Bicycle Technology and
The Business of Bicycles
Bicycle Trade Shows | Cycle Industry History | Business of Bicycles | Wheelbuilding | Bicycle How-To | Wheelgoods | Drivetrain | Bicycle Frames & Forks | Assorted Tech essays
Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available as an audiobook here. For the print and Kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Las Vegas Interbike 2013
Las Vegas Interbike 2012
Las Vegas Interbike 2011
Las Vegas Interbike 2010
Las Vegas Interbike 2009
Milan 2004. This story includes side trips to Prague and Vienna
Milan 1998
Milan 1985: a photo gallery
John Neugent's History of Sachs
Part 1 of John Neugent's history of Sachs
Part 2 of John Neugent's history of Sachs
Part 3 of John Neugent's history of Sachs
Part 4 of John Neugent's history of SachsThe Long Story Behind the Bankruptcies of Performance And Nashbar
Part 1: The Economics of the Bike Industry
Part 2: How Mail-Order Started & Grew
Part 3: How the Wheels Fell OffThe Perfect Storm: The Story of Bicycle Retail
Part 1: The Emergence of the Mass Merchants and the Bike Boom
Part 2: The Emergence of the Mass Market, Mail Order, and the Math behind Distribution Channels
Part 3: Juvenile Bikes Move to the Mass Market and the InternetLife in a Bike Shop
A Short History of Bike Tools
Boom and bust in the bike industry
Content continues below the ads
John Neugent on starting a bike or any other kind of business from home.
Part 1: Opportunities and challenges
Part 2: Infrastructure
Part 3: Sourcing
Part 4: Think Like a Product Manager & a Risk ManagerJohn Neugent explains the process of Developing & Bringing New Products to Market
Part 1: No Compromises, A Better Mouse Trap. Really?
Part 2: How bicycles and bicycle parts are priced
Part 3: Product Design
Part 4: Cutting Through Marketing Fog - A Cautionary NoteJohn Neugent looks at the Many Hats of the Bicycle Product Manager
Part 1: A quick look at what a bicycle product manager does
Part 2: Modern Distribution Channels: It's Complicated
Part 3: Marketing: Everything Has Changed
Part 4: Cutting Edge Products; Problems & OpportunitiesJohn Neugent: The Supply Chain Woes of 2021
John Neugent: The '60s & '70s: The Good Old Days
John Neugent: Whatever Happened to Aero?
John Neugent: Why Bike Shops Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Racers
John Neugent: The Covid-19 Pandemic and Cycling
John Neugent asks a hard question: New Bicycle Technology, Is it Good or Bad?
John Neugent looks at how the May, 2019, tariffs will affect bike riders
Wheelbuilding:
John Neugent of Neugent Cycling sends occasional installments on how to build wheels.
Spoke Wrenches: Which ones to use & why they matter
The best way to measure ERD (effective rim diameter)
Materials: Spokes explained How to lace up a hub with spokes. The first step in making wheels
How to tension spokes. The second step in building wheels
More on Spoke Tension. A closer look at what different wheels need
Making a Wheel Round: The Holy Grail of Wheelbuilding
Stress Relieving Spokes Explained
The Myth of Stress Relieving Spokes
Wheel Building Tips
Tire Pressure, Your Thumb & Boyle's Law
Strategies for dealing with flat tires. John Neugent has some suggestions for making one of cycling's irritations less bothersome.
If you forgot to remove the freewheel before cutting the hub from the rim, there is a good chance the hub can still be saved. Michael Wolfe of South Salem Cycleworks explains.
How to fit a quality bike. John Neugent of Neugent Cycling explains how to fit yourself to a modern frame.
How to measure your bike. Larry Theobald of CycleItalia explains the three measurements every cyclist should know.
Care for that vintage bike. Larry Theobald of CycleItalia explains the simple steps to care for that wonderful, older bike.
How to Wash Your Bike. Pressure washers can damage bearings. Here's how to keep your bike clean and make sure it has a long life.
Wheel maintenance: How to care for your bicycle wheels. John Neugent explains how to keep those wheels rolling along.
Wheel Building: A Little Washer Can Make a Big Difference. Build stronger low-spoke count wheels.
Content continues below the ads
How Cartridge Bearings Reduce Hub Weight
How Wheels Have Changed Over the Last 50 years
Why Ride Tubulars (Sew-Up Tires)
The cause of tight-fitting tires
The right wheel buying strategy is probably not what you think
What’s the reason for high spoke tension? It’s not what you think
Which wheels are best for you?
Why are hand-built wheels better than machine-built wheels?
Boyle's Law: The One Thing Gravel Riders Should Know
Tire casing stiffness, air pressure, & tire volume - Getting the best ride
Buying New Wheels: What to Look For
Tubeless Wheel Systems Explained
Hub bearings explained
And Cartridge Bearings - High Performance, Low Cost
And Good hubs don't have to cost a lot of moneyHub design: Thru Axle hubs explained
Modern Alloy Wheel Durability: Modern alloy wheels and what pair is best for you
Should you buy carbon or alloy wheels? John Neugent discusses the whys of both materials
Also John Neugent gives Answers for some common questions about carbon wheelsMounting tires: Wheel God John Neugent tells how to mount that tire that won't quite go over the rim. He has two methods:
A Brief History of Difficult Tire Mounting
Mounting tough tires
A new technique for mounting tough tiresThings You Never Knew About Bicycle Spokes: John Neugent explains the complex technology behind what looks like a simple bicycle spoke
Wheel Stiffness and rim design: John Neugent explains the changes over the years and how it affects your bike bike and its ride.
Wider Road Rims and their Benefits Explained
Tires, the different kinds, how they are made and how to choose the best one for your bike.
Derailleur systems, photos and history: 1930s and '40s | 1950s
Bottom brackets and cranksets: threads and other specifications for bikes with traditional three-piece cranksets
Content continues below the ads
Frame Preparation: What's Involved? Tapping, facing and aligning frames
Steel, Aluminum, Ti or Carbon? An opinionated discussion of frame materials.
Steel & Damping. My father gives a myth a merciful death
The Beauty of Simplicity in Bicycles. John Neugent looks back on an earlier time in cycling.
Creaks in bicycles: Finding and fixing them
Indoor bike trainer use requires different bike maintenance schedule
Saddle choice affects comfort, power and control
Rock Music and Cycle Clothing, a Technical Meditation
Bike Racing's increasing speeds
Bicycle Trail (the combination of head tube angle and fork rake) determines how your bike will handle. The BikeRaceInfo simple Trail-o-Matic table will let you know how much your bike has.
Bicycle Weight, the perfomance benefits quantified.