Monday kicks off Bike To Work Week—are you prepared? Join the thousands of people who participate in this healthy, community-inspired initiative every year. Here’s 8 top tips for tuning up your bike this weekend, so that you can be sure your bike to work is a safe one.
Bike To Work BC began 20 years ago with around 500 participants—commuter cyclists committed to raising the profile of commuter cycling. Last year numbered over 34,000 participants! A few other noteworthy stats—Bike To Work Week 2015 numbered:
- 7,660 First-time commuter cyclists;
- 3,000+ Participating workplaces;
- 1,334,557 Kilometres cycled;
- 289,333 Kilograms of CO2 saved from entering the atmosphere;
- 40,036,739 Calories burned;
- $86,048 Saved in money not spent on gas to fuel vehicles
Healthy living, biking, and community are all things we care about at KazLaw, and we encourage you to join us in supporting Bike To Work Week by registering to participate.
To ensure you’re ready to go—especially if you are getting out your bike for the first time this season—be sure to do a proper tune up of your cycle. Here is a useful checklist from Cycling Magazine:
1) Wash your bike. A wet rag to take care of dirt and grit on the frame, plus degreaser to take care of the chain, will make sure your ride is looking good.
2) Check the chain for wear and replace it if needed. A chain-checker tool can be used to measure the length of your bike chain, to make sure it hasn’t stretched too much.
3) Check your brakes. Inspect the brake pads at their wear indicator lines, and replace the pads if they are getting thin. Pull down on the brake levers to make sure that the pads engage easily, and spin the wheel to check that the brake pads don’t rub.
4) Make sure your wheels are in good condition and true. Your wheels should be true and without any loose spokes. Spin your wheel to see if it has any wobbles or hops, and tighten any irregularities with a spoke wrench.
5) Make sure your cables are in good condition. Inspect brake and shift cables for fraying at the ends, and replace the cable if any is detected. If the cables are stretched, be sure to tighten them.
6) Make sure your headset is properly tightened. Turn your stem to make sure it moves freely and smoothly. If you drop the front end of the bike and hear a rattling sound, it may indicate something in the headset is loose. If you do hear a rattle, depending on where it is coming from, a look-over by a bike shop or mechanic is advisable.
7) Check that your pedals and bottom bracket are rotating smoothly. Remove the chain from the chainring before getting on your bike, and rotate the crank to check for any resistance or lateral movement from the pedals and bottom bracket.
8) Check your shifting. Shift through all the gears to ensure the chain isn’t skipping. Make any final necessary adjustments with the barrel adjuster and lubricate your chain.
For detailed instructions and helpful videos, visit the original article here.
If you prefer to have it taken care of at a bike shop, but have trouble finding the time to have it taken in, you can even try this unique mobile bike service.
Happy (almost) BC Bike to Work Week!