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Your college years are a time full of new experiences and adventures. You’re away from home for the first time and it’s now that you’re realizing how amazing campus life can be.
If you’re a biker, or you’re looking for a way to get to campus without using a car or public transportation, a bike is the right choice for you. Sleek, compact, and easy to use, biking can be a great new way to get to know your new campus.
But what about caring for your bike? Do you need to know how to maintain it? If you do, keep reading to learn about simple steps you can take in order to maintain your bike throughout your college years.
Benefits of Biking
Before starting, let’s talk a little bit about the benefits of riding. There are definitely a lot of advantages, but there are three main pros to cycling around campus:
1. Exercise
A little obvious, but exercise is probably the best advantage to using a bike to get around. Just by biking to and from class, or even around town, you’re using your own body as a form of transportation. This is a great cardio workout that lessens the impact on your joints, making it a better choice than running as a sustainable exercise.
2. Competition
Some students are competitive athletes, so they take every chance they can get to become faster and stronger. Biking helps them accomplish this by giving them moderate cardio exercise; it can even be used as a warm up if you’re riding from your dorm to the gym.
If you’re a student who’s interested in triathlons or competitive cycling, biking is a great choice, and with the help of a simple tool known as a power meter, you can keep track of how much power you’re using while biking.
3. Great for the Environment
Biking is also great for the environment. By reducing your use of public transportation or your own car, you’re reducing the amount of emissions in your community. In fact, the Australian Department of Transport and Main Roads has stated that if you bike instead of drive 10 miles each day, you could be saving 1,500 kg of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Bike Maintenance Tips
Bikes are like cars; they absolutely need regular maintenance. You’ll probably be aware of most of these tips if you already own a bike, but if you’re getting ready to pick a bike out, these tips will be helpful. Keep in mind that these are the main maintenance concerns; there are plenty more.
Check Tire Pressure, Brakes, and Chains Before Every Ride
This is part of the pre-ride check that you may forget to do, especially if you’re already late for class, but checking your bike may help you avoid a flat tire or bike accident when you’re on the road.
You’re going to want to check your tire pressure to make sure that the tire is firm. Deflated tires can signal a leak or tear in the tire, while too-inflated tires can pop while you’re on the road. If you notice either of these problems, add more air with a bike pump or let some air out, making sure to keep the tire firm.
Brakes must also be checked; to do this, squeeze your front and back brake levers located on your bike. You’ll know they’re working just fine if both sets engage smoothly and disengage once you let go of the lever.
Checking your chains is also crucial. If your bike is clean and well lubricated, your bike will operate smoothly; if not, the gears may catch and cause an accident. You will most likely find any problems before they cause an issue on the road by checking the chains, and it can be fixed by quickly cleaning and lubricating the gears and chains.
Lubrication is Crucial
Lubrication is super important to remember for bikes. Because bikes are made up of chains, gears, and bolts, keeping your bike lubricated is necessary for it to work properly.
But it’s not enough to lubricate on a maintenance schedule. You might find that some gears and the chain may need to be lubricated on a more consistent basis, depending how much you use the bike. Only after riding for a while will you get a sense of when it’s time to lubricate the different parts of your bike.
One word of caution here: do not over lubricate your bike. In fact, many bike repair shops will tell you that many of the issues they solve are caused by a person over lubricating or not wiping the excess lubricant from their bike’s chains. You want to remove as much lubricant as possible because the oil could mix with dirt and grime from the road and can wear out the chain much faster than normal.
Store Your Bike Indoors
Leaving your bike out in the rain can rust out the chain and gears, causing your bike to work less efficiently. While you may not notice the wear and tear right away, it is a cause for concern if you continuously leave the bike outside.
If you live in a dorm room, check with the school to see if you can store your bike in your room. If that takes up too much space, try chaining it up in an underground or covered parking area. This will save you time and money in the long run, so do your bike a favor and keep it indoors.
These are just a few tips; a quick search on the web will show you that there are more tips to keep in mind, but these are the most important for students like you. Just by taking a little time out to care for your bike, you’ll ensure that your bike will always be ready for a ride.
Sources:
1. https://www.ilovebicycling.com/101-best-bike-repair-and-maintenance-tips/
2. https://bicyclehabitat.com/how-to/a-simple-bike-maintenance-chart-pg366.htm
3. https://powermetercity.com/category/other-articles/
4. https://www.vipnormanok.com/fitness-tips/9/Cardio-Cycling-vs-Running.htm
5. https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-and-transport/Cycling/Benefits.aspx
6. https://www.bicycling.com/culture/advocacy/7-reasons-why-cycling-is-better-than-running
This article was contributed by guest author Melanie Nathan.