8 Essential Skills Needed To Repair Your Bike
If you own a bicycle, you might want to know some essential skills needed to repair in case of any damage. These are the skills you can learn on yourself from the internet and apply them where necessary.
1. Learn how to fix a flat
The essential skill for anyone with a bicycle is to know how to fix a flat whenever you have a flat tire. This is one of the necessary skills you can learn from the internet and an important one due to the ease of getting a flat tire. It is never a good thing to ride on a flat tire with the risk of falling. Fortunately, it is effortless to fix a flat tire, which involves carrying a spare tube and a hand pump. You can also bring a CO2 cartridge to inflate your tire with minimal effort.
2. Learn how to change your brake pads
One essential skill with owning a bicycle is to know how to change the brake pads when they fail to work. The brakes on your bike are subject to wear and tear when they come in contact with friction from the wheel. Whenever they are worn out, you will not be safe bombing down a hill. Therefore, your necessary skills should involve knowing how to change the brake pads on your bike for your safety.
3. Replace a broken spoke
You should also know how to replace a broken spoke as part of bicycle maintenance. These spokes make wheels strong enough to carry weight, but can be broken by landing hard on the rims or getting something caught in the spokes. Therefore, you have to learn how to remove the wheel on your bike and replace any broken spoke if you are not close to a bike shop. It is relatively simple to do this, but you need to be patient and learn how to do it. You can watch several videos on how to perform this exercise with your bicycle.
4. Clean your chain
Part of bicycle maintenance near me is to know how to inspect and clean your chain. This is an essential skill since chains can pop off all the time and affect your ride. Before heading out to any trip, always ensure you have inspected your chain and its chainring for any wear and tear. Cleaning the bike chain is one way of slowing down the wearing process and ensuring it is durable. You should know how to brush the grit out of the chain and apply a chain lubricant. Ideally, you need to wipe off your chain before storing it in the house. If you ride through the mud or dirty roads, then clean your bike after every ride.
5. Fix a broken chain
The chain on your bicycle will wear out after some time, and sometimes when you are far from any bike shop. A broken chain can be uncomfortable when riding on the trail or rough terrain. Hence, you should know how to fix any broken chain on your bike during bicycle repairs near me. You can find the spare parts at your local bicycle shop when parts of the bike are too worn to keep around. Before fixing a broken chain on your bike, consider practicing on an old chain to refine your skills. Also, ensure you have the necessary tools needed to fix the chain whenever it breaks down.
6. True a wheel
A critical part about owning a bicycle is to ensure every part of your wheels remains the same distance from the brake pads during every rotation. If the wheels are not in the exact position, you risk experiencing a wobbling effect. When you crash your bike or subject the bicycle to intense riding, wheels can be out of true. This skill entails ensuring the wheel is perfectly aligned to keep the wheel in place. You can also develop this skill by asking your mechanic every time you drop off your bike at the shop for a tune-up.
7. Adjust derailleurs
Another crucial skill needed for bicycle owners is knowing how to adjust the derailleurs. On any bicycle, these derailleurs are the mechanisms moving your chain and shift gears. A correct adjustment of these derailleurs allows for smooth shifting of the gear to avoid chain rubs. Whenever the derailleurs are misaligned, you can find it challenging to shift the gear and impossible when riding an uphill. In most cases, the derailleurs will be out of work with any minor crash, when you ride through bumps or when it experiences wear and tear. However, the derailleurs are much easier to do once you have seen it demonstrated.
8. Carry the right tools
Carrying the right tools is a skill in itself if you own an electric scooter. Depending on the length of your journey, you should understand that accidents can occur, requiring you to perform some bicycle repairs. The right tools can involve a spare tube, spare plastic tire levers, and a hand pump. In essence, carry any spare part that will be needed for a long journey. You should have a multi-tool for four bicycles since it can carry all kinds of things on a bike. If you plan a long tour with your electric bicycle, add a first aid kit as part of the tools as a safety precaution.
