Category: Bike tips

Cycling to work in Nairobi is faster than driving on most days. The hard part isn’t the riding, it’s everything around it. Set the bike up properly and you’ll keep doing it.

The essentials

• Lights, front and rear, USB-rechargeable, switched on whenever you ride. See our lights.
• A proper lock. A U-lock through the frame and rear wheel. Cable locks only slow a thief down.
• Mudguards. The long and short rains will end your commuting otherwise.
• A rack and pannier instead of a backpack. Sweaty shoulders are why people quit.

Upgrades worth having

• Wider tyres, 35 to 42mm. Pothole insurance.
• A tubeless conversion, so thorns don’t mean flats. Top up the sealant every four to six months.
• A bell, for pedestrians and matatus alike.

What we’d build

A hybrid such as the Specialized Sirrus, with lights, a U-lock, mudguards and a rear rack. That’s a setup that survives Nairobi.

WhatsApp us on 0728 818 724 if you’d like help putting one together for your route.

Bikes whisper before they shout. Here’s what yours is saying.

1. Gears that don’t quite click

If shifting feels mushy or you keep nudging the lever, your cables have stretched. It’s a five-minute fix that turns into a fifty-minute fix if you wait.

2. A click that follows the pedal stroke

Usually the bottom bracket, sometimes the pedal bearings. Ignore it long enough and it ends in replacement, not a service.

3. Brakes that grab or fade

Brake pads have a wear line. When you can’t see it, they’re finished. Worn pads also chew into your rotors, so a pad swap becomes a pad and rotor job.

4. Cracks in the tyre sidewall

Sun and age crack rubber. A sidewall that splits on a fast descent is a bad way to find out. If your tyres are more than three years old, replace them.

5. A chain that looks like a snake

A worn chain wears out your cassette too. Replacing the chain early costs a fraction of replacing the chain and cassette together later. Get a chain checker, or bring the bike in and we’ll check it.

Book a Standard Service (KSh 3,000) and we’ll find any of these. If your bike doesn’t need anything yet, we’ll tell you straight.

Most first-time buyers focus on price. The five questions that actually matter are different.

1. What will you ride 80% of the time?

Be honest. If you’ll commute on tarmac, a hybrid is right. If you’ll ride trails at the weekend, a hardtail mountain bike. Don’t buy for the 20% you wish you did. Buy for the 80% you actually will.

2. What’s your real budget, including the basics?

A bike is rarely just a bike. Add a helmet, lights, a lock and a pump. Budget around KSh 8,000 to 12,000 for those four. Don’t skip the helmet.

3. What size do you actually need?

Mountain bikes come in S, M, L and XL frame sizes. Road bikes are sized in centimetres, from about 49 to 60. The wrong size is the most common reason a new bike sits unused. Come into the shop and we’ll measure you in five minutes.

4. New or pre-owned?

A good pre-owned bike can save you 30 to 50%. A bad one costs you double in repairs. Buy from someone who shows you the service history.

5. What happens when something breaks?

This is where many online sellers disappear. Ask who fixes it, where, and what it will cost. We service every bike we sell, in our own workshop at Total Rosslyn, Ruaka.

Want to talk it through? WhatsApp us on 0728 818 724 or come into the shop. We’d rather help you buy the right bike than sell you the wrong one. See the bikes in stock.