Bicycle Life Hacks
Roller riding
 |
Rollers can be very hard for first timers. I was shown this trick and it help so much in the beginning. If your drums are light use dark tape if the drums are dark use light tape. Also look forward not down your peripheral vision will keep you centered.
 |
Align your front wheel dead center over the front roller or slightly behind it.
 |
What this person is making look so easy is very hard. Try starting in a door way to have a little help.
 |
I lived in the mid west for a number of years and the winters are ruff. Since I wanted to keep in shape I had to ride out side some because rollers are just too boring. So I would get an older set of shoes that had streched out a bit put on two socks with aluminum foil covering the front half of my feet between the two layers of socks. It would let me stay out a bit longer.
 |
The most important accessory after the water bottle is a bicycle seat bag. In the bag you should carry a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers, tire boot and money. The pump is kept some were on the bike frame. The money has two parts to it. One is if you need food and second is it can be used as a tire boot if you get a big hole in your tire. Remember if you are riding further then you want to walk bring this stuff.
 |
It is not so much what you put in the bag but how much can you get in there. I would say before you pick a bag get help and figure out what you need and go to your bike shop and find the bag you can fit all your stuff in before you buy one.
 |
As far as I am concerned you should never use the clam type chain cleaners on your bike chain as seen in box 1. The degreasing fluid you put in there as you pedal backwards through it ends up working its way into the bottom bracket and rear hub. When that fluid gets in there it, as the name says, degreases it and causing a lot of damage. But hey your chain looks great. I do the lazy man way I use White Lightning in box 2. It is a wax that encapsulates the dirt and flakes off. I do find I need to put a wet lube on when ever I hear a light squeaking noise in the drive train but then go back to the wax. In box three you see the other way I will clean a chain when someone asks me too. Just hit it with a light lube and back pedal through a rag or two. Works great and hurts nothing.
 |
This is not a how to replace your tube hack you can get that all over Youtube.com. This is a hack to keep you from getting the same flat right away. The key is to remove one side of the tire then remove the tube but keep the orientation of the tube to the tire and rim. When you put air in the tube you should find the hole or holes. You may need to put it under water but I just move in near my face to feel it. When you find the hole mark it with a pen. Now lay it up against the wheel with the valve by the valve hole in the rim and go to the spot on the wheel that the hole lines up with. There are three locations. The outer surface of the tube the side surface and the inside surface. If it is the outer surface look and feel inside the tire with the tips of your fingers for what caused the flat. Feel with a light touch as to not cut yourself. If you find it remove it. I use a small knife and pliers. If it is on the sides and has two holes it most likely an impact flat. You didn’t have enough air or you hit something too hard. The last is the inner surface, look to the rim or rim strip to see if there is rust or an exposed spoke nipple that needs to be covered.
 |
I always say grease every thread on a bike. But these are a key one. Not only does it make it less likely to move while braking it makes it a lot easer to put them where you want them with out moving when you are tighten them down.