Top 10 Skills For Keeping Bike Fit You Are Required to Know

Posted by tan xiao yan on

With the great popularization of cycling, more and more people are willing to be a cyclist. And loving riding, loving bike. The bicycle is just like the human beings, needing tender loving care. Besides, we must recognize that take care of the bike and it will take care of us in return. So knowing some simple maintaining skills is necessary for riders. But do you know how to keep your bike in a good health? If not, don't worry. Here are top 10 skills you should know to keep bicycle fit.

1.Keep it clean.

How clean your bike is would show how much love you have given it. So the first thing you should do is to do the cleaning for it. And keeping it in tidy is a constructive way to prolong your bike's life. Moreover, the cleaning method is simple and easy. You only need to wash it with some soapy water very often. It is so easy, isn't it? Especially, mountain biking cyclists should pay much attention to cleanings. Because during the mountain riding tour, your bicycle is much easier to meet with dust, small stones, fallen leaves and something dirt else. In addition, with cleaning it, you can check bike's condition out as well, which is a preventive measure for potential dangers.



2.Inflate its tires properly.

How much gas the bike contains means a lot for cycling. So you should inflate the tires in proper. If poorly inflated, it would increase the difficulty in riding by adding resistance. Consequently, you will feel very tired during the cycling tour, especially, when you uphill. What's worse, it is easy for outer cover to break down. If inflated excessively, the tires would lose elasticity. Under that condition, bikes would wobble more often, giving you discomforts. Besides, inflated over, the inner curtain is likely to disrupt. And when you don't use it, you have better to inflate the bike with reasonable air.

3.Lubrication is indispensable.

Lubricating bike is a vital part of maintaining it. Lubrication can not only keep bicycle healthy but also keep or add sparking point to its appearance. Lubrication is really wonderful and dispensable. And it doesn't need many complicated materials and efforts. Buy some bike, specific lubricant and apply it on any parts of your bike where metal touches metal. But you should take special care of your chain. Before oiling the chain, you should do the cleaning for it first. Or you will make worse matters.

4.Exchange the wheels.

Generally speaking, roads are in a shape that the both sides are lower than the middle part. And according to the traffic rules, we cycle around the sides. If you ride around the right side, the left tires would abrade more seriously than the right ones. At the same time, out of gravity backwards, the rear wheel would be worn out quick than the front ones. Therefore, after a period of riding time, it is wise for you to exchange the front wheels to the rear ones, left side to right side. It is a wonderful way to extend your bike's life.



5.Check whether your wheels need "truing"

How to know whether the bike's wheels is "true" or not? Turn your bicycle upside down and spin the wheels. At that moment, if the wheels wobble a little from side to side, it shows that your wheels need "truing". But how to do it? Just take it easy, it is a quick fix. Open the quick release lever on the front wheel axle and lift it up. And then remove the rear one, doing the similar steps again. Unfold the quick release and hold up the wheel, ease the rear cassette housing out of the derailleur mechanism. And if doing this is difficult for you, you can choose to pay a small fee to a bike shop.

6.Examine your brake pads.

Brake shares an important part in cycling. And with worn pads, the brakes is equal to rubbish brakes of no use. How can you check out your brake pads? Brake pads are worn out when you cannot see the grooves any longer. At that time, you need new brake pads. Equipping novel brake pads is a very cheap and easy process. If you are the first time or unfamiliar to do it, you can refer to the Internet at advance. After all, the Internet is a world filled with fascinating things we cannot imagine. And then you will find what you need is only a set of Allen keys and patience.

7.Quiet screeching brakes.

After using for a period time, brakes are likely to become squeaky. Hearing the noise it made, it is the right time to silence brakes. Screeching brakes are often dirty ones. Or, due to the miry wheel rims, it also may make brakes screeching. In order to settle it, you should clean and dry both brakes and wheel rims first. If that is of no help to recover, you should adjust them.



8.Tighten sluggish brakes.

If your brakes have the slow response to your command, they might be saggy. Brakes cannot react quickly and nimbly, which is extremely hazardous for cycling. So saggy brakes are worth strict cautions. But what is the sign for saggy ones? If you squeeze the brake lever and it moves over 50% towards the handlebars, you need to tighten them up. The cheapest method to accomplish it is to twiddle the barrel adjuster by the brake lever. If that doesn't work, and you are an amateur or it, you can ask professors for help. Or again, make the best use of the Internet.

9.Give bikes warm and coolness- a pair of plastic handlebar gloves.

You love the bike and the bike would protect you in turn. Adding a set of plastic handlebar gloves, the first function it can act is to protect the handlebar. Besides, it can increase the friction between your hands and the handlebars. So that it can prevent you from accidents caused by slip, especially summer's sweat. And a small trip to install the handlebar gloves. You can soak them in hot water beforehand or put some French chalk. And then you can finish it easily.

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10.Bike needs relax.

The bike is just like our people, cannot work all the time without any rest. So don't use it persistently. After a long cycling tour, you and your bike need to relax. You need to adjust yourself and store energy for the next journey. Simultaneously, your bike needs repair and maintaining, such as change the tires, air filter, handlebar gloves, saddle and so on. Just take good care of it, letting have a break.



As for cyclists, bicycle means a lot. And no bikes, no cycling. The bike is the spiritual partner for riders. And keeping your bike fit is essential and crucial. I do hope that the top 10 skills for maintaining bikes can give you help. Loving cycling, loving your bike. Taking good care of your bike, riding global.