Scrolling through our Facebook or Instagram feed you'll see image after image of pristine, immaculate bicycles. While there is no doubt we drool over these freshly built bikes as pieces of fine art, the truth is that there is nothing we love more than seeing our bikes being ridden, enjoyed and abused, out in the world as they were intended to be. We build bikes to ride them, day in and day out, rain or shine. It should be made clear however, that accumulating the miles takes a toll on a bike, and regardless of price or performance, no bicycle can hide from the need to be properly tuned and serviced on a regular basis. Even the most beautiful bikes have a dark side, today we'll take you behind the scenes of our service course and show you just what it takes to keep a bike running at its peak performance.
No bicycle can hide from the need to be properly tuned and serviced on a regular basis.
No matter how much time you spend as a bike mechanic, the state and condition a bike can come back to the shop in never ceases to amaze. While filthy chains and cogs might seem common place on your group ride, take note that this is NOT how things should be. This kind of build up only adds friction to your drive train and prematurely wears your components.
While many remember to lubricate the chain, it is often overlooked that you also need to thoroughly clean the excess before getting on the road. Lubrication attracts grime. Teeth of cogs and chainrings are a prefect place for that grime to build up. These are atop the list of things to be addressed when a bike comes to the shop for service.
When was the last time you pulled the fork out of your frame? Where there are bearings, there is grease. Where there is grease, grime will collect...
Meet our ultrasonic tank. It likes to eat gnarly bike grease for breakfast. It's is like a day spa for certain components. A relaxing bath inside can rejuvenate even most soiled and worn parts.
There is always an opening somewhere on a bike for moisture to work its way inside the frame. When it does, it generally collects inside the bottom bracket shell. Especially during the winter months, it's normal for an oily, greenish-grey soup to pool inside. That can quickly result in corrosion on bottom bracket threads and cause things to seize. It is essential to regularly pull the cranks and BB out for a proper cleaning.
At least once or twice a season, you owe it to your bike to have it stripped all the way down, have all the parts cleaned, cables replaced and everything properly lubed. Cables fray and corrode over time and dirt and moisture can contaminate inside the housing. When this gets bad enough, no amount of adjustment can get your bike to shift correctly. Servicing your bike with fresh cables is needed to keep shifting smooth and precise.
Not only is it important to properly service all the components of your bike, it is also critical to check the frame and other parts for damage your may otherwise be unaware of. Having the torn down to the frame is the best time to do this. Better to find a crack now and have things repaired or warrantied than discovering it the hard way out on the road.
Just like the paint on your car, it takes some work to keep the paint on your bike fresh and to repair it from the damage it gets from being out in the elements. No bike tune up is complete without a proper clean and polish finish. We've been thoroughly impressed with the luster the WD40 Bike Polish brings back to even the most aged bikes.
You could replace every part on your bike but nothing feels as refreshing as getting on your bike and taking hold of fresh new bar tape.
After the end of the day, we can bring even the most neglected and tarnished bikes back to a showroom finish...and performance.
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