maintenance
maintenance > maintenance logs
For me to do a page on bicycle maintenance is almost laughable. Aside from the necessary repairs while on tour, which have been mostly flat tires over the years, I don't do any maintenance on of my own. I don’t even pretend to do my own. I know some of you receive great joy and satisfaction from doing your own maintenance work. That satisfaction completely eludes me. I do pass all maintenance and repair onto my local bike shop. I do this maintenance page however for several reasons; to share links to what I feel are helpful sites on maintenance, share a few tips on ideas I have found helpful over the years and finally to share my general maintenance scheme with you.
a few tips
#1 Patching tubes. I recommend, as I know many others do, when fixing a flat tire, just install a new tube when on the road. Leave the patching till later of the old tube. Of course, this gets you on the road faster (there may be a psychological factor there) but also, flats usually happen at what seems the most inconvenient time and place. Usually you are fixing flats along side the road, in the sun. I just wait till camp, to repair the tube, if I even chose to repair it at all.
#2 Zip ties. I use them for securing the panniers down to the racks. I mention them here because they can also be very handy for for securing equipment in emergencies. For example, when a nut viabrated loose on my fendor while on tour. I simply secured the fender with a zip tie till I got home.
#3 I recommend keeping a record of all maintenance done on the bicycle similar to the record you might keep with your auto. I include in the record; what is being done, the date, cost, and the product used complete with product numbers. My maintenance logs can be view here. A record of this nature can be helpful in a number of ways. In addition to the record allowing me to know exactly where I am with the maintenance of my bicycle (What's been done, when it was done, and what needs to be done) the record assists me in seeing patterns such as where my maintenance dollers are being spent. Over time, the record can help identify maintenance trouble areas. The record is also helpful for getting the right part back on the bike, and ordering parts ahead of time before I go into the shop.
4# Years ago I grew tired of having to use a hand pump to inflate my tires before leaving home on rides so I purchased a small airless tank to do the job instead. It has worked very well. I then went a step further. My bicycle is stored hanging on a garage wall, so and built a shelf just below where the bike hangs. I keep the airless tank on the shelf which allows me to now inflate the tires while I am standing up.
my general maintenance plan
I have had very few maintenance issues over the years with my bicycle. I am actually hard pressed to think of one right now. This is accomplished I believe in several ways.
The first component of this is, well, perhaps just a little luck.
Secondly, I use a preventative maintenance program. I simply have things replaced before they are worn or break. I do this, of course, as mentioned above at the bicycle shop. If I have to have a part changed, say the chain, I simply just have the shop replace anything else they think is necessary while the bicycle is in the shop. This is successful if you have trust with your bicycle shop. Does the bicycle shop know what they are doing, and secondly, they are not just going to replace items just to heighten your final bill. I am fortunate to be able to have this level of trust with my shop. If I have one gripe, it’s when I want something changed that might not need to be changed, in the shop owner’s opinion, and he resists me. There are parts I replace on a regular schedule. For example the chain every 2000 miles, tires every 4000 miles, and the cables are done once a year.A final component of my preventative maintenance plan is using quality parts for the job. You can have new parts and be replacing them in a timely matter, but if they are not the quality you need you can still have mechanical problems. I know of touring stories where cyclist have had spokes start to pop out one by one and rims start to bend. Unless you are going off curbs and riding down stairs fully loaded, this really should not be happening. In investigation into better quality rims might be in order.
A program such as this can be more expensive on the front end, but can save you a lot of heartache and trouble later. You have to be able to trust your bike when your 300 miles from home and in the middle of the nowhere, and that trust can come with a well maintained bicycle.
links
A maintenance chart from libertybikes.com. Once on page, you will find under 'Bicycle Maintenance' in the left hand colunm, several other links to various maintenance subjects, such as chain replacement and repair, a tool list, and lubrication.
Our Handy Dandy Bike Maintenance Chart - libertybikes.com
Having an effective maintenance schedule for your bike is key to avoiding mechanical problems. Chris Daigle's web article entitled, 'Bicycle Maintenance Schedule' provides some simple guidelines to follow.http://www.eaglewheel.us/schedule.htm
For you do it your selfers Discovery Cycle offers, 'Bicycle Repair Online' a bicycle repair and maintenance manual.
top of page > maintenance logs
'I relax by taking my bicycle apart and putting it back together again.' ~Michelle Pfeiffer