| When you're out on the trail, miles and miles | | | | |
| from home, you don't want any serious | | | | While we're on the subject of lubrication, |
| mechanical situations occurring with your | | | | every now and then you should lubricate your |
| bike. Pushing your bike up and down steep, | | | | brake cables. You don't need to do this as |
| slippery slopes is not what mountain biking | | | | often as your chain, but you should do it |
| is all about. You want a fun, exhilarating | | | | periodically. It's really quite simple to do. |
| ride, and the best way to ensure this is by | | | | Remove the cable from both the brake housing |
| keeping your bike in good mechanical order. | | | | and the levers and then remove the cable from |
| Here we look at a few things you should do to | | | | the plastic covering and lubricate the whole |
| keep your bike in shape. | | | | length of the cable before putting it all |
| | | | back again. If your brakes feel sticky, then |
| Clean your bike after each ride | | | | this may be all you need to do to fix it. |
| | | | |
| When you're out all day on the trail, you're | | | | Adjusting your brakes |
| bound to get dirty, and so is your bike. | | | | |
| While you might not mind staying dirty for a | | | | Your brakes can really come in handy when |
| while, your bike does. When you get back to | | | | you're on a big downhill ride, so the last |
| camp or when you load your bike into your | | | | thing you want is for them not to be working |
| car, give it a quick clean with some spare | | | | properly. Before going on a ride, always |
| water. If your bike is caked in mud, clean | | | | check your brakes are properly adjusted. |
| the excess gunk with a stick. When you get | | | | Firstly, if you have cantilever or V-type |
| your bike home, give it a thorough clean. | | | | brakes, check that your brake pads are not |
| Take particular care in getting all the | | | | too worn and that they are adjusted properly. |
| mechanical parts as clean as a whistle. | | | | If they need replacing, then do so. It may be |
| | | | a good idea to have some spares just in case. |
| Keeping your chain lubricated | | | | Alternatively, they may just need a little |
| | | | adjusting which is a simple procedure. It may |
| Once you have cleaned all the crap off your | | | | just be a little fiddly and may require some |
| mountain bike, then you need to lubricate the | | | | trial and error. Next, adjust the cable from |
| chain. A dry chain will eventually lead to | | | | the brake and then do the fine tuning from |
| big problems, including kinks and broken | | | | the handlebar brake levers. If you have disc |
| links. And Murphy's Law clearly states that | | | | brakes, these will require a more complex |
| this will happen at the worst possible time, | | | | service so you should closely follow the |
| when you're miles from anywhere. Before you | | | | directions in your owner's manual. |
| lubricate the chain, make sure that it is | | | | |
| clean. Also, clean the gear sprockets with a | | | | You should do a full service on your mountain |
| small brush. There are special chain | | | | bike periodically. The length of time between |
| lubricants available specifically designed | | | | services will depend on how often, and how |
| for the rigors of mountain bike riding, so | | | | hard you ride, and the conditions in which |
| use these instead of a general purpose | | | | you're riding. If you enjoy spending time on |
| lubricant. | | | | your bike in the great outdoors, then you'll |
| | | | need to be prepared to spend a little time |
| Lubricating your brake cables | | | | with your bike in the garage as well. |