5 Essential Bike Maintenance Tips
Here GCN pulled together 5 tips to remember when thinking about how to get the most life out of your bike. Keeping your bike clean, will make sure that the components are not wearing out faster due to dirt that is caked on your bike. Make sure that your gears are indexed properly, if not this will increase the wear on your drivetrain. Something that could be easily overlooked, but make sure you check your tire pressure before every ride, it will make your ride much more enjoyable if your tire pressure is where it should be. Periodically make sure you look over the different components on your bike, if things look tired and worn, probably time to replace these parts. Lastly, it is best to look at bikes that you can afford to maintain, so if you’re looking for a new bike, keep in mind the maintenance that will need to go into this bike compared to the next level down component family.
The 1 Hour Tune Up - How To Make Your Bike Feel Like New - The 6 month to a year check in
As the title describes this video, this does not need to be done on a weekly or monthly basis, but every 6 months to a year is good depending on how much you ride. The guys over at GCN recommend replacing your chain, brake and shifter cables, and bar tape. They also recommend re-greasing the bearings in your headset and bottom bracket. Giving these areas attention will help get your bike to feel like new again!
How To Fix A Flat Tire on a Road Bike
Did you ever wonder how to fix a flat while you’re out riding your road bike, well here is a quick video to show you just that, with some tips and tricks thrown in as well.
How & When To Change Gear On A Road Bike
This might not be directly maintenance related, but can help the longevity of your components if you know how to shift properly. Ever wonder how your gears worked on your road bike, and how you would go about changing your gears for a steep uphill section or some fun downhill sections of pavement? This beginner's guide will show you exactly what is going on and what you need to do to change gears on your road bike.
