Riding essentials: don't leave these behind
Test your brakes
Southam recommends a simple test to make sure your brakes are in good working order. Ride your bike around the block (with a helmet of course!) and if you can stop within a reasonable distance without having to pull hard on your brake levers, they should be ok.
If you're unsure about how to adjust your brakes, have your local bike shop show you how; then you should feel more confident adjusting them yourself next time. While you're there, have the mechanic check your brake pads to ensure they're not worn out and get your gears checked if you suspect there's a problem.
How to remove rust
If you see rust on anything that's not part of your drive train, Southam suggests using a solvent like WD40 to stop the rust from getting worse. It will also help to get tight fittings off. If you have rust on your chain, try to clean and lubricate it. If it's badly rusted, it may need to be replaced.
Riding essentials
Before you hop on your bike, make sure you have everything you'll need to safely get to home in case of the unexpected -- such as if you get a flat tire.
"Anyone who's riding, even casually, should carry with them a basic tire repair kit," says Southam. These kits can come in little bags that tie around your seat post.
You'll also want to include:
-a set of tire levers
-a chain tool for breaking the chain if you need to replace a link
-a couple of multi-tools one with a set of hex keys and one with three different sizes of wrench ends or nuts on them for loosening and tightening nut ends of fittings
-a hand pump, and;
-a spare tube. A patch kit is good to repair a punctured tire but if you have a spare tube, you'd be equipped to deal with two flat tires.
Download and print our bike tune-up checklist to help ensure you don't miss a thing when you're inspecting or adjusting your bike.
Now that your bike is well-tuned, hop on and head out for some fresh air. Enjoy your ride!
You can also get fit on your bike! Cycling for fitness is easy and inexpensive if you already have a working bicycle.
Page 2 of 2
