Buyer's Guides

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).

Bikes are great, but bikes are for riding. We enjoy a good tinker as much as the next person, but realistically the more time you spend messing about with your bike the less time you have to actually ride it. Here are five simple things that'll help you minimise faffing and get you out riding as quickly as possible.  milKit Sure, a milKit injector kit might cost more than those free tubeless valves that came with your wheels but guess what? They're better - and if you want nice things you have to pay for them. The ability to insert and check sealant levels by just removing the valve core and using the supplied syringe really does save time and hassle, and stops you spilling sealant all over the carpet and getting in loads of trouble which has definitely never happened to us... Dynaplug Tubeless is a really good thing. Ride quality is better (yes it is), you can't pinch

Putting it really simply, gravel and adventure bikes are drop bar bikes designed to take on a wider range of terrain than your average road bike.

Cleaning your bike is a pretty easy task, but one made even simpler by using the right things. Here's our guide to keeping your pride and joy sparkling

There are so many good products around now, but here are a few of the things we enjoyed riding/using most in 2020. 

Lots of you out there probably already have hybrids, so you’ll get this. But if you don’t and you like bikes, or even if you don’t and you don’t own a bike at all, then the argument is this: your next (or first) bike should be a hybrid. If you don’t agree with that statement, that’s fine. There’s a whole load more writing just below to try and change your mind, so read on for the reasons why your next bike should be a hybrid. 

Have you ever wanted a shoe that provides the same feel and power transfer as a road shoe, but is a little more versatile if you want or need to get off the bike? That shoe is the RX8, Shimano’s first gravel racing shoe and, quite possibly, one shoe that can do everything. If you’re totally wedded to three-bolt cleats, then you wont be able to ride the RX8 with SPD-SL road pedals, but if you’re open to some SPD action – or just like the idea of a road ride with the possibility of getting lost and needing to walk a little – then the RX8s wont let you down on that Sunday morning club ride. Sure, they’re not quite as stiff as the road-specific S-PHyre RC902 but chances are that the majority of us wouldn’t be able to tell the difference as we, frankly, just don’t have enough watts in our legs for it to matter.

You probably know Vittoria as the makers of probably the finest road tyres on the planet, and some pretty great off-road tyres too. But they also make a whole host of helpful wheel-and-tyre-related accessories. Here's a look at some of the things they make that you may not know about...

It's November, light is an issue. Make sure you dont get caught out now that the evenings close in early by kitting yourself out properly

Building a bike tool kit is fun. In fact, it’s a bit more than fun; it’s kind of addictive. It’s basically a constant search for tools that do what they do better than the version you currently have, even if that means buying 18 different chain tools and spending one fun afternoon exhaustive comparing and contrasting them. Just us? Oh. Anyway, to get on the never-ending carousel of tool ownership, you need to start somewhere. The easiest way to start is by buying a basic tool kit, since buying tools individually when you’re starting from scratch is both expensive and time-consuming. That way you can get all the basic tools you need – and probably a nice box to store them in too – with minimal effort. Then the fun of getting all those extra tools you need (or want but don’t really need) can begin.

We might have said it enough times that it's becoming a tired phrase here on Freewheel, but dont cheap out on your tyres. There's only one part of your bike designed to touch the floor, and it's those few millimetres of rubber that can make the difference between going round a corner in the wet or sliding across the road. With that in mind, it makes sense to put a bit of thought into what tyres you're going to be riding through the winter. Well, that and the fact that you want to ride something durable enough that you wont spend half your ride huddled on the verge trying to fix yet another puncture. Back in the day the idea that you could have a durable tyre that road well was a pipe dream, these days it's no only a reality but there are a whole bunch of different options to choose from. Here are some of the best autumn and winter tyres to make your ride ready for the bad weather. 

We know it’s not what anyone wants to hear, but we’re in October now and those 20-degree sunny days are definitely behind us, which means it’s time to start thinking about riding in cooler (and probably wetter) weather. But don’t unpack the turbo just yet, as there are plenty of clothing options that mean you can stay riding outside when the weather drops off, and even keep regularly riding outdoors all Autumn and Winter if that takes your fancy. Here are a few things to think about (and a few choice pieces to try out) if you'd like to stay riding outside for as long as possible. 

The Tour de France is one of sport's great spectacles. Three weeks where cycling fans everywhere spend days glued to the TV, desperate to see what's going to happen next, punctuated by visits to every online bike shop to covet the latest and greatest kit as-used by the best road riders on the planet. But the thing is, those pros don't pay for their kit so they can afford to wrap a 10 grand bike around a guard rail and grab another from a team car. You probably can't. It's a different game when you're playing with someone else's things.  For the rest of us - as much as we like the idea of a bike that costs more than our cars - it's just not a sensible idea or a practical possiblity. But the good news is that almost all the brands you see at the Tour offer a whole host of different products that, while they might not be exactly the same as the stuff used by the pros, offer the vast majority of the performance for a fraction of the price tag. Here on Freewheel we have more than

We're all a bit guilty of looking in the same places every time we go shopping. We know what we like and we like what we know, which  makes a sometimes difficult process that little bit easier. But every now and then it's fun to have a look around and find something new, and here we have four really cool, offbeat brands available on Freewheel that you might be interested in. Each a little different in their own way, Urban Iki, Dynaplug, Outdoor Tech and SP Connect are all well worth a few minutes of your time. Check them out below.