Spring Bicycle Checkup

It's the time of year to have a look at your bicycle for the coming season. Most people here in northern climates tend to park the bicycle(s) in the fall and they sit in the garage for the winter, then in May when the weather is nice, they get the bicycle out and find that somethings not working, so they take it to the shop and the shop takes the bicycle and gives them a slip of paper and tells them that they will get a call when it's ready. What they don't realise is that every one else had the same idea.

Now while the snow is covering the ground is the time to check things over and make sure that it all works. A lot of the checking can be done without actually riding the bicycle, and taking it to the shop now when the mechanics are not particularly busy, means they have the time to do a proper repair.

We start at ground level, the tires, pump up the tires, come back later, are the tires still full of air? Now carefully look at the tires and see if they still have lots of tread, your looking for thin spots, bulges and cuts. Next we move our way up, support the area where the cranks are, or flip the bike over, run through all the gears, are the shifts nice and quick, if it's slow it may need adjustment. Does the wheel wobble from side to side or up and down, if so, it needs truing. Look for broken or missing spokes, if there are they need to be replaced.

Grab the cranks and try to move them side to side, if they do move they may be loose or the bearings may need adjustment or service. Have a look at the brake pads, you may find it easiest to remove the wheel, is there lots of rubber left, if the grooves in the pad have disappeared they should be replaced. If they appear hard and glassy, you can rub them with sandpaper to get a fresh surface. When you apply and release the brake does it jump back out, or stay near the wheel or against the wheel on one side. If so it needs adjusting.

Look at any bare cables, is there rust on them, if there is they should be replaced. Turn the bars a few times, is it nice and smooth, or does it feel gritty or like there are notches or stops, in either case it needs servicing. Do the bars wobble back and forth if you try apply the front brake and try to move the bike. If so it needs adjustment.

Your local bicycle shop can do many of the adjustments, there are books that explain it so that many can be done by the bicycle owner as well, bicycles are quite simple, you can check books at the library or local book store to see if it's something your comfortable with.

Bike distance numbers:

February Goal 82, this week 105, total so far 179, goal exceeded.

Photo of the week:

This is one of the kittens, Tobias, if you follow me on Facebook you already have seen this photo, but I have done some editing on it here. He looks like he is smiling...

Just noticed, this is posting on Valentines day, so happy Valentines.