Many people forget which way to turn to loosen and tighten things. Almost all bicycle parts are tightened by turning to the right and loosened by turning to the left. One way to remember this is to recite, “Right, tighty; lefty, loosy.” Don’t ask me who made this up—but it works. Exceptions: The left pedal on all bikes is reverse thread meaning you must turn it clockwise to remove it. Another oddball part is the right bottom bracket cup (chainring side) on most modern bikes built in China/Taiwan/Japan/USA. This cup is also reverse thread so you must turn it clockwise to loosen.
Bike storage
The best place to store a bike is inside. Shelter will protect it from thieves and the weather. Left outside, a good bike can rust and corrode to dangerous condition in less than a year. This is especially true if you live near the ocean where salt in the air is super corrosive. If your apartment is small, simply install a bike hook and hang your bike from a wheel. These hooks are cheap (about $3 at hardware and department stores) and they’ll screw into any wood wall or stud in a plaster/sheetrock wall. Be creative: maybe you can hang your bike in a stairwell or a closet; above your bed (cool!) or in the kitchen? You can find a spot if you look a bit.
Tire pressure
Bicycle tires lose air slowly. It’s just their nature. Because they don’t hold a lot of volume of air and because that air seeps out over a relatively short period of time (a week for a road bike tire and about two weeks for a MTB knobby), there’s a risk if you just ride without checking the tire pressure. If you bike on soft tires and you hit a pothole, rock or other obstacle, it’s possible to damage or ruin, the tire, tube and worst of all, the rim. A too-soft tire also means that you’re working a lot harder and on a mountain bike, it can make for a wobbly, hard-to-handle ride. So, be smart and check your tire pressure regularly: every week during the season for mountain bikes and before every ride for roadsters. Most people put too little pressure in road tires and too much pressure in off-road rubber. Road tires usually take from 95 to 125 pounds per square inch (psi). If you weigh less than 150 pounds, go toward the lower end and vice versa. For mountain tires intended for off-road use, a good range is from 35 to 45 pounds. Use the same rule for weight. With off-road rubber, you’ll find that less air means a softer ride and improved control because the tire has a larger footprint on the trail.
Rear mount car rack tip
Carry your bike on a trunk- or bumper-mount car rack? Beware the exhaust pipe! It’s easy with these racks to mistakenly place the bicycle in such a way that the tire is near the exhaust. Then, as you drive, the hot exhaust can actually melt your tire. Always take the time to mount the bicycle so that the tires are well clear of the exhaust pipe
Shifting tip
On any bike with derailleur gears (bikes with multiple sprockets on the front and/or back), there are two gears that you should ride in rarely if at all. These are called crossover gears because when the bike is in these gears, the chain crosses over from the extreme left or right on the front to the extreme right or left on the rear. In these positions, the chain is most likely to wear the cogs in back and chainrings in front and it’s most likely to make noise and miss-shift. So, pay attention and try not to shift into the large chainring/large cog and the small chainring/small cog combinations
Chain ring marks
A good way to end those embarrassing black marks you may find on your legs after every ride is to teach yourself to put your left leg down at stops. This way, the leg that’s down is on the wrong side to touch the chain and other drivetrain parts.
Lube it
Squeaking sounds when you’re pedaling indicate unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain and the noise almost always comes from a dry chain. If you look at the chain and see bright, shiny links, you’ve waited too long to add lube. Always try to keep a thin film of lube on the chain and you’ll prevent rust, squeaks, poor shifting and premature drivetrain wear.
Seat pain?
If the seat is adjusted correctly and it still bothers you, it could be many things. Have you tried a good pair of cycling shorts? These include padding and they’re worn without underwear so that there are no seams and only comfortable padding inside between you and the seat. Another possibility is that you haven’t conditioned your butt to riding. It usually takes a few weeks of regular riding to get used to sitting on a bike seat. If these steps fail, it’s probably a bad seat. Visit a shop and try other seat designs until you find one that feels great. Gel seats are very popular but there are plenty of designs to try.
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