Cycling advice sites
Recently we approached Sheldon Brown’s family to ask for permission to display and make use of the great bicycle related information available at his site. Sheldon was a true bike enthusiast and his work helped countless people. That gave us an idea, why not make a little piece on other bike gurus or even major YouTube channels or sites out there that can be a safe and professional starting point and may very well teach you a lot more about your bicycle, what and how to buy etc. There is something for everyone, you don’t need to be new to the bicycle game to enjoy one of these options.
Sheldon Brown
Who better to start with than Sheldon Brown himself. As it states on his Wikipedia page: “Sheldon Brown was an American bicycle mechanic, technical expert and author. He contributed to print and online sources related to bicycling and bicycle mechanics, in particular the web site Sheldon Brown’s Bicycle Technical Info. His knowledge of bicycles was described as “encyclopedic” by The Times of London”
At his site you can find just about everything about bicycles: bike glossary, repair guides, translations… There is even a humor section. Site looks a bit old, but the content is indeed still relevant today. Parts of it are maintained by Harris Cyclery employees and the rest by his widow, Harriet Fell, and his friend John Allen.
Hambini
Mostly known for his YouTube channel. Like he says: ¨is a mix of cars, bikes, hardcore engineering, bad language, all with a hint of sarcasm¨ He is a senior engineer that designs and makes engineering components, and he has a very well regarded bottom bracket, often used by professional riders in the World Tour.
But his more useful aspect is certainly his reviews. His channel is full of in depth reviews of everything from parts to whole bikes. And they are ruthless. He approaches tech from an engineering point of view and evaluates it´s performance, durability and reliability. Many big brands have a certain fear of him when they sell a bad product.
Seth Alvo
This one is very much for MTB fans. If you have ever watched an MTB video on YouTube then is almost certain you watched one of his videos. He has the second biggest YouTube channel devoted to mountain biking. This is impressive considering he makes all the videos himself. Fortunately this doesn’t keep him from making beautiful well edited videos, short and to the point. He is not a pro athlete, but he is a better rider than most people. However, that´s not the point of the videos. He inspires people of all skill levels to just get outside and ride.
If MTB is your thing, then his channel is the one for you. There you can find everything: techniques and tutorials, tips, advice, product reviews, MTB park tours, camera gear, collaborations with other youtubers and pro riders etc.
Global Cycling Network (GCN)
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, cycling related YouTube channels. Its content tends to be mostly centred on road-cycling. It started as a way to promote cycling through an official channel, and aimed at creating a network of quality cycling videos by known cyclists.
GCN is a fantastic source of instructional information, full of reviews, interviews, news, how-to videos, and many more on bike riding, maintenance and general tech. They also provide coverage of international professional cycling events. If you are a fan of cycling you really need to check them out. It is very unlikely you will not find whatever doubt you may have answered on one of their many, many videos.
Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN)
Global Cycling Network it´s huge, so it spawned a sibling similar in every way. The only difference is it devotes itself to mountain bikes only. Not much to add here. Same quality videos. Same format. Full of great MTB content whether you desire to learn or just enjoy and keep up to date.