Buyer's Guides

Five top tips for making sure you’re ready for your next big ride If you fail to prepare, then you should prepare to fail. Okay, that might be a bit extreme in the context of bike riding but the principle does ring true. If you have a big ride or event coming up then the best thing you can do to have a fun and stress-free experience is make sure you have everything you need. There will always be things that happen that are out of your control but if you follow our five tips below, you’ll have the best chance of navigating any mishaps

One of the most interesting (read: frustrating) things about being a cyclist is the stuff you get given for Christmas. There are very few other hobbies where people fixate on giving you things that are not directly related to said hobby but have pictures of the hobby on them. Like socks with bikes on. Or t-shirts with bikes on. Or mugs with bikes on. Basically lots of things that depict cycling but 99% of which are not actually usable in the performance of cycling.  So to cut to the chase, if you want to get the cyclist in your life something nice (really very nice) that will actually aid in the cycling that person does you should absolutely consider the Knog Oi bell. There are multiple reasons for this: first, it's a bell and you be surprised how many people don't have one on their bike. Second, even if they do there is no way it's nicer than this one unless, in fact, they have an Oi already, in which case we're totally out of ideas. Sorry.  There are two types

aeroe's rear rack is an incredibly elegant piece of engineering. It's stable, good-looking and perfect for any adventure. But here's the thing: not every ride is an adventure, and not everyone has multiple bikes to use for various different purposes. That's why aeroe has adapted their Spider Rear Rack into the Spider Pannier Rack, for those trips that are a little less adventure, and a little more necessity.  That doesn't mean you can't go off-road with the pannier rack, mind you, as the below video demonstrates. The best part is that it's designed to be compatible with any panniers on the market, so you can take any you already have and just clip them straight on. You also dont have to buy a whole new rack if you're using the current Spider Rear Rack, as the receiver on the top simply swaps out so you can leave the rack in place and switch between that and the cradles for the aeroe dry bags. It really is one system for both send and sensible.  If you don't believe

There are a lot of great things about carbon wheels. They're light, they're aerodynamic, they look great and, yep, they make a really cool 'whoosh, whoosh' sound as you ride along. Carbon wheels have been a thing in road cycling for at least two decades now and although the wheels you can get today look ostensibly similar to the ones ridden back then, the technology has been refined over and over again through the years making carbon wheels a practical (and durable) every day choice rather than something you'd only stick in the bike for race days.  The main thing to change in the last couple of years is the move from rim brakes to disc brakes on road bikes. With rim brakes, every time you brake you're wearing the carbon rim away slightly which means that depending on how much you ride there is a a clear and finite lifespan to that wheelset. Not that most of us ride enough for that to be a real concern in the short term, but the beauty of disc brakes is that braking wears the

The Spring weather may not have arrived quite yet, but that hasn't stopped us from getting out on the bike almost every opportunity we have and trying to summon that sunshine with a good old dose of pedalling. The weather has to get better soon, right? But whether it does or not, we've compiled a short list of a few of our favourite products for this time of year. Check them out below. Madison Stealth Glasses Cycling sunglasses are like pretty much everything: they come in cheap, moderate and very expensive varieties. It used to be

Madison Clothing Lifetime Warranty We have high standards for our products which is why we only think it's fair to offer a warranty that lasts the life of the product so you can rest assured that if your purchase fails, you will receive a replacement. Our warranty covers any garment against manufacturing defect & workmanship for the expected lifetime of the product. Simply return the garment to us at Freewheel and we’ll replace it with a like for like piece. What isn't covered in the guarantee? We don’t cover damage through wear & tear, negligence, accidents, improper care or natural deterioration of colours & materials. *How long is a lifetime? Sadly, we’re not always able to make products last an eternity. Lifetime* means the expected life of a product, which is variable through usage.

We're really lucky at Freewheel, as we get to work with a whole load of excellent brands that make genuinely good products. But even among those there are a few brands that really stand out for their all-around excellence and elegance. Thule is absolutely one of those brands. Thule is the Ferrari of bike carriers (which is a bit ironic seeing as they dont really make a bike rack for a Ferrari, but go with it).  Aside from the general aesthetic and build quality, the best thing about Thule's racks - especially their roof racks - is the lack of faff. If you dont have a bike rack, transporting a bike in a car can be a real chore of disassembly, you take off both wheels, twist the bars here and there, get the rear mech caught on a few things and before you know it you're depositing grease in places you'd rather grease didn't end up. Even if you have a large car, you probably still need to cover the interior with sheets or something to stop the car getting dirty. What's the answer?

