GET YOUR BIKE READY TO RIDE
Ah, the first ride of spring. You pull out your trusty bike, ready to jump on the saddle and ride, only to stop in dismay. Oh no! Flat tire! Or worse, you start riding and miles away, you have a blowout. Or your chain breaks. Not much ruins a great spring day more than having to push your bike home; or not being able to ride it at all.
Whether you ride mountain or road, a little advance prep will make your season's rides all good. John McCool, a shop bike tech and president of Utah's huge Bonneville Bicycle Club, has advice on making your bike ready to ride.
The first item on the care list is tires. "Bring your tires up to pressure. Air starts leaking out within a week, so if your bike has been standing around, it always needs to be pumped up," McCool says. He suggests using a floor pump with a gauge, and pump within a range of 95-120, depending on the rider's weight. "The right pressure will help you avoid flats. If the tires feel mushy, they are underinflated. If the bike skips around and handles poorly, the tires are probably overinflated," he says, adding, "Never use a gas station air machine to pump up bike tires, the air comes out too fast."
Another important task: inspect the tires. Rubber deteriorates with time, so make sure there are no cracks in the sidewalls. If you see even one, get new tires before going on any ride, because cracks mean your tires are ready for a blowout.
McCool says that the other thing he always does in spring is to make sure he has everything needed to fix a flat tire. He keeps it all in a little pack that fastens below the bike seat. The packs are available at any shop for about $15. But even though you have everything, check that the patches are still soft and pliable, that the glue tube has not hardened, and that you still have both levers used to get the tire off and on the rim.
McCool doesn't use a pump after fixing his flats; he uses the more convenient CO 2 cartridges. "They can be used on mountain as well as road bikes. They are a small can of compressed gas that inflate the tire instead of a pump, and do it instantly. They cost about three dollars and will last until they are used," he explains.
He also advises learning how to fix a flat if you don't already know. There are thousands of kid's bikes leaning against a wall in a garage because mommy or daddy hasn't had time to take it to the shop. Yet fixing a flat takes about three or four minutes, and it's an easy chore to learn, so there's no reason to go through the inconvenience taking a bike to a shop to get it done.
Another bike part that needs checked is the chain. McCool says that chains are good for about 1,500-2,000 miles, based on the rider's weight. Before they give out, bike chains stretch, making them come off the gears easily. A shop will clean and measure a chain and tighten it if necessary for about $10 in labor costs. In fact, if you ride a lot, take your bike into a shop for a tuneup and lube. It will cost about $50 (less for a kid's bike), but being sure that all the screws and cables are tight is worth paying for the peace of mind.