When a bicycle is in regular use, lubricate the freewheel (or freehub), brake calipers, cables, and derailleurs every two weeks. Use a bicycle oil or a petroleum distillate spray, avail able at hardware stores or bicycle shops. Do not rely on ordinary household lubricating oils for your bicycle; they are too thin for heavy-duty performance.
If the bike has oiling holes on the hubs, pedal axle, bottom bracket, or headset, oil them all at the same time. If there are no holes, these parts are packed in grease and should be disassembled and repacked every 6 to 12 months. Once a month, or more often in dusty areas, remove and lubricate the chain.
While you are lubricating the bike, check the wheels, brakes, chain, crank arms, and bearings for looseness, as shown below. Adjusting and cleaning these items when they first need it should result not only in a safer ride but in a greatly increased lifetime for most of these parts.
Many bicycle owners fail to realize the importance of adjusting the handlebars and seat so that the bike is perfectly fitted to the rider. Proper adjustment makes a bike less tiring to ride. It also makes the bike easier to control and, therefore, safer.
Periodic checks:
1. Check front hub by grasping the frame and wheel. Try to move the wheel from side to side. If you feel a click, the bearings are loose. 2. Grasp frame and back wheel to check the rear bearings. Again move wheel from side to side. If you can feel the bearings click, they are loose.
3. Press down on the headset and try to roll the wheel forward and backward. If there is play between fork and frame, the headset needs tightening.
4. Place cranks horizontally and press down on both at the same time. Rotate them 180-degrees and press down again. If you feel play, check cotter pins.
5. Keeping pedals horizontal, try Iii lox them back and forth. If you fee play iii clicking, the bottom bracket bearings ii worn or loose.
---Ten-speed bicycle
Lubrication:
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- Remove brake and gear cables from their holders, hold them upright, and run oil between the inner cable and the outer casing.
- Tilt the bike and oil each pedal where it joins the crank so that oil runs into the pedal shaft. Do not oil all-metal “rat trap” pedals.
- Put a few drops of your bicycle lubricant onto the freewheel mechanism, cable, and all moving parts of the front and the rear derailleurs
- Oil freewheel mechanism and rear sprocket. On 3-speed bikes, oil the toggle chain and put 15 drops of oil info oiling hole (arrow).
- Oil the pivot bolts on each brake caliper (one each on side-pull brakes, two each on center-pull brakes). Keep oil off pads, tires.