Tips for Maintaining Your Bike

• Brake pads for wear and cables for rust and fraying.
• Tire tread for cracks and sidewalls for dry rot.
• Wheels for trueness and loose or broken spokes.
• Bicycle frame for possible cracks in the frame weld or joints.

As always, if in doubt, bring it in for a free inspection!

What you can do to protect your bike against the elements.

Those of us in the pacific north wet know the precipitation starts to fall, how much dirt and grime that consequently ends up all over our bikes and us.

Fenders

Try putting on some full fenders or at least some clip on ones these range at about $12 to $25 and will go a long way to keeping you and your bike cleaner.

Lube

The type of lube you use this time of year should be a little bit on the heavy side (DO NOT USE WD40, its attracts dirt!!!) Pedros makes an excellent lube called SYN LUBE or the most common of lubes is TRI FLOW. The secret of lubing a chain is not putting too much on, cause it 'aint what's ON the chain but what's In-between the links and the rollers to keep the rust and friction down. The trick to lubbing your chain is to let it sit a couple of minutes and then take an old t shirt and wipe off the extra. While your on your knees lube the pivots of your derailleur too, that's where moving parts of your derailleur really get neglected.

Wheels

Wheels! The most important part of your bicycle for efficiency. Once again take your lube and put one drop of lube per spoke nipple, anybody with alloy nipples out there better get going now! Alloy as well as brass nipples, but more so alloy nipples, tend to seize up, and when this happens it's impossible to true and tension your wheels (but I'm sure the local shop will be happy to sell you new ones). The hubs of your wheels are also a very neglected and unnoticed aspect of your bicycle. I've seen many people try to spray lube into the hub, this not only does not work but ends up being real messy. It's best to have them injected with new grease or you could also go as far as having them overhauled.

Springtime Tune Up

I suggest that you keep your steed running and in the early spring/ late winter do the internal work, like new cables and overhauling the bearings i.e. an overhaul or at least our Standard Tune Up.

These tips are not only for the all weather rider, but also for the weekend rider so for the love of your bicycle, take a few minutes to do some basic maintenance.