Maintain Your Trusty Steed
Wheel Life column - 12 February, 2000
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Consider the noble cowboy finishing a hard day's work on the trail. Does he drop everything at the first scent of cooked beans? No, cowpokes always take time to rub down their trusty steeds and provide plenty of oats and fresh water before moseying along to the chuck wagon.

Bear this affection between cowboy and horse in mind when it is time for bike maintenance. Your mount also deserves attention. Take it for granted at your own risk. Not that a bicycle is a demanding partner. Most bikes will endure many years of hard work with hardly a creak, provided that they receive occasional maintenance.

The following are relatively easy maintenance tasks that any cyclist can learn to perform.

• Tire pressure and condition. Add air and replace tires as needed.
• Chain lubrication. Squirt a few drops of oil if dry.
• Nuts and bolts. Tighten any that are loose (but don't overtighten the small ones, they can strip).

Below are more difficult tasks. Have them performed at a bikeshop unless you take the trouble to learn them and invest in the specialized tools they require.

• Bearings. Adjust any that have side-to-side play.
• Rims. Have the rim trued if it wobbles more than about 5 millimeters when spun.
• Brakes and deraillures. They need adjustment if the gears shift poorly or you can squeeze the brake levers all the way to the handlebars.
• Brake pads. Replace them when they are worn down, if they become hard with age, or if grit becomes embedded in the braking surface.

About once a year a bike that receives moderate to heavy use should have a general tune up. That involves adjusting the bearings, brakes and deraillures, truing the wheel, and checking for impending problems. It's also a good time to replace any worn handlebar grips, tires and brakepads, and install new accessories.

If you want your bike to last a long time, every few years it should receive a complete overhaul, a lengthy project which involves taking the bike apart and regreasing the bearings, as well as all the steps of a tune up. It's not cheap, but will keep your bike operating efficiently and reliably.

This is a good time of year to take your bike into the shop so it will be in top shape when better weather arrives in the spring. Alternatively, you can learn to do these maintenance tasks yourself. We recommend finding a good teacher - these skills are difficult to learn from a book. Find somebody who is patient and encouraging, who won't make you feel bad when you make a mistake. Mistakes are part of the learning process.

Bike maintenance courses are offered through some recreation centres. Chain-Chain-Chain (385-1739) offers one-to-one bike mechanic tutoring, from tube repair to complete overhauls.

Cycling instructor Ray Hall (380-0172) also offers maintenance courses and tutoring, including a basic one-day class, and a more detailed three-day class. He prefers to have two students at a time, you and a buddy. How romantic! Bike repair as a couple's activity: a perfect Valentine's Day gift.