Taking Care of Your Ride You may know how to ride a bike, but do you know how to diagnose a problem with one? Proper bike maintenance is important for any rider. Making sure your bike is in proper condition before you use it can prevent problems later. Whether you are purchasing a new bike or riding an old one, make sure you pick up a tool kit. Many bike shop will suggest them, however, make sure you ask for one if they do not. Regular maintenance […]
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Quick Tune Up For Spring Bicycle Riding For those of us who put our bikes away for the winter, the time has come to dust them off and get ready to ride. When bringing a bike out of storage, a mini tune-up is necessary. Pay special attention to the following four areas: chain, derailleur components, brakes, and wheels. Chain If you have been using an oil-based lubricant, consider switching to a wax-based product. The only advantage to an oil-based lubricant is that it needs to be applied […]
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Maintain the chain. The chain is the crucial element of a bicycle – if the chain breaks, you aren’t going anywhere. So proper maintenance of the chain is essential. Of all the components on your bike, the chain is the most important. No chain….no go! See below a picture of a modern bike chain. Proper chain maintenance will extend the life of your chain – although any chain should be replaced after you’ve put 1000 miles on it. Don’t use a chain any longer that necessary – […]
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Maintaining Your Bicycle Chain Proper bicycle chain maintenance will allow you to keep your bike in tip-top condition for riding. Learning how to take care of your chain can save you time and energy. A bicycle chain is known for failing at the worst time. This problem of a jumpy or jerky chain can be removed entirely, though, if you simply do some chain maintenance on it regularly. This means that you check your chain at least two times per month or after you ride it about […]
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How to Use a Chain Tool Once your mountain bike chain becomes damaged, you should immediately replace it with a new one. It is possible however, to repair a broken chain using a chain tool. For this very reason, most mountain bikers travel with a chain tool. Bike chain Your chain has three basic components – the metal side plates, the rollers between the side plates, and the rivets, or pins which go through the rollers and help to hold the plates together. These pins allow the […]
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Bicycle Maintenance Learning to ride a bike is no big deal. If you fall off, just brush yourself off and climb back on. Learning how to keep your bike from falling apart can be just as easy. Bicycle maintenance is vital to the performance and preservation of your ride. Without proper maintenance, your bike will quickly go from a lean, mean, two-wheeled machine, to a squeaky, rusty, pant leg munching mess. Keeping your bicycle in top condition requires regular protective and preventive maintenance, some of which can […]
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Bike Repair 101 There are at least 2 great reasons to do your own bike repairs. Commonly known as DIY (do it yourself) bike repair, one of the main reasons is to simply save money as opposed to paying a bike repair shop potentially hundreds of dollars when you can do it yourself. The other advantage to doing your own bike repairs is you get to learn more about how your bike works from a mechanical perspective. For example, changing a bike tire is quite simple but […]
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