Before
the Ride -
It's a good idea to check the condition of your bike before
each ride (especially long rides!). Of particular concern
are cables and tires. Make sure your cables are properly tensioned
and show no signs of fraying. Bicycle tires tend to lose air
over time. If it's been a while since your last ride it is
even more important to check air pressure before you head
out.
Keeping
it Clean - You
should try to keep your bike clean, not only for aesthetics,
but because dirt and grime can interfere with the proper function
of your bike. It's best to use plain soap and water to clean
it. Be careful with degreasers and solvents as they can cause
the loss of lubricants in bearings and other parts (such as
chain) that need it. Some solvents may also damage paint.
Storage
- It's best to store your bike in an
upright position, this is especially true for bikes with suspension
forks. Storing a bike upside-down (as may be the case with
overhead hooks or such) can cause fork oil to leak and could
ultimately be the cause of future failure.
Tune-ups
- Derailleurs and brakes do need occasional
tuning to keep them functioning at their best. During break-in
period (or when you install new cables) your cable will stretch.
Once they get fully seated they should not continue to stretch.
However, during that initial break-in period you will need
to take some slack out of the cables using barrel adjusters
found at shifters and brake levers (on MTB & flat-bar
roadbikes) or at brake calipers and derailleurs (roadbikes).
Cables should be tightened to the point of just becoming taut.
If you over tension them you may have problems with shifting
or proper brake response. Whenever you have problems such
as ghost shifting (chain jumping between gears on its own),
ineffective shifting or loss of braking power, check cable
tension first. This is the most common cause of problems with
shifting and brakes. For full tune-up info please see sections
below on individual parts:
Front
Derailleur | Rear
Derailleur | V-Brakes
| Disc Brakes
| Sidepull Brakes
