If you want your bike to last for a longer time, it is crucial that you learn how to keep your bike in the right condition. With proper maintenance, you’re able to ride safe, comfortable, and enjoy the moments as you ride from one area to another. It also helps to increase the time between major services and elevates your riding experience. In the long-term, bike maintenance saves you the money you could use in replacing the bike as well as time. In consideration of these, we look at the top 5 maintenance tips that your bicycle will appreciate.
1. Make Use of Less Bike Chain Lube
Bike chain lube is essential in protecting the chain from wear and tear. It also helps in making your rides smooth. With a protected bike chain, you are capable of applying the gears smoothly and it also helps the chain last longer. You can select either to use the wet or dry lube depending on the conditions you wish to ride in. Also, most riders tend to apply a large amount of lube to the chain. This is a problem as it creates a build-up of grime. The grime is what causes deterioration along the drivetrain or any other part that the excess lube drips. We, therefore, recommend that you apply only the necessary amount of chain lube.
2. Wash Your Bike After Use
Like any other moving machine, regular cleaning of your bike will save you some trouble. It helps increase its durability. During the wash, use a bucket of water with soap and a sponge. You can also apply a degreaser on the chain to ensure that the grime and dirt don’t have a chance to eat up parts of the bike.
After washing, rinse and dry off the bike. Add a thin layer of lubricant to the gear and chain and wipe off with a dry cloth. Most importantly, such washing is necessary during wet weather. It’ll help prolong the life of your bike, and keeps you ready for the next ride. It also saves on time and money.
3. Tire Replacements
Before you can go out for a ride, we advise that you check out your tires. Ensure they have no cuts and are not worn out. By doing this, we ensure that there are minimal chances of experiencing a puncture. Bike tires will pick glass particles, thorns, and even sharp stones that can result in a hole when you’re on a ride. And such situations can result in an accident and damage to other parts of the bike. Also, make sure that the tires get pumped according to the manufacturer’s pressure recommendations, you reduce the chances of an uncomfortable ride. If you’ve any punctures or signs of overworn tires, make sure to replace them before your ride.
4. Check on The Gears and Brakes
Before you can take a ride, make sure that your brakes can stop effectively. Take time and see how worn out they are. Efficient working brakes will save you trouble when in danger. You can stop the bike at random and escape an accident. If your brakes are in bad condition, they will produce a screeching sound. Poor brakes ruin your wheels and therefore you’ll have to waste money and buy new wheels before you want to.
Also, make sure that your gears get proper maintenance. They should shift across various gear ratios nice and smooth. The jockey wheels should move freely. Wash them on a regular basis and apply lubricant when necessary. If ignored, such parts can build up oily dirt and annoyingly squeak.
![Bicycle maintenance tips: drivetrain](https://cdn-0.cycling-passion.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cannondale-caad-10-2013-ultegra-rear-derailleur.jpg)
5. Proper Storage
In most instances, riders store their bikes outdoors. We recommend that bike storage should be indoors. Remember, bikes get made of metals that are very reactive. And this is especially when the paint coating gets worn out.
While outdoors, there’s a variety of reagents that will readily react with your bike metal leading to its rusting. Such elements include oxygen and water which are the leading causes of rust in your bike. Also, indoor storage makes sure that other people don’t mess around with your bike.
As a result, it minimizes the chances of damage to your bike. Make sure to store your bike while standing to minimize unexpected accidents such as being stepped on.
Additional Tips
In addition to the above-mentioned bike maintenance tips, consider checking on your bike saddles, bars, and stem. Make regular check-ups to ensure that the system remains tight. Also, consider regular inspections of the cables to ensure that there’re no chances of failure. Such check-ups are essential, especially during the winter seasons.
In conclusion, bike riding is one of the most fantastic sports that you can use to pass your leisure time. However, to maintain an enjoyable ride, make sure that your bike receives proper maintenance at all times.
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I wanted to thank you for explaining how you can take care of your bike. It’s good to know that it could be good to replace your tires if they look pretty worn down. I’m interested to learn if the replacement tires have to be exactly the same model or if you could get different ones.
Properly maintaining your bicycle will be easier now that you know how to tune up your bike. A new bicycle will need to go through a tune-up after being used for a few weeks. The important first step in a full bike tune-up is a thorough cleaning of the entire vehicle. This is important to remove any grease or patches of dirt that may hinder you from properly inspecting the different parts for signs of wear or damage. Use a cleaning solution; it will be enough to remove grease, along with mud and dirt from the surface. Be thorough and wipe down the entire bicycle after washing.