If you're an avid bicyclist, or want to be one, your bicycle will become your best friend.
Basic bicycle maintenance is essential to keep it rolling smoothly, and running efficiently.
Even more important, keeping your bike in top shape keeps it safe to ride.
A bicycle is a marvel of mechanical parts, transferring human power into motion.
However, those parts need regular maintenance, or you'll be replacing them frequently, and it can get expensive in a hurry.
It amazes me when I'm out riding, how many bikers I pass with squeaking, rattling bikes, in such poor condition, you could walk faster than they're riding.
If you've made a commitment to biking regularly, but haven't picked out a bike yet, plan on spending around $750-$1,000 for a bike.
Stay away from the $100 Walmart special.
The $750-$1,000 bike will have better components that will last longer, perform better, and won't fall apart on you after six months or less, like the Walmart special.
These are real bikes, made to last for thousands of miles of serious riding.
In today's market, bikes can go up to $10,000 or more! Get a good how to book on bicycle maintenance, like Zinn And The Art of Bicycle Maintenance.
YouTube has great videos on bicycle maintenance on just about every topic.
Learning to do basic maintenance and repairs on your own will save you hundreds of dollars instead of running down to your local bike shop (LBS) for every little thing.
Don't be intimidated by your shiny, new, high tech bike; most of the moving parts are pretty easy to work on.
Once you understand how to work on your own bike, you become a more confident rider, and might be able to help a fellow rider stranded on the road.
It will also help you pick out quality components when the time comes for upgrading or replacing worn parts.
I build all my bikes from the frame up, and hand pick all the components that go on it.
This article is not intended to cover advanced repairs and upgrades to your bike.
It's probably going to be in the next article, or Part 2.
The next thing to get is a flat tire repair kit.
Pickup a tube patch kit, tire levers, a small pump or C02 inflator, and a couple of spare tubes.
Keep these in a saddle bag, or backpack when riding.
There's nothing worse than being unprepared, and having a flat tire 20 miles away from your home or car, and walking back with your bike.
When getting a flat out on the road, don't even think about patching the tube.
Simply replace it with the spare tube you're carrying.
Trying to patch a tube when you're in a rush will result in dirt, grass, and bits of grit getting between the patch, glue, and your tube.
The tube patch kit is if you're unlucky enough to get a second flat tire.
Trust me, it happens.
If you happen to have a major blowout that tears a hole in the tire about the size of a dime, use a dollar bill, or thick candy wrapper inside the tire to reinforce the hole, then put the tube back in.
It should get you home where you can replace the tire with a new one.
Always carry your cell phone with you.
Should you have an accident, or a major failure that you can't fix, call for help.
If you ride at night, like I do, invest in a good quality head light and tail light.
I'm amazed when I ride at how many bikers have no lights at all when riding.
I can't even see them coming or going, until the last minute.
They're accidents waiting to happen.
I read about so many fatalities in the daily paper because riders were wearing dark clothing and had no lights.
I want to be seen at night to avoid being on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper.
I wear bright biking clothes, and have a really bright head light and tail light.
I ride 30 miles, once a week on my mountain bike, the last 2.
5 miles being a brutal hill climb back to my house.
That roughly translates to 1,500 miles a year.
In my younger days, I used to bike 100 miles a week, or 5,000+ miles a year.
I used to get a lot of miles out of my bikes before having to replace parts because of basic preventative maintenance.
The heart of your bike is the chain.
The chain is your driveshaft that converts power from your legs, to the cranks, to the rear wheel.
Check and inspect your chain frequently, at least once a week, and lubricate and clean it.
When your chain starts to go bad, the first warning sign is it starts to get noisy, even when properly lubricated.
The second warning sign is the chain will skip when under load, making a loud clanking sound, almost like you broke a tooth off one of the rear cogs.
There's a chain gauge available that tells you when to replace your chain.
I tend to wear chains out every two years, or around 3,000 miles.
