Sealed fluid chamber with magnetically-coupled driveshaft
Guaranteed not to leak, Lifetime warranty!
JANUARY TECH TIP: CO2 COVER
Cut a section of tube and slip it over your Co2. No longer will you hear the annoying rattling sound from your seat bag and it'll keep your hand from freezing when you use it.
These multi tools from eleven81 are great when you need to take advantage of space.
COOL TOOLS
LINKS
Here's some of the tools we use daily that you don't normally see. We love having all the tools we need, there's nothing better than having the correct tool for the job. We can order any of these if you want one, don't hesitate asking us to see some of these in action.
Above are some of the freewheel/ bottom bracket tools that we use. Companies use different designs so we have several different removers for each.
Our Wheels Manufacturing bearing press installs bearings into hubs and cranks. It also does bearings for full suspension frames.
We use the Giustaforza torque wrench on a daily basis for getting the correct torque spec on bolts.
Park's head tube reaming and facing set create a level surface for headset cups to be pressed into. When the bearings are perfectly parallel, it allows for the least bearing resistance and smooth turning.
Here's a similar tool to the one above, the Park bottom bracket tapping and facing set can clean up a damaged or rough threaded bb. It also creates matching parallel surfaces for the smoothest bb bearings possible, this is especially important when using the new outboard/external bearing style bottom brackets.
Another handy tool from Park is the derailleur hanger alignment gauge. A bent derailleur hanger will keep your bike from shifting smoothly.
This saw guide is a very nice tool to have, it clamps the tube and lets you get a straight cut. It doesn't mushroom the tubing like a pipe cutter!
Park's axle vise safely clamps three different axle sizes, and makes working on a hub a breeze. Simply drop it into the vise and the aluminum jaws clamp your axle without hurting it.
This disc truing tool easily straightens a bent disc.
The headset race installation tool comes with six different adapters for different brands of headsets. Pick the correct one and slide the tube over your steerer, then hammer the race on the right way.
For removing headset crown races this tool is a god send. Using a screw driver and hammer is the wrong way and can damage your fork. Slide the tool over your steerer and the jaws of the race remover clamp the race. Twist the handle and it pulls the race off!
The headset cup remover, also known as the exploding cigar easily removes headset cups. The four prongs push the cup out evenly unlike a screwdriver or punch which can damage soft aluminum headsets.
Park's headset installation tool is the easiest and best way to press in your headset, we have the Chris King adapters to set their headset in correctly.
The star nut tool sets your star nut at the correct depth and is very easy to use.
We have a large tap and die set that is great for fixing bad bolts and damaged threads.
Chris King's hub tool performs a number of task, you can take the whole hub apart and re-build it with this fancy tool.
A dish tool lets you make sure the rim is even with the hub and is a must use when building a wheel.
Crank extractors are needed to remove crank arms, we have several different versions.
Pedro's vise whip is an easy alternative to the traditional chain whip, this makes taking a cassette off a dream!
This is another good thing to have around, especially if you have a sweet tooth like we do. Thanks to Haswell for holding my light during the picture taking.
NORTH AMERICAN HANDMADE BICYCLE SHOW COVERAGE>>> Drew shot a bunch of pics from this year's show, click the link below to see all the beautiful bikes.
For the past three years, I have attended the North American Hand Built Bike Show. The first was Portland.,second Indianapolis and this year, Richmond. Now we all know,there are trade shows and there are bike shows. Then there is the The North American Hand Built Show. Through the door, you are immediately hit by the hum of conversation. The attention to detail and colors, on these bikes, are stunning !! Some builders booths are like walking into a living room(Signal Cycles), others are like their shop( Vanilla Bicycle Company and Bilenky). Then there are the builders, such as, Richard Sachs, David Kirk, Dario and Sacha. These guys are masters of their craft . What's more amazing is that these folks are so extremely accessible. Naturally, some are more willing to talk more than others. By nature of such events, almost all builders are on top of there game. Like Ellis, Signal, Engin, Crumpton, IF, Villin, Zancanato, Black Sheep,naming a few. Other luminaries seen were Molly Cameron, Jeremy Dunn, from Embrocation/Rapha, Rob Vandermark , Ben Serrota, Tom Kellogg, Justin Spinelli, DiNuicci. Conspicusly missing were Bruce Gordon,Peter Weigle, Ira Ryan, Tony Peiria, Courage Mfg. One thing that I left the show with, is the sense that we live in the Golden Age of hand made bicycles! Some consider computers are the future, but not for me. Computers may aid in the design, but the deft touch and the keen eye of these builders never fail to warm my heart. Hand made bicycles are like art - that you can both enjoy and ride through out your life. Hand made bicycles are one of life's simple luxuries.
