Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
The first year 2006 Mongoose EC-D was impressive, well everything but the tribal graphics. The EC-D seemed to come out of nowhere, spanking the competition with performance and affordability. For 2007, mongoose nailed the graphics and really didn’t change much else as far as frame design. The 2008 Goose has a bunch of functional upgrades that make it that much more desirable!
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
A few years back I wrote an article about a new type/style of bicycle, “Freeride” bikes. I couldn’t help but wonder if this style of bike was a fad. I suggest you read this old article first before continuing on.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I was inspired to venture into uncharted waters after reading an article in Bikehouse magazine. The story was about a fellow who felt he was addicted to cycling and would make an attempt to abstain for thirty days. Needless to say, kicking an addiction is brutal for anyone and he was beaten after only eleven days. Inspired and just a bit curious, I also decided to test my will and abstain for as long as possible from mountain biking.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
Trials and street maneuvers sometimes involve landing backwards, forcing the rider to complete the trick by rolling backwards. Appropriately named “Rollback”, coasting on your bicycle backwards is a trick in itself and a trick taken for granted. It can be difficult to learn and it’s a must have, in your bag of tricks.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
It’s mid September and Interbike is just around the corner. By now, pictures of anticipated products have been leaked out on the internet for all to see (so much for unveiling products). Sort of feels like X-mass eve, when you peeked under the wrapping paper and spoiled your surprise.
Well, surprise! (Try and look surprised). Guess what’s coming out? More sophisticated products that do the same thing they did 10 years ago. Only these days, the slightest tweak or modification has its own patented terminology. A fairly new phenomenon, but getting worse each year: Abbreviations for technology. As annoying as it is confusing.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
Avalanche Downhill Racing is bound to have a rear shock that will fit your bike frame and style of riding. This year they offer “generic valved” shocks that are less expensive. The generic shocks work well for riders of average weight and typical 3:1 leverage ratios. One new rear damper of particular interest is the Montie Monotube.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
The downhill chainguide is the most important and most abused component on a DH bike. For years, engineers have been floundering with designs that try and prevent chain derailments. Most were overly complicated or simply to flimsy to hold up under the rigors of DH. Lucky for us, we have: Bob (“Mr. Dirt”). He has been coming up with ingenious designs since the beginning of time. He invented the “Gizmo” back in 2000 and has reintroduced a new improved version this classic guide.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I was once a boy who loved to wrench for free. Now I can say I’m a man who gets paid to do what he loves. Some things are just meant to be. I am a bicycle repair person. After a routine physical, my doctor looked at my hands and asked: “have you been to war?”
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
You have hit the Jackpot of all Tech Tips. Hopefully the following 36 Mechanical Tech Tips will make up for 36 months of neglect.
1. Do not ride slow rebound rubber tires in the winter! These soft compound tires are temperature sensitive and become as hard as skateboard wheels when riding below freezing or in snow/ice conditions.
2. Do not over tighten your brake lever and shifter clamp bolts. A lever/shifter is less likely to bend/brake off if they can move during a crash and will be easy to align after a crash. Properly tightened lever will require a punch/slap to move them back in place.
3. Build your wheels with DT Swiss “Pro Lock” spoke nipples. You will never have loose spokes again, (unless you flat spot). Pro Lock nipps are available in Alloy and Brass (so sorry bling addicts: black color only).
4. Align your tires logo with your valve stem. You will look like a dork if you don’t.
5. Put a drop of Blue Loctite (#242) on your disc brake caliper bolts and rotor bolts every time your remove them.
6. Change your chain 1 to 2 times a year to prevent excessive wear to your bikes expensive sprockets.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I had the pleasure of testing the Mongoose EC-D (size small/medium) at Interbike’s Dirt Demo held at Bootleg Canyon. I was very fortunate to snag this bike just in time to board the last shuttle. I only had time to thread on a pair of generic platforms. No preride suspension tweaks for me. Sucking in dust, while hanging off the flatbed truck, I had a few minutes to admire and figure out the suspension design.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I’ve owned almost every high end pedal on the market and none have as much traction as the Syncros “Mental” Pedals. No wonder Syncros names these pedals the Mental. The studs are vicious! They can certainly tear you apart. As it says all over their web site, wear shin protection!
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I decided to build up a complete bike from spare parts I had lying around my shop. I had everything to set the bike as a 9speed except shifters. However, I did have a pair of Shimano 9 sp bar end road bike shifters. Although this style shifter is designed for road, bar end shifters are also considered prehistoric and are not used very often. Typically, road bike have dual control shifters. You sometimes see cyclo x racers using bar end shifters thanks to their simplicity and ability to shift perfectly when covered in dirt.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
Thirty four years it took me to finally bomb runs at Mont St. Anne! This was the trip of a lifetime that I had passed up for the last time. As it turns out, the resort is just as amazing for DH as I expected. And as a side note to riders who are bringing along family members, the city of Quebec and the resorts have much to offer people who do not ride. (With any luck, this fact may help you convince the wife that the mountains in Canada are the prime location for family fun.)
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I’m a Brooklyn Machine Works junkie. Since 2000 I’ve owned some type of Brooklyn, be it the TMX or the Big Link. You can see me in countless photos and in videos loving life aboard my trusty BMW. The Race Link is my latest and greatest, a frame that has evolved into a masterpiece.
Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I’ve been happily testing a Push Industries tuned FOX Vanilla RC on my Orange 223. To prove to you that your shock has been tricked out, Push actually gives you back all the old Vanillas internals. For less than $200.00 Push Industries will trick out your old FOX and bring it up to speed with their “Race system”!
The EC-D seemed to come out of nowhere, spanking the competition with performance and affordability. For 2007, mongoose nailed the graphics and really didn’t change much else as far as frame design. The 2008 Goose has a bunch of functional upgrades that make it that much more desirable!
Read more!
A few years back I wrote an article about a new type/style of bicycle, 
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