{"id":10340,"date":"2016-03-21T13:07:22","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T18:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sortaoutdoorsy.com\/?p=604"},"modified":"2021-05-05T19:11:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T23:11:48","slug":"bike-tune-up-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mappyhour.org\/blog\/2016\/03\/bike-tune-up-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Tune up your bike, tune up your soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

The spring temperatures mean it\u2019s time to tune up that bike you left chained to the light post all winter. We got a head start last night at a free bike maintenance class hosted by\u00a0718 Cyclery<\/a>. The class was only an hour but it was packed full of useful information and how-tos.<\/p>\n

Here are our favorite of the tips we picked up at the class we attended:<\/p>\n

1. The first rule of bike maintenance is\u2026 keep your chain clean. <\/strong>
Riding around New York City is a grimy affair. Dirt can wear down the teeth in your chain prematurely so cleaning it with a chain lubricant every few weeks is important, especially if you keep your bike outside. Flip your bike over and dab about a drop on each link as you slowly pedal with your hand. Grab a soft rag or an old t-shirt and and run the chain through a few times until it\u2019s clean.<\/p>\n

2. Know your tube size. The bros at the bike shop will respect you for it.<\/strong>
You\u2019ll also get points for not interchanging the words \u201cwheel,\u201d \u201ctire\u201d and \u201ctube\u201d (those are all different parts of the bike). The size of your tube is listed on the side of your tire and will look something like 700x27c. You\u2019ll also find the appropriate range of air pressure for your tires listed there\u2014look for \u201ckeep inflated\u201d or \u201cmax PSI\u201d and pump-up your tires until the gauge on the pump reads a pressure that\u2019s within that range.<\/p>\n

3. Carry what you need to fix a flat<\/strong>
To create your own fix-a-flat kit, don\u2019t leave home without whatever tool will get your wheel off your bike (this will generally be an Allen key or multi-tool<\/a>). You\u2019ll also want to keep at least two tire levers on hand as well as a spare tube and something to inflate the tube (either a CO2 cartridge or small pump). Practice fixing a flat<\/a> in your apartment a few times before your skills get tested on the road.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/a>Trip Tip: Knowledge is power
We\u2019ve heard that everything you could ever want to know about bikes can be found on a site run by a bike mechanic named Sheldon Brown<\/a>. Don\u2019t let the lack of a finessed web design fool you, the site is full of information that\u2019s useful for beginners<\/a> as well as seasoned mechanics<\/a> alike. The glossary<\/a> alone is reason enough to bookmark this en-CYCLE-pedia.  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The spring temperatures mean it\u2019s time to tune up that bike you left chained to the light post all winter. We got a head start last night at a free bike maintenance class hosted by\u00a0718 Cyclery. The class was only an hour but it was packed full of useful information and how-tos. Here are our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":10417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[793,788,763,761],"tags":[250,792,794],"yst_prominent_words":[566,563,580,578],"class_list":{"0":"post-10340","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-biking","8":"category-community","9":"category-mappy-hour","10":"category-new-york-city","11":"tag-718-cyclery","12":"tag-bike-tune-up","13":"tag-diy"},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n