Do not run down to your local auto parts store and buy automotive grease and lubricants for your bike.
You'll end up with a gunked up mess on your bike that will actually slow it down, requiring more effort to pedal.
It will also turn into a magnet, picking up dirt, small rocks, and grass that will sandpaper your drivetrain and shorten it's life.
Those lubricants are designed for 4,000+ lb.
vehicles with 150-300+ horsepower engines.
The human body can't even produce 1 horsepower.
In fact, a highly conditioned world class biker only produces ¼ horsepower.
The key is to use the right lubricants to keep everything light and efficient to make use of every precious minuscule amount of horsepower that you can produce.
Once a month, check your shifter cables, as they stretch over time.
As they stretch, your derailleurs will fall out of adjustment and shift poorly, or miss-shift when you're not expecting it.
Check for fraying and broken strands near the derailleur cable hold down bolts.
This is a sign that the cable will fail soon, and should be replaced.
Having a derailleur cable failure on the road isn't fun, especially if you're stuck in high gear all the way home.
If you have mechanical brakes, do the same inspection.
Having a brake cable failure on a downhill run can turn into a real nightmare, and the possibility of severe injury.
If the shifters and brakes start to feel sticky, remove them from the outer housing, and use a light coat of bicycle grease from your LBS.
Again, don't use automotive grease, as it's too thick, and will slow down the shifter and brake action.
Invest in a good floor pump and tire pressure gauge.
Always check your tires before riding, and set them at the optimal pressure for your type of riding.
The lower the pressure, the more comfortable the ride.
However, lower pressure means more drag, and more effort required to pedal.
I ride my mountain bike mainly on road, and set it to 60 psi as a good balance for low friction and a comfortable ride.
If you follow these basic bicycle maintenance guidelines, you'll have a bike that is reliable, runs smooth as a gravy sandwich, and will bring you miles of adventure, fun, and fitness.
When you need to replace parts or upgrade as you turn into a long distance biking machine, we'll cover that next.
Basic bicycle maintenance is essential to keep it rolling smoothly, and running efficiently.
Even more important, keeping your bike in top shape keeps it safe to ride.
A bicycle is a marvel of mechanical parts, transferring human power into motion.
However, those parts need regular maintenance, or you'll be replacing them frequently, and it can get expensive in a hurry.
It amazes me when I'm out riding, how many bikers I pass with squeaking, rattling bikes, in such poor condition, you could walk faster than they're riding.
If you've made a commitment to biking regularly, but haven't picked out a bike yet, plan on spending around $750-$1,000 for a bike.
Stay away from the $100 Walmart special.
The $750-$1,000 bike will have better components that will last longer, perform better, and won't fall apart on you after six months or less, like the Walmart special.
These are real bikes, made to last for thousands of miles of serious riding.
In today's market, bikes can go up to $10,000 or more! Get a good how to book on bicycle maintenance, like Zinn And The Art of Bicycle Maintenance.
YouTube has great videos on bicycle maintenance on just about every topic.
Learning to do basic maintenance and repairs on your own will save you hundreds of dollars instead of running down to your local bike shop (LBS) for every little thing.
Don't be intimidated by your shiny, new, high tech bike; most of the moving parts are pretty easy to work on.
Once you understand how to work on your own bike, you become a more confident rider, and might be able to help a fellow rider stranded on the road.
It will also help you pick out quality components when the time comes for upgrading or replacing worn parts.
I build all my bikes from the frame up, and hand pick all the components that go on it.
This article is not intended to cover advanced repairs and upgrades to your bike.
It's probably going to be in the next article, or Part 2.
The next thing to get is a flat tire repair kit.
Pickup a tube patch kit, tire levers, a small pump or C02 inflator, and a couple of spare tubes.
Keep these in a saddle bag, or backpack when riding.
There's nothing worse than being unprepared, and having a flat tire 20 miles away from your home or car, and walking back with your bike.
