| If you love cycling, then there is no doubt that you | | | | easy as it seems. There are many bike owners who |
| understand the importance of maintaining your bike. | | | | maintain their bike themselves. However, if you do |
| Take for example a motorbike, improper maintenance | | | | not know anything about bikes and their maintenance, it |
| will lead to poor performance. You may use extra gas | | | | is best to get your bike serviced by a professional until |
| or you would be spending more money to fix | | | | you get the hang of it. A bicycle's mechanism |
| something that could have easily been prevented with | | | | operates perfectly only when there is a perfect |
| regular maintenance. | | | | balance between its various parts. If you take away |
| | | | | this balance, performance of your bike shall go down. |
| A bicycle is powered by its rider and an ill maintained | | | | |
| bike will require additional effort from the rider to | | | | What should you check when servicing your bike? |
| achieve the same level of performance that another | | | | |
| person riding a well maintained bike may achieve with | | | | The first and most obvious thing to do is to check the |
| very little effort. If you ride an ill maintained bike, you will | | | | air pressure of your tires. What is the point of having a |
| have to put in a lot of effort to keep your bike moving. | | | | well maintained bike if there is insufficient air in your |
| If you do not want to waste your energy when biking, | | | | tire? |
| make it a point to have it regularly maintained. | | | | Secondly, make it a point to ensure all moving parts |
| | | | | are properly oiled. The chain will not to move along the |
| The first rule of bike maintenance is that it must be | | | | sprocket and the cog well if it is not properly oiled. |
| done regularly. There is no point in conducting | | | | Lubrication will keep the bike moving smoothly. |
| maintenance activities randomly. Make it a point to | | | | |
| service and maintain your bike at least once a month. If | | | | Thirdly, you should check the brake and determine |
| your bicycle travels a large number of miles in a day, | | | | whether it needs to be replaced. People often make |
| then you may want to carry out mini maintenance | | | | the mistake of thinking that bikes cannot travel fast. |
| activities once a week. Always keep in mind that a | | | | You certainly do not want to be on a bike that does |
| bicycle is totally dependent on physical contact | | | | not have solid enough brakes that can bring it to a halt |
| amongst its various parts. In such a scenario, having a | | | | without any delay. |
| bike with an improperly fitted sprocket or chain can | | | | |
| significantly bring down the quality of not just the ride | | | | If your bicycle has a light, then you should ensure it is |
| but also the total distance traveled. | | | | properly charged and working. A bicycle on a dark |
| | | | | road is a risk for the rider as well as for others on the |
| Further, keep in mind that bike maintenance is not as | | | | road. |