinse. Otherwise, you'll end up swirling around every bit of gritty debris and scratching your frame's glossy finish. Using the light-shower setting on your garden hose, spray off your entire bike top to bottom before you go near it with a soapy sponge.

HIGH-PRESSURE HAZARD Go full-throttle with a hose and you could force water (soapy, potentially degreaser-laden water) into bearings. The degraded grease will then give out before its time.

A GOLDILOCKS FINISH The last step in any bike wash is to relube the chain. Stop short of this step and your unprotected chain will quickly rust. But go too heavy on the lube and the chain will attract grime like a magnet. Give the chain a just-right light coating, then wipe off the excess with a clean rag.

Shine up your saddle and you'll have a hard time staying seated. Go glossy on your tires, and rim residue will reduce braking power. Skip it.

KEEP IT SIMPLE Clean the drivetrain first. If you use degreaser, remove the rear wheel and angle it cassette-side down so the degreaser runs off. Use a mess-containing chain-cleaning system like Park Tool's Chain Scrubber.

Work from top to bottom, front to back. Use a bucket of warm, soapy water and a soft-bristled handheld brush (usually sold with a dustpan).

Rinse, wash, rinse. Dry with a clean cloth. Re-lube chain.

Ten Top Tips for Urban Cyclists

List of the ten top tips to remember whilst cycling through urban areas.

1.Leave that lorry alone
Never ever, undertake a lorry on the left, especially if you are at junction. Don’t do this even if there is a cycle lane.
Remember if you cycle on the left hand side of a lorry you are in the driver’s blind spot and if the lorry turns, you will have no escape. It is difficult for drivers of large vehicles to see you, so don’t hide by the side of the vehicle.

2.Make eye contact
Make eye contact with other road users, particularly at a junction, coming out of side roads and at roundabouts; this may tell you if the driver has seen you or not.

3.Look over your shoulder
Regularly look over your shoulders to see what is happening all around you. Check behind you when moving away from the kerb, before you signal to manoeuvre and at regular intervals to communicate with other road users.

4.Look ahead
Look well ahead for obstructions in the road, such as drains, potholes and parked vehicles, so that you do not have to swerve suddenly to avoid them. Planning ahead helps you to be prepared for junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights.

5.Get out of the gutter!
Your road position should not be less than 1 metre from the kerb and should be further out if it is not safe for a vehicle to pass. If someone does pass you inconsiderately then you have more room to get out of harm’s way. Keeping away from the gutter will enable drivers to see you and also help you miss the drain covers and debris on the side of the road too. Take extra care to hold your position near road humps and other traffic-calming features.

6.Don’t be floored by car doors
Leave plenty of room when passing parked vehicles and watch out for doors being opened into your path.

7.Make your intentions clear
Make your signal and manoeuvre well in advance, and only when it is safe to do so. Keep your position in your lane so vehicles cannot undertake closely on your left.

8.Cover your brakes
Keep your hands on your brake levers, so that you are ready to use them. Always use both brakes at the same time. Take extra care when it is wet.

9.Lights
By law, when it is dark or there is bad visibility you must have lights on the front and rear of your bike. Always carry spare small lights in case your main lights are not working.

10.Cycle Training
If you are a beginner or even if you are an experienced cyclist, you can benefit from an adult cycle training session.

Winter Brakes 101 - Don't let grit and grime grind your brakes to a screeching halt.

Winter can spell disaster for brakes. Mud, road grit and water accelerate wear, cause corrosion and may leave you stopping Fred Flintstone-style. Here are signs of wear to watch for and tips on how to repair your brakes in any weather.

Rim Brakes

Signs of Wear:
The grooves in your pads are thin or unevenly worn. You hear a grinding noise or braking feels less precise than normal. Know This: Those grooves are there to channel debris away from your rims, and that noise may be coming from objects lodged in the grooves. Pads that lasted all summer and are half-worn can wear down to the metal in one wet, nasty ride. Even brand-new pads can wear out in one ride.


Do This: Check for embedded objects in the pads. Even if everything seems fine, check pads often and always put a fresh set on your rim brakes for the winter months.

