Category Archives: Bikes & Gear

1. Work smarter, not harder

With so many intricate components and hard to reach places, removing stubborn grease and grime from your bicycle’s drivetrain is a notoriously difficult task! Thankfully, there’s a product on the market to help make this achievable and super quick. Finish Line Speed Degreaser’s no-rinse formula and turbo sprayer get to work instantly, displacing moisture, removing soils, and completely decontaminating all metal parts. It’s ideal to use on disc brake rotors, derailleur pivots, cassettes, chains, and any other metal components that need a thorough clean. As well as removing the need for hours of elbow grease, its “dry” degreasing technology quickly evaporates, leaving components and chains residue-free and ready to be lubricated. This clever cleaning product will extend the life of your drivetrain and ensure smooth, quiet shifting. It’s a big hit with our mechanics and saves time, making us more inclined to take on the task.

2. Choose the right tool

You wouldn’t use a hammer to tighten a screw, and it’s the same logic when it comes to cleaning your bike. Using tools designed to access all the hard to reach places on your bike will save you time and ensure you’ve cleaned it thoroughly. With Finish Line’s Grunge Brush, cleaning chains and gears has never been faster or easier. Working in conjunction with a degreaser, scrub your chain with the brush’s unique three-sided bristles to deep clean the chain’s plates and pins. Then, use the long bristles at the other end to clean cassette sprockets, derailleurs, cranksets, brakes, and pedals.

3. Keep it clean

Keeping your bike clean is the best way to prevent wear and tear and optimize performance. Dirt left on your frame, wheels, and components will affect your bike’s efficiency and can potentially cause long term damage. A bucket of soapy water has been the “go-to” for most, but research suggests this can be harmful to paint and means the extra time-consuming steps of rinsing and drying. Our team uses Finish Line’s Super Bike Wash. This fast-acting and powerful cleaner requires no water and can be sprayed on and wiped off with a towel. It protects your paint and leaves your bike looking like new. It’s high surface tension and eco-friendly cleaning agents are non-toxic, biodegradable, and make it safe to use indoors and out.

4. Lube it correctly

Once your bike is clean, it’s all about choosing the right lube. If you lube it right, not only will you get optimal performance, but you’ll also have less maintenance work to do at the end of each ride! We recommend choosing between Finish Line’s Dry and Wet Lubricants depending on riding conditions.

Optimized for variable conditions, dry Lube goes on wet and sets up with a dry, wax-like synthetic film. It helps keep your chain clean by not absorbing excessive amounts of grit, grime, or dust. Perfect for everyday riding, its Teflon fluoropolymers coats the chain in a water-resistant film, while reducing friction and wear on all surfaces.

Wet lube is the strongest, longest lasting, and most water-proof lubricant. Wet lube goes on wet, never washes off, and delivers quiet riding, smooth shifting, and easier pedaling. Its water-repelling synthetic oils will protect your chain in the harshest conditions.

To find the perfect bicycle lubricant for your next trip, visit Finish Line’s website and use their handy Lube Selector Tool.

5. Less mess after you’ve cleaned

Tidying up the mess after cleaning your bike is a task that interests no one, ever! Our time is precious, so any steps we can take along the way to minimize the clean-up operation at the end are welcome. Tools like Finish Line’s No Drip Chain Luber were invented for exactly this reason! Save money by avoiding spilled lube and ensure every link in your chain is properly lubricated without wasting a drop. Simply fill the No Drip Chain Luber with your lubricant of choice and while backpedaling, place the applicator head on the chain and squeeze the bottle. A wicking pad in the applicator head ensures every link is evenly coated, without lube dripping or flying all over the place.

Most importantly, it will save you clearing up time and allow you to get on with more important tasks, like planning your next cycling trip.

Now you can store your itinerary, host and hotel contacts, routes and trip notifications all within the Ride With GPS app on your phone or tablet. It’s a modern-day replacement to your standard vacation folder. And the best part? You don’t have to be connected to WiFi or data to use it. Now available on all trips.

Looking or more detailed Ride with GPS instructions? Find them here»

Traveling plus long-distance exercise takes a serious toll on your body and keeping up with your hydration is a fundamental yet easy way to set your vacation up for success and hit the ground riding at your final destination.

