Bicycle repair – Tools and maintenance to keep you riding

Taking care of your bike is fun and easy. The bicycle is yours, and you ride it. Why not take the time to learn the parts that make up your bike? Chains, gears, cables, brake pads, rims, tires, handlebars and pedals are all parts worth knowing. When one of them wears down, you can replace them yourself rather than taking it to a shop.

You can usually use common household tools to adjust your bike. An adjustable wrench, groove pliers, screwdrivers, hex keys and oil is about all you need.

The main component of a bike is its frame. The most common design is called a diamond frame, which is made of two triangles. Traditional frames are constructed of hollow steel, through more are now made of aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium.

Wheels are made up of a rim, which is connected to the hub by spokes. Wheels are categorized by the way a tire attaches to the rim. A clincher wheelset consists of an inner tube and an outer tire, which hooks into the rim. These are by far the most common. A tubular wheel consists of a single tube and tire, which is glued to the rim.

The most common maintenance you will perform on your bike is pumping the tires. Air regularly seeps out of the inner tube. Tires with too little air are more susceptible to damage from road objects, and it places stress on the rim. Of course, you will have more difficulty pedaling.

The drivetrain consists of the pedals, which rotate a crankset, which drives the bike chain, which in turn rotates the back wheel. Gears may be built into the bike, allowing you to climb steep grades with relative ease. The gear system may need regular adjustment with a screwdriver to properly align the chain to the gear.

The handlebars rotate the front wheel, and are connected to the fork. The most common type of handlebar systems are touring, which curve toward the rider, racing, which curve downward offer the cyclist the aerodynamic hunched position, and the cross handlebars on mountain bikes, which helps with stability in rugged terrain.

Finally, there are the brakes, which are either rim brakes, where friction pads press against the wheel rims, or hub brakes, where the bike stops when you stop pedaling. The most common are rim brakes, which periodically need adjustments and the pads need replacing. Pads can easily be replaced by yourself with a screwdriver.