It's awlays nice when some one buying a bike adds on a couple extra changes to make it a little different. This Surly Cream Roller was lucky enough to recieve a Brooks B17 and some straight bars with Brooks grips.
March 2nd, 2010
NEW IN TODAY>>> In the Brooks tradition, their grips are made of natural leather, the same long wearing leather used for our saddle tops. Each grip is made with a stack of leather washers cut from the scrap of our saddle tops. These washers are held together by 3 spokes, enabling the grip to be adjusted to the desired length. The standard length of each grip is 130 mm, but each grip can be shortened to the desired length independently.
We also received some new stainless steel bottles from Klean Kanteen. The Classic bottle is made from high quality, 18/8, food-grade stainless steel that's totally free of BPA and other toxins. Because stainless steel itself is safe, they don't need to coat the inside of the bottle with a plastic or epoxy lining. No matter how many times you refill it, no matter what you put into it, your Klean Kanteen will keep your drinks fresh, crisp and clean tasting. We have several different colors for you to choose from too!
February 25th, 2010
This has got to be one of the best cycling pranks ever. Imagine yourself cranking up dog hill, turn the corner and you run into this...
Kona is offering special pricing on their remaining 09 models. You get a new bike at a discounted price... not bad. Let us know if there's a bike your interested in and take advantage of this special pricing.
Newly Hand Built Wheels>>> We have a new hand built set of Shimano Ultegra hubs laced to DT Swiss RR1.1 rims with DT Competition spokes. These wheels are ready to be put on your bike in preparation for the upcoming spring weather.
February 24th, 2010
The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is taking place this weekend in Richmond, Virginia. Check back for full coverage for the show. There looks to be some pretty hot bikes this year, like the PHIL WOOD x Independent Fabrication track bike pictured below.
Rays MTB park is probably one of the most amazing places to go ride your bmx/mountain bike at. If you want to go check it out send us an e-mail or give us a call and let us know. Plans are to go for the Troy Lee Designs Dealer weekend on March 12th and 13th. That's right you can go ride this place when it's closed to the public along with some of the Troy Lee crew!
February 22nd, 2010
Liberty Tattoo & Art Parlor will be hosting a new show featuring bike art from March 10 to April 24. Opening party will be Saturday, March 20, the same weekend as Bike!Bike! Southeast here in Louisville. Gary and Suzanne are looking for additional submissions for the show and they’re open to anything whether it be photography, paintings, sculpture, furniture or something cool they don’t even know about. Also, the due date on the flyer of February 27 isn’t set in stone. If you get in contact with them you can work something else out I’m sure.You can email them here, but you’re likely to do better by just calling the shop at 502-637-4777. Additionally F*** Gas be organizing a ride of some sort for the opening night so stay tuned for that one.
February 13th, 2010
This was the 10,000th photo I've taken with my camera and it's ironic being of the 2009 Photography Annual by Rouleur. Be sure to crack this one open next time your in the shop to see photos from the world's largest races such as the Paris-Roubaix to the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia.
2010 Big Agnes catalogues arrived today with all of their new sleeping bags, pads, and tents inside. Let us know if your looking for some new camping gear for spring time.
We've updated our product page with most of the brands we have access to and will be updating it regularly. Being a small shop we can't have everything here, but we can make special orders and usually get it within 1-3 days. The best part is that you don't have to pay additional shipping! We order from nearly every distributor in the bicycle industry so chances are we can find that hard to locate item. Give us a call or send us an email if you need something specific.
