Friends For Life Bike Rally - A Benefit for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation

Don't wait till you're out on a long ride to find out the hard way that your cables are frayed and your brake pads are worn, or that your chain is ready to snap...

Maintaining your bike and chain

Tune-ups are a lot cheaper and faster if you take simple steps to maintain your bike all year round. Clean and re-lube your chain and other moving parts on a regular basis. This will help to make your ride smoother and extend the working life of your components. Use only bike-specific cleaning solution and lubrication. For a weekly bike maintenance checklist, see www.athenscyclepath.com/wconncheckweekly.html .

The easiest way to clean your chain is to buy a chain cleaner that gets filled with degreaser, snaps over the chain, and then scrubs it as you turn the pedal crank. Remove the cleaner, rinse the chain and let it dry, re-lube and voila! - you now have a sparkling clean chain, with no fuss or muss.

If your chain is dry, put a drop of lube on each link pin (where the links meet). Backpedal the chain for a minute to work the lube into the pins, then wipe it clean with a rag. If your chain is dirty, clean it with a rag and degreaser before lubing. And don't forget to re-lube your machine after riding in wet weather!

Pump up your tires

Make sure your tires are inflated to the correct tire pressure (printed on the side of the tire). Hard tires are less likely to get a flat by pinching when you hit potholes or run over obstacles. They also produce less traction, so you go faster with the same amount of effort (up to 3km/hr more)!

Use a gauge to accurately measure pressure  don't rely on feel. Pump your tires up before every ride, because even by sitting overnight, tires lose air and just a few psi can make a difference in your bike's performance. (Let out some air if you are putting your bike in a car on a hot day to prevent blowouts from the expansion of air.)

Do a Safety Check

Even with a tune-up, you should perform your own safety check before any day of riding. Here is a good checklist - you can also go to www.caree.org/bike101bikecheckup.htm for more details.

Basic Bicycle Safety Checklist

• Bolts - Check that bolts on the seat, seat post, handlebar stem and axles are tight.
• Headset - Check that it turns freely and doesn't rattle.
• Brakes - Check that the nuts on the brake bolts are tight. Brake pads should not touch the rims unless you are squeezing the brakes. Also check lever looseness and travel. Levers should stop at least 2.5 centimetres from the handlebars when the brakes are fully applied. If they feel mushy, dial out (that's counterclockwise) the barrel adjusters on the levers or down at the brake arms.
• Axles - Check bearings for looseness by shaking the wheel side to side. Check for tightness in dropouts (see diagram above). If you have quick-release levers that clamp the wheels into the frame and fork, make sure that they are securely fastened, and that the wheels are centered. Your quick-release levers should be tight enough that the lever leaves an indent in your palm when you clamp it shut.
• Chain Slack - A chain that sags means the rear derailleur needs repair or that the chain has stretched and needs to be replaced.
• Shift Levers - Derailleur levers should move easily when you shift, but not at all when you are not shifting. A screw or butterfly nut or similar device lets you adjust the movement of some types of shifter levers.
• Derailleur Movement - Make sure your derailleur does not throw the chain right off the sprockets.
• Tires - Inflate to the recommended tire pressure as shown on the tire.
• Spokes - Check for and replace loose, bent or broken spokes.
• Wheels - Make sure wheels are centred in the forks and not touching the brake blocks. Check the rim for side-to-side wobbles and up and down hops by watching the wheel spin past the brakes or frame. More than an eighth of an inch of wobble is cause for concern and means the wheels need to be trued.
• Helmet - Make sure that your helmet meets safety standards (e.g. Snell, CSA, ANSI, ASTM, BSI, SAA) and is not been damaged in any way.

Not only will regular maintenance and tune-ups ensure that your bike doesn't fall apart on (or under) you, they make your ride significantly smoother and stress free. And that's a good thing.