The Local Spokesman in Perth, Western Australia | Sports equipment shop

The Local Spokesman

Locality: Perth, Western Australia

Phone: +61 432 648 545

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• Sports equipment shop
• Bicycle shop
• Bicycle repair service

25.01.2022 Nothing beats a big ol box o Burgh

24.01.2022 Despite taking really remarkable care of his Rocky Mountain Altitude, James bike developed a pretty alarming creak under pedalling load. The standard troubleshooting process lead me to Shimanos latest generation microspline "silent" freehub. Dry, dusty and a little bit rusty. With some many components and critical points of engagement, you just cant have rust and dust floating around. Cleaned, lubed, reassembled and...... creaking gone

24.01.2022 Its that time of the week Another 1x conversion happening soon People who bought high-end mountain bikes 5+ years ago are discovering that to replace them with a modern equivalent can very nearly be a 5-figure spend - and their frame still has at least another 3-5 years of life left. So.....replace the whole bike at enormous expense....or.... get a crisp, modern drivetrain, eliminate the left hand shifter, the cable, the front derailleur and the excess chain rings....for less than a thousand bucks

24.01.2022 Josh has been a TLS regular for quite some time now, and weve both been acutely aware of the age of his trusty old Cannondale frame. It finally gave up the ghost last week, and snapped clean through the donwtube/bottom bracket. He hadnt realised the extent of the failure, thinking it was something bottom bracket related. He went away on holiday, and asked me to sort it out in th meantime. Heres the kicker - Josh was away all week in Broome and desperate to ride this Sunda...y (tomorrow) BUT I couldnt get there until Friday (yesterday) I turned up to discover the frame was snapped. Obviously not something that can be repaired at 4pm on a Friday. So..... I made arrangements for a Cervelo C3 rental for two weeks, set the bike up to Joshs measurements, swapped Garmin mounts over and dropped the bike to his place, ready for his return from holiday and tomorrow mornings ride. The Cannondale will get repaired and kept as a spare bike, and well begin making a plan to have a new titanium frame built in the coming weeks. Situation handled, and under control

23.01.2022 Why? Because wheelies.

22.01.2022 Damians S-Works Enduro getting a big birthday. First up....pivot bearings. Lots of em

21.01.2022 Ive tried dozens of different types of threadlocks for building wheels over the years, with mixed results - always trying to balance ultimate durability (spoke nipple never moves) and tunability (spoke nipple can move to make small adjustments) This purple chemical visible on the spoke thread is combination of a couple brands of threadlocks and retaining compound that seems to yield the best combination of short and long term results.

21.01.2022 2 Kalkhoff + 2 Riese & Mller ebike services today - all running a Bosch battery, motor and control system. Software updates, error code investigation, log book notes and diagnostic reports all sorted inside a couple of hours. Ebikes are notoriously difficult to transport, it made perfect sense for Mark to get me out to handle everything

20.01.2022 Spokespeople! WPL products are BACK in stock (well....most of them...) WPL stuff is eco friendly, and most of it is plant/bio based. No petrochemicals! (yes, I know they come in plastic bottles ) I get asked so often what grease/wash/chain lube I use, and subsequently end up selling all my regular workshop supplies ... To remedy this, Ive ordered a bunch of stuff JUST FOR YOU GUYS Stock is limited, so please let me know ahead of time if youd like some set aside for when I next see you. Of course, youre also welcome to come and grab it from the workshop, just make sure Im here first

20.01.2022 I have to say....I agree with the backside tattoo on this lovely little Trek

19.01.2022 Back in the studio tonight with Jon Lewis talking ebikes, disc brakes and gearing

19.01.2022 I will stay organised. I will stay organised. I will stay organised....

19.01.2022 There's going to be plenty of 28mm rubber at this year's ToMR! It's testament to the newer generation of frame design (particularly around disc brakes and thru-axles) that a lightweight, fast road bike can comfortably handle 28mm tyres. So....why go 28mm? Higher volume means lower pressures can be run, and with lower pressures come a WHOLE bunch of benefits (up to a point) - More contact patch, more traction. Safer cornering and more stable under hard braking... - Less chance of a puncture. Think of it like an over inflated balloon vs a soft squishy one. Which one is more resistant to popping? The soft one. - Far lower rolling impedance with very little trade off in rolling resistance. Translation: smoother, softer ride at any given speed, without necessarily costing more watts. You've all had to stand there and politely listen to my tyre pressure lectures at some point.... So this probably isn't mind-melting stuff for most of you

