People don't look alike. Everyone has their own characteristics and preferences. They are expressed in everything, even in bicycles. Some people like road bikes, others like mountain bikes. The style of riding is also different: cross-country, street racing or downhill. Everyone chooses for himself what is more suitable for his unique style. There are people who want to stand out from others and have something unique and unlike anything else. Bicycles, especially inexpensive ones, have almost no design as such. Therefore, people with imagination do bike tuning. How does it happen - find out right now.
What is tuning
If we consider bike tuning as a whole, then there are only two reasons why it is used: to increase aesthetics and upgrade (improvement). If everything is clear with the second - you need to improve the bike for more efficient and enjoyable riding, then with the second it will be a little more difficult. Here it is no longer important physical indicators iron horse, but external. The cooler it looks, the better. That's all the differences between them.
Bicycle tuning at home
Many changes can be made by yourself, without the participation of special tools and workshop workers. The very first tuning of a bicycle should be carried out immediately after its purchase. This is simply necessary, because in very many cases, not very high-quality parts are installed at assembly plants. This is especially evident in budget bikes. The first step is to change the seat. Most likely, there it is the cheapest and most versatile you can find. It is better to pick up a normal size saddle (preferably leather) and replace it. The second is to change the pedals. It is best to buy metal with spikes. With such platforms, the grip is much higher, and therefore safer.
Of course, in order to do everything at home, you need to have at least some tools and skills to work with them. The first step is to purchase a set of wrenches. This is the basis for any work with the bike.
Bicycle "Tourist": tuning
"Tourist" is an old Soviet bicycle. It was produced at a factory in the city of Kharkov in the fifties and sixties. Basically, this is a transport for tourist walks, which is already evident from its name. On the this moment It is quite difficult to get it, since it has not been produced for a long time. If such a miracle falls into the hands of someone, then one hundred percent of it will need to be repaired. First of all, it will be necessary to tune the wheels, namely the bushings. From such "age" they have already rusted. For normal riding, you will need to at least lubricate them. Good tuning "Tourist" - and he is again ready to conquer the distance.
tuning
Conventional bikes tend to be very simple in design and equipment. In such cases, the bike must be tuned. "Stealth", ashanbike and other cheap units have a completely nondescript design. There is an exit! You can do the tuning yourself and make your iron horse a little more beautiful, and most importantly, more original.
If the color does not suit or the numerous meaningless logos on the frame, then you can repaint and apply your own drawings. But everything is not so simple. It would seem that painting the frame is as easy as shelling pears: I took it apart, sanded it and applied several layers of paint and varnish. It looks easy, but in reality it is very difficult. Until you come across this, you have no idea how much patience and experience it takes to be able to completely disassemble the bike yourself to the last screw. But it's still half the trouble. It still needs to be collected. Therefore, it is best for experienced cyclists to take on painting the frame.
Lightening the bike
One of the types of tuning is to lighten the bike. It is logical - the less weight, the less energy is spent. Therefore, you can drive further or faster. A directly proportional relationship is built between the weight of the bike, speed and range. And you can't get her anywhere.
Where do you start lightening your bike? And it's worth starting with the wheels. The first step is to replace the tires and tubes. As a rule, on all middle-level bikes they put good, but very heavy rubber. By changing tires (half slicks are best) and tubes, you can lighten your horse by half a kilo, which is already a big win. Every gram at a great distance is very important.
The most ordinary wheelset (a pair of wheels without rubber) weighs about two and a half kilograms. If you put a new wheelset, then you can also save half a kilogram. But these wheels cost about $ 300, so this upgrade will result in a rather big amount. The lower the cost of this node, the more expensive its price.
Absolutely all cheap and medium bikes are equipped with "simulators" of the front forks. Not only do they almost do not fulfill their function, but such a fork also weighs a lot. By replacing with a new, lighter and better one, you can also reduce the weight of the bike by half a kilogram. After that, not only the weight will decrease, but the ride quality will also improve.
