As head of Mavic’s special service course in the US and a longtime veteran of neutral support, Mark Niemiec has seen all manner of things go wrong with bikes. Many of these issues, however, could have either been avoided or easily fixed by the rider, had that rider done some easy maintenance or just been a little bit prepared.
- BikeRadar tests Specialized S-Works Epic at Leadville 100
- Plan your big cycling adventure for next year - event suggestions and tips
This year, Mavic provided neutral support for the Leadville Trail 100. Of the 2,100 riders who entered the race, about 350 spent some quality time with Niemiec and the Mavic crew getting their bikes worked on at some point. While Niemiec and his crew are great folks, you probably don't want to meet them during your event out of necessity. And obviously, on normal days when you are just out riding alone or with friends, there is no neutral support!
In the interest of being a little more self-sufficient wherever you're riding, here is Niemiec list of top five fixes that every rider should be able to do.
ADVERTISEMENT
1. Hang a derailleur
“Carrying a second derailleur hanger and knowing both how to install it and dial in the adjustments on your derailleur might be at the top of the list," Niemiec says. "Most hangers are stamped aluminum. They’re intentionally weak and designed so that they break before your frame does. If you do enough riding you’re going to bust one, it’s a 'when' not an 'if'. I’d suggest buying at least one alternate and keeping it on you when riding any longer distance."
"You should also practice throwing it on. It’s super easy, usually just a couple turns of an Allen and some tweaking of the stop screws and tension adjustments to dial it in. Three or four minutes tops. There are also literally hundreds of different hanger designs now, so there’s no assurance that neutral support or your local bike shop will have yours handy in the event of failure. And again, it’s designed to fail!"
2. Patch a sidewall
3. True a wheel
4. Fix a broken chain
5. Clean and lube
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
via BikeRadar All the latest from BikeRadar.com http://ift.tt/2fookeV
No comments:
Post a Comment