| Riding a mountain bike is great exercise and a lot of | | | | adjusting shock absorber systems (and getting rid of |
| fun...and while it's hard on your legs, it's hard on the | | | | annoying squeaks), and tightening cables for brakes, |
| machinery itself. Keeping your bike maintained will | | | | inspecting brake pads, and the like. Mountain bikes in |
| keep you safe, and keep the bike in better condition | | | | routine use get a fair bit of wear and tear. Always |
| for years to come. There are three basic time | | | | check to make sure that things are setting properly |
| frames for maintaining your bike: - Just before you | | | | when you're off the bike and have it at home; again, |
| ride, - just after you ride, - long-term storage and | | | | the aim is to find anything that could break and fix it |
| repairs. Just before you ride, bike maintenance is | | | | before you go on the trail rather than have your fun |
| fairly straightforward: Check the tire pressure, fill | | | | curtailed by equipment failure. If you are not an all |
| them up to the level you're comfortable with and so | | | | weather cyclist (and not many people are), its worth |
| on. Make sure that the seat is canted at the right | | | | carrying out some steps to prepare your bike for |
| angle, make sure that the quick release levers on the | | | | storage and to take it out again for the road in the |
| wheels are locked tight, and run the pedals with your | | | | spring. Firstly, when storing your bike, take the |
| hands to make sure that the derailleur is working | | | | wheels off and hang the frame. When the wheels |
| clearly. Your aim is to make sure that if anything is | | | | are off, its worth running the inner tubes through a |
| going to need attention, it gets it now, rather than | | | | bucket of soapy water to locate any slow leaks and |
| after you're out on the trail. After the ride, especially | | | | patch them, and its worth tightening and tuning up |
| if it's been damp or muddy, you should set the bike | | | | anything you can reach. A good book for this |
| upside down (so it's balanced on the seat and | | | | process is the Complete Bike Repair Handbook, which |
| handlebars), and run a damp cloth over the derailleur, | | | | we use in our shop for getting bikes ready for sale. |
| and the other moving parts that shift the chain | | | | It's also a good time to true your wheels with a |
| around for shifting gears. The aim here is to get any | | | | spoke wrench. (Some dedicated mountain bikers true |
| mud, twigs, and brambles out before they provide an | | | | their wheels after every ride...) When you're putting |
| avenue for moisture to enter. This is also the time to | | | | the bike back into roadworthy condition, the top |
| pop the wheels off and clean them before throwing | | | | priority is checking the breaks, followed by running |
| the bike into the car to drive back home. After you | | | | the gear shifts - cable housings can shift when the |
| get the bike home, give everything a thorough | | | | bike is in storage, which can make things a bit noisier |
| cleaning. If you use a dry lubricant on the chain, | | | | than they should be. (Remember, if it's making noise, |
| about once a month, break the chain and re-apply it. | | | | then parts that probably shouldn't be rubbing, are |
| (We regularly boil our bicycle chains in paraffin, but | | | | rubbing.) With this advice, you should be well set for |
| that's because we ride in the winter, and it holds up | | | | mountain biking fun! |
| better to snow and salt). It's also probably time to | | | | Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a |
| just take things partially apart, to the limits of your | | | | number of UK businesses. |
| skills, and put them back together; this is great for | | | | |