Repair guides written from the workstand in Ballston Spa — bleeding brakes, chasing creaks, setting preload, and the tools each job actually needs.
Hubs & Bearings
A reference guide to the SHIS headset identification system: what the EC, ZS, and IS prefixes mean, how to read cup and bearing dimensions, how to identify an unknown headset on the bench, and the Unior tools that press, pull, and set each part.
Drivetrain
A workshop guide to sizing a bike chain: the big-big plus one inch method, the largest-cog method for 1x, how derailleur capacity and full suspension change the math, and how to break to length and reconnect cleanly.
Hubs & Bearings
Workshop guide to bearing service: cup-and-cone hubs, cartridge bearing press and puller technique, headset cup install and removal.
Workshop
The non-bike-specific hand tools (vise, files, awls, hacksaw, measuring tools, ratchets, pedal-thread chase) that quietly carry half the work in any working bike shop. Why they matter, how to choose them, and what to look for.
Brakes
Which Sinter model fits your brake, which compound suits your riding, and where the Elite line earns its titanium backing plate. The pad-selection guide for the Slovenian organic-compound brand we sell.
Workshop
A bike-mechanic's guide to shop apparel, drinkware, and the daily wear that survives bench life. Why dark cotton beats light, why a brim helps under a repair stand, and how the Made For Work line came together.
Workshop
A workshop is a workflow problem before it is a tool problem. Bench placement, repair-stand choice, and a find-it-in-five-seconds tool system decide how many bikes a mechanic can turn around in a day.
Wheels & Tires
A workshop walk-through for bringing a wheel back into true — lateral, radial, dish, and tension — plus the call on when a wheel is past saving.
Workshop
A workshop guide to using a slipper-type torque wrench on bike fasteners. Covers technique, scale reading, the low-torque/high-torque split, common bike values, and the calibration habits that keep the tool honest.
Workshop
A buyer's guide to bike tool kits. Covers the Home Kit, Pro Kit, and Master Tool Kit tiers, plus specialized sets for wheel building, suspension, and bearings. Match the kit to the work you do, not to what the catalog photo looks like.
Wheels & Tires
Pulling a tire and putting one back on is the most-performed bike repair in any workshop. This guide walks through removal, install, valve service, and bead seating, with the tools we reach for in our own shop.
Suspension
A 30-50 hour service interval keeps your fork plush and your stanchions from scoring. Here is how we run a lower-leg service in our workshop, the tools we reach for, and the torque values we hit on reassembly.
