![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Some bike maintenance
Jan. 31st, 2015 08:55 pmMy front tire was leaking down this week. I got it off and patched it, I don't think it was a puncture, the tube looked like it had been pinched or abraded in a line.
Also my chain had gotten quite loose and was badly corroded and sticky. I put it in a mineral spirits wash for a couple of hours, shaking it by hand while watching TV. Then I put some prolink on it, but I don't like prolink for winter riding, it's too thin and dry. I went to the bike shop in town today to look for some wet lube but they didn't have anything I liked - the wrench there wanted to push Boeshield T9, but I already have some and really don't think it's very good.
I wound up coming home and cutting some chainsaw bar oil with a little mineral spirits to make it flow. That should be sticky enough. Really in the winter it would be best if I cleaned the chain a lot more. I don't like doing it but I should try to do it.
Then I had to adjust the bottom bracket to tension the chain. This is a little bit of a pain in the butt - I haven't found a pin spanner that does a good job so I just put a crappy allen wrench in a hole and tap on it with a screwdriver and a 2 pound sledge to rotate it.
I'm not happy with the weather forecast for Sunday/Monday. If there's 10 inches of snow, I'll probably wave off riding on Monday, and I already skipped Friday due to the flat tire and the chain issues.
Odometer: 1300
Yeah, low mileage for a bike I've had for over a year. I don't ride this bike unless I have to (Giant Seek 0 2014)
Also my chain had gotten quite loose and was badly corroded and sticky. I put it in a mineral spirits wash for a couple of hours, shaking it by hand while watching TV. Then I put some prolink on it, but I don't like prolink for winter riding, it's too thin and dry. I went to the bike shop in town today to look for some wet lube but they didn't have anything I liked - the wrench there wanted to push Boeshield T9, but I already have some and really don't think it's very good.
I wound up coming home and cutting some chainsaw bar oil with a little mineral spirits to make it flow. That should be sticky enough. Really in the winter it would be best if I cleaned the chain a lot more. I don't like doing it but I should try to do it.
Then I had to adjust the bottom bracket to tension the chain. This is a little bit of a pain in the butt - I haven't found a pin spanner that does a good job so I just put a crappy allen wrench in a hole and tap on it with a screwdriver and a 2 pound sledge to rotate it.
I'm not happy with the weather forecast for Sunday/Monday. If there's 10 inches of snow, I'll probably wave off riding on Monday, and I already skipped Friday due to the flat tire and the chain issues.
Odometer: 1300
Yeah, low mileage for a bike I've had for over a year. I don't ride this bike unless I have to (Giant Seek 0 2014)
