Bicycle Maintenance In A Nutshell
If you love cycling, then there is no doubt that you understand the importance of maintaining your bike. Take for example a motorbike, improper maintenance will lead to poor performance. You may use extra gas or you would be spending more money to fix something that could have easily been prevented with regular maintenance.
A bicycle is powered by its rider and an ill maintained bike will require additional effort from the rider to achieve the same level of performance that another person riding a well maintained bike may achieve with very little effort. If you ride an ill maintained bike, you will have to put in a lot of effort to keep your bike moving. If you do not want to waste your energy when biking, make it a point to have it regularly maintained.
The first rule of bike maintenance is that it must be done regularly. There is no point in conducting maintenance activities randomly. Make it a point to service and maintain your bike at least once a month. If your bicycle travels a large number of miles in a day, then you may want to carry out mini maintenance activities once a week. Always keep in mind that a bicycle is totally dependent on physical contact amongst its various parts. In such a scenario, having a bike with an improperly fitted sprocket or chain can significantly bring down the quality of not just the ride but also the total distance traveled.
Further, keep in mind that bike maintenance is not as easy as it seems. There are many bike owners who maintain their bike themselves. However, if you do not know anything about bikes and their maintenance, it is best to get your bike serviced by a professional until you get the hang of it. A bicycle's mechanism operates perfectly only when there is a perfect balance between its various parts. If you take away this balance, performance of your bike shall go down.
What should you check when servicing your bike?
The first and most obvious thing to do is to check the air pressure of your tires. What is the point of having a well maintained bike if there is insufficient air in your tire?
Secondly, make it a point to ensure all moving parts are properly oiled. The chain will not to move along the sprocket and the cog well if it is not properly oiled. Lubrication will keep the bike moving smoothly.
Thirdly, you should check the brake and determine whether it needs to be replaced. People often make the mistake of thinking that bikes cannot travel fast. You certainly do not want to be on a bike that does not have solid enough brakes that can bring it to a halt without any delay.
If your bicycle has a light, then you should ensure it is properly charged and working. A bicycle on a dark road is a risk for the rider as well as for others on the road.
Jessica is an exrecise enthisisat and likes to keep fit and healthy. His other interests include biking, and biking accessories like Bike Aero Bars and bike riding computers like the
Schwinn 17 function bike computer
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
