- You may not be aware of it, but you could well be
destroying your bike, sometimes in an instant
and sometimes just accelerating
the natural wear of components.
Today then, we're going to look at some of the ways
in which you could well be destroying your bike,
and importantly, how to combat it.
But before we go on, make sure you subscribe
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Not every time you wash your bike
does it have to be a very thorough affair,
but I would recommend certainly every couple of months
to give it a very good going over.
Try and get it to look as new and as clean as possible.
That way you're going to uncover any potential disasters
that have been hiding underneath the dirt and grime,
plus you're less likely to have
any mechanical faults going on
because it's going to be working smoothly.
And besides, a clean bike is a fast bike,
and a clean bike is a bike
that you're going to want to go out and ride on.
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That's right, if you go ahead and wash your bike
after every single ride trying to get it to look
like it should be inside of a catalog or something,
you could well be doing it more damage than good.
The reason being, lots of bicycle components
have grease inside of them,
and it's there for a very good reason;
slick and smooth operation.
If you go ahead and use the wrong cleaning products
or harsh chemicals, or even sometimes a jet wash,
you could be removing all of that useful goodness
inside of the components
and replacing it with nothing.
Best leave it to when it actually needs doing.
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Many times, people head out on a bike ride
and they look down at their chain and think,
that needs some lubricant,
and quite often they apply the wrong one.
Few kilometers, few miles (mumbles) the road
and they hear that squeaking sound,
or even worse, the dry, metallic noise.
If you've heard it, you'll know all about it.
The reason being, it's just simply washed off.
In the winter months, it is vital that you get
the right lubricant on there,
so you want to use a wet lube,
but put the right amount on.
If you go and cover it, you're going to attract
every known bit of grime, dirt, sand,
road debris you can find on the road.
It's going to clog up the chain, it's going to wear it out,
which is never good.
So keep the wet lube for wet conditions
because the dry stuff is never going to stay on the chain,
and keep the dry lube for the dry conditions.
It sounds logical; it is logical.
If you use the wet stuff in the dry,
you're going to attract all of the dirt and grime
from the road to your drivetrain quicker than ever.
It's going to almost be like a magnet.
Trust me, been there, done that, got the grubby chain.
(funk music)
Many of you I'm sure own more than one bicycle,
and if you've got a top of the range lightweight bike,
if you use that all year round relentlessly,
you're going to end up wearing it out pretty quick.
Because in the winter months,
if you don't take care of it,
those lightweight components aren't going to last that long.
The entry-level stuff tends to be slightly harder wearing.
Essentially it's going to cost you in the long run
if you just want to show off to your mates
on that top of the range bike.
If you got a winter bike, make sure you use it,
and also keep it nice and clean.
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Avoiding stress on parts of your bike
is certainly going to add to its lifespan.
It's easier said than done in some situations,
particularly if you're riding in the middle of a group
and someone doesn't point out a pothole.
But you could almost be prepared for it
even if you don't have time to undertake a bunny hop.
One way you can do it is to release
a little bit of weight from the actual bike itself.
You're not going to be able to do that obviously
without getting off of the bike,
but you could use your limbs as a bit of suspension.
Let your arms take a bit of the shock out
if you were to ride into a pothole
so you're not forcing it inside.
It's rather finding its own way out.
And likewise with the back wheel,
lift your bum from the saddle
and let that wheel float over it
or float through it a little bit easier.
If you flat spot or dent that rim,
you're going to know about it, and on the way home,
it's likely could cause you more problems than ever.
And quite often it's difficult to get ahold
of replacement rims.
Yeah, been there, done that one, too.
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Virtually every component on your bike wears out
at a different rate, and if you were to wait
until everything needed replacing,
that's going to cost you a fair amount of money,
and in some cases, probably make more sense
to actually buy a complete new bike.
Let's take the chain then as an example.
A chain is normally replaced two or three times
compared to a cassette.
By staying on top of that chain replacement,
it's going to ensure that your cassette lasts longer,
and also they cost more, too.
Sometimes just being a little bit wise about these things
helps your bike last longer
and also keeps your pocket healthier, too.
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Last but by no means least,
leaving your bike outside is going to do it
no favors whatsoever.
I do appreciate that not everybody out there
has the luxury of being able to keep
their bicycle indoors, but moisture, air,
and sunlight all possess quite damaging properties
in their own ways.
If you are going to be keeping it outside,
try and get a little cover of some sort
so the UV rays aren't going to be damaging your paint work
or maybe the cables on the bike.
And also that way you're going to try
and keep surface rust to an absolute minimum.
There we are; some ways which you could be
inadvertently damaging your bike
without even knowing about it.
Let me know if you've got any tips like that
down there in the comments section below,
and as ever, remember to like and share this video
with your friends, too.
Don't forget to check out the GCN shop
at shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com.
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for you to check out.
And now, for two more great maintenance videos,
how about clicking just down here and just down here.
Make sure you look after your bike.
It will look after you.