If you’re after a well-priced, highly versatile city e-Bike then you’re in for a treat because Ridgeback is extremely excited to present the new Errand, a bike that makes it easy to do all sorts of things and do them without a car. It’s called the Errand because the ‘I’m-just-popping-out-for-a-bit’ wasn’t quite as catchy, but that really is the idea behind this bike: make the ultimate utility bike for urban riding, something you’ll ride whether you’re commuting to work, off down to the pub, meeting some friends in town or basically going anywhere that’s a bit too far to walk. At Ridgeback we already have a comprehensive range of e-Bikes, but the new Errand really does offer something different. With 20” wheels it’s been designed with maximum manoeuvrability in mind because it’s paramount when you’re trying to get around in any urban environment, and that paired with the 2” wide tyres

Okay, we're sorry. We're not actually selling little pieces of the Tour de France (nor do we have any idea how that would work), but there are loads of brands on Freewheel that make products being ridden for three weeks in what could reasonably be described as the World's Greatest Bike Race.  Better than that, this kit is the same as what the pros are using - not replicas, not pared-down versions, the actual same products that the professional teams use. That's one of the best things about cycling; you want those tyres Wout van Aert is riding? You got 'em. How about the groupset Team Ineos is using? No problem (although, you know, it's not cheap). There's nothing - except budget - from stopping you having and riding exactly what the best in the world use, so here's our guide to the brands we stock on Freewheel that provide products to the very best cyclists on the planet. 

With cleanliness being next to Godliness - or so we're told - the best way to keep your bike looking divine is to make sure you lok after it regularly. And by regularly we dont mean only when it's so dirty you can't remember what colour it used to be.  Keeping your bike clean means it'll run smoother - you know, that beautiful almost-no-noise sound a clean chain makes when the bike is humming along - and the smoother your drivetrain is running, the longer your components will last. Here's the thing, dirt in your chain, on your cassette or covering your chainrings increases friction, which in turn increases chain wear, and a worn chain wears out the teeth on chainrings or cassettes. It's a bike-based ecosystem where neglecting one thing can very quickly make the whole drivetrain go south.  That's where Finish Line comes in. If you're after a comprehensive range of bike cleaning products then the Long Island-based company is exactly the brand for you. They have a

Winter riding is a bit more complicated than summer riding in that it generally requires a little more planning and a fair bit more kit and clothing. Here are a few things you need to think about if you want to get out and about on the bike on or off-road through the colder (and wetter) months. Tyres Of all the upgrades you can make to your bike, good quality tyres should be top of your list. 'But haven't you banged on about this enough on Freewheel' we hear you ask and yes, yes we have, but we will continue because tyres are incredibly

You might think that floor pumps (or track pumps, if you prefer) are a particularly unexciting bit of kit. And that statement would be correct if it wasn't so very, very wrong. There are few workshop tools used more than the floor pump. You should really check your tyre pressure every time you ride which means you could well be using that pump every single day. If you're going to use something that often, it makes sense to make sure the pump you have is good quality and easy to use. You'd be surprised how many pumps have fiddly pump heads or annoying little things about them that make them a pain to use.  The other thing to consider is that a good floor pump is an investment. If you buy a quality one then it might be the only (or last) pump you'll ever buy. Sure, £80 might seem expensive but spread that out over 50 years of cycling and innumerable uses and it suddenly seems like a pretty good deal.  Speaking of pumps - and don't act like you didn't see this

We don't want to think about it eithe, but the bad weather is coming (and already here, in some places) and that means you need to make sure you're equipped if you want to ride outside during winter. So we've put our collective heads together and come up with a few of our favourite things to wear outside when the conditions aren't exactly ideal. Sometimes if you want to ride, you just have to tough it out, but having some good kit definitely makes the decision easier...Madison DTE 3-Layer Waterproof Jacket DTE stands for 'Defy the Elements' which gives you a pretty good idea of what type of weather this jacket has been designed for. With 20K waterproof and 20K breathable fabric, this is a jacket for riding on days when you maybe shouldn't go out but can't resist the idea of a ride. That hard-wearing fully-seam-sealed three-layer fabric keeps you dry whilw making sure you dont overheat, and

The bottom bracket is one of the most fundamental - if often overlooked - parts of a bike. For anyone who doesnt know, a bottom bracket is the bit that enables the cranks to turn aand features two sets of bearings (on on either side) with a hole through the middle for the axle.  This hasn't always been the case. For years a bottom bracket was a sealed unit with two attachments on either side for the crank arms/chainrings. The great thing about those - called square taper bottom brackets - was that they were sealed units and would last for a really long time without any maintenance. And we dont have to tell you why not needing maintenace is great.  But as time went on and bikes changed, so did the bottom bracket. Another of the most common types on bikes from a few decades ago was called 'threaded'. Simply, this was two units containing the bearings that threaded into the bottom bracket from either side - and could do so since the bottom bracket shell on the bike

The Madison saddle range has been around for a long time and proven to be very popular, but we figured it was time to mix things up a bit and work on some new ideas. There are heaps of new developments coming over the next few months, but the first of these is the new Freewheel range. These are saddles designed for riding in a more upright position rather than for anyone who's out on a road bike looking to ride fast with their head down.  There are six new models in the Freewheel range, based around four different designs - U100, U200, U300 and U400. They're designed to fit a broad spectrum of rider shapes and they're all unisex rather than gender-specific. They come in four different lengths with U100 being narrowest up to U400 widest. Length-wise the U100 and 200 are standard fit length saddles with a simliar shape to the traditional gents saddle, whereas the U300 and 400 are short-fit length which are similar to traditional ladies saddles.  All the Freewheel

So you want to commute by bike? Well that makes sense, now more than ever. Riding to work is a great way to start the day, it’s environmentally friendly, it gives you exercise and means you don’t have to share a cramped space with loads of other people.  But, like with almost everything, you need to have a think about exactly what riding to work requires. It’s a little more complicated than simply buying the first bike you find, throwing your leg over the top tube a starting to ride. Here’s a guide to what to look for in a commuting bike, and some of the best bikes for the job from Genesis, Ridgeback and Saracen. 

