BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS
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Looking after your bike by carrying out regular checks and maintenance ensures safer cycling and helps avoid needing to replace parts due to rusting or exposure, which means you save money overall.
However, if you are a novice cyclist or use your bicycle solely for commuting to and from work, you may not know how best to maintain your bike to keep it in the best condition.
Frontline Bikes shop manager (and qualified bike mechanic) Ger McBrearty shares some straightforward tips, to help you maintain and carry out checks on your bike:
TYRES
Storing your bike outdoors can lead to cracking on the side walls of your tires – particularly in the cold months. Consider storing your bike indoors, in a shed or covering it with a bike cover to avoid this.
Inflate your tyres regularly but be careful not to over or under inflate them. How do you know how much to inflate your bike tyres by? You can check what the correct tyre pressure is by looking at the number beside PSI on your tyre’s side walls.
Floor pumps or pumps with a gauge will enable more accurate inflating. Still confused or having difficulty getting the correct tyre pressure? Pop into our bike shop in Inchicore and our mechanics will help you out.
Check your tyre treads for wear and tear – worn tyres are unsafe, prone to punctures and will need to be replaced.
BRAKES
Do your brakes engage correctly when you use them? No, this could be because the brake cables are rusted and worn, or your brake pads need replacing.
Monitor the wear lines on your brake pads (see image for example). If this is worn down, the brake pad will need to be replaced.
Brake cables – rusted brake cables can be dangerous as they can prevent you from being able to stop your bike.
CHAIN
Lube your bike chain regularly (at least once a month) – this helps to keep it clean and avoids rusting.
When you are getting your bike serviced, ask the mechanic to check your bike chain for stretch – this can contribute to the chain slipping or falling off.
NUTS & BOLTS
Is everything on your bike securely attached? Nuts and bolts can loosen over time and it’s important to check them to ensure that they are tight enough.
REGULAR BIKE SERVICES
Getting your bike serviced each season is recommended to keep your bike running smoothly and safely. A regular bike service will include a check of your brakes, tyres and chain.
Frontline Bikes provides bike servicing 6 days a week from our bike shop at 147 Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8. You can find our price list here.