Brakes, tyres, cables: how to prepare your bicycle for summer
- The shining spring sun and dry streets can easily encourage you to hop on a bike. Before the start of the cycling season, you should ensure that your bike is in good condition, says established entrepreneur Matti Suominen from Ugin Pyörä.
The bell rings above the door to the bike shop on Sepänkatu. The bike spring maintenance season is at its peak at Ugin Pyörä, and more bikes are brought in every day for maintenance, says Suominen.
“Of course, we maintain bikes all year round, whenever the conditions are suitable for cycling. In the past few weeks, there has been a sharp increase in maintenance requests.”
Suominen knows the ins and outs of bikes very well. 50 years of experience in this line of business have trained him thoroughly.
“All kinds of bikes are brought in for maintenance. In most cases, the tyres are worn or punctured, but we perform all types of maintenance and repairs.
I’d say that it’s worth investing in maintaining and repairing an old reliable well-known brand bike instead of buying a cheap new one.”
If you haven’t rode your bike in the winter or if it’s been even longer, you should perform maintenance or have it maintained for you before riding it. Basic maintenance can be performed with a few tools at home or by a professional in a shop. There are a few things you should do before storing your bike away for winter.
“The chains of the bike should be lubricated so they don’t rust. The bike should be stored indoors in a dry environment and hung on the wall from its front wheel, if possible. This way, the bike does not rest on its tyres and exert pressure on them,” says Matti Suominen.
How to perform spring maintenance on your bike
Check the condition of the tyres
Add air to the tyres and check that they are intact. Replace cracked outer tyres with new ones and repair any holes in the inner tubes.
Clean and lubricate the chains
If the chains are unused for a long time, they can easily become dry. Clean and lubricate the chains. Make sure that the chains have not come loose and tighten them if necessary.
Check the brakes
Check the condition of the brake pads and cables and replace any worn parts with new ones. Lubricate the brake and gear cables with a few drops of oil.
Check, tighten, test
Check the condition of the rims, spokes, pedals and gears and the nuts and bolts of the bike. Adjust, tighten and change parts where necessary.
Of course, you can always take your bike to be maintained by a local professional! In Uusikaupunki, bike maintenance services are available from, for example, Ugin Pyörä and Kesport Uusikaupunki.