Disc Brakes

Signs of Wear: Most disc brake manufacturers recommend pad replacement when there's 0.5 to 1mm of pad material left. Know This: Disc brakes offer the most stopping power and wear the best in adverse conditions, but they can still succumb to the effects of winter, even wearing out in one muddy or wet, sandy ride.

Do This: Although hydraulic brakes are well sealed and rarely become contaminated, change the brake fluid at least once during the winter, because moisture inside the system can cause corrosion and heat-related brake fade. Mechanical discs work well as long as the cables are in good condition (see Cables, below).

Cables

Signs of Wear: Your brakes feel rough and are hard to pull when you squeeze them. Know This: Water can contaminate cables and create friction caused by corrosion and dirt. Friction reduces overall braking power and your ability to modulate it. In really cold climates, water in the cables can freeze.

Do This: Pull the housing out of the frame stops, slide it back, and wipe the cable dry and clean. Apply a lightweight lubricant such as Rock N Roll's Cable Magic to reduce friction and help displace water. Also consider using sealed ferrules or shielded housing, such as Avid's Flak Jacket, or running full-length housing to the rear brake to avoid contamination. Also, replace cables often during the winter and avoid blasting them with a strong hose when washing.

Rims

Signs of Wear:
Your rim is worn so thin that it fails, causing the tire to blow off, the tube to explode and the sidewall of the rim to fold outward. If you're lucky, this will happen while you're pumping up the tire, not midride. Know This: Rim brakes, when exposed to gritty road grime and off-road mud, can grind down the rim's surface.

Do This: There's no easy fix for worn rims; replacement is the only answer. Some manufacturers machine depressions into the sidewall to serve as wear indicators. Place a straightedge against the rim; if it's concave, it should be inspected by an experienced mechanic and will likely need to be replaced.

Bad-Weather Braking Tips

READY: Wet brake pads take longer to stop. Brake early and give yourself more stopping distance.

SET: If pads wear quickly during a ride, adjust the barrel adjuster on caliper brakes or linear-pull brake levers to reduce free play.

STOP: Know your braking surface. Watch out for cobbles, paint and steel surfaces that turn slippery when wet--not to mention ice. Apply brakes gently, especially the front, and avoid braking while turning.

How To Choose A Saddle - How to pick the right seat for your seat.

Bicycle saddles take the brunt--of complaints from uncomfortable riders and of more than half a cyclist's weight. They also rank as a high-wear component. Consider a seat's scuff-prone vulnerability should your bike hit the ground, or the breakdown caused by your sweaty derriere sliding around on it for hours. Like shoes, a saddle is a personal-fit item that needs to be tried on for size. So before you start sampling, here's the lowdown on the parts that make up these posterior perches.

SHAPE Different shapes abound to suit many body types and uses. The ischial tuberosities, or sit bones, of females are generally more widely spaced than those of males--hence women-specific saddles are wider. Gender aside, a seat that's too wide will chafe and rub, while one that's too narrow will make you feel like you're straddling a banister. The profile of seats varies as well: Viewed from the front, some are flatter with squarish sides, others curve steadily and are more round. Some companies offer dedicated models for triathlon (thicker padded nose for forward positioning) or off-road freeriding (thick padding overall and a rugged cover). A few saddle manufacturers now even supply shops with special pads to measure your sit-bone width, to help take the guesswork out of picking the right-width seat.

SHELL AND CUTOUT DESIGN The hard, structural shell is made from injected-molded plastic, typically nylon. Sometimes carbon fiber is mixed with the plastic to lower weight and tweak flex characteristics, while a few models sport an all-carbon shell for less weight and more zoot. The shell determines how the seat flexes and gives under a rider's weight. In recent years many shells have incorporated holes, slots or grooves through the nose section, all promising additional comfort. "Saddles with a cutout in the nose work best for about 80 percent of riders by shifting pressure away from soft tissue and toward the ischial tuberosities," says Andy Pruitt, Ed.D., who's done extensive research on saddles as the director of Colorado's Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, and as a consultant for Specialized. "Solid-nose saddles still work best for some, particularly cyclists who naturally sit crooked on their seats." Then there are traditional tensioned leather saddles (such as those made by Brooks) that use a piece of cowhide riveted to a frame on the rails, rather than the plastic sandwich system.

