Maintaining the different parts of your bike is one way to ensure that it remains in good condition for a long time. If one part of your bicycle is in bad shape, you will not enjoy your overall cycling experience in Thailand. It is therefore important to give proper care to each unique part of your bicycle to ensure proper maintenance:
1. Wheels
The wheels of a bicycle are one part that are highly prone to damage and therefore need frequent tweaking and repairs. Closely look over your wheels for twists or dents that tend to be caused by strong impact. You should examine your bicycle wheels every time you hit a hard obstacle or object while cycling or if your bicycle falls. To do so, simply spin your wheel at a fast speed and check for any unusual movements. If the bicycle wheel moves from one side to another, it means that it has sustained some level of damage. Take it for repair to correct the problem.
2. Tires
When you are riding a bicycle, it is the tires that bear most of your body weight. This makes them susceptible to deflation. Regularly check and fill up your tire’s air pressure to ensure that they are always optimal. Also, inspect your tires for any bumps, cuts, scrapes, or tears and replace them where necessary. Also, change your tires if their tread is too worn out.
3. Handlebars
The condition of your handlebars has a great impact on the safety and comfort of your cycling. Regularly inspect their elevation to ensure that they are not too low, too high, too far, or too close. A wrong handlebar adjustment would easily cause back, shoulder, hand, and neck pain. A good reach will allow you to easily and comfortably use all handlebar positions and to bend your elbows with ease while cycling. Also, ensure that your handlebars are correctly aligned with your bike’s front wheel. This will give you maximum steering ability and help you to avoid collisions should you swerve suddenly.
4. Spokes
The function of the spokes is to support you and distribute your weight when you are getting on a bicycle. If your spokes are damaged, they easily put you at risk of serious accidents or further ruining your bike. It is therefore important to ensure that your spokes are tightly fastened against your bicycle’s rims. Immediately replace broken or bent spokes.
5. Brakes
The brakes are the most crucial bicycle parts to a rider’s safety. It is therefore important to regularly adjust and align your brakes to ensure that they are performing at their best. You can manually check the effectiveness of your brakes by squeezing the bicycle levers with your hands and making sure that the pads make good contact with your rims. The brakes are controlled by the levers. Tighten the nuts and screws to ensure that the cables are properly connected to prevent them from interfering with your wheel’s rotation. Replace worn out brake pads.
With all your bicycle parts working well, you should be able to enjoy your cycling experience in Thailand.
Joy Maiywa is a professional freelance writer and blogger. She has worked with clients from different fields including technology, education, health, and business and entrepreneurship. She writes for Degree Jungle, a resource for online degrees.
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