Lots of small bikes have really steep seat tube angles.  This isn’t because shorter people benefit from steep seat tube angles.  In fact, for normal bikes, no one benefits from...

It’s a well known fact that the night markets are the place to eat well in Taipei.  According to my dog eared copy of Fodor’s Taiwan 1987, YBC was originally...

I nominate this wheelset for the Best Looking Wheelset of the Year.  Glossy finish on the anodized hubs, which also feature understated graphics.  The rims look like liquid black, a...

Right now, as we watch, the 1” threaded headset is going extinct.  That’s a bummer on a number of levels.  1” threaded headsets are the first headsets that were manufactured...

Component naming conventions generally befuddle me.  Grip Drive, Alloy Drive, Pressure Drive, asinine product numbers: give me a M-80032 SGS A.  Get outta here with that!  I have no idea...

At first glance, there is nothing special about the Ingrid Chainrings.  Yes, they’re Italian, the machining is good, they look fine.  The interesting bit is in the mounting.  Ingrid chainrings...

Most pogies are made from Neoprene.  Neoprene is a synthetic ‘fabric’ made from Chloroprene and foaming agents, plus heat.  We wear this ‘fabric’ next to our skins in wet suits,...

Back in the day, Kenda made tires with colored casings (I remember red, blue and yellow.  The casing was just colored under the tread, as I recall, and the sidewalls...

Raceface is what happens to your face when you think you are a legit racer, but really you are a barely sponsored hack who has one 2 cross races but...

There’s a big debate about what kinda mechanical disc brakes are better:  Single piston or two piston.  I’m here to tell you, what matters is brake stiffness, not how many...

Flat mount disc brakes are brilliant.  They’re smaller than IS mount brakes, and the brake body itself is a mounting point, making the brake stiffer and lighter.  The adapters are...

Long Pull brakes are a much smaller category than short pull brakes.  V brakes aka Linear pull brakes and mountain / long pull disc brakes.  That’s it.   Unlike short pull...

There is a serious crisis happening in the world today, and it has nothing to do with Taylor Swift’s recent break up.  Mountain bike style brake levers that use old...

In 2004 or so, Corey Benson and I decided to build the world’s lightest mountain bike.  Corey had recently shipped a Moots YBB worth a grippy grundle, and UPS had...

Even if you got beat up in 9th grade by a kid who played lacross with an Easton lacross stick, this seatpost is worth considering.  After all, that lacross stick...

Emory cloth isn’t a fine textile one would make a nice dinner jacket out of.  Dinner jackets, by the way, are a ridiculous concept.  And the word jacket reminds me...

Classic forged cranks can really look great.  There are a few makers still out there, TA, Rivendell, Sugino, but all the innovative cranks are machined.  That’s not because machining is...

Everyone is all about the double butts, but lemme tell ya something.  Sometimes one butt is all you need.  Pillar rates these spokes for the hardest possible usage: Downhill, E...

YBN has been making chains since the founder stole the chain making diagrams from Shimano in 1953.  YBN stands for You Better Not, which was the advice of the founder’s...

The guy who designed Ignite Catalyst cranks is a helluva Jumble player.  Apparently he hones his skills nightly with his wife in highly competitive post supper games.  True facts.  Ian...

We’re picky about touch points.  Handlebar shapes, bar tape, pedal size and feel underfoot.  Saddles are probably the most important touch point, but most folks are riding around on terrible cheapo...

Pillar started making spokes in 1984.  In 2006, they launched the quad butted spoke.  I didn’t know about Pillar 3 years ago, but with supply issues becoming a thing in...

For those who doubt the utility of a 1x drivetrain, the Ratio kit is for you.  With it, you can run a 12 speed SRAM mountain rear derailleur and a...

I’ll never be rich and famous, Robin Leach will never do a series on my yurt lifestyle.  But if I was, I’d have a museum of rad cranks.  Cranks are...