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Midwest Bicycleworks, Inc.
FAQ's:1) Bicycles are a wonderful form of transportation and although most people think of mountain bikes as the first off-road vehicles, the first bicycles were originally off-road vehicles, because pavement was scarce back then. 2) A clean bicycle is a happy bicycle and a clean drive-train is a very happy drive-train and will make you faster for less effort. |
FAQ's continued:3) Fitment: Why is it important? Bicycle Fitment is one of the most important aspects of a bicycle. Think about it for a quick second... OK, if you are not comfortable on the bicycle and in pain, would you ride? I know I wouldn't.
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Maintenance TipsDrive train: The drive train is very easy to maintain for a long time. It calls for lube, lube and more lube. Do it often and frequent. Of course, if you chain is covered in black gunk, lubing will only do so much. In that case, clean with a biodegradable degreaser. DO NOT use the high power car wash to remove it. Use a chain cleaner if you can, but if not, then a good stiff bristle brush will work. Then dry it, immediately!!!! I like to ride for 5 minutes in the neighborhood to dry it. Then lubricate it. Lubricate the topside of the chain and the inside of the chain and put enough to see. Then ride at slow speed for a minute or so and see if you still need some more lube. If so, put it on and ride again. If you get too much, then use a clean rag and gently grab the chain and run the crank a few revolutions and then look at the chain. A sign that you have too much lube are little black or brown specks on your rim and too little lube you will soon have rust.
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Maintenance Tips ContinuedDrive train 2: The freewheel is just like the chain, a freewheel is only happy with a clean and lubed chain and of course, it has to be clean, too. You can buy a special brush to clean the freewheel with the degreaser, but I use a thin scouring pad. Just like the green ones on sponges. They last for ever and are easy to clean. But, don't forget to move the chain a few rings over to clean around the chain or else it will quickly gunk up the chain again. It should be done every time you clean the chain, but if you chain isn't too dirty and you clean fairly frequently, then sometimes it is OK to skip the freewheel. Drive train 3: The front and rear derailleur are very important to shifting between gears. Without them, we wouldn't be shifting between gears. The front derailleur is very easy to clean. A sponge or rag and it is done. Then after you have dried it, lube the pivot points including the inside ones with a lube like Finish Line Century lube (moderately thick, but still with some viscosity to it). The rear derailleur is a little bit trickier to clean, but it still needs to be done. I use a sponge on the outside and on the pulley wheels visible, but the hidden parts are harder to get at. For that I use pipe cleaners. You can bend them just write and they are great for the nooks and crannies. Be careful with them, because the metal wire holding the bristles may seem like a great way to clean parts of the frame, well, they are not, because it is very easy to scratch the paint with them. After you have dried the front and rear and lubed them and the pivot points, check for play and loose screws and bolts. |
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