Repair Tips and Suggestions for Maintaining You Bike
It makes me sad, I see allot of neglected bikes, especially the classic Boston commuter. One with too much crap from the road splattered all over it and bad shifting. With the former I have said it over and over “keep it clean” there are reasons. Poor shifting? If it takes more than a revolution of your cranks at a reasonable cadence to engage your chain, its probably due to excessive wear of the chain and possibly the drive train in part or in whole. Including the chain, your rear cogs (aka a free wheel or cassette.) the front cogs (aka chain rings) in the worst conditions (New England) the shifting cables and housing will also need replacement. Now there are many other variables to shifting issues but too many to go on about here. When in doubt bring it in. The Park tool chain checker is one of the quickest methods of analysis. Change the chain every so often is much cheaper vs the entire drive train. Giving it a frequent bath is even cheaper still.
Keep It Clean Kids!
Cleaning your bicycle is probably the most important aspect of maintenance. Beyond removing the dirt and restoring the beauty of your ride, it forces you to inspect various parts of the bicycle for wear and tear. Use a sponge and mild soap, low-pressure hose, or spray cleaner to remove the sand, salt, and dirt. After drying your bike and re-lubing, always check:
- break pads for wearcables for rust and possible fraying
- tire tread for cracks and sidewalls for dry rot
- wheels for trueness and loose or broken spokes
- bicycle frame for possible cracks in the frame weld or joints
As always, if in doubt, bring it in for a free inspection!
What You Can do to Winterize Your Bike
Those of us in the north east know after the first of the snow falls how much salt and chemicals are poured on our streets, consequently it ends up all over our bikes and us.
Fenders
HEY! Try putting on some full fenders or at least some clip on ones these range at about $12 to $25 and will keep a heap load of crap from going all over and into the frame and wheels (and your butt.)Lube
The type of lube you use this time of year should be a little bit on the heavy side (DO NOT USE WD40, its way to gunk-y and attracts dirt!!!) Pedros makes an excellent lube called SYN LUBE or the most common of lubes is TRI FLOW. The secret of lubing a chain is not putting too much on, cause it 'aint what's ON the chain but what's In-between the links and the rollers to keep the rust and friction down. The trick to lubbing your chain is to let it sit a couple of minutes and then take an old t shirt and wipe off the extra. While your on your knees lube the pivots of your derailleur too, that's where moving parts of your derailleur really get neglected!!Wheels
Wheels! The most important part of your bicycle for efficiency. Once again take your lube and put one drop of lube per spoke nipple, anybody with alloy nipples out there better get going now! Alloy as well as brass nipples, but more so alloy nipples, tend to seize up, and when this happens it's impossible to true and tension your wheels (but I'm sure the local shop will be happy to sell you new ones). The hubs of your wheels are also a very neglected and unnoticed aspect of your bicycle. I've seen many people try to spray lube into the hub, this not only does not work but ends up being real messy. It's best to have them injected with new grease or you could also go as far as having them overhauled.Springtime Tune Up
I suggest that you keep your steed running and in the early spring/ late winter do the internal work, like new cables and overhauling the bearings i.e. an overhaul or at least our Deluxe Tune Up Plus.These tips are not only for the "hard core" winter rider, but also for the weekend rider so for the love of your bicycle, take a few minutes to do some basic maintenance.
