Well it seems like the appropriate time to do another blog post on bike preparedness and proper maintenance after last nights bike ride downtown. A friend of mine met me at the waterfront and we cruised around the downtown area after work. We were wrapping the ride up and he has a running race Wednesday night so he wanted to do the 4 mile loop real quick so we headed north on the bike paths out of the small boat harbor.
Up ahead of us I saw three people huddled around a bike and looking at us as we drew closer. The first question was did we have a chain tool. A lady had broken her chain and they were trying to repair it good enough to get her home. Unfortunately in the bike bag I was riding with last night there was no chain tool and the only way home for her was walking or calling for a ride.
While inspecting the bike and seeing what we could do to get it to work I noticed the overall condition of her drive train as being very poor. There was what seemed to me a lifetime of chain grease on the drivetrain components and also her frame. I didn't say anything other than you should really get this bike looked at by a professional and get it cleaned up somewhat for proper use. I also mentioned that Tom's was having a Bike Maintenance/Repair Clinic Wednesday night and if she could make it out that would be a good thing to do so she could avoid.
I understand we are not all mechanics and not really capable of high end bike repairs but everyone that rides a bike should understand how to change a flat, clean a drive train, the appropriate amount of lubrication necessary to make drivetrain work properly, and also how to do on the move adjustments to brakes/derailleurs to get yourself home or to Tom's for a thorough tune-up. Bikes are not as complicated as cars which makes the maintenance of them that much easier and also that much more necessary. This is a good way to avoid a 5-6 mile walk home or call to the SAG wagon halfway through your ride.
Check out our Events Page - Service Clinic 7/23/2014 @ 6:30pm. You can register online at the above link.
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