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When we all first bought our bikes, they were amazing! Now they ok, they look alright, feel adequate, and quite frankly you’ve probably thought that if I spend thousands of dollars more on a new bike I could get that feeling again. You can have that same feeling again with the o’l flame for much less coin. Below there are some reasons why your bike isn’t feeling like the young steed you once knew:
- Worn Tires – Tyres wear out in a number of fashions. Natural loss of rubber causing a flat top surface of the tyre. Another might be that you haven’t ridden in quite a while and the rubber has hardened causing the tyre to feel dead.
- Cable Corrosion: Wear and Clogging – Cables although made of steel will deteriorate over time. This will cause poor shifting performance. Even though they are mostly protected by the cable outer, dirt and grit will find it’s way into places you can’t see.
- Drive-Chain Wear – Parts of the drive train include; Chain, Front Chain rings, Rear Cassette and Rear Derailleur. Wear can be caused by a couple of things. Poor lubrication, lack of cleaning or purely those 1000km weeks that you’re putting in!!! J A worn drive chain will also cause poor shifting performance.
- Handlebar Tape – This is by far the cheapest cosmetic and comfort upgrade you can do to your bike. Worn handlebar tape looks ugly, feels ugly and sometimes smells ugly!
- Cleat and Pedals – Cleats wear very easily. Mainly due to walking around in your cycling shoes. Worn cleats can be dangerous as they do not engage with the pedal the way they should. Believe me, there is nothing worse than going for the win in the final meters, only to pull your foot from the pedal.
In a nutshell, if you look for these symptoms and address them early enough, the cost of maintenance is far lower than replacement. If you want a bike make-over come and have a chat about what we can do.
Your steed will love you for it!