February 12th, 2010
It's hard to think about not being able to go to a store and get that hard to find CD you've been wanting. Louisville's famous Ear x Tacy needs a little support to get through tough times and the age of digital music. We can remember the first time we stepped foot inside the huge store containing any type of music you could ever wish for. Music has always been a very good motivator when getting out and riding. If you have a little extra cash stop in and pick a cd up. We suggest Black Mountain,The Builders and the Butchers, and Grizzly Bear since they're the newest cd's being played in the shop recently. We've also had Radiohead's OK Computer on heavy repeat, deffinently a must have. The Louisville Dirt Club is selling a frame which the sales will go to purchasing new cd's, you can even help John pick the tunes.
We found this over at F**k gas list of the ten coolest roads to ride on earth. Be prepared to see some of the most amazing roads ever!
Profile Racing has made quality bmx components for years. They make the best bmx crank sets in the business and were the first company to offer a bmx cassette hub. Now they're producing Fixed gear hubs out of their St. Petersburg Florida machine shop. The 32 hole set below rolls on sealed bearings,has ti bolts, and one of the thickest lock rings ever.
February 10th, 2010
SNEAK PEAK: Here's an Ellsworth rainforest green Truth that will be completely built up in the following week. Keep an eye out on the site for the finished product.
February 9th, 2010
The fifth anniversary of the one and only mountain bike winter slope style contest draws a world-class set of riders and a mind-blowing slopestyle course built out of snow! Kona's 2010 WHITE STYLE went down last month in Leogang, Austria and we thought it was the perfect post for today after waking up to six inches of snow.
February 6th, 2010
What a good friend this guy is toting his buddy through the east coast snow storm...
February 5th, 2010
SRAM/Truvativ compatible bottom brackets from Chris King have finally arrived here at the shop. You can now upgrade your sram/truvativ crank set to a new Chris King bottom bracket for the smoothest pedaling possible. The Chris King BB delivers every benefit you've come to expect from King and in the wide array of colors only King can do.
An available grease injection tool allows the bearings to be purged of existing grease and debris and new grease run through. What better way to maximize the life of your bearings than to do routine maintenance? Especially when it's this easy.
Racers take note! With the Chris King bottom bracket and injection tool, you can train day-to-day with a durable high-viscosity grease and race with a light, fast-rolling low-viscosity grease or oil.
Here's a exploded diagram of the set up, the BB comes with several spacers to adapt to different frames.
Also new are the No Tubes ZTR 335 rims. No Tubes original design eliminates the traditional bead hook and uses a new bead socket technology. It moves the sidewall of the rim down by 2-3mm. By eliminating the bead hook and lowering the sidewall by 2-3mm they reduce the weight of the rim. Some of this material can be used in the center part of the rim making it stronger and stiffer. This design will help reduce the strain on the tire bead while creating a tighter seal. With these short sidewalls the tire should not hit the rim and pinch flat as often as standard rims, either with or without tubes. This design will allow you to run lower pressures and use 4mm more of the tire than ever before. The tire will have larger air volume giving you better traction than any rim in the world. They're also pretty light at 355 grams.
Here's a new tire in the shop, the HutchinsonToro features more open lateral knobs that dig in better. Low knobs on the top of the tire to optimize grip and help shed mud. HARDSKIN tech consists of a flexible dense textile grid that reinforces the casing. Placed on the sidewalls, Hardskin increases the puncture resistance of the tire without affecting comfort or performance.
January 28th, 2010
ATTENTION ALL LADIES: Ray's MTB Park is hosting a women's clinic at their amazing facility in Cleveland on February 19th. Attention GUYS: this is the perfect opprutunity to go ride rays, bring your favorite lady up for some one on one instruction while you ride other parts of the course. They even rent bikes if you need one.
