Tuning Your Own Mountain Bike Can Save You Time and Money

Nov 11th, 2008 | By coolbiking | Category: Bike Parts Accessories

By Anne Clarke

If you have purchased a mountain bike, it is important that you know and understand what you should do in order to be able to tune up your mountain bike parts.

Some of the parts that you specifically will want to know how to tune up likely will include:

The chain and chain ring
A large portion of tuning up these parts is simply done by keeping an eye on them. The bike chain, for example, needs to have grease on it to function properly. If you feel a little more friction than usual when you are riding your bike, perhaps it would be a good idea to just check on it.If the chain simply needs to be adjusted, and not replaced, this can be easily done. This is done by tightly pulling on the chain and then counting 20 links. Then, take a ruler and measure the distance from pin to pin. If the measurement ends up being longer than 10 inches, then it is probably a good idea to replace the chain. If shorter, everything is fine.If the chain is the right length, all you need to do is simply clean it to help restore it. Cleaning the chain can be done by simply using some sort of a citrus solvent and an old toothbrush. Scrub and lubricate as much as you feel you need to.To tune up the chain rings, look for any bent teeth. If some teeth are bent, usually an adjustable wrench can do the job to straighten and realign these teeth.
Wheels and brakes
If the mountain bike parts you are looking to get into shape are the wheels and the brakes, there are some other things that you might need to do. In order to check the wheels and brakes, simply apply the front brakes as you roll the bike forwards and backwards. There should not be much play when this occurs, if there is, you may want to tighten the headset after loosening the bolts.Checking the hubs should be fairly simple. All you need to do is push the front wheel hard enough to make it spin around two or three times. As long as the wheel spins freely, you are in good shape. Pay careful attention to make sure that there is no lateral movement of the wheel as it spins.
General parts
If you are speaking in general terms about how to keep your mountain bike tuned up, you should start at the front of the bike and tighten any of the bolts that have come loose. A lot of riding can make these bolts come loose through time. Also check places like the bottle cage and the chain ring bolts.Lubrication is important. One of the things that you should probably do is place a very light coat of grease on the bike’s saddle rails. Also, you will probably be better off if you lubricate the front suspension fork sliders. As you do this, take a moment to clean out any of the grit that might be lodged next to the seal.

Doing these things will help keep your mountain bike parts operational and in good shape.

Mountain bike Maintenance 101 Video

–About–

By Anne Clarke – Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, biking, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes running, yoga, and tattoos. For more of her useful information on mountain biking visit Mountain Bikes.

Source: Cool Biking Zone – Your source for great cycling, sports and fitness articles!

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