Free online bike tools you need to know about
SAVE YOURSELF SOME TIME, MONEY, AND ANGST WITH SOME GREAT ONLINE TOOLS
Words - James Raison
Bikes and bike-related things are often complicated and confusing, even for a colossal intellect like mine. Surely the only reason to run a website is self-congratulation, right? ANYWAY, I wanted to shout out some free online tools that have helped me thoroughly in the last couple of years in the hope they can help others. Whether you want some help buying something, or just learning more about what options are available, the tools below can be handy indeed. Onward!
GEOMETRYGEEKS.BIKE
This is absolutely my favourite of all these tools and one that has taught me plenty of the last couple of years.
Geometry Geeks dot Bike is a geometry database that you can search through to find and compare bike geos. It’s put together by a small team but they also use community submissions to stuff it full of bike geometries. If the bike you want isn’t in there, you can add it in with a submission tool that’s surprisingly intuitive. The database is expansive though so most big brand bikes are in there already. I’ve found it’s surprisingly deep though with plenty of smaller brands already stashed away. Apparently there are enough nerds like me adding in everything they can think of in the flashes of inspiration where you wonder how does that bike compare to this other bike?
It’s particularly useful for checking whether certain bikes in certain sizes will fit you without having to ride them. Find the bike you currently have and compare it to the bike you are looking at to see whether it’ll suit your needs. Mostly the Reach and the Stack is enough to figure out what’s in your ballpark of fitting so that’s a great starting point.
Beyond that, I’ve learned a ton about bike geometry just from tinkering around with the site. Over time you start to notice the common features of different types of bike, and as I’ve ridden different bikes I’ve been able to learn what gives them the geometry features I like and dislike.
Check this out for an example; line up the new generation of all-round race bikes and you can see the common features of them all. The lengths, the angles, and all the small decisions that make them what they are. This example is particularly interesting because you see how narrow the margins are for all these bikes.
I’ve been focusing on gravel a lot recently so I’ll say it’s also been very interesting for learning gravel geo. The variation can be quite large across the spectrum of dirt road so this has come in handy finding where each bicycle fits.
There are some paid features on geometry geeks like searching for bikes according to your targeted geo so throw them some money if you’re interested in that. Otherwise, this is a great tool and I appreciate being able to use it so thanks to the team who put it together.
RUBBERLOVER.CC
The second site comes from the land down under. It’s called Rubber Lover and it’s a database of tyres with particular focus gravel and offroad. Think of it like a supercharged, pink spreadsheet with a ton of tyres in there that you can sort and filter through. It doesn’t have everything but it does have a lot.
In short, this will help you get a quick look across what options there are in your desired size. So, if you’re after something between 40 and 45 mm then punch in those preferences and see what it comes back with.
That’s really all there is to it. The tool is simple, it’s free, and it’ll save you some time scouring the internet. Great job to Jason who makes the site happen so get on over and check it out. Spread the word and let’s help it grow!
SRAM AXS TYRE PRESSURE GUIDE… OR IS IT ZIPP?
axs.sram.com/tirepressureguide
This is the only big brand product on this list, and it’s quite a good one.
SRAM’s Tyre Pressure Guide is another simple system; punch in your personal details, your gear details, and it’ll give you a recommended tyre pressure. It’s a handy starting point for people who have just changed their wheels or tyres and are looking for some guidance. I used it recently because I had to set up some 650b wheels with 45mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H tyres and was curious where I should start.
It accounts for multiple variances like; hooked versus hookless rims, different casings, ride styles and dry or wet conditions so use it for any and every bike you’ve got. Now, it is just a guide so feel free to tinker with your setup. I’ve used it across a few different bikes and it usually gives me roughly what I would’ve chosen anyway because I tend to favour low pressures.
Thankyou to SRAM for a helpful tool.
WHATBARS.COM
Whatbars is another tool that helps in the modern bike market of exploding choice in the gravel handlebar scene.
There are just so many options with so much nuance in gravel handlebars, so Whatbars is a handy visualisation system. Scroll through the ever-expanding list and pick bars to overlay on top of each other. Gravel bar shaping has gone wild with flares, sweeps, and massive widths all serving to overwhelm buyers with options and complicate a traditionally straightforward bicycle part. It can be difficult to picture what effect different angles of flare and sweep have on the general shaping. With Whatbars, you can see exactly what’s different.
Choosing road handlebars was straightforward In the past; look at width, reach and drop stats on bars to learn basically everything. This shiny tool makes shapes much more tangible. Especially since we’re dealing with so many more angles and unprecedented widths.
Other tools people share in the YouTube comments section:
99 Spokes - a bike aggregator and comparison tool. I haven’t used it much but it’s fun to click through.
BikeInsight.com - Another handy geometry comparison tool.
Some sort of complex Gear Calculator
SEE THE TOOLS IN ACTION
