Mechanical Moments

Greg's hints to keep your steed(s) in working order.

April 1998
'Tis the season...
Spring! The time to go fast again. The time to race again. Time to do first things first! Check out those race wheels. Don't be a dummy and throw them on your bike and jump into a race. You need to check at least three things.
1. Spoke holes in the rim - make sure there are no stress cracks.
2. Tire - check the tread. If it is getting thin, where you can actually see the casing, or if there are deep cuts in the tread, you might want to change those tires. Imagine cornering at 25 to 30 mph and having a blowout!
3. Glue - This is a the biggie! Your race wheels have been hanging around all winter, either in a basement, or in the garage. Temperature and humidity differences affect your glue. Here is a simple test: Deflate the tire. Grab a section of tire with both hands as if you were going to try and roll it off the rim, and do just that, roll it away from the rim. If there is a lot of resistance, STOP, is is probably okay - AT THAT POINT OF THE WHEEL! Don't assume it is good all the way around. Repeat that process all the way around the wheel. IF at any point it starts to pull away, they need to be re-glued.
Don't risk it. It's' not worth it. Just ask anybody that has rolled a tire.
Next month - Improved shifting.

October:
Friction is your enemy on a bike. Other than your brakes rubbing or having your hubs seized up, your chain is guilty as charged. A good way to keep your chain clean is to spray it with WD-40, let it soak in, and flush out the grit and dirt. Then wipe it off and re-lube it with something like White-Lightning. WD-40 is NOT a lube. Friction is the foe. Be smart.

November:
It starts to happen slowly. As time passes, you notice it more and more. Your $300 STI upgrade isn't working as well anymore. Before you go storming off in a huff and sue Shimano for mental anguish and a new groupo, you should check a simple component: your cables and housing. Once again, the enemy is FRICTION. Goop and crud can work its way into your shifting housing or gum up the guide plate under the bottom bracket. Many times, once you have replaced your housing and cleaned your guide plate, your shifting will become crisp as a well shaved buzz-cut. Just ask Darren!

December:
You can't see it. You can't hear it. You can't smell it. It is that invisible cancer working on the inside of your precious steel frame when you come in from a cold winter ride. RUST! Moisture will condense on the inside of your cold frame after a frigid winter ride. Now is the time to protect it with frame saver goop which inhibits rust.

More to come in the following months!

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This page was last updated on March 22, 2003
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