Time For a Trip To The Bike Shop
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JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
As many of you know, I ride a recumbent bicycle as my primary means of transportation.
To put it in perspective, the bike is 6ft long. As you can see, it has a very long chain. The drivetrain system is a pretty complex derailleur system and misadjustments of even a fraction of an inch can severely affect shifting. This morning I did a tuneup on the drivetrain to improve shifting performance and eliminate some problems associated with cable stretch as I had replaced the rear shifter cable a couple of weeks ago. New cables always stretch a bit.
During the tuneup I noticed that the rear wheel is slightly out of true causing a small wabble. This can be fixed with some adjustments in the tension of the spokes. Sounds easy enough but it's a critical adjustment that can make the difference between a true wheel and breaking spokes while riding. Not something I care to attempt myself without the proper tools and equipment.
I have an appointment to take the bike to the shop on Saturday to have the wheel trued and to see about some new tires.
I've had a couple of flats on the rear wheel lately which, as the tire is kevlar belted, indicates that the tire is simply wearing out. (I have put a lot of miles on it)
Even with the mechanical adjustments and problems here and there, it's a lot easier and cheaper to make adjustments and repairs to a bike than a motor vehicle. Most of the work a person can easily do themselves with a few simple hand tools and the more complex/critical ones can be done in a few minutes at the local bike shop who will charge very little or even nothing to do them. (assuming you have a good relationship with the shop).
Since I bought my bike from him, and buy all of my bike related stuff there as well, my lbs (local bike shop) owner has yet to charge me labor for any work he's done for me. Try and find a car repair shop that'll do that LOL.
Even with the small problem here and there, I love being car free.
To put it in perspective, the bike is 6ft long. As you can see, it has a very long chain. The drivetrain system is a pretty complex derailleur system and misadjustments of even a fraction of an inch can severely affect shifting. This morning I did a tuneup on the drivetrain to improve shifting performance and eliminate some problems associated with cable stretch as I had replaced the rear shifter cable a couple of weeks ago. New cables always stretch a bit.
During the tuneup I noticed that the rear wheel is slightly out of true causing a small wabble. This can be fixed with some adjustments in the tension of the spokes. Sounds easy enough but it's a critical adjustment that can make the difference between a true wheel and breaking spokes while riding. Not something I care to attempt myself without the proper tools and equipment.
I have an appointment to take the bike to the shop on Saturday to have the wheel trued and to see about some new tires.
I've had a couple of flats on the rear wheel lately which, as the tire is kevlar belted, indicates that the tire is simply wearing out. (I have put a lot of miles on it)
Even with the mechanical adjustments and problems here and there, it's a lot easier and cheaper to make adjustments and repairs to a bike than a motor vehicle. Most of the work a person can easily do themselves with a few simple hand tools and the more complex/critical ones can be done in a few minutes at the local bike shop who will charge very little or even nothing to do them. (assuming you have a good relationship with the shop).
Since I bought my bike from him, and buy all of my bike related stuff there as well, my lbs (local bike shop) owner has yet to charge me labor for any work he's done for me. Try and find a car repair shop that'll do that LOL.
Even with the small problem here and there, I love being car free.
