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The Importance Of Taking The Right Type Of Care For Your Bike

Owning and riding a bicycle is fun and rewarding. The health benefits of cycling alone are numerous. Cycling works out your core, your legs, and reduces overall body fat. The other rewards of cycling include a cheap means of transportation and an outlet for a competitive spirit. 

Unfortunately, while cycling has become one of the most popular means of transportation, hobby, and sport, bike maintenance is not yet a priority. Bicycles are machines that must be carefully maintained to keep them safe and operating at the optimal levels. Here’s why it’s important to take care of your bicycle.

Safety

Generally, the statistics show a low death rate of cyclists compared to other modes of transportation so cycling is not inherently a dangerous activity. However, because of things like the time it takes to cycle a distance as compared to for example driving there, there is an increased likelihood of accidents.  Another cause of bicycle accidents is poor bicycle maintenance. Here’s how poorly maintained bicycle parts affect your safety.

Brakes

Your brakes are what stop you from crashing into things and running over people. When you don’t take care of your brakes and change them when they’re too old to function properly you’re essentially putting everyone including yourself at risk of a cycling accident. 

At least once a week, squeeze your front and rear brake levers to make sure that the brakes respond properly. Signs that your brakes may need changing include squealing sounds when braking, hard unresponsive brakes, and thin worn-out pads. 

Bike Storage 

Your bicycle is not waterproof or made with super-strong material that keeps it safe in the harshest of conditions. This is why bicycle storage is so important. 

Leaving your bicycle laying around outside will cause the parts to degrade after only a week. Particularly if it’s left in the rain, snow, or there’s excess humidity. Your chain will rust, your plastic and rubber parts will start to break down, and even the colors will fade. To prevent all this, get a bike rack. When choosing, keep in mind that the best garage bike rack is one made of quality material and fits into your available space. Doing so will help keep your bicycle safe and kept out of harm’s way when it’s not being used.

Tires

It’s important to maintain your bicycle tires because improperly inflated tires mean flat and punctures. Tires are how you control the mobility of your bike. 

Check the sidewall of your tire to check the recommended tire pressure and follow it. Also, make sure you have a patch kit and pump with you before you ride. 

Litigation 

We live in a litigious world. As a cyclist, you’re liable to be sued for any injury you cause to anyone while riding your bicycle. This is known as a personal injury claim against you. In a personal injury claim, if the other party can prove that :

  • You owed them a duty of care. For example, every driver has a duty to be careful of others on the road.
  • That the duty was breached. In the case of a cycling accident, the duty of care may be breached when a cyclist is unable to brake properly because they didn’t maintain their bicycles properly.
  • That the breach by you was the cause of their injury. 
  • That they suffered damages as a result. These damages may be economic, such as medical bills and lost income, and/or non-economic, which means that you will be liable to pay for their emotional pain and suffering even if they weren’t physically injured. 

If you don’t have insurance for your bicycle this means you’ll have to pay using your own hard-earned money to pay the hefty sum, up to 200,000 dollars not including legal fees. 

Cost 

When you don’t regularly maintain your bike it’ll eventually break down. By not regularly doing things to keep your bike in working order like: 

  • Lubricating the chain to stop wear and tear
  • Inflating your tires to prevent punctures and flats
  • Tightening the nuts and bolts so that nothing comes loose in the middle of riding 
  • Cleaning and tightening your brakes so that they stop your bicycle when you need them to
  • Making sure that your wheels are in working order by turning your bicycle upside down and spinning them

You’ll end up having to do all these anyway in the end. Your brakes will fail, your wheels will be defective, your chain will be squeaky and hard, your nuts and bolts won’t hold your bike parts together, and your tires will be full of punctures that’ll result in frequent flat tires. 

You’ll need to replace everything with new parts, which is significantly more expensive than the money you would have spent on cleaning and maintenance supplies. Or you might have to seek professional help and pay for the services of a professional mechanic to get your bike in working order. Worse, you might need to purchase a whole new bicycle.

Bicycles require regular maintenance. While this might seem like an inconvenience, it’s easy to do, and the rewards like exercise and a cheap mode of transportation make it well worth it.

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