Anyone who's spent time on a bike knows that repairs and even general maintenance can be expensive. One way to solve that problem is to be your own bike mechanic. Yet, it's important to do it right as well. Doing it wrong could put you in an ambulance or cost you even more money to fix what wasn't broken in the first place. This article explores a basic strategy for working on your bike.
Getting the Know-How
You might have a knack for all things that clink and clatter. Doing mechanical work might be one of your hobbies or perhaps even a part of your career. But nothing compares with concrete knowledge about what you're working on and knowing the exact process to do something right the first time. The best thing to do before lifting a wrench is to purchase a book that will instruct you on fix your bike.
Mechanic and writer Lennard Zinn has published two great books, Zinn & The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance and Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance. While there are dozens of other good books out there, these come highly recommended by many bike shops because they are comprehensive---and constantly updated through subsequent editions.
Getting the Tools
Once you've got your book, the next step is to buy your tools. This is the part where you're going to have to decide how much you want to invest. Bike tools can be cheap if you're only looking for a set of Allen wrenches (the most commonly used tool on a bike), yet there really is no ceiling to how much you can spend.
The best recommendation is to buy a pre-assembled tool kit that has an assortment of basic tools. This isn't going to be cheap and if you bought your bike at a department store you will probably find that it will cost you about the same price as your bike---or more. Your local bike shop will have some good recommendations and advice on what type of tool kit you really need.
Visit Your Local Bike Shop
You have the tools. You have the instructions. But this isn't all you need. Remember, the bike industry is constantly changing, with new bikes and new gear on the market all the time. What this means is there's constantly an infusion of new parts and new ways to fix a bike. Sometimes you'll even have to buy part-specific items to work on your bike. Furthermore, diagrams in books don't always show you everything you need to do; when questions pop up the best place to go is your local bike shop. Get to know the pros there and your job will be a lot easier.
Tags: your bike, Bike Maintenance, local bike shop, that will, tools This
