ABC of bicycle maintenance
If you follow these basic and simple steps you too can keep your bike in tip top shape without having to resort to taking it to the bike shop and paying lots of money. But without any tools and technical skills how is that possible? How little can you really get away with? Well, I’ll tell you.
A is for Air
The tyres are the part of the bicycle that make contact with the road. But the pressure of air in that tyre determines the type of contact. Most people I see have their tyre pressure too low. Why is that a problem? Basically, you have to work harder. You have to push the pedals to make the wheels roll on the road. And if the tyre is below the recommended tyre pressure then you expend a lot of your effort in overcoming rolling resistance.
So what is the recommended tyre pressure? It will be printed on the tyre wall. And how do you know that it is the correct pressure? You need a pressure guage. Most of the better bicycle pumps now come with pressure guages. Get yourself a track pump, where you hold the pump with your feet and pump with both hands rather than use a hand pump and risk breaking off the valve and hurting yourself.
How much will it cost? You can pick up a cheap track pump for around £15 these days and they aren’t bad. A better one would come in at around £25 and would be a worthy investment. You will notice an immediate performance gain as you will find it much easier to push the pedals thus increase your enjoyment. You will also increase the life of your tyre and reduce the risk of punctures.
That’s enough about air. Once a week is enough to check tyre pressure, but more often if ride every day or commute.
B is for Brake(s)
Of course those of you on a fixed gear bike may only have one brake or none at all. But most people will have brakes. And they come in various shapes and sizes. Such as drum brakes, caliper brakes and disc brakes. This may not be something that you can do by yourself, but you can certainly keep an eye on it. If your brakes are worn or not functioning properly you will certainly notice that something is wrong. It’s worth getting it checked by someone before they fail completely.
The most common type of brakes are the rim brakes where a brake pad grips the rim of the wheel upon application of pressure on the brake lever. So I will give a brief overview on how to check and adjust rim brakes.
Three things can be checked here as follows:
- the amount of wear on the brake pad
- the distance between the brake pad and rim
- the contact position between the brake pad and rim
The first one is pretty easy, all you have to do is to take a look at the pad and check the amount of wear. On most pads there is a wear indicator. Just a line or mark on the pad itself which shows that it is time to change the pads. It’s a bit like the wear indicator on your toothbrush. This is a good time to fit new brake pads. You can probably get away with leaving it for a little while but soon the pad will be completely worn and the metal outer casing that holds the pad will then come into contact with the rim. You will notice that it becomes hard to brake and you will notice metal to metal contact noises. Soon the rim will start to wear or fail completely. Very dangerous. It happened to me once and the rim wore thin and actually split.
You should also check the evenness of the wear of the pad. If the brake pad is not contacting the rim squarely then the wear pattern will be uneven, which will of course reduce braking efficiency and will need to be replaced.
How tight are the brakes? I mean how much do you need to squeeze on the levers in order to stop the wheel from turning? You can move the pads closer to the rim if you want your brakes to be more responsive then they need to be closer, but that depends on the trueness of the wheel. But that is another topic.
If there is any contact between the pad and wheel, even slight, then it will cause you to slow down when you don’t really want to. And of course make you have to work harder with your pedalling. The pads will also wear out a lot faster.
One of the things that you should be able to adjust fairly easily is the position of contact between the pad and rim. You will need a small spanner (10mm) or allen key (5mm). By simply loosening the holding nut slightly, you can change the angle and height of the pad. Just squeeze the pad onto the rim with you fingers to check the point of contact. Then tighten the nut or bolt.
C is for Chain
I see many bikes being ridden where the chain is too worn or rusty. If the bike is left outside or ridden in all weathers then the chain will need some extra care. A worn chain will make riding more difficult and could also be dangerous. A dirty chain needs to be cleaned once in a while and that involves removing it and leaving it to soak in a degreasant. This job may be a bit too much for the novice. But well worth it if you want to maintain efficiency, safety and performance. If your budget permits, you can simply buy a new chain every few months.
But for novices all you need to do is to keep an eye on it. If you notice any rust building up then apply a little oil to the chain. Get proper chain lubricant from your bike shop or order it online. Apply it sparingly to the inside, where it makes contact with the teeth. Putting lube on the outside of the chain will only cause it to attract dirt which will remain on the chain. Wipe off any excess oil with some cloth or kitchen paper.
What I do is to spray on some lube and let it soak in for a moment or two then wipe it off. The lube itself acts as a degreasant and when you wipe it off you will notice some of that black sludge coming away. Once I have wiped that off I apply a little bit more lube and again wipe off any excess. If it is very greasy then I would take it off and soak it in paraffin. But only every couple of months or so.
If you have a single speed or fixed gear bike then you will also need to check the chain tension. If the chain is too tight it will make riding difficult and cause the parts to wear faster. If it is too loose then you can risk the chain derailing and causing a nasty accident. In order to adjust the tension of the chain you need to loosen the nuts that hold the rear wheel to the frame. I find the best way to find the correct tension is to make it as tight as possible and then loosen it off until turns smoothly without much slack. Or sag I should say. Once you have the correct tension retighten the nuts.
Summing Up
That’s it really. There is a lot more you can do to keep your bike in tip top shape. But that should be plenty for beginners. Once you’ve got the hang of it you should be able to do it all in 10 minutes or so. Once a fortnight ought to be plenty. You will notice a performance gain and a corresponding gain in your riding pleasure. Enjoy 