When getting a flat out on the road, don't even think about patching the tube.
Simply replace it with the spare tube you're carrying.
Trying to patch a tube when you're in a rush will result in dirt, grass, and bits of grit getting between the patch, glue, and your tube.
The tube patch kit is if you're unlucky enough to get a second flat tire.
Trust me, it happens.
If you happen to have a major blowout that tears a hole in the tire about the size of a dime, use a dollar bill, or thick candy wrapper inside the tire to reinforce the hole, then put the tube back in.
It should get you home where you can replace the tire with a new one.
Always carry your cell phone with you.
Should you have an accident, or a major failure that you can't fix, call for help.
If you ride at night, like I do, invest in a good quality head light and tail light.
I'm amazed when I ride at how many bikers have no lights at all when riding.
I can't even see them coming or going, until the last minute.
They're accidents waiting to happen.
I read about so many fatalities in the daily paper because riders were wearing dark clothing and had no lights.
I want to be seen at night to avoid being on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper.
I wear bright biking clothes, and have a really bright head light and tail light.
I ride 30 miles, once a week on my mountain bike, the last 2.
5 miles being a brutal hill climb back to my house.
That roughly translates to 1,500 miles a year.
In my younger days, I used to bike 100 miles a week, or 5,000+ miles a year.
I used to get a lot of miles out of my bikes before having to replace parts because of basic preventative maintenance.
The heart of your bike is the chain.
The chain is your driveshaft that converts power from your legs, to the cranks, to the rear wheel.
Check and inspect your chain frequently, at least once a week, and lubricate and clean it.
When your chain starts to go bad, the first warning sign is it starts to get noisy, even when properly lubricated.
The second warning sign is the chain will skip when under load, making a loud clanking sound, almost like you broke a tooth off one of the rear cogs.
There's a chain gauge available that tells you when to replace your chain.
I tend to wear chains out every two years, or around 3,000 miles.
Do not run down to your local auto parts store and buy automotive grease and lubricants for your bike.
You'll end up with a gunked up mess on your bike that will actually slow it down, requiring more effort to pedal.
It will also turn into a magnet, picking up dirt, small rocks, and grass that will sandpaper your drivetrain and shorten it's life.
Those lubricants are designed for 4,000+ lb.
vehicles with 150-300+ horsepower engines.
The human body can't even produce 1 horsepower.
In fact, a highly conditioned world class biker only produces ¼ horsepower.
The key is to use the right lubricants to keep everything light and efficient to make use of every precious minuscule amount of horsepower that you can produce.
Once a month, check your shifter cables, as they stretch over time.
As they stretch, your derailleurs will fall out of adjustment and shift poorly, or miss-shift when you're not expecting it.
Check for fraying and broken strands near the derailleur cable hold down bolts.
This is a sign that the cable will fail soon, and should be replaced.
Having a derailleur cable failure on the road isn't fun, especially if you're stuck in high gear all the way home.
If you have mechanical brakes, do the same inspection.
Having a brake cable failure on a downhill run can turn into a real nightmare, and the possibility of severe injury.
If the shifters and brakes start to feel sticky, remove them from the outer housing, and use a light coat of bicycle grease from your LBS.
Again, don't use automotive grease, as it's too thick, and will slow down the shifter and brake action.
Invest in a good floor pump and tire pressure gauge.
Always check your tires before riding, and set them at the optimal pressure for your type of riding.
The lower the pressure, the more comfortable the ride.
However, lower pressure means more drag, and more effort required to pedal.
I ride my mountain bike mainly on road, and set it to 60 psi as a good balance for low friction and a comfortable ride.
If you follow these basic bicycle maintenance guidelines, you'll have a bike that is reliable, runs smooth as a gravy sandwich, and will bring you miles of adventure, fun, and fitness.
When you need to replace parts or upgrade as you turn into a long distance biking machine, we'll cover that next.
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