An upgrade can be understood as the replacement of parts of a bicycle, as well as the expansion of its capabilities, such as buying accessories. Most things can be easily done with your own hands at home, something more difficult for a moderate fee will be done in the workshop. Today we will talk about the technical part and the replacement of components without any video, with a large number of photos. There will be a separate article about upgrades of accessories.
So - you wondered how to improve your bike. For those who devote time to cycling, there is always a temptation to improve / change something, and from our own experience we can say that this process is often very difficult to stop. As a result, you get a completely custom bike - something like:
The aerobatics of the owners of such bicycles is also the fitting of the bicycle bolts to the color scheme.
Note that it doesn’t matter if you have a mountain bike, a city bike, two-suspension bike, a hybrid or even a children’s bike - all the components of the bike are disassembled and changed, up to the nipples on the spokes of your bike. Yes, even if you have Soviet models like Kama, Ukraine, stork or modern stealth (stels) - there is always something to change.
Where to start upgrading? Here you have a bike that you bought N years ago and it already creaks all over and does not ride. In this case, we honestly say that to buy a whole new bike it will be cheaper than changing something or repairing it on the old one to the state of "combat".
However, if the desire for tuning calls, then:
Transmission
The most heavily used item on a bike. It is with him that you have to interact as much as possible. Whether you have 10 speeds or 30. It makes sense to upgrade the front / rear derailleur and shifters (switches on the steering wheel).
The required "level" of components for replacement - will help you choose our article on. Let's briefly add that it's "interesting" to ride equipment from Shimano Deore and above.
Depreciation
Often there is a desire to change the fork and rear shock absorber (if any). Usually, on bicycles up to 40-50 thousand rubles, there are very primitive forks, by changing which you will feel significant improvements from processing the little things and practicing active riding in the forest. However, be prepared to pay from 10 thousand rubles for new copies.
Tires
To increase the cross-country ability of a bicycle or increase its speed, it makes sense to change tires. Usually, heavy and aggressive tires can be standard, changing them can go much faster. It is important to choose a light and rolling tire, such as maxxis ikon or crossmark.
wheels
A bit of theory: The lighter the weight of the bike on the rim(tire + tube + rim + spokes), so it will have a significantly larger roll and more speed. And it is very noticeable - believe me! So you can change the rims and tubes to lighter ones (do not overdo it!) And this will also affect the speed of the bike. If you have a budget, you can also change the bushings, but this is already a more costly undertaking. Since a set of good bushings costs from 5 thousand rubles.
brakes
Do you know the principle of racing cars? With increasing speed, it is better to improve the brakes first, but we think that here the speed is less (if you do not plan to race), then the brakes can be changed a little later. Get Deore level hydraulics and you'll be blown away by comfort and stopping power.
Handlebar/Saddle/Stem/Seatpost/Pedals/Crankset
Changing these components will also affect your riding, but it's more a matter of choosing them more comfortable/uncomfortable and like/dislike. And, of course, weight savings.
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Contact pedals
Having updated almost the entire bike, we think it's time to try contact pedals. For those who are not familiar with them - special pedals and "spikes" on cycling shoes that allow you to attach your foot to the pedal - thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of pedaling and forget about the concept of "feet off the pedals" forever. Great accessory for active skiing.
As a creative being, a person is always trying to give his things an individual style, add features and simply make it more convenient to use. The personal bike is no exception. Tuning is actively gaining momentum and does not bypass anyone: sooner or later, any cyclist will want to add his own flavor, to make the bike not like the others. Some are limited only to additional canopies, others go further and transform the appearance of their two-wheeled transport beyond recognition.
In any case, bike tuning has a place to be, and in the "club" environment, it generally becomes almost a tradition.
It is important to remember one thing: a redesigned bike should look better than before, be more comfortable and not cause an unhealthy smile from colleagues, passers-by or car drivers.
Often, bike tuning is a necessary measure when you need to update an old favorite bike. But even here the effect of "separation from the mass" will not go anywhere. For example, the Soviet signal speed, repainted in bright orange and equipped with new accessories, is hard to miss. Tuning includes changing wheels and tires, changing design features suspension fork, lighting design and more, for which there is enough imagination.
