Tips For Maintaining Your Bike

You lost me at “I don’t bike” Maintaining your bike is easy with the right tools and a little bit of knowledge. Here’s our tips.

Ask most women (and most likely quite a few men too) about how to go about maintaining their bike and they probably won’t have much of a clue. For a long time, I was part of that ‘in the dark group’ too.

Winding the calendar back a few years to when our dream of a opening bicycle shop was in motion and when we were designing our first prototype, I knew little about bike components and the mechanical side of things.  I guess being thrown in the deep end is quite a common way of learning. I quickly learnt the difference between a chainwheel and a chain stay and from there I have been fortunate to piece together a bike using quality components that helps me not just with a smooth sailing commute, but also by reducing the chances of mechanical issues and by simplifying its maintenance.

A few weeks ago, some of my lovely girlfriends at RAD bikes asked me to help out with their Wheel Womyn workshops. Being one of those woman who a) doesn’t give their bike much (if any) maintenance and b) feels dorky asking the guy at the bike shop to fix a puncture, I thought such an important issue needed addressing not only in my life but for other women too. So here I am again getting my hands dirty to help you feel confident on your bike.

Tips for maintaining your bike:

1. Give your bike a tune up once a month – Check for rattles, loose screws, squeaks and how much air you have in your tyres. Give your chain a little oil. (Use quality bike oil rather than your quality olive oil!)

2. Join the Wheel Womyn workshops at RAD Bikes to learn some new skills – Wheel Womyn is a dedicated Wednesday session run by the ladies of the shed to knowledge share, answer (and ask) embarrassing questions, and socialise with other bike peeps. Wheel Womyn is a casual, drop-in workshop focused on one topic per event.

3. Have your bike serviced by a certified Bicycle Mechanic at least once a year – Check out Action Bicycle Club’s great range of servicing options.

Happy cycling!

Change doesn’t happen overnight but Christchurch has come a long way. This blog series is an exploration of that change as we gain confidence, why fashion doesn’t need to compromise and our own dedication to commuting in Christchurch.

Charlotte is Creative Wheel at Action Bicycle Club – She believes bikes are like handbags. A woman can never have too many. She is here to create a good looking cycling community in Christchurch.