Nick Legan

Why white tape? Why no gloves? How do I become a team doctor?

Paris-Roubaix demands more of the machine. Every part of the bike needs to be up to the challenge. Frames, forks, wheels, tires, handlebars, cables, even pedals are all optimized.

A side-loading cage can help carry a bottle when frame space is tight

Chris Sutton's Team Sky Pinarello and Johnny Clarke's UHC Boardman

Most of this year's Flanders peloton opted to ride straightforward race bikes, mostly using 25mm tubulars.

Nick Legan snaps some pre-race shots of Flanders machinery.

The VeloNews crew eyeballs Leopard-Trek's prototype Bontrager wheels before Tour of Flanders.

Fabian Cancellara prefers a bit more rake in his fork and is using a mechanical group instead of Shimano's Di2 Dura-Ace group.

Tech editor Nick Legan checks out Fabian Cancellara's Flanders bike.

Ted King's Cannondale

When Ted King signed with Liquigas/Cannondale he didn’t speak a word of Italian. That had to change and quickly. Thanks to Rosetta Stone and his move to Lucca, Italy, he’s progressing nicely. Immersion is the key to his success.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Readers ask about treating tires, both inside and out, and protecting your knees in cold weather.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Time trial follow cars, just how qualified IS my local bike mechanic, and what the heck is an 'ice sock?'

The devil is in the details: Nick Legan tries Arundel's bottle cages and seat bag

Classics wheels, roof-rack hierarchy and team car inventory

Or maybe not. The UCI clarifies its rule on time trial shifters, causing some team mechanics to get creative

Frames from five manufacturers are the first to get UCI approval

Exclusive first look: K-Edge is developing an electric-shift mountain bike group.

Nick talks about flying with bikes and takes a few questions about shoes and cleats.

Nick Legan gets a first-look at AceCo's sweet Ki2 electric shift package

Denis Menchov's Team Geox Fuji

The varying roles for race follow cars, pros changing their own tubies, and Nick's favorite workstand, revealed.

Engin's green 29er features gorgeous paint, a pressfit BB30 with a Specialized crank, chainstay mounted rear caliper and matching seat post and stem.

A look at some of the NAHBS award winners

Bronto brought a bunch of 29ers singlespeeds and geared bikes to Austin

Sache White and his Vanilla and Speedvagen bicycles are a perennial favorite at NAHBS. This year was no exception.

Cyfac shows a beautiful custom carbon bike while Kent Eriksen brings a ti' cyclocrosser set up with disc brakes.

Roland Della Santa reveals the truth behind his chainstay decorations as Ric Hjertberg expounds on wheels past and future.

Chris King built a custom Cielo for the NAHBS just to show what you can do with a handmade bike.

Red paint, chrome and curved steel brings back childhood memories for Nick Legan

At the NAHBS, Nick Legan scopes out a slick city bike from Naked and SPDs that jingle, jangle, jingle

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show gets underway in Austin.

What do mechanics do on long, boring stages? Will Boardman's hour record be broken? And more

El Pistolero’s Shiv

What's a light-weight helmet worth to you? Tech-man Nick Legan has a suggestion

As a former RadioShack mechanic, I’m constantly asked for the inside scoop on working with Lance Armstrong. With today’s announcement of his (second) retirement from professional racing, the timing is right to answer that question.

Mounting up the new accessory shifters.

Brakes, flats and Superman

Speed wobble, shoe covers and single-ringing it

Nick Legan puts a pair of Mercury carbon clinchers to the test.

After what the World’s Federation for the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) called a “fruitful” meeting with the UCI, the cycling unions released a revised approval process Friday.

Quack! Nick answers questions about Q-factor, tire choices for epic rides and more

You’ve probably never heard of Robbert De Kock or the World Federation for the Sporting Goods Industry, but pay attention. As the secretary general of the WFSGI, De Kock may be the man to unite the cycling industry and give it real power in its dealings with the UCI.

The UCI rocked the cycling industry in December when it announced that a new bicycle approval process would be implemented on January 1, 2011. The UCI later delayed the program by a month.

The UCI delays its bike labeling program by a month

The pros and cons of two-step chain lubing, getting team vehicles Down Under, and Bontrager discography

Questions of epic tire failures, the real wheel behind the team label and possible refinements in electronic shifting.

Leopard-Trek gets geared up for the 2011 season.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Nick Legan, at the team camp in Mallorca, takes a quick look at the new team's Bontrager helmets.

Bontrager to unveil new wheels under Team Leopard Trek and Team RadioShack

Questions on wheel-change technique, pumps for lightweight riders, and steel in the pro peloton

The team's future is uncertain, but Pegasus Sports' 2011 race bikes are still interesting. Nick Legan takes a look.

Nick Legan takes us through Zipp's factory in Indianapolis.

Those special yellow bikes, the best bike cleaner, and how teams chose components.

Handlebar tilt, resting your cables, and don't touch my tools!

A look at Easton's new EC90 Aero 58mm carbon clincher

A look at UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis' aero road bikes from time trial legend Chris Boardman.

What's the best team car? Do you lube cables? What's with backwards brakes in the peloton? And more.

Nick answers questions about what race mechanics do when there isn't much racing going on and explains what tools just have to be within arm's reach in the team car.

VeloNews' Nick Legan returns to the Bill Woodul mechanics clinic to see what's changed in the eight years since he first took the class.

Tyler Farrar has a new ride for 2011. Nick Legan takes a look.

World champ Thor Hushovd is on a new team, but a mostly familiar bike for 2011. Tech editor Nick Legan takes a look.

Our editors choose and test a variety of products that would look great under your tree.

Nick answers questions about what pros REALLY ride, the best (and worst) innovations of the last 20 years, and gives some tips on stretching cables after installation.

The joys of hand-built wheels, flat-fixing tips and TDU training

Former ProTour mechanic Nick Legan takes questions about tire pressure, mechanics' advice, lightweight race bikes and more.

Todd Wells is riding the second prototype of what eventually will be a new carbon fiber Crux

Three years old and still lookin’ good!

Former ProTour mechanic Nick Legan takes questions about torque wrench use, winter bike maintenance and stiff 'cross frames.

A look at the Specialized Prevail helmet: Is the Morgan Hill company breaking new ground with an aerodynamic everyday helmet?

VeloNews tech editor Nick Legan answers more questions about life in the European pro caravan: broken helmets, rider positions and those cool car racks that Euro' teams use.

Nick takes questions about spring classics gear, frame inspections after crashes and how to line up handlebars perfectly.

Trek’s Bontrager Affinity RXL saddle comes with plenty of buzzwords: Size Specific Curvature, Comfort Relief Zone and Zone Density Foam. But does all that market-speak add up to a comfortable seat? Well, that depends.