How to

Whether saddlebags are cool or not is something that'll probably be debated ad infinitum, but it's impossible to deny that they are are super useful. For example they free up your jersey pockets for more interesting stuff (like food) and mean that everything you need is attached to your bike when you want to ride. No more scrabbling around for those tyre levers that you absolutely left in that drawer but just aren't there any more. With that in mind, here's our list of the most useful things to have in a saddlebag. Oh, and if you end up in the middle of nowhere without the right tools to fix what's just happened to your bike then it's your fault. Unless you've snapped the frame or something, then we'll let you off. Inner tube Unless you’re running tubeless tyres (and maybe even if you are running tubeless as it’s never bad to have a plan B) you’ll need an inner tube in your saddlebag. You should make sure it’s solid one, too, not one of

Hey there everyone, and welcome to another selection of bike maintenance videos brought to you by the experts at Park Tool. We talk a lot on Freewheel about keeping your bike clean and making sure that everything works correctly, and so saw no reason not to bang on about it again here, except this time you can listen to people rather than reading our monotone written narrative. Check out the below videos, hope you enjoy them!

Disc brakes are more than just a fad, they're here to stay. It doesn't matter what or where you ride, disc brakes are the new normal, now, and learning how to keep them operating correctly is a really important part of owning a bike.  But anyone who’s used disc brakes knows that they can be a little, well, squealy. The key to keeping your disc brakes working properly and free from noise is, of course, looking after your pads and rotors. Squeaking noises are one thing, but a grinding noise is a sign of something that needs urgent attention. All Shimano disc brake pads have a wear indicator to tell you when they need replacing, and if you don’t make sure that you check them regularly then you’ll not only wear down the rotors prematurely but also risk not being able to brake properly when you really need it. The same goes for the rotors, as they wear down they get thinner and Shimano recommend that you change your rotors when they wear down a certain

Of the many different things Shimano's Di2 system can do, Synchro Shift might be the smartest but also one of the most misunderstood. Lots of riders don’t try Synchro Shift out because they just don’t really understand what it is and what it isn’t. So here’s an explanation of what Synchro Shift does do, doesn’t do, and why you might fancy giving it a go.

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

At some point of owning a bike, you're going to end up with an odd creak or squeak. But if you look after your bike properly, that should be the exception rather than the rule. Here are a few things to check regularly that'll help keep your bike working as well as possible. Check chain wear regularly One of the most important checks to keep your bike is working smoothly is to monitor chain wear. A worn chain doesn't just affect shifting, it'll also cause your chainrings, cassette and jockey wheels to wear quickly, too, so making sure that your chain is in good condition is doing your whole drivetrain a favour.  A chain checker - like Park Tool's new CC-4 - is a simple way to see how worn your chain is. You just drop the tool into the chain, maintain pressure on the right hand end, and see how far the left tip drops. Park Tool have, as ever, made an excellent video showing you how to use it:

Working on your bike at home can seem like a minefield. Luckily the guys from Park Tool are here to help...

When you think about looking after your bike, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking that the best way to do it is to buy new stuff. Buying new kit is great, and undoubtedly fun, but in reality the number one thing when it comes to bikes is proper, consistent maintenance. You know the old cliché ‘look after X and it’ll look after you’? That applies to bikes as much as anything. With enough care and attention, there’s no reason you can’t still be riding your current bike for years to come, and any upgrades will come from choice rather than necessity. So, for Christmas, why not treat your bike to a full inspection? Take the time to check some of those things that maybe you’ve neglected for most of the year and get your ride ready to roll for 2021.

Winter is the most demanding season on your bike. The weather brings all manner of dirt and grime with it, and the pervading wetness that characterises the UK in autumn and winter means stuff sticks to your ride until you wash it off. That means if you want to keep your bike working as well as it can during the darker months, you're going to need to put a little effort in. It's nothing major, but bad habits like throwing a wet bike straight into the garage will begin to take their toll as the weeks pass. We've put together a short guide with a few things you need to think about if you want to keep your bike working as well as it can through to spring.

