I hope this isn’t how your bike was left this winter… I ride year round, so I keep an eye on my bike’s maintenance needs on a regular basis, but for many people, the bikes get left in the garage or behind the shed all winter. When spring finally breaks, they’re left trying ride a squeaky, possibly rusted, flat tired bike that’s badly in need of a tune-up. Which can be extremely frustrating. If you’re game to learn the basics, getting your bike ready for the first spring ride could be just a click away.

This video will help you learn the names of the parts of your bike (and it’s got a great soundtrack made from the sounds of bike parts).

This next video is about washing and lubing your bike, something that needs to be done regularly, especially if you are riding all year round.

Here’s a video specifically about chain maintenance:

Great web resources for bike maintenance and repair:

• Park Tool’s Bike Map helps you identify the exact region of your bike that needs repairing, and the site has great step-by-step instructions.
• Bicycle Tutor has excellent video tutorials on bike repair and maintenance. Start with the tune-up video.
• Jim Langley’s Ten Steps to Keep a Bike Running Like New is another great resource.
• Utah Mountain Biking site’s Bike Repair Pages are full of photos and detailed instructions for repairing your bicycle, and most of the info applies to any kind of bike, not just mountain bikes.
• Check out the Bike Website’s Tune-up pages for great tips to start getting your hands dirty on your own bike.
• Total Bike’s Spring Bicycle Tune-up page is another basic guide that’s worth a read.
• And for the real gearhead, Sheldon Brown’s bike site is fantastic. He’s got more info there than you can possibly absorb in any short amount of time, so be sure to bookmark that one for reference. It’s classic.
• See the latest cycling jackets and clothing.

If you learn the basics of tune-up and maintenance, you can easily save $40 to $100 on a tune-up or overhaul each year, and you’ll have the skills to keep any bike on the road (or off-road, as the case may be…)

Happy riding!