Traveling

Airplane cabins are not the most desirable of places to spend hours of your day. They are dry, pumped with recirculated air (hello germs!), and provide very little “personal space”. Did you know that airplane cabins are so dry in fact, that they rival humidity levels of the Sahara Desert?! No wonder dehydration is such a frequent issue for long-distance travelers.

In addition to dry conditions, pressurized cabins mimic the oxygen levels of environments between 6,000-8,000 ft in altitude. If your body is accustomed to altitudes closer to sea level, these oxygen levels will feel less than comfortable when endured for long periods of time.

Staying hydrated before and during your flight is the ultimate hack for traveling. Good hydration will combat the negative effects of an abnormally dry environment while also maintaining healthy oxygen levels in your bloodstream.

Riding

Fact: You will perform better during your ride if you are well hydrated. While riding long distances, your body is especially susceptible to the effects of dehydration. Add in a hot, sunny day and proper hydration becomes enormously important.

During long rides, our bodies produce a lot of sweat. In addition to H2O, we lose key electrolytes through that sweat. This is why an electrolyte replacement fluid is essential for rides. Electrolytes not only upkeep our basic bodily functions, but they also help our bodies to absorb the H2O we’re consuming. Excessive consumption of water without electrolytes is more likely to flush right through the system, making bathroom breaks more frequent while not even reaping the optimal benefits of the fluids we’re drinking.

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Understanding the importance of hydration for a long-distance cycling vacation is only half the battle. Knowing how to prepare for hydration success is just as important. By following these 5 travel + exercise hydration tips, you can plan to bring your best self to your next cycling trip:

Get yourself a designated cycle vacation water bottle: This water bottle will be your right-hand hydration partner through it all. Make sure to pack it in your carry on for your flight. Finish at least one full bottle before you go through security and make sure to refill as soon as you get to your gate.

Travel with Nuun Immunity: These tasty hydration tablets are a great way to manage your hydration as well as defend against any nasty air cabin germs. You simply add one to your water bottle for a boost of electrolytes and botanicals your body needs for proper hydration and immune system support before & during your flight.

Set hydration reminders on your phone: On days when you spend most of your time fairly sedentary (sitting on a flight), it is recommended that you drink half of your weight in fluid ounces. (So, if you weigh 140 lbs. the recommendation is to drink 70 oz. of fluids). For higher sweat days, you’ll need to plan for even more hydration. Plan your day out ahead of time and determine how many ounces of water you should be drinking every 1-2 hours. Set reminders on your phone for a gentle nudge to revisit your water bottle.

Double fist: Over the course of a vacation, it’s likely that you’ll enjoy a few alcoholic beverages. While alcohol IS a fluid, it does not reap the same hydration benefits and it’s often too easy to forget to drink water amidst drinking other liquids. Always match your alcohol intake with H2O intake. If it helps, double fist your beverages so you know you’re matching your alcohol/water ratio drink for drink. Alcohol can be the cause of serious dehydration. Stay ahead of it by balancing your fluids at the moment.

Pack Nuun Sport for your rides: Nuun Sport is a fantastic source of key electrolytes. It comes in a small tube of 10 tablets from which you add one to your 16 oz. bottle of water for easy and tasty hydration before your ride. Bringing 10 sports drinks on a trip across the world with you has never been easier!

Let’s start by dispelling one common myth we often hear, “Aren’t e-bikes like a moped?” In short, no.
Electric powered motorcycles use a throttle to engage the power. Trek e-bikes simply amplify your pedaling effort. They pedal like a regular bike, but the wind is always at your back and hills melt away.

Our e-bikes have four levels of assist to accommodate the level of boost you want. Trying to get the most out of your ride but want minimal help? Eco mode is the one for you. Middle of the pack? Bump it up to Tour or Sport mode. Trying to crush the biggest hill of the day no sweat? Turbo time.

Electric-assist bikes make it easy to stay with the group at any speed, and you can upgrade for free. E-bikes are first-come, first-serve on each tour date, so act now. It’s the easiest way to electrify your experience.