Two Wheel Blogs

No riding for me today. A big project at the office wouldn't wait, demanding more of my time than I like to allow. I decided to make it a bicycle maintenance day instead of a bicycle riding day. Both my 29er and my road bike were getting to the point where some basic maintenance would return dividends.

I started with my Karate Monkey. First order of business was to install a new chain tug. My chain had shown repeated interest in hopping off during bumpy descents. The tremendous chain tension I'd generate (uh, yeah...) in climbing would cause the wheel to slip in my monkey's dropout, letting slack in the chain. The chain tug is sure to put a stop to that.

Both bikes got a good cleaning top to bottom. I cleaned and lubed the chains. I took all the wheels off, sprayed and brushed them clean, and set aside to dry. Both bike frames and all components got a gentle spray and brushing to get rid of caked on dust, dirt, road grime and yes, sweat.

It won't be long my road bike will be needing a new tire in back. The front looks to be in decent shape but the back tire has a nice wide contact strip worn all the way around. My bar tape is about shot too. Knocking on wood here - three cheers for wearing it out under my own two hands rather than shredding it in a crash somewhere.