PADDING This is what gives a saddle its squish. Urethane foam is most commonly used, along with polymer gels, which have a rubbery, fleshlike consistency that offers a reassuring feel to many. Sometimes different padding materials are used on a single seat to add comfort at high-pressure areas. Foams and gels alike are molded onto the shell, with the thickness and density of the padding varying across different models of seats. More padding doesn't mean more comfort. "If your bike fits properly overall the seat can be pretty damn hard," says Pruitt. "Some padding is needed to help disperse that focused pressure point over a slightly bigger area. But when you sit on overly thick padding, it can deform and migrate to places where you don't want pressure, like between the sit bones," says Pruitt. Or, if you want nothing between you and your carbon fiber, there are flyweight saddles with no padding at all.

RAILS Until about 15 years ago, virtually all saddle rails were made from cheap, heavy, chrome-plated carbon steel. Then titanium came along and lightened things up, and today remains the material of choice for most high-end seats. Strong, light steels such as chrome-moly, often in hollow tubular form, are also common. Carbon fiber is not only ubiquitous but also easily gouged by sharp seatpost clamps; it's found in the rails of some pricey seats, where it's often wrapped in aluminum for toughness. A few companies use a proprietary monorail or beam system, with a dedicated seat.


COVERING The smooth, outer skin can be leather (cowhide, or even exotics like alligator or snake skin), synthetic leather (Lorica), or assorted kinds of fabrics and plastics, including bulletproof Kevlar. Some are perforated with tiny holes, which add a bit of friction to keep you from sliding around. Off-road saddles can take a beating, with the reinforced corners found on some models offering increased durability when bike meets earth. Color options let you stylize your ride, but basic black hides wear and fading best.

Ditch the Tingles - Keep the feeling in your extremities by tweaking your bike setup

It starts with a tingle in your big toe or pinkie finger. Before long, your foot, hand or entire leg has gone numb and you spend the rest of your ride squirming to get the feeling back, says Paraic Mc- Glynn, director of applied cycling science at the Serotta International Cycling Institute. Most numbness issues are caused by poor fit. Here's how to adjust your setup so your extremities never fall asleep on a ride again.

Feet
Ill-fitting footwear is the root cause of most lower-extremity numbness. When shopping for shoes, consider their width and height in addition to numerical size, says McGlynn. "Shoes with more height allow for taller arches," he says. Shoes that are too small pinch nerves in your metatarsal arch at the ball of the foot. The arch will collapse if it's not adequately buttressed, so be sure yours have sufficient support.

Hands
"A long reach to your handlebar creates a wrist extension that pinches nerves," McGlynn says. To determine your correct reach, ask a friend to watch you spin on a trainer. When your hands are on the hoods, your elbows should be slightly bent and your arms should be perpendicular to your torso. Vibrations from aluminum handlebars can also rattle your hands to sleep. McGlynn recommends installing Bontrager BzzzKill dampers ($10/pair) to absorb road chatter.

Groin
Leaning forward on your saddle compresses the perineal nerves (in the soft area between your groin and butt), which cuts off blood flow and feeling. First check your saddle tilt, says McGlynn. The top should be parallel to the ground, which allows your sit bones to carry most of your weight. Next, check your handlebar reach as described above; a long reach rotates your hips forward and transfers weight to your perineum.

Legs
A saddle that's wrong for your body can place excess weight on nerves and blood vessels, numbing you from your hips down, so test-ride a few with varying shapes and thicknesses. If you still experience numbness and loss of power after dialing in fit and gear, you may have iliac artery impingement, a condition that restricts blood flow to the legs, McGlynn says. The affliction is rare, but can turn up in cyclists who train in aggressive and time-trial positions. A 2004 study in Sports Medicine found the condition in 20 percent of elite cyclists surveyed. If rest and a more relaxed position fail to solve the problem, see your doctor.

Beyond Fit
Fit specialist Paraic McGlynn warns that not all numbness can be remedied with position adjustments and may require medical help. Sometimes, a spinal condition—such as a herniated disc, spine misalignment or disc degeneration—is the culprit. When these problems occur in the lumbar (lower, inward-curving) spine, they often cause lower-extremity discomfort or numbness. When in the upper spine, they affect your arms, shoulders and hands.