Wrenching on your own ride has become a lot easier, now that many companies post repair/assembly manuals on their website. The folks at SRAM recently revealed additional internet resources for shade-tree bike mechanics: 23 service videos for SRAM, RockShox, Avid and Truvativ MTB products. Video topics include proper SRAM chain sizing, SRAM trigger shifter cable change, Avid hydraulic brake bleed procedure, Truvativ bottom bracket & crank installation, and RockShox Mission Control damper service.

Each video features step by step tutorial covering service steps, the required tools, and proper safety equipment. These videos were filmed at our SRAM Technical University (STU) classroom facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The technical videos can be found on SRAM’s Tech channel on YouTube at www.youtube.com/sramtech. The same videos, along with a library of pdf service manuals, can also be found in the SRAM service section of SRAM.com.

Those clever Brits have invented the world’s fastest portable bike pump. It’s called the Cyclaire, and it uses an ingenious zip cord — sort of like a lawn mower. You can watch a viddy of it in action here. (Flat tyre? Stiff upper lip, mate!)

Not sure if this dingus will be available in bike shops here. But with the advances made in handpumps in terms of size-to-volume ratio, it’s possible to finally give up those tetchy CO2 cartridges. Those things are heavy, and they have always seemed extravagantly un-green. And if you use them in the winter, there’s a good chance you’ll shatter your tube in low ambient temperatures.

Besides, if you try to take them on an airplane, you can pretty much count on a cavity search.

Earlier this winter, I made a note of the most desired bike light available today. It’s called The Betty, and it retails for nearly $1000. That’s a lot of cabbage for a headlight!

But today, over at BikeHacks, I noticed their “Five Killer DIY bike lights,” including this vaguely steampunkish setup:

I think this may be the last bastion of true bike geekdom: Folks with the skills and equipment to build one-of-a-kind components and accessories, from handpainted fenders to bestiary lugs.

Almost every day at Instructables.com — “the world’s biggest show and tell”– there’s someone with a new hack on the bicycle, from the snow-bike to the DIY carbon frame (I mentioned this last week) to the torchless tallbike.

Today, I noticed this bike built with two headtubes so that the wheels can be steered independently. Not necessarily something you want to take out on a bar cruise, but good for a few laughs out in the alley. (Incidentally, not a bike I’d want to be clipped in to, as this gentleman is prepared to do.)

Still, I can’t help saying: All this human ingenuity, and no one has actually improved on the simple perfection of the traditional safety bike.

Way out on the fringe of society, there are still a few brave souls who see an expensive, high-tech gizmo and they say to themselves, “I could build that myself!”

It takes a patient, thorough person to attempt building your own carbon MTB frame, with more time than money, and more tools than Mr. Goodwrench. But this dude did it, and he’s sharing the knowledge over at Instructables.

On the upside, it looks like this job might be easier than brazing or welding. On the downside, I suspect you’re going to want a class-3 respirator and a high-pressure water saw. Carbon is not the most user-friendly material in the world.

Photo: Brano, http://www.instructables.com/member/Brano/

Fox Racing has issued a gentle reminder to all you dirt riders who like to cut corners on your equipment
to save a buck or avoid a trip to the shop: On that cool 29er you’ve been piecing together for the past year, don’t use a fork that’s designed, built, tested and certified for a 26-inch wheel.

Use this one. It’s intended for 29-inch wheels. You can tell cos it says “F29″ right on it.

True, it’s frustrating that there are so few decent forks for 29ers. That, and the interchangeability of disk-compatible hubs irrespective of wheel size, make it awfully tempting to shortcut manufacturer recommendations.

Like your mom told you: If you do it anyway, you won’t have anyone to blame but yourself.