Cycling
What a Gear Ratio Actually Means for Your Knees
A gear is not a difficulty setting. It is a trade between how fast your legs turn and how hard each turn has to push.
Ananth Krishnan
Contributing writer, Ride Banana
Ananth covers electric scooters and batteries, and reads more spec sheets than is healthy.
Contact Ananth through our contact page — mark your message for their attention and it will be passed on.
14 articles
Cycling
Steel, Aluminium and Carbon: What the Material Really Changes
Frame material arguments usually describe feelings. The genuine differences are in how each material fails, how it is repaired and…
Cycling
Ten Minutes That Tell You Whether a Second-Hand Bike Is Worth Buying
Most used bikes look tired for reasons that cost very little to fix. A short structured check separates a bargain from a project.
Cycling
Clipless Pedals Are Optional and Nobody Will Check
Being attached to the pedals helps in specific situations, most of them competitive. For riding to work, the case is much weaker…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Cold Weather Shrinks a Battery Before It Damages One
A pack that loses half its usable range on a frosty morning has not failed. Understanding why matters, because how you charge it in…
Scooters & E-Mobility
An Electric Bike Needs More Brake Than a Bicycle Does
Add mass and add speed, and the energy your brakes must absorb rises faster than either. That is why e-bike braking deserves its…
Scooters & E-Mobility
What Ages an Electric Bike Battery, and What Does Not
Battery life is decided by a handful of chemical processes that respond to heat, voltage and time. Most folklore about charging…
Cycling
Kickstands, Bells and the Small Parts Transport Riders Actually Use
The fittings that get left off a new bicycle are the ones that decide whether you ride to the shops. None of them make you faster.
Cycling
Why a Step-Through Frame Stopped Being Called a Ladies' Bike
The low frame was invented for long skirts and stayed labelled for a century. What it actually solves is getting on and off a…
Cycling
Handlebar Width and Shape Change Where Your Weight Sits
Bars are the only contact point that steers. Change their width, height or sweep and you move load between your hands and your…
Cycling
What a Cargo Bike Changes About Steering and Stopping
Load a bicycle heavily and its physics change before its geometry does. Steering slows, braking distances stretch and the wind gets…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Storing a Battery Over Winter Without Killing It
A pack left in a shed at full charge for four months comes back smaller. Two variables do most of the damage and both are…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Conversion Kits Turn a Bicycle Into a Different Machine
Adding a motor to an existing frame is genuinely possible. It also changes the loads on every part that was specified for a slower…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Throttles and Pedal Assist Answer Different Questions
One gives you power on demand, the other gives you power in response. That distinction shapes how the machine handles and how it is…