Road Bike Maintenance
Sunday, August 7th, 2011road bike maintenance
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Shimano PD-A600 Ultegra SPD-SL Road Bike Pedals with SH-51 Cleats List Price: $139.99 Sale Price: $77.00  |
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Shimano's recessed cleat and clipless pedal technology, called SPD, revolutionized the cycling shoe/pedal interface. Since then, decades of legendary "in the dirt" dependability, reliability, and sheer endurance have made SPD the world's go-to pedal technology... |
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Brand New! Home Mechanic Bike Bicycle Tool Kit! List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $37.99 |
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This is useful for you to repair the bicycle Different tools in a quality carrying case, convenient for you to carry Below are what you will get: Chain rivet extractor 1 pc Steel Tyre Levers 3 pcs Cotterless Crankarm Extractor 1 pc Manometry pen for tyre 1 pc? Hed set wrench 1pc Pedal wrench 1 pc Wrench with red handle 1 pc Freewheel Wrench 1 pc Adjustable wrench 1 pc 8mm / 10mm open end wrench 1 pc Cone / Hub Conespanner 2 pcs Wrench with cross screwdriver head 1 pc Hex key wrench with ball head 8 pcs Hex key wrench with vinyl coated, red handle 2 pcs Freewheel Remover 1 pc Silver Forged Spoke adjuster 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15G 1 pc Bottom Bracket and Headset Lock ring tool 1 pc Cartridge... |
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Zefal Mini Road Air Profil Bicycle Frame Pump List Price: $21.78 Sale Price: $19.99 |
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Polished alloy construction. Reversible valve fits either schrader or presta valves. With alloy thumblock to hold pump securely in place during use. Includes frame mounting bracket. |
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Blackburn Frame Pump CF Carbon Fiber Road Bike Pump List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $29.93 |
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The Blackburn Frame Pump CF Bicycle Road Pump fits under the top tube or along the seat-stay of the latest bikes. The Frame Pump CF is constructed with a carbon-fiber barrel that reduces its weight while maintaining its durability... |
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Innovations Ultraflate Plus CO2 List Price: $19.83 Sale Price: $13.98 |
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Our best selling “Trigger Grip” inflator. Easy to use with built in safety feature and trigger inflation. Works with ALL Genuine Innovations CO2 refill cartridges (except 45 gram). Comes with one 16g non-threaded CO2 cartridge. |
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Blackburn Frame Pump CF Carbon Fiber Road Bike Pump List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $34.97 |
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The Blackburn Frame Pump CF Bicycle Road Pump fits under the top tube or along the seat-stay of the latest bikes. The Frame Pump CF is constructed with a carbon-fiber barrel that reduces its weight while maintaining its durability... |
Tips for Maintaining your Bike
Bike maintenance is one of the most important things you can do to make sure you continue to enjoy all that cycling has to offer while protecting your investment, riding at optimal conditions and being safe. After a long ride, bikes, especially Mountain Bikes can get very dirty. So whether its cleaning the mud off your bike after a ride or regularly checking the air in your tyres, keeping your bike well maintained will insure it remains in a prime condition.
Even if you didn't pay a fortune for your bike, you still want to make sure you maintain it the best you can. You don't have to own a hand-made carbon fiber competition road racing cycle to need motivation to keep your bike's components in good working condition. Keeping your bike well maintained will not only ensure it to last longer, it also means you will be able to get more money back for it when it comes time to sell – but that shouldn't be your sole motivation.
Bikes are machines and like all other machines if you don't maintain them, they will begin to break down on you. You won't get optimal performance out of your bike if you don't keep up with at least the basic maintenance. Even if you're not a competitive racer or professional bike rider, you're going to want to get the most out of your bike. A bike that has not been maintained will not perform well or as it was designed to do, so you are cheating yourself and wasting your money.
Safety is another reason you want to keep your bike's maintenance up to date. If you don't keep your machine functioning well, it could break down while you're riding it and that could spell serious trouble. Imagine a tyre blow out while screaming downhill on your mountain bike, or a broken chain in the middle of a challenging road race. Not only are many types of biking dangerous as they are, having equipment breakdown at the wrong time could mean a whole lot of trouble. You don't have to be some sort of extreme rider to be concerned about this, even recreational or commuter bikers need their brakes, chains and tires to work at the right time. If they don't, you are putting yourself in harm's way.
Basic Bike Maintenance
If you're serious about keeping your bike lasting as long as you can and getting the best ride possible while being safe, then you'll need to make sure you perform these basic maintenance tasks.