Kona's Stuff dirt jumper comes with a Marzocchi Dirt Jump Two fork with a 20mm thru-axle, hydraulic disc brakes and shadow style Shimano Deore derailleurs. The stuff has a sloped top tube and a short rear end making it easier to throw around. This bike went together very well and you can tell every part is meant to take the abuse from jumping. We are still trying to figure out how they offer such a nice bike with a price tag at $999.99
This product went very quick when we first got it in, Caffelatex is back in stock here at OYLC. All of our first time buyers are very happy with it, try it out next time you set up your tubeless tires.
January 26th, 2010
New from Bonk Breaker are the peanut butter and jelly bar, homestyle baking meets sports nutrition. They bake every week, so all bonk breakers are shipped out within 5 days "out of the oven"
Northwave's Tribute Tri shoe is designed for the serious athlete with performance in mind. A carbon sole makes for good energy transfer and the strap ready feature makes strapping in a breeze when in a hurry.
We had a bike in here today with the new XX group from SRAM. We've been very anxious to get a bike in here and play around with the heavily anticipated new group. After going over the whole bike we amazed by all the features XX offers. We'll first start off with the full carbon crank set which is available in two different Q factors. 156 is the standard for road and 165 is the standard for moutain, this allows you to feel comfortable when switching from your mtn to road bike. There are three different chainring combos... 26-39,28-42, and 30-45 allowing for a good range of ratios. Several bb configurations(GXP, pressfit GXP, BB30, and pressfit 30)are available and Speed Works Swiss Ceramic bearings are what you get stock!
Now on to the front derailuer which is what mechanics and riders around the world have been waiting for, no matter what gear you are in there is no way the chain will rub the ft. derailuer. They also make it to fit all bikes whether you need a top or bottom pull, in all the usual sizes of course. There are also different versions to match up with the different chainring ratios. The special ramping on the chainrings make for super smooth shifts plus add the double pin feature on the rings which lift the outer and inner link up to the big ring.
The XX rear derailluer is specifically designed for use with the 2x10 set up. Sealed ceramic pulleys are very durable and are contained in a carbon fiber cage.
Up front you will see somthing new, a hydralic lock out remote that can be mounted on the left or right side. The extremely powerfull elixir style brake with taper bore technology are gaurenteed to slow you down when in need. The XX trigger shifter mounts directly to the lever and can be moved to several different locations for different riding styles. The carbon fiber lever can be positioned for a different feel also.
XX disc brakes are vey innovative. A magnesium caliper keeps the weight down while oversized pistons give you more stopping power. The rotor is designed with weight savings in mind too, the two piece contsruction is made up of an aluminum 7075 center with a stainless steel rotor.
One of the coolest things about the XX group is the XX cassette. The aluminum large cog is replacable while the rest of the cassette is machined from a solid piece of steel allowing for longer life. Don't think it's heavy though, a 11-36 cass only weighs 208 grams!
This is exactly what we expected from SRAM, everything truly works together making for the best ride possible. Even if this isn't the group for you there are a ton of features that make sense, hopefully SRAM will work some of these ideas into other future products. The complete group wieght comes in at 2300 grams. Jeff from SRAM left some of the 2010 catalogues here so take a look at their other offerings next time your in the shop.
January 21st, 2009
With Spring right around the corner we are trying to figure out some new hours to make it easier for people to stop by the shop. We have though about opening Sunday or Monday and would like to know what you think. Drop us an e-mail at oylc@insightbb.com and let us know when it is most convenient for you to visit the shop. Thanks for any input.
January 19th, 2009
We've updated our events page with some fun upcoming bike rides. There are also two Cherokee Trail maintenance days coming up on January 30th and February 6th. Plans are to meet at the No Net trail at 12:00a.m. Send us an e-mail if you'd like us to add a cycling event to our calenders and event page.
Les Triplettes de Belleville is a classics cycling movie that you need to see. Mark your calendar for this one.
This will be the second polo ride out of the shop, don't hesitate to come out if you haven't played before. Polo is very fun and extremely addicting. New comers are definitely welcome and there will be extra mallets if you need one.
January 16th, 2009
Brook's Flyer Special saddle comes with copper rivets for a nice look.
We've been out of the Look Keo pedals for a bit, but we have them back in stock now.
