Posts
- April 16, 2026
Bottom Bracket Creak, or Just a Loose Crank? How to Tell Before You Buy Parts
The phrase “bottom bracket creak” gets thrown around way too fast.
I get why. The noise seems to come from the middle of the bike, right under your feet, and it shows up when you’re pushing hard on the pedals. So riders hear one click per pedal stroke and jump straight to bearings. Sometimes they’re right. A lot of the time they are not.
The expensive mistake is buying a new bottom bracket before you’ve actually proved the bottom bracket is bad.
- April 15, 2026
Broken Chain on the Ride? Here's the Fix That Actually Gets You Home
A broken chain always feels worse than it is. You push on the pedals, get that ugly snap, and suddenly the bike goes dead underneath you. No drive, chain hanging loose, maybe your shin already paid the tax.
Most riders treat that as the end of the ride. It doesn’t have to be, but you do need the right small parts. Not a full toolbox. One tiny part, really.
- April 14, 2026
Reading Your Tire Tread: What Those Knobs Are Actually Telling You
Most riders don’t think about their tires until something goes wrong. A flat, a slide-out on a wet corner, a vague mushiness that wasn’t there last month. But your tread has been telling you things the whole time. You just have to look.
What the Knobs Actually Do
Every knob on a mountain bike tire has a job. The center knobs handle braking and acceleration on straightaways. The side knobs catch you in corners. The transition knobs between them bridge the gap as you lean the bike over.
- April 13, 2026
Trailside Repairs: What to Carry and How to Get Home
Something breaks three miles into a trail and suddenly you’re walking. It happens to everyone eventually. The difference between a 20-minute delay and a long hike in cleats comes down to what’s in your bag and whether you’ve practiced using it.
I fix bikes for a living. Most of the “trailside disaster” stories I hear from customers come down to one of two things: they didn’t carry the right stuff, or they carried everything but never learned to use any of it. Both are fixable.
- April 12, 2026
When to Fix It Yourself and When to Call a Mechanic
Some bike repairs save you money at home. Others cost you more when you try. Here’s how to tell the difference. - April 11, 2026
Everything You Need to Know About Flat Tires (and How to Stop Getting Them)
Flat tires are the most common mechanical problem in cycling. Here’s what actually causes them, how to prevent them, and when a flat might be telling you something bigger. - April 11, 2026
Welcome to Presidio Bikes
We’re a mobile bike repair service covering San Francisco’s west side neighborhoods. Here’s what we’re about.