Drum brake (& roller brake) pros and cons
Drum brake (and “Shimano roller”) pros and cons compared to disc brakes and rim brakes
Home » Author: Relja Novović
Relja Novović
Bicycle repair or tuning – how to ask for advice?
How to ask for help and advice for bicycle repair, maintenance or tuning?
Buying a bicycle – how to ask for advice?
How to ask for help and advice when buying a new or a used bicycle?
My bicycle saddle is uncomfortable, what should I do?
What to do if your bicycle saddle is uncomfortable? How to find a comfortable saddle – and how to know it’s comfortable before buying it?
Bicycle parts tightening torque (N⋅m) specifications
A list of recommended tightening torques (in N⋅m) for various bicycle parts (stems, bottom brackets, cassettes, derailleurs, brakes etc.).
Flat tyres – causes and prevention
What causes flat tyres on bicycles? How to prevent, or at least reduce the probability of having a flat tyre?
Mountain bicycle (MTB) buying guide – comprehensive
Which mountain bicycle (MTB) should I buy? Should I go with Shimano Deore or SRAM? What kind of suspension to look (out) for?
Road bicycle buying guide – comprehensive
Which road bicycle should I buy? Which road bicycle is the best? What should I pay attention to when buying a road bike?
Vintage bicycle frames with modern parts
Mounting more modern wheels, derailleurs and forks on an old, or vintage frame, in order to make a cheap, and durable bicycle that’s easy to maintain.
Buying a bicycle on Amazon, or another online shop
Is buying a bicycle on Amazon a good idea? What are the pros and cons? Do they offer a wide range of good choices?
Bicycle wheelbuilding tools explained
A list of all the tools needed for building bicycle wheels. Pros and cons of various wheel-building tool models.
Bicycle frame materials – explained
Which bicycle frame material is the best? Carbon, steel, titanium, aluminium? Basics, differences, and pros & cons of each – explained.
Bicycle frame design explained
Why are most bicycle frames built with the high horizontal top tube, rather tricky to step over? How to make a frame that is light and strong?
Sheldon Brown’s Legacy
A homage to the late legend – Sheldon Brown. A great cycling and bicycle mechanics enthusiast, who was happy to share his vast knowledge.
Phillips, JIS, and Pozidriv screwdrivers explained
There are screwdrivers that don’t slip (come out, “cam-out”) when unscrewing a tight screw. How to tell those, what are the differences?
Bicycle service prices
My thoughts on the prices of bicycle service – are they too high, or too low, how much should that cost?
Broken / damaged bicycle parts
Display of malfunctioning, damaged, or broken bicycle parts, with brief explanations
Unsafe and bad cycling industry patents
Explanation of some widely used cycling industry patents that I consider bad, and/or unsafe
Cycling related traffic laws in Serbia
Cycling related legal provisions of Serbian traffic law. Is helmet obligatory? How to ride in traffic, etc.
Bicycle commuting to work, school
How to use a bicycle for commuting to work, or to school? What kind of bicycle? How to dress? What to look (out) for?
Bicycle repair stand DIY
Bicycle repair stand that I use – DIY made. Showing functions, dimensions and some details of how it was made.
Questions & Answers
Page dedicated to posting questions and giving answers to those questions – sort of an online consulting page if you like.
Bicycle service overload
What to know, what to look (out) for when dealing with bicycle services and shops during peak season rush (Spring/early Summer).
Hub dimensions datasheet – for spoke length calculation
Table with measured hub dimensions that are important for calculating optimal spoke length when building bicycle wheels
Effective rim diameter (ERD) datasheet
Table with a list of effective rim diameter (ERD) data that I have measured. Along with some other rim related data for bicycle wheel building.
Hub measurement for bicycle wheelbuilding
Important hub dimensions that need to be taken in order to calculate the optimal spoke length for bicycle wheelbuilding. What to measure and how to do it.
Effective rim diameter (ERD) explained
How to measure effective rim diameter (ERD) and a datasheet with effective rim diameter of various rims. Knowing ERD matters for bicycle wheelbuilding.
Bicycle wheel building basics
How to true a bicycle wheel? How to build strong wheels? Which spokes and rims are the best? I give all these answers (and a bit more) here.
Cycling sunglasses buying guide
What I consider good cyclig goggles (glasses). With a review of a concrete model: Uvex 802 Variomatic.
Transporting children on a bicycle
How to transport a child, or children on a bicycle? What kinds of bicycle child seats and trailers exist, what are their pros and cons. My experience…
When should a bicycle tyre be replaced?
When to replace bicycle tyres? How to tell a tyre is worn? Should front and rear tyre be swapped occassionally? What to look out for?
How to store a bicycle indoors
How to store a bicycle indoors, whether in a house, flat, or a garage. Different methods of hanging a bicycle explained and shown.
How to store a bicycle over the winter
Short text on how to prepare a bicycle for storage over the winter – and how to get it ready in the spring. First guest post on bikegremlin.
Safe bicycle overtaking distance
My thoughts on minimum safe distance for a car overtaking a bicycle. Should there be a law prescribing a minimum distance?
Routing brake and shifter housing and cables
How to route housing and cables for bicycle shifters and brakes, so that it all works smoothly, precisely with as little friction as possible.
Bicycle shifter, brake cable, and housing standards
What standards for bicycle shifter and brake cables and housing exist. What are the differences. How to tell, what to pay attention to.
About electric scooters (kick scooters)
General information and my thoughts about electric scooters – i.e. electric kick scooters. What are the technical aspects to consider, pros and cons etc.
Front chainring mounting standards
Bicycle front chainring mounting standards – according to the number of mounting bolts and diameter of the circle they are spaced along.
Mounting a backpack and panniers on a bicycle
How to mount backpack and/or panniers on a bicycle. A short description of a “patent” that has worked well for me.
Eliminating disc brake squealing
Disc brake squealing – how to eliminate this problem. Step by step instructions.
Eliminating disc brake rub
How to eliminate disc brake rub – annoying rub that happens when riding, without activating the brakes.
Bicycle makes strange sounds
“My bicycle is making strange sounds”. Creaking, or clicking. How to determine the source of the sounds, in order to fix it.
Bicycle mechanic’s job – my thoughts
My thoughts on the job of a bicycle mechanic. Inspired by a post on bikeforums.net, from a man asking about getting into the businsess.