Beginning bike maintenance

I took a beginner bike maintenance class a couple weeks ago through our local city Parks and Rec program. The instructor was 89-year-old Tom Martin, who is a local legend (see Tar Heel Traveler: Raleigh man pedals 200,000 miles on bike). Needless to say, it was great.

I had no idea going into the class who the instructor was or what to expect. I’ve just always wanted to know more about how to maintain my bikes. There were only three of us that showed up, and we had over 2 1/2 hours with him to ask questions and learn some of his techniques for maintaining his bikes. We went through a progression of items, starting with tires (how to change a flat, etc), chains, shifting components, brake components, and general cleaning and upkeep. We brought our bikes in, and he took a look with us. My bike didn’t really need too many adjustments, just a good clean, but we made some small adjustments to derailers and disc brake shoes on another bike.

I made a short list of things I need to pick up to start getting a level 1 toolkit together:

1. Flat repair solution (aka patch kit, extra tire tube, frame pump/CO2 pump)
2. Silicone spray
3. Pareafin/wax-based cleaner and lubricant – Tom uses White Lightning
4. Cleaning bushes
5. Bike stand

I’ve gotten ahold of most of that now, and spent a chunk of time cleaning and tuning my bike today. It was gross but feels good to be on top of it now.