Are you terrified of touching your bike in fear that you’ll break it? This is a common question that we hear from our athletes. So if you fear bike maintenance, buckle up, because this article is for you! This article will teach you exactly how to consistently care for your bike with confidence and not fear.

Why Bike Maintenance Matters?

The bike is usually the longest leg of a triathlon. So as triathletes we usually spend more time on our bikes vs. swimming and running. Due to all that time spent on the bike racing and training the bike can experience a lot of wear. Wear can lead to problems and breakdowns. There are steps that can be taken to prevent, slow down, and catch problems before they happen. This is bike maintenance and inspections. Bike maintenance and inspections should be done regularly to help avoid being stranded on a training ride or ruining your race.

Lubing Your Bike Chain

Lubing your chain. This is something that should be done often to help prolong the life of your drivetrain.

First, you need to pick the type of lube you want to use. Wet or dry. Dry lubes are best in dry environments since they are thin and waxy. This helps prevent dust, sand, and dirt from sticking to the chain. Wet lubes last longer and don’t wash off as easily as dry. So if you ride in wet conditions or ride long distances this may be the better choice. Wet lube can collect dirt and grit so the chain will need cleaning more often.

How often you lube your chain will vary from rider to rider depending on lube, milage, and conditions rode in. On average every 150-200 miles is a good rule to follow. To lube your chain you can slowly turn the crank backwards and apply one drop on each roller. Another option for lubing your chain is a hot wax dip. This requires removing the chain and dipping it into hot wax. This can be more work but helps keep the chain very clean and repels water.

Not only do you have to lube your chain, but you should clean once in a while. No matter what lube you use you need to clean the dirt off the chain that is causing wear. It’s like sandpaper to your components. You should clean your chain every month depending on how much you ride. There are many products on the market to use for cleaning your chain. What you use will be based on preference and what works well on the lube you have chosen. This may require some trial and error to get the right solution. To keep it inexpensive there are some dish soaps that work great for cleaning your chain.

Next, you will need some tools to clean your chain. You can use brushes (dish brush, toothbrush, or one specifically for bike chains will work) or you can purchase a chain scrubbing tool that has a reservoir to hold the solution and rotating brushes. Either route you decided on will work fine. Just scrub the chain until clean and rinse the cleaning solution away. You may have to repeat it a few times.  While scrubbing your chain don’t forget to clean your cassette and chainring. Never use high pressure like a power washer to clean your bike or rinse it off. After scrubbing the chain and drying it off, remember to lube your chain again.

Bike Inspection

Part of bike maintenance is looking the bike over and inspecting for issues before they become a problem. This should be done every month or two. 

• Wipe the bike frame down and inspect for cracks.
• Take a wrench to all of the bolts and make sure they are tight. Don’t tighten them every time. This can lead to over-tightening. We just want to make sure they are not loose.
• Every bolt on the bike has a torque spec. To do this properly get a torque wrench and make sure each bolt is torqued to spec. Jiggle your spokes. Feel for and visible check for looseness.
• Inspect your tires and brake pads for wear. Check your cables and the housings for fraying, breaks, rust, and corrosion.
• Make sure there is no extra slack in the cable affecting shifting or braking performance. Check your chain for stretch. A chain that is starting to stretch may break on you.
• This can be done by purchasing an inexpensive chain wear indicator tool. Examine the teeth of the cassette and chainring. Look for broken teeth, excessive wear, and pointed-looking teeth.
• Spin the wheels and inspect for wobble.
• If you notice any issues while doing this inspection it should be taken care of right away either by you or taken to a bike shop.

Fixing a Flat

One skill every cyclist should learn is to be able to fix a flat. Even though a race may have support vehicles to do this for you, the wait may be long. Even just getting it started for them to finish can save you precious time.

• First, deflate the tire if there is any air in it.
• Next, unseat the tire by going around the tire and squeezing it. Remove the tire. To change the tube you only need to get one side off. You may need to use tire levers to pry the tire off of the wheel.
• Remove the tube from the wheel and tire. Most bikes have Presta valves. This may require removing a nut off the valve in order to remove the tube from the wheel. Slide the valve out of the wheel.
• Inspect the tire for any sharp objects that may still be stuck in it. Don’t want to install a new tube and get a flat right away from the same thing. Install the valve into the wheel and put the tube inside the tire. It may help with installation and to reduce the chance of damage during installation of the tube if you put a little amount of air into the tube.
• Now the tire needs to be fit back onto the wheel. Start at one point and work your way around the tire getting onto the wheel. Do it by hand if you can. It’s likely that you will need to use tire levers to get the last little bit of the tire over the wheel. Be careful to not puncture the tube with the tire levers.
• With the tire back on it’s time to fill with air. You can use a regular air pump but if on a training ride or race you may want to use a CO2 inflator. Fixing a flat and using a CO2 inflator are things that should be practiced at home so you know what you’re doing before it’s an emergency situation.
• There are many videos on the internet that can help you learn how to fix a flat.

The little bit of time you spend on bike maintenance and learning the basics can save you so much more come race day. There are many resources online that can help you learn about your bike and how to take care of it.

-Coach David

READ MORE: ARE DISC BREAKS OR RIM BREAKS?