Sport and Recreation

Taking care of your full suspension or hardtail mountain bike can be very simple and it will also help increase its mechanical life. Below is a maintenance guide that should be considered after every ride in order to help you keep your mountain bike mechanically sound. Once you perform this maintenance plan and become familiar with the process it should take you no more then 20 minutes to complete. Let’s get started:

Steps:

Remove all of the accessories (lights, bells, etc) on the top of the handlebars.

Turn the bike upside down so you can remove the wheels and inspect the drive train.

Carefully remove the front and rear wheels to give you more room to work on the bike.

Clean the drive train (derailleurs, chain, and crank) with a brush and soapy water. Also use a wet soapy rag on the chain and rear derailleur. Try to do your best to clean all moving parts.

After you clean your bike parts make sure you dry them thoroughly with a towel so they do not rust.

Wash the underside, frame and front fork, of the bike and make sure all moving parts are free of debris.

Wash your front and rear wheels by cleaning the rim, spokes and cassette. Then put the wheels back on the bike.

After you put each wheel back on the bike spin them to make sure the wheels are true and also that they do not rub on the brake components. If the wheels are not true and or rubbing on the brake components make the necessary adjustments.

After your chain is back in place turn the pedals to check the drive train. Make sure the bike pedals smooth. If you hear any strange noises coming from your wheel bearings investigate further.

A few months ago one of my friends called to tell me he was going to be late to the trail because he had a part on his bike that was being recalled. He wanted to stop at the bike shop and have his part replaced before our regularly scheduled ride. I too thought it was a good idea to get the part replaced before our ride so I told him that I will see him when he is finished at the store.

When I met up with my friend later in the day I asked him how he found out about his recalled part. He told me that his wife signed up for email alerts on product recalls. She subscribes to these email notification to be aware of toy issue for their children and it just so happened that a mountain bike part was on the email.

Just like other consumer products, mountain bike products occasionally get recalled for various reasons. I do not want to speculate so I am not going to give examples. It is important to be aware and not to ignore these recalls because your safety could be in jeopardy.

So in an effort to keep riders aware of product recalls the links below will direct you to the Consumer Affairs and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission websites. These sites will allow you to search their database for product recalls that might pertain to your bike, gear or both.

The two sites listed below are not meant to be the all encompassing sources of information. It is to help you get started in you product recall search. If you come across more sites with mountain bike recall information let us know and we will add it to the list.

Mountain bike components are designed to withstand more abuse and extreme riding conditions. These components are heavier, sometime larger and more durable then road bike components. Sometime you are riding on dirt, rock, or in water, etc and the components need to be durable enough so they can withstand abusive treatment.

It just so happened that my rear derailleur broke on my full suspension mountain bike. I was riding a down hill trail and lost control of my bike. The rear of the bike ended up hitting the face of a rock and I was left with a mangled rear derailleur. So I looked at the positive side of the accident and said to myself now is the time to upgrade.

I could find new or near new parts on Bike Servant which is a mountain bike classifieds website and lists mountain bikes for sale, bike parts and race events but I was in the car with my bike so I decided to go to the store.

On the way home from the trail I stopped at my local bike store to buy a new derailleur so I can resume riding as quickly as possible. I told the bike shop guy my situation and she asked me which aftermarket Shimano derailleur I wanted to buy. Not knowing anything about the different categories in the Shimano product line I asked for help and this is what she relayed to me.

Shimano Deore is their entry level category. These products are inexpensive and meant for the occasional or enthusiast rider. These components are stocked on entry level mountain bikes.

Shimano Deore LX is their next level in higher quality. This category level consists of a more durable product. The main difference that I noticed is that Deore LX is lighter then Deore. My derailleur was a Deore LX and it has shown me proven quality and reliability for many years.

When it comes to buying a road bike, it is important to make sure that you are buying your own bike instead of having someone else pick it out for you. This is especially true for women, as what may work wonderful for someone of the male gender may not work as well for you. In fact, most of the bikes you see on the showroom floor are designed for the proportions of the average male. Since women are built much differently it is beneficial to make sure that there are bikes for the women gender.

In most cases, women have shorter torsos and arms and longer legs then a male that is of the same height. The feet and hands of a woman are generally on the smaller side and the shoulders of a female are narrower. Along with narrower shoulders, women also have wider hips. These are the reasons many women find that they cannot ride comfortable on a bike that is made to fit a man.

But by making sure that the woman’s bike has shorter stems, shorter cranks, smaller handlebars, and a wider saddle. There are even women’s road bikes out there that have a set tube angle that is steeper and a taller head tube, which makes riding a lot easier. These adjustments, while they may seem silly and unnecessary to some people, have a lot of reasoning behind them.

The wider saddle for the woman’s road bike will ensure that there is no tissue damage by not having a sit that fully accommodates the sit bones of a woman. The brakes and shifters are adjusted to fit smaller hands so that it is easier for the woman to control the bike. And the shorter bars that are easier to reach help to make sure that there is not too much strain placed on the arms and back of the woman in the attempt to ride the road bike.