Styling frame, wheels and forks
A simple option for re-registration is great - this is painting it in a different color, which is determined by the supporting structure - the frame. Repainted rims also contribute, provided that the wheels are not replaceable.
Painting a frame is a laborious process, but quite feasible at home. To change the color scheme, you need a little:
- solvent;
- primer;
- sandpaper for cleaning scratches and chips;
- spray cans with paint of the desired color.
The frame is thoroughly washed, the old layer of paint is removed with a solvent. Then, with the help of sandpaper, all defects are evenly sanded. After that, the frame must be degreased and dried.
The primer is a mandatory step before spraying the paint, otherwise it will not last long. The optimal number of layers is up to three, each layer must be allowed to dry. After priming, we proceed to painting the bicycle frame from a spray can. All work is done in a well-ventilated area, drying time - up to two days.
Two tone frame
This frame tuning does not end there. With the help of special stencils, you can add original drawings. Stencils are self-adhesive films with cutouts. You can buy them or make your own. The second option is even better, the main thing is to turn on the fantasy to the maximum.
A separate area is wheel tuning. You can go several ways:
- repainting rims;
- installation of new tires;
- installation of plastic shields or hauling film;
The color of the wheels is the same as the frame. To protect the spokes, a thin film should be glued to each of them and the sleeve must be protected from paint ingress.
Installing tires of a different type is rational on hybrid bicycles. So, for example, instead of "average" tires, you can put aggressive tires from a mountain bike. Among fans of home tuning, there are craftsmen to drag the wheels with a dense colored film or install blades made of plastic or plywood. A radical solution is to put new wheels, better than a fundamentally different design - casting.
Alloy wheels - the original modification of the wheel
Tuning a fork is a purely technical procedure. Modernization of the front shock absorber is:
- changing the length or installing a new spring;
- damper installation;
- removing the shock absorber and converting the fork to a rigid one.
This is done by the owners of bikes on which budget shock absorbers are installed. More advanced types of forks, for example, spring-oil ones, should not be tuned by yourself.
Bright rides in the dark
Lovers of riding dark time days will definitely be interested in light tuning of the bike. A variety of solutions will allow you to turn the bike into a "Christmas tree", attract the attention of passers-by and motorists, and also ensure safety on the move. Varieties of bicycle lighting design:
- installation of the headlight and taillight;
- turning signals;
- illumination of the frame, steering wheel and wheels with diode tapes;
- pasting with reflectors;
- phosphor lighting.
A bike tuned with front and rear lights is gradually becoming the norm. Everyone knows that driving "in the dark" means not seeing the road yourself and the risk of being unnoticed by the driver of the car. On the highway speed bike the headlight and taillight are mandatory.
Turn signals are a new device in the bicycle tuning environment. So far, this device has not been widely used, but the idea is not bad: extending your arm before giving a turn worsens the stability of the bike. Here you just clicked on the button, and other participants traffic warned about the maneuver.
Wireless turn signals with remote control
LED strips, reflectors and phosphor lighting will help make the bike truly attractive. The first option is battery-powered lamp strips. Reflectors transform appearance bicycle only in the light of headlights or street lamps. But phosphorus makes the bike visible in complete darkness! All types of lighting play a key role in the design, but they increase the level of safety when riding in the dark.
LED strips on handlebars, frame and wheels
Separately, it is worth mentioning the tuning of the wheels. Like the frame, they can be pasted over with LED strips, reflective or phosphor stripes. You can go several ways:
- to tune only the rims with light;
- stick LED strips on the knitting needles;
- complete the wheel.
Especially for the wheels, animated records were invented. They are fixed on the spokes and when the wheel rotates, they show bright patterns, stripes and abstractions. Looks amazing, but the batteries only last a few days.
Glowing animator on the wheel
It is unlikely that animators will be able to tune the wheels on their own, so those who prefer tuning a bike with their own hands will choose diodes or luminous strips.
