Ready for a ride?

You may be…but is your bike ready?

 

Most triathletes tend to neglect their bikes. They ride them day in and day out but do very little, if any, maintenance on them and are often surprised when something fails. Your bike can take a lot of hard riding but it’s important to keep it clean and safe. After every ride the athlete should do a quick check +/- a quick clean before putting their bike away to ensure it is ready and safe for their next ride (this is better than doing the check just before the ride to end up finding you have a last minute problem and no time to fix it).


Check quickly to make sure no bolts have come loose (handlebars, headset, saddle clamp and seat post clamp etc), brakes operating well (not sticking and no frayed cables, brake pads not worn excessively etc), wheels true and not rubbing on brakes, tires without any significant damage/cuts or excessive wear and finally drivetrain shifting smoothly. It is also important to clean your bike routinely, weekly if conditions are clean and dry and after every messy/wet ride. And the important part is cleaning the drivetrain, not the frame (yes it seems like an obvious note but you'd be surprised! :-)). A dirty drivetrain will not work as well but also will wear prematurely and require more frequent costly chain and cog replacement. You should still bring in your bike to your favorite bike mechanic for a good TLC from time to time (interval will depend on how often you ride and what conditions you ride in etc) but in between those professional tune ups and repairs you do need to do your regular checks and cleanings.


Happy riding in this beautiful fall weather!


Sylvie