By Jim Hainen
It’s time to get your bike ready for the spring and summer season. Your checklist should look like this:
1. Inflate your tires to the proper pressure. You will find the amount of pressure for your tires on the side of the tire.
2. Wipe the chain with a cloth as you turn it backwards several times. Then, take a small piece of cloth soaked in oil and hold it around the chain somewhere between the rear gear and the front gear and turn the pedal backwards to run the chain through the oiled cloth. Now your chain is lubed. Do this now and then throughout the season.
3. Check your seat to make sure it is at a comfortable height for you. Be sure the fore and aft positions provide you with the most comfortable reach. Tighten the post clamp well so that it doesn’t let the post gradually slip down.
4. If you have fore and aft clamp brakes, be sure to make sure they open and close properly. Also, check to make sure they are not rubbing on the tire when in use. If you have an older bike with the brake inside the rear hub and the brake is not working properly, by all means, take your bike into a bike shop for adjustment and service. A bike without a brake is a very dangerous machine.
5. Check your spokes and wheel alignment. If it runs true, fine. If not, take it to the bike shop to have your wheel aligned.
6. Now, go for a ride and re-check everything to make sure your bike is good to go for the season.
Happy bike riding. You live in the best riding area in the world, no hills and good roads with light traffic.