3 Steps to Bicycle Maintenance





3 Steps to Good Bicycle Maintenance

Step #1: Learn what to look for

Whenever you ride your bicycle, its components are exposed to a variety of stresses. As a result of these stresses, chains wear, spokes break, nuts and bolts come loose and so on.

Fortunately, the stresses caused by day-to-day riding tend to focus their effects on certain areas of your bike. The first step in good bike maintenance is learning where to look for problems. This online clinic will help you.

Step #2: Learning when to look

Most bicycle problems start out small, then grow only if they are left unchecked. Costly breakdowns are typically the result of long-term neglect.

The best way to maintain a bicycle correctly and avoid expensive repairs is to develop a maintenance schedule that matches your riding habits. This clinic will help you design one.

Step #3: Learning what to do when a problem is discovered

Once you identify a problem with your bike, you have to decide whether to tackle the repair yourself or leave the work to a trained bike mechanic. It's important to remember that some procedures require more training, more experience and more technical equipment than you'll have access to in a home workshop environment.

This online clinic describes a number of simple repairs and adjustments that you can perform to keep your bike tuned up. But remember—attempting to address advanced repair problems can cause additional damage to your bike and expose you to unnecessary risks when you ride. So make your decisions wisely. One of the most important parts of learning how to maintain your bicycle properly is learning when to leave the work to trained professionals.

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