Additional accessories: stylish, comfortable, practical
You can also tune a bike with body kits. Accessories give the bike a special style, some of them play a significant role in the convenience and safety of movement. Common additional items include:
- bell or klaxon;
- rearview mirror;
- wings;
- trunk and bike basket;
- bottle holder;
- bike computer;
- step.
Most bicycles have a sound device, but if suddenly there is no bell, it's time to put it on. When driving on sidewalks among pedestrians, this is an invaluable thing.
The rear-view mirror allows you to control the situation behind, reduces the "blind zone" of the cyclist. It will come in handy for everyone who rides their bike on the roads.
Put a mirror - added confidence on the roads
Wings are a simple but effective mud protector. They can be put from scratch or replaced with others. So, for example, plastic fenders are widely dispersed as an alternative to metal ones.
A bike rack and a basket will prove useful for road workers who often carry small loads with them. In addition to being useful, these body kits will give the city bike a finished look.
Water is a necessary companion for a cyclist. It is very convenient to fix the bottle with a special holder on a vertical pipe under the saddle. Special capacious flasks are sold with the holders, which are not only more convenient on trips, but will also fit the design of the bike.
You can make a bottle holder with your own hands
A bike computer is a serious element of bike tuning. These compact devices allow you to record speed, distance traveled, travel time and much more.
With a footrest, the problem of putting the bike will be resolved once and for all. If it was already included with the bike, you do not need to remove it. It will definitely come in handy very soon!
A tuned bike (in moderation!) Looks nice and harmonious. It will give a positive mood to its owner, be more convenient and safe, attract the attention of other people and become an example to follow. Before updating, you should carefully consider what exactly needs to be improved and find a way to emphasize the main advantages.
Often a bicycle is an expression of the riding style, the emotional state of the cyclist. It turns out that tuning a bike is no less interesting than tuning cars, for example. Therefore, at some point the question arises: “How to upgrade your bike?” “How to make bike tuning at home with your own hands, where to start.”
Those who have made the bicycle an integral part of their lives cannot have the same units. Almost every cyclist adjusts the transport for himself, making it more convenient and unique. Bicycle tuning can be both functional (associated with improving its qualities) and “beauty” (associated with improving its appearance). As a result of such work, the bike may become completely different from its original appearance.
One popular way to personalize your vehicle is LED lighting. They are installed anywhere, but often they are placed in such a way as to highlight the asphalt under the bike, special diodes can also be installed on the nipple caps, which glow while driving.
In turn, this is also a practical point in terms of lighting some elements of the bike (for example, the backlight of the speedometer allows you to see your speed in the dark, etc.). There are firms that can install more powerful diode lamps, as well as direction indicators, strobe lights, and automatic lighting.
The most practical option for tuning a bike is to upgrade its attachments and its various components.
Everything can be improved:
- fork, shock absorbers;
- transmission and shifting;
- wheels (spokes, rims, tires, etc.);
- brake system (rotors, calipers, adapters, etc.);
- controls (saddle, pedals, steering wheel, etc.)
Tuning can eat up a significant part of your budget, so you should decide on the main details when replacing equipment, and also should not be done too much. big difference in the equipment class, as the functionality of the entire bike can suffer from this.
Also during tuning, you can add a bike bag, a bike light, a bike computer, a water bottle, fenders, a comfortable seat to your bike. All this will increase the functionality of transport and the comfort of your movement.
Do-it-yourself bike tuning is an interesting and exciting activity that everyone can do, but you will need to show your imagination and skill, in any case, you can always turn to specialists for help.
Bicycle tuning consists not only in its artistic design, but also in the installation of better, more comfortable and reliable components. It can be a replacement of pedals, steering wheel, saddle, brakes.
Today we will tell about the upgrade of the latter, or rather, it will not be the entire brake system, but only the replacement of the brake levers.
It should be remembered that structurally the levers have a similar structure, but the more expensive ones are made from better materials, so they are lighter but more rigid.
Also, high-quality brakes differ in the trajectory of the movement of the brake pads (their translational movement, and not along the arc of a circle). These are brakes like Shimano Deore Lx.
