Bike Maintenance Skills

Part of every serious cyclist's introduction is learning basic bike maintenance. Unlike running and swimming, mechanical expertise is very important on the bike. A clean, well maintained inexpensive bike that fits well will likely outperform a neglected, dirty, rusty, high-end racing bike, which does not fit optimally.

Since I've now been cycling for 6 months now, and foresee myself doing it for years down the road, I decided to take the plunge and get my basic skills on road bike repair going. I actually tried to do this once over a vacation during college just because I thought it would be something useful to know, but I was completely stymied by the book I had borrowed from the library, and gave up after I tried to change one of my inner tubes which took me an entire hour to get it back on.

Fortunately, we now live in the full information age. The internet, when used properly, is a gold mine for basic information. Videos, texts, supplies - it's all there. The videos in particular, make things SO much easier - after watching a few videos on how to change a tire or remove your rear cassette, it really becomes a concrete reality as opposed to the abstract feeling you get when reading a book. And I like books. A lot.

Youtube and the Park Tool company website have been my teachers for the last few weeks. I've been keeping things really simple, as I really have no desire (or money as of now) to delve deeply into the nuances of bike overhauling, but I would certainly like to be able to give my bike a regular cleaning, tuneup, and other regular small repairs to make it run optimally. In addition to watching videos, I've read a lot about proper bike positioning, in order to make sure I am optimizing my fit on the bike.

I'm literally just starting to get my feet wet on the hands-on parts, but I already have a much better understanding of my bike and my relationship to it. I can change tires in a snap, swap out pedals, optimize my seat height, degrease the chain, replace the chain, adjust the brakes, and even take a stab at adjusting the derailleurs.  I think you know you're getting serious about bike repair when you go into a bike store, and you walk past all the fancy clothes, sunglasses, and bikes, and head right for the tool section, and the first thing you grab with satistfaction is a tube of bike grease to lube the threads of your parts! (I did that.)

I'll be partially dismantling and rebuilding my mountain bike in small steps to learn more about bike repair. For sure, I've already had benefits with regards to a better drivetrain, better seat height, and better shifting due to a properly lubed derailleur system. I don't anticipate myself spending a lot of time on this side project, as my main goal is always the training part, but I like the confidence it gives me with the bike - I think the mechanical aspect of the bike scares off a lot of folks, and was perhaps my biggest fear when I started cycling.

Training is going well, although I have to admit that my plan of going Pfitz has gone completely out the window. It's not that I've been slacking at all; in fact, I've probably put in more hours than I would have for a Pfitz 12/55 program, but I've come to enjoy the weekend long hard bike rides so much that I've been missing most of the (important) long weekend runs in lieu of the bike rides, which have been going great. I've improved enough on the bike that I've been the fastest rider with the local tri club that I ride with in the past month, but I still get humbled by the competitive cycling club, which still drops me like a rock every weekend. On the bright side, I seem to be picking off more and more "roadkill" every week on the cycling club ride, so I think I'm getting better. 

Stay posted for this weekend - I may be racing!