General maintenance before work!

[MichaelW2]

If you find yourself with a flat tyre in the morning, from an overnight slow thingummy, just whip out the leaky inner tube, put in a new one from the stash of spares at home, leaving your carry spare alone.
With decent modern commuter tyres this a quite a rare occurrence.

 

[icowden]

i didn't think you could use the air hose at petrol stations on bicycles! I just have a big pump at home and top the tyres up occassionally.

 

[I like Skol]

i didn't think you could use the air hose at petrol stations on bicycles! I just have a big pump at home and top the tyres up occassionally.

You can with Schrader valves. Presta needs an adapter like this...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Presta-Schrader-Brass-Adaptors-Converter/dp/B00EYG43T0

 

[alicat]

Hi z33 and welcome to the forum.

You do need a pump of some description and checking the bike the night before will lessen your stress in the long run.

 

[mangid]

Other mechanical issues are not going to happen overnight, there is no mysterious night-time sabotage gremlin at work, so if you put your bike away in a useable condition then it is most likely (barring flat tyres, and even this is rare) to be ready to go in the morning.

Not sure about that, many a morning I've lived with a rattle that was most definitely not there the night before .... Not a serious mechanical, but enough to ruin the Zen

You can with Schrader valves. Presta needs an adapter like this...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Presta-Schrader-Brass-Adaptors-Converter/dp/B00EYG43T0

When I was a kid literally blew my tyre up at the petrol station ;-)

 

[Supersuperleeds]

What's this prep you are on about?

 

[Drago]

What's this prep you are on about?

Your BESTCOPA checks the night before.

 

[al78]

We are talking about bicycles here , not complicated motor vehicles here are we not? I think the worst mechanical problem would be a flat tyre on a bike, big deal!

I can trump that. Snap ring coming off the hub gear, followed by rear sprocket leaving me with no drive. Putting snap ring back on is a PITA, no way am I going to attempt it roadside, so a half hour walk home it is.

I always have one bike ready to ride before I want to use it. With three bikes I would have to be very unlucky to have all three fail in such a way that only the LBS could fix them all.

 

[clf]

My pre commute check consists of checking the bike is still where I left it, if it is I'm off, that's the beauty of it, you're riding a push bike to work, not preparing a submersible to discover new species at the bottom of the Mariana trench, this also applies to washing the bloody thing.

 

[I like Skol]

Hmmmm. z33 currently last seen on Tuesday at the time they started this thread. I hope they are not just a one post wonder, or worse, an existing member posting something a bit contentious under a false identity!

 

[MikeG]

...... or worse, an existing member posting something a bit contentious under a false identity!

That's still a hanging offense, isn't it?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

We are talking about bicycles here , not complicated motor vehicles here are we not? I think the worst mechanical problem would be a flat tyre on a bike, big deal!

I've sheared a pedal off on a commute and also snapped a crank whilst riding home, granted I carried on riding with the sheared pedal but the crank was a walker, still don't do any checks other than a cursory glance at the tyres.

Oh, just remembered. Had a creak for weeks that I couldn't work out, until I finally gave in and cleaned the bike to take into the LBS. They found the the problem, cracked frame

 

[gbb]

We are talking about bicycles here , not complicated motor vehicles here are we not? I think the worst mechanical problem would be a flat tyre on a bike, big deal!

I must admit, I kind of agree. I commuted all weather's, all year, for years. I never really felt the need to do pre-ride checks barring occasionally testing air pressures with my thumb. A quick top up very rarely with a track pump perhaps or with my frame pump.
Other maintenance was done regularly, as and when convenient and necessary.


But then I never really suffered from punctures and I believe good tyres....and good road position will greatly reduce the possibility of getting them.

 

[gbb]

I've sheared a pedal off on a commute and also snapped a crank whilst riding home, granted I carried on riding with the sheared pedal but the crank was a walker, still don't do any checks other than a cursory glance at the tyres.

Oh, just remembered. Had a creak for weeks that I couldn't work out, until I finally gave in and cleaned the bike to take into the LBS. They found the the problem, cracked frame

I had the same in a Bianchi, creaking particually when out of the saddle. I happened to up end the bike one day and fou d a whacking great crack around the BB underside.

 

[gbb]

Hence having at least 2 bikes solves the problem.

Three bikes for me to get to work once. (2.5 miles away)
Jumped on the normal bike...punctured about 500 yards from home. Quickly rode home, grabbed my recent rebuild...hopped on that....seatpost slipped. It was built and not tested and needed a shim.
Back home, third bike got me to work ok.