If you still decide to change the brake levers, then you should know that they are different for brake pads - threaded and threadless. Therefore, when buying, you should choose the appropriate type of levers, otherwise you will have to buy new pads.
Now about the installation of levers. Before you start work, you should remove all dirt from the axle of the brakes. You should also clean the holes for the retainer. Now the axle should be greased (a little).
The brake lever is available in a variety of designs, but all of these designs are compatible with front fork and frame mounts. The latch is located near the hole for the axle. The latch is inserted into a special hole for this. The lever has an adjusting screw for the retracting spring.
It should also be remembered that the right lever is different from the left lever. The first has screws for attaching the cable, and the second has clamps for the tip of the cable.
Before installing the lever, determine which side it fits. The lever that has the yoke fits the side that has the cable.
Now about the installation. The lever should be put on the axle, and a retainer should be inserted into one of the holes. Start with the average. If you don't like the way the brakes move, just move the lever lock. It should be borne in mind that they should stand in the same position.
Now you should wrap the fixing screw in the axle hole. To tighten the screw, take paint and go over the thread a little. The second brake lever is installed in the same way.
Now let's take the brake pads and install them (if you haven't already). Do not tighten them too much, as they still need to be adjusted. First, install the pads so that they are perpendicular to the rim and the brake levers.
At the same time, if the brake lever is rotated, then the pads rest against side surface rims - this is their correct installation.
By following the instructions above, you can effectively install brake pads on your bike.
Tuning a bike at home can be quite a simple matter. Painstaking - yes, but simple. You can buy an inexpensive model of a bike and then remake it for yourself and make the bike of your dreams.
In order to upgrade your transport, you need to stock up on patience and tools. So where do you start? To get started, you can install more comfortable and high-quality parts on your bike:
- saddle - more comfortable and suitable for you;
- brakes;
- pedals (replace conventional ones with contact ones);
- install or remove the trunk;
- wheels (or simply replace tires with more functional and suitable for your riding style);
- steering wheel, etc.
Having decided on what you would like to improve technically, you can also think about artistic improvement.
For a mountain bike, the main criterion for the quality of a bicycle is the strength of the frame and its weight. Steel frames are used as standard. This design can be replaced with a frame made of titanium, aluminum or chromium-molybdenum alloys. And recently, frames made using butting technology have become popular. In places of greatest load, the walls of such a frame are wider than in the rest.
Seat
Seat tuning, as a rule, consists in hauling the fabric, replacing it with leather, or installing a more comfortable model. For athletes, narrow and hard are suitable, and for urban movement - soft and wide.
Pedals
When replacing conventional pedals with contact ones, it is worth remembering that a separate set is needed for each type of riding. And also in the kit you need to purchase special shoes.
suspension forks
Shock absorber forks can be replaced with spring-oil or air-oil. Unlike standard spring-elastomer, they are more light and functional.
bushings
Bushings can be replaced with stamped, turned aluminum. For models mountain bikes bushings with non-separable bearings are more suitable, they increase efficiency and are easy to install.
.Bush brake
It is better to change the sleeve brake to a drum brake, or upgrade it with an additional installation of a cantilever rim or caliper brake. For those who like to participate in competitions, a mechanical disc or hydraulic brake will be useful.
Rims
Rims can be changed from steel to aluminum. This will prevent rust and make the bike much lighter. In addition, the strength of the wheels will increase and the appearance will be much improved.
Standard needles up to 2.3 mm in diameter can be replaced with blade-shaped or drawn needles made of high alloy steel or titanium. This will increase elasticity and flexibility.
Tires
Tires are one of essential elements bike designs. There are a lot of tire variations. Aggressive tires are more suitable for cross-country driving to provide better grip, on rubber of this type, as a rule, load lugs are installed on the side of the tread. winter walks change summer tires to studded ones, it will allow you to safely move on snow and ice.
Upgrading a bike is a phenomenon that the vast majority of cyclists of all ages experience. Moreover, very often, the improvement is rather not such, but only an unjustified desire to change something for something. A full-fledged upgrade means reaching a new quality level of equipment operation.
