Bicycling Magazine Tips (May 2014)
In the May 2014 edition of Bicycling Magazine they printed their 101 Best Maintenance Tips Ever. 20 of these tips involved lubrication and cleaning! We have highlighted these 20 tips below:
Tip No. 2: If It's threaded, grease it.
Tip No. 3: You can't properly adjust a bicycle that is dirty and not lubricated.
Tip No. 15: If your bike makes a noise, it’s trying to tell you something. Don’t ignore it.
Tip No. 16: A creaky crank is likely loose on the spindle. Remove the crank bolts, lubricate the threads, and reinstall. Tighten everything using a torque wrench.
Tip No. 17: Use a light lubricant to silence squealing rear-derailleur pulley wheels.
Tip No. 18: If your saddle creaks, drip a few drops of oil on the rail where it connects to your saddle and into the clamp where it grips the rails.
Tip No. 26: Don’t touch disc-brake pads with your fingers. The oil from your skin can decrease their braking power.
Tip No. 34: Do not use a solvent to lube your chain.
Tip No. 39: Places where grit hides: in brake pads, between tubes and tires, in cleats and pedals.
Tip No. 40: If a carbon part moves when it’s not supposed to, it can get scratched or trashed.
Tip No. 51: A few drops of Teflon oil in cable housings can fix sticky braking or slow shifting.
Tip No. 60: Soak the edge of a rag with degreaser and slide it back and forth between each cog to clean your cassette.
Tip No. 64: Don’t be afraid to scrub your bar tape. Assuming it’s wrapped properly, it can handle the elbow grease.
Tip No. 82: Not all chain lubricants are the same. Choose the one that best suits your riding conditions.
Tip No. 83: Carbon seatposts always get friction paste regardless of frame material. Carbon frames always get friction paste regardless of post material. Metal frames and posts always get anti-seize compound or grease.
Tip No. 84: After lubing your chain, backpedal a few revolutions then wipe off the chain with a clean, dry rag. The lube is now in the rollers and between the plates. The rest will just attract crud.
Tip No. 85: Apply lube to the chain’s rollers, not its side plates.
Tip No. 86: Use friction paste, which contains tiny bits of grit, on carbon parts. Grease will cause them to slip.
Tip No. 87: When lubricating a suspension fork, use the lube recommended by the manufacturer. Other types can break down internal plastic and rubber parts.(NOTE: Finish Line gurantees the performance and compatability of its fork oils with all brands of suspension forks.)
