Bike Walk Marlborough - Help Yourself!

Spring is a great time to get your bike into the shed (or inside the dining room as has been witnessed by some families of keen bikers!) and do some maintenance. If you aren’t sure how to do this, ask a friend, or look around for a bike maintenance workshop, if you’d like to learn how. The more you know about your bike, the more you will enjoy riding, knowing that you can deal with any minor problems. Or you can have your bike checked by a professional – we are spoilt for choice with great bike shops in Blenheim.

Check tyre pressure

So simple, it has the greatest effect, and yet surprisingly, people most often overlook doing this. Paying attention to keeping the proper level of air pressure in your tyres accomplishes many things – it makes pedalling easier, it protects your rims from damage, it prolongs the life of your tyres, and you are less likely to get a flat (hurrah!)

Clean and lubricate your chain

The chain and sprockets on your bike are an important part of how the power in your legs is transferred to your wheels, making them go round and round. When the chain and sprockets get dirty, this will slow you down, and the parts also wear out faster. Use a clean cloth for cleaning - this is one of the best ways to keep your bike working well.

Lubricate moving parts and cables

As you may have noticed, your bike has quite a few moving metal parts. These are all vulnerable to dirt. To keep your bike happy, these parts should be lubricated regularly. Watch your bike in action and you can see where metal parts move against and around each other. It's these places where you want to apply a couple of drops of oil.

Check the conditions and wear of your brake pads

Inspect the surface of the brake pads where they meet the rims. With something pointy and sharp, pick out any bits of sand or metal embedded in the pad. Removing this grit prevents the pads from wearing and scratching your rims and helps them provide more even and consistent stopping power. If the pads are really worn, then replace.