Keeping your bike in peak condition

Keeping Your Bike in Peak Condition
By John McClorey

“I get around;
Get around, round round, I get around...
From town to town,
I’m a real cool head,
I’m makin’ real good bread...
Wah wa ooo...

“I Get Around” by Brian Wilson and Mike Love

The Beach Boys were onto something deep in the American psyche when they wrote that song in 1964. We cool heads want to get around. Reconcile the facts that we drove more than 100 billion fewer miles between November 2007 and October 2008 than the same period a year earlier, and the 88 percent increase in sales reported by more than 150 bicycle retailers from nearly 40 states in the summer of 2008. Sounds like Americans are driving less but riding bikes more. Although it got harder to get around by automobile last year, Americans kept on getting ’round, but on two wheels.
As new and former riders pedal more miles, more bikes need maintenance and service. And it’s not all new bikes you see on the road today. In this rough economy, people grab the bikes they’ve had hanging in their garages (sometimes for years), or they run across a great buy on a bike at a garage sale.
But after dusting off those old rides, it’s not always easy to just hit the road. More likely, it’s hit the road after pumping up the tires; replacing a tube with a hole in it; oiling a squeaky chain; and, after all that, using only half the gears because your ‘new’ old bike doesn’t shift right.
Bicycles are supremely efficient, but simple, machines. A bicyclist has to take care of his or her bike to maintain that efficiency at getting around.
Enter Park Tool Company, an American manufacturer of bicycle tools that have become standard issue in all bicycle shops. This St. Paul, Minnesota business has developed a curriculum for teaching bicycle mechanics. Their chief mechanic has written a supporting text called the “Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair.”

HOW TO FIX IT
The Park Tool School offers instruction that varies from a basic course in cleaning, lubricating and checking for problems; to an advanced class that covers rebuilding and overhauling the bike and all its component parts. Park Tool has an excellent web site that lists area bike shops offering its classes, including Brick Wheels and Grand Traverse Cyclery in Traverse City, Latitude 45 in Petoskey, and BIKEFIX in Boyne City.
Broke Spoke, a Traverse City bicyclist cooperative, also teaches its members how to fix bikes at its workshops and offers an open workbench for members.
So, what can a bike owner do to have 80 percent fewer flat tires and to save money in repairs and replacement parts over the life of the bike? Keep the bike dry and clean between rides and do the ABCs before each ride – pump the tires to the proper air pressure, check the brakes for good braking function, and keep the chain lubricated.
Keeping good air pressure in the tires prevents most common flat tires. You want those brakes working when heading downhill at 25 mph, so make sure before you ride that you can stop as needed. That chain is nothing but lots of metal parts moving on other metal parts under a good deal of tension. Without good lubrication, the whole drive train (chain, rings, and cogs) wears out in just a few rides, seriously degrading pedaling and costing up to $100 or more to replace. These three easy tasks, done quickly before each ride, keeps a bike in riding condition throughout the season.

Basic Bike Maintenance
Every Ride
• Check the tire air pressure and check the tire for tread cuts
• Grab brakes to check stopping power – listen for rattles
• Spin the pedals backwards and note if chain squeaks or is dry

After Every Ride
•Clean/wash bike if very gritty and dirty every 100 miles
•Measure for chain stretch/wear with appropriate tool and replace when out of specification
• Clean chain if needed
• Inspect cables & housings for cuts and fraying
• Inspect brake pads for wear – replace if worn
• Inspect tires for tread wear/damage, replace as needed
• Check for bearing play in wheel hubs and headset
• Inspect wheels for trueness – make necessary adjustments

Every 500 mile
• Check bottom bracket & cranks by grabbing cranks and pulling side to side and feeling for knocking or play
• Check crank bolts for proper torque
• Lubricate pivot points –derailleur pivots, brake levers, quick releases, etc.
• Check all parts– tighten fasteners to correct torque as needed
• Check for play or looseness in suspension parts
• Inspect frame and fork for cracks, dents, or other problems

Every 1,000 miles
• Inspect rims for wear on braking surface and for dents or cracks
• Overhaul bearings if ridden in wet, muddy, or other hard conditions
• With clipless pedals, check shoe cleats for wear and free release from pedal
• Remove seat post, clean, and re-grease as appropriate – do the same with a threaded fork quill stem

Every 3,000 miles
• Overhaul bearings or replace cartridge bearings if worn or if play is present
• Replace tires and inspect rim strip and replace as needed
• Dismantle and clean the transmission




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