So you are tired of spending money on routine bike maintenance are you? Well you should see how tired John Henry mechanics are from a summer of crazy repairing. Thousands of tires without air, orange chains, sticky cables, stuck suspension forks, wobbly headsets, and hundreds and hundreds of loose or seized bolts. It’s enough to make even the most chilled mechanic want to slit her wrists with an eNVy chain ring. And now the rain is setting in…….So to help you take care of your bike this winter (and for evermore) John Henry’s has enlisted the help of a couple of the veteran Shore mechanics, Rick Loader and John Prowse, to give up their top ten easiest and cheapest ways to preventative maintenance. Both have already lost their hair and I’m sick of sweeping up the hair from the rest of the crew so please help keep our trusty mechanics from pulling out any more of their precious locks. Pay attention, save these in your computer for constant perusal, and pass this on to anyone whom may need some extra incentive to keep their bike rolling smoothly. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

1. Clean then lube. Before lubing your chain, clean it thoroughly. Fold a cloth over so that you have a four ply rag and soak it with a de-greasing cleaning product (Finish Line Bike Wash or Simple Green). Grasp the lower part of the chain with the saturated cloth and pedal backwards with the other hand. Your chain and drive train life will double if you do this every time you lube your chain.

2. Don’t lose your grip. As the rain hits us, your grips will often start to slip. If you’re low on funds and cannot afford grips with locking aluminum collars (the best invention since suspension), then here’s the tip. Clean the bars and inside of the grips with rubbing alcohol, allow to dry, and then apply household rubber cement before re-installing the grips. Next, using utility/picture hanging wire, seal the ends of the grips by twisting two loops of wire into the grooves at either end of the grip. Tighten the wire by twisting the two ends together then clip the twisted portion with wire cutters and with needle nose pliers bury the ends into the rubber of the grip. Viola, no more unexpected bike dismounts.

3. Keep your seat movin’ and groovin’. Grease your seat post and lube your seat quick release! As winter comes on your seat post will become tight and gritty in your frame. Cleaning and greasing it will keep dirt out and allow it to be raised and lowered easily. Help your seat quick-release lever by putting a drop of oil on the pivot portion of the quick-release lever.

4. Keep your cables capped! Check the ends of your brake and shifter cables to ensure that the crimped cable caps are still in place. Replace them if they’ve been pulled off. This will prevent you from being cut by the frayed end and will prevent the cable from breaking at the anchor bolt.

5. Pump up the jam! Are your valves straight and tires inflated? A tire with too little pressure will give you a flat in two inconvenient ways. One, the tube can easily be pinched between the rim and the riding surface, puncturing it. Two, the inner tube valve stem can be easily torn as the under-inflated tire slides around the rim when you apply the brakes. Pump it up, yo! Everybody hates a flat tire.

6. Clip clop, clip clop. If you ride clipped in, ensure you can still clip-out! SPD pedals help you pedal more efficiently, so keep them functioning properly by replacing the cleats every six months and by lubing the spring and pivots to avoid being trapped when you need to make a quick escape. Trust us you do not want to be attached to your bike all the time even though it is a great excuse to give the boss on Monday morning.

7. Level your saddle. Use a household level to adjust your saddle such that the nose and rear of your saddle are even. All saddle manufacturers construct their saddles to fit this way. A poorly installed saddle can severely impair both male and female riders. So much so that the media love to harp on about problems that can occur if you aren’t fitting your saddle correctly. Start with your saddle level and attached to the post in the middle of its rails. We all have sensitive parts; help them remain sensitive. Note: If that doesn’t work it is time to find a new seat. Try saddles until you find the one that works. There is a saddle for every body shape and every individual person.

8. Lube your moving parts. (Now get that thought out of your head, we are talking bikes here.) Keep your suspension forks moving smoothly by applying a small amount of Teflon chain lubricant (Tri-Flow, Finish Line Teflon) low down on the stanchion tubes of the fork. Compress the forks several times to push the lube down into the seals. This will force dirt up and out of the fork and keep the seals moist so the fork oil will stay inside, allowing the fork to perform plush and happily. While you are at it put a dap of oil on your chain regularly so that your drive train runs quietly. Just apply to the chain and roll through your gears so that a little Teflon sticks to the teeth on your rings and cogs. Everybody hates squeaky, ineffective shifting.

9. Let the water out. Drain your frame. After riding in the wet (i.e. most of the year on the North Shore), remove your seat and post from the frame to allow moisture to evaporate. After really wet rides, tip the bike upside-down and catch the water in a rag. Yuck! This is a great time to start the application of grease and lube that we have described earlier.

10. Crank it up bro’. Tighten your crank bolts. Yes, those bolts on the side of the cranks should be checked every few weeks to ensure the cranks stay tight and on your bicycle. You won’t travel very far without cranks on your bike.

You will find these tips invaluable if you follow them and employ them. Of course there are other tips that these two grand daddies of the bike industry can give you but you wouldn’t read them all if we listed everything. Be content to just walk before you run. Plus what would be left to learn at John Henry’s Free Weekly Basic Maintenance Course if we told you everything. That’s right a Free Fixing Course at John Henry the Bicycle Man every Thursday from 7pm until 8pm. You don’t have to have a degree or even bring your bike; you just have to have a little enthusiasm and a thirst for some very basic pointers to get you up to speed. You never know you may like being a grease monkey. So get out your bike, give her a little bit of love, and then go riding. Hopefully we’ll see you one Thursday for lesson number two.

Willie Henry
John Henry the Bicycle Man Ltd.
info@johnhenrybikes.com
www.johnhenrybikes.com

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