19.01.2022 Just a few years ago, I was sceptical about the concept of the 29" MTB. Beyond the realm of hardtail cross country bikes they just seemed too weird and too unwieldy on technical trails. Fast forward to 2020, and 29" trail bikes are everywhere! Folks - don't EVER come to me for a prediction about the future of cycling. Or at least take what I say and hedge your bets on the exact opposite thing

18.01.2022 Spokespeople! The Krush bike care range is now in stock at TLS-HQ (and in the van) - Disc brake cleaner - Rapid and Waterless wash - Drivetrain degreaser ... - Chain lube (wax based) - More products on the way If used properly, you'll never, ever have me point out how dirty your bike is ever again

18.01.2022 To cap off a great week, and an even better Friday, the fly that has been hassling me in the workshop ALL afternoon just flew straight into the spokes of a wheel spinning very, very fast. Finally, some justice

17.01.2022 Very difficult, technical build to be done tonight. Many large, precision hammers will be sacrificed.

16.01.2022 Bikes in workstands....and more bikes in more workstands, waiting for the main workstands to be free .....and a bunch more hanging up waiting for attention

16.01.2022 Hope E4 calipers mated to Tech3 levers - fitted to James stunning Norco Sight today. Look at those calipers, they could stop a bus Stock cabling was also tidied up pretty drastically while I had all the hoses and cables out of the frame. Far more time, effort, attention and skill goes into a job like this than you might imagine. Youre looking at the product of about 3 hours work here. The Hope brake bleed process mimics that of a car or motorbike system, rather than the quicker Shimano/SRAM methods.

16.01.2022 Youre welcome, folks

16.01.2022 Rob added a new thoroughbred to his stable - but wasn't really convinced that the rear hub was performing as it should. We discussed a new set of wheels, super exotic bearings (or buying new wheels and THEN fitting flash bearings...) - but it made more sense to start by rebuilding the near-new hub with high quality stainless bearings from Enduro, whilst paying careful attention to the tolerances in the bearing seats and reducing the pawl-drag inside the hub when freewheeling. End result - buttery smooth rotation that will only improve with use

16.01.2022 After rebuilding the pivots on Damians S-Works Enduro, it was time to remove the original frameskin and apply a new one. Soapy water and a hairdryer were my best friends today! Hours and hours of work went into the removal and the fitting to get as good a finish as possible.

15.01.2022 Canyon are making a big push into the Aussie market, doing an excellent job of parting cyclists from their money - and for good reason. Seriously good spec, at great prices, delivered to your door step in a high quality box that can easily be re-used as a bike travel box. Here we have Jai's CF Ultimate built up and ready to roll. I love the matte grey colour...very "Audi"

14.01.2022 Ill never tire of unboxing these.

14.01.2022 Ladies and gentlemen...for the first time on social media....the FIRST EVER photo of the OTHER side of the workshop Made some progress. The workshop is 75% of the way towards my version of "finished". Its a great place to work

13.01.2022 Its 1x Wednesday, folks! (For the Lycra-clad among you, thats pronounced "One by Wednesday") Colins Santa Cruz was well and truly done with its original 2x groupset - so the 1x Deore XT conversion was fitted.... The bike has fewer total components, looks neater, and has massive gear range.Whats not to like? (Note the sneaky derailleur jockey upgrade there too )

12.01.2022 Cafe Elixir serving up the goods this afternoon!!! Amazing people, food, and coffee

10.01.2022 Very sad to read about the passing of Dave Garland - renowned race mechanic and suspension guru. I've followed his work with world cup DH racers for years and always admired his "nth degree" approach to suspension setup and telemetry systems. Ride in Paradise Dave - you've done the global cycling community proud.