We're pretty much a week into the Tour de France, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to have a look through the brands that we stock here on Freewheel and see what's being used in the race. The answer? Quite a lot, as it happens. Here's what's being used in the world's greatest bike race that you can check out right here on Freewheel.co.uk... Shimano One of the biggest brands in cycling and the groupset of choice for pretty much anyone who's anyone, it's actually easier to list the teams in the Tour that aren't riding Shimano (AG2R Citroen, Cofidis, Lotto Soudal, Movistar, Trek Segafredo and UAE Team Emirates) than those who are (all seventeen other teams). And before you think 'ah, well that's sponsorship for you' very few of those teams are actually sponsored by Shimano, they choose to ride the brand and buy their kit.  Of those 17 teams, all of them are riding one groupset: Dura-Ace Di2, and almost all of them have chosen to run the disc brake

So you want to ride off-road? You've probably had your head turned by those super cool looking bikes with bounce at both ends, right? We can't blame you, they look great, ride wonderfully and are a whole lot of fun. But, hear us out, have you thought about a hardtail instead? Sure, they might not have that glamour of a full suspension bike but they'll make you a better ride and still leave you with just as big a grin on your face after a day on the trails. Check out the bikes below and tell us we're wrong. 

There are a few items that are pretty much essential for any cyclist to own. While a lot of stuff - expensive wheels, fancy shoes, three-figure-costing clothing - is nice to have and will be definite improvements over the basics, the essential stuff is kit without which you’ll find your bike off the road very quickly.  One of those essentials is a bike pump. Even without a puncture, air will slowly escape from tyres over time which is why your tyres were flat on that old MTB you pulled from the shed after not riding for 6 months. With flat tyres you’re not going anywhere fast - or anywhere at all - but the good news is you don’t have to spend a fortune to get one. The other thing to think about is what kind of pump you need. There are essentially three types:  1- Track pumps. This is what you probably see in your mind when you think about a pump. They’re

When the weather's hot, you need to find ways to keep cool on the bike because cycling is a seriously body-heat-boosting business. Whether that's through hydration properly, buying the best hot-weather kit you can find or any other method, heat-coping strategies will make riding this summer a much more pleasant experience. Here are a few things that'll help to keep you on the go when the temperature is on the rise.Science

Tubeless is one of the most on-trend subjects in the bike industry right now. Here's why you might want to think about making inner tubes a thing of the past (sort of)... Why you should... One big reason in favour of tubeless is that you can say goodbye to pinch punctures. A pinch pucture usually happens when you hit something (like a pothole) and trap the tube between tyre and rim. It's one of the most common ways to puncture and really rather annoying because feels like it should be avoidable - and now they are. Running tubeless means there's no tube to pinch, so you can leave all those pinched tubes in a metaphorical pile behind you. But it doesn't mean you can go slamming into things all over the place - as you can still write a rim off doing that - but you can run lower pressures without the worry of a pinch. Tubeless has been popular in mountain biking for a while now, and not having tubes to pinch is a big reason for that. Roadies, though, have been slower

If you have a home workshop and you're anything like us, you're always on the look out for the next addition to your tool boards. Never ones to shy away from making a tool that looks great as well as getting the job done, Park Tool have more than a few things that keep us casting a covetous eye towards the Minnesota-based brands' catalogue (or website, showing our age there...).  Here are a few of the things that would definitely be making their way into our workshop if we were given a free pass to order whatever we wanted. Get through this one without wanting to buy something, we dare you...

There are some things you absolutely need in a home workshop and some things you don't. Here's our guide to helping you make the right decisions.

Spring is one of the best times of the year to ride a bike, because the sun is back (at least sometimes, anyway), the temperature is warm but not too hot and it’s great to be back outside after a winter where a lot of riders understandably retreat to indoor cycling. It's also that point in the year where you can't ride in summer kit, but full winter kit will leave you sweaty and uncomfortable, plus you need to remember that not being summer yet you can't just roll out the best bike on those paper-thin race tyres an expect to ride unscathed. So here are our kit picks for spring, the things we like and the things we wouldn't ride without. 

Don't get too excited, but we're nearing that time of year when you can put your overshoes away and unleash your favourite cycling shoes in all their resplendent glory. There's a reason we buy shoes that look nice, and it's not to hide them under overshoes for 4 months a year.  With that in mind, it's that time when you need to start thinking about whether your shoe game really is strong enough for a summer's worth of riding. Here are two options from Shimano - at two very different price points - to make sure that you look fast (even if you're not riding quickly).