If there’s one skill that it’s fundamental to master as a cyclist, it’s the ability to fix a puncture. That’s because, just like death and taxes, punctures are one of life’s inevitabilities when you ride bikes. You might go for months without one, maybe even years, but eventually misfortune will catch up with you and you’ll get a puncture. Just hope that when you do it’s not in terrible weather… Anyway, being able to fix a puncture is one of those skills that makes you self-sufficient when you ride, and stops your friends and relatives from not picking up the phone when you call because they think you’re asking for a life home. Again. A few years ago, explaining how to fix a puncture was a far simpler task than now because almost everybody ran tyres with inner tubes, and getting going again was a matter of either patching or replacing said tube before riding off into the sunset. But now that tubeless is a thing, there’s

When Shimano debuted their Digital Integrated Intelligence (Di2) system back in 2009 it really changed the game in terms of shifting on a bike. It also started a great debate like all new things in cycling - disc brakes on road bikes, anyone - because there’s nothing cyclists of all varieties like more than to have an argument about whether something is better than something else.  Still, over a decade later and almost all high end road bikes come equipped with some form of electronic shifting, so it’s fair to say that it caught on.  But if you’re new to Di2 - or curious as to how it works - we’ve put together a guide on a few of the things you need to know to get the most out of your Di2 groupset. 

Cycle to Work day is the UK’s biggest cycle commuting event. It’s pretty well summed up by its title; one day where instead of your usual commute you do it by bike instead (or if you already do it by bike, then you carry on as normal).  It’s not a day just for super keen roadies, or hardcore mountain bikers or anything like that. It’s a day for normal people to get on a bike and ride, even if you haven’t ridden in years and feel like you wouldn’t know where to start.  So whatever journey you’re planning for August 6, 2020, plan to do it by bike. It doesn’t just have to be riding to work, either, it could be a trip to the shops, a ride after work for the fun of it or  even just your daily few minutes of exercise, basically anything that you’d usually do without a bike, just add a bike into those plans. 

Look after your bike and your bike will look after you

Hydraulic brakes are excellent for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that since they're a closed system they need very little maintenance. But like everything, eventually they're going to need a tweak or two and the main bit of maintenance hydraulic brakes need is a re-bleed.  Bleeding brakes essentially means flushing the hydraulic system to try and remove any air that's trapped. Any air trapped will cause the levers to feel spongey and means that your brakes wont be as powerful and reactive as you want or need them to be. Bleeding isn't a difficult thing to do, but it can be a hard skill to master so here Park Tool's Calvin Jones shows to you how to bleed Shimano hydraulic brakes for both flat and drop bar bikes. 

Cycling on roads can seem pretty intimidating if you’re new to it, but like almost everything it’s a matter of doing it more and more to build up your confidence. Here are a few things to think about to keep you safe on the roads.  Concentrate

Checking your bike regularly will make sure that it stays working properly for as long as possible. Here are some things to keep and eye on

Keeping your bike safe is important. Here's Kryptonite's guide to choosing the right lock for you bike

Servicing DT star ratchet hubs is suprisingly easy. Here's a guide to how to maintain your DT freehub at home. 

Learn how to look after your bike, Park Tool style

Want to get riding with your kids? Here are a few things to think about...

Sometimes choosing new bits for your bike is difficult because you can’t choose what you want. That’s a good type of decision. But there are times when you just can’t figure out what you need – like which brake pads work with your calipers – and that can be really frustrating. Fortunately, if you’re running Shimano, there’s an online resource that can help you solve all those little problems and it’s called si.shimano.com. On there you’ll find more information than you could ever possibly need about what works with what. There are even compatibility charts showing you which groupset parts will work with each other.  

Think riding inside is boring? Think again...

Looking after your bike is even more important in winter when the elements can take their toll. Here are a few areas to check regularly if you want to keep riding outside through the bad weather.

If you didn't ride your bike in bad weather, you'd never ride it at all. Here are a few things to think about now that the climate has reverted to type and getting yourself out the door isn't as easy as it was for those two beautiful weeks we called summer.