If your looking for a light weight, stiff crank set the Vuma Quad from Zipp is your answer. The set here comes with the ceramic bearing option for super smooth pedaling. Zipp designed the crank set with a four bolt chain ring which they find to be stiffer. You can use normal road gearing or compact gearing, they make rings for both styles to mount on the 110 bcd. The Vuma Quad is bb30 compatible making it even more adaptable. The total weight including bb is 570 grams.
January 14th, 2009
Pedro's Liquid X dry lube main purpose is for chains in wet, muddy conditions. It's also good for pivot points and spraying inside road shifters to keep them working correct.
Surly redesigned their Jethro Tule making it easier to open bottles. We've been missing these in the shop for a bit and they finally re-released them. Everything else was kept the same... 15mm wrench for axle nuts and a wide area for your palm to push against.
January 9th, 2009
Here's a dirt jumping contest in the snow from Kona. Seen this over at MTBshred.com
January 5th, 2010
Trail Maintenance >>> O' Bannon Woods: Plan is to meet at the Campground on Sunday January 10, 2010 at 10am. Work will be in the same area we worked the last trail day. Bench cutting, rock projects and finish grade are the main focus for this trail day. If the ground is to cold to dig, there are plenty of rock projects to work on, there are also several that plan on riding beforehand. Find out more here.
December 31st, 2009
We had a good year here at the shop! We'd like to thank everyone for the continued support, having us fix your bikes, and letting us build some awesome bike we'll never forget. We have a lot of plans for 2010 so stay tuned to our site for all the things to come.
Here's a hot looking new design for the Selle San Marco Aspide saddle, you really can't go wrong with white.
Paul's Melvin is a chain tensioner that mounts to the detailer hanger of frames with vertical dropouts. A tightly coiled spring and two jockey wheels maintain good chain tension while allowing the use of more than one chain ring up front.
December 30th, 2009
We will be closing early tomorrow at 2 p.m. and will be closed Friday.
Here's the last build of the year to come out of the shop, a new Ellsworth Evolve 29er' was put together today piece by piece. It's the best feeling when you get to assemble a bike one part at a time, you really know that everything gets done correctly. This bike went together like a dream and the excellent craftsmanship that Ellsworth is know for was seen in every step along the way.
Top of the line parts from Easton, SRAM, Thomson, and Avid make up the front end. Carbon Easton Monkey Lite bars provided a place for the Sram X9 shifters to rest along with the Avid Elixir brakes for superior stopping power. Locked-On Lizard Skins charger grips feel really good and are ready for all the white knuckle rides to come.
Ellsworth doesn't do anything normal, hence the custom WTB saddle.
Chris King bottom bracket was the obvious choice for super smooth spinning when it came to the cranks.
The other obvious part to include in this build was the Chris King headset. It's weird not seeing the bright white king logo on these things anymore, but as they say "change is good" and the sotto voce King blended right into the bike along with the Fox Fork.
Ellsworth rims are very wide allowing for a strong wheel set yet very light due to the special aluminum they use. Kenda Nevegal tires come on almost every Ellsworth and guarantee your bike being able to hook up when in need.
Straight pull Ellsworth hubs create an even stronger wheel, sealed bearings provide for an extremely smooth ride, and a quick engaging free hub make getting through the hardest technical sections a breeze.
December 23rd, 2009
WE WILL BE OPEN Christmas Eve from 9-4p.m. and will wrap any gift if you'd like.
We've been using the Effetto Mariposa Giustaforza torque wrench for a couple months now and are extremely impressed with how easy it is to use. You can set the torque range from 2-16 Nm and you can get it with ot with out the 16 bits.
Here's a new pump from Lezyne. It is 100% cnc machined from aluminum, features a reversible Presta/Schrader hose that stows inside handle when not in use, and it inflates to riding pressure quickly with 30% fewer strokes than conventional pumps.
December 17th, 2009
We have two 16" girls bikes ready to be under a tree this year. $99.99 includes a year's worth of maintanence!