Since upgrading for the sake of upgrading itself is inherently a meaningless exercise, we will try to analyze a rational bike upgrade strategy based on
achieving reliability, better performance and aesthetic perfection. These are the three main components of the right upgrade.An upgrade not related to improving the functionality and increasing the reliability of the nodes, or generally based on bringing the bike to the state of Feng Shui, is either a simple repair masquerading as an upgrade or artistic creativity, which, if there is talent, can be applied in other areas. When you replace a broken component with the same one without changing
functionality, reliability and aesthetics, we can immediately say that such a replacement of a failed part is not an upgrade. If, when replacing a part with another, one of the three components listed above changes for the better, then this can be called an upgrade, although sometimes forced.It’s easier to understand the bike upgrade strategy and systematize the elements that will be improved, all bike nodes can be divided into groups:
- depreciation: fork, shock absorbers;- transmission and shifting: cassette, system, chain, switches, shifters, cables, etc.;
- wheels: rims, spokes, bushings, tires, tubes, etc.;
- brake system: calipers, rotors, brake levers, adapters, brake assemblies, etc.;
- controls: pedals, saddle, grips, handlebars, etc. Approximately in this order (someone may have a different opinion), it is necessary to develop a strategy for upgrading the bike when something in it does not suit you. The list above does not mention anything about the frame of the bike. When buying a bike, the choice of frame is decisive and it all starts with it.
If you upgrade the functional part, then that's all key points. Another important point the upgrade is to prevent a bias in the class of equipment, with a large difference in the class of equipment, instead of improving, on the contrary, functionality suffers, it looks, to put it mildly, ridiculous and the aesthetic side suffers. You need to invest financially in an upgrade, and if you don’t have enough money to make a balanced comprehensive upgrade, then it’s better to spend your pennies on cycling clothing, tools or accessories, but not become a victim of a partial upgrade.Bicycle LED lighting is modern systems design and tuning, which are elementary in installation and very beautiful. The use of such bike tuning is recommended in many countries for road safety. Animated wheels. Flat and ultra-light panels, mounted directly on the spokes bicycle wheel. The built-in computer and infrared sensors control the image during rotation. Bright fantastic patterns or text appear synchronously on the wheel.
Each panel already contains 6 options for drawing, as well as the ability to enter text up to 16 characters long. The image is clearly visible even at low speeds. The more panels on the wheel, the more unique patterns you can create yourself. The panels are suitable for all types of wheels, the recommended diameter is from 24 inches. The patterns are already visible on both sides at a speed of 7 wheel revolutions per minute. Colors - red, green, yellow, orange, blue, rainbow. Several control modes. Net weight 170 grams. Installed with a screwdriver; Waterproof and shockproof housing. Runs continuously on three AA batteries for a minimum of 48 hours.
Colored wheels. Universal LED nozzles for bicycles and scooters that are mounted directly on the nipple. The wheels are completely filled with a bright glow of different colors. Motion activation! Colors - blue, green, magenta, red, iridescent.
Chrome-plated waterproof housing and extended life. Everything you need is included, including batteries.. .Accessories for bicycle tuning. Small devices for beautifully illuminating pedals, handlebars, frames, horns and more. Great addition to your bike!
If you sell or manufacture bicycles, you have a real opportunity to increase sales and attract new customers.
Be sure to ensure that all the “bells and whistles” you put do not interfere with your bike control and do not affect its maneuverability. Otherwise, all the achievements of tuning will only interfere with your movement. Tuning and pumping a bike with your own hands is such an exciting activity that your flight of thought is completely unlimited. Use all the materials that come to hand and bring your wildest fantasies to life.
For example, the body of a bicycle can be painted in one color, and the frame and trunk in another. Choose the color scheme of your choice. In addition, stickers can come to your aid, which are presented in abundance in the assortment of a car or motorcycle tuning store. good options tuning and upgrade - this is pasting the bike with carbon fiber or applying airbrushing, converting it into an electric bike