Bike to Work

Some bike owners are fanatics. Like equestrians grooming their horses, they wipe down their bikes after every ride. The smallest squeak causes them to lubricate, adjust or even disassemble the offending part. Other cyclists are, not to put too fine a point on it, bike slobs. Their bicycles are rust covered, gear crunching, brake squealing monstrosities. It’s surprising they keep going at all.

Most of us, while we may not mind a few dings and scratches, want a bike that functions smoothly. After all, it does require some effort to ride and we’d like to think our bike is working with, not against us. At the same time, many people, myself included, are not mechanically minded. We find no great satisfaction in scraping our knuckles and getting our hands greasy. That’s fine. It is quite possible to keep your bike in good shape with minimal effort, a little knowledge and a few tools, most of which you already have around the house.

Yet the most important step you can take to keep your bike running smoothly, involves neither specialized knowledge nor tools, but a piece of advice I received on numerous occasions from my Dad, when he got home from work . “Mike! Put your darn bike away!” In other words, keep your bike under cover when not in use. Some bike books will insist on a heated space but a garage, or even a little “bike port” that keeps off the rain will significantly slow down the ravages of rust.

Preventive maintenance is the second part of an effective bike care program. It is easy to do, only takes about twenty minutes and should be performed weekly or bi weekly. The bottom line is that the more frequently you do it, the more your bike will thank you for it.

Start by checking your tires for thorns, sharp stones or nails. If you find any that are deeply embedded, and you don’t want to repair a flat yourself, you might want to take it to a bike shop before pulling them out. Next take your bicycle pump (upright, with a gauge on it) and pump. Up down, up down. The pressure range for your tire is on the sidewall. Don’t over inflate or you risk a blowout and, just like car tires, under-inflation will slow the bike down and wear out the tire faster. After checking the tires, wipe the bike with a rag, especially the wheel rims. Keeping them free from dirt and grease reduces the likelihood of squealing brakes.

Cleaning your chain is a little more involved, but worth it. Turn the bike over and crank the peddle with one hand while dripping oil on the chain with the other. Then hold the chain with a rag while continuing to crank the peddle, drawing the links through the rag . Keep turning the rag over until it comes away fairly clean. Avoid specialty cleaners or solvents. They tend to dissolve the lubricants protecting the chain and before you know it, your apparently well oiled chain is seizing up with rust.

Last, check your bike over for loose screws or bolts. A friend of mine was riding to work when a fender came loose and tangled in his spokes, locking the wheel. He woke up in hospital two days later.

Of course not every problem will be prevented with maintenance. Which brings us to flat tires – the bane of every cyclist’s existence. Fixing flats is not all that hard and you may well want to do it yourself in which case you’ll need a flat repair kit and tools along with spare tubes. But don’t bother to pack your kit around when riding. When you get a flat tire (notice the “when” not “if”), it is almost always easier to walk your bike home or to a bike shop. Despite years of trying to be prepared, I don’t think I have ever successfully repaired a flat on site. I’ve always been missing one key tool (like the pump) or the tube is damaged beyond repair or it’s dark and raining and I can’t find the leak. So my recommendation for the transportation cyclist (mountain and touring bikers are a different story) is leave your repair kits and pumps at home. It’s just more gear to carry around.

So where does the mechanic come in?

As mentioned in a previous article, the mechanic should give your bike a thorough going over before you start riding. After that, you should take it in at least once a year for major servicing. This should include cleaning and re-greasing cables, gears, and brakes. Wheels should be trued, bearings repacked, and worn parts such as tires, chains, brake pads and sprockets replaced. Of course if you find gears skipping or brakes pulling, take your bike in right away, before a little problem becomes a big inconvenience, or worse, a safety hazard.

And guess what? Most bike mechanics are not only competent and generally nice folks their rates are also very reasonable. The only real problem I’ve encountered with bike mechanics is in trying persuade them to adjust their mind set to meet my needs as a transportation, not recreational, cyclist. For example, some mechanics don’t repack axle or crank shaft bearings (the ones that are in behind the pedal mechanism) because they claim it is cheaper to simply replace the whole unit when it breaks. They may also be hesitant to put on a new part – such as a chain - because “it still has a few months left in it.”

Wrong, wrong, wrong. The transportation cyclist wants his or her bike to work. Period. It is worth it to pay a little more for parts or servicing in order to avoid problems on our way to our job or an appointment. There is never a good time to break down

So if you aren’t your own mechanic, make sure to find one who understands what it is you need. You and your bike will be much happier for it.