About

Hello, I’m Richard. I have been a cycling enthusiast for a decade. The journey began when I bought my first MTB hardtail. I loved that bike and still do. Soon after buying it I began commuting to work on it (about 32km/20mi roundabout).

The hardtail that started it all (the bike is a mix of components taken from older machines.)

Since I would hardly skip a day, I had the pleasure of learning a lot about commuting on a bike in all kinds of conditions (rain, snow, hot weather…etc.). Hence why I have all sorts of gear (rain pants, waterproof bags, panniers, pogies, baskets, battery banks, mirrors…etc.) and always ride with full fenders.

A couple of years later, I decided to try road biking and purchased a retro road bike that I renovated. The bike was a 1987 Centurion in a pretty decent condition. It still rides like a dream and has most of its original components. One exception would be the cranks. I replaced them with an old Solida crankset which was many times lighter.

I have always maintained my bikes myself. I learned a lot over the years and even landed a job as a bike mechanic for a while. I liked working on bikes, but eventually got tired of constantly fixing the same problems (usually a flat) and changed jobs.

The experience was priceless, however, because I got the chance to work on bicycles that I will probably never own (e.g., BMX, high-end MTBs, carbon road bikes…etc.)

Working on my retro road bike in the living room because why not? 🙂
Ghetto Wheel Truing is One of My Specialties
The headset of a road bike that hasn’t been lubricated since 1987.
Servicing an old freewheel
Servicing my Manitou fork. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

What is BrainyBiker.com all about?

BrainyBiker.com is a web-page on which I answer different bike related questions.

My goal is to make the web-site a useful resource for cycling enthusiasts across the world thanks to the power of the Internet.

Thank you for stopping by.

I can be contacted at: contact@brainybiker.com