- Keep Your Bike Clean: No matter what kind of riding you do, you're going to get dirt, mud and junk on your bike. Some bikes, like mountain bikes, are more prone to this and need to be cleaned more often and more thoroughly. This will reduce the wear and tear that water, mud and other debris can inflict on your ride
- Tyres: You'll want to make sure that your tyres are always fully inflated and show no signs of serious wear. Check them before every ride, even if it's just visually. If you use your bike as a commuter, you may not have the time to check the tyre pressure with a gauge every morning, but do it as often as possible. Check the nuts or other mechanisms that hold your wheels in place and make sure they are on tightly. Bikes with quick release wheels should be inspected carefully and regularly.
- Chains and Gears: If you let your chain and gears get gummy and dirty, they will not perform as well, wear down faster and eventually slow you down. Make sure to clean and oil your chain every couple of months or thousand miles at the maximum. As you start off, make sure your chain turns cleaning and properly through the front and rear sprockets.
- Seat Posts and Handle Bar Stem Post: Make sure your seat and handlebars are set at the right height and that they are tightly fastened. The last thing you need to worry about is your seat or handlebars becoming loose while you are riding.
- Brakes: There is nothing more important than your brakes when it comes to bike maintenance and safety. If you can't stop, or stop well, you are in a lot of trouble. Squeeze the break levers to make sure that they are working and none of your cables are on the fritz. Make sure the brake pads are hitting the rim of the tyre and not the tyre itself. This can reduce stopping power and damage your tyre as well. Also make sure that your break pads are "toed-in," that is the front edge of the pad should touch the bike rim first. Finally, make sure that there is no debris, mud or dirt accumulating on your break pads and that any moving parts are lubricated properly. Without well working brakes you can find yourself in a lot of trouble. It is important to keep your brakes well maintained as they receive a great deal of wear and tear from just everyday use to the rough and tough of BMX bikes.
About the Author
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Shimano PD-A600 Ultegra SPD-SL Road Bike Pedals with SH-51 Cleats List Price: $139.99 Sale Price: $77.00 |
|
Shimano's recessed cleat and clipless pedal technology, called SPD, revolutionized the cycling shoe/pedal interface. Since then, decades of legendary "in the dirt" dependability, reliability, and sheer endurance have made SPD the world's go-to pedal technology... |
|
Brand New! Home Mechanic Bike Bicycle Tool Kit! List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $37.99 |
|
This is useful for you to repair the bicycle Different tools in a quality carrying case, convenient for you to carry Below are what you will get: Chain rivet extractor 1 pc Steel Tyre Levers 3 pcs Cotterless Crankarm Extractor 1 pc Manometry pen for tyre 1 pc? Hed set wrench 1pc Pedal wrench 1 pc Wrench with red handle 1 pc Freewheel Wrench 1 pc Adjustable wrench 1 pc 8mm / 10mm open end wrench 1 pc Cone / Hub Conespanner 2 pcs Wrench with cross screwdriver head 1 pc Hex key wrench with ball head 8 pcs Hex key wrench with vinyl coated, red handle 2 pcs Freewheel Remover 1 pc Silver Forged Spoke adjuster 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15G 1 pc Bottom Bracket and Headset Lock ring tool 1 pc Cartridge... |
|
Zefal Mini Road Air Profil Bicycle Frame Pump List Price: $21.78 Sale Price: $19.99 |
|
Polished alloy construction. Reversible valve fits either schrader or presta valves. With alloy thumblock to hold pump securely in place during use. Includes frame mounting bracket. |
|
Blackburn Frame Pump CF Carbon Fiber Road Bike Pump List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $29.93 |
|
The Blackburn Frame Pump CF Bicycle Road Pump fits under the top tube or along the seat-stay of the latest bikes. The Frame Pump CF is constructed with a carbon-fiber barrel that reduces its weight while maintaining its durability... |
|
Innovations Ultraflate Plus CO2 List Price: $19.83 Sale Price: $13.98 |
|
Our best selling “Trigger Grip” inflator. Easy to use with built in safety feature and trigger inflation. Works with ALL Genuine Innovations CO2 refill cartridges (except 45 gram). Comes with one 16g non-threaded CO2 cartridge. |
|
Blackburn Frame Pump CF Carbon Fiber Road Bike Pump List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $34.97 |
|
The Blackburn Frame Pump CF Bicycle Road Pump fits under the top tube or along the seat-stay of the latest bikes. The Frame Pump CF is constructed with a carbon-fiber barrel that reduces its weight while maintaining its durability... |