Cycling to Work: Is your bike ready?

1st Sep 2022

Cycling to Work: Is your bike ready?

As the school holidays end, it's back to work for many of us and if you're a cycling commuter, it's time to get your bike ready for the job. Whatever the distance, whether you're a seasoned cyclist or trying the two-wheel commute for the first time - we've got some essential tools and tips to help.

A few essentials for looking after your bicycle

Whether you cycle regularly, or your bike is just there for fun, downtime and exercise, keeping it properly maintained is essential. At Draper we have a range of bicycle products that will help.

We’ve put together some suggestions for useful tools below.

Brand new to the range are the strong, durable eight-speed chain whip for holding bike sprockets when removing the cassette lock ring, and the 15mm open-ended pedal wrench for loosening and tightening bike pedals. With an extra-strong and durable construction, the wrench’s 238mm long length ensures good leverage.

The CO2 micro inflator is always a useful addition to a cycle kit, with its lightweight aluminium body, valve cap and flow adjustment control. Designed to fit both Schrader and Presta valves, the inflator is suitable for use with mountain and road bikes.

No cyclist’s kitbag should be without a puncture repair kit, while our multi-tool kit has 16 different functions to make it ideal for repairs and maintenance away from home and by the roadside. The 16 tools include tyre levers, a chain hook and breaker, spoke wrenches, hex keys and screwdrivers.

“The Bicycle Boys – An Unforgettable Garden Tour”

If you want a bit of cycling inspired downtime before setting off on your cycle to work – or some rest and recuperation at the end of the day – take a look at Loyal Johnson and Sam Brewster’s story. It’s a fascinating read!

Researching for a Master’s dissertation, Loyal and Sam visited over 80 gardens, and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has put together an account of their travels illustrated with ‘then and now’ pictures. There’s also a map tracing those 1,500 cycled miles – truly, as the RHS captions the story, a “bike ride of a lifetime.” 

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