Bicycle Maintenance 101

This class is aimed at riders of working bicycles: commuters, grocery getters, students, etc. While the skills and techniques used here aren't particularly different from those used by road racers and downhill cyclists—recreational and sport riders—people who ride for utility and transportation are likely to have different maintenance schedules.

You don't need many tools to do basic bicycle maintenance—you probably have many of them already. In addition to a set of full-size tools for home, you should also carry a few basic mini-tools on the bike, for roadside repairs.

You should have these with you at all times when you're going to ride farther than you'd like to carry your bike home.

• Patch kit - you can get instant peel-and-stick patches or a kit with vulcanizing liquid, sandpaper, and thicker patches. I like the kit, but it does take about 5 minutes to apply a patch with those.
• Tire levers - I hear good things about the Crank Brothers Speed Lever, but since my multi-tool has tire levers built in, I've never tried one myself.
• Frame pump - I like the looks of the Topeak Turbo Morph G; what I have is their Road Morph G. Key features are that it has a fold-down foot so you can use it like a floor pump instead of like a frame pump (traditional frame pumps are a pain to use and if you aren't holding them right can damage the valve or rim), and it has a built-in pressure gauge.
• Spare tube - sometimes it's more convenient to just replace a tube instead of patching it on the road. If you do use your spare, make sure to patch the old tube when you get home, and put it back on your bike as the spare.
• Multi-tool - I don't think they make the one I use any more, but the most similar is the Park MTB-3. You want something that has hex wrenches in the sizes you need, plus a screwdriver or two, at the least.
• If your wheels don't have quick-release skewers, a wrench which fits the nut.
• CitraWipes - Unless you want to arrive at your destination with greasy hands. I haven't seen these for sale online, but your local bike shop should have some. If not, ask them to order a case. Other packaged hand wipes just don't work. CitraWipes do.

• Screwdrivers, both phillips and flathead
• Hex/allen wrenches: at least 4, 5 and 6 mm, but a set with more is better
• Open-ended wrenches: a set which include 8mm to 17mm should cover it.
  • A socket wrench set could probably be used instead of open-ended wrenches.
• Adjustable (crescent) wrench
• Lubricants
  • Tri-flow, 3-in-1, or other light lubricant
  • Chain oil: Finish Line “Cross Country”, Phil Tenacious Oil, White Lightning, or the like. Your local bike shop can recommend one.
  • WD-40 is not a suitable bicycle lubricant
• Cleaning supplies
  • Heavy-duty paper towels or clean rags
  • Citrus-based solvent - you could get a bicycle-specific one, but the stuff in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket is cheaper and works just fine.
  • Specialty cleaning brush or old toothbrush
  • Citrus-based hand cleaner - any auto parts store should have a good selection of these. I like the “Fast Orange” brand with pumice.
• Bicycle floor pump - one with a built-in pressure gauge and a head that fits both presta and schrader valves

• Repair stand - a real bicycle repair stand makes many maintenance tasks much, much easier, but you can hang a bike from patio rafters with rope in a pinch. Or if you have a trunk/hitch-mounted bicycle rack on your car, you might be able to use that.

• Spoke wrench - fixing a wobbly wheel is beyond this class, and until you're comfortable with other maintenance tasks you might prefer to have your wheels trued by a shop.
• Pedal, headset, bottom bracket and hub wrenches - you don't need these very often, but if you're going to work on those things, you'll need the tools. Luckily, there are inexpensive versions available.
• Chain whip/cassette tool - again, not needed very often, but necessary if you need to remove the rear cassette cluster.
• Heavy waterproof grease - if you want to re-pack any bearings (which isn't too difficult, but isn't something I think goes in a “101” class), you'll need some of this.

Write-ups in progress…

• Instruction
  • Bicycle Tutor - Excellent instructional videos! Definitely check this out.
  • Park Tool
  • Sheldon Brown
  • The Chainbreaker Bike Book: A Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance
  • The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair
  • R+E Cycles repair classes
  • Wright Brothers Cycle Works classes
• Tools/Parts
  • http://www.jensonusa.com/
  • http://www.universalcycles.com/
  • http://www.aebike.com/
  • http://www.pricepoint.com/
  • http://www.nashbar.com/
• Local independent bike shops
  • Recycled Cycles
  • 20/20 Cycle
  • FreeRange Cycles
  • Aaron's Bicycle Repair
  • Plenty more… look for a shop with more steel than carbon fiber.
• Bicycle advocacy groups
  • Cascade Bicycle Club
  • Bicycle Alliance of Washington
  • League of American Bicyclists
• Periodicals
  • The Practical Pedal
  • Boneshaker: A Bicycling Almanac