09.01.2022 If you get it.....you get it

09.01.2022 The front end on this custom hand-cycle is a stunning piece of engineering. Mountain bike components adapted to an off-road trike chassis with independent front suspension. Todays challenge was a brake bleed with two calipers (one for each front wheel) adapted with a hydraulic splitter to work with one lever. First time bleeding one brake with three syringes

08.01.2022 Do your MTB brakes have 4 pads per caliper? Robs do

08.01.2022 Suspension pivot rebuild time for Aarons Canyon Strive! Full complement enduro MAX bearings plus.....another set of CNCd derailleur pulleys to replace the crummy plastic (well...delrin) original ones. After the rebuild, it became apparent that some normal wear and tear on the pivot hardware is causing unwanted play in the linkages. ... Im having a batch of custom made bearing shims made in Brisbane to solve this problem. Ive been using the same supplier for a few years now to address tolerance and preload issues in rear hubs....should do the trick

08.01.2022 It might be time to give up bike servicing and just become a bearing shop Two more frames getting full pivot rebuilds today. Keep em coming, guys!

07.01.2022 Anyone considering the Toodyay ride this weekend - perhaps also consider using it as an opportunity to demo some sweet, sweet carbon wheels 49mm depth front and rear, 1350 grams total weight, disc brake only. (Use your tyres, and your rotors) Theyre available from Friday morning, happy to fit them for you for the weekend. ... Basic terms apply (i.e you break em, you buy em)

07.01.2022 Need me? You'll get me on the bat phone.

07.01.2022 The Cycling Gods threw Alex some lemons in the form of a cracked front derailleur mount. He made lemonade by getting a very slick 1x11 conversion The mount will be capped with a neat little alloy plate (not shown) to make it flat and discreet.

06.01.2022 Something very special is coming together here, folks. Stay tuned.

06.01.2022 Burgh: The tapiest tape that ever taped

05.01.2022 Here it is, folks. THE most over-engineered bar plug Ive ever seen Slightly ridiculous...I daresay the plugs alone make up half the manufacturing cost

04.01.2022 Green means "go"

04.01.2022 Ive heard rumours that less time spent making videos and talking to myself means Ill be more productive....but.....oh well

03.01.2022 Exotic Week is in full swing here at TLS-HQ! Plenty of trail-slaying, wallet-melting, two wheeled weaponry in for some love this week. Kicking things off with an Evil "The Offering", Rocky Mountain Altitude and a Transition Scout!

03.01.2022 I'm pretty impressed so far with the Krush bike cleaning range - particularly the degreaser (the green liquid) It sprays on thick and clingy and expands when agitated - and actually does what it says on the bottle The only slight drawback (at least when working out of the van) is that it's not reaaaalllllllly a waterless solution. However, I'll happily carry some spray bottles with me to avoid using harsh solvents (aerosol degreaser from automotive stores) all day, every d...ay. I initially thought the Krush range would make good stocking stuffers for you guys, but let's face it...The real reason you'd use it is to never have to be told off by me again for having a dirty bike Swing past the workshop, grab some colourful, nice smelling bike wash stuff, and go enjoy your holidays

02.01.2022 Whoever is riding with Jeff on the weekend.....watch out

02.01.2022 Tuesday Tools: This hydraulic hose tool is a workshop favourite. The brass olive and barb are critical, one time use parts that help seal the connection between hose and brake lever. Given how tight the fit of the barb is, pressing them in without the correct tool just takes way too long and you risk damaging the parts. ... Enter the mini-press from Jagwire. 30 seconds to load and lock the hose in place, then drive the barb into the hose. Brilliant little tool.

01.01.2022 Bike of the Week (so far)! Why? Because I said so.

01.01.2022 ARRRGGGHHH Im super excited about this. I have a set of 49mm Caden carbon wheels running disc brakes available for you to demo - arriving late next week. Australian road racing champion Michael Freiberg loves them, and I have no doubt you will too You might also notice that in one of the photos below is a brake rotor with no holes or patterns machined out of it.... Stay tuned for a very, very interesting update on that particular topic ... A small fee and a few basic Ts & Cs apply to the demo program. Message me for details. The order in which you submit your intentions to demo the wheels, is the order in which Ill compile the wait list. Dont have a disc brake bike yet? No problem - Im still happy to loan out my own set of Decadence rim brake clinchers (38mm depth) under the same conditions

01.01.2022 Tims lovely TCR......wasnt lovely when it arrived (but hey, a bike that gets used is better than one that doesnt) Fresh chain. Major clean up. Burgh bar tape. I was almost reluctant to give it back

01.01.2022 I know content creation takes work, but the full extent of it has not yet made itself apparent to me (so Im not afraid of it yet!) Ill be committing time and attention to some really basic video creation over the next 12 months. See what happens If you want to see something in particular or have any suggestions for me, drop me a line and let me know!