NEW 2010 Rock Shox forks came in today. First up is the white Reba Team Dual Air which includes a handle bar mounted remote lock out. The black Reba is for the 29er's that are popping up more and more on the trails. Both models feature BlackBox Motion Control, Dual Flow, and Dual Air which independently adjustable positive and negative air spring chambers.
December 16th, 2009
TRAIL MAINTENANCE... scheduled for Waverly on Saturday Dec 19th, 2009 at 9am. Meet at the main parking lot by the playground, tools and snacks will be provided.
We've been waiting a long time for a company to make colored spokes for mountain/road wheels. These red spokes were laced to DT rims with WTBLaser Disc Single Duty hubs on the other end. They feature sealed bearings and a wider flange for an extremely strong build.
Soma and Wheelsmith are now offering several different colors, we have white in stock and can order any of the ones below. Let us know if you want a wheel set that is unlike any other in town... we've done U of L, UK, American flag, and Rasta wheels for bmx so the combinations are endless and can now be applied to mountain and road wheels.
December 15th, 2009
Head on over to cyclingdirt.org to watch races from this weekends Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, Oregon.
The volunteer trail day at O' Bannon Woods went very well. There was a great turn out and plans are being made for another trail day in January.
Before
After... This creek crossing looks like a lot of fun, the guys put in a lot of work to get this done. This place is huge and it's going to be an amazing place to ride.
It's that time of year again to pull out the trainer. We have the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine in stock. It’s the perfect workout partner for sprints to intervals to all-day cruising. Quiet. Smooth. And like every Kinetic Trainer, 100% leak-proof. The power calibration gives you true outdoor simulation. The automatic resistance adjusts as you change speeds. Stop in and try it out for yourself.
Winter is also the time when people take trips to ride other places, whether it be an indoor skate park or heading south in search of dry trails. Saris makes the bones rear rack in several different colors. We've been selling these racks for years and they fit on almost every type of vehicle. Large rubber feet keep your car paint intact and allow for a very stable bike rack.
The Thelma is an alternative to traditional hitch mount bike racks. The days of sliding bikes over the rack are gone, simply place your bike in the wheel trays and strap it down with the ratchet straps. You also don't have to worry about scratching your car or your bike.
December 11th, 2009
Here's the new Planet Bike Two Watt light, along with the Blaze and Superflash kit. These are just some of the new lights we have along with the usual line of lights they offer.
It's that time of year when you have to have some serious gloves to stay warm, these are a new product in the shop from Pearl Izumi. These are extremely warm and will get you through your ride without frozen fingers.
Hands are very important to keep warm, but you can't forget about your toes. PI booties work amazing!
We are extending our gift certificate promotion for the holidays. Any gift certificate bought over $100 you will get an additional $10 added! We'll be posting new some holiday gift ideas on the site in the following days.
December 9th, 2009
Caffélatex has arrived at OYLC! Caffélatex is a truly innovative tyre sealant: the first of its advantages over standard latex-based sealants comes from a foaming agent (Actifoam™), activated by wheel movement.Centrifugal force drives standard latex-based sealants against the outer circumference of the tyre. Caffélatex foaming action causes it to fill the tyre's entire internal cavity , making it much more effective against sidewall punctures.Its fast sealing action makes Caffélatex ideal for MTB and road tubeless, tubular and standard tyres: it repairs punctures up to 6mm (mtb) and 3mm (road).
Caffélatex contains no ammonia allowing this product to be 100% rim and tire friendly. Latex based sealants with ammonia can be harmfull to untreated rims and spots where wear penetrates the anodization. See the article here to learn about the ammonia problem and watch this video to see how it gets installed.
We have the injector here if you need us to install Caffélatex into your wheel set or we have them for sale.
This comparison shows how the foaming action of Caffélatex works.
Here's an affordable hardtail from Kona featuring FSA Cranks, Rock Shox 100mm fork, Shimano Hydralic brakes and SLX read derailleur, and Maxxis Ignitor tires. The Cinder Cone uses aluminum butted tubing to lighten things up.
Holidays are very exciting around the bike shop, we get to build awesome bikes almost daily. This custom Fit was picked piece by piece.
Green and white spokes were an obvious choice and they gave the bike a very good look.
